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The Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism

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Written by a great modern Nyingma master, Dudjom Rinpoche’s The Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism covers in detail and depth both the fundamental teachings and the history of Tibetan Buddhism’s oldest school. This, the first English translation of His Holiness’ masterwork, constitutes the most complete work of its type in the West.

An absolute treasure for students of the tradition, it is also an indispensable reference for anyone with an interest in Buddhism. The book includes chronologies and glossaries that elucidate Buddhist doctrine, and it provides fascinating insights into the Buddhist history of Tibet. Two treatises form the present volume, namely the Fundamentals of the Nyingma School and the History of the Nyingma School. Among the most widely read of all His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche’s works, these treatises were composed during the years immediately following his arrival in India as a refugee. His intention in writing them was to preserve the precise structure of the Nyingma philosophical view within its own historical and cultural context. (Source: Wisdom Publications)

Citation	Dorje, Gyurme, and Matthew Kapstein, trans. and ed. The Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism: Its Fundamentals and History. By Dudjom Rinpoche, Jikdrel Yeshe Dorje (bdud 'joms 'jigs bral ye shes rdo rje). Boston: Wisdom Publications, 1991.

Dudjom Rinpoche on Great Madhyamaka

Book Excerpt

Table of Contents About the Book Texts Translated Quotes

SECTION ONE: THE TRANSLATIONS

• List of Illustrationsxv
• Foreword by Shenpen Dawa Rinpochexxv
• Preface to the Second Editionxxxii
• Credits for Illustrations and Mapsxxxiii
• Technical Notexxxv
• Guide to Pronunciationxxxvii
• Abbreviations for Section Onexli

BOOK ONE: FUNDAMENTALS OF THE NYINGMA SCHOOL OF TIBETAN BUDDHISM

• Detailed Contents of Book One3
• Translator’s Introduction11

THE TEXT

• Verses of Invocation45
• Introduction47

PART ONE: DOCTRINES OF SAṂSĀRA AND NIRVĀNA

• 1 The Essence and Defmition of Dharma51
• 2 Doctrines of Saṃsāra54
• 3 Doctrines of Nirvāṇa70
• 4 Transmitted Precepts73
• 5 Treatises88
• 6 Quantitative Treatises97
• 7 Treatises of Inner Science108

PART TWO: THE NATURE OF THE TEACHER ENDOWED WITH THE BUDDHA-BODIES

• Introduction113
• 1 Samantabhadra, the Buddha-body of Reality115
• 2 Vajradhara, the Emanation of Samantabhadra120
• 3 The Two Buddha-bodies of Form123
• 4 The Five Buddha-bodies and Five Pristine Cognitions139
• 5 Distinctive Attributes of the Buddha-bodies and Pristine Cognitions 144

PART THREE: CAUSAL VEHICLES OF DIALECTICS

• Introduction151
• 1 The Three Promulgations of the Doctrinal Wheel153
• 2 The Lesser Vehicle156
• 3 The Greater Vehicle160
• 4 The Superiority of Great Madhyamaka to Mind Only178
• 5 The Provisional and Definitive Meaning of the Transmitted Precepts187
• 6 The Enlightened or Buddha Family191
• 7 The Two Truths According to Great Madhyamaka206
• 8 Key to the Appraisal of Causal Vehicle Texts217
• 9 A Recapitulation of the Causal Vehicles223

PART FOUR: RESULTANT VEHICLES OF SECRET MANTRA

• Introduction241
• 1 The Superiority of Secret Mantra243
• 2 The Essence and Defmition of Secret Mantra257
• 3 The Three Continua of Ground, Path and Result263
• 4 The Four Tantrapiṭaka268
• 5 Mahāyoga275
• 6 Anuyoga284
• 7 Key to the Appraisal of Secret Mantra Texts290
• 8 The Superiority of Atiyoga, the Great Perfection294
• 9 The Definition of Atiyoga311
• 10 The Divisions of Atiyoga319
• 11 A Recapitulation of the Resultant Vehicles346

CONCLUSION

• 1 Concluding Remarks375
• 2 Dedicatory Verses376
• 3 Colophon378

BOOK TWO: HISTORY OF THE NYINGMA SCHOOL OF TIBETAN BUDDHISM

• Detailed Contents of Book Two383
• Translators’ Introduction393

THE TEXT

• Verses of Invocation403

PART ONE: THE ORIGIN OF THE PRECIOUS TEACHING OF THE CONQUEROR IN THIS WORLD

• Introduction409
• 1 The Coming of Buddha, Teacher of the Doctrine411
• 2 The Collecting of Transmitted Precepts by Councils428
• 3 The Patriarchs of the Teaching432
• 4 The Preservation of the Teaching and Spread of the Greater Vehicle440

