The Life of Shabkar_ The Autobiography of a Tibetan Yogin [2001 ed.] 1559391545, 9781559391542

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THE LIFE OF SHABKAR The Autobiography qf a Tibetan Yogin The Kurg of Wash-granting Jewels 17wt Fu!fiils the Hopes ofAll Fortunate Disciples 'Who Seek Liberation The detailed narration of the life and liberation of the great vajra-holder Shabkar Tsogdruk Rangdrol, refuge and protector for all sentient beings of this dark age

with a Foreword by His Holiness the X!Vth Dalai Lama

Translated from the Tibetan by Matthieu Ricard, Jakob Leschly, Erik Schmidt, Marilyn Silverstone, and Lodro Palmo

Edited by Constance Wilkinson with Michal Abrams, and other members of the PADMAKARA TRANSlATION GROUP

Snow Lion Publications Ithaca, NY USA

Snow Lion Publications 605 West State Street P. 0. Box 6483 Ithaca, NY 14851 (607) 273-8519

www.snowlionpub.com Copyright© 2001 Matthieu Ricard All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced by any means without prior written permission from the publisher. Printed in Canada on acid-free, recycled paper. Cover photo: J. Biancamaria The cover illustration is a watercolor on silk painted by the eighth Dugu Choeyal Gyantso Rinpoche for this publication. The artist is a renowned Tibetan lama and yogin whose work combines traditional style with a free, expressive manner. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Shabkar Tsogdruk Rangdrol, 1781-1851 The life ofShabkar: the autobiography of a Tibetan yogin I translated from Tibetan by Matthieu Ricard [et al.] edited by Constance Wilkinson (poetry), with Michal Abrams [et al.] p. em. ISBN 1-55939-154-5 1. Shabkar Tsogdruk Rangdrol, 1781-1851. 2. Lamas-China-Tibet-Biography. 3. Yogins-China-TibetBiography. I. Ricard, Matthieu. II. Wilkinson, Constance. III. Abrams, Michal.

Contents

Foreword, His Holiness the XIV Dalai lAma vii Preface, Matthew Kapstein ix Acknowledgments xi Translator's Introduction, Mattkieu Ricard xiii A Celebration ofShabkar, H. H. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche xxxi

The Life Story Introduction 3 1

Early Tears 15 2

Renouncing the World 27

3

Meeting kfy Teacher 39 4 Retreat at the Hermit's Cave 49 5 Meditation at T zgress Fort 65 6

At The Heart of the Lalce 95

7 'Meditation at Mount Machen 155

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The life ofSlw.hkar

8 At White Rock Mo~ Fortress 179 9

Pilgrimage to Central Tzbet 205 10

The Ravines ofTsari 243 11

At Mount Kailash 275

12 Pilgrimage to Nepal 349 13 Meditation at IApchi 395 14 Return to Central Tibet 447 15 Return to Dorney 485 Conclusion 541 ~

Appendices 1 Introduction to the teachings dealt with in the biography 547 2 Shabkar's spiritual teachers 557 3 Chogyal Ngakyi Wangpo's ancestry 565 4 Kunzang Dechen Gyalpo and the Wish-fo!filling Gem, Ho;yagriva and Varahi 569 5 Shabkar's writings 577 6 Shabkar's disciples 589 List of Abbreviations 593 Glossary of Enumerations 595 Bibliography 607 Maps 617 Table of Songs, Letters, Teachings, and Major Events 625 Indexes General index 633 2 Index of persons, deities, and sacred images 655 3 Index of places 679 4 Index of Tibetan works 693

Foreword By His Holiness the X!Vth Dalai Lama Shabkar Tsogdruk Rangdrol, is also to be published in English. Regarded by many as the greatest yogi after Milarepa to gain enlightenment in one lifetime, he also lived the life of a wandering mendicant teaching by means ofspiritual songs. Shabkar is particularly celebrated for the absolute purity of his approach to his lama and his personal practice, which freed him from the snare of sectarianism. He is also affectionately remembered for the kindness of his gently teasing humor. This work will undoubtedly make a great contribution to the growing store of Tibetan literature translated into English, providing a source of inspiration to Buddhist practitioners and general readers alike. I am glad of this opportunity to express my gratitude and admiration to Matthieu Ricard and other friends who have labored long under expert guidance to produce it.

The vast religious literature of Tibet can be divided into two kinds of books: those dealing with Buddhist teaching in a technical, analytical way, intended for those who have trained in logic and philosophy, and those which contain advice. The latter category consists ofworks which present the Dharma in a way that is accessible to people without special training. It includes, on the one hand, books which deal with the Stages of the Path, Mind Training, and so forth, and, on the other, books of an inspirational nature containing the lives of great practitioners, spiritual songs, and so forth. The special quality of these books lies in their universal appeal. The life ofMilarepa and his Hwulred Tlwusand Songs, for example, are treasured in almost every Tibetan household and also would often be the only additional book that meditators took into retreat with them. I am, therefore, delighted to know that the life-story of another more recent great practitioner,

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Preface

in exposing all hypocrisy-these are the qualities that suffuse his work, overriding the niceties of literary style alone. The gentle and kind personality illuminating these pages should not, however, be regarded as an airy proponent of love and light, a New Age prophet before his time. Shabkar's lightness disguises, to some extent, the intense moral rigor of the ascetical ethos he propounded: Shabkar was an effective apostle of vegetarianism among carnivores, of teetotalism among the lush, of renunciation among the worldly. He wins our respect and sympathy not because we always concur with, much less adhere to, the standard upon which he insists, but because his insistence takes the form not of the moralist's harangue but of the songster's jest, and of teaching through his own good example. For above all, Shabkar practiced what he preached. In addition to its religious and literary value, the autobiography ofShabkar presents an exceptional record of many dimensions of Tibetan life during the early part of the nineteenth century. The author's remarks on pilgrimages, on the donation and redistribution of wealth in connection with religious affairs, on brigands and thieves, and occasionally on politics, all contribute to our understanding of and receptiveness to a now vanished world. In offering to us the present translation, the Padmakara Translation Group, inspired by H.H. the late Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, and headed for this work by Gelong Konchog Tendzin

The autobiography of Shabkar Tsogdruk Rangdrol is one of the classics of Tibetan Buddhist literature and may be counted among the spiritual classics ofhumankind. Like St. Francis, Jalal-ud-din Rumi, Sri Ramakrishna, or the Hasidim, Shabkar exemplifies through his life and legacy the excellence of a particular religious tradition, while transcending particularity and touching the divine in all. In Shabkar's life and songs, we receive a privileged and intimate view of the world of the Buddhist adept, a world of intense self-discipline, but also of humor, vision and joy. It is owing to these qualities, and the simple yet elegant form in which they are here expressed, that Shabkar's work has come to be especially beloved among the people of his native province of Amdo, in northeastern Tibet, who fmd in these pages a companion offering continual wisdom, solace, and the courage needed to face the trials of life. The mixed prose and verse in which Shabkar's autobiography is written is in some respects reminiscent of the campu style of classical Sanskrit poetry, which influenced Tibetan literature primarily through the]atokamala ofAryasura, a work with which Shabkar was certainly familiar. Shabkar, however, is no mere imitator of Sanskrit ~a; it is his eschewal, in fact, ofliterary artifice, in favor of the clear and rich idiom of colloquial speech, folk song and traditional folk oratory, that lends his writing much ofits distinctive flavor. Shabkar's wit and playfulness, his magnificent flights ofimagination, his persistence

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~Life of Shah/car

(Matthieu Ricard), has magnificently contributed to our knowledge of Tibetan Buddhism. Their achievement is a highly accurate, but at the same time pleasant and readable, rendering of a work the many difficulties of which might well have frustrated the effort. The background material they have assembled here, represented in the notes and appendices, by itselfrepresents a major contribution to Tibetan Studies that will be welcomed by scholars in many differing areas

of specialization: religion, history, anthropology, . · literature, etc. The SUNY Series in Buddhist Studies is pleased to present this unparalleled addition to the body of Buddhist literature now available in English translation. MAITHEW KAPsTEIN

