The Golden Rosary English

8/12/2019 The Golden Rosary English

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The Golden Garland of Karma KagyuThe Golden Garland of Karma KagyuThe Golden Garland of Karma KagyuThe Golden Garland of Karma Kagyudddd LineageLineageLineageLineage

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ForewordForewordForewordForeword

The life stories of Lords Marpa and Milarepa portray exemplary qualities

of perseverance in the search and practice of the Dharma that cumulated

in their perfect realization of the ultimate truth. The two great masters and

all the great forefathers in the Kagyud Lineage had inspired and guided

many outstanding disciples to enlightenment and caused the spread and

preservation of the glorious teachings of the Buddha, thus continuously

benefiting innumerable sentient beings.

The anniversaries of Lords Marpa and Milarepa are well celebrated in

Tibet, India and Nepal but this is the first time that KKBC Singapore is

celebrating the anniversaries. The celebration heightens awareness of the

Kagyud Lineage and causes recollection of the exemplary works of the

two great masters. They are a great inspiration for all to practice the path

of liberation, and showed it was possible to accomplish enlightenment in

one lifetime.

The management committee has organized some activities to

commemorate this auspicious occasion. Our Dharma Sister Qwee Lan

and her team have compiled and made this booklet available, so as tobenefit those who wish to know more about the lineage. I rejoice in this

wonderful effort and celebration, and wish all members and devotees

happiness and success in their dharma practice and works.

Shangpa Rinpoche

Abbot, KKBC Singapore.


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ContentsContentsContentsContents

Foreword 1

List of Illustrations 3

Preface 4

Brief Historical Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism 7

Introduction to the Kagyud Tradition and the 14

Karma Kagyud Lineage

The Golden Garland of Karma Kagyud Lineage 23

Acknowledgement 25

Dedication 26


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List of IllustrationsList of IllustrationsList of IllustrationsList of Illustrations

Buddha Shakyamuni 6

Buddha Vajradhara 12

The Karma Kagyud Lineage 20

The Line of Karmapas 21

His Holiness the 17

th

Gyalwa Karmapa 22

Photographs of flowers by Shangpa Rinpoche


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PrefacePrefacePrefacePreface

The anniversaries of Lotsawa Marpa and Lord Milarepa, our two

prominent lineage forefathers, fall on the 14th and 15th of the Lunar New

Year respectively. Karma Kagyud Buddhist Centre (KKBC) is holding a

grand celebration to commemorate their great spiritual accomplishments

and activities, as well as to recollect their love and compassion towards all

sentient beings.

The precious Karma Kagyud lineage is well known for its Meditation and

Guru Devotion practice. The precious lineage is unbroken from the source

of Buddha Vajradhara till today and its great blessings field is still vividly

alive through all the compassionate lineage masters. Due to their great

blessings, they are also notable as the golden garland of the precious

lineage.

When pure and sincere devotional faith arises from the practitioner

towards his/her guru, the stream of blessings from the golden garland

lineage masters will inevitably flow, like the snow on the mountain peak

being warmed and melted by the blazing sun. As such, simply by

recollecting and praying to them one-pointedly with unwavering faith and

devotion, we will certainly receive their compassionate blessings, which

flow timelessly and boundlessly for the benefit of all sentient beings.

In conjunction with this affectionate and inspirational moment, we

sincerely present and dedicate this short introductory text of The Golden

Garland of Karma Kagyud Lineage to all our peerless lineage gurus.


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May all sentient beings always be embraced by the warm blessings of the

golden lineage. May all who come into contact with this text be inspired by

the precious lineage, effortlessly attain the worldly accomplishments and

great bliss of supreme Mahamudra, for the benefit of all sentient beings.

Sadhu!

KKBC Management, Feb 2010.


