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<center>'''''Introduction to the Egg Trilogy'''''</center>
The “Egg Trilogy” is one part of a series of compendia of the sayings and songs of the great adepts of India known as the mahāsiddhas; the collection and importation of which are attributed to Dampa Sangye. Studies of these by Kurtis Schaeffer reveal that there are seventeen in all.'"`UNIQ--ref-000002C1-QINU`"' Eleven can be found in the Tibetan Tengyur, where they constitute the majority of such anthologies. Most of them, with only one exception, are also found in the five-volume ''Zhije Collection'', which also contains the six others, including our Silver, Golden, and Crystal Eggs.
The Egg Trilogy falls under the set of Pacification teachings known as Stainless (''dri med''). Each of the Eggs contains short sayings of fifty-four or fifty-five great adepts who were Dampa’s personal teachers and are included as a set in the lineage histories of the later transmission. They are known as the “common” or popular (''mthun mong'') male and female gurus, not because they were ordinary but rather because those gurus were held in common by many other disciples and were not unique to Dampa Sangye. Indeed, many of them are quite famous and can be seen to overlap with another set known as the eighty-four adepts (grub thob brgyad bcu bzhi). This group is also found in the Tengyur and many other places and has become the more official, standard list.'"`UNIQ--ref-000002C2-QINU`"' But it is good to remember that there were just really a lot of great saints in India and the book is never closed. Dampa was extremely lucky.
Pa Dampa’s fifty-four or -five teachers are divided into five groups by Gö Lotsāwa in ''The Blue Annals'''"`UNIQ--ref-000002C3-QINU`"' and other places, such as in ''Distilled Elixir'' in this volume. They are as follows: eleven gurus who taught defining characteristics and Sanskrit grammar, eleven gurus who taught the movements of vital winds in the father tantras, eleven gurus who taught bliss experiences in the mother tantras, eleven gurus who taught symbols of mahāmudrā, and ten gurus who introduced pure awareness. Thus, the story continues, Dampa Sangye received all the instructions of the outer vehicle of characteristics and the inner father and mother tantras and practiced them. Unfortunately, the lists of names in these sources and in all the anthologies vary quite a bit, with no two being identical. This uncertainty is compounded by unreliable back-translations into their Sanskrit names as well as by ubiquitous scribal errors. So to attempt a definitive list here would just be aggravating.'"`UNIQ--ref-000002C4-QINU`"' However, loosely speaking, the order of gurus in the three texts presented here more or less follows those five nominal group divisions.
That is the classification according to names. According to content, it would be difficult to precisely identify how each terse dictum fits into the above five categories. Nevertheless, one can see a rough pattern, with philosophical subjects appearing in the beginning, vital winds mentioned often in the next set, and so forth. In particular, and only in the ''Treasury'' editions, ''The Pure Silver Egg'' is divided into five sets named according to the traditional five paths (''lam lnga'') of Mahayana Buddhism. However, these five paths are presented in a unique and distinctive way in Pacification, as will become clear in the later texts in this volume. The five-path division here was apparently added by Kongtrul or Khyentse or an editor, and it may even have been an attempt to correlate the five sets of gurus with the five paths. The divisions don’t exactly correspond to the list of names, but they are close enough. So that is helpful.
It would be another matter entirely to find these actual sayings within the recorded works of those named adepts. Until someone undertakes that kind of research, we will have to be content to say that those great spiritual adepts probably did (or would) say something akin to what is recorded here.
A note on word choices: In texts such as these that have been copied since ancient times, the many editions have innumerable variations. While this is by no means a critical edition of the Eggs, I have included many of the variations in the notes in an effort to help find the meaning. But I have committed the terrible translator crime of choosing in some cases to override the Treasury version if other variations made more sense, were more common, or seemed more original. Finally, this edition of ''The Treasury of Precious Instructions'' luckily contains an interlinear note to support my translation of sgong (also ''sgo nga'') as “egg.” It states that it means “a summary of the source scripture’s meaning” (''gzhung gi don bsdus pa'o''). This is the common word for “egg,” and pastoral allegories are everywhere to be found in the literature of Tibet. But perhaps it just does not carry a particularly spiritual ring to our modern ears, so far from the farm.
'''Notes'''
'"`UNIQ--references-000002C5-QINU`"'
This is [[Jamgön Kongtrul]]’s well-known and probably most useful instruction on the daily practice of Severance, written at the behest of [[Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo]]. It has been translated several times, with the title rendered variously as “Grove of Delights,” “[[Garden of All Joy]],” “Garden of Pleasures,” and so forth. It is also the basis of many oral commentaries by great contemporary masters such as Venerable [[Tenga Rinpoche]], [[Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche]], and so on. Perhaps because it is so loved by practitioners, I have chosen “beloved” as the translation of kunga (''kun dga’''), which is in fact the short form of ''kungyi gawa'' (''kun gyis dga’ ba''), “loved by all.” Indeed, the text is concise and yet thoroughly informative; one might almost call it user-friendly. Each stage is laid out clearly, particularly the famous “feasts” or distributions of the body to the guests. By [[Kongtrul]]’s time, many variations on the body-offering visualizations had developed. In this text, [[Kongtrul]] recommends a method to practice all of them by pairing up white (peaceful) and red (wrathful) visualizations and doing a few pairs at a time, thus cycling through all of them in a few evenings. (Nighttime is the recommended time for a daily practice.) These coupled sets and the rest of the commentary here have informed practitioners in their daily practice of Severance and provided the necessary references for its implementation. +
M
Mkhas grub chen po nA ro tA pas rnal 'byor gyi dbang phyug mar pa lo tsA la gdams pa'i chos drug dril ba rdo rje'i mgur +
During Marpa’s third trip to India, Nāropa sang this song to him
during a ganacakra celebrating Marpa’s recovery from an illness.
