Namkhai Nyingpo
Encyclopedia
Namkhai Nyingpo (Wylie: gNubs Nam-mkha’ i sNying-po) is counted amongst the principal 'twenty-five disciples' (Wylie: rje 'bang nyer lnga) of Padmasambhava
. Namkhai Nyingpo was a realized practitioner of Shantarakshita
’s tradition of Sutrayana
and 'gradual' Mahayana
, as well as simultaneously being one of the most accomplished Tibetan practitioners of the Chinese Ch’an School (East Mountain Teachings), which transmits the Tönmun or 'sudden' tradition of the Mahayana. In addition, Namkhai Nyingpo was also a realized master of the Dzogchen path (Atiyogayana) of 'self-liberation' (Wylie: rang grol), as well as a Master of the Tantric Path (Tantrayana) of transformation (specifically, the three Outer Tantra yana
and the Inner Tantra yana bar Dzogchen according to the scheme of the Nyingmapa).
) may be rendered in English from the Tibetan as "essence of space", "matrix of the sky", "womb of space".
took place at Samye
and was conducted by Śāntarakṣita. Namkhai Nyingpo was one of the select five that Trisong Detsen
commissioned to undergo pilgrimage
to India with the charge of securing sacred texts, principally tantras
, at the behest of Padmasambhava. Namkhai Nyingpo was faithful to his quest and fulfilled his charge and faced his fear. The other four were: Drugu Epaksha, Lang Pelgyi Senge, Singharaja and Dre Gyelwai Lodro, all of whom failed to honour their duty, sacred charge or dharma
out of fear. Namkhai Nyingpo was an accomplished siddha
who wielded the phurba
, an esoteric ritual and magical tool for working with energy and principally the manifestation or activity of energy.
Dargyay (1977, 1998: p. 33) discusses the particular generation stage
cycle of the 'Eight Pronouncements' (Wylie: bka'-brgyad) that Namkhai Nyingpo was 'empowered' (Wylie: dbangs-bskur) to practice by Padmasambhava
, and through the 'sadhana
' (Wylie: sgrub-sde) of which he realised siddhi
:
that has been rendered from the Tibetan into English by Tarthang Tulku
.
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Padmasambhava
Padmasambhava ; Mongolian ловон Бадмажунай, lovon Badmajunai, , Means The Lotus-Born, was a sage guru from Oddiyāna who is said to have transmitted Vajrayana Buddhism to Bhutan and Tibet and neighbouring countries in the 8th century...
. Namkhai Nyingpo was a realized practitioner of Shantarakshita
Shantarakshita
' was a renowned 8th century Indian Buddhist Brahmin and abbot of Nalanda University. Śāntarakṣita founded the philosophical school known as Yogacara-Svatantrika-Madhyamaka, which united the Madhyamaka tradition of Nagarjuna, the Yogacara tradition of Asanga and the logical and epistemological...
’s tradition of Sutrayana
Sutrayana
Sūtrayāna, in the Indo-Tibetan three-fold classification of yanas, is the yana that leads to the realization of emptiness. It consists of Hinayana and Mahayana. The other two yanas, according to this classification, are Tantrayana and Dzogchen, which together constitute Vajrayana....
and 'gradual' Mahayana
Mahayana
Mahāyāna is one of the two main existing branches of Buddhism and a term for classification of Buddhist philosophies and practice...
, as well as simultaneously being one of the most accomplished Tibetan practitioners of the Chinese Ch’an School (East Mountain Teachings), which transmits the Tönmun or 'sudden' tradition of the Mahayana. In addition, Namkhai Nyingpo was also a realized master of the Dzogchen path (Atiyogayana) of 'self-liberation' (Wylie: rang grol), as well as a Master of the Tantric Path (Tantrayana) of transformation (specifically, the three Outer Tantra yana
Yana (Buddhism)
Yāna refers to a mode or method of spiritual practice in Buddhism, and in particular to divisions of various schools of Buddhism according to their type of practice.-Nomenclature, etymology and orthography:...
and the Inner Tantra yana bar Dzogchen according to the scheme of the Nyingmapa).
Nomenclature, orthography and etymology
'Namkhai Nyingpo' (Tibetan; Sanskrit: AkasagarbhaAkasagarbha
Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva is one of the eight great bodhisattvas. His name can be translated as "boundless space treasury" or "void store" as his wisdom is said to be boundless as space itself...
) may be rendered in English from the Tibetan as "essence of space", "matrix of the sky", "womb of space".
Biography
Namkhai Nyingpo was born in Lower Nyal. Namkhai Nyingpo was one of the first indigenous Tibetans to take tantric buddhist ordination. This ordination and empowermentEmpowerment
Empowerment refers to increasing the spiritual, political, social, racial, educational, gender or economic strength of individuals and communities...
took place at Samye
Samye
The Samye Monastery or Samye Gompa is the first Buddhist monastery built in Tibet, was most probably first constructed between 775 and 779 CE under the patronage of King Trisong Detsen of Tibet who sought to revitalize Buddhism, which had declined since its introduction by King Songtsen Gampo in...
and was conducted by Śāntarakṣita. Namkhai Nyingpo was one of the select five that Trisong Detsen
Trisong Detsen
Trisong Detsän or Trisong Detsen ཁྲི་སྲོང་ལྡེ་བཙན , was the son of Me Agtsom and one of the emperors of Tibet and ruled...
commissioned to undergo pilgrimage
Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...
to India with the charge of securing sacred texts, principally tantras
Tantras
Tantras refers to numerous and varied scriptures pertaining to any of several esoteric traditions rooted in Hindu and Buddhist philosophy. Although Buddhist and Hindu Tantra have many similarities from the outside, they do have some clear distinctions. The rest of this article deals with Hindu...
