Chapter 2 - The Chapter on Potowa (po to ba)

[Full title: The chapter on the Master, 'brom ston and the monastery of rwa sgreng (jo bo dang 'brom ston dang rwa sgreng gi skabs. Chandra 216; Chengdu 297; Roerich 241)]

Phu chung ba

phu chung ba gzhon nu rgyal mtshan did not maintain disciples and showed great diligence in the worship of the Ratna, and inwardly remained in meditation. He preached extensively the Four Truths to those who came to be introduced to the Doctrine (chos 'brel zu ba). He had several wise yogin disciples including karma grags and others.

Po to ba

Po to ba rin chen gsal: After the death of 'brom, he practised meditation till the age of 50. From the age of 51 he laboured for the benefit of others. He resided temporarily at mkhan grags ('phan yul), the sgro lag monastery, at mthar thog ('phan yul), stag lung.

Six basic texts of bka’ dam pa: the Bodhipathapradīpa, the Mahāyānasūtralaṃkāra, the Bodhisattvabhūmi, the Śikṣāsamuccaya, the Bodhisattvacāryavatara, the Jātakas and the Udānavarga.

In later life having built the po to dgon pa (in 'phan yul), he took up residence there. He used to say: "The so called Mahāmudrā agrees in meaning with the Samādhirāja sūtra, but we should neither deprecate, nor practise it."

He had declared himself to be an incarnation of the ārya sthavira yan lag 'byung.^[1] He was born in the year Iron Female Sheep (lcags mo lug–1031 A.D.) and died at the age of 75 in the year Wood Female Hen (sing ma bya–1105A.D.).

Disciples:

The Eight Great Ones: from gnyal: glang bya rab pa and gnyos bra gor ba; from dol: 'be mon bu chung ba and rog dmar zhur ba; from Upper gtsang: bya and phag; from Lower (gtsang): ram sding ma ba and snang dre'u lhas pa; from Upper myang: lhag and shes; from gyag sde: sog po ba; from bzang: gru gu lung pa, kha rag sgom chung, 'gos of gnas khang, nags ston mtha' dag, lho stod pa, myang po ri kha pa, 'khro ston ku su ra ba, grog pa brtson seng, zur re ba mtha' bzhi, gtsang pa mkhar po pa, ko de lung pa of rgyal, gya' nos pa of dar yul, ye shes seng ge, wa brag dkar ba, sgro'i stag mgo ba, pho brang sdings pa of grab, sgro lag pa of rgyal, 'brongs stons pa of rma, ban de ba Rin byang, mag pa gnyan chung, mal gro ba glang sgom, thang po che ba, dgon mer pa, zhang chen po of gyu sgra, dge sbyong chen po of la mo, mdo lung pa, (%) the "Upper" and "Lower"dbus zhar dgon pas, sgyu sbyangs dbang seng, byar pa rin gzhon, stod lungs pa dbang phyug grags, Great Pillars of dbus: glang ri thang pa, shar ba pa

Rog she rab rgya mtsho

Rog shes rab rgya mtsho (1059-1131): On taking up ordination, he studied the Abhidharma and the Vinaya with and who had recently become famous. He had studied the Doctrine under dol pa from 1072 to 1093. 1072 was the third year since the establishment by po to ba of a monastic college. He was accepted by the kalyṇ? mitra dol pa who was aged 26. He attended (on him) for 22 years, and after that laboured extensively for the welfare of living beings. It is said that he had more than 1000 disciples at yang gang. The Chapter on po to ba

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Aṅgaja, one of the sixteen sthaviras, dwelling on Mount Kailāsa.