A Garland of Beryl

Brief Accounts of Profound Terma and the

Siddhas Who Have Revealed It

by Jamgön Kongtrül Lodrö Thaye

translated by Yeshe Gyamtso

KTD PUBLICATIONS
Published by:
KTD Publications
335 Meads Mountain Road
Woodstock, NY 12498, USA
[Link]

Distributed by:
[Link]

© 2011 Karma Triyana Dharmachakra & Peter O’Hearn

All rights reserved.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2011944491

ISBN 978-1-934608-26-5
eISBN 978-1-934608-30-2
First ebook edition July 2019 by [Link].

This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-

NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
 Contents

Foreword: Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche

Translator’s Introduction

PART ONE: SUPPORTING QUOTATIONS AND ARGUMENTS

PART TWO: AN ACCOUNT OF THE DEEDS OF THE TEACHER OF

THIS DHARMA AND HIS DISCIPLES
King Trisong Detsen
Nupchen Sangye Yeshe
Gyalwa Chokyang
The Bhikshu Namkhay Nyingpo
The Translator Nyak Jnanakumara
Yeshe Tsogyal, the Emanation of Sarasvati
Drokmi Palgyi Yeshe
Lang Palgyi Senge
The Great Translator Vairochana
Gyalmo Yudra Nyingpo
Nanam Dorje Düdjom
The Acharya Yeshe Yang
The Mahasiddha Sokpo Lhapal
Nanam Yeshe De
Kharchen Palgyi Wangchuk
Denma Tsemang
4
 The Hundred Tertons

The Great Translator Kawa Paltsek

Shubu Palgyi Senge
Bay Gyalway Lodrö
The Mahasiddha Kyeuchung Lotsa
Drenpa Namkha
Odren Palgyi Wangchuk
Ma Rinchen Chok
Lhalung Palgyi Dorje
Langdro Könchok Jungne
Lasum Gyalwa Jangchub
Dhatishvari Mandarava
Mamaki Shakyadevi of Nepal
Pandaravasini Kalasiddhi
Samayatara Tashi Khyidren of Bhutan

PART THREE: BIOGRAPHIES OF THOSE WHO HAVE REVEALED

THESE TEACHINGS

Section One: Earth Terma

Sangye Lama
Gya the Translator
Nanampa
Gya Shangtrom Dorje Öbar
Nyima Senge
Shakya Ö the Teacher from Uru
Bönpo Draktsal

5
 The Hundred Tertons

Nyemo Shuyay
Ngödrup the Siddha
Tsuklak Palge
Kusa the Physician
Lhabum the Bönpo
Khyungpo Palge
Shami Dorgyal
Dangma Lhungyal
Drapa Ngönshe
Rashak the Great
Nyangral Nyima Özer
Wönsay Khyungtok
Ramo Shelmen
Guru Chökyi Wangchuk
Guru Jotsay
Padma Wangchuk
Doben Gyamtso
Rakshi the Teacher
The Physician from E in Jarong
Dragom Chödor
Yakchar Ngönmo
Drum and Karnak
Lhatsün Ngönmo
Nyima Drakpa
Padma Ledrel Tsal

6
 The Hundred Tertons

Tseten Gyaltsen
Meben Rinchen Lingpa
The Nirmanakaya Ugyen Lingpa
The Omniscient Longchenpa
Rokje Lingpa
The Great Tertön of Mindröling
Padma Kunkyong Lingpa
Chokden Gönpo
Ugyen Tenyi Lingpa
Dorje Lingpa
Sangye Lingpa
Padma Lingpa
Jatsön Nyingpo
Samten Dechen Lingpa
Shikpo Lingpa
Dechen Lingpa
Gyaben Dorje Ö
Guru Humbar
Lhatsün Jangchup Ö
Atisha
Shangtsün Tarma Rinchen
Rongzom Chökyi Zangpo
Dorbum Chökyi Drakpa
Sangye Bar
Setön Ringmo

7
 The Hundred Tertons

Gya Purbu
Geshe Dranga Dorje Kundrak
Lharjey Nupchung
Gyatön Tsöndru Senge
Chetsün Senge Wangchuk
Sarben Chokme
Nyen the Translator
Shakya Zangpo
Zangri Repa
Nyalpo Josay
Sangye Wangchen
Chupa Tokden
Bakhal Mukpo
Prince Mekhyil
Drugu Yangwang
Sumpa Jangchup Lodrö
Taklungpa Sangye Wönpo
Nyalpa Nyima Sherap
Trophu the Translator
Yeben Yabön
Balpo Ah Hum Bar
Ajo Palpo
The Three Tertöns
Dugu Rinchen Senge
Tsangring Sherap

8
 The Hundred Tertons

Latö Marpo
Jomo Menmo
Melong Dorje
The Fortunate Child
Drangti Gyalnye Kharbu
The Four Assistants
The Earlier Dungtso Repa
Kunga Bum
The Later Dungtso Repa
Vajramati
Gyalsay Lekpa
Ugyen Zangpo
Sherab Mebar
Nyida Sangye
The Mantradharin Letro Lingpa
Zangpo Drakpa
Drime Lhunpo
Drime Kunga
Ngödrup Gyaltsenthe Vidyadhara Vulture Feathers
Palgyi Gyaltsen of Langlo
Karma Lingpa
Palden Jamyang Lama
Thangtong Gyalpo
Gönpo Rinchen
Ratna Lingpa

9
 The Hundred Tertons

Kalden Dorje
Chokden Dorje
Chak Jangchup Lingpa
The Mantradharin Shakya Zangpo
Drodül Letro Lingpa
Jampal Dorje
Padma Wangyal Dorje
Mingyur Letro Lingpa
Namchak Mebar
Sherap Özer
The Great Vidyadhara of Ngari
Matiratna
Tsering Dorje
Khyentse Wangchuk Dongak Lingpa
Karma Guru
Ngaki Wangpo
Garwang Letro Lingpa
Yongdzin Ngawang Drakpa
Tashi Tseten
Padma Rikdzin
Düdül Lingpa
Düdül Dorje
Longsal Nyingpo
Tendzin Norbu
Zangpo Dorje

10
 The Hundred Tertons

Garwang Dawa Gyaltsen

Yongey Mingyur Dorje
Kuchok the Actionless
Pönsey Khyungtok
Samten Lingpa
Ratön Topden Dorje
Khampa Rinpoche
Rölpe Dorje
Padma Dechen Lingpa
Padma Chögyal
Padma Wangchuk
Khyungdrak Dorje
Tsewang Norbu
Tsasum Terdak Lingpa
Tukchok Dorje
Drime Lingpa
Kunzang Dechen Gyalpo
Rokje Lingpa
Garwang Chime Dorje
Dorje Tokme
Rangdröl Tingdzin Gyalpo
Chokgyur Lingpa
Chögyal Dorje
Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa
Other Revealers of Earth Terma

11
 The Hundred Tertons

Section Two: Mind Terma

Dawa Gyaltsen
Rechungpa
Shakyashri
Yutok Yönten Gönpo
Kyergangpa
Rangjung Dorje
Longchenpa
Lekyi Dorje
Palden Dorje
Shrivanaratna
Kunga Paljor
Samten Lingpa
Tongwa Dönden
Rechen Paljor Zangpo
Bodong Sangye Gönpo
The Drukpa Kagyu Wrathful Kilaya
Jatsön Mebar
Tashi Gyamtso
Drikung Shapdrung Könchok Rinchen
Drikungpa Chökyi Drakpa
Lhatsün Namkha Jikme
Sangdak Trinley Lhundrup
The Fifth Dalai Lama
Bhuprana

12
 The Hundred Tertons

Namchö Mingyur Dorje

Karma Chakme
Dorje Drakpo
Padma Nyinje Wangpo
The Eighth Pawo Rinpoche
The Fourth Chakme Rinpoche
Padma Gyepa
Tsewang Mingyur Dorje
The Omniscient Jikme Lingpa
Padma Chöjor Gyamtso
Jikme Trinley Özer
Ngawang Dorje
Kunzang Ngedön Wangpo
Mingyur Namkhay Dorje

Conclusion
Alphabetical list of the Hundred Tertöns

13
 Foreword:
Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche

The termas concealed in lakes and rock by Guru Lake-Born

Vajra — the second Buddha — and other great vidyadharas have
been revealed by the hundred tertöns, each of whom has taken
intentional birth in order to reveal them at the appropriate
time. This book, written by Jamgön Lodrö Taye, gives their bi-
ographies. Thinking, “If it is translated into Western languages,
it will genuinely inspire dharma practitioners,” I expressed this
hope to the translator Lama Yeshe Gyamtso.

He has gone to great effort in order to fulfill my hopes, for

which I thank him. So that his effort not go to waste, I ask that
you who practice dharma study this book, increase your faith in
and devotion for these extraordinary tertöns and their profound
terma, and bring your practice to its fruition.

Written by Thrangu

15
 Translator’s Introduction

To understand why Jamgön Kongtrül the First (1813-1899) wrote

the Hundred Tertöns, it is helpful to know the larger context of
his writings. The works of Jamgön Kongtrül are collectively
known as the Five Treasuries. These are the Treasury of Knowl-
edge, the Treasury of Instructions, the Treasury of Kagyu Mantra,
the Treasury of Terma, and the Treasury of Vast Compositions. The
Hundred Tertöns is part of the first of the sixty-three volumes
(in its original publication) of the Treasury of Terma, usually
called the Treasury of Precious Terma. Terma means “treasure,”
and includes both teachings that are physically discovered and
those that are revealed to the mind of the tertön. A tertön is a
“revealer of terma.”

When Jamgön Rinpoche had completed his first draft of the

Treasury of Knowledge, which he initially intended to be a
treatise on the three vows of Buddhism, he gave it to his friend
and guru Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo (1820-1892) to review.
Khyentse Rinpoche told Jamgön Rinpoche that the treatise

16
 The Hundred Tertons

would benefit from an autocommentary, given the terseness of

the versified root text.

At about the same time Khyentse Rinpoche had a vision of

the wisdom dakini Yeshe Tsogyal in the form of the Queen of
Great Bliss (the form in which she appears in the Heart Essence
of the Vast Expanse tradition of Khyentse Rinpoche’s predecessor
Jikme Lingpa). Yeshe Tsogyal said to Khyentse Rinpoche, “Tell
Guna that his present composition is to be one of five treasur-
ies that he shall write and compile. This present one should be
expanded to include the ten sciences as well as all Buddhism.”
By Guna she meant Jamgön Rinpoche, whose monastic name
was Yönten Gyamtso, Gunasagara in Sanskrit.

This vision inspired the two great masters to begin the massive
project of receiving and compiling the diverse teachings that
now make up the Five Treasuries, which had previously been
prophesied by the Buddha himself. It is due to their work that
many lineages that would otherwise have died out subsequent
to the Communist invasion of Tibet have survived.

In a tantra of the Great Perfection the following is written:

If the history of the teachings is not taught

17
 The Hundred Tertons

The authenticity of guhyamantra will be in doubt.

As indicated by the above, it was obvious to Jamgön Rinpoche

that an account of the lives of the tertöns whose termas are
presented in the Treasury of Precious Terma was needed. Accord-
ingly, he wrote the Hundred Tertöns.

Yeshe Gyamtso

18
 Namo Guru Buddhadhi Padmakara Padaya!1

All the three secrets, qualities, and activity of those with

tenfold strength
And their children are united in you who are kinder than
all Buddhas to decadent beings.2
The clouds of your incredible feats fill the expanse of
time and space.
With complete devotion I prostrate at your feet,
Padmakara, embodiment of all jewels.

Prajnaparamita dancing with great bliss, your wisdom

equals the Guru’s.

1. This invocation means “I prostrate at the feet of the Guru, the

primordial Buddha, the LotusBorn.”
2. The three secrets of those with tenfold strength are the secret or
inconceivable bodies, speech, and minds of Buddhas. Buddhas’ tenfold
strength includes: 1) knowledge of the possible and impossible;
2) knowledge of karmic ripening; 3) knowledge of beings’ diverse
interests; 4) knowledge of beings’ diverse dispositions; 5) knowledge of
beings’ diverse degrees of acumen; 6) knowledge of the path common
to all; 7) knowledge of dhyana, samadhi, vimoksha, and absorption;
8) knowledge of the past; 9) knowledge of death and rebirth;
10) knowledge of the exhaustion of defilements.

19
 The Hundred Tertons

You hold his secret treasury.

Kind mother and protector of all Tibetans,
Dhatishvari Tsogyal, please dwell in my heart’s lotus.

Lord Manjushri, Dharmaraja Trisong; your sons;

The world’s single eye, translator Vairochana;
And all you wise and accomplished disciples of Padma:
With devotion I prostrate to all you peerless guardians of
dharma.

Through infinite emanations powered by aspiration,

You prolong the dharma through terma.
Stalwart protectors of all Tibet, Nyangral, Chöwang,
And all emanated tertöns: I bow to you.3

All their wondrous, profound secrets have passed down

To you who hold, spread, and guard their dharma.
Achieving the two aims through diverse activity,
You protect dharma and beings. I praise you all.4

Describing the brilliant and vast feats of noble beings

3. A tertön is a master who reveals terma, or treasure.

4. The two aims are one’s own buddhahood and the buddhahood of
all others.

20
 The Hundred Tertons

By drawing them through the needle’s eye of a childish

mind
Is less than ideal. Yet, for the enjoyment of the faithful,
I will, with few words, point them out vaguely.

The great dance of wisdom is beyond words and thought.

It is secret, beyond one and many.
A childish mind cannot even guess at it.
Yet, spurred by devotion, I will write with honesty.

The first envoys of our teacher, Shakyamuni, to this Himalayan

land were the abbot Shantarakshita, the master Padmakara, and
the king Trisong Detsen. They, together with emanated translators
and pandits, caused the sun of the Buddhadharma to rise here as
the Nyingma Tradition of the Early Translations. This included
the teachings of the causal vehicle, the three dharmachakras and
their commentaries, which were translated, taught, and studied.
The three outer tantras and their commentaries and instruc-
tions also appeared during the period of the early translations.
However, what I am going to describe here is the tradition of
the early translations of the vajrayana’s inner tantras.

21
 The Hundred Tertons

The inner tantras have come down to us through three great

lineages: the long lineage of kama, the short lineage of terma,
and the profound dharma of pure visions.5 The first of these
includes the three yogas, each of which consists of countless
tantras, agamas, and upadeshas.6 Only the most quintessential of
these were brought to Tibet. They include the Great Perfection
teachings of atiyoga, which is divided into three classes, among
which the secret instruction class consists of seventeen tantras,
the chiti and yangti tantras, and the common and uncommon
Heart Essence instructions based on them. These instructions
come down to us from the traditions of three masters: Padma-
kara, Vimalamitra, and Vairochana. Among them, Vimalamitra’s
secret cycle teachings have been passed down through a kama
lineage, and most of them have also appeared as terma.

The instructions from the tantras of the inner expanse class

of atiyoga, the experiential wisdom of the master Shri Singha,

5. Kama means the Buddha’s words as found in the sutras and tantras.
Terma means treasure, the main subject of this book. Pure visions are
visions in which a master receives dharma from a guru or deity.
6. Tantras are the Buddha’s tantric teaching. Agamas are often
explained as what has been recorded by bodhisattvas. Upadeshas are
special or secret instructions, often composed by vidyadharas, holders
of tantric wisdom.

22
 The Hundred Tertons

were transmitted by him to the great translator Vairochana,

who bestowed them on Pang Mipam Gönpo. These are the
kama instructions of the Vajra Bridge. The instructions from the
eighteen tantras of the outer mind class of atiyoga were mainly
passed down by Vairochana and Yudra Nyingpo, and have been
continued by three traditions: the Nyang tradition, the Aro
tradition, and the Kham tradition. Countless lineage holders
of the three classes of atiyoga have dissolved their aggregates
into bodies of light, and the instructions on the six liberations
mainly come from this tradition.7 These teachings are especially
profound in that they employ direct experience. They are the
essence of all dharma. The accomplishment lineage of these
teachings has continuously flourished up to now, mainly through
the compassion of the omniscient Drime Özer and his lineage.

The agamas of anuyoga are such as the All-Inclusive Awareness

Sutra. These instructions are the source for the Vast Assembly
and its accessories. The ripening empowerments and liberating
instructions of this tradition were received by Nupchen Sangye
Yeshe Rinpoche from four masters of India, Nepal, and Chinese

7. The six liberations are liberation through seeing, hearing,

recollection, touch, taste, or wearing.

23
 The Hundred Tertons

Turkestan. He passed them on to his disciples, and they have

come down to us through an unbroken succession.

The eighteen mahayoga tantras, including their root, the Maya-

jala Guhyagarbha and its accessories; the explanation of that
root tantra; and the ripening empowerments and liberating
instructions from these tantras were passed down by Bud-
dhaguhya, the mahapandita Vimalamitra, and the translators
Ma Rinchen Chok and Nyak Jnanakumara. The explanation of
the root tantra, the empowerments, the instructions, and their
practice has flourished widely.

There are also countless kama lineages of the tantras and in-
structions from the accomplishment class of mahayoga, such as
the teachings on Heruka given by the master Humkara to Nup
Namkhay Nyingpo; the Kila teachings given by Guru Rinpoche
to various disciples; and the Yamantaka cycles that have come
down from Nupchen Sangye Yeshe. The lineage holders of these
traditions have been an uninterrupted succession of siddhas.

There is a saying, “Vajrayana descended first to Ma, then to Nyak,

and finally to Nup.” Their lineages were held by the great Zurs,
kings among mantradharins whose teachings continued as an

24
 The Hundred Tertons

uninterrupted stream for some time. Eventually, however, their

lineage started to become scarcer and scarcer. When the succes-
sion of explanation and practice seemed about to dissolve into
space, the great tertön Gyurme Dorje and his brother put great
and resolute effort into receiving all the existing lineages. They
composed many remarkable sadhanas and mandala rituals, and
started the tradition of their continuous accomplishment and
offering observances. For example, these two brothers caused
the explanation of the Guhyagarbha to become widespread. They
revived all the Nyingma teachings and especially those of the
Guhyagarbha and the anuyoga sutras. It is due to their kindness
that nowadays dharma colleges of the early translations can pro-
claim their kama lineage. I have carefully received their lineages
of the ripening empowerments, liberating instructions, and
explanations of the tantras. As the history of the kama lineage
has been extensively presented elsewhere, I have only briefly
summarized it here to complement what follows.

Our main topic is a brief account of the profound terma dharma.

This will have three parts: Supporting quotations and argu-
ments; an account of the deeds of the teacher of this dharma
and his disciples; and biographies of those who have revealed
these teachings.

25
 Part One:
Supporting Quotations and Arguments

From the Sutra Requested by the Naga King:

There shall be four types of inexhaustible treasure: great,

inexhaustible treasure that maintains the continuity of
the three jewels’ lineage; great, inexhaustible treasure
of the immeasurable realization of dharma; great,
inexhaustible treasure that pleases beings; and great,
inexhaustible treasure as vast as space.

That describes the nature or character of terma.

From the Sutra on the Samadhi of Buddhas’ Manifest Presence:

For four thousand years after my parinirvana this

samadhi will be practiced in Jambudvipa. It will be
widespread. It will then disappear into the earth. During
the final five hundred years, when holy dharma is being
destroyed, when practitioners of virtue are being killed,
when people are abandoning holy dharma, when beings

26
 The Hundred Tertons

are being killed, when kingdoms are being overthrown,

when morality is despised, when immorality is
widespread, when holy dharma is despised, when unholy
dharma is widespread, and when holy dharma is about
to disappear, a few beings with brilliant roots of virtue
will appear. They will be those who have served previous
victors, generated roots of virtue, ripened roots of virtue,
and planted seeds of virtue. They will find sutras like this
one. For their and others’ benefit, through the power
of the Buddha, they will bring this samadhi out of the
earth. It will be practiced again in Jambudvipa. It will be
widespread once more.

And elsewhere:

After my parinirvana
All my relics will increase.
This awakening of Buddhahood will be maintained.
It will be written down and placed in containers.
They will be concealed in stupas, the earth, rocks,
mountains,
And in the hands of devas and nagas.
These custodians of the sutras will adopt

27
 The Hundred Tertons

The behavior of devas.

In the future they will discard their caste identities,
Take up this awakening of Buddhahood,
And fulfill beings’ wishes.

“It will be written down and placed in containers” describes

the terma dharma and terma coffers. “They will be concealed in
stupas, the earth, rocks, and mountains” describes the places of
concealment. “And in the hands of devas and nagas” describes
the terma guardians. “In the future they will discard their caste
identities and take up this awakening of Buddhahood” describes
the tertöns. “And fulfill beings’ wishes” clearly describes their
benefit of beings.

From the Sutra on the Samadhi that Collects All Merit:

Stainless Dignity, for the sake of bodhisattvas who seek

dharma, dharma treasure is concealed in mountains, in
crags, and inside trees. They will reveal these dharanis
and dharma gates, which have been written down in
books.

This clearly describes terma dharma, the places of its

concealment, and the individuals who reveal it.

28
 The Hundred Tertons

And:

Even if no Buddha remains, dharma will appear for those

with perfect intentions from the midst of the sky, from
within walls, and from the trees.

That describes the Sky Dharma and similar termas. In other sutras
and tantras, some well-known and some lessknown, there are
repeated descriptions of the nature, definition, varieties, and
function of terma. This has been universally acknowledged in
both India and Tibet. It is not something made up by a few
Tibetans. Ultimately, since all the Buddha’s teachings have come
down to us through the wisdom lineage, symbol lineage, and
whispered lineage, they are all terma. Even the common teach-
ings of the supreme nirmanakaya Shakyamuni have appeared
in this way. After the successive codification councils, most of
the tripitaka, especially the mahayana, was preserved in the
abodes of devas and nagas and disappeared from human sight.
The tantras were collected by Vajrapani and the dakinis. They
were then sealed and kept in the dharma library in Uddiyana.
Eventually, at the right time, many of the mahayana sutras were
received by masters of the Mind Only school from bodhisattvas
such as Sarvanivaranavishkambhin. Other sutras, such as the

29
 The Hundred Tertons

hundred-thousand-stanza Prajnaparamitasutra, were revealed by

Arya Nagarjuna from the abode of the nagas. Successive mahasid-
dhas who had attained supreme siddhi such as Saraha, Tachok,
Saroruhavajra, Luyipa, and Chilupa revealed tantras such as the
Guhyasamaja, Chakrasamvara, Hevajra, and Kalachakra. As all of
these teachings are therefore profound terma, the only differ-
ences between them and our termas are between the countries
of India and Tibet and the earlier and later appearance of the
tertöns. In all other ways, they are the same.

The need for the concealment of terma is explained in the Sutra

on the Perfect Collection of All Dharma:

Ananda, so that the dharma remain long, write these

teachings down in books, conceal them as treasure, and
venerate them. Those who discover them will acquire ten
treasures. What are the ten? Because they will attain the
Buddha eye, they will acquire the treasure of seeing the
Buddha’s words. Because they will attain the form of a
human or deva, they will acquire the treasure of listening
to dharma. Because they will find the irreversible sangha,
they will acquire the treasure of seeing the sangha.
Because they will find fine jewels, they will acquire the

30
 The Hundred Tertons

treasure of inexhaustible wealth. They will also acquire

the treasure of a body with all the marks and signs, the
treasure of others’ assistance, the treasure of confident
recollection, the treasure of fearless victory over others’
attacks, and the treasure of merit with which they can
support beings.

From the Terma Prophecies of Dharmaraja Ratna Lingpa:

I have placed instructions on the most profound

quintessence
Throughout all this land, filling it,
Out of my great love for degenerate beings,
And because Tibetans are very fond of novelty.
I have prayed that disciples with karma find them.
In the future there will appear sophists fond of jargon.
They will cause dissension among meditators.
They will praise themselves and dispute the termas
Nevertheless, most practitioners in degenerate times will
be guided
By these termas, which are profound, complete,
uncorrupted,

31
 The Hundred Tertons

And extensive. Each single instruction will definitely free

beings.
Therefore, those with awakened karma, receptivity, and
previous training
Who remember death: Practice these termas!
My followers, you will travel the path to freedom in
one life.
All those in degenerate times who are receptive and
devoted to terma
Will be those who have now seen Guru Rinpoche’s face
and made aspirations.
You all have karma. Rejoice!
This woman’s words are more valuable than gold.8

There are countless similar statements in other termas. Answers

to disputation regarding terma, reasons for its acceptability, and
extensive explanations of its function and benefit are clearly set
forth in such books as the great tertön Ratna Lingpa’s Grand
History of Terma.

8. This was written by Yeshe Tsogyal.

32
 Part Two:
An Account of the Deeds of the Teacher of this
Dharma and his Disciples

33
 The Hundred Tertons

The second Buddha, Padmakara, has tamed countless disciples

in Tibet through the vajrayana of guhyamantra — the essence of
dharma — and especially through the activity of his profound
termas. This great master is not someone who has gradually
traversed the path, nor is he merely an arya on the bhumis. He
is the Buddha Amitabha, the peerless Shakyamuni, and other
Buddhas appearing as a nirmanakaya in order to tame by vari-
ous means those human and nonhuman beings who are hard to
tame. Therefore, even great aryas would be unable to so much
as partially describe his feats.

Briefly put, in the dharmakaya realm of the luminous vajra

essence he is the primordial lord known as Changeless Light
who has been naturally awakened from the beginning on the
ground of liberation, primordial purity. In the sambhogakaya
realm of self-appearance called Brahma’s Drumbeat he is Vast
Glacial Lake of the five wisdom families, the array of whose
five certainties is boundless. Their self-arisen display appears in
natural nirmanakaya realms of semi-external appearance as the
measureless realms and bodies of the Buddhas of the five families
that appear to lords of the tenth bhumi, all of it included in the
realm called Mahabrahma. As all those realms and bodies are

34
 The Hundred Tertons

the array of Guru Rinpoche’s inexhaustible ornamental wheels

of wisdom, he is known as Padma Holder of All. His display
as nirmanakayas who tame beings in every realm in the ten
directions is immeasurable. In this realm of Saha alone he has
illuminated fifty worlds as the hundred predicted teachers of
sutra and tantra. It is also said that he has emanated the Eight
Supreme Names of the Guru in each of the worlds surrounding
those fifty and tamed beings in them all.

His extraordinary array was seen by the dakini Yeshe Tsogyal.

In the east she saw the Guru Vajra Vast Glacial Lake. In each of
his pores she saw a billion realms. In each of those realms she
saw a billion worlds. In each of those worlds she saw a billion
Guru Rinpoches. Each of them had a billion emanations, each
of which was engaged in taming a billion beings. She saw similar
arrays of the other four families in the center and in the other
three directions.

In particular, his display as a nirmanakaya who tames beings

in this Jambudvipa alone has been seen in different ways by
different disciples because of their individual fortune and acu-
men. In the History of the Kama Lineage of Vajrakilaya and in
most Indian sources he is said to have been born as the son of a

35
 The Hundred Tertons

king or minister of Uddiyana. In most termas he is said to have

been born miraculously. In some termas it is also said that he
appeared from a stroke of lightning that hit the meteoric iron
peak of Mount Malaya. Each of these three versions of his origin
appears in infinite variations, all of them wondrous. As he wrote:

I have concealed one thousand nine hundred

autobiographies
For the benefit of future beings with samaya.

Although his feats are utterly beyond the intellects of ordinary

beings, I will relate merely a seed of his life as it has appeared to
some of his disciples, following the well-known terma accounts
of his miraculous birth.

To the east, south, and north of the western land of Uddiyana are
great oceans. On an island in the western part of the southern
ocean, near the land of the rakshasas, there appeared through
the Buddhas’ blessings a lotus flower of many colors. From the
heart of Amitabha, the lord of Sukhavati, emerged a golden vajra
marked by a HRIH. Within the lotus, the vajra became an ema-
nated boy with the appearance of an eight-year old, adorned by
the marks and signs and holding a vajra and a lotus. He taught
profound dharma to devas and to the dakinis of that island.

36
 The Hundred Tertons

At that time the king of that land was Indrabhuti. As he had no

heirs, the king had exhausted his treasury by making offerings to
the three jewels and giving to the poor. He went to the islands
in search of a wish-fulfilling jewel. While returning from this
quest, a Buddhist minister named Krishnadharin who was in
the king’s party was the first to see the boy. Then the king met
him, adopted him as his heir, and brought him to his palace. The
prince was given the names Padmakara and Saroruhavajra, and
was placed on a precious throne arisen from the jewel brought
back by the king. Everyone in the land was satisfied by the rain
of food, clothing, and wealth provided by the jewel. The prince
ripened countless disciples while he engaged in youthful play.
He eventually married the dakini Bearer of Light and ruled the
kingdom of Uddiyana as crown prince in accord with dharma.
He became known as Prince with a Topknot.

Realizing that he would not accomplish great benefit for others

by becoming king, the prince requested his adoptive father’s
permission to abdicate the throne. The king refused, so the
prince, while dancing playfully, pretended to accidentally drop
a trident on the head of the son of an evil minister, and sent the
boy’s consciousness into the expanse. The prince was sentenced
to exile for killing the boy and was brought to a charnel ground.

37
 The Hundred Tertons

He subsequently lived in charnel grounds such as Sitavana,

Grove of Delight, and Sosadvipa. Engaged in yogic discipline,
he received empowerment and blessings from the dakinis Mara-
Tamer and Guardian of Peace. He charmed the dakinis of the
charnel grounds and became known as Shantarakshita.

He then went to an island in Lake Dhanakosha and practiced

guhyamantra using the symbolic language of the dakinis, charming
the dakinis of that island as well. He engaged in yogic conduct
in the charnel ground called Grove of Upheaval, where Vajra-
varahi revealed her face to him and blessed him. He bound all
the nagas in the ocean and all the planets and stars in the sky to
samaya. The viras and dakinis of the three places presented him
with siddhi, and he became known as Mighty Vajra Ferocity.

He then went to Vajrasana, where he displayed a variety of

miracles. When people asked him who he was, he declared himself
to be a self-arisen Buddha. They disbelieved him and scorned
him. Seeing that there were many reasons to do so, he went to
the land of Sahor and undertook renunciation in the presence
of the master Prabhahasti, receiving the name Shakyasingha. He
listened eighteen times to the yogatantras and immediately saw
the faces of their deities.

38
 The Hundred Tertons

The wisdom dakini Guhyajnana appeared to him as the bhiks-

huni Ananda. When he requested empowerment from her, she
transformed him into the syllable HUM and swallowed him. She
performed the complete outer, inner, and secret empowerments
within her body and then expelled him into her lotus, purifying
his three obscurations.

From the eight great vidyadharas he heard the eight dispensations.

From Buddhaguhya he heard the Mayajala. From Shri Singha
he heard the Great Perfection. From many other scholars and
siddhas of India he heard all the sutras, tantras, and sciences.
Adopting the appearance of a student, he mastered every aspect
of dharma simply by hearing it once. Without practice, he saw all
the deities’ faces. He became known as Supreme Intelligence, and
displayed the appearance of a perfect fully-ripened vidyadhara.9

9. According to the mahayoga tantras, the tantric path has four

levels of attainment: When a practitioner perfects the path of the vase
empowerment, they become a fullyripened vidyadhara, which means
that although their mind has become the deity they still inhabit a
body of karmic ripening. When they perfect the path of the secret
empowerment they become a vidyadhara with mastery of longevity.
When they perfect the path of the third empowerment they become
a mahamudra vidyadhara. When they perfect the path of the fourth
empowerment they become a vidyadhara of spontaneous presence.

39
 The Hundred Tertons

He then charmed Mandarava, a qualified dakini who was the

daughter of Tsuklakdzin the king of Sahor, and brought her
as an accomplishment support mudra to Maratika Cave. They
performed life-accomplishment for three months, during which
time the protector Amitayus actually appeared, empowered
them, and blessed them so that they were no different than
him. Amitayus gave them a billion life tantras. Guru Rinpoche
achieved the siddhi of a vidyadhara with mastery of longevity
and attained a vajra body beyond birth and death.

He then went to the land of Sahor in order to tame it. He went

begging, and the king and ministers attempted to burn him in
a fire. The place of execution became a lake of sesame oil. In its
center was a lotus flower. Seated atop the lotus were the father
and mother, Guru Rinpoche and Mandarava. By performing
this miracle he caused everyone in that land to have faith in
him. He brought them all to dharma and placed them on the
level of irreversibility.

He then returned to Uddiyana in order to tame that kingdom.

While begging, he was recognized. The evil minister whose son
he had killed and others tried to burn him in a sandalwood fire.
The site of execution became a lake. In its center, seated on a

40
 The Hundred Tertons

lotus flower, were the father and mother, Guru Rinpoche and
Mandarava. In order to symbolize the liberation of beings from
samsara, he miraculously appeared to be wearing a garland of
skulls. He therefore became known as Padma Skull Garland. He
remained in Uddiyana for thirteen years, serving as the king’s
chaplain and establishing the whole land in dharma. He be-
stowed the ripening empowerments and liberating instructions
of the Assembly of Dispensations: An Ocean of Dharma. The king,
queen, and all others with karma achieved the supreme state
of a vidyadhara. Guru Rinpoche became known as Padmaraja.

As predicted in the Sutra on Magical Display, Guru Rinpoche

then emanated the bhikshu Indrasena in order to tame King
Ashoka. He established Ashoka in irreversible faith. Ashoka
then erected ten million stupas containing relics of the tathagata
in a single night.

Guru Rinpoche also removed and skillfully subdued several

powerful tirthika kings who were harming the dharma. One
king tried to serve Guru Rinpoche poison. He threw it into the
Ganges River, causing its water to rise up. He then danced in
the sky, and therefore became known as Powerful Garuda Boy.

41
 The Hundred Tertons

He also displayed many other forms and names, such as the

master Saroruha, who discovered the Hevajratantra; the brahmin
Saraha; Dombhi Heruka; Virupa; and the great Krishnacharya.
He went to the great charnel grounds, such as Complete in the
Body, and taught guhyamantra to the dakinis. He received the
life-essence of all external and internal aggressors and made them
protectors of the dharma. While doing so he became known as
Rays of Sunlight.

When five hundred tirthika teachers menaced the dharma at

Vajrasana, Guru Rinpoche defeated them all in both debate
and magic. When the tirthikas then tried to cast evil spells, the
dakini Tamer of Mara offered Guru Rinpoche forceful mantra,
with which he reversed the tirthikas’ spells and brought down
a shower of meteorites that liberated the tirthika teachers
and burned their village. He entered those left alive into the
Buddhadharma and raised aloft the victory banner of dharma,
becoming known as Lion’s Roar. Up to this point he maintained
the appearance of a vidyadhara with mastery of longevity who
had completed the path and exhausted the three depletions.10

10. The three depletions are desire, rebirth, and ignorance.

42
 The Hundred Tertons

He then went to Yangleshö Cave at the border of Nepal and India.

With the support of Shakyadevi, the daughter of the Nepalese
king Vasudhara, Guru Rinpoche began the accomplishment of
the supreme siddhi by means of Shri Heruka. Three powerful
rakshasis attempted to stop him by preventing any rainfall
for three years and causing both sickness and famine. Guru
Rinpoche sent a message to his gurus in India, asking them to
send him dharma that overcomes obstacles. They sent him so
many tantras and agamas of Vajrakilaya that they had to be
carried by two people. As soon as they arrived, the obstacles
disappeared of themselves. Rain fell, and the sickness and fam-
ine ended. Both the father and mother — Guru Rinpoche and
Shakyadevi — achieved the supreme siddhi. He thus became
a Mahamudra vidyadhara. Seeing that although the practice
of Shri Heruka brings great siddhi it is vulnerable to many
obstacles and therefore requires the practice of Vajrakilaya just
as a merchant needs a bodyguard, Guru Rinpoche composed
many sadhanas combining these two practices. He also bound
by samaya the sixteen Kilaya guardians and all the other male
and female spirits, making them all protectors of the dharma.

43
 The Hundred Tertons

At various other times Guru Rinpoche taught dharma appropri-

ate for various dispositions in the islands surrounding Uddiyana
called Humuju, Sikojhara, Dhamakosa, and Rugma; in outlying
regions such as Tirahuti; and in places such as Kamarupa. He
helped many beings using common siddhis, such as by causing
water to appear where it was lacking and by diverting exces-
sively great rivers underground. When Buddhism was menaced
by three self-arisen images of the tirthikas’ gods — one each in
eastern, central, and western India — he destroyed them through
the power of Vajrakilaya. When the large Buddhist community
in the Kancha area was attacked by the armies of a Durushka
king, and all his soldiers were embarked in ships, Guru Rinpoche
made the threatening gesture. All five hundred ships sank, and
the threat from the Durushkas was ended.

Although it is unclear exactly when Guru Rinpoche went to

the land of Droding, he did subdue the dakinis, non-humans,
and people there. He caused them to build temples. His tradi-
tions of Hevajra, the Secret Moondrop Tantra, Heruka, Hayagriva,
Vajrakilaya, Matrika, and other systems of teaching, study, and
practice of the four tantras have flourished down to the pres-
ent. According to the histories of those traditions, it was from

44
 The Hundred Tertons

Droding that Guru Rinpoche departed for the southwestern

island of rakshasas.

These accounts come from authentic Indian sources and are

well known. It is generally said that he remained in India for
three thousand six hundred years, serving the dharma and be-
ings. However, it appears that the learned explain this figure
either as the number of half-years or as merely denoting a large
number of years.

In order to tame Tartary and China Guru Rinpoche emanated

kings with supercognition and powerful yogins. In the land of
Shangshung he emanated a self-arisen boy called Tabihritsa
who disseminated the instructions of an oral lineage of the
Great Perfection, bringing many fortunate practitioners to the
achievement of bodies of light. His diverse activity in different
lands with different languages, placing all sorts of people on the
path to liberation, has been immeasurable.

He came to Tibet in the following way: The dharma king Trisong

Detsen was an emanation of the bodhisattva Manjushri. When
he was in his twentieth year he gave rise to the intention to
spread the holy dharma. He invited the abbot Shantarakshita

45
 The Hundred Tertons

from India. The abbot taught the dharma of interdependence

and the ten virtuous deeds. When Trisong was in his twenty-
first year he attempted to lay the foundation of a monastery.
The gods and spirits of Tibet prevented the construction from
going forward. At the instruction of the abbot, the king sent
five messengers to invite Guru Rinpoche. Guru Rinpoche knew
it was time for him to go to Tibet, and traveled from Nepal to
Tibet. He miraculously visited every place in Tibet, including
Mangyül, Ngari, Ü, Tsang, and Kham. He bound to samaya
the twelve earth goddesses, the thirteen mountain gods, the
twenty-one upasakas, and all the other powerful non-humans.
He received their life-essences.

He met the king Trisong Detsen at Red Rock Tamarisk Grove.

They then proceeded to Mount Hepo, where Guru Rinpoche
bound all spirits by his command. He laid the foundation of
Samye Monastery and built it. All the gods and spirits assisted
the construction, so that five years after the work began it was
completed. Pal Samye Mingyur Lhundrup Monastery was de-
signed to resemble Mount Meru surrounded by the four conti-
nents, the subcontinents, the sun, the moon, and an enclosing

46
 The Hundred Tertons

wall. It included three “islands” for the three queens.11 When

Guru Rinpoche consecrated the monastery, five amazing signs
of blessing appeared.

Because the king then wished to have dharma translated in

order to establish the teachings, intelligent Tibetan children
were trained as translators. Other scholars were invited from
India. The “seven test subjects” undertook renunciation in the
presence of the abbot Shantarakshita.12 The sangha of renunci-
ates gradually grew. The abbot Shantarakshita; Guru Rinpoche;
other panditas; and translators such as Vairochana, Kawa Palt-
sek, Chokro Lui Gyaltsen, and Shang Yeshe De translated into
Tibetan all the Buddha’s teachings of sutra and tantra as well
as the major shastras explaining them. Vairochana, Namkhay
Nyingpo, and others were sent to India. Vairochana received the

11. Pal Samye Mingyur Lhundrup means the “Glorious, Inconceivable,

Unchanging, and Spontaneously Arisen.” The main chapels within the
Samye Monastery complex, aside from the central temple, are called
Lings or islands.
12. The “seven test subjects” were the first seven Tibetans to
undertake renunciation and become monastics. They were regarded
as test cases: if they were able to keep their vows, Tibet was destined
to host a monastic sangha; if they failed, Tibet would not receive the
vinaya. The seven passed the test, and Tibet has held the vinaya ever
since.

47
 The Hundred Tertons

Great Perfection from Shri Singha. Namkhay Nyingpo received

the dharma of Heruka from Humkara. They both gained siddhi
through their respective practices and spread them to Tibet.

The king Trisong Detsen requested that Guru Rinpoche be-

stow the ripening empowerments and liberating instructions
of the vajrayana. Guru Rinpoche opened the mandala of the
eight dispensations at Samye Chimphu and ripened the king
and eight of his subjects. Each of those nine disciples received
one of the dispensations and achieved corresponding siddhi.13
Guru Rinpoche also gave immeasurable uncommon profound
dharma of the three yogas to the king, the princes, the twenty-
five disciples, and other worthy persons at Lhodrak Karchu,
Shotö Tidro, and other places.

It is said that Guru Rinpoche stayed in Tibet for one hundred

and eleven years. If we assume that this number refers to half-
years, it means that Guru Rinpoche arrived in Tibet when
Trisong Detsen was in his twenty-first year and remained in
Tibet for several years after the king’s death at sixty-nine. Then

13. The eight dispensations are the eight mandalas of Manjushri

Yamantaka, Hayagriva, Heruka, Amrita, Vajrakilaya, Matrika, Forceful
Mantra, and Mundane Propitiation. When presented as one super-
mandala, a ninth dispensation, that of Guru Vidyadhara, is included.

48
 The Hundred Tertons

Guru Rinpoche, it is said, departed for the land of the raksha-

sas. So he clearly remained in Tibet for fifty-five years and six
months: forty-eight years during the lifetime of Trisong Detsen,
and seven years and six months after his death. While he was in
Tibet, evil ministers of the king who were frightened of Guru
Rinpoche’s power asked that he be sent away. He then appeared
to leave Tibet, flying away from a pass in Mangyül, after hav-
ing stayed at Samye for eight years. It was, however, only an
emanation that left. In reality the master and his royal patron
were communicating secretly. Guru Rinpoche, accompanied by
Yeshe Tsogyal and other disciples with karma, traveled all over
Tibet, leaving not so much as a horse’s hoof-print’s amount of
land that he hadn’t walked on.

He blessed all the snowy peaks, mountains, and lakes as places

of accomplishment, including the twenty snow-covered peaks in
the Ngari region; the twenty-one sites of accomplishment in Ü
and Tsang; the twenty-five great sites in Kham; the three kings
among hidden valleys in the west, center, and east; the five val-
leys; the three settlements; and the single island — each of them
including a root site, its branches, their flowers, and their fruit.

49
 The Hundred Tertons

Knowing that the king’s great nephew, an emanation of a mara,

was going to suppress the dharma, Guru Rinpoche made many
predictions about the future to Trisong Detsen. The master and
his royal patron decided to conceal terma so that the dharma
of guhyamantra would not disappear, so that it would not be
corrupted by sophists, so that its blessing would not diminish,
and so that future disciples would continue to have access to
it. They concealed the hundred termas of the king’s spirit, the
five great heart termas, the twenty-five great profound termas,
and innumerable others, some named and some unnamed. Guru
Rinpoche predicted the time of discovery, the tertön, and the
karmic inheritor of each of the termas.

At Mönka Nering Lion’s Fortress and the rest of the thirteen

Tiger’s Lairs Guru Rinpoche arose in a terrifying form of wild
wrath and bound all the major and minor aggressive spirits to
samaya. He entrusted them with the protection of dharma. At
that time, he became known as Dorje Trolö.

For the sake of the faith of future generations he left innumer-

able miraculous imprints in rock, such as the imprint of his
body at places such as Dorje Tsekpa in Bumtang; his handprint
at places such as Chukmo Sky Lake; his footprint at places such

50
 The Hundred Tertons

as the White Rock of Paro; and both his and Yeshe Tsogyal’s
handprints and footprints in many sites of accomplishment.

When the prince Murup Tsenpo conquered the monastery of

Bhatahor and returned with the spoils of victory he was followed
by the king-spirit Shingjachen. Guru Rinpoche displayed the
form of the Wrathful Guru, bound the kingspirit to samaya, and
appointed him the guardian of temple property.

After the passing of Trisong Detsen, Mutik Tsenpo became king.

Guru Rinpoche convened a Great Accomplishment Gathering
of the Assembly of Dispensations at Tradruk, where he entrusted
that profound dharma to the prince Lharjey. Guru Rinpoche
predicted that the prince would be a tertön for thirteen lives
and tame many beings.

The number of Tibetan disciples tamed by Guru Rinpoche

is inconceivable. However, the earliest group of his principal
disciples consisted of twenty-one people, the intermediate
group of twenty-five, and the later groups of seventeen and
twenty-one disciples each. There were also the eighty disciples
from Yerpa who accomplished bodies of light, the hundred and
eight meditators of Chuwori, the thirty mantrins of Yangdzong,

51
 The Hundred Tertons

the fifty-five realized ones of Sheldrak, the twenty-five dakinis,

the seven yoginis, Amay Jangchup the Spirit-Commander, Gyü
Jangchup Shönnu, Rokben Namkha Yeshe, Nyang Deshinshekpa,
Pangjay Tsentrom, Shami Gocha, Ngapmi, Ngapdray, Chay
Gyamtso Drak, Dray Sherap Drak, and others. Families such as
Lang, Ngok, Kön, Rok, Gö, Pang, So, Zur, Nup, Gyü, Kyo — in
which many of the great masters of the new translations have
been born, and which have produced unbroken successions of
siddhas — are all descended from disciples of Guru Rinpoche.

When the time for Guru Rinpoche to depart in order to tame

the southwestern rakshasas was approaching, the king, ministers,
and people of Tibet tried to delay him, but were unsuccessful.
He gave each of his disciples extensive individual instructions
and kind advice. He then left from a pass in Gungthang, riding
on either a lion or a horse. Surrounded by a vast display of devas
presenting offerings, he went to Chamaradvipa. He removed the
king of the rakshasas, Raksha Tötreng, from his residence on the
peak of the Glorious Copper-Colored Mountain, and took his
place. He emanated the inconceivable array of the Lotus Light
palace. He emitted an emanation in each of the eight islands of
rakshasas to reign as their kings and teach dharma such as that

52
 The Hundred Tertons

of the eight dispensations. He saved the lives of the people of

Jambudvipa.

Guru Rinpoche presently lives as someone at the end of the

final path, a vidyadhara of spontaneous presence, a regent of
Vajradhara. He will remain here, unchanging, until this world
is empty. He constantly thinks compassionately of Tibet and
benefits it through emanations. Even when the dharma of the
vinaya has been destroyed, his emanations will continue to ap-
pear in every community of mantrins. Many worthy persons
will accomplish the body of light. It is said that when the victor
Maitreya comes to this world, Guru Rinpoche will emanate the
bodhisattva Tamer of All Beings, who will teach the dharma of
guhyamantra to the worthy.

This was a partial account of his deeds based on the experiences

of ordinary disciples.

If I describe merely a seed of the lives of the principal heartchil-

dren and dharma heirs of this great master, this second Buddha,
they were the king Trisong Detsen, the rest of the twenty-five
disciples, and the five heart-consorts.

53
King Trisong Detsen

54
 The Hundred Tertons

At the glorious retreat of Samye Chimphu Guru Rinpoche

opened the mandala of the eight dispensations, the Sugatas’
Assembly. When he bestowed the empowerment, each of the
twenty-five disciples present offered a flower made from ten
measures of gold to the mandala. Each of them then received
the dispensation of the deity on whom their flower landed, and
gained siddhi. They therefore became known as the Twenty-Five
Siddhas of Chimphu, the Lord and Subjects.

During the ceremony spirits attempted to test Guru Rinpoche

by causing a landslide. Guru Rinpoche exclaimed, “HUM!” The
landslide reversed itself and the rocks took the form of the syl-
lable HUM. Nowadays, the site is called HUMlike Rock.

According to Chögyal Tashi Tobgyal Wangpo De, an emana-

tion of Trisong Detsen, King Trisong Detsen (who was Guru
Rinpoche’s heart-son and the “Lord” among the Twenty-Five,
the Lord and Subjects) was predicted in the Manjushri Mulatantra
by the name, Good Light of the Earth. Trisong was born four
generations after Songtsen Gampo, his ancestor. His father was
May Aktsom. His mother was the Chinese noblewoman Kongjo.
He was born on the eighth day of the first month of spring in the

55
 The Hundred Tertons

Male Water Horse Year under the constellation Pushya.14 Until

his seventeenth year he mainly prepared for kingship. During
that year, his potential for holiness awoke and he conceived the
idea of building a great monastery. He discussed his intention
with Gö, one of his ministers who was a Buddhist, and others
and allowed them to decide whether or not to build the mon-
astery. They all agreed that it should be built. The great abbot
Shantarakshita, who was like a second Shakyamuni for Tibet,
was invited to tame the land on which the construction would
occur. In order that Guru Rinpoche be invited to Tibet, Shan-
tarakshita pretended to be unable to tame the land. Based on
his instructions, Guru Rinpoche was then invited. He brought
under his strict control all the vicious spirits in central and
eastern Tibet and made them his obedient subjects. Using the
mandala of Vajrakilaya, he made the construction site workable.
Performing a vajra dance in the sky, he had the foundation dug
wherever his shadow landed on the ground. Humans worked
on the building by day and nonhumans by night. After five
years, Samye Mingyur Lhundrup Monastery and its contents
were completed without impediment. Guru Rinpoche cast the

14. The year of Trisong Detsen’s birth is usually said to have been 742
C.E.

56
 The Hundred Tertons

flowers of consecration and displayed mighty miracles. Based

on his predictions, Vairochana, Kawa Paltsek, and Chokro Lui
Gyaltsen were brought to Samye and trained as translators. They
easily mastered what they were taught. Ba Yeshe Wangpo and
the others of the “seven test subjects” undertook renunciation.
Buddhism had begun in Tibet.

The “ten sutras for the king” and other sutras and tantras were
translated. Vairochana and Namkhay Nyingpo were sent to
India and received the gift of dharma. Especially, Kawa Paltsek,
Chokro Lui Gyaltsen, and Ma Rinchen Chok were sent as envoys
to invite the mahapandita Vimalamitra. Vairochana, who had
gone to Tsawarong, returned to Tibet. A hundred great panditas
gathered together, including Shantarakshita, Guru Rinpoche,
and Vimalamitra. Vairochana, Kawa Paltsek, and Chokro Lui
Gyaltsen — the principal translators — and a hundred and eight
assistant translators established the complete teachings of the
Buddha in Tibet by translating, studying, teaching, and listening
to the tripitaka, the tantras, and the shastras that explain them.
Their kindness and achievement are inconceivable.

In the histories of the kama lineage, such as the Explanation of

Concealment, it is written that Guru Rinpoche only bestowed

57
 The Hundred Tertons

the empowerment of Shri Guhyasamaja on the king and minis-

ters, taught A Garland of Views, and had the king conceal many
writings about dharma and forceful mantra. However, this is
just an account of the experience of common disciples. To his
worthy uncommon disciples, the king and others, Guru Rinpoche
taught countless tantras, instructions, and applications of the
innumerable forms of the three roots and the dharmapalas. These
included gurusadhanas, instructions on the Great Perfection,
sadhanas of Mahakarunika Avalokiteshvara, and sadhanas of
the eight dispensations practiced individually and together. As
decided by the master and his patron, most of these teachings
were sealed as profound terma for the benefit of the future.

In particular, when he received empowerment in the great

mandala of the eight dispensations, the Sugatas’ Assembly, in
Red Rock Cave at Samye Chimphu, the king’s flower landed in
the middle. Guru Rinpoche gave him the secret name Powerful
Divine Flower of Brahma. The king received the dispensation
of the Supreme Heruka, the Sugatas’ Assembly. He gave rise to
the wisdom of spontaneous presence in unwavering samadhi.
He heard the sutras from the abbot Shantarakshita and realized
prajnaparamita. He wrote many shastras, such as Validity of the

58
 The Hundred Tertons

Perfect Teachings and a commentary on the Hundred Thousand

Stanza Prajnaparamitasutra.

Trisong sent an army of one hundred and twenty million ema-

nated soldiers to India to remove relics of the tathagata from
the Lotus Stupa. He also built a hundred and eight temples. This
dharma king is unique in being the single chariot that brought
the bright sun of Buddhism to this cold and snowy land. King
Trisong Detsen was Manjushri in the form of a human ruler.
His immeasurable bodhichitta and activity have been of peer-
less benefit to Tibet.

There are varying accounts of the time of the king’s passing.

For example, in his Great Biography it is written that he passed
away in his fifty-ninth year. In any case, he has taken continuous
pure rebirth since then. From his perfect fruition he has emit-
ted Nyangral Nyima Özer, the emanation of his body; Guru
Chöwang, the emanation of his speech (these two were the first
great tertöns); Ngari Panchen Padma Wangyal, the emanation
of his mind; Naysarwa Dongak Lingpa Khyentse Wangchuk
and Pal Tashi Topgyal, the emanations of his qualities; and the
Fifth Dalai Lama Dorje Tokme, the emanation of his activity.
Although these are the best-known, his emanations are said

59
 The Hundred Tertons

to be countless. For example, there are said to have appeared

seven emanations of each of his body, speech, mind, qualities,
and activity.

Briefly put, most tertöns have been declared to be the emana-

tions of either King Trisong, his sons, or the great translator
Vairochana, all of whose deeds are therefore inconceivable.
As for the dharma king’s sons, there are different accounts of
them. The standard version is that there were three: the eldest
son Mutri Tsenpo, also called Munay Tsenpo; the middle son
Murum Tsenpo, also called Lhasay Damdzin Rölpa Yeshe Tsal;
and the youngest Mutik Tsenpo, also called Saynalek Jingyön.
All three sons were close disciples of Guru Rinpoche. It is said
that Munay Tsenpo’s emanations include both Drikung Chögyal
Rinchen Puntsok and subsequently Yongey Mingyur Dorje.

Murum Tsenpo is sometimes called the Translator Prince. It is

said that he was both learned and accomplished, and that he
dissolved into light at the end of his life. In any case, his many
emanations include the vidyadhara Sangye Lingpa, Lhatsün
Ngönmo, Shikpo Lingpa Ösal Gyuma, and Chokgyur Dechen
Lingpa. Mutik Tsenpo’s emanations have included Guru Jotsay
and others.

60
 The Hundred Tertons

Mutik Tsenpo had five sons. Among them, Ralpachen preserved

the rule of dharma and revised the earlier translations, using
contemporary Tibetan. He also spread the holy dharma widely by
building the Stone Temple of Wönchang and so forth. Another
of Mutik’s sons was Prince Lharjey, also known as Ngakchang
Chokdrup Gyalpo. He was recognized by Guru Rinpoche to be
an emanation of Tsuklakdzin, the king of Sahor. Prince Lharjey
became an especially close heartson of Guru Rinpoche, and
received from him the Assembly of Dispensations: An Ocean of
Dharma. Some have said that Prince Lharjey was the immediate
rebirth of King Trisong Detsen. Prince Lharjey passed away at a
young age, but because of Guru Rinpoche’s wondrous compas-
sion he was reborn as the first of all tertöns, Sangye Lama; as the
translator Gya Dorje Zangpo; as Nyima Senge of Mangyül; and
as twelve tertöns in succession, starting with Ugyen Lingpa and
up to Chöje Lingpa. His thirteenth successive birth as a tertön
is said by some to have been Garwang Chimay Dorje and by
others to have been the vidyadhara Jikme Lingpa. However, it is
clearly stated in Guru Rinpoche’s vajra prophecies that Prince
Lharjey’s thirteenth successive birth as a tertön is the crown
ornament of all the learned and accomplished in this land of

61
 The Hundred Tertons

snows, the lord of the seven transmissions, our precious noble

guru Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa. That is certain.15

15. Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa is one of the names of Jamyang

Khyentse Wangpo (18201892).

62
Nupchen Sangye Yeshe

63
 The Hundred Tertons

Among the twenty-five disciples, Nupchen Sangye Yeshe Rinpoche

was born in Rongyül to the Nup family. When Guru Rinpoche
bestowed the empowerment of the eight dispensations, Nup-
chen’s flower landed on Yamantaka, the dispensation of body.
He practiced at the Fortress of Drak and saw the faces of all the
deities.16 He became able to display manifest signs of accomplish-
ment, such as penetrating rock with his kila and using the sun
and moon as cushions. He went seven times to India and Nepal,
and received the dispensations of the Mayajala, the anuyoga
sutras, and atiyoga. From the Nepalese Vasudhara, Nupchen
received many instructions on direct action and performed
much forceful activity.17

In particular, when King Langtarma was persecuting Buddhism, it

was this master who frightened the evil king. The king summoned
Nupchen and asked him, “What magical power do you have?”

Nupchen replied, “Look at the magical power that comes from

just reciting mantras!”

16. In most cases in this book the word fortress refers to a practice
cave or hermitage.
17. “Direct action,” abhichara, is the liberation of obstructors.

64
 The Hundred Tertons

He then raised his hand toward the sky, making the threatening
gesture. Above his pointed forefinger appeared nine stacked iron
scorpions, each the size of a yak.

Seeing them, the king was terrified and said, “I will not kill
Buddhist mantrins! You may practice Buddhism!”

Then Nupchen said, “Now look at this magical power!” He then

summoned lightning with his pointed forefinger. The lightning
struck a nearby cliff, shattering it.

The king was even more frightened and said, “I will never harm
you or your retinue!” Nupchen was released. It is evidently
due to Nupchen’s kindness that the white-robed, longhaired
mantradharins were never harmed. He was therefore of great
service to Buddhism.

Nupchen achieved the state of a vidyadhara with mastery of

life, and is said to have lived into the reign of King Palkhorchen.
At the end of his life, having ripened his son Yönten Gyamtso,
the “fifteen virtuous dharma siblings,” and his other disciples,
Nupchen departed for Changlochen. He was a great chariot of
the kama lineage of the early translations. Many tertöns have

65
 The Hundred Tertons

been his emanations, including Dumgya Shangtrom Dorje Öbar

and Ugyen Drime Kunga.18

18. The bestknown recent tertön who was an emanation of Nupchen

was the great tertön Barway Dorje (1836-1918). Barway Dorje was still
relatively unknown at the time this book was written. It must have
been written before 1892, as Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo was still alive
while Jamgön Kongtrül was writing it.

66
Gyalwa Chokyang

67
 The Hundred Tertons

Ngenlam Gyalwa Chokyang was born in Penyül in central Ti-

bet to the Ngenlam family. He undertook renunciation in the
presence of the abbot Shantarakshita, and was one of the “seven
test subjects,” the first monastics in Tibet. Gyalwa Chokyang is
renowned as having been extremely ethical. In the Explanation of
Concealment, when it lists those considered the “nine best men”
of that time, it says:

Those with the best morality were Ngenlam and

Lhachung.

Gyalwa Chokyang’s flower landed on Hayagriva, the dispensa-

tion of speech. He practiced at Wentsa and gained might in the
three perceptions.19 A loudly neighing horse’s head emerged
from his crown. As he achieved the state of a vidyadhara with
mastery of longevity, he was still alive during the reign of King
Palkhorchen. Maben Jangchub Lodrö, who had been killed by
cannibals in western Tibet, was reborn as a king spirit and
was harming King Palkhorchen. Gyalwa Chokyang performed
a King Spirit Ransom ritual, and Palkhorchen regained his
health. Gyalwa Chokyang then concealed part of the ransom

19. The three perceptions referred to here are the mental, visual, and
tactile perception of a deity.

68
 The Hundred Tertons

device as terma at Karchu. It is said that it was later discovered

by Khampa Darberchen.

Gyalwa Chokyang’s emanations include Guru Tseten Gyaltsen,

Gyatön Padma Wangchuk, and others. The worldfamous maha-
siddha Karma Pakshi also declared himself to be an emanation
of Gyalwa Chokyang.20

20. All of the Gyalwang Karmapas are considered to be emanations

of Gyalwa Chokyang.

69
The Bhikshu Namkhay Nyingpo

70
 The Hundred Tertons

Namkhay Nyingpo was born to the Nup family in eastern Nyal,

in a place called Nyang Karda Shambu. He undertook renuncia-
tion in the presence of the abbot Shantarakshita, and remained a
bhikshu. When he received empowerment from Guru Rinpoche
his flower landed on Perfect Heruka, the dispensation of mind.
He achieved signs of siddhi, such as traveling on the rays of the
sun. After being thoroughly trained in translation, he went to
India and met many panditas and siddhas, such as the master
Humkara. He received many empowerments and instructions,
and then returned to Tibet. Because of being slandered by the
Bönpo ministers, he lived for a while at Karchu in Lhodrak.

Once, while Namkhay Nyingpo was living in a cave called Red

Rock near his birthplace, his younger brother, who was a worldly
man, came to see him. He complained to Namkhay Nyingpo
that he lacked the necessary seeds for planting crops. Namkhay
Nyingpo said to him, “If you, a man of the world, have no seeds
to plant, how could I, a hermit, have any? Nevertheless, cast
these upon your fields and pretend you’re planting. How embar-
rassing!” Saying that, Namkhay Nyingpo gave his brother a sack
of pebbles. His brother did as he had been told, and his fields
produced crops superior to those of others.

71
 The Hundred Tertons

At another time Namkhay Nyingpo flew from the Red Rock

Cave to the peak of Mount Upright, also in eastern Nyal. On his
journey, he dropped his mala while flying over a field in eastern
Nyang. He miraculously extended his arm from the sky so that
he could retrieve the fallen mala from the ground where it had
landed. Where his five fingers touched the ground, five flowers
sprang up. The dakinis of the five families and the goddesses of
the four elements built five stupas in which they enshrined the
five flowers. These stupas still exist today.

Once, while Namkhay Nyingpo was living in the Red Wall Cave
on Mount Upright, a large group of rowdy young men came from
nearby to tour the mountain, carrying a lot of food and drink.
When they encountered the bhikshu, they offered their provi-
sions to him as a ganachakra. When they were about to leave,
he gave each of them a few red pebbles and said, “These are a
blessing.” Most of the young men threw their pebbles away, but
one of them poured his into his quiver. When he later took an
arrow out of the quiver, he found that the pebbles had turned
into turquoise. Realizing that the pebbles given him by the
master bore siddhi, he told the others. They regretted throwing
their pebbles away, and went back to the master to ask for more

72
 The Hundred Tertons

siddhi. However, the master was not within his cave; only a red
wolf was there. The cave therefore became known as Red Wolf
Cave. It is said that some of the turquoise pebbles were given
individual names, such as Six Red Skulls, Eight White Roots,
and Four Starlike Eyes.

Another story about Namkhay Nyingpo tells that every morning

a certain woman would offer him a bowl of yogurt. One day,
the master filled the yogurt bowl with pebbles and returned it
to her. Knowing that it bore siddhi, she brought the bowl of
pebbles back to her home. After a few days she looked at the
bowl, and saw that all the pebbles had turned into turquoise.

Namkhay Nyingpo practiced in caves, such as the Cavern of

Splendor at Karchu in Lhodrak, and saw the faces of many
yidams. He achieved the state of a vidyadhara of Mahamudra,
and therefore went to the celestial realm without abandoning
his body. His many emanations include several tertöns, such
as Jangchub Lingpa Palgyi Gyaltsen and later the vidyadhara
Tsewang Norbu. The life of his consort Shelkar Dorje Tso, who
also accomplished the celestial state, is clearly related in the
Guru Ocean of Jewels discovered by Padma Lingpa.

73
 The Translator Nyak Jnanakumara

Nyak Jnanakumara was born in either Yarlung Sherpa or Chö.

His father was Nyak Takdra Lhanang. His mother’s name was
Suza Gönkyi. From birth, Jnanakumara had a mole on his throat
shaped like a double vajra. He was given the name Gyalway Lodrö.
He undertook renunciation and completion in the presence of
the abbot Shantarakshita. As Jnanakumara was inconceivably
intelligent, he translated a great deal of dharma of both sutra
and tantra. From his masters Guru Rinpoche, Vimalamitra,
Vairochana, and Yudra Nyingpo he received their four rivers
of dispensation. That is why it is said:

The vajrayana teachings of the early translations first

descended to Nyak.

He mainly gained realization through the practice of Vajrakilaya,

and accomplished miraculous powers. His lineage of practice,
called Nyak-Style Vajrakilaya, was widespread for a long time.
When Guru Rinpoche bestowed the empowerment of the eight
dispensations, Jnanakumara’s flower, like that of King Trisong

74
 The Hundred Tertons

Detsen, landed on the central Supreme Heruka. Jnanakumara

received the secret name Drime Dashar and the dispensation of
qualities, Amrita.21 He practiced at the Crystal Cave in Yarlung.
The water of siddhi that he miraculously created there still flows.

Nyak also practiced at Yerpa together with Ngenlam Gyalwa

Chokyang. It is said that when Nyak attained siddhi there he
transformed himself into a raven and flew to his friend Gyalwa
Chokyang, who recognized him. Nyak then turned himself into
a small camel, circumambulated Gyalwa Chokyang three times,
and reportedly said to him, “My practice has gone well!”

Sometimes Nyak is not included among the eight inheritors of

the eight dispensations. For example, Tashi Tobgyal Wangpo does
not include him in that list. I have included him here following
the account of the eight dispensations in the Assembly of Suga-
tas. In any case, Nyak was a great holder of the teachings of the
three yogas. His disciples include the “eight glorious sons,” such
as Sokpo Palgyi Yeshe. His nephew lineage was also very active.22
Nyak’s emanations apparently include Yartö Ramo Shelmen;
Nyi Ösal, the physician of Jarong; and other emanated tertöns.

21. Drime Dashar means “Stainless Moonrise.”

22. Monastics often bequeath their lineage to one of their nephews.

75
Yeshe Tsogyal, the Emanation of Sarasvati

76
 The Hundred Tertons

Yeshe Tsogyal’s birthplace and the names of her parents vary

in different sources. If we follow the Testament of Padma, her
father’s name was Namkha Yeshe and her mother’s was Nupmo
Gewa Bum. According to the same source, Tsogyal was born
to them in the large village of Drak. Her family was Kharchen.
The footprints she left in rock as a child and her small soul-lake
are still there.

At first she was one of King Trisong’s queens. He presented her

to Guru Rinpoche as an offering for empowerment, and she
became Guru Rinpoche’s consort. There are, however, varying
accounts of how she first met Guru Rinpoche. During the em-
powerment her flower landed on the mandala of Vajrakilaya,
the dispensation of activity. She saw the faces of the deities of
that mandala and achieved siddhi, through which she subdued a
parasitic spirit that had been afflicting her family. She practiced
reviving the dead, and gained the ability to bring back to life
the corpses of those killed by violence.

Yeshe Tsogyal received countless profound dharmas from Guru

Rinpoche in different great accomplishment sites. For example,
she received the profound dharma of the Dakinis’ Heart Essence
in Shotö Tidro. She practiced what she received and achieved

77
 The Hundred Tertons

a high level of accomplishment. When Shata — a minister who

had obstructed her study and practice of dharma when she was
young — was born in hell, Tsogyal went there to free him. In
front of the iron hell-building in which Shata was imprisoned,
she created the mandala of the peaceful and wrathful ones called
Emptying Hell to its Depths. This caused the iron building to fall
apart. She freed Shata and all the other beings trapped in it,
and emptied hell once.

Yeshe Tsogyal collected all the inconceivable secret dharmas

taught by Guru Rinpoche. She benefited beings in Tibet for
two hundred years, and then went to the terrestrial Glorious
Copper-Colored Mountain without abandoning her body. She
remains there as Guru Rinpoche’s consort, and is like our mother
and a wish-fulfilling jewel in her peerless kindness to beings in
Tibet. Although there appear to be varying accounts of the year
of her passing, I have followed the best-known version here.

Most of the concealment of Guru Rinpoche’s teachings as terma

was done by this wisdom dakini. Her activity is boundless. She
has continued to guide, predict, empower, and support great
tertöns, and has emanated the consorts of many of them. Her
direct emanations also include great female tertöns who departed

78
 The Hundred Tertons

for the celestial realm without abandoning their bodies, such

as Jomo Menmo and the dakini Kunga Bum. As this indicates,
she is unimaginably wondrous.

79
 Drokmi Palgyi Yeshe

Palgyi Yeshe was born to the Drokmi family in the highland

nomad region.23 He became a skilled translator, and translated a
lot of sutra and tantra, such as the Matrika Tantra. When Guru
Rinpoche bestowed the empowerment of the eight dispensations,
Drokmi’s flower landed on the mandala of the Highest Heruka.24
He therefore received the dispensation of the matrikas of ex-
istence. Drokmi actually saw the mandala of Blissful Existence
and became able to employ all the matrikas of appearance and
existence as servants.

Drokmi took Shampo Gangra in western Tibet as his practice

place. He concealed as terma there the spirit-stone of the great
god Shampo. It was made from fifteen jewels of humans, devas,
and nagas. All the space within the length of one horse-tail sur-

23. Drokmi means “nomad.”

24. Perfect Heruka, Supreme Heruka, and Highest Heruka are
different deities, although one in essence. Perfect Heruka is the
principal of the mandala of mind. Supreme Heruka is the principal
of the mandala of qualities. Highest Heruka is the principal of the
Matrika mandala. Matrikas are wrathful female deities.

80
 The Hundred Tertons

rounding it was filled with its warmth. It is said to have been

discovered later by Kalden Dorje.

As Drokmi lived as a great mantradharin, both the line of his

descendants and of his nephew have produced many accom-
plished mantradharins and translators. His family line still exists
nowadays.25 The great emanated tertön Rashak Chöbar was ap-
parently an emanation of both Drokmi and the great translator
Vairochana, and other emanations of Drokmi have appeared at
various times, such as Karak Dechen Lingpa.

25. In all cases in this book other than in the translator’s sidenotes,
nowadays and similar expressions refer to the time at which the book
was written, the late 19th Century.

81
 Lang Palgyi Senge

Palgyi Senge was born to the visionary Lang family. His father
was Amay Jangchup Dreköl. When Jangchup Dreköl was in his
eighth year, he visited Uddiyana. He also subdued rakshasas
and was twice invited to Ling by King Gesar in order to subdue
the four great demons of the four directions. He could employ
spirits as servants.

Palgyi Senge’s mother’s name was Lady Kalden. He was the eldest
of three sons born to his parents. He had inconceivable miraculous
and magical powers. In particular, he became a heart disciple
of Guru Rinpoche. When Palgyi Senge received empowerment,
his flower landed on the mandala of Mundane Propitiation, and
he received the dispensation of the Aggressive ones. He became
able to employ all Aggressive spirits as servants and attendants.
At the accomplishment site of Paro Taktsang he saw the faces
of the deities of the mandala of the bhagavat Tamer of All the
Aggressive, and achieved the two siddhis.26

26. Tamer of All the Aggressive is the principal of the mandala of

Mundane Propitiation.

82
 The Hundred Tertons

The Neudongpas, such as Desi Pamodrupa, were descended from

the visionary Lang family. Palgyi Senge’s emanations include the
emanated tertön Ratön Tobden Dorje and others.

83
The Great Translator Vairochana

84
 The Hundred Tertons

Vairochana was born to the Pagor family. His birthplace differs

in different sources. In the Testament of Padma Vairochana is
said to have been born in Nyimo. However, in the Great Image,
a biography of Vairochana, it says that he was born at the con-
fluence of the Nyang and Tsangpo rivers. This clearly refers to
the land on the eastern side of the river that flows nowadays by
the Samdruptse Palace, where there is a village called Zangkar.
It is said that there are clear footprints in stone there that were
left by Vairochana as a boy.

Vairochana’s father’s name was Pagor Dorje Gyalpo. Pagor Hedö

is said to have been Vairochana’s uncle, although in the Testa-
ment of Padma it is said that Hedö was his father. Vairochana’s
mother’s name was Drenkaza Drönkyi. Even as a child, Vairochana
exhibited miracles, such as flying back and forth between the
high mountains of his birthplace.

He undertook renunciation in the presence of the abbot Shanta-

rakshita as one of the “seven test subjects.” He was given the name
Vairochanarakshita, Utterly Illuminating Guardian. Vairochana
became the greatest of translators. No one among all earlier and
later scholars in this land of Tibet can withstand comparison
to him. At the command of the dharma king Trisong Detsen,

85
 The Hundred Tertons

Vairochana went to India, accompanied by Tsangben Lekdrup.

Vairochana met twentyfive great panditas, such as Shri Singha,
and heard much profound dharma of guhyamantra.

In particular, from Shri Singha he heard all the teachings of

the Great Perfection, especially those of the mind class and the
expanse class. Through practicing these, Vairochana achieved
wisdom no different than Shri Singha’s. He then practiced speed-
walking, and miraculously returned to Tibet without difficulty.

When Vairochana thereafter became a teacher of King Trisong,

evil ministers sought to sow discord between them. Because of
their conspiracy, and also through Vairochana’s previous aspira-
tions, he went to Gyalmo Tsawarong. He caused Buddhism to
shine like the sun there. In particular, Tsangben Lekdrup had
been reborn there as Yudra Nyingpo. Vairochana taught him,
and Yudra became his greatest disciple. Eventually Vairochana
returned to central Tibet and continued to perform great deeds
for Buddhism there.

When Vairochana received the empowerment of the eight

dispensations from Guru Rinpoche, his flower landed on the
mandala of Forceful Mantra, so he received the dispensation of

86
 The Hundred Tertons

the Aggressive. He was also a great collector of Guru Rinpoche’s

teachings, such as the eight dispensations of the Assembly of
Sugatas, and is praised for having achieved the same wisdom as
Guru Rinpoche. Vairochana saw the face of Powerful Black One
and achieved the siddhi of the eye of wisdom.27 He liberated
opponents of dharma through forceful mantra. In particular,
there is a story that he caused the queen Margyenma to contract
leprosy and that she was cured through the compassion of Guru
Rinpoche. The naga that Vairochana set upon the queen is said
to still possess people nowadays. However, because it was con-
taminated by contact with Queen Margyenma it is mute and
cannot prophesy. Its propitiation is therefore based on other
means of divination.

These first nine disciples are called the eight or nine Holders of
the Dispensations. The great translator Vairochana is also regarded
as one of Guru Rinpoche’s three greatest Tibetan disciples. These
three are called the Lord, Subject, and Companion. The Lord
was King Trisong Detsen, the Subject was Vairochana, and the
Companion was Yeshe Tsogyal. Because Vairochana, as Guru
Rinpoche’s foremost heart-son, received the dispensations of

27. Powerful Black One is the principal of the mandala of Forceful

Mantra.

87
 The Hundred Tertons

most of the profound dharma he taught, his emanations include

countless known and unknown tertöns throughout all Tibet.
These include Vairochana’s body emanations, the great tertöns
Dorje Lingpa, Kunkyong Lingpa, Chokden Dongak Lingpa, and
Trengpo Sherap Özer; his speech emanation, the vidyadhara Ter-
dak Lingpa; and his mind emanation, Rongtön Dechen Lingpa.
The details of how Vairochana has brought about unimaginable
benefit to the dharma of the early translations and to beings
will be clear in the histories of the termas later in this book.28

28. With typical modesty, Jamgön Kongtrül did not mention here
that he was the bestknown modern emanation of Vairochana, nor did
he mention his own revelation of terma in this book.

88
 Gyalmo Yudra Nyingpo

Yudra Nyingpo was born in Gyalmo Tsawarong, in the capital

of King Dosher. He became a disciple of the great translator
Vairochana and achieved consummate learning and attainment.
Yudra is counted as one of the hundred and eight translators
of that period. He received the upadesha Garland of Views
and other dharma from Guru Rinpoche. Yudra also displayed
miracles such as transforming his body into a golden vajra. He
mastered the view of the supreme vehicle, the Great Perfection,
and became a great chariot of its teachings, especially those of
the mind and expanse classes.

Yudra’s emanations include Dharmashri the translator of Mind-

röling and many others who have served the dharma well. Some
of his emanations have been tertöns, including Draksum Dorje
Tokme, also known as Tendzin Daö Dorje.

89
 Nanam Dorje Düdjom

Dorje Düdjom was born in Tsangrong to the family of the min-

ister Nanam. Dorje Düdjom was, while young, one of Trisong
Detsen’s Buddhist ministers. He later entered the gate of man-
tra in the presence of Guru Rinpoche and eventually became a
great mantradharin. Dorje Düdjom was one of the disciples who
achieved siddhi through Vajrakilaya. The mark left by his kila
in solid rock at the hermitage on Mount Hepo is still visible.

When the abbot, master, and king consecrated Samye, Dorje

Düdjom saw them in his wisdom. He penetrated solid rock
with his kila and, as he had control over wind and mind, passed
through the tiny hole he had made in the rock and arrived at
Samye. The hole in the rock that he traveled through is still
there nowadays. Dorje Düdjom performed countless amazing
miracles, such as flying around the four continents in the sky.
His place of accomplishment, Red Rock Hermitage, is well
known; it is at the border of the great Tsangpo Valley and the
upper nomad country.

90
 The Hundred Tertons

Dorje Düdjom’s main emanations have been a succession of

great vidyadharas, including the Vidyadhara Vulture Feathers,
who discovered the Northern Termas; Jamyang Lama; and the
vidyadhara Lekdenje. It is evident that other tertöns emanated
by him, such as the Nepalese Ahum, some of them concealed
and some of them known, have continued to appear down to
the present.

91
 The Acharya Yeshe Yang

Yeshe Yang was one of the scribes who wrote down the profound
terma writings of Guru Rinpoche. He is one of the eight people
of the time who were renowned as clear, correct, and learned
scribes. This can be ascertained from:

Denma Tsemang’s writing is clear and correct.

Acharya Yeshe’s writing is large, thick, and easy on the
eyes.
Shelkar Gönkhyi’s writing is easy to read.

In any case, Yeshe Yang was one of those disciples who achieved
siddhi and the miraculous ability to travel to the celestial realms.
Although he is sometimes called Ba Yeshe Yang, it is certain that
he was known as Acharya Yeshe Yang, and he is often depicted
with the dress of an acharya. Yeshe Yang was a renunciate.

92
 The Mahasiddha Sokpo Lhapal

In the past, smiths were called Sokpo; Lhapal was born in a

family of smiths. He was a householder, and was able through
his attainment to hold dangerous predators by the back of the
neck. When Nyak Jnanakumara was looking for a friend to ac-
company him in the accomplishment of Vajrakilaya, he saw that
Lhapal was qualified and trained him. Lhapal therefore gained
siddhi through Vajrakilaya. As he subdued Nyak’s enemies three
times, he became Nyak’s closest disciple.

93
 Nanam Yeshe De

The bandhe Yeshe De of Shang was one of the three famous dis-
ciples called Ka, Chok, and Shang. He was an excellent translator
and was also a mahasiddha with miraculous powers such as the
ability to fly like a bird in the sky. He was therefore both learned
and accomplished. It appears that he was a renunciate. As he
became one of the great holders of Vajrakilaya it appears that
his tradition, called Nanam Vajrakilaya, was once widespread.
Even nowadays some long, intermediate, and short liturgies of
this tradition appear still to exist.

94
 Kharchen Palgyi Wangchuk

Kharchen Palgyi Wangchuk was Yeshe Tsogyal’s brother. He

became a heart-son of Guru Rinpoche. Palgyi Wangchuk gained
the ability to liberate any number of aggressors just by brandish-
ing his kila. The story of his liberation of the kingspirit Crystal
Gingkara and the story of how he achieved siddhi through
Vajrakilaya are found in the histories of the kama lineage. Pal-
gyi Wangchuk was a householder and a lord among holders of
vidyamantra. He mastered direct action.

95
 Denma Tsemang

As Tsemang was born in the region of Kamden, he was known

as Denma. His actual name was Tsemang. He was an excel-
lent calligrapher, and it appears that his system of calligraphic
training still exists. He was also a translator, and was one of the
assistant translators among the “three great and three minor
translators.” Tsemang received much dharma of guhyamantra
from Guru Rinpoche. He achieved realization and acquired the
retention of all dharma without forgetfulness. It is said that it
was Tsemang who wrote down many of the termas, including
the Sugatas’ Assembly of the eight dispensations. I have had the
good fortune to see a manuscript of the Sugatas’ Assembly terma
written down by this mahasiddha that is kept at Mawochok in
Lhodrak.29

29. According to the Eighth Tai Situ Rinpoche, Tenpe Nyinje, the
Tai Situpas are emanations of Denma Tsemang.

96
 The Great Translator Kawa Paltsek

Kawa Paltsek was one of the three famous disciples known as

Ka, Chok, and Shang. He was born at Kawa in Penyül in central
Tibet. His father was Kawa Loden, and his mother was Droza
Dzema. Paltsek was predicted by Guru Rinpoche to be one of
the emanated translators, and he mastered spoken and written
languages as well as translation. He undertook renunciation in
the presence of the abbot Shantarakshita, and was one of the
“seven test subjects.” Paltsek received dharma of guhyamantra
from Guru Rinpoche and gained boundless supercognition,
including the siddhi of knowing others’ minds without impedi-
ment. He was the forefather of all Tibetan calligraphers, and his
system of calligraphic training is still widespread throughout
both central and eastern Tibet. He composed many shastras,
including Discourse on the Precious Supreme Speech. His nephew
lineage has produced many great illuminators of the teachings.
It appears that several tertöns, including Drapa Ngönshe, have
been his emanations.

97
 Shubu Palgyi Senge

Palgyi Senge’s family was that of the dharma king Trisong

Detsen. However, Palgyi Senge’s branch of the family is said to
have been named Shubu after an ancestor who was skilled in
Bön, fables, and riddles. In those days, such a person was called
a Shubu of Bön.

Palgyi Senge was initially one of the king’s inner ministers, and
was also known then as Shubu Tridring Kangtsen. He was one
of the ministers sent to invite Guru Rinpoche. He also became a
learned translator under Guru Padma’s guidance, and translated
instructions on Matrika, Yamantaka, Vajrakilaya, and many
other dharmas of the Nyingma tradition. He is among the “eight
great scholars of Tibet.”

Palgyi Senge achieved siddhi through Vajrakilaya and Matrika.

As signs of siddhi he performed such feats as reversing the cur-
rent of the Ngamshö River by touching the water with his kila,
and splitting a large rock by touching it with his kila. There
remain traces of his reversal of the river at Chimphu. He wrote:

98
 The Hundred Tertons

As my paternal family is descended from gods, I am the

king’s equal.
As my maternal family is descended from the Mu, I am
the king’s equal.30
As I built the eastern wall of Samye’s central temple, I am
the king’s equal.
As I built the White Stupa, I am the king’s equal.
As I drew melted butter from an aqueduct, I am the
king’s better.

