Jonang tradition (with the Dalai Lama's prayer)

His Holiness the Dalai Lama's prayer for the Jonang Tradition

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama teaching at Jonang Monastery in North India

His Holiness Khalkha Jetsun Dhampa, head of the Jonang Tradition & spiritual leader of Mongolia.

Having thoroughly meditated upon the altruistic mind for
Immeasurable eons,
The incomparable Shakyamuni, who is skilled at pouring down
The rain of holy Dharma to fulfill the aspiration of limitless beings,
To Him, I supplicate to protect these beings with the
Glory of virtuous goodness

The Doctrine of the Jonang School, a branch of multifarious doctrinal systems,
Stemmed from many scholar-adepts’ elaborations
On the thought of the Three Dharma Wheels
May the Doctrine of the Jonang School flourish

Amidst the lotus grove of the Victorious One’s Doctrine
Hundreds of petals of the scriptural and meditative
Doctrinal aspects stemmed forth
Amongst them exists the Jonang School that emphasised
The thought of the Final Wheel
May the Doctrine of the Jonang School flourish

The Jonang Doctrine which has been authorised
To spread and preserve without being subject to deterioration
The Kalachakra transmission, the great chariot way that
Differs from the Expositions of other Sutras and Tantras
May the Doctrine of the Jonang School flourish

The Jonang School elaborates on the primordially existent ultimate
The permanent and stable Sugatagarbha which is the
Indivisibility of basis and fruit,
The meaning of Tathagatagarba Sutra and Nagarjuna’s texts
May the Doctrine of the Jonang School flourish

The Jonang School is endowed with the grand expositon on
Achieving the Truth Body,
Through the practice of the Six Yogas, the meaning of Tantras,
And the Middle Way of Other-emptiness, the view of Sutras
May the Doctrine of the Jonang School flourish

Through the blessing of the Victorious One and the Bodhisattvas,
The objects of refuge,
Through the power of the immutable ultimate reality,
And through the force of the virtuous deities and our faith
May this prayer be fulfilled accordingly

This prayer was composed by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso on November 23, 2001 in Dharmasala, Himachal Pradesh, upon the request of Khenpo Ngawang Dorjee and other Jonang followers for the spread of the Doctrine of the Jonnang School

Introduction to the Jonang tradition

Four traditions of Tibetan Buddhism are well-known: Nyingma, Kagyu, Sakya and Gelug. In India, these four traditions were able to register with the Tibetan government in exile.

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama teaching at Jonang Monastery in North India

There is also a fifth living tradition called Jonang, but this tradition is only officially registered in Tibet.

Our resident teacher Khentrul Rinpoche is a Rime or non-sectarian master of Tibetan Buddhism, and he feels it is crucial to inform people about Jonang, which is currently barely known outside Tibet. Fortunately, due to the generous support of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the Jonang teachings have recently begun to spread to other countries, with an important monastery founded in India and centers established in America, Taiwan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Russia and Australia.

Why is the Jonang tradition important?

Great Jonang Stupa (photo: Don Croner)

Khentrul Rinpoche with Jonang Tulkus at Amaravati in South India

Firstly, Jonang is the only one of the five Tibetan Buddhist schools to uphold the Zhentong Madhyamika philosophy - an important way to describe the Buddhist view of emptiness. Many people have heard of the (Rangtong) Madhyamika view, which is emphasized in the other traditions, yet only Jonang focuses on the Zhentong (or Shentong) Madhyamika view. More about Zhentong and its significance is discussed below.

Secondly, the Jonang tradition is recognized as being important in preserving the Kalachakra Completion Stage practice, also known as the Six Kalachakra Yogas. The Kalachakra Tantra is said to be a particularly important teaching during this time in history and for this reason, His Holiness the Dalai Lama and other masters have granted many Kalachakra initiations to large numbers of people. Although the completion stage practice has previously been transmitted through other traditions, nowadays Jonang is its only source, and masters from other schools who teach the practice have received instructions through the Jonang lineage. Because His Holiness the Dalai Lama has recognized the importance of the Kalachakra completion stage practice, Rinpoche believes that the Jonang tradition will probably be recognized in the Tibetan government in exile documents in the near future.

Even though the Kalachakra initiation gives one the right to practice this tantra, the complete instructions for the practice should best be obtained from holders of the Jonang lineage.

Zhentong view in the Jonang tradition

The Jonang tradition upholds the Zhentong or Great Madhyamika view, considered by many to be the highest among all Buddhist tenets. Although Jonang is the only school which declares itself to hold this view, numerous great masters from the different traditions, including the present Kamarpa, have praised and adopted this view themselves.

The Buddha proclaimed that 'Mind is devoid of mind, for the nature of mind is clear light'. Within the Madhyamika school are two main views known as Rangtong (intrinsic emptiness) and Zhentong (extrinsic or other emptiness). The Rangtong view focuses on the intrinsic emptiness of self and phenomena ('mind is devoid of mind') while Zhentong is an expression of the non-existence of everything (extrinsic or other emptiness) except the changeless, unstained enlightened mind or Buddha-nature ('nature of mind is clear light'). It thus takes as literal the Buddha's Third Turning of the Wheel of Dharma.

