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Dharma Teachings
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The Kagyu Lineage
Transmission In the Vajrayana the transmission takes place particularly through initiation. This means that the tantric teachings are not initially propagated under a human form, as is the case for the Sutra teachings. All the tantras have their origins in the Buddha Shakyamuni under the sambhogakaya, form. Generally the Buddha teaches taking the form of the main deity of which he reveals the mandala. This takes place in the pure lands or at the summit of Mount Meru where the transmission is received by vidyadhara. These are bodhisattvas who are beyond the eighth level of enlightenment and who also appear under subtle forms in these pure lands. The origin of the transmission is therefore the ultimate Buddha, the dharmakaya, and the method of transmission is through the sambhogakaya. Then these bodhisattvas introduce these different tantras into the relative, human world by manifesting themselves in a gross form known as the nirmanakaya. This is the general method of transmission. This is what is transmitted from realised master to disciple. The transmission is the blessing of the deity itself in the form of an initiation or a transmission of power, 'wang' in Tibetan. The power of the realisation of the deity is received by the lineage masters and transmitted from master to disciple. From a human being to others who are capable of receiving it. This is the principle of an uninterrupted transmission. It is what we call the transmission of instructions on the relative level. In the Kagyupa lineage there is another form of transmission, which is known as the ultimate transmission. This goes
back to Tilopa, who after a twelve-year retreat, achieved realisation
of the dharmakaya: he actually gained the ability to go the dharmakaya
realms, the pure lands of Ogmin. He met the primordial Buddha, Dorje Chang,
the dharmakaya itself, which gave him the entire transmission, in terms
of initiations and oral instructions. He then ensured the continuation
of this ultimate transmission through a series of disciples, the first
being Naropa, himself an eminent scholar and a holder of Mahayana transmissions. Naropa Naropa was the guardian of Nalanda University's north gate. He abandoned his academic studies and all the pride associated with his position in order to seek the ultimate realisation and transmission. For this reason he went in search of a master, who turned out to be Tilopa. He accepted to undergo twelve ordeals. By serving his master in every way possible, he pleased Tilopa and showed himself to be a disciple completely worthy of receiving the entirety of this transmission. Ultimate Transmission The ultimate transmission is unique in being the transmission of blessings and realisations. One receives it through devotion and complete openness to one's spiritual master. It is not something that can be transmitted by books, in a formal way, but exclusively from mind to mind, symbolically through the attitude of the master and the disciple's pure perception. This means one regards the master as a Buddha and never wavers from this perception whatever the circumstance. Naropa possessed this quality throughout all his ordeals. Due to his practice, he was also able to receive directly a transmission of prophecies concerning the future of the lineage. This indicated that he himself would have an extraordinary disciple in Marpa and that Marpa would have an even more extraordinary disciple in Milarepa. Each time successive disciples have shown the same devotion, the same abnegation, and the same absolute confidence in their master. They have revealed themselves to be receptacles worthy of receiving the entirety of the ultimate transmission, that of both realisation and blessing. This transmission
was held by Milarepa, Gampopa, then by all the Kagyupa schools, and, as
far as the Karmapa's lineage is concerned, by all the Golden Rosary holders
down to the sixteenth Gyalwa Karmapa. Lineage In order to have an authentic transmission, there must be no interruption in the lineage. There must be an unbroken continuity throughout the complete transmission and its initiations, ritual readings and commentaries. Also from a formal point of view, there must be no interruption. Furthermore there must be no damaging of samaya. The teachings must be transmitted integrally and preserved in accordance with the vows of the Lamas who receive them. These Lamas must act as lineage holders in a manner that is complete, pure and absolute. This means that the Lamas not only receive, but also practice the transmission. In this way they attain realisation and have the vision of the deity and the vision of the mandala. From that moment on, what they transmit is not only formal but also invested by their own vision and by their own inner realisation. It is the same mind that is transmitted from master to disciple in an uninterrupted lineage. This is why at the present extremity of the lineage, there is exactly the same power that radiates from the spiritual master. The sixteenth Karmapa is the last lineage holder of the Golden Rosary and he is the master of all the lineage Lamas. Root-Lama There is also this aspect of the lineage Lama or Root-Lama. Such a person is directly connected to this transmission and has received it, studied it, practised and experienced it to a greater or lesser degree. He is therefore a vehicle and holder of its blessing. One establishes a connection with a Root-Lama, who must also be a lineage Lama. He is the catalyst for the whole of the lineage. So when choosing a Root-Lama, one must be aware that this person really unifies in himself all the blessings of all the lineage Lamas. He is like a door giving access to the whole lineage and its entire transmission of realisation. Even if he himself is not the Karmapa or a highly realised master, he is still this means of access. If one does not view the Lama as a Buddha, even if he is not really at that level, it is like cutting oneself off from the transmission, closing oneself to the blessing. Even if there is a Lama in front of oneself who really is a Buddha but one lacks confidence in him and looks upon him as an ordinary master, it will only be the blessing of an ordinary master that one receives. If the Lama is ordinary but perceived as a Buddha, as long as he really is the holder of the lineage's transmission, all the blessings and all the realisation potential of Dorje Tchang are transmitted and received by the disciple. Kagyupa Tradition The transmission of experience and realisation is also perpetuated by this special form of blessings from master to disciple. This is particular to the Kagyupa tradition in that the disciple, through undergoing ordeals and difficulties, develops