Crystal Mirror

INTRODUCTION

This is the first issue of a new periodical of the Tibetan Nyingmapa Meditation Center of Berkeley, California. We have therefore tried to include the background of the center, its present activities, and future plans. We hope that this publication will serve as a means of communication between the Center and the community and as a source of information for those interested in Tibetan Buddhism and Tibetan culture. In future issues we plan to include a series of articles on the most famous gurus, siddhas, and pandits of Tibet and India.

CRYSTAL MIRROR

Copyright

®

T.N.M.C.

Tibetan Nyingmapa Meditation Center Berkeley, California

Dharma Publishing P.O. BOX 4060 Berkeley, California

Dharma Press Berkeley, California PRINTED IN U.S.A.

Foreward In the face of wide-spread disillusionment and discontent, more and more people are turning to the ancient religions and spiritual disciplines of the East for remedies or alternatives. Vajrayana Buddhism has always proved extraordinarily powerful in dealing with the problem of human suffering, and we believe that this will hold just as true for the West as it has for centuries in Tibet. If, in publishing this periodical, we can convey some indication of this utility, and at the same time forestall reactions and approaches to it which, however understandable, are inappropriate, we will be very happy. In particular, the contemporary espousal and use made of various Eastern systems reveals a great deal of indiscriminate mixing of them which cannot, in the long run, be very productive, and a tendency to accept interpretations which, though optimistic, are very superficial. Extracting spiritual insights, such as "We are all Buddhas" and isolating them from the practice and experience from Which they derive, only inspires complacency; similarly, learned discussions of the nature, virtues, and limitations of a Bodhisattva or adv~mc'ed Yogi can all too easily amount to idle day-dreams ... theory should not be substituted for, or divorced from, first-hand experience. Choosing one discipline and seeing it through to its end is mgre likely to produce profound results than lightheartedly selecting elements from several different traditions. It is to emphasize these two points that we have presented a moderately detailed description of the Vajrayana and Nyingmapa origins and tradition, and have stressed the value of hard work in our practices. The Dharma is highly prized and revered because of its efficacy. The Nyingmapa Center is dedicated to continuing its work and making it accessible while cautioning that it cannot be modified to suit personal convenience or indifferently prusued without thereby being rendered impotent to bestow its great benefits.

Please note that tnere appear in, this issue different spellings of the names of the various personages, places and technical terms. Some spellings are Sanskrit, some are transliterated Tibetan, and some are the English pronuciation of the Tibetan. Since at times scholastic exactness is required and at others utility is more appropriate, we have not been totally consistent. Therefore the different spellings should not be thought of as referring to different personages, places or terms. For example, one may find kLong-chen-pa or Long-chen-pa; rNying-ma or Nyingma and so forth.

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CONTENTS

Introduction Foreward A Letter from His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche TarthangTulku, Rinpoche

1

The Three Yanas

2

The Development of Tibetan Buddhism

5

Guru Padmasambhava

17

Folio 1: The Nyingmapa Lineage

19

Long-Chen-Pa

29

Absolute Perfection/ H. V. Guenther

31 39

Patul Rinpoche's Counsels Calm and Clear/ Mervin Hanson Folio II: The Gurus of Tarthang Tulku

44 45

Nyingma in the West/ Mervin Hanson

51

Buddhism in a Scientific Culture

55

Center Activities

59

Meditation

73

Vigor

77

Excerpt from a Lecture

74

Dharma Publishing

79

A Buddhist Spiritual Center in Berkeley: An Appeal

81

Song of Samsara/ Ron Davidson

85

Suggested Reading

87

Unless otherwise specified, the articles herein contained were composed by Tarthang Tulku and edited by various students.

VII

HIS HOLINESS DUDJOM RINPOCHE

Madhav Nikun;f P. 0. Kalimpong. Distt: Dar;teeling. West Bengal. INDIA. Date

15th June, 1971.

May my blessing be with the members of the Nyingmapa Meditation Center," that all those who practice the Dharm~ may attain success. The pure teachings of the Lord Buddha were passed on with great care from master to disciple in India. In the eighth century these esoteric teachings. were transplanted intact to the people of Tib.et. These same teachings have been maintained up to the present time in an unbroken lineage, a clear channel of spiritual knowledge. Now, especially in this era of darkness and distress, it becomes increasingly clear that all of our worldly pursuits will never provide the answers which we seek. The real cause of our problem is unawareness of the reality of the mind's true nature. Selfish attatchment to the wrong views of desire, animosity and ignorance gives rise to a perpetual state of dissatisfaction. The ob;fects of desire appear as a rainbow which the childishly fascinated mind tries in vain to capture. As the mind moves, so does the rainbow never reaching satisfaction. The final result of the Lord Buddha's teachings is the attainment of complete satisfaction, fulfillment and release from the great individual bandages which beset us, The crucial point of the Va;trayana is to transmute all aspects of our own situation into a. heavenly understanding of the mind's true nature. Therefore the Va;frayana is the unique possessor of the essence of Lord Buddha's teachings, including all nine lesser paths and containing the most skillfull and direct of all practices, the meditational development of the mind. In this time of short life, with strong ever-shifting currents of change·and great difficulties all around us we have great need for this Va;trayana. All other teachings are like streams which eventually empty into the vastness and depth of the all inclusive Vajrayana.· It is only through this highest vehicle, which contains the final and esoteric teaching of the Lord Buddha, transmitted through his manifestation in the great Guru Padmasambhava, that we may attain complete liberation from the bandages

of Samsara in one lifetime. Now the subtle beauty and power of the direct lineage teachings is being planted in the West, fulfilling Padmasambhava's prophesy that the Vajrayana would bloom throughout the world. May all difficulties inner, outer and secret be transformed into the grace of Vajrayana. May my blessing, through my spiritual representative, Tarthang Tulku, rest with all sentient beings in the Western Hemisphere. May the Buddhas, Great Bodhisattvas and all the Dharma-palas empower this blessing, that all beings who earnestly practice the Dharma quickly attain full realization, enlightenment and long and happy lives. May these blessings prevail!

