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9,843nd Anniversary of the Buddha’s Twelfth Deed: Demonstrating the Truth of Impermanence

Lord Buddha Tönpa Shenrap Miwoché lying in the sleeping lion posture and obtaining parinirvana in the presence of gods, humans, and lu.  

On the new moon day of the 1st Winter month in the Water Hare year, Lord Buddha Tönpa Shenrap Miwoché demonstrated the truth of impermanence by leaving behind the container of his physical body and transcending worldly suffering. In 2026, the anniversary of this date coincides with November 9th on the Western calendar. Any virtuous activity performed through the three doors of body, speech, or mind on this day is greatly multiplied. This is an auspicious day to practice the Tsewang Mönlam or prayers of supplication and devotion to Buddha Tönpa Shenrap such as Homage to the Eighth Universal Guide, Buddha Tönpa Shenrap Miwoché. Both of these prayers are included in A Blazing Mala of Wish-Fulfilling Jewels, A Compilation of Daily Prayers from the Yungdrung Bön Religious Tradition. It is available in both print and eBook. the table of contents is on the Nine Ways Press page of this website.

At the age of eighty-two shen years (8,200 human years), the enlightened Lord Buddha Tönpa Shenrap Miwoché began to display the truth of impermanence for sentient beings by allowing the constituents of his physical body to become weak and to manifest illness. Alarmed, his disciples performed rituals and administered medicine. In order to demonstrate the effectiveness of these methods according to relative truth, the Buddha temporarily recovered.

However, after a brief time had passed, he caused his physical condition to again weaken. This provided an opportunity for the Buddha to give teachings to his disciples regarding the process of death. Before leaving his physical human body, the Buddha spoke with his assembly of disciples and entrusted them with the responsibility of being lineage holders for particular teachings. He then prophesied regarding the future of his teachings including his teachings of mind, the time period when the written scriptures would no longer exist but would continue only by being held in the mind.

Lord Buddha Tönpa Shenrap Miwoché

“After I pass into nirvana, for 1,800 years the legacy of the teachings made during the presence of a Buddha’s body will be completed. Then, after my representative appears, my teachings of speech will remain for 10,000 human years. After that, the teachings of mind will remain for another 10,000 human years. After the teachings of mind come to an end, the average human lifespan will eventually decrease to only ten years. At that time, the future Teacher will appear. Those connected to me and my teachings, having reached the irreversible stage on the path, will dwell in liberation in the realm of absolute reality.”

At dusk on the new moon day of the 1st Winter month at the Nine-leveled Yungdrung Mountain, Lord Buddha Tönpa Shenrap Miwoché adopted the posture of a sleeping lion and demonstrated the accomplishment of passing beyond suffering. After the cremation of his physical body, the relics from the ash were distributed among the gods, humans, and the lu [Sanskrit: naga] as objects of faith and devotion.

After that, the assembly of disciples led by Aza Sangwa prepared vast and unsurpassed offerings and then presented them to the Teacher. Aza Sangwa then sang this verse:

“Highest Shen, having perfected renunciation and realization, you have blissfully departed. With compassion for beings, you took on a human form as the Victorious One. To you who took on this form, I prostrate!

Noble son of the Victorious One, glory of beings, you took on a form for the sake of migrating beings, a self-arisen emanation body. You sat upon the throne of the universal monarch and guided beings through the Nine Ways. In the realm of absolute reality, your nature is spontaneously perfect. Appearing as an tülku, you contemplated the welfare of beings. In the billion world systems of this pure realm, you emanated a billion emanations to tame. To you who fully tames, I prostrate!

For the difficult to tame sentient beings of cyclic existence, you deeply contemplate them with wisdom and loving compassion. You pacify their suffering and misery, causing them to abandon the lower realms and to be established on the path of liberation. To the perfect guide, I prostrate!

The Teacher, the glorious lamp of omniscience, although passing into nirvana in the vast expanse of the nature of phenomena, in order for your unceasing compassion to remain, you established the three aspects of the teachings as your legacy. To the Victorious One, I prostrate! 

Holy son of the Victorious One, although you were without any need for practice or attainment while experiencing various hardships, you perfected practice and attainment as an example for the benefit of migrating beings. To you who has perfects attainments, I prostrate!

Although there is no birth or death in the Victorious One’s body, in order to demonstrate with an example that phenomena with characteristics are impermanent, you showed the manner of passing into nirvana into the vast expanse of the true nature of phenomena. To the one who is completely accomplished, I prostrate!

