HeldbytheMotheroftheBuddhas: TheLifeofShakyashriBhadra

byAdrianO'Sullivan

OfthemanygreatIndianpanditaswhoundertook thetransHimalayanjourneytoTibetduringthe earlyandlaterphasesofdharmatransmissions, threemastersstandoutmostnotably Shantirakshita,Atisha,andShakyashri Bhadra.Shantirakshitawasinvitedtothecourtof TrisongDetsunasgurutotheking,anditwashe whoenabledGuruPadmasambhavatocometo Tibet.Hewasthefirsttrulygreatscholartovisit Tibet,bringinganoceanofdharmateachings there,andheintroducedthepreciousvinayafor thefirsttimeinalineagewhichremainstothis day.Atishasimportanceissowellknown,it needhardlybementioneditissufficienttosay thattherewasnobody ineitherIndiaorTibetwho didnotbowtothefeetofthatnoblelord. ShakyashriBhadra(11271225),whoseimmenselearningwasincomparableevenin India,whowasheadofthefameddharmauniversitiesofVikramashilaandNalanda,and whowascontinuallyblessedwithvisionsofthemotherofthebuddhas,AryaTara,was thelastofthegreatIndianpanditastovisitTibet.Heissomehowlesswellknownto Westernersthanhistwopredecessors,perhapsbecause,unlikethem,hedidnotcompose amajortextofhisownyethisimpactwasimmense.InTibet,thenameShakyashri Bhadra,orKhachePanchen(theMahapanditaofKashmir),wasknowninthegompas ofeverytraditionacrosstheentireHimalayanplateau. ShakyashriwasborninDasobharainKashmir,wherehereceivedatraditionalBrahmin education. Attheageof23,hetooknoviceordinationfromoneSukhashriBhadra deva.Followingaprophesy,heleftforeasternIndia,theheartlandofbuddhadharma, wherehestudiedwidely,andreceivedfinalmonasticordinationattheageof30from Shantakaragupta. Hehadmanyvisionsofdeitieswhospoketohimandmadepredictions, mostnotablyTaraherself.Followinghisinitiationinanuttaratantra,hesawdirectlythe deitiesChakrasamvaraandKalachakra.InBiharandotherplaces,hereceived innumerabledharmateachings,andbecamerenownedasatrulygreatmaster. Having completelymasteredallthefivesciencesandthusbecomingamahapandita,he acceptedabbacyofNalandaandalsoVikramashila,thustakingovertheseatoccupiedby Atisha150yearsbefore.HealsovisitedthegreatdharmacollegeofOdantapuri,where