Jig Dral Yeshe Dorjee His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche Supreme Guru of the Nyingmapa

TARTHANG TULKU, RINPOCHE

High in the mountains of the Amye rMachen region in the ancient province of Golok in east Tibet near Kham and Amdo, Tarthang Tulku Rinpoche was born to the royal family of Gellek. His father was a reincarnate Lama, who ha{l renounced political rule to follow a religious life. At an early age, Rinpoche was recognized to be one of the thirty reincarnate Lamas of Tarthang Monastery. He began his religious training at seven under the guidance of his guru. In the philosophical but practical tradition of Lamas Mi Pham and Long-chen-pa, Rinpoche was taught fun-

damental Buddhist philosophy, scripture, language, and music. A crucial thirteen year period of strenuous, intensely difficult r:neditational and scholastic practices began when he was bnly fourteen. This critical stage in Tarthang Rinpoche's training included months of solitary meditation and extensive scholastic work. During those thirteen years, Rinpoche studied with about twenty-three renowned Nyingma Lamas, and Kagyu, Sakya, and Gelug masters. From these mas.ters he received training and initiations in the three yogas-Maha-, Anu-, and Ati-; he thoroughly studied and practiced the sixty-three volumes of the Rin-chen-ter-dzod, containing the essence of Tantric practices; and, throughout, vigorously researched, meditated, and performed sadhana practices. In 1959 Rinpoche journeyed to Sikkim where he continued his studies with his Root Guru, Khentze Rinpoche, one of the most famous and important masters of this century. He received extensive esoteric teachings and Vajrayana meditation practices. Upon the death of his guru, he traveled to India. His Holiness the Dalai Lama requested that each of the four schools send a Lama to transmit the Tibetan preservations of lost Sanskrit manuscripts to Indian scholars at Sanskrit University in Benares. His Holiness Dud-jom Rinpoche, the greatly respected leader of the Nyingmas, selected Tarthang Tulku to represent the Nyingma sect. He served as a professor of Buddhist philosophy at the university for six and a half years. Despite the many financial and other difficulties involved, Rinpoche established the Dharma Press, authored three books, ·and published twenty important volumes of Tibetan Buddhist texts to insure their preservation. Knowing that the Tibetan Buddhist tradition and culture faced possible extinction, he encouraged young monks to continue in their practices and organized projects (such as the printing of books) that would help preserve this ancient culture. In 1964 he acted as a representative for the Dalai Lama at the World Religions' Conference at Mysore. In hopes of fulfilling the wish of his Guru-to bring understanding of Tibetan Buddhism to the West-Rinpoche traveled through Europe and America. On arriyal in Berkeley in 1969 he established the Tibetan Nyingmapa Meditation Center. Here he teaches his students the fundamentals of Buddhist practice and philosophy. The master-disciple relationship is central to the transmission of a tradition. With the guidance of Rinpoche, the Nyingma tradition and practices can be preserved and transmitted in the West.

1

THE THREE YANAS

Thousands of years ago the Lord Buddha, at the Deer Park near Benares, first turned the Wheel of the Dharma, which revolved like the blazing sun across the heavens and which still reverberates down through t~e ages. He expounded the Four Noble Truths, the Six Perfections and the antidotes to ignorance, desire, attachment, and the actions that create suffering. Because inen are of varying dispositions and different levels of spiritual development, the Buddha, out of his infinite compassion , taught the Dharma to each of His disciples according to their intellectual devel.opment and comprehension . Thus there come down to us various and divergent traditions of what the Buddha taught. To some disciples, the Lord proclaimed the Hinayana and the perfection of the Arhat. To others, whose spiritual comprehension was greater, He expounded the royal road of the Mahayana. But to those disciples who were fully matured, He revealed the Vajrayana or Adamantine Way. The doctrines of the Hinayana and Mahayana are elaborated in the Sutras; th()se of the Vajrayana in the Tantras. But both are the authoritative word of t he Buddha. At the council convened after the Lord's Parin irvana, His personal attendant Ananda recited from memory the Sutras, which were written down only

2

centuries afterward. The Tantras, the majority of which were revealed to the Great Bodhisattva Vajrapani, were handed down secretly by oral tradition from master to disciple for a thousand years before being committed to writing. It is thus that the written texts of the Tantras appear much later than those of the Sutras. Those who enter upon the Hinayana seek the perfection of the Arhat. Arhat means "he who has slain his enemies" which are the k/esas or defilements which is the outer layer covering the mind, consisting of all one's negative emotions and selfish impulses. The Arhat is one who has attained realization of the doctrine of Anatman, the unreality and non-substantiality of the Ego or self concept. This is atma-sunyata. Through strenuous renunciation and ascetic discipline the disciple, through innumerable lives, succeeds in cutting off and utterly annihilating all feeling, emotion, and impulse, attaining ultimately the Nirvana of the perfect Arhat. Those who enter upon the path of the Mahayana ar$ called Bodhisattvas. Their training requires countless lives of intense striving and deliberate effort to nurture, cultivate, and mature the Six Perfections of giving, moral conduct, vigor, patience, meditation, and wisdom. Through the perfection of wisdom the Bodhisattva attains realization of the unreality and nonsubstantiality of all thought processes (dharmas) and phenomenal existence. This is dharma-sunyata, and its realization removes the deeper and more inaccessible layer consistin-g of intellectual delusions and metaphysical fictions covering the mind, At the outset of his spiritual training, the Bodhisattva proclaims his Great Vow: that he will strive with all his will and effort for Enlightenment, but shall postpone his final attainment of Nirvana, in order to aid, comfort, and rescue all sentient beings who still remain entrapped in the bondage of Samsara. The Bodhisattva equally embraces compassionate meritorious activity and perfect intellectual insight. While by means of the Mahayana innumerable lives are required for the attainment of perfection, those who enter upon the path of the Vajrayana may attain Enlightenment in this very life in this very body. The Vajrayana is the short path directly up the steep face of the mountain, and for this reason is more dangerous and difficult. The Tantras and secret mantras of the Vajrayana are esoteric and are given only to the initiated, because at this present stage of human evolution, the Kali Yuga, individuals have not spiritually matured and will misconstrue the teachings, or even worse, abuse them for selfish purposes in the form of black magic.

