Khenpo Brother's Commentary on the Guhyagarbha Tantra

Pero
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Re: Khenpo Brother's Commentary on the Guhyagarbha Tantra

Post by Pero »

heart wrote:
Pero wrote:What's the difference between all these books and Luminous Essence: A Guide To The Guhyagarbha Tantra by Mipham?
Light of Berotsana also translated "Luminous Essence" as "Essence of Clear Light" only difference is that the Light of Berotsana one is restricted. The translations on the commentary of the Guhyagarbha Tantra that Light of Berotsana done are considered the most important ones. Amazing work since it also have the complete transcripts of the teachings of these commentaries by Khenpo Namdrol published. Amazing work, it should all be available for everyone unrestricted.

Longchenpa's commentary is a lot longer than the Luminous Essence one and include a vast vision of every aspect of Buddhism. The Khenpo brothers commentary is a short way of explaining the Guhyagarbha Tantra using only a few chapters, but it is the one that is easiest to read. I haven't read the others.

/magnus
Thank you.
Although many individuals in this age appear to be merely indulging their worldly desires, one does not have the capacity to judge them, so it is best to train in pure vision.
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Yudron
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Re: Khenpo Brother's Commentary on the Guhyagarbha Tantra

Post by Yudron »

Pema Rigdzin wrote:
heart wrote:
Pema Rigdzin wrote:Magnus,

You probably already know this, but I found it interesting that there's a Guhyagarbha empowerment (or multi-empowerment is more like it) in the Chokling Tersar. I'd never heard of a terma of Guhyagarbha until Khenpo Namdrol said that's where the empowerment he was about to give came from. Anyhow, just an interesting tidbit.
All shitro cycles enable access to the same mandala, the Guhyagarbha. Yes, somewhere TUR was talking about the Mahayoga Shitro term of Chokgyur Lingpa that was very profound. You got it?

/magnus
I received the first half, the peaceful mandala, from Khenpo Namdrol at Orgyen Dorje Den a year or two ago. Very profound. And then Rinpoche gave the lung for Do Drupchen's Guhyagarbha commentary. Funny story, I fell asleep for a few minutes during the probably 2 + hour lung, but I was still hearing it in my dream. At first I was in a classroom and the teacher was talking gibberish and then I realized "oh snap, that's really Khenpo Namdrol giving the lung" and then I woke up and perked up my attention.
That's interesting, I only got the wrathful part of the Choling Zhitro at Orgyen Dorje Den about five years ago. Good to hear he followed up with the Peaceful!
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byamspa
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Re: Khenpo Brother's Commentary on the Guhyagarbha Tantra

Post by byamspa »

Pema Rigdzin wrote: I received the first half, the peaceful mandala, from Khenpo Namdrol at Orgyen Dorje Den a year or two ago. Very profound. And then Rinpoche gave the lung for Do Drupchen's Guhyagarbha commentary. Funny story, I fell asleep for a few minutes during the probably 2 + hour lung, but I was still hearing it in my dream. At first I was in a classroom and the teacher was talking gibberish and then I realized "oh snap, that's really Khenpo Namdrol giving the lung" and then I woke up and perked up my attention.
During the Shitro empowerment retreat I attended with the Khenpo brothers, they also gave the lung for the Guhyagharba, in pieces over several days, one day i closed my eyes to concentrate on listening to the lung, and then at some point realized that I wasn't visualizing syllables really clearly, i was dreaming sitting up! Made myself wake up and pay closer attention to what was going on.
Phenomenon, vast as space, dharmata is your base, arising and falling like ocean tide cycles, why do i cling to your illusion of unceasing changlessness?
fosterryanlac
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Re: Khenpo Brother's Commentary on the Guhyagarbha Tantra

Post by fosterryanlac »

