“You will meet a “bitch [female dog]” who will grab you by the leg……“The downfalls of the learned are the heaviest” refers to people like you.”” –Je Milarepa to Rechungpa (according to a biography)
“If we have this kind of doubt, “Well what if the guru gives us instructions like Tilopa gave to Naropa, or like Marpa gave to Milarepa, what are we going to do?” Actually, we do not need to worry about that because, from one perspective, that era is over. One could say “That time is done.”… “We have a Tibetan saying: “a fox who jumps where a lion leaps, will break its back.”
“In particular, in the Fifty Verses on the Guru it says the guru and student bear the same mutually dependent violation of samaya. Just as disciples break their samaya, the guru also breaks their samaya. So, it is very important for both of the guru and student to mutually be very careful….Many of the great Vajrayana masters said secret mantra is like a like an iron pipe. If a snake gets into it, either it is going to go up, or it is going to go down, there is no other way to go. Similarly, with the Vajrayana, if it goes well, it will bring you up to Buddhahood, if it does not go well, it will bring you down to hell. There is no other place to go.” –17th Karmapa (Day 10, Fifty Verses on the Guru)
Introduction/Summary
On Day Ten of the Fifty Verses on the Guru teaching, continuing on the topic of fulfilling the Guru’s words/commands, the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa gave a detailed an extensive story telling about the cotton-clad yogi Rechungpa (1083/4-1161), one of the main students of the famed Tibetan yogi, Milarepa, including his being angrily beaten up by his Princess consort, Lhachig Dembu (ལྷ་ཅིག་ལྡེམ་བུ།) for giving away two huge Tibetan turquoise stones to beggars he hardly knew.
Interestingly, the 17th Karmapa (who has often spoken about improving the lower status and sexist discrimination against Buddhist women/nuns) in his account of the woman, Lhachik Dembu, focuses only on her life as told in an anonymous 14th Century text, The Life and Songs of Zhepai Dorje (bzhad pa’i rdo rje’i rnam thar mgur mchings dang bcas pa) as a greedy, vain and aggressive woman.
However, as scholar-translator Joe McLellan points out in his Treasury of Lives biography of Lhachik (which thankfully avoids McLellan’s prior going along with sexist narratives and language as he did in “malevolent” Tibetan Queen, Margyelma’s biography, see here), according to the thirteenth-century Kagyu historian Gyeltangpa Dechen Dorje ( 1258–1266), in the first year or so of her relationship with Rechungpa, Lhachig was actually a very supportive spiritual partner not just as a consort but as an important lineage-holder compiler and preserver: “who was not only educated and capable, but committed to cultivating a religious life with her guru who was also now her companion.”
Moreover:
“Lhachik Dembu contributed the important clerical work of memorizing and recording the history of Asu’s Mahāmudrā lineage; without a clear and credible history, no lineage could hope to gain acceptance in Tibet. Not only did Lhachik contribute to the group intellectually, but according to Gyeltangpa, when the famously temperamental Rechungpa grew discouraged about having to absorb so much difficult material, Lhachik encouraged him to keep going and even used her connections in Yarlung to collect a large amount of barley from the people to cover his tuition.”[1]
Mclellan asserts that: “This less nuanced and more misogynistic version of the story seems to enjoy significant currency, being repeated in Thrangu Rinpoche’s (khra ‘gu rin po che, 1933–2023) commentary on Rechungpa’s biography.”
Indeed and perhaps that source is where the 17th Karmapa also took his lead? It certainly is a one-sided account of her, and all such biographical accounts composed by men about women, need to have the big question mark over them as to if that was how it actually was for the women. For example, perhaps the reason that Lhachig had attacked Rechungpa that way (if true) might have been from a sense of her feeling unappreciated for her major efforts in the previous year? Who knows. In any case, as a kind of contemporary academic-translator adviser, I would have suggested the 17th Karmapa also speak (even if briefly) about the positive aspects of Lhachig’s life and contribution to ensure it remained balanced and not be accused of a one-sided sexist/misogynist biography. I could not find any image of Lhachik Dembu to use with this article, which again demonstrates my point of the invisibility of important women’s lives and voices.
In any case, along with other events that happened to Rechungpa on the road to central Tibet, it was a fascinating tale of how things can go horribly wrong when one disobeys the instructions of a highly realised and extraordinary guru like Milarepa. The telling of the story by the 17th Karmapa lasted about an hour, so I have done a brief summary of here too. The transcript contains the full narrative though.
Here are two video clips I made from the Day 10 teaching too, here and here.
Nyanang Cave: forcibly converted by Gelugpa/Mongolian invaders
Also, the 17th Karmapa explained that this story of Rechungpa began when Milarepa was staying at the Belly of Nyanang Cave (གཉའ་ནང་གི་གྲོད་པ་ཕུག) the place where Milarepa had gathered lots of followers, and where his life-story was told on Rechungpa’s request. [For my previous article on the twenty-eight sacred places Milarepa, told to Rechungpa see here].
Interestingly, as a side note ( the 17th Karmapa did not mention it) a monastery was built around this important Milarepa Nyanang cave by the Karma Kagyu, but was later forcibly stolen and converted to a Gelugpa one by the 5th Dalai Lama-Gelugpa/Mongolian military and the Monastery also became affiliated with the Gelugpa Sera Monastery in Lhasa. A separate Nyanang Phelgye Ling Monastery was set up by the Tibetan diaspora in Nepal in foothills of Swayambhunath, Kathmandu. The cave and the Pelgye Ling temple were also the subject of Richard Gere’s photo book, Milarepa’s Cave, Nyelam Pelgye Ling Temple, Tibet (1993). I wonder if Gere knows (or even mentions in his book) the violent, forcible theft and takeover of this monastery by the Gelugpas?
Summary of Rechungpa story told by 17th Karmapa
In any case, the story the 17th Karmapa told was funny, tragic and sad. The yogi-student, Rechungpa, who was very handsome, was becoming more popular than Milarepa (especially among women). After Rechungpa found out he was getting much better and finer offerings than Milarepa, who was getting mouldy bits of cheese and tsampa, he became ashamed and thought he was bringing ruin onto his amazing guru. So, he insisted to Milarepa he wanted to leave and go to central Tibet and do pilgrimage there. Milarepa advised him not to go, saying it was not the right time, even though most of his disciples in the future would be in central Tibet, saying: “Generally a child who stays with their mother grows bigger, like an egg that hatches more easily with the mother’s warmth. Similarly, a great meditator who stays with their lama, has no pitfalls or obstacles.”
But Rechungpa insisted and prepared to go. But he forgot to take the advice in terms of ritual practice that Milarepa had given him, and when he left, did not even look or turn back at his guru Milarepa who had decided to not only leave an imprint of his body while seated on the rock before Rechungpa left, but waited there patiently thinking that Rechungpa would look and turn back. But he did not. So, then Milarepa thought he might have wrong view of his guru, and manifested some bandits who robbed him and he thought and supplicated the guru, when he did, the bandits all transformed into cotton-clad yogis.
Milarepa had also told Rechungpa before he went that he would meet with a dangerous female bitch dog, who would grab him by the leg.” So, when Rechungpa got to Yarlung, he met a Princess who found him very attractive and pleaded with him to help her father, King recover from a serious illness. When Rechungpa did that, the King gave him lots of wealth and his Princess daughter as consort. However, this “honeymoon” period was short-lived when Rechungpa later gave away two massive turquoise jewels to beggars who had requested them from him (one was the size of a child’s face and the biggest in Tibet) which the Princess had desired as soon as she saw them. She got so angry that she beat him up with a stick shouting that “You are the beggar!” . As she was beating him, also pulled his belt off so he was naked while she was doing it.
