The Jonang Lineage
(By Tsem Rinpoche)
When I was 15 years old and still living in Howell, New Jersey, I found out that H.H. the Dalai Lama would be visiting Wisconsin to give the first ever Kalachakra initiation in the West. I was so excited! Many Kalmyks who lived in my town had booked buses and hotels to attend the initiation. I wanted to go for the initiation so badly too! But, even though my parents had initially agreed to let me go as long as I earned my own money for the bus fees and all, which I did by working part time for about three months, they broke their promise and in the end, forbade me from attending the initiation.
So, I never had the fortune to receive Kalachakra from His Holiness, but I have deep trust and faith in this practice. I was inspired to share a little about the Jonang Lineage with all my readers, because it is where the roots and the lineage of the Kalachakra practice come. One of the prized practices and systems to enlightenment within the Jonangpa lineage is Kalacakra. I wanted to therefore share more about this profound lineage to all of you. The current head of the Jonangpa lineage is His Holiness Kalka Jetsun Dampa Rinpoche who is the supreme lama of the Buddhism of Mongolia. It is good to have more knowledge of other lineages and practices.
Tsem Rinpoche
Left to right: Venerable Telo Rinpoche, His Holiness Kalka Jetsun Dampa Rinpoche of Mongolia and Tsem Rinpoche. I was was very fortunate to have an audience with Kalka Jetsun Dampa Rinpoche and he even visited my new house in Gaden Shartse Monastery and conferred a blessing during this time. His Holiness Kalka Jetsun Dampa who is the incarnation of Taranatha or Zanabazar has since entered clear light and passed away.
Origins of the Jonang Lineage
The Jonang Lineage can be traced back to the early 12th-century master Yumo Mikyo Dorje, a lineage holder of the Kalachakra Tantra. He was a disciple of Somanatha, the Kalachakra master from Kashmir who had also translated the Vimalaprabha – the great Kalachakra commentary into Tibetan with Dro Lotsawa. The master Yumo was also said to have received the Zhentong Madhyamaka teachings in a vision while practicing the Kalachakra Six-limbed Yoga in the region of Mt. Kailash. However, he would only propagate Zhentong as a “secret doctrine” to his closest disciples.
The Jonang name was derived from its mother monastery, Jomonang Monastery, which was situated in South Central Tibet. The master Kunpang Tukje Tsondru (1243-1313) founded this monastery in 1294. The layout of the monastery was based on the traditional way the Kingdom of Shambhala was depicted. In his lifetime, the master Kunpang Tukje managed to gather and compile the six yogas of Kalachakra at that time.
In general, the Jonang tradition is the primary lineage holder of the Dro transmission of the Kalachakra Tantra, the six yogas of the Kalachakra completion stage and the Zhentong Madhyamaka teachings.
Jonang Kalachakra
A very old painted statue of Kalachakra in Jonang Monastery
Kalachakra literally means the ‘Wheel of Time’ in Sanskrit. The Kalachakra Tantric system is one of the most advanced Tantric systems within Tibetan Buddhism. It was one of the last Tantric systems to be brought over from India to Tibet via the last transmission of the teachings before Buddhism was wiped out in India by successive Muslim invasions.
Although this Tantric system is very advanced and esoteric, there is a tradition of offering it to large public audiences. It is the practice to give such public initiations to plant as many powerful seeds or causes as possible for those in the audience to be reborn in Shambhala. Shambhala is a place on earth that is described in the commentaries to be a hidden land ruled by enlightened kings and that the Kalachakra Tantra is the primary practice of the populace of this kingdom. The king of Shambhala is both the ruler and the one to bestow initiation and commentary of the Kalachakra Tantra.
King Suchandra, the first Dharma King of Shambhala, received the Kalachakra practice directly from the Buddha himself
In fact, the Kalachakra Tantra states that Suchandra, an earlier King of Shambhala, requested Buddha Shakyamuni to teach a method to practice the Dharma without renouncing worldly responsibilities. In response to his request, the Buddha taught the first teachings on Kalachakra in Dharanikota, which is near modern Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh in Southeastern India. This was done miraculously simultaneously with another teaching given by the Buddha on Vulture’s Peak, in the state of Bihar.
Along with the king, ninety-six minor kings and emissaries from Shambhala who were amongst the retinue of the king also received the teachings. In this manner, the Kalachakra Tantra was first transmitted directly to Shambhala, where it was kept and practiced for hundreds of years. Successive kings of Shambhala, Manjushrikirti and Pundarika, were said to have composed the condensed Shri Kalachakra Laghutantra and its main commentary, the Vimalaprabha that is at the heart of the Kalachakra texts.
Within Tibet, the Kalachakra Tantra has many lineages but amongst them, there are two main lineages, the Dro and Ra lineages. The Ra lineage descends from the Kashmiri master Samantashri and the translator Ra Lotsawa Dorje Drak. The Ra lineage eventually found a prominent place within the Sakya school, where great masters like Sakya Pandita, Drogon Chogyal Phagpa and so forth held the lineage. On the other hand, the Dro lineage descends from the Kashmiri scholar Somanatha, who traveled to Tibet in 1027 AD and his translator Dro Lotsawa Sherab Drak, whose name became synonymous with this transmission of the Kalachakra.
The Dro lineage of Kalachakra eventually became an integral part of the Jonang lineage through its founder Yumo Mikyo Dorje and Kunpang Tukje Tsondru. Then, the Jonang scholar Taranatha left his mark on the lineage by developing this Tantra with his commentaries and teachings. In the 17th century, the Great Fifth Dalai Lama suppressed the Jonang lineage for political reasons. Ironically, it was also during the time of the Fifth Dalai Lama’s forced conversion of Jonang monasteries that the Gelug school absorbed much of the Jonang Kalachakra tradition.
Today, the Kalachakra Tantra is disseminated within all schools of Tibetan Buddhism but it is featured prominently within the Gelug lineage. It is also the main practice of existing Jonangpas that survived in several monasteries in Kham, Qinghai and Sichuan.
A traditional thangka of the kingdom of Shambhala, ruled by enlightened kings that proliferate and practice Kalachakra.
Jonang Zhentong
According to the Jonang tradition, Zhentong literally means ‘other-emptiness’ or the view of extrinsic Emptiness. In other words, Zhentong is an interpretation of the Madhyamaka view of the nature of reality and the mind. The Madhyamaka system was derived from the Buddha’s Third Turning of the Wheel of Dharma, which forms the final set of discourses that the Buddha taught.
According to Zhentong teachings, the Madhyamaka view of Emptiness is an understanding of the mind and reality in order to reconcile the paradox of a lack of permanent essence (Sunyata/Emptiness) and the permanent enlightened nature of the enlightened mind (Tathagatagarbha/Buddha nature). Ultimately, Zhentong is a view of how the ultimate nature of reality is empty of inherent existence aside from one’s own enlightened Buddha nature.
Zhentong holds that the relative truth of reality is empty of its own intrinsic findable existence. This Emptiness of inherent existence or “rangtong” is considered to be solely the nature of relative reality while the ultimate reality is understood to be empty of everything aside from oneself. That is why transient tangible experiences remain devoid of inherent and findable existence while the boundless luminous nucleus of Buddha nature within all beings remains intangible and unchanging.
This enlightened Buddha nature is thus regarded as the permanently pure nature of awareness. It is this pure mind that is devoid of its distorted perceptions. This is likened to an embryo or a womb and this enlightened essence (Tathagatagarbha) provides the potentiality for living beings to be reborn into fully awakened Buddhas.
