Introduction: A Summary of the Text

Ala Zenkar Rinpoche

Recently, the great Dharma Senge found six different copies of The Great Image. Comparing these different editions, he edited together a definitive version which he had carved on woodblocks and printed. This text describes the life of the supreme Vairotsana, his place of birth, the names of his parents, and his name as a child. He himself had five names during his life. When he was eight years old, he met King Trisong Deutsen, studied languages, and acted as his outer and inner minister for seven years. At the age of fifteen, he went to India to search for the pith instructions. The Great Image describes the actual journey and the sixteen hardships he went through.

The first chapter describes the appearance of the effortless doctrine coming from Akanishta. This doctrine was taught through four kayas: the svabhavikakaya doctrine was taught through clarifying self-pointing-out, the dharmakaya doctrine was taught by direct self-liberation, the sambhogakaya doctrine was taught through self-essence, and the secret kaya was taught through the method of great bliss.

The second chapter describes the doctrine being taught in gradual stages to those without the good fortune of understanding and realization. Particularly in the realms of the World of Endurance, the Buddha Shakyamuni and others tamed beings in whatever way was effective. In the celestial realms the doctrine was first taught through the vehicle of characteristics and secondly through the Secret Mantra Vehicle. The Secret Mantra consists of the outer tantric doctrine of the Muni and the inner magnetizing vehicle, comprised of the Maha Yoga tantras, the Anu Yoga transmissions, and the Ati Yoga teachings. The Maha Yoga tantras first appeared when King Ja received transmission through seven dreams. When the books and an image of Vajrapani descended on the roof of his house, King Ja started practicing the first chapter of the Vajrasattva tantra. After practicing for six months, he had a vision of Vajrasattva, who gave him a staff and a Dharma wheel and empowered him. After that he fully understood the texts and then classified them into eighteen tantras.

The second chapter deals with the Anu Yoga transmissions. The five noble beings went to the top of Mount Malaya and fervently prayed to all the buddhas, who discussed their request and decided to send Vajrapani. So Vajrapani went to Mount Malaya and taught the Scripture of the Embodiment of the Realization of All Buddhas. Then, in Oddiyana he gave the glorious Yangdag tantras and instructions to the nirmanakaya Prahevajra.

The third chapter describes how the special Ati Yoga doctrine came to the celestial and human realms. The Secret Mantra teachings appeared because the six necessary conditions were present. In the Heaven of the Thirty-three, the god's son Sem Lhagchen (Adhichitta in Sanskrit) had a very special dream. He prayed to the buddhas, who invoked Vajrasattva. Vajrasattva then emanated Vajrapani from his heart, gave Sem Lhagchen a precious wheel, and called him Sattvavajra. After receiving the mind essence of the five buddhas, Vajrapani gave the empowerment of direct anointment to Adhicitta, along with the empowerments and instructions of Ten Miraculous Scriptures, Threefold Spontaneous Accomplishment, Great Sphere, Unchanging Finnness, Immediacy of Awareness, Nondual Mingling, Vajra Statement, and many other empowerments and tantras. All these were given in an instant, and Adhicitta was empowered as a regent. That concludes the third chapter, about the doctrine coming to the three celestial realms.

The fourth chapter describes the Ati doctrine coming to the human realm. In the Dhanakosha district, King Dhahena Tab's daughter Parani, who was a nun, saw a swan that was an emanation of Vajrapani, which touched her three times with its beak. When the time had come, a five-pronged vajra issued from her heart, which transformed into a small child. This was Prahevajra. Prahevajra was empowered by Vajrapani, who gave him the complete empowerment of direct anointment and all the other empowerments, tantras, instructions, etc., so that Prahevajra became the lamp of the doctrine. He received and realized the complete root and explanatory tantras, the Twenty Thousand Sections of the Ninefold Expanse, the branch tantras of the five buddhas, and all the tantras of the Lord of Secrets. He directly attained enlightenment through Ati Yoga and then gave the Dzogchen tantras.