Rechungpa did not retaliate, as he said that his samaya in secret mantra was never to attack or get angry with his mudra/consort. So, instead he escaped her attack by magically using his robe to cross a river. However, he felt sad about it, but felt the woman was so stingy and miserly and should not have attacked him that way. He remembered that Milarepa had advised he would meet a “female bitch” and so returned back to Milarepa. The Princess was left alone and it is said things went very badly for here thereafter.
When Rechungpa returned Milarepa was preparing a Chakrasamvara mandala to give to some yogis, and in the middle of it was the huge turquoise given to him by the elderly couple. Then, Rechungpa realised the beggars had been Milarepa’s emanations too. Milarepa than also gave him the Chakrasamvara empowerment too. The consort later came to Rechungpa, confessed and asked his forgiveness, which he accepted and then later things went well for her. So, the story was mainly about how Rechungpa had disobeyed Milarepa’s instructions and the consequences of doing so, with his prophecy becoming a reality.
Trying be a lion when only a fox: the dangers of trying to be a student like Naropa or Milarepa
The 17th Karmapa then moved on from the story to advising people what to do if they felt they could not fulfil the Guru’s instruction. Interestingly, he said that nowadays it was unrealistic and impractical for people to try and be like Marpa or Milarepa or Tilopa and Naropa, and that era was finished now. Gurus like Tilopa had extraordinary realisations where they could bring beings back from dead, and other ordinary siddhis like clairvoyance, swift-footedness and so on. They might think they can be like that, but when the guru gives them something difficult to do, they cannot do it and do not have the full confidence in the guru’s intentions and realisations as like a Buddha.
Also, the Karmapa explained, there was a great danger in students following advice and instructions that did not accord with Dharma, especially as these days there are so many unqualified and unrealised gurus and charlatans, that is was too risky for students to follow such teachers and do such actions, in case the student has not properly examined the guru, and vice versa. The 17th Karmapa again reminded everyone that the samaya of a Vajrayana guru-student connection goes ‘both ways” and gave the example of how Vajrayana is compared to a snake going into an iron pipe, there are only two ways out of it, up to Buddhahood, or down to the lower realms. In the same way, if a student or guru breaches samaya, they both breach it and will both go to the lower realms if it is not repaired or resolved correctly.
Then, the 17th Karmapa described how unconventional gurus like Marpa looked unethical to most ordinary people but how sometimes people cannot see the real benefit and intention of a guru’s actions even if they look bad externally. It might take months, years, or even decades to see the benefit of them. However, he cautioned, if the student’s situation and understanding of what happened is not getting better , and even getting worse, then this is not good, and a sign that the guru was not qualified or realised.
Personal Observations: a time for women’s voices, bodies, experiences to matter and the era of denigration also over?
This teaching again made me reflect on my own situation, for which there has been no real resolution, no changed conduct and sadly, continuing smear campaigns, bullying, impersonation, defamation and attacks by anonymous people *using pseudonyms) online. Perhaps there is a lesson in it all, about choosing and examining the guru wisely (and vice versa with the student) but is not there a lesson in everything?
The 17th Karmapa stated that the era of Marpa -Milarepa type relationships was over, but could it also be that perhaps the era of using women like bodies/objects for secret consorts (while intoxicating them using tantric techniques) while the men continue as monks on the outer appearance level is also over/finished too? Perhaps the way of Je Gampopa trying to practice Sutra and Tantra together as a monk are also becoming more and more untenable and even harmful?
Such methods may have worked (reasonably well) in medieval Tibet, when women had much lower status (as Yeshe Tsogyel sang about along with other Tibetan women) but if contemporary Tibetan Buddhist teachers want to spend a lot of time living and teaching in Europe, North America and developed countries in Asia, then as the 17th Karmapa himself stated, in such countries there tends to be more laws/ rules, cultural norms in particular when it comes to the treatment and status of women. They also have to keep the Vinaya rules of a monk. If they cannot do both of those well, it not only brings Buddhist monastic community into disrepute and ill-feeling, but also the Vajrayana methods too. After all both Rechungpa and Milarepa (whom the Karmapa speaks about) were both lay yogis.
From my own personal experience, I have serious doubts that these kinds of relations of monks with laywomen (on the secret level) work that well, and often leave women feeling isolated and traumatised by the secret, but also “on and off” nature of these “unions”. Especially when the woman cannot even meet or see her master/consort in person! And/or the teacher “spreads themselves thin” and has too many “pretty” consorts. Like junk food, some unqualified consorts may look ‘easy on the eye’, and be quick and easy to ‘eat’ too, but the inner nutrition is unhealthy. As the saying goes too many cooks (consorts) spoil the broth!
In any case, the 17th Karmapa’s teaching on Rechungpa and other students who did not follow commands gave some real “food for thought” about the extraordinary lives and abilities of the lay yogis of Tibet, but also about the often “untold” (or sexist, one-sided narrative) lives of the women they encountered as students, teachers and consorts. However, at the very least, it is clear that Rechungpa lacked any attachment to material offerings, an essential quality of a guru. How many teachers around today have you ever met that would just give a huge diamond they had been offered to any beggar who asked for it?
Music? For the beggars and the Princess, Give Me Money (That’s What I Want) by the Beatles, the people who have not seen any improvement (or resolution/repair of samaya since the “mistreatment” by a teacher/s) Cry by Godfrey and Creme, and I’m A Bitch by Meredith Brooks.
Written, transcribed and compiled by Adele Tomlin, 2nd May 2025.
Fifty Verses on the Guru
Transcript Day 10 17th Karmapa
“There are the eight points on how to be respectful and the first two of these have been completed. So, this is a little digression into the third point: “fulfilling the words of the guru”, and then we will also come to the fourth: how to treat the guru’s things and retinue and so on. First of all, when we are elaborating on the point about “fulfilling the words” it says:
“It is from the guru that one receives siddhis, high realms, and happiness, so put your effort into not overstepping the guru’s commands.”
No matter what instructions the guru gives you should not transgress or break them, this is what it says. At this point, there were two main disciples of Milarepa, one who was sun-like Gampopa, the other who was moonlike, who was Rechungpa, he was the person who spent the longest time with Milarepa during his lifetime. He spent a much longer time than Milarepa did with Gampopa. There are some situations where Rechungpa himself may not have really listened to the guru’s instructions.
The other day I mentioned the story of the acorn right, one instant when Rechungpa felt a little disrespect to the guru, and he began to feel pride. So, in order to break his pride, the precious guru displayed a miracle and went inside a yak horn without his body growing smaller and without the yak horn growing larger and sat in there. And Je Milarepa did this to destroy Rechungpa’s pride right?
Rechungpa’s discovery about Milarepa’s meagre offerings compared to his own
Now, I would like to tell you a different story and it is a bit of a love story actually from one perspective. So, this is a time when Milarepa was at a cave in Nyanang. This is a site of Milarepa’s and when they were staying there, there were many disciples and a lot of sponsors who gathered around. It was a very large gathering of people. At that time in Rechungpa’s dreams the guru, yidam deities and dakinis inspired Rechungpa to supplicate Milarepa to tell his life story. This was the time Milarepa taught his life-story. There is the life-story of Milarepa written by Tsangnon Heruka. So, this is the place where that life story was taught at Nyanang Drophug when he was surrounded by a large group of disciples. It was on Rechungpa’s request, that Milarepa told his life story.
After that, then Rechungpa started to strongly feel that he wanted to go to central Tibet and stay there. Likewise, in addition, there were many patrons who said that the son, the disciple has gone to India, so maybe he must be even more exceptional than Milarepa. So, the younger patrons, in particular the females went to go and make offerings to Rechungpa, while the older ones primarily went to see the precious Je Milarepa. Many of these female patrons came to give offerings to both of them and they gave somewhat better offerings to Rechungpa. They did not give so many offerings or nice offerings to Milarepa. So, Rechungpa thought at that time, “so many people came and gave me offerings, so the guru Milarepa must definitely have received even better and more offerings.” So, Rechungpa went to Milarepa and said:
“I thought that you must have received really nice offerings today, as you are the master and I am the disciple, we should make an offering of all the offerings we got to the Repa yogis, in a Ganachakra. I think it is good to share and give it to all the other repas, right?”
