Sacred Ground: Jamgon Kongtrul on Pilgrimage and Sacred Geography by Ngawang Zangpo

Author:Ngawang Zangpo
Language: eng
Format: azw3, pdf
Publisher: Snow Lion
Published: 2001-11-25T00:00:00+00:00

Here is Kongtrul in his own words, with titles added:

Life Before Tsadra

It is appropriate to begin with a description of the identity of the virtuous practitioner [at this retreat center]. Those who recount such stories start with the details of the mother's and father's family background and elaborate the story from there. In my own case, I have heard that I am definitely a descendant of the White Garuda family.' This line originates with one of the six [ignorance]-destroy- ing awareness-holders, the teacher of the upper direction, [Buddha] Ever-Excellent, Awareness-Illumination, Radiant King. To help all beings, he transformed himself into manifestations of enlightenment: four emanated children born from four eggs-white, yellow, turquoise, and black-of the celestial hawk, the great garuda. The last child, called Exalted Multi-Colored Garuda, rode a turquoise dragon, his feet supported by four miraculous medicine goddesses, and arrived in Gyalmo Rong,2 the principal place where he worked for the good of others. Specifically, this branch of the family is called Den-chung. Amazing, supremely accomplished persons, such as Drakpa Gyaltsen of Nangchen, have appeared continually within this family up to the present day.

Although I would like to claim, "I was born in that family!," the Honored Buddha's doctrine is not based on family, nor is it based on clan: it is based entirely on an individual's training and qualities. From that perspective, whatever I have gained materially in my life amounts to wrong livelihood and undeserved offerings [Tibetan: kor nak]; all I think about is the eight worldly concerns3 and negative emotions; all I have done has been committed due to overpowering mistaken perceptions and the force of arrogance. I haven't managed put into practice even the slightest fraction of the genuine view or conduct as taught by the Buddha. My whole life has been spent in contrived study, contrived behavior, and contrived meditation practice so that now, in old age, my qualities that are in harmony with spiritual life are like flowers in the sky or horns on a rabbit: there are none whatsoever to talk about.

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