The Oral Tradition from Zhang Zhung
John Myrdhin Reynolds / Vajranatha
The Mind-to-Mind Transmission of the Buddhas
The 9-Fold Mind Transmission of the Sugatas
In the hagiographies of the masters of the lineage that prefaces the published version of the Zhang-zhung Nyan-gyud, a series of lineages are given for the 'transmission (brgyud-pa) of the Dzogchen teachings.
The ultimate source of the revelation and the transmission is the Dharmakaya (bon-sku), the Primordial Buddha Kuntu Zangpo.
This initial line of transmission is transcendental and transmundane. The transmission occurs not on earth, nor in time and history, but under the light of eternity on the highest plane of existence. It represents the direct Mind Transmission of the Sugatas, or Buddhas (bder-gshegs dgongs brgyud).
This Mind Transmission (dgongs-brgyud) is so-called because it represents a direct mind-to-mind communication without any words or symbolic expressions intervening. This transmission is immediate, intimate. and direct. It is nine-fold (dgongs-rgyud dgu) because it consists of 9 luminous figures who are Transcendent rather than historical.
This lineage of transmission is as follows:
I. The Teacher in Eternity (ye-n yid kyi ston-pa), the Dharmakaya Kuntu Zangpo (bon-sku kun-tu bzang-po): viewtopic.php?f=78&t=21750
2. The Teacher who is Compassion. (thugs-rje'i ston-pa). the Sambhogakaya Shenlha Ödkar (rdzogs-sku gshen-lha 'od-dkar);
3. The Teacher who is an Emanation, (sprul-pa'i ston-pa), the Supreme Nirmanakaya, the celestial prototype for the Shenrab (gshen-rab chen-po ):
4. The Teacher who is Intrinsic Awareness (rig-pa'i ston-pa), Tsadmed Oddan (tshad-med 'öd-ldan). "the immeasurable light," an emanation of Shenrab;
5. Trulshen Nangdan ('phrul gshen snang-ldan), the divine father of Chimed Tsugphud;
6. Barnang Khujyug (bar-snang khu-byug), Shenrab in the form of a sky-blue cuckoo bird;
7. Zangza Ringtsun (bzang-za ring-btsun), the mother of Chimed Tsugphud;
8. Chimed Tsugphud ('chi-med gtsug-phud), the heavenly preexistence of Tönpa Shenrab;
9. Sangwa Dupa (gsang-ba 'dus-pa), the chief disciple of Chimed Tsugphud.
Shardza Tashi Gyaltsen Rinpoche in his Legs-bshad mdzod gives an account of the history of the revelation and the transmission of both the Secret Mantras (gsang-sngags), or Tantras, and of Dzogchen.
According to this text. both systems were first taught in this present cycle of manifestation by Chimed Tsugphud ('Chi-med gtsug-phug), the celestial pre-existence of Tönpa Shenrab before he descended from above and incarnated on earth as the savior and world-teacher (stonpa).
According to the middle length hagiography of Shenrab. the gZermyig, in his pre-existence in the heaven-world of Sidpa Yesang (sridpa y~-sangs ), "the world of primordial purity." he was known as Sal wa (gsal-ba) whose name means "clarity." However. the relationship between Salwa and Chimed Tsugphud is not made clear here.
In any event, Shenrab descended from an even higher plane of existence in the form of a heavenly blue cuckoo bird (bya khu-byug) and alighted on the right shoulder of the goddess-princess Zangza Ringtsun (bZangza ring-btsun) while she was taking her leisure and her bath beside a celestial lake.
An immaculate conception occurred and later the goddess gave birth to a precocious and luminously miraculous child as a virgin birth. Ashamed of bearing a child without a father, she built a small shelter on the golden sands beside the lake and left him there for nine days before returning. When she did, the infant recognized her and smiled at her lovingly, whereupon she was overwhelmed by his great beauty, especially the knot of hair bound up on top of his head.
Therefore, she gave him the name of the immortal one ('chi-med) with the top-knot (gtsug-phud).
Later he received the Dzogchen precepts directly from Shenlha Ödkar himself when he ascended to a higher plane of existence.
According to Lopon Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche, Trulshen Nangdan, the turquoise-colored cuckoo bird, and Chimed Tsugphud himself were all emanations of the Supreme Nirmanakaya who later revealed himself on earth and in history as Tönpa Shenrab Miwoche, whereas the princess Zangza was actually an emanation of the Great Goddess Sherab Jyamma ([[yum-chen Shes-rab byams-ma).
She was the embodiment of the Prajnaparamita, the Holy Perfection of Wisdom, who is the Mother of all the Nirmanakaya Buddhas appearing in the 3 times.
Moreover, his chief disciple in that heaven·world, Sangwa Dupa (gSangba 'dus-pa), to whom he revealed the Tantras and also the Dzogchen precepts, was none other than the previous incarnation of the Shakyamuni Buddha.
Thus the Bönpos believe that Buddhism, the Dharma of India, was but another later version of the Primordial Revelation represented by Yungdrung Bön and previously revealed by Chimed Tsugphud to Sangwa Dupa.
According to the sPyi-spungs skor; the cycle of the Bönpo Father Tantras (pha rgyud), this sage Sangwa Dupa was born on earth to king Zhiwadan (zhi-ba-ldan) and queen Lhajyindze (lha-sbyin-mdzes) in the region of ancient Iranian-speaking Central Asia known as Tazik (staggzig).
When he reached maturity, he ascended in his physical body to the heaven-worlds and listened to the Tantric and Dzogchen teachings directly from the mouth of Chimed Tsugphud himself. Thereafter, this sage practiced the teachings in nine different locations, and at each place he subdued a specific violent deity (dregs-pa pho rgyud) and erected a temple at each site to commemorate his victories.
