The Epic of Gesar of Ling

by Robin Kornman

  Purify the obscurations of the five poisons of all sentient beings.

  May I encounter the self-nature of wisdom.

  Listen, son of fortunate family,

  Through your four activities of pacifying, enriching, magnetizing, and destroying

  You must tame the field of disciples of the five degeneracies

  With your companion acquired through the auspicious connection of skillful means,

  In the place where you establish your kingdom with subjects capable of serving you,

  Your father who created you, and the mother of your birth,

  Your swift horse and solid armor,

  Sharp weapons and brave warriors,

  You will have the skillful means and compassion necessary to tame the difficult to tame.

  If you cannot tame them through magnetizing and destroying,

  Innumerable accumulations of negativities and bad karma will occur.

  Then even the buddhas would have trouble saving them.

  For this reason you must develop your army of dynamic power.

  Therefore, divine child Thöpa Gawa,

  In the three regions of upper Ngari

  The highland is encircled by the holy dharma,

  Gugey is circled by the swastikaj shamans of Bön,

  And Purang is encircled by the nectar of healing herbs.

  These are the regions of upper Ngari.

  In the middle land of Ü-Tsang are the four regions.

  In Ü are the regions of the center, Üru, and the left, Yönru;

  In Tsang the right region, Yeru, and the branch, Ru-lag;

  These are the four regions of the land of Tibet.201

  Belowk are the six mountain ranges of Dokham:

  Madza, Pombor, Tshawa,

  Ngülda, Markham, and Minyak;

  And the four rivers: Dri, Da, Ma, and Ngülchu.

  These are the four rivers and six mountain ranges of Dokham;

  These are the many regions of the land of Tibet.

  Similarly, it is the place that can contain the activity of the Great Being [Gesar]

  And the classes of the humans and the divine.

  In the area of the Dri and Da [Rivers] in the Zelmo mountain ranges,l

  In the Wishing Land of the enclosure of prosperity

  Is the immutable landmark

  That indicates all the signs of happiness and ease in the land of Tibet,

  Kyidsö, where the upper country of happiness and the lower area of leisure202 conjoin.

  As the sign of the union of skillful means and wisdom,

  There are two rocks resembling the feathers of an arrow;

  That is a sign of the increasing buddha activity of both temporal and spiritual traditions.

  There are two grassy meadows that resemble unfolded mats of wool;

  That is a sign of perfecting the benefit of self and other.

  There are two identical rivers resembling a pair;

  That is a sign that all wishes will be spontaneously accomplished.

  In front is Mönlam Dragkar [White Boulder Aspiration Prayer Mountain];203

  That is the place where you will establish your kingdom called Wishing Ling.

  Your incarnation will be revealed there

  And your capable subjects’ authentic presence will flourish.

  These are the six tribes in the divine white districts.

  Your father’s lineage descends from the Masang nyen;

  The paternal lineage is protected by the zodor Gedzo;

  This is why it is the divine ancestral lineage.

  Your mother is one of the treasures of the nāgas,

  The daughter of Tsugna Rinchen,

  Nāginī Metog Lhadzei by name;

  By skillful means she will be summoned to the land of Tibet

  To be the supreme mother of your birth,

  And Tārā will be invited from her pure land of Turquoise Leaf Array

  To be your wisdom companion.

  Your horse, equipped with all the armor of the dralas,

  Will be an emanation of the Supreme Victorious Horse Hayagrīva.

  Through various skillful means you will tame the wanderers.

  So, Great One, do not allow your enlightened intent to weaken.

  I will provide the auspicious connections for this enlightened activity to occur.

  Don’t be idle; don’t be idle, child of noble family.

  The cherished guru wearing the bordered skirt of ordination

  Who does not shy from the practice of the teachings on sutra and tantra,

  Must have the scholarship of someone with vast qualities.

  Just wearing a four-sided robe will not earn him due respect.

  Young warriors, youthful tigers in their prime, with ivory rings adorning their hair,

  If they are not known for their courage,

  Then they may as well break their sharp weapons on a stone,

  For the fancy sword in its ornamental sheath can’t think for itself.

  The young maiden dressed in brocade silk, turquoise, and silver,

  If she is not known for her good character,

  Then the outer beauty of her in-law’s home may be lost over a cup of tea or a glass of beer.

  Just washing her face won’t make her popular with those people.

  Therefore divine child Thöpa Gawa,

  In the region of the world known as Tibet,

  When you, Great One, protect the welfare of beings,

  The buddhas and bodhisattvas will be your personal guardians;

  The yidams and ḍākinīs will stand behind you;

  The dharmapāla protectors will be your companions;

  The hunting gods and guardians of virtue will support your enlightened deeds.

  Concerning your divine calling to guard the world,

  I will gradually give the prophecies and the mandate to enact your deeds.

  For the sake of the sentient beings at the borderlands of Tibet,

  Don’t let your compassion decline, O son of noble family.

  In order to tame the evil forces of the five degeneracies,

  Do not allow your strength to decline, O heart son.

