“One could think there is a lineage between other masters and Jinasagara (Gyalwa Gyamtso) and myself, Karmapa. But it is equally valid to think there is no lineage in between me and the deity’, which is an indirect way of indicating that he, Karma Pakshi was the yidam deity, Jinasagara. Therefore, instead of the usual placement of the yidam deity in the center of the mandala, Karma Pakshi is the principal figure in the mandala.”—17th Karmapa (2015)
“Karma Pakshi was a great Mahasiddha, who then travelled to Pungri, in the Tibetan eastern region called Ba. While there, he saw the deity Gyalwa Gyamtso face to face and became inseparable from Gyalwa Gyamtso at that time.” —12th Gyaltsab Rinpoche (2019)
For Dharma Protector Day today (and the New Moon tomorrow), am happy to offer:
- Translation of a Supplication to the five-deity Gyalwa Gyamtso (rGyal ba rgya mtsho: Red Avalokiteshvara) mandala by the 1st Jamgon Kongtrul,
- Translation of Clear Realisation of Gyalwa Gyamtso, a short daily practice of the five-deity Gyalwa Gyamtso composed by the 3rd Karmapa, Rangjung Dorje. Available on request here only to those with the required empowerment .
- Compilation of transcribed teachings on 2nd Karmapa, Karma Pakshi’s Guru Yoga by the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa, HE 12th Gyeltsab Rinpoche and HE 8th Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche. Downloadable here: KARMA PAKSHI GURU YOGA COMPILED TEACHINGS.
INTRODUCTION – Teachings on 2nd Karmapa’s Guru Yoga
On 20th April 2022, 7th Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche bestowed the 2nd Karmapa, Karma Pakshi Guru Yoga empowerment at the Thrangu Canada centre. I was not aware of this empowerment and would have taken it if I had known, as I have published before on the Karma Pakshi Guru Yogas and translated a short Guru Yoga sadhana by the 15th Karmapa (see here). Also, I participated in the 17th Karmapa’s recent practice online of the Karma Paskhi Guru Yoga during the Winter teachings (February 2022). It is a practice particularly close to my heart, the mandala includes Karmapa, Vajrayogini and Mahakali after all! Fortunately, the empowerment is still online here and can be taken that way if necessary.
The 17th Karmapa, Orgyen Trinley Dorje also gave the Karma Pakshi empowerment several times. Once in 2014 in Berlin, Germany and the second time in 2015 in the USA. I have written-up and combined all these teachings on Karma Pakshi Guru Yoga into one short transcript/document, for people to read like a commentary. It is based on the original Tibetan and English oral translations (as the Karma Kagyu Office reports are edited summaries only), and can be downloaded from the link above.
Karma Pakshi Guru Yoga Mandala and the Jinasagara (Gyalwa Gyamtso) five deity mandala
In the 2015 teachings, the Karmapa explained the name of Karma Paskhi, his role as the first recognized Karmapa, the miraculous actions he showed to escape execution eighteen times. For a more extensive biography of Karma Pakshi, see here.
The 17th Karmapa also explained how the Karma Pakshi Guru Yoga mandala (see image above) is actually based on the special form of Avolekiteshvara, Jinasagara (known in Tibetan as Gyalwa Gyamtso, or Red Chenrezig) who was a yidam deity of both Karma Pakshi and the 1st Karmapa, Dusum Khyenpa. It was also a main practice of Karma Kagyu lineage holder, the First Jamgon Kongtrul[i]. in this image (see below), Kongtrul is drawn with the five deity mandala[ii].
The 17th Karmapa (2015) explained that the origin of the empowerment and practice of the Karma Pakshi Ladrub (Guru Yoga) arose as a pure vision in 1862 by the treasure finder Yongey Mingyur Dorje, for more on that see here. The Karmapa explained that:
“In essence, this guru sadhana concerns a mandala which in nature is the five-fold mandala of Jinasagara, a form of Avalokiteshvara. In form it is a mandala containing all of the three roots (guru, yidam deity, and dakini). The principal of the mandala is Karma Pakshi himself. The reason for this is often given in relations to a statement made by Karma Pakshi himself, who said:
“One could think there is a lineage between other masters and Jinasagara and myself, Karmapa. But it is equally valid to think there is no lineage in between me and the deity’, which is an indirect way of indicating that he, Karma Pakshi was the yidam deity, Jinisagara. Therefore, instead of the usual placement of the yidam deity in the centre of the mandala, Karma Pakshi is the principal figure in the mandala.”
