An Overview of the Literature related to the Queen of Great Bliss Cycle
The Queen of Great Bliss,
Yumka Dechen Gyalmo
In most treasure cycles the sādhana is the centerpiece around which other treasure texts or compositions revolve. Often, later on it is the treasure revealer himself, his or her associates, or later authors who reveal or compose additional liturgical texts and commentaries. This is certainly the case for the Queen of Great Bliss sādhana, which has been at the center of a fairly large amount (a few dozen) of additional texts such as empowerment manuals (dbang yig), lineage prayers (brgyud ‘debs), additional practices (las tshogs) and commentaries (‘grel pa).
Here we will first look at the practice texts and then at the commentaries. Most of these texts can all be found grouped together in the Core Texts of the Heart Essence; others are yet to be gathered together and are found in collected works and stand-alone publications.
Texts of the Cycle
Besides the sādhana itself, the Garland of Great Bliss[1] there is firstly a self-initiation called Illuminating the Meaning of Empowerment,[2] a fire offering called The Treasury of the Four Activities[3] and a rejuvenation practice,[4] all revealed by Jigme Lingpa himself. This fire offering seems to have had a particular import within the tradition, as it has subsequently served as a basis for other fire offering rituals in the Heart Essence tradition, as we can see from the notes by Khyentse Wangpo entitled Instructions on how to do the Awareness Holder Assembly and Natural Liberation of Suffering fire offerings based on the fire offering of the Female Practice.[5] The Rejuvenation[6] of the Ambrosia of the Three Kāyas is an advanced rejuvenation practice belonging to the completion phase practices. It is three-fold, with a dharmakāya, saṃbhogakāya, and nirmāṇakāya stage.
The 21 Tārās according to the Longchen Nyingtik,
courtesy of Dodrupchen Monastery
Then there is the inner practice called A Treasure Vase Containing the Essence of Great Bliss.[7] Here each of the popular twenty-one Tārās is connected with a certain activity, such as increasing intelligence or longevity. Jigme Lingpa explains in the text itself that one first needs to do the outer practice of the Garland of Great Bliss. Then in the heart of Vajrayoginī one visualizes each of the Tārās, and recite their mantra. The mantra is constructed with oṃ padmo-yoginī tāre tuttāre ture, then the activity, such as bodhicitta, jñāna, or mahāpuṇye, and then ends with svāhā. For each activity the corresponding verse from The Praise to Tārā with Twenty-One Verses of Homage is recited repeatedly. Connected to this inner practice, Jigme Lingpa and others have written several other supplementary texts.[8] The Longevity Empowerment Connected with the Fourth Point of the Collection of Activities[9] does not require much explanation: as the title suggests, it is a longevity empowerment. Later on, Khyentse Wangpo compiled a condensed version of it.[10] The Supplementary Text for Consecrating a Treasure Vase[11] is a practice where a special wealth vase is filled and consecrated.
Then follow (in the Core Texts) two texts related to the popular Tibetan practices of Amitābha and his pure realm of Sukhāvatī, Transferring to the Realm of Great Bliss[12] and an Aspiration to be Reborn in the Realm of Great Bliss.[13] It is not entirely clear to me in what way these are related to the inner practice. In any case, Jigme Trinle Özer has written an empowerment manual[14] for it and Khyentse Wangpo some instructions.[15] Then there is The Purifying Treasure Vase: An Arrangement of a Guiding Practice Ritual,[16] which is a practice where the consciousness of a deceased person is summoned with the aim of benefitting them, and then that person is given the four empowerments of the Unsurpassed Tantras. The Supplementary Text for Cleansing and Removing Poison also does not require much explanation.[17] It is connected to the 18th point of the collection of activities. The Tree of the Life Force Ocean[18] is a supplementary text for ransoming the life-force spirit or la,[19] a truly Tibetan phenomenon. This is the 21st activity which is based on the goddess Mārīcī. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche has compiled a practice of Tārā Sarasvatī connected to the second activity, which is to increase knowledge and insight.[20]
Then there is a Tārā practice called Adornment of Lord Nāgārjuna’s Wisdom Mind,[21] which the compilers of the Core Texts of the Heart Essence have put next to the Inner Practice and is related to the cycle of the Queen of Great Bliss. Jigme Lingpa tells us that he arranged this ritual of the Twenty-One Tārās based on the authoritative tradition that derives from Nāgārjuna and The Manifest Source Tantra of Tārā. In order to create the full liturgy, which he did at the request of the First Dodrupchen Jigme Trinlé Özer, he also added other elements from various pith instructions.
Also connected to the Garland of Great Bliss are several practices to ‘avert the summons of the ḍākinīs’. This is a type of practice of Tibetan origin where it is thought that the ḍākinīs are eager to summon certain persons, mostly Vajrayāna masters, back to the ḍākinī realms (meaning those persons would die). In order to avert that, in these rituals an effigy that looks like that person is offered to the ḍākinīs. The largest practice of this sort that can be found in the Core Texts of the Heart Essence is the Marvellous Appearance,[22] whose treasure marks indicate it was revealed by Jigme Lingpa. [23] Tenpa Nyima quotes the text several times in his Guide. This text is followed in the Core Texts by a torma offering,[24] a short practice,[25] and a very brief practice. The latter is a short feast-offering text called Confession and Fulfilment Insert for Accumulating the Practice of Turning Back the Summons of the Ḍākinīs,[26] which is very popular and recited throughout the Nyingma world during the feast-gathering practices. In recent times Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche has written some notes on how the elaborate practice should be done.[27]
There are several empowerment texts for the practice. The first is the A Ritual of Blessing and Empowerment,[28] the fundamental text revealed by Jigme Lingpa. The text is rather short and it would require a fairly learned master to be able confer the empowerment based on this text alone, since many important details of the empowerment process would need to be added from other sources. Often in cases when the fundamental empowerment manuals are so terse, in order to simplify the process of giving empowerments, arrangements are compiled by later authors. Both Jamgön Kongtrul and Tenpe Nyima have compiled empowerment manuals for this practice. The empowerment manuals are of particular interest since they often contain a history of the revelation of the practice and its importance, and both Jamgön Kongtrul and Tenpe Nyima have done just that. The arrangement compiled by Jamgön Kongtrul is called The Cascading Essence of Great Bliss.[29] This manual is rather brief. A longer empowerment manual is the one by Tenpe Nyima called A Heap of Pearls.[30] In his massive compendium of empowerment manuals of the Heart Essence, [31] Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche writes that there is a permission blessing of the inner practice of the twenty-one Tārās that came into being when Khyentse Wangpo remembered it from his past life [as Jigme Lingpa].[32] He notes that he received the empowerment from Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodro, but that at the time of writing he did not have the text and advises that if the text were to be found in the future, it should be inserted at that place.[33]
There are a few condensed practices which have been composed for daily use or when feast-offering prayers are accumulated. For the latter there is A Glorious Garland of the Two Accomplishments written by Khyentse Wangpo.[34] There are two daily practices, one written by Tenpe Nyima called Words of the Vajra Queen[35] and one written by the current Dodrupchen, Tubten Trinle Pal Zangpo, called The Lotus Garland.[36] The Lotus Necklace is similar to the Words of the Vajra Queen, yet is specifically designed for doing a short feast-offering. It incorporates the Brief Prayer to the Ḍākinī by Jigme Trinle Özer,[37] a torma offering to the obstructing forces and a short feast-offering.