If any of you are near LA, Khenpo Sonam, at Lhundrup Choling, is about to start teaching Luminous Essence. The empowerment is on April 21st and classes start a week later. We just finished studying Longchenpa's commentary (the one Gyurme Dorje translated) and have been studying it for the last 4 years. Unfortunately our website is unmaintained recently, but the contact information is still the same. I don't know how one could really study this material without a teacher- and one shouldn't- but if you can make it to the empowerment then Khenpo Namdrol's people will let you order his teaching transcripts and recordings for Longchenpa's commentary. The other thing is that if you can make it to Khenpo Sonam's classes then you can also learn the practice that goes with the text- a type of shitro. The Khenpo brothers' book is popular with those of us in the class who have read it- I loved it.
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Reibeam
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Re: Khenpo Brother's Commentary on the Guhyagarbha Tantra

Post by Reibeam »

heart wrote:
Pero wrote:
heart wrote:All shitro cycles enable access to the same mandala, the Guhyagarbha.
Wait, I got the empowerment for Namcho Shitro and Shitro Khorde Rangdrol (Changchub Dorje's terma). Does that mean I could study it too? I wanted to get something on Guhyagarbha for a while but always had the thought in the back of my head that maybe there's not much point to it since I didn't have the Guhyagarbha empowerment...

edit: Note that these Shitro are Anuyoga, not sure if it matters.
I don't know how they look at these things at Light of Berotsana but ultimately the only thing I had to provide was my Guru's permission to buy the book. Personally I think all shitros, maha, anu and ati, have the same root, the Guhyagarbha.

/magnus

Where can I find the Shitro Khorde Rangdrol practice text? Is there much difference between it and the Namcho Shitro?

There are only a few references in the in Shitro/Yangti book and the 25 Spaces text.

Thanks
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heart
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Re: Khenpo Brother's Commentary on the Guhyagarbha Tantra

Post by heart »

Reibeam wrote:

Where can I find the Shitro Khorde Rangdrol practice text? Is there much difference between it and the Namcho Shitro?

There are only a few references in the in Shitro/Yangti book and the 25 Spaces text.

Thanks
There is no official translation yet but Rinpoche give the "lung" every retreat. Hopefully there will be a booklet compiled in the future on all the teachings Rinpoche gave on this practice. And yes, it is different but meaning is the same IMHO.

/magnus
"We are all here to help each other go through this thing, whatever it is."
~Kurt Vonnegut

"The principal practice is Guruyoga. But we need to understand that any secondary practice combined with Guruyoga becomes a principal practice." ChNNR (Teachings on Thun and Ganapuja)
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Reibeam
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Re: Khenpo Brother's Commentary on the Guhyagarbha Tantra

Post by Reibeam »

heart wrote:
Reibeam wrote:

Where can I find the Shitro Khorde Rangdrol practice text? Is there much difference between it and the Namcho Shitro?

There are only a few references in the in Shitro/Yangti book and the 25 Spaces text.

Thanks
There is no official translation yet but Rinpoche give the "lung" every retreat. Hopefully there will be a booklet compiled in the future on all the teachings Rinpoche gave on this practice. And yes, it is different but meaning is the same IMHO.

/magnus

Thanks Magnus!

It will be great when a booklet comes out as I would really be interested in learning more about that specific practice. I started learning the Namcho Shitro recently and its a wonderful practice, especially for the deceased.

It seemed like during this morning's retreat session chNN said you could also do Shitro practice for living people as well, but I am not sure if i heard him correctly. If that is the case Shitro could be particularly good to do for people in hospice who may be going through the dying process slowly.
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Reibeam
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Re: Khenpo Brother's Commentary on the Guhyagarbha Tantra

Post by Reibeam »

Reibeam wrote:
heart wrote:
Reibeam wrote:

Where can I find the Shitro Khorde Rangdrol practice text? Is there much difference between it and the Namcho Shitro?

There are only a few references in the in Shitro/Yangti book and the 25 Spaces text.

Thanks
There is no official translation yet but Rinpoche give the "lung" every retreat. Hopefully there will be a booklet compiled in the future on all the teachings Rinpoche gave on this practice. And yes, it is different but meaning is the same IMHO.