Interestingly, one of the main English-language experts on Karma Pakshi, Charles Manson (2009: 43) (whose biography of Karma Pakshi is soon to be published) mentions Gyalwa Gyamtso in relation to the 2nd Karmapa meeting Ogyenpa:
“At Tsurphu (mTshur phu) he met with Orgyen Rinchen Pal (0 rgyan Rin chen dpal 1229/30-1309), to whom he entrusted the transmission to pass on to the postulated next incarnation. The nature of the transmission is not elucidated. The earlier accounts give no details of the meeting-it is not until the Feast For Scholars (mKhas pa’i dga’ ston) account that we learn that 0rgyan Rinchen Pal’s visit lasted just three days. From this passage in Feast For Scholars, it would appear that elements of the transmission consisted of instructions (gdams ngag), an empowerment ritual (the Gyalwa Gyamtso deity empowerment), and the donation of a black hat, as a vestment symbol of transmission for the next Karma pa. During the Gyalwa Gyamtso empowerment, Karma Pakshi placed a bowl of barley on 0rgyan Rinchen Pal’s head and stirred it three times-this seems to have been something of an esoteric ‘word-less’ transmission, although the author does not comment on it.”
Jinasagara (Gyalwa Gyamtso) and the Nyingma connection
The 17th Karmapa also explained that:
“Another reason for Karma Pakshi’s connection to Jinasagara is that this yidam deity’s five fold mandala was his principal yidam practice. This practice primarily comes down from the Nyingma tradition. As both Karma Pakshi and the 1st Karmapa, Dusum Khyenpa were born in Nyingma families[i], they both practiced this deity, which they maintained as one of their main practices throughout their lives.”
According to Manson (2009) Karma Pakshi practiced this deity for eleven years at Khawa Karpo mountain:
“After Pomdragpa (sPom brag pa)’s death, Karma Pakshi then settled at Pungri (sPung Ri), near the sacred mountain Khawa Karpo (Kha ba dkar po), and meditated there for eleven years with a focus on the Gyalwa Gyamtso praxis, yet experiencing a variety of deity visions. At Pungri he apparently attracted 500 disciples around him, which indicates that his career as a teacher had begun to develop.”
The Amitayus practice by 3rd Karmapa which includes the five-fold mandala of Jinasagara
The 17th Karmapa also added that:
“Having spoken about the five-fold mandala of Jinasagara (Gyalwa Gyamtso), I should tell you that within the Karma Kagyu practice, there is a special practice that began with the 3rd Karmapa, Rangjung Dorje, in which the five-fold mandala is complete in the single form of Amitayus. This is called Amitayus: the combined practice of the three roots into one (tshe dpag med rtsa gsum dril sgrubs)[iii].
Gyalwa Gyamtso lineage and mandala – handed down to Milarepa’s disciple, Rechungpa by female siddha, Machig Drupe Gyalmo
In 2019, HE Gyeltsab Rinpoche gave the torma empowerment for the five deity Gyalwa Gyatso practice at the Kagyu Monlam, Bodh Gaya, which I was fortunate to attend in person. In his teaching, he explains the origin of the lineage, which came after Milarepa sent his student Rechungpa to India, who received the Gyalwa Gamtso lineage from an Indian female mahasiddha which was then passed down to Pomdragpa, the guru of 2nd Karmapa, Karma Pakshi:
“Milarepa sent his disciple Rechungpa to India, to get some teachings there for him. When Marpa was teaching Milarepa he had told him that he had got many teachings from India like the six yogas of Naropa, Mahamudra and so on but some teachings on the secret mantra had been left behind and he had not been able to get them. So he told Milarepa that if he could go to India then he should go and get those teachings but if it is not possible for him to go, then he should send one of his students to India to get them.
