The Life and Works
of
H.H. Orgyen Kusum Lingpa:
A Biographical Sketch
and
A Complete Tibetan-English Catalogue of
Collected Treasures
His Collected-Treasures
Pema Namdrol C. Chicorelli
Dedicated to my spiritual-mentor, Tulku Sherab Dorjé.
In this and future-lives, may we meet again and again—until perfect
Buddhahood is realized.
!"!"!
ii
Acknowledgments
! Here I would like to express my gratitude to a handful of individuals whose
kindness made this B.A. dissertation possible and ultimately successful. First, I must
acknowledge my grandmother, June Chicorelli, who has generously supported me
throughout my four-year course of study and training at Rangjung Yeshé Institute. Her
constant willingness to give to others—all the while never hoping for anything in return
—is a truly wondrous marvel. She is a precious and rare gem; I most certainly could not
have achieved what I have without her.
! Secondly, I must admit—the original idea to write on the subject of Kusum Lingpa
was not my own; rather, it was the suggestion of my spiritual-mentor, Tulku Sherab
Dorjé, Executive Director of Blazing Wisdom Institute (she rab me ʻbar gling). It was he
who kindly granted me unrestricted access to all thirty volumes of Kusum Lingpaʼs
collected treasures and firmly encouraged me to synthesize a full Tibetan-English index/
catalogue its contents. Tulku Sherdor also generously lent so much of his time and
expertise in reviewing and painstakingly editing the final drafts of the material presented
herein. Tulku Sherdor is an exemplar scholar-practitioner; an embodiment of Dharma
who has been for me an unending source of love, inspiration, humor and wisdom.
! I must also expresses my heartfelt gratitude to five of Kusum Lingpaʼs own
students who generously donated funds to support my initial research and translation
efforts at Blazing Wisdom Institute during the summer of 2019. Judy and Clyde
Crawford, Howard Stahl, Jackie Niemi, and Michael Davis—thank you all so very
much! Your kindness I hope to repay (at least partially) by offering you this thesis
which is the culmination of many months of continuous work that your funds have
supported. I most certainly would not have been able to produce a study of such
breadth and depth if it were not for your generous sponsorship.
! I must also thank my thesis-advisor, Daniel McNamara, who kindly offered so
much insight, direction, and reassurance throughout the course of this projectʼs
development. He patiently endured those periods of my excessive indecision
(regarding a thesis topic) and lack of communication. He is an excellent scholar with
iii
a rigorous passion for his field of study that is hard to match, and I would be
delighted to work with him again in the future.
! Thanks to all of you and everyone I did not mention here as well!
Pema Namdrol C. Chicorelli
Tso Pema (Rewelsar) India. December 2019
iv
- Table of Contents -
• Dedication...................................................................................................................ii
• Acknowledgments.......................................................................................................iii–iv
-
• Part One: Introduction.................................................................................................pp. 1–7
• Part Two: A Translation: Chapter One of Abu’s Long-Bio...........................................pp. 8–19
• Part Three: A Biographical Sketch of H.H. Orgyen Kusum Lingpa............................pp. 20–46
-
• Appendix One: The Tibetan-Original of the First Chapter of Abu’s Long-Bio..............pp. 47–59
• Appendix Two: A Complete Tibetan-English Catalogue of His Collected Treasures...pp. 60–335
-
• Bibliography..................................................................................................................p. 336
v
Part One:
Introduction
! The primary subject of this study is the extraordinary life and collected works of
the modern-day Tertön His Holiness Orgyen Kusum Lingpa (o rgyan sku gsum gling pa
1934–2009, hereafter, Kusum Lingpa). Kusum Lingpa’s prolific activities as a revered
Guru (bla ma), poet, physician, yogin, founder of Buddhist institutions—and, above all,
eminent revealer of spiritual treasures, or Tertön (gter ston) in Tibet and all over the
world—has left behind a significant legacy, which has, unfortunately, not received
significant academic attention. This thesis offers foundational information about Kusum
Lingpa, detailing his life, his works, and the importance of his role in the development of
Tibetan Buddhism in the twentieth century.
! This study is divided into three main parts: Part One introduces the thesis as a
whole and the various sources Iʼve utilized; Part Two presents an original translation of
the first chapter of the most complete written biography of Kusum Lingpa to date; and
Part Three presents a biographical sketch of Kusum Lingpa, focusing mainly on the first
1
half of his life. It is my hope that the work and research presented here provides a basic
foundation upon which other scholars more erudite and capable than myself can build in
the future.
! The current redaction of Kusum Lingpa’s collected works (gsung ‘bum), or
perhaps more appropriately, collected treasures (as the title of this collection suggests)2
occupies a sizable total of thirty complete volumes.3 The full title of this collection is: The
1All of the textual sources from which Iʼve drawn to synthesize the biographical material (presented in
Part Three) elucidate the former half of Kusum Lingpa’s life in much more detail than they do the latter
half. Therefore, I would have to conduct many extensive interviews with individuals who knew Kusum
Lingpa personally if I were to treat the latter half of his life with as much detail as I have the first half.
Given that such extensive research is far beyond the limits of this B.A. dissertation project’s time and
word-count restrictions, I have chosen to focus on Kusum Lingpa’s journey from birth to adulthood, when
he emerges as a Tertön at age 27.
2 As in: zab gter chun po.
3 An earlier publication contains only eighteen volumes; thus it appears to have taken subsequent
compilers whose efforts were presumably led by a Pema Drodul Dorjé (pad ma ‘gro ‘dul rdo rje) quite a
few years to fully collect and organize the additional material that now constitutes the current thirty-
volume redaction—according to the colophon printed at the end of each volume.
1
Profound Treasures of the Lord of Siddhas H.H. Orgyen Kusum Lingpa—entitled: A
Heaping Mound Of Gems (grub dbang o gyen sku gsum glingp pa’i zab gter nor bu
chun po bzhugs). It was published/printed in eastern Tibet by the Tantric college division
(sngags grwa)4 of Kusum Lingpa’s own monastic institution, the Blue Valley Monastery
(lung sngon dgon pa) in Golok.5 A substantial portion of my initial research for this
project was a thorough survey and analysis of each of the thirty volumes—whereby I
produced a comprehensive list of the Tibetan titles of every individual text contained
therein. I then supplemented this index with data, according to three criteria: 1] page
range, 2] folio count, and 3] type of text. I subsequently translated all the titles, thus
producing the first complete Tibetan-English catalog/index (dkar chag / kar chag) of
Kusum Linpa’s collected works, as presented in Appendix Two.6
! Such a voluminous presentation of a collection of modern-day treasures (gter
ma) would not be complete without addressing, at least in brief, the life and biographies
(rnam thar) of the Tertön who composed, or rather “revealed” (hence the ston in gter
ston) them from the mysterious depths of his own wisdom-mind. Therefore, the
secondary task of my preliminary research was to collect and examine all extant auto/
biographical materials on the great Tertön available in Tibetan or English.7 In my humble
attempt to sketch a coherent outline of Kusum Lingpa’s life (as presented in Part Three)
I have drawn upon various sources, but have relied most heavily upon what are, in my
4The full name of this tantric division of Kusum Lingpa’s institution is bdud ‘dul sngags pa grwa tsang, or,
as Abu Karlo refers to it in chapter 8 of his biography of Kusum Lingpa, sngags grwa’i ‘du khang bdud ‘dul
gling.
5The Blue Valley, or Lung Ngön, Monastery is also called Tubten Chökor Ling (thub bstan chos 'khor
gling) among other permutations (lhun grub thub bstan chos 'khor gling / lung sngon dgon thub bstan
chos 'khor gling / wa shul bla ma'i chos sgar). Chinese: 隆恩寺 / 恩寺. https://www.tbrc.org/#!rid=G1737
6 Note: because Kusum Lingpa passed away relatively recently, even this sizable thirty-volume redaction
cannot be considered a definitive final collection of Kusum Lingpa’s works. That is to say, other items
(albeit minor texts) not included in the current redaction (such as the forty-five handwritten documents I
cataloged from the Blazing Wisdom Institute’s archive) may one day be added to later redactions.
7 Although Kusum Lingpa himself never wrote an official autobiography, he did compose a series of
accounts relating his inner meditative experiences/realizations (rtogs brjod). Of greatest relevance to the
present biographical study are three accounts he wrote of his most significant visionary experiences, or
literally “pure-visions” (dag snang). These three pure-vision accounts are located in volume 29 (ha).
2
view, the four most reputable and significant written sources of biographical information
currently available.8
! The first and most extensive of these four texts is the official biography of H.H.
Orgyen Kusum Lingpa written by the celebrated scholar Abu Karlo (a bu dkar lo),
published/printed by zhan kang thEn ma dpe skrun khang in eastern Tibet (2003).9 The
full title of this publication is: A Brief Biography of the Tertön and Lord of Siddhas His
Holiness Orgyen Kusum Lingpa—entitled: The Self-Resounding Laughter of the Ḍākinīs
and Vidyādharas (gter ston grub pa’i dbang phyug o rgyan sku gsum gling pa’i rnam
thar mdo tsam brjod pa ma tshogs rig ‘dzin bzhad pa’i rang gdangs zhes bya ba bzhugs
so). Its eight main chapters describe Kusum Lingpa’s life in roughly chronological
order.10 As an introduction to the biographical outline, Part Two presents an original
translation of the entire first chapter of Abu Karlo’s text, which from here on will be
referred to as “Abu’s long bio.”11 I have included this translation as an introduction of
sorts to my own biographical analysis, in order to contextualize Kusum Lingpa’s life
story within the greater context of the Buddhist biographical/hagiographical (rnam thar)
and autobiographical (rang rnam) genres—thus highlighting the perceived soteriological
8 In producing this biography, I have not tapped all the vast resources of personal testimony that are
potentially available—the many witnesses to Kusum Lingpa’s life (his sons, close disciples, relatives, and
so on) living in Tibet and all over the world, who could fill in many details of his life (especially regarding
the latter half). Moreover, Kusum Lingpa himself was known to frequently share autobiographical
accounts of his own life (and much information concerning his treasure-cycles) while giving teachings,
and therefore, archives containing some hundreds of hours of Kusum Lingpa’s own oral teachings are a
vast resource of which I have not taken advantage.
9Born in 1945, in the area of Golok known as Akyong Pönmo Tsang (a skyong dpon mo tshang), he is
also known as mdzod tsha a bu dkar lo / mdzod tsha, and was presumably a very close student-disciple
of Kusum Lingpa himself. For more information about his biography of Kusum Lingpa see: https://
www.tbrc.org/#! rid=W1KG2155.
10 Chapters 1–4, however, deal with a diverse range of introductory topics, namely: 1] the value and
function of Buddhist biography/hagiography or rnam thar; 2] the history and geography of Tibet in general,
and Kusum Lingpa’s homeland, Golok, in particular; 3] the role of Tertöns in this degenerate age, and a
list of 118 authentic gter ston who were born in the area of Golok; and 4] the many prophecies and
prognostications (lung bstan) that indicate and predict Kusum Lingpa’s birth and role as a great Tertön—
including a biographical outline of his previous eleven catenate past lives, or incarnations. Therefore, it is
only within the first few pages of chapter 5 that Abu Karlo actually begins to narrate the events related to
Kusum Lingpa’s conventional biography.
11This translation actually includes everything from the cover page through page 11, that is: 1] the title; 2]
table of contents (dkar chag); 3] expression of homage (mchod par brjod pa) [pp. 1–4]; and 4] the first full
chapter: “An Introduction” (le’u dang po gleng gzhi’i skabs) [pp. 5–11].
3
and teleological value that such texts are said to possess, according to the traditional
view.12
! In addition to Abu’s long bio, I have consulted an earlier publication of his,
entitled: A History of Tibetan Medicine and Astronomy in Golok: A Perpetual Wave of
Marvelous Jewels (mgo log sman rtsis rig pa'i lo rgyus ngo mtshar nor bu'i rlabs
phreng).13 In chapter 5 therein (pp. 571–579), Abu narrates a very concise yet clearly
stated account of Kusum Lingpa’s life, placing strong emphasis on his role and activities
as a renowned physician and miraculous healer of tremendous spiritual potency.
Hereafter, I will refer to this text simply as “Abu’s brief bio.”
! Another primary source has been the English translation of an even earlier
biography written by Rigdzin Namnang Dorjé (presumably spelled: rig ‘dzin rnam snang
rdo rje)—the original Tibetan manuscript of which I have not yet been able to locate,
unfortunately.14 The composition of this text likely predates both of Abu’s
aforementioned publications because the section that roughly catalogs Kusum Lingpa’s
collected treasures lists a total of only eighteen (or nineteen) distinct volumes—merely
suggesting that extra material, yet to be compiled, may very well end up filling at least
another seven volumes. Both of Abu’s texts, however, enumerate a fairly definitive total
12 Typically, translations are presented after scholastic analysis, but I am presenting this translation (Part
Two) before presenting my own biographical analysis (Part Three) for two reasons: 1] I wish to highlight
the importance of Abu’s long bio, which is, to date, the most complete and thoroughgoing account of
Kusum Lingpa’s life. Thus my biographical sketch—which indeed draws heavily from this source (one
may even say that Abu’s long bio serves as my root-text)—is by no means meant to supersede his
publication, but rather supplement it; and 2] I’ve written this thesis not just to fulfill the credits required to
complete my B.A. degree, but equally to make a symbolic offering to my mentor, Tulku Sherdor, himself a
close disciple of Kusum Lingpa. Therefore, this thesis was written from a very emic perspective, and as
such, I wish to highlight for the reader the Tibetan tradition’s unique views on spiritual biography (rnam
thar) before presenting my own investigations of such material.
13 Published in 2000 by mtsho sngon mi rigs dpe skrun khang. For more info: https:// www.tbrc. org /#!
rid=W21932
14 This translation (1997) entitled, A Brief Biography of His Holiness Orgyen Kusum Lingpa—was
produced by the well-known translator Richard Barron (a.k.a Chökyi Nyima), who became an early
Western student and oral interpreter of H.H. Kusum Lingpa shortly after His Holiness began to teach in
and tour North America (beginning sometime in 1994). Note also: toward the end of this text, Namnang
makes a passing reference to another one of his biographical renderings of Kusum Lingpaʼs life and
activities, the title of which is not stated, and thus, unfortunately, I have not been able to locate or identify
this text. See Namnang’s bio (p. 11 [paragraph twenty-five, counting from the introductory poem]).
