New Translation: ‘Supplication to the Kālacakra Lineage’ by Jetsun Tāranātha
Supplication to the Kālacakra Lineage By JetsunTāranātha
དུས་ཀྱི་འཁོར་ལོའྱི་བརྒྱུད་འདེབས།
རེ་བཙུན་ཏཱ་ར་ནཱ་ཐ།
Translated and edited by Adele Tomlin
Supplication to the Kālacakra Lineage Author: JetsunTāranātha Translator and editor: Adele Tomlin First Edition, June, 2019. Copyright © 2019 Adele Tomlin/Dakini Publications All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of
the publisher, or author/translator, except in the case of quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the author/publisher, see below. About the Publisher Dakini Publications is an independent, not-for-profit
publications initiative set up in 2019. It is female-founded and led but not female-exclusive. Its aim is to provide a space for women who are often excluded from male-dominated mainstream publications or translation teams. Sponsorship and funding is welcome. For more information and contact see: www.dakinitranslations.com.
Translator’s Introduction
This new, and first-time published, English translation of Jetsun Tāranātha’s Supplication to the Kālacakra lineage (dus kyi ‘khor lo’I brgyud ‘debs), that was transmitted to, and is predominantly maintained by, the Jonang and Kagyu tradition to this day1, is also included in a new e-book publication ‘The Kālacakra History and Lineage by Jetsun Tāranātha’, Adele Tomlin, 2019. Tāranātha wrote two such supplications, one to the Kālacakra lineage and one to the Six-Yogas lineage. The latter, shorter, supplication was previously
translated by Michael Sheehy in 20062, but it is more a list of names, and the footnotes are not extensive. This text is more detailed, and I have also given more extensive footnotes as well for the lineage masters up to the section of text written by Tāranātha. The Tibetan script is included, for those who wish to read it in the original language.The Tibetan text I used for the translation is a beautifully illustrated Dzamthang edition3, see picture below:
In particular, I would like to pay respect and gratitude to the amazing work and efforts of Dr. Cyrus Stearns, not only for his unparalleled study and translation of the life and works of Jonang master, Kunkhyen Dolpopa4 but also whose translated biographies in Treasury of Lives has formed the bulk of the
biographical information about these lineage masters in the endnotes. What is clear from all their biographies is how many of them received teachings from, and were accomplished masters of, all the main Tibetan Buddhist lineages. Any errors are all mine. May it be of benefit! Adele Tomlin, India, June 2019.
Supplication to the Kālacakra Lineage
ཨོཾ་ཨ ཱཿཧཱུཾ་ཧཱོཿཧཱུཾ་ཀྵཱཿ om āh hūm ho ham ksha མཆོག་གྱི་དང་པོའྱི་མགོན་པོ་རྟག་པའྱི་དཔལ།། སེམས་ྱིད་རྱིན་ཆེན་རོ་རེ་རྣམ་བཞྱི་ཡྱི།། ལམ་གྱིས་རབ་སྦྱངས་སྐུ་བཞྱི་མངོན་གྱུར་པ།། ཆོས་ཀུན་མམ་ྱིད་ངོ་བོར་གསོལ་བ་འདེབས།།
To the glorious, permanent protector, supreme ādhibuddha5 Four precious Vajra aspects6, mind itself That the path reveals as the completely pure four kāyas To the essential equality of all phenomena, I supplicate!
སྐུ་བཞྱི་དབེར་མེད་ཡན་ལག་བདུན་ལྡན་སྐུ།། ས་བཅུའྱི་དབང་ཕྱུག་མྱི་བདག་སྤྲུལ་པའྱི་སྐུ།། ཆོས་རྒྱལ་རྱིགས་ལྡན་འཁོར་དང་བཅས་རྣམས་ལ།། གསོལ་བ་འདེབས་སོ་བདག་རྒྱུད་བྱིན་གྱིས་རོབས།།
The kāya endowed with the seven branches7, inseparable from the four kāyas, Lord nirmanakāya masters of the 10thbhumi, Kalki8 Dharma Kings with their retinues, Please bless my mindstream!
འཇྱིག་རྟེན་མགོན་པོས་རེས་བཟུང་དུས་ཞབས་པ།། དེ་ཡྱི་ཞབས་བརྟེན་དུས་ཞབས་གྱིས་པ་དང༌།།
སྲས་ཆེན་པོ་ནཱ་ལེནྡྲ་པ་ལ།། གསོལ་བ་འདེབས་སོ་བདག་རྒྱུད་བྱིན་གྱིས་རོབས།།
Cared for by the lord protector9, Mahākālacakrapāda10, From him the Venerable Kālacakrapāda Younger11 and Great victorious son, Nālandāpa12 Please bless my mindstream!