Prahevajra transmitted all this to the son of Brahmin Palden Dekyong, Manjushrimitra, who was also called Sarasiddhi and Samvarasara. He attained accomplishment in Yamantaka and wrote the Instructions on Bodhichitta Written in Pure Gold on Stone. The mind lineage of the buddhas includes everyone up to Prahevajra. This concludes the fourth chapter.

The fifth chapter describes the general lineage from Prahevajra's grandfather King Dhahena Tab, his son Thuwo Raja, Princess Parani, Naga King Nanda, Yakshini Changchubma, the prostitute Barani, the Kashmiri abbot Rabnang, the abbot Maharaja from Oddiyana, Princess Gomadevi, Atsantra Aboke, the earlier Kukkuraja, the sage Bhashita, the prostitute Dagnyima, Nagarjuna, the later Kukkuraja, the later Manjushrimitra, Devaraja, Buddhagupta, Shri Singha, the nun Kungamo, and Master Vimalamitra.

The special lineage described in this chapter goes as follows: Prahevajra, Manjushrimitra, and Shri Singha to Vairotsana. Then there is a lineage of seven through Prahevajra, Manjushrimitra, Dhahena Tab, and so forth down to Shri Singha, who passed it on to Vairo. The special lineage was the Distinguishing Brahmin's Cycle, the Resolving King's Cycle and the Instruction Cycle Directly Pointing Out Self-Liberation. Of these three, the instruction cycle belongs to the mind lineage of the buddhas. Prahe gave these instructions to Manjushrimitra and bestowed the empowerment of direct anointment on him. Then he gave him the five root tantras, such as Perfection of Wisdom, Universal Light, the twenty-five branch tantras including Ninefold Expanse, the entrustment of the precious treasure revealing Prahevajra's mind essence, the seven streams of empowerment including the empowerment of direct anointment, and the secret initiation, and empowered him to protect the doctrine through the three mamos.

Giving this to Devaputra, it was transmitted through Naga King Nanda, Yakshini Changchubma, the monk Kukkuraja, and Shri Singha. This is the symbolic lineage through the awareness of the vidyadharas. This completes the fifth chapter.

The sixth chapter describes the effortless doctrine coming to Tibet. During the reign of Lha Thothori Nyentsen [also known as Nyenshel], the doctrine began; during the reign of Songtsen Gampo, it was established; and during the reign of Trisong Deutsen, it developed. The first transmission was by Padmasambhava, the second by Shantigarbha, the third by Buddhaguhya, the fourth by Humkara, and the fifth by Vairotsana, who taught the doctrine beyond cause and effect.

Vairotsana was born in Tsang Nyemo. His father was called Pagor Hedo and his mother Drenza Karkyi. His birth name was Genjak Tangta. At the age of eight, the king took him to Samye where he studied with the two masters, Padmasambhava and Shantarakshita. He was ordained as a monk and learned many languages. He used five different names for his translations. For Sutrayana translations he used the name Yeshe De, for Mantrayana translations Vairotsana, for Bon translations Genjak Tangta, for astrology translations Indravairo, and for medicinal translations Chobar. He served as outer and inner minister for three years and as the king's personal attendant for three years. At the age of fifteen, he promised to go to India, a commitment that no one else could make, which was his first trial. His second trial was the preparation for the journey. His third trial was being blocked by the snow and nearly dying. Escaping the nonhuman obstacles was his fourth trial. His fifth trial was escaping robbers, his sixth trial was escaping wild animals, and his seventh trial was crossing a narrow path with nowhere to go. His eighth trial was escaping the bamboo swords of the border guards by performing a miracle. His ninth trial was escaping wolves and other wild animals that came to eat his horse's corpse and wanted to eat him as well. His tenth trial was escape from Magadha in India. His eleventh trial was his escape from the snakes at Krisha, and his twelfth trial was escaping King Bhibhira's prison sentence. His thirteenth trial was escaping from a poisonous sulfur lake in Magadha. His fourteenth trial was escaping the beatings from Mon tribesmen in Avadhuti. His fifteenth trial was escaping the masks and snakes in Arya Palo and his sixteenth trial was to get rid of the poison that women gave him in Edhakesha. When he arrived in central India, he heard that the most learned and realized master was Shri Singha. The instruction teachings were to be kept very secret, but his attempts to get them through various skillful means were successful, and he received them all from Shri Singha. He then learnt speed walking to move quickly. This concludes the eighth chapter, describing Shri Singha giving the entire doctrine to Vairotsana.

