The Treasury of Lives

The standard version of Buddhaguhya’s life story appears to have begun taking shape in the thirteenth to the fourteenth-century, primarily with a religious history ascribed to the Nyingma master Longchen Rabjam Drime Ozer (klong chen dri med ’od zer, 1308-1364), and with the religious histories of Chomden Rikpe Reldri (bcom ldan rig pa’i ral gri, 1227-1305) and Buton Rinchen Drub (bu ston rin chen grup, 1290-1364). In the seventeenth-century, the Jonang master Tāranātha (tA ra nA tha, 1575-1634) and the Fourth Dorje Drak Rigdzin, Pema Trinle (rig ’dzin padma ’phrin las, 1641-1717) expanded upon Buddhaguhya's biography. The stories we find about Buddhaguhya are hagiographical in nature and most of them cannot, unfortunately, be historically verified.

Buddhaguhya was purportedly born in western India to an unnamed king of the kṣatriya or warrior caste, though Tāranātha claims that he was born near the city of Vārāṇasī, and Dudjom Jikdrel Dorje (bdud ’joms ’jigs bral ye shes rdo rje, 1904-1988) states that he was born in central India. The king wanted Buddhaughya to become a religious teacher, so he enjoined his son to the practice of the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī and gave him a statue as a support for his meditation, and flowers and milk (or in some versions of the story, clarified butter) as offerings. Young Buddhaguhya took well to the practice and he supposedly accomplished it in matter of six days. It is said that Buddhaguhya received miraculous signs of his spiritual accomplishment, such the statue smiling at him, the flowers appearing as if they had newly sprouted, and the milk overflowing from his offering bowl.

At a certain point, however, Buddhaguhya began to doubt himself and was unsure how to proceed in his meditation practice. Because of his doubt, he was assaulted by a demoness in the form of a large black bird who caused him to fall unconscious. Upon waking, Buddhaguhya saw that the statue his father gave him had turned black, the flowers had wilted, and the milk offering had nearly dried up. Realizing his mistake, Buddhaguhya drank whatever milk remained in the bowl and resolved to become more learned in the Dharma. 

With his father’s permission, Buddhaguhya left for eastern India and is said to have learned from five hundred different scholars. Khetsun Zangpo (mkhas btsun bzang po) reports that Buddhaguhya was ordained at Nālandā monastery. Some of the Tibetan historical sources are not specific about which teachers Buddhaguhya studied with and when, but it is perhaps during this period he is believed to have met Buddhajñānapāda, who is well-known in Tibet as a lineage holder of the Guhyasamāja tradition. Contemporary scholarship, however, places Buddhajñānapāda’s floruit in the ninth-century and thus later than Buddhaguhya’s. The Nyingma tradition holds that Buddhaguhya traveled to Oḍḍiyāna in northwest India where he met with Līlavajra under whom he studied the Yoga tantras. There, he also became adept at the Magical Net (sgyu ’phrul drwa ba) cycle of tantras. The Nyingma traditions also holds that Buddhaguhya studied with a figure called Genyen Lekpa (dge bsnyen legs pa) who transmitted to him the Sūtra Gathering the Intentions of All the Buddhas (sangs rgyas thams cad kyi dgongs pa ’dus pa’i mdo). 

In any case, Buddhaguhya studied and mastered tantras of various classes and earned positions as a royal chaplain and as a teacher at a monastic college. Buddhaguhya is thought to have gathered a considerable retinue of disciples, and it may be at this time that Buddhaguhya took on some of the Indian disciples with whom he is now associated, such as Vimalamitra and Śrī Siṃha. Though it seemed that Buddhaguhya achieved his goal of becoming more learned, he grew weary of the distractions of his busy life and decided to abandon his responsibilities to focus again on his meditation practice.

At this point, according to Tāranātha, Buddhaguhya went on pilgrimage together with his contemporary Buddhaśānta to Mount Potala, the mythical dwelling place of the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara in South India. As they began their ascent of the mountain, the bodhisattva Tārā was said to be residing at the base of the mountain and teaching the Dharma to a group of nāgas, but because of their karmic impediments, all Buddhaguhya and Buddhaśānta saw was an old woman tending to a large herd of cows. Half way up the mountain, the goddess Bhṛkuṭi was teaching the Dharma to a group of demigods and demons, but Buddhaguhya and Buddhaśānta only saw a girl tending a herd of goats and sheep. Finally, at the top of the mountain, Buddhaguhya and Buddhaśānta were disappointed to find a mere stone image of Avalokiteśvara.

