Dukngal Rangdrol

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Dukngal Rangdrol thangka

Dukngal Rangdrol (Tib. སྡུག་བསྔལ་རང་རང་གྲོལ་, Wyl. sdug bsngal rang grol; Eng. 'The Natural Liberation of Suffering'[1]) — a sadhana of Avalokiteshvara from the Longchen Nyingtik. It is classified as a peaceful yidam practice, or as the secret guru practice from the peaceful male vidyadhara section of the cycle.

Dukngal Rangdrol is also used for nedren practice.

History

As it says in the colophon of the text, Jikmé Lingpa revealed the mind terma of Dukngal Rangdrol in the Earth Tiger year (1758), although he kept it concealed for a further seven years:

Thus, the teaching on the most profound crucial points of the sadhana, ‘The Supreme Noble Natural Liberation of Suffering’ by the Jetsun Mahaguru was bestowed on the monarch, the dharma king, father and son, on the second storey [of Samyé], in the ‘Glowing Turquoise Covered Shrine Room’. It was placed in a casket of heart treasures and entrusted to them with powerful aspirations.
The time for revelation came in the Earth Tiger year, when I had a vision of the Great Compassionate One, and the dakini of the space of wisdom, in the vast expanse of the magical net of illusion, the luminous space, entrusted me with the scrolls of the symbolic script. I wrote it down without concealing anything of the signs and meaning.

See also: The Revelation of the Longchen Nyingtik

Texts

Practice Texts

  • The Main Visualization for the Recitation at the Occasion of Making Pills Which Liberate on Taste for the Natural Liberation of Suffering Practice of the Great Compassionate One[13]
  • An Additional Text For When Accumulating the Guidance Practice of the Great Compassionate One, the Natural Liberation of Suffering
  • The Spontaneous Fulfilment of All Wishes: Confession and Fulfilment for the Great Compassionate One, Natural Liberation of Suffering, by the first Dodrupchen Jikme Trinle Özer (bskang bshags - thugs rje chen po sdug bsngal rang grol gyi bskang bshags 'dod dgu lhun grub) Tsapö vol 4 (389-392)
    • English translation: Fulfillment Prayer for the Great Compassionate One, The Natural Liberation from Suffering of the Longchen Nyingthik, translated by Tulku Thondup and Philip Richman (2006).
    • English translation: The Spontaneous Fulfilment of All Wishes: Confession and Fulfilment for the Great Compassionate One, Natural Liberation of Suffering, translated by Han Kop, 2022, for the Longchen Nyingtik Project.
    • Colophon: At the request of the faithful Sherab Tendzin, this Fulfilment and Confession for the Great Compassionate One, Natural Liberation of Suffering, entitled ‘The Spontaneous Fulfilment of All Wishes’ was spoken by Dola and transcribed by Kunzang Chime. May the virtue of this become the cause for all beings to obtain the level of the Great Compassionate One! Let it be virtuous!


  • The Excellent Path to Perfect Liberation: A Guidance Practice for the Natural Liberation of Suffering Practice of the Great Compassionate One, from the Heart Essence of the Vast Expanse, by Dodrupchen Jikme Trinle Özer (thugs chen gnas 'dren - klong chen snying thig gi cha lag thugs rje chen po sdug bsngal rang grol gyi gnas 'dren rnam grol lam bzang) Tsapö vol 4 (393-414)
  • Light of Liberation: A Ritual Arrangement for a Cremation Purification Practice, from the Natural Liberation of Suffering Practice of the Great Compassionate One (sbyin sreg - thugs rje chen po sdug bsngal rang grol las/ sreg sbyong gi chog sgrig thar pa'i 'od) Tsapö vol 4 (415-434)
  • Mantras to Consecrate the Bones (rus sngags) Tsapö vol 4 (435-437/438)
  • A Ritual for Making Tsatsas , by the third Dodrupchen Jikme Tenpe Nyima (satsatsha gtab - byang satsatsha gtab pa'i cho ga) Tsapö vol 4 (439-448)
  • A Method for Accomplishing Tsatsas based on Practice of the Tamer of Beings, the Natural Liberation of Suffering , by the third Dodrupchen Jikme Tenpe Nyima (satsatsha sgrub - 'gro 'dul sdug bsngal rang grol la brten pa'i satsatsha bsgrub tshul) Tsapö vol 4 (449-461/462)
  • The Refined Essence of Compassion: A Daily Sādhana for the Natural Liberation of Suffering, the Secret Practice of the Great Compassionate One, by Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche (rgyun khyer - gsang sgrub thugs rje chen po sdug bsnal rang grol kyi rgyun khyer thugs rje'i yang zhun) Tsapö vol 4 (477-480)
  • Illuminating Amṛta Which Benefits Others: A Framework for the Great Accomplishment Practice of Great Compassionate One, the Natural Liberation of Suffering, from the Heart Essence of the Vast Expanse , by Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche (sgrub khog - klong chen snying gi thig le las/ thugs rje chen po sdug bsngal rang grol gyi sgrub chen khog dbub gzhan phan bdud rtsi'i snang ba) Tsapö vol 4 (509-550)
  • sdug bsngal rang grol sgrub pa'i khog dbub rin po che'i za ma tog, by Khenpo Ngawang Palzang [smyo shul mkhan po ngag dbang dpal bzang bka' 'bum, Vol 1, pp. 754-843]
  • thugs chen sgrub khog, by Khenpo Ngawang Palzang (pp. 449-508)
  • klong snying thugs rje chen po'i sgrub chen 'brel ba'i stong thun, by Khenpo Ngawang Palzang (pp. 509-535)
  • thugs rje chen po'i bsgom bzlas, by Khenpo Ngawang Palzang (pp. 537-538)

