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 BOUNDLESS VISION

All-Good Boundless Vision

A Manual of Dzogchen Changter Yoga

by
Tulku Tsulo

Translated by Tulku 'lbondrup

Edited by Keith Dowman

Published by Dzogchen Now! Hooks

Published by Dzogchen Now! Books
[email protected]
www.keithdowman.net

© 2018 Tulku Thondrup and Keith Dowman

.\ll rights reserved

Tulku 1bondrup's introduction to this text and his

original translation of the text were included in the
Buddhayana Foundation Series Volwne IX.

:\.11 rights reserved. No part of this book may be

reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic
or mechanical, including photography, recording,
or by any information storage or retrieval system or
technologies now known or later developed without
permission in writing from the publisher.

Please do not reproduce this text in any way, shape or form

and distribute it or pass it on and so infringe the legal or
moral copyright.

ISBN-13: 978-1985102842

ISBN-10: 1985102846

Cover design by Juan Sebastian Restrepo

Printed in the U.S.:\.
Font set in Garamond 11 pt type
 Dedicated to the realisation of Dzogchen
throughout a world free of sectarian restraint.
 Contents

Editor's Note
Foreword by James Low 3
Introduction by Tulku Thondrup 5

Boundless Vision
Prologue 15

Part One: The Auspicious Beginning

Preparation
Entering the Frame of Meditation 19

Chapter One: Eight Facilitating Topics

1 Recipients of the Teaching 19
2 Special Places to Practise 22
3 Instruction on Suitable Times to Meditate 23
4 'rhe Best Companions in Retreat 24
5 Necessary Provision for Retreat 25
6 Inspiring Histories 26
7 Empowerments that Mature the !\find 28
8 Instruction that Leads to Liberation 29

Chapter Two: Instruction that Leads to Liberation (1)

Turning the Mind Away from Samsara 31
1 The Difficulty of Obtaining a Human life 33
The Eight Freedoms 33
The Ten Endowments 33
2 The Importance of Pondering Impermanence 38
3 The Certainty of Karmic Repercussion 44
4 The Results of Negative Activity 49
The hell-realms 49
The hungry ghosts 56
The animal realm 57
The human realm 59
The realm of the demi-gods 62
The god-realm 63
Chapter Three: Instruction that Leads to Liberation (2)
The Five Precious Nails 65
1 The Nail of Refuge and Bodhichitta 67
2 The Nail of Mandala Offering 72
3 111e Nail of Purified Negative Condition:
The Meditation and Recitation ofVajrasattva 73
4 The Nail of Impermanence 75
5 The Nail ofGuruyoga 76

Part Two: The Auspicious :Middle

Disclosure of the Actual Training

Chapter One: The Prelin1inary Exercises that Demolish

the Cocoon of Mind
The Superiority of the Innermost Secret Instruction 81
The Preliminary Exercises Demolishing the Cocoon 83
1 The Four Elements 84
2 The Rushen 85
3 Purification of the Three Doors 91
Purification of the body 91
Purification of speech 92
Purification of mind 95

Chapter Two: Breakthrough:

Empowerment and Instruction 99
1 Definition of Buddha-Ground 100
2 How to Take Buddha-Ground as the Path 104
I 'lne Methods of Inducing Dzogchen Vision 104
Direct Introduction to Buddha-ground 104
Direct Introduction to Dzogchen Realisation 105
II The Actuality of Breakthrough 106
Breakthrough in the Oral Transmission 106
Breakthrough in the Instmction Manual 110
Recognition - Nonrecognition 110
Direct Introduction to the unborn mind 110
Direct Infroduction to the mind as unceasing 112
Confidence in the nature of mind 116
Self-Release in the five sense faculties. 117
Sustaining Liberation and Training in
Intrinsic Creativity 121
Chapter Three: Leap-over
The Superiority of Leap-over 123
1. The Physical, Energetic and Mental Imperatives 125
2. The 111ree Keys to Direct Perception 129
Recognizing the Three Keys
The Key of Method 130
The Key of Field 132
The Key of Breath and Presence 133
The Key of Pure Presence 134
Circumstances for Pure Presence 136
Pure Presence and the Four Lamps 137
3. The Four Visions of Primal Awareness 141
Direct Experience of Reality 142
Increasing Visionary Experience 144
The Full Scope of Pure Awareness 148
Consummate Reality 150
4. Meditation that Completes Uberation 153
Reinforcing the Foundation of Meditation 153
Evaluating the Results of Meditation 154
Nailing Down the Three Attainments 156
Fourfold Confidence 156

Chapter Four: Liberation in the Bardo

Introduction to the Bardos 159
Instruction upon Liberation in the Bardos 162
1 Instruction upon the Natural Bardo 162
2 Instruction upon the Bardo of Dying 163
I. Reflecting upon death 163
IL Instruction upon the process of dying 164
(i) Signs of death 164
(ii) The ways of dying 166
(iii) Dissolution of the four basic elements 167
3 Instruction upon the Bardo of Reality 171
I. 'Pure presence enters into the eyes' 171
II. 'The eyes access the clear light' 172
(i) 'Consciousness Dissolves into Space and
Space into the Clear Ught' 172
(ii) 'Dissolution of Clear Light into Union.' 175
(iii) Instruction on the 1bree Instants 176
Admission 176
Release 177
Finality 178
 Ill 'The light enters pure presence' 182
IV 'Pure Presence Enters Nonabiding
Primal Awareness' 183
4 Instruction upon the Bardo of Becoming 185
Attainment of Liberation in Succeeding Births 186

Chapter Five: The Manner of Attainment

For Adepts of Superior Acumen 187
For Adepts of Middling Acumen 189
For Adepts of Lesser Acumen 190
Conditional and Ultimate Results 190

Part Three: The Auspicious Conclusion

The End of this Exposition

Gratitude for the Instruction 195

The Threefold Pledge: Entrustment 196

Concluding Aspiration 199

Colophon 201

Endnotes 205
Bibliography: Abbreviations of Literary Sources 213
Bibliography: Sources of Tulku Tsulo's Quotations 217
Structure of the Tibetan Text 219
Concordance of Dzogchen Terminology 225
Glossary 230
 Editor's Note

Primarily, I extend a debt of deep gratitude to Tulku Thondrup for entrusting

me with the manuscript of Boundless Llght for a final editing. Tulku Thondrup
embodies Northern Treasure Dzogchen and his translation of this text in this
era should be considered authoritative (despite his disclaimer). Further, to
distinguish the publication of this edition, this profoundly significant text is
freed from the narrow limits of sectarian oversight and offered to the broad
spectrum of appreciative sangha and nonsectarian practitioners that it
demands and deserves.

Boundless Ught must be included amongst the most sacred and significant of
Dzogchen manuals. As a Dzogchen lam-rim of extraordinary literary quality
it transcends all sectarian parameters and reaches the sublime heights of
poetic exposition that can induce in the reader the Dzogchen view that it
professes to describe. If indeed it fails in this it is due to the limitations of
the English language, for Zangtal literature in Tibetan is remarkable for its
extraordinary clarity of expression, and Tulku Tsulo's commentary, which
may be described as pith instruction (man ngaJD on the highest Dzogchen
level, is a model of precise, intelligent and lucid composition.

Tulku Thondrup finished his translation of Boundless T7 ision text in 2002 and
thereafter it was edited by several members of the Khordong sangha. In 2010
when Tulku Thondrup passed it to me, the terminology required standardisa-
tion and the style was uneven. I have made the style my own and replaced
many of the technical terms with my preferences. I hope thereby to have
produced a translation that maintains a unity of style and expression. \Vhile
sometimes expanding the syntax and adding minor discursive elaboration, I
have followed Tulku Thondrup's preference for maintaining ambiguity where
it exists in the original.

"\lthough comprehending the Tibetan structure of the text undoubtedly

proves the most valuable method of approach, I hope that the simplified,
westernisation of the structure, introducing a succession of related chapters
within each of the three parts, will assist the reader. 'W'hile allowing easier
access, meaning derived from the original pyramidal structure will be lost, and
for that reason I have reproduced the structure as an appendix (see p. 219)
"\lso, at the beginning of each chapter, where I felt it would assist, I have
added a paragraph describing the structure and contents of that chapter.

The footnotes are all mine except those marked TT'. The endnotes, most of
which relate to textural sources, are Tulku Thondrup's except those marked
'Ed'. Tulku Thondrup's introduction contains his original terminology, but
the Wylie system of transliteration and my own phonetic method have, in
general, replaced the original. Gender, generally, is ignored in Tibetan texts
like this, the assumption being that the adept is male: I have attempted to
define 'adept' unisexually by interspersing 'he and she' and 'him and her'.
Please note that Part One, Chapter 2 quotes the five Nails ngondro text that
has not been included herein in its entirety.

I take this opportunity to emphasize Tulku Tsulo's clear assertion that break-
through and leap-over relate to obverse sides of the same coin. The precepts
of breakthrough and leap-over can be applied separately, he affirms, but the
waist of the vajra symbolizes their union, and therein lies the path (seep. 91).

I would also like to stress that a teacher who has attained the result of the
trekcho and togal yogas is essential to clarify Tulku Tsulo's instructions and
that to use this manual without a guru is certain to bring difficulties ..\
teacher's role in evaluating the results of the meditation, particularly in leap-
over, is as important as clarifying the instruction. The abyss that may face
those who apply these instructions without a teacher is indicated in the
final pages of this text in the section called the Threefold Pledge. Those who
study it on an academic level, for pleasure, curiosity or for mere information
without intent to practise it, act against the best advice of the tradition, as the
text warns us, and also as explained by Tulku Thondrup in the penultimate
section of his introduction .

.\ remark about the context and form of the text: this text belongs to the /am-
rim genre of Dzogchen manuals and as such may be categorized as a latterday
example of graduated, progressive Dzogchen exegesis. Tulku Thondrup
makes this quite clear in his introduction, and the structure of the text itself
underlines its ladder-like implication. The view in the second part, however,
quite distinct from that of the preliminaries, presents Dzogchen in a radical
manner - as nondual realisation.

We acknowledge the assistance of Taklung Tsetrul and his tulkus in resolving

some textural problems and express gratitude to Terris Temple for his kind
support. My apologies for some minor variations in phonetic transliteration
of Tibetan script in the Introduction ..\ny errors in the translation are mine.

Keith Dowman
Tepoztlan
i\Iexico,
Winter, 2018
 Foreword

The publication of this translation is a signal event in the development

of buddha-dharma in the West. The text shows the paths to the
yogas of the depth of primordial purity by breakthrough and the
vastness of spontaneity through direct crossing Oeap-over): As the
instructions and in particular the colophon make abundantly clear,
these are sharp tools which should not be put in the hands of those
with egoist motivation or wavering resolve. Transmission from a
qualified teacher is essential, but of even more importance one needs
the chance to ask for guidance along the way.

Chimed Rigdzin Rinpoche was very fond of this text written by his main
guru, Tsultrim Zangpo (fulku Tsulo). He often quoted from the text
and used it to illustrate points in other texts that was worked on during
the years of the translation group in Shantiniketan. Rinpoche
often praised the clarity of the text and his teacher's way of
organising the instructions. Rinpoche's own style of teaching was
more direct, using the diverse events of our often-tumultuous daily
life to point out the nature of reification and how to release it by
seeing it as the radiance of dharmakaya.

Tulku Tsulo's text illuminates the great mystery of life. Everything we

encounter including ourselves is actually nothing at all, having no true
or inherent existence. Yet everything is here and this is undeniable as
we each have our own experience. How can something come from
nothing? Theistic religions say that this is due to the action of God.
Materialists say there was a sudden eruption followed by myriad chance
events. However, as this text makes clear, once the delusion of believing
in graspable entities is resolved in the direct experience of the inborn
openness of our presence, we can begin to see directly the arising of
illusory forms as the natural radiance of that presence. Everything,
every experience, whether it appears as 'subject' or as 'object' is the
display of infinite spaciousness, which is inseparable from our
presence. That presence is not a stage to be reached or a quality to be
developed - it is what is always there as the basis of our experience.

• Breakthrough (khregs d}()d pronounced 'trekcho') is deep (zab) and direct

crossing or leap-over (thod rga/, pronounced 'togal') is vast (®'a).
4 Boundless f 'ision

There is no other ground of experience and to rest in it, just as it is, is

to be freed from the need to search here and there for something else.

We are fortunate that this book of lucid instruction has been prepared
by three people who over many years have shown themselves to be
committed to and highly competent in the work of presenting in the
English language teaching from Nyingma Buddhist tradition. Chimed
Rigdzin Rinpoche, Tulku Thondrup and Keith Dowman together
have produced a support for meditation that is worthy of our profound
gratitude and devotion.

James Low,
London, UK
2014
 Introduction

Intrinsic /11vareneH, the all-knowing nature ef mind,

The ullimale Jphere, the open nature ef the universe,
In union as wisdom and the radiance o_f wisdom,
To_ 4/1-Good Boundless f- 'ision, I pr'!)' in oneness.

This book is a translation of the text entitled A Vision Ornament o.f the
Kno1v/edge-Ho/dets* composed by Tulku Tsultrim Zangpo (fulku Tsulo,
1884-1957?). It is an outline commentary upon the treasure-text
cycle called A/I-Good Boundless Vision'f" discovered by Rigzin Godem
(1337-1408).* I have named the translation after the root text instead
of the commentary because 'boundless vision' signifies the unique
subject of this work.

It was prophesied that the great treasure-finder Terton Rigzin GodemI

(1337-1408), whose full name was Rigzin Godem Ngodrub Gyaltsen,
would be born as an incarnation of Nanam Dorje Dudjom. As the
chief emissary of King Trisong Deutsen (742-796), Nanam Dorje
Dudjom went to Nepal to invite Guru Padmasambhava to Tibet and
he became one of the twenty-five chief disciples of the Guru.

Rigzin Godem was born on the 10th day of the first month of the fire
-ox year of the 6th sixty-year cycle (A.D. 1337) at Toyor Nagpo, which
is situated at the north-east of Mt. Trazang in Zangzang county of
Ngamring district in Western Tibet. His father was Master Dudul of a
long family lineage of accomplished Vajrakila adepts. From
childhood, Rigzin Godem received and studied the transmissions of
Nyingma-lineage teaching and became fully accomplished in due

* Full title: ,\ \'ision Ornament of the Rigzin Knowledge-Holders that Fulfils

Every Pure Hope: _\ l\Ianual that Blends and Simplifies the Instruction of
_\ll-Good Boundless \'ision. Kun bzang dgongs pa zang thal gyi dgongs
don phyogs gcig tu bkod pa khrid yig skal bzang re skong rig 'dzin dgongs
rgyan. TI
t Kun tu bzang po'i dgongs pa zang thal du bstan pa. Zang thaf. more literally,
'unhindered', 'unobstructed' or 'direct'. Tl'
:I: For detailed information on thisgter, see HTT; also see NTB 743 - 887, \'ol.
I; LB 36-142 and EJ 93 - 105. 'IT
! Rig 'dzin dngos grub rgyal mtshan. Tl'
6 Boundless f, 'ision

course. At the age of thirty, in 1366, on the peak of Mt. Trazang, he

discovered a prophetic guide, which directed him to his discoveries of
hidden treasure. 'Hidden treasures' (te1ma) are mystically discovered
texts and religious objects, most of them concealed by Guru
Padmasambhava, through his enlightened power, in the ninth
century, only to be discovered centuries later by treasure-finders
(tertons) such as Rigzin Godem.