Buddhaśānta realized that his inability to see any miraculous visions was due his own impure vision, and so he is said to have developed magical powers such as clairvoyance. Buddhaguhya did not have the same realization but still gained the ability to move without his feet touching the ground. As they descended the mountain, Tārā in the form of the old woman instructed the pair to travel to Mount Kailash (gangs ti se) to practice meditation there. Buddhaguhya, however, again gave rise to doubt in himself, became jealous of Buddhaśānta’s clairvoyance, and lost his own magical abilities. He then spent several years teaching in Vārāṇasī and eventually recouped his powers. While in Vārāṇasī he reportedly had a vision of his original tutelary deity, Mañjuśrī, who instructed him, as Tārā had at Mount Potala, to go and practice at Mount Kailash.

Buddhaguhya then trekked across the Himalayas and settled in a rookery at a place called Raven’s Head (bya rog gdong can) near Mount Kailash. There, he dedicated himself to meditation and is believed to have had repeated visions of the Vajradhātu maṇḍala and achieved the ability to speak to Mañjuśrī at will. His presence at Mount Kailash apparently attracted the attention of the Tibetan royal court. They sent several envoys to invite Buddhaguhya to teach in Tibet. The Tibetan historical sources are divided about which king initiated the invitation – it was either Tri Songdetsen (khri srong lde'u btsan, 742-796) or his father, Tri Detsuktsen (khri lde gtsug btsan, 704-754). Tibetan historians are also not consistent about who was sent by the court as envoys; the names normally included are: Nyak Jñānakumāra (gnyags dznyA na ku mA ra, d.u.), Drenka Mūlakośa (bran ka mu la kosha, d.u.), Wa Mañjuśrīvarma (dba' manydzu shrI war ma), Chim Śākyaprabha (mchims shAkya pra bha), and Tsangte Lekdra (rtsangs the leg dra).

The envoys offered three measures of gold to Buddhaguhya, but after consulting with his tutelary deity Mañjuśrī and remembering his determination to practice there at Kailash, he chose not to go back with the envoys to the Tibetan court. Instead, he initiated the envoys into the Vajradhātu maṇḍala and is said to have made the maṇḍala magically appear over the neighboring Lake Mānasarovara. He also initiated them into the tantras of the Magical Net cycle. In thanks for the Tibetan king's offerings, Buddhaguhya composed and sent commentaries on and liturgies for the Vairocanābhisambodhi Tantra, Sarvdurgatipariśodhana Tantra, Dhyānottarapaṭalakrama, and the Guhyagarbha Tantra. He composed his own comprehensive guide to Yoga tantra practice entitled Introduction to the Meaning of Tantra (rgyud kyi don la ’jug pa).

He also supposedly sent the Epistle to the Ruler, his Subjects, and the Clergy of Tibet (rje 'bangs dang bod btsun rnams la spring yig), a work that is found in the Tengyur. This epistle appears to be Buddhaguhya’s response to an invitation Tri Songdetsen to teach at the royal court. The epistle consists of four parts: one addressed to Tri Songdetsen, one to the ministers (blon) of his court, one to the practitioners of meditation (sgom chen rnams), and one to the clergy in general (spyi’i ban de). In the first part, Buddhaguhya explains to Tri Songdetsen why he could not come to Tibet and offers some instructions on being a good dharma king:

[135b3] One such as I have been invited from a high place, but being so weary, I am powerless to go. Ārya Mañjuśrī said [to me], "If you go to the land of Tibet, you will lose your life." I, powerless, repay the king's gifts by sending the instructions entitled Introduction to Yoga. In response to the kind gestures of your two messengers, I explained the [Vairocana-]abhisambodhi Tantra. I send only that which is needed without exception, all which is necessary for both outer and inner practice. Look after these [texts] well, or else they might be lost.

The people of Tibet are diligent and sharp; they act on all that they see. But not knowing what faults are, they cast away the holy Dharma. The causes for their birth in hell are many, and they die without attaining any [meaningful] result. Protect both the outer and inner practices.  With these gifts made in return for your gestures, carry out the welfare of beings! [135b6]

He even appears to prophesy the downfall of the Tibetan empire:

[135b6] The great-grandsons of Tri Songdetsen, two sons of two rākṣasas, will cut off your lineage. The Kingdom of Tibet, and even the royal fortresses, will, from the time of your grandsons, be destroyed, as will your fortresses. [135b7]

Buddhaguhya then gives practical advice to the ministers:

[137a3] When [the king] is internally relaxed but speaks powerfully [in the court], then the ministers will internalize [what he says]. If a man produces gain for his sons and daughters, it is a sign of his depth. If agriculture is interrupted too much [e.g., by war], then everyone will become violent.

