Khenpo Ngawa Palzang's stream of consciousness flows through self-reflection and moral inquiry, inviting readers to examine their own condition in this meditation on accountability. Talking to Myself Emaho! These days, here in the bowels of the degenerate age, The rulership of karma drags me where I don’t want to go. This weighs on my mind, but still, I spurn the Dharma. No matter what I go on about, it doesn’t mean much. In my heart, I’d like to be a part of the Dharma, But a fathomless sea of bad karma swells all around me. With all this triviality, I’ve made a fool of myself and others. Strangled by the straps of the eight delusions, [ 1 ] Here where the five poisons rage, I have betrayed everyone, high and low. I know that partaking in the Dharma heals, And I want to wrap myself in the fine cloths of study and practice. But these thoughts, like foul vomit gurgling within me, Haunt me with the unthinkability of my path pleasing the buddhas. In these times, study and practice have all the appeal of a corpse. I have remained in solitude, but nothing meaningful came of it. Pretending to be an altruistic practitioner, My mind buzzes with schemes embroiling me and others. To me the teachings of sūtra and tantra are mere commodities I blithely traffic to get ahead in this world. What will become of me in future lives? My entourage of students serves me again and again, [ 2 ] And I fritter away my life, worthlessly, Days and nights passing on a wheel of distractions. The life stories of my fathers, the Kagyu saints, Speak straight to my heart, But I only pretend to relate to their hardships. I pose and I lie, talented in my treachery. Straggling behind the forefathers, I’m an orphan lost among the images of my mind. Sad at the decay of my body’s four elements, And cut off from the Dharma’s stream, my heart feels dark. I’m oppressed by the burden of my self-absorption, And I long to rest in selflessness. But unseeing clouds my mind, so I don’t make sense of the path. I stumble around in my distortions. After thoughts, I scramble helplessly, And I’m full of hopes and fears about keeping up appearances. Being in charge of a bastion of the teachings is a demonic fate. These activities, like rapids, I try to manage. All these undertakings, and I’m still a bastard to the basic truths. All this fellowship, and I just wallow in quarrels. My sojourns in solitude have been ruts of distraction. Ungrounded, I sway in the winds of the wealthy. [ 3 ] How I really am remains a mystery to me. My appearance is finely wrought, but I’m fooling myself. The hypocrisy inside me will fuel my future miseries. These toxic deeds I’ve heaped up under the cover of Dharma. [ 4 ] I aspire for noble qualities, then I deceive. Though I’m getting older, I don’t think about death. Lacking all sense of direction, empty-handed, I creak along. Who will save me from terror on the Lord of Death’s road? The drive to shelter from fear is rooted in my mind. [ 5 ] I’m drunk on the poison draft of bettering my lot, [ 6 ] And if I don’t serve nectar that helps others, The Dharma I take part in will just be filler for this life. Now, no matter what I think about, My mind finds nothing to trust. So let me turn my mind inward and stop looking around! Let me integrate the practices that have come down through the lineage! I’ve collected things of value, but I can’t take them with me. I’ve indulged in gathering up my desires, And I got them, sure, but all I came away with was toxic burdens. I scramble like some Sisyphean slave, [ 7 ] And my hard man image is wrapped up in the eight delusions. What hope can I hold for anything down the line? Betrayed by my benighted mind, I’m dull and thick. I stuff myself with meaningless likes and dislikes, And while I understand that enemies are endless, still I strive to quell them. I know I can’t rely on friends, yet I bind myself in attachment to them. I’ve managed to get everything wrong about what is vast and profound, [ 8 ] And though I’m good at masquerading as a teacher, I’m steeped in laziness. Surrounded by the appearances of this life, reflect on the implications of your thoughts. [ 9 ] See if there is any benefit in my babble. Take good stock of the way I am. If you think I’m on to something, then practice. If you think, “I am not afraid of the great enemy of the lower realms,” Then feel free to take it easy. May some good come from “talking to myself.” [ 10 ] COLOPHON None NOTES ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Joseph McClellan produced a draft of the translation and appendix during the summer of 2022 in Mae Sot, Thailand. Lowell Cook then checked the translation against the Tibetan and made many corrections and improvements. Ryan Jacobson reviewed a second draft and Tom Greensmith offered final copyedits. Thanks to Khentrul Lodro Thaye Rinpoche for some helpful comments. APPENDIX On the Methodology of the Translation In the translation of this poem, we used a methodology much less common in translated Tibetan literature. Most of this literature is doctrinally rich, and often it conveys subtle contemplative instructions that a translator must take great care to pass along to the reader with precision. Other translated Tibetan literature, such as the tremendous work of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, strives to preserve the style, register, and even syntax of the original text as much as possible, even if it sometimes goes against the grain of English literary conventions. The consensus is that more literal translations—metaphrase in translation parlance—are better for preserving the texts as historical documents. At least as important as that, Tibetan translators usually approach their work with an attitude of devotion—they try to tread as lightly as possible on the fabric of sacred words laid before them. Writers of Khenpo Ngaga’s stature, and Khenpo Ngaga himself, usually write from a position of explicit or implicit authority—an authority that comes from the partial or complete accomplishment of the Buddhist path. Khenpo’s autobiography, Wondrous Dance of Illusion, recounts a nearly endless stream of spiritual insights going back to his early childhood, and many of his writings are in the voice of a master in total control of his life and mind and who is writing for the reader’s benefit—to teach us something about view, meditation, or action. Therefore, most of his work should be translated according to the principles of metaphrase. While translating this poem, however, metaphrase did not seem adequate, or even appropriate. This is not the place to speculate on Khenpo Ngaga’s motives in writing this poem, but based on his life story, if he ever felt the way he describes here, it may surprise many of us. Whatever the case, the poem is striking for its tone of self-excoriation, regret, and melancholy—the kind of depression that torments a person who has the embers of a seeker in their heart but nevertheless has wasted their life and spiritual opportunities. The poem is almost devoid of technical terminology, and it does not present precise contemplative instructions. Rather, Khenpo Ngaga here uses affect as a hammer. The poem’s sole purpose seems to be to exacerbate the reader’s existential darkness—to strike on the hopelessness of being happy doing what one has always done. Considering these elements of the poem’s content and style, we offer a paraphrastic translation—that is, we do not contort the translation to fit the syntax and grammatical details of the original. The poem, as strange as it may sound, is far closer to Hank William’s I’m so Lonesome I Could Cry than to Khenpo’s own prayers and instructions. Even if the poem is a performance of a bodhisattva mimicking the thoughts of the saṃsārically afflicted, Khenpo Ngaga has succeeded in writing something many of us find painfully familiar. His “Talking to Myself” sounds just like our own pain and frustration. To give a few examples of the paraphrastic approach of the translation: Line three begins with the clause don gong ltar bsam kyang chos ma mthun (lit. meaning + above + like + think + but + Dharma + not + agree). A simple and accurate literal translation would be, “I think about the aforementioned meaning, however, I do not conform to the Dharma.” But no one would find that English line elegant or interesting, and the warmth of an English poem must not be cooled because of a half-line of stock phrasing. Tibetan verse, on the other hand, with its austere meter and elided particles, tolerates and even thrives when a chain of simple syllables forces the reader to fill in the gaps with their imagination. The point of the line is to highlight what he just said about feeling the negative consequences of his previous actions and the absurdity of refusing to engage in the one thing that would make the situation better—Dharma practice. For this reason, in lieu of a literal translation, we opted for the more evocative, “This weighs on my mind, but still, I spurn the Dharma.” The Tibetan of another line on the first page says dus deng song gi bshad sgrub ro ltar mthong (“these days + of + study + practice + corpse + like + to see”). A literal but unsatisfying rendering of this might say, “The study and practice of these days look like a corpse.” That will not do aesthetically, so we must ask what it means to look like a corpse. Of course, this means it looks like something you want nothing to do with, something you would rather leave by the road and forget about. Thus, we ended up with “In these times, study and practice have all the appeal of a corpse.” Tibetan has every resource to articulate that exact English thought, but to our ear, the correspondence here is adequate, and no meaningful violence has been done to the original. Again, on the first page, there is a couplet in which nauseating thoughts or concepts rise up (we say “gurgling,” but in fact there is only implied verbal action)—these thoughts (rtog pa) are in the instrumental case, so they are the agent or the reason for the verb, which comes at the end of a Tibetan sentence. The verb here is “to think” or “wonder” (snyam pa), so the basic logic of the sentence is “because of these thoughts … I think.” But again, this will not do aesthetically, and there is nothing technical in the couplet that would demand a high degree of literal precision. If we focus on the affective meaning, we may consider how we speak about specific thought patterns that crystallize around dark and negative thoughts. We might say something like, “I am haunted by the memories of my child’s death.” While that is not a common idiom in classical Tibetan, it conveys the feeling much better than the metaphrastic “thoughts … make me think.” A bit later, another line solicits a loose rendering. The Tibetan says, “toxic deeds + big + those + Dharma + in + accumulated + is.” The sticking point is interpreting the preposition in relation to “Dharma.” The general meaning is “accumulated/gathered/heaped up in the Dharma,” but that English is ambiguous. We take “in” as “in the context of the Dharma,” but we still must unpack intent. If one heaps up toxic deeds in the context of the Dharma, the main problem is the hypocrisy of acting destructively under the false banner/aegis/cover of the Dharma. Therefore, we end up with a loose translation we think captures the meaning better than any literal option: “These toxic deeds I’ve heaped up under the cover of Dharma.” A final, simple example regards the handling of probably the most common Tibetan adjective, chen po. It can cover every synonym of the fundamental English adjectives “big” and “great.” In one line of this poem, the common term mtsho chen