Professional Documents
Culture Documents
N - T F C C: Epalica Ibetica Estgabe For Hristoph Üppers
N - T F C C: Epalica Ibetica Estgabe For Hristoph Üppers
NEPALICA-TIBETICA
FESTGABE FOR CHRISTOPH CÜPPERS
BAND 2
2013
IITBS
International Institute for Tibetan and Buddhist Studies GmbH
Franz-Karl Ehrhard & Petra Maurer (Hrsg.)
NEPALICA-TIBETICA
FESTGABE FOR CHRISTOPH CÜPPERS
BAND 2
BEITRÄGE ZUR ZENTRALASIENFORSCHUNG
begründet von R. O. Meisezahl † und Dieter Schuh
herausgegeben von Peter Schwieger
Band 28, 2
NEPALICA-TIBETICA
FESTGABE FOR CHRISTOPH CÜPPERS
BAND 2
Herausgegeben von
2013
IITBS
ISBN 978-3-03809-119-6
Alle Rechte vorbehalten. Ohne ausdrückliche Genehmigung des Verlages ist es nicht gestattet, das
Buch oder Teile daraus fotomechanisch oder auf andere Weise zu vervielfältigen.
© (IITBS) International Institute for Tibetan and Buddhist Studies GmbH, Andiast
Courtesy of Cristina Scherrer-Schaub
PREFACE
A person’s 65th birthday is often considered as the occasion to reflect on his or her life and
achievements and to express one’s thanks. This opportunity has arisen this year in the case of our
friend and travelling companion Christoph Cüppers, who has dedicated his life to Tibetan and
Nepalese Studies and assisted and supported many academic projects and careers in these fields.
Christoph was born into a family of lawyers from the Rhineland. His academic background is
unusual as he began by studying art from 1970 to 1975 at the “Staatliche Kunstakademie
Düsseldorf”. He trained under artists such as Joseph Beuys and Gotthard Graubner. It was during
that time that he first travelled to Asia and, on reaching Southern India, encountered Tibetan
culture and its exile communities. On his return to Germany the decision was made: he changed
to Oriental Studies and started to learn Tibetan, Sanskrit, Pali and Chinese at the University of
Hamburg. At an Institute where the study of Tibet and its Buddhist traditions had attracted a
small band of fellow students, his teachers were, to name a few, dGe-bshes dGe-’dun blo-gros,
Lambert Schmithausen and Albrecht Wezler.
Fascinated by Asia he returned frequently to Southern India and Himachal Pradesh. A
scholarship of the “Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes” enabled him to continue his practice
on the spot: at Sera Monastery in Bylakuppe he studied Tibetan language and philosophy. With
the death in 1979 of his teacher dGe-bshes dGe-’dun blo-gros, who had been a formative
influence on his students, it was planned to fill the recently established chair in Tibetan Studies at
the University of Hamburg with a native scholar. It was Christoph who facilitated the stay of
dGe-bshes Tshul-khrims phun-tshogs at the Institute, helped in practical matters and acted as
translator.
Soon afterwards, in 1983, Christoph finished his dissertation, a textual study of the ninth
chapter of the Samādhirājasūtra. Immediately after taking his degree he was offered by Albrecht
Wezler the position of Deputy Director of the Nepal-German Manuscript Project (NGMPP) and
Nepal Research Centre (NRC) in Kathmandu. On his first arrival he fell in love with the country,
and his feelings towards Nepal have remained constant for the last thirty years.
During his time at the NGMPP and NRC, of which he later became Director, he worked in
close cooperation with the National Archives and the Department of Archaeology, collecting
Tibetan manuscripts and block prints in the Kathmandu valley, and conducting expeditions to
photograph manuscripts in regions of the Nepalese Himalayas such as Helambu, Southern
Mustang, Jumla and Solu Khumbu. Besides his duties as Director, he supported many individual
scholars in their research and assisted larger projects sponsored by the German Research Council
such as the Nepal Research Programme under Bernhard Kölver. These activities continued even
after his term had finished and after the establishment under Willibald Haffner and Dieter Schuh
of a new programme of the German Research Council called Tibet Himalaya.
