The Treasury of Lives

Khyunggom Joyung (khyung sgom jo g.yung) was born in Nyimo (snyi mo) sometime in the eleventh century, to a family that belonged to the Khyungpo (khyung po) clan, one of the main clans traditionally associated with the Bonpo tradition. It is said that from his early youth he showed great devotion to the teachings and that he studied reading and writing without difficulty.

As a young man he left his home in search of a religious guide. He met Tokden Gomchen Barwa (rtogs ldan sgom chen 'bar ba) in his hermitage and requested from him the direct introduction to the Great Vehicle (theg pa chen po’i ngo sprod), a common epithet for the Bon Dzogchen system.

Joyung practiced Dzogchen in complete solitude for many years and endured numerous austerities. Later in life, he took the two hundred fifty vows of a fully ordained Bon monk and preserved his root and ancillary commitments without any breaks of samaya.

Joyung spent several years in various hermitages such as Nyimo Pakpu (snyi mo 'phag spu) and is said to have eventually experienced the natural freedom (rang grol) of all dualistic grasping. Sufferings and pains then arose in him as the display of great bliss (bde chen).

It is said that during his practice Joyung was able to perfect all kinds of realizations and that he developed numerous supra-normal capacities. He is described by the later tradition as someone with the ability to read others’ mind and power over the four elements of water, earth, fire and air. He is also said to have however remained quite humble and endowed with a limitless compassion for all sentient beings.

Joyung’s ultimate nirvana has also been described by later Bon historians as quite remarkable in terms of extraordinary manifestations such as his body emitting lights and so forth. He however did not attain the rainbow body ('ja' lus); instead his corpse was cremated and numerous relics were found in his ashes.

Throughout his life, and in particular in the later part of his existence, Joyung had numerous disciples, the most important one being Zhang Drilungpa (zhang 'bri lung pa) who is also known as Tokden Dampa Tsulshe (rtogs ldan dam pa tshul shes).