As emanations of the Wisdom Buddha, every incarnation that arose before Dorje Shugden manifested was a fully Enlightened Being. Each incarnation contributed greatly towards the growth of Dharma throughout the Buddhist world. Dorje Shugden’s lineage of incarnations includes past great Mahasiddhas (highly attained practitioners), renowned Buddhist scholars, monastics of high moral discipline and outstanding Dharma teachers.

Manjushri

• Dorje Shugden is an emanation of Manjushri, the Buddha of Wisdom.
• Manjushri emanated during the time of Buddha Shakyamuni as one of Shakyamuni’s direct disciples.
• Manjushri had already achieved full Enlightenment in a previous age, long before the time of Buddha Shakyamuni.
• In the Sutra Revealing the Abode of Manjushri, Buddha explains how Manjushri manifests countless emanations to help sentient beings.

Mahasiddha Biwapa

• Manjushri manifested rebirth as the Indian Mahasiddha Birwapa.
• During the day, he studied and meditated on the Sutra teachings and during the night, he engaged in highly advanced practices.
• Whenever he did his prayers, Buddhas like Nairatmya and celestial beings with whom he had a particularly strong karmic connection would come to his room to participate in the ritual feast.
• In Nalanda Monastery where he studied, the monks nicknamed him “Birwapa” which means bad man” because they saw the celestial beings in his room as ordinary women, and believed that he was breaking his ordination vows and bringing bad reputation to the monastery.
• Due to Birwapa’s extraordinary deeds, many people developed faith in him and in the Buddhist teachings. In this way, he led many people onto a spiritual path.

Sakya Pandita

• Birwapa later incarnated in western Tibet as the great Lama of the Sakya tradition, Sachen Kunga Gyeltsen, more commonly known as Sakya Pandita.
• He was very special even as a young child. Once, he dreamt that the great Indian Pandit Vasubandhu gave him teachings on his text Treasury of Phenomenology. When he awoke, he had memorized the entire text, which was almost 50 pages long.
• Sakya Pandita’s name spread far and wide, reaching even to the Chinese Emperor who developed deep faith in him and the Buddhadharma.

Butön Rinchen Drub

• Sakya Pandita took rebirth as Buton Rinchen Drub in western Tibet.
• When Buton was a child, he could converse with Manjushri and displayed attainment of compassion and Bodhicitta in his speech and action.
• In this life, he focused mainly on teaching and writing. He translated many scriptures from Sanskrit into Tibetan and wrote 26 volumes of commentaries on Dharma practice (Kangyur – the spoken words of the Buddha, and Tangyur – the commentaries of Buddhist teachings)
• Buton Rinchen Drub and Sakya Pandita both showed practitioners how to meditate correctly and practice effectively to develop great wisdom and concentration

Duldzin Drakpa Gyeltsen

• Buton Rinchen Drub was later reborn in central Tibet as Duldzin Drakpa Gyeltsen, who became one of Lama Tsongkhapa’s principal disciples.
• Duldzin Drakpa Gyeltsen’s main activity was to help the teachings of Lama Tsongkhapa to flourish.
• He oversaw the full building of Ganden Monastery, the first and most prominent monastery of the Gelug school of Buddhism.
• He was especially famed for his pure morality and for upholding his vows very purely. His very name, “Duldzin“, means “Holder of the Vinaya”
• Lama Tsongkhapa’s disciples believed that Duldzin Drakpa Gyeltsen and Lama Tsongkhapa were equal in terms of their realizations, abilities, and wisdom. The position of Ganden Tripa – representing Tsongkhapa on earth, after his passing – was offered first to Duldzin. However, Duldzin declined the honour and offered it to Gyaltsab Je, choosing instead to devote his life to protecting and spreading Lama Tsongkhapa’s teachings.
• It was with this commitment and devotion to the Dharma that Duldzin first made a promise to arise as a Dharma Protector specially to protect the Middle View of Nagarjuna, as taught by Lama Tsongkhapa.

Panchen Sonam Drakpa

• Duldzin Drakpa Gyeltsen was later reborn in central Tibet as Panchen Sonam Drakpa. Like Duldzin, he devoted his whole life to making Lama Tsongkhapa’s lineage and teachings flourish everywhere.
• This Lama is unique in that he is the only person who has ever become the Abbot of all three main Gelug monasteries – Ganden, Sera and Drepung. He was also the Abbot of Gyuto Tantric College and became the 15th Ganden Tripa.
• Panchen Sonam Drakpa wrote many commentaries to both Sutra and Tantra. To this day at Drepung Loseling, the largest Gelugpa monastery, as well as at Ganden Shartse, monks qualify for their Geshe degrees by relying principally upon the scriptures of this great teacher.

Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen

• Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen lived in Drepung Monastery during the time of the 5th Dalai Lama. They were both disciples of the 4th Panchen Lama, Losang Chokyi Gyeltsen. Their affinity goes back to the time when Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen, in his previous incarnation as Panchen Sonam Drakpa, was the Spiritual Guide to the 3rd Dalai Lama.
• Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen was so highly attained that Tibetan, Mongolian and Chinese nobility and royalty would travel immense distances just to make offerings and request teachings from him. His attainments were often likened to those of the Dalai Lama himself.
• It was in this lifetime that Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen fulfilled his promise to become a Dharma Protector and arose as Dorje Shugden.

Bearer of the Wisdom Sword

Dorje Shugden is a sublime emanation of Venerable Manjushri, Buddha of Wisdom. Highly attained masters like Mahasiddha Tagphu Pemavajra, Kyabje Pabongkha Rinpoche and Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche have mentioned this in their teachings and written works.

Venerable Manjushri’s name is a combination of ‘Manju’, which means gentle and ‘Shri’, which means brilliance. Therefore Manjushri literally means ‘Gentle Brilliance’.

Manjushri is really a fully enlightened being and has manifested as the Bodhisattva student of Buddha Shakyamuni. In the Sutra Revealing the Abode of Manjushri, Buddha explains that in the remote past, Manjushri attained full Enlightenment in his pure land as a Buddha called Tathagata Lamp of the Nagas. In the same Sutra, Buddha also describes how Manjushri manifests countless emanations to help sentient beings in many worlds and planes of existence.

Although Manjushri appeared as a disciple of the Buddha, he had great power himself to help sentient beings. Sometimes people would come to Buddha for help and advice but Buddha would refer them to Manjushri because they had a stronger karmic link with him. Some had such a strong connection with Manjushri that through his blessings and skill, they were able to develop very powerful realizations.

Thus, Manjushri features extensively in the scriptures of the Sutra and Tantra teachings. In the form of a Yidam (meditational deity), Manjushri appears as a 16 year-old youth wearing the six ornaments of a Bodhisattva.

He carries the fiery sword of wisdom in his right hand that he brandishes against the darkness of ignorance. In his left hand, he holds the stem of a lotus that blooms with the Perfection of Wisdom scripture resting on it.

Both the sword and the scripture denote Manjushri’s ability to bestow wisdom as a means to liberate sentient beings. Thus, Dorje Shugden closely resembles Manjushri, by holding up in the air a flaming sword of wisdom.

Lord of Miracles

The earliest recognized incarnation of Dorje Shugden was born in ancient India as the famous Mahasiddha Biwawa. Mahasiddhas are spiritual practitioners (yogis) who have achieved profound spiritual realization, and are characterized by their often unconventional and outrageous behaviour and teachings.

Biwawa is among the earliest lineage-holders of the Chakrasamvara Tantra, which he achieved by diligently practicing Tantra at night in Nalanda Monastery. After practicing for a very long time without any apparent results, Biwawa had a series of nightmares which he took to be a bad omen so he threw his mala in the latrine out of sheer frustration.

He was initially very disheartened but he later had a dream of the female Buddha Nairatmya, where the nightmares were revealed to be a sign of impending spiritual attainment. He recovered his mala, purified it with incense and resumed his practice.

As Biwawa performed his practices, mysterious women would appear. Eventually the female Buddha Nairatmya appeared and gave him initiation directly. In actuality, these women were divine Dakinis who came to partake of his Tsog offerings and Tantric rituals. However, many monks saw these Dakinis as ordinary women entering his quarters and Biwawa was expelled from the monastery. He freely excepted the blame and even called himself “Bira Wapa” or ‘Goitered Hero’.

After his expulsion, Biwawa roamed the land as a disheveled yogin. At one time, he parted a river with his miraculous powers which was witnessed by some monks. The monks realised that he was actually a Mahasiddha, so monastic officials came to apologize to him and request his return to the monastery.

However, Biwawa had already taken off his robes, so he continued on his way and eventually came upon the forest of a nearby kingdom. As soon as the king heard that he was a Buddhist yogi, he ordered his arrest. Then, after he ordered the guards to bind him with chains, they attempted to drown him, bury him and subject him to many other such tortures. However, Biwawa was not harmed in any way and remained unperturbed. Eventually, the king developed tremendous faith in him and became Buddhist along with his whole kingdom.

On the way to south India, Biwawa came across a river that he wanted to cross but the boatman requested for payment. He said he didn’t have any money so he stopped the river with his miraculous powers and crossed the river on his own. The boatman developed faith in him and became one of his greatest students. He was called Dombi Heruka.

Then, Biwawa came to another kingdom and entered a local tavern. He began to drink a lot of beer and wouldn’t stop drinking so the bartender demanded that he pay for his beer. At first he refused to pay but the bartender insisted. Biwawa held his hand aloft to the sky in a threatening mudra to stop the sun and said that he would pay for the beer only when the sun set. The sun stayed in the sky for days which created much chaos and distress among the people.

Subsequently, the King came and requested that he let the sun set and there was darkness for three days. By witnessing this display of Biwawa’s extraordinary powers, the people soon developed faith in him and the entire kingdom eventually entered the Buddhist path.