In 1989 Christoph returned together with his wife Savitri and their son Bikas to his hometown
of Düsseldorf in order to work on a project at the University of Bonn. His interests had changed
to politics and history: the new project was concerned with state formation in 17th-century Tibet
and was based on a critical edition and annotated translation of the “Guidelines for Government
officials” written by the regent Sangs-rgyas rgya-mtsho.
During this time he also worked on the edition and translation of a manuscript containing a
Tibetan-Newari Lexicon and on a compilation of Tibetan proverbs and sayings. He also
undertook a longer field trip in 1992 to Dharmsala, where he studied and collected Tibetan
documents, and in 1994 he assisted the Austrian-Italian research team in Tabo in the region of
Spiti.
viii Preface
In 1995, with the establishment by the Reiyukai of the Lumbini International Research
Institute (LIRI) at Buddha’s birthplace, Christoph and Savitri returned to Nepal. Their home in
Sano Thimi has served since then—like the LIRI—as a centre for scholarly exchange and
personal encounters between foreign researchers and native scholars. As Director, Christoph has
initiated several series of publications with a growing number of titles; they are for the most part
results of research projects in the fields of Buddhist, Tibetan and Nepalese Studies, supported by
the LIRI and conducted on the spot. Successful seminars have also been held in Lumbini, the first
of these in the year 2000 on the subject of the “Relationship between Religion and State (chos
srid zung ’brel) in Traditional Tibet.”
Although the administrative duties are heavy, Christoph continues to travel and to cooperate
with researchers, working, for example, with the International Tibetan Archives Preservation
Trust (ITAPT) and the Tibetan Autonomous Regional Archives (TARA) in Lhasa, and finds the
time to continue his research work.
It is therefore a great pleasure to present to Christoph this Festgabe with contributions from
friends and colleagues covering the fields of his interest and documenting his influence and
inspiration. We would like to thank Dieter Schuh und Nikolai Solmsdorf, who were of great help
in producing this volume and bringing the individual articles into a coherent format. Special
thanks go to all the authors for delivering their articles in time and making this collection a true
offering.
Volume One
EBERHARD BERG
On the Current Revitalization of the rNying ma Tradition among the Sherpas of
Nepal 1
ROLAND BIELMEIER
Das Land Marutse in den Biographien des Padmasambhava 27
KATIA BUFFETRILLE
The rTsib ri Pilgrimage: Merit as Collective Duty? 37
VOLKER CAUMANNS
Paṇ chen Shākya mchog ldan’s Monastic Seat Thub bstan gSer mdog can (Part I):
The History of its Foundation 65
OLAF CZAJA
Tibetan Medicinal Plants and Their Healing Potentials 89
FRANZ-KARL EHRHARD
The Royal Print of the Maṇi bka' 'bum: Its Catalogue and Colophon 143
KARL-HEINZ EVERDING
Introduction to a Research Project on Documents Issued During the Period of the
Great Mongolian Empire to Tibetan Recipients 173
JÖRG HEIMBEL
The Jo gdan tshogs sde bzhi: An Investigation into the History of the Four
Monastic Communities in Śākyaśrībhadra’s Vinaya Tradition 187
AMY HELLER
A Sculpture of Avalokiteśvara Donated by the Ruler of Ya tse (Ya rtse mnga’
bdag) 243
NATHAN W. HILL
The Emergence of the Pluralis majestatis and the Relative Chronology of Old
Tibetan Texts 249
TONI HUBER
The Iconography of gShen Priests in the Ethnographic Context of the Extended
Eastern Himalayas, and Reflections on the Development of Bon Religion 263
DAVID P. JACKSON
Several Episodes in the Recent History of Lumbini 295
xii Contents
MATTHEW T. KAPSTEIN
A Fragment from a Previously Unknown Edition of the Pramāṇavārttika
Commentary of Rgyal-tshab-rje Dar-ma-rin-chen (1364-1432) 315
Monographs
1. The IXth Chapter of the Samādhirājasūtra: A Text-critical Study of Mahāyāna Sūtras (= Alt-
und Neu-Indische Studien, 41). Stuttgart: Franz Steiner, 1990.
2. (together with K. Tamot und P. Pierce) A Tibetan-Newari Lexicon Cum Phrase Book (=
Nepalica, 10). Bonn: VGH Wissenschaftsverlag, 1996.