Series Editor

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank all those who made valuable contributions during the various stages of the translation, editing, and proofreading of this work: Anijinba Palmo (E. Dejong), Ani Samten (Casandra Calo), Ronald Bamstone, Shelagh Byron, David Christensen, the late Terry Clifford, Wulstan Fletcher, Michael Friedman, Shirin Gale, Gelong Tsultrim Gyatso, Janis Joculvar, Dolores Katz, S. Lhamo, Hetty MacLise, Tim Olmsted, Nur Richard, and Pam Ross. Special thanks are due to Professor Matthew Kapstein (Columbia University, USA) for his invaluable help, and to Dr. Franz-Karl Ehrhard (Kathmandu, Nepal) and Toni Huber (University of Canterbury, New Zealand), whose suggestions brought about significant improvements during the final stages of preparation; to Chris Gianniotis for his long-term technical guidance; and to Vivian Kurz and Bernadine Dawes for their dedicated and careful attention to all the matters related to the publication of this work. We also thank all those who were kind enough to make maps and other useful information available to us: Katia Buffetrille (Paris, France), Keith Dowman (Chabahil, Kathmandu), Mike Farmer, Peter Kessler (Rikon, Switze~land), Bradley Rowe (Exeter, U.K.), Cyrus Steams (Bodhnath, Kathmandu), and Tashi Tshering (Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, Dharamsala, India).

This work was translated and edited by the Padmakara Translation Group under the guidance of: H.H. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, Dza Trulshik Rinpoche, Taklung Tsetrul Perna Wangyal Rinpoche, Dagpo Tulku, Dugu Tulku Choegyal Rinpoche, Alak Zenkar Rinpoche (Thubden Nyima), Tulku Thondup Rinpoche, Senge Trakpa Rinpoche, Khetsun Sangpo Rinpoche, Shangpa Tulku, and Tulku Sangnak Tendzin.

Translators Matthieu Ricard (Konchog Tendzin),Jakob Leschly (Tashi Chapel), Erik Schmidt (Perna Kunzang), Marilyn Silverstone (Bhikshuni Ngawang Chadron), and Linda Talbot (Lodro Palma)

Editor Constance Wilkinson

Assistant editors Michal Abrams (Perna Yeshe),Jeffrey Miller (Surya Das), Daniel Staffier,John Canti, Dana Chubb, Wyatt Benner,Jody Vernon, and Maggie Westhaver

Illustrations: The eighth Dugu Choegyal Gyamtso Rinpoche Raphaele Demandre

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Translator's Introduction

The autobiography of Lama Shabkar, a work known and loved throughout Tibet, is probably second only to that ofjetsun Milarepa 1 in popularity. It is a simple and moving account of the life of a wandering hermit from childhood until his ultimate spiritual realization. Shabkar describes all the steps ofhis spiritual path, culminating in the teachings of the Great Perfection, Dzogchen. Like Milarepa, of whom he was said to be an incarnation, his teachings, advice, and accounts of spiritual experiences are expressed in the form of songs. In Amdo, his native province, excerpts of Shabkar's life were often read to the dying instead of the Bardo Thiidrol, the so-called 1ibeta:n Book ofthe Dead. The story of Shabkar's life illustrates the complete path of Buddhist practice. To begin with, he demonstrates the exemplary path of a perfect practitioner: having become disillusioned with worldly activities, he seeks a spiritual master, develops confidence in him and follows his instructions. By practicing with complete dedication, in the end he himself becomes an enlightened master capable of contributing immensely to the welfare of other beings. Shabkar's account of his progress along the spiritual path is so straightforward, heartfelt, and unaffected that one is encouraged to believe that similar deep faith and diligence would allow anyone else to achieve the same result. Shabkar was born in 1781 among the Nyingmapa yogins of the Rekong region in Amdo, the remote northeast province of Greater Tibet. These yogins were renowned for their mastery of

the Secret Mantrayana practices and gathered in their thousands to engage in meditations and rituals. They were much admired, and sometimes feared, for their magical powers. The yogins of Rekong were also famous for their hair, often six feet long, which they wore coiled on the top of their heads. From a very early age, Shabkar showed a strong inclination toward the contemplative life. Even his childhood games were related to the teachings of Lord Buddha. By the age of six or seven, he had already developed a strong desire to practice. Visions, similar to those experienced in advanced Dzogchen practice, came to him naturally. At fifteen years of age, Shabkar felt a strong desire to "pray to the precious master Guru Padmasambhava, the source of blessings." He recited one million Vajra Guru mantras 2 and had auspicious dreams, such as of flying through the air, seeing the sun and moon rising simultaneously, finding jewel treasures, and so forth. "From then on," he wrote, "by the grace of Guru Rinpoche, I became filled with intense devotion to the guru, affection toward my Dharma friends, compassion for sentient beings, and pure perception toward the teachings. I had the good fortune to accomplish without obstacles whatever Dharma practice I undertook" (chap. 1, fol. 19a). At the age of sixteen, he completed a oneyear retreat during which he recited the mantra ofManjushri ten million times and experienced auspicious dreams and signs. "Through the blessing

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The Life of Shabkar

of this practice," he said, "I gained a general understanding of the depth and breadth of the teachings." Shabkar then metJamyang Gyatso, a master whom he venerated greatly and of whom he later had visions and dreams. Despite his deep affection for his mother and respect for his family, Shabkar managed to resist their repeated requests that he marry. He eventually left home in order to pursue wholeheartedly his spiritual aims. Determined to renounce worldly concerns, Shabkar received full monastic ordination at the age of twenty and entered a meditation retreat. He let his hair grow long again, as was customary for retreatants, who did not waste time in nonessential activities; as a sign of having accomplished certain yogic practices, he wore a white shawl rather than the traditional red shawl, although he continued to wear the patched lower robe characteristic of a fully ordained monk. This rather unconventional attire occasionally attracted sarcastic comments from strangers, to whom Shabkar would reply with humorous songs. Shabkar left his native land behind and traveled south of Rekong to meet his main teacher, the Dharma King Ngakyi Wangpo. Ngakyi Wangpo was a learned and accomplished Mongolian king, said to be an incarnation of Marpa the Translator, 3 who had renounced the remnants of the vast kingdom of Gushri Khan and become a prominent Nyingmapa master. (Details about Ngakyi Wangpo's ancestry are given in Appendix 3.) As Shabkar says of him, "He had crossed the ocean of the knowledge of the scriptures and sciences and realized the natural state, the pro: found and luminous vajra essence. Because I saw all his actions as pure and did whatever he asked, he came to think of me as a heart-son. Therefore, he gave me all the pith instructions of the Old and New Translation schools, as if filling a vessel to the brim." Mter receiving complete instructions from the Dharma King, Shabkar practiced for five years in the wilderness of Tseshung, where his meditation experiences and realization flourished. He then meditated for three years on a small island, Tsonying, the "Heart of the Lake," in the

Kokonor, the Blue Lake of Amdo. There he experienced numerous dreams and visions of gurus and deities. His search for sacred places took him to many other solitary retreats: the glaciers of Machen, the sacred caves of the White Rock Monkey Fortress, the arduous pilgrimage of the Ravines ofTsari, Mount Kailash, and the Lapchi Snow Range. He spent many years in the very caves where Milarepa and other saints had lived and meditated. Shabkar's given names werejampa Chodar, "The Loving One Who Spreads the Dharma," and Tsogdruk Rangdrol, "Self-liberation of the Six Senses." He became renowned as Shabkar Lama, the ''White Footprint Lama," because he spent years in meditation at Mount Kailash above Milarepa's4 Cave of Miracles, near the famous White Footprint, one of the four footprints said to have been left by Buddha Shakyamuni when he traveled miraculously to Kailash. It is also said that Shabkar was called ''White Foot" because wherever he would set his feet, the land would become "white," meaning that through his teachings the minds of the people would be turned toward the holy Dharma. Wandering as a homeless yogin, teaching all beings from bandits to wild animals, Shabkar's pilgrimages brought him as far as Nepal, where, in the Kathmandu Valley, he covered the entire spire of the Bodhnath stupa with the gold his devotees had offered him. In 1828, at the age of forty-seven, Shabkar returned to Amdo, where he tirelessly helped others through his extraordinary compassion. He spent the last twenty years of his life teaching disciples, promoting peace in the area, and practicing meditation in retreat at various sacred places, primarily at his hermitage in T ashikhyil. Oral traditions recount even more stories of this great yogin's life than the present autobiography. For instance, they say that Shabkar fed hundreds ofbeggars, asking them to gather stones to make stupas5 in return. When invited to teach, Shabkar would agree to come, provided that the benefactors also fed all the beggars who accompanied him. The horde ofbeggars would usually arrive first, followed by Shabkar himself on foot,