PART TWO: THE RISE OF THE PRECIOUS TEACHING OF SECRET MANTRA Introduction 445

• 1 The Turning of the Secret Mantra Wheel447
• 2 The Collecting of Transmitted Precepts by Different Compilers451
• 3 The Emergence of this Teaching in the Human World452
• 4 The Lineage of Mahāyoga, the Class of Tantras458
• 5 The Lineage of Mahāyoga, the Class of Means for Attainment475
• 6 The Lineage of Anuyoga, the Perfection Stage485
• 7 The Lineage of Atiyoga, the Great Perfection490
• 8 Concluding Remarks502

PART THREE: THE ORIGIN OF THE CONQUEROR’S TEACHING IN TIBET

• Introduction507
• 1 The Three Ancestral Religious Kings510
• 2 The Decline and Expansion of the Doctrine during the Intermediate Period523
• 3 The Revival and Later Expansion of the Teaching524

PART FOUR: THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE THREE INNER CLASSES OF TANTRA IN TIBET

• Introduction531
• 1 Mahāyoga and Anuyoga533
• 2 The Mental and Spatial Classes of Atiyoga538
• 3 The Esoteric Instructional Class of Atiyoga, the Innermost Spirituality 554
• 4 Longcen Rapjampa575

PART FIVE: THE DISTANT LINEAGE OF TRANSMITTED PRECEPTS

• Introduction599
• 1 The Lineage of Nyak601
• 2 The Lineage of Nup607
• 3 The Lineage of the Zur Family617
• 4 Biographies of the Rong Tradition650
• 5 Dotokpa’s Lineage of the Zur Tradition685
• 6 Biographies of the Kham Tradition688
• 7 Miscellaneous Lineages of the Zur and Kham Traditions700
• 8 Rongzom Chöki Zangpo703
• 9 The Traditions of Vajrakīla710
• 10 The Lineages of the Empowerment of the Sūtra which Gathers All
       Intentions717
• 11 Later Lineages of the Transmitted Precepts733

PART SIX: THE CLOSE LINEAGES OF THE TREASURES

• 1 The Nature, Purpose and Kinds of Treasure743
• 2 Biographies of the Treasure-finders750
• 3 Sangye Lama751
• 4 Trapa Ngönshe753
• 5 Nyang-rel Nyima Özer755
• 6 Guru Chöki Wangcuk760
• 7 Como Menmo771
• 8 Orygen Lingpa775
• 9 Ngödrup Gyeltsen or Rikdzin Gödemcen780
• 10 Sangye Lingpa784
• 11 Dorje Lingpa789
• 12 Ratna Lingpa793
• 13 Pema Lingpa796
• 14 Karma Lingpa800
• 15 Thangtong Gyelpo802
• 16 Ngari Pancen Pema Wangyel805
• 17 Rikdzin Jatsön Nyingpo809
• 18 Rikdzin Düdül Dorje813
• 19 Lhatsün Namka Jikme818
• 20 The Fifth Dalai Lama821
• 21 Rikdzin Terdak Lingpa, the Great Treasure-finder of Mindröling825
• 22 Jikme Lingpa835
• 23 Chogyur Decen Lingpa841
• 24 Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo849
• 25 Jamgön Kongtrül Lodrö Thaye859
• 26 Mipham Jamyang Namgyel Gyamtso869
• Conclusion881

PART SEVEN: A RECTIFICATION OF MISCONCEPTIONS CONCERNING THE NYINGMA SCHOOL

• 1 General Reply to Criticisms of the Nyingmapa Tantras887
• 2 On the View of the Great Perfection896
• 3 Response to Critics of the Sūtra which Gathers All Intentions911
• 4 Response to Critics of the Root Tantra of the Secret Nucleus914
• 5 The Continuity of the Nyingmapa Tradition and its Impact on the
     Other Schools918
• 6 On the Validity of the Treasures927
• 7 The Shortcomings of Refutation and Proof929
• 8 On The Prophecies Found in the Treasures934
• 9 The Relationship between the Nyingmapa and Pönpo Traditions936
• 10 On the "Bad Luck of the Nyingmapa"938

PART EIGHT: THE CHRONOLOGY OF THE DOCTRINE

• 1 Duration of the Doctrine943
• 2 A Chronology of the Buddha’s Life946
• 3 From the Buddha’s Final Nirvāṇa until the Beginning of the First Tibetan
     Sexagenary Cycle948
• 4 From the Beginning of the First Sexagenary Cycle to the Present951
• 5 Some Prophecies960

CLOSING STATEMENTS

• 1 Primary Sources965
• 2 Concluding Benedictions967
• 3 Colophon972

SECTION TWO: REFERENCE MATERIAL

• Contentsv
• Introductionvii
• Guide to Pronunciationxi
• Abbreviations for Section Twoxv

