The Twelve Deeds of Tönpa Shenrab

The Twelve Deeds of Tönpa Shenrab

1. The Deed of Birth

   The Buddha who revealed the way of the Yungdrung Bön, the Conqueror Shenrab Miwo, became the all-victorious one of reality itself by means of first generating the supreme mind of enlightenment. Between, he gathered the two accumulations for three countless eons. Finally, he actualized the state of a complete Buddha of the three bodies of enlightenment in the realm of Ogmin. From the five measures of seeing and the five measures of intention to display, he recognized the time to train all sentient beings. He took birth in Tagzig Olmolungring in the royal palace of Barpo Sogyed, as the son of his father Gyalpön Thödkar and mother Yochi Gyalzhadma on the first dawn of the fifteenth day of the first month of Fire Tiger of Spring in the Royal Wood Male Mouse year, under the Gyal star in the year 16,017 B.C. The soothsayer Brahmin Salkhyab Öden checked the signs and recognized him as the chief Buddha guide, the all victorious one of reality and named him Tönpa Shenrab Miwo. 

     After that, in the span of one human year he was a youth delighting in playfulness. Then he was cast and honored as the ruler of the entire world, established as the King of Murig Thrul, where he was enthroned as the ruler of the entire three realms. 

2. The Deed of Propagating the Teaching

     Then, between a period of twelve Shen years, 1200 human years, he taught his outer, inner, and secret retinues the nine stages of the vehicle of Bön; the four causal vehicles of Cha Shen, the Way of the Shen of Prediction which includes divination, astrology, various rituals, and medical diagnoses, Nang Shen, the Way of the Shen of the Phenomenal World, which includes rituals dealing with communication with external forces such as rituals of protection, invocation, ransom of the soul and life-force, and repelling harmful or negative energies, Thrul Shen, the Way of the Shen of Manifestation, which includes venerating a deity or master and then applying mantra or mudras in order to accomplish a goal such as requesting assistance from natural energies, and Sid Shen, the Way of the Shen of Existence, which is primarily focused upon rituals for the dead and methods to promote longevity for the living. The four resultant vehicles of Genyen, the Way of the Virtuous Lay Practitioner, which specifies the proper conduct of a lay person taking vows, Drangsong, the Way of the Fully Ordained, which specifies the proper conduct for those who are fully ordained practitioners,  Akar, the Way of the White AH, which is primarily focused upon tantric practice using visualization, Yeshen, the Way of the Primordial Shen, which is primarily focused on higher tantric practice, and the vehicle of Yangste Lamed, The Unsurpassed Way, Dzogchen, which does not rely upon antidotes of any kind, ritual or practice with a meditational deity. It is concerned with the realization of the true nature of one’s mind. 

     At the Nine Stack Swastika Mountain he taught Malo, Yulo, along with the retinues of Yeshen, grammar and logic of Bön, and at the King’s palace of Wangden Sadag he taught the outer, inner, and secret Kalachakra Tantra, astrology, and astronomy. Furthermore, in the realms of the gods, nagas, and humans he taught the small kinds of scriptures of Bön.

3. The Deed of Taming Beings

     The supreme Mind of the Tönpa endowed with the two purities, without moving from the expanse of the nature of reality, emanated the enlightened teachers like the Dulshen, pacifying the six realms, Yeshen, bodhisattvas, the Thirty-Three Yendul, the Four Shen of the elements, the Shen of the ten directions, and the 100 million supreme emanations to Dzamling by which 100 million were tamed.

4. The Deed of Leading Beings

     The realm of the world is tormented by very severe negativity and emotional afflictions of sexual attachment and craving, so having mercy upon those with hatred and great sin, he led the queen Guling Mati who was full of desire, Thrishi WangGyal who was full of pride, Halaratsa who was full of envy, Guwer Ratsa who was full of delusion, and so forth, completely taming those in whom the five poisons were very strong, placing countless sentient beings who were the most difficult to tame at the level beyond samsara of perfect Buddhahood. 

5. The Deed of Marriage

     Then, the King of the Gods Indra and so forth all requested Tönpa Shenrab to marry. As there was gossip that he was of neutral gender and would not continue the family line, to show that he was the same as humans he was married to ten emanations of Dakinis, Hö wife , Po wife, Lha wife, Naga wife, Kong wife, Chinese wife, Cha wife, Sè wife, Brahmin wife, and so forth, bringing happiness in this way. Also, kings, Brahmins, and many castes offered their fifty daughters, some of whom worked for the Queen, the Lady Minister, doing ablution, and as female servants, as well as those of Shag descent, Hö descent, Po descent, Gya descent who did rites to avert misfortune and negativity. There were the daughters of Nyen who were mistresses, presidents, bodyguards, astrologers, and entertainers of guests. There were the 360 wonderful, virtuous manifestations of Yumchenmo who were simply adorned being stainless, without sexual attachment, for they appeared as the skillful means of cutting sexual attachment for the males and females of samsara. 