So, Milarepa replied: “Yes, we definitely have to do that. My share is in that wicker box over there.” A wicker box is like an old way of carrying things a wicker box to keep cheese, meat, butter and all other food. Rechungpa went to get the box, and when he looked in it there was a little bit of dried meat and cheese in it. It was not that nice meat, extremely tiny, and a tiny bit of the cheese, which was a bit mouldy. There was a tiny container, and just a little bit of tsampa but not much at all. There was nothing else and Rechungpa felt really disappointed and unhappy because Rechungpa thought that as he had received such good offerings, his guru must have received much better offerings. However, he actually saw that the precious, venerable guru had kind of meagre and not so nice offerings. So, the guru Milarepa said in order for these patrons to get their merit we have to eat it. So, the guru ate it and acted as if it was delicious, and did not think about it all. However, Rechungpa thought the cheese was kind of mouldy and he did not really want it, and felt kind of nauseated by it.
So, Rechungpa went back to his own sleeping place and he thought about how these patrons behaved and that it is really bad because:
“I cannot even match a single pore of this guru who is really like a Buddha, but they are not paying any service, respect to him. They are paying it to me and that is not good. They are doing it the wrong way around. This is not good at all. Before I had thought, I would stay with a guru for a long time to receive all of the pith instructions, that I would serve the guru until I was completely fully satisfied. Now, if I stay longer than that instead of not serving the guru, in fact I am going to be a disgrace for him, I am going to give him difficulties.” he thought. “So, I have to leave.”
He was thinking this and first of all, had the wish to go to central Tibet and then because of the circumstances, he immediately went to Milarepa and said: “I want to go Lhasa, to see the Jowo Shakya statue and to see glorious Samye, I would like to go see the seats of Marpa and Lama Ngogpa. So, please allow me to go to central Tibet.”
So, Rechungpa made this request and then the guru Milarepa said: “Generally, your future disciples are in central Tibet, but it’s not quite time for you to go yet.” So, he did not give him permission but Rechungpa was really stubborn. But there was no choice for him and he really insisted on going. So, guru Milarepa had very little to do. So, he said: “If you absolutely have to go to central Tibet, then first of all in order to eliminate obstacles, you need to prostrate 100 times to my hut, then you make 100 circumambulations, make 100 mandala offerings, make 100 torma offerings, 100 water offerings and 100 tsatsas, and 100 confessions. There were many services, he had to do first, right?
Rechungpa had got the permission of the guru to go, and he was like totally delighted. So, he said “of course, I’ll do all these services” and promised to do them. But the next morning, he completely forgot about all these services, and he got everything he needed to go to central Tibet but he did not really have anything.
So, he took and wore only a single cotton robe and because Milarepa was called the Repa Chenpo, the cotton clad great one, and Rechungpa, was the lesser cotton clad one. Because they did not wear anything other than thin cotton robes, that is what they are called, the cotton robe wearer (rey-pa). And he had a net as a bag, like the yogis in the past would put their things in this net. Because if they have a lot of different things, it is not good, so you can see them. Because if you have a lot of things, then you get attached to them. So, to show that you did not have a lot of things, they had put them inside the net, or inside of the fabric. So, he had a bag and a notebook of the whispered lineage and he tucked that under his arm. He had an acacia wood phurba, and he put that on his waist, and an Indian pandita hat. I think his Indian teachers had given it to him, so he wore that.
Milarepa’s prophecy that Rechungpa will be attacked by a “bitch”, his not “looking back” at Milarepa and is robbed and attacked by bandits
Then Rechungpa went back to the great Milarepa to request his blessings. Milarepa said: “You have spent a very long time with me, I don’t know whether we’ll meet again.” As Rechungpa was leaving, there was a pass on the way and he brought him to the peak of it. When they got to the top of the pass then Milarepa said:
“Generally a child who stays with their mother grows bigger, like an egg that hatches more easily with the mother’s warmth. Similarly, a great meditator who stays with their lama, has no pitfalls or obstacles. When you are alone you will not have any purpose but you will not listen to me, you absolutely have to go right? So, due to love, I am not going to abandon you. So, pray to me continually.”
When he said this, Rechungpa started to cry and said “I have this unceasing perception of the venerable guru as a Buddha, I always feel that way. I have no one to rely on except the venerable guru and until I attain Buddhahood, I will always rely on and accept the venerable Milarepa’s protection and guidance in this life and the next, and in the bardo.”
At that time, it was a very long way away and was not easy to go as it is these days. So, you need to have some blessings for the journey. Milarepa had his own robes, so he took them off and he put that on the ground and said: “sit on the robes.” When he said this then Rechungpa said: “usually one is unable to step on the shadow of the guru, then how can you sit on their things?” he said, “I don’t dare to sit” Then, Milarepa said “there is an auspicious connection. So, if you have the permission of the guru, there is no fault.” So Rechungpa sat on Milarepa’s own folded robes. Jetsun Milarepa himself sat on a boulder in the half lotus position. Then, at that place where he is sitting, he left like an impression of his body there. So, you can see it is sinking down into the rock. It is still visible, they say.
In any case, the Jetsun sat on the boulder and said “if you ask what my lineage is, my lineage is not of bad people, but a good lineage. My lineage is the great Vajradhara, my lineage is excellent, may all be auspicious.” He sang this auspiciousness song.
In addition, Milarepa was a little bit uncomfortable and said once again: “When you go, there will be a worldly female dog and there is a danger she will grab you by your leg. At that time, do not forget your guru and your practice.” He gave him this advice and Rechungpa said: “Excellent thank you. He made prostrations and circumambulations, and requested a blessing from his guru. He made aspiration prayers, and then he departed.
At that time, Je Milarepa, as he is very kind, thought to himself maybe Rechungpa will look back, maybe he will turn back, it is possible. If at that time, I am not sitting here, he will not really like it. So, he stayed on that pass for a long time thinking that Rechungpa would turn back around. But Rechungpa did not look back at all, he was just so delighted to go to central Tibet. He was probably just too happy to go off to central Tibet and just went and did not even look back even once.
So, Milarepa was sitting there with a very good altruistic intentions thinking he is going to look back and if he was not there, he is going to be disappointed. But Rechungpa did not look back at all and when he did not even bother to look back, then he thought: “Oh, he’s not even glancing back so I think there is a possibility that he might develop wrong views about his guru and dharma brothers and there be some obstacles.” And he felt uncomfortable.
So, for that reason then Milarepa went forward to a place where there was a bit of a cluster and emanated seven bandits who beat him up and took everything, all his clothes and they stole everything from him. Rechungpa thought at that time, when he departed, that he did not make the prostrations and circumambulations properly, so it did not turn out well and that was why it happened.
So, he closed his eyes and meditated on the guru. When he did that, then all these seven bandits disappeared and when he looked out, there was no longer the seven the bandits, instead there were seven Repas, the cotton-clad yogis. So, he realized that it was done in order to test Rechungpa they asked “Who are you? Who is your guru?” At that time, he thought to himself “oh there is probably impossible there would be any other cotton clad yogi asking me these questions. No other repas would say that, so they must definitely be emanations of the guru Milarepa, and he prostrated to them. When he did that, the emanations dissolved and the guru said “I thought that you’d look back when you left but you didn’t even look. So, I thought you were going to have some obstacles. And I worried about that. So, in order to arouse that experience I came. So now you should not have such a big problem. So, since our samaya bond is clean, you and I as master disciple are inseparable. So now go off to central Tibet.”
