The Biography of Jñānapāda and His Guhyasamāja Lineage
n times long gone by, in the southern part of India, was a king of Orissa by the name of Visukalpa. He had faith in the Buddha, so he learned many teachings of both the Hearers and the Great Vehicle. Still, he was thinking there ought to be some other teaching yet more profound than they are when he settled in for the night. He had a dream that a woman approached him and said, “You must leave this place and go to a land called Oḍiyan in the north-western borders and you shall become a Vajraholder in this very life.” So saying, she vanished.
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No
sooner had he awakened than he set off for the region of Oḍiyan. When he arrived there he met a woman resembling the one
he had seen in his dream. Thinking he was seeing an emanation, he prostrated at
her feet, paid his respects and made a prayer requesting that she take him
under her guidance. She initiated him into the great maṇḍala and granted him the complete Guhyasamāja Tantra together with the explanatory tantras. The
king did indeed apply himself to the practices and thereby achieved the
siddhis. He advanced the teachings in the world among such as Saraha, and then
to the Saint Teacher Nāgārjuna and others that followed him. This much is known.
Moving
on to later times, the Teacher Buddhajñānapāda is the name of a child born to the
King Gha-pa-ru-pra-bha-wa in the region of southeast India known as Sindhura. From
childhood his bodily form, his insight and behavior were impeccable, and he
studied and learned to an advanced level such arts and sciences as grammar,
prosody and statecraft. He matured to adulthood and left behind his royal prerogatives
as if they were a pool of spittle on the ground.
In
one of the regions of Nalendra was a place known as Taxila (Takṣaśīla). In that
city, in a vihāra called Trikadhru built by King Śrī Dharmapāla, was a
community of the Mahāsammata monastic order. Among the monks was one in particular
who was graced by moral discipline and learnedness, the best of all the
students of their abbot Vairocanabhadra. He had already attuned himself to
compassion and bodhicitta, fully embodying the life of the Bodhisattva. He had
mastered a number of the textual-explanatory traditions, holding the
treasuries of a number of the scriptures of the Sugatas, but in particular he
was able to fully illuminate the meaning of the Perfection of Insight Sūtras. [468] The
person of whom we speak is the teacher and great personage Haribhadra. Pleasing
Haribhadra with his attendance, Buddhajñānapāda studied and mastered a number of
textual-explanatory traditions pertaining to the Perfection of Insight. Eventually
he composed a commentary on the Sañcaya for the sake
of a fully ordained nun of brahmin caste by the name of Guṇamitra, this
being only one example of his many deeds of composition and instruction.
Then
he left Magadha and traveled 300 yojanas
to the northwest, finally arriving at Oḍiyan, a place blessed by assemblies of
skygoers. There was a teacher who was native to Nor-bu-gling, one accomplished
in Mahāmudrā known as Śrī Viśvarūpin, or to
give his secret initiatory name, Vilāsavajra. Staying near him, he received
initiations into a number of maṇḍalas of the secret mantra, as well as
learning many tantra texts.
Later
on, in a part of that same place, he received from a teacher with an
inconceivable number of secret precepts, a yogi by the name of Guru, many
Highest Yoga Tantra initiations as well as tantra teachings and precepts, which
he mastered.
Then
one evening he had another dream. In his dream a prophetic voice spoke to him, “There
is living in the northern parts of Oḍiyan a young
woman of low caste, a yoginī born into the caste known as Jātijava (Dzā-ti-dza-ba),
who is called Lakṣmisena. Go to be with her. Your aims will be fulfilled.”
When
he awoke he went to her and pleased her with his attendance. He heard much
esoteric advice and teaching. Then he went to the region of Jalandhara in
western India and the city of Ratnadhāra where he met a teacher who had
performed the Jambhala practices and attained the flowing stream-like samādhi. This teacher’s name was Bālipāda (Byis-pa’i Zhabs). He studied
with him a number of texts and the main tantras
of the Prajñā class. He
mastered these subjects and was persistent in their practices.
