Tibet 3

These words of aspiration, sprung from a sincere intention, were written down by Ugyen Trinley, the one who bears the noble name of the Karmapa, while he was escaping from Tibet. One night in the illusory appearance of a dream, on a lake bathed in clear moonlight and rippled with blooming lotus flowers serving as a seat for three Brahmins who appeared wearing pure white silk and playing a drum, guitar, flute and other instruments. Created in pleasing and lyric tones, their melodious song came to my ears, and so I composed this aspiration prayer with a one-pointed mind, filled with an intense and sincere intention to benefit all the people of Tibet. Within a beautiful and auspicious chain of mountains, this land of Tibet, may the sun rays of the supreme aspiration for awakening swiftly appear.

The Prayers by His Holiness the Karmapa were translated

under the guidance of Venerable Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche

Sarat Chandra Das described the first period of recorded Tibetan history as “the Period of Translations, which may also be entitled the Classical Period, for the sanctity of the religious message conferred a corresponding reputation and tradition of excellence upon the form in which it was conveyed. This period begins in the second half of the seventh century A.D.”1 Chandra Das continued so reliably, “The Classical Period may be divided into three stages. The first or the earliest stage terminated with the downfall of the first historical monarchy when King Langdarma fell by the hand of an assassin. The second stage commenced with the introduction of the system of chronology, called the Vrihaspati cycle of 60 years, in Tibet by an Indian Buddhist called Chandra Nath2 and Chila Pandit of Tibet in 1025 A.D. This was the age of Milaraspa and Atisa, whose illustrious disciple, Brom-ton Gyalwai Jungne laid the foundation of the first Buddhist Hierarchy in Tibet and established the great monastery of Rwadeng, with a library of Sanskrit works.” Chandra Das quoted Jaschke, author of a first Tibetan-English dictionary, “The second period corresponds with this stage, when ‘Tibetan authors began to indulge in composition of their own and wrote on historical and legendary subjects.’ (…) The third stage began with the conquest of Tibet by the Tartar Conqueror, Chingis Khan, in 1205 A.D., when Pandit S’akya S’ri of Kashmir had returned to Tibet after witnessing the plunder and destruction of the great Buddhist monasteries of Odantapuri and Vikrama S’ila in Magadha, and the conquest of Bengal and Bihar by the Mohammedans under Baktyar Ghilji in 1203 A.D.3 In this last stage flourished the grand hierarchy of Sakya, which obtained supreme influence over Tibet and the country, which was then divided into 13 provinces, called Thikor Chusum, as a gift from the immediate successors of Chingis Khan. Among the most noted writers of the time were Sakya Pandit Kungah Gyaltshan, Dogon Phag-pa, the spiritual tutor of Emperor Khubli Khan, and Shongton Lotsawa.”4

(The courtyard of Zhalu Gompa)

As the first stage of the classical period ended, the second stage arose and the main task of the new wave of Buddhist scholars was the compilation of the Tibetan Canon. Monastic orders were rebuilt and grew in size and influence, producing generations of translators and men of literature, skilled in their own tradition as well as expert in logic, poetry, and philosophical treatises. One of the main figures of the 11^th century was Pandita Atisha, also known as either Dipamkara Shrijnana or Jowo Jey (982-1054) from Vikramasila in India,5 who spent the last 12 years of his life teaching in Tibet. He emphasized the Middle Way Madhyamaka philosophy and a restoration of pure monastic conduct. His teachings gave rise to the Kadampa School. ‘Brom-ston6 became Atisha’s main spiritual heir. ‘Brom-ston had three main disciples who spread his instructions. The teachings Atisha presented eventually divided into two streams. One was integrated into the Kagyu Tradition (that was founded by Gampopa, born approx. 1070 and died 1153), through Pawo Tsulak Trengwa (1440-1503), who received the transmission from Sakya Pandita. The other was integrated into the New Kadampa School, which came to be known as Gelug through the reforms of Tsongkhapa (1357-1419). The „Zalupa School was founded by Buron7 based upon Sakya and Kadam teachings.”8

