Neusurpa Yeshe Bar

Neusurpa Yeshe Bar (sne'u zur ba ye shes 'bar) was born in 1042 in Sakor Tongpa (sa skor thong pa) in the Neusur region of Penyul. His father was named Zhang Tagpo (zhang stag po). He ordained as a child at the Kadam monastery of Dagyab (brag rgyab) in Phenyul, and was given the name Yeshe Bar.

At the age of twenty-six Yeshe Bar went to Reting Monastery (rwa sgreng) and requested an audience with Gonpawa Wangchuk Gyeltsen (dgon pa ba dbang phyug rgyal mtshan, 1016-1082). Saying "When I first met Master Atisha, I was also given this first," Gonpawa initially gave Yeshe Bar the "Offering of Jvalamukhi" (kha 'bar ma'i gtor ma), ultimately transmitting to him all teaching lineages he possessed. According to the Blue Annals, Gonpawa once blessed Yeshe Bar with three fingers on his head, leaving a slight impression. Yeshe Bar primarily practiced Acala, as well as Trisamayaraja (dam tshig gsum gyi gyal po). The image above is from a painting that depicts a Yogacara lineage Yeshe Bar received from Wangchuk Gyeltsen and transmitted to his disciple Takmapa Kawa Darseng (thag ma pa ka ba dar seng, d.u.).

Following the death of Gonpawa, Yeshe Bar became the disciple of Potowa Rinchen Sal (po to ba rin chen gsal, 1027-1105), who, like Gonpawa, was a close disciple of Dromton Gyelwai Jungne ('brom ston rgyal ba'i ’byung gnas, 1004/5-1064). According to the Blue Annals, monks spread slander about Yeshe Bar, claiming that he had engaged in relations with women, and for a time Potowa believed the accusations and rejected him.

Back in favor with his master, Yeshe Bar was enlisted to cure leprosy among a group of Potowa's disciples, becoming from that time on Potowa's preferred ritualist in matters of his health. Yeshe Bar earned a reputation as an astrologer as well as a medical practitioner.

Later, when Potowa himself was the victim of slander and was driven from the Reting abbacy, Yeshe Bar followed his master and demanded an explanation, saying, "What is this conduct of the acarya?" Potowa retorted that it was not for a disciple to question the activities of his master, and he continued on his way.

Yeshe Bar established Neusur monastery in Penyul, where as many as a thousand disciples came to hear him teach Lamrim and the Tanrim Chenmo (bstan rim chen mo), both core Kadam teachings of Atisha.

Neusarpa passed away in 1118 at the age of seventy-seven.

Sources

Grags pa 'byung gnas. 1992. Gangs can mkhas grub rim byon ming mdzod. Lanzhou: Kan su'u mi rigs dpe skrun khang, pp. 951-953.

Roerich, George, trans. 1996. The Blue Annals. 2nd ed. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidas, pp. 267, 311-314.

Yongs 'dzin ye shes rgyal mtshan. 1980. Dge bshes sne'u zur pa'i rnam thar. In Lam rim bla ma brgyud pa'i rnam thar, vol. 1, pp. 287-298. 'Bar khams: Rnga khul bod yig rtsom sgyur cus. Also published as: 1990. Zab mo'i ting 'dzin brtan pa'i sne'u zur pa. In Lam rim bla ma brgyud pa'i rnam thar, vol. 1, pp. 214-222. Lhasa: Bod ljongs mi dmangs dpe skrun khang. Also published as: Dge bshes sne'u zur pa ye shes 'bar gyi rnam thar mdor bsdus. In Gangs can mkhas dbang rim byon gyi rnam thar mdor bsdus, vol. 2, pp. 33-39.

Alexander Gardner
September 2010