Today I’m bestowing the empowerment of the self-arising and self-manifesting Eight Great Herukas (the Eight Great Herukas are also called the Eight Great Sugatas, the Eight Great Tathagatas, and the Eight Great Dharma Practices. When they are peaceful deities, they are the Eight Great Tathagatas; when they are wrathful deities, they are the Eight Great Herukas). You should have already seen introductions to this before, but due to time constraints, I can’t go into great detail this time. Most of what you see online is written by me. A long time ago, I had His Holiness Penor Rinpoche perform the remote transmission of the Eight Great Heruka empowerment in Taiwan, and I wrote an introduction to that remote transmission. Later, I had Chökyi Gyaltsen transmit the three major lineages of the Eight Great Heruka, and I also wrote the introductions to those three lineages at that time.
Throughout my life, I have studied Tara and the Eight Great Heruka most extensively. I have received teachings from almost all the lineage masters in Tibetan Buddhism. I have studied a lot, but my practice has not been diligent, and I haven’t achieved much, but I definitely have the blessings of the lineage masters.
Introduction to the Dharma:
The Eight Great Herukas are a vast Dharma practice. The 100,000 tantras of the Nyingma school and the 100,000 tantras of the Early Translation school that you see or hear today are basically related to the Eight Great Herukas. There are over seventy volumes of the Great Treasure of Terma, over seven hundred empowerments, and over a thousand in total, all belonging to the Eight Great Herukas.
The Eight Great Herukas have many classifications, such as the Three Great Lineages, Five Great Lineages, etc., but the most fundamental and important are the Three Great Lineages. These Three Great Lineages were revealed by the three greatest tertons, most representative of Padmasambhava, the King of Tertons.
The achievements of the greater and lesser tertons can be likened to stupas, due to the differences in their vows and the extent and mission they undertake to liberate sentient beings. At the top of a stupa are the sun, the moon, and jewels. Among the 108 treasure revealers, three are like the sun, the moon, and precious jewels: Nyingma Nyima Oser is like the sun; Guru Chokyi Wangchuk is like the moon; and Rigdzin Gyaltsen is like a precious jewel. These three are also considered extraordinary incarnations of Padmasambhava, three manifestations of Padmasambhava as a treasure revealer. The three great lineages of the Eight Great Herukas were revealed by these three.
Nyingma Nyima Oser revealed the embodiment of the Sugatas; Guru Chokyi Wangchuk revealed the secret perfection; and Rigdzin Gyaltsen revealed the self-arising and self-manifesting Eight Great Herukas. Padmasambhava referred to these three as representatives of his body, speech, and mind: Body—the embodiment of the Sugatas; Speech—the secret perfection; Mind—the self-arising and self-manifesting Eight Great Herukas.
A renowned scholar of Tibetan Buddhism, Ali Panchen Lama, who had studied various schools of Tibetan Buddhism, mentioned that among Guru Rinpoche’s teachings, the three great lineages of the Eight Great Herukas are the most important. While the interruption of the lineages of other teachings is not a problem, the three great lineages of the Eight Great Herukas cannot be interrupted. If these three lineages are broken, the Guru Rinpoche lineage will be severed. Therefore, these three lineages are the lifeblood, essence, and heart of the Guru Rinpoche lineage.
These three great lineages encompass all of Guru Rinpoche’s teachings. The Sugata’s Collection (Sugata’s Comprehensive Collection) covers the generation stage, the Secret Perfection (Secret Perfection) covers the completion stage, and the Eight Great Herukas of Self-Arising and Self-Manifestation (Self-Arising and Self-Manifestation) covers the Great Perfection stage. Although each lineage contains these three teachings, they are primarily categorized based on the generation stage. Therefore, the most detailed and complete teachings on the generation stage, from the four preliminary practices—the four turnings of the mind, the purification of karmic obscurations, the cultivation of merit, the purification of impure habits and manifestations, and the four defilements—are all found in the Sugata’s Collection.
The Sugata’s Collection contains nine texts and two commentaries, totaling eleven texts. The Secret Perfection section has five texts, and the Eight Great Herukas of Self-Arising and Self-Manifestation section also has five texts, bringing the total to twenty-one texts across the three lineages. Sometimes, due to variations in versions, some texts are included, but they are also grouped into the three main texts: Om Ah Hum.
These three lineages are highly valued by all who believe in the Guru Rinpoche lineage. There was once a very famous master named Shangdunpa at Labrang Monastery in Gansu Province. He was the teacher of both Changkya and Tukhang. His biography records that keeping the scriptures of the Eight Great Herukas in one’s home can ward off obstacles from non-human beings. The Panchen Lama of Ali also mentioned that wherever the scriptures of the three great lineages are, there lies the teachings of Guru Rinpoche, and there lies the protector of Guru Rinpoche.
Complete empowerments, explanations, and oral transmissions of the three great Heruka lineages are rarely transmitted. It is possible that the first public empowerment transmitted remotely in Taiwan was given by His Holiness Penor Rinpoche at my invitation. The first complete empowerment of the three great lineages recorded in Taiwanese Buddhism was given by Khenpo Chökyi Gyaltsen at our Miaocheng Temple. He was very happy during the transmission and gave a complete and perfect empowerment and explanation of the fundamental teachings of the three lineages. Oral transmissions also exist, but not all twenty-one volumes contain oral transmissions.
Lineage Transmission:
I am very happy to be able to transmit the self-arising and self-manifesting Eight Great Heruka teachings this time. I have received this teaching from many masters, but I received it completely from Chushang Rinpoche, who instructed me to propagate this teaching. The Guru Rinpoche hat I wore during the empowerment was also sewn for me personally by him; when I transmitted the teachings, I felt him on my head. My actual practice lineage is not limited to this one. An actual practice lineage refers to a master who primarily practices this teaching, has also completed retreats, and whose lineage has not been interrupted. Chushang Rinpoche has such a lineage; his family are descendants of Pashidari of Nepal, and are successors of Manjushri Yamantaka. The teachings of Manjushri Yamantaka are all transmitted within his family. His monastery is Dorje Drak Monastery. Dorje Drak Monastery has thirteen great lamas, the highest being the current Dharma King Rigdzin Chenmo of the Dorje Drak lineage, and the second being the Dharma Master Chushang Rinpoche. They mutually recognize each other and are teacher and disciple to each other. The lineage of the self-arising and self-manifesting Eight Great Herukas of Dzogchen from Dorje Drak is passed down in this way, and the self-arising and self-manifesting Eight Great Herukas is also the main teaching of Dorje Drak.
Whether it’s empowerments, explanations, tormas, or mandala arrangements, the most rigorous are found at Dorje Drak Monastery and Mindrolling Monastery. Dorje Drak Monastery is one of the six major Nyingma monasteries, with a small number of practitioners. Although their lineage exists in many places, due to the transmission and regulations of the Ngari Panchen Lama, their rules are very strict, making entry difficult. The most important deities at Dorje Drak Monastery are the Eight Great Herukas, and their practice revolves around the teachings of the Eight Great Herukas. Chushang Rinpoche himself has several lineages, including the Dorje Drak Rigdzin Chenmo lineage in Tsang, and the Dorje Drak lineage in Kham, among others; several lineages are integrated into Chushang Rinpoche.
Characteristics of the Nyingma lineage:
The Nyingma lineage is divided into outer, inner, and secret lineages. The outer lineage is the transmission of the Tripitaka (Buddhist canon) from Shakyamuni Buddha, specifically the Kriya Tantra, Charya Tantra, and Yoga Tantra, to Vajrapani. The inner lineage is the transmission of the Generation Stage, Completion Stage, and Great Perfection Stage (Mahayoga, Anuyoga, Atiyoga) from Vajradhara of the Pure Land of Secret Realm to the Vajrayana lineage. The secret lineage is the transmission from Samantabhadra Buddha to his emanation Vajrasattva, and the Atiyoga empowerments, tantras, and oral instructions were transmitted from the Great Secret Play charnel ground to the Secret Vajra Lord. These are the earliest lineages.
Later, in India, the lineage was divided into four major lineages, or four major empowerments. The first empowerment was the empowerment of scriptures, transmitted from the heavens atop Mount Maraya, above the palace of King Indrabhuti. The eighteen tantras descended from the sky. The second was the empowerment of the deity, transmitted by Vajrasattva through direct vision of Garab Dorje, who then passed it on to Shri Sangha, who in turn transmitted it to Padmasambhava. The third was the empowerment of the Panchen Lama, transmitted to Padmasambhava by Princess Guma Dev, daughter of King Indrabhuti. The fourth was the empowerment of primordial awareness, transmitted by Padmasambhava through his natural enlightenment, realization of the pure Dharmakaya, and direct vision of the pure deity of Dharma nature. These are all Vajrayana teachings, difficult for ordinary people to understand.
Padmasambhava received the separate teachings of the Eight Great Herukas under the Eight Great Vidyadharas. Ultimately, all the oral instructions and empowerments were integrated into Padmasambhava. After his enlightenment, Padmasambhava then reunited all the teachings, transmitting the empowerment of the Eight Great Herukas, led by Vinichana, to the Eight Great Vidyadharas in the cave of Yanglie Snow Mountain in Nepal.
In Tibet, Guru Rinpoche may have transmitted the Eight Great Heruka empowerments two or three times. Two are documented, while the third is legendary. The first was the empowerment of the Sugata’s total assembly, given to his 25 heart disciples on the third floor of the main hall of Samye Monastery. The second was the empowerment of the secret perfection, given to nine of his heart disciples in the cave at the top of Qingpu Mountain, and the empowerment of the self-arising and self-manifesting Eight Great Heruka, given to a special disciple whose karmic conditions were ripe. Upon receiving this empowerment, the nine heart disciples immediately attained enlightenment. The nine heart disciples were: King Trisong Detsen, Namkhai Nyingpo, Sangye Yeshe, Gyaltsen Chögyam, Dorje Thondup, Palje Yeshe, Yeshe Tsogyal, Palkyi Sangye, and Vinichana. The teachings of the three lineages of the Eight Great Heruka transmitted to the nine heart disciples were completely identical. Later treasure revealers or other sources may have written different versions, but the fundamental teachings of Guru Rinpoche remain the primary source.
The self-arising and self-manifesting Eight Great Heruka teachings were transmitted by Dorje Thondup. When Guru Rinpoche’s heart emanated five-colored light that merged into Dorje Thondup’s heart, Guru Rinpoche told him he would be reborn near Tasang Monastery and would propagate the self-arising and self-manifesting teachings of Dzogchen. Later, when the conditions were ripe, Dorje Thondup was reborn in Sangsang Lhaza. His reincarnation was Gudenpa, one of the three great treasure revealers, a true gem. Gudenpa revealed the terma teachings, especially the five supreme treasure troves. This is how the entire Dorje Tsang lineage of Northern Terma was transmitted. The self-arising and self-manifesting Eight Great Heruka teachings we transmit today are the most important teachings among those revealed from his terma.
Dorje Thondup’s lineage is divided into three types: the son’s lineage, the disciple’s lineage, and the mother’s lineage. Initially, these three lineages were propagated separately, but later they were combined. His son was also a great accomplished master, and many of his disciples also attained enlightenment. His mother was an inconceivable accomplished master. The Buddha Mother may have lived to be two hundred years old, her body never declining, maintaining a youthful appearance. After Dorje Thondup’s passing, a great master came from India, and the Buddha Mother practiced with him. About fifty or sixty years later, she reappeared in the same place, propagating the Dharma. When others saw her, she still looked very young. Because she propagated both the Old Translation School and the New Translation School, her story is told in many places.
Later, all these lineages passed to an accomplished master named Chokyi Gyaltsen, a descendant of King Trisong Detsen. From the age of 27 to 68, he practiced the Eight Great Herukas. After achieving enlightenment, he transmitted it to his disciples. Finally, all the lineages merged at the Ngari Panchen Lama, who passed it on to his younger brother, Rinchen Lheden Dorje. Rinchen Lheden Dorje lived to around 115 years old and was also an accomplished master.
The self-arising and self-manifesting Eight Great Herukas are divided into eight sections, further subdivided into 108 practices, which we call the 108 Activities Section. This includes extensive, intermediate, and concise rituals, rituals for attaining enlightenment, rituals for eliminating obstacles, and so on, especially numerous practices related to Dzogchen.
The three lineages of the Eight Great Herukas represent the body, speech, and mind of Guru Rinpoche. If you receive this empowerment with joy and sincerity, you will certainly receive blessings.