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Of the six deities from whom Mitrayogin re … Of the six deities from whom Mitrayogin received the instructions included in this volume, Avalokiteshvara appears to be only deity for which a sādhana text is provided. The structure of the sādhana is slightly unusual in that the offering and praise sections come after the recitation of the mantra instead of before it.tation of the mantra instead of before it. +
Parpuwa Lodrö Senge (twelfth century) is a … Parpuwa Lodrö Senge (twelfth century) is an important figurein the transmission of dohā teachings in Tibet. In his youth, he studied philosophy with Chapa Chökyi Senge of Sangpu monastery. He laterreceived explanations of the dohā teachings, first from Drushulwa and thenfrom Pakmo Drupa, one of the main students of Gampopa and initiator ofthe Pakdru Kagyu.'"`UNIQ--ref-0000003C-QINU`"' Drushulwa was a student of Ngari Joden, who receivedthe dohā teachings directly from Vajrapāṇi (a student of Maitrīpa) and fromVajrapāṇi’s student Balpo Asu.The ''Blue Annals'' states that Parpuwa composed eight texts related to theDohā cycle,'"`UNIQ--ref-0000003D-QINU`"' and although those include a commentary on the ''Dohā forthe People'', Jamgön Kongtrul chose the ''Summary of Topics'' to be includedhere, for which Tashi Chöpal’s ''Record of Teachings Received'' says there is noreading transmission (lung).'"`UNIQ--ref-0000003E-QINU`"'The ''Summary of Topics'' is an outline (''sa bcad'') in which the first word(s)of each verse (or group of verses) is connected to a topical heading.'"`UNIQ--ref-0000003F-QINU`"' Thewords in parentheses after the headings are these first words correspondingto the words that begin each line in Tibetan—unfortunately, because of thelinguistic differences between Tibetan and English, it was not possible tohave the English verses begin with the same words. The line numbers of the''Dohā for the People'' have been added in parentheses for each heading.een added in parentheses for each heading. +
Saraha is regarded as the grandfather of t … Saraha is regarded as the grandfather of the mahāmudrā tradition.There are various tales of his colorful life, attested to in the songsattributed to him.'"`UNIQ--ref-0000001A-QINU`"' These songs, also called dohās (after the name of themeter of verse), are spicy, inspiring, and instructive though at times cryptic.Among the twenty-six texts in the Tengyur attributed to Saraha, eighteenare songs, and within those the most famous are the Dohā Trilogy: Dohā forthe King, Dohā for the Queen,and Dohā for the People. These are said to havebeen sung to King Mahāpāla, his queens, and his people. The one chosenfor this anthology is the longest, traditionally said to be 160 verses, whosepurpose was to set the common people on the true path.'"`UNIQ--ref-0000001B-QINU`"'Karma Tinle, a fifteenth-century Kagyu master and author of commentaries on the Dohā Trilogy, relates the circumstances leading up to thesesongs as follows. Saraha, born into a brahman family in south India, tookmonastic vows from Rāhulabhadra and became a great paṇḍita, learned inall areas of knowledge and known as Brahman Rāhula. He was greatly honored at that time by King Mahāpāla. At one point, in order to train thoseof the instantaneous type, Hayagrīva took the form of the bodhisattva Ratnamati, who manifested as a female arrowsmith specifically to benefit thegreat Brahman Rāhula. Saraha encountered her making arrows in a marketplace and, intrigued by the focused way she worked, asked her if shewas a female arrowsmith. She replied that the intent of the Buddha is onlyrecognized through symbols and methods, not through words and letters,at which point the meaning of the ḍākinī’s symbols arose in his mind. Sincehe was liberated instantly by the symbols of the arrow, he became known as Saraha.*'"`UNIQ--ref-0000001C-QINU`"'Recognizing her skill as a teacher of symbols, Saraha stayed withher as a fellow practitioner of yoga. Saying such things as, “Until yesterdayI was not a brahman, but from today on I am a brahman,” he departed forcharnel grounds, where they conducted gaṇacakras and sang vajra songs.When the local people of the kingdom heard that the one formallyknown as Brahman Rāhula was singing vajra songs, keeping company withthe female arrowsmith, and living in charnel grounds, they were shockedand outraged, saying he had not only fallen from his pure monastic conduct, but he was also wandering about in the company of a woman of a badcaste, engaging in depraved conduct. When King Mahāpāla heard this, heissued an edict that his subjects should supplicate the great Brahman torenounce his inferior conduct and return to his pure conduct for the sakeof the people of the kingdom. In response, Saraha sang the words that havebecome known as the Dohā for the King, Dohā for the Queen, and Dohā forthe People.'"`UNIQ--ref-0000001D-QINU`"'Since this was originally sung, at some point it was written down inan eastern dialect of Apabhraṃśa, a Middle Indic language.'"`UNIQ--ref-0000001E-QINU`"' The Tibetanaccounts of the formation of the trilogy and its scribes vary. Karma Tinlereports that some say that when Saraha sang of his experiences, the songwas not divided into shorter and longer sets of verses (that is, it was onelong song) and that later, when Saraha’s student Nāgārjuna wrote down theverses, he divided it into three songs. Karma Tinle also relates that othersbelieve that it was Śavari who, having heard the songs from Nāgārjuna, wrotethem down for the benefit of his student Maitrīpa. However, Karma Tinlesays the first explanation is to be regarded as authoritative.'"`UNIQ--ref-0000001F-QINU`"' On the otherhand, Chomden Raldri, a thirteenth-century Kadampa teacher and authorof a commentary on the Dohā for the People, relates that Saraha taught theDohā for the People to Padmavajra, Nāgārjuna, and Śavari, and that it wascomposed at Padmavajra’s request.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000020-QINU`"'Some time later it was translated into Tibetan. Karma Tinle states thatthe edition of the Dohā for the People he used for his commentary wastranslated into Tibetan by the Nepali master Balpo Asu based on an Indicmanuscript belonging to his teacher Vajrapāṇi.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000021-QINU`"' The Sakya scholar Drakpa Dorje reports there were three translations of the Dohā for the People into Tibetan: one by Atiśa and Naktso, one by Ma Lotsāwa Chöbar, and oneby Balpo Asu. Chomden Raldri says that it was translated by Nyal TengpaLotsāwa.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000022-QINU`"' Since neither the edition of the Dohā for the People in The Treasury of Precious Instructions nor the edition in the Tengyur contain the nameof the translator, we do not know if they should be considered editions ofthe same text by one translator or represent different translations. There are,as would be expected, a number of other paracanonical editions, the oldestdatable one being a xylograph edition printed by Lhatsun Rinchen Namgyal in 1543, whose colophon says it was translated by Balpo Asu.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000023-QINU`"'Karma Tinle in his commentary on the Dohā for the People says that therewere three traditions of explaining Saraha’s Dohā Trilogy: The Bal traditioncoming from what Balpo Asu received from Vajrapāṇi, the Rechung tradition based on what Rechungpa heard from Balpo Asu and Tipupa, and thePar tradition derived from what Ngari Joden transmitted to Drushulwa.The Rechung tradition also developed into the Kar tradition (named afterKarmapa Rangjung Dorje) and the Ling tradition (so-called because ofLing Repa’s commentary, who studied with Rechungpa’s students).'"`UNIQ--ref-00000024-QINU`"' Thistranslation is based on the commentaries listed in chapter 2, note 1, with theprimary reliance being on Karma Tinle’s commentary, Mirror That Revealsthe Liberation of Mind (which closely follows Parpuwa Lodrö Senge’s Illuminating the Connate), and Ling Repa’s Clarifying Suchness. Reliance onthe Apabhraṃśa edition or other commentators would obviously producea different translation.''Transmission lineage received by Jamgön Kongtrul''. Saraha to Śavaripa,Ngulchu Bairo, the exalted Dusum Khyenpa, Rechen Sönam Drakpa,Pomdrakpa Sönam Dorje, Karma Pakshi, Nyenre Gendun Bum, theexalted Rangjung Dorje, Yung Tönpa, Lama Sönam Zangpo, Lama Tsultrim Gönpo, Jangsem Sönam Gyaltsen, Khenchen Sönam Zangpo, GośrīPaljor Döndrup, the seventh Gyalwang Karmapa, Chödrak Gyatso, themahāsiddha Sangye Nyenpa, the eighth lord Mikyö Dorje, Karma Lekshe Drayang, Gelong Dorje Chö, Chetsang Karma Tenkyong, the exaltedKönchok Tenzin, Jamgön Sungrap Gyatso, the omniscient Tenpai Nyinje,Gyalwang Dudul Dorje, the glorious Pawo Tsuklak Chökyi Gyatso, andJamgön Kongtrul.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000025-QINU`"'gön Kongtrul.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000025-QINU`"' +