There are two lineage prayers, one written by Jigme Trinle Özer called The Source of Accomplishment, the Fruit of the Two-Fold Truth[38] and one by Khyentse Wangpo called The Shower of Great Bliss,[39]. At Dodrupchen Monastery only the one by Jigme Trinle Özer is used officially, but some practitioners recite the one by Khyentse Wangpo in their personal practice. Then there are around five fulfilment practices (bskang ba). A fulfilment practice is an amendment or fulfilment of the samaya pledges of a tantric practitioner by means of offerings. Tenpe Nyima explains in the colophon of his fulfilment text that it ‘perfectly pleases or satisfies the deities by means of the blessing of a vast wealth of sensual delights created by the mind and those actually arranged.’[40] The most commonly used practice is the one written by Tenpa Nyima just referred to as The Fulfilment Practice. There is also a concise fulfilment practice signed by Jigme Lingpa himself called Rain of Accomplishments.[41] Then there is another short fulfilment practice called Lute of Lotus Flowers by Rago Choktrul Tupten Shedrup Gyatso.[42] Additionally, there is one designated as a medium version written by Katok Situ Chökyi Gyatso.[43] Finally, there is a long unattributed practice called Mountain of the Two Accumulations.[44] This fairly large number of fulfilment practices attests to the popularity of the practice of the Queen of Great Bliss.
Commentaries
Jigme Lingpa’s commentaries
Jigme Lingpa, courtsey of Dodrupchen Monastery
In addition to these practices, around a dozen commentaries have been written on the Queen of Great Bliss practice. Most of these have been written by later authors, yet Jigme Lingpa himself has also written a few commentaries on the Queen of Great Bliss, which, although brief, are considered fundamental and which form the basis for later commentators: The Main Recitation Manual [45] and Elucidating the Body Maṇḍala: Clarifications on the Recitation Manual .[46] There is also a short text that describes how the text was revealed, The History of the Female Practice of the Queen of Great Bliss [47] The Recitation Manual follows a common structure for such texts, starting with an explanation of the articles needed for the retreat. It continues with explanations of the purity of the world, the appearance of the deity and the visualizations during mantra recitation. In the Clarifications on the Recitation Manual Jigme Lingpa elaborates on the purity of the world, which he discusses partly on the basis of the objects and results of purification. The Immaculate Confession Tantra is quoted and elaborated on, and the first half of the work concludes with the statement that although there are slight differences regarding the forms of the various traditions of the Hundred Peaceful and Wrathful Deities, practitioners should follow Longchenpa’s Dispelling Darkness in the Ten Directions (phyogs bcu mun sel). In the second half of the work Jigme Lingpa elaborates on the body-maṇḍala and the twenty-four sacred places, providing extensive citations from the Cakrasaṃvara Tantra.
The Raṭik
The first commentator after Jigme Lingpa is Ratön Ngawang Tendzin Dorje, who was one of his direct disciples. His Illuminating the Meaning of Tantra, usually referred by the abbreviated title the Raṭik, was composed in 1801.[48] The Raṭik is the most comprehensive commentary on the cycle and carries a lot of authority with later authors, as well. This authority is derived from the fact that Ratön Ngawang Tendzin Dorje received explanations on the practice from Jigme Lingpa himself,[49] that the commentary was seen and approved by Jigme Lingpa’s Dharma custodian, the First Dodrupchen Jigme Trinle Özer,[50] and that one of the most authoritative figures in the 20th century of the Nyingma tradition —Dodrubchen Tenpe Nyima— relies on the Raṭik extensively in his own commentary on the practice (the Guide), directly citing Ratön’s commentary more than twenty times. The Raṭik is a word-by-word commentary that follows the Glorious Garland of Great Bliss from the refuge at the beginning up to the prayer of auspiciousness at the end. All the explanations are supported with elaborate citations from both the Nyingma and Sarma schools. After the explanations of the preliminary practices and the main deity, there is a detailed explanation of the Peaceful Deities following the words of the sādhana. The sādhana itself does not elaborate on the Wrathful Deities and so the Raṭik fulfills this lacuna. There is also an elaborate explanation of the feast-gathering that includes an extensive outline of headings. The twenty-four sacred places that are listed in the sādhana are then explained in detail by listing their location in the body, the name of their associated channel in the subtle body, and the pair of heroic ones and yoginīs that reside there. All of this is supported with citations from the Cakrasaṃvara and related tantras.
A rare copy of the Ratik commentary
Tenpe Nyima’s Guide
The Third Dodrupchen Jigme Tenpe Nyima, courtesy of Dodrupchen Monastery
The next author to comment on the sādhana after Ratön is Dodrubchen Tenpe Nyima. His primary commentary is called A Lamp That Illuminates the Excellent Path of Great Bliss, or in short the Guide. Tenpe Nyima begins his commentary with a fairly elaborate hagiography of Yeshe Tsogyal. [51] She is described as an emanation of Vajravārāhī and foremost among the yoginīs. In order to support his claims Tenpe Nyima cites many different sources, mostly from the treasure texts of the Nyingma tradition, yet also –quite frequently– from the Fifth Dalai Lama’s Bearing the Seal of Secrecy (gsang ba rgya can), canonical works such as the Root Tantra of Mañjuśrī (Mañjuśrī-mūla-tantra) and the Arising of Saṃvara Tantra (Śaṃvarodaya-tantra). Tenpe Nyima tells us that Yeshe Tsogyal was born in Tibet, became the consort of Padmasambhava, and a vital link in requesting Padmasambhava to conceal the treasure teachings and practices. She is known by different names such as Vajrayoginī, the Queen of Great Bliss, or the ḍākinī Blazing Blue Light, yet these are all just different forms and manifestations of Yeshe Tsogyal.