A few months after he had recovered the prophetic guide, relying upon
the directions it contained, he discovered a blue, square, treasure-casket
with five compartments in a cave in Zangzang Lhatrak. In those
five compartments he discovered religious objects and yellow scrolls
written in symbolic scripts. Those symbolic scripts contained many
volumes of profound encoded teaching. In the central compartment
of this casket he recovered the yellow scrolls of All-Good Boundless
Vision. Rigzin Godem decoded the symbolic scripts of the yellow
scrolls, transcribed them into Tibetan, and, for the remainder of his
life propagated the teaching that they contained. This treasure
became known as 'changter' (ryanggtet), Northern Treasure.

In the latter part of his life, Rigzin Godem visited Sikkim and opened
that valley as a hidden land, which then became known as the Valley of
Rice. Hidden lands are the safe - or safer - places blessed by Guru
Padmasambhava as havens to which his future followers might escape
in times of trouble. After its discovery, the Northern Treasure became
one of the most important traditions of the Nyingma in Tibet as well as
in many parts of the northern mountain regions of India and Nepal.

Rigzin Godem's lineage of incarnation became known as the lineage of

Rigzin Chenmos, lineage of the Great Knowledge-Holders. The Second
Rigzin Chenmo, Legden J e, was the younger brother of Pan di ta Padma
Wangyal (1487-1542) of Ngari province. The T11ird Rigzin Chenmo,
Ngagi Wangpo (1580-1639) was the son of Changdak Tashi Tobgyal
(aka Chogyal Wangpo De, 1557-?), the incarnation of Padma Wangyal.
Father and son later moved to central Tibet, and in 1610 they laid the
foundations of Dorje Trak Monastery. The Fourth Rigzin Chenmo,
Perna Trinle (1641-1717), completed the enlargement of Dorje Trak
Monastery and it became one of the two major sources of Nyingma
teaching in central Tibet. Since then Dorje Trak has remained the main
seat of the changter tradition under the spiritual leadership of the Fifth
Rigzin Chenmo, Kalzang Perna Wangchuk (1719-?); the Sixth, Kunzang
Gyurme Lhundrub Dorje; the Seventh, Ngawang Jampal; the Eighth,
 Introdudion 7

Padma Wangyal; the Ninth, Nyamnyi Dorje and the Tenth, Namtrol
Gyatsho, who is still alive:

Tulku Tsultrim Zangpo (1884-1957?), Tulklu Tsulo, was a celebrated

scholar and adept. He was a grandson ofTerchen Nuden Dorje (1802-
1864) of Khordong Monastery and the Tulku of Orgyen Puntshok of
Bahne Monastery in Eastern Tibet. He received the transmission of Al/-
Good Boundless Vision from Terton Gonpo Wangyal (1845-1915) of
Khordong Monastery. Among his other important teachers were the
Third Dodrupchen Rinpoche, Jigme Tenpe Nyima (1865-1926),2 and
Khenpo Champa Ozer, popularly known as Khenpo Damcho Ozer
(d.1926/7), both from Dodrupchen Monastery. Khenpo Damcho Ozer
described the greatness of his student to my teacher Kyala Khenpo and
others, saying, 'A lion has been born to me, a dog.' Tulku Tsultrim
Zangpo studied with many other great masters, including Terton Lerab
Lingpa (1856-1926) of Nyak-rong, and he wrote a long biography of
this Terton. He wrote eight volumes of scholarly works, teaching mostly
in Eastern Tibet and some in Central Tibet. For years, he personally
presided over Shugchung Monastery, Khordong Monastery and Bahne
Monastery in Eastern Tibet. However, his favourite residence was
Kunkhe Hermitage,ta solitary place in the Trehor area of Kham, where
he lived simply for years and taught many scholars and devotees.

All-Good Boundless Vision is undoubtedly one of the most profound and

detailed expositions of Dzogpa Chenpo, Dzogchen,t Great Perfection,
the highest teaching of the Nyingma, where 'all-good' is a synonym of
'the pure unitary dimension of being (Skt. dharmakaya)'. All-Good
Boundless Vision is a collection of thirty-nine texts 3 in five volumes.
Within it are included a number of texts on common Buddhist teaching
and also many tantric liturgies (sadhanas). But most of the texts treat
breakthrough and especially leap-over, the Dzogchen teaching brought
from India to Tibet by the three great masters, Guru Padmasambhava,
Pandita Vimalamitra and Lotsawa Bairotsana.

A T'ision Ornament of the Knowledge-Holders is a commentary - besides a

training manual - composed by Tulku Tsultrim Zangpo, providing an
outline of the contents of the major texts of All-Good Boundless Vision.

• The names of the first seven Rigdzin Chenmos are listed in DR 6b-7 a. The
last three are added by Chuzang Rinpoche of Dorje Trak Monastery. IT
t Kun mkhas ri khrod. TT
t Rdzogs pa chen po or rdzogs chen; Skt. mahasandhi. Tr
8 Boundless I· /ision

It covers all the stages of the view and path of Dzogchen meditation,
from the starting point to the final goal. Its contents could be usefully
summarized in three parts:

The f<trst Part includes four series of preliminary training:

I. The eight considerations of training: (i) Tbe qualities of the trainees;
(ii) the right place of training; (iii) the right companions; (iv) crucial time;
(v) necessary provisions; (vi) lineal history; (vii) the empowerments that
mature the mind and (viii) instructions that lead to liberation.

II. The four common preliminary trainings: Pondering upon (i) the pre-
cious nature of human life; (ii) the impermanence of this life; (iii)
karmic causation of all that exists; and (iv) the suffering that
characterizes samsara. By meditating upon these four, our wild
mentality will tum towards reality.

III. The five uncommon preliminaries or the 'five nails': (i) Going for
refuge and developing an enlightened attitude; (ii) the mandala offerings
for creating merit; (iii) purification through the Vajrasattva meditation;
(iv) certainty of impermanence; and (v) the practice of guruyoga.

IV. The three profound preliminaries of Dzogchen: (i) the sounds of

the four elements; (ii) the physical, vocal and mental exercises that
release the yogin or yogini from the conflicts of samsara and nirvana
and lead to the realisation of intrinsic awareness; (iii) the physical,
energetical and mental purification that release the appearances of the
three buddha-bodies (kqya.1) into primordial inner sphere.

The Second Part elucidates the actual Dzogchen training:

(i) The view of the basis - intrinsic awareness - which is buddhahood;

(ii) direct introduction to buddhahood; and (iii) the meditation training
in that buddhahood through the twofold extraordinary path of break-
through and leap-over.

In breakthrough, there are two traditions of training: The first is based

on the teaching of the Oral Transmission (Snyan rgyud) 4 about how to
'unite the three spaces'.* The second is based on the teaching of the
Instmdion Manual (Khrid gzhung) 5 that introduces the mind as unborn
and as unceasing; teaches liberation by developing confidence in its

• Rnam mkha' sum sprug

 Introduction 9

unborn and unceasing nature, explaining how to sustain the liberation

that we have in this way realised.

Leap-over focuses upon the crucial physical, energetical and mental

points to bring about the arising of primordial wisdom; how to see with
intrinsic awareness the primordial wisdom that has arisen nakedly
through the crucial points - eyes, sky and energy - and how to let the
four visions· arise by contemplating the primordial wisdom that has
been seen.

The first of the four v1s1ons is the vision of direct realisation of

the ultimate nature. Through the far-reaching water lamp, we see the
lamp of the pure ultimate sphere; therein we see the lamp of the
ultimate sphere of emptiness; and in that we see the vajra-chain of
intrinsic awareness.t

In the vision of the increasing degree of the levels of experience, the

radiance of the ultimate sphere and intrinsic awareness arises outwardly
in various colours, designs and characteristics and increases in scope.

In the vision of the perfection of intrinsic awareness, as the sign of

accomplishment of the primordial wisdom, we see phenomena as the
yabyurn sambhogakaya buddhas and their pure-lands.

In the vision of the dissolution of delusory appearances into

absolute nature, all visionary experiences cease and we realise
everything as the unchanging presence of buddhas and pure-lands
without increase or decrease, without their arising or disappearing.
No concepts will arise from thinking, analysing or labelling. This is
the attainment of buddl1a with four buddha-bodies (kayas) and the
fivefold primordial wisdom.
The text also elaborates the entire cycle of life in terms of the four
stages of the bardo, the intermediate state, and teaches us how to attain

• Snang ba bzhi: chos nyid mngon sum, '!)iamsgong 'phel, rig pa !shad phebs, chos '!Jid
zad pa. This last phrase has two interpretations: a) O\' 110b/2: The increase
of (the visionary experiences of) reality has been exhausted, so it is called
'the vision of the exhaustion of reality'. b) DP 2a/3: 'Dissolution of all the
appearances of dharmas into dharmata.' TI
t Sgron ma bz!Ji: 1:gyang zhags chu_yi sgron ma, db)!ings rnam daggi sgron ma, thig /e
J'/ongpa'i .rgron ma, rig pa rdo rje lu,ggu rgyud. TI
10 Boundless Vision

liberation in each bardo. The four bardos• are (i) the natural bardo of
this life; (ii) the bardo of dying; (iii) the bardo of ultimate nature at the
moment of death; and (iv) the bardo of becoming. 1be bardo of be-
coming, the transitional period between this life and the next, is what
is commonly known as 'the bardo'.

The Third Part briefly outlines the result, the attainment ofbuddhahood,
in the three junctures of the life cycle. They are the attainments in (a)
this lifetime, in (b) the bardo or (c) in the next life, through realising
and maintaining primordial wisdom.

***
The Llneage Teachers of the Transmission:6

1 Dharmakaya, Samantabhadra
2 Sambhogakaya, Five Buddha-families including Vajrasattva
3 Nirmanakaya, Prahevajra (Garab Dorje) from Vajrasattva
4 Manjushrimitra
5 Shrisimha
6 Guru Padmasambhava, Vimalamitra and Bairotsana
7 King Trisong Deutsen, Yeshe Tsogyal and Dorje Dudjom
8 The teaching of the three masters were discovered as terma by
Rigzin Godem (1337-1408), an incarnation ofDorje Dudjom.

***
Traditionally, to study or practise Dzogchen teaching, such as All-Good
Boundless Vision, we first complete the preliminary training and receive
the transmission - the direct introduction that awakens our own inner
wisdom - from an accomplished teacher. Even for those students who
are qualified, teachers only transmit the teaching one on one, or in some
cases to a very small group of students at a time. People who have not
yet received the transmission cherish the relevant texts as objects of
respect and sources of blessings, but ought not to attempt to study or
apply them.

This secrecy in Dzogchen teaching is neither caused by the stinginess

of the lineage holders nor is it designed to manipulate the students, but
rather to prevent the teaching from becoming a tool to harm others,

' Bar do bzhi: rang bzhin bar do; chi kha bar do; d10s nyid bar do; srid pa bar do.
 Introduction 11

and also to preserve the power, dignity and purity of the lineage for
future followers.

Furthermore, if we read or study Dzogchen texts on a level of view and

meditation that we have not yet experienced, or are not yet ready to
experience, we will have gathered conceptual - or only intellectual -
information before we are ready to realise it experientially. This kind of
information will allow us to form concepts about such experience and,
later, it may be difficult for us to determine whether we are realising the
true experience or just imagining it based on the information that we
have prematurely received.

If we lack proper guidance, we easily fall into the mental traps formed
by the various layers of dualistic perceptual or emotional concepts. If
an experiential error occurs at a deep level of the mind, it causes greater
harm than other kinds of mistake. Cleansing the negative effects of
physical and mental actions, for example, is relatively easy, since they
are usually involved with the surface of the mind, like dirt on a floor;
but overcoming deep mistakes in meditation is more challenging as
such mistakes may have planted their seeds at a deep level of the mind.
Please note, also, that the original lineage holders entrusted this teaching
to powerful divine protectors, who vowed to act against those people
who misuse or abuse the teaching.

In the tradition of Dzogpa Chen po in general, therefore, and especially

of All-Good Boundless Vision, before embarking on study or meditation,
we need to establish a fourfold foundation. First, we apply ourselves to
meditation upon the fourfold teaching that turns the mind away from
samsara;* second, we complete the accumulations of the five precious
essential nails;t and, third, we train in the three profound preliminary
exercises:!: that demolish the cocoon of the mind. After that, fourth,
we receive the pointing out instruction§ to breakthrough from a
realised teacher of Dzogpa Chenpo and then, and only then, can we
study and meditate upon it. Finally, we can receive the introduction
to leap-over and contemplate accordingly.

• Bio /dog mam bz!1i: also translated as the fourfold detachment from samsara
or the four mind-benders.
tRin chen gnad k;·i gz.er Inga.
tZah mo'i sngon 'gro gs11m.
§Ngo Jprod.
12 Boundless Vision

Realisation of Dzogchen is instantaneous, but in order to reach

such realisation, we should climb up to that level by the stairs of
gradual training, step by step. If we have flashes of Dzogchen
realisation, we should perfect that realisation by meditating upon it
for a long time. Receiving a profound teaching on instant realisation,
admiring the so-called 'freedom' of doing what we want, or having
flashes of realisation, will not make us instant buddhas. \Ve must
perfect ourselves through persistent meditation.

With a qualified teacher guiding us, maturing through the

preliminary training, sooner or later we will realise the true nature
of our own mind, the meaning of Dzogchen. That is the
awakening to buddhahood, the unity of omniscient intrinsic
awareness and the boundless ultimate sphere. \Vhen we perfect
that realisation through meditation, the ever-lasting light of inner
wisdom and the wisdom light of the outer ultimate sphere will have
united as one. In that state of oneness, the totality will always prevail
and buddha shines as the five modes of primal awareness and the
three buddha-bodies (kayas) in pure-lands without any dualistic
concepts or labelling, and free from any increase, decrease or effort.

\Vhen an adept accomplishes Dzogchen, at the time of his death,

he may also attain 'the light-body of great transformation" wherein
the gross body dissolves into a sphere of light to serve others; or his
gross body could totally dissolve into a 'rainbow body't emanating
colourful beams and circles of light, leaving only the finger and toe
nails and hair behind. An adept ofDzogchen could leave relics of
'ringsel' (white pellets), 'dung' (big pellets in various colours) and
bones imprinted with deity-images in his cremation ashes, as objects
of inspiration and as a source of blessing for others. He could also
choose to die without any sign in the manner of 'leaving the body
behind like the corpse of a stray dog', so that no one will have any
reason to pay any attention to the death. In whatever way he
dies, mentally he will attain buddhahood and his services will
always be there for those who are open to them.
***
Over the course of two years, Tertrul Chimme Rigzin Rinpoche (1922-
2002), one of the main disciples ofTulku Tsultrim Zangpo and a holder
of the Changter lineage, repeatedly asked me to translate this text _,1
·vision Ornament qf the Rigzjn Knowledge-Holders into English. Lama

' 'ja' /us 'pho ba ,hen po (pronounced 'jalu powachembo').

t '.fa' /us (pronounced 'jalu').
 Introduction 13

Chimme Rigzin was the fourth incarnation of Terchen Nuden Dorje*

(1802-1864) of Khordong Monastery. My simple understanding was
not equipped to translate such a profound text, but my reasoning with
Tertrul Rinpoche on these grounds failed to sway him. Thus, at the
beginning of A.D. 2000, I began the translation of the text. Whenever
I sat down to work on it, I prayed to the lineage masters of All-Good
Boundless Vision for their blessings so that I should not commit any
huge blunder in the translation. I also prayed to the lineage-
protectors for their most kind assistance, so that this work might be
of service to many, and harm none. However, I know full well that
although the translation is far from a final version, both in choice of
words and in understanding meaning, personally, it was a great
opportunity for me to gain a glimpse of the boundless wisdom-light
of the buddha-dharma. I will be ever thankful for that blessing.

