Sakyapa Lineage of Transmission

Sakyapa Lineage of Transmission

Then, in succession, this is the lineage of transmission•

1. Sachen Kunga Nyingpo (Sa-chen Kun-dga' snying-po, 1102-1158),
2. Dragpa Gyaltsan (rJe-btsun Grags-pa rgyal-mtshan, 1147-1216),
J. the great Sakya Pandita (Kun-dga' rgyal-mtshan, 1182-1251),
4. the Dharma king Phagpa (rJe-btsun 'Phags-pa, 1235-1280),
5. his disciple Rongpo Dorje (Rong-po rdo-rje),
6. Rongpo Sangye Yeshe (Rong-po Sangs-rgyas ye-shes),
7. Rongpo Lama Rinpoche (Rong-po bla-ma rin-po-che),

8. Khepa Yagde Panchen (mKhas-pa g.Yag-sde Pan-chen).

This latter, since he made the Jnina Dakin! Simhamukha into his extraordinary tutelary deity (thugs-dam) , he actually saw her face and received from her blessings continuously. He also composed a text of upadesas relating to her practice.

9. These were listened to by Jetsunma Timudra (rJe-btsun-ma Tis-mu-dra).

10. Then these were listened to by Khechog Rinchen Samtan Palzangpo ( mKhas-mchog Rin-chen bsam -gtan dpal bzang-po)

11. All of these were listened to by the Mantra-holder of the Kali Yuga, that great wielder of the vajra, the Togdan Nankha Sangye Gonpo (rTogs-ldan Nam-mkha' Sangs-rgyas mgon-po).

12. His teachings were listened to by the great cotton-clad ascetic Rechen Kunga Darpo (Ras-chen Kun-dga' dar-po).

13. From him they were listened to by his heart son Thugse Kunga Zangpo (Thugs-sras Kun-dga' bzang-po).

14. And finally, with respect to these upadesas, they were listened to by that holy personage who has attained both learning and realization, my own benevolent Guru, the doctor of divinity and doctor of letters, Chokyi Nyima (Chos kyi nyi-ma, the root Guru of Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, 1811-1892).

The History of Sangye Gonpo

As for the history of the extraordinary lineage for the transmission of these upadesas in particulars He who became known as the Togdan Sangye Gonpo was born at a place belonging to a section of the great monastic college of Ne-nying (dPal gNas-rnying). He grew to maturity also at Ne-nying where he prepared well in terms of study and practice. However, his body soon fell ill, having contracted a terrible case of leprosy.

At a time when he was feeling very fatigued, and was most anxious and in despair, a friend who was a fellow monk, asked him, "Considering that you have so much of this fatigue, if you perform the sevi practice of mantra recitation for Simhamukha, this will certainly be of benefit to you. You should request the authorization for the mantra from the Khanpo in charge and its practice will surely cure you."

Having listened to this advice, he went to the Khanpo and requested the authorization. Having performed the seva practice of the fourteen letter mantra,he thought that his disease had gone away and that he was cured. But soon it returned again and he became very

Then, having considered the intentions of his heart, he thought to himself, "Even though I am now staying in this monastic institution, I have this illness and if I am not cured soon, surely I will be driven out and not allowed again inside. More than that, If I go out into the countryside by myself, it will not be easy for me to find a livelihood, but at least I will not disturb others. I must not worry about loosing this body because of dying."

Having thought that, he proceeded to give away all of his possessions to the members of the Sangha and went out from his monastery in order to wander in the direction of the valley of Zambu in the district of Shang (Shangs) (which is in the provence of Tsang in Central Tibet). At a hermitage in Zambu, since he had not already died, he was able to perform some seva practice for Simhamukhi. Nevertheless, he remained very ill and his leprosy was not cured. Soon the harmonious conditions of his livelihood became exhausted (since he had run out of food) and at this time he found himself very weak and fatigued.

Then, one evening while he was asleep, a woman of exceedingly tall stature came to him in. his dream and said, "Because you are staying here in this place, you will never recover from your leprosy. However, if you do not stay here any longer, but go to avalley called Tagna (rTag-na), there great attainments will surely come to you." Having spoken to him in this way, she departed like the dissolving of the rainbow in the sky.