Jetsun Milarepa sent his student Rechungpa who attended many teachers and got many teachings, in particular from female mahasiddha Machig Drupai Gyalmo, he got the practice of the five deities of Gyalwa Gyamtso and also got a version of this five deity practice from Tipupa. In that way he was able to bring these teachings back to Tibet.
Many beings have practiced this version of Gyalwa Gyamtso and have been of vast benefit to beings because of it. So there are many teachings and presentations, reading transmissions and so on of this practice that were given and spread throughout Tibet and that still exist today. When the teachings were brought back to Tibet, Jetsun Milarepa was very pleased that the practice was there and so much benefit would come from it.”
“Rechung Dorje Dragpa (1084-1161) gave it to one of his students, Dzangri Repa, a ngagpa. He met Rechungpa and had great faith in him, so he attended him and recieved teachings from him. Then, Dzangri Repa had a student to whom he gave this practice, Drogon Rechen Repa (1148-1218) , he was also not a fully ordained monk, he was also a Ngagpa. Then he travelled to Kham, Tibet and took full ordination when he was 37 years old. He then became one of the great Mahasiddhas of the Karma Kagyu lineage.
He then approached the 1st Karmapa, Dusum Khyenpa, and received teachings from him and became a guru of the Karma Kagyu lineage. He had many students, and his two principle students were Lodro Gyaltsen and Pomdrakpa (spom brag pa bsod nams rdo rje, 1170-1249. To these two, he gave all the teachings of Gyalwa Gyamtso and many others teachings and these two stayed together and together attained the state of siddha. Lodro Gyaltsen passed away suddenly but Pomdragpa lived to an old age and he became one of the teachers of the second Karmapa, Karma Pakshi, so Karma Pakshi received from Pomdragpa, many teachings including the teachings of Gyalwa Gyamtso.
So Karma Pakshi was a great Mahasiddha, who then travelled to the East, to a place called Pungri, in the Tibetan region called Ba, he saw the deity Gyalwa Gyamtso face to face and became inseparable from Gyalwa Gyamtso at that time. So Karma Pakshi attained the state of siddha through this practice of Gyalwa Gyamtso. Then he met the Kings of Mongolia and through that a great, vast benefit to sentient beings arose. When he met the Mongolian kings Kublai Khan and Gushri Khan, he showed miracles such that they became Buddhists. . Through their influence, they spread the Buddhadharma. Through Karma Pakshi’s practice of Gyalwa Gyamtso he became completely inseparable from the deity and then was able to be of vast benefit to beings. So it is said: ‘that just as space is endless, Karma Pakshi’s activities for beings was just as vast.’
Karma Pakshi’s main student was Nyenre Gon, and he passed the lineage to 3rd Karmapa, Rangjung Dorje and then it continued through the line of Karmapas. It is said that their principal method for accomplishing the benefit of beings was through the practice of Gyalwa Gyamtso.
Also, Guru Rinpoche hid many treasures and texts and these contain many sadhanas and texts on Chenrezig. It is said that in the practice of Gyalwa Gyamtso, all of these different treasure texts of Chenrezig are included within this text of Gyalwa Gyamtso.
Many great masters of Karma Kagyu have taken Gyalwa Gyatso as their yidam, including Karma Chagme Rinpoche, Jamgon Kongtrol Lodro Thaye; and many of the Karmapas, Shamarpas, Gyaltsapas, and Pawo Rinpoches.”
In Rechungpa: A Biography of Milarepa’s Disciple (2012: Chapter 2), it explains in more detail how Rechungpa met the female siddha, Machig Drupai Gyalmo. First, Milarepa told Rechungpa to go to India to get the teachings from the dakinis, which Marpa had been unable to get:
“Then Milarepa and Rechungpa exchanged what they had for gold, and Milarepa said to Rechungpa one last time, “If you go to India and study logic and sorcery, it will just defile your mind and create more disturbing emotions, which will cause you to move backward on the path. Instead seek out and receive these teachings of the formless dakinis.” Rechungpa traveled to India a third time and was able to meet Tipupa again. From Tipupa, he received all nine teachings on the formless dakini lineage.”
