The commentary on Mipham's Sherab Raltri entitled The Blazing Lights of the Sun and Moon. by Khenchen Palden Sherab Rinpoche INTRODUCTION [SPOKEN BY KPSR] This text, the Sherab Raltri, Sword of Prajña, by Mipham Rinpoche, summarizes many important points from the sutras and tantras. There are two important spontaneously written texts in which Mipham expresses his vision of Buddhist teaching. They are this1 Sword of Prajña of the Completely True Meaning, and2 The Precious Torch of Certainty. Many great masters say Mipham wrote five "sword" texts and five "lotus" texts, named for the scepters in the hands of Mañjushri. To reach enlightenment is the main purpose of this text, of course. But in particular, among the three prajñas, hearing, contemplating, and meditating, this text focuses on contemplation. It is an overview that tells how to contemplate thoroughly what we have studied. When the Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies was established in 1967, this was the first course in the Nyingma department. The root text was written by Mipham Rinpoche at the request of Lhagsam Tenpa Gyaltsen, a famous master in his own right. Mipham wrote a short commentary, which I studied in Tibet; but I couldn't find it or any other commentary that had been brought to India. I did have some notes that Mipham made in the text, and I used them. I started writing every day, on the blackboard, and students would copy it down. By the end of the year the whole thing was done. Every year there would be another ten or twelve students, and the same thing would happen again. Everyone thought we should publish this, but we didn't. Later, when I was in New York, some students wrote and asked if it could be printed, and if anything would need to be changed. When I went back to Nepal, I made some corrections and edited the text with the help of some students there. Then the Tibetan version was printed. Guru Rinpoche wrote a famous commentary on the Mañjushri-nama-sa.mgiti, called the3 Blazing Lights of the Sun and Moon. That seemed auspicious, so I adopted the title for this commentary. INTRODUCTION BY KHENPO TSEWANG DONGYAL RINPOCHE Unsurpassably great and glorious former teacher, Supremely kind crown jewel of the learned and accomplished, Jetsun Mañjushri emanating in human form, Known as Jamgon Mipham Chokle Namgyal Gyamtso, Supreme in glory and goodness, producing a hundred and eight Commentaries setting forth the intended meaning Of the sutras and tantras of the Victorious One. This treatise teaches without error the vast and profound piths of the mahayana sutras and tantras. The subject expressed is the two truths. It is expressed in terms of the four correct reasonings. The fruition is the great treasure of the eight confidences. That is the way in which this great text was composed. This treatise, the Sword of Prajña of the Completely True Meaning is one of four very famous commentaries. It is supreme among commentaries that explain without error difficult points of words and their meanings. This commentary on the Sherab Raltri4 is entitled the Blazing Lights of the Sun and Moon. These days the precious teachings of the Buddha in general have been harmed and diminished, particularly in Tibet, the Land of Snow, by the army of the red Chinese. In this situation, 1 replenishing the blaze of the former teachings from the remaining embers was supremely kind. Born in Riwoche in Khams he indisputably went to the heights level of learning, discipline, and nobility. Born and remaining a glorious lord of the teachings and beings, This is Khenchen Palden Sherab, glorious, good, and excellent. It was he who composed this. In 1976, in Varanasi, when the Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies was established, this text was presented to students at the institute as lectures about Khen Rinpoche's own Nyingma tradition. As no commentary on it had reached India, Khen Rinpoche, with supreme compassion for those under his care, newly composed this one. Until now, it remained as an active course, and so it could not be requested that it be published. Now after 13 auspicious presentations of those lectures, Khen Rinpoche has responded to new requests to publish it, from the country of America. Greatly moved by these requests and the approach of this supreme occasion, he gave the order to print this, and the pure requests of those sitting at his feet were accomplished. After thirteen times sending a lamp to beings, in the 2530th year of the teacher's passing in his sthavira-aspect, in the seventh tibetan month, tenth day, by these requests that this be printed, auspiciousness increased. This introduction was written by the chief of the many who were formerly benefitted, the khenpo's brother Tsewang Dongyal Rinpoche. May there be a connection to