The Innovations of Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen

Seen Through His Life Story and Collected Works

Naomi Worth

Tibetan Buddhist Literature

Professor Kurtis Schaeffer
December 14, 2013
 Worth 2

Introduction
A founder of a religion has a philosophy that people agree with enough to follow. He is
onto something that has traction beyond himself, but one thing is certain: his ideas are embedded
within a need that is so alluring that it calls for the rejection of what came before it. Followers of
a new view take on an alternate identity, climbing onto the bandwagon of ideas that were
unprecedented in the popular view until then. When put like this, innovation, as well as being in
the first generation of a group of people who identify themselves by a set of ideas, sounds
radical. However, in actuality we redefine who we are all the time based on constant revisions of
our values and belief systems— it is human nature to do so. It is possible that throughout history,
innovations have emerged in predictable cycles, rotating between periods of contentment in
tradition, to revolution, which itself in turn becomes tradition. This may be the natural cycle of
life, the yin and yang of the progression of thought, and simply a flow of evolution. This paper
examines one great Tibetan innovator, Dolpopa Sherab Gyalsten (dol po pa shes rab rgyal mstan)
(1292-1361) through the eyes of his collected works (gsung ’bum) with the intention of not only
shining light upon him as a charismatic, innovative intellectual, but also to attempt to trace his
signature idea, that of the Shentong (zhan stong) view of “emptiness of other,” in order to
explore the characteristics of innovation itself.
I will argue that while the Buddha from Dolpo was a vehicle for an idea that already
existed and was in circulation before his time and place, he possessed the necessary qualities of
an innovator able to bring that idea into full fruition. In doing so, I will use the research of Cyrus
Stearns to provide prose about Dolpopa’s life and intellectual history, with the hope of making
rather modest improvements to that story by representing its ideas through pictures and graphs,
as well as organizing available data about the collected works of Dolpopa into charts so that the
reader might get a more visceral feel for the exciting intellectual milieu of 14th century Tibet. My
justification for this method as an improvement to Stearns’ already great work is twofold. First,
according to the old adage “a picture is worth a thousand words,” I hope to provide the reader
with a fuller experience of what Dolpopa was like by engaging the visual sense through charts
and graphs.
Secondly, when the Tibetans translated the Buddhadharma from Sanskrit to Tibetan, they
did not make a simple exchange of words, but rather systemized the Dharma into lists. It seems it
was not important to early Tibetans to precisely maintain the structure of the prose they received
 Worth 3

from India. On the contrary, perception prevailed over form in Tibet. They systematized the
teachings of the historical Buddha and commentators into lists so that they could be more readily
recited, understood and internalized by their audience. As we now have different tools than were
available in the early Tibet, our own systemization is a mere reflection of both what came before
us, but also of where we stand today. This scenario is reminiscent of the simile of the raft from
the sūtra collection of Shakyamuni Buddha:
“Suppose, monks, there is a man journeying on a road and he sees a vast expanse of
water of which this shore is perilous and fearful, while the other shore is safe and free
from danger. But there is no boat for crossing nor is there a bridge for going over from
this side to the other. So the man thinks: ‘This is a vast expanse of water; and this shore
is perilous and fearful, but the other shore is safe and free from danger. There is,
however, no boat here for crossing, nor a bridge for going over from this side to the
other. Suppose I gather reeds, sticks, branches and foliage, and bind them into a raft.’
Now that man collects reeds, sticks, branches and foliage, and binds them into a raft.
Carried by that raft, laboring with hands and feet, he safely crosses over to the other
shore. Having crossed and arrived at the other shore, he thinks: ‘This raft, indeed, has
been very helpful to me. Carried by it, laboring with hands and feet, I got safely across to
the other shore. Should I not lift this raft on my head or put it on my shoulders, and go
where I like? No. He should wisely set the raft down and be unburdened.1

Not only was it necessary to abandon the raft and be unattached to his creation upon
reaching the other side, but also it is also important that man used whatever was available to him
in order to make it across the water. In the world of methodology and technological
improvements, we now find ourselves with new tools available that may improve our efficiency
in making ourselves understood. It may be time to take our visual aids out of our appendices in
order to propitiate the academic god of perception.
Lastly, throughout this study, I will attempt to address the philosophical origins of
Dolpopa’s “emptiness of other” system, and suggest that the Indian origins of the radiant and
permanent emptiness of other doctrine lie not in the Sānkya school of Indian thought as
Professor Jeffrey Hopkins has recently argued, but rather that they originate in the mountains of
Kashmir in the Shaiva sect.
 Worth 4

The History of Dolpopa Sherab Gyalsten

“When I look at this kind of an understanding of the profound definitive meaning, I

wonder who I [really] am.”
-Dolpopa2

Like most truly successful people, Dolpopa had circumstance on his side, for he was born
into one of the most intensely interesting periods of Tibetan intellectual thought, the effects of
which are still felt today, not only through his writing, but largely through that of his
contemporaries such as the third Karmapa Rangjung Dorje (rang 'byung rdo rje) (1284-1339),
Longchen Rabjampa (klong chen rab 'byams pa) (1308-1364), and Lama Dampa Sönam
Gyaltsen (bla ma dam pa bsod nams rgyal mtshan) (1312-1375). Je Tsongkhapa (rje tsong kha
pa) (1357-1419) came soon after them. Among those authors, many of them wrote about the
Kālachakra Tantra, so while Dolpopa was not unique in that way, nor was he groundbreaking in
many of the topics he attempted to explain through his writing, it is how he wrote about subjects
common to his era that made him such a great innovator.3
Not only did Dolpopa introduce new ideas into Buddhism, he also reshaped doctrines on
emptiness, Buddha nature, and the Two Truths, which are fundamental building blocks in
Buddhist epistemology.
It seems accurate to say that throughout time, there have been many original thinkers, and
most of them never made any claim to fame. Dolpopa, on the other hand, had sticking power.
There is abundant doctrinal evidence that Dolpopa’s legacy spread widely with a profound
impact on the development of Tibetan Buddhism— it would not be difficult to trace his unique
dharma language (chos skyad), and his signature ideas such as shentong (gzhan stong) and the
radiance of Buddha nature from his time up to the present day. His writings endured not only in
the Jonangpa lineage, but were more widely distributed through rNying ma and brka rgyud sects.
Not only did his ideas last the test of time, but they also endured significant difficulty
from politically motivated monks. For example, even though the Gelukpa order made a sincere
attempt to extinguish Dolpopa’s views by deconstructing the monasteries and dispersing the
monks associated with the Jonangpa sect, which gets its name from the monastery where

1
“Simile of the Raft”, http://appliedbuddhism.wordpress.com/2010/07/07/simile-of-the-raft/.
2
Stearns, Dolpopa, 19.
 Worth 5

Dolpopa spent the latter part of his life, the Jonang lineage remains alive and unbroken. It is
maintained in the far eastern region of Amdo, Tibet, in a monastery called Dzamtang.4
Importantly to the present study, Dzamtang held the complete set of collected works of Dolpopa.
However, the survival of the lineage is mostly due to the influence of Nyingma and Kagyü
masters5, including modern teachers as recent as the late head of the Nyingma order H.H.
Dudjom Rinpoche (bdud ’joms rin po che) (1904-1987). While Dolpopa’s ideas certainly had
sticking power and lasted the test of time, it is not clear whether or not they were popular while
he lived. During his own lifetime, people had both strong positive and negative reactions to his
ideas.

Figure 1: Dzamthang is in the center of this map, in the Amdo region of Tibet.

In order to portray his controversial ideas, Dolpopa created his own dharma language
(chos skyad), of which the most famous term is shentong, “other emptiness,” which pinpoints the
ontological status of one of the Two Truths, namely ultimate truth. In Buddhism the doctrine of
Two Truths is both fundamental and ubiquitous. To alter the interpretation of a basic teaching of
the Buddha is important because it lies beneath the hermeneutics of everything that is built upon
it, and in this case, the view of emptiness is so important that it effects almost everything else.
The repercussions of changing the definition of reality will be felt in areas such as how religious

3
Stearns, Dolpopa, 1-2.
4
Stearns 73-74.
5
Stearns, Dolpopa, 74.
6
http://www.jonangfoundation.org/sites/dzamthang-tsangwa-monastery
 Worth 6

practice and transformation take place, conceptions about cosmology, all the way up to ideas of
what the final state of enlightenment looks like.
Furthermore, the way that Dolpopa asserts “other emptiness” has a clear taste of monism,
a taste that many Buddhists were likely to find repugnant. He does not simply assert non-
dualism, the view where the essence of everything is comprised of the same lacking, void, empty
nature. To hold that view would be very much in line with other Indian and Tibetan schools of
Buddhist thought, including Theravadin Buddhism, all the way up to Je Tsonkhapa’s Gelukpa
system, which are usually considered opposite ends of the philosophical spectrum. The fact that
Dolpopa’s assertions have the power to unite them on one team says much about his rejection of
popular concepts, but not much at all about the true intention of the Buddha. The monism that
Dolpopa infers hints at a divine, radiant essence to all things which, under analysis, looks
something like the Śiva of Kashmir Śaivism or the Brahma of Vaishnavism. It is not too much to
say that such assertions would be considered sacrilegious by many a Buddhist thinker.7 While
such a view is commonplace in the six darshanas (schools) of Hindu thought, many buddhist
thinkers would argue that it has no place in Buddhism, because it annihilates one truly distinct
view: a traditional presentation of emptiness.
Dolpopa’s theory uses the model of the Two Truths, namely ultimate truth and relative
truth, and claims both truths are empty, just like the other philosophical schools already
mentioned claim. He then assigns two levels to each Truth, the level of what they are empty of,
and then what they are made up of, or their positive qualities. Using reasoning reminiscent of
Indian thought he claims that if two things are asserted, such as the emptiness of Ultimate truth
and the emptiness of Relative truth, those two things cannot refer to the same thing because that
would be redundant, and nothing the Buddha ever taught was redundant. At the relative level,
phenomena are empty of self-nature, meaning that they do not possess a self or essence— they
lack any fixed quality at their core. Such a statement is not an innovation. What is new in
Dolpopa’s writing, however, is the assertion that the ultimate nature of ultimate truth could not
possibly be empty in the sense of lacking qualities—that would be the redundancy in the system.
He asserted that Ultimate Truth is “empty of other” (gzhan stong), meaning empty of anything

7
For example, Walpola Rahula, in discussing modern scholars of religion states, “It is therefore curious that recently
there should have been a vain attempt by a few scholars to smuggle the idea of self into the teaching of the Buddha,
quite contrary to the spirit of Buddhism.”⁠ Walpopa Rahula. What the Buddha Taught (New York: Grove Press,
1974), 55.
 Worth 7

other than its true nature. That true nature, however, has an absolute nature which possesses the
qualities of purity and radiance.
Dolpopa went on to equate the pure and radiant nature of Ultimate Truth with Buddha
nature (tathāgatagarbha), the main cause for enlightenment. In this scenario, Buddha nature,
possessed by all beings, no longer becomes something needing to be developed. It simply needs
to be revealed via the spiritual path.8 Such a foundational motif promises to have abundant
repercussions in the execution of its pursuit. The main metaphors of these disparate systems that
promise to lead to enlightenment also differ. In “potential” system, each person possesses
Buddha Nature, which is represented as a seed that must be nurtured to grow into the full tree of
buddhahood; alternatively, in the “revelation” model of Dolpopa, Buddha Nature is represented
as an already pure and radiant sun, which is simply obscured by clouds. 9

Dolpopa’s Early Life: Influences and Realizations

Dolpopa was born in the Dolpo, present day Nepal to a family of Nyingma practitioners,
and from an early age he actively engaged with the dharma. From the beginning, he possessed a
strong will in steering his own studies; having become a monk at age twelve, he longed to study
teachings on the Perfection of Wisdom via the Perfection of Wisdom (prajñapārāmitā) sūtras, as
well as logic (pramāṇa), both of which were not main subjects of inquiry for the Tantric
Nyingmapa family that surrounded him. As a child, he received initiation into the practices of
Vajrakilāya and Red Mañjuśrī. There are a few texts on Mañjuśrī in Dolpopa’s Collected Works,
but not Red Mañjuśrī, and there is nothing on Vajrakilāya. We will see that the Kālacakra Tantra
becomes a main vehicle by which Dolpopa expressed his ideas, and there is a corresponding
predominance of works on Kālacakra.10 The graph below illustrates the distribution of deities
throughout Dolpopa’s works.