4
of “about” (pod chen nyer lnga “tsam”)15 or “more than” (po ti nyer lnga “lhag ‘gro”)16
twenty-five complete volumes. Given this timeline, I would imagine Abu Karlo would
have had access to and therefore utilized Namnang’s biography in the task of producing
his own works. This theory is indeed confirmed by further analysis of Abu’s long bio,
which reveals some significant instances of borrowed material (perhaps even copied
verbatim) that are not cited.17
! In any case, my fourth and final primary source is the concise biography
composed by Kusum Lingpa’s son and primary successor Hūṃkar Dorjé (hUṃ kar rdo
rje b.1969), which appears as the opening text of (and was composed specifically for)
the present thirty-volume redaction. Hūṃkar Dorjéʼs work is entitled: A Concise Special/
Uncommon Biography of the Lord of Refuge, [H.H. Orgyen Kusum Lingpa] Pema
Tumdrag Rolpa (skyabs rje pad ma gtum drag rol ba’i rdo rje’i thun min gyi rnam thar
nyung ngu). This “biography” (or perhaps more accurately, pseudo-biographical
introductory polemic) is indeed “special” and/or “uncommon” (thun min), given that it
does not explicitly recount much, if any, valuable information on the actual life and
activities of Kusum Lingpa. Rather, it mainly seeks to verify H.H. Kusum Lingpa’s status
as a genuine Tertön and consequently establish the authenticity of his voluminous
15 Long bio p. 157.
16 a bu dkar lo. "sman gter chen po o rgyan sku gsum gling pa/." In mgo log sman rtsis rig pa'i lo rgyus nor
bu'i rlabs phreng. TBRC W21932.: p. 576. zi ling: mtsho sngon mi rigs dpe skrun khang, 2000. https://
www.tbrc.org/#!
rid=O2DB86065%7CO2DB860652DB861842DB862052DB863152DB863692DB86397$W21932
17This kind of “borrowing” is particularly evident in the third sub-section of the eighth chapter, which is
entitled: dag pa ye shes chen po’i gzigs snang gi skor (pp. 137–140), and relates many instances of
Kusum Lingpa’s extraordinary visionary-experiences (gzigs snang) or pure-visions (dag snang). One
example is the account of Kusum Lingpa’s vision of Guru Rinpoché. Barron’s translation reads as follows:
“Once, when His Holiness was gazing at the wall of a large temple, he beheld there the great master
Padmasambhava, He Who Overwhelms the Universe with Splendor (Nangsi Zilnön [snang srid zil gnon]),
who placed his vajra on His Holiness’s head, whereupon His Holiness gained great confidence in his
understanding of the teachings of both sūtra and tantra.” Note that this is a nearly perfect translation of
Abu’s description of the same event, which reads: gzhan yang khong dpal yul du bzhugs skabs lha khang
chen po zhig gi rgya mthong khar slob dpon snang srid zil gnon bzhugs pa’i mdun du phyin pas phyag gi
rdo rje khong gi chi bor bzhag pas mdo sngags kyi chos la spobs ps rgya cher thob. Therefore, this is
most likely an instance of direct and uncited replication. One should keep in mind, however, that this
particular methodology (an uncited synthesis of diverse materials) is commonplace among Tibetan
scholars and particularly normative in the production of historiographic and/or biographic accounts. For
more on this, see Hirshberg, Remembering the Lotus-Born: pp. 141–201.
5
treasure-revelations. This text, however, is an asset to the present biographical study,
since it offers valuable insight into the more polemical dimensions of Kusum Lingpa’s
career and persona—thereby highlighting the often controversial and sometimes critical
socio-religious conditions that historically have characterized the public reception of
newly revealed treasure-cycles and typically surround the lives of the Tertöns who
reveal them.18
! In addition to these four primary biographical sources, I’ve also consulted one of
Kusum Lingpa’s own writings: a first-person account of what I can only imagine to be
the single most important or significant visionary-experience (mthong snang / gzigs
snang) or pure-vision (dag snang) of his life. The interestingly complex title of this
extraordinary text reads (something like): A Visionary Experience of the Blazing Fire-
Mountain Charnel Ground of the Zenith Direction [that was] Emanated from the Brilliant
Light [of a] Dazzling Visual Experience of Intense Luminosity—entitled: An Offering
Cloud of Astonishing Music (nyams snang ‘od stong ‘bar ba’i gzi ‘od las ‘phros pa’i steng
phyogs dur khrod me ru / [ri] ‘bar ba’i mthong snang ngo mtshar rol mo’i mchod sprin
bzhugs so).19 It is precisely this visionary experience and the tremendous authority it
effectively confers upon Kusum Lingpa (as we see in Part Three) that actually awakens
his previous karmic imprints (sngon gyi bag chags)20 and innate spiritual prowess, thus
18 Throughout the terma tradition’s (gter lugs) historical development in Tibet, the question of authenticity
has always been an issue of key importance, both from within the tradition (so as to codify a universal
verifying criterion through which gter stons and their gter ma could be authenticated and/or refuted), and
from outside factions as well (as per the frequent accusations of the gter lugs(‘s) apocryphal disingenuity).
For more on the issue of authenticity in the gter ma tradition, see: Doctor, Andreas, Tibetan Treasure
Literature: Revelation, Tradition, and Accomplishment in Visionary Buddhism: pp. 31–51.
19 This text can be located in volume 29 (ha) [khrid yig / mthong snang]: pp. 189–238. Itʼs title (as printed)
reads: me ru ‘bar ba. However, throughout all the biographical literature that cites this pure-vision account
(such as Abu’s long and short bios, and Hūṃkar’s polemical intro bio) the title is alternatively spelled: me
ri ‘bar ba (which I strongly feel must be the correct version). Given that Kusum Lingpa rarely wrote down
his own terma-revelations himself, rather relying upon scribes to record his impromptu oral dictations,
perhaps Kusum Lingpa’s unique Golok dialect and pronunciation peculiarities (note: “u” and “i” vowels are
regularly interchangeable/indistinguishable) are the root of this (and many other, quite similar) spelling
inconsistencies present in the titles transcribed in the thirty-volume collection. In any case, the difference
between ru (locative particle) and ri (noun: mountain) is significant enough to point out, and my translation
reads in favor of what must be (according to Abu and Hūṃkar as well) the correct version—namely: me ri
‘bar ba (Blazing Fire-Mountain).
20 p. 192
6
setting his karmically predestined career as a Tertön proper into full motion. Last, in
addition to constructing a biographical sketch of Kusum Lingpa’s life, Part Three of this
study also attempts to isolate and elucidate some of the most common and significant
tropes that characterize the extraordinary lives of treasure-revealers in general.
However, in order to maintain sharp focus on the hagiographical and biographical
elements of this thesis, I have relegated my identification and analysis of such details to
the footnotes.
! Any mistakes or errors contained herein are only my own. Thus I ask
Padmasambhava, the origin-source of all profound treasure teachings; the kind root and
lineage Gurus—all Tertöns of the past, present, and future; and the oath-bound treasure
guardians, to kindly pardon such inadequacies. May any merit that I may gain through
the endeavor of cataloguing His Holiness Orgyen Kusum Lingpa’s collected treasures
and synthesizing a rough biographical outline of his exemplary life story, no matter how
insignificant it may be, become the cause for each and every sentient-being to realize
the basic-space of innate lucidity: the spontaneously present trikāya (sku gsum) nature
of mind.
Sarvadā Mangalaṃ Bhavatu - May Everything be Auspicious!
7
Part Two:
An Original Translation
A Brief Biography of the Tertön and Lord of Siddhas
His Holiness Orgyen Kusum Lingpa
entitled:
The Self-Resounding Laughter of the
Ḍākinīs and Vidyādharas
_____
8
- Table of Contents -
-! Expression of Homage
• Chapter One:
! Introduction
• Chapter Two:
! An Explanation of the Virtuous Qualities of the Region Where [H.H. Kusum
! Lingpa] Was Born
• Chapter Three:
! A General Explanation of How Hundreds of Tertöns Were Born in This Region
! of Golok
• Chapter Four:
! An Explanation of the Lord [H.H. Kusum Lingpaʼs] Previous Lives and How He
! Was Praised and Prophesied [in the Writings of] Many Holy Beings
• Chapter Five:
! How the Lotus of the Signs and Marks of [H.H. Kusum Lingpaʼs] Body
! Blossomed Forth Within This Region [Golok] and How He Entered the Door of
! the Teachings and Engaged in Study and Contemplation
• Chapter Six:
! How, After Meeting the Gurus With Whom [H.H. Kusum Lingpa] Had Karmic
! Connections From His Previous-Lives, [H.H. Kusum Lingpaʼs] Sublime
! [Spiritual] Potential Immediately Awoke
• Chapter Seven:
! How [H.H. Kusum Lingpa] Made it Eminently Clear that Our [Buddhist] Tradition
! was Supreme During Times of Great Change and Political Upheaval [When
! Buddhism was Persecuted in Tibet]
• Chapter Eight:
! How the Magnitude of [H.H. Kusum Lingpaʼs] Enlightened Activities Greatly
! Increased During the Period of Time When the Teachings Again Flourished
! [Freely in Tibet]
-! Addendum
! An Index Roughy Listing the Contents of [H.H. Kusum Lingpaʼs] Profound Terma
! Revelations
-! Colophon
-! Afterword
! A Melodious Eulogy Praising the Truth [of Your Excellence]
_______
9
Expression of Homage
Namo Guru Padmachanṭaḥ Vajradharaye!
He whose supreme vajra-body, indestructible, eternal, and forever devoid of the
# characteristics of birth and death,
Whose melodious speech, unceasing and self-arising, enchants [all with] a gentle
! downpour of profound Dharma rain, and
Whose Dharmakāya mind, infallible and omnipresent, is ablaze with the glorious jñāna
! of the two wisdoms [of omniscience]—
The unequaled Guru Tsokye Wangpo21—with vivid faith I unreservedly prostrate myself
! to you in full.
From the expanse of Dharmakāya, great emptiness and luminosity [manifest] in the
! mode of unified bliss-emptiness,
The youthful magnificence of [their] inexhaustible magical matrix eliminates the
! darkness of the five degenerations.
An unceasing light-garland of Profound Treasures [who are] expertly skilled at stirring
! the waters of the minds of those to be trained—
Those who’ve come, and those still to come [in the future]—the Treasure-Revealers,
! [like a] continuous succession of star constellations, [to all of you] I pay homage.
When the hurricane winds of this degenerate Kaliyuga scatter the mists of the ten
! virtuous actions,
And the bitter cold suffering [that arises from] non-virtuous negative actions freezes over
! the excellent goodness of beings,
The sun of the Teachings expertly invites [sentient-beings] to enjoy the feast of
! Dharma’s luminescence—the blazing brilliance [of your] enlightened activity.
Great Tertön Guru [Kusum Lingpa], in all my lives I hold you close [upon my head] as its
! crowning ornament.
Oh [Guru], whose life story is a vast and profoundly deep ocean
Limitless are the qualities of your three secrets [of body, speech, and mind].
[All this] is the experiential domain of only an Omniscient Noble One [like yourself],
So how then could I—someone so heavily burdened with karmic afflictions—[do any
justice to your inconceivable biography]?
Nevertheless, the water that I’ve gathered via intellectual knowledge of Scripture,
Is definitely an example of [and resembles] the quality of the actual ocean itself.
Thus inspired is my mind, [knowing that] by doing excellent deeds I shall attain merit,
Which may indeed lead to the alleviation of my burning desire for liberation.
21 The Powerful Lake-Born One (mtso skyes dbang bo)—a.k.a. Guru Padmasambhava.
10
Oh Dhātviśvarī of great emptiness and the [mother deity] Pramoha,
Yakṣa-spirit who bears a long spear, and Great Lion-King,
Please grant me your approval, clear away all adverse circumstances,
And enact your supreme generosity, which multiplies everything wonderful!
The sound of the joyful laughter of the hosts of mother ḍākinīs and vidyādharas
Echoes in the space of my mind with vivid recollection and awareness!
The self-resounding music of all these words [together with] their profound meaning
—May it all bring joy to the fortunate ones [listening], as it fills their ears!
! Having offered these verses of praise, homage, prayer, and so forth, [which are
like] beautiful flowers tossed at the beginning [of a ceremony], I will now disclose the
essence of the main subject to be discussed [via a list of epithets]. The subject is, of
course, [the life of]: 1] ʻRigdzin Drubpa’i Pawoʼ into whose heart the blessings of the
Lord of Secrets, Son of Victors, Vajrapāṇi’s three secrets [of enlightened body, speech
and mind] have been transmitted; 2] ʻPema Gyaltsab Dampaʼ [who appeared] as an
emanated display of the magical jñāna-matrix of the Powerful Victor Orgyen Chenpo,22
and was [recognized/ foretold] and praised in many unmistaken vajra prophecies; 3]
ʻThe Bodhisattvaʼ who has arrived at the transcendent perfection of great compassion
that is beyond conceptual reference points, and who embraces all transient-beings
without bias; 4] ʻThe Great Kalyāṇamitraʼ23 who comprehends an ocean of pitakas [of
Sūtra] and Tantra, and has perfected the power of his knowledge, which thoroughly
understands their crucial points as well; 5] ʻThe Lord of Yoginsʼ who has perfected the
force of profound samādhi [within] the two-phase [yogas of development and
completion] and found deeply within himself the confidence of utter fearlessness; 6]
ʻThe Great Treasure-Revealerʼ24 of our age who, without making any effort at all, [just
naturally] holds dominion over a space-like Dharma treasury and totally releases the
indestructible entrustment-seals [that protect such mind-treasures]; and 7] ʻThe
22 rgyal dbang o rgyan chen po (a.k.a Padmasambhava).
23 dge ba’i bshes gnyen (more often translated as “Spiritual Friend”).
24 gter ‘byin chen po.
11
Sovereign Lordʼ of an ocean of maṇḍalas and buddha-families, whose compassion and
kindness are beyond any comparison whatsoever.
$ Although it is so very difficult for me to actually utter his name, for the sake of
clarifying the subject to be discussed, his full name is: His Holiness Orgyen Kusum
Lingpa Drangsong Lhayi Sengé Pema Düdul Tumdrag Dorjé Rolpa Tsal Sangdag
Traktung Pawo Jigmé Nampar Gyalwa’i Dé.25
$ Furthermore, in the realms of the vidyādharas and ḍākinīs, he is known simply
as Vairocana. [Kusum Lingpa’s] other epithets include the following: Orgyen Puntsok
Gönpo, Traktung Tumdrag Pawo, Sangdag Palchen Dorjé ,Yeshé Zhépa Dorjé, Pema
Düdul Tumdrag Dorjé, Drangsong Yeshé Zhönu, Rigdzin Drakngag Lingpa, and so on.
Within the ocean-like biography [that could fully] comprehend and express the [full
extent] of H.H. Orgyen Kusum Lingpa’s [qualities and activities], that which ordinarily
appears to his disciples in this realm [with their limited faculties] is but a mere fragment
of that immense entirety—[yet nonetheless this fragment] I shall express by relying on
that which expresses it, namely: a sequence of words that is divided into eight separate
chapters.
$ These eight are: 1] an introduction; 2] an explanation of the virtuous and
excellent qualities of the region where [H.H. Kusum Lingpa] was born; 3] a general
explanation of how hundreds [of other] Tertöns [were also] born in this region of Golok;
4] an explanation of the Lord [H.H. Kusum Lingpaʼs] previous lives and how he was
praised and prophesied [in the writings of] many holy beings; 5] how the lotus of the
signs and marks of [H.H. Kusum Lingpa’s] body blossomed forth within this region
[Golok], and how he entered the door of the Teachings and engaged in study and
contemplation; 6] how, after meeting the gurus with whom [H.H. Kusum Lingpa] had
karmic connections from previous lives [H.H. Kusum Lingpa’s] sublime [spiritual]
potential immediately [re]awakened; 7] How [H.H. Kusum Lingpa] made it eminently
clear that the [Buddhist] tradition of ours was supreme during times of great change and
political upheaval [when Buddhism was persecuted in Tibet]; 8] how the magnitude of
25o rgyan sku gsum gling pa drang srong lha yi seng ge padma bdud ‘dul gtum drag rdo rje rol pa rtsal
gsang bdag khrag ‘thung dpa’ bo ‘jigs med rnam par rgyal ba’i sde.
