A Thirteenth Century Tibetan Hymnto the Siddha Tilopa*

The name of the 10th century Bengali siddha Tillopada, variouslY'passingthrough the idioms of Northern India into Tibetan, is attested in theTibetan hagiology (rnam thar) as Tillopa, Tillipa, Tellipa, Tilopa, Telopa,Tailopa or Tailikapada. All of these forms are derived from the Sanskrittila (Tib. til), "sesame," and refer to his work as an extractor of sesame seedoil. We are informed by Mar pa (1012-97) in his Te 10 pa'i 10 rgyus (foIAbA)that, since he worked in thrashing sesame grains (til 'bru ba'i las byas),Indians called him Tilopa, and Tibetans the Sesame-watcher (til bsrungszhabs).

Being the first human guru of all bKa' -brgyud-pa traditions, thenarrative of Tilopa's life usually opens the collections of hagiographies, or"golden rosaries" (gser 'phreng) of the masters prominent in those lineages.

From the literary point of view, one of the oldest and most charming ofthese accounts is the rle btsun chen po Tilli pa'i rnam par thar pa by rGyalthang pa bDe chen rdo rje. According to the English "Preface" to thephotostat reproduction, the author was a disciple of the better knownrGod tshang pa mGon po rdo rje (1189-1258), "the last guru whosebiography appears in this collection." As for the manuscript, on the basisof a list (p.619) of those who had it copied, the style of the miniatures,and the dbu med script, it was probably composed in the decades spanningthe 15th and the 16th century.

As we read at fol.1b.1-2, the rnam thar is divided into two sections:

1. fols. lb.3-2b.l-rtsa ba'i tshig stan pa, the "original words," i.e. ahymn of 13 verses of praise, in which all the circumstances andevents constituting the traditional material of the hagiographiesof Tilopa are summarized;

2. fols. 2b.1-22a.3-rtsa ba'i tshig 'grel pa stan pa, the "comment uponthe original words," arranged in 13 explanatory chapters, eachheaded by one verse of the hymn.

May these verses be an occasion to catch a new glimpse of the life of thatgreat siddha.

•• I wish to thank my British friends Aidan Lalor and Abigail Griffiths for theirprecious help in revising the archaistic style of the translation of the hymn.

ll'l~J~'Sl"~'(1'~'~Homage to the Glorious Guru Prajnabhadra!

In the opening invocation rGyal thang pa addresses Tilopa as Prajna-bhadra (Shes rab bzang po), which is one his names. Other mystic appella-tions (gsang mtshan) of him have been registered by rOo rje mdzes 'od(13th cent.) in his Te 10 pa'i rnam thar (folA3b.1-2); they are Mahasukha-vajra (hOe chen rdo rje), Nirvikalpavajra (rTog med rdo rje), Sukhacakra(hOe ba'i 'khor 10), Kalapa, and Tilopa.

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la) tilli fol.2b.2 : rje filii fol.lb.3Id) bla 1TIJl fol.1b.3 : rje btsun fol.2b.3

I 0 Buddha, Protector of beings, 0 Lord TilopaAll Buddhas of the three times,Being one [with Thee] in Body Speech and Mind,o Guru, I devoutly praise Thee!

As to the title "Protector of beings" ('Gro ba'i mgon, Jagannatha), rGyalthang pa (fo1.2bA-5) recalls the authority of the I)iika1'1Javamahiiyoginf-tantrarajavahikatika (mKha' 'gro rgya mtsho'i rgyud 'grel, T6hoku no. 1419),where the thrasher of sesame Prajftabhadra is hailed by Vajrayana yoginsas a protector of beings proceeded from the very being of Buddhas (sangsrgyas nyid lJyon 'gro ba'i mgon). Then, a song of realization (rtogs pa'i mgur)ascribed to Tilopa himself with an akin autocelebration is quoted (fo1.2b.5):

nga ni sangs rgyas rang ngo yin II nga ni 'gro ba'i mgon po yin II

rGyal thang pa (fols. 2b.7-3a-1) first refers to the words of the queen ofI;)akinls, VajravarahI (rOo rje phag mo), the consort of Cakrasaqwara herecalled Bhagavati VajrayoginI (hCom ldan 'das ma rOo rje mal'byor ma),or Oharmakaya-jftanagakinI (Chos sku Ye shes mkha 'gro ma). She addres-ses Tilopa as the actual essence of past, future and present Buddhas;therefore, as the actual essence of Vajrasattva (rdo ri! sems dpa'i ngo bonyid). Furthermore (foI.3a.2-3), Tilopa himself, while speaking to King

Sirphacandra (Seng ge zla ba), claimed to be one with the Body, Speechand Mind of all Buddhas of the three times.