Empowerment

  • Boundless White Light: The Empowerment for the Secret Practice of the Great Compassionate One, the Natural Liberation of Suffering, from the Heart Essence of the Vast Expanse , by Dodrupchen Jikme Trinle Özer (dbang chog - klong chen snying gi thig le las/ gsang sgrub thugs rje chen po sdug bsngal rang grol gyi dbang chog 'od dkar mtha' yas) Tsapö vol 4 (481-508)
  • Empowerment for the Pills Which Liberate on Taste Connected with the Empowerment of the Natural Liberation of Suffering Practice of the Great Compassionate One (sdug bsngal rang grol ril dbang - thugs rje chen po sdug bsngal rang grol gyi dbang dang 'brel bar myong grol ril bu'i dbang bskur bar 'dod) Tsapö vol 4 (p.363/364)
    • Colophon: Extracted from the empowerment ritual for the concise innermost practice of the Great Compassionate One, a profound treasure revealed by Guru Chökyi Wangchuk.

Commentaries

  • Jikme Lingpa, The Visionary Instructions[16] that Lay Bare the Pith Instructions, from the Great Compassionate One, the Natural Liberation of Suffering (pra phrid - thugs rje chen po sdug bsngal rang grol las/ pra khrid dmar byang gnad yig) Tsapö vol 2 (389-402)
  • A Guide to Accomplishing Tsatsas through the Great Compassionate One, from the Heart Essence of the Vast Expanse, according to the tradition of Dodrupchen Monastery (lag len - klong snying thugs rje chen po'i sgo nas satsatsha bsgrub lag len) (463-476)