Although Marpa had recovered physically, he was, as Nāropa remarks in the
song, still feeling sad. In this song, Nāropa summarizes the instructions on
the six dharmas—caṇḍālī, illusory forms, dreams, luminosity, transference,
and entering a body—and adds two final sets of instruction: on the bardos
and the path.
This song is found in the biographies of Marpa Lotsāwa by Tsangnyön
Heruka, Khachö Wangpo, and Pawo Tsuklak Trengwa.'"`UNIQ--ref-000000F6-QINU`"' It also serves as
a basis for commentaries on the six dharmas by the first Paṇchen Lama,
Lopsang Chökyi Gyaltsen, and one of his students, the first Rongpo Drupchen, Shar Kalden Gyatso, both seventeenth-century Geluk teachers.'"`UNIQ--ref-000000F7-QINU`"'
''Transmission lineage received by Jamgön Kongtrul''. Vajradhara to Jñānaḍākinī,
Vajrapāṇi, Tilopa, and then the same as previously stated for the Ganges
Mahāmudrā.'"`UNIQ--ref-000000F8-QINU`"' +
Mnga' bdag mar pa lo tsA bas dpal sa ra ha las gsan pa'i phyag rgya chen po yid la mi byed pa snying po don gyi gdams ngag yi ge bzhi pa'i don rdo rje'i mgur du bzhengs pa +
This song, also known as the ''Marpa’s Root Song about Nonattention'','"`UNIQ--ref-00000147-QINU`"' is one of the—if not the—most famous songs by Marpa Lotsāwa. It is found in many of his biographies, including the well-known one by Tsangnyön Heruka. It is in the collection called the ''Ocean of Kagyu Songs'' (also
known as the ''Rain of Wisdom'') and in the Twenty-Five Songs of Marpa, a
song anthology compiled by the sixteenth Drikung throne-holder, Kunga
Rinchen (1475–1527). It is also one of eight songs that Marpa sang for which
there is a named melody, a group Tsangnyön Heruka called the eight great
songs. The melody for this song is called the “outstretched wings of a soaring
garuda.”'"`UNIQ--ref-00000148-QINU`"'
Marpa followed the Indian tradition of singing about meditative experiences and realizations, but he often added autobiographical elements, as is the case here. Marpa sang this song in response to a request from the Lokya
prince of Gyerpu in Tsang, where he had been invited to teach following his
return from his first trip to India. The rest of the story is told in the song.
''Transmission lineage received by Jamgön Kongtrul''. Marpa to Milarepa, and
then the same as previously stated for the Ganges Mahāmudrā.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000149-QINU`"' +
N
The Instruction for ''Straightening the Crooked'' begins by recounting
Kṛṣṇācārya’s encounter with a yogin named Kṛṣṇa Acyuta, while on the
way with his retinue to Bengal. Acyuta taught Kṛṣṇācārya a method called
“straightening the crooked” that relies on a forceful method of prāṇāyāma.
The instruction here, as indicated by the title, is for straightening out the
nāḍīs, vāyus, and bindus. It is of note that Acyuta claims his guru is Śiva and
that Śiva’s guru is Vajradhara. We have no other details of the life of Acyuta. +
P
''Transmission lineage received by Jamgön Kongtrul''. Rangjung
Dorje to Yung Tönpa, Rolpai Dorje, Khachö Wangpo, Dezhin
Shekpa, Drung Mase Lodrö Rinchen, Chöpal Yeshe, Lodrö Drakpa, Jatang
Lodrö Gyatso, Döndrup Tashi, Lekshe Drayang, Lodrö Namgyal, Sangye
Rinchen, Drung Rinpoche Kunga Namgyal, Garwang Karma Tenkyong,
Sönam Gyurme, Könchok Tenzin, Drupgyu Tenpa Namgyal, Sungrap
Gyatso, Chökyi Jungne, Gelek Rapgye, Drung Gyurme Tenpal, Tenzin
Gelek Nyima, and Jamgön Kongtrul.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000577-QINU`"' +
This text is an outline in which the first word or words of each verse
or group of verses are connected to a topical heading.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000077-QINU`"' The words in
parentheses after the headings are these first words that begin each line in
Tibetan—as stated above, because of the linguistic differences between
Tibetan and English, it was not possible to have the English verses begin
with the same words. The line numbers of the ''Ganges Mahāmudrā'' have
been added in parentheses for each heading.
