Chapter 1c - The Zur Geneology (xi): Zhig po bdud rtsi

The uncle and nephew: the first introduced the scholarly method, and the latter greatly fostered the religious work for the welfare of disciples.

Since the birth of zur chung ba to the death of yon tan gzungs in the year Wood-Hare (shing yos—1195 A.D.) 182 years have passed.

The holy spiritual son of lha rje lha khang pa was the nirmāṇa kāya (sprul sku) zhig po bdud rtsi.

Further, there was a kalyāna-mitra named mes rdor rje rgyal mtshan, his son ston pa 'khar re and one named 'khar chung, learned in Yoga. Shu ston mon sras, a son of 'khar chung, was learned in the "Outer"Tantras (phyi rgyud).^[1] His son ston pa lha snang was endowed with deeds, ability, magic power and blessing. He had two sons: sangs rgyas dags chung and sgom shu.

Sangs rgyas dags chung was the father of zhig po bdud rtsi. Because he followed on dags po rgya ras, he became known as dags chung pa (dags po, the Junior).

He studied moreover with many teachers including sangs rgyas ston, dkar sgom jo nag, myan ston rtsegs se and others, and removed his doubts.

He visited lho brag. When he was residing at the hermitage of phur mong sgang of Upper lho, he labored for the welfare of living beings. The alms givers of gzad sent sgom shu and invited him. He stayed there, and presented offerings to many hermitages, such as the monastery of lha gdong of gzad, and the monastery of 'ug skang and others. The number of his disciples increased.

Zhig po was born at the hermitage of lha gdong.^[2]

In general, sangs rgyas dags chung had four sons and daughters. The eldest lho tsha bla ma skyabs, who was born in lho brag, felt disgusted with worldly life. Endowed with the faculty of prescience, he journeyed to khams, and there passed away.

His younger brother was bla ma rgyal mtshan, who led the life of a mad, ascetic (zhig po). The thought of the actionless Great Principle having arisen in him, he acquired wisdom and performed numerous virtuous deeds.

His mother was a native of stongs ra of ‘brog.

He had two sons: sangs rgyas dbon ston and the nirmāṇa kāya (sprul sku) sher ‘byung.

Sangs rgyas dbon ston had one son from his first wife, and three sons from his second (wife), and one daughter, five in all. The son of the first wife was bdud rtsi dar and the sons of the second wife were dbang phyug 'bum, bdud rtsi dpal and rin chen mgon.

The daughter was ston ma bdud rtsi 'bum.

The younger sister of bla ma rgyal mtshan was jo sras ma rgya ma hor.

Her son was mkhas pa jo nam.

His son was sum ston nyi ma.

The nirmāṇa kāya (sprul sku) zhig po was born after jo sras ma rgya ma.

The bla ma dags chung had married one called wang mo rgya gar gsal, a descendant of wang thung, the elder brother of gzad. Jo sras ma rgya ma was born to her.

When she was eight months old, her mother died. They invited wang mo, the younger sister of the mother, to act as nurse. She became his wife, and zhig po was born to her.

When the Precious One was in his mother’s womb, the mother had frequent dreams about a white man, holding over his head a white parasol with a golden handle. When bla ma zhang reached the age of 27, and yon tan gzungs was twenty-four, in the year Earth-Female-Serpent (sa mo sbrul—1149 A.D.), zhig po bdud rtsi was born.

After his birth, he was placed inside a basket, and a rainbow came down on him. When he was about two years old, his father said one night (to the mother): "O wang chung ma! Get up! I had a wonderful dream, and I must tell you about it."

She inquired: "What sort of dream was it?"

The father said: "I saw myself going to a far distant country. While walking on a mountain slope, I saw a blue boulder on the trail. I was wearing a handsome new hat with a silk band of the color of a pigeon’s neck. Then having removed my hat, I covered with it the boulder and said to it. 'I must go and labor for the welfare of living beings.' The boulder replied: 'In this degenerate time I am responsible for the welfare of living beings,' and saying so, it inclined its top. As to myself, having passed over the edge of the mountain, I went down the slope and felt slightly unhappy and sad, similar to bai ro tsa na, when he was proceeding towards tsha ba yul, about whom it has been said that 'he was lost as a needle in the jungle.' When I had reached the valley bottom, the Sun was shining warm, the valley was wide, the water pure, flowers were in abundance, and the green meadows were a pleasing sight. Then I woke up. Now I am to die! After my death, I am to go to the abode of vidyādharas. This son of yours will benefit living beings!"

The mother said: “If ru dies, what will become of the son?"and wept.

"Do not cry!" said the father. "Crying in the middle of the night, the villagers might overhear it, and think that a quarrel had occurred between us two."