Styled as an offering and supplication to … Styled as an offering and supplication to all the gurus of both Severance and Pacification, this text provides a great example of how such a liturgy can be so much more. Here is [[Jamgön Kongtrul]] at his creative best, with nearly all the prayers being original compositions. Within the refrains of supplication and service, not only are all the relevant lineage gurus worshipped, but the various practices are as well, if one knows where to look. The text could serve as a communal ritual or “guru pūja” covering all the bases, and would be both inspirational and informative.The text was placed at the end of the previous volume on Pacification (''zhi byed'') in the Palpung blocks, but it was appropriately moved in the Shechen printing to the end of this volume on Severance. In [[Jamgön Kongtrul]]’s scheme of the [[Eight Great Chariot]]s of the practice lineages that entered Tibet from India—the organizational framework for this ''Treasury of Precious Instructions''— Pacification is listed as the sixth, with Severance considered a subsidiary of that. Both lineages connect back to the Indian saint [[Pa Dampa Sangye]]. This liturgical ritual is the grand finale covering all the gurus and practices of both Pacification and Severance.ctices of both Pacification and Severance. +
Sönam Pal of Nyedo Monastery (1216–1277) w … Sönam Pal of Nyedo Monastery (1216–1277) was often just called “The All-Knowing” or “Omniscient One.” His accomplishments as recounted in ''The Blue Annals'' make it clear why that was so, yet this is not an uncommon title, which has led to some problems of identification. He was the eldest of three sons of Mawai Senge (also known as Tsöndru Senge), who was one of the “three family incarnate siblings” (''rigs gsum sprul pa’i sku mched''). The other two were Rokchen Sherap Özer (or Rokben) and Zhikpo Nyima Senge, all of them disciples of Gyalwa Tene. Sönam Pal, in turn, had three sons known as the Kunga Siblings, all of whom also figure in the lineage of the later transmission of Pacification. Thus it seems to have become a family affair for a while at least. In fact, it might have happened earlier if Gyalwa Tene’s heir-apparent son had not died at an early age.'"`UNIQ--ref-000007EC-QINU`"' However, actual offspring and “spiritual sons” are sometimes confused, and it should be noted that in Dampa’s biography, five entirely different sons are listed for Sönam Pal.'"`UNIQ--ref-000007ED-QINU`"' This is because the author, Khamnyön Dharma Senge, apparently misread the information in ''The Blue Annals'', which in fact assigns those five to the other important lineage holder, his cousin Trulzhik Darma Senge.'"`UNIQ--ref-000007EE-QINU`"' Many who were in the lineage were associated with the monastery of Nyedo, and thus “Nyedowa” often precedes their names. Nyedo Monastery was established in the thirteenth century and reportedly offered to Rokben (Sönam Pal’s uncle), who instead passed it to his brother Tsöndru Mawai Senge in 1208.'"`UNIQ--ref-000007EF-QINU`"' Sönam Pal was installed there in 1229. This monastery was the seat of a branch of the Che (''lce'') lineage, part of the middle transmission, and the teachings followed there were both Pacification and the Kālachakra. According to the short biography in the ''Treasury of Names'', Sönam Pal was a master of Kālachakra, as well as almost everything else.The lineage held by All-Knowing Sönam Pal is often called simply the “Guide to Five Paths” (''lam lnga’i khrid'') and, as pointed out by Kongtrul in his catalog, appears as the twenty-first lineage in the ''Hundred Guides of Jonang'' by Kunga Drölchok (1507–1566), which is sometimes considered the prototype of Kongtrul’s collection. The essential points are summarized by Kunga Drölchok in very familiar detail in ''Texts of the One Hundred and Eight Profound Guides''.'"`UNIQ--ref-000007F0-QINU`"' Surprisingly, it is stated there and elsewhere by Drolchok to be drawn from a guidebook by Rongtön Sheja Kunrik (1367– 1449), the great Sakya master also known as Shākya Gyaltsen. Furthermore, Kunga Drölchok says that in turn was received from another Sakya lama, Changlungpa Zhönnu Lodrö (1372–1475). These guidebook(s) have not been located, but chronologically they must have been based on that of Sönam Pal, who appears seven generations earlier than Changlungpa in one transmission line.'"`UNIQ--ref-000007F1-QINU`"' I mention all this just because it is a rather surprising variation from the usual Pacification lineages and the Sakya connections need more investigation.The explanation of the five paths by Sönam Pal provided the blueprint for Dharmashrī’s explanation of the Red Guide in the later transmission in ''Distilled Elixir''. The version here in ''The Treasury of Precious Instructions'' has been augmented by Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, who probably added the interlinear notes. In the catalog, Kongtrul states specifically that the verses at the beginning and the end were added by Khyentse, but then in typical safe mode adds “et cetera” (''la sogs pa''), so it is difficult to say exactly what has been altered or added without an original edition. But to judge by Dharmashrī’s copy, as well as Kunga Drölchok’s summary, Sönam Pal’s work has been well preserved.'''Notes''''"`UNIQ--references-000007F2-QINU`"'es''' '"`UNIQ--references-000007F2-QINU`"' +
The ''Authoritative Texts in Verse'' consi … The ''Authoritative Texts in Verse'' consists of eight sections, orshort texts, on the differences between the gradual and the instantaneous types,'"`UNIQ--ref-000000CF-QINU`"' caṇḍālī, dream, luminosity, bardo, entering a body, transference, and vital points of instruction, omitting illusory form (typicallythe second of the six dharmas) in favor of instructions for entering a body.''Authoritative Texts in Verse'' is closely related to Tilopa’s ''Truly Valid Words''(in both its forms, ''The Treasury of Precious Instructions text'' and the Tengyurredaction) and to an anonymously authored Tengyur text called the ''Later Authoritative Texts''.'"`UNIQ--ref-000000D0-QINU`"'First, regarding the relationship between the ''Authoritative Texts in Verse''and the DNZ ''Truly Valid Words'', the ''Authoritative Texts in Verse'' has 324lines of verse and three sections of prose, whereas ''Truly Valid Words'' is written entirely in verse and has 998 lines. Of the ''Authoritative Texts’'' 324 lines of verse, 230 are found in ''Truly Valid Words'', meaning that 70 percent ofthe ''Authoritative Texts'' is virtually identical to ''Truly Valid Words''—althoughthese corresponding, or identical, lines are not in the same order in the twotexts. A small portion of the prose sections of the ''Authoritative Texts'' is represented by 15 lines of verse in ''Truly Valid Words''. Looked at from the perspective of ''Truly Valid Words'', 25 percent of ''Truly Valid Words'' is found inthe ''Authoritative Texts''.†'"`UNIQ--ref-000000D1-QINU`"'The ''Authoritative Texts'' also has a close relationship to the Tengyur ''Truly Valid Words'' (T. PD. 2331), which has 222 verse lines. Of the ''Authoritative Texts’'' 324 lines, 193 are found in the Tengyur ''Truly Valid Words'' redaction. In other words, 86 percent of the Tengyur Truly Valid Words is found in the ''Authoritative Texts''.'"`UNIQ--ref-000000D2-QINU`"'A significant similarity between the Authoritative Texts and the Tengyur ''Truly Valid Words'' is that their first 77 lines are almost identical (in content and sequence), and while those 77 lines are found in the DNZ ''Truly Valid Words'', they correspond to its first eight lines and then to lines much later in the text (and not in the same order, as shown in the table below).Nevertheless, the ''Authoritative Texts'' and the DNZ ''Truly Valid Words'' havemore shared text than the ''Authoritative Texts'' and the Tengyur ''Truly Valid Words'' do.Although the title of the anonymous ''Later Authoritative Texts''*'"`UNIQ--ref-000000D3-QINU`"' in the Tengyur is closer to that of the ''Authoritative Texts'', the ''Later Authoritative Texts'' has less in common with the ''Authoritative Texts'' than the other twoaforementioned texts. It has eight sections (caṇḍālī, illusory forms, dreams,luminosity, transference, bardo, entering a body, and esoteric instructionson bodhicitta, the path of method) in 333 lines of verse. Of the ''Later Authoritative Texts’'' 333 lines, 84 lines are found in the ''Authoritative Texts''; that is, 25 percent of the ''Later Authoritative Texts'' is found in the DNZ ''Authoritative Texts'' and, since the two texts are of similar lengths, the opposite is true: 25 percent of the DNZ ''Authoritative Texts'' is found in the ''Later Authoritative Texts''.The final text in the Tengyur that has been identified as being connectedto the ''Authoritative Texts'' is Āryadeva’s ''Lamp that Summarizes the Practices''.'"