Rechungpa was totally delighted, so he again took Milarepa’s feet to his head and made many aspirations and went off to central Tibet. He had the siddhi of fast walking, which I spoke about before, and was able to go a distance that people would normally take a month to go, he could do it in a single day. So, he went extremely quickly off to many places in central Tibet. But we do not have time to go through all of that. However, I do want to talk about the actual story.
Rechungpa offered masses of wealth and a Princess consort by a Tibetan King whom Rechungpa miraculously cured of his long-term, serious sickness
Rechungpa went to Yar-lung and in that place there was a King called Tsenpo Chochung, and his palace was called Koradem, and Rechungpa went there asking for alms. According to the Lhorung dharma history it says that in Yarlung, the King requested teachings from Rechungpa and offered his princess daughter, Lhachig Dembu as a mudra or as a consort. This is written in the Lhorung dharma history.
So, if we take this as correct, it seems to me that Rechungpa had a connection with the Yarlung dynasty family lineage. Like a previous related emperor, Namde Osung [transcriber’s note: Namde Osung was a son of the Tibetan Emperor Langdarma who struggled for their father’s legacy after Langdarma’s death. Namde Osung eventually established a kingdom in Guge after annexing Purang and Guge]. He was in the Che Chung Lha Gom lineage of Namde Osung. Basically, he was a member of the royal family of Tibet and was called Tsenpo (King).
At that time Rechungpa was going on alms and knocked with his staff on the door and sang a song. This is the way beggars would do it; they would sing a song and they would go for a long way. When I was young, I remember they would walk a long way singing songs making a noise. At that time, there was a Princess Lhachig Dembu and her father, the king was sick and she was nursing him. At that time, the Princess was sitting there milking a female Dzo. When Rechungpa came knocking on the door making a racket, then the Dzo was startled and normally people do not have a stool to sit on when they milk, but since she was a princess, they had a little stool for her to sit on, and she fell off it because the Dzo was startled. At that point, she got annoyed and said:
“Yogis are like corpses. Some beg for milk and other white foods in the winter, they just beg for our food and are running around all the time. So, in the summer, we can bring milk, and in the winter, they want us to bring beer, and they always wander all year around.”
So, she grabbed a handful of dirt and she was going to open the door and throw it on him. When she opened the door and saw Rechungpa, he is actually incredibly handsome. No matter how you looked at him, he is just really handsome. He had the body of a god. When she saw this then all of her anger just subsided and it is this really clear faith, or you know, attraction arose and she forgot about throwing dirt on him. So, she looked him up and down and said “Well where did you come from? where are you going? what’s your name?” He replied, “My name is Rechungpa, my lama is Milarepa, my other name is Dorje Dragpa, I’ve come here seeking alms, and I want to make some offerings to this guru who came from Nepal.” So, at that time, the princess gave him a whole plate full of tsampa and said “Wait here for a moment, lama you stay here, I’ll go and inform my father.”
So, the princess went inside and she went to her King father and said “Father at our door, there is a yogi named Rechungpa he is like some sort of meditator, and he is amazing and wonderful. So, if we bring him in and take him as a guru, then make offerings to him, I think maybe it will help you with your illness. He really seems like someone who practices.”
So, the king said “Last night, I had a really auspicious dream, it seems possible that he is really superior. So, let us bring him in and give him whatever alms he wants.”
Then the princess immediately went down and she invited Rechungpa inside, and asked him: “Guru, do you know any remedies for the sick? Because my father the king is not so well. Please do something for him. If you do that, then we will offer you whatever service and whatever offerings you wish. We will give you whatever you like.”
She invited Rechungpa inside and the King said: “Guru where have you come from?” Rechungpa said “I’ve come from place called Nepal.” he said. Then the King said “They say there are these two gurus, Re-chen and Re-chung, and you are one of them”. Rechungpa replied: “my guru is the one called Rechen, the great cotton-clad Milarepa, he is the undisputed accomplished master, he is well known he is my guru and I am his disciple heart son, called Rechungpa.
The king said “If that is so, then it really has been my fortune to hear of your fame for a long time. I had wanted to invite you earlier but I was unable to do so until now. Please guru take me into consideration, I have had a really terrible illness, I am really suffering no matter what divinations or astrology they do. They all say that I should request blessings from a guru with realization and today you have come. So, you please hold me in compassion. If my illness can be cured, I will serve you in whatever way you would like.”
So, then he got the blessings of Tseringma and passed the cleansing ritual of Vajrabhairava, and he gave them the recitation instructions of the wrathful Vajrapani with Garuda Wings. After seven days, the King’s illness was like completely cured and he became extremely healthy. So, the father the king was really filled with devotion and pleased and said “I have no son, so I will give you all my dominions and wealth to you guru. I request you also accept everything. You can take this Jorden palace, and Princess Lhachig.” He gave them all to him.
Rechungpa’s Cave and the tulkus of Rechung Phug, such as Choje Lingpa in Tibet and the gift of a turquoise the size of a child’s face to Rechungpa
Rechungpa accepted them all, and with the sponsorship of the King, he built the place called Rechungpa cave [2]. This is a very important site for Rechungpa. Later, there were the tulkus of the Rechung Cave. For example, there is the terton, Choje Lingpa [ ཆོས་རྗེ་གླིང་པ་ (1682-1720/1725). As a tertön of the 18th century, he contributed greatly to the opening of the hidden-land of Pemakö] who was recognized as a tulku of Rechung Cave by the 11th Karmapa, Yeshe Dorje, as a reincarnation of the Rechung Phug tulku. It was either him or the 8th Shamarpa, Konchog Gewai Jungne (1733 – 1740).
In any case, the Rechungpa Cave was built on the patronage of that king, and Rechungpa spent three years there. There was a beggar who came every day, sometimes in the morning, or in the evening, he always came and said to Rechungpa“please look at me with compassion.”
So, one day, Rechungpa said: “You come to me and say take me under your compassion, every day, so what do you need?” The beggar who had leprosy said: “I’m a beggar and sir; I need some wealth that can free me from this poverty for this life.” So Rechungpa said “As you are always coming to me, so if I get some wealth that will help free you from your poverty, then come to me and I’ll give it to you.” The beggar said “OK thank you.” So, this beggar just kept coming.
The Blazing Fire Light turquoise given to Rechungpa by an elderly couple and the Princess taking “a fancy to it”
Then at the same time, in Yar-lung there was a place Gangro Drongma, there was an elderly couple who did not have any children. But they were quite wealthy and in particular, they had a really huge turquoise stone, called Blazing Fire Light. It is about the size of a small child’s face, but they did not have any descendants. So, they kept it but were not comfortable doing that. They thought “what are we going to do with it?” The old man said “If we hide that turquoise underground, it’s not going to help anything. If we just keep it, then in the future there is a danger that that our relatives and friends are going to get in a fight over it. So, there is this really good wonderful guru named Rechungpa, so it is better to just offer to him.” Then the old woman said: “I thought the same thing, that we should give it up but I didn’t tell you before, so let’s just do it. If we take it in a few days, there may be some obstacles, so let us immediately go and give a feast and invite the guru and then give him the offering.”
So, they made the decision to go. The elderly couple invited all the people in the village, and the guru and all his disciples, the king and all the ministers and everyone. They made all the necessary food and drink offerings, and they arranged them very nicely. They made many offerings to the guru but they were not able to give it to him because it is the biggest and best jewel in Tibet at the time. So, they gave it to him like secretly on the side, hidden. But the princess, Rechungpa’s consort saw it out the corner of her eyes. But no one else saw it other than her.