His sites of accomplishment appear to have been the Little Val-

ley of Padmaling and other places. A detailed account of Shubu
Palgyi Senge’s family through the generations can be found in the
biography of Shubu Pasang Lekyi Dorje of Lhodrak. It appears
that many kalyanamitras who have served the teachings have
been born to this family. For several generations after Palgyi
Senge, every family member became a powerful mantradharin
and gained siddhi through Matrika and Yamantaka. Palgyi Senge’s
most famous emanation was the tertön Namchö Mingyur Dorje,
but it appears that there have been others as well.31

30. The Mu was one of the first six Tibetan clans.

31. According to Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche, the Thrangu Rinpoches
are emanations of Shubu Palgyi Senge.

99
 Bay Gyalway Lodrö

Bay Gyalway Lodrö was a trusted friend of the king, and was
initially called Gönpo. He later undertook renunciation and
became known as Gyalway Lodrö. He became a learned transla-
tor, went to India, received the dharma cycle of Perfect Heruka
from the master Humkara, and achieved siddhi. He invaded the
realm of Yama with a miraculous army, and rescued his mother
from hell. He terrified Yama and his minions with the army he
had emanated.

Gyalway Lodrö studied dharma in the presence of Guru Padma

and achieved the siddhi of transforming revenants into gold.
Several tertöns appear to have discovered gold produced by
Gyalway Lodrö’s transformation of corpses. He achieved the
state of a vidyadhara with mastery over life, and appears to have
remained alive until the time of Rongzom Chökyi Zangpo.32
There are accounts of Rongzom hearing dharma from him.

32. A great master and translator of the Nyingma tradition,

Rongzom is considered to be one of the most learned individuals ever
to appear in Tibet. He lived in the Eleventh Century.

100
 The Mahasiddha Kyeuchung Lotsa

Kyeuchung Lotsa was born to the Drokmi family. As he learned

translation at an early age, he became known as Kyeuchung
Lotsa, “Little Boy Translator.” He studied and mastered all the
dharma of guhyamantra in the presence of Guru Rinpoche. Ky-
euchung Lotsa gained the miraculous ability to summon birds
with his gaze and threatening gesture. He was a householder, a
long-haired, white-robed mantradharin. It is well known that
the lord of the tenth bhumi, the great tertön Düdül Dorje, was
his emanation. According to the Supplication to the Successive
Lives of Düdül Dorje, Kyeuchung’s emanations clearly include
other tertöns as well.33

33. The great master Düdjom Rinpoche is the current rebirth of this
translator.

101
 Drenpa Namkha

Drenpa Namkha was at first a great Bön priest. He later studied

dharma in the presence of Guru Rinpoche, and also learned
translation. He gained the miraculous ability to summon wild
yaks with his threatening gesture. Drenpa Namkha offered many
Bön instructions to Guru Rinpoche, who concealed them as
terma. I have seen some of these; they have reappeared in some
terma discoveries. Drenpa Namkha undertook renunciation
and wore a red hat. He therefore became known as Ex-Bön Red
Head. Because of this, I think that the custom, evident in some
paintings, of showing him wearing a Bön hat is unnecessary.
His rebirths have included tertöns such as Bönpo Draktsal and
many others. The vidyadhara Trinley Lhundrup is said to have
been an emanation of both Nupchen and Drenpa Namkha. It
also appears that many emanations of Drenpa Namkha have
appeared within the Bön tradition, such as Gyermi Nyiö.

102
 Odren Palgyi Wangchuk

Odren Palgyi Wangchuk was born in Oyukda as the son of Odren

Palgyi Jungne. Palgyi Wangchuk became a heart-son of Guru
Rinpoche and learned all aspects of guhyamantra. He demon-
strated many signs of siddhi, including fearlessly swimming like
a fish through great rivers. There exist many dharma practices of
the Odren tradition, such as the Oral Lineage Wrathful Guru.
It appears that the lineage of the empowerments and transmis-
sions for most of these practices remains unbroken, and also that
the family line of Odren Palgyi Wangchuk has survived. Odren
Palgyi Wangchuk was a householder.

103
 Ma Rinchen Chok

Ma Rinchen Chok was born in a place called Matso, which is in

Penyül in central Tibet. Rinchen Chok is one of the “nine best
Tibetans” of his time. It is said:

Ma Rinchen Chok was the most intelligent.

He was also one of the “seven test subjects,” the first Tibetans
to undertake renunciation at the time of King Trisong Detsen.
Ma therefore undertook renunciation in the presence of the
abbot Shantarakshita. Ma also realized the view of Nagarjuna,
and vanquished the Hoshang in debate. Ma translated oceans
of dharma of sutra and tantra. He received empowerment and
instruction from Guru Rinpoche, and achieved siddhi. He dem-
onstrated the miracle of pulling solid rock apart as though it
were dough and eating it. He achieved the state of a vidyadhara.

Ma’s great tradition of the explanation and practice of the

Guhyagarbha is widely known. He once went to eastern Tibet,
pretending to have been banished by the king. While there, he

104
 The Hundred Tertons

taught Tsukru Rinchen Shönnu. When the tradition Ma trans-

mitted in eastern Tibet later spread to central Tibet, it became
known as the “Kham tradition of Guhyagarbha.”

The great tertön Longsal Nyingpo is said to have been in part

an emanation of Ma Rinchen Chok, and it appears that Long-
sal discovered a profound terma about the four tantras that
Vimalamitra had bestowed on Ma.

105
 Lhalung Palgyi Dorje

Lhalung Palgyi Dorje was born at Dramtö Gungmoche in central

Tibet. His birth name was Taknyazang. He became a guardian
of the border between Tibet and China, and subdued Chinese
invaders. He later became inspired by renunciation, and undertook
renunciation together with his two brothers in the presence of
the master Vimalamitra. He then received the bodhisattva vow
from Padmasambhava, and also received all of the empowerments
and instructions of mantra. While he was meditating in the
White Gorge of Drib, his shawl was carried off by the wind and
landed in Yerpa. Seeing that Yerpa was geomantically excellent,
he practiced there and gained siddhi and the miraculous ability
to pass through mountains and solid rock. He later liberated
the evil king Langtarma and benefited Buddhism in many ways.
He returned from eastern Tibet and settled at Dentik, where he
remained for a long time. At the end of his life, it is said that
his body became a mass of light and disappeared.

106
 Langdro Könchok Jungne

Langdro Könchok Jungne was born in the Tanak area of northern

Tsang. He was an inner minister of the dharma king, and was
known then as Langdro Nangshi. He later undertook renun-
ciation and received the name Könchok Jungne. He mastered
translation and was one of the main translators of dharma. He
received empowerment and instructions from Guru Rinpoche,
practiced, and gained the ability to demonstrate signs of siddhi.
He lived as a mantradharin, and had the miraculous ability to
bring down fierce meteorite showers, like arrows shot from a
bow, just by thinking of it. He became one of Guru Rinpoche’s
main heart-sons, and was a great lord among yogins. He mastered
oceans of guhyamantra. His descendants are the Tanak Drölma
family, which still exists. His most famous emanations were the
great tertön Ratna Lingpa and the vidyadhara Longsal Nyingpo.
If we consider their successive lives and the predictions in their
termas, it appears that other tertöns have also been Könchok
Jungne’s emanations.

107
 Lasum Gyalwa Jangchub

Lasum Gyalwa Jangchub was one of the famous “seven test sub-
jects.” He undertook renunciation and completion in the presence
of the great abbot Shantarakshita. As he learned translation, he
went to India several times and translated dharma of both sutra
and tantra. He was a great scholar and reached the other shore
of the ocean of learning. From the Great History:

Lasum Gyalwa Jangchub was the most learned.

It therefore appears that he was considered one of the “nine

best men” of his time. After receiving empowerment and in-
struction from Guru Rinpoche, Lasum became able to display
miracles such as sitting cross-legged in the sky. He was a great
lord among siddhas.

Guru Rinpoche, just before he departed for the land of the

rakshasas, turned the great dharmachakra of the Assembly of
Dispensations: An Ocean of Dharma. At this final gathering of
disciples, each of those present received the dispensation of one

108
 The Hundred Tertons

of the twenty-one clusters within the mandala. I will briefly

describe this according to the intermediate-length Supplication
to the Assembly of Dispensations written by Yarje Ugyen Lingpa.

It is said that the dispensation of the complete Assembly of Dis-

pensations, both peaceful and wrathful, was given to the prince
Lharjey Chokdrup Gyalpo. The dispensation of All-Encompassing
Splendor, Buddha Tsaldzok, was given to the prince Mutik Tsenpo
and his consort. The dispensation of mind, Perfect Heruka, was
given to Namkhay Nyingpo and his consort. The dispensation of
Vajramala was given to Acharya Nyima Drak and to Jangchub
Nyingpo. The dispensation of Vajrapani was given to Yudra
Nyingpo and his consort. The dispensation of Vajra Tsaldzok
was given to Dharmabhadra and his consort. The dispensation
of Vidyadhara Guru was given to Lekjin Nyima and his con-
sort. The dispensation of Chakrasamvara was given to Yönten
Chok and Nanam Yeshe De. The dispensation of Manjushri
Yamantaka was given to Sangye Yeshe and Odren Trinjin. The
dispensation of Ratna Tsaldzok was given to Pakpa Sherap and
Shubu Konglep. The dispensation of Lotus Speech was given
to Gyalwa Chokyang and Dorje Düdjom. The dispensation of
Hevajra was given to Chokro Luyi Gyaltsen and his brother.

109
 The Hundred Tertons

The dispensation of Guhyasamaja was given to Gongpa Sal and

Chökyi Lhunpo. The dispensation of Padma Tsaldzok was given
to Mönmo Tashi Khyidren and her sister. The dispensation
of qualities, Supreme Heruka, was given to Jnanakumara and
Könchok Jungne. The dispensation of Kalachakra was given to
Lui Wangpo and Acharya Salchok. The dispensation of Swirling
Space was given to Nyenchen Palyang and Nanam Dingtri. The
dispensation of Karma Tsaldzok was given to Kawa Paltsek and
Drapa Drumbu. The dispensation of Blissful Fortune was given
to Drokmi Palgyi Yeshe and Palgyi Wangpo. The dispensation of
activity, Vajrakilaya, was given to Yeshe Tsogyal and Yeshe Salay.
The dispensation of Subduer of All the Aggressive was given to
Palgyi Senge and Yeshe Tsek. The dispensation of Mighty Black
One was given to Vairochana and Denma Tsemang.

In the Wisdom Assembly of the Yidam, a terma of Taksham Nüden

Dorje, it is taught that the final assembly included seventeen
disciples. In Notes on the Herukakalpa Tantra, the twenty-five
disciples of Chimphu are mostly identified differently. Most
sources appear to speak of twenty-seven disciples.34

34. The twentyseven disciples are the twenty-five with the addition
of two of Trisong Detsen’s sons.

110
 The Hundred Tertons

However, as stated earlier, there was a boundless ocean of vidy-

adhara siddhas in those days, including those who achieved the
body of light at Yerpa and at Chuwori. The number of Guru
Rinpoche’s disciples is inconceivable, so I am unable to men-
tion all of them. Nevertheless, I will supplement the foregoing
by describing merely a seed of the lives of Guru Rinpoche’s five
heart-consorts, who were emanations of the five mothers, the
Dhatishvaris.

The life of the dakini Yeshe Tsogyal, an emanation of Bud-

dhalochana, was briefly described earlier. Extensive and clear
biographies of her are found in the termas of Drime Kunga and
Taksham Nüden Dorje. In brief, she was Dhatishvari Vajrayogini
appearing as a human woman. In addition, she devoted her life
to the perfect service of Guru Rinpoche and to unimaginable
austerity and diligent practice. The inexhaustible, ornamental
wheels of her body, speech, mind, qualities, and activity came
to equal those of Guru Rinpoche. Her immeasurable kindness
to all of Tibet is no different than that of Guru Rinpoche. The
flow of her great compassion is unceasing.

111
 Dhatishvari Mandarava

Mandarava was born in the Ratnapuri palace in Zahor to King

Tsuklakdzin and Queen Tauki amidst many wondrous signs.
Because of the fame of her birth, many kings of India and China
competed for her hand in marriage. However, overcome by
renunciation, she entered the gate of dharma. Discovering the
body of someone who had been born a brahmin seven times
in succession, she offered it to her father, who treasured it as a
wish-fulfilling jewel.35

At around the same time, Guru Rinpoche saw that Mandarava

was a destined disciple and began to teach her. The king, fearing
that his family would be polluted by this, caused Guru Rinpoche
to be burnt alive. By displaying the miracle of transforming the
flames into a lake, Guru Rinpoche placed the king, ministers, and
court in resolute faith. The king offered his throne and daughter
to Guru Rinpoche, and requested profound dharma from him.
Guru Rinpoche showered Mandarava and twenty-one others —

35. Consuming the flesh of someone who has been born as a brahmin
seven successive times is believed to prevent rebirth in lower states.

112
 The Hundred Tertons

the king, his ministers, and other members of the court — with
a great rain of dharma: the Assembly of Dispensations: An Ocean of
Dharma, with its tantras, agamas, and upadeshas. The king and
all his ministers achieved the vidyadhara levels.

Taking Princess Mandarava as a mudra, Guru Rinpoche went

to the cave of Maratika, which means “the end of death.” They
practiced the generation and completion stages of the protector
Amitayus, and saw his actual face. Amitayus empowered them
both; they both demonstrated the attainment of the supreme
and perfect state of a vidyadhara with mastery over life, the
vajra body of unity.

In such ways Mandarava brought tremendous benefit to be-

ings in India, both directly and indirectly. She also traveled
miraculously to Tibet while Guru Rinpoche was turning the
great dharmachakra at Tradruk. There, she praised him through
symbols and asked him questions. A great deal of this is clear
in the Testament of Padma. It appears there is also an extensive
biography of Mandarava in the Assembly of Dispensations discov-
ered by Ugyen Lingpa.

113
 The Hundred Tertons

It is said that the Dakini Ornamented by Human Bone, who

was encountered by Lord Marpa; the Yogini of the Mountains,
encountered by Nyen the Translator; the Queen of Siddhas,
encountered by Rechungpa; Maitripa’s consort called She with
a Stalk from a Banyan Tree; the dakini Niguma; and others were
all the wisdom dakini Mandarava displaying different names and
forms. They were certainly her compassionate emanations and
blessed by her. Mandarava’s actual body certainly still exists, as
she accomplished the vajra rainbow body.

114
 Mamaki Shakyadevi of Nepal

Shakyadevi was the daughter of Vasudhara, the king of Nepal.

Her mother died while giving birth to her, so she was left in a
charnel ground along with her mother’s body. She was nursed
there by monkeys. As she grew up, she developed wondrous
physical features, such as webbing between her fingers and
toes like that of a swan. Guru Rinpoche saw that she would
be a qualified, holy consort. He cared for her and ripened her
with empowerment. In the cave of Yangleshö, Shakyadevi was
the mudra with whom he accomplished the nine deity mandala
of Perfect Heruka. Through the samadhi called Discernment
of Appearances, Guru Rinpoche accomplished the state of a
Mahamudra vajravidyadhara. Shakyadevi accomplished the sid-
dhi of Mamaki, and finally displayed the vajra rainbow body.
In reliance upon Shakyadevi, Guru Rinpoche displayed twenty
emanated forms. Especially, she was the first person to whom
he spoke of the eighteen types of terma. She has therefore been
unimaginably kind to Guru Rinpoche’s followers.

115
 Pandaravasini Kalasiddhi

Kalasiddhi was born in the region of drummers in India, in a

village of weavers. Both her parents were weavers. Her mother
died immediately after giving birth to her, so Kalasiddhi was
brought to a charnel ground along with her mother’s body.
Princess Mandarava took the form of a tigress and nursed her.
When Kalasiddhi had grown up, Guru Rinpoche recognized
her to be a destined disciple. He took the form of the bhikshu
Sukhadeva, which means “god of joy,” and cared for her and
ripened her with empowerment.

While Guru Rinpoche and Kalasiddhi were living together in

the Forest of Webs, practicing the profound path of means, they
accepted a young boy from the region of drummers as a disciple.
He grew up to become the great siddhacharya Humkara, who
is as world-famous as the sun and moon.

I have not seen any account of the dakini Kalasiddhi traveling

farther north than Nepal. It is certain that she finally accom-
plished the body of unity.

116
 Samayatara Tashi Khyidren of Bhutan

Tashi Khyidren was born in Tsaok, in what is now Bhutan.

In early childhood, her propensity for dharma was awakened.
Symbolically encouraged by dakinis in a dream, Tashi Khyidren
went to Lhodrak, where she first encountered Yeshe Tsogyal, who
accepted her as a disciple and ripened her with empowerment.
She later met Guru Rinpoche at Layak Mönkhar in Bhutan. He
gave her profound instructions that condensed the essence, and
on their basis she gained siddhi.

Guru Rinpoche took her as his mudra of activity. At Paro Takt-

sang, when Guru Rinpoche arose in the form of Dorje Trolö,
Tashi Khyidren transformed herself at will into a tigress and
served as his mount. Together, they again placed all the aggres-
sive spirits of Tibet in samaya. They also concealed countless
profound termas. As she was instrumental in such deeds, this
dakini is held to be second only to Yeshe Tsogyal in great kind-
ness to Tibet. Finally, without abandoning her body, Tashi
Khyidren went to the Glorious Copper-Colored Mountain,
where she presently resides.

117
 The Hundred Tertons

According to the biography of Yeshe Tsogyal that was revealed as

terma by Taksham Nüden Dorje, Khyidren was the daughter of a
king in what is now Bhutan named Hamar. While Yeshe Tsogyal
was living at Mönkha Senge Dzong, Khyidren met her for the first
time and offered her a great deal of honey. Khyidren gradually
developed faith in Tsogyal through observing the signs of her
siddhi, and began to serve her in every way as best she could.
Eventually Khyidren’s father, King Hamar, also developed faith
in Tsogyal and offered her his daughter. Yeshe Tsogyal changed
her name to Tashi Chidren and ripened her with empowerment.36
While Guru Rinpoche was staying at Önpu Taktsang, he saw
that Khyidren possessed all the necessary qualifications to be
a vajra karmamudra. At his instruction, Yeshe Tsogyal offered
Khyidren to him as a mudra. Khyidren then accompanied Guru
Rinpoche in the accomplishment of Vajrakilaya.

They displayed inconceivable signs of siddhi. In particular, Guru

Rinpoche arose in the form of Guru Dorje Trolö, and Khyidren
took the form of a tigress. In these forms, they placed all the gods

36. Khyidren and Chidren are different names. The first means “leader
of dogs” and the other means “leader of all.” They are pronounced
differently in the central Tibetan dialect, but more or less identically
in eastern Tibetan.

118
 The Hundred Tertons

and spirits of Tibet in samaya. They emanated a wrathful, dark

blue Vajrakilaya who appeared at Paro Taktsang and bound all
the gods and spirits of Bhutan, Nepal, India, and the borderlands
to samaya. They emanated a wrathful, dark brown Vajrakilaya
who appeared at the Taktsang in eastern Tibet and bound all
the gods and spirits of eastern Tibet, China, Mongolia, and the
eastern borderlands to samaya. These emanations received the
heart-vitalities of all of those bound by them.

Elsewhere in the Taksham biography it says that when Yeshe

Tsogyal went to Nepal for the last time, she accepted as a dis-
ciple a fourteen-year-old girl. The girl’s father was a Nepalese
called Bhadanna. Her mother was named Nagini. The girl bore
the signs of a dakini, and Tsogyal named her Kalasiddhi.

Kalasiddhi accompanied Yeshe Tsogyal on her return to Tibet.

Eventually, at Guru Rinpoche’s instruction, Tsogyal offered
Kalasiddhi to him as a mudra. Together, Guru Rinpoche and
Kalasiddhi opened the mandala of the Guru’s Wisdom Assembly.
The dakini Kalasiddhi also became the condition for Guru
Rinpoche’s plan to conceal terma throughout Tibet. He traveled
to the three Taktsangs and throughout all of Tibet with her, and
filled all the earth with terma.

119
 The Hundred Tertons

After Guru Rinpoche departed for the land of rakshasas, Yeshe

Tsogyal finished the work of concealing the termas and con-
tinued to guide her innumerable disciples. She lived, according
to the Taksham biography, for two hundred and eleven years.
Finally, on a mountain peak in Zabulung in Shang, on the tenth
day of the bird month, countless viras and dakinis arrived from
Chamaradvipa to escort her there. Tashi Khyidren and Kalasid-
dhi melted into light and dissolved into the right and left sides
of Yeshe Tsogyal’s heart. Then, without abandoning her body,
Yeshe Tsogyal went to Lotus Light.

120
 Part Three:
Biographies of Those Who Have Revealed These
Teachings

This has two sections: an account of earth terma,

and an account of mind terma.
 Section One
Earth Terma

Thinking of the future benefit of disciples and the teachings,

Guru Rinpoche concealed in India, Nepal, and China countless
termas containing dharma, wealth, medicine, means of divination,
supports, and samaya substances. Especially, in this Himalayan
land he taught all the aspects of dharma needed to skillfully
tame each disciple, and in particular countless tantras, agamas,
upadeshas, and applications connected to the three yogas. All of
his teachings were collected by the Lady of Secrets, Dhatishvari
Yeshe Tsogyal, who possessed perfect retention. She wrote them
down in the symbolic script of the dakinis on paper of the five
families. These parchment scrolls were then placed in terma cof-
fers of various materials.37 These termas were then concealed in

37. In this case, “parchment” is used to translate the Tibetan shog.

ser, which could more literally be rendered as “yellow paper.” However,
according to Bardor Tulku Rinpoche, this term refers to paper
yellowed with age. I’ve therefore chosen to use the word parchment,
meaning sheets or scrolls of fine paper. The original meaning of
parchment, “a writing surface prepared from animal skin,” is not
intended here.

122
 The Hundred Tertons

their respective locations by Guru Rinpoche and Yeshe Tsogyal,

who were sometimes accompanied by their disciples. The custody
of each terma was entrusted to its particular guardians.

Yeshe Tsogyal remained in Tibet for more than one hundred

years after Guru Rinpoche departed for Chamaradvipa. Dur-
ing that period she concealed innumerable termas throughout
all parts of Tibet, completing the work of concealment. The
mahapandita Vimalamitra, the father and son dharma kings,
the great translator Vairochana, Nupchen Sangye Yeshe, Nup
Namkhay Nyingpo, Nyak Jnanakumara, Nanam Dorje Düdjom,
Nyangben Tingdzin Zangpo, and others concealed many pro-
found termas as well.

When the time has arisen for each terma to tame disciples, it
has been revealed by its destined tertön. These tertöns have
always been those blessed and prophesied by Guru Rinpoche
so that they would gain access to the termas and benefit beings.
Each of them has been the magical emanation of one of Guru
Rinpoche’s worthy disciples, reborn through conscious aspiration.
They have appeared one after another, born to various families
and exhibiting various lifestyles, but always benefiting beings
and the teachings.

123
 The Hundred Tertons

Although the tertöns of teachings such as those called the Former

Termas and the Subsequent Termas have been vast in their activity,
undisputed, and very well known, there have also been many
tertöns who have discovered minor instructions, as well as ter-
töns in minor regions who are not well known.38 Whether they
appeared in the past or are appearing nowadays, since they act
in accord with dharma and benefit beings, they should be held
as authentic. The large number of such tertöns does not make
them inauthentic. From the terma prophecy of Drime Kunga:

There will be masses of tertöns.

Terma dharma will appear like mushrooms.
They will not be fruitless.
They will bring remembrance of me, Uddiyana.

And, from the terma prophecy of Ratna Lingpa:

In each great land there will be a great tertön.

They too will bring remembrance of Uddiyana.
In each small place there will be a minor tertön.
They too will bring remembrance of Uddiyana.

38. The Former and Subsequent Termas are those of Nyangral and Guru
Chöwang respectively.

124
 The Hundred Tertons

Many similar predictions are found in other authentic sources.

There have also appeared, however, a great many false tertöns
with spurious termas. These were predicted as well, and are
also recorded in history. Honest people with the eye of dharma,
who are learned in the sutras and tantras, will through careful
examination dispel all doubt.

With that introduction, I will set forth merely the seeds of the
lives of the tertöns, taking as my sources the general prophecy of
the tertöns in the Testament of Padma, revealed by Ugyen Lingpa;
and the general prophecies in the termas of Sangye Lingpa,
Dorje Lingpa, and Taksham Nüden Dorje. They differ merely
in length, and are otherwise in agreement. I will also include
accounts of past tertöns who, although not clearly predicted
in the above-mentioned sources, are universally accepted as
authentic. As for recent tertöns, I will base my accounts on the
testimony of Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, who sees everything
with the stainless and unobstructed vision of the pure five eyes,
and is praised by the world and its gods for the veracity of his
excellent speech.

125
 Sangye Lama

From the Testament:

After eight or ten generations of the king’s family,

In Gyamnak, among the lakes of Latö,
Famine, sickness, and contagion will strike the people.
These will be the signs that the time has come to reveal
The terma concealed at Lowo Gekar.
The tertön called Sangye Lama will appear.

As predicted there, the first of all the tertöns was Sangye Lama.
He was the first of the thirteen rebirths undertaken by Prince
Lharjey as a tertön. Sangye Lama was born in the lake region
of Latö, during the early part of the life of the great translator
Rinchen Zangpo. Sangye Lama lived as a noble mantrin with
short hair. He revealed gurusadhanas, Great Perfection instruc-
tions, and sadhanas of Mahakarunika from the capital of a
pillar in the temple at Lowo Gekar in Ngari. He revealed the
Combined Sadhana of the Three Roots: Everlasting Attainment from
the shoulder of a mountain shaped like Hayagriva. He revealed

126
 The Hundred Tertons

Hayagriva Overpowering the Aggressive, a number of sutra rituals

translated from Chinese, and other termas from Tangbar, Chest
Rock, and other places. He visited central Tibet and perfectly
benefited beings. He also lived into his eighties. It is said that a
kila revealed as terma by Sangye Lama was later seen by Chöje
Lingpa at the White Lake of Tsari. The family line of Sangye
Lama remained in the Latö region for a long time, and the tertön
Sangye Bar was born to it.

Because Sangye Lama appeared so long ago, only the reading

transmission for a few of his sutra rituals has survived. The lin-
eages of empowerment and transmission, and even copies of the
texts of his termas, have not survived. Nevertheless, through the
unfluctuating wise vision and compassion of Guru Rinpoche,
who knows the three times, and of his disciples; and through
their particular concern for their Tibetan disciples at this time
of utmost decadence, the unceasing magical compassion of Vi-
malamitra and King Trisong has appeared as Padma Ösal Dongak
Lingpa, the single chariot of the ocean of terma. Because he has
been accorded lordship over the seven dispensations, all the
profound termas of the hundred tertöns have been placed in his
hands either directly or through their lineages. In fulfillment of

127
 The Hundred Tertons

the repeated opportunities he has received in vajra prophecy, he

received the scrolls of the Answers to Twenty-One Questions on the
Combined Sadhana of the Three Roots, the essence of the emanated
tertön Sangye Lama’s profound termas. Although he has not
published the original terma, he has composed and passed down
to us both an activity liturgy and a torma empowerment liturgy
according to the meaning of the terma. I have had the glorious
good fortune to receive these from him, and have placed them
in the Great Treasury of Precious Terma. As he has also bestowed
these upon the great emanated tertön Chokgyur Dechen Lingpa
and other great beings of various traditions, through Padma
Ösal Dongak Lingpa’s tremendous kindness we enjoy the perfect
virtue and wondrous auspiciousness of the reappearance of one
of the profound termas of the first of all tertöns, even in this
time of utmost decadence.

128
 Gya the Translator

From the next prophecy in the Testament:

The forest on the border of Nepal and Tibet will catch

fire.
Many people will be [Link] will be the sign that the
time has come
To reveal the terma concealed on Mount Purna.
The tertön called Gya the Translator will appear.

The tertön Gya the Translator was the immediate rebirth of

Sangye Lama. He was born to the Gya family in the region of
Dzumlang, on the border of Nepal and Tibet. As he quickly
learned several languages he became known as a translator. His
actual name was Dorje Zangpo. He lived as a noble mantrin,
and was a contemporary of Lord Marpa. He is said to have
revealed from Mount Purna and other places the Essence of the
Assembly of Dispensations, including the gurusadhanas of the two
doctrines and three cycles; the Stages of the Path of Upadesha; the
Essential Fragment; the Full Presentation of the Channel Sites; the

129
 The Hundred Tertons

short treatise called Padma’s Precious Garland; and other termas.

It appears, however, that because so much time has elapsed since
then neither the texts of his termas nor their transmission still
exist. Nevertheless, as in the case of the termas of Sangye Lama,
Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa, the holder of the seven dispensa-
tions, received the actual texts of these termas from the wisdom
dakinis. He has revealed from them a wondrous treatise of eight
chapters called Self-Liberated Seeing: The Profound Essence of the
Gurusadhanas of the Two Doctrines and Three Cycles. He has kindly
bestowed its ripening empowerments and liberating instruc-
tions on us, and it resides within the Treasury of Precious Terma.

130
 Nanampa

The prophecies in the Great Testament do not appear to be per-

fectly chronological in their sequence. Nevertheless, if I follow
that book’s order, the next one is:

At Medo in Kham the bird and dog temples will fight.

This will be the sign that the time has come to reveal
The terma concealed at Longtang Drölma.
The tertön called Nanampa will appear.

The tertön Nanampa was an emanation of Vairochana. He was

born to the family of Shang Nanampa at the border of the Gegyal
and Jangrong areas of eastern Tibet. Another name by which he
is known is Drokpa Nanam Tupa Gyalpo. He lived as a common,
white-robed mantrin. When he went to the temple of Longtang
Drölma, he revealed a great deal of terma from the capital of
one of its columns, including many beneficial instructions on
medicine, geomancy, and divination. Nowadays only his Wheel
of a Hundred Ransom Rituals still exists. Recently, our lord guru
Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa received the texts of Nanampa’s

131
 The Hundred Tertons

termas from the wisdom dakinis. Relying on the blessings he

has received in clear visions of Uddiyana and his disciples, our
lord guru has also received the dispensation of the termas of
Nanampa’s rebirth, Nyemo Shuyay. These include the text of
the Great Perfection: The Trikaya Blazing Like the Sun and Moon
and the Instructions from the Ten Sutras of the King.

132
 Gya Shangtrom Dorje Öbar

From the Testament:

Latö Chungpa Drilchen will become like agitated water.

This will be the sign that the time has come to reveal
The terma concealed at Yupu Dzalhu.
The tertön called Dumgya Shangtrom will appear.

The tertön Gya Shangtrom Dorje Öbar was the intentional re-
birth of Nupchen Sangye Yeshe. From the Index to the Profound
Six Dharmas:

May this be found

At the kalpa’s end,
By someone like me who is not me;
Who has golden skin and curly hair;
Who is short, with a white mole on his right
And a red one on his left;
Who has white, even teeth
And a necklace of moles;

133
 The Hundred Tertons

Who will be born in the Year of the Dog or Dragon

To the family Gya, and will have the name Shangtrom.

In accord with that aspiration made by Nupchen, Gya Shang-

trom was born near the spring at Dum in Tsangrong. He lived
as a common, householding mantrin. His family name was Gya,
and his nickname was Shangtrom. He also became known by
his secret name, Dorje Öbar. It is said that he was born in the
Dragon Year and that he had curly hair and the other marks
described in the quoted aspiration.

At first, Shangtrom was very poor. He became homeless and

lived by begging. At the Nyamo Temple on the Tsangpo River
he met a yogin who gave him a list of his future termas. Based
on that list, Shangtrom revealed his first profound terma from
Pungpo Riwoche. According to some accounts, Shangtrom
met the yogin at the spring of Dum, and the yogin both gave
him the list and showed him the door to his first terma. In any
case, Shangtrom eventually revealed terma from the four sites
mentioned in the Index to the Profound Six Dharmas — Pungpo
Riwoche, Mönmo Tsukrum in Gya, Dorje Drombu in Nyuk,
and the Yellow Stupa on the banks of the Tsangpo — and from

134
 The Hundred Tertons

other places, including Yung Gedza Lhumo, Tadül Traduntsay,

Lhodrak Komting, and Samye Chimphu.

His termas included many dharma cycles concerning the ac-

complishment of awakening, primarily instructions on the mind
class of the Great Perfection. In particular, because he possessed
the dispensation of forceful mantra, he revealed innumerable
instructions concerning Manjushri Ayupatikala, such as the
Ironlike, the Iron Scorpion, the Magical Weapon, the Reversal, the
Arising, the Kingkangs, the Molten Iron, and the collection of
instructions known as the Hundred NeckPouches of Nup. I have
received the ripening empowerments, liberating instructions,
and supporting transmissions for most of the above-mentioned
cycles through the kindness of my holy teachers, such as Mind-
röling Trichen Dorje Dzinpa Gyurme Yishin Wangyal.

The great tertön Shangtrom was clearly born in the generation

preceding that of Jetsün Milarepa. Many siddhas of forceful
mantra have appeared among Shangtrom’s descendants, and
his family appears to still exist in the Tsangrong area. In any
case, Shangtrom was the single forefather of all those who have
accomplished forceful mantra in Tibet. He was a king among
tertöns.

135
 Nyima Senge

Then:

The sky in Mangyül will turn the color of blood.

A rain of blood will fall for eighteen months.
This will be the sign that the time has come to reveal
The terma concealed at Jampa Trin.
The tertön called Surya Singha will appear.

The tertön Nyima Senge was the immediate rebirth of Gya the
Translator. He was born near Lake Glory in Mangyül. He lived
as a noble mantrin, and studied various treatises on sutra and
tantra. From Jampa Trin in Mangyül he revealed a great terma
that included gurusadhanas, Great Perfection instructions, Ma-
hakarunika sadhanas, and forceful mantras. However, because
of a serious disagreement between his consort and his patrons,
he was unable to transcribe most of the terma scrolls. Without
having taught them or passed them on, he passed away. Close to
his passing, he reconcealed his termas, and several tertöns have
recovered some of them.

136
 The Hundred Tertons

In particular, one of Nyima Senge’s termas included four cycles

concerning Mahakarunika: The Peaceful and Wrathful Ones of the
Lotus Family — a long version, a medium-length version, a short
version, and a quintessence version. Of these, the terma text of
the quintessence cycle was shown to our lord guru Padma Ösal
Dongak Lingpa by the field-born dakini Chandali. He transcribed
it, and we have received it from him in its completeness.

137
 Shakya Ö the Teacher from Uru

Then:

The three lowlands will be filled with murderers and

brigands.
Everyone will hold a shield, a bow, and arrows.
This will be the sign that the time has come to reveal
The northern termas and some lesser termas.
The tertön called Shakya, the Teacher from Uru, will
appear.

The tertön Shakya Ö, the Teacher from Uru, was born in Uru
Penyül. He was clearly an emanation of both Vairochana and
Langdro, and held the dispensation of forceful mantra. He lived
as an ordinary, noble mantrin. As he studied various treatises of
sutra and tantra, he was called the Teacher from Uru. He revealed
many termas from Jangdra Duntse, including the Dark Red Wind
Wheel, the Reversal, and the Twenty Aggressive Ones. From Yudo
Rock he revealed the concise activity of Play of the Trikaya Guru.
From Rasa Trülnang he revealed a cycle of instructions on the

138
 The Hundred Tertons

Wheel of Wind. Among these, only the concise activity of Play

of the Trikaya Guru appears to have survived. A short text on
Vajra Fire, the Lord of Secrets was received by Padma Ösal Dongak
Lingpa through the short lineage of blessing. He transcribed it,
and I have received it through his kindness.

139
 Bönpo Draktsal

Then:

The White Sky Plain of Paro will be conquered by

Mongolian armies.
Wearing iron, they will bring pollution and fighting.
This will be the sign that the time has come to reveal
The terma concealed at Bumtang Tsilung.
The tertön called Bönpo Draktsal will appear.

This tertön was born in the Rongsar area of Tsang. As his family
was Bönpo, he became known by that title. He was an emanation
of both Vairochana and Palgyi Senge, and lived as a mantradha-
rin. As he was tall and strong, he gained the nickname Draktsal.39
His secret name was Dorje Bar.

At Bumtang Tsilung there was a temple containing bronze im-

ages of the Buddhas of the three times. This temple was called
the Temple of the Three Jewels by the people of the area. From

39. Draktsal means “Rock Chip.”

140
 The Hundred Tertons

there, Draktsal revealed a volume of terma called Experiential

Guidance by the Guru. It consisted of Shri Singha’s instructions
on the completion stage, and contained the Great Perfection
instructions of four gurus as well as biographies of the four. The
following famous instruction is said to appear in this terma:

I’ve never meditated and never been without meditation.

I’ve never been without nonmeditation.

These instructions also appear in the Northern Termas.

Draktsal also revealed a Vajrakilaya cycle and, from Kyetangshing

Rock in Shang, the Auspicious Teaching on Rahula, which included
Black Turtle: Protection from Hail, and is so profound that it bore
a command seal and life seal. Among Draktsal’s many dharma
termas, only the reading transmission for the Auspicious Teach-
ing on Rahula appears to have survived down to the present.
Recently, however, Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa received — as
a dispensation of the short lineage of blessing — wondrous,
profound instructions on Amitayus and Guru Rinpoche Combined
that are in accordance with these old termas.

141
 Nyemo Shuyay

Then:

At Nyari in Ukpalung, in upper Nyang in Tsang,

The two doctrines will quarrel and the vapor of dharma
will vanish.
Dharma and people, separated, will be carried off by
bandits.
These will be the signs that the time has come to reveal
The terma concealed at the Crystal Cave of Nyingdrung.
The tertön called Nyemo Shuyay will appear.

The tertön Nyemo Shuyay was born at Nyemo in Tsang. As he

was born in a Bönpo family called Shuyay, he was known by
that family name. His actual name was Nöjin Bar. It is clear
that he was a rebirth of Vairochana. As predicted in the Terma
List revealed by Bönpo Draktsal, Nyemo Shuyay revealed from
the Crystal Cave of Nyingdrung in Rongpo twenty-five Great
Perfection tantras, such as the Chiti Great Perfection Tantra,
and many other termas as well. He offered them to Lord Nyang,

142
 The Hundred Tertons

and many of the tantras revealed by Shuyay are now found in

the Collected Nyingma Tantras. The lineage of their transmission
still exists as well.

Shuyay became known as Nyemo Shuyay, the Lord of Tantras.

He was a renowned, great mantradharin vajra holder. Although
his activity was considerable, nowadays only the transmissions of
some of the tantras he revealed have survived; his other termas
have disappeared. Nevertheless, the dispensation of his terma
the Great Perfection: The Trikaya Blazing Like the Sun and Moon, a
dharma cycle that is both profound and concise, was received
by Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa as rediscovered terma.

143
 Ngödrup the Siddha

Then:

The borders of Dzim will be marked by the three jewels.

Monasteries will appear like unfurled brocade.
These will be the signs that the time has come to reveal
The terma concealed at Riwoche in Tsang.
The tertön called Ngödrup the Siddha will appear.

The tertön Ngödrup the Siddha was an emanation of Vairochana.

He was born in Tsang, and lived as a great mantradharin vajra
holder. He is renowned for having lived in the human world
for three hundred years, and for having achieved the state of a
great immortal vidyadhara with mastery over life. Lord Nyang
received the kama transmission of the Eight Dispensations: The
Fortress and the Precipice from Ngödrup the Siddha, and its lineage
has survived.40 It is also said that Lord Nyang received some of
the lists of his future termas from Ngödrup the Siddha.

40. Fortress here refers to the view of the eight dispensations, and
precipice to the corresponding meditation.

144
 The Hundred Tertons

Ngödrup the Siddha revealed many termas from Riwoche in

Tsang. In particular, the dharma king Songtsen Gampo had
concealed several sutras, tantras, instructions, and sadhanas
of Mahakarunika in the Rasa Trülnang Temple under the feet
of an image of Hayagriva and in the left thigh of an image of
the naga Kuvera. Guru Rinpoche saw that they were there, and
pointed them out to King Trisong, who reconcealed them. The
first part of these teachings was then revealed by Ngödrup the
Siddha. Their remaining accessories were revealed by Lord Nyang
and Lharjey Gewabum. The complete volume of this terma is
known as the Mani Kabum, and is also called the Testament of the
King. Although it was revealed by three tertöns, it is considered
primarily a terma dharma of Ngödrup the Siddha. Its activity
has been vast and unceasing, and it is very well known. I have
had the good fortune to receive its complete empowerments,
transmissions, and instructions.

Bönpos give Ngödrup the Siddha the name Shötön Ngödrup. It

appears that the Bön termas he revealed from behind the image
of Vairochana at Komting — the Three Cycles of Proclamation and
the Vast Expanse: The Apex of the Great Perfection — still exist.

145
 Tsuklak Palge

Then:

China’s capital will be occupied by Mongolia.

The teachings will spread; their power will grow.
These will be the signs that the time has come to reveal
The terma concealed in the Temple of E in Nepal.
The tertön called Tsuklak Palge will appear.

The tertön Tsuklak Palge was an emanation of Nupchen. He was

born in a town called Sun in Nepal, close to the Tibetan border,
toward the end of Sangye Lama’s life. Tsuklak Palge lived as a
Nepalese mantrin. He revealed terma mostly consisting of force-
ful mantras from the Temple of E in Nepal. However, the texts
and transmissions of this terma disappeared long ago. Recently,
through Nupchen’s blessing, Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa received
the profound and concise Seven Sections of Forceful Mantra, which
includes six sadhanas and the protector Mahakala.

In most editions of the above-quoted prediction, the word

Tadzi, meaning a “herder of horses,” appears. However, older

146
 The Hundred Tertons

editions have the word Tadzing in its place, and I consider that
to be correct. As both Tawen and Tadzing refer to Mongolia,
the meaning of the prediction was that a Mongolian emanation
would conquer the capital of China.41

41. The predicted Mongolian was Genghis Khan.

147
 Kusa the Physician

Then:

Latö Tsenyül will grow weapons as crops.

The nephews of Jambudvipa’s king will be oppressed by
their subjects.
These will be the signs that the time has come to reveal
The southern termas and some lesser termas.
The tertön called Kusa the Physician will appear.

The tertön Kusa the Physician was a rebirth of Vairochana. He

was born in Lhodrak, and lived as an ordinary mantrin and
physician. As he gained accomplishment in isolated places, he
was also known as Daö the Renunciate and Padma Kyap the
Physician. Kusa is the name of his birthplace. He was also called
Kusa the Teacher because he was learned in various treatises.
He was a great hidden yogin.

It is said that he opened Parochal Rock, which was shaped like a

scorpion’s claw, and revealed four terma coffers. From the con-
tainer shaped like a bell, he drew forth Buddhist terma dharma;

148
 The Hundred Tertons

from one shaped like a basin, Bön terma; from one shaped like a
surgical instrument, medicinal terma; and from one shaped like
an astrological chart, terma concerning divination. Nowadays,
only the text and transmission of his Rasayana Using Anise still
exist; I’ve encountered nothing else from his vast Buddhist ter-
mas. The Black Kila from among his Bön termas, however, was
passed down to Gartön, and its empowerment, transmission,
and practice have flourished; it is said to bear great blessing.

Among the three categories of gurusadhana, Great Perfection,

and Mahakarunika sadhana, the gurusadhana Very Profound
Embodiment of the Three Jewels was revealed as terma three times.
The earliest of these three was revealed by this great tertön,
Kusa the Physician. It was called the Great Embodiment of All the
Three Roots and was a vast dharma cycle. The dispensation of its
quintessence was received by our lord guru Padma Ösal Dongak
Lingpa as rediscovered terma.

The second of the three Embodiment of the Three Jewels termas was
that revealed by Jatsön Nyingpo, Ugyen Letro Lingpa. Known
by the name Embodiment of the Three Jewels, this cycle is one
in which the three roots transform into one another. Our lord

149
 The Hundred Tertons

guru Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa received this from both short
and long lineages.

The third of the three Embodiment of the Three Jewels termas was
revealed by our lord guru Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa in the
form of terma scrolls that appeared at the sacred site of Padma
Shelri. It is called the Principal Three Roots: The Heart Essence of
the Embodiment of the Three Jewels. As I have received the root
empowerment and transmission of this cycle, it is fitting to
assert that I have received all three lineages of the Embodiment
of the Three Jewels.

Kusa the Physician lived during the early life of Guru Chöwang,
and was clearly a contemporary of Yutokpa. Some Bön histories
claim that Kusa and Yutokpa were not two different people, but
the same person. That, however, is impossible.

150
 Lhabum the Bönpo

Then:

Wild armies will conquer the higher north.

The holy dharma in Tibet will split into three.
Buddhism will be nurtured by kama and terma.
These will be the signs that the time has come to reveal
The terma concealed at the border of Tsang.
Aya Lhabum the Bönpo will appear.

The tertön Lhabum the Bönpo was an emanation of both Vai-

rochana and Drenpa Namkha. He was born in the Tanak region
of Tsang, and was a contemporary of Dromtönpa. Lhabum lived
as a Bön mantrin. He is also known in the Bön tradition by the
name Guru Nöntse. It is well known that Lhabum revealed a
great deal of terma — Buddhist terma, Bön terma, medicine,
and astrology — from Conch Bowl Rock in Tanak, near the
Tsang border. However, among the Buddhist terma only the
reading transmission for a minor ransom ritual has survived.
Among his Bön terma, the empowerments, transmissions, and

151
 The Hundred Tertons

instructions for the generation and completion stages of the

Mother Tantra: The Supreme Secret Sun of Compassion, a vast cycle,
have flourished down to the present and are highly valued by
masters of the Bön tradition.

Recently, our lord guru Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa received

the dispensation of the gurusadhana, Great Perfection, and
Mahakarunika practices of Lhabum’s Essence of Samvara cycle
as rediscovered terma.

152
 Khyungpo Palge

Then:

Dharma of the five poisons will appear in U, Tsang, and

Kham.
Dharma teachers with wrong views will cleverly suppress
the teachings.
Calling it “service,” they will bind the dharma.
These will be the signs that the time has come to reveal
The terma concealed at Bumthang in Bhutan.
The tertön called Khyungpo Palge will appear.

The tertön Khyungpo Palge was an emanation of Vairochana. He

was born at Lhatö in Tsang. His family name was Khyungpo, and
his personal name Palge. He lived as an ordinary noble mantrin.

As indicated in prophecies from the past, at the time of Lha

Lama Yeshe Ö there appeared eighteen acharyas who, having
achieved mundane siddhi, spread the incorrect dharma of en-
gaging in literal union and liberation. It is clear that Khyungpo
Palge lived at that time.

153
 The Hundred Tertons

In Bumthang Khyungpo revealed both Buddhist and Bön termas,

including the Six Profound Sections. It is also well known that he
revealed a great deal of terma — including teachings on Buddhism,
Bön, medicine, and divination — from Mount Hepo. Because of
the passing of so much time, I have been unable to locate either
copies or transmission lineages of any of his termas. Recently,
however, our lord guru Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa received
the dispensation of the quintessence of the Six Profound Sections.

154
 Shami Dorgyal

Then:

All the monasteries in Tibet will prepare for battle.

A temple will appear on the red hill of Lhasa.
Lakes of swans and geese will dry up. Meadows will
becovered with sand.
These will be the signs that the time has come to reveal
The terma concealed on Mount Hepo in Gegye.
The tertön called Shami Dorgyal will appear.

The tertön Shami Dorgyal was the rebirth of the translator Shami
Gocha, and was blessed by the great translator Nyak. Dorgyal
was born in Shami Tradu in Shang. Shami was his family name.
He lived as a noble mantrin. As he was learned in various sutras
and tantras, he was known as Shami the Teacher.

He revealed a vast terma called the Intended Meaning: the Profound

Drop Liberating All Beings. It is also said that he revealed much
other terma, of both dharma and wealth. Because of the passing
of so much time, I have been unable to locate either copies or

155
 The Hundred Tertons

transmission lineages of any of his termas. Nevertheless, it ap-

pears that the Intended Meaning: the Profound Drop Liberating All
Beings was an extensive treatise describing all the vehicles, based
on the intended meaning of Instructions on the Garland of Views,
which is an explanation of the stages of the path according to
the Guhyagarbhatantra.

A less extensive version of the same treatise is Four Cycles on the

Garland, a destined terma of Jetsün Taranatha, as is clearly stated
in his secret biography. A concise version was revealed by the
mahasiddha Thangtong Gyalpo in the form of terma scrolls at
Samye Chimphu. Thangtong Gyalpo also received the extensive
version directly from Guru Rinpoche, as well as the intermediate
version from the lineage of Taranatha. He therefore possessed
all three versions: extensive, intermediate, and concise.

Our lord guru Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa has received the
dispensation of the essence of the extensive version as redis-
covered terma. He has also received the concise version, Five
Quintessential Sadhanas, as profound mind terma through the
blessing of the mahasiddha Thangtong Gyalpo. I have had the
good fortune to receive from him the wondrous vajra words of
the transcribed text of this.

156
 Dangma Lhungyal

Then:

False tertöns of false terma will say they are my

emanations.
They will gather around them all those with broken
samaya.
They will fool disciples and teach meaningless dharma.
These thieves of dharma will spread their corrupt termas.
Apostates will proliferate like herds of goats.
Even I, Padmakara, will be saddened and distressed.
These will be the signs that the time has come to reveal
The terma concealed by Vimala in the Temple of Sha.
Vimala’s emanation, Dangma Lhungyal, will appear.

One hundred years after Nyangben Tingdzin Zangpo achieved

the body of light without remainder, Vimalamitra saw that the
time had come to disseminate his profound Heart Essence, which
had been concealed as terma. Through his miraculous blessing,
Vimalamitra took intentional rebirth in Sholung, near Drikung

157
 The Hundred Tertons

in western central Tibet, as the son of a man named Dangma

Gechok. He became known as Lhungyi Gyaltsen, and lived as
a noble, short-haired mantrin. He served for many years as the
custodian of the Urusha Temple.

During that time, due to a prophecy he received from Vajrasa-

dhu, he revealed from a cave adjacent to the temple the terma
that had been concealed there by Vimalamitra, King Trisong,
and Nyangben Tingdzin Zangpo. This was the Great Secret Heart
Essence, also called Vimalamitra’s Heart Essence. Along with it
Dangma Lhungyal found the vast Seventeen Tantras, their pro-
tector practices, and their commentaries. He also revealed one
hundred and ninety writings of instruction and other texts, all
in the original manuscripts. He then received the secret kama
lineage from Bay Lodrö Wangchuk. In order that the profound
meaning not be left to mere speculation, Dangma Lhungyal
practiced, and demonstrated the attainment of a high level on
the path.

Fifteen years after retrieving this profound terma, Dangma

Lhungyal went in search of a fit vessel for these instructions. In
upper Nyang, he met a man called Chetsün Senge Wangchuk, to
whom he imparted the seven stages of instruction. Dangma also

158
 The Hundred Tertons

imparted them soon thereafter to Karak Gomchung, who was

liberated by them. Not long after that, Dangma Lhungyal passed
away. When he did so, the sky became filled with rainbows, and
his remains produced countless relics. In that way, he achieved
the wisdom of manifest awakening while leaving remnants of
his physical aggregate. He was the king of all tertön siddhas.

Later, Dangma’s disciple, the great Chetsün, was accepted as a

direct disciple by Vimalamitra. As instructed by Vimalamitra,
Chetsün revealed the texts of the Four Profound Volumes from
Chimphu. Chetsün then meditated for seven years in the moun-
tains of Oyuk Chigong, and passed away without any remaining
aggregates.

Chetsün taught Shangtön Tashi Dorje, who practiced these

instructions and then revealed the remaining Heart Essence
teachings from Lion Rock at Oyuk and from Chimphu. That
is why this Great Heart Essence is known as the collected terma
of three tertöns.

The dispensation of these complete instructions descended to

the omniscient Drime Özer, who was the actual reappearance

159
 The Hundred Tertons

of Vimalamitra.42 Through his vast Seven Treasuries, such as the

Treasury of the Supreme Vehicle; and through his profound two
Heart Quintessences, he filled the Himalayan region with this
teaching’s ripening empowerments, liberating instructions, and
supporting transmissions. All of these have flourished down to
the present day, and I have received them.

42. Drime Özer and Dorje Ziji are two of the many names of the
omniscient Longchenpa.

160
 Drapa Ngönshe

Then:

Jing and China will become like scattered nests of ants.

This will be the sign that the time has come to reveal
The terma concealed in the three islands of the queens.
The tertön called Drapa Ngönshe will appear.
He will cover the earth with a hundred and eight
monasteries.
He will build a great temple in Drada.
He will govern the temple built by the king.

The tertön Drapa Ngönshe is known to have been an emanation of

Shubu Palgyi Senge, but he was also an emanation of Vairochana.
He was born in the Male Water Rat Year of the first cycle, at
Yorudra Khyiru, to the family line of Chim Dorje Treuchung.43

As his predisposition to holy dharma awoke within him during

his youth, he went to the dharma college at Samye and undertook

43. The year was 1072 C.E.

161
 The Hundred Tertons

renunciation in the presence of Yamshu Gyalpo Ö, a successor

to the great abbot Lumay. Drapa Ngönshe acquired his name
from his birthplace, Dra, and from his vast knowledge of the
abhidharma.44 His actual renunciation name was Wangchuk Bar.

From above the door to the central temple of Samye, Drapa

Ngönshe revealed the Secret Sadhana of Red Jambhala and the
Tantra and Sadhana of Yaksha Dorje Düdül. In particular, as pre-
dicted by the protector Shanglön, Drapa Ngönshe revealed the
manuscripts of the Four Glorious Tantras of Medicine as translated
by the great translator Vairochana. He brought them out from
a column in the middle storey of the central temple of Samye
three hours after midnight on the full moon day in the first
autumn month in the Male Earth Tiger Year.45 He copied the
manuscripts and put them back where he had found them. He
kept his copies secret for a year, and then gave them to Kutön
Tarma Drak, the kalyanamitra from Yarlung, who passed them
on to Yutok Yönten Gönpo, who was like a second Baishajyaguru
for this Himalayan region. The benefit and activity that have
resulted from these tantras are unimaginably great and wondrous.

44. Drapa Ngönshe means “man from Dra who knows the
abhidharma.”
45. The year was 1098 C.E.

162
 The Hundred Tertons

Drapa Ngönshe accomplished Jambhala and received the siddhi

of the acquisition of gold. He used this to build the great and
glorious dharma college of Drathang in Dra, and many other
monasteries as well. He served as their abbot, and as the abbot
of Samye’s college, and was thus a great kalyanamitra.

The empowerments and transmissions for the two yaksha sadhanas

mentioned above, and the explanation and transmission lineages
for the Four Tantras of Medicine have continued unbroken, and
we have received them completely. Our lord guru Padma Ösal
Dongak Lingpa has also received the dispensation for a profound
and concise Sadhana of Red Vajrapani that was originally a terma
of Drapa Ngönshe.

163
 Rashak the Great

Then:

I, Uddiyana, will emanate a physician in eastern Nyal.

A herd of meditators on the essence will gather around
Dakpo the Meditator.
This will be the sign that the time has come to reveal
The terma concealed at Chimphu Komting.
The tertön called Rashak, skilled in ransoming, will
appear.

The nirmanakaya Rashak the Great was an emanation of both

Vairochana and Drokmi Palgyi Yeshe. He was born to the Nyen
family in the upper nomad region. He became known by the
names Rashak Chöbar and Sönam Dorje. In his youth he studied
ransoming rituals and medicine, and became learned in both.
He was also a great yogin of mantra, and became an immortal
vidyadhara.

164
 The Hundred Tertons

From Paro Tsal Rock he revealed the tantras and instructions of

the Mamo Gangshar, profound dharma that raised the terminol-
ogy and practice of the Matrikas of Existence to the status of
an independent tradition. He also revealed the Great Book of the
Matrikas of Existence, the Matrikas’ Great Ransom Effigy of the Four
Continents, the Bön terma called the Nine Ransom Effigies of Vast
Creation, treatises on medical diagnosis, sadhanas of powerful
mundane beings, and many other termas.

Nowadays the Ten Secret Ransom Effigies cycle is very well known.
The lineage of the Mamo Gangshar Chenmo became very rare,
but I diligently searched for it and have received its complete
empowerments and transmissions from both long and short
unbroken lineages. This is yet another example of my good for-
tune. The source of the instructions which have come down from
Jetsün Milarepa concerning Tseringma and her four sisters was
a terma text actually given to the Jetsün by Rashak the Great,
as is explained in authentic histories of the terma tradition.

165
 Nyangral Nyima Özer

Then:

A time of unrest will appear throughout the land.

Mantrins will practice magic; laymen will try to repel it.
The killing of a thousand people will be rewarded with
statues and scripture.
People will be led from one place to another.
These will be the signs that the time has come to reveal
The termas concealed at Sinmo Barjay and Komting.
The king’s emanation, Nyangral, will appear.

Guru Rinpoche also predicted:

There will be five kingly tertöns with a thousand subjects.

He predicted five kingly tertöns and three supreme nirmanakayas.

The first of the five kingly tertöns was Nyangral Nyima Özer, who
was the intentional rebirth of the dharma king Trisong Detsen.
Nyangral was born in the Male Fire Dragon Year of the second

166
 The Hundred Tertons

cycle at Dzesa Sergön in Lhodrak.46 His father was Nyangtön

Chökyi Khorlo, and his mother was Padma Dewa Tsal.

From early childhood, Nyangral exhibited countless wondrous

signs. In his eighth year he had visions of the bhagavat Shakyamuni
Buddha, Avalokita, Guru Rinpoche, and others. For one month
he remained immersed in visionary experience. In particular,
one night he saw Guru Rinpoche astride a white horse, with
the steed’s four feet supported by dakinis of the four families.
Guru Rinpoche bestowed the four empowerments with a vase,
causing Nyang to undergo three experiences that were like the
sky splitting, the earth moving, and a mountain shaking. Based
on these experiences, Nyang did various strange things, causing
everyone around him to think he had become insane.

He received the empowerment of Hayagriva from his father,

practiced at Jöpu Gangra, and saw the deity’s face. His copper
kila neighed like a horse, and he left handprints and footprints
in rock.

As prophesied by dakinis, Nyang went to Mawochok Rock,

where the wisdom dakinis gave him the name by which he has

46. The year was 1136 C.E.

167
 The Hundred Tertons

been known ever since, Nyima Özer. Guru Rinpoche appeared

to him as a yogin called Wangchuk Dorje, gave him lists of his
termas as well as a letter of instructions, and advised him. Nyang
also acquired the terma lists of Drapa Ngönshe and Rashak the
Great. He then went to the terma site Sinmo Barjay. He stayed
there for one night. On the next day, a woman who was an
emanation of Yeshe Tsogyal appeared, leading a white mule.
On the mule’s back were two coffers. She unloaded one of them
— the one covered in tigerskin — and offered it to Nyang. He
also found the site’s terma door, and brought out from it a great
deal of terma, including a copper coffer, a clay vase, a statue,
samaya substances, and jewels. From the copper coffer Nyang
revealed the Mahakarunika Cycle and the Peaceful and Wrathful
Guru Cycles. From the clay vase he revealed the Protector Cycle
and teachings on magic. From the tigerskin coffer appeared an
extensive Dakini Cycle.

Then a merchant gave Nyang a statue’s broken forefinger. Inside

he found a terma list. Using it, he revealed two coffers from
behind the image of Vairochana at Komting. One of the coffers
was brown and one was gray. Within the brown coffer appeared
the tantras, agamas, and upadeshas of the Eight Dispensations:
the Assembly of Sugatas. Within the gray coffer appeared sup-

168
 The Hundred Tertons

ports of Hayagriva’s body, speech, and mind, as well as samaya

substances. Nyang also revealed many other termas from such
sites as Samye Chimphu and Sky-Ladder Owl Rock, as well as
from various isolated places, mountains, and temples.

Nyang studied under many masters, including his father, the

great Nyangtön; Gya the Meaningful Madman; Shikpo Nyima
Senge; Malka Chenpa; and Tönpa Khache. From them he learned
a great deal of both the causal vehicle and mantra. He practiced
the Sadhana of the Trikaya Guru for three years, during which
time he directly met Guru Padma and received much teaching
from him. While Nyang was practicing the Sadhana of the Guru’s
Mind at Pearl Crystal Collar Cave, Yeshe Tsogyal appeared to
him and gave him a copy of Answers to the Dakini’s Hundred Ques-
tions. She then brought Nyang to the Shitavana charnel ground
in India, where he received the complete general and specific
empowerments, tantras, and upadeshas of the eight dispensations
from Guru Rinpoche and the eight vidyadharas who hold them.

Nyang married a woman named Jobuma, who was an emanation

of Yeshe Tsogyal. They had two sons: Drogön Namkha Özer, and
the Avalokita emanation Namkha Pal.

169
 The Hundred Tertons

When Ngödrup the Siddha visited his area, Nyang told him
about his Eight Dispensations terma. Ngödrup told Nyang that
he held the kama lineage of the Fortress and Precipice. Nyang
received this from Ngödrup, and thus united the streams of the
terma and kama lineages of the eight dispensations. Ngödrup
the Siddha also gave Nyang the five scrolls of the Mahakarunika
Cycle that he had revealed in Lhasa, and said to him, “You are
the holder of these.”

While Nyang was performing an amrita accomplishment cer-

emony, a goddess of herbal medicine appeared and offered him
a fresh arura fruit with its leaves. He also displayed countless
miracles, such as moving through space without uncrossing his
legs and walking without his feet touching the ground.

Nyang devoted his entire life to meditation, accomplishment,

and teaching. The activity of his termas since his time has equaled
space in its extent; Nyang’s impact has been inconceivable.

In his sixty-ninth year, the Year of the Male Wood Rat, he with-
drew the array of his body amidst many wondrous miracles, and
went to Sukhavati in the form of a white HRIH emitted from his

170
 The Hundred Tertons

heart.47 He predicted the appearance of emanations of his body,

speech, and mind. Chak the Translator attempted to cremate
Nyang’s remains, but was unable to light the cremation fire. The
remains later burst into flame spontaneously. All those present
saw many wonders, such as an eight-year-old boy surrounded by
dakinis exclaiming HA RI NI SA within the cremation chamber.
The cremated remains also produced extraordinary relics.

The mahapandita Shakyashri and his retinue were invited to

preside over the main funerary observances, and were offered a
vast amount of gold. Nyang’s sons requested the mahapandita’s
permission to undertake renunciation in his presence, but he
refused them, saying, “You, like your father, are great bodhisat-
tvas. I cannot bring an end to a family line of bodhisattvas. You
will bring more benefit to beings as you are.”

Because of Shakyashri’s extensive praise of both Nyang and his

dharma, Nyang became as famous in Tibet as the sun and moon.
Although Nyang had already been widely acknowledged as an
undisputedly authentic great tertön, whatever incorrect ideas
those of the Sarma traditions may have had about him were
dispelled by the mahapandita’s endorsement.

47. The year was 1204 C.E.

171
 The Hundred Tertons

Nyang’s greatest disciple was his son, Drogön Namkha Pal. He

was the inheritor of all his father’s teachings and received the
dispensation of all of his ripening empowerments and liberating
instructions. Namkha Pal’s son was an emanation of Manjushri
called Loden Sherap. Loden Sherap’s son was an emanation of
Vajrapani called Düdül. In that way, the line from Nyang’s son
onward became the succession of the nirmanakayas of the three
families predicted in his termas.

Nyang’s many disciples included the five inheritors of dispensa-

tion: his two sons, Nyö Drakgyal, Shikpo Dutsi, and Menlungpa
Mikyö Dorje. They and other disciples spread Nyang’s teach-
ings all over Tibet, so that the activity of Nyang’s dharma has
remained all-pervasive down to the present.

Although it would be fitting to describe the life of this great

tertön in more detail, extensive biographies of the successive
lives of Nyang and his sons and accounts of his revelations
already exist. They may be found in the appropriate section of
the index to the Nyingma Tantras. Fearing writing at excessive
length, I have just set forth their briefest essence here.

Nyang’s profound termas are as great as an ocean. Those that

still exist include the biography of Guru Rinpoche called Copper

172
 The Hundred Tertons

Island, the Sadhanas of the Peaceful and Wrathful Gurus, Mahaka-

runika Who Tames Beings, King Tradition Mahakarunika, the Five
Deity Jinasagara, the Eight Dispensations: the Assembly of Sugatas,
the Great Dakini Sadhana and the Sadhana of Krodhikali, the Four-
Armed Terma Protector and its Warfare Prevention Ceremony, and
the Dharmapala Matrika of the Charnel Grounds. I have supported
this tradition a little by diligently seeking out and receiving their
extensive empowerments and transmissions, by sponsoring the
reprinting of the nine volumes of Nyang’s Eight Dispensations and
some of his other termas, and also through repeated approach
practice and assemblies of great accomplishment.48

48. Approach, close approach, accomplishment, and great

accomplishment are four stages in the practice of any yidam.

173
 Wönsay Khyungtok

Then:

The king of Purong will search for gold in central Tibet.

Clans will be scattered and fight over land.
These will be the signs that the time has come to reveal
The terma concealed at Drompa Gyang.
The tertön called Wönsay Khyungtok will appear.

The tertön Wönsay Khyungtok is said to have lived at the time

when the king Jangchup Ö levied a poll tax on Tibetan monas-
tics in order to gather the gold needed to bring Lord Atisha to
Tibet. The year and place of Khyungtok’s birth are unclear in
early accounts of his revelations. However, if other early writ-
ings are correct, he was born near Latö Lhatse to a family of
Bön lamas called Wönsay. His name was Khyungtok Tsal, and
he lived as a Bön mantradharin.

It is well known that through Vairochana’s blessing Khyungtok

revealed a large body of profound terma — including Buddhist,

174
 The Hundred Tertons

Bön, medical, astrological, and magical teachings — from the

Rulak Drompa Gyang Temple. Because it was so long ago, how-
ever, I have been unable to find copies or lineages of any of his
Buddhist or Bön termas. Recently, Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa
received the dispensation of part of Khyungtok’s Immortal Heart
Essence of Samantabhadra as a rediscovery.

In any case, Khyungtok benefited beings throughout his long life,

which he lived as a hidden yogin. It is evident that his dharmic
influence was less than it might have been because he remained
an ordinary village mantrin. At the end of his long life, it is clear
that people witnessed his body dissolve into light and become
a white letter A, which dissolved into the sky.

It is certain that this Khyungtok was the one predicted in the

Testament. However, Bönpos refer to the Vidyadhara Vulture
Feathers as Wönsay Khyungtok, and it appears that his Indian
Life Empowerment and Life Accomplishment of Drenpa Namkha,
which come from his Iron Treasury of the North, are still widely
practiced in the Bön tradition.

Later, at the time of the vidyadhara Chöje Lingpa, there ap-

peared in Latö a tertön called Takmo Wönsay Khyungtok. He

175
 The Hundred Tertons

received the lists and prophecies concerning his termas, and

is considered an authentic tertön. It seems, however, that his
activity and benefit of beings were not vast. A little about his
life will appear later in this book.

176
 Ramo Shelmen

Then:

Even those who’ve not been to India will be called

translators.
All the wise and chaste in Tibet will be cast out of the
land.
A new regime, Mongolian patronage, will arise.
It will be like a conch shell, white without and black
within.
Tibet’s merit will decrease steadily.
These will be the signs that the time has come to reveal
The terma concealed at Lotus Crystal Cave.
The tertön called Ramo Shelmen will appear.

The tertön Ramo Shelmen was an emanation of Nyak Jnanaku-

mara. He was born in Ramo Menchuka in western Yarlung. He
lived as an ordinary mantrin and physician. Ramo Shelmen was
his nickname; his actual name was Yeshe Zangpo. He revealed
gurusadhanas, Great Perfection teachings, Mahakarunika sad-

177
 The Hundred Tertons

hanas, and a Vajramritasadhana from Piled Lotus Rock at the

Crystal Cave of Yarlung, which was also a terma site of Ugyen
Lingpa. Ramo Shelmen also revealed teachings on medicine
from Clear Light Fortress near the Menchu River.

Although Ramo Shelmen revealed a large amount of profound

terma, he publicly emphasized the practice of medicine, and it
seems that his dharma activity was not vast. Nevertheless, he
indirectly placed hundreds of thousands of beings on the path to
freedom, and it is clear from the prophecies among his termas that
everyone who put any of his medicine in their mouths achieved
liberation within seven lives. I therefore regard his achievement
as unimaginably wondrous. A hot spring appeared where he
performed an amrita accomplishment ceremony. This spring,
known to dispel all illness and demonic harassment, still exists
and has tremendous blessing. A stupa was built where some of
the amrita he created dissolved into the ground; circumambula-
tion of it frees one from sickness, although nowadays it is just
a mound on the ground.

One winter Ramo Shelmen performed an amrita accomplish-

ment ceremony in his residence in Yarlung at which medicine
goddesses and dakinis visibly gathered. He concealed some of

178
 The Hundred Tertons

the powdered amrita substances in a nearby rock, and a won-

drous medicinal tree grew there. For many years this amazing
tree continued to flower in winter, at the time of year when the
amrita accomplishment had been performed.

The Secret Remedy for Dropsy, a medicinal technique that comes

from Ramo’s termas, has been used continuously down to the
present, and its correct application is still known. I have witnessed
the unimaginable benefit this brings to beings. It is said that the
use of onions in treating dropsy is also derived from this terma.
Other than these medical recipes, no copies or transmissions of
Ramo’s termas survived the long period between his time and
ours. After their disappearance, however, the dakinis offered our
lord guru Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa the Sanskrit text of the
Three Cycles of Vajramrita, which our lord guru translated into
Tibetan as a rediscovered terma. The words and meaning of this
treatise are wondrous, and it has the majesty of unbroken bless-
ing. Our lord guru has kindly bestowed its ripening empower-
ments and liberating instructions on us, and I have done a few
things in service to this tradition including the performance
of its approach and accomplishment and the composition of
supplementary writings in aid of its dissemination.

179
 Guru Chökyi Wangchuk

Then:

During the Sakya regime, Mongolian armies will invade

Tibet.
The suffering then will be worse than in the lower realms.
Many people will die in defense of independence.
Beings will be trampled into the earth.
These will be the signs that the time has come to reveal
The terma concealed at Sky Ladder in Karchu.
The tertön called Chökyi Wangchuk will appear.

The second of the tertöns called the “five kings and the three
supreme nirmanakayas” was the precious guru Chökyi Wangchuk.

When the dharma king Trisong Detsen was reborn as Lord

Nyang Rinpoche, he achieved the final fruition, buddhahood,
the level called “lotus free from attachment.” Chökyi Wangchuk
was his subsequent emanation of speech.

180
 The Hundred Tertons

He was born in Lhodrak, to a family that had continuously pos-

sessed magical power since the time of King Trisong. Chökyi
Wangchuk’s father was Pangtön Drupay Nyingpo. His mother,
Karza Gönkyi, was a descendant of dakinis. Chökyi Wangchuk
was born at sunrise on the fifteenth day of the first month of
spring in the Year of the Monkey amid great, wondrous miracles.49
At the time of his birth a copy of the Recitation of Manjushri’s
Names, written in gold ink, was being recited. He was born at
the moment the name Chökyi Wangchuk was read, and was
therefore given that name. Even before Chökyi Wangchuk’s
birth many mahasiddhas, including Drikung Kyopa and Shang
Rinpoche, had predicted to his father that he would have an
extraordinary son.

Chökyi Wangchuk began to learn to read and write in his fourth

year. He went on to study exhaustively all aspects of knowledge
and culture, including even the Great Treatise on Thread-Cross Ran-
som Rituals. He received countless instructions from his father;
from the lord Tsurtön, the protector of beings, and his son; and
from many other gurus of the Sarma and Nyingma traditions.
These included the sutras; the Sarma and Nyingma traditions of

49. The year was 1212 C.E.

181
 The Hundred Tertons

guhyamantra; the ripening empowerments, liberating instruc-

tions, and explanation lineages of the kama and terma traditions;
Pacification; Severance; the Six Dharmas; Mahamudra; and the
Great Perfection. In between receiving these, he practiced their
respective approach and accomplishment phases.

During his thirteenth year he had a vision in which Arya Tara led
him to the top of a crystal palace where he met Vajrasattva and
a dakini with four faces. From her four faces issued prophecies
of how he would spread the teachings and tame those difficult
to tame.

During his eighteenth year Chökyi Wangchuk received the bod-

hisattva vow and other teachings from the great Sakya Pandita.
Chökyi Wangchuk dreamed at the time that he went to Five-Peak
Mountain in China and met Manjushri there. Manjushri gave
him extraordinary instructions, and Chökyi Wangchuk gained
the certainty that he had received the essence of all dharma.

He acquired a terma list that had originally been discovered

by Drapa Ngönshe. Using this list, in his twenty-second year
Chökyi Wangchuk found a further list at Layanyin Sky Ladder.
He was given the key to the terma door by the terma protec-

182
 The Hundred Tertons

tor — a nine-headed naga — and a wisdom dakini appearing

as his mother. He opened the door to the terma enclosure and
found inside it a vulture the size of a garuda. Riding on this bird,
Chökyi Wangchuk ascended through thirteen levels of space.
Above them all he came to a tent of swirling rainbow light,
within which he met the Buddha Vajrasattva, who bestowed
upon him the empowerment of awareness-display and blessed
him with a vase of amrita.

Returning to the terma site indicated in the list he again opened

its door and found a cubit-sized, cast metal image of a nine-
headed naga and a copper reliquary. Within the naga image he
found the Four Cycles of Instruction; within the reliquary he found
the Hundred and Eight Upadeshas.

Chökyi Wangchuk’s father accepted the authenticity of these

dharma termas, and advised his son to complete the practices of
gurusadhana, Great Perfection, and Mahakarunika; and to not
widely disseminate the application practices. The lord Tsurtön,
the protector of beings, also declared his approval.

183
 The Hundred Tertons

This was the first of the eighteen great terma revelations —

nineteen including his mind terma — of Chökyi Wangchuk.
He listed them as follows:

(1) Sky Ladder, (2) Red Rock, (3) Hayagriva’s Feet,

(4) Mönkha Teng, (5) Hayagriva, (6) Wentsaygo,
(7) Red Yamari at Ko, (8) Hayagriva, (9) Dromchö Pass,
(10) Saykar, (11) Long Grey Cave, (12) Thumb Rock,
(13) Aryapalo Ling at Samye, (14) Iron Kila,
(15) Bumthang in Bhutan, (16) Temple of the Stars,
(17) Rongdrak, (18) Hawo Snows,
And (19) the self-concealed ultimate terma:
Through karma I, Chöwang, encountered these.

As described in the Dream of the White Horse, the Dream of the

Black Hat, and his other writings on the subject, in the Earth
Rat Year, Chökyi Wangchuk traveled in a vision to Lotus Light
in Chamaradvipa.50 When he arrived there, Guru Rinpoche and
an assembly of vidyadharas were performing a great accom-
plishment ceremony, and gave him countless empowerments,
instructions, and prophecies.

50. The year was 1228 C.E.

184
 The Hundred Tertons

Chökyi Wangchuk performed many miracles such as simultane-

ously displaying six bodies, flying through the sky, and leaving
handprints and footprints in rock. He was therefore venerated
not only by Nyingmapas; even the omniscient Pak Ö, Chö Ö, and
Butön Rinpoche praised him, saying, “Guru Chökyi Wangchuk
is a peerless mahasiddha!”

Chökyi Wangchuk clearly remembered thirteen successive lives,

starting with the dharma king Trisong’s immediate rebirth as
the deva Boundless Light and culminating in his life as Nyan-
gral. Chökyi Wangchuk received the homage of devas including
Indra. All of the spirits of Tibet venerated him as their guru. His
fame shook the world. He built two temples: Tsongdü Gurmo
and Samdrup Dewa Chenpo. He also discovered an image of
Shakyamuni that was similar to the Jowo of Lhasa. The image
that he found had once been concealed by Arya Nagarjuna.
After its initial recovery, Guru Rinpoche brought it to Tibet
and concealed it on Mount Hepo. The tertön brought it to the
Layak Guru Temple, which became his principal seat. While
he lived there, all the great lamas of Tibet, and all its people of
high rank, touched his feet.

185
 The Hundred Tertons

His descendants have included a succession of extraordinary

individuals such as Padma Wangchen, an emanation of Langdro
the Translator; and Nyal Nyima Özer. Chökyi Wangchuk’s main
disciples included Menlungpa Mikyö Dorje, who was a great
scholar of all the Nyingma teachings, both kama and terma;
the Nepalese Bharo Tsukdzin; the “nine worthy disciples”; and
Mani Rinchen of Kathok, who went to a pure realm without
leaving his body behind.

Chökyi Wangchuk’s disciples and their followers all achieved the

high level of siddhas. Their wide dissemination of his profound
dharma, and especially his Mahakarunika Cycle, in India and
Nepal and throughout all of Tibet led to a succession of these
teachings that still exists.

When he had completed his great and wondrous deeds, Chökyi

Wangchuk passed away and went to the great palace of Lotus Light
in his fifty-ninth year while displaying unimaginable miracles.

Starting from his time, whenever two mantrins would meet on

a road they would ask one another, “Are you of the former or
the latter terma tradition?”51 In this way, Chökyi Wangchuk was
51. The Former and Subsequent Termas are those of Nyangral and
Guru Chöwang respectively.

186
 The Hundred Tertons

a great chariot of the profound termas. This siddha was a king

among all tertöns. His extensive autobiography describing his
body, speech, mind, qualities, and activity still exists both as
text and transmission. Its essence can be found in the Index to
the Nyingma Tantras. What I have written here is no more than
a seed of his life.

The eighteen termas he revealed include Guru Guhyasamaja and

four other gurusadhana cycles, along with their accessories;
Mahakarunika: The Quintessence; the Emptier of Samsara to its
Bottom; the Great Perfection: The Union of All Buddhas; the Eight
Dispensations: The Complete Secrets; the Sky-Ladder of Dawn; Black
Hayagriva; Perfect Heruka: The Essence of Great Bliss; Wrathful
Vajrapani Who Roars Like a Lion; Vajrakilaya: The Razor; the Wild
Rishi Loktripala; and the Glorious Neutral Protector.

We have diligently sought out and received the empowerments

and transmissions of all of these, as well as those of Chökyi
Wangchuk’s minor termas and his collected writings, and have
performed some of their approach and accomplishment practices.52
As these two terma traditions — the former and the latter — are

52. “We refers to Jamgön Kongtrül and Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo in

this sentence.

187
 The Hundred Tertons

like the roots of all other terma, I pray that all great holders of
the Nyingma teachings receive, transmit, and practice them.
By doing so, you will fan and relight the coals of the teachings!

188
 Guru Jotsay

Then:

The drums of war will pound at Raven Castle.

Cowards will throw gold dust into the water.
These will be the signs that the time has come to reveal
The terma concealed at Copper Rock.
The tertön called Guru Jotsay will appear.

The tertön Guru Jotsay was, according to the predictions in

his termas, an emanation of Prince Mutik Tsenpo. It is clearly
stated in the terma predictions of Sangye Lingpa that Guru
Jotsay was Sangye Lingpa’s preceding birth, in which case Guru
Jotsay would appear to have also been an emanation of Prince
Murup Tsenpo. In any case, Guru Jotsay was a unified emanation
of their united compassion. He was born in Nyeda in eastern
Kyi to a family of ordinary mantrins. As he lived as an ordinary
mantrin, he acquired the nickname Guru Jowo; his actual name
was Tsewang Darpo.

189
 The Hundred Tertons

During his youth he was poor and worked as a shepherd and

goatherd. Upon maturity he discovered a terma list. This led
him to an accomplishment cave of Guru Rinpoche’s. The cave
was behind a small nunnery at a place now known as Copper
Rock, but then called Red Rock Copper Sky Fortress. This is
behind a five-peaked mountain in eastern Kyi.

From the cave Jotsay brought forth about thirty volumes of pro-
found terma; wondrous, inexhaustible, ever-increasing relics of
the Buddha; a hundred and eight images of Guru Rinpoche; and
all the kilas used by Guru Rinpoche during the Vajrakilaya ac-
complishment he performed at Samye in order to tame the earth
there. These kilas had multiplied over time, so that there were
more than five hundred of them at the time of their discovery.

Guru Jotsay entrusted most of this vast terma, including both

dharma and supports, to the king of Gyere, Rinchen Wangyal,
who was descended from the Buddhist rulers of Nyö. Not very
much benefit for beings occurred through Jotsay’s dharma termas,
but the relics have brought endless benefit. There is no doubt
that most of the principal kilas discovered by Guru Jotsay are
now at Ngödrup Ding in Tölungda. Many other kilas, said to
be from Guru Jotsay’s terma, have appeared up to the present. I

190
 The Hundred Tertons

have found no copies or transmissions of any of his terma dharma

other than his brief Ishvara’s Wind Lasso and his Ransom Ritual
Using a Hundred Pieces of Meat and a Hundred Pieces of Dough. As a
sign that our lord guru Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa has received
the dispensation of all termas, he has revealed as rediscovered
terma Jotsay’s Confession and Offerings to the Peaceful and Wrathful
Ones, which is based on the Tantra of Confession.

191
 Padma Wangchuk

Then:

The Tachu River will flow into the Drichu inside a

temple.
Sholung will be menaced by fire.
Weapons will fall like rain in Palmo Palthang.
These will be the signs that the time has come to reveal
The terma concealed at Gangbar Cave.
The tertön called Padma Wangchuk will appear.

The tertön Padma Wangchuk was born to the Gya family in

western Jang. As he was learned in sutra and tantra he was
known as a teacher. Padma Wangchuk was his actual name. This
great emanated tertön lived as a renunciate, and was one of two
emanations of the great translator Gyalwa Chokyang. From a
boulder marked by a joy swirl within the great Gangbar Cave
in western Eyül, Padma Wangchuk revealed a vast amount of
terma including gurusadhanas; Great Perfection instructions;
Mahakarunika sadhanas; samaya amrita that liberates through

192
 The Hundred Tertons

taste; and Overpowering the Aggressive, a sadhana of the Panjara

Protector composed by Guru Rinpoche and accompanied by
instructions. Both the text and the transmission of that cycle
are still available as part of the Sakya Protector Volume.

