Chapter 2b - Kyungpo Naljor Disciples (Iv): Sangs Rgyas Ston Pa

[Full title: Kyungpo Naljor disciples (iv): sangs rgyas ston pa (Reorich 733)]

The seventh successor known as sangs rgyas ston pa, who became the vicar of sangs rgyas gnyan ston: He was born in the year of the Hare (yos lo) in the family of the bon po yangal dkar po at sil ma. As soon as he began to act consciously, he showed devotion towards the Doctrine. At the age of eight, he mastered the alphabet. At the age of ten, he heard the unique tradition of gcod from ma gcig sprul sku at gan bzang. Since his childhood, his mind filled with sadness, he used to perform meritorious deeds by day and by night, such as the circumambulating (of holy objects), etc. At the age, of 13, he was ordained in the presence of the bla ma tsa ri ras pa who told him: You will benefit living beings, and because you will show diligence towards the Doctrine, receive the name of brtson grus seng ge!{GL_NOTE::} The Teacher’s death prevented him from attending on the Teacher for a considerable length of time.

He then heard many doctrines from the ācārya sregs. At the age of 17 he preached the Doctrine and manifested his ability in it. He then obtained an extensive exposition of the gcod system from sum ston ras pa, and pleased him with offerings. The latter gave him a prophecy: Thanks to you, this rite of gcod will spread widely. He also obtained the Cycle of Hevajra, etc. From the bla ma dbu ma pa.

Having heard that bzang yul pa was a siddha, he obtained from him the initiation of Amitayus during seven days, and the Teacher told him: You were to die in the autumn, but by this initiation your life has been prolonged. When the autumn crop will become yellow, you will think that you are fortunate not to die at this time. My blessing and that of Amitayus have prolonged your life. Now till you are thirty do not preach this Doctrine to men! After that, the initiation of Amitayus will benefit living beings. At the age of 19, be sure to take up the final monastic vows! From the bla ma spang po ba he obtained the Cycle of the doctrines of zhan 'tshal pa, etc. At the age of 19, he received the final monastic ordination in the presence of the upādhyāya chos rgyal. He listened to the exposition of the Doctrine at the feet of the bla ma glang phug pa, the ācārya tshogs ston shak, the bla ma khro phu ba, the bla ma sa skyapa, the ācārya gtsang pa, the ācārya jo stan, the ācārya Siddha, mkhar rgyab pa, the ācārya jo rgyal, and khams ston.

Then he decided that he should go in search of a siddha teacher and practice meditation. There was, a great scholar named bla ma rngog ston, who was said to be more learned and more virtuous than sa lo1192 and gro lo{GL_NOTE::} He accordingly went to visit him. He spent the night with him. At night there resounded a loud outcry: May the Venerable Tārā relieve him of the dangers of Hell!

He inquired What has happened? He (ngog ston) replied: (In my dream) I saw myself about to fall into three deep pits, filled with darkness. I asked: What was it? and the reply came that these pits represented three hells.{GL_NOTE::} Frightened, I cried out. Now it_. is necessary for me to proceed to a teacher siddha. It is said that at yol phu there is one named ri gong pa who is an expert in the practice of the apparitional body (sgyu lus), and dreams, possesses prescience, and had vision of many tutelary deities. He is said to be a secret yogin, a mahasiḍa. He decided to visit him at any, rate, but was prevented from doing so for three years. During that time the ācārya rngog ston passed away.

Then, when he was going to meet the siddha, the latter told his attendant named bla ma kong po ba at dawn Today an ascetic will be coming to see me from rab gron %. He will become the Master of my precepts. (Through him) my precepts will spread from u rgyan {GL_NOTE::} and Jalandhara{GL_NOTE::} to the shore of the Outer Ocean (in the East). This morning dakinis and religious protectors went out to receive him. Now you should sweep the chapel, as he is fond of cleanliness.

Then, when the attendant had finished sweeping the chapel, and had aṛanged the offerings, the bla ma told him: Now he is taking his food at the marsh of gser gcig ma. Go quickly to receive him! When the bla ma kong po ba reached the beginning of the marsh, he saw him. When they reached yang dgon, the bla ma said: You intended coming to moṛow or the day after, but instead you did not leave for three years! During that time two teachers, the ācārya rngog ston and gzhu pa nag po, who had prophesied our meeting, have passed away! He thought that the Teacher must possess an unimpeded faculty of prescience.

