THE EXAMPLE OF KUN SPANGS PA CHOS KYI RIN CHENS AUTOBIOGRAPHY1

MICHELA CLEMENTE (Rome) 1. A Brief Introduction to the Nang gi rnam thars Typology The autobiography of Kun spangs pa Chos kyi rin chen is a nang gi rnam thar, typology recounts the specific meditative cycles, initiations, etc. imparted to the master and taught by him to his disciples.2 The division in phyi, nang and one of the three levels existing in the literary genre of life stories. This

A CASE STUDY OF A NANG GI RNAM THAR:

gsang levels had been followed by the sde srid Sangs rgyas rgya mtsho (1653 1705) in the classification of the gsung bum of the Fifth Dalai Lama Ngag
dbang blo bzang rgya mtsho (16171682) and, after him, other Tibetan authors continued to use it as a form of respect for the Dalai Lamas life story.3 We of them is emphasised to a greater extent. Some rnam thars, however, deal

know that most of the rnam thars contain all the three levels, even though one

specifically with only one level. Actually, the boundary line between phyi,

nang and gsang is quite tenuous, and thus it is often difficult to distinguish

this intriguing work for my MA thesis, for her precious remarks, help and kind support. I also want to thank warmly my colleagues and friends Federica Venturi, Marta Sernesi, Sabrina Rossi, Stefanie Calestini and Marco Passavanti for their suggestions and comments.
2 3

I wish to express my thanks to Professor Elena De Rossi Filibeck for assigning me

See Petech 1958: XIX; Seyfort Ruegg 1966: 44; Willis 1985: 312; Willis 1995: 5. See Vostrikov 1970: 187.

MICHELA CLEMENTE

between the various typologies.4 Most studies thus far have focused on external and secret levels. The nang gi rnam thars type is thus the less studied a Western language. and least known, and I am not aware of any nang gi rnam thar translated into According to Vostrikov, thob yigs (or gsan yigs) are similar to the inner

(or internal) biographies, because both contain systematised lists of

disciplines, precepts, teachings and consecrations of all types, but thob yigs endeavour to establish a more or less complete succession of the persons who received these instructions, beginning with the founder himself and ending with the author of that work.5 This specific genre of Tibetan literature originated from the effort to establish the lineages of transmission of Indic texts or textclusters. Thob yigs and inner and secret autobiographies both focus on

transmission, but we can utilise thob yigs to supplement the information found

thars, even though the former constitute potentially primary historiographic

source material.7 As Dan Martin pointed out, in the future, historians of Tibet will be relying more and more on lineage records, on evidence contained historical sources, but texts with interesting histories of their own to tell (Martin 2002: 344).

in rnam thars.6 Unfortunately, thob yigs are as neglected as nang gi rnam

in the records of teachings received, because these are not just passive

gi rnam thar without being necessarily an inner biography.8 Concerning this,

However, it is important to bear in mind that a work may be called nang

4 5 6 7 8

See Gyatso 1998: 103; Willis 1985: 312, n. 17. See Vostrikov 1970: 187, 199. See Gyatso 1998: 104; van der Kuijp 1995: 919; Sobisch 2002: 162. Van der Kuijp 1995: 920. I am indebted to Janet Gyatso for raising this issue after the presentation of my

paper. On this subject, she wrote that one suspects that the proliferation of labels

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A CASE STUDY OF A NANG GI RNAM THAR

Jeffery Schoening, taking up a debate Gene Smith initiated many years ago,9 wrote that genre classification according to Tibetan terms is a mystery we western scholars have yet to solve.10 It is necessary to think about the reasons why a mechanical classification of genres based on titles cannot be applied at all.11 Orna Almogi, agreeing that a classification of Tibetan texts by mechanically relying on the Tibetan terms is no real solution, argues though that titles may be more helpful than we have tended to think.12 With regard to this, she suggests that
for a development of a comprehensive general scheme and for a classification of a particular text, three factors have to be taken into consideration: 1) the descriptive components of the titles, including the genre

terms appearing in them, 2) the ornamental components of the titles, and 3) any genre terms (Almogi 2005: 29).13

additional titles of one and the same text, especially if these contain different

