Middle Zhijé in Four Matho Fragments

There are far more Zhijé texts among the pre-1200 CE Matho fragments than anyone would have expected. To my mind this signals that Zhijé was more influential in those days than we have ever imagined. Among those Zhijé fragments, I managed to ferret out four that belong to a particular Middle Zhijé lineage that descended from Rma.* Just to remind yourself what the Middle Zhijé lineages are, take only one minute to look at the chart that is today’s frontispiece.

(*Matho fragments v123, v249, v263 & v285; notes in Appendix B, below.)

Geshé Deyu (དགེ་བཤེས་ལྡེའུ་), author of the root verses (in circa 1180’s) later on made use of in a few so-called Deyu histories, did belong to an Intermediate lineage, but not to the Rma. No, he was of the So lineage. And long ago we blogged about newly emerging early Zhijé texts found at Drametsé in eastern Bhutan. The Rma lineage dominates one of these Drametsé manuscript sets, and I think it a matter of wonder and fascination that our best primary sources on the Rma lineage come from places so far apart.* Today we will pay attention to the four Rma texts of Matho, all related closely to one Rma lineage holder in particular, one named Khugom Joga (ཁུ་སྒོམ་ཇོ་དགའ་).

(*By 'primary' I just mean pre-Mongol-era. Checking distances on the internet, we could get from one to the other via northern India by driving around two thousand miles in a minimum 60-hour nonstop road trip; or, if you prefer, a 5- or 6-hour flight. It would be like traveling from Boston to San Francisco. Drametsé Thorbu no. 041, found in the British Library’s Endangered Languages project, includes previously unavailable histories of all three of the major Middle Transmission lineages, and wouldn’t you know there is even a Skam history in the Matho (v177) that we will need to blog about another time, not to mention a previously unheard of Zhijé history in the holdings of the Vatican Apostolic Library.)

To make the chronological problem quite simple, these Rma texts share enough information in their colophons for us to conclude that Rma (b. 1054) taught Ganden (Dga'-ldan), who in turn taught Khugom. Khugom makes reference to himself as the one who jotted down the notes, and in more than one case his words were written down by his own disciple Mingyur (Mi-'gyur) so we can at least be sure enough that this happened in middle decades of the 12th century. For most of the very little we have until this moment known about Khugom and his position within the sub-lineages, just look at these two paragraphs from the Blue Annals:

“Again Khu-sgom Jo-dga’, who dwelt in the valley of Klu-mda’-tshe, had numerous disciples. He taught it to Rgyal-ba Dkon-mchog-skyabs of Stod-lung Gzhong-pa Steng. The latter preached the doctrine to Rog Shes-rab-’od. 

     “Shes-rab-’od obtained at that place the understanding of the Mahāmudrā. Again Zhang-brtsun Rgyal-ba-bkra-shis taught it to ’Chus-pa Dar-brtson. The latter taught it to ’Chus-pa Brtson-seng. The latter taught it to Rog Shes-rab-’od. Now there have been two Lineages in the school of Rma: that of the Word, and that of the Meaning. The Guidance of the Meaning (don khrid) included 16 lag khrid or practical guides. The Lineage of the Word contained the ‘giving life to the thought of Enlightenment’ (cittotpāda), a summary (stong-thun), a miscellany (kha-’thor), that “which hits the mouth and the nose” (khar phog snar phog), meaning criticism of the point of view of others, and the “extensive” (exposition, mthar-rgyas). [This ends] the Chapter on the school of Rma.”

What we see here are two distinct sub-lineages that ended up with Rog Sherab Ö, dates 1166 to 1244 CE. He occupied a particularly pivotal point in the historical transmission of Zhijé as he made a great effort to obtain all the Padampa lineages. I think this is why we hear very little about distinctive Middle Transmissions after his time. It is as if he blended them all together. Of particular interest is the division into lineages of Word and Meaning, as it is entirely possible our Matho texts might be identifiable with one or another of the written texts mentioned here.* Some of the texts that are listed in our Blue Annals passage are preserved in Drepung, but not yet made available, just go to that catalog and see for yourself. My intuition is that the Matho texts would all be Meaning texts, zeroed in as they are on practical meditative guidance (in the case of Matho v285, I am sure of this, since it is made explicit).

(*I really must point out that I once believed the “which hits the mouth and nose” with its added explanation “meaning criticism of the point of view of others,” was dubious, since an alternative reading gives us ear (rna) in place of nose (sna), and this seemed to make so much better sense when it is a subject of an esoteric contemplative tradition, passed from mouth to ear. But now I am not so sure, since one lexicon defines the entire phrase to mean some sort of harsh and unfiltered speech. It appears this phrase is exclusively used in Zhijé contexts, and so far I have not seen a Zhijé explanation of it. I think it likely means ‘occasional utterance,’ ‘spontaneous expression’ or the like. There was no monastic debating ground in the remotest corners of their minds, no philosophical positions requiring rational refutation. We are about as far as we could possibly be from Sangpu Neutog [གསང་ཕུ་ནེའུ་ཐོག་].)

Lucky for us, very early Zhijé manuscript sets were found in eastern Bhutan by Karma Phuntsok several years back. These same sets are now ready to spread their light from the bright stratosphere of the British Library’s website. In one of them, believe me or not, quite a bit more can be known about Khugom and his particular Rma lineage. Among the relevant titles is an untitled history of that lineage that is quite surely, even if not stated explicitly, the work of Rog Sherab Ö. We’ve put the entire Tibetan text in transcription in an appendix at the end of this blog. If you are not reading Tibetan you may still want to have a glance at it since translations of most of the passages relevant to Khugom have been supplied. This expands our knowledge about him exponentially.

You may be thinking, ‘But wait just one minute, what of the content of the four Matho fragments themselves, aren’t they the main focus of interest and not the biographies of their composers or the content of their colophons?’ Of course you are 100% correct about this, they are richly worthy of the studying and understanding. But let me ask you, ‘Have you been working under the delusion that you were going to find out all there is to know about them in one short blog? Is everything *my* responsibility?’ After all, what is keeping you from reading them for yourself?

For the time being, my only desire is that you will take note of the fact that the mid-12th-century writings treasured by one of the more elusive of Padampa’s esoteric lineages of contemplative instructions have survived for us in early manuscripts that may be found in far-flung areas of Tibetan religious culture, literally ranging from one side of the plateau to the other. That is to say, in a Nyingma monastery of eastern Bhutan, in a manuscript cache discovered in a Sakya monastery of Ladakh, and among the manuscripts kept in the Arhat Temple of Drepung Monastery just outside Lhasa, Tibet. That in and of itself provokes liberation through simply seeing.

Key reference points

See these earlier Tibeto-logic blogs for further bibliographical pointers:

“New Padampa Manuscripts” (July 2, 2016). This tells of the manuscript discoveries by Karma Phuntsok at Drametsé Monastery in Eastern Bhutan that have revolutionized the study of early Zhijé and Cutting traditions.

“Recovered Connections 2 - Interdependent Emergence of Tibetan Buddhist Schools” (April 30, 2024). This was an attempt to look more deeply into the content of the Matho fragments as a whole.

“Padampa in the Vatican,” Tibeto-logic (March 22, 2024).

1. Access to the Matho fragments (W1BL9):

https://library.bdrc.io/show/bdr:W1BL9

2. The Matho fragment handlist by myself:

https://sites.google.com/site/tiblical/matho-fragments-handlist

✪3. The Matho fragment handlist by Bruno Laine:

http://www.rkts.org/handlist.php?id=Ma4

4. “Story of the Matho Fragments”:

https://www.bdrc.io/blog/2024/01/10/matho-fragments/

Drepung Catalog: Dpal-brtsegs Bod-yig Dpe-rnying Zhib-’jug-khang, ’Bras-spungs Dgon-du Bzhugs-su Gsol-ba’i Dpe-rnying Dkar-chag, Mi-rigs Dpe-skrun-khang (Beijing 2004), in 2 volumes (pagination continuous). For further reference, look here. On pp. 710-712 and 808 are several titles, some quite lengthy, that are remarkably close in their titles to those mentioned in the Blue Annals passage, so chances are very high that texts parallel to the Matho are preserved today in Drepung Monastery’s Sixteen Arhat Chapel library (see Ducher’s essay). These parallels would allow us to flesh out the contexts and contents of these fragments. Most obvious to remark about are Stong-thun texts that include one by Zhang Gandenpa (Zhang Dga'-ldan-pa), as well as Rma lineage texts transmitted to one ’Og-ka [~’Ol-ka] Skya-rgyal by one Phug-ra-ba. These last-mentioned names are liable to intrigue us by their very obscurity.

