Chapter 1 - Translator Rngog together with his lineage

[Full title: Translator rngog together with his lineage (rngog lo brgyud pa dang bcas pa’i skabs. Chandra 292; Chengdu 399; Roerich 328).]

Now, we need not think that those who had been the disciples of the personal disciples of (rngog) lo tsa ba, the great Tripiṭakadharas, who had taught the great fundamental texts (gzhung), had been the followers of the bka' gdams pa school. The story of the labours in the interest of the Doctrine performed by the abbots of dpal gsang phu monastery is to be told here:

Rngog lo tsA ba lbo ldan shes rab

The great lo tsa ba rin chen bzang po was born in the year Earth Male Horse (sa pho rta 958 A.D.) and died at the age of 98 in the year Wood Female Sheep (shing mo lug 1055 A.D.). When the Great Translator was 54, in the year Iron Female Hog (lcags mo phag 1059 A.D.) nag tsho lo tsa ba was born. When nag tsho was 49 in the year Earth Female Hog (sa mo phag 1059 A.D.) rngog lo tsa ba blo ldan shes rab was born. When the latter was 18, he attended the Religious Council (dhos 'khor) of the year Fire Male Dragon (me pho 'brug 1076 A.D) held by king (mnga' bdag) rtse lde, in company with dags po dbang rgyal, rwa lo, gnyan lo, khyung po chos brtsan, mar thung dad pa shes rab, mang or byang chub shes rab and btsan Kha bo che. After having studied for seventeen years in Kāśmīra, he returned to Tibet in the year Water Male Ape (chu pho spre’u 1092 A.D.), aged 35. Having laboured extensively for the welfare of living creatures, he passed away at the age of 51 in the year Earth Female Ox (sa mo glanng 1109 A.D.). In the next Iron Male Tiger year (lcags pho stag 1110 A.D.) 'gro mgon phag mo gru pa was born.

Abbatial lineage of dpal gsang phu part I

After the death of (rngog) lo tsa ba, the abbot’s chair was occupied by zhang tshes spong ba chos kyi bla ma for 32 years. After him (the chair was occupied) by gnyal pa ri lu for 32 years, by rnam par ba for 8 years and by phya pa chos kyi seng ge for 18 years. Phya pa died in the year Earth Female Ox (sa mo glang 1169 A.D.). When phya pa was seventeen rma bya byang chub brtson ‘grus (byang brtson) died. After phya pa, for 5 years rtsags dbang phyug seng ge; for 13 years gtsang pa 'jam seng ge; for 7 years gnyal pa dad pa bzang po; for 7 years dzam can ne; bzang pa darma 'od and bzang pa don grub both for 30 years; for 15 years the ācārya jo nam;for six months rog; for 35 years 'od zer mgon po.

Abbatial lineage of dpal gsang phu interjection

In general, the above years when added together, amount to about 159 years. However only 156 years had elapsed, for some of the abbots had occupied the chair concurrently, and this accounts for the three extra years. I did not include among the above years the three years of 'jam seng, as some (authors) do not enumerate him (among the abbots).

Abbatial lineage of dpal gsang phu part II

After him 'jam dbyangs Śākya gzhon nu occupied the chair for 27 years from the Fire Male Tiger year (me pho stag 1326 A.D.). After him rgya ma bkra shis rgyal mtshan for 8 years; then phyog las rnam rgyal for 8 years; yar 'brog pa gzhon rgyal for one month; gzon seng of rgyal sde for eight years; gtsang dkar for three years; blo gros seng ge for seventeen years; ngar dbang for seven years; bla ma ye 'shes for ten years; shes rab rgyal mtshan for three years; gzhon nu blo ldan for six years; blo gros brtan pa for three years; chang ma sngon po for five years; bsod nams 'phel for nineteen years; seng ge rgyal mtshan for eight years; bsam gtan bzang po for seven years; sangs rgyas rgyal mtshan for ten years; brtson 'grus seng ge for six years; yon tan rgya mtsho for five years; sang chos pa for fourteen years; then the present (abbot) shes rab dpal ldan. Till 'jam dpal seng ge, the Line of abbots of the Upper Monastery (of gsang phu) was one. Then zhu ston hral mo for five years; blo gros 'bar for five years; gnyal zhig for eight years; rgya chin ru ba for eighteen years; chu mig pa for eighteen years; ldan ma grags rin for eighteen years; blo brag pa for twenty two years; sog dbon for 7 years; btsan dgon pa for twenty years; chos dpal rgyal mtshan of bla brang for six years; gzhon rin for twelve years; lha ston zhig po for seventeen years; yang rtse pa for five years; lha yul pa for thirteen years; bon ston sher bzang for seven years; rin chen grags pa for seven years; yon tan rgya mtsho for fourteen years; dkon mchog tshul khrims for seven years; rin chen rnam rgyal for twenty two years; 'od chen pa for six years; grags pa dpal for five years; dkon mchog rgya mtsho for seventeen years; mi nyag rin chen bzang po for seven months; dpal ldan seng ge for eleven years; kun dga' dbang phyug for thirteen years;then the present rin chen byang chub.

