Tertön Prayer of 16th Century
Tertön Prayer (late 16th c.)
Colophon exclusive to Rta (p. 395): de ltar chos rgyal byang pa dpal bkra shis stobs rgyas kyis mdzad pa'i gter ston bkra shis grangs nges kyi mtshan bsdoms gsol 'debs thugs rje'i nyin byed kyi kha skong gter ston thor bu'i mtshan bsdoms kyi 'phro mthud sho lo ka gsum dang / 'bri khung rin chen phun tshogs man mjug bsdoms kyi bar tshigs bcad sho lo ka bgyad gsar du kha bskong ba 'di snga sor nas mdzad pa po ma byung 'dug par nub dgon gsang sngags chos 'khor gling 'dus tshogs kyi dbu mdzad ngag dbang sbyin pas dgos zhes bskul ngor rig 'dzin ger grub rnams la mi phyed pa'i gus pa dang ldan pa rnying ban rgan po brag dkar ba chos kyi dbang phyug gis sbyar ba'o || dge'o || dge'o || dge ba'o || ||
Colophon exclusive to the Tsering Lama ms. (fol. 5r.4-5): mi 'gyur kun dga' sogs / tshig bcad gnyis rdzogs chen pa theg mchog bstan pa'i rgyal mtshan gsar du bris pa'o || Note: Since the added two verses mentioned here end with mention of the Tertön Nyi ma grags pa, I believe the "Rdzogs chen pa Theg mchog bstan pa'i rgyal mtshan" who composed these verses must be the 2nd incarnate of Nyi ma grags pa (1647-1710) by the name of Nyi grags II Padma theg mchog bstan pa'i rgyal mtshan (1712‑1771). That means the Tsering Lama ms. would have been made at the earliest in the middle decades of the 18th century. The status of the original Nyi ma grags pa as a bona fide Tertön was sometimes contested (and as often happened, he had rivals in Khams while he still lived; see Martin's book, Unearthing Bon Treasures, pp. 138-139).
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Key to the columns:
A — Chicago Field Museum no. 216,08.
B — Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, Hs. or. 1611-5 (Everding catalogue, no. 123).
C — Karma mi 'gyur dbang rgyal (fl. ca. 1650), Gter bton brgya rtsa'i mtshan sdom gsol 'debs chos rgyal bkra shis stobs rgyal gyi mdzad pa'i 'grel pa lo rgyus gter byon 'chos 'byung, Taklung Tsetrul Rinpoche Pema Wangyal (Darjeeling 1978).
D — Dalai Lama V Ngawang Lobzang Gyatso (1617-1682), Thob yig gangga'i chu rgyun, Nechung & Lhakhar (Delhi 1970-1971), in 4 volumes.
E — Brag dkar Rta so Chos kyi dbang phyug (1775-1837), Sprul sku gter ston bkra shis grangs nges kyi mtshan bsdoms gsol 'debs thugs rje'i nyin byed, contained in: Ibid., Gsung 'bum, Khenpo Shedup Tenzin (Swayambhunath 2011), in 13 volumes, at vol. 13, pp. 382-395. This is followed by a tertön history (not yet considered here) on pp. 397-812, entitled Sku gsum brgyud pa drug ldan gter ston bkra shis grangs kyi gsol 'debs kyi 'grel pa gter ston chos 'byung (unfortunately, the TBRC scan ends at p. 804, so the composer's colophon is missing).
F — A manuscript scanned by TBRC as part of a collection belonging to one Tsering Lama, TBRC Work RID W4PD1207, vol. 31, pages 995 ff. A 5-folio manuscript, TBRC catalogs it under the mistaken title "sprul sku gter ston grwa pa nges kyis gsol ba 'debs pa thugs rje'i nyin byed sogs." The abbreviations in this cursive manuscript have been tacitly resolved by myself.
Appendix
Source: The 1681 work by Rdor brag Rig 'dzin II Padma 'phrin las (1641-1717), 'Dus pa mdo dbang gi bla ma brgyud pa'i rnam thar ngo mtshar dad pa'i phreng ba, S.W. Tashigangpa (Leh 1972), at p. 481.1 ff.
