Tibetan and Himalayan Healing

An Anthology for Anthony Aris

Compiled by

Charles Ramble
Ulrike Roesler

CONTENTS

Acknowledgements ............................................................................ xi
Why a Book? ....................................................................................... 1
JEAN-LUC ACHARDUne dhra Bon po de Longue Vie
Associe au Cycle du Tshe dbang bya ri ma, selon la
Tradition de Khod spungs Blo gros thogs med (12801337).............. 7
NICK ALLENA Sense of Well-Being:
Thulung Rai and Kinnaur.................................................................... 19
ROBERT BEERThe Lineage Holders and Protectors
of the Tibetan Medical Tradition........................................................ 23
GZA BETHLENFALVYFour Times Hundred Offerings
which Rescue us from the Bdud (Brgya bzhi
cho ga bdud las rnam rgyal).............................................................. 35
HENK BLEZERDus pai nad, Bad kan smug po and
Melancholia in the Teaching on the Six Lamps
(sGron ma drug gi gdams pa), the Fourfold Collection
(Bum bzhi), and the Fourfold Tantra (rGyud bzhi)........................... 43
MARTIN BOORDThe Great mDos Rite which
Redeems from the Crosses of Malicious Gossip .............................. 65
JOHN BRAYDr Henry Cayley in Ladakh:
Medicine, Trade and Diplomacy
on Indias Northern Frontier............................................................... 81
KATIA BUFFETRILLELakes, Springs and Good Health...................... 97
CATHY CANTWELL AND ROBERT MAYERLongevity Rituals
in the Bon Phur pa tradition:
Chapter 25 of the Black Pillar ...........................................................105
SIENNA CRAIGHealing Elements....................................................119
OLAF CZAJAThe Eye-healing Avalokitevara:
a National Icon of Mongolia and
its Origin in Tibetan Medicine...........................................................123

vi

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ELENA DE ROSSI FILIBECKPreface to the Herbarium

Manuscript, Tucci Collection n.1298................................................139
BRANDON DOTSONThe Call of the Cuckoo to
the Thin Sheep of Spring: Healing and Fortune
in Old Tibetan Dice Divination Texts...............................................145
GEORGE VAN DRIEMHealth in the Himalayas
and the Himalayan Homelands.........................................................159
ISRUN ENGELHARDTItalian Capuchins as the First
Western Healers in Lhasa, 17071945 .............................................193
GREGORY FORGUESThe Magic of Healing
in Gesar Rituals.................................................................................209
BARBARA GERKEOf Matas, Jhakris, and Other
Healers: Fieldnotes on a Healing Event in
Kalimpong, India, 2004....................................................................229
TSERING D. GONKATSANGThe Miracle Patient
and the Revival of the Bodong Tradition in Exile............................247
JANET GYATSOOne Picture ............................................................271
GYURME DORJEReflections on Recruitment
and Ritual Economy in Three Himalayan
Village Monasteries ........................................................................ 277
PAUL HACKETTThe Sman rtsis khang:
A Survey of Pedagogical and Reference Literature .........................289
GEORGIOS HALKIASInvoking Protection from
the Buddha of Infinite Life and Wisdom .........................................297
AMY HELLERA Votive Prayer and Dedication on
an Early Thangka of sMan bla .........................................................319
AGNIESZKA HELMAN-WANYHealing Artefacts:
Tibetan Pharmacopeia from the
Ethnographic Museum in Krakw....................................................329
THERESIA HOFERBodies in Balance: The Art
of Tibetan Medicine..........................................................................345
TONI HUBERHunting for the Cure: A Bon
Healing Narrative from Eastern Bhutan ..........................................369

TABLE OF CONTENTS

vii

MATTHEW KAPSTEINTextualizing the Icon: The

Three Deities of Longevity in Art and Ritual...................................381
SAMTEN KARMAYThe Wind-Horse and
the Well-Being of Man......................................................................403
PER KVAERNEThe God of Medicine,
King of Aquamarine Light ...............................................................411
LAMA JABBA Song-poem on the Perfect Tibetan Physician ........417
DIANA LANGEA Dundees Doctors Collection(s) on
Tibet: Thomas Alexander Wise (18021889) ..................................433
CHARLES MANSONSending and Taking..........................................453
ALEX MCKAYCountering Cholera: Preliminary Remarks
on Dr Cousins visit to Bhutan, 1918 ..............................................455
COLIN MILLARDTwo Bon Nagpa Healing
Rituals in Mustang ...........................................................................461
MARTIN MILLSLiving in Times Shadow:
Pollution, Purification and Fractured Temporalities
in Buddhist Ladakh...........................................................................483
TIM MYATTA Frozen Stiff Upper Lip: The
Maladies and Remedies of the Younghusband
Mission of 1904 ...............................................................................503
JAMYANG OLIPHANTThe Tibetan Technique of
Essence-Extraction (Bcud len) and its Benefits ...............................511
MICHAEL OPPITZThe Soothing Powers of Beauty ........................515
PENPA DORJEE AND DAN MARTINVerses on Good and Bad
Physicians, Composed by the Tsangt Teacher ...............................519
FRANOISE POMMARETA Note on Tsha chu. The
Therapeutic Hot Springs of Bhutan .................................................541
LAURENT PORDIRegional Conflicts, Collective
Identities and the Neutrality of the Clinical Encounter:
A Note on Tibetan Medicine in Ladakh............................................545
DAVID PRITZKERA Heros Journey: A Couple
Poetic Verses from a Recently-Discovered Manuscript ..................549

