a brief oral commentary by Kyabje Kunzang Dorje Rinpoche Ever since the time of the meeting of the three

masters, Khenpo Shatarakshita, Lopon Pa masambhava an the Dharma King, !rison Detsen in "th century !ibet, there #ere t#o ivisions of sangha, kno#n as the sangha of monastics #ith shaven$hea s an the saffron robes %rab byung ngur smig gi s e& an the sangha of ngakpas #ith #hite clothes an long, plaite hair %gos kar lcang lo'( s e&) (n the upper an lo#er regions of Kham, these ngakpas are kno#n as *amnyes' %a myes&) (n the istrict of +gari, they are calle *jopas' %jo pa& an in provinces such as , an !sang, they are calle *ngakchangs' %sngags *chang&) (n -hutan, Sikkhim an other bor ering king oms, these practitioners are kno#n as *serkhyimpas)' !he sovereignty of both sanghas #as e.ual uring the reign of the Dharma King !risong Detsen %/01$"2"&) !his is clearly in icate in historical accounts) 3oreover, uring the reign of King Ralpachen %"45$"56&, the monarch #eave silk into t#o en s of his matte hair as a sublime object of offering an re.ueste that both sanghas sit an #alk back an forth upon it) !his appears in all of the reliable sources of monarchy annals)(n these historical accounts, t here #ere four ifferent jopa practitioners #ho #orke to reverse a verse con itions for the Dharma kings of !o 7uge an 7ungthang) Similarly, in lo#er +angchen an Dege, it is kno#n that there #ere four ifferent great lamas at the center of the region, four ministers in the mi le of the region an four amnyes in the lo# part of the valley, #orking for the Dharma Kings) !hese ngakpas performe the three esoteric * o' rituals in places #here earth an sky form a triangular shape like a ham khung) 8hen there are many in ications that

obstructing forces such as go s an emons are hin ering the practice of those in a particular place, then yogis #ith sharpness, s#iftness an the ability to enact #rathful activity are e9tremely beneficial) (n :entral !ibet, uring the reign of Drogon :hogyel Phakpa %4;52$4;"1&, it is sai that there #ere four great ngakpas in the four irections of Drogon !sang) (n the time of the 7reat 2th Dalai Lama %464/$46";&, there #ere also four ngakchangs #ho controlle the four irections of serkhang) !hese ngakpas performe healing an obstacles reversing ceremonies, rituals that #ere performe by ngakpas only) <urthermore, it is ngakpas #ho #oul presi e over the activity rituals relate to the seven types of transgressors %nyams pa b un& inclu ing beings #ho contra ict the -u ha's teachings, beings #ho have broken their samaya commitments, enemies of the !hree =e#els, Personal enemies of the teacher, the ten enemies to be estroye an antagonistic protector beings) !hrough the activities of estruction, the rituals of suppression, burning an thro#ing, the violators' form an aggregates are completely annihilate an re uce to particles of ust, so that not even so much as their name remains) !hen, their consciousnesses are liberate into the harma hatu) %!he >ctivity of Suppression?& !he offen ing enemies an hin rances are first comman e an invoke but the po#er of the !hree !ruths) @nce summone , they are boun through mu ra an then force nine levels un ergroun , unable to re$ emerge) %!he >ctivity of -urning?& (n the same #ay, the hin rance being is summone through the po#er of the truth an boun by mu ra) !hen, they are estroye through the metho of 3e Lha) %!he >ctivity of !hro#ing?& >lternatively, after they have been summone an boun , their forms are boun to the torma effigy, #hich is then thro#n) !he metho use to estroy rea e foes of the -u hist

