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HH Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
His Holiness Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, one of the leading masters of the pith-instructions of dzogchen, the Great Perfection, was a terton or discoverer of spiritual treasures, and is known to have discovered numerous termas which encompass the vast breadth and depth of the path to omniscience.
HH Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche's collection of writings and commentaries illuminate this complete path to omniscience from the foundations of the mahayana to the heart of the dzogpachenpo. Many of his commentaries have been translated and published in English, French and other languages, such as;
- The Excellent Path to Enlightenment
- The Heart Treasure of the Enlightened Ones: The Practice of View, Meditation, and Action: A Discourse Virtuous in the Beginning, Middle, and End
- Enlightened Courage, New Edition: An Explanation of the Seven-Point Mind Training (Lojong)
- Wish-Fulfilling Jewel; The Practice of Guru Yoga According to the Longchen
- The Hundred Verses of Advice: Tibetan Buddhist Teachings on What Matters Most
Within HH Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche's treasure teachings there are three major cycles:
- Rangjung Padma'i Nyingthig, (Spontaneously Occurring Heart Essence of Padma) , the practice of all three roots, guru, yidam and dakini in one self-same mandala all together. The profound foundation practices are also included within this cycle.
- Padma Tse'i Nyingthig cycle, the practice of the long life deity,
- Nyak Phur, the teachings and practice of Kilaya according to the Nyak tradition of Vajrakilaya.
Practicing these cycles of teachings progressively allows the practitioner to travel the path to omniscience.
Regarding the practice of the Rangjung Padma'i Nyingthig, HH Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche said that authentic devotion and constant confident faith in Guru Rinpoche, Padmasambhava inseparable from one's own root guru, is the basis and best way to practice this cycle, and that through this uncontrived natural devotion, the practitioner is able to enter practice free from subject, object and action.
The practice of HH Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche's spiritual treasures continues unabated today across many different countries and cultures, eastern and western. Here is the link to HH Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche's Life on the Shechen site.
Northern Treasures
The Beginning of The Northern Treasures
In the 8th century, the influence of Kingdom of Tibet extended from what is now China and Iran to the Ganges River in India. Tibet was the military power of central Asia.
Buddhist teachers had been coming to Tibet for some time but their influence had been limited. According to tradition, the Khenpo Shantarakshita had been teaching there for some time but was unable to establish anything permanently.
He advised the king to invite Padmasambhava, an adept in the branch of Buddhism known as Mantrayana or Tantrayana.
The work of Padmasambhava, Shantarakshita and the King Trisong Detsen (790-858 CE) can easily be found elsewhere. Together they established Buddhism in Tibet setting the stage for the next twelve hundred years of Tibetan culture and life.
Before leaving, Padmasambhava was requested by his Nepali consort Shakya Devi to leave teachings for future generations. With the help of Lady Yeshe Tsogyal, Padmasambhava hid teachings in various places. Known as treasures (Tib. gter), they were intended to inspire future generations by providing both methods of meditation practice which are fresh and also objects of support to inspire and deepen practice.
Treasures as objects can include ritual implements, statues, paintings. Others are teachings found written on scrolls of yellow parchment written in a script which can only be comprehended by the one intended by Padmasambhava to receive it.
The revealers of these treasures are subsequent rebirths of the disciples of Padmasambhava during his time in Tibet. There are other teachings which might be treasures of other masters, but among the Buddhist schools in Tibet, the treasure traditions are almost exclusively attributed to Padmasambhava's intention.
Among the many great disciples of Padmasambhava who later appeared in the Northern Treasure lineage are: Nanam Dorje Dudjom, Namkhai Nyingpo, Nyag Jnanakumara, Gyalwa Choyang, and Princess Pemasal.
Nanam Dorje Dudjom was one of the messengers King Trisong Detsen had sent to India to invite Padmasambhava to Tibet. Upon his return from this trip, he became one of the King's close advisors and ministers as well as one of Padmasambhava's closest disciples. Practicing the sadhana of Vajrakilaya , his awakening was so complete that he could easily pass through solid rocks and transport himself from place to place instantly.
Padmasambhava gave many teachings to his disciples throughout his time in Tibet. The teachings received and destined to be discovered by Nanam Dorje Dudjom's future incarnation Rigdzin Godem were predicted to be important for future descendants of the King Trisong Detsen.