Duration of the abbatial lineage

From the lo tsa ba’s birth to the present Fire Male Ape year (me pho spre 1476 A.D.), 418 years have elapsed.

Shes rab ‘bar of ‘bre

shes rab 'bar of 'bre, the best of the lo tsa ba’s disciples, visited the monastery of skyegs gnas rnying and others. He preached extensively both the Sūtra of the Prajñāpāramitā and the śāstras (i.e. Commentaries). It is said, that during his teaching, the gods used to come down to hear his exposition. In his teaching he followed the tradition of the Prajñāpāramitā as taught during the period of the early spread of the Doctrine and which had been preserved in khams. While he had numerous disciples, the Lineage of Teaching was mainly held by byang chub ye shes of ar. He taught till a very old age at gnam rtse ldan (near rwa sgreng) and other monasteries. During this period, he also acted as abbot of rgyal lha khang, and also composed many expositions on the Prajñāpāramitā and its commentaries (śāstras).

The Tibetan traditional interpretation of the basic text of the Prajñāpāramitā is mainly based on the expositions by 'bre and ar. Khu ser brtson, though he had met 'bre, followed mainly the tradition of ar in his numerous detailed, medium and abridged commentaries on the Abhisamayālaṃkāra and its commentary.

Gzhon nu tshul khrims

gzhon nu tshul khrims, known as skar chung ring mo, also studied under ar. He composed numerous commentaries on the Abhisamayālaṃkāra, on its "Short Commentary"^[1] , on the sdud pa^[2] . The disciple of both khu and skar chung pa smon lam tshul khrims of zhang gye took over numerous monasteries, including snye thang and others. He was a very wealthy man and wrote detailed commentaries on the śāstras, including one on the Sphuṭārtha and one on the Pramāṇaviniscaya (rnam nges, tshad ma rnam nges). Great was his benefit to others.

Dbang phyug rgyal po

His disciple dbang phyug rgyal po took up residence at grib kyi phu (Upper grib) and maintained there a numerous congregation. He composed a very extensive commentary on the Prajñāpāramitā. Zhang gye pa’s disciple gnyal pa zhig po.

Lineage extending from dbang phyug rgyal po

The latter’s disciple rgya ‘chang ru ba. Then seng ge dpal of chu mig, lho brag pa, tshad ma'i skyes bu, bu ston rin po che. The great paṇḍita Dharmaśrī, bsod nams seng ge of ru mtshams and thus down to spo bo yon tan seng ge in regular succession.

yon tan seng ge explained on twenty six occasions the Sphuṭārtha to my Venerable Teacher Śākya dbang phyug and improved his knowledge very much. From the latter I heard the exposition of the text.

Blo gros ‘byung gnas of gro lung

Further, blo gros 'byung gnas of gro lung, the chief disciple of the great (rngog) lo tsa ba, held in high esteem all the teachings of the great Translator (rngog). In general, he composed numerous commentaries on the systems of both the Tantras and Sūtras. He composed an extensive lam rim (Degrees of the Path) and a bstan rim (Degrees of Teaching) in the domain of the bka' gdams pa system. In particular, he composed an Analysis based on the commentary on the 'Short Commentary" ('grel chung) by the Great Translator (rngog). His early life was bereft of wealth. Then gung pa lha rje, a disciple of sne'u zur pa, bestowed on him the avavāda of the yakṣa rmugs 'dzin^[3] and he was able to collect great wealth. He also built the large vihāra of brin las. When this Mahātman had reached the end of his life, the ācārya phya pa studied with great diligence under him and composed an extensive commentary on the Sphuṭārtha.