2. The Text and Some Notes about Kun spangs pa Chos kyi rin chen Kun spangs pa Chos kyi rin chens gsung bum that includes the masters autobiography, is a dbu can manuscript (cm. 42,5x12 [34,5x7,5]). It is one of

naming increasingly esoteric levels of discourse is often more a matter of rhetoric than genuinely descriptive of content (Gyatso 1998: 103).
9

See Smith 1970: 1. Almogi 2005: 28; Schoening 1988: 424. In his article, Schoening enumerated four reasons: a genre may change over time; a

10 11

work may be called one genre but consists mostly of another; the title may say the included a genre indicator in the title (Almogi 2005: 28; Schoening 1988: 425).
12 13

work is one genre while the margin says it is another; the author may not have Almogi 2005: 28, 29.

kindly providing me a copy of her article before the publication.

I am indebted to Orna Almogi for her precious remarks on this subject and for

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the numerous works selected and brought by Giuseppe Tucci (18941984) from his scientific missions in Tibet with the aim of preserving a representative part of the different Tibetan literary genres, and kept in the Tucci Tibetan Fund at the Library of IsIAO in Rome.14 It seems to be the only known copy of this work, which probably dates back to the 17th Century. The pattern of the folios is similar to that of the so-called prefaces,15 thus the manuscript could have well originated from Western Tibet.16 The gsung bum includes the dkar chag and five works.17 The present

Chos kyi rin chens autobiography (ff. 122b), which is a rnam mgur entitled

article is based on the first work and the dkar chag.18 The first work contains

Biography: A Wish-fulfilling Gem and So Forth.19 The dkar chag (ff. 15), entitled A Catalogue: An Illuminating Lamp that, Upon Being Perceived, Clarifies the Meaning,20 contains some data about Chos kyi rin chens
14

A Biography of the Venerable Chos kyi rin chen [containing] The Bla mas

kindly allowing me to study this manuscript.

15

I wish to express my thanks to the President of IsIAO, Professor Gherardo Gnoli, for The prefaces are dedicative folios that precede a manuscript. They contain

information about the sponsorship or the preparation of some copies of the work in

question. Tucci collected some prefaces of this kind in Western Tibet due to their 1935: 810, 17778.
16

historical and philological value and described them well before others. See Tucci On this subject, see De Rossi Filibeck 1999: 194; De Rossi Filibeck 2001: 23740,

especially 239 (foglio C).

17 18 19

For the cataloguing of this gsung bum, see De Rossi Filibeck 2003: 35. See also Clemente (forthcoming).

Bla ma rnam thar yid bzhin nor bu la sogs pa btsun pa chos kyi rin chen gyi rnam thar (see f. 1).

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A CASE STUDY OF A NANG GI RNAM THAR

lineage. The sponsor (sbyin bdag) of the gsung bum was the physician Ngag dbang Kun dga rgyal mtshan. His family and he are profusely thanked in verses with a stanza for each of them at the end of the dkar chag.21 Kun spangs pa Chos kyi rin chen was a less-known Bka brgyud pa

master, who lived in the 17th century.22 According to the TBRC database, he is another bla ma, Rdo dmar zhabs drung Mi gyur rdo rje (1675?).25 It seems that for an unspecified period of time, the two masters lived in the Gnya nang monastery, near the Nepalese border, where they wrote this work.26 The illuminated folio (1b) of Chos kyi rin chens rnam thar shown below the author of two works.23 One of these24 seems to be written together with

provides an evidence of the masters belonging to the Bka brgyud school: on find the representation of Rje btsun Mi la ras pa (10401123).28

the right there is Kun spangs pa Chos kyi rin chens icon,27 and on the left we

Dkar chags gsal bai sgrol [= sgron] me mthong pa (sic) don gsal (see f. 1). I emended sgrol me into sgron me according to the context. Indeed, gsal bai sgron me is
20

a common metaphor in this kind of works. On this subject, see Almogi 2005: 41. See the Dkar chag, ff. 3b4b.