In addition, the teachings themselves contain many prophecies which explain their importance to the well-being of Tibet as a place of religious practice. They also contain many statements by Padmasambhava that the continuation of the Northern Treasures are vital to the well-being of Buddhism itself.
Rigdzin Godem or Ngodrup Gyeltsen was born February 11, 1337 C.E. to a noble family just north east of Mt. Tratzang in the western Tibetan province of Tsang. His father's family had estates given by Trisong Desten's father to their ancestor for accompanying the king's Chinese bride, the Princess Chin-ch'eng, to Tibet and for later serving as a minister for religious affairs.
The young Ngodrup Gyeltsen learned the practice of Vajrakilaya from his father as well as other practices such as Matara and Mayajala . At the age of twelve, three vulture feathers, or perhaps three tuffs of hair which looked like vulture feathers, grew from his head. At the age of twenty-four, five more appeared. After this, he was known as Rigdzin Godemcen (Tib: rGod kyi lDem-'phru-can) "the one with vulture feathers." He was also given the titles Rigdzin Chenpo (Tib.) or Mahavidyadhara (Skt), the Great Holder of Awareness.
At this time there was another incarnate lama, Tulku Zangpo Drakpa living in central Tibet. Zangpo Drakpa was a follower of the Kagyu school born in Latod (La sTod). Zangpo Drakpa was the rebirth of King Trisong Desten's son Mune Tsepo. Spending many years in retreat, Zangpo Drakpa was disturbed one morning by the appearance of a young man who urged him to leave his retreat in order to reveal certain treasures.
Zangpo Drakpa dismissed this as just some meditation disturbance. In fact, this was no ordinary boy but the protector of the region of Gondu. He urged Zangpo Drakpa to find the treasures intended for him. Some days later Zangpo Drakpa decided to visit a nearby village. In route, he saw an old, dirty yogi sitting by the roadside who began to mock him, finally challenging Zangpo Drakpa to a debate about Buddhist teaching. Zangpo Drakpa agreed and found that this grundgy vagrant could match him point by point.
Thinking that he should make a connection with him despite his appearance, Zangpo Drakpa searched in his bag for a white scarf to offer. As he looked up, in place of a beggar was Padmasambhava himself. As Zangpo Drakpa prostrated, Guru Padma spoke to him: "Zangpo Drakpa, I sent the protectors and you didn't listen. Finally, I had to come here myself. This is your time. Please go and find these teachings!" Padmasambhava gave a list of teachings he was to bring forth as well as the explanations for them.
Subsequently, Zangpo Drakpa revealed over fifty-five scrolls of teachings. Among these was The Prayer in Seven Chapters. He realized that this text was intended for someone else. Accordingly, in the first month of the snake year (1365, C.E.) he gave the scrolls to three of his disciples. They were instructed to travel east of Zang Zang mountains.
Zangpo Drakpa told them that they would encounter a yogi who would be carrying either a rosary or a statue of Vajrakilaya. He would also be talking from the outset of their meeting about the king of Gunthang and the state of affairs in Tibet.
On the eighth day of their journey, the three companions were sharing a meal by a stream at the end of the Daglung Monastery. A man came up carrying a rosary and a statue of Vajrakilaya whom they invited to eat with them. He accepted and having sat down, immediately began to decry the state of Tibet and bemoan the welfare of the royal house in Gungthang. The companions immediately gave the stranger the scrolls and a letter from Zangpo Drakpa. Thus Rigdzin Godem came in possession of a list of treasures and the key to opening them. The key is known to us as Leu Deunma, or the Prayer in Seven Chapters.
These prayers have remained popular throughout Tibet. Currently available in several translations into English, the practices based on each chapter were later revealed by Ngari Panchen Pema Wangyal as treasures.
Jamgon Kongtrul also wrote a set of visualizations according to the Mindrolling tradition. In the year 1366 C.E. (the Fire Horse year of the Tibetan calendar), on April 19th (eighth day of the snake month) Rigdzin Godem brought out the key to the main body of the Northern Treasures from the top of mount Tratzang.
