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

The biographies of Rechungpa 2
Tibetans to assume that ssnyan-rgyud should be spelled as snyan-brgyud, so that when
they hear the term Rechung Nyengyu, it is commonly assumed to mean ‘the oral
transmission of Rechungpa’ and not ‘Rechungpa’s ’.
Marpa, who was the origin of the Kagyu lineage in Tibet, was a householder, but
Milarepa and Rechungpa, as their names suggest, were repa (ras-pa). Repas had few
possessions and lived in caves and huts, dependent upon the limited patronage of
villagers. They were dedicated to meditation practice and not scholarship. The term repa
later fell into disuse, being replaced by ‘Naljorpa’ (rnal-’byor-pa), the Tibetan equivalent
of ‘yogin’, to mean a non-monastic, non-householder practitioner. Ras means cotton, and
pa is a substantiative. A repa is therefore ‘someone who wears cotton’, refering to
someone who has mastered the practice of (gtum-mo). This practice results in an
experience of bliss and physical warmth, enabling the practitioner to wear only cotton
even in cold weather. It is the mark of accomplishment in the biographies of pupils of
Milarepa that they are ‘able to wear [only] cotton’. The word Kagyu (bKa’-brgyud),
which means ‘lineage of instructions’, is sometimes spelt dKar-brgyud, in the Drukpa
Kagyu school, meaning ‘the white lineage’, referring to the repa’s cotton costume.
However, this does not mean that they never wore anything but a cotton robe. A
biography of Khyungtsangpa describes the aged Rechungpa as wearing his cotton robe
over clothing made of felt. Contemporary masters also wear cotton over felt
clothing, eschewing warmer clothes such as sheepskin, however much they may seem to
complain about cold weather. 8
The fifth volume of the The Treasury of Instructions (gDams-ngag-mdzod) by Jamgön
Kongtrul Lodrö Tayé (‘Jam-mgon Kong-sprul bLo-gros mTha’-yas, 1813–99) categorises
the lineages in the following manner:
1 The elaborate form: the Rechung Nyengyu (Ras-chung sNyan-rgyud), transmitted
through Rechungpa’s principal pupils.
2 The medium form: the Demchok Nyengyu (bDe-mchog sNyan-rgyud) lineage,
transmitted from Rechungpa via Milarepa to Ngendzong Tönpa (Ngan-rdzong sTonpa)
and on through his successors.
3 The brief form: the Dakpo Nyengyu (Dwags-po sNyan-rgyud), taught by Rechungpa to
Dakpo Lharjé (Dwags-po lHa-rje) a.k.a Gampopa, and transmitted through his Dakpo
Kagyu succession.
Rechungpa’s three principal pupils in his own community of followers, who were also
involved in the creation of his earliest biography, were:
1 Sumpa (Sum-pa), who is also known as Sumtön (Sum-ston), Tsangpa Sumpa (gTsangpa
Sum-pa) and Dampa Sumpa (Dam-pa Sum-pa).
2 Gyal-lo (rGyal-lo).
3 Yang-gön (Yang-dgon), a.k.a Tönpa Yangdak Pal (sTon-pa Yang-dag dPal) and Sanggyé
Tön (Sangs-rgyas sTon).
Sumpa, who was a twenty-year old monk when he first met Rechungpa, was noted for his
devotion to him. He burned away a ring finger as an offering to Rechungpa, prostrated
whenever they met and became his personal attendant. In reciprocation, Rechungpa