21 22

November 2000).
23 24

Personal communication from Ellis Gene Smith to Elena De Rossi Filibeck (28th

See TBRC (P 6086). See TBRC (W 30157). Unfortunately, I was not able to consult this work, but it will Rdo dmar zhabs drung Mi gyur rdo rje was a layman Rnying ma yogin. According

be the topic of a future research.

25

Ehrhard 2007: 123; Schmidt 2003; TBRC (P 1014).

26

to Ehrhard, he was a gter ston. For information about him and his works, see DZMD; According to Ehrhard, a certain Rdo dmar ba was active in the region of Gnya

nang at the end of the 17th Century. See Ehrhard 1997: 338.
27 28

The caption reads btsun pa chos rin chen la na mo. The caption reads rje btsun mi la ras pa la na mo.

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MICHELA CLEMENTE

Furthermore, in the dkar chag written by Bya bral Skal bzang rgyal mtshan, probably a disciple of Kun spangs pa, we find mention of two important masters of the Brug pa Bka brgyud sub-school: Rgod tshang pa Mgon po rdo rje (11891258),29 the founder of the Stod brug pa Bka brgyud, and Chos rje probably also the founder of the Gnya nang monastery.32 The title kun spangs Spyil dkar ba (12281300),30 one of his main students.31 Rgod tshang pa is

pa, lit. the one who abandoned everything, is apparently an honorific title
given to accomplished masters and practitioners. I am aware of eighteen

masters with that title who lived between the 13th and 17th Century, most of them belonged to the Sa skya, Jo nang and Zhwa lu schools, and in particular to the Klacakra transmission lineage. Among them we must underline Kun

spangs Thugs rje brtson grus (12431313), the founder of the Jo mo nang monastery.33

kyi rin chen does not provide any information about the masters life. Like

As a proper nang gi rnam thar, the autobiography of Kun spangs pa Chos

29

TBRC (P 2090); KGSPCM: 452543.

30 31 32 33

About Rgod tshang pa, see Roerich 1949/53: 68088; Smith 2001: 45, 46, 48, 75, 78; About Spyil dkar ba, see Aris 1979: 173; Roerich 1949/53: 68687; TBRC (P 5916). See the Dkar chag, f. 3ab. See Dargye 2001: 37; TBRC (P 2090). For further details about Thugs rje brtson grus, see Roerich 1949/53: 77172.

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contains sections in prose and verse: the master gives the teachings in prose,

numerous rnam thars of other Bka brgyud pa masters,34 this one alternately

while in the songs he speaks of his spiritual experiences. The rnam mgur is

dkar chag, too, we find apparently unknown colloquial expressions.35 At the

beginning of his autobiography, the author pays numerous homages to the masters of his lineage.36 Unfortunately, their identification is extremely complex due to the Tibetan habit of giving to disciples the same names of previous masters. It is possible that at least a part of the autobiography has been dictated by Chos kyi rin chen to a student who added some elements of his own, maybe after his masters death. Indeed, there are many orthographic and grammatical mistakes, and in some passages of the rnam thar the tone becomes quite

written in colloquial language, especially in the verse parts. In the songs of the

different, more ceremonious.37 Maybe the volume of the IsIAO Library is a copy of a ruined original. Unfortunately, we do not know where, when and how the manuscript arrived in the hands of Giuseppe Tucci, thus we cannot say whether the text was copied down on his request. In this case, the copy was surely done in haste. Moreover, concerning the orthographic and grammatical mistakes, we should remember that, as pointed out by Jos Cabezn, in some traditions

34

Tucci 1949: 158).

35

disciple of both Gtsang smyon Heruka and Lha btsun Rin chen rnam rgyal (cited in

For example, see the biography of Rgod tshang pa written by Sangs rgyas dar po, a

great wonder) figures many times (Dkar chag, ff. 3b4a).

