Lamdré is a meditative system in Tibetan Buddhism rooted in the view that the result of its practice is contained within the path. The name "lamdré" means the “path" () with its fruit ). In Tibet, the lamdré teachings are considered the summum bonum of the Sakya school.
History of lamdré
According to traditional accounts, the lamdré teachings were originally bestowed upon Virūpa, an Indian monk, by the tantric deity Nairātmyā. By practicing the instructions given to him, Virūpa is said to have realized enlightenment. Hagiographical accounts of Virūpa's exploits record outrageous events, including binge drinking, seducing women, and destroying non-Buddhist (Skt. tīrtika) religious sites. Davidson suggests that this depiction shows the laxity of Buddhist morals during the Indian medieval period, but Wedemeyer suggests that the behavior shown in esoteric Buddhist hagiographies is intentionally scandalous, forming a social commentary on broader issues being discussed in the Indian religious milieu.
During his adventures in India, Virūpa converted the Hindu yogin Kāṇha (also called Kṛṣṇa, ) and wrote the Vajra Verses as a guide to Kāṇha's meditations. The teachings were passed from mentor to student in India until they reached the sage Gayādhara.
Lamdré in Tibet
Lamdré entered Tibet through the Indian paṇḍita Gayādhara (d. 1103) in 1041. Gayādhara worked with a Tibetan lotsawa, Drogmi Śākya Yeshe (, 993-1077?), to translate a plethora of Buddhist tantras from Indian classical and vernacular languages. Drogmi himself spent considerable time in India and Nepal learning both the exoteric and esoteric teachings of Mahayana Buddhism, and was both an accomplished scholar and meditation master when he returned to Tibet. Gayādhara transmitted the entire Lamdré teaching to Drogmi, who in turn passed the teachings on to several other disciples.
The Founders of Sakya
A student of Drogmi Lotsāwa, Chos bar, instructed Sachen Künga Nyingpo, who is considered the founder of the Sakya school of Tibetan Buddhism. Sachen mastered the teachings over a period of eighteen years and wrote several explications of the root text of the Lamdré system. He instructed his two sons, Loppön Sönam Tsemo and Jetsün Dragpa Gyaltsen, who themselves became accomplished masters of lamdré. The teachings became fully incorporated into the Sakya school and grew to be the main practice of the Sakyapa.
Early lamdré lineage
Virupa
Krishnapa and Dombipa
Damarupa
Avadhutipa
Gayadhara (994–1043) Drogmi Lotsaba (992–1074) Khon Konchog Gyalpo (1034–1102) (tantra), Zhangton Chobar (1053–1156) (pith) Sachen Kunga Nyingpo (1092–1158) Sonam Tsemo (1142–1182) Jetsun Dakpa Gyaltsen (1147–1216) Sakya Pandita Kunga Gyeltsen (1182–1251) Drogon Chogyal Phagpa (1235–1280)
Lamdré as Practice
The lamdré system is rooted in a very specific view, that the path and its result are contained within each other. All beings have an inherently enlightened nature; however, due to afflictive obscurations, they are prevented from recognizing this nature. The path to Buddhahood, then, aims at removing these obscurations and experiencing the liberated existence of nirvāṇa.
Jetsün Dragpa Gyaltsen summarized the path into five stages:
Initiation
The creation stage
The completion stage
Training
Concluding practice with tantric seals
The view that saṃsāra (cyclical existence) and nirvāṇa (liberation from suffering) are indivisible illuminates the Lamdré teachings. To enter the path, a student must be consecrated (Skt. abhiṣeka) by an authentic mentor (Skt. guru, Tibetan lama), who instructs the student on how to recognize his or her own buddha-nature. Initiation into the system of practice is crucial because it shows the Lamdré practitioner the result of the path, the wisdom of a buddha.
After being consecrated, the student then engages in the practices of the path. The path includes specific meditations and yogic exercises that aim to remove the adventitious obscurations that are the cause suffering. As with most Anuttarayoga Tantra systems, the Lamdré practitioner will engage in two stages of meditation, the creation stage (), where the meditator attempts to embody the awake nature of a buddha, and the completion stage (), which includes yogic meditations on various parts of the tantric anatomy. These practices directly purify obscurations.