13. Extensive Propagation of the “distant lineage” in Khams

From the time of Dalal Lama V, the “distant lineage” was extensively propagated throughout Khams. After the depradations of the Dzun-gar-pa Incursion and during the era of 'Jigs-med gLing-pa,^[1] the main centre of activity for the rNying-ma tradition in fact moved eastwards to Khams, where the sMin-grol-gling lineages stemming from rGyal-sras Rin-chen rNam-rgyal and mKhan-chen O-rgyan bsTan-'dzin were propagated in the Khams-pa monasteries of Kah-thog, dPal-yul, Zhe-chen' and rDzogs-chen, spreading as far as rGyal-mo-rong in eastern Khams and the mGo-log region of A-mdo. In these regions. the “distant lineage” of the mdo-sgyu-sems-gsum continued without decline until recent times.

Kah-thog:

The monastery of Kah-thog rDo-rJe gDan. a stronghold of the rNying-ma teaching in Khams from the twelfth century onwards, was expanded in the sixteenth century by Rig-'dzin bDud-'dul rDo-rJe and kLong-gsal sNying-po. The latter's student. bSod-nams lde'u-btsan, received the Central Tibetan lineage from gTer-bdag gLing-pa of sMin-grol-gling, and revitalised the exegetical traditions of Kah-thog. Through his successive incarnations, beginning with Dri-med Zhing-skyong mGon-po, and through the efforts of Rig-'dzin Tshe-dbanz Nor-bu (1698-1755) and dGe-brtse Paṇḍita, 'Gyur-med Tshe-dbang mChog-grub, this lineage has continued down to recent teachers, e.g. Kah-thog Si-tu II Kun-gzigs Chos-kyi rGya-mtsho (1880-1925), mKhan-chen Rig-'dzin Ngag-dbang dPal-bzang (1879-1941), mKhan-po Nus-ldan, mKhan-po 'Byor-ldan, and Bya-bral Sangs-rgyas rDo-rje. Among them, Kah-thog dGe-brtse Paṇḍita, 'Gyur-med Tshe-dbang mChog-grub catalogued the Collected Tantras of the rNying-ma-pa,^[2] and in c. 1764 composed a commentary on the Guhyagarbhatantra. entitled gsangs-sngags nang-gi lam-rim rgya-cher 'grel-pa sangs-rgyas gnyis-pa'i dgongs-rgyan (NMKMG. Vol. 35).

rDzogs-chen:

Padma Rig-'dzin of rDzogs-chen (1625-1697) went to mDo-khams at the behest of Dalai Lama V. and founded the retreat centre of bSam-gtan Chos-gling at Ru-dam sKyid-khram in 1685. The seat was maintained by his students, gTer-chen Nyi-ma Grags-pa, dPon-slob Nam-mkha' Od-gsal, and Zhe-chen Rab-'byams bsTan-pa'i rGyal-mtshan, and thereafter by his successive incarnations—rDzogs-chen II 'Gyur-med Theg-mchog bsTan-'dzin, rDzogs-chen III, rDzogs-chen IV Mi-'gyur Nam-mkha'i rDo-rje (b. 1793), rDzogs-chen V Thub-bstan Chos-kyi rDo-rje (b. 1872), rDzogs-chen VI 'Jigs-bral Byang-chub rDo-rje, and now in India by rDzogs-chen VII. During the lifetime of rDzogs-chen IV, rGyal-sras gZhan-phan mTha'-yas or sKu-zhabs dGe-mang (b. 1800) founded the Śrīsiṅha [Śrīsiṃha?] College at rDzogs-chen and, at the request of sMin-gling Khri-chen Sangs-rgyas Kun-dga' and dPal-sprul Padma dBang-rgyal, he established a compendium of the “distant lineage of transmitted precepts”, including the cycle of the Magical Net, in about ten volumes. His incarnation, rGya-kong mKhan-po gZhan-phan Chos-kyi sNang-ba, alias mKhan-po gZhan-dga' (1871-1927), wrote commentaries on thirteen major texts, including the Guhyagarbha, the latter (entitled sgyu-'phrul drya-ba'i rgyud-kyi mchan-'grel nyi-zla snying-po) being a repetition of the interlinear sections of kLong-chen Rab" byams-pa's phvogs-bcu mun-sel.^[3]

Zhe-chen bsTan-gnyis Dar-rgyas gLing:

This monastery was founded in 1735 as a branch of rDzogs-chen by Zhe-chen Rab-'byams II 'Gyur-med Kun-bzang rNam-rgyal. The seat was maintained by his successive incarnations, including Zhe-chen Rab-'byams III Rig-'dzin dPal-'byor rGya-mtsho (1771-1809), Zhe-chen Rab-'byams IV 'Gyur-med mThu-stobs rNam-rgyal, and by the Zhe-chen rGyal-tshab I gSang-sngags bsTan-'dzin and rGyal-tshab 'Gyur-ned Padma rNam-rgyal (1871-1927).

dPal-yul:

In 1665. Rig-'dzin Kun-bzang Shes-rab founded the doctrinal centre of rNam-rgyal Byang-chub gLing at dPal-yul, where his successors upheld his teaching tradition, emphasising the treasure-cycle of Ratna gLing-pa. At dPal-yul, 'Jam-dbyangs mKhyen-brtse'i dBang-po and mChog-'gyur gLing-pa encouraged rGya-sprul Padma mDo-sngags bsTan-'dzin to institute the annual sgrub-chen ceremony associated with the twenty-seven extant maṇḍalas of the “distant lineage”, and he founded the branch-monastery of Dar-thang mDo-sngags bShad-sgrub gLing in A-mdo. The lineage of dPal-yul is now maintained in South India by the incarnation of dPal-yul Padma Nor-bu 'Jam-dpal Grub-pa'i bLo-gros. The extant texts constituting the “distant lineage of transmitted precepts” were republished in some twenty volumes by O-rgyan mDo-sngags Chos-kyi Nyi-ma, and these have been reprinted twice in India by bDud-'joms 'Jigs-bral Ye-shes rDo-rJe (b. 1904). The second of these Indian editions, the rNying-ma bka'-ma rgyas-pa comprises 40 volumes, of which volumes 21-40 include newly incorporated commentarial literature within the original 175 collection.

'Jam-dbyangs mKhyen-brtse'i dBang-po:

'Jam-dbyangs mKhyen-brtse'i dBang-po (1820-1892) from gTer-lung Dil-mgo, sDe-dge district, mDo-khams, was directly responsible, along with 'Jam-mgon Kong-sprul and mChog-'gyur gLing-pa, for the resurgence of the rNying-ma and other traditions in nineteenth century Khams. In his twenty-first year he was fully ordained by Rig-'dzin bZang-po, a preceptor of sMin-grol-gling, and from the Sa-skya-pa rDo-rje Rin-chen and others he received the vows of the cultivation of the enlightened attitude.^[4] He studied all the existing exegetical traditions of Sūtras, treatises and tantras including the Guhyagarbha over thirteen years, and received the transmissions of the bKa'-'gyur, the Collected Tantras of the rNying-ma-pa (rnying-ma rgyud-'bum), and the bsTan-'gyur. In particular, he received teaching on the peaceful and wrathful deities of the Magical Net (sgyu-'phrul zhi-khro), along with its empowerment, from 'Gyur-med mThu-stobs rNam-rgyal of Zhe-chen. His foremost students were 'Ju Mi-pham rNam-rgyal, Kah-thog Si-tu II Chos-kyi rGya-mtsho (1880-1925), A-'dzom 'Brug-pa (1842-1924), rDo-grub III 'Jigs-med bsTan-pa'i Nyi-ma (1865-1926), gTer-ston bSod-rgyal (1856-1926), mKhan-po Kun-bzang dPal-ldan, dPal-yul Padma Nor-bu 'Jam-dpal Grub-pa'i rDo-rje, and rDzogs-chen V Thub-bstan Chos-kyi rDo-rJe.^[5] Among them, rDo-grub III 'Jigs-med bsTan-pa'i Nyi-ma composed a commentary on the Guhyagarbhatantra, entitled dpal gsang-ba'i snying-po'i rgyud-kyi spyi-don nyung-ngu'i ngag-gis rnam-par 'byed-pa rin-chen mdzod-kyi lde-mig, pp. 244, which has an elaborate discussion on the meditative techniques. The text was written down by gTer-ston bSod-rgyal at rDo-grub Chen’s dictation. In the Guhyagarbha Temple at rDo-grub Monastery, the exegetical tradition of this Tantra according to the “distant lineage” was taught during winter seminars.^[6]

Mi-pham rNam-rgyal (1846-1912):

A native of 'Ju, near sDe-dge, he received instruction in this tradition primarily from 'Jam-dbyangs mKhyen-brtse'i dBang-po and dPal-sprul Rin-po-che (1808-1887).^[7] Renowned for his analyses of Buddhist Sūtra and Tantra-based philosophy, his writings Include an important commentary on kLong-chen Rab-'byams-pa's phyogs-bcu mun-sel, entitled spyi-don 'od-gsal snying-po, NMKMG. Vol. 27, ff. 137. which examines the Guhyagarbha in terms of the ten aspects of mantra.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

See above, p. 30, note 63.

[2]:

See above, p. 31.

[3]:

On this mchan-'grel. which is still highly regarded in rDzogs-chen monastery, see H.V. Guenther, Matrix of Mystery. p. 213, note 8.

[4]:

This is the bodhisattva vow (byang-chub sems-dpa'i sdom-pa) maintained by all Buddhist traditions in Tibet. Within the rNying-ma-pa tradition, the rites for the conferral of this vow are found in NMKMG. vol 1. The author of phyogs-bcu mun-sel. kLong-chen Rab-'byams-pa himself gathered together three such traditions, namely, the tradition of Mañjuśrī via Nāgārjuna and Candrakīrti, the tradition of Maitreya via Asaṅga and Vasubandhu, and the tradition of Mañjuśrī via Nāgārjuna and/ or Śāntideva. See the Gsan yig of Gter-bdag-glin-pa, pp. 15-16.

[5]:

On these figures, see T. Thondup, The Tantric Tradition of the Nyingmapa. passim.

[6]:

There is a good account of rDo-grub Ill's activities in T. Thondup, The Tantric Tradition of the Nyingmapa. pp. 98102. 121.

[7]:

On dPal-sprul Rin-po-che, see NSTB, Book 2, Pt. 6, p. 694; T. Thondup, up. cit., p. 100. He is the author of a celebrated commentary on preliminary meditation practices, the Kun-bzang bla-ma'i zhal-lung. on which see the French translation by Christian Bruyat et. al., and excerpts in Khetsun Sangpo Rin-bo-chay and J. Hopkins, Tantric Practice in Nying-ma.