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l~l'13·Q~·!~·~l'l.11·s~·l'13·~f~l~ 12 0 Tilopa, as an absolute manifestation of the Buddhas,

[Thou art] in particular Cakrasarpvara himself:Perfect on the basis of scriptures, oral instructions and reasoning.o Sublime Incarnation, praise unto Thee!

The identification of Tilopa with Cakrasarpvara (bOe mchog 'khor 10) as"particular existent" (dllgos) is proved, according to rGyal thang pa, by thescriptural (lung rigs) and oral (man ngag) traditions, as well as by reasoning(tshad ma). As for the scriptures (fol.3a.6), the Sambarodbhava-tantratflca (sdompa 'byung ba'i rgyud kyi rgya 'grel) is cited. Then (foI.3a.7-b.l), in the contextof oral tradition, rGyal thang pa mentions the words of Oharmakaya-jnana4akini: she is said to have confessed to her retinue on Tilopa'sarrival to U44iyaQa that, since he was Cakrasarpvara, father of all Bud-dhas of the three times, even thunder from the sky had no power on him.A quotation from the siddha Lavapa follows as well (foI.3b.1-2), in whichTilopa, being Cakrasarpvara, is pointed out as one without human teach-ers. Again, Tilopa himself professed to a self-originated (svayambhu)Buddha, spontaneously learned without any training, and Cakrasarpvaraas particular existent (foI.3b.2-3):

nga ni rang byung sangs rgyas yin II nga yis mlchyen pa mll slabs te II sgra tshad rigpa rang rdol yin II nga ni bde md/og 'Ichor10 dngos II

From the reasoning point of view, rGyal thang pa's argument (foI.3b.3-4)runs as follows. Had Tilopa not been Cakrasarpvara (hOe rnchog), hewould not have been able to lead all the inhabitants of Zahor-as it hasbeen reported-to the Oakinis' land of the Great Bliss (rnklta' spyod bdec1lengyi sa), i.e. to the self-liberation of the Sublime Bliss (bde ba mc1log =bOe mchog).

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lf~';3E!~'['~~~'S~'ar~f~l~ 13 0 Tilopa, as a sublime incarnation,

All sentient beings of this world,By Thy great compassion [yielding] benefit and bliss,Are assisted. 0 Lord, praise unto Thee!

Tilopa being an absolute manifestation of the Buddhas and, in particular,of Cakrasaq\Vara, rGyal thang pa comments (f()l~i'l.1-3)that the spiritualmansion of Tilopa was Akani~tha ('Og min)., i3ut he resolved, out ofcompassion (snying rje), to establish all beings in a state of great benefitand sublime bliss (phan pa chen po clang bde ba mchog): that is why he actedas one able to assist (skyob pa'i nus pa clang lclan pa).

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4b) dza go fol.1b.7 : dzii. ko fo1.4a.44c) bram ze gtsang mas fo1.2a.l : bram ze dbang mas fo1.4a.4

4 Sahalokadhatu; Jambudvipa;India in particular; Jago is the place,A region occupied by the Brahmaputra:Being born in that sublime place, praise unto Thee!

As for the field of experience (zhing khams) and the place (gnas) to appearfor the benefit of beings, Tilopa chose this universe, the SahaIokadhatu(Mi mjed 'jig rten), and the continent of Jambudvipa (Dzam bu'i gling)where India is.

The toponym Jago (Tib. Dza go, otherwise written Dza ko, Dza ko, or'Jha go) is obscure. According to Taranatha (bKa'babs bdun lclan: 45) Tilopawas from Catighabo, or Catigharo, which is to be identified with themodem Chittagong. The region where the Brahmaputra runs its coursewould have been, as confirmed by almost all the hagiographic sources, theBengali district of Zahor (Torricelli & Naga 1995: 64-65).