3

THE DEVELOPMENT OF TIBETAN BUDDHISM

This article will serve as a brief introduction for future discussions of Padmasambhava, the history of Tibet in general, and the Nyingma lineage in particular.

Tibet was destined to become one of the greatest Buddhist cultures ever to develop. It was to be the receptacle for the unfolding of Vajrayana, the last major vehicle 1 formed from Lord Buddha's teaching. The high elevation of the Himalayas created an atmosphere of calm and quiet. Within that isolation enforced by Nature, the mind tended naturally to be more peaceful, able to concentrate and think more clearly, without distraction or disturbance. Such are the perfect conditions or environment for the practice of meditation. Yet, in the 6th Century B.C., the time of Sakyamuni, Tibet was little more than a desolate expanse of snow-covered mountains. Very gradually a civilization began to form. As it slowly advanced, a lineage of kings was established to act as leaders for the people. Eventually, in about the 7th Century, Tibet ascended to a place of prominence among the Asian powers. When Srong-btsan-gam-po, the thirty-second Tibetan king, assumed the throne in A.D. 629, his country maintained considerable influence in many parts of Asia. Buddhism thrived in many Eastern nations, and Tibet's expansion into its neighboring countries provided a very natural exposure to the Buddhist tradition and culture. As a reincarnation of Avalokitesvara, the Lord of Boundless Compassion, Srong-btsan-gam-po was well empowered to introduce and provide the foundation for Buddhism in Tibet. He knew the importance of a firm basis in moral discipline and formulated ten moral principles and sixteen rules of public conduct for his people. These closely resembled the fundamental precepts of Buddhist philosophy and practice as Lord Buddha established them centuries earlier in India. Srong-btsan-gam-po recognized the value of strong ties with countries already established in Buddhism. To facilitate close relations with China and Nepal, he married a Chinese and a Nepalese princess, they being reincarnations of the green and the white Tara (the embodiment of Sunyata, 1Usually there are three major "yanas"-vehicles or paths-noted in discussions on Buddhism: Hinayana, Mahayana, and Vajrayana. In this connection the reader may refer to the previous article, The Three Yanas.

5

TARA

the Mother of all Buddhas) . Each princess brought a sacred image of Lord Buddha with her to Tibet. These greatly treasured statues, made with many precious metals and gems, possess the qualities of the Wish-Fulfilling Gem. Their arrival inspired the building of the first temples in Tibet. Some texts of Buddhist scriptures were also brought at this time, but no written form of the Tibetan language yet existed. Consequently, the king sent his minister, Ton-mi-sam-bho-ta, and sixteen Tibetan students to India to study the language and literature of the Dharma. After many years of intense and pervasive study, Ton-mi-sam-bho-ta, the only survivor of this mission 2 returned to Tibet. There he composed a script and eight volumes of grammar and orthography suitable for Tibetan. The Tibetan language is very precise. Ton-mi-sam-bho-ta, in addition to maintaining a close relationship to spoken Tibetan while adhering to the structure of Sanskrit, created many new words especially for Dharma translations . These words preserve the distinction between ordinary and higher levels and are very powerful. These characteristics enhance the precision and purity of Tibetan translations of Buddhist texts. •From the time when Buddhism was first established in Tibet , many journeys to and from India were undertaken by masters and students. Many died enroute or during their studies in India, because of the hardship it entailed. The contrast between the climate of Tibet and India is very great, and the terrain is both rigorous and treacherous.

6

Srong-btsan-gam-po taught a few select students the ways of Avalokitesvara and built one hundred and eight monasteries, and over one thousand stupds. Despite his many efforts, however, Buddhism remained largely confined to Lhasa, or central Tibet. This was the result of frequent and numerous hindrances, such as the Bon tradition, which is still associated with sh-amanistic practices and sorcery and was a significant obstruction to the spread of Buddhism. Not until the reign of Srong-btsan-gam-po's grandson, Tri-song-deutsan (742-804), did Buddhism spread throuQhout Tibet. His efforts, too, were met with many disruptions. Under his rule, the strength of the Bon opposition became manifest. But the king, a reincarnation of Manjushri, the Lord of Limitless Wisdom, persisted. He succeeded in bringing many noted pandits from India, including the Mahapanditas Shantirakshita and Vimalamitra,.and the great Guru Padmasambhava. Shantirakshita was the first of these to arrive. When his efforts to spread the Dharma were successfully countered by the various forces opposing Buddhism, he advised Tri-song-deu-tsan to send for the supreme Siddha Padmasambhava, who was renowned for his incomparable scholarship and psychic power throughout the Three Realms 3 • Knowing that his country needed this Enlightened master to kindle the Dharma-flame, the king immediately dispatched messengers, laden with gold, as offerings to the Vajra Guru. Padmasambhava, meanwhile, fully aware of their mission, met the expedition in a region now known as Nepal. He knew he would journey with these couriers back to Tibet, conquer interferring powers, and plant the Vajrayana in Tibet. But, he questioned the messengers as if to assertain their purpose, before revealing himself as the one they sought. When offered the gold sent by the king, Padmasambhava flung it in the ten directions as offerings to the Dharma. The messengers were greatly alarmed by this gesture. They began to doubt the wisdom of this man who so casually threw away their country's fortune. Aware of their concern, Padmasambhava bade them hold out their robes and he miraculously filled them with gold 4 • 3These realms are the Desire Realm, the Form Realm, and the Formless Realm. He is the manifestation of the past, present and future Buddhas. 4 The phenomena alluded to or described in writings about esoteric masters are sometimes difficult for readers to relate to. Their doubt often arouses one of the most