Then after two months, the bla ma dags chung passed away in his forty-ninth year.

Zhig po rin po che was brought up by his mother. When he grew up, he gave away all his clothes to a wretched beggar. The mother scolded him, but it was of no avail.

Once all went to cast lots at a clever soothsayer. The mother also went to see him, and the latter said to her: "What may happen to your son? Gods and demons of the Universe are circumambulating round him and presenting him with offerings."

One autumn, at harvest time, the mother said to the boy: "Stupid! Today everyone is observing the harvest festival, and is offering gtor mas and water offerings. You should also offer gtor mas and water, for we also should observe the ceremony."

The boy went to the place where the festival was held, without taking with him the water offering, and shouted: "O gods and demons of the country of g. Ya' bzang! O gods and demons of myang nag 'ol po! O black king of sbrang po 'u lu! Do not go to anybody else this morning! The old lady wang mo is harvesting. Assist her in her harvest!" and saying so, he pretended to gather in the harvest, and his mother grew angry and scolded him.

There was a field called "Sixty four." During a very good harvest it used to yield forty measures (of grain). This year, in spite of a bad crop, it yielded fifty measures. The mother was surprised. It is further said, that the mother regretted her throwing away the chaff, and having sifted it, increased the (field’s) yield by three measures. The mother then believed (the boy), and thought that he must be an incarnation.

She sent him for study to the residence of his uncle dam pa se brag pa, and he stayed there for three years, during which time he listened to the exposition of the doctrine of the "Great Perfection" (rdzogs chen), according to the method of rong.

He especially became learned in the summary of the doctrine.

He also heard the "Extraction of the Hidden" (gab phyung).^[3]

When he was sixty, dam pa died. At the time of his death, he said: "These were important," and he obtained from him several profound precepts including the gdab pa and sbrung ba.^[4] He is said to have also said: "The teacher having passed away, my eyes were filled with tears, and I did not remember the precepts."

At the age of sixty, he met yon tan gzungs of skyil mkhar lha khang. At the time of se brag pa’s death, there were four disciples of his: gangs pa nyi khri, stag pa lha po, ser pa rgyal mtshan and nya ru 'od de. "You go to them," said the teacher. "Among them, gangs pa nyi khri is equal to me. You go to gangs pa nyi khri!"

He used to say: "Since I had faith in the teacher lha khang pa, I went to him." Thus having gone to the bla ma lha khang pa, he heard the Doctrine from him.

Soon after the death of dam pa, when he had gone to bla ma lha khang pa, mother wang mo obtained initiation from the Great Teacher (yon tan gzungs). Her crown (of initiation) was not yet removed, and her sorrow at the death of dam pa did not yet pass, when a yoginī, known as an ascetic and practicing meditation, named Puṣpā (me tog), possessed of good fortune, came from India and Nepāl.

The mother and a friend of hers, the wife of rang thag mkhan po, went to see her. A large crowd had assembled in front of the yoginī, presenting offerings to her and asking for her blessing.

The mother thought: "I had received initiation from such a great teacher as skyil mkhar pa, who placed a crown (of initiation) on my head, I shall not ask for a blessing from such a yoginī." But seeing that all who were present had asked for her blessing, she felt a strong desire to do similarly. Accordingly she and the wife of rang thag mkhan po approached her, and requested her to bless them.

The yoginī said to her: "You had obtained initiation from such a bla ma as skyil mkhar pa! On your head you are still wearing the crown (of initiation). Is there any need of asking for my blessing?" The mother felt ashamed, and faith being born in her, she made an earnest request for the yoginī’s blessing, and was given it.

After her, the wife of rang thag mkhan po also asked to be blessed. The yoginī stared at the woman, and said: "Your husband rang thag mkhan po wandered about the four districts of dbus and gtsang, gave the flesh of his face to the people (i.e. Had no shame), and the flesh of his legs to the dogs! This barley which he had gathered with such hardships, has been appropriated by you. It is a terrible sin! You cannot be helped!"

(Hearing this) the woman pulled out her tongue, and the mother asked her: "Did you really do that?"—“Yes I did," answered the woman: Then they asked the yoginī how to remove this sin. The yoginī said: "There are about forty loads of barley hidden by you, offer them to a good bla ma and hold a religious assembly. Then you should do whatever your husband tells you to do. If you do so, you may improve. Otherwise you will be unhappy."

Again she said to the mother: "You should not grieve so much at the passing of your brother dam pa se brag pa. He is living, having entered the womb of a certain queen of a king in India. On his birth, he will have the opportunity of becoming a great religious king (dharmarāja), and will be able to labor extensively for the welfare of living beings."

The mother felt surprised and understood that the yoginī possessed the faculty prescience. She then asked the yoginī: "I have a son. What will happen to him? Are we, mother and son, not threatened by untimely death?" (meaning the mother dying after her son).