Extract from the Zi Ji

Having offered this praise, the entire assembly prostrated, circumambulated, and made offerings. As a result, all the realms of the world intensely trembled. From the sky, many bright lights shone forth. From the intermediate space, many melodious sounds resounded. From the earth, many beautiful flowers bloomed. Among the realms tamed by the Teacher, countless sentient beings from the realms of the gods, the demi-gods, humans, animals, hungry ghosts, and hell beings attained buddhahood. Those who remained behind were filled with great joy and became extremely attentive to the Yungdrung Bön teachings. Then, the Teacher’s pronouncements were finalized and compiled into precious volumes totaling sixty thousand, that were enshrined within the sacred site of Trimon Gyalzhe.

The parinirvana of Lord Buddha Tönpa Shenrap Miwoché is observed each year by monks, nuns, and lay practitioners worldwide. Photo credit: Unknown

One year later, an assembly of thirteen yungdrung sempa [Sanskrit: bodhisattvas] compiled the teachings of Lord Buddha. Time passed, and the era of being able to rely upon the physical presence of the Buddha drew to  a close. Then began the era of relying upon the Buddha’s speech. Lord Tönpa Shenrap’s successor, Mucho Demdruk, descended from the sky into Olmo Lungring and began to turn the wheel of Yungdrung Bön for gods and humans. Among his disciples were “the six intellectual ornaments of the world.” These six scholars translated the teachings of Lord Buddha into their respective native languages of Tazik, India, China, and Trom and therefore were able to spread the teachings of enlightenment in every direction.

All translations from the Tibetan by Raven Cypress Wood ©All Rights Reserved

Raven Cypress Wood ©All Rights Reserved. No content, in part or in whole, is allowed to be used without direct permission from the author.

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Birth Anniversary of Karu Drupwang Tenzin Rinchen: Yogi, Pilgrim, & Champion of Yungdrung Bön

Yungdrung Phüntsok Ling in the village of Lubrak

The 8th day of the 10th lunar month is the birth anniversary of the intrepid scholar and spiritual master Karu Drupwang Tenzin Rinchen Gyaltsen Dechen Nyingpo, better known as Karu Drupwang Rinpoche. In 2026, this lunar date corresponds with November 17th. Born at sunrise in 1801 C.E. to a wealthy family in Kham, Tibet, his birth was precipitated by numerous miraculous signs. His autobiography recounts that he was urged to take rebirth by a group of deities so that he could benefit beings through his manifestation. Throughout his life, he traveled extensively on lengthy pilgrimages and was a strong advocate for maintaining the authentic history of Yungdrung Bön sacred sites while maintaining a nonsectarian view and having meaningful interactions with a wide range of people from kings to outcastes. Throughout Tibet and Nepal, he became well known for both his intellect and his magical power.

The Outcast

An emanation of the 8th century B.C.E. yogi Lishu Taring, the first of his many visionary encounters occurred at the young age of two years old when he was visited by this very accomplished master and given extensive, detailed spiritual instructions. At the age of six, he took monastic ordination and began his studies at the nearby Nor Ling, Jewel Land, Monastery. He was an excellent student and was highly praised by his teachers for his academic achievements. However, upon the death of his father when he was thirteen, the family’s wealth, status, and influence quickly declined. As such, his exalted position within the monastery also declined and the previously veiled jealousy of his peers became outright hostility. After a few years of suffering ongoing insults and abusive treatment, he left the monastery in order to undergo a lengthy, solitary retreat. However, this retreat was interrupted due to unforeseen circumstances that required him to fulfill monastic responsibilities at Nor Ling. Having returned to the monastery, he again experienced abuse from his peers. Therefore, he made the decision to begin a lengthy pilgrimage. This decision began his lifetime of travel, visionary encounters, and his lasting impact on the the spiritual life and culture of the people of Dolpo and Lubrak in Nepal.

Life as a Pilgrim

His first pilgrimage was to Kongpo Bönri where he had many extraordinary visionary encounters. From there, he continued on to the renowned monasteries of Tashi Menri and Kharna in Central Tibet. Going West, as he visited Zhang Zhung sacred sites, he would often discover that the Bönpo history had been subsumed into Buddhist lore with no remaining Bönpo relevance. At this, he would fervently go about correcting the historical and religious record of the sacred site. One of his most well-known compositions is his detailed pilgrimage guide to Mount Tisé [a.k.a Mount Kailash] entitled A Catalogue of Snowy Tisé that was written in 1844 C.E. This is the most detailed pilgrimage guide known to this sacred site and details its ancient connection with Yungdrung Bön.