  Divine child hold this in your mind.

  Thus he spoke, and then the divine child Thöpa Gawa, in order to place the kings of the dark side as well as their kingdoms in the state of buddhahood, generated the courage of the mind of enlightenment and thought: “Even if they secure in their minds but a single virtue, until they completely enter the path of awakening, I will remain patient with them even if they hack my heart into a thousand pieces. May it be so! O yes! Sublime and constant source of refuge, kind precious king of dharma, I the divine child Thöpa Gawa will do as the proverb says:

  If the sins of saṃsāra were not great,

  Then the bottom of hell would not be deep.

  If hell’s bottom were not deep,

  The blessings of the Buddha would not be seen.

  If the hordes of enemies were not a dense crowd,

  Then how could we distinguish the heroes?

  If we cannot distinguish the heroes,

  Then how can we know if the weapons are sharp?

  If the plain is not smooth,

  The racehorse cannot run the course.

  If the racehorse does not run the course,

  How can we tell who is fastest?

  In order to place yokes on the necks of the hordes of māras and exalt the side of virtue, purify the sinners’ ripening karma, and uplift the minds of those who practice dharma, you must reveal the actual form of cause and effect. If one accumulates virtue the result is happiness, and if one accumulates nonvirtue that is the basis for suffering. So in order to gain certainty with karmic causes and results in this lifetime, I willingly accept whatever you command of me!

  These sinners with negative karma, the Hor, the Düd, and others, who have never even heard the word ‘dharma,’ are the objects of compassion. If I am able to give them the opportunity
to recognize the true nature of cause and result, then perhaps some of them will realize the fruition of buddhahood. If I am unsuccessful, then even though my heart is hacked to pieces, I the divine child Thöpa Gawa will never forsake my vow to benefit others. I will place my own life on the line and with you my Guru as witness, I make this commitment from the depths of my heart. May the root of this be dedicated to those who have been my mothers, all sentient beings limitless as space, including all living creatures down to the tiniest insect. Before you, the embodiment of the sugatas of the ten directions, I offer the mandala of the awakened mind (bodhicitta) of the dharmadhātu. Take hold of me with your great loving-kindness; without wandering from your state of enlightened awareness, listen to this song which I, the divine child Thöpa Gawa, offer to you, O Lotus Born.”

  OṂ MAṆI PADME HŪṂ

  OṂ The mandala of the dharmadhātu adorned by awareness;

  ĀḤ The mandala of my body adorned by sense faculties;

  HŪṂ The jeweled mandala adorned by gold and turquoise.

  The embodiment of the dharmakāya and sambhogakāya,

  Nirmanakāya, Lord Padmasambhava, to you I make this offering.

  May I and all sentient beings pervading space

  Attain the fruition of buddhahood.

  I, the supreme being, am the vidyādhara Thöpa Gawa.

  That lion cub on the peak of the snow mountains,

  If his claws do not overcome with their splendor,

  Then his six powers204 are of little benefit.

  That roaring dragon dwelling amidst the southern clouds,

  If his harmonious roar does not pervade the entire kingdom,

  Then the wishing-jewel205 he holds in his claws is of little benefit.

  That king of all birds, the garuḍa, atop the wish-granting tree,

  If he cannot surge to the pinnacle of the world,

  Then the spread of his feathered wings is of little benefit.

  The sentient beings of Tibet in this time of the five degeneracies

  And the black hordes of the samaya violators, the Hor and the Düd,

  Those who are my destined disciples seem to be quite coarse.

  If a tempered iron chisel cannot carve a stone,

  Then a chisel of pure gold will not do the trick.

  If the deadly poison does not burn terribly,

  Then the peacock’s fan will have no luster.206

  If the root of the five poisons is not determined,

  Then the wisdoms of the five kāyas will not be seen.

  The true color of the dear divine guru is revealed through the godly demons.

  The true color of a heroic boy is revealed by his enemies.

  The true color of a young girl is revealed by her vanity.

  The color of polished silver is revealed by the tarbu berry.207

  If the enemies of the teachings are not annihilated,208

  Then protectors of the doctrine will not be exalted.

  If the harm-doers are not cut off at the root,

  Then those who are excellent cannot be identified.

  If their evil karma does not ripen upon them,

  The people will not remember to be virtuous.

  Therefore I will accomplish whatever you have commanded through enlightened activity.

  Through peaceful and wrathful skillful means and compassion

  May the sinners of the dark side with evil karma,

  Those who have a karmic connection to me, be it good or bad,

  Have the opportunity to recognize the truth of cause and result.

  In the future may they continue to be born as my disciples;

  Ultimately may they attain the fruition of buddhahood.

  Stirring saṃsāra from the depths,

  May the benefit of others be accomplished through the flourishing of enlightened deeds.

  In this way, I offer the root of all this perfectly pure virtue

  Before you, the embodiment of the sugatas,

  Supremely kind Lotus Born.

  I offer all this as a mandala for the benefit of beings limitless as space.

