Heart to Heart Guru and Disciples

Chapter 2    Wisdom Firing Set Prairie Ablaze

2.8. Heart to Heart Guru and Disciples

Rigongpa is the sixth of the first seven jewel guru. His disciple Songjay Tonpa is the seventh.

Songjay Tonpa was born in Kare of Tibet. He was a precocious child and knew to respect and contemplate Buddhism from very young, disliking temporal happiness and samsara, and diligently made good karma such as rotating around towers. When he was 8 years old, he already knew calligraphy and reading; when he was 11 years old, he received the exclusive and singly transmitted dharma from Maji Living Buddha; when he was 13, he became a monk before the seat of Zanrirepa, who predicted “you will benefit living beings and create great dharma benefit, learn dharma diligently and attain great achievement.” Zanrirepa also bestowed on him the dharma name of Zhunzhusengge, meaning “diligent lion”. At 19, he received the bhiksu discipline before the seat of Kanbu Quejiajin. Following this, he aspired to refuge under an achieved guru and concentrate on meditation. One day, he heard a person recommend Edun, who was very kind and smart, with many virtues and strict discipline. Thus Songjay Tonpa went to visit him and shared a room with him. At night, Edun suddenly shouted "Tara save me.” Songjay Tonpa asked “why do you scream?” Edun said “I dreamed that I wandered to a place called Dingri, where there are three black holes and I fell down into one of them, so I called for most honourable Tara. The three holes were the three evil interests. I have to find an achieved guru, convert under them and meditate in order to solve the problem.” Songjay Tonpa asked “Where is an achieved guru?” Edun said “There is a great adept in Yupu, called Rigongpa, who is good at dreaming meditation and has all god magic. He goes to Buddha kingdoms and sees Yidams in person and has meditated in hiding for many years. I want to go there.”

That adept was the sixth generation guru Rigongpa. In 1168 C.E., he was born in Yueer of Tibet, and became a monk before the seat of the great dharma king Langwo Rinpoche, and learnt the Five Big Explanations. Then he received the lineage and empowerment of Sakya from the great living Buddha Zhibajiangshen, and later refuged to Kyergangpa and received all of his dharma. Rigongpa retreated for one year and attained great achievement, and had over 7000 disciples. In the spare time from preaching dharma, he divided his bodies into the 24 holy realms of Chakrasambhava to meditate tantra.

After hearing the name of the guru, the faith of Songjay greatly increased. His hair immediately stood on end and he viewed guru as Buddha. He wanted to go but because of many things, three years passed before he set out. Later on, Edun passed away. That day, Songjay Tonpa steeled his determination and threw away all temporal things and left. Just as he left, guru already had knowledge. At dawn, Rigongpa Guru instructed his trusted servant “Make Preparations. There is a great meditator coming from Raozhong. He is no ordinary person but the lord who will benefit living beings. My teaching shall go all places, from Wuzhangna to Nalanta internally, and reaching over seas. Dakini and protectors have gone to welcome him. Wash the floor with clear water and clean Buddha chapel to make respect arise in the hearts of people.” The servant obeyed and set up all the offerings. Then guru said “The person has arrived at the Sejima Grass and is eating lunch. Go speedily to receive him.” The waiter went out and it was same as guru had said. Songjay Tonpa was welcomed into the temple, and worshiped guru. Guru said “You often thought to come today or come tomorrow, but it has been 3 years and the world has changed. The lama Edun and Xupanabo, who predicted our meeting, have passed away.” Songjay Tonpa heard this and realized that the guru indeed had unimpeded god magic. Then guru asked “From where does your respect to me arise?” Songjay Tonpa answered “It is widely said that guru has achievement on dream meditation, so I came to visit and ask for transmission of great dharma.” Guru was pleased, and transmitted to him the Five Golden Dharma of Niguma and the empowerments of all dharma of Shangpa Kagyu. Guru instructed him do 6 months retreat, through which he achieved. Not long later, Rigongpa passed the dharma seat to Songjay Tonpa and flew to the pure land in the flesh body.

Songjay Tonpa had 2000 disciples and did kind deeds widely during the rest of his life. He renovated the 108 temples built by Khyungpo lama, benefiting human and nonhuman alike. One day, Niguma came and predicted “The Five Golden Dharma has been singly transmitted for 7 generations, and may be preached widely from now on. Achievers from meditating this dharma will be as many as the stars in sky. Your dharma seat will be inherited by Chichenben.” Guru called the disciples together and announced this prediction. He passed his seat to Chichenben and saw that dakini had come to welcome him. Disciples cried and begged guru to stay in the world. Guru soothed them, then flew into sky in his flesh body, and flew to the pure land.