He
also went to the south Indian region of Koṅkana,* the residence of a great teacher
named Bālipāda who had the
supreme samādhi and was
especially learned in the tantras. There
were a number of others who stayed there in his miraculous company including
his disciple of the brahmin caste
Saraha and one of the vaiṣya class named
Mañjuśrī. Their living
necessities were provided by Vasudhārā, Goddess of Wealth (Nor-rgyun-ma) — ten man-cha** of gold and a heap of pearls for each one of them as well
as 300 cowries (kārṣāpaṇi). When he came into the presence of this teacher he received
initiation into the 32-deity Guhyasamāja and learned the root tantra eighteen times. He also learned
the explanatory tantras, the sādhanas and the
secret precepts. In the mean time it emerged that there were 18 especially
difficult points in the root tantra
of the Guhyasamāja, and even though he asked his teacher about them he still
had doubts. So he went to Śrī Vajrāsana and said his prayers at the Mahābodhi shrine. As
he did so a voice cried out from the sky, “Thou son of the family! Seek out Mañjuvajra and
receive his blessing, then all your doubts will depart.”
(*The Konkan coastal area of present-day Maharashtra, nowadays we are not likely to consider it as part of south India per se. **Interesting to see this gold and silver weight called manca or mancu here. I could be wrong, but this could be an Old English term, so this ought to be investigated further. Some readers of this translation may not be aware that cowries could be used as a medium of exchange, or that coins could be called cowries.)
Since
Mañjuvajra was
staying at Wu-tai Shan in China, he went to his teacher Bālipāda and asked
if he could go there. Permission was granted, so he set out on the road from Vajrāsana traveling
to the north. [470]
He
happened to spy a garden of squash plants. Near to it was a house, and there
beside the house he saw a woman and a bitch. Not far from them was a monk, his
robe wrapped up around his head like a turban, plowing a field. ‘Oh my,’ he
thought, ‘if it is even possible there could be a renunciate living with a
woman and plowing a field like this then the teachings have truly fallen to
ruin,’ and the thought saddened him. Meanwhile it was the noon time, so he
thought he would beg alms. The monk said, “Teacher, come over and enjoy a
Dharma feast.” The Teacher was given a seat and the monk ordered the woman, “Bring
this renunciate a hot meal.” She took out a fish trap, caught a fish from a
creek and cooked it. Then she placed a tree leaf in front of the bitch and
ordered it, “Bring the Dharma feast.” When the bitch vomited, this together
with the fish the woman served to him.
The Teacher thought the flesh had been specifically prepared for him, and that it
was impure, so he abstained.
According
to another account the woman had killed many small birds and cooked their flesh,
but when she served it he abstained. The woman then snapped her fingers and the
birds flew out of the curry and disappeared. So goes that other version of the
story.
Then
the monk said, “Goodness, since he is a worldling give him ordinary food.” So he
was served a cooked rice dish with yoghurt. The Teacher finished eating and
thought he would be on his way, but the monk said, “If you depart at this time
of day you will not reach a place to stay in the evening. So leave tomorrow.” So
he spent the night while the monk went to stay elsewhere. [471] The Teacher was
there doing his Guhyasamāja recitations and arrived at a place he did not recognize. The
look on the woman’s face told him that she was displeased, so he was convinced
that she had the extraordinary ability to read minds.
So
then he thought, ‘She may be the one to dispel my doubts.’ He prostrated to her
and made his requests, but she replied, “I do not know the answers, but the
monk who was just here is quite an expert, so you ought to ask him.”
He
asked her where he had gone, and she told him, “He went to buy beer.”
“When
will he return?”
“In
the morning.”
So
he waited until morning when he saw someone arrive who seemed to be drunk from
beer. He didn’t really believe in him, but he anyway swallowed his pride and
prostrated before him, “I solemnly request you to grant me your explanations of the
Guhyasamāja.”
“You
must take initiation!”
“I
have received the initiations.”
“You
need my personal initiation.”
So
the Teacher went to find the items needed for the ritual and brought them when
he requested the initiation.
In
another account it tells how he had a cowrie and gave it to the woman. She then
transformed her appearance to create the needed items.
