Joru is a son of the gods, nyen, and nāgas because throughout his life he is protected by all three kinds of spirits. At his birth, his three main protectors—a god, nyen, and nāga—enter this world at the same time that he does. These spirits are sometimes formless, but occasionally, when circumstances demand, they take on form. They are his constant companions and guardians who watch over him and the success of his enlightened activity.
During his first five years in this realm, Joru tames all the formless negative spirits in the Dri and Da valleys. Starting when he is six years old, through mischievous, wild, and reckless conduct he breaks faith with White Ling as instructed by Padmasambhava. When he is eight, he takes possession of the Ma Valley. While living there, the protector called Nenei (Auntie) Nammen Karmo, also known by many other names, appears to Joru riding a white snow lion and gives the following prophecy: “If you cannot take possession of the land of Ling this year, although you will still emanate many magical manifestations, the people will come to disparage you more and more. In the end the only sign of your accomplishment will be the suppression of your uncle. Today your steed runs with the wild horses of the north, the same age as yourself. If you fail to master him this year, his body will dissolve into a rainbow and then vanish. Your consort, Kyalo Sengcham Drugmo, was sent from the higher pure lands, and if she does not become yours this very year, she will marry the son of Tag-rong.o If you lose Drugmo, then you will miss the gateway of enlightened activity. Therefore make sure that tomorrow at dawn Trothung receives this false prophecy, ostensibly from the deity Hayagrīva: ‘You must sponsor a gathering of the people of Ling and propose a horse race. The winner will win the status of king and the wealth of Ling’s treasures, including Drugmo. The Turquoise Birdp will reach the finish line first, and Drugmo will be yours.’” She cautions him, “Joru, your steed must be captured by the lasso of great emptiness.”q
Then Joru thinks, “Until now, except for when I revealed myself to my mother at birth, no one has seen my true appearance. I have shown nothing but ragged clothes and an ugly body to all, like a lotus hidden in the mud. If this is all they ever see it will bring no benefit. The time has come to reveal my true form. In order for my steed to help me win the throne for a while longer I will continue to show them many kinds of unusual, wild behavior.”
Then while Trothung is in strict retreat, practicing the deity Hayagrīva, Joru manifests to him as a raven, which Trothung takes to be an emanation of Hayagrīva, and the raven gives the prophecy instructed by Nammen Karmo. At first Trothung doubts the prophecy, because Hayagrīva’s prophecies had proved inaccurate in the past. However, the raven then vanishes by dissolving into Trothung’s main statue of Hayagrīva on his shrine, at which point his doubts are dispelled, and he fully believes in the prophecy from that point onward.
Trothung sings a song to his wife, Denza, describing the raven’s words. Denza tries to explain to Trothung that this seems like a trick of Joru’s, not a genuine prophecy, but Trothung, spurred on by the dralas and wermas, refuses to listen as he is tortured by his lust for Drugmo.
Disregarding his wife’s advice, he sends out messengers to gather all of Ling. Denza is disappointed, but she considers that her difficulties with her husband are the result of her own previously created karma. She quotes a famous proverb: “The karma of previous lives cannot be deflected; just as the lines and wrinkles on one’s brow cannot be wiped away.” As a result she helps her husband prepare for the horse race.
At the celebration, there is an exchange among the warriors, during which the principal warriors each sing a song offering their opinions. Led by Chipön, they all agree to hold the horse race, with the winner taking the wealth and throne of Ling, with Drugmo as his queen. They decide the time, location, distance, and other rules of the race.
Chapter Two
Gyatsha insists that Joru must be included in the horse race or he himself will not participate. All of the warriors agree that Joru should be invited. Then Chipön says that while anyone could carry the message to Joru where he stayed in the Lower Ma Valley, the protectors had specified that it must be Drugmo who extends the invitation. He instructs Gyatsha to pretend to be very upset with Drugmo. “Tell her that as she was the witness responsible for getting Joru banished, now, since the time has come for him to return to Ling, she must be the one to invite him back.”
