First Testament of the Buddhas

from the Khandro Nyingtik

In the language of India: buddhadhekarayadunama In the language of Tibet: sangs rgyas thams cad
kyi zhal chems dang po zhes bya ba In the English language: The First Testament of All the Buddhas

Homage to the great Vajradhara, the sixth completely and perfectly enlightened buddha!

Kyema! Kyema! O children of noble family, consolidate the key points of the whole of Secret Mantra
and practise in the following way. As the preliminaries of body, speech and mind: Train in
impermanence, compassion and bodhicitta. Since this body was engendered by causal ignorance,
The six classes are present in the seed syllables. Since rigpa is in actuality the three kayas, The three
kāyas arise as the three syllables. Train in the three syllables and make a clear separation (rushen).
Then, to bring about settling in genuine ease, Revitalize by means of the gazes Of sravakas,
bodhisattvas and wrathful deities. Once you have the confidence of abiding, stability, and freedom,
Relinquish all activity, outward and inward, And adopt the postures of elephant, lion and sage. As
regards speech, halt the stream of talk. As for mind, from between the eyebrows focus on space. By
complying with the key points of gates, objects and breath, Pristine cognition is actualized within the
field. Do not part from the key point of the directly manifest. With a foundation consisting of
threefold motionlessness, Having obtained the warmth of the four visions, Take measure of the
three forms of settling. Once you have planted the stake of threefold attainment, You will never
again return to the three realms But will pass into nirvana—of this there is no doubt. When the great
Vajradhara demonstrated passing into parinirvana in the garden of the physician Jivaka, in the south
of the Heaven of Thirty-Three, Garab Dorje fell to the ground and called out in anguish: Kyema
kyihu! Alas! Alas! When the lamplight of the teacher has faded, Who will dispel the darkness of the
world?

As he recovered, he saw the Buddha’s right forearm emerge in a mass of light, letting fall a casket of
precious crystal, the size of a fingernail, which descended onto the palm of his own right hand. When
he opened it and found this instruction written on a precious blue surface in molten lapis lazuli,
Garab Dorje gained the confidence of realization. This concludes the quintessence of all secret
mantra, spontaneously arisen though the blessings of the buddhas, the heart-stake of all the
teachings, the first testament of the buddhas. May the queen of mantra, Sokdrupma, watch over
this! May it meet with the destined one! Samaya. Gya. Gya. Gya.

| Translated by Adam Pearcey with the generous support of the Tsadra Foundation, 2024.

Bibliography

Tibetan Editions "sangs rgyas kyi 'das rje dang po" In snying thig ya bzhi. 13 vols. Delhi: Sherab
Gyaltsen Lama, 1975. Vol. 10: 74–76 (1.5 folios)

"'od gsal rdzogs pa chen po man ngag sde'i gnad kyi bcud phur sangs rgyas kyi 'das rjes gsum" In
gdams ngag mdzod. 18 vols. Paro: Lama Ngodrup and Sherab Drimey, 1979–1981 (BDRC W20877).
Vol. 2: 2–3

https://www.lotsawahouse.org/tibetan-masters/pema-ledrel-tsal/first-buddha-testament
Second Testament of the Buddha

from the Khandro Nyingtik

In the language of India: buddha-dhekarayadhu-nama In the language of Tibet: sangs rgyas kyi zhal
chems gnyis pa zhes bya ba In the English language: The Second Testament of the Buddha

Homage to the complete and perfect Buddha Vanquisher through the Strength of Power!

If you wish to be sure of attaining buddhahood Train proficiently in the preliminaries. Since you will
not escape the three realms Unless you make a clear distinction (rushen) Physically, vocally and
mentally, Train in the preliminaries. If you become adept at the key points of the preliminaries You
will master enlightened intent, ordinary and supreme. Remain alone in a remote location. To
practise the preliminaries of the body, Act out the various behaviours of the six classes. And perform
the activity of the Three Jewels. Sit up straight with your soles together And join your palms above
your head. Whoever adopts such bodily practice Will not conceptualize the body,1 will pacify
obstacles, Overcome attachment and purify obscurations. With the body liberated as nirmanakaya,
It will be indivisible from buddha’s form And nothing will be leftover. To practise the preliminaries of
speech, Mimic the various sounds of the six classes. Train in the full panoply of sounds— Of peaceful
and wrathful deities and the elements. Spend three days on the key point of sealing.2 Train in agility,
develop flexibility and send on a journey. Whoever practices in this way by means of speech Will
overcome attachment, purify vocal obscurations, Avoid conceptualization3 and gain liberation in
non-dual sambhogakaya.