It was on the night of the 8th day of the
first lunar month of autumn when the grass hut was transformed into a divine
palace, and within it clearly visible was a maṇḍala of the
19-deity Mañjuvajra. The
monk was sitting there beside the maṇḍala in the
same aspect displayed earlier. [472] He asked the Teacher, “Will you take the
initiation from me or from the maṇḍala?’
The
Teacher, even while thinking that the maṇḍala was an
emanation of none other than the monk, had faith in the divine aspects, so he
made his request to take initiation from the maṇḍala.
“Well
then, so receive it!’ said the monk. Then he received the complete set of
initiations from the maṇḍala.
Another
account tells us that when he requested to take initiation from the maṇḍala, the maṇḍala vanished,
and only then he knew that the maṇḍala was a
manifestation by the monk and prostrated to him. Saying words of praise
including the words, “You are the father of all sentient beings, their mother,
too,’ he begged his indulgence and made requests. Then at the break of dawn he
projected the maṇḍala out of his
heart area. Then he smiled and, saying “Good!’ commenced the initiation. So
says the other account.
Then
began a summarization of the meanings of the Guhyasamāja with oral
authorization and so on, and all the difficult points in the tantra he was at least made to
understand. Then the Teacher, pleased and satisfied, thought, ‘I will offer a
gift.’ So he asked the monk, “What is your wish?’
“I
wish for nothing at all,’ the monk replied.
But
the Teacher insisted that he must by all means accept something. Responded the
monk, “Well then, make me the gift of prostrating whenever you see me.” The
Teacher agreed to this and made his offering in this way.
Then
the monk said,
“You had some small misconceptions
about eating behavior and about me.
So you will not become accomplished in
the present life through your bodily
aggregate.
When your mind has turned into Vajrabody
you will be liberated only in the
intermediate state.”
Then
he added,
“Now you will perform the practices
but will not become Buddha in the present
life.
You must spend your life teaching for the
benefit of others,
and only then be liberated in the
intermediate state.”
and
with these words he disappeared.
Then
the Teacher proceeded to the northeast of Vajrāsana to a place known as Ri-bo’i
Phung where he lived in a [monastery] called Dharmāṅkura (Chos-kyi
Myu-gu).* There
Buddhajñānapāda received
initiations directly from Mañjughoṣa and heard from him all the teachings. News of this spread
throughout the world such that kings, panditas, teachers and others gathered
around him.
(*See Tāranātha’s history where a place by this name is associated with Asaṅga.)
The
fortunate among them received initiations as well as teachings of Mañjughoṣa suitable to
their minds with the oral transmissions and so on. He went to still other
places to teach.
Then
even his previous teacher Bālipāta arrived there hoping to request teachings, but the Teacher
said to him, “You are my teacher! There is no way I could teach you.” But then
through an eloquent discourse he made his doubts dissolve, and for this purpose
composed his work, Samantabhadra Sādhana. In general he composed 14 books
that belong to this tradition. They are:
- Kun-tu bzang-po’i sgrub-thabs.
- Kun-tu bzang-mo’i sgrub-thabs.
- Sbyin-sreg-gi cho-ga.
- Gtor-ma.
- Tshogs-’khor.
- Dkyil-’khor-gyi cho-ga.
- Nyis-brgya-lnga-bcu-pa.
- Ye-shes chen-po.
- Tshigs-su bcad-pa’i mdzod.
- Grol-ba’i thig-le.
- Bdag bsgrub-pa.
- Byang-chub-kyi sems-kyi thig-le.
- Dpal-bshes-kyi rnam-bshad bzhi-pa-la ’jug-pa.
- Chu-sbyin-gyi sgrub-thabs.
So
in sum this teacher did many teachings and composed many treatises until an immeasurable
number of students came to him. Yet among them there were 18 who were
outstanding, four who reached nirvāṇa by virtue of direct seeing.* The latter were Dīpaṅkarabhadra, Praśāntamitra, Rāhulabhadra and
Mahāsukhavajra.
(*?? dṛṣṭadharma nirvāṇa, = Pāli ditthadhamma nibbana.)