viii

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHARLES RAMBLETrouble with Vampires: Or, How

the Layout of this Book Came to be Done .....................................553
PETER ALAN ROBERTSThe Healing Sorcerer..................................569
FRANOISE ROBINHow the Yogi Healed Bedridden
Dbang chen. An Extract from the Novel The Black
Tent in the Distance (Thag ring gi sbra nag),
by Bstan pa yar rgyas (2005)........................................................... 577
ULRIKE ROESLERHow to Recognize a Useless Doctor:
Excerpts from an Indian Yoga Comedy........................................... 587
ANNE DE SALES When the Shaman Takes
the Witches for a Ride: A Ritual Journey
in Magar Land (Nepal).....................................................................593
MARCIA SCHMIDTHealing with Tara............................................. 597
NICOLA SCHNEIDERUne Sance de Gurison
chez une Khandroma........................................................................ 609
MONA SCHREMPFFighting Illness with Gesar:
A Healing Ritual from Eastern Bhutan.............................................621
ANNA SEHNALOVAInviting Medicine: Mendrub
(Sman grub) Healing for Everyone and Everything.........................631
ALEXANDER K. SMITHNo More Bad Dreams:
Divination and Client Therapy .........................................................649
ELLIOT SPERLINGHis Imperial Highness Alexei
Tubdanjiatsovich, Tsarevich of Russia..............................................659
HEATHER STODDARDDorje Kotrab: Vajra Armour........................ 663
PTER-DNIEL SZNTMinor Vajrayna Texts III:
A Fragment of the *Guhyasamjoddhtaygavidhi......................... 675
TASHI TSERINGLooking back at Bla sman Mkhyen
Rab nor bu: A Biographical Note and Brief Discussion
of His Works ....................................................................................685
ROBERTO VITALIOn the Nine Master
Doctors of Tibet, Briefly.................................................................. 715

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ix

TATSUYA YAMAMOTOSelling Healing: A Case

Study of Tibetan Chanting CD Production in
Kathmandu ...................................................................................... 719
RONIT YOELI-TLALIMBetween Medicine and Ritual:
Tibetan Medical Rituals from Dunhuang...................................... 739
BETTINA ZEISLERThe Seven Stars of
Heaven: A Gift for a Reconvalescent ..............................................747

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The twenty-six paintings that feature as chapter endings are the work
of Robert Powell, Anthonys friend and neighbour, who has generously provided them for this volume. The cover photograph of Jomo
Drolma, taken by Gerhard Heller, appears in the article by Mona
Schrempf in this volume (p. 607): our sincere thanks to Gerhard and
Mona for permitting us to use it. The cover design is by Monica Strinu,
who also gave us invaluable advice with technical aspects of production. The herculean task of making the layout was accomplished by
Kemi Tsewang.

WHY A BOOK?
But ye have a custom, that I should release unto you one at the passover:
will ye therefore that I release unto you the king of the Jews? Then cried
they all again, saying, Not this man, but Barabbas. Now Barabbas was a
robber. (John 18:40)

There is a well-known story about Lord ByronMad, bad and dangerous to knowand his publisher John Murray, a devout and morally upstanding Presbyterian. The two did not get on, and so Murray was
pleasantly surprised when, one day, Byron presented him with a Bible.
Touched by this gesture of conciliation, Murray kept the Bible in his
living room where visitors could leaf through it for their edification. All
went well until one day, a visitor happened to open the book at the eighteenth chapter of the Gospel of St John, the passage in which Pilate, by
custom, reprieves a condemned man at the feast of the Passover. The
crowd were told to decide between the two namesakes: Jesus of
Nazareth and Jesus bar Abbas; and the crowd, as we know, rejected the
first (not this man) and clamoured instead for the release of
Barabbas. By way of an introduction to Barabbas, the villain who was
chosen, the Bible helpfully informs us that he was a robber. John
Murrays visitor was discomfited to see that the text at this point had
been altered by an unknown hand, and she showed the emendation to
her host. Murray saw that Byron had deleted the word robber and
written in its place publisher. The gift had been a Trojan horse.
Everyone comes out of this story badly: Byron, of course, because
(to compound his more famous peccadilloes) he had insulted the good
John Murray and betrayed his confidence; Barabbas, because he was a
robber; robbers, because Barabbas was one of them, but far worse than
any honest robber through vicarious guilt for the crucifixion of our
Lord; Murray, who is made to look like a bigoted fool; and publishers,
not just because Murray was one but because we cannot, having read
the line, get rid of the suspicion that there may have been some truth in
Byrons claim. The configuration is a sort of miniature prattyasamutpda, the chain of dependent origination that lies at the heart of
Buddhist teaching: the especial badness of each of the links in this story
derives from its association with the others: they are locked into a

WHY A BOOK?