The Suppression of the Jonang Lineage
The Great Fifth Dalai Lama unified Tibet under his rule and had to suppress the Jonang tradition in order to maintain power
In the 17th century, the Fifth Dalai Lama was enthroned by Panchen Lobsang Chokyi Gyeltsen and came to power and was proclaimed the temporal and spiritual leader of Tibet with the backing of the Mongol army. This was done to counter the growing threat of the Kagyupas, who were backed by the King of Tsang.
The Kagyupas were not the only ones who posed a threat to the Gaden Podrang, the newly formed government of the Fifth Dalai Lama. The Jonang lineage came under the suppression of the Gaden Podrang. The apparent reason for the clampdown was the philosophical Zhentong view of Emptiness that was deemed heretical. Consequently, Jonang books were burned, its libraries and printing presses sealed and Jonang monasteries forcibly converted into Gelug.
However, the real reason was because the Jonang had supported the Tsangpa king before the uprising and may have posed a threat to the Gelug, thus committing treason. Therefore, the Fifth Dalai Lama believed that the Jonang monasteries had to be closed and converted in order to set a precedent and a warning to other monasteries not to engage in politics and endanger the stability of the nation.
The Jonang Lamas and lineage fled beyond the Gelug sphere into faraway Kham and Amdo where they continued to flourish. Today, they still uphold their lineage and practice of the completion stage of Kalachakra along with the philosophical Madhyamaka Zhentong system in these areas.
Jonang Lineage Holders
Yumo Mikyo Dorje was said to be meditating and practicing the Six Yogas of Kalachakra when the realization of Zhentong dawned in his mind
Yumo Mikyo Dorje
Yumo Mikyo Dorje was the 11th Century student of the Kashmiri scholar Somanatha and became a great Kalachakra master. He became known as the earliest Tibetan proponent of the Zhentong view of ‘other-emptiness’, which was a philosophical system of understanding the absolute nature of reality. This was emphasized within the Kalachakra Tantra and also the Buddha’s teachings on the Buddha nature inherent in all sentient beings as expounded during the Third Turning of the Wheel of Dharma.
It was believed that he received the Zhentong teachings while practicing the Kalachakra Six Yogas in the vicinity of Mount Kailash. He had formulated his view in much the same way as how Dolpopa Sherab Gyeltsen would do later on but without explicit terminology to define this view. Thus, many would come to view him as the originator of the Zhentong view instead of Dolpopa Sherab Gyeltsen.
From Yumo Mikyo Dorje onwards, the Dro lineage of Kalachakra was transmitted through the lineage-holders Dharmeshvara, Namkha Ozer, Machig Tulku Jobum, Drubtob Sechen, Choje Jamyang Sarma and Choku Ozer. Choku Ozer in turn became the teacher of Kunpang Tukje Tsondru who became the actual founding father of the Jomonang Monastery.
Kunpang Tukje Tsondru
Kunpang Tukje Tsondru founded Jonang hermitage and monastery
The master Kunpang Tukje Tsondru was born in 1243 in the Dok region of Tsang. In the course of his life, he studied at several monasteries in U and Tsang, of which the most famous was the great Sakya Monastery.
While he was staying at Jamyang Sarma Monastery of Kyandur, the master Kunpang received the transmissions of all the major treatises and teachings possessed by the great Choku Ozer. Prior to this, he had received and studied the Ra tradition of Kalachakra and he now received from Choku Ozer the Kalachakra initiation, the explanation of the Kalachakra Tantra, the great Vimalaprabha commentary, and an experiential transmission of the Kalachakra completion-stage practices of the Six-Branch Yoga in the Dro tradition.
In the end, the master Kunpang received and practiced seventeen different lineages of the Six-Branch Yoga of Kalachakra. When he was meditating on stopping vitality, which is the third of the six branches, it is said that the vital winds of the five elements became so forceful that he gained a high level of clairvoyance. Consequently, he gained visions of countless deities, such as the eleven-faced form of Avalokitesvara.
After that, the master Kunpang became an itinerant renunciate, wandering from hermitage to hermitage. Henceforth, he became known as Kunpang, which means renunciate. While he was at the famous Se Kharchung Hermitage, a whole assembly of Kalki emperors of Shambhala appeared to him in a vision and bestowed their blessings for him to compose a commentary on the Kalachakra Tantra. While he was at Kacho Deden Hermitage, he composed a series of texts on the practice of the Six-Branch Yoga of Kalachakra. At this time, he also experienced a vision of Kalachakra, and received a divine prophecy. These texts would be the first Tibetan and extensive commentary for the Six-Branch Yoga of the Kalachakra.
He also beheld the face of Goddess Nakmen Gyalmo, who entreated him to reside at the very place where he would later establish Jonang Monastery. He would eventually settle there and Jonang Monastery was established in 1294. By then, he had many students and he taught them the old and new translations of Tantric teachings.
In his later years, the master Kunpang declared that Jangsem Gyelwa Yeshe would be his successor as the monastic head of Jonang Monastery. It is traditionally told that when Kunpang was about to pass away, Gyelwa Yeshe became ill, so Kunpang decided to extend his own life for several months. When he again manifested signs of passing away, his disciples pleaded for him to live longer. He lived for two more weeks before passing away peacefully.
Dolpopa Sherab Gyeltsen
A butter sculpture of Dolpopa Sherab Gyeltsen, the lama who built the Jonang Stupa and established the Zhentong Madhayamaka teachings
Dolpopa Sherab Gyeltsen was born in 1292 in the Nepalese Dolpo region. He was ordained as a novice monk in 1304 and spent his formative years studying the Nyingma teachings.
In 1309, he travelled to Mustang in order to study the treatises on the Perfection of Wisdom teachings and Buddhist epistemology or Abhidharma at the feet of the great Sakya master Kyiton Jamyang Drakpa Gyeltsen. In 1312, the young Dolpopa would follow his master Kyiton Jamyang back to the great monastery of Sakya in Tsang, Tibet. While at Sakya, Dolpopa received innumerable teachings. Of these teachings, he would soon become an expert on the complex Kalachakra tradition and would serve as Kyiton Jamyang’s teaching assistant for several years.
Besides the master Kyiton, Dolpopa received teachings and initiations from other Sakya masters including the Sakya Throneholder Daknyi Chenpo Sangpo Pel. From the Jonang master Kunpang Drakpa Gyeltsen, he received the Vimalaprabha, the commentary on the Kalachakra Tantra. From the Sakya master Sengge Pel, he received further teachings on Abhidharma and from the master Kunga Sonam, he received teachings on Sakya Lamdre and the scriptural transmission of several texts on the Hevajra Tantra.
Dolpopa traveled to many of the great monasteries of Tsang and Central Tibet in 1314 and became known with the title Kunkhyen or ‘Omniscient’ because of his mastery of a great number of scriptures. He also received bhikshu or full monastic ordination from the abbot Sonam Drakpa of Cholung Monastery and vowed to be meatless for the rest of his life. During the same year, he visited Jonang Monastery and was deeply impressed by the tradition of intense meditation emphasized there. Then he traveled to U and had audience with the Third Karmapa, Rangjung Dorje (1284-1339), at the great Karma Kagyu monastery of Tsurpu. The Karmapa significantly prophesied that Dolpopa would quickly develop deeper insight in the view and practice.