Cecile Ducher, “Goldmine of Knowledge: The Collections of the Gnas bcu lha khang in ’Bras spungs Library,” Revue d'Etudes Tibétaines, no. 55 (July 2020), pp. 121-139. Available without cost online, this has golden information on the Drepung Sixteen Arhats Chapel’s library and its history.

Gendun Chomphel and George Roerich, trs., The Blue Annals [of ’Gos Lo-tsā-ba Gzhon-nu-dpal, 1392-1481], Motilal Banarsidass (Delhi 1976), p. 876. The passage supplied above was based on this translation, while changing the transcriptions of proper names to ordinary Wylie, with a few minor changes in the interest of clarity. The Tibetan looks kind of like this: 

yang khu sgom jo dgas klu mda' tshe lung du bzhugs nas gdul bya mang du bskyangs |  des stod lungs zhong pa steng gi rgyal ba dkon mchog skyabs la gsungs |  des rog shes rab 'od la gsungs |  shes rab 'od kyis phyag rgya chen po'i rtogs pa der shar |  yang zhang btsun rgyal ba bkra shis kyis 'chus pa dar brtson la bshad |  des 'chus pa brtson seng la bshad |  des rog shes rab 'od la gsungs so |   | de la rma'i chos skor ni chig brgyud [~tshig brgyud] dang don brgyud gnyis las |  don khrid ni lag khrid bcu drug [/] chig brgyud ni sems bskyed dang stong thun dang kha 'thor dang khar phog snar phog [~khar phog rnar phog] dang mthar rgyas rnams so |   | rma lugs kyi skabs so |   |

Sarah Harding, “Distilled Elixir: A Unified Collection of the Guidebooks of the Early, Middle, and Later Pacification.” There is also the book. If you do have access to Sarah’s translation of Jamgön Kongtrul, Zhije, Snow Lion (Boulder 2019), I recommend reading pages 419 through 430 for a breathtaking aerial view of the Rma School’s meditation precepts.

Rog Sherab Ö (རོག་བནྡེ་ཤེས་རབ་འོད་, 1166-1244 CE), History of the School of Rma (no front title, but entitled in the colophon as Rma-lugs-kyi Lo-rgyus), contained in: Drametse Thorbu 041, part of the British Library's Endangered Archives Project. A manuscript in 4 folios [ends at p. 66a following the numbers of the scans]. This entire text has been attached in transcription below, in Appendix A. A table of contents of the whole volume that contains it, Drametse Thorbu 041, is in Appendix C.

§  §  §

Appendix A: Transcription of The History of the School of Rma

Note: I have supplied rough translations and summaries of the later parts containing material directly related to Khugom. No author’s colophon as such appears here, even if there is an ending that might be wrongly taken as a colophon. I believe that, just like the brief historical texts on the So and Skam schools in this collection, it was made by Rog Sherab Ö, who is mentioned in the body of the text.

11. No front title. Rma lugs kyi lo rgyus [title from colophon]. 4 fols. [ends p. 66a of the scans]. This is the 11th title in the set that takes up all of Drametse Thorbu 041 (for Table of Contents, see Appendix C). I think its authorship may be securely attributed to Rog Sherab Ö.

[1r] na mo 'ghu ru / 'jam dpal smra ba'i seng ges dpal 'bir rgya ba / des a rgya de ba la / des rje dam pa rgya gar la'o //

[Brief biographical sketch on Padampa, followed by the biography of Rma]

de la dam pa'i lor rgyus ni / skye ba bdun du pan 'gri ta'i lus tsag mar bzhes pa yin ste / skye ba 'di la / yul lho phyogs rtsa ra sing nga zhes bya ba'i grong khyer du / yab bram ze nor bu len pa / yum bram ze mo spos sbyor ba'i rig pa byed can / de la sras gsum yod pa'i bar pa dam pa nyid lags /

de yang lo lnga lon nas 'bri klog la sbyangs / lo bcu' gsum la / 'bri ka ma la'i rtsug lag khang du phal chen pa'i sde pa la rab tu byung / 'du ba la legs par sbyangs //

de nas rnal 'byor pho mo lnga bcu rtsa bzhi'i bla ma rten / gzhung gdams pa ma lus pa gsan bsgrub pa mthar phyung nas / bod du 'gro ba'i don la lan gsum byon skad //

lan dang po de bal po la byon nas / byang lam 'grims / zhang gzhung gling ka ba dang / khra tshang 'brug bla la rjun 'phrul gyi gdams pa gnang /

de nas rgya nag ri bo rtse lnga la 'phags pa 'jam dpal la chos gsan / slar rgya gar du byon skad //

lar bar pa de mon sha 'ug las sgo thon ste / dmyal du byon / myal gyi snang gror g.yog po lo gsum byas /

de nas yar stod du byon / khu lo dang 'byal bar bzhed pa la / khu dam nyams su 'dug pas log nas / skyer rnang byon no //

[Padampa and Rma meet]

de'i dus su bla ma rma dang 'byal ste / de yang bla ma rma de dge' ba'i bshes gnyen chen po yin pa la / snyung nad yun rings kyis btab nas / [1v] ma drag pa la / dus na ma cig phyir byon snying 'dod pa la / 'khor kun gyis brten nas byon / der skyer sna'i phyir rol na / pho mo cig gi steng na a rtsa ra cig 'dug nas / shin tu mos pa cig byung ste / zhag 'ga chos ston grang byin brlabs zhu byas pas / skye ba mang po nas las 'brel yod pa yin pas de rtsug byas pas chog gsung nas / nang du gshegs / lam rgyus med par brang khang ngo shes byung pas yid ches / zhag bcwa brgyad gdams pa zhus / chos ston grangs pas / rdo ha [~do ha] la rten pa'i phyag rgya chen po'i rtsa ba'i ngo sprod gnas / shin tu nges shes skyes der dam pa da 'gro gsung pa la / da rung bzhugs par zhus pas ma snang / gzims pa'i sog ma ma zhar ba dang / spyod lam gyis ngom mtshar skyes nas / chags phyir 'khrid par zhus pas kyang / ma snang / 

'on gyang phyir 'brengs pas skyon du byung / bskyon gyang 'brengs pas rog pa rtsar byon / bla ma gnyan ston gyi dben rtsar bzhud / rmas dge' rar gzims / yang nang par skyon ya phyir 'brengs / gad pa stengs su phyin pas / da sdod phrag de 'ong pas log gsung / gsung kyang phyir 'brengs pas / bya sar byon / bla mas nag po tshangs su gzims pas / g.yog pos phyir ston / nub mo phyugs rar gzims / nang par nam phabs gter gter la che long cig blangs nas / gsol /  de nas bya sa'i gru la sgrol byas pas / ma sdub / a tsa ra la gru mi dgos gsung nas / pha tse'i steng du bzhugs nas bzhud /  rmas bya sa'i gru la byon / bsam yas su or brgyad dkon mchog dbang gi can du gzims / 

de nas rma la la byon [2r] klag du rtsun ma'i gnas su bzhugs /  de'i tshe bla ma rma la khyod rang log / sang sna sa dgun 'phan yul du shog gsung //  der rmas log nas yul du byon / 'khor dang yo byed thams cad spangs / slar 'phan yul du byon nas tshig rgyud rnams tshar bar zhus //

de nas bla ma rma ni / nyams rnam pa dang rtsa ba bral / blo dang chos zad / lta ba thag chod nas / skong po brag gsum rdzong lo dgu' bzhugs /

de'i dus su dge' bshes shud pu lo tsha ba dang / gang par gshin gyis gdams pa zhus /  de nas dags po rdzong khar bzhugs nas bsgom cheb mang du brteb //

de nas 'jal gyi kyi tshang du lo gsum bzhugs /  de'i dus su zhang ston bon mo dpal dang / zhal ston bkra shis 'bar gyis zhus / dus de yan chad du sems bskyed lam khyer las ma gnang ngo //  • //