''Transmission lineage received by Jamgön Kongtrul''. Rangjung Dorje to Yung
Tönpa, Rolpai Dorje, Khachö Wangpo, Dezhin Shekpa, Drung Mase
Lodrö Rinchen, Chöpal Yeshe, Lodrö Drakpa, Jatang Lodrö Gyatso, Döndrup Tashi, Lekshe Drayang, Lodrö Namgyal, Sangye Rinchen, Drung
Rinpoche Kunga Namgyal, Garwang Karma Tenkyong, Sönam Gyurme,
Könchok Tenzin, Drupgyu Tenpa Namgyal, Sungrap Gyatso, Chökyi
Jungne, Gelek Rapgye, Drung Gyurme Tenpal, Tenzin Gelek Nyima, and
Jamgön Kongtrul.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000078-QINU`"' +
These “instructions” (''gdams pa'') on Severance [[Mahāmudrā]] are actually meant to be performed as an authorization ritual (''rjes gnang''), as is evident in the format and stated clearly in the opening verses and colophon. An authorization is similar to an empowerment (''dbang''), though usually less complex. So in fact these are instructions on conferring the authorization, including the actual liturgies to be recited and sometimes repeated by the disciples. Perhaps this confusion is why the text was moved from its original position in the empowerment section of the Palpung blocks to the instruction section of the Shechen printing. In [[Kongtrul]]’s catalog, the text is indicated by the statement “torma empowerment of the [[Zurmang]] tradition.” The empowerment or blessing in this case is conferred physically using a torma (ritual sculpted dough), rather than the various other implements of initiation.
The phrase “opening the sky door” (''nam mkha’ sgo ’byed'') is distinctive to the Severance tradition and refers specifically to the practice of separating consciousness from the body and sending it out the cranial aperture, a kind of transference (''’pho ba''). However, it has become a more generalized designation for a whole cycle of Severance teachings, including an enumeration of a set of ten instructions called sky-door openings. [[Khamnyön]]’s ''Religious History of Pacification and Severance'' reports that [[Machik]] received the empowerment originally from [[Kyo Sakya Yeshe]] during the transmissions of a teaching called the ''Six Pieces'''"`UNIQ--ref-0000065C-QINU`"' and attained liberation after receiving only four of the six instructions.'"`UNIQ--ref-0000065D-QINU`"' [[Khamnyön]]’s biography of [[Dampa Sangye]] recounts that the initiation was given by Dampa to four disciples and the instructions to [[Kyo Sakya Yeshe]], who conferred it on [[Sönam Lama]], who then passed it to [[Machik]].'"`UNIQ--ref-0000065E-QINU`"' In any case, the term “opening the sky door” is most commonly associated with the empowerment ritual that is required before commencing the practice.
The author, [[Rinchen Senge]] ([[Rin chen seng ge]]), signs with the Sanskrit name [[Ratnasiṃha]]. It is difficult to identify this person with certainty, other than that he was active during or after the time of [[Rangjung Dorje]] (1284–
1339), who is specifically mentioned in the colophon. It seems likely that he is the great preceptor of [[Tropu]] ([[Kagyu]]) Monastery ([[Khro phu mkhan chen Rin chen Seng ge]], 13th c.), the ordination preceptor of [[Butön Rinchendrup]] (1290–1364) and also of [[Zurmang Khenchen Pema Namgyal]].'"`UNIQ--ref-0000065F-QINU`"'
Note that empowerment rituals often require the recitation of stories and instructions, and even section headings.
Phyag rgya chen po sems nyid ngal gso’i khrid kyi nyams glu dran pas snying gi gdung sel zla ba’i zil dngar +
This song of experience was composed by Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo’s teacher in the lineage of Resting in the Nature of Mind, Rinchen Losal Tenkyong (b. 1804). It testifies to the fact that some eight hundred years after Mitrayogin gave this teaching to Tropu Lotsawa, the lineage was still very much alive and the teachings were still being practiced. Rich in metaphor, with an unusual twelve-syllable meter and other poetic devices, it sadly loses much of its impact in English translation. +
Buddhist writers have always laid great emphasis on scriptural authority by quoting extensively from the sutras and tantras. In this way they can authenticate their work and demonstrate that their explanations have not simply been made up but are based on original sources. In this text, the omniscient Butön correlates the different verses of ''Resting in the Nature of Mind'' with passages from ''The Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines'' on the one hand and a selection of tantras on the other. +
Phyag rgya chen po sems nyid ngal gso’i ’khrid kyi ’chad thabs bla ma'i zhal lung bdud rtsi'i snang ba +
The existence of this text is a reminder that even if texts like the root verses and Notes on Resting in the Nature of Mind were available in Tibet in book form, no practitioner would study them on their own without having them explained by a teacher, who would at the same time give the reading transmission (lung). In this text Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo provides advice on how to use Khyentse Wangchuk’s Notes—which he refers to as a guide or instruction manual (khrid yig)—to teach disciples and guide them on a daily basis as they try to put Mitrayogin’s pith instructions into practice. He describes how to teach the text over a period of three days, with instructions on what the disciples should do between each day of teaching. The additional information included here complements that in the Notes, making this text as useful a reference for students who have received the transmission as it is for the teacher. +
Nāropa (c. 956–1040), the famous student of Tilopa and renowned
guru of the Tibetan Marpa, was born in Kashmir.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000083-QINU`"' The Tibetan
accounts present the sequence of the major events in his life in different
orders. One of the earliest biographies, by Gampopa, states that Nāropa
met and trained with Tilopa, and later in life took up the position of the
northern gatekeeper at Nalanda monastery.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000084-QINU`"' Later biographies, which are
the more well-known ones, say that he began his Buddhist studies in Kashmir and became a monk after separating from his wife Vimalā. Then he
went to study at Nalanda monastery, where he had an illustrious scholastic
career that culminated in being installed as the northern gatekeeper. Nāropa
remained there as an eminent scholar until he was urged by a ḍākinī to seek
instruction on the ultimate meaning from the mahāsiddha Tilopa. Following a period of training with Tilopa, which included a series of twelve major and twelve minor hardships, he attained full realization. He then went to
Pullahari (also known as Puṣpahari) in Magadha (central India), which is
where Marpa Lotsāwa met him and where this song was sung.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000085-QINU`"'
''Summary Verses on Mahāmudrā'' is not included in the Tengyur. A text
of the same name and almost identical content, attributed to Maitrīpa, is
found in volume 8 of The Treasury of Precious Instructions.
