His Holiness Kyabgon Gongma Trichen Rinpoche 41

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1 Melody of Dharma Celebrating the Enthronement of Khöndung Ratna Vajra Rinpoche as His Holiness Kyabgon Gongma Trizin Rinpoche, the 42nd Sakya Throne Holder Special Edition 2017 December A Publication of the Office of Sakya Dolma Phodrang Dedicated to the Dharma Activities of HIS HOLINESS SAKYA GONGMA TRICHEN RINPOCHE and His Noble Family

2 His Holiness Kyabgon Gongma Trichen Rinpoche 41

3 His Holiness Kyabgon Gongma Trizin Rinpoche 42

4 CONTENTS 3 Prayer to the Sakya Lineage Lamas 5 Enthronement Ceremony at Thubten Namgyal Ling, Puruwala 11 Grand Tenshug Offering to His Holiness the 42 nd Sakya Trizin Official Enthronement Ceremony of His Holiness the 42nd Sakya Trizin Programme of Cultural Shows 41 Grand Tenshug Offering to His Holiness the 41 st Sakya Trizin Oral Transmission by His Holiness the 41 st Sakya Trizin Refuge Vow Ceremony for Jetsunma Kunga Trinley Palter Sakya 56 3 rd Tibetan Birthday of Khöndung Siddharth Vajra Rinpoche 58 A Brief History of the Sakya Lineage Patrons: H.E. Gyalyum Chenmo H.E. Dagmo Kalden Dunkyi Sakya H.E. Dagmo Sonam Palkyi Sakya Publisher: The Office of Sakya Dolma Phodrang Executive Editor: Ani Jamyang Wangmo Managing Editor: Patricia Donohue Editorial Advisor: Ven. Ngawang Jungney Translator: Rwaylin Chang Art Director/Designer: Chang Ming-Chuan Photos: Cristina Vanza (cv); Ven. Jamyang Zangpo (jz); Enthronement Ceremony Organizing Committee (oc). Cover photo: Magon Sakya Thubten Namgyal Ling, Puruwala (Courtesy Ven. Jamyang Zangpo).

5 Prayer To The Lineage Lamas Of The Sakya Tradition Splendid and precious root lama, sitting on a lotus upon the crown of my head, bless me with your great kindness, bestow upon me perfection of body, voice and mind. He who reversed the course of the Ganges, subdued the cruel king and, by seizing the sun, caused confusion in the country; he who imbibed alcohol but, unintoxicated, cracked the linga and subdued the violent woman; to him, famed as the Lord of Magic Power, I bow down. Homage to you, the powerful yogin Sakyapa Kunga Nyingpo, you who possessed great compassion and worked unceasingly for the welfare of others. Homage to you, Sonam Tsemo, who accomplished immeasurable meritorious deeds, greatly increased the transcendental wisdom of knowledge and became a superior spiritual friend for beings. Homage to you, Drakpa Gyaltsen, who saw the essence of all the dharmas, transcendent lord of the ocean of mantra, Lord of all the Tantric Masters. Reverently I bow at your feet, Manjushri, our protector and teacher! All cognizable things your wide eyes perceive. With great compassion, you bring about the happiness of all living beings through your power to accomplish spiritual works, inconceivable to us. Illustrious one, who appears as Samantabhadra, famed as omniscient in this age of strife, appointed as the lord of religion in Jambudvipa, at your feet, Chogyal Phagpa I bow down. Who was born auspiciously from a pristine white virtuous lake, who realized the doctrine through assiduous practice, and diffused the brilliant light of activities in the ten directions, at the feet of this glorious Guru, I bow down. The blessing of the Lord of Speech shines within your mind; your great intellect realizes the Buddha's intent; your holy activities benefit beings in the ten directions; I pray to the upholder of the essence of the doctrine. Lord of Speech, descendent of the celestial Khön lineage of magical emanations, who pleases all beings by the transcendental activities of the Mahayana path of sutra and mantra, blazing with the glory of bliss and benefit. May you, precious wish-fulfilling jewel, long remain. Long remain among us, O Master of doctrines vast, and illuminator of teachings that reveal the joy of transcendental wisdom. The second Maitreya, a loving sun among teachers, you are for all beings a protector endowed with wisdom, compassion, and power. In every life, may I never be parted from perfect teachers, and always enjoy your glory, accomplish the good qualities of the stages and path, and swiftly reach the stage of Vajradhara. By the power of my praise and supplication, may you bring about for me and all beings wherever we live, the appeasing of illness, poverty, demons and conflict, and may you kindle the increase of Dharma and of auspicious conditions everywhere Melody of Dharma 3

6 吉祥具德根本上師寶安坐吾之頂門蓮座上承蒙廣大恩德隨攝受祈請賜予身語意成就逆阻恆河降服殘暴君定持太陽飲酒戲人間無狂碎裂神像降魔女尊稱威力自在敬頂禮具足廣大悲心者恆行利他之事業瑜珈自在薩迦巴貢噶寧波敬頂禮無量福德所成就圓滿能知一切智芸芸眾生中最勝索南則莫敬頂禮徹見諸法之真如達到密咒海彼岸執持金剛眾中尊札巴嘉稱敬頂禮照見一切所知智慧眼成辦眾生善妙大悲心賦有作為無邊事業力文殊上師尊前敬頂禮化現普賢如來莊嚴相於此濁世譽為遍知者權掌南瞻部洲聖教主八思巴法王尊前敬祈請一切顯密法海中所出宣說法教如意寶喜筵賜予利樂富足勝妙者吉祥上師尊前敬祈請廣大福德圓滿妙身力藉以善逝妙語獅子吼所有邪說異師皆怖畏雪山盛教護衛敬頂禮無分國界廣大藥域中虛空浩瀚聚慧正直者護衛遁世法王之事業洛薩嘉措尊前敬頂禮諸凡虔信於眾上師尊此生恆常發願勤祈請上師於我等眾之心續具力智慧垂鑒賜加持生生世世不離真實師及恆受用佛法勝吉祥圓滿五道十地諸功德祈願速證金剛總持果於尊禮讚祈請功德力祈願吾等所處諸方所普消病魔貧困與爭鬥祈願佛法興盛恆吉祥傳承祖師祈請文 4 Melody of Dharma 2017

7 THE ENTHRONEMENT CEREMONY OF HIS HOLINESS KYABGON GONGMA TRIZIN RINPOCHE THE 42 nd SAKYA TRIZIN 第 42 任薩迦法王陞座慶典 Puruwala, India 9 th to 11 th March (Photo: jz) 2017 Melody of Dharma 5

8 On the 8th of March 2017, some 7,000 guests converged on the Tibetan settlement of Puruwala, in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. What beckoned such a throng of people to this small countryside village was the extraordinary celebration of the enthronement of Khöndung Ratna Vajra Rinpoche as His Holiness the 42 nd Sakya Trizin, the new Throne Holder of the Sakya Order of Tibetan Buddhism. Not unprecedented but rare in the history of the Sakya Lineage, the ceding of leadership during an incumbent throneholder s lifetime was certainly an occasion that deserved the devout attendance of every member of the worldwide Sakyapa family for whom it was possible to undertake the journey. The Sakya settlement at Puruwala, in the Sirmaur district of Himachal Pradesh, was founded in 1968 by His Holiness the 41 st Sakya Trizin (now His Holiness Sakya Gongma Trichen Rinpoche), with an aim to provide Tibetans who had been forced into exile with a place to live and sustain themselves. Initially established as an agricultural community, it is now home to some 1500 Tibetans, mostly Sakyapas. The settlers add to their meager farming earnings by the manufacture and country-wide sale of woolen handicrafts. Sometime later, a Phodrang was built on the grounds, the Khön (Photos: jz) 6 Melody of Dharma 2017

9 (Photo: jz) family s first official residence in India, and not long after this came the building of the Sakya Magon Thupten Namgyal Ling monastery, which now serves as an Institute for the advanced study of Buddhist Philosophy. It is said that Puruwala was chosen as the venue for this unique event because it assembles the conditions most similar to the ones that existed in pre-exile Sakya: a Sakyapa village, a palace, a monastery and a shedra. The original Phodrang, which had suffered from disuse over the years, has now given place to a spacious and elegant palace. This new Phodrang graciously hosted not only the members of the Khön family but all the high lamas who had come to participate in the ceremony. Tents were put up in the basement to house staff members. All in all, the Phodrang was home to some 100 people over the days of the festivities. The logistics of hosting 7,000 devotees this included three meals a day were mind-boggling. Rooms were booked in hotels in nearby towns to accommodate 2017 Melody of Dharma 7

10 (Photos: jz) nearly 900 guests, the majority of whom had come from overseas, with transport to and from the monastery provided daily. The guests arrived en masse a day ahead of the festivities. The new Phodrang became a beehive of activity, with hundreds of people pouring in every day to pay their respects to their Gurus, and would remain so until the last day, while the 500-metre stretch of road between the palace and the temple offered a pathway for the ebb and flow of devotees who made their way to the ceremonies and to the mammoth tents where thrice-daily meals were served for all. Among these stood an elegantly decorated marquis dedicated to the comfort and epicurean delight of VIP guests. A gracious offering by Mr. Veer Singh, founder and chief administrator of the unique Vana retreat centre in Dehradun, its masterly kitchen staff regaled guests with a daily cornucopia of 8 Melody of Dharma 2017

11 (Photos: mcv) (Photo: jz) (Photos: mcv) (Photos: mcv) (Photos: jz) delicacies. A photo exhibition had been mounted, featuring a collection of photographs dedicated to the life of His Holiness the Gongma Trichen Rinpoche. Next to it, a small niche had been erected with a back-drop depicting both Their Holinesses, against which all who wished could have their photos taken with their 2017 Melody of Dharma 9

12 , , (Photo: oc) 1. བཤད ག 10 Melody of Dharma 2017

13 Grand Tenshug Offering To His Holiness Gongma Trizin Rinpoche The 42 Nd Sakya Throne Holder 第 42 任薩迦法王長壽法會 (Photos: jz) The programme opened on the morning of the 9 th with a grand Tenshug offering to His Holiness the 42 nd Sakya Trizin (now referred to as His Holiness Sakya Gongma Trizin Rinpoche). Preceded by an eminent retinue of Khön family members and high Lamas, Rinpoche stepped out of the Phodrang and made a princely descent of its decorous staircase down to the courtyard, where a ceremonial parasol awaited to escort him. A multitudinous cortège formed around him, composed of high lamas, dignitaries, standardbearing and cymbal-playing monks, as performing groups ushered the procession with traditional song 2017 Melody of Dharma 11

