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<center>'''''Introduction to the Egg Trilogy'''''</center>
The “Egg Trilogy” is one part of a series of compendia of the sayings and songs of the great adepts of India known as the mahāsiddhas; the collection and importation of which are attributed to Dampa Sangye. Studies of these by Kurtis Schaeffer reveal that there are seventeen in all.'"`UNIQ--ref-000002C1-QINU`"' Eleven can be found in the Tibetan Tengyur, where they constitute the majority of such anthologies. Most of them, with only one exception, are also found in the five-volume ''Zhije Collection'', which also contains the six others, including our Silver, Golden, and Crystal Eggs.
The Egg Trilogy falls under the set of Pacification teachings known as Stainless (''dri med''). Each of the Eggs contains short sayings of fifty-four or fifty-five great adepts who were Dampa’s personal teachers and are included as a set in the lineage histories of the later transmission. They are known as the “common” or popular (''mthun mong'') male and female gurus, not because they were ordinary but rather because those gurus were held in common by many other disciples and were not unique to Dampa Sangye. Indeed, many of them are quite famous and can be seen to overlap with another set known as the eighty-four adepts (grub thob brgyad bcu bzhi). This group is also found in the Tengyur and many other places and has become the more official, standard list.'"`UNIQ--ref-000002C2-QINU`"' But it is good to remember that there were just really a lot of great saints in India and the book is never closed. Dampa was extremely lucky.
Pa Dampa’s fifty-four or -five teachers are divided into five groups by Gö Lotsāwa in ''The Blue Annals'''"`UNIQ--ref-000002C3-QINU`"' and other places, such as in ''Distilled Elixir'' in this volume. They are as follows: eleven gurus who taught defining characteristics and Sanskrit grammar, eleven gurus who taught the movements of vital winds in the father tantras, eleven gurus who taught bliss experiences in the mother tantras, eleven gurus who taught symbols of mahāmudrā, and ten gurus who introduced pure awareness. Thus, the story continues, Dampa Sangye received all the instructions of the outer vehicle of characteristics and the inner father and mother tantras and practiced them. Unfortunately, the lists of names in these sources and in all the anthologies vary quite a bit, with no two being identical. This uncertainty is compounded by unreliable back-translations into their Sanskrit names as well as by ubiquitous scribal errors. So to attempt a definitive list here would just be aggravating.'"`UNIQ--ref-000002C4-QINU`"' However, loosely speaking, the order of gurus in the three texts presented here more or less follows those five nominal group divisions.
That is the classification according to names. According to content, it would be difficult to precisely identify how each terse dictum fits into the above five categories. Nevertheless, one can see a rough pattern, with philosophical subjects appearing in the beginning, vital winds mentioned often in the next set, and so forth. In particular, and only in the ''Treasury'' editions, ''The Pure Silver Egg'' is divided into five sets named according to the traditional five paths (''lam lnga'') of Mahayana Buddhism. However, these five paths are presented in a unique and distinctive way in Pacification, as will become clear in the later texts in this volume. The five-path division here was apparently added by Kongtrul or Khyentse or an editor, and it may even have been an attempt to correlate the five sets of gurus with the five paths. The divisions don’t exactly correspond to the list of names, but they are close enough. So that is helpful.
It would be another matter entirely to find these actual sayings within the recorded works of those named adepts. Until someone undertakes that kind of research, we will have to be content to say that those great spiritual adepts probably did (or would) say something akin to what is recorded here.
A note on word choices: In texts such as these that have been copied since ancient times, the many editions have innumerable variations. While this is by no means a critical edition of the Eggs, I have included many of the variations in the notes in an effort to help find the meaning. But I have committed the terrible translator crime of choosing in some cases to override the Treasury version if other variations made more sense, were more common, or seemed more original. Finally, this edition of ''The Treasury of Precious Instructions'' luckily contains an interlinear note to support my translation of sgong (also ''sgo nga'') as “egg.” It states that it means “a summary of the source scripture’s meaning” (''gzhung gi don bsdus pa'o''). This is the common word for “egg,” and pastoral allegories are everywhere to be found in the literature of Tibet. But perhaps it just does not carry a particularly spiritual ring to our modern ears, so far from the farm.
'''Notes'''
'"`UNIQ--references-000002C5-QINU`"'
This is [[Jamgön Kongtrul]]’s well-known and probably most useful instruction on the daily practice of Severance, written at the behest of [[Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo]]. It has been translated several times, with the title rendered variously as “Grove of Delights,” “[[Garden of All Joy]],” “Garden of Pleasures,” and so forth. It is also the basis of many oral commentaries by great contemporary masters such as Venerable [[Tenga Rinpoche]], [[Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche]], and so on. Perhaps because it is so loved by practitioners, I have chosen “beloved” as the translation of kunga (''kun dga’''), which is in fact the short form of ''kungyi gawa'' (''kun gyis dga’ ba''), “loved by all.” Indeed, the text is concise and yet thoroughly informative; one might almost call it user-friendly. Each stage is laid out clearly, particularly the famous “feasts” or distributions of the body to the guests. By [[Kongtrul]]’s time, many variations on the body-offering visualizations had developed. In this text, [[Kongtrul]] recommends a method to practice all of them by pairing up white (peaceful) and red (wrathful) visualizations and doing a few pairs at a time, thus cycling through all of them in a few evenings. (Nighttime is the recommended time for a daily practice.) These coupled sets and the rest of the commentary here have informed practitioners in their daily practice of Severance and provided the necessary references for its implementation. +
M
Mkhas grub chen po nA ro tA pas rnal 'byor gyi dbang phyug mar pa lo tsA la gdams pa'i chos drug dril ba rdo rje'i mgur +
During Marpa’s third trip to India, Nāropa sang this song to him
during a ganacakra celebrating Marpa’s recovery from an illness.
Although Marpa had recovered physically, he was, as Nāropa remarks in the
song, still feeling sad. In this song, Nāropa summarizes the instructions on
the six dharmas—caṇḍālī, illusory forms, dreams, luminosity, transference,
and entering a body—and adds two final sets of instruction: on the bardos
and the path.
This song is found in the biographies of Marpa Lotsāwa by Tsangnyön
Heruka, Khachö Wangpo, and Pawo Tsuklak Trengwa.'"`UNIQ--ref-000000F6-QINU`"' It also serves as
a basis for commentaries on the six dharmas by the first Paṇchen Lama,
Lopsang Chökyi Gyaltsen, and one of his students, the first Rongpo Drupchen, Shar Kalden Gyatso, both seventeenth-century Geluk teachers.'"`UNIQ--ref-000000F7-QINU`"'
''Transmission lineage received by Jamgön Kongtrul''. Vajradhara to Jñānaḍākinī,
Vajrapāṇi, Tilopa, and then the same as previously stated for the Ganges
Mahāmudrā.'"`UNIQ--ref-000000F8-QINU`"' +
Mnga' bdag mar pa lo tsA bas dpal sa ra ha las gsan pa'i phyag rgya chen po yid la mi byed pa snying po don gyi gdams ngag yi ge bzhi pa'i don rdo rje'i mgur du bzhengs pa +
This song, also known as the ''Marpa’s Root Song about Nonattention'','"`UNIQ--ref-00000147-QINU`"' is one of the—if not the—most famous songs by Marpa Lotsāwa. It is found in many of his biographies, including the well-known one by Tsangnyön Heruka. It is in the collection called the ''Ocean of Kagyu Songs'' (also
known as the ''Rain of Wisdom'') and in the Twenty-Five Songs of Marpa, a
song anthology compiled by the sixteenth Drikung throne-holder, Kunga
Rinchen (1475–1527). It is also one of eight songs that Marpa sang for which
there is a named melody, a group Tsangnyön Heruka called the eight great
songs. The melody for this song is called the “outstretched wings of a soaring
garuda.”'"`UNIQ--ref-00000148-QINU`"'
Marpa followed the Indian tradition of singing about meditative experiences and realizations, but he often added autobiographical elements, as is the case here. Marpa sang this song in response to a request from the Lokya
prince of Gyerpu in Tsang, where he had been invited to teach following his
return from his first trip to India. The rest of the story is told in the song.
''Transmission lineage received by Jamgön Kongtrul''. Marpa to Milarepa, and
then the same as previously stated for the Ganges Mahāmudrā.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000149-QINU`"' +
N
The Instruction for ''Straightening the Crooked'' begins by recounting
Kṛṣṇācārya’s encounter with a yogin named Kṛṣṇa Acyuta, while on the
way with his retinue to Bengal. Acyuta taught Kṛṣṇācārya a method called
“straightening the crooked” that relies on a forceful method of prāṇāyāma.
The instruction here, as indicated by the title, is for straightening out the
nāḍīs, vāyus, and bindus. It is of note that Acyuta claims his guru is Śiva and
that Śiva’s guru is Vajradhara. We have no other details of the life of Acyuta. +
P
''Transmission lineage received by Jamgön Kongtrul''. Rangjung
Dorje to Yung Tönpa, Rolpai Dorje, Khachö Wangpo, Dezhin
Shekpa, Drung Mase Lodrö Rinchen, Chöpal Yeshe, Lodrö Drakpa, Jatang
Lodrö Gyatso, Döndrup Tashi, Lekshe Drayang, Lodrö Namgyal, Sangye
Rinchen, Drung Rinpoche Kunga Namgyal, Garwang Karma Tenkyong,
Sönam Gyurme, Könchok Tenzin, Drupgyu Tenpa Namgyal, Sungrap
Gyatso, Chökyi Jungne, Gelek Rapgye, Drung Gyurme Tenpal, Tenzin
Gelek Nyima, and Jamgön Kongtrul.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000577-QINU`"' +
This text is an outline in which the first word or words of each verse
or group of verses are connected to a topical heading.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000077-QINU`"' The words in
parentheses after the headings are these first words that begin each line in
Tibetan—as stated above, because of the linguistic differences between
Tibetan and English, it was not possible to have the English verses begin
with the same words. The line numbers of the ''Ganges Mahāmudrā'' have
been added in parentheses for each heading.
''Transmission lineage received by Jamgön Kongtrul''. Rangjung Dorje to Yung
Tönpa, Rolpai Dorje, Khachö Wangpo, Dezhin Shekpa, Drung Mase
Lodrö Rinchen, Chöpal Yeshe, Lodrö Drakpa, Jatang Lodrö Gyatso, Döndrup Tashi, Lekshe Drayang, Lodrö Namgyal, Sangye Rinchen, Drung
Rinpoche Kunga Namgyal, Garwang Karma Tenkyong, Sönam Gyurme,
Könchok Tenzin, Drupgyu Tenpa Namgyal, Sungrap Gyatso, Chökyi
Jungne, Gelek Rapgye, Drung Gyurme Tenpal, Tenzin Gelek Nyima, and
Jamgön Kongtrul.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000078-QINU`"' +
These “instructions” (''gdams pa'') on Severance [[Mahāmudrā]] are actually meant to be performed as an authorization ritual (''rjes gnang''), as is evident in the format and stated clearly in the opening verses and colophon. An authorization is similar to an empowerment (''dbang''), though usually less complex. So in fact these are instructions on conferring the authorization, including the actual liturgies to be recited and sometimes repeated by the disciples. Perhaps this confusion is why the text was moved from its original position in the empowerment section of the Palpung blocks to the instruction section of the Shechen printing. In [[Kongtrul]]’s catalog, the text is indicated by the statement “torma empowerment of the [[Zurmang]] tradition.” The empowerment or blessing in this case is conferred physically using a torma (ritual sculpted dough), rather than the various other implements of initiation.
The phrase “opening the sky door” (''nam mkha’ sgo ’byed'') is distinctive to the Severance tradition and refers specifically to the practice of separating consciousness from the body and sending it out the cranial aperture, a kind of transference (''’pho ba''). However, it has become a more generalized designation for a whole cycle of Severance teachings, including an enumeration of a set of ten instructions called sky-door openings. [[Khamnyön]]’s ''Religious History of Pacification and Severance'' reports that [[Machik]] received the empowerment originally from [[Kyo Sakya Yeshe]] during the transmissions of a teaching called the ''Six Pieces'''"`UNIQ--ref-0000065C-QINU`"' and attained liberation after receiving only four of the six instructions.'"`UNIQ--ref-0000065D-QINU`"' [[Khamnyön]]’s biography of [[Dampa Sangye]] recounts that the initiation was given by Dampa to four disciples and the instructions to [[Kyo Sakya Yeshe]], who conferred it on [[Sönam Lama]], who then passed it to [[Machik]].'"`UNIQ--ref-0000065E-QINU`"' In any case, the term “opening the sky door” is most commonly associated with the empowerment ritual that is required before commencing the practice.
