Treasures from Juniper Ridge: The Profound Instructions of Padmasambhava to the Dakini Yeshe Tsogyal

189 Pages·2008·5.24 MB·English

by  Erik Pema Kunsang

RANGJUNG YEsHE BooKs • www.RANGJUNG.coM
PADMASAMBHAVA Treasures from juniper Ridge • Advicef rom the
Lotus-Born • Dakini Teachings
of
PADMASAMBHAVA AND JAMGON KONGTRUL • The Light Wisdom,
Vol I • The Light of Wisdom, Vol. 2
YESHE TSOGYAL • The Lotus-Born
GAMPOPA The Precious Garland oft he Sublime Path
DAKPO TASHI NAMGYAL Clarifying the Natural State
TSELE NATSOK RANGDROL MirrorofMindfolness • Empowerment
Heart Lamp
of
CHOKGYUR LINGPA • Ocean Amrita • The Great Gate • Skillful Grace
JAMGON MIPHAM RINPOCHE • Gateway to Knowledge, Vol. I, Vol 2,
& Vol.J
TULKU URGYEN RINPOCHE • Blazing Splendor • Rainbow Painting •
As It Is, Vol. I As It Is, Vol. 2 • Vajra Speech Repeating the Words of
the Buddha
KHENCHEN THRANGU RINPOCHE Crystal Clear • Songs ofNaropa
of
King Samadhi Buddha Nature
CHOKYI NYIMA RINPOCHE • Present Fresh Wakefulness • Indisputable
Truth Union ofM ahamudra & Dzogchen Bardo Guidebook •
Song ofK armapa
TSIKEY CHOKLING RINPOCHE • Lotus Ocean
TULKU THONDUP Enlightened Living
ORGYEN TOBGYAL RINPOCHE • Life & Teachings of Chokgyur Lingpa
DZIGAR KONGTRUL Uncommon Happiness
TSOKNYI RINPOCHE Fearless Simplicity • Carefree Dignity
DZOGCHEN TRILOGY COMPILED BY MARCIA BINDER SCHMIDT •
Dzogchen Primer • Dzogchen Essentials Quintessential Dzogchen
ERIK PEMA KUNSANG • Wellsprings ofthe Great Perftction • A Tibetan
Buddhist Companion • The Rangjung Yeshe Tibetan-English Dictionar
of
Buddhist Culture
Treasures from
juniper Ridge
THE PROFOUND TREASURE INSTRUCTIONS OF
PADMASAMBHAVA
TO THE DAKINI YESHE TSOGYAL
Recorded and concealed by Yeshe Tsogyal
From the revelations ofNyang Ral Nyima Ozer, Rigdzin Godem,
Sangye Lingpa, Rinchen Lingpa, Dotje Lingpa,Jamyang Khyentse
Wangpo, and Chokgyur Lingpa
Translated and edited by
ERIK PEMA KuNsANG & MARciA BINDER ScHMIDT
Rangjung Yeshe
Publications
Boudhanath, Hong Kong & Esby
2008
Rangjung Yeshe Publications
Flat sa, Greenview Garden,
125 Robinson Road, Hong Kong
Address letters to:
Rangjung Yeshe Publications
Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling Monastery
P.O. Box Izoo, Kathmandu, Nepal
www.rangjung.com
[email protected]
Copyright © zooS Rangjung Yeshe Publications
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by
any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any
information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher
FrRST PAPERBACK EDITION zooS
Printed in the United States of America
Distributed to the book trade by:
North Adantic Books & Random House, Inc.
Publication data: ISBN-IJ: 978-96Z-7341-6z-8 (pbk.)
Treasures from Juniper Ridge: the profound instructions of padmasarnbhava to the
dakini yeshe tsogyal. From the revelations ofNyang Ral Nyima Ozer, Rigdzin Godem,
Sangye Lingpa, Rinchen Lingpa, Do.tje Lingpa, Jarnyang Khyentse Wangpo,
and Chokgyur Lingpa.
Translated from the Tibetan based on the teachings of Kyabje Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche
by Erik Perna Kunsang (Erik Hein Schmidt).
Edited by Michael Tweed and Marcia Binder Schmidt.
First ed.
1. Treasures from juniper Ridge, Vol I. z. Eastern philosophy-Buddhism.
3· Vajrayana-Tibet. I. Tide. II. Padmasambhava (8th Cent.). III. Ye shes mtsho
rgyal (8th Cent.). IV. Myang ral nyi ma'i 'od zer (uz4-u8z). Rin chen gLing pa
(IZ95-1375). Rig 'dzin rgo ldem (1337-I4o8). Sangs rgyas gling pa (1340-1396). rDo rje
gling pa (1346-I405). Jarnyang Khyentse Wangpo (18zo-I89z),
and Chokgyur Lingpa (I8Z9-187o).
Cover Photo by Graziella Zanoletti
NAMO GURU DHEVA DHAKKINI HUNG
EMAHO
Lotus-Born, unchanging like a vajra is yourf orm.
Your voice of conquerors is egoless, the Dharma tones resound.
Omniscient is your mind, a treasury ofa ll that is profound.
To you, my lord and savior of all beings, I sincerely bow.
Contents
Translator's Prefoce
X1
Introductory Teachings X111
Advice on How to Practice the Profound Instructions r
Self-Liberated Wakefulness 3
The Twenty-one Vital Instructions 9
The Pointing-Out Instruction to the Old Lady 21
Descending with the View from Above 27
The Crystal Garland of Daily Practice 41
The Precious Golden Garland of Meditation
Instructions 63
The Cycle of Vital Points 93
Advice on Combining Development and Completion,
the Practices With and Without Concepts 107
Instruction for Women on Attaining Enlightenment
Without Abandoning Daily Activities m
The Empowerment for Awareness-Display 121
Signs and Levels of Progress 129
Advice on Attaining Enlightenment at the
Moment of Death 135
The Five Bardos 143
The Treasure of the Lotus Crystal Cave 157
Sources r67
VII
Translator's Preface