The followers (of phya pa) should be distinguished from those of 'bre and ar. Further, gangs pa she'u blo gros byang chub was very learned in the domains of the Sūtras and Tantras.

Rgya dmar pa byang chub grags of stod lungs

His and 'khyung rin chen grags’s disciple rgya dmar pa byang chub grags of stod lungs taught at myang ro and other monasteries. He had many learned disciples. The ācārya phya pa also studied under him the systems of Mādhyamaka and Nyāya. Rgya dmar pa was not only fully learned, but also possessed numerous Tantric secret precepts. He and ar requested dkon mchog dpal of lho, a direct disciple of ka rag sgom chung, to perfect the exposition of the "Training of the Mind” (sems sbyong). It appears that rgya dmar pa also obtained many instructions from la ba'i 'od zer, a son of 'khon phu ba. (rgya dmar pa) had many learned disciples including the great paṇḍita cog ro chos kyi rgyal mtshan, dpal phag mo gru pa, 'bal tshad ma pa, skyil mkhar lha khang pa, dus gsum mkhyen pa and others. He also composed many commendiums and commentaries on the Pramāṇaviniścaya, the bden gnyis^[4] and other texts. Zhang tshe spong ba chos kyi bla ma composed several commentaries.

His disciple nyang bran pa chos kyi ye shes composed text books (yig cha) on religious practice, on the Śīkṣāsāmuccaya (bslab pa kun las btus pa), the Bodhisattvacaryāvatāra^[5] and other texts, and taught to many disciples. This teacher was famous as a great benefactor in the "Domain of Practice".

PhyA pa

The Teacher phya pa before occupying the chair of ne'u thog (gsang phu) maintained many religious schools, composed śāstras, numerous commentaries on the "Five Treatises" of Maitreya, the Pramāṇaviniścaya, the dbum bden gnyis, the Mādhyamakālaṃkārakārikā ^[6] , the Mādhyamakāloka ^[7] , the Bodhisattvacaryāvatāra and other texts. He also composed their respective abridgements. He composed the tshad ma'i bsdus pa yid kyi mun sel in verses^[8] and an auto commentary thereon; also a yid kyi mun sel without a commentary. Also a large and short abridgment of the Mādhyamaka system. Further, he seems to have composed many other compositions.

These had been seen by me and I also have heard about a phyi nang gi grub mtha 'bsdus pa, or "Summary on the theories of non buddhists and Buddhists", and about a shes bya gzhi lnga'i bshad pa, "Exposition of the five bases of the knowable" by him. Most of the Piṭakadharas of that time had been his disciples. Gtsang nag pa brtson 'grus seng ge, dan bag pa smra ba'i seng ge (dan bag, near 'bras spuns), bru sha bsod nams serng ge, rma bya (near sa skya) rtsod pa'i seng ge, rtsags dbang phyug seng ge, myang bran chos kyi seng ge, ldan ma dkon mchog serng ge and gnyal pa yon tan serng ge the "Eight Mighty Lions" (seng chen brgyad).

Some include (among them) gtsang pa 'jam dpal seng ge. 'khon jo sras rtse mo, rngog jo sras ra mo, khu jo sras ne tso, gnyos jo sras dpal le, these four were called "the Four jo sras". 'gar dbang grub, kong po 'jag chung, lho pa sgog zan and bar pu pa -these four were called "The Four Wise Ones" (shes rab can bzhi). Further 'jang pa ston skyabs, rdo rje 'od zer and others. Dus gsum mkhyen pa zhang 'tshal pa, as well as many others.

PhyA pa’s disciple gtsang nag pa

Among these: gtsan nag pa. After having worshipped the Venerable Manju͂ śrī, he developed a sharp intellect and became very learned. He composed numerous text books on the Mādhyamaka, Nyāya and on other subjects. He also composed a large commentary on the Pramāṇaviniścaya, a Concordance between the Seventy Topics and the Prajñāpāramitāsūtra and an Analysis of the Śīkṣāsamuccaya (bslab btus), the Caryāvatāra and Mādhyamaka Śāstras.

The ācārya phya pa wrote many refutations (dgag pa) of the works of the ācārya Candrakīrti. Gtsang nag pa^[9] said: "A man similar to me, able through study to ascertain the meaning of texts according to the method of Śrī Candrakīrti, will not appear henceforth." His numerous large and abridged commentaries on the Mādhyamaka follow the method of Candrakīrti.

