4. AN AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL RECORD OF THE ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHT GUIDEBOOKS RECEIVED

In this personal statement Kunga Drolchok describes how he was inspired by Sangyé Pel to seek out the respective lineage holders of the one hundred and eight guidebooks. Over thirty-one years, starting from the young age of seven through to his thirty-eighth year, he assiduously acquired these diverse teachings and here he presents his achievement in the well-established format of a “record of teachings received” (thob yig, bsan yig). The names of the teachers from whom he obtained each lineage are documented here, including his own root guru, Kunga Chogdrub, to whom he respectfully refers not by name, but by the epithet “venerable hidden buddha” (rje sbas pa’i sangs rgyas).

Kunga Drolchok also provides a wealth of information concerning the names of the Tibetan authors and redactors of these guidebooks, where they are known, and in cases where the authorship is unclear, he remarks that they derive from unspecified ancient writings. There is evidence of an incisive critical faculty in the way in which he occasionally differentiates between multiple strands of a given lineage, indicating which are to be included in the anthology and which are not. Further information on these primary sources, their antecedents, and so forth can be found in the bibliography and also in the initial note to each of the one hundred and eight actual guidebooks in chapter 9.

The chapter begins with a “signature” quatrain, in which the four syllables of Kunga Drolchok’s own name are embedded within the lines of verse, and it ends with a poetic dedication of merit and a colophon.

FORMAL TITLE

Multiple Approaches of the Wondrous Doctrine, Enhancing the Summary of the One Hundred and Eight Guidebooks¹ {48}

INTRODUCTORY VERSES

OṂ Let there be good auspices!

Homage to the supreme primordial buddha, original lord-protector!²

Though manifestly perfect in totality (kun) from the beginning,

With delight (dga’) for the sake of living beings in this basket of cyclic existence,

Devoid of craving through expressions that are neither singular nor multiple,

May this supreme liberation (grol mchog) from fear of the abyss

Of eternalism and nihilism be victorious!³

May good auspices be bestowed by the Great Seal

Unguarded by attachment to the action seal,

Unfixated on the magical display of the seal of pristine cognition,

And unfettered by the symbols of the commitment seal!⁴

May “she who is endowed with all the finest aspects”⁵ protect us

Without scrutiny, in the manner of the reflection on an oracular mirror,

Having abandoned analytical emptiness,

Our meditative experience devoid of the poisonous savor of emptiness.⁶

How wonderful! The rain of the sacred doctrine

Is not determined as singular,

But satisfies each according to need,

So that the aspirations of each bear fruit

In the fertile field of disciples to be trained.

May the unforgettable retention of this book within my own mind

Be verbally expressed by all sentient beings

And penned by scribes for one hundred aeons

On surfaces of dry land,

With ink of the four great lakes⁷

And pen lines of plants and forests! {49}

To that end I will proudly present in just a few words

That which is called “inexhaustible intelligence.”⁸

Delighting intelligent persons,

This is the portal through which the chariot of confidence is steered,

Intimating in words the framing narratives

That describe authentic sources, without fictitious lies.

Through the power of the residual inheritance of past actions

I have listened to profound guidance since childhood.

By listening each time in the correct manner

To the words and syllables of the sacred doctrine,

My memory has been refreshed.

While diverse and dissimilar exegetical methods

Remain individually and distinctly in my own mind,

I persevere to distinguish their exegetical sources,

Untainted and not conflated with one another.

May the doctrinal traditions, eloquently expressed,

Be enhanced in accordance with the respective sutras and tantras

Established as sources of their respective textual traditions.

Though learned and accomplished masters

May repeat insinuations regarding one another,⁹

We accept all traditions entirely on the basis of our faith,

Holding all of them to be interdependent, and without error,

Just as the eighteen schools [of monastic discipline]¹⁰

Had points that were permissible and impermissible,

And yet we regard them all with devotion and confidence.

May any who have not savored

The conquerors’ authentic teachings and transmissions

And are themselves endowed with a share of merit {50}

Drink of this nectar elixir!

O heart sons, endowed with pristine cognition,

Holding me with faith in your minds,

If you wish to establish the real nature, just as it is,

You should secure the nail of speech inherent in my explanations.

And when the actual sources are revealed without fabrication,

Devoid of my own creations,

Such that this point does not transgress that one,

Low-level secrets will emerge through these written exegeses,

And then the real nature will become clear,

When my own unwritten explanations

And those that are most subtle—not low-level matters for discussion—

Flourish in beings whose minds have been refined.

In the face of those who nowadays do as they wish,

Who stammer with childish expression,

And with the negative perspective of fools and nursemaids,

The mighty lord of speech yet prevails on earth.

Avoiding fame, meager in wisdom but great in perseverance,

May I find an opportunity to protect the traditions of my predecessors

In the correct manner, unfabricated by my own mind!

Owing to manifold efforts in this life,

The doctrines that I have heard

From the words of my teachers

Resemble the honey on an anthill.

Such are the definitive essentials of the One Hundred and Eight Guidebooks.

PREAMBLE

When I was young, according to the words of one of my disciples who journeyed from the land of Utsang, my mind was greatly moved upon hearing the introductory narrative of the One Hundred and Eight Guidebooks given by the teacher named Sangyé Pel. He himself emphasized the approach that nurtures guidance rather than empowerments and transmissions. So as the first of the guidebooks on the transmitted teachings that I heard—that which first penetrated my ears, I received excellent instruction on the Oral Transmission of Venerable Mañjughoṣa: Parting from the Four Attachments. Thereby at the age of seven, my resolve with respect to the three kinds of faith¹¹ became much stronger, inspired by an intense disillusionment that was without attachment to the comforts of worldly existence, and that was not impoverished—owing to the nectar of meditative concentration. Starting from then, as I developed as a youth, I obtained other memorable and profound instructions, {51} but because I obtained so many, for the while it was simply that original guidance to which I adhered as the acceptable standard when enumerating the one hundred and eight guidebooks, up to and including the last of them, which is entitled The Nature of Mind: The Wish-Fulfilling Gem.