རྱིག་པའྱི་གནས་ལྔ་ཕུལ་བྱིན་ཟླ་མགོན་ཞབས།། འཇྱིག་རྟེན་མྱིག་འབེད་འབོ་སོན་ཤེས་རབ་གྲགས།། རོ་རེ་ཐེག་པའྱི་སྲོག་ཤྱིང་དཀོན་མཆོག་སྲུངས།། གསོལ་བ་འདེབས་སོ་བདག་རྒྱུད་བྱིན་གྱིས་རོབས།།
Bestower of the five sciences13, venerable Somanātha ‘Eye-opener’ translator14, Droton Sherab Drak15, and Vajrayana life-force, Konchogsung16, Please
bless my mindstream! མཁས་གྲུབ་སྔགས་འཆང་སོ་སོན་གནམ་ལ་བརེགས།། གྲུབ་པའྱི་ཁྱུ་མཆོག་མྱི་བསོད་རོ་རེའྱི་ཞབས།། ཆོས་ཀྱི་དབང་ཕྱུག་མ་ལུས་ཆོས་ཀྱི་བདག། གསོལ་བ་འདེབས་སོ་བདག་རྒྱུད་བྱིན་གྱིས་རོབས།།
Accomplished scholar, mantric yogi, Droton Namtsek17 Chief18 of siddhas, Mikyo Dorje19,and Master of dharma, without exception, Chokyi Wangchuk,20 Please bless my mindstream! ངོ་མཚར་བགྲངས་བཅས་མ་ཅྱིག་སྤྲུལ་སྐུ་དང༌།།
ནམ་མཁའ་འོད་ཟེར་མཚན་འཆང་མཁས་པའྱི་ཕུལ།། སྔོན་གནས་རེས་དྲན་གྲུབ་ཐོབ་སེ་མོ་ཆེ།། གསོལ་བ་འདེབས་སོ་བདག་རྒྱུད་བྱིན་གྱིས་རོབས།།
The extraordinary tallier, nirmanakāya Machig21 Namkha Ozer, the learned name-holder22, Recollector of previous lives, siddha Semochey23, Please bless my mindstream! འ
ཇམ་དབངས་སྤྲུལ་པའྱི་ཤེས་རབ་འོད་ཟེར་དང༌།། རབ་གསལ་རྒྱལ་པོའྱི་རྣམ་འཕྲུལ་དགེ་སེང་པ།། སྲོག་འཛིན་རྒྱ་མཚོའྱི་མཐར་སོན་ཀུན་སྤངས་རེ།། གསོལ་བ་འདེབས་སོ་བདག་རྒྱུད་བྱིན་གྱིས་རོབས།།
Emanation Jamyang,Sherab Ozer24 Brilliant king, Namtrul Getengpa [Choku Ozer]25 Achieved the oceanof life-support prāṇa,Lord Kunpang26 Please bless my mindstream!
སྔོན་མཁེན་ཐོགས་མེད་རྒྱལ་བ་ཡེ་ཤེས་དང༌།། མཁས་བཙུན་གྲུབ་བརེས་ཡོན་ཏན་རྒྱ་མཚོ་དང༌།། རྱིགས་ལྡན་སྤྲུལ་སྐུ་ཀུན་མཁེན་ཇོ་ནང་པ།། གསོལ་བ་འདེབས་སོ་བདག་རྒྱུད་བྱིན་གྱིས་རོབས།།
Unobstructed knower of previous lives, Gyalwa Yeshe,27 Accomplished adept, learned and righteous,Yonten Gyatso,28 Nirmanakāya of Kalki, Kunkhyen Jonang29, Please bless my mindstream!
ལེགས་བཤད་རྱིན་ཆེན་འབྱུང་གནས་་དབོན་དང༌།། གྲུབ་ཆེན་འགྲན་ཟླ་མེད་པའྱི་ཀུན་བོ་བ།། ངེས་དོན་བསན་པའྱི་སྲོག་ཤྱིང་དཀོན་མཆོག་བཟང༌། །གསོལ་བ་འདེབས་སོ་བདག་རྒྱུད་བྱིན་གྱིས་རོབས།། S
ource of precious excellent explanations, Nyawon30 Incomparable mahasidda, Kun Lowa31 Life-force of the definitive teachings, Kongchog Zang32 Please bless my mindstream!
མདོ་སྔགས་ཀུན་ཆུབ་ནམ་མཁའ་ཆོས་སོང་དང༌།། མཁས་དབང་པཎ་ཆེན་ནམ་མཁའ་དཔལ་བཟང་པོ།། ལོ་ཆེན་མཚན་འཆང་རཏྣ་བྷ་དྲ་ལ།། གསོལ་བ་འདེབས་སོ་བདག་རྒྱུད་བྱིན་གྱིས་རོབས།།
Knows all sūtras and tantras, Kunchub Namkhai Chokyong33 Powerful scholar, Pandita Khapal Zangpo34and Holder of the name,Lochen Ratnabhadra35 Please bless my mindstream!
ཐོགས་མེད་བརྟུལ་ཞུགས་གྲུབ་པ་ཀུན་དགའྱི་མཚན །། གཉུག་མ་མངོན་གྱུར་ལུང་རྱིགས་རྒྱ་མཚོ་དང༌།། སབས་གནས་ཀུན་འདུས་ཀུན་དགའ་སྱིང་པོའྱི་ཞབས།། གསོལ་འདེབས་སོ་བདག་རྒྱུད་བྱིན་གྱིས་རོབས།།
Unhindered, disciplined conduct,Siddha Kunga36 Manifestation of the fundamental nature,Lungrig Gyatso37and Embodiment of all refuges,Kunga Nyingpo38
Please bless my mindstream!
གསོལ་བ་འདེབས་སོ་ཀུན་མཁེན་ཇོ་ནང་བ།། གསོལ་བ་འདེབས་སོ་འགྲོ་དྲུག་བྱིན་གྱིས་རོབས།། སྔོན་འགྲོ་དབེན་པ་གསུམ་གྱིས་རྒྱུད་སྦྱངས་ཤྱིང༌།། དངོས་གཞྱི་ཡན་ལག་དྲུག་གྱི་སྦྱོར་བ་ཡྱིས།། མཐར་ཐུག་སྐུ་བཞྱི་རོ་རེ་རྣམ་པ་བཞྱི།། མྱུར་དུ་མངོན་དུ་འགྱུར་བར་བྱིན་གྱིས་རོབས།།
I supplicate you, Omniscient Jonangpa Grant your blessings so the six types of wanderers may Purify their mindstreams with the preliminaries and three isolations And bless us to quickly realise the Ultimate four kāyas; four Vajra aspects!
ཞེས་སྦྱོར་དྲུག་ཇོ་ནང་ལུགས་ཀྱི་བརྒྱུད་འདེབས་ཏཱ་ར་ནཱ་ཐས་སྨྲས་པའོ།།
This six-yogas lineage supplication was spoken by Tāranātha. Supplementary Verses
སྔོན་སྦྱངས་མཁེན་པའྱི་རྱིན་ཆེན་རྒྱ་མཚོ་དང༌།། ཐར་པའྱི་ལམ་སོན་བོ་གྲོས་རྣམ་པར་རྒྱལ།། གྲུབ་པའྱི་མཆོག་གྱུར་ངག་དབང་འཕྱིན་ལས་ཞབས།། གསོལ་བ་འདེབས་སོ་བདག་རྒྱུད་བྱིན་རོབས།།
Knower of former births, Rinchen Gyatso39 Teacher of the final path, Lodro Namgyal40 Supreme accomplished one, Ngawang Trinley,
Please bless my mindstream!
