Notes to

Nyingma Lineage Supplications

This liturgy is a collection of short supplications to Nyingma lineage holders from a variety
of sources. This particular compilation is used at Namdroling Monastery in South India.
Traditionally, Namdroling khenpos chant this before presenting teachings at the shedra.
Unless noted otherwise, the authorship of individual stanzas is unknown.

The initial paragraph addresses ones root guru. The guru is said to be the essence of all the
buddhas, the essence of the five buddha families. The maala is said to be displayed from
the mind of the guru.

The author of the first four verses is uncertain. According to one source, they were
composed by Jamgn Mipham Gyatso; according to another, by Longchenpa. The first
verse is a supplication to Shkyamuni Buddha. In the fourth line, Lord of Sages and
White Lotus are epithets of the Buddha. This verse employs the imagery of the parts of
a flower: pistil, anthers, and petals. The pistil of a flower is located at its center, and is
surrounded by the anthers, which are in turn surrounded by the petals. Opinions vary as
to which Tibetan word refers to which part of a flower, so these terms cannot be taken
scientifically. They mainly serve a poetic function.

The second verse is a supplication to Padmkara. Emanation of a victorious one refers

to Buddha Amitbha. Lake of Uiyna is lake Dhanakosha, where Padmkara emerged
from a lotus flower.

In the third verse, a supplication to Majushr, Majushr is likened to the moon. Friend
of the kunda is a traditional epithet of the moon. The kunda flower seems to be white
jasmine, which is a night-blooming flower. The flower is likened to our minds, which
blossom through the power of Majushr, just as the moon helps the flower to blossom.
In the fourth line, lotus mudr is the same as ajali.

The fourth verse is a supplication to Sarasvat. In the second line, her speech is likened to
the sun, in contrast to her consort Majushr, who is likened to the moon in the previous
verse. Net of a thousand light rays is a traditional epithet of the sun.
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Verse five is very famous, though its author is unknown. According to some explanations,
Ngrjuna, ryadeva, Asaga, Vasubandhu, Dignga, and Dharmakrti are the six
ornaments; Guaprabha and Shkyaprabha are the two supreme ones. According to
other explanations, Ngrjuna and Asaga are the two supreme ones, as well as being
part of the group of six ornaments. ryadeva was the student of Ngrjuna, and
Vasubandhu was the student (and younger brother) of Asaga. Dharmakrti is the
(indirect) student of Dignga. The students were the major commentators on their teachers
teachings. Dharmapla was another important commentator, in the yogchra tradition.
Both Guaprabha and Shkyaprabha were known for their mastery of and commentaries
on the vinaya. chryaShra was probably the author of the Jtaka-ml, a collection of
stories of the Buddhas previous lives.

Verse six appears in many places, such as in The Rain of Blessings, our saghas
Padmasambhava feast practice. It is a supplication to a number of forefathers of the
Nyingma lineage. The Indian guru, Prahevajra, the first human lineage holder, is more
commonly known by the Tibetan translation of his name, Garap Dorje (Indestructible
Supreme Joy). Shr Siha was one of Padmkaras principal gurus. Lord and
subjectsthe twenty-five refers to King Trisong Detsen and the other twenty-four close
disciples of Padmkara. So, Sur, Nup, and Nyak refer to figures in the kama lineage,
which is the transmission from teacher to student of the tantric teachings of the Buddha.
Hundred tertns refers to the terma lineage of those who reveal the hidden dharma
treasures of Padmkara.

Verse seven, composed by Jamgn Mipham Gyatso, supplicates Rongsom Chkyi Sangpo,
who is said to have written sixty volumes of text, which were subsequently lost. The use
of the adjectives glorious and gentle in the third line liken Rongsom Chkyi Sangpo to
Majushr.

The eighth verse, a supplication to Longchenpa, may have been composed either by
Longchenpa himself or by Jamgn Mipham Gyatso. Pleasure Grove is the name of
Longchen Rabjams retreat cave in Upper White Snow Mountain. Hidden yogin refers
to practitioners who keep their good qualities secret, pretending to be ordinary.

The ninth verse, a supplication to Patrl Rinpoche, was written by Jamyang Khyentse
Wangpo on the back of a thangka. It is said that Patrl Rinpoche reacted to it by running
away, as he did not like supplications addressed to himself. Self-Liberated Suffering is
an epithet of Avalokiteshvara.

Verse ten was composed by Jamgn Mipham Gyatso as a supplication to himself for his
students. According to the Stra of Extensive Play, the eight great treasures of confidence are
(1) the recollection that overcomes forgetfulness, (2) the intellect that develops the mind,
(3) the realization that completely grasps the meaning of all stras, (4) the retention of all
that one has heard, (5) the brilliance that delights all sentient beings with excellent
exegeses, (6) the doctrine that well preserves the sacred teachings, (7) the enlightenment
that never breaks its relationship with the three precious jewels, and (8) the
accomplishment that is receptive to the uncreated reality of emptiness. (Adapted from The
Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism, Its Fundamentals and History, vol. 2, p. 160.). Mipham
Majugoha is Sanskrit meaning Mipham Gentle Voice. Here, gentle means that his
voice was perfect and could reach all beingsnot that it was soft in tone or that it was a
good singing voice.

In verse eleven, arts and sciences is Western term for what was traditionally called the
five sciences, which comprised a basic general education.

Verse thirteen is excerpted from the Prajpramit Stra. Verse fourteen is the eighteenth
verse of The King of Aspirations Prayer by bodhisattva Samantabhadra (the last chapter of
the Gaavyuha Stra). In verse fourteen, ngas are a type of nonhuman being with
snakelike characteristics, who live in close association with water. Yakhas are another
nonhuman class of being. Kumbhas are a kind of yakha that have the heads of animals
and the bodies of humans.

The final two verses are separated from the rest of the text by asterisks because they would
traditionally be chanted by only the teacher. At this time, it is uncertain how they will be
used in our community.

2010 by the Nland Translation Committee