Drugmo goes to invite Joru, but there are many trials and obstacles on her path as Joru creates magical illusions to test her. Through these interchanges, Drugmo and Joru become further acquainted and establish an even stronger connection.
Chapter Three
Joru asks Drugmo to go into the mountains and capture the wild horse that is to be his steed. Drugmo sings a song, saying, “Unless Joru is a magician, I have no way of knowing how to find a lone horse in these mountains. Tell me where the horse is and what it looks like.” Joru replies with a beautiful song describing the outer and inner qualities of his horse. Drugmo and Gogza, Joru’s mother, go to capture the steed and, succeeding, they bring it back to Joru, singing songs of its divine qualities.
Chapter Four
Drugmo invites Joru back to Ling. On the road, Joru again displays many magical illusions, which serve to awaken Drugmo’s good karma and merit and sever any doubt, misunderstanding, or incorrect views she may have. Consequently she gains unshakable confidence that Joru will become the ruler of Ling and hold the wealth of the Kyalo clan, including Drugmo herself. She offers him a golden saddle, bridle, and other precious treasures, and leads him from the Lower Ma Valley back to his tribe in Upper Ma. When Trothung sees Joru’s horse, right away he wants the horse for himself, and he asks Joru to sell it to him. They have a humorous exchange in which Joru leads him on, asking for food, silk scarves, and other goods in order to make the sale possible. Trothung politely promises to give Joru all that he asks for.
Chapter Five
The warriors of Ling begin the great horse race, and Joru creeps surreptitiously around the fringes. Drugmo’s cousin, Ne’uchung, has received a prophetic dream sent by the protectress Nammen Karmo, and she wants to announce that Joru will win the race. Drugmo feels that this dream must be accurate—because the signs she had when capturing Joru’s horse and so forth all indicated Joru’s victory as well. However, Trothung’s daughter is upset by this exchange, as Trothung is certain that his own son will be the winner.
The chapter concludes with Drugmo singing an introduction to each warrior and their horse for the spectators.
Chapter Six
The verse at the opening of the chapter explains that during the horse race, Joru tames demons and destroys Trothung’s lies. He tests the diviner, the physician, and so forth.
First Joru rides with the lowest beggar in the land, a hunchback named Gu-ru.r Joru tells him, “We are both beggars, so we should share whatever we receive. If I win the prize, I will share with you; if you win, you can share with me. What do you think?” Gu-ru, although poor, is proud, and he arrogantly replies, “I might not be rich if compared to rich men, but compared to the beggar Joru, I am a wealthy man.” Then he flatters himself, boasting of his qualities and possessions, and concludes by saying, “I am not going to share anything with you.”
Then Joru tests a doctor, pretending to be sick from exhaustion and malnutrition. The doctor examines him by reading his pulses through the lead-rope of Joru’s horse. He concludes that Joru is completely free of any illness: “There is no trace of sickness in your body, within or without.”
Next Joru tests a diviner, asking for a prediction of the outcome of the race. Joru says that he will not bother to run any farther if there is no hope of him winning. The diviner, however, sees some of Joru’s true qualities. He uses a piece of string and ties it in knots relating to the sky, the earth, and the water, and concludes, “Your power is enough to cover the earth, just like the blue firmament. If you take your seat, you will be able to hold it. The foundation you establish will be as strong as the changeless earth i
tself. If you take the throne, you will be a valuable leader, and bring benefit to all beings. The rivers and streams naturally gather in the great ocean. Although the water disappears to far shores, it will naturally return.s There is no divination better than this. You must run the race!” Joru also teases his brother Gyatsha, by manifesting a magical appearance to provoke him and then reappearing in his ordinary form to taunt him.