མཐའ་འཁོབ་མུན་སེལ་ངག་དབང་རྣམ་རྒྱལ་དང༌།། དམ་ཆོས་དགའ་སོན་སྤེལ་མཛད་དར་རྒྱས་མཚན།། རྒྱལ་བ་ཀུན་དངོས་འཕྱིན་ལས་རྣམ་རྒྱལ་ཞབས།། གསོལ་བ་འདེབས་སོ་བདག་རྒྱུད་བྱིན་གྱིས་རོབས།།
Dispelling the darkness of savage places, Ngawang Namgyal Joyful teacher of sacred Dharma, Peldze Dargye, and Embodiment of the Victors, Trinley Namgyal Please bless my mindstream! གདམས་པའྱི་མཛོད་འཛིན་རང་བཞྱིན་ལྷུན་གྱིས་གྲུབ།། ཟབ་ལམ་མཐར་ཕྱིན་འཇྱིགས་མེད་རྣམ་རྒྱལ་དང༌།། Treasurer of the wise advice, Rangzhin Lhundrub (Gyatso) Complete accomplisher of the profound path, Jigme Namgyal41
དུས་འཁོར་བརྒྱུད་འདེབས་ཀྱི་ཁ་སོང་འདྱིའང་སྤྲུལ་སྐུ་འཇྱིགས་མེད་རྣམ་རྒྱལ་གྱིས་རྱི་ཁོད་དུ་ཐུན་མཚམས་སུ་བྱིས་པའོ།།
This supplement to the Supplication to the Kalacakra lineage was composed at the end of a retreat session by Tulku Jigme Namgyal. རྱིགས་ཀུན་ཁབ་བདག་ཆོས་འཕེལ་རྒྱ་མཚོའྱི་ཞབས།། གསོལ་བ་འདེབས་སོ་བདག་རྒྱུད་བྱིན་གྱིས་རོབས།། The Lord who pervades all42, Chophel Gyatso, Please bless my mindstream! རྱིམ་གྱིས་མཐར་སོན་ཆོས་ཀྱི་འཕགས་པའྱི་ཞབས།།
གཟུང་འཛིན་འཁྲུལ་ཟད་ཀུན་དགའ་དཔལ་ལྡན་རེ།། དབང་ལུང་གདམས་ངག་མཛོད་འཛིན་ཆོས་འབོར་ལ།། གསོལ་བ་འདེབས་སོ་བདག་བདག་རྒྱུད་བྱིན་གྱིས་རོབས།།
Accomplisher of the two stages, Chokyi Phagpa43 Eliminator of delusional, dualistic fixation, Kunga Pelden, and Holder of the treasury of pith instructions, scriptures and empowerments, Chojor44 Please bless my mindstream!
གནས་ལུགས་གཤེགས་སྱིང་མངོན་གྱུར་མཁས་གྲུབ་དབང༌།། ཡྱི་དམ་ཞལ་གཟྱིགས་བསན་པ་གསལ་བེད་ཞབས།། རྒྱུད་སེ་རབ་འབམས་སོ་བསྡུ་རོ་རེ་བཟང༌།། གསོལ་བ་འདེབས་སོ་བདག་རྒྱུད་བྱིན་གྱིས་རོབས།།
Realised the Tathāgata ultimate state, Khedrub Wang45 Saw the yidam’s face, Tenpa Selje, and Emanated and gathered immeasurable tantras, Dorje Zang Please bless my mindstream! སོད་འཆང་རྣམ་འཕྲུལ་དཀོན་མཆོག་དར་རྒྱས་རེ།། གཞན་སོང་འཛམ་གྱིང་ཁབ་མཛད་བོ་གྲོས་གྲགས།། དྲྱིན་ཅན་མངོན་གྱུར་ར་བའྱི་བ་མ་ལ།། གསོལ་བ་འདེབས་སོ་བདག་རྒྱུད་བྱིན་གྱིས་རོབས།། Emanation holder of conduct, Je Konchog Dargye Pervaded the world with empty-of-other46, Lodro Drag47 To the kind, realised root lamas, Please bless my mindstream!
དུས་འཁོར་བརྒྱུད་འདེབས་ཁ་སོང་འཛམ་ཐང་གཙང་ཆེན་གཟྱིམ་ཁང་བདེ་ཆེན་བཤད་སྒྲུབ་དཔལ་གྱི་ཕོ་བང་གྱི་གདན་རབས་རྱིམ་བོན་ལྟར་བོ་བཟང་ཆོས་འཕེལ་བས་བྱིས་པའོ།། Supplement composed
in the bedroom of Dzamthang Tsangchen48, the palace of Dechen Shedrub Pel, of the successive order of abbots of the monastery,written by Lobsang Chophel. Translator’s note: this supplication does not include the Jonang master and student of Ngawang Lodro Dragpa, Ngawang Yonten Gyatso (1928-2002). He was an important disciple and Vajra master at Dzamthang monastery.
