Chapter 13 - Staglungpa (xviii): sangs rgyas dbon

[Full title: Staglungpa (xviii) together with his disciples (stag lung pa slob ma dang bcas pa’i skabs)—sangs rgyas dbon (disciple of sangs rgyas yar byon)].

Birth and Childhood

He was born in mdo Khams in the year Iron Female Hog^[1] , when sangs rgyas yar byon was 49. As a child he was taken away by his parents (to another locality). When they were crossing the Pass of glang ling, he wore a pair of sandals, and while walking over the snow, left his toe prints on (the surface of the snow). He was an incarnation of the Master sgam po pa. The first of his numerous miracles was the leaving of footprints on the snow described above.

Later, when some of his boy friends had gone to a mountain to collect roots, he created many phantom children similar to them, and played with them. At sbras, he snatched away the ornaments of a young girl, and several men chased him, but he created a big lake between them and himself, which they could not cross.

Such were the miracles performed by him in his childhood.

Education

At the age of 13, he was ordained in the presence of sangs rgyas yar byon. He heard from him the complete precepts of the bka' brgyud pas and most of the Doctrine, which had originated from 'gro ba'i mgon po phag mo gru pa, and which existed among the stag lung pas in the form of an oral tradition. There did not exist a single Pitaka or Tantra Piṭaka which remained unknown to him.

Teaching and Abbotship

He preached the great commentaries on the Mādhyamaka to the upadhyāya thang sag pa and others (than sag pa was a famous Mādhyamaka scholar). He also preached the sgron ma gsal ba^[2] the commentary on the Guhyasamāja, and many other texts to those who were anxious to listen to their exposition. His name was grags pa dpal. At the time of the death of sangs rgyas yar byon the abbot’s chair was entrusted to him.

On the whole, this sangs rgyas yar byon spent much of his time in seclusion, but, when ‘phags pa came there, he attended the congregation, and met ‘phags pa. At that time he entrusted his nephew Maṅgala guru to ‘phags pa. Sangs rgyas yar byon himself told Maṅgala guru the reasons for his assuming the abbotship. (Therefore) these two (grags pa dpal and Maṅgala guru) disagreed on the subject of the abbotship, because the Teacher ‘phags pa supported Mang gur ba (Maṅgala guru).

Sangs rgyas dbon, after acting as abbot for one year, was compelled to proceed to khams. He packed away even the dried excrements from the latrine of stag lung chos rje in a skin, and carried them away with him. He also took away the other holy objects, and the staff of the Venerable Mid la, also his ladle. A messenger from sa skya begged him to leave behind the staff and the ladle, but he did not give them back.

Then, a messenger suggested to him:

"Give me a skull cup and a stick. I shall say that these were the genuine ones."

But sangs rgyas dbon said:

"Don't do such things! Afterwards people will have no faith in these genuine and false relics".

The monks who were accompanying him also requested him to leave the objects behind, but he said: “sangs rgyas yar byon had told me that I should not separate from these objects till my death! If I do it, I shall die! ", on saying so, he felt ill. The monks prayed earnestly, and he revived.

Founding of ri bo che and death

After that he proceeded to khams in the year Fire Female Mouse (me pho byi ba, 1276 A.D.). At the age of 26, he founded ri bo che. Until the present day it is the greatest monastery in khams. In my opinion, sangs rgyas yar byon had probably seen the beginning and the end of these events, and had instructed the two nephews to act as abbots. He passed away at the age of 46 in the year Fire Male Ape (me pho spre'u, 1296 A.D.).

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

lcags mo phag 1251 A.D.,The re'u mig /JASB, 1889, N. 2, p. 547/ has 1250 A.D.

[2]:

Pradīpodyotana nāma ṭīkā, Tg. rgyud, No. 1785.