mutually reinforcing hoop of malice for which there seems to be no

cure.
***
Anthony Ariss twin brother Michael died on 27 March 1999, their
fifty-third birthday. The funeral was a sad but uplifting occasion, made
particularly memorable by something Anthony said in the course of the
tribute he gave. When he and his mother had been speaking of their loss
(he said), she had remarked, Well, it doesnt really matter, dear; we
have his spare parts. If you can think of a more perfect line that a
bereaved identical twin might deliver on such an occasion, dear reader,
we would like to hear it.
Authors get the light, publishers stay in the shadea famous
twinned Tibetan concept, nyin and drib. But writers tend to overlook
the fact that without the drib, there would not, could not, be nyin. There
are well-established conventions for celebrating scholarly achievement, the felicitation volumethe Festschriftbeing the standard
offering, while publishers usually count themselves lucky if they can
escape opprobrium and get away with obscurity. Part of the problem
may be that there is no consecrated mechanism for celebrating the
achievements of publishers, and we, the compilers of this volume, were
rather unsure what the response would be when we sent a message out
in summer to invite contributions. For anyone who does not know
Anthony Aris, the response we received might seem astonishing. Not
only did some sixty people accept the invitation, but they submitted
their contributions within the outrageously short time we had specified.
For these same readers it might be worth saying a few words to
explain why the invitation should have elicited such an extraordinary
manifestation of goodwill. There are two reasons: 1) the man himself,
and 2) his work. It would be easy to go on at length about both, but
since we have enjoined our contributors to keep their submissions
shortmore economical to list the things that he has in common with
the books he has produced through his publishing house, Serindia.
1. They are full of valuable information
2. They are big
3. They are generous to the point of being lavish
4. They are very good company at any time of day, but most of all in
the evening and into the night.

WHY A BOOK?

But there are a number of respects in which even these publications,

which have done so much to disseminate knowledge and appreciation
of Tibetan and Himalayan civilisation, both within and well beyond
academic circles, fall far short of the man. Here is a short list:
1. They do not have a genius for organising successful conferences
2. They do not raise funds for scholarly activities
3. They are not married to a most remarkable woman named MarieLaure
4. They do not provide generous help for young researchers
This list, too, could easily become a long one, but it might be better to
stop there. When we heard in June that Anthony was not in the best of
health, an anthology on the subject of healing seemed like an appropriate gesture as a larger-than-life get-well card. More than a card, it was
intended as a sort of exuberant (and slightly unruly) international surprise party, where a bookful of guests, each bearing his or her personally crafted gift, could gather to celebrate the unsuspecting host, remind
him (as if he would ever forget) how widely loved and appreciated he
is, and lift his spirits into the bargain.
If the choice of theme for the anthology was an obvious one, there
is a sense in which literature and scholarship might themselves be
understood to have healing powers. The Buddha articulated his solution to the general malaise of the world in the fourfold medical diagnostic idiom that was current at the time. In a later sermon he explained
that the nexus of dependent origination could be dismantled by
unhitching the first linkignoranceafter which the whole edifice
would come tumbling down of its own accord. As a test case for this
remedy we might consider the miniature sasra sketched out at the
beginning of this introduction. Where on earth would one begin to treat
such an awful open wound?
A compassionate approach is said to be a good asset, so we could
begin there. In 1950 the Swedish writer Pr Lagerkvist published his
most famous novel, Barabbas, that imagines the life of this most infamous bandit after his release, when, as we had all supposed, he had
breathed a sigh of relief and scuttled back gratefully to a life of robbery
and historical oblivion. The story is one of the most touching, even
heart-breaking, studies of a villainous pariah there is, and no one who

WHY A BOOK?

reads will ever be able to evoke Barabbas again without seeing him suffused by the glow of Lagerkvists redemptive portrait.
The redemption of Murray and Byron is less a case for compassion
than for wisdom: scrutinising the evidence, and perhaps not taking a
good story at face value. How much of an insufferable prig was
Murray? On 25 February 1843 his friend J.G. Lockhart wrote him a letter that contained a short observation about Sir David Wilkie, whose
biography he (Lockhart) was to publish that year with John Murray:
He [Wilkie] is a fellow you cant ever suppose to have been drunk or
in lovetoo much of a Presbetyrian Elder for either you or me. As if
by magic, Murray suddenly becomes a man we might actually want to
spend some time with.
And the story of Byrons cruel joke? In Notes and Queries of 30 July
1910 there appeared a letter from a Mr John Murray in response to an
enquiry that had been received about the famous story:
False traditions die hard, but I supposed that this one had received its
quietus long ago, as it has been refuted some scores of times. There is no
reference in Byrons poems to Barabbas, and a publisher. The story ran
that Byron gave my grandfather a Bible, and that my grandfather was
much touched by this evidence of the poets religious fervour, until, on
turning over the leaves, he found in the 40th verse of the St. Johns
Gospel, chap. xviii., the word robber changed into publisher. The joke
was perpetrated by Thomas Campbell on another publisher; neither
Byron nor my grandfather had any part in it. I have in my library Byrons
Bible, and there is no mark or notch in it of any kind. Byron, however,
did drink the health of Napoleon, because he shot a bookseller.1

Quite simply, the famous episode never happened at all. Byron,

Murray, Barabbas, robbers and publishers are suddenly released from
the clutches of malign ignorance.
***
So, why a book? This modest clinical trial suggests that the Buddhas
healing formula does seem to work, or at the very least deserves further
trials. And if these humble manifestations of compassion and wisdomsensitive writing and honest scholarshipcan dissolve the poisonous mordants that had held that particular vicious pattern in place,
what other afflictions might they not help to heal?