36

For example, the expression ngo mtshar che yo ang (which I translate as what a Ratna A dkar Vajradhara, Jranda, Ratnavajra Majur, Bodhisiha (Byang

chub seng ge), Gzhon nu seng ge, Nam mkha bzang po, Rgyal mtshan dar, Ye shes rgyal mtshan, Lha dbang blo gros. See the Rnam thar, ff. 1b6b.
37

For a discussion about the merging of authors and readers, see Gyatso 1992: 469.

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MICHELA CLEMENTE

monks inability to write proper Tibetan was never seen as detracting from their status as scholars. Scholarship was measured not by ones ability as a writer, but by devotion to what was considered, both intellectually and explanation of the classical texts of the tradition (Cabezn 2001: 236).

soteriologically, most important, namely the reading, memorization, and oral

3. Nang gi rnam thars as Inspirational and Instructional Works From the excerpts I am going to present it will become quite clear that inner biographies are inspirational and instructional works. This had been already noted by Janice Willis some years ago.38 In addition, due to their characteristic structure, these works are often associated with practices. For example, before practicing the mahmudr teachings, the practitioner reads the part in relevant

nang gi rnam thars that concerns their prayers and instructions, thus such rnam thars become a sort of handbook. Furthermore, Willis notes:
bla mas often use rnam thars in their teaching activities. No bla ma would, for example, introduce a new teaching or begin a series of initiations without first narrating one or more rnam thars of the teachers in the lineage who

practiced that teaching or meditation successfully. This makes for very practical instruction. The recitation of rnam thars sets the stage for practice by giving conducive to practice, and by subtly sowing the seeds for similar liberation (Willis 1995: 16). authority and credence to the lineage of teachings, by prefiguring the conditions

Thus, one interesting feature of this kind of works is the explanation of particular religious practices. of Protection (rakcakra: srung bai khor lo) within the preliminaries of a In his autobiography, Chos kyi rin chen describes the creation of the Circle

38

consideration under the heading of liturgy and, in fact, often functions that way within the tradition (Willis 1995: 5).

See Willis 1995: 5, 16. She also wrote that a nang gi rnam thar lends itself to

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A CASE STUDY OF A NANG GI RNAM THAR

Cakrasavara. The meditation begins with the visualization of the syllable

sdhana (sgrub thabs) in detail.39 It is connected with the cycle of h, in this case the seed-syllable of a vajra. The yogin sees the h transforming into a vivavajra (sna tshogs rdo rje). The circle of protection is built from rays of light that blaze out from the double vajra. The yogin visualises a protective shield of vajras that encompasses the entire universe.40

Chos kyi rin chen describes a structure called the immeasurable Mansion of palace, where the deity is generated. He states:41
I pay homage to the glorious Cakrasavara!

Great Liberation (thar pa chen poi gzhal yas khang), similar to a temple

While [one] is training for the [pronouncing of] the sumbha ni [mantra],42 [one

should recite] O NYAT JNA VAJRA SVABHVA ATMAKO

39 40

See the Rnam thar, ff. 810a. For a description of the creation of the Circle of Protection, see English 2002: 131

36.
41

Rnam thar, ff. 8ab: shri tsakra sa bha ra na mo | [] sum bha ni sbyangs la | o shu nya ta dznya na badzra swa bha wa a ma ko ha | stong pa dang ye shes dbyer med pai ngang las | ri rab kyi steng yangs zhing [= shing] rgya che bai dbus su | h las sna tshogs rdo rje shar dkar lho ser nub dmar byang ljang | lte ba thing ka [= mthing ga] la h gi [= gyis] mtshan pa | h las od zer og tu phros pas | og rdo <rj>ei sa bzhi steng du phros pa las | steng rdo rjei bla bres phyogs mtshams kun du phros pas | rdo rjei rtsig pa ra ba bra ba gur [= sbra gur ] du gyur | phyi rol nas ye shes kyi me phung rab tu bar bas bskor bai dbus su | h las thar pa chen poi gzhal yas khang |. On this subject, Elizabeth English wrote: The yogin
sees the axial mountain Sumeru rising up into the heavens. Above this, he installs the circle of protection [] Finally, upon the mountains peak, he visualises an elaborate and decorative temple palace as the future abode of the deity (English 2002: 144).
42

Concerning this mantra, see English 2002: 133, 444, n. 299.

