Lung for all the others texts

[ManiThePainter]

I few days ago I replied to a thread here, encouraging someone to read Nagarjuna’s mulamadhyamakakarika. It suddenly struck me that I just assumed that the Indian shastras were fair game for reading without any transmission.

I know there’s a lot of threads on the need for lung and empowerment before reading anything related to Dzogchen and HYT, but what about the Uttaratantrashastra, the Madhyamakavatara or the Bodhicharyavatara? What about Tibetan texts, such as WOMPT, Mipham’s Beacon of Certainty or Kunzang Pelden’s commentary “Drops of Nectar?”

Should we receive transmissions for all of these before reading them? This horse might have been beaten to death already but I was unable to find any answer to this question.

[zerwe]

Personally, I don't think so and have never been directed to do so. However, I have recieved the lung for texts (much shorter ones) and I feel like there could be some benefit to receiving the lung for texts like the ones you have mentioned. What that is precisely I don't know.

Shaun

[Chenda]

Before oral transmission for the Bodhisattvacharyavatara was given to us a few months back, we were told that receiving a lung for a text permits (?) us to read commentaries for the root text, so since then I've been of the understanding that commentaries are off-limit unless you receive transmission for root texts.

[Varis]

Lung is sometimes given as a formality for those texts. You don't need them, they're not tantric.

[heart]

Lung is sometimes given as a formality for those texts. You don't need them, they're not tantric.

You need the lung if you are going to give others lung for these texts.

/magnus