Having placed her hand on the mother’s head, the yoginī sang the following psalm: "This son of yours, in these dissolute times, will become a leader of men. Half of his eye will look at the sky, and half of his garment will be spread over the ground. You will lead in comfort the life of an old woman. At this place many attendants will gather, and quarrel will arise. Sadness will arise from it. There is a chance of his escaping to a distant place before many years have passed."

Then zhig po resided for many years in the presence of skyil mkhar Iha khang pa and mastered the three classes of the utpannakrama and sampannakrama degrees (bskyed rdzogs gsum).^[5] But he used to say: "I have followed the method of the ‘Mental’ Class (sems phyogs) only." He did not take up anything else, except the study of the "Mental" Class, and followed after this system in all his studies and meditations.

Now the manner in which he studied the "Mental" Class (sems phyogs):

The Class of Tantras: he studied the twenty-four great Tantras of the "Mental" Class (sems phyogs), including the ten mdo of kun byed.^[6]

The basic text of the "Mental" class (sems sde): he listened to the exposition of the 18 basic texts according to the methods of skor, rong, khams and fourteen other methods. He used to say that there were fourteen (methods) which should be taught.

Among the great treatises on mind concentration according to the method of rong, belonging to the “Great Perfection” (rdzogs chen), he heard the exposition of the rnal 'byor rigs pa’i nyi ma, the bsam gtan mig gi sgron ma, the bsam gtan snying gi nyi ma, the gdar shar, the gzer bu, the zhus lan khungs kyi gdab pa, the rdo rje sems dpa'i zhus lan, and others.

In the Class of Precepts (gdam pa, upadeśa) and of "Oral Tradition" (snyan brgyud), he heard the precepts of the methods of skor, rong and khams. Further he heard the "Oral Tradition" of the "Brāhma" Class (bram ze skor), the "Oral Tradition" of ske tshang and rdzong ‘phrang (ske tshang dang rdzong ‘phrang snyan brgyud), the klong sde and many others. Through listening to the Doctrine, and through reflection over the Doctrine, he was able to remove all his doubts.

Thus in general, he began his studies at the age of thirteen. After the age of sixteen, he spent three years at the residence of dam pa.

Then he proceeded to lha khang. When lha rje snubs smad was holding a religious assembly in Upper myang, he acted as assistant preacher (in the name of his Guru). Thus at the age of sixteen, he preached the Doctrine. He taught the stong thun according to the method of skor (skor lugs stong thun), and became famous among scholars.

Lha rje snubs smad said: "O you Son of a Priest (jo sras) from dbus! You resemble my horse khyung phrug kha che!”

It is said that he was given as remuneration eleven measures of barley. In this manner, at the very beginning of his teaching career he became famous, and pursued his studies till the age of thirty.

He spent fourteen years with the bla ma lha khang pa. All his vacations (bar skabs) he used to spend at se sbrag, the residence of his uncle. There he meditated.

He was invited by an old monk, a disciple of his father, named bla 'dos, to gzad, and journeyed there. There he performed the ceremony of installation (as teacher, che 'don), and took over the monastery including those of se sbrag, chos ldings and many others.^[7] His fortune increased.

On one occasion sgom ma rnal 'byor ma, shAkya gnyan, shAk 'od and a stag 'od ldan, the four, said: "Being unable to reach se sbrag, we should make a resting place at the foot of this mountain," and thus built chos ldings.

About that time a disciple of the bla ma zhang 'tshal pa, named gtsang sgom hrul po arrived at zhig po’s residence, on his way to the Kailāśa, and told him the life-story of bla ma zhang. Faith was born in him, and they invited him to a religious assembly.

He said: "Though I did not obtain instruction from this bla ma, he is the teacher who blessed my mind." Thus he honored him and attended on him.

Then bla ma zhang said: ''In this hermitage of yours there is a scarcity of water and fuel. In spite of it many people will gather here and there will be benefit for the living beings. Call it chos ldings!" Thus the name of the hermitage was given by zhang.

At that time people used to say: "We listened to the exposition (of the Doctrine) by lha khang pa, and attended on 'tshal pa (bla ma zhang)."

Bla ma lha khang pa sent them about 20 measures of barley, meat and butter, and said: "You should invite a good teacher, and hold a religious assembly. It is my duty to help you, but I do not possess more than this." All people then stopped slandering (bla ma zhang), and he used to say: "In me also a new esteem towards the old teacher has been born."

Thus his fortune increased. His mind shone like the sky and his compassion like Sun and Moon. His fame encompassed the four quartets of the World. He gathered (round himself) a numberless host of disciples, attended on his teacher, and labored greatly for the welfare of living beings.

