第34屆噶舉大祈願法會．藏曆新年．「紅寶冠暨三根總修長壽灌頂」3-3功德介紹

February 26, 2017

親見紅寶冠後，請憶持「見即解脫」的祝福

時間：2017年2月26日上午10:30-下午1:30
地點：印度菩提迦耶大祈願會場

在法王噶瑪巴加持下，國師嘉察仁波切歷史性的在「金剛座」菩提迦耶慈悲傳授「見即解脫」紅寶冠灌頂法會，法會正式開始之前，堪布嘠桑尼瑪、Lama Eric和倫多祖古等三位藏、英、中語主持人，在現場對法會的功德利益作了詳盡介紹，特別將倫多祖古藏譯中的介紹全文附錄於下，以幫助法友進一步了解法會的殊勝意義：

在賢劫千佛成佛的聖地，殊勝菩提樹庇蔭下的噶舉大祈願法會無量宮中，實修傳承之法主、三界眾生之大善知識、未來第六佛：獅子吼佛之化身，吉祥噶瑪巴鄔金欽列多傑之蓮足下，三門至誠頂禮，我們謹代表尊貴的國師嘉察仁波切駐錫地：大吉祥寺辦公室，向蒞臨噶舉大祈願法會的與會祖古、堪布、格西、喇嘛、所有出家眾、噶舉大祈願法會的執事工作人員、及來自世界各地的善信，致上衷心問候。

依照往昔噶瑪岡倉法王及法王子們寺院之傳統，在圓滿噶千瑪哈嘎拉法會及噶千初十法會後，為了表達酬謝及殊勝緣起，會特別舉行「見即解脫」寶冠儀式，並傳授長壽灌頂，今日，於噶舉祈願法會瑪哈嘎拉法會圓滿之際，在我等尊勝依怙主：尊勝大寶法王噶瑪巴的聖護下，國師嘉察仁波切慈悲給予見即解脫寶冠灌頂，依照傳統，在寶冠灌頂前，先介紹寶冠的功德利益：
 
■國師嘉察仁波切「見即解脫：紅寶冠」灌頂，功德利益介紹
 
嗡 嗦 諦
諸佛悲智融於一，
普陀頂嚴觀世音，
雪域吉祥噶瑪巴，
禮敬持名白傘尊。
 
佛意金剛密主尊，
佛語總集阿難陀，
至尊噶瑪巴法嗣，
禮敬嘉察大國師。

出於大悲及願力，諸佛菩薩開展出不可思議的種種行誼，讓眾生無論見、聞，都能受益。
 
而噶瑪噶舉實修傳承的法王及法王子們，更具備一種獨特而殊勝的度眾法門，就是：以持戴「見即解脫」寶冠，來度化無量的具緣有情眾。
 
「見即解脫」寶冠的傳承歷史，於「經部‧法相乘」中記載：「吾等導師（世尊）：白幢天子自兜率天下凡、降臨南瞻部洲之時，賜予彌勒菩薩「寶冠」及「灌頂」，並封其為『攝政法嗣』。」現今彌勒佛也示現著佛陀殊勝十二行誼中的第一行誼：兜率降生。
 
密教金剛乘中說：寶生佛藉由獲得寶冠灌頂，得以超脫了「輪迴」與「涅槃」二邊，從而安住於「不住涅槃」的獅子寶座上，並獲封為「三界轉輪勝王」。
 
往昔，至尊噶瑪巴受身為須彌山北的幽居仙人時，諸佛曾以一頂由三億兩千萬名空行母髮絲所編織的寶冠，賜與其灌頂。
 
從此，業障清淨者即可明晰得見，歷代噶瑪巴恆常戴著此頂寶冠。然而，為了使那些被煩惱綑縛身心的重業者，也能同霑法益，因此再由各式珍寶製為寶冠，來具體傳達此殊勝成就。
 
同樣地，與噶瑪巴無二無別的法王子們，具備同等浩瀚的發心及大願，因此，也得到授權，行使與噶瑪巴無別的廣大佛行事業，來利益眾生，並由法王賜與寶冠，形成「冊封」的傳統。
 
