Nine Yana (Teaching on the Nine Vehicles according to the Buddhist Philosophy)

ISBN: 9788177421217

Khenpo Chimed Rinpoche is an eminent professor of the Nyingmapa lineage. His charisma associated with an immense heart and a tremendous sense of humour give him the capacity to guide nowadays thousands of students and disciples worldwide.

The original version of this book is a transcription of teachings whereby Khenpo Rinpoche presented the nine vehicles (Skt.Yana) within the gradual path that leads to Dzogchen, namely the peak of the spiritual realization. Here we have reached out the very heart of the highest buddhist philosophy that is presented in a very accessible and lively way meant for the public at large as well as advanced practitioners.

By introducing us to the nine vehicles of the Nyingmapa tradition, the purpose of Khenpo Chimed Rinpoche is to bring us closer to the quintessence of the Buddhas's teachings as well as to major commentaries upon them from India, Tibet or Nepal.

Moreover, this book offers many spicy and amazing anecdotes regarding the life of great Indian and Tibetan masters from the past, which will doubtlessly be of great delight for the readers and a daily source of inspiration and reflection.

The "Nine yana" is a guide, a spiritual friend, and we wish it will be a cause of enlightenment for all beings!

Presenting the nine yana of the Nyingmapa Buddhist tradition, the ambition of Khenpo Chimed Rinpoche is to give the quintessence of the Buddha speech as well as the major commentaries of this speech during ages in the ancient India, Nepal, and Tibet. This book offers us also many amazing and edifying anecdotes about the life of the great masters and yogis that will delight the reader and nourish his daily thoughts. This teaching even approached basically, for the simple pleasure of discovery, will give incredible benefits.

This book is the transcription of a cycle of nine oral teachings given in Tibetan language, during the month of September 2008, in Strasbourg, France. Khenpo Rinpoche presented the 9 yana of the progressive spiritual journey that leads to Dzogchen, the pinacle of the spiritual realization. We have touched at the very heart of the highest level of Buddhist philosophy presented here in a very lively and accessible way and aimed at the public at large as well as for advanced practitioners. We also hope that this book may help anyone who reads it: may it become a spiritual friend, a guide, and be a cause of Enlightenment for all beings!

May it be beneficial to all sentient beings!

May the Great tradition of Kbenpo Shantarakshita, Lobpim Padmasambhava and Dharma King Trisong Detsen increase and spread throughout the three realms of the World. May the appearance of the Three Jewels and the mind stream of beings remain inseparable, and bring sublime well-being throughout the three times.

The Tradition of the Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism
The Lineage of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhist teaching is classified into three different types: The long transmission (Ring Gyu) of the extensive karma. The short transmission (Nye Gyu) of the profound terma. And the extremely short transmission of the pure Vision (Dag Nang) when teachings were directly received by the masters in pure vislon from gurus and deities.

The Dzogchen Nyingthig Lineage of the Long transmission (Kama)
According to the Nine Yana of the Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism, the highest teaching is known as the Great Perfectio (Dzogpa Chenpo or Atiyoga), which is the direct method for realizing the nature of mind and for attaining Buddhahood in this very body. Thus the Dzogchen yingthig, as a teaching, fundamentally deals with the pression of the doctrine of the Three Perfect Bodies vas) of a Fully Awakened being and this tradition has been transmitted through the three lineages of spiritual transmission as follows:

a) The Wisdom mind lineage of the Buddha
This spiritual transmission is from the primordial Buddha Samantabhadra (Kuntuzangpo) of Dharmakaya to five self- manifesting Buddhas of the Sambogkaya. In this Lineage, the teacher transmits the teachings to the disciple, without using words or any other indications, only with his all pervading Wisdom mind.

b) The Symbolic Lineage of the Awareness-Holders (Vidyadhara)
The Sambogakaya Buddha Vajrasattva (Dorje Sempa) transmitted all empowerments and teachings to the Nirmanakaya Prahevajra (Garab Dorje), the first human master. It was from Prahevajra that this transmission was passed on to Manjushrimitra, Shri Simha, ]nanasura, Mahapandita Vimalamitra and Guru Padmasambhava (Guru Rinpoche). Here, an Awareness-Holder, a being who has direct and pure vision of the nature of reality, manifests to a receptive disciple and transmits the teachings by means of pronouncing a mantra or showing a sign.