I pray to the buddhas and the lineage masters, to the ocean of dakinis
and dharma-protectors and to those compassionate readers for their
forgiveness for all the mistakes that have crept into this translation. I
also pray that with me all those who read this translation, may find the
humility to begin where we need to begin, and enjoy the capacity to
merge into the absolute Dzogpa Chenpo, which is the union of intrinsic
awareness and the ultimate sphere.

Tulku Thondrup's Acknowledgements

I am grateful to the late Tertul Chimme Rigzin Rinpoche for inspiring

me to translate this most sacred text on Dzogpa Chenpo and it is my
great joy to be able to fulfil his aspiration. I am indebted to Harold
Talbot for his initial editing of this translation with his wisdom and
dedication. I am also thankful to Lydia Segal for her help at many
places in that first draft. I am thankful to Zenkar Rinpoche for kindly
finding a rare copy of the Klong gsal 'bar ma tantras, to Ven. Butrug
Rinpoche of Do Dorje Trak Gonpa for providing a xylographic copy
of A Vision Ornament of the Rigzin Knowledge-Holders in Tibetan.
Finally, I am most grateful to Michael Baldwin and patrons of the
Buddhayana Foundation under whose most generous sponsorship I
have been able to continue the writing and translation work that I
have done for the past twenty years.

• Gter chen Nus ldan rdo rje or Nus ldan rdo rje 'gro phan gling pa.
 A Vision Ornament
of the Rigzin Knowledge-Holders
That Fulfils Every Pure Hope:
A Manual that Blends and Simplifies
the Instructions of All-Good Boundless Vision

The essence, all-pen1ading ultimate emptiness,

Which is spadousness, a unify
With bright primordial vcgra-awareness,
Which is sky-peroading sl?_yform,
S e(farising, forever arising, spontaneiry;
Spadousness and appearances inseparable
_1.r the_youtNul vase-boqy with its inner brilliance,
That isyou, _·111-Good,
Samantabhadra, primordial buddha:
Please abide at the centre q/the lotus q/our heatts.

Tsogyalma, mother qfthe Vidorious Ones,

Unmanifest, unborn, simpliii()· itse(f;
Totreng Tsai, the creativi()• efemp(y_form
If"hose nature is unceasing clarity
And impartial compasJion -
_1 boq}' qf unitary emptiness and presence:
The unitary trikq)'a, Padmasambhava,
Solefather, to_you the vidory!

In the Gum '.r magical dance, his infinite emanation,

Padmasambhava '.r primal awareness,
AuJpiciou.1fy born in this glon·ous cool land,
Amon.gs! a hundred-thousand treasurefnders
The unsurpassed crown ornament,
The supreme Rigzin Godem: to him thanksgiving!

Whatever he taught, mpreme awareness was attained

T6rough his transmission of vast and deep ambrosia/ treasures
16 Boundless Lght

With personal connection and consummate skilL·

To you fortunate ones, you glorious lineage holders,
To you, blood lineage and heart-sons of the rigz!n,
We respectful!J make thanksgiving.

Guided into Dzogchen, the supreme vehicle,

And into its quintessential ins/rudions,
The distillation ofall kry instruction, profound and broad,
That hasjilled the vessel of our hearts,
Guided throug~your kindness intosuchgoodfortune,
To_you I bow, gradous lama.

This Dzogchen, the innermost essence,

Ultimate summit of the nine approaches,
Heart essence of the three rigzjn masters,
Supreme passage of ma'!)' adepts of old,
This I will now reveal dearjy to 17!.Yfortunate guests.

This exposition is the quintessence of Buddhist teaching, the summit of

all philosophies, the king of tantras, the most significant sutra of
the canon, the profoundest of pith instruction, the basis of approach
to buddha, the naked heart of tenets of Clear Light Great
Perfection, and the distillation of the key points of its instruction. This
exposition of the innermost secret excels the 'mind', 'matrix' and 'pith
instruction' of Dzogchen; it is the heart-essence of the three rigzin -
the vision of Dharmakaya Samantabhadra. The instructions, bare and
transparent, are fully revealed, bringing the fortunate to buddha easily
and swiftly.

I am basing this manual primarily on two sources of Padmasambhava:

the Instruction Manual of Bairotsana '.r Oral Transmission of Direct Perception of
Reali(f and the Oral Transmfrrion of Immaculate Meaning. 8 These two are
supplemented by other writings, such as the Great Exegesis and the Three
Nai!s,9 both by Vimalamitra, and the Oral Transmission ofBairotsana.*111

• Chos nyid mngon gsum gyi snyan brgyud khrid gzhung (Yang gsang bla na
.)Iled pa bai ro tsa na'i snyan brgyud dang po, Yang gsang bla na med pa bai
ro tsa na'i snyan brgyud bar ma, and Yang gsang bla na med pa bai ro tsa
na'i snyan brgyud phyi ma), Yang dag don gyi snyan brgyud; Snyan brgyud
chen mo, Gzer bu gsum pa and Snyan brgyud chen mo ye shes rang gsal
respectively.
 Boundless Light 17

In general, the innermost secret instruction is taught in three ways:

first, in the manner of straight-on, naked instruction; second, as a
figurative pointing out of the nature of mind; and third, as literal
directions with warnings, written as if for a traveller who was about to
cross over a high mountain pass. I am writing in the manner of naked
instruction, which here includes figurative and literal indications.
 Part One
The Auspicious Beginning: Preparation
Entering the Frame of ·Meditation

Chapter One: Eight Facilitating Topics

1 Recipients of the Teaching

It is important to check the qualities of the 'receptacle' - the disciple -

to whom these most profound instructions will be revealed. This is the
summit of the eight approaches, the ultimate vision of Buddha Vajra-
dhara: if an improper vessel receives this teaching, obstacles arise for
both master and disciple, and both of them may fall into the vajra hell.
This teaching is like the milk of a lioness, an excellent potent substance
that should be poured only into a golden vessel; if it is poured into an
inferior vessel, such a vessel will break and the milk will be wasted.

\~'hen the teacher examines a disciple's qualities to ensure transmission

of the teaching only to a proper vessel, what, then, is a proper vessel?
The ways of recognizing the various signs of a proper vessel are given
in both the I nJtruction Man11a/ of the Oral Transmission q( Direct Perception q(
Realiryl 1 and lnstmdion in Meaning: The ]ewe/-Essence* 12 both originating
with Padmasambhava. These texts list nineteen characteristics of the
suitable vessel with a single voice, even with the same words.

The necessary qualities of the disciple are (1) devotion to the buddha-
dhanna because of deep faith; (2) dedication to meditation because of
constant diligence; (3) understanding the words and meaning due to
sharp intellect, (4) disengagement from worldly activities due to the
absence of grasping and attachment; (5) service to the master physically,
energetically and mentally based on profound respect; (6) fearlessness in the
face of the profound instruction and tantric behaviour because of
decreased discrimination; (7) constancy in authentic activity for the sake of
both self and others due to little interest in amusement and a natural
enjoyment in virtuous activity; (8) rarity of moral adulteration

•Don khrid nor ba'i snyi11g po.

20 Boundless ViJion

and downfall, because of an ability to keep the precepts intact; (9) swift
accomplishment, because of the power of exertion in meditation; (10)
an unwavering focus on reality, because of firmness of mind; (11) a
habit of benefiting sentient beings, because of depth of compassion;
(12) tendency to please the masters and dakinis, because of breadth of
generosity; (13) naturally weak emotional defilement, because of the
gentleness of the mindstream; (14) absence of any affliction in karmic
maturation, because of abstinence from negative karma; (15) facility in
differentiation between what is authentic and what is not, because of
sharpness of faculties; (16) freedom from punishment by the reality-
protector, because of ability to keep the teaching secret; (17) constancy
in buddha, because of unchanging nature; (18) a short-term outlook,
because of the depth of revulsion to samsara; and, finally, (19) evidence
demonstrating signs of attainment, because of hard work and courage.

If the teacher finds such a fortunate disciple, that person is the right
vessel for the tantric teaching and this profound teaching of tantra
should surely be given to him or her. Furthermore, the tantra
Natural!;· Arising Presence describes the disciple like this:n

With strongfaith and diligence,

With sharp intelled, without attachment or gra.!ping,
ReJpecijul, e'!Jqying tantn·c behaviour,
IVithout discrimination, without distradion,
One who obseroes the precepts and is dedicated to meditation.

If a person with great faith and diligence has devotion to tantra and is
dedicated to meditation, someone with very little attachment, who is
free from grasping and discrimination, and who furthermore has an
open, generous and insightful mind, and is respectful of the master and
observant of the precepts, such a one possesses the qualities of a proper
recipient for the tantric teaching. Upon such a person it is proper to
bestow the cycle of this unexcelled heart-essence, the ultimate secret
teaching, which fulfils the needs of life by a mere encounter with it. The
same tantra advises,14

The ultimate inner-secret heart-eJ:rmce teaching

That fu(fils our needs mere!;· ~y an encounter with it
S hou/d be given to people
Withfaith, insight, compasJion. generosi(y,
Stable mind, diligence in pradice, obedience to precepts, gentleness,
Broad mind, abili(y to keep secrets, good nature, sharp intellect,
 Eight Faciliating Topia 21

Without ~jpocri!)', with pure pen-eption, respectful to the master,

With.few wrong views, hard-working, posseJ:ringgreat diligence,
Obedient to the master, with revulsion to samsara,
And possessing compassionate luminous mind.
{(there such people exist, entmst them with the lineage qfthis teaching.

If instruction were to be given to anyone but such a superior student,

the teacher would be committing faults, such as falling into the mindset
of a lower vehicle. The presence of this profound 'mind-treasure' would
then become useless. The continuity of the lineage and textual trans-
mission would be broken; the buddha-deities and dakinis would then
be displeased; and the teacher would be committing the downfall of
disregarding the needs of his students. The same tantra wams, 15

Should this instmction be given to improper recipients,

The value ef this pro.found dharma-treasure will end.
But if it is not taught when its time has anived,
Then suffer the downfall of neglecting to seroe students.

Candidates who have contrary qualities are improper vessels. The tantra
Radiant Matrix defines an improper vessel,16

'Improper vessels' have small intelligence;

Th'!)' are.flatterers and .rycophants,
Smooth talkers, misers, and alWt!JS duplicitous.
Disobedient to the master, rebellious to kind teachers,
Unable to see virtue, focused on faults,
Vile from birth as well as l?J1 temper,
Thry are ungrateful and boastful
Andjickle in the obsen1ance qf vows and samqyas.
Such unchecked students are the master's.foes.

So do not disclose the maturing and liberating precepts of this path to

such defective disciples. The same tantra instructs,17

Do not give Dzogchen '.r empowerments

And the ultimate instmdions
To people who are inappropriate.

This instruction should not only be kept away from those people who
are characterized by these qualities of improper vessels, but in particular
it should be denied to those who neglect to apply the deep meaning and
22 Boundless ViJion

who are merely eager collectors of texts, craving the pleasures of this
life or seeking only its benefits. Definitely do not disclose the terms of
the pointing out introduction, verbal transmission or entrustment to
them; keep it secret from them. Considerations qfTime and Place18 advises,

Keep these instrudions hidden.from non-meditators,

Those who are attached to this life, coiled te.'\ts and crave pleasure.

If a teacher reveals it to an improper vessel, then the blessing-power of

the lineage will be diminished, because the instructions will become
adulterated, and ultimately it will be the cause of teacher and disciple
falling together into hell. "Radiant Matrixwams, 19

If this nedar, the most secret essence,

Is poured into an inferior vessel,
It will cause the vessel to break,
The essence is lost and afall into hell results.

Furthermore, if the innermost essence of Dzogchen is taught to inferior

recipients, not only will the teacher and disciple fail to accomplish
their aim, but the dakinis will punish them severely because of their
abuse of the teaching. The master Padmasambhava said,

ffyou teach a person lacking proper potential,

The vow-holding dakinis will punish.you.
You will have broken convention, with nothinggained.

2 Special Places to Practise

Disciples endowed with the qualities of a proper recipient should find

a suitable place to apply the instructions of this path. It is said, meditate
'on the top of a mountain, in an empty valley, in a chamel ground or in
any solitary place'.

Anywhere on a prominence with a clear view is an excellent place to sit.

Places with special qualities: mountaintops clear the defects of idleness
and bring clarity to the senses; empty valleys help to make progress in
moral training, as there is no distraction; and huge chamel grounds help
to reduce the mind's elation and generate revulsion against samsara.
 Eight Facifiating Topics 23

Solitary places utterly free of both external and internal distraction will
facilitate progress in meditative experience.

A place 'on a prominence with a clear view' indicates that if we meditate

on the top of a mountain with lower hills to the east and south, unitary
spaciousness-presence will arise clearly.

Radiant Matrix advises,2' 1

In an emp(y vallry, on a snow peak,

At the top ~(a mountain, in a chamel ground
Or in a place of solitude that is clear and high,
These are the places ofpractice for_youfottunate ones.

On snow mountain peaks pure presence will arise - on the tops of

mountains pure presence will shine vividly. If we find such a place
and meditate there, our experience and realisation will progress
naturally and we will attain buddha swiftly. Radiant Matrix asserts, In
such places 'concentration increases and stability is swiftly attained'. In
places with contrary, defective qualities, although meditating,
accomplishment will not arise. The same text asserts,21 'The places that
lack auspicious features induce negative circumstances.'

3 Instruction on Suitable Times to Meditate

When we have found a suitable place to sit, it is important to consider

the best time for pursuing meditation. &diant Matrix affirms,22

To fatifitate cognition r!fmind's nature

Wise people willfind conducive times.

Beginners should know the best season to start their retreat. Late spring,
late summer, early autumn and early winter are the best times for med-
itation. At those times, the sky is clear and free of mist, cloud and wind.
Meditation during those seasons brings clear signs of unitary spacious-
ness-presence.

In particular, the best time to start leap-over meditation is when both

sun and moon are in the sky. Meditation will then be very clear.

Radiant Matrixadvises,2'
24 Boundless Vision

Between summer and autumn, in ear/)' winter and late spring,

The time ef the two lights' is the best time.

Early morning at sunrise and late evening at sunset are optimal as far as
sunlight is concerned. At these times the light shines clear and vast.

For daily practice, in autumn at harvest time, accomplishment is certain

and attainment is easily achieved. In autumn, when crops are gathered,
the vital essence is ripening and it is easy to realise the essential
meaning. In early winter, when hot and cold are balanced, the vital
essence is at ease and meditation is inspired. In spring, when plants
start blooming, virtue is born. If we are introduced to the nature of
the mind at these times, realisation will be quick and potential
swiftly accomplished. Radiant Matri.'\· asserts: 24 'Direct experience will
be attained swiftly and visionary experience will mature'.