The author, [[Rinchen Senge]] ([[Rin chen seng ge]]), signs with the Sanskrit name [[Ratnasiṃha]]. It is difficult to identify this person with certainty, other than that he was active during or after the time of [[Rangjung Dorje]] (1284–
1339), who is specifically mentioned in the colophon. It seems likely that he is the great preceptor of [[Tropu]] ([[Kagyu]]) Monastery ([[Khro phu mkhan chen Rin chen Seng ge]], 13th c.), the ordination preceptor of [[Butön Rinchendrup]] (1290–1364) and also of [[Zurmang Khenchen Pema Namgyal]].'"`UNIQ--ref-0000065F-QINU`"'
Note that empowerment rituals often require the recitation of stories and instructions, and even section headings.
Phyag rgya chen po sems nyid ngal gso’i khrid kyi nyams glu dran pas snying gi gdung sel zla ba’i zil dngar +
This song of experience was composed by Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo’s teacher in the lineage of Resting in the Nature of Mind, Rinchen Losal Tenkyong (b. 1804). It testifies to the fact that some eight hundred years after Mitrayogin gave this teaching to Tropu Lotsawa, the lineage was still very much alive and the teachings were still being practiced. Rich in metaphor, with an unusual twelve-syllable meter and other poetic devices, it sadly loses much of its impact in English translation. +
Buddhist writers have always laid great emphasis on scriptural authority by quoting extensively from the sutras and tantras. In this way they can authenticate their work and demonstrate that their explanations have not simply been made up but are based on original sources. In this text, the omniscient Butön correlates the different verses of ''Resting in the Nature of Mind'' with passages from ''The Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines'' on the one hand and a selection of tantras on the other. +
Phyag rgya chen po sems nyid ngal gso’i ’khrid kyi ’chad thabs bla ma'i zhal lung bdud rtsi'i snang ba +
The existence of this text is a reminder that even if texts like the root verses and Notes on Resting in the Nature of Mind were available in Tibet in book form, no practitioner would study them on their own without having them explained by a teacher, who would at the same time give the reading transmission (lung). In this text Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo provides advice on how to use Khyentse Wangchuk’s Notes—which he refers to as a guide or instruction manual (khrid yig)—to teach disciples and guide them on a daily basis as they try to put Mitrayogin’s pith instructions into practice. He describes how to teach the text over a period of three days, with instructions on what the disciples should do between each day of teaching. The additional information included here complements that in the Notes, making this text as useful a reference for students who have received the transmission as it is for the teacher. +
Nāropa (c. 956–1040), the famous student of Tilopa and renowned
guru of the Tibetan Marpa, was born in Kashmir.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000083-QINU`"' The Tibetan
accounts present the sequence of the major events in his life in different
orders. One of the earliest biographies, by Gampopa, states that Nāropa
met and trained with Tilopa, and later in life took up the position of the
northern gatekeeper at Nalanda monastery.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000084-QINU`"' Later biographies, which are
the more well-known ones, say that he began his Buddhist studies in Kashmir and became a monk after separating from his wife Vimalā. Then he
went to study at Nalanda monastery, where he had an illustrious scholastic
career that culminated in being installed as the northern gatekeeper. Nāropa
remained there as an eminent scholar until he was urged by a ḍākinī to seek
instruction on the ultimate meaning from the mahāsiddha Tilopa. Following a period of training with Tilopa, which included a series of twelve major and twelve minor hardships, he attained full realization. He then went to
Pullahari (also known as Puṣpahari) in Magadha (central India), which is
where Marpa Lotsāwa met him and where this song was sung.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000085-QINU`"'
''Summary Verses on Mahāmudrā'' is not included in the Tengyur. A text
of the same name and almost identical content, attributed to Maitrīpa, is
found in volume 8 of The Treasury of Precious Instructions.
'"`UNIQ--ref-00000086-QINU`"' The text in this volume contains headings included in the form of interlinear notes inserted
by the second Shamarpa, Khachö Wangpo (1350–1405), which have been
incorporated into the translation as headings. The translation is primarily
based on Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo’s Short, Lucid Commentary with a
secondary reliance on the Interlinear Commentary on “Summary Verses on
Mahāmudrā” from the Aural Scrolls of the Translator Marpa Lotsāwa (Interlinear Marpa 2009) and the interlinear notes within Summary Verses on Mahāmudrā in the Paltsek edition of his Collected Works (SVM Marpa
2011).'"`UNIQ--ref-00000087-QINU`"'
''Transmission lineage received by Jamgön Kongtrul''. Nāropa to Marpa, and then the same as previously stated for the Ganges Mahāmudrā.
'"`UNIQ--ref-00000088-QINU`"'
R
Rgya gar gyi grub thob chen po dam pa rgya gar ram dam pa sangs rgyas zhes pa'i gsung mgur zhal gdams ding ri brgyad cu pa +
Dampa Sangye imparted some ''Pieces of Advice'' to the residents of his monastery at Dingri Langkhor in a kind of farewell or final testament, with awareness of his own impermanence. It is perhaps the most famous and popular of his works. However, the versions that we have now share only a few verses with the earliest versions recorded in this distinctive style of couplets, all ending with “Dingriwa,” that is, “Dingrians” or “people of Dingri.” According to Dan Martin,'"`UNIQ--ref-00000320-QINU`"' Dampa was the first to pronounce such verses, and the second was his disciple Kunga, who repeated 118 verses a year before his own death, only seven years after his guru passed away. Then apparently this fairly easy compositional style was supplemented over the years by other lineage holders. Consequently, after so many versions, there are some issues with the exact list, as if that matters. In modern collections there are two conflicting titles: the ''Eighty Pieces'', as here in ''The Treasury of Precious Instructions'', and, more usually, the ''Hundred Pieces''. Some collections, such as the ''Dingri Volumes'', will have both versions. There is no evidence, however, that Dampa Sangye actually gave these teachings twice, and in fact most of the couplets or verses are present in both editions. It seems likely that a hundred (''brgya rtsa'') easily morphed into eighty (brgyad cu) at some point in its scribal history. Ninety-one made it into Dampa’s biography. Here the number turns out to be ninety-seven, although it may be noted that in some translations the second verse here is actually the first, which would make it ninety-six.
There are a few histories of the setting for the teachings as well. The most often repeated seems to be as follows. Dampa Charchen, one of Dampa Sangye’s four main disciples known as the four gatekeeper yogins'"`UNIQ--ref-00000321-QINU`"' of the later transmission, came before Dampa and said, “Dampa, you are getting very old! You yourself will surely pass from happy states on to happy states. But think of the people of Dingri. What shall we do?” In some versions, this leads directly to the verses of advice, but in our version there is a short reflection in response that clearly affirms Dampa’s premonition of his death. The final verse also returns to the personal with the straightforward “I will leave.”
But there is another interesting twist on the story in a commentary called ''Storehouse of Jewels'','"`UNIQ--ref-00000322-QINU`"' based on explanations of Ngawang Gyaltsen, where the scene is Bodhisattva Kunga’s “last words” to the people of Dingri. As Bodhisattva Kunga approaches nirvana (d. 1124), he speaks the opening verses from “''namo guru''” through the first verse ending with “it will be so hard to regain a human life, people of Dingri.” Then, the commentary says, he goes on to repeat the hundred (or so) pieces of advice from Dampa Sangye’s last words, beginning with the above story of Dampa Charchen’s request. One version does not obviate the other, except in that the opening words would be Kunga’s rather than Dampa’s.
There are also any number of translations and commentaries available in Western languages, beginning perhaps with Evans-Wentz’s version (really Lama Kazi-Samdup’s translation) in 1954, to the wonderful translations with their oral commentaries by Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche (2006) and Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche (2015). And because these pieces of advice are so worth repeating, there will be many more—perhaps eighty or a hundred.
'''Notes'''
'"`UNIQ--references-00000323-QINU`"'
This text'"`UNIQ--ref-000009B1-QINU`"' is characterized in the Kundeling printing of the'' Treasury'' as “notes on the lectures of Venerable Jonang [[Tāranātha]],” and it follows directly upon the initiation text by [[Tāranātha]], ''Object Severance Empowerment Known as Opening the Sky Door''. These notes, arranged by an unnamed compiler, fill in some of the seemingly missing parts of the empowerment ritual, such as the preliminary tormas, supplications, mantras, and other recitations.
The source of the Severance tradition that [[Jamgön Kongtrul]] inherited from [[Tāranātha]] and [[Kunga Drölchok]] is the visionary [[Samten Özer]] of [[Gyaltang]].'"`UNIQ--ref-000009B2-QINU`"' [[Samten Özer]] was a recipient of both the long lineage (''ring brgyud'') of Severance, which he received on five separate occasions, and a direct lineage (''nye brgyud'') from visionary encounters with [[Machik Lapdrön]]. His remarkable experiences are recounted in ''Nectar of Meaning of the Profound Severance of Evil'','"`UNIQ--ref-000009B3-QINU`"' where he declares himself to be basically identical to [[Machik]]. This direct encounter engendered a lineage of teachings that became known as the [[Gyaltang]] tradition (''[[rgyal thang lugs]]''). It spread widely, particularly in the Jonang, [[Shangpa]], and [[Kagyu]] traditions. +
''The Unsullied State, A Monarch of Tantras,'' the sole Kangyur selection in the four Marpa Kagyu volumes, is also the first text in the seventh Karmapa’s Indian Mahāmudrā Collection, where it is also the only text
included from the Kangyur. ''The Unsullied State'' is part of the Cakrasaṃvara
cycle and is the last of the thirty-two Rali tantras, the only one of that cycle
that all Tibetan Kangyur catalogers and compilers agreed was authentic.*'"`UNIQ--ref-00000003-QINU`"' Its colophon states that it is a section of a larger text, the ''Monarch of Tantras Called “Endowed with the Means to Realize Glorious Sacred Bliss,”'' a text that
does not seem to exist at this time. ''The Unsullied State'' is also included in the
Ten Dharmas of Mahāmudrā, a collection Gö Lotsāwa says was transmitted
to Tibet by the eleventh-century Indian master Vajrapāṇi,'"`UNIQ--ref-00000004-QINU`"' which, as Roger
Jackson observes,'"`UNIQ--ref-00000005-QINU`"' is probably the source of its Mahāmudrā canonical status.
Even though the term “mahāmudrā” does not appear in this text (and it
does in other tantras, such as the ''Hevajra Tantra, Cakrasaṃvara, Kālacakra,
Guhyasamāja,'' and the ''Name-Chanting of Mañjuśrī''), as the interlinear note
at the end of this edition says, this text states and connects the elements of
the elaborate practices with mahāmudrā, unelaborate suchness.
In Maitrīpa’s biography it is said that Śavaripa “spoke a few words” about
this text, which is called space-like, along with the ocean-like ''Guhyasamāja
Tantra,'' the wisdom-like ''Hevajra Tantra'', and the blessing-like ''Cakrasaṃvara Tantra''.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000006-QINU`"' Jamgön Kongtrul cites three lineages of transmission for thistext, all beginning with Vajradhara. The third, which Maitrīpa passed to
Vajrapāṇi, continued through the seventh Karmapa and is the one Jamgön
Kongtrul received.
There is one Tibetan commentary by Kumāracandra (eleventh century)
on this text found in the Tengyur and in the Indian Mahāmudrā Collection,
which was referred to in the preparation of this translation. Unfortunately,
it does not provide as much clarification as a text of this nature requires.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000007-QINU`"'
''Transmission lineage received by Jamgön Kongtrul''. Vajradhara to Ratnamati,
the great brahman Saraha, the glorious protector Ārya Nāgārjuna, the
mahāsiddha Śavaripa, the master Maitrīpa, and to Marpa Chökyi Lodrö.
Another transmission was from Vajradhara to Nairātmyā, Nāgārjuna,
Tilopa, Nāropa, Marpa, Metön Sönam Gyaltsen, Tsakyapa Śākya Yeshe,
Gya Yönten Zangpo, Khampa Śākya Dorje, Upa Sangye Bum, Lotsāwa
Chokden, Lama Palden Senge, Butön Rinchen Drup, and Yungtön Dopal.
And yet another transmission was from Maitrīpa to the Indian Vajrapāṇi,
Ngari Nakpo Sherde, Lama Sotön, Nyangtön Tsakse, Roktön Dewa, Che
Yönten, Che Dode Senge, Chöku Özer, Upa Sangye Bum, Lotsāwa Chokden, Baktön Zhönu Tsultrim, and Gyalwa Yung Tönpa.