Along his travels, Biwawa arrived at a place in South India where the king kept five hundred dreadlocked yogis as ritual masters to slaughter tens of thousands of livestock for blood offerings to a statue of Ishvara. Biwawa went directly to the statue and as he pointed his finger at it, the statue broke into four parts, terrifying the king and his subjects.

Then, Biwawa magically restored the statue to its original state with an image of Avalokiteshvara on its head. One of the dreadlocked yogis developed strong faith in Biwawa, became his student and was known as the famous Mahasiddha Krishnapada.

People at that time developed intense faith easily after just seeing a display of miracles. Using this method to bring many people to Dharma and to spread the teachings, Biwawa tirelessly performed many miracles which instilled strong faith in people everywhere. In this lifetime, he had countless disciples, some of whom, became powerful Mahasiddhas themselves.

Thonmi Sambhota

Architect of the Tibetan Script

The legendary Thonmi Sambhota is widely regarded as one of the earlier incarnations of Dorje Shugden. His life, although shrouded in legend, is still very much an integral part of early Tibetan history. His name is written as Thonmi or sometimes as Tumi (man from Tu), reflecting the place of his birth. Sambhota is Sanskrit and it means Tibetan (Bhota) Scholar (Sam).

Thonmi Sambhota is said to have been born to Anu, a minister to King Songtsen Gampo and was from the Thonmi clan from Central Tibet. He grew to become such an intelligent young man that the Tibetan Emperor showed him favor. In 633, he was sent on an expedition to India with seven other brilliant young Tibetans to study and research the Indian scripts in order to develop one for the Tibetan language. At that time, he was just a teenager.

The Tibetan Emperor gave the traveling party enough gold to cover their expenses throughout their stay in India, as well as some valuable gifts to be presented to the Indian King, Peljinje Bina Lhachen, according to Tibetan records. Along their journey, the expedition passed through Nepal and the Nepalese King gave them fever preventive medicines in exchange for some of the valuable gifts they had in their possession. The medicines proved to be crucial for their survival through the long trek into tropical India.

Upon arriving in India, the expedition searched far and wide before finally discovering Brahmin Lijinkara and another teacher known in Tibetan as Lha Rigpa Sengge or Devavidyasimha. With these and other teachers, Thonmi Sambhota studied language, grammar, lexicography, poetry, literature and related topics, and also philosophy for about seven years. Unfortunately, the other Tibetan youths accompanying Thonmi Sambhota to India died because of the tropical heat, according to written records and also verbal history.

Upon completing his studies, Thonmi Sambhota returned to Tibet with gifts from the Indian King to the Tibetan Emperor. He also brought with him every available treatise on Sanskrit grammar, and also many other texts from India to Tibet. These texts are said to be amongst the very first Buddhist scriptures to enter Tibet from India.

Thonmi Sambhota then commenced the great project of conceptualizing the Tibetan script at the Kukarmaru Palace in Lhasa. He was reputed to have developed the Tibetan script based on the fusion of the Devanagari and Kashmiri scripts. He was also credited with the composition of six accompanying texts that delineate Tibetan grammar, which was based on the Sanskrit equivalent. However, only two texts are extant today (Sumchupa and Takjukpa) and are still very much in use in the study of Tibetan grammar.

According to one account, Thonmi Sambhota presented his creation to Emperor Songtsen Gampo in a grand assembly that was attended by all the ministers and dignitaries. Then, he began to teach the Emperor to read and write this new script, and the intricacies of grammar. In gratitude, the Emperor bestowed on him the title Lopon Thonmi. It was said that the Emperor then retired for four years to master this new script and grammar, and subsequently engaged in many translations including twenty-one Tantric texts on Avalokiteshvara. The Emperor was also said to have composed the two large volumes of the Mani Kabum, a collection of teachings and practices revolving around Avalokiteshvara.

According to legend, Thonmi Sambhota was highly regarded and heavily rewarded for his invention. But some of his fellow ministers harbored jealousy and defamed him in the Emperor’s presence. Thonmi Sambhota eventually won them over by explaining the value of his achievement and the sufferings he had endured.

There is no record of the year of Thonmi Sambhota’s passing or the length of his life. He is said to have had at least one son called Mahasata and grandson Nyima Longsel. He had two apprentice translators and they were known as Dharmakosha or Lhalung Dorje Pel and Drenka Mulakosha. Thonmi Sambhota would eventually be counted as the fourth of the seven most trusted and wisest ministers of the Emperor Songtsen Gampo.

Trisong Detsen

The Dharma King

In 790 CE, another of the earlier incarnations of Dorje Shugden, Trisong Detsen, was born in Tibet. He was of royal blood and his parents were King Me Aktsomchen and Princess Chin Ch’eng Kun Chu. This young boy would eventually grow up to become one of the Three Great Dharma Kings of Tibet, laying the foundation for Buddhism to take root in the Tibetan plateau.