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HAM43 [and visualise the following]: From the state of the indivisibility of

emptiness and gnosis, [arises] Mount Sumeru [with] a large and spacious summit. In its centre [appears] the syllable H which [transforms itself into] a double vajra, whose eastern [ray] is white, southern [ray] yellow, western blue.44

[ray] red, northern [ray] green, and the centre, marked with [the syllable] H, Rays of light emanate from H downwards and strike the surface of the adamantine earth beneath, and then strike the canopy above in all cardinal and intermediate directions, thereby becoming [like] a felt tent [with] barriers of adamantine walls. [It] is surrounded from the outside by a mass of the blazing Immeasurable Mansion of Great Liberation [emerges]. fire of gnosis. In the centre [there arises the syllable] H from which the

Then, the author describes the emission and retraction of rays of light from the seed-syllable h. Once they have accomplished their purposes, the rays retract back into the h.

cycle, in which the twenty-four sacred sites (phas) are associated with twenty-four vras and their aktis. The maala is divided into three dimensions: the sphere of Body (skui khor lo) or sphere of the Underground

The text continues with a description of a maala of the Cakrasavaras

and the sphere of Mind (thugs kyi khor lo) or sphere of the Sky (nam

(sa og), the sphere of Speech (gsung gi khor lo) or sphere of the Earth (sa),

43

mainstream sdhanas. For further details, see English 2002: 12627, 439, n. 271.
44

According to Elizabeth English, this emptiness mantra is a standard feature of

See the description in Gyatso 1991: 115.

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A CASE STUDY OF A NANG GI RNAM THAR

mkha).45 According to Elizabeth English, the sacred sites within the maala confirm the maala as the universe.46 Then, Chos kyi rin chen puts into verse some mahmudr teachings.47 Here
is a short stanza:48
Look whether phenomena and perception have merged or not! If they have merged, You, beggar who exerts himself on the Path, The mind, which is primordially unborn, Since it is not subjected to arising, It has no abiding [either]. Is certain to be successful!49

Is imperceptible in the three times and is free from manifoldness.

[If there is] no abiding, how can cessation be possible? For instance, it is similar to a hares horn.

Reading the rnam thar, it seems that all doctrines contained in the text addressed high practitioners, perhaps Kun spangs pas disciples. At the end of his rnam thar, the master gives some bar do instructions50

according to the teachings of Rgyal ba Yang dgon pa Rgyal mtshan dpal

45

in Western Tibet. This could be an evidence that supports the Western origin of Chos see Tucci 1936: 3842, 4445, 6566. See English 2002: 196. See the Rnam thar, ff. 11b13b.

Such a maala of Cakrasavara is found in the Bde mchog temple of Tsa pa rang,

kyi rin chens gsung bum. For a discussion of the maala of the Bde mchog temple,
46 47 48

Rnam thar, ff. 12b13a: snang sems gcig tu dres sam bltos [= ltos] | dres na lam du gro bar nges | lam la bad pai sprang po khyod | gdod (13a) nas skye ba med pai sems | dus gsum ma dmigs spros dang bral | skye rgyu med pas gnas pa med | gnas med gag pa ga la srid | dper na ri bong rwa dang mtshungs ||.
49 50

For the translation of lam du gro ba as to be successful, see Schmidt 2003. See the Rnam thar, ff. 1522b.