Translator's Introduction leaning on the famous walking stick he used to call his "horse," which itself was the subject of some ofhis songs. The reputation ofShabkar, the perfect hermit, spread far and wide, inspiring another great renunciate, Patrul Rinpoche, 6 to travel from Kham to Amdo to meet him. Unfortunately, after Patrul had gone only halfway he heard that Shabkar had passed away, whereupon he prostrated himself a hundred times in the direction of Amdo and sang a supplication for Shabkar's swift rebirth. He then added, "Compassion and love are the root of Dharma. I think that there was no one more compassionate than Shabkar in this world. I had nothing special to ask, no teachings to request from him, no teaching to offer him; I simply wanted to gather some merit by seeing his face." Two successive incarnations ofShabkarwere recognized in Amdo, but neither had the spiritual charisma of its predecessor. 7 Once, when H.H. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche8 went to Shohong, Shabkar's birthplace, to bestow the empowerments of the Treasury of&discovered Teachings,9 he sat on a stone seat under a particular tree where Shabkar had often sat to sing spiritual songs. While Khyentse Rinpoche himselfsat and sang there, a rain of flowers fell on him from the tree. He felt this signified a special karmic connection between himself and Shabkar. Many people thought that he was perhaps Shabkar's incarnation. Shabkar lived at a time in Tibetan history when many spiritual lineages were on the verge of extinction. Bitter religious sectarianism and tribal feuds divided monasteries and peoples. 10 Transcending these differences, Shabkar exemplified religious tolerance, altruism and "pure perception," 11 the foremost characteristics of a genuine Buddhist practitioner. A vision of Guru Padmasambhava he experienced toward the end of his life is typical of Shabkar's Rimey (nonsectarian) approach to the four main schools ofTibetan Buddhism. During the vision, Shabkar tells Guru Padmasambhava, "I have prayed to you all my life and have been blessed by visions of many other deities and spiritual masters, but only no\Y do you appear to

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me." Guru Padmasambhava replied, "Do you remember when, on the island of The Heart of the l.a.ke, you had a vision ofTsongkhapa, who gave you the teaching on the Graded Path? That was I." In 1he Emanated Scriptures of Orgyen, in which Shabkar recounts this vision, he expresses his faith in the inseparability of Guru Padmasambhava, Atisha, and Tsongkhapa, a triad of teachers who dominated Shabkar's life, practice, and teaching. 12 The core ofShabkar's practice was the Great Perfection, Atiyoga, the summit of the nine vehicles, the extraordinary treasure of the Nyingma tradition. Yet his realization of the Great Perfection was fmnly grounded in the impeccable precepts of the Kadampa masters, which inspire practitioners to have few needs and desires; authentic feelings of renunciation, humility and inner calm, loving-kindness, compassion and, above all, the precious Bodhicitta-the intense resolve to bring all sentient beings tb the perfect freedom of enlightenment. Shabkar did not merely receive teachings from all traditions ofTibetan Buddhism, but he actively taught "pure perception" and openmindedness. Moreover, he eloquently elucidated how all the many different Dharma teachings of the various yanas form one coherent, noncontradictory whole. He contributed greatly to the nonsectarian movement that flourished in the nineteenth century and that culminated in luminaries such asjamgon Kongtrul,Jamyang Khyentse W angpo, Patrul Rinpoche and Lama Mipham. 13 Gathering teachings from all areas of Tibet and from masters of all spiritual traditions, these teachers-themselves all authentic masters, scholars, poets, commentators, and accomplished yogins- saved the heritage of Tibetan Buddhism from decline and restored its vitality, a heritage still benefiting us today. The essential teachings were compiled into major collections, such asjamgon Kongtrul's Fi:oe Great Treasuries, so that they could be practiced and transmitted to future generations. As was often the case with spiritual leaders in Tibet, Shabkar became an active force in mediating peace. In Amdo, which had known centuries ofconflict among the disparate elements

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of the Tibetan population, Mongolian nomads, and Chinese invaders, time after time he served as a mediator in order to bring bloody feuds to an end and establish peace. He inspired highwaymen to give up banditry and crime, and even persuaded Chinese Muslims to rebuild the Buddhist temples they had burned down. Shabkar's many didactic songs teach us the value and significance ofhuman life, the meaning of death and impermanence, the law of karma, and the suffering inherent in samsara. He often extols the benefits of renunciation, the need to rely upon a qualified teacher and to cultivate devotion, the view of emptiness imbued with the heart of great compassion, and fmally, the realization of the Great Perfection-the primordial, unchanging purity of all phenomena, the innate Buddha-nature. Not only does Shabkar explain all this, but he urges and inspires us to make these teachings a living experience, a part of ourselves. These songs and teachings do not necessarily appear in the biography in the same order as they would in a systematic exposition of the stages of the path. Therefore, an overview of this path, according to the nine vehicles of the Nyingma tradition, can be found in Appendix 1. 14 In addition to his biography, Shabkar left numerous clear and inspiring teachings, among which is the famous Flight of the Garuda. His vast realization and knowledge, remarkable memory, matchless faculty of improvisation, pure perception of all spiritual traditions, and above all his heartfelt compassion and constant wish to benefit others, yielded many volumes ofwritings that have now (for the most part) been reprinted in India and in Tibet (see Appendix 5 and the excellent review of Shabkar's writings by Pal Gyalkar, 1993) The distinctive characteristics of Shabkar's works include directness, simplicity, profundity, and the power to encourage the reader to engage in spiritual practice. He does not write to flaunt his lmowledge or to gain fame as a philosopher, but rather to tum readers' minds toward the Dharma, sustain their enthusiasm, and prevent them from becoming sidetracked or falling into the pitfalls that lie along the path to liberation.

Shabkar's sources of inspiration are many and various, reflecting the breadth ofhis training and his almost unique openness to all traditions. In his songs are themes and verses that have their roots in the writings ofLongchen Rabjam 14 and other masters of the Nyingma tradition such as Karma Lingpa (1326-?; see chap. 1, note 62). Constant inspiration is provided by the songs of Jetsun Milarepa, as well as Lord Atisha and his spiritual heirs, the masters of the Kadam tradition. Shabkar died in 1851. His life-story can move one to tears or to laughter; but above all, as H.H. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche said, "As one reads it, one's mind carmot resist being turned toward the Dharma."