14 and dance along the path to the temple, itself lined with monks and well-wishers flourishing their khatas as Rinpoche passed by. (Photos: jz) 12 Melody of Dharma 2017

15 (Photo: jz) (Photo: jz) As the procession reached the lhakhang, Rinpoche made his prostrations and advanced to the front of the temple, where His Holiness Gongma Trichen Rinpoche and Luding Khenchen Rinpoche were sat on their thrones. Trizin Rinpoche offered His Holiness the mandala and paid his respects to Luding Khenchen Rinpoche before ascending his own throne. (Photo: jz) (Photos: jz) (Photos: mcv) 2017 Melody of Dharma 13

16 (Photos: mcv) (Photos: jz) by making mandala offerings. The ceremony closed with a tide of well-wishers showering Rinpoche with gifts and shows of devotion. This communal act of giving the best of oneself to the Guru is a mainstay of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition and is considered a means of developing selfless generosity. The flow of offerings filled the morning The preparation for the Tenshug had lasted seven days, with the daily performance of the White Tara puja by lamas, khenpos and monks. And now it was time for it to begin in earnest, as Khöndung Gyana Vajra Rinpoche approached Trizin Rinpoche s throne to make the traditional offering of the Universal Mandala. This was followed by family members and high lamas paying their respects to Gongma Trizin Rinpoche by gifting white scarves, books, statues and (Photo: jz) 14 Melody of Dharma 2017

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18 hours and by the time it ebbed at mid-day, it was time for the guests to make their way to the tents, where an abundance of victuals awaited them. The proceedings resumed early afternoon with the conferral by His Holiness Gongma Trizin Rinpoche of a teaching on Sakya Pandita s Elucidating the Sage s Intent. It is customary for a new Sakya Throne Holder to give an oral transmission of this seminal work upon (Photos: jz) 16 Melody of Dharma 2017

19 assuming his position. On this occasion, however, Rinpoche deemed it more fruitful to veer slightly from the tradition, and opted to give a teaching on it instead. After a day filled with a richness of Dharma activities, guests once again gathered in the eating oases before boarding the waiting buses that carried them back to their respective halls of residence for a well-needed rest. (Photos: jz) 2017 Melody of Dharma 17

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21 Official Enthronement Ceremony Of His Holiness The 42 Nd Sakya Trizin 第 42 任薩迦法王正式陞座慶典 The 10 th of March 2017 marked the formal anointment of Khöndung Ratna Vajra Sakya Rinpoche as His Holiness the 42 nd Sakya Trizin. A gargantuan marquis had been erected in the village sports ground to host the occasion. As the thousands of guests took their seats, the proceedings began. This significant event featured eloquent and moving speeches by participating dignitaries expressing their deep appreciation and devotion to His Holiness Sakya Gongma Trichen Rinpoche for his unfailing guidance of all Sakyapas over the past decades, and to His Holiness Sakya Gongma Trizin (Photos: mcv) (Photo: jz) 2017 Melody of Dharma 19

22 (Photo: jz) Rinpoche for making himself worthy of inheriting this onerous responsibility. A number of distinguished guests had gathered for the event, including representatives of the different traditions of Buddhism, as well as members of the (Photo: mcv) Central Tibetan Administration and of the state and central governments of India. The Chief Guest was Mr. Amitabh Mathur, representing the Ministry of Home Affairs of the Indian Central Government. (Photo: jz) (Photo: jz) 20 Melody of Dharma 2017

23 (Photo: mcv) (Photo: mcv) (Photo: jz) (Photo: mcv) The ceremony culminated with elocutions by Their Holinesses the Sakya Throne Holders themselves. The highlight of this historic moment was the transference of the official Seal of Sakya by His Holiness the 41st Sakya Trizin to His Holiness the 42nd Sakya Trizin. It was now the younger Throne Holder s turn to assume the responsibilities of leading the Sakya School and its congregation Melody of Dharma 21

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25 ENTHRONEMENT CEREMONY SPEECH BY HIS HOLINESS THE 41 ST SAKYA TRIZIN 10 th March 2017 Respected Dungsey Rinpoches, Khen Rinpoches, Shabdrung Rinpoches, the Representative of Gandhen Phodrang, Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, Kundeling Rinpoche, representatives of the different traditions of Buddhism, all the venerable abbots, tulkus, together with the members of the Sangha, Honourable Speaker and members of the Tibetan Parliament, Honourable Minister of Religion and Culture and other dignitaries from the Central Tibetan Administration, Honourable Justice Commissioner of the Tibetan Supreme Justice Commission, Representative of the Central Home Ministry Mr. Amitabh Mathur, the representative of the Sikkim State Government, Superintendent of the Sirmour District Police Department, the representatives of various monasteries, members of various non-governmental organisations, generous patrons and all our friends and dignitaries from different countries, I express my heartiest welcome and Tashi Delek to all who have gathered here at the enthronement ceremony of the new head of the Sakya tradition. As most of you are aware, the designation process for the head of the Sakya order has recently been reformed and duly confirmed. I would therefore like to provide you with an insight into the history of this title and its succession procedures. In the year 1073, Khon Konchok Gyalpo founded the great seat of Sakya. Since his time all his successors, including the Great Five Founding Masters, until the eleventh throne-holder belonged to one single palace; therefore, this period was known as the Complete Administration of the Eleven Sakya Trizins. Subsequently, during the time of Dagnyi Chenpo Sangpo Pal, many heirs were born and four palaces were formed, namely: Zhitog Labrang, Rinchen Labrang, Lhakhang Labrang and Ducho Labrang. At that time, although there was no officially designated throne-holder, most of the masters who assumed the responsibilities of a Sakya Trizin, such as bestowing teachings, seem to have belonged to the Zhitog Labrang. With time however, three of the four palaces gradually disappeared and only the Ducho Labrang continued to flourish. The current lineage traces back to the Ducho Labrang, which produced some of the most learned and accomplished masters, including the great Ngagchang Kunga Rinchen, Jamgon Ame-Shab Kunga Sonam and Sachen Kunga Lodro. This Labrang continued to hold a significantly long period until the time when Sachen Kunga Lodro s son Jamgon Wangdu Nyignpo begot four dhungseys and thus the 2017 Melody of Dharma 23

26 Ducho Labrang itself branched out into four palaces. Of these four dhungseys two were ordained, and while their palaces functioned during their lifetimes, they did not leave direct lineal heirs. Moreover, because we chiefly follow the tradition of lineage-based succession, the reincarnations of the two ordained dhungseys were not sought out. Even had the reincarnations been found, they would not have had the same privileges as the lineal successor throne-holders. As for the two remaining palaces, Dolma Phodrang and Phuntsok Phodrang, they continued to follow the lineage-based succession system. And they continued to take on the responsibility of Head of Sakya, either by alternating between the phodrangs or on the basis of seniority. In other words, the role of Sakya Trizin was shared by the two palaces either by rotation or by order of seniority. As for me, by virtue of past and temporal conditions along with coherent aspiration, the responsibility of Sakya Trizin was conferred upon me at a very young age I may have been the youngest Sakya Trizin in our history. I was enthroned at a very critical time in the history of Tibet. I may also be the longest serving Sakya Trizin because it has been over sixty years since I was appointed Head of Sakya by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. Whatever the case may be, the tradition was effectively sustained during my tenure as the Sakya Trizin, primarily due to the benevolence of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the pure determination of all great masters, as well as the harmony and collaboration between sanghas, generous patrons and faithful students of the tradition. Apart from shared achievements, there is nothing significant that I can claim to have accomplished. Looking forward to the future, I saw the necessity to introduce reforms to the succession system, in order to forestall the possible arising of problems should new procedures be introduced at a later time. I sought the advice of some experienced and sincere persons and discussed my views with them. Finally, in the light of present realities, I concluded that this chosen system of designation was the most suitable among alternative procedures. I saw it as essential that the members of both palaces come to an agreement on this matter before I took any decision. Therefore, in 2013, during the Grand Vajrakilaya puja in Rajpur, while the dhungseys and dagmos were present, I briefed them on the matter. I presented my views and also mentioned that Dzongsar Khyentse Dorje Chang Choeki Lodro had previously suggested a similar approach. In response everyone agreed with my suggestion and supported it. They also said that they would consult with Dagchen Rinpoche before they made a decision. I further told those present that our discussion was just an initial briefing and that I would visit Dagchen Rinpoche in Seattle to discuss the matter in detail. Shortly thereafter, I received a call from Dagchen Rinpoche during which he expressed his complete agreement with my suggested approach, and he also recalled that the proposal was exactly what Dzongsar Khyentse Choeki Lodro had advised. 24 Melody of Dharma 2017

