Revue
d’Etudes Tibétaines
numéro trente-et-un — Février 2015
Revue d’Etudes Tibétaines
numéro trente-et-un — Février 2015
ISSN 1768-2959
Directeur : Jean-Luc Achard.
Comité de rédaction : Anne Chayet, Alice Travers, Jean-Luc Achard.
Comité de lecture : Ester Bianchi (Università degli Studi di Perugia), Anne Chayet (CNRS), Fabienne Jagou (EFEO), Rob Mayer (Oriental Institute, University of Oxford), Fernand Meyer (CNRS-EPHE), Françoise Pommaret (CNRS), Ramon Prats (Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona), Charles Ramble (EPHE, CNRS), Françoise Robin (INALCO), Brigitte Steinman (Université de Lille), Alice Travers (CNRS), Jean-Luc Achard (CNRS).
Périodicité
La périodicité de la Revue d’Etudes Tibétaines est généralement bi-annuelle, les mois de parution étant, sauf indication contraire, Octobre et Avril. Les contributions doivent parvenir au moins six (6) mois à l’avance. Les dates de proposition d’articles au comité de lecture sont Novembre pour une parution en Avril, et Mai pour une parution en Octobre.
Participation
La participation est ouverte aux membres statutaires des équipes CNRS, à leurs membres associés, aux doctorants et aux chercheurs non-affiliés.
Les articles et autres contributions sont proposées aux membres du comité de lecture et sont soumis à l’approbation des membres du comité de rédaction. Les articles et autres contributions doivent être inédits ou leur ré- édition doit être justifiée et soumise à l’approbation des membres du comité de lecture.
Les documents doivent parvenir sous la forme de fichiers Word, envoyés à l’adresse du directeur ([email protected]).
Comptes-rendus
Les livres proposés pour compte-rendu doivent être envoyés à la Revue d’Etudes Tibétaines, CRCAO, 52 rue du Cardinal Lemoine, 75005 Paris.
Langues
Les langues acceptées dans la revue sont le français (en priorité), l’anglais, l’allemand, l’italien, l’espagnol, le tibétain et le chinois.
La Revue d'Etudes Tibétaines est publiée par l'UMR 8155 du CNRS, Paris, dirigée par Nicolas Fiévé.
v
Papers for Elliot Sperling
edited by Roberto Vitali
with assistance from Gedun Rabsal and Nicole Willock
Amnye Machen Institute Dharamshala (H.P.), India
2014
Edited by Roberto Vitali
with assistance from Gedun Rabsal and Nicole Willock
Copyright © 2014: each author holds the copyright of his/her contribution to this book AMI Books
are published by Amnye Machen Institute, McLeod Ganj 176219, Dharamshala (h.P.), India Email: [email protected]
Phone: 0091-(0)1892-221441/(0)1892-651441 ISBN 978-81-86227-72-5
Typesetting and Cover Design: Gyamtso, AMI Printed at Archana Advertising Pvt. Ltd.
C-78, Okhla Industrial Area, Phase I, New Delhi 110020
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the authors.
Editorial vii
Elliot Sperling’s Bibliography xi
Jean-Luc Achard
The View of sPyi ti Yoga 1
Christopher P. Atwood
The first Mongol Contacts with the Tibetans 21
Agata Bareja-Starzyńska
Dalai Lama’s Representative Agvan Dorjiev and Altaist Professor Władysław Kotwicz:
Letters of 1912 47
Yael Bentor
Interpreting the Body Maṇḍala: Tsongkhapa versus Later Gelug Scholars 63
བེ་རི་འཇིགས་མེད་དབང་རྒྱལ། (Be ri ’Jigs med dbang rgyal)
རྒྱལ་ཚབ་ཚེ་སྨོན་གླིང་ངག་དབང་འཇམ་དཔལ་ཚུལ་ཁྲིམས་རྒྱ་མཚོའི་སྐོར་ལ་རགས་ཙམ་དཔྱད་པ།
(A General Investigation into the Life of the Tshe smon gling Regent
Ngag dbang ’jam dpal tshul khrims) 75
Daniel Berounsky
Tibetan “Magical Rituals” (las sna tshogs) from the Power of Tsongkhapa 95
Katia BuffetrilleA Controversy on Vegetarianism 113
Karl Debreczeny
Imperial Interest Made Manifest: sGa A gnyan dam pa’s Mahākāla Protector Chapel
of the Tre shod Maṇḍala Plain 129
Matthew T. Kapstein
Gter-ma as Imperial Treasure: The 1755 Beijing Edition of the Padma bka’ thang 167
György Kara and Marta KiripolskáBéla Széchenyi’s Amdo Tibetan “Root Words” and the Names of the Tibetan Letters 189
Carole McGranahanOn Social Death: The Spang mda’ tsang family and 20
thCentury Tibetan history 199
Richard F. NanceHow to Address Kings: Buddhist Letters to Indian Rulers 207
Paul K. Nietupski
Understanding Sovereignty in Amdo 217
Jamyang Norbu
The Lhasa Ripper, A Preliminary Investigation into the “Dark Underbelly”
of Social Life in the holy City 233
དགེ་འདུན་རབ་གསལ། (dGe ’dun rab gsal)
དགེ་དབང་སྙན་དངགས་མཁན་ཞིག་ནས་ཆོས་ཀྱི་རྒྱལ་པོ་ཞིག་ཏུ་གྱུར་པའི་ལུང་ཁུངས་འཚོལ་བ།
(A Research on How the Poet Ksemendra Became a Religious King) 251
རག་རྡོ་བློ་བཟང་བསྟན་འཛིན། (Rag rdo Blo bzang bstan ’dzin)
གདོད་མའི་བོད་ཀྱི་གསོ་བ་རིག་པ། (Primeval Tibetan Medicine) 271
Jampa Samten and Dan MartinLetters to the Khans, Six Tibetan Epistles of Togdugpa Addressed to the Mongol Rulers Hulegu and Khubilai, as well as to the Tibetan Lama Pagpa 297
Peter SchwiegerA Document on the Policy on foreigners in Tibet
after the Anglo-Chinese Convention of 1906 333
Ron Sela
Central Asian Muslims on Tibetan Buddhism, 16
th-18
thCenturies 345
Tsering ShakyaGa rgya ’gram nag: A Bandit or a Proto-Rebel? The Question of Banditry
as Social Protest in Nag chu 359
ཆབ་མདོ་ཤེས་རབ། (Chab mdo Shes rab)
རོ་འགག་ལུང་གཤོང་གི་དམག་འཐབ། (The Ro ’gag lung gshong Battle) 377
Warren SmithOrigins of the Middle Way Policy 385
Tsuguhito Takeuchi
The function of Auxiliary Verbs in Tibetan Predicates and Their historical Development 401
ཇོ་སྲས་བཀྲ་ཤིས་ཚེ་རིང་། (Jo sras bKra shis tshe ring)
མདོ་སྟོད་ཁྱོན་འདིར་བོད་ཀྱི་རྒྱལ་ཕྲན་ནང་ནས་མངོན་པར་འཕགས་པ་སྡེ་དགེ་རྒྱལ་པོའི་
ཆེ་དགེའི་ཡིག་ཚང་ལོ་རྒྱུས་རྒྱུ་ཆ་ཇི་བཞུགས་ཀྱི་མཚན་ཐོ་རགས་རིམ་ཙམ་བཀོད་པ་
སྐྱ་རེངས་གསར་པའི་འཛུམ་བག་ཅེས་པ་བཞུགས་ལགས།
(A Study on the Historiographical Material Concerning the Kings of sDe dge) 417
Leonard W.J. van der Kuijp and Gray Tuttle
Altan Qaγan (1507-1582) of the Tümed Mongols
and the Stag lung Abbot Kun dga’ bkra shis rgyal mtshan (1575-1635) 461
Federica VenturiThe Thirteenth Dalai Lama on Warfare, Weapons, and the Right to Self-Defense 483
Roberto VitaliThe Book of Names of Nyang stod bla ma-s: Masters and Events of the Years 997-1354 511
Nicole WillockThu’u bkwan’s Literary Adaptations of the Life of Dgongs pa rab gsal 577
唯色,(Woeser)
记埃利亚特·史伯岭
(for Elliot Sperling) 593
Festschrifts can be an embarrassment for the persons who receive them―a sense of delight is often accompanied by an amount of discomfiture. Although it will definitely embarrass him, this volume for Elliot Sperling, at least in my mind, is not meant to celebrate him, to felicitate a landmark birthday in his life or to coincide with a future retirement from his academic post. Afterall, a thinker and writer never retires. This volume is instead a ‘bond of affinity’
(dam tshig?) from colleagues and friends in our field of studies for no formal reason. It is given without fanfare. It is offered with a deep sense of motivation, crafted by individuals on a shared path.