Thereafter, too, while my own mind was enriched by the responsibilities associated with the many acquisitions of the sacred doctrine that I had, there was no guidebook that I newly obtained through the acceptance or rejection of the earlier ones. Contrary to those who, having attended upon many unsuitable teachers, simply conduct funeral ceremonies in pursuit of fame, I do not reject those who arrive at true convictions by analyzing authentic words and meanings. But thinking that I should be of benefit to small-minded persons who have not acquired extensive experience and who lack understanding, I propagate writings that bring forth the essence of the words and meanings of the old texts that do not reiterate one another’s methods of guidance.

If, at the outset, I may briefly comment in general on these anthologized teachings, from our perspective as beings of lesser aspiration, these approaches are all indicative of the pure sacred doctrine, unadulterated and untainted by the absence of the doctrine, and extracted from the great pathway of the sutras, tantras, and treatises in accordance with the singular true utterance, devoid of falsehood, of all the saintly beings of India and Tibet who grasped the essential mind of the buddhas and bodhisattvas. Since each individual may attain perfection by means of each of these guidebooks, the essential points firmly conveying beings to the state of buddhahood are unmistaken.

On that basis, the anthology is exemplified by these guidebooks that summarize the extensive sutras and are derived from the Kadampa tradition of Jowo Atiśa, commencing from the acceptance and rejection of past actions and their fruits in the context of mind training that delineates persons of superior, middling, and inferior capacity, and continuing through to the perfection of loving-kindness, compassion, and the two precious aspects of enlightened mind.¹² But the anthology is also exemplified by the oral transmission of the great, supremely accomplished masters of the Sakya and Kagyu traditions, who have extracted the definitive secrets of the profound tantras.¹³ {52} Entering through the supreme way of the two stages of the path,¹⁴ these two modes of guidance [of the Sakya and Kagyu traditions] that reach the level of an adamantine holder¹⁵ are the essence that is to be explained in this anthology. Derived from these traditions are quintessential instructions through which one correctly achieves supreme confidence based on the subtleties of the direct teachings of the conquerors and their heirs, and which are disclosed directly, indirectly, or covertly based on the testimony of the sutras and tantras in the joyous tradition of the buddhas. Through them, without straying from the acquisition of the conclusive four reliances,¹⁶ the introduction to the nature of reality that secures the nail [of firm realization] then takes effect. This is because there are no valid expositors surpassing the conquerors in the ways of the sacred doctrine.

The definitive topics in all the profound guidebooks that I obtained in accordance with my good fortune are without even a single adulteration that would come about by juxtaposing with them biased writings indicative of mere discussions I had with teachers that are but the excellent imaginings, analyses, or inclinations of my own appraisal. Those who see with the eye of the sacred doctrine, by investigating exemplary topics, do not harbor doubt owing to their enlightened intention and their faculty of discriminative awareness. Therefore this preamble to the One Hundred and Eight Guidebooks sets forth in writing the concise points that I have obtained through the kindness of my root teachers, and that have been embraced, as it were, by one who has the name of a writer.

You should know and understand that the gradual propagation of the names of all these lineages without exception will be contingent on the increase in the number of good auspices that flow from attending to the supplication prayers of their lineages and their presentation of the content of the [two] stages of the path.

THE FIRST GUIDEBOOK

The first of the eloquent instructions of profound guidance that I heard in my lifetime was the guidebook entitled Parting from the Four Attachments, which I received from my teacher, the venerable hidden buddha Kunga Chogdrub {53}, and which is itself the nectar elixir of Mañjughoṣa’s oral transmission. This includes the Root Verses of the Account of Sachen Kunga Nyingpo’s Encounter with Mañjughoṣa, the Versified Instruction on Parting from the Four Attachments by Jetsun Rinpoché Drakpa Gyeltsen, and the Songs of Meditative Experience by Jetsun Drakpa Gyeltsen, which were imparted in support of this doctrine. It further includes the List of Instructions in the Form of a Memorandum that Nubpa Rigdzin Drak composed on the teachings of Jetsun Rinpoché,¹⁷ and then, based on the notes of the great teacher [Sakya Paṇḍita] and Chogyel Pakpa,¹⁸ it includes the Essence of the Focus on Guidance that was composed by Zarjang Pukpa Kunga Lekpa Rinchen.¹⁹

You should keep this instruction in your heart as the strength of your conviction. Since the pure seed of virtuous action is found in this initial guidebook through devotion, including faith, I esteem it emphatically. If any faithful disciple of mine should appear, placing their hopes in me, I think I would instruct them through this, opening the portal of the first guidebook.

Furthermore, with regard to this guidebook, I later requested Ngorchen Lhachok Sengé for the instruction composed by the omniscient Gorampa Sonam Sengé,²⁰ and I also heard instruction from Changlung Rinpoché [Zhonu Chodrub] based on the guidance of [Kunga Tashi], doctrinal lord of the Great Vehicle.²¹

Since I myself have relied on the very first and earliest transmission that I excellently received, I have transcribed the lineage accordingly in the Supplication to the Lineage of the One Hundred and Eight Guidebooks. Acting with faith and devotion, each of us should assiduously accept responsibility in this manner for the respective lineages to which we are devoted. This instruction was also the one that I had a need to request and receive repeatedly from different teachers. So, after initially receiving this guidance on virtuous action, it indeed became the foundation of my experiential cultivation of the Great Vehicle.