[The history of Zhang Gandenpa]

de nas zhang dga' ldan pa'i lor rgyus ni / dang po phu dang don 'gar kyi mtshams pa yin pa la / yab ni / dmyal rtag rtse dpar mo'i phyir byon pas 'das /  me sring chung pa gnyis lus / ka cha med nas lug lo bzhi lnga rtsam btsas / de nas dad pa skyes ste /  zhing gsum yod pas cig brtsongs nas / stod lungs su bla ma skor gyi spyan sngar byon / dbang la gsum zhus / gshin rje dang phag mo'i chos zhus / lo sum bcu rtsa bdun tshun chod bzhugs / de rtsa na bla ma so chung pa / bla ma skor la chos zhur byon pa dang / 'byal nas kyang chos zhus /  ngo bo rang bzhin mtshan gsum gyi gdams pa gnang / de nas yul du byon nas / zhing gcig la chu 'chu'i yod tsa na / btsun ma zhar ma / khengs mo cig na re / nga grogs po cig la grogs su bcol zer / [2v] de'i bar du chos gtam byas pas /  zhang gis ji skad gsungs pa la de rnams yin / dri ma yin zer sun ston no //

'o na btsun ma'i slob dpon de lta bu gang na yod byas pas / bla ma rma yin zer ngas gdams pa zhus na gnas sam byas pas / gnang yod zer ro //  

[So he asked, Where might I find such a teacher? and he replied "I am Lama Rma.”  “If I ask for precepts may I remain here?”  “I permit it.”]

cig car 'byor khyim du skyal nas / phye dang rgyags khyer nas / zhang 'gar byung pa'i grogs po dang 'grogs nas byon ste / yar lungs su ris pas / bla ma byar du bzhud zer / der btsun ma mo la 'gro rogs zhus pas / btsun ma na re / nga la skyon du 'ong / khyed rang bzhud la / bla ma rgya gar gyi gdams pa rtsa ba thun bcud zhud gyis zer ro //

der phyin tsa na / byon chang mang po yang 'dug / thams cad 'tshogs nas chos gang zhu'i gros byed kyi 'dug pa la / bla ma'i zhal nas ston pa yas chos ci 'dod gsung pas / nga rgya ma rgya gar gyi rtsa ba thun bcud zhu ba lags byas pas / stong du sa spa ra gang gtab nas  de 'dra yod pa su la yod / thos pa su la thos gsung nas skyon pas / skengs te / chos mi 'ong par 'dug snyam nas yi mug ge cig nyal ba ba dang / nang par tsha ba la 'bod nas phyin tsa na / khyod kyis su la thos gsung / thos pa cig dang bdog ste byas pas / jo mo skong mos bzlas nges / da khyod 'ongs kyi ting la gdams pa byed dgos gsung /

der dga' ches te rgyags kyi sbyor ba byas / bla mas thun bcud dang rtsal sbyong gi gdams pa gnang pas / gra pa gzhan rnams kyang khyod drin che bas / phyag btsal dgos par 'dug gsung /

de nas gdams pa ma lus gnang nas rgyud pa gtad pa yin gsung ngo // • //

de nas phyis bla ma gad pa stengs su ltog pas snyung pa'i tshe [3r] slob ma che dgu' 'tshogs pa dang / shud pu lo tsa ba na re / ngas rgya gar gyi khri 'do' li bya ba shes kyis / slob dpon gzims pas chog pas / skyer rnar bzhud par zhu byas pas / 

bla ma'i zhal nas / dge' bshes / zla ba phyi ma'i tshes bcu gcig la nga 'ong gis / skye sna ba rnams chang mang po tshos cig / rma chang la ni dga' / to pi gzur zhu byas la 'ong cig byas pas / bu slob rnams chu ma shor /

de'i tshe zla ba phyi ma'i tshes bcu gcig la grongs pas / de'i dus su slob ma thams cad 'tshogs nas / gad pa stengs kyi 'khyams su nyal tsa na / nang par tho ras bla ma zhang gis bltas pas / thams cad bsgom kyi 'dug pas / bla ma spa sa la yi bsgom pa'i gdams pa btab nas 'dug gsung /  

gzhan rnams nyam len dang bral ba cig kyang mi 'dug pas / dus der bla mas thugs la btags par byung snyam nas ngos shes skye gsung //  

de nas yul du byon nas / ma rgan shi ba'i dge' rtsar zhing cig rtsong nas / tshogs 'khor byas / yang cig btsongs nas rog pa rtsar bskyeg pas / 'jug tu tsa ba tor / 

de nas dbu rar btsun ma rnams kyis bshos lo gsum grangs / de nas mon khud du btsun ma rin chen sgron gyis spyan grangs / slob ma 'ga' re bskyangs /  skyes bu se ra la mthar rgyas dang kha 'thor gyi gdams pa btab / 

de nas dga' ldan du bzhugs nas / slob ma sngags pa'i mi chen nye tshe bskyangs pas / rgyud pa zin pa tsam ma byung skad //

[Four great sons of Gandenpa]

dus phyis bu chen bzhi byung ste / khu bsgom jo dga' / skyogs bsgom bsam gtan / dmyal ston dga' chung 'bar / rgya dar seng dang bzhi'o //

[The account of the meeting of Khugom with Gandenpa]

de la khu bsgom dang 'byal ba'i lo rgyus ni / [3v]  lo sum bcu rtsa bdun la / bya sar ltad mo byon / mi thog rta thog gnyis kha chod pa la / gza' rgyu ba dang phrad nas yun rings na / ci byas kyang ma drag nas / bla ma zhang gi thad du byin brlabs zhus pas drag /  des nges shes skyes ste / gdams pa zhus pas / bsgom byed dang bral ba'i don rgyud la skyes skad //

dus der ston chung dge' bsnyen la nad byung pas / khong 'khyam du 'gro ba la snying rje bar dgongs nas / ngo sprod kyi yig chung 'debs / lha rje 'jig rten 'bar gyis bshad na [~cig?] phul nas zhus pas /  stong thun chu rgyu yi ger bkod / de yan chad du yi ge cig kyang med skad //  

[...Prior to this it is said that the lineage had no written documentation...]

zhang gis mtha' rgyas dang / stong thun chu rgyun / kha 'thor rgya pa tsho las ma bkod skad //  gzhan snyan rgyud yin no //

der rgya dar seng skyogs bsgom bsams bstan [~bsam gtan] gyis khrid byung pa la / zhag nyi shu rtsam las ma bsdad / zin ris mang du byas / khu bsgom la yang ngo sprod kyi yig chung kha yar zhus te / thams cad de'i dus su yi ger btab / de'i dus su zhu ba po'i bye brag gis / rgyas bsdus 'ga' re byung pas che chung du song / don la khyad med / rgyas go bcad nas rma'i lugs dar bar byas so //

de la khu bsgom ni bla ma'i spyan sngar yun gyang [~kyang]  ring / zhabs tog kyang che / thugs la bstags pas / gdams pa gzhan pas rgyas shis / zhu thar [~zhun thar] chod pa yin skad // 

[Next was Khugom. He remained especially long in the presence of the Lama and was great in his service. With this in mind the teacher granted him more extensive precepts than the others and all of his doubts* were resolved.  *Note use of zhun-thar, a pre-Mongol era term with meaning of “doubt” later replaced by the-tshom.]

lan cig shel gyi nang du ri nyil nas / zangs rdo brdol bas sgrug pa la thams cad song tsa na bla ma khu na re / zangs rdo bas bla ma'i gdams ngag dga' zer nas bsdad pas / chos 'dod nges su go nas / slob ma gzhan med kyi bar du / zhag bcu bzhir / gdams pa thams cad 'phra bcad nas [4r] gnang skad do //

[Once inside the crystal [cave?] the mountain crumbled {there was a landslide?}. When a copper stone broke free he picked it up and when everyone came to have a look Lama Khu said, "The precepts are more happily found than a copper stone." As he sat there he understood there was a definite desire for Dharma, so during a time when there were no other disciples, a period of fourteen days, it is said that all the precepts were granted after he had decided the fine points.]

der gdams pa yod kyang / gsang spyod du byas nas bzhugs pa la / bla ma grongs pa'i dus su bu slob kun gyis / bla ma grongs pa'i shul du gdams pa su che zhes pa / khu bsgom che gsung //

der zhang gi slob ma rnams khu bsgom la 'phungs pa lags skad do // • // 

[Zhang’s former disciples are said to have gathered there around Khugom.]

de la rje btsun rgyal pas zhus te / rje btsun de rtsang la sdog gi chags phyi na zhi byed so lugs gsan gyi bzhugs pa la / sdog gis snyan ston dga' chung 'bar la rma lugs gsan / der slob dpon gyis kyang byon /  

