Great Savant of Tibet: Buton Rinchen Drub
Buton Rinchen Drub. This picture looks very similar to Lama Tsongkhapa but on Buton Rinchen Drub’s lotuses to his left and right, they bear a vajra and bell. Tsongkhapa’s lotuses, on the other hand, bear a sword and text. Click on image to enlarge.
(By Pastor David Lai and Tsem Rinpoche)
The great Buton Rinchen Drub (1290 – 1364) was one of the most erudite of scholars of Tibet. He was a prolific translator and is credited with having compiled the Kangyur collection that contains the Indian scriptures based on the spoken words of the Buddha, and the Tangyur collection that contains the Indian and Tibetan commentaries of these teachings.
Within his biography, Buton Rinchen Drub is also known by the epithet “Thamche Khyenpa” which literally means ‘the Omniscient One’. This refers to his reputation for very clear clairvoyance arising from his tantric practice. His biography is littered with various examples of his clairvoyance which have become the basis of this epithet.
Buton Rinchen Drub held many important tantric lineages but he is known mainly for proliferating the Kalachakra Tantra. Within the practice of the highest yoga tantra, one of the main purposes of the completion stage is to dissolve the gross psychic winds of the body into the central channel. Achieving this simulates the death process, thereby dissolving the negative emotions and delusions while gaining innumerable awakened qualities and abilities. This includes the ability to perceive the true nature of reality or emptiness, gain Bodhicitta and develop powerful clairvoyance. Thus, it is said that Buton Rinchen Drub achieved this feat most probably by way of practising the Kalachakra Tantra.
Birth into an Illustrious Family
The omniscient Buton Rinchen Drub was born in the Iron Tiger Year (1290 CE) in a place called Nyangro Nazhi at Shabme Gomne hermitage in the Tropu area of Tsang, Tibet. His birth was replete with the auspicious omens of a high rebirth including celestial music, bountiful harvest and budding flowers. His father was a prominent Nyingma lama named Drakton Gyeltsen Pelzang who was the heir to an illustrious family line of highly realised Nyingma lamas. His mother too, was a great Nyingma master by the name of Sonam Bum.
Early Education
His early education began when he was taught to read and write at the age of five or six under his mother’s guidance with the memorisation of the texts Daka Yeshe and the Request of the Bodhisattva Kshitigarbha. Miraculously, Buton Rinchen Drub also learned to read and write the cursive ‘headless’ script (umed) spontaneously on his own.
Ksitigarbha. Click on image to enlarge.
He also received teachings on medicine, the Guhyasamaja Tantra, Dzogchen and many other tantric teachings from his grandfather, an illustrious Nyingma lama by the name of Tsultrim Pelzang (13th Century) who belonged to the Nub tradition. Then he went on to study arithmetic, grammar and astrology under Lord Gyam Senge.
When he was seven, he met with the famous Bodhisattva Trophuba Rinpoche who gave him teachings on generating Bodhicitta, which is the generation of the profound compassionate motivation towards gaining enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings. This teaching had a life-long impact on the young incarnate lama. It would lead him towards developing deep renunciation and he would even accept invitations to the homes of the lowest of his lay followers like fishermen and hunters. This caused consternation among his attendants who feared that his high status would become defiled by such associations. Later when he was eight, he met the same lama again and this time, he requested for the four empowerments of Chakrasamvara in the tradition of Ganthapada (Drilbupa) along with many profound teachings and instructions. Trophuba Rinpoche was said to have placed his hand on Buton Rinchen Drub’s head and commented,
Through him, I can take rest.
Receiving Ordination and Further Teachings
When he turned 18, he received his novice and root monastic vows from the Abbot Rinchen Sengge and Geshe Sonam Gon, also known as Lopon Rakna Tigpa. He is said to have kept his vows as carefully as one would protect one’s own eyes. He examined the actions of his body, speech and mind six times a day to see if he had any infractions to his vows. He studied the Vinaya Sutra and its commentaries with the abbot, alongside teachings on generating Bodhicitta and Asanga’s seminal work, the Ornament of Clear Realisation.
The great Indian pandist Atisha Dipamkara Srijnana. Buton Rinchen Drub received initiations of Avalokiteshvara in the lineage of Atisha. Click to enlarge.
From Geshe Sonam Gon, he received teachings on the Perfection of Wisdom Sutra, Vinaya and logic alongside esoteric oral instructions on Dzogchen. Buton Rinchen Drub took two years to master Haribhadra’s concise commentary of the Ornament of Clear Realisation. During this period, he went through great privation in order to pursue extensive studies and became proficient in the extensive, middling and concise Perfection of Wisdom Sutras, their commentaries, Asanga’s Yogacarya Bhumi, Two Compendiums, Compendium of Abhidharma and Summary of the Mahayana along with Vasubhandu’s Eight Treatises. By this time, he had reached such high scholarship that the breadth of his knowledge in these fields surpassed the greatest scholars at the time. Hence, Buton Rinchen Drub’s fame as a great scholar grew exponentially.