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Buddha Shakyamuni


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Brief Introduction to TibetanBrief Introduction to TibetanBrief Introduction to TibetanBrief Introduction to Tibetan

BuddhismBuddhismBuddhismBuddhism

In order to benefit all sentient beings, after he attained enlightenment and

until his Parinirvana, the historical Buddha Shakyamuni compassionately

turned the wheel of Dharma and expounded numerous teachings. In order

to accommodate the different temperaments and intellectual capacities of

his disciples, he extensively and skillfully gave teachings openly to vast

assemblies, small groups, as well as private teachings to individuals.

His First Sermon explained the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eight-

Fold Path which laid the ground of all spiritual development. This first

teaching was given to the common beings and it attracted a vast

assembly. His Second Sermon emphasized more on Emptiness andcompassion. This teaching was given to the Bodhisattvas. The Third

Sermon, a more elaborate teaching, with emphasis on Buddha nature,

was given to the Bodhisattvas who have sharp intellect and were capable

of understanding the Ultimate Truth.

Altogether, there are 84,000 heaps of teachings from his discourses; eachof them serves as an antidote accordingly to our 84,000 defilements. It is

said that 21,000 heaps of them are antidotes for the defilements of

attachment, 21,000 heaps for the defilements of hatred, 21,000 heaps for

the defilements of ignorance, and 21,000 heaps for the defilements of

attachment, hatred and ignorance together.


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However, all these teachings are also broadly classified into 3 categories,

namely, 1) Theravada School, the teachings which emphasized on moral

discipline and ethics and the Mahayana School, comprising of 2)

Sutrayana teachings and 3) Tantrayana teachings. Sutrayana is a gradual

path to perfect the causes of enlightenment. Its teachings focus on the

practices of the six perfections, compassion and loving kindness towards

all sentient beings. It is also known as the causal path and could take as

long as three great eons to attain enlightenment. Tantrayana also known

as Vajrayana or Secret Mantrayana, elaborates on the ultimate truth and

has the quality of bountiful profound methods. Under the skillful guidance

of an authentic teacher with pure lineage, the Vajrayana practitioners on

the path of practice skillfully engage the profound methods and attain the

fruition of enlightenment. Thus it is also known as the path of result. It also

has the unique qualities of effortlessness and swiftness which means that

practitioners can attain the supreme enlightenment effortlessly within a

short period of time, even as short as within ones lifetime, as compared to

Sutrayana.

To be able to learn and practice this kind of profound teachings, three

conditions have to be present: the disciple must be of sharp intellect, the

master must be a skillful enlightened being, and the teachings must beintroduced according to each disciples level of acceptance. Among the

followers of Mahayana, Lord Buddha taught the Vajrayana teachings to

only a handful of people who possessed the special qualities of the

Vajrayana vessel. Basically, Vajrayana emphasizes individual practice;

therefore it is not communal to everyone. Nonetheless, Lord Buddha

prophesized that many other enlightened noble beings would appear inthis world and widely spread the Vajrayana teachings.


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Therefore, it is without dispute that Vajrayana is an authentic Buddhist

teaching, which is no different from the other two schools, even though it

was not openly taught by the Buddha and it is less well known by the vast

congregates. Although the source of Vajrayana originally sprung from the

noble land of India, the continuation of its lineage is no longer in India.

Authentic Vajrayana practice can only be found in Tibetan Buddhism

today.

The teaching lineage preserved in the Tibetan Buddhism, is an

exceedingly rich and profound literature of 102 volumes Kangyur Texts,

written in Sanskrit. It consists of 40 volumes on Sutra; 31 volumes on

Sutrayana and 31 volumes on Vajrayana. All these scriptures were

directly expounded by the Buddha himself. They are categorized into 3

divisions, known as Tripitaka or Three Baskets, encompassing Vinaya,

which are teachings on moral discipline and ethics; the Sutras, which are

the discourses given by Buddha on the teachings of developing the

meditative concentration, and the Abhidharma (literally meaning flowing

into the direction of reality), which consists of teachings on the

discussions of Buddhist philosophy or metaphysics, for the development

of ultimate wisdom.