蓮花生大士曾為第七世噶瑪巴確札嘉措授記說：「喀千貝吉旺丘及卓敦嘉偉炯涅之轉世者，具足諸佛之慈悲事業，應授與法印灌頂之寶冠，做為佛教興盛之緣起。」
 
依此授記，第七世法王噶瑪巴依密續《上師密意總集》內義，為第二世國師嘉察仁波切札西南嘉，打造了「見即解脫寶冠」。
 
法王以彌陀語金剛加持後，親手將這頂紅寶冠戴於第二世嘉察仁波切頭上，授記師徒之心再無分別，並冊封仁波切為「攝政法嗣」，授權他永持法印寶冠，以護持、發揚佛陀教法，尤其實修傳承之精華。法王並唱誦吉祥偈及拋撒鮮花，以使緣起吉祥。
 
在朝見寶冠時，應先體認到：持有黑、紅寶冠的法王及法王子們，乃是佛教與眾生的一切頂嚴所依，如額間慧眼、如心中光明，提醒自心不應受貪、瞋、癡所垢染，而需保護此心透淨、明亮。
 
因此，見上師展示「見即解脫寶冠」時，具緣者應對此殊勝所依處，生起不退轉的信心，恒時虔敬祈禱，觀想代表諸佛總集的上師住於頭頂，隨時護持俱生之本智，並勤奮修持菩提心，以成就究竟果位。
 
而歡喜於供養、朝見寶冠，且精進於祈請及發願者，當因緣俱足、得見寶冠的那一刻，將能獲得五道十地之功德；福德稀微的緣薄者，若有幸見之，則立即淨化千劫惡業；欲求今生福德者，若能至誠祈請，則心中所願，皆得成就。
 
祈願具德上師‧恒住世，
祈願普世眾生‧永安樂，
祈願自他集資‧淨罪障，
祈願迅速成就‧佛果位。

Four-Session Guru Yoga Session One

February 11, 2017

Monlam Pavillion, Bodhgaya,
11 February 2017

Displaying creative and informed scholarship of history, the Karmapa divided his morning talk among four main topics that clarified key features of his incarnation lineage: the history of the Karma Kamtsang, including the concept of the four earlier and the eight later lineages; how the name Karmapa came about; the meaning, actual
color, and origination of the Black Crown; and how the mantra “Karmapa Khyenno” arose.

In the morning, the Gyalwang Karmapa discussed key elements of his tradition as a preparation for explaining the practice in the afternoon. Beforehand, however, he made some important points about doing the practice. People can listen to the explanation, but in order to do the actual practice, they must have received an empowerment in the highest yoga tradition (anuttara yoga). He also counseled that if we know Tibetan, it is best to chant the text in Tibetan, which is available in a pecha format. For the most part, the words of the practice belong to the Eighth Karmapa, Mikyö Dorje and a few are those of his students who compiled the text.

The Karmapa divided his talk among several sections: the history of the Karma Kamtsang lineage; how the name Karmapa came about; the meaning and origination of the Black Crown; and how the mantra “Karmapa Khyenno” arose. For the first, the Karmapa explained that Gampopa had numerous students and among them, four were lineage holders, known as the founders of the four earlier lineages of the Dakpo Kagyu tradition: Barom, Phakdru, Kamtsang, and Tsalpa Kagyu. From Phakmo Drupa stemmed the eight later lineages: Drikung, Taklung, Trophu, Lingre, Martsang, Yelpa, Yasang, and Shuksep Kagyu.

Contemporary scholars state that the term “the four earlier and eight later lineages” came from Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Thaye (1813-1899). However, in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, there lived a master named Taklung Ngakwang Namgyal who composed a famous history of the Taklung lineage. This contains a tea offering mentioning the four earlier and eight later lineages that descended from Gampopa.
Further, the Fourth Kamtrul Rinpoche, Chökyi Nyima (1730-1779), wrote in his autobiography about the four elder lineages. These two texts, therefore, both predate Jamgön Kongtrul and indicate earlier sources for the term.