He counsels the meditators on their practice:

[138a3] Destroy any distraction and torpor that should come up. If they do arise, you should not pretend [to be accomplished], but rather consult your gurus; this is the sign that you have generated the essence of equality with regard to all things. When you have no obstructions or attachments to anything whatsoever, you will have reached the state of equality. Meditators who [do] this are equal to the Buddha. [138a4]

And finally he makes recommendations to the members of the clergy at large:

[138a4] Having abandoned the ten non-virtues, do not waver from the ten virtuous actions of body, speech, and mind, for the four periods. Give up your life for the sake of the profound, holy Dharma. Do not apprehend the stages of knowledge [thinking,] "I hope to be learned." Even if even if you are knowledgeable, ask others in case of doubt. Even if [your knowledge] of phenomenal existence is [as vast as] the three worlds, do not be satisfied, and train in the three-fold wisdom^. If you are not certain [about something] yourself, do not train others. Protect the three vows like the borders of a cultivated field. [138a6]

Though some scholars, both Tibetan and Western, have pointed to this epistle as proof of Buddhaguhya's influence in Tibet, contemporary scholarship has cast doubt on its authenticity. Buddhaguhya’s advice in the Epistle follows a similar structure as that of Padmasambhava (pad+ma ’byung gnas) in the latter chapters of The Copper Island (zangs gling ma), a treasure revelation (gter ma) said to have been discovered by Nyangrel Nyima Ozer (nyang ral nyi ma ’od zer, 1124-1192). Moreover, recall that it was during the thirteenth and fourteenth-centuries, shortly after Nyangrel Nyima Ozer’s time, that Buddhaguhya reenters Tibetan religious memory. All of this may indicate that the Epistle is later than it appears to be.

Three of Buddhaguhya’s works are mentioned in the Denkar Catalog (dkar chag ldan kar ma), a Tibetan imperial period text register. All of these are tantric commentaries: The Condensed Commentary on the Vairocanābhisambodhi Tantra (rnam par snang mdzad mngon par rdzogs par byang chub pa’i rgyud kyi bsdus pa’i don), The Commentary on the Durgatipariśodhana Tantra (ngan song sbyong ba’i don gyi ’bru ’grel), and The Extensive Explanation of the Dhyānottarapaṭalakrama (bsam gtan phyi ma rim par phye ba rgya cher bshad pa). These commentaries can today be found in contemporary recensions of the Tengyur. The later Pangtang Catalog contains a reference to Buddhaguhya’s explanation of the Dhyānottarapaṭalakrama, but also adds a non-extant text on alchemy (gser la sogs pa’i bcus kyis len brten pa kun las btus). In both catalogs, Buddhaguhya is referred to in most cases by the name Buddhagupta (with gupta, "hidden, secret" being close in meaning to guhya) in Sanskrit transcription, except for in the alchemical text where he is called Buddhaguhya (sangs rgyas gsang ba). Among the Tibetan manuscripts from Dunhuang we find IOL Tib J 594, a short text on Dzokchen called Small Hidden Grain (sbas pa’i rgum chung) which states that it was composed by Buddhagupta (sangs rgyas sbas pas mdzad).

Scholars have yet to agree on whether the Buddhaguhya/Buddhagupta mentioned in the imperial catalogs, who is an exegete of the Yoga tantras, is the same person as the Buddhagupta of the Small Hidden Grain. There also is some speculation as to whether the Mahāyoga commentaries Buddhaguhya is said to have authored are attributable to him since, the more radical Mahāyoga tantras might not have necessarily been in accord with Buddhaguhya’s institutional, monastic milieu. Some have even suggested that the Buddhagupta of the Small Hidden Grain may be a completely separate person from either the Yoga tantra exegete Buddhaguhya/Buddhagupta, or the Mahāyoga exegete Buddhaguhya.

The latter part of Buddhaguhya’s life is somewhat convoluted. Pema Trinle relates that Buddhaguhya returned to India after his time at Mount Kailash to continue teaching until his death. Tāranātha states that Buddhaguhya's body became invisible. He also notes that, in what might be interpreted as a sectarian gibe, Buddhaguhya did not attain enlightenment in this lifetime. Finally, Dudjom Jikdrel Dorje states that at the end of his life, Buddhaguhya’s body is believed to have simply vanished.