This book has been conceived with a spirit of intellectual freedom, the same one that animates Elliot and his thinking, research and writings. There were no guidelines, stylesheet or recommendations of any sort for the contributors. Authors have been given carte blanche to work in a completely personal manner: from the length of their contribution to the choice of transliterations or phonetics; this also applied to the organisation of their bibliography, notes and references, and even extended to the way in which authors cite their place of work or affiliation.
I hope that this principle of complete liberality and respect for individual idiosyncrasies is apparent throughout.
This idiosyncrasy is also reflected in the topics chosen by the authors featured here, who have taken this volume beyond my original plans. I had tentatively suggested that this festschrift might focus on the three main fields of work in which Elliot specialises: Tibetan History, Sino-Tibetan Relations and Tibetan Current Affairs. Yet, articles―in Tibetan, English and Chinese of any length and style, with a preponderance for history―has wholeheartedly trespassed into other disciplines, including Bon, Indo-Tibetan studies, anthropology, linguistics, and Islamic studies on Tibet. They deal with remarkably different contexts and make use of a variety of treatments. The motivations that led contributors to offer such a diverse range of works reflect Elliot’s own wide-ranging interests.
Writers operate in absence. They retreat from mundane engagements in order to work.
Elliot is an exception to the rule, for he has combined his scholarly research and writing on a vast
array of documents in different Asian languages with his involvement in Tibet’s current affairs as
an acute commentator. he has left an imprint during the many years he has dedicated to his areas
of interest. his research and writings on the history of Tibet (both old and current) with particular
reference to the Sino-Tibetan relations and the study of Khams are standards in these areas of
study. His insights into the current affairs of Tibet have benefited from his studies on Tibetan
and Chinese cultures like few other political writers dealing with the issue. his views have been
always communicated with a frankness that can only be disputed if seen from the viewpoint
of ideological antagonism in the exercise of politics. his ideas on how best to stand vis-à-vis
the destiny of Tibet in these decades has led scores of Tibetans to consider him a charismatic
ideologist, whose remarks are appreciated and made their own.
His ‘showing the way’ is also reflected in many years of teaching at the Department of Central Eurasian Studies, Indiana University. his aim has been to go beyond the simple passing of knowledge pertaining to the cultures he teaches to his students. Instead, Elliot has looked to develop a mindset in his students that gives them a firm footing on the path of good scholarship.
Elliot’s concern for languages and their mastery has given him and his students autonomy in research and a fluency in their abilities to consult the literature―something that has been a personal trademark, shared with the school where he has been affiliated with both as a student and teacher.
Stepping back to his beginnings, Dharamsala’s role as a training camp in free thinking, aspiration to justice and commitment is the reason for the inclusion of a picture of this locality, taken by Elliot in the early seventies, on the book cover. Dharamsala has been the site for many of our generation’s first direct encounter with Tibetans and their culture, a formative starting point.
It has left a mark upon many researchers and definitely upon Elliot, who is keen to remember the deep-seated influence it has had upon him. This place and its people still mean much to him despite the persistent contradictions and unsolved problems.
***
One’s own memories of the many shared occasions in the life of friends are personal and will stay in the respective hearts. Expressions of scholarly appreciation may smack of stereotypedness, so instead I prefer to say here how this volume came into being, leaving aside personal anecdotes or a jotting down of a brief rnam thar of our man.
Soon after I became convinced by my idea to have a volume for Elliot, I decided to involve Gedun Rabsal in the project. he is a long-time associate of Elliot’s at the Department of Central Eurasian Studies, Indiana University. friendship and mutual respect unites them to the point that I thought I could not undertake such a venture if Rabsal was not by my side.
I thank him for his considerable encouragement and good advice. Rabsal asked me to coopt Nicole Willock onto the project. She is an old student of Elliot’s and wanted to collaborate in any enterprise that would result in dedicating a volume to him. I am grateful to her for her practical support and constructive ideas from the outset of the project to its end.
When, at an initial phase, I felt that the volume was going to happen, I asked Tashi Tsering Josayma if he wished to be involved. It took him an instant to tell me that he was going to publish the volume at AMI. I then thought of Jean-Luc Achard for an online version with RET. It took the time of an email reply to know that he too was enthusiastically on board.
Almost every scholar Rabsal, Nicole and I asked to contribute accepted heartedly and indeed produced a piece, a sign of the dedication everyone has for Elliot. Altogether, the articles are a forum of recent advancements in international scholars’ research. This volume for Elliot is also the contributors’ book. I am indebted to them for their care, intellectual worth and dedication.
A thank you also goes to those who have been unable to contribute―very few though―on
account of pressing commitments. And no less gratitude is for a few persons who did not
contribute owing to a feeling of humility.
Thanks are also due to the two publishers for their commitment to the production of the volume. I cannot avoid a disclosure of family matters here, despite privacy being always commendable. My wife Cicci Visconti has been a driving force through all phases of the work, assisting me in so many ways that she is in fact the ghost editor of the volume. She has also located the funds for publication. Tashi Tsering Josayma is the other ghost editor, because he has gone through all the Tibetan language papers.
The work by Tashi Gyamtso, the AMI graphic designer of the volume, and Ashwini Bhatia, who helped in matters visual, should also be acknowledged.
Closing these lines with a personal dedication to Elliot would amount to an exercise in self-indulgence. I end here omitting it, but not without another thank you, one due to those who have supported contributors in preparing their piece and are mentioned by them in their respective works.
Roberto Vitali
November 2014
“Concerning the lingering Question of sde-srid sangs-rgyas rgya-mtsho’s paternity,” Rocznik Orientalistyczny vol. 67, no. 1, 2014, pp.201-219.
“selbsttäuschung – “Die politik Dharamsalas ist realitätsfern!”,” Tibet und Buddhismus, 2014, no. 2, pp.41-45.
“Si tu paṇ chen Chos kyi ’byung gnas in History: A Brief Note,” Journal of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, no. 7, 2013, pp.1-16.
“The 1913 Tibeto-Mongol Treaty: Its International Reception and Circulation,” Lungta, vol. 17, 2013, pp.7-14.
“translation of the tibetan text of the tibeto-Mongol treaty of 1913,” Lungta vol.17, 2013, pp.103-104.
(editor) Lungta vol. vol. 17, 2013: The Centennial of the Tibeto-Mongol Treaty: 1913-2013.
“Conversations and Debates: Chinese and Tibetan Engagement with the Broader Discussion of self-immolation in tibet,” Revue d’Etudes tibétaines no. 25, December, 2012, pp.89-97.
(Co-editor, with Kunsang Gya and Andrea Snavely) Minority Language in Today’s Society, New York, 2012.
“Түвд, Мопголын 1913 опы гэрээ: гадаад уасууа хэрхэн хүлээн авсан тухай,” in А. Түвшинтѳгс and Д. Зоригт, eds., “Мопгол, Түвдийн 1913 опы гэрээ”-олоп улсын
эрх зүйн баримт бичиг, Ulaanbaatar, 2012, pp.123-138.“Reincarnation and the Golden Urn in the 19
thCentury: The Recognition of the 8
thpanchen lama,” in roberto Vitali, ed., Studies on the History and Literature of Tibet and the Himalaya, Kathmandu, 2012, pp.97-107.