I had not encountered any of Padma Wangchuk’s termas other

than those concerning the Panjara Protector when recently the
precious lord Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa received from dakinis
the terma text of Padma Wangchuk’s wondrous, profound, and
concise Generation and Completion of the Guru Red Chakrasamvara.
He has transcribed this as rediscovered terma. I have received it
from him, have formed a connection with it through practice, and
have served its activity slightly by writing needed supplements.

193
 Doben Gyamtso

Then:

A little man of grass will be born at the Silma Pass.

A crystal boulder will burst forth at the Mön Pass.
These will be the signs that the time has come to reveal
The terma concealed at Yama Pagong.
The tertön called Doben Gyamtso will appear.

The tertön Doben Gyamtso was a rebirth of the prince Chok-

drup Gyalpo, the fourth of thirteen such rebirths as a tertön.
Doben was born to the Yonpo Dorjak family on an island in a
lake in the nomad country. As he lived as a mantrin-monk, he
was called Doben, a combination of Do, from Dorjak; and ben,
monk. His name was Gyamtso Ö, and he was clearly a disciple
of Zur Pakshi Shakya Ö.

From Mutik Pamagong in the upper nomad country, Doben

revealed gurusadhanas and Great Perfection instructions. From
Drakyangdzong he revealed a cycle of teachings on forceful
mantra. Although his termas were many, I have not found any

194
 The Hundred Tertons

existing copies or transmissions of them. Recently our lord guru

Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa received the essence of Doben’s
gurusadhanas as a rediscovered terma.

It appears that the prophecy quoted above refers, in describing

“the signs that the time has come,” to the establishment of an
active accomplishment community at the Silma Pass by Lord
Montsewa of the Barawa lineage; and to the appearance of an
accomplishment community of the Aro tradition of the Great
Perfection at Mön pass in Lhodrak. These both occurred during
the early life of Dorje Lingpa.

195
 Rakshi the Teacher

Then:

All the people of Tibet under the king’s rule

Will lose their food and clothing to the Mongolians.
An elder, a general, will come from Mongolia.
These will be the signs that the time has come to reveal
The terma concealed at the border of Tibet and Mustang.
The tertön called Rakshi the Teacher will appear.

The tertön Rakshi the Teacher was a rebirth of Lang Palgyi

Senge, and was born in the Nyal region. He evidently lived as
a mantrin. It is said that he revealed a large amount of terma,
including teachings on Buddhism, Bön, medicine, and astrology,
from terma sites at the border of Tibet and Mustang. However,
it is evident that he was born around the time when the Sakyapas
ruled three of Tibet’s provinces. Because he lived so long ago,
neither copies nor transmissions of his termas remain.

According to the omniscient Tenpe Nyinje, the above proph-

ecy refers to the tertön Padma Rikdzin of Puwo Rashi. Ratön

196
 The Hundred Tertons

Tobden Dorje declared that it referred to himself. In any case,

since both Padma Rikdzin and Tobden Dorje were authentic
tertöns, I will write a little about their lives as well.

197
 The Physician from E in Jarong

Then:

Genghis, the upper jaw of the land, will bite off the lower
jaw.
Many will flee. The land will be empty and ruined.
These will be the signs that the time has come to reveal
The terma concealed at the border of Tibet and Lhodrak.
Nyi Ösal, the physician from E in Jarong, will appear.

The physician from E in Jarong was born in Eyül, the source of

knowledge, in Jarong. He was one of two emanations of Nyak, the
great translator, and lived as an ordinary mantrin and physician.
His name was Nyi Ösal. It is known that from Dzarongbhi at
the border of Tibet and Lhodrak he revealed termas concerning
the Great Perfection and medicine, and that from Koro Rock
in Lithang he revealed many lists of sacred places throughout
Jambudvipa. However, no copies or transmissions of his termas
exist nowadays. It is also apparent that because Nyi Ösal lived
as a modest noble mantrin he engaged in no teaching activity.

198
 The Hundred Tertons

A medicinal spring that arose from discarded medicine made by

Nyi Ösal at Nupdo in Tsangrong is still there. This is just one
example of his amazing miracles. He was able to prolong the
lives of many people who were near death, and became known
as a physician-siddha.

Nyi Ösal revealed from E Rock in Jarong the great Nyak’s copies
of four cycles concerning the Great Fortress and Precipice of Amrita
Medicine: an extensive cycle, an intermediate one, a concise one,
and a quintessential one. Although Nyi Ösal never disseminated
these, the precious lord guru received the quintessential cycle
as a rediscovered terma. It is so profound and complete that it
could elevate the entire tradition of Amrita Qualities. He has
not yet disseminated it, but the gurusadhana cycle from his mind
terma the Immortal Arya Tara’s Heart Essence is identical except
for one being in verse and one in prose. It is therefore clear that
the lineages of these two termas have been combined into one.

199
 Dragom Chödor

Then:

The times will get worse year by year.

Abbots will give public empowerments in towns.
They will secretly copulate like dogs or pigs.
Civil wars will be waged with poison.
These will be the signs that the time has come to reveal
The terma concealed at Butsal Serkang.
Dragom Chökyi Dorje will appear.

The tertön Dragom Chödor was the rebirth of Khyungnak

Shakya Dar, the fifth rebirth of Prince Lharjey. Khyungnak was
a tertön who discovered teachings on dharma, medicine, and
especially astrology. His rebirth, Dragom Chödor, the sixth
rebirth of Prince Lharjey, was born in Dranang and lived as a
mantrin — hence his nickname Meditator from Dra.53 His name
was Chökyi Dorje. From Butsal Serkang he revealed a cycle con-
cerning the powerful deity Wrathful Guru and many teachings

53. Dragom means “Meditator from Dra.”

200
 The Hundred Tertons

on Mundane Propitiation, including the Pekar Activity Tantra,

his sadhana, and means of compelling him. However, neither
copies nor transmissions of these exist nowadays. Our lord guru
appears to have received the Three Stages of Instruction on Kila the
Wrathful Guru as a rediscovered terma.

I have heard that the vidyadhara Chokgyur Lingpa once said

that termas that Dragom Chödor revealed to meditation com-
munities in eastern Tibet produced some activity for a while,
but eventually disappeared.

201
 Yakchar Ngönmo

Then:

The Buddha’s teachings will become distorted.

False dharma called Pebble Great Perfection will appear.
False medicine called moon, made from lacquer, will
appear.
A Beacon Illuminating the Cycle of Sixty Years will appear —
A system of Tibetan astrology that contradicts all the
tantras.
Much false dharma will appear, called terma
Yet lacking the provenance of terma.
These will be the signs that the time has come to reveal
The terma concealed at Oyuk Yakde.
The tertön called Yakchar Ngönmo will appear.

The tertön Yakchar Ngönmo was an emanation of the great

translator Vairochana. He was born to the Trachung family of
Bön mantrins in a place called Töngur, near Colorful Yak Tongue

202
 The Hundred Tertons

in Oyuk. He evidently lived as a mantrin. Yakchar Ngönmo was

his nickname; his actual name was Dorje Bum.

From Colorful Yak Tongue Rock he revealed terma concealed

by Vairochana that included Buddhist gurusadhanas, Great
Perfection instructions, Mahakarunika sadhanas, and many
minor sadhanas; as well as Great Perfection teachings of the
Bön tradition. Although Yakchar Ngönmo discovered so much
terma, both Buddhist and Bön, no copies of his termas exist
nowadays because of the length of time that has passed. He
reconcealed at Yerpa Rock one of the minor sadhanas among
his profound termas: the Sadhana of Tara Who Protects From All
Danger, together with its applications. It was later rediscovered
by Rongpa Düdül Lingpa, who again concealed it. The text of
this terma finally reached the hands of our lord guru Padma Ösal
Dongak Lingpa, who transcribed it and kindly bestowed it upon
us. I have composed a sadhana, an empowerment liturgy, and
a war-prevention ritual for it. It is evident that if the masters
and leaders nowadays who search so desperately for means of
averting adversity were to perform a war-prevention ritual such
as this even once, the blessing would be especially great.

203
 Drum and Karnak

Then:

Buddhism throughout Tibet will become laughable.

Each worldly householder will make up their own
dharma.
They will say, “Drunkenness and licentiousness make no
difference.”
They will call every cold wind a demon from above.
The heinous will nurse the sick.
Each person will hold an astrological chart.
Herds of foolish people will repeat the sayings of the glib.
These will be the signs that the time has come to reveal
The terma concealed at Mönka Paro.
The tertön Drum and the one called Karnak will appear.

The tertön Lama Drum and the patron from Paro known as
Karnak appeared together as teacher and patron. Drum brought
a lacquer reliquary out from the beak of a brown statue of a
garuda in the Paro Kyerchu Temple. Within it was the Exorcism

204
 The Hundred Tertons

Pit of the Sky: The Forceful Mantra of the Razorlike Wild Planet.
It appears that both copies and the transmission of this have
survived down to the present. As it is said that the powerful
planetary magic performed by the vidyadhara Kumaraja was
this system, it is clear that Drum and Karnak lived long ago. It
is unclear in previous histories of terma whether Drum revealed
any other terma dharma.

205
 Lhatsün Ngönmo

Then:

Amid fivefold failure, people will no longer trust

themselves.
Spirits will spread virulent diseases.
There will be no way to prevent illness.
A third of the dharma’s blessing will vanish.
These will be the signs that the time has come to reveal
The terma concealed at Ushangdo.
The tertön called Lhatsün Ngönmo will appear.

The tertön Lhatsün Ngönmo was an emanation of Prince Dam-

dzin. He was born at Samye as the son of Lhatsün Bodhiraja,
who was descended from the family of King Trisong’s mother.
As they were noble mantrins of divine descent, they were called
Lhatsün.54 Ngönmo was a nickname; Lhatsün Ngönmo’s actual
name was Rikpay Gyamtso Loki Trengwa. As he was very learned
in the tripitaka, he convened a great dharmachakra at Samye.

54. Lhatsün means “Noble Deity”

206
 The Hundred Tertons

He also invited Nyima Drak, known as Patsap the Translator;

and Shuke Tarma Dorje, who was learned in Arya Nagarjuna’s
system of Guhyasamaja. Together, they translated, taught, and
studied many general and specific dharmas of the sutras and
tantras. Lhatsün did a great deal for the teachings.

He revealed many termas from the central temple of Samye,

from behind the main image of Vairochana there, and from other
places. From his retreat cave at Drakyang Dzong he revealed a
cycle of beneficial teachings on protection from virulent con-
tagious illness, poison, and magic. It is said that he also found
a list of all the termas in Tibet. In particular, as the prophecy
quoted above clearly describes, he revealed the instructions
called the Seven Cycles of Pacification from Ushangdo Rock. He
later reconcealed them at the door to the great accomplishment
cave at Drakyang Dzong. They were eventually rediscovered
there by the great emanated tertön Chokgyur Dechen Lingpa,
who offered the terma scrolls to Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa,
who transcribed them. They form a wondrously profound and
complete treatise, and I have received their ripening empower-
ments and liberating instructions. As commanded by them, I
have provided a few written clarifications of these instructions.

207
 Nyima Drakpa

Then:

People will wear mismatched clothing.

Dharma will also become mismatched.
The designs drawn by virtue will become mere traces.
These will be the signs that the time has come to reveal
The terma concealed at the Triple Rakshasi Fortress of
Kham.
The Khampa called Nyima Drakpa will appear.

Nyima Drakpa, the tertön from Dakpo in western Kham, was born
in the western part of eastern Tibet. He was clearly a rebirth of
Lhalung Palgyi Dorje. The Rakshasi Fortress of Kham is behind
Gampo Dar Mountain in Dakpo. Like a hidden valley, the Triple
Rakshasi Fortress — which includes three sites called Rakshasa
Fortess, Rakshasi Fortress, and Vajra Fortress — is very hard to
get to. It is clearly described in the biography of Dungtso Repa.

208
 The Hundred Tertons

From the Triple Rakshasi Fortress Nyima Drakpa revealed many

cycles concerning direct action, including Yamantaka: The Play
of the Secret Moon, the Yama of Activity Wearing Monkeyskin, and
the Seven Cycles of Forceful Mantra. However, because of this
tertön’s coarse behavior, he passed away accidentally. For that
reason, as well as because he appeared so long ago, I have found
no existing copies or transmissions of his termas. Nevertheless,
our lord guru has received the dispensation of the Seven Cycles
of Forceful Mantra as rediscovered terma.

Later, other great tertöns have appeared bearing the crown of

the name Nyima Drakpa, such as the emanation of Khön Luwang
Sungma. Their lives are well known.

209
 Padma Ledrel Tsal

Then:

The eight dangers will grow like the antlers of a buck.

Its merit exhausted, central Tibet will be menaced by
wild men.
These will be the signs that the time has come to reveal
The terma concealed at Dakpo Danglha Rock.
The princess will appear as Rinchen Tsuldor.

The tertön Rinchen Tsuldor, also known by his secret name

Padma Ledrel Tsal, was the fifth of the five consecutive pure
rebirths of Princess Padma Sal, the daughter of King Trisong. He
was born in the Female Metal Hare Year, in Nyenrong Dritang
at the border of Tibet and Mustang, to a family descended from
Nyangral Nyima Özer. He was known during his life as Tsultrim
Dorje, the name he received when he undertook renunciation.

During Padma Ledrel Tsal’s sixteenth year, an old monk who was
an emanation of Guru Rinpoche gave him a terma indication

210
 The Hundred Tertons

scroll. During his twenty-first year he received from the tertön

Rinchen Lingpa the list and prophecy that were among the
scrolls Rinchen Lingpa brought out from Dritang Koro Rock.
During Padma Ledrel Tsal’s twenty-third year, he revealed the
extraordinary and profound dharma cycle called the Great Perfec-
tion: The Dakinis’ Heart Essence from Danglung Rock in Dakpo. He
also revealed many other dharma termas and cycles concerning
forceful mantra and dharma protectors, such as the Wheel of the
Embodiment of All Gurus, Vajrapani Who Subdues All the Aggressive,
the Three Mighty Deities of Hayagriva, Yamantaka’s Kingkangs: Sealing
Enemies’ Mouths, the Planet, and the Realm Protectors.

On his way back from the terma site, Padma Ledrel Tsal was
hosted by a mantrin of Thorn Valley in upper Nyal. The man-
trin’s son, who accompanied the tertön when he continued his
journey, was Gyalsay Lekpa Gyaltsen.

Saddened by how little faith the people of his birthplace had in

him, Padma Ledrel Tsal went to central Tibet, accompanied by
four disciples. While residing at Samye Chimphu he received
a prophecy from Vajravarahi, based on which he went to Lhasa
and met the Third Gyalwang Karmapa, Rangjung Dorje. The
Karmapa had also received a prophecy from the dakinis, and

211
 The Hundred Tertons

therefore received the empowerments and transmissions of the

Dakinis’ Heart Essence using the original terma scrolls.

Over time, Padma Ledrel Tsal transcribed his terma dharma,

and gave all of its empowerments and transmissions to Gyalsay
Lekpa and the nirmanakaya Rinchen Lingpa.

In his twenty-fifth year, due to adventitious circumstances,

Padma Ledrel Tsal passed away at Nyal Gyadro Latse, which is
near Jarmay Chingkar. During his cremation, everyone present
saw a blue woman wearing bone ornaments emerge from his
head and fly into the sky. Numerous images of Vajravarahi and
other relics were found among his ashes. For seven days after
his cremation the entire valley was filled with rainbow light.
In these and other ways he inspired beings. In accordance with
prophecies, he did not widely benefit beings in that life; it was
a time for him to practice secretly. Because his activity for be-
ings’ benefit was unfinished at his death, his next birth was as
the omniscient Drime Özer, who widely disseminated the Heart
Essence teachings.

The omniscient Karmapa Rangjung Dorje received the lineage

of words of the Dakinis’ Heart Essence again from Gyalsay Lekpa,

212
 The Hundred Tertons

and disseminated it widely. He entrusted it to four principal

disciples, including Yungtön Dorje Pal, who spread it through-
out central, western, and eastern Tibet; Mongolia; and China.
Its lineage survives today. This fulfilled the following prophecy
from the Root Tantra of Penetrating Sound:

A bodhisattva on the levels

Will spread this to the oceans.

The essence of the profound termas of this great tertön is the

Great Perfection: The Dakinis’ Heart Essence. It is one of the two
original Heart Essences. I have received its complete ripening
empowerments and liberating instructions according to both
of its distinct lineages: the lineage of the Gyalwang Karmapa
Rangjung Dorje and that of the omniscient Longchenpa. I have
also received the empowerments, transmissions, and instructions
of Padma Ledrel Tsal’s the Three Mighty Deities of Hayagriva and
Vajrapani Who Subdues All the Aggressive.

213
 Tseten Gyaltsen

Then:

Things will deteriorate; some disciples will die violently.

A stone stupa will be damaged, along with its parasol and
dharmachakra.
These will be the signs that the time has come to reveal
The terma concealed at Mönka River Cave.
The tertön called Tseten Gyaltsen will appear.

The tertön Tseten Gyaltsen was one of two emanations of Gyalwa

Chokyang. He was born at Narthang in Mönla Motö. He was
known by the names Guru Tseten Gyaltsen and Chökyi Lodrö,
and lived as a bhikshu vajra holder. He was a great kalyanamitra,
and was widely learned in both sutra and tantra.

As clearly predicted in the prophecy quoted above, Tseten

Gyaltsen revealed terma from the Glorious River Cave on Little
Rock Mountain in Mön. This mountain is shaped like a danc-
ing goddess; the cave is like her secret place. The profound and

214
 The Hundred Tertons

extensive terma he revealed there, which had been concealed by

the dakini Yeshe Tsogyal, included sadhanas of the peaceful and
wrathful Guru Rinpoche as well as applications of those sadhanas.

Although that was his principal terma, Tseten Gyaltsen also

revealed from various places such termas as Vajra Armor: Protec-
tion from Weapons, Tara: A Garland of Utpalas, the Great Perfection:
Self-Liberated Sameness, Amitayus, Chakrasamvara, Mewatsekpa, A
Hundred Means of Rasayana, the Sealed Prophecy, An Extensive Guide
to Sites and Terma in Zabulung and Other Places, and Instructions
on Dhritarashtra, which he revealed from Rong Dzalungmo.

It seems that the empowerment and transmission lineages for

most of Tseten Gyaltsen’s many termas still existed at the time
of the vidyadhara Terdak Lingpa and his disciples. I have heard
that the transmission of A Hundred Applications of Hayagriva
from Tseten’s the Peaceful and Wrathful Guru, the transmission
of Instructions on Dhritarashtra, and the lineage and practical
instructions for Vajra Armor: Protection from Weapons still exist
nowadays. Other than those, however, even copies of his termas
are difficult to find now.

215
 Meben Rinchen Lingpa

Then:

All central Tibet will unite in fear of Mongolia.

An evil emanation of Mara will spread the teachings.
These will be the signs that the time has come to reveal
The terma concealed at Drintang Koro Rock.
The tertön called Rinchen Lingpa will appear.

The tertön Meben Rinchen Lingpa was an emanation of both

the Indian pandita Prajnakara and the great translator Vairo-
chana. He was born in the Year of the Ox in Loro Karpo. His
father’s name was Dorje Gödor Bum. His mother’s name was
Balmo Yangbum.

While playing as a young child, Rinchen Lingpa left the imprint

of his body in a boulder. He entered the gate of dharma, and
was given the name Rinchen Gyalpo Pal Zangpo. He completed
the study of the causal vehicle at the College of Vairochana
at the seat of Tingpa the Translator in eastern Nyal. He then

216
 The Hundred Tertons

received the instructions of Rechungpa from a lama at Loro

Drukral Monastery. As he practiced these, innumerable signs
of attainment arose.

Rinchen Lingpa then went to Lhasa on pilgrimage. One night

he dreamed that a white man said to him, “Tomorrow you will
achieve your aim!” On the next morning Rinchen Lingpa met
the yogin called Kunga the Bodhisattva of Tengpo, who said
that he had come from Dingri in Latö. The yogin questioned
Rinchen Lingpa extensively, and then handed him a list of his
termas. Based on the list, Rinchen Lingpa discovered a brown
lacquer coffer in an accomplishment cave at Koro Rock in
Drintang. The coffer, which had five compartments, contained
a large amount of dharma terma and samaya substances. From
the eastern compartment Rinchen Lingpa revealed the Five
Special Instructions. In the southern compartment he found the
Five Jewels of Sadhana. In the western compartment he found the
Five Jewels of Interdependence. In the northern compartment he
found the Five Jewels of Forceful Mantra. In the central compart-
ment he found the Five Lists and Prophecies. From a rock shaped
like a dharma source in the same place he revealed the Manjushri
Nagaraksha Cycle.

217
 The Hundred Tertons

Rinchen Lingpa practiced one-pointedly, developing experience

and realization, and encountering innumerable pure appearances.
Especially, he went to the Glorious Copper-Colored Mountain,
where he was accepted as a disciple in a wondrous manner by
Guru Rinpoche.

Then Rinchen Lingpa revealed from a black boulder in India

both the Great Perfection: Total Liberation at Once and the Peaceful
and Wrathful: Perfect Great Bliss. After that, from a rock shaped
like a five-pronged vajra at Shawuk Tago, he revealed the Three
Sealed Instructions. These consist of: the Sealed Sadhanas, which
are sadhanas of the three roots accompanied by instructions on
their implementation; the Sealed Completion Stage, which contains
instructions on both the gradual and instantaneous completion
stages; Instruction on the Non-Duality of the Two Stages, which
is accompanied by supplementary oral instructions; and the
Sealed Prophecies, which include general, specific, and particular
prophecies. As instructed in his termas, he replaced each terma
with the scrolls of the preceding one.55
55. Tertöns are required either to replace the terma parchment
with something else or replace the parchment itself in its place of
concealment after it has been transcribed. It is said that this is to
ensure that the region not suffer depletion through the removal of the
terma.

218
 The Hundred Tertons

Rinchen Lingpa lived to the age of eighty, and during his long
life he completed his activity. He did a great deal: He revealed
further profound terma from both Tsaritra and Kongpo, gained
accomplishment through practice, became an heir to the pro-
found dharma of Padma Ledrel Tsal, and actively benefited
others. His emanations have appeared in succession. The first
was the nirmanakaya Shönnu Lhundrup, who was born into the
family of Rinchen Lingpa’s nephew. Although Shönnu Lhundrup
also revealed terma, he unfortunately passed away while young.
His rebirth was Gyaltsen Palzang, whose rebirth was Chöwang
Lhundrup. These three successive emanations were primarily of
the Nyingma tradition.

Chöwang Lhundrup’s rebirth was the great being Tsuklak Trengwa.

Starting with him, and up to and including the present ninth
supreme nirmanakaya Tsuklak Nyima, this being has continu-
ously been a peerless holder of the accomplishment lineage of
the Karma Kagyu.56

Although Rinchen Lingpa’s profound terma the Five Cycles clearly

brought great benefit to beings, only the empowerments, trans-

56. These rebirths of Rinchen Lingpa are the Pawo Rinpoches of the
Karma Kagyu.

219
 The Hundred Tertons

missions, and instructions for the Manjushri Nagaraksha Cycle

have survived continuously down to the present day. Neverthe-
less, Rinchen Lingpa’s Ayusadhana: A Vase of Light is practically
identical in words and meaning to Rechen Paljor Zangpo’s Life-
Increasing Arrow. In addition, Rechen Paljor Zangpo received
the termas of Rinchen Lingpa from the nirmanakaya Gyaltsen
Palzang, which effectively combined the two lineage-streams of
the two ayusadhanas into one.

Long after receiving the above-mentioned lineage, our lord guru

Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa acquired a copy of the Great Perfection:
Total Liberation at Once, as was predicted in the prophecies within
that cycle. The great tertön Rinchen Lingpa then bestowed its
ripening empowerments and liberating instructions upon him.
Our lord guru also revealed the gurusadhana and the Mahaka-
runika sadhana from the Five Cycles of Sadhana as rediscovered
terma, and has through his great kindness shared them with us.

220
 The Nirmanakaya Ugyen Lingpa

Then:

A king with ripened conduct will appear in Yarlung.

A pig will dig in the ground; Mongolia will consume
Tibet.
A hundred and eight fortresses will appear.
These will be the signs that the time has come to reveal
The terma concealed in the Crystal Cave.
The tertön called Ugyen Lingpa will appear.

The nirmanakaya Ugyen Lingpa was the seventh rebirth of Prince

Chokdrup Gyalpo. He was born at Yarje in Yoru Dranang during
a Female Water Pig Year to a family of remarkable mantrins.57
He lived as a noble mantrin, and became skilled in his youth in
magic, medicine, and astrology. During his twenty-third year he
discovered a list of his termas within the Red Stupa at Samye.

57. The year was 1203 C.E.

221
 The Hundred Tertons

At the back of the Crystal Rock of Yarlung are rocks shaped like
piled lotuses. Among them is the wondrous Crystal Cave where
the great Uddiyana performed amrita accomplishment. This cave
has self-arisen images of the peaceful and wrathful deities, and
its doorway is guarded by an image of Rahula. It was from this
image that a great mass of profound terma burst forth.

From the image’s upper faces Ugyen Lingpa revealed gurusadhanas,

Mahakarunika sadhanas, and Great Perfection instructions. These
included the Generation Stage: The Peaceful and Wrathful Gurus of
the Two Doctrines and the Three Cycles, Mahakarunika: The Padma
Heart Essence, the Ayusadhana of the Great Perfection, and other
Great Perfection cycles of the atiyoga, chitiyoga, and yangtiyoga.

From the image’s lower faces he revealed the yidam cycle the
Great Assembly of Dispensations: An Ocean of Dharma, which has
one hundred and thirty-two sections. From the image’s throat
he revealed the Peaceful and Wrathful Assemblies of Dispensations,
the Dakini Krodhikali, and the Neutral Protector Cycle. From the
image’s heart he revealed the Great Testament of Padma.58 From
the image’s serpent tail he revealed many tantras, sadhanas, and

58. The Great Testament of Padma is the source of the prophecies

quoted at the beginning of each biography in this section.

222
 The Hundred Tertons

applications concerning various wisdom protectors; teachings on

medicine; and profound instructions on guarding the dharma.
From the image’s arms and the end of its tail he revealed instruc-
tions on arts and crafts.

From the Upper Turquoise Rock at Dra, Ugyen Lingpa revealed

terma including the Great Exposition of the Stages of the Path of
Guhyamantra, A Brief Biography of Padma, the Clear Testament of
Pacification, and the Quintessence of Interdependence.

From various terma sites at Samye he revealed the Five Testa-

ments. From the stone stupa of Zurkhar he revealed Mahaka-
runika: Supreme Light of Wisdom and the Glorious Protector: Tiger
Rider. From the Tiger’s Lair at Onpu he revealed the Wrathful
Guru and the Dharmapala Cycle. From the Great Rock of Drachi
he revealed the Yamantaka Ayupati Cycle. His terma dharma is
said to have filled more than one hundred volumes. The Assembly
of Dispensations alone filled more than thirty volumes. It is said,
however, that he was unable to transcribe many of the scrolls
and reconcealed them for future discovery. He also discovered a
great number of statues, samaya substances, and wealth terma.
In sum, he revealed twenty-eight great termas along with their
associated discoveries.

223
 The Hundred Tertons

However, when he was preparing to give the great empower-

ment of the Assembly of Dispensations for the first time at Tradruk
Jamtö, his first presentation of dharma, Ugyen Lingpa uttered
a prophecy. A few of his words aroused the fierce opposition
of Tai Situ Jangchup Gyaltsen in Neu Dongtse. This altered
the tertön’s interdependent circumstances to such an extent
that he was forced to flee to the border of E and Dakpo. Soon
thereafter, Ugyen Lingpa passed away in a place called Small
Mind adjacent to E.

His body was brought to Dakpo and preserved at the Footprint

Temple. Later, the ruler of Kurap heard that Ugyen Lingpa’s body
would bestow liberation through taste because of his seven most
recent births. The ruler had the body partially cremated, and then
tasted the ashes. He became exhilarated and miraculously rose
a cubit into space. Nowadays, most of Ugyen Lingpa’s remains
are preserved in their original container at Yarlung Tsetsok.
Ugyen Lingpa’s descendants mostly live in Draptsangka. Their
service to dharma is unclear, but they have all demonstrated
signs of attainment, and therefore appear to be a wondrous
family lineage of vidyadharas.

224
 The Hundred Tertons

Of Ugyen Lingpa’s terma dharma, it is evident that the lineages

of the empowerments and transmissions of the Supreme Light of
Wisdom, the Wrathful Guru, the Ayusadhana, and the Tiger Rider
existed up to the time of the vidyadhara Terdak Lingpa. I have
not seen evidence that these lineages exist nowadays. The lineages
of the transmissions of the Crystal Cave Testament of Padma, the
Five Testaments, and the Quintessence of Interdependence still exist,
and I have received them.

Especially, as clearly predicted in the prophecies within Ugyen

Lingpa’s termas, an old copy of the condensed essence of the
Great Assembly of Dispensations fell into the hands of our lord
guru Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa. He also transcribed parts
of it from the symbol script of the dakinis which appeared to
him. We have been fortunate enough to receive its ripening
empowerments and liberating instructions, which he bestowed
completely on a single occasion. I have performed its approach
and accomplishment, and have served it by writing the necessary
supplements. I have slightly increased its activity by including
it in the Great Treasury of Precious Terma.

This cycle, Ugyen Lingpa’s Assembly of Dispensations, is not merely

a gurusadhana given the label Assembly of Dispensations because

225
 The Hundred Tertons

it includes the eight dispensations. It presents the twenty-one

group mandala of the Assembly of Dispensations exactly as it is
described in the great biography and elsewhere. It is therefore
wondrous and utterly trustworthy.

Our lord guru also revealed Gya the Translator’s Guru of the Two
Doctrines and Three Cycles as rediscovered terma. Aside from
some difference in length, it is identical to the corresponding
profound terma of Ugyen Lingpa. This rediscovery may therefore
be considered to include the lineage streams of both termas. As
our lord guru also revealed the Continous Yoga of Day and Night,
another part of Ugyen Lingpa’s Assembly of Dispensations, he
has revealed the essence of Ugyen Lingpa’s termas concerning
gurusadhana, the Great Perfection, and Mahakarunika. He has
revived the fire of dharma.

226
The Omniscient Longchenpa

227
 The Hundred Tertons

Then:

The charnel grounds of Sahor will spill their contents

into Tibet.
A dog will dig out a skull from beneath a stupa.
These will be the signs that the time has come to reveal
The terma concealed at Samye Chimphu.
The tertön called Drime Özer will appear.

The tertön Drime Özer, the omniscient Longchenpa, was in

absolute truth an emanation of the master Vimalamitra. Vi-
malamitra promised that one of his emanations would appear
in Tibet every hundred years, when his Heart Essence teachings
were about to be adulterated by speculative thinking. Drime
Özer was one of these emanations. From the Great Tantra of
Penetrating Sound:

Afterward, it will be held by one with supreme

intelligence.59

As clearly predicted, Drime Özer was really an emanation of the

mahapandita Vimalamitra. Out of necessity, he was the rebirth

59. One of Longchenpa’s names was Tsultrim Lodrö, Morality

Intelligence.

228
 The Hundred Tertons

of Padma Ledrel Tsal, who was the nirmanakaya of Princess

Padma Sal, the daughter of King Trisong. From the prophecies
among the termas of Padma Ledrel Tsal:

After that, you will spend some time in sambhogakaya

realms.

This is definitely a prediction of the great omniscient Longchenpa,

who was the immediate rebirth of Padma Ledrel Tsal.

Longchenpa was born in a village in western Yoru as the twenty-

fifth lineal descendant of Ökyi Kyilkorchen, the lord of Ngenlam,
a relative and contemporary of the master Gyalwa Chokyang.
Longchenpa’s grandfather was named Lhasung and accomplished
the rasayana of amrita. Lhasung had a son known as the master
Tensung who was learned in the five sciences and had mastery
of yoga. Tensung was Longchenpa’s father. Longchenpa’s mother
was known as Dromza Sönam Gyenma. He was born in a pasture
on the tenth day of the month Phalguna in the Year of the Earth
Monkey of the fifth cycle.60

As soon as he began to speak, it became evident that Longchenpa

was a holy being. He learned to read and write in his fifth year

60. The year was 1308 C.E.

229
 The Hundred Tertons

just by being shown how. In his seventh year he began to receive

from his father the empowerments, transmissions, instructions,
and ritual training for Lord Nyang’s Peaceful and Wrathful Guru
and his Eight Dispensations: The Sugatas’ Assembly. He also learned
and mastered medicine and astology.

In his twelfth year Longchenpa undertook renunciation at Samye

in the presence of the abbot Samdrup Rinchen and the master
Kunga Özer. He received the name Tsultrim Lodrö. He studied
the vinaya and gave original explanations of it that brought him
the reputation of great learning.

In his nineteenth year Longchenpa went to Sangpu Neutok,

where he studied the Abhisamayalankara with its commentar-
ies as well as treatises on valid cognition under the guidance of
the master Tsengönpa and especially under Ladrangwa Chöpel
Gyaltsen and Shönnu Rinchen. Longchenpa gained consummate
knowledge of these subjects. From the master Shönnu Gyalpo he
received the Mulamadhyamaka and the Madhyamakavatara. From
the great Wanglo he received explanation of the Abhidharmakosha,
the Abhidharmasamucchaya, and the five profound sutras such
as the Samadhirajasutra. He also learned poetics and the other
common disciplines. He then began to visit various colleges of

230
 The Hundred Tertons

scripture and reasoning. His inconceivable wisdom caused him

to be known as Erudite Man from Samye.

During this same period Longchenpa received empowerments,

instructions, and explanations of mahayoga, anuyoga, and ati-
yoga from the master Shönnu Döndrup at the Drepung Denpal
College, as well as the Guhyasamajatantra and the charyatantras.
From the master Tashi Rinchen he received Chakrasamvara, the
Path and Result, the six branches of yoga, pacification, and teach-
ings on the mind class of the Great Perfection. From Shönnu
Dorje he received the Kadampa teachings. From Tingma Drakö
he received many cycles of profound terma, including the Eight
Dispensations: The Sugatas’ Assembly. He studied under more
than twenty teachers, including the Third Gyalwang Karmapa
Rangjung Dorje and the Sakyapa Sönam Gyaltsen, and learned
most of the teachings of sutra, mantra, and upadesha that existed
in Tibet at that time. He also became learned in all conventional
areas of knowledge such as astrology.

After he accomplished the deities Achala, Sarasvati, and White

Vajravarahi, Longchenpa exhibited a tremendously powerful in-
tellect. He was continuously blessed by Arya Tara, and received
her assurance of siddhi.

231
 The Hundred Tertons

In his twenty-seventh year Longchenpa, instructed by his yidam,

entered the presence of the great vidyadhara Kumaraja, from
whom he received a vast amount of the amrita of dharma, both
ripening empowerments and liberating instructions. Principally,
Longchenpa received from Kumaraja the empowerments, tantras,
and instructions of the great Heart Essence.

After receiving these, Longchenpa lived for seven years as an

absolute renunciate, devoting himself entirely to accomplishment.
During these years he was blessed by many gurus and deities.
He achieved the level of the great maturation of awareness, and
visited sambhogakaya realms.

The protector Shenpa Sokdrupma offered Longchenpa the terma

texts of the Dakinis’ Heart Essence, and he was blessed by Guru
Rinpoche and Yeshe Tsogyal. He thus received the dispensation
of these instructions too.

Longchenpa then composed his three Further Quintessences.

These are mind terma, although they are presented as composed
shastras, and by writing these Longchenpa became the principal
gatherer of the dharma of the two Heart Essences. In support of
this, he also wrote the Seven Treasuries, the Three Chariots, and

232
 The Hundred Tertons

many other treatises. His writings are considered to be the king

among all mind terma. As Jangdak Tashi Tobgyal wrote:

The omniscient Drime Özer is peerless

In his opening of the door to the treasury of wisdom.

In this way, Longchenpa extensively turned the dharmachakra

of the instruction class of the Great Perfection. His lion’s roar
filled this Himalayan region, and his lineage remains undimin-
ished to this day. His kindness is inconceivable.

In his fifty-sixth year, the Female Water Hare Year, on the

eighteenth day of the month Paushya, Longchenpa passed into
the state of manifest awakening amid innumerable signs and
miracles at the great charnel ground in the forest of Chimphu.61

The particular meaning of the prophecy from the Testament,

quoted above, is that Longchenpa discovered three terma scrolls,
such as the Luminosity of the Four Beacons, at Samye Chimphu.
Because of his perfect realization, Longchenpa did not need to
reveal much earth terma, but he did reveal and transcribe these
three scrolls. Nowadays they are included in the Wisdom Assembly

61. The year was 1364 C.E.

233
 The Hundred Tertons

of Samantabhadra, a five-part terma of Longchenpa’s immediate

rebirth, Padma Lingpa.

I have gone to great effort to receive the ripening empower-

ments, liberating instructions, and supporting transmissions of
Longchenpa’s mind termas, the three Further Quintessences; the
transmissions and instructions of his Seven Treasuries, his Trilogy
of Rest, his Dispelling Darkness in Every Direction, and all of his
other writings that survive. In particular I have received from
Dorje Ziji, the second omniscient one, experiential instruction
in the great Heart Essence, combining the mother and son.62 I
have formed a connection with it through practice, have written
a brief but clear book of instruction on it, and have instituted
its practice in the meditation college at the Kunzang Dechen
Ösal Ling retreat. I have done a little to serve these teachings.

Recently our lord guru received the dispensation of the Profound

Essence of the Dakinis. It is both profound and concise, and includes

62. In this case the name Dorje Ziji refers to Jamyang Khyentse
Wangpo, although it was also one of Longchenpa’s names. The mother
and son Heart Essences include the two original Heart Essences taught by
Vimalamitra and Guru Rinpoche (the mother Heart Essences) and the
three Further Quintessences of Longchenpa (the son Heart Essences).

234
 The Hundred Tertons

the three stages.63 It is the quintessence of the Further Quintessence

of the Dakinis. I have had the good fortune to receive it.

63. The three stages are the generation stage, the completion stage,
and the Great Perfection.

235
 Rokje Lingpa

Then:

The thorns of squabbling will summon invasion.

An emanation of Mara will shake the earth.
These will be the signs that the time has come to reveal
The terma concealed at Yambu Lagang.
The one called Ugyen Rokje Lingpa will appear.

The tertön Rokje Lingpa is called Chöje Lingpa and Wönjay

Lingpa in some testaments. He also referred to himself as Dakpo
Chöje Lingpa. He was the twelfth rebirth of Prince Lharjey as
a tertön, and was born in Lukardong in the province of Dakpo.
His father, Dorje Drakpa, was the fifteenth lineal descendant of
Lharjey Nyichung, Lord Gampopa’s younger brother.

Rokje Lingpa was known during his life as Chöje Dzamling

Dorje and as Deway Dorje. Although Lord Zangpo Dorje held
Rokje Lingpa to be the rebirth of Dakpo Shapdrung Rinchen
Dorje, Shamar Yeshe Nyingpo recognized him as the rebirth
of Rechung Puktrül Chimay Wangpo and named him Daway

236
 The Hundred Tertons

Wangpo Tenpe Salje. In his sixth year Rokje Lingpa was brought
to his predecessor’s seat. He undertook renunciation in the pres-
ence of the elder Jamyang Drakpa, and completion in the pres-
ence of the Ganden Tripa Lozang Dargyay, receiving the name
Ngawang Lozang Chöying Pal Zangpo. He soon became a great
kalyanamitra, mastering many Indian and Tibetan treatises on
sutra and tantra.

As his predecessors had worn their hair long, Rokje Lingpa

wore long hair even though he was a bhikshu. He therefore
became known as Long-Haired Bhikshu. Throughout his early
life he maintained pure conduct and carefully followed all the
observances of the vinaya. Later, after revealing profound terma
and during the latter part of his life, he took Dechen Trinley
Tsomo, the immediate rebirth of the yogini Ugyen Butri, as a
mudra. She gave birth to the wondrous reincarnation of Druk-
chen Rinpoche, but unfortunately his life was short.

Until his twenty-fifth year, Rokje Lingpa lived at Yarlung Re-

chung Puk, the seat established by the mahasiddha Tsangnyön
Heruka. From the elder Jangchub Lingpa and Geshe Dönden
he received all of the empowerments, transmissions, instruc-
tions, and ritual training of his own tradition, as well as other

237
 The Hundred Tertons

dharma of sutra and tantra and various sciences. He achieved

the pinnacle of learning. He also trained his mind and practiced,
displaying consummate realization.

Although Rokje Lingpa never actually met the Eleventh Gyalwang

Karmapa Yeshe Dorje, he received the transference of his bless-
ing and directly saw the nature of Mahamudra. He also received
the empowerments of many of the vidyadhara Taksham Nüden
Dorje’s profound termas, as well as their complete entrustment,
from Taksham himself. Through receiving these, his realization
of the Great Perfection became complete. He therefore regarded
these two masters — the Eleventh Karmapa and the tertön
Taksham Nüden Dorje — as his root gurus.

This is how he received the dispensation of profound terma:

The tertön of Takmo called Pönsay Khyungtok offered Rokje

Lingpa both prophecy and a terma list. Then Rokje Lingpa went
to the area of Ön, where he encountered clear indications of the
presence of terma and revealed the Sadhana of the Guru’s Four
Bodies and lists of the termas at Yambu Lagang and Songtsen
Bangso. He also discovered another list at Ushangdo, and went
to Yambu Lagang and Songtsen Bangso, where he revealed several

238
 The Hundred Tertons

profound termas. He did not, however, transcribe them, but

reconcealed most of them for future discovery.

He later came to feel that it was time to benefit beings through

profound terma, and therefore offered his seat to its other
tulkus. Rokje Lingpa then undertook a lifestyle of utter renun-
ciation and traveled to such places as glorious Tsaritra, where
he devoted himself to meditation. While he was doing so, the
prophecies and lists of terma that he had previously received
became clearer and clearer. Based on them, he revealed the Com-
bined Sadhana of the Immortal Three Roots, wondrous life water,
and other terma from the Undefiled Rainbow Cave. He then
revealed Perfect Heruka and Vajrakilaya from the Poisonous Lake
of Nine-Headed Karek; the Gurusadhana of the Profound Path: the
Heart Jewel from Vulture Basin in Puwo; Guru Vidyadhara from
the lake in Makung Valley; and Mahakarunika, Kshitigarbha, and
Red Jambhala from the Döchu Temple. He also revealed Dorje
Trolö, Vajrachanda the Lion’s Roar, Krodhikali, and other termas,
most of which he transcribed.

The transmission lineages for Rokje Lingpa’s visionary revela-

tions, his Collected Sadhanas: A Garland of Rubies, and most of

239
 The Hundred Tertons

his collected works have survived down to the present, and I

have received them.

Rokje Lingpa practiced a great deal of meditation, approach, and

accomplishment, such as when he spent three years meditating
in the Upper Valley of Braided Flowers in Kongpo.

His principal dharma heirs included great gurus such as the

Twelfth Gyalwang Karmapa Jangchub Dorje, Shamar Palchen
Chökyi Döndrup, Trewo Chökyi Wangpo, Drikungpa Könchok
Trinley Zangpo, Dakpo Shapdrung Tulku Lhundrup Ngedön
Wangpo, and the omniscient Drukchen Paksam Wangpo. There
were many others as well, such as Tsupri Drupchen, Lhopa
Drupchen, and Ratön Topden Dorje, who was his single in-
nermost heart-son. Rokje Lingpa also appears to have formed
a slight dharma connection with the vidyadhara Padma Trinley
and Minling Gyalsay Padma Gyurme Gyamtso.

At the end of his life Rokje Lingpa traveled to Padmakö with

the intention of revealing its hidden valley. He reached the area,
but soon thereafter departed for the realm of Lotus Light during
the month of Phalguna in his forty-fourth year. His well-known
nirmanakaya, Jikten Wangchuk, was born to the Gachak family

240
 The Hundred Tertons

of Kongpo. It is evident that his hidden emanations have also

continued to appear down to the present day.

A detailed and clear account of this lord’s life can be found in

his extensive autobiography, his guides to sacred places, the ac-
count of his parinirvana by Gampopa Zangpo Dorje, and other
sources. Here, I have set forth merely a seed of his life.

241
The Great Tertön of Mindröling

242
 The Hundred Tertons

Then:

This land will be filled with bad dharma, outlaws, and

samaya breakers.
The realms of gods and humans will resound with bad
news.
These will be the signs that the time has come to reveal
The terma concealed at Shaük Tago.
The one called Ugyen Terdak Lingpa will appear.

The tertön Terdak Lingpa or Padma Garwang Gyurme Dorje

was a speech emanation of the great translator Vairochana. He
was born in Yoru Dranang Dargyay Chöding in central Tibet.
His father was the vidyadhara Trinley Lhundrup, an emanation
of Nupchen Sangye Yeshe and a great sun illuminating the Ny-
ingma dharma. Terdak Lingpa’s mother was Lhadzin Yangchen
Drölma, a rebirth of Shelkar Dorje Tso. The lotus of his marks
and signs bloomed in a Male Wood Dog Year.64

From an early age he demonstrated inconceivable holiness. When

he offered the fruits of his crown to the great Fifth Dalai Lama,

64. 64. The year mentioned here is 1634 C.E., but Düdjom Rinpoche
Jikdral Yeshe Dorje, in his History of Nyingma Dharma, gives the year of
Terdak Lingpa’s birth as 1646, the Fire Dog Year.

243
 The Hundred Tertons

he received the name Ngawang Padma Tendzin. The Dalai Lama

foresaw and predicted great virtue in the young boy’s future.

From his holy father, Terdak Lingpa received the three vows
and all the profound dharma his father could bestow, like the
contents of one vase being poured into another one. His other
principal teachers were Sungtrül Tsultrim Dorje and the great
Fifth Dalai Lama, but Terdak Lingpa studied under more than
thirty masters of the Sarma and Nyingma traditions. From them
he received so much dharma that the list of the teachings he
heard fills two volumes.

He meditated at Samye Chimphu; at his own seat, Mindröling

Monastery; and at other places of accomplishment. He displayed
progressive realization of the four empowerments, and reached
a high degree of accomplishment.

Through his immeasurable turning of the dharmachakra and

his establishment of Okmin Ugyen Mindröling, which is like
the Lotus Light Palace of this Himalayan region, Terdak Lingpa
became the primary source of the streams of teaching and ac-
complishment in the Nyingma tradition.

This is how he received the dispensation of profound terma:

244
 The Hundred Tertons

In his eighteenth year he revealed without obstacle the first of

all his termas, the Heart Essence of the Vidyadhara Guru and its
accompanying samaya substances, from Red Rock Yama Lung.
Then from Okar Rock in Ngamshö Jingda he revealed the Great
Perfection Heart Essence of the Three Masters: The Profound Meaning
of Ati, the Heart Sadhana of Vajrasattva, and the Red Wrathful
Guru. Flying like a garuda, he revealed the Manjushri Yamantaka:
Conqueror of the Aggressive cycle from a rocky peak like a vic-
tory banner on the north side of the Crystal Cave of Yarlung.
From the Wisdom Circle of Great Bliss, Shaük Tiger Gate in
Mön, he revealed in public the Profound Path: Mahakarunika the
Embodiment of All Sugatas and its accompanying supports and
samaya substances.

He performed the requisite accomplishment of each of his termas.

While doing so he was blessed and accepted by Guru Rinpoche,
father and mother, and had inconceivable visions. Upon the
release of their command seals, he bestowed the ripening em-
powerments and liberating instructions of each of his termas,
began to teach them widely, and composed ritual liturgies for
them. His activity based on his profound termas flourished.

245
 The Hundred Tertons

His dharma heirs and disciples included the great Fifth Dalai
Lama; the vidyadhara Padma Trinley; Sakya Trichen Kunga
Tashi, Tsedong Shapdrung, and many other great beings from
the seats of the Sakyas; great holders of the Kamtsang tradition
such as Gyaltsap Rinpoche and Treho Choktrül; the Drikungpa
Könchok Trinley Zangpo; the Taklungpa Tendzin Sishi Namg-
yal; the omniscient Drukchen; Gampo Choktrül and his family;
Chamdo Gyalwa Pakpalha; the nirmanakaya of Ngawang the
Great; and most other famous gurus of this Himalayan region.

In eastern Tibet, his disciples included Dokhampa Ngawang

Kunga Tendzin, Katok Gyalsay, the Second Dzogchen Rinpoche,
and most of the Nyingma lineage holders. There were very few
that did not bow to his feet.

Terdak Lingpa’s elder brother, Gyalsay Tenpay Nyima, began

to form a dharma connection with him but did not live long.
Terdak Lingpa’s foremost heart son was his younger brother, the
great translator Dharma Shri, who was an emanation of Yudra
Nyingpo. Other close disciples included Terdak Lingpa’s son
Padma Gyurme Gyamtso, Yishin Lekdrup, Rinchen Namgyal,
and his daughter Mingyur Paldrön.

246
 The Hundred Tertons

It is due to the vast activity in teaching and accomplishment

of the magnificent fellowship formed by this master and his
disciples that the kama and terma lineages of the early transla-
tions have survived down to the present day. It appears that
there is no authentic lineage of these teachings that did not
pass through them.

Having for the time being completed his inconceivably secret

deeds, on the morning of the second day of the second month
in the Wood Horse Year, his sixty-ninth year, Terdak Lingpa
appeared to depart for the great terrestrial realm of Lotus Light
amid wondrous signs.

This great and holy being was very kind both directly and
indirectly to all dharma, both that of the Sarma tradition and
that of the Nyingma tradition. Especially, through both his own
efforts and his encouragement of others, he prolonged the life
of fragile lineages such as the Jonangpa, Shangpa, Pacification,
Severance, and Bodongpa lines. In particular, when the lineages
of the study and practice of the kama teachings of the Nyingma
tradition were close to disappearing like little streams in winter,
Terdak Lingpa put tremendous, undeterred effort into their
preservation. He enriched them with his excellent composition

247
 The Hundred Tertons

of many sadhanas, mandala rituals, and fine commentaries. He

revived the excellent Nyingma teachings of the Guhyagarbha, the
Sutra of the Wisdom Assembly, and the Great Perfection through
teaching, accomplishment, and work. His activity insured their
survival and prevalence down to the present.

Terdak Lingpa’s collected works fill thirteen volumes. They are

authentic shastras, and include his liturgical arrangements for
the greatest old termas such as those called the Former and Latter
Termas. I have gone to great effort to receive all of the ripening
empowerments and liberating instructions from all his works,
and have done so with unreserved faith and great appreciation.
I have practiced and taught Terdak Lingpa’s own termas to the
best of my ability, and have instituted the regular accomplish-
ment of both his liturgical arrangement of the So Tradition Perfect
Heruka and his own Vajrasattva terma. I have done a little for
his tradition, and it is my aspiration to continue to do so for
the rest of my life.

It would have been fitting to include a more extensive biography

of this lord, except that his outer, inner, and secret biographies,
as well as accounts of his revelations of terma, already exist and
possess both excellent provenance and great clarity. Therefore,

248
 The Hundred Tertons

and because I fear verbosity, I have abbreviated this account to

a partial description of the essence of his deeds.

My essential point is that it is due to the kindness of this great

and noble lord, his brother, and his descendants that the unmis-
taken teaching, practice, and activity of the Nyingma tradition
of guhyamantra have survived and flourished. The wondrousness
of this alone is sufficient to render his kindness and his mark
on the teachings unequaled by anyone. I therefore pray that all
great beings who care for the dharma not devote themselves
solely to minor teachings of profound dharma, but spread this
venerable tradition, this great treasury of dharma, and thereby
raise aloft the vajrayana teachings of the Nyingma translations.65

65. Jamgön Kongtrül was an emanation of Terdak Lingpa.

249
 Padma Kunkyong Lingpa

Then:

Kharak and Lakha will spy on one another.

This will be the sign that the time has come to reveal
The terma concealed at the White Stupa.
The one called Ugyen Kunkyong Lingpa will appear.

The tertön Padma Kunkyong Lingpa was an actual reapearance

of Vairochana. He was the immediate rebirth of the tertön Dorje
Lingpa. Kunkyong Lingpa was born in a Male Fire Rat year at
Lhapu Bidzing in Shang. His father was Pawo Gyaltsen Gönpo;
his mother was an emanation of Tara named Demchok Palmo.

From early childhood Kunkyong Lingpa remembered many of his

previous lives and knew dharma without it having been taught
to him. His behavior was beyond that of a child, and his holiness
was extremely evident. He repeatedly saw Guru Rinpoche and
his disciples, and received from them profound prophecies and
instructions on his future revelation of profound terma. In his

250
 The Hundred Tertons

fourteenth year he acquired a list of his profound termas, and

soon began to reveal them. As he wrote:

I, Ugyen Kunkyong Lingpa,

Am the rebirth of eight Lingpas.
I clearly remember thirty-three lives.
I have gained power by practicing guhyamantra
mahayana dharma.
Through previous training I know it now without study.

And:

In my tenth year I saw the nature of awareness.

I never behaved like a child.
In my thirteenth year I met Lord Uddiyana.
He prophesied my termas and instructed me.
In my sixteenth year I discovered five profound termas
And Uddiyana’s empowerment implements at Dorje Kye
Rock.

And, from his Account of Revelations:

In the Horse month of the Ox year, based on the terma

list I had found at Shoto, I, Padma Kunkyong Lingpa,

251
 The Hundred Tertons

went to Dorje Kye Rock near Zabulung in Yeru Shang.

Amidst a large crowd I flew like a bird across an abyss.
The terma door opened of itself, revealing a large cave of
accomplishment.

He entered the cave and found a colorful Vajrakilaya mandala

from which he took twenty-one kilas, Uddiyana’s empowerment
crown, other implements, and a stone vase filled with boiling
life-water. Especially, from a stone image of Rahula, one arrow-
length in height, he revealed many outer, inner, and secret sad-
hanas as well as teachings on forceful mantra. From the image’s
nine faces he took the Heart Essence of Uddiyana, the Sadhanas of
the Trikaya, and the Outer, Inner, and Secret Sadhanas of the Peace-
ful and Wrathful Padma. From the upper body and arms of the
image he took the Eight Dispensations of Great Accomplishment,
the eight tantras on forceful mantra and the accomplishment
of power that are collectively called Hitting the Crux of Enemies
and Obstructors, and three hundred minor applications of pro-
tection and reversal. From the image’s heart he took the Heart
Essence of Vajrasattva and the Dakinis’ Heart Essence Tantra. From
the serpent tail he took teachings on dharmapalas such as the
Ekajati Cycle and the Rahula Cycle.

252
 The Hundred Tertons

To the left of that cave he found another cave, so large that it

was like an entire valley. From that second cave he took three
stone coffers and a laquered reliquary sealed with wax. From
them he revealed the Ten Cycles of the Great Perfection, the Clear
Expanse: Mother and Son, the Krodhikali Cycle, many prophecies,
and several termas that Dorje Lingpa had reconcealed for future
rediscovery.

Kunkyong Lingpa was assisted during all this by the upasaka

and other guardians of that place. In particular, Ekajati granted
him her assurance through many prophecies and much advice.
During that whole time the dharmapalas appeared in the form
of many emanated women, yogis, monkeys, tribesmen, and
children. They assisted by carrying the termas into the midst of
the assembled crowd. This caused all present to trust Kunkyong
Lingpa’s revelations. His fame spread.

He then spent three years transcribing the terma scrolls, and

then as instructed replaced the originals at the discovery site.
The night he did so, he found another terma list, and therefore
went to Samye to reveal the terma concealed in the White Stupa.
He opened the terma door and revealed a great deal of dharma
terma, a list of further termas, the flesh of a brahmin, supports

253
 The Hundred Tertons

of blessing such as relics of Buddhas, and many teachings on

forceful mantra capable of either saving or destroying Tibet. It
appears that he put most of these back where he found them.

As Kunkyong Lingpa became famous he began to be known

as the Heroic Tertön of Lhapu. His renown spread everywhere
and his activity steadily increased. His disciples included his
five sons such as Wangchen Nyida Zangpo and his two holy
regents. These seven achieved the same wisdom as Kunkyong
Lingpa. Many other holy beings of various traditions received
his dharma and samaya substances, including Dorje Chang Ky-
enrab Chöje, the translator Gö Shönnu Pal, the translator from
Trukang, the omniscient Tsultrim Gyaltsen, and the omniscient
Balu Metokpa.

Kunkyong Lingpa often demonstrated unimpeded supercogni-

tion, such as when he met the mantradharin of Lo, Ngakchang
Jamyang Rinchen Gyaltsen. Upon meeting him, the tertön
prophesied the appearance of the mahapandita of Ngari and
his brother as the mantradharin’s sons.

Having completed his life and activity, Kunkyong Lingpa passed

into the great peace of the dharmadhatu in his eightysecond year.

254
 The Hundred Tertons

Of his ocean of profound termas, the empowerment, transmis-

sion, and instructions of the Heart Essence of Vajrasattva became
widespread. They have survived down to the present, and I have
received them correctly.

255
 Chokden Gönpo

Then:

A fortress will appear at Nyimado in eastern Nyang.

A hundred and sixteen generals will gather in Chalung.
These will be the signs that the time has come to reveal
The terma concealed on the bank of the Tsangpo at Yeru.
The one called Ugyen Dongak Lingpa will appear.

The tertön Dongak Lingpa Chokden Gönpo was an emana-

tion of Vairochana and the rebirth of Kunkyong Lingpa. He
was born in Chonglung in Lhodrak. His father was of the Gya
family and was named Sum Dargyay. His mother was named
Yumbu Chungmen.

As Chokden Gönpo was born he recited the syllable DHIH.

From infancy he was wild, independent, and very intelligent. He
learned to read and write without being taught. As a child he
pretended to give empowerments, teach dharma, and translate.
He also left footprints in stone.

256
 The Hundred Tertons

His mother died in his seventh year. His stepmother did not care
for him well, and he suffered for several years. Eventually he be-
came a monk at Kyungtsang Monastery and received the upasaka
vow and other dharma from Chöje Tsangpa. As he remembered
many of his previous lives he acquired the nickname Rebirth.

When he entered retreat at Drob Monastery he was blessed

by Guru Rinpoche and became exhilarated with meditation
experience. He revealed a list of termas, some scrolls, and some
blessed supports from within a boulder. Guru Rinpoche cleansed
him of obscurations and taught him much dharma through
symbols. The minor tertön Dzinpa Sönam, a disciple of Padma
Lingpa from Chak Jangchup Ling, gave him another terma list
and offered him service. Dzinpa Sönam also taught Chokden
Gönpo much dharma.

At that time Karchen Kunga Drakpa was at Samye. When he

met Chokden Gönpo he gave him a prophecy. Chokden Gönpo
received Mahakarunika: The Supreme Light of Wisdom, the Assembly
of the Guru’s Wisdom, and other teachings from Kunga Drakpa.
Chokden Gönpo spent most of his time in accomplishment, but
in between retreats he went to Tsaritra and experienced many

257
 The Hundred Tertons

pure appearances and much interdependence. He also revealed

a secret terma in Kongpo and benefited beings in Dakpo.

Chokden Gönpo went to meet the vidyadhara Padma Lingpa.

Their encounter was like the reunion of father and son. Padma
Lingpa took loving care of Chokden Gönpo and decided that he
was an emanation of Dorje Lingpa. He therefore became widely
known as the nirmanakaya of Dorje Lingpa. Padma Lingpa also
gave him much dharma, many samaya substances, and many
terma scrolls. He encouraged Chokden Gönpo to reveal the
profound terma hidden at Yeru on the bank of the Tsangpo
River. However, because Chokden Gönpo’s consort Achay Dorje
delayed him, he did not reveal it.

Nevertheless, the king of Ngari Gungthang, the Dakpo Tsele vidy-

adhara Sönam Namgyal, and others invited Chokden Gönpo to
both eastern and western Tibet. Most of the chieftains of central
Tibet and Tsang also venerated him. In Lhasa he performed a
ritual in order to avert invasion. During it a torma caught on fire
and flew into the sky. Through his display of miracles, Chokden
Gönpo’s dharma and material activity expanded greatly.

258
 The Hundred Tertons

In his thirty-fifth year he built the Drukral Temple at Benshung

and installed within it a golden image of Guru Rinpoche that
was twenty-seven fists high. He had the intention of causing the
teachings to spread widely, but he had spoiled the interdepen-
dence of the revelation of profound terma. As a result, Benpa
Kyungtsangpa and other malicious people brought about his death
through violence. Chokden Gönpo’s work remained unfinished.

It is well known that Dongak Lingpa was his rebirth. Dongak

Lingpa revealed a few termas but did not benefit beings. Don-
gak Lingpa’s rebirth was Yangdak Gyamtso, who founded Baka
Sangngak Chöling in Puwo. Yangdak Gyamtso’s nirmanakaya
was the vidyadhara Chökyi Gyamtso, who benefited beings
greatly. He was a dharma heir of Jatsön Nyingpo and a guru
of both Karma Chagme and Dzogchen Padma Rikdzin. His
emanations have continued to appear down to the present,
and his son Tenpe Jungne later settled in Chongye and was
very active. Tenpe Jungne was learned, and achieved siddhi. His
Visionary Sadhana of the Three Roots Containing All the Profound
was of great benefit to beings. Its lineage of empowerment and
transmission survived down to the time of Terdak Lingpa and
the Fifth Dalai Lama.

259
 The Hundred Tertons

Tenpe Jungne’s rebirth was the nirmanakaya Dongak Jungne,

who appeared in Yönpo in the upper nomad country. It is un-
clear whether or not Dongak Jungne discovered any profound
terma, but he did bring about immeasurable benefit for beings.
He erected a beautiful three-story temple in his homeland,
complete with supports, that still exists.

As described above, the tertön Chokden Gönpo missed his

opportunity to reveal profound terma, and there is therefore
no lineage of any that stems from him. However, Padma Ösal
Dongak Lingpa received the dispensation of his Five Fierce
Deities of Hayagriva in a vision. This is a concise and wonderful
treatise. As he bestowed it upon me in particular, I have formed
a connection with it through approach and accomplishment
in recognition of my good fortune. I have also placed it in the
Great Treasury of Precious Terma.

260
 Ugyen Tenyi Lingpa

Then:

Armies will camp on the nine islands in the nomad lakes.

Two thirds of Tsang will be killed in war.
These will be the signs that the time has come to reveal
The terma concealed in the Temple of Divination.
The one called Ugyen Tenyi Lingpa will appear.

The tertön Ugyen Tenyi Lingpa, also known as Padma Tsewang

Gyalpo, was born at Tashi Ding in Jazang, in Tsangrong. His
family was wealthy; his father was called Chieftain Norbu, and
his mother Queen Kyi. Tenyi Lingpa is believed to have been
an emanation of the princess Nujin Salay, arisen through the
blessing of the great translator Vairochana.

Tenyi Lingpa undertook renunciation in the presence of Sangye

Palzang, the abbot of Chölung. In upper Kyetsal in Drayül, Tenyi
Lingpa studied the sutras. From Serdok Panchen he received
training in Prajnaparamita and logic, which he mastered. At

261
 The Hundred Tertons

Ralung Pökya he received Mahamudra and many other teachings

of the Drukpa Kagyu from the dharma lord Chokdenpa. While
doing so, Tenyi Lingpa received prophecy in dreams.

Based on this prophecy he went to the Blue Robe Temple in

Oyuk. From a riverbank near the temple he revealed a list of
profound termas. Following the list, he went first to Zabulung in
Shang. From a site there now called Seven Termas he revealed a
life vase, its water boiling. Then from the Cave of Good Thoughts
he revealed the Dakinis’ Clear Expanse and samaya substance made
from flesh of the seven-times-born. From Pungpo Riwoche he
revealed Yamantaka Containing All Forceful Mantras. Especially,
from a secret terma site at Tsepung he revealed his principal
profound terma, which is known as the View Containing the
Wisdom of All Buddhas. It is a vast terma, and contains fifteen
sections, each called a Collection of Wisdom.66 He also extracted
much profound terma from the Stone Stupa of Zurkar, Aryapalo,

66. This term, dgongs.’dus, needs to be translated differently

dependent on usage. When referring to a mandala of deities, it means
an “assembly of wisdom.” When referring to teachings on the view, it
means a “collection of wisdom.” What must be understood, however, is
that since the deities and their wisdom are never regarded as separate
from one another, both usages converge in practice.

262
 The Hundred Tertons

and Trazang Mountain, and revealed some termas that the tertön
Tseten Gyaltsen had concealed for rediscovery at Paro Taktsang.

Tenyi Lingpa benefited beings greatly in Ü and Tsang. In par-

ticular, the king of Ngari Gungthang venerated Tenyi Lingpa
as his guru, and his activity therefore flourished there. During
that period Tenyi Lingpa publicly revealed the Varahi Profound
Seal teachings which the vidyadhara Gödem had concealed for
rediscovery at Palbar Mountain in Mangyül. This caused all
to trust him, and he became renowned as an undisputedly ac-
complished tertön. His activity spread from Ngari throughout
all Ü and Tsang.

Tenyi Lingpa’s principal dharma heirs were Tsangpa Tsedak and

Rongpa Tsedak. Starting with them, the lineages of the empow-
erments and transmissions for his termas flourished up to the
time of the vidyadhara Terdak Lingpa. It seems that nowadays
only the Varahi Profound Seal teachings survive. However, I have
had the good fortune to receive the complete empowerments,
transmissions, and instructions of that cycle.

263
 The Hundred Tertons

I have heard that the ripening empowerments and liberating

instructions of Tenyi Lingpa’s Collection of Wisdom teachings
connected to the Bön tradition still exist within that tradition.

It is evident that Tenyi Lingpa passed away in his fifties. His

funeral ceremonies were performed by his dharma heir, Tsangpa
Tsedak. Because this tertön had once been the daughter of the
great dharma king Trisong Detsen, an image of Tenyi Lingpa
containing some of his relics was installed at Khamsum Zang-
kang Ling.

264
 Dorje Lingpa

Then:

A herd of pigs will gather in upper Kuyül.

Little forts will appear on every strategic mountain.
The passes and roads will become dangerous and blocked.
People will live off their herds.
These will be the signs that the time has come to reveal
The terma concealed at Kongpo Buchu.
The one called Ugyen Dorje Lingpa will appear.

The third of the kings among tertöns was Dorje Lingpa, an actual
reappearance of the great translator Vairochana, emanated for
the benefit of the teachings. He was born in a Male Fire Dog
year at Dranang Wentsa in central Tibet to a family of mantrin
vajra holders.67 His father’s name was Kutön Sönam Gyaltsen.
His mother’s name was Karmo Gyen.

67. The year was 1346 C.E.

265
 The Hundred Tertons

Upon birth Dorje Lingpa was given the name Ugyen Zangpo.
From infancy he demonstrated unimaginable wonders and signs
of holiness. In his seventh year he became a shramanera in the
presence of the omniscient Traba Shakya at Pangshong Lhari.
Starting then, Dorje Lingpa received consummate training in
sutra, tantra, the Sarma tradition, and the Nyingma tradition
under Traba and other gurus.

In his thirteenth year Dorje Lingpa saw Guru Rinpoche’s face

seven times. In reliance upon the terma list found among Guru
Chöwang’s revelations, Dorje Lingpa revealed from the back of
the Tradruk Jomo his first terma. This included a sadhana of
the three roots accompanied by one hundred and eight minor
sadhanas, terma lists, forceful mantras, writings on rasayana,
and prophecies.

In his fifteenth year Dorje Lingpa opened the terma door at Okar
Rock in Jingda. Behind it was an enormous accomplishment
cave. Guru Rinpoche actually came there, arranged a mandala,
and empowered him. He gave Dorje Lingpa the transmissions
for each of his terma scrolls along with many terma objects.
These included a representation of Guru Rinpoche, four volumes

266
 The Hundred Tertons

belonging to the Guru himself, a hundred scrolls, four vases of

vitality water, an amulet filled with samaya substance, and more.

From these, Dorje Lingpa revealed the Testament of a Hundred

Chapters, the Great Perfection Father Tantra Vast Expanse of the
View, the Great Perfection Mother Tantra Brilliant Expanse of the
Sun, the Dakinis’ Quintessence Conjoined Sun and Moon, the Son
Tantras of the Tenfold Heart Essence, the Four Assemblies, and the
Eight Supplements.

Then, from Pearl Crystal Heights, Dorje Lingpa revealed the Ten
Instructions on Practice. In the Vitality Water Cave at the Maitreya
Temple of Bumthang he received vitality water from Yeshe Tsogyal
herself. Starting with these revelations, Dorje Lingpa revealed
a series of termas including dharma medicine consecrated by
Guru Rinpoche at Yangleshö, the spirit-turquoises of both the
dharma king and Yeshe Tsogyal, wish-fulfilling jewels, and nu-
merous dharma cycles and forceful mantras. In all, he revealed
forty-three great termas and a hundred and eight minor ones.

While extracting terma at Chimphu, Dorje Lingpa met Guru

Rinpoche thirteen times. At Chuwori Dorje Lingpa emanated
two forms of himself and simultaneously revealed two differ-

267
 The Hundred Tertons

ent termas, both publicly. He left footprints in stone there that

were a cubit long. In Nyen Cave at Fire Lake in Zabulung, Dorje
Lingpa was hosted by both Thanglha and Gangkar Shamay. Many
great gods and spirits of Tibet gathered and convened a great
accomplishment assembly of the Eight Dispensations. Dorje
Lingpa then bestowed empowerment on all the participants.
He visited, in emanation, the eight great charnel grounds and
met the eight vidyadharas. He received from them instructions
on the eight confidences.68

Whenever Dorje Lingpa extracted terma Guru Rinpoche, Yeshe

Tsogyal, Vairochana, and other masters would actually appear,
empower him, and instruct him. Through Dorje Lingpa’s won-
drous display of miracles, everyone was freed from the chains
of doubt and placed on a level beyond reversal. He left many
imprints of his body and feet in stone. Each of the terma cof-
fers from Zabulung, Kharchu, and Shotö contained a hundred
and eight empowerments, consecration ceremonies, liturgies of
fulfillment and confession, fire offering ceremonies, and means
of imprisoning demons. As these indicate, Dorje Lingpa did a
great deal to ensure the wellbeing of all Tibet.

68. The eight confidences are the views of the eight dispensations,
such as the Four Wheels of Yamantaka, the Three Neighs of Hayagriva, etc.

268
 The Hundred Tertons

His dharma termas are both vast and profound, especially his
gurusadhanas, Mahakarunika, and Great Perfection. He also
discovered wondrous images such as the statue of Vajrasattva he
removed from Pungpo Riwoche, and the Eleven-Faced Avalokita
and Sandalwood Tara he removed from the capital of a pillar
in Lhasa. He recovered samaya substances such as flesh of the
seven-times-born and dharma medicine; wealth terma such as
wish-fulfilling jewels; and Bön teachings such as the Golden Spoon
of the Great Perfection and the greater, intermediate, and lesser Oral
Lineages of Tapitsitra. He also found teachings on both medicine
and astrology, and his activity in those disciplines was extensive.

Dorje Lingpa’s biological son Chöyingpa was an emanation of

Nupchen Sangye Yeshe. It seems that their descendants continue
down to the present in Bhutan.

It is said that Dorje Lingpa offered his Yamantaka cycle and Five
Jambhalas cycle to Rolpe Dorje, the Fourth Gyalwang Karmapa.

Dorje Lingpa’s main seat was at Lingkhor, but he also resided in

Lhodrak, at Paro in Bhutan, and at Nye Monastery in Zanguk.
In each of these places he benefited beings vastly.

269
 The Hundred Tertons

Although his most famous name was Dorje Lingpa, he was also
known as Padma Lingpa, Kunkyong Lingpa, Yungdrung Lingpa,
and Manjushridharmamitra.

Having completed his service to beings, Dorje Lingpa composed

his Final Testament and Great Prophecy in his sixtieth year and
then, amid wondrous signs, appeared to pass away at Draklong.
His remains were preserved for three years. During that time, his
body would occasionally speak or recite stanzas of dedication. At
the end of the three years his body was cremated, and produced
many images of deities and other relics. His right foot flew out
of his cremation stupa with a snapping sound and was kept by
his heart disciple Tashi Jungne. Dorje Lingpa’s left foot, which
also emerged from the fire, was kept by Asanga of India.69 It is
said that the many relics which appeared among Dorje Lingpa’s
ashes continued to increase miraculously for centuries afterward.

Although Dorje Lingpa’s lineage was originally widespread in

both Lhodrak and Bhutan, it seems to have almost died out.
Nevertheless, our lord guru sought it with great exertion, and
has received the dispensations of both long and short lineages

69. Not the famous Indian writer, but an Indian disciple of Dorje
Lingpa’s with the same name.

270
 The Hundred Tertons

of the Great Perfection Father Tantra Expanse of the View, the Great
Perfection Mother Tantra Brilliant Expanse of the Sun, the Non-Dual
Tantra Heart Essence of HUM, the Guru’s Assembly of Dispensations
and Yidam’s Assembly of Dispensations from the Four Assemblies,
Mahakarunika Who Protects from All Bad Rebirths, Jinasagara, and
the Oral Lineage of the Wrathful Guru. I have had the good fortune
to receive these from him.

There has been discussion as to whether the great emanated

tertön Dorje Lingpa’s indications and terma sites correspond to
those found in the prophecy from the Testament that I quoted
above. However, there can be no dispute that he was the third
of the five kings among tertöns, or that he was one of the twelve
great Lingpas.70

70. Lingpa can mean a person as great as a continent. The name is

said to have been given by Guru Rinpoche to those tertöns, such as
the twelve Lingpas, who were destined to be like great continents in
the world of the terma teachings. The twelve Lingpas correspond to
the four continents and eight subcontinents of the Buddhist world.
Jamgön Kongtrül was a rebirth of Dorje Lingpa.

271
 Sangye Lingpa

Then:

Two factions will fight at Gyerphu in Tsang.

A herd of pigs will gather at Rulak Tsuphu.
These will be the signs that the time has come to reveal
The terma concealed at Chimyül in Kongpo.
The one called Ugyen Rinchen Lingpa will appear.

This tertön, the second Rinchen Lingpa predicted in the Testa-

ment, was definitely Sangye Lingpa. This is clearly indicated by
the prediction here of one of his terma sites, and Sangye Lingpa
himself affirmed this in his Great Autobiography.

Sangye Lingpa was an emanation of Prince Damdzin Rölpa

Yeshe Tsal. He was born in the lower valley of Yülung, above an
accomplishment cave of Guru Rinpoche’s in the Nyangpo area of
Kongpo. Sangye Lingpa’s father was an emanation of Hayagriva
known as Khamshik Taklung the Crazy. His mother, who was
blessed by the mother Vajravarahi, was a qualified dakini named

272
 The Hundred Tertons

Ahum Gyen. Sangye Lingpa was born amid wondrous signs in

the Male Iron Dragon Year at Threefold Vajra Rock.71 He was
given the name Rikdzin.

In his fifth year Sangye Lingpa received the upasaka vows from
the abbot Shönnu Pal, and had a vision of Avalokita. He learned
to read and write just by being shown the letters, and quickly
became learned. His father soon died however, and his mother
took another partner who disliked the boy. While Sangye Lingpa
was suffering because of this, he received a prophetic instruc-
tion from a red woman. Accordingly, he went to Longpo Drong
Sarda, where he entered the presence of Rölpe Dorje, the Fourth
Gyalwang Karmapa. He then went to the monastery of Chang-
chup Ling near Tsaritra, where he undertook renunciation in
the presence of the abbot Changchup Dorje and the master
Shakya Yeshe. He received the name Sangye Zangpo, which is
why when he later revealed profound terma he became known
as Sangye Lingpa. Sangye Lingpa also heard much dharma from
his abbot and master.

When Karmapa Rölpe Dorje was about to return to central

Tibet, he said to Lama Changchup Dorje, “Give me this nephew

71. The year was 1340 C.E.

273
 The Hundred Tertons

of yours.”72 Changchup Dorje complied, and the Karmapa was

delighted and predicted that Sangye Lingpa would guide many
beings to liberation. When they reached Lhasa, Sangye Lingpa
saw the faces of both Avalokita and Guru Rinpoche. These were
the first of many repeated visions of them that he would have
through the ensuing years.

Sangye Lingpa vowed to practice for three years. Then Lama

Changchup Dorje passed away, so Sangye Lingpa went to see
the learned and accomplished Lama Chökyi Lodrö in Tsaritra,
and became his heart son. When Lama Chökyi Lodrö went
to central Tibet, Sangye Lingpa entered retreat in the upper
valley of Lhundrup Teng. While he was in retreat, the great
terma protector Tsengö offered Sangye Lingpa three scrolls.
These included a terma list, prophecies, instructions on how to
accomplish his termas, and other advice. Lama Chökyi Lodrö
supported Sangye Lingpa, and he was able to perform the terma
accomplishment properly. He received empowerment, prophecy,
and the permission to reveal terma from Guru Rinpoche and
his entourage of dakinis.

72. Apparently Sangye Lingpa was his abbot’s nephew.

274
 The Hundred Tertons

In accordance with the prophecies he had received, Sangye

Lingpa revealed his first terma from the Great Cave of Puri on
the twenty-fifth day of the first month of autumn in the Wood
Dragon Year.73 This contained the texts and instructions of the
Guru’s Wisdom Assembly, which is the intermediate Assembly of
Dispensations, and is unique among all the termas revealed in Ti-
bet. Along with it Sangye Lingpa also revealed a Mahakarunika
cycle. He presented these to Lama Chökyi Lodrö, who received
them with delight and practiced them, becoming Sangye Lingpa’s
first dharma heir.

Starting that year, Sangye Lingpa began to reveal terma from

many sites including Karzuk Cliff, Jeworing, Tsechen Rock,
Longpo Jangde Bumpa, Langpo Kada Cliff, and Karteng Cliff
in Kyen. The termas he revealed include the Heart Essence Va-
jrakilayasadhana, the Curse of the Black Tortoise, Black Hayagriva,
the Very Secret Unsurpassable Mahakarunika, and substance termas
including pills of samaya substances, images of Guru Rinpoche,
a copper vase filled with gold, an iron kila, and twenty-one relics
of the Tathagata that multiplied miraculously.

73. 1364 C.E.

275
 The Hundred Tertons

While Sangye Lingpa was in Chimyül in Kongpo in order to

reveal terma, the tertön Drime Lhunpo came there because of a
prophecy he had received from dakinis. Together, the two ter-
töns revealed terma containing Blue-Robed Vajrapani, the Magic
of Nine Racing Mönpas, and the bodhichitta of Guru Rinpoche
and Yeshe Tsogyal.

At Puri Rinchen Barwa, Sangye Lingpa revealed an Avalokita

cycle. At Vulture Basin he revealed another Mahakarunika cycle,
a rasayana cycle, and Ishvara’s Wind Lasso. The prophecy concern-
ing Changchup Lingpa Palgyi Gyaltsen came from this terma.
Sent to search in Lhatö, he encountered the tertön and gained
faith in him.

In Tsaritra Sangye Lingpa revealed a Sadhana of the Naga King

Drinzang. At the White Sands of Gyer he revealed the Ayusad-
hana of the Joined Moon and Sun. At Shinje Badong in Gyal he
and Drime Lhunpo revealed Yamantaka Ayupati: Magic Causing
Unconsciousness and an activity kila of Guru Rinpoche’s known
as Enough Just to Brandish It. In an accomplishment cave of Guru
Rinpoche’s Sangye Lingpa revealed the Concise Essence of the
Great Perfection. At Damdul in Kongpo he revealed the Six Root
Tantras of the Wisdom Assembly. At Samye Chimphu he revealed a

276
 The Hundred Tertons

wonderful image of Guru Rinpoche. At Orshong Lungdrom he

revealed the jewel called Takshadep and a set of dakinis’ jewelry.
In all, between his twenty-fifth year and his thirty-second, Sangye
Lingpa revealed eighteen great termas and innumerable minor
termas. It is impossible to list them all. Whenever he revealed
terma there were rains of flowers, tents of rainbow light, the
sound of music, and the visible presence of dakinis.

As prophetically instructed by Vajravarahi with an entourage of

thirteen dakinis, Sangye Lingpa precisely catalogued the Guru’s
Wisdom Assembly, dividing it into thirteen volumes. This same
division is still used nowadays.

From its prophecies:

One billion people will achieve stability in the generation

stage.
Eight hundred thousand will reveal manifest signs of
accomplishment.
Ninety thousand will be liberated in the undefiled
illusory body.
Ten billion will achieve at least one siddhi.

277
 The Hundred Tertons

Those who plant the seed of liberation will be beyond

reckoning.
This will be continuous, not all at one time.

As indicated by that detailed prophecy, the Guru’s Wisdom As-

sembly became so widespread that there were said to be twenty
distinct great streams of its lineage and dispensation. Sangye
Lingpa’s other termas were also held by countless dharma heirs.
His principal dharma heir was the Fourth Gyalwang Karmapa,
Rölpe Dorje. Other heirs were Shamar Kachö Wangpo, the Great
Lord of Nedong, the holy Sakya guru Sönam Gyaltsen, Yakde
Panchen, Joten Khenchen Sönam Zangpo, and the Drikung
Dharmaraja.

Innumerable great personages and lamas were Sangye Lingpa’s

disciples. In particular, when the great Yung Lo Emperor of
the Ming Dynasty invited the Fifth Gyalwang Karmapa Deshin
Shekpa to China, he requested in his invitation letter that the
Karmapa bring with him “an immaculate dharma terma of Pad-
makara, the siddha from Uddiyana.” The Karmapa accordingly
brought with him the profound dharma of the Guru’s Wisdom
Assembly along with a wondrous blue vase and a golden vajra of
samaya. When Deshin Shekpa offered these to the emperor, he

278
 The Hundred Tertons

is said to have been so delighted that he immediately offered

the Karmapa a seal and special robes.

From Sangye Lingpa’s biological son Yeshe Dorje and his prin-
cipal disciple Jakhyungwa Palden Senge sprang the lineages of
his descendants and disciples respectively. Both lineages have
produced many learned and accomplished beings. Sangye Lingpa’s
termas, especially the Guru’s Wisdom Assembly, passed down
through the earlier and later Tsele Rinpoches and the earlier and
later Ta Lamas of Kham. Nowadays his termas fill all of Tibet;
their practice is extremely widespread. It is evident, therefore,
that this emanated tertön is peerless in his expansion of Guru
Rinpoche’s activity.

After building Dechen Samdrup Monastery in Nyimpu, Sangye

Lingpa made it his main seat. When he performed amrita ac-
complishment there, extraordinary signs and miracles occurred,
and it seems that the substance lineage of his amrita still exists.