The transmission continued to Lama Sönam Zangpo, Lama Tsultrim
Gönpo, Jangsem Sönam Gyaltsen, Khenchen Sönam Zangpo, Gośrī
Paljor Döndrup, the seventh Gyalwang Karmapa Chödrak Gyatso, the
mahāsiddha Sangye Nyenpa, the eighth lord Mikyö Dorje, Karma Lekshe Drayang, Gelong Dorje Chö, Chetsang Karma Tenkyong, the exalted Könchok Tenzin, Jamgön Sungrap Gyatso, the omniscient Tenpai Nyinje,
Gyalwang Dudul Dorje, the glorious Pawo Tsuklak Chökyi Gyatso, and
Jamgön Kongtrul.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000008-QINU`"'
Lineage supplications are so informative—and so confusing. This one is not mentioned in [[Kongtrul]]’s ''Catalog'', except perhaps as one of the branches (''yan lag rnams bcas'') of ''Source of All Qualities'', leading the editor of the table of contents of the Kundeling printing to assume that it belongs with the [[Zurmang]] feast activities. While that may be the case, it does not represent the [[Zurmang]] long lineage. That supplication can be found in ''Source of All Qualities'', where it is attributed to [[Samten Rinchen]] of Lhapu. And the same one is used as the basis for the whole story of the lineage in the history of [[Zurmang]], where it is also called the “supplication of the Severance lineage gurus by [[Bengar Jampal Zangpo]].”'"`UNIQ--ref-00000001-QINU`"' That version and the one in Source of All Qualities are identical, despite the differing author identification. The version here may have been added to that liturgy to ensure that all relevant lineages were duly honored.
Here, the lineage is similar only up to [[Machik Lapdrön]] herself. It then veers over to [[Machik]]’s grandson [[Khambuyale]] rather than coming through [[Machik]]’s son Döndrup. Then it takes us the long way through a very [[Kamtsang]] line of lamas, including the purported author [[Bengar Jampal Zangpo]], right up to [[Situ Pema Nyinje]] (1774–1853). This is where the lineage ends in this text as found in the Kundeling edition of the Palpung prints. However, at this point in the Shechen printing sponsored by [[Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche]] (1910–1991), it continues from [[Pema Nyinje]] to [[Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Taye]] (1813–1900), then to the [[Fifteenth Karmapa]], [[Khakhyap Dorje]] (1871–1922), then to [[Kongtrul]]’s disciple [[Tashi Özer]] (1836–1910), then to [[Khyentse Özer]] (1896–1945),'"`UNIQ--ref-00000002-QINU`"' and ends in “my root guru.”
How could [[Bengar Jampal Zangpo]], who lived in the fifteenth century, have written such a contemporary addendum, let alone [[Machik Lapdrön]]? One scenario is that [[Machik]] uttered a prayer to her lineage using the place-and-name format, beginning with, “In the palace of [[dharmadhātu]] in [[Akaniṣhṭa]], the Great Mother [[Perfection of Wisdom]] has blessings” and ending with her teacher [[Kyotön Sönam Lama]] (who is in fact skipped over here, although he is named in the [[Zurmang]] version). Then the well-known author [[Bengar Jampal Zangpo]] picked up the trope and continued it up through his guru, the [[Sixth Karmapa]], [[Tongwa Dönden]] (1416–1453). After that, the prayer in all its various forms came to be known simply as Bengar’s supplication. [[Jamgön Kongtrul]] himself must have continued the supplication style through to his teacher [[Pema Nyinje]] before the blocks were printed at Palpung. From [[Kongtrul]] on, the last stretch may have been added for the Shechen printing of the ''Treasury''. Variations of this style can also be found in the ''Kagyu Feast Liturgy'' and [[Kongtrul]]’s supplication ''Essence of Auspicious Renown'' in this volume, as well as in the popular Severance compilation known as ''Precious Garland'' (''[[Rin chen phreng ba]]'').
This text is composed of four sections, or short texts: “The Illumination of Entities,” “The Clarification of Ignorance,” “The Purification of Thoughts,” and “Mahāmudrā: Pointing-Out Instructions Illuminating Wisdom.”'"`UNIQ--ref-0000068F-QINU`"' The fourth is an abbreviated version of ''The Root Text for Mahāmudrā: The Illumination of Wisdom'' (''DNZ'' 7:12).
The first three sections draw on Tilopa’s ''Truly Valid Words'', quoting (without attribution) at least forty-one lines either verbatim or closely enough to consider ''Truly Valid Words'' to be the source, or inspiration, of Milarepa’s
lines. There is not, however, a sequential correspondence between the two
texts, and the majority of the “quoting” is done in the first two sections, “The
Illumination of Entities” and “The Clarification of Ignorance.” As discussed
above, much of Nāropa’s ''Authoritative Texts in Verse'' is drawn from ''Truly
Valid Words'', and therefore there is a corresponding overlap with Milarepa’s
text, with (at least) two lines in Milarepa’s text being found only in Nāropa’s
Authoritative Texts.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000690-QINU`"'
The first two sections of ''The Three Cycles''—“The Illumination of Entities” and “The Clarification of Ignorance”—end with colophons stating
that they were passed from Milarepa to Gampopa, referring to him by his
family name Nyiwa, while the other two sections make no mention of their
transmission or circumstances. The first colophon also states that “The Illumination of Entities” was passed from Gampopa to Lhopa Rinpoche (also known as Layakpa Jangchup Ngödrup),'"`UNIQ--ref-00000691-QINU`"' and then to “me,” with an interlinear note indicating that “me” refers the first Karmapa, Dusum Khyenpa.
No other editions of this text specifically have been located. However, a
nearly identical text called the Eighteen Questions is found in the Drukpa
Kagyu tradition, preserved in three collections: Old Texts of Mixing
and Transference compiled by Pema Karpo and the two editions of the
Drukpa Kagyu Great Treasury of Dharma. The Eighteen Questions contains
instructions given by Milarepa to Rechungpa called “Clarification of Ignorance,” “Extracting the Nails That Are Vital Points,” and “Clarification of Delusion.”'"`UNIQ--ref-00000692-QINU`"'
Based on the overall similarity of ''The Eighteen Questions'' and ''The Three
Cycles'', we can say that ''The Eighteen Questions'' must represent a different
transmission of almost identical teachings. Nevertheless, there are some significant differences between the two texts. Structurally, although the colophon of ''The Eighteen Questions'' says it contains three sets of instructions,
the text is not divided into sections like ''The Three Cycles'' (which could be
considered four separate texts under one collection title). Other differences
are that ''The Eighteen Questions'' begins with the occasion and location of the
teachings and a list of the eighteen questions asked to Milarepa; the line
order of the two texts is very different; and ''The Eighteen Questions'' contains
quotations from other texts, mainly tantras, something not found in ''The
Three Cycles''. Both texts contain teachings that the other does not.
''Transmission lineage received by Jamgön Kongtrul''. Vajradhara to Jñānaḍākinī,
Vajrapāṇi, Tilopa, and then the same as previously stated for the ''Ganges Mahāmudrā''.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000693-QINU`"'
''The Root Text for Mahāmudrā: The Illumination of Wisdom'', the
first of several texts by Milarepa in this anthology, is a slightly longer
prose version of the last section, or short text, included in the ''Three Cycles
of Illumination and Other Instructions'' found later in this volume.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000098-QINU`"' This text
begins with verses that recount Milarepa’s lineage and way of practicing, as
does the first section of the ''Three Cycles of Illumination''—they are, in fact,
almost identical.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000099-QINU`"'
It may be that the use of the word “root” in the title here signifies that
this text is the source text for other instructions with similar titles. Volume
8 of ''The Treasury of Precious Instructions'' contains two texts with similar
titles: in the Rechung Aural Transmission, ''Mahāmudrā: The Illumination of
Wisdom in the Saṃvara Aural Transmission'''"`UNIQ--ref-0000009A-QINU`"' and, in the Ngamdzong Aural
Transmission, ''Instructions That Are the Secret Pointing Out of Mahāmudrā:
The Illumination of Wisdom''.'"`UNIQ--ref-0000009B-QINU`"'
''Transmission lineage received by Jamgön Kongtrul''. Milarepa to Gampopa,
and then the same as previously stated for the Ganges Mahāmudrā.'"`UNIQ--ref-0000009C-QINU`"' +
Rje btsun ras chung pa'i lugs kyi dpal 'khor lo sdom pa snyan brgyud gyi gzhung chung til+li pas mdzad pa +
Tilopa’s ''Short Text'' is considered, along with the ''Vajra Verses'', to
expound the meaning of the Cakrasaṃvara tantras, which are the root
of the Saṃvara Aural Transmission. Pema Karpo refers to ''The Short Text'' as
a commentary on the ''Vajra Verses'','"`UNIQ--ref-000006A8-QINU`"' and given that the ''Vajra Verses'' are purported to be the words of Vajradhara and this is Tilopa’s rendering of those teachings, in that sense it may be a commentary. However, it does not serve
as a line-by-line explanation of the ''Vajra Verses''; it is more a companion text.
The topics of the two texts are the same as can be seen from the following
topical outline, drawn from Jadrel Ritröpa Tsultrim Palden’s commentary
on ''The Short Text''.
:Homage (1)
:Commitment to the Composition (2)
:Wish-Fulfilling Gems of the Lineage
::Tilopa’s story (3–4)
::The qualifications for gurus (5)
::The qualifications for disciples (6)
::The way to listen to the explanation (7–8)
:Wish-Fulfilling Gems of the Maturing Path (9–15)
:Wish-Fulfilling Gems of the Liberating Path
::Overview (16)
::Shared Wish-Fulfilling Gems (practices connected to the vase abhiṣeka)*'"`UNIQ--ref-000006A9-QINU`"'
:::The Sovereigns: Unchanging Dharmatā (17–25)
:::The Ministers: Three Types of Actions (26)
::::The People: The Conducive Activities (27–28)
::Samaya Wish-Fulfilling Gems (29–32)
::Abiding-State Wish-Fulfilling Gems
:::Six Dharmas: Liberation through the Upper Door†'"`UNIQ--ref-000006AA-QINU`"' (33–51)
::::Caṇḍālī (33–44)
::::Illusory Forms (45–48)
::::Dreams (49)
::::Luminosity (50–51a)
::::Transference (51b)
::::Entering a Body (52)
:::The Ḍākinī’s Secret Proclamation: Great Bliss Liberation through the Lower Door (53–62)
:::Mahāmudrā: The Illumination of Wisdom (63–66)
:::The Instructions on the Bardos (67–74)
:::The Instructions for the Path: Transforming All Activities into Accumulations (75–82)
:::Dispelling Hindrances: Universal Instructions (83–92)
::The Summary: Abandoning the Causal Yāna and Engaging in the Resultant Yāna (93–100)
:Dedication and Completion of Composition (101–3)
''The Short Text'', with twenty-one syllables per line in Tibetan, is dense and
cryptically written, and thus can only be understood with commentary.
This translation relies primarily on the commentaries by Maṇikaśrījñāna
(1289–1363, also known as Drikung Lotsāwa and Gyal Khampa Lotsāwa)
and Jadrel Ritröpa Tsultrim Palden. It has been annotated more than other
texts in this volume because of its importance and relative obscurity and to
provide some insight into the translation decisions.
Maṇikaśrījñāna studied Sanskrit grammar and poetics with Butön
Rinchen Drup at Zhalu monastery and then Sanskrit grammar and Indian
languages under the Indian paṇḍita Dvaṣṭanakara at Drikung monastery
(hence his name Drikung Lotsāwa). He received teachings on the perfectionprocess practices of the six dharmas of Nāropa and those of Niguma and on mahāmudrā from the abbot of Drikung and was later appointed abbot himself. It must be that he also received the Saṃvara Aural Transmission while at Drikung monastery. Assuming his birth date of 1289 is accurate, since he
composed his commentary in an Earth Pig year, that would be 1360, making
it the earliest available commentary. Maṇikaśrījñāna is most well known for
being one of the foremost students of Dolpopa Sherap Gyaltsen.'"`UNIQ--ref-000006AB-QINU`"'
Jadrel Ritröpa Tsultrim Palden is a member of the transmission lineage
coming from Tsangnyön Heruka (1452–1507), as he was a student of Sönam
Lodrö (c. seventeenth century), a direct student of Tsangnyön Heruka. In
his colophon, he states that his commentary is “in keeping with the teachings of the scholar-siddha with the name of Sönam,” indicating that this commentary belongs to the tradition received and passed on by Tsangnyön
Heruka, who played a vital role in preserving and promulgating the Saṃvara
Aural Transmission, both through his composition of texts and through
forming a collection of Aural Transmission texts.'"`UNIQ--ref-000006AC-QINU`"'
''Transmission lineage received by Jamgön Kongtrul''. Vajradhara to Jñānaḍākinī,
Vajrapāṇi, Tilopa, Nāropa, Marpa, Milarepa, Rechungpa, Khyung Tsangpa,
and to the latter’s three heart children Martön Tsultrim Jungne, Lopön
Targom, and Machik Ongjo (known as the three accomplished heart
children). Zhang Lotsāwa received the transmission from those three and
passed it to Drogön Dharaśrī, Jangsem Sönam Gyaltsen, Machik Kunden
Rema, Khetsun Ziji Gyaltsen, Wangchuk Sherap, Ritröpa Zhönu Gyaltsen,
Rechen Denchikpa, Tsenden Lachipa, Dulzin Ngaki Wangpo, Shara Rapjampa Sangye Senge, Tsangnyön Chökyi Senge, Götsang Rechen, and from
him to the three Rapjams: Nepa Rapjampa Jampa Puntsok, Rapjam Karma
Tashi, and Rapjam Sangye Özer. The omniscient Drupchok Wangpo
received it from all three of them and passed it to Tinle Gyatso, Kagyu
Drönme, Yönten Gyatso, Chöje Lingpa, Wangpo, Yeshe Kalzang, Palden
Gyatso, Geupa Ngedön Tenzin Chökyi Gyatso, Tutop Gyatso, Kharakpa
Rinchen Özer, Geu Kagyu Tinle Wangchuk, Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo,
and Jamgön Kongtrul.'"`UNIQ--ref-000006AD-QINU`"'
Rje rang byung rdo rjes mdzad pa'i gdon tshogs dgu ma sa bdag drug sbyor dang mi bskyod rdo rjes mdzad pa'o gdan thog gcig ma gcod tshigs bcad ma gnyis gab sprad nas lus sbyin dang bsngo ba po bya tshul bltas chog 'don 'grigs +
[[Karma Chakme]], also known as [[Rāga Asya]] (1613–1678), cobbled together this ritual liturgy from writings attributed to [[Karmapa Rangjung Dorje]] (1284–1339) and [[Karmapa Mikyö Dorje]] (1507–1554). With some three hundred years of [[Karma Kagyu]] Severance masters behind him, the great [[Kamtsang]] master was free to borrow what he needed to form this practice, which he geared toward a healing ritual. Although such borrowing is widespread throughout Tibetan literature, it seems to be particularly common in the Severance tradition, whose prayers and liturgies would get recycled to align with the various traditions into which they were absorbed.