7

SAMYE The Lotus Born Master cut through the evil action interrupting the progress of Buddhism in Tibet. He transformed the demonic and negative forces to the ways of the Dharma. Some were made Dharma protectors, some were given vows, others were insured the chance to attain Enlightenment. In thus converting the darkness to light, Padmasambhava cleared the way for the development of Vajrayana. Padmasambhava had twenty-five very great disciples. Each was a supreme Siddha, renowned for a particular psychic power. Among these many disciples were Ye-she Tso-gyal (the embodiment of learning) , Tridangerous obscurations to the Dharma, the tendency to make judgments about the higher levels. Judgments are obstructive to spiritual advancement because they close the mind and heart to levels beyond the present understanding of the individual. Struggling with in the limitations our rationalism and senses impose, we exhaust our· minds without result. The Buddha once told his disciple Ananda that judgments have no value. With the vision of ·a master, who perceives the many levels of Truth , there ceases to be any need to make things relative to ourselves.

8

song-deu-tsan, and Vairotsana. He taught his disciples the nature of the Kali Yuga and the kinds of instructions and practices to give at particular times, making many accurate predictions about the coming ages. Some of his teachings were hidden, and for all instructions, he taught the means of initiation. In 787 A.D. he had Samye monastery built. When he blessed the images and pictures inside the temple they came alive. Padmasambhava is still accessible to people today. He assumes many manifestations to help those of this age. The climactic triumph of Buddhism in Tibet was around the year A.D. 747. Through the patronage of Tri-song-deu-tsan and the spiritual guidance of Guru Padmasambhava, Shantirakshita, Vimilamitra and others, Buddhism developed rapidly. Many of the philosophical and ethical practices of the major Buddhist teachings of that time were translated by Shantfrakshita, whose lineage included both schools, Madhyamika and Yogachara. Padmasambhava and Vimilamitra. and many others taught the higher esoteric teaching of Mantrayana. Tibet's great Lot-sa-was (translators). together with the Indian pandits invited by the king, tqmslated the major Buddhist texts.' Before these masters of language and Buddhism even attempted to translate the original scriptures into Tibetan, they thoroughly studied Sanskrit and Tibetan, received initiation and, also, practiced the esoteric teachings contained within Tantra translations. When the translating began, each aspect of its transcription was conferred upon to insure its purity. Many of the original manuscripts are not available today and modern scholars often refer to these Tibetan translations, especially those of the Vajrayana esoteric Tantras to clarify their own translations. In Vajrayana these are considered among the most precise translations ever rendered of Lord Buddha's teachings. In the Ninth Century, Ralpachen (Tri-song-deu-tsan), who ruled from A.D. 815-836, invited a few Buddhist pandits to Tibet. These scholars worked with the Tibetan Lot-sa-was to standardize the terms used for translating Buddhist concepts from Sanskrit. Th~y compiled the first dictionary, which was indispensable for· translating Buddhist works. Ralpachen, a reincarnation of Vajrapani, the Lord of Power, also established the first monastic taxation by decreeing that every seven households were to provide for the needs of one monk. But in A.D. 836, Lang-dar-rna, Ralpachen's irreligious older brother who was by-passed for the throne, had his younger brother assassinated. 9

His was a reign of terror that threatened the destruction of Tibetan Buddhism. Fortunately, the unbroken lineage of masters entrusted with the transmission of the esoteric teachings managed to preserve the 'Kama by disguising themselves as ordinary laymen and continuing to dispense their teachings. The 'Kama forms the main body of the teachings transmitted orally by Padmasambhava, Vimilamitra, Vairotsana and others. This is the formalized, practical codification of the Tantras. Some of the 'Kama Tantras were given specifically for future times. These were concealed by Padmasambhava5 to be rediscovered at the intended time. The continuing revelation of Tantras afforded by these "hidden treasures" or gTerma are very important. Their rediscovery by gTer-stons (Term a masters) releases· an invaluable force at crucial times-times when the light of these teachings is especially needed to cut through the darkness of ignorance, gTerma and 'Kama are both based on the Tantras; Both must be transmitted through method to be understood. Method fncludes 1) instruction, which is essential to understanding, 2) system or tradition, through which the instruction is given, and 3) experience. Compounded practically, these three elements of method are the Sadhanas.

gTerma proliferation began in about the Tenth Century and flourished during the Fourteenth, Fifteenth, and Sixteenth Centuries. Under the auspices of the gTer-stons, these rediscoveries continue to this day. Until about the middle of the Eleventh Century, there were no sectarian differentiations in Tibet. Confusion concerning the authenticity and historical placement of Terma, and disputes about the methods of their transmission were the elements largely responsible for the formation of the various sects. l.t was at this time that the term Nying-ma-pa arose to designate the original lineage established by Padmasambhava, Shantirakshita, Vimilamitra, and Vairotsana-a lineage that is still unbroken. Literally the term means the "Ancient Ones." Nyingma cannot truly be called a sect, because it represents the undisrupted, o.riginal lineage of Tibetan Buddhism and serves as a fountainhead for all the lineages which blossomed from the origina~ esoteric teachings. Although the various •The value of gTerma is indisputable, but the concept of what it is, how it is, and where it is, is not easy to explain. The difference in the English and Tibetan language is in itself an obstacle. gTer is in eighteen different categories, primarily in terms of the subject (the "what") and where it comes from. The Tibetan names for the gTer revelation indicate which or what qualities characterize its emergence.