Then, a few days later, the beggar with leprosy came and said to Rechungpa: “I asked you before, someone gave you a huge turquoise, so please give me that turquoise.” he asked. As Rechungpa was very generous he always gave away things. So, he immediately gave the beggar the turquoise and he said:
“Don’t stay here, go immediately somewhere else, otherwise if they find that I gave you this huge turquoise, if the people around me hear and see that, then they will take it back. So, go someplace else.”
So, then the beggar just left and vanished and no-one knew so he just vanished without a trace, and no one knew where he went. Rechungpa taught the older couple dharma and gave them instructions on the Phowa, and enabled them to find a way at the time of death.
So, no-one saw the turquoise being offered, other than the Princess, who saw it out of the corner of her eyes. She was filled with great desire for it and thought: “Oh if only I could get that turquoise.” She tried various ways to get it, but she was not able to do it. She was not able to say “please give it to me.” She gave all the service and respect, but no matter what she did she could not get it.
So, one day, Rechungpa went out to relax on a mountain and the Princess snuck in to look for the jewel. There was a little box that he kept in there and she opened it up to see if the turquoise was there, but there was no turquoise there that had been offered by the old couple. The one that was the size of a face of a small child. There was another slightly smaller piece of turquoise and so-called Lion Posture this is something given to Rechungpa on the road to central Tibet by a Lord/leader named Yakde who gave it to him. Although it was a little bit smaller than the one the old couple had offered. When she saw it, she was totally delighted and would put it on her ear, sometimes she wore it on her neck, sometimes she put it on her head and she would look on the mirror and think where is the best place. She would be looking in the mirror she put it on here, and think how is it on the throat? how is it on the head what does it look like? Always looking at herself with it in the mirror, thinking where is looked the most beautiful nicest. At the end, she put it back, pretending that she had not even touched it. Then she thought “the other turquoise is not there but this one is still like it, so I got to try to get it.” she thought.
Rechungpa gives the turquoise stone to a beggar
So the guru Rechungpa had gone off for a little break and when he came back there were many different beggars, some who were disabled, some without limbs and so on who had gathered, and they clung to the guru’s robes and said: “please give us something, we’re really very poor and have nothing, something that’s easy to hide something that’s easy to carry and something that if we sell it’s very valuable to sell. Please give us something like that.” Then the guru who was very compassionate and generous, when he thought of it he had felt very intense compassion for the beggars and he thought “I’ll give you something but you all go to the back of the palace” In the front of the palace he couldn’t do it in front and he gave them that turquoise the other, not the big one that the old couple had given him, it was a slightly smaller one.
So, he wrapped it up by making some very small lump of tsampa and he put the turquoise inside it. He covered it up with that small dough ball, and they had all gathered outside, so he threw it out at them. He took the ball of dough and threw it out at them and said “don’t eat that tsampa here, just go and eat it someplace else.” Most of the beggars first thought he was going to give them something really big and great, but what he gave was like this piece of tsampa, a ball of dough is like “we asked him to give and all he gave is a ball of dough. What is that? It does not help us eat right now.”
However, there was an older beggar there and he said: “Oh you know, Guru Rechungpa is not just like an ordinary person, he is not like anyone else. So, we need to do what he tells us. We do not know what is inside.”
So, they went off to some out of the way place and they opened up the ball of tsampa and inside they found the lion-posture turquoise and they were delighted to find it. They went to the north of the region of Uru and they sold the turquoise. All those beggars were freed from their poverty and they actually became wealthy at that point.
Rechungpa refuses to go to the beauty contest show and tells the Princess he gave the turquoise stones to the beggars
So later, one day, in the Yarlung Valley, in the lower part, there is a well-known temple called the Jatse temple. It had just been finished and there was a big consecration, a big fair and a lot of people were gathered to see the spectacle. So many people were there to see the contest and they are going to have a beauty contest about who is the best-looking guy, and who is the best-looking woman. So, everyone there put on their best clothes and would come wearing them they come to see who is more be beautiful.
So, the Princess was really excited and wanted to go see the spectacle. She said to Guru Rechungpa, “Tomorrow, at Jatse temple there is a feast and fete there so please let’s go. I have everything to go, my father has horses I can ride, his clothes from and I have some servants to take. There is no one more handsome than you. No better example than that. Also, there is no one is more beautiful than me as a female. So, in the past I have done many of these beauty contests before but this time I am going to go do the beauty contest there. So the old couple gave you that turquoise, so please give it to me and there is another turquoise in there, so please give that one to me too.” So the Princess just asked Rechungpa for the stones directly. Then Rechungpa said:
“Oh the turquoise the old couple gave me, I gave it to that beggar who has leprosy so I do not have it anymore. That other turquoise in the pouch there are some beggars who wanted it and asked me for it, so I gave it to them and I do not have it. So, you are too late to ask for it. I do not want to go to the show. If you want to look at the show/spectacle then go, looking at the spectacle of one’s mind, that is the greatest spectacle.”
The Princess then got really angry and her face turned dark and she said:
“You’re the real beggar. The real beggar is you!”
That night the guru thought to himself “in general the basis for feeling, craving and the pressure cooker of suffering such as desire both creates a suffering for both this life and the future lives. I think is it really good that I gave it to someone else. In particular, this woman is really stingy and attached and miserly. She really likes turquoise and shows she is really unhappy.”
The Princess was thinking:” When Rechungpa first came here, he was a beggar and we did not know where he came from. We gave him the best of clothes, best food and in the end, gave him all the royal power and authority. But he still did not give me those two turquoises. So, this is what happens when one supports bad people.” So, she became really angry that night. The next morning, the princess would normally herself bring all the food for Rechungpa, but that morning the princess was so angry that she sent food of poor quality to him with a servant. When the servant brought it. Rechungpa had not arisen from his meditation. So, he did not drink it and just left it.
At that time of day, everyone was going off to the fair all the men were riding their horses and all the beautiful women were wearing their turquoise and jewels. When she saw that, she got even angry she wanted to go to the fair but she could not go because he did not give her the turquoises, she got really annoyed but she still gave him some second-hand food. She said “You selfish beggar, you gave those turquoise stones to the beggar, aren’t you the real beggar? I have served you so much, I have been so respectful here, she said “If you don’t need to eat the delicious food then just eat this meagre food.”
So, she left that second-hand food for Rechungpa saying the hurtful words in her anger. So, the princess was really angry and had this willow stick. She went to Rechungpa, carrying this stick and she was no longer thinking he had a very good body, and you cannot do anything to him as before. She thought : ” I am not going to give him any time to even get up” and just immediately whacked and beat him three times like this. She also pulled his belt and clothes and he was kind of left naked. Then, she threw the beer and plates and all the food and everything on top of his body. She took the stick and thrashed him with it so many times that the stick broke into three pieces. So, Rechungpa was covered with blood and was sick bleeding from all these wounds all over his body.
Rechungpa thought to himself “If I retaliate my samaya will be broken because in the secret mantra if one has a mudra/consort, one cannot get angry with them. One is not allowed to beat or grab her. So, Rechungpa thought: “if I grab her my samaya will be broken. In the past, Milarepa said do not go to central Tibet, right? And he told me, “this worldly female dog will bite your foot he said right? and then all the sickness and pain in his body, mind and he felt a lot of pain and suffering, so he decided he could not stay with the Princess, and would go back to his guru, Milarepa.
So, he decided to leave and put on his robes. When he got ready to go then the Princess thought “This man has no attachment to anything. So, if I take the notebook of the whispered lineage and if I do not take that, he will not be able to go.” So, she took that away from him but when she took that from Rechungpa, he said “Forget about it.” He paid no attention to that and said “Forget about it.” And he left and when he left then at first, she thought he would not go but when he actually left, she asked him “Please don’t go, please don’t go.” No matter how many times she asked him but he did not listen at all and so he left. She followed after him and they got to this river and there was and the only way to get across it was to go by ferry.