headdressedanaudienceoftwelvethousandmonks. HevisitedVaranasiandBodhgaya, wherehehadvisionsofShakyamuni,ChenrezikandTara. Asthetwelfthcenturyturnedintothethirteenth,BiharandthenBengalbecame increasinglyembattledasTurkicinvadersextendedtheircontrolintheeastof India.VaranasiwasoverrunVikramashilawasdestroyedthebhikshusofOdantapuri wereslaughteredwithoutexceptionbeforetheinvadersevenrealiseditwasauniversity. Themahapanditawasforcedtofleeeastwardsinverydangerouscircumstances,butsoon returnedtoBihartocontinueworkingfordharmadespitethedifficultconditions. ThegreatTibetanmasterTrophuLotsawa(b.1173)had,bytheageof30,successfully broughtthemastersMitrayoginandBuddhashrifromIndiatoTibet,throughwhommany importantteachingswereintroducedtothelandofsnows.Encouragedbypredictionsof certainlamas,includingtheelderlyLamaZhangoftheTshalpaKagyu,TrophuLo proceededoncemoretoIndia,intendingtoreturnwithnoneotherthanthemahapandita. HecomposedaletterinSanskritpraisingthemahapanditaasthecrestjewelofallwho havemasteredthefivesciencesandrequestinghecometoTibet.Hesentthisalongwith vastofferingsandadelegationtothemaster,who,havingreceivedapremonitionfrom Tara,wasawaitingtheirarrival.However,someimportantsthavirasintheregion assembledandimploredShakyashritoremain,bringingwiththemholyrupasof ChenrezikandTarablessedbyAryaNagarjunahimself.TheTibetansemployedthe adviceofLamaZhangnottobehumbleorirresoluteintheirmissionandbribedthe Kashmiriassistantinchargeofimagestoturnthemaroundsoonlytheirbackscouldbe seen,thisbeingabadomenforShakyashrisremaininginIndia. WhenTrophuLotsawaarrived,Shakyashriwassurprisedathisyoungage,andwas consideringremaininginIndia, butonwitnessingadebatebetweentheyoungLotsawa andShakyashrisentourageofjuniorpanditas,themahapanditadecidedtotraveltoTibet. ThusthemahapanditaandhisentouragetravelledwithTrophuLoacrossthegreat HimalayasandpressedonthroughwesternTibettowardsTsang. Wordhadspreadfar andwideofthearrivalofamahapandita,bringingthousandsuponthousandsofmonks andlaymentheretoseehim. AtTrophuinwesternTsangandotherplacesintheregion, Shakyashritaughtmanytexts,includingworksonvinaya,abhidharma,prajnaparamita, madhyamaka,theworksofMaitreya,andinnumerablevajrayanateachingsfromthefour tantrasets. AtNyang,northeastofSakyainTsang,hewasvisitedbythe23yearoldKhonlamaand futureSakyaPandita,KungaGyaltsen,whoseknowledgeofSanskritgreatlyimpressed themahapandita.ThedescendantsofSachenhadalreadyinheritedavastoceanof dharma,unrivalledbyotherinstitutions,ofwhichtheforemostwerethetantricteachings ofthegreatlotsawasBari,DrokmiandMal. Throughhisstudieswiththemahapandita andthejuniorpanditas,theyoungKhonslearningwasincreasedyetmorewithworksof sutra,tantraand,importantly,classicalsecularsubjectswhichwerepreviouslyunknown

inTibet, broughtfromthenowdestroyeduniversitiesofIndia. SapanreturnedtoSakya tocontinuehisstudieswithSugatasri,oneofthelearnedassistantpanditas. Themahapanditacontinuedtoimparthiswealthofsutraandtantrateachings. Atthe KadampamonasteryofNarthang,whenacrowsnatchedsomeofthepagesofthe PrajnaparamitaduringateachingandtookthemeasttowardsthecentralTibetanregion ofU,ShakyashrisawthisasasignfromTaraindicatingthatheshouldproceedthere.In U,hegavemanyteachingsatthegreatmonasticcentresofLhasa,Srinpori,Samyeand alsoTshurphu,whichlatterinstitutionhasbeenfoundedjusttwentyyearsprior,latein thelifeofthefirstKarmapa.Duringtheseyears,themahapanditamademanynew translationsoftextsandordainedmanymonks. WhilstatSamye,hediscoveredaSanskritoriginaloftheancienttantra,the Guhyagharba. JustasAtishahadduringhisvisittoSamye,Shakyashrilenthispersonal authoritytotheauthenticityofNyingmatantras.Thisalsosetanauspiciousprecedentfor SakyaPanditaslaterdiscoveryoffragmentsoftheVajrakilatantrathere,whichwould beimportantforestablishingtheauthenticityoftheKhonVajrakilasystem.Indeed, ShakyashriaddedhissupportfortheauthenticityoftheVajrakilateachingsbybearing personalwitnesstotheirexistenceinIndia. In1207,whilestayingatThangpochemonastery,themahapanditaestablishedanew Buddhistchronology. ThisdifferedconsiderablyfrompreviousTibetanchronologies, anditsdatesforthelifetimeofShakyamuniBuddhahaveprovenmuchclosertomodern estimatesthantheothersystems. AfterapproximatelyfouryearsinU,themahapanditareturnedtoTsang,whereSakya Panditavisitedhimagain. TheSakyathronehadbeenheldbyJetsunDrakpaGyaltsen sinceSapansbirth,andthelatterrequestedpermissionfromDrakpaGyaltsentotakefull ordinationfromtheKashmiriVinayadhara.Sapantookthefinalvowsattheageof 27. SakyaTrizinDrakpaGyaltsenorderedSapantomaintainthevowsflawlessly,andit issaidthatfromreceivingthemtotheendofhislife,Sapandidnotincureventhe slightestinfringement.ThusitwasShakyashrisKashmirisystem(khachelugs)of vinayathatenteredSakya,andthissystemwouldbecomethegreatestofthethreevinaya lineagesinTibet,beingadoptedbyallthenew(gsarma)tantratraditions. Many importantearlymastersofthevariousKagyuschoolswereordainedbythemahapandita himself,andtheGyalwaKarmapastoowereordainedthroughthisprestigiouslineagein duecourse.ThisalsobeingthelineageintowhichTsongkhapa,founderoftheGelug order,wasordained,itbecamepreeminentinthatillustrioustradition. Shakyashrialso foundedfourmajormonasticcentres,theFourAssemblies(tshogsbzhi),inUand Tsang. Duringhisearliertimewiththemahapandita,SakyaPanditahadstudiedextensivelythe greatIndianworkonlogic,Pramanavartika,withPanditaDhanashila,andnowtogether withKhachePanchen,thetwomahapanditasmadeanewtranslation,withnumerous correctionstotheearlierversions.Utterlymasteringthissubject,itissaidthatSapan refutedallwhowerenotinpossessionofthepureteaching.Later,Sapanwouldcompose