Tenpa Nyima then highlights the special quality of this practice. Although other practices also feature different manifestations, this practice is unique in that all the different manifestations are combined in one practice. She manifest both as Vajravārāhī, who is most profound for accomplishing the supreme accomplishment, and Tārā, who is swift to perform the common accomplishments and activities. Tenpa Nyima then concludes by saying that he has spoken about the history to ‘inspire confidence and not mere story telling.’ He then proceeds with some instructions on the granting of the empowerment. This and other sections later on reveal that Tenpa Nyima clearly did not write this commentary with beginners in mind.
Then there is a presentation of the main practice. It is here that Tenpe Nyima starts referring often to Jigme Lingpa’s Recitation Manual and Clarifications on the Recitation Manual, and in particular the Raṭik commentary, to which he refers to more than twenty times. In general, each commentary on the Glorious Garland of Great Bliss builds on the previous one, and this is definitely also the case here. Often Tenpe Nyima elaborates on things which have not yet been dealt with in Jigme Lingpa’s and Ratön’s texts, and in doing so he does not shy away from difficult or advanced topics, or making bold statements such as stating that this practice is more profound than other Unexcelled Yoga Tantra practices.
After some discussion of the surrounding palace, Tenpe Nyima explains the purity of the main deity, where he follows a fairly common model for such explanations. In the section on the body maṇḍala, however, there are a few interesting remarks, such as his differentiation between the coarse body-maṇḍala originating from the Tsokchen Düpa (tshogs chen ‘dus pa) and the subtle body-maṇḍala of the Cakrasaṃvara Tantra.
Then there is the explanation of the mantra recitation, which culminates in a description of the four joys and a rather special discussion—related to the completion stage with appearance—on how the bliss of the third empowerment needs to be stable for it to bring a practitioner to the wisdom of the fourth empowerment. When discussing the meaning of the mantra, Tenpa Nyima also elaborates on the completion phase by stating that the path of desire is faster than the path of the perfections. He ends this section with a discussion of the fourth empowerment, the completion phase without appearance.
Then there follows an explanation of the complete path, which again culminates with discussions of the completion phase. Even Tenpe Nyima himself must have recognized that his blending of the generation phase and completion phases might have appeared somewhat unusual, since he addresses this point himself:
It is possible that some will find this explanation where I have not explained the generation and perfection phases separately a bit vague and unclear. Yet I have expressed myself based on our own tradition where the generation and completion phases are traversed in union and therefore this is different from other explanations.[52]
After that he continues with a discussion on consort practice, both mental and actual. He then proceeds with of the body maṇḍala of the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities that includes a discussion on how to perform the recitation and the meaning of the mantra. Then Tenpa Nyima explains the common and uncommon accomplishments, and the activities. The latter are part of the inner practice, the Treasure Vase Containing the Essence of Great Bliss. The commentary ends with a discussion of the feast-gathering practices.
Tenpe Nyima’s other works on the Queen of Great Bliss
Besides his larger commentary, Tenpe Nyima wrote a daily practice, a fulfilment, an empowerment manual (these three were mentioned already above), a short commentary on the root mantra, a smaller commentary called Contemplations on the Female Practice, and some notes on the practice of Vajravārāhī.
Despite the lack of dates and location on the other texts, luckily the daily practice[53] and the empowerment manual[54] mention they were written at Dzongsar Tashi Lhatse (rdzong sar bkra shis lha rtse). Tenpa Nyima also mentions in the colophon of the latter that he was 23 years old at that time, so this must have been 1887. Since Khyentse Wangpo passed away in 1892 and Tenpe Nyima famously did not leave his room in his later years,[55] it is probably safe to assume that the daily practice was also written around the same time, when Tenpe Nyima was most likely receiving teachings and empowerments from Khyentse Wangpo at Dzongsar. Both texts, despite their relatively complete colophons, also lack any mention of being written in response to a request—as is often noted by authors when such a request for composition was made—so they were possibly written of his own accord.
The commentary on the root mantra is called Stairways to Omniscience.[56] Tenpe Nyima begins with quotations from The Tantra of the Vajra Cage (Ḍākinī-vajra-pañjara-tantra) and The Higher Tantra of the Deity Ḍākinījālaśaṃvara (Ḍākinījālaśaṃvarottaratantra), and presents the examples of the lives of Indrabhūti and Saraha. Just like that, he says, Padmasambhava concealed this treasure, Jigme Lingpa later revealed it, and its blessings have been transmitted uninterruptedly by the lineage. For adherents who purely uphold the Nyingma tradition, it would be somewhat strange, if not outright offensive, to prove the authenticity of Padmasambhava, the mythical founder of their tradition, by quoting the live stories of individuals who figure much more prominently in the Sarma tradition, such as Saraha. Therefore, it is difficult not to interpret this as a way of proving the authenticity of the practice for adherents of the Sarma tradition. Yet this makes perfect sense in the setting that Tenpe Nyima was in: some of his teachers, such as Japa Dongak Gyatso, and several of his students as well, such as Sershul Khenpo, had vested interests in both the Nyingma and Sarma traditions. It thus makes perfect sense for Tenpe Nyima to quote Sarma tantras and relate the histories of predominantly Sarma figures to enhance the authenticity of Padmasambhava and his treasures. Tenpe Nyima then proceeds with an explanation of the twelve vajra syllables of the mantra. After detailed tantric explanations, he states that oṃ is the spearhead, padmo-yoginī the essence of the samaya-being, jñāna-vārāhī the essence of the wisdom being, and hūṃ illustrates the concentration being.
The Contemplations on the Female Practice[57] and Fulfilling All Aims: Notes on Vajravārāhī[58] both lack a colophon by Tenpa Nyima. Only the former has a colophon at all, which states merely that it was printed based on a manuscript of the lord [Tenpe Nyima] himself without making any corrections. This and the fact that these two texts cannot be found in the oldest woodblock edition but only in the editions produced in the new millennium, suggests that they may have been copied from manuscripts after his passing. Yet Tenpe Nyima does refer to his Notes on Vajravārāhī in the Contemplations on the Female Practice, so he must have considered it in some way as a completed work.[59]
The Contemplations on the Female Practice is very much reminiscent of the Guide. Like the Guide, it is at times a terse text, not at all thoroughly structured like the Raṭik with extensive subject markers, but more written as if it were just notes.[60] In the Contemplations Tenpe Nyima makes many similar points, sometimes even with the same wording and exact same citations. The fusion of the Nyingma and Sarma traditions is once again abundant. For example:
In the Nyingma tradition they commonly talk about the karmic, wisdom, and worldly [ḍākinīs], and in the Sarma tradition about pureland, mantra, and innate [ḍākinīs], but this is merely a difference in terminology.[61]
Sometimes Tenpe Nyima goes on for pages on a certain topic, then suddenly switches to other topics which he deals with in only one or two lines. I cannot go into an extensive comparison of the two works here, but it makes one wonder about the precise relationship between the Guide and the Contemplations. Was one written as a draft and then later rewritten more fully? Or was there a need for a shorter text? Was it written with certain students in mind, or are they just contemplations which where penned down by a scribe? The complete lack of any colophon for the Contemplations does not help us and we might never know. Although the text is not an easy read and often assumes an almost perfect knowledge of Jigme Lingpa’s works, or even the complete Nyingma and Sarma traditions,[62] it still radiates with the incredible learning, insight, and a mentality of curiosity and investigation that certainly contributed to Tenpe Nyima’s fame.