8
Stearns, Dolpopa, 2-4.
9
While it sounds alluring to be radiant and pure at the core, the task of clearing away clouds seems an apt metaphor,
because who knows how to move clouds?
10
Stearns, Dolpopa, 12.
 Worth 8

Figure 2

Not only did Dolpopa have a propensity to be an independent thinker with his own way
of approaching his own religious and spiritual life, but his intuitive longings had tenacity—
having pursued the study of the Perfection of Wisdom sūtras in his early life, he wrote about
them extensively.11 In total, 22% of Dolpopa’s Collected Works are dedicated to topics
surrounding the Perfection of Wisdom sūtras.
While still living in Nepal, Dolpopa met Gyidön Jamyang Trakpa Gyalsten (skyi ston
'jam dbyangs grags pa rgyal mtshan), a Sakya master who would become one of two main
spiritual guides. It was this teacher who inspired Dolpopa to run away from his parents’ home to
join him in his Sakya monastery in Tibet at the age of seventeen. Making that move proved
beneficial to Dolpopa, for he was able to satisfy his urges to study not only prajñapārāmitā, but
also Buddhist cosmology and psychology via various treatises on Abhidharma12. Even during
this early period, the precocious Dolpopa attracted attention as a formidable scholar and
interlocutor.13
Gyidön seems to have made an indelible impression on Dolpopa. Known as an expert in
both sūtra and tantra, Gyidön particularly praised the Kālacakra meditation and Six-branch Yoga
(ṣaḍaṅgayoga). Because of his views, he tempted many a scholastic into becoming a yogi, or

11
Because Dolpopa never dated his works, it is difficult to say whether or not this was a reflection of his earlier life
of scholarship, or whether it was a constant presence.
12
His peers often warned him that he was taking on too many subjects at once.
13
Stearns, Dolpopa, 12-13.
 Worth 9

practitioner of the teachings. Dolpopa maintained an interest in all of the above-mentioned

subjects, and continually use them to portray his radical ideas later in life.
At the age of twenty-one, Dolpopa’s parents, recovered from his having run away from
home, sponsored his first public teaching. In preparation for said teaching, according to Jetsun
Tāranātha’s account, Dolpopa went to Danak monastery for three months to study The Five
Treatises of Maitreya (byams pa’i chos lnga),14 as well as other practices with a master named
Rinchen Yeshe. According to some accounts, at this time it was Rinchen Yeshe who was
responsible for sparking the flame of the shentong view in Dolpopa. Unfortunately currently
there seems to be no extant literature from Rinchen Yeshe to back that statement up apart from
Tāranātha’s biographical works. Regardless, the picture being painted shows clear influences
that helped to create Dolpopa’s innovations.

Figure 3: Intellectual Influence on Dolpopa.

At twenty-nine, Dolpopa first visited Jonang Monastery, where he experienced great
humility and awe in the face of the meditation practitioners there. Around the same time, another
significant relationship in Dolpopa’s life began which he goes down in the history books for,
with the third Karmapa Rangjung Dorje (1284-1339).15 While by some accounts Dolpopa
inspired Rangjung Dorje to author the Zab Mo Nang Don a year later, and include praise to the

14
Stearns, Dolpopa, 43.
15
Stearns, Dolpopa, 17.
 Worth 10

shentong view, there is considerable evidence that it was actually Rangjung Dorje who taught
Dolpopa about “other emptiness”. It was noted that while Dolpopa was more versed in scripture
than the Karmapa, Rangjung Dorje had clairvoyance and prophesied that Dolpopa would soon
have a much-improved view and practice, as well as a Dharma language of his own.16
Soon after meeting Rangjung Dorje, on a return trip to Jonang, Dolpopa met the second
great teacher in his life, Yönden Gyatso (1260-1327). Of all the people that Dolpopa included in
his works, not only is Yönden Gyatso mentioned the most, but he is also praised the most.
Because of a dream Yönden Gyatso had the night before Dolpopa’s arrival in which the victory
banner of the Buddhist teachings was raised over Jonang by the emperor of Shambhala, Kalkin
Puṇḍarīka, Yönden Gyatso felt moved to bestow many important transmissions and initiations
onto Dolpopa, including the Kālacakra initiation, instructions on Six-branch Yoga, and The
Bodhisattva Trilogy. After receiving these extensive teachings, Dolpopa stayed in retreat at
Jonang for some time.17 Later Yönden Gyatso would also teach and transmit to Dolpopa
additional esoteric systems of knowledge, including on the Path and Result (lam ’bras), the
Pacification of Suffering (zhi byed), the Pañcakrama of the Guhyasamāja tantra, and the
Severence Cycle (gcod skor).
Below is a chart illustrating the texts Dolpopa authored on the subject of Guru Yoga to
indicate where his allegiance was.

Figure 4: Even though in Stearns work, which itself is mostly based on that of Tāranātha, Yönden Gyatso is
emphasized as Dolpopa’s main teacher, in Dolpopa’s Collected works we find twenty-one works on the subject of

16
Stearns, Dolpopa, 48.
17
Stearns Dolpopa, 17.
 Worth 11

Guru Yoga (bla ma’i rnal byor). Of those twenty are supplications (gsol ‘debs) and one is a biography (rnam thar)
of Yönden Gyatso.

Next, something very important to Dolpopa’s life story happens. After staying in retreat
for a year, when Dolpopa emerges, he proclaims mastery, or realization, of the first four of the
Six-branch Yoga system, including the admission of firsthand encounter with buddhas and pure
lands. This bold move by Dolpopa will serve him greatly as an innovator, because it is on this
firsthand experience that he will gain his credibility as an innovator worthy of trust and
investment.
Around that period Dolpopa spent much more time in retreat, especially in dark retreat, a
practice which was also highly extolled by his contemporary Longchen Rabjampa. While there is
no record of direct contact between Dolpopa and Longchenpa, it is clear from their works and
practices that they shared mutual ideas of their time. In practice, Dolpopa embraced the Sarma
(gsar ma) method of meditation associated with the Completion Stage (rdzog rim), which
emphasize on the three main channels of the subtle inner body as essential to gaining
enlightenment. Longchenpa, on the other hand, gave inner body practices a much lower status as
preliminaries in his system. However, the fact that during the same time period, and coming from
different philosophical backgrounds, they both praised the same practice—that of Dark Retreat—
indicates that the practice itself may have been popular at that time18.
Dolpopa came out of his period of retreat and realizations in 1325 at the age of thirty-
three, but he did not reveal his experiences publicly until much later, including his newly
synthesized beliefs about the Shentong view.

Accomplished Disciples and a Most Excellent Stūpa

In 1327 Yönden Gyatso passed away, and Dolpopa was inspired to build a great stūpa
(monument) to his teacher, not only to honor his life, but also so that it could act as a source of
virtue for the community, many of whom did not have the circumstances to practice the Dharma.
It had been prophesied by the founder of Jonang monastery that the great-grandson of his lineage
would build a stūpa and teach at Jonang. The building process was a large endeavor that required
the contributions of many skilled and unskilled laborers, and even Dolpopa himself, still a young
man, rolled up his sleeves and got his hands dirty in the project. To preserve the air of holiness
 Worth 12

around the stūpa, when building workers circumambulated the structure instead of walking back
and forth. It seems that they did not possess the best of tools, because it was often the case that
the building was out of alignment, and that section would simply be torn down and rebuilt until it
was made correctly. People sent offerings of gold and silver, as well as of tea and cloth, so as to
partake of the merit of such an estimable deed.
By this time it appears that Dolpopa was nestled safely enough in the center of a group of
disciples that he felt more at liberty to begin expressing his more radical views and direct
realizations. He was surrounded by accomplished scholars, yogins, and translators, and everyone
was helping to build the stūpa. Dolpopa himself composed five short treatises on stūpa
construction that are in his Collected Works.
The first time the distinction between shentong and rangtong was made publicly, it was in
the context of a teaching on The Bodhisattva Trilogy19 to a rather large gathering20 and in the
context of constructing the stūpa, and he linked his realization not only to the blessings of his
teachers, but also to the blessings he received by way of constructing such a marvelous stūpa. He
sealed the creation of his new brand with references to the Kālacakra Tantra, and to what was
probably his recent and most definitive work, Mountain Dharma: An Ocean of Definitive
Meaning (ri chos nges don rgya mtsho). For Dolpopa, the completion of the stūpa was a
reflection of the completion of his own inner process, and it was during this time that he
produced many of his signature works.21

Re‐Explaining the Dharma: Dolpopa Creates His Own Language

The most striking thing about Dolpopa’s work is the audacity he had in re-defining the
Dharma. In order to express his ideas, Dolpopa composed several short works which were so
replete with new hermeneutical language that they made the heads of his audience spin. In fact,
people reported experiencing heart seizure (snying gas) and scrambled brains (klad pa ’gems pa)
upon the assertion of this new philosophical tenet system. Dolpopa was so masterful in his own
position that he positioned already extant teachings in such a way so as to point out their
definitive meaning, which was his own new interpretation. However, the joke was on the reader/

18
For more on Longchenpa, see my term paper from Dzokchen Spring 2013.
19
Namely, commentaries on the Kālacakra Tantra, the Hevajra tantra, and the Cakrasaṃvara tantra.
20
Tāranātha offers an alternative story, where the shentong view was first taught to ten people at the site of the stūpa
itself in a much more private gathering.
21
Stearns, Dolpopa, 23.
 Worth 13

listener, because the definitive meaning was a far cry from what everyone else was teaching (at
least publicly).22
Dolpopa’s innovation of the Dharma relied upon appropriating terms from Mahāyāna
sūtras and treatises that were mostly out of use in the parlance of his time. Moreover, what had
previously been categorized as provisional words of the Buddha that required interpretation and
could not be taken at face value were now, in Dolpopa’s system, taken to be definitive. In the
wild world of hermeneutics, poetic license is given to the interpreter, and with his special
combination of dialectic and didactic skills, peppered with his own direct perceptions
(“realizations”) of the Dharma, Dolpopa was well positioned to start a philosophical revolution.
Hermeneutical terms demarcating his views, such as “definitive meaning” (nges don), are
abundant in his works.
The term shentong itself however was not completely new to Tibet; it had seen
very limited use up until then. While it seems doubtful that Dolpopa created his system in a
vacuum, one thing he can definitely be credited for is popularizing his Dharma language.
Crucial Terms of Dolpopa’s Dharma Language

gzhan stong other emptiness

• Frequently used in
yogācāra treatises.
• Purported to have been
universal ground
kun gzhi rnam shes ālayavijñāna used by Rangjung Dorje
consciousness
in his now lost
autocommentary to the
Zab mo nang don.

