Chapter 11 - Drigung Chojay lineage (viii): dbon sher 'byung

[Full title: Drigung Chojay lineage (viii): bal bu gong pa (ngor rje ras pa)]

dbon sher 'byung: He belonged to the 'o phron branch of the kyu ra clan. Of the two sub branches lha dgra and lha snang, (he belonged) to that of lha dgra. Again, of the dpal chen and rgod (which formed the lha dgra sub-branch), (he belonged) to the dpal chen. His father was called ston pa sangs rgyas dpal, an incarnation of the Lord mar pa, and his mother was named chos Idan, and was learned in many doctrines of the Sūtras and Tantras. Dbon sher 'byung was the eldest one of the seven children (born to them)—in all six sons and one daughter. The second (son) was thub pa bsod nyoms pa. The youngest was spyan snga sgam po pa.

Now dbon sher 'byung: he was born in the year Fire Female Sheep (me mo lug 1187 A.D.), when 'jig rten mgon po (the Dharmasvāmin of ‘bri khung) was 45, and rje spyan snga was 13. At the age of 8, he learnt reading. At the age of 11, he mastered writing. Later, he was able to copy in one day the Life-story (rnam thar) "rdo rje rin po che"from the author’s original copy (rtsom stan or gdan, author’s original manuscript). At the age of 13, he became an expert in singing psalms, songs and dance.

In the beginning he had only the intention of becoming a yogin^[1] , but when he was 17, dpal ngang phu ba having come to their country, his father entrusted him to the latter, and faith having been born in him, he decided to take up ordination. At the age of 17, he proceeded to ngang phu and took up ordination. He obtained instruction in the Doctrine and attended there for four years. A real mental concentration on the Mahāmudrā^[2] was born in him. The attendants despised him, because of his poor attire. (ngang phu ba) said: "No one knows him, except myself! In the course of time he will become a great leader of living beings." When he was 20, ngang phu ba passed away.

Next year in the company of about 300 fellow travellers, he came to dbus and met 'jig rten mgon po. Sgom pa asked him to become his household priest, and he agreed. For three years he lived without owning any kind of property. After, he became very popular with 'jig rten mgon po. In the course of time he became his domestic attendant. He was able to memorize all that he had heard, and the doctrines which had been given to him before remained impressed on his Mind. Later, during the preaching of the Doctrine by 'jig rten mgon po, he used to remind him of passages which he seemed to have forgotten. His service to the Teacher and his wisdom were boundless. All called him "ācārya" or teacher. The Teacher ('jig rten mgon po) pressed him to become abbot, but he asked permission to concentrate on meditation only. Later, he was permitted to do so.

He considered that the completion of the contents and the consecration of the sgo mangs caitya of 'jig rten mgon po was his special duty. After the death (of 'jig rten mgon po) he took charge of his relics, and, without omitting even a single relic, he enshrined all of them in a casket made of precious stones, and placed inside the base (bre) of the pinnacle of the stūpa. He also erected the great caitya (sku 'bum chen mo), and performed the consecration rite which had as its object the bestowal of blessings on ‘bri khung thel pa.

After finishing all the funeral rites, he went to gnam mtsho in the year Earth Male Tiger (sa pho stag 1218 A.D.) and took up residence at mchog dgon. In the year Earth Female Hare (sa mo yos 1219 A.D.) he proceeded towards Kailāsa.

He bestowed the exposition of the Mahāmudrā on king (mnga' bdag) a dig and guided him towards the understanding of the Ekarasa^[3]. He bestowed initiations and the cittotpada ceremony on king ya tse ba and his retinue, who were filled with great faith. His labours for the benefit of others, as stated above, were boundless. He met many paṇḍitas (from India) and they were all filled with faith (in him). At that time he was surrounded by many hindrances, such as illness and feuds. Through them he realized the Dependent Origination and admitted indirectly himself to be a Bodhisattva of the Tenth Stage (bhūmi) on the Path of Purity. For seven years he conducted studies in Upper Tibet.

At the age of 39, in the year Wood Female Hen (shing mo bya 1225 A.D.), he came to ‘bri khung, and in the same Hen year proceeded to lho brag. On his way, he met the sa skya Dharmasvāmin (sa skya paN chen kun dga' rgyal mtshan) at bsam yas. The Dharmasvāmin came out to receive him, bare-foot and holding incense (in his hands) accompanied by a procession of monks. He arranged a high seat for him, piling up all the carpets which he had in his possession, and invited him to sit on it. They conversed on the Doctrine, and sa skya pa begged him to remain there for some time, but he proceeded to lho brag and in the year of the Dog, sent a large quantity of offerings to ‘bri khung. Towards the end of the summer of the same year, the ācārya sgom pa offered him the gro bo lung monastery^[4].

In the winter of the Dog year (khyi lo 1226 A.D.), he proceeded to mkhar chu, and committed to writing the dgongs gcig doctrine with its 190 special tenets (khyad chos). Later he reduced them to 150 at the same place. (Residing) in the same region, he composed many texts for individuals of different grades.

Towards the end of the year Wood Female Hen (shing mo bya 1225 A.D.) he came to lho brag. At the beginning of the year Wood Male Horse (shing pho rta 1234 A.D.) he came to ‘bri khung, and then spent eight winters at mkhar chu. The first of the eight summers was spent by him at gro bo lung. During the next six (summers) he stayed at ya rgyal. His last summer was spent at yar 'brog. Though he did not maintain classes, and spent his time in solitary places, he gathered round him self about 500 monks of good behaviour.

From lho brag he journeyed to phag mo gru by way of yar klungs. The Precious spyan snga came on foot to receive him at phyag ‘tshal sgang at the head of a procession. He offered spyan snga presents and asked him for an introduction to the Doctrine (dharmabandha, chos 'brel). The latter taught him both the Doctrine of the Precious Lineage and its special interpretation. Then he proceeded to ‘bri khung thel. In order to avoid a reception, he came there secretly, and having seen his nephew, made large offerings. The three brothers also gathered there. In that year he received an invitation to visit sgam po, and proceeded there. During this year the dbon rin po che passed away. In the same year he again visited ‘bri khung thel, and preached the doctrine of the "Single Thought" (dgongs gcig), having divided it into seven sections^[5]. Sgom pa had arranged for the ceremony of his installation as abbot, but he did not consent. So, the Lord spyan snga was elected abbot instead. He again proceeded to sgam po. Inspite of an invitation by Lord ya tse ba, he did not go there. The rin po che dam pa ‘gar having come to bru mda', they preached the Doctrine to each other. Most of the disciples of the second half of his life, originated from dags.

He passed away at the age of 55 in the year Iron Female Ox (lcags mo glang 1241 A.D.). He made the promise that in his future life his (body, speech and mind) will be united with the body, speech and mind of 'jig rten mgon po^[6] . He also occupied the chair of sgam po after the upādhyāya 'dul 'dzin.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

R: In ancient Tibet a yogin meant a person who had not taken the Praṭimoksa vows.

[2]:

DD: The text says Makāmudrā. Seems like a typo to me.

[3]:

R: "of one flavour", the doctrine maintaining the unity of flavour of all Elements of Phenomenal Existence. One of the Tenets of the Mahāmudrā doctrine.

[4]:

R: gro bo lung has been the seat of Lord mar pa

[5]:

R: The sa skya paN chen kun dga' rgyal mtshan refuted the doctrine of dgongs gcig in his famous treatise sdom gsum rab dbye.

[6]:

R: the Dharmasvāmin of ‘bri khung