27 In 2014, I paid a visit to Dagchen Rinpoche in Seattle and we discussed the matter. He not only gave his full consent but also made his position clear by signing and placing his seal on a Letter of Mutual Agreement. We further agreed that it would be premature to announce this publicly without having reported to His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Once I returned to India, I had an audience with His Holiness in Dharamsala and presented the matter to him. His Holiness warmly stated that this was good news and an excellent decision, and he granted his Letter of Approval with great pleasure. Later, during the Sakya Monlam in 2014, I finally made this decision public during the prayer gathering. Due to the shortage of time for preparation, and because the year 2016 was astrologically unfavourable, I announced that the commencement of the new arrangement and the enthronement of a new Sakya Trizin would take place in I made it clear that this was not unprecedented; for example, the tenures of Jamgon Pema Dudul Wangchuk, Dorje Rinchen and Thegchen Tashi Rinchen were passed onto them while their respective fathers were alive. Likewise, more recently, Phuntsog Phodrang s Dzamling Chegu Wangdue retired from his position and allowed the younger Drakshul Trinley Rinchen of Dolma Phodrang to succeed him. Apart from these cases, most Sakya Trizins held the throne of Sakya throughout their lifetime, which meant that the other younger dhungseys did not have the opportunity to assume the position. At present, even though it appears that there are two phodrangs, in actuality, each phodrang has dhungseys who have their own respective households. We therefore have, in effect several phodrangs. In order to become a potential heir, it is not sufficient to just be born into the lineage; one must meet the criteria of having undergone studies, received numerous sets of empowerments and transmissions, and completed a number of retreats and so forth. We envisioned that the spiritual heirs should possess all these attributes and be able to take charge while we, the seniors, are still present and are able to provide guidance where and when required. We currently have five dhungseys who are mature, and also have completed or are about to complete their studies. The five dhungseys shall each assume the responsibility of throne holder for a three-year term respectively in order of seniority. No reason or excuse shall be made to withhold transfer of the position at the expiry of each term. In Tibet at the time, we could not fulfill the wish of Khyentse Choeki Lodro that the two phodrangs should have the same system of three-year terms as practiced in the Ngor Labrangs tradition. However, as I relinquish the throne today, I am extremely pleased to see the noble wish of our guru being fulfilled in exile, after many years. It is also fortunate that this agreement, laid out in the Letter of Mutual Agreement, was made at the right time, while Dagchen Rinpoche was still with us. Otherwise, such an important decision could not have been reached as smoothly if we we had waited a few years longer. From today, my tenure as the Head of the Sakya tradition comes to an end. This means that whoever holds the throne will have to shoulder most of the crucial responsibilities. However, whenever anyone shouldering these 2017 Melody of Dharma 25

28 responsibilities requires my assistance or the transmission of empowerments and teachings, I will render my service to them, irrespective of which phodrang they belong to. My endeavour to benefit all sentient beings and the Buddha dharma to the best of my ability will continue. At this time, I would also like to urge the great masters, sangha members, patrons, and lay practitioners to work together for the greater benefit of the dharma in general and the Sakya teachings in particular. We may not be numerous or endowed with great wealth, but we have always been harmonious and united. When the need arises, the various monasteries, labrangs and our lay followers are able to gather with a joyous heart and one single voice. I regard this cohesiveness as our greatness and also as a vital necessity. This is because from the spiritual point of view, maintaining pure Samaya is of utmost importance. Without a pure Samaya, achieving realizations and enhancing one s spiritual practice is extremely difficult. Likewise, from the worldly point of view, if there is no unity, it is difficult to accomplish any task. Therefore, having seen the true bond among us that we share, I urge all of you to continue to maintain this strong bond, not only in outward appearance but also in spiritual terms because we are all bound to each other through the Samaya. Since the continuity and the thriving of the Buddha dharma in general and the Sakya tradition in particular has primarily been due to the benevolence of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, we should always remember our gratitude towards him, wherever he may be. In doing so, we should first and foremost strive to fulfill his noble wishes. Even though we may not have been able to contribute significantly towards the cause of the Tibetan people, we have, nonetheless, always abided by the words of His Holiness. Therefore, I urge you all not to stray from our common tradition and institution, and to remember our gratitude to His Holiness the Dalai Lama. I would also like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt appreciation to the state and central governments of India and to the Indian people, who have constantly showered us with the warmth of their kindness for so many years. As a closing remark, I would like to pray for the spread of the Buddha s teachings in every corner of this world; may the holders of the Dharma from all the traditions of Buddhism and particularly the crown among the holders of the Dharma His Holiness the Dalai Lama live for hundreds of aeons, and may their noble wishes be fulfilled. May the newly enthroned Sakya Trizin and subsequent successors live long and may their beneficial activities for the sake of the Dharma and sentient beings expand endlessly; may all our wishes be fulfilled and may all the Tibetans in our homeland and in exile reunite in the near future. Thank you. 26 Melody of Dharma 2017

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32 ENTHRONEMENT CEREMONY SPEECH BY HIS HOLINESS THE 42 ND SAKYA TRIZIN 10 th March 2017 Your Holiness, the glorious Sakyapa Vajradhara, the 41 st great Throne Holder, excellent guide of all sentient beings, Dharma king of the three realms, universal protector of the hereditary lineage of the Buddha races and the ocean-like mandala cycles, firstly allow me to offer you my deepest respect and countless prostrations from my three doors to your lotus feet. Also Dungsay Rinpoches, Kundeling Rinpoche, Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche, Jigme Khyentse Rinpoche, Thartse Khen Rinpoche, Shabdrung Rinpoches, Jetsunmas, representative of Gaden Phodrang Tromthok Rinpoche, representatives of all the high Lamas and monasteries of the different schools, all Khenpos and Tulkus together with the ocean of the holy assembly of sangha members; Adviser to the Union Minister of Home Affairs Amitabh Mathur, Honourable Speaker Khenpo Sonam Tenphel, members of the Tibetan Parliament, Honorable Ministers of the Kashag, Justice Commissioner, and all other officials of the Central Tibetan Administration; all officials of the Indian Central and State governments; benefactors, guests and Dharma friends, and all of you who have travelled here from near and far. I would like to extend a warm, loving greeting and Tashi Delek to you all. The profound, vast and inconceivable sutric and tantric Dharma activities of which we are benefitting today came to us from India, the land of the Aryas, the source of the sacred Dharma. I would like to call to mind how this precious legacy is largely the fruit of the great kindness and compassion of the Fully Enlightened Shakyamuni Buddha. Similarly, when considering the spread of the complete fields of knowledge of sutric and tantric teachings of the Buddhadharma throughout the great Tibetan Buddhist traditions, I would like to recall that this is due to the kindness of the triunity formed by the abbot Shantarakshita, Guru Padmasambhava and the Dharma King Trisong Deutsen, as well as that of the Indian and Nepalese Panditas and Siddhas, and the Tibetan translators who endured great hardships to accomplish their labour. As regards our Sakya lineage, it was first founded by Khön Konchok Gyalpo in 1073, and then it was propagated by the Five Founding Masters. It was subsequently maintained without interruption by many learned and highly realized beings, such as Vajradhara Ngorchen Kunga Sangpo, Tsarchen Choekyi Gyalpo, Dzongpa Kunga Namgyal and many others. This noble undertaking was perpetuated more recently by His Holiness Vajradhara Sakya Dagchen Jigdral Rinpoche, the great protector Vajradhara 30 Melody of Dharma 2017

33 Jamyang Khyentse Choekyi Lodrö, the great Vajradhara His Eminence Kyabje Chogye Trichen Rinpoche, and also by the great Lamas and the Khenchens of our Shedras or Colleges. In order to prevent the degeneration of the doctrine, these noble beings ensured the continuous spread of the precious lineage of the Great Compassionate One and that of the Sakya School, and ensured that it would remain long. I would like to honour their inestimable kindness. And eminently, under the cooling shade of the compassionate guidance of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, who is the omniscient lord, protector and guide of humanity, the crown of all the masters, the owner of all the Dharmas, we have the 41st Sakya Gongma Trichen Rinpoche, whose kindness is incomparable, and His Eminence Luding Khenchen Rinpoche, who is the jewel in the crown of the multitude of Vinaya holders. In this perilous and dreaded era of the five degenerations, you have upheld and continue to uphold peerless, illustrious and inconceivable Dharma activities, supporting and propagating the precious teachings of the Great Compassionate One and of the Sakya lineage. It is indeed most fitting to recollect how, through the kindness and blessing of our root gurus, the Palden Sakyapa lineage has remained strong and effectual until now. Because of this, our lineage has also been able to serve the Tibetan people and all sentient beings of this world, in a way comparable to the noble Dharma activities of other Tibetan Buddhist lineages. On the 8 th May 2014, Their Holinesses the Heads of the two Phodrangs issued a memorandum that was praised and keenly endorsed by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. It stipulates that all Sakya Dungsays from both Phodrangs, endowed with particular qualifications, should each assume the role of Sakya Trizin for a period of three years. For myself, I am neither favoured with special qualifications, nor am I highly qualified. But owing to my seniority in age, it is now my responsibility to assume the role of Throne Holder for this period of three years. I would like to thank all of you for attending this Enthronement Ceremony, and for granting it sufficient significance to warrant the inconveniences that your travel here has entailed. By mere virtue of being born into this hereditary Khön lineage, it is our duty to serve the doctrine of the Buddha and that of our own lineage. I will do my utmost to fulfill this responsibility successfully and, to the best of my ability, I will strive to serve the doctrine in my role as Throne Holder. His Holiness Gongma Trichen Rinpoche has entrusted us young Dungsays with the responsibility of taking turns in assuming the role of Throne Holder for a period of three years respectively. This system was already put into practice by His Eminence Luding Khenchen Rinpoche when he handed over the role of the abbatial Throne Holder of Ngor Ewam Choeden to the next generation. In spite of this transference of duty, Gongma Trichen Rinpoche and Luding Khenchen Rinpoche, you are our Sakyapa sun and moon, you are our root gurus, you are our protectors and guides, and you are the pillars of the Sakya lineage. On behalf of all the devotees of the Sakya lineage, with my ten fingers clasped in the shape of a lotus at my heart, I would like to make the wholehearted request that you great masters live long in the intrinsic 2017 Melody of Dharma 31