octrine, Dharma people an especially, beings that threaten the Lama, is great compassion) !his is accomplishe by joining skillful activity #ith the three aspects of clear visualization) !hrough these #rathful activities, the continuum of un#holesome karma is cut through an the offen ing being is places in a state of permanent bliss) +gakpas are kno#n for these three metho s of suppressing, burning an thro#ing? these are their primary aily activities) !he 3agical 8eapon >ctivities !he magical #eapon activities of reversal can be classifie into ivisions of nine types of reversal, seven reversals, one reversal an so forth) !he nine magical #eapons of reversal inclu e the mantra #eapon %thunn zor&, the stone #eapon %r o zor&, the bloo #eapon %khrak zor&, phung zor, the thorn #eapon %tsher zor&, the #hite mustar see #eapon %yung zor&, the arro# #eapon %m a zor&, the torma #eapon %gtor zor& an the poison #eapon %gug zor&) !here is one magical #eapon that is sufficient for all purposes A the horn of #rathful revelry %kro bo rol ba'( r#a zor&) !his horn shoul be the right horn of a rong, or the right horn of a yak from the southern !ibetan jungle, *Kyilgyi Sin)' (f one cannot obtain such a shorn, one may use the right horn of an or inary yak, the right horn of a zo, or the right horn of an o9) >ccor ing to the teachings of the (nner !antras, one fills the horn #ith poisonsBB, bloo an a variety of other sorcery substances an then the substances are thro#n) !here are t#o types of bloo ? poisonous bloo an mi9e bloo ) Poisonous bloo is a mi9ture of three black poisons? tsen uk nakpo, tharnu nakpa an bong#a chen nakpo) it is best if one can obtain all three) (f all three cannot be ac.uire , it is necessary to have at least one of them) !hese poisons gro# in rocky ravines, gorges an other places that are not reache by the sun's rays) 3i9e bloo inclu es the heart$bloo of a #arrior kille in han $to$han combat) (f this cannot be obtaine , one must ac.uire the heart bloo of a person #ho has been kille by

one of three things A an arro#, knife or spear) !his combine #ith the mi9ture of three poisons is calle mi9e bloo ) !his is nee e for effigy rituals an the magical #eapon activities of the horn) (n any case, it is absolutely necessary that those #ho perform these activities manifest signs of accomplishment of the approach, accomplishment an activity stages of the !hree Roots sa hana) @ne must actually have the po#er to first summon the ten types of obstructing beings, liberate them an finally, lea them to pure realms) @ne must be a !antric master) !here are t#o types of ngakpas A those of family lineage %rigs rgyu & an those of Dharma lineage%chos rgyu &) +gakpa family lineages are passe from father ngakpa to their sons from generation to generation) >t present, these are family lineage hol ers such as the great lamas of the +yingma tra ition, 3inling !richen Rinpoche an Sakya !rinzin Rinpoche, the throne hol er of the Dharma Potrang lineage) !here are Dharma lineage nagakpas in both the +yingma an Sarma tra itions) Since one may enter the !antric man ala by receiving empo#erment, scriptural authorization an practical instructions from a .ualifie Lama, it is not necessary to be born into a ngakpa family lineage) @nce one has properly receive these transmissions, one must authentically enter into the sa hana practices of approach, accomplishment an activity) +gakpas such as these allo# their hair too remain long an uncut) !hey ress in simple, #hite clothes) !heir min s resi e in the unfabricate , natural state) !hese are the three aspects of the ngakpa's non$contrivance %ma bcos rnam gsum gyi sngags pa&) <urther, in collo.uial language, there is a custom of referring to ngakpas as *#hite,' *black' an *multi$colore )' !hose #ho rely on alms an essence e9traction as foo , mystic heat an a single piece of cotton for clothing, an fully integrate their lives #ith sa hana practice are calle *#hite ngakpas)'