While he was studying the great treatises, he studied Mahamudra and the practice of self-healing or Ngalso from Acharya Tshad Ma’i Kyebu along with other oral teachings. Then, he received innumerable teachings from the Abbot Rinchen Sengge with a number of tantric initiations on Chakrasamvara in the Drilbupa tradition, Ekajati, Yamantaka initiation in the Zhang tradition of Dranag and the Kyo tradition of Vajrabhairava along with the great initiation of Mahachakra Vajrapani, Tara, Vajravarahi, Amitayus, Mahamudra and Mahakarunika Lokeshvara, amongst many others.
Buton Rinchen Drub went on to study with many of the leading masters of his time. He met with the master Dondrub Pel and from this master he received teachings on Hevajra, further elaboration on the Perfection of Wisdom Sutras and the Compendium of Training (Shikshasamucchaya) by Shantideva. He also managed to receive initiations of Avalokiteshvara in the lineage of Atisha from the famous Kadampa master Kabzhipa Konchok Zhonnu. He met with the great scholar Tishri Kunzang who gave him teachings on Madhyamaka philosophy. He also received teachings from his father on the lower tantric practice called Vajra Beneath the Earth (known in Tibetan as Dorje Sa ‘og) and the practice of Vajrapani.
Vajrapani. Click on image to enlarge.
As a lama, he went on to collect various tantric initiations and transmissions from a number of illustrious teachers in order to bestow them to his growing followers. He had great tantric masters like Pelden Sengge Dorje Gyeltsen, Tokden Sorin and Namnangwa Yonten Gyatso who bestowed on him their precious lineages. He also travelled across U and Tsang with his father in order to receive extensive teachings from many masters and he was known affectionately by these masters as a brilliant disciple, absorbing the teachings, commentaries and lineages like a sponge. Later in life, he also studied with the Kadam master Kumarasiddhi, who was a student of Jam Lingpa.
In 1312, at age 23, Buton Rinchen Drub came of age. He received full ordination at Tsongdu Gurmo in the presence of 20 great scholars and masters including Zhonnu Pelzang who was an illustrious student of Shakya Shri Bhadra, as well as Sonam Drak and his student Sonam Zangpo. In order to celebrate the event, Zhonnu Pelzang bestowed upon Buton Rinchen Drub special teachings on the Pratimoksha, while Sonam Drak taught him commentaries on the Root text on the Vinaya and Gunaprabha’s commentary on the Vinaya called One Hundred Formal Procedures. During this time, Buton Rinchen Drub studied the whole day and engaged in deep meditations and practices in the evenings and nights.
Later, Buton Rinchen Drub found himself traveling to Tharpa Ling, the monastic seat of Tharpa Lotsawa Nyima Gyeltsen from whom he applied himself in the study of Sanskrit poetry and grammar for about four years. This master was famous for being a prominent translator during that period and went on to become one of Buton Rinchen Drub’s most prominent teachers. Tharpa Lotsawa also bestowed upon him transmissions from the Kalachakra, Hevajra and other major tantric traditions. Buton Rinchen Drub then traveled to Rong and began his studies on grammar and the Kalachakra Tantra with the master Dorje Gyeltsen Pelzang, the nephew of Lama Sherab Sengge.
A beautiful Kalachakra thangka. Click on image to enlarge and click here for the hi-res image.
After this period, Buton Rinchen Drub began his long and prolific teaching career. According to his disciple Rinchen Namgyel (1318-1388 CE) who eventually composed his biography, Buton Rinchen Drub became engaged in uprooting false and wicked views, particularly the shamanistic Bon faith, through his writings and reasoning. He was said to have converted many Bon practitioners to Buddhism. Buton Rinchen Drub ordained many of his disciples and soon he began to compose his own original written works for which he enlisted the help of Neng Sengge Yeshe Pel and Dargye.
Later in his life, Buton Rinchen Drub continued to seek teachings and transmissions particularly from great masters of the Sakya tradition. He received teachings from Lama Phagpa; Chokyi Gyeltsen Pelzang (1332-1359 CE); Kunga Gyeltsen (1310-1358 CE) who was the tutor to the Yuan dynasty emperor of China at that time; Donyo Gyeltsen and Sonam Gyeltsen (1312-1375 CE). In his biography, it is said that he had received teachings, initiations and transmissions from a total of 28 teachers.
Ascending the Throne of Zhalu
In 1320, Buton Rinchen Drub ascended the throne of Zhalu Monastery and became its 11th Abbot. Kuzhang Drakpa Gyeltsen, who was from the ruling noble family of the region, was the guest of honour at the enthronement. Drakpa Gyeltsen had been rebuilding and restoring the monastery which was founded in 1027 by Chetsun Sherab Jungne. Under the patronage of Drakpa Gyeltsen and his noble family, Buton Rinchen Drub was able to engage in enormous projects to improve Zhalu, principally with the construction of new stupas and temples. Owing to the impressive improvements he made to the monastery, he came to be regarded as Zhalu Monastery’s first abbot.
Guhyasamaja. Click on image to enlarge.
Buton Rinchen Drub was also an innovator and at Zhalu, he championed the study of philosophy based on the Sutras and the Tantras that were growing roots in Tibet. A college was built just for this purpose. Buton Rinchen Drub taught tirelessly, disseminating important treatises such as the Perfection of Wisdom, Abhidharma-samuccaya, Pramanaviniscaya, Bodhicaryavatara and the Vinaya in the winter and summer months. Tantric subjects like the Guhyasamaja, Kalachakra and other teachings in the tantric tradition were taught in autumn and spring. He wrote numerous dissertations and commentaries on all of these topics. So acclaimed was Buton Rinchen Drub that his teaching method acquired its own tradition and would be known as the Zhalug or the Bulug.