The Zhentong philosophy challenges the Rangtong idea that the discovery of ultimate truth is the not-finding of anything by the conceptual mind, upholding that this conceptual not-finding is a product or dualistic thought and, therefore, can't be accepted as ultimate truth since we can't confirm or deny that it is true. However, perceived from its own side, the ultimate truth is said to exist since it does not deceive the non-dualistic mind that perceives it. Therefore, according to Zhentong, the ultimate nature of reality is empty of everything other than its absolute essential nature.

The great Rime lama Jamgon Khongtrul commented on the two systems:

"Rangtong and Zhentong Madhyamika philosophies have no differences in realizing as 'Shunyata', all phenomena that we experience on a relative level. They have no differences also, in reaching the meditative state where all extremes (ideas) completely dissolve. Their difference lies in the words they use to describe the Dharmata. Zhentong describes the Dharmata, the mind of Buddha, as 'ultimately real,' while Rangtong philosophers fear that if it is described that way, people might understand it as the concept of 'soul' or 'Atma'. The Zhentong philosopher believes that there is a more serious possibility of misunderstanding in describing the Enlightened State as 'unreal' and 'void'".

Asanga, Vasubandhu and later Indian philosophers such as Dignaga, Dharmakirti and Chandragomin were the early formulators of the Zhentong view upheld by the Jonang tradition.

Lineage of the Jonang tradition

All Buddhist teachings rely on an unbroken lineage of transmission going back to the Buddha. In this way, we can trace the lineage of both the Kalachakra Tantra and the sutra Zhentong view of the Jonang tradition, supported by documented biographies of the masters who studied, practiced and passed on these precious teachings.

The definitive Zhentong view was first taught by Buddha Shakyamuni in the 3rd turning of the Wheel of Dharma, being transmitted only to devotees whose minds were considered ripe for these profound sutra teachings. Maitreya, the regent of Buddha Shakyamuni, composed five great treatises, such as The Ornament of Clear Realizations and Uttaratantra, which elaborated upon the Buddha's words, and transmitted these teachings to Asanga, a monk who beheld a vision of Maitreya after meditating in a cave for 12 years. The lineage was also held by the great Indian masters Vasubandhu, Saraha, Nargajuna and Gangameti. It came to Tibet in the 11th century through the translator Gaway Dorje (9th lineage holder of the Zhentong sutra lineage) and Khawoche Drimed Sherab, and it was transmitted in an unbroken line to the omniscient Dolpopa Sherab Gyalsten (16th lineage holder) in the 14th century.

Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen

Jetsun Taranatha

Meanwhile, there was also an unbroken transmission of the Kalachakra Tantra teachings from the time of Buddha Shakyamuni. It is said that Buddha first taught these secret tantra teachings in Drepung in South India (now the site of a stupa in Amaravati) at the same time as he taught the famous Prajnaparamita at Vulture peak. The main recipient of these teachings was King Suchandra of Shambhala, a human realm that we cannot normally perceive. He first put the Tantra into writing and composed commentaries. The lineage was and will be upheld by a line of 7 Dharma Kings and 25 Rigden Dharma Kings. They united the people of Shambhala under one creed by teaching the Kalachakra system (along with the Zhentong view) and established an ideal setting for tantric practice.

Before the 10th century, the Kalachakra teachings were not practiced in India. However, the great Indian yogi Duzhab Chenpo Jampay Dorje is said to have attained miraculous powers and traveled to Shambhala, returning to India with many texts and transmitting the lineage to Shribhadra. Shribhadra's student, the great scholar Dawa Gonpo, journeyed to Tibet three times and spread the teaching there, with the lineage being preserved through many Tibetan masters including the great Yumo Milkyo Dorje (8th in the lineage), who spread the teachings widely in the 11th century. In the 13th century, Kunpang Tukje Tsondru (15th) received the Kalachakra teachings from many different masters and spent many years in retreat practicing the Six Kalachakra Yogas in a place known as Jomonang, which became the site of the main Jonang monastery, also known as the Second Shambhala. This is where the name 'Jonang tradition' originates.

The 18th holder of the Kalachakra lineage, Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen (1292-1361), also held the Zhentong sutra lineage (16th in this line). From his time on the two lineages came together in the Jonang tradition. Many great masters followed, possibly the most influential was Jetsun Taranatha (28th in the Zhentong Kalachakra lineage, living from 1575 to 1635). The spiritual successors of these great masters spread throughout the three provinces of Tibet and the Jonang tradition became well-known, with Jonang monasteries especially reputed for their meditation practice.

Despite a period of decline during the time of the 5th Dalai Lama due to political reasons, the lineages held by the Jonang school have been preserved, with presently more than seventy monasteries and retreat centers in Tibet, especially in Kham and Amdo. In the monasteries of Zamthang, for instance, more than 5000 monks study Zhentong Madhyamika as well as the five major subjects of Buddhist philosophy, following texts by Dolpopa and other well-known Jonang masters. A three-year Kalachakra retreat has become a traditional part of training in the monasteries of the Jonang tradition and there are yogis today engaged in lifetime retreat, practicing the Six Kalachakra Yogas. The head of the Jonang school (also the spiritual head of Mongolia) is His Holiness Khalkha Jetsun Dhampa who he resides in Dharamsala, India.

More details about the history of the lineages held by the Jonang school as well as the Jonang monasteries and retreat centers (including photos) can be found in the book by Tulku Thupwang, World of the Ancient Sages: History of the Living Jonang Lineage, and a concise history can be found in Khentrul Rinpoche's book, Paths of Pure Vision: the Histories, Views and Practices of Tibet's Living Spiritual Traditions.