34 nature of the lord Amitayus, that you always turn the wheel of the profound and vast Dharma for the benefit of the doctrine and of sentient beings, that you continue to bless us with ceaseless advice and guidance, and that you always be our timeless mentors. Until now, the continuous stream of the Sakya empowerment lineage, our sutric and tantric oral transmission lineage, and the pure and authentic ritual tradition of the witnessed lineage related to the propitiation of Mandala cycles, have been maintained pure thanks to the existence and concordant activities of the living tradition of the harmonious sangha. All these factors have come together through the tireless efforts of many great Lamas and Khenchens of the Shedras, or Colleges, and the sincere and unconditional support of devotees, both lay and ordained, who sustained the former generation through their devoted service and generous sponsorship. 944 years has passed since the founding of the Sakya lineage in At this juncture, we must make it an absolute priority to pray fervently for this lineage and for the Buddhadharma to remain for a long time. In 56 years time, the year will be 2073, a millennium after the founding of our lineage and of the Sakya School. If I am still alive at that time, I will be 100 years old according to Tibetan astrology. The responsibility of maintaining an effective and well-organised Sakya lineage lies not only upon high Lamas of our generation and the younger generations, but also on all followers of the lineage. And thus, armed with sincere and good motivation, without being swayed by our own egoistic attachment and aversion, each one of us should carefully safeguard the precepts that we have promised to keep, including the Refuge vows. For this, we should find support in a firm foundation based on the careful study of the Parting From the Four Attachments teachings. While building monasteries and statues are important to the upholding of the teachings, what is truly essential is the preeminence of the scriptures and realization of the Buddhadharma. We need to steadfastly uphold these through teachings and practice, and it is essential that we constantly devote effort, time and resources to this purpose. As monastics, we have been provided with an environment and facilities that are conducive to upholding the teachings through study and practice, and so we have the responsibility to make the Buddhadharma relevant to our times, and to put in place and carefully maintain structures and facilities propitious to its propagation. By casting away any untoward attitude of likes or dislikes created by arrogance and jealousy, and with a tamed mind stream, we should strive to develop as decent Dharma practitioners, and to display our resulting qualities through righteous physical and verbal behavior, and mental attitude. Also, it is extremely important that we seek to inspire others to better themselves and to become faithful devotees. It is also very important that monasteries and Dharma centres dedicate themselves to promoting people s grasping and understanding of Buddhist thought, and advising them on how to apply it to their daily lives. Buddhist teachings do not discriminate between races, religions and lineages, or between believers 32 Melody of Dharma 2017

35 and non-believers. It is a path that seeks to foster peace and benefit not only human beings but all sentient beings, including those in the bardo realm. And so it is very important that we promote peace and harmony between all peoples and religions, without any discrimination. Historically, India is the source from where Tibetan Buddhism originated, and we therefore consider India as the highly esteemed Guru of the Tibetans. And in the light of this, I would like to thank both the Indian Government and its people for their assistance, both direct and indirect, throughout the critical times that our Tibetan culture has faced over the past decades. This support has been of immense value to the preservation and protection of our Tibetan Buddhist religion and culture. Lastly, I would like to conclude by offering this prayer: may the precious teachings of the Lord Buddha, the boundless source of benefit and happiness to all sentient beings, remain for a long time. May His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama live long, he who is the jewel in the crown of the upholders of the teachings, and may the great masters from all traditions without any exception also live long. Through the exertion of their powerful influence and enlightened activities emanating in all directions, may all sentient beings swiftly find happiness, peace and enlightenment. And also I would like to thank all the guests who have come from far and wide, and specially the representatives of the government of Sikkim, the representatives of Himachal Pradesh, and all other officials. Thank you very much Melody of Dharma 33

36 Amitabh Mathur Melody of Dharma 2017

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39 Programme Of Cultural Shows 文化表演節目 (Photo: mcv) The proceedings adjourned for lunch and resumed in the afternoon with a captivating selection of cultural shows, which drew enthusiastic applause from the audience. Among the performances was the participation of Sakya Academy monk students, which included a touching song of devotion to His Holiness the 41st Sakya Trizin by his granddaughter Jetsunma Tsejin Lhamo Sakya, who attends the school, as well as an intricately choreographed rendition of the Sakya Lineage Prayer by the Sakya Academy monks. In the evening, the stage lent itself to an (Photo: mcv) 2017 Melody of Dharma 37

40 38 Melody of Dharma 2017 (Photos: mcv)

41 extraordinary performance of the Life of Sakya Pandita by the renowned Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts. Undaunted by the deluge that assailed the venue, the troupe executed a masterly play, a mixture of Dharma, history, opera, acrobatics and drama. (Photos: mcv) 2017 Melody of Dharma 39

42 (Photo: oc) (Photos: mcv) 40 Melody of Dharma 2017

43 Grand Tenshug Offering To His Holiness Sakya Gongma Trichen Rinpoche The 41 St Sakya Throne Holder 第 41 任薩迦法王長壽慶典 The third and last day opened with the celebration of a Grand Tenshug ceremony held in honour of His Holiness the 41 st Sakya Trizin, Sakya Gongma (Photos: jz) 2017 Melody of Dharma 41

44 (Photo: jz) (Photo: mcv) (Photo: jz) (Photo: jz) 42 Melody of Dharma 2017

45 (Photo: jz) Trichen Rinpoche. This was a unique occasion for devoted Sakyapas to express their gratitude to their revered and beloved Guru, His Holiness Gongma Trichen Rinpoche. As soon as he emerged from the palace that morning, he found himself at the heart of a majestic procession that was to wind its way between the rows of adoring devotees that (Photos: mcv) (Photo: jz) 2017 Melody of Dharma 43

46 (Photo: jz) stretched all the way to the temple. Again disciples had gathered, this time to pay their boundless respects to one who had selflessly and unwaveringly shepherded and protected them for so many decades. Deep devotion and gratitude painted the faces of all those who ushered His Holiness along his path, with a mix of awe and joy meeting his arrival at the temple. (Photos: mcv) 44 Melody of Dharma 2017

47 (Photo: jz) (Photos: mcv) Upon arriving at the temple, Gongma Trichen Rinpoche lit the traditional butter lamp and ascended his throne. Once all in the assembly had done their prostrations and settled down in their respective places, it was now Gongma Trizin Rinpoche who approached the throne in order to offer the Universal Mandala to his revered father. According to the Long-life offering text, the Lama who is the object of this homage promises to live one hundred years. Veering slightly from the scripture, His Holiness promised that he would try his very best to do so. This sublime tribute was followed by the proffering of ceremonial offerings by high Lamas, while devotees bearing mandalas, statues, stupas, rugs, flowers and foodstuff made their way to their Guru s 2017 Melody of Dharma 45

48 (Photos: jz) throne, presenting their gifts and seeking his precious blessing. As this labour of love continued, the morning hours whiled away, until it was time for the participants to regain their oases for their midday meal. The assembly gathered again in the early afternoon at the sports ground for more elocutions and cultural performances. A highlight of this final session of the festivities was the gifting by Gongma Trizin (Photo: mcv) 46 Melody of Dharma 2017

49 (Photos: jz) Rinpoche of a magnificent gold set of vajra and bell to his holy father, yet another memorable moment of this historic event. And thus, an unforgettable happening in the annals of the Sakya School came to a close, as buses carried off satiated guests back to their hotels for a good night s rest before journeying back to their respective homess. (Photo: mcv) 2017 Melody of Dharma 47

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51 ORAL TRANSMISSION BY HIS HOLINESS GONGMA TRICHEN RINPOCHE 第 41 任薩迦法王口傳 哦千貢噶桑波文集 The memorable Enthronement ceremony at Puruwala had come to a conclusion, and the thousands of devotees who had travelled from near and far to be part of it had now gone each their way. Nevertheless, a few hardy souls had stayed back to join the monastic community in partaking of a rare spiritual treasure. The shedra would, over the following week, be host to the conferral by His Holiness the Gongma Trichen Rinpoche of the oral transmission of the collected works of Ngorchen Kunga Sangpo. Ngorchen Kunga Sangpo was a renowned master of the 15 th century, one of the accomplished Six Ornaments of Tibet. Founder of the Ngor Sakya lineage of Tibetan Buddhism, he authored nearly two (Photos: mcv) 2017 Melody of Dharma 49

52 (Photos: mcv) hundred works. It was an uncommon privilege to be among the recipients of the oral transmission of these invaluable writings, and it was remarkable to observe the intensity with which all those present absorbed their contents. 50 Melody of Dharma 2017

53 41 1 (Photos: mcv) (Photos: mcv) 2017 Melody of Dharma 51

54 New Directives 新指示 There has been some confusion concerning how to now call Their Holinesses the 41 s t and 42 nd Sakya Trizin. An official communication was issued by the Sakya Dolma Phodrang addressing this issue and stating that particular responsibilities would now be taken on by the younger throne holder. It may be said in passing that the Tibetan community have taken to referring to their Gurus in short form as Gongma Trichen Rinpoche and Gongma Trizin Rinpoche respectively Melody of Dharma 2017

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56 Refuge Vows Ceremony For Jetsunma Kunga Thinley Palter Sakya 傑尊瑪貢噶聽列巴特受皈依儀式 (Photo: jz) On the 6 th of March, a brief and intimate ceremony took place in the family quarters of the Puruwala Phodrang that marked the realization of a long-held aspiration on the part of Jetsunma Kunga Thinley Palter Sakya. Since early childhood, Jetsunma had always asserted with pride and conviction that she was to be a nun. And so, it was for her a moment of joy and consummation when, on that memorable day, her family gathered around her as she received her Refuge Vows from His Holiness Gongma Trichen Rinpoche, a meaningful step towards the realisation (Photo: mcv) 54 Melody of Dharma 2017

57 of her long-held aspiration. Endowed with outstanding moral qualities, sound judgment and poise, Jetsunma promises to be an exemplary Lama. She has already begun her career as a representative of the Khön family, and has thus far done so with remarkable grace and aplomb. May she have a long and fruitful life as a bearer of the Sakya Dharma! (Photo: mcv) (Photo: mcv) (Photos: mcv) (Photo: mcv) (Photo: mcv) (Photo: jz) 2017 Melody of Dharma 55

58 Third Tibetan Birthday Of Khöndung Siddharth Vajra Rinpoche 薩迦法王子悉達多金剛仁波切藏曆三歲生日 (Photo: mcv) The gathering in Puruwala saw the celebration of another important occasion: the third Tibetan Birthday of Khöndung Siddharth Vajra Rinpoche. In spite of his early years, Rinpoche has already shown signs of being a great master, especially during the course of his visit to Tibet during the closing months of last year. Dungsey Rinpoche is the youngest member of the 56 Melody of Dharma 2017

59 (Photos: mcv) Khön family, and it was auspicious that his birthday could be celebrated at a time when all its members were assembled Melody of Dharma 57

60 The History Of The Sakya Tradition A Feast for the Minds of the Fortunate Excerpted and adapted from the work composed by CHOGAY TRICHEN RINPOCHE Translated from Tibetan into French by Ven. Phende Rinpoche and Jamyang Khandro Translated from French into English by Jennifer Stott Introduced and Annotated by Lama Jampa Thaye 1983 Ganesha Press, Bristol 58 Melody of Dharma 2017