• Might be unique to
Dolpopa.
universal ground • Possibly used by
kun gzhi ye shes ālayajñāna
gnosis Rangjung Dorje in his
now lost autocommentary
to the Zab mo nang don;

In addition to the above usage of

this term, Longchenpa used it to
kun gzhi
describe the dharmakaya, the.
However, Longchenpa position the

22
Stearns, Dolpopa, 41.
 Worth 14

term so that it is only associated

with impure states of mind, while
Dolpopa is applying it to the purity
of Buddha Nature.

The terms in purple are examples of

little known terms from sūtras that
Dolpopa used frequently, such as
bdag ātman self the Uttaratantra, and the Mahāyana
sūtras Laṅkāvatāra, Gaṇḍavyha,
Aṅgulimālīya, Śrīmālā, and
Mahāparinirvāṇa.

rtag pa nitya permanent

brtan pa dhruva everlasting

ther zug
gyung drung śāśvata eternal
mi ‘jig pa

gyung drung sku eternal buddha-

śāśvatakāya
ther zug sku body

Figure 6
According to Stearns, it may be possible to date Dolpopa’s works based on the presence
of certain key terms from his Dharma language. Such an endeavor will be as quite simple using
full versions of digitized texts. However, for the purpose of this paper I made use of text titles
and colophon only because they were readily available on TBRC’s website.23 Within the titles
and colophons of Dolpopa’s works, only the terms “gzhan stong” (nine times), kun gzhi (three
times), and kun gzhi ye shes (one time) appear. Due to software innovations in the area of digital
humanities, and with the availability of full-length digital texts, it will not be difficult to upload
each of Dolpopa’s texts individually, and perform simple keyword searches in order to establish
a possible chronology.
As could be expected, the Sakya clan felt particularly betrayed, because up until that
point Dolpopa was actually one of them, as was Jonang Monastery a Sakya institution. Not only
that, Dolpopa was a Sakya monk of great fame and expectation, and at that time, he publically
contradicted the Sakya teachings. While Sakya teachers continued to request teachings from

23
www.tbrc.org
 Worth 15

Dolpopa in his lifetime, evidence that there was not a complete rejection from the people who
were still a part of his roots and upbringing, a significant amount of rejection and discord was
recorded in Dolpopa’s biography. However, Dolpopa himself possessed the unique qualities of a
true leader, who, upon face-to-face contact, was able to persuade his conversation partner with
rather well thought-out responses.

Interpreting the Dharma: The Fourth Council, and the Kṛtayuga

Not only did Dolpopa create a vibrant system of language for his followers to identify
with, but he also corrected Buddhism’s historical record that was accepted in his time. In
establishing his views, he was in effect taking on the whole of Buddhist scholasticism as his
dialectic opponent. The important distinction to recognize here is the body of literature that was
generally accepted as qualifying the definitive meaning of the words and commentaries of the
Buddha, verses the provisional meaning.
In order to carry out this task of reassignment, Dolpopa had to create a backstory that
showed how his opponents were wrong, namely those who upheld the literature associated with
the Third Turning of the Wheel of Dharma to be the definitive, true intention of the Buddha.24
Dolpopa started with a not-too-distant scholar, Sakya Paṇḍita Kunga Gyaltsen (1182-1251),
whose approach to explaining the dharma he seems to have admired, even though they were
philosophically fundamentally different. Dolpopa attached himself onto Sakya Paṇḍita’s coattails
by reiterating his point of view which said:
མིག་མངས་'་དང་མ་འ*ེལ་ན།
!ེ#་མང་ཡང་ཤི་རོ་ཡིན།།
དེ་བཞིན་(ངས་དང་མ་འ-ེལ་བའི
ཆོས་%གས་མང་ཡང་རོ་དང་འ-།། །།
If you have a game,
Where the pieces and the board are unrelated,
Then those pieces might as well be corpses.
In the same way,
Many Dharma sects are similar,
In that their texts are unrelated to the source,
And sound like pointless babble.25

24
Matthew Kapstein, The ‘Dzam-thang Edition of the Collected Works of Kun-Mkhyen Dol-po-pa Shes-rab Rgyal-
mtshan: Introduction and Catalogue (New York: Shedrup Books, 1992), 24.
 Worth 16

Having established the existence of wrong sources within the literature based on his
recent, and popular predecessor the Sakya Paṇḍita, Dolpopa went on to delineate which views
were incorrect and which were valid according to his own system. In order to do so he cleverly
referred to the Indian system of Yugas, or ages, saying that many teachings in distribution in his
time were of the Tretayuga, a degenerate age, but that some were linked to the Kṛtayuga, the
Perfected age26, which account for the Buddha Shakyamuni’s teachings.
Dolpopa claimed that his teachings comprised a Fourth Council, as opposed to the
already extant Three-Council system that was in acceptance in Tibet, as the definitive system by
which to interpret the true meaning of the words of the Buddha. There is no doubt that he would
have created quite a controversy with such activity; he may have even made some enemies at
that time, and he certainly incited impassioned reactions from his contemporaries just at the
audacity of such an enormous claim. Dolpopa categorized those teachings that pertain to the real
truth as Fourth Council teachings, and all other in different degrees of discredit.
In the end, Dolpopa’s seminal work, The Fourth Council, and his teachings on the
Kṛtayuga became a very neat and succinct way to brand his ideas, and also to distinguish himself
from other scholars. Below is an map of Dolpopa’s works, which might help to give the reader a
more nuanced concept of what Dolpopa’s system looks like as he created it through literature.
Of 5952 folios in Dolpopa’s Collected Works, 3,147 pertain to the Fourth Council/
Shentong View. That estimate comprises 53% of his total works.

25
Sa skya Paṇ ḍi ta, Sdom, 87. My translation.
26
Stearns, Dolpopa, 51.
 Worth 17

Figure 7
Earlier Sources for the Shentong View
While Dolpopa was most certainly influenced to some degree by his contemporaries, a
more interesting inquiry might trace his ideas further back in their origins. How did shentong’s
qualities of radiance and eternality appear in the ultimate nature of existence in the Buddhism of
Tibet?
It is generally agreed upon that the transmission of the Kālacakra Tantra came from
Kashmir, Northern India, to Tibet via Tsen Khawoche (bstan kha bo che) (b. 1021), who himself
had a strong connection to the Uttaratantra, a text that Dolpopa also made frequent use of. Tsen
Khawoche went so far as to teach about incorrect assertions concerning the Third Turning of the
Wheel of Dharma, which for some people is enough evidence to show that Dolpopa’s ideas were
in circulation before his own proclamations.
Another line of evidence for the existence of Dolpopa’s signature ideas lies in the
Kālacakra tantra transmission lineage that includes Yumowa Migyö Dorje (b. 1028), who
clearly articulated primary concepts of the shentong doxographical system in his collection Four
 Worth 18

Clear Lamps (Gsal sgron skor bzhi). While the works thematically establish the shentong school,
none of the characteristic Dharma language is present.27 Dolpopa is said to have used Yumowa’s
texts in his teaching, but he makes no reference to Yumowa in his literature.
Yumowa’s view on the Path to enlightenment is noteworthy. He takes a stance that
emphasizes an experience of emptiness that is in contrast with the other prevalent view, e.g. that
emptiness is something that can be taken as a meditative object. He maintains that emptiness
cannot be directly known with the mental consciousness, but rather that it will be seen through
the lens of the eyes. Dolpopa picked up on the pivotal role of the eyes in his work as well.
Another important leader of the 14th century, Longchenpa, also places great import
around practices having to do with seeing, as well as dark retreat. Dolpopa’s engagement with
practices surrounding the eyes, however, are much different than they are for Longchenpa.
Dolpopa emphasizes the Sarma movement of reliance upon manipulation of the three main
channels and the subtle inner body; Longchenpa, on the other hand, de-emphasizes the role of
inner body mechanics. However, the fact that both leaders emphasized dark retreat and the eyes
as central to practice indicates a meditative trend in the 14th century.
Something else that Dolpopa has in common with Longchenpa is the quality of radiance
attached to the concept of the “Ground” which is at the core of Longchenpa’s philosophical
system. For Longchenpa, the Ground functions as both the beginning and the end of the cyclic of
existence for all beings. The Ground is pure potential, much like the emptiness of the Middle
Way. It precedes the existence of all things, and represents the primordial reality inherent to all
things— it is the true nature of everything. Masked behind a screen, the Ground lies dormant
waiting to be revealed, and is the essence of Buddha nature.28 The striking similarity between the
fullness of the Ground, and the radiance of the ultimate aspect of ultimate nature in the shentong
presentation, is an area worthy of fuller exploration in future research.
Since the Jonang lineage has been reasonably clearly traced by other scholars to Kashmir,
that seems like a fitting place to look for some of these radiant, God-like qualities. One does not
have to look far in the Shaivism of Kashmir and Northern India to find a similarly radiant,
central and underlying concept. In that system, not only do we find strikingly parallel practices

27
Stearns, Dolpopa, 43-44.
28
Naomi Worth. The Role of the Mind and Body in the Creation of Reality: A Comparison of Middle Way and the
Great Perfection Buddhist Philosophies. Unpublished Work.
 Worth 19

revolving around the three main subtle inner body channels and inner body mechanics, but there
is also a central presence to all things aptly termed madhya.

It is in the center of the center that the Śakti (feminine power) dwells as the power that enlivens
and controls the entire wheel of sense capacities and subtle conduits. This power is conceived as
the place of birth of all beings…. This powerful dimensionless ‘point’ of the center is the place of
union of the Divine Pair, Śiva and Śakti. It is from this place of union that the power which
manifests all of reality radiates outward.29

Based on the documented lineage history from Kashmir, as well as the similarity of the
positive quality of power and radiance at the center of reality, which is simultaneously
manifesting reality, it seems that much more work can be done in tracing some of the
philosophical underpinnings of Tibet back to Kashmir.
Dolpopa’s arguments were completely unprecedented in Tibet, according to Stearns.30
However, Dolpopa’s contemporary Longchen Rabjampa has an abundance of language in his
treatise The Treasury of Words and Meanings that indicate a positive quality to the ultimate
nature of phenomenon.
In Professor Jeffrey Hopkins recent work on Dolpopa,31 a claim is made that the Indian
origins of Dolpopa’s thought lies in the Sāmkhya school of Hinduism because of similarities in
terminology between Dolpopa’s system and that of Sāmkhya. However, that claim seems
specious because Kashmir Śaivism possesses exactly the same list of aspects of creation that
Professor Hopkins points to, with the addition of 11 components. Since the lineage has been
traced to Kashmir, and the Śaivist system possesses exactly the same components that could be
pointed to as evidence of origination, it seems more logical to equate the Indian origins of
Dolpopa’s ideology to Kashmir Śaivism over Sāmkhya.

