The Epic of Gesar of Ling

by Robin Kornman

  143. “Unarranged . . . arranged itself”: The distinction here cannot be directly translated into English. In the Tibetan ma bsgrigs rten ’brel rang ’grigs, there are two forms of the verb: bsgrigs is a form that describes an action, which is byed pa po med pa, without an agent, and ’grigs is the form of the verb that describes an action that has an agent. Thus the most literal translation would be “the fortunate connection that nobody arranged has arranged itself.” It is as if to say, “The connection that just happened to occur and had nobody arranging it or intending to arrange it has arranged itself.” Our translation of these two verbs into active and passive is thus slightly misleading, for the real point here is that there is no third party that brought together the various elements which, when conjoined, amounted to good fortune. Rather, they themselves, the various elements that formed the fortunate conjunction, were responsible for their own coming together, or they came together rang bzhin gis, “naturally or by their own nature.”

  144. “Self-proclaimed” (Tib. ma bsgrags): The Tibetan does not really say “self-voiced,” but rather “unvoiced,” which is as much as to say “voiced by no one and yet voiced.” This line ends a paragraph that reflects upon the auspicious events that are arising of their own accord. The full Tibetan is ma bsgrags gyi ’brug sngon mo’i gsung red, which means “this is the unproclaimed roar of the blue dragon.”

  145. Letters to people of rank should not begin by naming them directly; rather such a letter should refer to them indirectly with honorifics and titles, or by mentioning their qualities.

  146. In this letter Chipön is asking Michen Gyalwa’i Lhundrub to join him in performing specific ceremonies that will induce the birth of Gesar. The ceremonial acts are represented by the rays of the sun. The idea is that unless the sun shines at the right time, the time when the lotus is ready to bloom, the lotus will not bloom at all. Chipön’s symbolic dream enjoins him to gather with the leaders of his kingdom to perform ceremonies that will take advantage of the mystical conjunction of events represented by the opening of the “glorious gate,” the cosmic conjunction of elements, mystical energies, and buddha intentionality that lead to Gesar’s incarnation.

  147. The “treasury” (Tib. mdzod) refers to the special place in the home where the priceless, precious possessions were stored. It was from such a treasure chest that the bolt of brocade offered here with the letter was drawn.

  148. The word timely in this passage points to a view of how prayers and psychic phenomena work in a world of beings and buddhas. The enlightened Padmasambhava knows, and doesn’t even have to wait for Chipön to finish his wish; already he is in action to finish it. There is an implied synchronicity of actions of sentient beings in saṃsāra and actions of buddhas to help them. This is reflected in the instantaneous “timely” appearance of Padmasambhava in Thangtong’s dream telling him to go to Falcon Castle Sky Fortress.

  149. “Divine dharma” (Tib. lha chos) is a technical term to distinguish it from more worldly magical practices. The distinction is between lha chos, which we translate as “divine dharma,” and mi chos, the dharma of men. Buddhism is divine dharma and the dharma of men refers to ordinary life as a human being.

  150. “Mighty one” (Tib. btsan po) could be translated as “nobleman,” but the emphasis here is on the military power of the man. This is sort of a positive term for a warlord—a person of great military power who rules well by virtue of that. In the epic such “mighty ones” are almost a class of society, alongside the lamas, the rich patrons, and the common people.

  151. A reference to a story found in the aphorisms of Śākya Paṇḍita. As the story goes, a farmer was unable to sustain his hungry donkey in his own field, so he found the fertile field of another that was near to the forest. He turned his donkey loose there to graze, but before doing so he covered the beast with the skin of a leopard. The donkey grazed to its heart’s content until one day someone noticed that indeed this was a donkey and killed him.

  152. “View” (Tib. lta ba) can refer to any kind of theory that the ordinary mind holds. Here this refers to gaining certainty about a philosophical position about the nature of reality. For example, the view of the yogacārya sect is that the phenomenal world is simply a projection of mind. One who merely accepts this idea intellectually would not be said by virtue of that to “have the view.” Possession of the view means that one has deeply contemplated it and understands it on an instinctual level so that it can subtly guide one’s meditation practice and way of seeing ordinary reality.