Buddhism in Tzhet The Buddhist teachings originated in India in the sixth century B.C.E. with Buddha Shakyamuni. and spread to Tibet in the fifth century C. E. when King I.hathori Nyentsen (b. 433) brought the first Buddhist scriptures to the Land of Snows. However, it was during the reigns of King Songtsen Gampo (617?-50) and King Trisong Detsen (b. 730 or 742) that the teachings of the Buddha actually took root and flourished in Tibet. 16 Wishing to establish a large monastery, King Trisong Detsen invited the Abbot Shantarakshita from India Mter vainly attempting to subdue the negative forces and mountain gods averse to the propagation of Buddhism, Shantarakshita declared that only Padmasambhava, the "Lotusborn Guru," could succeed in this task. This powerful tantric master-also lmown as Guru Rinpoche, the "Precious Teacher," and revered by the Tibetans as the second Buddha-was invited to Tibet, and Samye Monastery was then constructed and consecrated. Shantarakshita introduced to Tibet the unbroken lineage of monastic ordination, while Guru Padmasambhava bestowed Vajrayana initiations and imparted essential instructions. At

Translator's Introduction the behest ofthe King, the Abbot Shantarakshita and the Master Padmasambhava, Tibetan translators, led by V airocana, along with Indian panditas led by Vimalamitra, translated into Tibetan the entire Tripitaka-the "Three Baskets" of the Buddha's words-as well as countless tantras, commentaries, and ritual texts used in meditation practice. For the sake of future generations, Padmasambhava, the dakini Yeshe Tsogyal, and his other chiefdisciples concealed countless teachings in the form of spiritual treasures, or termas. 17 Despite a period (841-46) of intense persecution by King Langdarma, the Buddha's Dharma flourished. New waves of translations brought even more scriptures to Tibet from India, and numerous schools bloomed, following the appearance of many remarkable saints and scholars. Principal among these schools are the renowned "eight great chariots of the practice lineages" (see Appendix 1). From these, four main traditions emerged-Nyingma, Kagyu, Sakya, and Geluk -which continue to this day to foster the rich contemplative and philosophical heritage ofTibet. The ancient indigenous Tibetan religion, known as Bon, has also survived, heavily influenced by the advent in Tibet of Buddhist doctrine. Tibetan Buddhism itself transmuted and incorporated some local Bon customs, as traditional Buddhism in spreading has done within the culture of each new country it has encountered.18 Tibetan sacred literature, one of the richest in the world, abounds with treatises on religious history and practice, philosophy, hagiographies, and instructions for contemplative life. As His Holiness the XIVth Dalai Lama often stresses, the Tibetan tradition appears to be the only culture in which all the various aspects of Buddhism-Hinayana, Mahayana and Vajrayana have not only been preserved, but can be practiced in an integrated, harmonious and effective way. These three yanas, or "vehicles," correspond to the three fundamental aspects of the Buddhist teachings: renunciation, compassion and "pure vision." Renunciation, the foundation of the Hina-

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yana and therefore the root of all subsequent vehicles, implies the strong wish to free oneself not only from the current sorrows oflife but from the seemingly unending sufferings of samsara, the vicious cycle of conditioned existence. Renunciation accompanies a profound weariness, a dissatisfaction with the conditions of samsara, and a heartfelt disillusionment with worldly concerns. Compassion, the driving force of the Mahayana, is born from the realization that both the individual "self' and the appearances of the phenomenal world are devoid of any intrinsic reality. To misconstrue the infinite display of illusory appearances as permanent entities is ignorance, which results in suffering. An enlightened being-that is, one who has understood the ultimate nature of all thingsnaturally feels boundless compassion for those who, under the spell of ignorance, are wandering and suffering in samsara. From similar compassion, the Mahayana student on the spiritual path does not aim for his own liberation alone, but vows to attain Buddhahood in order to gain the capacity to free all sentient beings from the suffering inherent in samsara. "Pure vision," the extraordinary outlook of the Vajrayana or Adamantine Vehicle, is to recognize Buddha-nature in all sentient beings and to see primordial purity and perfection in all phenomena. Every sentient being is endowed with the essence of Buddhahood, just as oil pervades every sesame seed. Ignorance is nothing more than lack of awareness of this very Buddha-nature, as when a pauper does not see the golden pot buried beneath his own hut. The spiritual path is thus a rediscovery of this forgotten nature, just as one sees again the immutable brilliance of the sun once the clouds that were masking it have been blown away. The remarkable feature of the Tibetan tradition of the three yanas is how each step of the gradual path is enhanced with the practice of the next. Just as an alchemist might transform a piece of iron, fust into copper and fmally into gold, so the renunciation of the Lesser Vehicle is ennobled and widened by the universal compassion of the Great Vehicle, which itself becomes

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infinitely vast and profound when suffused by the view of the Adamantine Vehicle. Shabkar appeared at a time when the integrity ofthe doctrine had eroded and many invaluable teachings were on the verge ofdisappearing. Sectarian bitterness often prevailed over pure perception and mutual respect. Amdo was mainly a Gelukpa stronghold, strewn with smaller monasteries and retreat centers founded by highly realized Nyingmapa yogins such as Do Drupchen Trinley Oser, Dolajigme Kalzang, and Choying Topden Dmje. In this situation, which often led to narrowmindedness, Shabkar, transcending all sectarianism, perceived the deep unity of all traditions. He made fruitful use of the extraordinary potential inherent in combining the altruistic Mind Training taught by Atisha (and developed by Tsongkhapa as the foundation of the gradual path) with the most profound practices of the Nyingma tradition. Tibetan masters often say that understanding the teachings of all Buddhist traditions to be noncontradictory is the sign of true knowledge. Shabkar says,

In the snow ranges of Tibet, Owing to the kindness of sublime beings of the past, Many profound teachings were taught. These days most practitioners Hold the various teachings to be contradictory, Like heat and cold. They praise some teachings and disparage others. Some holy beings have said that Madhyarnika, Mahamudra, and Dzogchen Are like sugar, molasses, and honey: One is as good as the other. For this reason, I have listened to And practiced all of them without partiality. Shabkar can thus be compared to the other masters of the nonsectarian (Rimey) movement

who, in the nineteenth century, restored the spiritual integrity and vigor of Tibetan Buddhism and saved it from sinking into a quagmire of doctrinal contention, far removed from spiritual realization and pure perception.

Shabko.r's Biographies Tibetan hagiographies are called namJlzar, which means "perfect, or complete, liberation." A namthar is not only the detailed account of a saintly person's life, but the description of his or her journey to liberation: a narrative and a teaching as well (see Willis 1985). More than any other teaching in fact, a namthar leaves a deep impression on the reader's mind. Far from abstract considerations, it puts in our hands a chart to guide us on the journey, a testimony that the journey can be accomplished, and a powerful incentive to set out swiftly on the path. Namtlzars of recent masters remind one that these accounts are not ancient fairy tales; they demonstrate that, even in our time, there are accomplished beings who are living examples of enlightenment. 19 This volume, entitled The Kzng ofWzsh-granting Jewels Thoi Fulfills the Hopes qf all Fortunate Disciples who Seek liheration, the detailed narration qfthe ljfe and liheration qfthe great vajra-holder Shabkar, rrfoge and protectm for all sentient beings qf this dark age is a translation of Shabkar's autobiography describing the events of his life up to the age of fifty-six. It constitutes the 970-page first part of volume Ka ofShabkar's Collected Writings. Fine wooden blocks of this work had been carved at Tashikhyil Hermitage, Shabkar's seat in Amdo, but were destroyed after the Chinese invasion of 1959. A few prints made from these were brought from Tibet and a two-volume reprint was made in India in 1983 under the auspices ofH.H. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. In 1985, the Qinghai Nationalities Press also published a 1097-page edition in book form. A second, 684-page autobiographical volume (Ka, part 2), not translated here, covers Shabkar's life from the age of fifty-six until his death at the age of seventy. It contains spiritual songs and teachings, interspersed with brief descriptions of Shabkar's travels in Amdo and his meetings with his disciples and with other

Translator's Introduction teachers. This later work ends with a section in which Changlung Tulku Khyapdal Longyang, 20 one of Shabkar's closest disciples, recounts important events and miracles performed by Shabkar that are not included in the autobiographies, and describes the last moments of the master's life. Reprints of volume Ka, part 2, were also made in India (as vol. 3 of the Collected Writzngs) and in Tibet by the Qinghai Nationalities Press (fS 2). Valuable biographical information can also be gathered from Shabkar's Collection ofSongs and from his other writings. According to reliable Tibetan sources, a manuscript ofShabkar's SecretAutobiograph:J (gsang ba'i mom thor), for which wooden blocks were never carved, has been preserved in Amdo.