/magnus


Thanks Magnus!

It will be great when a booklet comes out as I would really be interested in learning more about that specific practice. I started learning the Namcho Shitro recently and its a wonderful practice, especially for the deceased.

It seemed like during this morning's retreat session chNN said you could also do Shitro practice for living people as well, but I am not sure if i heard him correctly. If that is the case Shitro could be particularly good to do for people in hospice who may be going through the dying process slowly.

Magnus,

Do you know if the Namho Shitro is appropriate to do for the relatively healthy and living? Would it be beneficial to do for someone if they were having a lot of conflicts arising around them due to misunderstandings and arguments with other people?

Thanks
ngodrup
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Re: Khenpo Brother's Commentary on the Guhyagarbha Tantra

Post by ngodrup »

All Shitro practices are primarily for oneself.

Of course you will generate Bodhisattva motivation,
but if you understand what the 42 deities in your heart
and the 58 deities in your brain mean, then you can clearly
see the purpose of this tantra. Only one application has anything
to do with the bardos after death.

Each of the deities, each of their ornaments symbolizes an aspect
of one's own being-- the skandas, etc. They are antidotes to mis-perceiving
them as ordinary karmic-conditioned phenomena. They are our own fundamental
innate intangible purity-phenomena. So the practice mainly teaches utter innate
purity. In reminding ourselves, in practicing the habit... we are purified. Of course,
we can also recite for others living or dead to hear and understand.
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Reibeam
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Re: Khenpo Brother's Commentary on the Guhyagarbha Tantra

Post by Reibeam »

ngodrup wrote:All Shitro practices are primarily for oneself.

Of course you will generate Bodhisattva motivation,
but if you understand what the 42 deities in your heart
and the 58 deities in your brain mean, then you can clearly
see the purpose of this tantra. Only one application has anything
to do with the bardos after death.

Each of the deities, each of their ornaments symbolizes an aspect
of one's own being-- the skandas, etc. They are antidotes to mis-perceiving
them as ordinary karmic-conditioned phenomena. They are our own fundamental
innate intangible purity-phenomena. So the practice mainly teaches utter innate
purity. In reminding ourselves, in practicing the habit... we are purified. Of course,
we can also recite for others living or dead to hear and understand.
Thanks ngodrup

There is a portion of that practice that is for the deceased to purify them. As I understand it can be done for the dying and the dead, but in this case for this person although not dead or medically speaking "dying" i felt the inclination to do this practice for them because they are harboring an enormous amount of negativity towards those around them which can have ill consequences on many levels, namely their physical health.

The other thought is that through doing the practice for myself it will by default create a positive cause for that person due to our connection.

sorry for taking this thread so far off topic...
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heart
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Re: Khenpo Brother's Commentary on the Guhyagarbha Tantra

Post by heart »

Reibeam wrote:
Magnus,

Do you know if the Namho Shitro is appropriate to do for the relatively healthy and living? Would it be beneficial to do for someone if they were having a lot of conflicts arising around them due to misunderstandings and arguments with other people?

Thanks
Of course you can do that if you feel that it is appropriate. Most bardo's actually happens when we a living anyway.

/magnus
"We are all here to help each other go through this thing, whatever it is."
~Kurt Vonnegut

"The principal practice is Guruyoga. But we need to understand that any secondary practice combined with Guruyoga becomes a principal practice." ChNNR (Teachings on Thun and Ganapuja)
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Reibeam
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Re: Khenpo Brother's Commentary on the Guhyagarbha Tantra

Post by Reibeam »

heart wrote:
Reibeam wrote:
Magnus,

Do you know if the Namho Shitro is appropriate to do for the relatively healthy and living? Would it be beneficial to do for someone if they were having a lot of conflicts arising around them due to misunderstandings and arguments with other people?

Thanks
Of course you can do that if you feel that it is appropriate. Most bardo's actually happens when we a living anyway.

/magnus

Thanks!

Rinpoche clarified some things about this during the Changchog retreat today too.
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