'"`UNIQ--ref-00000086-QINU`"' The text in this volume contains headings included in the form of interlinear notes inserted
by the second Shamarpa, Khachö Wangpo (1350–1405), which have been
incorporated into the translation as headings. The translation is primarily
based on Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo’s Short, Lucid Commentary with a
secondary reliance on the Interlinear Commentary on “Summary Verses on
Mahāmudrā” from the Aural Scrolls of the Translator Marpa Lotsāwa (Interlinear Marpa 2009) and the interlinear notes within Summary Verses on Mahāmudrā in the Paltsek edition of his Collected Works (SVM Marpa
2011).'"`UNIQ--ref-00000087-QINU`"'
''Transmission lineage received by Jamgön Kongtrul''. Nāropa to Marpa, and then the same as previously stated for the Ganges Mahāmudrā.
'"`UNIQ--ref-00000088-QINU`"'
R
Rgya gar gyi grub thob chen po dam pa rgya gar ram dam pa sangs rgyas zhes pa'i gsung mgur zhal gdams ding ri brgyad cu pa +
Dampa Sangye imparted some ''Pieces of Advice'' to the residents of his monastery at Dingri Langkhor in a kind of farewell or final testament, with awareness of his own impermanence. It is perhaps the most famous and popular of his works. However, the versions that we have now share only a few verses with the earliest versions recorded in this distinctive style of couplets, all ending with “Dingriwa,” that is, “Dingrians” or “people of Dingri.” According to Dan Martin,'"`UNIQ--ref-00000320-QINU`"' Dampa was the first to pronounce such verses, and the second was his disciple Kunga, who repeated 118 verses a year before his own death, only seven years after his guru passed away. Then apparently this fairly easy compositional style was supplemented over the years by other lineage holders. Consequently, after so many versions, there are some issues with the exact list, as if that matters. In modern collections there are two conflicting titles: the ''Eighty Pieces'', as here in ''The Treasury of Precious Instructions'', and, more usually, the ''Hundred Pieces''. Some collections, such as the ''Dingri Volumes'', will have both versions. There is no evidence, however, that Dampa Sangye actually gave these teachings twice, and in fact most of the couplets or verses are present in both editions. It seems likely that a hundred (''brgya rtsa'') easily morphed into eighty (brgyad cu) at some point in its scribal history. Ninety-one made it into Dampa’s biography. Here the number turns out to be ninety-seven, although it may be noted that in some translations the second verse here is actually the first, which would make it ninety-six.
There are a few histories of the setting for the teachings as well. The most often repeated seems to be as follows. Dampa Charchen, one of Dampa Sangye’s four main disciples known as the four gatekeeper yogins'"`UNIQ--ref-00000321-QINU`"' of the later transmission, came before Dampa and said, “Dampa, you are getting very old! You yourself will surely pass from happy states on to happy states. But think of the people of Dingri. What shall we do?” In some versions, this leads directly to the verses of advice, but in our version there is a short reflection in response that clearly affirms Dampa’s premonition of his death. The final verse also returns to the personal with the straightforward “I will leave.”
But there is another interesting twist on the story in a commentary called ''Storehouse of Jewels'','"`UNIQ--ref-00000322-QINU`"' based on explanations of Ngawang Gyaltsen, where the scene is Bodhisattva Kunga’s “last words” to the people of Dingri. As Bodhisattva Kunga approaches nirvana (d. 1124), he speaks the opening verses from “''namo guru''” through the first verse ending with “it will be so hard to regain a human life, people of Dingri.” Then, the commentary says, he goes on to repeat the hundred (or so) pieces of advice from Dampa Sangye’s last words, beginning with the above story of Dampa Charchen’s request. One version does not obviate the other, except in that the opening words would be Kunga’s rather than Dampa’s.
There are also any number of translations and commentaries available in Western languages, beginning perhaps with Evans-Wentz’s version (really Lama Kazi-Samdup’s translation) in 1954, to the wonderful translations with their oral commentaries by Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche (2006) and Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche (2015). And because these pieces of advice are so worth repeating, there will be many more—perhaps eighty or a hundred.
'''Notes'''
'"`UNIQ--references-00000323-QINU`"'
This text'"`UNIQ--ref-000009B1-QINU`"' is characterized in the Kundeling printing of the'' Treasury'' as “notes on the lectures of Venerable Jonang [[Tāranātha]],” and it follows directly upon the initiation text by [[Tāranātha]], ''Object Severance Empowerment Known as Opening the Sky Door''. These notes, arranged by an unnamed compiler, fill in some of the seemingly missing parts of the empowerment ritual, such as the preliminary tormas, supplications, mantras, and other recitations.