In 1322, while Dolpopa was at Jonang Monastery, he received from the master Khetsun Yonten Gyatso (1260-1327) the complete transmission of the Kalachakra Tantra, the Bodhisattva Trilogy, and the Kalachakra completion-stage practices of the Six-Branch Yoga. Then he entered a meditation retreat at the Jonang hermitage of Khacho Deden. After this retreat, Yonten Gyatso convinced Dolpopa to teach in the assembly at Jonang, and also taught him many more systems of esoteric knowledge on Tantra. Dolpopa then visited Sakya at the invitation of Tishri Kunga Gyeltsen (1310-1358) of the Khon family, and offered him the Kalachakra initiation.
On returning to Jonang, Dolpopa began a strict retreat at Khacho Deden, meditating on the Six-Branch Yoga for one year. During this time he achieved realization of the first four of the six branches, beholding immeasurable figures of the Buddhas and Pure Lands when practicing. During this retreat the realization of the Zhentong view first arose in Dolpopa’s mind, but he would not teach it to others until another five years had passed.
In 1325, Yonten Gyatso requested Dolpopa to be his successor and accept the monastic seat of Jonang Monastery. This was against Dolpopa’s own wish to enter into retreat but nevertheless, he finally agreed and ascended the monastic throne of Jonang in 1326. When Yonten Gyatso passed away the next year, Dolpopa decided to build a monumental stupa to repay his master’s kindness. During the construction, Dolpopa himself would sometimes work on the construction site amidst giving many teachings.
As the long central poles were placed in the stupa, he taught the Bodhisattva Trilogy to a huge assembly, explaining for the first time the distinction between the relative as empty of self-nature (Rangtong) and the absolute as empty only of other relative phenomena (Zhentong). The stupa was finally consecrated on October 30, 1333. In the following years, Dolpopa mostly stayed in meditation retreat and had many visions. In particular, he directly beheld the Pure Land of Shambhala, the source of the Kalachakra teachings, and once claimed to have actually gone there by visionary means.
In 1336, Dolpopa was invited to teach to a large crowd of several thousand people at Sakya Monastery. Once again, he taught the distinctions between the Rangtong and Zhentong views of Emptiness while citing numerous scriptural references. In 1338, he passed the monastic seat of Jonang Monastery to his disciple Lotsawa Lodro Pel. In 1344, Mongolian imperial envoys arrived with decrees issued by the Yuan Emperor Toghon Temur inviting Dolpopa to China, but he retreated to isolated hermitages for the next four years to evade the request.
Dolpopa became extremely heavy in his later years and it was difficult for him to travel. But in 1358, when he was sixty-seven years old, he decided to make a pilgrimage to Central Tibet and traveled by boat down the Tsangpo River, stopping at different places along the banks to teach. He stayed for one year at the monasteries of Nesar and Cholung, where he gave many teachings. The great Sakya master of the Khon family, Lama Dampa Sonam Gyeltsen (1312-1375), came to meet Dolpopa at Cholung, received teachings, and made requests to compose a text that became one of his major works, the Fourth Council.
In 1359, Dolpopa was brought on a palanquin through U and Tsang, welcomed by throngs of people lining the roads and escorting him into the different monasteries. When he finally arrived in Lhasa, he stayed for about six months and gave the instructions of the Six-Branch Yoga of Kalachakra several times to large crowds. At the beginning of 1360, a party arrived to invite Dolpopa back to Jonang Monastery. As Dolpopa traveled back into the Tsang region he stopped to teach at various monasteries such as Ralung and Nenying.
In 1360, Dolpopa arrived back at the great hermitage of Jonang and again stayed in meditation at his residence of Dewachen.
At the tail end of 1361, Dolpopa told his assistants that he wanted to go to the stupa, but his attendants told him that the path was unsafe because snow had fallen and assisted him to his residence instead. So, tea was served and elder disciples were called for some lighthearted conversation and by some accounts, he was said to be pleased with his disciples. The next morning, the master seemed to be in deep meditation with staring eyes. By afternoon, he had closed his eyes and passed away while in deep meditation.
Dolpopa was cremated according to tradition accorded to a High Lama. Ashes from the cremation were gathered and placed with other relics into a statue of Dolpopa that was installed into the great stupa he had built.
Taranatha
A life-like statue of Taranatha that belonged to Zanabazar
Taranatha was born at Karak in 1575 and was a descendent of Ra Lotsawa Dorje Drak. His Tibetan name was Kunga Nyingpo but scholars and historians know him by the name Taranatha, which he received in a vision from a great Indian mahasiddha.
According to traditional accounts, when he was one year old he had self-declared, “I am master Kunga Drolchok!” But this self-recognition was kept a secret for several years, and it was not until he was about four years old that he was brought to the late Kunga Drolchok’s monastery of Cholung Jangtse and formally recognized and enthroned as his incarnation. Then began years of rigorous study and practice under the guidance of a series of great masters, many of whom had previously been major disciples of his previous life.
Kunga Drolchok’s disciple Jampa Lhundrub guided the newly recognized young lama. Under this lama, Taranatha began his first studies on the various subjects of Sutra and Tantra. Then he received a vast number of Tantric teachings and initiations, primarily of the Sakya tradition of Lamdre, from another of his predecessor’s disciples, Doring Kunga Gyeltsen. Kunga Drolchok’s disciple Draktopa Lhawang Drakpa taught Taranatha many esoteric instructions, especially the Six Yogas and Mahamudra.
Jedrung Kunga Pelzang (1513-1588), who was Kunga Drolchok’s nephew and the throne holder of Jonang Monastery, transmitted to Taranatha the teachings of Kalachakra Tantra and the dharma protector Mahakala that he had received from his previous life. From Kunga Drolchok’s disciple Lungrik Gyatso, Taranatha received many transmissions, especially the Kalachakra initiation, the explanation of the Kalachakra Tantra, the esoteric instructions of the Six-Branch Yoga according to the Jonang tradition, and the collected writings of Dolpopa Sherab Gyeltsen (1292-1361). He is said to have gained a special realization when he practiced the Six-Branch Yoga of the Kalachakra Tantra.
When Taranatha was fourteen years old, the Indian adept Buddhaguptanatha arrived in Tibet. This master became one of Taranatha’s most important teachers, passing to him countless transmissions of Tantric initiations and esoteric instructions. Taranatha attributed his understanding of the Tantric teachings to the kindness of Buddhaguptanatha. There were other Indian yogins and scholars, both Buddhist and non-Buddhist who came to Tibet during Taranatha’s lifetime. They gave him instructions, taught scholarly aspects of the teachings and assisted him in translating Sanskrit texts into Tibetan. Several of Taranatha’s translations are now included in the Tibetan canonical collections of the Kangyur and Tangyur.
In 1588, Jedrung Kunga Pelzang appointed Taranatha as his successor on the throne of Jonang. Taranatha took it upon himself to proliferate Dolpopa’s insights to a larger audience. He decided that it was important to preserve Dolpopa’s teachings as they were deemed to be in danger of dying out. During the 1590s, the instruction manual witten by Dolpopa’s heir Chokle Namgyel (1306-1386) was still being used at Jonang to teach the Six-Branch Yoga, but very few people really understood the philosophical tenets of Dolpopa and his disciples.