  153. An accomplished siddha is a yogic master who can control the subtle energies in the body and, for example, by practicing mystic heat can stay in the cold without being affected by the elements.

  154. The gaṇacakra offering is often referred to as a “feast.” Actually this means a gathering of necessary components that come together to present offerings in the context of inner vajrayāna practice. The gathering includes the mandala of deities of the Three Roots, the male and female practitioners, and the offering substances which represent that which is not to be discarded or rejected due to concepts and the gathering of both ordinary and wisdom merit. According to inner tantra practice, this is the supreme method for offering and thus the supreme method through which merit is accumulated. A pure dedication occurs when the merit gained by performing the ritual practice is entirely given over to others without concern for the benefit of one’s own vows.

  155. Here the yogin is challenging the chieftain in return, pretending that he is just another self-centered political leader who “consumes the people.” The chieftain’s song had challenged the yogin by saying he might be a false lama.

  156. The ālaya means the basis of all, which is the ground of both saṃsāra and nirvāṇa. The characteristic of this basis is neutral, which means that any karmic seeds can be sown here and anything can arise from this.

  157. “Advice” (Tib. kha brda): The Tibetan is a colloquial expression from Golog that here means “advice” but can also mean just “chitchat.”

  158. An error in the text gives the word se ru (yellow) here; it should be bser (wind).

  159. “Dralas faring forth from their nests” (Tib. dgra lha tsang nas) means the thought of the dralas is such that one feels the energy of their presence as they fill up an environment. So magnificent was the departure of the great Michen Gyalwa’i Lhundrub from his palace that it resembled what it would be like if all the war gods were to rise up from their nests or dwelling places and travel as an army to another destination. This gives the sense of how great was Michen’s field of power.

  160. The term used here, skor khyi, refers to the large mastiffs that must be chained or harnessed to a pole. They guard the tents of the Golog nomads, yet they must not be allowed to run loose due to their ferocious power and inclination to kill and tear apart not only intruders, but any stranger they meet.

  161. A makara (Tib. chu srin) is a mythological sea monster. Ancient Tibetans believed that when a dragon aged, it became a sea monster. When the sea monster aged, it became a paisley-shaped design known as patra. The makara is thus depicted with the head of a sea monster and the design of a patra.

  162. “Leaders of the auspicious connection”: In the Buddhist and shamanistic world, magic political strategies are based on natural karmic relations that are a kind of naturally occurring power. Kyalo is a man who has collected great merit in his previous lifetimes and so is now rich. Michen is powerful for the same reason. Both of them, therefore, have flourishing windhorse, a broad and impressive field of power and natural good fortune. Thus they are the masters and leaders of the auspicious connections for this province. The energy of fortunate connections of tendrel focuses on them and by inviting them to the great assembly, Chipön gains additional control over the fortunate connection, which will bring about Gesar’s rebirth in Ling.

  163. These proverbs refer to daily events in a sde, a division or province. The chieftain or leader operates like a judge, deciding the constant
disputes that occur between tribesmen in a seminomadic region. If he fails to exercise leadership, the number of disputations and formal cases increases. The province sends spies to watch its ever-shifting boundaries. If they become excitable, they begin to imagine enemies attacking, and the resulting alarms and posses run the horses off their legs. If a yogin in his or her cave loses perspective, he or she begins to hallucinate demonic attacks, and the cave is thronged with armies of phantasms.

  164. “Incarnation” (Tib. sprul tshul): literally, about the “manner of manifestation” of Gesar. Note that here Thangtong Gyalpo is using the same word (sprul) used for the reincarnation of a great lama, sprul sku (pronounced tülku). Tulku is the typical word for an enlightened being who reincarnates on purpose or a divine principle that chooses to take the flesh. In Tibet many of the famous lamas are considered to be tulkus, reincarnations of great lamas from the past.

  165. Gesar’s elder uncle Trothung, his most persistent related enemy in the epic, is actually an incarnation or emanation of the wrathful yidam Hayagrīva. Although he seemingly strives to hurt Gesar, his interference serves to help him succeed.