Having done beings and the teachings immeasurable good,

Sangye Lingpa dissolved his wisdom into the dharmadhatu at
Changchup Ling Monastery on the thirtieth day of the third

279
 The Hundred Tertons

month in the Male Fire Rat Year, his fifty-seventh year.74 His
immediate rebirth was born at Nelmeu to a father named Dön-
drup Gyalpo, but he died young. His subsequent rebirth, the
nirmanakaya Sangye Palden, was born at Longpo Gying and was
brought to his seat. It is said that he did beings and the teach-
ings a great deal of good. After him, there has been no particular
line of recognized incarnations, although it seems that Sangye
Lingpa’s descendants still exist.

This great emanated tertön’s termas are as vast as an ocean. I

have received his Testament of Puri; Guru’s Wisdom Assembly; Three
Precious Cycles of Mahakarunika; Tsechen Kila; White, Red, and
Black Manjushri; Secret Garuda; Stainless Confession Tantra; and his
Ayusadhana of the Joined Moon and Sun. I have received all of the
empowerments for his termas that currently exist. I have done
the approach, accomplishment, and great accomplishment of the
Guru’s Wisdom Assembly several times. I have served that cycle
by commissioning, at the encouragement of others and because
of my own devotion, the printing of the complete liturgy of the
Guru’s Wisdom Assembly and by writing necessary supplements.
I have also commissioned three sets of paintings of the deities

74. 1396 C.E.

280
 The Hundred Tertons

and protectors of the Guru’s Wisdom Assembly: one set consist-

ing of fifteen paintings, one of eleven, and one of nine. I have
also commissioned a complete and fine printing of the Guru’s
Wisdom Assembly’s thirteen volumes. While establishing a good
and extensive connection with this tradition, I have made the
aspiration that I and all who form any connection with it be
accepted by Guru Rinpoche and receive his blessing in every
one of our lives.

281
 Padma Lingpa

Then:

The foundation at Pig Mountain in Gö will conceal a

fortress.
Poison will be sold at Takdru in Latö.
These will be the signs that the time has come to reveal
The terma concealed at Fire Lake.
The one called Ugyen Padma Lingpa will appear.

Ugyen Padma Lingpa was the fourth of the five kings among
tertöns. He was the fifth and last of the five pure rebirths of
Princess Padma Sal, the daughter of Trisong Detsen. He was born
in the Male Iron Dog Year amidst wondrous signs at Bumthang
in Bhutan to the Nyö family.75 His father’s name was Döndrup
Zangpo, and his mother’s name Drongmo Paldzom.

As Padma Lingpa was the immediate rebirth of the omniscient

Drime Özer, holiness was awakened within him from an early

75. The year was 1370 C.E.

282
 The Hundred Tertons

age. He knew both letters and crafts without being taught.

Especially, on the tenth day of the first autumn month in the
Monkey year, at the Place of the Six Syllables, Guru Rinpoche
revealed his face to Padma Lingpa and blessed him.76 He placed
a guide to one hundred and eight termas in his hands.

Accordingly, in his twenty-seventh year Padma Lingpa revealed

the first of all his termas, the Clear Expanse of the Great Perfection
cycle, from a swirling pool known as Blazing Lake adjacent to
Naring Rock. In the presence of a large crowd Padma Lingpa,
carrying a torch, walked into the pool and disappeared under
its surface. When he reappeared from the pool his torch was still
burning and he was carrying a large terma coffer, the size of a
pot, under his arm. Everyone who witnessed this was amazed
and filled with faith. As a result his undisputed fame covered
the earth like the light of the sun and moon.

At Samye Chimphu he revealed the Great Perfection: The Wisdom

Assembly of Samantabhadra. At other terma sites he revealed the
Great Perfection: The Lesser Son Non-Dual Tantra cycle, Guru Ocean
of Jewels, Mahakarunika: The Torch that Dispels Darkness, the Eight
Dispensations: The Mirror of the Mind, Kila the Razor, and his Amrita

76. The year was 1380 C.E.

283
 The Hundred Tertons

Accomplishment cycle. He therefore revealed not only the Great

Perfection, gurusadhana, and Mahakarunika, but also the three
cycles of Dispensation, Kila, and Amrita.

Padma Lingpa also revealed Vajrapani: The Tamer of the Vicious

and the lesser Vajrachanda cycle; the greater, intermediate, and
lesser Wrathful Guru cycles; the Vajra Garland Vitality Teachings;
Jewel Application: The Accomplishment of Vitality; the Three Black
Deities; and termas concerning minor activities. Along with his
many dharma termas, Padma Lingpa also revealed vast amounts
of samaya substances and the three types of supports, including
those that bestow liberation through taste, the flesh of the seven-
times-born, and the statue called Padma Guru.77 In particular,
the Temple of Kyerchu, which is similar to the Paltsap Sumpa
Temple, was buried and concealed until this tertön excavated
it. It is now visible to all.

Padma Lingpa revealed wealth terma such as three of Trisong

Detsen’s soul turquoises, called Blazing Gem, Blazing Mountain,
and Red Mansion on the Hill. He also revealed undamaged
garments worn by Yeshe Tsogyal, a mirror called Reveals the

77. The three supports are representations of the bodies, speech, and
minds of Buddhas.

284
 The Hundred Tertons

Distant, and other fine and precious termas belonging to the

dynasty of the dharma kings.

Although Padma Lingpa received a guide to one hundred and

eight termas, he was only able to reveal about half of them. When
the tertön was dying his son supplicated him for permission to
reveal the rest of them. Padma Lingpa told him, “It will be hard
for you to reveal terma dharma, but if you keep pure samaya and
pray to me it is possible that you might find a few.” Accordingly,
it is said that Padma Lingpa’s son Dawa did reveal a few termas.

Padma Lingpa’s deeds were inconceivably wondrous. He proph-

esied that in the future he will become the Buddha Vajragarbha
in the realm Lotus Array, and that all connected to him will be
born in that realm and become disciples of that Buddha.

About Padma Lingpa’s heart sons and disciples, from a prophecy

within his termas:

Ten thousand will be karmically connected.

Two thousand will be connected through aspirations.
Eleven will be connected through the profound point.
Seventeen will hold the mandala.
Three sons of the heart will appear.

285
 The Hundred Tertons

Accordingly, among his inconceivably many disciples, the prin-

cipal ones were the six nirmanakayas; the six mahasiddhas; the
six great sons who revealed signs of attainment; the three heart
sons whose wisdom equaled his — Joden Khenchen Tsultrim
Paljor, Nangso Gyalwa Döndrup, and Tulku Chokden Gönpo;
and Padma Lingpa’s four biological sons, who were emanations
of the lords of the three families. Among them his son Dawa,
an emanation of Avalokita, possessed inconceivable blessing
and power. As he achieved his father’s wisdom, his activity was
vast. Dawa was praised and revered as a guru by many great and
holy beings, including the Great Lord of the Sakyas, Drikung
Rinchen Puntsok, Shamar Könchok Yenlak, and Pawo Chögyal
Döndrup. Dawa was respected by all the great men of Ü, Tsang,
and Bhutan. He benefited other beings tremendously. Never-
theless, as he lived as a hidden yogi, his dharma lineage never
became widespread.

Through the activity of two peerless dharma lords — the nir-

manakaya Natsok Rangdröl, the ornament of the teachings; and
Umdze Döndrup Palbar — and that of Padma Lingpa’s speech
emanations and the nirmanakayas of his heart sons, who start-
ing with the seven incarnations who left miraculous relics have

286
 The Hundred Tertons

appeared continually down to the present day, his lineage has

spread throughout Bhutan and both central and eastern Tibet.

The lineage of the empowerments and transmissions for Padma

Lingpa’s termas remains unbroken. I have received his Gurusad-
hana, Great Perfection, Mahakarunika, Eight Dispensations (both
collectively and individually), Vajrapani Vajrachanda (both the
greater and lesser cycles), Vitality Accomplishment, Wrathful Guru
cycle, Three Black Deities, and various minor applications. I have
taught these to the best of my ability.

287
 Jatsön Nyingpo

Then:

Two or three panditas will come to Tibet

From Ghanaru and Vinasa in India.
They will venerate the Jowo Shakyamuni in Lhasa.
These will be the signs that the time has come to reveal
The termas concealed in northern and southern Kongpo.
The one called Ugyen Letro Lingpa will appear.

The tertön Letro Lingpa, also called the vidyadhara Jatsön Nyingpo
and the mantradharin Humnak Mebar, was a great bhikshu vajra
holder, one person known by three names. He was the fruitional
emanation of the compassion of Nyangben Tingdzin Zangpo,
who was the greatest of the hundred and eight disciples of Guru
Rinpoche who achieved immaculate bodies of light.

Jatsön was born at Varuna Sky Grove in Kongpo as the son of

Chökyong Gönpo, his father; and Namlang Butri, his mother,

288
 The Hundred Tertons

under the constellation Pushya in the Female Wood Bird Year.78

From infancy he remembered his predisposition for dharma, and
learned letters in his third year merely by being shown them.
During his childhood he left many handprints and footprints
in stone.

From the age of twelve until his twentieth year he studied. In

particular he mastered medicine. During those years he repeat-
edly encountered Guru Rinpoche in reality, in visions, and in
dreams. Driven by renunciation and intense sadness, his mind
became one-pointedly focused on dharma alone. He came to
regard all samsaric places and companions as like a pit of fire.
He fled to dharma and entered the presence of the dharma lord
Mipham Tashi Lodrö.

That lord had dreamed that a few women brought him an old
stupa constructed by Guru Padma, saying to him, “This needs
to be reconsecrated.” When he reconsecrated the stupa in his
dream, it blazed with light. Mipham Tashi Lodrö therefore
saw that Jatsön was worthy, and permitted him to undertake
renunciation, giving him the name Ngawang Chögyal Wangpo.
He also gave him innumerable guhyamantra empowerments,

78. The year was 1585 C.E.

289
 The Hundred Tertons

transmissions, and instructions. After receiving these, Jatsön

devoted his time to one-pointed practice.

From other masters such as Dakpo Shabdrung Norbu Gyenpa,

the omniscient Drukchen, and the peerless Lhatsewa Jatsön
received practically all the dharma of sutra and tantra of the
kama and terma lineages of the Sarma and Nyingma traditions.
In particular, he undertook completion in the presence of Lhat-
sewa, becoming a bhikshu.

For seventeen years Jatsön Nyingpo raised the victory banner of

accomplishment in sealed retreat. During those years he received
repeated prophecies of terma. He ignored them until, when he had
completed a hundred million recitations of Vajrapani’s mantra,
he was encouraged by the dharma lord Mipham Tashi Lodrö.

On the tenth day of the first month in the Male Iron Monkey
Year, Jatsön Nyingpo revealed the first of his termas.79 This was
a cast iron image of a garuda, the size of a baby bird. Within it
he found a terma guide in the handwriting of Yeshe Tsogyal.
Accordingly, from the Iron Gate at Hom Gorge in Draklung
he secretly removed the Very Profound Embodiment of the Three

79. The year was 1620 C.E.

290
 The Hundred Tertons

Jewels. He then completed the accomplishment of that terma

and maintained secrecy for the requisite period of time.

At such sites as Buchu in Kongpo; Jangtrandze, a sacred place in

Jönpalung; Nyemo Lhari; the abode of the sangha at Kongtrang;
and the Urusha Temple he revealed many profound termas such
as Mahakarunika; Hayagriva, Varahi, and Guru Wish-Fulfilling Jewel;
the Essence of the Definitive Meaning: The Peaceful and Wrathful Ones;
the Vajra of Meteoric Iron Ayusadhana; Dorje Trolö; the Glorious
Protector Maning; and many guides to sacred places. Although
the Embodiment of the Three Jewels and a few others were secret
termas, most of his revelations were public. Jatsön Nyingpo had
boundless supercognition and miraculous abilities. He was able
to easily see what was hidden from others and cross rivers and
abysses without difficulty. In particular, when Jatsön was about
to reveal the terma of Nyemo Lhari, Pratiwa of Kongpo and
other spiteful people were guarding the terma site with an army
because they feared that the terma’s removal would deplete the
earth’s richness. The tertön, enraptured, mounted his horse. It
galloped straight up a rock face as smooth as a mirror, reaching a
place only accessible to birds and leaving hoofprints in the rock.
In an instant, Jatsön Nyingpo removed the terma and rode away.

291
 The Hundred Tertons

The soldiers were so terrified by this display of yogic prowess

and great miraculous ability that they all gained faith in him.
Jatsön’s magical power and force were unimaginably great. He
did much for the wellbeing of all of Tibet, as well as particular
regions, by controlling samaya-spoilers and averting invasion.
He accepted many fortunate people as disciples and gave them
the amrita of ripening and liberation of many types of dharma
from the kama and terma lineages of the Sarma and Nyingma
traditions. This lord was noble in his behavior, and never departed
from the conduct of a bhikshu. He lived as a complete renunciate
and encouraged his disciples to do so as well. He caused them to
participate in the true path. Jatsön Nyingpo founded a practice
community at Bangri Jokpo, a high, isolated, and sacred place
that he had revealed himself. It remains active to this day, and
is held by both nephew and emanation lineages. Jatsön’s first
dharma heir was Gampo Shapdrung Norbu Gyenpa. Once the
gate of Jatsön Nyingpo’s activity was opened, people gathered
around him from all of central and eastern Tibet, including the
Tenth Gyalwang Karmapa Chöying Dorje; Shamar Chökyi Wang-
chuk; Gyaltsap Drakpa Döndrup; Drikungpa Chökyi Drakpa;
Drukchen Paksam Wangpo; Ngaki Wangpo, the vidyadhara of
Dorje Drak; Tsele Natsok Rangdröl; Lhatsün Namkha Jikme;

292
 The Hundred Tertons

the vidyadhara Trinley Lhundrup; Kangyurwa Gönpo Sönam

Chokden; Puwo Baka Tulku Rikdzin Chökyi Gyamtso; Kunga
Gyamtso, the siddha of Derge; the great tertön Düdül Dorje;
and Tala Padmamati.

Jatsön Nyingpo’s activity and influence spread all the way to

the great eastern ocean, and continues undiminished today.
I have increased this activity. I have received his complete six
volumes of terma as well as his collected works. I have taken his
termas in general and especially the Very Profound Embodiment
of the Three Jewels as the essence of my daily yoga of generation
and completion, and have received signs of their blessing. I have
composed writings in support of his termas, including essays of
instruction and the Great Guide to Approaching the Embodiment of
the Three Jewels. I have had these printed, as well as the Essence
of the Definitive Meaning: The Peaceful and Wrathful Ones and its
accessories. I have established its continuous observance as the
tenth-day practice and offering in front of the great golden
relics of our lord protector, Vajradhara Padma Nyinje Wangpo.

In summary, although this tertön’s interdependence was the

worst among the four types described — excellent, intermedi-
ate, poor, and very poor — his bodhichitta and training were

293
 The Hundred Tertons

extraordinary. Because he perfected the practice of his own

profound termas, his terma dharma — especially the Embodiment
of the Three Jewels — has spread throughout all of the Sarma and
Nyingma traditions, as anyone can see. Throughout the history
of Jatsön’s dharma lineage, many practitioners appear to have
achieved the body of light. During the lifetime of Lord Sönam
Topgyal alone, two people did so at Dakpo.

Having completed his activity, Jatsön Nyingpo consciously

demonstrated how to pass into a great pure realm in his seventy-
second year at Bangri Jokpo, openly displaying signs and miracles.80

Although there have been five tertöns who have worn the crown
of the name Letro Lingpa, and all of them have been authentic
tertöns, it is universally known that the prophecy in the Testa-
ment of Padma, including the identification of terma sites, refers
only to Jatsön Nyingpo.

80. The year was 1656 C.E.

294
 Samten Dechen Lingpa

Then:

Here in Tibet there will be a hundred and eight so-called

kings.
Because of the karmic connection between the snow and
the lion
Worldly people will lack even a moment’s happiness.
These will be the signs that the time has come to reveal
The terma concealed at Jar Rock.
The one called Ugyen Samten Lingpa will appear.

The tertön Ugyen Samten Dechen Lingpa was an emanation of

both Drokmi Palgyi Yeshe and Yudra Nyingpo. He was born at
Longpo Jimgang, and lived as a mantradharin vajra holder. It
is clear that he founded Dechen Ling at Nyangkha in Kongpo.

At the White Rock of the Jowo in eastern Jar, Samten Dechen

Lingpa revealed the Profound All-Inclusive Three Roots cycle. He
also revealed the Subduing All the Vicious cycle, which is one of the

295
 The Hundred Tertons

nine great traditions of the Eight Dispensations; the Glorious Four-

Faced Protector; the Protector Realm-Guardian Father and Mother; and
other cycles. It appears, however, that Samten Dechen Lingpa’s
dharma lineage eventually became rare. Nevertheless, our lord
guru recently revealed the tantras, agamas, and upadeshas of
the Eight Dispensations: Subduing All the Vicious as rediscovered
terma, and I have had the good fortune to receive it from him.

Although it is unclear exactly when Samten Dechen Lingpa

lived, some historical sources indicate that he appeared during
the later life of Sangye Lingpa. Chöje Lingpa and others have
interpreted the prediction of Samten Dechen Lingpa as a pre-
diction of Taksham Nüden Dorje, who appeared later. This is
also correct, but I have presented it as a prediction of Samten
Dechen Lingpa because that was the original and widespread
reading of it. You may learn about the great tertön Taksham
from the seed of his life that will appear below.

296
 Shikpo Lingpa

Then:

Because of designs drawn on felt with vermilion

Famine will occur in Nupkyi Sekpalung.
This will be the sign that the time has come to reveal
The terma concealed at Garuda Nest Rock.
The one called Ugyen Shikpo Lingpa will appear.

The tertön Shikpo Lingpa Gargyi Wangchuk was an emanation

of Prince Damdzin. Shikpo Lingpa was born at Tölung Nangtse
in central Tibet, not far from where the two Jowo images reside,
on Sunday the twenty-third day of the tenth month in the Male
Wood Monkey year under the constellation Purva-Phalguni.81
His father’s name was Namkha Wangchen Puntsok; his mother’s
was Tsewang Tenma. As he was born to a ruling family, his birth
occurred in the Golden Palace of Nangtse.

81. The year was 1524 C.E.

297
 The Hundred Tertons

In his fifth year Shikpo Lingpa requested hair-cutting and re-

nunciation from the lord Menchupa Namkha Rinchen. Namkha
Rinchen refused the request, saying, “Cutting this boy’s hair
would do the cutter no good! I will give you the vows of mantra
instead, and will name you.” He gave him the name Namkha
Tsewang Gyalpo.

In his twenty-first year Shikpo Lingpa performed the accom-

plishment of terma. He dreamed that someone told him, “Your
termas are at Garuda Nest Rock. Here is a list of them,” and
gave him a book wrapped in yellow silk. Looking at the book,
he found that it was a precise terma list. When he awoke, the
list remained clearly in his mind, so he wrote it down.

In the evening of the tenth day in the fourth month of that year,
Shikpo Lingpa and six attendants rode to Garuda Nest Rock.
They reached the entrance to its secret caves at sunrise, which
Shikpo Lingpa recognized as auspicious. The rope needed to
climb to the upper secret cave was broken; there was no way
to get to it. Shikpo Lingpa entered the cave miraculously and
searched for signs of terma. He discovered a smooth, long stone
one cubit in width, with a flaming jewel drawn on it in calcite.
By removing the stone he opened the terma door. The cavity

298
 The Hundred Tertons

was filled with powdered charcoal. Within it lay an octagonal

clay terma coffer. Inside the box were the Assembly of Victors
Ayusadhana cycle, samaya substances from the seven-times-born,
vitality water, and many other termas.

At Zangyak Rock, the Stone Stupa of Zurkhar, the Urusha Temple,

Shotö Terdrom, Lhasa, Samye Monastery, and other sites Shikpo
Lingpa revealed the Seven Profound Deity Cycles, Mahakarunika
Who Liberates from Samsara, the Secret Heart Essence of the Great
Perfection, Hayagriva the Naga Tamer, the Wrathful Wheel of Blaz-
ing Meteoric Iron, Twenty-Five Ways to Prevent Invasion, and much
other terma dharma. He also found many images and supports,
and much samaya substance.

There was known to be a prediction that Shikpo Lingpa would

be a contributor to the Wisdom Assembly terma tradition. Ac-
cordingly, he performed excellent service to that tradition at
Nyimphu. In general, he emphasized the practice of the earlier
kama and terma teachings. He therefore became a lord of all
the Nyingma teachings of great secrecy, both kama and terma.
His vast activity in study and teaching made him a vital source
of dharma.

299
 The Hundred Tertons

Shikpo Lingpa’s main disciples were the omniscient Könchok

Yenlak, Sakya Dakchen Kunga Rinchen, Tsedong Dakchen
Kunga Samdrup, and Drukpa Shapdrung Mipam Chögyal. His
lineage was held by innumerable disciples who came from Kham,
Kongpo, Dakpo, Enyal, Bhutan, Tsang, and central Tibet. He
prolonged the life of the great secret Nyingma teachings. This
great tertön, along with Sokdokpa Lodrö Gyaltsen and Gangra
Lochen, caused all of the kama and terma Nyingma teachings
to become widespread. The survival of these teachings down to
the present is due to this tertön’s kindness.

Having completed his activity, he demonstrated the dissolution

of his wisdom into the dharmadhatu amid wondrous signs in
his sixtieth year, at the new moon of the second month in the
Sheep year.82 The lineage of Shikpo Lingpa’s termas has lately
become quite rare. Nevertheless, this tertön predicted the appear-
ance of eight disciples named Padma to his dharma heir Padma
Gyaltsen. Because of those eight disciples — Tala Padmamati
and the others — Shikpo Lingpa’s lineage has survived. I have
gone to great effort to receive its ripening empowerments and
liberating instructions, have served it by writing texts, and have
spread its activity a little through teaching.
82. The year was 1583 C.E.
300
 Dechen Lingpa

Then:

Central Tibetans will gather at Targo Field.

A fortress called Meyar will appear near Mount Hepo.
These will be the signs that the time has come to reveal
The terma concealed at Karak Cave.
The one called Ugyen Dechen Lingpa will appear.

The tertön Dechen Lingpa was born in Drushül Salt Valley at

the foot of Soaring Garuda Mountain. His father’s name was
Paljor Gyaltsen; his mother’s name was Padma Tso. Dechen
Lingpa was born in the Male Water Dog year.83 His family was
the Ker, and it is said that his father was related to the great
vidyadhara Ratna Lingpa. It is well known that Dechen Lingpa
was an emanation of Drokmi Palgyi Yeshe.

In his seventh year Dechen Lingpa saw the five wisdom dakinis.
While playing he left a clear footprint in stone. In his fifteenth

83. The year was 1562 C.E.

301
 The Hundred Tertons

year he met Guru Rinpoche, who blessed and empowered him.

Encouraged by Guru Rinpoche’s prediction, Dechen Lingpa ex-
tracted the Sadhana of Manjushri Yamantaka, various substances,
and a kila from Great Garuda Rock on the tenth day of the
monkey month in the Water Horse year.84 He extracted many
other termas from that site as well as from Design Rock, the
Accomplishment Cave of Namkha Nyingpo, the Secret Cave
of Zilchen, the Great Cave of Gangbar, Protector Face Rock,
Medicine Water LongEared Red Rock, Domtsang Chakrasamvara
Cave, Datsa Zer Cave, the back of the Vairochana of Komting,
Benpa Langrong, the Red Spring of Benpa, Karak Cave, Nawo
Cave in Lhodrak, Tamshül Rock in Lhodrak, Black Rakshasi
Rock, Ezarpo Rock, Erong Trap Pass, Rainbow Rock, Life-Path
Glorious Mountain, and other terma sites.

From these places Dechen Lingpa removed statues, supports of

body; terma scrolls, supports of speech; scepters, supports of mind;
samaya substances that liberate through taste; vitality pills, and
many other termas. It is even said that he discovered a complete
Sanskrit copy of the Hundred Thousand Stanza Prajnaparamitasutra.
Accounts of his discovery of the Wish-Fulfilling Mirror: Instructions

84. The year was 1582 C.E.

302
 The Hundred Tertons

on Vitality, of his extraction of the Eight Dispensations: Conquering

the Vicious from Jomo Karak, of his revelation of the Five Cycles
of the Realm Guardians, and of many of his other revelations can
be found in his Accounts of My Termas.

It was predicted that he would live until the age of seventyeight,

as follows:

Your life will end in your seventy-eighth year.

You will pass away near Crystal Rock.
Conceal your remains as terma in Lhasa,
Then complete the extraction of terma at Kongpo Buchu.
You will do this with a wisdom body, not a karmic body.

However, because Dechen Lingpa did not follow the indications

in his prophecies, this prediction was not fulfilled; he passed away
in his thirty-first year due to accidental conditions. Although his
termas predicted many dharma heirs, he was unable to gather
some of them because he did not control interdependence. He
did encounter both Jangchup Lingpa Natsok Rangdrol and
Karpo Tendzin Norbu, but Dechen Lingpa’s lineage and benefit
for beings never became widespread.

303
 The Hundred Tertons

Dechen Lingpa was reborn at Kongpo Buchu. The rebirth was

brought back to Dechen Lingpa’s seat by his disciples. He offered
the first fruits of his crown to the Ninth Karmapa and stud-
ied with many masters including the great tertön of Trengpo,
Shikpo Lingpa, and Drikungpa Chögyal Puntsok. He received
many empowerments and transmissions for the kama and terma
teachings of the Sarma and Nyingma traditions of guhyaman-
tra, and became a great holder of the teachings. He was unable,
however, to reveal any profound termas, and passed away in his
thirty-ninth year amid wondrous signs. His nirmanakaya was
born in Melpo in Bhutan, and it is said that there were three
successive rebirths.

Dechen Lingpa’s principal terma was the Dakinis’ Wisdom

Assembly. Its treatises, tantras, and upadeshas were gradually
revealed by his three successive rebirths. They are said to have
filled six volumes, but it seems their lineage has not survived. It
appears that the lineage of the Wish-Fulfilling Mirror: Instructions
on Vitality survived for some time, but nowadays even copies of
it are not to be found. I have received the reading transmission
of Dechen Lingpa’s Vitality Vase of Medicinal Amrita. It seems that
Chokgyur Lingpa’s Essence of the Dakinis’ Wisdom Assembly, which

304
 The Hundred Tertons

I have also received, could be considered to have come from the

same stream as Dechen Lingpa’s Dakinis’ Wisdom Assembly.
Especially, our lord guru Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa acquired
the actual terma scrolls of Dechen Lingpa’s Dakinis’ Wisdom As-
sembly as rediscovered terma. He revealed their essence, and I
have had the good fortune to receive that as well.

These forty-seven emanated great tertöns, starting with Sangye

Lama and concluding with Dechen Lingpa, are those actually
predicted in the Great Testament. I have therefore written fully
about their lives, based on whatever sources I could find. Many
of the prophecies are out of historical sequence; I will explain
below the order of these tertöns’ appearance. In writing about
their lives I have not altered the order of the prophecies found
in the Great Testament of the Crystal Cave itself.

In the hundred and seventeen chapter Testament, a terma of

Sangye Lingpa, it states that Sangye Lingpa would appear be-
fore Ugyen Lingpa, and gives the signs of his appearance. There
is no mention of a second Rinchen Lingpa. At the end of the
prophecy, the tertön Mingyur Dorje and the signs of his com-
ing are predicted.

305
 The Hundred Tertons

In another version of the Testament we find:

The tertön called Dorje Trolö will appear.

This prediction, which also gives the signs of his appearance, is

held by the learned to refer to the great vidyadhara of Ngari,
whose secret name was Dorje Trolö.

In the Testament of Düdül Dorje, there are many other predic-

tions, such as that of the five essence tertöns. There is therefore
no final consensus about these predictions.

Many other great and minor tertöns, not mentioned in these

prophecies, have appeared. I will primarily write now about those
whose lineages I have received, basing my account on previous
histories of dharma. I will begin with Gyaben Dorje Ö.

306
 Gyaben Dorje Ö

The tertön Gyaben Dorje Ö was born at Nyangro in Tsang to-

ward the end of the period of Early Dissemination. He lived as
a mantradharin, and was known by the nickname Aku Tönpa.
In later life Dorje Ö became discouraged by his service to his
lineage, and went to Kharchu in Lhodrak to practice. On the
way, while passing through Yardrok Ridge, he met Drokmi Pal-
gyi Yeshe and his sons. Then he continued on to Kharchu and,
while practicing, received a prophecy. Based on it he went to
the deep cave at Arrow Feather Rock and found the Most Pro-
found Rasayana of Ever-Crying. Through its implementation he
accomplished rasayana of life and body; he regained a youthful
form. Although it is said that he lived for three hundred years,
it seems certain that this figure refers to half years.

The transmission and practical instructions for this practice

still exist. I have had the good fortune to receive them, and
have included their texts in the Great Treasury of Precious Terma.

307
 Guru Humbar

Guru Humbar was born to a Bönpo family in Takde. He lived

as a mantrin. He discovered the Rahula Keta Cycle, extremely
profound and effective teachings on forceful mantra, in the
heart of the image of Shri Hayagriva in the Toling Temple in
Ngari. He gave it to Takde Drakpa Gyaltsen, who offered it to
the Purong king Lha Lama Yeshe Ö, who was pleased with it and
gave it to Lokya Tönpa of Gyerpu. Its instructions have been
transmitted continuously since then, and I have received them.

308
 Lhatsün Jangchup Ö

Lhatsün Jangchup Ö was born in the royal family of Lha Lama

Yeshe Ö, and was his nephew and successor. He lived as a bhikshu
and became learned in all sutra and tantra as well as translation.
By inviting Lord Atisha to Tibet, Lhatsün Jangchup Ö was of
tremendous kindness to all of Tibet. Within a column at Samye
he found the Sadhana of the Brother and Sister Putras, extraordinary
instructions combining invocation, exhortation, and termina-
tion into a single practice. This sadhana is known as the Column
Sadhana. Jangchup Ö gave it to the translator Rinchen Zangpo,
from whom it has been passed down. Its text, the transmission
of which remains uninterrupted, is included in the Protector
Volume of the glorious Sakya lineage.

The two kings Lha Lama Yeshe Ö and Lhatsün Jangchup Ö left
a tremendous imprint on Tibet. During their reigns the temples
built by the early dharma kings, such as those at Lhasa and Samye,
were restored; the Ushangdo Temple, which had burned down,
was entirely rebuilt; the Golden Temple of Toling was built;

309
 The Hundred Tertons

and many panditas were brought to Tibet, causing a revival of

Buddhism in this land.

310
 Atisha

The glorious lord Atisha Dipamkara Shrijnana was a great scholar

and siddha. He became famous throughout both India and Tibet;
the three levels of existence are filled with his renown. He was
an emanation of both the Buddha Amitabha and Guru Padma.
He was the very embodiment of bodhichitta, and his kindness
to all of Tibet was tremendous. As his life story is well known
I will not write much about it here.

Encouraged by a prophecy he received from Arya Tara, and

invited by the king of Tibet, Atisha came to this land of snows.
He disseminated and entirely revived Buddhism here. In Lhasa,
he received a prophecy from a natural yogini who was masquer-
ading as a madwoman. Based on her prophecy, Atisha found
three scrolls in a space three feet deep within an ornamental
column. These three scrolls contained the Great Testament of the
Dharma King Songtsen Gampo; Brilliant White Silk, a history writ-
ten by Songtsen’s queens; and the All-Bestowing Moon, a history
written by Songtsen’s ministers. As the terma guardians were
strict, Atisha had four people, including the yogin to whom he

311
 The Hundred Tertons

transmitted the terma, transcribe the scrolls on the very day of

their discovery. It was felt necessary to reconceal the original
scrolls that same night, and it is said that only a fragment of
the original scrolls was kept.

Lord Atisha passed this terma on to a disciple called the Great

Yogin, who gave it to Jayülwa, who gave it to the custodian of
the Lhasa Temples as the terma described the great qualities of
Mahakarunika. It is said that the first transcribed copy, written
with gold ink on blue paper, was placed with Atisha’s remains
after his death, and that the scrolls themselves were reconcealed
in a clay statue of Hayagriva in a temple annex.

It is also said that Atisha discovered other termas in India, such

as the Ritual for Raising the Victory Banner of the Five Ushnishas,
which he is said to have found in the Lotus Temple in Bheta.

312
 Shangtsün Tarma Rinchen

Shangtsün Tarma Rinchen was born at Puhrang in Ngari around

the time of Atisha’s presence in Tibet. He revealed the Secret
Sadhana of Remati the Self-Arisen Queen. This has been passed
down and, since Lord Dusum Khyenpa, she has been the prin-
cipal protectress of the Karma Kagyu.

313
 Rongzom Chökyi Zangpo

Rongzom Chökyi Zangpo was the reappearance of Vairochana,

and was the greatest mahapandita who ever appeared in this
land of snow-covered mountains. It is known that he revealed
several profound termas, but it is uncertain whether their lineages
survived. Recently, however, our lord guru Padma Ösal Dongak
Lingpa received the wondrous Secret Sadhana of the Dakini Kuru-
kulle as rediscovered terma, and I have had the good fortune to
receive it from him. The great Rongzom Chökyi Zangpo’s life
story is wellknown; there is no need for me to write of it here.

314
 Dorbum Chökyi Drakpa

Dorbum Chökyi Drakpa was an emanation of Ugyen Drupay

Nyingpo, who was so blessed by Guru Rinpoche during his pres-
ence in Tibet that they became inseparable. Dorbum Chökyi
Drakpa was born in Ngari to an affluent family that had, at the
time of his birth, just sponsored an edition of the Vajrachedikasutra
and the Hundred-Thousand Stanza Prajnaparamitasutra written in
gold ink. He was therefore named Dorje Bum.85 His monastic
name was Chökyi Drakpa. A prophecy among his termas says:

A disk of light with a rim like a peacock feather.

Dorbum Chökyi Drakpa had a disk-shaped mark like the pat-

tern on a peacock feather on his forehead. He revealed the
Root Cycle of the Great Vase of Medicinal Amrita from the heart
of an image of Hayagriva the Subduer of the Aggressive in the
Northern Border-Taming Temple at Traduntse. He also brought
supplements to that cycle out from beneath a stone image of
Maitreya and revealed the Cycle of the Small Vase of Amrita from

85. Dorje Bum means “Vajra Hundred Thousand.”

315
 The Hundred Tertons

the heart of an image of the Panjara Mahakala. The lineage of the

empowerments, transmissions, and instructions for these cycles
has survived undiminished, and they have produced unexcelled
benefit to this Himalayan land.

316
 Sangye Bar

The tertön Sangye Bar was born to the family line of Sangye Lama.
It is said that he revealed cycles concerning Fierce Vajrapani and
Hayagriva; the root text of the Stages of the Guhyamantra Path,
along with its instructions; the Sadhana of the Four Great Kings;
the Jewel Garland of Dakinis; and other termas from Latö Kachu,
Lowo Tangbar, and other places. However, as he appeared so
long ago, his lineage has not survived.

317
 Setön Ringmo

The terma guide used by the master of forceful mantra called

Setön Ringmo came from Lhatsün Ngönmo. Lhatsün gave the
terma guide to two monks and sent them to find the terma.
The two monks, however, were killed at the foot of Paro Cliff
in the south by the people who lived there. The guide was lost
and came into the hands of Setön Ringmo. Using it, he is said
to have revealed the Little Hindu Tantra of the Seven Activities,
along with its instructions, from a deep cave in the Red Rock
of Paro. This terma, an uncommon cycle of teaching on force-
ful mantra, had been concealed by Guru Rinpoche in order to
protect the dharma. However, I’ve seen no evidence that its
lineage has survived.

318
 Gya Purbu

Gya Purbu was born in Lhodrak to the Gya family. His name
was Purbu Gön. He lived as a white-robed mantrin.

Guru Rinpoche had combined the essence of tantras such as the

Sky-Iron Vajra Tamer of Nagas and the Vajrachanda Heart Tantra,
and taught it to King Trisong Detsen for his protection. The
king concealed these teachings as terma at Genay in Bumthang
and at Paro Kyerchu. Both concealments were revealed by Gya
Purbu. One came to be named after its place of concealment and
is called the Poisonous Blood of Bumthang. The other was named
after its magical power, and is called the Iron Stem. As these
two termas were combined into one, they are nowadays called
the Combined Iron and Bumthang.

They were passed down from the tertön and eventually came
to the Vidyadhara Vulture Feathers. They were passed down by
him and were eventually received by Jangdak Wangpoi De, who
composed several writings for their practice. The lineage of the

319
 The Hundred Tertons

Rasung Blessing, and of the transmissions and instructions for all

these texts, has survived undiminished, and I have received it.

320
 Geshe Dranga Dorje Kundrak

Geshe Dranga Dorje Kundrak revealed the dharma cycle of the

Glorious Black Protector Riding a Tiger from Dorje Drombu in
Nyuk. This was eventually received by Tsarchen Rinpoche, and
is nowadays the main protector of Ngor Ewam Tartse Monas-
tery. However, only the blessing ritual has survived; the terma
text itself has not.

321
 Lharjey Nupchung

Lharjey Nupchung was born as the son of Nup Yeshe Gyamtso

at Kulung in Tsang. Nupchung lived as a mantrin, and is said
to have acquired tremendous magical power through forceful
mantra. From Koting in Lhodrak he revealed Nupchen’s ultimate
teachings on forceful mantra, the Fiery Razor Reversal Cycle.
He gave it to Shangtrom and others, from whom it has been
passed down. It is still used by the vajra holders who guard the
Nyingma teachings.

The glorious Drikung Chökyi Drakpa, mainly through practicing

this cycle, came to be directly accepted by Manjushri Yaman-
taka. He therefore widely disseminated its ripening empower-
ments, liberating instructions, and various branches. This cycle
is therefore known as the Drikung Reversal. I have received its
complete lineage.

322
 Gyatön Tsöndru Senge

The mantradharin Gyatön Tsöndru Senge was born to the Gya

family. He was an emanation of Nupchen Sangye Yeshe. He
revealed the Yamantaka the Lord of the Tomb, LongArmed Butcher,
Dorje Draktsen, and Jowo Adrak cycles — means of exterminating
enemies of dharma within seven days — from the Tiger’s Lair
at Paro Red Rock. I have seen no evidence that his Yamantaka
cycle has survived, but his Draktsen cycle seems to be a main
protector of the glorious Drukpa Kagyu.

323
 Chetsün Senge Wangchuk

Chetsün Senge Wangchuk was born as the son of Che Tupay

Wangpo in Nyangro Nyentse. In youth Chetsün Senge Wang-
chuk perfected learning. He met the master Dangma Lhungyal,
and received from him at Kharak the complete teachings of
the Great Perfection. After the passing of his master, Chetsün
concealed the old terma texts as three reconcealed termas in
Langdro Chepa Takdra, Oyuk, and the upper valley of Jar. While
moving about and practicing meditation, Chetsün received in a
dream the prophetic instruction of Vimalamitra that he should
go to Samye Chimphu, which he did. There, the terma guardians
offered him the Four Profound Volumes of the Heart Essence. Car-
rying these books, Chetsün then went to the rim of mountains
in outer Oyuk.

While he was there, Vimalamitra came to him and remained

for two weeks, bestowing upon him all of the empowerments
and instructions of the Heart Essence. Chetsün then meditated
in that place for seven years and achieved the rainbow body. He

324
then bestowed the complete instructions on the nirmanakaya
Shangtön.

Chetsün lived for a hundred and twenty-five years. At the end

of his life, he dissolved into light in the sky.

Thirty years after Chetsün concealed the Heart Essence teachings

as terma at Oyuk, they were recovered by Chegom Nakpo of
Narda. He practiced them and taught them to others. Shangtön
Tashi Dorje recovered the Secret Unsurpassable Cycle from the
door-like White Rock of Jarphu. It is also said that Shangpa
Repa recovered other instructions concealed by Chetsün from
Langdro Chepa, and disseminated them.

In these ways the kama lineage of Vimalamitra’s instructions,

the Great Secret Heart Essence, the Tilaka Secret Cycle, has come
down from Be Lodrö Wangchuk. The terma lineage comes from
the discoveries of five tertöns. All of these as well as the vast
Seventeen Tantras with their commentaries — eighteen with
the Tantra of the Fierce Black Protectress — and the hundred and
ninety instructions along with the Four Profound Volumes of the
Heart Essence were widespread in the past.

325
 The Hundred Tertons

Nowadays, however, only the complete teachings of the Eighteen

Tantras, some of the instructions, and the Four Profound Volumes
of the Heart Essence have survived. I have received them.

Especially, when our lord guru Ösal Trülpe Dorje was in his
twenty-fourth year he went to the area of Oyuk Shukpa Ling
in Tsang, near the Khandro Chigong Mountains.86 While there,
our lord guru remembered the occasion on which the great
Chetsün passed into a body of light. He clearly remembered the
place, time, teacher, retinue, and the turning of the dharmach-
akra by Chetsün before his passing. Our lord guru wrote down
the teachings Chetsün gave then. These are profound, concise,
wonderful, and full of blessings, and are called the Three-Part
Writing on the Five Expanses, the King of Instructions, the Profound
Essence of Omniscient Vimalamitra.

Our lord guru has discreetly bestowed this on the Fourteenth

Gyalwang Karmapa Tekchok Dorje, the great tertön Chokgyur
Lingpa, and other great beings. In particular, he first kindly be-
stowed its ripening empowerments and liberating instructions
on me. I have therefore formed a connection with its practice,

86. Ösal Trülpe Dorje is yet another of Jamyang Khyentse

Wangchuk’s many names.

326
 The Hundred Tertons

have served it through the composition of clear and brief texts

for its empowerments and instructions, and have taught it to
others as much as I could.

327
 Sarben Chokme

The tertön Sarben Chokme was a rebirth of Shelza Drönkyi,

one of Guru Padma’s consorts. Sarben Chokme was born near
Paro in Bhutan. He lived as a mantradharin. He revealed the
Manjushri Great Perfection Cycle and its accessories from a rock
with embedded turquoise in the Glorious Lion’s Cave at Tak-
stang. As this cycle later became the principal Peaceful Manjushri
sadhana used by Yamantaka Ayupati practitioners, it became
widespread. I have received its empowerments.

328
 Nyen the Translator

Tarma Drak, the Translator of the Nyen family, was a descendant

of Nyenchen Palyang. He was born at Shaptö in Tsang. He went
to India and mastered linguistics and logic. From Vajrasanapada,
the Yogini of the Mountains, and other masters he received
much dharma and many protector cycles. As it was Nyen who
revealed the Glorious Four-Faced Protector Cycle, this is nowadays
called the Nyen Protector.

This practice cycle was concealed by Guru Rinpoche in a rock

face with ledges to the north of Palmo Palthang. By revealing this,
Nyen united the streams of kama and terma teaching concerning
this protector. He gave the kama teachings to Lama Namkha
Upa, who gave them to Jetsün Tsewa Chenpo, who made this
a principal protector of the glorious Sakya tradition. It is said
that Nyen gave the terma teachings to the nirmanakaya Rashak
the Great, but I do not know if their lineage has survived.

Nyen revealed the Kurukulle sadhana called the Golden Heart

Essence of the Glorious Goddess from the left breast of a clay statue

329
 The Hundred Tertons

of Ekajati that was beneath an image of Kurukulle to the north

of Vajrasana in India. This cycle is nowadays one of the Three
Little Red Cycles among the Thirteen Golden Dharmas of the Sakyas.
Although these are not considered Nyingma teachings, because
of their connection to other revelations I have written briefly
about them here.

330
 Shakya Zangpo

Shakya Zangpo, also known as Shakya Ö, was a teacher in Lhasa.

He was a rebirth of the mantradharin Shakya Ö. From a buttress
on the Rasa Trülnang Temple he revealed the sutrayana part of
King Songtsen Gampo’s collected writings. It seems that what
he discovered was the sutrayana component found nowadays
within the Mani Kabum.

Shakya Zangpo also revealed the particularly profound Wheel of

Black Wind, teachings on magic drawn from the King of Agitators
Tantra. This was much used by practitioners of forceful mantra,
but I have not seen any evidence that its lineage has survived.
Among Shakya Zangpo’s minor discoveries are the Play of the
Trikaya Guru: Protection from Contagion and How to Banish the Five
Inborn Gods. I have received these.

Recently, our lord guru Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa revealed

Shakya Zangpo’s Vajrapani the Vajra Blaze as rediscovered terma.
I have received the amrita of its ripening empowerments and
liberating instructions, and have served it through composition.

331
 Zangri Repa

The guru Zangri Repa was born in Latö Chungpa. He became

a disciple of Lord Rechungpa. His name was Gotön Wangchuk
Dorje, although he is better known as Zangri Repa because
he practiced at Zangri. He was one of Lord Dusum Khyenpa’s
teachers.

From the foundation of a small yellow building in the Black

Charnel Ground of Yerpa Zangri Repa revealed the guide to
Yerpa called Divine Prophecy. Its transmission survived for some
time, but nowadays there do not even appear to be copies of it.

332
 Nyalpo Josay

Nyalpo Josay, also known as Nyaltön Nakpo, is said to have dis-

covered the instructions of the fierce Brahmin mantrin Amoli
that Guru Rinpoche had concealed in the vase of the Black Stupa
of Samye. These instructions were known both as the Combined
Sadhana of the Three Supports and as the Tsangshukma Cycle. They
appear to have been lost.

333
 Sangye Wangchen

Sangye Wangchen of Nyemo Gyagong Mountain was born in

Nyemo. He lived as an ordinary mantrin. He revealed the Secret
Sadhana of Hayagriva, and bestowed it on Kyergangpa Chökyi
Senge at the command of Guru Rinpoche. Starting then, it
gradually became as famous as the wind for its extreme pro-
fundity, and is known as the Kyergang Hayagriva. It has spread
throughout all traditions, and I have received its empowerment
and the transmissions of many of its earlier and later literature.

334
 Chupa Tokden

The tertön Chupa Tokden was born at Norbuling, adjacent

to a river in Gyalmorong. Because he lived without activity or
direction, he came to be called Tokden.87 His actual name was
Gendun Gyaltsen.

There is a mountain in Gyalmorong called Sertö Drongri. It is

associated with the great local spirit Draklha Gonpo. Within a
north-facing cave on this mountain’s side Chupa Tokden saw
three lacquer coffers. He took one of them and found within
it the Glorious Protector Ganapati Source of Siddhi Cycle, which
had been concealed as terma by Vairochana. By receiving the
unbroken kama lineage of the extensive Secret Razor Cycle from
the dharma lord Gendun Gyaltsen he combined the kama and
terma streams into one. He bestowed them on the Black Lama
of Miklung, also known as Gendun Gyaltsen. Since then, this
has been a principal protector of the Kathok lineage of the
Nyingma tradition, and is renowned for its great power. Its

87. Tokden means “One with Realization.”

335
 The Hundred Tertons

empowerments, transmissions, and practical instructions have

been passed down unbroken, and I have received them.

336
 Bakhal Mukpo

The nirmanakaya Bakhal Mukpo was an emanation of Prince

Damdzin, and was born in Lhodrak around the time of Lord
Nyang. Bakhal Mukpo lived as a mantrin. As he had a brown
face, he was nicknamed Tulku Mukpo Dong, Nirmanakaya with
a Brown Face, and became known as Bakhal Mukpo, Brown
Cow Kidney.

It is said that from Khalarongo Rock in Mangyül he revealed a

biography of Guru Rinpoche describing his birth from a womb;
the supplication Removing Obstacles on the Path, along with a
commentary; and a concise Vajrakilaya Cycle. Nowadays, the
supplication has spread to all traditions, and it appears that
copies of the biography still exist.

In recent times the nirmanakaya Chokgyur Dechen Lingpa

revealed the Sadhana of the Guru’s Heart: Dispelling All Obstacles,
including its liturgies, instructions, and applications. I have re-
ceived its profound and extensive ripening empowerments and
liberating instructions. It seems that the stream of its blessings

337
 The Hundred Tertons

and those of Bakhal’s terma could be considered to have been

combined into one.

338
 Prince Mekhyil

Prince Mekhyil was born in southwestern Tsang into the family

of King Trisong Detsen. He lived as a noble mantrin of royal
descent, and was the predicted rebirth of the meditator Hami-
natha, a Bhutanese disciple of Guru Rinpoche. From a column
in the northern Traduntse Temple he revealed the Sadhana of
Hayagriva Ekavira, the Life-Wheel of the King, Compelling Pehar,
and Compelling the Aggressive. The lineage and practice of the
Life-Wheel of the King became widespread for a while, but even-
tually even copies of its text became unavailable. Recently, our
lord guru Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa received an old copy of
it in the context of the dakinis’ entrustment seal. Through the
blessing of Guru Rinpoche and his disciples, he has circulated
it as rediscovered terma. He has kindly bestowed it on me.

339
 Drugu Yangwang

Drugu Yangwang was an emanation of the great king Trisong

Detsen. He was born in Drugu in Kham, and lived as a great vajra
holder and mantrin. He was known by the names Yangwang Ter
and Dorje Tershay Tsal.

There is a saying, “Nyemo Shuyay Nöjin Bar held the dispensa-

tion of tantra. Nyangral Nyima Özer held the dispensation of
agama. Drugu Yangwang held the dispensation of upadesha and
forceful mantra.” These three lived at the same time.

Drugu Yangwang revealed the Powerful Black Sun and Moon cycle
of instructions, which can overcome all external and internal
forces, from Red Rock Tamarisk Grove. Its empowerments,
transmissions, instructions, and implementation have survived
down to the present, and I have received all of them.

In particular, Drugu Yangwang revealed the great tantra, in-

structions, and applications of Hayagriva the Liberator of All the
Aggressive from a flame-shaped rock at Paro. Eventually these

340
 The Hundred Tertons

teachings disappeared, until even their name was forgotten.

Finally, however, Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa, an emanation
of King Trisong, received an old copy of this vast cycle — in-
cluding its tantra and sadhana — in the context of the dakinis’
entrustment seal. He also revealed some of its instructions as
rediscovered terma through the blessing of this great tertön. I
have received all of these from him, and have formed a bit of
a connection with this cycle through composition, approach,
accomplishment, and great accomplishment.

341
 Sumpa Jangchup Lodrö

Sumpa Jangchup Lodrö was born in the area of eastern Tibet

called Markham, the “Third Southern Region” among the “Three
Ridges.” He was called Sumpa after his birthplace, “Third.” His
actual name was Jangchup Lodrö. His completion name was
Sönam Gyaltsen. He was an emanation of Guru Rinpoche’s
mind, and held the dispensation of a lord of profound terma.

According to some accounts, when Guru Rinpoche was about

to return to India from Tibet the king of Tibet offered him a
golden begging bowl filled with amrita. According to other ac-
counts, he offered him a golden mandala on which were arranged
eight turquoises the size of pigeons. In any case, the instructions
requested by the king at that time were the Wind-Wheel of the
Twenty Aggressive Ones, a means of eradicating those with broken
samaya by casting them to the wind.

Sumpa Jangchup Lodrö revealed these instructions together

with their accessories from beneath the toe of an image of
Vajrapani at Samye. He also revealed some brief writings from

342
 The Hundred Tertons

the forehead and heart of an image of Maheshvara at Samye.

Some of what he found there was contained in a copper tube
four finger-widths in length.

Nowadays these teachings are known as the Aggressive from

Kham. They have spread all over central, southern, and northern
Kham, and have survived undiminished. Nevertheless, I have
not received them up to now.

343
 Taklungpa Sangye Wönpo

Taklungpa Sangye Wönpo was born into the Taklungzi family.

His birth occurred on top of a donkey shed in Kham Yangshö.
When his umbilical cord was cut, a sound like a guitar string was
heard, and within it, many stanzas of dharma. He was given the
name Könchok Se. In his fourth year he was brought to central
Tibet. He undertook renunciation and was named Drakpa Pal
Özer Zangpo. He achieved completion in his twentieth year in
the presence of the abbot Galungpa. He returned to Kham and
founded the glorious Riwoche Monastery. His achievements in
construction of temples and the like are great.

This lord revealed from a terma at Nine Beards Rock in Tsang,

a practice place of Zurchungpa, the practice of Guru Rinpoche
surrounded by the eight Gauris and a vajra and bell that had
been Guru Rinpoche’s scepters. This vajra and bell were kept for
a long time at the Tsangpo Gogu Retreat in western Kongpo as
its inner support. About other termas he recovered, he wrote:

From the side of Gyawodong Rock

344
 The Hundred Tertons

I revealed seventeen dharmas like my heart.

Especially, I revealed Black Yamantaka.
From Gardzong Rock I revealed thirteen.
From Lungmodza I revealed a vase.
From Utse Nangwa Rölpa,
Gönpo Rawa, Ngalok Dzong,
And other places I revealed much terma dharma.

From among these, I have received the complete Mind Sadhana. I

have placed it, along with a liturgical arrangement, in the Great
Treasury of Terma.

345
 Nyalpa Nyima Sherap

Nyalpa Nyima Sherap was born in Nyal. He was a disciple of

Zangkar the Translator, Pakpa Sherap. He studied and became
very learned in yogatantra. He founded monasteries in both
western and eastern Nyal, and installed images of the Buddha
Vairochana in many temples. Because of his extensive turning of
the dharmachakra of yogatantra, it became extremely widespread
during his lifetime. He was of great benefit and kindness to the
yogatantra teachings. His main residence was at Tsangpo Dong.

From the annex of the Jagöshong Temple he revealed an image

concealed there by the minister Lhazang Lupal, a large silk
banner depicting Vaishravana known as the Jongyülma, and
the Sadhana of Vaishravana Bearing a Red Spear. The lineage of
the latter remains unbroken.

346
 Trophu the Translator

Trophu the Translator, Nup Jampay Pal, was born as the son of
a powerful mantrin of the Nyingma tradition known as Rozen
Nakpo. Trophu was of the Pamodru Kagyu tradition, and founded
the Trophu Kagyu, one of the eight secondary divisions of the
Kagyu. His learning and attainment were unimaginably great.
He invited three pandita siddhas to Tibet: the mahapanditas
Shakyashri, Buddhashri, and Mitra the Yogin. He also created a
great image of Maitreya, twentyeight fathoms in height, which
bestowed liberation through being seen. His imprint on the
teachings has been as great as that of any of the scholars or
siddhas of Tibet.

This great translator revealed from Vulture Basin the sevenchap-

ter Tantra of the Yaksha Vaishravana Bearing a Mace that had been
translated by Nyak Jnanakumara, along with a commentary by
the mahapandita Vimalamitra on the ayusadhana taught in its
last chapter.

347
 The Hundred Tertons

These two Vaishravana cycles — that of Nyalpa and this one of

Trophu — are fully contained within the Sakya Book of Vaishra-
vana, and I have received them.

348
 Yeben Yabön

The tertön Yeben Yabön was born to a Bönpo family during

the later life of Nyen the Translator. He revealed teachings on
forceful mantra, including the Wind-Wheel Razor of Life, from
the northern Traduntse Temple. The lineage and practice of the
Wind-Wheel continued until fairly recently, but nowadays I’ve
been unable to locate or receive the transmission of its text.

349
 Balpo Ah Hum Bar

Balpo Ah Hum Bar was born in southern Tsang. He lived as a

mantrin, and was clearly predicted to be an emanation of Na-
nam Dorje Düdjom. Accordingly, from the Red Rock of Paro he
revealed profound instructions including the Great Life-Wheel of
Black Jambhala and the Ritual for Training Elephants. These were
passed down through the glorious Gawalungpa, and their trans-
mission and practice seems to have continued until somewhat
recently, but by our time it had become impossible to locate
even a copy of their texts. However, dakinis presented our lord
guru with an old copy. He revealed the sadhana and applications
as rediscovered terma. I have received them fully from him, and
have offered the service of composition.

350
 Ajo Palpo

The tertön Ajo Palpo was born at Zurkhar, near Samye. He

lived as a common householder mantrin. From a column in the
Bumthang Temple in Bhutan he revealed the Profound Wheel
that Strengthens the Bull of Merit. It is still practiced by everyone
nowadays, and I have received it. It is said that he also revealed
the Sadhana of the Three Tenma Sisters from Drakyangdzong, and
the Sadhana of Mari Rapjam Dorje Drakmo from Samye Chimphu,
but neither their texts nor their transmissions exist now.

351
 The Three Tertöns

Kyangpo Drakpa Wangchuk, Sumpa Jangchup Tsultrim, and

Dre Sherap Lama revealed from Yerpa Sewa Lung the Very Secret
Wrathful Hayagriva Lotus Might Cycle. They only passed it on
once: to Nyaktön Lhabar of Drutsang, using the terma scrolls.
Because of the terma’s curse Kyangpo contracted leprosy, Sumpa
died, and Dre went mad. The terma scrolls fell to the hands of a
Hayagriva siddha called Shutön, but he was unable to decipher
them. For a long time there was no unbroken, well-known terma
lineage of these teachings. Eventually the great lord of siddhas
Darcharupa, while at Jomo Nakgyal in Tsang, was given their
complete empowerments and transmissions by Guru Rinpoche,
who had taken the form of a mantrin called Shangtse Dadrak.
Guru Rinpoche said to Darcharupa, “Change the OM in the
mantra to HRIH, and practice this!”

The three tertöns, although able to reveal this terma, subsequently

experienced obstacles because it was not their karmic destiny to
reveal it. The real inheritor of this dharma was the mahasiddha
Darcharupa. For that reason, even though Guru Rinpoche had

352
 The Hundred Tertons

directly given him this dharma, Darcharupa also sought out

Lama Gya of Tanak, who held the original terma lineage, and
received it from him. He did this out of respect for the succes-
sion of the teachings. Darcharupa therefore came to hold both
the kama and terma lineages of this dharma, and since his time
its empowerments, transmissions, and instructions have become
increasingly widespread. I have received them fully.

The great Darcharupa also gained siddhi through Vajrakilaya.

Using a material kila, he totally overcame the enchantments of
the tirthika spirit Nanda the Stealer. The kila he used then is
now kept at Sera Je College as its principal inner support, and
is famous. The protector Rahula directly offered Darcharupa
Rahula’s Instructions on Protection and Healing, which still exist
and which I have received.

Nyaktön Lhabar, the only recipient of this Hayagriva terma

from the three original tertöns, is said to have revealed a few
termas himself, but their number is unclear and it seems that
no lineage of them arose. It is also said that he revealed a Bön
terma, the Five Agamas, and that the three tertöns discovered
many Bön termas, including the Bön Hundred Thousand Stanza

353
 The Hundred Tertons

Prajnaparamita, Treatise on Valid Cognition, and the Nine Magical

Mirrors. It appears that copies of most of these still exist.

354
 Dugu Rinchen Senge

Dugu Rinchen Senge was born in central Tibet. He revealed the

Dorje Tsuklak Cycle of forceful mantra from the Traduntse Stupa
in the north. This contained the instructions that Vairochana
entrusted to the twenty-five disciples before leaving for Gyalmo
Tsawarong. When he did so Vairochana said to them, “Conceal
this as terma for the future benefit of the teachings.”

King Trisong Detsen accordingly concealed this cycle in the vase

of a stupa that had been erected to the northeast of the Traduntse
Temple as a monument to the wise panditas and translators. Two
hundred years later, Dugu Rinchen Senge found the guide to
this terma at Samye. In a tiger year, he revealed the Little Letter
of Meteoric Iron and the Forceful Activity Tantra from the vase of
the Traduntse Stupa. He revealed the Seven Supplementary Tantras
and their sadhanas from the stupa’s base.

However, he failed to perform the necessary self-protection

rituals or the Binding Wheel of Rahula. Because his offerings to
the terma guardians were insufficient, while the tertön and his

355
 The Hundred Tertons

disciple Tsangpa Rinchen Sherap were in a boat crossing the

Lake of the Mother in Tsang, they quarreled and stabbed each
other to death. Dadrak, a resident of Yerushang, found the terma
parchment after the deaths of the tertön and his disciple. Dadrak
gave the scrolls to Ödem, the tertön’s daughter. As her karmic
propensities were awakened by this, she practiced diligently and
gained siddhi. She then deciphered the scrolls. Their lineage still
exists, and I have received it enthusiastically.

356
 Tsangring Sherap

Tsangpa Lawa Ringpo, also known as Tsangring Sherap, appears

to have revealed several dharma termas, including Vajra Armor,
a profound protection against sorcery; means of self-protection;
means of invisiblity using the nagas of the five families; means
of protection from naga ailments and of curing leprosy; means
of protection against spirits invoked by sorcery and against ma-
levolent nagas; means to prevent any attack by gods or spirits;
means to prevent approach by nagas or earthlords; and means
of ending pre-existing sorcery.

357
 Latö Marpo

The nirmanakaya Latö Marpo, also known as Dampa Marpo,

revealed the Rasayana of Great Amrita Cycle from Scorpion Pincer
Rock, a boulder shaped like a lion’s coffer, at Paro Rock. From
the Black Stupa of Samye he revealed the Magical Mantras of
the Acharya Hewa the Black. This had originally been discovered
on the western slope of Mount Malaya inside a clay statue of
Ishvara by the acharya Trala Ringmo. He offered it to Guru
Padmasambhava, who concealed it beneath the Black Stupa of
Samye. It is said that its presence under the stupa was the reason
why that place was dangerous. This profound cycle contains the
tirthikas’ magical mantras of the dark destroyer of the world
known as Dritalma.

From Yerpa Jarawa Latö Marpo revealed the Guide to Yerpa, in

the handwriting of Queen Kongjo. From Mangkhar Mugulung
he revealed instructions on using seven materials to conquer
obstructors, instructions powerful enough to crack the hardest
rock. Among the many profound termas Latö Marpo revealed,
it is evident that the mahasiddha Thangtong Gyalpo practiced

358
 The Hundred Tertons

his Rasayana of Great Amrita Cycle and gained siddhi. In spite

of that, I have not encountered its texts.

359
 Jomo Menmo

The emanated great tertön known as Jomo Menmo was one of

two authentic dakinis who were the true reappearance of Dha-
tishvari Yeshe Tsogyal, the Queen of Great Bliss, the collector of
Guru Rinpoche’s teachings of great secrecy. From the prophecies
within her own terma, the Secrets of All Dakinis:

Eventually, the dakinis will entrust this dharma

To a girl of family, blessed by dakinis,
Born in a monkey year,
With the hidden name Jomo.
Blessed, she will become realized and naturally freed.
At that time, she will not appear to help others very
much,
But all connected to her will reach the stage of great bliss.
They will achieve awakening without remaining
aggregates.

As clearly predicted in that prophecy, which is also a con-

cise account of her life, the lotus of Jomo Menmo’s emanation

360
 The Hundred Tertons

bloomed in a Male Earth Monkey year.88 She was born near

Guru Rinpoche’s accomplishment cave at Zarmolung, in Eyül.
Her father was a mantrin of the Dakpo Kagyu tradition named
Dorje Gyalpo. Her mother was a dakini named Padma Paldzom.
Her parents named her Padma Tsokhyi. Her family was neither
extremely wealthy nor poor. Throughout her early childhood she
was cared for lovingly by her parents, but in her fifth year her
mother passed away. As a result her father remarried, and Jomo
Menmo was made to tend herds and perform other mundane
tasks, which caused her to suffer somewhat.

One day in the spring of her thirteenth year, while she was tending
the herds near the Secret Cave of Great Bliss, Guru Rinpoche’s
place of accomplishment at Great Soaring Garuda Rock at Zar-
molung in Eyül, Jomo Menmo fell asleep. She was awakened by
a beautiful sound that came from the rock. She saw the door to
the secret cave open by itself. With transformed perceptions,
she entered the cave and found herself in a terrifying charnel
ground, amongst dakinis engaged in a ganachakra. Vajravarahi,
who was presiding over the feast, said to her, “Daughter of fam-
ily, you are welcome!”

88. The year was 1248 C.E.

361
 The Hundred Tertons

Vajravarahi then appeared to take a small book from out of

the rock behind her back. She placed the book on top of Jomo
Menmo’s head, ripening and freeing her all at once. Placing the
book in Jomo Menmo’s hands, Vajravarahi said, “These instruc-
tions are the Secrets of All Dakinis. If you practice them with
extreme secrecy, you will achieve the supreme siddhi.”

By receiving that prophecy, Jomo Menmo realized that all things

are self-liberated. She became a great realm-born yogini. She
took part in the feast gathering. Then the emanated mandala
disappeared, and Jomo Menmo returned home.

As her being had been ripened by the amrita of Vajravarahi’s

blessing, words of dharma began to burst forth from her through-
out both day and night. She sang vajra songs and danced vajra
dances. She spoke of her unimpeded knowledge of others’ minds.
A few people developed faith in her, but most others thought
that by falling asleep in the mountains she had become bewitched
by a menmo, a spirit of the hills. That is why she received the
nickname Jomo Menmo.

Appearing discouraged by the attitude taken toward her, Jomo

Menmo lost all attachment to her homeland. Intending to wander

362
 The Hundred Tertons

without direction, she went to Layak Pang village in western

Lhodrak, where she met the tertön Guru Chökyi Wangchuk.
Just through meeting him, connate wisdom arose effortlessly
within her. Guru Chökyi Wangchuk recognized her as one of
five qualified consorts prophesied by Guru Rinpoche. He ac-
cepted her as a karmamudra. This caused knots in his channels
to be loosened, which enabled him to fully comprehend the
Upadesha Mahatantra of the Eight Dispensations: The Complete Se-
crets. Although he had previously been unable to decipher this
terma, he was now able to translate it into Tibetan. In this way,
Guru Chökyi Wangchuk and Jomo Menmo brought each other
tremendous good.

Jomo Menmo did not remain at Layak Pang for very long, but
while there she received the essence of Guru Chökyi Wangchuk’s
ripening empowerments and liberating instructions. Finally, he
said to her, “Your profound dharma, this book of the dakinis,
appears to be the wondrous essence of your practice during
your previous birth as the dakini Yeshe Tsogyal. However, now
is not the right time to disseminate it among beings. Practice
it yourself with extreme secrecy. Wander through all of central
Tibet and Tsang. Help beings discreetly by bringing all who

363
 The Hundred Tertons

meet you to the state of great bliss. In the end, you will attain
celestial siddhi without abandoning your body.”

She followed his advice. Accompanied by two worthy yoginis,

Jomo Menmo traveled through every region of central Tibet
and Tsang, all the way to Latö and Dingri. She discreetly and
naturally helped beings. Finally, in her thirty-sixth year, on the
tenth day of the first month of autumn, she climbed up to the
peak of Mount Lhari in Drak. Along with her two companions,
she performed a feast offering. All three of them rose into the
sky without abandoning their bodies, like great birds soaring
through space. They quickly reached the Glorious Copper-
Colored Mountain and joined the feast assembly of dakinis
there. Their departure was witnessed by herders in Drak, who
rushed to the peak of Mount Lhari and found the feast that the
three yoginis had left behind. Eating it, the herders achieved
natural meditation.

Jomo Menmo’s terma, this wondrous great secret, the Secrets of

All Dakinis, was kept by dakinis for a while, and was not available
to ordinary people. Toward the end of this age of disputation,
when it was the right time for this dharma to tame disciples,
it was rediscovered by the emanated tertön and great vidyad-

364
 The Hundred Tertons

hara Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa. Through his compassion and

aspirations; because of his having been, during his life as Jomo
Menmo, a secret companion of Guru Chökyi Wangchuk; and
occasioned by the blessing of wisdom dakinis, our lord guru
received and revealed this dharma through the great miracle
of his perfect recollection of its words and meaning. I wrote it
down as he dictated it, and was both fortunate and delighted to
be the first to receive its entire ripening and liberation.

Since then I have formed a connection with this dharma through

approach and accomplishment, and through performing its great
accomplishment and lesser accomplishment several times. I’ve
seen signs of its blessing, so it would be appropriate for any of
my followers who have conviction about the great secret to make
this the jewel of their hearts and the essence of their practice.

I’ve written some needed supplements for it, and had all of it
printed. I’ve also given its ripening and liberation many times.
I’ve accomplished a little bit of service to this profound dharma.

The wisdom dakini Jomo Menmo was so little known that early
histories of terma do not even mention more than her name.
Even the time of her appearance is not given. Here, taking her

365
 The Hundred Tertons

actual terma prophecies and the words of my lord guru as wit-

ness, I have written of her at slightly greater length.

366
 Melong Dorje

The mahasiddha Melong Dorje was born in the upper valley

of Drak as the son of a yogin. In his ninth year he undertook
renunciation in the presence of the siddha Zalungpa and the
abbot Selungpa. In his sixteenth year he realized the nature of
things by reciting the Eight-Thousand Stanza Prajnaparamitasutra
a hundred times. Meditating at Copper Lake, his experience
blazed and minor supercognition appeared. He began to wander
all over the land, and received many teachings of the Sarma and
Nyingma tantras from his thirteen superior teachers and others.
In many sacred places he practiced with fierce austerity and saw
the faces of deities such as Vajravarahi and of many vidyadharas.

In his eighteenth year he received the Heart Essence of the Great

Perfection from the delusion-destroyer Senge Gyapa. While
engaged in the preliminaries, Melong Dorje saw Vajrasattva’s
face continuously for six days, all day and night. In dreams he
was empowered by Vajrasattva, and achieved perfect realization
of the Great Perfection. Because of his great discipline, he was
able to engage in the actual conduct of guhyamantra. As he had

367
 The Hundred Tertons

control over the five elements, his reputation as a mahasiddha

spread widely. He planted the victory banner of accomplishment
at isolated places such as Kharchu.

Melong Dorje revealed the Heart Essence of Vimalamitra from

the Further Fortress of Drak. This terma is called the Further
Fortress Heart Essence after the site of its revelation; the Heart
Essence of Melong after its tertön; the AH HUM Heart Essence
after its seals; and the Collar Pouch of Vimalamitra after the size
of its book. Although it appears that its textual transmission
survived until recently, a generation has now passed since its
dharma lineage ended.

In his sixtieth year Melong Dorje passed into peace amid many
signs that he had reached the primordial place of liberation. His
body produced the five types of relics as taught in the tantras.

Recently our precious lord guru received a wondrous short

lineage of the Heart Essence of Melong. As well, the parchment of
the original Heart Essence of Melong, reconcealed by the dakini
Vajratara, reached my hands. Our lord guru deciphered it, and

368
 The Hundred Tertons

kindly received its ripening and liberation. We have placed it

in the Great Treasury of Terma.89

89. The Dzogchen Pönlop Rinpoches are held to be the rebirths of

Melong Dorje.

369
 The Fortunate Child

Once, in Guge Damdrok in Ngari, a group of children were

digging in a large sand dune and discovered a covered stone
coffer. When they opened it, they found that it was filled with
all sorts of strange creatures, all moving about. All but one of
the children died. That fortunate child wisely ran away, carrying
the coffer’s lid, and was not harmed. A great epidemic occurred
in that region, and many people and animals began to die of
various types of plague.

The fortunate child found teachings on protection from epidem-

ics in the coffer’s lid. He gave people the yantra, materials, and
mantras taught there. All of the plagues ceased immediately.
Knowing the profundity of this cycle, the fortunate child gradu-
ally disseminated it. It is still considered a profound means of
protection, and is known as the Unified Protection of Guge. Its
transmission and practice have survived, and I have received
them. Because the actual name of this tertön is unkown, he has
come to be called “the fortunate child.”

370
 Drangti Gyalnye Kharbu

I’ve not seen an extensive account of Drangti Gyalnye Kharbu,

but he was one of the nine greatest physicians of Tibet. He was
born in the Drangti region, and revealed the Physicians’ Sadhana
and some teachings on healing that had been concealed by Guru
Rinpoche and Trisong Detsen in the capital of a pillar in the
thirteenth part of the roof of Samye. He is said to have practiced
the terma and gained signs of accomplishment. It is said that
his terma was passed down through Drangti Jampal Zangpo
and others, but nowadays all that has survived from it is the
Empowerment of the Three Brahmin Brothers, which is included in
the Heart Essence of Yutok.

371
 The Four Assistants

Gomchen Drukpa, Nyentön Jambhala, Döndrup Senge, and

Padma Drakpa were assistants of the vidyadhara Guru Chökyi
Wangchuk in his recovery of terma. Of the eighteen great termas
that he revealed, the tenth was the Six Dharmas of the Sekhar.
Guru Chökyi Wangchuk sent Gomchen Drukpa to reveal it.
Similarly, the Manjushri Great Perfection Cycle that Nyentön
Jambhala took from the heart of a statue of Red Yamantaka
in the Khoting Temple in Lhodrak is considered to be Guru
Chökyi Wangchuk’s seventh terma. It is said that Döndrup
Senge and Padma Drakpa, called the “two other individuals,”
helped the other two assistants in their recovery of terma. The
transmission of the Six Dharmas of the Sekhar still exists, and
I have received it.

372
 The Earlier Dungtso Repa

The earlier Dungtso Repa was a rebirth of Gampopa’s disciple

Kyegom Yeshe Dorje, an emanation of Nyangben Tingdzin
Zangpo. Dungtso Repa was born in Yarlung. While young he
entered the gate of dharma at Densatil, and was given the name
Sherap Gyamtso. He later undertook completion in the presence
of Gampo Dorje Lodrö and received the name Rinchen Zangpo.

Dungtso Repa undertook the vow of austerity in the presence of

Trülshik Khampa at the Turquoise Lake of Kharak. As instructed
by Trülshik Khampa, Dungtso Repa practiced in a hut on top
of a small hill beside the lake. Beneath the hut he discovered
a list of termas, and went to Gampo to find them. In the ice
covering the lower lake of Gampo, at a depth of one cubit, he
found dharma terma that had been concealed by Gampopa and
Yeshe Dorje together. Within a stone coffer he found an image
of a mongoose, and within it a scroll bound with five-colored
silk, along with Naropa’s empowerment vase and other things.
From the scroll Dungtso Repa deciphered the Wish-Fulfilling Jewel:
A Guide to the Mind and Instructions on Ejection and Transference.

373
 The Hundred Tertons

The Guide to the Mind used to be widespread, and nowadays its

lineage still exists. I have received its transmission as part of the
Whispered Lineage of Surmang and its transmission and instruction
as one of the Hundred Instructions of Kunga Drölchok.

Dungtso Repa created many supports, including the Dungtso

Temple that he built at Gampopa’s birthplace in Nyal. It is
also said that he presented many material offerings to Tsalpa
Drungchen Mönlampa and Kunga Dorje in order to sponsor the
distribution of gruel to pilgrims to Lhasa.

374
 Kunga Bum

The dakini Kunga Bum was the second of the two famous emana-
tions of Yeshe Tsogyal, the mother of the victors. She was born
at Tashi Dokhar in Ön. Her father’s name was Dorje Wangchuk.
Her mother was an authentic rebirth of Shelkarza Dorje Tso, and
was called Lhakhyi Paldzom. Kunga Bum was born in a monkey
year. In her sixth year she offered the first fruits of her crown
to Chenga Drakpa Gyaltsen at Densatil. He gave her the name
Kunga Bum. She attended many gurus, such as Drakpa Gyaltsen,
and received countless empowerments and instructions from the
Sarma and Nyingma traditions of guhyamantra. As she devoted
herself to practice, she achieved consummate realization. In
particular, one evening she heard the words:

O worthy one with karma, practice for seven years, seven

months, seven days, and seven mealtimes in the Cave
of Luminosity at Drakyangdzong. You will receive the
dakinis’ prophecies and will see the celestial realm.

375
 The Hundred Tertons

She therefore practiced one-pointedly for seven years in the Crystal

Cave of Luminosity at Drakyangdzong. Based on the prophecy
of Vajravarahi, she revealed the Secret Practices of Mother Tantra
and its supplements as terma within that cave. By giving this
dharma cycle to many fortunate people throughout Tibet, she
ripened and liberated them. In particular, as prophesied within
the terma, she bestowed it on Dungtso Repa, the protector of
beings. Although it subsequently became extremely widespread,
copies of it and the lineage of its transmission became very rare
by our time. I eventually found an old copy of it at the Crystal
Cave of Yarlung. The great tertön Chokgyur Dechen Lingpa
received its complete ripening empowerments and liberating
instructions through the dispensations of recollection and the
short lineage of blessing, and began to disseminate it.

The dakini Kunga Bum opened the door to the sacred place of
Drakyangdzong while revealing this terma. At that time there
occurred rains of flowers and the sound of the music of the
dakinis at Dra, Döl, Shung, Kyiyor, Yarön, Lo, Do, Samye, and
Zurkhar. Countless lamas, leaders, and spiritual teachers from
all over Tibet gathered to receive her teachings.

376
 The Hundred Tertons

Once Kunga Bum had completed her activity, she went to Tashi
Yangön in Ön. There, in the Hermitage of the Lady’s Stupa, she
remained in retreat for seven days. Then, amidst inconceivably
wondrous signs such as sounds, light, and rains of flowers, she
accomplished the vajra rainbow body without leaving her physi-
cal body behind.

377
 The Later Dungtso Repa

The later Dungtso Repa was born at Dingmadrin in Latö. His

father’s name was Shang Könne; his mother’s was Drönza Drönkhyi.
He clearly remembered his previous life as the earlier Dungtso
Repa, and therefore came to be called the Later Dungtso Repa.
In his eleventh year he entered the gate of dharma, and began
to study both sutra and tantra extensively. In his twenty-third
year he entered the presence of Minyak Repa in Kangbule and
received from him many empowerments and instructions of the
Sarma and Nyingma traditions.

He practiced in many snowy and grassy hermitages, saw Guru

Rinpoche’s face, and received his prophecies. Based on them,
he went to central Tibet and Kongpo. In Ön he met the great
Kunga Bum. She accepted him and predicted that he would be
her dharma heir.

Dungtso Repa opened the doors to sacred sites such as Vulture

Fortress in Bhutan and Rakshasa Fortress in Latö. At Rakshasa
Fortress he revealed the Guru Sadhana That Fulfills Yearning and

378
 The Hundred Tertons

the Vase of Light Ayusadhana as terma and disseminated them

widely. Especially, from beneath a boulder like a prone tortoise
on the shore of Black Mandala Lake behind Gampo Mountain,
he revealed the instruction cycle of the Single Golden Syllable of
Black Yangti. He disseminated this to the worthy and many of
them achieved the body of light. He also exhibited unimaginably
many wondrous signs of attainment such as leaving the imprints
of his hands and feet in stone. He sustained vast activity helping
beings throughout Kongpo, Long, and Ral.

The empowerments, transmissions, instructions, and practice

of Dungtso Repa’s Black Yangti have flourished widely down to
the present day. I have fully received them.

379
 Vajramati

The Indian tertön Vajramati revealed the Luminous Spacious

Expanse of the Great Perfection at Lishanti in Nepal. Its applica-
tions include a remedy for nagas and earth lords — meditation
on and mantra recitation of a dark blue Guru Rinpoche riding
on a pig — and the Tretreho, a combination of medicine and
mantra. They were promised by Guru Rinpoche to be effective
protection from contagious diseases in this age of fivefold de-
generation. At the time of their revelation, Tsalgung Thangpa
Shönnu Samten was visiting Nepal. He met the tertön and
brought his terma dharma to Tibet. As had been predicted,
they were widely disseminated by a lineage that began with a
Lama Paljor. However, nowadays only the transmission of the
Blue Wrathful Guru has survived.

380
 Gyalsay Lekpa

Gyalsay Lekpa was an emanation of both the translator Rinchen

Zangpo and the lady Shelkarza. As prophesied by the siddha
Ugyenpa, Gyalsay Lekpa was born in a Male Iron Tiger year as
the son of the physician Wangchuk Gyalpo of the Showo family
in lower Sewalung in Nyal. From the earliest age he displayed
both great intelligence and mental strength. He relied upon many
gurus such as his uncle, the omniscient Shawo, and received
much dharma of the Sarma and Nyingma traditions, as well as
the sciences. His knowledge and understanding were excellent,
his qualities infinite.

In particular, in his twenty-eighth year Gyalsay Lekpa met the

tertön Padma Ledrel Tsal, received from him the complete Great
Perfection Dakinis’ Heart Essence, and was prophesied by the tertön
to be his dharma heir.

In the Female Fire Snake year Gyalsay Lekpa found a terma

guide at Trakchung Dorje Drak in Jar. Six years later, in the
Male Water Dog year, he opened the terma door and revealed

381
 The Hundred Tertons

the Great Perfection: Cutting Through Samsara All at Once, the

Mahamudra: Clarifying Buddhahood, Turning Samsara into the Path
of Great Bliss, the Heart Essence: The Three Posthumous Testaments,
and the Heart Sadhana: The Combined Practice of Padma Tötreng
and the Three Roots. He also revealed the Realm Protector Cycle as
terma at Great Majesty Cave in Tsari.

In the Male Water Monkey year, Gyalsay Lekpa’s fortythird

year, the omniscient Karmapa Rangjung Dorje was invited to
Kongpo. During his visit, Gyalsay Lekpa offered him the com-
plete empowerments, transmissions, and instructions of the
Dakinis’ Heart Essence. It is said that he did so using the original
terma parchment. He also offered him much other dharma,
and received many teachings from the Karmapa, including the
Jatakas, the Profound Inner Meaning, and Jinasagara. Their two
minds mixed, Gyalsay Lekpa proclaimed and prophesied the
Karmapa to be the heir of the Heart Essence, saying, “I have
given this dharma to its heir.”

Gyalsay Lekpa continued to help beings widely, and passed into

the dharmadhatu in the Male Fire Horse year, his seventy-seventh
year. Although I have not seen evidence of any of his other terma
dharmas having survived, I have received the transmission of his

382
 The Hundred Tertons

texts on divination and cleansing smoke offerings. As well, the

practice cycle of the glorious Realm Protector, a guardian of the
Karma Kagyu, appears to have mainly come from Gyalsay Lekpa.

383
 Ugyen Zangpo

Ugyen Zangpo was one of the twenty-one disciples of Dorje

Lingpa who were also minor tertöns. He was born west of Chök-
hor Dechen in Bumthang, Bhutan. He revealed such termas as
the Clear Mirror of the Great Perfection and the Ayusadhana of the
Sugatas’ Assembly.