WHY A BOOK?

NOTES
1 The bookseller in question was Johann Philipp Palm, from Nuremberg, whom
Napoleon had had executed on 26 August 1806. Incidentally, we have it on good
authorityGeorge Smiley, in John Le Carrs Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spythat
Barabbas was not in fact a publisher but a bookseller.

LONGEVITY RITUALS IN THE BON PHUR PA

TRADITION: CHAPTER 25 OF THE BLACK PILLAR.
CATHY CANTWELL AND ROB MAYER, OXFORD.1

In the pages below we present a translation of the chapter on longevity

from a famous canonical Bon tantra, considered to be the root text for the
2
The text in question
is the Black Pillar Secret Pith Instruction Root Tantra (Ka ba nag po man
ngag rtsa bai rgyud
cle of nine Phur pa tantras revealed by Khu tsha zla od at sPa gro cal gyi
brag or Phug cal in Bhutan, some time in the eleventh or twelfth century.3
Also known as Ku sa sman pa, Khu tsha zla od was as much famed
for his exceptional medical skills as for his extraordinary religious activities as a Treasure Revealer (gter ston), and he is reported to have revealed medical and astrological treasures alongside his religious ones.
His medical prowess seems to have been so outstanding that some sources have even connected him with the great g.Yu thog pa Yon tan mgon
po (11271203), although others say he was a different but roughly contemporaneous medical authority. Either way, it seems that Khu tsha was
so much in demand as a physician that he eventually attracted criticism
from some of his compatriots in his native land of lHo brag, who considered him over-concerned with his medical practice to the detriment of his
religious obligations. Thus Guru Chos dbangs father is reported to have
remarked: Doctor Khu tsha, owing to his medical practice, neglected to
serve living beings through the doctrine(Dudjom 1991: 765).
Time, however, seems to have vindicated Doctor Khu tsha, for despite his tireless medical activities, he nevertheless managed to leave a
religious legacy second to none. His Phur pa treasures have been enorbutions to Bon rDzogs chen (Kapstein 2009). Not only that, but he is re1
Our thanks to the UKs Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) who
sponsored our research on the Bon Phur pa tradition.
2
A translation of the full tantra will appear in our forthcoming publication with Brill.
3
Different sources give him different dates. See the discussion in Cantwell & Mayer 2013.

106

CATHY CANTWELL AND ROB MAYER

vered within Buddhist traditions too. Like his near-contemporary in lHo

brag Guru Chos dbang, Khu tsha also was involved with both Buddhism
and Bon (although in his case he was predominantly Bon po, while Chos
dbang was predominantly Buddhist). Thus later Buddhist luminaries,
such as the great Jam dbyangs mKhyen brtse dbang po in the ninteenth
century, came to be recognised as Khu tshas later reincarnation, and
mKhyen brtse dbang po also re-revealed some of Khu tshas Buddhist
Treasure that had otherwise been lost (the Rtsa gsum spyi dus snying
thig, propagated in our own time by the late Dil mgo mKhyen brtse).
Tibetan medicine is only one (albeit the largest and most important)
of a number of life enhancement practices that became associated especially with the Bon and rNying ma schools. As Fernand Meyer points
tions seem to originate in the later Imperial period, it would seem even
before the large scale triumph of Buddhism. A degree of conceptual
overlap is also visible between them, and a striking feature most of
them share is a highly syncretic mix of international cultural elements.
The medical tradition, for example, integrates Western, Indian, Chinese and indigenous Tibetan medical elements.4 Similarly, in the Wind
Horse (rlung rta) and conceptually related life enhancement practices,
trigrams, alongside indigenously Tibetan sgra bla deities.
Especially in the Bon and rNying ma, several categories from these
areas of indigenous Tibetan thinking on life-enhancement became integrated with the tantric longevity rites connected with such Indian deities
4
3. The year 1992 witnessed a landmark in Tibetan studies: the publication by Serindia of the monumental two volumes of Tibetan Medical
Paintings, the famous set of illustrations to the Blue Beryl treatise of Desi Sangye Gyamtsho (16531705) that had until then been considered lost. Perhaps more than any previous
publication, this work made apparent the international cultural hybridity of Tibetan medi-

the principal editors of this collaborative work, with smaller additional acknowledgements
Robert Mayer, Sergey Klokov and Helena Bespalova. Yet these attributions only tell part
share of credit should go to Anthony Aris. It was primarily his vision, his drive, his skill, his
artistic perfectionism, and his courageous refusal to bow to any of the seemingly endless
the wonderful colour reproductions (entirely Anthonys doing) and beautiful design and
layout (also entirely Anthonys doing) which have meant that it also still remains amongst

