![[Main ROKPA Homepage]](images/anilonew.gif)
|
Part Three - History of the Situpa Line
The history goes back to before the title of Tai Situpa was bestowed upon
this line of tulkus, to the time of the Indian mahasiddhas, or "great
accomplishers," who gained renown for their sanctity, often accompanied
by miracles. According to tradition, the Tai Situpa is an emanation of the
bodhisattva Maitreya, who will become the next Buddha, and who has taken
form as numerous Indian and Tibetan yogins since the time of the historical
Buddha. The mahasiddha mentioned in the biographies as such an emanation
is Dombipa, king of Magadha, disciple of Virupa. He was a saintly man who
practised tantra secretly for twelve years before he abdicated in favour
of a contemplative life in the wilderness. Another incarnation was Denma
Tsemang, one of the twenty-five main disciples of Padmasambhava, who was
noted for his phenomenal memory.
| One of the first Tibetan incarnations of
significance was Marpa (1012-97) who, as previously
mentioned, studied in India, returning with the lineage transmission
from Naropa and others, as well as with texts for translation. He
made three trips to India in all, and his biography is of great interest
to modern practitioners of Buddhism. He was a family man and a farmer,
cantankerous by all accounts, who experienced such vicissitudes of
life as the untimely death of a beloved son, but who managed to include
scholasticism and fruitful practice into his layman's routine, with
the assistance of his exceptional wife, Dagmema. |
Marpa
|
The incarnation of Drogon Rechen (II48 - I2I8) established the link between
the line which became the Tai Situpas and the Karmapas, a link which exists
to this day. Drogon Rechen was one of the principal students of the first
Karmapa, Dusum Khyenpa, and since that time these two
high incarnate lamas have maintained a continuous guru-disciple interrelationship,
which has been instrumental in the continuity of teachings and practices
of the Karma Kagyu. It has become a custom for the Karmapa to recognize
the Tai Situpa and become his main teacher, and for the Tai Situpa to recognize
the Karmapa and transmit the teachings back to him.
Two other incarnations as yogins of considerable attainment, Yeshe Nyingpo
and Ringowa, followed the incarnation as Marpa. Yeshe Nyingpo was
a disciple of the extraordinary second Karmapa, Karma Pakshi.
Another incarnation was a Chinese emperor with unusual spiritual power whose
name was Tai Tsu, who was the disciple of the fifth Karmapa, Dezhin
Shekpa. He was clairvoyant and was able to perceive an ornament on the
head of his teacher that could not be seen with ordinary sight, so he bad
a crown fashioned that resembled what he perceived. He presented the crown
to the Karmapa to wear so that more people could become aware of it and
benefit from seeing an outer representation of the inner crown symbolizing
advanced realization. This offering was the beginning of the traditional
Black Crown Ceremony, which the Karmapas are noted for, and which they have
performed up until present times.
Chokyi Gyaltsen (1377I448) was the first incarnation to bear the title Tai
Situ, conferred upon him in I407 by the Chinese emperor Yung Lo of the Ming
Dynasty. The complete title as it was given in Chinese is quite lengthy
and is often shortened to Kuang Ting Tai Situ, which conveys the gist of
it and is translated "far reaching, unshakable, great master, holder of the
command." Chokyi Gyaltsen was a close disciple of the fifth Karmapa and
was appointed by him to the position of head instructor of Karma Gon, the
Karmapas chief monastery at the time, located in Eastern Tibet.
Click on button four for the later masters of the Situ line
|