1Jamgon Kongtru lLodro Thaye (1813-1899) received the full ‘Dro and JonangKālacakra transmission at from Kagyu lama, Karma OselGyurme and at Dzamthang monastery from his Jonang lama, Nagwang Chophel (sngags dbangchos 'phel). For more information about this and the Dagpo Kagyu lineage of Dro/Jonang Kālacakra, see Tomlin 2019 at https://dakinitranslations.com/the-dagpo-kagyu-lineage-holders-of-dro-jonang-kalacakra/. Kalu Rinpoche (1905-1989) was also a lineage holder from the lineage of JamgonKongtrul. Bokar Rinpoche
(1940-2004), received the full Jonang transmission from Jonang Khenpo KungaSherab Rinpoche in 2004 (see http://www.Kālacakra.org/bokarr/bokarr.htm). The other lineages of Sakya and Nyingma have their own Kālacakra transmissions and lineages. The Gelug mainly practise the Rwa tradition passed on from Buton Rinpoche. 2Sbyor ba yan lag drug pa’I gsol ‘debs. See Sheehy (2006), available for free download at the
link below. Sheehy also does not state the origin or edition of the Tibetan text he used though. https://jonangfoundation.org/sites/default/files/translation-supplication_kalachakra_masters-180206.pdf 3 In the Collected Works of Tāranātha (gsung 'bum/tAranAtha, 'dzam thang par ma, TBRC W22276, vol.2: 225-231). Redaction is from the Dzamthang woodblocks. Contains numerous writings not included in the printings
from the Takten Puntsok Ling woodblock carvings, reproduced in Ladakh. Two other editions on TBRC are available, another in the same edition, vol. 2, pp.829-834; and one in the Collected Works, published in Peking ( W1PD45495, vol.4: 35-37) krung go'i bod rig pa dpe skrunkhang, pe cin. 2008). 4The Buddha from Dolpo. A Study of the Life and Thought of the Tibetan Master Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen. By Cyrus Stearns,
Shambhala Publications, 2010. 5 In Vajrayana, the Adi-Buddha (dang po'i sangs rgyas), is the "First Buddha" or the "Primordial Buddha."The term features prominently in the Kalachakra. Ãdi means "first", such that the ādibuddha was the first to attain Buddhahood. Ādi can also mean “primordial,” not referring to a person but to an innate wisdom that is present in all sentient beings. For an interesting discussion of this concept in the Kālacakra literature, see Vesna Wallace, Inner Kālacakra Tantra, Oxford University Press, 2001: 17-18:
One of the most important concepts in the Kālacakra system is that of the Adibuddha. Even though the concept of the Adibuddha is not unique to the Kālacakratantra, it is most emphasized and discussed in the Kālacakra literature. …..The Kālacakra tradition's interpretation of the Adibuddha is
primarily based on the NamasamgTti's exposition of Vajrasattva, who is Vajradhara……However, analysis of the Kālacakra literature reveals that when the Kālacakra tradition speaks of the Adibuddha in the sense of a beginningless and endless Buddha , it is referring to the innate gnosis that pervades the minds of all
sentient beings and stands as the basis of both samsara and nirvana. Whereas, when it speaks of the Adibuddha as the one who first attained perfect enlightenment by means of imperishable bliss, and when it asserts the necessity of acquiring merit and knowledge in order to attain perfect Buddhahood, it is referring to the actual realization of one's own innate gnosis. Thus, one could say that in the Kālacakra tradition, Adibuddha refers to the ultimate nature of one's own mind and to the one who has realized the innate nature of one's own mind by means of purificatory practices. 6 This refers to the four resultant Vajras of the pure body, speech, mind and primordial awareness.
7 This refers to the seven aspects of union (kha byor yan lags bdun) of the Sambhogakāya (Enjoyment Body) which are:
1) longs spyod rdzogs pa, complete enjoyment;
2) kha sbyor, union;
3) bde ba chen po, great bliss;
4) rang bzhin med pa, no self-nature;
5) snying rjes yongs su gang ba, completely filled with compassion;
6) rgyun mi chad pa, uninterrupted;
7) 'gog pa med pa, unceasing.
8rigs ldan is the Tibetan word literally meaning ‘endowed with awareness’, it is also used to refer to the thirty-two Kalki Kings of Shambhala. For more on the Shambhala Kings see Henning (2010) http://www.Kālacakra.org/kings/skings.htm. 9‘jig rten mgon po here refers to the bodhisattva of compassion, Avalokiteshvara. Dus zhabs pa chen po, known as. Kālacakrapāda the Elder had many students, among whom
were three known as Kālacakrapāda the Younger: Avadhūtipa, Śrībhadrabodhi and Nālandāpa; also Nāropa, Sādhuputra, Ratnakaragupta, Mokṣakaragupta, Vinayākaramati, Siṃhadhvaya and Anantajaya. For more on his life-story, see Henning 2010 at http://www.Kālacakra.org/history/khistor3.htm. 11Dus zhab sgnyis pa, known
as Kālacakrapāda the Younger: Avadhūtipa. He authored such works as the Padnaninamapañjikā and the sādhana of the Glorious Lunar Mansions (dpal ldan rgyu skar dkyil 'khor gyi cho ga).His main students were the younger Kālacakrapāda Upasakabodhi and his son, Nālandāpa. He also spread the teachings of Kālacakra in southern India. For more on his life-story, see ibid,. Henning 2010. 12 The son of the younger
Kālacakrapāda was known as Nālendrapa. His real name was Bodhibhadra and he was the owner of the land of Nālendra (sic). He practised all four activities but only achieved realisation of the yoga of wind. He had many students, but here, the important one is the Kashmiri paṇḍit, Somanātha. As he stayed at Nālandā, he
was known as Lord Nālandāpa. He also built a Kālacakra temple there and his qualities became equal to those of Kālacakrapāda the Elder. Throughout the whole of east and west India he was known as Kālacakrapāda the Younger. For more on his life-story, see ibid,. Henning 2016. 13Somanātha/DawaGonpo (zla ba dgon po). This reference to the five sciences is mentioned here:
Up until the age of twelve he learned all the Vedas from his father, but his mother was a Buddhist and she sent him to study Dharma from an excellent great Kashmiri paṇḍita called Brāhmanapāda, also known as Sūryaketu. This paṇḍita had a daughter who found Somanātha very attractive and told him
that in order to request teachings the two of them should be as a couple. He acted accordingly and heard many teachings, and he and the other main students, Sonasahi, Lakṣmiṃkara, Jñānaśrī and Candra Rāhula, all became paṇḍitas expert in the the five subjects. For more on his life-story, see ibid,. Henning 2016. 14jig rten mig ‘byed, literally means ‘opens the eyes of the world’, which is an epithet used for a lotsawa,
translator. 15Dro Lotsawa Sherab Drag ('Bro Lo tsabashesrabgrags) is one of the main translators of the Kālacakra tantra, whose lineage is practised still today. This succession of esoteric transmission passed from Somanātha to his disciple, the Tibetan translator Dro Lotsawa Sherab Drak. Dro Lotsawa together with
Somanātha translated the root tantra along with the Stainless Light commentary from Sanskrit into Tibetan, initiating the Dro lineage of the Kālacakra Tantra in Tibet. Despite his importance in Kālacakra and to the Jonang, not much has been written about him in the English language. 16 This is a reference to Lahjey Gompa (lha rjes gompa), I cannot find any biographical information about him.