<urther, those #ho engage in sa hana practice in solitary retreat for only three months out of the year an perform rituals for lay people are calle *multi$colore ngakpas)' Similarly, ngakpas hol ing the family or Dharma lineages that spen less than seven ays in retreat but perform village rites, are kno#n as *black village ngakpas)' !hese are #ell kno#n esignations in collo.uial language) !hese ays in !ibet, there are only three ngakpa gom es that are very #ell kno#n) (n the region of >m o, there are the Rekong %reb kong& ngakpas #ho generally #ear long, matte hair, a multi$colore sha#l #orm across the shoul er an re clothing) !he Cajra 3asters of this gompa are similarly attire , although they usually #ear a #hite skirt) Similarly, at :hakri Phur rak %chags ri'( phur brag& gom e, a place #here there is a spontaneously appearing letter *>' on a rock, the reno#ne ngakpas #ho serve the government #ear clothing similar to the general ngakpa's attire escribe above) @n the bor er of , an !sang, in Shang Dabphulung %shangs zab phu lung&, there is a community of ngakpas kno#n as *Dabphu' zab phu' ngakpas) !hese yogis #ear uncut hair, multi$colore sha#ls an #hite skirts) !here, once one has complete the general practices, the accumulations an purifications of the preliminary practices an has receive empo#erment, scriptural authorization an practical instructions for Lama 7ong u, one is allo#e to #ear the #hite clothing) 8hen ( #as ;/ or ;" years ol , ( live at this ngakpa gom e for several years) 7enerally speaking, in !ibet, there are many ngakpa gom es, but one cannot possibly e9plain in etail the escriptions, histories an so forth of each an every one of them) @nce, on a previous occasion in Dharmsala, (n ia, the !ibetan government office of Dharma affairs organize a five$ ay event focusing on general an specific aspects of !ibetan religious an secular issues) !he sangha of monks, nuns an ngakpas, came together in or er to accumulate 411,111 tsog

accumulations from Rig zin Dung rup of Rig zin 7o em's +orthern !er) @n that occasion, initially, the ngakpas #ere belittle an calle *phagen)' >lthough a general or er ha been issue that the office of religious affairs #oul provi e everyone #ith five rupees apiece each ay, the ngakpas #ere not given any) !he follo#ing ay, myself an another ngakpa eci e that #e #oul go to the feast gathering attire in our #hite clothing an full nagkpa accouterments an that if #e #ere not sho#n proper respect an given our money accor ingly, #e #oul report the inci ent irectly not only to the Dala'( Lama, but to the me ia) !he ne9t morning, #e #ent as planne ) 8hen #e arrive at the oor of the assembly hall, some officials from the religious affairs epartment #ere seate upon stools in the oor#ay collecting onations) >s soon as they sa# the t#o of us, one of them sai , ELookF Some han some looking ngakpas have arrive FG >nother one replie , E!hey are !so Pema ngakpas)G Subse.uently, #e receive our five rupees #ithout any argument) (t is our o#n fault that ngakpas are belittle ) (t is fine for a ngakpa to be a father, but #hen ngakpas enter the assembly hall an are afrai to sit in the assembly ro#, then they shave their hea s or #ear monastic clothing as #ell as shave their hea s, #hen they #ear or inary chupas an o not ress in the various accouterments of ngakpa attire, this is #hat happens) (n bor ering countries such as -hutan an Sikkim, there are ngakpas #ho on't keep their hair long or #ear #hite skirts) !hey ress in monk's clothing, but have #ives an are family lineage hol ers) !hey are calle *serkyim' ngakpas) (n !ibet, there are a fe# gom es like this, one of them is calle *8onpo' %b on po&) >gain, in this place, ngakpas have bal hea s an #ear informal chupas) !hey preten to be ngakpas but they spen their lives oing business an performing rituals for or inary pursuits, so they are neither ngakpas nor monks) !he or inary chupa is the ress of #orl ly, lay people)

@n a previous occasion, the prince of Sikkim aske me to establish a three$year retreat center) 8hen the appointe retreat master release the retreatants from the retreat boun aries, :hatral Rinpoche came an sai that no# that the retreat #as complete, Sikkim #as an e9tremely sacre practice place of 7uru Rinpoche) <rom then on, if all of the retreatants left their hair uncut an #ore ngakpa attire, it #oul be auspiciously beneficial to the country) He tol the prince not to remain a bachelor an that he shoul fin a kin $hearte consort) His instructions #ere very clear) !he ultimate Dharma lineage an the ngakpa family lineage, the beings #ho are the e9traor inary hol ers of the practice lineage teachings, the great Ci ya haras of (n ia as #ell as the sublime !ibetan masters of the kama an terma tra itions #ho possess the three virtuous .ualities of kno#le ge, love an po#er transcen the possibility of e9pression an cannot be #ritten about here) <urthermore, the seventh samaya vo# preclu es revealing secret teachings to sentient beings that are not completely mature) !hus, the secret mantra vehicle is calle so because it is secret) !he secret mantra teachings are #ithout fault an must accor ingly remain secret to beings that are unsuitable vessels or have #rong vie#) !here are in ee many hi en yogis an yoginis #ho have mastere the practices of the !antric classes of the superior Cajrayana an have accomplishe the t#o$fol si his) :olophon? !his brief account of the #hite$skirt, long$haire ngakpas #as given at the re.uest of a fe# Dharma frien s #ho hol the name ngakpa, especially the ngakpa lineage hol er, !enzin Samphel an the <rench #oman, Kechog Dangmo) -ase on the un erstan ing, a#areness an e9perience of Kunzang Dorje, a ngakpa of the Horja family lineage, this brief ngakpa history #as #ritten in his /1th year, the year of