10

schools disagree about many facets of philosophy and method, they regard each other, as they do all religions, with the deepest respect. "The persecution of the Doctrine" under Lang-dar-rna's reign had disrupted the development of Buddhism in Tibet. Although the original lineage of masters and the teachings still remained in their original purity, Tibet needed a period of active revival and propagation of the Dharma. Fearing the degeneration of previous teachings, new translations were compiled by many great Tibetan and Indian scholars. Among these translators was Rin-chen-bzang-po. Rin-chen-bzang-po (958-1051) had studied Sanskrit and the Buddhist doctrine for many years in .India. When Atisa came to Tibet in 1042, he visited the Toling monastery where Rin-chen-bzang-po was abbot. It was in Toling that Atisa and his disciples revised these new Tibetan translations to clarify confusing or elusive points. He wrote a Sanskrit work there called Bodhipathapradipa, (The Lamp That Shows the Path to Enlightenment). Atisa was disturbed by reports that Buddhist practices were being corrupted by the system of Lamas and other factor's. To investigate their validity, he decided to visit the great Lama Kun-mKhyen-Rong-zom-Choskyi-bzang-po, one of the most famous Lamas in the Nyingma lineage. Chosbzang, in addition to being a great scholar and lot-sa-wa in the Tibetan tradition, was a renowned Mahapandita. His Tantric- commentaries on Mahayoga and Anuyoga and his commentaries on some sutras are still available and include some .of the most important for understanding Nyingma thought. As soon as they met, Atisa6 recognized Rong-zom-Choskyi-bzang-po as a reincarnation of his guru, Nag-po-pa. Atisa was amazed at Tibet's great treasury of Tantras. In all his many travels throughout India, he had never seen such a collection of Tantras and commentaries. It was so vast, so complex, so thorough that it was almost overpowering. Atisa's teachings lead to the foundation of the Ka-dampa School. This school has one of the most practical approaches to becoming a Bodhisattva. The Ka-dam-pa's study and practice six doctrines, which include the Bodhicaryavatara, the Sutras, and monastic rules and ethics. Their approach emphasizes a gradual, step by step progression. •1n his autobiography, Atisa refers. to his previous incarnation as Lama Dri-ma-med-paypal, who was Padmasambhava. He was one of Padmasambhava's reincarnations, which means that through him, Guru Rinpoche gave his blessing to all sentient beings.

11

Marpa-lotsa, a young contemporary of Rin-chen-bzang-po, prepared yet another set of translatins, which later formed the basis for the Kargyudpa. A successful scholar in his years of study in India, he translated most of the esoteric Tantras. He studied with many great masters in India, but his root guru was the great Siddha, Naropa. Marpa once met Atisa while on his way to India. Atisa urged him to return to Tibet with him, but Marpa had been instructed by Naropa to come to India three times so he refused. A sect is not truly formed until it establishes monasteries, a lineage, and its particular doctrinal approach. One of Marpa's most successful disciples, Milarepa, attained Enlightenment through his constant yogic practices. But it is not until Gampopa, Milarepa's disciple and another of Padmasambhava's reincarnations, that the monastic system, rules, and ethics of the Kargyud evolved. Gampopa did a great deal toward clarifying the meditational and practical applications of philosophical concepts characteristic of the Kargyudpa approach. Many of the esoteric Sadhanas, rituals, and esoteric teaching of this sect are from the Nyingma. Kargyudpa was so successful that at one time their teaching extended in all directions to the range of an eagle flying for eighteen days. The Sa-kya-pa formed around still another set of translations late in the Thirteenth Century. This sect derived its name from the place of its formation (the term means "tawny earth" the color of the soil in the area southwest of Shiatse). Until Kun-ga-nying-po, the Sakya followed the direct lineage of Padmasambhava. Kun-ga-nying-po founded the Sakya in the "New Translation" tradition. The Sakyas have contributed many great Lamas, developed three schools, and established two major monasteries. Like all sects of Tibetan Buddhism, they study and practice many high esoteric sadhanas of the Nyingma. The Vajrakila, a Nyingma Tantra and esoteric sadhana continued through the lineage of Padmasambhava, is central to the Sakya. The Sakya became so strong, at one time, that they dominated the political rule of Tibet. One Sakya Lama helped re-establish and rebuild bSam-yas monastery, which was originally constructed by Padmasambhava in 787 A.D. This Lama was Sa-Pandita Kun-dga-rgyal-mtshan, the grandson of Kun-ganying-po and another of Padmasambhava's reincarnations. Padmasambhava is as revered in the Sakya tradition as he is in the Nyingma and