3. (together with P.K. Sørensen) Collection of Tibetan Proverbs and Sayings: Gems of Tibetan
Wisdom and Wit (= Tibetan and Indo-Tibetan Studies, 7). Stuttgart: Franz Steiner, 1998.
4. Die Verordnungen für das Abrechnungswesen tibetischer Amtsstellen der dGa’ ldan pho
brang-Regierung. Faksimile-Edition und Transliteration der Hs. Cod. Tibet 24 der
Bayerischen Staatsbibliothek (= Monumenta Tibetica Historica).Andrast: International
Instiute for Tibetan and Buddhist Studies GmbH (in press a).
5. Staatsdienst in Tibet: Die Richtlinien für die Beamten der dGa’ ldan pho brang-Regierung
nach dem Text Blang dor gsal bar ston pa’i drang thig dvangs shel gyi me long nyer gcig pa
des Regenten Sangs rgyas rgya mtsho (= Monumenta Tibetica Historica). Andiast:
International Institute for Tibetan and Buddhist Studies GmbH (in press b).
Articles
1. “On the Manufacture of Ink.” Ancient Nepal. Journal of the Department of Archaeology,
113, 1989, pp. 1-7.
3. “Zhabs-dkar bla-ma tshogs-drug rang-grol’s visits to Nepal and his Contribution to the
Decoration of the Bodhnāth Stūpa.” In G. Toffin (ed.), Nepal. Past and Present:
Proceedings of the Franco-German Conference, Arc-et-Senans, June 1990. Paris: CNRS /
Dehli: Sterling, 1993, pp. 151-158.
4. “Short Remarks on the Caves of Tabo in Spiti.” Ancient Nepal. Journal of the Department of
Archaeology, 138, 1995, pp. 131-134.
7. “The ’Phags-pa Script.” In A. Kretschmar (ed.), The Fifth Seal: Calligraphic Icons /
Kalligraphikons. Paintings by Rolf A. Kluenther. Kathmandu 1998, pp. 49-50.
8. “Eine Merkliste mit den Aufgaben der Distriktbeauftragten (rdzong dpon) aus dem 17.
Jahrhundert.” In H. Eimer, M. Hahn, M. Schetelich & P. Wyzlic (eds.), Studia Tibetica et
Mongolica: Festschrift für Manfred Taube (= Indica et Tibetica, 34). Swisttal-Odendorf:
Indica et Tibetica, 1999, pp. 51-70.
9. “A Letter Written by the Fifth Dalai Lama to the King of Bhaktapur.” Journal of the Nepal
Research Centre, 12, 2001, pp. 39-42.
10. “Some Remarks on the Tibetan Language used in Former Government Decrees.” In Srong
btsan spyi’i tshogs ’dus thengs dang po / bod kyi brda sprod skad yig gi skor. Dehradun:
Songtsen Library, 2003, pp. 222-229.
12. “Newar Craftsmen Employed by the Early dGa’-ldan pho-brang Rulers.” In C. Jest, T.R.
Kansakar and M. Turin (eds.), Kesar Lall: a Homage on the Occasion of his Buraa Kanko.
Kathmandu: Marina Paper, 2004, pp. 30-33.
13. “Brag-dkar-ba Chos-kyi dbang-phyug’s reminder notes for the duties of a dkon-gnyer.” In
S. Hino and T. Wada (eds.), Three Mountains and Seven Rivers: Prof. Musashi Tachikawa’s
felicitation volume. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 2004, pp. 601-606.
14. “The classification of people: romanized text edition and English translation of the sKyes
bu rnam ’byed bshad pa gzhon nu’i mgul rgyan attributed to Sa-skya Paṇḍita Kun-dga’
rgyal-mtshan.” Journal of the International College for Advanced Buddhist Studies, 7, 2004,
pp. 107-160.
15. (together with Dieter Schuh, Roland Bielmeier und Burghart Schmidt) “Forschungsbericht
über die Exploration der Höhlen des Muktinath-Tales (1986-1987).” Zentralasiatische
Studien, 35, 2006, pp. 107-172.
16. “bsTan ’dzin Chos rgyal’s Bhutan Legal Code of 1729 in Comparison with sDe srid Sangs
rgyas rgya mtsho’s Guidelines for Government Officials.” In J.A. Ardussi and F. Pommaret
(eds.), Bhutan: Tradition and Changes (= Brill’s Tibetan Studies Library, 10/5).