17Droton Namla Tseg, a disciple of Somanātha and Yumo Mikyo Dorje’s main tantric teacher, see: https://treasuryoflives.org/biographies/view/Drogon-Namla-Tsek/TBRC_P2590 18Khyu mchog means 1) leader, a chief, a king or 2) best in a herd or group, best of all, the best of all.
19 This is Yumo Mikyo Dorje (yumo ba mi bskyod rdorje, 1038-1117), a disciple of DrotonNamlaTseg. According to his biography on Treasury of Lives (https://treasuryoflives.org/biographies/view/Yumo-Mikyo-Dorje/4301): At the time, NamlaTsek was seventy-two years old; it is said that he gave Yumo the full set of twelve Kālacakra empowerments, along with all of his oral instructions on the practice of tantra. Gyelwa Yeshe's
history suggests that protector deities punished Namla Tsek for spreading the secret teachings, though they allowed him to live long enough to complete Yumo's instruction. His extant compositions are four treatises collectively called the Cycle of the Four Radiant Lamps (gsal sgron skor bzhi); these discuss esoteric matters related to the Six Limbed Yoga, the suite of completion stage yogas in the Kālacakra tradition. In
particular, the Lamps speculate about the nature of the Great Seal – a luminous consort said to appear to practitioners in visionary experience – and in this context Yumo explores innovative ideas about emptiness. Though he was not identified with any organized school or sect, Yumo's writings would eventually resonate with the Jonang tradition, and it seems that his Lamps were taught in the fourteenth century by Dolpopa Sherab Gyeltsen (dol po pa shes rab rgyal mtshan, 1292-1381). The Jonang tradition would ultimately place Yumo as a key link in the Tibetan Kālacakra lineage; Tāranātha would cite him as an advocate of their distinctive position of "other-emptiness" (gzhan stong) in a tantric context. 20Chokyi Wangchuk (chos kyi dbang phyug). This is a reference to Dharmeshvara(d+har+me shwa ra) the father of Machig Jobum, also a Kālacakra lineage holder(see below).
21Ma gcig jo bum, daughter of Dharmesvara and granddaughter of Yumo Mikyo Dorje. According to her biography (https://treasuryoflives.org/biographies/view/Machik-Jobum/P10090):
Her brother, Semo Chewa Namkha Gyeltsen (se moche ba nam mkha' rgyal mtshan, d.u.), was also a master of the Kālacakra and its main commentary, the Vimalaprabhā. Jobum herself is said to have memorized the Vimalaprabhā in her youth. She is generally
credited with having transmitted the Kālacakra to Jamsar Sherab Ozer ('jam gsar ba shes rab 'od zer, d.u.), although the Blue Annals has him as the disciple of her brother instead. 22mtshan ‘chang, I have translated as ‘name-holder’ meaning the one who holds the title of the Jonang Monastery holder. 23Semo Chewa, brother of Machig Jobum, (se moche ba nam mkha' rgyal mtshan) (see above). From the Blue Annals: In his childhood h
e suffered from a deficient hearing and speech, and therefore therewas not much hope (for him). Later he attended on khang gsar pa nam mkha' 'od and mastered the Commentary on the Tantra (Vimalaprabhā). He practised the Sadaṅga and the "Six doctrines" of Nā-ro, and obtained a perfect mystic trance. He was able to recollect clearly (his) numberless former existences. Because he resided at se moche, he became known as the siddha se mo che ba. 24 Also known as Jamyang Sarma. See Machig Jobum above. From the Blue Annals: At
the feet of se mo cheba he mastered the Commentary on the Tantra (Vimalaprabhā) together with its branches, and the initiation rite (of the Kālacakra). He practised meditation of the sampanna krama degree and within one day obtained the (ten) signs (of meditation), and thus became a Master of Yoga (rnaI 'byor gyi dbang phyug). 25 The Tibetan text says dge steng pa, but I cannot find any public reference to this master. I asked two Jonang lamas in exile about it and they both told me they did not know who this person is, so I
have assumed that it is another name for Choku Ozer (chos sku 'od zer) who was a disciple of Jamyang Sarma. From the Blue Annals (R771): When he came to semocheba to get from him an Introduction to the Doctrine (chos 'brel), the latter said: You two ('jam gsarba and chos sku 'od zer) through many existences have been
Teacher and disciple. From him chossku 'od zer heard the complete Commentary on the Tantra (Vimalaprabhā) with its branches. He benefited others by bestowing initiations, preaching the Tantra and precepts. 26 First holder of the Jonang Monastery. Kunpang Thugje Tsondru (kun spangs thugs rje brtson 'grus (1243-1313)): From the Treasury of Lives biography:
When he was staying at the master Jamyang Sarma's ('jam dbyangs gsar ma) monastery of Kyangdur (rkyang 'dur), Kunpang received the transmission of all the treatises and oral instructions possessed by the great Choku Ozer (chos sku 'od zer). In particular, although he had previously studied the Ra (rwa) tradition of Kālacakra, he now received from Choku Ozer the Kālacakra initiation, the explanation of the Kālacakra Tantra, the great Vimalaprabhā commentary, and an experiential transmission of the Kālacakra completion-stage practices of the six-branch yoga in the Dro ('bro) tradition. While he was staying at Se Kharchung (se mkhar chung), which had been the hermitage of the great Seton Kunrik (se stonkun rig, 1029-1116) of the tradition of Lamdre, it is said that the Kalki emperors of