During this period Taranatha’s teacher Jampa Lhundrub advised him to restore the great stupa that Dolpopa had built about 260 years before at Jonang. Taranatha poured his whole heart into this project. Just before the restoration work was finished, it is said that he had a marvelous vision of a mountain one morning. Apparently, the mountain was the Dhanyakataka Stupa, where the Buddha first taught the Kalachakra Tantra. Taranatha later felt that perhaps this vision was a culmination of the merits of everyone who had been working so intensely to complete the restoration works of the great stupa at Jonang.
In 1604, after a decade of tremendous work to revive the original Jonang teachings, serious political conflict ensued. Jonang Monastery itself was in immediate danger of being invaded by a hostile army. While meditating at Dolpopa’s great stupa, Taranatha became despondent as all his efforts were about to be destroyed and the tradition itself wiped out. At that time, he yearned to enter into retreat far away from all the troubles created by deluded and impassioned people.
At the darkest hour, Dolpopa appeared to him in a vision and encouraged him to continue on and assured him that all his efforts would not be in vain. The next night, Taranatha prayed to Dolpopa once more and experienced a vision of the master who gave a teaching in the form of a verse. As a result of this series of events, Taranatha was said to have gained realization of Dolpopa’s true intentions as expressed in his Zhentong teachings and all his fear and doubts melted away. In order to express his realization, he composed a text entitled Ornament of the Zhentong Middle Way, which is one of his most important works solely devoted to the explanation of the Zhentong view.
Taranatha would continue to have countless visions for the remainder of his life. During the years spanning 1618 to 1619, he experienced many visions of entering the Kalapa court of the Shambhala kings, beheld the divine rulers themselves, and heard their teachings. He felt that these visions were a result of his realization of the ultimate view of all Sutras and Tantras according to Zhentong Madhyamaka view. Probably not long after 1614, Taranatha went to Mongolia where he reportedly founded several monasteries.
In 1615, a piece of land was offered along with the necessary resources to build a monastery for Taranatha. The monastery would eventually be completed in 1628 and given the name Takten Damcho Ling. The monastery would serve as his residence until he entered clear light. Just before his passing, Taranatha appointed his disciple Sangye Gyatso as his successor on the monastic seat of Takten Damcho Ling. He also gave several prophecies concerning the future of the Jonang tradition and the upheaval that would soon sweep Tibet.
Sangye Gyatso passed away not long after Taranatha himself. Therefore, another of the great master’s disciples, Kunga Rinchen Gyatso was appointed to the monastic seat and led the Jonang tradition for the next fifteen years. His rebirth became known as Zanabazar, the 1st Bogd Gegeen and Jebtsundamba Khutuktu of Mongolia. His most recent reincarnation was the 9th Jebtsundamba Khutughtu, who entered clear light in 2012.
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The Jonang is a unique tradition of Tibetan Buddhism established in Central Tibet. They are the primary lineage holders of the Kalachakra which has been isolated for centuries. The Jonang tradition emphasises this unique doctrine and had a long history, tracing their unbroken lineage back to India and the great Nalanda University. Today however, the Jonang tradition is the only tradition to specialise in the Kalachakra teachings. Due to political intervention by the Fifth Dalai Lama, Jonang monasteries were then converted to Gelug . Gelug school has absorbed much of the Jonang Kalachakra tradition and is so vitally important up to this days.
Thank you Rinpoche for this sharing.
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.
The long history of the Jonang lineage was interesting to know as well. After reading i am still trying hard to remember the names.But at least i can understand of how it originated.The Jonang tradition is the primary holder of the Dro transmission and practice lineage of the Kalachakra Tantra.Due to plitical reasons the Jonang lineage came under attack by the Fifth Dalai Lama. Gelug Monasteries later absorbed much of the Jonang Kālacakra tradition as Jonang Monasteries was forced to closed. The Jonang tradition had become extinct as thought however, it was discovered that it has also been preserved by other Tibetan Buddhist traditions and is still taught.
Thank you Rinpoche for these interesting read .Its quite similar to the
14th Dalai Lama on Dorje Shugden.
Thankyou Rinpoche for the article. Here’s 24 Major Points that Highlight the Difference Between Dolpopa and Tsongkhapa’s Systems- Based on Jeffery Hopkins translation of Tsongkhapa’s ‘Final Exposition of Wisdom’. What do you think?
1.
Dolpopa: Self-emptiness is empty emptiness in that compounded phenomena are empty of themselves.
Tsongkhapa: Self-emptiness is empty emptiness in that bot compounded and uncompounded phenomena are empty of inherent existence, but they are not empty of themselves.
2.
Dolpopa: Other-emptiness is non-empty emptiness in that the ultimate is the basis of emptiness, which is empty of the other, that is to say conventionalities, and is not empty of itself.
Tsongkhapa: It can be said that the ultimate is other-empty in that the ultimate is not the conventional, but it is empty of inherent existence, and thus the ultimate is a self-emptiness and thus and empty emptiness.
3.
Dolpopa: Self-emptiness is not the ultimate
Tsongkhapa: Self-emptiness is the ultimate
4.
Dolpopa: The ultimate is able to bear analysis
Tsongkhapa: Even the ultimate is not able to bear analysis
5.
Dolpopa: The middle wheel of the doctrine teaches that the ultimate is self-empty only out of a purposeful intent and thus requires interpretation.
Tsongkhapa: The teaching in the middle wheel of the doctrine that the ultimate is self-empty is literally acceptable because the ultimate is also empty of inherent existence.
6.
Dolpopa: Realizing and accustoming to self-emptiness just temporarily suppresses or reduces the pointedness of only coarse afflictive emotions.
Tsongkhapa: Realizing and accustoming to self-emptiness totally removes all coarse and subtle afflictive emotions.
7.
Dolpopa: The third wheel of doctrine is definitive because it clearly teaches that the ultimate ultimately exists but conventionalities do not ultimately exist.
Tsongkhapa: The third wheel requires interpretation because it teaches that all phenomena, ultimate and conventional, are established by way of their own character.
8.
Dolpopa: The ultimate exists and is an object of knowledge.
Tsongkhapa: Agreed
9.
Dolpopa: The ultimate is not a dependent-arising, since dependent-arisings are necessarily impermanent and deceptive.
Tsongkhapa: Even the ultimate is a dependent-arising, since dependent-arising means (1) arising in dependence on causes and conditions, (2) existing in dependence on parts, and (3) existing in dependence on a basis of imputation and in dependence upon conceptuality that imputes, due to which even the permanent are dependent-arisings.
10.
Dolpopa: The two truths, obscurational and ultimate, are neither one nor one entity since they are different, though not different entities. Their difference simply means that they are not the same entity. Hence, an ultimate truth is not an obscurational truth, and an obscurational truth is not an ultimate truth.
Tsongkhapa: The two truths are not one but are one entity. They are different isolates but not different entities. Hence, an ultimate truth is not an obscurational truth, and an obscurational truth is not an ultimate truth.
11.
Dolpopa: Whatever exists is either an ultimate truth or an obscurational truth.
Tsongkhapa: Agreed.
12.
Dolpopa: Although there is no third category between ultimate truth and obscurational truth since whatever exists must be either an ultimate truth or an obscurational truth, there is a third category between existing as an effective thing and not existing as an effective thing.
Tsongkhapa: There is no third category between existing as an effective thing and not existing as an effective thing. The ultimate is the latter.
13.
Dolpopa: The ultimate is true ultimately, and obscurational truths are true conventionally.
Tsongkhapa: The ultimate truth could not ultimately exist with out contradicting that it is the absence of inherent existence of all phenomena.
14.
