Page 414 [414]
KARENINA KOLLMAR-PAULENZ
sion lineage includes yet another high bKa ’brgyud incarnation who stayed for some
time in Mongolia, the Fifth Karma pa bDe bzhin gshegs pa (1384-1415).°° The list
also includes dGe lugs pa masters, providing a link from the Karma pa to the dGe
lugs pas. Indeed, in the Ring brgyud, the “long lineage,” the bKa’ brgyud and dGe
lugs transmissions of gcod merge.
In Lieu of a Conclusion: A Tentative Suggestion about
the Origins of the gCod Tradition in Mongolia
The abundance of texts of the gcod tradition discovered in the Mongolian regions
attests to the popularity this Tibetan Buddhist practice enjoyed among the Mongols
at least since the 17" century. Yet, up to now possible entanglements between the
history of the gcod tradition in Tibet, including the incorporation of its teachings into
other Tibetan Buddhist schools, and its transmission and spread to the Mongolian re¬
gions have not been studied in detail. As we have seen, the textual legacy of the gcod
tradition extant in today’s Mongolia testifies to a strong Karma pa connection. The
biographies of Ma gcig lab sgron ma copied and published in the Mongolian regions
lead back to the Gangs pa masters and the Shangs pa bka’ brgyud pa that transmitted
the gcod teachings to the Karma pa masters. The Karma pa played a pivotal role in
the transregional development of the gcod tradition. Already the Second Karma pa
Karma Pakshi received gcod teachings, as his inclusion in numerous gcod lineage¬
lists shows. Both the Second and the Third Karma pa and also their subsequent
rebirths like the Fifth Karma pa bDe bzhin gshegs pa maintained strong relations to
Mongolian ruling houses from the 13" century well into the 16" century. Indeed, the
Karma pa may well be considered one of the most important gatekeepers of the gcod
tradition. Therefore it may not be too far-fetched to assume that most probably they
have brought the gcod teachings to the court of the Mongolian emperors, especially
since Rang byung rdo rje himself maintained in his commentary on the bKa ’tshoms
chen mo that the gcod practice is not for advanced practitioners, but for beginners.™
And the Mongolian emperors and nobles of the 14" century were indeed beginners
in Buddhist practice. However, these preliminary conclusions should be taken with
due caution as long as we do not have any factual textual evidence that can be traced
farther back than the 18" or 17" century in Mongolia.
52 Schuh, Dieter: Wie ist die Einladung des fünften Karma-pa an den chinesischen Kaiserhof als Fortfüh¬
rung der Tibet-Politik der Mongolen-Khane zu verstehen? In: Altaica Collecta. Berichte und Vorträge
der XVII. Permanent International Altaistic Conference, 3-8 Juni 1974, Bonn / Bad Honnef 1976.
Sorensen, M.: Making the Old New Again, pp. 240-241.
412