[It was from him that Jetsun Gyelpa, i.e. Tenné, requested the teachings. It was while this Jetsun was servant of Dog in Tsang that he entered the teaching of Zhijé’s So School and Dog was receiving teachings on the Rma School from Nyantön Gachungbar. These the Teacher (Slob-dpon, i.e., Tenné) also attended.]

de nas yar mdar byon nas / khu bsgom gyi slob ma dang klong langs byas pas gdams pa khyad yod par shes nas / khu bsgom gyi spyan ngar byon / de'i dus su rje btsun rgyal pas kyang byon / rtsang pa bsdog gis zla ba gnyis bzhugs / rje btsun rgyal pas phyis lo cig bzhugs skad do //  

[Then he went to the lower part of the Yarlung River Valley where, after spending time with a disciple of Khugom, he came to know that Khugom had some special precepts, so he went to his presence. At the same time Jetsun Gyelpa also arrived. Tsangpa Dog remained there for two months. It is said that Jetsun Gyelpa remained for one more year.]

de la rog gi ban dhe shes rab 'od kyis zhus te / brgyud pa gtad pa yin pas sems can la phan thogs cig gsung //  

[From him, Tenné, the Bande of Rog, Sherab Ö, requested the teachings. The teacher told him, “The transmission has hereby been handed on, so be of benefit to sentient beings.”]

yang rje btsun chus pas rma'i bu chen cig la thug ste /  zhang btsun rgyal ba bkra shis / sog po mdo sde / gang par gshin rje (gshein?) / khu bsgom dang bzhi la thug /  

[Jetsun Chüpa met one Great Son of Rma and then he met these four: Zhangtsun Gyelwa Tashi, Sogpo Dodé, Gangpar Shinjé, and Khugom.] 

des kyang rog gi ban dhe sher rab 'od [~shes rab 'od] la gnang ngo //  

[It was by him (by Tenné), too, that the teachings were granted to the Bande of Rog, Sherab Ö.]

'dir rog gis de rnams thams cad kyi dgongs pa cig tu gril ba yin ste / rma'i lugs mthar thug pa yin no // • // 

[It was Rog who rolled up all of these transmissions into a single intention, bringing the Rma School to its full expression.]

[The precepts that emerged from them: the Meaning Transmission of direct recognition, and the Word Transmission that resolves doubts]

gnyis pa de las byung pa'i gdams pa la gnyis ste / don gyi rgyud pa la ngo sprad pa dang / tshig gi rgyud pas sgros 'dogs bcad pa'o //

dang po la lnga ste / bcud kyis rang rig pa'i ye shes ngos bzung pa dang / thun gyis ting nge 'dzin srangs su gzhug pa dang / rtsal sbyong gis bogs gdon pa dang / sor bzhag gis phyag rgya chen po ngos bzung pa [4v] dang / la bzlas bsgom du med par bstan la dbab pa'o // • // 

tshig gi rgyud pas sgros 'dogs bcad pa la lnga ste / sems bskyed lam khyer gyis byang chub kyi sems khyer ba dang / stong thun gyis shes bya bstan la dbab pa dang / kha thor gyis don gyi mdo' gzung pa dang / kha phog snar phog gis stan la dbab pa dang / tha ma mthar rgyas gnyis su la bzla ba'o //

[Written documentation]

de la yi ge de rnams la che chung 'ong pa ni / phal cher rgyas bsdus kyi khyad par yin pas / chen mo rnams chung par 'dus pas / logs su mi dgos so //

stong thun chu rgyun dang / 'bring po dang / sems bskyed chu rgyun ni / logs pa yin pas chen mor ma 'dus pa yin no //

gzhan khar phog brgyad pa dang / bcu' gnyis ma gnyis ka / stong thun 'bring po yang chen mo dang 'dra / rgyas bsdus yin / sems bskyed 'bring po yang chen mo 'dus / dpe dang phan yon gnyis kyi khyad las med / kha phog la che chu [~chung] med / khu bsgom gyis lhug par bkod pa la rten nas / chus pas tshig bshad du byas yin no //  //

[These just-listed written texts were made by Chüpa (Chus-pa) in reliance on the loose arrangement by Khugom.]

rma lugs kyi lo rgyus rdzogs s.ho //  //  //  //  //

[The History of the School of Rma is hereby completed.]

•

Appendix B: Notes on the Four Rma Lineage Manuscript Fragments from Matho, Ladakh

v123

Fols. 1-2, 6-7, 10 (on verso is a kind of ending), 62 etc. The final scan p. 22 contains a colophon that identifies it as written notes of “Khutön myself” with Khutön being none other than Khugom:  rje btsun rgya gar gi bdam ngag xxx rje btsun rma'i snyan rgyud la / rje btsun dga' ldan pa'i (?) stong thun // baxx bxx khu ston bdag gi zin bris so // rdzogs s.ho. This surely pertains to a Mahāmudrā lineage of Padampa’s precepts in the transmission from Rma, and is in the very same lineage as the Khugom texts found elsewhere among these fragments. Rma (b. 1054) taught Ganden, who in turn taught Khugom. Since Khutön (Khugom) refers to himself as the one who took down the notes, this text’s composition ought to date to his time, in the middle decades of the 12th century.

v249

[1] First folio labelled “3 dug 'go ma. I’m inclined to think this first fol. is a Padampa text, even if it makes use of a term uncharacteristic of him, “la-zla-ba” (passing over the pass). Scan no. 2, in its last lines, says “Do not teach this to all, keep it in a one-to-one transmission.” I notice use of the unusual word sna-ga (=sna-ka), meaning 'all [the] sorts of.'  [2] The following fols. are marked as nos. 47, 57, 62, 92. Fol. 47 is definitely a Padampa text (the others require closer study), containing his direct teachings to women disciples (it has been utilized somewhat in this earlier blog). Fol. 62v has a colophon: dam pa rma (?) / zhang gsum gyi gsung ngag / bla ma khu'i gsungs 'gros / myi 'gyur [mi 'gyur] bdag gis yi ger bkod pa / lta ba 'i bste sgor lnga ba (?) // rdzogs s.ho / si ta sang ge ho. This is explicit about Mingyur setting down in writing the teachings of his Lama Khugöm that contain the oral precepts of Padampa, Rma and Zhang [Gandenpa].

v263

Two fols. only, no fol. nos. Both individually appear to be beginnings of texts, and both are surely Zhijé.  1st fol.: Mention of “Dam pa Sangs rgyas” at end of line 2 of scan p. no. 1, so quite evidently a Zhijé text.  But note on line 6 mention of “rang byung ye shes” (intrinsic Full Knowledge), not a characteristic phrase of Padampa, and so likely indicating Nyingma influences that entered in after Padampa’s death in 1105. It quotes from the Guhyasamāja Tantra and from Dohā songs. At the end of 1st fol. is a colophon we’ve seen before: bla ma khu sgom gis / myi 'gyur bdag la phyis gnang ba'o / dam pa'i gdams pa... I see here, too, that this text is to be regarded as belonging to the Meaning Transmission (don-gyi rgyud-pa).  2nd fol.: The beginning of the 2nd fol. (scan p. no. 3) states that it is the Intermediate among the three Word Descents (Bka’-babs ?) from Dampa, and among the three intermediate lineages, it is that of the Rma. This number as a whole ought to cover both bodily and mental preparations for meditation practice, although what we have here scarcely covers the bodily preparations, much resembling the well-known Dharmas of Vairocana. The full text would have covered much more.

v285

I believe the text begins on the scan p. no. 2, and continues on scan p. 1.  It explicitly states it contains precepts of Rma among the three [Middle Transmissions] Rma, So, and Skam (a statement quite similar to v263, listed above). The 2nd fol. (scan p. 4, line 4), has a colophon like we’ve seen before: don kyi rgyud pa rje btsun khus myi 'gyur bdag klu'i nang du gnang ba'o / chos kyi dbyings la ngo sprad pa / shin tu mtshan ma myed pa'i gcud //  // rdzogs so. So definitely, the two folios together are [one?] Zhijé text. The Khu mentioned in the colophon is certain to be Khugom Joga, spiritual grandson of Rma. This is explicitly included within the Meaning Transmission.

•

Appendix C:  Drametsé Thorbu 041, title list with a few notes

Title 1.  [1r]  Brgyud pa bar pa'i lo rgyus kyi rim pa.  5 fols.  [ends p. 5v]. This is a history of the So lineage of Zhijé by Rog Sherab Ö.

1v.6  Birth of Padampa.

2v.1  The Schools that formed after him:  Early, Middle, Late.

2v.6  How he met So.