Proposing Qualities of Innovators

Because Dolpopa was such a unique character in the landscape of Tibetan history, his
qualities as an innovator of a tradition really stood out, so it seems appropriate to enumerate
them here. Determining motives for human behavior is a tricky business, and yet the question

29
Paul Eduardo Muller-Ortega. The Triadic Heart of Śiva. State University of New York Press: Albany, 1989.
30
Stearns, Dolpopa, 5.
31
Jeffrey Hopkins. Mountain Doctrine: Tibet’s Fundamental Treatise on Other-Emptiness & the Buddha Matrix
(Ithaca: Snow Lion Publications, 2006), 36-39.
 Worth 20

lies before the historian and religious scholar alike: why innovate? It seems that when the
circumstances are in order, and the chain of causality has a special moment in time, there is a
shift in the consciousness of a culture, and Dolpopa is a charming representation of that shift. I
will enumerate eight qualities of innovation that helped Dolpopa to incite a new lineage of the
Dharma, in the hopes of defining the qualities of the innovators that incite major historical
changes.

1. Have a charismatic leader. Dolpopa won over the hearts of his friends and followers
from an early age. He was not just the charming type, but he could also back up his views
with articulate, well thought out responses to questions and challenges to his views.
2. Create your own language. As previously stated, Dolpopa took relatively unused terms
from Mahāyana sūtras and tantras. This established a connection and credibility with the
tradition, while allowing him to introduce new concepts. It is wise to establish terms at
the beginning, ensure that everyone agrees upon them, and then point out new
relationships between what has been previously established in order to effectively prove a
point.
3. Make it the same, but different. If the fundamental premise of a religion has changed,
then is it still really the same religion? Religious boundaries are certainly fluid, and yet
there is always a place, but probably not a point, where one tradition flops over into
another. It is not the point to say that the Jonang tradition is not Buddhist, for it surely is.
But it may be a form of crypto-Kashmir Shaivism with all the dressings of Tibet.
4. Synthesize, synthesize, synthesize. It would simply not hold up within Tibetan society,
and possibly most societies, to create an entirely new system and expect people to take it
up. It can be seen throughout the works of important Tibetan authors such as Dolpopa,
Longchenpa, and Tsongkhapa that synthesizing previous works to make new points is a
highly successful technique. Dolpopa synthesized the view and practice of Mahāyāna and
Vajrayana Buddhism.
5. Use your own esoteric experience to interpret reality. This quality is somewhat unique
to religion, for it is generally only in the confines of religion that we see people making
claims to direct access to supernatural states of mind or figures. Dolpopa himself claimed
 Worth 21

to have been to the Shambhala Pure Land,32 and he wrote about his meditative
experiences there in two works, and also described his experience in detail to his
disciples. Furthermore, these types of religious or spiritual experiences often come with
the cost of having undergone extreme austerities and difficult practices, and are esoteric
by nature. It does not seem too much to say that most people would like to have such
experiences, but might not do the work or have the aptitude to do so. However, being
around someone else who has is enticing to others because it seems that it might open a
doorway to such an experience.
6. Make a claim to unique and direct access to knowledge that no own else has.
Because of Dolpopa’s unique experience, he claimed to know directly and without a
doubt that he was correct.
7. It never hurts to have a prophesy. Dolpopa’s coming was prophesied by the original
founder of Jonang monastery, Kunpang Tukje Tsöndrü (1243-1313). He is quoted to have
said,
“At this hermitage of mine, there will come a grandson better than the son, and a great-
grandson even better that the grandson. In the future (the great-grandson) will teach
Dharma at upper Zangden and build a great stūpa at lower Zangden.”33
8. Have an inspiring project that serves to unite your community. Dolpopa’s project
was building the great stūpa. During that time, he able to gather his disciples together in
working towards a “higher” purpose that served the community, giving people the chance
to establish a communal identity. Furthermore, it was a great opportunity for him to offer
his teachings to an interested audience, and to gain fame throughout the greater Tibetan
region.

Was Dolpopa Really that Innovative? A Comparison with Rangjung Dorje

In order to consider possible trends present during Dolpopa’s time, let us now compare
Dolpopa’s Collected Works with that of his contemporary Rangjung Dorje to possibly get some
perspective on trends happening in Tibet at that time.

32
Stearns, Dolpopa, 46-7.
33
Stearns, Dolpopa, 19.
 Worth 22

Figure 8. A General overview of the Collected Works of Dolpopa and Rangjung Dorje

From the above table, we can see that in terms of length, these two figures are almost the
same. However, it seems that Dolpopa wrote many more shorter texts than did Rangjung Dorje.
Examining these two authors from the perspective of Literary Genre, certain trends
during their times appear. The first chart is of Dolpopa’s Collected Works divided into genres,
and then Rangjung Dorje’s follows. The third chart is a comparison of those two.

Figure 10 Dolpopa’s Collected Works by genre, counted in number of pages.

 Worth 23

Figure 11

Figure 12: A comparison of genre. We can see that they each had texts in the major
categories, but that Dolpopa wrote many more shorter works.
 Worth 24

From the perspective of ritual, Dolpopa was certainly more eclectic in his taste than
Rangjung Dorje, although this difference might be accounted for in differences in the scholars
who coded the works.34

34
I coded Dolpopa’s works, and my classmate did that of Rangjung Dorje. For a real comparison it will be
necessary to go to greater lengths in collaboration than we did here.
 Worth 25

In addition to the above data, when their collected works are looked at from a content
specific aspect, then it is easy to see that they clearly have some areas of overlap, such as an
interest in Perfection of Wisdom literature, as well as in works authored by Maitreya, which
might point to trends during their time, but that they remain distinct from each other.

A Look at Volume and the Compilers of the Collected Works

Dolpopa’s Collected Works were complied in such a way that they tell a story of their
own—there is nothing random about the order. We know that Dolpopa was both innovative and
controversial, but it is difficult to tell how popular his ideas actually were during his own time, or
whether he gained his place of fame after his demise.
By systematizing his works, it is likely that the compilers were trying to make a neater,
and more comprehensive philosophical school.
Who was selling Dolpopa’s views? To what extent did the compilers of his Collected
Works try to make a point by systematizing his works. Did he really create a philosophical
school of thought, or was it the people who systematized his ideas that did. As is so often the
case, it may be that Dolpopa became famous for his view and innovation long after he was gone.
Below is a chart outlining the main contents of each volume. While there are other versions of
Dolpopa’s Collected Works, such as the one catalogued by Kapstein in 1992, the current version
on TBRC contains everything Kapstein’s catalogue has except for nine texts which are unique to
Kapstein. Kapstein’s version, on the other hand, is devoid of thirty-four texts contained in the
TBRC version. Furthermore, while the volume titles remain the same between the two versions,
the order of texts is different, with some texts finding their way into completely different
volumes between versions.
 Worth 26

Volume
ka The biographies of Dolpopa, the entirety of which are not authored by Dolpopa.

kha Literature on sutra and tantra; also contains an important text on the Middle Way.
Other topics include basic concepts of Buddhism such as the Four Noble Truths.

e This volume dives deeply into shentong view and is comprised only of texts on
the shentong view. These are the main philospphical texts used to prove Dolpopa's
point. Mountain Doctrine (ri chos) is found here.

waM waM consists only of two longer texts on the Perfection of Wisdom; both are
expositions (bshad pa).

ma The volume ma has shorter texts on Perfection of Wisdom, all of which are
commentaries ('grel ba).

ya ya contains many expositions, commentaries and detailed analyses that are

important to Dolpopa's shentong position. The Fourth Council is also here. There
are several texts that discuss topics in supportof the shentong view, explaing
alaya, the Two Truths, emptiness and definitive meaning.

shu shu contains philosophical compediums of works, as well as other sciences

including astrology, several texts on the Kālacakra, as well as the majority of
sādhanas can be found here.

taM taM is certainly the largest volume, and is a catch-all volume containing 148
shorter texts on various subjects, including various rituals, empowerments,
maṇḍala descriptions, biographies, supplications and prayers.
 Worth 27

Works Cited
Rahula, Walpopa. What the Buddha Taught. New York: Grove Press, 1974.

“Simile of the Raft”, http://appliedbuddhism.wordpress.com/2010/07/07/simile-of-the-raft/.

Stearns, Cyrus. The Buddha from Dolpo: A Study of the Life and Thought of the Tibetan Master
Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen. Albany, NY: SUNY 1996.

“Dzamthang Tsangwa Monastery”. http://www.jonangfoundation.org/sites/dzamthang-tsangwa-

monastery

Kapstein, Matthew. The ‘Dzam-thang Edition of the Collected Works of Kun-Mkhyen Dol-po-pa
Shes-rab Rgyal-mtshan: Introduction and Catalogue. New York: Shedrup Books, 1992.

Muller-Ortega, Paul Eduardo. The Triadic Heart of Śiva. State University of New York Press:
Albany, 1989.

Hopkins, Jeffrey. Mountain Doctrine: Tibet’s Fundamental Treatise on Other-Emptiness & the
Buddha Matrix. Ithaca: Snow Lion Publications, 2006.

Worth, Naomi. The Role of the Mind and Body in the Creation of Reality: A Comparison of
Middle Way and the Great Perfection Buddhist Philosophies. Unpublished Work, 2013.

Appendix A: Catalog of Dolpopa’s Collected Works with Newly Translated Titles

Appendix B: Bibliography of Secondary Literature on Dolpopa

Most of this list was taken from
Ahmad, Z. "The Womb of the Tathāgatagarbha or Buddhist Monism." Journal of the
Oriental Society of Australia, 15-16, 27-44, 1983-4.
Broido, M. "The Jo-nang-pas on Madhyamaka: A Sketch." Tibet Journal, xiv, 1, 86-90,
1989.
Chimpa, L. and A. Chattopadhyaya. Tārānatha’s History of Buddhism in India. Delhi:
Motilal Banarsidass, 1990.
Duckworth, D.S. Buddha-Nature and a Dialectic of Presence and Absence in the Works
of Mi-pham. Ph.D. dissertation. University of Virginia, 2005.
Dudjom Rinpoche. The Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism: Its Fundamentals and
History. vol. I-II. Boston: Wisdom, 1991.
Fendell, R.P. "Tāranātha’s Dpal dus khyi ’khor lo’i chos bskor gyi byung khungs nyer
mkho and its Relation to the Jo-nang-pa School of Tibetan Buddhism." M.A. Thesis,
Department of Central Eurasian Studies. Indiana University, 1997.
Gen Lamrimpa. Transcending Time: An Explanation of the Kālacakra Six-Session Guru
Yoga. Trans. B. Alan Wallace. Boston: Wisdom Publications, 1999.
Gimello, R.M. "Review of Buddha Within: Tathāgatagarbha Doctrine According to the
Shentong Interpretation of the Ratnagotravibhāga." By S.K. Hookham. The Journal of
Asian Studies, 51, 3, 6246, 1992.
Griffiths, P. J. "Review of The Buddha Within: Tathāgatagarbha Doctrine According to
 Worth 28

the Shentong Interpretation of the Ratnagotravibhāga." S.K. Hookham. Journal of the

