Chapter 4 - The first Kālacakra lineage

Now the Lineage: king pad ma dkar po,^[1] a manifestation of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara, who was indicated in the last śloka of the prophecy (given by Buddha about the kings of Śambhala), taught (the system) to the ācārya Kālacakrapāda.

This ācārya belonged to the kṣatriya caste of Madhyadeśa in (2b) India, and was born after his royal parents had performed the rite ensuring the birth of a noble son (kulaputra). He was learned in the five branches of knowledge, and was known to be a manifestation of Ārya Mañjuśrī. He was blessed by the Venerable Tārā, whose face he saw clearly. After he had acquired all the "lower perfections,"^[2] the Venerable One once told him: In the Northern Śambhala there exist many Tantras and commentaries taught and prophesied by the Buddha. Go in search of them and listen to them! He then thought of going there.

In the opinion of some scholars he had joined a caravan of merchants, and proceeded there. Some said that he was guided there by a phantom monk. Again some said that the Venerable Tārā herself helped him.^[3] Again some said that when he decided to proceed to Śambhala, and was preparing (for the journey), he visited Śambhala in his vision, and obtained the doctrines from Ārya Avalokiteśvara himself (rigs ldan pad ma dkar po). This last statement should be accepted.

When he was residing in Madhyadeśa, tsi lu pa preached the system to five paṇḍitas: Piṇḍo ācārya, 'dul ba 'byung gnas blo gros,^[4] thar pa 'byung gnas sbas pa,^[5] seng ge rgyal mtshan,^[6] and mtha' yas rnam par rgyal ba.^[7] When they had mastered it, he journeyed to Puṣpahari, ^[8] and stayed there preaching the system to na ro pan chen and others.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Puṇḍarika

[2]:

Eight in all.

[3]:

i.e. preached to him.

[4]:

Vinayākaramati

[5]:

Mokśākaragupta

[6]:

Siṃhadhvaja

[7]:

Anantajaya

[8]:

written in later works pu la ha ri, a hill near Nālandā, according to chag lo tsā ba.