Dolpopa: “Ultimately existent” means “existing as able to bear analysis by a rational consciousness,” and ultimate truth is able to bear analysis by a rational consciousness and is, therefore, ultimately existent.
Tsongkhapa: “Ultimately existent” means “existing from its own side,” a consequence of which is that any object that ultimately exists must be able to bear analysis by a rational consciousness, and nothing can bear such analysis.
15.
Dolpopa: If the ultimate were self-empty, it would be empty of itself and thus would not exist at all.
Tsongkhapa: The object of negation of self-emptiness is not the object that is the substratum of self-emptiness, but its inherent existence, due to which even though the ultimate is self-empty, it exists.
16.
Dolpopa: The ultimate is an affirming negative, not a non-affirming negative.
Tsongkhapa: The ultimate is a non-affirming, not an affirming negative.
17.
Dolpopa: Conventionalities do not exist in the mode of subsistence, but the ultimate (including ultimate Buddha qualities of body, speech and mind) exist in the mode of subsistence.
Tsongkhapa: Nothing exists in the mode of subsistence in that nothing exists as its own mode of subsistence, since then it would inherently exist. Thus the mode of subsistence, that is emptiness, is not its own mode of subsistence, but the mode of subsistence exists, and the mode of subsistence is the mode of subsistence.
18.
Dolpopa: Karmic appearances of sentient beings exist in the perspective of mistaken consciousness and do not exist in the perspective of pristine wisdom. Nothing is both a valid cognition and a mistaken consciousness.
Tsongkhapa: Karmic appearances of sentient beings exist in the perspective of valid cognitions that are mistaken consciousness only in the sense that their objects appear to inherently exist whereas they do not. They also are directly perceived by a pristine wisdom knowing the diversity of phenomena.
19.
Dolpopa: Pristine wisdom and the ultimate are equivalent.
Tsongkhapa: Pristine wisdom and the ultimate are mutually exclusive, even though there is no sensing of their difference in direct realization of the ultimate.
20.
Dolpopa: The matrix-of-One-Gone-Thus, endowed with ultimate Buddha qualities of body, speech and mind, is the basic reality and pristine wisdom.
Tsongkhapa: The matrix-of-One-Gone-Thus is not endowed with ultimate Buddha qualities of body, speech and mind; the matrix-of-One-Gone-Thus is the emptiness of inherent existence of a defiled mind and thus is not endowed with Buddha qualities of body, speech and mind, which are generated through observing and meditating on emptiness.
21.
Dolpopa: The Great Middle Way is presented in texts by Great Vehicle Masters such as Nagarjuna, Asanga, Aryadeva, Buddhapalita, Bhavaviveka, Vasubandhu, and so forth up to but not always including Chandrakirti, who is self-contradictory in both refuting and propounding a matrix-of-One-Gone-Thus endowed with ultimate Buddha qualities.
Tsongkhapa: The Great Middle Way is the view of the Consequence School itself, as presented by Nagarjuna, Aryadeva, Buddhapalita, Chandrakirti and Shantideva.
22.
Dolpopa: Pristine wisdom is simply permanent and not in the sense that its continuum goes on forever.
Tsongkhapa: Pristine wisdom even at the stage of Buddhahood is impermanent, though at Buddhahood its continuum goes on forever.
23.
Dolpopa: Buddhas are omniscient in that they know the phenomena of desire, form, and formless realms implicitly. Through knowing the ultimate explicitly, they know that the phenomena of the desire, form and formless realms do not exist and thus implicitly know them.
Tsongkhapa: Buddhas know both the ultimate and the conventional explicitly, that is, through the appearance of everything to their omniscient wisdom. They perceive only endless purity from their own perspective, but the explicitly and directly perceive other phenomena by way of these phenomena appearing to sentient beings.
24.
Dolpopa: Buddhas are always in meditative equipoise directly realizing the ultimate.
Tsongkhapa: Buddhas have a state of wisdom in which meditative equipoise directly realizing the ultimate and the state subsequent to meditative equipoise are fused in one mind without having to alternate between them.
Thank you Rinpoche for this interesting post, which shows how the Kalachakra practice originated through the Jonang Lineage.
Within Tibet, the Kalachakra Tantra has two main lineages, the Dro and Ra lineages. The Ra lineage descends from the Kashmiri master Samantashri and the translator Ra Lotsawa Dorje Drak. The Ra lineage was further promoted through the efforts of great masters like Sakya Pandita and Taranatha(a great Jonang Master and descendant of Ra Lotsawa). On the other hand, the Dro lineage descends from the Kashmiri scholar Somanatha, who traveled to Tibet in 1027 AD and his translator Dro Lotsawa Sherab Drak, whose name became synonymous with this transmission of the Kalachakra.I believe that Lotsawa Sherab Drak is the great translator Loden Sherab. This clearly establishes the fact, that the previous incarnations of Dorje Shugden have ensured the continuity of the two lineages(especially the Ra Lineage) to this day, for the benefit of beings of this degenerate age.
The Jonang Lineage is where the roots and the lineage of the Kalachakra practice come from. The Kalachakra practice is one of the prized practices and systems to enlightenment.Hence the Kalachakra is a very important practice.
Kalachakra means the ‘Wheel of Time’ in Sanskrit. The Kalachakra Tantric system is one of the most advanced Tantric systems within Tibetan Buddhism and one of the last Tantric systems to be brought over from India to Tibet via the last transmission of the teachings before Buddhism was wiped out in India.
Although this Tantric system is very advanced and esoteric, there is a tradition of offering it to large public audiences. It is the practice for High Lamas to give such public initiations to plant as many powerful seeds or causes as possible for those in the audience to be reborn in Shambhala. Hence, in recent times, we see HH the Dalai Lama giving Kalchakra initiations and practice to hundreds and thousands of people . Also, not so long ago, the 11th Panchen Lama gave the Kalachakra initiation and teachings to over 100,000!
Shambala is a pure land hidden away somewhere on earth, ruled by enlightened kings and the Kalachakra Tantra is the primary practice of the populace of this kingdom.
That this practice particularly suits the people of this age can be seen in the origin of this practice. The King of Shambala had requested Lord Buddha to teach a method to practice the Dharma without renouncing worldly responsibilities! In response to his request, the Buddha taught the first teachings on Kalachakra. Indeed, we can see why this practice is so needed in this degenerate age, where worldly distractions are so overwhelming that real spirituality has taken a backseat.
In the 17th century, the Great Fifth Dalai Lama suppressed the Jonang lineage for political reasons. Ironically, it was also during the time of the Fifth Dalai Lama’s forced conversion of Jonang monasteries that the Gelug school absorbed much of the Jonang Kalachakra tradition. So, we can say that enlightened beings will use wrathful means for compassionate reasons.
Today, the Gelug Lineage is the one for whom the Kalchakra Tantra features most prominently.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing the article. It is really beautiful to know the history of Jonang lineage and how it converted to Gelug and how Kalachakra maintain in Gelug until today. This reminds me of Dorje Shugden issue that we’re facing currently. How The 14th Dalai Lama suppress Dorje Shugden, but on the other hand, it’s being widely spread in China. That means a pure practice cannot be destroyed, it will only be transferred to another place. And the purpose behind, it will even make the practice even stronger and more popular. _/\_
The history of the Jonang lineage is another example of how the nexus of aggregate karma and intervention by an attained being (in this case the Great 5th Dalai Lama) resulted in what was a temporary situation of a lineage being “wronged” in the 17th century.