The Contemplations on the Female Practice has many citations from the Glorious Garland of Great Bliss and is clearly a commentary on it. We cannot say the same of the Notes on Vajravārāhī, despite the fact that, as I mentioned above, 1) the Contemplations seems to refer to it, 2) the fact that the compilers of the two later collected works have placed it among the texts related to the Queen of Great Bliss, and 3) that it’s topic is Vajravārāhī, who is the main deity in the Glorious Garland of Great Bliss. The Notes seems to discuss Vajravārāhī more in a manner reminiscent of the Sarma tradition, for example by referring to the ‘mantra of the three oṃ syllables’. He cites mostly texts of the Sarma tradition, yet also cites Minling Terchen and Nyang Ral Nyima Özer, and ends the text with a quote from Chokgyur Dechen Lingpa’s Zabtik Drolchok. It is unclear to me for what audience this text would have been written, but it looks like it could have been an audience that practiced Vajravārāhī in both the Nyingma and Sarma traditions.
Sub-commentaries on Tenpe Nyima’s Guide
Lushul Khenpo’s Words of the Awareness Holders
Lushul Khenpo Könchok Drönme
There are two sub-commentaries on Tenpe Nyima’s Guide. The first is by Lushul Khenpo Könchok Drönme, who was a student of Tenpe Nyima and one of the ‘Four Great Khenpos’ of Dodrupchen Monastery who flourished around the turn of the 20th century. His commentary is of medium size and is called Words of the Awareness Holders: An Addendum to 'A Guide to the Female Practice' Spoken by the Lord Guru.[63] In the first half of the text Lushul Khenpo comments on the first half of the sādhana, starting with the refuge up to and including the mantra recitation. He most likely did this because Tenpe Nyima does not comment at all on these sections, and so it is truly a supplementary text or addendum to the Guide.
About half way through the text takes a completely different turn and proceeds with a long question and answer section. Or perhaps ‘objections and refutations’ is a more accurate description. This section begins with a discussion on the line in the root text ‘through this practice alone, you will reach accomplishment.’ The questioners or opponents, who without doubt belong to the Sarma tradition, assert that one needs to rely on a karmic and wisdom mudrā, and that it is not possible to attain accomplishment merely on the basis of this generation phase practice. But Lushul Khenpo replies that this is dependent on whether the disciples are of sharp or dull faculties. Lushul Khenpo also says that Yeshe Tsogyal still remains in Cāmaradvīpa as the consort of Padmasambhava, and so her blessings are swifter than others. This is similar in the way that the blessing of the deities of the Cakrasaṃvara maṇḍala are swifter since they still remain at the peak of Mount Meru. Another argument is made that the body-maṇḍala of this practice is superior to body-maṇḍalas of other tantras, just as the body-maṇḍala of the Cakrasaṃvara is more profound than the body-maṇḍala of other Unsurpassed Tantras. Lushul Khenpo then states that this practice, although it partly belongs to the generation phase, actually belongs to the main part of the completion phase, since natural awareness together with its appearances is taken as the path. In this way, the generation and completion phases must be in union. Then there is another discussion concerning differences between the Kālacakra Tantra and Illusory Net (sgyu ‘phrul drwa ba). At the end of this discussion Lushul Khenpo says that his answer cannot be found in the Recitation Manual or the Guide, but that he thinks that the ultimate meaning is as he has just explained. There are various other detailed discussions, such as one concerning the four visions of the Great Perfection and how the path gradually purifies confusion, but this is not the place for further elaboration on those at this point.
This commentary is helpful in that it gives us additional information and discussions, but it is not necessarily useful in clarifying all the difficult topics in the Guide itself. The preceding summary has shown that it, just as Tenpe Nyima’s Contemplations, was certainly written in a setting where both Nyingma and Sarma forces are active, and Lushul Khenpo frequently takes examples from Sarma texts to prove his points about this Nyingma treasure.
Chökyi Drakpa’s Garland of White Flowers
Chökyi Drakpa
Minyak Tsara Khenchen Tubten Chökyi Drakpa studied at Dzogchen and Shechen monasteries, and later became head Khenpo at Dzogchen Shri Singha Shedra (shrI simha bshad grwa). His commentary called A Garland of White Lotus Flowers was written in 1958.[64] It is immediately clear that he follows the Raṭik and the Guide quite literally. For example, for the refuge he follows the exact same outline as the Raṭik, and also quotes the Raṭik almost verbatim regarding the definition of refuge.[65] He continues by giving exactly the same citations as the Raṭik does. Not just that, he often quotes several whole pages of the Guide; in one location it goes on for almost ten pages.[66] The commentary counts 155 pages and is too long for me to indulge in an extensive analysis, but a worthwhile future investigation might include a study of which citations are from the Raṭik and the Guide (this is mostly not indicated), and which are his own comments.
Other commentaries
Lopön Thekchok Yeshe Dorje
Tulku Thondup mentions[67] that there are still more commentaries by Lingtul of Wangda,[68] Sangye Özer of Gyarong[69] and by the contemporary teacher Gönpo Tseten of Amdo. I have been unable to locate the commentaries by Lingtul and Sangye Özer and it is possible that they have been lost.[70]
The commentary by Gönpo Tseten was written for his American disciples in a way that is very easy for beginners to comprehend, but does not contain anything that is not found in earlier commentaries such as the Raṭik.[71]
Finally, fairly recently a new commentary has been composed by Lopön Thekchok Yeshe Dorje called Destroyer of Māra's Forces. I have not yet had the opportunity to analyze this text.[72]
Finally, there is also one commentary on the inner practice of A Treasure Vase Containing the Essence of Great Bliss by Rago Choktrul Tupten Shedrup Gyatso called The Supremely Generous Treasure Vase of Benefit and Happiness.[73] It comments on each of twenty-one verses of the Tantra, including the twenty-one Tārās, according to the outer and inner meaning.