American Oriental Society, 113, 2, 317-9, 1993.
Gruschke, A. "De Jonang Orden: Grunde fur den Niedergang, Voraussetzungen fur das
Uberleben und akuelle Lage einer vorgeblich erloschenen tibetisch-buddhistischen
Schulrichtung," "The Jonangpa Order: Causes for the Downfall, Conditions of the
Survival and Current Situation of a Presumably Extinct Tibetan Buddhist School."
Presented at The Ninth Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies.
Leiden University, 2000.
Gyamtso, K.T. Progressive Stages of Meditation on Empitness. S. Hookham (trans.).
Oxford: Longchen Foundation, 1988.
Gyatso, K.N. Ornament of Stainless Light: An Exposition of the Kālacakra Tantra. G.
Kilty (trans.). The Library of Tibetan Classics, 14. Boston: Wisdom, 2004.
Hookham, S.K. The Buddha Within: Tathāgatagarbha Doctrine According to the
Shentong Interpretation of the Ratnagotravibhaga. Albany: State University of New
York Press, 1991.
Hopkins, J.P. Emptiness in the Mind-Only School of Buddhism, Dynamic Responses to
Dzong-ka-ba's The Essence of Eloquence vol. 1, Berkeley: University of California Press,
1999.
__________. Reflections on Reality: The Three Natures and Non-natures in the Mind-
Only School vol. 2, Dynamic Responses to Dzong-ka-ba's The Essence of Eloquence.
Berkeley: University of California Press, 2002.
__________. Mountain Doctrine: Ocean of Definitive Meaning. Ithaca: Snow Lion Press, 2006.
Jackson, R. "The Kalāchakra in Context." In G.L. Sopa, R. Jackson and J. Newman
(eds.) The Wheel of Time: The Kalāchakra in Context. Madison: Deer Park Books, 1985.
Jorden, N. Buddha-nature: Through the Eyes of Go rams pa Bsod nams seng ge in
Fifteenth Century Tibet. Ph.D. dissertation. Harvard University, 2003.
Kapstein, M. "New Sources for Tibetan Buddhist History." China Exchange News, 19, 3-
4, 15-19, 1991.
__________. The 'Dzam-thang Edition of the Collected Works of Kun-khyen Dol-po-pa
Shes-rab rgyal-mtshan: Introduction and Catalogue. Delhi: Shedrup Books, 1992a.
__________. "Introduction" In Contributions to the Study of Jo-nang-pa History,
Iconography and Doctrine: Selected Writings of 'Dzam-thang Mkhan-po Blo-gros-grags-
pa. vol. I-II. Xylographic Prints from 'Dzam-thang and Rnga-ba, Collected by Dr.
Matthew Kapstein and Dr. Gyurme Dorje. Dharamsala: Library of Tibetan Works and
Archives, 1993.
__________. "gDams ngag: Tibetan Technologies of the Self." In J.I. Cabezon and R.R.
Jackson. Tibetan Literature: Studies in Genre, 275-89. Ithaca: Snow Lion, 1996.
__________. "From Kun-mkhyen Dol-po-pa to 'Ba'-mda' Dge-legs: Three Jo-nang-pa
Masters on the Interpretation of the Prajnaparamita." In H. Krasser, M.T. Much, E
Steinkellner and H. Tauscher (eds.). Tibetan Studies: Proceedings of the 7th Seminar of
the International Association for Tibetan Studies, Graz 1995. 1, 457-75. Wien: Verlag der
Osterreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 1997.
__________. The Tibetan Assimilation of Buddhism: Conversion, Contestation, and
Memory. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000a.
__________. "We Are All Gzhan stong pas: Reflections on the The Reflexive Nature of
 Worth 29

Awareness: A Tibetan Madhyamaka Defence." By Paul Williams. Journal of Buddhist

Ethics, 7, 105-25, 2000b.
Karmay, S.G. The Great Perfection: A Philosophical and Meditative Teaching of Tibetan
Buddhism. Leiden: Brill, 1988.
Lipman, K. "Nītartha, Neyārtha and Tathāgatagarbha in Tibet." Journal of Indian
Philosophy, 8, 87-95, 1980.
Mathes, K.D. "Tāranātha’s Presentation of trisvabhāva in the gŽan stoï sñiï po." Journal
of the International Association of Buddhist Studies, 23, 195-223, 2000.
__________. "Go Lo tsā ba gZhon nu dpal’s Extensive Commentary on and Study of the
Ratnagotravibhāgavyākhyā." In H. Blezer (ed.). Religion and Secular Culture in Tibet.
Tibetan Studies II: Proceedings of the 9th Seminar of the International Association of
Tibetan Studies, 2, 2, 79-96, 2000. Brills Tibetan Studies Library. Leiden: E.J. Brill,
2002.
__________. "Tāranātha’s Twenty-one Differences in Respect to the Profound Meaning:
A Possible Starting-Point for Studies in the Gzhan stong Madhyamaka." Journal of the
International Association of Buddhist Studies, 270, 2, 278-321, 2005.
Newman, J.R. "A Brief History of the Kalāchakra." In G.L. Sopa, R. Jackson and J.
Newman (eds.) The Wheel of Time: The Kalāchakra in Context. Madison: Deer Park
Books, 1985.
__________. "The Paramādibuddha (The Kalācakramula-tantra) and its Relation to the
Early Kalāchakra Literature." Indo-Iranian Journal, 30, 93-102, 1987.
__________. "Itineraries to Śambhala." In J.I. Cabezon and R.R. Jackson. Tibetan
Literature: Studies in Genre, 485-99. Ithaca: Snow Lion Publications, 1996.
__________. "Vajrayoga in the Kālacakra Tantra." In D.G. White. Tantra in Practice.
Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2000.
Pettit, John Whitney. Mipham's Beacon of Certainty: Illuminating the View of Dzogchen,
the Great Perfection. Boston: Wisdom Publications, 1999.
Ruegg, David Seyfort. "The Jo naï pas: A School of Buddhist Ontologists According to
the Grub mtha' śel gyi me loï." Journal of the American Oriental Society, 83, 73-91,
1963.
__________. "On the Dge Lugs pa Theory of the Tathāgatagarbha." In J.C. Heesterman,
G.H. Schokker and V.I. Subramonium (eds.). Pratidānam: Indian, Iranian and Indo-
European Studies Presented to Francicsus Bernardus Jacobus Kuiper on His Sixtieth
Birthday, 500-9. Paris: Mouton, 1968a.
__________. La Théorie du Tathāgatagarbha et du Gotra. Ecole Francaise d'Extreme-
Orient, LXX. Paris: Publications De l'Ecole Francaise d'Extreme-Orient, 1969.
__________. "Forward to Tāranātha’s Life of the Buddha and His Histories of the
Kālacakra and Tārātantra." In Tāranātha’s Jo nang Mdzad Brgya. N.G. Demo (ed.).
Gadan Sungrab Minyam Gyunphel Series, vol. xx. New Delhi: 1971a.
__________. "Le Dharmadhātustava de Nāgārjuna." Etudes Tibetaines: Dediees A La
Memoire de Marcelle Lalou, 448-71. Paris: Librairie d’Amerique et d’Orient, 1971b.
__________. "On the Knowability and Expressability of Absolute Reality in Buddhism."
Journal of Indian and Buddhist Studies (Indogaku Bukkyogaku Kenkyu), 19, 1,
495-489, 1971c.
__________. Le Traité du Tathāgatagarbha sw Bu ston Rin chen grub. Ecole Francaise
Extreme-Orient, LXXXVIII. Paris: Publications De l'Ecole Francaise d'Extreme-
 Worth 30

Orient, 1973.
__________. "A Kar ma bka' brgyud Work on the Lineages and Traditions of the Indo-
Tibetan Dbu ma (Madhyamaka)." In G. Gnoli and L. Lanciottoti. Orientalia Iosephi
Tucci Memoriae Dicata, 1249-80. Roma: Istituto italiano per il medio ed estremo oriente,
1988.
__________. Buddha-nature, Mind and the Problem of Gradualism in a Comparative
Perspective: On the Transmission and Reception of Buddhism in India and Tibet.
London: School of Oriental and African Studies, 1991.
__________. Three Studies in the History of Indian and Tibetan Madhyamaka
Philosophy. Studies in Indian and Madhyamaka Thought, Part I. Wien: Arbeitskreis fur
Tibetische und Buddhistishce Studien Universitat Wien, 2000.
Schaeffer, K. R. "The Enlighted Heart of Buddhahood: A Study and Translation of the
Third Karma pa Rang byung rdo rje's Work on Tathāgatagarbha, The 'De bzhin gshegs
pa'i snying po gtan la dbab pa.'" M.A. Thesis. Seattle: University of Washington, 1995.
Sheehy, M.R. "Rangjung Dorje’s Variegations of Mind: Ordinary Awareness and
Pristine Awareness in Tibetan Buddhist Literature." In D.K. Nauriyal (ed.). Routeledge
Curzon's Critical Series in Buddhism. Buddhist Thought & Applied Psychological
Research. London: Routledge Curzon Press, Forthcoming, 2005.
Shih, H.C. "The Significance of Tathāgatagarbha: A Positive Expression of Śunyatā."
Philosophical Review (Taiwan), 11, 227-46, 1988.
Smith, E. G. "'Jam mgon Kong sprul and the Nonsectarian Movement," In Among
Tibetan Texts: History and Literature of the Himalayan Plateau. Boston: Wisdom, 2001.
__________. "The Shangs pa Bka' brgyud Tradition." In Among Tibetan Texts: History
and Literature of the Himalayan Plateau. Boston: Wisdom, 2001.
Stearns, Cyrus. "Dol-po-pa Shes-rab rgyal-mtshan and the Genesis of the Gzhan-stong
Position in Tibet." Asiatische Studien / Etudes Asiatiques XLIX, 4, 829-52, 1995.
__________. "The Life and Tibetan Legacy of the Indian Mahāpaõóita Vibhūticandra."
Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies, 19, 1, 1996.
__________. The Buddha from Dolpo: A Study of the Life and Thought of the Tibetan
Master Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsan. New York: State University of New York Press, 1999.
Tatz, M. "Review of The Buddha from Dolpo: A Study of the Life and Thought of
the Tibetan Master Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen." By Cyrus Stearns. The Journal of the
American Oriental Society, 121, 3, 2001.
Templeman, David (trans.). The Origin of the Tara Tantra, By Jonang Tarānātha.
Dharamsala: Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, 1981a.
__________. "Tarānātha the Historian." Tibet Journal, 17, 1, 41-46, 1981b.
__________ (trans.). Tarānātha’s Bka babs bdun ldan: The Seven Instruction Lineages.
Dharmasala: Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, 1983.
__________. "Reflexive Criticism: The Case of Ku dga' 'grol mchog and Tāranātha." In
P. Kvaerne (ed.), Tibetan Studies, 2, 877-883, 1992.
Thurman, R.A.F. The Central Philosophy of Tibet: A Study and Translation of Jey Tsong
Khapa's 'Essence of True Eloquence.' Princeton University Press, Princeton, 1984.
Tucci, G. "Two Hymns of the Catu.-stava of Nāgārjuna." Journal of the Royal Asiatic
Society, 309-25, 1932.
__________. Tibetan Painted Scrolls. Rome: Libreria Dello Stato, 1980.
van der Kujp, L.W.J. Contributions to the Development of Tibetan Buddhist
 Worth 31

Epistemology: From the Eleventh to the Thirteenth Century. Alt-und Neu-indische

Studien, 26. Wiesbaden: F. Steiner, 1983.
Wallace, V.A. The Inner Kālachakra: A Buddhist Tantric View of the Individual. Oxford:
Oxford University Press, 2001.
__________. The Kālachakratantra: The Chapter on the Individual Together with the
Vimalaprabhā. New York: Co-published with Columbia University's Center for Buddhist
Studies and Tibet House US, 2004.
Wangchuk, Tsering. 2009. The Uttaratantra in the Age of Argumentation: Dolpopa Sherab
Gyaltsen and His Fourteenth-Century Interlocutors on Buddha-Lineage. Ph.D. diss.,
University of Virginia, http://search.proquest.com/docview/305013578?accountid=14678.
Williams, P. "Silence and Truth: Some Aspects of the Madhyamaka Philosophy in
Tibet." Tibet Journal, 7, 1-2, 67-80, 1982.
__________. "A Note on Some Aspects of Mi-bskyod rDo-rje's Critique of dGe lugs pa
Madhyamaka." Journal of Indian Philosophy II, 125-46, 1983.
__________. Mahāyāna Buddhism: The Doctrinal Foundations. London: Routeledge,
1989a.
__________. The Reflexive Nature of Awareness: A Tibetan Madhyamaka Defense.
Richmond: Curzon, 1998a.
Yoshimizu, C. "The Madhyamaka Theories Regarded as False by the Dge lugs pas."
Weiner Zeitschrift fur die Kunde Sudasiens und Archiv fur Indische Philosophie XXXVII,
201-27, 1993.