The Tibetan empire that the young Trisong Detsen inherited was in serious decline. After the glorious reign of King Songtsen Gampo, the first Dharma King of Tibet, the empire was disintegrating as Tibet lost several cities in Turkestan, Nepal became embroiled in a rebellion, and the Arabs began encroaching on the Western front of the Tibetan empire.

King Trisong Detsen initiated several successful military campaigns against Tang China and against the Arabs in the West. However, he is best remembered by later generations of Tibetan Buddhists for his great patronage of Buddhism. He invited Shantaraksita, Padmasambhava, Kamalashila and various other great Indian pandits to Tibet, thus initiating the first dissemination of Buddhism in the Land of Snows.

King Trisong Detsen, together with the Indian master Shantaraksita, also began the construction of Samye Monastery, the first Buddhist monastery on Tibetan soil. However, the project was plagued by a series of accidents. The building itself would collapse when construction reached a certain point, and the workers were afraid, believing that the accidents were caused by a demon that inhabited a nearby river. Therefore, Shantaraksita advised the King to invite Padmasambhava, a Tantric adept, to subdue these opposing supernatural forces.

The arrival of Padmasambhava and the eventual subjugation of supernatural forces ensured the completion of Samye Monastery and the diffusion of Tantra teachings in Tibet. Under King Trisong Detsen’s patronage, the very first ordination of Tibetan monks was also performed at Samye Monastery. The King also initiated an immense project to translate the vast corpus of Buddhist scriptures from Sanskrit into Classical Tibetan.

At that time, Buddhist masters and scholars from both China and India were propagating the Buddhist teachings in Tibet. Suspecting that the Chinese Chan Meditation Master Hvashang Mo-ho-yen was propagating misinterpreted teachings, King Trisong Detsen hosted a famous two-year debate from 792-794 CE, known by Western Tibetologists as the “Council of Lhasa” although it took place at Samye Monastery, which was quite a distance from Lhasa.

The great debate was between the Chinese Chan Meditation Master Hvashang Mo-ho-yen and the scholar Kamalashila, a student of Shantaraksita, and eventually became known as the debate between Chinese and Indian Buddhist traditions as they were represented in Tibet. Kamalashila represented the “gradualist approach” to enlightenment according to the Buddhist philosophy that flourished in India. Meanwhile, Mo-ho-yen represented the third dissemination of Chan Buddhism in Tibet. In the end, Kamalashila was victorious and the Chan master was banished. This marked the turning point during which Tibet shifted squarely towards India for its lineage and teachings of Buddhism.

King Trisong Detsen had five wives who bore him three sons and two daughters (the numbers varies depending on the source). Amongst his wives, Yeshe Tsogyal was the most famous for being later considered to be an emanation of Vajrayogini. She was offered to his guru, Padmasambhava, by the king and became the guru’s consort and student. King Trisong Detsen eventually retired to live at Zungkar, handing over power to his second son, Mune Tsenpo in 797 AD.

Mahasiddha Naropa

Progenitor of the Vajrayogini Lineage

In 1016 AD, one of the previous incarnations of Dorje Shugden took rebirth as a prince in Pullahari, in what would later become modern day Kashmir. He was exceptional in his maturity, wisdom and compassion, and would eventually be counted as one of the 84 great Mahasiddhas of ancient India, the Mahasiddha Naropa.

Naropa was originally known as Samantabhadra and was raised as a noble aristocrat. His father, the reigning monarch, wanted him to inherit the kingdom and rule over the people. However, by the age of eight, his inclination towards religion and higher thought became more apparent. He was very learned and was renowned as a notable scholar from a very young age.

When Naropa came of age, his parents arranged for him to be married to a girl by the name of Vimaladipe. Although they enjoyed marital bliss, he continued his spiritual pursuits to the point that even his wife became his student.

Naropa eventually left the palace in order to receive his novice vows in a monastery in Kashmir. He engaged in formal studies for three years before entering Nalanda Monastery, where he received full ordination vows and graduated at the age of 28. At that time, Nalanda was a prestigious institution of higher learning with over 500 lecturers teaching various subjects and with numerous students from all over India, Nepal, Ceylon, Indonesia, Greece and even faraway China. The educational curriculum spanned 10 years and was famed for being extremely rigorous.

Nalanda Monastery has four main entrances and near each entrance is the residence of one of the monastery’s most brilliant professors. These professors are known as Mahapandits and Naropa was said to have ascended the ranks to become one of these professors. During his tenure, he was known as Mahapandit Abhayakirti. Thus, he became very famous throughout ancient Buddhist India and acquired many students. However, everything was about to change when he had a strange encounter with an old woman.

While studying the great treatises under a banyan tree, an old woman appeared to him and asked if he understood what he was reading. Naropa replied without much thought, “Yes, of course.” The old woman then laughed hysterically and proceeded to ask if he had experienced what he was reading. Yet again, the master responded by saying, “Yes, of course.” The old woman then wept hysterically. This disturbed Naropa and he asked the old woman why she wept.