“Pho-lha-nas, Khang-chen-nas, and the Last Era of Mongol Domination in Tibet,”
Rocznik Orientalistyczny vol. 65, no. 1, 2012, pp.195-211.
“Les noms du Tibet: géographie et identité,”
Monde chinois, nouvelle asie, no. 31, 2012,pp.27-32.
“tibet,” in naomi standen, ed., Demystifying China, lanham, Md., 2012, pp.145-152.
“on the Question of Why and to What end,”
Hot Spot Forum, Cultural Anthropology Online.April 11, 2012. http://culanth.org/?q=node/532.
“the tibet Conundrum in sino-indian ties,” in harsh pant, ed., The Rise of China—Implications for India, Delhi, 2012, pp.218-232.
“The Tangut/Mi-nyag Element in the Lineage of the Sikkim Chos-rgyal,”in anna balikci- Denjongpa and Alex McKay, eds., Buddhist Himalaya: Studies in Religion, History and Culture, gangtok, sikkim, 2011 (published in 2012), vol. 2, pp.43-51.
“the 13
thDalai Lama at Wutai Shan: Exile and Diplomacy,” Journal of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, no. 6, 2011, pp.389-410.
“
圖伯特、tibet
與命名的力量[= ‘Tubote, Tibet, and the Power of Naming’],” in Authenticating
Tibet [Chinese Version], Taipei, 2011, pp.xvi-xxiv.
“Some Preliminary Remarks on the Influx of New World Silver into Tibet During China’s ‘Silver Century’ (1550-1650),” in roberto Vitali, ed., The Earth Ox Papers, The Tibet Journal, vols. 34, no. 3- 35 no. 2, 2010, pp.299-311.
“The Tibetan Question and Security in Asia,” in Sumit Ganguly, Andrew Scobell and Joseph Chinyong Liow, eds., The Routledge Handbook of Asian Security Studies, london, 2010, pp.61-71.
“China and Tibet: The Interpretation of History Since 1950,” China Perspectives, 2009, no. 3, pp.25-37; [in the French edition:] “Le Tibet et la Chine : l’interprétation de l’histoire depuis 1950,” Perspectives chinoises, 2009, no. 3, pp.27-40.
“tibetan buddhism, perceived and imagined, along the Ming-era sino-tibetan Frontier,” in Matthew Kapstein, ed., Buddhism Between Tibet and China, boston, 2009, pp.155-180.
“the politics of history and the indo-tibetan border (1987-1988),” India Review, vol 7, no. 3, 2008, pp.223-239.
“Karma Rol-pa’i rdo-Rje and the Re-Establishment of Karma-pa Political Influence in the 14
thCentury,” in Christoph Cüppers, ed., The Relationship Between Religion and State (chos srid zung ’brel) in Traditional Tibet, lumbini, 2005.
“The Tibet-China Conflict: History And Polemics.” east-West Center policy studies, no. 7, Washington, 2004.
“Further remarks apropos of the ’ba’-rom-pa and the tanguts,” Acta Orientalia Hungaricae, vol. 57, 2004, pp.1-26.
“Introduction: On the History of Nang-chen,” in ’Brong-pa rgyal-po [=“Lamchen Gyalpo Rinpoche”], Bod-ljongs Mdo-Khams Nang-chen spyi dang bye-brag-gi byung-ba brjod-pa Ldong-’Brong-pa’i deb-gter smug-po [=“A Historical account of the ’Brong-pa tribe of the ldong clan of Khams Nangchen”] (Rare Historical and Literary Texts from Khams, vol. 1), Dharamsala and bloomington, 2004.
“tibet’s Foreign relations During the epoch of the Fifth Dalai lama,” in Françoise pommaret, ed., Lhasa in the Seventeenth Century, leiden, 2002, pp.119-132.
“si-tu Chos-kyi rgyal-mtshan and the Ming Court,” Lungta vol. 13, 2000 (published in 2002), pp.23-27.
“Faites historiques” (Yuan, Ming), in Anne-Marie Blondeau and Katia Buffetrille, eds., Le Tibet est-il chinois?, paris, 2002, pp.31-44.
“Notes on the Early History of Gro-tshang Rdo-rje-’chang and Its Relations with the Ming Court,” Lungta vol. 14, 2001, pp.77-87.
“Tibet,” in John Block Friedman and Kristen Mossler Figg, eds., Medieval Trade, Travel, and Exploration: An Encyclopedia New York, 2000.
“Exile And Dissent: The Historical and Cultural Context,” in Tibet Since 1950, New York, 2000.
“Awe and Submission: A Tibetan Aristocrat at the Court of Qianlong,” International Review of History, vol 20, 1998, pp.325-335.
“«Orientalismus» und Aspekte der gewalte in der tibetischen Tradition,” in Thierry Dodin and
heinz räther, eds., Mythos Tibet, bonn, 1997, pp.264-273.
“Tibétains, Mongols et Mandchous,” in Françoise Pommaret, ed., Lhasa lieu du divin, geneva, 1997, 147-161.
“A Note on the Chi-ky ā Tribe and the Two Qi Clans of the Xining Region in the Ming,”
in Samten Karmay and Philippe Sagant, eds., Les habitants du toit du monde, nanterre, 1997, pp.111-124.
“Tibet” [various entries], in The American Historical Association’s Guide to Historical Literature, New York, 1995.
“tibetan names,” in ernst eichler et al., eds. Name Studies, berlin, 1995, pp.891-893.
“Rtsa-mi lo-tsā-ba Sangs-rgyas grags-pa and the Tangut Background to Early Mongol-Tibetan Relations,” in Per Kvaerne, ed., Tibetan Studies. Proceedings of the 6th Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, oslo, 1994, pp.801-824.
“The Rhetoric of Dissent: Tibetan Pamphleteers,” in Shirin Akiner and Robert Barnett, eds., Resistance and Reform in Tibet, london, 1994, pp.267-284.
“Preliminary Study of an Inscription from Rgyal-rong” (coauthored with Per Kvaerne), Acta Orientalia, vol. 54, 1993, pp.113-125.
“notes on references to ’bri-gung-pa–Mongol Contact in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth Centuries,” in shoren ihara, ed., Tibetan Studies. Proceedings of the 5th Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, naritasan, 1992, pp.741-750.
“Miscellaneous remarks on the lineage of byang la-stod,” (partial version published in Zhongguo Zangxue, special issue, 1992, and translated as Shibailin, “Ping «Ladui Jiang (jiazu) shixi»,” Gansu minzu yanjiu, no. 2-3, 1992).
“some remarks on sga a-gnyan Dam-pa and the origins of the hor-pa lineage of the Dkar-mdzes region,” in ernst steinkellner, ed., Tibetan History and Language. Studies Dedicated to Uray Géza on his Seventieth Birthday, Vienna, 1991, pp.455-465.
“hülegü and tibet,” Acta Orientalia Hungaricae, vol. 44, 1990, pp.145-157.
“The Ho Clan of Ho-chou: A Tibetan Family in Service to the Yüan and Ming Dynasties,”
in Paolo Daffina, ed., Indo-Sino-Tibetica. Studi in onore di Luciano Petech, rome, 1990, pp.359-377.
“Ming Ch’eng-tsu and the Monk Officials of Gling-tshang and Gon-gyo,” in Lawrence Epstein and richard F. sherburne, eds.,
Reflections on Tibetan Culture: Essays in Memory ofTurrell V. Wylie, Lewiston, N.Y., 1990, pp.75-90.
“The Szechwan-Tibet Frontier in the Fifteenth Century,” Ming Studies, no. 26, 1988, pp.37-55.
“Lama to the King of Hsia” The Journal of the Tibet Society, vol. 7, 1987, pp.31-50.
“some notes on the early ’bri-gung-pa Sgom-pa,” in Christopher Beckwith, ed., Silver on Lapis, bloomington, indiana, 1987, pp.33-53.