Thus
he illumined the minds of myriad beings. Once he was leading a teaching
session for a great multitude when he saw coming into his presence a man who
walked as if drunk with beer. He thought, ‘If I were to salute him the others
might lose faith in me.’ So he did not salute him and he disappeared in the
audience. But later on he followed him and caught sight of the guru sitting
with his legs stretched out in the shade of a stūpa. Then he prostrated at his
feet and the guru said to him, “You made a promise as an initiation gift to me
that you would prostrate to me whenever you would see me, so how is it that
today you did not salute me?”
The
Teacher without thinking about it blurted out, “I did not see you.”
The
guru said, “Essence of the earth, go out!” (sa’i
snying-po gatstsha), and
the Teacher’s eyes fell on the ground. He prayed to the guru requesting his
indulgence, so he was granted eyes that could see regardless of obstructions
for a distance of a full yojana. From
then on he was called Jñānalocana, which is to say Full Knowledge Eye. [475]
There
is another account telling us that it was to one of Teacher’s disciples, a brahmin named Jñānapāda, that he
appeared in the manner just described, and not to Teacher himself.
Once
Teacher was staying in a hut not far from Vajrāsana performing his practices
when everyone else was observing a holy day at Vajrāsana by doing
prostrations and making offerings. Everybody was criticizing Teacher for not
attending, and their words reached the ears of the king Dharmapāla. The king
couldn’t believe that Teacher had neglected the holy day, so he decided to look
into the matter. The king entered the hut and had a look, but all he saw was an
image of Mañjuśrī. So he went
back outside and asked a disciple who assured him that he was indeed inside. So
once again he went in and had a look. He saw Teacher sitting there and asked
him, “Why did you not go to Vajrāsana to perform prostrations?”
“I
did so from this very spot where we stand.”
“How
did you do that?”
“Śākyamuni was
clearly seated in the space in front of Vajrāsana, and to him I prostrated.”
The
king was impressed. Begging the Teacher’s indulgence, he requested him to serve
as his court priest, but the Teacher did not accept the offer and went
elsewhere.
On
the very spot where the teacher’s hut had stood he erected a temple with a
divine array just like the one he had previously seen.
Thus
with the body of his present life he performed incalculable benefits for others
before his death. In the intermediate state he attained the supreme siddhi.
He
had a disciple named Dīpaṅkarabhadra whose lineage came down through first Śrīsena, then
Vimalagupta, Ratnavajra, Ratnakīrti, Pandapa, Gnyan Lo-tsā-ba, Gnang-kha’u-pa
brothers,* the guru and Dharma master Sa-skya-pa both father and sons.
(*The usual form of the name is Gnam-kha’u-pa.)[Colophon:]
“This ’Phags-pa wrote based on all he had
seen and heard
about the succession of gurus that
transmitted the teachings
and the biography of Jñānapāda
who was tended by none other than Mañjughoṣa.”
Composed
in the palace of Prince Qubilai in the final month of autumn in the year of the
Earth Male Horse (1258 CE).
The source of this translation is this: ’Phags-pa (= Chos-rgyal ’Phags-pa Blo-gros-rgyal-mtshan, 1235-1280), Gsang-’dus Ye-shes-zhabs-kyi Rnam-thar dang Brgyud-pa’i Rim-pa, contained in: Chos-rgyal ’Phags-pa’i Bka’-’bum, vol. 2, as contained in: Sa-skya-pa’i Bka’-’bum, Toyo Bunko (Tokyo 1968), vol. 7, pp. 1 (column 1, line 1) through 3 (column 3, line 3). This historical work has been awarded an update entry in the Tibetan Histories listing as no. 51.02. You can try locating it here, but you won't find it. Still, if you go here you just might.
§ § §
Postscript (June 8, 2020): Y.B. apprised me of the existence of a major study of the life of Jñānapāda by Catherine Dalton in her 2019 doctoral dissertation at the University of California at Berkeley with the title Enacting Perfection: Buddhajñānapāda's Vision of a Tantric Buddhist World. She also coauthored with Peter Szantos an entry for Jñānapāda in Brill's Encyclopedia of Buddhism. I'll have to go study these things before I can say more.
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