I have kept the original order as is, but divided them up with numbers corresponding to the verse numbers, for ease of comparison. There are interesting differences that may be noted. The names are sometimes supplied in quite different forms, and it seems a few names are added or omitted.
0. gter ston sangs rgyas bla ma / (Not actually mentioned in the prayer, as far as I can see.)
1. —
2. rdor 'bum chos grags /
3. ma gcig kun dga' 'bum / jo mo sman mo //
4. mnga' bdag nyang /
5. gu ru chos dbang /
6. grags pa bzang po //
7. rgya zhang khrom / dge bshes drang kun grags / rgya phur bu / lha rje gnubs chung / rgya seng ge dar / gnyags lha 'bar /
8. padma dbang phyug / tshe brtan rgyal mtshan / snye mo ri gong pa / grub thob dngos grub / dge bshes dri 'dzin / gru gu yang dbang /
9. byang chub gling pa / nyi zla sangs rgyas / zla ban gzi brjid / lho'i bande / rog ban 'brog po // sar ston phyogs med /
10. ldang ma lhun rgyal / lce ston nag po / zhang ston bkra shis / me long rdo rje / dung mtsho ral pa / g.yu sgom ma /
11. rigs 'dzin rgod ldem / ba mkhal smug po / 'jam dbyangs bla ma / ye shes khyung brag / sangs rgyas 'bar / g,yu ston mgon rgyal /
12. ra shag gter ston / zla ba rdo rje / badzra ma ti / khyung po thig le / bal po bha ro / shud bu dpal grags /
13. dpal mar me mdzad / lha btsun byang chub 'od / 'brom chos snying / 'brog mi lo tsā / gra pa dar ye / lha btsun sngon mo /
14. sum pa byang chub 'od / se ston ring mo / kha la me 'bar / rgyang grags 'od zer / 'od zer ston pa / mnga' bdag mol mi 'khyil /
15. du gu rin seng / shākya 'od / gtsang pa ring mo / sprul sku dmar po /
16. sum pa / rkyang po / 'bre / bla ma grub / nag po mkhar /
17. skye ban rdo rje / bande chung ngu / khyung rgod / mi nyag dbu ma / mgar ston pa / a wa dhū tī /
18. sgom chen 'brug pa / gnyan ston 'dzam la / don grub seng ge / [p. 482] padma grags pa /
19. sprul sku tshul rdor / sho ban / zangs ri ral pa / dbang phyug shākya / nyi 'bum khri / pra dum pa / nyi ma shes rab /
20. gra pa mngon shes / ra mo shes sman / sum ston / brang ti khar bu / nyang shes rab grags / gtsang ston chos 'bar /
21. gu ru hūṃ 'bar / skal ldan byis pa /
22. gu ru jo rtse / nyi ma seng ge / gnyal ston nag po / shes rab me 'bar / khams pa me zor / sna nam thub rgyal /
23. u rgyan gling pa / sangs rgyas gling pa / rdo rje gling pa / kun skyong gling pa rin chen gling pa / ratna gling pa / padma gling pa / karma gling pa / las 'phro gling pa / bsam gtan gling pa / bstan gnyis gling pa /
24. klong chen pa / dri med lhun po / dri med kun dga' /
25. mchog ldan mgon po / sngags 'chang shākya bzang po /
26. mnga' ris paṇ chen /
27. mnga' ris rig 'dzin /
28. 'bri gung rin chen phun tshogs /
29. —
--. 'phrang mgo shes rab 'od zer / yab gter ston mangga'i mtshan can ("my father the tertön with the name Bkra shis [stobs rgyal].")
[1] RDO RJE 'BUM — Rab byung n., Chos kyi grags pa. 210 11.1 ff. (here regarded as the first of all gter ston (gter bton thams cad kyi thog ma). See 217 274.7. 410 97B.4. See Hofer, "Preliminary Investigations," p. 392, for what may be this terton or a later namesake who served as "personal physician of the ruler of Byang."