The apparent reason for the 5th’s clampdown was the philosophical Zhentong view of Emptiness that was deemed heretical. However, as the article says, ironically, it was also during the time of the 5th’s forced conversion of Jonang monasteries that the Gelug school absorbed much of the Jonang Kalachakra tradition which is today featured prominently in the Gelug lineage.
Many Jonang fled central Tibet to Kham and Amdo where the lineage continued to flourish. Today, they still uphold their lineage and practice of the completion stage of Kalachakra along with the philosophical Madhyamaka Zhentong system in these areas.
It’s interesting how a lineage can be suppressed by the 5th Dalai Lama for political reasons. But if the teachings are true and pure than it cannot be gotten rid of and will resurface for the benefits of sentient beings. This is proven by the revival of the Jonang lineage. The Kalachakra teachings have been proven to be efficacious and so the lineage will be revived.
So, the fact that the practice of Dorje Shugden continues to flourish, can only mean that the teachings are pure too. For it to remain so and to protect the pure teachings of Lama Tsongkhapa, the Protector will ensure that the practice will not die out even if they have to move to another place far away from the influence of the Dalai Lama as the Jonangpas did by moving to Kham and Amdo area. And, how it spread to Mongolia and is kept in Mongolia.
By recognizing the Jonang, the Dalai Lama shows that he is progressive and not averse to recognizing the truth as a true Buddhist. After all, the Dalai Lamas and many other high Lamas have been giving mass initiations to thousands over the years.
That may seem a very mundane view but that is how I see it. My lack of merits, I guess.
Thank you, Rinpoche for the very detailed teaching.
The Jonang lineage was suppressed during the time of the great 5th Dalai lama, due to the support they rendered to the forces opposed to the Gaden Phodrang. Even the 14th Dalai Lama admitted that it was politics that the Jonang lineage experienced such a suppression, and it was not because the Jonang was heretical.
If the Dalai Lama can extend a reversal to this lineage, I do not see why not the Dalai Lama rescind the ban and discrimination towards Dorje Shugden practice and lamas.
感谢仁波切的分享，让我们有幸的阅读此篇有关时轮金刚,源自于觉囊传承。
此传承原来在第五世达赖尊者的年代曾经被打压过。当时的觉囊传承里的“Zhentong”观让他们认为是异教。因此，他们将有关觉囊传承的书本和图书馆等等毁灭甚至强行地将觉囊寺院转为格鲁派的寺院。
无论面对多少的困难，所幸的是在今天的藏传佛教格鲁派的学校还有继续的传授此密续时轮金刚。除此，还有一些持修觉囊的人来自于康区、青海和四川。
在此可以证明，一个真正和纯净的传承只要最终目的是利益一切众生，无论要面对或经历多少难关，这个传承一定会被保存下来。
This is confusing. Why is it that the 5th HHDL banned Kalachakra practices but the 14th HHDL is giving initiations everywhere? If the HHDL are of the same then why the contradiction? Does this mean that even such high enlightened beings can also make mistakes?
If Dorje Shugden’s practice have been practiced since the 5th HHDL’s time then why is is banned now? The reasons for banning DS practices makes no sense, after all, many great lamas and lay people have practiced for hundreds of years. Could it be HHDL made mistakes?
The Kalachakra practice was taught by Buddha himself. How fortunate for us that Buddha taught both sutra and tantra. It would be amazing to be able to practice and receive initiations in Shambala!! To know that everyone’s main purpose is to practice and learn Dharma is inspiring. Curious to know where is Shambala exactly though.
The Kalachakra initiation has been given publically by teachers like His Holiness the Dalai Lama and over more than 25 years, many hundreds of thousands have been “initiated” through the Kalachakra Tantra by His Holiness Dalai Lama.
The Kalachakra Tantra appears as a dignified and uplifting contribution to world peace, which fosters compassion with all living beings, interreligious dialog, interracial and intersubjective tolerance, ecological awareness, sexual equality, inner peace, spiritual development and bliss for the third millennium (“Kalachakra for World Peace”). The motto for the whole show is quoted from the His Holiness Dalai Lama: “Because we all share this small planet earth, we have to learn to live in harmony and peace with each other and with nature.”
We sincerely wish that His Holiness Dalai Lama will soon fulfills His promise of World Peace and end the suppression on the Dorje Shugden practice which is going against His objective of spreading the practice of Kalachakra.
The Kalachakra tantra is something I have heard of quite often and for quite a while. However, I never quite knew what it was. Thank you for this straight forward and clear post to explain such a esoteric and advanced form of practice.
What I find most impressionable about the Kalachakra tantra is that it was taught by Lord Buddha himself to fulfill the request of Suchandra, an earlier King of Shambhala, for a method to practice the Dharma without renouncing worldly responsibilities. This reveals that the possibility to practice Dharma in seemingly worldly environments and activities is possible since 2500 years ago. What s crucial is our motivation, which is what Tsem Rinpoche often teach us.
In some way, I remember to the days when I was working in Shanghai and I struggled with balancing the Dharma I wanted to practice and the tough decisions I had to make as the CEO of a 35 outlets cafe franchise in the cosmopolitan. I asked Rinpoche: How can a business person manage Dharma and business? Rinpoche said: Just check in on your motivation. That practical and profound advice became my guideline as I grew my business until it was sold.
Another impressionable section of the article is that the 5th Dalai Lama banned the Kalachakra of the Jonag Lineage for political reasons. It makes me think of the ban the 14th Dalai Lama is imposing on Dorje Shugden. Perhaps, this is the imprint or style of leadership that the Dalai Lama’s line of incarnation is “used to”. What is most important is that the ban for Kalachakra made it flourish even more and today, this is a practice that the Dalai Lama consistently disseminate to the masses. So perhaps, like what some believe, the ban will ultimately cause the practice to flourish because controversy attract attention. I pray that one day soon, the current and future Dalai Lama will expound the Dorje Shugden practice to the masses like what he is doing with the Kalachakra tantra.
Thank you, Rinpoche and team of writers for sharing such interesting blog post.
“Kalachakra Tantra states that Suchandra, an earlier King of Shambhala, requested Buddha Shakyamuni to teach a method to practice the Dharma without renouncing worldly responsibilities. In response to his request, the Buddha taught the first teachings on Kalachakra in Dharanikota, which is near modern Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh in Southeastern India.”
I’m impressed that there is a way to practice Dharma traditionally and spiritually without renouncing worldly responsibilities. What I understand is individual who practice Kalachakra would not necessarily to do sadhana daily.
“Shambhala is a place on earth that is described in the commentaries to be a hidden land ruled by enlightened kings and that the Kalachakra Tantra is the primary practice of the populace of this kingdom. The king of Shambhala is both the ruler and the one to bestow initiation and commentary of the Kalachakra Tantra.”
Shambhala, another object that catch my attention. I wonder how would it look like and what is confirmed is that a lot of merits should be collected to redeem for the entrance ticket into this holy place, Shambhala.
P.S. Please correct me if I’ve mistaken the meaning behind these words.
Thank you. _/|\_
Dear Rinpoche, thank you for sharing this article. What stood out to me most is how the Fifth Dalai Lama suppressed this lineage due to political reasons. Jonang Monasteries are being forced to be converted into Gelug Monasteries. Jonang monks had to flee their mother Monasteries in order to preserve their lineage. Thanks to their strong will, the lineage had been preserved. From the article, I had understood the reason for the 5th Dalai Lama to suppress this lineage is to strengthen his own new formed government, Gaden Podrang. This means the lineage itself is not wrong and the teachings are not wrong.
