Kongtruls Jonangpa Connections
Published by Michael Sheehy on 25 Mar 2009
By Michael R. Sheehy
One of the most fascinating figures in Tibetan history, Jam mgon Kong sprul blo gros mtha yas (1813-1899) is also one of the most studied Tibetan masters. In addition to several articles on his life and works, numerous volumes of his writings and compendiums have now been translated into English and other European languages, including his autobiography, A Gem of Many Colors (Snow Lion, 2003). Though his works are well known and he is often considered a reviver of Tibetan traditions including the Jonang, his connections with Jonangpa masters have not been made explicit. In order to reveal some of these connections, I recently started to sift through his record of received transmissions (gsan yig), and I thought to jot a few notes here.
Along with his friend and mentor Jam dbyangs Mkhyen brtsei dbang po (1820-1892), Kong sprul is best known as the progenitor of the Rimè project, an intellectual movement that sought to consolidate the living instruction lineages of Buddhism in Tibet in order to emphasize eclecticism and preserve these instructions for future generations. Together with the visionary Mchog gyur Bde chen gling pa (1829-1870), these three are credited with bringing forth a revival of Buddhist culture in Kham during the late nineteenth century. Among the many transmissions that Kong sprul received from Jam dbyangs Mkhyen brtse including the One Hundred and Eight Instructions of the Jonang, it is worth noting that several were passed to Mkhyen brtse from the Zhalu master Blo gsal bstan skyong (b. 1804). This is particularly relevant because it was Blo gsal bstan skyong who facilitated the re-opening of the printing house at Rtag brtan phun tshogs gling Monastery after it was sealed for over two centuries, allowing the works of T?ran?tha and other Jonangpa masters to be printed again in Central Tibet.
In his record, compiled by Bkra shis chos phel in two volumes, it states that Kong sprul received the lineage of reading transmissions (lung) of Dol po pas works from Karma Bstan pa gsal byed. Though I have yet to indentify this lama, it seems as though it was not Ngag dbang Bstan pa gsal byed who was the sixth vajra-master of Gtsang chen Monastery in Dzam thang since he was not born until 1878. Regardless, Kong spruls record then identifies the previous masters in this lineage as being Mi pham Phrin las rab brtan who received the transmission from Lama Bsod nams chos grags who in turn received it from Ngag dbang chos ‘phel.
Though the lineage continues to be traced back to Dol po pa sequentially, I want to pause on Ngag dbang chos phel (1788-1865). Ngag dbang chos phel was the inheritor of the seat at Jonang Gtsang ba Monastery and was its first vajra-master, several generations after it was established. In the year 1848, Kong sprul traveled to Dzam thang in order to receive transmissions from this master. Among these were the transmissions for the sixfold vajrayoga of the K?lachakra according to the Jonang tradition, instructions on gzhan stong, and a cycle of teachings on gcod. Kong sprul also recounts in his biography having received instructions from other masters at Dzam thang on how to conduct a personal retreat according to the oral tradition of Vajrabhairava, though he does not list their names.
Returning to Kong spruls record, it then goes on to list the lineage from which he received transmission for the works of T?ran?tha. Following the line from T?ran?thas disciple Ye shes rgya mtsho this lineage then passes on through Karma Od gsal gyur med from whom Kong sprul received this transmission. Karma Od gsal gyur med was a student of Karma Ratna and is also referred to as Lama Mgon po tshe dbang. According to the history of the Jonangpa, he met Kong sprul on his way to Rgyal rong as he was traveling from Dzam thang, and it appears as if he conferred numerous transmissions upon Kong sprul during their time together.
Adjacent to this lineage, Kong spruls record lists an alternative lineage of transmission for his reception of the works of T?ran?tha, starting with T?ran?thas disciple Rin chen rgya mtsho, and then passing through the master from KaH thog Monastery Rig dzin Tshe dbang nor bu (1698-1755) several generations later, then being passed to Kon sprul from Karma Tshe dbang kun khyab. This was Zur mang Tshe dbang kun khyab, a main disciple of Si tu Pa?chen Chos kyi byung gnas (1700-1774) who was also a lineage-holder of numerous Jonang transmissions and someone who seems to have played a pivotal role in the intersections of these lineages.
Its important to keep in mind that a generation before Kong sprul and his colleagues set the Rimè movement in motion, in those same regions of Kham, the scholar Rig dzin Tshe dbang nor bu and his close friend the polymath Si tu Pa?chen were also active in restoring the diversity of scholastic and artistic traditions to Tibetan intellectual life. Interesting enough, the lineage relationships forged by Tshe dbang nor bu and Si tu Pa?chen are often considered precursors to Kong spruls Rimè approach, and in many ways, their activities were a catalyst for Rimè eclecticism. All three of these figures are known to have received Jonang transmissions, each are portrayed as a reviver of the Jonangpa, and both Si tu Pa?chen and Kong sprul considered themselves rebirths of T?ran?tha. Though the intricate relationships between each of these masters and their Jonang teachers is a topic beyond the scope of this short blog post (and a topic that Im exploring elsewhere), I wanted to bring attention to the lives of Tshe dbang nor bu and Si tu Pa?chen in establishing the formation of these historic relations and the unfolding of this interlineal narrative.
It is well known that Kong sprul appropriated a certain brand of gzhan stong in his own writings, that he edited and re-compiled several of the works of T?ran?tha on the K?lachakra and other tantric systems, that his famous Treasury of Spiritual Advice (Gdams ngag mdzod) was inspired by the One Hundred and Eight Instructions of the Jonang preserved by the Jonang master Kun dga grol mchog (1507-1566), and that he even considered himself an inheritor of T?ran?thas reincarnation line. With these influences in mind, and Kong spruls emulation of Kun dga grol mchogs and T?ran?thas vision of synthesis, the pattern of these lineage crossings is important for understanding both modern Jonang history and the Rimè project as a whole. Though this is all very terse at this point, and is a topic that Ill continue to elaborate on, these were a few of the major lines that were drawn between Jam mgon Kong sprul and his Jonangpa connections.
This also appears on the Jonangpa.com blog.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.