The Transmission Of Sanskrit Manuscripts 89
dpe), you should keep these manuscripts [of Jobo’s] too! Since the most
precious object of worship (Tib. thugs dam) of the Jobo was this small
stūpa of Guru Serlingpa’s [(Tib. gSer gling pa)] with a silver parasol, you
should keep it, too.’ And the items were distributed to Geshe tönpa in
accordance with his wish.12
This is from the history/chronicle A Statement about Retreng Monastery
(Tib. Rwa sgreng gi bshad pa) composed by Drom Sherab mece (Tib. ’Brom Shes
rab me lce, fl. 14th century) in the early 14th century; similar passages are found
in Chim’s biography of Atiśa (§414) and the History of the Kadam Tradition
(Tib. bKa’ gdams chos ’byung) by Lechen.13 We thus know that before establish-
ing Retreng monastery Dromtön received manuscripts that once belonged to
Atiśa. Kaba distributed other belongings of Atiśa to other disciples, including
Khutön Yundrun tsöndru (Tib. Khu ston Yung drung brtson ’grus, 1011–1075)
and Ngo Legpe sherab (Tib. rNgog Legs pa’i shes rab, fl. 11th century),14 while
leaving some sacred objects at Nyethang.15
How, then, did the manuscript collection reach Retreng? In the spring of
1055 Dromtön placed the relics and Indic manuscripts of Atiśa in the care
of a disciple and left Nyethang to look for a place to establish a monastery for
their housing and veneration, and eventually came upon the site of Retreng.
A Statement about Retreng Monastery enumerates the scriptures (Tib. gsung
gi rten) stored in the monastery, among which Atiśa’s manuscripts (Tib. jo bo’i
phyag dpe) top the list.16
12 ’Brom Shes rab me lce, “rGyal ba’i dben gnas rwa sgreng gyi bshad pa nyi ma’i ’od [Rays of
the Sun: A Statement about Retreng Monastery, the Victor’s Hermitage],ˮ in Bod kyi lo rgyus
rnam thar phyogs bsgrigs [Collection of Tibetan Historical Works and Hagiographies], ed.
dPal brtsegs bod yig dpe rnying zhib ’jug khang (Xining: mTsho sngon mi rigs dpe skrun
khang, 2010), 260.5–6: de nas dge bshes ston pa la pha’i rus pa bu la dgos pa yin pas / jo bo’i
gdung ’di rnams khyod tshogs gyis / rgya dpe’ lo tstsha ba la dgos pas / phyag dpe ’di rnams
kyang khyod tshags [= tshogs] gyis su / jo bo’i thugs dam rtsis che shos bla ma gser gling pa’i
gdung khang dngul gdugs can chung ba ’di yin pas ’di yang khyod gyis su nas / dge bshes
ston pa nyid ji ltar bzhed pa rnams phul /
13 Las chen Kun dga’ rgyal mtshan, bKa’ gdams chos ’byung, 126–127, 192–193.
14 We do not know if the monastic code (Vinaya) regarding a layman’s succession to monas-
tic items (Dromtön was a lay Buddhist) was followed in these cases.
15 Some of them still remain in the temple dedicated to Tārā (Tib. sGrol ma lha khang) of
Nyethang today.
16 The list also refers to “an original manuscript, which is Dromtön’s main object of worship”
(dge bshes ston pa’i thugs dam phyi mo).