There was a prophecy that in order to assure the well-being of the

four communities in Bumthang it was necessary to both restore
the damaged Imprint Temple and create a threedimensional
model of the mandala of the Eight Dispensations.90 As there
arose some doubt as to how to build the mandala, Ugyen Zangpo
entrusted his body to the care of an attendant and flew to the
Glorious Copper-Colored Mountain in the form of a vulture
in order to consult Guru Rinpoche. A week passed before he
returned, and the attendant decided to cremate Ugyen Zangpo’s
body. When Ugyen Zangpo got back, he found that his skull had
already been burnt by the cremation fire, and that his former

90. The Imprint Temple housed an imprint of Guru Rinpoche’s body

in stone

384
 The Hundred Tertons

body was no longer of any use. Having no choice, he transferred

his consciousness into the body of a young woman from Tsaok
who had just died. She deciphered her terma parchments in
the Imprint Temple, which she restored. Because she was now
female she was prevented by others’ prejudice from erecting the
three-dimensional mandala, but she painted it on the ceiling of
the temple’s upper story; it is still there. Her benefit to beings
was great, and she was considered wondrous, but her dharma
lineage no longer exists nowadays.

385
 Sherab Mebar

The tertön Sherab Mebar is said to have been born in Kham.

He revealed many profound cycles of instruction. From Gyaliba
in Kongpo he revealed the Great Perfection: SelfLiberated Samsara
and Nirvana and the Great Perfection: The Combined Three Wrathful
Ones. From Tiger Peak he revealed instructions on Rahula and
the Miracles of Shridevi.

The Great Perfection: Self-Liberated Samsara and Nirvana contained

a hundred different languages and scripts. At the beginning of
the terma text, written in Tibetan, was:

May this meet with an omniscient nirmanakaya!

No one else in degenerate times will be able to decipher
it.

The tertön was unable to decipher the rest of the parchment. His
disciple Taktsang Repa brought the parchment to many learned
and attained people, including the Karmapa Rangjung Dorje,
but none of them were able to decipher it. He brought it to a

386
 The Hundred Tertons

Lama Kunga, who knew sixteen alphabets and thirty languages,

but even he was unable to decipher it.

At that time it was well known that the tertön Dorje Lingpa’s
habits from his life as Vairochana had awakened, and that he
consequently understood every language and alphabet per-
fectly. He was therefore invited to Kongpo. As soon as he saw
the parchment, he understood it easily. The wondrousness of
this added to his fame, and it seems that he is included in the
lineage of these termas.

Sherab Mebar later went to Bhutan, where a chieftain forced him

to reveal a terma that was not rightly his. The chieftain died, and
the tertön passed away not long afterward. The parchments were
reconcealed and eventually revealed by Padma Lingpa. As most
of the parchments were damaged he was unable to completely
decipher them, so he used the previous tertön’s transcription.
This terma is said to be the Little Child Cycle: A Non-Dual Tantra
of the Great Perfection.

Although the actual lineage of Sherab Mebar’s Great Perfection:

Self-Liberated Samsara and Nirvana has not survived, its text ap-
pears to be identical to dharma within Taksham Nüden Dorje’s

387
 The Hundred Tertons

Wisdom Assembly of the Yidam. It is therefore appropriate to

regard them as two streams combined into one.

388
 Nyida Sangye

Nyida Sangye was a rebirth of the dharma minister Nyima. He

was born in Dakpo. He revealed the Planted Grass-Blade Ejection
instructions from Black Mandala Lake. He gave them to the naga
king Tsukna Rinchen and his retinue. It is said that as a result
all of the beings living in the lake were liberated.

This tertön appeared to judgmental people to be as aimless as

the wind, but in reality he went to the Glorious Copper-Colored
Mountain, met Guru Rinpoche, and received extraordinary in-
structions on ejection from him. These instructions are known as
the Whispered Lineage of Ejection; there is an essay of instruction
on them by the vidyadhara Terdak Lingpa.

Nyida Sangye also revealed a self-arisen image of the eleven-

faced Avalokita from the Turquoise Lake in Tsari. It is said to
be kept in Nyal nowadays.

It is also said that Nyida Sangye lived, helping beings, for two
hundred and twenty years, but I am certain that this is the number

389
 The Hundred Tertons

of half-years of his life. Karma Lingpa was Nyida Sangye’s son,

and he helped Karma Lingpa reveal his termas. Karma Lingpa’s
lineage was also passed on to and by his father. Nyida Sangye’s
ejection instructions are both extremely profound and very
widespread; they appear to have done beings immeasurable good.

390
 The Mantradharin Letro Lingpa

The mantradharin Letro Lingpa was a disciple of the supreme

being Dorje Lingpa. He was born in Dola. He revealed the All
Gurus Perfectly Complete cycle from the Cave of the Dakini at
Fire Lake in Zabulung. Some of the materials he found as part of
that terma are said to have been passed down by his descendants
and are nowadays kept at Drakar Chöding Monastery, but it
seems that the lineage of this dharma terma no longer exists.

The well-known Padma Shavari: A Single Mantra for a Hundred

Ailments appears to come from many termas, including that
of Dorje Lingpa, but the Sadhana of the Red Padma Shavari was
discovered by Letro Lingpa at Yangdzong. It has been received
by our lord guru as rediscovered terma and is available.

391
 Zangpo Drakpa

The nirmanakaya Zangpo Drakpa was an emanation of Prince

Mutri Tsenpo. Zangpo Drakpa was born in southern Latö. He
lived as a bhikshu, and entered the dharma gate of the Kagyu.
He gained perfect realization through practicing one-pointedly
at Shri in Gyal, the hermitage in Manglam, Gangbule, and other
places. While he was at Gangbule Guru Rinpoche appeared
to him as a boy wearing a turban and encouraged him to re-
veal terma, but Zangpo Drakpa considered this to be merely a
meditation experience and disregarded it. Guru Rinpoche then
emanated as an extraordinary yogin called Nyinam Lagom and
gave Zangpo Drakpa a terma list and advice. Based on these, he
revealed from the Stonewall Temple at Rulak sadhanas of Hay-
agriva and Maitreya and the Instructions Given to the Gungthang
King. In Yönpolung he revealed several sadhanas, including that
of Vajrapani; the Long, Intermediate, and Short Writings from
the Heart; a guide to sacred places; a terma list; the Supplication
of Seven Chapters; and the Wheel of Reversal.

392
 The Hundred Tertons

He brought the terma list and the Writings from the Heart to
the Vidyadhara Vulture Feathers, who consequently revealed
great terma at the Divine Rock of Zangzing. Vulture Feath-
ers also deciphered the Supplication of Seven Chapters from the
terma parchment and disseminated it throughout all of Tibet.
It adorns the throats of everyone in this land, august and lowly;
its activity is as vast as space.

393
 Drime Lhunpo

Drime Lhunpo was a rebirth of Acharya Sale. He was born at

Orshong in Kongpo amid many wondrous signs on the 15th day
of the first month of spring in a Male Water Dragon year.91 His
father’s name was Vajrapani; his mother’s Padma Tso. Lama Ya-
zangpa prophesied that he would become a protector of beings, a
child of the victors, and gave him the name Light of Vairochana.

On the first day of the first month of summer in the year of his
birth a list of his termas reached his hands. By his third year he
possessed impartial supercognition and was able to explain both
without difficulty. Guru Rinpoche and Yeshe Tsogyal revealed
their faces to him and bestowed empowerments, blessings, and
instructions upon him.

In his thirteenth year he revealed the Assembled Wisdom of all

the Teachings, relics, samaya substances, and a list of thirty-one
termas from the Stupa of Natural Blessing at Gangpa Kyawo in
Chim. He undertook renunciation in the presence of the abbot

91. The year was 1352 C.E.

394
 The Hundred Tertons

Chökyi Lodrö, and completion in the presence of the Sakyapa

Palden Lama. Drime Lhunpo completed the study of the five
sciences and became vastly learned in dharma such as that of
the Great Perfection.

Lists of one hundred and thirty profound termas reached his

hands, and he revealed most of them. Among them, the Nine
Assemblies, the Quintessence: Liberating All Beings, the Supreme Es-
sence: Liberated Wisdom, and the Profound Essence: Self-Liberated
Cognition are the best known. He reconcealed some of his termas
for future rediscovery, but those he revealed were inconceivably
many. They included a copy of the Hundred-Thousand Stanza
Prajnaparamitasutra called the Red Hundred-Thousand that had
belonged to King Trisong and was written with blood from the
noses of the abbot Shantarakshita, Guru Rinpoche, and Trisong
himself; many wondrous images; and much wealth.

Drime Lhunpo also performed a great ceremony in the service

of all the teachings along with the great tertön Sangye Lingpa.
Every year in the first month of spring Drime Lhunpo pre-
sented vast offerings. In the first month of summer he engaged
in thousandfold generosity. In the first month of autumn he
created a hundred thousand tsatsas. In the first month of every

395
 The Hundred Tertons

winter he performed a hundred ganachakras. He established

the interdependence for the Fourth Gyalwang Karmapa Rolpe
Dorje to become his dharma heir, which brought the Karmapa
the greatest joy.

Drime Lhunpo constantly exhibited wondrous signs and miracles

that were apparent to everyone. The Buddhas of the ten direc-
tions revealed their faces to him, placed their hands on his
head, and prophesied, “In the future, in the upper pure realm
Immeasurable Natural Qualities, you will become the Tathagata
King of Massive Stainless Natural Splendor.” After completing
his work for the benefit of beings he went to the realm of Lotus
Light. His remains and his White Stupa That Moves are still at
Tsagong Monastery.

I have received the complete ripening empowerments and

liberating instructions of his main terma, the wondrous and
renowned Quintessence: Liberating All Beings. There seems to be
an existing lineage of the practice of his Red Wind of Karma That
Shakes the Three Realms among practitioners of forceful mantra,
but I have not yet received it. It appears that lineages and copies
of his other termas no longer exist.

396
 Drime Kunga

Drime Kunga was one of three tertöns who are collectively called
the Three Drimes. He was an emanation of Nupchen Sangye
Yeshe, and was born amid wondrous signs on the tenth day of
a Female Fire Pig year at Red Hall in Drachi. His father’s name
was Paljor Zangpo; his mother’s Gögö Dzomma. His family line
was one of good mantrins, and he eventually became a great
mantradharin vajra holder.

At first he went to Clearwater in Drachi to study the vinaya.

In his twenty-first year he undertook the stages of the training
in the presence of the great abbot of Clearwater, and was given
the name Sherab Gyaltsen. Based on prophecies by his teacher
and the dakinis he practiced at Samye Chimphu, where Guru
Rinpoche directly bestowed empowerment and instruction on
him. He gave rise to immeasurable experience and realization.

In particular, in his twenty-ninth year, at the top of Lönpo Gul

at Chimphu he received a prophecy from Guru Rinpoche, and
Yeshe Tsogyal gave him a list of termas. Based on those, during

397
 The Hundred Tertons

the next year he revealed a vast amount of dharma and wealth

terma, including the Guru Chintamani Practice, the Dakinis’ Quin-
tessence: The Great Perfection, and Mahakarunika: The Supreme Light
of Wisdom, from LionFaced Arrow Rock at Chimphu. Along
with these extensive cycles of gurusadhana, Great Perfection,
and Mahakarunika he revealed their concise essences. He also
revealed the Eight Dispensations: The Crown Jewel, the Ayusadhana
of Hayagriva’s Play, the Great Dakini, and the Protector Barchung.
He practiced his termas at Chimphu until signs of accomplish-
ment arose.

He helped beings greatly throughout Tibet and Bhutan by means

of his gurusadhana, Great Perfection teachings, and Mahaka-
runika cycle. Finally he went to eastern Kongpo, where he sent
down a great rain of dharma and founded Lhundrak Hermitage,
a community of mantradharins. After completing such deeds,
he departed for other realms amid wondrous signs.

His seat was passed on to his greatest heart-son, Tsenden Shönnu

Sangye. Based upon the prophecies of wisdom dakinis, Shönnu
Sangye changed the color of his vestments and those of his com-
munity to white. This caused the hermitage to be known as White

398
 The Hundred Tertons

Lhundrak, and its activity to flourish. It is also said that many

of Drime Kunga’s descendants have helped beings in Kongpo.

Drime Kunga’s profound termas Mahakarunika: The Supreme Light

of Wisdom and the Protector Barchung were once in widespread
use, but nowadays I have not found either copies or lineages of
their transmission. Drime Kunga practiced the concise cycles of
gurusadhana, the Great Perfection, and Mahakarunika that he
found, but did not teach or disseminate them. In consideration
of the future he reconcealed their parchment at Red Rock Fine
Throat. In recent times they were rediscovered by Padma Ösal
Dongak Lingpa, who holds the dispensation of the ocean of
profound terma, when he discovered his Mahakarunika: Resting
Mind-Itself. He kept them secret for a long time, but when the
interdependence of time and place came about, and with the
encouragement of gurus and dakinis, he revealed them and
bestowed their combined ripening and liberation upon me.

I have repeatedly performed the approach, accomplishment, and

great accomplishment of Guru Chintamani and Drime Kunga’s
Mahakarunika Jinasagara; I have received indications of their
blessing. They should therefore be treasured as jewels of our
hearts. I have written a few necessary supplements in their service.

399
 Ngödrup Gyaltsen
the Vidyadhara Vulture Feathers

The tertön and great vidyadhara Ngödrup Gyaltsen was one

of three supreme nirmanakayas who were rebirths of Nanam
Dorje Düdjom. He was born amid remarkable signs on the tenth
day of the month in a Female Fire Ox year at Namolung Hall,
in the northern Black Stone Pile area, east of Mount Trazang.
His father, Lopön Düdül, descended from an unbroken line of
Vajrakilaya siddhas and was also a descendant of King Gesar.

As prophesied, in his twelfth year three vulture feathers grew on

top of his head. In his twenty-fourth year five vulture feathers
grew there. He therefore became widely known as the Vidyadhara
Vulture Feathers. In his youth he perfectly studied, contemplated,
and meditated on all of the Nyingma dharma held by his father.

Zangpo Drakpa of Manglam knew that the Writings from the Heart,
the Seven Points of Instruction, and the rest of the eight dharmas
which he had discovered in Gyang Yönpolung were necessary for
the revelation of the termas concealed at Divine Rock. Zangpo

400
 The Hundred Tertons

Drakpa brought them to the teacher Sönam Wangchuk, who

offered them to the great vidyadhara Ngödrup Gyaltsen. On
the eighth day of the waxing phase of the Snake month in the
Fire Horse year, Ngödrup Gyaltsen found within three white
stelae on the peak of Mount Trazang the keys to the discovery
of three great termas and a hundred minor ones. He concealed
a terma substitute. He did not conceal the cavity left by his
removal of the terma. Nowadays it is known as the Aperture of
the Winds, and it is said that on the New Year’s Day following
the discovery a seedling grew from it and that the descendants
of that seedling still grow there.

On the evening of the fourth day in the Sheep month of the

same Fire Horse year Ngödrup Gyaltsen revealed the termas
concealed in a cave at Zangzang Divine Rock. Divine Rock was
a mountain of rock, shaped like a coiled poisonous snake; the
cave was in the middle of the snake’s body.

The termas were contained in a four-sided blue coffer. Inside,

it was divided into five compartments, each of which formed
one treasury. Collectively, these profound termas are called the
Gathered Trove of Five Treasuries. The heart treasury in the coffer’s
center was brown. It held three scrolls and three kilas, bound

401
 The Hundred Tertons

by one brown silk ribbon. The eastern white conch treasury

contained dharma that transcends cause and result, its wis-
dom as vast as space. The southern golden treasury contained
dharma practices of fourfold approach and accomplishment, as
brilliant as the sun and moon. The western red copper treasury
contained dharma of extraordinary interdependence, like a
sandalwood tree. The northern black iron treasury contained
dharma of the pulverization of enemies and obstructors, like a
tree of poisonous wood.

Briefly put, innumerable dharma termas and samaya substances

emerged from the coffer, starting with the Penetrating Wisdom of
Samantabhadra. Each of the five treasuries contained a hundred
dharma termas, making a total of five hundred termas and their
branches. Ngödrup Gyaltsen deciphered them all from their
parchment and disseminated them among the worthy. His
dharmic fame filled all of Tibet, and his dharma line stemming
from his eight sons, eight consorts, and eight disciples remains
undiminished today.

Although all of the profound termas that have been revealed

over the centuries have been means of ensuring the present and
future welfare of all of Tibet, these Northern Termas have spread

402
 The Hundred Tertons

the teachings, averted invasion, ended epidemics, pacified illness

and civil unrest, subdued demons, restored the sovereignty of
communities, and tamed sicknesses caused by either the earth
or spirits.92 These termas contain everything anyone could pos-
sibly need, including various means of ensuring the welfare of
all Tibet in general, and of every part of it individually, from
Garuda Valley’s Silver Hall in the west to Tara of Space Meadow
in the east. They also include guides and keys to the identifica-
tion of many sacred places such as the seven great hidden valleys.
Because of the great good these termas have done all of Tibet,
they are renowned as the Termas Like a Minister.

In the latter part of his life Ngödrup Gyaltsen went to Sikkim

and opened the door to its hidden valleys. He also became the
guru of King Chokdrup of Gungthang, which was beneficial to
the welfare of Tibet. Finally, in Ngödrup Gyaltsen’s seventy-
second year, his deeds complete, his mind dissolved into the
dharmadhatu amid many wondrous signs.

Many people from his dharma lineage have achieved rainbow

bodies or become siddhas. I have fully received most of his ter-

92. Northern Termas is the collective name for the termas of

Ngödrup Gyaltsen, the Vidyadhara Vulture Feathers.

403
 The Hundred Tertons

mas that have extant lineages nowadays, including his Peaceful

and Wrathful Guru, Mahakarunika the Tamer of Beings, the Great
Perfection: Penetrating Wisdom, the SelfArisen Eight Dispensations,
most of his Dharma of Interdependence, and his protector cycles.

404
 Palgyi Gyaltsen of Langlo

Palgyi Gyaltsen of Langlo was a prophesied emanation of the

bhikshu Namkhay Nyingpo. He was born in western Ngari as the
son of Lungtön Jamyang Gönpo. Palgyi Gyaltsen was the name
he received when he undertook renunciation. He is also known
as Jangchup Lingpa because of his residence, Jangchup Ling.

He traveled through central Tibet and Tsang, and cut through

misunderstanding by studying and contemplating. He also
received a guide that came from the termas of Guru Tseten
Gyaltsen. Using it, he revealed a sky-metal vajra — a scepter of
Guru Rinpoche’s — and the sacred dharma called the Treasure
of Samantabhadra’s Heart from Deva Rakshasa Lake Rock, west
of Palmo Palthang. As the terma’s parchment was contained
within the various parts of the vajra, it is known as the Five
Cycles: the General Composition and the four parts of the inner
terma — the Prongs Cycle, the Hub Cycle, the Hub Cycle Summary,
and the Prongs Cycle Supplement.

405
 The Hundred Tertons

The terma included both the instruction to create an image to

be called Glorious Blaze of Merit for the benefit of all of Tibet,
and the terma substances to be placed within it. Jangchup Lingpa
created the image exactly as instructed. When he consecrated
it, inconceivably wondrous signs of virtue appeared.

There is a wonderful story that Sangye Lingpa revealed a terma

that was Jangchup Lingpa’s by right, called Pills Meaningful to
See, along with its index, from the peak of Horse Head Forest
Rock Mountain at Vulture Basin in Kongpo. Sangye Lingpa read
within the index a prophecy of the appearance of a tertön called
Jangchup Lingpa in Latö. He sent a man named Könchok Wangpo
to look for him. Sangye Lingpa eventually met with Jangchup
Lingpa at the Nyanam Hermitage and gained confidence in him.

Although the activity of Jangchup Lingpa’s profound dharma

was once extensive, his lineage eventually died out. Then our
lord guru Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa’s recollections of having
been Jangchup Lingpa’s son Samdrup Dorje were awakened; he
received the blessing of his close lineage. He kindly bestowed
upon me the ripening empowerments and liberating instruc-
tions of all of Jangchup Lingpa’s dharmas. I have written a few
things in their service.

406
 Karma Lingpa

The tertön Karma Lingpa was an emanation of Chokro Lui

Gyaltsen. He was born as the eldest son of the mahasiddha Nyida
Sangye at Khyerdrup in western Dakpo. Karma Lingpa lived as
a mantradharin. His qualities were immeasurable, and he was
the very embodiment of unlimited supercognition and activity.

In his fifteenth year the prophecies concerning him and the

necessary interdependence came together, and he revealed terma
from Gampo Dar Mountain, which resembles a dancing god. This
terma included both the Peaceful and Wrathful Ones: Self-Liberated
Wisdom and Mahakarunika: The Lotus Peaceful and Wrathful Ones. He
bestowed the Lotus Peaceful and Wrathful Ones on all fourteen of
his dharma heirs, his major disciples. He bestowed Self-Liberated
Wisdom only on his son Nyida Chöje, and commanded that it
be sealed as a singular lineage for three generations.

As the interdependence between Karma Lingpa and his proph-

esied consort did not occur, he soon passed away to other realms.

407
 The Hundred Tertons

The third inheritor of the Peaceful and Wrathful Ones: SelfLiber-

ated Wisdom was Namkha Chökyi Gyamtso, who disseminated it
widely. Its activity, including its empowerments, transmissions,
instructions, and thousandfold offerings ceremony, has flour-
ished to this day throughout central Tibet, Tsang, and Kham,
and especially throughout all of eastern Tibet. I have received it
fully, and have formed a connection with it through approach,
accomplishment, and so forth.

408
 Palden Jamyang Lama

Palden Jamyang Lama was the rebirth of the great Vidyadhara

Vulture Feathers. He was born in western Nyang, in Tsang. From
youth he lived at the Nenying College, where he eradicated
misunderstanding by studying and contemplating all dharma
of sutra and tantra.

Once, when he was visiting Trogang in western Nyang in order

to teach, he noticed a large brick on the outer wall of the temple
there and thought, “I would like to break that open.” He waited
until no other monks were present, and broke the brick open.
From within it emerged a terma guide. Using it, he revealed the
Combined Sadhana of the Three Roots, including its outer, inner,
secret, that-alone, and prayer sections, as well as the Black Liberator
Cycle concerning its protector, from the image of a red tortoise
in the Dakinis’ Secret Cave on Black Liberator Palace Mountain.

About the number to be liberated by this prayer, the terma says:

409
 The Hundred Tertons

One million five hundred and ninety thousand people

Will be freed by this prayer.

This profound dharma has brought beings much good throughout

Tsang, including areas such as upper and lower Nyang, Shang,
Tanak, and Oyuk; its activity has been vast. I have received its
ripening empowerments and liberating instructions from an
unbroken lineage.

410
 Thangtong Gyalpo

The lord of siddhas Thangtong Gyalpo was an emanation of

both Avalokita and Hayagriva. He was Guru Rinpoche appear-
ing as a man born from a womb. Thangtong Gyalpo was born
at Olpa Lhatse in western Tsang. Relying on five hundred and
one masters, he studied and contemplated dharma to an im-
measurable degree. Although he was already a self-arisen great
lord among siddhas, out of necessity he received the complete
Northern Termas from the ascetic Dönyö Gyaltsen and the
dharma of the Shangpa Kagyu from Lama Dorje Shönnu. He
demonstrated the attainment of siddhi through the practice of
these two traditions.

His yogic discipline enabled him to travel throughout Jambud-

vipa and its subcontinents, and especially to Lotus Light in
Chamaradvipa. He received dharma from Guru Rinpoche and
countless other siddhas. Dakinis and dharmapalas placed his feet
on their heads. He built many temples at key sites throughout
Tibet in order to repel invasion. He bound all vicious gods and
spirits under samaya.

411
 The Hundred Tertons

He revealed a great deal of profound terma, such as five terma

scrolls including the Ayusadhana: Glorious Gift of Immortality
at Samye Chimphu; the Very Secret Highest Heart Sadhana at
Drampa Jong; the Mountain of Precious Treasure Secret Instructions
at Lotus Island on Accomplishment Lake; a scroll ten fathoms
long containing the profound meaning of all sutras and tantras
at Paro Taktsang in Bhutan; the Profound Dharma Heart Treasure
Cycles at Guhyamantra Hall in Tsari; and the Bright Beacon, a
prophecy concerning him, along with the Sadhana of the Realm
Protectors at Great Majesty Cave in Tsari. He also concealed
termas of his own.

By displaying miracles he subdued and led to dharma a sinful

tirthika king at Kamata in India and the barbarians inhabiting
the borderlands surrounding Tibet. His miracles were countless.
He created innumerable amazing supports of body, speech, and
mind. His amazing deeds, including the construction of fifty-
eight iron suspension bridges and one hundred and eighteen
ferries, are well-known.

In his one hundred and twenty-fifth year he departed for the

celestial realm in his actual body. When his heart-son Nyima

412
 The Hundred Tertons

Zangpo keened with grief, Thangtong Gyalpo returned, bestowed

extensive final instructions, and then departed for Pal Riwoche.

The mahasiddha of Ngari called Tsultrim Zangpo, who lived into

his hundred and thirtieth year and tsansformed his body into a
mass of light, and the siddha of Kham called the Felt-Cloaked
One both appear to have been emanations of the mahasiddha
Thangtong Gyalpo. Down to the present day, many people
with karma have continued to be accepted as disciples by his
wisdom body.

Thangtong Gyalpo had countless disciples. In particular, there

were many who, holding his lineage, achieved the siddhi of
longevity. This is because the mahasiddha himself had become
a vidyadhara with mastery of longevity. His profound dharma,
the Great Whispered Lineage of Thangtong Gyalpo, seems to have
survived. The Ayusadhana: Glorious Gift of Immortality is practiced
by all of the Sarma and Nyingma traditions.

In our own time, our lord guru Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa has
been repeatedly blessed and instructed by Thangtong Gyalpo’s
wisdom body. Based on this, our lord guru has revealed a wondrous
dharma, the treasure of his heart, arisen from the expanse of his

413
 The Hundred Tertons

mind, called the Heart Essence of the Mahasiddha. Its root is a

profound and extensive gurusadhana cycle, including both gen-
eration and completion. Its branches include both five sadhanas
concordant with the tantras and the Stages of the Path of Magical
Illusion, and instructions condensing the tantras, agamas, and
upadeshas of the Eight Dispensations of Accomplishment. Through
our lord guru’s kindness, I have received all this from him.

The mahasiddha of Ngari mentioned above received the wondrous

Blessing Supplication of the Six Syllables from Avalokita himself.
The mahasiddha Thangtong Gyalpo bestowed this on our lord
guru. I have had the good fortune to receive it from him. As it
is amrita for everyone, august and lowly, it would seem fitting
for those with bodhichitta to disseminate this meditation and
recitation as widely as possible.

414
 Gönpo Rinchen

Gönpo Rinchen was a rebirth of Princess Leksher, who was a

daughter of Prince Mutik Tsenpo. Gönpo Rinchen was born
at Tamshül in Lhodrak to the Shubu family of Kilaya siddhas.
At an early age his dharmic propensities were awakened. In his
thirteenth year he received much dharma from the great abbot
Vajrapani. He also attended many teachers throughout central
and southern Tibet. He engaged in assiduous study, practice,
and austerity.

Although he discovered a terma guide at Bumthang Rock, a long

time passed before he found the termas themselves. When he
was in his fifties he revealed many dharma termas, including the
Great Perfection: The Heart Essence of Padma, from Zangyak Rock
at Tsona Gorge in Bhutan. He also revealed many other termas
from other places, such as Kharmezur, and exhibited countless
signs of siddhi. Even the great tertön Ratna Lingpa received
much dharma from him.

415
 The Hundred Tertons

Gönpo Rinchen performed vast activity for the good of beings in

upper and lower Lhodrak, Tsona, and Drushül. He departed for
Lotus Light in his eighty-fourth year. It is said that his nephew
lineage continues in Drushül; his dharma lineage no longer ex-
ists. It is also said that, based on some of the prophecies in his
termas, he was also called both Jowo Tsemo and Shubu Chödrak.

416
 Ratna Lingpa

The great emanated tertön Ratna Lingpa was a rebirth of Langdro

Könchok Jungne. He was born in Drushül in Lhodrak on the
fifteenth day of the first month of autumn in a Water Sheep year
as the son of Dodedar the Wealthy, his father; and Sitharmen,
his mother.93 He learned to read and write without difficulty.
Starting in about his tenth year he began to have pure visions.
Through the power of his previous lives’ training, he easily mas-
tered the sciences. He also studied dharma widely.

In his twenty-seventh year he encountered Guru Rinpoche in the

emanated form of an actionless yogin of Kham who was wearing
yellow robes and hat. The emanation bestowed a terma guide
on Ratna Lingpa and advised him. Based on that, Ratna Lingpa
revealed twenty-five termas. They include his first terma, the
Sadhanas of the Three Roots, revealed from Great Garuda Rock
in his thirtieth year; the Sadhana of Hayagriva and Vajravarahi in
Union, revealed from Koro Rock in Drithang; the Four Assemblies,

93. The year was 1403 C.E.

417
 The Hundred Tertons

revealed from the Sky’s Stairway in Lhodrak; the Peaceful and

Wrathful Guru; Mahakarunika Guhyasamaja; and the Great Perfec-
tion: The Brilliant Expanse of the Sun.

As he wrote in his Thirteen Storehouses of Writings, he demonstrated

unimaginably great supercognition and miraculous powers,
such as the miracles he performed while revealing terma at the
Glorious Deep Cave in Kharchu; he encountered Guru Rinpoche
twenty-five times; and in visions he traveled to the Glorious
Copper-Colored Mountain. He performed a great many Heart
Sadhana Assemblies, Medicine Accomplishments, and Seven-
Times Born Flesh Accomplishments. Whenever he did so or gave
empowerments or teaching great wonders would occur, such as
rainbow light, rains of flowers, and the pervasive fragrance of
incense. Obstacles never arose to any of his activity.

As his interdependence was the best, he revealed in one life the

termas that would otherwise have been revealed during three
lives. He therefore bore three names: Shikpo Lingpa, Drodül
Lingpa, and Ratna Lingpa. He ripened and liberated countless
beings throughout this land, from Mount Kailash all the way to
Queen’s Gorge in Kham. His family line and lineage of disciples

418
 The Hundred Tertons

have both survived, and both have included many fine individu-
als, starting with his four heart-sons.

Having completed his deeds, Ratna Lingpa departed for the Palace
of Lotus Light amid wondrous miracles in his seventysixth year.

Although it would be appropriate to write at greater length

of Ratna Lingpa’s life, the transmissions and texts of his Great
Account of My Revelations and his visionary Thirteen Storehouses
of Writings still exist. One can also learn more about his life by
reading the extensive biographies written by Yardrokpa Sherap
Zangpo and Nyangpo Döndrup Gyalpo.

I have fully received all of the termas of this supreme tertön

that have been preserved here in eastern Tibet, including his
Sadhanas of the Three Roots, his Peaceful and Wrathful Guru, his
Four Assemblies (except the Profound Path), his Great Perfection:
The Brilliant Expanse of the Sun, his Vajramala Ayusadhana, his
Very Secret Highest Vajrakilaya, his dharmapala cycles such as the
Neuter Mahakala, some of his minor termas, and his collected
writings. I have performed extensive approach and accomplish-
ment of several of them, including the Vajramala Ayusadhana
and the Very Secret Highest Vajrakilaya. Working with Wontrül

419
 The Hundred Tertons

Rinpoche — who is a prophesied emanation of Langdro Könchok

Jungne and a great treasury of compassion — I have instituted
the performance of the vase accomplishment of Mahakarunika
Guhyasamaja in the main temple at the great seat of Palpung and
the great accomplishment of the Very Secret Highest Vajrakilaya
in the Vajrakilaya temple there. We have made sure that these
rituals are performed purely and correctly. I have written new
manuals for their practice. In such ways, I have committed
myself to this tradition.

420
 Kalden Dorje

The tertön Kalden Dorje was an emanation of Drokmi Pal-

gyi Yeshe. He was born in Nyal and lived as a mantradharin.
He revealed a number of termas from Shampo Gang. Among
them were eighteen scrolls containing the Buddhakapalatantra
and Sadhana, the Chakrasamvarasadhana, and the Instructions
on Severance. He also found many material termas, including
the spiritstone of the great god Shampo, made from jewels of
devas, nagas, and men; and the skull of Drokmi Palgyi Yeshe.
His dharma lineage lasted for a while in E and Nyal, and his
Instructions on Severance were once widespread, but it seems that
his lineage no longer exists.

421
 Chokden Dorje

Chokden Dorje was an emanation of both Acharya Sale and

Sale’s rebirth Chölo Gönpo. He was born at Gyashö Lagong
in a Male Wood Tiger year. He undertook renunciation in the
presence of Gyatön Lozang Drakpa, and developed incredible
wisdom and signs of siddhi. Once, the chieftain of Jar tried to
burn him to death, but was unable to harm him.

Chokden Dorje encountered Guru Rinpoche many times and

received his prophecies. Based on them, he revealed the Great
Perfection: The Heart Essence of Hayagriva from White Rock Divine
Water in Nyangpo.

Taksham, Chöje Lingpa, and others held Chokden Dorje’s ter-

mas in high regard and disseminated them, as is clear in their
biographies. I have also received these termas.

422
 Chak Jangchup Lingpa

Chak Jangchup Lingpa was born in one of the valleys of Lhodrak

Tamshül. He was a disciple of Padma Lingpa and others. He also
revealed a few profound termas, but it does not seem that their
lineage has survived. Jangchup Lingpa’s seat later received the
support of the vidyadhara Trinley Lhundrup and his disciples,
and appears to be still inhabited.

423
 The Mantradharin Shakya Zangpo

The mantradharin Shakya Zangpo, the nirmanakaya of Yölmo,

was a rebirth of the great Buddhist minister Gö Padma Gungtsen.
He was born to the family of the great vajra holder of Drangpo in
Drompa Jong in southern Latö. Shakya Zangpo became learned
and accomplished in all traditions of guhyamantra — Sarma
and Nyingma, kama and terma. He opened the door to the
sacred place Yölmo Gangra and revealed a terma there called
Mahakarunika: Liberating Samsara into the Expanse.

He once went to Samye on pilgrimage. While there he received

the dakinis’ prophecy. Based on it, he revealed a scroll con-
taining a guide to the Great Stupa of Bodhanath and instruc-
tions on its restoration from the Red Stupa of Samye on the
eighteenth day of the sheep month in the Water Monkey year.
These prophetic instructions had previously been revealed by
Lhatsün Ngönmo from the back of the image of Vairochana at
Samye, and subsequently replaced by him after he received the
prophetic instruction to do so. What Shakya Zangpo revealed

424
 The Hundred Tertons

from the Red Stupa was a copy of the scroll, made by Lhatsün
and concealed by him there.

After that Shakya Zangpo repaired the dams at Lhasa and re-
ceived another prophecy, based on which he revealed the terma
Mahakarunika: The Collected Teachings of King Songtsen Gampo.

As instructed in the prophecy he had found at Samye, Shakya

Zangpo met with the great vidyadhara Padma Lingpa, Kongpo
Karchen Kunga Drakpa, Drikung Kunga Rinchen, and other
holy beings who shared his aspiration to restore the Great Stupa,
and received their blessings. Through the good interdependence
of this he was able to perfectly restore the Great Stupa. As his
restoration of it involved revealing it from underneath a mound
of earth, he practically rediscovered the stupa as a terma!

On the stupa’s life-tree he found relics of the Nepalese king Özer

Gocha, who was seven-times-born. Shakya Zangpo distributed
these relics for the good of beings.

He also attended Kongchen Namkha Palden, Metön Namkha

Gyaltsen, the vidyadhara Sangye Tenpa, Tsangtön Ugyen Pal-
zang, and other masters. He received the empowerments and
instructions of most of the Nyingma teachings, kama and terma,

425
 The Hundred Tertons

that existed at his time. He practiced them and bestowed them

fully on the great vidyadhara of Ngari, his brother, and others.
In such a way he prolonged the life of the teachings. He also
perfected the forceful activity of direct action. He was of great
help to beings in Ngari and Gungthang.

He meditated for a long time at Glorious Blaze Mountain. While

there he met the vidyadhara Chokden Gönpo, who bestowed
prophecy on him. Accordingly, Shakya Zangpo went to the
hidden land of Lotus Garden, also called Yölmo Gangra. He
built Tsuda Monastery there, furnished it with supports, and
remained there for the rest of his life, engaging in many means
of ensuring the well-being of all Tibet. At the end of his life,
when he passed into peace, he left a detailed testament. Ac-
cording to it, he would be reborn in the family line of the king
of Latö, descended from the bhikshu Nup Namkhay Nyingpo,
fourteen generations after Nyangral Nyima Özer. His rebirth
was the nirmanakaya Namkha Gyajin, whose nirmanakaya was
the principal heart-son of the vidyadhara Ngaki Wangpo, Ten-
dzin Norbu, also known as Topden Shukchang Tsal. He made
Thupten Dorje Drak his seat, and was very kind to the teachings.

426
 Drodül Letro Lingpa

Drodül Letro Lingpa was an emanation of both the translator

Rinchen Zangpo — one of the hundred and eight great transla-
tors of the early period — and Shelkarza. He was born in western
Nyal to the Nyi family amid wondrous signs. His father’s name
was Paljor Gyalpo; his mother’s was Tashi Lhamo.

He experienced boundless pure appearances. Especially, he first

received a list of profound termas in his sixteenth year. In his
eighteenth year he offered the fruits of his crown to the peerless
Namkha Gyalpo at Chölung Riwoche, and received the name
Namkha Dorje. He received and practiced the profound instruc-
tions of the Barom Kagyu. Especially, he met the vidyadhara
Padma Lingpa and resolved all misunderstandings through
hearing and thinking. His being was ripened by profound in-
struction. Drodül Letro Lingpa is considered to be one of the
three heart-sons of Padma Lingpa, the one called Dorje of Nyal,
who was predicted to be an emanated tertön.

427
 The Hundred Tertons

Accordingly, in his twenty-first year he was encouraged by the

Protectress of Mantra, Ekajati. He went to Domtshang Valley
in Bhutan. In the Cave of Yeshe Tsogyal there he performed a
Hayagriva ganapuja, and wisdom dakinis directly bestowed the
terma guide. He went to the Cave of the Moon. Amid wondrous
apparitions, he revealed his first terma.

He subsequently revealed terma from such places as the Tiger’s

Lair at Paro, the Glorious Deep Cave in Kharchu, the Water
Temple in Lhokye, the Dakinis’ Secret Cave, Drakyangdzong,
the Glorious Secret Treasury Cave of the Blazing Sun and Moon,
the Dakinis’ Ledge, Samye Chimphu, the White Stupa, Shampo
Gangra, and Slender Rock. The termas he found include Ma-
hakarunika: Lamp Illuminating the Truth, the Very Secret Highest
Eight Dispensations, the Profound Heart Essence of Samantabhadra,
and countless other dharma termas, cycles of forceful mantra,
samaya materials, and supports.

In his practice places he performed many great accomplish-

ments of deities including the Peaceful and Wrathful Guru, the
Eight Dispensations, and Vajrakilaya. He also performed many
medicine accomplishments, seven-times-born pill accomplish-
ments, and torma accomplishments. He ripened and freed vast

428
 The Hundred Tertons

numbers of disciples, and remained active to the end of his life.

His nephew Lhayi Dawa, who possessed excellent realization,
also helped countless beings.

It is said that Drodül Lingpa was reborn several times. Especially,

his descendants were all mantradharin vajra-holders for some
time. His dharma line was once widespread, but it does not seem
that it has survived. Nevertheless, our lord guru received a short
lineage of Mahakarunika: Lamp Illuminating the Truth, and I have
received its complete ripening and liberation.

429
 Jampal Dorje

Jampal Dorje, the tertön from Mangrong, was an emanation of

Nanam Dorje Düdjom. He revealed the Mahakarunika: Liberat-
ing All Beings cycle from Yerpa. It appears that the lineage of its
empowerments and transmissions lasted until the time of the
great tertön of Mindröling.

Jampal Dorje founded Ngesang Dorje Ling at Tsang Gangra.

This seat was subsequently held by Nyida Drakpa, the dharma
heir of Shikpo Lingpa; his nephew, the great translator Ngaki
Wangpo; and his nephew, Shenpen Dorje. After that the seat was
awarded by the great Fifth Dalai Lama to Tratsangpa Lochok
Rikpe Dorje.

430
 Padma Wangyal Dorje

Padma Wangyal Dorje, the mahapandita of Ngari, was the ninth

rebirth of Prince Lharjey and a mind emanation of the king
Trisong Detsen. He was born at Lowo Tang in a Female Fire
Sheep year. His father was the greatly learned and accomplished
Jamyang Rinchen Gyaltsen, who was both of royal descent and a
rebirth of Lord Marpa. Padma Wangyal Dorje’s mother was called
Drocham Tromgyen. He was given the name Padma Wangyal.

In his eighth year he became an upasaka. He generated bodhichitta

in his father’s presence, and received from him the kama teachings
of the Nyingma tradition, especially the Guhyagarbhatantra, the
sutras of anuyoga, and the Great Perfection. He studied these to
perfection. He performed many approaches and accomplishments,
achieving signs. From the acharya Norten Zangpo he received
the vinaya, the sutras, and the Kadampa teachings.

Beginning in his twentieth year he studied a hundred great tex-

tual traditions, including the Middle Way, valid cognition, and

431
 The Hundred Tertons

the Prajnaparamita. He became widely known as a kalyanamitra

who deserved that title.

In his twenty-first year he received the ripening empowerments

and liberating instructions for the Red Yamantaka and other
deities from Jamyang Chökyong, Tsultrim Pal, and others. He
performed approach and accomplishment and saw the face of
the wrathful Manjushri.

Especially, in his twenty-second year he received the complete

transmission of the kama and terma teachings of the Nyingma
school from his holy father. When Padma Wangyal subsequently
performed the Sadhana of the Eight Dispensations, his father ex-
perienced extraordinary visions that caused him to encourage
and praise his son, referring to qualities that became evident
later in his life.

In Padma Wangyal’s twenty-third year he twice received the Path

and Result from the Translator of Lowo. In his twentyfifth year
he undertook complete renunciation at Samdrupling Monastery
in the presence of Sönam Lhundrup, the great abbot of Lowo,
an emanation of Manjushri Sakya Pandita.

432
 The Hundred Tertons

From then on, Padma Wangyal maintained the discipline of an

utter renunciate, including eating only once a day. His practice
of the vinaya was so correct that he became the foremost vinay-
adharin of his day.

From the above-mentioned great abbot; from Namgyal Palzang,

the mahapandita of Guge; and from Jamyang Lodrö he received
teaching on linguistics and logic as well as many empowerments
and tantras of the Sarma tradition of guhyamantra. Mastering all
these, he came to wear the crown that is the title “mahapandita.”

He received many of the Northern Termas from Shakya Zangpo,

the tertön from Drangpo.

In brief, Padma Wangyal went to great effort to re-ceive most

of the empowerments, tantras, and instructions of the Sarma
and Nyingma Traditions of guhyamantra that existed in his
day. He also performed their approaches and accomplishments.

He traveled to Nepal and studied there with many Nepalese

and Tibetan gurus. While meditating on pilgrimage in Nepal
he had countless pure visions.

433
 The Hundred Tertons

Starting in his thirty-eighth year he began to rain down a vast

shower of dharma of the Sarma and Nyingma Traditions without
distinction. The resolution to restore the diminished dharma
lineages of the Sarma and Nyingma Traditions throughout central
Tibet arose in his heart. After receiving the permission of his
father and the officials of Lowo, he traveled through Zangzang
Lhadrak. Accompanied by his younger brother Lekden Dorje,
Padma Wangyal reached central Tibet. He visited the emanated
temple of Lhasa and received prophecies there. Based on them,
he went to receive the Ngok mandalas and Ngok’s Red Yaman-
taka Cycle at Shungdreshing from Ngoktön Sönam Tendzin and
Shalu the Great of Drathang.

When Padma Wangyal visited Samye, the habits from his life as
the dharma king Trisong Detsen were awakened. He performed a
great accomplishment of the Eight Dispensations: The Assembly of
Sugatas in the middle temple and accepted the Guru of Lhodrak
as a disciple. He also received the Wisdom Assembly of the Guru
from Trengso Ugyen Chözang and Kongchen Namkha Palzang.

Padma Wangyal meditated at Drakyangdzong and Chimphu,

where he saw the faces of many deities. The eighth lineal de-
scendant of Guru Chöwang invited him to Lhodrak. Padma

434
 The Hundred Tertons

Wangyal restored the diminished dharma lineages there. He

filled Lhodrak with his great kindness.

This lord received the Eight Dispensations: The Assembly of Sugatas

twenty-five times. He regarded the last of these as the most
satisfying, in that the source was pure, definitive, and powerful:
at the White Monastery of Lhodrak, Padma Wangyal received
the Eight Dispensations: The Assembly of Sugatas from the peerless
mahasiddha, the noble Namkhay Naljor.

In particular, the way Padma Wangyal revealed profound terma

was as follows: In his forty-sixth year he revealed terma from a
secret coffer concealed among the four outward-facing figures
that formed the statue of Vairochana in the upper temple at
Samye. This terma included the Later Assembly of Dispensations:
The Assembly of All Vidyadharas and the Sadhana of the Seven-
Chapter Supplication. He deciphered most of this terma, and it has
remained widespread down to the present. I have received it all.

With the vidyadhara Lekdenje as go-between, Padma Wangyal

invited Rinchen Puntsok, the tertön of Drikung, to join him
at Samye. These three masters together reconsecrated Samye
Monastery, which was of great benefit to all Tibet. That is an

435
 The Hundred Tertons

example of the countless things Padma Wangyal did for beings

and the teachings while in central Tibet.

Finally, in his fifty-sixth year he departed from Önmönthang

for the Glorious Copper-Colored Mountain.

The life of this holy being was one of inconceivable learning, ac-
complishment, and impeccability. This is evident in his versified
autobiography; here I have merely summarized it.

Among his innumerable achievements his composition of Ascer-

tainment of the Three Vows, which is brief yet remarkably inclusive,
was an act of unimaginable kindness. This shastra continues
to adorn the throats of those who hold the teachings of the
Early Translations down to the present. Padma Wangyal was a
renowned and great chariot of the kama and terma teachings
of the Early Translations. He illuminated them and benefited
them in many direct and indirect ways.

His immediate rebirth was the Lord of the North, Tashi Topgyal,
whose biography will be found below.

436
 Mingyur Letro Lingpa

Mingyur Letro Lingpa, Kunga Palzang, was a rebirth of Shelkarza

Gönkhyi. From the Assembly of All Vidyadharas:

Four tertöns will bow to him.

They will each reveal my holy, profound dharma as terma.

Mingyur Letro Lingpa was one of those four tertöns. He was

born at Gyam in west-central Tibet. He became both a master
and disciple of Drikung Rinchen Puntsok. He was also a dharma
heir of the tertön from Ngari, the great vidyadhara Lekden.

The four tertöns predicted above revealed the Profound Dharma

of the Four Assemblies, terma materials, Profound Protection from
the Planet, and Invincible Environment from Changeless Dharma-
Source Rock. They were passed down through Rinchen Puntsok,
the four tertöns’ dharma heir. Although these termas were once
widespread, their transmission has not survived.

The wondrous little text of the Profound Dharma of Fierce Padma

came to our lord guru as rediscovered terma. I have received its

437
 The Hundred Tertons

ripening and liberation, and saw while doing so extraordinary

signs of its blessing. For example, while giving the empower-
ment our lord guru wrote the mantras on the surface of a mirror.
Later, it became evident that the mantras had spontaneously
engraved themselves into the mirror’s surface.

438
 Namchak Mebar

The tertön Namchak Mebar was a combined emanation of the

great master Humkara and Prince Mutri Tsenpo. He was born at
Drikung in west-central Tibet. His father was the dharma king
Tenpe Gyaltsen of the Kyura lineage of the Guge kings. Nam-
chak Mebar was born to his mother Sönam Drönma amongst
wondrous signs in a Female Earth Snake year.

His dharmic habits awoke in his youth. Even then he was amaz-
ing, and remembered many previous lives. In his eighth year he
undertook renunciation at Pamodru in the presence of Chenga
Chökyi Drakpa Rinpoche and received the name Rinchen Puntsok
Chökyi Gyalpo. He studied the traditions of sutra and tantra
perfectly with Chenga Rinpoche, the Mahapandita of Ngari,
and the latter’s brother.

He practiced in many places, including Shotö Tidro, and mixed

appearances and mind into inseparable equality. He was placed
on the great dharma throne of the protector Jikten Sumgön and
engaged in vast activity both spiritual and secular.

439
 The Hundred Tertons

While Rinchen Puntsok was living at Tidro the yogin Vajranatha

came from India and gave him the Instructions of Jatavira on Bhu-
prana. Encouraged by the dakinis’ predictions, Rinchen Puntsok
changed his costume to the white robes of a yogin. This opened
the door of profound interdependence, and he received at that
time the Instructions on the Wish-Fulfilling Supreme Light in a vi-
sion. He also acquired a terma guide. Based on it he revealed the
five wondrous pages of the Holy Dharma of Very Profound Wisdom
from the Great Feast Hall of Tidro. He immediately entered
retreat. During the night of a tenth day, he went to the Glorious
Copper-Colored Mountain in a vision, received empowerment
and extensive guidance from Guru Rinpoche, and took part in
a ganachakra. From then onward he became a lord of the kama
and terma teachings of the Sarma and Nyingma traditions.

As Rinchen Puntsok was both greatly learned and accomplished,

his way of explaining texts was superior to that of others. He
emphasized the Former and Latter Termas, the nine traditions of
the Eight Dispensations, the Four Branches of the Heart Essence,
and the writings of the omniscient Longchenpa.

After completing such deeds Rinchen Puntsok departed for the

great palace of Lotus Light.

440
 The Hundred Tertons

His disciples lived all over Tibet, all the way from Ngari and
Ladak in the west to Dokham and Hor in the east, and through-
out the four parts of central Tibet and Tsang. Foremost among
them were Rinchen Puntsok’s physical and dharma son Chögyal
Puntsok, who was a rebirth of Tsuklakdzin, the king of Zahor.
Chögyal Puntsok took his father’s seat. Down to the present
day, its tradition combining the Sarma and Nyingma schools
remains undiminished. All holders of the Drikung lineage hold
the lineage of the study and practice of the Holy Dharma of Very
Profound Wisdom, and I have received most of it.

441
 Sherap Özer

Trengpo Drodül Lingpa Sherap Özer was an emanation of the

great translator Vairochana. He was born amongst wondrous
signs on the tenth day of the month of Ashadha in a Male Earth
Tiger year, in Ngomchen in the north, to the Tri and Sam families.
From an early age he had unfabricated revulsion, compassion,
and great intelligence. His mahayana disposition was awakened.

In his eighth year he became an upasaka in the presence of the

master Tsultrim Özer, and received the name by which he is
best known, Sherap Özer. He then undertook renunciation
in the presence of Dorgyalwa, a disciple of Serdok Panchen.
He studied the treatises on the vehicle of attributes as well
as the Guhyasamajatantra for six years with the Ganden Tripa
Tendarwa. He studied the tantras of the Sakya tradition and
the Kalachakratantra with Dorgyalwa. His studies completed,
Sherap Özer caused the drum of his throat to resound in the
colleges of the vehicle of attributes. When he did so, no one
could respond to his learning and reasoning. He became known
as a great kalyanamitra.

442
 The Hundred Tertons

In his eighteenth year he met Drikung Rinchen Puntsok, and

felt faith beyond control. When they discussed dharma, the two
of them — the master and the disciple — gained trust in one
another. Sherap Özer received from Rinchen Puntsok count-
less teachings including the profound dharma of the Drikung
Kagyu and Karma Kagyu; the collected tantras of the Sarma and
Nyingma schools; the mahayoga, anuyoga, and atiyoga tantras
with their explanations; and all the kama and terma Nyingma
dharmas along with their practical instructions, especially the
Dakinis’ Heart Essence.

As commanded by his guru, Sherap Özer turned the dharmach-

akras of sutra and tantra, including all the Buddha’s teachings,
amidst an ocean of the sangha. He based his presentation on
the fivefold Mahamudra, taught the Vajra Speech of a Hundred
and Fifty Stanzas, and expounded the view of the Single Intention.
He thereby fulfilled his guru’s wishes and brought his sangha to
wondrous realization.

Sherap Özer lived within the virtues of training; he abandoned

distraction and unnecessary activity. He practiced in solitude
for eight years. In particular, he meditated for three years in
the Piled Jewels Cave of Accomplishment on Drok Mountain.

443
 The Hundred Tertons

Inconceivably great signs arose; he acquired countless gates of

samadhi.

During that time, on the tenth day of the month Ashadha in

the Female Fire Sheep year a dakini with the appearance of a
Bhutanese woman gave him a skullcup filled with liquor. He
drank it, causing him to see Guru Padmaraja amidst white light.
Guru Rinpoche instructed him, and based on that Sherap Özer
revealed the Essence of Liberation: SelfLiberated Wisdom and sup-
ports of body, speech, and mind from that terma site.

Thereafter in Lhasa he revealed as terma relics of the Tathagata,

substances that liberate through taste called Sealed by AH, and
other remarkable supports and samaya substances. In all, he
revealed profound terma from six locations. He deciphered
the terma parchment together with Drikung Rinchen Puntsok
Rinpoche, and then performed the terma accomplishment at
Zingwa Tiger Head.

While he was doing so, he had a vision in which he went to Lo-

tus Light and encountered Guru Rinpoche and Yeshe Tsogyal
in the form of Guru Mahasukha. They empowered Sherap Özer
and instructed him. He seemed to remain there for one month.

444
 The Hundred Tertons

In Trengpo he and Drikung Rinchen Puntsok received the Wis-

dom Assembly of the Guru and much other dharma from Nyima
Gyaltsen, a dharma heir of the Wisdom Assembly. As requested by
the people of Trengpo, Sherap Özer then made Trengpo his seat.

Sherap Özer remained in retreat at Dorje Drak for three years.

During that time he again saw Guru Rinpoche, who told him,
“Nowadays you are the only one who correctly understands the
view. Explain it clearly!”

He therefore wrote the Bright Beacon of the Guru’s Words, a profound

and concise shastra. By this time everyone known to be learned
and realized praised him and drank the amrita of his profound
dharma. When he practiced the Dakinis’ Heart Essence, the Very
Profound Wisdom, and the Essence of Liberation and gave their
empowerments and instructions, seven thousand people would
attend the public empowerments. There were always wondrous
signs such as rainbow light and rains of flowers. Sherap Özer
had the eye of dharma; his supercognition knew no bounds.

Through the sponsorship of Hor Sönam Topgye, Sherap Özer

founded Pangye Palri Tekchen Ling and filled it with supports.
His dharma activity filled central, western, and eastern Tibet.

445
 The Hundred Tertons

On the tenth day of the sixth month in his sixty-seventh year,

the Year of the Water Monkey, Sherap Özer wished to pass into
peace. However, his physical son Karma Kunzang, together with
his daughter-in-law and grandchildren, prayed that he live. In
response he remained alive for three additional days. On the
morning of the thirteenth day of the month he withdrew his
emanated display into the heart of the great vira Skull Fragment
in the city of Mahasukha Shantapuri.

There is a wonderful biography of Sherap Özer including the

story of his termas, consisting of ten chapters, written by Chöje
Kunzang.

I am fortunate to have received the unbroken ripening empow-

erments and liberating instructions of the Essence of Liberation.

446
 The Great Vidyadhara of Ngari

The great vidyadhara of Ngari was an emanation of Nanam

Dorje Düdjom. He was born as the son of Jamyang Rinchen
Gyaltsen, a great mantradharin of the divine family line of Ngari
Lowo. The great vidyadhara was also the younger brother of the
mahapandita of Ngari.

As predicted in the termas of Kunkyong Lingpa, the great vidy-

adhara was given the name Lekden Dorje. In certain testaments
there appear predictions of “the tertön Dorje Trolö.” The signs
of the time for revelation in these predictions match those of
the great vidyadhara, as clearly predicted in his termas.

Lekden Dorje received many empowerments and teachings from

his father, and completed approach and accomplishment. He saw
his father as Great Splendor Supreme Heruka, and had many
other visions of the three roots. He received many prophecies
and developed immeasurable qualities. Knowing that Shakya
Zangpo, the mantradharin of Drangpo, had been his guru in
many lives he took him as his root guru. He also attended many

447
 The Hundred Tertons

learned and accomplished masters of Tibet, from Ngari all the

way to Kongpo, and became the lord of an ocean of kama, terma,
and upadesha dharma. He employed dharmapalas as servants
and thereby mastered the four actions.

Together with his elder brother, the mahapandita of Ngari, Le-

kden Dorje revealed the Assembly of All Vidyadharas cycle from
a concealed coffer within the Vairochana statue in the central
temple of Samye. Although the mahapandita indicated that the
dharma heir of this cycle was to be Drikung Rinchen Puntsok,
he was unable to impart it to him; it was from Lekden Dorje
that Rinchen Puntsok received it completely. In the Assembly
of All Vidyadharas there is the prediction:

Four emanated tertöns will bow to him.

These were Drikung Rinchen Puntsok, Mingyur Letro Lingpa,

Nesar Khyentse Wangchuk, and the vidyadhara Lekden Dorje. In
particular, Lekden Dorje revealed as his own terma the profound
and extensive cycle of the Nine-Headed Wrathful One from Önpu
Taktsang. He opened the door to the sacred place of Sikkim and
revealed the wondrous cycle of the Amritakundalin Ayusadhana
from Divine Mountain JewelEssence Rock. It is said that he also
revealed many other profound termas, including sadhanas of the

448
 The Hundred Tertons

peaceful and wrathful forms of Manjushri, of Mahakarunika,

and of Vajrapani.

He compelled the yaksha Tsimara, a guardian of the property

of Samye, to become gentle. In such ways, it is said that he ex-
hibited a degree of magical power that has never been exceeded.

During his later life he sat on the lion throne at Sangngak

Tekchok Ling and indefatigably engaged in the holy deeds of
empowerment and teaching. His disciples were countless, from
the greatest and best-known holders of the Sarma and Nyingma
lineages to the most humble inhabitiants of mountain caves.
He lived into his hundred and thirteenth year, nurturing the
dharma of teaching and accomplishment, and passed into the
dharmadhatu without illness at Sangngak Tekchok Ling. The
preparation of a support for his relics and all the other duties
connected with his passing were performed by the dharmaraja
Wangpo’i De.

Of his termas, Mahakarunika: Liberating Samsara into the Expanse,

the Wrathful One: Self-Luminous Wisdom, the Ayusadhana, and the
instructions of the Trikaya Guru have survived unbroken, and I
have received them.

449
 Matiratna

The tertön Matiratna was an emanation of Kharchen Palgyi

Wangchuk. He is said to have been born at the border between
Domey and Tashel. He revealed the cycle of the Wrathful Goddess,
the Tamer of Mara from sindhura water in Shelkok Thangshing.
He also revealed a gurusadhana and other termas. Even today,
his monastery and lineage flourish.

The story is told about this tertön that because of the interde-
pendence of his previous lives he had but scanty provisions. Ac-
cordingly he prayed to Guru Rinpoche and received a prophecy
that to the east, at Shakra Karmo, there was a golden mule to
be revealed as terma. He went there to reveal it and found a
little wax mule with bits of gold the size of peas on its back. If
he had taken it as a support for the accomplishment of wealth
and performed the terma practice he would have gained wealth
equal to the gold that a mule could bear upon its back. Unfor-
tunately, the tertön became discouraged and gave rise to slight
wrong views. He therefore spoiled the interdependence and
passed away in poverty.

450
 The Hundred Tertons

I have not seen a detailed account of his life. The cycle of the
Wrathful Goddess, the Tamer of Mara is widespread in Domey. I
have received its empowerments and transmissions, as well as
those of his Wish-Fulfilling Jewel Who Embodies All Gurus.

451
 Tsering Dorje

Tsering Dorje of Dongkar Lakha was a rebirth of Salwe Drönma,

a female servant of Princess Nüjin Sale. He was born in the south,
near Paro. From the terma site Red Rock, north of Nyangrotsi
Nesar, he revealed the Great Perfection Chiti Cycle. From behind
the statue of the Great Mother at Nesar he revealed as terma
six pills made from the flesh of the seven-times-born, each pill
the size of the first egg laid by a large bird. Tsering Dorje also
revealed many termas from Paro in the south. He helped beings
tremendously throughout the south and in both Nyangshap
and Tanak. His subsequent rebirth and his son Kalden Dorje
also helped beings immeasurably. The dharma of Chiti is famous
because all of its practitioners have achieved bodies of light. It’s
ripening empowerments and liberating instructions remain
unbroken, and I have received them.

452
 Khyentse Wangchuk Dongak Lingpa

Khyentse Wangchuk Dongak Lingpa, also known as Nesarwa,

was an emanation of both the dharma king Trisong Detsen and
Langdro the Translator. He was born to the Asha family of Tsi
Nesar in a Male Wood Monkey year amid wondrous signs at
Tongpodong in Tsang. His father was Tongpön Namkha Dorje;
his mother was Tseten Budren.

From an early age he displayed unassailable wisdom and tre-

mendous faith, devotion, and compassion. His behavior was
always holy; he never behaved like an ordinary child. He was
inconceivably amazing. He clearly remembered receiving the
four round empowerments of Guru Guhyasamaja in his first year
from Jetsün Gorumpa. He sometimes spontaneously spoke in
Sanskrit. Even before learning to read, he spontaneously recited
a poem of praise to the lord of yogins Virupa.

He learned reading, writing, and the sciences without difficulty.

In his eighth year he undertook renunciation in the presence of
Tsarchen Vajradhara Kunga Lekpe Jungne. He was given the name

453
 The Hundred Tertons

Khyentse Wangchuk Tenpe Gyaltsen Pal Zangpo. He received

an ocean of dharma from Tsarchen Vajradhara, Gorumpa, and
other teachers. He performed many approaches and accomplish-
ments, and meditated one-pointedly on the vajrayoga and other
completion stage practices.

In his twentieth year he undertook completion. He was an ex-

emplary monastic; all of his behavior was pure.

While he was in retreat he was visited by Manikanatha, a yogin

who had accomplished immortality, the son of a king of Kakota
in western India. From Manikanatha Nesarwa received a sadhana
of Guru Padma’s trikaya, a Vajravarahi blessing derived from
the Abhidhana, and instructions on bhuprana. Manikanatha
carried with him as a practice support an image of Guru Padma
in royal attire; this image was so impressive that one would
never tire of looking at it. Seeing the image, Nesarwa realized
that the sadhana of Guru Rinpoche that he had just received
from Manikanatha was the same as a terma of Ratna Lingpa,
and that the existence of an Indian image of Guru Rinpoche
in royal attire disproved the false accusation that this form of
Guru Rinpoche was merely an emanation of Pehar that appeared
only in Tibet. Nesarwa immediately lost his previous negative

454
 The Hundred Tertons

attitude toward the Nyingma tradition and strongly regretted his

denigration of it. He committed himself to receiving, studying,
teaching, and disseminating all of the kama and terma dharma
of the Nyingma tradition, and to adopting its view as his own.
From then on he delighted in yogis and the behavior of Indian
siddhas. He spontaneously became able to read the Nagari and
Kashmiri scripts.

He completed his study of the vehicle of attributes at Tanak

Thupten, and then received all of the Sakya teachings and es-
pecially all of the instructions of the whispered lineage, such
as the Explanation for Disciples of the Path and Result, from Lord
Tsarchen. He was empowered as a lord of the teachings.

In response to a prophecy Nesarwa went on pilgrimage to

Dramgyang. He later said that he observed both the location
of terma there and signs of its time of revelation; he did not
describe revealing it. Because of his residence at a college of the
vehicle of attributes, and because of samaya-contamination, he
was unable to reveal very much terma. However, it is said that
he did reveal one volume of wondrous instructions, including
some concerned with lightning and hail.

455
 The Hundred Tertons

He received many Nyingma teachings from Setra Zangpo and

the great vidyadhara of Ngari. His dharma activity of dissemi-
nating both the Nyingma and Sarma teachings was boundless.
His service to the dharma was vast, and included sitting on the
dharma throne of the great seat of Shalu and thereby restoring
the waning doctrine of the omniscient Butön.

Nesarwa passed to other realms in his forty-fourth year.

Starting with his nephew Wangchuk Rapten and the great

emanation of Tsarchen, the great sun of dharma called Gönpo
Sönam Chokden, Nesarwa’s display of emanations has contin-
ued down to the present. I have received the instructions on
bhuprana which have come down from him.

456
 Karma Guru

Karma Guru, also known as Chögyal Wangpo’i De, was a proph-

esied emanation of the qualities of the dharma king Trisong
Detsen. He was born in western Yeru. His father was Namkha
Rinchen, the great scion of the royal line of Minyak. Karma
Guru’s mother was Chökyong Dzomchen. He was born in a
Male Iron Dog year amid extraordinary signs. Jetsün Kunga
Drölchok named him Pal Tashi Topgyal Wangpo’i De and gave
him a longevity empowerment.

From many learned and accomplished masters of various tradi-

tions, including Jetsün Kunga Drölchok, Lochen Ratnabhadra,
Nupgönpa Jampa Chökyi Gyaltsen, the vidyadhara Lekden
Dorje, and Drikungpa Chögyal Rinchen Puntsok, Karma Guru
received vast amounts of sutra, tantra, Sarma, and Nyingma
dharma. His knowledge became boundless.

In particular, he received and held all the lineages of the termas

that had been revealed up to his time that are mentioned in his
Supplication to the Tertöns. He acquired all of their various samaya

457
 The Hundred Tertons

substances. He mastered the four actions, and utterly eradicated

enemies with his magical power.

His first revelation was of a guide to many termas, substances

that liberate through taste, and a ruby amulet. He revealed these
from the Aryapalo Ling Temple at Samye. Then, in the sight
of a large crowd, he flew like a bird over the face of Tsangrong
Lhanglhangma Cliff and revealed the Trikaya Embodiment of All
Families and the Karmaguru cycle. After that he revealed the Triple
Essence of Mother Tantra, samaya substances, and a kila from the
Golden Stupa of Jöpa in Lhodrak. It seems that he also revealed
various other termas as well.

His dharma activity and display of signs of siddhi throughout

central Tibet, Tsang, Lhodrak, eastern Tibet, and Kongpo were
unimaginably great. He traveled all the way through eastern
Tibet to Haka Lingtse and placed many beings, both august
and lowly, on the path to liberation.

In the evening of the twenty-first day of the middle month of

spring in the Year of the Earth Tiger, his fifty-third year, he
dissolved his mind into the dharmadhatu in front of the Great
Stupa of Jamling.

458
 The Hundred Tertons

The empowerments and transmissions of his three abovemen-

tioned terma dharmas have remained unbroken, and I have
received them.

459
 Ngaki Wangpo

The vidyadhara Ngaki Wangpo was the immediate rebirth of the

great vidyadhara Lekden Dorje. His father was Chögyal Wangpo’i
De. His mother, Lhacham Yishin Wangmo, was a descendant of
the royalty of Zahor. Ngaki Wangpo was born in a Male Iron
Dragon year amid wondrous signs. He offered the fruits of his
crown to Drikungpa Chögyal Puntsok and received the name
Ngawang Rikdzin Dorje Chögyal Tenpe Gyaltsen Pal Zangpo.
His being was also ripened by bodhichitta on that occasion.

Ngaki Wangpo received all of his lord father’s dharma, like the
contents of one vase being transferred into another. He therefore
became like an ocean of the kama and terma Nyingma dharma.
He lived as a mantradharin with the three vows, a great vajra
holder. He engaged one-pointedly in approach and accomplish-
ment in many sacred places such as the Crystal Cave of Yarlung,
and saw the faces of many deities. He employed vajradharmapalas
as servants and had peerless magical power, as indicated by the
fact that he intimidated even the great dharmapala of Samye.
He also had vast supercognition.

460
 The Hundred Tertons

He twice traveled all the way to Haka Lingtse in China, greatly

helping beings. The first time was in his youth, when he went
there as his father’s attendant. The second time he went there
he did so as a teacher, accompanied now by his own entourage.

Ngaki Wangpo took Thupten Dorje Drak as his primary seat,

and his deeds of the three wheels flourished there.

Finally, after granting his final instructions to his heart-son

Yölmo Tulku Tendzin Norbu, Ngaki Wangpo withdrew his ru-
pakaya into the dharmadhatu without apparent illness on the
tenth day of the month Chaitra in the Earth Hare year. When his
remains were cremated there were many wondrous signs; white
rainbow light swirled about and white flowers the size of crane
eggs rained down. The duties connected with Ngaki Wangpo’s
passing, including the creation of a support for his relics and the
recognition of his nirmanakaya Padma Trinley, who was born at
Namseling, were performed by the great vidyadhara of Yölmo.

Although it is certain that Ngaki Wangpo was a chakravartin of

profound terma, in Shazukpa Tashi Namgyal’s History of Terma
it is written:

461
 The Hundred Tertons

Although Ngaki Wangpo did discover a few profound

termas, he never revealed them because of his great
appreciation for earlier termas.

Similarly, from the Testament of Padma:

Sometimes they will not reveal them, but keep the

dharma of old termas.

That is what Ngaki Wangpo did. In his upholding, keeping, and

dissemination of the old termas that he had received from his
father, he was peerless. He was the single life-tree of the Nyingma
guhyamantra dharma.

462
 Garwang Letro Lingpa

Garwang Letro Lingpa of E Pechok was an emanation of the

minor translator Könchok Ö, and was also the tenth rebirth of
Prince Lharjey. He was born to the nephew line of the nephew
of the vidyadhara Ratna Lingpa, the family line of the translator
Kerda Khorlo Drak, at Pechok in the forested valley of E. He
undertook renunciation in his sixth year and engaged throughout
his youth in amazing behavior.

In his seventeenth year he revealed countless termas, supports,

and samaya substances from the Piled Lotus Crystal Cave of
Yarlung. These included Mahakarunika Who Frees from Samsara,
the Seven Profound Yidams, the Formless Dakinis’ Dharmas, the
Yidam White Vajravarahi, the Eight Dispensations: The Fortress and
the Precipice, Amitayus, and the Four-Armed Protector. To do so
he miraculously flew like a bird up to the Piled Lotus Cave,
which was unreachable on foot both then and long afterward.
Everyone present was amazed.

463
 The Hundred Tertons

Over time he revealed many termas from the side of Ode Gungyal
Mountain and other sites that included the Guhyasamaja Ayusad-
hana, the Vajra Knot, Krodhikali, the Neuter Mahakala, the Tiger
Rider, the Realm Protectors, and Trak the Artisan (a continuation
of a terma of Ugyen Lingpa). Garwang Letro Lingpa perfectly
heard, contemplated, and meditated upon countless instructions
of guhyamantra of the kama and terma traditions. As his signs
of siddhi and supercognitions were boundless, he came to be
revered by great people such as the leader of the Ching Taktse
community. He helped beings greatly throughout central Tibet,
the nomad country, E, and Dakpo. It is also well known that it
was Garwang Letro Lingpa who offered the list of the termas of
Garuda Nest Rock to the vidyadhara Shikpo Lingpa.

Garwang Letro Lingpa lived to a great age. Both his family lin-
eage and his dharma lineage lasted for a long time in E Gangpo
Pechok. Among his termas, it appears that his Singhamukha cycle
and other teachings were received from him by the vidyadhara
Terdak Lingpa, but their lineage does not exist now. However,
our lord guru revealed Garwang Letro Lingpa’s White Vajravarahi:
The Wheel of Wisdom as rediscovered terma. Through his kind-
ness I have received its complete ripening empowerments and
liberating instructions; I consider myself fortunate in this too.

464
 Yongdzin Ngawang Drakpa

The precious tertön Yongdzin Ngawang Drakpa was born to the

family line of the great omniscient Longchenpa at Kunzang Ling
in Paro. He perfectly heard, contemplated, and meditated upon
the secret unsurpassable instructions of the Great Perfection.
He gained the ability to display signs of having mixed aware-
ness and appearances, such as flying in the sky like a bird. It
is said that he revealed as terma a Dark Red Wrathful Guru with
Garlands of Flame cycle and life-water, but it does not seem that
their lineage survived. In any case, Yongdzin Ngawang Drakpa
was a greatly learned and accomplished master, and it appears
that Lama Sokdokpa took him as one of his main root gurus.

465
 Tashi Tseten

Tashi Tseten was a mantradharin of the Chak community in

Langpo. At his place of accomplishment, which he called the
Glorious Copper-Colored Mountain, he revealed a profound
cycle of gurusadhana. It seems that at some point it became
fairly widespread. Nowadays I have not seen either existent
copies or transmission lines of most of it, but I have received
its extraordinarily profound and brief Ayusadhana through the
kindness of our lord guru.

Tashi Tseten lived at the same time as the vidyadhara Jatsön

Nyingpo. They were each other’s dharma heirs, and received
teachings from each other. The tertön Düdül Dorje also praised
Tashi Tseten as one of his greatest root gurus, calling him “my
supreme father Mangayu.”94 It is therefore certain that he was
an authentic tertön.

94. “Mangayu” is a Sanskrit translation of Tashi Tseten.

466
 Padma Rikdzin

The tertön Padma Rikdzin was certainly the eleventh rebirth

of Prince Lharjey. He is also said to have been an emanation
of both Vairochana and the vidyadhara Padma Lingpa. He was
born at Zhi in Puwo, and therefore became known as the Tertön
from Zhi.

He revealed a Peaceful and Wrathful Guru cycle and other termas

from Sky Iron Rock on Mara Mountain. He revealed the Secret
Sadhana of the Guru’s Wisdom Assembly: A Mala of Jewels from
the silk crown ribbon on the body of the Powerful Black One
of Dülung. He also revealed many teachings such as Chiti: The
Completion Stage of the Guru, samaya substances, the flesh of the
seven-times-born, and images from places including Draky-
angdzong, Kharchu in Lhodrak, the Sky Steps, and Zabulung.
He opened the door to the sacred place Makunglung in Puwo.

Padma Rikdzin offered his termas to the Tenth Karmapa Chöying

Dorje, the Seventh Shamarpa, and others and appointed them
as his dharma heirs. As he lived at the same time as the vidy-

467
 The Hundred Tertons

adhara Jatsön Nyingpo, Padma Rikdzin was also one of Jatsön

Nyingpo’s dharma heirs. When Tsele Natsok Rangdröl was very
young, Padma Rikdzin accepted the fruits of his crown, named
him Kechok Padma Lekdrup, and offered him the empower-
ments and transmissions of some of his termas. It appears that
his termas became somewhat widespread. Although his lineage
was held at Puwo Bakha Sangngak Chöling and other monaster-
ies, I have not heard that the empowerments or transmissions
of his termas still exist. I have received through the kindness of
our lord guru Padma Rikdzin’s wondrous and extraordinarily
profound and brief Multi-Colored Vajra Garuda cycle.

Padma Rikdzin’s next rebirth was the vidyadhara Chöje Lingpa,

the twelfth rebirth of Prince Lharjey. In Chöje Lingpa’s autobi-
ography there are extremely clear accounts of his life as Padma
Rikdzin, based on his recollection of past lives.

468
 Düdül Lingpa

The tertön of Rongpa known as Düdül Lingpa was an emanation

of Gyalwa Chokyang. He was born at Tsangrong Dumra. He first
lived at the college of lower Kyetsal and studied the tripitaka.
Then he practiced the profound and secret Nyingma teachings
and began to display unstoppable signs of siddhi and control
of prana. He revealed many profound termas and his activity
flourished a bit, but in the end the kingspirit Lhazang interfered
and Düdül Lingpa passed away accidentally. It appears that his
dharma lineage did not continue.

In any case, as the great tertön of Mindröling and others con-

sidered Düdül Lingpa to be authentic, it appears that he was.
Although I have not received his actual termas, I have received
his Tara Who Protects from All Danger, which our lord guru received
as a rediscovered terma.

Düdül Lingpa’s subsequent rebirth was Zungkhar Tekchen Lingpa.

469
 Düdül Dorje

The tertön and great vidyadhara Düdül Dorje was the ultimate
rebirth of Drokben Kyeuchung Lotsa. He was clearly predicted
in about thirteen previous termas. Düdül Dorje was born on
the shady side of the area known as Silver Uplands, near the
palace of the great dharma king of Derge, in eastern Tibet. His
father, who was of the Ling family, was a learned physician
named Lukyap. His mother was named Boluma. He was born
in a Female Wood Hare year.95

His father taught him reading, writing, and medicine. In his

sixth year he began to have visions, and at an early age he went
to live at the dharma college of Pal Lhundrup Teng. He offered
the fruits of his crown to Kunga Gyamtso, a siddha of Derge
who was an emanation of the Vidyadhara Vulture Feathers. He
received the name Kunga Sönam Chöpak. He also left a footprint
in a boulder that is still there, behind the eastern entrance to
the great assembly hall at Lhundrup Teng.

95. The year was 1615 C.E.

470
 The Hundred Tertons

While Düdül Dorje was studying the treatises of the glorious

Sakya tradition at that college, he developed a desire, as strong
as the thirst of the parched, to seek the essence of wisdom. He
therefore went to practice in Muksang, where he received much
profound dharma such as the Great Perfection from his master
Könchok Gyaltsen. Düdül Dorje practiced, and realization burst
forth within him.

He then went to central Tibet. At Nyangpo he met the mahasiddha

Tashi Tseten, from whom he received many empowerments and
instructions. At White Rock Divine Water Düdül Dorje forsook
food, living entirely on rasayana. While there, he perfected the
profound path of the channels, energy, and essence.

Because of the interdependence of his initial entry through the

gate of dharma, Düdül Dorje visited the Sakya and Ngorpa seats
in Tsang and received the Sacred Words of the Path and Result.
During his journeys throughout Tibet he also touched the feet
of the vidyadhara Jatsön Nyingpo at Bangri, and received all of
the empowerments and instructions of his termas.

Especially, it was at around that time that Düdül Dorje received

prophecies indicating that he was destined to reveal terma.

471
 The Hundred Tertons

He went to Puwo, and at Turquoise Lake Palace he diligently

practiced Ratna Lingpa’s Very Secret Insurpassable Vajrakilaya.
While there he dreamed that he was brought by dakinis to the
Glorious Copper-Colored Mountain. He seemed to remain there
for twenty-eight days, during which time he received complete
empowerment and instruction, as well as prophecy of his termas,
from Guru Rinpoche. This is clearly related in Düdül Dorje’s
autobiographic Majestic Might of Pure Visions.

Düdül Dorje then went to meet the glorious Ugyen Tendzin.

Ugyen Tendzin evaluated Düdül Dorje based on his dreams
and was extremely pleased with him. With the utmost respect
he proclaimed Düdül Dorje to be a vajracharya. From then on
Düdül Dorje lived as a great vajra holder and mantradharin.

His first revelation of profound terma began with his acquisition

of a terma guide. In his twenty-ninth year he took the dakini of
family Padma Kyi as a karmamudra. This enabled him to discover
the terma guide at Turquoise Lake Jewel Rock, and to reveal
the Holy Dharma Including All Wisdom from the Secret Cave of
Great Bliss at Puwo Döchu. As this cycle is his principal terma,
he taught that all his subsequent revelations were its branches.

472
 The Hundred Tertons

Then, successively, he revealed the Holy Dharma: The Nirmanakaya’s

Heart-Essence and its protector cycle, the Realm Protectors, from
Tsapdro Rock. He revealed the Profound Meaning: The Secret Heart-
Essence, Shri Chakrasamvara, and the Four-Armed Protector from
Puri Dakdzong Cave. He revealed the Heart-Essence Combined
Sadhana of Amitayus, Perfect Heruka, and Vajrakilaya along with
their individual sadhanas and the protectresses Ekajati and Self-
Arisen Queen from the Crystal Enclosure of Puri. He revealed
the Guide to the Hidden Land of Padmakö from the north face of
Puwo Döchu. He revealed the Yidam Yamantaka: Red, Black, and
Vajrabhairava from Ziltrom Karyak Mountain in Derge. It ap-
pears that he only transcribed the Sadhana of Peaceful Manjushri
section of the latter cycle.

Düdül Dorje revealed the Glorious Four-Faced Protector cycle

and the Mahadeva Sadhana from Japu Iron Stake. He revealed the
Guru’s Assembly of Vidyadharas, the Hot Red Ayusadhana, and the
protector cycles Shanglön and Pomra from the central temple
of Samye. He revealed the Whispered Lineage: The Wish-Fulfilling
Crown Jewel from the upper story of the western annex to the
Rasa Trülnang Temple. It appears that he did not transcribe
the latter cycle.

473
 The Hundred Tertons

He revealed the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities of Magical Illusion, the

Eight Dispensations, and their protectors from Blazing Sky-Iron
Mara Mountain in Puwo. A yogin with a conch mala revealed the
Glorious Protector Tiger-Rider cycle from the Stupa of Rastakdo
and offered it to Düdül Dorje.

As is clearly set forth in Düdül Dorje’s Account of My Termas, he

also revealed many other profound termas from sites including
Yama’s Face at Turquoise Lake, the Secret Cave of the Vidyad-
haras, Serak Butte, Mist Fortress, and Tashö Mandala Valley. He
opened the way to many sacred places in both central Tibet and
its border areas, including the hidden land of Padmakö. Along
with the above-mentioned termas he revealed countless images,
scepters, and samaya substances.

In sum, Düdül Dorje is said to have had the dispensation of a

hundred termas and a thousand substances that liberate through
taste; he revealed most of them.

In his forty-second year he was invited to return to the college

of his youth by the Derge Lama Jampa Puntsok and his nephew.
Düdül Dorje built a Conquest of Maras Temple at his former
college, thereby fulfilling the prophecy that he would help both
the dharma and the government of Derge.

474
 The Hundred Tertons

Düdül Dorje visited the great Nyingma seats, all the way to
Kathok Vajrasana Monastery, and accepted many fortunate
disciples at each of them. He lived and meditated for a long
time at Takpu Drakring in Nop, near Dzing Namgyal; the small
house he stayed in is still there.

He went to Lingtsang, and formed a good connection of patron-

age with the ruler of Ling. When Düdül Dorje performed the
vase sadhana of Mahakarunika the King of Space, inconceivably
wondrous signs arose; the vase he used still exists.

He was successively invited to, and visited, Barkham, Upper

Ga, Barma Lhateng, and Riwoche. He helped beings and the
dharma immeasurably in these places.

In particular, Düdül Dorje met Namchö Mingyur Dorje at Porney

Rock. They formed a good connection and received one another’s
dharma. They were introduced to one another by the mahasiddha
Karma Chagme, on whom Düdül Dorje cast flowers of praise.