61 The Coming Of The Great Sakyapa His Holiness Gongma Trichen Rinpoche 41 st Sakya Throne Holder It is said that in ancient times three divine brothers came down to the land of Ngari Tod, to the north of the King of Sheltsha s territory, in order to bring merit to beings. The five generations that follow from Yuring, the second brother, to Yapang Che are known as the Divine Line of Clear Light. After vanquishing the bloodless vampire Charing, Yapang Che married Yadruk Silima, who bore him a son named Khön Barche meaning: he who is born in the midst of the battle. The son of this latter, Khön Palpoche, became minister to King Trisong in the eighth century C.E. Another son, Khön Nagarakshita, was a close student of acharya Padmakara and one of the seven Tibetan probationers. The ten generations that stretch from Khön Palpoche to the brothers Sherab Tsultrim and Khön Konchog Gyalpo were skilled in the Ancient (Nyingma) tantras and obtained realization through the practices of the meditational deities Sri Vishuddha and Vajrakilaya. Khön Konchog Gyalpo studied the New (Sarma ) dissemination of the tantras and founded the Sakya monastery. The Buddha Shakyamuni had prophesied in the Manjushri Tantra that a Sakya monastery would cause the teachings to flower in Tibet. Another prophecy, by the precious guru Padmakara, had concerned the location of this monastery and the disciples it would attract. Before the monastery was built, four stupas were erected in the ten directions to purify the site and make it an auspicious one. Passing this spot on his way from India to Tibet in 1040 C.E., Lord Atisha ( ) is reputed to have prostrated many times and made offerings. He subsequently perceived the syllable Hri, seven Dhi syllables and the syllable Hum on the side of the mountain, and prophesied that the place would witness one Avalokiteshvara incarnation, seven Manjushri incarnations and one Vajrapani incarnation, providing a source of happiness for all sentient beings. It was here, in the Water Buffalo year of the first cycle (1073) that Khön Konchok Gyalpo founded the Sakya monastery, and it is from this time on that one speaks of the 2017 Melody of Dharma 59

62 Khön Konchok Gyalpo Sakyapas. The fame of the lineage with the three excellent names, the Divine Light of the Khön Sakya family, subsequently spread in every direction. Khön Konchok Gyalpo s son, Sachen Kunga Nyingpo, was revealed as an incarnation of Avalokiteshvara in accordance with prophecies made by Namkha upa and others. He was born into this excellent lineage in the male Water Monkey year of the second cycle (1092). From his birth, he displayed a great love for all beings and, while still young, he appeared to a disciple from Kham in the form of the One-thousandarmed Avalokiteshvara. His fame as an incarnation of Virupa spread far and wide. He possessed the ten powers and was able to carry the weight of the teachings. He was the supreme bodhisattva, lord of the three realms and the guide of those searching for liberation. The master of those who had undertaken to follow the path, he was possessed of an indomitable resolve to liberate beings, a complete understanding of all the objects of knowledge and was capable of extinguishing all doubt. He received an immense ocean of teachings from his own school and from others. He was able to clarify all obscurities through practice and debate and, skilled in differentiating the dharma from false doctrines, he excelled in leading students on the pure path. Sachen Kunga Nyingpo ( ) The great Sakyapa Kunga Nyingpo mastered all the sutra and tantra teachings originally transmitted by the sages and siddhas in India and current in Tibet in his time. In particular, he received the lin eages of the Arya Nagarjuna and of the MahaSiddha Virupa. When he was twelve years old, following the instructions of his guru Bari Lotsava, he performed six months of one-pointed practice until Manjushri appeared to him directly and gave him the following injunc tions: 'Son of a noble family, If you cling to this life, then you are not a dharma practitioner If you cling to the Wheel of Existence, then you do not possess re nunciation If you look only to your own interests, then you do not possess bodhichitta If clinging ensues, then you do not possess the view'11 Sachen Kunga Nyingpo then realized in an instant that all the points of the Path of the Perfections were contained in these teachings. From his teachers Chung 60 Melody of Dharma 2017

63 Rinchen Drak, Bari Lotsava, Lama Nam kha'upa (a disciple of Nyen Lotsava), Mal Lotsava Lodro Drakpa, Puh reng Lochung, Vajrasana, two Nepali panditas, Khon Gyichuwa and his own father, Konchog Gyalpo, he received teachings on Abhidhar ma. Pramana, Madhyamaka, the Five Dharmas of Maitreya, the trilogy of Sems 'gre, treatises on medicine, sutras and śastras, the four or ders of tantras and their explanatory tantras, and received the cycles of empowerments and teachings of the dharmapalas Panjaranatha and Caturmukha. Being an emanation of Manjushri, he needed only to hear a teaching once in order to realize its profound meaning. He also re ceived the teachings of Guhya Virupa Samaja and Cakrasamvara from the lineage of Arya Nagarjuna. The Lineage of the Path and Its Fruit Prior to Sachen Kunga Nyingpo Just as the immense ocean can never contain too much water, Sachen Kunga Nyingpo was not content with mastering purely essential sutra and tantra teachings, but also received the profound teachings of Drokmi Lotsava Shakya Yeshe from his father and Khon Gyichuwa, and in structions in the Lam-'bras (Path and Fruit) from the Siddha Chobar. This Precious Word of the Path and Its Fruit alone is sufficient to lead beings along the path to Buddhahood. When the Lord of Beings taught the root tantra of Hevajra, the Two Examinations (rtags-gnyis), he said that one must first practice purifi cation through liberality; then study the Madhyanzaka, then all stages of Mantra; and, finally Hevajra. In such a manner did the Lord of Yogins, Virupa, Siddha of the sixth stage and protégé of Vajra Nairatmya, disseminate the transmission of the root tantra and its commentaries, which are the highest of all the sutras and tantras. In the Praise to the Eighty-Four Siddhas it is said: 'I prostrate to the guru Virupa who separated the waters of the great river and who arrested the course of the sun for the price of a beer'. Virupa was born into a royal family one thousand and twenty years after Lord Buddha entered Nirvana. However, he scorned the prospect of governing the kingdom, taking vows as a novice from the abbot Vin ayadeva and from AchArya Dharmakirti at the temple of Somapuri in eastern India. He organized the building of numerous religious arte facts in the monasteries and took monastic vows from Dharmamitra, the abbot of Nalanda Monastery. Under Dharmamitra's direction he perfected the disciplines of study and meditation and, having been in structed in the immense ocean of teachings, he quickly became the pride of Nalanda and great abbot of this monastic university. During the day he performed an acharya's three duties of debate, teaching and composition, and during the night he practised meditation on Cakra samvara ( khor-lo bde Melody of Dharma 61

64 mchog). However, when after years of one-pointed practice he had attained no siddhis, and was in fact experiencing negative occurrences, he decided that he had no karmic connection with Vajrayana. In this state of mind, he threw his rosary into the toilet and ceased deity medi tation on the twentysecond day of the last month of spring. On the evening of the same day Nairatmya (bdag-med-ma) appeared to him and spoke thus: 'Noble son, do not act in this way. Pick up your rosary, clean it, and take up your practice again. I am the deity with whom you have a karmic connection and I will bestow my blessings upon you. The following evening, Vajra Nairatmya appeared to him again in her own mandala of fifteen goddesses. She bestowed the four em powerments upon him and he then attained the first bhumi and the Path of Seeing. Since he had received the four empowerments the stream of initiation was unbroken. Since, at the time of the empower ment, he had obtained primordial wisdom, the lineage of blessings was unbroken. This was the result of the teaching of Vajra Nairatmya. Virupa then understood that because he had forgotten the teachings of his lama, he had mistaken for bad omens those events which in real ity signalled the development of warmth! All hindrances and obstacles were naturally liberated and a true understanding of the pathways (rtsa), breath (rlung), and seed (thig-le) of the subtle body arose in him. Through this understanding, the essential teaching was con firmed. An unshakeable faith in Vajra Nairatmya, the natural form of the dharmakya, was born in him and he was overcome with devotion and respect. He was thus able to receive the four lineages of oral trans mission, and his wisdom increased in depth each day. On the evening of the twentyninth day he became a bodhisattva of the sixth bhumi. The monastic community realized that something ex traordinary was happening and grew dubious of his behaviour. Virupa himself declared: 'I am wicked' and, liberated from the realm of con-ventional behaviour, he left Nalanda Monastery singing: 'Alas, noble Sangha!' When he arrived at the river Ganges on his way to Varanasi, the river was too rough to cross and he commanded the waters to sep arate. The waters obeyed. The monks who were following realized that he was a Siddha and asked for his forgiveness. Virupa then remained for a while in meditation in a forest near Vara nasi unconcerned with material needs. At that time Govindachandra, the raja of Varanasi, asked for information about this yogin and, unable to ascertain any reliable facts about him, considered it prudent to order that he be thrown into the water, handed over to the executioner and, finally, buried under a heap of scrap iron. However, even before the re turn of the raja's envoys, Virupa appeared before him very much alive. Faced with this evidence of Virupa's powers, the raja and his entour age were filled with confidence in him and begged his forgiveness. The raja and his subjects consequently entered the path of Vajrayana. Resuming his journey in a southern direction towards Bhimisar, Vi rupa arrived once more at the banks of the Ganges. The ferryman he encountered there refused to ferry him across unless he payed first. Vi rupa replied: 'I will give you this river in payment', and making the sign of conjuration he divided the waters for a second time. Then, with a snap of his fingers, he caused the waters to unite once more. The ferryman was Dombi Heruka who subsequently became Virupa's stu dent. Virupa and his student went to Dakinisata in southern India where 62 Melody of Dharma 2017