3r.4  Lama So requests teachings.  More names of teachers.

5r.5  Rong Ban dhe Shes rab 'od.

Title 2.  [1r]  Another Zhijé history, with biography of Padampa etc. and an account of the Middle Transmission Skam lineage.  6 fols [ends p. 8b].

3r.1  Padampa goes to O rgyan.

4v.5  Goes to Chu mig ring mo.  4.6  Goes to G.yu ru Gra thang, meets Dge bshes Gra pa.

5r  From here on, it is about the transmission to Skam (i.e., a Skam lineage account).

6a.6  A passage explaining how there was a split in the transmission, that there are upper and lower traditions, and that this is the upper one.  There are lineages given, all ending in Rog Sherab Ö, and in fact the colophon is unambiguous that he was the author of this text.

[no title]

Incipit [1r]: bla ma dam pa rnams la phyag 'tshal lo //

dam pa rnams kyi zhal nas gsungs shing snyan nas snyan du rgyud pa'i gdams pa la / sngags dang pha rol tu phyin pa gnyis su gnas / de la pha rol tu phyin pa'i gdams pa la / gang zag yid ches par bya ba'i phyir / bla ma rgyud pa'i rim pa gtam rgyud yi ger bkod par bya'o //  //

Title 3.  [1r] Kar sna ka ri thugs kyi sras / gnyis myed bla ma rma'i brgyud.  9 fols.  [ends p. 15a].  A historical account of the Rma lineage.

Note: I think the kar-sha-ka-ri must intend "Krishnakari," or the like, as an epithet of Padampa with reference to his blackness. This work is an interesting combination of lam-rim, meditation manual, philosophy text, with strong hint of medicine (and bcud, nutrition), Mahâmudrâ.

[1r] kar sna ka ri thugs kyi sras // 

gnyis myed bla ma rma'i brgyud //

'gro ba'i log rtog sel mdzad pa //

brgyud pa rnams kyi zhabs la 'dud //

rje'i zhal gyi bdud rtsi' chus //

blo rman 'tshal bar 'dod pa yis //

rje btsun dam pa'i gsung sgros 'di //

cung zhig bdag gis bri bar bya //

Title 4. No title. 5 fols. [ends p. 18c], a text of the Rma lineage written down by Rog.

No title (but it calls itself Rma'i gdams phra gcod 'di...).  

Incipit [1r.1]: Om swa sti // spros dang spros med las grol zhing // dmigs dang dmigs med rnam par spangs // brjod med brjod pa kun gyi mchog // lhan cig skyes la 'dud phyag 'tshal //

Colophon [5v.4]: de ltar gdams pa thor bu ba ma lus pa // mthor kyis dogs nas cig tu gril ba 'di // rog gi ban dhe bdag gis yi ge bkod // nongs par gyur na bla mas bzod par gsol / 'bum si lu* zhes bya ma // bla ma rin po che rog gis bkod pa // rdzogs s.ho // dge'o //  [*I notice there is a text with sil-lu in its title in the Zhijé Collection.]

Title 5.  Untitled text of Rma lineage in 5 fols. set down by a disciple of Rog Sherab Ö. It says it belongs to the Rog school.

Colophon [5v.8]:  mthar rgyas gnyis kyi gdam ngag / 'jam dpal smra ba'i seng ge la / dpal bhir rgya ba la / des a rya de ba la / des ka ma la shi la / des rma bsgom / des zhang dga' ldan pa / des khu bsgom / des rog shes rab 'od la / des bdag la gnang pa lagso //  mthar rgyas kyis la zla ba // rdzogshyo // rin po che rog gi lugs so // ithî //  //

Text 6.  No title.  Rma lineage text.  4 fols. [ends p. 24c].

1r.2  This is the School of Rma.  1r.3  lineage given.  Incipit [1r.1]: bla ma dam pa rnams la phyag 'tshal lo //  rje dam pa rgya gar ba chen po sprul pa'i sku / nyi ma dang zla ba ltar du grags pa / 'dzam bu gling gi rgyan chen po des gsungs pa'i chos lags / bla ma chen po des gsungs pa'i chos la / spyir rgyud pa'i bka' srol mang kyang / 'dir bla ma rma'i lugs lags // 

'di yi gdams pa la spyi don gsum / bsgrub byed kyi brkyen bstan pa dang / de'i rten bstan pa dang / gdams pa dngos bstan pa'o // 

de la rkyen bla ma ste / rgyu sems can gyi sems nyid lhan du skyes pa rang la gnas kyang / rkyen bla mas ngo sprad na mi rtogs pas / de'i phyir bla ma ni / rje dam pa rgya gar ba / rma chos kyi shes rab / zhang dga' ldan pa / khu bsgom jo dga' / rgyal pa [rgyam pa?] dang chus pa / bla ma rin po che la sogs pa'o.

Colophon [4v.6]: de rnams ni rma'i chos sde sum bcu rtsa gnyis so // iti // //

Text 7.  No title, but after the  homage, a kind of title reads [1r.1]: Khro bo rigs pa'i rgyud pa zhes bya ba. I noticed nothing indicating this would be a specifically Zhijé text.  14 fols. [ends p. 32c].

Followed by an outline:  'di'i spyi don drug gis stan ste / bde bar gshegs pa bzhi / des gsungs pa'i gdams pa bzhi / khro bo bzhi / de'i lta stangs bzhi / de'i ngo sprod bzhi.  

3v.2  Lists some other esoteric traditions including Spyal gyi slab tshig ring mo (I believe the Bslab tshigs ring mo was a teaching of Dpyal, in fact).

Colophon [12v.6]: kha 'thor chen mo bcud phur bcu brgyad gyi gdams pa 'di // bla ma'i gsung la nan tan byas nas yi ger bris // 'di bris dge ba phyag rgya chen po'i don rtogs nas // 'gro kun thar pa'i lam du 'dren pa'i bdag por shog // kha 'thor bcu brgyad ma / bcud phur gyi gdams pa'o // rdzogsho //  //  [2 tiny letters follow]

Text 8. Untitled precepts of the Rma (or possibly Skam?) lineage. 16 fols. [ends p. 43a]. This must be a work of Rog Sherab Ö that reached Chüpa.

Small letters above line 1:  khu bsgom gyis ltug pa la / chus pas tshig bshad du bsdebso [compare colophon of no. 11 below].  Lineage at 1r.2:  rkyen sprul sku ma rgya gar des // las dang ldan bar ldan pa'i rma la gdams // rma'i brgyud pa rje btsun dga' ldan pas // thugs kyis bzung nas sras mchog khu ['khun dbang phyug rdo rje of other sources] la gdams // de yis rjes bzung rje btsun rgyal pa yis [rgyam pa? rgyams shes rab bla ma of other sources] // thugs rjes bzung nas bdag la rjes su gnang // zhal snyan brgyud pa'i bka' babs de ltar ste / las 'phro mtshams sbyar brgyud pa'i khar phag go //  [small letters: chus pa rag {~bdag?} la thug go. Note: This must mean 'Chus-pa Dar-brtson of other sources].  

Text 9. Skabs dang po'i gdams pa.  6 fols. [ends p. 47a].  

Colophon [6r.6]: shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa snyan rgyud kyi gdam ngag ces bya ste / rje rgya gar rin po che'i zhal snga nas legs par gsungs pa'i don // ma lus par rdzogs s.ho //  [added in a different hand in dbu-can script: rdzogs pa'i sangs rgyas thob par shog].

Text 10. Yul bden pa bzhi'i gdams ngag.  23 fols. [ends p. 61c]. A work of Rog Sherab Ö.

17r.2:  [Skt. title] Ting nge 'dzin gyi las brgyad zhes bya ba.

Colophon [23r.5]: bka' bden pa bzhi'i chos kyi 'khor lo zhes bya ba / rog gi ban dhe shes rab 'od kyis // bla ma'i gsung sgros yi ger bkod pa'o //  // rdzogs s.ho // legs so // dag go.   

17v  An uncompleted prayer, with erasures at the end, in a different cursive hand.

Text 11. No front title.  Rma lugs kyi lo rgyus [title from colophon].  4 fols. [ends p. 66a].  A history of the Rma school, surely authored by Rog Sherab Ö. This was transcribed in Appendix A.

Starts with a Pha dam pa biography, then a biography of Rma.

2r.5  zhang dga' ldan pa'i lo rgyus.

3r.8  de la khu bsgom dang 'byal ba'i lo rgyus ni [the story of his encounter with Khu sgom].