The source of the Severance tradition that [[Jamgön Kongtrul]] inherited from [[Tāranātha]] and [[Kunga Drölchok]] is the visionary [[Samten Özer]] of [[Gyaltang]].'"`UNIQ--ref-000009B2-QINU`"' [[Samten Özer]] was a recipient of both the long lineage (''ring brgyud'') of Severance, which he received on five separate occasions, and a direct lineage (''nye brgyud'') from visionary encounters with [[Machik Lapdrön]]. His remarkable experiences are recounted in ''Nectar of Meaning of the Profound Severance of Evil'','"`UNIQ--ref-000009B3-QINU`"' where he declares himself to be basically identical to [[Machik]]. This direct encounter engendered a lineage of teachings that became known as the [[Gyaltang]] tradition (''[[rgyal thang lugs]]''). It spread widely, particularly in the Jonang, [[Shangpa]], and [[Kagyu]] traditions. +
''The Unsullied State, A Monarch of Tantras,'' the sole Kangyur selection in the four Marpa Kagyu volumes, is also the first text in the seventh Karmapa’s Indian Mahāmudrā Collection, where it is also the only text
included from the Kangyur. ''The Unsullied State'' is part of the Cakrasaṃvara
cycle and is the last of the thirty-two Rali tantras, the only one of that cycle
that all Tibetan Kangyur catalogers and compilers agreed was authentic.*'"`UNIQ--ref-00000003-QINU`"' Its colophon states that it is a section of a larger text, the ''Monarch of Tantras Called “Endowed with the Means to Realize Glorious Sacred Bliss,”'' a text that
does not seem to exist at this time. ''The Unsullied State'' is also included in the
Ten Dharmas of Mahāmudrā, a collection Gö Lotsāwa says was transmitted
to Tibet by the eleventh-century Indian master Vajrapāṇi,'"`UNIQ--ref-00000004-QINU`"' which, as Roger
Jackson observes,'"`UNIQ--ref-00000005-QINU`"' is probably the source of its Mahāmudrā canonical status.
Even though the term “mahāmudrā” does not appear in this text (and it
does in other tantras, such as the ''Hevajra Tantra, Cakrasaṃvara, Kālacakra,
Guhyasamāja,'' and the ''Name-Chanting of Mañjuśrī''), as the interlinear note
at the end of this edition says, this text states and connects the elements of
the elaborate practices with mahāmudrā, unelaborate suchness.
In Maitrīpa’s biography it is said that Śavaripa “spoke a few words” about
this text, which is called space-like, along with the ocean-like ''Guhyasamāja
Tantra,'' the wisdom-like ''Hevajra Tantra'', and the blessing-like ''Cakrasaṃvara Tantra''.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000006-QINU`"' Jamgön Kongtrul cites three lineages of transmission for thistext, all beginning with Vajradhara. The third, which Maitrīpa passed to
Vajrapāṇi, continued through the seventh Karmapa and is the one Jamgön
Kongtrul received.
There is one Tibetan commentary by Kumāracandra (eleventh century)
on this text found in the Tengyur and in the Indian Mahāmudrā Collection,
which was referred to in the preparation of this translation. Unfortunately,
it does not provide as much clarification as a text of this nature requires.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000007-QINU`"'
''Transmission lineage received by Jamgön Kongtrul''. Vajradhara to Ratnamati,
the great brahman Saraha, the glorious protector Ārya Nāgārjuna, the
mahāsiddha Śavaripa, the master Maitrīpa, and to Marpa Chökyi Lodrö.
Another transmission was from Vajradhara to Nairātmyā, Nāgārjuna,
Tilopa, Nāropa, Marpa, Metön Sönam Gyaltsen, Tsakyapa Śākya Yeshe,
Gya Yönten Zangpo, Khampa Śākya Dorje, Upa Sangye Bum, Lotsāwa
Chokden, Lama Palden Senge, Butön Rinchen Drup, and Yungtön Dopal.
And yet another transmission was from Maitrīpa to the Indian Vajrapāṇi,
Ngari Nakpo Sherde, Lama Sotön, Nyangtön Tsakse, Roktön Dewa, Che
Yönten, Che Dode Senge, Chöku Özer, Upa Sangye Bum, Lotsāwa Chokden, Baktön Zhönu Tsultrim, and Gyalwa Yung Tönpa.
The transmission continued to Lama Sönam Zangpo, Lama Tsultrim
Gönpo, Jangsem Sönam Gyaltsen, Khenchen Sönam Zangpo, Gośrī
Paljor Döndrup, the seventh Gyalwang Karmapa Chödrak Gyatso, the
mahāsiddha Sangye Nyenpa, the eighth lord Mikyö Dorje, Karma Lekshe Drayang, Gelong Dorje Chö, Chetsang Karma Tenkyong, the exalted Könchok Tenzin, Jamgön Sungrap Gyatso, the omniscient Tenpai Nyinje,
Gyalwang Dudul Dorje, the glorious Pawo Tsuklak Chökyi Gyatso, and
Jamgön Kongtrul.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000008-QINU`"'
Lineage supplications are so informative—and so confusing. This one is not mentioned in [[Kongtrul]]’s ''Catalog'', except perhaps as one of the branches (''yan lag rnams bcas'') of ''Source of All Qualities'', leading the editor of the table of contents of the Kundeling printing to assume that it belongs with the [[Zurmang]] feast activities. While that may be the case, it does not represent the [[Zurmang]] long lineage. That supplication can be found in ''Source of All Qualities'', where it is attributed to [[Samten Rinchen]] of Lhapu. And the same one is used as the basis for the whole story of the lineage in the history of [[Zurmang]], where it is also called the “supplication of the Severance lineage gurus by [[Bengar Jampal Zangpo]].”'"`UNIQ--ref-00000001-QINU`"' That version and the one in Source of All Qualities are identical, despite the differing author identification. The version here may have been added to that liturgy to ensure that all relevant lineages were duly honored.