65 Virupa consumed a large amount of beer in a tavern. When Kamarupa, the owner of the tavern, asked him when he was going to pay, Virupa replied by tracing a line across the table and saying: 'When the sun has passed this line, then I will pay'. Everyone waited. Virupa had drunk all the beer in the tavern but the sun had not moved. The people of the country, weak with fatigue, began to panic. Eventually, everyone un derstood that this occurrence was a manifestation of the great yogin's powers. The raja himself finally paid for the beer and entreated Virupa to allow the sun to resume its course-. The sun then set immediately, af ter three days had passed. In this way, Virupa's reputation for having twice divided the waters of the Ganges and for having stopped the course of the sun spread in all directions. In Southern India at Bhemehasar, Virupa split the lingam of the Hindu deity Shiva and carried out a great number of miraculous ac tions, thereby establishing many beings on the path. KrishnachArya from eastern India was one of those who became his students. Virupa and his two principal students possessed siddhis that enabled them to accomplish the good of sentient beings. Virupa bestowed his bles sing upon Dombi Heruka, which inspired the latter to obtain a level of un derstanding equivalent to his master s, and sent him east to Rada to convert the Raja Deha, while he himself went with KrishnachArya to Divikoti. There the statue of Avalokiteshvara Khasarpani addressed him with the following words: 'Noble being, until now your siddhis have benefited sentient beings, but now you must benefit them with compassionate skillful means'. Virupa subsequently founded a temple and a community of monks at Sowanatha and saved the lives of millions of animals by prohibiting sacrifices. He gave the vajra verses of the Path and Its Fruit to Krish nacharya who thereby achieved an equivalent level of understanding. Messengers then arrived to invite him to the country of Oddiyana where he composed the great treatise on The Unelaborated (spros med). He later fulfilled Avalokiteshvara s prophesy and dissolved into a stone statue in his own image at Sowanatha, an event which he had previously predicted. The right hand of the statue displayed the con juration mudra and this hand was able to transform iron into gold. In summary, just as no one has parallelled the logician Dharmakirti's ability to uphold the teaching through skill in debate, nor King Ashoka s ability to uphold the teaching through power, Virupa's ability to uphold the dharma through magical powers is unequalled. In the Manjushri tantra it is said that the coming of powerful beings is pro phesied by the letter Dhi. Although many take this prophesy to refer to the coming of the glorious Dharmakirti, those who follow Drokmi the translator say that it refers to the powerful yogin Virupa. The Lord of Yogins, KrishnachArya from the east, was able to send out emanations of himself in various forms. He transmitted this power to the yogin Damarupa from central India, who was able to appear in the twenty-four pithas and thirtytwo sacred places simultaneously while sounding the damaru. Damarupa transmitted his teaching to a raja of central India, Sengge Nampar Tsenpa, who attained great realization. He was nicknamed Avadhuti because he was often seen surrounded by children and his own actions were themselves guileless, like those of a child. Later, Avadhuti transmitted his teaching to Gayadhara who hailed from a family of literati. He obtained perfect liberation through 2017 Melody of Dharma 63

66 the development stage. He had many visions of divine emanations and developed the ability to place the vajra and bell in the sky as well as that of transferring his consciousness into another body. Gayadhara visited the home of Drokmi Sakya Yeshe at Mongkar in Tibet. Virupa's teaching thus reached Drokmi through the line of oral transmission and the guru prophesied to which students it should be conveyed. The Tibetan prince, Lhatsun, sent three young translators from Drompa Jang: Drokmi, Ling and Tak to India. They were advised to study the root of the doctrine: Pratimoksha (Individual Liberation); the essence of the doctrine: Paramitayana (the way of the perfections); The quintessence of the doctrine: Vajrayana (The Way of the Vaira). Drokmi received teachings from the Nepalese Shantibhadra and from the great pandita Shantipa, the holder of the eastern door of Nalanda University. He also studied with other panditas from Nalanda, distinguishing him-self in textual scholarship and obtained prophesies from Avalokitesh vara Khasarpani himself in Divikoti in the south. The great Siddha Vira Vajra, a student of Dombi Heruka, gave him the oral instructions of the triple lineage of the Path and Its Fruit and the explanations and em-powerments of 240 tantras. He studied these teachings in India for 12 years in all and became rich in all profound and vast teachings. Later, Drokmi Lotsava was visited in Tibet by Gayadhara who there by fulfilled the Siddha Avadhuti's prophesy that he would teach the entire Precious Word to his chosen student over a period of three years. Drokmi became a pandita possessing limitless knowledge of the five sciences. Go and Marpa were among his students. Possessing both the textual transmission and the realization, he mastered the stage of dev elopment, the power of emanation, the ability to sit in the sky in the vajra position and the power of 'transference' and entering'. Although these powers should have enabled him to achieve mahamudra in one lifetime, due to the faults of his students, it was not until he entered the intermediate stage that he realized Buddhahood. He greatly revered the essential instructions and therefore hesitated to impart them. However, his activity was so vast that he obtained countless students, and eighteen lines of the Path and Its Fruit teach ings developed as a result. His principal student was Seton Kunrik ( ) who served him for seventeen years, made him an offering of his body, speech and mind and received the teaching in the manner of a vase 'without holes'. The blessings of Seton's profound teaching were very great and he obtained 200 students who were capable of understanding the meaning of the path and who attained realization. Seventeen of his students received the complete commentaries on the tantras. Out of the eight who received the different versions of the Precious Word, Zhangton Chobar who served him for eighteen years, achieved complete realization, yet never made a great display of it. After the passing of Seton, Sachen Kunga Nyingpo having heard that Seton's student Zhangton Chobar was learned in all the essential instructions, begged him 64 Melody of Dharma 2017

67 to transmit them to him. Zhangton Chobar consequently taught him the entire Path and Its Fruit over a period of four summers and winters. Later, in the female Water Hare year, when Sachen was 32 years old, Zhangton gave him the following advice: 'Meditation is the essence of the Vajrayana. I have not meditatated for that long a time, but I going to show you something that will give you confidence'. He then displayed numerous miracles and spoke the following words: `If you devote yourself to practice, you will realize the mahamudra in this life. If you devote yourself to teaching, you will have many students. However, do not mention the name of the teaching until eighteen years have passed. After that time, you will be totally accomplished in whatever you do'. Sachen Kunga Nyingpo subsequently studied the vajra stanzas each day and the entire path each month. During this time he had an attack of food poisoning and, as a result, he could not remember the teaching. As the Precious Word was only transmitted orally there was no one from whom he could gain instruction on it. Since he thought that it would be difficult to obtain these teachings even in India, he prayed one-pointedly to his guru who consequently appeared to him. As he continued to pray fervently, this time it was the Lord of Yogins, Virupa, who appeared before him in his dark brown form, surrounded by four disciples and shining like 100,000 suns. This happened in the male Earth Tiger year (1238) when Sachen was 47 years old. Virupa remained with Sachen for one month, during which time he transmitted the whole Precious Word and explanations and teachings on 72 tantras together with their commentaries and empowerments. This teaching was accomplished by means of the six oral instructions. Sachen thus received the four profound teachings. After the stipulated eighteen years had passed, Sachen Kunga Nyingpo transmitted these teachings to those of his students who were worthy recipients. He composed eleven different commentaries on the vajra stanzas for eleven students who had received teachings on the treatise. As had been prophesied, his three supreme students went to the spiritual lands of Khechara and to Parvata in this life through onepointed meditation. Among his other students, the most notable was his son the venerable Drakpa Gyaltshan who obtained the level of 'acceptance of the Path of Application. Among his seven heart sons were Ga Lo, Zhonnu Pal, Niche Palton, Shen Dorseng, and Konchog Kharte, who were renowned for their learning and wisdom. Sachen Kunga Nyingpo was a man of immeasurable virtue who did not infringe the three vows in any way and whose uncontrived bodhichitta was allembracing. As he was able to unite the two stages of meditation, he had passed beyond all limitation and overwhelmed his teachers by his practice and his faith. He had realized all the inner signs of accomplishment, encountered the deities and possessed the gift of clairvoyance. His many other attributes included the ability to teach dharma and give consecrations by appearing in many places at once in six different forms. His realization equalled that of the great Buddhist sages of India. Finally, in the male Earth Tiger (1258), having reached the age of 67 years, his four emanations departed for four pure lands to benefit sentient beings Melody of Dharma 65

68 Sonam Tsemo ( ) His son, the great pandita precious acharya Sonam Tsemo, master of the five sciences, was born in the Water Dog year of the second cycle. His birth was announced by dakinis who wrote the letters `KH'U SHAMBHI PANDITA DEBAMATI' on the temple door at Vajrasana. In India he was acclaimed as an incarnation of Durjaya chandra. Sonam Tsemo obtained all the empowerments, explanations and oral instructions from Sachen Kunga Nyingpo. For eleven years he studied with Chapa Chokyi Sengge at Sangphu. His studies included teaching on the Paramita, Madhyamaka, Pramana, Vinaya and Abhidharma. By the time he reached the age of eighteen, his reputation for learning had spread beyond the Ganges and he had mastered the triple discipline of teaching, debate and composition. If his practice faltered, he would supplicate Avalokiteshvara and other divinities and received direct inspiration from them. He was able to transfer himself at will to certain spiritual lands such as Oddiyana and Potala and attained the highest virtues, reaching the level of a bodhisattva of the second bhumi. In the male Water Tiger year (1188) when he was 41 years of age, the air filled with a pleasant perfume and the sound of cymbals as he was giving a teaching to eighty advanced students, and he obtained the rainbow body, vanishing in a cloud of light. Drakpa Gyaltshan ( ) Sonam Tsemo's younger brother Jetsun Drakpa was born in the Fire Hare year of the third cycle (1147). He had a great many teachers, the most important of whom were his father Sachen Kunga Nyingpo and his brother Sonam Tsemo. Endowed with the unceasing inspiration of Arya Manjushri he displayed his profound view and vast activity, which encompassed the teaching of the tripitaka and all the tantras. He became a celebrated scholar, saint and yogin who meditated continually, was capable of extinguishing all doubt concerning the profound meaning and who possessed all the outer inner and secret signs of realization. When the famous Khache Panchen ( ), who was 66 Melody of Dharma 2017