To practise the preliminaries of mind, Bring to mind the miseries of the six classes. Then seek the
place where mind originates. Not finding it, you will meet the dharmakaya. Then seek the place
where mind abides. Not finding it, you will meet the sambhogakaya. Then seek the place to which
mind goes. Not finding it, you will meet the nirmanakaya. Whoever practises in this way with the
mind Will banish attachment, pacify obstacles, Purify obscurations, never regress to the three
realms, And pass into non-duality, freed in dharmakaya. Then become adept at allowing body,
speech And mind to settle in genuine ease. Then, once you have revitalised all three, Engage in the
practice itself with vigour. Once you have completed the preliminaries in this way, Allow them to
pass from your mind. To arrive at the key point of direct realization, Relinquish activity of body,
speech and mind. When the full enlightened Buddha demonstrated passing into parinirvana in the
place where various dakinis gather, in the east of the great charnel ground Blazing Volcano, Garab
Dorje fell to the ground and called out in anguish: Kyema kyihu! Alas! Alas! When the lamplight of
the teacher has faded, Who will dispel the darkness of the world? As he recovered, he saw the
Buddha’s right forearm emerge in a mass of light, letting fall a casket of precious crystal, the size of a
fingernail. It contained this instruction written in self-arisen characters of five precious gems upon
molten blue lapis lazuli. This supreme text of great blessings, the second testament of the Buddha,
was granted so that the nirmanakaya Garab Dorje might be guided.4 Like a guide leading all to pass
beyond, it was taught as the single offspring in which all key points of the teachings are gathered
together, the supreme fruition. Let it be virtuous!5 Samaya.

| Translated by Adam Pearcey with the generous support of the Tsadra Foundation, 2024.
Bibliography

Tibetan Edition "sangs rgyas kyi 'das rje gnyis pa" In snying thig ya bzhi. 13 vols. Delhi: Sherab
Gyaltsen Lama, 1975. Vol. 10: 77–80 (2 folios)

1. The text here differs from the Second Testament as it is preserved in the Vima Nyingtik, where
regress (ldog) appears in place of conceptualize (rtog).

2. Sealing is divided into two: the outer sealing of appearances and the inner sealing of the
aggregates.

3. Once again, there is a difference between this and the version of the same text in the Vima
Nyingtik, which has regression (ldog) in place of conceptualization (rtog).

4. The text here differs from the Vima Nyingtik version. The current version has rjes su bzung ba (be
guided) while the Vima Nyingtik has bzung ba (retain).

5. The final words of the text here are not found in the Vima Nyingtik version.

https://www.lotsawahouse.org/tibetan-masters/pema-ledrel-tsal/second-buddha-testament

Third Testament of the Buddha

from the Khandro Nyingtik

In the language of India: buddha-dhekarayati-nama In the language of Tibet: sangs rgyas kyi zhal
chems gsum pa zhes bya ba In the English language: The Third Testament of the Buddha

Homage to the self-liberated Vajradhara!

Kyema! Kyema! Listen, O children of noble family!

Physically, should you wish to pass beyond suffering, Train in the postures of the three kayas.
Whoever does so will pass beyond misery In the expanse of the enlightened forms Of all the
buddhas of the three times. Vocally, find stability in the phase of training, And in abiding and then
transcending.1 Whoever does not disregard this Will pass beyond misery in the expanse Of the
enlightened speech of all the buddhas of the three times. As the crucial point of mind, adopt the
threefold gaze. Toward an immaculate sky, the key point of the field, Look up, down and to the side
—the key of the gateway. And, as the key of breath, train in very slow respiration. Through the
application of these four key points,2 Empty awareness with its three kayas will dawn. Hold captive
the chains of awareness, Key to the direct, by means of which there will be no turning back.3
Through the vision of directly realizing dharmata, Do away with speculative, fixated views. 4 Through
the vision of increasing experience, The wisdom of the bardo is made manifest. Through the vision of
rigpa’s full measure, There is recognition of the sambhogakaya. Through the vision of exhaustion in
dharmatā, Great Perfection’s fruit, beyond action, is obtained.