The Southern side of Mount Tisé

Wandering Yogi and Prolific Composer of Sacred Texts

He spent a great deal of time in the village of Lubrak, Nepal and in 1846 C.E, he sponsored the construction of a village temple that was named Yungdrung Phüntsok Ling, Land of Indestructible Bounty. During this time, he met an impoverished woman and her son. Being a widow, the mother was having great difficulty providing for her child. Moved with compassion and feeling a deep connection with the young boy, he took him under his care. This boy went on to become one of his main disciples and came to be known as the renowned master Drogön Tenzin Nyima.

One of Karu Drupwang Rinpoche’s most well-known compositions is the Mar Ti Duk Nga Rang Drol, Essential Instructions on the Self Liberation of the Five Poisons. He received this dzogchen text as a mind treasure when he was twenty-five years old. During one of his visits to Lubrak, he wrote this text down in order to support the spiritual needs of the community. These teachings continue to be a part of the annual ritual in Lubrak and Karu Drupwang’s original manuscript is still held in the village as one of its greatest treasures. The preliminary practices from this text are used for the three-year retreat in many villages in Dolpo. The text has its own uniquely beautiful melody

“As for mirror-like wisdom, externally, it is the wisdom of not grasping at the self-nature of appearances. Internally, it is the wisdom of not grasping at the self-nature of one’s own identity. Secretly, it is the wisdom of not grasping at one’s own natural mind. Most secretly, it is the wisdom of not grasping at one’s own essential nature.

From the Mar Ti Duk Nga Rang Drol, Essential Instructions on the Self Liberation of the Five Poisons

After spending long periods of time throughout Dolpo and Mustang, he made his way to Kathmandu. Although he traveled throughout the Kathmandu valley and encountered a variety of people and cultures, he was often at the stupa of Swayambunath begging for alms. There, he continued to have many vivid, visionary encounters. However, in 1852 C.E. he returned to Tibet and became a root lama to the esteemed 23rd Menri Trizin Künkhen Nyima Tenzin. During this time, he was enthroned as the abbot of his former monastery, Nor Ling, where he had experienced years of abuse that had been the cause for his decision to begin his extensive travels.

First pages of the Autobiography of Karu Drupwang Tenzin Rinchen

Upon the insistent urging of a disciple, he wrote an autobiography that was completed in 1845 C.E. that is kept in the temple of Samling in Dolpo, Nepal. Although the exact date of his passing beyond this life is not known, it is generally understood to have occurred some time in 1861 C.E.

Chapters within the Mar Ti Duk Nga Rang Drol, Essential Instructions on the Self Liberation of the Five Poisons

  • Teachings on the Opportunities and Good Fortunes that are Difficult to Obtain from the Systematic Guidance for the Preliminary Practices of the Essential Guidance on the Self Liberation of the Five Poisons
  • Systematic Guidance Regarding the Difference Between Virtue and Wrongdoing, and Impermanence
  • Systematic Guidance on Going for Refuge
  • Systematic Guidance on Generating a Mind of Enlightenment
  • Systematic Guidance on Purifying Wrongdoing through Admission of Wrongdoing and Purification
  • Systematic Guidance on Completing the Accumulations through the Mandala Offering
  • Systematic Guidance on Receiving Blessings and Self-empowerment through Supplication
  • Teaching and Advice for Calm Abiding by Focusing on AH
  • Teaching and Advice for Searching the Mind and Awareness
  • Teaching and Advice for Introducing and Concentrating on the Mind
  • Teaching and Advice on the Path of the Six Aggregates
  • Teaching and Advice for Enhancing Gek Sel Practice
  • Teaching and Advice for Dark Retreat and Clear Light
  • Teaching and Advice for the Nourishment through Chulen [Extracting the Essence]
  • Teaching and Advice on the Six Important Points of Practice
  • Teaching and Advice for Abiding in the State of the Mind’s Essence
  • Teaching and Advice for Fully Realizing the Bön Essence
  • Teaching and Advice regarding the Result which is All-penetrating Wisdom
  • Teaching and Advice on the Power to Work with Deathless Birth
  • Teaching and Advice for Attaining Buddhahood with No Physical Aggregates Left Behind
  • Practice of the Goddess [Jamma]
  • The Clear Mirror of A Hundred Horoscopes of the Essential Instruction on the Self Liberation of the Five Poisons
  • A Little Song About the Connection Between the Relative and the Absolute
  • Abridged Preliminary Practices
  • Supplication of the Root Lama Drupwang Tenzin Rinchen [Composition of a disciple]
  • Expiation through Offering to the Lama
  • A Letter to the Ghosts and Demons that Suppresses Phenomenal Existence with its Majestic Brilliance

