Specifying the Dharma Lineage of Ngagyur Nyingmapa in particular
In the Vajrayana tradition of the ancient translation school there are:
- The extraordinary long (Kama) oral lineage;
- The extraordinary direct revealed treasure lineage; and
- The extraordinary profound pure vision lineage.
First, the Kama lineage is:
- The wisdom mind lineage of the Buddhas;
- The symbolic lineage of the awareness-holders; and
- The person to person oral lineage.
Second, the direct Terma lineages:
In the degenerate time it might be possible that the blessings of the Kama lineage could become frail because of many interruptions in its stream, or veiled by broken commitments (samaya) and unadulterated by evil spirits. Revealed treasures are teachings revealed by Tertons or treasure revealers. They are emanations of the great Orgyen Guru. Their being are nurtured by him giving them empowerments and instructions of maturation and entrusted with the power to reveal the undiminished warm breath of the Dakinis. These are incomparable and powerful blessings of the direct lineage. These profound lineages are counted as six, seven and nine lineage traditions.
The six-lineages tradition:
- The wisdom mind lineage of the Buddhas;
- The symbolic lineage of the awareness-holders;
- The person to person oral lineage;
- The Dakini-entrusted lineage;
- The lineage empowered by enlightened aspiration; and
- The Whispered Oral Teachings lineage.
The seven-lineage tradition:
- The wisdom mind lineage of the Buddhas;
- The symbolic lineage of the awareness-holders;
- The person to person oral lineage;
- The Dakini-entrusted lineage;
- The lineage empowered by enlightened aspiration;
- The lineage of prophetically declared spiritual succession; and
- The lineage of instruction of experience.
The nine-lineage tradition:
- The wisdom mind lineage of the Buddhas;
- The symbolic lineage of the awareness-holders;
- The person to person oral lineage;
- The Dakini-entrusted lineage;
- The lineage empowered by enlightened aspiration;
- The lineage of prophetically declared spiritual succession;
- The lineage of instruction of experience;
- The Red oral lineage; and
- The enlightened activity practice lineage.
The classification or differentiation of the revealed treasure:
In general, there are infinite numbers of revealed treasure because of the different level of capacities of beings to be tamed, befitting them, that many treasures are there. Yet to specify them briefly:
First, the treasure classified through its origin are the treasure revealed from earth, rocks, mountains, cliffs, lakes and so forth are called the Earth Treasure.
Second, treasure left as magical letters in the sky, which cannot be destroyed or changed by elements, but later revealed to individual treasure revealers are called the Sky Treasures.
Third, beings endowed with the utmost stability of their meditation on the luminosity of view, the profound dharma treasure that naturally erupts unceasingly from the great expanse are the Treasures of the Enlightened View, and
Fourth, when impure vision of deluded appearances are exhausted, the treasure revealed through the nature of pure vision is called the Profound Pure Vision Treasure.
Classification of Treasures as per their nature:
- Because of the vast and profound nature in the aspect of the teachings of the Buddhas and the commentaries are called the Dharma Treasures;
- The treasures found in as gold, silver, precious jewels and so forth are called the Wealth Treasures;
- Treasure revealed in the form of amrita, nectar, Dharma medicine and so forth are the Sacred Holy Substance Treasures.
Classification of Treasures as per view of opinion or belief:
- A complete source of unmistaken path taught for an individual toward enlightenment is called the Revealed Dharma Treasure;
- Activities and applications shown in partial or in little pieces are called the Branch Treasures.
The Purpose of the Revealed Treasure:
As the master Jigme Lingpa said:
The purpose of the revealed treasure is so that dharma teachings will not disappear; that pith instructions will not be mistaken; that blessings will not fade, and the connection will be direct, and make the lineage closer.
Merely revealing a treasure reduces the power of negativities of human and non-human beings. It develops the splendor and blessings of positive qualities. It pacifies the misfortune of sickness, famine, warfare, dispute and so forth. It is also said that it pacifies the obstacles in the life and enlightened activities of dharma lineage holders and immediately gives birth to good qualities. In brief, it multiplies in abundance of dharma, wealth and prosperity. It will bring wondrous excellence to the enlightened activities of the four liberations even at the peak of degenerate time when the vinaya does not exist. It will flourish the secret tantra without declining, and perpetuate the vast enlightened activities of liberating all sentient beings that are hard to be tamed. As the speech of Guru Rinpoche says: "In the time of degeneration, the doctrine of the Buddha will be nurtured by the Treasure teachings." Like these precious words it is been said that till the teaching of the Buddha Maitreya appear and spread, the profound treasure of the Tantra will prevail without diminishing.
The Classification of the Profound Pure Vision Lineage
Although it is not necessary to classify the teachings of the Profound Pure Vision Lineage as all of these either fall into the Sky Treasure lineage or Enlightened Mind Treasure lineage, yet in the terms of Ancient Translation it is said: the distant lineage Kama; the closer lineage Terma; and the extremely closer lineage the Profound Pure Vision lineage.
Therefore, it is classified into the three-lineage tradition. Here it is described briefly the origination of the Profound Pure Vision lineage in two aspects:
- Authenticated through the teachings and prophecies of the Enlightened Ones, and
- How the Panditas of India and the accomplished masters of Tibet received these Heart Treasures, Enlightened Mind Treasures and the Sky Treasures they revealed.
As it is said in the Bodhisattva Sublime Aspirational Prayers:
May all sentient beings hear
The unceasing sound of Dharma
From birds, from trees,
From all the light and rays, and from the sky.
Like that, because sublime beings through the powerful aspiration of bodhicitta do not lack the absence of any phenomenon, they hear the unceasing sounds of Dharma from elements, wild animals, from the sky and so on. This aspect shows how the Enlightened Mind Treasures are revealed through the Profound Pure Vision. Moreover, because there is only pure vision in the sublime beings' nature, not single impure phenomena arise. The vast appearances of the profound instructions arise from the ever-revolving wheel of eternity of past, present and future, which arises the continual wondrous and marvelous deities of the three roots and the teachings of dharma.
All these infinite treasures revealed from the vast expanse realization of Panditas of India and accomplished masters of Tibet, and Tertons (treasure revealers) and their mind treasure appropriate for beings depending on individual inspiration and intellectual capacities and fortunate beings that are worthy said from the sutra as:
When the confidence of certainty of the ultimate is found,
The myriads dharma treasures overflow in the mind.
Hence, the appearance of the profound pure vision dharma is proved through such statement.