Based on the teachings of the Kangyur texts, great masters and scholars

composed extensive commentaries, in the aim to elucidate the essence of

the teachings so as to facilitate a translucent understanding for future

generations. All these commentaries as well as lots of other important

Buddhist works were collected and organized into more than 200 volumes

of Tengyur Texts. Apart from these, great volumes of literatures byrenowned Tibetan masters on teachings of Vajrayana as well as other


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teachings transmitted from India, and thousands of commentaries that are

based on these teachings still remain intact. The entire teachings were

precisely translated into Tibetan by all great Tibetan and Indian masters.

Due to the contribution of their commendable and selfless efforts,

Buddhism spread widely throughout the land of Tibet and flourished until

the 20th century.

The lineage of Tibetan Buddhism could be traced back to as early as the

seventh century during the time of Tibetan king Songtsen Gampo.

However, it only began to flourish in the 8th century when the King

Trisong Detsen, who is believed to be the manifestation of Manjushree,

invited the India sages Padmasambhava and Shantarakshita to Tibet. Out

of his utterly devoted heart towards the Dharma, he commanded many

important texts to be translated into Tibetan. Teachings in this period are

mainly known as the Nyingma Tradition or Old Tradition.

However, this fortunate joyful era was later nearly devastated by an anti-

Buddhist Tibetan King, Lang Dharma. After his period of ruling and in the

11th century, a new system of Buddhist classification was introduced and

new traditions known as the Sarma traditions were established during this

period. It was during this period that the shoots of Tibetan Buddhismstarted to sprout again. Kagyud, Sakya, and Gelug belong to the new

traditions. All schools and lineages of Tibetan Buddhism shared the

common lineage of the Pratimoksha Vows according to Sarwastivadi (Tib:

Zhi Tham Ched Yod Par Ma Wa) and Sthavirvadi (Tib: Ne Den De Pa), as

well as the Bodhisattva Vows.


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For centuries, these teachings have streamed down from generation to

generation, through the qualified masters of the individual lineages to their

worthy disciples. These arrays of lineage masters were not just simply

scholarly but were fully realized individuals who had personally practiced

and mastered the teachings that they had received from their masters.

Therefore, authentic transmission of the lineages is being preserved and

undistorted.

Light-rays spread out in multi-folds of directions and they may transform

due to different conditions. Nonetheless the main source of light is none

other than the brilliant sun itself. Likewise, it may seem that there are

diversities of schools and lineages while in actual fact they are no different

from the compassionate and skilful displays of the Lord Buddha.


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Buddha Vajradhara


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Introduction toIntroduction toIntroduction toIntroduction to thethethethe KagyudKagyudKagyudKagyud

Tradition andTradition andTradition andTradition and thethethethe Karma KagyudKarma KagyudKarma KagyudKarma Kagyud

LineageLineageLineageLineage

Karma Kagyud is one of the four major lineages of the Kagyud tradition,

founded by Dusum Khyenpa, the first Karmapa (see Lineage Tree of

Kagyudpa on pg 13)

Ka literally means command, i.e. the supreme speech or teachings

expounded by Lord Buddha. Gyud refers to the continuation of the

transmission. Therefore, Kagyud is the precious lineage of teachings with

a continuous flow of pure transmission that originates from Lord Buddha

Vajradhara and which leads to enlightenment.

When the ultimate fruition of enlightenment is completely attained, the

three Kayas of Buddhahood, namely Nirmanakaya, Sambhogakaya and

Dharmakaya, are spontaneously manifested for the benefit of self and all

beings.

Dharmakaya is the emptiness aspect of Buddhahood, an all-pervading

absolute sphere, transformed from the enlightened mind. In other words,the ultimate aspect of Buddhahood is Dharmakaya.

Sambhogakaya is the Body of Perfect Enjoyment, transformed from the

enlightened speech. It is the spontaneously clear and luminous aspect of

Buddhahood, such as Buddha Vajradhara, only perceptible to the highly

realized great Bodhisattvas.