The destruction of the great Buddhist centres in India approximately 1203 left the Tibetans to work over the vast quantities of texts that they had translated and accumulated in the course of five centuries of hard work during the first and second stages of the classical period. When it came to ordering their accumulated Buddhist scriptures during the third stage, they performed the complicated task with extraordinary skill. The great scholar and encyclopaedic writer Buton (Bu-ston) is associated with this work, although much preliminary work had already been accomplished on systematizing the texts that have become known as the Zhalu Manuscript, which became the forerunner of the 108 volumes of the bKa’-‘gyur, the “Translation of the Buddha’s Words.” Buton seems to have been almost entirely responsible for arranging the second and larger section, entitled the bsTan-‘gyur, “Translation of the Treatises,” which consists of 200 volumes that include all the available translations of commentaries and discourses by Indian and Tibetan Buddhist scholars and saints. Many lamas were interested in helping. When the work was finished, the Kagyupa lamas as well as those from Reting ordered copies.9 The master copies were kept at Narthang, where a printed edition was made in the traditional manner from carved wooden blocks in the 18^th century.10 Buton’s contribution was immense. He wrote on “Perfection of Wisdom” literature and tantric texts, with special reference to the Kalachakra; he also wrote a history of Buddhism in India and Tibet. It should be noted that main sources for the life of Shantideva are the historians Buton as well as Taranatha.11 Snellgrove and Richardson wrote, “Bu-ston had already ensured that the Tibetan versions of all texts included in the newly compiled canon were carefully checked, and where necessary new translations made. This great compilation really marks the end of the labours of whole generations of Tibetan translators, and we cannot mention them for the last time without paying tribute once more to their patience and skill.”12

(Buddha Shakyamuni and Tara statues as well as 11^th and 14^th century murals in the Lhakhang)

Buton “(…) supervised the execution of 499 tantric mandalas, a few can still be seen in two chapels of Zhalu. In 1305 Bu-ston advised King Kungzang Drakpa Gyaltsen to extend the monastery, and Zhalu was decorated by Tibetan and Nepalese artists who had been trained in the Mongol imperial workshops under the famous Newari master, Arniko (1245-1306). Due to Bu-ston’s activity, the monastery became one of the most important centres of study in Tibet.”13

As mentioned, “A small order was started by the disciples of Bu-ston called Zhva-lu-pa, after the monastery of Zhva-lu, where he had spent most of his life and died.”14 In Chronology of Buddhism,15 Matthieu Ricard made two entries under the section “Zhalu”: Zhalu Lotsawa Chokyong Zangpo (1441-1527/38) and Zhalu Ribu Tulku Losel Tenkyong (1804-?).

(Golden Stupa in the Zhalu Lhakhang)

In the 13^th century, “Chogyal Phag-pa, the high lama of the great Sakya monastery, became the religious instructor of the Mongol emperor, Kublai Khan. Chogyal Phag-pa became the ruler of all three provinces of Tibet. He was able to assume political power over the whole of Tibet because he received the support of Kublai Khan. Above all, China came under Mongol domination between 1280-1368. For the 96 years following the accession to power of Chogyal Phag-pa, Tibet was ruled by a succession of twenty ministers of Sakya and from 1349-1497 by a succession of nine lamas of the Phagmo Drupa lineage. Then there was a return to secular rule. For four generations, the Rinpung kings ruled Tibet from 1498-1565, and from 1566-1641 Tibet was ruled by three Tsangpa kings.” [1]

A short chronology of history from 1207-1578 on the Tibetan Plateau according to Snellgrove and Richardson:
1207        Tibetan chiefs submit to Genghis Khan.
1249        Sa-skya Pandit is appointed Tibetan Viceroy by the Mongols.
1253                Phag-pa succeeds Sa-skya Pandit.
1260                 Kublai Khan as Emperor of China gives title of Ti-Sri to ‘Phag-pa.
1358                 Byang-chub rGyal-mtshan of Phag-ma-gru (1303-1364) takes over power from Sa-skya.
1368                  Fall of Yuan dynasty frees Tibet from dependence on China.
1391                  First Dalai Lama, dGe-‘dun-grub-pa, born.
1409                  First dGe-lugs-pa monastery, dGa-‘dan, founded.
1481         Princes of Rin-spruns take over power from Phag-mo-gru.
1565                  Karma Tshe-brtan of gTsang takes over power from Rin-sprungs.
1578                   bSod-rnams rGya-mtsho (Third Dalai Lama) given title by Mongol leader.”2