In this text, [[Mikyö Dorje]]’s “poem” comes first. This is available in several other editions—for example, in a collection of recitation texts from [[Palpung Monastery]] (seat of the [[Karma Kagyu]] [[Tai Situ]] incarnations in Kham), where it is called simply ''Profound Severance Guide'' (''[[gCod khrid zab mo]]'').'"`UNIQ--ref-000004AD-QINU`"' All the liturgical sections in the first five pages in our text are from [[Mikyö Dorje]], with [[Karma Chakme]] dividing it into parts and adding useful descriptions and instructions. The poem is reproduced accurately, with one notable exception: wherever [[Mikyö Dorje]] has the name of his own guru, [[Sangye Nyenpa]] ([[Sangs rgyas mnyan pa]], 1445/57–1510/25), [[Karma Chakme]] has substituted the name of the [[Second Karmapa]], [[Karma Pakshi]] (1204–1283). Perhaps [[Karma Chakme]] preferred to identify the source of the lineage as the great master of the early days of the [[Karma Kagyu]] so that it would be more widely relevant and familiar to future practitioners. [[Karma Pakshi]] is legendary, though not known as a teacher of Severance.
[[Karma Chakme]] then adds a white and a black distribution that he attributes to [[Könchok Bang]], but he renders them into verse to facilitate recitation. In the colophon he further states that these are the only parts of the liturgy that he has tampered with; all other sections remain true to the originals.
If that is so, then the rest of the liturgical sections until almost the end must be from [[Rangjung Dorje]], although a separate text of those practices is not found in his extensive collected works. They are, however, found within many other Severance texts. For example, this Six Earth Lord Application liturgy can be found verbatim in ''Source of All Qualities'' in the present volume (see chapter 22), where it is identified as “Lord [[Rangjung Dorje]]’s short calling of the pestilent spirits” (''gnyan ’bod thung''). Most of the Ninefold Spirit Feast is also found in [[Karma Chakme]]’s ''Pearl Rosary'' (see chapter 21). According to [[Karma Chakme]], the Ninefold Spirit Feast and Six Earth Lord Application are to be done for particularly severe illnesses. Therefore, one visualizes one’s consciousness in the form of the black wrathful [[ḍākinī]] [[Krodhīkālī]] ([[Khros ma nag mo]]) rather than the usual form of [[Vajravārāhī]]. He also describes the six and nine sets of spirits (which overlap somewhat) and the specific ailments and problems that are cured by feeding each group. After the dissolution, the text ends with the final prayers again from [[Mikyö Dorje]]’s poem, including [[Karma Chakme]]’s own pointing-out instructions, which will ultimately liberate the practitioner and the patient together.
''Mahāmudrā: Path of a Single Stride'' is not included in Gampopa’s
Collected Works and nothing seems to be known of its provenance
other than that its colophon says that Gampopa transmitted it to Dusum
Khyenpa.'"`UNIQ--ref-000000AA-QINU`"' This text, in a few words, describes, as its title says, “the path of
a single stride,” a phrase often used in mahāmudrā texts to refer to the everpresent, indivisible quality of mahāmudrā, the nature of mind. Dakpo Tashi Namgyal explains:
<blockquote>Mahāmudrā, the essence of dharmatā, is a path of a single stride. Since dharmatā cannot be divided in terms of its essence, it is said that on the level of the definitive meaning, it is not possible to delineate the stages of bhūmis and paths.'"`UNIQ--ref-000000AB-QINU`"'</blockquote>
Thus, the phrase also refers to how the instantaneous type of practitioner
attains realization all at once based on mahāmudrā pith instructions. The
concise and often paradoxical style of the text, while clear on its own, lends
itself well to being the basis for commentary, oral or written.
''Transmission lineage received by Jamgön Kongtrul''. Gampopa to Dusum Khyenpa, and then the same as previously stated for the Ganges Mahāmudrā.'"`UNIQ--ref-000000AC-QINU`"' +
S
This prayer to each of the lineage holders of this teaching demonstrates Tibetan Buddhists’ veneration not only of the teachers but also of the places in which they lived or stayed. Most of the places mentioned here are situated in the regions around Tropu and Zhalu monasteries. Although Tibetan place names often have particular meanings—for example, Ripuk (ri phug), meaning mountain cave or hermitage—it has seemed more logical to retain the Tibetan names in most cases. Marginal notes in the Tibetan text appear to explain the locations of some of these sites. +
Jamyang Khyentse Wangchuk (1524–1568) was a disciple of Tsarchen Losal Gyatso (1502–1566), whose oral teachings on Mitrayogin’s source text he recorded in these ''Notes''. Rather than simply commenting on the meaning of the twenty-five verses, these teachings provide a guide for actually putting their essential message into practice. +
Sgrub brgyud shing rta chen po brgyad kun 'dus kyi bla ma mchod pa'i cho ga byin rlabs dngos grub yon tan kun gyi 'byung gnas +
This section contains a single text, a sādhana, written by Jamgön Kongtrul himself, venerating the teachers of the Eight Great Chariots. It appears in the first volume of the 2002 Shechen edition of his ''Treasury of Extensive Teachings'' (''rGya chen bka’ mdzod'') and the second volume of the 1975–1976 Paro edition, but not in the Kundeling printing of the Palpung edition of ''The Treasury of Precious Instructions'', nor does Kongtrul appear to mention it in his catalog. The colophon suggests that it was extracted from the (or a?) ''Treasury of Instructions'' (referred to simply as ''gdams mdzod'', presumably a contraction for the sake of meter of ''gdams ngag rin po che’i mdzod''), yet it is absent from the Palpung (Kundeling) edition of The Treasury of Precious Instructions. Did it form part of Kongtrul’s original ''Treasury of Precious Instructions'' and was it subsequently included in the ''Treasury of Extensive Teachings'' before being returned to the first collection? Its source is all the more mysterious for the fact that in all these editions, the colophon mentions the person who sponsored the printing, which would lead one to imagine that it might have been a stand-alone text at some point or was sponsored separately from the rest of the collection. Whatever the case, its inclusion in the Shechen edition immediately after the last of the fifteen volumes devoted to the eight principal lineages of Tibetan Buddhism could not be more appropriate. Far from being a “miscellaneous instruction” without any properly defined place in the other parts of the collection, it appears to have been inserted here as Kongtrul’s concluding homage to the masters of the lineages represented in the preceding volumes. This homage takes the form of a ritual of venerating the teacher (''bla ma mchod pa''), a genre based on the guru yoga or lama sādhana with expanded offering and praise and supplication sections. Kongtrul adapted a ritual veneration of the teacher written five centuries earlier by the Jonang translator Lodrö Palzang.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000317-QINU`"' In the sādhana, the principal masters of the eight lineages are grouped around the central figure of Guru Padmasambhava as described in the visualization section, which is followed by a long and detailed offering section and lineage prayer.
Shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa gcod kyi gzhung dang man ngag mtha' dag gi yang bcud zab don thugs kyi snying po +
[[Jamgön Kongtrul]] gives the author of this text as Jamyang Gönpo ([['Jam dbyangs mgon po]], b. 1208, or 1196) in his catalogue of the ''Treasury of Precious Instructions'' called ''An Ocean of Auspicious Renown'' (f. 72a). "Heart Essence of Profound Meaning," however, seems to be a general name referring to a whole system of teachings in the Severance tradition, and a note was added at the end of this text stating as much. Kongtrul also writes of the inception of Heart Essence written down by [[Samten Özer]] of Gyaltang after a visionary experience of [[Machik Lapdrön]], which later became known as the direct lineage of the Gyaltang system (TOK, vol. I, p. 545). A collection of texts transmitted by Samten Özer, however, is differently entitled ''Cycle of Profound Severance of Evil (bDud gcod zab mo'i skor)'', and this is not among them. In a rare collection of ancient works on Severance entitled ''Practices of the Severance Collection, and So Forth (gCod tshogs kyi lag len sogs)'' from Limi monastery, this same text is signed "the Shakya monk, holder of the vajra, Prājñasambhava," a Sanskrit translation of Jamyang Gönpo's ordination name, Sherap Jungne (Shes rab 'byung gnas). The brief summary of the work is similarly signed "the Shakya monk, holder of the vajra, Mañjughoṣanatha," translating Jamyang Gönpo. According to Dan Martin ([https://treasuryoflives.org/biographies/view/Jamyang-Gonpo/6672 The Treasury of Lives]), a brief biography of Jamyang Gönpo is found in PPKT (pp. 137-138) with a list of 11 titles of his works, mainly on Severance, even though his main affiliation was with the Lower Drukpa lineage. Born in the borderlands between Upper and Lower Nyang (myangs) valleys, he studied with the master Urepa (sLob dpon dBus ras pa) and Zhikpo Kunseng (Zhig po Kun seng) from the age of six. After his mother died when he was fourteen he entered the monastery at Serding (gSer sding) and was ordained under Lama Martön (Mar ston). His main teacher was Lorepa Wangchuk Tsondru (Lo ras pa dbang phyugs brtson 'grus, 1187-1250).
<center>'''''Introduction to The Great Bundle of Precepts: The Source Esoteric Instruction on Severance, the Profound Perfection of Wisdom'''''</center>
''The Great Bundle of Precepts on Severance'' is considered a source text (''gzhung'') of the Severance tradition attributed to ''Machik Lapkyi Drönma'' ([[Ma gcig Lab kyi sgron ma]], 1055–1153), also referred to as Machik Lapkyi Drolma, or Machik Lapdrön for short. She was the beloved teacher and famous founder of this lineage. According to ''The Religious History of Pacification and Severance'' by Khamnyön Dharma Senge (nineteenth century), it was taught in a single day to a large crowd that included three Indians who arrived instantly in Tibet by means of the practice called “swift foot” to investigate the authenticity of Machik and her increasingly popular teachings. As a woman and the originator of a “new” teaching tradition, Machik Lapdrön was under considerable suspicion and often had to prove her worth. In ''Machik’s Complete Explanation'' she explains that the name “bundle of precepts” means that it is based on the long, middle-length, and short precepts of the Buddha Shākyamuni, which she had studied previously. In other words, she maintained that the teachings contained herein are nothing other than the authentic words (''bka’'') of the Buddha.