LONGEVITY RITUALS IN THE BON PHUR PA TRADITION

107

ple is the well-known indigenous category of the brang rgyas torma,

which is prominent in Bon and rNying ma tantric longevity rites alike.5
In the chapter on longevity from Doctor Khu tshas Black Pillar
Treasure translated below, we see evidence for the Tibetan-Indian syncretism so typical of these genres: for example, Indian ideas such as a
prominent and repeated presentation of the Tibetan category of brang
rgyas. In this respect, Chapter 25 is quite typical of the Black Pillar as
a whole, for, as we point out elsewhere (Cantwell & Mayer 2013), a
consistent pattern throughout this text is its re-use of indigenous Tibetoverall literary form of an Indian Buddhist tantra.
KA BA NAG PO MAN NGAG RTSA BAI RGYUD, CHAPTER 25
Base text (=Kanj): Ka ba nag po man ngag rtsa bai rgyud, Vol. 160,
pages 1125 of Theg chen g.yung drung bon gyi bka gyur, Bod ljongs
bod yig dpe rnying dpe skrun khang, Lhasa 1999. ( = 3rd edition of Bon
Kanjur, in 178 volumes)
Tenj: Volume 268, pp.1-163, Bon gyi brten gyur chen mo, 2nd Edition
(in 333 volumes), n.d., n.p., ISBN 7-223-00984-5 (sic). From a private
collection, courtesy of Dr J-L Achard. (This is identical to the version
found in Vol. 268, pp. 165345, of Tanbai Nyima, ed., Bonpo Tenjur,
380 Volumes, Lhasa, 1998.)
Ktm: dbu med ms from the library of Geshe Yungdung Gyaltsen, folios 1a49v. NGMPP Reel Number E3406/2, Running Number E55878,
KTY: oral explanations of Khenpo Tenpa Yungdrung, Shenten Dargye
Ling, Blou, France, 2011/12.
[87.4] [Tenj 115.5] [Ktm 35r.5]
Again, Thukj Jamma asked:
5

categories, but the brang rgyas

in his Sdom gsum rab dbye

brang rgyas as a ritual item for which he could

108

CATHY CANTWELL AND ROB MAYER

mkha gying rgyal po ston pai gtso/

Khajing, the King who is chief among Enlightened Guides,
[5] tshe bsgrub phrin las ji ltar lags/
What are the rituals for accomplishing longevity?
bdag cag khor la bshad du gsol /
Please explain them to [those of] us in your retinue.
zhes zhus pa6/ [Tenj 116]
Thus she asked, and
mkha gying ston pas7 bka stsal pa/
Khajing, the Enlightened Guide, replied:
gro ba tshe thung nad [6] mang pa8/
The lives of beings are short and their illnesses many.
byin rlabs dbang dang ldan pai phyir/
So that they might be endowed with empowering consecrations,
dbal phur nag poi gzhung las kyang/
The scriptural authorities of Black Wal Phurpa also
tshe bsgrub cho ga bshad pa ni9/
Explain the rituals for accomplishing longevity.10
lo zla tshes grangs dar bai tshe/
On a waxing day, month and year,11
[7] dben pai gnas su phyin nas kyang/
After going to an isolated spot,
gser skyem [Ktm 35v] zang zing sbyin pa btang/
Offer a golden libation and material wealth,
de nas bsnyen bsgrub rdzogs par bya/
Then perform the Approach and Accomplishment practice completely.
de og tshe chog bsgrub pai thabs/
After that, [use] the methods for accomplishing the longevity rituals.
7

ston pas: Ktm yab kyis

pa: Ktm la
9
bshad pa ni: Ktm ngas bshad do
10
Ktms reading would render: I will explain the rituals for accomplishing longevity, which also are found in the scriptural authorities of Black Wal Phurpa.
11
This implies an early month in the calendar, during spring or when there is still
growth, and a day early in the lunar month when the moon is still waxing.
8

LONGEVITY RITUALS IN THE BON PHUR PA TRADITION

109

12

rgya mdud thig lei dkyil khor bri/

13

[
[[So that] the [

/]14
] is adorned [with] place[marks] of glittering jewels.]15

dkyil khor dbus su bzhag pai rdzas/

Within a jewelled longevity vase,16

tshe chang sna tshogs ma lus dang/
Put together all the various kinds of longevity alcoholic drinks, and
snying po rnam lnga bsogs [2] par bya/
17

[de og tshe chog sgrub pai thabs/ ]18

12

: Ktm lam par rtsigs

13

(or
in Ktm, the well-made knot), mentioned in Chapter 24 (Kanj p.84.1), consisting of the
interconnecting squares contained within and at angles to one another at the centre of the
around the edges, which are ornamented by these precious jewels and decorative swastikas.
14
: omitted in Kanj and Tenj.
15
This line is omitted in Kanj and Tenj, but KTY reports a similar meaning in the
commentarial literature, so we include it here.
16
A bum pa can be either a vase with a rounded body and central opening with a lid,
P. Ogyan Tanzin Rinpoche comments that the bum pa
are convenient for pouring liquids and thereby bestowing the consecrations at the end
of the ritual (otherwise, consecration may be given simply by putting the vase on the
head). However, in this case, although the central bum pa appears to have liquid contents, not all of the others do, and it is quite likely that the vase type is intended here.
17
There are slight variants on the list. KTY advises that in this case, the list should be
molasses, melted butter, honey, beer and sea salt (bu ram, zhun mar, sbrang rtsi, chang,
lan tshva
and water. This list corresponds to one of the alternative lists given by the rNying ma
Phur pa commentator, Mag gsar Kun bzang stobs ldan. See Mag gsar 2003: 153.
18
This tshig rkang in our base text Kanj has been erroneously transposed from
above; it is not given in Ktm or Tenj.