The old woman replied that she was overjoyed to hear that he understood the teachings but wept while explaining:

You have not experienced Enlightenment and so you cannot possibly really know the actual meaning. You are a scholar. And yet you mistakenly believe that intellectual comprehension equates genuine enlightened experience.

Realizing that she was correct, Naropa stopped reading his books and asked, “How can I realize enlightenment?” She responded, “My brother is the great yogi Tilopa and he can guide you on the path of direct mystical experience.” Naropa was filled with faith upon hearing Tilopa’s name.

Thus, Naropa left the monastery and became a mendicant. He chased every whisper of his Guru’s name and searched all over India. One day, he chanced upon another mendicant, whom he instinctively recognized to be his Guru, Tilopa. But Tilopa refused to accept him and rebuked and hit him with a stick instead.

However, Naropa remained steadfast and endured what is now known as the ‘twelve major and twelve lesser trials’ before Tilopa finally accepted him as a student. Each trial represented an aspect of the teachings and a method for his Guru, Tilopa, to skillfully break through his student’s pride. Naropa’s suffering while enduring those trials purified his mind to the extent that he was able to gain enlightenment swiftly, through the later instructions of his Guru.

Upon attaining enlightenment, Naropa returned to Pullahari and gave teachings to his wife, who eventually became known as the great yogini, Niguma. Some accounts claim that she was actually Naropa’s sister but regardless, a lineage of her special instructions descended and survives to this day.

Another of Naropa’s most celebrated disciples is the Tibetan master, Marpa of Lhodrak. He traveled to India in his youth in order to study and translate the teachings and on his travels down south, he stayed at Pharping for a time to acclimatize before continuing his journey into tropical India.

At Pharping, Marpa encountered two yogis who were students of Naropa. This encounter led him to seek out Naropa and become his student. Naropa bestowed on Marpa the Four Transmissions of Oral Instructions of Tilopa, and also further instructions on Dream Yoga and the Intermediate state. These collectively became known as the Six Yogas of Naropa.

Naropa was also widely known to be the progenitor of the Vajrayogini Tantric practice. After being initiated into the practice of Vajravarahi, Naropa gained a vision of Vajravarahi in the form of Vajrayogini, who initiated him into a new practice that is also based on the Cakrasamvara cycle of teachings. Hence, Vajrayogini is often called Naropa’s Dakini and this Vajrayogini lineage is known as Naro Kacho.

After entering clear light, Naropa left behind numerous students and especially the living practice of Vajrayogini and the Six Yogas of Naropa.

Ngok Lotsawa Loden Sherab

The Great Ngok Translator

In the year 1159, one of Dorje Shugden’s previous incarnations took rebirth by the shores of Lake Yardrok in Lhoka, Tibet. Born within the illustrious Ngok family, his father was Chokyab and his mother was known as Pelmo.

His uncle, Ngok Lotsawa Lekpai Sherab was one of the three main disciples of Jowo Dipamkara Atisha and it was this uncle who taught Loden Sherab single-handedly throughout the earlier part of his life. His uncle also founded Sangpu Neutog Monastery in 1073, one of the greatest seats of Buddhist learning in Tibet at that time, and this would also become Loden Sherab’s seat in his later years.

Three years later, Lotsawa Lekpai Sherab ordained the young man and gave him the name Loden Sherab. That very same year, Loden Sherab attended the most important gathering of Buddhist masters of the era, the Fire Dragon Religious Conference, that was sponsored by King Tsede, the nephew of King Jangchub Ö of the old Guge Kingdom. Great masters and translators from all over Tibet, India and Kashmir attended the conference with the purpose of facilitating better translations of the great Buddhist treatises. As one of the methods of fulfilling this objective, the young Loden Sherab was selected to travel to India in order to study Sanskrit.

Loden Sherab was believed to have secured an amount from the royal treasury for such an endeavor and travelled first to Kashmir with five other travelling companions, all of whom would later become well-known translators and amongst them, Ra Lotsawa Dorje Drak would eventually become the most famous.

While in Kashmir, the travelling companions spent most of their time in Anupama, a beautiful ancient city that is known today as Srinagar. They worked with several learned panditas there including the one known as Bhavyaraja, whom they worked with mostly on the translation of logic treatises. At that time, such treatises were part of the study and interest of all religions in Tibet and it was common for logicians from various religious traditions to engage in debates. After that, Loden Sherab went on pilgrimage to the Buddha’s seat of enlightenment at Bodhgaya despite the huge distance.

Upon his return to Tibet, Loden Sherab invited many panditas to the Land of Snows to assist in the translation of the Sanskrit treatises. It was said that in the course of his life, Loden Sherab translated over 137,000 verses and trained countless students in Buddhist philosophy, logic, and tantric practices. Such was his popularity that everytime he gave a teaching, over 20,000 students would attend and he needed up to 2,000 assistant teachers to help him. Along with his translation works, he is credited with bringing the lineage of the Dharma Protector Setrab Chen from India to Tibet.