The Epic of Gesar of Ling has become a treasury of Asian literary culture and exists in hundreds of volumes. Verses are still chanted and sung in the different languages that are spoken in Central Asia. The epic tells the story of “an enlightened warrior named Gesar, who was a Buddhist deity named Good News, living peaceably in a Buddhist heaven. The Tibetan tantric sorcerer, Padmasambhava, and the bodhisattva of compassion, Avaloiteshvara, attempt to involve him in worldly affairs. These events are reported in the extremely metaphysical first volume of the epic, the Lha gLing or The Divine Land of Ling.”3

In the site of Simhanada, it is said, “Born in 1414 as Rabten Kungzang of Gyantse, the Tai Situpa ruled a vast area according to Buddhist law. In his lifetime, he founded the Great Stupa of 100,000 Buddhas at Gyantse. Octagonal shaped, the Stupa contains astounding frescoes and images inside. It stands as one of Tibet’s most renowned works of art. King Rabten Kungzang also began the Gyantse Horse Race Festival, which is now one of the most important Tibetan folk events of the year.”4 He was an enlightened ruler and urged his people to lead a good life and to venerate practitioners of all religions. He had perceived the horizon around Gyantse as good omens: In the east the horizon resembled a drooping bough of a fruit tree, to the south there seemed to be a lion about to leap into the air, in the west a white silk scarf seemed to float in the sky, and to the north the land had the shape of herdsmen tending their livestock. The yellow wheat fields in the valley appeared as an oblong golden container, a sign of great fortune.

In Lineage of the Tai Situpas, Chokyi Gyaltsen (1377-1448) is known as “the First Situ Tulku. He was born in the region of Karma Gon, became a disciple of Deshin Shegpa, the Fifth Karmapa, and from him he received the empowerments and teachings of the Mahamudra in the complete form. He perfected the teachings and travelled to China with the Karmapa. The Ming Emperor, Yung Lo, conferred the honorific title ‘Kenting Naya Tang Nyontse Geshetse Tai Situpa,’ shortened ‘Kuang Ting Tai Situ’ (which means ‘far reaching, unshakable, great master, holder of the command’) on him and gave him a crystal seal and other gifts. He spent most of his life meditating in caves and was a great lama.

“The Second Tai Situpa (1450-1497), Tashi Namgyal, was born in the iron-horse year, into a royal family of Tibet. He was recognized by the Sixth Gyalwa Karmapa. The Karmapa enthroned him and bestowed to the Tai Situpa the entire lineage. The Sixth Karmapa also gave Karma Gon Monastery to be under the complete guidance of the Second Tai Situpa. Karma Gon became famous for its collection of Sanskrit texts, artwork and scholarship. He became a tutor to the Seventh Gyalwa Karmapa. He also visited many parts of Tibet, giving teachings and empowerments. Tai Situpa was highly venerated by the Chinese Emperors and many auspicious signs of accomplishment appeared when he passed away.”5

Gyantse was known as Nyangpai Sershong Ringmo, nyang referring to “the upper part of the Nyangchu River,” ser-shong meaning “the golden basin,” and ring-mo “long.” Upon completion of the fortress on Dzong Hill, King Paljor, the Third Tai Situpa, praised it as “the immeasurable palace of the immortal world” and therefore it was fit to be called Gyalkartse, gyal meaning “king, victorious,” kar “white,” and tse “peak,” pronounced Gyantse. It is also known as Shelkar Gyantse, shel-kar meaning “white crystal,” because Dzong Hill resembled a crystal rock. King Paljor Tsangpo (1426-1476) took up residence at the fortress on Dzong Hill (dzong meaning “fortress”) and consecrated the Great Stupa of Kumbum in 1474.

“Tashi Paljor, the Third Tai Situpa (1498-1541) was born in the earth-horse year to a family which descended from the kings of Tibet. He was recognized and enthroned by the Seventh Gyalwa Karmapa. From the Karmapa, he received the complete lineage transmissions. He formally resumed the responsibilities of the lineage of Tai Situpas at Karma Gon monastery. The Seventh Karmapa Choedrak Gyatso declared that he and Situ Tashi Paljor were inseparable.