Appendix B
Below is a listing of Dolpopa’s Collected Works, preserving the order as it is presented in
the Dzamthang edition, with my own translations of the titles.
Title (English)
The Words of the the Jonangpa Master in Eight Volumes: The
Amazing Gift of the Dharma Collected in a Table of
Contents-- The Key to the Highest and Glorious Worldy
Realizations in the Golden Age
The Jewel Necklace: Praise for the Life Story of the All-
Knowing One Who Possessed the Four Reliances
The Precious Garland: An Auspicious, Magnanimous
Commentary on the Causes of the Great Omniscient Dharma
Lord's Biography of Great Bliss. A Bright Lamp on Nepal's
Great Pandit and Supreme Expert and the Revered Lady, the
Glorious Nika from Dzanya
A Garland of Jewels: A Classification of Virtue and Goodness
and Bright Lamp on the Life Story of the Great Omniscient
Dharma Lord
The Amazing and Clear Life Story of the Lord of the
Dharma's Spiritual Sons
Rays of the Sun on the Uttaratantra: An Eloquent and
Descriptive Commentary on Maitreya's Great Vehicle
Treatise on the Sublime Continuum
A Mending Ritual for the Deities of the Four Classes of
Tantra: The Divine Play of the Wisdom of Bliss and
Emptiness in Six Parts
Sublime Instructions on the Middle Way
A General Commentary Clarifying the Four Noble Truths
The Smoke Offering that Fulfills All Needs and Desires
The Means of Achieving the Causes of Brahmin Rebirth
Using the Seven Rebirth Pills by the Omniscient Dharma
Lord Endowed with the Four Reliances
Making Aspirational Prayers in Front of a Buddha Statue
Illumination of the Definitive Meaning of Reality
Commentary on Clearing Away Wrong Views
On Arya Nagarjuna's Praise of the Dharmadhatu
Worth 32
Title (Tibetan)
rje jo nang pa'i gsung pod brgyad kyi chos
sbyin mi 'chad pa'i ngo mtshar 'phrul gyi phyi
mo'i dkar chag rdzogs ldan chos mchog dpal
gyi lde mig
kun mkhyen rton pa bzhi ldan gyi rnam thar
bstod pa nor bu'i phreng ba/
chos rje kun mkhyen chen po'i rnam thar bde
chen gsal sgron zhes bya ba bal po'i paN+Di
ta chen po mkhas mchog rje btsun ma Ni ka
shrI dz+nyA nas mdzad pa'i rnam bshad chen
po dge legs nor bu'i 'phreng ba/
chos rje kun mkhyen chen po'i rnam thar gsal
sgron gyi rnam grangs dge legs chen po nor
bu'i 'phreng ba/
chos kyi rje kun mkhyen chen po yab sras
bco lnga'i rnam thar nye bar bsdus pa ngo
mtshar rab gsal/
theg pa chen po rgyud bla ma'i bstan bcos
'grel ba legs bshad nyi ma'i 'od zer/
yi dam rgyud sde bzhi'i bskang ba bde stong
ye shes rol ba sogs bskang ba tshan drug
dbu ma'i man ngag khyad 'phags/
tshogs chos bden bzhi gsal ba/
bsang mchod dgos 'dod kun 'byung /
chos rje thams cad mkhyen pa rton pa bzhi
ldan gyis mdzad pa'i bram ze sku sha'am skye
bdun ril bu sgrub thabs/
sangs rgyas kyi sku gzugs mdun du smon lam
btab pa/
nges don mthar thug de kho na nyid kyi gsal
byed/
lta ngan mun sel zhes bya ba'i bstan bcos/
'phags pa klu sgrub kyis mdzad pa'i chos
dbyings bstod pa/

A Supplication to the Profound Lineage of Shentong
Madhyamika
Supplication and Supplementary Materials to the Emptiness
of Other Tantra
Outline of An Ocean of Definitive Meaning on a Mountain of
Dharma
The Definitive Meaning on Mountain Dharma: An Ocean of
the Ultimate, Extraordinary, Quintessential Instruction
Printing List
Outline of Volume waM
An Excellent Explanation of the 100,000 Doctrine of the
Golden Age on the Superior Perfection of Wisdom
An Explanation of the 25,000 Stanzas on the Superior
Doctrine of the Perfection of Wisdom
Eight-teen Thousand Notes on the Perfection of Wisdom (Part
1)
An Explanation of the 18,000 Superior Perfection of Wisdom
Sutras (Part 2)
More Than 20,000 Verses and Eight Chapter Divisionson the
Particularities of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom Sutras
Glorious Complete Attainment: An Explanation Like a
Transcendent Old Tortoise
Doctrine Containing an Incomplete Vase of the Kalachakra
Lineage of the Perfection of Wisdom in 100,000 Verses
Three Natures of Being
A Treatise of Advice on the Perfection of Wisdom Teaching:
An Easy and Short Commentary on Maitreya's Ornament of
Clear Realization
Outline of Volume ya
Benefits of Faith Through Knowledge: The Qualities of a
Buddha
The Supreme Method of Opening the Great and Numerous
Doors to Reality
The Fourth Council: A Great Exposition on Cosmology
Commentary on the Precise Meaning of the Fourth Council
All the Traditions Without Prejudice: A Commentary on the
Great Exposition of the Fourth Council
The One Thing to Know that Liberates All: Profound Sutra
and Tantra Teaching on the Great Perfection
Worth 33
zab mo gzhan stong dbu ma'i brgyud 'debs/
gzhan stong rgyud 'debs kha skong /
ri chos nges don rgya mtsho'i sa bcad/
ri chos nges don rgya mtsho zhes bya ba
mthar thug thun mong ma yin pa'i man ngag
par byang /
waM pod kyi dkar chag
'phags pa shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa
'bum rdzogs ldan lugs kyi bshad pa khyad
'phags/
'phags pa shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa
stong phrag nyi shu lnga pa'i bshad pa/
shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa khri brgyad
stong pa'i mchan bu zur du bkod pa/ (stod
cha)
'phags pa shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa khri
brgyad stong pa'i bshad pa/ (smad cha)
nyi khri le mang dang le brgyad pa'i mi 'dra
ba'i khyad par che long so drug
dpal yongs grub dgu'i bshad pa khyad 'phags
g.yu rnying lta bu/
'bum dus 'khor ma rdzogs ldan lugs/
yum rgyas pa'i rgyud pa/
rang bzhin gsum gyi rnam bzhag
shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa man ngag gi
bstan bcos mngon par rtogs pa'i rgyan gyi
rnam bshad mdo'i don bde blag tu rtogs pa/
ya pod gyi dkar chag
sangs rgyas kyi yon tan shes nas dad pa thob
pa'i phan yon/
chos kyi sgo chen mang du 'byed pa'i thabs
mchog
bka' bsdu bzhi pa'i don bstan rtsis chen po/
bka' bsdu bzhi pa'i bsdus don 'grel pa/
bka' bsdu bzhi pa'i don bstan rtsis chen po
phyogs med ris med ces bya ba'i 'grel pa/
bka' mdo rgyud zab mo kun gyi spyi 'grel
gcig shes kun grol/
 Worth 34

slob ma la spring ba skur 'debs dang sgro

Eliminating Reification and Nihilism: A Message to Discples
'dogs spang ba/
gsung rab spyi'i kar chag dang kun gzhi rab
Analysis of the Scriptures on the Basis of All: An Index
dbye/
An Index of General Scriptures gsung rab spyi'i dkar chag/
Analysis of the Basis of All kun gzhi rab dbye/
Detailed Analysis of Emptiness stong nyid rab tu dbye ba/
Differentiating the Possible from the Impossible srid mi srid kyi rab dbye/
A Detailed Analysis of the Innate Clarity of Apperception rang rig rang gsal gyi rab tu dbye ba/
A Detailed Analysis of the Body of a Buddha sangs rgyas kyi sku'i rab tu dbye ba/
Analysis of the Five Classifications of the Wisdom Basis of
kun gzhi ye shes lnga'i rab tu dbye ba/
All
The Royal Servant of the Spontaneous Dharmakaya chos sku lhun grub rgyal po'i 'ja' sa/
The Servant of the Great Bliss Sphere of Reality chos dbyings bde ba chen po'i 'ja' sa/
Splitting Open the Deeds of the Great Omniscient One: A kun mkhyen chen pos mdzad pa'i gshag 'byed
Compendium bsdus pa/
dpon byang ba'i phyag tu phul ba'i chos kyi
Clarifying the Best Dharma: An Offering in Hands
shan 'byed/
so so'i skye bo'i paN+Dita la sogs pa'i 'khrul
A Scripture on the Mistakes of Worldly Pandits
pa lung bstan/
All the Crucial Points Since Kanyangdag bka' yang dag kun gyi gnad nas bzung ba/
The Profound Meaning of the Sutra Unravelling the Thought don zab dgongs 'grel/
A Mirror Clarifying Intention lung don gsal ba'i me long /
A Sutra on the Qualities of Buddha Nature: The One Taste chos dbyings du ma ro gcig bde gshegs
Underlying the Diversity of the Ultimate Sphere snying po'i yon tan can gyi mdo sde/
Advice on Refraining from Meat and Beer sha chang bkag pa'i lung 'dren rnams/
The Mandala of the Threefold Outer, Inner and Other phyi nang gzhan gsum gyi maN+Dala/
The Measurements of Stupas mchod rten chags tshad/
A Lamp on the View of the Mind lta ba shan 'byed yid kyi mun sel/
A Sun Clarifying the Two Truths bden gnyis gsal ba'i nyi ma/
The Initial Verses of Tika, and Other Things tshigs bcad dang po'i TI ka sogs/
A Commentary on the Initial Verses of the Great Commentary 'grel chen dri med 'od kyi tshig bcad dang po'i
on the Kalachakra Tantra grel pa
The Properties of the Abbreviated Kalachakra Tantra byed rtsis kyi mtshan nyid/
Enumerating the Five Limbs and Five Planets yan lag lnga'i rtsis dang gza' lnga/
Calculating the Planet Rahu sgra gcan rtsis/
The Calculation of Eclipses gza' 'dzin rtsis/
Explanation of Calculation rtsis kyi rgyu mtshan/