Again the bla ma said: Why did you come here, having faith in me? He replied: I heard you were expert in the practice of the apparitional body (sgyu lus) and dreams, that you had realized the prabhasvara state, that you had visions of many tutelary deities and that you were attended by Religious Protectors. Having heard of this, I have come to see you. Pray bestow on me the precepts of the bla ma shangs pa! The Teacher then gradually bestowed on him the initiation and precepts, together with their respective methods, and there exist numerous accounts about the excellence of his meditation, and about his labours for the welfare of men and amanuṣyas. In his later life he delivered numerous prophecies. He especially prophesied that there would appear a hundred and eight disciples who would surely go to Paradise. At the age of 72, he showed signs of passing away at ri gong. On his cremation, many relics were recovered (from the ashes), and were kept in a golden caitya and a relic holder (nang rten) which became objects of worship by all living beings. With him the succession of the single Lineage came to an end.

Miscellaneous connections

[(R746; Chengdu 873)]

Those who attained emancipation by following after its branches and sections were numerous. It is difficult to establish clearly the dates, months and the age of these teachers. Rmog cog pa was a contemporary of dpal phagmo gru pa, skyer sgang pa was a contemporary of Lord 'bri khung pa. Sangs rgyas gnyan ston was a contemporary of Lord spyan snga. Sangs rgyas ston pa was a contemporary of yang dgon pa. On the day which preceded the cremation rite and festival for sangs rgyas ston pa, ston pa himself appeared in the residence of the bla ma A, and prophesied: I myself have performed an auspicious ceremony. To moṛow the crowd will {(10a)} be quiet. This bla ma Aseng was a Tantric who belonged to the clan of gzhu, and was born at ru mtshams lug ra kha. He possessed the Tantras of the Old Mantrayana and a great excellence in practice. He obtained the precepts from sangs rgyas ston pa, and mastered the (practice) of the apparitional body^[1] and that of the prabhāsvara state^[2] .

Mkhas grub sans ston

[(Reorich 747; Chengdu 874)]

The disciple of sangs rgyas ston pa, known as mkhas grub sangs ston: His native place was khong rkyang yang khang, He was born in the year Wood Male Horse ('sin pho rta 1234 A.D.) as son of dbOn po dkon mchog bzang and mother jodge. From childhood he felt great coṃiseration towards the World, and mastered the alphabet at the age of 8 or 9. At the age of 13, he was ordained a novice, nyi thog pa acting as upādhyāya, and tshul shes as ācārya, and received the name of tshul khrims mgon po. He studied the Prajnyaparamita and the Bodhisattvācāryavatara with the ācārya (tshul shes) and the ācārya shakya 'bum. At the age of 18, he made a new exposition of it.

The ācārya said to him: An understanding of Pramāṇa is coming to you! Study it by heart! and handed over to him the basicf text of the viniścaya (rnam nyes). When the ācārya explained to him the first line (of the text), he already knew the remaining portion of the first page. He became learned in Logic^[3] , and became known as a good scholar.

Further, he heard (the exposition) of the Five Treatises of Maitreya, the five divisions of the Yogacarabhumi of Asaṅga, the seven treatises on Logic^[4] , the Six Madhyamaka Treatises of Nagarjuna^[5] , the Śikṣāsamuccaya^[6] as well as many Tantric texts. From the bla ma sa ston lharin he heard the exposition of many Tantras of the Mantrayana and sadhanas. He heard the bka' gdams pa doctrine from the preceptor of . Gya' lung dgon gsar, and from mdo ba karmapa his hiḍen doctrines. His knowledge became excellent. Having no attachment to this world, he sold his entire country estate, and on eleven occasions distributed presents in memory of his parents. As soon as he heard about the fame of sangs rgyas ston pa, he felt reverence for him, {(10b)} proceeded to ri gong, and asked for precepts. The bla ma thought he was a suitable disciple, and bestowed on him the complete Cycle of Niguma. The bla ma was pleased with his results, and praised him, saying: Your progress is better than mine! When the bla ma dkon skyabs of gzhu brag dmar came to ri gong, he heard from him the sring thig.

After a glance at him, he obtained a clear vision of the first stage of the rainbow vision^[7] . After that he practiced meditation at tsa ri and felt a strong temptation. He heard (the exposition) of the Path and Fruit Doctrine (lam 'bras) from the bla ma khams pa of rgang mo lhas pa. He beṅed that his handicaps might be removed, and his handicaps disappeared. After that he took up residence at 'jag and laboured extensively for the welfare of others. He had many disciples possessing yogic insight. At the age of 76 on the I5th day of the fifth month of the year Earth Female Hen (sa mo bya 309 A.D.) he drew into himself the vision of this life, and hastened after sangs rgyas ston pa.

