THE VAJRA HEART TANTRA |
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by Dudjom Lingpa Table of Contents:
Copyright Gyatrul Rinpoche & B. Alan Wallace. All rights reserved. No copies of this manuscript are permitted without the written permission of the translator. The Vajra Heart
Tantra Translated from the
Original Tibetan Page i. The text translated here as The Diamond Heart Tantra: A Tantra Naturally Arisen from the Nature of Existence from the Matrix of Primordial Awareness of Pure Perception[1] is among the principle "mind treasures" of Dudjom Lingpa (1835-1904), one of the great Dzogchen masters of the Nyingma order of Tibetan Buddhism in recent history. Commonly known among Tibetans as Neyluk Rangjung (Naturally Arisen from the Nature of Existence), it is regarded as a general commentary to another of Dudjom Lingpa's great works, Buddhahood Without Meditation: A Visionary Account Known as Refining Apparent Phenomena, which has been beautifully translated into English by Richard Burton under the guidance of Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche.[2] Also known as Garwang Dudjom Pawo, Dudjom Lingpa was born in the Golok region of eastern Tibet on the tenth day of the first month of the Sheep Year. According to a number of ancient and recent prophecies, as written by one of his own subsequent emanations, H. H. Dudjom Rinpoche, his previous incarnations include the following masters of the Buddhist tradition: 1. Nuden Dolje Chang: the buddha who bestowed empowerments upon all the thousand buddhas of this fortunate eon. 2. Sariputra _______________ 1 Tibetan title: Dag
snang ye shes drva pa las gnas lugs rang byung gi rgyud rdo rje'i snying
po. Sanskrit title: Vajrahrdayasuddhadhutijnanaharesrilamjatiyatisma.
Collected Works of H.H. Dudjom Rinpoche. The following concise biography
of Dudjom Lingpa is drawn from the following texts: Tulku Thondup, The
Origin of Buddhism in Tibet: The Tantric Tradition of the Nyingmapa
(Marion, MA: Buddhayana, 1984); Tulku Thondup Rinpoche, Hidden Teachings
of Tibet: An Explanation of the Terma Tradition of the Nyingma School of
Buddhism, ed. Harold Talbot (London: Wisdom, 1986); Dudjom Lingpa,
Buddhahood Without Meditation: A Visionary Account Known as Refining
Apparent Phenomena (Nang-jang), trans. from the Tibetan under the
direction of Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche by Richard Burton (Junction City, CA:
Padma Publishing Co., 1994; Dudjom Rinpoche, The Nyingma School of Tibetan
Buddhism, trans. and ed. by Gyurme 2 Dudjom Lingpa,
Buddhahood Without Meditation: A Visionary Account Known as Refining
Apparent Phenomena (Nang-jang), trans. from the Tibetan under the
direction of Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche Page ii. 3. Saraja According to Dudjom Lingpa's own autobiography,[3] during the first three years of his life, he saw hosts of dakinis and protective deities looking over him. On one occasion a dakini led him to Oddiyana, the realm of the dakinis, where he encountered Vajravarahi, foremost of the dakinis, from whom he received great blessings. During his youth, he also spent one human day at Palri on the subcontinent of Ngayab (Skt.?), which equalled twelve years in the time of that realm. There he received teachings from Padmasambhava himself. On various occasions he also received prophecies from Padmasambhava's consort Yeshe Tsogyal, who she cared for him her like own son. _______________ 3The Autobiography of the bDud jom-ging pa (gTer chen chos kyi rgyal po khrag 'thung bdud 'joms gling pa'i rnam par thar pa zhal gsung ma), by Dud joms Ling pa, ed by Padma-lung rtogs rgya-mtsho (Dehradun: G.T.K. Lodoy and N. Gyaltsan, 1970). Page iii. Dudjom Lingpa had eight renowned sons, including Jigme Tenpey Nyima, the Third Dodrup Chen Rinpoche (1865-1926), who was a consummate scholar and adept of both the sutras and tantras. During the course of his life, Dudjom Lingpa performed many miracles, and he reached the highest stages of realization of the stages of generation and completion as well as the Great Perfection. It is said that thirteen of his disciples attained the Rainbow Body, and one thousand became vidyadharas