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Nirmanakaya is the Body of Manifestation, transformed from the

enlightened body, which is the compassionate aspect of Buddhahood,

such as Buddha Shakyamuni who benefits sentient beings.

Together, Sambhogakaya and Nirmanakaya are known as Rupakaya, i.e.

form bodies stirred by great compassion and manifested from the

Dharmakaya aspect, solely for the benefit of all sentient beings.

Thus, the ultimate aspect of Buddha Vajradhara is the Dharmakaya and it

is the embodiment of enlightenment. Vajra means indestructible and it

signifies the state of realization and enlightenment is indestructible.

Dhara means to hold, it symbolizes the holder of Omniscience and

Victory. Thus, Buddha Vajradhara himself is the omniscient and glorious

victorious one adorned with the supreme ornament of indestructible

enlightenment. Buddha Vajradhara abides in the Akanishta Buddha field,

where the Sambhogakaya forms of Buddhas are residing, along with great

bodhisattvas who are at the level of the Tenth Bhumi. Akanishta means

the Densely Adorned Heaven Beneath None. (Ogmin Tukpo Kodpa).

As such, the lineage of Kagyudpa is extremely precious and profound in

that it directly tracks down from Buddha Vajradhara.

The Kagyudpa very first glorious forefather, the great yogi Tilopa, who

resided in Northern India around the 10th century A.D., received the

profound teachings of Mahamudra directly from Buddha Vajradhara and

attained the supreme realization of Mahamudra.


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In fact, above the crown of Tilopa, wonderfully flows two source-streams

of lineages; one is the near lineage and another one the far lineage. For

the near lineage, Tilopa did not depend on any human masters but

directly received the transmission from Buddha Vajradhara. Tilopa himself

also said, I, Tilopa, do not have any human Guru as my Guru is the

Omniscient One. From the stream of the far lineage, flows the

transmissions of the Gurus. There are four commands of transmissions

which Tilopa received, and the Karma Kagyud Lineage is still devotedly

persevering and reverently upholding the entire teachings till today.

The four transmissions are classified according to the four directions of

India. These directions mainly referred to the directions of areas where

the masters resided around, or dwelled at the time while giving teachings.

There are different historical accounts, with slight differences, on the

masters of the four direction transmissions.

According to the view of the 3rd Karmapa, Rangjung Dorje, the southern

transmission came from Nagarjuna, Aryadeva, Chandrakirti and Matangi;

the western transmission came from Dombipa, Vinapa, Lavapa and

Indrabhuti; the northern transmission came from Luyipa, Dengipa,

Darikapa, Dakini Sukhadhari and the eastern transmission came fromDakini Sukhasiddhi, Thanglopa, Shinglopa, Karnaripa.

According to the view of Pawo Tsuklak Trengwa, the eastern transmission

came from Saraha, Nagarjuna, Aryadeva, Chandrakirti and Matangi; the

southern transmission came from Luyipa, Dengipa, Darikapa, Dakini

Sukhadhari; the western transmission came from Dombipa, Vinasa,


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Lavapa, Indrabhuti and the northen transmission came from Sumati,

Thanglopa, Shinglopa, Karsharipa, Dzalendharapa and Charyapa.

Tilopa also mentioned, My four transmissions gurus are Nagarjuna,

Charyapa, Lavapa and Dakini Kalwa Zangmo. He received Inner Heat or

Chandali from Charyapa; Physics and Illusory Body from Nagarjuna,

Dream Yoga from Lavapa, and Bardo and Phowa from Dakini

Sukhasiddhi or Kalwa Zangmo.

The transmissions were originally conferred by Buddha Vajradhara to

Vajrapani and the assembly of the great bodhisattvas and from there,

subsequently, the lineage of transmissions streamed down to four

transmissions.