'Jag pa rgyal mtshan 'bum

[(Reorich 748; Chengdu 875)]

His disciple 'jag pa rgyal mtshan 'bum: he was born in the year Iron Female Hen (lcags mo bya 1261 A.D.) when shangs ston was 28. He died at the age of 74 in the year Wood Male Dog (sin pho khyi 1334 A.D.). He obtained precepts from shangs ston and developed a good mental concentration. He became very famous, and laboured for the welfare of living beings.

His nephew byams pa dpal he was born in the year Iron Male Dog (lcags pho khyi 131o A.D.) which was the fiftieth year of (his) uncle the Dharmasvamin rgyal mtshan 'bum pa. This year follows the death of shangs ston. He possessed a great faculty of concentration according to the method of Nigu(ma). Many great men became his disciples. He laboured for a considerable length of time for the welfare of others, and passed away at the age of 82 in the year Iron Female Sheep (rags mo lug 1391 A.D.). The year of his birth and that of his death coṛespond to those of the Dharmasvamin 'ba' ra ba.

'Jag pa’s disciple the siddha chos 'byung rin chen: he was born in the year Iron Female Hare (lcags mo yos 135i A.D) as son of father dpon yig gzon nu rin chen and mother bsod names dpal at shong yur, a place blessed by 'bre shes rab 'bar . In his childhood he had no difficulty in mastering the alphabet, both the cursive and printed scripts. At the age of I2, he was ordained by the upādhyāya rin chen bsam gtan dpal bzang {(11a)} and the ācārya shong ston rab brtan. He studied the Prajnyaparamita, and for the first time preached an exposition of it at gnas rnying. He also preached the Doctrine. At the age of 32, he received the finale monastic ordination in the presence of the upādhyāya rin chen rgyal tshan dpal bzang po, the ācārya legs mchog pa and the Secret Preceptor, the bka' bzhi pa rin chen rdo rje. In general, while he was staying at his native place, he had visions of mgon po rgyan chan. An understanding of the Natural State^[8] was produced in him.

After reading the Life of khyung po, in the same night he became able to realize the dream nature of his dreams without effort. At the age of 38, he sent first a letter to 'jag chen byams pa dpal, and then met him, and obtained the complete precepts. He obtained from the ācārya dpal bzang pa the Āgamas which were the foundation of the precepts^[9] Later, he took up residence at gnas rnying and yol. Most of his time he spent in seclusion. He also possessed a faculty of prescience, and bestowed initiations on many others. At the age of 58, he showed signs of passing into Nirvana on the 14th day of the full Moon of the star bya spos^[10] of the year Earth Male Mouse (sa pho byi ba1408 A.D.). On cremation, numberless relics were recovered (from the ashes). In short, this Holy Man was born in the year of the foundation of rtse thang. Since the birth of mkhas grub shangs ston to the present Fire Male Ape year (me pho spre 1476 A.D.) 243 years have passed.

Mkhas btsun gzhoṇu grub

[(Reorich 749; Chengdu 877)]

The disciple of sangs rgyas ston pa, named mkhas btsun gzhoṇu grub: he was born as son of father rgyal po tshe 'phel and mother rgya mo khye 'dren dpal at gchung pa yu ba gdong of Lower myang. At the age of 10, he was ordained in the presence of nam mkha' grags, the maha upādhyaya of snar thang. He studied the Pitakas with chu mig pa and {(11b); R750} others. At the age of 20, he received the final monastic ordination in the presence of the same mahāupādhyāya. When he was about 22, he visited the bla ma 'phags pa of sa skya and heard (from him) many expositions of the Tantras. He also 'heard the exposition of many Tantras from the great kalyāṇamitras, who resided at the monastery (of sa skya). He became learned. While he was training his disciples, the sa skya feud broke out, and he felt afflicted. He attended on eighty three teachers and practiced profound precepts. In particular, having heard the name of sangs rgyas ston pa, he felt a strong faith produced in him. He came to him, and heard the complete precepts of the shangs pa bka' brgyud sect, and many hiḍen doctrines in the possession of the Teacher.