through gaining insight into the essential nature of awareness. Dudjom Lingpa's subsequent incarnations include His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche, Jigdral Yeshe Dorje, his mind emanation and the editor of the Tibetan version of the text translated here; Tulku Kunzang Nyima (Tib. sPrul sku kun bzang nyi ma) his speech emanation; Sonam Detsen, his body emanation; Jamyang Natsok Rangdrol, also known as Dorje Dragtsel Lingpa, an emanation of his enlightened activities; and Tulku Drachen (Rahula, sp?), an emanation of his enlightened qualities. In one of Dudjom Lingpa's dreams, a devaputra named Dunggi Zurphu prophesied that the benefit from his profound hidden treasures would go west, saying, "Those deserving to tamed by you dwell in human cities to the west." In the hope to help fulfill that prophesy, the present translation of his hidden treasure The Diamond Heart Tantra was made under the guidance of the Venerable Gyatrul Rinpoche, who has been teaching in the west since 1972. Gyatrul Rinpoche received the oral transmission of this text three times from three of the emanations of Dudjom Lingpa: in Tibet he received it from Jamyang Natsok Rangdrol and from Tulku Kunzang Nyima, and later in Nepal he received it from His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche, Jigdral Yeshe Dorje, the Supreme Head of the Nyingma order of Tibetan Buddhism. Page iv. Beginning in the autumn of 1995, I read through this text once with Gyatrul Rinpoche, receiving many points of clarification from him. While working on a first-draft translation, he went through the text with me line- by- line, carefully correcting errors in my translation and elucidating points of lingering uncertainty in my own comprehension of the text. I am deeply grateful to him for opening this treasure to me for the benefit of all those who may read our translation. I am also indebted to Dr. Yeshi Dhonden and Khenpo Tsewang Gyatso for elucidating some points of the text. Page v. Tulku Thondup, The Origin of Buddhism in Tibet: The Tantric Tradition of the Nyingmapa (Marion, MA: Buddhayana, 1984). 1. gTer ston las rab
gling pa, aka bSon nams rnam rgyal, aka. gNyags la 2. bDud 'joms gling pa
(1835-1904) from mGo log Tulku Thondup Rinpoche, Hidden Teachings of Tibet: An Explanation of the Terma Tradition of the Nyingma School of Buddhism, ed. Harold Talbot (London: Wisdom, 1986). From Autobiography of
the Terton dud jom Ling pa (1835-1904) gTer chen chos kyi rgyal po khrag 'thung
bdud 'joms gling pa'i rnam par thar pa zhal gsung ma. By Dud joms Ling pa.
Published by Dupjung Lama, 1978) Dudjom Lingpa,
Buddhahood Without Meditation: A Visionary Account Known as Refining
Apparent Phenomena (Nang-jang), trans. from the Tibetan under the
direction of Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche by Richard Burton (Junction City, CA:
Padma Publishing Co., 1994. Page vi. He visited dPal Ri on
the subcontinent of Nga yab, s;pending one human day, which equalled
twelve years of the time of that domain. There he received teachings from
Orgyen Rinpoche. Dudjom Rinpoche, The Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism, trans. and ed. by Gyurme Dorje with Matthew Kapstein (Boston: Wisdom, 1991). Gyatrul Rinpoche: Gyatrul Rinpoche received the oral transmission of this text twice in Tibet from 'Jam dbyangs sna tshogs rang grol and from sPrul sku kun bzang nyi ma, and later in Nepal he received it again from 'Jigs bral ye shes rdo rje. H.H. Dudjom Rinpoche Jigdral Yeshe Dorje, Dudjom Tersar Ngondro (New York: Yeshe Melong, 1992). Dudjom Lingpa = Gar dbang bdud 'joms dpa' bo Previous Line of
Incarnations, according to Dudjom Rinpoche, past treasures and spiritual
precepts as well as the mind and speech of the following previous
vidyadharas: Page vii. 13. Hepa Chojung (Tib.
He pa chos 'byung) Garab Dorje = Pramodavajra Page viii.
Introduction, Page 1 Page ix. The Nature of the
Embodiments and Primordial Wisdoms, P.118 Page x. The Practice during
the Post-meditative State, P.223 Page xi. The Transitional
Process of Meditative Stabilization, P.326 Consultants: Gyatrul Rinpoche, Khenpo Tsering Gyatso, Dr. Yeshi Donden, Prof. Steven Goodman |