Chapter 3f - The Life Story of the Ācārya Ston pa dbang phyul rgyal pa

Then his nephew the ācārya ston pa occupied the chair. His father was called ston pa dbang phyug rgyal pa^[1] . He was a Tantric and was learned in the "Old" and "New" Yamāntaka Tantras, as well as in medicine.

When he reached the age of 18, he took up ordination in the presence of gshen sa bug pa in his native place.

With glang thang pa and shar ba pa he studied the Five Treatises of Maitreya and the several treatises on the Mādhyamika system.

With pa tshab he studied the Six Treatises on the Mādhyamika^[2] . [14b]

With gtsang pa sar spos, gtsang nag pa and rma bya byang ye he studied the rtsod pa zlog pa^[3] and the Yuktiṣaṣṭika^[4] .

With dar yon tan grags and zhang he studied on three occasions the tshig 'jug^[5] .

With stod lungs rgya dmar pa he studied the

PañcaviṃśatisāhasrikāPrajñāpāramitā^[6] and the commentary on the Aṣṭasāhasrikā^[7] .

At rma bya'i gnas (residence of rma bya) in Upper myang he studied the Hīnayānistic and Mahāyāna Abhidharma with zhang ston 'od 'bar.

From the kalyāṇa-mitra gangs snyan he heard on twenty occasions the (Pramāṇa)-viniścaya^[8] . Thus for forty years he continued (his) studies.

At the age of 41, he received from the ācārya 'phags pa the Initiation (abhiṣeka) into the Saṃvara Cycle according to the system of rma. He then proceeded to la stod as attendant of ācārya 'phags pa who was going to lha rje ma and her brother.

He listened on six and half occasions to the exposition of the "Path and Fruit" Doctrine (lam 'bras) by ‘khon phu ba, and spent (there) two years. He also heard the "Path and Fruit" Doctrine recited twice by lha rje ma herself and received on six occasions the initiation and blessing from both the sister and brother.

Then again having gone to dbus, after three years, 'phags pa, uncle and nephew, having taken with themselves numerous presents, proceeded, and met again the sister and her brother who were residing at mang dkar spang sgang. They (the brother and sister) bestowed on them many secret doctrines, and they remained there for one year. ‘khon phu ba said: "Now I have completed the preaching, now you need not come here again". ‘khon phu ba gave them a painted banner (thang ka) of Yamāntalta, and lha rje ma a tooth.

On his return to dbus, he spent six years immured in the cave of yang dben. About that time he had a premonition of the death of lha rje nma and her brother. After eight years, phags pa died.

After that, he taught the doctrine to many, and gave instructions in meditation. He was able to ascertain where the entities of (deceased people) were to be reborn, for whom he had performed the seven days' rites. When he was 60, he said to his attendant jo btsun sgom nag and others: "I shall be going in the next New Year moon! Stay [15a] together till jo sras will grow up. You will act as assistant in his studies." He passed away in the New Year moon of the Tiger year (stag lo—1158 A.D).

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

sku mched rnam pa gsum: po to ba rin chen gal; spyan snga ba tshul khrims 'bar; phu chung ba gzhon nu rgyal mtshan (R)

[2]:

rigs tshogs drug; formerly only five Treatises were included in this group. Later the Ratnāvalī was added to the group (R)

[3]:

Vigraha-vyāvartani, tg. dbu ma, No. 3828 (R)

[4]:

rigs pa drug cu pa, tg. dbu ma, 3825 (R)

[5]:

Prasannapadā and the Mādhyamika-avatarā, tg. dbu ma Nos. 3860, 3861 (R)

[6]:

nyi khri mdo 'grel, tg. sher phyin, 3790 (R)

[7]:

tg. sher phyin, 3791

[8]:

tg. dbu ma, 4211 (R)