Treasures from juniper Ridge is the third volume of a collection of trea
sure teachings given by Padmasambhava during his stay in Tibet in
the ninth century. Most of the pieces presented here and in the earlier
two books, Dakini Teachings and Advice from the Lotus-Born, are ques
tions and answers between Padmasambhava and his main students,
especially the dakini Yeshe Tsogyal. In the unfolding of this delightful
and inspiring project over the years, a gradual progression naturally
occurred.
The first volume, Dakini Teachings, is composed primarily of the
profound foundational trainings such as refuge, bodhichitta, deity,
and guru practices. The treasure revealers are Nyang Ral Nyima Ozer
and Sangye Lingpa. Advice from the Lotus-Born takes the teachings to
a slighdy deeper level, being comprised of instructions on view, medi
tation, and conduct. In addition to the first two treasure revealers,
Rigdzin Godem and Chokgyur Lingpa are represented.1
This third volume, Treasures from juniper Ridge, has the most subde
and insightful guidance of all. These selections are for the more sea
soned practitioner with emphasis on the view and the combination of
conceptual and non-conceptual meditations.
This volume is based primarily on the revealed termas of the
12th century terton, Nyang Ral Nyima Ozer (1124-1192). The manu-
1. In Dakini Teachings more detailed stories are included about the two major tertons,
Nyang Ral Nyima Ozer and Sangye Lingpa.
IX
TREASURES FROM JUNIPER RIDGE
scripts that I have used were kept in the Royal Danish Library, hav
ing been brought back from a Mongolian monastery by Henning
Haslund Christiansen, a Danish explorer of Central Asia. When
Dilgo Khyentse visited the library in 1976, he asked to be shown all
the original handwritten manuscripts and decided to have photocop
ies made of six volumes of books that were unavailable at that time
in India. Among these six were a collection of some of Nyang Ral's
termas called ]omo Shulen, (The 011estions and Answers of the Lady
Tsogyal).
Other teachings are included in juniper Ridge come from such
termas as Nyang Ral's Martri, Sangye Lingpa's Lama Gongdu Cycle,
Rigdzin Godem's Gongpa Zangtal Cycle, Rinchen Lingpa's Chigcho
Kundrol Chenpo, and the rediscovered treasures ofJ amy ang Khyentse
Wangpo and Chokgyur Lingpa.
In the earlier volumes, we were reticent to present too much em
phasis on the view, fearing that it would be misunderstood. However,
in the :fifteen years since the publication of Dakini Teachings, the
growing audience of Dharma students has been fortunate to gain
access to many very deep and previously secret teachings which are
now available in modern languages. As the Dharma matures in the
West and more and more wonderful translators manifest, this trend
will continue to the benefit of modern practitioners. Coupling these
circumstances with Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche's command, "Translate
everything. Remain faithful to the original. Don't correct anything
and don't leave out the view, otherwise Padmasambhava looks too pi
etistic," we felt authorized to offer the collection presented here.
"The Treasure of the Lotus Crystal Cave," which forms the :final
chapter of our volume, differs from the others chapters in that it re
counts Padmasambhava's personal development at the feet of his guru,
Shri Singha.
In conclusion I would like to thank everyone involved in this en
deavor. First of all, I have incredible gratitude to Padmasambhava's
X
TREASURES FROM JUNIPER RIDGE
compassionate brilliance in bestowing upon us these inspiring and
astounding teachings, to Yeshe Tsogyal for devotedly recording and
hiding them, to the tertons for revealing them, and to Tullm Urgyen
Rinpoche for giving me the courage and encouragement to translate
them.
Thanks also go to the Dharma friends who helped produce this
book, to Marcia Schmidt for constant prodding to complete the work,
to Michael Tweed for his skilful editing, to Ward Brisick for editing
"The Treasure of the Lotus Crystal Cave," to the copy editor, Meghan
Howard, to the proofreaders, Zack Beer and Catherine Dalton, to
the typesetter Joan 0 lson, and of course to the production sponsor,
Richard Gere, who has shown constant kindness and support over
many years.
There are many blessings in being able to work with such beautiful
material. I only pray that I have been up to the task in presenting even
a fraction of its profundity. By the power ofPadmasambhava's marvel
ous activity and insight, may all beings connected to him gather in his
presence in the Copper-Colored Mountain's Realm of Splendor.
Erik Pema Kunsang
Completed at Rangjung Yeshe Gomdi, Denmark,
on the lunar calendar's auspicious fifteenth day
of
thef irst month, 2008
XI