110

CATHY CANTWELL AND ROB MAYER

de steng tshei brang rgyas la/

Above it,19 [place] the Longevity Dronggy,20
With food offering [tormas] of the three whites and the three sweets, and
spyan gzigs tshogs kyi brgyan pa ni/
adornments of many food offerings, pleasing to see.
They should be arranged as the longevity accomplishment supports.21
In the east, in a vase of conch, crystal or kharwa,22
zhal zas bye brag sna tshogs bsogs/
Assemble various kinds of foods.
brang rgyas zla gam dag gis kyang/ [Tenj 117]
Cover [this vase with] a pure semi-circular Dronggy,23
kha bcad zhal zas [4] sna tshogs brgyan/
Adorned with various offering foods.
19

brang rgyas is placed upon this.

KTY: The brang rgyas is a category of torma, but not all tormas are brang rgyas.
The brang rgyas has the distinguishing characteristic of being made from very tasty
food, and can come in different shapes and colours. One speaks of brang rgyas dkar po,
brang rgyas nag po, and so on. Some brang rgyas can have a round torma shape, but
for long life rituals, a round jewel like shape is often used. Long life brang rgyas are in
themselves a whole class of brang rgyas. In this instance here in the Ka ba nag po (and
similarly for all the examples below, of those in the different directions), it is the torma
brang rgyas
can refer to a number of ritual items, always embodying concentrated nutritional sustenance and representing richness or plenty. In rNying ma, the Longevity Dronggy refers
20

for longevity consecrations. Occasionally, a dough torma of the same vase like shape may
be used instead. A quite different type of brang rgyas or Jewel torma, sometimes referred
to as the dngos grub gyi brang rgyas (the siddhis dronggy), made out of dough in the
shape of jewels, is used for bestowing the accomplishments at the end of the practice session (see the illustrations of the two types of brang rgyas in Dudjom Collected Writings
Volume Za: 593). The term, brang rgyas, is also used more generally in a variety of
Tibetan cultural contexts, such as lay festivities, referring to an arrangement of a mound
21
This means that they support the presence of the deities and become the focus for
the meditative consecrations bestowing longevity.
22
KTY: khar ba, a mixed metal similar to that used for bells.
23
Note that the description here and below, in which a different shaped brang rgyas
is to be placed in each of the four directions, is similar to a rNying ma pa ritual arrangement for the bestowal of siddhis (see Dudjom Collected Writings Volume Da: 168169).

LONGEVITY RITUALS IN THE BON PHUR PA TRADITION

111

/
These should be arranged as the food accomplishment supports.
24

In the south, in a s copper25 vase,

The three whites, the three sweets, and medicines,
ri lu26 byas la nang du bzhugs27/
Are made into pills and placed within.
[5] brang rgyas sog khas28 kha bcad nas29/
[They] are covered30 with a dronggy [shaped like] a shoulder blade,31
These should be arranged as the merit accomplishment supports.
In the west, in a copper vase,
32

Assemble grapes, sap juice,33 molasses, honey,

In that case, a larger central brang rgyas (in a triple jewel shape) is surrounded by smaller
versions of the same four shapes listed here, although the different shapes are in different
positions: circular in the east, square in the south, semi-circular in the west, and triangular
in the north. According to notes based on the explanations of the dbu mdzad of the Jangsa
Monastery, Kalimpong, and participant observation of the ritual in Gelegphu, Bhutan (Noand is thus four-sided; the third has a semi-circular base and the fourth has a triangular base.
24
par bya: Tenj byao, Ktm pao
25
bse (or bswe) can indicate various materials. The Brda dkrol gser gyi me long
(Tsan lha ngag dbang tshul khrims, ed. 1997: 1004), gives zangs
listed meaning, but adds the alternatives of bse khrab bse rmog sogs. Khenpo Tenpa
Yungdrung advises that a particular type of good quality copper is indeed the intended
meaning in this case (as also in Chapter 23, p.79.5, and Chapter 24, p.84.2).
26
ri lu: Tenj ril bu
27
bzhugs: Tenj gzhug
28
sog khas: Tenj sogs khas, Ktm sogs bkas
29
nas: Tenj pa, Ktm la
30
The Dronggy is placed on a stand above the contents of the vase below, closing
or covering it.
31
Triangular in shape.
32
go la: Ktm omits
33
go la
Tshig mdzod chen mo as, sra rtsii rgyu bse shing gi khu ba, the
juice of the rose tree (Rosa sericea lindl., if this is equated with se ba), made from the
juice of its sap. However, some sources (Roerich Tibetan-Russian-English Dictionary
Vol.2) also/alternatively give acacia nut (betel nut). KTY advises that the term occurs
in old souces and refers here to a special kind of juice, most probably that of the rose.