Just before his passing, Loden Sherab told his closest disciples, Zhang Tshepongwa Chokyi Lama and Drolungpa Jungne, to remember the impermanence of the body and urged them to continue studying the Three Baskets of the Buddha’s teachings, the Tripitaka. In essence, he was forewarning them of his impending demise.

While at Mari, in the same area as Samye Monastery, Loden Sherab entered clear light. Soon after, there were reports of earth tremors and the sky was filled with rainbows, celestial lights and mystical sounds of dakinis singing. His remains were cremated in the same valley where Sangphu Monastery was located. The relics that emerged from his body were also enshrined within a stupa at the same location.

Ra Lotsawa Dorje Drak

A Yamantaka Pioneer

One of the previous lives of Dorje Shugden is the renowned lama Ra Lotsawa Dorje Drak, who was most famous for introducing the powerful Yamantaka tantras to Tibet.

This great translator was born in the year 1016 in Nyenam, at a place called Nangyul, which runs through an important Nepali-Tibetan trade route. His father was known as Raton Konchok Dorje and his mother was Dorje Peldzom. He had a special connection with Palden Lhamo and was believed to be held in her robes for two months as she travelled across Tibet to celebrate his birth. Ra Lotsawa’s father was also a Nyingma lineage holder of Yangdak Heruka and Vajrakila, which he eventually passed down to his son.

At fourteen, Ra Lotsawa made his first trip to Kathmandu, arriving in the historic city of Patan during a tumultuous period. Scholars dispute many details of his earlier life at this point of his hagiography. However, he was believed to have attended the Fire Dragon Religious Conference that convened in 1076 under the patronage of King Tsede, the nephew of the famous Jangchub Ö of the old Guge Kingdom of Western Tibet. The conference was a meeting of many great Indian and Tibetan Lamas in order to spur new and more accurate translation works.

Shortly after attending the conference, Ra Lotsawa travelled to Kashmir with five other young companions including the famous Ngok Lotsawa Loden Sherab and Nyen Lotsawa Dharma Drak. According to the Blue Annals, he was to eventually come under the tutelage of Nepalese guru Bharo Chakdum, an adept of the Vajrayogini and Yamantaka Tantric systems. Ra Lotsawa would receive both initiations on his first visit.

Ra Lotsawa also prostrated himself before Mahakaruna, a master that was in the line of Naropa’s lineage of disciples and received a number of initiations from him including Cakrasamvara and Manjushri Namasamgiti. On the same visit, he refuted the doctrine of a Shaivite master and then defeated him in the magical battle that ensued.

Upon returning to Tibet, Ra Lotsawa began to propagate the Tantric systems that he had acquired from his gurus. At that time, the buffalo-headed yidam, Yamantaka, defied the Tibetans’ preconceived notions of what a yidam should look like. Therefore, Ra Lotsawa faced much opposition from ordinary practitioners as well as high lamas, who could not believe that Yamantaka was an authentic Buddhist practice. Many of these lamas engaged Ra Lotsawa in a showdown of arcane powers.

One such lama who opposed Ra Lotsawa was Khon Sakya Lodro, a lineage holder of Yangdak Heruka and Vajrakila who accused Ra Lotsawa of propagating a non-Buddhist teaching that would lead practitioners to hell. This culminated with Ra Lotsawa killing the Sakya lama with the Yamantaka killing rite. At the same time, eyewitnesses reported seeing a vision of Yamantaka in the sky wielding the 58-deity mandala of Yangdak Heruka. This was widely interpreted to denote Yamantaka’s superiority and power. The Sakya lama’s disciples and sponsors then turned to Ra Lotsawa to be their master.

Later, Ra Lotsawa engaged in a battle of arcane powers with Langlab Jangchub Dorje, another powerful and important lineage master of Vajrakila. Ra Lotsawa originally went to pay his respects to this master but was dismissed as a non-Buddhist practitioner of arcane magic. Ra Lotsawa was initially defeated in the ensuing battle and as a result, his disciples were slain by the lama’s divine power. Soon after, Tara appeared to Ra Lotsawa, urging him to return to Nepal to seek out his lama for further instructions. After receiving the necessary teachings from Bharo Chakdum and his other gurus, Ra Lotsawa made a second trip down south, travelling all the way to Nalanda Monastery in India to seek ordination. Upon his return to Tibet, Ra Lotsawa entered another battle and emerged victorious after slaying Langlab Jangchub Dorje.

Upon hearing about Ra Lotsawa’s deeds, the famous Go Lotsawa challenged the authenticity of Ra Lotsawa’s lamas and was said to have entered a battle of psychic powers. Go Lotsawa drew on arcane rites from the Guhyasamaja Tantras in his battle with Ra Lotsawa that involved many villagers. In a display of divine wrath, Go Lotsawa was slain in the ensuing battle along with the villagers that had made false accusations against Ra Lotsawa.