The error of deviating from these preferred times results in poor quality
meditation. It is as Radiant Matrixwarns,zs

If wise masters do not pres.Tibe the be.rt times for meditation,

Realisation of the essence will be hindered
_4nd meditation experience will be shallow.

4 The Best Companions in Meditation Retreat

After finding the special place at the right time, beginning the training
and following the instruction, the superior adept will meditate alone, in
solitude, like a lion, without relying on the support of any companions.
Average yogins or yoginis who need to live in groups should make
boundaries, remaining encompassed like wounded wild animals. They
should refrain from idle chatter, avoiding a stream of distracting and
deluding kith and kin. T11ose ill equipped to meditate alone, however,
those requiring assistance and support from companions, what kind of
companions should they share?

Good companions should sustain pure samaya commitment. They

should have pure vision, mild emotions, clear insight, firm intention,

•The 'two lights' are the sun and moon shining in the sky simultaneously.
 Eight "l:adliating Topics 25

unchanging notions, open minds, little irritability, much patience, caring

heart and trustworthiness. Radiant j\1.atrix advises,26

Your companions should have pure sam~a and pure pemption;

The.five poisons should be weak in their minds;
Thry should be wise, firm, broadminded, patient and loving.

The benefit of such companionship is such dedication to meditation

that goal will be accomplished and ultimately, we attain enlightenment.
Radiant Matri.": continues,27

With excellent companions you will surely accomplish

your goal and attain enlightenment. If your associates are
endowed with contrary qualities, they become a serious
obstacle to your practice. Treat them like poison or a
contagious disease!

And again,2 8 'Deprived of happy companionship, we suffer.'

This instruction on suitable companions is of the utmost importance

for beginners.

5 Necessary Provisions for Retreat

In order to apply the profound teaching, first we should study it. Then,
whenever we are ready to apply the instruction, we should gather the
necessary provisions that support retreat. Radiant Matrix advises,2 9

Because tantra is a path ef ski(ful means,

Gather the necessary provisions.

Gather provisions for enjoyment consisting of substances for tantric

training, such as the five meats and five nectars; provisions for worship
include offerings for tsok feast ceremonies, for torma rituals, and for the
precious offering mandala for empowerment. Symbolic objects
include crown, vajra, bell and hand-drum for performance of the
empowerment ritual and other rituals. Necessary provision for health
includes medicines to heal sickness, vitalizing elixirs and elevating
substances. Sustenance for the body includes food and clothing
that are neither indulgent nor ascetic. In brief, we should gather
whatever is conducive to the attainment of enlightenment. Radiant
lvlatn:\: advises, 1''
26 Boundless Vision

Collect flowers for offering,

Donation for empowerment, material for torma
And wholesome healthy substances all for the retreat's duration.

Possessing appropriate substances, accomplishment and completion of

meditation are attained. Radiant Matrix promises,' 1

Endowment with all the virlues willJoi/ow

And et!Jqy111ent of realiry-accomplirhment;
Without the necessary substances,
Realisation of buddha is obstrnded

Radiant Matrix again:-' 2 'If you do not possess the auspicious substances,
accomplishment will remain elusive.'

6 Inspiring Histories of the Common

and Uncommon Teaching

Our Teacher, Lord Buddha, first generated an enlightened attitude, then

accumulated virtue and awareness and, finally, attained enlightenment.
'Iben he taught his disciples the three approaches. The Mahayana has
two aspects, sutra and tantra. Tantra is divided into outer and inner. The
Inner Tantra has three divisions: mahayoga, anuyoga and atiyoga. Ati-
yoga has three parts: mind, matrix and secret teaching classes.* Supreme
is the secret teaching, which has four divisions: outer, inner, secret and
unexcelled innermost secret. The most sublime of all instruction is the
unexcelled innermost secret teaching, which has two divisions, the oral
and the revealed.t This text in general is a commentary upon revealed
teaching, but in particular it treats the short lineal transmission of that
revealed teaching. Revealed teaching (terma) is superior to the oral
teaching (kama), but both of them belong to the unexcelled innermost
secret category.

The revealed teaching is divided into two cycles, the profound cycle and
the vast cycleJThe profound and the vast teaching are combined as one
in the tradition of the three masters Padmasambhava, Vimalamitra and
Bairotsana. This is the heart of Dzogchen, the condensation of all the

•sems sde, kkmg sde, man ngag sde.

t Bka' ma and gter ma.
t Zab dang ®'a
 Eight fadliating Topics 27

instructions and the consolidation of all the teaching. It is this

teaching that introduces us to buddha. It embodies profound
significance that brings joy at the time of death. Tbis crucial essence
induces recognition of primal awareness. This is the escort along the
narrow path of the bardo. It possesses infinite superlative qualities.

This teaching is contained in other sections of All-Good Boundless Vision,

which is the heart essence of the profound revealed teaching of Rigzin
Godem.* It is commentary upon the Six Treatises ef Oral Transmission
among the thirty-nine treatises of boundless vision, including eighteen
common treatises, eighteen uncommon treatises and three great tantras.

I have written another text including some amazing stories about the
extraordinary qualities of Boundless Vision.

Two lineages of transmission stem from the termas' discoverer, Rigzin

Godem. One lineage descends through his family and another through
his disciples. The life stories of the lineage-masters are taught in detail
to suitable disciples (described above), disciples guided by a learned
teacher ready to apply the instructions. Radiant Matrix advises,33

The lineage is shorl, prq(ound and authentic-

Teach it beginning with Samantabhadra.

By stressing lineage, faith in dharma will arise and buddha-blessing will

enter into disciples. The tantra the Union ef Sun and Moon promises,34

Since the lineage is extraordinary

And the instmdion fr P'"'!found,
T mst is born in disdples.

In the telling of the lineage stories profundity is revealed and disciples

will receive blessings. Failure to relay the stories is a mistake. The same
tantra wams,15

If the stories and their signijican.-e are not told,

Disdples mef)'fail to gain tmst
In the great sacred, d~/initive canonical teaching,
And such a lack ir a.fault.

• Rig 'dzin Rgod kyi ldem 'phru can

28 Boundless Vision

7 The Empowerment that Matures the Mind

Empowerment is given only to disciples who have faith in and respect

for the teaching. Then, Mirror of the Hearl promises,v'

If the empowerments are received proper!;·,

The.fruit of tantra ripens.

And Radiant Matrix:17

Receiving the empowerments that mature the mindstream

The door qf reali_ty is opened,
And tantra is realised

The levels of empowerment are listed in Radiant Matrix-'8

The outer, elaborate Vase Empowerment,

The inner, unelaborated Secret Empowerment,
The much-unelaborated Discernment and IVisdom Empowerment,
And the unelaborated Predom· IV'ord Empowerment
Are to be conjemd succeJ:rive/y upon suitable dirdples,
appropriate vesselJ~

The outer elaborate empowerment, inner unelaborated empowerment,

much-unelaborated secret empowerment, and absolutely unelaborated
empowerment of the creativity of pure presence should be conferred
in accordance with the disciple's growing realisation.

If empowerment is not conferred upon us, we are unqualified to study

or meditate upon the profound views and meditations of tantra. The
tantra Mitror of the Hearl warns,19

Tantric realisation is not accomplished without empowerment.

A disdple without empowerment is like a ro1JJer without oars.

The Unitary Hearl-drop efMahamudra declares,4"

No empowerment, no high accomplishment -
Butter cannot be made ~y churning sand.

~'ithoutreceiving empowerment, the root of all high blessings, surely

accomplishment will be absent.
 Eight 1:-'aciliating Topics 29

8 Instruction that Leads to Liberation

This topic is treated in Chapters Two and Three.

 Chapter Two: Instruction that Leads to Liberation (1)
The Fourfold Teaching upon Detaching the Mind
from Samsara

LThis chapter reveals the outer prelimina'J' instntdion known as 'the jburfald teaching
on turning the mind awqy from samsara '. This fourfold training is introduced
under four headings: the difficul(y of obtaining the freedom and endowment of
human birth; the crudal importance ef contemplating impermanence; inevitabtli!J qf
karmic repercussion; and the UJ!fai/ing result of negative ads.]

In this instruction the primary focus is impermanence, withdrawing

mental attachment from mundane experience, inspiring renunciation.
We may have received the empowerments, but if we have not received
the instruction that brings release, we will not attain liberation. It is vital
to receive this special instruction. It is also important that the master
who imparts such instruction is someone who has been accepted by a
rigzin lama and who holds the unbroken lineage in its ninefold trans-
mission: That lama should be someone who has attained a liberated
mindstream and maintains its undiminished blessing-power.

After receiving instruction from such a special lama, and before putting
it into practice, it is essential that we apply ourselves to meditation
on impermanence because it is a necessary condition for all attainment
of reality.

First, the lama should empower the disciple to meditate by saying, 'All
appearances in this world are impermanent. The outside, the container,
which is the universe, is said to be impermanent because eventually, at
the end of the aeon, it will be destroyed and remain in emptiness until
a new aeon begins. The inside, the contents, which are sentient
beings, is said to be impermanent because there is not a single living
being who has not died. In the gap between inner and outer, the body

•One way to count the nine transmissions (see TE) is: 1) mind transmission
through buddha; 2) symbolic transmission through the rigzin; 3) verbal
transmission through ordinary people; 4) transmission through Dakini's
entrustment; 5) transmission of meanings through 'yellow scrolls'; 6) trans-
mission through aspirational empowerment; 7) transmission through
prophetic authorization; 8) transmission through compassionate blessings;
and 9) transmission through sacred substances. 'IT
32 Boundless ViJion

and mind are impermanent as far as they are in a constant process of

change.'

\'\'hen we have understood that all external and internal phenomena are
impennanent and we have heard instruction upon attaining profound
reality, yet we still carelessly relax and waste our human life, then we
should think, 'Am I a senseless inanimate stone?' and 'Am I a madman
possessed by demons?' With such self-abasing thoughts, we can spur
ourselves to put the instruction into practice.

Consider the ramifications of impermanence. 'If I don't start applying

myself now, I won't have enough time to enjoy the dharma. I must use
consciousness of impermanence as a goad.'

The value of such considerations lies in their power to withdraw the

mind from objects of attachment, and to loosen the tendency to cling
to this life. Through detachment, whatever we do is dhanna.

For ordinary people who have had no instruction on meditation upon

death, meditating on impermanence induces the instinctual fear of
death that arises with the thought that all life ends in death. W11en that
fear arises, we should think, 'Now that I am accepted by a qualified lama
and have received profound instruction, and now that I possess a rare
human life endowed with eight freedoms and ten endowments I can
truly enter the dharma. If I don't find the meaning of this human life
now, I may never get another chance, and, besides, I will die without
realisation.'

W'e should be driven by the alarming thought, 'If, as a result of my own

negative karma, I die without gaining an intimation of reality,* I will
suffer the pains of hell and the anxieties of samsara.'

\Ve should understand that the entire meditation upon the fourfold
turning of the mind away from samsara develops from this meditation
upon impermanence. After this direct teaching on impermanence, the
remainder of the fourfold turning of the mind from samsara is taught
indirectly.

In order to reverse the clinging to our present mundane life, we should

' Cno.r, Skt. dharma in this context can be translated as 'meaning of life',
'realisation', 'reality', 'authentic reality', etc.
 lnstmdion in Liberation (1) 33

ponder the difficulties of obtaining a human life, with its freedoms and
endowments, and then with such thoughts in mind, we should meditate
upon impermanence. In order to reverse the tendency to cling to the
mundane aspect of our next life, we should ponder, first, the cause and
effects of our actions; second, ponder impermanence; and third, ponder
the ills of samsara.

1 The Difficulty of Obtaining a Human Life

"/:<Ir.rt, the Eight Freedoms and the Ten Endowments. If we possess the ten
endowments, then we are free from the eight limitations. If we possess
the qualities of the endowments, it can easily be understood that we
enjoy the eight freedoms, freedom from the eight limitations.

The Eight Freedoms

At this moment, because we enjoy human embodiment, it is easy to
understand that we are free from the four limitations - from existence
as a hell-being, an animal, a hungry ghost or a long-lived god (1-4). Not
onlv have we obtained human embodiment, but we have taken human
bir;h in a central location, where buddha-dharma flourishes and the
four kinds of disciple (male laymen, lay females, monks and nuns) live
free from the limitations of a barbarian culture (5). We are free from
the limitation of birth where buddha has not yet appeared (6). We have
taken birth where buddha-dharma is taught, but still if our five sense-
faculties are impaired, or if our livelihood is ill-gotten as it is by rough
people like butchers or prostitutes, or if we are opinionated like religious
fundamentalists, mistaking right for wrong, then we have no
foundation for the realisation of reality. If, however, we are born with
unimpaired sense-faculties, if we are sustained by right livelihood, and
if we have devotion to the teaching through incisive vision, the
conclusion is that we are free from the limitations of disability,
barbarian society and also fundamentalist views. In this way, we are free
from the four limitations that restrict a human being (7-8).

The Ten Endowments

A person who has obtained the eight freedoms, freedom from the eight
limitations, will also possess the five 'personal endowments'. For the
realisation of reality, not only the five 'perso~al endowments', but also
the five 'external endowments' (or at least some approximation of
them) are necessary.
34 Boundless Vision

(i) If the Buddha Sakyamuni had not appeared in this world, we might
not know that there is a life after death and we might not know what
pure buddha-dharma is. But the Fourth Teacher did indeed display, at
Bodhgaya, the act of enlightenment in our world.

(ii) In some world systems, even though buddha appears, he does not
teach, but serving beings by his physical presence he then passes into
nirvana. If that had been true in our case, we could not practise buddha-
dharma. But the Blessed One did indeed turn the wheel of profound
and vast teaching.

(iii) Some buddhas, due to their aspiration, 'attain enlightenment in the

morning and pass into nirvana the same evening'. If that had happened
in our world, it would not have benefited us. But the teaching of the
Victorious One, which remains for ten five-hundred-year periods, has
not yet ended.

(iv) Even if the teaching remains here, if there is no guide to lead us

through it, we would not have the opportunity to enter into it. But we
do have the guidance of excellent teachers who have mastery over the
entire teaching.

(v) Even if favourable circumstances pertain, if we lack the necessary

provisions, we are helpless. But there is nothing to complain of - we
possess food, clothing and shelter - and thus we have the complete
endowment, for which we are indebted to the kindness of others.

In this way, a life possessing not only the five personal endowments but
also the five external endowments are known as 'a precious life with ten
endowments'.

Sel'ond, Ponden"ng the Signijicance q{the Freedoms and Endowments. 1be eight-
fold aspiration to be free of the eight limitations, and also the
tenfold aspiration to attain the ten endowments, allow us to realise
buddha. Aspiration is the basis of accomplishment of any pure
experience; it assists in accomplishing our wishes.

Possessing an excellent life with freedom and endowment is extremely

valuable, because it allows easy accomplishment of all possible goals,
interim and ultimate. Such a life brings accomplishment of the interim
goals, namely obtaining a human rebirth together with the prosperity
commensurate with the higher reahns. It also accomplishes the causes
 Instruction in Liberation (1) 35

of such a life, namely generosity, moral conduct and patience. Fruition

is thus ensured without any hardship.

Furthermore, in this very life, we can establish the ground necessary to

be reborn in pure-lands such as Tushita, Sukhavati and the Lotus-light
of the Glorious Copper-Coloured Mountain. In such a life, in the very
moment of establishing the ground, we are capable of rebirth in those
pure-lands.

