Duff Tony.condensed Chronicle by Orgyen Padma 2008 13p

8/10/2019 Duff Tony.condensed Chronicle by Orgyen Padma 2008 13p

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THE CONDENSED CHRONICLE

BY ORYGAN PADMA

BY LOTSAWA TONY DUFF

PADMA KARPO TRANSLATION COMMITTEE


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BY ORYGAN PADMA

BY LOTSAWA TONY DUFF

PADMA KARPO TRANSLATION COMMITTEE


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Copyright 2008 Tony Duff. All rights reserved. No portion of this

book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic ormechanical, including photography, recording, or by any information

storage or retrieval system or technologies now known or later

developed, without permission in writing from the publisher.

First edition 22nd December, 2006

Janson typeface with diacritical marks

Designed and created by Tony Duff

Tibetan Computer Company

http://www.tibet.dk/tcc

Produced, Printed, and Published by

Padma Karpo Translation Committee

P.O. Box 4957Kathmandu

NEPAL

Web-site and e-mail contact through:

http://www.tibet.dk/pktc

Or search Padma Karpo Translation Committee on the web.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii

The Condensed Chronicle by Orgyan Padma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13


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vii

TRANSLATORS INTRODUCTION

The text is a record of a discourse by Guru Padmasambhava given at the request

of Prince Muthri Tsenpo, one of the four sons of the dharma king of Tibet,

King Trisong Deutsen. The discourse chronicles the lives of Padmasambhava

before, present, and after. It also makes many predictions about the future.

At the end of the discourse, Padmasambhava instructs the great Lotsawa

Vairochana to write the discourse down and conceal it in the rooms at the

top of Samye Monastery. The text was revealed as a treasure by Orgyan Lingpa.

He wrote a small colophon which appears at the end of the text.

On the occassion. Padmasambhava gave his life story in a very condensed form.

He gave a much longer version on another occassion, and that full version

is called The Chronicles of Padma (padma bka thang).

This condensed version of the Chronicles is commonly used as a text for

recitation. Thrulzhig Rinpoche explained the virtues of reciting the text, which

are that it will tend to overcome obstacles and increase the general state of

auspiciousness. The more that you do it the better, of course, but Thrulzhig

Rinpoche suggested that it would be good to recite it once a month, if possible.

Orgyan Lingpa, the revealer of the text, suggests that you could treat it as you

would your yidam and recite it over and over again, and that if you did do that,

it would have great effects. Orgyan Lingpa makes the point that, if you read

this condensed version just one time but do it with the three things that are

the hallmark of the best style of reading or chantingclear pronunciation,

correct pronunciation, and pleasant-sounding intonationthen it will be just


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viii THE CONDENSED CHRONICLE

as effective as reading the full version of the Chronicles. If you do use it for

recitation, note that Orgyan Lingpas colophon is not part of the Chronicles

and is not recited with it.

I have not provided many notes to this edition. There are other books available

that have sufficient of the history surrounding Padmasambhava and his times

that you should be able to read them and thus understand all the details of

this Condensed Chronicle.

One of the unique things that identifies a revealed treasure is the use of a special

punctuation mark. Instead of the usual vertical stroke (called shay) that serves

as a break-mark in Tibetan text, a special mark called a terma-break is used;

it looks like this. Some years ago Nalanda Translation Committee was

translating revealed treasures and they discussed the work with Dilgo Khyentse

Rinpoche who was visiting at the time. One of the things that Rinpoche felt

important was that the terma-breaks should be retained, somehow, because

it is these marks that immediately and definitely indicate to the reader that

the text is a revealed treasure. Accordingly, I have kept the terma-break marks

in this translation.

The original is in Tibetan verse which makes it very useful for recitation.

However, the content is not poetry, it is prose. Therefore, the translation

is written out as prose with the terma-break marks placed according to the

verse-lines of the original. This not only fulfills the need for the terma marks

but also gives the reader a guide to the rhythm used when reciting it in theTibetan. This is a bit of an experiment, I freely admit. However, Im quite

convinced that a little experimentation is in order these days, so that we could

have prayers in our own languages that really work for us as non-native Tibetan

speakers.. Ive made the terma-break marks small enough that they do not

detractat least not too muchfrom the text.