Rma bya byang chib brston ‘grus

rma bya byang chub brtson 'grus: besides being very learned in the Āgamas and in the Nyāya, he laboured extensively for the benefit of others by preaching the Mādhyamaka system. He also composed a commentary on the Prajñāmūla^[10] , a summary on the Prasannapadā^[11] , the Mādhyamakārthasaṃgraha^[12] and the Tarkamudgarakārikā^[13] . He also (not only gtsang nag pa who preferred the system of Candrakīrti to that of his teacher phya pa) preferred the schools of Jayānanda^[14] and others to that of the ācārya phya pa (who had been his Teacher). I have not seen the other books composed by dan bag pa, except an "Abridgment of Logic" (tshad ma'i bsdus pa) by him and a Commentary on the Anuttara-Tantra. Though he had composed many refutations of the ācārya phya pa’s theory about the endlessness of Time and the infinity of atoms, I was not attracted by them, and after reading them over, I could only say "O"!

Bar phu ba

bar phu ba: I had seen a commentary on the Mādhyamakamūla (i.e. Prajñāmūla) composed by him. Later he became the disciple of one named the kalyāṇa-mitra gru shul and of dpal phag mo gru pa, and after that became an ascetic follower of the Mahāmudrā.

'jang ba ston skyabs composed many expositions of the "Domain of Practice" (spyod phyogs) and Abhidharma. Many holy men became his disciples.

Gnyal zhig

gnyal zhig meditated for nine years at u shang rdo and taught (there). His disciples were known as the "Nine Sons of gnyal zhig" (gnyal zhig gi bu dgu). Bzhang rings, phu thang dar dkon, gtsang pa gru gu are known as the 'First Group” (snga tshar). U yug pa bsod nams seng ge, bo dong rin rtse and gtsang pa jo nam form the "Middle Group" (bar tshar). Rgya 'ching ru ba, 'jam gsar and skyel nag grags seng form the "Last Group" (phyi tshar). Bzang rigns taught at khro phu. Many learned men, including lho pa grub seng and others, appeared. Bu ston kha che also belonged to this Spiritual Lineage.

Phu thang dar dkon and others

phu than dar dkon: he taught at stod lungs mtsho smad and yar klungs, and had many disciples including gnyan dar ma seng ge, bya yul dkar mo and others. Gtsang pa gru gu established the Doctrine at zha lu. While the zha lu pas were studying the commentary of gnyal pa, bu rin po che (bu ston) arrived there. In order to conform with them, he obtained the permission (lung) of the gnyal ṭīkā^[15] from the ācārya bkra shis bzang po and taught it himself.

u yug pa heard (the exposition) of the Pramāṇavārtika from the sa skya pang chen at sa skya. Thanks to his teaching, there appeared numerous disciples, including the great scholar zhang mdo sde dpal and others. The spread of the Pramāṇavārtika up to the present time is due to the pang chen and him. In my younger days the inmates of gsang phu used to study the Pramāṇaviniścaya, but now a days they have changed over to the Pramāṇavārtika.

bo dong rin rtse established a school at brag ram and there appeared many scholars, including the ācārya dar ‘od, dbu ma pa ser 'bum, bu ston grags seng and others. 'jam dbyangs gsar ma founded a school at skyang 'dur which had many monks.

Kun mkhyen chos kyu ‘od zer

The one known as kun mkhyen chos sku 'od zer was one of his disciples also^[16] . In his later life he founded a philosophic school (bshad sgra) and a meditative school (sgom sgrwa). About that time, he proceeded to ri bo rtse lnga (wu t'ai shan) and then returned to Tibet. He appears to have composed commentaries on the Prajñāpāramitā and on the Pramāṇaviniścaya. His disciples asked him to explain the reason of a contradiction which existed between his previous and later interpretations (of the Doctrine), and he said that it was due to different methods of establishing equanimity in meditation. Later, he became a leading scholar among the students of the Kālacakra. Rong pa rgwa lo also became his disciple.