“Did the Early Ming Emperors Attempt to Implement a ‘Divide and Rule’ Policy in Tibet?”
in ernst steinkellner, ed.,
Contributions on Tibetan Language, History and Culture.Proceedings of the Csoma de Kőrös Symposium Held at Velm-Vienna,
austria, 13-19
september 1981, Vienna, 1983, pp.339-356.
“the 1413 Ming embassy to tsong-kha-pa and the arrival of byams-chen chos-rje shakya ye-shes at the Ming Court,” The Journal of the Tibet Society, vol. 2, 1982 (published in translation as A. Sibailin, “1413 nian Mingchao paiyuan canjian Zongkaba ji Jiangqin qujie Shijia yixi jinjing chaojin,” Guowai Zangxue dongtai, no. 3, 1988), pp.105-108.
“The 5th Karma-pa and Some Aspects of the Relationship Between Tibet and the Early Ming,” in Michael Aris and Aung San Suu Kyi, eds., Tibetan Studies in Honour of Hugh Richardson, Warminster, 1980 (published in translation as Shiboling, “Wushi Gamaba yiji Xizang he Mingchu de guanxi yaolüe,” in Guowai Zangxue yanjiu yiwenji, vol. 2, lhasa, 1987), pp.279-289.
“a Captivity in ninth Century tibet,” The Tibet Journal, vol. 4, no. 4, 1979, pp.17-67.
“old age in the tibetan Context,” Saeculum, vol. 30, no. 4, 1979, pp.434-442.
“Some Observations on the Marriage of the Tibetan King Srong-btsan Sgam-po to the Chinese princess Wen Ch’eng,” The Tibet Society Bulletin, vol. 10, 1976, pp.29-47.
“The Red Army’s First Encounters with Tibet–Experiences on the Long March,” Tibetan Review, vol. 11, no. 10, 1976, pp.11-18.
“The Chinese Venture in K’am, 1904-1911, and the Role of Chao Erh-feng,” The Tibet Journal, vol. 1, no. 2, 1976, pp.10-36.
printedopinionpiecesandcommentary
“taxing exile—tibetan opposition reform aids China,” Jane’s Intelligence Review, July, 2011.
“Autonomy? Think Again,” The Times of India [further circulated on the web in Chinese (
自治? 請三思!) and tibetan (རང་སྐྱོང་ཨེ། ཡང་བསྐྱར་བསམ་བློ་ཐོངས།)], July 20, 2009.
“China Digs in its heels in tibet,” The Far Eastern Economic Review [further circulated on the web in Chinese (
中国对西藏问题固执到底，拒绝变通)], April, 2009.
“Tibet as ‘Hell on Earth’,” The Far Eastern Economic Review online [further circulated on the web in Chinese (
西藏作為「人間地獄」)], March, 2009.
“Waiting game—China plays for time over tibetan autonomy,” Jane’s Intelligence Review, January 2, 2009.
“He Has Got It Wrong,” The Times of India [further circulated on the web in Chinese (
他错了) and tibetan (ཁོང་དེ་ལ་གོ་ནོར་ཐེབས་འདུག)], November 27, 2008.
“Don’t Know Much About Tibetan History,” The New York Times [further syndicated to other publications], April 13, 2008.
“The Dalai Lama as Dupe,” The Los Angeles Times [further syndicated to other publications], april 3, 2008.
“big brother is Watching,” the times of india, March 17, 2008.
“Reborn supremacy: China’s control of Tibetan reincarnation,” Jane’s Intelligence Review,
January 21, 2008.
online opinion pieCes anD CoMMentary (seleCteD)
“Collateral Damage,” Rangzen Alliance, 2014 http://www.rangzen.net/2014/01/26/collateral- damage/#more-6460
“Woeser: What Do They Mean When They Say “We Must Strive to See That the Reincarnation of the Dalai Lama is Produced Only Within the Country”? (translation of Woeser, “
力争只产生国内达赖喇嘛灵童
”
的意思是什么?, http://woeser.middle-way.net/2013/06/blog-post_5.
html), Rangzen Alliance, 2013, http://www.rangzen.net/2013/06/07/woeser-what-do- they-mean-when-they-say-%E2%80%9Cwe-must-strive-to-see-that-the-reincarnation- of-the-dalai-lama-is-produced-only-within-the-country%E2%80%9D/.
“incivilities,” Rangzen Alliance, 2013, http://www.rangzen.net/2013/05/08/incivilities/.
“‘our lhasa is on the Verge of Destruction! please, save lhasa!’ by Woeser,” (translation of Woeser,
我们的拉萨快被毁了!
救救拉萨吧! !, http://woeser.middle-way.net/2013/05/blog- post_7.html), High Peaks Pure Earth 2013, http://highpeakspureearth.com/2013/our- lhasa-is-on-the-verge-of-destruction-please-save-lhasa-by-woeser/.
“the body Count,” Rangzen Alliance, 2012, http://www.rangzen.net/2012/09/14/the-body-count-2/.
“Woeser: Losar Tashi Delek,” (translation of Woeser,
洛萨扎西德勒! ——
献给朝佛“
有罪”
的拉萨老人们
, http://woeser.middle-way.net/2012/02/blog-post_23.html), Rangzen Alliance, 2012, http://www.rangzen.net/2012/03/02/losar-tashi-delek/.
“remembering tapey,” Rangzen Alliance, 2012, http://www.rangzen.net/2012/01/09/
remembering-tapey/
“sympathetic Vibes,” Rangzen Alliance, 2012, http://www.rangzen.net/2012/01/08/sympathetic- vibes/.
“Congregationalism,”
Rangzen Alliance,2012, http://www.rangzen.net/2012/01/08/
congregationalism/.
“Freedom and independence… and language,” Rangzen Alliance, 2011, http://www.rangzen.
net/2011/11/01/freedom-and-independence-and-language/.
“The Tibet Movement Pulls the Plug on Itself: Advantage China,” Rangzen Alliance, 2011, http://www.
rangzen.net/2011/07/18/the-tibetan-movement-pulls-the-plug-on-itself-advantage-china/.
“
於北京談西藏問題,” Rangzen Alliance, 2010, http://www.rangzen.net/2010/09/23/%E6%96%BC
%E5%8C%97%E4%BA%AC%E8%AB%87%E8%A5%BF%E8%97%8F%E5%95%8 F%E9%A1%8C-2/.
“the history boy,” Rangzen Alliance, 2010, http://www.rangzen.net/2010/06/24/the-history-boy/.
bookreviews
simon Wickham-smith, trs., The Hidden Life of the Sixth Dalai Lama. Journal of Asian Studies, vol. 71, no. 3, 2012
Gordon T. Stewart, Journeys to Empire: Enlightenment, Imperialism, and the British Encounter
with Tibet, 1774–1904.Journal of Asian Studies, vol. 69, no. 4, 2010.
Dibyesh anand, Geopolitical Exotica. Journal of Asian Studies, vol. 68, no. 4, 2009.
Warren W. Smith, Jr., China’s Tibet? Autonomy or Assimilation. Journal of Asian Studies, vol. 68, no. 3, 2009.
Kenneth Conboy and James Morrison, The CIA’s Secret War in Tibet. Journal of Asian Studies, vol. 62, no. 1, 2003.
tsering shakya, The Dragon in the Land of Snows. Journal of Asian Studies, vol. 60, no. 3, 2001.
Warren W. Smith, Jr., Tibetan Nation: A History of Tibetan Nationalism and Sino-Tibetan Relations. Holocaust and Genocide Studies, vol 14, no. 2, 2000.
Melvyn goldstein, William siebenschuh, and tashi tsering, The Struggle for Modern Tibet:
The Autobiography of Tashi Tsering. Journal of Asian Studies, vol. 59, no. 3, 2000.
luciano petech, Central Tibet and the Mongols. The Yüan–Sa-skya Period of Tibetan History.
Journal of the American Oriental Society, vol. 115, no. 2, 1995.
peter bishop, The Myth of Shangrila. Journal of the American Oriental Society, vol. 112, no. 2, 1992.