appears, which means, unambiguously, “big lake/ocean.” The main verb in the line is rdol ba, which has the water-related meaning of “flood” or “burst,” which nudges us to choose a water-related adjective for “big.” We, therefore, opt for “fathomless,” even though there are Tibetan words that match that adjective’s etymology. Since the vocabulary being used is not doctrinal or technical, we see no reason to limit our diction to the less poetic options. [1] “Eight delusions” here stands for the “eight worldly concerns,” the false paths of basing one’s happiness on gain and loss, feeling good and not good, praise and censure, and recognition and insignificance. [2] We have speculatively amended kyi to kyis in this line. This is the most common Tibetan orthographical error, and the instrumental case kyis reads more smoothly. [3] Most likely referring to the tendency to gravitate towards one’s wealthy benefactors who make one’s life comfortable. [4] A loose rendering of the line. Please see the appendix for an explanation of the translation choices. [5] We have amended the spelling in this line from chag to chags. Additionally, “the motivation to the sheltered from fear” (’jigs skyobs kyi kun slong) is one of two main flawed motivations for pursuing the spiritual path. In Khenpo Ngaga’s own A Guide to the Words of My Perfect Teacher, he glosses this motivation in the following way: “If you practice the Dharma in order to be protected from the fear of being prey in this life to disease, negative spirits, being punished by the law, famine, and so forth, whether you follow the most basic practices of the Shravakas’ Vehicle or the most advanced practices of the Radiant Great Perfection, you may well be protected from these fears, but apart from this there will be no beneficial result whatsoever. You should therefore avoid this sort of attitude” (Ngawang Pelzang, A Guide to the Words of My Perfect Teacher, 18). [6] “The attitude of wishing to better one’s lot” (legs smon gyi kun slong) is the second main wrong motivation for spiritual practice. Khenpo Ngaga glosses it the following way: “you may think, ‘I will request a teaching and receive the empowerments and the transmissions, and then, if I practice the sadhana in retreat, I’ll gain something; people will praise me and I’ll become famous.’ With these three—gain, praise, and a good reputation—you can obtain food, clothes, and other sources of happiness for this life. Gain, praise, fame, and pleasure, and their four opposites, which are the things we do not wish for, together constitute the eight ordinary concerns… nothing on earth could be more shameful than using the Dharma to fulfill your worldly desires. Someone who does so, exchanging the priceless teachings of the sacred Dharma for worldly valuables and goods like food and clothes, is worse than an ordinary old man who gets rich hunting with a rifle. The peerless Dagpo said: ‘Unless you practice the Dharma according to the Dharma, Dharma itself becomes the cause of evil rebirths.’… It is said in the Sakya teaching Parting from the Four Attachments, ‘Those who are attached to this life are not practitioners of the Dharma.’ Such people are traders in the soul of the doctrine, people who demean the Three Jewels, mere collectors of monastic robes. You should avoid them like poison. “When you have this sort of motivation, hoping to better your lot, you might appear to be practicing the Dharma, whether the most basic Shravakas’ Vehicle or the most advanced Great Perfection; you might lock yourself up in your hermitage for many years; you might look as if you are diligently practicing sadhana in retreat; but, according to Apu, even if you acquire some wealth, praise, or a good reputation the only thing you will accomplish is being able to say, ‘It is because of my practice that I am rich, much-praised, and famous.’ You will not even sow the seed for liberation in the next life. Like the swindler who spread a deerskin over some donkey meat to sell it as venison, you will have covered the donkey meat of your own evil being with the deerskin of the sacred Dharma; you will have discredited the Dharma. Just as one says of an ordinary person who squanders his inheritance, ‘He’s a hopeless businessman,’ people will say of you, ‘There is someone who has failed and discredited the Dharma’ ” (Ngawang Pelzang, A Guide to the Words of My Perfect Teacher, 18–19). [7] Here, “Sisyphean” is rendering don med, a general term meaning “pointless/useless/meaningless.” Sisyphean relates to the Greek myth of Sisyphus, who was condemned by the gods to roll a boulder up a mountain repeatedly. Once he pushed the boulder to the top, it would roll back over him to the bottom, and he would have to repeat the process, eternally. Albert Camus wrote a popular essay about the myth, which he saw as an apt metaphor for the absurdity of human existence, where much of what we do is difficult, repetitive, and seemingly pointless. While we generally avoid specific Western references in Tibetan translations, here we use “Sisyphean” because of its common usage, and because it captures the contextual meaning quite well. [8] This is a reference to the “two commentarial traditions” according to which Mahāyāna treatises are organized. “Profound” here refers to the path of the profound view of emptiness inspired by the bodhisattvas Mañjuśrī and transmitted to and expounded by Nāgārjuna and the Madhyamaka philosophers. “Vast” here refers to the path of vast conduct taught by Maitreya to Asaṅga and carried on through the activities of Vasubandhu, Dignāga, and other important Cittamātra philosophers and logicians. Khenpo Ngaga is saying that he studied these intellectual traditions and misunderstood them. [9] Tentative. The Tibetan reads, “these appearances + because of these + thoughts’ + high + way + think about!” A clunkier literal translation might read, “Because of the appearances of this life, you should think about the gravity/importance/prominence of your thoughts.” Our slightly looser rendering follows the principles discussed in the appendix. [10] This line may be considered the poem’s colophon. Literally, it says, “Thus/there you have ‘Talking to Myself.’ Virtue!” However, the line keeps the meter of all the other lines, and in the Tibetan text, it is not written in smaller font, as colophons often are. Therefore, we rendered it as the final poetic line, which doubles as a colophon. BIBLIOGRAPHY Abstract Surging, subtle, and well short of a rigmarole, Khenpo Ngawang Palzang takes us down a river of reverie. In this current the ripples of his thought invoke images of self-depreciation, accountability, and conscientiousness, to name a few. In the end, the imperative is put forth to investigate the moral and to take your findings into your own condition. So, hop in this craft and take the journey down this eddyless waterway. BDRC LINK MW22946 _94C0EC DOWNLOAD TRANSLATION GO TO TRANSLATION LISTEN TO AUDIO 00:00 / 00:27 TRADITION Nyingma INCARNATION LINE N/A HISTORICAL PERIOD 19th Century 20th Century TEACHERS Lodrö Gyatso The First Drukpa Kuchen, Chöying Rölpe Dorje Nyoshul Lungtok Tenpe Gyaltsen Khenchen Gyaltsen Özer Nyoshul Lungtok Tenpe Nyima Sönam Palden Kunzang Palden The Fifth Dzogchen Drubwang, Tubten Chökyi Dorje The Fifth Shechen Rabjam, Pema Tegchok Tenpe Gyaltsen Sönam Chöpel The Third Mura, Pema Dechen Zangpo Tsultrim Norbu Dorzin Namdröl Mipam Gyatso TRANSLATOR Dr. Joseph McClellan INSTITUTIONS Palyul Monastery Katok Monastery Dzogchen Monastery STUDENTS Tulku Könchok Drakpa Adzom Gyalse Gyurme Dorje Khenpo Nuden Legshe Jorden Lama Drönma Tsering Khenchen Gyaltsen Özer Tsultrim Yönten Gyatso Chatral Sangye Dorje The Fourth Chagtsa, Kunzang Pema Trinle The Fourth Drutob Namkha Gyatso, Zhepe Dorje Khenchen Tsewang Rigzin The Second Dzongsar Khyentse, Jamyang Chökyi Lodrö Botrul Dongak Tenpe Nyima Jampal Drakpa Khen Dampa Pema Ribur Tulku Gyalten Ngawang Gyatso Tromge Arik Tulku Tenpe Nyima Nyagtö Khenpo Gedun Gyatso Lama Munsel Tsultrim Gyatso Gojo Khenchen Karma Tashi Gyara Khenchen Gönpo Orgyen Chemchok Yoru Gyalpo The Third Zhichen Vairo, Pema Gyaltsen Togden Lama Yönten Lakar Togden Polu Khenpo Dorje Khunu Rinpoche Tenzin Gyaltsen Nyoshul Khenpo Jamyang Dorje Lungtrul Shedrub Tenpe Nyima Khenpo Rinpoche Sönam Döndrub Khen Lodrö Khenpo Pema Samdrub The Second Palyul Chogtrul, Jampal Gyepe Dorje The Second Penor, Rigzin Palchen Dupa AUTHOR Khenpo Ngawang Palzang Talking to Myself VIEW ALL PUBLICATIONS NEXT PUBLICATION > < PREVIOUS PUBLICATION Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators Terms of Use Privacy Policy Donate Subscribe to our newsletter Support Tib Shelf's ongoing work & Subscribe Today! 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Menu Close Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators Terms of Use Privacy Policy Donate SUBSCRIBE Publications Watch People Listen Watch Explore the stories and culture of Tibet through immersive videos. BUDDHIST GOVERNMENTAL MISCELLANEOUS Author Tradition Historical Period View All Reset Filters Song A Series of Spontaneous Spiritual Songs Lelung Zhepe Dorje Two spontaneous songs by Lelung Zhepe Dorje: one honoring the mysterious Je Traktung Pawo, another celebrating unobstructed awareness - both transmitting direct spiritual experience through verse. See Publication Praises In Praise of the Goddess Sarasvatī Tsongkhapa Lobzang Dragpa Tsongkhapa's celebrated ode to Sarasvatī resonates beyond monastery walls into Tibet's artistic and literary spheres, becoming a cultural touchstone of devotional poetry. See Publication Song A Song on the Merits of Kyangpen Namkhe Dzong Milarepa Milarepa's poetic ode to Kyangpen Namkhe Dzong exalts nature itself as the source of this retreat site's blessing power, departing from traditional focus on Buddhist masters. See Publication Aspirational Prayer The Magical Lasso: A Prayer of Aspiration to Accomplish Khecara Lelung Zhepe Dorje A heartfelt prayer to the ḍākinīs of three worlds, composed at Pemokö's Dudul Dewa Chenpo, seeking blessings to master the Vajrayāna path for all beings' benefit. See Publication Prayer The Vajra Verses: A Prayer of the Fierce Inner Heat Jigme Lingpa Jigme Lingpa's Longchen Nyingtik instruction on fierce inner heat practice, composed as a supplication to be sung between lineage prayers and practice commencement. See Publication Guidebook Hidden Sacred Land of Pemakö Dudjom Lingpa Dudjom Lingpa maps Pemakö's sacred geography, revealing its power spots, deity abodes, and purifying landscapes through traditional guidebook wisdom and spiritual insight. See Publication Declaration Sixteen Self-Assertions Drugpa Zhabdrung, Ngawang Namgyal, Lopön Nadok The First Drugpa Zhabdrung's victory declaration of 1619, composed after defeating Tsang's ruler through ritual sorcery, helped establish Bhutan's identity while asserting his talismanic power. See Publication Cosmogony The Formation of the Outer Container Drigung Konchok Tendzin Chokyi Lodro Ancient Buddhist scriptures from the Collection of Precious Qualities reveal how collective karma shapes our universe's formation and every world system within it. See Publication Aspirational Prayer For the Long Life of Ḍākki Losal Drölma Do Khyentse Yeshe Dorje Do Khyentse, writing as Tragtung Dorje, crafts a long-life prayer for Ḍākki Losal Drölma that playfully incorporates her lesser-known name Drön while praising her spiritual attainments. See Publication View More

