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

Marriage, pupils and the end of life 215
Rechungpa sings a song containing an implied criticism of Asu, whose face darkens with
anger and he breaks off his teaching by going into retreat for a while. Such a disrespectful
attitude to one’s teacher might appear to conflict with the vajrayāna ideals that the text is
promoting. However, the biography is presenting Asu in a manner that does not divide
the focus of the reader’s devotion, so that the transmission from Milarepa through
Rechungpa remains inviolably superior.
Rechungpa also encounters Kadampa teachers who are well known in the history of
that school and these episodes are certainly not to be found in their biographies.
In Götsang Repa, the monks in the monastery of Shönnu Ö (gZhon-nu ‘Od), a.k.a
Chayulpa (Bya-yul-pa) (1075–1138), 75 at first eject Rechungpa when he arrives there.
However, when Chayulpa hears Rechungpa singing outside, he sheds tears. The Blue
Annals includes a brief form of this account up until the point when Chayulpa begins
weeping, 76 but not what follows in Götsang Repa’s biography: Chayulpa sends his monks
in search of Rechungpa to invite him into his private rooms. There, over a period of three
weeks Rechungpa gives him the Nyengyu instructions. The monks subsequently
complain that this has had a deleterious effect on their leader’s normally strict conduct,
but, nevertheless, it is through the benefits of this practice, Götsang Repa emphasises,
that Chayulpa was able to become a teacher of many pupils. A Nyengyu transmission
named ‘the tradition of Rechungpa’ (Ras-chung lugs) is thus said to originate with
Chayulpa, commencing with a secret transmission from Chayulpa to his principal pupil,
Tsangpa Mikyö Dorje (gTsang-pa Mi-bskyod rDo-rje) (1077–1161). 77
Later, Chayulpa has a monk-pupil who becomes a great scholar that had come to the
conclusion that such study was of no benefit. Chayulpa secretly confides to him that he is
right. Chayulpa tells him about the Nyengyu lineage that he practices and explains that
this is kept secret from all the other pupils, who are merely studying logic, because they
are not yet ready to hear the truth. 78 Chayulpa secretly sends the monk to Rechungpa.
Thus we see here the inferiority of the Kadampa tradition being declared by one of its
principal masters!
Similarly, Götsang Repa describes how Rechungpa taught, in their private chambers,
the Kadampa abbots Neu Zurpa Yeshe Bar (sNe’u Zur-pa Ye-shes ‘Bar) (1042–1118) 79
who lost his habitual dislike of yogins on meeting Rechungpa (and who The Blue Annals
states became a friend of Milarepa), and Chen-nga Tsultrim Bar (sPyan-snga Tshulkhrims
‘Bar) (1038–1103), the teacher of Chayulpa (who according to The Blue Annals
was considered to have miraculous powers that rivalled, or even superseded, those of
Milarepa). 80 However, the dates of both these masters, particularly the latter, cast doubt
upon the historicity of their meeting with Rechungpa. 81
The biography therefore is proud to list a number of Kadampa masters amongst
Rechungpa’s pupils, 82 even though they are secret pupils or were—as in the case of Cha
Chekawa Yeshe Dorje (Bya ′ Chad-kha-ba Ye-shes rDo-rje) (1101–75) 83 his former pupils
before entering the Kadampa tradition. 84
Rechungpa also taught Gampopa’s pupil Dusum Khyenpa (Dus-gsum mKhyen-pa),
the first Karmapa, the founder of the Karma Kagyu tradition. Even Gampopa himself is
listed amongst the pupils of Rechungpa.