Buton Rinchen Drub had a number of prominent disciples including the fifth abbot of Jonang, Chokle Namgyel (1306-1386 CE); Chunyi Sarma Drakpa Sherab (1310-1370 CE); the Second Gankar Lama, Rinchen Zangpo (1317-1383 CE); Drakpa Gyeltsen (1365-1448 CE), who succeeded him as abbot of Zhalu; Yungton Dorje Pel (1284-1365 CE); and Yakde Paṇchen Tsondru Dargye (1299-1378 CE).
Compiling the Kangyur and Tangyur Collections
Buton Rinchen Drub is often said to have established the Kangyur and Tangyur in the format that they are known in today. Before that, texts and scriptures were brought from India to Tibet to be translated over a long period of time beginning from the 7th Century. Still, there were no formalised collections that could rightfully be regarded as definitive Buddhist canons. There was however a manuscript collection of translated texts compiled at Narthang Monastery, commonly known as “Old Narthang” which represented the first attempt to separate and distinguish the scriptures as the Kangyur and the Tangyur. This attempt took place in the early 14th Century, by a Kadampa monk called Jamyang who had served at the Chinese Imperial Court of the Yuan Emperor Renzong. Jamyang had first compiled the Kangyur and Tangyur collections at Narthang Monastery. The resulting Old Narthang edition, which is no longer extant, was merely a compilation of existing translations and texts. The translations were not improved on, nor were there efforts to include missing texts.
Yuan Emperor Renzong. A monk who had served in his court, Jamyang, made the first attempt to compile the Kangyur and Tangyur in Tibet. Click on image to enlarge.
Thus, Buton Rinchen Drub embarked on a massive project to improve on these collections and his great contribution became the foundation for the establishment of the Kangyur and the Tangyur as they are known today. The two collections of scriptures that Buton Rinchen Drub worked on became known as the Kangyur, which generally means the ‘Spoken Words of the Buddha’ and Tangyur or the ‘Commentaries of the Buddha’s Teachings’. It was a labour of love for Buton Rinchen Drub because of the tremendous amount of work needed to compile the collection, translate missing texts and correct erroneous translations throughout numerous texts that were inaccurate. Due to the patronage that he received from Drakpa Gyeltsen, Buton Rinchen Drub was able to enlist Zhalu scholars and scribes into his project.
Buton Rinchen Drub’s effort was not the only attempt made to expand the Old Narthang collections. The other historically-documented effort took place between 1347 and 1351, at Tsel Gungtang Monastery where the project came under the patronage of a local chieftain Tselpa Kunga Dorje. Based on historical records, we know that the Gungtang Tangyur consisted of 3,392 texts; unfortunately, details of the Kangyur collection have not survived.
While the Old Narthang and Gungtang collections are no longer extant, Buton Rinchen Drub’s efforts were ultimately successfully and they resulted in the completion of a new compilation of the Kangyur and the Tangyur which exists to this day. This is thanks to Buton Rinchen Drub recognising that there existed an urgent need to preserve these texts because Nalanda and the other great monastic institutions of India had been ransacked and destroyed. Thus, Tibet was bereft of their great source of teachings and lineages, and he realised that all that was left were these great treatises he could find that would perpetuate the Buddha’s teachings. Hence, it was important for the great treatises to be preserved well.
While compiling the Kangyur, Buton Rinchen Drub excluded some of the Nyingma tantras because he doubted the authenticity of those texts. He was adhering to the Tibetan standard of authenticating texts and practices, the key being the ability to trace a text to its original Sanskrit source. The Vajrakilaya Tantra was also not included, although it was at the heart of an important tantric tradition within the Nyingma School and it was growing in popularity within the Sakya School which Buton Rinchen himself was affiliated to. It is believed that Buton Rinchen Drub chose to exclude the text because many Nyingma tantric traditions arose through the discovery of terma or treasure teachings that have no traceable Sanskrit source.
Zhalu Monastery. Owing to the improvements he made to the monastery, Buton Rinchen Drub is commonly considered to be the first abbot of Zhalu.
It is undeniable that Tibetan scholars and thinkers at the time held views that were biased against Nyingma texts. It has been posited that the formation of the Gelug School was one such reaction to this mistrust. This might also explain why Kyabje Pabongka Rinpoche is accused of being sectarian and is said to have harboured prejudicial views towards the Nyingma School; this accusation has been extended to the Dharma Protector he promoted, Dorje Shugden. Nonetheless, this charge against Kyabje Pabongka Rinpoche has been proven to be nothing more than baseless rumours arising from sectarian rivalry and jealousy of his acclaim. What remains clear is that sectarian bias against Nyingmas began from within Tibet’s scholarly circles and it was a widely-held view amongst Tibet’s intellectual community even before the Gelug tradition was formed.
Proliferating the Kalachakra Tantra
Aside from the compilation of the Kangyur and Tangyur, Buton Rinchen Drub was best known for proliferating the Kalachakra Tantra. At that time, the Kalachakra Tantra was closely associated with the Jonang School’s controversial Shentong or “other-emptiness” view.