the vidyadharas. Dge'o Dge'o PRAISE TO MañjuSHRI DORJE NÖNPO, VAJRA SHARPNESS. Namo shri Vajrapadmatikshnaye. PRAISE TO BUDDHA SHAKYAMUNI In the wind-chariot of the two accumulations, excellently leading the four forces5 of the army of the ten powers6, You overcome the warfare of the gods of desire7 and their host is overcome; While with the sharp fangs and claws of the four fearlessnesses8, you drink from the skulls of vicious feuding elephants9, the eternalists and nihilists. Knowing the nature and extent of dharmas10, having removed the darkness of the two obscurations from the place of snow-mountains,11 by your generosity there are the two yogic disciplines.12 In the center of the wheel of 11213 spokes you, the supremely exalted lion of men, Siddartha, bestow auspicious fortune.14 Blazing with the deathless splendor of a thousand radiant marks,15 Liberated16 from a lotus blossom in the middle of a lake, You are the nirmanakaya who overcomes the phenomenal world,17 My beautiful crown-ornament until the heart of enlightenment. REQUEST BY MIPHAM TO MAÑJUSHRI18 A hundred devotional petals crown the lotus anthers of teaching.19 Dharma Lord,20 I always offer you reverent homage.21 You who are the ever-youthful lion of speech, Bestow on these beings shining intelligence, filling the sky. PRAISE TO SARASVATI OR TARA22 In the expansive lotus-garden of speech of all the conquerors, With 100,000 melodious blooms of holy Dharma, You are a singing swan23 that shines as bright as moonlight. May you now enjoy the vast lake of my mind SUPPLICATION TO THE VIDYADHARAS OF THE THREE LINEAGES The secret streams of truth of the three collections of tantra24 By a gulp of analysis swallowed into the belly of intellect.25 Are regurgitated as excellent teaching, as with Agastya.26 I praise a hundred times the former rigdzins and rishis. 2 PRAISE TO LONGCHENPA At the council of well-written teachings, the sagely teacher, In a bowing throng of attendant-ministers27 unbiased in learning, On his elephant vehicle,28 which is the great perfection, Surveying all like Indra, with a thousand different eyes,29 Confidently manifesting the hundred pointed vajra30 Whose prongs are the points of teaching, debate, and composition, Wearing a crown that is set with gems of many traditions, The incomparable lord of learning who is known as Longchenpa, Is renowned as a king of the gods of a kind not seen before His fame surpasses even that of the lord of the world.31 PRAISE TO MIPHAM A thousand elephants of vicious self-serving contention, Arrogant, with no gentle thoughts of any kind, You overcome and have no thought of enduring them, The lion of speakers, with far-reaching laughter of proper reason, Is the victorious one called Mipham Chokle Namgyal. MIPHAM'S PRAISE TO HIS GURUS By the sharp vajra-weapon of scripture and proper reason, Opponent asuras' arrogant power32 is overcome. Gracious one who sees the excellent path of truth, Prevail among spiritual friends like Indra among the gods. After these poetic expressions of homage, like beautiful white lotus petals strewn to welcome a teacher, now there is this terma-prophesy by the tamer of beings Sangngag Lingpa:33 An emanation named Mipham of the great translator Nub An especially noble master of mind-terma will arise. Also here is a terma-prophesy manifested by the power of the great tertön Tatung Dudjom Trolö34: By Mipham Gyamtso the host of extremes will be transformed. The conqueror of all the doctrines of wrong view, Will make the radiant secret mantra clear as day. In accord with these and 35 the vajra prophesies of Padmasambhava, the second buddha of Uddiyana and others, you the omniscient intrinsic form, the supremely excellent omniscient embodied essence of all the victorious ones of mantrayana, the lion of vajra teachers, appear in the form of a spiritual friend. Mastering the eight great treasures of confidence36 and the four discriminating knowledges,37 you are an authority on ordinary and extraordinary fields of knowledge, beyond the scope of thought. In particular, revealing in an extraordinary way the well-taught word of the Sugata, the profound and vast intentions of the sutras and tantras, uniquely analyzing without depending on others38, you, the jetsun inseparable from Mañjushri, are truly omniscient and great in vision, a learned and accomplished master. You, the jetsun guru who possesses objectless compassion, whose very name is so awesome that we hesitate to utter it39, are famed as Mipham Jamyang Namgyal Gyamtso or Jampel Gyepe Dorje throughout the three worlds.40 The completely certain truth formerly well-taught by you in this Sherab Raltri is what I shall explain. The explanation has three parts.41 These are the name or title, the main part of the teaching so entitled, and the final conclusion.