Relating Emptiness to the Ten Planets
Abandoning the Signs of Death
Understanging the Two Truths Through Desire
The Thirteenth Moon: A Study of Embyology-- A Letter on
the Twenty Types of Emptiness
Simplifying the Meaning: A Compendium of the Wisdom
Chapters of the Kalachakra Tantra
The Complete and Clear Realization of the Kalachakra
Collected Meditations on the Kalachakra Mandala
A Brief Meditation on the Clear Realization of the Kalachakra
The Smaller Mountain Pass: A Meditation Explainging
Coemergent Clear Realization
Comprehending the Earth: An Extensive Elaboration of Time
and Duration
Wish Fulfilling Tree: The Kalachakra Means for Attainment
A Concise Path of Purity in Hand
Ocean of Wisdom: An Empowerment Ritual
Garuda's Spontaneously Produced Liturgical Compendium
Spontaneously Produced Abridged Sadhana
Clear Realization of Kalachakra
Summary of the Stages of Purity in Hand
Dispelling the Darkness of the Inner Fire Ceremony: A Text
by the Precious Omniscient Lord of the Dharma
Fire Ceremony Ritual for Peaceful and Wrathful Deities
Fire Offering for the Extensive Perfection of Wisdom Sutras
Medicinal Preparations for the Four Fire Offerings for
Pacification: A General Summary
Wisdom Fire Offering
Drawing the Kalachakra Mandala
An Ocean of Good Fortune, Virtue and Goodness: A Song for
the Kalachakra Mandala
Clear Realization of the Completely Perfect Kalachakra: A
Commentary Full of Praise
Worth 35
gza' bcu stong pa 'jug tshul/
'chi ltas 'dor tshul/
bden pa gnyis kyi tshon gyis gtan la dbab pa/
mngal bzung ba'i bzla ba dang lhan cig zla ba
bcu gsum pa yi ge stong nyi shu/
dpal dus kyi 'khor lo ye shes kyi le'u'i rgyud
kyi nges don zab mo rnams phyogs gcig tu
bsdus pa/
dpal dus kyi 'khor lo'i thugs dkyil rgyas pa'i
mngon rtogs/
dpal dus kyi 'khor lo'i thugs dkyil bsdus nas
bsgom pa/
dpal dus kyi 'khor lo'i mngon rtogs cung zad
bsdus te bsgom pa/
spros pa nyung ngu la mos pa dag lhan cig
skyes pa'i mngon rtogs rgyas pa sgom pa/
sa yong bzung la sogs pa'i skabs dang long
skabs che ba'i dus gzhan du yang shin tu
rgyas par spro ba/
dpal dus kyi 'khor lo'i sgrub thabs dpag bsam
ljon shing /
dag pa'i rim pa lag len mdor bsdus pa/
dbang gi cho ga ye shes rgya mtsho/
'dab chags mgon po'i sgrub thabs lhan skyes
bsdus pa/
lhan skyes bsdus pa/
dpal dus kyi 'khor lo dpa' bo gcig pa'i mngon
rtogs/
dag pa'i rim pa lag len gyi mdor bsdus/
chos kyi rje rin po che kun mkhyen chen pos
mdzad pa'i sbyin bsreg nang gi mun sel/
zhi ba dang rgyas pa'i sbyin sreg gi cho ga/
rgyas pa las kun pa'i sbyin sreg/
zhi rgyas kyi sbyin sreg bzhi'i spyi chings nor
bu chu dwangs/
ye shes me mchod/
dus 'khor gyi dkyil 'khor thig tshad/
dpal dus kyi 'khor lo'i dkyil 'khor gyi bkra
shis dge legs rgya mtsho'i sgra dbyangs/
dpal dus kyi 'khor lo'i yongs rdzogs kyi
mngon rtogs dang bstod pa zung 'jug gi 'grel

Lamp on the Meaning of the Words
Outline of Volume taM
Outline of the Commentary of the Brief Explanation of the
Empowerment
The Ritual Before the Meditation on the Emanation of
Vajravali
Good Advice on the Hevajra Empowerment
Instructions on the Vajra Garland
Collected Mantras of Chakrasamvara
Vajravali Empowerment
The Accomplishments of Lama Yontan Gyatso
A Shower of Blessings and Supplication to the Extraordinary
Six Branch Guru Yoga, in Six Parts
A Shower of Blessings and Supplication to the Extraordinary
Six Branch Guru Yoga
The Source of Spiritual Accomplishment: A Supplication to
the Root Guru
Supplication to the Kindness of the Guru
Supplication to an Ocean of Goodness and Virtue
In Praise of the Teacher and Lineage
Supplication to the Indivisibility of the Lama and the Tutelary
Deity
Supplication to the Dharma Lord and His Spiritual Sons, in
Four Parts
Supplication to the Dharma Lord and All His Spiritual Sons
Supplication to the Profound Path and Its Close Relations
Supplication to the Distant Kagya Teacher
Supplication to the Ascetic Kuntu Zangpo
Eliminating Fear of the Lower Realms: A Supplication to the
Great Renouncer in Five Parts
Eliminating Fear of the Lower Realms: A Supplication to the
Great Renouncer
Worth 36
ba/
rjod byed tshigs gi sgron me/
taM pod kyi dkar chag/
dbang mdor bstan pa'i 'grel ba'i sa bcad/
rdo rje 'phreng bar gar gyi sngon du sgom pa'i
cho ga/
dgyes rdor dbang gi legs bshad/
rdo rje phreng ba'i thig rtsa man ngag gis
brgyan pa/
'khor lo sdom pa'i rtsa sngags brgyud nas btus
pa/
dbang gi cho ga rdo rje'i 'phreng ba/
bla ma yon tan rgya mtsho'i rnam thar dngos
grub 'byung gnas/
yan lag drug gi thun mong ma yin pa'i bla
ma'i rnal 'byor gyi gsol 'debs byin rlabs char
'bebs sogs tshan pa drug/
yan lag drug gi thun mong ma yin pa bla ma'i
rnal 'byor gyi gsol 'debs byin rlabs char 'bebs
ma/
rtsa ba'i bla ma'i gsol 'debs dngos grub 'byung
gnas/
bla ma'i bka' drin dran pa'i gsol 'debs/
dge legs rgya mtsho zhes bya ba'i gsol 'debs/
bla ma'i gsol 'debs rigs ldan bstod pa/
bla ma yi dam dbyer med la gsol 'debs/
chos rje yab sras thams cad la gsol 'debs sogs
tshan pa bzhi/
chos rje yab sras thams cad la gsol 'debs/
zab lam nye rgyud kyi gsol 'debs/
bla ma bka' brgyud ring ba la gsol 'debs/
kun spangs chos rje la gsol 'debs kun tu bzang
po/
kun spangs chen po la gsol 'debs ngan 'gro'i
'jigs sel sogs tshan pa lnga/
kun spangs chen po la gsol 'debs ngan 'gro'i
'jigs sel

The Origins of Achieving the Mind Intent on Great
Enlightenment: A Supplication
In Praise of the Great Mind Purifier: The Source of All Needs
and Wants
Yontan Gyatso: Praise to an Ocean of Good Qualities
Praise to Yontan Gyatso: An Ocean of Initiations
Supplication to Pointing Out the Six Unions and So Forth, in
Ten Sections
Supplication to Pointing Out the Six Unions
Supplication to Buddha Nature
Supplication to the Lady of the Dharma Wheel
Supplication to the Incomparable Lady
Supplication to the Clear Essence of Dharma
Supplication to Freedom from Extremes
Supplication to the Kṛtayuga Golden Age
A Great Knot: Supplication to Vajra Words
Supplication to the Buddha's Teachings
Supplication to the Four Enlightened Families
Supplication to the Four Bodies, and So Forth, in Eleven Parts
Supplication to the Four Bodies
Six and Six is Thirty-Six: A Supplication
Supplication to the Six Royal Families
The Mother of All-Pervasive Space
An Exalted Supplication to the Teacher
The Definitive Meaning of the Limits of Freedom: A
Supplication
Abridged First of Three Classes of Prayer
The Superior Prayer
The Second Superior Prayer
The Next Superior Prayer on the Definitive Meaning
Superior Instructions on the Practice for Transmigration
Quintessential Instructions on Transmigrating: A Collection
in Six Parts
A Collection of Quintessential Instructions on Transmigration
Worth 37
chos rje byang sems chen po la gsol 'debs
dngos grub 'byung gnas/
byang sems chen po'i bstod pa dgos 'dod
'byung gnas/
yon tan rgya mtsho la bstod pa byin rlabs
rgya mtsho/
yon tan rgya mtsho la bstod pa dbang bskur
rgya mtsho/
sbyor drug ngos 'dzin gyi gsol 'debs sogs
tshan pa bcu/
sbyor drug ngos 'dzin gyi gsol 'debs/
bde gshegs snying po'i gsol 'debs/
chos 'khor ma zhes bya ba'i gsol 'debs/
mtshungs med ma zhes bya ba'i gsol 'debs/
snying po rab gsal zhes bya ba'i gsol 'debs/
mtha' bral chen po zhes bya ba'i gsol 'debs/
rdzogs ldan gyi gsol 'debs/
rdo rje tshig gis mdud grol chen mo zhes bya
ba gsol 'debs/
bstan pa spyi 'grel zhes bya ba''i gsol 'debs/
rgyal ba rigs bzhi'i gsol 'debs/
sku bzhi'i gsol 'debs sogs tshan pa bcu gcig/
sku bzhi'i gsol 'debs/
drug drug so drug gi gsol 'debs/
rgyal ba rigs drug gi gsol 'debs/
phyogs dus kun khyab ma/
bla ma'i gsol 'debs khyad 'phags/
nges don thar thug gi gsol 'debs/
smon lam sde tshan gsum pa'i dang po smon
lam mdor bsdus pa/
smon lam khyad 'phags/
smon lam khyad 'phags gnyis pa/
smon lam khyad 'phags 'og ma nges don
mthar thug/
pho ba'i man ngag khyad 'phags/
'pho ba'i man ngag bsdus pa sogs tshan pa
drug/ - Running Title
'pho ba'i man ngag bsdus pa/