Here, the lineage is similar only up to [[Machik Lapdrön]] herself. It then veers over to [[Machik]]’s grandson [[Khambuyale]] rather than coming through [[Machik]]’s son Döndrup. Then it takes us the long way through a very [[Kamtsang]] line of lamas, including the purported author [[Bengar Jampal Zangpo]], right up to [[Situ Pema Nyinje]] (1774–1853). This is where the lineage ends in this text as found in the Kundeling edition of the Palpung prints. However, at this point in the Shechen printing sponsored by [[Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche]] (1910–1991), it continues from [[Pema Nyinje]] to [[Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Taye]] (1813–1900), then to the [[Fifteenth Karmapa]], [[Khakhyap Dorje]] (1871–1922), then to [[Kongtrul]]’s disciple [[Tashi Özer]] (1836–1910), then to [[Khyentse Özer]] (1896–1945),'"`UNIQ--ref-00000002-QINU`"' and ends in “my root guru.”
How could [[Bengar Jampal Zangpo]], who lived in the fifteenth century, have written such a contemporary addendum, let alone [[Machik Lapdrön]]? One scenario is that [[Machik]] uttered a prayer to her lineage using the place-and-name format, beginning with, “In the palace of [[dharmadhātu]] in [[Akaniṣhṭa]], the Great Mother [[Perfection of Wisdom]] has blessings” and ending with her teacher [[Kyotön Sönam Lama]] (who is in fact skipped over here, although he is named in the [[Zurmang]] version). Then the well-known author [[Bengar Jampal Zangpo]] picked up the trope and continued it up through his guru, the [[Sixth Karmapa]], [[Tongwa Dönden]] (1416–1453). After that, the prayer in all its various forms came to be known simply as Bengar’s supplication. [[Jamgön Kongtrul]] himself must have continued the supplication style through to his teacher [[Pema Nyinje]] before the blocks were printed at Palpung. From [[Kongtrul]] on, the last stretch may have been added for the Shechen printing of the ''Treasury''. Variations of this style can also be found in the ''Kagyu Feast Liturgy'' and [[Kongtrul]]’s supplication ''Essence of Auspicious Renown'' in this volume, as well as in the popular Severance compilation known as ''Precious Garland'' (''[[Rin chen phreng ba]]'').
This text is composed of four sections, or short texts: “The Illumination of Entities,” “The Clarification of Ignorance,” “The Purification of Thoughts,” and “Mahāmudrā: Pointing-Out Instructions Illuminating Wisdom.”'"`UNIQ--ref-0000068F-QINU`"' The fourth is an abbreviated version of ''The Root Text for Mahāmudrā: The Illumination of Wisdom'' (''DNZ'' 7:12).
The first three sections draw on Tilopa’s ''Truly Valid Words'', quoting (without attribution) at least forty-one lines either verbatim or closely enough to consider ''Truly Valid Words'' to be the source, or inspiration, of Milarepa’s
lines. There is not, however, a sequential correspondence between the two
texts, and the majority of the “quoting” is done in the first two sections, “The
Illumination of Entities” and “The Clarification of Ignorance.” As discussed
above, much of Nāropa’s ''Authoritative Texts in Verse'' is drawn from ''Truly
Valid Words'', and therefore there is a corresponding overlap with Milarepa’s
text, with (at least) two lines in Milarepa’s text being found only in Nāropa’s
Authoritative Texts.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000690-QINU`"'
The first two sections of ''The Three Cycles''—“The Illumination of Entities” and “The Clarification of Ignorance”—end with colophons stating
that they were passed from Milarepa to Gampopa, referring to him by his
family name Nyiwa, while the other two sections make no mention of their
transmission or circumstances. The first colophon also states that “The Illumination of Entities” was passed from Gampopa to Lhopa Rinpoche (also known as Layakpa Jangchup Ngödrup),'"`UNIQ--ref-00000691-QINU`"' and then to “me,” with an interlinear note indicating that “me” refers the first Karmapa, Dusum Khyenpa.
No other editions of this text specifically have been located. However, a
nearly identical text called the Eighteen Questions is found in the Drukpa
Kagyu tradition, preserved in three collections: Old Texts of Mixing
and Transference compiled by Pema Karpo and the two editions of the
Drukpa Kagyu Great Treasury of Dharma. The Eighteen Questions contains
instructions given by Milarepa to Rechungpa called “Clarification of Ignorance,” “Extracting the Nails That Are Vital Points,” and “Clarification of Delusion.”'"`UNIQ--ref-00000692-QINU`"'
Based on the overall similarity of ''The Eighteen Questions'' and ''The Three
Cycles'', we can say that ''The Eighteen Questions'' must represent a different
transmission of almost identical teachings. Nevertheless, there are some significant differences between the two texts. Structurally, although the colophon of ''The Eighteen Questions'' says it contains three sets of instructions,
the text is not divided into sections like ''The Three Cycles'' (which could be
considered four separate texts under one collection title). Other differences
are that ''The Eighteen Questions'' begins with the occasion and location of the
teachings and a list of the eighteen questions asked to Milarepa; the line
order of the two texts is very different; and ''The Eighteen Questions'' contains
quotations from other texts, mainly tantras, something not found in ''The
Three Cycles''. Both texts contain teachings that the other does not.