`UNIQ--ref-000000D4-QINU`"' Sections of chapters 6–11 in Āryadeva’s ''Lamp'' parallel almost all of section four, “Authoritative Text on Luminosity” in the ''Authoritative Texts''.Turning to the content, as the above comparison shows, the DNZ Authoritative Texts contains only a portion of the instructions found in the ''DNZ Truly Valid Words''. The correspondence is as follows: (View Table [[tables|here]])Looked at from the perspective of Pema Karpo’s topical outline for ''Truly Valid Words'', it is hard to generalize about a larger pattern of “borrowing” as the shared sections do not fall neatly into a particular broad category, such as their shared lines being only within the instructions for the gradual type.''Transmission lineage received by Jamgön Kongtrul''. Vajradhara to Jñānaḍākinī, Vajrapāṇi, Tilopa, and then the same as previously stated for the ''Ganges Mahāmudrā''.'"`UNIQ--ref-000000D5-QINU`"' Mahāmudrā''.'"`UNIQ--ref-000000D5-QINU`"' +
The ''Treasury of Dohās'', the second dohā … The ''Treasury of Dohās'', the second dohā text in this collection, isalso probably by Saraha. The author is referred to in the colophon asŚavari (or Śabari), whom some take to be Śavaripa, Saraha’s student andMaitrīpa’s guru.* However, the colophons of the editions of this text foundin the Tengyur, the Indian Mahāmudrā Collection, and the Eightfold Treasury of Dohās volume of the Tsibri Parma Collection state that the authoris Saraha, and that attribution has been followed here.† We don’t know thecircumstances of this song, who it was first sung to, but we do know that itwas translated into Tibetan by Vairocanarakṣita, a teacher of Lama Zhang(himself a student of Gampopa and Gomtsul, as well as the initiator of theTsalpa Kagyu tradition).'"`UNIQ--ref-00000059-QINU`"'The ''Treasury of Dohās'' contains instructions on mahāmudrā, which follow a common theme of ground, path, and result, with path being expressed in terms of view, meditation, and conduct. The Tsibri Parma Collectionedition includes annotations that are a topical outline, which have beeninserted into the translation in square brackets to aid readers.''Transmission lineage received by Jamgön Kongtrul''. Śavaripa to Maitrīpa,Indian Vajrapāṇi, Drangti Lodrö Wang, Tsangyang Dakbar, PukzungKyap, Tsang Jungser, Chetön Dode Senge, Chöku Özer, Upa Sangye Bum,Lotsāwa Chokden, Baktön Zhönu Tsultrim, Yung Tönpa, Lama SönamZangpo, Lama Tsultrim Gönpo, Jangsem Sönam Gyaltsen, KhenchenSönam Zangpo, Gośrī Paljor Döndrup, the seventh Gyalwang Karmapa,Chödrak Gyatso, the mahāsiddha Sangye Nyenpa, the eighth lord MikyöDorje, 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 TsuklakChökyi Gyatso, and Jamgön Kongtrul.'"`UNIQ--ref-0000005A-QINU`"'gön Kongtrul.'"`UNIQ--ref-0000005A-QINU`"' +
The Instruction for ''Straightening the Cr … The Instruction for ''Straightening the Crooked'' begins by recountingKṛṣṇācārya’s encounter with a yogin named Kṛṣṇa Acyuta, while on theway 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 thenāḍīs, vāyus, and bindus. It is of note that Acyuta claims his guru is Śiva andthat Śiva’s guru is Vajradhara. We have no other details of the life of Acyuta.ve no other details of the life of Acyuta. +
The [[Third Karmapa]] … 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-0000076F-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]]''.cious Instructions]]''. +
The [[Third Karmapa]] … The [[Third Karmapa]], [[Rangjung Dorje]] (1284–1339), was one of the earliest and most important figures in the Severance tradition. His many works on Severance are considered authoritative in the [[Kagyu]] lineage, and he may have been the first to incorporate the term [[mahāmudrā]] as part of the descriptive title of Severance, thus bringing it into the [[Kagyu]] fold.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000760-QINU`"' The text translated here—his commentary and structural outline for ''The Great Bundle of Precepts on Severance''—appears in ''The Treasury'' under the simple title ''Outline'', although it also contains a commentary as a separate text, bearing the Sanskrit name ''ṭīkā'', usually translated into Tibetan as “complete explanation” (''rnam par bshad pa''). It is unusual and quite edifying for a Tibetan author to actually separate out the outline from the commentary, although it does present a few extra problems of consistency. Nevertheless, [[Rangjung Dorje]]’s work exhibits his usual precision and brilliance. The text is also found in his collected works. The words in parentheses after the headings in the ''Outline'' were included by [[Rangjung Dorje]] to indicate the beginning word(s) of each verse, and they are repeated in the commentary. However, due to the differences between Tibetan and English grammar, it was not always possible to keep them exactly as they appear at the very beginning of each verse in the translation.eginning of each verse in the translation. +
The alternative title of this profound collection of pith instructions refers to its division into three sections, each of which is further divided and subdivided into sets of three. +
The author of ''Pure Honey'', the commenta … 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-0000073B-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-0000073C-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-0000073D-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-0000073E-QINU`"'es''' '"`UNIQ--references-0000073E-QINU`"' +
The existence of this text is a reminder t … 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.the transmission as it is for the teacher. +
The following prayers intone the names of … The following prayers intone the names of the progenitors or inspirational sources of the One Hundred and Eight Guidebooks and their successive historical lineage holders in India and Tibet through to the time of their compiler, Kunga Drolchok (1507–1565). Jamgon Kongtrul Lodrotayé (1813–1899) later extended the lineage of the first prayer, Parting from the Four Attachments, by adding the names of subsequent lineage holders who followed Kunga Drolchok, including the latter’s acknowledged reincarnation Drolmei Gonpo Tāranātha (1575–1634), as well as Rinchen Dorjéma Ratnavajriṇī (1585–1668), Katok Tsewang Norbu (1698–1755), Zhalu Lotsāwa Losal Tenkyong (b. 1804), and Jamyang Khyentsé Wangpo (1820–1892). Readers should understand that this extended lineage is to be appended to each of the one hundred and eight guidebooks in turn.Each prayer concludes with a pithy quatrain of verses requesting the blessings of the lineage holders and alluding tersely to the doctrinal content of the lineage in question. In a few instances explanatory notes have been added, but in general the reader should understand that these allusions and technicalities are explained in the corresponding guidebooks themselves (Ch. 9).In his concluding remarks at the end of this chapter, Kunga Drolchok comments on the difficulty he encountered in composing these versified prayers. In order to maintain the meter, he frequently resorted to a well-established poetic device—rendering the names of the successive lineage holders obliquely through epithets or contracted variant forms. For the aid of the reader, this translation presents these names, not in metrical verse, but in a simplified linear form, and each prayer is preceded by a short paragraph, dating the relevant chronology.paragraph, dating the relevant chronology. +
The instructions in ''The Eight Uncommon A … 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.re incorporated from indigenous practices. +
The more advanced visualizations of the ex … The more advanced visualizations of the extraordinary preliminaries outlined here are practiced in the contexts of taking refuge, setting the mind on enlightenment, ritual purification, and offering the body maṇḍala. These finally enable the practitioner to settle into the physical posture appropriate for calm abiding, and thence to undertake the main practices of the One Hundred and Eight Guidebooks that follow in the next chapter.uidebooks that follow in the next chapter. +