‘Chims chen mo

'chims chen mo had confidentially advised skyel nag grags seng to set up a monastic college at snar thang, but the bka' gdams pas objected to it and said that a fine should be imposed. Therefore skyel nag informed 'chims chen mo that it was impossible to set up a college there. To this 'chims replied confidentially: "I shall give you a large quantity of tea and you should hold there a tea offering ceremony (mang ja) in payment of the fine. At the third round of the tea offering you will say that you were offering your fine (to the congregation), and that now you were to debate the matter and after saying so you should open the debate." On doing so, he was able to set up a college (at snar thang). At that time many learned men appeared, including skyi ston grags 'bum, seng ge dpal of chu mig and others.

Bcom ldan rigs pa’I zal gri

bcom ldan rigs pa'i zal gri, a native of pu thang, became a monk in the monastery of mchod rten dkar mo of bsam yas^[17] . When he was studying the Prajñāparamitā under dbyar nyi ma brtson 'grus at dga' ba gdong, signs of leprosy appeared on his body. He went for treatment to skyo ston pa of snar thang. This skyo ston pa used to propitiate Vajrapāṇi for eleven years without seeing the sun. When bcom ral placed his foot on the threshold of the gate of snar thang, the sun shone on his head and at the same moment resounded the conch of the snar thang congregation, and he understood these sings to be auspicious.

Skyo ston pa said:

"In this disease of yours, you should avoid anxiety. Recite the Pramāṇaviniścaya in the ravine over there."

He then recited a thousand times the Pramāṇaviniścaya in a ravine situated in the valley of snar thang and leprosy left him. After that he took up residence at the school of snar thang and continued his studies. He recited the mantra of Acala 13,000,000,000 times and the dawn of wisdom rose in him. The four headed Religious Protector attended on him and he taught (the Doctrine). He had many learned disciples. Two thirds of the Tripiṭakadharas of that time are known to have gathered at snar thang.

‘Jam dbyangs

The mahā-paṇḍita ‘jam dbyangs ('jam pa'i dbyangs) has also been his disciple. Once at the end of a class (evening) he disguised himself as a devil and frightened the teacher^[18] who scolded him and refused permission for him to remain in his presence. He therefore took up residence at sa skya. After receiving an invitation from the Mongols, he became the court chaplain (mchod gnas) of Buyantu-qan (1311-1320 A.D.). There he wrote a short commentary on the Pramāṇaviniścaya, and sent numerous presents to bcom ldan pa by an Imperial Messenger, but the Teacher did not express pleasure. At last he succeeded in pleasing his Teacher by sending him a box filled with China ink. Bcom ldan pa also composed about sixteen volumes of śāstras^[19] .

The mahā-paṇḍita, known by the name of dbus pa blo gsal, has been the disciple of, both bcom ral and btsun pa 'jam dbyangs. Bcom ral examined the colophons and (verified) the number of verses in the chapters of the Words of the Sugata (i.e. BKa' 'gyur). He also composed a treatise called bstan pa' rgyas pa in which he classified the treatishes into sections^[20] .

On the bka’ gyur and bstan ‘gyur at snar thang

Later the Venerable ‘jam dbyangs made many presents to dbus pa blo gsal and others. He also sent a message with the request to copy the whole of the bka' 'gyur and bstan 'gyur and to keep the books at the vihāra of snar thang. Accordingly, dbus pa blo gsal byang chub ye shes, the lo tsa ba bsod nams 'od zer and rgyang ro byang chub 'bum, after raking great pains in finding the original copies of the bka' 'gyur and bstan 'gyur, had them properly copied and placed the entire collection in the 'jam lha khang (at snar thang). From it a number of copies were prepared for other monastic establishments, such as grom pa sa skya, khab gung thang of Upper Tibet and other monasteries. Three copies were prepared at 'tshal gung thang in the lower country. Three copies were prepared at 'stag lung and its neighbourhood.

Bu ston rin po che brought the (original) copy of the bstan 'gyur from snar thang and excluded from it all duplicate texts, for the original snar thang copy contained all the texts available at that time. He classified the texts which had remained unclassified, as well as added about a thousand new texts. This (new) copy (of the collectiqn) was deposited at the vihāra of zha lu. From this copy the ācārya nam mkha' rgyal mtshan prepared a new copy at the fort of rin spungs and deposited it at the monastic college of rtses thang. From this copy (new copies were prepared) and deposited at gong dkar and gdan sa thel.

Hereafter, khams pas having copied each of them separately, took them to khams. These served as originals for (other) copies prepared in khams. A copy was prepared by the Dharmasvāmin mthong ba dun ldan pa.