Melvyn C. goldstein, A History of Modern Tibet: 1913-1951. Journal of Asian History, vol. 25, no. 2, 1991.
h.e. richardson, Tibet and its History. Tibetan Review, vol. 21, no. 5, 1986.
tsepon W.D. shakabpa, Tibet: A Political History. Tibetan Review, vol. 21, no. 5, 1986.
Josef Kolmaś, Chinese Studies on Tibetan Culture. Journal of the Tibet Society, vol. 5, 1985.
Ngapo Ngawang Jigmei, et al., Tibet. Journal of the Tibet Society, vol. 1, 1981.
Feng Ch’eng, Kuo-wai Hsi-tsang yen-chiu kai-k’uang (“the general situation in tibetan research abroad”). Tibetan Review, vol. 16, no. 12, 1981.
Hans-Rainer Kämpfe, Ñi Ma’i ’Od Zer / Naran-u Gerel. Die Biographie des 2. Pekinger lČan
skya-Qutuqtu. Rol pa’i rdo rje (1717-1786). Journal of Asian History, vol. 14, no. 1, 1980.louis ligeti, ed.,
Proceedings of the Csoma de Kőrös Memorial Symposium.Tibet Society Bulletin, vol. 15, 1980.
parshotam Mehra,
Tibetan Polity, 1904-1937.Journal of the American Oriental Society, vol. 100, no. 3, 1980.
Sechin Jagchid and Paul Hyer, Mongolia’s Culture and Society. Tibetan Review, vol. 14, no. 10, 1980.
Pradyumna P. Karan, The Changing Face of Tibet. Journal of the American Oriental Society, vol. 98, no. 3, 1978.
isabelle van geem, Crier avant de mourir. Tibet Society Bulletin, vol. 11, 1977.
Jean-Luc Achard CNRS, CRCAo, Paris
Great Perfection (rDzogs chen) teachings are generally understood as being classified into three categories of instructions known as the Mind Series (sems sde), the expanse Series (klong sde), and the Precepts Series (Man ngag sde). The origin of this tripartition is traditionally credited to Mañjusrimi-tra, the main disciple of dGa’ rab rdo rje.
1A little later, Śrī Siṃha (8
thcentury), a disciple of both dGa’ rab rdo rje and Mañjuśrīmitra, is said to have divided the texts belonging to the Precepts Series into four cycles: outer (phyi), inner (nang), secret (gsang), and innermost secret (yang gsang or gsang ba bla na med pa).
2A few centuries later, another classification of what are obviously works belonging to the innermost secret section started to be used in the works of Nyang ral Nyi ma ’od zer (1124–1192) and later by Gu ru Chos dbang (1212–1270). in some of these works, the highest teachings of the Great Perfection were presented as being classified into: 1. a ti yoga (the Supreme Yoga, most obviously the works belonging to the innermost secret cycle), 2. sPyi ti yoga (Yoga of the Crown), 3. yang ti yoga (Yoga of the Quintessence) and 4. mtha’ chen (the Great Limit).
3* i would like to thank Marianne Ginalski and windsor Viney for their suggestions and corrections on earlier drafts of this paper.
1 The historical existence of dGa’ rab rdo rje has not been proved so far and the hagiographic events occurring during his life have been questioned by historians. There are elements reminiscent of the birth of
’Chi med gtsug phud in the Bon tradition, which have an allegorical (or even alchemical) meaning whose interpretation seems to have been lost (if it was ever known) by the rNying ma tradition. Upon discussing the matter of ’Chi med gtsug phud’s birth with modern Bon po lineage holders, it seems that the symbolical meaning of its unfolding is totally unknown to them and that it is simply taken as face value or as a proto- historical account. In other words, the narrative is not something that needs to be interpreted but should be considered as an historical account. it should also be noted that comparing the births of dGa’ rab rdo rje and
’Chi med gtsug phud with that of Moses (Guenther, Wholeness Lost, p.26 n. 56, the myth actually comes from the legend of Sargon the Great) only takes into account superficial narrative elements, instead of hermetic features such as the encoded meaning of their fate as children abandoned in a pit of ashes (for dGa’ rab rdo rje and ’Chi med gtsug phud [on the meaning of the ash pit, see Claudine Leduc, “Mythologie, théologie,...”, p.145]) and to the flow of the Niles (for Moses). From an alchemical perspective, the difference is more than pertinent. A convincing hermetic interpretation of these births still remains to be formulated with a perfect knowledge of the symbolism behind the so-called narrative elements.
2 G. Dorje & M. Kaptsein, the Nyingma school of tibetan Buddhism, pp.332-333. This fourfold classification is actually the result of a complex approach to classifying the teachings of the Great Perfection.
on this theme, see also Klong chen pa, theg mchog mdzod, vol. I, pp.82 et seq. it is interesting to note that Klong chen pa does not use the classification of a ti, sPyi ti and yang ti in his exegetical works such as the treasury of Philosophical tenets (grub mtha’ mdzod) for instance, whereas he actually quotes the thig le kun gsal (one of the major sPyi ti Tantras) in several of his works (gNas lugs mdzod, Bla ma yang tig, etc.).
3 In the vast majority of these works, the classification is presented as threefold (a ti, sPyi ti and yang ti). in some cases, thod rgal (as a Vehicle, see below) is added instead of the Great Limit, the recurrent set being that of a ti, sPyi ti and yang ti.
Since the system of sPyi ti yoga will be the main theme discussed in this paper, i will only very briefly introduce the basics of a ti, yang ti and mtha’ chen. As stated above, the a ti class seems to correspond, in the later system of Nyang ral and Gu ru Chos dbang, to what are generally known as the seventeen tantras (rgyud bcu bdun).
4As to the corpus of yang ti, it is generally presented as being divided into two groups:
1. the cycle of the Black Quintessence (yang ti nag po’i skor), and 2. the cycle of the Brahmins’
Quintessence (yang ti bram ze’i skor). The texts making up these two groups are to be found in the rNying ma’i rgyud ’bum collections.
5In the course of time, several revelations pertaining to the Black Quintessence were made, down to the 20
thcentury, whereas it would seem that the corpus of the Brahmins’ Quintessence remained limited to the set of Tantras of this group included in the rNying ma’i rgyud ’bum. in other words, it would seem that all yang ti revelations made from the 14
thto the 20
thcentury belong to the Black Quintessence only.
6The system of mtha’ chen or “Great Limit” is said to be entirely “oral”, even though some mentions of the term mtha’ chen appears here and there in the gter ma literature, down to the late 19
thcentury with for example reference to it in mChog gyur gling pa’s Bar chad kun sel.
7So far, I have not noticed any mention of this mtha’ chen expression in works at my disposal, be they twentieth- century indigenous texts or original works written during these first years of the twenty-first century.
Several modern masters questioned on this subject have simply confessed to not knowing anything about it.
8The problem with this mtha’ chen system is that its name seems to be used with various meanings or referents. For instance, in O rgyan gling pa, it stands for the ultimate stage, above that of ati yoga and realized at the level of the eleventh bhūmi, Kun tu ’od kyi sa.
9Still in o rgyan gling pa’s
4 on these texts, see Achard, L’Essence Perlée du secret, pp.85-94. In this classificatory mode, a ti seems to cover the Man ngag sde (with its fourfold subdivisions) as well as Klong sde and sems sde. otherwise, a ti is sometimes considered as a generic expression covering all doxographical subdivisions of rDzogs chen, as in dGe rtse rin po che’s doxographical presentation of his rNying ma’i rgyud ’bum edition. See Achard, “Rig ’dzin Tshe dbang mchog grub...”, p.48. See also Thub bstan chos dar, rNying ma rgyud ’bum gyi dkar chag gsal ma’i me long, pp.58 et seq.5 See Achard, “Rig ’dzin Tshe dbang mchog grub...”, pp.50-53 (nos. 1-34).
6 So far, I have been unable to identify any cycle of instructions associated with this second series of yang ti teachings. I hope to have the opportunity to publish in the future an on-going study on the comparison of the main themes and lexicon between these two yang ti traditions.