69 skilled in astrology, announced that there was going to be an eclipse of the sun, Drakpa Gyaltshan let it be known that he was going to prevent this eclipse. In order to accomplish this, he stopped the movement of breath-mind in the right and left channels of the subtle body and caused the 'red' and 'white' drops to mix in the central channel of the subtle body. The eclipse was prevented by this yogic practice. The pandita declared that this was just a trick to make him look like a liar and went to visit Drakpa Gyaltshan. Upon his arrival, Drakpa Gyaltshan sprang to his feet and suspended his vajra and bell in mid-air. When he saw these signs, which surpassed all understanding, Khache Panchen Shakya Shri exclaimed: 'Great Vajradhara'. Realizing that this was the most precious of all the vajra holders, he requested the nectar of his teaching. Sachen Kunga Nyingpo appeared to him and explained the Path and Its Fruit to him. Drakpa Gyaltshan was able to bestow blessings by his very presence and had the power to transfer himself to different spiritual lands, although he had to decline when dakinis invited him to remain. Among his students there were eight whose names were suffixed by Drakpa, three who were great translators, four supreme students who held the teaching of the Vajra Panjara, and countless others such as Mon Vajra Raja. He prophesied that when he would be reborn as a cakravartin emperor in the Gold-coloured World, he would realize the majority of all the levels and paths and would become a perfectly accomplished Buddha after only three more incarnations. Sakya Pandita ( ) Manjushri Sakya Pandita was the son of Palchen Odpo and Drakpa Gyaltshan's nephew. Like the Buddha he made five choices before incarnating. He entered the womb in the form of a naga king, his head decorated with precious jewels. During this time, his mother experienced a depth of meditation previously unknown to her. When he was born, a great light filled the sky and he began to speak in Sanskrit. The physical marks of a Buddha that adorned his body signified his incomparable accumulation of merit. These marks were the ushnisha on the top of his head and one tuft of hair, white as a conch, falling in a curl in the centre of his forehead. His appearance was such that it was impossible for those who beheld him to tear their gaze from his face. He was born in the Water Tiger of the third cycle. The inspiration of Manjushri had accompanied him in his 25 incarnations as a pandita. In ultimate truth he was an incarnation of Manjushri as had been prophesied by Tara to the astrologer Khache Panchen. This was recognized as fact by the scholar Tsangnagpa when he saw the numerous marks on his 2017 Melody of Dharma 67

70 body. In relative truth he studied the teachings in order to guide beings. Whatever the teaching, he understood its meaning immediately and obtained a clear comprehension as to the status of all objects of knowledge. Since he viewed his lama as inseparable from Manjushri, he was able to realize all the internal and external signs. He received teachings from countless Indian, Nepalese, Kashmiri and Tibetan spiritual friends, becoming a vast reservoir of wisdom achieved through study, reflection and meditation, and master of all teachings. After taking vows from the pandita Khache Shakya Shribhadra, until the end of his life, he broke not the smallest rule and like an arhat, he maintained a moral discipline that was pleasing to the Buddhas. He was praised by all mundane and transcendental beings and became a saint worthy of offerings. He possessed all scholarly and monastic virtues, great bodhichitta and all the qualities of realization. He was therefore able to act for the benefit of many beings and his fame spread far and wide. Having studied both Buddhist and non- Buddhist philosophies he furthered the cause of dharma through teaching, debate and composition. His reputation reached the famous Vedantin philosopher Harinanda who, together with five other scholars, came to confront him. Sakya Pandita silenced each of them in turn through his skill in dialectical logic based on the three Pramanas. After his defeat, Harinanda cut his hair as a mark of submission and promised to follow the Buddhist path. Sakya Pandita was the first Tibetan to defeat Indian scholars in debate and his reputation subsequently spread like lightning across India. From the age of nine until his passing away at the age of 70, he turned the wheel of dharma each day. Among his disciples were Tshog, Drup and Phak, who held the lineage of realization; Lho and Mar who held the lineage of oral instructions; Shar, Nub and Drung who held the lineage of commentaries; twenty disciples of all ages who held the lineage of the Vinaya; Lo, Zhang, Rong and Chag who understood Sanskrit and Tibetan; four yogins practising in secret, one of whom was Gyatsha Lung; four saintly scholars, one of whom was Tsangnagpa; Gyalwa Yangonpa who, along with others, held the lineage of meditation. In addition he had many more scholarly students who held the pitakas. He was a prolific writer and composed numerous treatises on the ten sciences. Among these treatises were: The Discrimination of The Three Vows (sdom-gsum Rab-dbye) and The Treasury of Knowledge Concerning Ideal Cognition (Tshad-ma Rig-pa'i gter). He wrote many explanatory texts on the śastras and carried out many Sanskrit translations. He is noted as the first to initiate traditional logical enquiry into the three Pramanas and the ten sciences; teachings which, as he himself said, had not existed in the Land of Snows prior to this time. The study of the terminology and meaning of the ten sciences in Tibet begins with him. His reputation parallelled that of the great Indian masters Dharmakirti and Dignaga and the qualities of his body, speech and mind spread like a banner for all to see. Consequently, Prince Godan, the Mongol ruler of China, longing to behold his face which glowed like the moon, sent envoys to invite him to China. After concentrated prayer, Sakya Pandita decided to accept the invitation, with the benefit of his Tibetan students in mind. Prince Godan, immensely rich and successful, was searching for a lama who would guide him on the path of liberation and omniscience. He insisted that Sakya Pandita, the greatest sage in Tibet, should be invited to accomplish this task. 68 Melody of Dharma 2017

71 As his own lama had prophesied, Sakya Pandita became the supreme ornament in China after his arrival there. Through his unparallelled actions of body, speech and mind, he spread the teaching throughout numerous uncivilized lands. He delivered Prince Godan from his illness and the Prince developed great faith in him. However, one day when he was teaching the Suvarnaprabha sutra and had reached the line 'the tortoise has no hair', the Prince and his ministers decided to test him. To this end, the Prince requested a Chinese magician to create a magic temple at the side of a lake and then invited Sakya Pandita to meet him there. In a state of profound meditation, Sakya Pandita blessed the temple by throwing flowers. The magician was consequently powerless to destroy the illusion. The Prince and his retinue were then filled with faith and named the temple 'magical temple of the North' (Byang-phyogs sprulpa'i Lha-khang). It can be seen in China to this day in the vicinity of the mountain of Manjushri (Wu-ta'i Shan). When, after some time, Sakya Pandita's Tibetan students begged him to return, he composed the treatise entitled Elucidating The Thought of The Sage (Thub-pa'i dgongs-gsal) and sent it to them. In this manner, Sakya Pandita caused the teachings of the Buddha to flourish throughout time and space. In the female Iron Pig year (1251) at the age of 70, he passed away into the spiritual land of Joy whilst residing at the 'magical temple' monastery, having traversed the five paths and the ten bodhisattva bhumis. He became the Buddha Vimala Shri as had been prophesied by deities and gurus. This was later con firmed by Chogyal Phakpa. When a scholar asked him about Sakya Pandita, he replied that he had become a Buddha. Chogyal Phakpa Dromgon Chogyal Phakpa, the son of Zangtsha, Sakya Pandita's bro ther, was born in the Wood Sheep year of the second cycle (1235). As he was a great bodhisattva, he incarnated of his own volition. When he was eight years old, he gave a great teaching on the Hevajratantra to a thousand monks allowed to use the parasoi and to thousands of lesser monks. Due to his unique understanding, those who listened to his words developed immense faith in him and, from that time, he was termed 'the Noble One' (phags-pa). He had numerous spiritual friends, chief of whom was Manjushri Sakya Pandita. He mastered the inner and outer vehicles, the Kalachakra, and the majority of the teach ings known in Tibet at that time, becoming a precious well of knowledge. Sechen, the Mongol Emperor, invited him to China where he carried out great works for the benefit of the dharma and the welfare of sentient beings. He ordained thousands of monks 2017 Melody of Dharma 69

72 each year, and in China while he was giving a teaching to 70,000 monks, he handed out gold and other material riches. Through his skill in debate he defeated the non-buddhist views of the seven masters of Zin-shing, who had previously criticized the Buddha's teaching, and converted them to Buddhism. He also compiled a Mongol alphabet in response to the persistent requests of the king, Gose. In response to entreaties by his Chinese students that he perform a miracle to display the power of the Sakya teachings, he took a sharp weapon and cut off his head and limbs. These five pieces were trans formed into the five Buddha families and were seen to send out count less rays of light. On encountering his moral perfection and the works of his body, speech and mind, the king and his retinue developed im mense faith in him and he became the foremost recipient of religious of-ferings. Dharmapala He also became the religious and temporal ruler of the three parts of Tibet, as the Buddha had prophesied in the Manjushri mula tantra. He was the first Tibetan lama to become king and he governed impartially as far as the different schools of Buddhism were concerned. Among his disciples were Khang, Nyon and Zhang, who held the lineage of his teaching; Ganden and Kundray who held the lineage of tantric revelation; Zhang and Kun who held the lineage of revelation of the oral instructions; four disciples who carried out his words and wishes faultlessly; two powerful kings, and six great disciples, one of whom was Dukhorwa. All the Tibetan masters of this period such as Narthang Gyadpa, held him in great esteem and begged him to give them the nectar of his teaching. He excelled in teaching, composition and debate, and succeeded in spreading the doctrine. Dromgon Channa's son Dharmapala (b. 1268) was also the religious and secular ruler of Tibet but he died at a very early age. After his cre mation many relics were found in the ashes and these served as an ob ject of religious Once in Tsang province, as he was giving a teaching to 70,000 monks, several thousand pitakadharas and 100,000 other disciples, he handed out gold to each person from a cereal bowl. He also gave bodhisattva vows in such a way that the significance of the commitment was unmistakable. In the Manjushri nzula tantra it was prophesied that Chogyal Phakpa would 'illuminate the Buddha's teaching like the sun'. Dromgon Channa Dromgon Channa, Chogyal Phakpa's brother, subsequently became the religious and secular ruler of Tibet. He was able to resurrect the dead and demonstrated this power on several occasions. He could place religious robes upon a sunbeam as if upon a table and he once shot an arrow into a rock, penetrating it and causing water to flow. He was an emanation of Vajrapani. faith in Tibet and China. Dharmapala had no descendants. However the guru Yeshe Jungnay, son of Zangtsha, Sakya Pandita's brother, had fifteen grandsons as Tara had prophesied when he was in China. Tishri 70 Melody of Dharma 2017