According to his hagiography, Ra Lotsawa dispatched a total of thirteen lamas that challenged his lineage. Among them were translator Gyu Monlam Drakpa, the translator of the Cakrasaṃvara Samvarodaya Tantras, Go Lotsāwa Khupa Letse, the translator of the Guhyasamāja Tantras, and Marpa Chokyi Lodro’s son, Darma Dode. To ordinary view, these may appear to be assassinations but in actuality, the lamas were playing out divine roles to highlight the superiority of the Yamantaka Tantras and to eliminate the opposition that Ra Lotsawa was facing in propagating them.

Amongst his great deeds, Ra Lotsawa was known to have renovated many temples in southern Tsang and Lhato, along with Samye, Tibet’s first monastery, which was damaged by a fire in the year 986. He also sponsored numerous new translation works, the copying and recitation of sacred scriptures, and the installation of Buddha statues.

Shakya Shri Bhadra

The Kashmiri Mahapandita

In the year 1127, one of Dorje Shugden’s previous incarnations took rebirth in a Brahmin family in Dasobhara, Kashmir. Little is known of Shakya Shri Bhadra’s family except that he had a brother by the name of Buddhacandra. He was given the traditional Brahmin education of the time, studying grammar under the Brahmin Laksmidhara at the age of 10. When he turned 23, Sukhasribhadradeva bestowed upon him the novice vows and the name Subedha.

In fulfillment of a prophecy, Shakya Shri Bhadra traveled to Magadha, the heartland of ancient Buddhist India, when he was 30. There, he met and received many initiations and full ordination from Santakaragupta alongside other gurus like Dasabala and Dhavaraka. He practiced intensely and had visions of deities like Tara, Cakrasamvara and Kalachakra. He even travelled as far as Bihar in order to receive Dharma teachings.

In this manner, Shakya Shri Bhadra mastered the five sciences (language, science, logic, art and Buddhist philosophy) and established himself as a great master. He was awarded the title of Mahapandita and ascended the Abbot’s throne in Nalanda Monastery and later Vikramashila, following a long line of illustrious Abbots including Atisha over 150 years before. He was highly sought after as a teacher and would give teachings to over 12,000 monks at Odantapuri. While on pilgrimage through Bodhgaya and Varanasi, he had visions of Buddha Shakyamuni, Tara and Chenrezig.

At the turn of the twelfth century, Turkic invaders were encroaching on Eastern India over Bihar and Bengal. Eventually, the invaders overran the ancient city of Varanasi and consequently, Vikramashila Monastery was completely obliterated and the entire sangha community of Odantapuri was slaughtered mercilessly. In the onslaught of the invasion, the Mahapandita Shakya Shri Bhadra had to flee eastwards but soon returned to Bihar to continue spreading the doctrine despite the risk to his life.

Shakya Shri Bhadra was invited to Tibet by Tropu Lotsawa Rinchen Sengge when he was seventy-seven. The young translator travelled to the Chumbi Valley and when he finally met Shakya Shri Bhadra in a town called Vanesvara, he made his request. Shakya Shri Bhadra was surprised to see how young the translator was and was inclined towards remaining in India. However, he changed his mind upon hearing the young translator debate with the other panditas that accompanied Shakya Shri Bhadra. The grand old master finally arrived in Tibet in the year 1204.

Several Indian companions accompanied Shakya Shri Bhadra on his journey to Tibet. They were all great masters including the likes of Sugatasri, Jayadatta, Vibhuticandra, Danasila, Sanghasri, Candavyakaraṇa, Jivagupta, Mahabodhi and Kalacandra. Each master was an expert in the field of Madhyamaka, Prajnaparamita, Vinaya, Sanskrit Grammar, Abhidharma, logic, Maitreya’s treatises, Bodhicaryavatara and Kalacakra. Besides his companions, Shakya Shri Bhadra also brought to Tibet the relics of the Buddha that his brother, Buddhacandra, had received from a Sinhalese master. These relics were meant for a Tibetan master, Jikten Gonpo Rinchen Pel.

While in Tibet, Shakya Shri Bhadra traveled to various monastic seats to give teachings during every summer retreat including Tropu, Lemoche, Sinmori, Solnagtang, Gyangong, Nyangme, Rinchengang, Sakya, Luggudong in Shang and Purang. While at Tropu, he taught Prajnaparamita, Pratimoksa and Mahayanasutralamkara. He also taught the Mahayanasutra again at Nartang and travelled to Samye, Tsurpu, Reting and Tangpoche in order to give extensive teachings.

While he was at Samye, Shakya Shri Bhadra requested the local chieftain, Jowo Lha, for access to the Sanskrit texts within the vaults of the monastery. While going through the various texts, he was reported to have seen a Sanskrit text of the Guhyagarbha Tantra. This was taken to be an important validation for the Nyingma tradition as the text affirms the Indian source of its lineage. Shakya Shri Bhadra is also widely regarded as having validated the lineage of the Vajrakilaya practice.