If you can complete these four in this way, There is no need to seek nirvana elsewhere. With the
foundation of threefold immovability, Measure progress based on the three forms of rest;
Indications will arise in body, speech and mind. Drive in the nails of threefold attainment. There is
nothing further to be taught. Samaya! Embrace this teaching, which has fallen to you And is well
inscribed with precious materials. Whoever reveres it is sure to gain liberation. Rainbow lights, the
rumbling and quaking of the earth, Frost, hail, famine and eclipse—at all such times, To recite this
text aloud in the appropriate direction Will be of greater purpose than any offering made To buddha
emanations throughout a billion worlds. This blessed text of spontaneously arisen blessings, a
naturally arisen expression of all the teachings, appeared when the Teacher demonstrated passing
into nirvana on Vulture Peak Mountain to the south of Rajgrha and Garab Dorje cried out in anguish.
It is the spontaneously arisen text made of five precious jewels, which descended into the palm of
Garab Dorje’s right hand, the final testament of the Buddha, the sole heir of all the teachings.
Samaya. Gya. Gya. Gya. Ithi.

| Translated by Adam Pearcey with the generous support of the Tsadra Foundation, 2024.

Bibliography

Tibetan Editions "sangs rgyas kyi 'das rje gsum pa" In snying thig ya bzhi. 13 vols. Delhi: Sherab
Gyaltsen Lama, 1975. Vol. 10: 80–82 (1.5 folios)

1. These are three distinct stages (Cf. sgra thal 'gyur: ngag ni bslab pa dang gnas pa dang/ la bzla ba
nyid bstan par bya/). The stages are explained in Longchenpa’s Infinite Clouds of Profound Meaning
(zab don rgya mtsho’i sprin).

2. The Vima Nyingtik version reads "Through the application of these three key points…"

3. The Vima Nyingtik version reads "…and seeing will be inevitable" (mthong bzlog pa med/)"

4. The Vima Nyingtik version has nub" in place of the imperative form snubs*.

https://www.lotsawahouse.org/tibetan-masters/pema-ledrel-tsal/third-buddha-testament

Compiled by

Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Taye

Nyingma: Mahayoga, Anuyoga, and Atiyoga, Part Two: Essential Teachings of the Eight Practice
Lineages of Tibet:

1. The Three Testaments of the Buddha The Quintessence of the Key Points of the Pith-Instruction
Class of the Luminous Great Perfection[1] The First Testament of the Buddha In Sanskrit:
Buddhadhekarayedhunama {2} In Tibetan: Sangs rgyas kyi zhal ’chems dang po zhes bya ba Homage
to Vajradhara, the sixth completely perfect buddha. Kyema, kyema!

Children of my lineage, bring all the key points of the Secret Mantra into one and put it into practice.
Here are the preliminaries Concerning body, speech, and mind. Meditate upon impermanence,
compassion, and bodhicitta. Because this body is engendered, caused by ignorance, The six
migrations lie indeed in their seed syllables. Because awareness is indeed the triple kaya, The triple
kaya also manifests in its three syllables. In these syllables, train yourself, And apply the separating
rushen practice. Then settle in the natural state And afterward refresh yourself: Adopt the gazes of
the sravakas, The bodhisattvas, and the wrathful deities.