In general, the Karmapa commented, there are two ways to understand the four elder and eight younger lineages: they can refer to the Kagyu lineages in general or only to the Karma Kamtsang, as explained in Karmay Khenchen Rinchen Dargye’s commentary on the Short Vajradhara Lineage Prayer. Here, he states that they refer to four and eight disciples of the First Karmapa, Dusum Khyenpa. The present Karmapa emphasized that the Tibetan words che and chung, which are usually translated as “greater” and “lesser,” should actually be translated as “earlier” and “later,” as it is not a question of which lineage is better but of historical precedence. To support his position, the Karmapa referred to the stories of Gesar of Ling, in which the lineages stemming from his three brothers, the older, middle, and younger, are called the greater, middling, and lesser in terms of their seniority. Here it is a question of age, not of greatness, similar to the four earlier and the eight later Kagyu lineages.  

The Karmapa then addressed the topic of the name Kamtsang Kagyu. Usually, he said, it is considered a synonym for Karma Kagyu but actually, there is a slight difference. The Kamtsang Kagyu arose from Dusum Khyenpa who was a direct disciple of Gampopa, and founder of one of the four elder lineages. It seems that the name Kamtsang arose earlier than the Karma Kagyu, as the first part of the name Kam is taken from Kampo Nenang, the place where the First Karmapa stayed in retreat and where he realized mahamudra. Of the three main seats he founded that were related to his body, speech, and mind, this is the place of his body. Tsang literally means “nest” or by  extension, “isolated place,” so Dusum Khyenpa nested at the remote Kampo Nenang just like a bird.

The next question was how did the Karmapa receive his name? In some Tibetan histories, the Karmapa remarked, it is said that the First Karmapa, Dusum Khyenpa, was given this name because he founded a monastery called Karma Khading. However, the Third Karmapa, Rangjung Dorje, wrote in his versified autobiography that this monastery was not founded until his time, so the attribution to the First Karmapa is incorrect. Pawo Tsuklak Trengba (1504-1566) mentions in his history of Dharma, A Feast for Scholars,(and it is mentioned in other histories as well) that when Dusum Khyenpa was ordained at the age of sixteen, he had a pure vision of all the buddhas and bodhisattvas bestowing on him the Black Crown and enthroning him with the name Karmapa, the one who performs the activities of all the buddhas.

In general, the Karmapa observed that a member of the ordained sangha may have have many names—the name before ordination and afterwards, the secret name given upon entering a certain mandala, even a name the people in general gave them. The Karmapa thought it was reasonable to say that Karmapa was one of the many names of Dusum Khyenpa.  It was not well known but kept secret since it was bestowed in a pure vision. On the other hand, the Second Karmapa, Karma Pakshi, was famous as the Karmapa, so the secret name of the previous incarnation had became the public name of the subsequent one. This happened with several Karmapas; for example, the secret name of the Second Karmapa, Karma Pakshi, was Rangjung Dorje, and this was the public name of the Third Karmapa, Rangjung Dorje.

This custom has confused many people. The colophon of the text called the Cycle of Infinite Oceans,(which included An Infinite Ocean of Philosophical Schools, An Infinite Ocean of Validity, An Infinite Ocean of Questions and Responses, and so forth), states that it is written by Rangjung Dorje. Many thought that this meant the third Karmapa, however, it was actually referring to one of the many secret names of Karma Pakshi, which then became the public name of the Third Karmapa.

Similarly, Rölpay Dorje is a secret name of the Third Karmapa, and it became the public name of the Fourth Karmapa, Rölpay Dorje. We know that this is a secret name of the Third Karmapa because in a line from his text the Profound Inner Principles, he mentions, “look this up in my text the Appearance of the Light of Mandalas.” This is a rare composition of his that the present Karmapa received recently. Its colophon states that it was written by Rangjung Rölpay Dorje, confirming this as one of the Third Karmapa’s names.

The Karmapa summarized that during the time of the First Karmapa, Dusum Khyenpa, only a few people knew that he carried the name Karmapa, but the Second Karmapa himself often said, “I am the one famous as the Karmapa.” So this is one proof. Another proof the Karmapa mentioned to illustrate that the secret name of the previous Karmapa becomes the public name of the subsequent one is that in his Great Commentary on the Yoga Tantra, the Eighth Karmapa, Mikyö Dorje, wrote that the great masters of sutra and tantra are Butön (Rinchen Drup 1290-1364) and Rangjung Dorje. Mikyö Dorje explained that this latter name refers to the Second Karmapa (Karma Pakshi with a secret name of Rangjung Dorje) and the third holder of the Black Crown Rangjung Dorje. There are many other historical sources, the Karmapa commented, but no time to discuss them here.

