The Biographies of Rechungpa: The Evolution of a Tibetan ...

The teachings of a bodiless 151
Maitripa were Natekara (a.k.a Sahajavajra), Devākaracandra (a.k.a Sūnyatāsamādhi) and
Rāmapāla. Rechungpa is depicted as receiving teachings from Rāmapāla, who is the
author of one canonical text (No. 2253) which was taught by in Tibet, 43 and
was translated into Tibetan by Natso Lotsawa (Nag-tsho Lo-tsā-ba, born 1011).
Devākaracandra was a high caste Newar from Yagal (Ya-’gal), that is, Tripureśvara,
which is equivalent to the present-day southern half, or main half of Kathmandu (with
Thamel as the northern half).
went to Lalitpur/Patan in 1066, at the age of 49. In 1074, Dampa Kor
(Dam-pa sKor, 1062–1112) is told that who would then have been 57 years
old, is one of the three great masters in Nepal, 44 the other two being Pamtingpa (the
master of Pharping,) and Bharo Chadum (Bha-ro Phyag-rdum). 45 He is absent from a list
of great masters that dates to the 1080s, which implies that he had passed away by that
time, before reaching the age of 70 and was not living when Rechungpa came to India.
became so eminent and wealthy that the translator Chal Kunga Dorje
(dPyal Kun-dga’rDo-rje) considered him above his means to invite to Tibet, and instead
invited Devākaracandra, another of the four principal pupils of Maitripa. 46 Nevertheless
did go to Tibet on the invitation of Drok José Dorje Bar (‘Brog Jo-sras rDorje
‘Bar). had numerous pupils in Tibet and assisted in the translation of
nearly forty texts and authored eleven that are preserved in the canon. The ‘upper’,
‘lower’ and ‘later’ traditions of Māhamudrā all originate from pupils, the
lower (smad-‘gyur) being that of Asu. 47 Asu described as a white-haired
who liked to give sugarcane to Tibetans and also enjoyed getting them drunk. 48
His pupils included the translator Maben Chöbar (rMa-ban Chos-‘bar), a.k.a Ma
Lotsawa (rMa Lo-tsā-ba), who was the teacher of Khönpupa (Khon-pu-pa) who also
worked on a translation with Tipupa.
The apparently random introduction of Asu at this point is significant for studying
under Asu will be important in Rechungpa’s life and for the Kagyu transmission of
Mahāmudrā. Rechungpa also discovers at this time that Bharima is a pupil of Tipupa. 49
Rechungpa sings another song that appears to look back upon his visit to India and
Nepal, listing the people, objects and places he has seen. The contents of this song are at
odds with its narrative setting, for the list includes not only Tipupa, but many things or
people who have not yet appeared in the narrative, including Siddharājñī and the ‘Vārāhī
of Bhagala’. 50
The identity of the latter varies in the narrative tradition and sometimes she is said to
be identical with Siddharājñī, but in this text she is understood to be a statue, as is also
suggested in certain other versions.
One of the ‘wondrous sights’ is ‘water flowing from the mouths of makaras’ (chu-srin
kha nas chu ‘bab) which could also be understood as being in the singular, but
presumably refers to the distinctive Nepali architectural detail of stone makara heads
from whose mouths water pours at bathing tanks. Seeing water issuing from these might
not amaze in a modern context, but must have been a marvel for a Tibetan of that time.
Rechungpa stays in the lower storey (‘og-khang) of what appears to be a three-storey
building, for Tipupa and his wife are said to be in the middle storey (bar-khang).
Rechungpa sneaks upstairs one night to spy on Tipupa, to discover what he is practising.