I will name this Shitro practice The Profound practice of the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities that Liberates on Hearing and I will bury this as a treasure to be discovered in the future

The lineage of this Shitro practice is the same as the lineage of Dzogpachenpo. In the Nyingma tradition, in each Tantric practice, there are transmissions of three lineages; the mind lineage, the symbol lineage and the hearing lineage. I will explain more of the hearing lineage of the Shitro practice.

King Tritson Detson, his son, translator Lu’i Gyeltson and many other of the disciples of Guru Rinpoche prepared a gold Mandala filled with turquoise, coral and many other valuable things. They said to Guru Rinpoche, “Great Vajra Master Guru Rinpoche, your kindness and compassion is vast like space, and we will never be able to repay your kindness. You have given so much that nobody else can, or will ever be able to give. We are so fortunate for that. But, we want to request that you give us a very profound teaching that has not been taught before. A teaching that is the essence of all the external and inner yanas, so that one can achieve enlightenment in one single life, a teaching where one doesn’t have to undertake hardships, a teaching where one is liberated just by hearing the teachings.

They requested this with tears of devotion and profound supplication to Guru Rinpoche. Then Guru Rinpoche said to them, “Lord king, you and your son, the ministers and the disciples, at your request, I have such dharma. But, this is not suitable for the little-minded and/or faithless people with wrong view. Therefore, you should not show this teaching to such people. I will bury the teaching as a treasure for the benefit of people in the future. It is the teaching of the heart essence of Samantabhadra and is the essential point of all the 6,400,000 Dzogpachenpo Tantras. It is a teaching that prevents taking rebirth in the lower realms just through hearing, a teaching leading to great bliss through hearing, a teaching with the approach which is that of the Vidyadhara level of spontaneous presence by thinking of the meaning. It is a teaching of all the essence of the outer and inner yanas, a teaching where one can achieve enlightenment in a single lifetime. Then Guru Rinpoche taught the entire teaching on the Six Bardos. That is how this teaching first came about on this earth.

Guru Rinpoche, for the benefit of the people in the future with lower levels of merit, said, “I will name this Shitro practice The Profound practice of the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities that Liberates on Hearing and I will bury this as a treasure to be discovered in the future. Then miraculously with many prayers and aspirations to avert obstacles Guru Rinpoche buried the treasure at Gampo Mountain in Central Tibet and made a prophecy about Karma Lingpa who would discover the treasure.”

 Hungkar Dorje Rinpoche, “History of the Winter Retreat and Other Related Matters of Longngon Monastery”