by Jean-Luc Achard
(CNRS, CRCAO)
The Natural Emergence of the Self-Arisen Primordial Purity (Ka dag rang byung rang shar) revealed by Rig ‘dzin rGod ldem (1337–1408) in 1366 in Zang zang Lha brag is sometimes regarded as a secondary or complementary rdzogs chen cycle associated with the famed Transparent Contemplation of Samantabhadra (Kun bzang dgongs pa zang thal).1 Here I shall briefly introduce the structure of its preliminary practices (sngon ‘gro) and present its two main lines of transmissions.2 The principal source for this short note is The Five Nails making up the Key Points of the Precious Preliminaries (sNgon ‘gro rin po che gnad kyi gzer lnga) which is the second text belonging to the collection.3
1. The Five Nails
Its structure is organized according to five nails (gzer lnga) corresponding to the five following practices:
1. taking Refuge and generating bodhicitta (skyabs ‘gro sems bskyed);
2. releasing the grasping to the self (bdag ‘dzin bkrol ba);
3. the purification of obscurations and the confession (sgrib sbyangs bshags pa);
4. the reflection on impermanence urging [to renunciation] (bskul ‘debs mi rtag pa); and
5. the Guru-Yoga (bla ma’i rnal ‘byor).
One should remark that this manner of introducing the preliminaries (sngon ‘gro) mixes two traditional systems which are generally known as the ordinary preliminaries (thun mong gi sngon ‘gro) and the extraordinary preliminaries (thun min gi sngon ‘gro). The first actually revolves around four reflections:
1. reflecting on the difficulty of obtaining a human body,
2. reflecting on impermanence,
3. reflecting on the unsatisfactory nature of Saṃsāra, and
4. reflecting on the inevitability of karma results.
The fourth preliminary listed among the Five Nails corresponds to the no. 2 of this list. The extraordinary preliminaries may vary in contents and structure from one school to the other or even from one cycle to the other within a single school. In general, they follow the following scheme:
1. Refuge,
2. bodhicitta,
3. offering of the maṇḍala,
4. purification of Vajrasattva, and
5. Guru-Yoga.
Nos. 1-2 of this list correspond to no. 1 of the Five Nails. The offering of the maṇḍala perfectly relates to the second preliminary, consisting in releasing the grasping of the self. The purification of Vajrasattva is identical to the purification of obscurations and the recitation of the confession. Evidently, the Guru-Yoga is the same in the two presentations and is actually central to both the preliminaries (sngon ‘gro) and the main practice (dngos gzhi).4
The following section of the text contains a dialogue between Padmasambhava and Ye shes mtsho rgyal about Guru-Yoga, including a long prayer by mTsho rgyal requesting the blessing of her master.
2. The lineage of the cycle
The Guru-Yoga itself relies on a complex visualization in which the following lineage holders appear:
1. Samantabhadra,
2.Vajrasattva,
3. dGa’ rab rdo rje,
4. Śrī Siṃha,
5. Padmasambhava,
6. Ye shes mtsho gyal,
7. Rig ‘dzin rGod ldem (under the nickname of Rig ‘dzin chen po, having a dark red or brown complexion [sku mdog dmar smug]),5
8. his son, rNam rgyal mgon po,
9-10. the two qualified masters (mtshan ldan bla ma rnam gnyis),6
11. Śākya bzang po,7
12. bDud ‘joms rdo rje,8
13. dPal ldan blo gros,9
14. the Dharmarāja having Maṅga (bKra shis) in his name,10 and
15. the author’s root-master (rtsa ba’i bla ma, unnamed).
The next section of text contains a lineage prayer with a different line of masters after rNam rgyal mgon po (no. 8 above). Thus, after rGod ldem’s son, there are:
9. rDo rje mgon po,
10. Ngag dbang grags pa,
11. Sangs rgyas dpal bzang,11
12. the two tantrikas (sngags ‘chang rnams gnyis),12
13. Nam mkha’ rgyal mtshan,
14. Śākya bzang po,
15. bDud ‘joms rdo rje, and
16. dPal ldan blo gros.
A further line of transmission branching from rNam rgyal mgon po gives the following names:
9. Śrī Dhwa dza (dPal ldan Tshul khrims),
10. rGyal mtshan bshes gnyen,
11. bSod nams bzang po,
12. Nam mkha’ grags pa,
13. bDe legs rgyal mtshan,
14. Se ston Rin chen rgyal mtshan,
15. mGon po zla ba,
16. Chos kyi rgyal mtshan,
17. Chos rgyal (chos rgyal mnga’ ba’i mtshan: ”dharmarāja ruler name”),13
18. the author’s root-master.14
In the Guru-Yoga practice, the purpose of invoking all these lineage masters is to receive their blessings (byin rlabs) and merge one’s mind with them. In this manner, the practitioner gradually familiarizes himself with the experience of the natural state of his Mind (sems nyid kyi gnas lugs).
Bibliography
Arguillère, Stéphane
Manuel de la transparution immédiate, Editions du Cerf, Paris, 2016.
Rig ‘dzin rGod ldem (1337–1408)
— Byang gter phyogs bsgrigs: sNga ‘gyur byang gter chos skor phyogs bsgrigs, s.l., 2015, 63 vol. BDRC W2PD17457.