We know from all rnam thars that Tilopa was born in a brahmaIJ.a familyand, on account of the photic phenomena following his birth, he was

given the name Prabhasvara (gSal 'op), "Radiance."Regarding the year of his birth, we are informed by two later hagiogra-

phers, lHa btsun Rin chen mam rgyal (foI.3b) and dBang phyug rgyalmtshan (foI.7a), both disciples of gTsang smyon He ru ka (1452-1507).Although the latter did not mention any date in his Ti 10 pa'i rnam thar,most probably they relied on their guru's authority in dating the birth ofTilopa to 'the Earth-Male-Mouse year (sa phDbyi ba'i 10). According to theTibetan computation of time and general historical considerations, 928 and988 are both feasible. In any case, since the dating of Tilopa's time hingesmainly on that of his disciple Naropa, the problem is to ascertain whetherNaropa's life-span was 956-1040 (RP. Singh 1967; Snellgrove-Skoropski1979-80,VoI.II: 90; Wylie 1982) or 1016-1100 (Guenther 1963: viii-ix). If weaccept, as I do, the former hypothesis, Tilopa should have been born in928.

After his birth, brahmat:\a sooth-sayers (bram zemtshan mkhas) and skilledastrologers (rtsi mkhan mkhas) emphasized the spiritual dignity of theinfant and, analogous with the Lives of Buddha, his parents resolved toseclude him from the outer world.

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5 When you were but one year old, a Oakinlcommanded: "Herd cows and buffalo!"Parents, country, and so forth were revealed.o Incarnated Lord, praise unto Thee!

rGyal thang pa (foI.5b.3-4) tells that a Oakinl, in the form of a womanwith the 32 marks of ugliness (bud med mi sdug pa'i mtshan sum bcu rtsagnyis dang ldan pa), appeared first to Tilopa's mother while she was withhim, in order to dissuade the parents from uselessly attempting to protecthim from danger and death. Then, she ordered that he be allowed to goout into the world, study and herd buffalo. Further instructions from theOakinl were yet to come.

Some time later, when the young PrabhasvaraITilopa was herdingbuffalo, the Oakini appeared again. She revealed to him that his spiritualfatherland was UQQiyana (Ur gyan), his father was Cakrasatpvara, hismother was Vajravarahi, she was his sister Sukhada (hDe ster ma). TheOakini also revealed that his true name was Paftcapat)i (pan tsa ka). Shethen typified his herd of buffalo as the "buffalo of experience" in theforest of the Bodhi-tree. Accordingly, the ]f\anaQaldni's oral transmission(kan:zatantra) beyond words (fo1.6aA-5)would come:

byang chub shing gi nags tshal du II nyams myong ma he legs par skyongs If snyanbrgyud yi ge med pa'i don II ye shes mkha' 'gros ston par 'gyur II sprul pa'i skyesmchog e ma ho II

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6 Then, once commanded by the Oakini,Bestowed with her consecration and sustaining grace,To heavenly UQQiyana, sublime place: thereThou went thanks to magic powers. Praise be!

We are told by rGyal thang pa (fols. 6a.6-7b.l) that the Oakini appeareda third time, impelling PrabhasvaraITilopa to go to the mansion of theOakinis, in UQQiyana.She imparted to him the consecration (abhi$eka)andthe sustaining grace (adhi$tiina) for such a deed. He had also to be pro-vided with three magical objects (rdzas) by his father: a crystal ladder (shelgyi Teraspa) to ascend the manor, a jewel bridge (rin po che'i zam pa) to passover its moat, and a stem of burdock (bye bzungs) to open the door. Somagically armed (rdzu 'phrul dang ldan pa), he reached the matl~la-likesacred realm of UQQiyana. He entered it, and passed three barriersguarded by three hierarchies of Oakinis corresponding to the experiencestructures (sku, kiiya) of Nirmat)a (sprul sku za byed kyi mkha' 'gro ma),Sambhoga (longs sku Jig rten pa'i mkha' 'gro ma) and Dharmakaya (chosskuye sheskyi mkha' 'gro ma) respectively. Once in the presence of Bhagavati,mother of the Buddhas of the three times, PrabhasvaraITilopa showed norespect to her, thus provoking the anger of the Oakinis' retinue (fol.7b.2-3). But Bhagavatt Dharmakaya-jfianaQakini soothed them. As rGyal thangpa has already told us (fo1.3a.7-b.l),she identified him as the father of theBuddhas of the three times, as Cakrasaqwara i.e. Heruka (fol.7bA-5):

'di ni dus gsum sangs rgyas kyi II p1u:zbgyur bde mchog 'khor 10 yin II 'di la mkha'la rdo rje yi II ser ba phab kyang gzhom mi nus II ces gsung nas I nga ni dus gsumsangs rgyas thams cad kyi II yum gyur beam ldan 'd/ls ma yin II 'di ni dus gsumsangs rgyas thams cad kyi II yab tu gyur pa he TUko.yin no II 'di la dus gsum sangsrgyas kyi II rdo rje'i ser ba phab kyang gzhom mi nus II

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7 Lady BhagavatI YoginiShowed three symbols and, granted with the doctrine,Thou became master of all teaching,And sang an adamantine song. Praise unto Thee!