Genesis ofthe AutobWgraph:J Between 1806 and 1809, while he was staying at Tsonying Island, Shabkar wrote down some of his early life-story at the request ofPema Rangdrol and other disciples. A manuscript of this first autobiography has been found in northern Nepal (see Appendix 6, mom tho:r dngos). It is clear that Shabkar must have referred to this fust version when compiling the initial chapters of the complete autobiography, since much of the material is identical. Curiously enough, a few anecdotes and details mentioned in the fust version do not appear in the more exhaustive final version. Perna Rangdrol also composed a biography covering the events of his master's life up to Shabkar's pilgrimage to central Tibet (1810). 21 This work has not survived. At Lapchi (1819-22), Shabkar recounted his life-story to a group of disciples, who then wrote down what they had heard. Finally, in 183 7, acceding to the persistent requests of his disciples, Shabkar himself began composing the fust section ofhis complete autobiography. Insight into the composition of the fmal version may arise through examination of a set of three manuscripts (DOL 1, 2, 3) discovered in the Tarap Valley of Dolpo, in Nepal. 22 These texts reveal that the majority of the material in chapter 11 and all of the songs and teachings in chapter 12 already existed in fmal form as early

XIX

as 1814-24. TheDolpomanuscriptsendabruptly with an appeal to generous patrons to contribute to the restoration of the T ashi Gomang stupa of Chung Riwoche which occurred in 1824. 23 Mter the restoration, Shabkar left western Tibet. For these and other reasons, 24 it is logical to assume that the Dolpo manuscripts, or perhaps the texts from which they were copied, were compiled during the time Shabkar lived in westem Tibet (1814-24). The remaining songs from the Dolpo manuscripts which were not used in the 1837 autobiography form part of the second volume ofShabkar's Collected Songs(fS 4), which was compiled after he returned to Amdo. Chapters 11 and 12 of the autobiography are thus a vivid account, written down in 1837, of the events of Shabkar's life at Kailash and in Nepal. They are interspersed with songs he had sung and teachings he had given, and which had been written down at the very time those events took place (1814-24). These songs and teachings are therefore much more likely to be an accurate rendering of Shabkar's words than if they had merely been reconstructed from memory twenty years after the events had occurred. In other cases as well, it is clear that Shabkar kept written records of his songs and teachings. From Tsonying Island, for instance, Shabkar sent a collection ofa thousand songs to his friends and disciples at Rekong. 25 There are also collections of songs related to each of the main sacred places where Shabkar lived and meditated (see Appendix 5). One may thus infer that Shabkar chose to incorporate into his fmal 1837 autobiography a selection of the many songs he had composed throughout his life, the rest being compiled into his Collected

Songs. Shabkar's Former Incarnations In chapter 14, at the request ofa disciple, Shabkar writes a prayer that recounts his previous incarnations within all the main schools of Buddhism in Tibet: Many, many aeons ago, Having swiftly attained perfect Buddhahood,

xx

The Life qfShabkar

To benefit sentient beings and the Dharma of the Buddha, He manifested in whatever manner was appropriate to transform beings. At the time of the Buddha he was Avalokiteshvara, In the land of India he was Manjushrimitra, In the center ofTibet he became Trenpa Namkha, In the Kagyu tradition he was Milarepa, In the Kadampa lineage he was the Glorious Gyalse Thogme, In the Ganden lineage he was the Lord Lodro Gyaltsen, In the nonsectarian lineage he manifested to beings as Thangtong Gyalpo. Now he is the protector of beings, Shabkarpa. In future, in the presence of the Lords of the Five Families, In Manifest Joy and every other Buddhafield, He will be a supreme son Who will lead all those who have made a connection with him To whichever Pure Land they desire. Fundamentally, Shabkar was considered to be an emanation ofAvalokiteshvara, the Buddha of compassion, 26 which would account for the strong emphasis which he places on compassion and Bodhicitta in his practice and teachings. Shabkarwas also an emanation ofManjushrimitra (in Tibetan Jampel Shenyen), 27 one of the main patriarchs of the Nyingma tradition. Manjushrimitra was a disciple of Garab Dmje (the first master ofthe Dzogchen lineage) and the teacher of Shri Singha and Guru Padrnasambhava According to Buddhist sources, Trenpa Namkha was a Bonpo master who embraced Buddhism and became one of the twenty-five main disciples of Padmasambhava. Having attained realization, he was able to manifest various miraculous powers. In particular, he was

able to tame the fierce wild yaks of the northern plateaus ofTibet. As related in a short biography by Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo written according to traditional Bonpo sources, Trenpa Namkha was an extraordinary being. 28 He was said to be the father of Perna Thongdrol, a name given to Padrnasambhava by the Bonpo, who considered him to have been born of a human mother rather than from a lotus. However, it is as an emanation of Jetsun Milarepa, the cotton-clad yogin (104G-1123), that Shabkar is chiefly celebrated. His life of renunciation and solitary practice, the large following of renunciate disciples he had in the later part of his life, and his inexhaustible faculty for teaching througli improvised songs are strikingly reminiscent ofMilarepa's life. Shabkar's principal teacher, the Mongolian king Chogyal Ngakyi Wangpo, was himself considered to be an incarnation ofMarpa the Translator, Milarepa's spiritual master. When Shabkar went to the Cave of the Subjugation of Mara in Lapchi where Milarepa had spent a long period in solitary retreat, he indicated the existence of a second entrance to the cave. The entrance was unearthed and the remnants ofMilarepa's stone hearth were rediscovered. All those assembled there were convinced by these events that Shabkar was in fact the incarnation ofMilarepa (see chap. 13). Shabkar is frequendy depicted as a yogin who is posed like Milarepa, his right hand cupped behind his ear-a gesture which signifies listening to the celestial voices of the dakinis. A few details, however, distinguish the two masters. Shabkar's long hair is not loose on his shoulders like that of Milarepa, but is ~oiled and knotted above his head in the fashion of the yogins of Rekong. Also, Shabkar holds a skull-cup in his left hand and has a walking stick at his left side; his upper garb is indeed the white cotton shawl of a repa, 29 but his lower robe is the patched red skirt of a fully ordained monk. In the Kadampa and Sakya lineages, Shabkar was considered to have been the incarnation ofNgulchu Gyalse Thogme (1295-1369), a great Bodhisattva and teacher who exemplified compassion in all his actions and embodied

Translator's Introduction the Kadampa ideal of exchanging one's own happiness for the suffering of others (as can be seen in his biography by Palden Y eshe). 30 Gyalse Thogrne was the author ofthe well-known 1hi:r!JSevenfold Practice qf a Bodhisattva, which presents the essence of the Bodhisattva path, and of commentaries on Engaging in the Bodhisattva's ActiuitJ (Bodhicaryavatara) and several other major Mahayana texts. In the Ganden, or Geluk, lineage (the New Kadampa tradition), Shabkar was considered to have been the Lord Chen-ngawa Lodro Gyaltsen (1402-72), a disciple ofje Tsongkhapa belonging to the Phagrno Drupa family; he was the author of many teachings on Lojong practice, including the famous compendium Opening the

Door to Mind Training. 31 In the nonsectarian lineages, Shabkar was Thangtong Gyalpo (1361-1485), the "King of the Empty Plain," 32 an incarnation of Avalokiteshvara and of the mind-aspect of Guru Padmasambhava. 33 This famous Tibetan siddha practiced and taught Buddhist teachings from all the traditional lineages, although his own special realization came from the practice of the Northem Treasures34 of the Nyingma tradition and of the Shangpa Kagyu teachings, which he received in three visions from the wisdom dakini Niguma 35 In a vision, Thangtong Gyalpo also traveled to the Glorious Copper-colored Mountain where he received teaching from Guru Padmasambhavahimself He is famous for his meditation practice for achieving longevity, probably the most popular ofits kind in Tibet 36 Following a vision ofVajravarahi, he wrote a set of vajra verses which were later elaborated by his spiritual heirs into a complete cycle ofspiritual practices known as the Oral Transmission of 7hongtnng. 37 He is also remembered for building fiftyeight iron suspension bridges, many of which still span the rivers of Tibet and Bhutan. Among the native people he is beloved for having created the well-known Ache lilamo dance rituals, colloquially known as Tibetan Opera. He passed away at Chung Riwoche, in western Tibet, at the age of 125 years.