The ninth chapter describes how, through speed walking, Vairo returned to Tibet and on the way met the proud king called Rahula Bhibhi. He tamed this king through his instructions. The tenth chapter describes his arrival in Tibet.

The eleventh chapter describes him teaching the common and special instructions while remaining in Tibet for about five years. During that time, the Indian Dharma king decided to send people to slander him, resulting in the king of Tibet being forced to get rid of Vairo. Trying to avoid this fate, however, the king pretended to kill Vairo by throwing a beggar in the river. Later, the king was actually forced to banish him. Vairo sang many songs about his hardships and predicted that Tibet would be ruined and that the queen would go to hell. He begged them to let him stay, but due to past karmahe was forced to go to Tsawarong. The king and ministers escorted him by horse; they asked his advice about the future so he gave many predictions. This concludes the eleventh chapter about being banished to Tsawarong.

The twelfth chapter describes how the people from Gyalmo Tsawarong threw him into a frog hole for three days and then into a louse pit for seven days. Vairo told them that in his last life there he was a prince called Puma who had killed many frogs and lice and that this was the karmic result of that. The queen of Tsawarong and her attendants and subjects then offered confession and did many prostrations. Next he met Prince Yudra, who became his main student. Vairo trained the prince in the nine precepts and thirteen courages and then gave him all the teachings. When Vairo was reciting the Great Space Tantra from the louse pit, though he heard it only once, Yudra memorized it. Some editions mention that Yudra told the people of Tsawarong to take Vairotsana out of the pit; other editions mention that Vairo paid for Yudra, who was the son of King Rinchen and Queen Tsogyal, bribing them to give Yudra to him. So there are three different stories. Taming the gods and demons, Vairo miraculously had a stupa built in one day, which appeared like a stupa from the outside and was a temple inside. During the daytime, he gave teachings on the Causal Vehicle, in the evening he taught the inner Secret Mantra, and at night he gave Yudra and some others the instruction teachings. Yudra's realization became equal to that of Vairotsana. During that time, King Trisong Deutsen invited Vimalamitra from India to Tibet. Vairo told Yudra to go to Tibet, prove that his teachings were superior, and spread the instruction teachings in Tibet. This concludes the twelfth chapter.

The thirteenth chapter describes Vairo going to China and receiving teachings from Chinese masters and yogis such as Kusula Bhitigarbha, Dharmabodhi, Vajra Sukha Deva, Pandita Barma, Tsenda Ritropa, Mahabodhi, Shri Ani, Hashang Bhibi, Surya Ghirti, Satipa, and so forth— altogether nineteen great yogis and yoginis. Then he went back to Tsawarong.

All the instructions he received from the Chinese masters he gave to Yudra in Tsawarong. Yudra gave them to Nyag Jnana Kumara, who gave them to Sangye Yeshe, who gave them to Sogpo Palkyi Yeshe. Then Yudra went to Tibet and met Vimalamitra in Samye. Everyone was extremely devoted and respectful.

On his way back to Tsawarong Yudra met Pam Sangye Gonpo, who had heard stories about Vairo; having become very devoted, he went to see Vairotsana. Then Yudra met Gya Lodro Shonnu and gave him all his instructions. He then went to lower Do Kham, met Bes Dorje Gyaltsen, and gave him many tantras and instructions. Then he went to Tsawarong where he met Vairo. Telling him everything, he praised him in eleven verses; Vairo was very happy. At that time, the Tibetans discussed and decided to invite Vairo back to Tibet. Three people were sent to invite him back, and he promised to come.