Düdül Dorje’s principal dharma heirs were Lhatsün Namkha Jikme,

the vidyadhara Longsal Nyingpo, Baka Tulku Chökyi Gyamtso,
Dzogchen Padma Rikdzin, Kunzang Khyapdal Lhundrup, and
the mahasiddha Padma Norbu. His dharma heirs were innumer-

475
 The Hundred Tertons

able, and included many of the great vajra holders of eastern

Tibet. Especially, his son Norbu Yongdrak and his descendants
have maintained his dharma lineage without impairment, and
as a result we have received it completely.

At the end of such deeds, and after roughly indicating the gate
to the hidden land of Padmakö, Düdül Dorje departed, amid
countless miracles such as sounds, light, and rains of flowers,
for the great palace of Lotus Light in his fifty-eighth year, the
Year of the Male Water Rat.96 Most of his body dissolved into
light, leaving only one cubit of remains. This was cremated, and
became a heap of the five great relics and shariram.

Several emanations of Düdül Dorje have appeared; the most

famous of them was Sönam Deutsen, the son of the vidyadhara
Longsal Nyingpo. Sönam Deutsen’s successive emanations have
been, and continue to be, seated on the lion throne at Kathok
Vajrasana Monastery.97

96. The year was 1672 C.E.

97. As is evident in the Autobiography of Düdjom Lingpa, the great
master Düdjom Rinpoche is a rebirth of Düdül Dorje.

476
 Longsal Nyingpo

The tertön and great vidyadhara Longsal Nyingpo was an ema-

nation of Könchok Jungne, the translator of Langdro. As clearly
prophesied in the termas of the vidyadhara Düdül Dorje and
others, Longsal Nyingpo was born in a place called Jepa, part of
the Rawa area, near Kawone. His father was the mantradharin
Kunga Döndrup. His mother, who was blessed by White Tara,
was called Könchok Drönma. Longsal Nyingpo was born in a
Female Wood Ox year.98

He soon received a Wrathful Guru empowerment from the

lord of siddhas Tenpa Gyamtso, as well as the name Wangdrak
Gyamtso. He learned to read in his seventh year just by being
shown the letters.

As his propensity for holy dharma, including renunciation, awoke

vividly in his youth, he fled to the dharma in his twenty-second
year and went to Kathok Monastery. On his way there he visited
Gaje Khamshong Monastery, where he received many empower-

98. 1625 C.E.

477
 The Hundred Tertons

ments and instructions from the lord Chökyong Gyamtso. After

reaching Kathok, he received experiential instruction in the
Great Perfection: Penetrating Wisdom from the peerless Könchok
Gyaltsen and mastered the natural state.

Longsal Nyingpo then returned to his birthplace and began to

live in solitude in places such as Chölung Hermitage. He made
a firm commitment to practice with austerity equal to that of
Jetsün Mila Shepa Dorje. Doing so, he saw the faces of the ocean
of deities of the three roots. He employed the wisdom and karma
dharmapalas as servants. Gods, spirits, and place-lords offered
him their life-essences. He reached a high degree of siddhi.

In particular, the way he inherited the dispensation of profound

terma was as follows: In about his twenty-eighth year he began
to receive many prophecies and indications of terma, but he
ignored them. He then received the prophetic instruction to go
to meet the great tertön Düdül Dorje. Accordingly, he went to
Puwo and entered the presence of that great vidyadhara, who
became very fond of him and gave him many empowerments
and instructions, including his recently revealed profound ter-
mas. Düdül Dorje also prophesied that Longsal Nyingpo would
receive the siddhi of terma. Not long thereafter, the vidyadhara

478
 The Hundred Tertons

Düdül Dorje told Longsal Nyingpo to return to his homeland,

which he did.

While Longsal Nyingpo was engaged in approach and accomplish-

ment in the Vast Sky Hermitage, in his thirty-second year, the
Year of the Male Fire Monkey, a red-brown yogin wearing bone
ornaments gave him a terma guide.99 Longsal Nyingpo became
certain that the yogin was an emanation of Guru Rinpoche,
and so he performed the terma accomplishment prescribed in
the guide for two years. As a result, he revealed the first of his
termas from the Changeless Vajra Rock of Ke on the tenth day
of the first month of the Earth Dog year.100 He extracted this
terma secretly. It included both the Vajra Essence of the Trikaya
and the Vajra Essence of the Three Roots. Longsal Nyingpo practiced
both of these cycles to perfection.

His second terma was the Wrathful Guru Blazing Wisdom, which
he revealed from Great Sky White Rock in Litang. His third was
Songtsen Gampo’s Whispered Teachings on Mahakarunika: The Crown
Jewel, which he revealed from the side of Tara Rock. His fourth
was the All-Profound Quintessence of the Great Perfection, which

99. The year was 1656 C.E.

100. The year was 1658 C.E.

479
 The Hundred Tertons

he revealed from Ribar Rock. His fifth was Vimalamitra’s Three

Profound Cycles of Instruction, which he revealed from three terma
sites in Ke. His sixth was the Eight Dispensations: The Assembly of
All Sugatas, which he revealed from the Palace of Playful Great
Bliss. His seventh was a sky-iron vajra and other supports, which
he revealed from a site in Ngogya. His eighth was the Very Secret
Insurpassable Ayusadhana, which he revealed from Na White
Rock Vajra Fortress. His ninth was the Very Secret Insurpassable
Mahakarunika, which he revealed from Shingo Gangra. His tenth
was the Very Secret Insurpassable Dakini, which he revealed from
the Turquoise Lake of Shingo Gangra. His eleventh was a Bön
terma, which he revealed from a Bön sacred place at Shingo
Gangra. His twelfth was the Great Perfection: The Secret Excerpt
of the Mayajala. His thirteenth included both the Outer, Inner,
and Secret Prophecies and the Dharmapalas’ Forceful Mantra Cycle;
he revealed these from Pawang Bönmo. His fourteenth was a
profound terma that he revealed from Ngotik Yungdrung. His
fifteenth was the rediscovery of a volume concerning the Mayajala
that Dampa Deshek had concealed near the Holy Cave of Kathok.

These fifteen termas are called the Sixteen Termas of Longsal Nyingpo.
The reason for this is that since the contents of the fourteenth

480
 The Hundred Tertons

terma are unknown, it is not counted, and since Vimalamitra’s

Three Profound Cycles were revealed from three different sites,
they are considered to be three separate termas.

Along with these termas Longsal Nyingpo revealed a large

number of statues, fine scepters, and samaya substances that
liberate through taste. He transcribed almost all of his termas,
and practiced each of them until signs of accomplishment ap-
peared. He reconcealed a few of them.

Although Longsal Nyingpo was originally destined to be only a

minor tertön of terma, because of the great scope of his bodhi-
chitta and aspirations, and because of his consummate mastery
of generation and completion, he gained the siddhi of becoming
a great tertön. He helped beings tremendously.

Longsal Nyingpo is also known by other many names, includ-

ing Ugyen Dongak Lingpa and Humnak Namkha Dorje. His
miracles were inconceivably many, and included climbing sheer
cliff faces on horseback, submerging himself and his horse in
lakes, and the many hoofprints left in rock by his horse. He took
the life-essence of many aggressive spirits produced by our evil
times. He bound them to samaya; and exorcised, banished, and

481
 The Hundred Tertons

controlled them. In this way he bestowed protection on the

people of many regions. The dakini of the king of the Mongols
was so inspired by Longsal Nyingpo’s miracles that she offered
him land for a monastery and her patronage. Many other impor-
tant people, including the king of Derge, also regarded Longsal
Nyingpo as their guru.

He traveled all over eastern Tibet and opened the gates to many
sacred places. In later life he lived at Kathok Vajrasana Monastery
and engaged in the activity of dharma, reviving the teachings.
He also created many supports at Kathok and other seats.

At the conclusion of such deeds, in his sixty-eighth year, on the

twenty-third day of the monkey month in the Year of the Water
Monkey, he departed for the celestial realm of Lotus Light amid
many wondrous signs.101 His remains became a heap of shariram,
amazing everyone.

Longsal Nyingpo’s principal lineage holders were excellent and

numerous. They included his sons, Sönam Deutsen and his brother;
his nephew, Tashi Özer; Kunzang Khyapdal Lhundrup, and
Tala Padma Norbu. They spread his dharma throughout eastern

101. The year was 1692 C.E.

482
 The Hundred Tertons

Tibet. The lineage of the empowerments and transmissions of

his termas and of detailed instruction in his Vajra Essence is still
widespread; I have received his principal cycles.102

102. Khenpo Achö of Golok was held to be an emanation of Longsal

Nyingpo.

483
 Tendzin Norbu

Tendzin Norbu, the nirmanakaya of Yölmo, was born in the

village of Lungye in Kongpo. His father was the vidyadhara
Trinley Wangchuk; his mother was called Kunzang Wangmo.
Based on a prophecy he received from dakinis, Trinley Wangchuk
recognized his son as the rebirth of the nirmanakaya Namkha
Jajin, and named him Tendzin Norbu. From infancy Tendzin
Norbu remembered previous lives and had supercognition and
miraculous powers. In his fifth year he had a vision of Guru
Rinpoche riding a lion.

Tendzin Norbu eventually went to central Tibet, where he received

the vows of an upasaka from Shamar Chökyi Wangchuk, who
gave him the name Karma Thupten Nyingpo Nampar Gyalwe
De. He went on to study under many of the great masters of the
Karma and Drukpa Kagyu as well as the great translator Gyurme
Dechen. He studied the sutras to perfection at colleges such as
Nyinling. He was then invited to Nepal by the king of Yambu,
who served him with great respect. While he was performing a
ceremony of consecration at Swayambu, a rain of flowers fell.

484
 The Hundred Tertons

He built a new residence for the custodian of the Bodha Stupa.

He visited Ngamring College, and received the patronage of
the king of Tsang.

On his return journey Tendzin Norbu met the vidyadhara

Ngaki Wangpo in Menthang and received from him countless
Nyingma teachings. Through that lord’s kindness, Tendzin Norbu
banished all traces of sophistry from within him and became a
pure Nyingma mantradharin.

Tendzin Norbu then went to Mount Palbar in Mangyül and

founded a practice community. This precipitated his experience
of a number of visions and prophecies. After a few years he was
urged in a vision to reveal terma. Accordingly, he revealed a
terma guide and a Dorje Trolö Sadhana from Yönpolung in Gyang.
Bearing a wondrous prophecy found in his terma, he went to
central Tibet and showed it to the vidyadhara Ngaki Wangpo,
who was pleased and encouraged him. Ngaki Wangpo also gave
Tendzin Norbu his offering vessels, three supports, and terma
substances, and instructed him to take future responsibility
for his seat.

485
 The Hundred Tertons

Tendzin Norbu went to reveal the terma concealed on Mount

Palbar, but before he arrived there he heard reports that the vidy-
adhara Ngaki Wangpo had passed away. He therefore returned to
central Tibet, allowing the time for the revelation of that terma
to pass. He oversaw the funerary rites of his master and watched
over his seat for five or six years. During that time he composed
Visionary Moonlight, an account of the visions that enabled him
to recognize Ngaki Wangpo’s rebirth. He also revealed a cycle
of visionary dharma that he received from dakinis while resid-
ing at the Beacon Cave in Blackhorse. It appears that Tendzin
Norbu passed away prematurely due to his having spoiled the
interdependence of profound terma.

486
 Zangpo Dorje

The nirmanakaya Zangpo Dorje was the rebirth of Dakpo Norbu

Gyenpa, who was the rebirth of the omniscient Dakpo Tashi
Namgyal, who was universally renowned as an emanation of
Padmakara, Vimalamitra, and Gampopa. Zangpo Dorje was
born amid wondrous signs in the eastern part of a place called
Gangpo in Eyül, the source of knowledge. His father, who was
descended from the dharma kings, was a Nyingma mantradharin
called Apo Chödze. His mother was called Wangdzin Gyalmo.

Zangpo Dorje was unmistakenly recognized by the vidyadhara

Jatsön Nyingpo as the rebirth of Norbu Gyenpa. Dakpo Chenga
Rinpoche came to Eyül and offered Zangpo Dorje the upasaka
vows and the name Pal Zangpo Dorje Chok Tamche Le Nampar
Gyalwe De. He was brought to the great seat of Daklha Gampo
and placed on the lion throne of fearlessness. The vidyadhara
Jatsön Nyingpo journeyed especially from Bangri for this. He
accepted the fruits of Zangpo Dorje’s crown and named him
Avadhutipa Gyurme Dorje Gyaltsen Pal Zangpo. Zangpo Dorje

487
 The Hundred Tertons

also received much dharma from Jatsön Nyingpo both then

and later.

Not long after that Zangpo Dorje received the vows of a shra-
manera and the name Lobzang Trinley Namgyal Ngeton Drupe
Shingta Choki De Tön Yongsu Drupa, from the omniscient Lob-
zang Gyamtso. He also received the bhikshu vows from him, as
well as continuous support and assistance. Zangpo Dorje received
the Dakpo Kagyu teachings from Dakpo Chenga Rinchen Dorje
and others. He also received much dharma of many traditions
from Tsele Natsok Rangdröl.

He performed a three-year three-phase meditation retreat at

Copper Valley in Gampo. During this he saw many wondrous
appearances of luminosity. Especially, he had many visions
indicating his ability to reveal profound terma. Furthermore,
in Jatsön Nyingpo’s terma prophecies there were clear predic-
tions that Zangpo Dorje would complete the work of revelation
begun by Jatsön.

Accordingly, Zangpo Dorje first revealed a cubit-long sandal-

wood kila from the side of Mount Gampo, which is shaped like
a meditation hat. In the kila’s handle he found a terma guide,

488
 The Hundred Tertons

and in its blade a brief Vajrakilaya liturgy. Based on the terma

guide he then revealed the Great Wrathful Lord of Secrets cycle
and a sky-iron vajra from Colorful Rock in Dakpo Valley. He
revealed a terma-kila, the heart’s blood of the five garudas, and
the ocean-foam of the great garuda from the Accomplishment
Cave of Yeshe Tsogyal at Tralung in Bhurpu and the shore of the
lower Naga Palace Lake. He revealed an Ayusadhana, life-water
pills, and a Yamantaka Reversal cycle from White Rock Divine
Water. He transcribed most of them.

Zangpo Dorje arranged the interdependence for the Fifth Dalai

Lama to become his dharma heir. However, samaya-spoilers with
perverted aspirations took the form of the Dalai Lama’s atten-
dants and told him various lies. Zangpo Dorje was so thoroughly
disheartened by this that he offered most of his termas, both
the originals and their copies, to the flames. He also concealed
some for future rediscovery. His activity of profound terma
therefore ended. Nevertheless, he continued to receive dharma
from Terdak Lingpa at Mindröling, he continued to engage
in approach and accomplishment in solitude, he continued to
ceaselessly turn the Sarma and Nyingma dharmachakras, and
he built many supports.

489
 The Hundred Tertons

At the end of his life Zangpo Dorje went to Namseling Palace

in Bhutan and decided that King Tashi Rapten and his queen
would be his next parents. He gave them intensive empower-
ments and blessings, and left a cryptic prophecy of his rebirth.
Then, at that great seat, he demonstrated departure for other
realms. He was reborn at Namseling Palace and named Kunzang
Ngetön Wangpo. His next rebirth was the tertön Dorje Gyalpo,
who was born as the son of Depa Lhagya Riwa, in the royal
family of Eyül. It appears that Dorje Gyalpo rediscovered his
predecessor Zangpo Dorje’s Great Wrathful Lord of Secrets cycle.

490
 Garwang Dawa Gyaltsen

The tertön of Ngari, Garwang Dawa Gyaltsen, also known by his

secret name Padma Garwang Tsal, was an emanation of Nyak the
Translator, Dorje Düdjom, and Namkhay Nyingpo. He was born
in a place called Yama in the western mountains of Gungthang
in Ngari. He was amazing in many ways from an early age.

In particular, while he was engaged in the approach and accom-

plishment of the vidyadhara Düdül Dorje’s Mahakarunika terma
on the isolated, turtle-shaped rock ledge called Musey Boulder,
three naked, bone-adorned, wisdom dakinis exhorted him with
song and gestures. Exhilarated, he flew to a boulder shaped like
a coiled black snake, where he was again exhorted by the same
three dakinis, the gods of the place, and the guardians of terma.

First, he traveled miraculously to a rock face unreachable by

humans and revealed a terma guide. Based on it he revealed the
Heart Mirror of Vajrasattva cycle, which the great Vidyadhara
Vulture Feathers had concealed in the hidden land Happy Val-
ley for rediscovery. Garwang Dawa Gyaltsen disseminated these

491
 The Hundred Tertons

teachings, and the lineage of their empowerments, instructions,

and transmissions still exists; they have been extremely beneficial.

Garwang Dawa Gyaltsen revealed many other profound termas

containing dharma, supports, and samaya substances. These
included Avalokita: The Heart Essence of the Three Roots, which he
revealed at Wati Bathhouse; Padma’s Very Secret Stainless Whispered
Lineage; the Self-Illuminating Dharmadhatu: The Profound Essence,
and Vajrakilaya.

His miracles and supercognition were boundless. The great Fifth

Dalai Lama, while traveling to Jamata, performed divination to
determine whether Garwang Dawa Gyaltsen was an authentic
tertön. He also consulted the vidyadhara Terdak Lingpa about
this. Based on both his own examination and the testimony of
Terdak Lingpa, the Dalai Lama became certain that Garwang
Dawa Gyaltsen was authentic. He therefore issued the edict that
Garwang Dawa Gyaltsen was permitted to freely benefit beings.
This proclamation caused Garwang Dawa Gyaltsen to become
unanimously respected and very well known; his benefit for
beings was therefore extensive.

492
 The Hundred Tertons

Garwang Dawa Gyaltsen’s rebirth was the omniscient Chöwang

Dorje Dzinpa, the son of the mahasiddha Nyida Longsal. Chöwang
Dorje Dzinpa touched the feet of both the vidyadhara Terdak
Lingpa and the latter’s brother, and lived for a long time at
Mindröling. He studied sutra, tantra, and the sciences. Because
of his great learning, he composed liturgical arrangements for
Garwang Dawa Gyaltsen’s termas and disseminated them widely.
Even today, holders of their lineage are still living at Sangchö
Padma Lhunding in northern Tsang.

Through the kindness of our lord guru, I have received the ripen-
ing empowerments and liberating instructions of Garwang Dawa
Gyaltsen’s Self-Illuminating Dharmadhatu: The Profound Essence, his
Avalokita: The Heart Essence of the Three Roots, his Heart Mirror of
Vajrasattva cycle, and his Vajra Knot Ayusadhana. His Profound
Essence, Drime Lhunpo’s Ultimate Essence, and Taksham’s Wisdom
Assembly Liberating All Beings are identical in words and meaning
aside from the presence or absence of their source tantra. It is
therefore appropriate to regard them as three lineages combined
into one. Furthermore, I have heard our lord guru remark that
these three are essentially the same as Jatsön Nyingpo’s Heart
Essence: The Self-Illuminating Dharmadhatu, which Jatsön never
disseminated.

493
 Yongey Mingyur Dorje

Mingyur Dorje Drakpo Nuden Tsal, a chakravartin among

treasure-revealing siddhas, was an emanation of Prince Mutri
Tsenpo. He was born in a nomad community called Great
Refuge (Kyapche) in the southwest of Zalmogang in Dokham
in the Male Earth Dragon Year.103 His father was the leader of
the Yongey clan; his mother was named Bermo. At the time of
his birth he exhibited extraordinary marks such as a vajra eye
on his forehead.

Eventually his family moved to the vicinity of Dzodzi monastery

in Lhatok. While he was living there Kunga Namgyal, the Fourth
Surmang Trungpa, visited the area. The tertön offered him the
first fruits of his crown and received the name Karma Samdrup.
He heard a great deal of dharma from the mahasiddha Kunga
Namgyal, Sönam Gyamtso of Dzigar Monastery, and others.104

103. The year was 1628 C.E..

104. Dzigar Monastery is a monastery of the Drukpa Kagyu
tradition.

494
 The Hundred Tertons

As his paternal uncle was a retreat leader at Dzodzi Monastery,

the tertön came to be known as Yongey the Nephew. His person-
ality was extremely tranquil and calm, and he was very diligent
in meditation and study. As he was skilled with his hands he
created many paintings and statues of deities.

Traveling in a large company he went to Jang to meet Chöying

Dorje, the Tenth Gyalwang Karmapa.105 On the way he dug
in the earth and found a crescent moon of gold. He discreetly
offered it to the Karmapa, who placed it among his supports.
On the next day, when the Karmapa showed his supports to the
travelers, he held up the crescent moon and said, “This is a terma
of the vidyadhara Mingyur Dorje Drakpo Nuden Tsal.106 Had
he found both a sun and a moon, the interdependence would
have been supreme!”

None of the travelers understood what he was talking about.

In his twenty-fifth year the tertön accomplished the protector

Bernakchen at Dzodzi monastery. One morning while he was

105. Jang is in the easternmost part of the greater Tibetan region.

The Tenth Karmapa lived there for much of his life.
106. This is the tertön’s full name, as given in the prophecies of Guru
Rinpoche. It means “Changeless Vajra Forceful Powerful Energy.”

495
 The Hundred Tertons

doing so he saw the faces of the mahasiddha Karma Pakshi, Guru

Rinpoche, and their retinue. They bestowed empowerment,
blessings, and instruction on him. He wrote these down; they
form the Gurusadhana of Karma Pakshi.

In reliance upon it, the tertön removed from a boulder beneath

his dwelling a scroll of instructions on the retrieval of his termas.
His first terma was discovered in two locations. He entered the
lake on Dzodzi Hill and retrieved a rectangular blue terma chest.
From the Hidden Lake of Kamgyal he retrieved a container
made of copper. From these emerged the Dorje Trolö cycle, which
includes sadhanas, with applications, of the three roots.107

His second terma was discovered at a hidden place, the Divine

Rock of Drugu. After excavating solid rock for a month at the
terma-site, he removed five scorpion-shaped containers made
of cast iron. They contained Guru Padmavajra: the Mandala of the
Ocean of Siddhas, together with its Five Accessories.108

His third terma was discovered at Chijam in Dzatö. After seven

months of excavation and great effort he broke through the

107. Dorje Trolö is one of the eight principal forms of Guru

Rinpoche.
108. Padmavajra is a sambhogakaya form of Guru Rinpoche.

496
 The Hundred Tertons

rock seals and removed the Life Sadhana of Conjunct Means and
Wisdom. Nearby he retrieved the brief instruction called the Life
Sadhana of Namkhai Nyingpo.

During all these discoveries many wondrous signs arose, such as

rainbows, rains of flowers, delicious scents, the sound of voices
in song, and so forth. The tertön transcribed the dharma he had
discovered and gave it, over time, to its inheritors.

It is said that if during this period the interdependence with his

destined consort had come together he would have discovered
a hundred and eight termas. Because the interdependence was
spoiled the tertön cut his long hair and appeared to others to
behave like a madman. His seven attending monks fled. Two
of them went to Tsurphu to request the help of the Eleventh
Gyalwang Karmapa, Yeshe Dorje. He said to them, “Mingyur
Dorje is a mahasiddha who has destroyed bewilderment, not a
madman. Go back and obey his every command as you did in
the past!”109

109. Most tertöns have consorts. This is said to be necessary in most

cases for them to retrieve their destined termas without mishap. If the
tertön fails to meet his destined consort the number of retrievals and
sometimes the tertön’s lifespan are reduced.

497
 The Hundred Tertons

After that, his monks having returned, he lived as a nomad.

He wore common clothing and appeared to speak nonsense.
However, everything he said was a prophecy of the three times,
which he saw clearly through unobscured supercognition. He
performed amazing and unrestricted miracles. The power of his
blessing was inconceivable; with little effort he cured severe and
advanced illnesses and cast out great demons.

It was at this time that the disease of cattle called “rinderpest”

first appeared.110 He overpowered the causer of the disease and
started the spread of its benign form. He also engaged in means
of, and created the interdependence for, repelling foreign in-
vasion. In these and other ways he was directly and indirectly
of the greatest kindness to the doctrine and to beings. He also
opened the doors to several wondrous hidden places.

When Lord Chökyi Jungne was young he visited the nomad

country.111 He met the tertön, who established auspicious in-

110. Rinderpest remains a common and severe disease of cattle.

Yongey Mingyur Dorje’s response to it seems to be the earliest
recorded use of veterinary immunization.
111. This is the Eighth Tai Situ Rinpoche, Tenpe Nyinje or Chökyi
Jungne (17001774), who founded Palpung Monastery and is widely
considered to have been one of the greatest linguists of Tibet. His

498
 The Hundred Tertons

terdependence for him, gave him prophecies, and presented to

him the complete dispensation of all his termas.

After completing, in that way, the conduct of yogic discipline

and his benefit of beings in that life he predicted his subsequent
birth. Saying, “It is time to repel the invasion!” he withdrew the
array of his form-body in Bamthangpoche while establishing
symbolic interdependence through conduct.112

His subsequent emanation-body, Kunzang Chökyi Dorje, pos-

sessed supercognition and miraculous abilities no different from
those of his predecessor. It appears that he also received a few
mind termas. That lineage of emanation has continued down to
the present, and the continuity of his doctrine is maintained at
the monastery founded at the site of the tertön’s camp.113

influence on the philosophy and practice of the Karma Kagyu has been
immeasurable.
112. The year of Mingyur Dorje’s death is unknown. He met the
Eighth Tai Situ when the latter was in his twelfth year (this means
he was eleven in our terms. Tibetans refer to the year a person is
within when giving that person’s age; we refer to the years a person
has completed). The year of their meeting was 1711, at which time the
tertön was eightythree. We therefore know that he lived until at least
1711.
113. The current incarnation, Karma Gyurme Tendzin Chökyi Dorje,
is the seventh and was born in 1975.

499
 The Hundred Tertons

The tertön’s son, Guru Chödzin, and several of his disciples have
produced successive recognized incarnations. They too have
engaged in perfect service to the doctrine.

These terma dharmas have benefited beings tremendously. Their

principal inheritors, the holders of the black and red crowns
and especially the omniscient Chökyi Jungne, dispelled obstacles
to the doctrine of the lineage of accomplishment through their
practice of them. These termas have therefore been a boon en-
suring the continued survival of the doctrine. In particular, as
predicted in this lord’s termas:

In Atarong, Tai Situ will wave the vajra copper-knife in

the sky.

This occurred as predicted. Our glorious protector guru, Padma

Nyinje Wangpo, printed the complete termas and established
their practice and observance in all our monasteries from Ngari
in the west all the way to the border of China in the east.114 In
that and other ways he greatly increased their activity of taming
beings. Of all the later termas, Jatsön Nyingpo’s Embodiment of
the Three Jewels and the profound termas of the great vidyadhara

114. Padma Nyinje Wangpo was the Ninth Tai Situ Rinpoche.

500
 The Hundred Tertons

Yongey Mingyur Dorje have proven to be peerless in their bless-

ing and great benefit of beings. I have therefore received the
complete ripening empowerments and liberating instructions
of these termas.115

115. A longer biography of Yonge Mingyur Dorje exists. Called Chariot

of the Fortunate, it was written by Tukyi Dorji and Surmang Tendzin
Rinpoche.

501
 Kuchok the Actionless

The tertön of Gomde Japa, Kuchok the Actionless, also known

as Ngaki Dorje, was a further emanation of the dharma king
Trisong Detsen. He was born at Gomde in Nangchen, and lived as
an ordinary mantrin. He received much profound dharma from
Lho Rinpoche and other holy masters, and began to practice
one-pointedly in his youth. Especially, the vidyadhara Yongey
Mingyur Dorje prophesied that Kuchok would hold the dispensa-
tion of Yongey’s Dorje Trolö terma, and that Kuchok would also
reveal his own termas.

While performing the approach and accomplishment of Vajra-

varahi, Kuchok received both prophecy and exhortation from
terma guardians, but he initially disregarded them. Then, in a
vision, he was brought by dakinis into the presence of Guru
Rinpoche who, appearing as the mandala of Forceful Mantra,
blessed and taught him. As well, both Yongey Mingyur Dorje
and Lho Rinpoche assured Kuchok that it would be appropriate
for him to reveal terma.

502
 The Hundred Tertons

Accordingly, Kuchok went to Japa White Rock, the palace of

Mahakarunika, a sacred place where a hundred images of the
Buddha Passionless Lotus Eyes appeared spontaneously. He spent
three months breaking the thirteen seals of the terma there, and
then revealed supports of body, implements, and a lacquer cof-
fer. Within the coffer was an extremely profound Lord of Secrets:
Forceful Mantra cycle. While practicing this terma Kuchok saw
the face of the Lord of Secrets, and external miraculous signs
visible to everyone appeared.

There are no accounts of Kuchok revealing any other termas,

except that when he revealed the flesh of the seventimes-born
he was obstructed by rumor. His lineage, which was inherited
by Lama Lodrö Gyamtso and others, still exists, and I have re-
ceived it. Kuchok’s emanations have appeared successively, and
still reside at Japa Monastery in Nangchen.

503
 Pönsey Khyungtok

The tertön of Latö Takmo known as Guru Pönsey Khyungtok

was a further emanation of the great translator Vairochana. He
was born near Lhatse in Tsang around the time of the Eleventh
Gyalwang Karmapa Yeshe Dorje, and lived as a noble mantrin.
He began by studying sutra and tantra a little according to the
Sakya tradition. He then received some of the Northern Ter-
mas. While practicing the Sadhana of the Vidyadharas’ Lineage he
received a terma guide.

Based on it, Pönsey Khyungtok revealed the Great Perfection:

The Heart Essence of Samantabhadra and other termas including
gurusadhana, the Great Perfection and Mahakarunika from
the shoulder of a rock mountain shaped like a garuda at Yönpo
Lung in Rulak Gyang. Based upon a clear prophecy found in
the Ayusadhana branch of this terma, he went to central Tibet
and met the vidyadhara Chöje Lingpa, who was living in the
Cave of Rechungpa. Pönsey Khyungtok openly offered Chöje
Lingpa his termas, including their prophecies, and created the
interdependence for Chöje Lingpa to become his dharma heir.

504
 The Hundred Tertons

Later, when the vidyadhara Chöje Lingpa became known as a

great emanated tertön, he clearly recounted this in his autobi-
ography. It is therefore certain that Pönsey Khyungtok was a
genuine tertön. However, as he lacked both family and influence,
he never disseminated his profound termas. I have therefore
written only briefly about him here.

Nevertheless, our lord guru received the blessed short lineage

of the Life-Essence of Wisdom: An Ayusadhana of the Single Hrih, a
profound, complete, and brief accessory of Pönsey Khyungtok’s
Great Perfection: The Heart Essence of Samantabhadra. I consider
myself fortunate to have received it from him.

505
 Samten Lingpa

The vidyadhara Taksham Nüden Dorje, also called Samten

Lingpa, was the king of all the later tertöns of eastern Tibet. He
was born into the Zur clan of mantrins in a nomad community
in Parshö in the south. His father was a Severance practitioner
named Tashi; his mother was named Lökhyi. Samten Lingpa was
born in a Female Wood Sheep year.116 Wondrous signs surrounded
him. By his third year self-arisen wisdom had been born in his
heart, and he continuously remained in the gaze of meditation.

From an early age Samten Lingpa had great renunciation, pure

perception, and compassion. He therefore abstained from all
activities other than dharma. In his eleventh year he received
prophecy from dakinis. This was the first of his many visions,
and caused him to be unable to distinguish day from night.
Because he continuously engaged in vajra song and dance, he
was given the nickname Vira. He also touched the feet of several
holy gurus and studied a great deal.

116. 1655 C.E.

506
 The Hundred Tertons

In Samten Lingpa’s seventeenth year, while he was on his way to

a hermitage, he encountered Guru Rinpoche in the emanated
form of a yogin with a topknot, a cotton shawl, and a yogic kilt.
The yogin gave Samten Lingpa both instructions and advice.
Ecstatic, he remembered his previous life as Lhapa Chöjung
and told others about this. Everyone started calling him Ugyen
Lhapa. At that site, a mountain called Tramo Rock, Samten
Lingpa revealed a guide to several profound termas. The year
after that he revealed the Heart Essence of Vajrasattva and the
Wrathful Kilaya cycles from a practice cave of Vairochana’s at
Trikaya Rock in Langlung.

In his twentieth year Samten Lingpa undertook complete renun-

ciation and thereafter lived as a bhikshu. His actual monastic
name was Samten Dorje.

Samten Lingpa’s second terma included both the AllLiberating

Heart Essence of Padma and its protector cycle, the Realm Protec-
tors. He first revealed their terma guide and introduction from
a boulder in the lower valley at Tramo Rock. Based on those, he
revealed the actual terma from the practice cave of Vairochana
among the Lotus Crystal Caves.

507
 The Hundred Tertons

His third terma, revealed from Sokhar Kyok Cave, was vast and
included the Wrathful Fiery Black HUM, the Guru and Vajrakilaya
Combined, and the Dakini Singhamukha. However, because he was
unable to maintain the necessary secrecy and other conditions
prescribed in the terma guides, great upheaval occurred after he
had transcribed a few sections of the peaceful and wrathful parts
of the All-Liberating Heart Essence of Padma. Therefore, based on
a particular instruction within the terma, he reconcealed all of
his third terma except for the Guru and Vajrakilaya Combined.

Samten Lingpa’s fourth terma was revealed from beneath the

pedestal of Vajrapani at Garuda Grove. It was the Three Sadha-
nas of the Guru’s Heart Like Refined Gold: Peaceful, Wrathful, and
Semi-Wrathful.

His fifth terma was the Peaceful Secret Essence of Padma, which
he revealed from the Blazing Heart Vitality Fortress.

Samten Lingpa’s sixth terma was the Dorje Drakpo Tsal cycle,
which he revealed from a practice cave at White Rock Divine
Water Vitality Fortress.

His seventh terma: Encouraged by the terma protector Ekajati,

Samten Lingpa went to Lhotö to meet Lama Kunga Gyamtso.

508
 The Hundred Tertons

On the way he was hosted by a family called Lathok. While he

was staying in their home, the family offered him the volume of
the Essential Practice of Hayagriva, which was a terma of Chokden
Dorje. Samten Lingpa then had a vision in which the mahasiddha
Chokden Dorje gave him the empowerments and instructions
of that terma. Samten Lingpa thereafter restored and widely
disseminated that previously broken lineage.

Samten Lingpa’s eighth terma was the Essential Practice of the

Three Roots, which he revealed from the Secret Cave at White
Rock Divine Water.

His ninth terma was the Intention of Mahakarunika: The Libera-

tion of All Beings. He revealed it from a heart-shaped boulder on
Black Mara Mountain.

Samten Lingpa’s tenth terma was the Biography of Yeshe Tsogyal in

eight chapters, which he revealed from Pakshong Khamdo Rock.

His eleventh terma was the Great Testament: A Biography of the

Guru, which he revealed from Secret Yangleshö.

Samten Lingpa’s twelfth terma was the Lord of Secrets Who Conquers
the Aggressive, which was directly offered to him by its terma
guardian from within the lake at Dombu Gangra.
509
 The Hundred Tertons

His thirteenth terma: At the great charnel ground Joyous Grove

in Happy Valley in Puwo, there was a hill on which grew many
trees. He cut them down, removed the earth and stones beneath
them, and discovered an image of Hayagriva and Vajravarahi
one story in height. From their place of union he revealed a
terma guide. Based on it he then revealed from the throne of
Guru Rinpoche and other sites within that charnel ground the
tantras, sadhanas, and accessories of the Yidam’s Wisdom Assembly,
which comprised nine volumes.

Samten Lingpa’s fourteenth terma was the Whispered Lineage of

Yeshe Tsogyal, which he revealed from Khrodikali Rock.

His fifteenth terma was the Wrathful Goddess Conqueror of Mara

cycle, which he revealed from the Tiger’s Lair of Dorje Trolö.

Samten Lingpa’s sixteenth terma was the Samaya-Bound Brother

and Sister cycle, which he revealed from Tsagang Turquoise Rock.

His seventeenth terma was Mahakarunika: The Heart Essence of Mitra

the Yogin, which he revealed from Maitreya’s Sleeve in Dorchu.

With few exceptions, Samten Lingpa deciphered all of these

and bestowed them on his principal dharma heirs, including

510
 The Hundred Tertons

the great tertön Chöje Lingpa, Samten Lingpa’s nephew Nam-

kha Dorje, and Peltsa Samten Tendzin. The vidyadhara Chöje
Lingpa bestowed them on both the Gyalwang Karmapa and
Shamar Rinpoche, and the activity of these termas flourished.

Along with these termas, Samten Lingpa also revealed countless

supports of body and mind, scepters, and supports of blessing.
For example, if we consider only the kilas that he revealed, they
are said to comprise a complete set of the kilas needed for a
Vajrakilaya Great Assembly.

Samten Lingpa’s main seat was Samten Ling in Partö. Count-

less people, august and lowly, assembled there from all over
Tibet, and he ceaselessly turned the dharmachakras of ripening
and liberation for them. He convened Great Accomplishment
Assemblies such as Amrita Accomplishment, the creation of
samaya substances that liberate through taste, many times. He
also engaged in innumerable deeds of conventional virtue.

Having accomplished so much, he finally withdrew his rupakaya

into the hearts of Hayagriva and Vajravarahi amidst numerous
signs and miracles.

511
 The Hundred Tertons

His monastery in Puwo has been maintained by both his emana-

tions and lineage, which is prevalent both there and in Ngom-
gyu and Shaknying. I have carefully received all of his ripening
empowerments and liberating instructions that are presently
available, and I dare to call myself extremely fortunate as a result.

512
 Ratön Topden Dorje

Ratön Topden Dorje, also called Padma Tsewang Tsal, was an

emanation of Langchen Palgyi Senge. He was born in Gyangtse
in Tsang to the family line of the great Ra the Translator, who
was a lord of magical power. His family line was an unbroken
succession of powerful mantradharins.

Ratön studied to perfection at the Zurde College in Gyangtse.

He then entered the presence of the vidyadhara Chöje Lingpa
and received from him all the dharma he had, like the contents of
one vase being poured into another. In particular, Chöje Lingpa
appointed Ratön as the dharma heir of his new termas. Ratön was
also the scribe who wrote down the majority of the deciphered
parchments of Chöje Lingpa’s termas. Ratön remained with
his master for a long time and came to understand his wisdom.

Due to unrest in central Tibet, Chöje Lingpa fled to the hidden

valley of Padmakö, accompanied by Ratön as his attendant.
When Chöje Lingpa was about to pass to other realms he gave
Ratön extensive final instructions, saying, “You are the destined

513
 The Hundred Tertons

heir to this northern part of Padmakö, this place of force called

Wild Black Winds. You must construct a dwelling where my il-
lusory body is destroyed, reveal the sacred sites here, and make
them clear to people.”

Ratön fulfilled his master’s final wishes by building a dwelling

there after Chöje Lingpa’s passing, as well as a stupa containing
his ashes. He attempted to accomplish the rest of his instruc-
tions as well, but was prevented from doing so by the magic of
maras, which disturbed the interdependence among the disciples
and monks there.

Ratön discovered a rebirth of Chöje Lingpa and installed him

at Drakey Monastery in Puwo. He then returned to Tsang, and
thereafter traveled to Kushinagara in India and various borderlands
between India and Tibet such as Sikkim. During this journey he
traveled exclusively by means of yogic discipline, and acquired
a terma guide. Accordingly, at Onpu Tiger’s Lair he revealed
a Vajrakilaya cycle, the Peaceful Heart Essence of Samantabhadra,
the Wrathful Supreme Heruka, and the Black Hayagriva cycle. The
lineage of this wondrous dharma continues, and I have received
it. It is evident that Ratön revealed other termas as well.

514
 The Hundred Tertons

In the later part of his life Ratön was venerated by the ruler
Pholha Taiji Sönam Topgyal. Ratön engaged in many acts of
pacification, enrichment, power, and force for the good of all
Tibet and exhibited signs of their success. While Ratön was
living in Puwo the Eighth Tai Situpa Tenpe Nyinje received
many empowerments and transmissions from him, including
the termas of Chöje Lingpa. Ratön’s mind and Situpa’s mind
became inseparable. Ratön was also proclaimed a dharma heir
by the Gyalwang Karmapa and Shamarpa, and many great lin-
eage holders such as Nesar Dakwang Kunga Lekpe Jungne and
the glorious Sakya Tridzin received the nectar of his teachings
either directly or indirectly.

Having completed his life and activity, Ratön departed for

Akanishtha, the citadel of vajra array. His nirmanakaya was
born in Dakpo to the Physician of Labar, in the family of Abo
Chöje’s nephew. Ratön’s descendants still live in Red Rock Hall
in Gyangtse. His lineage is unbroken.

515
 Khampa Rinpoche

Khampa Rinpoche, the renowned Ngawang Kunga Tendzin,

was the display of Guru Rinpoche’s blessings. He was born at
Dekhyiling, below Gongkar Dzong in central Tibet, in the Iron
Monkey year of the eleventh cycle.117 He offered the fruits of
his crown to Mipam Chökyi Wangchuk and received the name
Ngawang Kunga Tendzin. He relied upon many great masters,
including the father and sons of the Drukpa Kagyu, Gampopa
Zangpo Dorje, and the great tertön of Mindröling and his brother.
He received practically all of the dharma of the Sarma and Ny-
ingma kama and terma traditions. He was also learned in the
common sciences, and mastered medicine in particular. He was
recognized as the rebirth of Drukpa Karma Tenpel and Umdze
Kunga Lhundrup, and was therefore brought to eastern Tibet.

While he was living on top of Mount Zegyal, during a period of

his life in which he engaged in dharmic austerity in many isolated
retreats, Khampa Rinpoche directly encountered Vimalamitra

117. The year was 1680 C.E.

516
 The Hundred Tertons

and received instruction on the Great Perfection from him.

Although Guru Rinpoche blessed him and gave him a terma
guide and many prophetic instructions, Khampa Rinpoche was
unable to reveal much terma because of the conditions present
at that time and place. However, he did open the doors to many
sacred places and was able to successfully exorcise the possessed.
He did reveal a few profound termas, including both supports
and dharma. Of these only the Sadhana of Magyal Pomra, which
Khampa Rinpoche revealed at Dorgyal, still exists; I have re-
ceived it.

At dawn on a tenth day of the lunar month in the Water Dragon

year, Khampa Rinpoche had a vision of Guru Rinpoche, his
trikaya, his six families, his eight names, and an entourage of
viras and dakinis, as depicted in the Tenth Day Dance.118 Based
on that vision, he combined the Guru Guhyasamaja and the Very
Profound Embodiment of the Three Jewels. This shastra, a mind terma,
is called the Heart Sadhana of Khampa Rinpoche. At his seat he
combined the pre-existing ritual practices of dance, mandala
creation, melody, and music with those he received in his vision.
He established a wondrous form of Tenth Day Dance, as well

118. The year was 1712 C.E.

517
 The Hundred Tertons

as the Fundamental Dance of Vajrakilaya. This vast contribution

to the practice of elaborate ritual is now known as the Great
Accomplishment Assembly of Khampa Rinpoche, and has continued
down to the present unbroken. From his writings:

To provide shade in a time of heat

I gathered five hundred thousand clouds.

For the sake of Tibet, Khampa Rinpoche created five hundred

thousand of each of the following: images of Guru Rinpoche’s
form; Vajra Guru mantras, his speech, carved in stone; stupas
representing his mind; copies of the Seven Chapters, to represent
his qualities; and copies of the Great Testament, to represent his
activity.

Khampa Rinpoche’s deeds were vast, and included the consecra-

tion of pills which liberate through taste, great assemblies for
the creation of amrita, and the constant turning of the dharm-
achakras of the kama and terma Nyingma dharma, including
the bestowal of the empowerment of the anuyogasutras. He was
a great vidyadhara of the Nyingma tradition.

518
 The Hundred Tertons

His disciples included most of the lineage holders of his own

Drukpa Kagyu tradition as well as the omniscient Eighth Situ
Chökyi Jungne, the vidyadhara Rölpe Dorje, and countless others.

After achieving so much for the good of beings and the teach-
ings, Khampa Rinpoche withdrew his emanated mandala. His
immediate rebirth was Tendzin Chökyi Nyima, a heart-son of
lord Chökyi Jungne. Tendzin Chökyi Nyima was supreme among
the learned, accomplished, and good. Since then his rebirths
have appeared successively and have greatly spread the unified
teachings of the Kagyu and Nyingma traditions.

519
 Rölpe Dorje

The great vidyadhara Rölpe Dorje was a mind emanation of

both the master Mahahumkara and Khön Lui Wangpo. He was
born amidst signs of virtue in southern Dokham, in a small
valley called Runang in the Kerong area. His father’s name was
Tsering Dorje; his mother’s was Lhamo. Rölpe Dorje was given
the name Könchok Lhundrup.

He grew more quickly than other children, and was more impres-
sive. He possessed unbearable compassion. While still a child
he declared himself to be a great vidyadhara afraid of nothing.
Simply by invoking the power of the truth he was able to end the
illnesses of cattle and bring rain where there had been drought.
His unimpeded ability to eradicate problems and help beings
caused others to have faith in him while he was still young. In
dreams he gained certainty about the meaning of selflessness
and thereby naturally came to realize suchness.

From Drung Drupgyü Tenpa Namgyal, Chetsang Rikdzin Sungrap

Gyamtso, Khampa Ngawang Kunga Tendzin, and many other

520
 The Hundred Tertons

wise and accomplished gurus he received countless teachings on

sutra, tantra, and the guhyamantra of the Sarma and Nyingma
traditions. As he possessed the stainless eye of dharma, he un-
derstood how to combine all the profound points of the Sarma
and Nyingma traditions into one system of practice, and wrote
the Source of Jewels: An Account of Teachings I Have Received. This
wonderful shastra is a necessity for anyone with an impartially
pure outlook toward all the Buddha’s teachings.

Rölpe Dorje was perfectly noble in his behavior; he never trans-

gressed the rules of a renunciate, and never allowed the flesh
of an animal killed for food to touch his tongue. Through his
diligent practice of the yogas of generation, recitation, and
completion he repeatedly saw the faces of the master Humkara,
Guru Rinpoche, and Yeshe Tsogyal, and received their blessings.

As an indication that he was about to receive the siddhi of

profound terma, he first found some pure gold. Then, in a cave
he discovered a pleasing sphere of stone, within which he found
a terma guide.

521
 The Hundred Tertons

At sunrise on the tenth day of the first month of autumn in the

Iron Snake year magical parchment appeared before him.119 It
contained a precise account of a lake terma along with its key.
Rölpe Dorje was also strongly encouraged by the protectress
Remati, and so he began the terma accomplishment. On the
evening of the tenth day of the month Saga in the Water Horse
year he destroyed a vicious spirit that was trying to prevent
him from revealing terma.120 At dawn the next morning Guru
Rinpoche and Yeshe Tsogyal bestowed empowerment, blessings,
and extensive instructions on him.

Accordingly, Rölpe Dorje went to Gyamgyal Doti on the tenth

day of the fifth month of that year. Amid a great crowd of all
kinds of people he entered Great Turquoise Lake. Everyone
present saw rainbow light and heard pleasant sounds. A yaksha
and a lake goddess offered Rölpe Dorje terma coffers. The lake’s
nagamara delayed the presentation of other terma coffers, so
Rölpe Dorje compelled him through samadhi. After the lake
became unbearably bright like the sun and miraculous thun-
der and lightning occurred, the naga offered Rölpe Dorje the

119. The year was 1701 C.E.

120. The year was 1702 C.E.

522
 The Hundred Tertons

remaining coffers. He carried them through the crowd, causing

everyone there to develop irreversible faith.

There were six terma coffers in all, of various shapes such as that
of the palace of Guru Rinpoche With Nine Topknots, that of
the Glorious Copper-Colored Mountain, and that of an iron
scorpion. Rölpe Dorje brought them to the Puntsok Rapten
hermitage at the great seat of Dütsi Til and presented offerings
before them. On the twenty-second day of that month some
of the terma coffers spontaneously opened. The dharma cycles
that he deciphered from the parchment within them included
the outer, inner, secret, and mother sadhanas of the Guru Who
Embodies All Victors; extraordinarily profound instructions on
the Dark Red Wrathful Guru; and a dharmapala cycle.

Again encouraged by prophecy, Rölpe Dorje went to the Vajra

Calcite Cave in Kerong and dug through the rock seals for three
months. When he performed a fire offering of the four actions in
order to remove obstacles to the actual extraction of the terma
there, unmoving clouds in the shapes of the four actions appeared.

He revealed a dark red triangular coffer as well as one shaped

like a scorpion and another shaped like a vase. Everyone pres-

523
 The Hundred Tertons

ent witnessed wondrous signs including rainbows and a rain

of flowers when he brought out the coffers. The dharma cycles
within them included the Peaceful and Wrathful Lord of Secrets
Who Conquers All the Aggressive; its mother cycle, the Red Sing-
hamukha; and the Untitled Cycle.

These two revelations, known as Rölpe Dorje’s Lake Terma and

Rock Terma, together make up about five volumes.

Rölpe Dorje made Dütsi Til his main seat. He went to Chamdo
to meet the great tertön Taksham Nüden Dorje and received
from him the complete dispensation of his termas, including
the Wisdom Assembly of the Yidam. Taksham praised Rölpe Dorje,
appointed him as his regent and dharma heir, and presented him
with empowerment implements, robes, and many other gifts.

Rölpe Dorje visited Dalung, Drilung, and western Ga; he guided

many fortunate beings in those places to higher rebirths and
liberation. He subdued many vicious nonhumans and brought
them to the training. He visited Jophu Monastery in order to
receive the almost extinct Hundred Empowerments of Mitra the
Yogin and received a pure lineage of their empowerments and

524
 The Hundred Tertons

transmissions from the supreme guide Yeshe Dorje. As a result,

their lineage still flourishes.

Rölpe Dorje was extremely devoted to the teachings, and was

prophesied to be the dharma heir of many tertöns. It is evident
that, had he lived out his full life span, he would have become
the life-tree of both the Kagyu and Nyingma traditions. How-
ever, because his teacher Chetsang Rikdzin forbade Rölpe Dorje
to accept a mudra, demanding that he remain a renunciate;
because Rölpe Dorje himself neglected to enlist the aid of the
terma guardian, the great king Pehar, in the transcription of
some of his terma parchments; and because of other missed op-
portunities, Rölpe Dorje began to repeatedly witness signs that
dakinis were beckoning him to depart for other realms. After
revealing the meaning of symbolic words predicting his final
deeds, he began a journey to Tsangshi. On the way, he suddenly
passed into peace.

When his remains were cremated wondrous signs arose. His

heart, tongue and eyes emerged from the fire undamaged. Gar-
wang Chökyong Namgyal and Tsedrung Karma Tenpel, who
had both studied under Rölpe Dorje’s teachers, and many other
dharma heirs spread Rölpe Dorje’s activity. His main lineage

525
 The Hundred Tertons

holder was his nephew Ugyen Lhundrup, who offered all of the
empowerments and transmissions of Rölpe Dorje’s termas to
the omniscient Situ Chökyi Jungne. Their lineage has remained
undiminished down to the present, and I have received their
complete ripening and liberation.

Among Rölpe Dorje’s termas his Wrathful Guru has proven to

be the single armor protecting the life of beings by pacifying
epidemics caused by fierce spirits in these times of decadence.
Its activity has therefore been tremendous.

Rölpe Dorje’s successive emanations have held their seat at

Surmang Dütsi Til down to the present, and have also held the
lineage of his dharma. However, the rebirth of Chetsang Sungrap
Gyamtso fell prey to obstacles, ending his emanation lineage.
As I have written above, and shall further below, the deeds of
tertöns are of such great value that any interference with them
is extremely dangerous. If any authentic tertöns should appear
in the future, it seems that those who pride themselves on being
learned and fine monastics and are fixated on what appears to
them to be the good of their lineages should not censor even
slightly, based on their own thinking, the vajra prophecies of
Guru Rinpoche!

526
 Padma Dechen Lingpa

Rongtön Padma Dechen Lingpa was a mind emanation of the

great translator Vairochana. He was born amid good signs at dawn
on the tenth day of the middle month of spring in a Water Hare
year, in a village called Gongti at the border of the Ser and Do
regions of eastern Tibet.121 His father’s name was Könchok; his
mother’s was Zungtharma. He was given the name Shakya Thar.

In his third year his past habits were awakened and he began to
conduct himself only as a guru and helper of beings. He spon-
taneously sang in verse, including a Supplication of the Trikaya
Guru. His maternal aunt, an emanation of Ekajati, prophesied
that he was destined to be a great being and offered him her
faith and respect.

In his thirteenth year he learned to read, and gave rise to sadness

for samsara and unbearable compassion for beings. He received
a few minor instructions from Lama Yeshe Gyaltsen.

121. The year was 1663 C.E.

527
 The Hundred Tertons

In his twentieth year Padma Dechen Lingpa journeyed on pil-

grimage to central Tibet and made extraordinary prayers of
aspiration at the sacred places and supports there. He continued
to live as a mantrin.

In his twenty-first year he offered Neserwa Lama Yeshe Gyaltsen

the three things that please, and received instruction. He bound
his being with moral discipline. For seven years he one-pointedly
practiced meditation on the channels and energy, Mahamudra,
and the Great Perfection. He gained signs of accomplishment
and full realization of the nature of things.

In his twenty-fifth year Padma Dechen Lingpa received a prophecy

and acquired a terma guide. He secretly went to Queen’s Wooded
Gorge. From a boulder there called Assembly of a Hundred
Thousand Dakinis at the sacred place of Mudo he revealed the
Heart Essence of the Dakinis of the Brilliant Expanse along with its
protector cycle, the Life Mara. He kept them secret, and con-
tinued to receive countless teachings on the Sarma, Nyingma,
kama, and terma dharma from his gurus.

In his twenty-seventh year Padma Dechen Lingpa entered the

presence of the vidyadhara Longsal Nyingpo at Kathok. Longsal

528
 The Hundred Tertons

Nyingpo assured him that they had been connected in many

previous lives. He gave Padma Dechen Lingpa uncommon in-
structions and blessings, and appointed him as his true regent.

In Padma Dechen Lingpa’s thirtieth year he met the great tertön

Taksham Nüden Dorje, who was visiting Tsen Mountain. Padma
Dechen Lingpa received all of Taksham’s terma dharma. Their
minds merged as one.

Padma Dechen Lingpa also received much dharma, including

uncommon whispered lineages, from both Tala Padma Norbu
and Kunzang Khyapdal Lhundrup of Red Rock. He undid the
seal of secrecy on his Heart Essence of the Dakinis of the Brilliant
Expanse and bestowed its ripening empowerments and liberating
instructions on those two holy beings first, the interdependence
of time and place having been fulfilled. His activity and benefit
of beings gradually expanded in their area.

Then, based on his terma guide, Padma Dechen Lingpa revealed

the Secret Wisdom Dakini cycle from the Molten Castle at Trephu
Rock Mountain, and the Essence of the Assembly of Dispensations
cycle from Tsen Mountain Vajra Rock. He deciphered most of
them. His main terma should have been the Dakinis’ Wisdom As-

529
 The Hundred Tertons

sembly, which was concealed on Sow’s Head Mountain, but he

did not reveal it. It seems that because of this, he also did not
reveal a pro_ found terma concerning Mahakarunika concealed
in the Water Temple of Kongbu.

In later life Padma Dechen Lingpa lived at Tsen Mountain, his

main seat. Having achieved immeasurable benefit for beings by
forming meaningful connections with wild people who were
extremely difficult to tame, he withdrew his emanated display
into the dharmadhatu.

Padma Dechen Lingpa’s son Padma Wangyal relied upon his

father and upon the great tertön of Mindröling and his brother
as gurus. Padma Wangyal became greatly learned and attained.
His younger brother Chökyong Palden also became learned
in Nyingma dharma and achieved signs of siddhi. The Tenth
Shamarpa and the omniscient Situ Tenpe Nyinje received Padma
Dechen Lingpa’s termas from Chökyong Palden.

The main holder of Padma Dechen Lingpa’s lineage was his regent,
the vidyadhara Tsewang Norbu, from whom both the Drukchen
Kagyu Trinley Shingta and Pawo Tsuklak Gawa received these
termas. Tsewang Norbu spread the lineage of their empower-

530
 The Hundred Tertons

ments and instructions as far as Ngari, and they have survived to

some extent. The lineage of Padma Dechen Lingpa’s descendants
continued at his seat and maintained his dharma lineage there.

Among all the tertöns who have appeared in eastern Tibet,

Padma Dechen Lingpa’s terma dharmas possess the most excel-
lent words and meaning. Those with eyes of dharma can see
this for themselves. I have diligently received Padma Dechen
Lingpa’s three termas.122

122. Jamgön Kongtrül was a rebirth of Padma Dechen Lingpa.

531
 Padma Chögyal

Padma Chögyal, the tertön of Batser in eastern Tibet, revealed

many profound termas, as was witnessed by many. He is re-
nowned for his great blessing and magical power. Even now, his
seat has not been abandoned, and it seems his dharma lineage
has survived in a scattered form. It seems that the vidyadhara
Tsewang Norbu met Padma Chögyal while young and formed a
slight dharma connection with him. I have received the much-
needed Red Garuda cycle which comes from three lineages, one
of them Padma Chögyal’s.

532
 Padma Wangchuk

Padma Wangchuk, the tertön of Lingtsang Dzong, is said to

have been an emanation of the great translator Vairochana. Ac-
cording to Padma Wangchuk, Vairochana’s speech emanation,
Terdak Lingpa; his mind emanation, Padma Dechen Lingpa;
and his body emanation, Padma Wangchuk himself, were of
one mind-stream.

In any case, Padma Wangchuk met the vidyadhara Longsal Ny-

ingpo and received from him both a prophecy that he would
reveal earth terma and a terma guide. Padma Wangchuk revealed
the Great Perfection Heart Essence of the Guru from a rock near the
Longthang Drölma Border-Taming Temple. This cycle included
sadhanas of the peaceful and wrathful forms of Guru Rinpoche,
of Singhamukha, and of longevity. I have seen their texts, and
the words appear to be flawless.

Padma Wangchuk is also said to have revealed the Great Perfection

Heart Essence of the Three Roots from a crack in the doorway to
the Trori Ziltrom Cave, a place of the Vidyadharas’ Assembly;

533
 The Hundred Tertons

and Gurusadhana, Great Perfection, and Mahakarunika cycles from

the Great Cave of Gyatö Gangbar. Most people consider him
to have been an authentic tertön, and he was somewhat active,
but he had no wellknown disciples. His lineage was carried on
by his sons, Ugyen Shenpen and his brother, and it seems that
the empowerments and transmissions for his sadhanas of the
three roots still exist.

534
 Khyungdrak Dorje

The tertön Khyungdrak Dorje is said to have been an emanation

of the translator Yudra Nyingpo. His actual name was Ugyen
Puntsok. He began as a disciple of the great tertön Yongey Min-
gyur Dorje. Later, when Khyungdrak Dorje first received the
dispensation of terma, he met the vidyadhara Longsal Nyingpo,
who declared him to be an authentic tertön, at Kathok. Longsal
Nyingpo also advised him that he needed to perform the requisite
terma accomplishment. Khyungdrak Dorje followed this advice
and gradually revealed the Great Perfection Eight Dispensations,
the Wrathful Jnanabhairava, and his Cycle of the Three Roots. These
termas still exist. Encouraged by a prophecy by Yongey Mingyur
Dorje, Khyungdrak Dorje went to the Sangen area, where he was
subsequently somewhat active. It appears that he presented to
Mingyur Dorje the offerings he received there. It is said that
Khyungdrak Dorje had a few disciples, including Lhateng Jamo
Tulku and Ga Damtsik Tulku. In any case, he used the offerings
he received to sponsor the publication of many volumes of kama
and terma teachings, including the Collected Nyingma Tantras. He

535
 The Hundred Tertons

did well. It seems that his image and relics were kept for some
time in the temple built at his birthplace.

536
 Tsewang Norbu

The vidyadhara Tsewang Norbu was an emanation of the mind of

Nup Namkhay Nyingpo. He was born at Sangen Sowa in eastern
Tibet. His father’s name was Dupa Ati Gönpo; his mother’s was
Goza Dorje Tso. Both the wondrous signs at his birth and the
supercognition of his maternal uncle, Padma Dechen Lingpa,
indicated that Tsewang Norbu was the rebirth of the lord of
siddhas Padma Norbu. He was therefore brought to his seat at
Nenang and named Tsewang Norbu Dorje Palbar.

Tsewang Norbu easily learned to read and write, and became

learned in various sciences and in philosophy. He venerated
Padma Dechen Lingpa as his root guru, received many em-
powerments and instructions from him, and gave rise to good
experiences and realization. He received the upasaka vow from
Kathok Gyalsay, and many teachings from Chetsang Sungrap
Gyamtso of Surmang. Tsewang Norbu lived as a great vajra
holder mantradharin.

537
 The Hundred Tertons

He traveled through Pukong and reached central Tibet, where

he received countless empowerments and transmissions of
Sarma and Nyingma guhyamantra from many gurus of many
traditions. In particular, Tsewang Norbu received the complete
dharma of the Jonang tradition from the dharma lord Kunzang
Wangpo and caused its lineage to spread, in which regard he
was of incomparable kindness.

With his supercognition Tsewang Norbu saw the three times

without obscuration. He left footprints in rock, reversed the flow
of waterfalls, and demonstrated many other signs of attainment.
Even the ruler Polha Tadzi and his sons developed faith in him
and awarded him the rank of Tishri.

If he had been able to meet the tertön Rölpe Dorje, Tsewang

Norbu would have established the interdependence for reveal-
ing thirteen termas. Because of Rölpe Dorje’s sudden passing,
Tsewang Norbu never met him and was unable to reveal those
great termas. He did, however, reveal a profound and concise
Sadhana of Red Tara from the Kongbu River and the Essence Em-
powerment of the Wrathful Display of Vajrakila that Rölpe Dorje
had reconcealed at Kegyü. Tsewang Norbu is also said to have
acquired several terma guides in Tsang. He revealed as visionary

538
 The Hundred Tertons

dharma and mind terma the extraordinary Spontaneous Fulfill-

ment of Wishes sadhana cycle.

Tsewang Norbu performed approach and accomplishment in

many of Tibet’s places of accomplishment. He founded monas-
teries in Pukong and Ngari; his benefit of beings in those areas
was vast. He visited Nepal three times. During his second visit
he restored the Great Stupa of Bodhanath; during his third he
restored the Great Swayambunath Stupa. While Tsewang Norbu
was doing so, the Gurkha king of Nepal was disrespectful to him.
Tsewang Norbu proclaimed the power of the truth to the great
gods of Nepal, and the town of Nagakoti caught fire. The queen,
princes, and ministers supplicated Tsewang Norbu, and the fire
extinguished itself instantaneously. The royal family thereafter
had faith in him and listened to whatever he said.

In order to fund his restoration of the Stupa of Swayambunath

Tsewang Norbu requested gold from the gods and spirits of Nepal.
It is said that they provided him with fifteen human loads of
gold, and that he also discovered a vast source of building stone.

While Tsewang Norbu was in Nepal the second time the kings
of Ngari and Ladakh went to war with one another. Armies

539
 The Hundred Tertons

were brought in from western Tibet and Mongolia. The Tibetan

government asked Tsewang Norbu to intervene. He did so, a
treaty was made between the warring parties, and the armies
from western Tibet and Mongolia went home. Through Tsewang
Norbu’s compassion, the war was completely ended. He then
returned to Nepal and continued his restoration of the stupas.
Not long after that he passed to other realms at Kyirong. His
disciples completed his work of restoration as instructed in his
will.

Tsewang Norbu’s main disciples were the Gyalwang Karmapa

and his spiritual sons, the omniscient Drukchen, and Situ Chökyi
Jungne. He had countless disciples throughout western, central,
and eastern Tibet, and his dharma lineage has also become
widespread. I have received his two minor earth termas and his
mind terma.

540
 Tsasum Terdak Lingpa

Tsasum Terdak Lingpa, also called Garwang Namchak Dorje,

was an emanation of Nupchen Sangye Yeshe. He was born to the
family line of the mahasiddha Langchen Palgyi Senge amid won-
drous signs near Zegyal, a sacred place in southwest Nangchen.
He received the upasaka vow and the name Tashi Puntsok from a
Gelukpa dharma lord who was said to be an emanation of Ngok
Loden Sherap. He studied a bit. When the great tertön Taksham
Nüden Dorje visited the capital of Nangchen, Tsasum Terdak
Lingpa formed a dharma connection with him.

He later went to Drikung and relied upon Könchok Trinley

Zangpo as a guru. He received dharma from him, especially
detailed instruction on the whispered lineage of Jatavira’s prana
teaching. He remained there for three years practicing it; experi-
ence and realization burst forth from within him. Miracles and
supercognition arose effortlessly.

Based on a timely prophecy Tsasum Terdak Lingpa began to

engage in the conduct of awareness-discipline. He also visited

541
 The Hundred Tertons

many sacred places without hindrance. During his journey, based

on both a terma guide and prophecy, he first revealed the Sugatas’
Assembly Sadhana of the Guru’s Heart and the Spontaneous Fulfill-
ment of Wishes cycle from Samye Chimphu. He then revealed
the Very Profound Padma Heruka cycle, comprising profound
and concise tantras, agamas, and upadeshas, from the Feast
Hall of Shotö Tidro. He then revealed the extensive tantras,
agamas, and upadeshas of the Secret All-Surpassing Yidam: The
Eight Dispensations from the Lotus Garden of Powo Gorge; this cycle
comprises seven volumes.

He also revealed from various sites of concealment many cycles

of empowerment and instruction concerning the boundless three
roots, including the Dark Red Reliquary of Heruka and Kila, four
ayusadhanas such as the Conquering Death Ayusadhana, Mahaka-
runika Who Conquers Samsara and Nirvana, Hayagriva the Essence
of the Sun, Hayagriva Who Embodies the Strength of All Wrathful
Kings, the Wisdom Light of Vajrasattva, the Very Secret Powerful
Wrathful Padma, his Dorje Trolö cycle, Yamantaka the Fiery Poison
Mountain, Secret Wisdom: The Supreme Wish-Fulfilling Jewel, the
Wrathful Dakini Tamer of Maras, the Wealth Sadhana of the Guru,
and the Dharmapala Realm Protector cycle. Those he deciphered

542
 The Hundred Tertons

from the parchments make up eighteen volumes. The lineage of

their empowerments and transmissions appears to have remained
unbroken at Doshül, Khyungpo, and Powo.

Tsasum Terdak Lingpa made Powo Tromzik Ngamchen his

main seat. Although he assembled a number of disciples, and
his activity flourished, he passed away in his forty-fourth year.
It therefore appears that his deeds remained uncompleted. The
observances connected with his passing were well performed
by his disciples.

Tsasum Terdak Lingpa had three emanations. The emanation of

his body was Rongnyön Ugyen Rikdzin, who lived at the seat
at Tromzik. The emanation of Tsasum Terdak Lingpa’s speech
was Kunzang Chime Norbu, who is said to have appeared in
the Gawalung area of Puwo, but there is no evidence of that
emanation line having continued. The emanation of Tsasum
Terdak Lingpa’s mind was the vidyadhara Mijik Dorje, who
lived in the Khyungpo region. The body and mind emanation
lines have continued down to the present.

Tsasum Terdak Lingpa’s main disciple was his spiritual son, the
vidyadhara Tukchok Dorje, who passed most of Tsasum Terdak

543
 The Hundred Tertons

Lingpa’s profound termas on to Zungkhar Tekchen Lingpa and

others, spreading their lineage. Tsasum Terdak Lingpa also had a
few other disciples capable of spreading the teachings, including
Könseng Pandita, the lord Kunga Lodrö, and Yeshe Gyaltsen.

Because of the partial similarity of Tsasum Terdak Lingpa’s name

and that of the great vidyadhara Terdak Lingpa of Mindröling,
people have speculated as to whether or not they were disharmo-
nious. However, there is no evidence of any disharmony between
them in any of their prophecies, so this speculation is nothing
more than mistaking one’s own shadow for a carnivorous spirit.

When Tsasum Terdak Lingpa visited Tsurphu to offer his termas

to the Gyalwang Karmapa and Shamarpa, he was prevented from
doing so by their attendants. He was also of a mercurial disposi-
tion, and did not do anything to smooth his way. As a result, he
did not fulfill the prophetic instruction to offer his termas to
them, but he did nothing that was displeasing to them, and is
well known to have been an authentic tertön. I have therefore
formed a dharmic connection with him by receiving the essence
empowerment from his Padma Heruka cycle.

544
 Tukchok Dorje

The vidyadhara Tukchok Dorje Humnak Drodül was an emana-

tion of both Nup Namkhay Nyingpo and Chim Shakyaprabha.
He was born in Kyirong, near Samye Chimphu in central Tibet.
He entered the monastic college of Palri and became learned in
the two traditions. He therefore acquired the nickname Dharma
Treasury from Kyirong. His actual names were Ngawang Lapsum
and Kunzang Trinley Dorje.

Tukchok Dorje received countless instructions from the maha-

siddha Kunzang Rangdröl at Tsupri in Kongpo, especially the
Black Quintessence of the Great Perfection. Practicing them, he
achieved maturation of awareness. Tukchok Dorje also received
the complete Guru’s Wisdom Assembly from Kunzang Rangdröl
in the company of the vidyadhara Tsewang Norbu. He was ac-
cepted by both the vidyadhara Chöje Lingpa and Ratön Topden
Dorje, and received their teachings like the contents of one vase
being completely poured into another.

545
 The Hundred Tertons

Tukchok Dorje one-pointedly practiced approach and accom-

plishment in various places. Inconceivable signs of siddhi and
pure appearances arose for him. In particular, he manifested
skill in wrathful direct action.

He acquired a terma guide, and revealed the Sadhana of the Five

Families of Vajrakilaya from Önphu Taktsang; the Three Roots:
Hayagriva’s Assembly from the Red Tomb of Chongye; and Maha-
mudra: Wisdom that Liberates upon Sight from Samye Chimphu.
He also revealed many other wondrous and profound termas
including the Wheel of SkyIron that Conquers the Aggressive and
Nagaraksha Who Conquers Demons from Below.

Had Tukchok Dorje established the necessary interdependence

with the Baturs by means of the ruler Chingwang, there was
an extremely profound prophecy indicating benefit for beings
and the teachings. However, that ruler fell under the power of
maras. He behaved poorly, and issued commands indicating his
displeasure with Tukchok Dorje. Because of the pervasive and
negative influence of this, Tukchok Dorje reconcealed his termas
for future discovery. He burned those that he had deciphered
from the parchments, and thereby spoiled their interdependence.

546
 The Hundred Tertons

The ruler died by the emperor’s command. Not long thereafter,

Tukchok Dorje dissolved into the dharmadhatu at Powolung.

I have received a few of Tukchok Dorje’s termas, such as his

Nagaraksha. His main disciples, capable of helping beings, are
said to have been four: Tekling Drodön Tarchin; the vidyadhara
Jikme Lingpa; Kunzang Dechen Gyalpo; and the mantradharin
of Trati, Karma Rikdzin. Karma Rikdzin is said to have been a
final birth of Nup Namkhay Nyingpo. The first three of these
received the dispensation of their own profound termas. Karma
Rikdzin did not reveal terma, but his experiences and realization
were perfect, and he was learned in all the sciences and their
branches. Through his vast realization he mastered the four ac-
tions and was venerated as a guru by many other great lamas
and by the rulers of central Tibet and Kongpo. He completed
his alotted lifespan and activity.

547
 Drime Lingpa

The tertön Drime Lingpa was an emanation of the translator

Gyalwa Chokyang. He was the immediate rebirth of Düdül
Lingpa, the tertön of Rong. Drime Lingpa was born at Zung-
khar Tekchen Ling to the family of the tertön Dechen Lingpa.
At an early age Drime Lingpa offered the fruits of his crown to
the Twelfth Gyalwang Karmapa Jangchup Dorje and was given
the name Karma Drodön Tarchin. He studied at the Tantric
College of Drak, and received many teachings of the Sarma
and Nyingma traditions from Lama Nyenpa Gelek and other
holy beings. Especially, Drime Lingpa received the complete
empowerments and instructions of the Great Perfection Heart
Essence of Samantabhadra from the vidyadhara Tukchok Dorje.
He practiced it and achieved consummate experience and realiza-
tion. He spontaneously knew the words and meaning of dharma,
and unimpeded supercognition arose. He recollected many of
his previous lives, including Melong Dorje, Dechen Lingpa, and
Düdül Lingpa. The channel-knots in his throat loosened and a
treasury of vajra song burst forth.

548
 The Hundred Tertons

Drime Lingpa planted the victory banner of accomplishment

in many isolated places, and repeatedly received prophecies of
his revelation of profound terma. He was recognized by the
vidyadhara Tukchok Dorje as his dharma heir, and also advised
that he would receive the dispensation of terma himself. Accord-
ingly, Drime Lingpa revealed the Ayusadhana of the Immortal
Vajra Brilliant Expanse and the Source of All Qualities Sadhana of
the Guru’s Heart from Drakyangdzong and deciphered them. He
also revealed a Mahakarunika cycle from the upper Stone Stupa
at Zungkhar, but he reconcealed that cycle for future discovery.
The Dalai Lama Kalzang Gyamtso bestowed an edict upon Drime
Lingpa authorizing him to benefit beings freely.

Drime Lingpa’s main dharma heir was Chakzampa Tendzin Yeshe

Lhundrup, an emanation of Yudra Nyingpo. The lineage passed
down by him and by Drime Lingpa’s other disciples has contin-
ued unbroken. I have received Drime Lingpa’s Ayusadhana and
his Padmaraja Gurusadhana cycle. Drime Lingpa’s descendants
still live at Zungkhar Lhading

549
 Kunzang Dechen Gyalpo

Kunzang Dechen Gyalpo, also known as Mönlam Dorje, was

an emanation of Acharya Palyang. He was born at the foot
of White Vulture Pass at Samye. He began to spontaneously
engage in tantric behavior such as binding devas and spirits to
samaya in his fifth year. He studied at the monastic college at
Samye and at Chongye Palri, and received many instructions
from the Mahasiddha of Tsupri. Especially, he was cared for by
the vidyadhara Tukchok Dorje, whom Kunzang Dechen Gyalpo
regarded as his root guru.

In his eleventh year Kunzang Dechen Gyalpo acquired a terma

guide. Based on it, in his twenty-sixth year he revealed the Es-
sence of the Five Families cycle from Rölbu, a place in between
western Kongpo and eastern Dakpo. He then revealed much
dharma as well as many supports and samaya substances from
Puwo, Gawalung, and the Samye area. He revealed profound
instructions on the four means of attraction that had been
concealed by Lord Atisha from the Tsechen Tara Temple near
Gyangtse. It is said that in all Kunzang Dechen Gyalpo revealed

550
 The Hundred Tertons

eighteen termas, and that every revelation was accompanied by

numerous miracles. He also revealed terma containing wondrous
medicinal materials, including the all-victorious arura fruit, from
a meteoric iron rock at Zurkhar Cave in Dakpo; but reconcealed
it for future discovery due to various circumstances.

Kunzang Dechen Gyalpo was given the rank of Tishri by the

regent Demo Rinpoche, and was appointed to perform the tam-
ing of the ground before the restoration of Samye. He offered
a thousand statues of Guru Rinpoche; they are now housed in
the Vidyadhara Temple. When Kunzang Dechen Gyalpo came
before the Jowo Shakyamuni in Lhasa, everyone present saw that
pea-sized shariram poured forth from the statue’s heart onto his
head. He also received a remarkable prophecy from the image.

The family line of the glorious Sakyapas had by this time almost
disappeared. At the command of Sakya Dakchen Kunga Lodrö,
Kunzang Dechen Gyalpo offered ritual service, and scions to
this precious family line were born. This is just one example of
his many fine deeds.

Chöling Tulku Jikten Wangchuk offered Kunzang Dechen Gyalpo

Drukthang Monastery in Kongpo, and he settled there, making

551
 The Hundred Tertons

it his seat. He planted the seed of liberation in countless dis-

ciples there. Finally, he passed away in order to benefit beings
elsewhere. His lineage has survived in a scattered form, and I
have received his Profound Embodiment of All the Three Roots cycle.

552
 Rokje Lingpa

Rokje Lingpa Drodül Tsal, who appeared in Taurong, was pre-

dicted in the termas of Rongtön Padma Dechen Lingpa to be
an emanation of the great translator Vairochana. Accordingly,
Rokje Lingpa was born soon after the passing of Padma Dechen
Lingpa, and appears to have been his rebirth.

From three terma sites in the region of his birth, such as Red
Rock Fortress in the Black Valley of Rongdong, he miraculously
and secretly revealed three dharma termas collectively called the
Wish-Fulfilling Trilogy. The principal one of these is Hayagriva
and Vajravarahi: The Blazing WishFulfilling Jewel. His dharma heirs
were predicted in Hayagriva’s Prophecy:

Do not openly teach this very profound dharma,

Hayagriva the Wish-Fulfilling Jewel; teach it secretly.
Vairochana, practice it yourself.
For the good of the future, conceal it in eastern Rong.
Your emanation will find it and practice it secretly.
If he gives it to the bearers of the black and red crowns,

553
 The Hundred Tertons

Emanations of Avalokita and Amitabha;

To a rebirth of the king, named Zangpo;
And to others with the eye of dharma,
Their lives will last and their activity flourish.

However, because of the status of the Dalai Lama Kalzang

Gyamtso, the Gyalwang Karmapa, and the Shamarpa; and be-
cause of the circumstances of his time and place, Rokje Lingpa
was unable to offer them his termas. When Tai Situpa Chökyi
Jungne was traveling to Mongolia, Rokje Lingpa secretly met
him and offered him all of his dharma. It is said that this enabled
the Eighth Tai Situpa to live out his full life span.

Rokje Lingpa lived secretly and was therefore little known. I

have not heard of his termas having been given to beings; in fact,
it seems that hardly anyone alive nowadays has even heard of
them. Nevertheless, as they were received as a short lineage by
our lord guru Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa, and in consideration
of the interdependence of my predecessor, I have fortunately
received from our lord guru the empowerment and transmission
of the Ayusadhana accessory to Rokje Lingpa’s Hayagriva cycle.123

123. Jamgön Kongtrül was a rebirth of Rokje Lingpa. He admits this

by referring to him as “my predecessor.”

554
 Garwang Chime Dorje

As predicted in writing to the Norbu Döndrup family of western

Puwo by the vidyadhara Chöje Lingpa, the tertön Garwang Chime
Dorje was born in a village called Kuyül, in the dharmachakra
heart region of the hidden land of Padmakö. Garwang Chime
Dorje’s father was a mantradharin called Könchok; his mother
was called Gyaldema. He was born in a Female Water Sheep year.
His conception coincided with the passing of Jikten Wangchuk,
the nirmanakaya of Chöje Lingpa, at Dakchak.

From an early age Garwang Chime Dorje passed his time in

holy conduct. Even the local tribespeople found him amazing.
He studied at Bakha Monastery in Puwo. He offered the fruits
of his crown to the tertön of Drukthang and received the name
Kunzang Özer Garwang Tenpe Nyima. The tertön also predicted
Garwang Chime Dorje’s future greatness.

Based on a terma guide that he acquired at Bakha Monastery,

Garwang Chime Dorje revealed the Immortal Heart Essence, life
water, samaya substances, and images at the shore of the dark

555
 The Hundred Tertons

red Blood Lake in the Valley of a Hundred Thousand Dakinis in

western Padmakö. He kept his discovery secret for twelve years,
during which time he perfected his own practice of it. He first
loosened the seal of secrecy by bestowing the complete instruc-
tions of the Immortal Heart Essence on Gampo Tulku. He later
gave them to the omniscient one of Jora and others.

Garwang Chime Dorje journeyed to central Tibet, where he

established positive interdependence at the national capital.
He also accomplished some service for the teachings. It is said
that he revealed many termas at Bachak Shri and other places
he visited on his journey, but the only two of Garwang Chime
Dorje’s termas that have survived are the Immortal Heart Es-
sence and the Flaming Sky-Iron Wheel of Dorje Trolö.

Garwang Chime Dorje and the tertön of Dakpo together revealed

many sacred places such as the navel nirmanachakra in Padmakö.
For the good of all Tibet they built many temples and stupas at
critical sites, and also performed several great accomplishments
at such places.

After caring for many beings of the southern tribal areas through
the four means of attraction, Garwang Chime Dorje passed into

556
 The Hundred Tertons

peace. It is said that his successive emanations have continued

to appear in Padmakö. As he appears to have been an authentic
tertön, I have received his Immortal Heart Essence.

557
 Dorje Tokme

The tertön Dorje Tokme, also known as Tendzin Daö Dorje,

was an emanation of Yudra Nyingpo. He was born near Tso-
chu Darma Rock, one of the three great mountains of Kongpo.
His father, whose name was Jamyang, was a mahasiddha of the
Dakpo Kagyu.

Dorje Tokme devoted his time exclusively to approach and ac-

complishment from an early age, and received prophecies from
gurus and dakinis. Based on them he revealed the hidden sacred
place Tsophu Norbu Köpa. He also revealed several profound
termas there, but reconcealed them for future discovery due
to negative interdependence. He later met Gampo Tulku and
corrected the previous interdependence, enabling him to reveal
a terma guide from the Döchu Temple in Puwo. Based on it he
revealed the Web of Light Ayusadhana from Red Tsen Life-Razor
Rock at Pulung. It is said that he also publicly revealed other
termas.

558
 The Hundred Tertons

Dorje Tokme built a hermitage at Jangling Tsenchuk in Pad-

makö, where he resided until his passing, having perfected his
realization. His consort, who was named Daö Wangmo, was a
yogini close to the achievement of a rainbow body; she upheld
his lineage. As a result, his Ayusadhana has survived. I have
received its essence due to the kindness of our lord guru.

559
 Rangdröl Tingdzin Gyalpo

The tertön Rangdröl Tingdzin Gyalpo, also known as Daway

Özer, was an emanation of Prince Lharjey. He was born in the
uplands of Drak, where the hawthorns grow. His father was the
tertön Drime Lingpa; his mother was a dakini of the Nup clan.

When Rangdröl Tingdzin Gyalpo was old enough, his father

Drime Lingpa gave him all of the empowerments and instruc-
tions of his termas. When Rangdröl Tingdzin Gyalpo was in his
sixth year, his father passed away. He therefore received most of
the kama and terma Nyingma dharma from his elder brother
Padma Tendzin Gyamtso and from Chakzampa Tendzin Yeshe
Lhundrup.