Menu Close Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators Terms of Use Privacy Policy Donate SUBSCRIBE Publications Watch People Listen Listen Relax and listen to engaging audio narrations of translated Tibetan texts. BIOGRAPHICAL BUDDHIST CONTEMPORARY GOVERNMENTAL INSTITUTIONAL MISCELLANEOUS Author Tradition Historical Period View All Reset Filters Song A Series of Spontaneous Spiritual Songs Lelung Zhepe Dorje 00:00 / 06:03 Two spontaneous songs by Lelung Zhepe Dorje: one honoring the mysterious Je Traktung Pawo, another celebrating unobstructed awareness - both transmitting direct spiritual experience through verse. See Publication Biography Namkechenma: A Dream of Guru Chökyi Wangchuk Guru Chökyi Wangchuk 00:00 / 04:20 Armed with the 'scroll of devastation' from his father, Guru Chöwang's first treasure excavation leads to a terrifying encounter with the Nine-Headed Nāga Demon, guardian of hidden teachings. See Publication Praises In Praise of the Goddess Sarasvatī Tsongkhapa Lobzang Dragpa 00:00 / 01:31 Tsongkhapa's celebrated ode to Sarasvatī resonates beyond monastery walls into Tibet's artistic and literary spheres, becoming a cultural touchstone of devotional poetry. See Publication Biography A Brief Biography of Jetsunma Do Dasal Wangmo Tsangpo 00:00 / 10:36 A renowned female master in eastern Tibet, Do Dasal Wangmo - Do Khyentse's great-granddaughter - served as nun, physician, and treasure revealer, later teaching medicine despite political hardship. See Publication Correspondence A Letter to Hotoktu Rinpoche Tubten Chökyi Nyima 00:00 / 03:35 A mysterious letter from the Ninth Paṇchen Lama's secretary to Hotoktu Rinpoche, now preserved in a French private collection - its acquisition history remains unknown. See Publication Song A Song on the Merits of Kyangpen Namkhe Dzong Milarepa 00:00 / 01:54 Milarepa's poetic ode to Kyangpen Namkhe Dzong exalts nature itself as the source of this retreat site's blessing power, departing from traditional focus on Buddhist masters. See Publication Aspirational Prayer The Magical Lasso: A Prayer of Aspiration to Accomplish Khecara Lelung Zhepe Dorje 00:00 / 08:29 A heartfelt prayer to the ḍākinīs of three worlds, composed at Pemokö's Dudul Dewa Chenpo, seeking blessings to master the Vajrayāna path for all beings' benefit. See Publication Buddhist A Prayer to Lord Atiśa and His Spiritual Sons Khenpo Ngawang Palzang 00:00 / 06:28 Khenpo Ngawang Palzang's devotional prayer to Jowo Je Atiśa and his successors captures the essence of spiritual lineage while embodying profound Buddhist devotion. See Publication Prayer The Vajra Verses: A Prayer of the Fierce Inner Heat Jigme Lingpa 00:00 / 01:52 Jigme Lingpa's Longchen Nyingtik instruction on fierce inner heat practice, composed as a supplication to be sung between lineage prayers and practice commencement. See Publication Guidebook The Guidebook to the Hidden Land of Pemokö Jatsön Nyingpo 00:00 / 14:14 The first guidebook to Pemokö, revealed as a treasure by Jatson Nyinpo, prophesies future degeneration and identifies this sacred hidden land as a sanctuary. See Publication Supplication Prayer The Drop of Spring: A Spontaneous Vajra Song of Definitive Meaning That Supplicates the Great Charioteers of the Luminous Mahāmudrā Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo 00:00 / 10:15 A vajra song supplicating the early Dagpo Kagyu masters while expressing aspirations for realization through the luminous Mahāmudrā path. See Publication Supplication Prayer Generating Wonder & Glory: A Supplication to Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo’s Successive Lives Arranged in a Rough Summary Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Taye 00:00 / 05:17 Jamgön Kongtrul traces Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo's remarkable previous incarnations, revealing unexpected connections to significant Buddhist masters through history. See Publication View More

Discover Tibetan literary treasures with Tib Shelf. An online library of expertly translated Tibetan primary texts spanning diverse genres, time periods, and wisdom—your gateway to the stories and culture of Tibet. Enjoy downloadable publications, immersive videos and engaging audio narrations. Tibetan literature brought to you through beautifully translated publications, engaging audio narrations & immersive videos. Declaration Sixteen Self-Assertions Drugpa Zhabdrung, Ngawang Namgyal, Lopön Nadok The First Drugpa Zhabdrung's victory declaration of 1619, composed after defeating Tsang's ruler through ritual sorcery, helped establish Bhutan's identity while asserting his talismanic power. Watch Today's Picks Biography The Biography of Dzogchen Khenchen Abu Lhagang Khenpo Tsöndru Khenpo Tsöndru chronicles his teacher Pema Tegchok Loden (1879–1955), from his studies with renowned masters to his role as Dzogchen Śrī Siṃha's abbot, culminating in solitary meditation practice. Biography The Biography of Gyalse Rigpe Raltri Tubten Chödar Son of Do Khyentse and recognized as Jigme Lingpa's son's reincarnation, Rigpe Raltri became a revered Minyak guru, transmitting the Yangsang Khandro Tugtik treasures to his own son. Biography Mura Pema Dechen Zangpo Tenzin Lungtok Nyima A genealogy of the Mura lineage through its incarnations, focusing on the Third Mura Pema Dechen's life, teachings, and key relationships, penned by Tenzin Lungtok Nyima. Biography Biography Of Getse Lama Jigme Ngotsar Gyatso Tenzin Lungtok Nyima Getse Lama Jigme Ngotsar Gyatso, disciple of Jigme Lingpa and founder of Kilung Monastery, spread the Longchen Nyingtik teachings while establishing his own enduring legacy. Biography The Biography of Ḍākki Losal Drölma Tubten Chödar A realized female master, Ḍākki Losal Drölma served as custodian of her half-brother Do Khyentse's treasure teachings while deepening her own spiritual attainments in Tibet's sacred sites Download Pure Vision Chapter Narrating the Pure Vision of Gesar Lelung Zhepe Dorje Senior Geluk figure Lelung Zhepe Dorje (1697-1740) recounts his extraordinary 1729 pure vision of Gesar of Ling, marking a rare intersection of Geluk tradition with Tibet's epic hero. Read LATEST PUBLICATIONS Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Taye A Biography of Chöje Lingpa Lelung Zhepe Dorje A Series of Spontaneous Spiritual Songs Guru Chökyi Wangchuk The Great Symbolic Vision at Palpuk Ring: A Dream of Guru Chökyi Wangchuk Guru Chökyi Wangchuk Namkechenma: A Dream of Guru Chökyi Wangchuk Guru Chökyi Wangchuk How Guru Chöwang Met the Guru at Ne Ngön Guru Chökyi Wangchuk An Extraordinary Pure Vision at Kharchu's Nectar Cave: A Dream of Guru Chöwang People 1808–1887 Dza Patrul Orgyen Jigme Chökyi Wangpo View 1830–1896 Rigpe Raltri View 1879–1955 Pema Tegchok Loden View 1910–1991 Dilgo Khyentse Tashi Paljor View WEEKLY QUOTES The flowers of the secret tantras blossom in the ocean-like multitudes of teachings and practices; By tapping them to extract the honey-like nectar of the essential pith instructions, You introduced the intelligent to the restfulness of the supreme adepts. Yogin Marpa the Translator, I long for you from the center of my heart— Bless me to realize the innate primordial wisdom! Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo AUDIO NARRATION Namkechenma: A Dream of Guru Chökyi Wangchuk Guru Chökyi Wangchuk Armed with the 'scroll of devastation' from his father, Guru Chöwang's first treasure excavation leads to a terrifying encounter with the Nine-Headed Nāga Demon, guardian of hidden teachings. Listen CLICK PLAY TO LISTEN Publications for Download Download Download Download Download Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators Terms of Use Privacy Policy Donate Subscribe to our newsletter Support Tib Shelf's ongoing work & Subscribe Today! Name * Email* Submit Tib Shelf is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to translating, presenting and preserving primary source Tibetan texts across a vast array of genres and time periods. We make these literary treasures accessible to readers worldwide, offering a unique window into Tibet's rich history, culture and traditions. Tib Shelf has been accredited by the British Library with the International Standard Serial Number (ISSN): 2754–1495 CONTACT US | SHELVES@TIBSHELF.ORG © 2024 Tib Shelf. All rights reserved.

Kunga Palden 1878–1944/1950 View Dza Patrul Orgyen Jigme Chökyi Wangpo 1808–1887 View Chöje Lingpa 1682–1720 View The Seventh Dzogchen Tenzin Lungtok Nyima Rinpoche b. 1974– View Rigpe Raltri 1830–1896 View The First Dodrubchen, Jigme Trinle Özer 1745–1821 View Losal Drölma 1802–1861 View Pema Tegchok Loden 1879–1955 View Butön Rinchen Drub 1290–1364 View Dilgo Khyentse Tashi Paljor 1910–1991 View Dudjom Lingpa 1835–1903 View Dudul Dorje 1615–1672 View Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Taye 1813–1899 View Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo 1820–1892 View Khenpo Ngawang Palzang 1879–1941 View The Thirteenth Dalai Lama, Tubten Gyatso 1856–1875 View Guru Chökyi Wangchuk 1200/1212–1270 View Jatsön Nyingpo 1585–1656 View Döndrub Gyal 1953–1985 View Milarepa 1730–1798 View Jigme Lingpa 1730–1798 View Tsongkhapa Lobzang Dragpa 1357–1419 View Tubten Chödar b. 1969 View Do Dasal Wangmo 1928–2018 View Do Khyentse Yeshe Dorje 1800–1866 View The Fifth Lelung Zhepe Dorje 1697–1740 View People Tibet's influential figures including their works and mentions across translated texts. Search Person Menu Close Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators Terms of Use Privacy Policy Donate SUBSCRIBE Publications Watch People Listen

Treasure Revealer Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo 1820–1892 BDRC P258 TREASURY OF LIVES LOTSAWA HOUSE Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo (1820–1892) was a pivotal Tibetan Buddhist scholar, teacher, and treasure revealer renowned for his ecumenical approach to Buddhism, fostering collaboration across traditions like Sakya, Kagyu, and Nyingma. Born in Dilgo in Kham, his early training and extensive studies with leading masters established him as a figure of profound spiritual influence. He played a key role in preserving and revitalizing Tibetan teachings through his compilation efforts, such as the Drubtab Kundu and contributions to the renowned Rinchen Terdzö. Together with Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Taye and Chokgyur Lingpa, he formed the influential triumvirate that shaped Tibetan Buddhism in the nineteenth century. His work as a treasure revealer, teacher, and supporter of cultural preservation left an enduring legacy seen in institutions like Dzongsar Monastery and his foundational role in the Rimé movement. Supplication Prayer The Drop of Spring: A Spontaneous Vajra Song of Definitive Meaning That Supplicates the Great Charioteers of the Luminous Mahāmudrā Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo A vajra song supplicating the early Dagpo Kagyu masters while expressing aspirations for realization through the luminous Mahāmudrā path. Read Translated Works Biography The Biography of Dzogchen Khenchen Abu Lhagang Khenpo Tsöndru Khenpo Tsöndru chronicles his teacher Pema Tegchok Loden (1879–1955), from his studies with renowned masters to his role as Dzogchen Śrī Siṃha's abbot, culminating in solitary meditation practice. Read Biography Abbreviated Biography of Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Taye Jamgön Kongtrul celebrates Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo's mastery of diverse Tibetan spiritual traditions in this reverent biographical account. Read Mentioned In Menu Close Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators Terms of Use Privacy Policy Donate SUBSCRIBE Publications Watch People Listen