All translations from the Tibetan by Raven Cypress Wood ©All Rights Reserved

Raven Cypress Wood ©All Rights Reserved. No content, in part or in whole, is allowed to be used without direct permission from the author.

More information at the Events Page: MUDRAS & MANTRAS of the YUNGDRUNG BÖN

From the Nine Ways Calendar of Events & Auspicious Days

Each month, Nine Ways hosts online gatherings for the global Yungdrung Bön family to join together in practice led by Raven Cypress Wood. These gatherings are free and open to anyone. To see the scheduled online gatherings for November 2026 and get details for receiving the Zoom link, check out the Calendar of Events & Auspicious Days for November.

Each month on the auspicious day of the Full Moon, everyone is invited to join Raven Cypress Wood and the global Yungdrung Bön family in the recitation of the Tséwang Mönlam, Tséwang’s Precious Mala of Aspirational Prayers. Our next gathering is the Full Moon of November 24th. This prayer is commonly recited during the 49 days of the intermediate state between death and rebirth. If you would like to dedicate this practice to a loved one that has recently passed away, you can do so by sending an email to Raven Cypress Wood with the pertinent information. Details are here: Prayers for a loved one.

New Items Have Arrived in the Nine Ways Shop

  • Traditional Bönpo flat bells, also called sil nyen or shang, were given by Buddha Tönpa Shenrap in order to support the practices of his Yungdrung Bön tradition. They are one of the oldest sacred instruments.
  • Good quality cloth shoulder bags made in Nepal.

For more details or to order, go to the Nine Ways Shop webpage.

Nine Ways is supported by a mandala of kind and generous donors. Because of their generosity, the work continues.

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18,043rd Anniversary of Buddha Tönpa Shenrap’s First Deed: The Deed of Taking Birth in Human Form

first-deed-w-watermark
Buddha Tönpa Shenrap Miwoché being received by gods and goddesses at the royal palace of Barpo Sogyé

The 15th day of the 12th lunar month is the 18,043rd birth anniversary of the founder of the Yungdrung Bön religious tradition, Buddha Tönpa Shenrap Miwoché. In 2026, this lunar day coincides with February 1st. This is an especially auspicious time to perform acts of virtue and take sacred vows.

In the ancient past, there were three brothers named Dakpa, Salwa, and Shépa who lived in a pure world and who had studied and mastered the Yungdrung Bön teachings. With the power of their clairvoyance, they could see sentient beings within the three thousand-fold universe creating karma and experiencing suffering by being trapped in the cycle of birth, aging, sickness, death, and rebirth. They felt great compassion for these beings and went before the god of compassion, Shenlha Ökar and asked how they could help rescue sentient beings from their suffering and misery. Shenlha Ökar instructed them to go into the world one after another in order to guide beings out of suffering with the Yungdrung Bön teachings. Dakpa, being the eldest, went first to the planet Earth and ministered to sentient beings. Dakpa was born as a human being and took the name Togyal Yékhyen. For a thousand years, he taught both humans and non-human beings and countless sentient beings were liberated. Afterward, he presented an account of his time on earth to various wisdom deities and asked how it might be possible to liberate those beings who he had been unable to tame. The wisdom deities responded that even though the Yungdrung Bön was all that was needed, even the light of the sun that pervades everywhere cannot illuminate a windowless house, or a north-facing cave. Thus, sentient beings that persist in their wrongdoing because of being afflicted with the passion of their five poisons are very difficult to tame. Thus, Buddha Togyal Yékhyen wrote his teachings down with turquoise ink on ivory-colored paper and then went to see the middle brother, Salwa. He addressed him with these words:

“Although countless sentient beings have been liberated through my activities, I have left the earth and cyclic existence. After some time has passed, it will be appropriate for you to begin your work of liberating sentient beings from cyclic existence through the teachings of Yungdrung Bön.”