This essay has been adapted from chapter two of Han Kop, The Queen of Great Bliss: A translation of the commentary by Jigme Tenpe Nyima, Including an investigation into the treasure cycle and its synthesis of Nyingma and Sarma Elements, MA thesis Translation, Textual Interpretation, and Philology at the Center for Buddhist Studies at Rangjung Yeshe Insititute, Kathmandu University, Nepal.
Footnotes
[1] Jigme Lingpa, A Glorious Garland of Great Bliss—the Fundamental, Female Practice of Tsogyal, the Queen of Great Bliss (yum ka mtsho rgyal bde chen rgyal mo’i rtsa ba’i sgrub pa bde chen dpal phreng), Klong chen snying thig rtsa pod (Shechen Publications, 1994), Vol. 1, 293-312.
[2] Jigme Lingpa, Illuminating the Meaning of Empowerment: A Self-initiation for the Female Practice of the Ḍākinī (yum ka mkha’ ’gro’i bdag ’jug dbang don rab gsal), klong chen snying thig rtsa pod (Shechen Publications, 1994), Vol. 1, 333-40.
[3] Jigme Lingpa, The Treasury of the Four Activities: A Fire Offering for the Practice of the Female Awareness Holder (rig ’dzin yum ka’i me mchod las bzhi’i bang mdzod), klong chen snying thig rtsa pod (Shechen Publications, 1994), Vol. 1, 341-350.
[4] Jigme Lingpa, Rejuvenation of the Ambrosia of the Three Kāyas, from the Cycle of the Ḍākinī Queen of Great Bliss (mkha’ ’gro bde chen rgyal mo las/ sku gsum bdud rtsi’i bcud len), klong chen snying thig rtsa pod (Shechen Publications, 1994), Vol. 1, 351-54.
[5] Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, Instructions on how to do the Awareness Holder Assembly and Natural Liberation of Suffering fire offerings based on the fire offering of the Female Practice (yum bka’i me mchod gzhir bzhag nas rig ’dzin dang thugs rje chen po la kha bsgyur ba’i tshul), klong chen snying thig rtsa pod (Shechen Publications, 1994), Vol. 4, 172-74.
[6] Skt. Rasāyana, Tib. bcu len
[7] Jigme Lingpa, The Inner Female Practice of the Ḍākinī, A Treasure Vase Containing the Essence of Great Bliss (yum ka mkha’ ’gro’i nang sgrub bde chen snying po’i gter bum), Vol.1, 355-80.
[8] The practices of the twenty-ones Tārās and the type of enlightened activity (pacifying, enriching, magnetizing, or wrathful) that they enact according to Tenpe Nyima’s classifications in his Guide, are as follows:
1.Tārā the Swift Heroine (sgrol ma myur ma dpa' mo) (enriching)
2.Tārā Sarasvatī (sgrol ma dbyangs can ma) (enriching)
A Practice of Tārā Sarasvatī, by Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
3.Tārā Granter of Supreme Merit (sgrol ma bsod nams mchog ster ma) (enriching)
4.Tārā Uṣṇīṣavijayā (gtsug tor rnam rgyal) (enriching)
Longevity Empowerment, by Jigme Lingpa.
5.Tārā Kurukullā (rig byed sgrol ma) (magnetizing)
6.Tārā Great Terrifying Lady ('jigs byed chen mo)
7.Tārā Fierce Indomitable Lady (gtum mo gzhan gyis mi thub ma)
8.Tārā Invincible Heroine (gzhan mi rgyal ba'i dpa' mo)
9.Tārā of the Khadira Forest (seng ldeng nags kyi sgrol ma)
10.Tārā Victorious Over the Three Worlds (sgrol ma 'jig rten gsum rgyal) (magnetizing)
11.Tārā Bestower of Wealth (nor ster)
12.Tārā Bringer of Auspiciousness (bkra shis don byed sgrol ma)
13.Tārā Venerable Lady Who Remains in the Centre of Blazing Fire (me 'bar dbus gnas rje btsun ma) (wrathful)
14.Tārā Furrowing Brow (khro gnyer can mdzad)(wrathful)
15.Tārā Perfect Peace (rab tu zhi ma) (pacifying)
The Purifying Treasure Vase: An Arrangement of a Guiding Practice Ritual, by Jigme Lingpa
16.Tārā Blazing Light ('bar ba'i 'od can)
17.Tārā Lady who Subdues Without Limit (dpag med gnon ma)
18.Tārā Great Peahen (sgrol ma rma bya chen mo) (pacifying)
Supplementary Text for Cleansing and Removing Poison, by Jigme Lingpa
19.Tārā Invincible Queen (mi pham rgyal mo) (This is Sitātapatrā)
20.Tārā Mountain Dweller (lha mo ri khrod ma)
21.Tārā Mārīcī ('od zer can ma)
Tree of the Life Force Ocean, by Jigme Lingpa. Most of these texts connected with the twenty-one activities seem all to have been written, and not revealed, by Jigme Lingpa.
[9] Jigme Lingpa, Longevity Empowerment Connected with the Fourth Point from the Collection of Activities of the Female Practice of the Ḍākinī (yum ka mkha’ ’gro’i las tshogs bzhi ba dang ’brel bar/ tshe dbang gi mtshams sbyor), Klong chen snying thig rtsa pod (Shechen Publications, 1994), Vol.1, 443-58.
[10] Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, A Concise Longevity Empowerment Connected with the Fourth Point from the Collection of Activities of the Female Practice of the Ḍākinī (yum bka’ mkha’ ’gro’i las tshogs bzhi pa dang ’brel ba’i tshe dbang nyer bsdus), Klong chen snying thig rtsa pod (Shechen Publications, 1994), Vol.4, 847-54.
[11] Jigme Lingpa, A Supplementary Text for Consecrating a Treasure Vase, from the Collection of Activities of the Female Practice of the Ḍākinī (yum ka mkha’ ’gro’i tshogs las/ gter bum sgrub pa’i lhan thabs), klong chen snying thig rtsa pod (Shechen Publications, 1994), Vol.1, 459-74.
[12] Jigme Lingpa, A Boundless and Swift Path: A Ritual for Transferring to the Realm of Great Bliss (bde ba can du bgrod pa’i cho ga dpag med myur lam), klong chen snying thig rtsa pod (Shechen Publications, 1994), Vol.1, 475-508.