During the first decade of the 13th century, the Nyingma lama Drogon Namkha Pel had invited the Kashmiri master to preside over the consecration rituals of the funerary stupa of the Nyingma lama’s late father, Nyangrel Nyima Ozer.

In his early travels through Tibet, Shakya Shri Bhadra met a young man who was travelling with funerary offerings following the passing of his father, Pelchen Opo. This young man would eventually become known as the great Sakya Pandita Kunga Gyeltsen. Shakya Shri Bhadra was said to have given him teachings on logic. From this connection, Shakya Shri Bhadra is often credited with introducing the Indian lineage of logic into the Sakya School.

Shakya Shri Bhadra also had a strange connection with the Drigung Kagyu School. It was said that Vibhuticandra, one of Shakya Shri Bhadra’s Indian attendants, was against the idea of accepting an invitation to teach at Drikung and was reprimanded by his master. The previous year, a student of Drikung requested ordination from Shakya Shri Bhadra but was refused. However, the man continued to hold on to Shakya Shri Bhadra’s robes, pleading to be accepted. In the end, Jose Nyima, one of the Tibetan attendants, had to forcibly push him aside and the ensuing scuffle left the man with a bloody nose.

Later, when Shakya Shri Bhadra propitiated Tara (which he did on a daily basis), Tara appeared to him in a vision with her back facing him. He enquired the reason for this and she replied that one of his attendants had mistreated a disciple of Nagarjuna. This anecdote supports the Drikung Kagyu claim that Jikten Gonpo was a reincarnation of Nagarjuna. Shakya Shri Bhadra was also said to have heard Nagarjuna’s name mystically emanating from a small stream near Drikung Monastery.

Over the course of his travels, Shakya Shri Bhadra had accumulated a vast amount of offerings only to donate the considerable amount solely to the construction of a large statue of Buddha Maitreya at Tropu, for which he also performed the consecration ritual. He also delivered the Buddha’s relics from his brother to Jikten Gonpo at Drikung Monastery. Throughout his travels, Shakya Shri Bhadra ordained innumerable monks into the Kashmiri Vinaya system that eventually became prevalent in the Sakya, Kagyu and later Gelug traditions.

Despite repeated requests to remain in Tibet, Shakya Shri Bhadra decided to return to Kashmir, his homeland. On the journey homewards, he spent some time in Lato with Tropu Lotsawa and offered him much gold as a parting gift. After that, he travelled to Ngari, spending the summer retreat in Purang, and finally left Tibet’s borders in 1214. Shakya Shri Bhadra spent the remainder of his life in Kashmir repairing temples, ordaining monks, and giving teachings. In 1225, he entered clear light at the age of ninety-nine and was widely believed to have reincarnated in Tibet as Buton Rinchen Drub (1290-1364).

Great Collector of the Kangyur and Tangyur

Next in the line of Dorje Shugden’s previous incarnations is the prolific scholar Butön Rinchen Drub from Zhalu Monastery. He was born in western Tibet in the same area where Tashi Lhunpo Monastery would later be built.

As a child, Butön Rinchen Drub displayed all the extraordinary behavior of a high incarnated Lama. He was particularly noted for being able to perceive the holy face of Manjushri directly and to engage in conversation with him.

As a young man, Butön Rinchen Drub learned the ancient Sanskrit language with relative ease. From the time he began his education as a very young boy, he had a string of great masters as his tutors.

At the age of 18, he took ordination from the Abbot Rinchen Senge Pel, Sri Singharatna and Master Tseme Kyebu. He had numerous other teachers who were the greatest masters and Abbots of his time, and under their tutelage, he studied and mastered the breadth and width of Sutra and Tantra, thereby establishing himself as a learned scholar.

After completing his studies, Butön Rinchen Drub began to translate sacred Sanskrit texts and correct many existing translations. Slowly, he also became well known as a Lama.

Butön Rinchen Drub embarked on the ambitious project of compiling 500 years’ worth of translated teachings into the encyclopaedic Kangyur and Tangyur collections. These comprise the spoken teachings of Lord Buddha and the written commentaries by Buddha’s spiritual heirs. He did this because many of the great Buddhist centers of learning in India were destroyed during the onslaught of the Muslim invasion.

The remaining translations and various surviving scriptures were all that was left for Buddhism to survive on in Tibet. Butön Rinchen Drub’s contribution by compiling these translations was therefore a most monumental one which helped to preserve and propagate the teachings throughout Tibet. In addition to this, Butön Rinchen Drub also composed 26 prolific volumes of commentaries in the course of his life.

His Kangyur and Tangyur collections have become well-known by all the schools of Buddhism in Tibet, and continue to serve as an excellent reference for the vast breadth of Lord Buddha’s teachings. Along with his many accomplished disciples, this is the amazing legacy Butön Rinchen Drub left behind when he passed into clear light at his home in Zhalu Monastery.