In dbus, a copy (of the Collection) wa prepared by dun ben sha ba. At 'tshur phu, the Dharmasvāmin rang byung ba prepared a copy written with the dust of precious stones.

At byams pa gling, a copy was prepared by yar rgyab dpon chen (the great official of yar rgyab) dge bsnyen pa. Gzhi kun spangs pa prepared a copy of about 180 volumes. Up to the time of the erection of the beautiful vihāra by stag rtse ba, and the copying of numerous texts which had been discovered and were not included in the former collections of the bka' 'gyur and bstan 'gyur, numberless copies (of the two collections) were prepared. This work was due to the energy of the bhadanta (btsun pa) 'jam pa'i dbyangs, a disciple of bcom ldan rig pa'i zal gri, whose work was due to the grace of rngog lo tsa ba, whose work was due to the grace of the Kashmirian paṇḍitas and ultimately to the grace of the Buddhas.

Builders of Bkra shis lhun po

Now a days the scholar shes rab seng ge and his disciple the great scholar dge 'dun grub built the vihāra of bkra shis lhun po and erected a large image there. Numerous congregations (of monks) having gathered, the teaching and study (of the Doctrine) spread widely. They became known by the name of ri bo dge ldan. In truth, both of them, Teacher and disciple, had been the true scholars of snar thang.

Son of Byang chub rin chen of rtses thang

The son of byang chub rin chen, the Great of rtshes thang, became known by the name of sangs rgyas dpal, son of g. Yag^[21] , because he had been entrusted to the care of an attendant named g. Yag yu. His original college was gsang phu. There he studied the bu ṭīkā^[22] and there was no one equal to him in the mastery by heart of the Doctrine and śāstras (of India). He took charge of sa skya dga' ldan and taught the Doctrine throughout the entire dbus and gtsang, and widely spread the doctrine of the Prajñāpāramitā. He also wrote many medium and detailed commentaries on the Prajñāpāramitā. He also taught the Pramāṇavārtika, the Mādhyamaka and other systems. In the end, after the cremation of his remains, several relics were left behind.

Rong ston smra ba’i seng ge chen mo

His spirtual son was rong ston smra ba'i seng ge chen mo (rong ston, the Great, "the Lion of Speech"). In his youth, he came from rgyal mo rong (tsha rong) to gsang phu ne'u thog. Through his excellent diligence and good fortune, he became a kalyāṇa-mitra at the age of 20 and was able to compose commentaries on the great treatises (śāstras). He preached the Doctrine in the Upper and Lower districts, between dbus and las stod. Through his teaching activity he gathered many learned disciples and composed a commentary on the Sphuṭārtha^[23] . In the domain of the Mādhyamaka, he wrote an extensive commentary on the Śatasāhasrikā-Prajñāpāramitā and in this way laboured extensively for the sake of the Doctrine. He was the chief among those who benefitted (people) through teaching throughout the later period.

His disciple, the great Preacher of the Doctrine (chos smra ba^[24] ) sangs rgyas 'phel, supported by rin spungs pa, maintained a monastic college at 'bras yul and opened the eyes of many wise men, expounding the Doctrine.

Further, the gzhis kha ring spungs pa built a large monastery at byams chen.

Rgyal ba mchog

The Bodhisattva rgyal ba mchog taught there for several years and established there the teaching of the mahā-upādhyāya sangs rgyas dpal. After him the chair was occupied by his reincarnation who erected a large image of Maitreya adorned with precious stones. After his death, the abbot’s chair was occupied by the great religious teacher sangs rgyas dpal who is at present revolving the Wheel of the Law.

Red mda’ pa

Further, the Venerable red mda' pa studied thoroughly the Prajñāpāramitā, following on the mahā-paṇḍita nya dpon kun dga'. Later, on request from his disciples, he wrote a ṭīkā on the Sphuṭārtha. The Venerable tsong kha pa also heard it from the Venerable red mda' pa. Later, before he had become an itinerant monk, he wrote an extensive commentary on it, called legs bshad gser phreng^[25] . Soon after that he went into seclusion, and because of it the number of students of this book did not ircrease.

Later, the Regent dar ma rin chen composed a commentary on the Sphuṭārtha which is widely known now-a-days and is of great benefit to others.