Khenpo Tsöndru chronicles his teacher Pema Tegchok Loden (1879–1955), from his studies with renowned masters to his role as Dzogchen Śrī Siṃha's abbot, culminating in solitary meditation practice. The Biography of Dzogchen Khenchen Abu Lhagang The birthplace of the glorious and kind Khenchen Pema Tegchok Loden , also known as Dzogchen Khen Lhagyal or Lhagang, was in the Dzogchen Drogri valley. The names of his parents, his birth year, and other details are unknown. [ 1 ] Both Dzogchen Khenpo Chimé Rinpoche and Khenpo Chönam Rinpoche were his nephews, as was a monk called Wangchuk Tsering, who was proficient in the scriptures. [ 2 ] When two of his younger nephews were recognized as the emanations of Do Rinpoche, Khenchen Tegchok said: “Whether or not they are emanations, they should become monks. It is customary in our family lineage for there to be proper monastics.” As this indicates, he was certainly born into a family lineage with a naturally good [standing]. There is a reliable account reported by two senior disciples that Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo had a clear indication in a dream while he was staying at Dzogchen Monastery that Pema Tegchok Loden was one of the emanations of the great paṇḍita Vimalamitra, who appears in Tibet once every hundred years. [ 3 ] Dokham’s crown ornament of scholars and adepts, Patrul Jigme Chökyi Wangpo , had four disciples who were superior to himself. [ 4 ] Pema Tegchok Loden’s exceptional gurus included one of these, Önpo Tenga, or Orgyen Tenzin Norbu, who surpassed his teacher in the [philosophy of] the Middle Way, as well as his direct disciple Dzogchen Khenpo Zhenga, or Khenchen Zhenpen Chökyi Nangwa. [ 5 ] The master also had a mutual guru-disciple relationship with the great destroyer of delusion Galen Lama Kunga Palden . [ 6 ] He served at the lotus feet of many particularly noble, spiritual mentors including the Fifth Dzogchen Tubten Chökyi Dorje and Jamyang Mipham Chogle Namgyal, as well as listening to and contemplating sūtras and tantras along with the general fields of knowledge. [ 7 ] He thus became a lord of scholars. In particular, he acquired a clear understanding of [Dharmakīrti’s] Seven Treatises (Dedun) and the root texts and commentarial literature of the sūtras. He became known as an exceptional scholar of valid cognition, authoritative in exposition, debate, and composition. For eight years he served as the abbot of the main Dzogchen Monastery and Śrī Siṃha College. He continued his enlightened activities by primarily explaining and propagating the thirteen great classics of Indian [Mahāyāna philosophical] scriptures, as well as the sūtras, tantras, and fields of knowledge. Thereafter, he devoted the remainder of his life to practice in what is known as the Yamāntaka Meditation Cave, a cave near Dzogchen Monastery where the long mantras of Vajrakīlaya and Yamāntaka as well as the seed syllable of Yamarāja naturally appeared. This is also where the Dharma lord Patrul Rinpoche wrote The Words of My Perfect Teacher: An Instructional Manual for the Preliminary Practices of The Heart Essence of the Great Expanse ( Longchen Nyingtik ) and conducted a long retreat, imbuing the cave with blessings. Pema Tegchok travelled twice to Dzogchen Monastery when others requested him to do so and it was of some significance for the benefit of the teachings. But besides these two occasions, he never left and stayed exclusively in seclusion in that sacred place. He had a square bed with a blanket, which was perfectly suitable for his cross-legged posture. He strove in meditation and never fully loosened his belt [to sleep]. He owned only a tea kettle, a bag for roasted barley flour, and some baskets, and never accepted any common worldly provisions. He devoted himself solely to the conduct through which one renounces all things and is freed from activities. When people gave him offerings on behalf of the dead, he would never accept large donations, only small ones, and even these were used as offerings for such things as celebrating the anniversary of the omniscient master, making feast offerings and so forth—he would not use them to fund his own resources. He never ate meat. During the summer, he would sit naked and offer his blood to the blood-drinking insects of the forest. When the moon shone at night, he would place his yogic meditation pad upon a boulder and practice the physical yogas, so much so that the boulder even grew smaller as a result. Between sessions, he boundlessly bestowed the nectar of profound instructions on faithful people from all directions, gaining countless disciples, including abbots and tulkus who preserved and upheld the doctrine of the victors and hermits who had given up life’s concerns and were free from activities. Even Khunu Lama Tenzin Gyaltsen Rinpoche said recently that he was Pema Tegchok’s student and that it was from him that he received the entirety of the Dzogchen Heart Essence’s (Nyingtik) instructional cycles. So exceedingly profound was his mind that the depth of his realization is difficult to comprehend. Still, we can consider what I believe to have been the core of his practice: all the instructions and profound advice from the textual tradition of the Omniscient One (Longchenpa Drimé Özer) and his heir ( Jigme Lingpa ), [ 8 ] the creation stage practices of the three yogas based upon the three roots of the Heart Essence of the Great Expanse, and the completion stage practices of winds according to the aural lineage based upon the primordial wisdom deity ( jñānasattva ) from the Assembly of Vidyadharas ( Rigdzin Dupa ), as well as the Four Works of the Heart Essence (Nyingtik Yabzhi), especially the Guru’s Inner Essence ( Lama Yangtik ) and the Heart Essence of the Ḍākinī (Khandro Nyingtik), as well as the Unexcelled Primordial Wisdom ( Yeshe Lama ), and the Seven Treasuries, especially the Treasury of the Dharmadhatu ( Chöying Dzö ). In any case, he became a great lord of realization, and at that time he was the source for clearing up misconceptions of [meditative] experiences and realizations for the majority of scholars and adepts in his vicinity including Zhechen Kongtrul Rinpoche. [ 9 ] As a sign that his material body had been liberated into a body of light, he never cast a shadow. As an indication of his accomplishment of the supreme inner heat ( tummo ), his water offerings never froze even in the bitter cold of winter, and people who came within his vicinity could feel the naturally arising heat within a bowshot of his dwelling. Since his training in discipline was as pure as the inner space of a lotus bulb, the sweet fragrance of discipline also permeated for about a bowshot. These signs were directly apparent. There were also well-known stories about the effectiveness of his blessings, such as how his protection cords could fend off weapons and prevent infant mortality. In brief, he was like a great moon of a Dharma teacher, in whom the qualities of scholarship, standing as a reverend monk, signs of accomplishment, kind deeds, and other sacred qualities were all fully complete. He was a crown ornament among myriad wish-fulfilling scholars and adepts, the primordial Buddha Samantabhadra manifesting in the form of a spiritual master, inseparable from the omniscient Drime Özer (Longchenpa). Having reached the full extent of his life and practice, he became fully enlightened within the space of peace. COLOPHON None NOTES [1] More information about the life of Khenchen Pema Tegchok Loden , including his dates and the names of his parents, has become available since this biography was written. For a full biography that incorporates the latest findings see Ryan M Jacobson, “Pema Tekchok Loden,” Treasury of Lives. [2] ’chi med ye shes, 19th c.–20th c., BDRC P6965 ; chos nam, 20th c., BDRC P2JM398 . [3] ’jam dbyangs mkhyen brtse’i dbang po, 1820–1892, BDRC P258 . [4] dpal sprul o rgyan ’jigs med chos kyi dbang po, 1808–1887, BDRC P270 . In addition, Nyoshul Lungtok Tenpe Nyima ( rmyo shul lung rtogs bstan pa’i nyi ma , 1829–1901/2) is said to have surpassed his teacher in view, Gyalrong Tenzin Dragpa ( rgyal rong bstan 'dzin grags pa , 1847/8–c.1921) surpassed his teacher in logic and epistemology, and Minyak Kunzang Sönam (mi nyag kun bzang bsod nams, 1823–1905) surpassed him in teaching the Bodhicaryāvatāra . [5] o rgyan bstan ’dzin nor bu, 1841/51–1900?, BDRC P5055 ; gzhan phan chos kyi snang ba, 1871–1927, BDRC P699 . [6] kun dga’ dpal ldan, 1878–1944, BDRC P6963 . [7] rdzogs chen grub dbang 05 bstan chos kyi rdo rje, 1872–1935, BDRC P701 ; mi pham rgya mtsho, 1846–1912, BDRC P252 . [8] klong chen rab ’byams pa dri med ’od zer, 1308–1364, BDRC P1583 ; ’jigs med gling pa, 1730–1798, BDRC P314 . [9] zhe chen kong sprul pad+ma dri med, 1901–1960, BDRC P744 . Photo Credit: Pema Tsel Paintings & Orgyen Khamdroling Thanks to Adam Pearcey at Lotsawa House for his editing. Published: July 2020 Edited: March 2025 BIBLIOGRAPHY Tubten Tsöndru (thub bstan brtson ’grus). rdzogs chen mkhan lha rgyal lam lha dgongs su grags pa’i mkhan chen pad+ma theg mchog blo ldan dpal bzang po’i rnam thar. In gsung ’bum/_thub bstan brtson ’grus , vol. 1, 67–72. Bylakuppe: Nyingmapa Monastery, 1985?. BDRC W10200 . Tubten Tsöndru. rdzogs chen mkhan chen a bu lha sgang gi rnam thar . In mkhan chen thub bstan brtson ’grus kyi gsung ’bum , vol. 2, 225–228. Lhasa: Bod ljongs bod yig dpe rnying dpe skrun khang, 1985. Abstract Khenpo Tsöndru's brief biography of his own teacher Pema Tegchok Loden (1879–1955), alias Khenchen Abu Lhagang, tells how he studied under some of the most illustrious masters of his day before serving as abbot for eight years at the famed monastic college of Dzogchen Śrī Siṃha and then retiring to a nearby cave, focusing on meditative practice. BDRC LINK W10200 DOWNLOAD TRANSLATION GO TO TRANSLATION LISTEN TO AUDIO 00:00 / 00:27 TRADITION Nyingma INCARNATION LINE N/A HISTORICAL PERIOD 19th–20th Century TEACHERS The Fourth Sechen Gyaltsab, Pema Namgyal The Third Dodrubchen, Jigme Tenpe Nyima Mipam Gyatso Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo Kham Tsang Drukgyal Orgyen Tenzin Norbu Lungtok Tenpe Nyima Khenchen Pema Vavra Sönam Chöpel Zhenpen Chökyi Nangwa Yönten Gyatso Kunzang Palden Kunzang Dechen Dorje Purtsa Khenpo Akön The Fifth Dzogchen Drubwang, Tubten Chökyi Dorje The Third Mura Pema Dechen Zangpo TRANSLATOR Tib Shelf INSTITUTIONS Dzogchen Monastery Śrī Siṃha College Dzogchen Yamāntaka Cave STUDENTS Kunga Palden The Third Mura, Pema Dechen Zangpo Chönam Rigdzin Wangyal Ngawang Norbu Tubten Nyima Gyurme Ösal Mewa Khenchen Jampal Khenchen Tsöndru Tenzin Chözang Tsewang Rigdzin Pema Kunzang Rangdröl Pema Kalzang Khenchen Könchok Rinchen Tubten Legshe Chökyi Jungne Botrul Do Ngak Tenpe Nyima The Sixth Dzogchen Drubwang, Jigdral Jangchub Dorje Drogön Yeshe Dargye The Fourth Mura, Pema Norbu Adzom Drugpa Tubten Pema Trinle Tubten Chökyi Dragpa Jamyang Sherab Gyaltsen The Third Gemang, Garwang Lerab Lingpa AUTHOR Khenpo Tsöndru The Biography of Dzogchen Khenchen Abu Lhagang VIEW ALL PUBLICATIONS NEXT PUBLICATION > < PREVIOUS PUBLICATION Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators Terms of Use Privacy Policy Donate Subscribe to our newsletter Support Tib Shelf's ongoing work & Subscribe Today! Name * Email* Submit Tib Shelf is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to translating, presenting and preserving primary source Tibetan texts across a vast array of genres and time periods. We make these literary treasures accessible to readers worldwide, offering a unique window into Tibet's rich history, culture and traditions. Tib Shelf has been accredited by the British Library with the International Standard Serial Number (ISSN): 2754–1495 CONTACT US | SHELVES@TIBSHELF.ORG © 2024 Tib Shelf. All rights reserved.

