Wylie:De kho na nyid bcu pa
Maitrīpa (986–1063)[1] was a scholar and siddha whose mahāmudrā teachings had a major impact in Tibet, primarily through the teachings of his student Vajrapāṇi. Maitrīpa was, along with Nāropa, one of Marpa Lotsāwa’s most important teachers. He began his Buddhist studies after being defeated in debate by Nāropa, whereupon he studied sūtra teachings with Nāropa for twenty years, Vajrayāna with Rāgavajra for five years, and the Nonexistent Images[2] form of Yogācāra with Ratnākaraśānti. Urged in his dreams by Tārā, then by Avalokiteśvara, in his early fifties he set out to meet his guru Śavari. Once he found Śavari in the Śrī Parvata mountains in the south of India, Maitrīpa was instructed by him in a variety of unconventional ways that eventually led to his full realization. Told by his guru to return to central India, Maitrīpa, now known as Advayavajra, took up residence in Bodh Gaya where he taught and also defeated all challengers in debate. Later, while living in the charnel ground called Blazing Fire Mountain, he composed the series of texts called the Dharma Cycle on Amanasikāra (Nonattention),[3] in which he blended the mahāmudrā teachings he received from Śavaripa (who received them from Nāgārjuna, Saraha’s student) with his Complete Nonabiding Madhyamaka view.[4] The Ten Stanzas on Suchness begins with a homage that states what suchness (tattva, de kho na nyid) is not: it is neither existent nor nonexistent. This is followed by a statement that it is of the nature of awakening; in other words, suchness is no different from buddhahood. The text says that it is realized through the “samādhi of [realizing suchness] as it is” (yathābhūtasamādhi,ji ltar ’byung ba’i ting nge ’dzin) and describes the conduct for yogic practitioners with realization. In his commentary on this text, Maitrīpa’s student, Sahajavajra, says that it was “composed as concise esoteric instructions on the Pāramitā[yāna] that accords with the Mantra approach.”[5] Although the text does not use the term “mahāmudrā,” Jamgön Kongtrul explains in his interlinear note to the colophon that Marpa considered this text to be the primary one of the Amanasikāra (Nonattention) Cycle that teaches view. Sahajavajra’s Extensive Commentary on the “Ten Stanzas on Suchness” is cited by Gö Lotsāwa in his Blue Annals as evidence that mahāmudrā was taught within a Sūtra, or Pāramitā, context in India.[6] The colophon of the Ten Stanzas on Suchness contained in The Treasury of Precious Instructions states that it was translated by Vajrapāṇi and Tsur Yeshe Jungne,[7] who were the first translators of the text before it was revised by Tsultrim Gyalwa. Thus, this edition is not the one contained in the Tengyur, which is the one revised by Tsultrim Gyalwa. The text here also accords with the root text used in Sahajavajra’s commentary, which was translated by Vajrapāṇi, Kalyanavarma, and Tsur Jñānākara (Yeshe Jungne).
Transmission lineage received by Jamgön Kongtrul. 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, 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. Another transmission was from Maitrīpa to the siddhā Tepupa, Rechung Dorje Drakpa, Burgom Nakpo, Pakdru Dorje Gyalpo, Gyalo Pukpa, Serdingpa Zhönu Drup, and the omniscient Chöku Özer, after whom it is as above.[8]
- Other notes
- Genre from Richard Barron's Catalog
- Instruction manual
- Genre from dkar chag
- gzhung rtsa 'grel
- BDRC Link
- VolumeI1CZ3969
- BDRC Content Information
- No note on contents
Information about Unicode Tibetan and the digitization of this text
As the only available unicode Tibetan text at the time, Nitartha International's version of the Paro Edition of the gdams ngag mdzod is provided here. However, note that it has not been thoroughly edited and that there may also be mistakes introduced through the conversion process. Eventually we will provide a fully edited version of the entire Shechen Edition, entered and edited multiple times by Pulahari Monastery in Nepal, but as of fall 2017 that project has not been finished. Note that the folio numbers that appear throughout were added by Nitartha Input Center at the time of input.
Provided by Nitartha International Document Input Center. Many thanks to Lama Tenam and Gerry Wiener for help with fonts and conversion.