This is an example of how the Dalai Lama sometimes suppress certain practices not because they are wrong, there might be a greater reason behind it. Just like Dorje Shugden Ban. Dorje Shugden practices is not wrong and yet the Dalai Lama had impose a Ban on it. I believe that there might be a greater reason behind the ban.
Chris
I always wonder, during Buddha time, how was tantra being taught by Lord Buddha. It was requested Buddha Shakyamuni by the King of Shambhala, Suchandra to teach a method to practice the Dharma without renouncing worldly responsibilities. Hence the Buddha taught the first teachings on Kalachakra. The King were the one who giving initiation and commentary of the Kalachakra Tantra. Since it was said that only people with third eye can see Shambhala, that means it is within one of the 6 realms. Those who received the initiation will one day take rebirth in Shambhala. So Shambhala is a pure land. A pure land in the world. They practice worldly responsibilities just like us.
The practice was brought to Tibet by Indian Masters and the 2 translators, Ra Rotsawa and Dro Rotsawa. Ra Rotsawa and Sakya Pandita belong to another lineage holder of Kalachakra tantra. They were also the previous incarnation of Dorje Shugden.
Jonang lineage was suppressed by the 5th Dalai Lama because it was said that philosophical Zhentong view of Emptiness that was deemed heretical. But the true reason was about politics. Jonang Monastery was forced to closed down and converted to Gelug. I cannot imagine how much suffering they need to take and how hard the Jonang Lineage people have to go through to being converted. But today the 14th Dalai Lama every year given out many mess Kalachakra initiations to the public. It only shows that the practice has no problem but it was the human mind that complicated it.
Will this be the same for Dorje Shugden ban today? Tulku Drakpa Gyelshen was killed because He over shined (threat to) the 5th Dalai Lama at that time. Today Dorje Sugden practice spread wide and far to the world, obviously it is a valid practice with pure lineage. Dorje Shugden was ban due to political issues between Tibet and China. At the same time CTA used the ban to distract people’s attention on the independent of Tibet as promised. I believe Dorje Shugden ban will be lifted and the 14th Dalai Lama will be spreading Dorje Shugden practice to the world himself just like Jonang Lineage today when the political issue is dissolved.
Lord buddha pass down the Kalachakra practice to King Suchandra, the first Dharma King of Shambhala, is one of method for people to connect to Shambhala which is a pure land on our planet. Through Kalachakra initiations, people could easier to access to the pure lands out there at Shambala. At future, when dharma degenerate,this is one of the way people could excess there continue to practice. Lord Buddha skill full way in assisting sentient beings to find their way towards enlightenment.
Is interesting reading this article becauce the Jonangs lineage of Kalachakra practice were almost wiped out during the great 5th Dalai Lama time. However the 14th Dalai Lama has reconciled them into Tibetan hierarchy, if the Jonangs lineage can experience such a reversal, then same situation of Dorje Shugden practice and practitioners can continue at the future to benefit sentient being. May the 14th Dalai Lama do so immediately, and lift the last vestiges that is holding back, the spread of Tsongkhapa’s tradition spread in our world and remove the sufferings of many as a result of the Dorje Shudgen ban.
It’s interesting to learn about the Jonang that came from such a long lineage and how Kalachakra teaching being first thought due to the request by the King of Shambala and later on how this teaching being passed down. Referring to this articles it’s sad to see how political reason come into the picture of spirituality.
Looking at how the 5th Dalai Lama act when he felt the threat, Jonang Monastery has to be closed and converted to set as a precedent and warning to other monasteries. It does shows how strong political influence exists way back during that time and it even carried down up to this time on Dorje Shugden practice being suppressed and the practitioners being discriminate. Same scenario where the practitioners have to move/migrate to other places to continue and preserve the sacred teaching that has been thought and passed down by the holy teacher.
The most interesting part of this article to me is the reference of Kalachakra practice to Shambhala. Another name often used to refer to the mythical kingdom/paradise Shambala is Shangri-La. Shambala/Shangri-La has been made very popular in movies, books and even in many games.
The most intriguing question remain where is the exact physical location of Shambhala? Many Buddhist articles often refer Shambhala as a place on Earth. But what does that really mean. In the Buddhist context, there are many realm of existence. For example the spirit / hungry ghost realm. While they are not visible to most of us, these spirits co-exist with us on Earth so to speak even though they are considered to be in any realm. So technically speaking on Earth itself, there could be many realms that co-exist. Hence, Shambhala being a place on Earth could mean it is in one of these realms hidden from the plain view of human.
Having said that, there are still many treacherous and hard to reach landscape around the world. Even with the most advance of technology, Earth has yet been 100% fully explored. It is not impossible to imagine that there is a real physical city/kingdom of Shambhala that still unreachable to mankind. The existence of Shambhala reminds me also of bigfoot/yeti. Both appears to be common in Tibetan Buddhism and accepted as “real” but yet lack an scientific, physical and visual evidence.
On the Kalachakra lineage itself, it is interesting to learn that one of the main lineage descended from Ra Lotsawa Dorje Drak who was one of the previous incarnation of Dorje Shugden. Another most intriguing point was that in the 17th century, due to political reasons, the 5th Dalai Lama actually suppressed the Jonang lineage. And yet today, the Kalachakra Tantra is disseminated within all schools of Tibetan Buddhism but it is featured prominently within the Gelug lineage. I can’t help but draw some comparison here with the Dorje Shugden practice. Could the decision on the Dorje Shugden ban be political as well? It seems that it should not be surprising for the Dalai Lama incarnation line to have made decision on suppressing and controlling certain practices for other than religious reasons.
Today, the Dalai Lama himself is one of the most prominent Lama advocating and giving Kalachakra initiations. Perhaps it is not too far fetched to expect in the future that His Holiness the Dalai Lama will become one of the main advocate of Dorje Shugden practice as well when the circumstances(s) for suppressing and banning the practice is no longer valid.
The ‘Wheel of Time’ could mean that when the time is right, the dharma king of Shambala and his dharma warriors would show themselves to the people during degenerated time and share with them the dharma and practices.
As for Shambala, I find it fascinating and intriguing that it is called a physical place on Earth (as mentioned in the commentaries) yet no ordinary people could find it. Maybe it is only visible to those who have achieved higher attainments, like great meditation masters of the past and perhaps the present, who can physically go there. If any ordinary person had really found it there would already be world news. And expeditions would have been organised to visit Shambala. Needless to say those who could astral travel there would have higher attainments.
As described, Shambala is indeed a paradise on Earth.
https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/art-architecture/pemako-vajrayoginis-sacred-body.html
A scholastically rich blogpost that share with us branches of Tibetan Buddhism and the various lineages that were practiced since Buddha’s time. Jonang Lineage was one of these lineages that flourished in the region in those days before it was clamped down. Ironically, it was the leader of Tibetan Buddhism, the 5th Dalai Lama, who suppressed the lineage and forced it to almost distinction. It is most disturbing to read that politics and selfish aim caused so much damage to religion practice; and yet, we never learn from the mistake. Today, the same is happening to the Dorje Shugden practice; the lineage holders and followers are being forced out of mainstream Tibetan Buddhism, insulted and persecuted, to say the least.