“In 1548, the aristocrat Singzhag Tsheten Dorje was appointed governor of Tsang province by the ruler of Central Tibet, a Rinpung lord. Shinzhag supported the Karma Kagyu Order and took up residence in Samdrubtse castle (also called Shigatse), near the Gelug monastery Trashilungpo. Soon after, he rebelled against the Rinpung lords and proclaimed himself King of Tsang. Together with his nine sons he gradually expanded his kingdom and established control over U and Tsang, Central Tibet’s two main provinces.

“The new government wanted to revive the institutions of the imperial period and to bring peace and prosperity to the country through a five-point policy, the so-called ‘Five Great Actions,’ supported by various religious orders including the Sakya, the Jonang and the great Karmapa hierarchy. As the legitimate representative of authority, Shingzhag also maintained good relations with the Gelug abbots of Trashilungpo, though the latter remained suspicious of the new dynasty’s intentions.

“In 1577-78 the conversion to Buddhism of Altan Khan (…) and his subjects by Sonam Gyatso (…), the Abbot of Drepung Monastery (who received the title Dalai Lama from the Khan and was later recognized as the Third Dalai Lama) was a spectacular success for the Gelug Order. The secular government of Samdrubtse, however, viewed the event as a politico-religious alliance between the Gelug and a foreign power.”7 Attention shifted to Lhasa.

(The stone towers – choe-ten in Tibetan, stupa in Sanskrit - are symbols of Buddhism and were originally built to house relics of Buddha Shakyamuni. Many stupas contain holy texts. Much of the construction of the Great Stupa in Gyantse was completed after King Chokyi Gyaltsen had died; Gyalwa Kunga Paljor consecrated it. Kumbum is 35 meters high, has 9 stories and a total of 108 niches that contain 100,000 images of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Siddhas in the form of statues and paintings. The iconography in the Kumbum is a progressive ascension from lesser to ever higher orders of Tantras, from the lower to the highest floor.)

Sarat Chandra Das described the third stage of the Classical Period in Tibet, “It began with the conquest of Tibet by the Tartar Conqueror, Chingis Khan, in 1205 A.D., when Pandit S’akya S’ri of Kashmir had returned to Tibet after witnessing the plunder and destruction of the great Buddhist monasteries of Odantapuri and Vikrama S’ila in Magadha, and the conquest of Bengal and Bihar by the Mohammedans under Baktyar Ghilji in 1203 A.D. In this last stage flourished the grand hierarchy of Sakya, which obtained supreme influence over Tibet and the country, which was then divided into 13 provinces, called Thikor Chusum, as a gift from the immediate successors of Chingis Khan. Among the most noted writers of the time were Sakya Pandit Kungah Gyaltshan, Dogon Phag-pa, the spiritual tutor of Emperor Khubli Khan, and Shongton Lotsawa. With the opening of the 15th century Buton-Rinchen Dub introduced a new era in the literature of Tibet, and Buddhism received fresh impulse under the rule of the Phagmodu chiefs, when Tibetan scholars took largely to the study of Chinese literature under the auspices of the Ming Emperors of China. During this period, called the age of da.nying (old orthography), the great indigenous literature of Tibet arose. A host of learned Lotsawas and scholars (…) flourished. This was the age of the Gelug-pa, or the Yellow Cap School of Buddhism, founded by Tsongkapa with Gahdan as its head-quarters.”1

Buddhism in Tibet gradually developed into four main lineages through the blessings of the great translators and masters in both India and Tibet. The lineages are referred to as brgyud in Tibetan, which means “continuum,” i.e., the unbroken transmission of a body of teachings and practices handed down personally from a teacher to a student over generations. The Nyingma (the “old”) Lineage is rooted in the period of the 7^th and 8^th centuries and therefore derives from an earlier spread of Buddhism, whereas the Sarma (the “new”) Lineages were founded later, from the late 10^th century and onwards. The three main lineages that evolved from the Sarma also trace their origin to Buddha Shakyamuni while specifically connected to different founders in India. They are Kagyu, Sakya, and Gelug.