12
[H.H. Kusum Lingpa’s] enlightened activities greatly increased in the period of time
when the teachings again flourished [freely in Tibet], and lastly, [a supplementary]
section that roughly enumerates the deeds that [H.H. Kusum Lingpa] carried out during
the latter half of his life.
Chapter One: Introduction
___________
! In order to begin our brief discussion of the Precious Guru, Lord and Great Tertön
[H.H. Kusum Lingpa]—he who guides transient-beings of the three realms [of saṃsāra]
and whose compassion and kindness is completely unrivaled—first, let us discuss ‘the
purpose of and need forʼ26 [such a biography]. As the master Vasubandu said:
The listener [must] arouse sincere interest in, and respect for [the text].
Thus, one must firstly express the need and purpose [for such a teaching].
Similarly, Khaché Paṇchen [Śākyaśrībhadra] also said:
All commentarial śāstras, as a matter of fact,
No matter what they set out to teach, have a specific purpose.
To the extent [such śāstras] do not express their purpose,
Then to that [very] same extent they will not be embraced by others.
# Therefore, since this is so, I must first explain in brief the particular need or
purpose of such a biography. Generally speaking, trust, faith, and inspiration are
enhanced greatly by remembering all of the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Vidyādharas,
Siddhas, and countless Guru Kalyāṇamitras who [continually] come to this world of ours
for the benefit of disciples-to-be-trained, and by recalling the many inconceivable
activities that they have conducted. As is said:
The exemplary lives of the great masters of previous times
[become] the very practice of the individuals who follow after them.
! Moreover, by emulating the life examples of previous masters, countless
transient-beings arrive at the state of ultimate freedom; and thus, [in this sense] a
biography is a form of enlightened activity itself. Furthermore, by relying upon the
26(dgos pa): a common concept in Buddhist philology, which essentially refers to the particular reason for
composing a text or treatise.
13
biographies of exemplary holy beings, it is certain that an individual will generate faith
and genuine devotion.
As the Great Ācārya [Padmasambhava] said:
If you donʼt have a fertile field of faith,
The budding sprouts of Awakening will not grow!
Also, once Dromtönpa said to [his master], the Lord Jowo Atiśa:
I request of you: please give me pith instructions.
Atiśa replied:
A practical pith instruction...[simply arouse] faith!
Faith and faith alone! Ultimate truth is realized by faith!
$ However, without either seeing or listening to [accounts of] the amazing
enlightened qualities of supreme masters, faith cannot simply arise spontaneously on its
own. Nevertheless, those of us who do not have the merit and good fortune actually to
meet the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas [and witness] their amazing qualities, can still read
or listen to their biographies and life stories—and through that, some degree of faith or
trust certainly will be born. Furthermore, it is said that faith is the first [and most
essential] of the seven riches of the Noble Ones. For example, among the seven royal-
emblems of a Chakravartin king, [the very first] is the precious wheel, which leads [the
procession] of the other [six royal emblems] and the entire royal entourage that
follows.27 Thus, [the precious wheel of faith] is that which keeps one aligned with the
discipline of the ten virtues until one reaches the far shore of the ocean [of saṃsāra]. As
the heroic Ācārya [Āryaśūra] said:
The precious wheel of faith
Leads one along the road of virtue day and night.
Whatever path [one may traverse]—Mahāyāna, Hīnayāna, or whatever the case may
be—it is taught that faith always is absolutely indispensable. This key point [concerning
27The seven royal-emblems (rgyal srid sna bdun) are classical Buddhist symbols of the seven riches of
an Ārya (‘phags pa’i nor bdun)—that is: 1] faith, 2] discipline, 3] learning, 4] generosity, 5] modesty, 6]
humility, and 7] wisdom.
14
faith is well illustrated] by the story of how an old woman attained awakening through
her deep faith in [what was actually just] a dog’s tooth. Regarding this, one sūtra states:
Good qualities cannot arise,
In those who are devoid of faith,
Just like green sprouts
[Never emerge] from a burnt seed.
And also:
Like a round stone in the middle of a river—[those] without faith
Will never be rescued by the iron-hook of compassion.
And like a northern-facing cave—[upon those] without faith,
The sun of compassion will never shine.
! Nowadays, among the degenerate beings [of this age], it is extremely rare to see
someone who truly possesses profound-faith28 in the Guru and the Three Jewels. In
fact, most people constantly look for shortcomings and defects [in others] according [to
their own] mental projections, and thus are never able to perceive or see any
enlightened qualities [that may actually be present]. What could be worse than [this
horrible tendency], which is like a malevolent demon that has entered oneʼs heart and
severed the life-force of liberation? Furthermore, [this tendency] prevents even the most
trivial qualities of the path from arising within [one’s mind]. In this regard, the Lord Jowo
Atiśa said:
All greater and lesser qualities of the Mahāyāna arise in dependence upon the
Guru—so how could [those qualities] arise [if one entertains] the notion that the
Guru is merely an ordinary being?
! In this present degenerate age, we do not have the karmic fortune to meet the
actual Buddha himself; but we can, however, [meet] Guru Kalyāṇamitras—those
[sublime beings] who are never separate from him. As the Mahābherihāraka Sūtra29
states:
Oh Ānanda, please do not lament...
For in the future I will reappear [in this world]
In the form of a Kalyāṇamitra spiritual guide.
28 yid ches kyi dad pa.
29 The Great-Drum Sūtra (‘phags pa rnga bo che chen po’i mdo / [rnga bo che’i mdo]).
15
[Thus] I shall continue to help you and others!
Moreover, the Yönten Yongzung Tantra (The Tantra of Completely Embracing
Enlightened Qualities)30 states the following:
If there were no Gurus,
Not even be the name “Buddha” would exist.
For all Buddhas of the past and future
Arise in dependence upon a Guru.
! Therefore, the Guru is [in fact] the very origin of the Three Jewels, the
foundational basis from which all maṇḍalas emanate, and the very source of everything
excellent. In terms of his/her qualities, the Guru is equal to the actual Buddha, but with
regard to his/her kindness, the Guru is far superior. Furthermore, [the Guru] is the guide
[who leads] us from the foul swamp of saṃsāra by his/her three-fold kindness of: 1]
bestowing the ripening empowerments; 2] conferring the liberating instructions; and 3]
revealing the profoundly secret upadeśas.31 However, by not recognizing the Guru
Kalyāṇamitra’s great kindness and enlightened qualities, one may mistakenly hold him/
her to be an ordinary human being, even though the enlightened qualities of his/her
three secrets [of body, speech, and mind] are actually immeasurable. Therefore, in
order to even partially appreciate and realize [the Guru’s limitless enlightened qualities],
one must rely upon his/her biography—and only then will [some degree of] faith and
devotion arise, which will, in turn, invite the blessings to enter one’s mindstream.
Regarding this, the Master Paltrul Orgyen Jigmé Chökyi Wangpo said:
The method for serving the Guru is devotion—not honorific-speech.32
The method to accomplish the G-uru is devotion—not rote prayers.
If you have devotion, then whatever you do, his/her blessings will enter!
If you lack devotion, whatever you do, there simply will be no benefit!
30Here “yon tan yongs bzung gi rgyud” presumably refers to the tantra related to the Kālacakra teachings
entitled: bla ma'i yon tan yongs su bzung ba'i rgyud—The Tantra of Completely Embracing the Guru’s
Enlightened Qualities.
31These are: 1] smin byed kyi dbang bskur; 2] grol byed kyi khrid gnang; and 3] zab gsang gi man ngag
ston. However, according to more common enumerations, the second of the three kindnesses is listed as
“explaining the tantras” (rgyud bshad pa). Moreover, in the sūtric context, this is often replaced by “giving
the scriptural reading-transmissions” (lung gnang ba).
32 “Honorific
speech” (zhe sa) refers to the polite and highly respectful manner of writing and speaking,
when communicating in Tibetan.
16
And also:
If the sun of devotion does not shine
Upon the snow mountain of the Guru,
The mountain streams of his blessings shall not flow.
Thus, sincerely apply your mind to devotion!
! [All these] quotes illustrate [the fact that] the sole cause for developing faith and
devotion is to see and perceive the Guruʼs enlightened qualities—[and that] this
realization comes first from [hearing and/or reading] his or her exemplary life story. This
then, is exactly ʻthe purpose of and need forʼʼ33 [writing such a biography].
! Furthermore, a tremendous accumulation of merit is obtained by offering [to
others] the writing of [a master’s] biography. Whether such narratives are brief or
extensive, they all [possess this quality]. This is well illustrated by the following quote
from The Sūtra Requested by Vimalakīrti:34
“Oh Subhūti, if someone were to completely fill the entirety of a great billion-fold
universe with the seven kinds of precious jewels and then offer it [to me], this
would give rise to a great deal of merit. Wouldn’t you agree, Subhūti?”
Subhūti replied: “Yes Bhagavān, much merit indeed!”
Thereafter, the Buddha proclaimed: “Well, Subhūti, whoever reveals even fewer
than four lines of a sublime Guru’s life story [in writing] shall give rise to a mass of
merit [whose immensity] exceeds even that!”
And it is stated in The Sūtra of Ārya Ganṭivipula:35
Whoever elucidates the excellent attributes of the Ācārya
Will attain an immeasurably vast amount of merit,
Will always be protected by gods, [and will never] have obstacles.
Therefore, please respect and honor your Guru!
33 dgos pa. See note 26.
34 dri med grags pas zhus pa'i mdo.
35 (‘phags pa ganṭi rgyas pa’i mdo): Here I’ve translated (rgyas pa) as one possible Sanskrit equivalent
(vipula), however, the meaning remains uncertain, and I have not been able to identify this sūtra. Perhaps
this is an alternate title for the well-known Ārya Saṅghāṭa Sūtra (dge ’dun zung gi mdo).
17
Thus [as we have seen], the activity of writing, reading, remembering, and/or showing
the biography of the Guru to others, results in a limitless heap of merit and goodness for
all—and this then is ʻthe ultimate purpose/reasonʼ36 for [composing] such a biography.
# However, given that the full extent of the enlightened qualities [and activities] of a
precious Guru [such as] the Lord of Tertöns [H.H. Kusum Lingpa] is only to be
comprehended within the experiential domain of an Ārya Noble One, and that not even
highly intelligent beings are fully able to comprehend [those qualities] exactly as they
are, [I must admit then]: what justice could I possibly do [in writing his biography]
myself?
# Well, although [this is indeed true], I nonetheless have tirelessly devoted myself
to the task of producing a merely partial account of his various activities, putting all of it
into writing when [H.H. Kusum Lingpa] himself was still alive and physically present,
[because] such a method has particular virtuous advantages. What are [they]?—you
may wonder. [First of all], because I consulted primary witnesses [to Kusum Lingpa’s
life] at an expedient time—that is, [when he was] still alive—[people] such as his
personal attendants, close disciples, and others—the errors of misunderstanding and
uncertainty (confusion about what did or did not happen, or outright lying [about events])
did not occur. Alternatively, if I were to have waited [a period of] months or years after
[the Guru] finally passed away before beginning to compose his biography, it would
have become almost impossible to avoid making [errors]—and thus the stains of
guesswork would only have proliferated.
# [In conclusion], because I, myself, am nothing more exalted than a lowly ordinary
being—someone completely bereft of any innate or developed virtuous qualities—it is
certain [that this text] is tainted by the faults of my own mind. Thus, I exhort all learned
and intelligent ones, supplicating them again and again, to extend their kindness [in the
task of] correcting my many mistakes and making adjustments as they see fit—thank
you!
36 (nying dgos): as opposed to the aforementioned and more general “need/purpose” (dgos pa).
18
The white-parasol 37 that alleviates the burning anguish of all beings,
With the cool shade ‘neath its fluttering fine cloth of excellent actions,
Is firmly planted and raised by the life-pillar of sublime bodhicitta.
This is the marvelous work undertaken by the oath-bound [Dharmapālas]!
You are a Buddha adopting the ascetic discipline of appearing as a mere human,
And I relinquish all distorted perceptions of mental stains that see you otherwise.
Thus, with devotion that knows whatever you do is nothing other than Dharma—
I have no doubt whatsoever that I shall attain supreme and ordinary siddhis.
These words and their meaning, which express your [life] and realization,
Exhort onward the chariot of dawn [which carries] the three kinds of faith,
Thus welcoming the daylight of blessings, which is the supporting-condition
For the lotus-minds of those who desire liberation to blossom forth wildly!
This concludes the first introductory chapter of: A Brief Biography of the Tertön and Lord
of Siddhas His Holiness Orgyen Kusum Lingpa—entitled: The Self-Resounding
Laughter of the Ḍākinīs and Vidyādharas.
37 Here, gdugs dkar may be a reference to the deity known as Sitātapatrā.
19
Part Three:
A Biographical Sketch of Kusum Lingpa
38
Birth and Early Childhood
! His Holiness Orgyen Kusum Lingpa was born in an area of Amdo (a mdo)—also
called Domé (mdo smad)—known as Golok (mgo log), or more formally, Chagmo Golok
(mgo log / lcag mo mgo log).39 According to the Tibetan astrological system, he was
born in the Wood Dog year (shing khyi lo) of the sixteenth sexagenary cycle (rab
byung), which is, in conventional terms, 1934 CE.40 His father was the revered mantrika
yogin Walshul Lama Lhündrub Gyamtso (dbal / [wa] shul bla ma lhun grub rgya mtso),41
and his mother was Göza Pema Yumtso (rgod bza’ pad-ma g.yu mtso), or, according to
Abu’s long bio, Gopa Za Pema Yumtso (sgo spa bza’ pad-ma g.yu mtso).42
38 Although most traditional Tibetan biographies—especially those recounting the lives of great masters
and even more so, the lives of the Tertöns—begin by introducing the subject’s catenate series of past
lives (sku phreng) and the prophecies (lung bstan) that predict the subject’s rebirth (our primary sources
are certainly no exception), I have opted to reserve this information for later in the chronology of Kusum
Lingpa’s life—for the time when the subject himself comes to awaken to this overwhelming vault of
knowledge and clear recollection of his previous lives.
39 According to Abu’s long bio (pp. 20–21), Golok is subdivided into three primary districts: 1] dbang chen
‘bum 2] pad-ma ‘bum, and 3] a skyong ‘bum. The third district (a skyong ‘bum) can be further subdivided
into three separate areas: 1] a skyong khang rgan, 2] a skyong khang sar, and 3] a skyong gong ma
tsang—alternatively spelled: a skyong gong ma sang (as it appears in Hūṃkar’s intro-bio p. 2). It is
precisely here (a skyong gong ma sang / tsang), a valley situated on the fertile banks of the Yellow River
(rma chu), that Kusum Lingpa was born. According to Hūṃkar (p. 2), this valley is also known as rma srib
me tog thang or the Masib Flower-Plain.