7 See gTer slob Dharma rāja, Padma’i snying po rgyud kyi tshig don gsal byed, p.383. In L’Essence Perlée du secret (p.59 n. 22), I have attributed this work to mChog gyur gling pa when it is actually a work authored by one of his disciples (as indicated by the expression gter slob), gTer slob Dharma rāja about whom I have not found any information. One may venture as this being one of the multiple names used by mKhan po Karma ratna (1823-?) but this is pure speculation.
8 I will discuss the little information I have discovered about this system in a forthcoming paper provisionally entitled “The System of the Great Limit of Dzogchen — an inquiry into a possibly disappeared tradition among the rNying ma school of Tibetan Buddhism”. To my knowledge, the first mention of the mtha’ chen was made by Tucci in his Minor Buddhist texts ii (p.102), although it is unclear whether or not he understood what this was exactly referring to. The next mention appears in my L’Essence Perlée du secret, pp.57-59. Since then, as far as i am aware, no mention of this expression has appeared in either academic or non-academic works.
9 Lo paṇ bka’ thang, p.382: sa bcu gcig kun tu ’od/ a ti yo ga mtha’ chen bstan/.
bKa’ thang sde lnga, it is clearly presented as the last of the twelve Vehicles, and it appears generally, as we have seen above, in the fourfold scheme of a ti, sPyi ti, yang ti, and mtha’ chen.
101. Studies on sPyi ti yoga
The system of sPyi ti yoga has been the object of an interesting study by h.V. Guenther, although both the rendering of the translated excerpts and the lexicon used by the author have prevented him from actually conveying the real meaning of this system of practice.
11when reading Guenther’s work on this subject, one has the strong impression that sPyi ti is an over- philosophical system with no practice whatsoever.
12In fact, as in several of his works, Guenther has failed to understand the difference between the ultimate state described in rDzogs chen texts and the actual Path leading to that same state. Therefore, most of his renditions of the texts and the conclusions he draws from his readings give a very partial view of the actual teachings of the Great Perfection. i do not intend to condemn him here in any derogatory way: on the contrary, one should definitely appreciate the fact that he was one of the first individuals (in some cases more than 60 years ago) to actually use rDzogs chen texts in his researches and published works. However, one must also insist on the fact that the lexicon he used — elaborated by late- twentieth-century thinkers (heavily influenced by phenomenology and modern physics) — has without doubt totally undermined his capacity to convey the true meaning of these texts. Even though Guenther regularly criticized “ethnic” translators, he himself created and maintained his own work in a sometimes grotesque lexical cage from which barely any meaning found a way to escape, and this, despite his vast knowledge of Buddhist lore.
The next work officially published
13on sPyi ti was my own Le Cycle de l’immortalité adamantine which represents a later stage of the sPyi ti teachings, organized in a mode that
10 Even though sPyi ti and yang ti are current doxographical representations in Nyang ral and Gu ru Chos dbang, I have yet to locate any mention of the Great Limit in their works. This will probably be easily determined when access to electronically inputted version of their Tantras become available. It is also possible that the Great Limit is the same as the thod rgal theg pa or yongs rdzogs thod rgal [bla med]
theg pa that is found in some of the Nyang ral revelations (such as the Nyi zla snying po, fol. 21b). on the description of thod rgal as a Vehicle in Nyang ral works, see Achard, Le Pic des Visions, pp.23-25. See also the explicit mention of Nyang ral’s discovery of “the cycles of a ti, yang ti, sPyi ti and thod rgal of the Great Perfection” (rdzogs pa chen po a ti yang ti spyi ti thod rgal gyi bskor dang/..., in mNga’ bdag myang nyi ma
’od zer gyi rnam thar gsal ba’i me long, p.139.
11 See h.V. Guenther, the teachings of Padmasambhava, Brill, 1996.
12 The same problem affects Guenther’s other works (including individual papers, etc.). This recurrent straying from the actual intent of the rDzogs chen texts studied by Guenther has forced some to even create a guenthausorus, in order to equate the ethnic guentherian lexicon with that used by those Guenther considered as ethnic Buddhist translators.
13 I have issued in 1995 a privately published French translation of the Nam mkha’ ’ bar ba’i rgyud (rgyud thams cad kyi rtse rgyal nam mkha’ ’ bar ba’i rgyud) which will be reprinted in the near future. I have yet to find any information regarding possibly privately published works on the subject of sPyi ti by other researchers or translators.
is definitely quite similar to that of the innermost secret cycle of the Precepts Section.
14for instance, this cycle revealed by sPa gro gter ston introduces the main practice (dngos gzhi) of rDzogs chen according to the standard sNying thig scheme of Cutting through Rigidity (khregs chod) and Passing over the Crest (thod rgal).
15sPyi ti Tantras do not use this terminology to describe the practice of the Great Perfection, nor do they use the very specific terminology of the sNying thig–related cycles, such as the “four Visions” (snang ba bzhi), or the “four (or Six) Lamps” (sgron ma bzhi/drug).
16it is interesting to note that with sPa gro gter ston, the practice of sPyi ti yoga falls within the structural lines expounded in the sNying thig literature. Nothing of the sort was clearly evident in earlier expositions of sPyi ti teachings (in Nyang ral and Gu ru Chos dbang), not even in O rgyan gling pa’s bKa’ thang sde lnga which describes sPyi ti as a Vehicle (theg pa).
17Since the publication of these two studies a short but interesting presentation of the doxographical category of sPyi ti has appeared in D. Germano’s paper entitled “The funerary Transformation of the Great Perfection”.
18Before moving on to the description of the view of sPyi ti, it should be mentioned that the practice texts of sPyi ti exhibit salient differences with the actual class of sPyi ti Tantras.
from the practice texts, it is clear that we are on a similar ground to that of the sNying thig, as can be seen in sPa gro gter ston’s cycle of instructions, but also in the individual works of the sPyi ti category in bDud ’dul rdo rje and Klong gsal snying po revelations.
19we can also see that Sog bzlog pa considered sPyi ti and yang ti as ranges of thod rgal practice, which means he certainly had in mind the practice-oriented cycles, rather than the Tantras of these two classes.
20 14 See Achard, Le Cycle de l’immortalité adamantine, éd. Khyung-Lung, 2009, passim.15 id., pp.51-76. This includes a description of dark retreats (mun mtshams, pp.59-64) but this kind of practice is not restricted to the Man ngag sde, since there exist dark retreats in the context of Klong sde teachings (as well as in the Kālacakra).
16 The system of the Four Visions is included in the revelation of sPa gro gter ston (see op. cit., pp.57-58) but there is no special description of the Lamps, only the Lamp of the empty Thigles (thig le stong pa’i sgron ma) is mentioned in the cycle (p.62).
17 Achard, L’Essence Perlée du secret, pp.54-58. In the Lo paṇ bka’ thang, o rgyan gling pa describes the View of sPyi ti as being beyond duality and dual classifications. It is also clearly defined as Space and Awareness not subject to union or separation (dbyings rig ’du bral med pa, Lo pan bka’ thang, chap. 31, p.381). The definition of undifferentiated Space and Awareness (dbying rig dbyer med) is the same as that of emptiness and Clarity (stong gsal dbyer med), both classical syntheses of the View of the natural state according to Dzogchen.
18 Germano, “The funerary Transformation of the Great Perfection” pp.21-24.
19 I will come back to these texts elsewhere with a presentation of relevant translations. Here it suffices to say that these cycles include traditional Man ngag sde practices such as the separation of Samsara and Nirvana (’ khor ’das ru shan dbye ba), the training of the three doors (sgo gsum sbyang ba), khregs chod, thod rgal, instructions on bar do states, etc.