Shambhala simultaneously appeared to him in a vision and granted permission for him to write a commentary on the Kālacakra Tantra. According to tradition during this period the goddess Nakmen Gyalmo (nags sman rgyal mo) also appeared and invited him to take up residence at the spot that would later become Jonang Monastery (jo nang dgon), which he agreed to do after three years. He resided at the hermitage of Khacho Deden (mkha' spyod bde ldan), he wrote a series of texts on the practice of the six-branch yoga of Kālacakra, experienced a vision of Kālacakra, and received prophecy from the deity. The essential teachings
of the six-branch yoga had previously existed only as oral instructions, and Kunpang's works were the first extensive manuals of guidance for these teachings written in Tibet. 27 Second holder of Jonang monastery, Gyalwa Yeshe. From Treasury of Lives: For a long time he received many sutra and tantra teachings such as the Vimalaprabhā commentary on the Kālacakra Tantra from the Sakya master SharpaJamyangChenpo (shar pa 'jam dbyangs rinchen rgyal mtshan, 1258-1306), the Tenth Sakya Tridzin from 1288 to 1297. He also received the Vimalaprabhā from Jamyang Chenpo's elder brother, the Kālacakra expert Dukorwa Yeshe Rinchen (dus 'khor ba ye shesrinchen, 1248-1294). Gyelwa Yeshe then met Kunpang Tukje Tsondru (kun spangs thugs rje brtson grus, 1243-1313) at Jonang Monastery (jo nang dgon) and was overcome with faith. He received all the treatises and oral instructions from Kunpang and, in particular, when he practiced the instructions of the six-branch yoga of Kālacakra, exceptional experience and realization arose. Gyelwa Yeshe wanted to live in unspecified locations and dedicate himself to meditation, but at the order of Jamyang Chenpo he founded the monastery of Dechen (bdechen) and, while meditating there, also gave many teachings. 28 Third holder of Jonang monastery, Yonten Gyatso (Yon tan rgyamtsho (1260-13267)). From Treasury of Lives bio: In 1290, when he was
thirty years old, Yonten Gyatso arrived at Jonang and received a huge number of transmissions from Kunpang, including the Kālacakra initiation and the transmission of the Bodhisattva Trilogy and the related oral instructions. In particular, he received many different traditions of the oral instructions of the six-branch yoga of Kālacakra.
It is said that when he practiced the meditation of the dark retreat, all ten signs of clear light dawned in twenty-one days. When he practiced the daytime meditation, very intense physical experiences
occurred for seven days. When these experiences passed, Yonten Gyatso remained in a state of great equanimity and possessed unimpeded clairvoyance. He remained at Jonang for the next thirty-eight years, focusing primarily on the practice of the six-branch yoga. In general, he is said to have received and
mastered all the teachings available in Tibet and was especially renowned for his moral integrity. See https://treasuryoflives.org/biographies/view/Khetsun-Yonten-Gyatso/2790 29 Fourth holder of Jonang monastery, Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen (dol po pa shes rab rgyalmtshan) (1292-1361), often credited with
founding the Jonang tradition. He was a great exponent of the empty-of-other (gzhan stong) view, which he set forth in his writings such as his famous Mountain Dharma. From Treasury of Lives: In 1322 Dolpopa left Sakya and went to Jonang Monastery, where he received from the master Khetsun Yonten Gyatso (yon tan rgya mtsho, 1260-1327) the complete transmission of the Kālacakra Tantra, the Bodhisattva Trilogy, and the Kālacakra completion-stage practices of the six-branch yoga. Then he entered a meditation retreat at the
Jonang hermitage of KhachoDeden (mkha' spyod bde ldan). After this retreat, Yonten Gyatso convinced Dolpopa to teach in the assembly at Jonang, and also taught him many more systems of esoteric knowledge, such as Lamdre, the Five Stages (rim lnga) of the Guhyasamāja and the Cakrasaṃvara, Zhije and Chod. Dolpopa then
visited Sakya at the invitation of Tishri KungaGyeltsen (tishrI kun dga' rgyal mtshan, 1310-1358) of the Khon family, and offered him the Kālacakra initiation. For more on his life and works see https://treasuryoflives.org/biographies/view/Dolpopa-Sherab-Gyeltsen/2670 and Stearns (1999). 30 Tenth
holder of Jonang monastery, Nyawon Kunga Pel (nya dbon kun dga' dpal, 1285 – 1379). From Treasury of Lives bio: Nyawon stayed with Dolpopa until he was fifty-six years old. He also received many teachings such as the Kālacakra from Dolpopa's major disciple Chokle Namgyel (phyogs las rnamrgyal, 1306-1386). At some point Nyawon taught for a long period at Sakya Monastery. He later became the tenth holder of the monastic throne at Jonang monastery. Nyawon later founded the monastery of Tsechen (rtsechen) in the upper Nyang Valley
(nyang stod), where he had about six hundred disciples. There he lived and constantly taught epistemology and the Vimalaprabhā commentary on the Kālacakra Tantra. When it was difficult for Dolpopa himself to come and consecrate the temple and special objects that Nyawon constructed at Tsechen, Dolpopa's major disciple
Sabzang Mati Paṇchen Lodro Gyeltsen (sa bzang ma tipa Nchen blo gros rgyal mtshan, 1294-1376) was invited. See https://treasuryoflives.org/biographies/view/Nyawon-Kunga-Pel/3673. 31Kunga Lodro (kundga' blogros, 1365-1443), disciple of NyawonKungaPel. From Treasury of Lives:
When he was four or five years old he had repeated visions of Dolpopa Sherab Gyeltsen (dol po pa shes rab rgyal mtshan, 1292-1361) and received the Kālacakra blessing from him. When he was eight