40According to Abu’s long bio (p. 63), his exact birthdate is the tenth day of the “chu stod” month (5th/6th
month = July–August) of the male Wood Dog year (shing pho khyi lo) of the rab rgyal cycle (another
name for the 16th rab byung).
41“Walshul” here refers to Kusum Lingpa’s familial clan (rigs rus), sometimes written: dbal shul, and
sometimes: wa shul. In the beginning of chapter 5 (Abu’s long bio) the author outlines a complex
genealogy of Tibet’s ancestral people, enumerating the four (or six) main blood lines (rus chen bzhi /
drug) and the many various sub-blood lines that branch out. In short, the dbal shul clan is said to be a
subdivision of the royal and prestigious smug po ldong lineage, which is itself one of six sub-divisions of
the overarching a spo ldong hereditary blood-line (one of the four or six main blood-lines of the
indigenous Tibetan people)—Abu’s long bio (pp. 60–62).
42No source presents birth and death dates (even approximate) for Kusum Lingpa’s father and mother,
but one could assume that his father was quite advanced in age by the time Kusum Lingpa was born,
given that he passed away when Kusum Lingpa was only three years old, according to Abu’s long bio (p.
66).
20
! According to all primary sources, his birth was marked by a number of unusual
and very auspicious signs and events (rtags mtsan bzang po)43—the most significant of
which seems to be the extraordinary vision-dream that his mother had during, or
possibly just after labor.44 In this vision his mother sees, as Abu recounts: “a tree with a
thousand branches [made of] white clouds. Seated upon each and every one of its
leaves is a Buddha—[all are] chanting the vajra-guru [mantra] loudly [in unison].”45 This
vision is said to have triggered a profound experience of pleasure/bliss spontaneously
pervading her entire body.46
! At the age of three, Kusum Lingpa’s parents brought him to be blessed by the
renowned scholar, the Ninth Paṇchen Lama, Chökyi Nyima (paṇ chen dgu pa chos kyi
nyi ma 1883–1937), from whom he received Buddhist refuge-vows and his first official
name, Orgyen Phuntsok Gönpo (o rgyan phun tshogs mgon po).47 As we will see in
later sections, having the name “Orgyen” (the Tibetanized form of the Sanskrit noun
Oḍḍiyāna/Uḍḍiyāna) becomes an important qualification and authenticating criterion for
43 Hūṃkar’s intro-bio (p. 3).
44 There is, however, some disagreement between sources with regard to this. Hūṃkar relates that this
vision, or dream, occurs “at the time of his birth” (sku ‘khrungs ba’i skabs su), but according to Abu’s long
bio it occurs, “when he entered the womb” (lhum su bzhugs skabs su). In any case, this vision, or dream,
seems to have made a significant impact on how Kusum Lingpa’s mother (and perhaps others, too)
perceived his birth and character.
45sprin dkar gyi sdong po yal ‘dab re la sangs rgyas re bzhugs pa’i zhal nas ba-dzra gu ru sgra sgrogs pa
(Abu’s long bio p. 63).
46 This kind of occurrence—an auspicious dream experienced by the mother of the yet-to-be-born
reincarnation or emanation [sprul sku] of a highly realized being—is not at all unusual in the
hagiographies of Buddhist masters. In fact, it is a normative assumption in the Buddhist tradition that a
great being’s birth should be preceded by some sort of auspicious sign or indication (especially in the
form of a dream) because this follows the exemplary, or perhaps even archetypal, life story of the
historical Buddha himself. For more on this subject, see: Hirshberg, Remembering the Lotus-Born. pp.
39–43.
47 It is not clear what name, if any, the subject had before receiving Refuge Vows from Chökyi Nyima at
this time in 1937, but whatever the case may be, the name Orgyen Phuntsok Gönpo, or the casual
diminutive form “Ophun,” became the name by which his friends, family, and early teachers knew him—at
least for most of his childhood and early teens. (Abu’s long bio p. 64).
21
Kusum Lingpa later in life in his revelatory career—in that it confirms and fulfills many
prophecies that predicted that the foreseen individual would have this very name.48
! Apart from this brief interaction with the Ninth Paṇchen Lama, and another with
Tra Gelong Tsultrim Dargyé (khra dge slong tshul khrims dar rgyas 1866–1937), who
subsequently confirms the significance of the name received by the former, not much
else is said of Kusum Lingpa’s very early childhood until he reaches the age of eight
and begins formal studies (initially reading and writing) under the tutelage of his paternal
uncle Walshul Lama Sonam Khedrub (dbal / [wa] shul bla ma bsod nams mkhas
grub).49
! According to Abu’s long bio and Namnang, this period (roughly age eight to
thirteen) marks a time in which Kusum Lingpaʼs basic education was punctuated by a
series of visions, the most significant of which appears to be his experience-vision
(nyams snang) of being transported to the heavenly Tuṣita realm, where he directly
encounters the future Buddha Lord Maitreya (byams pa mgon po) with a vast retinue of
his Bodhisattva disciples. In this vision, as recounted by Abu, the incredibly brilliant
radiance of “Kusum Lingpa's white robes outshone/overwhelmed the splendor of the
[saffron-colored] robes of the entire monastic assembly gathered [around Maitreya], and
thus inspired everyone [in the retinue] to bow to [Kusum Lingpa] respectfully."50
! This early vision (and others like it) seem to have affected Kusum Lingpa
irreversibly, awakening or catalyzing the development of his latent spiritual/intellectual
48Identification by name/title is indeed one of the most common elements of the prophecies (lung bstan)
that predict the coming of future treasure-revealers. Others include: birthplace, time and date of birth,
names of parents, and peculiarities of physical appearance. For more information on this subject, and the
lung bstan that prognosticates the early treasure-revealer Nyangral Nyima Özer (myang ral nyi ma 'od zer
1124–1192) in particular, see: Hirshberg, Remembering the Lotus-Born, pp. 22–24.
49Sonam Khedrub was an influential figure in the area during the early half of the twentieth century; he is
most notably recognized for his seminal role in importing into Golok, Terdak Lingpa’s (gter bdag gling pa)
[1646–1714] famous treasure-cycle known as smin gling rdor sems.
50rje khong gi na bzaʼ dkar poʼi gzi byin gyis der bzhugs dge slong mang poʼi na bzaʼi bkrag mdangs
kyang zil gyis mnan pas thams cad kyis gus ʻdud bgyi baʼi nyams (Abuʼs long bio p. 65).
22
capacities—as Namnang confirms: “[...] from this point on, the child understood rituals
and other texts he was reading without needing to study them.”51
! At age thirteen, for the first time in his life, Kusum Lingpa leaves his familial home
for an extended amount of time, to live instead with his uncle—the aforementioned
Walshul Lama Sonam Khedrub—at the latterʼs own dharma-center or chos sgar (a
religious/monastic encampment of sorts). It is here (sometime around 1947-48) that
Kusum Lingpa continues his elementary studies and receives a number of important
empowerments (dbang) and oral-transmissions (lung). Most notably, Kusum Lingpa
receives from his uncle the pith-instructions (zab khrid) for the Longchen Nyingtik
Ngöndro (klong chen snying thig gi sngon ʻgro) or preliminary-practices, and
subsequently completes the requisite five-hundred thousand repetitions of
accumulation/purification (ʻbum lngaʼi bsags sbyangs).52
Adolescence: Studies at Darthang and Other Monasteries in Golok
! At this point in the chronology of Kusum Lingpa’s life, both of Abu’s biographies
emphasize the severe hardships faced by his immediate family, and particularly his
mother’s (now a widow of ten or eleven years) lack of livelihood and desperate financial
situation. Therefore, it is likely that these difficulties played a role, at least marginally, in
Kusum Lingpa’s decision to join Palyul Darthang Monastery (dpal yul dar thang dgon
51 Namnang’s bio (p. 3 [fourth paragraph from introductory poem]). Also, obviously, this vision has a
deeper, more symbolic meaning. The white robes that Kusum Lingpa wore are in stark contrast, or
perhaps even opposition to, the yellow saffron-colored robes of the monastic retinue. Traditionally, white
robes are reserved for the non-celibate yogins of the tantric-class of ordination—the so called gos dkar
lcang lo sde, or “long-haired, white-robed division”—and they symbolize the unmodified naturalness that
is characteristic of the tantric yogin’s view, meditation, conduct (lta sgom spyod gsum), and approach to
life in general. That Kusum Lingpa was completely alone in wearing white tantric robes among a large
assembly of monks is unambiguously indicative of his unique identity as, and ultimate destiny to (re)-
become, a non-celibate yogin of the tantric class of ordination. Furthermore, this vision has a somewhat
prophetic dimension, in the sense that soon thereafter, Kusum Lingpa did indeed find himself at a
prestigious monastic institution (the Palyul Darthang Monastery of Golok) and he subsequently left
(without ever taking advanced monastic vows) to live his young adulthood as a wandering non-celibate
yogin. It was only then that Kusum Lingpa actually discovered his glorious true identity as a Tertön, and
subsequently revealed his first terma cycle. For the account of this and other early visions (of Milarepa,
Lord Tsongkapa, and so on), see Abu’s long bio (p. 65).
52 Abu’s long bio (pp. 65–66).
23
pa)53 and take novice monastic ordination from His Holiness Arkung Lama Lobzang
Dorjé (ar skung / [a skong] bl ma blo bzang rdo rje)54 at the age of fourteen (1948). At
this juncture, Kusum Lingpa has another vision, this time of a semi-wrathful
manifestation of Vajrapāṇi, which is perhaps his most extraordinary and/or significant
vision yet.
# In this vision—which seems to occur while Kusum Lingpa is awake (and not in a
dream)—Vajrapāṇi spontaneously appears and addresses Kusum Lingpa with the
following verses of what Abu refers to as “symbolic authorization” (brda lung):
You should not don the yellow robes of prātimokṣa [ordination] !
But rather uphold the lifestyle of a mantrika-yogin householder! !
When you are twenty-seven, you will encounter the mudrā of inner-vision. !
Then the enlightened-mind transmission of Vajrapāṇi will descend [upon you], !
And a dharma-treasury of stainless and profound terma will burst wide open! !
[Thus you shall reveal]: the Guru-cycle sādhanas of the enlightened mind of the
# three families [Vajrapāṇi, Hayagrīva, Garuḍa] !
The Iṣṭadevatā Yidam-cycle [entitled]: The Nine Spaces of Primordial-Wisdom !
And limitless cycles of Vajrapāṇi related [to the Kagyé deity] Viśuddhaheruka. !55
[You will also reveal]: the cycle of Mañjuśrī-Yamāntaka: Red-Circle of Fire, !
The dharma-cycle [of the] Unified Buddhas Hayagrīva-Vajravārāhī !
[Ḍākinī]-sādhanas, cycles of Ārya Tārā, three cycles [related to]
# Vajravārāhī, Khrodhīkālī, and Siṃhamukhā, !
[And even] wealth-cycles such as Orgyen Norlha [Oḍḍiyāna Jambhala]. !
Thus, if you discover/decipher [and propagate] the five treasuries extensively, !
Degeneration of the Victorious One’s teachings will be removed, and [the
56
# Dharma] will be preserved for another sexagenary cycle (rab byung)! !
53 Darthang—a branch-monastery of the great Nyingma institution, Palyul Monastery (dpal yul dgon pa)—
is located in Golok, and was established in 1882 by lha sprul padma gar dbang bstan 'dzin. For more
information: https://www.tbrc.org/#!rid=G523
54 The spelling I have presented here (ar skung) accords with Abu’s long bio. However, this spelling is a
rare variation on the more common a skong (pronounced: akong), which is found throughout other
primary sources. Moreover, the word Akong seems to be a degeneration of Akyong (a skyong), which
refers to the area in Golok that marks this master’s birthplace and residence.
55 Viśuddhaheruka is one of the eight primary deities of the bkaʼ brgyad transmission.
56 For the original Tibetan see Abuʼs long bio (pp. 66-67). I have opted here to retain the gter tsheg or
treasure/terma punctuation-marks as Abu has done in his publication. What exactly these gter tsheg are
meant to indicate, their historical origin, and the symbolic significance they hold, are complicated matters
that could constitute a study unto itself. However, in general, the tradition maintains that they are reserved
for gter ma literature either directly translated/deciphered from symbolic ḍākinī-script (mkhaʼ ʻgroʼi brda
yig), or gter ma material discovered in a more direct revelatory manner, for example, mind-treasures
(dgongs gter) and teachings revealed via dag snang or pure-vision.
24
After relating this information to the fourteen-year-old Kusum Lingpa, the semi-wrathful
Vajrapāṇi is said to have disappeared (mi snang bar gyur) as abruptly and
spontaneously as he had appeared only moments earlier. Soon thereafter, Kusum
Lingpa happens upon a mysterious white box/casket (sgrom bu) in the shape of a conch
shell. He subsequently offers it to Arkung Lama Lobzang Dorjé, abbot of Darthang
Monastery, who further confirms Vajrapāṇi’s prophecy, saying, as Abu recounts: “In the
future you’re going to become a [treasure revealing] Ngakpa-Tertön (gter sngags).”57
# Although Kusum Lingpa’s entire life was characterized by an unceasing
succession of extraordinary visionary-experiences (most frequently of Vajrapāṇi, like this
one),58 few of them had such an extremely significant and pivotal role in Kusum
Lingpa’s life and gradually burgeoning identity and career as a treasure- revealer. Here
Kusum Lingpa receives not only direct confirmation that he is predestined to become a
non-celibate mantrika (sngangs pa),59 but also is guaranteed that, in following this path,
he will eventually enter the profound depths of “inner vision” (mthong khongs), receive
Vajrapāṇi’s own wisdom blessing, and subsequently gain access to an immense
nonmaterial cache of precious “profound treasures” (zab gter).60 Thus, this vision marks
a pivotal moment in the chronology of Kusum Lingpa’s life; in terms of importance, it is
an event second only to his Blazing Fire-Mountain (me ru / [ri] ʻbar ba) pure-vision61 —or
perhaps, his first actual treasure revelation, which occurs at age twenty-seven (just as
Vajrapāṇi has prognosticated here). In any case, Kusum Lingpa must still journey
through another fifteen years of arduous study, reflection and training/meditation before
57 khyod ma ʻongs par gter sngags su ʻgyur (Abuʼs long bio p. 67).
58 Namnang confirms this with the following: “This master has always given his personal assurance that
from the time he was an infant nursing at his mother’s breast, up to the present, he has had constant
visions of glorious Vajrapāṇi, Lord of Secrets (gsang ba’i bdag po).” See Namnang’s bio (p.13 [twenty-
third paragraph after introductory poem]).
59 This is also foreshadowed by the previous vision of Maitreya.
60 The transmission communicated here by Vajrapāṇi, above all, is a prophecy or prognostication (lung
bstan) of future events concerning Kusum Lingpa’s karmic destiny. However, it also functions as a
treasure catalog-index (kha byang) of sorts, which authenticates the contents enumerated therein, and
also effectively authorizes Kusum Lingpa as their rightful master, owner, and revealer.
61 See infra, pp. 39–44.
25
his predestined karmic potential to become a great Tertön of tremendous spiritual
potency manifests in full bloom.