The significance of Tilopa’s ''Esoteric In … The significance of Tilopa’s ''Esoteric Instructions on the Six Dharmas'' is twofold: it contains his instructions on the six dharmas, andit identifies which instructions he received from which human teachers.As stated earlier, the biographies of Tilopa vary on the sequence of themajor events of his life. However, if we accept the account in the ''Biographies of the Wish-Fulfilling Gems'', Tilopa first relied on human gurus, as he says:<blockquote>I have these human gurus: Nāgārjuna, Caryāpā, Lavapa, and Subhaginī, who are the gurus of my four entrusted transmissions.'"`UNIQ--ref-000000E4-QINU`"'</blockquote>He also said later in his life:<blockquote>I have no human guru: my guru is the Omniscient One.'"`UNIQ--ref-000000E5-QINU`"'</blockquote>And finally, he proclaimed:<blockquote>I have neither father nor mother: I am Cakrasaṃvara, sublime bliss. I have neither preceptor nor ācārya: I am a self-born buddha. I have neither grammar nor valid cognition: my science of reasoning wells up on its own. The body, speech, and mind of Saṃvara and my body, speech, and mind are inseparable. I go in great bliss.'"`UNIQ--ref-000000E6-QINU`"'</blockquote>''Esoteric Instructions on the Six Dharmas'' records the instructions Tilopareceived from Caryāpā, Nāgārjuna, Lavapa, and Subhaginī, or Sukhasiddhi.The text does not name the instructions, but they are identifiable as follows,paired with the teacher and in the order that they appear in this text:*Caryāpā caṇḍālī instructions*Nāgārjuna illusory form instructions*Lavapa dream instructions*Nāgārjuna luminosity instructions*Sukhasiddhi bardo instructions*Sukhasiddhi transference instructionsCuriously, even though this text is clear about the sources of these instructions, subsequent accounts in the biographies of Tilopa do not concur with it or necessarily each other.'"`UNIQ--ref-000000E7-QINU`"'''Esoteric Instructions on the Six Dharmas'' is not included in the canoncatalogs of Chomden Raldri or Butön Rinchen Drup, though it is includedin one of the two canon catalogs of the third Karmapa and is found in fiveTengyur redactions (Peking, Gaden, Derge, Cone, and Narthang).''Transmission lineage received by Jamgön Kongtrul''. Vajradhara to Jñānaḍākinī,Vajrapāṇi, Tilopa, and then the same as previously stated for the GangesMahāmudrā.'"`UNIQ--ref-000000E8-QINU`"'ongtrul''. Vajradhara to Jñānaḍākinī, Vajrapāṇi, Tilopa, and then the same as previously stated for the Ganges Mahāmudrā.'"`UNIQ--ref-000000E8-QINU`"' +
The supplementary lineage prayer that form … The supplementary lineage prayer that forms the content of the short second chapter was composed by Losal Tenkyong of Zhalu at the behest of Jamyang Khyentsé Wangpo. It commences with Kunga Drolchok (1507–1565), the compiler of the One Hundred and Eight Guidebooks, and continues through the Jonang line of transmission as follows: the latter’s disciple Draktopa Choku Lhawang Drakpa (fl. 16th century), and reincarnation Tāranātha, aka. Drolwei Gonpo Kunga Nyingpo (1575–1634), the ḍākinī Ratnavajriṇī, aka. Jonang Jetsunma Kunga Trinle Pelwangmo (1585–1668), Khenchen Rinchen Gyatso Neten Dorjedzin (fl. 17th century), Nyingpo Lodrotaye (fl. 17th century), Dzalongkar Lama Drubwang Kunzang Wangpo (fl. early 18th century), Katok Rigdzin Tsewang Norbu (1698–1755), Ngawang Nampar Gyelwa, On Dzalongkar Lama Kunzang Chojor, Drinchen Lobzang Tutob (fl. late 18th–early 19th centuries), Chakzampa Tulku Nyima Chopel, and the hermit Zhalu Lotsāwa Losal Tenkyong (b. 1804). Thereafter the lineage passed to Jamyang Khyentsé Wangpo (1820–1892) and Jamgon Kongtrul Lodrotayé (1813–1899), compiler of the Treasury of Oral Instructions.iler of the Treasury of Oral Instructions. +
The three sets of eight appendices or “cha … 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`"'es''' '"`UNIQ--references-0000000A-QINU`"' +
The visualization of the lineage teachers … The visualization of the lineage teachers described by Jamyang Khyentse Wangchuk in the guru yoga section of his Notes does not, for obvious reasons, include any of the teachers who succeeded him. This text, therefore, contains the visualization details of the teachers in the lineage between Jamyang Khyentse Wangchuk and Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, which are to be inserted into the description in the Notes.* It appears to have been compiled incrementally by the some of the teachers described here. There is no colophon, but the fact that Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo refers to this supplement in his teaching guide† would suggest that he or perhaps Jamgön Kongtrul added the visualizations of the two most recent lineage holders.ns of the two most recent lineage holders. +
These “instructions” (''gdams pa'') on Sev … 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-000007D2-QINU`"' and attained liberation after receiving only four of the six instructions.'"`UNIQ--ref-000007D3-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-000007D4-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-000007D5-QINU`"'Note that empowerment rituals often require the recitation of stories and instructions, and even section headings.d instructions, and even section headings. +
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. +
This feast liturgy'"`UNIQ--ref-000007A5-QI … This feast liturgy'"`UNIQ--ref-000007A5-QINU`"' is essentially the long lineage supplication found in the ''Source of All Qualities'' (pp. 309–11), the only difference being that the lines naming the place and the person are followed by “dwells in the midst of heroes and heroines: I supplicate with longing and devotion,” rather than with the four lines requesting blessings. Then the short prayer requesting the consecration of the environs for the feast is added here after the supplication. This too is nearly the same as in the ''Source of All Qualities'', where it is attributed to [[Machik]] and Rigongpa. It seems that this liturgy offers a short alternative, rather than an addition, to the extensive feast supplications in the longer liturgies.ast supplications in the longer liturgies. +
This inspirational poem of 111 couplets an … 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''.estaments in the old ''Zhije Collection''. +
This is [[Jamgön Kongtrul]]’ … This is [[Jamgön Kongtrul]]’s own liturgy for the donation of the body as food; it is included in the collection of his compositions called ''Treasury of Extensive Teachings'' (''[[rGya chen bka’ mdzod]]''). The idea of practice “in a single sitting”—literally, “on a single seat” (''stan thog gcig tu'')—basically indicates that the various extensive instructions, rituals, and postmeditation activities have been distilled into a manageable daily practice. [[Kongtrul]] stated his intention clearly in the colophon: the text was intended for use in the three-year retreat that he established in the upper hermitage at [[Palpung Monastery]], Kunzang Dechen Ösal Ling. Although not specifically listed in the retreat curricula that he composed, the practice of Severance is a well-known integral part of the program. The successor of that retreat tradition, Kyapje [[Kalu Rinpoche]], went on from Palpung to establish such retreats around the world. At some point, this composition of [[Kongtrul]]’s was replaced in the retreats by the now popular version attributed to the [[Fourteenth Karmapa]], [[Tekchok Dorje]], called ''The Concise Charity of the Body for Daily Practice''.[[Kongtrul]] also names his sources in the colophon: [[Samten Özer]] and [[Jamyang Gönpo]], whose teachings from visionary experiences of [[Machik]] are called direct lineages (''nye brgyud''); and the composed teachings from [[Jonang Tāranātha]] and [[Minling Terchen]] Rinpoche. The [[Jonangpa]] tradition of [[Tāranātha]]’s Severance coming from [[Kunga Drölchok]] was discussed in the introduction to chapter 14. [[Kongtrul]] regarded himself as an incarnation of [[Tāranātha]], affirming his deep spiritual connection with that lineage. [[Minling Terchen]] ([[sMin gling gter chen]], 1646–1714), also known as [[Terdak Lingpa]] ([[gTer bdag gling pa]]) and Gyurme Dorje ([[’Gyur med rdo rje]]), was the great treasure revealer and founder of [[Mindroling Monastery]], one of the six main [[Nyingma]] monastic complexes in Tibet. [[Jamgön Kongtrul]] relates many dreams of this master in his autobiography and mentions several great lamas who believed that [[Kongtrul]] himself was an incarnation of [[Minling Terchen]].'"`UNIQ--ref-000007B3-QINU`"' [[Kongtrul]]’s inspiration from these two masters is obviously much deeper than just an appreciation of their work.There may be a direct connection here to [[Minling Terchen]]’s brief composition (not a revealed text) bearing the similar name ''Hero’s Loud Laugh: Instructions on Object Severance in a Single Sitting'' (as well as several supportive texts with the “single sitting” signature).'"`UNIQ--ref-000007B4-QINU`"' The basic procedure for the all-at-once practice in both texts is comparable, although by [[Minling Terchen]]’s time this had become fairly standard. This text by [[Kongtrul]], however, differs in several ways. The inclusion of the origin story based on the ''Verse Summary'' quotation and the classical definition of the term ''[[gcod]]'' is unusual for a short sādhana practice, though typical of [[Kongtrul]]. [[Kongtrul]] also makes the correlation between the three Buddhist meditative absorptions (Skt. [[samādhi]]) with the three phases of view, meditation, and conduct as applied to Severance practice.'"`UNIQ--ref-000007B5-QINU`"' Finally, the [[Samten Özer]] and [[Tāranātha]] connections are revealed in the inclusion of their two outstanding instructions:“the meaning of the Mother” and “severing the four devils in basic space.” Thus it is truly a distillation of the many deep dharma streams of which [[Kongtrul]] was the beneficiary. +
