RNAM THAR
Another important category of texts in assessing the lineage history and tradition of Chöd is “rnam thar.” Rnam thar are life stories of remarkable spiritual persons, literally denoting 102 This text has been translated into German by Kollmar-Paulenz (1993). 103 See gcod yul dang kha rag pa'i chos skor thugs rje chen po'i chos sgrub pa rnams byung tshul mdor bsdus bshad pa'i skabs te/ le'u nyer gcig pa, 437-452.
stories of someone’s “complete liberation.” Sometimes they are considered biographies, while at
other times they are referred to as “hagiographies.” These sources can sometimes provide us
with historical information, although by nature the genre is often more concerned with providing
inspirational narrative than empirical veracity. These materials are useful for gaining an
understanding of how their subjects are remembered by the authors and for how key figures in a
tradition are positioned. There are several spiritual biographies (rnam thar) of Machik, which
will be briefly listed and introduced here.
Phung po gzan skyur ba’i rnam par bshad pa las ma gcig lab sgron ma’i rnam par thar pa
mdor bsdus tsam zhig (13th century)
In his 1996 study, Jérôme Edou, brought attention to a rare Kagyü lineage gter ma text, the Phung po gzan skyur ba’i rnam par bshad pa las ma gcig lab sgron ma’i rnam par thar pa mdor bsdus tsam zhig attributed to Kunpang Tsöndru Sengé (Kun spangs Brtson ‘grus seng ge, ca. 13th century). This manuscript is written in dbu med script and consists of 519 folio pages. Edou calls it the most extensive account of the life of Machik; however, it is unclear whether he is evaluating it due to its length or due to its content, especially since it is subtitled a “rnam par thar pa mdor bsdus” or “brief summary.” Edou deduces that this text by Brtson ‘grus seng ge text is “undoubtedly the direct source” for The Great
Explanation,104 although more study is needed in order to substantiated such a claim.105
104 Edou writes: “This version [i.e. the Phung po gzan skyur ba’i rnam par bshad pa las ma gcig lab sgron ma’i rnam par thar pa mdor bsdus tsam zhig], appearing in a manuscript in cursive script, contains many expressions in eastern Tibet dialect. Comparing the two texts shows that [this text] . . . is undoubtedly the direct source from which
[the Phung po gzan skyur rnam bshad gcod kyi don gsal byed] . . . was condensed after the correction of numerous spelling mistakes. The sequence is closely followed, with entire sections adopted word-for-word, but [[[Phung po]] gzan skyur rnam bshad gcod kyi don gsal byed] . . . eliminates some over-marvelous or over-lengthy descriptions, as
well as technical explanations of transmissions, titles of texts and lists of names” (1996, 108). 105 For more on this issue, see Edou 1996, 108; 222; 196 n. 36; 196 n. 38; 222. To complicate matters further,
Kollmar-Paulenz has disagreed with this position of Edou’s; however, she reads Edou as definitively dating the Namkha Gyaltsen text to the 15th century [although Edou doesn’t posit when in Namkha Gyaltsen’s life he would
Phung po gzan skyur rnam bshad gcod kyi don gsal byed106 (ca. 14th century)
Given their inclusion as the first two chapters in the Phung po gzan skyur rnam bshad
gcod kyi don gsal byed, which was itself included in a recently bound and easily accessible
collection of three Chöd texts entitled the Gcod kyi chos skor, as well as the fact that they have
been translated at least three times into the English language, these are probably the most popular
rnam thar of Machik. The woodblocks for the edition of this text included in the Gcod kyi chos skor were commissioned by Lho pa sprul sku Nag dang mkhyen rab bstan pa’i dbang phyug (late 19th century; Geluk). This text is often referred to as the “Rnam bshad chen mo,” that is, the “Great Explanation.” There is another available edition of this text that is printed from woodblocks (n.p.; n.d).).107 I discuss this text in detail in the next section. Ma gcig ma’i rnam thar (n.d.)
A blockprint of this work was obtained by Edou from Lang Gonpa, near Phyger, Dolpo (1996, x; 220), but it does not seem otherwise to be available. Edou claims that it differs substantially from the two biographies by Kunpang Tsöndru Sengé and Namkha Gyaltsen (Nam mkha’ rgyal mtshan, 1370-1433). According to Edou, the manuscript is in dbu med script and
lacks information regarding date or author;108 the text does state that it was edited at the request of Rin bzang grags pa dbang phyug.109 This text is also entitled the Rnam thar mgur ma, have composed it; given that he was born in 1370, he might have composed it in the 14th century] and the Brtson ‘grus seng ge text to the 13th century (1998, 25 n. 3). Hermann-Pfandt has also critically addressed Edou’s work (1998).