! For the following three years (1948–1951), Kusum Lingpa pursues an advanced
course of study at Darthang Monastery, receiving a wide range of textual transmissions
and empowerments (mostly, but not exclusively, belonging to a variety of rnying ma
transmission lineages)62 from a number of teachers, including: 1] Palyul Choktrül
Jampal Gyépai Dorjé (dpal yul mchog sprul ‘jam dpal dgyes pa’i rdo rje); 2] Gézhab
Trülku Tsang-Yang Lodrö (gad zhabs sprul sku tsangs dbyang blo gros); 3] Do-Ngön
Trülku Karma Jigmé Chökyi Sengé (rdo sngon sprul sku ka-rma ‘jigs med chos kyi seng
ge); and 4] Chagtsa Lama Jamlo (phyag tsha bla ma ‘jam blo), from whom Kusum
Lingpa most notably receives the oral-transmissions and instructions (lung khrid) of the
Namchö (gnam chos) lineage of tsa-lung (rtsa rlung) practice.63 It seems that Kusum
Lingpa’s growing excellence, and the occasional display of special treatment he
received from his teachers of the time, gradually incited the jealousy of a small minority
of monks who, in their animosity, made efforts to get Kusum Lingpa expelled. Although
unsuccessful, those attempts seem to have played a central role in Kusum Lingpa’s
64
subsequent decision to leave Darthang Monastery.
! This departure initiates the final phase of Kusum Lingpaʼs adolescence, a year-
long period in which Kusum Lingpa travels broadly throughout Golok, visiting each and
every reputable monastery/dharma-encampment and virtually every renowned teacher
of the day, “fully imbuing his mind-stream with an inconceivable range of
62Tantric lineages such as the gter ma cycles of Ratna Lingpa, the Namchö (gnam chos) tradition of
Tertön Mingyur Dorjé, the Longchen Nyingtik treasures of Jigmé Lingpa, the Könchog Chidü (dkon mchog
spyi ‘dus) of Rigdzin Jatsön Nyingpo—among many other transmissions that Abu enumerates
exhaustively (Abu’s long bio pp. 67–68). An enumeration of teachings/transmissions/empowerments
received such as this (commonly called: thob yig) is a normative and frequently occurring element in
Tibetan biographies, especially of great masters, true even more so of masters and especially gter stons
who have initiated a particular transmission-lineage of their own—such as Kusum Lingpa.
63 Abu’s long bio (pp. 67–68).
64For more on this dispute and Kusum Lingpaʼs fearless and somewhat confrontational response to such
behavior, see Abuʼs long bio (p. 68).
26
empowerments, oral-transmissions, and pith-instructions—a massive dharma-treasury
of canonical (bkaʼ ma) and treasure (gter ma) [teachings] of both sūtra and tantra.”65
" First, and perhaps most important, Kusum Lingpa visits Palyul Dhīḥ-Da
Monastery (dpal yul d-hIḥ mda’ dgon pa), where he meets a master who will become
one of his closest and most important Gurus, Gyédrö Wönpo Samdrub Dorjé (sgye bros
dbon po bsam ‘grub rdo rje (1896–1958)—also known as Lobzang Namdak (blo bzang
rnam dag).66 During his stay at Dhīḥ-Da Monastery, Kusum Lingpa receives a vast
array of teachings and empowerments/transmissions (dbang lung), the most notable of
which include: 1] the complete cycle of Longchen Nyingtik (klong chen snying thig gi
chos skor) treasures; 2] Jigmé Lingpa’s related Dzogchen practice manual, entitled
Yeshé Lama (ye shes bl ma); and 3] the massive Nyingtik Yabzhi (snying thig ya bzhi)
compilation of Longchenpa. Thus, through an extensive transmission of Nyingtik and
other treasure-cycles, Kusum Lingpa is said to have quickly attained the rank of
67
Lobzang Namdak’s “sacred heart-disciple” (thugs sras dam pa).
" Kusum Lingpa later travels to Tsangchen Ngöndrub Palbar Ling (gtsang chen
dngos grub dpal ‘bar gling), a branch of the famous Dodrubchen Monastery (rdo grub
chen dgon pa) in the Dotö (rdo stod) area of Golok. There he receives a variety of rare
transmissions (such as Chokgyur Lingpa and Kyentsé Wangpo’s profound treasure-text,
rdzogs chen sde gsum) from Dodrub Lingtrül Rigdzin Jalü Dorjé (rdo grub gling sprul rig
‘dzin ‘ja’ lus rdo rje [1927–1961]),68 who subsequently bestows upon him the secret
name Pema Düdul Tumdrag Dorjé Rolpa Tsal.69
65bkaʼ gter mdo sngags kyi chos mdzod bsam gyis mi khyab paʼi dbang lung man ngag gis thugs rgyud
yongs su gtams par mdzad do (Abuʼs long bio pp. 67-68)
66 For more info see: https://www. tbrc.org/#!rid=P6339
67 Abu’s long bio (p. 69).
68One of three main reincarnations of the third Dodubchen (Jikmé Tenpé Nyima 1865–1926), recognized
by Amdo Geshé Jampal Rolwé Lodrö (a mdo dge bshes 'jam dpal rol ba'i blo gros).
69 Thisname, pad-ma bdud ‘dul gtum drag rdo rje rol ba rtsal (Padma the Powerful Play of the Fiercely
Wrathful Vajra that Subdues Demons), becomes significant for Kusum Lingpa later in life, as it anticipates
(and simultaneously prophesies and authenticates) Kusum Lingpa’s developing persona as a Guru of
peculiar social unconventionality, with fierce and wrathful (gtum po/drag po) teaching methodologies and
generally unpredictable demeanor.
27
! In short, Kusum Lingpa travels freely across Golok for some time in search of
great masters and their teachings, simultaneously bringing his inner experience and
realization to maturity through continuous practice and meditation training.70 In total,
Abu mentions another twenty-one individuals from whom Kusum Lingpa receives an
incredible diversity of transmissions and empowerments.71 However, because the seven
aforementioned teachers play the most significant and meaningful roles in this stage of
Kusum Lingpa’s development, and in order to prevent an excess of peripheral
72
information, I have forgone any attempt to recreate that exhaustive enumeration here.
Late Adolescence: Pilgrimage to Central Tibet and Meeting His Predestined Guru
! At age seventeen, Kusum Lingpaʼs mother suddenly passes away due to
unknown causes—an event which seems to impact her son seriously, leaving him with a
firm resolve, perhaps stronger than ever before, to accomplish the Dharma and benefit
sentient-beings. Abu recounts Kusum Lingpaʼs immediate thoughts following his
motherʼs death, with the following:
“Iʼve not been able to repay my present [motherʼs] kindness by prolonging her life
and leading her onto the Dharma-path! How then could I do this for all beings,
who have been my mothers from time immemorial until now? [...] From now on,
even at the cost my my own life [...] I shall never perform any actions other than
70Regarding this, Abu mentions (in his brief bio): “[Kusum Lingpa] studied, reflected, meditated, practiced,
[and over time] brought his practice of development and completion-stage [yogas] to utter perfection and
consummation, and thus actualized both supreme and ordinary siddhi.” (thos bsam sgom sgrub dang
bksyed rdzogs nyams len tshad du ‘khol bas mchog thun gyi dngos grub mngon du byas). Abu’s brief bio
(p. 573).
71One notable figure from whom Kusum Lingpa is said to have received teachings and to whom he
remained devoted his whole life, is the Sixteenth Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpé Dorjé (rang 'byung rig pa'i
rdo rje [1924–1981]). Abu, however, does not mention him on the long list of Kusum Lingpa’s many
Gurus.
72 For a comprehensive list of the teachers not mentioned here, see the last four pages of Chapter 5 of
Abu’s long bio (pp. 70–73). It is safe to assume that those masters whom Kusum Lingpa himself counted
among his root or main Gurus (rtsa ba’i bla ma) have already been mentioned—except for one other
figure whom Kusum Lingpa has yet to encounter at this point in the chronology. Indeed, Hūṃkar mentions
only the following Gurus by name: 1] Palyul Choktrül Jampal Gyépai Dorjé; 2] Akong Lama Lobzang
Dorjé; 3] Dodrubchen Rigdzin Jalü Dorjé; 4] Gyédrö Wönpo Samdrub Dorjé (here spelled “dgyes” bros);
and 5] Gojo Ratripa (go ‘jo ra khrid pa), who Kusum Lingpa meets on his travels to Central Tibet.
Moreover, my assumption here that these masters constitute the foremost of Kusum Lingpaʼs root-Gurus
is further supported by the fact that Abuʼs brief bio heads the long list of his teachers with exactly these
individuals (minus Gojo Ratripa). For this list, see: Abu’s brief bio (pp. 572–573).
28
those that benefit others, such as saving lives and so forth—and I shall always
do whatever I can to help the poor, destitute or sick.”73
The next day, Kusum Lingpa brings his mother’s corpse up to the hills surrounding his
home village and performs the vulture-offering (bya sbyin) funerary rite associated with
the ritual practice known as chöd (gcod) on her behalf.74 This tragic event (and the
subsequent departure from Golok that it catalyzes) marks another moment of critical
importance in the unfolding chronology of Kusum Lingpaʼs life and destiny, and
functions as a nexus of past and future—a pivotal juncture between who Kusum Lingpa
was until then, and the powerful Tertön he eventually becomes.75
" Kusum Lingpa then gathers up a handful of bones from his mother's devoured
remains and spontaneously decides to make a pilgrimage to central Tibet (dbus
gtsang), home of Tibetʼs first monastery Samyé (dpal bsam yas), which was founded by
the legendary imperial triumvirate Guru Rinpoché (Padmasambhava), King Trisong
Deutsen, and the Bodhisattva-abbot Śāntarakṣita. Before proceeding, however, Kusum
Lingpa first requests permission and blessing from his three closest Gurus: Palyul
Choktrül, Arkung Lama Lobzang, and most important, Gyédrö Wönpo Rinpoché, who
promptly approves and further encourages Kusum Lingpa to pursue his journey beyond
Golok with the following command/prophesy, as Abu recounts:
73 bdag kyang da ltaʼi lus rten ʻdi nyid cher sring cing chos lam du bkri baʼi drin lan ma sod/ ʻdi ltar thog ma
med pa nas da ltaʼi bar gyi ma rgan ʻgro ba kun kyang de dang ʻdra ba drin lan ʻkhor thabs ga la mchis/
[...] deng nas zungs [...] sems can gyi srog blu ba sogs gzhan la phen paʼi las kho na las bya ba gzhan mi
bgyid/ dbul phong ʻkhos zhan can/ nad pa sogs la ci phen bya/ (Abuʼs long bio p. 74-75).
74Upon completion of the bya sbyin chöd-ritual, moved by deep sadness and loving remembrance for his
motherʼs kindness, Kusum Lingpa sings a spontaneously improvised song (mgur / glu) in her honor. This
improvised song appears to be the first one Kusum Lingpa himself deems important/significant enough to
put into writing. This text can be found in volume 28 (sa), a compilation of fifty-two of Kusum Lingpaʼs
improvised poems/songs.
75 Perhaps it would be better to say, ʻre-becomeʼ than ʻbecomeʼ as Kusum Lingpaʼs entire identity and
efficacy as a gter ston (not to mention his authority and authenticity as a gter ston as well), derives from
the fact that he actually was, in a previous lifetime, a direct disciple of Guru Rinpoché in the 11th century.
This not only is true of Kusum Lingpa, but in fact all gter ston(s) are regarded as actual reincarnations/
emanations (sprul sku) of various imperial-age figures who shared a living connection with the great
master Padmasambhava. However, this is particularly complicated in the case of Kusum Lingpa,
because, as we will see, although he is considered to be the reincarnation of Lhalung Palgyi Dorjé, he
also is said to be the single “combined-emanation” of three separate figures—Lhalung Palgyi Dorjé, and
two other imperial-age disciples of Guru Rinpoché.
29
“Go meet the Guru [with whom] you have karmic connections [from] previous-
lives—he is the Tertön [of] Kham known as Gojo Ratri, and is an emanation of
Nub Sangyé Yeshé. [Meeting him] will cause your extraordinary karmic potential
to reawaken and you will traverse the Dharma-path well.”76
Abu mentions here that merely upon hearing the name of this master, Kusum Lingpa is
overwhelmed by a powerful experience of uncontrived faith and devotion, and
determines conclusively right then to travel to Kham (khams) to find this Tertön—just as
his highly clairvoyant master, Gyédrö Wönpo, has advised.77 Thus, Kusum Lingpa
subsequently departs, and the ensuing journey is punctuated with fortuitous encounters
with: 1] Lama Tsultrim Namgyal (bla ma tshul khrims rnam rgyal); 2] Lama Tsampa
Mönlam Zangpo (bla ma mtsham pa smon lam bzang po); and 3] Maṇi Lama Pema
Siddhi (ma ṇi bla ma pad-ma si-ddhi). Kusum Lingpa briefly stays with each of these
Lamas in order to receive transmissions and teachings, before moving on in his travels
79
throughout eastern Tibet,78 gradually drawing closer to his destination.
" Eventually Kusum Lingpa arrives in an area not far from the Dergé (sde dge)
district of Kham, where he finally meets the renowned Tertön Gojo Ratri (go / [ko] ‘jo ra
khrid),80 more formally and commonly known as Nyakla Jangchub Dorjé (nyag bla
byang chub rdo rje 1826[?]–1961[?]). At this time, Gojo Ratri, according to Abu, was
reputed to be one-hundred and thirteen years old, and it is likely that his advanced age
76khyod kyi tshe rabs las kyi bla ma gnubs sangs rgyas ye shes kyi rnam sprul khams go ʻjo ra khrid gter
ston zhas pa der ʻdongs shig dang/ las kyi ʻphro sad cing chos lam ʻgro bar ʻong ngo (Abuʼs long bio p.
75).
77 Regarding this experience, Abu states: ba sbu g.yo zhing snying nas dad pa skyes (Abu’s long bio pp.
70–73). Experiences of this nature are not uncommon in biographies of great masters, particularly when
the karmically destined individual (las ‘phro can) hears the name of his or her predestined Guru of former
lives (tshe rabs las kyi bla ma). This is true even more so with regard to the actual moment of their initial
meeting, and as we will see, Kusum Lingpa’s meeting with Gojo Ratri is no exception.
78Abu traces Kusum Lingpaʼs southward journey from Golok through areas of the Szechuan province of
eastern Tibet, such as: 1] stong skor, 2] hor khog, and 3] sde dge, whereupon he finally encounters Gojo
Ratri, (presumably within, or not far from the Dergé [sde dge] district, although this is not stated clearly).
For details, see Abu’s long bio (p. 76).
79 For the exact transmissions Kusum Lingpa received and total time he spent living with each particular
figure, see Abu’s long bio (pp. 75–76).
80 On occasion, his name is alternatively spelled: ko ‘jo ra khrid. The somewhat obscure origin and
meaning of this title is explained by Abu in his long biography; but, unfortunately, I have not been able to
fully understand this explanation myself. For details, see Abu’s long bio (pp. 76–77).