Traditions can be named according to temporal classifications, such as “old” or “new,” but most are named after the major founders and monasteries that refer to geographical locations, e.g., Sakya (Sa skya meaning “grey earth”). In the case of the four main schools of Tibetan Buddhism, Nyingma (Mying ma) was described as “the old lineage.” Kagyu (bKa’ brgyud) is a generic description and means “precept transmission,” and Gelug (dGe lugs) means “virtuous tradition.” The Kadam School (bKa’ gdams meaning “instructional precepts”) was established by the prominent disciple of the great Indian master Atisha (982-1054), Dromton (‘Brom ston) when he founded Reting (Rva-sgreng) Monastery in approximately 1057, which is situated in the Rong Chu Valley in Central Tibet. The Kadam Tradition was the direct source of inspiration for the development of the Gelug Tradition, which was founded by Je Tsongkapa (1357-1419).2

In 1409 Tsongkapa (rJe Tsong-kha-pa Blo-bzang grags-pa) founded the first Gelug monastery, dGa’-ldan near Lhasa. In the website of the His Holiness the Seventeenth Karmapa, Ugyen Trinley Dorje, it is stated that one of Tsongkapa’s main disciples, “Gyaltsap Dharma Rinchen succeeded the throne in Ganden and this tradition of throne-holder continues to this day.”4 dGe’-dun grub-pa (also one of Tsongkapa’s main disciples and known as the First Dalai Lama) died in 1474 and dGe’dun rGya-mtsho (1475-1542) then became successor. After his death, bSod-nams rGya-mtsho, the Third Dalai Lama (1543-1588, Abbot of Drepung Monastery5) was given the title “Dalai Lama” by the Mongol ruler Altan Khan, leader of the Tumed Mongols who converted to Buddhism in 1577. Both events in the Mongolian court were crucial for the future of Tibet. Dalai (taa-la’i) means “ocean” in Mongolian and Lama (bla-ma) is the Tibetan term for “teacher.” The title is best translated as “Ocean of Wisdom.” After the great-grandson of Altan Khan, Yon-tan rGya-mtsho was recognized as the Fourth, Mongol intervention increased drastically and turmoil and strife in Tibet seemed to rule the day.

In 1617 the Fifth Dalai Lama, Ngag-dbang Blo-bzang rGya-mtsho was born to a Zahor family, who had been banned to the sTag-tse Palace (which is situated in the Yarlung Valley6) since the 14^th century. Santen G. Karmay wrote, “Two other Buddhist orders sought to claim the child as one of their Lamas who had also died in 1616. The family resisted. In 1618, Dudul Rabten, the child’s father, had been involved in a plot against the royal government at about the same time the Gelug secretly chose his son as the reincarnation of the Fourth Dalai Lama. (…) As relations between the king in Tsang, supported by the Karmapa hierarchy, and the Gelug in U, supported by the Mongols, were tense, the king ordered the Zahor family to leave their Tagtse castle and live at court in Samdrubtse, but the mother, suspicious of the king’s intentions, returned to her own family at the Nakartse castle in Yardrog. The child’s father, meanwhile, tried to escape to Eastern Tibet but was caught by royal envoys (…) and remained under arrest until his death in 1626, without ever seeing his son again. In 1622 the boy was escorted from Nakartse and brought to the Ganden Palace in Drepung Monastery. He was then enthroned as the Fifth Dalai Lama.”7

For the first time in history an abbot of a monastery became leader of the land and established the present form of Tibetan government, the Gangden Phodrang (dGa’-ldan pho-brang); Gangden is the name of the Dalai Lama’s residence in Drepung. The former treasurer became regent or political advisor of the Fifth Dalai Lama. Gushri Khan became the new government’s defender and “was always ready with his army if the need arose. (...) The Dalai Lama continued addressing him as ‘king’ because he was still the king of the Mongols of Kokonor (and not because he was ‘the king of Tibet’ as has often been claimed). (…) The Gangden Palace in Drepung Monastery no longer befitted the purposes of the new state, as the monastery could not be considered Tibet’s political capital. This was equally true of Gongkar castle, Gushri Khan’s residence. So Konchog Chopel, one of the Fifth Dalai Lama’s spiritual masters, suggested Potala Hill as an ideal site for constructing a palace that could be used as the seat of government as it is situated between the monasteries of Drepung and Sera and the city of Lhasa. Construction of the Potala began in 1645 and the Fifth Dalai Lama and his government moved into the eastern section, the White Palace.”9