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(12131258), another important disciple of Rgod tshang pa Mgon po rdo rje. Rgyal ba Yang dgon pa is the founder of the Yang dgon pa sub-school, which arose from the Stod brug pa.51 The Yang dgon pa ultimately produced the Ba ra Bka brgyud of Ba ra ba Rgyal mtshan dpal bzang (13101391).52 Thus, we can assume that Chos kyi rin chen was a Brug pa Bka brgyud pa master, even though we cannot know which one of the several sub-schools he belonged to. references to the variety of bar do lineages prevalent in Tibet can be found in As stated by Bryan J. Cuevas, it seems that one of the earliest explicit

least fifteen separate traditions of instructional advice on bar do, and provides earliest Tibetan classifications of bar do traditions in Tibet. Furthermore, in

a thirteenth-century work by Yang dgon pa.53 There, the master mentions at a list of eight distinct teaching-lineages. This list seems to be one of the

another work, Yang dgon pa sets out six individual bar do states which differs from the six presented in Mi la ras pas Song of the Golden Rosary. It appears that Yang dgon pa is closer to the Rnying ma tradition rather than the Bka

states could be imputed to his studying with many teachers of several religious schools, and thus his version could be a synthesis of diverse traditions.54

brgyud one. According to Cuevas, Yang dgon pas different view of bar do

thar containing the bar do teachings. Indeed, during the 13th Century the

The chos nyid bar do is missing in the part of Chos kyi rin chens rnam

51

Roerich 1949/53: 686, 68891; Smith 2001: 45, 47, 48, 49; TBRC (P 5262); KGSPCM: 544679.
52 53 54

About Yang dgon pa and his sub-school, see Aris 1979: 181; Cuevas 2003: 56;

See Smith 2001: 45. Cuevas 2003: 46. On this subject, see Cuevas 2003: 4647, 5657.

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A CASE STUDY OF A NANG GI RNAM THAR

Intermediate State of Reality was more familiar in the Rdzogs chen literature. Here is an excerpt of that part:55
Then, when external breathing has ceased, the following should be said: You with such and such a name, at this point when [your] external breathing has

ceased, the appearances of this life has come to an end, [but] the inner breath

not yet arisen, an awarenesscalled Innate Gnosis, Luminous Mahmudr, characterised by clarity and emptiness and similar to the orb of clear sky have entered the Avadhti (i.e. the Central Channel). Please recognise this! would emerge nakedly and vividly once the energy winds and mind (rlung sems) Furthermore, for those who have practised the path, the mother[-like] and child[-like] luminosity would meet. Also for those who have not practised the meditative absorption single-pointedly and without distraction! path, the Natural Luminosity would emerge. Thus, abide in [the state of] Moreover, abide clearly and vividly in the non-conceptual state of the

has not yet ceased and the appearances of the intermediate state (bar do) have

without; empty [when] observed from within; free from manifoldness [when]

indeterminate true nature (gshis), which is [found] empty [when] observed from

Rnam thar, 17ab: de nas phyi dbugs chad pai tshe di skad brjod par bya ste | ming di zhes bya ba khyed phyi dbugs chad | tshe dii snang ba gags | nang dbugs ma chad | bar doi snang pa (sic) ma shar bai dus dir | rlung sems dbu mar tshud pas | lhan cig skyes pai ye shes od gsal phyag rgya chen po zhes bya ba | shes pa gsal stong nam (17b) mkha dangs pai dkyil lta bu cig rjen lhang byung pas | de ngo shes par mdzod | de ang lam nyams su blangs pa rnams la od gsal ma bu phrod cing | lam nyams su ma blangs pa rnams la ang rang bzhin gyi od gsal char bas | ma yengs pa rtse cig [= gcig] tu mnyam par zhog mdzod | de ang phyi ltas stongs [= stong] | nang ltas stong | phyi bltas [= ltas] spros pa dang bral | nang ltas spros pa dang bral | kha dog dbyibs su ma grub | dngos po dang mtshan mar ma zhen | skye gag [= gags] gnas gsum gyis stong zhing | bshis ci yang ma yin pa la | blos cir yang mi dzin par | rtog med kyi ngang la gsal sing nge zhog mdzod | zhes brjod do ||. I am
55

indebted to Professor Per Kvaerne for kindly discussing with me this difficult part of the text.