[13] Jigme Lingpa, An Aspiration to be Reborn in the Realm of Great Blis (bde can zhing bkod smon lam), klong chen snying thig rtsa pod (Shechen Publications, 1994), Vol.1, 509-14.
[14] Jigme Trinle Özer, Hundred Thousand Light Rays Which Remove the Darkness of Ignorance: An Empowerment for “A Boundless and Swift Path: A Ritual for Transferring to the Realm of Great Bliss”, from the Supreme Path of Great Bliss of the Sacred Dharma (dam chos bde chen lam mchog las/ bde can du bgrod pa’i cho ga dpag med myur lam gyi dbang chog ma rig mun sel ’od zer ’bum ldan), klong chen snying thig rtsa pod (Shechen Publications, 1994), Vol. 4, 343-56.
[15] Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, Quintessence of the Instructions on Accomplishing Longevity, Connected with ’A Boundless and Swift Path: A Ritual for Transferring to the Realm of Great Bliss (bde ba can du bgrod pa’i cho ga dpag med myur lam dang brel ba’i tshe sgrub kyi gdams pa snying por dril ba), klong chen snying thig rtsa pod (Shechen Publications, 1994), Vol. 4, 325-41.
[16] Jigme Lingpa, The Purifying Treasure Vase: An Arrangement for the Ritual of Guiding the Death Which Purifies Obscurations, the Fifteenth Point of the Collection of Activities of the Ḍākinī (mkha’ ’gro’i las tshogs bco lnga pa sgrib sbyong gnas lung gi cho ga bsgrigs dag byed gter bum), klong chen snying thig rtsa pod (Shechen Publications, 1994), Vol.1, 515-28.
[17] Jigme Lingpa, A Supplementary Text for Cleansing and Removing Poison Based on the Yoginī Tārā (sgrol ma rnal ’byor ma la brten nas dug dbyung bya ba bkru’i lhan thabs), Klong chen snying thig rtsa pod (Shechen Publications, 1994), Vol.1, 529-32.
[18] Jigme Lingpa, The Tree of the Life Force Ocean: A Supplementary Text for Ransoming the Life-force Spirit, from the Activities of the Female Practice of the Ḍākinī (yum ka mkha ’gro’i las tshogs las/ bla bslu’i lhan thabs srog ’tsho’i ljon pa), klong chen snying thig rtsa pod (Shechen Publications, 1994), Vol.1, 533-50.
[19] bla
[20] Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, A Practice of Tārā Sarasvatī (sgrol ma dbyangs can ma’i sgrub thabs), dil mgo mkhyen brtse’i bka’ ’bum (Delhi: Shechen Publications, 1994), Vol.6, 58-60.
[21] Jigme Lingpa, An Adornment for the Wisdom of the Lord of Nāgas: A Ritual for Nāgārjuna’s Tārā Practice of the Four Maṇḍalas (klu dbang sgrol ma man+dala bzhi pa’i chog klu dbang dgongs rgyan), klong chen snying thig rtsa pod (Shechen Publications, 1994), Vol.1, 381-414.
[22] Jigme Lingpa, Turning Back the Summons of the Ḍākinīs: The Marvellous Appearance (mkha’ ’gro’i bsun zlog ngo mtshar snang ba), klong chen snying thig rtsa pod (Shechen Publications, 1994), Vol.1, 415-34.
[23] The first three volumes of the Shechen edition of the Core Texts are all considered to be revealed or composed by Jigme Lingpa. The treasure marks thus indicate the text was revealed by Jigme Lingpa.
[24] Jigme Lingpa, A Ritual for Offering the Ransoming Torma when an Elaborate Turning Back the Summons is Accumulated (grangs gsog tshe bsun bzlog rgyas pa’i mtshams su...), klong chen snying thig rtsa pod (Shechen Publications, 1994), Vol.1, 435-36.
[25] Jigme Lingpa, Turning Back the Summons of the Heroes and Heroines, from the Female Practice of the Queen of Great Bliss (yum ka bde chen rgyal mo las/ dpa’ bo dpa’ mo’i bsun bzlog), klong chen snying thig rtsa pod (Shechen Publications, 1994), Vol.1, 439-41.
[26] Jigme Lingpa, Confession and Fulfilment Insert for Accumulating the Practice of Turning Back the Summons of the Ḍākinīs (mkha’ ’gro bsun bzlog gi grangs gsog skong bshags kyi ’dzud), Klong Chen Snying Thig Rtsa Pod (Shechen Publications, 1994), Vol.1, 437-38.
[27] Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, A Practice to Turn Back the Summons of the Ḍākinīs for the Female Practice of the Heart Essence (snying thig yum bka’i mkha’ ’gro’i bsun bzlog), klong chen snying thig rtsa pod (Shechen Publications, 1994), Vol. 4, 855-58.
[28] Jigme Lingpa, A Ritual for the Blessing Empowerment of the Female Practice (yum ka’i byin rlabs dbang gi cho ga), klong chen snying thig rtsa pod (Shechen Publications, 1994), Vol. 1, 289-92.
[29] Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Taye, The Descent of the Vital Essences of Great Bliss: An Arrangement of the Empowerment Ritual for the Female Practice of the Queen of Great Bliss (yum bka’ bde chen rgyal mo’i dbang gi chog bsgrigs bde chen bcud ’bebs), klong chen snying thig rtsa pod (Shechen Publications, 1994), Vol. 4, 831-46.
[30] Jigme Tenpe Nyima, A Heap of Pearls: An Empowerment for the Female Awareness Holder (rig ’dzin yum ka’i dbang gi mthams sbyor mu tig gi chun po) (khreng tu’u: si khron mi rigs dpe skrun khang, 2003), Vol. 4, 831-46.
[31] Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, rdzogs pa chen po klong chen snying gi thig le’i yi dam thugs sgrub bla ma drag mthing dpal chen ’dus pa’i las byang gi dgongs don cung zad bshad pa zab don gsal byed rin chen snang ba, klong chen snying thig rtsa pod, BDRC W1KG13585 (Shechen Publications, 1994), Vol. 5, 647-962.
[32] Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, Vol. 5, 915.