Final section–other disciples, etc

The disciple of gnyal zhig rgya ching ru ba founded bde ba can (dbus). After him, his nephew sangs rgyas dpal and others taught there.

After that gnags grags tshul, rgya ston bsod ring, dge brag pa, snye thang pa bkra shis seng ge, slob dpon blo rin, the ācārya bkra shis seng ge, sang grags, dgra gong ba dar ma seng ge, tshul rgyan pa, dbu rgyan pa and others succeeded him. They are the "Branches" (lag) of the Upper Monastery (gling, i.e. Gsang phu).

The ācārya shak gzhon received assistance from tshal pa smon lam pa and others, and founded a monastic college at 'tshal gung thang (near lha sa). The ācārya shak gzhon having gone to the monastery of ne'u thog, the ācārya don grub dpal was appointed abbot of chos 'khor gling. He was succeeded by blo bzangs, bsod nams dpal, byams pa and kun bzangs pa. This is the "Branch" of the "Lower"Monastery (gling smad pa).

Above I hive given only a brief account. The custom of preaching texts in small monasteries and other monastic schools originated with rngog lo tsa ba. Such is the brief account of the (different) stages in the activity of the great Bodhisattva of rngog.

Chapter on rngog lo tsa ba, and his Lineage.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

'grel chung -Sphuṭārtha, 'grel pa don gsal, composed by Haribhadra (R).

[2]:

phags pa shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa sdud pa tshigs su bcad pa, Ārya Prajñāpāramitāsancaya-gāthā, translated by Vidyākarasiṃha and dpal brtsegs. Kg. ser phyin, No. 13; bu ston chos 'byung, fol. 146a: sdud pa bam po gcig dpal brtsegs kyis 'gyur pa ste (R).

[3]:

the yakṣa Jambhala (R).

[4]:

bden pa gnyis rnam par 'byed pa'i tshig le'ur byas pa, Satyadvayavibhaṅgakārikā, Tg. dbu ma, No. 3881 (R).

[5]:

Tg. dbu ma, No. 3871 (R).

[6]:

Tg. dbu tna, No. 3887 (R).

[7]:

Tg. dbu ma No. 3887 (R).

[8]:

kārikās;there exist several well known texts of the same title written by various authors. The text by phya pa is not extant at present (R).

[9]:

the ācārya gtsan nag pa’s exposition of Logic was very popular in the monastery of rong wo /reb kong, Amdo/. There exists a printed edition of the work at rong wo (R).

[10]:

rtsa ba shes rab, Tg. dbu ma, No. 3824 (R).

[11]:

tshig gsal, dbu ma rtsa ba'i 'grel pa tshig gsal ba zhes bya ba, Mūlamādhyamaka-vṛtti-Prasannapadā-nāma, Tg. dbu ma, No. 3860 (R).

[12]:

dbu ma'i bsdud pa, Tg. dbu ma, No. 3857 (R).

[13]:

rtog ge tho ba'i ṭika, Tg. dbu ma, No. 3869 (R).

[14]:

an Indian paṇḍita who visited gsang phu and became known as kha che mkhanpo. He was the author of the Mādhyamakāvatāraṭīkā-nāma, Tg. dbu ma, No. 3870 (R).

[15]:

a commentary on the Prajñāpāramitā (R).

[16]:

Book Vl, fol. 5a (R).

[17]:

rigs pa'i zal gri was an opponent of the Kālacakra system which he considered to be a non-buddhist system. Another famous opponent was red mda' pa (R).

[18]:

this is a famous story throughout Tibet. ‘jam dbyangs, once put a mask of a Religious Protector and appeared before rig ral in the moon-light. Having frightened him, he chased him round the monastery (R).

[19]:

the complete collection of his works does not exist in print. Some of his works in manuscript form are found at snar thang (R).

[20]:

this refers to his edition of the bstan 'gyur (R).

[21]:

g.yag phrug; g.yag phrug sangs rgyas dpal and red mda' pa were the last two famous scholars of sa skya, often mentioned in the texts as g.yag gzhon gnyis/red mda' pa’s name was gzhon nu blo gros/ (R).

[22]:

the commentary on the Prajñāpāramitā by bu ston (R).

[23]:

'grel pa don gsal by Haribhadra (R).

[24]:

dharma bhāṇaka (R).

[25]:

volumes XVII-XVIII of the rje rin po che’i gsung ‘bum, or "Collection of Works" (R).