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observed from without; free from manifoldness [when] observed from within; and devoid of the three [processes of] arising, ceasing, and abidingwithout grasping to anything [in any way].

devoid of colour and shape; detached from entities and [their] characteristics;

4. Conclusion Through centuries Tibetan culture received a very sizable contribution from neighbour countries. In particular, Tibet welcomed Buddhist teachings, especially from India and, to a lesser degree, China. In all these countries, the literary genre of life-stories plays a very important role. In Tibet it has been used not only to give ordinary people a model to follow but also to give legitimacy to schools, lineages, masters, and so on. Some years ago, James Robinson proposed three ways to read a siddhas life story: as history, as hagiography, as myth.56 Thus considering the significance of rnam thars, they should certainly be more studied in each and every aspect.

It is instead an attempt to put emphasis on a very little known subject. My will Mahmudr and bar do practices and teachings contained in Kun spangs pa

This paper does not claim to be an exhaustive study on nang gi rnam thar.

was to present the examples of the creation of the Circle of Protection, Chos kyi rin chens rnam thar, with the final aim of underlining the

particularity of the inner biographies. It is my hope that a systematic study of

nang gi rnam thars could contribute to expand further our knowledge of

Tibetan literature.

56

See Robinson 1996: 61.

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A CASE STUDY OF A NANG GI RNAM THAR

OF KUN SPANGS CHOS KYI RIN CHENS RNAM THAR - title (f. 1a) - homages to the masters of his lineage (ff. 1b6b) - benediction (ff. 6b8b) - creation of the circle of protection (ff. 8b10a) - maala (ff. 10a11b) - mahmudr songs (ff. 11b13b) - bar do teachings based on Yang dgon pas instructions (ff. 15a22b) APPENDIX B: AN OUTLINE OF THE CONTENT OF THE

APPENDIX A: AN OUTLINE OF THE CONTENT

- prayer on bar do (ff. 13b14b)

DKAR CHAG OF KUN SPANGS CHOS KYI RIN CHENS GSUNG BUM
- title (f. 1a)

- homages (ff. 1b2b)

- magalcaraa (f. 1b)

- cosmogony of the world (f. 2b) - origin of mankind in Tibet (f. 2b) - life of Buddha kyamuni (ff. 2b3a) - history of the arrival of Buddhism in Tibet (f. 3a) - spread of Buddhism in Tibet and mention of Rgod tshang pa and Spyil dkar - homage to the gsung bums sponsor, Ngag dbang Kun dga rgyal mtshan, - index of the gsung bum of Kun spangs Chos kyi rin chen (f. 4b) - homages to the sponsors, and to Chos kyi rin chen (f. 5a) - magalcaraa (f. 5a) - place and date of writing (f. 5a) 429 - reference to the dkar chags author (f. 5a) and his family (ff. 3b4b) ba (f. 3ab)

MICHELA CLEMENTE

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1. Tibetan Sources DZMD = Rdo dmar zhabs drung Mi gyur rdo rje. Collected Works (Gsung thor bu)

of Rdo dmar zhabs drung Mi gyur rdo rje. Delhi: Chopel Legden, 1979.

KGSPCM = Bka brgyud gser phreng chen mo. Biographies of Eminent Gurus in the 1. Reproduced from the manuscript Collections of Gra sku zhabs Bstan dzin nor bu. Dehradun: Gyaltsen Ngawang & Lungtok Ngawang, 1970.

Transmission Lineage of Teachings of the Ba ra dkar brgyud pa Sect. Vol.

Kun spangs Chos kyi rin chen. Collected Works of Kun spangs Chos kyi rin chen. [Manuscript kept in the Tucci Tibetan Fund at the IsIAO Library (vol. 306) dated to the 17th Century]. 2. Secondary Sources Almogi, O. 2005. Analysing Tibetan titles: Towards a genre-based classification of Tibetan literature. Cahiers dExtrme Asie 15 Conception et circulation des

textes tibtains, ed. by F. Jagou, 2758.

& Phillips Ltd.

Aris, M. 1979. Bhutan. The Early History of a Himalayan Kingdom. Warminster: Aris Cabezn, J.I. 2001. Authorship and literary production in classical Buddhist Tibet. In G. Newland (ed.) Changing Minds. Contributions to the Study of Buddhism

and Tibet in Honour of Jeffrey Hopkins. Ithaca: Snow Lion, 23363.

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