The Blue Annals (Deb ther sngon po)

by Michelle Janet Sorensen

The earliest extant source that features the explicit characterization of Chod lineages as “Male” (“pho”) and “Female” (“mo”) is The Blue Annals, theChos ‘byung by the 15th century Karma Kagyu scholar Go Lotsawa Zhonnupel. In contrast with the emphasis on the categories of “Sutra,” “Tantra,” and “Union” lineages of Chod in the Rnam bshad texts, as noted above, The Blue Annals employs classifications of “Pho (“Male”) Chod” and “Mo (“Female”) Chod.” In this

source, the lineage of Chod teachings that Machik received depends on whether one reads the section on Pho Chod or Mo Chod. [[[Go Lotsawa]] posits that the secret precepts of the Male Chod system were passed from Padampa Sangye to Sonam Lama and Sma ra ser po of the Yar klungs region, while Female Chod was transmitted by Machik Labdron. Texts which include a Mo Chod lineage tend to emphasize that Padampa Sangye directly transmitted Chod teachings to Machik; texts which do not foreground the connection between the two also do not distinguish a lineage of Mo Chod.

According to the discussion of the Pho Chod lineage, one can trace the following. [[Sma ra ser po] (aka Ram par ser po of Yar klungs) (A1) received the teachings from Padampa Sangye (A) and committed them to writing. They were entitled “Khrul tshogs drug pa,” (or Brul tshogs, Six Groups of Precepts of Chod); Sma ra ser po did not commit the verbal precepts to writing. He refrained from teaching these and constantly practiced the method of Vajravarahi of Ha bu, as well as that of Chod. In old age, Sma ra ser po bestowed the Chod teachings on his attendant Smyon pa be re (or Be re smyon pa) (A1a), but he

requested that the latter not pass them on to others. However, eventually Smyon pa be re transmitted the gzhung brul tshogs drug (the six groups of texts on Chod), along with the introduction and precepts, to (Ri khrod) Phug ston (A1b). Phug ston later taught three of the Brul tshogs in Phu tang; Sa ston rdo ‘dzin (A1b1) received these teachings at this time. He also transmitted the Brul tsho drug to an unnamed Khampa scholar (A1b2), whose yogin-copyist wrote them down.

Rog Ses rab ‘od learned of the existence of the Brul tsho drug teachings from the yogin-copyist and understood that they originated with Phug ston. Upon receiving a request for the teachings from Rog Ses rab ‘od (A1b3), Phug ston gave him the first section of teachings; however, Rog Ses rab ‘od wondered if this was the complete teaching and asked Phug ston if there were more teachings. Phug ston told him that there were more teachings, but that because he had not disclosed more than three sections to Sa ston Rdo ‘dzin at Phu thang, he did not want to upset Sa ston by giving Rog Ses rab ‘od additional teachings.

Phug ston's reason for not giving the complete transmission to Sa ston was that others in his community did not appropriately appreciate their teacher and only cared for the texts. Rog Ses rab ‘od beseeched Phug ston for the complete teachings, and Phug ston relented, transmitting the Brul tsho drug pa teachings together with the oral precepts, along with the demand that Rog Ses rab not commit them to writing. It is said that Phug ston decided to pass along the teachings when he realized that Rog Ses rab ‘od would benefit all sentient beings. These teachings were then passed from Rog Ses rab ‘od to Sum

ston ras pa (A1b3a), who passed them to Bla ma gnyan ston (A1b3a1). Phug ston also transmitted the Brul tsho drug pa teachings to a daughter, Skal ldan (A1b4). She taught them to Gtsang ston skyi tshang ba (A1b4a), who passed them to Gnyan ston (A1b4a1). Gnyan ston transmitted them to a nephew Chos sdings pa dar ma shes rab (A1b4a1a), who then passed them to Sgrig ston sangs rgyas (A1b4a1a1).