4v.5  khu bsgom gyis lhug par bkod pa la rten nas / chus pas tshig bshad du byas yin no.

Colophon: rma lugs kyi lo rgyus rdzogs s.ho //  //  //  //  //

Text 12.  No front title.  On subject of lus gnad & sems gnad.  3 fols. [ends p. 68a].  In content this closely resembles Matho fragment v263.

[1r] rje btsun dam pa dri myed zhal //

'gro ba'i log rtog sel mdzad pa //

brgyud pa rnams kyi zhabs la 'dud //  //

bla ma rje dam pa rgya gar gyi bzhed pas //

gang zag cig bla na myed pa'i byang chub bsgrub par 'dod pa la / chos rnam pa gnyis dang ldan dgos ste / lus gnad la dbab pa dang / sems gnad la dbab pa'o //

Colophon [3v.5]: de ltar ngos sprod brgyad kyi lam khyer ro // rma'i ngos sprad brgyad pa // sems bskyed lam khyer chung kuno // rdzogs s.ho.

Text 13.  Evidently title page is missing.  fols. 2-32 [ends on p. 88b].  I doubt there is a Rma or Zhijé lineage text hiding here. There are a number of subtitles hiding here.

A typology of illnesses [7v.7]: lus kyi na tsha la gsum ste / 'byung pa' na ba dang / dgegs kyis na ba dang / sngon gyi las kyi rnam par smin pas na ba'o //

[17r.1] rgya gar skad du / sa man ti kar ma ba si na ma // bod skad du / ting nge 'dzin gyi las brgyad zhes bya ba // shag kya thub pa la phyag 'tshal lo //

Colophon [27v.4]:  phyag rdor bha ma ma'i dbang khrigs [~khrid] gzhung dang phyag bzhes 'du btsun pa / rin chen phreng ba zhes bya ba / 'go ban nor bu la / snod ldan bus yis bskul nas bkod pa // rdzogs s.hyô //  dge bar gyur cig //  'go mu ne ke du'i thugs dam ['go nor bu is found just below] / ban chung 'gar gyis bris pa'o  [small letters not transcribed here].

Colophon [31v.8]:  Illeg. red letters. skal ldan bu yis gsol ba gtab don du // snga ma'i [32r] cho ga cung zad mi gsal ba // legs par gung sgrigs phyag bzhes rtsor byas nas // 'go'i ban dhe nor bus gsal bar bkod // dgon gnas [?] 'gro don rgyas par 'phel ba dang / phyag na rdo rje'i go 'phangs thob par shog //  dbang chog rin chen 'phreng pa zhes bya ba / spre lo dbyar zla ra ba sbrul zla'i zla stod dkar po'i phyogs la rtsi lung dpal gyi dgon pa'i gzims khang lho phyogs su tshes gsum nas bcu drug gi bar du tshar bar bkod pa / thugs sras rnams dang snod ldan gyi bu slob rnams kyi don du gyur cig //  //  bkra shis shing zhal dro ba dang smon lam bka' rtsan zhing byin che bar gyur cig // legs so / dge'o //  // rdzogs so.

Volume colophon (?) [32v.5]:  thugs sras rnams dang bu slob rnams zhes pa'i don ni / bstan pa'i bdag po shag kya'i mtshan / dgos 'dod 'byung ba'i rin chen dang / sra zhing brtan pa rdo rjer grags // tshogs chen gnyis logs bsod nams rnams // phyogs bzhi mtshams bzhi slob bu kun // don byed phyag rdor dbang khrigs bkod // ces pa lags so // 'di bris dge bas 'gro bzhi kun gyis phyag rdor gyi go 'phang thob par shog / ban chung 'gar* gyis bris so //  [Note: All the smaller letters in this section I believe belong together, and were probably added later on, filling in spaces left by the original scribe, so here they are, starting near the end of line 6:]  dpe 'di dka' srung rdo rje bdud 'dul** rtso 'khor lnga la stod [~gtod?] / [.7] zhu dag dgyis te dag dper bzhugs.ho / [There is another line, hard to read, and perhaps with no substantial information.]

Note: The remaining pages of photos after no. 88 were not printed as they are not Zhijé texts, although the last one is particularly interesting; a work of Götsangpa (1189-1258) with the title:  Cha snyoms [~ro snyoms] kyi zhal gdams gsal ba'i me long...  don 'grel Rgod tshang pas.

Tingrian Couplets in the Meditation Manual

Padampa in Saspola Cave, Ladakh
Photo by Rob Linrothe

Here you will find on offer translations of six Tingrian Couplets. They were preserved in a 15th-century Nyingma & Kagyü meditation manual composed by Khedrup Yeshé Gyeltsen. Those interested in Tibeto-logical details can read all the way to the end of the blog if they like. 

The Tingri Gyatsa, or Tingri Hundred is a widely renowned monument of Tibetan literature, always attributed to the authorship of Padampa Sangye, the south Indian meditation master who died in Tibet in 1105 or 1117 CE. Like Kabir’s Dohas, it’s all in two-line verse form. Each couplet ought to end with a vocative, “[oh my] Tingrians!” And I should add, the word “my” is not intended as an expression of ownership, but one of affectionate concern. Now you know what a Tingrian Couplet is, and you are welcome to read a few samples just below.

I realize these couple of verses may not be enough for everyone, so with those less easily satisfied people in mind I’d like to offer a complete English translation (Tibetan text also supplied) of one version of the Tingri Hundred:

Tap here

If you feel you could use some introduction and discussion, go back to our blog of December 2008, the one with the title “The Tingri Hundred”:

Tap here

• 1 •

Dampa said,

Delusions are not there in the base, they arise incidentally.

Comprehending this characteristic is enough, my Tingrians.

• 2 •

Lord Dampa Gyagar said,

If you are unable to renounce sangsaric dharmas,

even knowing all the scriptures is of no help.

• 3 & 4 •

By Dampa:

When your own aims are not fulfilled you do the aims of others no good.

First of all, do your practices, my Tingrians.

Forming easy relations with delusive appearances, you mix with them.

Bring understanding in their wake, my Tingrians.

• 5 •

If there is something you are attached to, that same thing also binds you.

There is no need for it whatsoever, my Tingrians.

• 6 •

By Padampa Gyagar:

Of all the virtues, rejoicing in others’ success is the best.

Don’t be envious of others my Tingrians.

§   §   §

Bibliographical affairs

I made use of one particularly fine cursive manuscript version of a previously unstudied (and needless to say untranslated) text by a teacher of Katok Monastery named Khedrup Yeshé Gyeltsen. I want to give him the dates 1395 to 1458 CE simply because that’s what I find in Cuevas’ book and Ehrhard’s essay, both listed below. However, Chatral Rinpoche’s history of Katok Monastery gives him a birthdate of 1455, sixty years later, so there is room for discussion. For the time being we can at least be satisfied that he lived in the 15th century. He exists in the BDRC database (see no. P10291), but no dates were there when I looked earlier today. 

I would say that there is nothing remotely comparable to his meditation manual, but that isn’t quite true. It reminds you overall of a much better known anthology of quotations about meditation, the one by Takpo Tashi Namgyal. The latter, written a century later, is entirely a Kagyü work. It scarcely quotes from works of Nyingmapas and Zhijepas, whereas this meditation manual from Katok Monastery explicitly states in its opening words that it encompasses “Zhi Rdzogs Phyag.”  That means Zhijé, Dzogchen and Mahâmudrâ.  We don’t often see them in a triad like this.*

(*Indeed, searching through the 15 million pages of the BUDA database in less than half a minute turns up only three positive matches, and wouldn’t you know, all three of them appear to share the same authorship with the meditation manual.)

Folio 1 verso of the meditation manual.
Notice the phrase zhi rdzogs phyag gsum in the middle of line 3.

• Another difference is that the meditation manual starts out with a lengthy section covering the normal topics of preliminary practices, or sngon-'gro, that we are accustomed to finding in Path Stage, tenrim (bstan-rim) and lamrim (lam-rim) texts. These topics include contemplations on impermanence, the rareness of human rebirth, and so on. I think you probably know about these things already.

• As far as Zhijé materials are concerned, the meditation manual embraces a lot more than just the few Tingrian couplets we’ve  included in this weblog. Most remarkably, it has an entire section near the end, running from folios 523 through 550, filled with material from the Kunga questions-and-answers texts (I haven’t identified which one yet, but you can be sure I will be looking into this sometime soon).