Transcendent Introduction
Letter from Sherab Lama
Advice to Sherab Lama
Advice to the Disciple Dadpa Sengge
Advice to the Disciple Sangrin
Advice to the Disciple Namkhai Jangchub, and Other Things,
In Four Sections
Advice to the Disciple Namkhai Jangchub
Advice to the Disciples on Tantric Meditations
Advice to Tonpa Drupzang
Advice to Dorje Nyingpo on the Kalachakra
Advice on an Ocean of Awakening for Sky Goers in Twelve
Sections
Advice on an Ocean of Awakening for Sky Goers
Advice to Nyi Ö
Advice to Lhaje Tsultrim Ö
Advice to Zhonnu Dondrup
Great Bliss Luminosity's Advice to Lama Dodoba Gragpa
Gyaltsen
Letters of Great Bliss and Luminosity
Advice to the Royal One, Lama Konchog Gyalsten
Advice to the Dharma Lord
Advice to the Ruler Dharma Shri
Advice to the Lady from Yarbrog, Khyerdren Gon
Response to the Mountain Dwelling Lord Lama Konchog
A Meaningful and Glorious Victory Banner in Front of the
Righteous Dharma Lords: A Reply and Offerings in Thirteen
Parts
A Meaningful and Glorious Victory Banner in Front of the
Righteous Dharma Lords
An Offering to Your Dharma King Donyö Gyalsten
An Offering in Front of Lama Donyö Gyalsten
Worth 38
ngo sprod khyad 'phags/
shes rab bla ma'i zhu yig/
shes rab bla ma la gdams pa/f
nye gnas dad pa seng ge la gdams pa/
nye gnas sang rin la gdams pa/
nye gnas nam mkha' byang chub la gdams pa
sogs tshan pa bzhi/
nye gnas nam mkha' byang chub la gdams pa/
zab lam bsgom pa'i bu slob rnams la gdams
pa/
ston pa grub bzang la gdams pa/
dus 'khor ba rdo rje snying po la gdams pa/
mkha' 'gro rgya mtsho byang chub la gdams
pa sogs tshan pa bcu gnyis/
mkha' 'gro rgya mtsho byang chub la gdams
pa/
nyi 'od la gdams pa/
lha rje tshul khrims 'od la gdams pa/
gzhon nu don grub la gdams pa/
bla ma rdo mdo ba grags pa rgyal mtshan la
gdams pa'i spring yig bde chen 'od gsal ba/
rgyal yul pa'i bla ma dkon mchog rgyal
mtshan la gdams pa/
de'i cung po rdo rje rgyal mtshan la gdams
pa/
chos rje bla ma rdo rje dpal la gung du gdams
pa/
dpon mo d+ha rma shrI la gdams pa/
yar 'brog pa dpon mo khyer 'dren mgon la
gdams pa/
jo bo ri pa bla ma dkon mchog mgon gyi zhu
lan
bla ma don yod rgyal mtshan dpal bzang pos
chos rje'i drung du phul ba sogs dris lan dang
zhus lan tshan pa bcu gsum/
bla ma don yod rgyal mtshan dpal bzang pos
chos rje'i drung du phul ba/
chos rje nyid kyis bla ma don yod rgyal
mtshan pa la phul ba/
bla ma don yod rgyal mtshan pas chos rje'i
drung du phul ba/

An Offering in Front of Your Dharma King Lama Donyö
Gyalsten
An Offering by Don Yöpa to the Dharma King
Letter by the Yagde Panchen
The Forest Dweller's Response
The Translator Sherab Rinchen's Response
Praise to the Guru, the Source of Virtue and Goodness
Praise to the Sanctuaries and Sacred Images of Tagrin
Yangsang Khröpa
Praise to the World-Protecting Saint
Praise to the Divine Assemby of Gentle Voice
Praise to the Temple of the Divine Assemby of Gentle Voice
A Precious Garlang of Definitive Meaning: Praise to Each
Tiny Hair of Gentle Voice, and So Forth, in Twenty-Three
Parts
A Precious Garlang of Definitive Meaning: Praise to Each
Tiny Hair of Gentle Voice
Praise to Pakpa Bukang
Terrifying Praise to Vajravala
Praise to the Ocean Sky-Goer
Praise to Chakrasamvara
In Praise of Sixty Protectors
Praise for the System of Raising a Stupa: Passing of All
Animals to Be Followers of the 1000 Past Buddhas
A Great Treasure of Blessings: Praise for the Glorious Stupa
In Praise of the Reality of Profound Emptiness
Praise for the Yoga of the Innermost Essence
A Great Treasure of Faith and Devotion: Praise for Buddha
Nature
Praise of the Pure Land Shambhala
Short Praise for Shambhala
Praise for Shambhala Pure Land
The Practice for Children of the Buddha
An Appeal to Practice the Dharma for Everyone
Scattered Discussions
Worth 39
chos rje nyid kyis bla ma don yod rgyal
mtshan pa'i drung du phul ba/
don yod pas chos rje la phul ba/
g.yag sde paN chen gyis dris lan/
bsam steng pa cog bu pa'i zhu lan/
lo tsA ba shes rab rin chen gyi zhu lan/
gu ru'i bstod pa dge legs 'byung gnas/
rta mgrin yang gsang 'khros ba rten dang
brten par bcas pa'i bstod pa/
'phags pa 'jig rten dbang phyug gi bstod pa/
'jam dbyangs gsung gi lha tshogs la bstod pa/
'jam dbyangs lha khang gi lha tshogs la bstod
pa/
'jam pa'i dbyangs kyi ba spu nyag gcig la
bstod pa nges don rin po che'i 'phreng ba sogs
tshan pa nyer gsum/
'jam pa'i dbyangs kyi ba spu nyag gcig la
bstod pa nges don rin po che'i 'phreng ba/
'phags pa b+hu khang pa la bstod pa/
'jigs byed kyi bstod pa rdo rje 'bar ba/
mkha' 'gro rgya mtsho la bstod pa/
'khor lo sdom chung gi bstod pa/
srung ma drug cu'i bstod pa/
mchod rten bzhengs tshul la bstod pa 'khor ba
dong sprug/
mchod rten dpal yon can la bstod pa byin
rlabs kyi gter chen/
gnas lugs zab mo stong pa nyid bstod pa/
shin tu rnal 'byor la bstod pa/
bde gshegs snying po'i bstod pa dad gus gter
chen/
zhing mchog sham b+ha la'i bstod pa/
sham b+ha la'i bstod pa chung ba/
sham b+ha la zhing bkod kyi bstod pa/
rgyal sras lag len/
rang gzhan chos la bskul ba/
'thor bu brjod pa/

The Collected Transmission on the Sutra for Arousing the
Superior Mind
The Supreme Method for Being Born in a Blissful Land for
Yourself and Others
Prayer for a World of Bliss
Prayer for a World of Bliss
The Most Important Prayer
Oral Transmission of Six Letters
The Means of Achieving the Six Syllable Mantra, in Five
Sections
The Means of Achieving the Six Syllable Mantra
Definitive Meaning of Mani
Avalokiteshvara's Mantra Collection
Identification of Four Funeral Ceremonies
Concise and Deep Yoga of Food
Extraordinary Dharma Activities in Twelve Sections
Extraordinary Dharma Activities
Letter to a Disciple
Two Stages of Prayer
The Auspiciousness of Buddha Nature
Two Methods for New Year Auspiciousness
Auspiciousness of the New Year
Rain of Omens
A Stream of the Lamas' Teachings for the Disciple from Ngari
Introduction to the Collection of Zhangtönpé Dzepa
Collection of the Expansive Activities of the Omniscient One
Dolpopa
Praise for the Individual Deeds of the Main Disciples of the
Omniscient Dharma Lord: Method and Meditation on Guru
Yoga
Supplication to the Lineage Lamas
Words Fallen From the Mouth of a Child of the Buddha: The
Omniscient Dharma Lord Shines a Lamp on Definitive
Meaning, the Six Yoga, the Two Paths of Accumulation, and
So Forth, in Four Sections
A Lamp Clarifying the Path of Two Accumulations
Worth 40
lhag bsam skul ba'i mdo'i lung btus/
rang gzhan bde ba can du skye ba'i thabs
mchog/
bde ba can gyi smon lam/
bde ba can gyi smon la
gal po che'i smon lam/
yig drug bka' ma/
yi ge drug pa'i sgrub thabs sogs tshan pa lnga/
yi ge drug pa'i sgrub thabs/
ma Ni nges don/
spyan ras gzigs gyi gzungs 'dus/
dus mchod bzhi'i ngos bzung ba/
kha zas kyi rnal 'byor zab mo mdor bsdus/
thun mong ma yin pa'i chos spyod sogs tshan
pa bcu gnyis/
thun mong ma yin pa'i chos spyod/
slob ma la spring yig/
rim gnyis kyi smon lam/
bde gshegs snying po'i bkra shis/
lo gsar pa'i bkra shis pa'i thabs gnyis/
lo gsar ba'i bkra shis/
pra dbab pa/
bla ma'i gsung rgyun rjes 'brang mnga' ris pa/
zhang ston pas mdzad pa'i ngo sprod bsdus
pa/
kun mkhyen dol po pa'i rnam thar rgyas pa
las slar yang bsdus pa/
chos rje thams cad mkhyen pa bla ma'i rnal
'byor gyi tshul du bsgom pa dang bu chen
rnam kyis so so nas bstod pa mdzad pa/
brgyud pa'i bla ma rnams la gsol ba btab na
tshig 'dis gsol ba btab pa/
chos rje thams cad mkhyen pa nyid kyi nges
don dang sbyor drug gi bka' 'babs rgyal sras
rin tshul bas mdzad pa'i tshogs gnyis lam 'jug
gsal ba'i sgron me sogs tshan pa bzhi/
tshogs gnyis lam 'jug gsal ba'i sgron me/

Your Advice on Scriptural and Reasoning: High Praise for the
Omniscient Dharma Lord
Praise for the Omniscient Dharma Lord
An Abbreviated Collection on View, Meditation, Action and
Fruit
Praise for the Omniscient Dharma Lord
A Rain of Well Placed Sayings of the Omniscient Dharma
Lord: Questions and Answers by Mati Pandita and Lodro
Sengge, and So Forth, in Nine Sections
A Good Place for Questions and Answers
Praise for the Omniescient Dharma Lord: A Special
Transmission of Tantric Practices
Praise for the Omniscient Dharma Lord by the Functional
Dharma Successor
Praise for Dolpopa, the Omniscient Dharma Lord
A Mirror Clarifying the Two Truths
The Biography of the Omniscient Dharma Lord Written in
Verses of Praise
Praise for the Omniscient Dharma Lord
Praise for the Lama
A Precious Garland: Praise for the Omniscient Dharma Lord
Praise for the Amazing Biography of the Omniscient Dharma
Lord
Praise for the Omniscient Dharma Lord
A Treasure of Offering Rituals for the Veneration of the Guru
Worth 41
chos rje thams cad mkhyen pa'i bstod pa
khyad 'phags nyid kyi lung rigs kyi bka' bab
pa/
chos rje thams cad mkhyen pa'i bstod pa/
lta sgom spyod 'bras kyi don mdor bsdus pa/
chos rje thams cad mkhyen pa'i bstod pa/
chos rje thams cad mkhyen pa nyid kyi rgyud
sde dang lag len gyi bka' 'babs sa bzang ma ti
paN+Di tas mdzad pa'i blo gros seng ge'i dris
len sogs tshan dgu/
sa bzang gi dris lan/
chos rje thams cad mkhyen pa'i bstod pa nyid
rgyud sde dang lag len gyi bka' babs/
chos rje thams cad mkhyen pa'i bstod pa nyid
kyi rgyal tshab dam par gyur pa/
chos rje kun mkhyen dol po pa'i bstod pa/
bden gnyis gsal ba'i me long/
chos rje thams cad mkhyen pa'i rnam thar gyi
sgo nas bstod pa/
chos rje thams cad mkhyen pa la bstod pa/
bla ma la bstod pa/
chos kyi thams cad mkhyen pa la bstod pa
nor bu'i 'phreng ba/
chos kyi rje thams cad pa la bstod pa ngo
mtshar rtogs brjod/
chos kyi rje thams cad mkhyen pa la bstod
pa/
bla ma mchod pa'i cho ga mchod pa'i gter/