Leiden/Boston: Brill, 2007, 45-52.
17. “Registers and Account Books of the dGa’-ldan pho-brang Government.” In R. Prats
(ed.), The Pandita and the Siddha: Tibetan Studies in Honour of E. Gene Smith.
Dharamsala: Amnye Machen Institute, 2007, pp. 12-15.
18. “Die Reise- und Zeltlagerordnung des Fünften Dalai Lama.” In B. Kellner, H. Krasser, H.
Lasic, W.T. Much and H. Tauscher (eds.), Pramāṇkīrtiḥ: Papers Dedicated to Ernst
Steinkellner on the Occasion of his 70th Birthday, Part 1 (= Wiener Studien zur Tibetologie
Publication List of Christoph Cüppers xv
und Buddhismuskunde, 70.1). Wien: Arbeitskreis für Tibetische und Buddhistische Studien
der Universität Wien, 2007, pp. 37-51.
19. (together with Franz-Karl Ehrhard) “Die Kupferplatten der Könige Ādityamalla und
Puṇyamalla von Ya-tshe.” In P. Maurer und P. Schwieger (eds.), Tibetstudien: Festschrift
für Dieter Schuh zum 65. Geburtstag. Bonn: Bier’sche Verlagsanstalt, 2007, pp. 37-42.
20. “Some Remarks on the Entries and Quotations Taken from the rtsis gzhi phyogs
bsgrigs (Rtsii) in S.C. Das’ Tibetan-English Dictionary.” In B. Huber, M. Volkart and P.
Widmer (eds.), Chomolangma, Demawend and Kasbek: Festschrift für Roland Bielmeier zu
seinem 65. Geburtstag, Vol. 1: Chomolangma(= Beiträge zur Zentralasienforschung, 12.1).
Halle: International Institute for Tibetan and Buddhist Studies GmbH, 2008, pp. 15-28.
22. “Ein Erlaß des Königs Gushri Khan aus dem Jahr 1643.” Zentralasiatische Studien, 40,
2011, pp. 165-177.
23. “Gtsang khrims yig chen mo — A Tibetan legal code kept in the National Archives of
Nepal.” Abhilekh, 30, V.S. 2069 (2013), pp. 87-106.
Edited Volumes
1. (together with Franz-Karl Ehrhard and Philip Pierce) Views of the Bodhnath Stupa (=
Bauddha Books, 1). Kathmandu: Vajra Publications, 1991.
2. (together with Franz-Karl Ehrhard and Ulrike Roesler) Ulrike & Hans-Ulrich
Roesler: Kadampa Sites of Phenpo: A Guide to some early Buddhist Monasteries in Central
Tibet (= Bauddha Books, 2). Kathmandu: Vajra Publications, 2004.
3. The Relationship Between Religion and State (chos srid zung ’brel) in Traditional Tibe:
Proceedings of a Seminar Held in Lumbini, Nepal, March 2000 (= LIRI Seminar
Proceedings Series, 1). Lumbini: Lumbini International Research Institute, 2004.
4. (together with Max Deeg and Hubert Durt) The Birth of the Buddha: Proceedings of the
Seminar Held in Lumbini, Nepal, October 2004 (= LIRI Seminar Proceeding Series, 3).
Lumbini: Lumbini International Research Institute, 2010.
5. (together with Leonard van der Kuijp, Ulrich Pagel. With a Chinese Introduction by Dobis
Tsering Gyal) Handbook of Tibetan Iconometry. A Guide to the Arts of the 17th Century (=
Tibetan Studies Library, 16:4). Leiden / Boston, 2012.
Reviews
3. Eimer, Helmut: Der Tantra-Katalog des Bu-ston im Vergleich mit der Abteilung Tantra des
tibetischen Kanjur (= Indica et Tibetica, 17). Bonn: Indica et Tibetica, 1989. Zeitschrift der
Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft, 145, 1995, pp. 201-202.
4. Harrison, Paul: The Samādhi of Direct Encounter with the Buddhas of the Present (= Studia
Philologica Buddhica, Monograph Series, 9). Tokyo: The International Institute for
Buddhist Studies, 1990. Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft, 145,
1995, pp. 199-201.