His teacher was gladdened by three joys: He did not break his devotion even for a single moment, and used to say: "Whenever I left the presence of (my) teacher, I was unable to take leave without placing his foot on (my) head;"he performed numberless offerings of religious and worldly objects, and presented to the teacher seventeen copies of large sūtras, such as the three Prajñāpāramitās (rgyas 'bring rnam gsum) and others written in gold; he obtained his benevolence and his insight and emancipation developed simultaneously.

Having developed a mind concentration on the impartial "Great Perfection" (rdzogs chen), he became able to pass unhindered through soil, stones, mountains and rocks. He saw himself surrounded by asuras.

There exist also numerous stories about his possessing the faculty of foretelling future events, of his vanishing into a boulder while residing at the monastery of da lung of gzad phu, of his passing unhindered through a mud wall on the srin po ri, and many others.

This great man (mahāpuruṣa) had visited all the districts in the Abode of the Snow Mountains of the North. Men after being drawn towards religion (by him) became established on the Path of Emancipation. Later there appeared numberless kalyāṇa-mitras, who continued his work. He was famous as the Sun and Moon.

Further, he performed numberless deeds for the benefit of the Doctrine, such as erecting, sacrificial objects symbolizing the Body, Speech and Mind of the Sugata, healing (gso ba), and assisting with donations of material, etc. In the building (of temples) by others.

He also attended on learned translators and scholars who came from India. He assisted great Tripiṭakadharas, learned in the Tantras and Sūtras, who were masters of the Doctrine, and acted as supporter to all those who had abandoned all worldly occupations and fostered meditative practices. He also helped poor and destitute persons.

Men speaking different languages from India, China, Nepāl and other countries, gathered round him, and he became the source of all their needs and requirements. He was similar to the King of Jewels—Cintāmaṇi.

Further, on three occasions he dispatched offerings to the Vajrāsana, which was the Bodhimaṇḍa, the place of the Vajropama concentration of all the Sugatas of the three times, the place which seven fires and one flood could not destroy.

On four occasions he made offerings to the two Lords of lhasa (lha sa'i jo bo rnam gnyis), Vice-regents of the Teacher.

In addition to this, he performed innumerable direct and indirect deeds of benefit to living beings, and thus became famous beyond dispiste in the region of the North.

On four occasions he rebuilt the lha sa dam but, at the time of the fourth occasion, when performing the consecration ceremony (at the end of the work), his attendants got drunk and started quarrelling. His mind became disgusted, and he said to them: "You are tired of me, and I am also tired of you! I shall be going to a place, where I shall make myself invisible to your eyes and unheard to your ears."

He passed away at the age of fifty-one, in the year Earth-Female-Sheep (sa mo lug—1199 A.D.) at the monastery of rgya ra gad logs of gsang phu. His remains were transported by river, and kept for four months in the monastery of 'ug skad in bzad. Later they were taken to thang skya. (The funeral rites were accompanied) by an earthquake.

Further, from the vase containing sacrificial water (which was placed in front of the body), a lotus flower appeared, resembling a rainbow, and was seen by all for three days. On the day preceding the funeral, at dusk, the Sun and Moon were seen to shine simultaneously.

At the time of the funeral rites, there appeared numerous sounds, lights, rainbows, as well as a quantity of images, letter signs, stūpas and other relics. The king, the officials and his disciples having recognized gzad thang skya to be the residence of this mahāpuruṣa, built a temple there. They also erected numerous images symbolizing the Body, Speech and Mind (of the teacher) at various big and small monasteries, where he used to stay and preach the Doctrine.

Zhig po had numerous disciples. Those who became his spiritual sons (thugs sras) are the following: rta ston jo yes, ma hA Ihun po, mkhas pa jo nam, jo bsad of dbus, bzang ston hor grags, and gnyos ston bla ma.

These six are well known. Among them, the one on whom he bestowed precepts and who had obtained the essence of his knowledge, and who became the chief among his favorite sons, was rta ston jo yes.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Which includes the Kriyā Tantra, Yoga Tantra and Caryā Tantra. The Anuttara yoga Tantra is known as nang rgyud, or "Inner" Tantra).

[2]:

(Roerich translates the term dgon pa variously as “hermitage” and “monastery”—JDG)

[3]:

n. of a secret rite

[4]:

n. of precepts; See p. 138.

[5]:

See p. 130

[6]:

Kg. rnying rgyud, No. 828; rnying rgyud dkar chag, p. 228b; they are included in vol. II/kha/ of the rnying ma'i rgyud 'bum

[7]:

(p. 177.1-2 of the Chengdu edition reads: ‘ug skad dgon pa la sogs pa gzung. This is missing from Roerich’s translation—JDG)