THE SECOND GUIDEBOOK

With regard to the second guidebook that I heard, entitled The Seven-Point Mind Training of the Great Vehicle,²² there are approximately sixty texts of Indian and Tibetan origin. {54} As an exegetical transmission, I received their synopsis in the form of the Compendium of Eloquence, compiled by Gangtropa Gyelsé Konchok Bang of Bulé, who was also called Sempa Zhonu Gyelchok.²³ The quintessential points were composed by Drogon Pelden Yeshé according to the sayings of Gyelsé Sempa Chenpo Ngulchu Chodzongpa,²⁴ and the pith instructions derived from his teachings that emerged as an aural transmission were compiled as a supplement in five notebooks by Hor Kabzhipa Sengé Gyeltsen.²⁵ After completing the preliminary practice entitled the Supporting Doctrine, I directly obtained a text entitled Cycle That Adopts the Calmness of Visualization for the main practice, while setting my mind on altruistic engagement.²⁶

THE THIRD TO FIFTH GUIDEBOOKS

Thereafter [the following were bestowed upon me]: the third guidebook, the pith instruction entitled The Heart of Dependent Origination, which was based on the extensive introductory narrative composed by Muchen Gyeltsen Pelzangpo;²⁷ the fourth guidebook, entitled The Carrying of Happiness and Suffering on the Path,²⁸ according to Remdawa Zhonu Lodro’s Memorandum on the Teaching of Gyelsépa;²⁹ and the fifth guidebook, entitled The Mind Training according to Sumpa Lotsāwa, according to the composition by Chojé Pelden Lama.³⁰

I then received The Direct Guidance of Avalokiteśvara according to the tradition of Drubchen Tsembupa,³¹ and in addition I searched in Utsang and definitively obtained the memorandum that Gyamawa Lodro Gyeltsen had written on the teachings of Gyelsépa entitled The Coemergent Union of the Great Seal.³² These are both found below. My teacher, the venerable hidden buddha Kunga Chogdrub, said that these completed the six instructions of Gyelsé Tokmé Zangpo.³³

THE SIXTH GUIDEBOOK

On one occasion when I was inclined toward the instructions of Machik Labkyi Dronma on Severance,³⁴ I received so many instructions, including The Six Approaches of the Profound Meaning according to the tradition of Kyemé Dopa [Chokyi Sherab Jodenpa]³⁵ and The Striking by Tokden [Gangpa Rinchen] Pelzangpo, and subsequently I acquired confidence in The New Pronouncement and Eight Appendices of Nyakton Samten Ozer. {55} It contains within it The Wish-Fulfilling Gem: An Instruction on the Inner Meaning, which is indeed to be counted as this sixth guidebook. That I acquired from Yidruk Sherab Peljor.

THE SEVENTH GUIDEBOOK

Again, under my teacher, the venerable hidden buddha Kunga Chogdrub, I studied to the point of maturation the seventh guidebook, entitled The Three Essential Points, which is based on the writings of Tropu Lotsāwa. Subsequently I also heard it from Changlungpa Zhonu Chodrub in accordance with the inner examples that Paṇchen Rinpoché [Śākya Chokden] had composed on behalf of that venerable lord of the sacred doctrine.³⁶

THE EIGHTH GUIDEBOOK

Again, as far as the eighth guidebook, entitled Resting in the Nature of Mind, is concerned, I received it based on the writings of Tropu [Lotsāwa Jampa Pel] and the instruction of Yangtsewa [Rinchen Sengé] from Kunpang Rinpoché Chokyi Nyima, who named it the “Great Guidance of Zhalupa.”³⁷

THE NINTH TO SEVENTEENTH GUIDEBOOKS

Then I received the ninth guidebook, entitled The Three Sorts of Person, according to Kadam; the tenth guidebook, entitled The Sequence of the Buddhist Teaching; the eleventh guidebook, entitled The Sameness of Existence and Quiescence; the twelfth guidebook, entitled The Great Middle Way; the thirteenth guidebook, entitled The Hidden Guidance of Kadam by Shawo Gangpa, which is also known as the Trilogy of Pulverizing; the fourteenth guidebook, entitled Munīndra, on which the mental focus of calm abiding depends; the fifteenth guidebook, entitled Acala, on which the pervasion of space with compassion depends; the sixteenth guidebook, entitled Avalokita, on which the protection from fierce impediments depends; and the seventeenth guidebook, entitled Tārā, on which the foreordaining of extrasensory powers depends—the last four being the guidebooks associated with the four deities of Kadam.

These instructions on the three sorts of person and so forth were based exclusively on the adaptations of Chimchen Namka Drak.³⁸ My teacher, the venerable hidden buddha Kunga Chogdrub, joyfully conferred upon me the transmissions that Raton Yonten Pelzangpo had received in the presence of Drakpa Pelden Dondrub, the monastic preceptor of Nartang, in that very seminary where he had resided for three years.

THE EIGHTEENTH AND NINETEENTH GUIDEBOOKS

Then, continuing as before, I received the eighteenth guidebook, {56} the guidance that introduces The Parables of Potowa based on the writings of Hor Kabzhipa Sengé Gyeltsen; and the nineteenth guidebook, the guidance entitled The Sixteen Spheres of the Heart according to The Book of Kadam, which I requested from Kunpang Rinpoché [Chokyi Nyima], based on the writings of Nyukla Paṇchen. Having also studied that in the context of the aforementioned guidebooks on the four deities of Kadam, I was convinced that this was contrived and inauthentic, quite dissimilar to the former.