His Teachers and lineage Although Shabkar sought the blessing and instructions of numerous teachers throughout his

XXI

life, three were, by his own account (see TN 4, p. 823), central to his spiritual development: Jampel Dmje, Jamyang Gyatso and, above all, Chogyal Ngakyi Wangpo. At eleven Shabkar entered the community of ngakpas of Shohong, "a community known for their pure samay~ 8 and unshakable faith in the Secret Mantra tradition of the Early Translation · school." At twelve he was introduced to basic Nyingma practice by the master Orgyen Trinley Namgyal (see chap. 1, fol. 18a). Shabkar's first Dzogchen master wasjampel Dorje Rinpoche (d. 1817??9 who gave him the initiation of the Dzogchen Ati {_abdon 40 of the Mindroling tradition and the instructions that introduce one direcdy to the ultimate nature of mind. These and other transmissions given by this master suggest that he was a holder of the traditions of the two main Nyingrna monasteries ofcentral Tibet: Mindroling and Dmje Trak (see chap. 1, fol. 19a). Around 1797 Shabkar metJamyang Gyatso Rinpoche (d. 1800), a highly accomplished master thoroughly versed in the teachings of both Nyingma and Sarma, the Old and the New traditions (see Appendix 1). Shabkar revered him gready and had several visions and dreams of him after this master passed away. From him, Shabkar received many empowerments on the cycles of rediscovered treasures of Raton Terton, 41 TennyiLingpa(1480-1535),42 Karma Lingpa (b. 1326),Jigme Lingpa (1729-98), 43 and Lodrak Drupchen ukyi Dmje (132~1401), 44 as well as teachings on Mind Training and meditation. The list of the Nyingrna teachings Shabkar received from Jamyang Gyatso, and later from Chogyal Ngakyi Wangpo and other masters, shows close connections between the lineages of these two spiritual masters, as it appears in tables 1, 2, and 4. At the age of twenty, Shabkar received the full monastic ordination at Dobi Monastery45 from Arik Geshe Rinpochejampel Gelek Gyaltsen (1726-1803), also known as Gyaltsen Oser, a famous Gelukpa scholar-saint considered to be an emanation ofNagarjuna. 46 He gave Shabkar the monastic name Jampa Chodar, 1he I.nving

xxii

The Life ofShabkar

One JiYlzo Spreads the Dho.rma, and advised him to meet the great Nyingma master Chogyal Ngakyi Wangpo. The dominant inspiration ofShabkar's spiritual life, his root teacher, was Chogyal Ngakyi Wangpo (1736-1807), said to be an emanation of both Guru Padmasambhava and Marpa the Translator. His full name was Pontsang Dalai Tai Chingwang Ngawang Dargye Pal Zangpo, the "Great Oceanic King, Glorious and Excellent All-Blooming Lord ofSpeech." There is no known biography of this master; however, a few details about his life can be gathered from Shabkar's autobiography, from the Ocean Annals (a mdo clws 'hyung deb tlzer rgya mtslw, the Amdo Chifjung abbreviated below as AC), and from oral tradition. Ngakyi Wangpo's predecessors were influential rulers, and one ofthem had donated the land toJamyang Shepa47 for the construction of Labrang Tashikhyil Monastery, founded in 1708/10. (Ngakyi Wangpo's complex ancestry is summarized in table 3 and in Appendix 3.) Although his family had been connected with the Gelukpa lineage, Ngakyi Wangpo became a Nyingma practitioner. He was a disciple ofOrgyen Tendzin, the spiritual heir of the great terton Kunzang Dechen Gyalpo (see Appendix 4). Ngakyi Wangpo became one of the main holders of Dechen Gyalpo's rediscovered treasures, aithough it is uncertain whether he met the terton himsel£ Ngakyi Wangpo was also a disciple of the first Do Drupchen, Jigme Trinley Oser, the principal Dharma heir of Rigdzin Jigme Lingpa's limgchen Nyingthig lineage.48

Chogyal Ngakyi Wangpo, better known as a ruler under the name ofNgawang Dargye, was one of the two kings who governed the Kokonor region. 49 He was a descendant of Gushri Khan (1592-1654), a Qosot Mongol king called Tendzin Chogyal by the Tibetans. His tribal group had migrated from their Urumchi grazing land, in what is today Xinjiang, to new territories south of Lake Kokonor, near the Machu River (the upper reaches of the Huang Ho, the Yellow River of China). In Shabkar's autobiography, ''Mongolia" (sog

po) refers to the area that might be called "little Mongolia," a district south of Rekong in Amdo where many tent-dwelling Mongolian tribes had settled two centuries before. Thoroughly assimilated, they spoke only the local Amdo Tibetan dialect. Urgeh, Chogyal Ngakyi Wangpo's seat in this nomadic area, was a large encampment of tents. There was, however, at least one major monastery in the area, called Urgeh Tratsang Sang-ngak Mingyeling. It was founded under the patronage ofone ofNgakyi Wangpo's ancestors, Dar Gyalpo Shoktu. Ngakyi Wangpo further enhanced the monastery's prosperity; he had 108 monks reside there, and arranged that large ceremonies be performed every year. The monastery initially belonged to the Gelukpa school but, probably under the inspiration of Ngakyi Wangpo, it later turned to the Nyingma tradition. 50 Beginning with teaching Lol?J'ong teaching on Mind Training, Ngakyi Wangpo gradually taught Shabkar the complete path of the three vehicles. His teachings focused on the Vajrayana empowerment of the Wtsh-.folfifling Gem, Hayagriva and Varahi., a spiritual treasure (gter ma) revealed by Terton Kunzang Dechen Gyalpo that was to become Shabkar's main practice. It was during this empowerment that Shabkar received the name Tsogdruk Rangdrol, "Self-liberation of the Six Senses," which refers to the natural liberation ofordinary dualistic perception (which occurs by means ofthe perceptions associated with each of the five sense organs and with the sixth sense, intellectual cognition) into the ultimate nature of emptiness and awareness. Since the practice of the Wish-fo!filling Gem, Hayagriva and Varahi occupies a central place in Shabkar's spiritual practice and in his lineage, its origin is described in Appendix 4. The Dharma King Ngakyi Wangpo then gave Shabkar teachings on the development stage, related to the Vase Empowerment. Next, he taught about the channels and energy practice of tummo, related to the Secret Empowerment Then he gave teachings on the bliss-void practice of the m'LIIira, related to the Wisdom Empowerment; and finally, he gave teachings on Trekcho

Translator's Introduction and Thogal, related to the Word, or Symbolic Empowerment. On subsequent occasions, he imparted to Shabkar the transmission of teachings from Lodrak Drupchen Lekyi Dorje; teachings on Mahamudra; the Dzogchen Yeske Lamtf1 1 ofjigme Lingpa; Nyima Trakpa's(l647-1710)Dzogchen teaching; and the Khandro Nyi:ngthig, 52 the chief Dzogchen teachings of Guru Padmasambhava as revealed by Perna Ledrelstel. Ngakyi Wangpo inspired Shabkar to study the Seven Treasuries, the 1hree Great Chariots, and other writings ofLongchen Rabjam, a corpus of works that form the quintessence of the Nyingma tradition. He also requested one ofhis own teachers, Lamajimba, to teach Shabkar the Vinaya, the rules of monastic discipline. Until his death in 1807, Ngakyi Wangpo guided Shabkar with great love and tenderness, and considered him his spiritual heir. After his guru passed away, Shabkar had several visions of him. It is said that before leaving this world Chogyal Ngakyi Wangpo showed his disciples a rosary on which he had recited the Vajra Guru mantra of Guru Padmasambhava one hundred million times (see AC, val. 2, p. 123). He told them, "Once I am dead, don't remove this rosary from my neck; cremate it with my body." Mter the cremation, the rosary was lying still intact in the ashes, and images of the Buddha Shakyamuni and of other deities were found on the Dharma King's skull as well as on the bones of his hand. Shabkar had many other teachers, the most important of whom are listed in Appendix 2. Shabkar's lineage still flourishes today. Not only are his writings extremely popular among Tibetans, but Dechen Gyalpo's esoteric Wtsh.folJilling Gem, Hayagriw and Varahi, which was transmitted through Shabkar, is still practiced today (see Appendix 4). There has rarely been a lama who traveled around Tibet as much as Shabkar did, and inspired so many disciples over the entire country. At the end of the autobiography Shabkar says: I had a hundred and eight great spiritual children, wise and accomplished,