Such an ancient text has been reproduced many times over the years, and variations have naturally crept in. Notable alternatives in the several editions consulted here have been provided in the endnotes to enhance the range of interpretation. +
''The Essential Bundle'' is the third of the “bundles,” attributed everywhere to Machik Lapdrön, and might be considered the innermost or secret version, as indicated by the word “essence” (''nying''). However, it seems rather to be a summation and a systematic presentation of what is in the other bundles; the title might have been translated as “The Essence of the Bundles.” Unlike the other two, it has a structural outline and uses scriptural citations to back up the main points. It even cites Machik herself, using the respectful “Lady Mother” (''ma jo mo''), which would be a highly unusual way for Machik to refer to herself. It appears, therefore, to be written by someone else, perhaps an early commentator such as Jamyang Gönpo. +
The author of ''Pure Honey'', the commentary to [[Brahmin Āryadeva]]’s ''Grand Poem'' (see chapter 1), is named in the colophon as Kunga Paljor. Tashi Chöpel’s ''Record of Teachings Received'' gives his full name as Drung Sarupa Kunga Paljor (Drung Sa ru pa Kun dga’ dpal ’byor) and states that [[Kongtrul]] received the cycle of empowerments and transmissions of all the source scriptures directly from [[Machik Lapdrön]] in a visionary experience.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000540-QINU`"' “Drung” may indicate the Trungpa lineage, and “Saru” appears to be a place name, since in Kongtrul’s catalog his immediate predecessor in the lineage of transmission of Brahmin Āryadeva’s text is called the Great Adept of Saru, Sönam Paljor.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000541-QINU`"' The latter was active in the fifteenth century, which gives us an approximate date for Kunga Paljor. He is quoted from an unknown source in ''Collected Histories of the Glorious Zurmang Kagyu'' to support the theory that Severance is based on the teachings of buddha nature (''sugatagarbha'') as well as those of the perfection of wisdom, despite his own classification of it as a middle-turning teaching in ''Pure Honey''.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000542-QINU`"' Other than this, and that according to Kongtrul he also authored the commentary to an important text attributed to Machik called ''A Hair’s Tip of Wisdom'' (see chapter 6), not much information has been discovered. Yet these two commentaries together provide important supplemental material to the source texts of Severance collected in ''The Treasury of Precious Instructions''.
'''Notes'''
'"`UNIQ--references-00000543-QINU`"' +
Shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa'i man ngag gcod kyi gzhung shes rab skra rtse'i sa gzhung spel ba rin po che'i gter mdzod +
Although this text is attributed to [[Machik Lapdrön]] and placed among the original texts of Severance in ''[[The Treasury of Precious Instructions]]'', in fact it is a commentary on a source text, with the lines of what may have been an autonomous root text entitled ''A Hair’s Tip of Wisdom'' found within the commentary. This root text may well have been composed by [[Machik]], as it is similar in content and style to the other sources and retains the beauty and profundity of direct teaching. The commentary itself has no colophon. [[Kongtrul]] indicates in his records that it could be by [[Kunga Paljor]] (also called [[Drung Sarupa]]), who is the author of ''Pure Honey'', the commentary to the main source text by [[Āryadeva the Brahmin]]. It is somewhat similar in style to that work. On the other hand, in ''The Religious History of Pacification and Severance'' it seems to be attributed to [[Karmapa Rangjung Dorje]].'"`UNIQ--ref-00000482-QINU`"' Again it is unclear, as there is no direct statement of authorship but rather an association with another text. [[Rangjung Dorje]] seems an unlikely candidate, since the text is not found among his comprehensive collected works, and stylistically it is quite different.
Sometimes the commentary seems to directly contradict the intention in the root text upon which it is commenting. For example, [[Machik]] (if she is the author) says that “the meaning . . . is introduced in oneself,” while the comment on that statement advises one to request introduction or pointing-out instruction from the guru. The structural outline superimposed on what would be an inspired spontaneous teaching seems a better fit for a formal treatise. Nevertheless, the comments of this deft scholar clarify and enhance the meaning of the original, and together they make a wonderful exposition on the real meaning of Severance. +
Another Bundle, attributed to Machik Lapdrön, takes the form of a dialogue or question-and-answer session, perhaps written down or remembered in verse by her son Gyalwa Döndrup, who is said in several sources to be the interlocutor. In the catalog of ''The Treasury of Precious Instructions'', Kongtrul traces his transmission lineage back to him. “Another” or “a further” bundle (''yang tshom'') indicates that it is another collection following ''The Great Bundle''. In ''The Religious History of Pacification and Severance'', Khamnyön Dharma Senge calls ''Another Bundle'' “the esoteric instructions on that [''Great Bundle''].”'"`UNIQ--ref-00000579-QINU`"' An alternate title given in the colophon is ''Another Bundle of Twenty-Five Instructions as Answers to Questions'', shortened in certain other sources to ''Another Bundle of Twenty-Five''. However, one finds here twenty-eight questions, and it is not clear if this is some kind of alternate Tibetan way of counting or if the bundle tends to gain and lose questions with each reprint like a loose bunch of flowers.
This version of ''Another Bundle'' is also found in a collection of Severance texts called ''Practices of the Severance Collection and So Forth'' (''gCod tshogs kyi lag len sogs'') from Limi Monastery. Although there are many minor differences in these two editions, some of which I mention in the endnotes, the two are comparable in format. However, it is preceded in the Limi collection by another text that is indicated merely with the words “Bundle of Precepts” (''bKa’ tshom''). The colophon to that text calls it “''Thirty-Five Questions and Answers on the Bundle of Precepts, the Quintessence of the Mother’s Super Secret Heart-Mind''.” It goes on to add the following: “This esoteric instruction is a word continuum. If it spreads to everyone it will be of no benefit. Keep it restricted like a mute’s speech. Depend on the heirs that hold the lineage.” And: “This quintessence of the heart-mind [as] questions and answers was gladly bestowed by great realized guru[s] on the Shākya monk Sangdor, and I wrote it well.” This may be the same author as that of the ''Heart Essence of Profound Meaning'', Jamyang Gönpo, who typically signs off as “the Shākya monk, holder of the vajra.”
Although this other “Bundle of Precepts” in the Limi collection bears almost no resemblance to ''The Great Bundle of Precepts'' (''bKa’ tshom chen mo''), it is strikingly similar to ''Another Bundle'' in that it is a series of questions and answers, many of which in fact are basically the same questions. Of the thirty-five questions (here correctly enumerated), twenty-six appear in ''Another Bundle'', at least in content, with sometimes two questions being combined into one. Three of the responses to questions resemble sections in ''The Essential Bundle'' (chapter 9 in this volume), and six questions seem to be unique to this text, although parts of their answers can be found elsewhere. If this is an earlier or different “bundle,” it lends more sense to the title of the present text “Another Bundle,” since they are both in the same format of dialogue and may just represent two versions that were circulating in Tibet. Where Khamnyön Dharma Senge quotes Machik in ''The Religious History of Pacification and Severance'', the wording is identical to the Limi “Bundle of Precepts” and not to ''The Great Bundle or Another Bundle'' in this collection. Since Khamnyön Dharma Senge was contemporary with Jamgön Kongtrul, this just indicates that both versions were available in the nineteenth century and does not confirm their relative dates. It seems likely that Machik’s teachings were remembered and later recorded in many versions that were constantly shifting and reforming during nearly a millennium of transmission.
'''Notes'''
'"`UNIQ--references-0000057A-QINU`"'
Among the eight ancillary path cycles, ''The Path Cycle of the Mudra''
presents the most detailed and explicit explanation of mudra practice.
While it is clear the text is written for practice with a consort, or karma
mudra, Amezhap asserts that according to how it is presented in ''The Explanation
of the Path with Its Result for Disciples'', there are two ways this text has
been explained: for practice with an actual mudra and with a gnosis mudra,
or a visualized consort. In ''The Fortunate Right-Turning
White Conch'', chapter 17, Kongtrul comments that even if one is to rely on an actual mudra,
training with a gnosis mudra is a necessary preparation.
One of the more interesting features of ''The Path Cycle of the Mudra'' is
the detailed description of how one progresses on the bodhisattva stages to
buddhahood through the dissolution of the vāyus that are in “cities”—that
is, nāḍī locations that correspond to the thirty-two countries, the renowned
pilgrimage sites on the Indian continent.
The text also provides two accounts of the three kāyas: the standard
seven limbs of the three kāyas given in the other seven texts belonging to
the eight ancillary path cycles and a presentation of the five limbs of three
kāyas unique to Indrabhūti II’s ''Accomplishing Gnosis.''
The text concludes with the account of the lineage, in which three
Indrabhūtis are identified, and it is stated that there is both a long and a
short lineage for this teaching. In ''Effortless Accomplishment of the Two Benefits'',
Amezhap states that Indrabhūti II is the author of this instruction. +
''Obtained in Front of a Stūpa'' is a mahāmudrā instruction based on
two passages taken from the ''Guhyasamāja Tantra'', which according
to Drakpa Gyaltsen form the basis for Saraha’s ''Treasury of Couplets'' and
Nāgārjuna’s ''Commentary on Bodhicitta''. Relatively brief, the main focus of
the text is identifying the nature of the mind, free from arising, abiding, and
ceasing—an inexpressible union of clarity and emptiness. Amezhap’s ''Effortless
Accomplishment of the Two Benefits'' does not specify a deity to meditate
on with this instruction, which may account for its usage in other Sakya
systems when explaining the meditation of mahāmudrā. He outlines the
text in five topics: (1) ascertaining the view, (2) accumulating merit, (3),
controlling the mind, (4), introduction to reality, and (5) post-realization
conduct.
Drakpa Gyaltsen’s account of the origin of this instruction begins with
Nāgārjuna resisting the amorous advances of the queen of King Dejö
Zangpo,2 much to her anger and subsequent false accusations. Accompanied
by Āryadeva, Nāgārjuna flees south to Śrī Parvata, in the region of
Andhra Pradesh, where he meets his guru, Saraha, in front of a stupa. Amezhap
adds the small detail of Saraha asking them, “Have you not ascertained
the mind?”
Saraha is an elusive figure of great importance in Tibetan Buddhism.
He is the direct source for the ''Laghusaṃvara''3 and instrumental in transmitting
the Guhyasamāja to Nāgārjuna.4 Amezhap gives one account of
Saraha in the ''Amazing Storehouse of Jewels'', a history of Guhyasamāja, in
which Saraha is described as one of four sons of a brahmin, who ordains
with Arhat Rāhula, the Buddha’s son, taking the name Rāhulabhadra. He
becomes the abbot of Vikramśila. Rāhulabhadra hears that a king from
South India named Visukalpa has retrieved the ''Guhyasamāja Tantra'' and
others from a yoginī in Oḍḍiyāna. Rāhulabhadra requests teachings from
Visukalpa, receives them, practices them, and becomes renowned as Saraha.
5 The ''Amazing Storehouse of Jewels'' further relates that Nāgārjuna was
eight years of age when he first meets Saraha/Rāhulabhadra at Nālandā,
who grants him novice ordination. Later, Nāgārjuna fully ordains under
Saraha/Rāhulabhadra, and receives the empowerment of Guhyasamāja and
the explanation of the path.
Two cycles among the eight ancillary path cycles derive from the
famous Indian proponent of Cakrasaṃvara, Kṛṣṇācārya. These are
''Completing the Whole Path with Caṇḍālī'', found in chapter 4 and the
''Instruction for Straightening the Crooked'', found in chapter 5. The main tradition
of Cakrasaṃvara practiced in the Sakya tradition belongs to a system
of exegesis traced to Naropa, called “the ultimate secret” (gsang mtha’).2 The
ultimate secret tradition of exegesis is exclusive to the Cakrasaṃvara cycles
that were introduced to Tibet by Mal Lotsāwa Lodrö Drakpa (c. eleventh
century to early twelfth century). Four separate cycles are associated with
this tradition: the Cakrasaṃvara systems of the mahāsiddhas Luipa, Ghantapāda,
and Kṛṣṇācārya, and the Vajrayoginī system of Mahāsiddha Naropa.
The latter system is considered one of the “thirteen golden dharmas of Sakya”
and is one of the four primary practices of the Sakya tradition. There are
also numerous commentaries and instructions that the Sakya school associates
with the ultimate secret tradition of Cakrasaṃvara.3 Chapter 4, ''Completing
the Whole Path with Caṇḍālī'', is such an instruction, which distills
Kṛṣṇācārya’s six treatises, the core of his many works, into its most refined
essence. The text is divided into five stages: the stage of tantra, the stage of
mantra, the stage of gnosis, the stage of the secret, and the stage of nonduality.
Amezhap’s Effortless Accomplishment of the Two Benefits explains that
the practitioner of this instruction is to meditate on the Kṛṣṇācārya system
of Cakrasaṃvara.4
Drakpa Gyaltsen’s text does not provide an account of the life of Kṛṣṇa,
as the account of his career had already been composed by Kunga Nyingpo.5
Amezhap mentions that there are many siddhas named Kṛṣṇa, but of these,
this is the one known specifically as Kṛṣṇācārya.
Kunga Nyingpo places Kṛṣṇa in Bengal during the reign of Śrīcandra,
930–975 c.e., the longest reigning monarch of the Candra dynasty.6 Kunga
Nyingpo relates that Kṛṣṇācārya was named Karṇapa, either because he was
originally from the southern region of India named Karṇada or because he
had long earlobes. Since Kṛṣṇācārya was dark-skinned,
he was also called Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa was a pupil of a guru named Jālandhara and gains slight power
based on practicing his guru’s instructions, attracting a large entourage of
yogins and yoginīs. As is the case with many of the stories of mahāsiddhas,
Kṛṣṇa suffered a series of discouraging setbacks after his initial success in
practice, including being refused instruction in tantric conduct by his guru
due to pridefulness. Kṛṣṇa tells Jālandhara that he is leaving for Devīkoṭa in
Bengal. His guru advises against this, observing that Kṛṣṇa will suffer from
obstacles created by the ḍākinīs, but Kṛṣṇa disobeys and leads his entourage
onward to Bengal.