When he awoke from sleep and looked at this omen in his dream, he ex~laimed excitedly, "Surely there does exist a cure for my affliction!" He resolved to search out this valley of Tagna wherever it might lie. But having left the district of Shang, he did not find it and so, for a time, he asked everyonea "Where is Tagna?" But no information was forthcoming from anywhere.

Then, one evening when his body was exceedingly tired, he went to sleep in a doorway in an ally in a town, while thinking to himself, "This burning pain due to my leprosy continues to throb and give me little comfort or peace." When he had fallen into a restless sleep, in his dream that same tall woman came to him again and said, "Tomorrow you will be able to find Tagna." And having said this, she disappeared.

Then, when he had awakened from his sleep, he thought, "If I am able to find Tagna, what attainments will occur? If I find a medicine which will be of benefit to my leprosy, this will surely be an attainment. But whether this will happen or not can only be seen in the light of the compassion of the Three Jewels." But he remained ill and wept to himself.

Finally, the next day, a young girl came to him, bringing with her some soup and food, and to this weary and despirately ill monk she said, "Please take this." And giving him the food, she asked, "Where have you come from?"

He explained to her in detail the events of his leaving Ne-nying monastery (and what had occured thereafter) and concluded, "And now I am searching for Tagna."

"Sir, you have not found Tagna?" she asked.

"No, I have not found it. Now I am very tired and so I will stay here. But can you describe to me how to go there?" The girl laughed and replied, "You have been staying all the time in Tagna, and yet you would search elsewhere for Tagna?" She laughed again in amusement and went along here way.

Thereafter, he sat in that place doing seva practice (with the mantra of Simhamukha), but his leprosy only grew worse and did not give him any respite. And because of that he was very depressed. One evening, in his dream that same tall woman came to him once more and said, "In this same valley there is a rock cave which faces downward.

Go there and you will obtain success." Having said this, she departed again, like the dissolving of the rainbow. But when he asked all of the people in the country there?abouts, they said, "We do not know of the existence of any such cave. You must go yourself and search for it." Since no information was forthcoming, he went himself in search of the rock cave, but but he did not find it.

Then the girl who had come to him previously came again with some food and said, "Sir, your body gives you no comfort; yet you sit here though you are not well."

"Yes, I have been staying here, but I would like to stay in a rock cave which faces downward. I must go in search of it." "It is up there yonder," she replied and indicated the cave to him.

Immediately he set out for it and on the way he muttered many harsh and angry words. Because of the strain, his body became numb and torpid, and his joyousness of mind all but disappeared.

Once he arrived there and sat down in the cave, he felt faint and suffered great pain due to his illness. But he carried on with his practice in the evening twilight and suddenly there appeared mysterious lights and he heard a very great murmuring sound, together with a pulsating throbbing sound (like many people chanting and playing drums).

He looked about him and saw that Bhattarika Simhamukha and the five classes of lion-headed Jnana Dakin!s, together with surrounding retinues of myriads of Dakinis belonging to the five classes,

had become visible and and at that moment they were preparing the actual physical flesh and the blood of his own body for their Ganachakra.For a moment, he fainted and lost consciousness, and when he had recovered from his stupor, he examined himself and found that nothing whatsoever remained of the negative symptoms of his disease in terms of pus and blood.

On the contrary, his body had become clean and beautiful. But everywhere about him, on his bedding and in the cave, was completely covered with pus and blood. Both his mind and his body had become freed of the disease and now he felt no pain.

Then Bhattarika Simhamukha and the Dakin!s of the five classes reappered before him and bestowed upon him the three initiations which are outer, inner, and secret; and finally this manifestation which had appeared in the rock cave dissolved into him.

In this way, the great cotton-clad master of yoga, the Togdan Namkha Sangy Gonpo (rJe-btsun rtogs-ldan rnal-'byor gyi dbang-phyug chen-po ras-pa Nam-mkha' Sangs-rgyas mgon-po) was freed from the basis of the disease which had afflicted his body so long. Having become a devoted follower of Bhattarika Simhamukha, his mind became exceedingly joyous.

THE HISTORY OF RECHEN KUNGA DARPO

At the time when the Togdan Sangye Gonpo was staying there in the rock cave at Tagna, the supreme son of his heart, the great cotton-clad ascetic Rechen Kunga Darpo (Ras-chen Kun-dga' dar-po) became his disciple due to an auspicious conjunction of events. Having gone in the direction of the valley of Shang,the latter inquired, "Is there any practicing yogin around here who is living in solitude?"