30
limited the amount of teachings and transmissions that Kusum Lingpa was able to
receive from him (which is indeed not many). Although the number of transmissions
from master to disciple may have been modest, their life-changing efficacy, core-
touching depth, and sheer profundity were many orders of magnitude greater. Abu
elucidates in the following account:
“Upon meeting Gojo Ratri and [seeing his] golden face, all of [Kusum Lingpaʼs]
thoughts of past, present, and future suddenly ceased—[leaving his mind
transfixed] for awhile. Gojo Ratri promptly accepted Kusum Lingpa [as his
disciple], and with great loving-affection, bestowed [upon him] the empowerment,
oral-transmissions, and pith-instructions for his own terma-cycle [entitled]
Yamāntaka: Annihilation of All Malevolence,81 as well as the Display of
Awareness Empowerment.82 Thereafter [the realization] of innate primordial-
wisdom Dharmakāya-luminosity manifestly blazed [within him] and [Kusum
Lingpa entered] the omnipresent and inexpressible direct experience of
dharmatā; [thus] the inner-realization of master and disciple mixed inseparably
[much like] water being mixed into water, and [they remained in this state] for a
period of time that was impossible to measure/determine.”83
# Before continuing on to central Tibet, Kusum Lingpa received another set of
teachings from this master, this time related solely to the practice of Tibetan medicine
81This sādhana-cycle entitled gzhin rje gdug pa kun ‘joms is a gter ma revealed by Gojo Ratri himself,
and likely of the mind-treasure (dgongs gter) category; however, the possibility remains that this treasure
actually is an earth-treasure or sa gter (especially considering Abuʼs subsequent reference to a
Yamāntaka-Kilaya [gshin rje’i phur bu] sa gter revealed by Gojo Ratri). In any case, Abu suggests here
(with the term “chig brgyud” following “dbang lung man ngag”) that this cycle was only ever transmitted
(and by design) to Kusum Lingpa himself. Moreover, the fact that Gojo Ratri transmitted such a rare and
precious treasure of his own directly and solely to Kusum Lingpa (only moments after they first met)
suggests that Kusum Lingpa’s initial impression of profound love, deep devotion, and trust was
reciprocated by Gojo Ratri—indeed this is said to be the case when karmically predestined Guru and
disciple meet.
82Regarded as the highest rdzogs chen transmission, the rig pa’i rtsal dbang traditionally is only
bestowed upon a limited number of a master’s heart-children (thugs sras) and closest disciples—and
then, only in complete secrecy. Because Kusum Lingpa by then had already received a great number of
rdzogs chen transmissions (including the highly regarded ye shes bla ma), it is reasonable to assume that
he had received this empowerment at least once before. However, it is clear from Abu’s account that it
was Gojo Ratri’s transmission of the “rtsal dbang” that had the most powerful, significant, and profound
impact on Kusum Lingpa. This is also supported by the fact that descriptions of other instances of his
receiving this seminal rdzog chen transmission are entirely absent from all biographical sources.
83gser zhal dngos su mjal bas dus gsum gyi rtog rtsogs dal cig la ʻgag/ thugs brtse ba chen pos rjes su
bzung nas rang gter gzhin rje gdug pa kun ʻjoms kyi dbang khrid man ngag chig brgyud dang rig paʼi rtsal
dbang bskur bas [...] rang gnas kyi ye shes mngon du ʻbar bas chos nyid brjod du med paʼi nyams mkhaʼ
khyab tu brdal te bla slob thugs dgongs chu bo gcig ʻdres kyi yun ci tsam song ba dpyad du med par klas
so// (Abuʼs long-bio p. 76).
31
(gso rig), namely: 1] The Medicinal Amṛta Empowerment (bdud rtsi sman dbang), an
empowerment related and prerequisite to the study of the medical and astrological root-
tantras; 2] reading-transmissions (bklag lung) for both the primary and supplementary
medical tantras (rgyud phyi ma dang rtsa rgyud); and 3] practical instructions on how to
diagnose and treat illness (rtsa chu’i zab khrid).84 Gojo Ratri then concluded the
transmissions to Kusum Lingpa by bestowing upon him the auspicious name
Drangsong Yeshé Zhönu (drang srong ye shes gzhon nu), which means ʻThe Youthful
85
Sage of Primordial-Wisdom.ʼ From this point forward and for the rest of his life, Kusum
Lingpa practiced Tibetan medicine, preparing and dispensing medication to anyone he
encountered who needed his help (and never accepting any payment in exchange)—in
accord with “the vow [to benefit others] that he made at the time of his mother’s
passing.”86
$ In sum, his encounter with Nyakla Jangchub Dorjé—a highly realized rdzog chen
meditation master (sgom chen), preeminent treasure-revealer, and extremely
knowledgeable and skilled physician (sman pa / em rje)—was a brief, but highly
transformative experience for Kusum Lingpa.87
84 Abu’s long bio (p. 77).
85 Abu’s long bio (p. 77).
86 sman yod dong tse gcig kyang mi bzhes pa ma yum gshegs dus kyi dam bca’ yin par gsungs so (Abu’s
long bio p. 78). This dam bcaʼ or vow refers to the above quoted promise to “always do whatever I can to
help the poor, destitute, or sick” (dbul phong ‘khos zhan can/ nad pa sogs la ci phen bya). It also is worth
mentioning that Kusum Lingpa studied medicine and astrology with a number of other masters as well.
According to Abu, these figures were: 1] Arkung Lama Lobzang, 2] Menpa Rigdzin Paldrub (sman pa rig
‘dzin dpal grub), and 3] Gégen Jigmé Thuden Dorjé (dge rgan ‘jigs med mthu ldan rdo rje). For more on
Kusum Lingpa’s work as a physician/healer, see Abu’s brief bio (pp. 577–579).
87 Kusum Lingpa’s encounter with Gojo Rartri at this juncture not only serves to (re)-awaken within him
the direct realization of dharmatā, which holds extremely significant soteriological value for Kusum Lingpa
personally, but also serves to instill in him a wealth of pragmatic knowledge regarding the practice of
medicine—a skill-set which will support Kusum Lingpaʼs identity as a great Tertön-Siddha, and the
efficacy of his vast altruistic activities (so characteristic of the latter half of his life). Abu (long bio p. 76)
also mentions that this brief time spent in Gojo Ratri’s presence had the effect of awakening Kusum
Lingpa’s “sngon gyi bag chags” or karmic-impressions/habit-patterns established in the past, which in this
instance refer to memories of his previous lives, and in particular, the memories of the times that he and
Gojo shared together as Lhalung Palgyi Dorjé and Nub Sangyé Yeshé, respectively, many centuries ago.
However, this present “spontaneous eruption of recollection” (thol thol tu rjes su dran pa byung), as Abu
calls it (long bio p. 76), is a mere prelude to the sheer mnemonic atom-bomb that is to detonate promptly
upon Kusum Lingpa’s subsequent arrival at Samyé.
32
! Kusum Lingpa then continues his pilgrimage to Samyé, traveling southwest,
visiting a number of monastic centers and temples along the way. Most notable among
them were “The Three Great Monastic Seats” (gdan sa chen po gsum) of the Géluk
(dge lugs) tradition, namely: 1] Sera Tekchen Ling (se ra theg chen gling), 2] Drépung
Monastery (‘bras spung dgon pa), and 3] Ganden Monastery (bga’ ldan dgon pa).88 At
these centers (but primarily at Sera Tekchen Ling), Kusum Lingpa receives a large
number of transmissions and teachings from great teachers, such as dge lugs pa
scholar Jamyang Choklé Namgyal (khen chen ‘jam dbyangs phyogs las rnam rgyal),
and from other masters representing all four schools of Tibetan Buddhism.89
! Abu concludes that up to this point in his life, Kusum Lingpa has studied under
the tutelage of “more than one hundred and fifty Guru Kalyāṇamitras without sectarian
bias” (ris med kyi bla ma dge ba’i bshes gnyen brgya phrag phyed lhag).90 At this point
Kusum Lingpa has spent the majority of his life pursuing a diligent course of study and
training, thereby obtaining a tremendous diversity of teachings and transmissions.
Furthermore, all written sources agree that from this point forward, Kusum Lingpa will
neither search for, nor acquire, new teachers.91 Therefore, this marks the consummation
of the first of three primary phases in the biographical outline of Kusum Lingpa’s life and
gradually unfolding karmic destiny.92
88 Abu’s long bio (p. 78).
89 For the exact details concerning this final phase of Kusum Lingpa’s pilgrimage to Samyé, including the
full enumeration of the many teachers and transmissions he received, see Abu’s long bio (pp. 78–79).
90 Abu’s long bio (p. 79).
91Although not mentioned in any written biography, one exception to the above statement is the Fourth
Dodrubchen Tubten Trinlé Pal Zangpo (thub bstan phrin las dpal bzang po (b. 1927)—an important Guru
to whom Kusum Lingpa was deeply devoted for the last fifty years of his life.
92 This initial phase of Kusum Lingpaʼs life I call “the momentum-charging developmental phase”—which
is in stark contrast to the effortless revelatory and somewhat miraculous character of the second phase.
This phase is characterized primarily by diligent self-engendered effort by Kusum Lingpa (deliberate
training in meditation and extensive studies), which, in conjunction with the karmically predestined
reconnection with Gojo Ratri, resulted in Kusum Lingpa having a brief glimpse of a vast cache of
information, karmic imprints, and profound memories from his previous lives—a cache hidden deep within
the recesses of his wisdom-mind that is about to burst wide open, and seemingly never close again.
33
Early Adulthood: Spiritual Reawakening, Past Lives, and Becoming a Tertön
! From Lhasa (lha sa), the capital of Central Tibet, Kusum Lingpa continues to
travel southward briefly, into the Yarlung Valley (yar klungs), where he arrives at the final
destination of his pilgrimage, the great Unchanging Spontaneously Present Temple (mi
‘gyur lhun gyis grub pa’i gtsug lag khang) of glorious Samyé Monastery (dpal bsam yas
93
dgon pa). He arrives on the tenth day of the tenth month (a particularly auspicious
94
date, according to the tradition) of the Fire-Monkey year (me sprel lo), 1956.95
Immediately upon arrival, Kusum Lingpa undergoes what must have been the most
powerful mnemonic-reawakening experience of his entire life: he vividly recalls the
sequence and details of his seventeen most recent past lives, or catenate
reincarnations (skye phreng bcu bdun).96
! According to Abu and Kusum Lingpa himself, these past lives were: 1] Lhazo
Tsöntrü of Tséthang (rtshe thang gi lha bzo brtson ‘grus),97 an artisan and sculptor who
lived at the time Samyé was being built (according to Kusum Lingpa’s own account);98
93
For more on this important historical site, also known as “bsam yas ‘chims phu”, see: https://
www.tbrc.org/#!rid=G287
94In general, the tenth day of every lunar month is regarded as an auspicious date to perform gaṇacakra-
pūjā offerings to Guru Rinpoché; however, this date in particular (the tenth day of the tenth month) is
regarded as especially auspicious, since it is said to be Guru Rinpoché’s birthday.
95
According to Abuʼs long bio (p. 79) and Kusum Lingpa himself—as recorded in his Blazing Fire-
Mountain (me ri ʻbar ba) pure-vision account (p. 191).
96Abu’s long bio (p. 79). Abu’s list of “seventeen” apparently does not count one of the reincarnations he
enumerates here; if it did, the actual total would be eighteen (I presume that either the first or last
reincarnation listed is excluded from the count). Alternatively, and perhaps more likely, considering the
grammatical construction that Abu utilizes here (namely, the word “and” as in skye bzhes myong tshul
“dang” rgya gar spos ri [p. 79]) he counts the first and second past-lives—1] Lhazo and 2] the Indian
peacock—as one, bringing the total enumeration to the expected seventeen. I should also mention that
one of Kusum Lingpa’s previous lives, Jang Mirti Nyönpa Rangsang (byang mi-rti’i smyon pa rang sangs),
a great yogin and disciple of Machig Labdrön, is not represented in the current enumeration, probably
because Kusum Lingpa had already recollected this life in the form of an arcane/symbolic dream that he
had in childhood while still studying in Golok. For more on this dream and its subsequent interpretation by
Nyungné Lama Rinchen Dargyé (smyung gnas bla ma rin chen dar rgyas), see Abu’s long bio (p. 71).
97Alternatively spelled “rtsis” thang in Kusum Lingpa’s Blazing Fire-Mountain (me ri ‘bar ba) pure-vision
account (p.192). This may refer to a large town in southern Tibet in the Lhokha (lho kha) district.
98Blazing Fire-Mountain (me ri ʻbar ba) pure-vision account (p. 192): chos rgyal chen pos bsam yas
bzhengs paʼi tshe ! rtsis thang yul gyi lha bzo brtson ʻgrus ming !
34
99
2] a beautiful peacock born upon a “fragrant five-peaked mountain” (spos ri lnga ldan)
in India; 3] three consecutive rebirths (according to Kusum Lingpa’s account) as a blue
cuckoo (khu byug sngon mo)100 in Mön (lho mon), a southern region of the Himalayas;
4] a man named Aku Özer (a khu ‘od zer), born in Amdo (a mdo); 5] the śrāvaka-disciple
of Śākyamuni Buddha, Kātyāyana;101 6] the Indian Mahāsiddha known as Ghaṇṭāpa
(dril bu pa); 7] the Indian Paṇḍita Ācāryavīra (more commonly known as Āryaśūra);
8] the royal minister Lönpo Gardampa (blon po mgar dam pa),102 who served during the
reign of Songtsen Gonpo (srong btsan sgam po) [late sixth–early seventh centuries];
9] one of Padmasambhava’s twenty-five primary Tibetan disciples, Lhalung Palgyi Dorjé
(lha lung dpal gyi rdo rje);10] Jangsé Yulha Thokgyur (‘jang sras g.yu lha thog ‘gyur),
who lived during the time of Ling (gling);103 11] another one of Padmasambhava’s
twenty-five disciples, Langchen Palgyi Sengé (rlangs chen dpal gyi seng ge);104 12] the
expert copyist and scribe Denma Tsémang (yig mkhan ldan ma rste mang) [mid-eighth
to early ninth century]);105 13] the “boy translator,” Drogben Khyeuchung Lotsāwa
99It is unclear whether or not this place refers to a well-known mountain in India, or if it simply refers to an
unknown mountainous region in India that happened to be filled with fragrant sandalwood trees. Kusum
Lingpa alternatively spells this as spos ri “ngad” ldan, which accentuates the aromatic quality of the place
—forgoing the “endowed with five” (lnga ldan) qualification, as Abu’s spelling renders it.
100Blazing Fire-Mountain (me ri ‘bar ba) pure-vision account (p. 192). Alternatively, Abu (long bio p. 79)
refers to this rebirth(s) as “a blue-throated moon-bird and/or a cuckoo” (bya mgrin sngon zla’m ku byug).
101 Simplified in Tibetan as: ka ta ya na (Abu’s long bio p. 79).
102 Also known as Lönpo Gartongtsen (blon po mgar stong btsan).
103 Presumably gling here refers to the kingdom of the legendary semi-mythical figure, King Gesar of Ling
(gling ge sar rgyal po), who some scholars estimate was born in the early 11th century. In chapter four,
Abu also provides the alternative name: byang “phrug” g.yu lha thog ‘gyur, and elaborates that this
individual was the son of the king of Jangsadam (‘jang sa dam rgyal po) and eventually became King
Gesar of Ling’s “minister of religious-affairs” (chos blon). For more details on this and other rebirths of
Kusum Lingpa, see Abu’s long bio (pp. 49–59).