themonumentaltshadmariggter,themostdefinitiveandinfluentialTibetanworkon logic. SapansnowunparalleledlearningpositionedSakyatobecomethepreeminentcentreof scholasticisminTibet,surpassingeventhegreatmonasticuniversityofSangphuin masteryofthefivesciences.BeingtheerajustbeforetheapotheosisofSakyapower andinfluenceinTibetunderthefifthpatriach,ChogyalPhakpa,theimpactforTibetan secularandreligioushistoryoftherelationshipbetweenKhachePanchenandSakya Panchencannotbeoverstated. TrophuLotsawahadbeencarryingoutaprojecttoerectanenormousstatueofMaitreya atTrophu,andin1212,Shakyashricontributedgreatlytoitsfunding,aswellasengaging onawidefundraisingtourinsupportofthis,necessitatingasecondjourneyaround U. Finally,whentherupawascomplete,heconsecrateditinagreatceremonyashislast majordeedinTibet.Althoughmanylamasbeggedhimtostay,hewasresolvedtofollow apredictionbyTarathatheshouldreturntoKashmir. In1214,aftertenyearsinTibet,hesetoutontheroadbackthroughGungtangandNgari inthewestofTibet.BeforedepartingTibet,hedonatedhisconsiderableremaininggold totheastoundedTrophuLotsawawhohadaccompaniedhimthatfar.Afteralongbut unmolestedjourneyacrosstheHimalayasbythenowveryagedmahapandita,hearrived backinthelusciousvalleyofhisKashmirihomeland,notseensincehisyouth.There,he restoredmanyviharasandgreatlyincreasedtheteachings,asthesunofdharmawas settingonthecountryoftheAryas. ShakyashriBhadrapassedintonirvanain1225. His lifewasoneofremarkableaccomplishments,andgreathistoricalsignificance.Forthe fortunatefollowersofShriSakya,theblessingsofShakyshriBhadraendureinthe preciousjenangsandsadhanasheldbycontemporarySakyamasters. References Jackson,DavidP.,(trans.)1990.TwoBiographiesofSakyasribhadra:TheEulogyof KhrophuLotsabaanditsCommentarybyBsodnamsDpalBzangpo.FranzSteiner VerlagStuttgart Stearns,Cyrus,(trans.)2001.LuminousLives:TheStoryoftheEarlyMastersoftheLam 'BrasTraditioninTibet.WisdomPublications Roerich,GeorgeN.,trans.(1959).TheBlueAnnals.Delhi:MotilalBanarsidas ObermillerE.,trans.(1932).HistoryofBuddhismbyBuston.Heidelberg

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