Interestingly, Buton Rinchen Drub himself was a well-known critic of this view, a fact that is reflected in his writings and teachings which includes a clear refutation of Shentong in his biography. The great Jonang Master Dolpopa, on the other hand, was the greatest exponent of this view and it is said that he was so displeased with Buton Rinchen Drub’s disapproval that he challenged Buton Rinchen Drub to a debate. The debate never took place and was not mentioned by Buton Rinchen Drub himself; we only learn that such a challenge to debate was issued from the biography of Dolpopa himself.
In any case, opposition against Shentong or the “other-emptiness” view would live on and it eventually became the pretext for the Great Fifth Dalai Lama to suppress the Jonang tradition in the 17th Century. Historians today agree that this was a political move to stamp out anti-Gelug elements within the Jonang community. Despite being linked with this view, the Kalachakra Tantra continued to be proliferated and became one of the leading tantric systems with the Gelug tradition. Today, the Dalai Lamas and Panchen Lamas are major lineage holders bestowing Kalachakra initiations.
Highly Sought-After Lama & Great Patron of the Arts
According to his biography, and like many other great lamas, Buton Rinchen Drub was an avid patron of devotional art. He commissioned many exquisite thangkas on a great number of subjects including that of the previous lives of the Buddha, the Buddha’s Twelve Deeds, other episodes from the Buddha’s life, along with thangkas on tantric divinities.
In 1344, when Buton Rinchen was 55 years old, he was requested to enter the great halls of the prestigious Sakya Monastery in order to give teachings at the request of Sonam Gyeltsen Pelzang. At Sakya, he received invitations to attend the Imperial Courts of the Chinese Yuan Emperor Huizong (also known as Toghan Temur; 1333-1370 CE) and the Nepali King Punyamalla. Nevertheless, he was not tempted by the prospects of fame and wealth and only saw them as snares of samsara, so he turned down both invitations. These royal invitations reflect how Buton Rinchen Drub’s fame had swept far and wide, and it also reveals the intimate relationship that Sakya had with the Chinese Imperial Court at the time.
While at Sakya, Buton Rinchen Drub translated the Guhyasamaja explanatory tantra, as well as other scriptures and explanations such as the Sekoddesapanjika and the Vajramtapanjika. In addition, he was also known to have developed his own list of eighty-four Indian Mahasiddhas that remains in common use to this day. He continued his translation works for the rest of his life, dedicating an incredible amount of time and effort towards ensuring texts were accurately translated.
Sakya Monastery in Tibet, where Dorje Shugden was first enthroned as a Dharma Protector.
When he turned 62, Buton Rinchen Drub returned to the central province of U in order to mediate a conflict that broke out between Yabzang, allied with the Drigung Kagyu, and the Pakmodru, which were nominally under Sakya authority. He was able to resolve the conflict, a testament to his reputation and skill, and the respect people had for him as a lama. While travelling in the region, he gave a number of teachings, empowerments, transmissions, and ordination to numerous monks at monasteries such as Ralung and Nangto Chumik.
Amongst his many travels at this time, Buton Rinchen Drub visited and paid homage to the monastery of his first teacher, Tropu Khenchen Rinchen Sengge before returning to Sakya. Then in 1354, at the age of 65, he returned to Zhalu once again and remained there for about a year before going back to Sakya. While at Sakya, he presided over the construction of a tantric mandala with the assistance of Chokyi Gyeltsen Pelzang.
Although he was highly respected at Sakya with constant requests to teach, his relationship with the Sakya lamas and scholars was strained at times. Buton Rinchen Drub sparked a dispute when he rewrote several passages of Jetsun Drakpa Gyaltsen’s (1147-1216 CE) works, an act that left the Sakya lamas feeling affronted. Buton Rinchen Drub however, did not feel the act to be unusual since he regarded himself as the reincarnation of the great Sakya patriarch Drakpa Gyaltsen.
Then in 1356, he retired and became abbot emeritus of Zhalu after serving for 37 years as the head of the monastery. His own disciple, Rinchen Namgyel, succeeded him and ascended the abbotship of Zhalu. By this time, Zhalu was said to be a thriving monastic institution with over 3,800 resident monks engaging in all manner of study and contemplation. After stepping down at Zhalu, Buton Rinchen retired to Ripuk, a small hermitage connected to Zhalu that was developed from a site that the famed Indian pandit Atisha Dipamkara had visited. While at the hermitage, he continued to give and receive teachings. It is most likely that he composed his famous treatise, History of Buddhism, during this period.
In 1357, a famous Kashmiri great scholar by the name of Sumanasri deliberately came to Tibet to have audience with Buton Rinchen Drub. In the end, the Kashmiri pandit gave him teachings on new contemporary Indian treatises like Padmajala that Buton Rinchen Drub would later translate as well. While at Sakya, he continued to disseminate teachings on the Kalachakra to the leading Sakya lamas of the time, Kunga Rinchen Gyeltsen Pelzang, Jangchub Gyeltsen Tai Situ and Jamyang Sakya Gyeltsen Pelzang. He also continued to travel, going to Bodong Monastery to consecrate a newly-constructed temple. He also had the opportunity to meet with Gyelse Tokme (1295-1369 CE) who is said to have composed some 115 works including A Commentary on the Seven-point Mind-training, the Thirty-seven Practices of The Bodhisattva and The Ocean of Good Saying (a commentary on the Bodhisattvacaryavatara).