xxm

Who, having perfected themselves, were able to benefit others; Over three hundred practitioners who, having attained Consummate loving-kindness, compassion and Bodhicitta, ceased eating meat; One thousand eight hundred great meditators, men and women, Who gave up all concern for this life and practiced in solitary places; Tens of thousands of monks and nuns dwelling in monasteries Who worked hard at prostrations, offerings, circumambulations and other virtuous actions; And countless ngakpas, village practitioners and householders Who fasted, completed extensive recitations and sadhanas, and chanted the mant. I ransomed the lives of several hundred thousand animals53Goats, sheep, birds, fish, and other wild animals. I protected and saved the lives of five hundred people Afflicted by hunger, cold, sickness, evil influences and enemies. I settled eighteen major feuds that were killing men and horses, Thus halting the line of those who were going to hell.

In brief, by the compassion of my gurus and the Three jewels Great benefit was brought to the Dharma and all beings . To conclude every action I did in accordance with Dharma, I offered vast dedications and prayers. A brief survey of Shabkar's most important disciples is given in Appendix 6.

Conventions Used in thir Work In the body of the text itself, Tibetan names and terms appear in an approximate phonetic tran-

xx1v

The Life of Shabkar

scription to provide the reader with a notion of the way in which the Tibetan words are pronounced. Exact transliterations appear in the notes and indexes. Because Sanskrit terms are not common in our translation, we have omitted diacritical marks for the sake of simplicity. Specialized scholars will have no difficulty identifying the Sanskrit terms and phrases that do occur. The page numbers of the Tibetan text are given within square brackets and correspond to the Tibetan numbering of the T ashikhyil wood-block prints. Thus "[2la]", for instance, refers to the recto of the twenty-first folio. Several indexes were compiled. The indexes of names of persons, places, and scriptures also contains the transliteration all of Tibetan names according to the Wylie system. The general index is a thematic index of topics and concepts. A list of the abbreviations used in the work is given at the end of the main text. For readers interested in more details about Shabkar's teachers, writings, and disciples, several appendices are provided. Shabkar usually follows the traditional format, which appends a lengthy verse summary to the end of each chapter. Since these summaries appear redundant in an English translation, we have omitted them.

About the Translation The first impulse to undertake this translation occurred in the early eighties to a few Dharma friends over a cup of tea at Shechen Monastery, near the Great Stupa ofBodhnath in Kathmandu Valley. We were speaking of the unique enchantment ofShabkar's autobiography and found that all of us cherished the wish to translate it into Western languages, but hesitated to embark on such a vast project. One person said, "Let's just do it!" and everyone present agreed. The text was divided up among the translators, some taking large sections, and others single chapters. After a few months, first drafts appeared. Then, the author of this introduction began to review the drafts that he and the others had prepared. Over a longer period of time, he prepared the subsequent drafts, notes, and appendices, in constant collaboration with

learned lamas and with the main editor who reworked extensively the songs and poems. This work was carried out mainly in the East, which enabled the translators to consult learned and accomplished masters of all schools of Tibetan Buddhism. Not only the guidance of these lamas, but the help of shepherds, painters, doctors, house-builders, and cooks was solicited to elucidate the meaning of some obscure words and phrases. Wiser translators would doubtless have done better, but we did our best within our capacities. The main aim in translating this autobiography was a wish to share with others its depth and beauty, as a remarkable source of inspiration for finding meaning in one's life. To conclude with Shabkar's own prayer: For all who read my life-story and songs May the doors to the three lower realms be shut. May all who hear iny life-story and songs Obtain in their next life a human or celestial birth. May all who remember or simply touch my life-story and songs Be reborn in the same realm where I will have been reborn. May all those who, when asked, recite my life-story and songs Be filled with blessings and achieve liberation. May the aspirations of those who act according to my life-story and songs Be accomplished in harmony with the Dharma. Wherever my life-story and songs are found, in monasteries and villages, May they fulfill all needs and aspirations like a Wish-fulfillingjewel. Wherever my life-story and songs are carried, May the Dharma, general auspiciousness, and excellent virtue blossom.

MATI'HIEU RICARD Shechen Tennyi Dargyeling Monastery Bodhnath, Nepal, 24January 1994

Translator's Introduction

Notes 1. Jetsun Milarepa, Shepai Dorje (''Laughing Vajra," rje btsun mi !.a ras pa b;juu] pa'i rdo rje, 1040-1123), the most famous of all Tibetan ascetics. Disciple ofMarpa Lotsawa, father of the Kagyu lineage, he was the archetype of the perfect disciple, practitioner, and teacher. See Bacot (1925), Chang (1962), and llialungpa (1984). 2. The twelve-syllable mantra of Guru Padmasambhava: OM AH HUM VAJRA GURU PADMA SIDDHI HUM.

3. Marpa Lotsawa Chokyi Lodro (mar palo tsa ba clws 9f. blo gros, 10 12-97). The first Tibetan patriarch ofthe Kagyu lineage. Born in Lodrak, southern Tibet, he first studied with Drogmi Lotsawa and then traveled to India three times to meet his root teacher, the great pandita and siddha Naropa, as well as his other gurus,Jnanagarbha, Kukuripa, and Maitripa (1 01297), spending seventeen years in India and bringing the Mahamudra lineage and teachings to Tibet. See 7he life ofMarpa the Translator (Prajna Press, 1982). 4. On the origin of the name Qwbs dkar, see TS 4, p. 703. On the Cave ofMiracles, see chap. 11, note 9. 5. On the architecture and symbolism of stupas, see SD, p. 210. 6. Patrul Rinpoche, Orgyen Jigme Chokyi Wangpo (dpal sprul o rgyan Jigs med clws 9f. dbang po, 1808-87), also known as Dzogchen Paige Tulku (rdzogs chen dpal dge sprul slw). Uncompromising in his interpretation of the teachings, Patrul Rinpoche lived as he taught, wandering all over eastern Tibet, taking shelter in mountain caves or under forest trees, free of all the trappings of wealth, position and self-importance. A prolific author and commentator, his teachings are still very much alive today, offering a constant source of inspiration to all practitioners of Tibetan Buddhism. The story of Patrul Rinpoche going to meet Shabkar is found in Patrul Rinpoche's short biographies by Do Drupchen Tenpai Nyima (rdo grub bstan pa'i ~ ma, 1865-1926) and by Khenpo Kunzang Palden (mkhan po kun bzang dpalldan, c. 1870-c. 1940), and was augmented here by an oral tradition recounted byTulku Urgyen Rinpoche (b. 1919). 7. The two recognized successive reincarnations ofShabkar were Thekchog Tenpai Nyima (theg mclwg bstan pa'i ~ ma) and Yeshe Tenpai Gyaltsen (ye shM bstan pa'i rgyal mtshon). See RO, p. 646.