  Please accept this with your great loving-kindness.

  May I, the divine child Thöpa Gawa,

  Take my human body in the land of Tibet.

  The time has come for me to tame those who are unruly with skillful means.

  Whatever positive or negative signs, dreams, prophecies,

  And so forth there may be,

  Please teach me the unknown and reveal the unseen.

  In accord with your word, I offer this samaya prayer.

  Clearly hear this song of offering,

  Sublime source of refuge, and hold this in your heart.

  Thus he sang, and then Lotus Skull Garland Who Quells Existence with Splendor, along with his retinue of ḍākas and ḍākinīs, wisdom holders, dharmapālas, guardians of virtue, and gods of the chase, delighted in the feast offering of exaltation, after which they departed to their own abodes.

  a. This is another name for the Mukpo clan.

  b. (Tib. dpal mgon bdun cu rtsa gnyis). These are Bön gods, native Tibetan deities.

  c. This is the name that Thöpa Gawa is known by in heaven.

  d. This references the companion ḍākinī who helps Gesar to be successful in conquering each kingdom.

  e. (Tib. stod). Refers to the westerly direction. Ngari is the western section of Tibet.

  f. (Tib. smad). This refers to the easterly direction.

  g. Elsewhere this ridge is given as Zelmo.

  h. Literally, the Tibetan describes Changmoza as the mother of Chipön, Senglön, and Trothung, but we have taken this to refer to her as their matriarchal ancestor several generations back.

  i. Gesar’s wife will be an emanation of Tārā in wrathful form who will be born as the daughter of the wealthy Kyalo Tönpa.

  j. In the Tibetan religion known as Bön, the swastika, an ancient Indian symbol for the sun, is used roughly as an equivalent of the Buddhist and Hindu tantric scepter, the vajra.

  k. To the east.

  l. Zelmo is a mountain range in Dokham.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Master Lotus Born is invited to the land of the nāgas To cure an epidemic.

  To repay his kindness the nāga king Tsugna Rinchen [Precious Jewel at the Crown]

  Sends Metog Lhadzei to the human realm.

  [Padma decides to intentionally pollute the seas for the greater benefit.]

  THEN THE DIVINE CHILD Thöpa Gawa, the destined deity of the land of Tibet in Jambudvīpa, was to take birth in the middle land of humans. He would be brought into the world by his father, the Masang nyen Gedzo, and his mother, the nāginī Yelga Dzeidena [Lovely Branch]. In order to tame the nonhuman race of māras of the lands of the four directions, it is as the proverb says:

  Only poison will cure illness brought on by poison;

  If you want to cut iron, only iron will do.

  Therefore he must become like the race of those to be tamed.

  It was crucial that the divine child be born as the son of a nāga and a nyen. Therefore, according to his previous vow, Guru Lotus Born considered what skillful means he would use to summon the nāga daughter. Then he cursed the nāgas, projected incantations into certain substances, stuffed them into the left horn of a black dzo, covered the opening, and threw it into Lake Manasarovar.209 At that moment there was a great roaring sound, and the foul disease of this curse began to spread throughout the underwater kingdom of the nāgas.210

  [The nāgas convene to discuss the epidemic. The nāga king decides to invite the diviner god Dorje Ngangkar (White Vajra) to do a divination to discover the cause of the epidemic.]

  The nāgas had no idea what had caused this condition or how to effect a cure. All the nāgas were frightened and terrified, and all their leaders gathered before the nāga king Tsugna Rinchen. With one voice of lament, they presented the words of this request. In order to easily understand the hidden meaning, they made their request and h
e answered every question within a single song.

  OṂ MAṆI PADME HŪṂ

  Alas! Alas! They wept.

  We don’t usually begin this way.211

  But how, when we are as miserable as this,

  Can we fashion a song of happiness, hope, and wonder?

  Instead, we will heal our minds with a song of complaint.

  Seated on your unchanging jeweled throne,

  O nāga king Tsugna Rinchen

  We entreat your undivided attention.

  Listen to us with the silken scarf of your ears.

  On the night before last,

  Passing through the sky to the land of the nāgas,

  From a mass of fire came a bolt of poison

  And such a tempest that the oceans almost mingled with the earth;

  The bolt nearly dried up the ocean

  As it descended into the heart of the nāga kingdoms.

  From that ill-omened moment on,

  The nāga kingdom has been filled with disease

  Caused by previous karma and sudden conditions.

  What have we done wrong and how can we cure this?

  Alas! The ignorance of saṃsāra, how sad:

  A healthy body full of vitality

  Will never be appreciated until it experiences illness and grief;

  A happy human life full of leisure

  Will never be appreciated until the moment of death.

  Unless [we are] crushed by conditions,

  We never appreciate the kindness of the guru;

  Unless sudden disputes occur,

  We never appreciate the dear chief ’s protection;

  Unless our own mouths water from hunger,

  We never appreciate a poor man’s need to hoard.

  These are our regrets in this aftermath.

  Now what shall we do? What is best, O Precious One?