The Parinirvana of Buton Rinchen
Towards the twilight of his life Buton Rinchen Drub continued to give teachings at a phenomenal rate. It is also said that he hinted about his passing several years prior to his death.
He continued to compose numerous texts and to give teachings on the construction of mandalas and on astrology, amongst others. He would prod his disciples to master the teachings, citing that after his death they would have no proper authority to consult on such matters. He also gave personal advice on how various lineage-holders should complement their personal practices and learning so that they can be considered truly authoritative figures. In early 1364, Buton Rinchen Drub manifested illness and went into retreat. He entered clear light soon after, on the 21st day of the sixth month of the Wood-dragon Year.
Most of Buton Rinchen Drub’s lifestory can be gleaned through the biography written by his heart disciple Rinchen Namgyel. The biography titled A Handful of Flowers was written in two parts. The first section was written in 1355 when Buton was 66 and had just retired from the abbot’s throne. The second section was composed in 1366 and recounts events during the final years of his life. In his lifetime as a scholar and teacher, Buton Rinchen Drub had also proven himself to be a prolific author, composing 28 original treatises in addition to the countless translation works he did for the Kangyur and Tangyur collections. In 1917, His Holiness the 13th Dalai Lama commissioned the carving of woodblocks for Buton’s collected works. That the Dalai Lama would do so nearly 300 years after Buton Rinchen Drub’s passing, in order to preserve his works for future generations, is testament to how much respect there continues to be for the great savant of Tibet.
The Collected Works of Buton Rinchen Drub
- Vol.1 – 5. Kalachakra Literature, stotra, mandala, sadhana, homa.
- Vol.6. Laghu Samvara Tantra commentary.
- Vol.7. Samvara cont.; sadhana, mandala, homa, etc.
- Vol.8. Hevajra and Samputa Tantra commentaries.
- Vol.9. Guhyasamaja; mandala, sadhana, etc. commentaries.
- Vol.10. Guhyasamaja cont. and Vajrapani texts of the anuttara class.
- Vol.11. Yoga tantras; Vajrodaya, Tattvasamgraha and Vajradhatu Mandala commentaries.
- Vol.12. Yoga tantras; Tattvasamgraha, Tattvalokakari and Vajradhatu Mandala commentaries.
- Vol.13. Yoga class explanatory tantras; Vajrasekhara, Paramadya and Sarvadurgati Parishodhana commentaries.
- Vol.14. Miscellaneous texts; the mandalas of Navosnisa, Mrtyunjaya, Vajrapani, Akshobhya, Dharamadhatu Vagishvari, Vairocanabhisambodhi, Rasmi Vimala, Amoghapasa etc. Summary of Manjushrikirti’s commentary on the Namasangiti. A text on the classification of Tantra.
- Vol.15. Two texts on the classification of Tantra.
- Vol.16. Genealogies and lineages of various schools. A compilation of mantras.
- Vol.17. A description of the art, murals and mandalas of Shalu Monastery at the time of Bu-ston.
- Vol.18. An extensive sub-commentary to Haribhadra’s vritti on the Abhisamaylankara.
- Vol.19. Abhisamayalankara cont., and its relationship to the Prajnaparamita literature. A detailed commentary to the Bodhicaryavatara.
- Vol.20. A text on Tathagatagarbha theory, commentary on the Abhidharma-samuccaya and an exposition on Pratityasamutpada.
- Vol.21. Vinaya commentaries.
- Vol.22. Vinaya commentaries and the life of Buddha Shakyamuni.
- Vol.23. Vinaya literature.
- Vol.24. The Pramanaviniscaya of Dharmakirti and Yogasataka commentaries. A history of Buddhism in India and Tibet.
- Vol.25. A commentary to Durgasimha’s commentary to the Kalapa system of Sanskrit grammar.
- Vol.26. Letters. Catalogue for the Zhalu Tangyur and Gyubum.
- Vol.27. The works of Bu-ston’s student sGra-tShad-pa most notably a large commentary to Bu-ston’s text on the Kalacakra Tantra.
- Vol.28. The minor writings of sGra-tShad-pa; an explanation of the Tathagatagarbha theory, Tangyur catalogue etc.
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Revisit this interesting post of a great Master
Buton Rinchen Drup, was a 14th-century Sakya master and Tibetan Buddhist leader. He is widely considered to be one of Tibet’s greatest scholars, historians, translators, and writers. He has been the role model for many of Tibet’s greatest masters over the centuries, including the present Dalai Lama. His legacy also included the compilation of 500 years’ worth of translated teachings into the encyclopedic Kangyur and Tangyur collections. This monumental effort helped to preserve and propagate the teachings throughout Tibet. These collections have become well known by all of the schools of Buddhism in Tibet, and continue to this day. He truly was one of the brightest lights of Tibetan Buddhism.
Throughout his life, Buton Rinchen Drup has continued to serve humanity and the Dharma. Interesting read.
Thank you Rinpoche and Pastor David for this sharing.