“One day Tipupa told Rechungpa that he should go into town and take a look around. So Rechungpa went off to see what this town was like. On the way he passed a tall, thin yogi who took a good look at Rechungpa and said, “What a sweet, handsome young Tibetan you are, but it is a shame you’ve only got seven days to live.” This gave Rechungpa a fright, and he thought, “I only have only seven days left. What am I going to do?” He went running straight back to Tipupa and told him, “I’ve just met a yogi in the street who told me I’ve only got a week to live! What shall I do?” Tipupa asked Rechungpa, “Are you that afraid of dying?” and Rechungpa replied, “Well, actually I’m not very frightened of dying, but I’ve gone through a lot of trouble to come down to India and receive these teachings of the formless dakinis. If I die here, it will all be completely meaningless. I’ve got to take these teachings back to Tibet and give them to Milarepa.”
Tipupa then said, “Actually, I knew you didn’t have very long to live, so I told you to go into town. I knew you would meet this person who told you that you didn’t have long to live. But there’s no need to be afraid of dying, because there is a woman called Machik Drupai Gyalmo (which means ‘one mother, the queen of accomplishment’) living in a cave. Machik Drupai Gyalmo has achieved the practice of long life and is five hundred years old, but she looks like a sixteen-year-old girl.” He told Rechungpa to go see her, and so Rechungpa went to her cave, met her, gave offerings, and prostrated to her.
She said, “Well, what do you want?” He said, “I’ve been to town, and I met a yogi who told me I only have a week to live. So, please give me the siddhi of long life.” Then Machik Drupai Gyalmo asked Rechungpa, “Can you do without sleep for a week?” and he replied, “Yes, I can.” She then gave him a long-life practice to do, and he did it continuously night and day for seven days. At the end of seven days, he had a vision of Amitayus—who taught him the long-life sadhana in a long form, a medium form, and a short form.
After this, Machik Drupai Gyalmo asked him how long he wanted to live, and Rechungpa replied, “I want to live until I don’t want to live anymore.” She asked how old he was now and he said he was forty-two. She said, “You wicked Tibetan with such a great desire to live so long. Your teacher Milarepa is now eighty-three and is going to live until his eighty-fourth year, so you can do the same.” Then, Rechungpa received from Machik Drupai Gyalmo the empowerment and transmission and instructions for the Red Chenrezig practice. One night, after receiving this empowerment, he had many dreams, and one of these dreams was of a pandita dancing in the sky. Then it began to rain flowers, and in the midst of this rain of flowers were dakinis, who said that he had received a very good empowerment and had practiced it well. They sang a song to him. Rechungpa thought the song sounded so beautiful, so he paid very close attention to the wonderful melody. When he woke up, he realized that he didn’t know what the words of the song were. All he could remember was just one line, and this line had been written over Tipupa’s doorway.
Rechungpa received many other instructions from Tipupa and Machik Drupai Gyalmo, and these teachings were translated into Tibetan. Tipupa said that the translation was not perfect; he didn’t really know how to translate it completely correctly. He made the prophecy that it didn’t matter because in the future other people would go through and remove the mistakes in the translation.”
The Oceanic Retinues Five-Deity Mandala and Supplication to the Mandala in the Rinchen Terdzo
The 12th Gyaltsab Rinpoche further explained that:
“There are many different lineages of Gyalwa Gyatso, some coming from India and later schools in Tibet. There were many texts of the practice of Chenresig but amongst them all, the one that has had vast benefit is this practice of Gyalwa Gyatso. There are different configurations of the deity; sometimes there are nine but in this particular practice there are 5 deities. Lamas, buddhas, bodhisattvas, heroes, dakinis, protectors, are all represented, so it is said there is no Buddha, bodhisattvas, hero, dakini, or protector that is not contained within this practice; including all the treasure texts of Chenresig that Guru Rinpoche hid in Tibet.