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CATHY CANTWELL AND ROB MAYER

[6] gser dngul zangs lcags g.yu la sogs /

Gold, silver, copper, iron, turquoise, etc,
bru dang rin chen sna tshogs bsogs/
Various grains and precious jewels.
[The vase] is covered with a circular dronggy,
And [they are] arranged as the wealth accomplishment supports.
In the north, in a gold or brass vase,
me tog bye brag sna tshogs dang/
rin chen chang gis bye brag gsal/
Types of precious alcoholic beverages look radiant.
brang rgyas gru bzhis kha yang bcad/
[The vase] is covered with a square shaped dronggy,
/
And [they are] arranged as the fertility35 accomplishment supports.
34

de dus ting dzin rim pa ni/

For the stages of absorptions at this time:
dbal bon bdag gi thugs ka nas/
From the heart centre of [one]self [as] Wal Bon,
Through the emanation and reabsorption of e,

, and du,36

drag po dbals37 [2] phur gzhal [Tenj 118] yas sgom/

Meditate on the palace of wrathful Wal Phurpa.
In its centre, from
34

: Tenj, Ktm
; we follow Tenj and Ktm.
chung srid: KTY advises that this has the sense of producing children, so implies
fertility. Note the further occurrences of the term below.
36
du here is also intended as a syllable. This is a very frequent
syllable used in Bn mantras, with the meaning of gsol (pray) or rtsol (bestow), depending on the context.
37
dbals: Tenj, Ktm dbal; we follow Tenj and Ktm.
35

LONGEVITY RITUALS IN THE BON PHUR PA TRADITION

113

brug gsas chem pa yab yum gnyis /

[Arise] the pair of Druks Chempa in union with his consort.
thugs ka od zer [Ktm 36r] gzi brjid bar/
At their hearts, light rays blaze brilliantly.
Into ones own body, ones own three [body, speech and mind] centres,
the lifespan [essences which have] supported [the deities] enlightened
bodies, speech and mind are dissolved.
steng phyogs nam mkhai khra khyung gis/
38

steng og dbus nas tshe bkug nas/

Draw in lifespan from above, below, [and] the centre,
bdag gzhan gnas gsum [4] dag tu bstim/
Dissolving it into the three [bodily] centres of oneself and others.
tshei lha mo rgyal mtshan mas/
Meditate on the longevity goddess, Gyaltsenma (Royal Banner Lady),
bkra shis byin gyis rlab par bsgom/
Bestowing the consecration of auspiciousness.
In the east, from

khra gsas khyung rgod yab yum gnyis/

with his consort, in union.
[5] thugs kai od zer dpag med mdangs39/
Light rays from their hearts are an immeasurable radiance
bdag la dus shing bdag la thim/
Which gathers towards oneself and dissolves into oneself.
steng phyogs nam mkhai khra khyung gis/

38

See Chapter 6 of the Ka ba nag po for the Wal Hawks (dbal khra). The Hawk

39

mdangs: Ktm spros

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CATHY CANTWELL AND ROB MAYER

From the thousand realms of the eastern worlds,

[6] bcud bsdus rin chen gter du sbas40/
Gather the essences [and] let them fall as precious jewels,
bdag gzhan gnyis kyi rgyud la bstim/
Dissolving them into the mindstreams of both oneself and others.
bcud kyi lha mo bkrag byin mas/
Meditate on the goddess of essences, Trakjinma (Bestowing Brilliance Lady),
bcud gter41 byin gyis rlab par bsgom/
Bestowing the consecration of treasure essences.42
In the south, from

me sras
[Arise] the pair Ms Kamnak (Dark Brown Fire Divinity) and his consort in union.
43

thugs kai gsang mdzod nas45/

From the secret treasuries of their hearts and their places of union,
44

Light radiates, and merits descend like a great rain.

[90] steng phyogs nam mkhai khyung khrai/
46
of the sky above,
From the thousand regions of the southern worlds,
Gather the essences of merit [and] renown,
bdag gi47 bya byed48 las la bstim/
And dissolve them into ones actions and karma.
40

sbas: Tenj, Ktm phab; we follow Tenj and Ktm.

gter: Ktm rten
42
Ktms reading would render: the consecration [with] the support [of] the essences.
43
me sras: Tenj, Ktm me gsas; we follow Tenj and Ktm.
44
tshams: Tenj mtshams; tshams is a common alternative spelling of mtshams.
45
gsang mdzod nas: Ktm gsang ba mdzod
46
This time, the earlier order of khra khyung is now reversed, becoming khyung
khra
khyung khra or khra khyung.
47
gi: Tenj gis
48
bya byed: Ktm byed las
41