Notes

  1. Alternative translation: ‘Self-Liberation of Suffering’.
  2. (thugs chen - klong chen snying gi thig le las/ gsang sgrub thugs rje chen po sdug bsngal rang grol) Tsapö vol 2 (355-364)
  3. The colophon reads: Thus, this teaching on the most profound crucial points of the sādhana of the supremely noble ‘Natural Liberation of Suffering’ was spoken by the Venerable Mahāguru to the Sovereign Dharma King and the princes in [Samye's] middle-storey shrine room called Blazing Turquoise; it was placed in a casket of heart treasures, and entrusted with powerful aspirations. The time for revelation came in the Earth Tiger year (1758), when I had a vision of the Great Compassionate One, and the ḍākinī of the space of wisdom entrusted me, in the vast expanse of the illusory net, with the scrolls of the symbolic script of the radiant expanse. I wrote it down without concealing anything of the signs and meaning. Great Dharma protector Zadü Rāhula, unwaveringly protect this essence of the most profound of treasures! Samaya! I kept the seal of secrecy for seven years before I wrote it down. These instructions are more precious than my very own heart.
  4. with reference to ‘Commentary on the Difficult Points’ by Jigme Lingpa, and previous translations by Philip Richman and Ane Tsöndrü.
  5. ('phags pa'i gsol 'debs zhal mthong ma) Tsapö vol 2 (403-407/408)
  6. Colophon: At dawn on the tenth day of the tenth month of the Earth Tiger year (1758), when Longchen Namkhé Naljor actually saw the exalted Lord of the World in a vision, and the symbolic signs appeared of the Tukjé Chenpo Dukngal Rangdrol, he composed this prayer. Geo! Geo! Geo!
  7. with reference to an earlier translation by Tulku Thondup Rinpoche, and with a number of kind and vital clarifications by Ven. Khenpo Sonam Tsewang.
  8. (sdug bsngal rang grol brgyud 'debs - gsang sgrub thugs rje chen po sdug bsngal rang grol gyi brgyud 'debs byin rlabs dpal ster) Tsapö vol 4 (p.357/358)
  9. Colophon: While turning the wheel of the feast-offering for this very same Natural Liberation of Suffering mandala more than a hundred times in the Hayagriva temple of Samye, I, Jigpa Mepé Dé, made this prayer of whatever came to mind. Siddhirastu!
  10. (sdug bsngal rang grol mngon rtogs - thugs rje chen po sdug bsngal rang grol gyi sems ma bzhi'i mngon rtogs) Tsapö vol 4 (p.359/360)
  11. (thugs rje chen po'i 'khor rgyas pa)
  12. Colophon: This was written by Dodrupchen Künzang Shenpen.
  13. (sdug bsngal rang grol dmigs bzlas - thugs rje chen po sdug bsngal rang grol gyi myang grol ril bu sgrub pa'i skabs rtsa ba'i dmigs bzlas) Tsapö vol 4 (p.361/362)
  14. (rang grol tshogs mchod - klong chen snying gi thig le las/ gsang sgrub thugs rje chen po sdug bsngal rang grol gyi tshogs mchod bsod nam dpal ster) Tsapö vol 4 (381-387/388)
  15. Colophon: All the concluding practices of the ‘Awareness-Holder Assembly’ have been arranged here for the ritual of the Natural Liberation of Suffering by the yogi Jigme Trinle Özer, at the request of two Mongolian monks, and transcribed by Sangye Zangpo. Through the merit of this may all beings attain the level of Buddhahood.
  16. The term pratri, pronounced tratri by Tibetans, comes from the sanskrit term prasenā, which is a kind of (mirror) divination. William A. McGrath comments on the term in has article Tantric Divination and Empirical Diagnosis: A Genealogy of Channel Prasenā Rituals in the Tibetan Medical Tradition: "Throughout English-language secondary literature, Tibetan-language instructions for prasenā have generally been described as some kind of “mirror divination.” Such an understanding is by no means incorrect but, as we shall see in the case of channel prasenā divination below, the divine revelation of past, present, and future events through prasenā divination can come through the medium of not only mirrors, but also thumbnails, butter lamps, young children, and even the palpation of the channels. Prasenā refers to a mode of inquiry, a ritual process through which a practitioner may communicate with the divine, either directly by means of spontaneous visions and voices, or indirectly by means of a prepubescent ritual assistant. In both direct and indirect forms of prasenā divination, the revelation of past, present, and future actions (karma) is described as a form of extrasensory knowledge or a visionary sign that usually requires further interpretation." Here however, we have understood the term to indicate that the present text has been revealed to Jigme Lingpa in a vision. Therefore we have rendered the term pratri here as visionary (pra) instructions (tri).
  17. Tulku Thondup in his Masters of Meditation and Miracles also lists the sdug bsngal rang grol bsnyen yig grub gnyis nor bu'i gan mdzod, however this seems to be a commentary on an Avalokiteshvara practice by Guru Chökyi Wangchuk

Empowerments Given to the Rigpa Sangha

The empowerment of Dukngal Rangdrol has been given to the Rigpa sangha on several occasions, including:

Oral Transmissions Given to the Rigpa Sangha

  • Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche, Lerab Ling, 16 August 2019:
    • The Secret Sādhana of the Great Compassionate One: The Natural Liberation of Suffering, from the Heart Essence of the Vast Expanse, by Jikme Lingpa
    • The Refined Essence of Compassion: A Daily Sādhana for the Natural Liberation of Suffering, the Secret Practice of the Great Compassionate One, by Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
    • A Prayer to the Noble One: The Vision, by Jikme Lingpa
    • A Gift Bestowing Blessing and Glory: A Prayer to the Lineage of the Secret Practice of the Great Compassionate One, Natural Liberation of Suffering, by Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo
    • The Visionary Instructions that Lay Bare the Pith Instructions, from the Great Compassionate One, the Natural Liberation of Suffering, by Jikme Lingpa

Teachings Given to the Rigpa Sangha

Further Reading

  • Tulku Thondup, Masters of Meditation & Miracles (Shambhala, 1996), pages 45, 122-124.
  • Janet Gyatso, Apparitions of the Self: The Secret Autobiographies of a Tibetan Visionary (Princeton University Press, 1998), pages 38, 79, 94.