This is [[Jamgön Kongtrul]]’ … 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.cessary references for its implementation. +
This prayer to each of the lineage holders … 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.lain the locations of some of these sites. +
This prayer to the lineage masters of the … 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.ines, followed by an aspirational refrain. +
This section contains a single text, a sād … 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-0000060D-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.ailed offering section and lineage prayer. +
This song of experience was composed by Ja … 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.much of its impact in English translation. +
This song, also known as the ''Marpa’s Roo … 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'' (alsoknown as the ''Rain of Wisdom'') and in the Twenty-Five Songs of Marpa, asong anthology compiled by the sixteenth Drikung throne-holder, KungaRinchen (1475–1527). It is also one of eight songs that Marpa sang for whichthere is a named melody, a group Tsangnyön Heruka called the eight greatsongs. The melody for this song is called the “outstretched wings of a soaringgaruda.”'"`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 Lokyaprince of Gyerpu in Tsang, where he had been invited to teach following hisreturn 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, andthen the same as previously stated for the Ganges Mahāmudrā.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000149-QINU`"'es Mahāmudrā.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000149-QINU`"' +
This special vajra song (''rdo rje’i mgur' … This special vajra song (''rdo rje’i mgur'') sung by Pa Dampa Sangye to the yogi Milarepa is plucked from the amazing account of the meeting of these two most extraordinary masters, a story that bears repeating not only for context here but for what it tells us about what happens when Indian buddha meets Tibetan buddha. It made an early written appearance in ''The Hundred Thousand Songs'' of Milarepa, completed by Tsangnyön Heruka in 1488.'"`UNIQ--ref-0000032F-QINU`"' However, the presence of an appended structural outline here signed by Mikyö Dorje of Latö, otherwise known as Gyalwa Tene (1127–1217), would seem to imply that it had been around a lot longer. The version in Khamnyön’s biography of Dampa Sangye,'"`UNIQ--ref-00000330-QINU`"' written in 1906, is a nearly verbatim replica of Tsangnyön’s version, except that two of Milarepa’s songs are omitted, making Dampa’s responses somewhat puzzling. The summary here will follow the earlier version directly.The great Tibetan yogi Milarepa (b. 1052/1040) hears from a lion-faced ḍākinī that the great Indian master Dampa Sangye is nearby. Milarepa doesn’t think he has much to learn from him, but figures it won’t do any harm to meet this revered master anyway. Meanwhile, the lion-faced ḍākinī has also told Dampa to expect the famous Milarepa, so the meeting is all but inevitable. As Milarepa heads out with prāṇa-driven speed, he asks some folks about the Indian master’s whereabouts. They respond that they don’t know about “Holy Buddha” (a literal translation of his name, ''dam pa sangs rgyas'') but that they saw an old gray āchārya (i.e., Indian) now sleeping at the guesthouse. (That is, he seems humble, but also ugly.) As Milarepa approaches, he decides to test Dampa’s reputation for having pure clairvoyance, so he transforms his body into a clump of flowers. Dampa Sangye walks right past, but as soon as Milarepa thinks he has no clairvoyance, Dampa turns and kicks the flowers. Dampa says,::You should not emanate Milarepa’s body as flowers—get up! You have sung the melodious songs of the ḍākinīs’ life essence. As punishment, the flesh-eating ḍākinīs have carried away your soul, breath, living heart, and hopes. I met with them last night and we ate those [essences] in communal feast. You will not live past this night. What confidence do you have facing death?Milarepa immediately jumps up as himself and sings the song “Six Measures of Confidence in Facing Death,” in which he compares his own courage to that of lions, stags, and so forth, in classic Milarepa style. Dampa Sangye considers the song useless because it uses allegory of outer phenomena, and he challenges Milarepa, saying, “If you were a real yogi, you would have conviction in this present moment of awareness (''da lta’i rig pa ’di'').” So Milarepa sings the song “Six Convictions of a Happy Mind.”At this point in past translations, there has been a bit of confusion over the phrase that ends each verse (''bde bde ’dra na dam pa rang yang mdzod''). The earliest translation misses that ''dam pa'' is Dampa’s name and translates it as “Happy and joyful as I gain supremacy.” Later it is taken to be “Of such bliss, Dampa himself is a treasury” (mistaking the imperative mdzod). But Dampa’s response to the song—“I’ve already done all that”—makes sense only if Milarepa is saying, “Happy! If you want such happiness, you, Dampa, should also do this.” In any case, Dampa Sangye is now satisfied and prepares to leave, but Milarepa grabs him by the robe and insists that he also sing a song to explain the Holy Dharma Pacification of Suffering that brings about realization of the Buddha’s intention instantly through one’s turning inward and meditating. Dampa then says, curiously, “Previously no one has heard when I sang. And they never will, so let me go.” But Milarepa persists, so Dampa Sangye sings this vajra song.Milarepa enjoys Dampa’s song and sits relaxed with his private parts exposed, as he is famously wont to do. Dampa says, “The body has one thing that should be hidden, and yet you act like a crazy man exposing it. Don’t do that!” At this Milarepa sings a delightful song called “This Crazy Way.” An impressed Dampa says, “Your crazy ways are most excellent.” Afterward, they have a crazy communal feast together, during which, among other incredible things, they sit atop stalks of grass. Milarepa wonders why only his stalks bend slightly with his weight, since he has proven himself an equally great adept. Dampa assures him that they are equal except for one thing: Milarepa was born in Tibet! That one quip says worlds about the development of Buddhism in Tibet.'''Notes''''"`UNIQ--references-00000331-QINU`"'es''' '"`UNIQ--references-00000331-QINU`"' +
This supplication to the lineages of the e … 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.''. But I can sympathize with the editors. +
This text is an outline in which the first … This text is an outline in which the first word or words of each verseor group of verses are connected to a topical heading.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000077-QINU`"' The words inparentheses after the headings are these first words that begin each line inTibetan—as stated above, because of the linguistic differences betweenTibetan and English, it was not possible to have the English verses beginwith the same words. The line numbers of the ''Ganges Mahāmudrā'' havebeen added in parentheses for each heading.''Transmission lineage received by Jamgön Kongtrul''. Rangjung Dorje to YungTönpa, Rolpai Dorje, Khachö Wangpo, Dezhin Shekpa, Drung MaseLodrö Rinchen, Chöpal Yeshe, Lodrö Drakpa, Jatang Lodrö Gyatso, Döndrup Tashi, Lekshe Drayang, Lodrö Namgyal, Sangye Rinchen, DrungRinpoche Kunga Namgyal, Garwang Karma Tenkyong, Sönam Gyurme,Könchok Tenzin, Drupgyu Tenpa Namgyal, Sungrap Gyatso, ChökyiJungne, Gelek Rapgye, Drung Gyurme Tenpal, Tenzin Gelek Nyima, andJamgön Kongtrul.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000078-QINU`"'gön Kongtrul.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000078-QINU`"' +