The next topic related to the Karmapa as the bearer of the Black Crown, which has been present from the time of the First Karmapa, Dusum Khyenpa. In his autobiography, Karma Pakshi speaks of a crown of black silk that no one had ever seen before. Also Dharma histories, such as the Feast for Scholars, recount that the Black Crown probably dates from the time that Dusum Khyenpa was in retreat at Kampo Nenang. Here he had a vision of Saraha wearing a black hat, which became the model for one that Dusum Khyenpa created.  

The Karmapa then talked about the color of the crown. In Tibetan it is called zhwa nag po, literally “Black Crown,” but actually its real color is blue-black (mthing nag). The Karmapa referred to the empowerment of Chakrasamvara that he had recently given, and within its vase initiation, there is the crown empowerment. Here, each of the buddhas of the five families has a crown the color of his body: Akshobhya’s crown is deep blue or blue-black, Ratnasambhava’s is yellow-gold, and Vairocana’s is white. The Karmapa wears a blue-black crown to indicate that he is the vajra mind of all the buddhas and that he belongs to the vajra family of Akshobhya. Further, many of the Karmapas have “Dorje” as part of their name: Rangjung Dorje, Rigpe Dorje, and so forth (a total of ten out of seventeen Karmapas). It was only later, the Karmapa remarked, that the emperors of China, in particular those of the Ming dynasty, offered the Karmapa a jeweled Black Crown; the original Black Crown, however, goes all the way back to the First Karmapa, Dusum Khyenpa.

Another question concerns the origin of the ceremony for displaying the Black Crown. It is difficult to say, however, when it actually began. The earliest historical source we have, the Karmapa observed, is of the Eighth Karmapa, Mikyö Dorje (1507-1554) giving a Black Crown ceremony. There are two Black Crowns: one named Dzamling Yezhwa was offered to the Sixth Karmapa Thongwa Donden, by a Ming emperor, and the other is called Meaningful to Behold (mthong ba don ldan), but its origin is not clear.

The Karmapa then turned to discuss the source of his name mantra, Karmapa Khyenno. History records that at the invitation of the Emperor Yongle, the Fifth Karmapa (1384-1415) traveled to the Chinese capital of Nanjing. From this period dates a deep connection between the Secret Mantra tradition of Tibet and the Chinese people. After this time, the Karmapa explained, a book was composed in different scripts (Tibetan, Chinese, Lantsa, and so forth) that gave the images and names of buddhas, bodhisattvas, and yidam deities of the Secret Mantrayana along with their name mantras. The page of the Fifth Karmapa has his image with his name below and off to the side is the mantra Om Mani Padme Hung, not his name mantra Karmapa Khyenno.

Since the Karmapa is considered an emanation of Avalokiteshvara, the Karmapa commented, it is not surprising to find the six-syllable mantra associated with him. There was also a tradition of people (known as maniwa, the mani people) putting the mantra to a melody and singing it to benefit others as they traveled around Tibet. This custom dates from the time of the Second Karmapa, as does the tradition of mani wheels. This is confirmed, the Karmapa stated, in a history by the sixth or seventh Benchen Lama, in which he discussed the benefits of mani wheels and traced them back to Karma Pakshi. So there is a special connection between the Karmapas and the six-syllable mantra.

 

So then how did the name mantra Karmapa Khyenno come about? It is difficult to say that it was begun by one specific person. There is a Tibetan tradition, which predates the arrival of Buddhism, in which people would call out to their deities, asking for protection: “Khyenno!” (Think of me!) “Zigso!” (Look at me!) People would ask their deity to protect them, Lha Khyenno, (Deity know me!) This somewhat resembles the English expression “My God!” and one would be hard pressed to say exactly from whom or when this came about. Likewise, it seems that Karmapa Khyenno surfaced in a natural way from the Tibetan people. They said the words and as their wishes were accomplished, slowly the phrase transformed into a mantra with the power of true words.

This completed the introduction to the Karmapa’s lineage, detailing what is special to it, and in the afternoon he will explain the visualizations for the practice of the Four-Session Guru Yoga.

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