104A disciple of Guru Padmasambhava regarded as one of the one hundred and eight translators sent to
India and Oḍḍiyāna. For more on this, see Abu’s long bio (p. 54).
105A preeminent translator and copyist who served King Trisong Deutsen in his imperial-age effort to
install Buddhism in Tibet. Many gter ma manuscripts are attributed to this figure, including the Deshek
Düpa (bde gshegs 'dus pa), later discovered by Nyangral Nyima Özer (nyang ral nyi ma ‘o zer [twelfth
century]). For more information, see Abu’s long bio (pp. 54–55) and: https://treasuryoflives.org/
biographies/view/Denma-Tsemang/9624
35
(‘phrog ban khye’u chung lo tsA ba) of the Drogmi (‘phrog mi) clan;106 14] the tantric-
adept Emi Chanak (sngags ‘chang e mi bya nag);107 15] Bami Trizher of Yarlung (yar
klung sba mi khri bzher);108 16] the Tertön Dumgya Zhangtrom Dorjé Öbar (gter ston
dum rgya zhang khrom rdo rje ‘od ‘bar), who was regarded as the direct reincarnation of
Nubchen Sangyé Yeshé;109 17] another, even more significant Tertön, Rigdzin Nyima
Drakpa (rig ‘dzin nyi ma grags pa 1647–1710);110 and last, which brings the
enumeration to a total of eighteen rebirths, Kusum Lingpa’s penultimate reincarnation,
the Tertön and renowned Siddha, Kuru Palchen Dorjé (dgu ru dpal chen rdo rje) of the
Yukhog (g.yu khog) region of Domé (mdo smad).111
! At this juncture, the seventeen year-old Kusum Lingpa is so overwhelmed by the
intense surge of emotionally charged information that—as Kusum Lingpa himself states,
he “burst into tears, weeping uncontrollably” (mig mchi mas gang bzhin).112 Yet, in
particular, and most pertinent to Kusum Lingpa’s imminent destiny to become a
106He was reputed to have encountered and received many teachings from Padmasambhava at an early
age, and subsequently to have become become an expert translator while still in his youth, hence the
name: Khyeuchung Lotsāwa—which literally means “little-boy translator.” For more info, see: https://
treasuryoflives.org/biographies/view/Khyeuchung- Lotsawa/13077
107 I have been unable to locate any significant biographical data regarding this mysterious Tibetan [?]
figure. Abu’s comments are limited as well, merely stating, “he departed to the Khecarī pure-realm of the
vidyādharas without leaving behind any physical remains” (mkha’ spyod rig ‘dzin gyi zhing du sku lus ma
spangs bar gshegs pa’o). Abu’s long bio (p. 56).
108 No data, other than the name mentioned here (Abu’s long bio p. 79), is available regarding this figure
in Kusum Lingpa’s biographical sources—and unfortunately, my research outside these sources has not
yielded any additional information either.
109Here (long bio p. 80), Abu mentions that this figure—a notable gter ston and master of wrathful-mantra
(drag sngags)—lived “during the age of the one-hundred [and eight great] [treasure]-revealers” (gter
brgya’i dus su). However, since this designates such a broad historical range of time, this interpretation is
questionable, at best. Abu, however (earlier in chapter 4, p. 56), attempts to clarify the ambiguity of
Zhangtrompa’s dates, when he states: “this master was born [and lived] sometime during the generation
immediately preceding Milarepa” (rje ‘di nyid rje btsun mi la’i yar sngon mi thog gcig tsam gyi dus su
byon)—and therefore roughly equivalent to 900–1000 C.E.
110For a wealth of biographical information on this seventeenth-century gter ston, see: https://
treasuryoflives.org/ biographies/view/Nyima-Drakpa/P425
111For a brief biographical account of this (presumably nineteenth-century) Vajrakilaya master and gter
ston of the so-called “dgu” clan (hence the name “dgu ru”, which I have rendered here as “Kuru” so as to
avoid the obvious potential for misinterpretation), including some interesting accounts of the various
miracles he is reputed to have performed in his lifetime, see Abu’s long bio (pp. 57–58).
112 Blazing Fire-Mountain (me ri ‘bar ba) pure-vision account (p.192).
36
treasure-revealer, the sight of Samyé triggers within him a profoundly clear recollection
of his previous life as Lhalung Palgyi Dorjé and the extraordinary guru-disciple
relationship that he shared with Padmasambhava during that life.113 This reawakening is
not exclusively mnemonic in nature, but most certainly possesses a more arcane
gnoseological dimension as well, as Abu illustrates in the following:
“The fervent emotional intensity of recollecting the immense loving-compassion
and kindness of the powerful Victor [Padmasambhava], the Great [Guru of]
Oḍḍiyāna, caused all [of Kusum Lingpaʼs] thoughts of past, present, and future to
suddenly dissolve into the vast expanse of non-conceptual Great Bliss. Thus [his
awareness] infinitely expanded into ultimate-realty, the inexpressible state of the
single-bindu Dharmakāya-luminosity beyond all spatial limitations.” 114
This realization infuses Kusum Lingpa with such tremendous joy and confidence that he
simply cannot contain it. As Kusum Lingpa describes: “I jumped around playfully
dancing for a while” (rsted lding mchong lding mang po byas te song).115 After singing
another improvised song, he then spends the rest of the day prostrating to and
circumambulating Samyé monastery. He also performs a variety of practices inside the
116
temple itself, including a gaṇacakra (tshogs kyi ‘kor lo) feast-offering ritual.
113 Abu’s long bio (p. 80).
114 rgyal dbang o rgyan chen po’i thugs rje dang bka’ drin dran pa’i gdung shugs kyis dus gsum gyi rtog
tshogs thams cad spros bral bde ba chen po’i klong du gags nas don dam brjod med chos sku thig le
nyag gcig ‘od gsal gting mtha’ bral ba’i ngang du ‘byams klas (Abu’s long bio p. 80). Note that there is a
striking similarity between this account of Kusum Lingpa’s experience of “meeting” (‘jal) Samyé, and that
of his former meeting of Gojo Ratri, that is: both events trigger an upsurge of important mnemonic data,
and both simultaneously catalyze a sudden and extreme alteration of Kusum Lingpaʼs state of
consciousness. This sort of occurrence is common in the lives of the Tertöns. One such example is when
Jigmé Lingpa recalls fragments of a former life in a visionary experience (as recorded in his pure-vision
account, chu zla’i gar mkhan). Janet Gyatso renders this stanza as follows: “At that, my conceptual
thoughts concerning the present vanished right where they were, and a few traces [of that previous life]
appeared in my mind. Just as my consciousness went into a state without aim [...].” For the full account of
Jigmé Lingpa’s visionary experiences, see: Gyatso, Janet, Apparitions of the Self: pp. 15–54.
115 Kusum Lingpa was not alone at this time, but was accompanied by his sister (simply referred to as “a
ce”), who appears to have been a nun at the time and goes unnamed in Kusum Lingpa’s account. The
highlight of their interaction in the me ri ‘bar ba account is a humorous poetic exchange in which she
attempts to chastise Kusum Lingpa for his outrageous behavior (and seems to fail). For this and more,
see: Blazing Fire-Mountain (me ri ‘bar ba) pure-vision account (p. 193).
116 Blazing Fire-Mountain (me ri ‘bar ba) pure-vision account (p.194).
37
! In the evening, Kusum Lingpa settles down for the night within the courtyard of
the Maitreya temple (byams pa gling) and goes to sleep. Subsequently, sometime in the
very early morning (or according to Kusum Lingpa, “during the second session of
sleep” [gnyid thun gnyis pa’i skabs su]),117 he has the single most transformative and
118
profound visionary experience of his life.
! This extraordinary experience (according to Abu and Kusum Lingpa both) occurs
in the context of sleep/dream (mnal lam du)119 and is initiated by the sudden
appearance of an astonishing yogin-like figure with dark red complexion who is dressed
in terrifying yogic attire and various skull/bone ornaments, holding a mirror marked with
twenty-one Ah-syllables.120 Before their interaction even begins, Kusum Lingpa’s
perceptions and state-of-consciousness begin to undergo a radical and spontaneous
metamorphosis. As Kusum Lingpa illustrates: “[right then] the entire universe manifested
in the space before me, [appearing] like a massive geometrical network of rainbow-light
and masses of luminosity” (snang srid thams cad ‘ja’ zer ‘od phung dang dra bas spras
pa zhig mdun gyi nam mkhar byon nas).121
! The unnamed yogin-like figure then proceeds to sing a song to Kusum Lingpa
that expounds the view of Dzogchen (rdzogs chen), and then he dances wildly, which,
as Kusum Lingpa describes it, “violently shudders the entire three thousand-fold
117 Blazing Fire-Mountain (me ri ‘bar ba) pure-vision account (p. 194).
118Kusum Lingpa’s own written account of this pure-vision (dag snang)—or visual-experience (mthong
snang), as Kusum Lingpa himself refers to it—is a very extensive and detailed work; therefore, here I will
only attempt to highlight the most pertinent elements (as does Abu in his long bio). For the full account,
see Kusum Lingpa’s gsung ‘bum: volume 29 (ha) [khrid yig / mthong snang]: (pp. 189–238)
119 (Abuʼs long bio p. 80). Kusum Lingpa, however, does not explicitly mention whether he was asleep or
awake during the course of the experience, until the very end of the account, when he describes how the
vision suddenly “disappears” (mi snangs bar gyur) as he “wakes from sleep at sunrise upon hearing the
sound of [Samyé monastery's] dharma-drum” (nyi ma shar zhing chos dung gi sgra grag tshe gnyid las
sad de). Blazing Fire-Mountain (me ri ‘bar ba) pure-vision account (p. 230).
120Abu retrospectively identifies this yogin-like figure as Padmasambhava (Abuʼs long bio p. 80)—
however, no such identification is made by Kusum Lingpa in his own account. Moreover, the Ah-syllable
(!) here is significant because it is a symbol of central importance within the rdzog chen system of theory
and praxis. Likewise, the number twenty-one is a common signifier of completeness and/or
consummation in the greater context of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.
121 Blazing Fire-Mountain (me ri ‘bar ba) pure-vision account (p. 195).
38
multiverse” (stong gsum ‘jigs thams cad mer mer shig shig g.yo).122 The yogin then
bestows an initiation/empowerment upon Kusum Lingpa by radiating a countless
proliferation of Phaṭ-syllables from his heart, which penetrate and completely pervade
Kusum Lingpa’s body—causing an experience of “the entire universe becoming the
playful [energetic display] of the one/single pure-awareness” (snangs srid thams cad rig
pa nyag gcig gi rol par gyur).123 At this climactic moment of peak realization, the yogin
figure speaks again to Kusum Lingpa, this time describing the extraordinary qualities of
what he calls “the ultimate Pure-Realm of Blazing Fire” (dag pa’i zhing mchog me ru
‘bar ba), and he asks Kusum Lingpa if he would like to go there and directly experience
it for himself.124 Kusum Lingpa of course agrees, which prompts the yogin to initiate an
incredible transformation of appearances (primarily by uttering the syllable Hrīḥ twenty-
one times), whereby Kusum Lingpa’s body is transformed into “a sphere of red
light” (‘od dmar gyi gong bu), which then shoots off instantaneously into the vastness of
the sky above.125
! Kusum Lingpa then spontaneously arrives in an extremely beautiful natural
environment—an array of vast turquoise-green valleys/meadows (g.yu yi spang ljong)
overflowing with a tremendous variety of exquisite flowers—the entire periphery of
which is encircled by banks of golden sand (literally, “dust/powder of gold” [gser gyi
phye ma]).126 There, Kusum Lingpa encounters a talking Kalapingka bird with whom he
has a brief (semi-prophetic) exchange, further encouraging Kusum Lingpa to continue
his visionary pilgrimage into the very heart of the actual Blazing Fire Pure-Realm itself.
122 Blazing Fire-Mountain (me ri ‘bar ba) pure-vision account (p. 196).
123 Id. (p. 196).
124 Id. (p. 198).
125 Id. (p. 198).
126 For Kusum Lingpa’s full description of this strange and magical place that is said to abide “just south of
Mt. Jalandhara, in the vicinity of the Blazing-Fire pure realm” (me ru ‘bar ba’i zhing gi nye ‘dabs ri bo dza
la-ndha ra’i lho phogs su), see: Blazing Fire-Mountain (me ri ‘bar ba) pure-vision account (pp. 198–199).
39
! Immediately thereafter, a beautiful ḍākinī of porcelain complexion—whom Kusum
Lingpa later identifies as the goddess Tséringma127 —warmly greets Kusum Lingpa,
saying: “Oh child of excellent-fortune, I will help you! ! Pray to the Deity and have no
doubt! !”128 Kusum Lingpa and the white ḍākinī then are transported instantaneously to
a starkly contrasting environment—a terrifying mountainous landscape filled with
blazing torrents of fire and massive heaps of rotting corpses—at the center of which
ominously stands, as Kusum Lingpa recounts: “a palace [made of] bloody human skulls
129
with a nine-pronged vajra-summit.” Upon seeing this horrific structure and the
surrounding hellish panorama, Kusum Lingpa suddenly loses any sense of faith, and his
body begins to tremble uncontrollably with fear/anxiety (dad pa snang ba phar zhog/
‘jigs skrag gis glo snying brang gsum ‘dar ling ling byas).130 The ḍākinī promptly
reassures Kusum Lingpa, saying:
“Hey there, listen to me—there is no need to be frightened! !
Very long ago, during the previous Kṛtayuga aeon, !
There was a powerful Rudra-demon known as ʻBlack-Liberationʼ !
Who ruled here over seven-hundred thousand sentient-beings, !
And taught [them] extremely distorted philosophical-views. [...] !
All the Sugatas saw [this] with their primordial-wisdom eyes, !
And so gathered together in the sky [in the forms of] Hayagrīva and Vajravārāhī !
And the Ten Wrathful Vajradhara [Herukas], who, via immense compassion, !
Wrathfully liberated the Rudra demon-king—reducing [his body] to dust. !
Then they [taught] those sentient-beings the secret methods of Guhyamantra, !
All of whom—some one million—attained perfect Buddhahood, right here! !
[Thus] this is the supremely sacred, ultimate pure-realm of Guhyamantra. !
Just by seeing this place, one cannot fall back [into Saṃsāra] ever again! !
The Lord of this pure-realm is the powerful one, Ācārya Kumāravīra Mahābalā. !
[His retinues] are the hosts of Vidyādharas of the three transmission lineages, !
127 Immediately after the ḍākinī gave Kusum Lingpa these words of encouragement and reassurance
regarding the history and significance of the me ri ‘bar ba pure realm, he says: “Because I felt so sure that
she was [the longevity-goddess] Tséringma, I perceived her words to be [infallible] vajra-speech [and
thus], I had no doubts [regarding the matter]” (bdag gi snang ba la mkha’ ‘gro ‘di tshe ring ma yin pas ‘dis
gsungs ba rdo rje’i tsig yin bsam ste the tshom med par [...]). Blazing Fire-Mountain (me ri ‘bar ba) pure-
vision account (p. 204).