She had followed him all the way, but everyone had gone to the fair, so there was no ferry to do that and because she had followed him, he had no choice he spread his robe, which miraculously covered the water and he crossed it. But she could not go across it and could not follow immediately. Then he got to the other side and said many things “Look at what you did to treat me badly.” So, then there was no method for her, and nothing she could do except turn back. When she turned back, she had a lot of bad problems. Later she came to Rechungpa and made confessions and Rechungpa accepted the confessions, and in the end, it turned out well, but we do not need to speak too much about that.
Rechungpa returns to Milarepa’s place
In any case, when Rechungpa crossed to the other side of the river, after holding his breath and crossing the river, he went very quickly to Milarepa’s place. His attendant had fallen and was not able to keep up with him and had to come later. So, when he got to Milarepa’s place, he was not allowed to meet him for fifteen days. Then, one day he was told to bring many offerings for Ganachakras and tormas and many other students were brought along many of the repas. So, he went very humbly to meet lama Milarepa.
At that time, Jetsun Milarepa had made the Chakrasamvara mandala and said: “I am going to give the empowerment of the Chakrasamvara mandala. At the side, there was a mandala and in the middle of the mandala, there was the turquoise that Rechungpa had given to those leprous beggars, it was right in the middle of that plate. When Rechungpa saw that turquoise on the mandala, immediately his body trembled with fear. He totally panicked and the reason for this is because the beggar had been an emanation of Milarepa. Because of that Rechungpa lost all his attachment to samsara was reversed, and from then any wish he for comfort and pleasure was just exhausted.
Then the guru Milarepa said: “Rechungpa, you were my first disciple, so no matter what happens I cannot give up on you. You travelled back and forth too much, so that is why you had these obstacles, but I have compassion for you. Second, you have compassion and also faith in the guru and so because of this I have found support in you and you have found support in me. If it were not for me, you would have even sold your great guru”.
Then Milarepa sang a song. When he gave this advice, at first, Rechungpa was so embarrassed he couldn’t tell him everything. But when the guru said this, he gained confidence and made a confession before the guru and all his repa dharma brothers. The guru was really pleased and said: “The downfalls of the learned are the heaviest” refers to people like you.” So, the “learned (khepa)” here does not mean someone learned in the scriptures, it means someone who knows the essential spirit and the real point. So, the heaviest downfalls become like the lightest for them. Then, Milarepa gave him the Chakrasamvara empowerment.
So, that is the story. It is about not following the guru’s commands. So when Milarepa told him not to go to central Tibet, Rechungpa insisted and went and then had all these difficulties. So that is about the topic of what happens if you do not do as the guru says.
Only fulfilling a guru’s instructions if they are qualified and in accordance with Dharma
Then there is a question of what to do if you are not able to fulfil the guru’s words. Generally, it is difficult to fulfil all the instructions of a guru, I think. For example, if a guru says you know practice dharma, keep your vows and samaya, even that can be difficult. Not only that, if you had to do as Tilopa instructed Naropa, or Marpa instructed Milarepa, then there are things that you would be unable to do, that are even more difficult to complete. So, with this point in mind, Je Tsongkhapa says in his commentary in the Fifty Verses:
“Do you have to so everything that the guru says? If it is a guru that accords with the dharma, then you have to work as hard as you can to do it. But if you do not do everything you can to accomplish it, then you need to communicate the reasons why you are unable and explain this to the guru. Then, there is no fault if you do not accomplish it. Also, if there are some instructions of the guru that you cannot do in a dharmic way, that you have to do in some non-dharmic manner, at that point, you need to explain the reason to the guru. If you do not complete it, then there is no fault.”
So, for this reason, if you have a guru who is a qualified dharma guru who gives an instruction regarding dharma practice that is in accord with the dharma, then we need to do our best to accomplish it. There should be absolutely no doubt about whether we should fulfil it.
It is a question of whether they are able to do it, but there is no doubt that we should do it. If they give us some sort of dharma practice, you need to keep your vows and samayas and you tried everything to do it, but you were unable to do so, then there is no problem. There is no fault, because you tried your best and you cannot do it, then it is not a question you did not try as much. So, there is nothing you can do, because the Buddha taught that there is no rule that you are unable to keep.
For example, when Nagtso Lotawa went to Tibet, he promised them he would bring Je Atisha back to India after 3 years. He promised the abbot of Vikramashila and made the commitment. But later, when he was bringing Atisha back to India, the road went through Nepal and at that time, there was a war in Nepal and they were unable to continue on their way to India. Because they were unable to come, the translator became really distressed and worried and became very thin I think, like emaciated. Je Atisha saw this and consoled him saying: “There’s no fault when you are unable to accomplish it. So, if you are unable to if you do everything you can to complete it and you are unable to, there is no problem.
The main point is that, these days, there are many people who pretend to be qualified gurus but they are not. They deceive and mislead many people. They say: “I need these possessions, I really need this, and they really demand wealth and precious things. They say you need to do this or that, and if you do not do it, your samaya would be broken.” They are very arrogant about it. So, there are more than a few people who pretend to do this and this is something that obviously has caused great harm to the Buddhist teachings in general, and Tibetan Buddhism in particular. This is very clear to all of us.
So that is why I am speaking about this. It is not enough to just say that you must do whatever the guru says. If a guru who does not have the qualifications, says you need to do something, then what should we do at that point? Even if they do have all the qualifications, if they give you an instruction you are unable to accomplish, or something that would be really shocking to do, then how can we face or resist that situation?
Unconventional conduct of yogi teachers such as Lama Ngogpa and Milarepa
One thing we need to understand is that in the history of the Vajrayana, if we look at the life stories of the great mahasiddhas of the past, the secret mantra yogis would engage in practices of the yogic unconventional (tul-zhug) conduct, ot the all conquering conduct. So, these types of conduct are amazing and different from how ordinary people see them, and they would do. There is that kind of tradition. For example, even if they were monastics, they would drink alcohol or have sexual unions with consorts. Sometimes, they would even kill beings. There are such stories of masters engaging in such conduct.
For example, when Milarepa met Marpa’s wife consort Dakma, she sent Milarepa to request Dharma from Lama Ngogpa. At that that time, Lama Ngogpa said: “This morning, a group of my monks were robbed, so you need to cast a hailstone storm on them and if you do so, then I will teach you the instructions”.
Sp, Milarepa was unable to refuse the request of Ngogpa, and he cast a hail storm and destroyed all of the crops in that region from all the hailstones. Many sentient beings and creatures died. Milarepa became really depressed and was very unhappy about having done this. When he was walking underneath one tree, he saw many dead birds who had passed away there, and also many mice.
When he found them, he took them all, and he went back to Lama Ngogpa and said “I came here to ask for the dharma to quicken to Buddhahood, but instead of going there I’m doing totally negative actions that’s going to send me down to hell even faster. That is all I have to say to this. So where am I going to go?” He asked this of Lama Ngogpa while he was crying.
And the guru said “Oh don’t worry, you don’t need to be alarmed. Take all those the corpses of those birds and throw them in this fire.” There was a hearth with a fire in it and he told them to put all the corpses of birds on there. When he did, at the same time, Lama Ngogpa snapped his fingers and the dead birds that had been thrown on it just fluttered away into the sky. Milarepa immediately thought “Oh the lama is really something, like the Buddha.” And extraordinary faith developed in Guru Milarepa. So, there is this story, right?