6. The Deed of Emanating Offspring

     Although the body of the Buddha does not need progeny, in order to assure that the royal lineage remained unbroken and to benefit sentient beings, by the display of skillful means and wisdom, the emanations of Tönpa Shenrab’s lineage of close sons were born. From the Hö Princess Gyalmed, the two sons Tobu Bumsang and Chedbu Thrishe, from the Po Princess Thangmo, the two sons Lungdren Salwa and Gyüd Dren Drönma, from The Sè Princess Ngang Ring the son Oltrug Thangpo, from the Cha Princess Gungdrug, the king of the clan lineage Mucho Demdrug, from the Kong Princess Thrijam, the holder of the royal Mu lineage King’s son Yungdrung Wangden, and from the Chinese Princess Thrulgyur, the king’s son Kongtsha Thrulbu was born. 

    At the time they were all born, the gods, nagas, and humans all performed song and dance and especially the god Brahma offered ablution. All of those sons from the Buddha Tönpa Shenrab himself first discussed and requested the teachings. Next, they were the custodians of the teachings. Finally, they compiled the teachings. By the compassion of his emanations, the teachings of Tönpa Shenrab will unceasingly benefit sentient beings. Furthermore, from the Hö Princess was born the daughter Shen Princess Neuchen and from the Po Princess was born the daughter Shen Princess Neuchung. 

7. The Deed of Subduing Demons

    The son of the Demon Gyalag Thodje, the Demon Khyabpa Lagring who resides in the direction of Tshangri in the region of Munpa Yungdrung Zerden, saw that his realm would be emptied by Tönpa Shenrab. So he displayed nine different magical feats to defeat Tönpa Shenrab. However, by skillful means, Tönpa Shenrab subdued them. The last, ninth miraculous manifestation waged war with hundreds of millions of fierce Demons who rained arrows and all varieties of weapons down upon Tönpa Shenrab. Nevertheless, Tönpa Shenrab transformed all the weapons into a shower of lotuses and then faith arose in the retinues of demons in Tönpa Shenrab and many became his students. 

     Then, the Demons displayed various magical displays to Tönpa Shenrab and his retinue; however, by the blessing of Tönpa, great harm did not occur, but by the power of previous karma, while collecting flowers in a garden, the daughter Shen Princess Neuchung joined and followed the Demons. Tobu Bumsang and the Po mother Thangmo summoned and requested Tönpa Shenrab to go to the place of the Demons and rescue Neuchung. She had two Demon children, Thrugtag Buthung and Zigbuthung and they were all rescued. 

     Then the seven sons of the Demon Thrug, Shorwa Gyadun, displayed a magical feat to get Shenrab’s wealth and stole Tönpa Shenrab’s seven horses and escaped to the region of Kongpo. Although Tönpa Shenrab was not attached to the horses, he saw this as a good sign for the Tibetan people to get teachings. He brought the Sinpo demons under his power and bound the haughty demons to sacred oath to protect the teachings. Then Tönpa Shenrab went after the horses. The gods and demons and so forth, and many sentient beings received him with prostrations and offerings. Also, at the place of Tsang there is a big wooded ravine where Tönpa placed cushions of lotus upon which he walked from Kongpo and defeated all the gathering of demons. 

     For the next generation of sentient beings benefit, in Kongpo, he manifested from his Mind Bön Mountain and taught all the Tibetan Bönpos who were still doing such things as animal sacrifices, how to make smoke offerings to the gods and banish demons. He taught the causal Bön, about how to grow good crops and made aspiration prayers that eventually all the Nine Ways of Bön would spread in Tibet. 

8. The Deed of Leaving and Establishing the Teaching

    The Shak lineage king invited Tönpa Shenrab in order to benefit his people, and the Tönpa built God shrine houses and Dronma Gu, nine buildings, at which he taught the Nine Ways of Bön to students of Khate Muya and then told them to keep and spread the teachings. At another lineage king’s realm, Tönpa Shenrab gave a Body Representation statue and teachings and thereafter the teaching continued. The Chinese king Kongtse Thrul invited Tönpa Shenrab and built the God shrine house, the Illuminated Karnag Trasal, on an island in the sea after clearing all obstacles and empowered and consecrated it. 

     Then together with Sidpa Sangpo Bumthri, the enlightened one of skillful means and wisdom, he taught the Nine Ways of Bön and the five of the Four Gates and the Treasury. He explained all the outer, inner, and secret scriptures and wrote volumes of scriptures in the five kinds of precious things. All of these scriptures were put in Karnag Trasal. 

9. The Deed of Renunciation and Becoming a Monk

     When Tönpa Shenrab was thirty-one Shen years old, 3,100 human years, by the great compassion of skillful means, in the four directions of the God Shrine Palace Thrimon Gyalzhed, he saw the four rivers of suffering of birth, aging, sickness, and death and by these conditions aroused the determination to be free of cyclic existence. He went in front of the stupa Namdag Karpo and cut his hair, renouncing the worldly life and became a monk. Then he took off his royal clothes and took all the things of a monk like the petal of lotus, the six monk’s clothes, five things that monks have and so forth. After, he went to the pure land of Ogmin and in front of the Sage Legden Gyalwa completely received all the Drangsong full monk precepts and was named Dezhin Shegpa Drajompa Yangdagpar Dzogpai Sangye Tönpa Thritsug Gyalwa. 