years old he received initial monastic ordination from the Sakya master Lama Dampa Sonam Gyeltsen (bla ma dam pa bsodnamsrgyalmtshan, 1312–75) and NyawonKungaPel (nyadbonkundga' dpal, 1285-1379) Kunga Lodro studied with many teachers, but especially Nyawon, from whom he learned many topics such epistemology, abhidharma, the monastic code, Madhyamaka, Lamdre, and the Kālacakra teachings. He also received the great initiation of Kālacakra from Dolpopa's major disciple Chokle Namgyel (phyogs las rnamrgyal, 1306-1386), who
twice held the monastic seat of Jonang Monastery. From Gyelwa Josang (rgyal ba jo bzang), who was the eleventh holder of the monastic seat at Jonang, Kunga Lodro later received the great Vimalaprabhā commentary on the Kālacakra Tantra with Chokle Namgyel's own annotations to the text. 32Kunga Lodro's main disciple was Jamyang Konchok Zangpo ('jam dbyangs dkon mchog bzang po, 1398-1475), who held the monastic
seat of Tsechen, Jonang, and other monasteries. From Treasury of Lives: In particular, from the great adept Kunga Lodro (kundga' blogros) he received the initiations, explanations of the tantric scriptures, and esoteric instructions of all the nondual tantras such as Kālacakra, the mother tantras such as Hevajra and
Cakrasaṃvara, the father tantras such as Guhyasamāja, the Yogatantras such as Vajradhatu, and also the transmission of the action tantra (kriyatantra) and performance tantra (caryatantra) systems. He received the teachings of the Shangpa (shangs pa) tradition such as the Six Dharmas of Niguma (niguchos drug) from Samding Zhonnu Drub (bsams dings gzhon nu grub), and various transmissions from other masters. Jamyang
Konchok Zangpo became the fourteenth holder of the monastic seat of Jonang Monastery and also held the monastic seats of other monasteries during his lifetime, such as Pelkhor Dechen (dpal 'khor bdechen) in Gyantse, Tsechen (rtsechen), and Samding (bsamsdings). During these years he gave a vast number of teachings, a few of which were the six-branch yoga of Kālacakra, the great Vimalaprabhā commentary to the
Kālacakra Tantra, the collected writings of the Sakya patriarchs (saskyabka' 'bum), the collected writings of Dolpopa, the collected writings of GyelseTokme Zangpo (rgyalsrasthogs med bzang po), the instructions of Mahāmudrā, the Six Dharmas of Niguma, Zhije, and the Chod teachings of Machik Labdron (ma gcig lab sgron). See: https://treasuryoflives.org/biographies/view/Jamyang-Konchok-Sangpo/P2464 33 Eighteenth holder of
Jonang seat, Namkha Chokyong (nammkha' chosskyong (1456 - ) ). From Treasury of Lives: He was one of the major disciples of Jamyang Konchok Zangpo ('jam dbyangs dkon mchog bzang po), from whom he received a vast number of profound transmissions, such as the Kālacakra initiation, the explanation of the Kālacakra Tantra, the esoteric instructions of the six-branch yoga, the collected writings of the dharma lord Dolpopa, and the Bodhisattva Trilogy.
Namkha Pelzang, disciple of NamkhaChokyong (nam mkha' dpal bzang (1464-1529)). From Treasury of Lives: In particular, he received the complete Kālacakra initiation, explanation of the Kālacakra Tantra, and the esoteric instructions of the Jonang tradition from Namkha Chokyong (nam mkha' chos skyong, 1436-1507), who
was the eighteenth abbot of Jonang Monastery. He also received the Jang tradition (byang lugs) of the Kālacakra from Namgyel Draksang's (rnam rgyal grags bzang, 1395-1475) disciple Shangpa Kunga Pelden (shangs pa kundga' dpalldan, d.u.). He received further Kālacakra transmissions from the master Sherab Ozer (shesrab 'od zer, d.u.). According to the hagiographies, when Namkha Pelzang practiced the six-branch yoga
of Kālacakra he gained unimpeded clairvoyance, and, when the ten vital winds were drawn into the central channel during meditation, a great experience of bliss erupted and the ten signs of clear light and other indications of accomplishment became stable. Namkha Pelzang founded the monastery of Drepung ('bras spungs, not to be confused with the great Geluk monastery of the same name), where he continuously taught the six-branch yoga to many male and female practitioners.
See: https://treasuryoflives.org/biographies/view/Pa%E1%B9%87chen-Namkha-Pelzang-/726 35Lochen Ratnabhadra (1489-1563), disciple of NamkhaPelzang. This is his Sanskrit name but he was also called Rinchen Zangpo
(rinchenbzang po). From Treasury of Lives: Except for when he was teaching, Ratnabhadra spent most of his time in solitary meditation, and in particular spent four years and eight months in retreat practicing the six-branch yoga of Kālacakra. He frequently taught the six-branch yoga and the practical guiding instructions (dmarkhrid) of Avalokiteśvara, as well as many other teachings such as Sakya Lamdre.
See: https://treasuryoflives.org/biographies/view/Lochen-Ratnabhadra-/13065 36 Twenty-fourth Jonang holder, Kunga Drolchog (1507-1566), disciple of Lochen Ratnabhadra. From Treasury of Lives: Kunga Drolchok was especially devoted to the practices of the Shangpa Kagyu (shangs pa bka' brgyud) tradition, which he
received from the master Gyagom Lekpa Gyeltsen (rgyas gom legs pa rgyal mtshan, d.u.) and other teachers. He met the ḍākinī Niguma in a vision and taught the Shangpa transmission of the Six Dharmas of Niguma (niguchos drug, d.u.) more than one hundred times to many masters from different traditions. He also
frequently taught Lamdre and other precious instructions of the Sakya tradition throughout his career. Kunga Drolchok was a master of the Jonang tradition's six-branch yoga of Kālacakra (dus 'khor sbyor drug), which he received from Lochen Ratnabhadra (lo chenratnabhadra, 1489-1563), who seems to have been the most important of his many teachers.