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many of the Sakya Lamas are reincarnations of Padmasambhava. SaPandita, known for his knowledge of Sanskrit, spread Buddhism to Mongolia and parts of China. The last great sect of Tibetan Buddhism to form was founded by Tsongkha-pa in the Fourteenth Century. He was a great master who studied and practiced extensively-a very pure monk. His principal teachers were Jetsun-ren-da-wa, a great Sakya master, Kar-dam-pa Rol-pa-do-rje, and Drubchen-lay-gye-do-rje, a very great Nyingma master. Tsong-kha-pa, believed to be a Manjushri incarnation was very successful in founding the Ge-lugspa, the only exclusively celibate sect of Tibetan Buddhism. Gelugpa maintain a very high scholastic reputation. They emphasize the importance of strict renunciation through the monastic life, the Bodhisattva vow, and scholarship. Within the Gelug sect, many Nyingma sadhanas are performed. The Gelug tradition grew to be very influential. Through this sect,. the Dalai Lama emerged as the recognized governmental head at the. time of the Fifth Dalai Lama, a great Nyingma master. The Panchen and the Dalai Lamas, incarnations of Amitabha (the Lord of Infinite Light) and Avalokitesvara respectively, are all very great Dharma leaders. The present ruler, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, continues to act as the spiritual and governmental leader of Tibetans, even though in exile in India. Through his wisdom and guidance, it is hoped that the precious teachings of Tibetan Buddhism may continue the spread of the Buddha Dharma. The highest Tantric teachings of Mahayoga, Anuyoga and Atiyoga as practiced by the Nyingma are preserved in many important texts. Among these are the Kangyur, which contains one hundred and eight volumes of the Buddha's teachings; the Tangyur, comprised of two hundred and fifty volumes of commentary on the Kangyur; the Nyingma rGyud Bum, a compilation of one hundred thousand Tantras; and the sixty-three volumes of Rin-chen-ter-dzod, containing the essence of Tantric practices produced by the one hundred and Terma masters. These works all involve extensive scholarship and countless commentaries upon each text. However, they are not merely scholastic or philosophic exercises discoursing upon empty metaphysical problems. Each work is intensely pragmatic, concerned with the application of the teachings. The Nyingma tradition still exists and continues to dispense the teaching empowered through their unbroken and original lineage. The proof, or credibility, of a tradition is determined through the success attained by

13

those who practice. the methods of that tradition. Although neither materially wealthy nor politically active, the Nyingmas have many accomplished yogis and masters. When problems or disasters arise, it is the Nyingmapa, with the resources and power acquired through devoted and concerted effort, who are called upon for help. The Nyingma Sangha has both married and celibate Lamas. There are many monks and many centers founded in India, Nepal, Bhutan and Sikkim, all maintaining the practices and tradition of the "Ancient Ones". His Holiness Dud-jom Rin-po-che is the great leader of the Nyingma. It is very important that the Nyingma tradition continue, for if it does not survive, neither can Tibetan Buddhism as a whole.

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DORJE DROLOD

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GURU PADMASAMBHAVA

Guru Padmasambhava (the Lotus-Born Teacher) is the great saint and scholar who brought Buddhism to Tibet-in the 8th century, A.D. The most ancient and original of the four contemporary schools of Tibetan Buddhism, the Nyingmapa, preserves the teachings introduced and expounded by Padmasambhava and the Indian sage Shantirakshita. These teachings may be considered to be the essence of Buddhism at the time of its introduction into Tibet and as the source of all subsequent Tibetan Buddhist tradition. Deeply revered by all Tibetan Buddhists and often called the "Second Enlightened One", Padmasambhava is clearly responsible for the existence of Mahayana Buddhism as preserved and transmitted through the Tibetan tradition. One of the biographies of Padmasambhava, written by his disciple, the Tibetan princess, Yeshe Tso-gyal (available in English translation in The Tibetan Book of the Great Liberation, edited by Evans-Wentz) recounts the Precious Guru's birth, his experiences as a young prince, his subsequent renunciation of worldly life and his search for esoteric teachings. This is the "ordinary" man-the man who studies all aspects of the Dharma under the guidance of the great Buddhist Gurus and scholars of the time (including Ananda, Buddha's cousin), the man who seems to "attain" perfection through deep meditation, and then, through his perfect realization of Truth, manifests himself in various forms and performs miracles to teach the Dharma, the Great Liberation, to all sentient beings. These, indeed, the Vajra Gun.! did actually enact, but not as an ordinary man. Padmasambhava embodies the essence of the Buddhas of the Three Times, the three kayas, and the ten directions. Certain Buddhas have specific power for particular purposes. Padmasambhava's specially empowered essence is uniquely manifested for all sentient beings through a variety of forms which he assumes at various times to teach the esoteric doctrines. All these forms, whether as a diety in a wrathful or in a peaceful aspect, are created out of his "Truth-form" to aid all beings in the attainment of Enlightenment. Even though, to our samsaric eyes, his actions or behavior may seem to be in an ordinary human way, it is only to enable us to believe and to follow the True Path, to lead us out of blinding ignorance and doubt. He is, from the time of his miraculous birth, which was prophecized by Lord Buddha, the perfectly Enlightened One. But we need to see the ordinary ways or we cannot

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understand, we cannot be.lieve, and then, we will not follow. Padmasambhava's incarnation is specifically for the Kali Yuga. Carefully preserved, revealed, and transmitted through the Tibetan tradition, the full power, the pure, unadulterated essence of the original or primordial teachings are released to all who pray to him and follow the path to Enlightenment. It is not mythology, a fairy tale, or speculation; and, certainly, it is not limited to a simple story-like form. Like similar yogic texts it is written in highly symbolic language, expressing the experiences of meditation through events in the outer world. Buddhists meet the question of the validity or actuality of Padmasambhava's miracles in terms of their symbolic nature and the magical nature of Reality, or the Mind itself. What was a miracle five hundred years ago (e.g., flying), is today a reality. Padmasambhava is not intended to be viewed as an historical person. His bodily form is like a pure reflectiof!, the visible app.earance of the mind and compassion of all Buddhas. Padmasambhava and Lord Buddha are identical. He is all the Buddhas, past, present, and future-timeless, beyond birth and death-but we can experience that same primordial essence within ourselves. In Vajrayana Buddhism, Padmasambhava is neither a deity nor a mythological figure-he is the gateway through which the powers and divine qualities of the Buddha can be received, the focal point of practices that leads the aspirant to liberation. Constant and mindful meditation of the pure essence of the Guru purifies body, speech, and mind, transforming ordinary consciousness into the highest wisdom and transcending ordinary forms. Vajrayana teaches that this can be done in one lifetime. This Sadhana, or spiritual practice, of Padmasambhava is especially important and effective in times plagued by excessive materialism and strong desires. Quite obviously, then, these practices have great practical relevance to our present age. This is the real meaning and significance of Guru Padmasambhava in the Vajrayana tradition. By practicing his teachings we can benefit ourselves and others. It is the Precious Guru's promise:

"I shall come every morning and every evening to the abode of those who have faith in me. I shali come to this world for the sake of its people."