LONGEVITY RITUALS IN THE BON PHUR PA TRADITION

115

Meditate on the merit goddess, Pelchma (Increasing Lady),

gzi brjid grags par ster bar bsgom/
Bestowing brilliance [and] renown.
In the west, from

dbal gsas me bar yab yum gnyis/

[Arises] the couple, Wals Mbar (Fierce Divinity Ablaze) and his consort, in union.
thugs kai [3] od zer gsal ba mdangs/
Light rays from their hearts are a luminous radiance,
bdag la dus shing bdag la thim/
Which gathers towards oneself and dissolves into oneself.
steng phyogs nam mkhai khra khyung gis/
nub du49
From the thousand regions of the western worlds,
nor rdzas [4] dbyig gi bcud bsdus50 nas/
Gather the essences of wealth and jewels,
byin rlab char du bebs par byed/
Causing consecrations to descend like a rain.
lha mo nor gyi rgyun ma yis51/
Meditate on the goddess, Nor gyi Gyun ma (Stream of Wealth),
btsan phyugs52 byin gyis rlab par sgom/ [Tenj 120]
Bestowing the consecration [to become] powerful and wealthy.
In the north, from

glog gsas od gyu yab yum gnyis/

Are the pair of Loks gyu (Lightning Divinity Flashing Light) and his
consort, in union.
49

nub du: Tenj phyogs, Ktm nub phyogs

bsdus: Tenj bcus
51
yis: Tenj yi
52
phyugs: Tenj, Ktm phyug; we follow Tenj and Ktm.
50

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CATHY CANTWELL AND ROB MAYER

thugs ka gsang bai mdzod/

From the secret treasuries of their hearts and their places of union,
53

od zer sna tshogs gzha tshon khyil/

Variegated rainbow light rays are coalescing.
phar phros [6] gro bai rgyud bsdus nas/
Radiating out and bringing together the mind streams of sentient beings,
tshul54 bsdus dbang thang chung srid gsal55/
As they return back, authority and fertility56 clearly appear.
steng phyogs nam mkhai khyung khra57 yis/
58
of the sky above,
From the thousand regions of the northern worlds,
[7] chung srid59 dbang thang bcud bsdus na60/
Gather the essences of fertility and authority,
bdag gi rgyud la bstim par sgom/
And dissolve [them] into ones own mind stream. Meditate on this.
chung srid lha mo yi bzhin61 mas/
dbang thang chung srid byin gyis rlobs /
Grants the consecrations of authority and fertility.
de [91] bzhin phyogs bcu kun nas kyang/
In this way, from all the ten directions,
lha dang lha mor62 byin rlabs nas63/
Through the consecrations of the gods and goddesses,
53

tshams: Tenj mtshams

tshul: Tenj, Ktm tshur; we follow Tenj and Ktm.
55
chung srid gsal: Ktm chu srid dul
56
chung srid: see note 35 above.
57
khyung khra: Ktm khra khyung.
58
As in the instance above (p.90.1, note 46), the earlier order of khra khyung is
reversed, becoming khyung khra.
59
chung srid: Ktm chu srid (again, presumably, Ktm intends chung srid, and the
same spelling is given in Ktm in the further instances of the term below).
60
na: Tenj nas
61
yi bzhin: Tenj, Ktm yid bzhin; we follow Tenj and Ktm.
62
mor: Tenj, Ktm moi; we follow Tenj and Ktm.
63
nas: Tenj kyi, Ktm kyis
54

LONGEVITY RITUALS IN THE BON PHUR PA TRADITION

117

byin rlabs64 dngos grub rin chen char/

Consecration and accomplishment jewels rain down.
phyogs mtshams [2] yongs la65
Meditate on them falling from throughout the cardinal and intermediate
directions.
de tshe snying po di yang brjod/
At this time also recite this essence mantra:
trag sha tib ta kyi ling ya67/ tsa kra ma ra ya/
a pra tsin [3] dha/ khro ta tista bhin dha68
66

phya smar d
bebs ho tista71 lhan/

69

70

zhes bzlas [4] dbyangs kyis bskul la72 gdab73/

Having recited this, offer a song of invocation.
dngos grub byin rlabs bcud bsdus nas/
Having gathered the essences of accomplishment and consecrations,
mi gyur g.yung drung lta bu thob/
The unchanging yungdrung like [state] is attained,
gzi brjid od dang ldan par gyur/
[One] becomes resplendent with light.
zhes [5] gsungs swo74/
Thus he spoke.
ka ba nag poi man ngag rtsa bai rgyud las tshe bsgrub bstan pai leu
ste/ nyi shu lnga pao/
From the Black Pillar Oral Instruction Root Tantra, this is the twen64

rlabs: Tenj brlabs

la: Tenj, Ktm nas; we follow Tenj and Ktm.
66
hre: Tenj, Ktm he
67
kyi ling ya: Ktm kyi li ya
68
tista bhin dha: Ktm sti ta brin dha
69
: Tenj nya
70
: Ktm rad nya ma ma
(ma ma and pa le are in
small writing and may not be intended as insertions).
71
ho tista: Ktm o ti sta
72
la: Tenj: pa
73
dbyangs kyis bskul la gdab: Ktm dbyings kyis di skad bskur (presumably, dbyangs is intended).
74
zhes gsungs swo: Ktm omits
65

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CATHY CANTWELL AND ROB MAYER

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