Matthieu Ricard noted, “Between 1642 and 1659 many Nyingma monasteries were converted to Gelug.”10 Karmay wrote, “In 1633, he (the Dalai Lama) met Konchog Lhundrup, a master of the Nyingma Order, whose teachings the Gelug had not always approved. This meeting was a turning point in the Dalai Lama’s life.”11 In 1674 a reconciliation between the Tenth Karmapa Choying Dorje and the Dalai Lama took place after the many conflicts between 1612 and 1642. Yet, the Fifth Dalai Lama banished the Jonang School of the Kagyu Tradition from Central Tibet to Amdo and forced some Bonpo monasteries to convert to Gelug.

(The Potala Palace in Lhasa, front and back, is one of the most sacred architectural buildings in the world. It is erected on Marpo Ri, the “Red Mountain.” -- In the 7^th century King Songtsen Gampo built a little resort for himself on top of Marpo Ri so that he could meditate in solitude. The meditation cave was probably destroyed when the Chinese invaded Tibet after his death around 650 and Queen Wengchen saw herself forced to hide the sacred Jobo and Akshobhya statues from her rampaging kinsmen. -- Construction of the present building started in 1645 during the reign of the Fifth Dalai Lama. The White Palace was completed in 1653, the Red Palace in 1694, 12 years after the death of the Fifth Dalai Lama in 1682. It is often said that it is named after the holy mountain Potala in southern India, sacred to Shiva Lokeshvara, the Hinduistic “Lord of the World.” -- The Palace has 13 stories, is 170 meters high, 300 meters above the valley floor, has over 1000 rooms, 10,000 altars and 200,000 statues. It served as the winter palace of successive Dalai Lamas and their monastic and secular staff from the time of the Fifth until the Fourteenth, the present Dalai Lama, Jetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso (Holy Lord, Gentle Glory, Compassionate, Defender of the Faith, Ocean of Wisdom.“)

(Chagpori, the “Iron Mountain,” situated in Lhasa and now adorned with a radio antenna as seen from the roof of the Potala Palace, was the site of the first medical college in Tibet. It was founded by the Fifth Dalai Lama according to the wish of his minister, sDe-srid Sang srgyas rGya-mts’o (1653-1705). The Medical College of Chagpori was built in 1696 as a monastic institution. During the period of his position as minister for almost three decades, sDe-srid Sang srgyas rGya-mts’o also had the Potala Palace rebuilt and expanded to its present size, 79 medical thangkas made, and the rGyud bzhi, the “Four Tantas on Medicine,” edited and published.)

In accordance with the teachings presented by Lord Buddha approximately 2,500 years ago, Venerable Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche never tires of repeating,

In the chapter, “Early Kingdoms on the Tibetan Plateau,” we saw that before the arrival of Buddhism in Tibet the shepherds from the northern wastes of the Eurasian Plateau, who originated either in Central or East Asia, made their way to the fertile land in the south, which was inhabited by clans of farmers. As the shepherds reached westwards into central Nepal about the beginning of the Christian era they became more settled. The chiefs and their families established an aristocracy and displaced the indigenous inhabitants who had an independent state with its own language, literature, and culture. These people continue living in remote areas of Zhang Zhung, Kashmir, Ladakh, Zanskar, and the Himalayan regions of Nepal. They are followers of the Yungdrung religion, also known as Bon, the native religion of Tibet.

It is natural that every society develops means to provide the basic needs of its people. Everyone has to eat, so civilizations develop ways to produce food. Everyone dies, so cultures develop religions enabling them to deal with mourning and death. Everyone wishes to be happy, so cultures develop the fine arts of crafts, poetry, music, and law, just to name a few fields of applied arts. Everyone gets sick, so societies find means to heal those who suffer from physical pain and disease.

The Tibetan art of healing is one of the world’s oldest medical traditions and is based on the science of medicine, sowa rigpa in Tibetan, that Tonpo Sherab is said to have brought to the world. Tonpo Sherab was the founder of the Yungdrung religion and taught medicine to eight sages, one being his son, Kyebu Trishe. The analysis of medical properties of salts, plants, and mineral products derives from this period, while the practice of using animal products to heal the sick declined after the 8th century, when Buddhism became established on the Tibetan Plateau through contact with India and China.