In the explanatory chapter of this cardinal verse of the hymn, rGyal thangpa relates (fo1.8a.2) that Prabhiisvara/filopa wanted the Doctrine (chos,dhanna). But, since even a correct view (Ita ba, dr$tz), meditative attentionto it (sgom pa, bhavand), action (spyod pa, carya) and fruition ('bras bu, phala)are vain in themselves, he was looking for a Doctrine, the mere hearingof which could open the doors of the Buddha experience (thos pa tsam gyissangs rgya ba'i chos). BhagavatI agreed to grant such a Doctrine, on thecondition that Tilopa recognize three symbols (brdil). These three are betterdepict('d in other hagiographies. Mar pa (fo1.6b.4) describes them as thedrawing of a sacred image for the Body (sku tsa ka 10, a script for theSpeech (gsung yig 'bru), and a sacred attribute for the Mind (thugs phyagmtshan). More detailed is the description in gTsangsmyon He ru ka(fol.12a.4), IHa btsun pa (fo1.9a.6) and dBan~ phyug rgyal mtshan(fol.12b.4). The sacred image would have been that of a copulatingCakrasaIJ\vara; the script, the seven-syllable mantra of Cakrasatl\vara, andthe sacred attribute, a five-pointed vajra:

sku bde mchog than skyes yab yum gyi rtsa ko.li gcig dang I gsung rdo rje chos byungla bai du rya'i yi ge bdun ba bris pa gcig dang I thUgs bai du rya'i rdb rje rtse lngapa gcig roams bstan I

rGyal thang pa (fo1.8a.4)tells that, since Tilopa claimed to know the threesymbols for Body, Speech and Mind, he requested the Wish-FulfillingGems (cintama1;O of tantric transmission, Maturihg Path (vipakamarga), andLiberation Path (muktimarga):

sku lealing lea'ikor mdzod nas II rgyud pa yid bzhin nor bu zhu II gsung yig 'bru'ikor mdzod nas II smin lam yid bzhin nor bu zhu II phyag mtshlln thugs kyi kormdzod nas II grol lam yid bzhin nor bu zhu II

At the I)akinis' objection that no transmission was possible without anyprevious ritual commitment (dam tshig, sal1Ulya), Tilopa protested that hehad been fully instructed by the I)akini Sukhada before coming to UQQi-yana. They stated he had been deceived by Mara (bDud), but Tilopadisproved this and uttered a song which, for its philosophical relevance,is worth rendering in full (fo1.8a.78b.2):

"The secret word of the I)akini, the mind pledge (sambara); what dispelsthe darkness of nescience (avidya), the light of transcending awareness(jfiana); self-awareness (svasa1]'lvitti, svasa1]'lvedanli), self-originated, self-irradiating: such is the key of the self-Originated commitment I have!"

mkha' 'gro'i gsang tshig thugs kyi sdom II ma rig mun sel ye shes sgron II rang rigrang byung rang gsal gyi II dam tshig rang byung lde mig yod II

"Nothing is conceived any longer; in the innate Dharmakaya of the beingof thinking activity (citta), the Great Seal (11Ulhlimudra) is the precept: suchis the key of the spontaneous realization I have!"

gang yang skye ba med pa yi II sems kyi skye med chos sku ru II lung stan phyagrgya chen po yi II lhun grUb nyams kyi lde mig yod II

"A mind where there is no mental elaboration (a11Ulnasiklira), cleared of theleast particle of the dust of recollection (smrtz); self-awareness, self-originated, self-irradiating: such is the key of the spontaneous realizationI have!"

dmigs med yid la mi byed cing II dran pa rdul tsam med pa yi II rang nyid rangbyung rang gsal gyi II lhun grub nyams kyi lde mig yod II

Since the truth of such words could not have been inspired by Mara, butonly by a I)akini (bdud min mkha' 'gro 11UlTU bden), rGyal thang pa (fo1.8b.3-4) tells that Vajravarahi's retinue acclaimed Tilopa as their father Bhaga-van, Cakrasaqwara, Sublime Bliss and Protector of Beings, and gave himthe threefold cinta11Ultli, Le. the Doctrines contained in the oral transmis-sion (snyan rgyud kyi chos).

