From the Introduction

The Text and Its Author

Not much is known about 'Jam dpal bshes gnyen (Mañjusrimitra). Many of his surviving works deal with the Manjusrinamasamgiti, a tantric work. As Padma 'Phrin las (1640–1718) said in his account of the lineage masters of the 'Dus pa'i mdo, the principal tantra of the Anuyoga, "Although one doesn't find a biography of this Acarya in the ancient texts of the bka' ma, there is a slight mention of him in the sNying thig and the oral transmission lineage, such as the rDo rje zam pa." Nearly all accounts of the rDzogs chen tradition center around his meeting with the first master of rDzogs chen, dGa' rab rdo rje. The picture that emerges from these accounts is the following: he was a learned pandita, probably originally from Ceylon, who was resident at a monastic university (Nalanda is mentioned) at the time when dGa' rab rdo rje was first teaching rDzogs chen as a young man. Virtually all accounts mention Mañjusrimitra's knowledge of the prophecy of Mañjusri that dGa' rab rdo rje would be teaching a method for liberation in this very lifetime at a cemetery in the land of Oddiyana.

The biography by the eighth-century master Vairocana, the 'Dra 'bag chen mo, gives the following account:

The proclamation and maintenance of the extraordinary teaching of the self-originating, effortless state of total completeness (rDzogs-chen) is as follows: at that time (i.e., of dGa' rab rdo rje), an emanation of the Noble Mañjusri, he of supreme intelligence, was born as an intelligent boy-child to the Brahmin dPal Idan bde skyong and the Brahmini Mo ku ta na. He was called "sNying po grub pa" and "bDe mcbog snying po." He became learned in all aspects of the teaching of cause and effect, a bhiksu learned in the five sciences. Among the five hundred pandits (of his monastery) he was supreme. At that time, all the pandits heard that the Nirmanakaya dGa' rab rdo rje was proclaiming and maintaining the so-called "effortless state of total completeness," a teaching that is beyond cause and effect, the quintessence of the wondrous teaching (of the Buddhas), superior to all teachings of cause and effect. At just that time the Brahmin sNying po grub pa (heard) the prophecy of Mañjusri: "In the northwestern land of Orgyan, on the shore of the Dhanakosa lake, in the valley of He chen bdal ba, in the rDo rje gling cave of the great cemetery of gSer gling, there is an emanation of Vajrasattva, called the Nirmanakaya dGa' rab rdo rje, (who has obtained) the empowerment of the 'effortless lamp of all the Buddhas.' Since through him Awakening can be effortlessly realized in an instant through the so-called 'Atiyoga,' the quintessence of the wondrous teachings, you should obtain this and make a collection of (the teachings) of the emanation (dGa' rab rdo rje)." The other scholars wanted to debate (dGa' rab rdo rje) in order to refute, as illogical, the claim that there existed a teaching superior to those of cause and effect.

According to the same 'Dra 'bag chen mo, the teachings of the first eight yanas (Srasvaka, Pratekabuddha, Bodhisattva, Kriya-tantra, Carya-tantra, Yoga-tantra, Mahayoga-tantra, and Anuyoga-tantra) are all on the level of cause and effect. rDzogs chen or Atiyoga-tantra is said to be a teaching beyond cause and effect in that, for example, it teaches a way of "nonaction" (referred to usually as rtsol med, "effortless," in the text). That is, it involves none of the activities of "renunciation" of the sutras (the first three yanas), or of "purification" of. the lower tantras (the next three yanas), or of "transformation" of the higher tantras (the next two yanas); but rather is a way of "self-liberation" (ratij'grol). Obviously, the promulgation of such a teaching by dGa' rab rdo rje is taken in these accounts as akin to waving a red flag in front of bulls.

The account continues with the journey and meeting of Mañjusrimitra and six of his colleagues with dGa' rab rdo rje. Upon meeting him, Mañjusrimitra and some of the other scholars are ashamed at their attempt to argue with dGa' rab rdo rje. Mañjusrimitra even swears to cut out his own tongue, but dGa' rab rdo rje tells him that such an action will not purify his obscurations, but that this teaching, which goes beyond causality, will.

The account concludes:

'Jam dpal bshes gnyen thoroughly understood in a moment through just a symbolic demonstration. Although he understood thoroughly at this time, in order to completely perfect the teaching, (dGa' rab rdo rje) bestowed the empowerment of "complete reign over realization", and having given completely all the tantras and oral instructions, such as the nine klong and 20,000 sections, he also gave (sNying po grub pa) the name "Jam dpal bshes gnyen." Then, summing up the meaning of his instructions, dGa' rab rdo rje sang this Brahma-Song: "Our potentiality for experiencing is actually, from the beginning, fully awakened. Since in this potential for experiencing there is no origination or cessation, it is like the sky. If one understands that all existence is the same in being without origination and cessation, and settles, without striving, in that very (state), that is meditation." At that point, Mañjusrimitra thoroughly understood the meaning to be understood, and having perfected the very essence of the teaching, spoke his understanding as follows: "I am Mañjusrimitra who has obtained the siddhi of Yamintaka. Thoroughly understanding that samsara and nirvana are really equal, ever-flesh awareness that thoroughly comprehends everything, arises." He then composed, as a summary, the Byang sems rdo Ia gser zhun.

This last statement is very significant for our purposes here, i.e., to try to understand the place of our text, the Byang chubsems bsgom pa, nicknamed the rDo la gser zhun ("Gold Refined from Ore"), in the rDzogs chen tradition. Whatever credence one may lend to these biographical stories as history, this text appears to be written by a learned Indian scholar, employing the conceptions of classical Buddhist philosophy of a fairly late date (post–sixth century AD) when Yogacara and Madhyamaka philosophy had reached a mature state and various syntheses were being formulated. The text is written in a logical style that is characteristic of some other rDzogs chen texts of the early period in Tibet, such as the Rin po che rtsod pai 'khor lo of Vairocana. Indeed, in the famous history of dPa' bo gtsug lag, the mKhas pa'i dga' ston, this text is characterized as presenting the rDzogs chen Sems sde, one of the three principal series of rDzogs chen teachings, through "noncontradictory logical means."