THE TWENTIETH TO TWENTY-THIRD GUIDEBOOKS

I then received the twentieth guidebook, entitled The Six Descents of the Transcendent Perfection of Wisdom, from the mouth of the masterly scholar [Lowo Khenchen Sonam Lhundrub], based on the composition of Rongton Sheja Kunrik, and in conjunction with the latter’s Commentary on the Transcendent Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand Lines.³⁹

In the presence of Changlungpa [Zhonu Chodrub] I also received the twenty-first guidebook, entitled The Five Paths of Pacification, according to the writings of Rongton. I have listed this only once, although I also obtained some sixteen methods of instruction that are preserved within the later lineages of the trio Ma [Chokyi Sherab], So [Chung Gedunbar], and Kam [Yeshé Gyeltsen], and so forth, but I did not list them.⁴⁰ This guidebook discloses the essentials of the Three Stages of Meditation by Kamalaśīla, who was identical in nature with Dampa Sangyé.

Then I excellently obtained the twenty-second guidebook, entitled The Three Stages of Meditation, which is established as an exemplar of the Svāntantrika Mādhyamika, in the presence of the masterly scholar [Lowo Khenchen Sonam Lhundrub], on the basis of the writings of Rongton.

I also received in ripening manner the twenty-third guidebook, entitled The Five Doctrines of Maitreya, from my teacher, the venerable hidden buddha Kunga Chogdrub—a transmission that Raton Yonten Pelzang had obtained from Kunkhyen Donyo Pelwa, through the lineage of Tsen Khawoché and based on the writings of Chomden Rikpei Reldri. While he pointed out the Five Doctrines of Maitreya to me on a hundred occasions, the learned master Zangpo Tenpa also entrusted this instruction to me by pointing it out.

THE TWENTY-FOURTH AND TWENTY-FIFTH GUIDEBOOKS

I perfected the definitive topics of the Prāsaṅgika Mādhyamika—the oral transmission of glorious Candrakīrti, which descended through the lineage from Patsab Lotsāwa, {57} in accordance with the writings of Remdawa. This is to be counted as the twenty-fourth guidebook [entitled The View of Intrinsic Emptiness].

Then I requested the twenty-fifth guidebook based on the text entitled Hook of the Lotus, which derives from the lineage of the aforementioned Tsen Khawoché. Two of its extracts forming the guidance on The View of Extraneous Emptiness were adorned with the words of my learned master [Pelden Tsultrim].

THE TWENTY-SIXTH GUIDEBOOK

I received the twenty-sixth guidebook, The Elucidation of the Concealed Meanings [of Yogatantra], from Zelmo Drakpa Drakpa Yeshé, who pointed it out in two hundred and thirty instructions.

THE TWENTY-SEVENTH TO TWENTY-NINTH GUIDEBOOKS

I then earnestly requested the twenty-seventh guidebook, entitled Guidance of Amitāyus, according to the tradition of Siddhirājñi, based on the instructions of the supreme incarnation Barawa [Gyeltsen Pelzang], which I received in succession—initially from Kunpang Rinpoché [Chokyi Nyima], next from Gyagom and Trewo Chokyi Gyatso, and finally from Changlungpa [Zhonu Chodrub].

As for the twenty-eighth guidebook, the instruction on long life entitled The Guidance of White Tārā, I received in succession two traditions—the lineage derived from Jowo Atiśa and the lineage derived from Karmapa Rolpei Dorjé. But on this occasion I am counting the special tradition of Jowo Atiśa, perceiving that it is worthy of confidence.

I obtained the twenty-ninth guidebook, entitled The Guidance of White Amitāyus, according to the lineage that Mitrayogin received from Devaḍākinī, and also according to the two aforementioned lineages, from my precious teacher, Trariwa [Rinchen Gyelchok].

THE THIRTIETH TO THIRTY-THIRD GUIDEBOOKS

The thirtieth guidebook, entitled The Direct Guidance of Avalokiteśvara according to the Lakṣmī Tradition,⁴¹ is an ancient instruction documented by Yolgom Chowang, based on the teachings of Jowo Atiśa.

The thirty-first guidebook, concerning The Direct Guidance of Avalokiteśvara according to the Candradhvaja Tradition, is based on three works—the brief notes of Zhang [Ring] Kyitsa Ochen, the extensive analysis by Dzimchen Gyeltsen Pelzang, and the actual guidebook of Rongton.

As for the thirty-second guidebook, concerning The Direct Guidance of Avalokiteśvara according to the Tsembupa Tradition, I obtained higher maturation [of empowerment] through experiential guidance based on the instruction manual of Rinpoche Sherab Bumpa, and as the supporting transmission I received from my teacher, the venerable hidden buddha Kunga Chogdrub, the transmission of the Great Guidebook composed by Chojé Lama Dampa [Sonam Gyeltsen].⁴² {58}

Jangchub Zangpo had also requested it from Avalokiteśvara in person, and he had transmitted it to the supreme incarnation Barawa Gyeltsen Pelzang; he [then transmitted it] to Namka Sengé, Maṇiwa Lekpei Gyeltsen, and Maṇiwa Drakpa Sonam; and from them it was maintained by the venerable hidden buddha Kunga Chogdrub. Though I indeed obtained that transmission, I have not counted it.⁴³

Later on, from Changlungpa [Zhonu Chodrub] I further obtained the transmission of the instruction composed by the bodhisattva Gyelwa Yeshé, and from Trewo Chokyi Gyatso the transmission of the instruction composed by Tokden Khacho Wangpo, both of which pertain to the tradition of Tsembu.

The Direct Guidance of Avalokiteśvara according to the Kyergangpa Tradition is to be counted here as the thirty-third guidebook. I obtained from Gyagom the instruction manual on this composed by Choku Śākya Rinchen.

THE THIRTY-FOURTH AND THIRTY-FIFTH GUIDEBOOKS

I obtained both the thirty-fourth guidebook, The Direct Guidance of Cakrasaṃvara, and the thirty-fifth guidebook, The Direct Guidance of Hevajra, which were both established by Ānandavajra according to the respective Sanskrit texts that concern Cakrasaṃvara and Hevajra in the form of a solitary hero.⁴⁴ These were later elucidated in [Tokmé Zangpo’s] Direct Guidance on All the Meditational Deities in General. I obtained this elixir of the mind of Gyelsé Tokmé Zangpo from Changlungpa [Zhonu Chodrub] through the lineage descended from Radengpa [Śākya Sonam].

