Khandro Nyingtik Lineage History

History of the Lineage of Gurus of the Great Perfection’s Heart-Essence of the Ḍākinīs

from the Khandro Nyingtik

Homage to the gurus of the lineage!

To engender confidence and establish authenticity, I shall briefly relate the history of the lineage of gurus. For as the Union of the Sun and Moon says:

If you do not recount the history
Of the supremely secret definitive teachings,
People may not trust their authenticity.

As for the history of this lineage, this very tantra states:

The teacher, Samantabhadra and Samantabhadrī in union,
Blessed the vessel, Sattva, who is none other than themselves.
Entrusted with this singular knowledge that liberates all,
He transcended all limitations of bondage and freedom.
Then, through the blessings of Vajrasattva,
This naturally arose in the mind of Garab Dorje,
Who entrusted the tantra to Śrī Siṃha.
This tantra, Complete Fruition: Liberation through Wearing,[1]
Was then entrusted to Padma of Oḍḍiyāna.
Reveal it to the disciple who possesses the five.

Thus, in the Akaniṣṭha palace of the dharmadhātu, the utterly pure expanse of space, the transcendent conqueror, glorious Samantabhadra and consort, who are immaculate dharmakāya, entirely without any concrete essence, assumed a form with features such as face and hands, and, in the location of Akaniṣṭha, taught the transcendent conqueror Vajrasattva naturally by means of blessings. The sambhogakāya Vajrasattva, adorned with marks and signs, then verbally instructed the emanation Garab Dorje, a resident of the human realm despite having realization equal to that of a buddha, in the palace of the Blazing Volcano charnel ground. He, in turn, taught the master Śrī Siṃha in the great charnel ground of Pāruṣyaka Grove by directly establishing his actual nature. Then he, in turn, taught the great vidyādhara known as Padma Tötreng Tsal, whose vajra-like form is beyond birth and death, in the great charnel ground of Sosadvīpa, by revealing the natural state beyond speculation.

He taught Tsogyal, the lady of Kharchen, who beheld all the ḍākinīs in visions and received their prophecies, in the Zhotö Tidro Cave[2] so that she directly ascertained the natural clarity of the essence of fivefold wisdom, beyond erroneous meditation, speculation or bewilderment.

He also taught the princess Pema Ledrel Tsal in the supreme location, glorious Chimphu, through blessings in the manner of fivefold transmission. She in turn [when reborn as Pema Ledrel Tsal alias Tsultrim Dorje] entrusted the great nirmāṇakāya Lekden[3] with all the teachings and transmissions at the hermitage of Jarpo Drongpo. He in turn taught Delekpa,[4] the yogin of the ultimate nature, at the site of glorious Tsari, so that he ascertained clear light as great freedom from limitations, unconstrained and beyond partiality. He in turn taught the gracious renunciant Chöjé[5] in the supreme place of glorious Tharpa Ling, so that he directly perceived space and awareness beyond union and separation. He in turn taught the bodhisattva Guṇa,[6] who had mastered loving kindness and compassion, at the supremely delightful and remote place of Mentsé, combining Trekchö and Tögal, so that he ascertained the three kāyas beyond union and separation.

I, the lady of Kharchen, served as the compiler and blessed this so that it might be transmitted to the minds of those in future who have a karmic connection. I entrust it to the ḍākinīs and conceal it as precious treasure. May it meet with the destined one in future.

This is the sequence of the lineage of gurus. Ithi. May it be virtuous!

| Translated by Adam Pearcey with the generous support of the Tsadra Foundation, 2023.

Bibliography

Tibetan Edition

"rdzogs pa chen po mkha' 'gro'i snying thig gi bla ma brgyud pa'i lo rgyus" In snying thig ya bzhi. 13 vols. Delhi: Sherab Gyaltsen Lama, 1975. Vol. 10: 11–16 (3 folios)

Secondary Sources

Germano, David and Janet Gyatso. "Longchenpa and the Possession of the Ḍākinīs". In David Gordon White (ed.), Tantra in Practice, Princeton and Oxford: Princeton University Press, 2000, pp. 241–265

Nyoshul Khenpo. A Marvelous Garland of Rare Gems. Translated by Richard Barron. Junction City, California: Padma Publication, 2005.

Version: 1.0-20231122