The Teacher was very pleased at his results. He felt a great sadness in this life, but the Teacher on four occasions ordered him to labour for the welfare of others. He engaged in the performance of the gcod rite without caring for his body and life in many localities of dbus and gtsan, and laboured for the welfare, of many devas and demons. After that he founded bsams dins in Lower myang. He taught numerous disciples, chiefly the Path & Fruit^[11] doctrine, the Mahamudra, and the Niguma’s systems. His fame spread suḍenly and a large retinue gathered round him. His chief supporter was zalu sku zhangpa. In the end, he gave instructions about his own funeral rite, and died in the first month of the suṃer of the year earth female sheep (sa mo lug 13I9 A.D.). This earth female sheep year is the year of the composition of the commentary on the Prajnyāpāramitā by bu ston rin po che.

Gser glingpa bkra shis dpal

[(R 750; Chengdu 878)]

mkhas grub chos rje’s disciple gser gling pa bkra shis dpal: his native country was yol phu gser gling. He was born in the year Water Male Dragon (chu pho 'brug 1292 A.D.) as son of father named rje btsun and mother dkon mchog rgyan. He learnt the alphabet at the age of 6-7. He received the final monastic ordination in the presence of nelpa pan chen. He studied with nelpa, uncle and nephew, the Vinaya and the Abhidharmakośa, as well as numerous Pitakas including the Prajnyapāramitā and Logic, etc., at gsang phu. He attended on many Holy Men, such as the {(12a)} Dharmasvāmin rang byung rdo rje, the rgya drag chos rje, the puruṣottama bsam gtan dpal, and others. In particular, he listened to numerous instructions in the doctrines of the Mantrayāna imparted by teachers who resided in the vicinity of his native place. He also obtained many precepts of shangs pa from rmog cog pa rin chen blo gros and others. He had many visions of many tutelary deities.

In particular, Mahakāla having manifested himself, undertook to assist him in his undertakings. He attained excellent and definite results in his meditation. He obtained the precepts^[12] from mkhas btsun gzhon nu grub, the Master of the Doctrine of shangs pa. The Teacher also instructed him in the doctrine of gcod which had originated from sangs rgyas ston pa, and he taught it to his disciples. Masters of congregations of kalyāṇamitras, and important officials became his disciples. He performed countless deeds for the welfare of living beings. He passed away on the i9th day of the first month, of the year Wood Female Serpent (shin mo sbrul 1365, A.D.) at the age of 72.

His disciple bragpo thepa rdo rje dpal: he was born at bzang, and entered the gate of religion. He obtained precepts from many kalyāṇamitras. In particular, he obtained the doctrines of Shangs pa and the Cycle of spyod yul^[13] from rin po che gser gling pa. He laboured extensively for the welfare of living beings and was constantly attended by Mahākala.

His disciple chos sgo ba chos dpal ses rab: his native place was gtsang. Having come to thar pa gling, he received ordination in the presence of the mahāupādhaya shes rab 'od zer pa, and then received the final monastic ordination. He obtained numerous instructions from numerous teachers, such as the mahāupādhyāya shes rab rdo rje and others. He obtained the Hermit doctrines^[14] , the Mahamudra, and other doctrines from the Dharmasvamin ‘ba’ra ba, and a prabhasvara state, undefiled by sleep, was produced in him. He worshipped the two faced (Vajra)varahi, and (his) offering wine acquired a particular taste and flavour. He also recited, the number of mantras prescribed (for the propitiations) of tutelary deities^[15] , such as the gsed dmar and other deities. From brag po che ba rdo rje dpal he obtained the doctrine of shangs pa^[16] and the gcod rite, and practiced them. Later, while staying in the monastery of thel^[17] he initiated and directed numerous disciples. When he came to the vihara of nan rgyal and was revolving the Wheel of Law of these doctrines, one who was well known as rgod phrug ras pa, who had subdued the three Worlds by the power of his wisdom, who used to assemble all the Vajra dakinis by his blessing, and who was an object of worship of men and amanusyas %, obtained (the complete exposition of these doctrines), and personally practiced them. He preached them to his disciples also.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

sgyu lus {R}

[2]:

'od gsal {R}

[3]:

Pramāṇa {R}

[4]:

Tshadma sde bdun {R}

[5]:

dbu ma'I rigs tshogs drug {R}

[6]:

bslab btus {R}

[7]:

meditation on bright objects f chos nid mthon sum gyi snang ba rgya chen po {R}

[8]:

gnas lugs, Sunyatā {R}

[9]:

rgyab skyor {R}

[10]:

sravana, the 20th asterism {R}

[11]:

lam 'bras {R}

[12]:

upadeśas {R}

[13]:

gcod {R}

[14]:

ri chos {R}

[15]:

yi dam {R}

[16]:

Shangs pa'I chos skor {R}

[17]:

gdan sa thel {R}