Gyalwa Gyatso is in the middle; the five deities are Hayagriva to the right, Tsomo Yeshe, a form of Vajra Varahi to the left, above is Padmasambhava, below are dakinis and protectors. Each of them is surrounded by a vast retinue of their kind. This practice is unique in that Gyalwa Gyatso’s retinue is an ocean of all the yidams, in Hayagriva are all the heroes, in Tsomo Yeshe all the dakinis are contained, around Padmasambhava is an ocean of siddhas and with Bernagchen below is the ocean of protectors.”
I thus also offer here the first translation of the Supplication to Gyalwa Gyatso contained in the Rinchen Terdzo by Jamgon Kongtrul (ʼJam mgon kong sprul blo gros mthaʼ yas, Rin chen gter mdzod chen mo. (BDRC), purl.bdrc.io/resource/IE1KG14.], which refers to these oceanic retinues. I have published the Supplication in full below.
‘CLEAR REALISATION OF GYALWA GYAMTSO’, SHORT DAILY PRACTICE BY 3RD KARMAPA, RANGJUNG DORJE
I also offer the first translation of Clear Realisation of Gyalwa Gyamtso (rGyal ba rgya mtshoʼi mngon rtogs sogs) a short daily sadhana and visualization of Gyalwa Gyamtso by the 3rd Karmapa Rangjung Dorje. The 6 page folio pecha text is contained within a recently published collection of the Karmapas’ Collected Works (Karma pa sku phreng rim byon gyi gsung ʼbum phyogs bsgrigs, https://library.bdrc.io/show/bdr:MW3PD1288_AB37F0).
The Supplication together with the short Daily Sadhana can be freely downloaded as a pdf on request here ONLY for those who have the requisite empowerment of this particular deity and lineage.
May this compilation and new translations be of benefit and may all beings attain the fully awakened state and mandala of Red Chenrezig, Gyalwa Gyamtso!
SUPPLICATION TO FIVE-DEITY GYALWA GYAMTSO MANDALA
BY JAMGON KONGTRUL FIRST
རྒྱལ་བ་རྒྱ་མཚོ་ལྷ་ལྔའི་གསོལ་འདེབས་ནི།
གནས་སྤྱི་གཙུག་པད་ཟླའི་གདན་སྟེང་ན། །
né chi tsuk pé dé den teng na
སེམས་དཔའ་རང་བྱུང་རྡོ་རྗེ་ལ། །
sem pa rang jung dor jé la
བཀའ་བརྒྱུད་བླ་མའི་ཚོགས་ཀྱིས་བསྐོར། །
ka gyü la mé tsok kyi kor
བདག་མོས་གུས་གདུང་བས་གསོལ་བ་འདེབས། །
dak mö gü dungwé sölwa dep
སྣང་སྲིད་བྱིན་གྱིས་བརླབ་ཏུ་གསོལ། །
nang si jin gyi lap tu söl
Above my crown on a lotus-moon seat is
Bodhisattva, Rangjung Dorje
Surrounded by Kagyu gurus
I supplicate with devotion and longing,
Bestow the blessings of appearances and peace[1]!
དབུས་མི་འགྱུར་རྡོ་རྗེའི་གདན་སྟེང་ན། །
wü mi gyur dor jé den teng na
བཅོམ་ལྡན་ཐུགས་རྗེ་ཆེན་པོ་ལ། །
chom den tuk jé chen po la
རྒྱལ་བ་རྒྱ་མཚོའི་ཚོགས་ཀྱིས་བསྐོར། །
gyelwa gya tsö tsok kyi kor
བདག་མོས་གུས་གདུང་བས་གསོལ་བ་འདེབས། །
dak mö gü dungwé sölwa dep
སྣང་སྲིད་བྱིན་གྱིས་བརླབ་ཏུ་གསོལ། །
nang si jin gyi lap tu söl
In the centre, on an unchanging vajra seat is
Bhagavan, Great Compassionate One
Gyalwa Gyamtso, surrounded by retinue
I supplicate with devotion and longing,
Bestow the blessings of appearances and peace!