Time passed, and as acts of virtue declined on the earth, so did the energy of loving kindness. The generations of benevolent kings passed and the teachings of Buddha Togyal Yékhyen faded from the world. As the era came to an end, there was destruction of the land and civilizations by floods, fire, and earthquakes. After a period of emptiness, a new time period began. Salwa left his pure abode and descended to the realms of the gods to prepare for a birth of flesh and blood as a human being. He was born on earth in the land of Tazik Olmo Lungring as a prince in the Southern palace of Barpo Sogyé 18,043 years ago. He was given the name Shenrap because he was born into the Shen clan and was the highest within this clan, Rap. He was named Miwoché because he had taken a great human form. His personal name was Künlé Namgyal, Completely Victorious Over Everything. A total of seven buddhas had manifested in cyclic existence in the eons prior to his birth. This is why he is known as the eighth buddha, or the eighth guide of sentient beings. Because he was already an enlightened being and beyond cyclic existence, his taking birth in the human realm is considered a great deed of compassion.

He was born just before sunrise on the 15th day of the 12th lunar month to King Gyalbon Thökar and Queen Gyal Zhema. He had all of the major and minor marks of an enlightened being. A gathering of gods from above, a gathering of deities from intermediate space, and a gathering of powerful earth spirits all circumambulated the palace and proclaimed that they had arrived in order to be the first disciples of Tönpa, The Teacher.

Buddha Tönpa Shenrap Miwoché

This is an especially auspicious day to recite the following Homage to Tönpa Shenrap Miwo. Many masters, including Menri Pönlop Yangtön Trinley Nyima Rinpoche, recite this prayer before giving teachings.

སྟོན་པའི་རྒྱལ་པོ་འཁོར་བ་འདྲེན་པའི་དཔལ། མུན་པའི་ཚོགས་རྣམས་འཇོམས་བྱེད་སྒྲོན་མེའི་འོད། མ་རིག་ནད་གདུང་སེལ་བ་སྨན་པའི་གཙོ། མི་ཡི་མཆོག་ཏུ་གྱུར་པ་དམུ་ཡི་རྒྱལ། དུག་ལྔའི་འདམ་དང་མཚོ་སྐེམས་མེ་ཆེན་དཔུང་། མཚན་དང་དཔེ་བྱད་སྡན་པའི་གཟི་འཕགས་པོ། དཀའ་བ་སྣ་ཚོགས་དང་དུ་བླངས་ནས་ནི། མཛད་པ་སྣ་ཚོག་མཐར་རུ་ཕྱིན་མཛད་ཅིང་། གཟིགས་ཚད་བཞི་དང་དགོངས་ཚད་དྲུག་གཉིས་ཀྱིས། བྱམས་པ་ཆེན་པོས་འཁོར་བ་སྒྲོལ་མཛད་པའི། གཤེན་རབ་སྤྲུལ་པའི་སྐུ་ལ་ཕྱག་འཚལ་ལོ།

tön pé gyal po khor wa dren pé pel, mün pé tsok nam jom jé drön mé ö, ma rik né dung sel wa men pé tso, mi yi chok tu gyur pa mu yi gyal, duk ngé dam dang tso kem mé chen pung, tsen dang pé jé den pé zi pak po, ka wa na tsok dang du lang né ni, dzé pa na tsok tar ru chin dzé ching, zik tsé zhi dang gong tsé druk nyi kyi, jam pa chen pö khor wa dröl dzé pé, shen rap trül pé ku la chak tsal lo

“Homage to the Eighth Guide of the Universe, Sangyé Tönpa Shenrap Miwo

King of Teachers, you are a glorious guide out of cyclic existence. A lamp who dispels all darkness, you are the principal physician who clears away the torment of ignorance and illness.

Most supreme among humanity, you are a King of the Mu lineage. You are a mighty fire that dries up the ocean and swamp of the five poisons and you have the major and minor marks of a noble sage.

Having undertaken many various hardships and having completed a diversity of activities, by means of the four kinds of valid perception and the six kinds of valid enlightened intention, and through great love, you liberate from cyclic existence. I prostrate to the emanated body of the highest Shen!”

Buddha Tönpa Shenrap Miwoché

Raven Cypress Wood ©All Rights Reserved. No content, in part or in whole, is allowed to be used without direct permission from the author.