106 See 11-44.
107 I have copies in my collection provided by Leslie Kawamura/Herbert Guenther and Orgyen Tenzin. See also Dus gsum rgyal ba kun gyi yum gcig ‘phags ma lab kyi sgron ma’i rnam par thar pa phung po gzan bsgyur gyi rnam par bshad pa mkha’ ‘gro bye ba’i gsang lam (1992. Shinhua: mtsho sngon mi rigs dbe skrun khang, 1992). This source, unavailable to me at present, is cited in Edou; Edou says that this is an edition of the rnam bshad found in the
Gcod kyi chos skor. 108 Edou does note that it “appears to be quite old” (1996, 194, n. 28).
referring to the spontaneous songs (mgur) attributed to Machik that are included in the text.
According to Edou, this text includes a chapter describing Machik’s conflict with her parents
regarding her decision to devote herself to Dharma practice, and another chapter detailing
Machik’s travels to various places in order to practice Chöd.110
Ma cig lab sgron rnam mthar pad ma dkar po’i phreng ba (n.d.) This is a biography by Rgyal thang ri khrod pa mentioned in the Labrang dkar chag.111 I have not been able to identify this author, nor have I been able to locate a copy of this manuscript to date.
Ma gcig gi rnam thar mdzad pa bco lnga pa112 (15th/16th century) This spiritual biography about Machik and fifteen important deeds in her life was composed by Gshongs chen ri khrod pa Mkhas pa btsun bstan pa’i rgyal mtshan dpal bzang po (15th c., Shangpa Kagyü); it consists of twenty manuscript pages. Kollmar-Paulenz (1998, 12)
dates this text (along with Gsongs chen ri khrod pa himself) to the 16th century and posits that it is the earliest datable rnam thar for Machik, but she suggests that it is derivative from earlier unknown sources. Given contemporary dating of Gshongs chen ri khrod pa to the 15th century, it might be more accurately dated to that century rather than the 16th century. 109 The TBRC database has a record for a “Grags pa dbang phyug” who is dated to the 12th-13th centuries (P4205), although this may not be the same person.
110 Edou outlines the chapters as follows: “(1) How Machig renounced the worldly life and left her family; (2) How Machig opened the gates of Dharma; (3) How Machig followed Thöpa Bharé and taught Dharma to her husband and
her son Gyalwa Döndrop; (4) How Machig gained realization and subjugated demons in fearful places; (5) How Machig taught the ultimate meaning (of her doctrine) to Lhatag Khenpo and others; (6) How Machig settled at Zangri and worked to propagate her doctrine for the benefit of beings; (7) How Machig departed for the state beyond suffering” (175, n. 3).
111 Actually, the Labrang Karchag (relevant selections photocopied from LTWA) has numerous Machik texts, but I haven’t been able to obtain them. On this text, see also Edou 195, n. 33. 112 In Thang stong chos mdzod. Thimpu and Delhi: Kunsang Topgay, 1976. Vol. 1. 21-41. Trans. in Azzato 1981, 67-93.
Gcod yul nyon mongs zhi byed kyi bka’ gter bla ma brgyud pa’i rnam thar byin rlabs gter mtsho113 (19th-20th centuries)
This collection of biographies by the Nyingma pa author Rdza rong phu bla ma Ngag dbang bstan ‘dzin nor bu (1867-1940 CE)114 includes spiritual biographies of Machik and of various lineage holders. Ngag dbang bstan ‘dzin nor bu posits that Machik received Chöd teachings directly from Padampa Sangyé.115 Kollmar-Paulenz asserts that a comparison of the
two twentieth-century texts by Chökyisenggé and by Ngag dbang bstan ‘dzin nor bu suggests that Rong phu bla ma used biographical material on Machik from sources including the verse biography of Gshongs chen bla ma discussed above and the recently discovered Ma gcig ma’i rnam thar. According to Kollmar-Paulenz, these different biographical elements “which probably date as far back as the 12th century have been lost over the centuries and we can only get glimpses of the diverse material in the few texts which have survived during the almost nine centuries since Machik’s death” (1998, 13).116
Source
[[1]]