In the website of Men-Tsee-Khang it is written that “The historical Buddha taught the medical text Vimalagotra (Tib. Dri-med Rigs, Eng.: Immaculate Lineage) simultaneously with the First Turning of the Wheel of Dharma at Sarnath on the Four Noble Truths. At that time of the teaching on Jagoe Phungpo’i Ri (Vulture’s Peak), the Buddha taught gSo-dpyad ‘bum-pa (One Hundred Thousand Verses of Healing). He also taught gCer-mthong Rig-pa’i rGyud (The Tantra of Bare Vision) to the Avalakiteshvara, Brahma, Shariputra and other Mahayana disciples at Beta Groves. Some believe (that both) are the same text with two different names.

“During the Third Turning of the Wheel, the Buddha taught the gSer-‘od dam-pa’i mdo (Supreme Rays Sutra), which contains a chapter entitled ‘Nad-thams cad zhi-bar byed-pa’i rGyud (The Ways of Completely Curing Diseases). Buddha also expounded the Gawo mNgal Jug gi mdoj (Sutra of Gawo Entering the Womb in Konchok Tsekpas). Although ‘Dul-ba lung (Vinaya Shastra) is a teaching on moral discipline, it contains medical teachings also. In it, Gautama Buddha taught the Sangha how to cope with the miscellaneous disorders they faced during their three-month summer retreats. It is one of the three basic observances for monks prescribed by Buddha Shakyamuni.”1

Tara Rokpa in Scotland summarized the early tradition of Tibetan medicine before the 7th century: “There were significant visits from foreign doctors, such as the physicians sent from India by the Buddhist King Ashoka (3^rd century BCE) to China through trading caravans. There are various accounts of early regional kings in whose biographies medicine is mentioned. Of note are the 5^th century Lha-mtho-ri, who brought two eminent doctors from India to teach diagnostic procedures to Tibetans, and the 6^th century hBron-gnyan, whose son was successfully operated upon for cataracts using a couching method with a golden scalpel.”2

Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche also cites that Tibet became a politically dominant nation and wrote, “Songtsen Gampo’s two queens can be credited for a great part of his cultural awareness. Bhrikuti (…) brought the traditions of Himalayan Buddhism. Princess Wengchen (…) brought a treasure trove of ancient Chinese wisdom. She travelled across the steppes to her husband with a collection of Chinese classic literature and texts on sacred astrology, geomancy, and medicine.”3 Along with the Jobo Statue, King Songtsen’s Chinese Princess brought “the medical text called sMan-dpyad chen-mo, ‘Great Analytical Treatise on Medicine,’ as dowry. The king invited three great doctors to his court: Ha-wang-hang who translated the Chinese text, Bharadhaja from India, and Galenos from Persia. Each translated a book into Tibetan. The Indian doctor’s texts were called hBu-shag-ma Bu Chhe-chhung (Big and Small Louse Gravel) and sByor-wa Mar-gsar (Preparation of New Butter). The Chinese doctor’s text was called rGya-dpyad Thor-bu Chhe-chhung (Treatise of Great and Small Scattered Chinese Surgery). The Persian doctor’s were called mGo-snon bsDus-pa (Collection of Main Additions) and The Treatment for Cock, Peacock and Parrot. From the discussion of the three doctors they composed a medical text called Mi-hjjigs-pa’i mTs’on-chha (The Weapon of the Fearless One), comprising seven chapters, and presented it to the King.”4