''Transmission lineage received by Jamgön Kongtrul''. Vajradhara to Jñānaḍākinī,
Vajrapāṇi, Tilopa, and then the same as previously stated for the ''Ganges Mahāmudrā''.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000693-QINU`"'
''The Root Text for Mahāmudrā: The Illumination of Wisdom'', the
first of several texts by Milarepa in this anthology, is a slightly longer
prose version of the last section, or short text, included in the ''Three Cycles
of Illumination and Other Instructions'' found later in this volume.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000098-QINU`"' This text
begins with verses that recount Milarepa’s lineage and way of practicing, as
does the first section of the ''Three Cycles of Illumination''—they are, in fact,
almost identical.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000099-QINU`"'
It may be that the use of the word “root” in the title here signifies that
this text is the source text for other instructions with similar titles. Volume
8 of ''The Treasury of Precious Instructions'' contains two texts with similar
titles: in the Rechung Aural Transmission, ''Mahāmudrā: The Illumination of
Wisdom in the Saṃvara Aural Transmission'''"`UNIQ--ref-0000009A-QINU`"' and, in the Ngamdzong Aural
Transmission, ''Instructions That Are the Secret Pointing Out of Mahāmudrā:
The Illumination of Wisdom''.'"`UNIQ--ref-0000009B-QINU`"'
''Transmission lineage received by Jamgön Kongtrul''. Milarepa to Gampopa,
and then the same as previously stated for the Ganges Mahāmudrā.'"`UNIQ--ref-0000009C-QINU`"' +
Rje btsun ras chung pa'i lugs kyi dpal 'khor lo sdom pa snyan brgyud gyi gzhung chung til+li pas mdzad pa +
Tilopa’s ''Short Text'' is considered, along with the ''Vajra Verses'', to
expound the meaning of the Cakrasaṃvara tantras, which are the root
of the Saṃvara Aural Transmission. Pema Karpo refers to ''The Short Text'' as
a commentary on the ''Vajra Verses'','"`UNIQ--ref-000006A8-QINU`"' and given that the ''Vajra Verses'' are purported to be the words of Vajradhara and this is Tilopa’s rendering of those teachings, in that sense it may be a commentary. However, it does not serve
as a line-by-line explanation of the ''Vajra Verses''; it is more a companion text.
The topics of the two texts are the same as can be seen from the following
topical outline, drawn from Jadrel Ritröpa Tsultrim Palden’s commentary
on ''The Short Text''.
:Homage (1)
:Commitment to the Composition (2)
:Wish-Fulfilling Gems of the Lineage
::Tilopa’s story (3–4)
::The qualifications for gurus (5)
::The qualifications for disciples (6)
::The way to listen to the explanation (7–8)
:Wish-Fulfilling Gems of the Maturing Path (9–15)
:Wish-Fulfilling Gems of the Liberating Path
::Overview (16)
::Shared Wish-Fulfilling Gems (practices connected to the vase abhiṣeka)*'"`UNIQ--ref-000006A9-QINU`"'
:::The Sovereigns: Unchanging Dharmatā (17–25)
:::The Ministers: Three Types of Actions (26)
::::The People: The Conducive Activities (27–28)
::Samaya Wish-Fulfilling Gems (29–32)
::Abiding-State Wish-Fulfilling Gems
:::Six Dharmas: Liberation through the Upper Door†'"`UNIQ--ref-000006AA-QINU`"' (33–51)
::::Caṇḍālī (33–44)
::::Illusory Forms (45–48)
::::Dreams (49)
::::Luminosity (50–51a)
::::Transference (51b)
::::Entering a Body (52)
:::The Ḍākinī’s Secret Proclamation: Great Bliss Liberation through the Lower Door (53–62)
:::Mahāmudrā: The Illumination of Wisdom (63–66)
:::The Instructions on the Bardos (67–74)
:::The Instructions for the Path: Transforming All Activities into Accumulations (75–82)
:::Dispelling Hindrances: Universal Instructions (83–92)
::The Summary: Abandoning the Causal Yāna and Engaging in the Resultant Yāna (93–100)
:Dedication and Completion of Composition (101–3)
''The Short Text'', with twenty-one syllables per line in Tibetan, is dense and
cryptically written, and thus can only be understood with commentary.
This translation relies primarily on the commentaries by Maṇikaśrījñāna
(1289–1363, also known as Drikung Lotsāwa and Gyal Khampa Lotsāwa)
and Jadrel Ritröpa Tsultrim Palden. It has been annotated more than other
texts in this volume because of its importance and relative obscurity and to
provide some insight into the translation decisions.