, at the behest of Padmasambhava. Namkhai Nyingpo was faithful to his quest and fulfilled his charge and faced his fear. The other four were: Drugu Epaksha, Lang Pelgyi Senge, Singharaja and Dre Gyelwai Lodro, all of whom failed to honour their duty, sacred charge or dharma
Dharma
Dharma means Law or Natural Law and is a concept of central importance in Indian philosophy and religion. In the context of Hinduism, it refers to one's personal obligations, calling and duties, and a Hindu's dharma is affected by the person's age, caste, class, occupation, and gender...
out of fear. Namkhai Nyingpo was an accomplished siddha
Siddha
A Siddha सिद्ध in Sanskrit means "one who is accomplished" and refers to perfected masters who, according to Hindu belief, have transcended the ahamkara , have subdued their minds to be subservient to their Awareness, and have transformed their bodies into a different kind of body dominated by...
who wielded the phurba
Phurba
The kīla is a three-sided peg, stake, knife, or nail like ritual implement traditionally associated with Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, Bön, and Indian Vedic traditions. The kīla is associated with the meditational deity The kīla (Sanskrit Devanagari: कील; IAST: kīla; , pronunciation between pur-ba and...
, an esoteric ritual and magical tool for working with energy and principally the manifestation or activity of energy.
Dargyay (1977, 1998: p. 33) discusses the particular generation stage
Generation stage
In Tantric Buddhism, the generation stage is the first phase of meditative Buddhist sādhana associated with the 'Father Tantra' class of anuttara-yoga-tantras of the Sarmapa or associated with what is known as Mahayoga Tantras by the Nyingmapa...
cycle of the 'Eight Pronouncements' (Wylie: bka'-brgyad) that Namkhai Nyingpo was 'empowered' (Wylie: dbangs-bskur) to practice by Padmasambhava
Padmasambhava
Padmasambhava ; Mongolian ловон Бадмажунай, lovon Badmajunai, , Means The Lotus-Born, was a sage guru from Oddiyāna who is said to have transmitted Vajrayana Buddhism to Bhutan and Tibet and neighbouring countries in the 8th century...
, and through the 'sadhana
Sadhana
Sādhanā literally "a means of accomplishing something" is ego-transcending spiritual practice. It includes a variety of disciplines in Hindu, Sikh , Buddhist and Muslim traditions that are followed in order to achieve various spiritual or ritual objectives.The historian N...
' (Wylie: sgrub-sde) of which he realised siddhi
Siddhi
is a Sanskrit noun that can be translated as "perfection", "accomplishment", "attainment", or "success". The term is first attested in the Mahabharata. In the Pancatantra, a siddhi may be any unusual skill or faculty or capability...
:
Nam-mkha'-snying-po practised the cycle Yang-dag-thugs-kyi-snying-thig, and as a sign of successful meditation he rode on a beam of the sun.
Biography of Yeshe Tsogyal
Namkhai Nyingpo wrote an important biography of Yeshe TsogyalYeshe Tsogyal
Yeshe Tsogyal , was the consort of the great Indian tantric teacher Padmasambhava, the founder-figure of the Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. Nyingma tradition considers her equal in realization to Padmasambhava himself. The meditational practices related to her, stress her enlightened...
that has been rendered from the Tibetan into English by Tarthang Tulku
Tarthang Tulku
Tarthang Tulku is a Tibetan teacher in the Nyingma tradition who lives in America, where he works to preserve the art and culture of Tibet. He oversees various projects including Dharma Publishing, Yeshe-De, Tibetan Aid Project, and the construction of the Odiyan Copper Mountain Mandala...
.
Electronic
- Capriles, Elías (2003). Buddhism and Dzogchen: The Doctrine of the Buddha and the Supreme Vehicle of Tibetan Buddhism. Part One Buddhism: A Dzogchen Outlook. Source: http://eliascapriles.dzogchen.ru/buddhismanddzogchen1.pdf (accessed: Saturday, August 23, 2008)
- Dharma Dictionary (18 December 2005). Namkhai Nyingpo. Source: http://rywiki.tsadra.org/index.php/Namkhai_Nyingpo (accessed: Saturday, August 23, 2008)
- The Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism; HH Dudjom Rinpoche, ed. and trans. by Gyurme Dorje and Matthew Kapstein; Wisdom Publications, 1991
- Dargyay, Eva M. (author) & Wayman, Alex (editor) (1977, 1998). The Rise of Esoteric Buddhism in Tibet. Second revised edition, reprint.Delhi, India: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Pvt Ltd. Buddhist Tradition Series Vol.32. ISBN 81-208-1579-3 (paper)