NOTES

• 1 Fundamentals3
• 2 History27

GLOSSARY OF ENUMERATIONS

• Introduction103
• Glossary of Enumerations105

BIBLIOGRAPHY

• Introduction191

Part One: Works Cited by the Author

• Works Cited by the Author199

Part Two: Works Referred to by the Translators

• 1 Indic Texts293
• 2 Tibetan Texts297
• 3 Secondary Literature301
• 4 Addenda to the Bibliography316

ARTIFACTS AND MATERIAL TREASURES

• Introduction320
• Artifacts and Material Treasures321

INDEX OF TECHNICAL TERMS

• Introduction331
• Index of Technical Terms333

INDEX OF PERSONAL NAMES

• Introduction391
• Index of Personal Names393

INDEX OF LOCATIONS

• Introduction453
• Index of Locations455

MAPS Introduction 489 1 Buddhist India and Adjacent Regions 490 2 North-Central India 492 3 Tibet 494 4 Western Tibet and Nepal 496 5 North-Central Tibet 498 6 South-Central Tibet and Bhutan 500 7 North-West Kham 502 8 South-West Kham 506 9 Amdo 508 10 North-East Kham 510

11 South-East Kham 512

The work on philosophical doctrines, entitled Fundamentals of the Nyingma School, presents a comprehensive account of traditional philosophical views, both secular and religious, non-Buddhist and Buddhist. It also includes an extended discussion of the validity of the esoteric scriptures and the special (tantra) distinctions of the Nyingma. In the second translated work, entitled History of the Nyingma School, Dudjom Rinpoche directly addresses the legacy of criticism of the Nyingma tradition in a special section entitled “A Rectification of Misconceptions Concerning the Nyingma School.” He responds to various charges against the authenticity of the Nyingma tradition and provides a discussion of the “Great Perfection” (dzogchen) view. He also explores the continuity of the Nyingmapa tradition and its impact on the other schools, the shortcomings of logical argumentation, prophecies found in the treasure tradition, and the relationship between the Nyingmapa and the “pre-Buddhist” tradition of the Bonpo.

1. Dudjom Rinpoche, (bdud 'joms 'jigs bral ye shes rdo rje). rnying ma'i bstan pa'i rnam gzhag. In gsung 'bum 'jigs bral ye shes rdo rje, Vol. 2: 37 - 465. kalimpong: dupjung lama, 1979-1985.
2. _______. bdud 'joms chos 'byung. In gsung 'bum 'jigs bral ye shes rdo rje, Vol. 1: 7 - 852. kalimpong: dupjung lama, 1979-1985.
3. TBRC W1KG3718-Bdud 'joms chos 'byung.pdf

Nyingma - The Nyingma, which is often described as the oldest tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, traces its origin to Padmasambhava, who is said to have visited Tibet in the eighth century. Tib. རྙིང་མ་

Great Madhyamaka - The term Great Madhyamaka is utilized in different contexts depending on the tradition. In the Jonang tradition, it generally refers to the Zhentong Madhyamaka philosophy as it was developed and systematized by Dölpopa. In this context, the Great Madhyamaka refers to the presentation of ultimate truth, while Madhyamaka describes the emptiness of the relative level of truth. In the Nyingma tradition, Great Madhyamaka refers to the subtle, inner Madhyamaka that unifies the philosophical positions of Nāgārjuna and Asaṅga. This is presented in opposition to the coarse, outer Madhyamaka that is the dialectic approach of Prāsaṅgika and Svātantrika. In the Kagyu tradition, the term is used in a similar vein in that Madhyamaka is used to refer to philosophical inquiry, while Great Madhyamaka is used to refer to the view arrived at through yogic accomplishment. However, in all of these traditions, Great Madhyamaka is heavily associated with buddha-nature (tathāgatagarbha) and the definitive status of these teachings. Skt. महामध्यमक Tib. དབུ་མ་ཆེན་པོ་

tantra - Tantra, when juxtaposed with Sūtra, generally refers to the scriptures and texts which discuss esoteric topics. While the term is used to refer to texts on other topics, it is mostly used to refer to the genre of scriptures and texts on themes and topics associated with Vajrayāna Buddhism. Skt. तन्त्र Tib. རྒྱུད། Ch. 密宗

Dzogchen - Dzogchen is an advanced system of meditation techniques to reveal the innate state of perfection primarily, but not exclusively, espoused by the Nyingma Buddhist tradition and the Tibetan Bön tradition. Skt. महासन्धि Tib. རྫོགས་ཆེན།

Dzogchen - Dzogchen is an advanced system of meditation techniques to reveal the innate state of perfection primarily, but not exclusively, espoused by the Nyingma Buddhist tradition and the Tibetan Bön tradition. Skt. महासन्धि Tib. རྫོགས་ཆེན།

Nyingma - The Nyingma, which is often described as the oldest tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, traces its origin to Padmasambhava, who is said to have visited Tibet in the eighth century. Tib. རྙིང་མ་