Dhongthog Rinpoche Tenpai ince its 1976 publication Gyaltsen (1933–2015), who went in Tibetan, Dhongthog Rin- by the name T. G. Dhong thog, was The Spoche’s history of the Sakya a preeminent scholar of the Sakya school of Tibetan Buddhism has school of Tibetan Buddhism. He The Sakya School been a key reference for specialists in Sakya Sakya trained in eastern Tibet in Derge Tibetan studies. Now English read- under Jamyang Khyentse Chokyi of Tibetan Buddhism ers can consult it as well through Lodro and was the head teacher of Sam van Schaik’s authoritative, fully Dhongthog Monastery in Garze. Buddhism Tibetan ofSchool A History annotated, and accessible translation. Following the Chinese occupation The book begins by examining of Tibet, Rinpoche left in 1957 for the development of Buddhism in India, where he preserved Tibetan India and Tibet, setting the scene culture and continued his scholar- for the Khon family’s establishment ship at Tibet House in New Delhi. of the Sakya school in the eleventh In 1979, he moved to Seattle and century. Rinpoche subsequently pro- worked closely with the nonsec- vides accounts of the transmission of tarian savant Dezhung Rinpoche the Lamdre (the heart of Sakya con- and founded the Sapan Institute to templative practice and other major support his scholarly and publish- streams of esoteric instruction) and ing activities. The most well known the Ngor and Tsar branches of the among his numerous works are his Sakya tradition. Highlights also English-Tibetan dictionary (1988) include surveys of great Sakya and and his unique history of the Sakya nonsectarian masters such as Rong- school (1976). Married with three tonpa, Gorampa, Jamyang Khyen- children, he passed away in Seattle tse Wangpo, and Khyentse Chokyi A History on January 13, 2015. Dhongthog Rinpoche Lodro. This traditional history, com- Dhongthog piled both from earlier histories and Sam van Schaik received his Rinpoche from the author’s direct connection PhD in Tibetan Buddhist literature to masters of the tradition, is an from the University of Manchester, enormously valuable resource for the England. He currently works at the study of Tibetan Buddhism. British Library in London, research- ing early Buddhist manuscripts and the history of Tibet and Central Asia. He is the author of several TIBETAN BUDDHISM books, including Tibet: A History and ISBN 978- 1- 61429- 252- 4 US $39.95 | CAN $53.95 Translated by Sam van Schaik Approaching the Great Perfection. Z The Sakya School of Tibetan Buddhism Dhongthog Rinpoche The Sakya School of Tibetan Buddhism !w! A History Dhongthog Rinpoche Translated by Sam van Schaik Wisdom Publications 199 Elm Street Somerville, MA 02144 USA wisdompubs.org © 2016 Sam van Schaik All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photography, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system or technologies now known or later developed, without permission in writing from the publisher. Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data Names: Dhongthog, T. G., 1933–2015, author. | Van Schaik, Sam, translator. Title: The Sakya school of Tibetan Buddhism : a history / Dhongthog Rinpoche ; Translated by Sam van Schaik. Other titles: Byang phyogs Thub pa’i rgyal tshab Dpal ldan Sa-skya-pa’i bstan pa rin po che ji ltar byung ba’i lo rgyus rab ’byams zhing du snyan pa’i sgra dbyangs zhes bya ba bzhugs so. English Description: Somerville, MA : Wisdom Publications, 2016. | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2015037521| ISBN 1614292523 (hardcover : alk. paper) | ISBN 1614292671 (ebook) Subjects: LCSH: Sa-skya-pa (Sect—History. Classification: LCC BQ7672.2 .D4813 2016 | DDC 294.3/92309—dc23 LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015037521 ISBN 978- 1- 61429- 252- 4 ebook ISBN 978- 1- 61429- 267- 8 20 19 18 17 16 5 4 3 2 1 Cover and interior design by Gopa & Ted2. Set in Diacritical Garamond Pro 11/14.1. Frontispiece photo by Kurt Smith. Author photo of Dhongthog Rinpoche by Kurt Smith. Author photo of Sam van Schaik by Imre Galambos. Contents Foreword to the Translation by Lama Jampa Thaye vii Translator’s Introduction 1 Sweet Harmonies for Infinite Realms: The History of the Precious Teachings of the Glorious Sakyapas, the Regents of the Sage in the North Foreword by His Holiness Sakya Trizin 7 Author’s Preface 9 1. The Dharma in India and Tibet 13 2. The Sakya Family Lineage 53 3. The Lamdre 77 4. The Thirteen Golden Dharmas and the Protectors 107 5. The Ngor Tradition 125 6. Biographies of Great Scholars 135 7. The Tsar Tradition 159 8. The Essential Sakya Teachings 171 9. Masters of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries 183 10. Conclusion 219 Notes 235 Bibliography 259 Index 273 About the Author 313 Publisher’s Acknowledgment The publisher gratefully acknowledges the generous contribution of the Hershey Family Foundation toward the publication of this book. Foreword to the Translation by Lama Jampa Thaye It is with great pleasure that I introduce this fine English trans- lation of the History of the Sakya Tradition composed