Eventually, when about to leave UQQiyana, referring to himself asPrajnabhadra, he sang "1, like a bird in the sky, Prajnabhadra am going!"(fo1.8b.5):

nga ni mkha la bya bzhin du II thogs med shes rab bzang po 'gro II

When the I)akinis begged him to remain with them, he replied (fo1.8b.6-7)that there was a connection with three disciples he had to take care of:

they were the well-known Naropa of a royal family (rgyal rigs), thebrahmat:\a (bram ze'i rigs) Riripa, and the noble (rje rigs) Kasoripa. Then hesang "0 multitude of J;)akinls, listen! Naropa, Riripa and Kasoripa: for thebenefit of these sons, as a yogin, I am going to the monastery ofSiromaQi." (foI.9a.1):

mk1ul' 'gro'i tshogs nmms gsan II nil ro I ri ri I leaso ri II bu nmms don du rnaI 'byorbdag II gtsug gi nor bu'i dgon par 'gro II

While on his way back, a ninefold teaching (chosskor dgu) was granted to~m by the voices of invisible J;)akinls floating in the space (foI.9a.2-3):

"(1) Commitments: look at the mirror of your own thinking activity(svacitta). (2) Action: strike the water with a sword. (3) Maturing andLiberation [Paths): loosen the knots of thinking activity. (4) The substanceof commitments is to be warmed by the sun of clear cognition. (5) Intrinsicawareness (vidyii): look at the torch of transcending awareness. (6) Circum-ambulate the wheels (cakra) of the [coiling) energy channels (nal;li) andwinds (vayu) [through their) eyelets. (7) Sameness of taste (samarasa):lookat the outer mirror. (8) Self-originated: keep the Great Seal. (9) Great Bliss(mahasukha): hold the jewel of the Speech."

dam tshig rang sems me long !tos II spyod pa chu la ral gri brgyob II smin grol sems1cyirgya mdud ching II dam rdZllSrtogs pa'i nyi ma 'de II rig pa ye shessgron ma !tosII rtsa rlung dra mig 'khor 10skor II ro snyoms phyi'i me long !tos II rang byungphyag rgya chen po chongs II bde chen gsung gi rin chen bzung II

In response, Tilopa sang the following adamantine song (rdo rje'i mgur)(foI.9aA):

"In the temple of the illusory body, such is the secret breath of formlessJ;)akinls: once a seal of words beyond expression has been put upon it, thebird of luminous thinking activity would flyaway!",

sgyu ma Ius kyi 'gan rdo lar II Ius med mk1ul' 'gro'i gsang dbugs te II rjod med ngaggi lcags bcug nas II 'od gsal sems ni bya 'phur 'gro II

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Bc) 'cfumg fol.1b.4: om fo1.9a.6; 'ial fol.1b.4: mjal fo1.9a.6

8 Burning-Pyres Hill:Dwelling in that great charnel ground,Once in the presence of Vajradhara,Thou became one with him. Praise unto thee!

The verse alludes to the meditation process during which, having pro-jected. oneself in the visualized form of the commitment being (samaya-sattva, dJ:zmtshig gi sems dpa) of a deity (i~tadevattI, yi dJ:zm),the actual being(jfltInasattva, ye shes kyi sems dpa) merges with it (Tucd 1949: 107-110).According to the teachings of supreme tantras (anuttarayoga-tantra, mal'byor bla med kyi rgyud), Tilopa generated himself into the samayasattva ofVajradhara. Then, he was pervaded by the timeless essence of that beingof awareness, and became one with him.