  166. It is interesting to note that this point-by-point commentary is on the dream itself, rather than on Chipön’s song describing it. His song is not complete in its details. Thangtong Gyalpo, being an omniscient yogin, knows the dream directly instead of through hearsay.

  167. This section is like the “catalog of ships” in the Iliad. It is the first mention of the principal heroes who will figure in the rest of the epic. Actually there will be several such catalogs in the first three volumes of the Gesar epic in order to establish the powers, possessions, and family relations of each warrior.

  168. “Innermost mind” is an attempt to render the Tibetan word phug, which refers to an inner treasure, stored within the house in its deepest recesses.

  169. “Remain on the crown of my head” is one of several standard requests that the teacher and the student be inseparable.

  170. “Cosmic song” translates the Tibetan, srid pa glu yi. srid pa (pronounced see-pa) is the word for all of conditioned existence, all possibilities, the world sphere. In that case, the worldly element would be that it is a song (Tib. glu) dealing with political matters and the practical realization of the dream prophecy.

  171. This phrase is odd, since it does not occur in the original narration of the dream. The Masang are a kind of local deity associated with Vajrasādhu. See glossary: Masang and Vajrasādhu.

  172. The four rivers of Kham: Dri Chu (Tib., ’bri chu) [Yangtze River], Ma Chu (Tib. rma chu) [Yellow River], Gyalmo Ngül Chu (Tib. rgyal mo ngul chu) [Salween River], and Da Chu (Tib. zla chu) [Mekong River].

  173. The six ridges of Kham are: Zelmo Gang (Tib. zal mo sgang), Tshawa Gang (Tib. tsha ba sgang), Markham Gang (Tib. dmar khams sgang), Pombor Gang (Tib. spo ’bor sgang), Mardza Gang (Tib. dmar rdza sgang), and Minyak Rabgang (Tib. mi nyag rab sgang).

  174. Around Mount Meru sublime in body are the four continents (Tib. gling bzhi): Pūrvavideha [Noble Body] in the east, Jambudvīpa [Rose Apple] in the south, Aparagodānīya [Enjoyer of Cattle] in the west, and Uttarakuru [Unpleasant Sound] in the north.

  175. This is the conclusion of an argument Michen has given to support the agenda he is about to unfold. His point is that because of natural karmic connections between the different classes and groups in the audience, they all effortlessly understand the symbols in the dream in the same way. Just as the sun and moon naturally illuminate the entire world (“the four continents”) and Buddhism has spread naturally in Tibet, likewise the people of Ling naturally have the same understanding of what they are to do in terms of ritual activities to receive the incarnation of Gesar. Or to look at it another way, just as the sun, which is clear and bright, illuminates the earth, so the Tibetans’ intelligence is clear and bright, so that it naturally accepts Buddhism. And since their intelligence is clear, they have no need for coercing to agree about the functional meaning of the prophecy.

  176. Animals saved from the slaughter are animals caught and then released with an injunction that they not be killed for food. This transforms them into an offering to increase one’s good merit.

  177. The two laws refer to the religious law and the secular law that rule respectively in monasteries and in homes. This may mean that if the people participating in the ceremonies do not obey Michen’s injunctions, they will have to report either to a monastic court or a civil court, depending on their vocation. The celebrants are enjoined to not simply perform the ceremonies together but to spread news of the ceremony that has occurred throughout the surrounding countryside.

  178. Though Hor and Düd are both mentioned, they are not separate; the Hor are Düd—but there are also other Düd (Tib. bdud), which can be translated as “demon” or simply as the Sanskrit, māra (the type of obstacle demon that tried to prevent the Buddha from gaining enlightenment). But here Düd refers to the famous Demon of the North, an evil king who will be one of Gesar’s greatest enemies. The long and complex saga in which King Gesar fights the Demon of the North is one of the two central battle sagas of the epic and thus is called the bdud gling [Düd Ling], the fighting between this Demon and Ling.

