Shije in North America

[Jikan]

I know there are plenty of serious Chod practitioners in North America in all schools, but are the Shije teachings of Padampa Sange given and practiced at all? That is, are there practice groups on this continent dedicated to these teachings? (perhaps students of Lama Wangdu Rinpoche?)

thanks--

[kirtu]

I know there are plenty of serious Chod practitioners in North America in all schools, but are the Shije teachings of Padampa Sange given and practiced at all? That is, are there practice groups on this continent dedicated to these teachings? (perhaps students of Lama Wangdu Rinpoche?)

thanks--

Didn't shije die out some time ago? Of course we used to think that of the Jonang lineage too.

Kirt

[Jikan]

I've been reading Ringu Tulku's book on Rime, and in it (p. 148) he claims that the Shije lineage "remains unbroken" to the present. Which means that it does, or did until the early 80s when he wrote the thing. That doesn't mean it's known outside of the Himalaya, however, or particularly well known.

Lama Wangdu is sometimes presented publicly as a master of Shije, for instance. I'm not sure what that means in terms of the content of his teachings, though, as I've never met him nor read his biography.

[conebeckham]

According to my trusty volume of Kongtrul's "SheJa Kunkhyab," the volume translated into English as "Esoteric Instructions" says that the texts exist, but even in Kongtrul's time it seemed there were no practitioners of Zhije.
Chod, which is a "branch" of this lineage, of course is widely practiced.

As Kongtrul outlines it, the "Severance" (Chod) of Machik is based on precepts and teachings from Dampa Sangye, which were based on the Prajnaparamita, as well as on Tantric methods from various sources. Thus, "Chod" is considered a "Branch" of ShiJe.

The chapter on Shije and Chod is quite interesting--definitely worth a read.

[Jikan]

Thanks, Cone. I'll have to check that out.

I do wonder now who or what Ringu Tulku may have been referring to before vis a vis Shije, as he treats Chod as a separate transmission from it. If I'm ever in an elevator with him, I know what to ask...

[conebeckham]

I'd be interested to hear his answer too.

In the Introduction to "Esoteric Instructions," in the "Acknowledgement" paragraphs, Sarah Harding indicates there were no practitioners of ShiJe for her to consult with.....same, it seems, with Orgyen Nyendrup.

Those transmissions are given, as part of the DamNgak Dzo. So...perhaps there is someone out there who has actually engaged in these in more than a cursory fashion. As a valid institutional lineage, or even as a separate free-standing "practice lineage," it looks to be.......not promising.

[Jikan]

Then there's this.

http://www.lamawangdu.org/support.htm

In March 2003, Rinpoche attended teachings by His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama in Dharamsala, India. During that visit, His Holiness told him that the Shije teachings of Padampa Sangye, including practices for the pacification of suffering, were especially precious and relevant to contemporary conditions. Recognizing Rinpoche as an eminent lineage holder of these teachings, His Holiness asked Rinpoche to establish a monastery in Kathmandu to continue these teachings in Nepal and preserve it for the benefit of future generations.

And I suppose this bit may answer my first question in this thread, although I know nothing about this group and precious little about Lama Wangdu.

http://www.phadampa.org/About-Us.html

[conebeckham]

These guys (PhaDhampa Center) are in my neighborhood, and I think I've seen one of the people pictured around town during Tibetan Community events, etc.

I think it's great that HHDL has spurred this development, and perhaps the teachings of the Shije can flourish in the future. It does appear that they focus mainly on the Chod, or Severance, lineage, from what I've seen on those links.
Kongtrul's Encyclopedia talks about the "chod" practice--Offering One's body, the "puja" that most of us are familiar with-as a mere "auxiliary," really, to the "Main Practice" of Chod...and the "Chod" is actually itself a branch of the Shije, if I understand it correctly. The ShiJe methods outlined by Kongtrul are really quite different, and very interesting based on his descriptions.

It looks to me like Wangdu Rinpoche was trained in the Nyingma, specifically the LongChen Nyingthik and it's Chod terma, and in the Rinchen Trengwa which is the Extensive Retreat Practice done by many different Chod lineages. Would be interesting to see if there are transmissions of the ShiJe methods as well.

[Jikan]

That's interesting material, Cone. I'll leave unsaid what I think's going on there, since I can't verify it.

Who knows, especially given that context, there may well be treasures waiting to be revealed.

[conebeckham]

Agreed, and ditto.

[pemachophel]

As a corollary to this thread, Lama Pema Dorje Rinpoche (Lama Dawa's brother) who resides in Oakland is recognized as an emanation of Phadampa Sangay. I received the Phadampa Sangay tor-wang from him a couple of years ago. He also transmitted a 30-stanza monlam composed by Phadampa Sangay which I said daily for some time afterwards. At that time, Lama Pema Dorje said there is a Phadampa Sangay guru yoga in the Rinchen Terdzod. Back on e-sangha, I asked about this and someone (don't remember who) gave me the volume and page numbers for that sadhana. Of course, that's not the same as what Jikan is asking about, i.e., lineal teachings of Shije. In 2008, I took a chod class with Lama Wangdu. This included a rather elaborate wang. I thought it was a Shije empowerment, but going back to my log of wangs, lungs, and explanations, I did not write down any specifics about what was actually transmitted. The translator was not very good. So maybe that's why I didn't record more info. Sorry I can't be of more help.

[conebeckham]

I just finished reading "The Life and Teaching of Padampa Sangye, Lion of Siddhas," translated by David Molk with Lama Tsering Wangdu Rinpoche.

It appears from that book that Machik's Chod was at least partly due to the transmission she received from Padampa, though it seems she may have developed a system of her own based on the Shije teachings. As far as the mainstream Shije teachings go, according to the forward of the book, Lama Tesering Wangdu Rinpoche claims that the Shije teachings are incorporated most strongly into the teachings of Je Rinpoche (Tsong Khapa) and the Geluk lineage. There are a variety of tantric practices, as well as the "Mahamudra of Symbols," and there's a special empowerment called the "Twelve Tathagata Initiation of Nairatmya," which includes Tara, Marichi, Vajravarahi, Rabjung Gyalmo, Sarva Nivarana vishkambini, Vajrapani, Manjusri, Yamantaka, Avalokiteshvara, 11-faced Avalokiteshvara Kasarpani, Samantabhadhra, and Achala. Also, he claims that the practice of Palden Lhamo, as it exists in the Gelukpa, was brought to them by Dampa.

There are other tantric practices, as well, that are mentioned.

Interesting book!