THE THIRTY-SIXTH AND THIRTY-SEVENTH GUIDEBOOKS

I obtained the thirty-sixth guidebook, entitled Vajrapāṇi in the Form Mahācakra, which is based on the direct writings on the perfection stage endowed with four blessings from Khenchen Rinpoché [Tashi Namgyel], through the lineage descended from Drakar Sempa Chenpo [Sonam Rinchen]. Then, as for the thirty-seventh guidebook, I received the inconceivably secret guidance of Vajrapāṇi in the Form Caṇḍa⁴⁵ from Mangkharwa [Rabsel] Dawa Gonpo, based on the writings composed by Sangdak Drubchen.

THE THIRTY-EIGHTH AND THIRTY-NINTH GUIDEBOOKS

As for the thirty-eighth guidebook, concerning yellow Vārāhī in the Form Kurmapādā, according to the tradition of Chak Lotsāwa, this was especially conferred upon me along with a painting by Kunpang Rinpoché [Chokyi Nyima]. {59}

As for the thirty-ninth guidebook, entitled The Secret Guidance of Kurukullā,⁴⁶ I requested this, paying homage to the wondrous and marvelous crown ornament of learning [Gugé Paṇchen Sonam Lhundrub].

THE FORTIETH AND FORTY-FIRST GUIDEBOOKS

As for the fortieth guidebook, entitled The Six-Branch Yoga of the Kālacakra, although I received this many times according to all the Sanskrit and Tibetan recensions of the Six-Branch Yoga elucidated in the writings of Pelden Lama [Dampa Sonam Gyeltsen], as well as the different exegetical traditions of Jonang and Zhalu, and the tradition of Paṇchen Vanaratna that subsequently appeared, and so forth, here I have counted the actual Commentary on the Tantra [of the Kālacakra] revealed according to [the translation of] Somanātha and the questions addressed to Somanātha. This I earnestly requested, initially from the Venerable Lochen Rinchen Zangpo (1489–1563), next from Trariwa, and finally from Changlungpa [Zhonu Chodrub].

As for the forty-first guidebook, entitled the unwritten Aural Lineage of Kālacakra,⁴⁷ this was initially conferred upon me when I requested guidance from the Venerable Lochen Rinchen Zangpo.

THE FORTY-SECOND GUIDEBOOK

I obtained, initially from Trewo Chokyi Gyatso, the forty-second guidebook, entitled The Ritual Service and Attainment of the Three Adamantine Realities according to Orgyanpa, based on the instruction manual of Venerable Karmapa III Rangjung Dorjé. Next, from Venerable Lochen Rinchen Zangpo I obtained the transmission and guidance based on the instruction manual of Dawa Sengé; and finally, from Changlungpa Zhonu Chodrub, I requested authentic guidance on practices undertaken in dark retreat, based on the instruction manual of Sonam Ozer. These are the ones I have counted.

THE FORTY-THIRD GUIDEBOOK

As for the forty-third guidebook, entitled The Path and Its Fruition,⁴⁸ this is based on the eighteen traditions of common descent⁴⁹ and comprises twenty-four extensive subdivisions, or twelve when these are condensed.⁵⁰ When further condensed, these may be subsumed in four primary divisions, or again in the two traditions of Drokmi and Gyijo.⁵¹

Among the twenty-five authentic transmissions, leaving aside the tradition of Zhama, there are twenty-four lineage traditions in the Sakya tradition alone. Their subdivisions include both the tradition of the Great Vehicle and the tradition of Ngor.⁵² Changlungpa received the Path and Its Fruition according to the former lineage, descended from the tradition of the Great Vehicle, with all its components intact when he had reached the age of one hundred. As for the second lineage that descended from Ngorchen Kunga Zangpo, I received this three times, in turn, from my teacher, the venerable hidden buddha Kunga Chogdrub, {60} based exclusively on the Instruction Manual Elucidating the Concealed Meaning.⁵³ I also received it respectfully three times at the feet of Lowo Khenchen Rinpoché [Sonam Lhundrub], based on that same instruction manual.

In the presence of Ngorchen Lhachok Sengé, I then received the Religious History of the Path and Its Fruition, which had been composed by the omniscient [Ngorchen Kunga Zangpo], and The Treasure That Brings Forth Accomplishment—an extremely ripening exegetical method that resembled a baby placed in its mother’s lap⁵⁴—which was the work of Venerable [Jamyang] Sangyé Rinchen. These are to be counted here.

Since in the two lineage prayers [of the traditions of the Great Vehicle and Ngor] Tsangpa Gyaré is missing, my teacher, the venerable hidden buddha Kunga Chogdrub, cited this as an example of the succession of Ling Repa being interrupted.

THE FORTY-FOURTH TO FIFTY-FIRST GUIDEBOOKS

The following [guidebooks] are the eight subsidiary cycles of the path that derive from this same lineage [of Drokmi]:⁵⁵ The forty-fourth guidebook, entitled The Inconceivables; the forty-fifth guidebook, entitled The Nine Profound Methods; the forty-sixth guidebook, entitled The Attainment of Coemergence; the forty-seventh guidebook, entitled The Perfection of the Path of Fierce Inner Heat; the forty-eighth guidebook, entitled The Straightening of Crooked Posture; the forty-ninth guidebook, entitled The Path of the Female Mudra; the fiftieth guidebook, entitled The Great Seal Devoid of Letters; and the fifty-first guidebook, entitled The Determination of Mind.