Then when you have gained confidence In stillness, firmness, letting go, Outwardly and inwardly
relinquish all activities. Assume the postures of the elephant, the lion, and the rishi. In speech, cut
through the stream of words, And for the mind, from in between your eyebrows, Concentrate on
space. And in accordance with the crucial points Of sense door, field, and breath, Primordial wisdom
manifests within the visual field. Perception of this is a key point—do not separate from it. With the
basis laid through the three kinds of motionlessness, {3} Achieve the warmth of the four visions.
Make assessment with three kinds of settling,

And drive in the rivet of the three attainments. It is my pledge that you will not return to the three
worlds. There is no doubt that you will pass beyond all sorrow. In the southern region of the Heaven
of the Thirty-Three, in the garden of Jivaka, the physician, when the great Vajradhara displayed his
passing into parinirvana, Garab Dorje fell to the ground and lamented sorrowfully: Kyema, kyihu!
Sorrow and sadness! If now the radiance of the lamp, our teacher, sets, Who will drive away the
darkness of the world? When he revived from his faint, he saw before him in a mass of light the
right hand and arm [of the Buddha] as far as the elbow, from which there dropped into the palm of
his own right hand a casket of precious crystal no larger than a fingernail. He opened it and there
discovered this instruction written in letters of melted lapis lazuli upon a precious blue surface. And
Garab Dorje gained the confidence of realization. Samaya.

The Second Testament of the Buddha In Sanskrit: Buddhadhekaramadunama In Tibetan: Sangs rgyas
kyi ’das rjes gnyis pa Homage to the completely perfect Buddha, the heroic mighty subjugator. {4} If
you truly wish to gain enlightenment, You must train yourself in this preliminary.

If you do not properly perform the separating rushen practice With regard to body, speech, and
mind, You will not free yourself from the three worlds. Therefore train in this preliminary. If you gain
dexterity in its key points, You will be skilled in common and supreme accomplishments. For the
preliminary practice linked with body, Stay alone in solitude. Engage in all the various behaviors of
the six migrations, And also the behavior of the Triple Gem. Sit upright with the soles of your feet
joined And with your palms together at your crown. The body of the one who sits in such a posture
Will not fall back [into samsara]— Obstacles will be dispelled,

Strong clinging to it will be overcome, Obscuring veils will dissipate. The body will subside in the
nirmanakaya; It will not be different from the body of a buddha. Nothing will be left behind. For the
preliminary practice linked with speech, Imitate the different cries and tongues of the six realms.
And likewise imitate the various sounds Belonging to the peaceful and the wrathful deities And all
the elements. For three days, implement instructions For the placing of the seal, developing of skill,
Search for mental pliancy, and journeying on the road. For those who practice in this way regarding
speech,

Strong clinging to it will be overcome. Their obscuring veils will dissipate. Their speech will not fall
back [into samsara] But [from buddha speech] will not be different. It will subside in the
sambhogakaya. For the preliminary practice linked with mind, Bring to mind the six realms and their
sorrows, Then search from where this mind arises. You will not find it but will meet the dharmakāya.
Search for where it dwells. Not finding it, you will encounter the sambhogakāya. Search for where it
goes. Not finding it, you’ll meet with the nirmāṇakāya. For those who practice in this way regarding
mind,

Strong clinging to it will be overcome. Obstacles will dissipate, and obscurations will be purified. And
they will not fall back into the triple world. Their minds, subsiding in the dharmakāya, Will pass
beyond, not different [from the buddha mind]. Then gain skill in bringing to their natural state Your
body, speech, and mind. {5} And afterward, refresh them. Make effort in this practice. Once you
have completed these preliminaries, Put them from your mind. Come now to the key point of the
seeing [of awareness] Through relinquishing all acts of body, speech, and mind. In the eastern
quarter of the great Blazing Mountain charnel ground, a trysting place for dakinis of various clans,
when the completely perfect Buddha displayed his passing into parinirvana, Garab Dorje fell to the
ground and in sorrow lamented: Kyema, kyihu! Sorrow and sadness! If now the radiance of the
lamp, our Teacher, sets, Who will drive away the darkness of the world? When he revived from his
faint, he saw before him in a mass of light, the right hand and arm [of the Buddha] as far as the
elbow, from which there dropped, enclosed within a casket of precious crystal, the above
instruction. It was written in self-arisen letters inscribed with the inks of five different gemstones
upon a parchment the color of melted lapis lazuli. This sublime instruction, laden with blessing, is the
second testament of the Buddha. It appeared thus so that the nirmanakaya Garab Dorje might
remember it. It is in the manner of an instruction bestowed by all the enlightened ones, who have
passed beyond sorrow. It is the condensed essence of all their teachings, bestowed upon their only
heir. Samaya.