The huge difference between Indian mahasiddha and extraordinarily realised gurus, and ordinary qualified ones
So, when Milarepa cast spells, he did not send hail storms at the commands of a demon/Mara. They were not misdeeds or non-virtuous actions. The answer is that Marpa and Lama Ngogpa were qualified masters. In fact, they were superior masters, exceptional specialists who could transform others’ lack of faith, revive the dead, and control the four elements. So, they are really extraordinary lamas. They were not just merely qualified gurus. Among qualified gurus they were the most superior. So, from the perspective of the Guru Marpa and Ngogpa were different than just ordinary qualified gurus. From the perspective of the student, Milarepa had faith in Lama Ngogpa seeing them as an actual Buddha. So, they had faith and trust that was unlike anyone else.
Both the guru and the student were not like ordinary people but for us, do we have the conditions necessary for that? We do not and because we do not have the conditions, if we try to just do whatever and pretend, we are going to do whatever the guru says. Then, when we meet with a guru who does not have all the qualifications, later we lose faith and what happens the guru is going to fall into the lower realms and the disciple is going to fall into the lower realms. Basically, doing many pointless things. For that reason, the main thing is that you need to judge your own level before you do your practice.
Don’t try to be a fox jumping where a lion leaps and if a realised guru, the benefit of their actions will reveal themselves over time
There is a Tibetan proverb: “The fox who jumps where a lion leaps, will break its back.” So, one needs to be very careful. If the guru is giving instructions that are in accord with dharma, then you need to do as much as you can to do them. If they give instructions that are non-dharmic, then it is actually more dangerous to do them, and they have a greater risk than benefit.
Another way of thinking about it is when Marpa treated Milarepa badly, it just did not look good at the time. No matter who looked at it, it just did not look good. However, after a certain amount of time passed everyone realized it that it was meaningful for Marpa to treat Milarepa like that. Sometimes, gurus do not seem good but you do not know the reason they are doing it. Then, maybe a few months, or a few years or even decades later, after a certain amount of time when one says there was no reason for them to act in that way, you can understand that there was a reason for that type of activity. So, generally we cannot immediately understand the activity or the realization of the guru or their intentions. Because we are not on the same level of the guru. If we were able to realise that and the disciple knew everything that the guru was saying, then there would be no reason to be the guru’s disciple, right?
So, if after a certain amount of time, the guru’s actions becomes meaningful and beneficial and the situation gets better and improves, then that is good. Otherwise, if, after a certain amount of time, the situation related to the guru’s actions does not get better, but in fact gets worse, then that is not alright.
The necessity of the guru having more qualifications than the student, and how it does not work if the student has more qualities and the era of Tilopa-Naropa type guru-student relations is over
In particular, for all of us who have the title of guru, like myself, it is not about one’s own personal feelings. As Dagpo Gampopa said: we should have a pure altruistic intention for those who have faith and belief in us and have compassion for the teachings and students all.” Whoever it is, a lama or a tulku, these qualities are very important. Especially for those who have faith in us. This is a really important quality of a guru. They must have this pure altruistic intention, genuine compassion for the teachings in general, and those who have faith in them, in particular.”
As these days, if one is a teacher who uses the teachings to confuse and deceive students who trust and have faith in them, or who misuse the dharma to harm the teachings and sentient beings, if that happens, then this is an extremely serious negative action. So, we need to be very careful of this.
If you think: “I’m a guru, so whatever I do is alright.” then basically you are only deceiving yourself. The guru has their own responsibilities, their own samaya to keep. In particular, the guru must have more qualities and qualifications, and they have to have more responsibility, they must have greater qualities and better and more qualifications than the student.
The student does not have to have a lot. If the guru’s student had a lot of qualifications and the guru did not, then it would not work out right. The guru always has to have greater qualities than the student. This is said over and over again. It is not saying that the guru’s student has a lot of qualifications, and that the guru is not able to say anything.
In particular, in the Fifty Verses on the Guru it says: “the guru and student have the same violation of samaya.” So, just as disciples break their samaya, gurus also break their samaya. So, it is very important for both guru-student to mutually be very careful.
Likewise, if we have this kind of doubt: “What if the guru gives us instructions like Tilopa gave to Naropa, or like Marpa gave to Milarepa, what are we going to do?” Actually, we do not need to worry about that because, from one perspective, that era is over. One could say “That time is done.”
The reason is as Tilopa said to Naropa “In the future, when you are nurturing students, you cannot treat them as I treated you. Do not treat them as I did you.” He advised Naropa like this. So, you might think that “Oh Tilopa did this to Naropa and so on, and so maybe the guru is doing that to me, so I should do it too.” One should not talk like that.
The story of Sakya master Drogmi Lotsawa’s student
There is another story about this, in the history of the Sakya Lamdre, one of the most important ones called Lhachen Drogmi Shakya Yeshe [Drogmi Lotsāwa Śākya Yeshe) (c. 992–1064) transmitted the tantric system “Path and Fruit” (Lamdré) . Drogmi was a famous scholar and translator who had studied at the Vikramashila monastery directly under Naropa, Ratnākaraśānti, Vāgīśvarakīrti and other great panditas from India for twelve years.] He was very well-known. He had a student whose name was Drom Tenpa Chojung and he had some power in sorcery and killed 25 enemies at one time. Because of his renown of being able to do this he became very famous for that. There were many people who came and made offerings to him because he killed so many people through the sorcery.
However, Drom felt revulsion for that and so went with his wife and 30 members of retinue to central Tibet to request for teachings from Lhachen Drogmi. When he went there to do this, many people also made him offerings on the road. He took all of the offerings and went to see Lhachen Drogmi. For every session, he gave an ounce of gold for every teaching session. So, he gave an ounce for every session at the end and he had finished four sessions but he did not have enough after more four sessions. So, when he ran out, he asked Lhachen: “Can I give something else in place of gold?” He replied: “If you’ve run out of gold, I’ve also run out of dharma. If you do not offer gold, there is no Dharma.”
So, he had nothing else to do, so he bought the gold from Lhachen Drogmi’s wife, and then he offered it and he received the rest of the dharma in full.
So, then Lhachen Drogmi’s wife also died so he had no place to buy gold from. died no place to buy jewellery so it was not that so he asked all the teachings. So, then the lama who is asking for the dharma teachings, his own wife died so when he died, and he took all of her jewellery and offered it to Lhachen. He spent eight years following him.
Then he needed to return to his homeland as he had to go back and he asked him to borrow three horses “please, in order to carry some texts.” So he asked Lhachen “please lend me three horses.” Lhachen Drogmi replied “There is no tradition of the guru giving an offering to the student.” So, he would not lend him three horses. There is no tradition of a guru offering to students. So, if you cannot go, then just stay here. So then Drom and all his retinues and students got really angry about this. They thought no matter how much we offered he will not even lend us three horses. So, they really criticized him a lot.
So, Drom iwaskind of disappointed, “this is the place of Lhachen Drogmi, he is like a Buddha and this is like Bodh Gaya, so I cannot come to this place again. I’ve just become a complete beggar.” If I walk all the way home it is too embarrassing to go back like that.”
So, he went to Lato and Ding-ri, he was well known as a student of Lhachen, so many people came to ask him for teachings and made offerings to him. So, he gave them Lhachen’s pith instructions, the most important instructions. When he gave them, he had broken his samaya right? So, his mind was broken and he had a nose bleed and he got sick. The next morning, he developed great clairvoyance and he thought with that glance said “Oh my guru is Vajradhara in person he was testing me. He was trying to do this to me, but I did not realize that. However now it’s not working out but in the bardo, he will take care of me.” So, he told his retinue, take all the remaining things ahead as well as after I am done and after I am dead, please give my bones to Lhachen Dronme. Ask for him for his pith instructions because of all the hardships and empathy I went through, you do not need to go through, he will give you instructions as well. This is what he said. Then after he said that, he passed away and then they cremated his remains right? When they cremated his remains and there was like a rain of flowers and many other miraculous signs. So, his students did as he requested and they took his remains and all their offerings and went to and they went to see Lhachen Drogmu. They started blowing conchs from the from the lower part of the bell. At that point, Lhachen was making a toma when he heard this and he thought to him he said go look and see what is in there. I have this feeling like it pulling out my life force.