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Anniversary of the Passing Away of Kyabgön Dawa Gyaltsen Rinpoche

Kyabgön Dawa Gyaltsen

The anniversary of the passing away of Kyagön Dawa Gyaltsen Rinpoche is the 7th and 8th lunar days of the 11th month. In 2025, these dates coincide with December 26th & 27th on the Western calendar. He was born during the Fire Dragon year of 1796 and founded Ralak Yungdrung Ling Monastery on the bank of the Yarlung Tsangpo River in 1834. This monastery developed into one of the largest and most prestigious centers for learning within the Yungdrung Bön tradition. It was renowned for its extensive library and the fact that it had its own woodblocks to print texts. The monastery contained many golden statues including a gilt-copper image of Nampar Gyalwa that was two-stories high.  It also contained reliquary stupas enshrining the remains of previous abbots. In 1965 during the cultural revolution, the monastery was burned to the ground. In 1982, two monks who had been in residence at the monastery prior to its destruction began the process of reconstruction.

Ralak Yungdrung Ling Monastery in Tibet. Photo credit: Unknown.

Supplication Prayer to the Lord of Refuge Dawa Gyaltsen

“You, a teacher born into the Amdo family lineage of Nangzhik, you spread the unrivaled Bön teachings of the White AH throughout your homeland.

You embody the essence of all buddhas by having having perfected the exalted qualities of the major and minor characteristics.

I pay homage to the Buddha who manifested in human form!”

— Translated from the Tibetan by Raven Cypress Wood

Reliquary containing the sacred relics of Kyabgön Dawa Gyaltsen. Photo credit: Unknown

At the age of sixty-seven during the water dog year of 1862 on the auspicious 8th lunar day of the middle winter month at mid-day, the warmth of his body and his consciousness concentrated at the center of his heart. His eyes looked straight ahead, unmoving. After the third sounding of the syllable “Pé!” related to the transference of consciousness practice, he left the shell of his physical body for the great bliss space of absolute reality.

Raven Cypress Wood ©All Rights Reserved. No content, in part or in whole, is allowed to be used without direct permission from the author.

Did you enjoy this content? This article is made possible by generous donors who want content like this to continue to be available. Don’t want to miss a post? Scroll to the bottom and click “Follow this blog.”

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The Zhang Zhung Nyen Gyü, Nyam Gyü, & The Chak Tri: How are They Related?

The Nine Buddhas, the Twenty-four Masters, Tapihrista, and the three protectors of the Zhang Zhung Nyen Gyü

Although this website purposely does not share or discuss the dzogchen teachings or practices, this article explains the relationship of three separate texts within one of the most treasured cycle of dzogchen teachings: The Zhang Zhung Nyen Gyü, The Aural Transmission from Zhang Zhung. Of the three, sometimes counted as four, primary lineages of dzogchen in the Yungdrung Bön tradition, the Zhang Zhung Nyen Gyü stands out as being especially treasured. Although the other scriptures were hidden or kept secret during the persecution of the 8th century C.E in Tibet, the Zhang Zhung Nyen Gyü was given protected status by the persecuting king. Thus, the transmission of this high teaching from one master to the ear of one student down through generations was never broken. Although it has traditionally been kept very secret, due to changing circumstances in modern times the protectors of the scripture have given permission to allow the teaching to be shared more openly.

The Zhang Zhung Nyen Gyu: The full title of the text is The Zhang Zhung Nyen Gyu Ka Gyü Kor Zhi, The Four Cycles of the Enlightened Words of the Aural Transmission of Zhang Zhung. It is commonly referred to as either The Nyen Gyü or The Kor Zhi. This is the root text. The source of these teachings is the primordial enlightened one, Küntu Zangpo. The teachings were transmitted mind-to-mind from Küntu Zangpo through eight other enlightened ones to Sangwa Düpa. This Sangwa Düpa was born a prince of Tazik and is considered by Bönpos as the previous incarnation of Shakyamuni Buddha. He transmitted the teaching using both his awareness and spoken words to a human, a lu [Sanskrit: naga], and a god. These three disciples are the beginning of the lineage known as the twenty-four masters who all successively attained the rainbow body of light as a sign of the ultimate realization of dzogchen. From there, the transmission continued to the esteemed yogi Nangzher Lopo who was instrumental in protecting the Zhang Zhung Nyen Gyü from having to be hidden in order to not be destroyed during the time of persecution. With permission from Tapihritsa, he first wrote down the core teachings given to him by Dawa Gyaltsen and Tapihritsa in the 8th century C.E.. These included teachings such as The Four Goodnesses, The Six Lamps, The Twenty-One Nails, and so on. In the 10th century, Pöngyal Tsenpo, aka Pönchen Tsenpo, translated those teachings from Zhang Zhung into Tibetan and also wrote down descriptions of the Trul Khor movements.