On the way Kṛṣṇa has four encounters. He first encounters a woman suffering
from leprosy. He brags to his entourage that he will cure this woman,
yet fails. A beggar in his entourage succeeds in freeing her from the disease.
As it turns out, these two were emanations of Heruka and Cakrasaṃvara.
After a series of further misadventures—encountering
a plowman with an endless flagon of beer (Heruka), a beautiful maiden running a juice stand
who humiliates him (Vajravārāhī), and a man in a temple reading a copy
of the ''Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines'', which Kṛṣṇa cannot
read—Kṛṣṇa arrives in Bengal. Here he experiences difficulties consecrating
a statue of Lokeśvara at the request of the minister Kuśalanātha, a Buddhist,
and manages to get into trouble with the king, who according to this
account was a devotee of Bhairava and Kālaratri and thus a non-Buddhist.
At this point in the story, Kṛṣṇa again encounters Heruka in the form
of a blue man with Hindu religious markings bearing a skull. The blue
man informs Kṛṣṇa that he is the leader of Kṛṣṇa’s group, to which Kṛṣṇa
haughtily objects. The blue man transforms into Heruka and flies into the
sky, leaving Kṛṣṇa begging to become his student. Heruka predicts that
Kṛṣṇa will not achieve mahāmudrā siddhi during his life, but he will obtain
supreme siddhi in the bardo. This event compels Kṛṣṇa to compose his
famous six treatises, mentioned at the outset of ''Completing the Whole Path
with Caṇḍālī''. He converts Śrīcandra to Buddhism, who then decrees that
his subjects are to be Buddhists. This account also records Kṛṣṇa’s death-bed
request that his body not be burned for seven days.7 On the fifth day,
the king ordered the whole kingdom to gather with the sound of drums.
During the cremation, the body vanishes in the midst of the smoke offering
substances such as parasols, banners, and a rain of flowers; the self-arisen
sounds of many instruments such as ḍamarus, cymbals, and so on, are heard;
and divine scent permeates everywhere.
We have almost no details concerning the life of Vāgīśvarakīrti, other
than his caste and reputed siddhis, his position as one of the gatekeepers
of Vikramaśīla, and a short note in ''Miscellaneous Notes on Individual
Sādhanas''2 concerning an emanation of Mañjuśrī in the form of a
child bestowing upon him ''The Intimate Instruction on Cheating Death''. His
association with White Tārā is well known.3 He was also one of Drokmi
Lotsāwa’s direct teachers. In addition to the Hevajra Tantra, he is also associated
with the Jñānapāda tradition of the Guhyasamāja Tantra.
''Mahāmudrā without Syllables'', according to Drakpa Gyaltsen, was a
transmission received by Ācārya Vāgīśvarakīrti directly from Lady Tārā.
The text begins with a blessing rite of Nairātmyā and then provides a comprehensive,
albeit brief, overview of mahāmudrā, one of the two texts in the
cycle specifically devoted to mahāmudrā.
Vāgīśvarakīrti’s principal contribution to Vajrayāna theory in Tibetan
Buddhism is found in the ''Seven Limbs'', which provides a full exposition of
“the seven limbs of the three kāyas,” also known as “the seven limbs of union
(kha sbyor).” This doctrine is extremely important in the Sakya school, especially
with respect to certain principles found in sādhana practice.
The ostensible source of the seven limbs of the three kāyas is the ''Compendium
of the Gnosis Vajra'':
:Because the three kāyas endowed with seven limbs are realized, one attains the sambhogakāya, union with gnosis, great bliss, the benefit of migrating beings produced because of great compassion, unceasing gnosis, uninterrupted mahāmudrā, and the naturally pure dhātu inseparable with gnosis.4
Vāgīśvarakīrti’s ''Seven Limbs'' introduces the seven limbs in the following
way:
:The intelligent who are familiar with authoritative reasoning shall praise my assertions
:in this thesis about the seven limbs—
:complete enjoyment, union, great bliss, natureless,
:full of compassion, uninterrupted, and unceasing.5
To summarize Vāgīśvarakīrti’s explanation of the seven limbs is to do it an
injustice. A more comprehensive account of his presentation will require
more space than this introduction will allow. However, it would be remiss
not to devote a few words to the ''Seven Limbs''. The ''Seven Limbs'' is a polemical
text meant to address a controversy over the four empowerments in
the Jñānapāda system, a debate once current at Vikramaśīla and now resurrected
by contemporary historians of Vajrayāna Buddhism.6 Vāgīśvarakīrti
asserts the fourth empowerment is indeed “the fourth” referred to in the
''Ancillary Tantra of the Guhyasamāja'':
:The vase empowerment is first.
:Second is the secret empowerment.
:The gnosis of the wisdom consort is the third.
:That fourth one is also suchness.7
Vāgīśvarakīrti states in the introduction to the ;;Seven Limbs;;:
:“In order to realize mahāmudrā” means that the empowerment
:into the nature of mahāmudrā is to be understood as the fourth.8
This point is most closely argued in chapter 3 of the Seven Limbs. Vāgīśvarakīrti
ruthlessly mocks his opponents for failing to understand that the
reference to “the fourth” in the ''Ancillary Tantra'' is in fact a reference to the
fourth empowerment,9 and that the seven limbs of the three kāyas are solely
the result of the fourth empowerment.10
''Vajra Verses of the Aural Transmission (Karṇatantravajrapada)'' is said
to be teachings spoken by Vajradhara to Jñānaḍākinī, which she in turn
transmitted by means of symbols to Tilopa in the Ghandhola temple in
Oḍḍiyāna. Tilopa then brought these teachings to the human realm. Since
they were sealed with the command to be passed on as a single transmission
for thirteen generations, he gave them to only one student, Nāropa, who
gave them only to Marpa Lotsāwa. Nāropa and Marpa translated them into
Tibetan, which is our sole record of these instructions, now preserved in
numerous canonical and paracanonical editions.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000002-QINU`"'
The inclusion of the ''Vajra Verses of the Aural Transmission'' here—in the
section of root texts for the six dharmas—is somewhat curious, since it is
the root, or source, text for the Saṃvara Aural Transmission. Its teachings
are expounded by Tilopa in his ''Short Text''*'"`UNIQ--ref-00000003-QINU`"' and are amplified by Milarepa
in two texts in this volume: ''The Instruction Manual for the Shared WishFulfilling Gems: The Practices Connected with the Vase Abhiṣeka from the Glorious Saṃvara Aural Transmission''†'"`UNIQ--ref-00000004-QINU`"' and ''The Instruction Manual on the Six Dharmas, Which Liberate through the Upper Door: The Perfection Process of the Saṃvara Aural Transmission'', with one edition of the latter citing
specific lines from ''Vajra Verses'', indicating how closely the ''Vajra Verses'' serves as its basis.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000005-QINU`"' Therefore, we might expect the ''Vajra Verses'' to be the first text in the later section, “The Texts in the Dharma Cycles of the Root Aural Transmissions.”*'"`UNIQ--ref-00000006-QINU`"' Nevertheless, despite that and the fact that only about 30 percent of this text is on the six dharmas, it is included here, as the second text Jamgön Kongtrul selected as a root six dharmas text.
Regarding the importance of this text, Zhang Lotsāwa, in his Introductory Notes, states:
<blockquote>The extensive teachings that are the root of the Aural Transmission are the ''Tantra of Saṃvara Who Equals Space'''"`UNIQ--ref-00000007-QINU`"' and all the Cakrasaṃvara tantras. The teachings on their meaning are the ''Vajra Verses'' spoken by Vajradhara to Jñānaḍākinī, ''The Short Text'' composed by Tilopa, and the notes and commentaries on those.</blockquote>
Tashi Chöpal’s ''Record of Teachings Received'' also identifies the Vajra Verses as
the “root text” (rtsa ba) of the glorious Saṃvara Aural Transmission WishFulfilling Gems.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000008-QINU`"'
Regarding the attribution of authorship, Fabrizio Torricelli addresses this by asking:
<blockquote>[I]f the ādibuddha Vajradhara is said to have granted instructions to the ḍākinī Vajrayoginī, who in turn would have transmitted it to Tilopā; if the latter memorized these teachings and handed [it] down to his disciple Nāropā, who in turn passed [it] on to his disciple Mar pa; if the latter translated and arranged the teachings in the presence of his guru, a legitimate question would be, who is the author of the work we have? . . . [I]t seems more reasonable to say that a text comes ''from'' a certain master, than to assume that it is ''by'' him.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000009-QINU`"'</blockquote>
Since Jamgön Kongtrul refers to this text as being “the words of Vajradhara”
(''rdo rje ’chang gi bka’''), Vajradhara is designated as the author here. Jamgön
Kongtrul also says that those who say that should be investigated are simply
being sectarian.'"`UNIQ--ref-0000000A-QINU`"'
All accounts of the transmission of this text begin with the story that Tilopa
went to Oḍḍiyāna to receive instructions and that after overpowering protective retinues of karmaḍākinīs and the ḍākinīs of the five families, he met the Jñānaḍākinī (Vajrayoginī). Once he demonstrated to her that he was
worthy of her instructions, the Jñānaḍākinī bestowed abhiṣekas and blessings upon him and gave him the complete Aural Transmission instructions.
She also explained the Saṃvara root tantra in fifty-one chapters and all the
tantras with their instructions.'"`UNIQ--ref-0000000B-QINU`"' After leaving Oḍḍiyāna, Tilopa heard a
ninefold dharma teaching spoken by formless ḍākinīs.'"`UNIQ--ref-0000000C-QINU`"'
It is worth mentioning here that this ninefold dharma teaching from the
formless ḍākinīs is ancillary to the Saṃvara Aural Transmission. The teaching is quite well known, at least in name, mainly due to the account found in Tsangnyön Heruka’s ''One Hundred Thousand Songs''. Briefly, although Marpa
gave Milarepa the Saṃvara Aural Transmission in full, he only transmitted
four (or five) of the nine teachings from the formless ḍākinīs to Milarepa.
Marpa instructed Milarepa to send one of his disciples to India to receive
them from a disciple of Nāropa, which he did: Rechungpa went to India
and received them from Tipupa.'"`UNIQ--ref-0000000D-QINU`"' Some confusion has occurred concerning the importance of these teachings because the Blue Annals mistakenly refers to the ninefold teaching from the formless ḍākinīs as “‘The Lineage
of Oral Instructions of Saṃvara,’” and says “the Lineage which was founded
by Ras-chuṅ-pa himself is known as ‘The Lineage of Oral Instructions of
Ras-chuṅ.’” This is not the case, as is well documented in the histories of the
Saṃvara Aural Transmission.'"`UNIQ--ref-0000000E-QINU`"'
In addition to the Vajra Verses’ special feature of being the words of Vajradhara, what is important about this text is its teachings and its transmission.
===Teachings===
The text lays out the path according to this cycle of teaching in a concise
manner, which has led, as so often is the case, to the composition of numerous commentaries and outlines. The root text included here contains topical headings (either added by Jamgön Kongtrul or found in the edition he
used for inclusion in the ''Treasury''), which organize the teachings into what
became standard categories for the Saṃvara Aural Transmission. The headings are given below with a summary of the content and the corresponding
lines in the ''Vajra Verses'' in parentheses.
:Wish-Fulfilling Gems of the Lineage (descriptions of the qualifications for teachers and disciples) (7–9)
:Wish-Fulfilling Gems of the Maturing Path (the four abhiṣekas of the sixty-two deity maṇḍala of Cakrasaṃvara and the four symbolic abhiṣekas of the fifteen deity maṇḍala of Vajrayoginī) (10–13a)
:Wish-Fulfilling Gems of the Liberating Path (the practices associated with the four abhiṣekas) (13b)
::Vase abhiṣeka: The path of the generation processes (the practices called the sovereigns, the ministers, the people, mixing, equal taste, and the three samayas)*'"`UNIQ--ref-0000000F-QINU`"' (14–15)
::Secret abhiṣeka: Liberation through the upper door using the six dharmas†'"`UNIQ--ref-00000010-QINU`"' (caṇḍālī, illusory forms, dreams, luminosity, transference, and entering a body) (16–60)
::Prajñā abhiṣeka: Great bliss through the lower door (61–79)
::Fourth abhiṣeka: Mahāmudrā, the illumination of wisdom (80–103)
:Arriving at the end of the path through recollection: The instructions pointing out the bardos (104–23)
:Dispelling hindrances and enhancement: Universal instructions(124–27)
:How the result is attained (128–39)
===Transmission===
The ''Vajra Verses'' concludes with saying, “The transmission of the verses is
placed under a seal for thirteen [generations].” All commentarial sources
begin by listing the first six members of the transmission series: Vajradhara,
Vajrayoginī, Tilopa, Nāropa, Marpa, and Milarepa.