Dilgo Khyentse Tashi Paljor chronicles the life of Chatral Kunga Palden (1878-1944) in this luminous biographical account. The Wondrous Light of Lunar Nectar The one who seized the citadel of the awakened intent of primordially pure space, And who met everyone with spontaneous compassion to the greatest degree— In remembrance of this yogin of the essential, supreme vehicle, I will compose this biography devoid of embellishment or understatement. This sacred lord guru ( Kunga Palden ) was born near the glorious Sakya monastery of Galenteng , which was founded by Ga Anye Dampa near Chögyal Derge Lhundrub Teng Monastery. Although he was initiated into a religious life, he conducted himself in a rough manner. He would wrap stones with animal hide held by a yak-haired rope and keep this [weapon] around his waist, as he would constantly engage in fighting. Once when he was on his way home after evening group practice, he saw a mountain surrounded by a grassy meadow with mist rolling in. Atop this mountain sat two small, white retreat houses. At this sight, he thought over and over about how he must live such a life in retreat. In fact, he went to a monastery where he attended a literacy teacher and stayed in retreat on the Element Taming [Vajrapāṇi]. During breaks, he read the biography of venerable Milarepa, and continuously recollected: “Now, I must rely upon a qualified guru in order to perfectly accomplish the doctrine.” He continued to attend his teacher but received the following reprimand: “Other people can complete the recitations for the Element Taming [Vajrapāṇi] in one month, but you are distracted with these texts and have not even accomplished the recitations in two months!” Despite this scolding, he continued to read Milarepa’s biography and other texts. He completed enough recitations for the thousand-armed (Avalokiteśvara) and performed a fire offering ritual. Then, over and over again, he asked himself: “Which guru should I properly rely on?” He heard about Patrul Rinpoche’s life story, and as some others were about to seek him out, he decided to go too. Without telling anyone else, Kunga Palden confided in his mother that he would be leaving for Dzachuka to meet Patrul Rinpoche. With tears in her eyes, his mother looked and did not say anything. Kunga grabbed some travel provisions, and while he was leaving his mother broke down in tears. He reached the valley of Dza Mamo Khar [ 1 ] in Dzachukha when Patrul Rinpoche was teaching on the Bodhicharyāvatāra . He arrived and received the [last] chapter concerning dedication. Then he received the [entire] Bodhicharyāvatāra from Mura Chogtrul Pema Dechen Zangpo although he did not gain a stable understanding. When he received teachings on [Nāgārjuna’s] A Letter to a Friend from Gemang Önpo Orgyen Tenzin Norbu, he gained a stable understanding, and so he thought: “I've become a suitable vessel to rely upon this guru.” He was certain about this, and he said he never hoped to receive empowerments, instructions, or advice from any guru other than Gemang Önpo Orgyen Tenzin Norbu. Ön Rinpoche said: “Look over a text and you might gain some knowledge. In general, study is important at the outset.” Ön Rinpoche took care of him for a few years and Kunga Palden studied texts. “But I had great hopes of practicing meditation,” he said, and he frequently requested [teachings]. “At that time,” Kunga told me, “I practiced the Sakya Time of the Path without interruption, [ 2 ] and I did my best to dedicate the tormas while using my ritual bell and hand drum.” Besides this, he enthusiastically and diligently received, studied, and practiced Longchenpa’s Trilogy of Natural Ease (Ngalso Korsum) and the Seven Treasuries, [Ngari Paṇchen Pema Wangyal’s] Ascertaining the Three Vows , Bodhicharyāvatāra , The Root Stanzas of the Middle Way: Wisdom , the Teachings of Maitreya , the empowerment of the two main volumes of the Heart Essence of the Great Expanse (Longchen Nyingtik), creation stage practices, the practice of the channels, winds, and the physical yogas, The Unexcelled Primordial Wisdom ( Yeshe Lama ), The Three Phrases that Hit the Key Points , and much more. In particular, since Ön Rinpoche reached the end of practice within one lifetime, he bestowed the empowerment, profound instructions, and oral transmission of the Wish-Fulfilling Jewel of the Guru’s Inner Essence ( Lama Yangtik Yizhin Norbu ). On the day that there was an exchange of gifts in reciprocity for the teachings, Ön Rinpoche received a fine hanging-scroll of the omniscient Longchenpa from my old father Dilgo Tashi Tsering. Rinpoche said: “This is a good interdependence,” and he gave it to the lord guru, Kunga Palden. Ön Rinpoche instructed: “Now there is no need for you to apply yourself to studying texts. You only need to go to the mountains on retreat and practice your meditation. Whatever you find to eat, eat it. Whatever clothes you come across, put them on. Food that others may offer, rituals for the dead, and bestowing empowerments—there is no need for such things. Go meet Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo and exclusively receive the essential instructions for [Longchenpa’s] Finding Rest in Illusion then stay in a retreat near [Khenpo] Zhenga’s place.” “Nothing can compare to receiving the essential instructions on Finding Rest in Illusion from my root guru, Ön Rinpoche,” thought Kunga Palden. “However, since it's my guru’s command, I must meet Jamyang Khyentsé Wangpo and receive the teaching as my guru instructed.” Thinking this, he left for his homeland. Along with a few monks from Galen Monastery , he went to Dzongsar to meet Jamyang Khyentsé Rinpoche, who gave the Hévajra Gyu lam empowerment as well as the blessings and instructions for Khecara in an extensive manner. Between his explanations of the instructions, Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo gave supplementary and additional talks. “These days, in the current times, there are many prideful people who say they have renounced [cyclic existence] and are free from activities. If foreigners came to Tibet and said that they must abandon the Three Jewels, they would immediately agree with them. I am in a state of bustling distraction, but still, if they were to place my head on the threshold, bring an axe and say: ‘If you don’t abandon the Three Jewels, we will cut your throat with this axe!' I wouldn’t abandon the Three Jewels even with my words. I would gladly answer them. These days there are Buddhist practitioners who have no substance at all, only great renown.” When other friends were about to depart [the teachings], they made many promises to continuously practice the Hevajra Time of the Path and complete the fundamental recitation total for Khecara. Kunga Palden told me: “In the past, I practiced the Time of the Path and made torma offerings [to the deities], but it's been several years since I stopped. I promised that I would practice The Guru’s Inner Essence in a mountain retreat.” Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo said: “A kha kha, I have conferred empowerment and instructions for Hevajra and Khecara on you, and I take any wrongdoings of this upon myself. It was the wrong occasion,” as he pulled on his cheek. “Or, I could consistently recite the Aṣṭa Chö Rok [ 3 ] and the three OṂ(s) thirty-three times a day,” Kunga Palden replied. “Do whatever you like." “I will continuously recite the approach [recitations] for Aṣṭa and Khecara,” Kunga answered. Having offered the text and the essential instructions for Finding Rest in Illusion , Kunga Palden requested the instructions and oral transmission. “You can receive them from your root guru as I do not know the instructions for Finding Rest in Illusion ,” replied Khyentse Wangpo. “He never gave me the teachings,” Kunga Palden confessed. Then he stayed in a lonely mountain retreat without any bustling distractions. Kunga Palden received the empowerment and instructions for the Guru’s Inner Essence and practiced without interruption the guru yoga of [Longchenpa’s] Stages of Guru Practice: The Ocean of Attainments and the guru yoga of the smaller aural transmission of the Natural Manifestation of Primordial Wisdom . He exclusively practiced the inner guru yoga that is devoid of elaborations. On the tenth day of the waxing and waning phases of the month, he offered extensive tantric feasts. He accepted whatever clothing and other valuable provisions were given as offerings. Whatever offerings people gave for the dead or for the living, whether great or small, he used them to make woodblocks for texts such as The Sūtra of the Wise and the Foolish and A Hundred Deeds , and he placed them in the Dzogchen Monastery’s printing house. He lovingly protected the wild animals and the various birds by using methods such as the conservation law of sealing the mountains and valleys. He accepted a great amount of salt, which he gave to the wild animals. Through such actions, he nurtured wild animals in the manner of livestock. Kunga Palden had disciples who were a calling distance or about a league away in all directions. He made his students enter thatched meditation huts to practice only unelaborate meditation in silence. He advised his students not to collect food offerings or keep any texts other than the Guru’s Inner Essence , the Seven Treasuries, and the cycle of the Heart Essence of the Great Expanse. Kunga Palden did not even have a hand drum or a ritual bell for performing ceremonies. He collected a lot of supplies for ritual feast offerings and delicious foods and drinks which he generously gave to the birds, wild animals, and the poor. When many ordinary people gathered, he taught them the essential points about karmic causes and results, taking refuge, generating the intentional mind of awakening, and the four causes of the Blissful Realm in a concise and easily understandable manner. He thus encouraged them to engage in virtue. At some point, he developed a sickness of the white channels which caused him weariness. Due to this he exclusively engaged in the practice of removing obstacles in the body, as found in the Guru’s Inner Essence. He did not take any other treatment or medicine, and he was freed from the sickness. He taught, “By supplicating the guru, vital provisions will come naturally even if you are staying in a pleasant mountain retreat. In places without water, you can say, ‘Let water arise here!’ Then, when you dig for it, water will emerge.” In his familial line there have been many who did not live long, but since he practiced the longevity practice of the Wish-Fulfilling Jewel of the Guru’s Inner Essence , he was able to live for more than seventy years. “At the time of engaging in the longevity practice, one needs to hold the wind in the center of the heart. Doing so ensures there is no chance for obstructions of the life-sustaining wind to come about. I came to the firm conviction concerning daily work that other than supplicating my root guru, Önpo, there is no need for such things as divination, astrological calculations, or predicting good and bad days,” Kunga Palden clarified. “In Galenteng, there is a lord called the 'Steward of Derge Khangsar.' His fortress became empty and inside there was a room where absolutely no light could get in, so I went there to engage in a hundred-day dark retreat of the Guru’s Inner Essence . “In the first vision, there appeared a great ravine in which a thickening darkness amassed from above and below, and you could not see the end of it. In its center was a small stone the size of two feet. There I stood, crouched. When gusts of upturning and swirling winds came, all of the long prairie grass swayed back and forth with whistling sounds— shu . I kneaded some barley flour into dough and ate it. Then I had the impression that gray flour became scattered from the rim of my small cup. Although I was in a comfortable position, fear prevented me from becoming completely relaxed. “Again, I was in that ravine, and there came an intense roaring sound— ur ! —as hail clouds rolled in. They enveloped my illusory body and carried me into the surrounding space. As soon as that happened, I recalled that my mind was integrated with the guru’s mind, and I felt a shiver of happiness. At once the anxiety returned, although it was not a shock to me. “Many pure and impure visionary realms appeared, and inside a round orb of light ( tigle ) about the size of a fingernail were all the beings of the six classes organized [according to their] happiness and suffering. Their arrangement was not mixed together, but it was clear and complete. I thought: ‘Is it not like that one saying? On a single particle there are countless [other] particles filled with buddhafields in which buddhas enact their activities.’ From all this, a trusting faith arose in me. “Later on, since going into dark retreat, I thought the visions of leaping-over ( tögal ) would be enhanced, but I did not experience any increase.” Kunga Palden said. When I (Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche) received the final instructions of the Guru’s Inner Essence , Kunga Palden told me about his visions in dark retreat as additional explanations for practicing the dark retreat yogas. “I have explained to you how the dark retreat visions appear so that after this when you come to practice the dark retreat yogas, you will find this very beneficial. That's why I have shared them with you,” Kunga Palden said. “ Dzogchen Khenpo Lhagyal and my own virtuous students have stayed in that place for one hundred days and practiced. However, they did not have harsh experiences. In general, it probably varies according to the differences in peoples’ channels, winds, and essences." He also said: “When [Önpo was teaching the] profound instructions for the Wish-Fulfilling Jewel of the Guru’s Inner Essence , he praised its great blessing. To his students who were exerting themselves in their retreat, Lord [Önpo] said, ‘In general, if there is no study, then contemplation and meditation will not develop properly. Unless one has looked into the Root Stanzas of the Middle Way: Wisdom , in particular, one will not comprehend the atemporal, natural rest of cutting-through (trekchö). Therefore, it is very important to study the Root Stanzas of the Middle Way: Wisdom .’ ” When the Dharma lord Patrul Rinpoche gave teachings for the textual traditions of sūtra and tantra, he never had the custom of keeping texts with him; however, he remained inseparable from one volume of the Guru’s Inner Essence until he died at the age of seventy-nine. “As for myself, I received the empowerment and instructions from the lord guru, Ön Rinpoche. Then, at that time, I did my best in my practice, yet there was not even the slightest depth to my realization, view, or meditation. But discursive concepts such as ‘Have I been deceived by these instructions?’ never occurred to me,” Kunga Palden confided. That is all he said. Other than this, he did not tell any of his students how the sign of heat on the stages and the paths arose in his mind. The Lord’s close friend, Khenpo Dralo of Dza Gyal Monastery practiced the approach recitations for the essential sections of the secret practice of the protectors and guardians of the Guru’s Inner Essence . As a result, he received a lot of veneration and offerings and came to be known as a companion of the protectors. He knew that this was the help of the protectors, and he clarified his position to them: “I did not engage in your practice for the benefit of this life. I am practicing for the sake of the supreme spiritual attainment.” By saying this three times, he ended up with fewer visitors. “When I initially stayed alone in my retreat, I did not need to meet anyone in person. All I had to do was practice day and night, and I was content. Yet, as soon as I had the name of Guru Kunga Palden many people assembled. They never allowed me to be completely free, as I constantly had to engage in various activities that would connect people to the teachings,” he recalled. Khenpo Zhenga Rinpoche said: “I spent my entire life teaching the sutras and tantras, but whenever Kunga Palden asked questions concerning the profound points of view and meditation, I could not answer immediately. I had to think about it carefully. I suppose the wisdom from his meditation had unfolded.” Jamgön Dorje Chang Chökyi Lodrö Rinpoche (Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö) said: “I received both the instructions and transmission for the Guru’s Inner Essence from Guru Kunga Palden, and he also explained many excellent profound points on practice.” During the later years of his life, he stayed in the retreat place called Nepu in front of the Ziltrom glacier, which became his residence, and Palpung Situ Pema Wangchok (1886–1952) also attended him there. Later Kunga Palden was protected by the compassionate refuge of Drubwang Dzogchen Tubten Chökyi Dorje, and he came to stayed at the upper meditation cave of Tsering Jong [near Dzogchen Monastery]. He uninterruptedly turned the wheel of the Dharma of the essential maturing [empowerments[ and liberating [instructions] of the supreme vehicle and the Wish-Fulfilling Jewel of the Guru’s Inner Essence in particular to the majority of abbots and tulkus of Dzogchen Monastery. There he died and many amazing sights occurred such as tiny pearl-like relics ( ringsel ) arising from his bones. When I (Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche) reached my eleventh year my legs were burned, and I came close to death. At that time the holy guru Kunga Palden performed the ablution ritual, conferred the layman’s vows, and carried out a longevity practice for a month. In particular, he granted an elaborate and detailed explanation of the whole of the Wish-Fulfilling Jewel of the Guru’s Inner Essence , beginning with the Stages of Guru Practice: The Ocean of Attainments right up to the final inventory. I also received practical guidance from him on the channels, winds, and physical yoga practices of the Heart Essence of the Great Expanse. He told me that I should focus on practice as my main activity and, as a supplement to this, grant instructions to those who seek the teachings. He also gave me his own copies of the Seven Treasuries, which he had studied for his entire life, and his personal copies of the Trilogy of Natural Ease and cared for me with immeasurable compassion. COLOPHON Therefore, I, Maṅgala Śrī Bhūti ( Tashi Paljor ) have written this brief biography, which is devoid of embellishment or understatement, at my retreat place. May all beings set out upon the direct path of the supreme, sovereign vehicle, and may this text become a cause for them to follow the path as found in this glorious guru’s life of liberation. NOTES [1] Dza Patrul Rinpoche reconstructed this Maṇi stone wall, which was first constructed by Samten Puntsok (bsam gtan phun tshogs). [2] Time of the Path ( lam dus ) is the common name for the daily Hevajra sādhana, which must be practiced regularly without interruption. [3] This is a root mantra found in the practice of Hevajra. Thanks to Adam Pearcey at Lotsawa House for his editing. Published: July 2020 Edited: April 2025 BIBLIOGRAPHY Tashi Paljor (bkra shis dpal ’byor. theg pa mchog gi rnal ’byor pa bya bral kun dga’ dpal ldan gyi rnam thar ngo mtshar bdud rtsi’i snang ba . In gsung ’bum/_rab gsal zla ba , vol. 1, 621–636. Delhi: Shechen Publications, 1994. BDRC W21809 . Abstract The Wondrous Light of Lunar Nectar is a biography of Chatral Kunga Palden (1878–1944) written by Dilgo Khyentse Tashi Paljor. BDRC LINK W21809 DOWNLOAD TRANSLATION GO TO TRANSLATION LISTEN TO AUDIO 00:00 / 18:42 TRADITION Nyingma INCARNATION LINE N/A HISTORICAL PERIOD 19th Century 20th Century TEACHERS Pema Tegchok Loden The Third Mura, Pema Dechen Zangpo Orgyen Tenzin Norbu Mipam Gyatso Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo Patrul Orgyen Jigme Chökyi Wangpo The First Adzom Drugpa, Drodul Pawo Dorj e The Fifth Dzogchen Drubwang, Tubten Chökyi Dorj e TRANSLATOR Tib Shelf INSTITUTIONS Galenteng Dzogchen Monastery Dzongsar Derge Gonchen STUDENTS Rigdzin Wangyal Lobzang Palden Tenzin Nyandrak Könchok Zangpo Pema Damchö Dilgo Khyentse Tashi Paljor Tsewang Rigdzin Norbu Tenzin Chimé Yesh e Tenzin Gyaltsen Jigme Lodrö The Eleventh Tai Situ, Pema Wangchok Gyalpo Togden Jampa Tendar Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Wangchuk AUTHOR Dilgo Khyentse Tashi Paljor The Wondrous Light of Lunar Nectar VIEW ALL PUBLICATIONS NEXT PUBLICATION > < PREVIOUS PUBLICATION Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators Terms of Use Privacy Policy Donate Subscribe to our newsletter Support Tib Shelf's ongoing work & Subscribe Today! 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Leading Rimé Figure & Teacher Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Taye 1813–1899 BDRC P264 TREASURY OF LIVES LOTSAWA HOUSE HAR Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Taye (1813–1899) was a central figure in nineteenth-century Tibetan Buddhism, renowned for his profound scholarship, prolific writings, and ecumenical approach. Born in Kham, he became a disciple of Tai Situ and received extensive training in multiple traditions, including Kagyu, Nyingma, and Jonang. A key collaborator with Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo and Chokgyur Lingpa, he played a vital role in the Rimé movement, fostering the preservation and transmission of diverse Tibetan Buddhist lineages. His monumental literary work of the Five Great Treasuries (mdzod chen lnga ) collected and systematized teachings across traditions, ensuring their survival. Known for his dedication to spiritual practice, education, and cultural preservation, Kongtrul's legacy as a teacher, author, and visionary continues to influence Tibetan Buddhism worldwide. Biography A Biography of Chöje Lingpa Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Taye A Biography of Chöje Lingpa by Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Taye, detailing the life of Chöje Lingpa (Rogje Lingpa), a seventeenth- to eighteenth-century Tibetan treasure revealer (tertön) known for discovering and transmitting profound spiritual treasures (terma), including teachings on Guru Padmasambhava, Mahāmudrā, and Dzogchen. Read Supplication Prayer Generating Wonder & Glory: A Supplication to Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo’s Successive Lives Arranged in a Rough Summary Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Taye Jamgön Kongtrul traces Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo's remarkable previous incarnations, revealing unexpected connections to significant Buddhist masters through history. Read Biography Abbreviated Biography of Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Taye Jamgön Kongtrul celebrates Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo's mastery of diverse Tibetan spiritual traditions in this reverent biographical account. Read Translated Works Mentioned In Menu Close Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators Terms of Use Privacy Policy Donate SUBSCRIBE Publications Watch People Listen

A vajra song supplicating the early Dagpo Kagyu masters while expressing aspirations for realization through the luminous Mahāmudrā path. The Drop of Spring: A Spontaneous Vajra Song of Definitive Meaning That Supplicates the Great Charioteers of the Luminous Mahāmudrā A ho! Conjoining the pristine primordial wisdom free of elaborations With the youthfulness of luminous great bliss, You attained union endowed with the supreme of all aspects and bear the major and minor marks of perfect accomplishment. Great Buddha Vajradhara, I long for you from the center of my heart— Bless me to realize the unborn true nature! Vajra Queen, devourer of the three existences, with your magical illusions You bring the fortunate to a banquet of the two accomplishments And experientially reveal the naturally liberated truth of the fundamental nature. Chief of the primordial wisdom ḍākinīs, I long for you from the center of my heart— Bless me to accomplish the unchanging supreme bliss! Displaying the drop of the primordially changeless nature of reality [365] As a playful emanation of the three seats of phenomena, You bestowed the short path of the ultimate secret yoga to the fortunate. Tilopa Prajñābhadra, [ 1 ] I long for you from the center of my heart— Bless me to realize the transcendent continuum! By the marvelous chariot of eighty-two challenging deeds, You approached the lotus feet of the presiding lord, the glorious guru, And attained the precious qualities of the stages and paths in a single moment. Reverend Lord Nāropa, [ 2 ] I long for you from the center of my heart— Bless me to obtain the nectar of maturation and liberation! The flowers of the secret tantras blossom in the ocean-like multitudes of teachings and practices; By tapping them to extract the honey-like nectar of the essential pith instructions, You introduced the intelligent to the restfulness of the supreme adepts. Yogin Marpa the Translator, [ 3 ] I long for you from the center of my heart— Bless me to realize the innate primordial wisdom! Driven by the wind of an intense and genuine determination to be free, You firmly secured yourself to the boat of the true nature, inner suchness, And crossed to the other shore of the ocean of existence and peace. Mila Zhepe Dorje, [ 4 ] I long for you from the center of my heart— Bless me to reach the ultimate goal in one life! Outwardly, you are a spiritual friend of the Mahāyāna fully trained in bodhicitta; Inwardly, you are a practitioner of the Vajrayāna treading the path of maturation and liberation; Secretly, you are the crown jewel of the doctrine holders of the essential [366] profound meaning. Dharma King Da Ö Zhönu, [ 5 ] I long for you from the center of my heart— Bless me so that the two benefits are accomplished spontaneously! In short, the beacons of the aural lineage of the ultimate and swift path Introduce all beings of the Land of Snow to the light of liberation And guide all with whom they have connections to the greatly blissful city of the three kāyas. Gurus of the Dagpo Kagyu of natural liberation, I long for you from the center of my heart— Bless me to realize all that is perceived as illusory! A ho! Although I have obtained the difficult to attain, the free and well-favored precious human body, I am disheartened at the way things appear to be—momentary and impermanent. Through the realization that wherever I am born in saṃsāra is naturally suffering— Bless me with the capacity to accept or reject cause and effect! Recognizing abodes, friends, and possessions to be a play of illusion, I deeply recall the revulsion toward insignificant things, come what may. In a cave of extreme isolation, under an overhanging cliff in a pleasing environment— Bless me to strive single-pointedly in practice! To accept the Three Jewels as the foremost refuge, To train in supreme bodhicitta both in aspiration and in deed, And to utterly expel all obscurations by utilizing the four powers— Bless me to achieve these goals and to endeavor on the path of the two accumulations! In particular, the