— sNgon ‘gro rin po che gnad kyi gzer lnga: ka dag gi skor las sngon ‘gro rin po che gnad kyi gzer lnga zhes bya ba, in rDzogs pa chen po dgongs pa zang thal and Ka dag rang byung shar shar, Collections of treasures teachings of the Rdo-rje-brag (Byang-gter) tradition of the Rnying-ma-pa/rediscovered from their places of concealment at Zang-zang lha-brag by Rig-‘dzin Rgod-kyi-ldem-‘phru-can, Leh, 1973, vol. 5, pp. 3-31.
Schwieger, Peter
Die Werksammlungen Kun-tu bzaṅ-po’i dgoṅs-pa zang-thal, Ka-dag raṅ-byuṅ raṅ-śar und mKha’-‘gro gsaṅ-ba ye-śes-kyi rgyud, Tibetische Handschriften und Blockdrucke, Teil 9, Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag, Wiesbaden, 1985.
Tulku Thondup
Boundless Vision — All-Good Boundless Vision, A Manual of Dzogchen Changter Yoga, Dzogchen Now! Books, s.l., 2018.
Tulku Thondup, & Boord, Martin
The Five Nails – Commentary on the Northern Treasures Accumulation Practice by Tulku Tsultrim Zangpo (Tulku Tsulo), Wandel Verkag, Berlin, 2011.
Valentine, Jay H.
“The Great Perfection in the Early Biographies of the Northern Treasure Tradition: An Introduction to and Translation of The Life of Nam mkha’ rgyal mtshan“, Revue d’Etudes Tibétaines, no. 43, January 2018, pp. 95–133.
- See the complete analytical description of this cycle in Peter Schwieger, Die Werksammlungen Kun-tu bzaṅ-po’i dgoṅs-pa zang-thal, Ka-dag raṅ-byuṅ raṅ-śar und mKha’-‘gro gsaṅ-ba ye-śes-kyi rgyud, pp. 114-132. [↩]
- These lines of transmission are described in Schwieger, op. cit., p. 115. We shall see another line of transmission according to the main Supplication (gSol ‘debs) text of this cycle (duly described in Schwieger, ib., p. 116) in a forthcoming short note to appear on this website. [↩]
- On this system of five preliminary practices described according to the dGongs pa zang thal, see Tulku Thondup, Boundless Vision, pp. 65-79; id., The Five Nails, passim. See also S. Arguillère, Manuel de la transparution immédiate, p. 117 et seq. [↩]
- In the context of this cycle, the main practice mainly revolves around the experience of the natural state (gnas lugs), its various methods for integrating it, as well as secret precepts for dispelling potential obstacles (gegs sel) to this integration, and so forth. [↩]
- Hence his name appearing sometimes in lineage prayers as gter ston Rig ‘dzin smug nag. See inter alia, ‘Jam dbyangs bSod nams rgyal mtshan, brGyud pa’i lo rgyus nor bu’i phreng ba, in sNga ‘gyur byang gter chos skor phyogs bsgrigs, vol. 1, p. 46. [↩]
- These should be bSod nams bzang po and Nam mkha’ grags pa. However, they may also be rDo rje dpal and Byams pa bshes gnyen who also appear below (see note 10). This needs to be clarified. [↩]
- He was the first Yol mo sprul sku. [↩]
- Primary known as Legs ldan rdo rje. He was the second rDo rje brag sprul sku. [↩]
- He was also a disciple of Padma gling pa (1450–1521). See Jay Valentine, “The Great Perfection in the Early Biographies of the Northern Treasure Tradition”, p. 127. [↩]
- He is identified lower in the text (p. 24) as the “great tantrika” (sngags ‘chang chen po) Chos rgyal maṅga’i mtshan, i.e., Chos rgyal bkra shis. An interlinear note also names him Rig ‘dzin maṅga’i mtshan can (p. 25.4). He was in fact Chos rgyal bKra shis stobs rgyal (1550–1602). In the same note, he is said to have received these teachings from rJe btsun Mnga’ ri pa chen po, dPal ldan blo gros, as well as from Byams pa Chos kyi rgyal mtshan. [↩]
- He was an important Dzogchen master, styled in the prayer to have perfected the Four Lamps (sgron bzhi), and to have reached the full measure of the Four Visions (snang bzhi). [↩]
- These should be sNgags ‘chang rDor rje dpal and Byams pa bshes gnyen. [↩]
- See note 10 supra. [↩]
- There is no explicit authors for these lines of transmission, as names are regularly added through the passing of generations. The last in the lineage merely adds his master’s name (often simply the mention rtsa ba’i bla ma) to the on-going list (as can be witnessed by the change of gter ma punctuation (༔) and then the use of shad (།) before going back to gter ma punctuation). [↩]
OpenEdition suggests that you cite this post as follows:
Jean-Luc Achard (March 15, 2023). The Lineage of the Ka dag rang byung rang shar according to the Preliminaries known as The Five Nails (gZer lnga). Northern Treasures Histories. Retrieved March 18, 2025 from https://doi.org/10.58079/opep
Danke! 🙂