[33] I have, in fact, possibly found the text. There is an empowerment manual for the inner practice found among rare manuscripts from Kham called An Excellent Wish Fulfilling Vase, The Deity Empowerment of the Twenty-one Tārās on DBRC. It is signed by Drodul Pawo Dorje, who I assume to be Adzom Drukpa (a ’dzom ’brug pa ‘gro ‘dul dpa’ bo rdo rje; 1842-1924), who says he wrote it in the year 1903. In the introduction he mentions it is arranged according to the tradition of ‘the second Khyentse’ [i.e. Khyentse Wangpo]. Adzom Drukpa Drodul Pawo Dorje, An Excellent Wish Fulfilling Vase, The Deity Empowerment of the Twenty-one Tārās, Connected with the Vase Empowerment of the Female Practice of the Queen of Great Bliss (yum ka bde chen rgyal mo’i bum dbang gi rjes ’brel sgrol ma nyer gcig gi lha dbang dgos ’dod bum bzang), bla ma don rgyal gyis nyar tshags mdzad pa’i dpe rnying dpe dkon (Sine nomine, n.d.), Vol. 24, 33-42.
[34] Jigme Lingpa, A Glorious Garland of the Two Accomplishments: An Abridged Feast Offering for the Female Practice of the Ḍākinī (yum bka mkha’ ’gro’i tshogs kyi mchod pa nye bar bsdus pa grub gnyis dpal phreng), klong chen snying thig rtsa pod (Shechen Publications, 1994), Vol. 4, 825-26.
[35] Jigme Tenpe Nyima, Words of the Vajra Queen: An Essential Daily Practice of the Female Awareness Holder (yum bka mkha’ ’gro’i tshogs kyi mchod pa nye bar bsdus pa grub gnyis dpal phreng), Book - gsung ’bum/_’jigs med bstan pa’i nyi ma/(si khron mi rigs dpe skrun khang /) (khreng tu’u: si khron mi rigs dpe skrun khang, 2003), Vol. 5, 14-16.
[36] Tubten Trinlé Pal Zangpo (4th Dodrupchen), The Lotus Necklace: A Short Feast-Offering for the Female Practice of the Heart Essence of the Vast Expanse (Dodrup chen rinpoche, n.d.).
[37] Jigme Trinle Özer, A Concise Prayer to the Ḍākinī (mkha’ ’gro’i gsol ’debs bsdus pa), klong chen snying thig rtsa pod (Shechen Publications, 1994), Vol. 4, 821-22.
[38] Jigme Trinle Özer, The Source of Accomplishment, the Fruit of the Two Truths: A Prayer to the Wisdom Ḍākinī Queen of Great Bliss (ye shes mkha’ ’gro bde chen rgyal mo’i gsol ’debs bden pa gnyis kyi myu gu dngos grub ’byung gnas), klong chen snying thig rtsa pod (Shechen Publications, 1994), Vol. 4, 817-20.
[39] Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, Shower of Great Bliss: A Lineage Prayer of the Female Awareness Holder (rig ’dzin yum bka’i brgyud ’debs bde chen char ’bebs), klong chen snying thig rtsa pod (Shechen Publications, 1994), Vol. 4, 823-24.
[40] Jigme Tenpe Nyima, The Fulfilment Practice (yum ka’i bskang ba), klong chen snying thig rtsa pod (Shechen Publications, 1994), Vol. 4, 827-830.
[41] This text cannot be found in any of his collected works. Its authenticity does not seem to be contested though, since it can be found in the prayer collections of both Shechen and Namdroling Monasteries. Jigme Lingpa, Rain of Accomplishments, A Concise Fulfilment Practice for the Female Awareness Holder (rig ’dzin yum ka’i bskang bsdus dngos grub char ’bebs), rdzogs pa chen po klong chen snying thig gi ’don cha dpal chen ’dus pa rtsal gi phyag bzhes ltar bsgrigs pa (Delhi: chos spyod dpar skrung khang, 2001), 203–6.
[42] Rago Choktrul Tupten Shedrup Gyatso, Lute of Lotus Flowers: A Concise Fulfilment for the Female Practice of the Queen of Great Bliss, from the Heart Essence of the Vast Expanse (klong chen snying gi thig le las/ yum bka’ bde chen rgyal mo’i skong bsdus pad+ma’i rgyud mangs), gsung ’bum/_thub bstan bshad sgrub rgya mtsho (Bylakuppe: Nyingmapa Monastery, 1985), Vol. 4, 275-280.
[43] I have not yet obtained this manuscript and have not been able to find it (yet) among Katok Situ Chökyi Gyatso’s collected works that are on BDRC, but it is listed in the Nepalese-German Manuscript Project. Katok Situ Chökyi Gyatso, A Medium-length Fulfilment Practise for the Female Practice of the Queen of Great Bliss (yum ka bde chen rgyal mo’i thugs dam bskang ba ’bring po) (Nepalese-German Manuscript Cataloguing Project, n.d.).
[44] The author is unknown to me at the moment. Mountain of the Two Accumulations: A Fulfilment Practice for the Ḍākinī Queen of Great Bliss (mkha’ ’gro bde chen rgyal mo’i thugs dam bskang ba’i rim pa tshogs gnyis lhun po), khams khul nas ’tshol bsdu zhus pa’i dpe rnying dpe dkon, n.d., Vol. 65, 407-30.
[45] Jigme Lingpa, The Main Recitation Manual for the Female Practice of the Queen of Great Bliss (yum ka bde chen rgyal mo’i rtsa ba’i bsnyen yig) (Lotsawa House, 2020).
[46] Jigme Lingpa, Elucidating the Body Maṇḍala: Clarifications on the Recitation Manual of the Female Practice of the Queen of Great Bliss (yum ka bde chen rgyal mo’i bsnyen yig yang gsal lus dkyil mngon brjod) (Lotsawa House, 2020).
[47] Jigme Lingpa, The History of the Female Practice of the Queen of Great Bliss (yum ka bde chen rgyal mo’i lo rgyus), Vol 1, page 287.
[48] Unfortunately there is only one manuscript and one woodblock available at the moment (and one digital edition based on the woodblock), and both editions are in some sections somewhat illegible, in particular regarding citations from the tantras. This has resulted in some peculiar interpretations found in the modern, digital edition. The commentary thus awaits a proper critical edition where the citations need to be traced back to canonical sources. Ratön Ngawang Tendzin Dorje, yum ka bde chen rgyal mo’i sgrub gzhung gi ’grel ba rgyud don snang ba, khams khul nas ’tshol bsdu zhus pa’i dpe rnying dpe dkon (manuscript), n.d., Vol. 13, 3-240.; Ratön Ngawang Tendzin Dorje, mkha’ ’gro bde chen rgyal mo’i sgrub gzhung gi ’grel pa rgyud don snang ba, khams khul nas ’tshol bsdu zhus pa’i dpe rnying dpe dkon (woodblock), n.d., Vol. 14, 3-216.; Ratön Ngawang Tendzin Dorje, klong chen snying gi thig le’i mkha’ ‘gro bde chen rgyal mo sgrub gzhung gi ‘grel pa rgyud don snang ba, (digital) (Taipei, Taiwan: The Corporate Body of the Buddha Educational Foundation, 2009).