embodiment of all the victors of the three times, The bodily display of [367] omniscient primordial wisdom, The presiding lord, the glorious guru possessing the three-fold kindness— Bless me to perfect uncontrived devotion! By the guru’s power, the empowerment that transfers vajra wisdom Purifies the three doors equally of all habitual tendencies of transference, [ 6 ] And one directly perceives the ultimate and unchanging, true fundamental nature— Bless me to liberate saṃsāra and nirvāṇa into the central channel! The form, arisen from the essence that is the same as emptiness, Perceiving it as the union of appearance and emptiness, the body of the deity, Firmly binds common delusory concepts— Bless me to cultivate the excellent path of the creation stage! By being saturated with the nectar of the three kinds of training, I have accomplished the union of all winds that enter, abide, and arise, And become familiar with the outer, inner, and secret yoga of inner heat— Bless me in my blazing, dripping, and dissolving in the central channel! [ 7 ] Resting in the actual primordial wisdom of near attainment during equipoise And perceiving all things as the eight similes of illusion [ 8 ] during subsequent cognition Familiarizes one with the illusory clarity-emptiness, pure and devoid of clinging— Bless me to accomplish the level of union! Having entered the luminosity of supreme bliss through complete or subsequent dissolution And conjoined it [368] with the essence of the four empties in an experience of equality, Everything is liberated into the space of the vajra mind of perfect accomplishment— Bless me to dissolve into the dharmakāya of death! Holding the wind and mind inseparably in the drop of the throat And viewing daytime appearances as only the entering and emerging of dreams, Conjoin one with the practice that recognizes derivative delusion for what it is— Bless me to master purification, multiplication, emanation, and transformation! [ 9 ] Familiarizing myself with the view that sees all phenomena as the unreal appearances of the intermediate state, The direct cause of being able to see those appearances as deity, mantra, and dharmakāya Merges the intermediate state with the level of the saṃbhogakāya— Bless me to achieve the supreme attainment! Although the ultimate is beyond elaborate characteristics, such as coming and going, Conventionally, by relying upon a messenger of yogic breath practice, The wind, mind, and drop are ejected into the space of the dhūti [ 10 ] — Bless me to attain the unerring Khecara ! [ 11 ] The meditative absorption of calm-abiding abandons all coarse and subtle concepts. When magnificently perfected, it is like a placid ocean. By embracing it with the insight of the inexpressible and self-arisen true nature— Bless me to realize their inseparable union! One-pointedness is remaining in a state of clarity-emptiness in the yoga of visionary experiences. Freedom from elaborations is realizing the original fundamental nature upon the path of seeing. One taste is being free from abandoning, adopting, denying, and affirming— Bless me to secure these along with the fourth, the stronghold of non-meditation! Through familiarizing myself with primordially innate, unchanging great bliss— The indivisible E and VAM, the drop of spring— And by introducing the indicative wisdom as the uncovered, true primordial wisdom— Bless me to perceive the definitive meaning of Mahāmudrā! Accordingly, by relying upon the vajra yogas of the swift path And maintaining my commitments and vows in a faultless form During the experiences of this life, at the time of death, and in the intermediate state— Bless me to achieve the level of the three kāyas! If the power of karma causes me to enter existence, Bless me to be born into the sharp-witted Vajrayāna family, And with songs intoxicated with the nectar of maturation and liberation— Bless me to proceed to the cities of accomplishment! In this way, with resolute respect, a supplicating song of the definitive meaning Was sung with a lotus-like and pleasing voice that is free of attachment On the twenty-fifth day during the waning phase when the heroes and ḍākinīs assembled To make an aspiration prayer to realize transcendent luminosity. COLOPHON This supplication to the great masters who attained accomplishment through the path of the luminous Mahāmudrā in conjunction with aspirational prayers of the profound path was freely composed by the renunciate beggar called Tsuglak Mawé Nyima [ 12 ] on the twenty-fifth day under the light of a butter lamp near the glorious Taklung Monastery. [ 13 ] Siddhirastu! [ 14 ] NOTES The Drop of Spring is a vajra song that invokes the Dagpo Kagyu Mahāmudrā lineage, recounts a brief tale of each of this tradition’s earliest masters, and requests inspiration to complete the path of awakening. According to the colophon, Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo composed this text spontaneously while seated near a butter lamp just outside Taklung Monastery. The song is divided into two main sections: lineage supplications and aspirations. The lineage supplicated is comprised of the earliest Mahāmudrā masters of the Dagpo Kagyu. Each stanza contains a vignette of a master, followed by Khyentse Wangpo’s heart-filled request for that master’s blessing. The aspirations begin with the four thoughts that turn the mind to the Buddhist teachings: precious human birth, impermanence, suffering, and causality. Toward the end of the aspirations, Khyentse Wangpo sings about the foundations of the Vajrayāna path and the special practices of Mahāmudrā. [1] te lo pa, 988–1069, BDRC P4024 [2] nA ro pa, 1012/1016–1100, BDRC P3085 [3] mar pa lo tsA ba chos kyi blo gros, 1012?–1097, BDRC P2636 [4] Milarepa (mi la bzhad pa’i rdo rje, 1040–1123, BDRC P1853 ) [5] Gampopa (dwags po zla ’od gzhon nu, 1079–1153, BDRC P1844 ) [6] “Habitual tendencies of transference” has a range of meaning but generally refers to the “transference of the elements during union.” For an extensive explanation, see Padmasambhava, The Light of Wisdom , Vol. 2, 281, n. 204. [7] The “yoga of inner heat” is a reference to tummo ( gtum mo ) practice. [8] The “eight similes” are that phenomena are like: (1) a dream, (2) an illusion, (3) an optical illusion, (4) a mirage, (5) a reflection of the moon in water, (6) an echo, (7) the City of the Gandharvas, and (8) a phantom. For more detail, see The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism , entry on the “Eight Similes of Illusion” in the “List of Lists,” 73. [9] This stanza alludes to the practice of dream-state illusion, a subset of the illusory-body practice of the Six Yogas. During this method, the practitioner enacts specific processes to recognize appearances have the exact nature of dreams, identify dream phenomena, stabilize the clarity of dream states, and manipulate these experiences. The final line of “purification, multiplication, emanation, and transformation” succinctly points to such skillful means. For a detailed explanation and secondary reading, see Jamgön Kongtrul, The Elements of Tantric Practice , 163 and 345, n. 51. [10] The Sanskrit term dhūti refers to the central channel. [11] Khecara ( mkha’ spyod ) is first and foremost a highly purified experience connected with spiritual accomplishments ( dngos grub , siddhi ) in Buddhist tantra. It is a manifestation in which one’s realization is a completely pure realm. Endowed with eight qualities, such as subtly of form, the higher classification of Khecara is an utterly pure realm where one can further train on the path. Associated with the realm of form, the god realm, and the human realm, this lesser state can be reached through meditative abilities or by yakṣī or siddha guides. For further reading on the topic, see Jamgön Kongtrul, Journey and Goal , 346–348. [12] Academic Nyima, or Tsuglak Mawé Nyima (gtsug lag smra ba’i nyi ma), is one of the pen names of Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo (’jam dbyangs mkhyen brtse’i dbang po, 1820–1892), BDRC P258 . [13] Taklung Gönchen (stag lung dgon chen, BDRC G67 ) [14] "Let there be success!" Published: April 2022 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License . Originally published for Khyentse Vision Project Photo credit: Himalayan Art Resources BIBLIOGRAPHY mkhyen brtse'i dbang po. 2014. ’od gsal phyag rgya chen po’i shing rta chen po rnams la gsol ba ’debs pa’i rdo rje’i thol glu nges don dpyid kyi thig le. In gsung ’bum/_mkhyen brtse’i dbang po, vol. 22 (za), 364.3–369.6. khams sde dge rdzong sar dgon: rdzong sar blo gros phun tshogs. BDRC W3PD1002 ———. 2013. ’od gsal phyag rgya chen po’i shing rta chen po rnams la gsol ba ’debs pa’i rdo rje’i thol glu nges don dpyid kyi thig le. In mkhyen brtse'i bka' babs, vol. 2 (kha) 167.1–174.3. dkar mdzes bod rigs rang skyong khul sde dge rdzong: rdzong sar khams bye’i slob gling. BDRC MW4PD2082 Secondary: Buswell Jr, Robert E. and Donald S. Lopez Jr, eds. The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism . Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2014. Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Tayé. Journey and Goal: An Analysis of the Spiritual Path and Levels to Be Traversed and the Consummate Fruition State . In The Treasury of Knowledge, Books Nine and Ten . Translated by Kalu Rinpoché Translation Group. Ithaca, New York: Snow Lion Publications, 2011. ———. The Elements of Tantric Practice: A General Exposition of the Process of Meditation in the Indestructible Way of Secret Mantra . In The Treasury of Knowledge, Book Eight, Part Three . Translated by Kalu Rinpoché Translation Group. Ithaca, New York: Snow Lion Publications, 2008. Jamgön Mipham Rinpoche. Gateway to Knowledge: The Treatise Entitled the Gate for Entering the Way of a Paṇḍita, Vol. III . Translated by Erik Pema Kunsang. Boudhanath: Rangjung Yeshe Publications, 2002. Padmasambhava and Jamgön Kongtrül. The Light of Wisdom, Vol. 2 . Translated by Erik Pema Kunsang. Boudhanath: Rangjung Yeshe Publications, 1999 Abstract The Drop of Spring inspires us by supplicating the early Dagpo Kagyu lineage and making aspirational prayers on the path of the luminous Mahāmudrā. BDRC LINK W3PD1002 DOWNLOAD TRANSLATION GO TO TRANSLATION LISTEN TO AUDIO 00:00 / 10:15 TRADITION Sakya Nyingma Marpa Kagyu INCARNATION LINE Dzogchen Khyentse Dzongsar Khyentse Beru Khyentse Dilgo Khyentse Pagchok Khyentse PREVIOUS & SUBSEQUENT INCARNATIONS Jigme Lingpa The Forty-Fourth Ngor Khenchen, Jampa Namkha Chimé Subsequent Incarnations Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö Karma Jamyang Khyentse Özer Dilgo Khyentse Tashi Peljor The Third Dzongsar Khyentse, Khyentse Norbu The First Dzogchen Khyentse, Guru Tsewang HISTORICAL PERIOD 19th Century TRANSLATOR Tib Shelf STUDENTS Jampa Tenzin Khamnyön Dharma Senge Khenchen Tashi Özer The Fourth Zhechen Gyaltsab, Gyurme Pema Namgyal Mipam Gyatso Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Taye Ngorpa Pönlob Loter Wangpo Dongkam Tulku, Ngawang Damchö Gyatso The Fifteenth Karmapa, Khakhyab Dorje Śākya Śrī The Fifth Dzogchen Drubwang, Tubten Chökyi Dorje Gatön Ngawang Legpa Karma Ngedön Tengye Tashi Rinchen Orgyen Tenzin Norbu The Second Dzaka Chogtrul Kunzang Namgyal The First Adzom Drugpa, Drodul Pawo Dorje Khenchen Tubten Gyaltsen Özer Jamyang Sherab Chökyi Nangwa The First Gyatrul, Dongak Tenzin Rigzin Gargyi Wangchuk Khenchen Tsewang Rigzin Tubten Legshe Zangpo Kunga Jampal Drakpa The Eighth Dzamtang Chöje, Mipam Chökyi Jampa Jamyang Dragpa Pema Tegchok Loden The Fifth Zhechen Rabjam, Pema Tegchok Tenpe Gyaltsen Nyoshul Lungtok Tenpe Gyaltsen Ayu Khandro Dorje Paldrön Minyak Kunzang Sönam Kunzang Gyurme Palden Chimé Takpe Dorje Chokgyur Lingpa Kunga Palden The Sixty-Fifth Ngor Khenchen, Dampa Rinpoche Ngawang Lodrö Zhenpen Nyingpo Ngawang Nyima Könchok Paldrön Ngawang Jampal Rinchen INSTITUTIONS Mindröling Ngor Ewaṃ Chöden Dzongsar Dzongshö Rongme Karmo Taktsang Khawa Karpo Pema Shelpuk TEACHERS Gelong Tubten Dröltön Jamyang Chögyan Kagyu Trinle Wangchuk The Fourth Dzogchen Drubwang, Mingyur Namkhe Dorje Könchok Tenpa Rabgye Yeshe Döndrub Tenpe Gyaltsen Gyurme Tutob Namgyal Chokgyur Lingpa Gyelse Zhenpen Taye Özer Pema Dudul Wangchuk Dorje Rinchen Zhalu Losal Tenkyong The Fourth Zimok, Jampa Tenzin Nyendrak Minling Jetsun Trinle Chödrön The Eighth Chagzam, Khyenrab Tutob Kachen Lobzang Gelek Khenpo Damchö Özer The Forty-Seventh Ngor Khenchen, Jampa Kunga Tenzin The Second Mogtsa, Chöying Dorje Khengen Rigzin Gyatso The First Gyatrul, Dongak Tenzin Pema Vajra Taklung Trirab Ngawang Tenpe Nyima Sakya Yabje Kunga Rinchen Jigme Gyalwe Nyugu Ngawang Namgyal AUTHOR Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo The Drop of Spring: A Spontaneous Vajra Song of Definitive Meaning That Supplicates the Great Charioteers of the Luminous Mahāmudrā VIEW ALL PUBLICATIONS NEXT PUBLICATION > < PREVIOUS PUBLICATION Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators Terms of Use Privacy Policy Donate Subscribe to our newsletter Support Tib Shelf's ongoing work & Subscribe Today! Name * Email* Submit Tib Shelf is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to translating, presenting and preserving primary source Tibetan texts across a vast array of genres and time periods. We make these literary treasures accessible to readers worldwide, offering a unique window into Tibet's rich history, culture and traditions. Tib Shelf has been accredited by the British Library with the International Standard Serial Number (ISSN): 2754–1495 CONTACT US | SHELVES@TIBSHELF.ORG © 2024 Tib Shelf. All rights reserved.