However, as also discussed later,‡'"`UNIQ--ref-00000011-QINU`"' although these Aural Transmission
instructions were only to be given to one person each generation for thirteen generations, there were instances when a transmission holder passed it on to more than one person. The first occasion was with Milarepa, who
received permission to do so in a vision of Vajrayoginī. He is said to have
given the Aural Transmission teachings to a number of his disciples, including three main ones: Rechungpa, Ngamdzong Repa,*'"`UNIQ--ref-00000012-QINU`"' and Gampopa. The accounts of what he transmitted to whom vary, but it is clear that there
were two main lines of transmission to their thirteenth recipients: one that
carried on the transmissions Milarepa gave to Rechungpa and Ngamdzong
(merging in the tenth, Zhang Lotsāwa) and one that continued from Gampopa. The thirteenth recipients were Ziji Gyaltsen (1290–1360) and Drung
Mase (1386–1423).
Since this translation relies on the commentaries by Tsangnyön Heruka
and Jampa Puntsok, their accounts of the transmission through thirteen
generations will now be related (see below for the transmission lineage
received by Jamgön Kongtrul).
Tsangnyön Heruka comments on line 140 in the ''Vajra Verses'',“The transmission of the verses is placed under a seal for thirteen [generations],” as follows:
<blockquote>The transmission of Vajradhara was sealed with the command, “This is to be practiced without spreading it beyond a single transmission for thirteen [generations],” and then Tilopa will emanate to release the seal in actuality.
Tilopa, Nāropa, and Marpa based [their transmissions of] the abhiṣekas of the path of maturation and the generation and perfection processes of the path of liberation on either Hevajra or Saṃvara. As for these instructions, within the dharmas that liberate by means of the upper door, transference and entering a body were considered one. The bardo instructions were added to those five. Tilopa, taking them as an approach that came from the gurus of his four entrusted transmissions, matured and liberated many fortunate beings. Nāropa, giving them the name “the six dharmas of Tilopa,” benefitted many fortunate beings. Marpa, giving them the name “the six dharmas of Nāropa,” also benefitted many fortunate beings. Their activities and fame equaled the extent of space.
The extensive, complete, unerring, and perfect instructions of the Ḍākinī Aural Transmission alone are the Aural Transmission.
Vajrayoginī, knowing that vast benefit for beings would occur, appeared to Jetsun Milarepa in Drö Puk. She gave permission for and made a prophesy concerning the spreading of [the Ḍākinī Aural Transmission instructions] to a few fortunate ones and for writing them down. To his heart sons Rechungpa Dorje Drakpa and Ngendzong Tönpa, the Jetsun gave the complete extensive instructions of the Threefold Wish-Fulfilling Gems. Thus, their [transmissions] became known as the Rechung Aural Transmission and the Ngendzong Aural Transmission. These instructions, whose command seal for being only a single transmission had been permitted to be loosened, were spread in a very strict and secret manner. Their fame spread in all directions like thunder. In actuality, these complete and unerring instructions were transmitted like stars during the daytime, [that is, very rarely,] and they continued up until they reached me.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000013-QINU`"'</blockquote>
Jampa Puntsok explains:
<blockquote>The reason for requiring this to be a single transmission for thirteen [generations] was to establish the auspicious connection for the individuals engaging this path to reach the end of the twelfth bhūmi and manifest the thirteenth bhūmi of Vajradhara.
The way these were given is as follows: Great Vajradhara, the true, perfect buddha, had many disciples who were bodhisattvas dwelling on the bhūmis, but he only gave them to Vajrayoginī, the female consort, who was inseparable from him in terms of relinquishment and realization.
Vajrayoginī had countless disciples who were heroes and yoginīs dwelling on the bhūmis, but she gave the instructions to the exalted Tilopa, an emanation of Saṃvara. Although the nirmāṇakāya Tilopa had many disciples who were siddhas, such as Riripa, Kasoripa, and Nakpo Gewa, he gave the instructions only to the scholar-siddha Nāropa Mahāpaṇḍita. Nāropa also had numerous disciples, including the śramaṇera Prajñā Siṃha; glorious Śāntibhadra, the master Maitrīpa, Tipupa, and the Great Lord, glorious Atiśa. However, he gave the instructions only to the translator Marpa Lotsāwa. The translator Marpa, despite having many disciples (such as Ngoktön, Maitön Tsompo, and Tsurtön Wangi Dorje), gave the instructions only to Milarepa of Gungtang.
Jetsun Milarepa had numerous disciples, such as the unequaled Physician from Dakpo [Gampopa] (who was prophesized by the Victor), Zhiwa Ö, and others, but he gave the instructions only to Rechung Dorje Drakpa. Rechungpa himself had many disciples (including Ra Shernang, Tönpa Sungyang, and Gyalwa Lo of Tsa), but he only gave the instructions to Gyalwa Khyung Tsangpa.
Khyung Tsangpa had many disciples who knew the entryways to the piṭakas, and yet he gave the instructions only to three: Martön Tsultrim Jungne, Lopön Targom, and Machik Ongjo. Among them, Machik Ongjo was given the complete instructions, and she received an injunction from Khyung Tsangpa that she was to give them to one person who supplicated three times to receive this dharma.
For the sake of this dharma, Zhang Lotsāwa Drupa Palzang supplicated [Machik Ongjo] first as an upāsaka, in the middle as a śramaṇera, and in the end as a bhikṣu. Following those supplications, Machik gave Zhang Drowai Gönpo the instructions.*'"`UNIQ--ref-00000014-QINU`"' Zhang Lotsāwa had many students who were scholarpractitioners, but he gave the instructions to Bandhe Dharaśri of Ba. Bandhe Dharaśri of Ba had many students, but none were suitable recipients, and therefore he gave the instructions to his son, Jangsem Sönam Gyaltsen. Jangsem Sönam Gyaltsen had students, but since none were suitable recipients, he gave the instructions to his sister, Kunden Rema. Machik [Kunden Rema] also had students but gave the instructions to Nartangwa Delek Rinchen and Nyanangpa Khetsun Ziji Gyaltsen.
Khetsunpa was the thirteenth [holder] of the transmission, and he heard the instructions from both Delekpa and Machik. There were also many amazing signs, indications, and so on that Khetsunpa was the thirteenth [holder] of the transmission.</blockquote>
Jampa Puntsok concludes by providing the transmission after Khetsun Ziji Gyaltsen up to himself:
<blockquote>Khetsunpa gave the instructions to Khenchen Wangchuk Sherap from Ngari Guge. He gave them to Jatang Ritröpa Zhönu Gyaltsen of Latö Namding. He gave them to Rechen Zhönu Palden of Latö. He gave them to Dongtön Namkha Gyaltsen of Kham. He gave them to Dulzin Ngaki Wangpo of Ngari Gungtang. He gave them to Sangye Senge of Penyul Shara. He gave them to Tsangnyön Sangye Gyaltsen of Nyangtö Kharkha. He gave them to the scholar-siddha Lhatsun Rinchen Namgyal and Pagö Götsangchen. Those two holy beings gave them to me, Töngom Jampa Puntsok. I also received the complete set of abhiṣekas, instructions, associated elements, and procedures.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000015-QINU`"'</blockquote>
The ''Catalog'' states that this text is followed by a short commentary, ''Opening the Vajra Verses'', but that text was not included in ''The Treasury of Precious Instructions'' and its identity is uncertain.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000016-QINU`"'
''Transmission lineage received by Jamgön Kongtrul''. Vajradhara to Jñānaḍākinī, Vajrapāṇi, Tilopa, and then the same as previously stated for the ''Ganges Mahāmudrā''.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000017-QINU`"'
Zhang Lotsāwa (d. 1237) played an important early role in preserving and transmitting the Saṃvara Aural Transmission by bringing together the streams of transmissions from Rechungpa and Ngamdzong
Repa and writing a number of commentaries and outlines.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000AD4-QINU`"' He sought
out the three students of Khyung Tsangpa who had received the Rechung
Saṃvara Aural Transmission, Martön Tsultrim Jungne, Lopön Targom,
and Machik Ongjo, and, as recounted above,†'"`UNIQ--ref-00000AD5-QINU`"' persisted in his requests to
Machik Ongjo, finally receiving the full instructions from her after his
third request. He also received the Ngamdzong Aural Transmission and the
dharma teachings of the formless ḍākinīs from a disciple of Nyal Sungche,
possibly Marbu Drakpa Zhönu Sherap. Zhang Lotsāwa passed the instructions on to his son, Jangsem Sönam Gyaltsen, who in turn passed them on
to his sister, Kunden Rema, who transmitted them to the thirteenth generation: Nartangwa Delek Rinchen and Nyanangpa Khetsun Ziji Gyaltsen.
Of those two, Ziji Gyaltsen (1290–1360) is renowned as the thirteenth in
the transmission, the one who would widely disseminate the Saṃvara Aural
Transmission.
This text was not identified by Jamgön Kongtrul (or any subsequent catalogers) as being by Zhang Lotsāwa, although its inclusion in ''The Treasury'' means that he recognized it to be an important reference text for Tilopa’s
''Short Text''. It is probably the earliest available topical summary of ''The Short
Text'', and for that reason alone it is a valuable inclusion. The edition available to Jamgön Kongtrul, however, seems not to have been complete when compared to other available editions, as documented in the endnotes.
As before, the words cited for each line, or group of lines, are the first
words that begin each line in Tibetan, which are not the first words of the
lines in the translation. +
While the tantric teachings tended, in the earlier years, to be transmitted to a single lineage holder at a time, over the centuries it became less unusual for a master to have several lineage successors, resulting in numerous branch lineages. According to this prayer, the teaching was transmitted down the lineage as far as the omniscient Butön, who then passed it on to Jangchup Tsemo on the one hand and Zhönu Sönam Jamgön on the other. Some three centuries later, the master Jamyang Drakpa received the transmission from their successors in both these lineage streams, which thus came together again, like a river split by an island. Jamyang Drakpa’s successors then passed the transmission down the lineage to Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo. This lineage prayer appears, therefore, to give us an ''à la carte'' choice as to which lineage masters we can pray to. +
Whether Mitrayogin received this poem from Avalokiteshvara and used it as the basis for the sādhana, pith instructions, and guide that he subsequently transmitted to his disciple Shrīputra or whether he himself composed it as a concise presentation of the teachings he received from Avalokiteshvara is not clear from the colophon. In any case, these few pages essentialize the instructions contained in the three texts that follow. Their condensed form is impossible to understand fully without the relevant commentary provided in those texts. The subject of the poem covers the entire path, from reflecting on the precious human life, through the preliminary practices, to the visualizations and mantra recitation of the generation stage and the different practices of the perfection stage, culminating in the teachings on the intermediate state, or bardo. +
This prayer to the lineage masters of the Avalokiteshvara sādhana employs a typical structure, beginning with the truth-body teacher (in this case, Amitābha) and the enjoyment-body teacher (Avalokiteshvara), and then listing each of the manifestation-body teachers from Mitrayogin down in chronological order. Each master is described in four lines, followed by an aspirational refrain. +
T
This inspirational poem of 111 couplets and one that accidentally overflows to three lines follows the pattern of the ''Hundred Pieces or Eighty Pieces of Advice for the People of Dingri''. Every verse ends in “people of Dingri” (meaning the monastery) or “Dingrians” (''ding ri ba''), a familiar refrain in the Pacification literature. This text, along with the previous one, is not found or mentioned elsewhere. It is described as a kind of final testament (''zhal chems'') of Dampa Sangye, memorized perfectly by Bodhisattva Kunga, but it does not seem to have a place among the other final testaments in the old ''Zhije Collection''. +
This appears to be an appendix to the preceding text, supplying the elements that need to be recited when one is putting the teaching on the Three Quintessential Points into practice. +
The three sets of eight appendices or “chapters” (''le lag'') are attributed to Machik Lapdrön wherever they are mentioned. Though the three are sometimes listed in different order, the specific titles given for each of the twenty-four individual appendices are nearly identical.
But that is far from the end of the story. A collection of Severance texts called ''Practices of the Severance Collection and So Forth'' contains an altogether different set called ''The Thirteen Appendices'' and a variant but still recognizable set of ''The Eight Common Appendices''.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000009-QINU`"' This gives the impression that, as with the other three sets of teachings attributed to Machik called “Bundles” (''bKa’ tshom'', ''Yang tshom'', and ''Nying tshom''), variant versions were in circulation and were not codified, perhaps even up to the time of Jamgön Kongtrul. Further research on this is required.
Karmapa Rangjung Dorje, in his commentary to ''The Great Bundle of Precepts'', classifies the ''Appendices'' as instructions from the “sugata precept lineage” (referring to the source scriptures), consisting of Machik’s own personal experiences, written in four versions of outer, inner, meaning, and secret. Of those, the ''Appendices'' are the inner pointing-out instructions.