As it is said, 'Those who live in the higher realms revel in the absorption
of bliss and joy. They have little revulsion to samsara and have little
opportunity to generate any new noble path. In the desire-realm of the
gods, distraction in sensual enjoyment is constant and there is no chance
to apply the dhanna.' 1be birth most suitable to accomplish release
from samsara, therefore, is human birth.

The Northern Continent, known as Harsh Sound, is unfitted for people

to observe the path of individual liberation. On Eastern and \Vestern
Continents, people are capable of observing vows, but, lacking acuity,
their minds are not dear. Dzambuling, the Southern Continent, is best,
superior to the otl1ers, and if people here take the path of liberation to
heart, they will have the greatest chance of accomplishment.

Furthermore, amongst our human births, the generation of the precious

enlightened attitude on the primary path of the supreme vehicle can
best occur in this world in this life. More important, by possessing a
body comprised of the six elements and by virtue of a womb-birth in
this world, we can walk to the end of the path of enlightenment in the
short life typical of this degenerate age. It is said that even the bodhi-
sattvas of tlle Sukhavati pure-land make aspirations to take birth here.

Thus, when we have obtained a life in which interim and ultimate goals
can be accomplished, if we do not try to distil whatever elixir is available here,
it is as if a man with great potential goes to an island of precious jewels
and spending his time with pleasurable music, dance and games, neglects
to pocket any of the jewels. \Vhen his savings are exhausted and he falls
into debt, in the end he returns home empty-handed. \X1hen we have
obtained such a precious jewel as human life with freedom and
endowment, if we do not try to gain even some small advantage from it
but continue to enjoy the fruit of our past merit, becoming distracted by
the activities -of this life alone, eventually we will be overtaken bv the
karmic debt accumulated by our various negative actions. At that pom't, we
36 Boundless ViJion

are bound to return to the abyss of the lower realms. What a tragedy
it is that we visit upon ourselves right now!

\'Ve are habituated to negative activity, and because of this we continue

to dwell in the confinement of the lower realms. Now, through the
kindness of the masters and the Three Jewels, we have obtained this
one life of freedom. We have the capacity to judge what is beneficial
and what is not. If we throw this opportunity to the wind and knowingly
jump back into the fearful abyss of the lower realms, it is a clear sign of
insanity. It is crucial, therefore, not to waste the remaining moments of
this life. Let us exhort ourselves to imbibe whatever of life's elixir we
can.

Third, Considering How Dftficult it is to Obtain Such a Life qf 'Freedom and

Endowment. Consider the virtue that is the cause of human life: 'Many
people indulge in the negative karmas that are the unfailing cause of
rebirth as a hopeless being in the lower realms. From childhood I have
accumulated grave negative karmas and continue to do so. It is so easy
to commit serious negative deeds with feelings of anger, for example,
towards a bodhisattva.'

Consider the rarity of virtuous activity: 'Even among people who enjoy
a life of freedom and endowment, spontaneous generosity, habitual
moral conduct, patience and sublime aspiration - the unfailing causes
of future rebirth endows with freedom and endowment - is rare. If I
fall into a hell realm because of my negative karmas, how will I be able
to accomplish what is necessary to provide a rebirth in a higher realm?
Impossible!' 'In this life or the next, the opportunity to perform any
virtuous deed that can cause a life with freedom and endowment is rare.
If there is no cause - no virtue - then how can I obtain the excellent
life of freedom and endowment? I cannot!'

In conclusion follow this line of thought: '\'\'hen I look at how things

are, I see that the difficulties of obtaining a life with both freedom and
endowments are overwhelming. \\'hen I think of the number of insects
in a single field in summer, it seems that the number of human beings
in the world is very small. There are two kinds of human beings: those
born in an aeon of light and those born in an aeon of darkness. Very
many humans take birth in the frequent, extensive, aeons of darkness
and very few in the rare, short, aeons of light. 111e rarity of an aeon of
light can be understood from this sutra:
 Instmdion in Uberation (1) 37

After the present aeon, there will be aeons of

darkness. Then during the aeon of the Great Pleasing
Sound, ten thousand buddhas will come. Eighty
thousand aeons of darkness will arise thereafter. Then
during the Star-like Aeon, ten thousand buddhas will
appear. Thereafter, three hundred aeons of light
occur. Then during the Aeon of the Array of Virtues,
eighty thousand four hundred buddhas will appear.

During the aeons oflight, the world evolves, deteriorates

or is vacated. Even when the world exists, during times
when the lifespan of living beings increases, no buddha
will appear; nor will a buddha appear if lifespan has
fallen below one hundred years. Thus, compared to
the length of time when no teaching exists in the
world, the period when teaching exists is very short.

In the present period, one thousand and two buddhas

will appear. However, there will be very long periods of
absence between the disappearance of the teachin.g of
one buddha and the appearance of another. There will
be a gap of forty-five billion years, for example, between
the disappearance of the present teaching of the present
teacher Sakyamuni and the appearance of Maitreya in
this world.

Even during the period of progress of buddha-dhanna,

the countries where it is unknown are many. Even in
lands where buddha-dhanna is propagated, not more
than one person in a family enters dhanna. Even when
a person enters the buddha-dhanna, the likelihood that
he is meditating effectively is very small, as small as the
occurrence of stars in the daytime.

For many reasons, then, it is very rare to obtain life with

freedom and endowment. If I have obtained a life with
freedom and endowment, and I carelessly waste it upon
unworthy goals to benefit this life alone, abandoning any
concern for the next life, my intention and behaviour are
no different from an old stray dog. For that reason, I am
thinking about accomplishing the goal that will benefit
my next life.
38 Boundless Vision

I should not be thinking only of my own interests. Just

now I have the fortunate opportunity to accomplish the
benefit of all beings, each of whom has been my
mother and who now languishes in samsara.'

We should think repeatedly, 'I am entering the secret path of atiyoga,

the summit of all approaches, the accomplishment of dual purpose, in
order that all beings should swiftly attain buddha.'

In that way we create an aspiration to make our lives meaningful, lives

now blessed with freedom and endowment.

2 The Vital Pondering of Impermanence

\'\'hen we think the thought of impermanence, which is a unique means

of inspiring ourselves to achieve true meaning in a life blessed with free-
dom and endowments, then we will have no urge to engage in any non-
beneficial activity. We should meditate here on three topics containing
six lines of reasoning and one conviction.

The First Topic: The Certainty of Death.

The.first line of reasoning concerns the certainty of death, the death that
surely comes to us all, and is by no means preventable.

'At present I have a life meaningful to hold and very hard

to obtain, and since it will not last long and will certainly
end, I should take advantage of it. No matter what kind
of body I now have, it is subject to death.

'In the past, many buddhas have appeared, more than

the number of atoms in the ocean, but today nothing
remains of them but stories retold in the sutras. \'\1hen
the buddha of our age was about to pass into
nirvana, Shariputra with eighty thousand arhats,
Maugalaputra with seventy thousand arhats, and
Prajapati with five hundred female arhats, passed
into nirvana. Then the Buddha Sakyamuni himself
passed into nirvana with eighteen thousand arhats.
At the First Assembly there were no more than five
hundred arhats participating.
 I nstmdion in Liberation (1) 39

'Likewise, look at all the scholars and adepts of India,'

such as the Seven Patriarchs, the Six Ornaments and
the Two Supremes. Also, in Tibet, consider the three
ancestral dharma-kings, So, Zur and Nub of
the Nyingma, or Marpa, Mila and Dakpo of the
Kagyu, or the Five Great Sovereigns of the Sakya, and
the Three, the Father and Sons, of the Geluk: not one
of these great masters physically survived. All that has
survived are the names and profiles given in their
biographies. So how is it possible that a person like
myself who is controlled by the external forces of
negative karma, who is entirely dependent upon a
body entangled in unfortunate circumstances, how can
he escape death? It is impossible. I know that I shall die.

'\X'herever I look. I cannot find a shelter that protects

me from death. Wherever I take refuge, surely death
will find me out. Once, a long time ago, Virudhaka's
army attacked the kingdom of Kapila and many of the
Sakyas were killed. In order to save them Lord Buddha
hid some of the Kapila children in the sun and the
moon orbiting around Mt. Sumeru, but when he went
looking for them later, he found they had all died.
Wby? Because the time of their death, always
determined inescapably by karma, had already passed.

'Consider a large crowd: Not one of them will be alive

in sixty or seventy years - that is impermanence. It is
certain that all of them will be nothing more than
traces of bone and ash scattered in the charnel
ground. People of the future face the same fate as
people of the past and present. How then could I
alone possess the privilege of living without dying?
If I could reverse death, I could survive; but it is
impossible. There is no chance of avoiding it.

'Certainly, running fast is no way to escape. Even the

sages, those who possessed fivefold clairvoyance and
could fly in the sky, had no power to escape into a state
of deathlessness when their time was ripe. Nor can those
with great strength rely upon it to triumph over death.
Though in youth as strong as lions or elephants, in old
40 Boundless ViJion

age their strength is lost and their lives are forfeit. Nor
can wealth or eloquence reverse death. Every universal
monarch and all their competent ministers surely had to
relinquish their power.

'Mantras and medicines are ineffective against death.

\Vhen death comes, even Kumara Jivaka or Vajrapani
cannot save us.

'All birth ends in death, so I must realise the nature of

mind, which is our only recourse at the time of death.'

The second line ef reasoning: Life is constantly running down without any
possibility of renewal.

'My life has been running out in the past, is running out
now, and in the future will end; every year, every month,
every day and every moment, it diminishes as the oil of
a lamp runs out. It is like a stream with no reservoir at
its source. My life is in a constant process of collapse
with no renewal possible. As for me, so for us all, death
never distances itself, but, rather, advances closer and
closer. Like a prisoner led to execution, I shall certainly
di e. ,

The third line q/rea.roning: There is no particular time assigned to tl1e

realisation of the nature of mind.

'It will not be long before I find myself at tl1e end of my

life. After my birth, for ten or more years, I was a mere
child. I soon became twenty and then thirty, and my
manhood was spent fighting rivals and protecting my
family. Then, almost without noticing it, signs of aging
arose and I became old. In old age, the pains of aging
torment both body and mind and tl1ere is nothing but
suffering, and that suffering will pursue me to my end.

'Life is coming to an end so quickly that I have lost the

chance to realise buddha at leisure. I must live the
dharma now, stopping all mundane activities abruptly.
Even when I turn to buddha-dharma, half my time will
be wasted in sleep, while even more of my dwindling
 I nstrmtion in Uberation (1) ./-1

lifespan will be spent eating, drinking, travelling, talking

and so forth. It is so rare to be able to spend one's entire
life in the application of buddha-dhanna. Nevertheless,
I am fully determined to do it!'

The Second Topic: Uncertainty of the Time of Death.

There are three lines of reasoning in this topic.

The .first line qf reasoning is consideration of the uncertainty of

lifespan in this world.

'There is no certainty of the length of life of the people

of this world: some die in the womb, some at birth, some
in youth and some in old age. Some young people who
appear youthful and attractive in the morning are carried
to the cremation ground in the evening. In many cases
old parents dig graves for their young children. Healthy
and bright people die before their old mothers take to
their death-beds. People born rich often die as beggars.
Many people living in comfort die suddenly, attacked by
enemies or negative forces. There is no certainty about
the length of life in this world. Even those who live long
live for varying lengths of time.

'My own teachers, with their three qualities of learning,

chastity and kindness, propagated Buddhism like sun-
rise. Yet, due to impermanence, only their names are left
behind. i'vfany leaders of Tibet, China and Mongolia, all
possessing vast power, created vital plans assuming a
hundred years' lifespan and then exerted themselves to
subdue foes and care for friends. Yet, the lord of death
appeared suddenly to take them away to the next world.
In many cases, people who possessed both power and
wealth, and lamas who were highly active, idolized by
ordinary people, died before finishing what they had
hoped to accomplish. Their wealth and property were
then quickly appropriated by others.

'My dear parents and relatives, from whom I could not

bear to be separated, have with heavy hearts departed
along the path of the bardo. I have no idea where in the
six realms they now dwell. I think of the many friends
./-2 Boundless Vision

and colleagues, my own age or younger, who died before

reaching the end of their expected lifespan. I too may
suffer such a fate. Tberefore, I must discard my clinging
to this world and quickly enter the path of dharma.

'All my food and clothing came due to other people's

deaths. I can see that many of the dead remain as heaps
of bones, and that many have been cremated. Bodies of
many others at this very moment are lying newly dead in
their houses. Other people are close to death and will
soon die from terminal illness. So how can I live with
confidence, without fear of death? The uncertainty of
the time of death is obvious to all.

'I have heard many accounts such as, 'Yesterday my

partner was healthy and we enjoyed this and that kind of
food and drink together. We arranged to go to China or
Tibet for trading and we talked about building a house.
But suddenly, last night, he or she died.

'I have no assurance of life prolonged through next

month or next year, nor even through the night. So it is
important to dedicate myself - physically, energetically
and mentally - to dharma, and in this way gather some
provision for my next life.'

The second line ef reasoning. The causes of death are many and the causes
of prolonged life are few.

'People are killed by their enemies with weapons or by

poison, executed according to the ruler's law, killed by
robbers or thieves, slain by magic spells, or by negative
astrological effects, deranged and killed by the power of
evil spirits, killed by the ill effects of serpent spirits,
brought down by negative forces, or by animals such as
mastiffs, yaks, horses, tigers, bears and wolves, or killed
by sickness due to imbalance of the four elements.

'Even items thought to comprise necessary conditions

for living, such as food and drink, houses and vehicles,
and companions and attendants, can become the cause
of my death.'
 Instrmtion in Uberation (1) ../. 3

The third line ef reasoning. Uncertainty of the time of death due to the
fragility of the body.

'At the time of the destruction of the earth by fire, water

and wind, even the most stable and solid objects, Mt.
Sumeru and the four continents, will be destroyed, and
not a single particle of dust will remain. I myself, even
now unable to bear even the prick of a thorn, can die
from the slightest cause. I know that people have died
while gathering wood to make a fire, or, due to sickness,
such as epilepsy, while still holding a tea bowl. When
I accomplish a measure of realisation, I will die easy. But
if I have failed to attain any realisation before I die, I will
suffer remorse. So, therefore, with determination, I will
apply buddha-dharma here and now.'

The Third Topic: At the Time of Death there is No Recourse but the
Nature ofi\-1ind.

\ve should commit ourselves to the path of authentic realisation

with unyielding conviction:

'At my death neither body nor wealth, companions nor

attendants, will be of any help. For that reason, I commit
myself to realisation of the nature of mind.

'At my death, I will not simply vanish. Swept along by

my good and bad karmas, I will be reborn in the higher
or lower realms of samsara. For that reason, it is vital
that I consider cause and effect in every detail, so that
I may apply buddha-dharma most effectively.'

3 The Certainty of Karmic Repercussion

'!bat happiness is the result of virtuous action and suffering is the result
of negative action is clear. In the Lamp that Clarifies Action and Result,41
Guru Padmasambhava tells this story to King Trisong Deutsen and his
subjects at Samye:

All those who obtained a human body, but because of

ignorance failed to listen to the teaching and committed
44 Boundless Vision

vicious acts will be reborn in the animal realm. Once

there was a Brahmin girl called 'Beautiful'. She was very
attractive, but her behaviour was always negative. She
simply could not get it right. One day, walking through
a forest, she encountered a meditating monk. Inspired
by him, she thought, 'Oh, I wish I could find the chance
to live near him.' But she returned to the distractions of
her city life and, not long after, she died. T11e girl was
reborn as a doe in that wild land, and one day pursued
by a hunter intent on killing her, fleeing for her life, she
ran past the monk still sitting absorbed in his meditation.
\xrhen the memory of her past encounter with him in
that place suddenly came to mind, she ran toward him
and sat before him with tears in her eyes. The clairvoyant
monk recognized her as the Brahmin girl and reciting
the Ar,ya-vimala dharanr 2 into her ear, her bad karma was
purified and she was reborn in the realm of the gods.

