Chapter 23 - Lo tsa ba dpal ldan byang chub rtse mo

Dpal ldan byang chub rtse mo obtained, (the system) from the scholar dpang, whose nephew he was. He was born in the year Water-Female-Hare (chu mo yos 1243 A.D.) ìn Southern la stod. In his childhood he became the disciple of the Venerable dpang and mastered the three Piṭakas, the precious class of the Tantras, and the Sanskrit language. He also studied the lesser sciences, and mastered them all. By order of dpal Idan bla ma dam pa he became abbot of bo dong.

When dpal ldan bla ma dam pa proceeded to the Imperial Court, he attended on him as far as stag lung. The stag lung rin po che Ratnākara made the following request to dpal ldan bla ma dam pa: Let this lo tsā ba rtse mo act as preceptor of my nephew. Bla ma dam pa agreed, saying he was at liberty to do so.

The one known as Nephew nam mkha' dpal bzang po was an incarnation of Dharmeśvara, son of yu rno. He recollected clearly all former events. Rtse mo bestowed on him the Commentary on the Kālacakra-Tantra (Vimalaprabhā) together with the hidden precepts, and other doctrines. Nam mkha' dpal bzang po became an unrivalled great scholar and wrote many treatises.

Later, when residing at the monastery of stag lung, he^[1] entrusted the monastery to bkra shis dpal brtsegs, and himself concentrated on meditation only in the mansion called thang lha mdzod.(%) Later the great lo tsā ba (lo chen) stayed at yar klungs, gdan sa thel, (% place or monastery) and gung thang, and satisfied numerous scholars by a shower of religion, which included the Śrī-Kālacakra and other systems. In particular, spyan snga grags pa byang chub pa obtained many doctrines (from him). He saw the great lo tsā ba meditating by day and by night, without leaving it, and imitating his example, he stayed alone in darkness in a small hut, and devoted himself solely to mind concentration. After that he journeyed towards gtsang and stayed at chu mig ring mo.(%mon or place) He established many disciples in initiation, and gave them his guidance, and passed away at the age of 78 in the year Iron-Male-Ape (lcags pho spre'u 1320 A.D.).

The lo tsā ba nam mkha' bzang po, a disciple of the great lo tsā ba, who was learned in Grammar, Logic, and the Kālacakra, also attended on the great lo tsā ba (byang chub rtse mo), and preached extensively the Kālacakra in other localities. The nephew of the great lo tsā ba, the lo tsā ba grags pa rgyal mtshan and his nephew dpal 'jigs med grags pa accepted the doctrines of former teachers, and with the help of their learned labours, worked for the welfare of numerous disciples, and became Masters of the Doctrine.

This 'jigs med grags pa was born in the year Wood-Female-Hare (shing mo yos 1315 A.D.) and passed away at the age 77 in the year Iron-Female-Sheep (lcags mo lug 1391 A.D.). It also stated that he was born in the year Water-Female-Ox (chu mo glang 1313 A.D.). The disciples of dpal 'jigs med grags pa, who were devoted to their teacher, and who were continuously praising him, were the (16b) Lord of Men (mi'i bdag po) rnam rgyal grags pa, who was very learned, and the great scholar bsod nams rnam par rgyal ba.

Bsod rnam par rgyal ba: he at first studied many Piṭakas, and having become a learned man, he proceeded to yar 'brog to visit ‘jigs med grags pa, and heard many doctrines from him. He had great faith in his interpretation of the essence of the Tantras. He composed numerous treatises, headed by a Commentary on the Kālacakra in seven volumes and a detailed exposition of Tantric vows (gsang sngags kyi dam tshig) of more than ten pages. Further, he listened to the exposition of the Kālacakra proper by don grub kun dga', a scholar who had studied for a long time the system of Kālacakra.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

rtse mo (ZMR)