xxv

8. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche (dil mgo mkh.yen brtse rin po che, 1910-91) was one of the greatest Nyingma masters ofour times, and the most exemplary presentday exponent of the nonsectarian movement (ris med). He was blessed shortly after his birth by the great Mipham Rinpoche (1846-1912), was recognized by Jarnyang Loter Wangpo (1847-1914), and enthroned by Shechen Gyaltsap Perna Namgyal (1871-1926) as the mind-emanation ofJamyang Khyentse Wangpo (1820-92). Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche spent twentytwo years in contemplative retreat, and studied with more than fifty of the most eminent teachers of his time. His two principal spiritual masters were Shechen Gyaltsap Perna Narngyal and Jamyang Khyentse Chokyi Lodro (1893-1959, the activity-emanation of Khyentse Wangpo), both of whom considered him as their chief disciple. A treasure discoverer (gter ston), a great poet, a scholar with unfathomable knowledge, and a tireless and compassionate teacher with whom luminaries, including the fourteenth Dalai Lama, studied, he was widely renowned for his ability to transmit the teachings of each Buddhist lineage according to its own tradition. 9. The Treasury ofRediscovered Teachings (rin chen gter mdzod) is a sixty-three-volume collection of spiritual treasures (gter ma, see Appendix I) collected byJ amgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye (see note 13 below) in the nineteenth century. 10. Regarding the political situation and the sectarian rivalries in eighteenth-century Amdo, see Pal Gyalkhar (1989) and M. Kapstein (1989). 11. "Pure perception" or "pure vision" (dog snantJ implies not only to respect the various schools of the Buddhist tradition as being authentic holders of the Buddha's teaching, but also, in a wider perspective, to perceive the entire phenomenal world, including all sentient beings, as being primordially pure and perfect. 12. JowoJe Palden Atisha (jo borjedpalldan a ti sha), Dipamkara SriJnana (982-1 054). Born in Bengal on the outskirts of the present-day Dacca, he was of royal descent and first studied in India with great Vajrayana masters including Maitripa, Rahulagupta, Virupa, Guru Dharmarakshita (a great master of compassion, who gave his own flesh in generosity), and Maitriyogin ('byams pa'i mal 'byor), who could literally take others' suffering upon himself. He then crossed the sea to Sumatra, where he studied for twelve years with Serlingpa Dharmakirti (gser glingpa clws 9f. grogs pa). On his return to India he became the abbot of the famous Buddhist University of Vikramashila. He was invited to Tibet by King Yeshe b (ye

xxvt

17ze Life ofShabkar

shes 'od) and his nephew, Changchup 0 (byang chub 'oclj. In accordance with a prediction he had received in a vision of Arya Tara, he reached Tibet in 1040. He lived there until passing away at the age of seventy-three at Nyethang Drohna Lhakhang, south of Lhasa. Atisha was nicknamed "the Refuge Pandita," because he brought so many Tibetans onto the Buddhist path through bestowing refuge and related teachings. His particular teaching, known as Mind Training (blo sbyong), became the core practice of the Kadampa lineage, of which he is the founder. Atisha had countless disciples, among whom the main ones in Tibet were Khuttin Tstindru Yundrung (khu ston brtson ~ gyung drung), Ngok Lekpai Lodrti (mgog kgs pa'i blo gros), and the layman Drom Ttinpa ( 'brom ston pa). On the biographical tradition concerning Atisha, see H. Eimer (1982). Tsongkhapa Lobzang Trakpa (tsong kha pa blo bzang grogs pa, 135 7-1419) was born in the Tsongkha region of Amdo province. Gifted with exceptional intellectual and spiritual abilities, he studied with more than a hundred teachers of various lineages. Having been blessed by visions ofManjushri, the Buddha of wisdom, he wrote numerous treatises, collected in eighteen volumes. The emphasis Tsongkhapa put on the graded approach to the spiritual path, on monastic discipline, and on extensive philosophical studies and epistemological debate as a prerequisite to contemplative practice, has defined the Gelukpa school. This lineage is also known as the New Kadampa tradition or as the tradition of Ganden, from the name of the monastery that Tsongkhapa founded near Lhasa, and where he passed away. He had many disciples, among whom were Gyaltsap Je (rgyal tshah rye, 1364-1432), Khedrupje Gelek Palzang (mklzas grub rje dge kgs dpal bz;ang, 1385-I 438), who succeeded him on the throne ofGanden, and Gedun Drub (dge 'dun grub, 1391-1474), who is counted as the ftrst Dalai Lama. Regarding the senselessness of sectarianism, see H.H. Dudjom Rinpoche in NS, pp. 887940. 13. See G. Smith (I 970).Jamgtin Kongtrul Lodrti Thaye, Yonten Gyatso (Jam mgon lamg sprul blo gros mtlza' yas, yon tan rg;ya mtsho, 1813-99); Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo (j"am dbyangs mkhyen brtse'i dbang po, 1820-92), Patrul Rinpoche, see note above; and Lama Mipham Chogle Namgyal (mi pham p~ogs las mam rg;yal, 1846-1912), also known as Miphamjamyang Gyatso (mi pham Jam dbyangs rg;ya mtsho) or Jampel Gyepai Dmje (j"am dpal dg;yes pa'i rdo rje). These masters and others inspired a remarkable movement known as Rimey (ris med), "nonsectarian," which

encouraged followers of the different traditions not to remain confmed in the particular philosophical viewpoints espoused by their own schools, but to study and practice all the traditions ofTibetan Buddhism with respect and pure perception in order to gain a profound conviction of the unity of the teachings. 14. For exhaustive presentations of the view, meditation, and action of the nine vehicles, see H.H. Dudjom Rinpoche' s.Nyingma School oJTtbetan Buddhism: Its Fundamentals and History, translated and edited by Gyurme Dorje and Matthew Kapstein (I 991 ), abbreviated as NS; and Tullm Thondup's Buddha Mind (1989), abbreviated hereafter as BM. 15. Chiefly from the Seven Treasuries (mrkod bdun) and the Trilogy ofNatural Ease (ngal gso skor gsum), the famous treatises ofGyalwa Longchen Rabjam Drime Oser (rg;yal ba klong chen rab 'byams dri med 'od zer, 130863), the foremost teacher of the Nyingma tradition. For accounts of his amazing life-story, see NS, pp. 575-96 and BM, pp. 144-88. A disciple of teachers of all schools and, above all, the Dharma heir of the great vidyadhara (awareness-holder) Rigdzin Kumaradza Yeshe Shonnu (rig 'rkin kumararkaye shes g;Jwn nu, 1266-1343), he was the first to colllll1it to writing the oral traditions of the complete explanation of the nine vehicles in general and of the Great Perfection in particular, thus elucidating the meaning of the Seventeen T antras of the Great Perfection (rdzogs chen rg;ywl bcu bdun). For translations and anthologies ofhis writings, see Guenther (1975 and 1976) and BM. 16. See NS, vol. 1, pp. 510-22. 17. Skt. Guru Padmasambhava, or Padmakara (fib. padma 'byung gnas). As recorded in the Sutra of Great Nirvana and in other prophecies, Buddha Shakyamuni said, shortly before passing into nirvana, that since he had been born as a human being in this life, he had not taught extensively the esoteric teachings of the tantras. He predicted that he would return to this world after twelve years by means of a miraculous· birth in order to expound the tantric teachings. This rebirth was Guru Padmasambhava, who emanated from the heart of Buddha Amitabha and miraculously appeared in the form of an eightyear-old child upon a lotus at Dana.kosha Lake in Oddiyana. On termas, see NS and Appendix 1, p. 555. 18. For a traditional approach on the relation between Buddhism and Bon, see BM, pp. l 06-12 and NS, pp. 936ff. 19. On the nature and general defmition of namthar (mam thar), see]. Willis (1985). 20. For Changlung Tullm Khyapdal Longyang

Translator's Introduction

(spyang lung sprul slat khyab brdal klongyangs), see Appendix 6. He was the reembodiment of Changlung Namkhajigme (spyang lung nom rnklul' Jigs med, 17691833). 21. This work of Perna Rangdrol has not been found. 22. DOL 1, 2 and 3: These manuscripts are now in the hands of disciples of Kekar Do-ngak Norbu (sko.r dkar mdo sngags nor bu) and Perna Thongdrol (JJadma miJwng gro~ in Dolpo, northern Nepal. D