[49] Ratön Ngawang Tendzin Dorje, mkha’ ’gro bde chen rgyal mo’i sgrub gzhung gi ’grel pa rgyud don snang ba, 209.
[50] This was the First Dodrupchen Jigme Trinle Özer, who was entrusted as the custodian of Jigme Lingpa’s treasures. Thondup, Masters of Meditation and Miracles, 144.
[51] As was mentioned during the description of the sādhana, Tenpe Nyima describes Yeshe Tsogyal as the supreme deity and for Tibetans in particular.
[52] Jigme Tenpe Nyima, yum ka bde chen rgyal mo’i sgrub gzhung gi zin bris bde chen lam bzang gsal ba’i sgron me, 2003, 428.
[53] Jigme Tenpe Nyima, Words of the Vajra Queen: An Essential Daily Practice of the Female Awareness Holder (yum bka mkha’ ’gro’i tshogs kyi mchod pa nye bar bsdus pa grub gnyis dpal phreng), Vol. 5, 14-16.
[54] The empowerment manual specifies it was written in the Garden of Immortality (chi med dga’ ba’i tshal), the empowerment room of Khyentse Wangpo at Dzongsar. Jigme Tenpe Nyima, A Heap of Pearls: An Empowerment for the Female Awareness Holder (rig ’dzin yum ka’i dbang gi mthams sbyor mu tig gi chun po), Vol. 4, 831-46.
[55] It is not sure when this happened exactly.
[56] Jigme Tenpe Nyima, Stairways to Omniscience: A Commentary on the Root Mantra of the Female Practice of the Queen of Great Bliss (yum ka bde chen rgyal mo’i rtsa sngags kyi ’grel bshad rnam mkhyen bgrod pa’i them skas), Book - gsung ’bum/_’jigs med bstan pa’i nyi ma/(si khron mi rigs dpe skrun khang /) (khreng tu’u: si khron mi rigs dpe skrun khang, 2003), Vol. 4, 441-450.
[57] Jigme Tenpe Nyima, Contemplations on the Female Practice (yum ka’i dmigs skor) (khreng tu’u: si khron mi rigs dpe skrun khang, 2003), Vol. 4, 475-490.
[58] Jigme Tenpe Nyima, Fulfilling All Aims: Notes on Vajravārāhī (rdo rje phag mo’i zin tho don ’grub ma) (khreng tu’u: si khron mi rigs dpe skrun khang, 2003), Vol. 4, 451-474.
[59] zin bris don grub mar yod pa ltos Jigme Tenpe Nyima, Contemplations on the Female Practice (yum ka’i dmigs skor), 479.
[60] This is also what the Tibetan term zindri (zin bris) can mean.
[61] Jigme Tenpe Nyima, Contemplations on the Female Practice (yum ka’i dmigs skor), 481.
[62] For example, Tenpe Nyima gives very succinct references to texts of Jigme Lingpa, such as bde snying gter bum or bsun zlog, assuming the reader understands that, for the latter text, this refers to Jigme Lingpa’s bsun zlog ngo mtshar snang ba. His comments on both Sarma and Nyingma terms also assumes a certain basic knowledge by the reader of the tantric exegesis in both traditions.
[63] Lushul Khenpo Könchok Drönme, Words of the Awareness Holders: An Addendum to “A Guide to the Female Practice” Spoken by the Lord Guru (rje bla mas gsungs pa’i yum bka’i zin bris kyi kha skong rig ’dzin zhal lung), klong chen snying thig rtsa pod (Shechen Publications, n.d.), Vol. 5, 483-550.
[64] Minyak Tsara Khenchen Tubten Chökyi Drakpa, A Garland of White Lotus Flowers: A Word by Word Commentary on Ritual of the Female Practice of the Queen of Great Bliss, from the Inner Practice of the Great Perfection Awareness Holders (rdzogs pa chen po rig ’dzin nang sgrub kyi cho ga yum ka bde chen rgyal mo’i sgrub gzhung gi ’bru ’grel pun+ta ri ka’i do shal) (khreng tu’u: si khron dpe skrun tshogs pa, 2006), 189–343.
[65] Minyak Tsara Khenchen Tubten Chökyi Drakpa, 192.
[66] Minyak Tsara Khenchen Tubten Chökyi Drakpa, 268–76.
[67] See Thondup, Masters of Meditation and Miracles, 363.
[68] yum ka'i rtsa sgrub kyi cho ga'i bsdus 'grel. According to Tulku Thondup he was a disciple of Alak Dongak Gyatso (a lags mdo sngags rgya mtsho; 1824–1902),
[69]yum ka bde chen rgyal mo'i sgrub gzhung gi zin bris rmong pa'i mun sel. According to Tulku Thondup he was a disciple of Khenpo Chemchok Döndrup Tsal (che mchog don grub rtsal; 1893-1957).
[70] I have spoken to the head of publications at Dodrupchen Monastery in Sikkim and they also do not have these works. Perhaps they are still extant in Tibet and will appear one day.
[71] Gönpo Tseten of Amdo, A Beautiful Garland of White Lotus Flowers: A Word by Word Commentary on “A Glorious Garland of Great Bliss—the Fundamental, Female Practice of the Queen of Great Bliss” (yum ka bde chen rgyal mo’i rtsa ba’i sgrub pa bde chen dpal phreng gi tshig ’grel pad dkar phreng mdzes), mgon po tshe brtan gsung rtsom (Beijing: mi rigs dpe skrun khang, 2010), 110–48.
[72] Lopön Thekchok Yeshe Dorje, Destroyer of Māra’s Forces: A Commentary on the Female Awareness Holder (rig “dzin yum bka” ’grel bdud dpung ’joms ma) (Sikkim: Dodrupchen Chorten Gonpa, n.d.).
[73] Rago Choktrul Tupten Shedrup Gyatso, The Supremely Generous Treasure Vase of Benefit and Happiness: A Concise Commentary on the Tantra of The Praise to Tārā with Twenty-One Verses of Homage (sgrol ma phyag ’tshal nyer gcig rgyud kyi ’grel chung phan bde’i gter bum mchog sbyin), gsung ’bum/_thub bstan bshad sgrub rgya mtsho (Bylakuppe: Nyingmapa Monastery, 1985), Vol. 2, 649-670.