'Ibe text continues,

If out of stinginess in the human realm, you neglect to

make offerings to gain virtue, or if you prevent others
from making offerings, certainly you will be reborn in
the realm of the hungry-ghosts.

Once there was a king Longing-For-Joy. He clung to his

wealth, unable to make even a gesture of generosity. A
householder in his kingdom, however, made it his habit
to serve the local community of monks. The envious
king seized the virtuous householder's wealth, therebv
preventing him from making the food-offering. Whe~
the king died, he suffered agony in the hungry-
ghost realm, tormented by unending hunger and thirst,
with his entrails constantly grilled. Then in a moment of
remorse, he remembered his negative deeds and at the
same time he was touched by energy of purifying mantric
prayers (dharani) chanted for him by the renunciate
community in the hwnan realm. Those prayers along with
his remorse dissolved the king's karmic obscuration and
allowed him rebirth in a higher realm.

Concerning the magnitude of the effects of actions, whether virtuous

 Another Random Document on
Scribd Without Any Related Topics
the Chickahominy was so marshy that in order to move the supply trains and
artillery from the base at White House and across the river to the army,
corduroy approaches to the bridges had to be built. It was well that the men
got this early practice in road-building. Thanks to the work kept up, McClellan
was able to unite the divided wings of the army almost at will.

Copyright by Patriot Pub. Co.

“REGULARS” NEAR FAIR OAKS—OFFICERS OF McCLELLAN’S HORSE

ARTILLERY BRIGADE
These trained soldiers lived up to the promise in their firm-set features. Major
Hays and five of his Lieutenants and Captains here—Pennington, Tidball,
Hains, Robertson and Barlow had, by ’65, become general officers. From left to
right (standing) are Edw. Pendleton, A. C. M. Pennington, Henry Benson, H. M.
Gibson, J. M. Wilson, J. C. Tidball, W. N. Dennison; (sitting) P. C. Hains, H. C.
Gibson, Wm. Hays, J. M. Robertson, J. W. Barlow; (on ground) R. H. Chapin,
Robert Clarke, A. C. Vincent.
 COPYRIGHT BY PATRIOT PUB. CO.

CUSTER AND HIS CLASSMATE NOW A CONFEDERATE PRISONER

Friends and even relatives who had been enlisted on opposite sides in the
great Civil War met each other during its vicissitudes upon the battle-field.
Here, caught by the camera, is one of the many instances. On the left sits
Lieutenant J. B. Washington, C. S. A., who was an aide to General Johnston at
Fair Oaks. Beside him sits Lieutenant George A. Custer, of the Fifth U. S.
Cavalry, aide on McClellan’s staff, later famous cavalry general and Indian
fighter. Both men were West Point graduates and had attended the military
academy together. On the morning of May 31, 1862, at Fair Oaks, Lieutenant
Washington was captured by some of General Casey’s pickets. Later in the day
his former classmate ran across him and a dramatic meeting was thus
recorded by the camera.
 COPYRIGHT, 1911, PATRIOT PUB. CO.

PROFESSOR LOWE IN HIS BALLOON AT A CRITICAL MOMENT

As soon as Professor Lowe’s balloon soars above the top of the trees the
Confederate batteries will open upon him, and for the next few moments shells
and bullets from the shrapnels will be bursting and whistling about his ears.
Then he will pass out of the danger-zone to an altitude beyond the reach of
the Confederate artillery. After the evacuation of Yorktown, May 4, 1862,
Professor Lowe, who had been making daily observations from his balloon,
followed McClellan’s divisions, which was to meet Longstreet next day at
Williamsburg. On reaching the fortifications of the abandoned city, Lowe
directed the men who were towing the still inflated balloon in which he was
riding to scale the corner of the fort nearest to his old camp, where the last
gun had been fired the night before. This fort had devoted a great deal of
effort to attempting to damage the too inquisitive balloon, and a short time
previously one of the best Confederate guns had burst, owing to over-charging
and too great an elevation to reach the high altitude. The balloonist had
witnessed the explosion and a number of gunners had been killed and
wounded within his sight. His present visit was in order to touch and examine
the pieces and bid farewell to what he then looked upon as a departed friend.
This is indicated as the same gun on page 371.
 COPYRIGHT, 1911, PATRIOT PUB. CO.

THE PHOTOGRAPH THE BALLOONIST RECOGNIZED FORTY-EIGHT YEARS

AFTER
“When I saw the photograph showing my inflation of the balloon Intrepid to
reconnoiter the battle of Fair Oaks,” wrote Professor T. S. C. Lowe in the
American Review of Reviews for February, 1911, “it surprised me very much
indeed. Any one examining the picture will see my hand at the extreme right,
resting on the network, where I was measuring the amount of gas already in
the balloon, preparatory to completing the inflation from gas in the smaller
balloon in order that I might ascent to a greater height. This I did within a
space of five minutes, saving a whole hour at the most vital point of the
battle.” A close examination of this photograph will reveal Professor Lowe’s
hand resting on the network of the balloon, although his body is not in the
photograph. It truly is remarkable that Professor Lowe should have seen and
recognized, nearly half a century afterward, this photograph taken at one of
the most critical moments of his life.

THE SLAUGHTER FIELD AT FAIR OAKS.

Over this ground the fiercest fighting of the two days’ battle took place, on
May 31, 1862. Some 400 soldiers were buried here, where they fell, and their
hastily dug graves appear plainly in the picture. In the redoubt seen just
beyond the two houses was the center of the Federal line of battle, equi-
distant, about a mile and a half, from both Seven Pines and Fair Oaks. The
entrenchments near these farm dwellings were begun on May 28th by Casey’s
Division, 4th Corps. There was not time to finish them before the Confederate
attack opened the battle, and the artillery of Casey’s Division was hurriedly
placed in position behind the incomplete works.
 THE UNFINISHED REDOUBT.
In the smaller picture we see the inside of the redoubt at the left background
of the picture above. The scene is just before the battle and picks and shovels
were still busy throwing up the embankments to strengthen this center of the
Federal defense. Casey’s artillery was being hurriedly brought up. In the
background General Sickles’ Brigade appears drawn up in line of battle. When
the Confederates first advanced Casey’s artillery did telling work, handsomely
repelling the attack early in the afternoon of May 31st. Later in the day
Confederate sharpshooters from vantage points in neighboring trees began to
pick off the officers and the gunners and the redoubt had to be relinquished.
The abandoned guns were turned against the retreating Federals.
 COPYRIGHT BY PATRIOT PUB. CO.

THE “REDHOT BATTERY.”

On the afternoon of May 31st, at Fair Oaks, the Confederates were driving the
Federal soldiers through the woods in disorder when this battery (McCarthy’s)
together with Miller’s battery opened up with so continuous and severe a fire
that the Federals were able to make a stand and hold their own for the rest of
the day. The guns grew so hot from constant firing that it was only with the
greatest care that they could be swabbed and loaded. These earthworks were
thrown up for McCarthy’s Battery, Company C, 1st Pennsylvania Artillery, near
Savage’s Station. The soldiers nicknamed it the “Redhot Battery.”
 COPYRIGHT BY PATRIOT PUB. CO.

AIMING THE GUNS AT FAIR OAKS.

Here we see the beginning of the lull in the fighting of the second day at Fair
Oaks, which it has been asserted led to a fatal delay and the ruin of McClellan’s
Peninsula Campaign. The first day’s battle at Fair Oaks, May 31, 1862, was
decidedly a Federal reverse which would have developed into a rout had not
Sumner, crossing his troops on the perilous Grapevine Bridge, come up in time
to rally the retreating men. Here we see some of them within the
entrenchments at Fair Oaks Station on the Richmond & York River Railroad.
The order will soon come to cease firing at the end of the second day’s
fighting, the result of which was to drive the Confederates back to Richmond.
McClellan did not pursue. The heavy rainstorm on the night of May 30th had
made the movement of artillery extremely difficult, and McClellan wanted to
complete the bridges and build entrenchments before advancing. This delay
gave the Confederates time to reorganize their forces and place them under
the new commander, Robert E. Lee, who while McClellan lay inactive effected a
junction with “Stonewall” Jackson. Then during the Seven Days’ Battles Lee
steadily drove McClellan from his position, within four or five miles of
Richmond, to a new position on the James River. From this secure and
advantageous water base McClellan planned a new line of advance upon the
Confederate Capital. In the smaller picture we see the interior of the works at
Fair Oaks Station, which were named Fort Sumner in honor of the General who
brought up his Second Corps and saved the day. The camp of the Second
Corps is seen beyond the fortifications to the right.

COPYRIGHT BY PATRIOT PUB. CO.

FORT SUMNER, NEAR FAIR OAKS.

 COPYRIGHT, 1911, REVIEW OF REVIEWS CO.

“FLYING ARTILLERY” IN THE ATTEMPT ON RICHMOND

THE CANNONEERS WHO KEPT UP WITH THE CAVALRY—IN THIS SWIFTEST BRANCH OF THE SERVICE
EACH MAN RIDES HORSEBACK

Here are drawn up Harry Benson’s Battery A, of the Second United States
Artillery, and Horatio Gates Gibson’s Batteries C and G, combined of the Third
United States Artillery, near Fair Oaks, Virginia. They arrived there just too late
to take part in the battle of June, 1862. By “horse artillery,” or “flying artillery”
as it is sometimes called, is meant an organization equipped usually with 10-
pounder rifled guns, with all hands mounted. In ordinary light artillery the
cannoneers either ride on the gun-carriage or go afoot. In “flying artillery”
each cannoneer has a horse. This form is by far the most mobile of all, and is
best suited to accompany cavalry on account of its ability to travel rapidly. With
the exception of the method of mounting the cannoneers, there was not any
difference between the classes of field batteries except as they were divided
between “light” and “heavy.” In the photograph above no one is riding on the
gun-carriages, but all have separate mounts. Battery A of the Second United
States Artillery was in Washington in January, 1861, and took part in the
expedition for the relief of Fort Pickens, Florida. It went to the Peninsula,
fought at Mechanicsville May 23-24, 1862, and took part in the Seven Days’
battles before Richmond June 25th to July 1st. Batteries C and G of the Third
United States Artillery were at San Francisco, California, till October 1861,
when they came East, and also went to the Peninsula and served at Yorktown
and in the Seven Days.
 THE SHENANDOAH VALLEY
Always mystify, mislead, and surprise the
enemy, if possible, and when you strike and
overcome him, never let up in the pursuit so
long as your men have strength to follow....
The other rule is, never fight against heavy
odds, if by any possible maneuvering you can
hurl your own force on only a part, and that
the weakest part, of your enemy and crush it.
Such tactics will win every time, and a small
army may thus destroy a large one in detail.
—“Stonewall” Jackson.

T HEup main move of the Union army, for 1862, was to be McClellan’s advance
the Peninsula toward Richmond. Everything had been most carefully
planned by the brilliant strategist. With the assistance of McDowell’s corps, he
expected in all confidence to be in the Confederate capital before the spring
had closed. But, comprehensively as he had worked the scheme out, he had
neglected a factor in the problem which was destined in the end to bring the
whole campaign to naught. This was the presence of “Stonewall” Jackson in
the Valley of Virginia.
The strategic value to the Confederacy of this broad, sheltered avenue into
Maryland and Pennsylvania was great. Along the northeasterly roads the gray
legions could march in perfect safety upon the rear of Washington so long as
the eastern gaps could be held. No wonder that the Federal authorities,
however much concerned with other problems of the war, never removed a
vigilant eye from the Valley.
Jackson had taken possession of Winchester, near the foot of the Valley, in
November, 1861. He then had about ten thousand men. The Confederate army
dwindled greatly during the winter. At the beginning of March there were but
forty-five hundred men. With Banks and his forty thousand now on Virginia soil
at the foot of the Valley, and Fremont’s army approaching the head, why
should the Federal commander even think about this insignificant fragment of
his foe? But the records of war have shown that a small force, guided by a
master mind, sometimes accomplishes more in effective results than ten times
the number under a less active and able commander.
The presence of Banks compelled Jackson to withdraw to Woodstock, fifty
miles south of Winchester. If McClellan ever experienced any anxiety as to
affairs in the Valley, it seems to have left him now, for he ordered Banks to
Manassas on March 16th to cover Washington, leaving General Shields and his
division of seven thousand men to hold the Valley. When Jackson heard of the
withdrawal, he resolved that, cut off as he was from taking part in the defense
of Richmond, he would do what he could to prevent any aggrandizement of
McClellan’s forces.
Shields hastened to his station at Winchester, and Jackson, on the 23d of
March, massed his troops at Kernstown, about three miles south of the former
place. Deceived as to the strength of his adversary, he led his weary men to an
attack on Shields’ right flank about three o’clock in the afternoon. He carried
the ridge where the Federals were posted, but the energy of his troops was
spent, and they had to give way to the reserves of the Union army after three
hours of stubborn contest. The Federal ranks were diminished by six hundred;
the Confederate force by more than seven hundred. Kernstown was a Union
victory; yet never in history did victory bring such ultimate disaster upon the
victors.
At Washington the alarm was intense over Jackson’s audacious attack.
Williams’ division of Banks’ troops was halted on its way to Manassas and sent
back to Winchester. Mr. Lincoln transferred Blenker’s division, nine thousand
strong, to Fremont. These things were done at once, but they were by no
means the most momentous consequence of Kernstown. The President began
to fear that Jackson’s goal was Washington. After consulting six of his generals
he became convinced that McClellan had not arranged proper protection for
the city. Therefore, McDowell and his corps of thirty-seven thousand men were
ordered to remain at Manassas. The Valley grew to greater importance in the
Federal eyes. Banks was made entirely independent of McClellan and the
defense of this region became his sole task. McClellan, to his great chagrin,
saw his force depleted by forty-six thousand men. There were now four Union
generals in the East operating independently one of the other.
General Ewell with eight thousand troops on the upper Rappahannock and
General Johnson with two brigades were now ordered to cooperate with
Jackson. These reënforcements were badly needed. Schenck and Milroy, of
Fremont’s corps, began to threaten Johnson. Banks, with twenty thousand,
was near Harrisonburg.
The Confederate leader left General Ewell to watch Banks while he made a
dash for Milroy and Schenck. He fought them at McDowell on May 8th and
they fled precipitately to rejoin Fremont. The swift-acting Jackson now darted
at Banks, who had fortified himself at Strasburg. Jackson stopped long enough
to be joined by Ewell. He did not attack Strasburg, but stole across the
Massanutten Mountain unknown to Banks, and made for Front Royal, where a
strong Union detachment was stationed under Colonel Kenly. Early on the
afternoon of May 23d, Ewell rushed from the forest. Kenly and his men fled
before them toward Winchester. A large number were captured by the cavalry
before they had gotten more than four miles away.
Banks at Strasburg realized that Jackson was approaching from the rear, the
thing he had least expected and had made no provision for. His fortifications
protected his front alone. There was nothing to be done but retreat to
Winchester. Even that was prevented by the remarkable speed of Jackson’s
men, who could march as much as thirty-five miles a day. On May 24th, the
Confederates overtook and struck the receding Union flank near Newtown,
inflicting heavy loss and taking many prisoners. Altogether, three thousand of
Banks’ men fell into Jackson’s hands.
This exploit was most opportune for the Southern arms. It caused the final
ruin of McClellan’s hopes. Banks received one more attack from Ewell’s division
the next day as he passed through Winchester on his way to the shelter of the
Potomac. He crossed at Williamsport late the same evening and wrote the
President that his losses, though serious enough, might have been far worse
“considering the very great disparity of forces engaged, and the long-matured
plans of the enemy, which aimed at nothing less than entire capture of our
force.” Mr. Lincoln now rescinded his resolution to send McDowell to McClellan.
Instead, he transferred twenty thousand of the former’s men to Fremont and
informed McClellan that he was not, after all, to have the aid of McDowell’s
forty thousand men.
Fremont was coming from the west; Shields lay in the other direction, but
Jackson was not the man to be trapped. He managed to hold Fremont while
he marched his main force quickly up the Valley. At Port Republic he drove
Carroll’s brigade of Shields’ division away and took possession of a bridge
which Colonel Carroll had neglected to burn. Fremont in pursuit was defeated
by Ewell at Cross Keys. Jackson immediately put his force of twelve thousand
over the Shenandoah at Port Republic and burned the bridge. Safe from the
immediate attack by Fremont, he fell upon Tyler and Carroll, who had not more
than three thousand men between them. The Federals made a brave stand,
but after many hours’ fighting were compelled to retreat. Jackson emerged
through Swift Run Gap on the 17th of June, to assist in turning the Union right
on the Peninsula, and Banks and Shields, baffled and checkmated at every
move, finally withdrew from the Valley.