For about the last twenty years of his life KungaDrolchok was the twenty-fourth holder of the monastic seat of Jonang Monastery, retaining this position until his death in 1566.
See: https://treasuryoflives.org/biographies/view/Kunga-Drolchok/TBRC_P2387 37Khenpo Lungrig Gyatso (Deje) (mkhanchen lung rigs rgyamtsho (16th cent.)) was one of Jetsün Kunga Drolchog's closest disciples and instrumental in the finding of his incarnation, Jetsün Tāranātha. Lungrig Gyatso studied extensively at the
famous Sakya monastery of Serdogchen (gser mdog can), the seat of the great Shakya Chogden (1428-1507). He received the full transmission of the Kālacakra tantra and its commentaries, Kālacakra empowerment and full explanations of the Six Vajra Yogas of the Kālacakra system from Kunga Drolchog. He was closely involved in
Tāranātha's enthronement at Jonang monastery and then continued to pass on to him all the transmissions and teachings he had received from Tāranātha's predecessor. Not long after having completed this task he apparently passed away.. See Treasury of Lives bio here: https://treasuryoflives.org/biographies/view/lung-rig-rgya-mtsho/P2416 38 Twenty-sixth Jonang name-holder, Jetsun Tāranātha (1575 – 1634) and student of
Lungrig Gyatso (see above). From Treasury of Lives: Kunga Drolchok's disciple Draktopa Lhawang Drakpa (brag stod pa lha dbang grags pa, d.u.) taught Tāranātha many esoteric instructions, especially the Six Yogas and Mahāmudrā. Jedrung Kunga Pelzang (rje drung kundga' dpal bzang, 1513-1588), who was Kunga Drolchok's nephew
and successor on the monastic seat of Jonang Monastery (jo nang dgon), transmitted to Tāranātha the teachings of Kālacakra and the dharma protector Mahākāla that he had received from his uncle. From Kunga Drolchok's disciple Lungrik Gyatso (lung rigs rgyamtsho, d.u.), Tāranātha received many transmissions,
especially the Kālacakra initiation, the explanation of the Kālacakra Tantra, the esoteric instructions of the Six-branch Yoga according to the Jonang tradition, and the collected writings Dolpopa Sherab Gyeltsen (dol po pa shes rab rgyal mtshan, 1292-1361). He is said to have gained a special experiential realization when he practiced the Six-branch Yoga.
See:https://treasuryoflives.org/biographies/view/Taranata/2712 39Kunga Rinchen Gyatso(kun dga' rinchen rgyam tsho, early 17th to late 17th century). From Treasury of Lives: He met Tāranātha when he was a young man and received both novice and complete ordination from him. He also received many teachings of both
sutra and tantra, and is said to have mastered the meaning of them all. In particular, he received from Tāranātha the complete Kālacakra initiation, the Kālacakra Tantra, and the esoteric instructions of the
six-branch yoga. He is said to have gained deep experience and realization from the practice of the six-branch yoga. Rinchen Gyatso was extremely intelligent and said to have been able to memorize about eighteen folios (i.e. thirty-six pages) of Tibetan text every day.
When Tāranātha's successor, Sanggye Gyatso (sangs rgyas rgyam tsho), passed away in 1635, Rinchen Gyatso came to Tāranātha's monastery of Takden Damcho Ling (rtag brtan dam chos gling), and was
enthroned on the monastic seat. He led the Jonang tradition for the next fifteen years. During this period he maintained the ancient Jonang traditions of explication and practice without decline. In the mid-
seventeenth century the monastery was converted from the Jonang to the Geluk tradition by order of the Tibetan government of the Fifth Dalai Lama, Ngawang Lobzang Gyatso (ngag dbang blo bzang rgyam tsho, 1617-1682), and Rinchen Gyatso fled.
See: https://treasuryoflives.org/biographies/view/Kunga-Rinchen-Gyatso/4150 40Lodro Namgyal (blo gros rnam rgyal, (1618-1683). A disciple of Tāranātha and Rinchen Gyatso. From Treasury of Lives: At the age of
sixteen he met TāranāthaKungaNyingpo, the famed abbot of Jonang Monastery (jo nangdgon) in Tsang. Tāranātha gave him lay and novice vows, and a full range of teachings in both sutra and tantra. It was Tāranātha who gave him the name LodroNamgyel. Sometime after Tāranātha passed away Lodro Namgyel received full ordination from Kunga Rinchen Gyatso (kundga' rinchenrgyamtsho, d.u.), from whom he also received empowerments and
teachings. Having become an expert in the Jonang tradition of the Kālacakra and zhentong (gzhanstong), or "other emptiness," it is said that LodroNamgyel impressed the Fifth Dalai Lama, Ngawang Lobzang Gyatso (ta la'ibla ma 05 ngag dbang blo bzang rgya mtsho, 1617-1682) with his explanations of the topics.
See:https://treasuryoflives.org/biographies/view/Lodro-Namgyel/1869 41Konchok Jigme Namgyal. 42 Often means Vajrasattva. 43Ngawang Chokyi Phagpa. 44Ngawang Chokyi Naljor. 45Kunga Khedrub Wangchuk. 46Shentong (gzhan stong), the emptiness view that the ultimate nature is not empty of its own qualities but only empty of ‘other’ dualistic, conventional phenomena. 47Khenpo Ngawang Lodro Dragpa (Ngag-dbang-blo-gros-grags-pa) (1920-1975) was a great Jonang master of the 20th Century. For more information on his life, see::
http://treasuryoflives.org/biographies/view/Ngawang-Lodro-Drakpa/8752 48This is referring to Tsangwa (gtsangba) Monastery, located in Amdo, an important Jonang monastery that was founded in 1717 by Lodro Namgyel. It is one of three monasteries, the other two being Choje and Tsechu, that comprise the Dzamtang monastic complex. It is divided into Tsangchung and Tsangchen Monasteries.
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