THE FIFTY-SECOND TO FIFTY-EIGHTH GUIDEBOOKS

The fifty-second guidebook is entitled The Mingling of Sutra and Tantra, the fifty-third guidebook is entitled The Dispelling of Obstacles due to External Demons, the fifty-fourth guidebook is entitled The Dispelling of Obstacles due to the Agitation of the Physical Body by the Elements, the fifty-fifth guidebook is entitled The Dispelling of the Obstacles of Meditative Stability and Mind, the fifty-sixth guidebook is entitled The Great Seal Dispelling the Three Sorts of Suffering, and the fifty-seventh guidebook is entitled The Clear Recollection of the Innate State. These are known as The Spiritual Connections with the Six Gatekeepers.⁵⁶

All these I received through the kindness of Lowo Khenchen Rinpoché [Sonam Lhundrub], along with the fifty-eighth guidebook, entitled The Three Purities, which accords with the instruction manual of Pakpa Rinpoché.

THE FIFTY-NINTH TO SIXTY-FIRST GUIDEBOOKS

Then I received the fifty-ninth guidebook, entitled Twenty-Nine Essential Visualizations of Self-Consecration, from Pelden Tsultrim, a venerable lord of learning; and in accordance with the lineage of the Path and Its Fruition, I also received the sixtieth guidebook, entitled The Exegesis of the Concealed Path, and the sixty-first guidebook, entitled The Elucidation of the Symbolic Meaning.

THE SIXTY-SECOND AND SIXTY-THIRD GUIDEBOOKS

I received the sixty-second guidebook, entitled The Five Stages of the Secret Assembly, {61} from Venerable Rabsel Dawa Gonpo. This had been composed by Mangkharwa Lodro Gyeltsen as a memorandum on the teachings of Muchen within the tradition of Go Khukpa Lhetsé. I counted this as the sixty-second guidebook, even though I had also obtained detailed and extensive exegetical transmissions on the direct guidance of the Mar tradition based on the writings of Venerable Lochen [Marpa Chokyi Lodro] himself.

Then, in the above manner[—that is, from Rabsel Dawa Gon—] I received the sixty-third guidebook, concerning The Vital Essence of Liberation, which constitutes the perfection stage of the guidance on the Secret Assembly in the form of Mañjuvajra, based on the memorandum of Drakmar Kunga Tsepel.

THE SIXTY-FOURTH TO SIXTY-SIXTH GUIDEBOOKS

I count as the sixty-fourth guidebook The Unelaborate Practice of Red Yamāri, which I obtained from my teacher, the venerable hidden buddha Kunga Chogdrub, through the lineage descended from Drubpa Sherab, the monastic preceptor of Nartang. The empowerments and guidance that I had received according to the instruction of Lowo Lotsāwa [Sherab Rinchen] are also to be taken into account. In addition, I had previously obtained from three masters—Lowo Khenchen Rinpoché [Sonam Lhundrub], Ngorchen Lhachok Sengé, and Tsok Khenchen Rinpoché—the foundation of the Beauteous Unelaborate Ornament [of Kunga Zangpo], which constitutes the empowerment [of Red Yamāri] according to the Chak tradition.

From my teacher, the venerable hidden buddha Kunga Chogdrub, I requested the sixty-fifth guidebook, concerning the Four-Stage Yoga, based on the guidance of Lowo Lotsāwa [Sherab Rinchen].

I obtained the cycle of The Mental Focus on the Horns of Bhairava from Lowo Khenchen Rinpoché [Sonam Lhundrub], based on the memorandum of Tsawarongpa Śākya Gyeltsen, and also from the lord of learning Pelden Tsultrim, based on the guidance of Chojé Gewa Gyeltsen. But I count the former as the sixty-sixth guidebook.

THE SIXTY-SEVENTH TO SEVENTY-FIRST GUIDEBOOKS

I obtained and count as the sixty-seventh guidebook The Central Channel Dependent on the Male Deity Cakrasaṃvara according to the Array of the Seats of the Syllables by Jetsun Drakpa Gyeltsen; and, as the sixty-eighth guidebook, The Central Channel Dependent on the Female Deity Vajravārāhī, in which the “referential basis” is established as the male deity and the “referential object” is artfully adopted as the female deity.⁵⁷ As the sixty-ninth guidebook I count the maturational empowerment that I received in the presence of Lowo Khenchen Rinpoché [Sonam Lhundrub], based on the writings of Jetsun Drakpa Gyeltsen concerning The Five Stages according to Ghaṇṭāpāda. I also obtained [the last of these] from the lord of scholars Pelden Tsultrim, based on the guidance of Pakpa [entitled Pith Instructions of the Five Stages], and from Je Dawa Gonpo based on the guidance of Tsok Gompa [Kunga Pel]. {62}

I obtained to the point of maturation the seventieth guidebook, concerning The Four Stages according to Kṛṣṇacārin, at the feet of Lowo Khenchen Rinpoché [Sonam Lhundrub], based on the venerable one’s own memorandum. I had also requested it from Ngorchen Lhachok Sengé, based on the guidance of Kunkhyen Rinpoché [Kunga Zangpo], and from Mangkharwa Dawa Gonpo, based on the memorandum of Langtangpa Chen Nga Kunga Dorjé.

I excellently obtained the seventy-first guidebook, concerning The Guidance of White Cakrasaṃvara from Venerable [Muchen] Sangyé Rinchen, based on the instruction manual of Chel Amogha. Later I also received it from Mangkharwa Dawa Gonpo, based on that same instruction manual.

THE SEVENTY-SECOND TO SEVENTY-FIFTH GUIDEBOOKS

I requested the seventy-second guidebook, including the annotations on The Four Adamantine Seats, from Lodro Pelzangpo, a familial descendant of Ngok, in accordance with the ancient writings of Lord Marpa.

Then I also requested the seventy-third guidebook, the guidance concerning The Great Magical Emanation, from that same familial descendant of Ngok, in accordance with the ancient writings of Lord Marpa.