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FOLIO 1: THE NYINGMA LINEAGE

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Kun-tu-bzang-po -the personification of Dharmakaya

rDo-rje-sems-pa -the personification of Sambhogakaya, he symbolizes purity.

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dGa'-rab-rdo-rje -the Nirmanakayi'f mi'fnifestation of rDo-rje-sems-pa. he Wi'!S born in 715 B.C.. and is the first of the rDzog-chen lineage in human form.

'Jam-dpal-bshen-gnyen -o master of all nine yanas, he was the successor of dG3'rab-rdo-rje.

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Shir'a-seng-wa Sambhava.

-the guru of Padma

Ye-shes-mdo -in the dire.ct lineage of Shir'a-seng-wa, he held most of the esoteric doctrines.

.........

~~1\~~·'o/1"1~~·.,.~

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Padma Sambhava -the lotus-born Uddiyana guru who founded Tibetan Buddhism, he was born in 876 B.C.

Vimalamitra -an excellent Indian mahapandita, he translated many esoteric rNying-ma tantras into Tibetan from Sanskrit.

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Shantirakshita -the first Indian pandita

to arrive in Tibet, he initiated the first seven Tibetan monks and introduced Mahayana.

Khri-srong-ldeu-bstan -the Tibetan king

of the eighth-century who, as a patron of Buddhism, invited Padma Sambhava to Tibet. He was one of Padma Sambhava's most successful disciples. Born 719 A.O:

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a dakini who was one of Padma Sambhava's closest disciples, she mastered his complete teachings.

Ye-shes-mtso-rgyal

-an excellent eighth-century translator and mahapandita. he was one of Padma Sambhava's most accomplished disciples.

Valrochana

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Zur-chung-pa -an accomplished siddha, he possessed many tantras and was a successor in the transmission lineage. Born 1013.

gNub-chen-snags-rgyas-ye-shes -one of the earliest rNying-ma 'kama masters, he represents the ancient transmission lineage of Padma Sambhava.

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Rong-zom-chos-gyl-bzang-po -a great scholar of the eleventh-century, and one of high attainment, he was a manifestation of Nag-po-pa, Atisha's guru.

klong-chen-pa -named omniscient by his disciples, he is the supreme lama in the rNying-ma tradition. Born 1307.

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LONG CHEN PA

Until the 14th Century, writings about the sacred secret teachings remained obscure and difficult of access. At this time, one of the most renowned and learned masters of the Nyingma lineage, Kun-Khyen-Longchen-rab-jam-pa (1308-1363) wrote many very concise and lucid texts on Mahayoga, Anuyoga, and Atiyoga. Despite the depth and complexity of these subjects, Long-chen-pa's presentation was exceptionally clear and understandable. His works helped to define many of the essential doctrines and practices of the Nyingma. Long-chen-rab-jam-pa was schooled in the various sects by most of the greatest gurus of his time. While still very young he became a master scholar, logician and lama. He attained great knowledge, wisdom, and incomparable compassion, with supreme power to help others realize absolute perfection. Although he was the abbot of Samye monastery early in his life, Longchen-pa retired from monastic life to live simply in the mountains of Tibet. There he prepared his most profound works, the most perfect renderings of philosophical and psychological truths ever collected. These are referred to as the Nying Thig, which systematically explains the Dzog-chen (Path of Absolute Perfection). The Dzod-dun, "Seven Treasuries", and many of his other writings, subdivide the Atiyoga system to discuss and explain the inner, outer, and secret meanings of Sadhana practices, oral teachings, and initiation. Kun-Khyen Long-chen-rab-jam-pa's knowledge was so vast as to be incomprehensible to the ordinary mind. Kun-Khyen means "omniscient" and is indicative of the extent of Long-chen-pa's achievement. Long-chen-pa's incarnation was most unique, being directly that of Vimilamitra and Manjushri. His knowledge is the very embodiment of the six great Mahapanditas. He taught and gave initiation in the higher esoteric teachings to forty thousand students at one time. Through his instruction, many of his disciples attained Enlightenment. As a Terton (Terma master) he revealed some of the Terma which Padmasambhava had concealed for release in his time. Any familiarity or contact with his teachings can only inspire a vast admiration and reverence for this remarkable figure of Tibetan Buddhist history.

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Long-chen-pa had and displayed many great siddhis (powers) during his life. But his foremost contribution consists in the continuance of his teachings through the present time. Each February a sadhana is performed in commemoration of his Parinirvana and is known for its potential to acquire great siddhi. The Meditation Center-as students adhering to his teachings through the Dzog-chen school-participated in this concentrated devotional celebration in February of 1971. He is such an important and outstanding personage of the unbroken lineage which we practice, that our future publications will more thoroughly discuss him and the products of his exceptional brilliance.