I remember when I first read the related books. When I read that Edun dreamed of falling into the three evil interests, countless exclamations arose. This was a man famed for dexterity, who knew the law of transience, and furthermore knew the guru to take refuge in. Yet he brushed passed the shoulder of opportunity. Of course, he definitely did not think that he was going to die in 3 years. I often think that he would have designed his life differently if he knew he would die in 3 years. At the least, he would have looked for his heart’s guru, rather than living this life empty. I have a Vajra brother, who was also one of the first disciples of Guru Jianggong from the Han areas and a well-recognized good guy, with natural kindness and loving to help others. When he received the permitted empowerment of Five Golden Dharma, he had been over 60. In the temporal dharma of this world, he was a good person. His mistake was that he could not give up the temporal dharma of this world, he could not detach and concentrate on meditation. At the time, he participated in many social activities, including Qigong, composing and many cultural activities. I tried to persuade him to concentrate on the meditation of the Five Golden Dharma. He said “I am old. I cannot achieve in this life. Let me do some service so you youngsters can meditate well.” Everyday, he busied himself with many social events. Not long ago, he died of cerebral haemorrhage. I sent him to crematory personally. I saw with my own eyes his well kept flesh burnt by the fire, leaving a pile of white bones. This situation touched me deeply. I directly felt the hand of transience. Later, I wrote it into the novel Lie Yuan (Beijing October Art Publisher).

The success of that brother was that he was a good person, the sad thing was that he did not meditate even though he received the highest superior upright dharma. It is hard to obtain the human body and it even harder to meet upright dharma. It is a very happy thing to get upright dharma and meditate on it in this life. Unfortunately, many people who meet upright dharma only “meditate” on talking, or like Edun, are tied to temporal things until death comes, when regret is too late and sighs are in vain.

I have another brother who was wiling to meditate and was very sincere. Unfortunately, he was attached to outside phenomena and could not reach enlightenment. No long before he died, I saw him. I found that his heart had not widened in the least from Buddhist meditation. Soon afterwards, he died. He calculated over everything, but when death came, he could not calculate over anything.

Many people are like them, unable to give up anything, unable to be satisfied, never thinking of the death or transience. When death comes, they have to give up everything they cannot give up.

Edun eventually missed that opportunity. He knew who the superior guru was but did not give up everything and refuge to him. The great luck of Sangye Tönpa was that he took refuge in guru before death caught up with him. After only 6 months of retreat, he overcame life and death, becaming the root guru of a generation in Shangpa Kagyu.

From Chichenben, the Five Golden Dharma of Niguma was preached widely. To Guru Jianggong, it is the thirty sixth generation. For brief biographies of all gurus in this trasmission, please see the appendix in later text. The names of all gurus and the prayers to them are below:

Ever present holy Lord Dorje Chang

Niguma who can grant secret superior happiness

Khyungpo Naljor of the Ultimate Five Virtues

King of Superior Achievement Mokchokpa

Living ultimately is director Kyergangpa

Dancing happily with the illusory bodies of Skill and Wisdom is Nyentonpa

Songjay Tonpa who achieved Buddhahood in one life

Chichenben, Master of the pure fragrant land

Wisdom sowing Youruozhi

Of numerous kind and virtuous achievements Lord Jiangcunben

Freely incarnating Chichengong

Superior mystic heat glorious Riqinba

Renjianba, drinking to the full the amrita of illusory bodies

Qi heart turned Buddha body Sangjihua

Empty happy brightness now achieved Langkajia

All appearance merged into self-nature Lejiawa

Commander of the Vajra chief yogini Zhuoweigun

Perfect dharma body Honorable Zhanghong Zhahua

Chakrasamvara with morality secret Lord Zhuoweigun

Jiangcuocan who achieved the replacing wisdom body

Yongdangong who achieved the path of asceticism

Gongbo Huajuewa who achieved the rainbow body

Samsara and nirvana indifferentiable now achieved Gongbozha

Brilliant Langjiangcan who obtained coliving happiness

King of countless saints Lebazeng

Manifested body of Cherezig Honorable Chenlei Xiangdixia

Huabawa who achieved the superior realm of a hundred lights

Enlightening true treasure Lengjizhi

Luozhuba, merged with non-self mother

Secret Buddha Honorable Gama Langtong

Qi heart at ease Yanpan Aosejian

Honorable Luozhu Tayi who received Buddha’s prediction

Having the eight achievements of freedom Honorable Gengga Jiumei

Son of Niguma Saint Jianghuayang

Lord of all sections Honorable Deweiduoji

Sanjihua, treasure repertory of the great secret lineage

Before root guru holding lineage teaching treasure repertory

With all strength and unchanging sincerity I pray

Your body is Guhyasamaja, your language ‘Big Illusory’

Your thought is joyous, your merit all together wheel

Your career the same as Yamantaka!

King of Saint Khyungpo Naljor’s

Deep path and gold rosary of perfect transmission

Sincerely exerting all strength I pray from the depths of my heart

Bless achievement to be entitled mercifully by root!

Grant blessing for the self burning of the mystic heat warm happy!

Grant blessing for the self manifestation of the no greed illusory body!

Grant blessing for the self manifestation of the Buddha body in dreams!

Grant blessing for brightness without break or loss!

Grant blessing for the achievement of no error Dakini!

Grant blessing for the achievement of the three bodies in Bardo!

Just hearing the name will break samsara

After swiftly attaining the great achievement of Khyungpo Naljor

Grant blessing that I may work for the liberation of empty-like living beings!