in 1976 by the emi- nent Tibetan scholar Dhongthog Rinpoche. Until now only brief accounts of this tradition, such as that authored by the late Chogye Trichen, have appeared in English. Now Dhongthog Rinpoche has presented Sakya his- tory in its full richness and glory. The present work commences with an examination of the development of Buddhism in India and Tibet, setting the scene for the establishment in the eleventh century of the Sakya school by the precious Khon family. Subsequently, Dhongthog Rinpoche provides magisterial accounts of the transmission of the Lamdre, the very heart of Sakya contemplative prac- tice, and other major streams of esoteric instruction such as the Thirteen Golden Dharmas and the ritual cycles of the “greater” and “lesser” Dharma protectors. As well as supplying accounts of the Ngor and Tsar branches of the Sakya tradition, Dhongthog Rinpoche’s history contains important material on the great Sakya masters such as Rongtongpa and Gorampa, who made an invaluable contribution to religious and intellectual life in Tibet and whose work is just beginning to be appreciated in the West. Fittingly the history concludes with a survey of the great Sakya and nonsectarian masters Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo and Khyentse Chokyi Lodro, whose labors did so much to ensure the continuing vitality of the Sakya tradition. With this work Dhongthog Rinpoche has performed a great service to all who cherish the Sakya tradition in particular and Buddhism in general. It will be hard to surpass his achievement. I would also like to congratulate Dr. van Schaik for his splendid translation and pray that it may contribute to the flourishing of our tradition in these modern times. Translator’s Introduction When Dhongthog Rinpoche completed his history of the Sakya school in 1976, he was living in New Delhi, India. He was born in 1933 in the eastern region of Tibet known as Kham, in the Trehor region, which is in the present- day Garze (Kardze) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in China. He was identified as the fifth in the tulku lineage of Dhongthog Monastery and given the religious name Tenpai Gyaltsen, “Victory Ban- ner of the Teachings.” Outside of Tibet he has often used a Westernized form of his name: T. G. Dhongthog. He studied under many teachers but counted two—Ngawang Lodro Zhenpen Nyingpo (Khenchen Dampa) and Dzongsar Khyentse Jamyang Chokyi Lodro—as his main teachers, studying for three years at Dzongsar Monastery under the latter. However, due the deterioration of the situation in eastern Tibet under the rule of the Chinese Communist Party, he chose to leave for India in 1957. While living in New Delhi, Dhongthog Rinpoche played several dif- ferent roles in the Tibetan exile community, often involved with the pres- ervation of Tibetan culture. For example, he worked closely with Lokesh Chandra, copying by hand texts that had been brought out of Tibet for new editions published in India. He also worked as the librarian of Tibet House in New Delhi, during which time he wrote several works, including the present history. Then in 1979 he accepted an invitation from Dagchen Rinpoche, the head of the Puntsog Palace of the Sakya family lineage, who was resident in Seattle with his family. In Seattle Dhongthog Rinpoche established the Sapan Center, named after the great scholar Sakya Paṇḍita, as a base for his activities. He con- tinued to write and worked closely with Dezhung Rinpoche before the latter’s death in 1987. The works written during Dhongthog Rinpoche’s time in Seattle attest to his wide learning in many areas of Tibetan culture, including history, biography, grammar, and astrology, as well as Buddhist 2 The Sakya School of Tibetan Buddhism teachings transmitted in the Sakya lineage. His publications in English include The New Light English- Tibetan Dictionary (1988) and The Earth- Shaking Thunder of the True Word (2000). The latter, a translation of his Tibetan text of 1996, is one of several polemical works he had written in the debate surrounding the deity Dorje Shugden, supporting the position of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama that practices focusing on this deity are illegitimate and harmful to Buddhism. Other recent works included a Tibetan trans- lation of the English biography of Dezhung Rinpoche written by David Jackson and published by Wisdom. Dhongthog Rinpoche passed away in January 2015 at his home in Seattle. Dhongthog Rinpoche’s history of the Sakya school—the full title of which is Sweet Harmonies for Infinite Realms: The History of the Precious Teachings of the Glorious Sakyapas, the Regents of the Sage in the North (Byang phyogs thub pa’i rgyal tshab dpal ldan sa skya pa’i bstan pa rin po che ji ltar byung ba’i lo rgyus rab ’byams zhing du snyan pa’i sgra dbyangs)—is the only work of its kind, giving an overview of the whole history of the Sakya school and the wealth of ritual and meditative traditions of Vajrayāna Buddhism that have been passed down through generations of scholars and practitioners.