Tilopa received the four special transmissions (Tib.: Ka-Bab-Zhi) from four

great masters, mastered them skillfully, at one time or another. He then

transmitted them entirely to his devoted disciple, Naropa (1016-1100),

who had gone through twelve major and twelve minor hardships while

serving Tilopa wholeheartedly. In order to benefit those fortunate and

worthy ones, Naropa had further systematized these teachings into six

aspects of Yoga. It is later known as the Six Yogas of Naropa, the hearttheme of the teachings of the Kagyud Lineage.

Naropa transmitted the entire teachings of his lineage to Marpa (1012-

1097), the great translator, a passionate dharma seeker who disregarded

all difficulties and risked his life to journey from Tibet to India several times,

for the sake of receiving instructions, and to spread the teachings of theDharma in the great snow land. Marpa also received teachings from other


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gurus, such as Maitripa, who was also another main guru of his,

Kukkuripa, Jnanagarbha and so forth. Marpa cherished the teachings

dearly and after years of the tests, he handed down the transmissions to

his prophesied and exemplary disciple, Milarepa.

Milarepa (1052-1135), the extremely renowned great yogi, through his

perseverance in the practice of Mahamudra and the Six Yogas of Naropa,

achieved profound realization of the ultimate nature of reality. His early

years were no more than a series of sorrowful experiences, emblazoned

by the samsaric nature of impermanence and sufferings, until he met

Marpa, his Guru of affinity. Under the compassionate and skillful guidance

of Marpa, he suffered years of testing and went through extreme hardship,

which pained and wearied not only his physical body, but also saddened

his heart deeply.When the time had finally ripened, Marpa bestowed him

the full transmission. Milarepa displayed great perseverance and

dedication in his Dharma practices. In return, his diligence and endurance

earned him the supreme fruition.

Gampopa (1079-1153), the physician from Dagpo, was the foremost sun-

like disciple of Milarepa and received the full transmissions from Milarepa.

He renounced from the suffering worldly life after the death of his two

young children and early death of his wife, and dedicated the rest of his

life to Dharma practice and teachings. He skillfully merged the two

streams of teachings of Kadampa and Mahamudra from Milarepa into one.

He was the one who established the monastic system in the Kagyud

lineage.


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Four of his eminent disciples founded the four major Kagyud schools.

Barom Dharma Wangchuk, founded the Barom Kagyud; Phagmo Drupa

Dorje Gyalpo established the Phagdru Kagyud; Shang Tsalpa Tsondru

Drag set up the Tsalpa Kagyud and Dusum Khyenpa, the 1st Karmapa,

started the Kamtsang Kagyud, known now as Karma Kagyud. Today, of

the four major Kagyud schools, only Karma Kagyud remains more active

and continues its flow of lineage.

Subsequently, the four major Kagyud schools also stemmed into eight

minor Kagyud schools, started by their disciples. The eight lineages are

the Taglung Kagyud, Trophu Kagyud, Drukpa Kagyud, Martsang Kagyud,

Yerpa Kagyud, Yazang Kagyud, Shugseb Kagyud and Drikung Kagyud.

Today, only the lineages of Taglung, Drukpa and Drikung Kagyud are still

being preserved and practiced.

The prime difference of the major and minor lineages lies in their

originations, the four major lineages were directly originated from

Gampopa himself and the eight minor lineages were founded later by

accomplished masters belonging to a later generation.

The terms of reference to the various lineages of the Kagyud tradition asbeing Major and Minor do not refer to the aspect of instructions, nor to the

methods of practice or ranking. All the lineages are treated and perceived

equally and accorded with the same amount of respect.


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Karma Kagyud Lineage


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The Line of Karmapas

(From Left to Right, Top to Bottom: Dusum Khyenpa, Karma Pakshi,Rangjung Dorje, Rolpei Dorje, Dezhin Shegpa, Thongwa Donden,

Chodrag Gyatso, Mikyo Dorje, Wangchug Dorje, Choying Dorje,Yeshe Dorje, Jangchub Dorje, Dudul Dorje, Thegchog Dorje, KhakhyabDorje, Rangjung Rigpei Dorje.)