Determined to establish an excellent medical system, King Trisong Detsen (742-798?) invited famous physicians from India, China, Persia, East Turkestan, and Nepal to codify the science of medicine at Samye Monastery. It is said that the personal physician of the king, the Elder Yuthog Yonten Gampo, supervised the conference. He had established the first medical institute, Tanadug at Kongpo Manlung in 763. In the site of Tibet Centre it is noted that Yuthok Yonten Gonpo had synthesized “the essence of various Asian medical systems and wrote the rGyud bzhi.”5 Tara Rokpa wrote that “with the unveiling of the Fourfold Treatise, all stands of wisdom would be drawn together under a great and unifying light benefiting from the rigour of Buddhist logic and the already 1,300-year old psychological and psychiatric knowledge developed through Buddhism’s thorough analysis of mind, body and their interrelation, not to mention its direct investigation of these through meditation. The king had a number of intelligent men trained in the techniques embodied in these translations. Nine of them became most learned and were appointed court physicians. Of particular note was the first gYu.Thog.Tan.Gon.po, probably the most famous Tibetan physician of all.” Tara Rokpa also tells us that Lotsawa “Vairocana mastered the Fourfold Medical Treatise (rGyud bzhi), the extensive presentation of the Indian Buddhist medical system.”6

King Trisong Detsen had invited Padmasambhava and Shantarakshita from India to build Samye Monastery. Tara Rokpa wrote, “Padmasambhava also wrote a medical text called bDud-rtsi’i sNying-po (Nectar Essence) and other medical works. In Eastern India bStan-pa’i bLo-gros wrote a book on medicine called Dri-med gZi-gyid (Pure Splendour). In Uddiyana the Pandit Jinamitra wrote the dGu-bchu rTsa-gchig (One Root Curing Nineteen Thousand). And during this time many others spread and preserved the teachings of Medicine, also in India. (…) The king sent messengers with gold out to bring doctors from different countries.”8 The list of their accomplishments is so very long and the few titles mentioned here show that the masterly work carried out by sages and translators for hundreds of years would fill an entire library.

It is said that the 13^th holder of the lineage of the Elder Yuthok Yonten, the Younger Yuthok Yonten Gonpo (1123-1202), received the whole teachings of the rGyud bzhi at the age of ten and brought the science of medicine into the form known today. He developed the earlier texts and wrote commentaries that were widely taught. The Tibetan Medical and Astrological Institute of His Holiness the Dalai Lama wrote that the Younger Yuthok “wrote Serchen (Golden Notes), Zongchen (Wealthy Notes), Cha-lag bcdo-brGyad (Eighteen Supplementary Notes), and Nyingpo Duspa (Condensation of the Essences) and a commentary on its theoretical points called Tongway Melong.”9 He handed the teachings down to hundreds of disciples and is supposed to have simply vanished into the sky while instructing more disciples.

Sangyas Gyatso (1653-1705) was the minister of the Fifth Dalai Lama, Ngawang Lobzang Gyatso (1617-1682), and was responsible for so many changes. It is reported that he began his studies at the age of five and learned the Sutras and Tantras from the Dalai Lama when he was eight. He also learned astrology, grammar, and medicine and became an expert in these fields of study. He was appointed regent of the Fifth Dalai Lama and held this position for 26 years. The Potala Palace was rebuilt and expanded under his supervision and 79 thangkas were produced. He had the rGyud bzhi edited and published. Furthermore, sDe-srid Sangyas Gyatso established the most important medical college in 1696 in front of the Potala Palace. The monastic college was named after its location, Chagpori, the “Iron Mountain.”10 Sangyas Gyatso decreed that every district should have a doctor who had graduated from the college, the beginnings of public health care in Tibet. He also wrote books on astrology, Vaidurya Karpo, “White Beryl,” and on medicine, Vaidurya sNgon-po, “Blue Beryl,” which is considered the most popular commentary on the rGyud bzhi.11

Dr. Trogawa Rinpoche (1931-2005) told us, “At the beginning of the 20^th century, His Holiness the Thirteen Dalai Lama, Thubten Gyatso (1876-1933) founded the Mentsekhang Medical University of Lhasa, which offered an intensive education in medicine and astrology, each major and minor supplementing the other. An important field of study for doctors there should have been child rearing, too. His Holiness wanted that the education and knowledge acquired at the University of Lhasa spread throughout Tibet, but the project was stopped after his death in 1933.”12 The first teachers at the Mentsekhang, the Medicine and Astrology University, were trained at Chagpori College, which was the greatest centre of medical learning and practice in Tibet until it was forced to close in 1959. Many of its staff and stud

His Holiness the Seventeenth Karmapa, Ugyen Trinley Dorje

Aspiration for the World

History of Tibet – A Few Chapters (Part 3)

Chagpori – The Medical College in Lhasa