At this point, The Blue Annals notes that Sum ston ras pa (aka Bsod nam shes rab) (A1b4a1a1a) bestowed the transmissions on Sangs rgyas ston pa (aka Brtson ‘grus seng ge) (A1b4a1a1a1). The transmissions were then passed from Sangs rgyas ston pa to Mkhas btsun Gzhon nu grub (A1b4a1a1a1a). According to

the Deb sngon, the lineage then continued and spread widely. The author states that he has only recorded the life stories of those whom he met. Another lineage that arises from Padampa Sangye (A) according to the Deb sngon is a transmission received by Skyo Sakya ye shes (A2) (and two children with leprosy entrusted to the latter who were cured through practicing these teachings); after some time, afraid that the lineage might come to an end, Skyo Sakya ye shes bestowed the teachings on his nephew Sonam Lama (A2a) and later became a teacher of Machik.

The discussion of the Mo Chod lineage in The Blue Annals is somewhat ambiguous and seems to suggest, rather than establish, the transmission of Chod teachings from Padampa Sangye to Machik Labdron: it does not explicitly discuss such a transmission. [[Go Lotsawa Zhonnupe l seems more interested in tracing the lineage that descends from Machik than explicitly establishing Machik's precedents. Perhaps because his project of historicizing Chod is only one part of his comprehensive project of reconstructing Dharma associations in Tibet, Go Lotsawa is not particularly concerned with legitimating the [[[lineage]]]].

Ring brgyud gsol ‘debs lineage list

The Ring brgyud kyi gsol ‘debs ma gcig gis mdzad par ban sgar ‘jam dpal bzang pos kha bskang ba Ideb is a practice text invoking the recipients of a transmission of Chod teachings. It was composed in the 15th century by Ban sgar ‘Jam dpal bzang po, a student of [[Mthong ba don ldan] (the sixth Karmapa) and teacher of[ Chos grags rgya mtsho]] (the seventh Karmapa). This text is particularly important for my present study, as it traces a Chod lineage that is

transmitted through holders of the Karmapa title, establishing the key Chod connection between Machik and Rangjung Dorjé. Unlike the Rnam bshad texts and The Blue Annals, the Ring brgyud gsol ‘debs does not classify its lineage according to a particular category such as “Male lineage,” “Union lineage,” or

one of the other popular categories of Chod lineages. It is also distinct in that it takes care to identify locations for many of the transmissions. The Ring brgyud gsol ‘debs transmission list of Chod originates with Bhagavan Sakyamuni at Vulture Peak and continues to Manjusri on the Lion's Seat. From Manjusri, the teachings were passed to Àryadeva in his grass hut in India, then to Padampa Sangyé at Langkhor Dingri (Glang ‘khor Ding ri) in Lato (La

stod), and then to Machik Labdron at her retreat in Zangri Khangmar (Zangs ri Mkhar dmar). This is one of the earliest instances of a text making a direct connection between Padampa Sangyé and Machik Labdron in the context of Chod transmissions; as we have seen, texts such as The Blue Annals are more

ambiguous about the direct receipt of Chod teachings by Machik from Padampa Sangyé. According to the Ring brgyud, Machik passed the teachings to Kham bu ya le at a Severe Charnel Ground Retreat, and the transmission then continued to Dznya na (Jnana) dzwa la157 158 in the land of Turquoise. The lineage continues to the Great One (chen po) of Sky Lake on an island in Sky Lake. At this point the Chod transmission enters the Karma Kagyu lineage, with Rangjung Dorje receiving the transmission from the Great One of Sky Lake while at a pilgrimage place in Tsurphu Valley. Rangjung Dorje is then responsible

for passing along the teaching to his student G-yung ston chen po, in the Display of Self-Generating Equanimity, who then passes the teaching to his own student, the Fourth Karmapa, Rol pa rdo rje, in the Palace of Unelaborated Reality. The next figure in this transmission lineage is an individual about

whom little is known, Ri khrod dbang phyug; we are told that he received the teachings while at the Victorious Inner Abode Charnel Grounds, which might be a reference to Gnas nang ri khrod, one of the ten charnel grounds at the Geluk Se ra byes institution. From Ri khrod dbang phyug the lineage continues to Mkha' spyod dbang po, the Second Zhwa dmar in the Karma Kam tshang tradition, in the Mandala of Victory over Appearances and Existents. The

transmission lineage passes from the

Second Zhwa dmar to the Fifth Karmapa, De bzhin gshegs pa in the Palace of Non-dual