Great Buton Rinchen Drub’s lifestorys truly inspiring, interesting which I simply love reading over and over again. The Great Buton Rinchen Drub was one of the most erudite of scholars of Tibet. To this day he is well remembered as a prodigious scholar and writer and is Tibet’s most celebrated historian. He catalogued thousands of the Buddhist scriptures and wrote the famous book, the History of Buddhism in India and Tibet. Many Tibetan scholars utilize in their study even as today.
Thank you Rinpoche and Pastor David for this sharing.
Thank you very much for the story I am very curious about it . I am a student from phss. Class seven. I am research about it thanks.
Buton Rinchen Drup a well respected Lama was a 14th-century Sakya master and Tibetan Buddhist leader. He was considered to be one of Tibet’s greatest scholars, historians, translators, and writers. He truly was one of the brightest lights of Tibetan Buddhism. Spending his whole life serving humanity and the Dharma. Throughout his life, he had composed at least twenty-six prolific volumes of commentaries and translated teachings into the encyclopedic Kangyur and Tangyur collections. To this days these collections have become well known by all of the schools of Buddhism in Tibet. Since his passing ,he is well remembered as being an ardent translator and proponent of the Kalachakra Tantra. He did wrote the famous book, the “History of Buddhism in India and Tibet,” a work which many Tibetan scholars still used in their studies today. Even though its nearly 300 years since his passing his collected works has been preserved for future generations.
Thank you Rinpoche for this wonderful sharing of a GREAT Lama.
Mantras are sacred verbalized words that invoke the protection and blessings of the deity to whom the mantra is ascribed. Mantras are also the manifestations of Buddhas in the form of ‘sounds’, hence the various mantras of Dorje Shugden contain the essence of the Protector.
Dorje Shugden’s main mantra 多杰雄登主要咒语
OM BENZA WIKI BITANA SOHA
Dorje Shugden’s mantra for peace 平和咒语
For gaining attainments through the energy of Peaceful Shugden, peace of environment and mind, harmony in one’s abode and dwelling area, and calming of disasters
OM BENZA WIKI BITANA SHANTI SIDDHI HUNG
Dorje Shugden’s mantra for health 福寿安康咒语
For long life, increasing life, healing of disease and protection from diseases
OM BENZA WIKI BITANA AYU SIDDHI HUNG
Dorje Shugden’s mantra for increase 增长咒语
For gaining great merits and increase of all necessary needs, both material and spiritual
OM BENZA WIKI BITANA PUNYE SIDDHI HUNG
Dorje Shugden’s mantra for control 控制咒语
Of worldly deities, negative people and nagas and for influencing friends towards the positive
OM BENZA WIKI BITANA WASHAM KURU HO
Dorje Shugden’s mantra to grant protection 庇护咒语
Visualize that you are in the Protector’s mandala, fully protected from outside interferences. Recite when in danger or for dangerous situations, for protection while travelling or when residing in dangerous/hostile places
OM BENZA WIKI BITANA RAKYA RAKYA HUNG
https://video.tsemtulku.com/videouploads/comment-1544345059.mp4
Reincarnation Lineage Prayer of the Incarnate Master Dragpa Gyaltsan
This prayer also, to the incarnate master Dragpa Gyaltsan through his reincarnations, has been spoken for the benefit of all migratory beings by the Vajra Shugden who protects the holy Dharma, at the sacred abode Choling in response to requests from many devout monks and nuns and householders. Gedun Choejor was the scribe. May this serve as cause for all migratory beings swiftly attaining in one lifespan the state of Vajradhara.
May there be auspiciousness!
Lord Manjushri, the sole father of all kindhearted Victors,
Lord Tsongkhapa, whose renown fills this world,
Lord Yamantaka who has arisen to subdue the intractable:
Bless us supplicants with common and uncommon attainments!
Lord Sambhota, the best of scholars,
Loden Sherab, the savant in all classics,
Lords Naropa and Khyungpo Naljor:
Bless us supplicants with common and uncommon attainments!
Ralo Dorjedrag and master Khutoen,
Masters Sakya Shri and Choeku Woezer,
And to the Omniscient Lord Buton:
Bless us supplicants with common and uncommon attainments!
The all-pervading Tsarchen, and Sonam Dragpa;
Sonam Yeshe, prominent among saviors of beings;
Sonam Geleg, in whom merit and virtues shone like the sun:
Bless us supplicants with common and uncommon attainments!
Dragpa Gyaltsan, the master leading nyig-dhue1 beings to liberation,
Whose very name, just hearing, frees from the lower migrations,
Who leads to liberation any who supplicates single-mindedly:
To this protector of teachings and beings of three worlds we pray.
Ngawang Jinpa the emanation in saffron robes, and
Ngawang Tenzin, upholder of the victory banner of the teaching,
And Jetsun Losang Geleg, the great master:
Bless us supplicants with common and uncommon attainments!
Losang Tenzin, the victory banner of Dharma who comes
As kings, ministers and monks for beings and dharma’s sake,
In successions endless as ripple in water:
To such past and future emanations we pray.
By the truth power of the Three Jewels,
By the enlightened actions of oceanic dharmapalas
Such as the Four-faced Lord and the Dorje Shugden,
May all beings live well and in happiness.