The First Drugpa Zhabdrung's victory declaration of 1619, composed after defeating Tsang's ruler through ritual sorcery, helped establish Bhutan's identity while asserting his talismanic power. Sixteen Self-Assertions གོང་མས་ལུང་བསྟན་སྤྲུལ་པ་ང་། ། ང་ནི་ཀུན་གྱི་སྐྱབས་སུ་བཟང་། ། འཆད་པའི་ངག་གི་དབང་ཕྱུག་ང་། ། ང་ནི་ལེགས་བཤད་འབྱུང་ཁུངས་བཙུན། ། Forefathers’ foretold emanation is I— I am the magnificent refuge of all beings. The sovereign speech of exposition is I— I am the respected source of eloquent discourse. བདུད་དཔུང་འཇོམས་པའི་དཔའ་བོ་ང་། ། ང་ནི་འབྲུག་པར་བརྫུས་རྣམས་བཅོམ། ། རྩོད་པའི་མཐུ་སྟོབས་བདག་པོ་ང་། ། ང་ནི་ལྟ་ལོག་མཁན་སུན་འབྱིན། ། The hero who conquers demon hordes is I— I am the destroyer of the Drukpa’s imposters. The powerful master of debate is I— I am the repudiator of those with wrong views. མཐའ་བྲལ་ལྟ་བའི་བདག་པོ་ང་། ། ང་མདུན་མི་འདར་རྒོལ་བ་སུ། ། རྩོམ་པའི་དབྱངས་ཅན་གྲུབ་པ་ང་། ། ང་ནི་རིག་གནས་ཀུན་ལ་མཁས། ། The lord of the unlimited view is I— I am the one before whom all challengers tremble. Sarasvatī’s accomplished wordsmith is I— I am the learned scholar in all fields of knowledge. དཔལ་ལྡན་འབྲུག་པའི་བསྟན་འཛིན་ང་། ། ང་ནུས་བཟློག་པའི་མཐུ་ཆེན་སུ། ། ལུགས་གཉིས་འཁོར་ལོས་བསྒྱུར་བ་ང་། ། ང་ནི་འདྲ་མིན་སྤྲུལ་བའི་གཤེད། ། The Glorious Druk’s doctrine holder is I— I am almighty, no sorcerer can defeat me. The dual system’s [ 1 ] Wheel-wielding Monarch [ 2 ] is I— I am the enemy of diverse apparitions. ཕྱག་དམ་འདི་གཞུང་གི་བཀའ་རྒྱ་གལ་ཆེན་རིགས་དང་། གཞུང་གི་ཁྲ་དེབ་ཁག་ལ་ངེས་པར་དུ་ཕྱག་དམ་འདི་ཐེབས་ཡོད་ན་ཀུན་གྱིས་བརྩི་མཐོང་ཆེན་པོ་བྱ་དགོས་པ་སྔར་སྲོལ་གལ་གནད་ཅན་ཞིག་ཡིན། ཞབས་དྲུང་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་རང་གིས་ཕྱོགས་ལས་རྣམ་པར་རྒྱལ་བའི་རྟགས་མཚན་དུ་ཕྱག་དམ་ང་བཅུ་དྲུག་མ་འདི་མཛད་པ་ནས་བཟུང་སྟེ་འབྲུག་གཞུང་གི་མངའ་འབངས་ཆབ་སྲིད་ཡོངས་རྫོགས་ལ་ཕྱག་དམ་དེས་དབང་བསྒྱུར་ཆོག་པ་ཡིན། དེ་བཞིན་ད་ལྟ་ཡང་འབྲུག་གཞུང་གི་ (དཔལ་ལྡན་འབྲུག་པ་ཕྱོགས་ལས་རྣམ་རྒྱལ) གཞུང་རྟགས་སུ་བཀོད་པ་འདི་ཡང་། ཞབས་དྲུང་རིན་པོ་ཆེས་ང་བཅུ་དྲུག་མའི་དོན་བསྡུས་ཏེ་གཞུང་རྟགས་སུ་བཀོད་པ་ཡིན། དཔེར་ན། རྒྱ་གར་གཞུང་རྟགས་སེངྒེ་མགོ་ལྔ་པ་ཅན་ལ་རྩིས་མཐོང་བྱ་དགོས་པ་ཆོས་རྒྱལ་ཨ་ཤོ་ཀའི་མཛད་རྗེས་མཚོན་པ་དང་འདྲ་བ་ཡིན། If this seal is visibly stamped onto the official documents of the government and important government orders, everyone will hold them in high regard because this tradition is of essential importance. Shabdrung Rinpoche (1594–1651) [ 3 ] composed this seal, "Sixteen Self-Assertions," as a symbol of the Complete Victor in all Regards. [ 4 ] Since then, this seal was permitted to exercise power over all citizens and political territory of the Bhutanese government. Accordingly, even today, the name of the Bhutanese government, “The Glorious Drukpa: The Victor in All Regards,” [ 5 ] is also established as an administrative symbol since it is the condensed meaning of Shabdrung Rinpoche’s "Sixteen Self-Assertions." Take, for example, the governmental symbol of India, the five-headed lion. The reason it is held in high regard is that it is the representation of the achievements of the Dharma King, Ashoka. This seal is comparable to that symbol. COLOPHON None NOTES [1] This is referring to the dual system of politics and religion. [2] A Wheel-wielding Monarch (cakravartin) is the de facto ruler of the entire universe, bring all under their control single-handedly. They tend to govern the world system in accordance with the spiritual and or universal law, the dharma. For more information, please refer to The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism. [3] zhabs drung 01 ngag dbang rnam rgyal, BDRC P509 [4] phyogs las rnam par rgyal ba [5] dpal ldan 'brug pa phyogs las rnam rgyal Photo Credit: Kidekhar College of Buddhist Higher Learning Published: May 2021 BIBLIOGRAPHY Slob dpon gnag mdog. 1986. Nga bcu drug ma. In 'Brug dkar-po : 'brug rgyal-khab kyi chos-srid gnas-stangs, pp 94–95. Thurpaling Monastery Bumthang: Lopon Nado. Abstract The first rendition of the seal was written in 1619 by the First Drugpa Zhabdrung, Ngawang Namgyal, after seizing military victory over Puntsok Namgyal, the ruler of Tsang in Tibet. It is purported that Zhabdrung accomplished this triumph through his tantric powers of ritual sorcery. The lines translated here are in a different order in comparison to other editions. Nevertheless, this epic declaration not only helps to establish the emerging country of Bhutan but centralizes Zhabdrung's power in a talismanic nature. SOURCE DOWNLOAD TRANSLATION GO TO TRANSLATION LISTEN TO AUDIO 00:00 / 01:07 TRADITION Drugpa Kagyu INCARNATION LINE Zhabdrung Sungtrul HISTORICAL PERIOD 16th Century 17th Century TEACHERS Tenpe Nyima Lhawang Lodrö TRANSLATOR Tib Shelf INSTITUTION Ralung Monastery STUDENTS The First Drugje Khenpo Pekar Jungn e The Second Drugje Khenpo, Sönam Özer The Third Drugje Khenpo, Pekar Lhundrub The Fourth Drugje Khenpo, Damchö Pekar The Fifth Drugje Khenpo, Söpa Trinl e Ngawang Samten Söpa Pekar AUTHORS Drugpa Zhabdrung, Ngawang Namgyal & Lopön Nadok Sixteen Self-Assertions VIEW ALL PUBLICATIONS NEXT PUBLICATION > < PREVIOUS PUBLICATION Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators Terms of Use Privacy Policy Donate Subscribe to our newsletter Support Tib Shelf's ongoing work & Subscribe Today! Name * Email* Submit Tib Shelf is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to translating, presenting and preserving primary source Tibetan texts across a vast array of genres and time periods. We make these literary treasures accessible to readers worldwide, offering a unique window into Tibet's rich history, culture and traditions. Tib Shelf has been accredited by the British Library with the International Standard Serial Number (ISSN): 2754–1495 CONTACT US | SHELVES@TIBSHELF.ORG © 2024 Tib Shelf. All rights reserved.