COPYRIGHT, 1911, REVIEW OF REVIEWS CO.

“STONEWALL” JACKSON
AT WINCHESTER
1862
It is the great good fortune of American hero-lovers that they can gaze here
upon the features of Thomas Jonathan Jackson precisely as that brilliant
Lieutenant-General of the Confederate States Army appeared during his
masterly “Valley Campaign” of 1862. Few photographers dared to approach
this man, whose silence and modesty were as deep as his mastery of warfare.
Jackson lived much to himself. Indeed, his plans were rarely known even to his
immediate subordinates, and herein lay the secret of those swift and deadly
surprises that raised him to first rank among the world’s military figures.
Jackson’s ability and efficiency won the utter confidence of his ragged troops;
and their marvelous forced marches, their contempt for privations if under his
guidance, put into his hands a living weapon such as no other leader in the
mighty conflict had ever wielded.

COPYRIGHT, 1911, REVIEW OF REVIEWS CO.

NANCY HART
THE CONFEDERATE GUIDE AND SPY
The women of the mountain districts of Virginia were as ready to do scout and
spy work for the Confederate leaders as were their men-folk. Famous among
these fearless girls who knew every inch of the regions in which they lived was
Nancy Hart. So valuable was her work as a guide, so cleverly and often had
she led Jackson’s cavalry upon the Federal outposts in West Virginia, that the
Northern Government offered a large reward for her capture. Lieutenant-
Colonel Starr of the Ninth West Virginia finally caught her at Summerville in
July, 1862. While in a temporary prison, she faced the camera for the first time
in her life, displaying more alarm in front of the innocent contrivance than if it
had been a body of Federal soldiery. She posed for an itinerant photographer,
and her captors placed the hat decorated with a military feather upon her
head. Nancy managed to get hold of her guard’s musket, shot him dead, and
escaped on Colonel Starr’s horse to the nearest Confederate detachment. A
few days later, July 25th, she led two hundred troopers under Major Bailey to
Summerville. They reached the town at four in the morning, completely
surprising two companies of the Ninth West Virginia. They fired three houses,
captured Colonel Starr, Lieutenant Stivers and other officers, and a large
number of the men, and disappeared immediately over the Sutton road. The
Federals made no resistance.

COPYRIGHT BY REVIEW OF REVIEWS CO.

THE GERMAN DIVISION SENT AGAINST JACKSON

Blenker’s division, composed of three brigades of German volunteers, was
detached from the Army of the Potomac in March, 1862, to assist Frémont in
his operations against Jackson. The German troops were but poorly equipped,
many of them carrying old-pattern Belgian and Austrian muskets. When they
united with Frémont he was obliged to rearm them with Springfield rifles from
his own stores. When the combined forces met Jackson and Ewell at Cross
Keys, five of Blenker’s regiments were sent forward to the first attack. In the
picture Brigadier-General Louis Blenker is standing, with his hand on his belt,
before the door. At his left is Prince Felix Salm-Salm, a Prussian military officer,
who joined the Federal army as a colonel of volunteers. At the right of Blenker
is General Stahel, who led the advance of the Federal left at Cross Keys.

Painted by J. W. Gies.
Copyright, 1901, by Perrien-Keydel Co., Detroit, Mich., U. S. A.

FLANKING THE ENEMY.

Larger Image
 THE SEVEN DAYS’ BATTLES
McClellan’s one hope, one purpose, was to
march his army out of the swamps and escape
from the ceaseless Confederate assaults to a
point on James River where the resistless fire
of the gunboats might protect his men from
further attack and give them a chance to rest.
To that end, he retreated night and day,
standing at bay now and then as the hunted
stag does, and fighting desperately for the
poor privilege of running away.
And the splendid fighting of his men was a
tribute to the skill and genius with which he
had created an effective army out of what he
had described as “regiments cowering upon
the banks of the Potomac, some perfectly raw,
others dispirited by recent defeat, others going
home.” Out of a demoralized and disorganized
mass reënforced by utterly untrained civilians,
McClellan had within a few months created an
army capable of stubbornly contesting every
inch of ground even while effecting a retreat
the very thought of which might well have
disorganized an army.—George Cary Eggleston,
in “The History of the Confederate War.”