So, the students went to look and he saw that they were coming the remains as his uh offerings they told him the story and offered the jewels and then Droma and they offered the remains and he took the remains. He put them in different of hands and he put them in his lap. And he said “Son, have you returned to your father?” And then he wept.
He told them that his guru told me that when he gives the instructions, one needs to examine whether the vessels are receptive or not. “So, I examined to see him but maybe I was too strict I made him do too much and that is one thing. So, this is my fault for being too harsh. This is a fault in examination. Now, if any of you want the instructions I should give them to you. You could ask for any you want.” But there were not many who actually asked for them. So, Lhachen felt like he had examined his students too harshly, and later he felt regret over this.
So, these days there is not that kind of examination of student or guru like that. It is very rare to find any examples of relationships like this in such a degenerate age. The Buddhist teachings have spread not only to Tibet but are now all over the world east and west. So, we have people from different ethnicities and different cultures and we need to do this in a very skilful means. But we just cannot do as we did in the old days and follow the old traditions and be really hard-headed about it. This is going to prevent you from benefiting sentient beings.
This is another important point we need to consider. In particular, in modern days, the Tibetan Buddhist tradition practice not only secret mantra only because Milarepa primarily only practiced secret mantra. Later we practice sutra and tantra together practicing the view meditation and conduct without blocking, and this spread very widely particularly in the Dagpo Kagyu lineage. There are the oral instructions from the whispered lineage passed down from Marpa and Milarepa and this combined with the graduate path of the Kadampa tradition that passed from Je Gampopa, that became one.
The importance of outer and inner conduct and “not revealing secrets”and Vajrayana being like a “snake stuck in an iron pipe, the only way is up or down
If you look at it in terms of this way, it is not only the inner practice but actually the outer conduct practice is very important. It has to be very pure and inspire faith and clarity in others’ perception. You should be acting in accord with the dharma. I think this is like the main life force of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. So, the guru has these qualities of realization and clairvoyance and visible signs and they can show them, that is a different situation.
Otherwise, if they have the name title of a lama and act improperly then it is a different matter. One has to examine someone before you follow them as a guru once you have done so, you need to examine whether the instructions accord with the dharma or not. It is important to think and swear the reason for this is that uh following the guru is primarily should be in terms of practice and dharma, that is why we do it. So, this is our aim so we do everything to follow them in terms of the dharma, in a way that accords with the dharma, then many of these difficulties will naturally be resolved.
In any case, if we do not have any idea or knowledge of what the guru is really like and from the very outset, rush to do everything they say, or everything they teach saying “I’m going to practice everything they teach,” then I think that is a bit dangerous in this age. As you all know.
Many of the great Vajrayana masters said secret mantra is like a like an iron pipe. If a snake gets into it, either it is going to go up, or it is going to go down, there is no other way to go. Similarly, with the Vajrayana, if it goes well, it will bring you up to Buddhahood, if it does not go well, it will bring you down to hell. There is no other place to go.
The reason for this is the Vajrayana is really strict and it is for those with the highest faculties not appropriate for everyone. The reason is when you are practicing the dharma you should not even say who your guru is, and you should not tell your secrets, you should keep it secret. The reason you keep it secret is that there are extremely few people who really understand how to practice the dharma or who can get their heads around it. There is a great danger that people who understand it incorrectly and use it improperly.
So, for this reason, we need to be careful and keep it private and secret. We need to do everything to keep the practice like this. The Buddha and many other scholars have repeatedly said this. So, for this reason if we meet a qualified guru and then follow them properly, as is taught in the Fifty Verses on the Guru, then the best is that will achieve enlightenment. If it is the opposite, if we meet a false guru who does not have the qualifications, or who is deceptive, then there is the risk that we would waste both this life and the future lives.
So, we have to be extremely careful. What I am saying here for the last few days I have been speaking about serving the guru and respecting the guru and you might think that you need to give everything to the guru you need to give up everything you need to do whatever the guru says. I have to sacrifice everything the guru. One should not think that. One needs to recognize whether you are at the level where you can do that. You need to look at what your own level is and really see if you can match that level.
Likewise, it is not that there are no qualified gurus, there still are some qualified gurus. As long as there are some, then even if we cannot follow them 100%, as it is taught in the Fifty Verses, we need to do as much as we can to make sure that the connection remains stable. To make sure that we do not break our samaya vows. If we do not violate samaya, then I think that it will work out well. So, I think this seems to be one reason I am teaching the Fifty Verses.”
Endnotes
[1] Mclellan writes in full: “In this account, she, Rechungpa, and his disciple Ra Shernang (ra sher snang) traveled together to request and receive Mahāmudrā teachings from a Nepalese master named Asu, also known by the Tibetan name Belpo Kyeme (bal po skye med), who had married and settled in central Tibet. The instructions seem to have been extensive, stretching over many months, and the three supported each other as a team. Rechungpa, as the main recipient of the teachings who was expected to carry the lineage, focused on contemplating and meditating on the inner meaning of what Asu taught, while Ra Sharnang memorized and presumably wrote down the instructional verses, or dohās, in which the teachings were conveyed. Lhachik Dembu contributed the important clerical work of memorizing and recording the history of Asu’s Mahāmudrā lineage; without a clear and credible history, no lineage could hope to gain acceptance in Tibet. Not only did Lhachik contribute to the group intellectually, but according to Gyeltangpa, when the famously temperamental Rechungpa grew discouraged about having to absorb so much difficult material, Lhachik encouraged him to keep going and even used her connections in Yarlung to collect a large amount of barley from the people to cover his tuition.
Subsequent Rechungpa biographies leave out the episode of the rich and harmonious year he spent practicing with Lhachik Dembu and Ra Shernang. Instead, these sources cast her ungenerously as a foil who distracted Rechungpa from the authentic path of diligence. One of these, an important anonymous text from the fourteenth century—The Life and Songs of Zhepai Dorje (bzhad pa’i rdo rje’i rnam thar mgur mchings dang bcas pa)—describes her, at least in her youth, as a shallow and spoiled princess who was interested in Rechungpa for his good looks but not for his religious activities, which she resented.” See: https://treasuryoflives.org/biographies/view/Lhachik-Dembu/13882.
I will write more about these one-sided (male-composed) biographies of women (ancient and contemporary) in the field of Tibetan Buddhism again soon. For now, see my article on McLellan’s one-sided, and unquestioning going along with the sexist trope and narrative regarding the “evil Queen” Margyelma. As well as my article about the “appropriation” and sexist misreading of the voice of Jonang lineage holder, Kunga Trinley Wangmo by Michael Sheehy, here.
Thankfully, McLellan does not repeat “tone” in his biography of Lhachig Dempa. But again we might ask, why are men still mainly writing about women’s lives anyway? Where are the nuanced, less sexist interpretations of these historical women by contemporary female scholars and biographers?
[2] Réchung Pug (ras chung phug) is a famous Kagyü hermitage which sits on top of the Mila Tse spir which overlooks the bifurcation of the Yarlung and Chongye valleys. Later, in 1488, while residing at Rechung Puk, the yogin Tsangnyön Heruka, whose actual name was Sangye Gyeltsen, composed the ‘Life of Milarepa’ and the ‘Hundred Thousands Songs of Milarepa’, which have since become classic texts of Tibetan Buddhism. Formerly there were 1,000 monks at Réchung Puk, and some rebuilding has taken place since the destruction of the 1960’s (Source: Gyurme Dorje, Tibet Footprint, 3rd edition, p.203).