Then Vairo prepared to return to Tibet, and Queen Dru and the others saw him off with a very elaborate farewell. On the way he met Pam Mipham Gonpo, a very old man. Vairo instructed him by putting him in the right posture with a stick and a meditation belt and small sticks to keep his eyes open. Upon receiving the teachings, he attained immediate realization and embraced Vairotsana. At that time Mune Tsenpo passed away. Vairo and Yudra arrived during the funeral in the presence of a large gathering of people. Invited to sit in the center of the assembly, Vimalamitra and Yudra sat on either side [of Vairotsanal and did the elaborate funeral ceremonies. Then they started an institute and turned the wheel of Dharma in an elaborate way. Everyone did confession to Vairotsana, and he accepted and forgave them. He again told them about all his hardships in India to obtain the instruction teachings. At that time Shantarakshita, Vimalamitra, and a gathering of 108 translators would meet at the Translation Hall and translate the sutras and tantras. All the texts that they translated miraculously manifested from the divine realms, naga realms, and sacred dakini places as well as from Oddiyana, Nalanda, and so forth through the two masters. These texts still exist today because of the kindness of these great masters. Vairotsana also translated mixed texts of medicine and astrology as well as many thousands of tantra classes and instructions. From twenty-six hundred tantras he translated sixty-two million instructions. He then transformed into the form of \Tairochana and dissolved into the space of dharmata. Again he came back and stayed in Samye Chimphu for one year. Then he went back to Tsawarong once more, where he was invited to Kham. In Kham he stayed in the Rong Chamchen Hermitage. At that time Vimalamitra and other panditas went to visit him, and they translated the Sadhana Sections. The first lineage is the teachings that Vairo secretly gave to Trisong Deutsen, that is, the Five Earlier Translations of the Mind Class and the Ocean Expanse Inst ruc(ions, which he received in India. The middle lineage is the teachings that Yudra gave to Nyag Jnana Kumara and Ma Rinchen Chok. The last lineage is the teachings that Yudra gave to Pam Mipham Gonpo, Gya Lodro Shonnu, and Bes Dorje Gyaltsen. He again went to Samye Hepori for a brief stay, at which time the king offered a large feast offering. Vairo told Pam Mipham Gonpo to benefit beings for five hundred years and Yudra to benefit beings for three hundred years. He said that among his students 170 would attain the rainbow body Then he dissolved into a blue dot with a white syllable A in the center and dissolved into space. He then variously appeared as Vairochana, a vajra, light, Ananda, Shakyamuni, a sacred text, and so forth.

When Vairotsana was about to finally pass away into the pure lands, Yudra asked him about his future emanations. He said he would appear as Atisha from Zahor, as Drawa Ngonshe, as Dorje Lingpa, as Rechung Dorje Trakpa, as Jonang, as the one called Yak, as Zangkar Lotsawa, as the siddha Kharnak, as Kunkyong Lingpa, as Phagmo Drupa, as Myogom Repa, and as many other emanations. Litsa Tsultrim Dron arrived and attained the same realization. Then Yudra and Jingyon's son and others asked Vairo to relate his biography, and Yudra wrote it down. This biography is a real treasury of the buddhas, the ultimate history, and the image that truly represents Vairotsana. It is the index of the effortless doctrine.

In answer to the request for the essence of the teachings, Vairo gave many instructions saying not to get involved in samsaric activities, not to Ignore those to be tamed, not to search for the buddha outside, and that if they had faith and devotion, they were inseparable from him. After that he flew into the sky, his right hand playing a damaru, and dissolved into space. That concludes the thirteenth chapter.

I am very grateful that Ani Jinba Palmo from Holland, a student of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche and other great masters, who knows quite a few languages, who studied and practiced the Kagyu and Nyingma teachings, and who keeps the outer Vinaya accordingly, translated this life story of the great translator Vairotsana. I am confident that this translation will directly and indirectly benefit innumerable readers.