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The Line of Karmapas

His Holiness the 17thGyalwa Karmapa,

Trinley Thaye Dorje


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The Golden Garland of KarmaThe Golden Garland of KarmaThe Golden Garland of KarmaThe Golden Garland of Karma

KagyuKagyuKagyuKagyudddd lineagelineagelineagelineage

The Karma Kagyud Lineage was founded by Dusum Khyenpa, the first

Karmapa, based on the transmissions of Gampopa. It is a lineage

distinguished by its practical meditation and Guru devotion. All precious

teachings of the lineage are being devotedly treasured; lineage

transmission is very much emphasized to ensure the genuine flow of

Dharma wisdom.

The teachings and methods of the lineage are being passed on from

generation to generation, through selected qualified masters. These

lineage masters are fully realized individuals who had attained liberation

through their practice. Based on the transmission and instructions

received from their masters, they practiced, realized deeply from withinand attained the supreme fruition of enlightenment. All teachings they had

received were being transmitted into their hearts, and are not merely

superficial knowledge.

"The Golden Garland" refers to the lineage masters who are holders of the

lineage. The golden garland of Karma Kagyud starts with BuddhaVajradhara, and continues with Tilopa, Naropa, Marpa, Milarepa,

Gampopa and the successive reincarnations of the Karmapas as well as

their main students who pass on the transmissions.

The next lineage holder is always selected by each of the current lineage

holder himself which ensures that the teachings remain intact and pure.


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Karmapa himself chooses the master to whom he will entrust his lineage

and who will later on hand the lineage to the next reincarnated Karmapa.

The Karmapas are believed to be the compassionate manifestations of

great Bodhisattva, Avalokitesvara, who are aspired to reincarnate

ceaselessly for the benefit of all mother sentient beings and to liberate

them from the sufferings of the samsara.

Karmapa was the first known Tulku or reincarnated Lama in Tibet. During

his second reincarnation, while he was a baby, he proclaimed that he was

the reincarnation of the first Karmapa, Dusum Khyenpa. Therefore, the

Tulku or reincarnation system of the Tibetan Buddhism system was

pioneered by Karmapa.

The pure stream of the precious lineage flows continuously, without

breaking till today. Presently, the 17th

Karmapa, Trinley Thaye Dorje, who

reincarnated from the 16th Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpei Dorje, is the

supreme holder and spiritual head of the lineage.

Through the kindness of Karmapa and all lineage masters, the great

blessings field of the lineage is still vividly alive and shines forth in the ten

directions, for the benefit of all the fortunate disciples as well as allsentient beings.


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AcknowledgementAcknowledgementAcknowledgementAcknowledgement

The management of Karma Kagyud Buddhist Centre rejoices and

expresses our deep gratitude to all our kind and generous sponsors,

devoted members and devotees, warm supporters and all well wishers

with good motivation, who have selflessly contributed in one way or

another to making this publication possible for the benefit of all mother

sentient beings.

May all your wishes and aspirations be instantly fulfilled according to the

Holy Dharma. Sadhu!


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DedicationDedicationDedicationDedication

May the merits accrued from the printing of this text be dedicated to the

long life of our supreme spiritual head, the 17thGyalwa Karmapa, Trinley

Thaye Dorje, and all lineage masters. May their dharma activities flourish

far and wide, for the benefit of all mother sentient beings.

May the Buddha Dharma, the sole medicine for all sufferings and thefoundation of all joy, be upheld, honored and may it remain for a long time.

May all sentient beings, in the ten directions, with numbers as vast as the

space, always be well and happy; may they live in accordance with the

Dharma and may all their Dharma wishes be fulfilled, effortlessly and

spontaneously.

Through the blessings of the lineage gurus and the Triple Gems, may the

infinitely auspicious doctrines from the Karma Kagyud tradition shine forth

like the blazing sun and increase in all directions as the wish fulfilling jewel

ornament of Samsara.

Sarwa Mangalam!

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The Golden Rosary English