Foreword by Lopon Tenzin Namdak
Foreword to the Translation into the English Language of Some Selected Texts from the Zhang-zhung Nyan-gyud.
When the precious teachings of the Victorious One, Tonpa Shenrab Miwoche, were first established in the country of Zhang-zhung, and subsequently spread and flourished there, the transmission of the Zhang-zhung Nyan-gyud was originally kept very secret. Merely examining of the candidate in order to see whether or not he was a suitable vessel to receive the teachings and then giving him permission to practice them was not felt to be a sufficient reason for explaining these Dzogchen teachings publicly. Therefore, the master transmitted the Dzogchen precepts orally and in private to one disciple only in his lifetime, in what was known as the single transmission lineage (gcig brgyud) Only with the advent of Je Tapihritsa in the 8th century of our era, who transmitted the precepts of Dzogchen to his disciple, Gyerpung Nangzher Lodpo, were these teachings given to more than one disciple at a time. Moreover, the master gave permission for him to write down the text of the precepts for the first time in the Zhang-zhung language. Nangzher Lodpo was succeeded by the six Mahasiddhas from Zhang-zhung and in the next century, Ponchen Tsanpo, the last native-born Zhang-zhung master in this lineage, translated the texts of the Experiential Transmission (nyams brgyud) deriving from earlier masters into the Tibetan language for the benefit of his two Tibetan speaking disciples, Lhundrub Muthur and Shengyal Lhatse. However, the Precepts Transmission (bka' brgyud) was not given to these Tibetan masters. Rather, it was later transmitted by Ponchen Tsanpo to other masters in Guge in Western Tibet. In the 10th century, Yangton Chenpo Sherab Gyaltsan of Dolpo received the complete Experiential Transmission from his master, Orgom Kundrol, who had committed the entire corpus to memory. Thereupon, Yangton Chenpo, together with two men from Kham in Eastern Tibet, set down the texts of the Experiential Transmission in writing and organized them into their present form. At a later time, from Togmed Zhigpo, a hermit living in a cave in Lo Mustang, Yangton received the texts of the Precepts Transmission. These two transmission lineages having been reunited by Yangton Chenpo, the Zhang-zhung Nyan-gyud has passed down in an unbroken transmission until our own time.
Moreover, at the time of explaining this particular scripture to disciples, it was thought necessary by various masters to measure and weigh matters by conveying the teaching in terms of four transmissions. These four transmissions (brgyud-pa bzhi), are as follows:
1. the transmission of the words which produce knowledge and where there exist no interpolations from other texts;
2. the transmission of the meaning which cuts off doubts and where there exist no adulterations or additions to the original small text;
3. the transmission of the upadeshas representing the experiences of the meaning and where there is no alteration of the words; and
4. the transmission of the authenticity which realizes belief and where there are no alterations due to the Rudra demons (of personal egotism and spurious interpretations).
A disciple who is a proper vessel for receiving the instructions of Dzogchen and who has definitively decided to cut his ties with the worldly life may then finally proceed to the actual practice in terms of making retreats of whatever length, beginning with the dark retreat. Eventually, such a dedicated practitioner will come to realize the signs of the understanding of the Natural State of the Nature of Mind. In this way, in the future, just as in the past, there will surely come forth many successful practitioners who, at the end of their lives, will realize the Rainbow Body ('ja'-lus) and dissolve their polluted material body into pure radiant light.
Furthermore, in terms of the four great sytems of instruction for Dzogchen found in the Bonpo tradition, where, in the past such signs of realization frequently came forth, there now exist many scriptures for teaching the completely perfect corpus of Dzogchen, the teaching of some parts of it, teaching the integrating of Tantra with Dzogchen, and so on, as well as the general exposition of the view. These four great scriptures coming from the Teacher, Tonpa Shenrab, are as follows:
1. Zhang-zhung snyan-rgyud,
3. rDzogs-pa chen-po bsgrags-pa skor gsum,
4. rDzogs-pa chen-po gab-pa dgu skor, together with the requisite commentaries of the Sems smad sde dgu.
With regard to the Zhang-zhung Nyan-gyud in particular, if one exemplifies and illustrates it with the biographies of the various great masters in the lineages of transmission, we find that, due to the great blessing of its successive and uninterrupted transmission from the Primordial Teacher Kuntu Zangpo, who represents the original source of the transmission, down until the present time, there have been an extraordinary number of masters who have attained the Rainbow Body of the Great Transfer ('ja'-lus 'pho-ba chen-po). This, indeed, is very remarkable.
In general, when one realizes the view of Dzogchen, coming to see that all appearances are merely empty forms, one will have the capacity to carry on along the spiritual path, bringing about a harmonious unification of action and result without mistakes. We can rejoice with devotion at such practitioners who come forth from this path of intelligence and wisdom, possessing both analytical discrimination and the virtuous qualities of understanding born of their meditation practice. Therefore, both the study of the scriptures embodying the Dzogchen view and regular meditation practice become united in the same individual.
Nevertheles, in terms of the view of Dzogchen, even though there exist good reasons for explaining many technical terms, such as clarity (gsal-ba), emptiness (stong-pa nyid), inseparability (dbyer-med), primordial purity (ka-dag), spontaneous perfection (lhun-grub), and so on, arriving at an agreement of the words and the meaning, it must be asserted here that the view of Dzogchen is truly beyond conceptual thought and expression in words. For that reason, it is more especially exalted than the views of the Tirthikas, or non-Buddhists, and it cannot fail to contend and strive with the greater and lesser vehicles of the Insiders, the Buddhists and the Bonpos. Indeed, it transcends the objects of thought among ordinary beings and possesses virtuous qualities that are inconceivable. Therefore, even though meditation practice is extremely important, the correct undestanding of the view of Dzogchen, both in itself and in relation to and compared with the views found in other teachings, is equally important.
Here in this present volume by the translator John Myrdhin Reynolds, who is not only a scholar of Buddhism and Tibetan, but a long time practitioner of Dzogchen, there will be found translations into English, in a clear and concise fashion, of some selected texts of the oral tradition from Zhang-zhung. These translated texts include, not only the biographies or hagiographies (rnam-thar) of the principal early masters in the lineages of transmission, but also the very words that the enlightened master Ponchen Tapihritsa addressed to his disciple, Nangzher Lodpo, when they first met at the Darok Lake in Northern Tibet. This is followed by translations of the Guru Yoga for Tapihritsa and other preliminary practices for entering into the gateway of this ancient tradition of Dzogchen. These latter texts are taken from the sNyan-brgyud rgyal-ba phyag-khrid, which was composed by another master in the lineage, Druchen Gyalwa Yungdrung, the Abbot of Yeru Wansakha monastery, who flourished in the 13th century. We are happy to see the translations of these precious texts, as well as the lives of the masters, presented to a Western audience, and we pray that the Dharma of the Buddha, Tonpa Shenrab, known as Yungdrung Bon, will continue to benefit and inspire sentient beings at the present time and in the future generations to come.
Yongdzin Lopon Tenzin Namdak Triten Norbutse Bonpo Monastery Kathmandu, Nepal January 2003
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