Maṇikaśrījñāna studied Sanskrit grammar and poetics with Butön
Rinchen Drup at Zhalu monastery and then Sanskrit grammar and Indian
languages under the Indian paṇḍita Dvaṣṭanakara at Drikung monastery
(hence his name Drikung Lotsāwa). He received teachings on the perfectionprocess practices of the six dharmas of Nāropa and those of Niguma and on mahāmudrā from the abbot of Drikung and was later appointed abbot himself. It must be that he also received the Saṃvara Aural Transmission while at Drikung monastery. Assuming his birth date of 1289 is accurate, since he
composed his commentary in an Earth Pig year, that would be 1360, making
it the earliest available commentary. Maṇikaśrījñāna is most well known for
being one of the foremost students of Dolpopa Sherap Gyaltsen.'"`UNIQ--ref-000006AB-QINU`"'
Jadrel Ritröpa Tsultrim Palden is a member of the transmission lineage
coming from Tsangnyön Heruka (1452–1507), as he was a student of Sönam
Lodrö (c. seventeenth century), a direct student of Tsangnyön Heruka. In
his colophon, he states that his commentary is “in keeping with the teachings of the scholar-siddha with the name of Sönam,” indicating that this commentary belongs to the tradition received and passed on by Tsangnyön
Heruka, who played a vital role in preserving and promulgating the Saṃvara
Aural Transmission, both through his composition of texts and through
forming a collection of Aural Transmission texts.'"`UNIQ--ref-000006AC-QINU`"'
''Transmission lineage received by Jamgön Kongtrul''. Vajradhara to Jñānaḍākinī,
Vajrapāṇi, Tilopa, Nāropa, Marpa, Milarepa, Rechungpa, Khyung Tsangpa,
and to the latter’s three heart children Martön Tsultrim Jungne, Lopön
Targom, and Machik Ongjo (known as the three accomplished heart
children). Zhang Lotsāwa received the transmission from those three and
passed it to Drogön Dharaśrī, Jangsem Sönam Gyaltsen, Machik Kunden
Rema, Khetsun Ziji Gyaltsen, Wangchuk Sherap, Ritröpa Zhönu Gyaltsen,
Rechen Denchikpa, Tsenden Lachipa, Dulzin Ngaki Wangpo, Shara Rapjampa Sangye Senge, Tsangnyön Chökyi Senge, Götsang Rechen, and from
him to the three Rapjams: Nepa Rapjampa Jampa Puntsok, Rapjam Karma
Tashi, and Rapjam Sangye Özer. The omniscient Drupchok Wangpo
received it from all three of them and passed it to Tinle Gyatso, Kagyu
Drönme, Yönten Gyatso, Chöje Lingpa, Wangpo, Yeshe Kalzang, Palden
Gyatso, Geupa Ngedön Tenzin Chökyi Gyatso, Tutop Gyatso, Kharakpa
Rinchen Özer, Geu Kagyu Tinle Wangchuk, Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo,
and Jamgön Kongtrul.'"`UNIQ--ref-000006AD-QINU`"'
Rje rang byung rdo rjes mdzad pa'i gdon tshogs dgu ma sa bdag drug sbyor dang mi bskyod rdo rjes mdzad pa'o gdan thog gcig ma gcod tshigs bcad ma gnyis gab sprad nas lus sbyin dang bsngo ba po bya tshul bltas chog 'don 'grigs +
[[Karma Chakme]], also known as [[Rāga Asya]] (1613–1678), cobbled together this ritual liturgy from writings attributed to [[Karmapa Rangjung Dorje]] (1284–1339) and [[Karmapa Mikyö Dorje]] (1507–1554). With some three hundred years of [[Karma Kagyu]] Severance masters behind him, the great [[Kamtsang]] master was free to borrow what he needed to form this practice, which he geared toward a healing ritual. Although such borrowing is widespread throughout Tibetan literature, it seems to be particularly common in the Severance tradition, whose prayers and liturgies would get recycled to align with the various traditions into which they were absorbed.
In this text, [[Mikyö Dorje]]’s “poem” comes first. This is available in several other editions—for example, in a collection of recitation texts from [[Palpung Monastery]] (seat of the [[Karma Kagyu]] [[Tai Situ]] incarnations in Kham), where it is called simply ''Profound Severance Guide'' (''[[gCod khrid zab mo]]'').'"`UNIQ--ref-000004AD-QINU`"' All the liturgical sections in the first five pages in our text are from [[Mikyö Dorje]], with [[Karma Chakme]] dividing it into parts and adding useful descriptions and instructions. The poem is reproduced accurately, with one notable exception: wherever [[Mikyö Dorje]] has the name of his own guru, [[Sangye Nyenpa]] ([[Sangs rgyas mnyan pa]], 1445/57–1510/25), [[Karma Chakme]] has substituted the name of the [[Second Karmapa]], [[Karma Pakshi]] (1204–1283). Perhaps [[Karma Chakme]] preferred to identify the source of the lineage as the great master of the early days of the [[Karma Kagyu]] so that it would be more widely relevant and familiar to future practitioners. [[Karma Pakshi]] is legendary, though not known as a teacher of Severance.
[[Karma Chakme]] then adds a white and a black distribution that he attributes to [[Könchok Bang]], but he renders them into verse to facilitate recitation. In the colophon he further states that these are the only parts of the liturgy that he has tampered with; all other sections remain true to the originals.
If that is so, then the rest of the liturgical sections until almost the end must be from [[Rangjung Dorje]], although a separate text of those practices is not found in his extensive collected works. They are, however, found within many other Severance texts. For example, this Six Earth Lord Application liturgy can be found verbatim in ''Source of All Qualities'' in the present volume (see chapter 22), where it is identified as “Lord [[Rangjung Dorje]]’s short calling of the pestilent spirits” (''gnyan ’bod thung''). Most of the Ninefold Spirit Feast is also found in [[Karma Chakme]]’s ''Pearl Rosary'' (see chapter 21). According to [[Karma Chakme]], the Ninefold Spirit Feast and Six Earth Lord Application are to be done for particularly severe illnesses. Therefore, one visualizes one’s consciousness in the form of the black wrathful [[ḍākinī]] [[Krodhīkālī]] ([[Khros ma nag mo]]) rather than the usual form of [[Vajravārāhī]]. He also describes the six and nine sets of spirits (which overlap somewhat) and the specific ailments and problems that are cured by feeding each group. After the dissolution, the text ends with the final prayers again from [[Mikyö Dorje]]’s poem, including [[Karma Chakme]]’s own pointing-out instructions, which will ultimately liberate the practitioner and the patient together.