20 he says (Collected Works, vol. 1, p.249): «… the practice of light and darkness of spontaneous thod rgal, such as sPyi ti and yang ti...» (... spyi ti dang yang ti sogs lhun grub thod rgal snang mun gyi nyams len). The “light practice” of thod rgal refers to supports (rten) such as the sun, the sky, etc. the “darkness practice” refers to dark retreats (mun mtshams) which, as we have seen, are also included in the practice texts of sPyi ti (while not a single explicit mention of such a yoga appears in the sPyi ti Tantras).
in particular, the sPyi ti Tantras do not show any of the characteristics of thod rgal practice, either in its preliminary form or in its main practice.
2. The actual view of sPyi ti
Since Guenther’s study of sPyi ti has baffled many a reader, I want to address here, as one of several contributions planned on the same subject, what is traditionally defined as “the View of sPyi ti” (spyi ti’i lta ba) in its own words. The notion of a View (lta ba) in Buddhism has nothing to do with how one envisions the world or anything else, as some modern Tibetan Lamas teach these days, but rather it concerns the actual philosophical perspective one must maintain in order to progress on the practice of the Path, without straying into deviations (gol sa).
21in other words, what is experienced during the practice of the Path must be evaluated according to the diverse modalities composing the View or theory which precisely prevents erring into deviations. In most cases, explanations dealing with the View of Dzogchen actually describe what is defined as the natural state of the Base (gzhi’i gnas lugs), the Base being the actual, authentic abiding mode of the Mind. in this respect, the View explains three main modalities designated as the three wisdoms of the Great Perfection (rdzogs chen gyi ye shes gsum): essence (ngo bo), Nature (rang bzhin) and Compassion (thugs rje). The undifferentiated expression of these three wisdoms is what is designated as the Great Primordial Purity (ka dag chen po) which is the main representation used to describe the View in sPyi ti Tantras. in this respect, according to the mTshams brag Collection of ancient tantras (vol. 10, p.641-642), the view of the sPyi ti yoga is defined as follows:
Then gSal dag rin chen asked The Revealer sKye med ka dag:
«— How is the uppermost sPyi ti yoga (explained)?»
The Revealer replied to his retinue:
«— Emaho! Ô most extraordinary marvel!
This sPyi ti yoga which is the Peak of the Nine Vehicles is not found from the outside but found within oneself.
As to this particularly special and extraordinary supreme Vehicle, The view of the sPyi ti of the Great Perfection is as follows:
The world of appearances and existence, of Saṃsāra and Nirvāṇa, is entirely Liberated as the great Primordial Purity without support
(within which) arises the Contemplation free from being, non-being, and intentions.
21 The classical notion of View belongs to a fourfold scheme of specific representations concerning:
1. View (lta ba), 2. Meditation (sgom pa), 3. Conduct (spyod pa), and 4. fruit (’bras bu). The theoretical ideas expounded in the View are thus put into practice following the applying of specific key point (gnad) during Meditation sessions. Then, the experiences obtained during Meditation are “boosted” through the applying of specific behaviors pertaining to Conduct, so that when reaching a non-regressive stage in which the principles of the View are totally integrated by the individual, the Fruit can be achieved (either in this lifetime, after death, or even after an ultimate rebirth).
(Therefore) abide naturally in this unaltered (state) Which is devoid of action, effort and exertion,
Unborn, insubstantial, and transcending the mental in its result.
Ema! Such an extraordinary and wonderful teaching Does not come from anywhere other than the “A”.
Alala ho! Everything entirely liberates within this Great Primordial Purity.»
22thus he spoke.
From the tantra of the Clear Expanse of the utterly pure ocean, the Celestial Expanse blazing with the lights of the sun and Moon, the Victorious Peak of (all) tantras,
such is the ninth chapter, revealing the Vehicle of sPyi ti.
3. The text of the chapter
This short abstract has been translated using three different versions of the text, all quite close to one another, as can be seen in the annotated transcription below. I have primarily used the mTshams brag edition of the rNying ma’i rgyud ’bum (manuscript), and checked the gTing skyes version (manuscript), as well as the sDe dge xylographic edition.
23rNying ma’i rgyud ’bum (mTshams brag ed., vol. 10, pp.641-642)
/de nas gsal dag rin chen gyis/ /skye med ka dag ston pa la/ /gong rgal
24spyi ti ji ltar lags/ /zhes zhus pas/
ston pas ’khor la bka’ stsal pa/ (p.642)/
e ma ho
25ngo mtshar khyad par ’phags/ /theg pa dgu rtse spyi ti yo ga ’di/ /gzhan nas mi rnyed rang las rnyed/ /theg mchog ngo mtshar khyad par can/ /rdzogs chen spyi ti’i lta ba ni/ / snang srid ’khor ’das ma lus par
26/ /ka dag rten med chen por grol
27/ /yin min rtsis gdab
28med pa’i dgongs pa
29shar/ /bya btsal rtsol bsgrub
30med pa ru//zang ka rnal
31mar gnas pa’o//skye med
22 See the “translation” of this section of the chapter in Guenther, the teachings of Padmasambhava, p.21.In this passage, Guenther’s ethnic lexicon simply renders the meaning incomprehensible and obviously not consistent with the original intent of the chapter. in fact, translation theory, it would be exactly a counter- example of what is expected from a translator.
23 I have used only the edition that are at my disposal. I have not searched other versions, for lack of access to them.
24 sDe dge: brgal.
25 gTing skyes: ho//.
26 sDe dge: pa; gTing skyes: par.
27 gTing skyes: gol (evidently a mistake which is probably due to the reproduction of the manuscript).
28 gTing skyes: gdabs.
29 gTing skyes: par.
30 sDe dge: sgrub.
31 The subscribed ra is strangely missing from mtshams brag. The la in rnal is barely readable in the reproduction of the gTing skyes manuscript at my disposal (although one can obviously deduce it from the context).
dngos med ’bras bur blo las ’das//e ma ngo mtshar rmad byung chos/ /gzhan nas
32mi ’byung a las byung/ /a la la ho
33ma lus ril por ka dag chen por grol/
/ces gsungs so/
/rgyud kyi rtse rgyal nyi zla ’od ’bar mkha’ klong rnam dag rgya mtsho klong gsal gyi rgyud las/ /spyi ti’i theg pa bstan pa’i le’u ste dgu pa’o/.
4. Commentary
Then gSal dag rin chen asked The Revealer sKye med ka dag :
gSal dag rin chen is a bodhisattvic figure belonging to the retinue of the Buddha sKye med ka dag in the present text, i.e. the tantra of the Luminous Expanse revealed by Nyang ral Nyi ma ’od zer.
34his name means the “Pure and Luminous Jewel”. he plays a crucial role in the sPyi ti teachings since he is defined as the compiler (sdud pa po) of some of them, as well as the main interlocutor of the Buddha revealing these texts. In the tantra of the Blazing Lights of the Lamps,
35he appears as a compiler of the Buddha’s teachings, as well as the enunciator of all the requests made to the Buddha and forming the general structure of the Tantra itself. He is evidently the same as gSal dag khye’u chung who appears in the tantra of the Blazing Lights of the Lamps (sgron ma ’od ’bar ba’i rgyud), as well as Rang snang gsal dag appearing in the tantra of the Quintessence of the sun and the Moon (Nyi zla snying po’i rgyud).
The Buddha sKye med ka dag is the Revealer (ston pa) of the Tantra. his name means
“Unborn Primordial Purity”. He is evidently the same as dNgos med ka dag chos sku (“the insubstantial and Primordially Pure Absolute Body”) or Ka dag dngos med chos sku of the Blazing Lights of the Lamps (sgron ma ’od ’bar, passim). This Tantra also shows that this Revealer is none other than Samantabhadra for he is sometimes designated dNgos rnal ma kun bzang, (“Samantabhadra, the insubstantial Genuine State”).
36In fact the two figures of gSal dag rin chen and sKye me ka dag are simply symbols for the two aspects of the natural state: Clarity (gsal ba, with gSal dag rin chen) and emptiness (stong pa, with sKye med ka dag). The entire Tantra thus appears as an atemporal dialogue between the Clarity aspect (gsal cha) of the natural state, and its counterpart known as the empty aspect (stong cha) of this state.