Chapter Seven
For the remainder of the horse race, Joru tests and teases the other warriors. Then at one point the protectress Nenei Nammen Karmo, along with the rest of Gesar’s principal guardians, appears to him and urges him on, saying, “Do not dawdle any longer, but run as fast as you can!” He has already passed Trothung’s son, Dongtsen Nang-ngu Apel. Dongtsen Nang-ngu Apel’s horse is captured by Gesar’s dralas, who throw it down, but Dongtsen Nang-ngu Apel runs ahead on foot to try to claim the throne. The dralas stretch the distance to the throne so that Dongtsen Nang-ngu Apel is unable to reach it. Joru, racing at top speed, manifests many likenesses of himself—some already on the throne, some trying to kill Dongtsen Nang-ngu Apel’s horse, some elsewhere. Thus Joru wins the horse race and is enthroned on the golden throne of Ling. Once that occurs, the appearance of the wild boy Joru drops away, and his destined magnificence as King Gesar becomes evident for the first time in its exquisite splendor. He is given the name Gesar Norbu Dradül, and that is when the final conditions for the manifestation of his principal enlightened activities are complete. Music is heard, resounding throughout the land, although no human has touched a drum or horn. All the gods and humans gathered offer prayers in honor of the auspicious occasion.
LAMA CHÖNAM with SANGYE KHANDRO and SHASHIKALA REITZ
Tashi Chöling
Ashland, Oregon
Fall 2010
a. The northeastern and eastern regions of the Tibetan plateau.
b. Ritritsen is the archaic spelling for Rutritsen.
c. Great Lion Jewel Tamer of Enemies.
d. This refers to a bodhisattva who has realized the third path of seeing and hence enters the grounds of bodhisattvahood beginning with the first bhūmi, or ground, which is called Extreme Joy. Having entered the grounds or bhūmis, rebirth in saṃsāra no longer occurs.
e. Rigden Dragpo Chag-gyi Khorlocan, Wielder of the Iron Wheel (Tib. rigs ldan drag po lcags kyi ’khor lo can).
f. Special protectors of Gesar, they guard and assist him and their presence increases his magnificence. See further explanations of drala and werma under “Gods and Demons” in this introduction.
g. The “four classes” of ḍākinīs are those born of space, those born of mantra, those born of sacred places, and those born of wisdom classes.
h. Lhakar Drönma of China.
i. It is common to refer to “the upper realm of gods,” “the middle realm of humans,” and “the lower realm of nāgas.”
j. Gesar’s three sibling protectors, Dungkhyung Karpo, Ludrül Ödtrung (or Ödchung, this name is spelled in different ways in the Tibetan text), and Thalei Ödtro, mentioned in volume 2, chapter 3, are not the same as these gods that accompany each ordinary human. They are called “sibling” because, like the personal gods mentioned here, they were born from his mother at the same time as his birth, but these three are Gesar’s special protectors.
k. A citizen of the land of Ling.
l. A female wild ox; the yak is the male.
m. King of the nyen spirits and one of Joru’s fathers.
n. Meaning “young warriors.”
o. Referring to Trothung’s son, Dongtsen.
p. Trothung’s son, Dongtsen’s, horse.
q. This last phrase is cryptic, but “great emptiness” often refers to the feminine—it means Joru’s horse can only be captured by Drugmo.
r. Gu-ru in this case is not the term of respect for a spiritual teacher, guru, but a Tibetan word that means “hunched one.”
s. This refers to Joru gaining the prize, including Drugmo, but in the future losing her temporarily when he is trapped in the northern land of demons, and then reuniting with her once again.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
IF THE ILLUSTRIOUS ROBIN KORNMAN (1947–2007) had not possessed the determination, genuine heart, and passion for anything concerning Gesar of Ling, this colossal endeavor would have never seen the light of day. We are grateful that our paths crossed serendipitously nearly two decades ago.
The threads that have intertwined in these modern times to bring Tibetan culture and spirituality to the West are many, and the torch of the maverick energy and piercing insight into Western mind of the Vidyādhara Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche was singular. Rinpoche was Robin’s root guru (spiritual guide) and his devotion for this great master was intense and constant. Not a day in our work would go by that Robin did not acknowledge his guru in one way or another. Hence we acknowledge the Vidyādhara Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche as the guiding force behind this effort and the source from which this translation actually took birth. In addition, in the earlier years of his exhaustive research Robin had great admiration for and was inspired by the work and research compiled by Professor Rolf Stein, who, in 1956, published a partial translation into French of the first three volumes of the epic from the version known as the Derge Lingtsang woodblock and subsequently wrote a treatise in French on the Gesar epic, titled Recherches sur l’épopée et le barde au Tibet.