c) The Oral Lineage of the Realized beings
Here the complete verbal empowerments and instructions are transmitted by words of mouth from the masters to the disciple. This lineage of spiritual transmission in Tibet initially spread through two traditions in the beginning at the early part of the ninth century. One tradition originated from Mahapandita Vimalamitra and is known as the "Virna Nyingthig". The other tradition originated from Guru Padmasambhava and is known as the "Khandro Nyin jthig". Then, it was later that both these innermost Essence transmission met in Kunkhyen Longchen Rabjampa, from whom the uninterrupted oral transmission of these teachings have extended until the present day.

The Short Transmission of the Terma Tradition
The Terma Teachings are well known to have six lineages, since they possess three special Lineages over and above-mentioned Lineages. These are the Lineage empowered by enlightened aspirations, the lineage of prophetically declared spiritual succession, and the lineage of the dakinis' seal of entrustment. A more detailed description of these lineages can be found in Kyabje Dudjom Rinpoche's The Fundamental and History of the Nyingma School of the Tibetan Buddhism (With the English translation by Gyurme Dorjee and Matthew Kapstein and published by Wisdom Publication).

These Terma teachings were concealed mainly by Guru Rinpoche and his spiritual consort Yeshe Tsogyal, to be revealed at the time most appropriate for their discovery by prophesized "Treasure Revealers" (Tertons), who are themselves incarnations of realized disciples of Guru Rinpoche. Guru Rinpoche first formulated the secret teachings by showing the method of attaining perfection (drub-t'ha) through the tantra, the method of attaining the core techniques (rnen-ngag) through perfection, and instruction on how to put these core techniques into practice (lag-len), with the blessings (rnon-larn), the authority of initiation (wang-kur), credentials of authority (te-gya), future prophecy (lung-ten), and so on. Those secret teachings were then concealed in small boxes of terma. Furthermore Terma teachings (tercho) can be classified into three main types:

1) Lama
The peaceful and wrathful sadhanas on Guru Rinpoche, usually divided up into outer, inner, secret and innermost secret cycles;

2) Dzogchen
Teachings on Ati-yoga (DzogpcChenpo), and

3) Thugje Chenpo (La Dzog Tuk Sum)
Sadhanas of the great compassionate one, Avalokiteshvara.

These Dharma Treasures (Terchos) are the teachings which possess the "warm breath" of Guru Rinpoche himself. As there are nocontaminations and errors in them, so they are extremely powerful, they have almost no obstructions for the practices, their accomplishments are easy to attain, and their fruits are swiftly achieved.

The Dzogchen Longchen Nyingthig Lineage of the Extremely Short Transmission of pure Visions (Dag Nang)
It was in the eighteenth century that the spiritual master Rigzin Rangjung Dorjee Jigme Lingpa (Who was the combined emanation of the Mahapandita Vimalamitra, King Tritsong Detsen and Gyelse Lharje, 1729-1798), received the complete Dzogchen Nyingthig teachings from Manjushrimitra, Humkara, Guru Rinpoche, Yeshe Tsogyal, Vimalamitia and Longchen Rabjampa, through the three lineages of Wisdom Mind, Symbolic and Oral transmissions, in the state of pure visions. In these visions, he saw Longchen Rabjampa three times and received his blessings of body, speech and mind. Thus, he became inseparable from the spiritual Master and attained the realization of the Great Perfection. These Dharma Treasures (Terchos), which were collected into nine volumes, became his own Mind Terma and came to be known as the renowned "Longchen Nyingthig" lineage. His disciples were scattered in all different schools of Tibetan Buddhism.

After his passing away, the "Longchen Nyingthig" lineage was propagated through his two main disciples: Jigmey Thinley Woser (the first Dodrupchen, 1745-1821) and Jigmey Gyalwai Nyugu (1765-1843). His incarnation included: Do Khyentse Yeshe Dorjee (1800-1866), as his body incarnation; Patrul Jigmey Chokyi Wangpo 0800- 1887), as his speech incarnation; and Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo (1820-1892), as his mind incarnation. Now day the 'Dzogchen Nyingthig" and the "Longchen Nyingthig" are known as Earlier and Later Nyingthig traditions respectively.