Later in the 11th century, Yangtön Chenpo Sherap Gyaltsen, a member of the esteemed Yangtön clan of Dolpo, received the full transmissions for the upper and lower systems of teachings, thus uniting them. He wrote down this compilation of teachings as well as commentaries. He is considered to have had great kindness for disciples by writing the complete teachings of the Nyen Gyud and Nyam Gyü down for the first time as they are known and practiced today in order to make it easier for their study and practice. However, it is believed that by writing down the secret teachings, an obstacle was created and his lifespan was shortened because he died at the age of 63 rather than the prophesied age of 75. (For a fuller list of the lineage lamas of the Zhang Zhung Nyen Gyü, see previous article: https://ravencypresswood.com/2015/01/18/the-field-of-accumulation-the-aural-transmission-of-zhang-zhung/ )

The Zhang Zhung Nyen Gyü is a relatively large volume containing titles such as The Twelve Small Tantras and its corresponding commentary, The Twenty-one Nails and its corresponding commentary, The Six Lamps and its corresponding commentary, instructions on the practice of trul khor and tsa lung, the story of Tapihritsa and Nangzher Lopo including teachings of The Four Goodnesses, Quintessential Instructions for practicing with the mind, Self-purification of the Six Destinies, invocations of the Zhang Zhung Nyen Gyü guardians Nyipangsé and Menmo Namchi Gunggyal, and so on. Some volumes begin with chapters dedicated to short biographies of the lineage masters.

Yangtön Chenpo Sherap Gyaltsen

The Nyam Gyu: The more complete title is The Zhang Zhung Nyen Gyü Nyam Gyü, The Experiential Transmission of the Aural Lineage of Zhang Zhung. This is commonly known as The Nyam Gyü, The Experiential Transmission. This text is a collection of spiritual experiences and subsequent advice and pith instructions of the masters practicing the Zhang Zhung Nyen Gyü. There is a condensed collection, a medium-length collection, and an expanded collection of pith instructions. Perhaps best known is the condensed collection of pith instructions known as the Tor Bu. This was written down in the 11th Century by Orgom Kündul at the request of Yangtön Chenpo.

The Chak Tri: This text is commonly known as The Chak Tri, The Practice Manual. In the 13th century C.E., Druchen Gyalwa Yungdrung, esteemed abbot of Yeru Wensaka Monastery, received the single transmission of the Zhang Zhung Nyen Gyü. He went on to compile the practice manual for the Zhang Zhung Nyen Gyü in order to organize the teachings into a logical sequence of practice. In addition to creating a step-by-step guide for the Zhang Zhung Nyen Gyü teachings, he also included bits of his own advice for teachers guiding students in their spiritual development. The Chak Tri has twelve chapters which are sometimes grouped into five general categories.

  • Chapter One contains the hagiography of many of the lineage masters of the Zhang Zhung Nyen Gyü.
  • Chapter Two contains the chanted prayers and verses for the ngondro or preliminary practices. 
  • Chapter Three contains the actual instruction and visualization practices for the nine preliminary practices. 
  • Chapter Four contains instructions for the primary meditation practice of dzogchen. These instructions include practices for recognizing and stabilizing the mind.
  • Chapter Five contains instructions concerning the view of dzogchen.
  • Chapter Six contains instructions regarding dzogchen meditation.
  • Chapter Seven contains instructions regarding integration of the view with the behavior and activities of a dzogchen practitioner.
  • Chapter Eight contains instructions and clarifications regarding the result of Dzogchen practice.
  • Chapter Nine contains instructions for practices to remove obstacles and strengthen realization.  
  • Chapter Ten contains instructions on the yogic exercises of trul khor to remove obstacles and enhance meditative experience.
  • Chapter Eleven contains instructions regarding the forty-nine day dark retreat.
  • Chapter Twelve contains instructions regarding the yogic exercises of tsa lung to remove obstacles and enhance meditative experience. 
Depiction of Dru Gyalwa Yungdrung

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