As you embody all Three Roots2,
For us all migratory beings here, in the future, and in bardho3,
In all happy and bad times we have none but you:
Hold us, without separation, with parental love.
When in future you enact the enlightened deeds,
As attaining Enlightenment as Buddha Rabsal among others,
May we and all other beings connected with us,
Be the first to taste the nectar of your vast and profound words.
May we, and all sentient beings, in all lifetimes,
Come into contact with the Second Buddha’s teachings,
May we all take on the going forth, and take
All sentient beings across the ocean of samsara.
Footnotes
[1] ‘Degenerate times’ that is characterized by “five dregs in terms of lifespan, times, delusions, views and sentient beings.” Source: Commentary on the Abhidharmakosh by Chim Namkha Drag, also known as ‘Chim Jampalyang’ (1210-1285); folio 181 (p. 371) ); Woodblock edition, 1893; No. of folios 430 (pp. 869)
[2] The spiritual mentor, the meditational deity, and the dakas and dakinis.
[3] The intermediate state between death and next rebirth.
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Reincarnation Lineage Prayer of Tulku Dragpa Gyaltsan
This praise to the reincarnation lineage of the supreme incarnation Dragpa Gyaltsan has been composed by the monk Losang Choekyi Gyaltsan (The 4th Panchen Lama) at the prayer hall of Tashi Lhunpo on account of fervent requests from Legpa Gyaltsan and many other attendants of the master.
May there be auspiciousness!
The one whose renown permeates the world;
The great being holding aloft the banner,
Of the Second Buddha, happiness and wellbeing’s source:
At that great master’s feet we pray.
At the feet of the World Teacher with the ten powers,
You invoked the power of truth with pure superior intent,
Causing flowers to fall like rains.
We pray at the feet of that great master.
The Guide of all migratory beings both man and god;
The treasury of all knowledge and attainments in dharma;
The great hero who strove for the supreme liberation:
We pray at the feet of Choekyi Jhangchub.
The one whose greatness, on account of pure prayer,
Was like that of a second Buddha;
And was supreme Guide to fortunate ones of India and Tibet:
We pray at the feet of that great being.
In the sky of the great bliss of Dharmakaya,
The radiant orb of the three bodies of the Buddha is full circle,
Radiating a million rays of enlightened activities: We pray at the feet
Of that opener of a million lotuses of benefit and wellbeing.
We pray at the feet of Master Buton, the unrivalled
Amongst all those who are scholars and realized ones,
In upholding and spreading the Buddha’s teaching,
By example in teaching and practice.
With an intellect superbly trained from the past,
Your mind joyously bloomed in all profound paths.
With single-minded effort you attained supreme realization.
We pray at the feet of that supreme and realized master.
From the vast lotus gardens of phuntsog* merit,
Myriad lotuses, with hundreds of petals, of learning and practice, bloom.
The fragrant scents of good name and deed dispel the ancient sicknesses
Of migrant beings: At the feet of that master we pray.
By the wish-granting jewel of merit and wisdom,
You became a crown jewel of both man and gods,
Its hundred rays of good deed dispelling the dark ignorance
Of all migrant beings: At your feet we pray.
The vast celestial mansion of virtuous accumulation of merits,
Overflows with jewels of the good path of the three trainings.
We pray at the feet, of its dweller─a guide of all beings─
Attired in the magnificence of enlightened deeds.
In holding aloft the victory banner
Of the sutra and tantra teachings of the Second Buddha:
In this you are unrivalled in all three worlds.
We pray at the feet of this noble tutor.
The source of renown and wellbeing and happiness,
Is the Buddha’s teachings. May the chief of all who uphold this banner
Live for long for the sake of innumerable beings to be tamed!
May his phuntsog* enlightened deeds spread to the ten directions!
By the merit of praising in this manner, may we never be
Separated from the protection of noble spiritual mentors!
Progressing swiftly in the supreme vehicle’s path,
May we swiftly attain the state of the three kayas!
Footnotes
From Panchen Losang Chogyan, Collected Works, Vol Ca (5), folio 34a-35a (p. 83-85), Tashi Lhunpo woodblock print, Tibet.
*phuntsog: a compound word in Tibetan (of phun sum tsog) meaning the ideal combination of the three i.e. a good cause, its result and enjoyment of that result.
Thank you for this biography of the great Buton Rinchen Drub. He was a great scholar. His work on The Kangyur and Tangyur have been deeply influential in Tibetan Buddhism and we owe him a debt of gratitude for preserving and collecting these works. I look forward to the day when they all have been translated into English but in the meantime, I am happy Tibet has kept them well over the centuries.
All enlightened beings are worthy of homage and worship. They are the best beings to take refuge in and we should offer them our prayers as we can put our full confidence in them. Of all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, I personally find that Manjushri is extremely important. This is because what keeps us in samsara (cyclic rebirth) is our total ignorance and misunderstanding of the reality of existence. What is necessary to penetrate this deep ignorance that keeps us bound in a perpetual state of reincarnation is wisdom. We need many types of wisdom which can be acquired by relying on Manjushri as our yidam (meditational deity). By focusing on his meditation, practice, mantra and path we can gain wisdom in order to have the tool to penetrate the reality of existence. Therefore, Manjushri is an extremely important Buddha for us to focus on and take refuge in.