Robin went on to write his own doctoral dissertation and rough-draft translation of the first volume of the Gesar epic, supported by his professors and colleagues at Princeton University; also important was his time at the Sorbonne, where he worked with Samten Karmay, Tendzin Samphel, and many others.
His great friendship with Larry Mermelstein and other colleagues of the Nālandā Translation Committee was not only helpful but a precious treasure for Robin. We are grateful to the Buddhist and Shambhala communities of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where many friends devoted their time to supporting Robin as well as Lama Chönam and Sangye Khandro during the early years of this work. Geoff Picus, Kathy Carter, Janis Bauer, and Ruth Lohlein were tireless helpers and companions. Some of these same people, and many others supported Robin through the difficult years of his illness that ensued. The companionship he had with his trusted friend Michael Sullivan and his friendships with Newcomb Greenleaf, Bill Hebbert, Paul Bankston, and Steven Shippee were particularly close.
David Shapiro, through his own scholarship as well as his connection with Robin, was able to construct the introduction presented here on behalf of Robin, extracted from the seeds of what Robin had written. In addition, David spent countless hours listening to the rough-draft translation, along with his daughter Hazel Shapiro, who offered useful suggestions. Lily Shapiro transcribed Robin’s talks, which became the basis for David’s introduction, and both daughters assisted with the technical logistics of collaborating from afar.
Without hesitation, Cam Kornman, Robin’s sister, graciously facilitated the unobstructed completion of this project. The depth of their mutual love was evident in their support of each other.
We are indebted to Bill Karelis, who, after Robin’s death, was the catalyst for ensuring that Lama Chönam, Sangye Khandro, and Jane Hawes were able to collaborate to finish this translation and bring this project to fruition.
Julie Brefczynski-Lewis and Elise Collet worked devotedly with Robin on the preliminary edit of our translation up until the time of his passing, and they also helped to reread the current version. Beyond that, the loving friendship that they maintained throughout their time with Robin was deep and genuine.
Alak Zenkar Rinpoche has graciously offered one of the forewords to this manuscript as well as his wisdom and expertise in the field.
We are humbled and honored that His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, Alak Zenkar Rinpoche, and Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche have added their important perspective and blessing to this publication. We are also fortunate to have the professional expertise and impeccable style of Shambhala Publications moving this along
to completion. In particular, Emily Bower worked with tireless attention, her constantly fresh eye refining both the detail and the narrative whole. We appreciate the help of Dr. Peter Alan Roberts, who reviewed the Sanskrit terms. The work on this project has spanned decades, and during this process there have been countless individuals who have participated and contributed to this noble effort. We apologize for not being able to personally acknowledge everyone, but since you know who you are we wish to extend our deep gratitude to each and every one of you. Your efforts have not been forgotten in the pages of this book, and it is our sincere prayer that readers will derive knowledge, inspiration, and pleasure as they read about the life of this Great Being. We apologize for errors of content or any inabilities to portray the meaning accurately. It is our sincere aspiration that this epic may endure in the languages of this world and that we may continue to translate the important stories of Gesar’s life for the future posterity of this ancient wisdom heritage and legacy. May all of our combined efforts bring great waves of benefit and well-being to all realms of the world.
In conclusion our gratitude goes to the patrons of the dharma and translation work who have allowed us the dignity and freedom to work on this translation for many years, devoting all of our time and energy to the offering and craft of translation. May the merit accumulated by everyone involved in this noble project be dedicated to the welfare and benefit of the Buddha’s doctrine in this world, the long life of the lineage masters, and the happiness and liberation of all living beings. May the legacy of King Gesar of Ling continue to inspire the inhabitants of this world so that beings may awaken from their slumber of ignorance to increase and nourish their mind’s true nature in the context of an enlightened society.
The Epic of Gesar of Ling Page 7