Chatral Rinpoche (Bya-bral Sangs-rgyas-rdo-rje, 1913-2015), Dpal Kaḥ-thog-pa’i Chos-’byung Rin-chen Phreng-ba, Snga-’gyur Bstan-pa’i ’Byung-gnas Kaḥ-thog Rdo-rje-gdan (n.d.), in 221 pages, composed between 1985 and 1988. TBRC no. W3CN3398. 

The biographical sketch of Khedrup Yeshé Gyaltsen is found at pp. 53-55. Here we find his Dzogchen and Marpa Kagyü (that means Smar-pa Bka'-brgyud, not Mar-pa Bka'-brgyud) studies emphasized, with no mention of Zhijé. We do find mention of his composition of our meditation manual, on p. 54, with the title Phyag-rgya-chen-po'i Khrid-gzhung Snying-po Don-gyi Man-ngag Rgya-mtsho'i Gter-mdzod. It’s intriguing to know that he spent much of his later life in meditation retreats in regions of far eastern Tibet, in the neighborhoods of the holy mountain Kawa Karpo, and even in ’Jang, or present-day north Yunnan. He may have even visited Shangrila, made virtually real only quite recently.

Bryan Cuevas, The Hidden History of the Tibetan Book of the Dead, Oxford University Press (Oxford 2003), p. 144.

Franz Karl Ehrhard, “Kaḥ thog pa Bsod nams rgyal mtshan (1466-1540) and His Activities in Sikkim and Bhutan,” Bulletin of Tibetology, vol. 39, no. 2 (November 2003), pp. 9 26. At p. 9 please note the dates of our author. The same date for him, along with an alias Bu-’bor Ye-shes-rgyal-mtshan, may be found in Cuevas’ book.

Matthew T. Kapstein, ed., Tibetan Manuscripts and Early Printed Books, Cornell University Press (Ithaca 2024), in 2 vols. 

I urge you, order this exceptionally interesting and beautiful book, then look at vol. 1, p. 131. Figure 4.7 shows the title page, in color, of a different manuscript of the meditation manual than the one I used. It labels as its source The British Library Board, Or.15292, dating the manuscript to ca. 16th century.  To see it in black-and-white, see TBRC no. W1CZ892. Its title-page title is Rdzogs-pa-chen-po Snying-po Don-gyis Gter-mdzod. This manuscript has quite a few very well executed miniature paintings, but seeing them in TBRC’s poorly scanned microfilm is more than a little sad.

The label says it’s Garab Dorje

Khedrup Yeshé Gyaltsen (Mkhas-grub Ye-shes-rgyal-mtshan), Mkhas-grub Dznyâ-na-ke-tus* mdzad-pa'i Man-ngag Rgya-mtsho, a cursive manuscript in 587 folios.  TBRC no. WA3CN2867.  

This is the only version I’ve made use of here (I supply the original folio numbers, not those “image numbers” that are no more than accidental byproducts of the scanning process), even though there are at least three and maybe four other versions of it that are possible to locate at BUDA website. Their titles are different, so best of luck finding them. One advantage of the version I used is that it marked the persons or texts it quotes from with red letters most of the time. That made it easier for me to find the quotations I did find.

(*Technically Sanskrit ketu ought to be tog,  ‘pinnacle,’ in Tibetan. However, dhvaja-ketu (rgyal-mtshan-gyi tog, ‘pinnacle of the victory banner’) is such a common phrase, you could see how the two parts could get confounded. That’s how Dznyâ-na-ke-tu can be a Tibskritic form of Ye-shes-rgyal-mtshan. Is it clear? Putting the names of respected Tibetan teachers into Sanskritic form isn’t just a game they play. It shows respect.)

Takpo Tashi Namgyal (Dwags-po Bkra-shis-rnam-rgyal, 1513-1596?), Mahāmudrā: The Quintessence of Mind and Meditation, translated by Lobsang P. Lhalungpa, Shambhala (Boston 1986). A fresh translation by Elizabeth Callahan was published not long ago. 

The problem of the author’s identity has been addressed and solved by Matthew Kapstein and David Jackson, and I believe them, but there is no way you can make me go into all that discussion right now.

 

—

Try going to the website of Katok Monastery at this address, and then look for "Yeshe Gyamtsen." The title of the work we used here can be found there, listed among the thirteen primary sources for teachings at Katog. Its title is given in English as “Ocean of Mahamudra Core Instructions.” This is interesting, as other versions of the title lead you to think it would be exclusively devoted to Dzogchen.

Afterword

From my Tibeto-logical research perspective, I was very excited to find these few quotations of Tingrian couplets. Why? First of all, just because I’ve found so little evidence for them between the 13th and 17th centuries. I always assumed or felt fairly sure they would have been known to many throughout that time, but even just a little more evidence is nice to see. Another matter: If you put the various versions side by side and compare them (as I have done, in a document that isn’t quite in good enough shape to share), you can see that over the centuries significant transformations took place. Some verses are made to yield quite different messages, and this is not always due to accidental misreadings of the manuscript by careless scribes. Sometimes motivated changes are the only explanations with feet on them. Our Tingrian Couplet no. 1 already supplies a good example.

I believe I have good enough reasons to support me if I say that the only Tingrian couplets Padampa actually composed was a set I call the Tingri Thirteen (or should that be Tingri Twelve?). These couplets were pronounced by Padampa as part of his last will and testament shortly before his death in 1105 or 1117. I’ve been meaning to put up a translation of it, but it deserves more polishing. 

A much longer set was pronounced by his disciple Kunga shortly before his own death seven years later on. Both versions (for short I call them versions A and B) are 100% exclusive to the Zhijé Collection, or so I had thought until today. To my amazement, our meditation manual preserves two lines from the introductory verses to Kunga’s 118 Tringrian couplets (so it is not technically a Tingrian couplet, but nonetheless...). It also quotes two couplets (nos. 3&4, above) that have parallels only in B, which tells us our 15th-century author had the Kunga version available to him. I can’t imagine how. (See now the added Postscript below.)

I would understand if you were to voice loud objections, criticizing the existing broad acceptance of all hundred or so Tingrian couplets as being by Padampa himself, when here we find the larger set is indeed spoken by Kunga. The introduction to Kunga’s set clarifies this. He is reading from something he had written down previously, and he insists that it does represent the essence of Padampa’s teachings. As I understand it, they were written after the model of the Tingri Thirteen as a homage, incorporating Padampa’s ideas and perhaps quite a few of his exact words, but, yes, written by Kunga.

Let me quote from my draft translation of the most relevant passage:

Standing before the yogis gathered here in glorious Tingri,

All people of stainless insight,

Great Sons happily abiding together. 

It isn't right for me to be giving this kind of muddled speech,

I who am like a firefly in the presence of the sun.

Still, these are the basic essentials of the teachings that came from Dampa,

So with affectionate thoughts I have set them down in writing.

Later on we will not meet, so listen as I read them to you now.

The intertextual connectedness between all the different versions is a subject I’ve been thinking over for a long time, but we can say that connections between A and the later versions C through F are quite few. Connections between B and the later versions are more evident and numerous, yet fully identical couplets are rare. Looking only at the later versions C through F, we can identify two recensions I believe are basic ones. I’ve called them the monkey and rhino recensions in an earlier blog. But as I said before, these critical reflections of mine about authorship have no bearing whatsoever on the Buddhist truth and/or spiritual authority of the texts themselves. The Tingrian couplets are great Tibetan poetry. Together they are a monument to the Tibetan language, a source of wisdom and inspiration regardless of your ideas about religions, and a trigger for reflection on life and its [mis]guided aims, no matter who wrote which one when. 

I know I should end on an uplifting note, but somehow I’m inclined to do nothing of the sort. These poetic lines from the meditation manual that follow are not Tingrian couplets, as you can see, and neither could they be verified in any other source at my disposal as yet. It’s about disenchantment with religion. You can find them on folio 511 recto, line 3:

de yang pha dam pa rgya gar kyis /

dang po dad pa skyes pas gnam du dil dil mchong /

bar du dad pa yal ba ri kha (~re kha) rjes kyis gang /

tha ma dad pa log pas 'khor ba'i rting rdo btags / ces gsungs so //

Padampa Gyagar had something to say about that:

When faith first arose, you leapt freely into the sky. 

In the meantime faith dissolved, and you were full of erased sketches.

In the end faith was reversed, and sangsara’s anchor was tied fast.

Keep the faith, my friends, no matter what.