On June 14th (fourth day of the sheep month), he brought out the treasures themselves. Waiting with his disciples, the first rays of sunlight struck inside a cave on a rock shaped like a crossed vajra. Under this, he found a rock door which opened to the chamber containing a square blue chest with five compartments. Each compartment held teachings which over time, he transcribed, practiced and in due time transmitted. Since each section contained teachings on one hundred topics, there were five hundred in all along with various sacred objects.
Just as a minister serves the needs of the king and kingdom, these teachings are known as serving the needs of people throughout the land . Later in life, Rigdzin Godem traveled to Sikkim where he taught Dharma, opening several monasteries. There in the year 1408, he dissolved into the Dharmakaya at the age of seventy-two at Zilnon Lhakang. Among his disciples were those known as the eight close sons, the eight consorts, and the three close disciples.
His son Namgyel Gompo, his student Gompo Dorje, and his consort were his main students. From these, flowed out three streams of teachings and practice until the time of the fourth Rigdzin Godem tulku, Pema Trinley who united these into one stream of practice.
The lineage carried on by Changchub Ling is the Northern Treasures tradition. His Holiness Dilgo Khyentse used to say that the Northern Treasures is like a minister since it contains teachings from the more esoteric to the mundane. The minister has the capacity to reach everyone, to relate to people at all levels; he has to be able to relate to people at the highest level, such as a king, and he also has to be able to relate to ordinary people. The Northern Treasures was one of the main practices of King Trisong Detsen. As Guru Padmasambhava was about to depart for the Copper-Coloured Mountain and was residing at the Gungtang in Mangyaul, he miraculously manifested and concealed a treasure near a place called Zang Zang Lhadrak. Later the Northern Treasures was revealed by the great Rigdzin Gödemchen who established this teaching, which later became the main practice of the great Fifth Dalai Lama.
The main seat of the Northern Treasures teaching was the great monastery of Thubten Dorje Drak, one of the six great Nyingma monasteries. There's a quote from Guru Rinpoche that says, 'When this excellent teaching degenerates, then Tibet in general will degenerate.' All the different teachers have said that the Northern Treasures was particularly created as a means to preserve the happiness and well-being of the people of Tibet. Since the Northern Treasures has been established and practised in Tibet, almost all Nyingma teachers have practised this tradition. For example, The Prayer in Seven Chapters, as well as The Prayer of Samantabhadra, belong to the Northern Treasures.
Before Dordrak Rigdzin Chenpo Pema Trinley united the three main practice traditions, the Changling Tulkus were head of the branch which originated from Rigdzin Godem's wife.
Projects
Tibetan Buddhist Text Archival Project
Changling Rinpoche has been steadily working for several years to collect missing and unknown texts from the Northern Treasures tradition. A project of this importance is a major undertaking. Word that a volume has been located in a remote area could come without notice or someone could show up unexpectedly with something that has been hidden away for years. Long walks through harsh landscapes in search of texts are not uncommon. But can you imagine what it must be like to find a single missing page from a text of this caliber?
This project also comes with its own peculiar obstacles. Books have been held hostage so that even a xerox copy could cost several hundred dollars. For example, the last remaining volume of songs by the master Zurchungpa--technically not part of the Northern Treasures but an important part of the Oral Lineage maintained at Dorje Drak and other Northern Treasures monasteries--was recently ransomed for $1,000 US. (The high cost was due to the difficult circumstances of the seller.) Other books have been given freely.
In 2003, while on a text-finding expedition the texts being sought were found, along with several others that had been lost for decades. In 2004, several volumes of hidden treasure teachings (terma) and commentaries which were unknown were located. It is one thing to find the texts and quite another to preserve them.
To preserve them, these texts are being scanned for distribution on CD and DVD. The 13 volumes of commentaries by Pema Trinley are being typed into a Tibetan word processing format. Our goal is to have corrected versions distributed in published form to the monasteries and retreat centers practicing the Northern Treasures tradition. Since many of the Northern Treasures teachings are practiced in monasteries of all lineages, we hope to provide copies to everyone interested, including western academic institutions and dharma centers.
The cost of entering the 13 volumes of Pema Trinley is approximately $3,000 US per year. These thirteen volumes will require three years of work. After this, there are perhaps 75 more volumes (since more are being found each year, exact numbers are impossible to calculate).
If you would like to participate in this very special project your generous donation will be used to recover, retype or print texts which might otherwise be lost.