The Third Testament of the Buddha In Sanskrit: Buddhadhekarayatrinama In Tibetan: Sangs rgyas kyi
’das rjes gsum pa Homage to Vajradhara, the natural state of openness and freedom. Kyema, kyema!
Listen to me, children of my lineage.

If bodily you wish to pass beyond all sorrow, Train in these postures of the triple kaya. Those who do
so pass beyond all sorrow In the dimension of the enlightened body Of the buddhas of the past, the
present, and of time to come. Concerning speech, observe the stages of the training Till you gain
stability and firm conviction. Those who do not disregard this training Will pass beyond all sorrow In
the dimension of the enlightened speech Of the buddhas of the past, the present, and of time to
come. The crucial point concerning mind Is mastery of the three ways of gazing. {6}

Watch a sky devoid of the three defects— This is the key point of the visual field. Gaze upward,
downward, to the side— This is the key point of the sense door. Train yourself in breathing very
slowly— This is the key point of the breath. Through taking pains in these three crucial points, Empty
awareness, the three kāyas, will arise. Imprison the awareness-chains, For thus—and this is a key
point— You will undoubtedly perceive it. Through the vision that perceives the dharmatā directly, All
conceptual, fixating views subside. Through the vision of the enhanced experience of awareness,

Primordial wisdom in the bardo is made manifest. Through the vision of the climax of awareness,
You recognize the sambhogakaya. Through the vision of the exhaustion of phenomena in dharmata,
The state of great perfection, the result beyond all action, is achieved. If, therefore, you accomplish
the four visions, You have no need to seek nirvana in some other place. Lay the ground with the
three kinds of motionlessness. Make assessment with three kinds of settling, And in your body,
speech, and mind, the signs will manifest. Fix it with the rivet of the three attainments. Beyond this
there is nothing left to teach. Samaya.
Keep close this teaching that has been bequeathed to you, Perfectly inscribed in precious inks. Those
who honor it will surely gain their freedom. At times of rainbow lights, of thunder, earthquakes,
Frost, or hail, of famine or eclipse, To read this text aloud in the appropriate direction Is more
meaningful than offerings made to all the buddhas Who have manifested in a billion universes.
When our teacher displayed his passing into parinirvana, this instruction, imbued with the blessing
of uncontrived and self-arisen teaching, and written in self-arisen letters with inks of five gemstones,
fell into the palm of Garab Dorje’s right hand in response to his lamentation, upon the Vulture Peak
to the south of Rajagrha. This final testament of the Buddha was uttered for the sake of Garab Dorje,
the only heir of all his teachings. Samaya. Sealed. Sealed. Sealed. The culmination of all true paths is
the Luminous Great Perfection, within which there are three classes of teaching. The highest of
these is the class of pith instructions comprising limitless cycles of outer, inner, secret, and most
secret teachings. {7} Furthermore, the essential core of the renowned six million four hundred
thousand ślokas of the tantras of the most secret pith instructions, or Heart Essence, is explained in
terms of seventeen kinds of utterly refined light. These are said to be the seventeen tantras, of
which The Word-Transcending Tantra is regarded as the root, or foundation, the precious seed of
their origin. Now the essence of the key points of all these tantras is further expressed in the
unequaled tantras known as The Three Testaments of the Buddha. They, together with the following
Parting Testaments of the Four Vidyadharas, are set down in the form of vajra verses. The actual
meaning of The Three Testaments may be summarized as follows. The First Testament briefly sets
forth the entire corpus of the pith instructions (primarily on togal) related to the sphere of
luminosity belonging to the uncommon secret pith-instruction class of the Great Perfection. The
Second Testament sets forth the preliminary for the togal practice, while The Third Testament gives
detailed instruction on the main practice, distinguishing the four visions. A detailed understanding of
the meaning of all of them may be gained by consulting manuals of instruction such as the treatise
titled The Precious Treasury of the Supreme Vehicle and the text of pith instructions known as The
Innermost Essence of the Master: The Wish-Fulfilling Gem, composed by the omniscient master
Longchenpa.[2]