Philological scratchpad

Tingrian Couplet One (22r.2)

dam pas /

'khrul pa gzhi la med de glo bur byung /

mtshan nyid go bas chog go ding ri pa /

Dampa said,

“Delusions are not there in the base, they arise incidentally.

Comprehending this characteristic is enough, my Tingrians.”

Our new source for this verse certainly supports the readings of version B over C.  The second line of Version C reads quite differently, and yields a meaning that is less radically formulated* even while it introduces the potentially problematic concept of a ‘creator’ for delusion,** saying: “Look at the characteristics of its creator, my Tingrians” or “Inspect it for the marks of its maker”?

(*A reader of centuries gone by may have had problems with the idea that just comprehending the incidental character of delusion would be in itself sufficient for Enlightenment. These qualms may have lead them to imagine ways to improve it. **I don’t expect it to make sense very quickly, but Buddhists don’t award creator status to Brahma the way most other Indian religions do, although they do credit him with the narcissistic idea that he was the creator, as it was his belief that world-creation happened because of his wish. Brahma, as a creator figure, does supply Buddhists with a myth of origins for delusion itself.)

-C12- (compare B51 and D37)

'khrul pa gzhi la med de glo bur gyur ||

byed mkhan mtshan nyid ltos shig ding ri ba ||

-B51- (compare C12 and D37)

'khrul pa gzhi la myed de blo bur byung /

mtshan nyid go bas chog go ding ri ba /

•

Tingrian Couplet Two (215r.1)

rje dam pa rgya gar gyis 

'khor ba'i chos la mi 'byung ma nus na / 

sde snod ma lus shes kyang phan mi thogs / ces gsung /

Lord Dampa Gyagar said,

“If you are unable to renounce sangsaric dharmas,

even knowing all the scriptures is of no help.”

These two lines belong uniquely — to my utter amazement — to the Kunga version (version B) at the end of the introductory section that immediately precedes the first couplet, with Kunga doing the speaking:

skyid kyang 'gro dgos rin chen gling gi myi /

bstan yul ma yin 'jig rten brang ba'i sa /

'khor ba'i chos la yid 'byung ma nus na /

sde snod ma lus shes kyang phan mi thogs /

dam pa'i gdams pa yin no ding ri ba /

Even if he’s contented there, 

the man in the jewel island still has to go.

This world is no permanent abode.  

It’s nothing more than a travellers’ lodge.

If you are unable to renounce sangsaric dharmas,

even knowing all the scriptures would be no help.

This is the teaching of Dampa, my Tingrians.

•

Tingrian Couplets Three and Four (388r.1)

• Note: I quote the larger context here starting at folio 388 recto, line 1, but only the couplets are translated.

dam pas /

bdud kyi 'jug pa dang po bya ba yin / rang lu (~chu) nang du 'jugs nas gzhan skal par thon par gar 'ongs skabs 'dir rang gis 'phel ba chad / gzhan la phan mi 'dog pas gzabs 'tshal / yang bsgrubs pa'i dus su gzhan don byar mi rung / dge sbyor 'phel ba chad do rang bzhin pa (~sa?) / 

rang don ma 'grubs gzhan don mi 'byung bas / 

thog mar bsgrub pa gyis cig ding ri pa / 

'khrul pa'i snang ba 'brel sla sru ba yin /  

go ba rjes la skyol cig ding ri pa /  

By Dampa,

“When your own aims are not fulfilled you do the aims of others no good.

First of all, do your practices, my Tingrians.

“Forming easy relations with delusive appearances, you mix with them.

Bring understanding in their wake, my Tingrians.”

For comparison (both verses are only found in B):

-B93-

rang don ma bsgrubs gzhan don myi 'ong pas /

thog mar bsgrub pa gyis cig ding ri ba /

-B94-

'khrul pa'i snang ba 'dris par sla ba yin /

go ca rjes la khol cig ding ri ba /

It's easy to get entangled in delusive apparitions.

Keep armour on your backs, my Tingrians.

The written similarity, particularly in a cursive manuscript, between go-ba, understanding, and go-ca (=go-cha, both spellings are found in Dunhuang texts), armor or military equipment is a problem, admittedly, although I believe the reading go-ba carries more weight, has more immediate cogency.

•

Tingrian Couplet Five (389v.5)

gang la zhen pa yod na de yang 'ching /

cis kyang dgos pa med do ring ring pa [~ding ri ba] / ces gsungs /

If there is something you are attached to, that same thing also binds you.

There is no need for it whatsoever, my Tingrians.

It is odd that this couplet doesn’t seem to exist in versions B or D, while the segment “de yang ’ching” finds no collaboration in any of the previously recorded versions. Still, I believe our new version is preferable.

For comparison:

-C16- (compare E14 and F14)

gang la zhen pa byung na de yang thongs ||

cis kyang dgos pa med do ding ri ba ||

-E14- (compare C16)

gang la zhen pa yong pa de blos thongs //

cis kyang dgos pa med do X  [3v]

 

Note:  Correct yong-pa to yod-pa.

•

Tingrian Couplet Six (467v.5)

pha dam pa rgya gar kyis /

dge ba'i nang nas rjes su yi rang mchog /

gzhan la 'phrag dog ma byed ding ri pa / ces gsungs pas /

By Padampa Gyagar:

“Of all the virtues, rejoicing in others’ success is the best.

Don’t be envious of others my Tingrians.”

For comparison:

-B88-

dge ba'i nang nas rjes su yi rang mchog /

gzhan la phrag dog ma byed ding ri ba /

• • •

Postscript (July 20, 2024)

This dark and unclear detail, clipped from a Shakyamuni Buddha thangka belonging to the Giuseppe Tucci collection, can be better seen of you go here:

https://asiasociety.org/new-york/exhibitions/unknown-tibet-tucci-expeditions-and-buddhist-painting

Once you are there, scroll down to the second painting. One thing I see significant about this is that Padampa is on the Kagyü side of the painting, balanced off by Gelugpa monks on the other side. If this is indeed as it says a 15th-century painting, it makes even more sense to find Padampa on a thangka likely made in an emerging Gandenpa/Gelugpa context. And we are reminded that the First Dalai Lama (1391-1475) had a family background of Zhijé practitioners.

To analyze what you see here a little more, the white blanket being the only clothing loosely wrapped around the lowest part of the body, and the ankles-crossed/knees-up seating posture are both fairly secure diagnostic features of Padampa. The fact that he has ornaments on his otherwise unclothed torso and arms is frequent (its correctness is historically questionable if we rely on the earliest sources), but along with the flowers in his hair this might seem to point to (or indicate conflation with) the iconography of Virûpa. Still, I have no doubt it is Padampa who is depicted here.

The same painting also features in a 5-minute Asia Society video. I will try to embed it here, although if the embedding is unsuccessful you will see a jumble of letters and numbers that lead nowhere:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EVocNP7zgQw?si=rI7SRwl5VrFmk6AC" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

If you do not see the video here just above, scroll down to the end of this blog because it might be "embedded" there. If not, go to YouTube and use their search facility to search for the following title, using the quote marks around it:  

 

“A Closer Look at Tibetan Thangkas”

I just wanted to tag on this bit of artistic evidence that helps us to argue for popular knowledge of Padampa in the 15th century, as if any such argument were needed.

Perhaps yet more persuasive would be more literary sources quoting from “his” Tingrian Couplets. I do know of some.

Most relevent here and now is one couplet quoted in the 15th-century Sakya teacher Müchen Könchog Gyaltsen's (1388-1469) Supplement to the Oral Tradition, as contained in Thupten Jinpa, tr., Mind Training: The Great Collection, Wisdom (Boston 2006), at p. 483: 

The master Dampa states: 

“Contemplating the sufferings of samsara pierces my heart; 

People of Dingri, laugh not at these matters.”  

The Tibetan for it reads: 

rje dam pa'i zhal nas | 

'khor ba'i sdug bsngal bsam na snying rlung ldang || 

'di la gad mo mi bro d[i]ng ra ba ||

 

With nothing to say about the translation already given, except to say that it’s a great one, I still try my hand at it:

“At thought of the bad points* of sangsara my heart pressure rises.

Nothing to laugh and dance about here, my Tingrians.”

(*I follow the text of B108 by reading nyes-dmigs in place of sdug-bsngal.) 

What impresses me almost as much as its very serious message with so much confirming evidence in today’s world, is that this couplet is uniquely found in Kunga’s set (version B), number 108 of his 118 couplets. This does make the meditation manual’s  use of the Kunga set not quite unique, only nearly unique.