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ABSOLUTE PERFECTION By Herbert V. Guenther

'Abso'lute Perfection' (rdzogs-cl)en) is the name for a philosophical system that was developed by the rNying-ma-pas (Old Order) of Tibet and given its final expression by klong-chen rab-'byams-pa (1308-1363 A.D.). The impetus came from the Yogacara-Madhyamika-Svatantrikas of India who emphasized the fact that all human experience, inasmuch as it is experience and not mere propositions and the like, is an insight into reality, an awareness of coherence, rather than correspondence, which is not its own authentication of reality, but reality itself. They also realized that it is impossible to have a metaphysics which asks whether ideas expressed in such a system are true 'of reality', because there is no relationship between such a system and a reality outside it. It was further realized that knowledge and reality are synonymous. Knowledge, unlike opinion, is concerned with the real, and since all knowledge is intentional in structure ('I cannot know without knowing something'), knowledge and reality are but end-terms for this structure. Knowledge as 'knowing subject' has "known object', the one is as absolute as the other. The 'knowing subject' in its absoluteness is Dharmakaya (chos-sku), and the 'known object' in its absoluteness is Dharmadhatu (chos-dbyings). They are one reality, not two entities. In the conveyance of knowledge, and also of opinion, the mind is of singular importance. However, mind is not so much a particular existent, different from other particular existents, nor a container of ideas, but a function which, for all practical purposes, operates through and as perception. Its operation is of two kinds. The one involves the beliefs we have about commonsense objects and, for this reason, is a means to metaperceptual ends. It is demanding, classifying, rubricizing, and judging. This aspect refers to what is commonly called a 'mind' (sems) and an ordinary person is aptly called 'someone having a mind' (sems-can). The other operation is not concerned with metaperceptual ends, but aims at the apprehension of the full value of the object freed from specific practical considerations. It is intrinsic or aesthetic perception (rig-pa). This aspect is most important for the individual's development as it fosters appreciations (values) as against demands (means). Value-perception is more 'absolute' and less 'relative'. This does not mean that 'absolute' is inevitably static; on the contrary, it implies a continuous, though fluctuating, delight in what is perceived in 31

itself, now in one way, now in another. Anything may be perfect in itself and, in this sense, 'absolute', and yet it may be simultaneously embedded in organizing frames of reference and in the demands of a situation, ranging from the immediate in time to the past and the future and from the here to the there in space. In this way, that which is absolute is also 'relative'. Similarly, any man or woman may be a 'Buddha' and at the same time a particular member of a particular culture within a particular period. We tend to use the term 'Buddha' as a proper name, but in the East it has always been understood as a designation for a certain experience which was subsequently described as a transcendence of the limitations and distortions of reality by unknowing (ma-rig-pa 'failure to perceive aesthetically'). The removal of all obscurations (byang) is tantamount to the realization of all that is positive (chub), and its experience (sems) constitutes 'enlightenment' (byang-chub-sems) which is a state of a person rather than the particular awareness of an object. It is 'absolute' in the above sense and as reality-knowledge it is not some particular knowledge of some part of reality, nor is it itself a part of reality, but reality as such, not limited in any way; it is utterly open. Its existential character is termed Dharmakaya. Since knowledge is revealing, irradiative, luminous and, in this case, not divorced from reality but in communion with it, it is an empathetic knowledge, technically known as Sambhogakaya. In its cognition of reality it is an intrinsic awareness in which whatever is perceived is perceived as if it were all that there is. This aspect is termed Nirmanakaya. These three cognitive-existential patterns are 'perfect' because they cqnstitute and represent reality. It is the merit of the 'Absolute Perfection' doctrine to have clearly grasped the problem of appearance and reality. We would never be able to know reality if it did not appear to us. What appears to us is not a correlate to an unknowable thing-in-itself (Kant) nor is it a semblance (Plato), but reality itself. In its appearance reality presents itself as a possibility for decision which itself is the functioning of reality as dynamic. The decision is either to appreciate reality or to judge it. Since every function creates new possibilities which are then realized in the decision about them, every decision takes place within the possibility pr.ovided by the reality present at the moment. Reality, however, is 'perfect' and hence every becoming is a renewal of perfect reality. Its perfection is not realized in judging it, because every judgment is a demand that something be this or that or behave in this or that way. It is a deviation from ('khrul-pa) and distortion of the

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perfection of reality, yet it does not contradict the perfection of reality because reality is present as the possibility for knowledge and the question whether knowledge is possible presupposes knowledge. Inasmuch as every judgment is felt to fall short of reality because of the demands it makes, the problem of dealing with reality and of avoiding deviation from reality was realized as being unresolvable within a framework of judgments. If in view of man's development and spiritual growth we speak of linear succession of starting-point, path, and goal, the apprehension and appreciation of reality or, in negative terms, the avoidance of embarking on a path of deviation, must occur at the starting-point or reality itself, because the way or the goal may well be a deviation. Thus, to elevate Nirvana above Samsara, as is done by the system-oriented schools of Buddhism, can be sa1d to be a failure to grasp reality as it is due to the pursuance of the habit of passing judgments. To say that this is Samsara and that is Nirvana is precisely and indulging in judging. Similarly the sublimation of the emotions, which is said to occur on the path, is a doubtful procedure as it also involves judgments. klong-chen rab-'byams-pa makes the following statement which clearly outlines the -position of the 'Absolute Perfection' doctrine: "To avoid deviation at the starting-point: by recognizing the foundation of deviation for what it is, deviation stops by itself. It is like sitting at home comfortably when a thief has been recognized for what he is and has absconded. This is the 'Absolute Perfection' way. "To avoid deviation on the path: it is claimed that he who is swayed by his emotions will be freed from them when he makes them his path. This is like retracing one's step from the wrong way. This is the way of the ordinary Tantras. "To avoid deviation at the goal: this is the way of the system-oriented schools. They claim that deviation is made impossible when Buddhahood has been achieved. It is like a king who has become powerful to conquer foreign countries after he has consolidated his realm". In simple terms, 'Absolute Perfection' means to accept the W