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9b) dang fo1,2a.5: 'ang fo1.9b.7; karrm pa fo1.2a.5: dkar rrm ba fo1,9b.79c) ma tang ki fo1.2a.5: ma tang gi fols. 9b.7-10a.l9d) b1cha'bzhi fo1.2a.5: bkha' bzhin fo1,10a.l

9 For the joy of other beings,Oeti.gipa, I<an:taripa,MatailgI and Lavapa:Thou relied on the[se] gurus of.Four Lores. Praise be!

rGyal thang pa (fols. 9b.7-13b.4) gives a detailed report of these fourtransmission lineages (blea' babs bzhl), which is possible to schematize asfollows:

1. VajrapiiJ)i (Phyag na rdo rje) -+ Saraha -+ Lllipa -+ Darikapa -+

Oengipa;2. Sumati Samantabhadn (Su ma ti Kun tu bzang mo) -+ Thang 10

pa -+ Shing 10 pa -+ Kart)aripa;3. Ratnamati (Blo gros rin chen) -+ Nagarjuna (KIu sgrub, alias

Advayavajra, gNyis med rdo rje, foI.12b.4) -+ MatailgIpa;4. VajrapiiJ)i -+ Oombi Heruka -+ Lavapa.

The instructions relevant to each lineage are connected with (I) theDeveloping (skyed rim, utpannakrama) and (2) the Fulfilment (rdzogs rim,sampannakrama) Stages of the tantric practice:

1.1. Catu/.lpitha (rDo rje gdan bzllz);1.2. the Transference ('pho ba, sarrzkrantz) and the Entering

Corpses (grong jug, parakiiyapraveda);2.1. Mahamiiya;2.2. the Dream (rmi lam, svapna) and the Illusory Body (sgyu

Ius, mayiiJalya);3.1. Cakrasarrtvara(bDe mchog);3.2. the Great Seal and the Union of the Two into One (zung

jug, yuganaddha);4.1. Hevajra (dGes pa rdo rje);4.2. the Radiant Light ('od gsal, prabhasvara) and the Mystic

Heat (gtum mo, CQtzt;liili).

As already observed (NaIanda Translation Committee 1986: xxxii-xxxiii;Torricelli 1993),Tilopan hagiology is fairly incoherent regarding these fourlineages and their content, but we will find a valuable hint to reconcilesome of the discrepancies, at least in terms of lineages, with dBang phyugrgyal mtshan. In fact, in his rnam thar (fols. 16a.I-16b), two different linesof transmission are outlined, ordinary and extraordinary ones, where theformer (thun mongs kyi bka' babs) are relevant with rGyal thang pa'saccount:

1. Vajrapat:li ~ Saraha ~ Luipa ~ Darikapa ~ I;:>engipa:mahiimudra;2. Ratnamati ~ Nagarjuna ~ Matailgipa: pitr-tantra;3. Sumati Samantabhadn ~ Shing 10 pa ~ Thang 10 pa ~

l<a.n)aripa: matr-tantra;4. Viriipa (Bhir wa pa) ~ I;:>ombiHeruka ~ Bhi na sa ~ Lavapa ..•

Indrabhuti: advaita-tantra and prabhdsvara.

Such distinction could suggest tlle ordinary transmissions to have beenthe "historical" ones, while the latter were received by Tilopa "spiritually,"whether by deeper insight or because of an acquired esoteric connection.

If~·q~·~~~·~~·3Je:~·q~·5~11~OJ'~9~'q'~~'~'~~~'ql

l~·~·~f~·"t~·Ifl~·r.7.l'~·~ll~~'Q~'C3~OJ'C3's"t'OJ'C3f"tl?o 1

10 For others' benefit,The yogin and the heretic,The magician and the barmaid:Thy power brought them to discipline. Praise unto Thee!

l~·W·C3'''t·Q·~·l'~~·''t~·l1~·r.7.5!~·"t~·~~·"t~~·~·~~1l.t1~·Q·~~·~f~·r~·OJ·C3'''t1lr.7.~C3a·~~·~e:"t·{·OJ·C3f"tl??

11 In Thy many guises,The law of cause and effect, virtue and sin, Thou revealed;Thou converted the butcher and the sorcerer,Working for the benefit of the world. [To Thee] Lord praise be!

Verses 10 and 11 refer to the conversion of eight people-seven men andone woman-owing to their meeting with Tilopa: a yogin (fols. 13b.5-14b.6), a tfrthika (fols. 14b.6-15a.7), a maker of illusions (fols. 15a.7-16a.5),and a barmaid (foI.16a.5-b.7) in the former; a Lokayatika (rGyang phan pa)denying any empirical basis to the law of karman (fols. 17a.4-18aA), abutcher (foI.18a.7-b.3), a singer, not mentioned in the verse (fols. 18b.3-19a.l), and a powerful sorcerer (foI.19a.l-b.l) in the latter. According to thestereotypes of the hagiographic anecdotic, each episode develops itselfinto a confrontation. Each confrontation ends with Tilopa's triumph andthe conversion of the other. Each conversion is followed by the bestowalof instructions to the new disciple.

Apart from the hagiography composed by IHa btsun Rin chen mamrgyal which is interspersed with some long songs by Tilopa (rnam mgur),rGyal thang pa's and the other rnam thars usually preserve only few linesof those instructions. However, a full record of them can be found in thetantric section (rgyud 'grel) of the bsTati 'gyur, under the title Acintya-mahdmudra (Phyag rgya chen po bsam gyis mi khyab pa): Vol.pu of the sNarthang (fols. 139b.1-148b.2) and Peking (fols. 145aA-155a.l; Otani no.4635;TT Vo1.82, pp.38-42) editions, and Vol.zhi of the sDe dge (fols. 245b.3-253a.5; Tl'lhoku nos. 2305-2312) and Co ne (245b.3-253a.5) editions.

l""l:3~·~·~l:3·~l::.·~e:'to~CJ'l:3'1f~l

ltr ~'t·~t.Tl·Q·~·~l:3~·~~~l

l$CJ'ar~rr~'l:3o~'~~. ~l::.'~CJl

l~CJ'Qa'l'l:3~~'~'t'CJ'l:3~'tl ?~ 112 Sometimes thou appeared as a monk;

Knowing grammar and logic without any studyThou converted and liberated the King and his retinue.o Incarnated Lord, praise unto Thee!

Some rnam thars put the monastic experience of Tilopa even before hisjourney to U,,",,"iyana.As for the monastery, it is worth mentioning whatP. Niyogi (1980: 68-69), writing of the great PilJ.,,"avihara, or Pa1J.,,"itavihara, "in the city of Catighabo (i.e. modem Chittagong) in Bhatpgala,"that "Tillopada, a contemporary of Mahipala I of Bengal [... ], a siddha, wasassociated with this vihara." We are told by Mar pa (foIAa.7-b.4) thatTilopa was dwelling by a templtl (lha khang) where an uncle of his wasaccustomed to lecture the Prajnaparamitii. There a Oakini instructed andexhorted him to go out into the world. Mar pa goes on to depict Tilopa'snew life (fo1.4b.4):at night, inviting and accompanying men to the prosti-tute Bharima's and, during the day, thrashing sesame grains. Consistentwith Mar pa, Taranatha's bKa' babs bdun ldan (chap.IV) informs us thatTilopa joined the daughter of a sesame trasher and gave up his monasticlife. As a sesame trasher himself, Tilopa went to many countries: amongthem, U,,",,"iyana,where he received instructions from the Oilinis.

Lines 12b c allude to three episodes where the other main dramatispersona is a King Sirphacandra (Seng ge zla ba). These episodes markTilopa's progressive transfiguration. In the first (fols. 19b.3-20a.5), hereveals himself as an emanation of Cakrasarpvara at the physical level (bdemchog 'khor lo'i sprul par bstan pa). In the second (foI.20a.5-bA), he appearsas Cakrasatpvara himself (bdemchog 'khor 10 dngos su bstan pa). In the thirdwhich usually closes the rnam thars (fols. 20bA-21a.2), Tilopa shows him-self as the synthesis of the bodies of all Buddhas of the three times (dusgsum gyi sangs rgyas thams cadkyi sku 'dus pa), simultaneously taking manydivine aspects: Cakrasatpvara for the Body, Hevajra for the Speech,Mahamaya for the Mind, Guhyasamaja (gSang ba 'dus pa) for the senses,~lJ.ayamari (sGra rgyud nag po) for the limbs, Vajrabhairava (rDo rje'jigs byed) for the subtler parts of the body.

l~'CJ~~'i~'~OJ'QJ'Q~ll~e:~'Q~'~~'il:l\'tt~'il~'~~llQ.E.Q.·~~'~:I\' ~~.~9r::.~·~·~~~~ll~e:~·Q·1'~~·OJ·5~·Q.ttOJ·CJf~l,~

13 0 Great Lord Tilopa,Having shown Thy complete liberation to be immeasurable,As a Rainbow Body, Thou departed into space.For [these] deeds, I devoutly give praise unto Thee!

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