      Then, at the God realm of the Thirty-Three Heaven, land of the Four Great Kings, and at Metokling, at the border of Oling, he performed the three ascetic practices of human, monkey, and bird. He turned the wheel of Bön for the king of the Demons Khyabpa and all of his countless retinues. To Yidkyi Khyeuchung and all the assembly of cloud-like retinues, he taught them the “Bön Khor Tshig Zhi”, Four Words of the Wheel of Bön, and all developed faith and promised to become monks. All the students were divided into four groups and eight individuals. Tönpa Thritsug Gyalwa was the Master and Yungdrung Tsugshen Gyalwe the preceptor, and A Zha lineage Sangwa Dodud was the witness, and all the students received monastic vows. Furthermore, he extensively taught the root and branch rules of the one day vows, layperson vows, novice monk, and full monk and all of the retinues conduct was appropriately disciplined according to the teachings of Bön. 

10. The Deed of Abandoning Samsara in Solitude

     Tönpa Shenrab went alone to a solitary place in a forest at the Nine Stack Swastika Mountain, abandoning the masses of distractions, remaining in retreat without contact with any others. To the Demon Khyabpa, who had become a monk, and Tobu Bumsang and so forth, to those with superior capacity, he taught the way of becoming Buddha in a single lifetime, the ultimate method of accomplishment of the single sphere, Dzogchen. To Shenza, his daughters, and so forth, to all those of lower capacity, he taught them the gradual path of spiritual practice, the conduct of lowest to the highest and the view of highest to lowest, what to adopt and abandon, and rebirth. Then, he taught the twelve sections of tantras of Dzogchen and so on. 

    In the remote forest he built a hermitage. He practiced on islands, burial grounds, valleys, caves, alone like an injured animal. Solitary and undistracted, he obtained and demonstrated the ultimate meaning. Moreover, in a single lifetime through the unsurpassable accomplishment, he united the ultimate meaning of the view, meditation, and action and finally through interdependence he turned the wheel of Bön for the outer, inner, and secret retinues. 

11. The Deed of Bringing the Virtuous to Completion

     Then, to all the immeasurable retinues of Tönpa Shenrab, he taught that all the individuals and retinue, the self and other, do not truly exist, to penetrate the view from high to low, and to practice the conduct climbing from the bottom to the top. He taught that their basis should be great compassion and to practice the methods of the Ten Paramitas and to engage in the stages of the vehicles. Furthermore, he taught the way the eon arose and was created, the teaching of Bön in the future, the way the 32 major and 80 minor marks and positive qualities arise, and all the attainments of the training of Bön to the divisions of the one hundred million outer retinue, the two million intermediate retinue, the 1,600 inner retinue, and the 3,500 of the secret retinue, the 5,500 personal attendant Yundrung Sempas, the 360 Yeshens, the eight emanated spiritual sons, and the gathering of the worldly beings. In order to accomplish the benefit of beings of the future, he expounded and passed all the teachings of Bön to them. 

12. The Deed of Passing to Nirvana

     Although the supreme Teacher Tönpa Shenrab is without birth or death, to teach as an example to sentient beings who grasp at impermanence as permanent, he exhibited the way of passing beyond sorrow. First, he showed the way of his body becoming sick and then all of his retinue was afraid. Tobu Bumsang did a ritual of longevity for him, Chebu and so forth performed medical treatments. In order to show the validity of conventional truth and trust in it, he became free from sickness. Then, his sickness became more severe and Yidkyi Khyeuchung, Malo, Yulo and so forth requested him not to pass to Nirvana. Tönpa Shenrab was in a state of joy at death, and said “I am not passing to Nirvana. Although phenomena disappear they are unchanging. In order to remove grasping at permanence, to show this I will pass to Nirvana one time.”  In the eighty-second Shen year, 8,200 human years, on the thirtieth day in the first winter month of the Water Rabbit year, at the peak of the Nine Stack Swastika Mountain, his impermanent body passed beyond sorrow with innumerable great virtuous miraculous signs. All the retinues gathered and the monk Khyabpa set forth to invite the heart son A Zha Sangwa and vast offerings were made to the remains of the teacher. Then the four groups of retinues and eight individuals put the relics into a golden casket. The body was burnt and a ritual ceremony was conducted and vast offerings were made according to the text of the Eighteen Chapters. The relics multiplied and were divided respectively among the gods, humans, and nagas as their object of veneration and refuge. 

    Here in this world in the age of the five degenerations, for the benefit of sentient beings, Tönpa Shenrab was born as a human, the eighth perfect Buddha savior. Thus ends this brief account of the deeds of the Buddha Tönpa Shenrab Miwo.