This text is composed of four sections, or … 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’slines. There is not, however, a sequential correspondence between the twotexts, and the majority of the “quoting” is done in the first two sections, “TheIllumination of Entities” and “The Clarification of Ignorance.” As discussedabove, much of Nāropa’s ''Authoritative Texts in Verse'' is drawn from ''TrulyValid Words'', and therefore there is a corresponding overlap with Milarepa’stext, with (at least) two lines in Milarepa’s text being found only in Nāropa’sAuthoritative 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 statingthat they were passed from Milarepa to Gampopa, referring to him by hisfamily name Nyiwa, while the other two sections make no mention of theirtransmission 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, anearly identical text called the Eighteen Questions is found in the DrukpaKagyu tradition, preserved in three collections: Old Texts of Mixingand Transference compiled by Pema Karpo and the two editions of theDrukpa Kagyu Great Treasury of Dharma. The Eighteen Questions containsinstructions 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 ThreeCycles'', we can say that ''The Eighteen Questions'' must represent a differenttransmission 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 beconsidered four separate texts under one collection title). Other differencesare that ''The Eighteen Questions'' begins with the occasion and location of theteachings and a list of the eighteen questions asked to Milarepa; the lineorder of the two texts is very different; and ''The Eighteen Questions'' containsquotations from other texts, mainly tantras, something not found in ''TheThree 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`"' Mahāmudrā''.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000693-QINU`"' +
This text is the [[Fourteenth Karmapa]] … This text is the [[Fourteenth Karmapa]]’s arrangement of the prayers and practices traditionally used in the Severance feast activities of the [[Zurmang]] tradition. The first part of the title is nearly identical to that of ''White Crystal Mirror'' in this volume; most likely [[Karmapa Tekchok Dorje]] ([[Theg mchog rdo rje]], (1798/9–1868/9) wished to enhance that earlier text. Also found here are many sections from ''Pearl Rosary''. And it is clear from the internal comments (''yig chung'') that to practice it one must draw on the liturgies of these earlier compositions. What is distinctive in this text is the addition of a number of the ancient supplications to the gurus of the lineage, particularly the beautiful prayers to [[Machik]] by her son and grandson. The most unusual feature of all is that [[Tekchok Dorje]] provides the authorship for each of the added prayers, a rarity in this Tibetan tradition of recycled liturgy.[[Karmapa Tekchok Dorje]] was a contemporary of [[Jamgön Kongtrul]] and similarly played an integral part in the nonsectarian (''[[ris med]]'') activities of the times in Kham. They exchanged transmissions and teachings, and both of them counted the great [[Situ Pema Nyinje Wangpo]] ([[pad+ma nyin byed dbang po]], 1774–1853) as a primary guru. Their close colleagues included [[Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo]] (1820–1892) and Tertön [[Chokgyur Lingpa]] (1829–1870), among many others.In addition to this text, [[Tekchok Dorje]] is usually cited as the author of the most popular daily practice of Severance in the [[Kagyu]] tradition, ''The Concise Charity of the Body for Daily Practice'' (although the [[Fifteenth Karmapa]] and [[Karma Chakme]] have also been credited with it). Despite their close connection, [[Kongtrul]] did not actually receive the transmission of ''Source of All Qualities'' directly from [[Tekchok Dorje]] but through the [[Chöwang Tulku]], according to the ''Catalog'', which also mentions that [[Tekchok Dorje]] himself received it from [[Situ Pema Nyinje]].yinje]]. +
This text'"`UNIQ--ref-000009B1-QINU`"' is … 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.tions. +
This'"`UNIQ--ref-000007AC-QINU`"' is the l … This'"`UNIQ--ref-000007AC-QINU`"' is the last of the addenda to the Severance feast activities in the [[Zurmang]] tradition that seem to be connected to [[Tekchok Dorje]]’s compilation ''Source of All Qualities''. It is a beautiful and quite graphic text, but unfortunately there is no author statement identifying the poet.Torma (''gtor ma'') is literally “that which is thrown out or scattered,” and it refers to the custom of creating sculpture out of flour or other malleable material that represents either the offerings in the ritual or the recipient of those offerings, such as the deities. The creation of torma is a vast and elaborate art form in vajrayāna practice. In particular, the torma at a feast offering may be represented by one or more feast torma sculptures and supplemented with many other edibles, or the edible offerings themselves may simply be designated as the feast torma. That seems to be the case here, where the “torma” is one’s body that has been separated from consciousness and creatively prepared in imagination for the various recipients.In this liturgy, those recipients are specifically all [[ḍākinī]]s—hundreds of thousands of them—affectionately called ''ḍākimas'' here. The principal one is [[Vajravārāhī]], who always plays an important role in Severance. She is goddess, yidam, [[ḍākinī]], lineage holder, and one’s own consciousness. Designated here as “the birth mother of the buddhas,” she is identical to the Great Mother, the [[perfection of wisdom]]. A hundred thousand [[ḍākinī]]s emanate from each aspect of her body and her accessories. But there are trillions more [[ḍākinī]]s of basic space, trillions more from the twenty-four sacred sites of India, and many, many others. All of them are invoked to receive the feast torma and then reminded about their sacred pledges. Finally, their powers are commandeered to avert all kinds of calamities, disease, and just plain bad luck.amities, disease, and just plain bad luck. +
Tilopa (c. 988–c. 1069) is often considere … Tilopa (c. 988–c. 1069) is often considered the first human guru inthe Marpa Kagyu lineage of mahāmudrā instructions. Although theaccounts of his life vary, all seem to agree that he was born into a brahman family in Sahor (in present-day Bangladesh). Some biographies say he entered the monastery of Somapura in northern Bangladesh or a charnelground of the same name, where he took monk vows and studied. All concur that he was urged by a ḍākinī to seek the ultimate instructions, thoughthey differ as to whether he studied with his human gurus before or afterhe went to Oḍḍiyāna where he received the Cakrasaṃvara Aural Transmission from Jñānaḍākinī. He is said to have spent twelve years working forthe prostitute Bharimā at night and grinding sesame seeds by day, probably after he received instructions from his four human gurus and before he went to Oḍḍiyāna. During the last period of his life, when he was living asa vagrant siddha, Nāropa found him and began his apprenticeship, undergoing twelve major and twelve minor hardships. This training culminatedin Nāropa’s attainment of realization and was the occasion for this song.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000067-QINU`"'Of the numerous songs and texts attributed to Tilopa, these instructions on mahāmudrā sung on the banks of the Ganges River to Nāropa areprobably his most famous and have been translated into English numeroustimes. The paracanonical edition contained here was translated by MarpaLotsāwa. The canonical edition found in the Tengyur differs significantlyin both word choices and line order and does not state the translator in thecolophon, leading to suppositions that it was not translated by Marpa. AsJan Sobisch remarks:<blockquote>One of the most significant differences between the paracanonical and the canonical versions can be found in the structure of the text itself. It was a great surprise to discover the vast extent of structural intervention undertaken by the redactors of the canon. . . . One of the key features of this structure is that the [paracanonical] text directly introduces with 25 lines the nature of the mind to the yogis of highest capacity. The practice of individuals of lesser talents is relegated to the very end of the treatise, almost as an afterthought. The key feature of the structure of the canonical version, on the other hand, is that the text teaches (after the same brief advice to listen) first a gradual teaching of 28 lines before it offers an introduction to the nature of the mind. The chief structural intervention of the redactors of the canon is therefore that they change the very nature of the text, namely from being right from the beginning an upadeśa directly introducing individuals of the highest capacity to the nature of their mind, into being a gradual (rim gyis) introduction to the practice of mahāmudrā.The second intervention of the editors of the canon is that they have changed the irregular pattern of the number of syllables per line into a regular pattern of nine syllables. . . . Thus, at some point there seems to have been an intention to streamline this teaching both in form and content, that is, it was made to fit a very widely used highly regular verse pattern, and it was adjusted to what we could almost call the “dogma of gradualism.”'"