''The Eight Common Appendices'' is written in rather cryptic verse and contains the following headings: (1) resting uncontrived in suchness; (2) not using antidotes; (3) effort; (4) the arising of spiritual powers through practice; (5) recognizing Buddha in one life; (6) scolding that cuts off pitfalls; (7) heart essence; and (8) practical guide to the practice. One would guess that this is the original set of advice originating with Machik and recorded by disciples that did not fit into any other of the original sources, not even the bundles.
'''Notes'''
'"`UNIQ--references-0000000A-QINU`"' +
The instructions in ''The Eight Uncommon Appendices'' are more practical than those in ''The Common Appendices''. In general, the terms ''common'' (''thun mong'') and ''uncommon'' (''thun mong ma yin pa'') refer to teachings that are held in common with all forms of Buddhism and those that are meant exclusively for practitioners of a certain tradition, such as Secret Mantra. Perhaps here “uncommon” indicates the Severance practice itself, as this appears to be a collection of advice for dealing with particular situations that might arise for a practitioner. The eight appendices are further divided by subheadings, and thus a loose structural outline emerges. The seventh appendix contains some remarkable descriptions of what might be seen as shamanic rites of healing, which brings up the question of whether these were an integral part of the Severance taught by Machik or were incorporated from indigenous practices. +
Z
Having requested the blessings of the lineage holders of the past, Kunga Drolchok now offers a prayer to sustain the lives and enhance the enlightened activities of those, such as himself, who recount the history of the One Hundred and Eight Guidebooks, over successive lifetimes. The prayer contrasts the rarity of the sacred doctrine with counterfeit forms that would lead beings astray through sophistry, and dedicates the merit accrued by his documenting the One Hundred and Eight Guidebooks for the sake of buddhahood on behalf of all sentient beings. +
After completing the ordinary and extraordinary preliminaries outlined in the previous two chapters, practitioners may then undertake the main practices contained in the One Hundred and Eight Guidebooks, which constitute by far the longest chapter of the book. These practices, collated by Kunga Drolchok, represent all eight authoritative lineages promulgated in Tibet—Nyingma, Kadam, Sakya, Kagyu, Severance & Pacification, Six-branch Yoga, Shangpa Kagyu, and the Ritual Service and Attainment of Orgyanpa; and they derive from both the sūtra and tantra traditions, the latter emphasizing the generation stage (bskyed rim) and perfection stage (rdzogs rim) of meditation, along with instruction on the great seal (phyag rgya chen po) and the great perfection (rdzogs pa chen po). The compiler advises, in his concluding verses, that these main practices are to be undertaken distinctly and individually in their own terms, without being intermingled. The intricate relationships between the guidebooks are set aside for discussion in a later chapter.
These One Hundred and Eight Guidebooks are for the most part written in the terse, shorthand style of a memorandum (zin bris), for which reason, in this translation, it has often been necessary to add phrases or entire sentences in square brackets to elucidate the meaning. Such insertions derive from primary sources and related texts, found elsewhere in Jamgon Kongtrul’s Treasury of Oral Instructions, or in the Collected Works of their original authors. In the introductory note to each guidebook I have indicated, wherever possible, its primary source and antecedents in Sanskrit or Tibetan literature. There are also some cases where the primary source is no longer extant outwith this anthology, and others where reference is made to later commentaries by Tāranātha or Jamyang Khyentsé Wangpo. Readers will note that the order in which these guidebooks are presented corresponds for the most part to Chapter Nine of the Tibetan text, but there are a small number of exceptions where this sequence is at variance with that of the earlier historical chapters. Most notably, the Six-branch Yoga (no. 40) has been moved in the Tibetan text to no. 90, perhaps in consideration of its content, but for the sake of consistency I have followed the ordering clearly stated in the earlier chapters.
The [[Third Karmapa]], [[Rangjung Dorje]] (1284–1339), had a special connection with the Severance teachings and was instrumental in codifying them and bringing them into the [[Karma Kagyu]] lineage by connecting them with the [[mahāmudrā]]. He received the complete teaching cycles of [[Dampa Sangye]] at the age of eighteen (''[[Red Annals]]'') and [[Machik Lapdrön]]’s Severance teachings from [[Lama Kunga Döndrup]] ([[Kun dga’ don grub]]). However, in most Severance lineages and in the colophon here, he received the transmission from Lama [[Namtsowa]] (“Guru of Sky Lake”), one of his teachers at [[Tsurpu Monastery]], whose full name was [[Namtso Dopa Mikyö Dorje]] ([[gNam mtsho do pa Mi bskyod rdo rje]]);'"`UNIQ--ref-00000008-QINU`"' he was also known as [[Repa Sangye Nyima]] (''[[Ras pa Sangs rgyas nyi ma]]''). He heard many Severance teachings from [[Khambuyale]]’s disciple [[Jñānajvala]]. Thus he is only the third in the lineage after [[Machik]] herself. Most of [[Rangjung Dorje]]’s works on Severance are found in volume 11 of his collected works, with only two included here in ''[[The Treasury of Precious Instructions]]''. +
This supplication to the lineages of the early, middle, and later transmissions by Lochen Dharmashrī provides a good source for tracing the lineages. It can be compared to some of the visualization descriptions found in the other texts in this volume. This is not the place to positively identify all these masters in this quite complicated lineage, much less those left out. However, I have made an attempt to simplify in an appended chart of the lineage based on several available sources (see p. 553). The style of this supplication is reminiscent of many of the prayers that use the formula “In the place of ''such and such'', I pray to ''so-and-so''” found in volume 14 of ''The Treasury of Precious Instructions: Chöd''.
There are two important aspiration prayers at the end of the lineages: ''Dampa’s Thirty Aspirations'' and ''Kunga’s Thirteen Aspirations''. These same aspirations were also included in Jamgön Kongtrul’s final wrap-up supplication ritual, called ''Essence of Auspicious Renown'', which was originally located at the end of the Pacification volume 13 in the Palpung blocks but was moved to the end of volume 14 on Severance in the Shechen edition, where it makes more sense as the summation of both Pacification and Severance, considered to be a single stream. Kongtrul’s catalog discusses these two Aspirations at the end of the section on Instructions and makes no mention of the last two texts that actually appear in this Shechen edition (Advice to Bodhisattva Kunga and Lotus Clusters). The table of contents for the Kundeling edition places Dampa’s Thirty at the end of this lineage supplication and then conflates ''Kunga’s Thirteen with Advice to Kunga''. But I can sympathize with the editors. +
Minling Lochen Dharmashrī, the Great Translator of Mindroling Monastery, was introduced at the beginning of the section of empowerments, all of which he composed. This final piece by him, also completed at Orgyen Mindroling Monastery, is a masterly commentary on all the practices found within the diverse praxis of Pacification of Suffering. Basing his work on various source texts that are not all available now, Dharmashrī attempts to portray a cohesive picture of the vast array of instructions that Dampa Sangye passed on to his disciples over the course of his many sojourns in Tibet. By its nature, this piece provides a kind of outline of the lines of teachings. It is almost certainly the source for Jamgön Kongtrul’s summary of this practice lineage in ''The Treasury of Knowledge''. Even so, we can see by the outline—which I have extracted and added—that there was much more, and that Dharmashrī had to make choices on what aspects to explain, although this may have been dictated by availability
Though the number of visits Dampa Sangye made to Tibet is said to be somewhere between three and seven, depending on the writer, the generally accepted format for organizing his teachings is a division into three: the first or early transmission, the intermediary or middle transmission, and the later or last transmission. The middle transmission actually consists of three separate sets of lineage teachings. So in fact we have here five transmissions described by Dharmashrī.
The first or early transmission (''bka’ babs dang po/snga ma'') consists of the teachings that Dampa passed on to his disciple from Kashmir, Jñānaguhya. Dharmashrī’s colophon to this section reports that it is based on the ''Cycles of Three Lamps'' (''sGron ma skor gsum'', often misspelled as ''sgrol ma gsum'', leading to the confusing translation of “Three [or Nine] Cycles of Tārā”). Though there are nine “lamps” in the Tengyur attributed to Kamalashrī (Dampa’s Indian name), this trilogy refers to the Lamps of Conduct, Path, and Mind (Toh. 2321–2323), which are said to contain, respectively, the teachings of the vinaya, abhidharma, and sutra. This, however, is not at all evident in those very brief lamps, nor in the commentary here. After the traditional preliminaries, the main practice consists of five instructions with the distinctive names Sky-Like, Vajra-Like, Lotus-Like, Elixir-Like, and WheelLike. Each of these instructions represents the condensed meaning of the teachings by eleven of Dampa Sangye’s fifty-five adept gurus. These five sets represent teachings on madhyamaka-like logic, vital-wind practices of the father tantras, bliss practices of the mother tantras, mahāmudrā instructions, and ḍākinī symbols, respectively. In other words, a very full and complete path, packed with esoteric techniques.
The three middle transmissions (''bka’ babs bar ma'') are known as Ma, So, and Kam (''rma so skam''), based on the principal recipients’ place or clan names. Dampa Sangye gave Magom Chökyi Sherap (b. 1054) the teachings of awakening mind, the discourses, scattered teachings, and oral instructions. They consist of two sets of sixteen points each: the practical guides that introduce awareness and vital points that cut off misconceptions. Again, an altogether complete path covering all aspects of meditation techniques. Lochen Dharmashrī states that it is based on teachings by “the great sugata Rok,” and although there are several lineage holders bearing the name Rok, the assumption is that it refers to Rok Bande Sherap Özer (1166–1244), the most important Rok in Pacification.
The second system was given to Sochung Gendun Bar (1062–1128), who met the above Magom at an early age. This again is said to consist of the instructions of the fifty-five (or -four) male and female adepts and is described as “instructions on the naked perception of awareness.” After the preliminary practices, the main parts are divided according to the classic graded-path formula of teachings for superior, average, and lesser practitioners. Here there are multiple methodologies for recognizing pure awareness and introducing the nature of mind. The use of special yogic gazes is emphasized, as elsewhere in Dampa’s teachings, and there are more unusual esoteric techniques. The concluding topics include useful advice for resolving obstacles in practice, such as dullness and agitation. A set of eight “clinchers,” or topics on applying practice in specific circumstances, is also presented. Dharmashrī mentions two names as his source for these instructions: Palden Sönam of Dingri and Khyapdak Paljor Puntsok. Though both of these names appear in the later lineage (rather than the middle), the exact source books have not been located.
The third system was transmitted to Kamtön Yeshe Gyaltsen (d. 1119) and is called “the guide to the essential meaning of the perfection of wisdom.” Unlike the previous two, this instruction is short and basic, and entirely exoteric. It consists of practices commonly considered preliminaries, with nothing really touching on the perfection of wisdom. Dharmashrī explains that the main guidance manuals of this tradition have been lost, with only the preliminaries remaining. He states very generally that he has composed it based on “the old writings.”
The later or last transmission (''bka’ babs phyi ma'') was passed on to the four “gatekeeper yogins,” most particularly to Bodhisattva Kunga (1062–1124), regarded as Pa Dampa Sangye’s principal disciple and heir. It is to this person and his immediate successors that we owe the preservation of many of Dampa’s teachings. These were transmitted in three main instructions: “The White Guide, which concentrates solely on mind training on the path; the Red Guide, which concerns the practice of five or three paths; and the Black Guide, which produces realization of the science of letters.” But it is only the Red Guide that is explained here and wherever else the later transmission is discussed. There is little to be found on the White and Black Guides. The Red Guide describes a detailed process whereby a practitioner passes through five or three spiritual paths. These paths have the familiar names from the Indian commentarial tradition, but with distinctive formulas and explanations. They are (1) mind training on the path of accumulation; (2) austerities on the path of application; (3) subsequent conduct on the path of seeing; (4) equal taste on the path of meditation; and (5) freedom from action on the ultimate path. Unlike their Indian counterparts, these “paths” seem to describe a more achievable progression that a determined individual might actually experience if she followed these instructions. Jamgön Kongtrul confirms the uniqueness of this formulation: “This path did not occur previously in India and Tibet but is the special teaching of Dampa Rinpoche.”'"`UNIQ--ref-00000009-QINU`"'
Lochen Dharmashrī’s explanation of the Red Guide follows closely on an early text by All-Knowing Sönam Pal (1217–1277), a revised version of which is the next text in this volume. But he has apparently added a supplemental section with some interesting techniques to deal with problems that may arise in practice, ways to enhance experience by vital points, and instructions on utilizing devotion and mantra.
'''Notes'''
'"`UNIQ--references-0000000A-QINU`"'
''Vajra Play'' is appended to ''Another Bundle'' in ''The Treasury of Precious Instructions'' but not indicated in the table of contents or in Jamgön Kongtrul’s catalog. Nor is it included in other editions of ''Another Bundle''. However, in the ''Dingri Volumes'' it appears as a separate entry, and I have followed suit here. ''Vajra Play'' consists of eighteen questions, with their answers delivered in short and even cryptic prose. Only a few of the questions echo those in the other collections, and this set may have a different source. +