Samsara and Nirvana. De bzhin gshegs pa passed the teaching to his student, Rin chen bzang po, in the Mandala of Profound Emptiness, who transmitted it to the Sixth Karmapa, Mthong ba don ldan, in the Palace of Indivisible Bliss-Emptiness. The lineage then reached the respected Karma Kam tshang master and initial author of this transmission account, ‘Jam dpal bzang po, in the Palace of the Omnipresent Reality Body residing everywhere. The Seventh Karmapa, Chos grags rgya mtsho, received the transmission from ‘Jam dpal bzang po in the Palace of Complete Liberation of the Three Realms.

It would appear that the transmission lineage then enters the Geluk tradition. According to the list, ‘Jam dpal rgya mtsho, an important Geluk master and a close disciple of Tsong kha pa, received the teaching in the Palace of the Sphere of Reality of Whatever Arises. From here it passes to two figures whom I have not had success in identifying: Chos kyi rgya mtsho, who is associated with a Boundless Wilderness Retreat, and Yangs shog lhe pa blo bde, who is connected with the Boundless Expanse Mandala. Following Yangs shog lhe pa blo bde, Dpag bsam dbang po of the Mansion of the Unchanging Dharmakaya received the transmission.

Dpag bsam dbang po might be the same figure as the Fifth ‘Brug chen and thus an incarnation of Padma dkar po; however, I am not confident with this identification, since the figures immediately preceding and following him in this lineage list are unknown to me at this time. From Dpag bsam dbang po, the list continues to Phun tshogs bstan ‘dzin of the Place of the Visual Liberation of the Three Trainings. We then have the figure of Bstan ‘dzin dar rgyas

of the Entrance to Development and Completion; this Bstan ‘dzin dar rgyas may be one of the Tre ho incarnations of Shangs, although more research is required to authenticate this identity. Following Bstan ‘dzin dar rgyas are two more figures about whom little is known: Rin chen dbang po, who received the transmission in the Completely Erudite Field of Knowledge, and Chos kyi dbang po, whose location is the Three Doors of Liberation.

The lineage list then presents the Eight Zhwa dmar and Karma Kam tshang master who specialized in Prajñaparamita, Chos kyi don grub, while in the Mandala of the Indestructible Drop. Dpal chen Chos kyi don grub then transmitted the teachings to his student, the Eighth Si tu Pan chen and Karma Kam tshang

scholar, Chos kyi ‘byung gnas, in the Dharmadhatu Mansion of Ultimate Truth. The lineage then continues to the Eighth Karmapa, Bdud ‘dul rdo rje, of the Place of Conquering the Four Negative Forces, and then to the Ninth Si tu Pan chen Padma nyin byed, in the Supreme Mahamudra Pilgrimage Site. Padma nyin

byed dbang po transmitted the teachings to Blo gros mtha' yas among the Impartial Community of Scholars; by collecting the works of minor lineages such as Chod, ‘Jam mgon kon sprul Blo gros mtha' yas was instrumental in keeping the tradition in scholarly memory. The Fifteenth Karmapa, Mkha' khyab rdo rje in the Mansion of Unwavering Bliss and Emptiness, received the transmission next, and then transmitted the teachings to his own teacher, Bkra' shis ‘od zer,

 in the Celestial Palace of Emptiness and Compassion. The transmission lineage then goes through the Eleventh Si tu Pan chen, Padma dbang mchog,  in the Mansion of Magnetizing Appearances and Existents. The Ring brgyud gsol debs concludes with the transmission being passed to the incarnation of Jamgon Kongtrul, Mkhyen brtse'i ‘od zer,  in the Mansion of Boundless Benefit to Sentient Beings.

This text provides important information about how the transmission of Chod has travelled down through figures from schools including the Kagyu and Geluk. With additional study and contextualization, it may provide additional information about the historical interactions between these schools and the role Chod played in those developments