I excellently studied the seventy-fourth guidebook, concerning the subtle vital essence of the perfection stage in respect of The Kharamukha Cakrasaṃvara, in the presence of Lowo Khenchen Rinpoché [Sonam Lhundrub]. This was a distinctive teaching of the Newar lama Mahābodhi, transmitted from mouth to ear. He himself had also composed a memorandum concerning the advice that he had kept in mind.

I heard the seventy-fifth guidebook, concerning The Six Meditations of Vajravārāhī, from Lowo Khenchen Rinpoché [Sonam Lhundrub], in accordance with the writings of Chel Kunga Dorjé.

THE SEVENTY-SIXTH AND SEVENTY-SEVENTH GUIDEBOOKS

Although I many times obtained the tradition of The Six Doctrines of Nāropā, the instructions that are to be counted as the seventy-sixth guidebook comprise the Molten Gold of the Six Doctrines, composed by Lord Rangjung Dorjé, which I obtained from Trewo Chokyi Gyatso.

As for the cycle of The Six Doctrines of Nigumā, which is the seventy-seventh guidebook, in general there are twenty-five lineages, among which the long lineage that the accomplished master Tangtong Gyelpo had received from Jangsem Jinpa Zangpo, {63} otherwise known as the Chakzam tradition, exclusively refers to the tradition of Mu. This also separately evolved in an unwritten symbolic method that Nigumā imparted directly to the accomplished master Tangtong Gyelpo. The other twenty-four lineages were consolidated by Jakchen Jampa Pel and Samdingpa Zhonu Drub, so that they all came to be subsumed in these two transmissions. Subsequently, the lineages that derived respectively from each of these two also evolved distinctly and were no longer considered to be subbranches. I actually obtained from Gyagom [Lek Gyeltsen] the instruction that is to be counted, which derives from the lineages of Aseng of Nenying and Rechen Peljor Zangpo.

THE SEVENTY-EIGHTH TO EIGHTY-FIRST GUIDEBOOKS

The seventy-eighth guidebook is entitled The Amulet Tradition of the Great Seal and it comprises the instruction manuals of both Jakchen Jampa Pel and Samdingpa Zhonu Drub. Similarly, the seventy-ninth guidebook is entitled The Three Aspects Carried on the Path. The eightieth guidebook is the instruction on The Deathlessness of One’s Own Mind and the eighty-first guidebook is The Six Doctrines of Sukhasiddhi. All these are not differentiated in the ancient writings of the Shangpa tradition, and I obtained them from Kunpang Rinpoché [Chokyi Nyima], in accordance with the instruction manual subsequently composed by Lord Khyenrab of Zhalu.⁵⁸

THE EIGHTY-SECOND TO EIGHTY-SEVENTH GUIDEBOOKS

I received the eighty-second guidebook, concerning The Emanational Navel Cakra, from Gyagom Chenpo [Lekpei Gyeltsen], in accordance with the ancient writings of Khyungpo Neljor, which constitute The Inner Guidance of Nairātmyā;⁵⁹ and although I obtained The Coemergent Union of the Great Seal an inestimable number of times, I count as the eighty-third guidebook the lineage descended from Gyelsé Chodzong [Tokmé Zangpo].

From Changlungpa [Zhonu Chodrub] I obtained the eighty-fourth guidebook, concerning The Fivefold Great Seal, based on the instruction manual of Chen Nga Nyernyipa Chokyi Gyelpo; and the eighty-fifth guidebook, entitled The Four Syllables of the Great Seal, based on the instruction manual of Yagdé Paṇchen.

I requested the eighty-sixth guidebook, entitled The Introduction to the Three Buddha Bodies, based on the instruction manual of Lord Rangjung Dorjé from Karma Trinlepa, who was entrusted with this charge by Trewo Chokyi Gyatso.

I obtained the eighty-seventh guidebook, entitled The Indivisibility of Subtle Energy and Mind, from Trewo Chokyi Gyatso, based on the memorandum of Lhazik Repa, in the teaching transmission of Zhamar II Khacho Wangpo.

THE EIGHTY-EIGHTH TO NINETY-SECOND GUIDEBOOKS

Under the familial descendant of Ngok I studied the eighty-eighth guidebook, entitled The Six Doctrines according to the Sekharma Tradition of Lord Marpa, which had been revealed as spiritual treasure by the treasure finder Chowang and subsequently maintained intact, without adulteration; {64} the eighty-ninth guidebook, entitled The Mingling and Transformation of the Three Poisons, which represents the perfection stage of Hevajra according to the Ngok tradition; and the ninetieth guidebook, entitled The Four Scrolls of the Aural Instructions.

From Lochen I obtained the ninety-first guidebook according to Rechungpa’s ancient Aural Lineage [of Cakrasaṃvara] [entitled The Six Doctrines of Liberation through the Upper Gate], which constitutes the oral teachings of Milarepa; and the ninety-second guidebook, entitled The Nine Doctrinal Cycles of Nirdehaḍākinī, which Rechungpa had introduced from India.

THE NINETY-THIRD GUIDEBOOK

I received the ninety-third guidebook, entitled The Elaborate Guidance according to Zhang Tselpa, from Taklung Rinpoché [Ngawang Tulku].