128nga yis grogs byed las ʻphro ldan paʼi bu ! the tshom ma byed lha gsol ba thob !
(Blazing Fire-Mountain [me ri ʻbar ba] pure-vision account [p. 201]).
129dbus su thod mkhar dmar po rdo rje rtse dguʼi tog (Blazing Fire-Mountain [me ri ʻbar ba] pure-vision
account [p. 202]).
130 Blazing Fire-Mountain (me ri ‘bar ba) pure-vision account (p. 202).
40
And the divine masses of Iṣṭadevatā Yidam-deities of the six classes of Tantra. !
Right now, you must [go inside that palace] and meet them for yourself! !131
The white ḍākinī then disappears and Kusum Lingpa proceeds to the entrance of the
skull-palace with a newly rejuvenated sense of confidence. There, he encounters a
menacing door-guard figure whom he exhorts to grant him the honor of meeting Ācārya
Kumāravīra, the Lord of the Blazing Fire Pure-Realm. The door guardian concedes, of
course, promptly granting him entrance, whereupon Kusum Lingpa enters a vast
panoramic maṇḍala, a miraculous profusion of ḍākinīs and offering-goddesses all
singing songs of praise (to Lord Kumāravīra and the Pure Realm itself) and making
wonderful offerings of everything imaginable.132 Kusum Lingpa is then led directly into
the presence of the Lord Ācārya Kumāravīra Mahābalā, who appears to him “[as
youthful] as a sixteen year-old boy, with a luminous dark red complexion, and dressed in
[the yogic attire] of six bone-ornaments and a tiger-skin skirt.”133
( The ensuing interaction between Kusum Lingpa and Lord Kumāravīra primarily
unfolds in the form of a back-and-forth exchange of songs/poems—the climax of which
is Kumāravīra’s profound fourteen-verse poem that beautifully expounds the view of
Dzogchen.134 Immediately thereafter, Kumāravīra and his limitless retinue of
Vidyādharas and Iṣṭadevatā yidam-deities bestow upon Kusum Lingpa what one might
term an ultimate empowerment/initiation.
From all the Vidyādharas’ heart centers issued forth an endless proliferation of
light-rays [which crystallized into] a brilliant silver mirror decorated with many
golden syllables of symbolic script,135 which then entered my head and
descended into my heart. Then my entire body dematerialized into a particle of
light and my mind expanded into the great vastness of luminosity, devoid of the
131 Blazing Fire-Mountain (me ri ʻbar ba) pure-vision account (p. 202–204).
132 The description of this scene in Kusum Lingpa’s own account is very detailed and has many phases
(of offering, song/praise, dialog, etc.) that I have forgone elucidating here, for the sake of brevity. For
more detail, see: Blazing Fire-Mountain (me ri ‘bar ba) pure-vision account (p. 205–210).
133For the full description of Lord Kumāravīra’s striking appearance, see: Blazing Fire-Mountain (me ri
‘bar ba) pure-vision account (p. 211–212).
134 For this poem/song, see: Blazing Fire-Mountain (me ri ‘bar ba) pure-vision account (p. 214–215).
135 Blazing Fire-Mountain (me ri ʻbar ba) pure-vision account (p. 215).
41
fluctuating movements of conceptual-activity—[a state] much like an utterly
empty, clear autumn sky—and I remained [like that] for a while.”136
! To summarize the rest of Kusum Lingpa’s very detailed account, he and
Kumāravīra then engage in another exchange of song/poems, in which Kusum Lingpa
supplicates Kumāravīra, requesting his permission to stay permanently in the Blazing
Fire Pure-Realm. Kumāravīra declines, however, saying: “your time to stay [here] has
not yet arrived! In the female ox, tiger, or rabbit-year, you shall return.” !137 At this point,
according to Abu, all the vidyādharas, vīras and ḍākinīs of Lord Kumāravīra’s maṇḍala
praise Kusum Lingpa by offering a pleasant serenade of extraordinary music (hence the
post-title of this pure-vision account, ʻngo mtshar rol mo’i mchod sprinʼ), and then
bestow upon him the exalted title, Trulmé Pemé Gyaltsab Orgyen Kusum Lingpa—
which means, ʻThe Holder of the Trikāya Sanctuary of Uḍḍiyāna, He Who Is The
Authentic Regent of Padma[sambhava].ʼ138
! The significance of Kusum Lingpa’s receipt of this title simply cannot be
overstated, for indeed, Kusum Lingpa would not have become “Orgyen Kusum Lingpa”
without it. Furthermore, Kusum Lingpa and his followers understand the conferral of this
136mthar rig pa ʻdzin pa rnams kyi thugs ka nas ʻod zer dpag tu med pa ʻphros paʼi rnam pa dngul dkar gyi
me long la gser gyi brda yig mang pos brgyan pa zhig bdag gi spyi bo nas snying nang du zhugs pas lus
thams cad ʻod kyi gong bu zhig tu gyur nas rang sems de nyid ʻgyu ʻphroʼi rtog tshogs med par ston gnam
g.yaʼ dag pa bzhin ʻod gsal khyab bdal chen po mngon du gyur nas dar gcig bsdad [...] (Blazing Fire-
Mountain [me ri ʻbar ba] pure-vision account [p. 215]).
137 da dung khyod sdod pa’i dus la ma bab ! dus ‘dzin khra mo glang gi lo dang ! stag yos kyi lor ‘ong ran
yin ! (Blazing Fire-Mountain [me ri ‘bar ba] pure-vision account [p. 218]).
138 khrul med pad-ma’i rgyal tshab o rgyan sku gsum gling pa (Abu’s long bio p. 90). Regarding the
Tertön-status supporting etymology of this title: 1] only treasure-revealers bear the title “Lingpa” (gling pa),
the exact meaning of which is somewhat obscure (but may be rendered roughly as ʻIslanderʼ which likely
is in reference to Padmasambhavaʼs legendary island, Cāmaradvīpa); and 2] only treasure-revealers are
generally considered to be the “regents” (rgyal tshab) of Padmasambhava (since it is only a Tertön who is
authorized and entrusted to propagate Padmasambhava’s teachings in his absence). This pivotal detail,
(the conferral of this title), is absent from Kusum Lingpa’s own account, which I presume to be a result of
Kusum Lingpa’s humility regarding the event. Indeed according to Kusum Lingpa himself, he wasnʼt
particularly interested in writing this account in the first place, but was pressured by others to do so. In
any case, it is here, by receiving this exalted title, that Kusum Lingpa’s identity as a treasure-revealer is
irrevocably sealed.
42
title effectively to confirm and authenticate his identity as a genuine Tertön.139 The
polemical significance of this event also is highlighted by the fact that immediatly after
recounting it, Abu initiates a very lengthy and thoroughgoing analysis of Kusum Lingpaʼs
status as an authentic/genuine Tertön—which I will make no attempt to recapitulate
here.140
" In any case, the vision continues in the following sequence: 1] a ḍākinī appears
and escorts Kusum Lingpa to another terrifying skull-palace, where he encounters the
141
deity Vajrakilaya, from whom he receives an empowerment; 2] the ḍākinī asks Kusum
Lingpa if he would like to visit another pure-realm and he agrees; however, he is unable
to perceive anything other than a “massive torrent of fire and loud noises” (sgra chen po
dang me dpung chen po);142 3] they return to the me ri ʻbar ba pure-realm, on their way
encountering a black-red ḍākinī holding a sword who claims to be the protectress
Ekajaṭī; and 4] the latter sings a lengthy song to Kusum Lingpa that prognosticates
many important events yet to come in his life, and then disappears—marking the end of
Kusum Lingpa’s visionary experience.143
139 In fact, the entire me ri ‘bar ba pure-vision account seems to serve this polemical purpose—that is, to
verify and authenticate Kusum Lingpa’s identity as a gter ston, his treasures (gter ma), and even his
activities (phrin las). This theory is supported by the fact that Kusum Lingpa’s me ri ‘bar ba pure-vision
account is followed immediately (starting on p. 234) by a supplemental collection of no fewer than eight
lung bstan or “prophesies” from various masters (subsequently added to Kusum Lingpa’s account by
editors of the 30-volume collection), which they regard as prognosticating Kusum Lingpa’s birth and role
as a great Tertön in our times. For these lung bstan, see: Blazing Fire-Mountain [me ri ‘bar ba] pure-vision
account (pp. 234–237).
140For the entire fourteen-page polemic regarding Kusum Lingpa’s authenticity, which highlights the
central role that Kusum Lingpa’s Guru, Arkung Lama Lobzang Dorjé, played in establishing Kusum
Lingpa’s public credibility, see: Abu’s long bio (pp. 82–95).
141 For more details on Kusum Lingpa’s encounter with Vajrakilaya, who Abu refers to as the subject’s
“lhag pa’i lha mchog” (prime/chosen supreme-deity), see: Blazing Fire-Mountain (me ri ‘bar ba) pure-
vision account (pp. 218–223).
142 The ḍākinī explains to Kusum Lingpa that his inability to fully experience this pure-realm is the karmic
fruition of an action he performed in a previous life, the details of which I have not been able to
understand fully. The passage in question reads: de’i tshe mkha’ ‘gro’i zhal nas khyod kyis sngon zhig la
gnyags dza-nyA la tshog rdzas phul ba dang/ de rjes lang lab la ba lang gi rdzi bo byas/ da lta de’i ‘bras
bu yin gzugs/ (Blazing Fire-Mountain [me ri ‘bar ba] pure-vision account [p. 224]).
143For example, her song contains strong allegorical hints of the imminent Chinese invasion and Kusum
Lingpa’s subsequent imprisonment. For Ekajaṭī’s highly symbolic and prophetic song, see: Blazing Fire-
Mountain (me ri ‘bar ba) pure-vision account (pp. 224–229).
43
! Finally, Kusum Lingpa wakes from sleep at first light of dawn in a bewildered
state of ecstasy, and begins to sing about his experience with immense joy.144 Kusum
Lingpa is radically transformed by this extraordinary experience. Abu describes it this
way: “The excellent karmic imprints of the treasures [hidden within Kusum Lingpa’s
consciousness] thereby were awakened, and from then on, he effortlessly revealed
sādhanas for a vast spectrum of deities, as well as various prophesies and spiritual
songs [...].”145
! Although Kusum Lingpa does not reveal his first treasure-cycle (The Wrathful
Guru: Hayagrīva-Vajrapāṇi-Garuḍa [bla ma drag po lha gsum])146 until the age of
twenty-seven (1961), this pure vision marks the true beginning of Kusum Lingpa’s inner
life as a treasure-revealer. For this reason, the Blazing Fire-Mountain (me ri ‘bar ba)
pure-vision account requires special attention here, as it has a pivotal role in the
147
unfolding of Kusum Lingpa’s journey to “(re)-become” a great Tertön.
Conclusions:
! A thorough elucidation of Kusum Lingpa’s life from birth to death is far beyond
the limits of this project—and I do not purport to have accomplished that with my
research here (see footnote 1, Part One). From this point on (i.e. from 1961 onward),
both of Abu’s biographies (long and short) narrate Kusum Lingpa’s life in a more
sporadic and much less chronological manner. For details about the many hardships
that Kusum Lingpa underwent as an adult during twenty years of intermittent
imprisonment in Chinese military camps (1960–1980), the various miracles he
144 Blazing Fire-Mountain (me ri ʻbar ba) pure-vision account (pp. 230–231).
145de nas bzung gter gyi bag chags bzang po sad pa’i tsul gyis [...] lhag lha rab ‘byams kyi sgrub thabs/
lung bstan dang mgur ma sogs ci rigs lhag par byon [...] (Abu’s long bio [p. 82]).
146 This cycle is contained within volume 4 (nga) [drag sgrub] of Kusum Lingpaʼs collected works.
147 This marks the beginning of the second major phase of Kusum Lingpa’s biography which I call “the
miraculous phase of revelatory output.” I will not describe the latter half of Kusum Lingpa’s life in any
detail here. The third major phase of Kusum Lingpa’s life—which begins when he is permitted to return to
Golok (at about age 46)—is characterized by a great proliferation of enlightened activity (in Tibet and
internationally: USA, Beijing, Singapore, India) and is the consummation of Kusum Lingpa’s efficacy as a
great master and treasure-revealer. This third and final phase I call, “the fruitional-phase of resultant
activity.”
44
performed, and how his devotion to the Buddhist teachings remained unwavering
148
despite being repeatedly tortured, see chapter seven of Abu’s long bio.
! The final chapter of Abuʼs long bio is a lengthy discussion of the latter stages of
Kusum Lingpa’s life, highlighting his return to Golok and subsequent establishment of
Lung-Ngön Monastery (lung sngon dgon pa), his international travels (beginning in
1994, at age sixty), and his role in establishing various dharma-centers in Asia and
North America (not to mention the many miracles he performed throughout this
period).149 Finally, regarding Kusum Lingpa’s passing at age seventy-five, Hūṃkar
states:
“Just as [Lord Kumāravīra] had foretold [in his pure-vision], Kusum Lingpa
passed away peacefully in the Year of the Female Earth Ox [2009] and again
returned to the [Blazing Fire-Mountain] Pure-Realm.”150
I will refer those interested in a more detailed and poignant first-hand account of Kusum
Lingpa’s final days and passing in Golok—on the morning of February 26, 2009—to
Tulku Sherdor’s memoir, A Path Strewn with Flowers and Bones (pp. 281–290).
! In conclusion, the significance of Kusum Lingpa’s life and legacy—especially with
regard to the prohibition of Buddhism and its subsequent revival in Tibet during the
twentieth-century—cannot be overstated. Throughout the course of his miraculous life,
Kusum Lingpa’s renown spread across the Tibetan plateau among Tibetans and
Chinese alike, such that, by the time of his death, Kusum Lingpa was widely regarded
as the greatest Tertön of the modern era.151 His presence still continues to reverberate
148Abu’s language at this point in the narrative becomes exceedingly cryptic and symbolic, presumably in
an effort to eschew direct references to the Chinese military’s brutality and abuse of Tibetan people, lest
he incite the Chinese authority's attention in Tibet’s already highly unstable socio-political situation. Abu’s
long bio (chapter 7 [pp. 102–111]).
149 Abu’s long bio (chapter 8 [pp. 112–153]).
150 ces gsungs ba ltar zhi bar gzhol baʼi dus bzung ba ni/ [...] zhing du slar phebs rgyu lung bstan pa de
ltar sa mo glang gi lo rste zin tsam pa la zhi bar gzims paʼo// (Hūṃkarʼs intro-bio [pp. 38–39]).
151Personal communication: Jigmé Choklé Namgyal Thutob Dorjé Rinpoché (‘jigs med phyog las rnam
rgyal mthu stobs rdo rje [b.1971]), Tso Pema [Rewelsar], India. (Dec. 21, 2019). Furthermore, the same
government that previously had imprisoned and tortured him, eventually recognized him officially as a
“Huófó” (活佛) or living Buddha, issuing a citation to that effect. (Personal communication: Tulku Sherab
Dorjé [May 16, 2020]).
45
throughout Tibet and the world at large, and most important, in the hearts of the many
fortunate disciples who knew him personally.
46
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