གཡས་མེ་དཔུང་འབར་བའི་ཀློང་དཀྱིལ་ན།
yé mé pung barwé long kyil na
ཁྲོ་བོའི་རྒྱལ་པོ་རྟ་མཆོག་ལ། །
trowö gyel po ta chok la
དཔའ་བོ་རྒྱ་མཚོའི་ཚོགས་ཀྱིས་བསྐོར། །
pawo gya tsö tsok kyi kor
བདག་མོས་གུས་གདུང་བས་གསོལ་བ་འདེབས། །
dak mö gü dungwé sölwa dep
སྣང་སྲིད་བྱིན་གྱིས་བརླབ་ཏུ་གསོལ། །
nang si jin gyi lap tu söl
On the right, amid a blazing mass of flames is
Wrathful King, Hayagriva (Tamdrin)
Surrounded by an ocean of heros
I supplicate with devotion and longing,
Bestow the blessings of appearances and peace!
གཡོན་མཁའ་སྤྱོད་དག་པའི་གཞལ་ཡས་ན། །
yön kha chö dak pé zhel yé na
ཡུམ་གསང་བ་ཡེ་ཤེས་ཌཱ་ཀི་མར། །
yum sangwa yé shé da ki mar
མཁའ་འགྲོ་རྒྱ་མཚོའི་ཚོགས་ཀྱིས་བསྐོར། །
khandro gya tsö tsok kyi kor
བདག་མོས་གུས་གདུང་བས་གསོལ་བ་འདེབས། །
dak mö gü dungwé sölwa dep
སྣང་སྲིད་བྱིན་གྱིས་བརླབ་ཏུ་གསོལ། །
nang si jin gyi lap tu söl
On the left, in the Kacheri pure palace
The mother, secret primordial awareness (Sangwa Yeshe) red dakini
Surrounded by an ocean of dakinis
I supplicate with devotion and longing,
Bestow the blessings of appearances and peace!
སྟེང་དག་པ་ལྷ་ཡི་གཞལ་ཡས་ན། །
teng dakpa lha yi zhel yé na
སློབ་དཔོན་པདྨ་འབྱུང་གནས་ལ། །
lop pön pema jung né la
གྲུབ་ཐོབ་རྒྱ་མཚོའི་ཚོགས་ཀྱིས་བསྐོར། །
drup top gya tsö tsok kyi kor
བདག་མོས་གུས་གདུང་བས་གསོལ་བ་འདེབས། །
dak mö gü dungwé sölwa dep
སྣང་སྲིད་བྱིན་གྱིས་བརླབ་ཏུ་གསོལ། །
nang si jin gyi lap tu söl
Above, in the pure deity palace
Resides Master, Padmasambhava
Surrounded by an ocean of siddhas (Drubthob)
I supplicate with devotion and longing,
Bestow the blessings of appearances and peace!
འོག་དམ་ཚིག་ཆེན་པོའི་གཞལ་ཡས་ན། །
og dam tsik chen pö zhel yé na
ཆོས་སྐྱོང་མ་མགོན་ལྕམ་དྲལ་ལ། །
chö kyong ma gön cham drel la
དམ་ཅན་རྒྱ་མཚོའི་ཚོགས་ཀྱིས་བསྐོར། །
dam chen gya tsö tsok kyi kor
བདག་མོས་གུས་གདུང་བས་གསོལ་བ་འདེབས། །
dak mö gü dungwé sölwa dep
སྣང་སྲིད་བྱིན་གྱིས་བརླབ་ཏུ་གསོལ། །
nang si jin gyi lap tu söl
Below, in the great samaya palace
Mahakala Bernagchen and Mahakali (Rangjung Gyalmo) in union
Surrounded by an oceanic retinue of oath-bound ones
I supplicate with devotion and longing,
Bestow the blessings of appearances and peace!
རྩ་བ་བརྒྱུད་པར་བཅས་རྣམས་ལ། ། དད་ཅིང་གུས་པས་གསོལ་བཏབ་པས། །
tsawa gyü par ché nam la/ dé ching gü pé söl tap pé/
བདག་དང་འགྲོ་དྲུག་སེམས་ཅན་རྣམས། ། རྣམ་པ་ཀུན་མཁྱེན་ཐོབ་པར་ཤོག །
dak dang dro druk sem chen nam/ nam pa kün khyen top par shok/
By supplicating with faith and devotion,
The roots of the lineage
May I and the six types of wanderers
Attain full omniscience!