G ENERAL LEE was determined that the operations in front of Richmond

should not degenerate into a siege, and that the Army of Northern Virginia
should no longer be on the defensive. To this end, early in the summer of
1862, he proceeded to increase his fighting force so as to make it more nearly
equal in number to that of his antagonist. Every man who could be spared
from other sections of the South was called to Richmond. Numerous
earthworks soon made their appearance along the roads and in the fields
about the Confederate capital, giving the city the appearance of a fortified
camp. The new commander in an address to the troops said that the army had
made its last retreat.
Meanwhile, with the spires of Richmond in view, the Army of the Potomac was
acclimating itself to a Virginia summer. The whole face of the country for
weeks had been a veritable bog. Now that the sweltering heat of June was
coming on, the malarious swamps were fountains of disease. The polluted
waters of the sluggish streams soon began to tell on the health of the men.
Malaria and typhoid were prevalent; the hospitals were crowded, and the
death rate was appalling.
Such conditions were not inspiring to either general or army. McClellan was still
hoping for substantial reënforcements. McDowell, with his forty thousand men,
had been promised him, but he was doomed to disappointment from that
source. Yet in the existing state of affairs he dared not be inactive. South of
the Chickahominy, the army was almost secure from surprise, owing to well-
protected rifle-pits flanked by marshy thickets or covered with felled trees. But
the Federal forces were still divided by the fickle stream, and this was a
constant source of anxiety to the commander. He proceeded to transfer all of
his men to the Richmond side of the river, excepting the corps of Franklin and
Fitz John Porter. About the middle of June, General McCall with a force of
eleven thousand men joined the Federal army north of the Chickahominy,
bringing the entire fighting strength to about one hundred and five thousand.
So long as there remained the slightest hope of additional soldiers, it was
impossible to withdraw all of the army from the York side of the Peninsula, and
it remained divided.
That was a brilliant initial stroke of the Confederate general when he sent his
famous cavalry leader, J. E. B. Stuart, with about twelve hundred Virginia
troopers, to encircle the army of McClellan. Veiling his intentions with the
utmost secrecy, Stuart started June 12, 1862, in the direction of Fredericksburg
as if to reënforce “Stonewall” Jackson. The first night he bivouacked in the
pine woods of Hanover. No fires were kindled, and when the morning dawned,
his men swung upon their mounts without the customary bugle-call of “Boots
and Saddles.” Turning to the east, he surprised and captured a Federal picket;
swinging around a corner of the road, he suddenly came upon a squadron of
Union cavalry. The Confederate yell rent the air and a swift, bold charge by the
Southern troopers swept the foe on.
They had not traveled far when they came again to a force drawn up in
columns of fours, ready to dispute the passage of the road. This time the
Federals were about to make the charge. A squadron of the Confederates
moved forward to meet them. Some Union skirmishers in their effort to get to
the main body of their troops swept into the advancing Confederates and
carried the front ranks of the squadron with them. These isolated Confederates
found themselves in an extremely perilous position, being gradually forced into
the Federal main body. Before they could extricate themselves, nearly every
one in the unfortunate front rank was shot or cut down.
The Southern cavalrymen swept on and presently found themselves nearing
the York River Railroad—McClellan’s supply line. As they approached Tunstall’s
Station they charged down upon it, with their characteristic yell, completely
surprising a company of Federal infantry stationed there. These at once
surrendered. Telegraph wires were cut and a tree felled across the track to
obstruct the road. This had hardly been done before the shriek of a locomotive
was heard. A train bearing Union troops came thundering along, approaching
the station. The engineer, taking in the situation at a glance, put on a full head
of steam and made a rush for the obstruction, which was easily brushed aside.
As the train went through a cut the Confederates fired upon it, wounding and
killing some of the Federal soldiers in the cars.
Riding all through a moonlit night, the raiders reached Sycamore Ford of the
Chickahominy at break of day. As usual this erratic stream was overflowing its
banks. They started to ford it, but finding that it would be a long and
wearisome task, a bridge was hastily improvised at another place where the
passage was made with more celerity. Now, on the south bank of the river,
haste was made for the confines of Richmond, where, at dawn of the following
day, the troopers dropped from their saddles, a weary but happy body of
cavalry.
Lee thus obtained exact and detailed information of the position of McClellan’s
army, and he laid out his campaign accordingly. Meanwhile his own forces in
and about Richmond were steadily increasing. He was planning for an army of
nearly one hundred thousand and he now demonstrated his ability as a
strategist. Word had been despatched to Jackson in the Shenandoah to bring
his troops to fall upon the right wing of McClellan’s army. At the same time Lee
sent General Whiting north to make a feint of joining Jackson and moving
upon Washington. The ruse proved eminently successful. The authorities at
Washington were frightened, and McClellan received no more reënforcements.
Jackson now began a hide-and-seek game among the mountains, and
managed to have rumors spread of his army being in several places at the
same time, while skilfully veiling his actual movements.
It was not until the 25th of June that McClellan had definite knowledge of
Jackson’s whereabouts. He was then located at Ashland, north of the
Chickahominy, within striking distance of the Army of the Potomac. McClellan
was surprised but he was not unprepared. Seven days before he had arranged
for a new base of supplies on the James, which would now prove useful if he
were driven south of the Chickahominy.
On the very day he heard of Jackson’s arrival at Ashland, McClellan was
pushing his men forward to begin his siege of Richmond—that variety of
warfare which his engineering soul loved so well. His advance guard was
within four miles of the Confederate capital. His strong fortifications were
bristling upon every vantage point, and his fond hope was that within a few
days, at most, his efficient artillery, for which the Army of the Potomac was
famous, would be belching forth its sheets of fire and lead into the beleagured
city. In front of the Union encampment, near Fair Oaks, was a thick
entanglement of scrubby pines, vines, and ragged bushes, full of ponds and
marshes. This strip of woodland was less than five hundred yards wide.
Beyond it was an open field half a mile in width. The Union soldiers pressed
through the thicket to see what was on the other side and met the
Confederate pickets among the trees. The advancing column drove them back.
Upon emerging into the open, the Federal troops found it filled with rifle-pits,
earthworks, and redoubts. At once they were met with a steady and incessant
fire, which continued from eight in the morning until five in the afternoon. At
times the contest almost reached the magnitude of a battle, and in the end the
Union forces occupied the former position of their antagonists. This passage of
arms, sometimes called the affair of Oak Grove or the Second Battle of Fair
Oaks, was the prelude to the Seven Days’ Battles.
The following day, June 26th, had been set by General “Stonewall” Jackson as
the date on which he would join Lee, and together they would fall upon the
right wing of the Army of the Potomac. The Federals north of the
Chickahominy were under the direct command of General Fitz John Porter.
Defensive preparations had been made on an extensive scale. Field works,
heavily armed with artillery, and rifle-pits, well manned, covered the roads and
open fields and were often concealed by timber from the eye of the opposing
army. The extreme right of the Union line lay near Mechanicsville on the upper
Chickahominy. A tributary of this stream from the north was Beaver Dam
Creek, upon whose left bank was a steep bluff, commanding the valley to the
west. This naturally strong position, now well defended, was almost
impregnable to an attack from the front.
Before sunrise of the appointed day the Confederate forces were at the
Chickahominy bridges, awaiting the arrival of Jackson. To reach these some of
the regiments had marched the greater part of the night. For once Jackson
was behind time. The morning hours came and went. Noon passed and
Jackson had not arrived. At three o’clock, General A. P. Hill, growing impatient,
decided to put his troops in motion. Crossing at Meadow Bridge, he marched
his men along the north side of the Chickahominy, and at Mechanicsville was
joined by the commands of Longstreet and D. H. Hill. Driving the Union
outposts to cover, the Confederates swept across the low approach to Beaver
Dam Creek. A murderous fire from the batteries on the cliff poured into their
ranks. Gallantly the attacking columns withstood the deluge of leaden hail and
drew near the creek. A few of the more aggressive reached the opposite bank
but their repulse was severe.
Later in the afternoon relief was sent to Hill, who again attempted to force the
Union position at Ellerson’s Mill, where the slope of the west bank came close
to the borders of the little stream. From across the open fields, in full view of
the defenders of the cliff, the Confederates moved down the slope. They were
in range of the Federal batteries, but the fire was reserved. Every artilleryman
was at his post ready to fire at the word; the soldiers were in the rifle-pits
sighting along the glittering barrels of their muskets with fingers on the
triggers. As the approaching columns reached the stream they turned with the
road that ran parallel to the bank.
From every waiting field-piece the shells came screaming through the air.
Volley after volley of musketry was poured into the flanks of the marching
Southerners. The hillside was soon covered with the victims of the gallant
charge. Twilight fell upon the warring troops and there were no signs of a
cessation of the unequal combat. Night fell, and still from the heights the lurid
flames burst in a display of glorious pyrotechnics. It was nine o’clock when Hill
finally drew back his shattered regiments, to await the coming of the morning.
The Forty-fourth Georgia regiment suffered most in the fight; three hundred
and thirty-five being the dreadful toll, in dead and wounded, paid for its efforts
to break down the Union position. Dropping back to the rear this ill-fated
regiment attempted to re-form its broken ranks, but its officers were all among
those who had fallen. Both armies now prepared for another day and a
renewal of the conflict.
The action at Beaver Dam Creek convinced McClellan that Jackson was really
approaching with a large force, and he decided to begin his change of base
from the Pamunkey to the James, leaving Porter and the Fifth Corps still on the
left bank of the Chickahominy, to prevent Jackson’s fresh troops from
interrupting this great movement. It was, indeed, a gigantic undertaking, for it
involved marching an army of a hundred thousand men, including cavalry and
artillery, across the marshy peninsula. A train of five thousand heavily loaded
wagons and many siege-guns had to be transported; nearly three thousand
cattle on the hoof had to be driven. From White House the supplies could be
shipped by the York River Railroad as far as Savage’s Station. Thence to the
James, a distance of seventeen miles, they had to be carried overland along a
road intersected by many others from which a watchful opponent might easily
attack. General Casey’s troops, guarding the supplies at White House, were
transferred by way of the York and the James to Harrison’s Landing on the
latter river. The transports were loaded with all the material they could carry.
The rest was burned, or put in cars. These cars, with locomotives attached,
were then run into the river.
On the night of June 26th, McCall’s Federal division, at Beaver Dam Creek, was
directed to fall back to the bridges across the Chickahominy near Gaines’ Mill
and there make a stand, for the purpose of holding the Confederate army.
During the night the wagon trains and heavy guns were quietly moved across
the river. Just before daylight the operation of removing the troops began. The
Confederates were equally alert, for about the same time they opened a heavy
fire on the retreating columns. This march of five miles was a continuous
skirmish; but the Union forces, ably and skilfully handled, succeeded in
reaching their new position on the Chickahominy heights.
The morning of the new day was becoming hot and sultry as the men of the
Fifth Corps made ready for action in their new position. The selection of this
ground had been well made; it occupied a series of heights fronted on the
west by a sickle-shaped stream. The battle-lines followed the course of this
creek, in the arc of a circle curving outward in the direction of the approaching
army. The land beyond the creek was an open country, through which Powhite
Creek meandered sluggishly, and beyond this a wood densely tangled with
undergrowth. Around the Union position were also many patches of wooded
land affording cover for the troops and screening the reserves from view.
Porter had learned from deserters and others that Jackson’s forces, united to
those of Longstreet and the two Hills, were advancing with grim determination
to annihilate the Army of the Potomac. He had less than eighteen thousand
men to oppose the fifty thousand Confederates. To protect the Federals, trees
had been felled along a small portion of their front, out of which barriers
protected with rails and knapsacks were erected. Porter had considerable
artillery, but only a small part of it could be used. It was two o’clock, on June
27th, when General A. P. Hill swung his division into line for the attack. He was
unsupported by the other divisions, which had not yet arrived, but his columns
moved rapidly toward the Union front. The assault was terrific, but twenty-six
guns threw a hail-storm of lead into his ranks. Under the cover of this
magnificent execution of artillery, the infantry sent messages of death to the
approaching lines of gray.
The Confederate front recoiled from the incessant outpour of grape, canister,
and shell. The heavy cloud of battle smoke rose lazily through the air, twisting
itself among the trees and settling over the forest like a pall. The tremendous
momentum of the repulse threw the Confederates into great confusion. Men
were separated from their companies and for a time it seemed as if a rout
were imminent. The Federals, pushing out from under the protection of their
great guns, now became the assailants. The Southerners were being driven
back. Many had left the field in disorder. Others threw themselves on the
ground to escape the withering fire, while some tenaciously held their places.
This lasted for two hours. General Slocum arrived with his division of Franklin’s
corps, and his arrival increased the ardor of the victorious Federals.
It was then that Lee ordered a general attack upon the entire Union front.
Reenforcements were brought to take the place of the shattered regiments.
The engagement began with a sharp artillery fire from the Confederate guns.
Then the troops moved forward, once more to assault the Union position. In
the face of a heavy fire they rushed across the sedgy lowland, pressed up the
hillside at fearful sacrifice and pushed against the Union front. It was a death
grapple for the mastery of the field. General Lee, sitting on his horse on an
eminence where he could observe the progress of the battle, saw, coming
down the road, General Hood, of Jackson’s corps, who was bringing his
brigade into the fight. Riding forward to meet him, Lee directed that he should
try to break the line. Hood, disposing his men for the attack, sent them
forward, but, reserving the Fourth Texas for his immediate command, he
marched it into an open field, halted, and addressed it, giving instructions that
no man should fire until ordered and that all should keep together in line.
The forward march was sounded, and the intrepid Hood, leading his men,
started for the Union breastworks eight hundred yards away. They moved at a
rapid pace across the open, under a continually increasing shower of shot and
shell. At every step the ranks grew thinner and thinner. As they reached the
crest of a small ridge, one hundred and fifty yards from the Union line, the
batteries in front and on the flank sent a storm of shell and canister plowing
into their already depleted files. They quickened their pace as they passed
down the slope and across the creek. Not a shot had they fired and amid the
sulphurous atmosphere of battle, with the wing of death hovering over all,
they fixed bayonets and dashed up the hill into the Federal line. With a shout
they plunged through the felled timber and over the breastworks. The Union
line had been pierced and was giving way. It was falling back toward the
Chickahominy bridges, and the retreat was threatening to develop into a
general rout. The twilight was closing in and the day was all but lost to the
Army of the Potomac. Now a great shout was heard from the direction of the
bridge and, pushing through the stragglers at the river bank were seen the
brigades of French and Meagher, detached from Sumner’s corps, coming to the
rescue. General Meagher, in his shirt sleeves, was leading his men up the bluff
and confronted the Confederate battle line. This put a stop to the pursuit and
as night was at hand the Southern soldiers withdrew. The battle of Gaines’ Mill,
or the Chickahominy, was over.
When Lee came to the banks of the little river the next morning he found his
opponent had crossed over and destroyed the bridges. The Army of the
Potomac was once more united. During the day the Federal wagon trains were
safely passed over White Oak Swamp and then moved on toward the James
River. Lee did not at first divine McClellan’s intention. He still believed that the
Federal general would retreat down the Peninsula, and hesitated therefore to
cross the Chickahominy and give up the command of the lower bridges. But
now on the 29th the signs of the movement to the James were unmistakable.
Early on that morning Longstreet and A. P. Hill were ordered to recross the
Chickahominy by the New Bridge and Huger and Magruder were sent in hot
pursuit of the Federal forces. It was the brave Sumner who covered the march
of the retreating army, and as he stood in the open field near Savage’s Station
he looked out over the plain and saw with satisfaction the last of the
ambulances and wagons making their way toward the new haven on the
James.
In the morning of that same day he had already held at bay the forces of
Magruder at Allen’s Farm. On his way from Fair Oaks, which he left at daylight,
he had halted his men at what is known as the “Peach Orchard,” and from nine
o’clock till eleven had resisted a spirited fire of musketry and artillery. And now
as the grim warrior, on this Sunday afternoon in June, turned his eyes toward
the Chickahominy he saw a great cloud of dust rising on the horizon. It was
raised by the troops of General Magruder who was pressing close behind the
Army of the Potomac. The Southern field-guns were placed in position. A
contrivance, consisting of a heavy gun mounted on a railroad car and called
the “Land Merrimac,” was pushed into position and opened fire upon the Union
forces. The battle began with a fine play of artillery. For an hour not a musket
was fired. The army of blue remained motionless. Then the mass of gray
moved across the field and from the Union guns the long tongues of flame
darted into the ranks before them. The charge was met with vigor and soon
the battle raged over the entire field. Both sides stood their ground till
darkness again closed the contest, and nearly eight hundred brave men had
fallen in this Sabbath evening’s battle. Before midnight Sumner had withdrawn
his men and was following after the wagon trains.
The Confederates were pursuing McClellan’s army in two columns, Jackson
closely following Sumner, while Longstreet was trying to cut off the Union
forces by a flank movement. On the last day of June, at high noon, Jackson
reached the White Oak Swamp. But the bridge was gone. He attempted to ford
the passage, but the Union troops were there to prevent it. While Jackson was
trying to force his way across the stream, there came to him the sound of a
desperate battle being fought not more than two miles away, but he was
powerless to give aid.
Longstreet and A. P. Hill had come upon the Federal regiments at Glendale,
near the intersection of the Charles City road, guarding the right flank of the
retreat. It was Longstreet who, about half-past two, made one of his
characteristic onslaughts on that part of the Union army led by General McCall.
It was repulsed with heavy loss. Again and again attacks were made. Each
brigade seemed to act on its own behalf. They hammered here, there, and
everywhere. Repulsed at one place they charged at another. The Eleventh
Alabama, rushing out from behind a dense wood, charged across the open
field in the face of the Union batteries. The men had to run a distance of six
hundred yards. A heavy and destructive fire poured into their lines, but on they
came, trailing their guns. The batteries let loose grape and canister, while
volley after volley of musketry sent its death-dealing messages among the
Southerners. But nothing except death itself could check their impetuous
charge. When two hundred yards away they raised the Confederate yell and
rushed for Randol’s battery.
Pausing for an instant they deliver a volley and attempt to seize the guns.
Bayonets are crossed and men engage in a hand-to-hand struggle. The
contending masses rush together, asking and giving no quarter and struggling
like so many tigers. Darkness is closing on the fearful scene, yet the fighting
continues with unabated ferocity. There are the shouts of command, the clash
and the fury of the battle, the sulphurous smoke, the flashes of fire streaking
through the air, the yells of defiance, the thrust, the parry, the thud of the
clubbed musket, the hiss of the bullet, the spouting blood, the death-cry, and
beneath all lie the bodies of America’s sons, some in blue and some in gray.
While Lee and his army were held in check by the events of June 30th at
White Oak Swamp and the other battle at Glendale or Nelson’s Farm, the last
of the wagon trains had arrived safely at Malvern Hill. The contest had hardly
closed and the smoke had scarcely lifted from the blood-soaked field, when the
Union forces were again in motion toward the James. By noon on July 1st the
last division reached the position where McClellan decided to turn again upon
his assailants. He had not long to wait, for the Confederate columns, led by
Longstreet, were close on his trail, and a march of a few miles brought them
to the Union outposts. They found the Army of the Potomac admirably situated
to give defensive battle. Malvern Hill, a plateau, a mile and a half long and half
as broad, with its top almost bare of woods, commanded a view of the country
over which the Confederate army must approach. Along the western face of
this plateau there are deep ravines falling abruptly in the direction of the
James River; on the north and east is a gentle slope to the plain beneath,
bordered by a thick forest. Around the summit of the hill, General McClellan
had placed tier after tier of batteries, arranged like an amphitheater.
Surmounting these on the crest were massed seven of his heaviest siege-guns.
His army surrounded this hill, its left flank being protected by the gunboats on
the river.
The morning and early afternoon were occupied with many Confederate
attacks, sometimes formidable in their nature, but Lee planned for no general
move until he could bring up a force that he considered sufficient to attack the
strong Federal position. The Confederate orders were to advance when the
signal, a yell, cheer, or shout from the men of Armistead’s brigade, was given.
Late in the afternoon General D. H. Hill heard some shouting, followed by a
roar of musketry. No other general seems to have heard it, for Hill made his
attack alone. It was gallantly done, but no army could have withstood the
galling fire of the batteries of the Army of the Potomac as they were massed
upon Malvern Hill. All during the evening, brigade after brigade tried to force
the Union lines. The gunners stood coolly and manfully by their batteries. The
Confederates were not able to make concerted efforts, but the battle waxed
hot nevertheless. They were forced to breast one of the most devastating
storms of lead and canister to which an assaulting army has ever been
subjected. The round shot and grape cut through the branches of the trees
and the battle-field was soon in a cloud of smoke. Column after column of
Southern soldiers rushed up to the death-dealing cannon, only to be mowed
down. The thinned and ragged lines, with a valor born of desperation, rallied
again and again to the charge, but to no avail. The batteries on the heights
still hurled their missiles of death. The field below was covered with the dead
and wounded of the Southland.
The gunboats in the river made the battle scene more awe-inspiring with their
thunderous cannonading. Their heavy shells shrieked through the forest, and
great limbs were torn from the trees as they hurtled by in their outburst of
fury.
Night was falling. The combatants were no longer distinguishable except by
the sheets of flame. It was nine o’clock before the guns ceased their fire, and
only an occasional shot rang out over the bloody field of Malvern Hill.
The courageous though defeated Confederate, looking up the next day
through the drenching rain to where had stood the embrasured wall with its
grim batteries and lines of blue, that spoke death to so many of his
companions-in-arms, saw only deserted ramparts. The Union army had
retreated in the darkness of the night. But this time no foe harassed its march.
Unmolested, it sought its new camp at Harrison’s Landing, where it remained
until August 3d, when, as President Lincoln had been convinced of the
impracticability of operating from the James River as a base, orders were
issued by General Halleck for the withdrawal of the Army of the Potomac from
the Peninsula.
The net military result of the Seven Days was a disappointment to the South.
Although thankful that the siege of Richmond had been raised, the Southern
public believed that McClellan should not have been allowed to reach the
James River with his army intact.
“That army,” Eggleston states, “splendidly organized, superbly equipped, and
strengthened rather than weakened in morale, lay securely at rest on the
James River, within easy striking distance of Richmond. There was no knowing
at what moment McClellan might hurl it again upon Richmond or upon that
commanding key to Richmond—the Petersburg position. In the hands of a
capable commander McClellan’s army would at this time have been a more
serious menace than ever to the Confederate capital, for it now had an
absolutely secure and unassailable base of operations, while its fighting quality
had been improved rather than impaired by its seven days of battling.”
General Lee’s own official comment on the military problem involved and the
difficulties encountered was: “Under ordinary circumstances the Federal army
should have been destroyed. Its escape was due to the causes already stated.
Prominent among these is the want of correct and timely information. This
fact, attributable chiefly to the character of the country, enabled General
McClellan skilfully to conceal his retreat and to add much to the obstructions
with which nature had beset the way of our pursuing columns; but regret that
more was not accomplished gives way to gratitude to the Sovereign Ruler of
the Universe for the results achieved.”
Whatever the outcome of the Seven Days’ Battle another year was to
demonstrate beyond question that the wounding of General Johnston at Fair
Oaks had left the Confederate army with an even abler commander. On such a
field as Chancellorsville was to be shown the brilliancy of Lee as leader, and his
skilful maneuvers leading to the invasion of the North. And the succeeding
volume will tell, on the other hand, how strong and compact a fighting force
had been forged from the raw militia and volunteers of the North.

COPYRIGHT BY REVIEW OF REVIEWS CO.

McDOWELL AND McCLELLAN—TWO UNION LEADERS WHOSE

PLANS “STONEWALL” JACKSON FOILED
In General McClellan’s plan for the Peninsula Campaign of 1862, General
McDowell, with the First Army Corps of 37,000 men, was assigned a most
important part, that of joining him before Richmond. Lincoln had reluctantly
consented to the plan, fearing sufficient protection was not provided for
Washington. By the battle of Kernstown, March 23d, in the Valley of Virginia,
Jackson, though defeated, so alarmed the Administration that McDowell was
ordered to remain at Manassas to protect the capital. The reverse at
Kernstown was therefore a real triumph for Jackson, but with his small force
he had to keep up the game of holding McDowell, Banks, and Frémont from
reënforcing McClellan. If he failed, 80,000 troops might move up to Richmond
from the west while McClellan was approaching from the North. But Jackson,
on May 23d and 25th, surprised Banks’ forces at Front Royal and Winchester,
forcing a retreat to the Potomac. At the news of this event McDowell was
ordered not to join McClellan in front of Richmond.]

Copyright by Review of Reviews Co.

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