the earth$rabbit, at !sogyel 7ephel =ong, #hich is in the foothils of Ianglesho, a sacre place of +epal) !ranslate in 3arch ;11J #ith the support of Lopon P) @gyan !anzin) !ranslator's <ootnotes? 1 sngags pa General name for ordained Tantric practitioners who are neither monastic, nor lay. 2 ser khyim pa According to Lopon P Ogyan Tanzin, serkhyimpas refers to practitioners who wear yellow ser! monastic clothing, "#t li$e as ho#seholders khyimpa!. 3 The te%t lists &ing Trisong 'etsens life span as ()*+,--, "#t . ha$e chosen to go with the more commonly accepted ()*+,/,. 4 The te%t lists the reign of 0alpachen as ,11+,)1, "#t . ha$e chosen to go with the more commonly accepted ,23+,31. 5 mdos 4ost important type of ransom rit#al #sed to dispel harm and o"stacles ca#sed "y the lha, nyen, l# and the eight classes of gods and spirits. 'r#ng, 'e# and 5on, 6arrations, 7ym"olic lang#ages and the 5on tradition in ancient Ti"et, p. ((, 6amkhai 6or"#, 'harmsala, 2))/.! These are the rit#als of s#ppression, "#rning and throwing which are descri"ed f#rther into the te%t. 6 ham kh#ng Also known as "r#" kh#ng. The ham kh#ng is a "lack, triang#lar+shaped, iron receptacle #sed in sacrificial rites. .ts f#nction can also "e accomplished "y any con8#nction of three points formed "y earth, sky, $alleys, ri$ers, etc., or esta"lished points on the gro#nd. &ya"8e &#nzang 'or8e 0inpoche, 9**9!. 7 zh#ng "e# tshang "a. dgra "o The ten enemies to "e destroyed incl#de: 2!"eings who damage the doctrine 9!"eings who slander the Three ;ewels 3!"eings who steal the sanghas possessions -! "eings who slander the 4ahayana /!"eings who harm the Lama 1!"eings who ca#se

#pset to ones $a8ra si"lings and friends (!"eings who o"str#ct practice ,!"eings who do not rely #pon lo$e and compassion )!samaya $iolators 2*!"eings with per$erted $iew of karma and its conse<#ences. 8 "den pa gs#m The Three Tr#ths: 2! the a"sol#te tr#th of transcendence or emptiness 9!the relati$e tr#th of temporary phenomena 3!the insepara"ility of the a"sol#te and relati$e tr#ths. 9 me lha A deity associated with the fire offering rit#als, related to the =ind# fire god, Agni. 10 ling zor >ffigy torma to which a harmf#l "eing is "o#nd and then thrown as a means of destr#ction. Lopon P. Ogyan Tanzin! 11 gsal "a gs#m The three aspects of clear $is#alization related to generationstage meditation which incl#de 2! the clear $is#alization of the deitys appearance 9!maintaining the sta"le pride of the deity 3!recalling the p#re, ins#"stantial <#alities of the deity. 12 zor zlog 0it#als in which s#"stances or o"8ects are empowered as magical weapons thro#gh mantra and $is#alization, and then #sed to a$ert enemies and o"str#cting forces. 13 th#n zor Th#n refers to the #se of mantra as a magical weapon. According to Lopon P. Ogyan Tanzin, it is not necessary to in$ol$e a partic#lar sorcery o"8ect ? the recitation alone is the weapon. According to 6or"# p.9/(! th#n refers to the s#"stances themsel$es, which are first empowered thro#gh mantric recitation and then h#rled from the wrathf#l horn in the zor zlog rit#als.