[1] Here the Tibetan is snang srid, this is often translated as samsara and nirvana but literally it means appearances (samsara) and peace (nirvana) both of which must be transcended to become fully awakened.
Translated and edited by Adele Tomlin, April 2022.
FURTHER READING/SOURCES
Karmapa, 3rd, Rangjung Dorje. Clear Realisation of Gyalwa Gyamtso “rGyal ba rgya mtshoʼi mngon rtogs.” Karma pa sku phreng rim byon gyi gsung ʼbum phyogs bsgrigs, vol. 20, dPal brtsegs bod yig dpe rnying zhib ʼjug khang, 2013, pp. 294–300. Buddhist Digital Resource Center (BDRC), purl.bdrc.io/resource/MW3PD1288_AB37F0.
Karmapa, 17th, Orgyen Trinley Dorje, (2015) Karma Paskhi Empowerment Teaching (video)
Gyaltsab Rinpoche, 12th, (2019) Torma Empowerment of the Five Deities of Gyalwa Gyamtso teaching.
Manson, Charles E. (2009). INTRODUCTION TO THE LIFE OF KARMA PAKSHI (1204/6-1283) in Bulletin of Tibetology.
Roberts, Peter (2007) The Biographies of Rechungpa: The Evolution of a Tibetan Hagiography (Routledge/Curzon Critical Studies in Buddhism).
Rinpoche, Thrangu, tr. Roberts, Peter (2012). Rechungpa: A Biography of Milarepa’s Disciple (Namo Buddha Publications).
Yongey Mingyur Dorje Rinpoche, 8th (April 2022) Karma Pakshi Teaching and Empowerment (video).
ENDNOTES
[i] “This practice of Jinasagara, being the quintessential life force of the dakinis, is traditionally said to be very hazardous, and so there are many stories of others, too, who have encountered dangers with this practice. For me, though, I just have never experienced a personal retreat more upsetting than this one.” –“The Autobiography of Jamgon Kongtrul” (p67)
[ii] In 2012, the 17th Karmapa Gyalwang wrote a play and opera about the life of Karma Pakshi in a contemporary idiom, the drama focuses on three events: the arrival of Orgyenpa (1230-1312), who would hold the Karma Pakshi’s lineage; the meeting of these two great lamas; and finally, Orgyenpa’s meeting and recognizing the Third Karmapa, Rangjung Dorje (1284-1339). Performed during the 29th Kagyu Monlam Chenmo on March 3rd, 2012 (see video here).
[iii] “Karma Pakshi was born into the family of a yogi belonging to the Nyingma tradition of the Secret Mantrayana, the oldest one in Tibet. He practiced in this tradition and then met Gyalse Pomdrakpa, an important student of Drogön Rinchen, who in turn was a close disciple of the first Karmapa. It was Pomdrakpa who gave Karmapa Pakshi the transmission of Mahamudra (the Great Seal), which he then combined together with the Nyingma practice of Dzogchen (the Great Perfection), and continued to practice both of them.” –17th Karmapa (2014 teaching)
[iv] I found a reference to this text contained in Kongtrul’s Rinchen Terdzo Chenmo. I could not find a version of it in the online editions of 3rd Karmapa, Rangjung Dorje’s Collected Works though, ʼJam mgon kong sprul blo gros mthaʼ yas, editor. “Kar lugs tshe dpag med rtsa gsum dril sgrub kyi bskyed rdzogs dmigs rim gsal bar bkod pa dngos grub dpal ʼbar.” Rin chen gter mdzod chen mo, vol. 5, Ngodrup And Sherab Drimay, 1976–1980, pp. 495–507. Buddhist Digital Resource Center (BDRC), purl.bdrc.io/resource/MW20578_829FA5. [BDRC bdr:MW20578_829FA5]
Dakini Translations and Publications མཁའ་འགྲོ་མའི་ལོ་ཙཱ་བའི་འགྱུར་དང་འགྲེམས་སྤེལ། 