In his thirteenth year Rangdröl Tingdzin Gyalpo entered the

dharma college of Palri and offered the fruits of his crown
to Padma Chöjor Gyamtso, a nirmanakaya of Yeshe Tsogyal.
While living at Palri Rangdröl Tingdzin Gyalpo saw boundless
pure appearances. For example, Princess Mandarava actually

560
 The Hundred Tertons

presented him with seven fresh arura seeds. He mastered the

study of medicine while there.

In Rangdröl Tingdzin Gyalpo’s eighteenth year he acquired a

terma guide and received several prophecies, but because he
delayed taking a consort the time for the retrieval of many of
his destined termas expired.

He then received the complete empowerments and transmis-

sions of the Essence of Liberation: Self-Liberated Wisdom from
the mahasiddha Ngawang Chödrak. He vowed to practice it
for five years at Samye Chimphu; he fulfilled this vow with
great austerity. He also practiced his father’s terma Source of All
Qualities: A Sadhana of the Guru’s Heart for three years, bringing
his practice of it to perfection. When he subsequently visited
Lhasa he experienced boundless visions, including traveling to
Lotus Light on Chamaradvipa and receiving the blessing of the
mahasiddha Thangtong Gyalpo.

Rangdröl Tingdzin Gyalpo then discovered another terma

guide at Drinzang Red Rock. He began the journey back to
Minister’s Throat at Samye Chimphu. On the way he met the
Tsogyal nirmanakaya of Palri, who had become aware, through

561
 The Hundred Tertons

supercognition, of Rangdröl Tingdzin Gyalpo’s discovery of a

terma guide. Accompanied by an attendant, they completed
their journey in the guise of actionless yogins.

Tsogyal Tulku and the attendant went on ahead and prepared

to receive the tertön in the White Tent Cave. When Rangdröl
Tingdzin Gyalpo arrived they received him with great honor
and ceremony. He then revealed as terma a support of Guru
Rinpoche’s form called the Great Image that Liberates through
Sight; a support of his speech, the Peaceful and Wrathful Sadhanas
of the Guru’s Heart: The Vidyadhara Assembly of All Sugatas; and
twenty-one substances that liberate through taste called Sealed
by AH. He copied the symbol script and reconcealed the terma
parchments as instructed, and then deciphered and transcribed
the terma at Yamalung.

Rangdröl Tingdzin Gyalpo kept his discovery secret for seven

years, during which time he perfected his practice of it. He then
began to disseminate it to his prophesied dharma heirs. The
lineage of its empowerments, transmissions, and instructions
still exists. I have received the Vajra Essence Web of Light Ayusad-
hana from the Vidyadhara Assembly of All Sugatas and Rangdröl
Tingdzin Gyalpo’s Vajrapani the Embodiment of All Wrathful Deities.

562
 The Hundred Tertons

Rangdröl Tingdzin Gyalpo’s main disciples included the Eighth

Tendzin Rinpoche Khyenrap Tutop, the Fourth Dzogchen
Rinpoche, the tertön Tendzin Sherap and his disciples, and
many others. He was acclaimed by the government of Tibet as a
great emanated tertön, and performed many ceremonies for the
good of all Tibet at the government’s request. Wondrous stories
are told of his deeds. When the central temple at Samye was
damaged he proclaimed samaya to the devas and spirits there;
no other part of the monastery suffered any damage. When the
central temple was rebuilt Rangdröl Tingdzin Gyalpo tamed
the ground and consecrated the new construction.

Having perfectly enacted such great deeds for the good of be-
ings and the teachings, Rangdröl Tingdzin Gyalpo departed for
the great citadel of Lotus Light. His funerary observances were
performed by his sons. His emanation was reborn in eastern
Tibet, as predicted by the Fourth Dzogchen Rinpoche, and
lived at Chimphu. He spread his predecessor’s profound dharma.

563
Chokgyur Lingpa

564
 The Hundred Tertons

The peerless, great emanated tertön Chokgyur Dechen Shikpo

Lingpa was an emanation of the glorious prince Damdzin Murub
Tsenpo Yeshe Rölpa Tsal. From a prophecy in the termas of
Ugyen Drime Kunga:

Among the passes at Yortö Dra will appear

An emanation of Padma’s mind, an heir to the dharma,
Bearing the names Ratna and Uddiyana.
He will reveal the greatest terma dharma.

A prophecy similar in words and meaning to the above ap-

pears in the termas of Rongtön Padma Dechen Lingpa. From
the General Prophecy of Twenty-Five Future Dharma Heirs in the
termas of Ratna Lingpa:

One named Jewel will appear in southern Kham.

As predicted, Chokgyur Lingpa was born near the Dranang Medi-

tation College affiliated with the Yortö community in southern
Kham. His father was the mantradharin Padma Wangchuk, a
member of the family of Achak Dru, a minister of the king of
Nangchen. His mother was named Tsering Yangtso. Chokgyur

565
 The Hundred Tertons

Lingpa was born amid wonders such as rainbow light on the

tenth day of the month Ashadha in a Female Earth Ox year.124

From an early age he exhibited the amazing behavior of a holy

being. He learned to read and write with little difficulty. He
was called Norbu Tendzin at this time.125 Without anyone telling
him to do so, he meditated. When he offered the fruits of his
crown to Lho Kunzang Choktrül, he received the name Könchok
Tendzin. Until much later, this was the name by which he was
known. Könchok is Ratna in Sanskrit, and therefore fulfills the
above-quoted prophecies.

In his thirteenth year, while Chokgyur Lingpa was playing at

a place called Manika, Guru Rinpoche actually came to him
and asked him about the name of that place and such things.
Chokgyur Lingpa answered his questions, and Guru Rinpoche
prophesied, “This place is called Manika. You are called Norbu
Tendzin. This valley is called Aryanang. You will become one of
the greatest people in the world.” Then Guru Rinpoche vanished
like a rainbow.

124. The year was 1829 C.E.

125. “Norbu” means Jewel, his name given in the above quoted
prophecy.

566
 The Hundred Tertons

That year Chokgyur Lingpa undertook the shramanera vow

in the presence of Taklung Ma Rinpoche. He also received
the blessings and transmissions of the Hot Red Cord Heart
Sadhana and the Beautiful Flower Garland Liturgy, both from
the Guru’s Wisdom Assembly, from the Eighth Pawo Rinpoche
Tsuklak Chökyi Gyalpo. While giving these, Pawo Rinpoche
earnestly advised Chokgyur Lingpa that it would be good for
him to practice them. In essence, Pawo Rinpoche was entrusting
Chokgyur Lingpa with the lineage of terma.

Chokgyur Lingpa also studied at various times with many other

masters, including the Fourteenth Gyalwang Karmapa, Drukchen
Rinpoche, the Drikung Choktrül, and various abbots and teachers
of Surmang Monastery. From his teachers he received countless
empowerments, transmissions, and instructions concerning the
Sarma and Nyingma traditions of both sutra and tantra; guid-
ance in scholarship; and instruction in ceremonial dance, the
creation of sand mandalas, ritual melodies, and the playing of
musical instruments. He always seemed to learn whatever he
was taught without difficulty.

In his twenty-fifth year Chokgyur Lingpa went to the great seat

of Palpung Monastery at the urging of Guru Rinpoche. There,

567
 The Hundred Tertons

during the Miracle Month of the Water Ox year, he met the Ninth
Tai Situ Rinpoche Padma Nyinje Wangpo.126 Chokgyur Lingpa
offered him a kila called Laughing Hayagriva and other termas.
Situ Rinpoche accepted them joyfully and told Chokgyur Lingpa
that by offering them to him he had both removed obstacles for
him and ensured his longevity. He advised Chokgyur Lingpa of
the need for him to complete the practice of his termas and to
maintain their secrecy for the period indicated in the termas
themselves. From the Secret Prophecy:

At that time, your dharma heirs will appear in this way:

On the peak of a glorious mountain on the left bank of a
golden river
You will meet Padma Nyinje, an emanation of my speech.127
That scion of the victors will uphold the victory banner
of accomplishment.
He will uphold a beacon amid the darkness at time’s end.
If ayusadhana is completed, he will live to eighty-five.
If interdependence is well arranged, he will uphold the
teachings until ninety.

126. The year was 1853 C.E.

127. Palpung, the informal name of Situ Rinpoche’s monastery, could
be taken to mean Glorious Mountain.

568
 The Hundred Tertons

Prince, you will meet him in your twenty-fifth year.

Trust him without reservation; conceal nothing from
him.
This will bring about a great deal of spontaneous
interdependence.

Chokgyur Lingpa followed these prophetic instructions and

thereby established the correct fundamental interdependence.
He then received profound dharma, including the generation
of bodhichitta, from the great abbot and bodhisattva Dabzang
Rinpoche. From me he received Mahakarunika the Embodiment
of All Sugatas, then the empowerments and explanations of the
Mayajala Peaceful and Wrathful Deities, and most of the kama
Nyingma dharma and many terma dharmas as well. Especially,
from the Summary of Interdependence:

Prince, your final birth will be as

A person with the aspiration to reveal
The profound termas hidden in the treasury of space.
At that time most of the pandits, translators, and
disciples will be reunited.
Especially, the king and the prince will meet.
Supporting one another, your karma will be awakened.

569
 The Hundred Tertons

You will encounter my ultimate instructions.

In pure visions you will actually meet me.
I will teach you how to practice guhyamantra.
Practicing, you will effortlessly gain siddhi.
Many disciples will gain siddhi as well.

Many such clear predictions are found within the outer, inner,
and secret prophecies among Chokgyur Lingpa’s termas. As
prophesied, in the month Ashvini of that same year Chokgyur
Lingpa went to meet our lord guru, the crown ornament of the
ocean of scholars and siddhas of Tibet, the lord of all the Bud-
dha’s teachings, Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo. Our lord guru, in
consideration of their connection throughout many lives since
their birth as father and son monarchs, first dispelled all outer,
inner, and secret obstacles by bestowing upon Chokgyur Lingpa
the Very Secret Razor Kilaya and then the great empowerment
of the Sakya tradition’s Vajrakilaya.

When our lord guru subsequently gave Chokgyur Lingpa the

empowerments of the Wish-Fulfilling Jewel: The Quintessence of
Guru Vimalamitra, Chokgyur Lingpa saw him as the mahapandita
Vimalamitra in person. Chokgyur Lingpa had other extraordi-
nary pure visions and recognized naked awareness. When our

570
 The Hundred Tertons

lord guru gave the Entrustment of the Essence of Ekajati, both our
lord guru and Chokgyur Lingpa saw Ekajati and experienced
an awesome glory as intense as an earthquake. She told them
that three years later she would provide them both with great
siddhi. This was a prophecy of their discovery of the Three Classes
of the Great Perfection.

In the month Ashvini of his twenty-seventh year, the Year of the

Wood Hare, Chokgyur Lingpa received the great empowerment
of the Nine Deities of Perfect Heruka from our lord guru.128 He
experienced our guru, in the form of Heruka, dissolving into
him through the top of his head. As a result, the channel knots
of his heart were loosened. From then on vajra songs burst forth
spontaneously from within him. Although he had previously
been unable to decipher the symbol script of his Sadhana of the
Guru’s Heart: Removing All Obstacles, he immediately understood
it easily. He also found that it was mostly identical in both words
and meaning with our lord guru’s profound terma the Sugatas’
Assembly Sadhana of the Guru’s Heart. They therefore combined
the two termas and transcribed them without impediment. They
also performed the terma accomplishment together. During

128. The year was 1855 C.E.

571
 The Hundred Tertons

it they were embraced by the compassion of Guru Rinpoche

and Yeshe Tsogyal, and had numerous other pure visions. They
received lists of many other termas and established many gates
of auspicious interdependence.

Their mutual trust was so great that our lord guru received the
nectar of the empowerments and instructions of Chokgyur
Lingpa’s new termas. He acclaimed Chokgyur Lingpa as a great
tertön, causing him to be accepted beyond dispute and to become
as famous as the sun and the moon.

Chokgyur Lingpa wrote:

From the beginning, four teachers have been very kind to

me.

In writing this he was referring to the abbot from whom he re-

ceived the outer pratimoksha, Taklung Ngawang Tenpe Nyima;
the kalyanamitra from whom he received the inner vow of bod-
hichitta, Dabzang Rinpoche Karma Ngetön Tenpa Rapgye; his
vajracharya of guhyamantra, me, Padma Garwang Lodrö Taye;
and his ultimate root guru of the definitive meaning, Padma

572
 The Hundred Tertons

Ösal Dongak Lingpa.129 There appear to have been valid reasons

for these designations of the four of us.

Chokgyur Lingpa then went to the Yarkhyil hermitage, where

he performed the approach and accomplishment of the Very
Profound Embodiment of the Three Jewels. He then went on to
Akanishtha Karma Monastery, where he remained in retreat for
three years, as instructed by Guru Rinpoche. He was diligent
throughout his life in all stages of meditation and perfected the
practice of generation, completion, and the Great Perfection,
manifesting countless signs of siddhi. He became, as I can at-
test on the basis of direct experience, a great lord and master of
the four activities. Especially, from the prophecy from the Three
Classes of the Great Perfection:

Kama unbrokenly passed,

Actual profound terma and that of mind,
Terma rediscovered and recollected,
Profound visions and whispered lineages:
The rivers of these seven dispensations will flow

129. Padma Garwang Drodül Trinley Tsal was Jamgon Kongtrül’s

vajrayana name; Lodrö Taye was his bodhisattva name; Ngawang
Yönten Gyamtso was his vinaya name; and Chime Tenyi Yungdrung
Lingpa was his name as a tertön.

573
 The Hundred Tertons

To the monarchs, father and son, bringing

A great harvest of dharma in a time of degeneracy.
The sunlight of the profound and the vast will shine
widely.

As described in that and many similar prophecies, the two great

tertöns — our lord guru Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, the emana-
tion of King Trisong; and Chokgyur Lingpa, the emanation of
Prince Murub — each received the seven dispensations that are
subdivisions of the three categories of profound dharma: kama,
terma, and pure visions.

Chokgyur Lingpa received most of the long lineages of kama —

the first dispensation — that exist nowadays. He widely taught
the Mayajala, the anuyogasutras, and the mind-class Great
Perfection. In addition, because his profound termas contain
dharma terminology identical to that found in those original
texts, these termas constitute a wondrous and unprecedented
renewal of the ancient kama tradition and are therefore in es-
sence a dispensation of kama.

The second dispensation of Chokgyur Lingpa was the earth terma

he revealed. In his thirteenth year he revealed the Twenty-Four

574
 The Hundred Tertons

Sadhanas Practiced by Prince Murub and scepters symbolic of the

Guru’s Wisdom Assembly — a vajra, a kapala, and a mirror — at
White Rock Little Fortress. This was the first of his thirty-seven
earth termas. He revealed the last of them in his thirty-ninth
year: After receiving a terma guide and encouragement from
our lord guru, Chokgyur Lingpa revealed the Holy Dharma: The
Seven Jewel Cycles, an image of Guru Rinpoche, and the jewelry
of Guru Lion’s Roar from Tsike Three Brother Jewels. In addition
to his thirty-seven earth termas, Chokgyur Lingpa also revealed
the Seven Cycles of Pacification from Drakyangdzong.

Among these thirty-seven termas were many terma guides,

prophetic instructions, quintessential instructions, heart instruc-
tions, and physical termas. The foremost among them were these:
The Sadhana of the Guru’s Heart: Removing All Obstacles, which
Chokgyur Lingpa revealed at Danyin Kala Rongo; Mahakarunika
Padmoshnisha, which he revealed at Nabun Dzong; the Seven
Profound Yidam Cycles, which he revealed behind Akanishtha
Karma Monastery; the Tantra and Agama Supplements to the
Seven Profound Yidam Cycles, the Root Sadhana of the Guru’s
Heart: The Gathering of All Wisdom, and two images of Guru
Rinpoche, all of which he revealed at Yegyal Namkha Dzö; the

575
 The Hundred Tertons

Holy Dharma: The Three Great Classes of the Great Perfection, which
he revealed at the Lotus Crystal Cave of Meshö Dzamnang; the
Holy Dharma of Six Folios, which he revealed from the lower
part of Great Lion Sky Rock; Mahakarunika Padma Mayajala
and Mahakarunika Who Empties Samsara to its Depths, which he
revealed at the Fortress of a Hundred Thousand Dakinis; the
Embodiment of All Matrikas, which he revealed at Glorious Stone
near Karma Monastery; the Sadhana of the Guru’s Mind: The Wish-
Fulfilling Jewel, which he revealed at Tsike Three Brother Jewels
at the instruction of our lord guru; the Eight Dispensations: The
Assembly of All Sugatas and the Profound Great Perfection Like Re-
fined Gold, which he revealed at Yubal Rock in southern Yegyal;
the Sadhana of the Guru’s Heart: Vajra Wrathful Might and the Five
Essence Cycles, which he revealed at the Tiger’s Lair of Rongme
Karmo; and Chakrasamvara the Union of All Buddhas, which he
revealed at the Snowy Wilds of Rudam.

These are just examples, however; at each terma site Chokgyur

Lingpa revealed dharma and many samaya substances, images,
and scepters. Most of his revelations occurred in public, which
caused him to be undisputed because of his many witnesses. It was
prophesied that Chokgyur Lingpa would reveal a hundred sacred

576
 The Hundred Tertons

places of body, speech, mind, qualities and activity; a hundred

cycles of the Heart Essence; and many substances that bestow
liberation through taste. At Vira Hayagriva Rock he revealed
the Guide to the TwentyFive Great Sacred Places, and subsequently
clarified the location of each of these along with their branch
sites. He revealed three great images of Guru Rinpoche as terma;
he had the second of these reproduced and widely distributed.
His earth termas are inconceivably amazing.

The third dispensation of Chokgyur Lingpa was his rediscovery

of reconcealed terma. This includes his revelation of the Wrathful
Guru: The Heart Essence of Red HUM, which was originally a terma
of the great tertön Sangye Lingpa, one of Chokgyur Lingpa’s
past lives. Chokgyur Lingpa received its dispensation through
the power of blessing. He also received a short lineage of the
dakini Kunga Bum’s Mother Tantra: Bringing the Secret onto the
Path. He bestowed its empowerments and instructions upon me.

Chokgyur Lingpa’s fourth dispensation was his profound mind

terma. Based on Arya Tara’s triple pronouncement of “Excellent!”
he revealed the Profound Essence of Tara.

577
 The Hundred Tertons

His fifth dispensation was recollection, which is an extension

of mind terma. Based on his recollection of his past life as Nup
Khulungpa Yönten Gyamtso, Chokgyur Lingpa wrote down in
concise form the Anuyoga Vajra Array, which had been the final
instruction given by Nupchen Sangye Yeshe before his passing,
and the Boast of Nup. He also recollected from that life the melody
for chanting the RULU mantra and countless dance movements.
Based on his recollection of his past life as Sangye Lingpa he
wrote down Detailed Instruction on the Nine Yogic Exercises of the
Guru’s Wisdom Assembly.

Chokgyur Lingpa’s sixth dispensation was pure vision. While he

was revealing the sacred place Wangshu Mountain he saw the
mahapandita Vimalamitra in Vimala’s cave of accomplishment
there. He wrote down the instructions he received from him as
the Profound Essence of Vimalamitra.

His seventh dispensation was the whispered lineage, which

is similar to pure vision teachings. In a vision he went to the
Glorious Copper-Colored Mountain and received the Profound
Heart Essence of Ati from Guru Rinpoche, which he subsequently
wrote down.

578
 The Hundred Tertons

This is just a summary of Chokgyur Lingpa’s seven dispensations.

Throughout his life he repeatedly saw the faces of deities of the
three roots and received their prophecies. Dharmapalas and the
protectors of terma constantly served him through their activity.
In visions he visited the Glorious Copper-Colored Mountain on
Chamaradvipa several times, and gave several descriptions of it
based on these visits. However, this short summary is sufficient
to indicate his greatness.

Including the Great Assembly Accomplishments he convened

himself and those he presided over as vajra master at the invita-
tion of others, Chokgyur Lingpa performed thirtythree Great
Accomplishments with the complete four branches of approach,
close approach, accomplishment, and great accomplishment.

He strongly compelled the obedience of spirits at critical sites

throughout both central and eastern Tibet such as Samye and
Mount Hepo. He performed many consecrations of sacred
places and thereby prevented invasion and other disturbances.
He actively and greatly increased the wellbeing of this entire
land, as was prophesied.

579
 The Hundred Tertons

Chokgyur Lingpa directly and indirectly bestowed the em-

powerments and instructions of his profound dharma on the
lineage holders of many traditions. These included the Gyalwang
Karmapa, the Drukchen Rinpoche, the heads of the Drikung
and Talung schools, and their heart sons, among the Kagyu;
the throne holders of Mindröling, Kathok, Palyül, Shechen, and
Dzogchen Monasteries among the Nyingma; and lineage holders
of the glorious Sakya tradition.

Chokgyur Lingpa’s generosity with substances that liberate

through taste pervaded every region of Tibet.

Because he established the necessary interdependence with

most of his ten prophesied main dharma heirs, the activity of
his terma dharma and especially that of the Sadhana of the
Guru’s Heart: Removing All Obstacles has been vast. As indicated
by his establishment of the medium-length dance of the Great
Accomplishment of Perfect Heruka and Vajrakilaya at Akanishtha
Tsurphu Monastery, it appears that the celebration of the longer
and shorter practices of his new termas is steadily growing in
many monasteries.

580
 The Hundred Tertons

Chokgyur Lingpa wrote out the Dharma Cycle of Interdependence,

one of his Ten Dharmas for the Wellbeing of All Tibet. He presided
over the ritual celebration of the holy days of the abbot, master,
and king taught in that cycle — a wondrous ceremony that causes
the study, practice, and activity of the twofold dharma of sutra
and tantra to increase — at the monasteries of Palpung, Kathok,
and Dzogchen. At his main seats — Karma Mountain, Elder
Ridge, and Tsike Junction — Chokgyur Lingpa built temples
and furnished them with images. He established monastic com-
munities and colleges for the study and practice of sutra and
tantra at the latter two seats.

Having achieved so much, he considered the great needs of beings

elsewhere, and appeared to become ill in his forty-second year,
the Year of the Male Iron Horse.130 He experienced pure visions
foretelling his departure for an utterly pure Buddha realm. On
the first day of the fifth month he displayed wondrous miracles,
such as the earth shaking and rainbow light, and entered the
peace of the dharmadhatu.

His main lineage holder, his son Gyurme Tsewang Drakpa, who
was a prophesied emanation of Nup Namkhay Nyingpo, per-

130. The year was 1870 C.E.

581
 The Hundred Tertons

formed extensive funerary observances and offering ceremonies.

He interred Chokgyur Lingpa’s entire remains within a stupa
of copper and gold that was one story in height. He completed
the construction of one of his father’s seats, Tsike Norbu Ling,
which was uncompleted at the time of Chokgyur Lingpa’s passing.

As I have mentioned above many holy beings, led by our pre-

cious lord guru, have spread the activity of Chokgyur Lingpa’s
profound dharma and of the substances that liberate through
taste that he discovered. Since Chokgyur Lingpa also kindly
bestowed his profound dharma on inferior persons such as me,
I have done my best to serve his tradition through the perfor-
mance of approach, accomplishment, and great accomplishment;
through teaching; and through the composition of empower-
ment liturgies and so forth. When I visited central Tibet I first
offered Chokgyur Lingpa’s new termas to the fathers and sons of
the Karma Kagyu and Drukpa Kagyu. I performed accomplish-
ment ceremonies at Crystal Cave, where I convened an amrita
accomplishment assembly of the Peaceful and Wrathful Mayajala,
and at every one of Guru Rinpoche’s places of accomplishment,
using one or another of Chokgyur Lingpa’s Seven Profound Yidam
Cycles. In each place I performed a thousand ganapujas. I have

582
 The Hundred Tertons

served his tradition a little, such as by being the first to make

his name and termas known in Ngari, central Tibet, and Tsang.

On the fifteenth day of the month Mrigashira in the year of

Chokgyur Lingpa’s passing our lord guru, the great chakravartin
among all the tertöns and siddhas of Tibet Padma Ösal Dongak
Lingpa, had a pure vision. He saw Chokgyur Lingpa, who had
taken the form of the bodhisattva Lotus Shoot in the western
pure realm Covered by Lotuses. Our lord guru received from
him his sadhana, his empowerment, and the nectar of his oral
instructions. He kept these under the samaya-seal of secrecy for
one month. Then, on the tenth day of the month Paushya he
revealed them in conjunction with a ganapuja; I served as his
scribe. The earth suddenly became warm, causing ice to melt
and form streams. As I witnessed these good signs with my own
eyes, I have seen real evidence of this sadhana’s blessing.

This cycle of instructions, the Trikaya Embodying All Families,

was given especially for the benefit of Chokgyur Lingpa’s fol-
lowers. It includes his final, posthumous instructions condensed
into their essence. It is therefore very important for disciples
of Chokgyur Lingpa’s tradition to make it the essence of their
practice. I mention this as a digression.

583
 Chögyal Dorje

The vidyadhara Chögyal Dorje was an emanation of Prince Mutri

Tsenpo. He was born in the nomad community of Gegyal in Dotö.
He entered the dharma gate of the glorious Drukpa Kagyu, and
received many teachings from the Drukchen Rinpoche and other
masters. In particular, Chögyal Dorje received profound instruc-
tions on the uncommon path of means from the realized lord
among yogins Lhundrup Rapten, and perfected their practice.

For many years Chögyal Dorje one-pointedly practiced Yongey

Mingyur Dorje’s Padmavajra, living austerely at Nyen Fortress
Vajra Garuda Cave. He recited the Padmavajra essence mantra
seven hundred million times, and manifested signs of siddhi.
It is said that even after he left that cave the clear sound of the
mantra continued to be heard there by everyone for some time.

Chögyal Dorje received many prophecies of his discovery of

profound terma. He once had a vision in which the Queen of
Great Bliss extracted a vase containing terma parchment from
the Vajra Garuda Cave’s rock, showed him the parchment, and

584
 The Hundred Tertons

deciphered it for him. Once he had memorized the terma’s

contents, she replaced the vase in its prior place of concealment.

Chögyal Dorje later received a further terma scroll urging him

to reveal the contents of the prior terma, as it was the right
time to do so. He wrote down the terma as instructed; it is the
especially profound cycle of the Five Deity Mandala of the Blue
Wrathful Guru. He also revealed the root of this cycle as earth
terma from the Black Stupa of Samye.

He received the Prosperity Sadhana of the Five Deity Mandala of

White Jambhala as mind terma, and relics of Langdro the Transla-
tor and samaya substances called Sealed by AH as earth terma.
His benefit of beings was so vast that the great tertön Chokgyur
Lingpa, the great abbot Dabzang Rinpoche, and other eminent
masters venerated him as one of their gurus.

Chögyal Dorje principally entrusted his terma dharma and

other teachings to the king of siddhas Tsoknyi Rinpoche, who
practiced them. I also received Chögyal Dorje’s termas from
Chögyal Dorje himself. His lineage is flourishing.

585
 Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa

Now I shall write of our lord guru Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa,
the great chakravartin among all the learned, all the attained,
and all tertöns. His life has been greater in many ways, in this
end-time of disputation, than any of those described above. I
will base my brief account on his autobiography.

In essence, this lord is the compassionate embodiment of both

Acharya Manjushrimitra and Mahapandita Vimalamitra. In
the experience of various disciples he appeared in India as the
mahasiddha Vajraghanta, the pandita Boundless Gates of Intel-
ligence, and the mahapandita Forest Jewel. In Tibet he appeared
as the dharma king Trisong Detsen, Guru Chökyi Wangchuk,
Rechungpa Dorje Drakpa, the mahasiddha Thangtong Gyalpo,
Lhatsün Namkha Jikme, and many other holy beings who upheld
the Sarma and Nyingma dharma.

Based on this lord’s recollections of his previous lives and on

Prince Chokdrup Gyalpo’s prophecy that he would take thirteen
successive births as tertöns, the first of these was Sangye Lama

586
 The Hundred Tertons

and the twelfth Chöje Lingpa. Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa is

the thirteenth, as clearly indicated in vajra prophecies. It was
predicted:

There will be five kings among tertöns;

They will be surrounded by a hundred subjects.

The fifth of the five prophesied kings was to be called Dongak

Lingpa. Although it was said that this referred to Chokden
Gönpo, he mistook interdependence and never acquired any
terma; his deeds ended suddenly. It is therefore certain that
the prophesied Dongak Lingpa, the fifth king among tertöns,
is Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa. There are valid proofs of this. In
particular, it is evident that all of the recent authentic tertöns
are or have been his subjects.

The place in which Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa began the display
of magical emanation in this life was predicted in the terma
prophecies of Lord Nyang:

In front of a mountain called Tsegang,

On a boulder shaped like a coiled naga-king,
Your majesty will appear with the name Manjughosha.131

131. Manjughosha is Jamyang in Tibetan.

587
 The Hundred Tertons

This thirteenth rebirth will reveal profound terma.

This was also clearly predicted in the terma prophecies of Rinchen

Lingpa, Dorje Lingpa, the mahapandita of Ngari, Düdül Dorje,
and other tertöns. In accordance with those prophecies, our lord
guru was born in the town of Dilgo, which rests on a hill of rock
shaped like a coiled snake, and is in front of a mountain called
Tsegang in the kingdom of Derge in eastern Tibet.

Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa’s father was named Rinchen Wang-

yal. He was a high-ranking civil servant in the administration
of the dharma king of Derge. His wisdom in both wordly and
dharmic matters was exemplary. Our lord guru’s mother was
of the Gerap Nyerchen family of Mongolian origin; her name
was Sönam Tso.

Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa was born on the fourth day of the
month Ashadha, the holy day of the Buddha’s first turning of the
dharmachakra, in the Male Metal Dragon year, while his family
was staying in a white cotton tent at their summer pastures near
Great Garuda Rock.132 He was born with a full head of black

132. The year was 1820 C.E.

588
 The Hundred Tertons

hair, and several wondrous signs accompanied his birth. From

the terma prophecy of Guru Tseten Gyaltsen:

A tall boy born with a full head of hair

Will appear at the foot of Great Garuda Mountain.

Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa’s birth fulfills this prophecy ex-

tremely well.

From the earliest age he can remember, our lord guru was lovingly
cared for by the Six-Armed Wisdom Protector and by Ekajati,
the protectress of mantra. He also had partial recollections of
previous lives. From an early age his mahayana disposition was
awakened. In particular, he was only interested in a lifestyle of
renunciation. His intelligence and capacity for clear thinking
were peerless, and he learned to read and write without diffi-
culty. Just by reading a book once he retained both its words
and its meaning.

In his twenty-first year he undertook completion in the pres-

ence of the abbot Rikdzin Zangpo of Mindröling Monastery.
He generated bodhichitta by receiving the two traditions of the
bodhisattva vow from the Sakya throne holder Dorje Rinchen
and the Mindröling throne holder Gyurme Sangye Kunga.

589
 The Hundred Tertons

From the abbot of Tartse and that master’s brother he received

Chakrasamvara and Hevajra. From the throne holder of Mind-
röling he received the Perfect Heruka of the So Tradition and the
Heart Essence of the Vidyadharas. From the omniscient Shechenpa
Gyurme Tutop Namgyal he received the empowerment of the
Guhyagarbha Mayajala. In that way he planted the roots of the
vows of mantra.

Although Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa is a recognized tulku and

was born in a noble and powerful family, he has cast aside all
privilege and pride of position and undertaken a life of great
austerity. Through great effort he has managed to study with
about one hundred and fifty teachers in both central and eastern
Tibet. These include vajra holders, kalyanamitras, and those
learned in the sciences. He has achieved a perfect mastery of the
ten sciences, including the arts, medicine, linguistics, and logic;
and of the treatises of the causal vehicle, including the Vinaya,
the Abhidharmakosha, Madhyamika, and the Abhisamayalankara
on the Prajnaparamita. He has received all of the ripening em-
powerments and liberating instructions of all of the Vajrayana
traditions that still exist, including those of the Nyingma lineages
of kama and of terma; of the Kadampa and Gelukpa traditions;

590
 The Hundred Tertons

of the Sakya tradition, and of its Ngorpa and Tsarpa branches;

of the Karma, Drikung, Taklung, and Drukpa Kagyu; and of the
Jonang, Shalpa, and Bodong traditions.

Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa has studied all of the existing

exegetic traditions of the Mayajala Guhyagarbhatantra, the Ka-
lachakratantra, the Chakrasamvaratantra, the Hevajratantra, the
Guhyasamajatantra, and the shastras based on those tantras. He
has received the reading transmissions for about seven hundred
volumes, including the precious Translated Words of the Buddha,
the Collected Nyingma Tantras, the parts of the Translated Shastras
for which the transmission exists, and the Tibetan shastras of all
traditions. For thirteen years he devoted himself exclusively to
study, and learned most of the traditions of those renowned as the
Ten Great Columns Who Have Supported the Lineage of Explanation.133

Although our lord guru understands and retains the meaning of

every book he reads just by reading it, he has never limited his
study of anything to just receiving it. In order to demonstrate
the great importance he places on dharma, he has cultivated a

133. The Ten Great Columns Who Have Supported the Lineage of
Explanation are Tönmi Sambhota, Vairochana, Kawa Paltsek, Chokro
Lu’i Gyaltsen, Shang Yeshe De, Rinchen Zangpo, Dromtön Gyalway
Jungne, Ngok Loden Sherap, Sakya Pandita, and Gö Khukpa Lhetse.

591
 The Hundred Tertons

perfect understanding of and familiarity with every tradition.

He knows, with the flawless eye of dharma and in precise detail,
the view, conduct, assertions, and customs of each tradition, as
well as whether or not each is true to its origin. It seems that
there is no one presently living, high or lowly, who has equaled
him in even this.

Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa has repeatedly taught most of the

sutras, tantras, and shastras he has received; and has also con-
ferred the corresponding empowerments, transmissions, and
practical instructions. There is nothing that he has received
that he has not taught at least once. Through his generosity of
dharma free from any hope for acquisition, he has fulfilled the
hopes of seekers including both holy beings and lowly beggars.

From childhood he has never engaged in the perverted practice

of performing ceremonies in villages for gain and calling it “the
benefit of disciples.” Nevertheless, his inner qualities have mani-
fested externally as the three blazes and the three gatherings,
and he has always acquired whatever he needs without effort.
He has never wasted any of his acquisitions on inappropriate
expenditures. He has used them to sponsor about two thousand
supports of body cast from copper and gold; almost forty printed

592
 The Hundred Tertons

volumes, and about two thousand volumes if we include both

printed and handwritten books, as supports of speech; and sup-
ports of mind such as the great Lhundrupteng Stupa as well as
more than a hundred others, all cast of copper and gold. He has
built thirteen finely decorated temples to house these supports
of body, speech, and mind; and supports both the continuous
and periodic presentation of offerings within them.

Given the times in which we live, it is difficult to found new

sangha communities. He has therefore not troubled to do so.
Nevertheless, when most monasteries were damaged during
the recent fighting between eastern and western kingdoms,
our lord guru made contributions to their restoration appro-
priate to the size of each monastery, and has sponsored three
thousand tea services. He has engaged in diplomacy, creating
harmony among the rulers of Tibet and China, as well as the
dharma king of Derge and his cabinet. This significant action
has brought about both restoration and new foundations. He
has contributed to offerings and kindly given useful and timely
advice to many. He has offered the funds for four thousand tea
services in connection with his sponsorship of yearly dharani,

593
 The Hundred Tertons

mantra, and aspiration festivals at each of our large and small

sangha communities.

Because of the stability of his twofold precious bodhichitta; and

because he has only a pure attitude toward and devotion for every
tradition, without a single negative thought, his disciples from
every tradition are countless. They include the great and famous
lineage holders of the Sakya, Kagyu, Nyingma, and Geluk schools;
kalyanamitras, retreatants, and modest practitioners from those
schools; and adherents of the Bön tradition. Every single day
he bestows dharma, according to their individual wishes, upon
innumerable disciples who gather before him, including both
Chinese and Tibetan leaders. It seems there is no one who has
not formed a connection with him either through his removal
of their adversity or bestowal of empowerment or blessing.

As Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa is free from the bondage of the

eight worldly concerns, he has eradicated all human frailties such
as trying to ingratiate himself with others, high or low; and hope
and fear about others’ opinions. His life has therefore been that
of a king among renunciates. He has spent about thirteen years
of his life engaged in the approach and accomplishment of many
yidams of the Sarma and Nyingma tantras. He has practiced

594
 The Hundred Tertons

each of the profound instructions he has received, such as the

Hundred Instructions of Jetsün Kunga Drölchok. He is therefore
also peerless in his fulfillment of samaya and commitments.

All of the above has been a brief summary of Padma Ösal Don-
gak Lingpa’s outer life, concerning his engagement in the three
wheels of study, meditation, and work.

The renowned Eight Chariots of the Practice Lineage of Tibet

are: the Nyingma tradition of the early translations, which arose
through the kindness of the abbot Shantarakshita, the master
Padmasambhava, and the king Trisong Detsen; the Kadampa
tradition endowed with seven deities and dharmas, which is
the tradition of the glorious lord Atisha; the Path and Result, the
quintessential teaching of the mahasiddha Virupa, instructions
passed down through the fathers and sons of the glorious Sakya
tradition; the instructions of the Four Dispensations of Tilopa,
passed down by Marpa, Mila, Gampopa, and the four great and
eight lesser divisions of the Dakpo Kagyu; the glorious Shangpa
Kagyu, which holds the Golden Dharmas of the learned and
accomplished Khyungpo the Yogin; the Six-Branch Yoga, the
vajrayoga of the completion stage of Shrikalachakra, the king
among all tantras; the Holy Dharma of the Pacification of Suffering,

595
 The Hundred Tertons

the teachings of the mahasiddha Padmapa Sangye, along with its

offshoot, Severance; and the Approach and Accomplishment of the
Three Vajras, which was directly bestowed by Vajrayogini upon
the mahasiddha Ugyenpa.

Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa, with boundless devotion, intense

diligence, and a complete lack of concern for his own exhaus-
tion, has received the complete and correct empowerments
and instructions of each of these traditions from masters who
held their unbroken and original lineages. He has clarified his
understanding of them through analytical thinking and put
them into practice through meditation. While doing so he has
in reality, experience, and dreams received the blessings of the
bodies, speech, and minds of learned masters and siddhas of
India and Tibet, of peaceful and wrathful yidams, and of the
dakinis of the three places. They have bestowed upon him their
instructions as short lineages. To write that at every instant
he experiences boundless pure visions is an understatement.
Although he never speaks of his pure visions, supercognitions,
and superhuman qualities, we can infer them from the above.

In particular, because of his full understanding of the two stages

as practiced by each of the Eight Chariots, his abilities in teach-

596
 The Hundred Tertons

ing, debate, and composition are unlimited. Being free from

even a trace of delusion, he cares for fortunate disciples. That
is an account, as tiny as a seed, of his inner life.

Especially, from the Vajra Prophecies of the mahasiddha Thang-

tong Gyalpo:

A yogin not other than me

With five attributes
Will appear seven hundred years from now
In a Dragon year in eastern Tibet.
A vidyadhara of the Nyö clan, a child of Ga,
His element will be metal; he will bear the marks of a
vira.
Blessed by Padmaraja,
He will be called Dongak Lingpa of the Seven
Dispensations.
Blessed by Vimalamitra,
He will be called Ösal Trülpe Dorje.
Blessed by Manjushri’s emanation, the dharma king,
He will be called Dharmamitra.
This magical man will appear.

597
 The Hundred Tertons

As predicted in the prophecy from the Three Classes of the Great

Perfection that I quoted in my account of Chokgyur Lingpa’s
life, and as repeatedly proclaimed in many vajra prophecies,
Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa gained full possession of the seven
dispensations and has greatly helped beings and the teachings.

In his eighth year Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa became extremely

ill and was tormented by a great deal of pain. Guru Rinpoche
and Yeshe Tsogyal appeared to him, blessed him, empowered him
in the mandala of Vajrakilaya, and instructed him. He overcame
the obstacle to his health.

In his fifteenth year, in a pure vision, Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa

went to Vajrasana in India. Coming to a cave with nine levels, he
entered the bottom level and gradually climbed up through the
others. On the eighth level he encountered the master Manjush-
rimitra, who was dressed as a pandita. Many books were piled up
on Manjushrimitra’s left and right. Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa
prostrated with great devotion and supplicated. In response
Manjushrimitra took up a book that had been to his left and
showed it to Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa, who saw that it was
the Collection of the Prajnaparamita in Sanskrit. Manjushrimitra,
placing the book on Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa’s head and

598
 The Hundred Tertons

directing his attention to him, said, “By this you have received
the complete transmission of all dharma of the causal vehicle.”

Manjushrimitra then picked up a book that had been to his right

and showed it to Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa, who saw that it
was the Great Perfection Tantra called the Mirror of Vajrasattva’s
Heart. Manjushrimitra, placing this book on Padma Ösal Dongak
Lingpa’s head and directing his attention to him, said, “By this
you have received the complete blessing of both the words and
meaning of all the vajrayana, and especially of the three classes
of the Great Perfection.”

He bestowed a few prophecies on Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa

and then, with a joyous demeanor, melted into light and dissolved
into our lord guru, who became absorbed for a time in samadhi
free of thought. When Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa arose from
that samadhi and was leaving the cave he discovered that a great
fire was burning immediately outside the cave’s doorway. Having
no choice but to pass through the fire, he entered it. His coarse
body was incinerated, leaving him with a resplendent body of
light that he felt was that of Vimalamitra.

599
 The Hundred Tertons

Around the same time Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa saw the
face of the lord of siddhas Thangtong Gyalpo in a dream and
received his blessing. The mahasiddha gave our lord guru both
instructions and advice, of which he only wrote out a Guru-
sadhana at that time. Later, once the command seal of secrecy
expired, Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa gradually wrote out the
rest of Thangtong Gyalpo’s instructions. They include the Root
Verses of the Six Completion Stages, the Five Sadhana Cycles, and
the Heruka Assembly of All Sugatas. All together, they comprise
the Heart Essence of the Siddha.

Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa also saw the face of the Buddha
Amitayus and his consort and received their blessing. Special
sadhanas arose from this, although he only committed the Sad-
hana of Chandali the Mother of Life to writing.

In these ways he has had innumerable pure visions of all of the

deities of the three roots, but is so careful to keep them secret
that others have known nothing about them. In particular, while
it seems that he has received many prophecies throughout the
years, he described his attitude toward them when he said, “The
saying ‘tertöns are ruined by prophecies’ is true. Once you write
something down and call it a prophecy you have to follow its

600
 The Hundred Tertons

instructions. No one does that, and therefore the prophecies

are never fulfilled. Talking too much is how Mara enters your
speech!” He therefore doesn’t give out prophecies, and does not
take pleasure in the prophecies of others. There appears to be
great significance to this.

In a pure vision that occurred in the early morning of the tenth

day of the month Vaishakha in his sixteenth year Padma Ösal
Dongak Lingpa visited Lotus Light in Chamaradvipa. He saw
a massive mountain of rock with extremely beautiful clouds on
its peak. Within the clouds was Guru Rinpoche, the Lake-Born
Vajra, surrounded by a gathering of dakinis. Guru Rinpoche
blessed Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa by directing his attention
to him and bestowed empowerment through symbols. After as-
suring Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa, in great detail, of his future
possession of the seven dispensations Guru Rinpoche engaged
in the gaze of meditation and said this:

Unstained by apprehended objects,

Unsullied by thoughts of an apprehender,
Sustaining naked awareness-emptiness
Is the wisdom of all Buddhas.

601
 The Hundred Tertons

After saying that, Guru Rinpoche and his entourage dissolved

into Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa. He experienced the mixing
of Guru Rinpoche’s mind and his own. Since then his realiza-
tion of the primordially pure nature of things has been stable.

Delighted by this experience, Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa sup-

plicated Guru Rinpoche one-pointedly. His prayer enabled him
to effortlessly obtain not only the well-known lineages, but even
extremely rare ones, of the dharma of sutra and tantra, Sarma
and Nyingma, kama and terma. He received their empower-
ments, instructions, and transmissions. He has practiced them
and taught them. By doing so, he has revived the dying fire of
the teachings. That is his first dispensation.

Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa’s second dispensation is earth terma.

In his twentieth year, while he was visiting Red Rock Fine Throat,
a wisdom dakini directly gave him the terma coffer containing
the Mahakarunika the Mind Itself at Rest cycle and the relics of
twenty-one brahmins. At Damshö Heart the great nyen Thanglha
extracted the Sadhanas of the Four Kayas of the Guru and shari-
ram produced from one of Guru Rinpoche’s teeth, and offered
these to Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa. At Siduk Turquoise Lake
Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa revealed the Mayajala of the Three

602
 The Hundred Tertons

Roots. At Terma Valley Lotus Crystal Rock dakinis miraculously

extracted the Embodiment of the Three Roots and offered it to him.
He has revealed many other earth termas, but has transcribed
few of them aside from the fundamental texts of some. At the
encouragement of Chokgyur Lingpa, Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa
revealed the Sadhana of the Guru’s Heart: The Wish-Fulfilling Jewel
and the image of Guru Rinpoche called Glorious Blaze of Siddhi
at Tsike Three Brother Jewels, and completely transcribed that
cycle. The Four Gurusadhana Cycles, the Heart Essence of Vairo-
chana, the Three Classes of the Great Perfection, and other termas
appear to have been revealed by Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa
and Chokgyur Lingpa in common.

Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa’s third dispensation is rediscovered

terma, which is an extension of earth terma. In the Earth Sheep
year, Guru Rinpoche appeared to him in the form of the great
tertön Sangye Lingpa, gave him a book, and blessed him.134 This
extraordinary vision opened the door to Padma Ösal Dongak
Lingpa’s receiving the dispensation of all previous terma. He
became clearly aware of the lives of all past tertöns and of the
extent and contents of their termas. In most cases wisdom dakinis

134. The year was 1859 C.E.

603
 The Hundred Tertons

have extracted and offered him the parchments reconcealed by

each tertön in the past. He has then deciphered and transcribed
them. In some cases the symbol script has appeared to his eyes.
In some cases the past terma has effortlessly appeared within
his mind. In these cases too, he has transcribed them.

Guru Rinpoche has appeared to Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa on

the occasion of each rediscovery, either as Guru Padma himself or
as the particular tertön whose terma has been rediscovered, and
bestowed the ripening empowerments and liberating instructions
together. This is amazing! Even though the time and place in
which we live are extremely degenerate, we have the very good
fortune to receive and practice this profound dharma! Knowing
that the rediscovery of even a single lost terma of the past is
more wondrous than anything else, I have repeatedly supplicated
Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa with great enthusiasm. In response,
he has revealed Sangye Lama’s Combined Sadhana of the Three Roots,
Gya the Translator’s Gurusadhanas of the Two Doctrines and Three
Cycles, Nyima Senge’s Mahakarunika the Peaceful and Wrathful
Lotus, Rongzom the Translator’s Dakini Who Dispels Ignorance,
Ugyen Lingpa’s Ocean of Dharma: The Assembly of Dispensations,
Jomo Menmo’s Secrets of All Dakinis, Ramo Shelmen’s Vajramrita,

604
 The Hundred Tertons

Drime Kunga’s Gurusadhana and Mahakarunika Jinasagara, Gyatön

Padma Wangchuk’s Guru Chakrasamvara, Lhatsün Ngönmo’s
Seven Cycles of Pacification, Ah Hum the Nepali’s Yaksha Jambhala:
Piled Jewels, mantradharin Letro Lingpa’s Red Padma Shavari,
Prince Mekhyil’s Hayagriva the Wheel of Meteoric Iron, Yakchar
Ngönmo’s Green Tara Who Protects from All Dangers, Shakya Ö’s
Vajra Fire the Lord of Secrets, Bönpo Draktsal’s Amitayus and Guru
Rinpoche Combined, Samten Dechen Lingpa’s Eight Dispensations:
Conquering the Aggressive, Chokden Gönpo’s Five Fierce Deities,
Mingyur Letro Lingpa’s Fierce Padma, Garwang Letro Lingpa’s
White Varahi the Illuminator of Wisdom, and other cycles. He has
kindly bestowed their combined ripening empowerments and
liberating instructions upon me.

In response to my supplications, Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa has

also kindly and happily bestowed upon me the empowerments
and instructions of other lost past termas including Nyangral’s
Guru Lake-Born Vajra and the long empowerment of his Ma-
hakarunika the Tamer of Beings; the empowerment of Rashak’s
Mamo Gangshar; Jangchup Lingpa’s Terma of Samantabhadra’s
Heart; Drugu Yangwang’s Hayagriva: Liberating All the Aggressive;
Dorje Lingpa’s Gurusadhana, Great Perfection, and Mahakarunika;

605
 The Hundred Tertons

Rinchen Lingpa’s Great Perfection: Instant Liberation of All; Drodül

Letro Lingpa’s Mahakarunika: Torch Illuminating the Truth and its
dharmapala cycle; Wönse Khyungtok’s Wisdom Life-Essence Ay-
usadhana; Rokje Lingpa’s Wondrous Secret Ayusadhana, and others.

It appears that Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa has received many

other rediscovered termas and short lineages that remain to be
transcribed.

His fourth dispensation is profound mind terma. In his twenty-

ninth year, the Year of the Earth Monkey, he traveled through
the nomad plateau on his way to central Tibet.135 At Gegyal he
performed a tenth-day ganachakra, during which he saw Guru
Rinpoche’s face and received his blessing. Padma Ösal Dongak
Lingpa continued his journey and eventually reached Samye.
While he was presenting offerings before the image of Guru
Lake-Born Vajra there (a terma of Nyangral Nyima Özer), the
image was transformed into the actual Guru Lake-Born Vajra,
who blessed him and bestowed instructions upon him. Based
on those instructions Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa revealed the
Heart Essence of the LakeBorn Guru, which is the secret sadhana
among his three gurusadhana cycles.

135. The year was 1848 C.E.

606
 The Hundred Tertons

In the month Paushya of his thirty-fifth year, the Year of the

Wood Tiger, while Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa was performing
the approach and accomplishment of White Tara, the Immortal
Wish-Fulfilling Wheel, he saw Arya Tara’s face and heard the
sound of her ten-syllable mantra.136 She blessed him, and he
was subsequently also blessed by three masters who had ac-
complished immortality.137 Based on this he revealed the Heart
Essence of Immortal Arya Tara.

I have already related the origin of the Heart Essence of the Siddha.

All of Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa’s mind termas fully deserve

their classification as such. Their vajra words are indistinguish-
able from those of the tantras. They surpass the conceptual mind
of any ordinary person.

Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa’s fifth dispensation is recollection,

which is an extension of mind terma. While he was traveling
through central Tibet and visiting the lower valley of Uyuk in
Tsang, he clearly recollected the location and events surround-
ing Chetsün Senge Wangchuk’s departure in a body of light.

136. The year was 1854 C.E.

137. These were Guru Rinpoche, Vimalamitra, and Shilamanju.

607
 The Hundred Tertons

He revealed, on the basis of that recollection, the Heart Essence

of Chetsün.

Through the recollection of his past life as Langdro Könchok

Jungne, Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa revealed the Heart Essence
of Vairochana Ayusadhana, the Rasayana of White Singhamukha,
and other cycles.

His sixth dispensation is pure vision. This includes the Sadhana

of Chandali the Mother of Life that I mentioned earlier; it is part
of his Immortal Heart Essence. Also in this category are his writ-
ings concerning the Bindu-Sealed Gurusadhana from the Heart
Essence of the Vast Expanse and his Trikaya Embodying All Families
gurusadhana of Chokgyur Lingpa. There is undoubtedly much
more, but this seems to be about all that he has disseminated.

Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa’s seventh dispensation is whispered

lineages, which are similar to visionary teachings. While he was
residing at the sacred place Dzongshö Sugatas’ Assembly, he
traveled in a pure vision to the Delightful Edifice Stupa. In the
four directions and four corners surrounding the stupa were
the Eight Names of Guru Rinpoche, with the Guru Rinpoche
embodying all of them in the center. These nine forms of Guru

608
 The Hundred Tertons

Rinpoche bestowed upon him the whispered lineages’ quintes-

sential empowerments and instructions of the Eight Dispensa-
tions and the Peaceful and Wrathful Mayajala. Of these he has
disseminated the Whispered Lineage Yamantaka, Perfect Heruka,
and Vajrakilaya; I have received them through his kindness.

That is a brief account of his secret life. More extensive accounts

can be found in his termas, each of which contains prophecies,
exhortations, guides, and other indications of the source of its
dispensation; and detailed accounts by him of how he revealed
the terma, what visions he had while practicing it, how he
received its empowerments and instructions, and how long he
kept it secret until the time of its dissemination to the fortunate
had certainly come. As I am in the midst of supplicating him to
write an extensive autobiography describing all his revelations,
I will write only this much here.

I pray that his life remain stable and lasting in these degenerate
times, and that he continue to protect beings and the teachings
for more than a hundred years!

Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa has told me that while engaged in

the Gurusadhana of Vimalamitra he received a prophecy that at

609
 The Hundred Tertons

the end of his life he will dissolve into the heart of Vimalamitra
on Five Peak Mountain, that five emanations of him will appear,
and that they will accomplish great good for the teachings of
many traditions.138

138. Of the five predicted, the best known are Dilgo Khyentse
Rinpoche and Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche.

610
 Other Revealers of Earth Terma

That completes my account of those revealers of earth terma,

starting from the past and continuing up to the present day,
whose order of appearance is certain. There are, however, others
mentioned in older accounts of terma, although the order of
their appearance is uncertain. I will now summarize their deeds.

The tertön Daben Ziji Bar revealed the Heart Mirror of Forceful
Mantra, a fragmentary tantra of eleven chapters extracted from
the Black Guhyachandra Gathering of Life Tantra; and the Jewel
Torch: A Key to Forceful Mantra, written by the master Tsuklak
Palge, from White Rock Vajra Peak. I do not know what other
termas he revealed. His lineage seems not to exist.

Rokben Sherap Ö is said to have revealed a Sadhana of the Fifty-

Eight Deity Mandala of Perfect Heruka, a Sadhana of the Nine Lamps
of Perfect Heruka, and many other termas.

Drom Chökyi Nyingpo was born in Tsangrong. He revealed

teachings on the mind class of the Great Perfection as well as

611
 The Hundred Tertons

the intermediate Heart Essence of Vimalamitra of the instruction

class and the Turquoise Tree: The Various Profound Vehicles and
Systems from a place called Purna Heart Mountain. He revealed
the Great Collection of Forceful Mantra from Yerpa.

Özer Tönpa revealed Averting Warfare by Means of the Protector

Trakshe and other termas.

Menyak Drakjung revealed Profound Protection from Lightning

from the Menyak Temple.

Padma Wangyal revealed the Sadhana of Vajrasadhu with a Spear,

an extraordinarily profound way of bringing miraculous mani-
festations upon enemies, from the same site. Its lineage survived
until fairly recently.

It is said that the tertön Dawa Dorje revealed a few profound

termas.

Nyangtön Sherap Drakpa of Tsang revealed the Profound Means

of Entrustment to Rahula from the Narrow Rakshasa Cave at
Kujuk Bumthang.

Tsangtön Chöbar revealed especially profound means of protec-

tion from hail in reliance upon a blue stupa.

612
 The Hundred Tertons

Khampa Mezor revealed instructions on the protection of live-

stock from illness from Gyawo Rock in Tsang.

The mantradharin Wangchen Zangpo revealed the Black Puri

Entrustment to Rahula cycle from the capital of a pillar in the
northern Traduntse Temple.

Sarpo Jaugön revealed the Black Razor of Life cycle from the
genitals of an image of wrathful Hayagriva in the Place of Virtue
Temple in Bumthang. He gave it to Lhatsün Jamyang Rinchen.

Kyebu Zangling Wangchuk revealed the Manjushri Yamantaka

Activity of Entrustment and Ruination cycle that has become so
widespread.

Senge the Hermit of Yangbön revealed the Victor’s Words: Pra-

jnaparamita of exceptional magical power from the Khothing
Temple of Lhodrak. It seems that writings on it by Jangdak
Tashi Topgyal and Padma Trinley still exist.

Changmön Döndrup Dargye revealed the Tarima cycle on pro-

tection from poison from Arrow Feather Black Rock in lower
Nyal. Several physicians have written about it.

613
 The Hundred Tertons

Gö Padma revealed a Devi Budzima Cycle, a divination cycle, and

others. I’ve wondered if his Budzima cycle might not have been
identical to the terma revealed by Dorje Lingpa, the lineage of
which still exists.

Rangjung Yeshe revealed the Rasayana of Ever-Crying Bodhisattva

and many other applications of the sutras from Lhodrak Kharchu.

Seben Nyimai Nyingpo revealed the Planetary Instruction Sealed by

Command and a few other writings on the planets and protection.

Kunga Zangpo of Lhodrak revealed the Five Heart-Essence Cycles

from Shang Zabulung.

Khampa Drukgom Shikpo revealed a Black Hayagriva Cycle

as terma. It is said that his descendants are still living in the
Nangchen region.

Lhasumza Jangchup Palmo, who appears in the lineage of the

Drikung Yamantaka of Molten Metal, was born in the Sokrong
area and benefited beings among the Mongolians. It is said that
she revealed a Sadhana of the Goddess Who Rides a Wolf and a few
other termas. However, because of circumstances beyond her
control she was unable to benefit others much by means of her

614
 The Hundred Tertons

termas. According to the writings of Taksham Nüden Dorje

she went to Kongpo in her later life, and also to Powo, where
she lived in a cave that he identified. She was skilled in direct
action and especially in the Yamantaka of Molten Metal. There are
many stories of the clear signs of her mastery of forceful mantra.

A tertön called Mahavajra appeared in Nakshö. It appears that

he revealed a Guide to the Sacred Sites at Rakshasi Fortress and an
actual vajra made of meteoric iron as terma. It is said that he
also revealed a few other dharma termas and substance termas,
but that he passed away prematurely because he let the time for
the revelation of a terma pass by. The vidyadhara Jatsön Nyingpo
identified him as one of his previous lives.

615
 Section Two
Mind Terma

I will now briefly recount the emergence of profound teachings

revealed through pure visions and as mind terma. One of the
aspirations made by bodhisattvas is:

May beings unceasingly hear

The sound of dharma
From birds, trees, rays of light,
And from the sky.

It is taught that because of such powerful aspirations and because

the bodhisattvas who make them possess the causes of hearing
dharma, they unceasingly hear the sound of dharma within
the sounds of the elements and the sounds made by birds and
animals. Buddhas and other bodhisattvas reveal their faces to
them and teach them dharma. From the Sutra on the Samadhi
that Gathers All Merit:

Stainless Magnificence, bodhisattva mahasattvas with

an excellent motivation and great devotion who desire

616
 The Hundred Tertons

dharma will see the faces of Bhagavan Buddhas and hear

their dharma even if they are living in a different world.

Especially, in the perception of great bodhisattvas all appearances

are pure; there are no impure appearances. They are therefore
continuously engaged in a wondrous dharmic dialogue with
countless deities of the three roots, and innumerable profound
instructions arise from this. They then disseminate these instruc-
tions to fortunate disciples in ways appropriate to the interests
of each. This is how all of the dharma that has arisen from pure
visions and that has been brought into the realm of common
experience has appeared. This is described in the biographies of
the panditas and siddhas of India and the great kalyanamitras
and tertöns of the Sarma and Nyingma traditions in Tibet. Simi-
larly, the dharma called Mind Terma is spoken of in the sutras:

Manjushri, the four elements arise as treasures of space.

In the same way, all dharma arises as the treasure of the
Buddhas’ minds. Learn how to find this treasure!

Accordingly, it is taught that the treasure of dharma bursts forth

from within the expanse of aryas’ minds. From the Sutra of the
Perfect Gathering of All Dharma:

617
 The Hundred Tertons

All instructions arise from the wish for them that is

present within the minds of bodhisattvas with pure
intentions.

From another sutra:

If the meaning is confidently ascertained,

Hundreds of thousands of dharma treasures will burst
forth from the mind.

Accordingly, in India, Nepal, and Tibet great learned siddhas

have given us countless profound instructions that have arisen
within their minds. This continues in our present day. Here
I will write of those well-known revealers of such teachings
who have appeared in Tibet and have been connected to the
Nyingma tradition of vajrayana. I will order my account of
them sequentially, the first of them being the bodhisattva Dawa
Gyaltsen, who was a contemporary of Bari the Translator and
Jetsün Milarepa.

618
 Dawa Gyaltsen

The bodhisattva Dawa Gyaltsen was Avalokita in person, and

is very well-known. He received the Dawa Gyaltsen tradition
of Hayagriva, known as the Fire of Time, from Guru Rinpoche
directly. Its sadhana, blessing ceremony, and applications all
bear great blessing. Their lineage still exists; I have received it
and placed it in the Treasury of Precious Terma.

619
 Rechungpa

Rechung Dorje Drakpa was the moonlike heart-son of Jetsün

Milarepa. While he was visiting India he received from the
Mother Queen of Siddhas, who was in nature identical to Guru
Rinpoche’s consort Mandarava, what are now known as the
Three Dharmas of Rechungpa. They are the accomplishment of
longevity in reliance upon Amitayus, the accomplishment of
the supreme siddhi in reliance upon Mahakarunika, and the
removal of obstacles in reliance upon Shrihayagriva.

Of the three, the Five Deity Mandala of Mahakarunika Jinasagara

was received by the Queen of Siddhas from Guru Rinpoche.
She gave it to Rechungpa, who gave it to the guru Zangri Repa,
who gave it to Drogön Rechen, who gave it to the bodhisattva
Pomdrakpa, from whom its dispensation was received by the
mahasiddha Karma Pakshi. It has passed down through the Karma
Kagyu without impairment to the present day, and is greatly
treasured as especially profound dharma. It must be considered
visionary dharma, because although Jetsün Rechungpa met the
Queen of Siddhas she was not seen by most people.

620
 Shakyashri

The Kashmiri mahapandita Shakyashri, who is famous through-

out the world, was an emanation of the future Buddha Utterly
Brilliant. He had four special dharmas that he particularly
treasured. One of these was the Sadhana of Perfect Heruka Using
a Single Flame and a Single Skull, which gave one the ability to
wear only a cotton robe in the coldest weather. Shakyashri had
received this from Guru Rinpoche directly.

Shakyashri wrote down its instructions as a wonderful, concise

text that was translated by the translator Rapchokpal and Shaky-
ashri together. The original lineage of its ripening empowerments
and liberating instructions did not survive down to the present
day, but our lord guru received them from Chal the Translator
in a dream. I have received this short lineage of blessing.

621
 Yutok Yönten Gönpo

Yutok Yönten Gönpo was a second Bhaishajyaguru. He was

blessed by the leader of dakinis Shrimala Mandarava. Based
on that, Yutok Yönten Gönpo revealed the Heart Essence of
Yutok as profound mind terma. This great tradition is famous
throughout Tibet.

The lotuslike marks and signs of the nirmanakaya Yutok Yönten

Gönpo bloomed amidst wondrous miracles at Goshi Rethang in
the upper valley of Nyangtong Gyaltse. His father was Khyungpo
Dorje, a son of Dreje Vajra. Yutok Yönten Gönpo’s mother was
Padma Öden.

Immediately after his birth Yutok Yönten Gönpo began to

recite the Bhaishajyaguru dharani and gazed with open eyes
upon his mother. In his third year his propensity for medicine
was awakened. In his eighth year knowledge of the five sciences
and medicine burst forth from within him. Especially, in his
fourteenth year he received empowerment from the goddess

622
 The Hundred Tertons

of medicine in a dream. She prophesied the appearance of the

Four Medicinal Tantras, which later appeared as she predicted.

In his eighteenth year Yutok went to India and met the dakini
Shrimala, who bestowed upon him both common and special
instructions. In all he visited India six times and imbibed the
amrita of the teachings of many learned siddhas. He overcame
an attack by tirthikas and displayed a boundless array of magical
appearances, causing a king and others to venerate him with faith.

Yutok’s main Tibetan heart-son was Sumtön Jnanadhara, who

supplicated Yutok with great austerity and effort. In response,
Yutok bestowed upon Sumtön the complete ripening empower-
ments and liberating instructions of his Heart Essence at Kyirong
in Mangyül. Sumtön achieved both common and supreme siddhi,
and this tradition with its magnificent blessings has passed down
from him to the present day. I have through great effort managed
to receive it twice, and have served it through the composition
of a clear and concise practice liturgy, empowerment liturgy,
and approach manual.

The supreme siddha Yutok did immeasurable good for beings

and the teachings through his amazing deeds. Finally, in his

623
 The Hundred Tertons

seventy-sixth year, he departed for the realm of Akshobhya

Bhaishajyaguru without leaving his body behind, amidst an
array of pure appearances beyond imagination.

624
 Kyergangpa

Wöntön Kyergang Chökyi Senge is well-known as the fifth of

the Seven Jewels of the glorious Shangpa Kagyu. He was an
emanation of Mahakarunika. In a lucid dream he traveled to the
Glorious Copper-Colored Mountain and asked Guru Rinpoche
for instructions on how to conquer the demon kings and succubi
who cause so much harm to Tibet.

In response Guru Rinpoche arose in the form of Shrihayagriva

and bestowed upon Kyergangpa the complete empowerment
and instructions of the Secret Sadhana of Hayagriva. He also told
Kyergangpa, “A mantrin with karma in Nyemo has revealed this
as terma. Receive it from him as well.”

Accordingly Kyergangpa went to Gya Gangri and received this

sadhana from Sangye Wangchen based on his terma text. This
lineage therefore combines kama and terma. As Kyergangpa used
this practice to cure about eighty people of insanity caused by
the demon king Karchung and others, it is famous for its great
blessing and has spread throughout all the Sarma and Nyingma

625
 The Hundred Tertons

lineages. The magnificence of its blessing has remained unbroken

down to the present day.

626
 Rangjung Dorje

Rangjung Dorje, Lokeshvara in person, was the Third Karmapa

and an emanation of Simha, the sixth Buddha of this fortunate
kalpa. The story of his life is well-known. In particular, the way
in which he received the dispensation of pure vision is this:

While Rangjung Dorje was meditating in a hermitage at Akan-

ishtha Karma Monastery, the terrestrial wheel of speech, nowa-
days often called Karma Mountain, the pandita Vimalamitra
appeared in the eastern sky and dissolved into Rangjung Dorje’s
forehead. This caused all of the words and meaning of the great
Heart Essence of Vimalamitra to arise within his mind. He wrote
down the vajra words of its root instructions and also composed
complete texts for its ripening empowerments and liberating
instructions. Its lineage still exists, and I have received it.

Through the blessing of Guru Rinpoche, Rangjung Dorje revealed

the profound cycle of the Combined Sadhana of the Three Roots as
mind terma. Later, the Eighth Gyalwang Karmapa Mikyö Dorje
practiced it and received its short lineage through pure vision.

627
 The Hundred Tertons

He composed both an account of this and a versified root text.

The Ninth Gyalwang Karmapa Wangchuk Dorje composed an
activity liturgy and long empowerment liturgy for this cycle,
and it was on the basis of these that I received it through the
kindness of the glorious Fourteenth Gyalwang Karmapa Tekchok
Dorje. I have also served this cycle through composition.

As the deities and mantra in this cycle are identical to those in

the vidyadhara Chöje Lingpa’s later terma, the Combined Sadhana
of the Immortal Three Roots, their two lineages are one in essence.

628
 Longchenpa

The omniscient king of dharma Longchenpa Drime Özer revealed

vast and profound mind terma presented as shastras. This is
exemplified by the two unsurpassable secret Heart Essences of
the Great Perfection, but his revelations were countless. Their
activity has continuously increased down to the present day.
They are supreme among all profound mind terma. Extensive
accounts of them may be found in the histories of the two Heart
Essences and in Longchenpa’s Web of Light: My Visions.

629
 Lekyi Dorje

Namkha Gyaltsen the siddha from Lhodrak, also called Lekyi

Dorje, was the son of Shubu Namkha Gyalpo, who was the twenty-
fifth lineal descendant of Shubu Palgyi Senge. All twenty-five
were siddhas. Lekyi Dorje’s mother was Semo Rinchen Gyen.
He was born to his parents, as prophesied by Guru Rinpoche,
having passed out of his preceding life in the southwestern land
of rakshasas.

In his third year Lekyi Dorje received a Vajrakilaya empower-

ment. During it he saw many dakinis dancing. In his fifth year
he received an empowerment of the Great Perfection, during
which he had a vision in which he met the gurus upon whom
he had relied in the past and received teaching from them. He
recollected his previous life, such as when he heard the sound
of the conch announcing meals and took it to be the musical
summons of rakshasas to dharma assemblies.

Lekyi Dorje received the upasaka vow from his uncle, the great
abbot Gyalsay, and undertook complete renunciation in the

630
 The Hundred Tertons

presence of the great abbot Rinchen Tashi. He received much

dharma and meditated undistractedly day and night. An Indian
yogin came to him, instructed him, blessed him, gave him a kapala
filled with amrita, and told him, “Do not engage your mind in
ordinary thought. Do not fetter yourself with the bonds of hope
and fear. Go to attend ganachakras in Uddiyana.”

Escorted by viras and dakinis, Lekyi Dorje went to Uddiyana.

He encountered Guru Rinpoche, who was seated on a lotus in a
palace of rainbow light on the peak of a mountain, surrounded
by many dakinis presenting a vast array of offerings, many male
and female siddhas engaged in yogic conduct, many panditas
discussing dharma, and many gods and goddesses listening to
dharma and presenting offerings. Guru Rinpoche was simultane-
ously celebrating a great ganachakra, bestowing empowerment,
explaining a tantra, giving practical instructions, and enjoy-
ing the feast. The teachings Lekyi Dorje received from Guru
Rinpoche on that occasion include the Ocean of Secret Amrita:
Instructions on the Four Tantras, the Four Empowerments: The Pre-
cious Vase, and the Completion Stage: Natural Primordial Liberation.
Although these certainly comprised an extraordinary treatise
on the Great Perfection Heart Essence, nowa days they are not to

631
 The Hundred Tertons

be found in the Book of Vajrapani, the extant collection of Lekyi

Dorje’s visionary teachings.

Although it is unclear whether Lekyi Dorje composed any other

writings on the whispered lineage, he was a great kalyanamitra
of the Kadampa tradition. Lord Tsongkhapa therefore touched
his feet and received most of the Kadampa teachings from him,
including the Stages of the Path. He was Tsongkhapa’s foremost
root guru.

Lekyi Dorje’s early ancestors were Nyingma, but his family had
come to emphasize the Kadampa tradition at the time of the
great abbot Namkha Senge. He was therefore a holder of the
united Kadampa and Nyingma traditions. Accordingly Lekyi
Dorje made the Nyingma Matrika and Yamantaka the essence
of his practice. Through them he gained signs of siddhi; he is
therefore among the ranks of great Nyingma vidyadharas. In ad-
dition, all of the teachings he received from Vajrapani and that
are found in the collection of his profound visionary dharmas
known as the Book of Vajrapani, other than his rearrangements
of pre-existing teachings, employ the dharma terminology of
the Great Perfection. In particular, the dialogue known as the

632
 The Hundred Tertons

Supreme Medicinal Amrita is mostly identical to the dialogue in

the Heart Essence of the Dakinis known as the Golden Garland.

In any case, the empowerments and transmissions for the Book

of Vajrapani eventually became rare. At the encouragement of
the omniscient Fifth Dalai Lama, the vidyadhara Terdak Lingpa
went to great effort in order to receive them and disseminate
their lineage. Nowadays they are widespread within the Gelukpa
tradition.

Lekyi Dorje’s profound and extensive outer and inner autobi-

ographies are to be found in his Book of the Whispered Lineage of
Vajrapani and in the History of the Stages of the Path.

633
 Palden Dorje

Palden Dorje of Penyül was one of the Three Dorjes, three holders
of Lord Tsongkhapa’s lineage named Dorje who achieved siddhi.
Palden Dorje transformed his impure body into a rainbowlike
wisdom body. While living at Jomo Lhari he had a pure vision in
which he received the Ayusadhana of the Immortal Vajra Life-Tree
from Guru Rinpoche. He bestowed it upon the Third Dalai Lama
Sönam Gyamtso in the latter’s residence at Drepung Monastery.
Its lineage continues unbroken; I have received it.

634
 Shrivanaratna

Shrivanaratna was a wondrously great pandita and siddha. He

was born as the son of an inexhaustibly wealthy great dharmaraja
of the Chandra dynasty in a town called Sat in Senagar to the
east of Vajrasana. He mastered the Vedas and their branches,
and casting his throne aside as if it were spittle, undertook re-
nunciation and completion in the presence of the mahapandita
Ratnakirti. He studied countless profound dharmas of sutra
and tantra. One-pointedly immersed in vajrayoga, living as an
actionless yogic renunciate, he visited most of the sacred places
in Jambudvipa. He was blessed by many yidams, and manifested
the qualities of the vajrayana paths of accumulation and juncture.
Especially, after he was accepted as a disciple by the wisdom body
of Shavaripa, Shrivanaratna achieved the wisdom of that-alone
and passed into the exalted state of an arya.

Shrivanaratna saw the faces of and received instruction from

many lords among siddhas, including the mahasiddha Virupa,
the master Vakishvarakirti, and Padmasambhava. Encouraged
by a prophecy he received from Shavaripa, Shrivanaratna visited

635
 The Hundred Tertons

Tibet twice and helped beings and the teachings there immeasur-
ably. The first time he visited Tibet he went to Guru Rinpoche’s
place of accomplishment at Paro in the south and stayed there
for a long time. He later said, “Paro is just like the sacred places
in India. My meditation progressed there.”

In particular, Shrivanaratna was accepted by Guru Rinpoche

in the following way: As he later described it, “I was led by a
woman into what at first seemed to be a cave. Once inside it,
however, I found myself within a magnificent mansion. There, I
encountered Padmasambhava and his large entourage. I remained
there for a long time and took part in the ganachakra in which
Padmasambhava was engaged. Since then I have encountered
him many times.”

Shrivanaratna received the profound instructions called Padma’s

Guidance on Ayusadhana from Guru Rinpoche on that occasion.
He practiced them in complete secrecy, and later gave them
to the Drukpa Lord of Dharma Gyalwang Kunga Paljor. The
lineage of these instructions was once widespread but seems to
have disappeared. However, our lord guru Padma Ösal Dongak
Lingpa, who is definitely an emanation of Shrivanaratna, has

636
 The Hundred Tertons

said that he clearly recollects that life. It therefore appears that

he possesses a short lineage of blessing for these instructions.

The second time Shrivanaratna visited Tibet he accepted the

qualified consort of the vidyadhara Vulture Feathers as a mudra,
aided by the use of substances that cause invisibility. She was
called Emanated Great Mother and was a queen among siddhas.

Finally, Shrivanaratna displayed the appearance of death in Nepal.

When his remains were cremated one night at the Ramadoli
charnel ground, the entire area became filled with bright light,
and his remains disappeared. He has reappeared several times,
and there is an account of his appearance to the mahapandita
of Ngari in the latter’s biography. It is therefore certain that
Shrivanaratna accomplished a wisdom body.

Among all of the Indian panditas who visited Tibet in later times,
none were greater than Shrivanaratna and Buddhaguptanatha,
a guru of Jetsün Taranatha.

637
 Kunga Paljor

The lord of dharma Gyalwang Kunga Paljor was an unmistakenly

recognized emanation of the protector of beings Tsangpa Gyare,
and was born to the latter’s family. His life is well known. He
was the principal dharma heir of the vidyadhara Ratna Lingpa,
and received all of the Former and Latter Termas as well as the
Wisdom Assembly of the Guru. In addition, while Gyalwang Kunga
Paljor was residing at Salje Gangra he was directly accepted by
Guru Rinpoche and received from him instructions on the Great
Perfection. Based on the unbroken lineage of these instructions
the omniscient Padma Karpo composed a profound and extensive
guidance text; its lineage still exists.

638
 Samten Lingpa

The history of the cycle called the Ati of Samten Lingpa is as fol-
lows: Samten Lingpa was born at Tsethang Samten Ling into the
nephew lineage of peerless holders of the glorious Sakya tradition
that began with Chökyi Wangchuk the Learned One of Gyaltsa
and continued down to Samten Lingpa’s uncle Sönam Gyalchok.
Samten Lingpa was known during his life as the peerless Namkha
Sönam. He received from his uncle Sönam Gyalchok the ripen-
ing empowerments and liberating instructions of an ocean of
tantras. This awakened Samten Lingpa’s good habit from many
previous lives in which he had mastered the Great Perfection,
and he encountered Guru Rinpoche, other gurus, and many
yidams directly, in meditation experience, and in dreams; and
received the amrita of holy dharma from them. Based on this, the
quintessence of the generation and completion stages of Perfect
Heruka and Vajrakilaya arose spontaneously within the expanse
of his mind. He disseminated it, and its lineage was widespread
for a time, but it is uncertain whether or not it still exists.

639
 The Hundred Tertons

In the collected works of Sherap Özer, the tertön of Trengso,

there is a brief summary of the stages of the path based on the
Ati of Samten Lingpa. I have received it and have placed it, along
with a guidance text, together with my liturgical arrangement
for the Vajrakilaya of the Sakyas.

640
 Tongwa Dönden

While the Sixth Gyalwang Karmapa Tongwa Dönden was medi-

tating in the sacred region of Tsaritra, Guru Rinpoche sent the
mahasiddha Chandra to him from Chamaradvipa as a mes-
senger. The mahasiddha gave Tongwa Dönden instruction on
a profound ayusadhana. Later, the Ninth Gyalwang Karmapa
Wangchuk Dorje placed this ayusadhana within the “Garland
of the Peaceful” section of Liberating All by Knowing One.

641
 Rechen Paljor Zangpo

Rechen Paljor Zangpo was the famous foremost heart-son of the

mahapandita Bodong Chokle Namgyal. Through his mastery of
the channels and energy Rechen Paljor Zangpo became peerless
in his display of miracles and supercognition. While he was resid-
ing in the Secret Cave of Great Splendor in Tsaritra, he received
a sadhana of the seventeen deity mandala of Amitayus directly
from Guru Rinpoche. It is called the Growing Arrow after the
display of miraculous signs that it is known to produce.139 The
lineage of its empowerment still exists, and I have received it. Its
instructions are mostly identical in both words and meaning to
Loro Rinchen Lingpa’s Ayusadhana. In addition, Rechen Paljor
Zangpo received the lineage of Rinchen Lingpa’s Ayusadhana,
so it seems that their lineages may be regarded as two streams
united into one.

139. When ayusadhana is performed successfully, the arrow used

as its support increases in length, indicating that the life of the
beneficiary has been prolonged.

642
 The Hundred Tertons

The Growing Arrow Ayusadhana, the Chandali in Seven Days, and

the Khechari Ejection are collectively known as the Three Dharmas
of Rechen. It appears that they are still widespread within the
Bodong tradition.

643
 Bodong Sangye Gönpo

The great lord among siddhas Sangye Gönpo, the realized one of
Bodong, received and practiced the long lineage of Singhamukha
which stemmed from the guru Vajrasanapada and Bari the Transla-
tor. At Tana in Shang he was accepted as a direct disciple by the
wisdom dakini Singhamukha, and Guru Rinpoche bestowed the
complete ripening empowerments and liberating instructions
upon him. Based on this, he composed a book which contains
her ten authorizations, her generation and completion stages,
and their applications. Its lineage has remained unbroken, and
I have received the authorizations and placed them within the
Treasury of Terma. The siddha Karma Chakme principally relied
upon this cycle in his practice of Singhamukha.

644
 The Drukpa Kagyu Wrathful Kilaya

The omniscient Padma Karpo, the nirmanakaya of Ja Jamyang

Chökyi Drakpa, the emanation of the Lord of Victors, the
Drukchen, is as famous as the sun and moon. Once, when he was
faced with an obstacle to his life, he experienced a pure vision
in which Guru Rinpoche and his emanations came to him from
Chamaradvipa and instructed him. He committed these highly
regarded instructions to writing, and they are widespread even
now. I have received them completely.

Padma Karpo’s nirmanakaya was Gyalwa Paksam Wangpo.

Starting with him and down to the present day, his successive
incarnations have been great illuminators of the teachings of
both the Drukpa Kagyu and Nyingma traditions.

645
 Jatsön Mebar

Gyalsay Tenpe Jungne, also known as the lord of dakinis Jatsön

Mebar, was an emanation of Nupchen Sangye Yeshe. He was
born as the son of the vidyadhara Chokden Gönpo. His deeds
were wondrous and many. In later life he resided at Glorious
Mountain in Chongye. The Profound Embodiment of All the Three
Roots, which had been concealed in front of the door of Mara’s
Spirit Castle, was destined to be his terma. Because of circum-
stances he did not reveal the terma parchment, but protective
dakinis gave him the complete terma in a series of pure visions.
It consists of one volume, and is accepted as authentic by every-
one. Although it appears that this terma was once widespread,
its lineage does not seem to exist nowadays.

646
 Tashi Gyamtso

Tashi Gyamtso, the vidyadhara of Nangsal, was an emanation of

Acharya Sale and Rechungpa. He encountered Guru Rinpoche
in a pure vision and received from him the Single HRIH Sadhana
of Amitayus. It was passed down as a sealed whispered lineage to
Zur Chöying Rangdröl and Drikungpa Chökyi Drakpa. It was
widespread for a time, but its lineage no longer exists.

647
 Drikung Shapdrung Könchok Rinchen

The glorious Drikung Shapdrung Könchok Rinchen is said to

have been the rebirth of Gyalwang Sönam Gyamtso. There is
an entire volume of teachings arisen from Drikung Shapdrung
Könchok Rinchen’s pure visions of Mahakarunika and other
deities of the three roots. Although the lineage of the empower-
ments and transmissions of this volume survived for a time, it
seems to no longer exist.

648
 Drikungpa Chökyi Drakpa

Drikungpa Chökyi Drakpa was an emanation of Lord Rinchen

Puntsok. He was both a pandita learned in the five sciences and
a great threefold vajra holder. Although he had the dispensation
to reveal profound earth treasure, he did not do so. However,
because he was accepted as a direct disciple by many gurus and
deities including Shrichakrasamvara, Manjushri Yamantaka
Ayupati, and Nagaraksha, he revealed a profound and vast mind
treasure, his Yamantaka Reversal cycle, as a shastra. Its lineage
is widespread.

While Drikungpa Chökyi Drakpa was residing at Tashi Dowoche

near Sky Lake, he received the especially profound Uttarakuru
Ayusadhana and related prophecies in pure visions. It is wide-
spread and I have received it completely.