To this someone replied,"There are no Buddhist practitioners living around here, except for one crazy Togdan who raises clamourous cries at Arnde ('Am-'de)." And hearing of this, he went off in the direction (of that isolated place).

Meanwhile, in his solitary retreat Je Sangye Gonpo thought to himself, "Can this truly be the yogin coming who is to be my disciple?"

After praying to the DakinTs for a time, suddenly a black man appeared before him and inquired, "What is it that you need?" Je Rinpoche (Sangye Gonpo) replied, "In this weariness of mine, there is at least some benefit."

"Whose benefit?" the black man asked.

"In this matter, it is for none other than the one who is called the great cotton-clad master of yoga, Kunga Darpo. If there is any news of him, please bring it to me. " Thereafter, when he laid down to sleep at the gate of the upadesa, he muttered, "May he come quickly!"

At this, the black man went back inside the cave and at that moment there did indeed arise great benefit for Repa Kunga Darpo in the form of a dialogue between master and disciple (the black man having revealed himself to be that same Kunga Darpo).

He prostrated and placed on the crown of his head the two feet of the master. With great devotion, he pleaded, "Please give the upadesa to mel" And he told the master about an exceedingly excellent luminous dream he had previosly. "Please describe everything that happened in your dream, leaving out nothing."

"There crame before me a beautiful woman of radiant form, with her hair tied up on her head, and she told me that I should practice the iron phurpa of Simhamukha.

Filling a kapala with the inner puja offerings, I should arrange them properly and offer them. And if anything else was requested, I should bring them. And since . , . I would be sleeping at the very gate of th~s upadesa, she sa~d I would receive it immediately."

At this Je Sangye Gonpo was very pleased and felt great joy in his heart. Thereupon both the master and his disciple went back inside the rock cave and prepared an excellent Ganachakra. "I am in need of your great kindness, •• Kunga Darpa pleaded.

"Please give me the complete upadesas, withholding nothing from them:" The master replied, "I shall give the complete upadesas to you. But first, let me reckon the date of this night.

Yes, tonight is the tenth day of the waning moon (the day of the DakinT). This is indeed a very auspicious conjunction of eventsl Let us prepare together an excellent Ganachakra and a mandala of gold. I shall practice the sadhana, make the puji offerings, and perform the self-consecration (bdag 'jug) before hand," he said.

"Then, after dusk I shall compose the outer precepts, at midnight I shall compose the inner precepts, and before dawn I shall compose the secret precepts."

Then he put his hand on the crown of the head of his disciple, saying, "Yes, I must confer upon you the initiation for the Dakini, as well as the sidhanas and the upadesas which are only given orally, together with the dKar nag khra gsum which is -- - the collection of magical rites.

Since there exist these sealed secret precepts (bka' rgya) which were bestowed upon me by the Dakini herself, I shall also bring them to you. Now, in order to practice these precepts with courage and perseverence, you must do one completely pure practice which delights the DakinT. Then, afterwards, to one or two disciples who are close to you, give one

or two instructions to each, but do not spread about the trans�mission of the words of the entire corpus of rites and instruments, .. he commanded. He made this a strictly sealed precept and made the latter promise to adhere to it.

Thereafter, Je Rinpoche (Kunga Darpa) carried out his intention of proceeding to the south where he remained for sometime and there he performed the practices one-pointedly. Later his own heart son, the master of yoga, Kunga Zangpo, listened to the teachings from Rechen Kunga Darpa.

Finally, my own Guru, Chokyi Nyima, listened to the teachings from him in turn. With respect to all that, this is the transmission lineage for the outer precepts.

Lineage of the Inner and Secret Precepts

As for the lineage of the transmission of the extraordinary inner and secret precepts, together with the collection of magical rites of the ~nag khra ~· this is as followss

1. the Dharmakaya Samantabhadra in union, 2. the Jnana Dakini! Simhamukha, ). the incomparable Urgyanpa (Padmasambhava) in union, 4. the Togdan Namkha Sangye Gonpo, 5. the illusion-destroying Rechen Kunga Darpo, 6. the mantra-holding Tsondru Senge, 7. and my own Root Guru, Chokyi Nyima, who listened to all of these precepts.

This has been the history of the lineage of the transmission which inspires fervent belief in these teachings.