  179. “Great space dome”: The Tibetan, rlung gi go la, literally means “the globe of wind,” meaning the firmament—the globe of the heavens, in which are fixed the stars and planets and which spin around each day with the sun, moon, and the stars.

  180. “Sunny and shady slopes” (Tib. nyin srib): The highlands of Tibet are full of lateral valleys and rocky canyons. The western side receives the sun’s rays and is called nyin (sun), the sunny side. The eastern slopes or sides of valleys are called srib, the shady side. So these light-based terms are actually names of geographical features that name east and west. Of course, all words for east and west in Tibetan are descriptors. For example, the basic word for east is shar, which means “rising,” and west is nub, which means “setting.”

  181. The song that follows is rather complicated, since Thöpa Gawa cites distinct sets of proverbs for each of his conclusions. First he decides that he must obey Padma, for he is the guru and one is bound by the samaya oaths to follow a guru’s instructions. Second, there is no question that obeying Padma’s instructions will be beneficial (“the benefit the guru brings,” “When a boy is born, he benefits himself”). Then with “When a guru speaks to disciples” he begins to relate a series of proverbs to prove he must be obedient.

  Having accepted the command, he begins to think of assistance he will need. Padma has already ordered Gesar to reincarnate in the area of Ling, (“The time has come to perform enlightened activity for the benefit of others.”) and he has commanded various spirits to help Gesar invisibly (“Werma keep company with his body”). Now Thöpa Gawa asks for divine companions to be reborn alongside of him. They will be the “basis” of his spiritual action, and he will depend on them like a deer does on a mountainside or a fish on the lake. Furthermore, he demands magical weapons and devices, just the way a young tough who is independent nevertheless must rely on his sword.

  182. “Fancy trappings”: This could also be rendered as “earthly entanglements.” The Tibetan, sa chus, is a very colloquial expression that literally means “earth mixed with water.”

  183. Thöpa Gawa continues to give himself arguments for obeying the guru’s commands and continues to cite proverbs that support this; his resolution gradually increases, and his mind gets gradually stronger in its commitments.

  184. Cattle in nomadic herds slowly starve over the winter, so that when spring comes they are terribly thin. “Nephews” (Tib. bu tsha) actually refers to cousins and sons or nephews and sons. The idea is that since a nomadic tribe travels together, even after the longer winter, relatives with an excess load will transfer weight from their overburdened oxen and yaks to those of their kin. It is an irritating practice, particularly when one’s own cattle are just skin and bones; but one cannot deny a relative.

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85. Gesar is requesting here that Padmasambhava have various kinds of assistants incarnate with him as humans or commit themselves to him as gods and spirits, so that he has a team to work with him on his great project of protecting Ling from spiritual enemies. These friends and helpers are to assist him with the mi chos, or way of humans, and the lha chos, the way of the gods. This could mean that some incarnated assistants will help him materially and others magically. Alternately these two terms could be translated as if they referred to different aspects of religious practice. Then they would be translated as the dharma of humans and the dharma of the gods. Usually the dharma of humans is the local shamanistic and animistic religion, and the dharma of the gods is really the buddhadharma, which talks about transworldly matters. In this case, lha chos and mi chos would mean that some would help him in his spiritual goals and others would help him in his material goals.

  According to some teachings of the Nyingma lineage, there is the lha mi theg pa, the vehicle of gods and the vehicle of men. This refers to religious practices that are helpful but do not transcend the world. In this case the word mi, man or human, would refer to worldly ethical practices, and lha would refer to practices that deal with worldly gods. Neither of them would deal with the higher teachings that concern the ultimate nature of reality and how to realize it.

  186. “Dancing eyes” (Tib. gar mig) refers to the different expressive glances and poses of expression used in classical dance. The eyes of fish are being compared to the expressive eyes of a dancer.

  187. Gesar continues to argue that Padma must send him to Tibet accompanied by all sorts of assistants. Otherwise he goes with empty hands. A “tough guy” still needs his sword. Even excellent cattle need grass. Empty words don’t bring joy, and empty hands won’t kill the enemy.