649
 Lhatsün Namkha Jikme

Lhatsün Namkha Jikme was the embodiment of the compas-

sion of both the mahapandita Vimalamitra and the omniscient
Longchenpa Drime Özer. He was born in a Female Fire Bird
year in the southern Jar region to a family descended from the
ancient dharma kings.140 He was marked by extremely clear
AH syllables between his eyebrows, on his tongue, and on the
tip of his nose, and had other wondrous marks as well. He un-
dertook renunciation at Sungnyen Hermitage in the presence
of the nirmanakaya Ugyen Paljor, and received the name Kun-
zang Namgyal. He studied extensively at Thangdrok College.
Especially, from the Great Perfection master Sönam Wangpo
he received the complete Heart Essence instructions. Practicing
them, he gained full realization.

Lhatsün Namkha Jikme visited all the sacred sites of Tibet while
engaged in the conduct of awareness-discipline, and achieved
the exalted state of a siddha. As the channel-knots in his throat

140. The year was 1597 C.E.

650
 The Hundred Tertons

loosened, everything he said came to be excellent in both words

and meaning.

He subdued a tirthika king in India and converted him to

Buddhism. He enlisted the aid of spirits in Tibet and restored
Samye. He reversed a massive landslide in Tsari by means of
his gaze and a threatening gesture. His miraculous powers were
unimaginable.

Encouraged by the vidyadhara Jatsön Nyingpo and others,

Lhatsün Namkha Jikme went to Luminous Essence Divine
Mountain in Sikkim and, for the benefit of all Tibet, opened
the door to its sacred valleys. As prophesied, he built a temple
and retreat facility there.

As instructed by dakinis, he took up residence in the Dakinis’

Heart Cave at White Rock Auspicious Plateau. While there,
he received the Sadhana of the Vidyadharas’ Essence cycle, un-
common instructions on the unsurpassable Heart Essence of
atiyoga, in pure visions. He then visited Jakmalung, a branch
of the same sacred area, and encountered the wisdom body of
his guru Jetsün Sönam Wangpo riding a tiger. Sönam Wangpo
bestowed the empowerment of awareness-display upon him.

651
 The Hundred Tertons

Based on this pure vision, Lhatsün Namkha Jikme revealed his

Spontaneous Song of the Clouds of Vajra Essence, which is regarded
as the quintessence of all terma, the very point of all whispered
lineage instructions, a cycle that liberates through sight, sound,
touch, and memory.

He wrote down both of his terma cycles and bestowed the am-
rita of their empowerments and instructions upon fortunate
disciples. He also engaged in extensive activity, teaching and
disseminating the Great Perfection. His tradition came to be
known as the Great Perfection of Sikkim, and its lineage holders
have spread it everywhere. Its lineage of instructions continues
unbroken, and I have received the complete Sadhana of the
Vidyadharas’ Essence cycle. It is well known that no siddha and
master of yogic conduct has appeared in latter days greater than
Lhatsün Namkha Jikme.

652
 Sangdak Trinley Lhundrup

The great vidyadhara Nyötön Sangdak Trinley Lhundrup was

an emanation of both Nupchen Sangye Yeshe and Drenpa Nam-
kha. Sangdak Trinley Lhundrup was born as a fifthgeneration
descendant of Padma Lingpa, and became the life-tree of the
Nyingma teachings. In a pure vision the dakini Queen of Great
Bliss bestowed upon him a prophecy called Clear Instructions
on What to Do and What Not to Do; instructions on the use of a
corpse in the achievement of the body of appearance-emptiness
called Revealing the Channels; an instruction called How to Gain
Guru Rinpoche’s Blessing; and other wondrous teachings. He com-
mitted them all to writing.

653
 The Fifth Dalai Lama

The Fifth Dalai Lama, whose secret name was Dorje Tokme Tsal,
was an activity emanation of the dharma king Trisong Detsen.
He was prophesied in many earlier and later termas, and was
the embodiment of the compassion of Avalokita, the protec-
tor of Tibet. He was born to a family in Chongye Taktse that
was descended from the royal family of Zahor. His father was
Lord Düdül Rapten; his mother was Tricham Kunga Lhadze.
Dorje Tokme Tsal was born in a Female Fire Snake year amid
wondrous signs.141 The vidyadhara Ngaki Wangpo gave him
the empowerments of Amitayus and Guru Rinpoche in order to
dispel obstacles; this brought about an auspicious start to Dorje
Tokme Tsal’s life.

Panchen Lozang Chökyi Gyaltsen recognized Dorje Tokme

Tsal as the rebirth of the Fourth Dalai Lama Gyalwa Yönten
Gyamtso and brought him to the great Drepung Monastery.
Panchen Rinpoche accepted the fruits of Dorje Tokme Tsal’s

141. The year was 1617 C.E.

654
 The Hundred Tertons

crown, named him Ngawang Lozang Gyamtso, and placed him

on his lion throne.

Dorje Tokme Tsal mastered the ten sciences. Relying on many

extraordinarily learned and attained tutors he received and
studied thoroughly most of the empowerments, transmissions,
and instructions of sutra and tantra that existed in Tibet at that
time, especially those of the Geluk, Sakya, and Nyingma tradi-
tions. His Record of Teachings I Have Received fills four volumes
and is viewed by everyone as the standard for such records.
Through his practice of meditation he perfected relinquishment
and realization.

Especially, the manner in which Dorje Tokme Tsal received the

dispensation of profound pure visions was this: From the Terma
Prophecies of the glorious Tashi Topgyal:

You who are now the king of Tibetans

Will reveal, in your fifth birth through pure aspiration,
Twenty-five termas and especially five of the heart.

As prophesied in those inerrant vajra words, while Dorje Tokme

Tsal was visiting the glorious Samye Monastery he perceived the
interdependence for the revelation of earth terma. Although,

655
 The Hundred Tertons

because of the circumstances of time and place he did not ex-

tract it from its place of concealment, the countless deities of
the three roots subsequently revealed their faces to him and
bestowed both prophecy and empowerment. He committed
these teachings to writing; they are his renowned Twenty-Five
Sealed Dharmas. Together with his supplemental writings, they
fill two volumes. Dorje Tokme Tsal bestowed their complete
empowerments and instructions on his great disciples, and espe-
cially those who upheld the Nyingma tradition, such as the king
of dharma Terdak Lingpa and the vidyadhara Padma Trinley.
The Twenty-Five Sealed Dharmas became extremely widespread.
Their lineage remains unbroken, and I have received them all.

In the realm of government, in Dorje Tokme Tsal’s twentyfifth

year Gushri Tendzin Chögyal conquered all of western and central
Tibet and offered all of these areas, including their devas and
people, to him as his realm and subjects. Dorje Tokme Tsal was
then invited to Beijing by the Emperor of China, who accorded
him the title of Tishri and presented him with an imperial edict
to this effect in writing. From that time on, down to the pres-
ent, Dorje Tokme Tsal and his successive rebirths have been the
great protectors who have preserved the spiritual and secular
well-being of all Tibet.

656
 The Hundred Tertons

In the realm of dharma, Dorje Tokme Tsal turned countless

dharmachakras of sutra and tantra, Sarma and Nyingma, kama
and terma. The father and sons of the glorious Sakyas; the su-
preme nirmanakaya Panchen Rinpoche and those of the Dri-
kung, Talung, and Drukpa Kagyu; the throne holder and other
senior masters of Ganden; and most of the lineage holders in
Tibet became his disciples. In particular, the great chariots of
the Nyingma tradition, including the king of dharma Terdak
Lingpa, the vidyadhara Padma Trinley, Lhodrak Tukse Tendzin
Gyurme Dorje, and many others capable of reviving this tradi-
tion gathered around him. He was peerlessly kind, both directly
and indirectly, to the Nyingma teachings.

Having completed such deeds, Dorje Tokme Tsal passed into

peace in his sixty-fourth year, on the twenty-fifth day of the
month Chaitra at his great palace, the Potala. His immediate
rebirth, Rinchen Tsangyang Gyamtso, was born in the south to
the descendants of Padma Lingpa. Since then his rebirths have
continued to appear in succession down to the present day, as
is well known throughout the world.

657
 Bhuprana

The instructions on Bhuprana are a means of accomplishing a

body of light in a single lifetime. They are a special teaching of
Guru Rinpoche, the second Buddha.

Guru Rinpoche emanated in India as the mahasiddha Mahanatha

and bestowed these instructions on a fortunate disciple, who
became the lord among yogins Jatavira and accomplished a body
of wisdom light. Jatavira had countless disciples who achieved
undefiled rainbow bodies. The most famous among them were
eight disciples who were all named Natha. It is said that they
are still encountered by fortunate people in our own day, who
also receive the amrita of their teachings.

Among those eight, as prophesied by their guru Jatavira, it was

Manikanatha who first came to Tibet. He gave Nesarwa Jamyang
Khyentse Wangchuk the root instructions of Jatavira. That was
the first dispensation of Bhuprana in Tibet. Then Vajranatha
came to Tibet and gave Drikung Chögyal Rinchen Puntsok the
outer, inner, and secret teachings of Jatavira on prana. That was

658
 The Hundred Tertons

the second dispensation. Later, the mahasiddha Nyida Longsal,

an emanation of Prince Mune Tsenpo, received the complete
short lineage of these teachings. That was the third dispensation.

According to the long lineage, these instructions were received

from Drikung Rinchen Puntsok by Dzogchen Tsultrim Sangye,
who practiced them in Zabulung for seven years, relying only on
prana for sustenance. He mastered prana-mind and displayed
many miraculous physical appearances. He was able to travel
to the twenty-four sacred places and Buddha realms. These in-
structions were received from him by Ösal Chokden of Ngari.

Ösal Chokden relied upon many great beings and became a

treasury of Sarma and Nyingma dharma and instructions. Es-
pecially, he perfected the practice of Bhuprana. He saw the face
of the mahasiddha Jatavira three times and received his blessing.
He also saw the faces of four other siddhas and received many
extraordinary instructions from them in pure visions. He lived
into his one hundred and fifty-seventh year.

In the Command Seal Prophecy from the Guru’s Wisdom Assembly

it was predicted that an emanation of King Trisong’s speech
named Dharma would appear. This was Jamyang Chögyal Dorje,

659
 The Hundred Tertons

the great guru from Sikkim. He received the Bhuprana teachings

from Ösal Chokden. Jamyang Chögyal Dorje possessed all the
attributes of a great and holy being. He was greatly learned in
all of the Sarma and Nyingma traditions of kama and terma.
He had relied upon many masters such as the Great Translator
of Gongra and resolved all doubts. He practiced with fierce
austerity and fortitude, saw the nature of things, and gained
siddhi. His qualities, such as clearly knowing the past, present,
and future, were inconceivable.

The mahasiddha Nyida Longsal received the Bhuprana instructions

from Jamyang Chögyal Dorje. Nyida Longsal was attended by
many dakinis even in childhood. He was repeatedly blessed by
the wisdom dakini Sukhasiddhi, who gave him her Six Dharmas,
their exercises, and a direct introduction to the channels and
chakras. In Nyida Longsal’s tenth year a scroll containing Jata-
vira’s instructions fell into his hands from the sky. Relinquishing
all attachment to his parents, family, and wealth, he went to
receive dharma from the vidyadhara Jamyang Chögyal Dorje.
Nyida Longsal received many empowerments, transmissions,
and instructions of kama and terma from Jamyang Chögyal
Dorje, particularly those concerning the Great Perfection, and

660
 The Hundred Tertons

most especially the complete instructions of Jatavira. His guru

Jamyang Chögyal Dorje praised him as a fortunate disciple and
proclaimed him his regent in benefiting beings.

For six or seven years Nyida Longsal practiced in an isolated

hermitage, forsaking all coarse food, relying upon rasayana, and
meditating solely on the instructions of prana-sustenance. Wis-
dom dakinis came to him and assisted him by bestowing bliss,
removing hindrances, and bringing progress to his practice. Espe-
cially, he saw the face of the mahasiddha Jatavira. They remained
together for thirteen days, during which Jatavira bestowed upon
Nyida Longsal the short lineage of his instructions. Every day
Jatavira bestowed the Fire Empowerment, brought down bless-
ings, and invoked auspiciousness. From then on Nyida Longsal
had control over prana-mind; he had reached the exalted state
of a siddha. He composed the Self-Liberated Rainbow Body of
AppearanceEmptiness: Jatavira’s Instructions on Prana, which has
twenty sections. He was also accepted by Guru Rinpoche and
countless other deities of the three roots and therefore commit-
ted to writing a number of dharma cycles that he received in
pure visions. These include the Guru of Self-Illuminating Wisdom,
a Longevity Empowerment, Mewatsekpa, a Dakini Empowerment,

661
 The Hundred Tertons

Guidance on Channels and Prana, TwentyThree Teachings on Prana,

and his Very Profound Sealed Protection from Lightning. I have
received the complete empowerments and instructions of his
Self-Liberated Rainbow Body of Appearance-Emptiness through the
kindness of our lord guru.

Nyida Longsal’s seat was Yangchö Padma Lhunding on the north

side of the Tsangpo River. His main lineage holder was Gar-
wang Dorje, whose rebirth was the vajra holder Tukse Kunzang
Chöwang. From his time down to ours, the lineages of disciples
and sons have been unbroken. Nyida Longsal’s seat was protected
from harm during the war with China by dharmapalas, who
concealed it from the invading forces. Most of the lineages of
the empowerments, transmissions, and practical instructions
for Garwang Dorje’s termas still exist, including his Instructions
of Vajrasattva.

662
 Namchö Mingyur Dorje

The vidyadhara Namchö Mingyur Dorje was the immediate

rebirth of Trülshik Wangdrak Gyamtso, an emanation of both
the great translator Vairochana and Shubu Palgyi Senge.142 He
was born in Ngom, in the South, to a family descended from
the ancient dharma kings. At the age at which he became able
to communicate verbally he began to clearly describe his previ-
ous lives. Discovered by the learned and accomplished Karma
Chakme, Mingyur Dorje was brought to Palritse Monastery in
his fifth year. He learned to read and write there.

In childhood Mingyur Dorje became affected by contamination

because of poor hygiene. Karma Chakme Rinpoche repeatedly
performed cleansing and purification ceremonies for him. This
enabled Mingyur Dorje to once again clearly recollect past lives.
His first pure visions were those in which he saw the faces of
Amitabha and Guru Rinpoche. He also clearly remembered
about two hundred previous lives, and began to demonstrate
the supercognition of knowing others’ thoughts.
142. Namchö Mingyur Dorje lived from 1645 to 1667.

663
 The Hundred Tertons

Starting in his twelfth year, countless deities of the three roots

revealed their faces to Mingyur Dorje in succession and bestowed
instruction. Chakme Rinpoche wrote down these instructions,
and they comprise the collection of twelve little volumes called
Sky Dharma, or Namchö. Beginning in his sixteenth year profound
mind terma began to burst forth from Mingyur Dorje’s heart.
Chakme Rinpoche wrote this down as well; it comprises two
volumes.

Chakme Rinpoche practiced each of the sadhanas revealed by

Mingyur Dorje in sequence until signs of attainment arose. He
composed many concise and clear writings concerning them, such
as the necessary liturgical arrangements and guidance texts. The
empowerments, instructions, and applications of these practices
bear greater blessing than other teachings. Even the simplest
ransom ritual from this tradition can be proven through direct
experience to be extremely beneficial.

During this period Mingyur Dorje remained in meditation

retreat for three years, during which time wondrous signs were
witnessed by everyone living in the area. Whenever he experienced
any difficulty in the acquisition of food or other necessities he

664
 The Hundred Tertons

dispelled his temporary poverty through the slightest rectifica-

tion of interdependence. He did this many times.

Introduced to one another by Karma Chakme, Mingyur Dorje

and the vidyadhara Düdül Dorje met and received teachings
from one another. Düdül Dorje held Mingyur Dorje in high
esteem; their two minds became as one.

Mingyur Dorje went to Nangchen and opened the doors to

about nine previously unknown sacred places, including Dzatö
Kyodrak, Khandro Bumdzong, and Nabundzong.

In his nineteenth year Mingyur Dorje was invited to Kathok

Monastery. Considering this invitation to be timely, he trav-
eled there and visited both the royal palace of the king of Derge
and Kathok Monastery. He continued along the Drichu River,
visiting Sangen and Markham. During his travels he turned
countless dharmachakras and benefited everyone who formed a
connection with him through sight, sound, thought, and touch.

He settled in Muksang and twice bestowed the complete em-

powerments, transmissions, and experiential instructions of his
Sky Dharma upon his principal lineage holder, Kunzang Sherap

665
 The Hundred Tertons

the vidyadhara of Palyül, and gatherings of about two thousand

disciples in all.

Having achieved the perfect benefit of beings and the teachings,

in his twenty-fourth year he announced that he needed to go to
the realm called Array of Flowers in order to serve as the regent
of the Buddha Pushpa, who was about to pass into parinirvana.
On the sixteenth day of the month Chaitra he withdrew the
array of his rupakaya, promising that twentyfive emanations
of him would appear.

Although there was a prophecy that Mingyur Dorje would reveal

a hundred earth termas, he did not do so because of certain cir-
cumstances. It is said that the minds of both Taksham Nüden
Dorje and Yongey Mingyur Dorje were blessed by Namchö
Mingyur Dorje’s great wisdom so that they could reveal them
in his stead.

His lineage has been transmitted by both the Nemdo Kagyu and
Palyül Nyingma traditions. They have filled all of eastern Tibet
with the activity of his teachings. I have received his complete
Sky Dharma from both traditions.

666
 The Hundred Tertons

The immediate rebirth of the vidyadhara Mingyur Dorje was

Mokdrup Namkha Chöwang, who is well known to have been
a chakravartin mong siddhas. He revealed a great deal of earth
terma, including dharma, supports, and riches. However, due
to certain circumstances he did not transcribe his earth terma
dharma. There exists a short mind treasure of his, a sadhana
called the Dakinis’ Eight Dispensations, which is essentially a concise
daily practice of the Sugatas’ Assembly. Some of the wondrous
supports he revealed can still be seen. He discovered a vase filled
with gold at Adö on the Dzachu River, and used its contents to
restore the Kumbum Ringmo Stupa at Kathok; this is proven
by the fact of its restoration.

His nirmanakaya was Jikdral Chöying Dorje. He and all his suc-
cessive rebirths have done beings and the Nyingma teachings
immeasurable good, as is well known.

667
 Karma Chakme

The learned and attained Karma Chakme was an emanation of

both Chokro Lu’i Gyaltsen and Prince Senalek.143 He was born
in the Ngom region as the son of the mantradharin Padma
Wangdrak, who was of the nephew lineage of Dong Khachöpa.
In his childhood he mastered reading, writing, and both the
Indian and Chinese systems of divination. He gained stability
in the generation stage and recognized the nature of the mind.
He received all the Nyingma dharma that his father possessed.

Karma Chakme offered both the fruits of his crown and an

account of his realization to the great Fourth Trungpa Kunga
Namgyal of Surmang, who gave him a thorough introduction
to the nature of the mind. He then went to Zadam College in
Penyül, where he perfectly studied the treatises of sutra and
tantra. He undertook complete renunciation in the presence of
the Sixth Shamarpa Garwang Chökyi Wangchuk, from whom

143. Karma Chakme lived from 1613 to 1678.

668
 The Hundred Tertons

he also received many teachings such as Mahamudra and the Six

Dharmas, and whom he regarded as his root guru.

As prophesied by the Eighth Gyalwang Karmapa Mikyö Dorje,

it is certain that Karma Chakme was an emanation of the Kar-
mapa. It was in consideration of necessity that he adopted the
name Karma Chakme.144

From many teachers he received many empowerments, trans-

missions, and instructions, especially those of the Karma Kagyu
and Nyingma traditions. He took Nemdo Palritse as his seat,
and except when he travelled for others’ benefit, he remained
there in retreat. He completed more than a hundred sadhanas of
deities of the three roots and the dharmapalas, practicing each
one until signs of siddhi became evident. He achieved the level
of realization called “one taste.”

Karma Chakme experienced numerous signs of the blessing of

his gurus and yidams. Once he had a vision of Guru Rinpoche
riding a revenant, after which four lines of verse appeared be-
fore his eyes. Based on this he wrote the Direct Instructions of
Mahakarunika: An Ocean of Benefit for Beings in eighteen chapters,

144. Chakme means “Free from Attachment.”

669
 The Hundred Tertons

along with its supporting commentaries. After completing this

he received the prophecy, “This dharma will cause one million
eight hundred thousand beings to go to Sukhavati.”

His writings, from Mountain Dharma: Instructions for Retreat to

his essays on ransom rituals and divination, fill more than fifty
volumes. As everything he wrote was composed after he received
the authorization to do so from a deity, his writings bear bless-
ing and have been of vast benefit to beings. They are therefore
even more wondrous than most terma.

Having completed such deeds, Karma Chakme departed for

Sukhavati in his sixty-fourth year. There is a detailed account
of his journey to Sukhavati, recorded by his nephew Lama
Chöwang Kunzang, the latter’s mother, and Chakme Rinpoche’s
attendants. Starting with his emanation Trinley Wangjung his
emanations have appeared successively.

The lineages of his disciples include the eastern Nemdo Kagyu

of Sangphu Padma Kunga and his successors; and the Golden
Garland of the western Nemdo Kagyu, which began with Tsöndrü
Gyamtso and has remained unbroken down to the present day.
Chakme Rinpoche’s foremost disciples included both Dzogchen

670
 The Hundred Tertons

Padma Rikdzin, an emanation of Vimalamitra; and Palyül Kun-

zang Sherap. They spread his teachings among the holders of the
Nyingma tradition throughout most of eastern Tibet.

I have received the Direct Instructions of Mahakarunika from the

Fourth Chakme Rinpoche; and most of Karma Chakme’s other
works, including his Mountain Dharma, from many different gurus.

671
 Dorje Drakpo

The vidyadhara Tukyi Dorje or Dorje Drakpo Trinley Düpa Tsal

was an emanation of the dharma king Trisong Detsen. He was
born in a place called Takzik in southeastern Tibet. He was recog-
nized as the fourth rebirth of the lord of siddhas Sönam Gyamtso
and enthroned at his seat, Dzigar Tashi Chöling Monastery. He
offered the fruits of his crown to the omniscient Eighth Situpa
Chökyi Jungne and received the name Kagyu Trinley Nampar
Gyalwe De. He received countless profound dharma teachings
from the Eighth Situpa, the omniscient Drukchen, the master
Jampal Pawo, and Khampa Rinpoche Tendzin Chökyi Nyima.
Especially, from the vidyadhara Tamdrin Gönpo he received
many termas, including Ratna Lingpa’s Vajrakilaya.

Dorje Drakpo perfected the practice of the generation and

completion stages; saw the faces of many deities of the three roots,
especially the peaceful and wrathful forms of Guru Rinpoche;
and received their blessings. Through his peerless magical power
he bound newly appeared demons to samaya and could bring
pacification and protection simply by writing a letter. When

672
 The Hundred Tertons

he visited Tsaritra the spirit Chikchar Marpo offered him a

wonderful stone statue of Arya Simhanada. There is an entire
volume of profound dharma that arose spontaneously from Dorje
Drakpo’s mind, including his Wrathful Kilaya and his Red Tara.
I have received the empowerments and instructions for these.
His mind termas have especially great blessing in the protection
of crops from frost damage and of persons from injury caused
by demon kings, as well as in the pacification of earth spirits.
It appears that their activity has benefited many.

The principal heirs to Droje Drakpo’s mind termas were the

Thirteenth Gyalwang Karmapa Düdül Dorje, Drukchen Chökyi
Nangwa, Tai Situpa Padma Nyinje Wangpo, and other truly
great beings; they included many of the lineage holders of all
traditions, especially the Karma and Drukpa Kagyu.

After enacting such vast activity, Dorje Drakpo displayed the

manner of departure for other realms. Padma Nyinje Wangpo
reminded him to enter samadhi and performed all the other
duties related to his passing, including elaborate observances.

673
 The Hundred Tertons

Dorje Drakpo’s nirmanakaya Trinley Lhundrup and his successive

rebirths including his current one have spread the teachings of
both the Drukpa Kagyu and Nyingma traditions.

674
 Padma Nyinje Wangpo

The main heart-son of Dorje Drakpo was our glorious protector

Lord Maitreya, the Ninth Tai Situpa Vajradhara Padma Nyinje
Wangpo.145 He was born the son of Ngawang Gönpo to a noble
family at Yilhung in Markham. When the marks and signs of
his lotuslike form bloomed, wondrous omens appeared. Lord
Pawo Tsuklak Gawa recognized him as the unmistaken rebirth
of the Eighth Situpa Tenpe Nyinje. With the concurrence of
the fathers and sons of the Karma and Drukpa Kagyu, he was
brought to his seat, Palpung monastery, in his fifth year. From
the Command Seal Prophecy from the Wisdom Assembly of the Guru:

In the future there will be six with eyes of dharma

And six with lotus tongues.

Padma Nyinje Wangpo was definitely the first of the prophesied

lotus-tongued ones. In accordance with Lord Pawo’s pure vision
and this prophecy, he was crowned with the name Padma Nyinje
Wangpo. He was also known as the glorious Padma Wangchen.

145. Padma Nyinje Wangpo lived from 1774 to 1853.

675
 The Hundred Tertons

When he undertook renunciation in the presence of the Thir-

teenth Gyalwang Karmapa he received the name Palden Tendzin
Nyinje Trinley Rapgye Chokle Nampar Gyalwe De.

Padma Nyinje Wangpo formed a dharmic connection with

Shamarpa Chödrup Gyamtso, Drikungpa Döndrup Chögyal,
the all-seeing Drukchen Chökyi Nangwa, Garwang Chökyong
Gyurme, Dzigar Kagyu Trinley Namgyal, and Tsewang Paldar,
the son of the great vidyadhara Tsewang Norbu. He mainly
relied upon the Thirteenth Gyalwang Karmapa Düdül Dorje as
his guru. From his teachers Padma Nyinje Wangpo received all
of the existing Karma Kagyu empowerments and instructions
as well as a vast number of Drikung, Drukpa, and Nyingma
empowerments and instructions. He became supreme among all
monastics in his constant adherence to the three vows. Gaining
great knowledge of the common sciences and especially of the
treatises of sutra and tantra, he became the greatest of scholars.
With vast bodhichitta he was solely focused on helping beings and
the teachings. His excellent activity spread throughout all space.

Padma Nyinje Wangpo primarily devoted himself, both constantly

and during periods of intensive practice, to profound yoga. It is
certain that he achieved the exalted state of a siddha. Neverthe-

676
 The Hundred Tertons

less, like the great kalyanamitras of the Kadampa tradition, he

hid his qualities like a butter lamp in a vase. His discretion was
so great that no one knows the profundity of his attainment.
However, he was unable to conceal the fact that grain cast by
him in blessing would appear a great distance away, or the
footprints he left in solid rock, or that his feet sometimes did
not touch the ground. These things were witnessed by every-
one. As his supercognitive knowledge of others’ thoughts and
his recognitions of nirmanakayas were always of benefit to the
teachings, it is evident that he was free from even the slightest
trace of delusion.

He visited central Tibet three times and ceaselessly turned the

dharmachakra at his seat and throughout the nomad commu-
nities of eastern and western Kham. His principal heart sons
included the Fourteenth Gyalwang Karmapa Khyapdak Tekchok
Dorje, Drukchen Chökyi Nangwa and his rebirth, Pawo Tsuklak
Chögyal, and all the great beings of the Karma and Drukpa Ka-
gyu. His inner heart sons also included Datrül Rinpoche Karma
Ngedön Tenpa Rapgye, Wöntrül Rinpoche and his rebirth from
Palpung Monastery, and Karma Gyurme of Palyül Monastery.
Most of the great holders of the Karma Kagyu and Nyingma

677
 The Hundred Tertons

lineages were his disciples. Those minor disciples like me who

are dedicated to praying to him with devotion are innumerable.

Our holy guru Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo received the empower-

ments and instructions for Mahamudra and the Six Dharmas from
Padma Nyinje Wangpo, who felt such great trust for Jamyang
Khyentse Wangpo that, as Padma Nyinje Wangpo declared
himself, he blessed Jamyang Khyentse with the transmission of
the ultimate lineage. Padma Nyinje Wangpo also advised him,
“It would be good if the earlier termas were collected so that
they can continue to be taught and disseminated.”

In essence, this was his command to create the Treasury of Precious

Terma. Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo is therefore a great heart son
of Padma Nyinje Wangpo’s in that he has enacted the latter’s
vision for the teaching of dharma. Beyond that, both the Gyal-
wang Karmapa and the supreme nirmanakaya of Padma Nyinje
Wangpo have received profound dharma from Jamyang Khyentse
Wangpo. He and I, master and disciple, have completed the
compilation of the Treasury of Precious Terma, and have therefore
fulfilled Padma Nyinje Wangpo’s prophetic instruction.

678
 The Hundred Tertons

Padma Nyinje Wangpo displayed no great enthusiasm for the

composition of new treatises or liturgies; he was more devoted to
the use and preservation of those that already existed. However,
at the insistence of the Gyalwang Karmapa and many disciples
from all ranks of life, he wrote three volumes of sadhanas, mandala
rituals, empowerment liturgies, guidance essays, and instructions.
I had the good fortune to receive most of these transmissions,
instructions, and profound blessings from him, as well as his
authorization to teach and disseminate them to others.

As Padma Nyinje Wangpo was utterly immersed in the bodhisat-

tva conduct of the four attractions and generosity, he donated
silver three times to all of the larger and smaller Karma and
Drukpa Kagyu monasteries throughout Tibet, from Ngari in the
west to Jang at the Chinese border. He sponsored the building of
three stupas at a total cost of thirty thousand large measures of
silver. He also funded countless perpetual offering observances.
He built the peerless golden reliquary stupa at his seat, Palpung
Monastery. He provided monastics with their robes and other
necessities, so that they could become an ornament to the eyes
of future adherents of Buddhism. His wheel of activity was
inconceivably vast. From his sixty-first year until his passing

679
 The Hundred Tertons

Padma Nyinje Wangpo never left the enclosure of the Great

Retreat of Palpung. During those eighteen years he remained
one-pointedly immersed in the wheel of renunciate meditation.

After perfecting such deeds of the three wheels and thereby

upholding, preserving, and disseminating the Buddhadharma,
Padma Nyinje Wangpo passed away in the middle of the night
on the seventh day of the month Jyeshtha in the Year of the Iron
Ox, his eightieth year.146 At the time of his passing he displayed
no particular illness, and passed away with full knowledge of the
realms to which he was, for the time being, departing. As a sign
that he had fulfilled his intention, the sky became cloudless and
utterly free from any precipitation. Everyone felt the earth shake,
and there were many other wondrous omens as well. When his
precious remains were cremated many amazing relics appeared
from them. Fragments of his bones reached the hands of some
of those who had faith in him; these relics produced shariram,
which seem to have increased.

The observances connected with Padma Nyinje Wangpo’s passing

included means of fulfilling his wishes as well as great offering
146. Although our text says that he passed away in the Iron Ox
year, 1853 was the Water Ox year, and was Padma Nyinje Wangpo’s
eightieth year.

680
 The Hundred Tertons

ceremonies. We convened large assemblies that continually

practice the Nine-Deity Hevajra Sadhana of the Marpa Tradition,
the Guhyasamaja Akshobhyavajra Sadhana, and the Five-Deity
Mahamaya Sadhana. The performance of these sadhanas and
offering ceremonies is ongoing.

Padma Nyinje Wangpo’s supreme nirmanakaya was recognized

by the Gyalwang Karmapa and named by him Padma Kunzang
Chökyi Gyalpo. He is the second of the prophesied Tai Situpas
called “lotus-tongued.”

Not only did our guru Padma Nyinje Wangpo never speak
about his visions or give prophecies based on them; he never
even mentioned his dreams. It is therefore unknown whether he
received teachings in pure visions or as mind terma. However,
in response to the insistent supplication of the accomplished
Lama Kamtsang Norbu, Padma Nyinje Wangpo bestowed upon
us the profound Gurusadhana of Guru Rinpoche Accompanied by
his Twenty-Five Disciples. It is mind terma presented as a shas-
tra. I received its lineage from him in connection with the four
empowerments from the Very Profound Embodiment of the Three
Jewels, and have included it in the Treasury of Precious Revelations
as the quintessence of that collection.

681
 The Eighth Pawo Rinpoche

The glorious Eighth Pawo Rinpoche Tsuklak Chökyi Gyalpo

was the nephew of Lord Padma Nyinje Wangpo. He was an
emanation of both the Indian scholar Prajnakara and the great
translator Vairochana, and became a great treasury of Sarma
and Nyingma dharma. He benefited beings and the teachings
greatly and also received the dispensation of profound terma,
revealing both terma parchment and a sword that is a dharma-
pala support from the sacred Chijam Rock. It is said that the
parchment contained a Yamantaka cycle, but it seems to be
unavailable. As the sword holds great blessing and miraculous
power it appears to be kept among his supports.

Tsuklak Chökyi Gyalpo clearly remembered past events such as

hearing profound dharma from Guru Rinpoche in the middle
temple of Samye and receiving the name Padma Garwang Drodül
Gyalpo Tsal. Based on these recollections he revealed the Good
Vase of Amrita Ayusadhana, which I received from him.

682
 The Fourth Chakme Rinpoche

The Fourth Chakme Rinpoche Karma Tendzin Trinley was a

heart son of Padma Nyinje Wangpo and among the greatest
of scholars, renunciates, and siddhas. He was accepted by the
Fourteenth Gyalwang Karmapa as one of his main teachers.
While Karma Tendzin Trinley was engaged in the approach and
accomplishment of Ratna Lingpa’s Quintessential Heart Sadhana
in the Palritse Hermitage, the Sadhana of the Three Stick-Brother
Gods of Wealth, a concise and complete terma that had been
reconcealed by the First Karma Chakme, fell into his hands.
He transcribed it, and I have received its empowerments and
instructions. I have also received the transmission for the litrugy
composed by Dechen Nyingpo, the siddha of Nemdo, for Karma
Tendzin Trinley’s mind terma Padmaraja.

683
 Padma Gyepa

Padma Gyepa, the teacher of Ngapö, was the subsequent birth

of the renunciate Losal Gyamtso, whose mind was of the same
stream as that of the vidyadhara Terdak Lingpa. Padma Gyepa
was a heart son of Lord Rinchen Namgyal and others. He was
vastly learned in sutra, tantra, and the sciences, and gained
siddhi through the vajrayana path. There exists a gurusadhana
cycle that he received in pure visions; I have received its root
empowerment.

684
 Tsewang Mingyur Dorje

The learned Tsewang Mingyur Dorje lived at around the same

time as Padma Gyepa. He was a heart son of the great tertön
Terdak Lingpa and his children as well as of the vidyadhara
Padma Trinley. Tsewang Mingyur Dorje was a great scholar
and siddha. There exists a Chakrasamvara Cycle, wondrous in
words and meaning, that he received in pure visions. He gave
it to Tendzin Yeshe Lhundrup and others; its lineage appears
to have survived.

685
The Omniscient Jikme Lingpa

686
 The Hundred Tertons

The omniscient Jikme Lingpa was an emanation of the maha-

pandita Vimalamitra, the dharma king Trisong Detsen, and
Prince Lharjey. He was the immediate rebirth of the vidyadhara
Chöje Lingpa. Jikme Lingpa was a chariot of the teachings of
the Luminous Heart Essence and received the great dispensation
of profound mind terma.

As prophesied in Guru Chökyi Wangchuk’s Khari Dialogue and

in the terma prophecies of Sangye Lingpa, Chöje Lingpa, and
Ratön and his son, Jikme Lingpa was born near Palri Monastery,
south of the Red Tomb of Songtsen Gampo in Chongye, on the
morning of the day of commemorative offerings to the omni-
scient Longchenpa in the month Paushya of the Female Earth
Bird year to the family of the nephew of Gyadrakpa, one of the
six great heart-sons of the Dharma Lord of the Drukpa Kagyu.147

In childhood his disposition toward holiness was awakened, and

he remembered his previous births as the great tertöns Sangye
Lama and Chöje Lingpa. In his sixth year he entered the dharma
college at Palri Monastery, a place that bore the undiminished
imprint of the noble lord Prajnarasmi’s deeds of the three wheels.148

147. The year was 1729 C.E.

148. “Prajnarasmi” is a Sanskrit translation of Sherap Özer.

687
 The Hundred Tertons

He offered the fruits of his crown to Tsogyal Tulku Ngawang

Lozang Padma and received the name Padma Khyentse Özer. He
later received the shramanera vow from Nesarwa Ngawang Kunga
Lekpe Jungne. He received the empowerments and transmissions
of the Essence of Liberation and the Guru’s Wisdom Assembly from
Neten Kunzang Özer.

Especially, in his thirteenth year Jikme Lingpa met the vidyadhara

Tukchok Dorje and received Mahamudra: Wisdom that Liberates
Upon Sight and other dharma from him. As this ripened him,
Jikme Lingpa considered Tukchok Dorje to be his supreme root
guru, and later encountered his wisdom body. He also received all
of the Nyingma kama teachings; the main termas, such as those
of Nyangral and Guru Chöwang; and some Sarma empower-
ments and instructions from teachers including the great tertön
Drime Lingpa, Jikme Lingpa’s own maternal uncle Dharmakirti
the Meditator, Shrinatha the Lord of Siddhas from Mindröling,
Tendzin Yeshe Lhundrup, Tangdrok Pön Padma Chokdrup, and
Lama Dargye from Mön Dzakar.

Jikme Lingpa learned a little about astrology and other sciences

at Palri Monastery, but he never studied much; his heart was
utterly focused on the practice of the essence. His magnificently

688
 The Hundred Tertons

beautiful writings, with their perfect exposition of the secret

meaning of all the great treatises of sutra and tantra, burst forth
spontaneously from the expanse of the wisdom with which he
was born.

On the Day of Miracles in his twenty-eighth year, the Year of

the Fire Ox, he began a three-year retreat in the meditation hall
called the Single Tilaka at his own Palri Monastery.149 With firm
resolve he practiced the generation and completion stages of the
great tertön and king of dharma Drodül Lingpa Sherap Özer’s
wonderful profound terma, the Essence of Liberation: Self-Liberated
Wisdom. Jikme Lingpa held its dispensation through both long
and short lineages. Through its practice he gained extraordinary
indications of approaching realization. He also completed the
approach and accomplishment of many deities from authentic
profound termas such as those of Nyangral and Guru Chöwang,
and achieved the state of a fully ripened vidyadhara. Through
his mastery of channels, energy, and essence, the channels and
essences of the sambhogachakra in his throat dissolved into a
cloud of syllables, and appearances arose as texts for him. A vast

149. The year was 1757 C.E.

689
 The Hundred Tertons

treasure of dharma such as vajra dohas, perfect in words and

meaning, began to burst forth from within him.

While Jikme Lingpa was performing the approach and accomplish-

ment of the Guru’s Wisdom Assembly the sound of a horse neighing
came from the top of his head, and Guru Rinpoche crowned him
with the name Pal Padma Wangchen. He was directly blessed
by the master Manjushrimitra, and thereby experienced the
authentic wisdom of example. He thereafter began the conduct
of great discipline, wearing the costume of a heruka. Especially,
as an appearance of the clear light, he was given expanse-script
bearing the symbols of the dakinis by the dharmakaya wisdom
dakini at the Great Stupa of Unintended Permission at Bodha
in Nepal. He thus gained possession of the world-famous great
treasury of dharma called the Collected Dispensations: The Heart
Essence of the Vast Expanse of the Great Perfection.

Although he had now achieved the exalted state of a wise sid-

dha, Jikme Lingpa was not content with just that. Vowing
intently to achieve the wisdom of the arya paths, he went to
Samye Chimpu as soon as his first three-year retreat was over.
For another three years he immersed himself one-pointedly in
practice of the essence in the Great Secret Flower Cave there,

690
 The Hundred Tertons

living with an austerity that vied with that of Jetsün Mila Shepa
Dorje. During those years he had countless pure visions. In par-
ticular, he met the wisdom body of the omniscient dharma king
Drime Özer Longchen Rapjam Zangpo three times. The bless-
ings of Longchenpa’s body, speech, and mind were transferred
to Jikme Lingpa, and he also received the great authorization
of Longchenpa’s speech. Through these blessings Jikme Lingpa
achieved the ultimate wisdom of the arya paths, and saw the
truth of the Great Perfection.

He revealed his great mind terma and named it the Heart Es-
sence of the Vast Expanse. He first opened the door to its ripening
empowerments and liberating instructions at Samye Chimpu
to fifteen fortunate disciples. Starting then, he gradually dis-
seminated the profound meaning widely; he became the single
chariot of the Heart Essence of the Great Perfection.

From the Khari Dialogue, a profound terma of Guru Chöwang:

At Chongye my beneficial emanation will appear.

People will say, “We don’t know who he is.”
At Chingbardo, south of the Red Tomb,
He may build a Descent Stupa and a monastery.

691
 The Hundred Tertons

After completing the three years of practice he had undertaken

at Samye Chimpu, Jikme Lingpa fulfilled the vajra prophecy
cited above. The wisdom body of Tsele Natsok Rangdröl en-
trusted him with his intentions, and Jikme Lingpa returned
to his birthplace, relying on many aspects of interdependence,
including symbols. In the upper valley of Dönkhar, hidden among
the mountains south of Songtsen Gampo’s tomb at Chongye,
he built and furnished the hermitage of Padma Ösal Tekchok
Ling at glorious Tsering Jong. He lived there as a hidden yogin
free from action for the rest of his life.

Jikme Lingpa’s countless karmic disciples came from all over

Tibet, Bhutan, and even the border regions of India. He taught
them all of the authentic kama and terma Nyingma dharma and
especially the old and new Heart Essences; his activity of speech
was wonderful.150 He also made ten-thousandfold offerings to
the three dharmachakras and saved the lives of countless beings
whose death was otherwise certain. Jikme Lingpa’s vast generosity
of dharma was free from any ambition for repayment or even
karmic maturation. He offered a dharmachakra of pure gold
to Samye Monastery, sponsored the creation of a silver image

150. The old Heart Essences are the Nyingtik Yashi; the new Heart
Essence is the Longchen Nyingtik.

692
 The Hundred Tertons

of the victor Maitreya, and reconsecrated Samye itself. When

a large Gurkha army, having adopted the behavior of asuras,
was marching on Tibet Jikme Lingpa successfully repelled it
magically. In such ways his wheel of activity was so helpful to
the spiritual and secular wellbeing of Tibet that the Tibetan
government treated him with the utmost respect.

The nine volumes of Jikme Lingpa’s writings have been printed

from woodblocks carved at the King of Derge’s capital. They
include the two volumes of the root texts of his great mind
terma, the Heart Essence of the Vast Expanse, together with his
clarifications; the single volume of his Tantra-Tradition Vajrakilaya,
which he arranged based on the instructions he received from
Langchen Palgyi Senge when the latter empowered him in an
emanated mandala; and the six volumes of his own composi-
tions. Foremost among those six volumes are the two volumes
of his Treasury of Precious Qualities with its autocommentary.
It presents the stages of the path of all the Buddha’s teachings
and is a mind treasure presented as a shastra, written by Jikme
Lingpa through the blessing of the great omniscient Longchenpa.

The disciples born from Jikme Lingpa’s speech included great

masters such as the throne-holder of the glorious Sakyas Ngawang

693
 The Hundred Tertons

Palden Chökyong and his brother; the two nirmanakayas of the

victor Drikungpa; the nirmanakaya of the supreme vidyadhara
of Dorje Drak Monastery; Lhodrak Sungtrül and Lhodrak Tukse;
Jora Rinpoche, the great holder of the Bodong lineage; Ganden
Shartse and Jangtse, great holders of the Geluk lineage; and Tsona
Göntse Tulku of Bhutan. Jikme Lingpa’s disciples also included
other great and powerful people as well as actionless practitio-
ners and renunciates. His disciples were countless; most of the
Nyingma lamas and tulkus of eastern Tibet touched his feet.

Jikme Lingpa’s foremost inner heart-son was the lord of siddhas

Jikme Trinley Özer, an emanation of Prince Murup Tsenpo.
Other heart sons were Jikme Gyalwe Nyugu, whose deeds for
the benefit of others were as inconceivable as those of Arya
Avalokita; and Jikme Kundröl of Bhutan. Such disciples spread
the light of his teachings all the way to India in the south and
China and Mongolia in the east. No one in recent times has
equaled Jikme Lingpa’s activity. He said of himself, “My teachings
have spread because I spent seven years in solitude meditating
one-pointedly on bodhichitta.”

There is hardly any place to which the ripening empowerments

and liberating instructions of Jikme Lingpa’s Heart Essence have

694
 The Hundred Tertons

not spread, and it seems that they continue to spread even more
widely as time passes. This is the fulfillment of prophecy.

I received the complete empowerments and instructions of this

mind terma as well as the reading transmission of Jikme Lingpa’s
collected writings through the kindness of the compassionate
great tertön Gyurme Tendzin Pelgye and the second omniscient
one Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo.151

Having perfected such deeds of the three wheels, Jikme Lingpa

departed for the great pure realm of Lotus Light, without signifi-
cant illness, amid many signs and miracles on the third day of
the month Ashvini in his seventieth year at his Namdröl Yangtse
hermitage above Tsering Jong. His posthumous observances were
performed extensively and exactly according to his wishes, as
recorded in the verse and prose testaments he had composed
not long before, by his nephew Özer Trinley and others.

Jikme Lingpa had only one son; he was enthroned at the seat
of the Drikung Kagyu and named Gyalsay Nyinje Özer and
Chökyi Gyaltsen. His life was that of a wondrous holy being,

151. Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo is called the second omniscient one

here in recognition that he was an emanation of Jikme Lingpa.

695
 The Hundred Tertons

but it seems that he did not achieve much benefit for beings
or the teachings.

696
 Padma Chöjor Gyamtso

Padma Chöjor Gyamtso, a nirmanakaya of Palri Monastery, was

a disciple of Jikme Lingpa. His life was one of wondrous learn-
ing, discipline, and benevolence. The goddess Chandali directly
gave Padma Chöjor Gyamtso a cycle of instructions called the
Mother of Life and the protectress Umadevi. These instructions
comprise one small volume, from which I have received the root
empowerment and instructions.

697
 Jikme Trinley Özer

Jikme Trinley Özer, the first Dodrupchen Rinpoche, was the

principal heart-son of the vidyadhara Jikme Lingpa and a great
lord among siddhas. As clearly predicted in the Command-Seal
Prophecy from the great tertön Sangye Lingpa’s Wisdom Assembly,
Jikme Trinley Özer was born in a Female Wood Ox year to a
family of the Mukpo Dong clan in the western part of a region
called Do in eastern Tibet.152 At an early age his propensity for
holiness was awakened and he began to have pure visions. In the
region of his birth there were seats of both the Kagyu and Palyül
traditions; he received complete instruction in both Mahamudra
and the Great Perfection from kalyanamitras of those schools.
He offered the fruits of his crown to Gyurme Kunzang Namgyal,
the Second Shechen Rapjam Rinpoche, and received the name
Kunzang Shenpen. He lived as a brahmacharya upasaka. Jikme
Trinley Özer achieved the exalted state of a siddha by practicing
one-pointedly, as he did for seven years at the hermitage called
Snowy Fastness of Great Bliss.

152. The year was 1745 C.E.

698
 The Hundred Tertons

He visited central Tibet four times. The first two times he dili-
gently entered the gate of dharma. He visited Daklha Gampo
and received much profound dharma from the mahasiddha
Damchö Wangchuk and refined his experience and realization.
Then, and at various times, he received countless teachings,
especially those of the Nyingma tradition, at the lotus feet of
twenty masters such as Palyül Karma Tashi and his students,
Shechen Gyurme Kunzang Namgyal, Katok Drime Shingkyong,
Jewön Padma Kundröl Namgyal, and Ngedön Tendzin Zangpo.

Especially, in his forty-first year Jikme Trinley Özer traveled to

central Tibet a third time and went to Dönkhar Tsering Jong to
meet the vidyadhara Jikme Lingpa, who recognized Jikme Trinley
Özer as an emanation of Prince Damdzin. Jikme Lingpa came
to care for him with the love of a father for his only son, and
empowered him as his principal dharma heir, placing upon his
head the crown of the name Jikme Trinley Özer. He bestowed
a vast amount of dharma on him, especially the old and new
Heart Essence cycles, and Jikme Trinley Özer spread their activ-
ity throughout space.

He traveled to central Tibet a fourth time and again entered

the presence of the omniscient Jikme Lingpa, presented offer-

699
 The Hundred Tertons

ings, and received all the dharma that he had not previously.
At that time conflict between Tibet and Nepal was escalating,
and people of all ranks in central Tibet were boiling with fear.
Jikme Trinley Özer performed ritual service in order to avert
warfare and prophesied that central Tibet was in no danger. As
his prediction came true he was accorded immeasurable honor
and respect by the Tibetan government. It was at that time that
he came to be known as Dodrupchen, the Mahasiddha from Do.

Jikme Trinley Özer traveled on pilgrimage to Tsari and then

returned to eastern Tibet. He became the guru of the queen of
Derge and her son the crown prince. With their sponsorship he
turned the dharmachakra for the lamas and tulkus of Shechen,
Dzogchen, and Kathok, transmitting to them all the dharma
he had received from the omniscient Jikme Lingpa, including
the Nyingma Tantras, the old and new Heart Essence cycles, and
Longchenpa’s Seven Treasuries. He founded two dharma com-
munities upholding the omniscient Jikme Lingpa’s tradition
to the west and east of the Dzachu River. In particular, in the
prophecy of Rongtön Dechen Lingpa it is written:

A courageous bodhisattva, an emanation of the prince,

700
 The Hundred Tertons

Will lead a flock of meditators on ati, the Great

Perfection.
He will establish three monasteries in western and
eastern Ser.

As clearly predicted in the above-cited prophecy, Jikme Trinley

Özer built the Shukchen Tagor Temple with its three supports,
but it did not last. He then established his seat at Padmakö in
a place called Yarlung in western Ser, and lived there for the
rest of his life. Disciples, high officials, and sponsors gathered
like clouds around him, coming from Derge, China, Mongolia,
Gyarong, and other places. His spiritual and secular activity
flourished. He ceaselessly turned the dharmachakra. As a result
his disciples included all of the great lamas of Kathok, Dzogchen,
Shechen, and Gyarong. In particular he engendered the supreme
scholar Jikme Kalzang; the lord of siddhas Damtsik Dorje; Do
Khyentse Yeshe Dorje, the supreme nirmanakaya of the omni-
scient Jikme Lingpa; the chariot of the Nyingma teachings, the
bodhisattva Shenpen Taye; and many other great beings able
to uphold the teachings.

Having completed such inconceivably great deeds, Jikme Trinley

Özer passed into the great peace of the dharmadhatu amid signs

701
 The Hundred Tertons

and miracles and without apparent illness, after describing the

dissolution of the energies and bestowing an extensive final
testament, at around midnight on the thirteenth day of the first
month in his seventy-seventh year, the Year of the Snake.153 His
nephew and disciples preserved his body in gold and performed
all the other posthumous observances.

Jikme Trinley Özer’s emanations of body, speech, and mind have

continued to appear down to the present; they have all been
great illuminators of dharma, both learned and accomplished.

In particular, the way in which Jikme Trinley Özer received

the dispensation of profound terma was this: Based upon the
prophecies that he had received at various times he was certain
that he was entitled to reveal earth terma, but did not imple-
ment these prophecies. However, he repeatedly saw the face of
the protector Amitabha and was also blessed by Guru Rinpoche
and the omniscient father and son.154 Based on that he revealed
the holy dharma called the Supreme Path of Great Bliss as mind
treasure and disseminated it. It includes complete empower-
ments and instructions for outer, inner, and secret sadhanas of

153. 1821 C.E.

154. Longchenpa and Jikme Lingpa.

702
 The Hundred Tertons

Amitabha; a very secret sadhana of Hayagriva; and the emanated

protector Mahadeva.

Based on pure visions, Jikme Trinley Özer also revealed the

Sadhana of the Twelve Teachers of the Great Perfection; the Guru-
sadhana of Jetsün Milarepa; the Sadhana of Machik Lapdrön and its
empowerment; and the Two United Streams of Severance. These
and his other visionary teachings have survived unimpaired
down to the present. I have received some of his Amitabha cycle.

703
 Ngawang Dorje

The learned and accomplished Ngawang Dorje was born in Eyül,

the source of knowledge. He became the lama of E Nering West
Monastery, where the Nyingma dharma lineage was upheld.
Ngawang Dorje mainly followed the Mindröling tradition. He
was learned in both spiritual and secular matters; his activity was
great. In particular he eventually came to receive the dispensation
of profound terma, and his revelations were received by both
the Omniscient One of Jora and the Nirmanakaya of Dakpo.
I have received his concise and especially profound Sadhana of
Mewatsekpa, which is an accessory to his Very Profound Embodi-
ment of the Three Roots.

704
 Kunzang Ngedön Wangpo

Kunzang Ngedön Wangpo of Kathok is said to have been an

emanation of Nupchen Sangye Yeshe. He is renowned as a great
scholar and siddha. As prophecied by the omniscient Jikme
Lingpa, Kunzang Ngedön Wangpo was definitely a destined
tertön. However, because of his great attachment to celibacy he
did not engage in tantric conduct and therefore did not acquire
any earth treasure. Nevertheless, through the blessing of the
three masters Kathok Dampa Deshek, Tsangpa, and Jampa he
revealed the Pure Vision of Dampa and the Empowerment of Vajra
Speech. He also revealed a short sadhana of White Tara as a mind
terma; I have received it.

705
 Mingyur Namkhay Dorje

The First Dzogchen Rinpoche, Padma Rikdzin from eastern

Tibet, was an emanation of both the mahapandita Vimalamitra
and Lang Palgyi Senge. He was one of the foremost heart-sons
of the mahasiddha Karma Chakme Rinpoche and, as the ac-
complishment of his powerful aspirations, vastly increased the
activity of the Nyingma vajrayana teachings throughout all Tibet.

His rebirths have appeared in succession. The Fourth Dzogchen

Rinpoche was known as Mingyur Namkhay Dorje Tsewang
Drupa Tsal or Jikme Khyentse Wangchuk Trinley Namgyal
Dorje. Mingyur Namkhay Dorje had continuous visions of count-
less deities of the three roots and dharmapalas. He possessed
unobscured supercognition of the three times, as was clear to
everyone who knew him.

Especially, there are several dharma cycles that he revealed

through profound pure visions. The first of these was the Va-
jra Knot Ayusadhana, which is both concise and complete. He
bestowed it many times upon his disciples. The great tertön

706
 The Hundred Tertons

Chokgyur Lingpa went to receive it from Mingyur Namkhay

Dorje, and I received it as well. As Mingyur Namkhay Dorje
completed his full lifespan and activity, it was very auspicious
for us to receive it.

707
 Conclusion

I have based these brief accounts of the great and minor ter-
töns on the list given to me by the fearless great master Padma
Ösal Dongak Lingpa, who is an authentically holy being, a lord
among siddhas and scholars no different than Padmakara the
second Buddha. I have included all of the tertöns whose terma
are included in the Great Precious Treasury of Terma as well as
some authentic tertöns of the past whose lineages are unavailable.

It appears that there are authentic tertöns whom I have not in-
cluded here. As adherents of the Sarma traditions and Nyingma
tertöns view one another with great suspicion, exaggerating
one another’s faults and underestimating one another’s virtues,
the stupid who lack the eye of dharma, do not grasp the secret
wisdom of tertöns, and are stubbornly sectarian appear to be
casting themselves into the abyss of wrong thinking. It therefore
seems important to me that knowledgeable people compile
separate accounts of those tertöns I have omitted.

708
 The Hundred Tertons

Emanated tertöns have appeared sequentially, one after an-

other; and also simultaneously, with many appearing at one
time. Some have appeared during the later life of the one who
preceded them. The prophecy in the Great Testament of Padma
is not sequential, as it bears concealed meaning. It is therefore
difficult to definitively state the sequence of their appearance.
However, if I may attempt a rough sequential ordering of them,
King Langtarma destroyed Buddhism in Tibet in the Iron Bird
year.155 Fifty-two years later, the Water Ox year, marked the
beginning of the later dissemination of the teachings.156 Five
years after that, in the Horse year, the great translator Rinchen
Zangpo was born.157

It appears that it was during the time of both Rinchen Zangpo

and Lha Lama Yeshe Ö that great emanated tertöns began to
appear. The first of them was Sangye Lama. He was followed
by Gyaben Dorje Ö, Tsuklak Palge, Gya the Translator, and
Guru Humbar. Slightly after them, during the time of Lhatsün
Jangchup Ö and Lord Atisha, Khyungpo Palge, Shami Dogyal,
Wönse Khyungtok, and others appeared.

155. 961 C.E.

156. 1013 C.E.
157. 1018 C.E.

709
 The Hundred Tertons

During the time of Lord Marpa Drapa Ngönshe, Shangtsün

Tarma Rinchen, Dorbum Nanam Thugyal, Sangye Bar, Gya
Shangtrom, Setön Ringmo, Gya Purbu, Geshe Drang Kundrak,
Bönpo Lhabum, Lharje Nupchung, Gyatön Tsöndrü Senge, and
others appeared.

Then, in the Female Fire Rabbit year, the Kalachakratantra and

its commentaries arrived in Tibet.158 The first of the sixtyyear
cycles began. During that cycle, the time of Jetsün Milarepa
and the great translator Ngok, lived Jangsem Dagyal, the tertön
Dangma Lhungyal, Chetsün Senge Wangchuk, Lhatsün Ngönmo,
Nyima Senge, Sarben Chokme, Rashak Chöbar, Nyenlo Tarma
Drak, Uru Tönshak, Bönpo Draktsal, and others.

During the second sixty-year cycle, at the same time as Lord

Phamodrupa and the First Gyalwang Karmapa Dusum Khyenpa,
lived Nyalpa Josay, Zangri Repa, Nyamo Gyagong Riwa, Ngödrup
the Siddha, Lord Nyang, Ramo Shelmen, Nyemo Shuyay, Drugu
Yangwang, Chupo Tokden, Bakhal Mukpo, Sumpa Jangchup
Lodrö, Prince Mekhyil, Kusa the Physician, Chebom Nakpo,
Shangtön Tashi Dorje, and others.

158. 1027 C.E.

710
 The Hundred Tertons

During the third cycle, the time of Jetsün Drakpa Gyaltsen and
Sakya Pandita, lived Drekyang Sumpa Sumtsok, Yutok Yönten
Gönpo, Talung Sangye Wön, Nyi Ösal the Physician, Nyalpa
Nyima Sherap, Trophu the Translator, Yeben Yabön, Yakchar
Ngönmo, Balpo Ahum, Ajo Pawo, Darchar the Siddha, Dugu
Rinchen Senge, Tsangring Sherap, Tulku Marpo, Shangpa Repa,
and others.

During the fourth cycle, at the same time as Chögyal Pakpa,

lived Guru Chökyi Wangchuk, Jomo Menmo, Melong Dorje,
Drumdang Kharnak, the Fortunate Child, Rakshi the Teacher,
Khampa Nyima Drak, Gyatön Padma Wangchuk, Drangti Kharbu,
Gomchen Drukpa, Nyentön Jambhala, Padma Drakpa, Döndrup
Senge, Guru Jotse, Tseten Gyaltsen, the First Dungtso Repa,
and others.

During the fifth cycle, at the same time as the omniscient Third
Gyalwang Karmapa Rangjung Dorje, Butön, and Dolpopa, lived
Kunga Bum, the Indian tertön Vajramati, Doben Gyamtso, the
Second Dungtso Repa, Ledrel Tsal, Gyalsay Lekpa, Longchen
Rapjam, Rinchen Lingpa, Dragom Chödor, Nyida Sangye, Ugyen
Lingpa, Dorje Lingpa, Ugyen Zangpo, Sherap Mebar, Dol Letro
Lingpa, Zangpo Drakpa, and others.

711
 The Hundred Tertons

During the sixth cycle, at about the same time as the Fourth
Gyalwang Karmapa Rölpe Dorje, Ngorchen Kunga Zangpo, and
Lord Tsongkhapa, lived Sangye Lingpa, Drime Lhunpo, Drime
Kunga, the Vidyadhara Vulture Feathers, Jangchup Lingpa Palgyi
Gyaltsen, Karma Lingpa, Jamyang Lama, Thangtong Gyalpo,
and others.

During the seventh cycle, at the same time as the Sixth Gyal-
wang Karmapa Tongwa Dönden, the First Dalai Lama Gendun
Drupa, and Gö Shönnu Pal the Translator, lived Longpo Samten
Dechen Lingpa, Gönpo Rinchen, Ratna Lingpa, Lekden Dorje,
Nyangpo Chokden Dorje, Padma Lingpa, Chak Jangchup Lingpa,
Yölmo Shakya Zangpo, Kunkyong Lingpa, Dongak Lingpa, Tenyi
Lingpa, Droshül Drodül Letro Lingpa, and others.

During the eighth cycle, the time of the Eighth Gyalwang Kar-
mapa Mikyö Dorje, Drukchen Padma Karpo, and the Ninth
Gyalwang Karmapa Wangchuk Dorje, lived the Mahapandita of
Ngari, Gyama Mingyur Letro Lingpa, Rinchen Puntsok, Shikpo
Lingpa, Sherap Özer, Lekden Je, Matiratna, Paro Tsering Dorje,
Jamyang Khyentse Wangchuk, Gyalsay Tenpe Jungne, Nangsal
Tashi Gyamtso, and others.

712
 The Hundred Tertons

During the ninth cycle, at the same time as the Dalai Lama Sö-
nam Gyamtso and Jetsün Taranatha, appeared Droshül Dechen
Lingpa, Jangdak Tashi Topgyal, the vidyadhara Ngaki Wangpo,
Garwang Letro Lingpa, Yongdzin Ngawang Drakpa, Drikung
Könchok Rinchen, and others.

During the tenth cycle, the time of the Tenth Gyalwang Karmapa
Chöying Dorje and the omniscient Fifth Dalai Lama, appeared
Rashi Padma Rikdzin, Jatsön Nyingpo, Longpo Tashi Tseten,
Düdül Nüden Dorje, Lhatsün Namkha Jikme, Namchö Min-
gyur Dorje, Garwang Dawa Gyaltsen, Terdak Lingpa, Longsal
Nyingpo, Dakpo Zangpo Dorje, Yölmo Tendzin Norbu, Yongey
Mingyur Dorje, and others.

During the eleventh cycle, at the same time as the Twelfth

Gyalwang Karmapa Jangchup Dorje, the Dalai Lama Kalzang
Gyamtso, and Situ Chökyi Jungne, appeared Taksham Nüden
Dorje, Ngaki Dorje, Takmo Wönse Khyungtok, Chöje Lingpa,
Ratön Topden Dorje, Khampa Ngawang Kunga Tendzin, Surmang
Rölpe Dorje, Rongtön Padma Dechen Lingpa, Tukchok Dorje,
the vidyadhara Tsewang Norbu, Tau Rokje Lingpa, and others.

713
 The Hundred Tertons

During the twelfth cycle, the time of the Thirteenth Gyalwang

Karmapa Düdül Dorje and the Dalai Lama Jampal Gyamtso,
appeared Tekchen Drime Lingpa, Traktung Dechen Gyalpo,
the omniscient Jikme Lingpa, Dorje Drakpo, Mokdrup Namkha
Chöwang, and others.

During the thirteenth cycle appeared Kunzang Özer or Chime

Dorje, Draksum Dorje Tokme, Padma Chöjor Gyamtso, Lhading
Shapdrung Daway Özer, the lord of siddhas Kunzang Shenpen,
E Nering Chöje, and others.

During the fourteenth cycle, the time of the Fourteenth Gyalwang

Karmapa Tekchok Dorje, appeared Pawo Tsuklak Chögyal, the
Fourth Karma Chakme Rinpoche, Chögyal Dorje, the Fourth
Dzogchen Rinpoche, Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa, Chokgyur
Dechen Lingpa, and others.

The greatness of all of them is combined in our lord guru Padma

Ösal Dongak Lingpa, the possessor of the seven dispensations.
He is inconceivably wonderful. He has been praised in the vajra
prophecies of Guru Rinpoche as the single protector of Tibet
amid these terrible dregs of time when the asuras are active. He
is living and turning the dharmachakra in our present fifteenth

714
 The Hundred Tertons

cycle. I pray from the depths of my heart that he remain alive

for more than a hundred further years in the permanent, stable
vajra nature.

I have given a rough approximation of the sequence of these

tertöns’ appearance; I am unable to tell you their precise order.
Some, such as Ngödrup the Siddha and Nyida Sangye, had very
long lives. Thangtong Gyalpo, for example, lived through two
cycles and an additional five years. Some of them were born
and died and reborn once or even twice within the same cycle.
It also appears that many authentic tertöns have appeared at
the same time.

Because of the residue of their past karma tertöns have had vary-
ing degrees of control over their revelation of terma. Because
of other circumstances such as their varying degrees of training
in that life, better or worse temperament, and coarser or more
refined behavior, they have had varied success in establishing
the interdependence taught in their prophecies. This has led to
varying degrees of benefit for others.

However, any authentic tertön free from deceit is definitely a

holy being with powerful aspirations and training from previ-

715
 The Hundred Tertons

ous lives, all contact with whom will be beneficial. In Guru

Rinpoche’s vajra words:

Tertöns and their disciples who hold Padma’s lineage,

Even if they behave like dogs or pigs, are karmically
destined.
They are unlike ordinary people, superior to them.
There are hidden Buddhas everywhere.
Deceptive charlatans are great hypocrites.
Gold and clods of earth are not the same.

Generally, a tertön who reveals gurusadhana, Great Perfection

teachings, and Mahakarunikasadhana is called a great tertön; one
who reveals less than all three is called a minor tertön. However,
Ugyen Terdak Lingpa wrote:

A great tertön is one whose dharma includes everything a

single person needs to traverse the path to Buddhahood.
A minor tertön is one whose terma is limited to a few
sadhanas or magical applications.

All of the tertöns who have appeared among us have engaged

in a variety of means of taming beings through their activity,
principally through the dharma and samaya substances that they

716
 The Hundred Tertons

have revealed as terma. They have helped countless beings of all

classes, even dispelling immediate adversity and increasing the
wellbeing of animals. They have all protected beings from lower
states and samsara, and led them toward supreme liberation.
Some of them, because of the times in which they have lived,
have saved Tibet from invasion. They have all achieved great
activity, and have all been wonderfully kind. All of them have
arisen from the compassion of Guru Rinpoche, Tibet’s only
protector. He wrote:

To give inexhaustible dharma to future beings

Padma has filled existence with terma.
All who reveal it will be my emanations.
Their costume and conduct may vary.
The perception of those with faith will change upon a
single encounter,
But they will be difficult for others to judge.

The above is definitely true. It is therefore fitting to recollect in

your heart the unimaginably great kindness of Guru Rinpoche
and Yeshe Tsogyal; present them your life, body, possessions,
and virtues as clouds of offering; and diligently and constantly
pray to them, fulfilling their intentions.

717
 The Hundred Tertons

I have collected the complete teachings of the authentic ter-

töns who have appeared in Ngari in the west, in central Tibet
and Bhutan, and in all of eastern Tibet, and are known to holy
beings. Here, I have briefly related their lives. I dare to boast
that, due to the kindness of our lord guru the omniscient, great,
wondrous, emanated tertön Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa, what
I have compiled and written is authentic.

I have also heard that there have appeared many other people
called tertöns in remote places who have benefited beings with
various dharma teachings. Guru Rinpoche’s Buddha activity
is beyond near and far; it always arises in accordance with the
needs of disciples, and is beyond our apprehension. I therefore
have respect for and faith in them, although I have been unable
to include them here. Indeed, there is little need to do so. While
the deep and vast ocean of the pure amrita of the Sarma and
Nyingma dharma of kama and terma remains available to us, it
seems best not to quench our thirst in little pools.

Some, not only devoid of undefiled supercognition, even lack the

slightest pure generosity of dharma. Based on some vague visions
that are really obstacles on the path, and with the intention of
promoting themselves and denigrating their opponents, they

718
 The Hundred Tertons

seek to gain advantage by calling all who fail to bow to them

“emanations of Mara” and “purveyors of perverted dharma.” Such
persons are continually adding to their great burden of wrong
views and the rejection of dharma.

Worst of all, they subtly criticize and turn their backs on holy
beings whose powerful activity benefiting others is evident. Those
who follow such people are going against the four reliances and
are therefore not followers of our teacher, Buddha Shakyamuni.
The omniscient Buddha said:

Only I or someone like me can judge another.

Anyone else who does so will be diminished.

As people like the Buddha are rare in this world, do not become
attached to sourceless gossip. If you open wide the eyes of pure
perception you will avoid planting the seed of birth in Avicci and
will enter the good path of liberation. Even if a terma prophecy
is revealed without any selfish intent, its context and intention
must be verified without contradiction. Without distinguishing
between the indicative and the definitive, one should not one-
sidedly cling to the literal meaning of the words of prophecy.
One reason for this is that sometimes prophecies such as “this

719
 The Hundred Tertons

good or bad period will occur” may not be fulfilled because

circumstances have changed.

As for the future, it is certain that emanated tertöns will con-

tinue to appear. This is established both by vajra prophecy and
by manifest evidence. However, among the tertöns of the past,
only the three supreme nirmanakayas and some of the great
Lingpas have completely fulfilled their prophecies. As the future
will become progressively more and more degenerate, and as
beings’ merit will continue to diminish, it appears that perfect
interdependence will be difficult to create. Nevertheless, Guru
Rinpoche’s compassion and blessing will become progressively
speedier. Therefore, those who encounter profound terma: Do
not immediately lose yourselves to the maras of pride, conceit,
social compliance, and the eight worldly things. Follow the in-
structions about what to do and what not to do that have been
given with great kindness to his followers by Padmakara, our
wish-fulfilling jewel. Do not fall under the power of human failings
such as editing his advice, nonsensical thinking, thinking, “This
is enough,” or laziness. If you obey Guru Rinpoche’s commands,
vast benefit for yourself and others will occur spontaneously.

720
 The Hundred Tertons

My sources in writing this have included the biographies and

terma histories of the most famous tertöns, such as Nyang and
Guru Chöwang; old histories; many of the historical accounts
within the Nyingma kama; earlier and later indexes to the Ny-
ingma Tantras; especially, on the subject of terma, Dispelling the
Mind’s Darkness, the biography of Guru Rinpoche by Sokdokpa
Lodrö Gyaltsen; the Wish-Fulfilling Tree in Full Bloom, a history
of terma by Shazukpa Tashi Namgyal; a History of the Hundred
Tertöns by Zaplung Densapa Wangi Gyalpo; a Treasury of Jewels,
the dharma history by Yakde Düldzin Khyenrap Gyamtso; De-
light for the Wise, a history of Nyingma dharma by the supreme
scholar Ngawang Lodrö; the sections on the Nyingmapa in the
dharma histories by Gö Shönnu Pal the Translator and Pawo
Tsuklak Trengwa; the Supplication of the Hundred Tertöns by Jang-
dak Tashi Topgyal; the great Record of Dharma I Have Received
by the omniscient Fifth Dalai Lama; and the Record of Dharma
I Have Received by the great tertön of Mindröling.

I read all of the above carefully, and consulted our lord guru,
the omniscient holder of the seven dispensations Padma Ösal
Dongak Lingpa, whenever there appeared to be omissions or
the meaning was unclear. With his stainless eyes of dharma

721
 The Hundred Tertons

and his wondrous wisdom beyond delusion he clarified all such

instances. Therefore, although this book is brief, it is ultimately
superior to all previous histories of terma.

Om Svasti Siddhi!
Your vajra body fills all space. Your form appears before
each being you tame.
Your inexpressible speech, profound and secret, is heard
in every tongue there is.
Your unimaginably luminous mind pervades the still, the
moving, existence, and peace.
Mahasukha, splendor of the hundred families, bless us
with goodness
In the beginning, middle, and end.

This coffer of jewels, the Treasury of Terma which frees in

all four ways,
With its vajra seals well-broken,
Will dispel poverty now and forever
In all parts of this snowy land.

Wondrous, passed from one to another,

722
 The Hundred Tertons

The wondrous liberation of these protectors of decadent

beings
Is like a mala of jewels, a source of all one wants.

Fortunate, intelligent followers of Padma:

Enjoy this brief yet deep account of the greatest siddhas,
The tertöns who’ve come among us over time.
Wear at your throats this beautiful
String of stainless beryls.

Just as a pleasant, colorful lotus garden

Blooms in summer’s glory,
These clouds of emanated vidyadharas
Have arisen in the wisdom sky of All-Good Padma.

In ultimate space there is neither one nor many.

In accord with disciples’ needs they appear.
The wise who understand this secret
Are freed from thoughts of better and worse.

From this seed may a million branches of good teaching

Bloom as a new wish-fulfilling tree.
May all beings rest in its shade with trusting faith.
May the painful heat of existence be cooled forever.

723
 The Hundred Tertons

May the teaching of profound terma cover the earth.

May this profound, secret amrita, with splendid,
unmistaken blessing
Unsullied by the water of sophists
Remain forever, and never dwindle.

May the wishes of past vidyadharas be fulfilled.

May those now here live long and achieve their aims.
May those in the future, unhindered, perfectly
accomplish the two goals.
May Padma’s teaching, their source, flourish.

May I be accepted by Guru Rinpoche in every life.

With peerless wisdom, love, and power
May I bring all beings throughout space together
To the city of supreme, secret liberation.

Finally, may we achieve the same three secrets

As Padma the Holder of All.
May we emanate boundless clouds of bodies and realms,
Accomplishing the inconceivable deeds of a Buddha.

May all the perfect virtue in existence or peace be

gathered as one

724
 The Hundred Tertons

As a right-turning conch of dharma, the emblem of

virtue.
May its sound be heard by all the ears in the universe.
May its melody fill all worlds forever.

I have written this brief history to explain the origin of the Great
Treasury of Precious Terma, which contains the most important
profound, secret, vajra speech of the lord among victors Padma-
kara, the single, glorious protector of all Tibet. It was written by
one who was accepted by Vajradhara bearing the name Padma,
by the all-seeing Gyurme Tendzin Pelgye, and by many other
holy masters of the Sarma and Nyingma traditions; one who,
especially relying upon the kindness of the great tertön, our om-
niscient guru Dorje Ziji Tsal, has heard many sutras, tantras, and
scientific treatises; one whose pure perception of all traditions is
expansive; one with only the appearance of a renunciate named
Karma Ngawang Yönten Gyamtso Lodrö Taye, also called the
vidyadhara Padma Garwang Trinley Drodül Tsal. It was written
with great faith, devotion, and effort. May it cause me and all
beings to become fit to receive Guru Rinpoche’s blessing. May
it cause the terma teachings to spread throughout the world and
last forever. May virtue and goodness increase!

725
 Alphabetical list of the Hundred Tertöns

Acharya Yeshe Yang, The

Ajo Palpo

Atisha

Bakhal Mukpo

Balpo Ah Hum Bar

Bay Gyalway Lodrö

Bhikshu Namkhay Nyingpo, The

Bhuprana

Bodong Sangye Gönpo

Bönpo Draktsal

Chak Jangchup Lingpa

Chetsün Senge Wangchuk

Chögyal Dorje

726
 The Hundred Tertons

Chokden Dorje

Chokden Gönpo

Chokgyur Lingpa

Chupa Tokden

Dangma Lhungyal

Dawa Gyaltsen

Dechen Lingpa

Denma Tsemang

Dhatishvari Mandarava

Doben Gyamtso

Dorbum Chökyi Drakpa

Dorje Drakpo

Dorje Lingpa

Dorje Tokme

Dragom Chödor

727
 The Hundred Tertons

Drangti Gyalnye Kharbu

Drapa Ngönshe

Drenpa Namkha

Drikung Shapdrung Könchok Rinchen

Drikungpa Chökyi Drakpa

Drime Kunga

Drime Lhunpo

Drime Lingpa

Drodül Letro Lingpa

Drokmi Palgyi Yeshe

Drugu Yangwang

Drukpa Kagyu Wrathful Kilaya, The

Drum and Karnak

Düdül Dorje

Düdül Lingpa

728
 The Hundred Tertons

Dugu Rinchen Senge

Earlier Dungtso Repa, The

Eighth Pawo Rinpoche, The

Fifth Dalai Lama, The

Fortunate Child, The

Four Assistants, The

Fourth Chakme Rinpoche, The

Garwang Chime Dorje

Garwang Dawa Gyaltsen

Garwang Letro Lingpa

Geshe Dranga Dorje Kundrak

Gönpo Rinchen

Great Tertön of Mindröling, The

Great Translator Kawa Paltsek, The

Great Translator Vairochana, The

729
 The Hundred Tertons

Great Vidyadhara of Ngari, The

Guru Chökyi Wangchuk

Guru Humbar

Guru Jotsay

Gya Purbu

Gya Shangtrom Dorje Öbar

Gya the Translator

Gyaben Dorje Ö

Gyalmo Yudra Nyingpo

Gyalsay Lekpa

Gyalwa Chokyang

Gyatön Tsöndru Senge

Jampal Dorje

Jatsön Mebar

Jatsön Nyingpo

730
 The Hundred Tertons

Jikme Trinley Özer

Jomo Menmo

Kalden Dorje

Karma Chakme

Karma Guru

Karma Lingpa

Khampa Rinpoche

Kharchen Palgyi Wangchuk

Khyentse Wangchuk Dongak Lingpa

Khyungdrak Dorje

Khyungpo Palge

King Trisong Detsen

Kuchok the Actionless

Kunga Bum

Kunga Paljor

731
 The Hundred Tertons

Kunzang Dechen Gyalpo

Kunzang Ngedön Wangpo

Kusa the Physician

Kyergangpa

Lang Palgyi Senge

Langdro Könchok Jungne

Lasum Gyalwa Jangchub

Later Dungtso Repa, The

Latö Marpo

Lekyi Dorje

Lhabum the Bönpo

Lhalung Palgyi Dorje

Lharjey Nupchung

Lhatsün Jangchup Ö

Lhatsün Namkha Jikme

732
 The Hundred Tertons

Lhatsün Ngönmo

Longchenpa

Longsal Nyingpo

Ma Rinchen Chok

Mahasiddha Kyeuchung Lotsa, The

Mahasiddha Sokpo Lhapa, The

Mamaki Shakyadevi of Nepal

Mantradharin Letro Lingpa, The

Mantradharin Shakya Zangpo, The

Matiratna

Meben Rinchen Lingpa

Melong Dorje

Mingyur Letro Lingpa

Mingyur Namkhay Dorje

Namchak Mebar

733
 The Hundred Tertons

Namchö Mingyur Dorje

Nanam Dorje Düdjom

Nanam Yeshe De

Nanampa

Ngaki Wangpo

Ngawang Dorje

Ngödrup Gyaltsen, the Vidyadhara Vulture Feathers

Ngödrup the Siddha

Nirmanakaya Ugyen Lingpa, The

Nupchen Sangye Yeshe

Nyalpa Nyima Sherap

Nyalpo Josay

Nyangral Nyima Özer

Nyemo Shuyay

Nyen the Translator

734
 The Hundred Tertons

Nyida Sangye

Nyima Drakpa

Nyima Senge

Odren Palgyi Wangchuk

Omniscient Jikme Lingpa, The

Omniscient Longchenpa, The

Padma Chögyal

Padma Chöjor Gyamtso

Padma Dechen Lingpa

Padma Gyepa

Padma Kunkyong Lingpa

Padma Ledrel Tsal

Padma Lingpa

Padma Nyinje Wangpo

Padma Ösal Dongak Lingpa

735
 The Hundred Tertons

Padma Rikdzin

Padma Wangchuk

Padma Wangyal Dorje

Palden Dorje

Palden Jamyang Lama

Palgyi Gyaltsen of Langlo

Pandaravasini Kalasiddhi

Physician from E in Jarong, The

Pönsey Khyungtok

Prince Mekhyil

Rakshi the Teacher

Ramo Shelmen

Rangdröl Tingdzin Gyalpo

Rangjung Dorje

Rashak the Great

736
 The Hundred Tertons

Ratna Lingpa

Ratön Topden Dorje

Rechen Paljor Zangpo

Rechungpa

Rokje Lingpa

Rölpe Dorje

Rongzom Chökyi Zangpo

Samayatara Tashi Khyidren of Bhutan

Samten Dechen Lingpa

Samten Lingpa

Sangdak Trinley Lhundrup

Sangye Bar

Sangye Lama

Sangye Lingpa

Sangye Wangchen

737
 The Hundred Tertons

Sarben Chokme

Setön Ringmo

Shakya Ö the Teacher from Uru

Shakya Zangpo

Shakyashri

Shami Dorgyal

Shangtsün Tarma Rinchen

Sherab Mebar

Sherap Özer

Shikpo Lingpa

Shrivanaratna

Shubu Palgyi Senge

Sumpa Jangchup Lodrö

Taklungpa Sangye Wönpo

Tashi Gyamtso

738
 The Hundred Tertons

Tashi Tseten

Tendzin Norbu

Thangtong Gyalpo

Three Tertöns

Tongwa Dönden

Translator Nyak Jnanakumara, The

Trophu the Translator

Tsangring Sherap

Tsasum Terdak Lingpa

Tsering Dorje

Tseten Gyaltsen

Tsewang Mingyur Dorje

Tsewang Norbu

Tsuklak Palge

Tukchok Dorje

739
 The Hundred Tertons

Ugyen Tenyi Lingpa

Ugyen Zangpo

Vajramati

Wönsay Khyungtok

Yakchar Ngönmo

Yeben Yabön

Yeshe Tsogyal, the Emanation of Sarasvati

Yongdzin Ngawang Drakpa

Yongey Mingyur Dorje

Yutok Yönten Gönpo

Zangpo Dorje

Zangpo Drakpa

Zangri Repa

740
 KTD Publications
Gathering the garlands of the gurus’ precious teachings

KTD Publications, a part of Karma Triyana Dharmachakra,

is a not-for-profit publisher established with the purpose of
facilitating the projects and activities manifesting from His
Holiness Karmapa’s inspiration and blessings. We are dedicated
to gathering the garlands of precious teachings and producing
fine-quality books.

We invite you to join KTD Publications in facilitating the

activities of His Holiness Karmapa and fulfilling the wishes
of Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche and Bardor Tulku Rinpoche. If
you would like to sponsor a book or make a donation to KTD
Publications, please contact us using the information below. All
contributions are tax deductible.

KTD Publications
335 Meads Mountain Road, Woodstock, NY 12498, USA
Telephone: +1 845 679 5906 ext. 1050
[Link]
May All Beings Be Happy