3732 sDe dge: las.
33 sDe dge: ho/. Ho is missing in gTing skyes (p.542).
34 Klong gsal ’bar ba’i rgyud, the first of the Klong gsal Tantras, belonging to the category of yang ti teachings. This text is also quoted in this paper under its abbreviated title as Nyi zla ’od ’bar. On the various Klong gsal Tantras and their connection to Padma Las ’brel rtsal’s mKha’ ’gro snying thig, see Achard, Le Pic des Visions, p.37 n. 89.
35 sgron ma ’od ’bar ba’i rgyud, fol. 318a.
36 sgron ma ’od ’bar ba’i rgyud, fol. 319a.
37 The natural undifferentiation between emptiness and Clarity (stong gsal dbyer med) is the classical definition of the natural state according to Dzogchen teachings.
«— How is the uppermost sPyi ti yoga (explained)?»
The request formulated by gSal dag rin chen sets the subject matter of the present chapter. Its main theme is thus the definition of what sPyi ti yoga is. in general, sPyi ti is understood as meaning something general (spyi) but this is actually not the case here, since the various topics that are dealt with within sPyi ti Tantras are anything but general. The texts of this category clearly define sPyi ti as the uppermost (gong rgal) or highest category among all Dzogchen teachings.
38This might create some doxographical confusion though, in particular when comparing its instructions with those of yang ti or the Great Limit (mtha’ chen).
The Revealer replied to his retinue:
This means that the rest of the chapter contains the actual explanation of the Buddha sKye med ka dag himself.
«— Emaho! Ô most extraordinary marvel!
This refers to two things: the extraordinary nature of the request which enables the Buddha to set the wheel of his teachings into action and the extraordinary nature of the contents of its teachings.
This sPyi ti yoga which is the Peak of the Nine Vehicles
In the Nyingma tradition, there are several ways of classifying the teachings of the Buddha into nine, ten, and sometimes twelve Vehicles.
39Most of these classifications have not survived in practical usage, except for that into nine.
40in this case, the ninth is considered to be the Vehicle of Dzogchen and its ultimate peak is represented by the sPyi ti yoga teachings. The instructions pertaining to that category are usually associated with Padmasambhava (8
thc.) and their rediscoveries by Nyang ral Nyi ma ’od zer (1136-1204) and Gu ru Chos dbang (1212-1270).
4138 The expression gong rgal reminds us of the famed thod rgal term so crucial in the standard Man ngag sde literature. one should remember that thod rgal was also conceived of as a Vehicle in the Nyang ral revelations.
See Achard, Le Pic des Visions, pp.23-24. in the yang ti and sPyi ti Tantras, gong rgal (or brgal) is used as an indicator of a superior layer of teachings. for instance, the ati yoga system is defined as a nu’i gong rgal, i.e. the uppermost teaching crossing (rgal) over (gong) the Anuyoga system (see Nam mkha’ ’bar ba’i rgyud, fol. 99b). In a similar way, the vehicle of the Great Perfection is defined as crossing (brgal) over (gong) [all]
Vehicles (theg pa’i gong brgal rdzogs chen) in the Blazing Lights of the sun and the Moon (Nyi zla ’od ’bar, fol. 125a). There are of course other occurrences of this expression which I have not mentioned here.
39 On these classifications, see Achard, L’Essence Perlée du secret, pp.54-59. The classifications in eleven and twelve Vehicles can be found in O rgyan gling pa’s bKa’ thang sde lnga (and in particular in the Blon po’i bka’ thang).
40 See however a late, surviving classification in eleven Vehicles in rDo rje bde chen gling pa, rtsa gsum dgongs pa ’dus pa’i dbang gi sgo ’byed theg pa’i dbang rin chen phreng ba (=theg pa bcu gcig gi dbang yig), in rDo rje bde chen gling pa’i gter chos, vol. Ga, pp. 45-83. In the case of this text, the extra vehicles do not result from a further subdivision of the ati yoga class as usual, but rather from two extra initiations which are given before the initiations of the lower vehicles.
41 There are of course other sPyi ti lines of transmission, such as the one centered around the revelations of sPa gro gter ston Tshe ring rdo rje whose gter ma were included in the Rin chen gter mdzod by Kong sprul Blo gros mtha’ yas (in volume 90, pp.373-434). On sPa gro gter ston’s gter ma teachings, see Achard, Le Cycle de l’immortalité adamantine, Khyung-Lung, 2009, passim.
In the classification into twelve Vehicles (such as in the surviving proto-doxographical works of o rgyan gling pa), Dzogchen is the ninth Vehicle as usual, but it is composed of three subdivisions which are also styled Vehicles (theg pa). In this case, Dzogchen is equated with ati yoga. Then, the tenth Vehicle is that of the sPyi ti yoga ; the eleventh is that of the yang ti yoga ; and the twelfth is the vehicle of the Great Limit (mtha’ chen).
Such references to higher categories of Dzogchen teachings, said to surpass those of ati yoga stricto sensu, have survived at least down to the revelations of mChog gyur gling pa in the 19
thcentury. Since then, practically no one has used these unusual categories, especially that of the Great Limit which remains more than obscure.
Is not found from the outside but found within oneself.
This verse is actually very explicit. Its subject is given in the previous line, and is the sPyi ti yoga itself. in this context, this does not really refer to a doxographical element among the Nine Vehicles, but it rather refers to the state of Dzogchen as expressed in the sPyi ti yoga. This state is our natural, authentic condition, expressed in terms of emptiness (stong pa) and Clarity (gsal ba). Such a state is not to be found outside oneself, in vain quests or research.
42it is the true nature of the Mind which is therefore to be found within oneself. In technical terms, it is defined as the abiding mode (gnas lugs) of our real nature.
As to this particularly special and extraordinary supreme Vehicle,
The Vehicle of the sPyi ti yoga is said to be special, extraordinary, and supreme basically because its perspective and contents are actually superior to those of other Vehicles. Its superiorities are defined as threefold :
1. it is particularly special (khyad par can) because it contains the instructions through which one is directly introduced to one’s true nature ; in other words, the teachings of the sPyi ti yoga are based on the direct introduction (ngo sprod) to the nature of the mind. This does not actually differ from other rDzogs chen teachings, but it describes this nature in terms which are said to be both understandable by erudite scholars and non-erudite practitioners;
4342 This idea centered on the absence of any need to seek (ma btsal) such a state is a leitmotiv of the Dzogchen Tantras. it is clearly associated with the fact that the state of rDzogs chen is to be found within oneself in numerous sources of this category. See for instance the rDzogs pa chen po nges don ’dus pa, fol. 220a. The very same principle is expressed in nearly identical terms in the rDzogs pa chen po lta ba ye shes gting nas rdzogs pa’i rgyud, fol. 166b. It is evidently the same subject that is brought about by the Rin po che bdud rtsi bcud thigs (fol. 282a) in verses such as “The Great Bliss which is not to be sought is found within oneself” (btsal med bde chen rang las rnyed). The state of sPyi ti that is not to be sought is clearly explained as being that of Buddhahood itself in the sgron ma brtsegs pa’i rgyud (fol. 332b) which says: “The Buddha to which one aspires is found within oneself” (smon pa’i sangs rgyas rang las rnyed), and (op. cit., fol. 332b): “The Quintessence, the Absolute Body, is found within oneself” (snying po chos sku rang las rnyed).
43 furthermore, in the tantra of Mountain stacks (Ri bo brtsegs pa’i rgyud) the notion of being special is explicitly linked to superiority (khyad par ’phags). Referring to the Contemplation of all Buddhas (sangs rgyas kun gyi dgongs pa), it says that since (sPyi ti) is superior to the Nine Vehicles, it is called “sPyi ti yoga, the peak of the Nine” (dgu rtse). See Ri bo brtsegs pa’i rgyud, fol. 5b. in the tantra of the stacked Lamps (sgron ma brtsegs pa’i rgyud), similar ideas are expounded regarding the superiority of sPyi ti.