Tsem Rinpoche
(Photograph: this is the beautiful outdoor Manjushri statue who is in a teaching pose. He is floating above a koi fish pond nestled among lush greenery in Kechara Forest Retreat, Malaysia)
每一位觉者都能成为我们朝拜、膜拜的对象。他们是我们至高、至好的皈依，我们应该向他们做祈请，并且对他们生起全然的信念。在众佛菩萨之中，我个人认为文殊菩萨极为重要。这是因为使我们身陷娑婆（轮回）的是我们自身的无明，以及对实相的曲解。智慧是一种必要，它能穿透我们深不见底的无明，那个使我们受困于无止境投生的无明。我们需要多种智慧，而依止文殊菩萨作为我们的本尊，即能使我们成就多种智慧。透过文殊菩萨的观想、修持法门、心咒及修行道路，我们能成就智慧，拥有了知实相的“器具”。故此，专注于文殊菩萨的修持法门、皈依他，对我们而言都极为重要。
詹杜固仁波切
（相片：这尊户外文殊菩萨像呈转法轮姿。他被茂密的草木环绕，安坐在马来西亚克切拉禅修林的鱼池之上。）
The Kangyur and Tangyur, which are the teachings of the Buddha and the commentaries by the 2 Supremes and the 6 Ornaments of Buddhism, are very important texts to have. In fact monasteries always keep these texts in their libraries.
Buton Rinchen Drub was not partial even to his own tradition, and when he saw certain parts that had no Indian sources he had them removed.
During invasion, Nalanda and the other great Buddhism institutions of India had been destroyed. The remaining surviving holy texts and scriptures were in Tibet. It was Buton Rinchen Drub’s determination to preserve these 500 years’ worth of existing translated teachings, making sure that all were recorded and traceable to its original Sanskrit source. These translated teaching were compiled into Kangyur and Tangyur, which became excellent reference of Buddha’s teaching known today. He also composed 26 prolific volumes of commentaries and commissioned many high quality and beautiful holy images about Buddha’s life as well as thangkas about tantric divine being.
Buton Rinchen Drub dedicated his life preserving and upholding the dharma. His collected works were highly respected. Even after 300 years of his passing, H.H the 13th Dalai Lama commissioned the craving woodblocks for Buton Rinchen Drub’s works in order to safeguard his works for many generations to come.
It is said here that :
“While compiling the Kangyur, Buton Rinchen Drub excluded some of the Nyingma tantras because he doubted the authenticity of those texts. He was adhering to the Tibetan standard of authenticating texts and practices, the key being the ability to trace a text to its original Sanskrit source. The Vajrakilaya Tantra was also not included, although it was at the heart of an important tantric tradition within the Nyingma School and it was growing in popularity within the Sakya “
However, in an earlier previous life when He was Shakyashri Badhra, the Master had actually authenticated that this text can be traced back to the Indian source.
“Amongst the texts, Shakyashri Bhadra saw a Sanskrit manuscript of the Guhyagarbha Tantra. This is considered an important event within the Nyingma tradition, as it traces the origins of their practice of this Tantra to Indian sources. Alongside this, Shakyashri Bhadra is credited with authenticating the Vajrakilaya practice back to Indian sources as well.”
How interesting when in a previous life (when He was Shakyashri Bhadra), this text was authenticated and yet in a later life (Master Buton Rinchen Drub) the same text was excluded. https://bit.ly/2yqvKGs
8 pictures of the Sakya Monastery to share, where Protector temple Mug Chung is located. This is the monastery where Dorje Shugden was enthroned first as a Dharma protector in Tibet over 400 years ago by the highest Sakya throneholders and masters. Since then when people are doing Dorje Shugden prayers and pujas, they invoke his holy wisdom presence from Mug Chung Protector Chapel in Sakya Monastery in Tibet.
Thank you for this amazing biography of the great Buton Rinchen Drub. He was a great scholar and his precious work to compile the Kangyur, the spoken words of the Buddha and Tangyur. the commentaries was very important and is still used today. This was most important as monasteries such as Nalanda did not exist anymore at his time and his work was crucial to maintain Buddhas teachings.
Buton Rinchen Drub also wrote 28 volumes of collected works and did translations, next to being an abbot. His works are very beneficial up till today. He is also well-known for sharing the Kalachakra Tantras.
We are very indebted to such a msster as Buton Rinchen Drub who was not interested in fame and glory but worked very hard for preserving and teaching the Dharma.
??? Thank you Rinpoche & Pastor for sharing.
It is amazing that how much Butön Rinchen Drub proven himself to be a prolific author and how much he have contributed and it has been benefiting people until today.
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Butön Rinchen Drub a simple monk was born in western Tibet at where Tashi Lhunpo Monastery was built. There were many auspicious sign after his birth showing that he was some one special. Interesting Butön Rinchen Drub and has been the role model for many of Tibet’s greatest masters over the centuries. Buton Rinchen Drub was highly respected and continued to give, receive teachings most of his life time.. He even composed numerous texts for the Kangyur and Tangyur collections. Even though its nearly 300 years since his passing his collected works has been preserved for future generations. This show how much Buton Rinchen Drub is well respected at that time.
Thank you Rinpoche and Pastor David Lai for this sharing.