73 Kunlo ( ), the eldest of these grandsons, founded four dynastic houses (bla-brang): Zhicho, Rinchen Gang, Lhakhang and Dunchod of which the last two sub-dynasties have survived. The saintly lama Sonam Gyaltshan ( ) came from the Rinchen Gangpa dynasty. He perfected the triple activity of study, reflection and meditation, and there was not a single sage in all Tibet who had not studied with him. Among his descendants were numerous scholars and sages such as Sherab Gy altshan and Dagchen Lodro Gyaltshan (b. 1332). The Lhakhang dynas ty also included numerous scholars and sages. The surviving dynasty is the Dunchod dynasty which possesses nu merous scholars and sages such as the great Kunga Rinchen ( ) who restored both the temporal power and the spiritual lineage of the Sakyapas, laid down monastic rules and initiated and developed the different methods of textual instruction and meditation practice. His accomplishments were of great practical benefit to the Sakya doctrine. In the fifteenth century at the time of the master Jamgon Ame Zhab the Dunchod dynasty divided into two sub-dynasties, or palaces (Phod rang): the Dolma Phodrang and the Phuntshok Phodrang. The present-day descendants of these two sub-dynasties are, in the Dolma Phodrang, His Holiness the Gongma Trichen Rinpoche, Supreme Head of the Sakya Order whose elder son His Holiness Ratna Vajra Rinpoche, is the current Sakya Trizin, and whose younger son Khöndung Gyana Vajra Sakya Rinpoche is next in line as Throne Holder. His Holiness Gongma Trizin Rinpoche, 42 nd Sakya Throne Holder In the Phuntsok Phodrang, His Holiness Dagchen Rinpoche, who left his body in April 2016, is survived by his sons and three grandsons. The latter are Khöndung Avikrita Vajra Sakya Rinpoche, Khöndung Abhaya Vajra Sakya Rinpoche and Khöndung Asanga Vajra Sakya Rinpoche, who will in their turn succeed to the Sakya throne. These descendants possess scholarly qualities and the marks of realiza tion. The dharmapalas are their servants and they are able to transform apparent phenomena into the nine desirable qualities as they wish. The Late His Holiness Jigdal Dagchen Rinpoche Head of the Sakya Phuntsok Phodrang In their prophecies, the Precious Guru Padmasambhava and Atisha testify to having seen Sachen Kunga Nyingpo surrounded by emana tions of Manjushri, signifying that all authentic descendants of this line would be saintly beings. In addition, the Sakya Tradition counts with two principal sub-sects, the Ngor School and the Tshar School Melody of Dharma 71

74 The Ngor Tradition Luding Khenchen Rinpoche, 75 th Head of the Sakya Ngor Tradition The principal Sakya seat of Tantric learning, Ngor E-wam Choden, was founded in the Earth Bird year of the seventh cycle (1429) by Ngorchen Vaj-radhara Kunga Zangpo, one of the 'two Kungas learned in tantra'. The coming of this great Kunga was prophesied by the Buddha in the 'phags-pa dge-ba'i rtsa-wa sutra and in the Yongs su 'dzin-pa'i sutra. Ngorchen Kunga Zangpo was born in the Water Dog year of the sixth cycle (1382). His incomparable wisdom of hearing, reflecting and meditating led him to develop the triple activity of teaching, debate and composition in the manner of a second Buddha. He gave the precious word of the Path and Its Fruit eighty times and the Vajra Mala teaching sixty times. The empowerments, teachings and oral instructions he gave are beyond enumeration. His moral discipline was such that he was asked to dispense monk's vows more than ten thousand times, and he is known as 'the Vajradhara of our era of discord'. He had countless students who attained realization and in whom the qualities of scholar and sage were united. The upper and lower regions of Tibet swarmed with the many monasteries he had established. The first holder of the throne of Ngor E-wam Choden was Muchen. From the time of the first abbot Muchen to the present when the heads of the Ngor palaces share the throne, there have been over 70 abbots. The Path and Its Fruit has been transmitted every year without exception by the lama holding the throne. The Ngor monastery comprised approximately five hundred monks in permanent residence and numerous others who came to receive the teaching on the Path and Its Fruit from all areas of Tibet. In exile, it became the responsibility of Luding Khenchen Rinpoche to effectively head Ngor Monastery. He assumed this responsibility until 2000, at which time Luding Khen Rinpoche and Thartse Khen Rinpoche began to take turns in doing so. 72 Melody of Dharma 2017

75 The Tshar Tradition The Late Chogye Trichen Rinpoche, 18 th Throneholder of the Sakya Tsharpa Tradition The Dar Drangmochen monastery in Tsang was the residence of the Tsharchen Vajradhara Losal Gyamtsho (b. 1494). Great beings, 'masters of the ocean of sutra and tantra,' directed this monastery from the time of Tsharchen himself to the great abbot Ngawang Losal Phuntsok. The abbot Yolwo Zhonnu Lodro, student of Tsharchen, founded the Yarlung Tashi Chode monastery. Directed by unparallelled incarnations, it became a great college of study and practice. The Tsharpa tradition was famed for its transmission of the Thirteen Teachings of Gold (gser-chos gcu-gsum), and teachings on the greater and lesser Mahakala. The teachings had been transmitted through Ngorchen and his principal disciples and through the divine Khön line. They were passed on without interruption until Vajradhara Lodro Gy-altshan gave them to Doringpa Kunpang Chenpo who received them in the manner of a vase 'without holes'. He 'held aloft the banner of victory in practice' while in solitary retreat at Kha'u Drakdzong and obtained the summit of realization. Among Doringpa's numerous disciples, the Tsharchen dharmaraja, Losal Gyamtsho was the tree of life of the doctrine of the oral lineage. He was born in 1494 and came to possess all the virtues of scholar and saint. He took monk's vows from the omniscient Gendun Gyamtsho, the third hierarch of Drepung, and studied courses in metaphysics at the great monastery of Tashi Lhunpo where his flawless understanding resembling that of Shantideva, exhausted the other scholars. Through dint of prayer he saw Vajra Yogini who commanded him to go to Kha'u Drakdzong where he would receive the oral lineage of the esoteric teachings from Doring Kunpang Chenpo. Tsharchen also subsequently received countless other profound precepts. Through his practice he obtained the signs of warmth of the Path of Application. Since Vajra Yogini was his guardian, he obtained high levels of realization at Trophu, Srinpori and in Phenyul. At Zhalu he ascended the throne of Buton Rinpoche. He studied with sixty-three masters of the 'Ancient' (Nyingma) and 'New' (gsar-ma) traditions without sectarian bias and received all the profound teachings on practice that existed in the Land of Snows at that time Melody of Dharma 73

76 Tsharchen became the second `Vajradhara of our age of discord', having countless students in all schools. His two principal students were Khyentse Wangchuk and the omniscient Ludrup Gyamtsho who maintained the Tsharpa lineage. They, along with the abbot of Nalendra Chogay Khenrab Jampa and Sachen Kunlo, were referred to as the four Tsharpa lamas, and it is the result of their religious activity that the oral lineage of the slobbshad of the Path and Its Fruit still survives today. The Thsarpa lineage was headed by the Late Chogay Trichen Rinpoche until the time of his parinirvana in The leadership of the Tsharpa Tradition is now shared by Gar Shabdrung Rinpoche and Chogye Shabdrung Rinpoche. 74 Melody of Dharma 2017

77 薩迦傳承史 Melody of Dharma 75

78 Khön Konchok Gyalpo Yuring Yapang Che Khon Palpoche Padmakara Khon Konchog Gyalpo 1040 Lord Atisha Hri Dhi Hum 1073 Namkha'upa Melody of Dharma 2017

79 Siddha Chobar 2017 Melody of Dharma 77

80 khor-lo bde-mchog 78 Melody of Dharma 2017

81 Divikoti Melody of Dharma

82 Lamdre Lineage (Sakya Refuge Field) Shantibhadra Shantipa Melody of Dharma 2017

83 Seton Kunrik Melody of Dharma 81

84 : Melody of Dharma 2017

85 Melody of Dharma 83

86 sdomgsum Rab-dbye Tshad-ma Rig-pa'i gter Byang-phyogs sprulpaii Lha-khang Thub-pa'I dgongs-gsal Melody of Dharma 2017

87 1235 phags-pa Dukhorwa 2017 Melody of Dharma 85

88 His Holiness Gongma Trichen Rinpoche 41st Sakya Throne Holder His Holiness Gongma Trizin Rinpoche, 42 nd Sakya Throne Holder 86 Melody of Dharma 2017

89 The Late His Holiness Jigdal Dagchen Rinpoche Head of the Sakya Phuntsok Phodrang Melody of Dharma 87

90 This Issue was Generously Sponsored by Howard Pi,New York Please find below the contact details for the monasteries in India and Nepal directly under the aegis of His Holiness the 41st Sakya Trizin: Sakya Dolma Phodrang Address: 192 Rajpur Road, P.O. Rajpur Dehradun, U.K. INDIA Tel: Sakya College Address: Mussoorie Road, P.O. Rajpur Dehradun, U.K. INDIA Tel: Sakya Centre Address: 187 Rajpur Rd, PO Rajpur , Dehradun,Uttarakhand, INDIA Tel: Fax: Sakya Monastery Kalimpong Address: 11th Mile, P.O. Topkhana, Kalimpong Dist. Darjeeling, West Bengal, INDIA Tel: Mob: International Buddhist Academy (IBA) Address: IBA, Tinchuli-Boudha, PO Box 23034, Kathmandu, Nepal, Tel: Sakya Academy Address: Purkul Road, Bhagwantpur Dehradun, INDIA Tel: Mob: Sakya Thupten Namgyal Ling Address: Puruwala P.O. Gorkhuwala Dstt Sirmaur, H.P. INDIA Tel: Sakya Nunnery Address: Sahastradhara Road, P/O Kulhan , Dehradun,Uttarakhand, INDIA Tel: Sakya College for Nuns Address: P.O. Manduwala, Via Premnagar Dehradun, UK Tel: Vajrayogini Meditation Center Adderss: 207/14 Bhuwaldanda,boudha -6 GPO Box : 6765 KMC,Kathmandu,Nepal Tel : [email protected] 88 Melody of Dharma 2017

91 Delight in heedfulness! Guard well your thoughts! The Dhammapada

92 Melody of Dharma Sakya Dolma Phodrang 192, Rajpur Road P.O. Rajpur Dehradun, U.K. INDIA Tel: Fax: