Nam Cho
Encyclopedia
Nam Cho translates as the "sky/space dharma", a terma
cycle especially popular among the Tibetan Buddhist Nyingma
Palyul Lineage as revealed by Terton
Namcho Migyur Dorje
and transmitted to Rigdzin Kunzang Sherab and compiled by Kagyu
master Karma Chagme Raga Asya
.
The Nam Cho comprises an entire cycle of practices ranging from preliminary practice (Ngöndro
) to the "pointing out instructions" of Dzogchen
. While Migyur Dorje's space-treasures are said to have originated from his visionary encounters with deities, they also include instructions based on his own insights.
By and large they cover diverse subjects such as:
Terma (religion)
Terma are key Tibetan Buddhist and Bön teachings, which the tradition holds were originally esoterically hidden by various adepts such as Padmasambhava and his consorts in the 8th century for future discovery at auspicious times by other adepts, known as tertöns. As such, they represent a...
cycle especially popular among the Tibetan Buddhist Nyingma
Nyingma
The Nyingma tradition is the oldest of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism . "Nyingma" literally means "ancient," and is often referred to as Nga'gyur or the "old school" because it is founded on the first translations of Buddhist scriptures from Sanskrit into Tibetan, in the eighth century...
Palyul Lineage as revealed by Terton
Tertön
A tertön is a discoverer of ancient texts or "terma". Many tertöns are considered incarnations of the 25 main disciples of Padmasambhava. A vast system of transmission lineages developed...
Namcho Migyur Dorje
Migyur Dorje
Migyur Dorje is the Terton who recognized Kunzang Sherab as the Lineage Holder of Nam Cho terma in the Palyul Lineage. Born in the Ngom To Rola region of Tibet...
and transmitted to Rigdzin Kunzang Sherab and compiled by Kagyu
Kagyu
The Kagyu, Kagyupa, or Kagyud school, also known as the "Oral Lineage" or Whispered Transmission school, is today regarded as one of six main schools of Himalayan or Tibetan Buddhism, the other five being the Nyingma, Sakya, Jonang, Bon and Gelug...
master Karma Chagme Raga Asya
Karma Chagme
The name Karma Chagme refers to a 17th century Tibetan Buddhist lama and to the tülku lineage which he initiated. Including the first, seven Karma Chagme tülkus have been recognized...
.
The Nam Cho comprises an entire cycle of practices ranging from preliminary practice (Ngöndro
Ngöndro
Ngöndro refers to the preliminary, preparatory or foundational 'practices' or 'disciplines' common to all four schools of Tibetan Buddhism and also to Bön...
) to the "pointing out instructions" of Dzogchen
Dzogchen
According to Tibetan Buddhism and Bön, Dzogchen is the natural, primordial state or natural condition of the mind, and a body of teachings and meditation practices aimed at realizing that condition. Dzogchen, or "Great Perfection", is a central teaching of the Nyingma school also practiced by...
. While Migyur Dorje's space-treasures are said to have originated from his visionary encounters with deities, they also include instructions based on his own insights.
By and large they cover diverse subjects such as:
- i) ritual offerings (bsang / chab gtor / bum gter);
- ii) funereal rites (byang chog);
- iii) popular empowerments for long-life (tshe dbang); health (sman lha dbang); and wealth (nor dbang);
- iv) thread rituals and protective amulets (mdos / srung ba);
- v) rites for propitiating protector deities (chos skyong / zhing skyong / gter srung); demons (btsan / gnod sbyin / bdud); high heaven spirits (lha); mountain gods (spom ri / thang lha); nāgas (klu); and earth spirits (sa bdag);
- vi) divination and astrology (rde’u dkar mo / spar kha / rtsis);
- vii) preliminary tantric practices (sngon ’gro);
- viii) tantric practices (rmi lam / ’pho ba / gtum mo / phur ba / gcod) and commentaries (rgyud ’grel);
- ix) pure-land sādhanaSadhanaSādhanā literally "a means of accomplishing something" is ego-transcending spiritual practice. It includes a variety of disciplines in Hindu, Sikh , Buddhist and Muslim traditions that are followed in order to achieve various spiritual or ritual objectives.The historian N...
s (zhing khams sgrub), and hundreds of meditation practices on peaceful (zhi ba) and wrathful (khro bo) deities grouped under well-known VajrayānaVajrayanaVajrayāna Buddhism is also known as Tantric Buddhism, Tantrayāna, Mantrayāna, Secret Mantra, Esoteric Buddhism and the Diamond Vehicle...
cycles (chos skor), such as the Bde mchog; Gu ru drag po; Ma ning; Sgrol ma; Phag mo; and last, but not least, - x) philosophical commentaries (khrid) belonging to DzogchenDzogchenAccording to Tibetan Buddhism and Bön, Dzogchen is the natural, primordial state or natural condition of the mind, and a body of teachings and meditation practices aimed at realizing that condition. Dzogchen, or "Great Perfection", is a central teaching of the Nyingma school also practiced by...
(rdzogs chen),the Great Perfection teachings of the NyingmaNyingmaThe Nyingma tradition is the oldest of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism . "Nyingma" literally means "ancient," and is often referred to as Nga'gyur or the "old school" because it is founded on the first translations of Buddhist scriptures from Sanskrit into Tibetan, in the eighth century...
school; see: [Halkias, Georgios. 2006. ‘Pure-Lands and other Visions in Seventeenth-Century Tibet: a Gnam-chos sādhana for the pure-land Sukhāvatī revealed in 1658 by Gnam-chos Mi-’gyur-rdo-rje (1645-1667).’ In Power, Politics and the Reinvention of Tradition: Tibet in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century. Proceedings of the 10th International Association for Tibetan Studies (2003) ed. B. Cuevas et al. Leiden: Brill PublishersBrill PublishersBrill is an international academic publisher founded in 1683 in Leiden, the Netherlands. With offices in Leiden and Boston, Brill today publishes more than 134 journals and around 600 new books and reference works each year...
, 121-151].