`UNIQ--ref-00000068-QINU`"'</blockquote>The paracanonical editions have long been favored in the Kagyu traditions.Pema Karpo included one in his Aural Transmission Collections, andparacanonical editions are the basis for commentaries by Rangjung Dorje,Shamar Könchok Yenlak, and the recently published ones by Thrangu Rinpoche and Sangyes Nyenpa Rinpoche.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000069-QINU`"'Given the differences between the paracanonical versions and the canonical ones, Draszczyk, in “Tilopa’s Upadeśa,” raises the possibility that Marpa was not the translator for all versions, though it may be, as Sobisch saysin “Paracanonical Tibetan Texts” and “Paracanonical Translation,” that theeditors of the Tengyur took a great deal of liberty and created a version morein keeping with an orthodox gradual approach.''Transmission lineage received by Jamgön Kongtrul''. Tilopa to Nāropa, MarpaLotsāwa, Milarepa, the unequaled Dakpo [Gampopa], Dusum Khyenpa,Drogön Rechen, Pom Drakpa, Drupchen Pakshi, Nyenre, Rangjung Dorje,Yung Tönpa, Rolpai Dorje, Khachö Wangpo, Dezhin Shekpa, Drung MaseLodrö Rinchen, Chöpal Yeshe, Lodrö Drakpa, Jatang Lodrö Gyatso, Döndrup Tashi, Lekshe Drayang, Lodrö Namgyal, Sangye Rinchen, DrungRinpoche Kunga Namgyal, Garwang Karma Tenkyong, Sönam Gyurme,Könchok Tenzin, Drupgyu Tenpa Namgyal, Sungrap Gyatso, ChökyiJungne, Gelek Rapgye, Drung Gyurme Tenpal, Tenzin Gelek Nyima, andJamgön Kongtrul.5urme Tenpal, Tenzin Gelek Nyima, and Jamgön Kongtrul.5 +
Tilopa’s ''Short Text'' is considered, alo … Tilopa’s ''Short Text'' is considered, along with the ''Vajra Verses'', toexpound the meaning of the Cakrasaṃvara tantras, which are the rootof the Saṃvara Aural Transmission. Pema Karpo refers to ''The Short Text'' asa 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 serveas 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 followingtopical outline, drawn from Jadrel Ritröpa Tsultrim Palden’s commentaryon ''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 andcryptically 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 othertexts in this volume because of its importance and relative obscurity and toprovide some insight into the translation decisions.Maṇikaśrījñāna studied Sanskrit grammar and poetics with ButönRinchen Drup at Zhalu monastery and then Sanskrit grammar and Indianlanguages 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 hecomposed his commentary in an Earth Pig year, that would be 1360, makingit the earliest available commentary. Maṇikaśrījñāna is most well known forbeing one of the foremost students of Dolpopa Sherap Gyaltsen.'"`UNIQ--ref-000006AB-QINU`"'Jadrel Ritröpa Tsultrim Palden is a member of the transmission lineagecoming from Tsangnyön Heruka (1452–1507), as he was a student of SönamLodrö (c. seventeenth century), a direct student of Tsangnyön Heruka. Inhis 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 TsangnyönHeruka, who played a vital role in preserving and promulgating the SaṃvaraAural Transmission, both through his composition of texts and throughforming 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, LopönTargom, and Machik Ongjo (known as the three accomplished heartchildren). Zhang Lotsāwa received the transmission from those three andpassed it to Drogön Dharaśrī, Jangsem Sönam Gyaltsen, Machik KundenRema, 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 fromhim to the three Rapjams: Nepa Rapjampa Jampa Puntsok, Rapjam KarmaTashi, and Rapjam Sangye Özer. The omniscient Drupchok Wangporeceived it from all three of them and passed it to Tinle Gyatso, KagyuDrönme, Yönten Gyatso, Chöje Lingpa, Wangpo, Yeshe Kalzang, PaldenGyatso, Geupa Ngedön Tenzin Chökyi Gyatso, Tutop Gyatso, KharakpaRinchen Özer, Geu Kagyu Tinle Wangchuk, Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo,and Jamgön Kongtrul.'"`UNIQ--ref-000006AD-QINU`"'gön Kongtrul.'"`UNIQ--ref-000006AD-QINU`"' +
Two cycles among the eight ancillary path … Two cycles among the eight ancillary path cycles derive from thefamous 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 traditionof Cakrasaṃvara practiced in the Sakya tradition belongs to a systemof exegesis traced to Naropa, called “the ultimate secret” (gsang mtha’).2 Theultimate secret tradition of exegesis is exclusive to the Cakrasaṃvara cyclesthat were introduced to Tibet by Mal Lotsāwa Lodrö Drakpa (c. eleventhcentury to early twelfth century). Four separate cycles are associated withthis 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 arealso numerous commentaries and instructions that the Sakya school associateswith the ultimate secret tradition of Cakrasaṃvara.3 Chapter 4, ''Completingthe Whole Path with Caṇḍālī'', is such an instruction, which distillsKṛṣṇācārya’s six treatises, the core of his many works, into its most refinedessence. The text is divided into five stages: the stage of tantra, the stage ofmantra, the stage of gnosis, the stage of the secret, and the stage of nonduality.Amezhap’s Effortless Accomplishment of the Two Benefits explains thatthe practitioner of this instruction is to meditate on the Kṛṣṇācārya systemof Cakrasaṃvara.4Drakpa 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.5Amezhap 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 KungaNyingpo relates that Kṛṣṇācārya was named Karṇapa, either because he wasoriginally from the southern region of India named Karṇada or because hehad long earlobes. Since Kṛṣṇācārya was dark-skinned,he was also called Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa was a pupil of a guru named Jālandhara and gains slight powerbased on practicing his guru’s instructions, attracting a large entourage ofyogins and yoginīs. As is the case with many of the stories of mahāsiddhas,Kṛṣṇa suffered a series of discouraging setbacks after his initial success inpractice, including being refused instruction in tantric conduct by his gurudue to pridefulness. Kṛṣṇa tells Jālandhara that he is leaving for Devīkoṭa inBengal. His guru advises against this, observing that Kṛṣṇa will suffer fromobstacles created by the ḍākinīs, but Kṛṣṇa disobeys and leads his entourageonward to Bengal.On the way Kṛṣṇa has four encounters. He first encounters a woman sufferingfrom 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—encounteringa plowman with an endless flagon of beer (Heruka), a beautiful maiden running a juice standwho humiliates him (Vajravārāhī), and a man in a temple reading a copyof the ''Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines'', which Kṛṣṇa cannotread—Kṛṣṇa arrives in Bengal. Here he experiences difficulties consecratinga statue of Lokeśvara at the request of the minister Kuśalanātha, a Buddhist,and manages to get into trouble with the king, who according to thisaccount was a devotee of Bhairava and Kālaratri and thus a non-Buddhist.At this point in the story, Kṛṣṇa again encounters Heruka in the formof a blue man with Hindu religious markings bearing a skull. The blueman informs Kṛṣṇa that he is the leader of Kṛṣṇa’s group, to which Kṛṣṇahaughtily objects. The blue man transforms into Heruka and flies into thesky, leaving Kṛṣṇa begging to become his student. Heruka predicts thatKṛṣṇa will not achieve mahāmudrā siddhi during his life, but he will obtainsupreme siddhi in the bardo. This event compels Kṛṣṇa to compose hisfamous six treatises, mentioned at the outset of ''Completing the Whole Pathwith Caṇḍālī''. He converts Śrīcandra to Buddhism, who then decrees thathis subjects are to be Buddhists. This account also records Kṛṣṇa’s death-bedrequest 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 offeringsubstances such as parasols, banners, and a rain of flowers; the self-arisensounds of many instruments such as ḍamarus, cymbals, and so on, are heard;and divine scent permeates everywhere.rd; and divine scent permeates everywhere. +