ever-greater confidence, openness and devotion. This transmission takes place essentially at the Vajrayana level, which in the Kagyupa tradition embraces the mahayana transmission as well as that of the six yogas. The combination of these two aspects constitutes what is known as the Golden Rosary of the Kagyupa transmission. There are also other transmissions, which have been introduced into the lineage by Gampopa who came from the Kadampa School and who introduced the Vinaya transmission from this school as well as the training of the mind in seven points and the exchange of self with others. There is also Milarepa's transmission of the Six Yogas and of Mahamudra. These are relative aspects of the transmission, which all have the master-disciple relationship as their focal point. This relationship of devotion towards the Lama who holds the transmission is that which makes the reception of blessings possible. This aspect is the most intimate and the most essential feature of the transmission's methods. The external transmission is relative; the most important element is this transfer from one mind to another. This Mahamudra of devotion is what characterises the Kagyupa lineage. That is why Tilopa said: "I have no human master, my master is the dharmakaya Dorje Chang." Tilopa is the holder of this ultimate transmission coming directly from Dorje Chang. Afterwards, in order to conform to the relative world's conventions, he went to meet the greatest masters of the day and from the four main masters he received four different transmissions. These became the four transmissions of Tilopa. They contain all of the lineage's essential teachings: the Six Yogas, Mahamudra and all teachings concerning Higher Tantra. Therefore, on a relative level, this is a transmission of instructions transferred by human masters. But the particularity of this lineage is the ultimate aspect of the transmission by beings that are not human. Faith The most important thing is faith. There are three levels of faith: the first level is interested faith. You hear talk about the Dharma. You recognise a certain value in it, you find that what is being said is interesting and therefore you are favourably inclined towards it. Then the second level is engaged faith. Since teachings only provide their benefits when put into practice, you wish to go further and practice them. You meditate upon impermanence, the precious human body, on death, you recognise the law of karma, the unsatisfactory nature of samsara, and you say to yourself that you must turn towards enlightenment. Then you take refuge. With refuge as your foundation you begin to practice and start upon the path. This practice will then be strengthened by the first preliminary of taking refuge, generating bodhicitta and performing prostrations, which, in a symbolic way, act to diminish pride and the fundamental ego. Then you understand the real necessity to purify your karma in an even deeper way through Dorje Sempa. Once purged of all the negativities that were within you, you must create merit. This is done through Mandala offerings of the universe and through Guru yoga. This accumulation of positive activity will allow your mind to understand what the blessing lineage is and to be open to the Lama's grace. Receiving the Lama's influence is what then permits a real and rapid progression of experiences and realisations. Otherwise, one remains on a theoretical and intellectual level. This then opens out into a higher form of faith, which is a total abandonment to the spiritual master, in which you realise not only that you must practice but that there is in fact nothing else to do. One has to then dedicate one's whole life to the practice and to pursue it to its conclusion. Everything must become practice, and all practice is devotion towards the spiritual master. For it is the spiritual master, the lineage holder, who transmits enlightenment and the different degrees of experience and realisation. That is what a successful completion of the preliminaries entails. The ultimate Guru yoga consists of being completely receptive to the Lama's spiritual transmission. From this basis one can begin the main practice of shiné and lhaktong which bring true development. Golden Rosary The Golden Rosary is the name given to the succession of Kagyupa lineage Lamas, starting with the dharmakaya Dorje Chang and then on to Tilopa, Naropa, Marpa, Milarepa, Gampopa, the first Karmapa and then all Lamas and all the Karmapas who have retransmitted the teachings from one Karmapa to the next, up to the present day. The end of this Golden Rosary is the Root-Lama himself. This is the reason why when praying to the Root-Lama during the refuge or guru yoga, we imagine him as Dorje Chang, in other words as having exactly the same spiritual power as the primordial Buddha himself. This means that from the beginning of the lineage to its end not a single drop of spiritual influence has been lost. The whole transmission is complete and intact. By praying to the Lama, one therefore has access to the same power of realisation as at the source. It is not Dorje Chang who takes the Lama's form, but the contrary. One imagines the Root-Lama who holds the transmission in the form of Dorje Chang. One's confidence is thus placed not in the person, a relative being, but in the principle of enlightenment and the absolute which is embodied by him. If there is no Lama in our presence and no possibility to be guided by a master, one can neither have access to the absolute, nor encounter the Dharma, nor understand its full meaning. In this respect the Root-Lama is the most important of all, the closest to us, the one who instructs us and who takes us through the different stages of the path. He may not be the brightest sun of all the universes and galaxies but given that he is the nearest to us, it is from him that we receive the light. That is why he is the most important. The choice of a Root-Lama is a personal one. You must have a fundamental grasp of what the Dharma is in order to understand the necessity for a spiritual master. This master must be qualified, which means that he really holds a true transmission and blessing. From the fact that they are linked to a lineage and through their personal practice and the qualities they have developed, one can recognise authentic, qualified Lamas. Amongst these Lamas one or several may be chosen, for it is not always the case that one feels a special affinity towards a single Root-Lama. It is an intimately personal experience which leads us to consider a specific Lama as the right one to lead and guide us. For this reason it is solely the disciple's choice. It is not up to the Lama to say: "I am your Master, you are my disciple." Lama Yeshe Nyingpo
Reproduced
here with kind permission. |
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