Thank You Rinpoche for the teachings on Jonang lineage. This blogpost deserved to be bookmarked for in-depth reading and reference. I will definitely read it again.
Humbly, bowing down,
Stella Cheang
Correction: extinction, not distinction. Sorry.
Through the weekly Blogchat Dharma discussion on Monday evening, I have learnt a couple of new points that provide me with new meaning to the 2 paragraphs below.
1. The reason used by the 5th HHDL to suppress the Jonang Lineage was the philosophical Zhentong view of Emptiness that was deemed heretical.
2. According to Jonang tradition, Zhentong means ‘other-emptiness’, it is opposite of Rangtong which means ‘self-emptiness’. Both Zhentong and Rangtong are part of Madhyamaka view of Emptiness.
These 2 paragraphs are so deep in the context of understanding existence and emptiness. I wish I will have the opportunity to learn more and contemplate more to get a deeper understanding of it soon.
“According to Zhentong teachings, the Madhyamaka view of Emptiness is an understanding of the mind and reality in order to reconcile the paradox of a lack of permanent essence (Sunyata/Emptiness) and the permanent enlightened nature of the enlightened mind (Tathagatagarbha/Buddha nature). Ultimately, Zhentong is a view of how the ultimate nature of reality is empty of inherent existence aside from one’s own enlightened Buddha nature.
Zhentong holds that the relative truth of reality is empty of its own intrinsic findable existence. This Emptiness of inherent existence or “rangtong” is considered to be solely the nature of relative reality while the ultimate reality is understood to be empty of everything aside from oneself. That is why transient tangible experiences remain devoid of inherent and findable existence while the boundless luminous nucleus of Buddha nature within all beings remains intangible and unchanging.“
Thank you very much, Rinpoche, for this teaching. It not only give me a broad view of other lineages within Tibetan Buddhism but also indepth details of Buddha’s teaching.
My head to Rinpoche’s lotus feet, forever your student,
Stella Cheang
Thank you for this excellent piece. From it we begin to get a picture that individuals of different sects at different points in Tibet’s history underwent incredible religious persecution at the hands of the politically and spiritually dominant sect. Some sects because of this vying for power no longer even exist. This is important to help understand subsequent karmic ripenings. Another example worth researching is how and why many of the early Kadam monasteries later became nunneries. Thuuken Losang Chokyi Nyima has plenty to say on why this occurred in his masterful book entitled, Crystal Mirror of Philosophical Systems, available in English, translated from the Tibetan by Geshe Thupten Jinpa.
In order to perceive persecution, we had to have persecuted others. What would now be the counteragent to having done this? How to purify ourselves of this misdeed? Notice that there are plenty of Tibetan Buddhists, even Gelug ones, for whom the protector controversy does not exist in their experience. This highlights the Lamrim instruction of being extremely respectful of others’ beliefs, regardless of how much they may diverge from our own.
Tibetan history is replete with examples of spiritual and political power being conflated. Clearly, this has consequences. Spiritual bullying and intimidation will always have its effects, no matter how rationalized as skillful. Who can safely say he or she is attained enough to perform wrathful action? This is a question I sincerely seek answers to.
Too many times it’s possible that an insufficiently attained individual took too many liberties, justifying anger with wrathful tantric action; we see this now with monks and others jumping on the bandwagon and discriminating, harming, and behaving badly toward pro-protector monks. This shows their level. They are practicing neither Buddha Dharma nor basic human decency. This behavior is no different from a person using dark magic to achieve intended aims and makes a mockery of true Dharma.
It’s very relevant to note here that as Gyume Khensur Sonam Gyaltsen astutely pointed out in a letter that was published online, the Vinaya clearly states that monks are prohibited from swearing, as in taking oaths of the sort required and enforced in India to separate the protector practitioners from the non. So I feel sorry for all those monks and nuns, who in their ignorance chose a red or yellow stick not knowing that the very activity of such a swearing scenario is proscribed very clearly by the Buddha in the Vinaya. To think that a monk demanded that this swearing be imposed is truly chilling.
What would have happened if all the monks, knowing well the Vinaya, had gotten up from their seats and said: I cannot participate in this swearing ceremony, as I am a monk, a follower of the Buddha, a follower of his Dharma? All of this points to a massive degeneration in standards of true learning and true practice in what were once outstanding seats of Mahayana and Vajrayana learning. Once people stop studying, everything is fair game and anyone can say whatever and get away with it.
This is the first time i heard and read about this lineage, its a great pleasure to understand and read the history and short biography of some of this great master. It seems that these great master has some close connection and alsways has vision of Shambala. However its shocking to know that this lineage nearby become extinct as the 5th Dalai Lama has forcibly annexed the Jonang monasteries to his Gelug school, declaring them heretical.
Extract from wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonang
“After several centuries of independence, however, in the late 17th century the Jonang order and its teachings came under attack by the 5th Dalai Lama, who converted the majority of their monasteries in Tibet to the Gelug order, although several survived in secret.[4] The order remained in power in parts of Kham and Amdo centered on Dzamthang Monastery”
Very interesting article. Thank you so much Rinpoche for sharing the lineage of Kalachakra. I will read again carefully to absorb it’s content better.
The one thing that stood out clearly was this…”In the 17th century, the Great Fifth Dalai Lama suppressed the Jonang lineage for political reasons. Ironically, it was also during the time of the Fifth Dalai Lama’s forced conversion of Jonang monasteries that the Gelug school absorbed much of the Jonang Kalachakra tradition.” First thing that crossed my mind was that what? Even then the Dalai Lama’s office were surpressing people they felt was a threat to the Dalai Lama’s power. This is unbelievable. It appears the Dalai Lama’s office is really good at suppressing people and they are the one’s converting monasteries yet they twist, lie and blame Pabongka Rinpoche for converting monasteries? Incredible!
Is there anyone in the Dalai Lama’s office practising Dharma at all or are they all just there for political and personal gains? It really shines a bad light on the Dalai Lama which was in actuality man made, something Tibetans created otherwise there was no such thing as a Dalai Lama right? So the very basis and motivation of the existence of this statue “Dalai Lama” is from a political samsaric desire and goal. Hence it makes more sense why those working in the Dalai Lama office are always so insecure about their status, power and influence and would strike down anyone who opposes them. Makes sense why they are what they are in how they treat their own people just because they practice something they do not approve and agree with. Quite sad indeed. However their time will come and their karma awaits them for all the suffering they have caused because even the Dalai Lama wishes to end this label “Dalai Lama”. If this happens, where will the CTA then be? Who will they use as their puppet to demand order, loyalty and funds from? Perhaps the Dalai Lama say the corruption brewing and had to think of a way to end the whole thing with a big bang and try to save some face for them by being seen as the bad wolf… the one stirring up all this problem about Dorje Shugden and splitting the nation up. I don’t know this is just my take and I know it doesn’t quite relate to this post per se, but I had to get my thoughts out.
Besides that I really love the idea of this mystical place called Shambala and I believe Rinpoche confirmed its existence to us in a book club we used to have and when we were reading Chogyam Tungpa’s Dragon Thunder book written by His wife Diana Mukpo. It was a very good book and it described how Chögyam Trungpa used dressed up and dress all his students up as if they were the Shambala army guarding the land and their King was of course Chögyam Trungpa himself. How fascinating how mahasiddhas work to encourage the us degenerates to develop divine perception.
Another interesting part is that one of the power places that Dorje Shugden resides in is in Shambala! So there is a connection here 🙂