Venerable [[Tāranātha]] ( … Venerable [[Tāranātha]] ([[grol ba'i mgon po]], 1575–1635) was one of the great polymaths of Tibet. At the age of one year he declared himself to be the [[Jonang]] master [[Kunga Drölchok]] (1507–1566) and was formally recognized as [[Kunga Drölchok]]’s reincarnation when he was four. He studied with disciples of [[Kunga Drölchok]] and received transmissions of all the schools, especially the [[Jonang]] and [[Shangpa]] lineages. He learned Sanskrit and studied with Indian yogins and scholars in Tibet, one of whom, [[Buddhaguptanātha]], became his principal master. [[Tāranātha]]’s advancement of [[Dolpopa]]’s stunning philosophy of ''[[zhentong]]'', or Great [[Madhyamaka]], earned him dubious notoriety with the [[Gelukpa]] hierarchy under the [[fifth Dalai Lama]], and his support for the rulers of Tsang, who opposed [[Gelukpa]] rule, ultimately resulted in the confiscation of [[Jonangpa]] monasteries in central Tibet and the suppression of [[Tāranātha]]’s works. Nevertheless, [[Tāranātha]] remains a towering figure in Tibet for his activities and huge literary legacy.Of that enormous output, surprisingly few of [[Tāranātha]]’s texts are devoted to Severance—a total of merely fifty pages or so—and his autobiography mentions the transmission of Severance only a few times.'"`UNIQ--ref-000007BC-QINU`"' What connection [[Tāranātha]] did have with the practice of Severance can probably be attributed mainly to his predecessor, [[Kunga Drölchok]]. That master compiled an anthology of one hundred eight different lineage practices, ''The Hundred Guides of Jonang'', of which Severance is number six. This work is reprinted in volume 18 of ''[[The Treasury of Precious Instructions]]'' and indeed may have been the prototype for [[Jamgön Kongtrul]]’s own vast, eclectic collection. In any case, [[Kongtrul]]’s reverence for and deep connection to [[Tāranātha]] are evident everywhere in his work. The eclectic movement (''[[ris med]]'') in eastern Tibet spearheaded by [[Kongtrul]] helped to revive the [[Jonang]] tradition and ''[[zhentong]]'' view. [[Tashi Chöpel]]’s ''[[Record of Teachings Received]]'' notes that [[Kongtrul]] received the blessing empowerments of profound Severance of Evil Object in the [[Gyaltang]] tradition of the great adept [[Samten Özer]] based on [[Tāranātha]]’s ''Object Severance Empowerment Known as Opening the Sky Door''.'"`UNIQ--ref-000007BD-QINU`"' Its inclusion here ensured the continuation of this lineage of Severance up to the present.'"`UNIQ--ref-000007BE-QINU`"' the present.'"`UNIQ--ref-000007BE-QINU`"' +
We have almost no details concerning the l … We have almost no details concerning the life of Vāgīśvarakīrti, otherthan his caste and reputed siddhis, his position as one of the gatekeepersof Vikramaśīla, and a short note in ''Miscellaneous Notes on IndividualSādhanas''2 concerning an emanation of Mañjuśrī in the form of achild bestowing upon him ''The Intimate Instruction on Cheating Death''. Hisassociation with White Tārā is well known.3 He was also one of DrokmiLotsāwa’s direct teachers. In addition to the Hevajra Tantra, he is also associatedwith the Jñānapāda tradition of the Guhyasamāja Tantra.''Mahāmudrā without Syllables'', according to Drakpa Gyaltsen, was atransmission 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 thecycle specifically devoted to mahāmudrā.Vāgīśvarakīrti’s principal contribution to Vajrayāna theory in TibetanBuddhism 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, especiallywith respect to certain principles found in sādhana practice.The ostensible source of the seven limbs of the three kāyas is the ''Compendiumof 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.4Vāgīśvarakīrti’s ''Seven Limbs'' introduces the seven limbs in the followingway::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.5To summarize Vāgīśvarakīrti’s explanation of the seven limbs is to do it aninjustice. A more comprehensive account of his presentation will requiremore space than this introduction will allow. However, it would be remissnot to devote a few words to the ''Seven Limbs''. The ''Seven Limbs'' is a polemicaltext meant to address a controversy over the four empowerments inthe Jñānapāda system, a debate once current at Vikramaśīla and now resurrectedby contemporary historians of Vajrayāna Buddhism.6 Vāgīśvarakīrtiasserts 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.7Vāgīśvarakīrti 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.8This point is most closely argued in chapter 3 of the Seven Limbs. Vāgīśvarakīrtiruthlessly mocks his opponents for failing to understand that thereference to “the fourth” in the ''Ancillary Tantra'' is in fact a reference to thefourth empowerment,9 and that the seven limbs of the three kāyas are solelythe result of the fourth empowerment.10ly the result of the fourth empowerment.10 +
Whether Mitrayogin received this poem from … 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.hings on the intermediate state, or bardo. +
While the tantric teachings tended, in the … 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.s to which lineage masters we can pray to. +
Zhang Lotsāwa (d. 1237) played an importan … 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 NgamdzongRepa and writing a number of commentaries and outlines.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000AD4-QINU`"' He soughtout the three students of Khyung Tsangpa who had received the RechungSaṃvara Aural Transmission, Martön Tsultrim Jungne, Lopön Targom,and Machik Ongjo, and, as recounted above,†'"`UNIQ--ref-00000AD5-QINU`"' persisted in his requests toMachik Ongjo, finally receiving the full instructions from her after histhird request. He also received the Ngamdzong Aural Transmission and thedharma 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 onto 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 inthe transmission, the one who would widely disseminate the Saṃvara AuralTransmission.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 ShortText'', 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 firstwords that begin each line in Tibetan, which are not the first words of thelines in the translation.rst words of the lines in the translation. +
[[Jamgön Kongtrul]] gives the author of th … [[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). pa dbang phyugs brtson 'grus, 1187-1250). +
[[Karma Chakme]], also known as [[Rāga Asy … [[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.the practitioner and the patient together. +
[[Karma Chakme]], or [[Rāga Asya]] (1613–1 … [[Karma Chakme]], or [[Rāga Asya]] (1613–1678), was a remarkable scholar and yogin with an enormous literary output that covered a wide variety of topics from both the [[Karma Kagyu]] and [[Nyingma]] traditions. He founded the monastery of [[Nedo]] ([[mNas mdo dgon]]) in 1662, which became the locus of the [[Nedo Kagyu]] subsect and enabled the continuation of his teachings and practices (''gnas mdo'' or ''chags med lugs''). His [[Nyingma]] practices are continued by the [[Palyul]] tradition. Two entire volumes of his collected writings are devoted to Severance, and perhaps even more are not found there. It seems that the safest attribution of an unsigned Severance text is to [[Karma Chakme]].''Pearl Rosary'' represents the now classical form of a Severance ritual to offer one’s body, to be done as either a group or an individual practice. It is not particularly specified as a healing ritual for the sick, as the previous text is, yet it contains many of the same prayers and liturgies, including most of the Ninefold Spirit Feast (here attributed not to [[Rangjung Dorje]] but to his student [[Yakde Paṇchen]]). The general order of practice is similar to most later Severance practices, even in the very condensed sādhanas, and matches the descriptions in ''[[Machik’s Complete Explanation]]''. Authors of these rituals may expand any of the requisite sections almost indefinitely, adding the familiar prayers and praises that have become the classic fare of Severance. After the crucial separation of body and mind, the multiple transformations and offerings of the corpse that is left—as mandala, as [[ḍākinī]] feeding, as feast, and so on—can be confusing in their repetitiveness. Yet they reflect the many kinds of offering rituals to be found in Tibetan Buddhism, all of which are fulfilled by these offerings of one’s own body.lled by these offerings of one’s own body. +

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