PREFACE TO THE 1986 TIBETAN PUBLICATION OF THE ROOT VERSES AND OUTLINE
PREFACE TO THE 1986 TIBETAN PUBLICATION OF THE ROOT VERSES AND OUTLINE
THIS TREATISE ENTITLED The Precious Treasury of Sūtra and Tantra [presented in translation here as The Complete Nyingma Tradition from Sutra to Tantra], a work that elucidates all vehicles of spiritual development, not only focuses on the field of Buddhist studies; it also contains a complete and error-free exposition of secular fields of knowledge, including Sanskrit grammar, logic, arts, and medicine. In clear and concise language, this text synthesizes the very vast and extremely profound essence of the five major subjects of Tibetan classical learning. Like a magical tree that grants all wishes, this book provides whatever information one might wish to know concerning those fields of knowledge.
On this occasion of the publication of the root verses and the outline, I will introduce this work in accordance with the widely accepted five-point model for initiating a discussion of treatises:1 What is the title of this text? For whom was it written? Who is the author? How long is this work? What is its purpose? In keeping with this formula, I will answer these questions with reference to this very treatise that is under discussion.
First, the title of this treatise, The Precious Treasury of Sūtra and Tantra, denotes the basic text or root verses. The synoptic outline that concisely elucidates the content of this treatise is entitled Outline of the Text: A Creeping Plant That Brings Forth Wishes.
Second, for which students or practitioners was this treatise composed? For persons interested in the extraordinary fields of Buddhist studies, this excellent text elucidates the enlightened intention of the buddhas; the pith instructions of learned and accomplished masters, awareness holders, and genuine spiritual teachers; and the exegeses of the major fields of Tibetan classical learning. It presents the structure of ground, path, and result in respect of the sūtra and mantra vehicles. It differentiates the view, meditation, and conduct in accordance with the path. It outlines the gradation of vows and commitments in accordance with the discipline of individual liberation, the training of bodhisattvas, and the conduct of secret mantra. It is an edifying text, which excellently establishes study, reflection, and meditation, based on the author’s own authentic reasoning.
In 1838 (the earth dog year of the fourteenth sexagenary cycle), Long-chen Choying Tobden Dorje wrote the root verses and their commentaries. The composition of the words and the meanings contained in his treatise is superb, a treasure resembling a precious gem that elucidates and eloquently explains the entire range of the vehicles of spiritual development, completely and without error. It has the complete three-part classical literary format of an introduction, main text, and conclusion. The content of the main text is elucidated by brief introductions and extensive exegeses, and its headings include main topics and subtopics. The root verses are concise and written in verse to facilitate memorization. The extensive commentary in prose facilitates understanding of the intended meanings. The authority provided by supportive quotations from scripture elicits the reader’s confidence beyond any doubt. The concise commentary and the illustrated version render the subject matter of this treatise increasingly clear.
Third, who is the author? The author of the root verses entitled The Precious Treasury of Sūtra and Tantra and its commentaries is Longchen Choying Tobden Dorje Mapham Chokle Nampar Gyelwa. He was born in 1785 (the wood snake year of the thirteenth sexagenary cycle) in the region of Repkong, in Amdo. He began writing this treatise in his fifty-first year, in 1836 (the fire monkey year of the fourteenth sexagenary cycle), and completed it in his fifty-third year, in 1838 (the earth dog year). Apart from this minimal information, which is explicitly stated in the colophon of the text, no other account of his life has come into our hands. That being the case, at the time of this publication [1986], owing to the long distances involved, we have been unable to conduct any detailed research into his birthplace, his engagement in enlightened activities, his responsibilities, or even the place where he lived in Amdo. We are therefore unable to trace the present legacy of his major or minor acts, and we ask those who publish the supplementary portions of this treatise in the future to strive to fill these gaps in our knowledge.
Fourth, what is the extent of the root verses of The Precious Treasury of Sūtra and Tantra? In terms of its content, this work comprises 100 general topics and 2,179 subtopics, divided into twenty-five books that span the entire gradation of the vehicles of spiritual development, commencing from discipleship and ending with the establishment of the stages of fruitional, conclusive accomplishment. In terms of its words, the root verses of the treatise are ascertained to have three sections: an introduction that is “virtuous at the beginning,” a main part that is “virtuous in the middle,” and a conclusion that is “virtuous at the end.” Among these, the introduction and the conclusion are composed in thirteen-syllable lines of verse, whereas the main part is composed in nine-syllable lines of verse. Altogether it comprises 984 verses. Apart from the root verses, the words of the outline, the concise commentary, the extensive commentary, and the illustrated version are structured in prose. The volumes containing the root verses and the commentaries definitely number thirteen.
Fifth, for what purpose was this work composed? It will prove useful for persons of supreme and inferior acumen; it will accomplish what they desire, both for the short and the long term. Study of this text leads to the resolution of outer misconceptions and the attainment of the rank of a learned person. Meditation on this text resolves inner misconceptions and leads to actualization of the spiritual goals to which each person aspires. Such is the purpose for which this work was composed.
We will gradually publish The Precious Treasury of Sūtra and Tantra, its root verses and commentaries, as well as the illustrated version. In doing so our purpose is to provide a comprehensive and multipurpose resource for those who are generally interested in definitive and quantitative knowledge, and more specifically for researchers in Tibetan culture. That said, this is not our only motivating concern: the entirety of the root verses and commentaries of this treatise had been previously carved in woodblocks in Amdo, yet that turned out not to be of great benefit for living beings, since in the midst of various turbulent events that later occurred in the Qinghai area, the woodblocks themselves disappeared without a trace. Therefore, nowadays it is certain that only one or two copies of the original treatise, comprising the root verses and its commentaries, have survived, and the continued existence of these texts is endangered. Thus it seems surely necessary to act swiftly to preserve these texts by publishing books that replicate exactly the content of their original manuscript. In the present case, we now publish the root verses and the outline, with the plan to gradually publish the entire series of texts in this collection. Zenkar Rinpoche Tubten Nyima, with the intention of preserving Tibetan culture, has gladly lent us the original copies of the texts. Further, he has graciously offered suggestions to assure the success of these publications. On this occasion of the first in the series, we must offer him our deepest gratitude.
Nordrang Orgyan, editor
August 15, 1986
Nordrang Orgyan is a renowned scholar who now lives in retirement. His magnum opus is the three-volume Compendium of Buddhist Numeric Terms, published in 2008. Formerly he served as director of the Academy of Social Sciences of the Tibet Autonomous Region and the Rare Texts Publishing House.