THE NINETY-FOURTH AND NINETY-FIFTH GUIDEBOOKS

From Changlung Rinpoché I obtained the ninety-fourth guidebook [entitled The Six-Branch Yoga of Pelchen Ga Lotsāwa], which includes [Yangonpa’s] Seven Days of Fierce Inner Heat according to Pelchen Ga Lotsāwa; and the ninety-fifth guidebook, concerning the traditions associated with The Cycle of Pagmodru Densatel. The latter includes the Verses on the Great Seal and the Verses on the Path of Skillful Means, which had been the practical application of Pagmodrupa.⁶⁰

THE NINETY-SIXTH TO ONE HUNDREDTH GUIDEBOOKS

From Taklung Rinpoché I received the ninety-sixth guidebook, entitled [The Unique Enlightened Intention according to Drigung, along with] the Revered Wheel of Vitality of Drigungpa Jigten Gonpo; the ninety-seventh guidebook, entitled The Six Doctrines according to Taklungpa [Tashipel]: The Wish-Fulfilling Gem; the ninety-eighth guidebook, entitled The Means for Attainment of the Guru, Auspicious Circumstances, and Common Savor, which represents the Middle Drukpa; and the ninety-ninth guidebook, entitled The Fivefold Capacity of Lorepa, which represents Lower Drukpa. I then decisively requested from the doctrinal cycle of Yangongpa the one hundredth guidebook [entitled The Six Primary Essentials for Mountain Retreat, which represents the Upper Drukpa], from the master Chokhor Gangpa, a lama who had studied under Lochen.

THE ONE HUNDRED AND FIRST AND ONE HUNDRED AND SECOND GUIDEBOOKS

I also requested from Taklung Rinpoché the one hundred and first guidebook, comprising the cycles of The Four-Armed Mahākāla in the Form Kurakma.

I count here as the one hundred and second guidebook, entitled The Inner Guidance of Glorious Pañjaranātha, the transmission I received from Ngorchen Lhachok Sengé, based on the writings of Venerable Sangyé Rinchen,⁶¹ but I also heard, following that, a somewhat incomplete instruction from Venerable Kunpang [Chokyi Nyima].

THE ONE HUNDRED AND THIRD AND ONE HUNDRED AND FOURTH GUIDEBOOKS

I extensively studied the one hundred and third guidebook, entitled The Trilogy of Spiritual Songs, under the learned scholar [Paṇchen Donyo Drubpa]. I requested the one hundred and fourth guidebook, {65} entitled The Six Doctrines of the Accomplished Masters, from Trewo Chokyi Gyatso.

THE ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTH TO ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTH GUIDEBOOKS

The one hundred and fifth guidebook, which is the cycle of The Gradual Path of Padmasambhava, was bestowed upon me by my teacher, the venerable hidden buddha Kunga Chogdrub. The one hundred and sixth guidebook, concerning the six-syllable mantra, which is the authentic guidance entitled The Collected Injunctions of the King, was granted me by Yigdruk Sherab Peljor.

I purposefully requested the one hundred and seventh guidebook, entitled The Liberation by Seeing according to Norbu Rinchen, from Changlungpa [Zhonu Chodrub].

Then I requested from Changlungpa [Zhonu Chodrub] the guidance of the final one hundred and eighth guidebook, entitled The Nature of Mind: The Wish-Fulfilling Gem, based on the great instruction manual of Tokden Chonyi Rangdrol. Previously I had also received to some extent this transmission and guidance from Lord Lochen, based on the brief instructional notes of Zhalu Khyenrab Chojé.

AUTHOR’S STATEMENT

In this manner I have provisionally disclosed, without addition or omission, the extent of these one hundred and eight guidebooks that I painstakingly sought over thirty-one years, along with their manifold subdivisions, embellished by a clear summary of the teachers from whom I obtained them and the writings on the basis of which I obtained them.

May those who strive to study and receive such instructions

Consume this supreme drink, quenching the thirst of the rebirth process,

Its pure streams forming the syllables of sutra and tantra

Emerging from snow mountain ridges, bastions of the lineage!

As the taste and potency of rivers that freely flow

From this land become diluted,

The nectar of these instructions may seem to lack potency,

According to the analysis of unrefined and foolish persons;

But their respective modes of experiential cultivation,

Like medications that remedy diseases,

Serve as an antidote to eliminate corresponding afflictions,

In accord with our share of good fortune.

The approaches of the sacred doctrine are such

That they accord with the constitutions of infinite disciples.

Like serving clothes to those who are hungry,

How could mere beneficial thoughts offer this protection! {66}

Like the diverse and distinct colors of fine brocade,

Like the clouds of the heavens that diverge from one another,

Like rainbows in the sky, ever insatiably beheld,

The vitality of the sacred doctrine that appears to be one

Has manifold attributes that are all of a single savor.

We should indeed realize that,

Like rivers flowing into a great ocean,

These are not different!

And yet whatever words of fools out for reputation and praise

May, in the perception of the unrealized,

Roar like noisy tributaries,

Or slowly flow like wide rivers,

These are absent in the Buddhist teachings.

When pure vision is total and impartial,

Where could you find anything impure!

Wonderful is this simultaneous blessing

Of the all-pervasive

objects of refuge, none excepted!

When the anthologies that collect these deep profundities

Are examined again and again, their reiteration

Is a treasure store of distinct teachings.

If we inspect them thoroughly, they cannot be exhausted!

Likened to rice paddies arduously cultivated,

With their excellent ripening harvest forming awns of grain,

They have the character of a contented, peaceful friend.

Although their felicity extends outwardly to all,

May the clear crystal of my own rejoicing mind,

Aspiring to and practicing the sacred doctrine over successive lives,

Confer liberation through the merit of this dedication

Upon virtuous minds, excellently free from negativity!⁶²

COLOPHON

After writing the first part of this text entitled Multiple Approaches of the Wondrous Doctrine, Enhancing the Summary of the One Hundred and Eight Guidebooks, I abandoned my somewhat lethargic endeavors at the behest of Namdrol Sengé Pelzangpo, a committed disciple who has long relinquished idleness in its entirety.

The transcription was undertaken by one Kunga Lekgyel, who excellently emerged from the ocean of the mind of Kunga Drolchok.

Thereby may all the multiple approaches of the Buddhist teaching endure for a long time, spreading and extending throughout all directions!

MAṄGALAṂ!

Let virtue prevail! {67}