Jean-Luc Achard
(CNRS, CRCAO)
Edited by Marianne Ginalski
2. The Entrustment of the teachings to
Garab Dorje, Indra, and Tröma Nakmo
Then, Vajrasattva emanated from the sanctuary of Akaniṣṭha into the pure realms of the Enjoyment Body where he remained for sixty-one years,1 absorbed in the radiant state of his own Wisdom of Awareness. He then emanated himself in the sanctuary of the Thirty-three Gods and stood on the Armolika stone, with his retinue consisting of the three groups of the Vajra clan.2 He stayed there for twenty-three years, and in the abode of the gods, gave teachings on symbols (brda) and their meaning (don) to Garab Dorje,3 Indra (the Lord of the Gods), and to the Protectress Tröma Nakmo.4
To liberate gods, he taught symbols to Indra; to liberate men, he taught the condensed meaning of these symbols to Garab Dorje; and to fiercely protect the teachings of Dzogchen, he gave Tröma Nakmo a seal of entrustment. He also gave a seal of entrustment to Garab Dorje, addressing him with the following words:
You, the emanated Garab Dorje, perform the good of Jambudvīpa for one hundred and one human years! (Then,) in three thousand and five hundred years from now, an emanated son of the noble Mañjuśrī, bearing the name of Mañjuśrī(-mitra) will come, so entrust him (with these teachings)! (…)5
Then, the Emanation Body Garab Dorje went to the southern island of Jambudvīpa where he entrusted Mañjuśrīmitra6 with the Dzogchen teachings similar to the Body of the Buddha. He gave the king, his minister, and the son of a brahman7 the Dzogchen teachings similar to the Buddha’s Speech. Eventually, he gave the erudite Śrī Siṃha the Dzogchen teachings similar to the Buddha’s Mind.8
- There is probably a hermeneutical interpretation of that number of years but it currently eludes me. [↩]
- rdo rje rigs kyi sde gsum. This expression is not listed in the dictionaries at my disposal. Given the context, I would suggest that this corresponds to three groups comprising gods (lha), humans (mi) and Protectors of the teachings (bka’ srung). The Armolika stone is also often spelt Amolika and is a large slab that supports Indra’s throne. It is on this stone slab that Vajradhara and others have preached Dharma in the realm of the Thirty-three Gods. See inter alia, Martin, A History of Buddhism in India and Tibet, p. 373 (PDF version) n. 1212. See also, id., “Ar mo” https://lists.h-net.org/cgi-bin/logbrowse.pl?trx=vx&list=H-Buddhism&month=1001&week=c&msg=LTCjmKyDJGXaZRaHvFNqVg&user=&pw=. [↩]
- dGa’ rab rdo rje is traditionally presented as having been the first human lineage holder of the Dzogchen teachings. Depending on the sources that explain his place in the line of transmission of the Great Perfection, he received these teachings either from Vajradhara, Vajrasattva, or even Vajrapāṇi. See a version of his life-story in Nyoshul Khenpo, A Marvelous Garland of Rare Gems, pp. 37-38. See also Düdjom Rinpoche, The Nyingma School, pp. 490-494. [↩]
- She is a wrathful form of Vajravārāhī who plays an important role in the practice of Chö (gCod, in particular in the Düdjom Tersar tradition) and in the protection of Dzogchen teachings. She is often presented as the “Lady of Cemeteries” (dur khrod kyi bdag mo); see for instance, Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Oracles and Demons, p. 474. In the cycle of The Transparent Contemplation of Samantabhadra (Kun bzang dgongs pa zang thal), she plays a crucial role as the Protectress of the lineage known as the Contemplative Transmission of the Victorious Ones (rgyal ba dgongs brgyud); see Turpeinen, Vision of Samantabhadra, p. 43. [↩]
- P. 48 : sprul pa dga’ rab rdo rje khyod mi lo brgya dang rtsa gcig bar/ /’dzam bu’i gling gi don gyis shig /da nas stong gsum lnga brgya nas/ /’phags pa ‘jam dpal sprul pa’i sras/ /’jam dpal ming can ‘byung gis gtod/ (…). The temporal periods that are referred to in this quote are rather puzzling, to say the least. To my knowledge, they are quite unusual when compared to other narratives associated with dGa’ rab rdo rje. The same remark applies to other durations that are mentioned below. [↩]
- On this historical figure, see Nyoshul Khenpo, op. cit., pp. 38-39. [↩]
- The king is possibly Dha he na ta lo, on whom see Karmay, The Great Perfection, p. 19. However, later, on p. 51, the author states that the account regarding the king, his minister and the son of a brahman mentioned here is unclear (gsal kha med pa) and is actually of little importance (gal chung). He therefore unfortunately does not provide any information on these figures. [↩]
- There is evidently a progression in the increasing subtlety of the teachings that were transmitted, those associated with the Buddha’s Mind (sangs rgyas kyi thugs) being both essentialized and deeper than the previous ones. [↩]