Lotsawa Tony DuffBauddha,

THE CONDENSED CHRONICLE ix

Kathmandu,

Nepal

December 22, 2004


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BY ORGYAN PADMA

In Oddiyana language: buddha dharma sanghadhya

In English language:I take refuge always and respectfully

In the buddha, dharma, and sangha.

Padmasambhava, the being who guidesshows this biography for the beings

to be tamedand so provides protection through informed faith for the fortunate

ones.

E MA HO

Then, prince Mutri Tsanpoinvited the acharya of the tiers of three races1

and seated the acharya on a throne of five-coloured brocade nine deep,seated

the preceptor on a throne of five-coloured brocade five deepand, at the head

of the left and right rows on patterned seatsseated the three lotsawas with

Vairocana as chief. He offered many specially fine jewels,

presented many

gifts to go with his request, then politely said:

E MA HO

Great bodhisatva knowing the three times,you came into my father King

Trisong Deutsens realm. Lamp of the teachings, you came into the cannibal

lands. The Tibetan people have short lives distracted by haughtiness.

From


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10 THE CONDENSED CHRONICLE

look on continuously through the three times. Even though born in the three

bad migrations, ease can come. Although my kindness has been greatest for

Tibet, this kindness is not understood. If you can supplicate me continuously,

then even in the bad era of ten year life-span, I have the means to end

difficulties. An emanation of Maitreya called Seven Cubits will appear

and will relieve the sufferings of the unfortunate time of the bad kalpaand

once again the kalpa will go up and there will be happiness. The buddhas

faces will be seen again and again. Day in and day out there will be assistance

for Tibet. For the faithful, Padma Jungnay will always be close to hand.

My form will not see birth and death again. Prince called Mutri,

from here

on you will act for the benefit of migratorsthrough seventeen births

then

will descend into Orgyan, the land of the dakinis. Great Lotsawa Vairocana

youmust conceal this profound, holy dharma of myself, Padma

in the top

level of glorious Samye. It will be passed to a future, karmically-connected

being, he said.

I will not be staying but am leaving to tame the rakshasas. I am leaving to

enter all rakshasas into the dharma. I am leaving to arrange ease for the subjects

of Tibet. Having said that, he faced and looked to the south-west.

SAMAYA ITHI

SEAL! SEAL! SEAL!

The treasure revealer Orgyan Lingpa brought this treasure out from its treasure

place at Samye Chimpu. Hold this profound treasure of Guru Padmas life

story in your hearts, fortunate, karmically-connected beings! Reading it onetime with the three facets of clear, correct, and pleasant pronunciation will

be equivalent to reading the full Chronicle one time. For sentient beings of

degenerate times of short life and much sickness; the times of the nastiest

infectious diseases that, due to planets, nagas, and Gyalpo spirits, take or obstruct

life, and so on; the times ruled by strife because the support of the gods has

vanishedif this life story is made into a personal deity and recited one hundred

or one thousand times, the dark side will be defeated and the white side willprevail. All suddenly-appearing negative influences, obstructors, and obstacles

THE CONDENSED CHRONICLE 11

having been alleviated, may your body and life become an vajra of iron; and

in this life may any obstacles of adverse circumstances be alleviated for you

and, in future ones, may you be born in Lotus Light.


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1. One name for Samye. It is a three-tiered building with one tier built according

to the design of each of Indian, Chinese, and Tibetan cultures. The acharya of

Samye is Padmasambhava..

2. This was the first person met after Padmasambhava took miraculous birth onthe lotus.

3. One kind of problematic spirit.

4. The Tibetan says prajnapara but this is Telo Prajnabhadra, the source of the

Kagyu lineage.

5. Mon was a large area below Tibet that was very barbaric in those times; several

centuries later much of what was called Mon became modern-day Bhutan. The

last three Dzongs mentioned are in Mon.

6. The shade under an awning placed on a deck comes and stays only fleetingly

as the sun passes over head.

7. Meaning inside the family and everywhere outside, too.

8. It could be India or China because the text uses an abbreviation that means

either one. These days there are problems between Indian border towns and Nepal,

which is most likely what this refers to.given the chronology of the text.

NOTES


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PADMA KARPO TRANSLATION COMMITTEEP.O. Box 4957

KathmanduNepalhttp://www.tibet.dk/pktc

Duff Tony.condensed Chronicle by Orgyen Padma 2008 13p

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