Lexicographical Contributions
2. http://www.tibet-encyclopaedia.de/kompensationsrecht.html
3. http://www.tibet-encyclopedia.de/gesetzbuecher.html
4. http://www.tibet-encyclopedia.de/regierungsverordnung.html
CONTENTS
Volume Two
CHRISTIAN LUCZANITS
The Buddha Beyond: Figuration in Gandharan Cult Imagery 1
DAN MARTIN
Pavements Like the Sea and the Name of the Jokhang: King Solomon and the
Queen of Sheba in Lhasa? 23
KLAUS-DIETER MATHES
Clouds of Offerings to Lady g.Yang ri—A Protector Practice by the First Yol mo
sprul sku Shākya bzang po (15th/16th Cent.) 37
PETRA MAURER
Pferderennen und ihre Bedeutung in Tibet 57
CHARLES RAMBLE
Both Fish and Fowl? Preliminary Reflections on Some Representations of a
Tibetan Mirror-World 75
CRISTINA SCHERRER-SCHAUB
A Frontier Tale: Fragmented Historical Notes on Spiti Monasteries Documents
Kept in the Museum of Lahore. Part I. 117
DIETER SCHUH
Tibetischen Inschriften ins Maul geschaut: Beobachtungen zu Stein- und
Felsinschriften sowie den Schriften des 7. bis 9. Jahrhunderts in Tibet 143
PETER SCHWIEGER
A Forbidden Nepalese-Tibetan Love Affair 185
MARTA SERNESI
Rare Prints of bKa’ brgyud Texts: A Preliminary Report 191
WEIRONG SHEN
Revitalizing Sino-Tibetan Buddhist Studies: Some Old and New Thoughts 211
PETER SKILLING
The Samādhirāja-Sūtra and its Mahāsāṃghika Connections 227
MANFRED G. TREU
Lakṣmīprasāda Devakoṭās Essay "Auf der Sitzmatte" 253
vi Contents
HELGA UEBACH
The lHo-brag Cliff Inscription: An Attempt to Read it with the Help of Katia
Buffetrille’s Photographs of 1988 261
ROBERTO VITALI
From Sum ru to the Great Central Asian “Sea of Sand”: Hints on the Role of the
mThong khyab in the State Organisation of Dynastic Tibet 269
MICHAEL WALTER
‘All that Glitters Is Gold’: The Place of the Yellow Metal in the Brahmanic,
Scythian, and Early Buddhist Traditions 283
ZUHIŌ YAMAGUCHI
The Connection Between Tu-fan (吐蕃) in the First Half of the Seventh Century
and Nepal 299
KODO YOTSUYA
dGe lugs pa Interpretation of Bhāvaviveka’s Critique of Buddhapālita’s
Argumentation of Non-Origination from Self 323
CLOUDS OF OFFERINGS TO LADY G.YANG RI1—
A PROTECTOR PRACTICE BY THE FIRST YOL MO SPRUL SKU SHĀKYA BZANG PO
(15TH/16TH CENT.)2
Klaus-Dieter Mathes
About a decade after my friend and colleague celebrated in this volume had taken over the local
direction of the Nepal-German Manuscript Preservation Project, when it had become my turn to
venture into the high mountain valleys of northern Nepal in search of Tibetan texts, I gratefully
stepped through the doors Christoph had opened, and found myself shortly after my arrival in
Kathmandu in the fall of 1993, in one of the most fascinating parts of the Himalayas, the hidden
snow land of Yol mo.3 Some of the texts used in this paper are from this time.
The centre of Yol mo is believed to be “Prosperity Mountain” (Tib. g.yang ri),4 a peak of 3,771m
altitude overlooking the village of Tarkeghyang. The original population of Yol mo believes that
the mountain is identical with A ma Jo mo g.Yang ri (“Mother Lady Prosperity Mountain”),5 an
independent mother goddess of popular religious believe. According to the rNying ma pa school
of Tibetan Buddhism, however, she is only a local protectress (subjugated and bound by oath to
Padmasambhava), namely the “guardian of the power place [Lotus Grove]” (gnas bdag), in some
texts also referred to as the “guardian of [Yol mo] territory” (gzhi bdag), or the “guardian of
treasures” (gter bdag). Most of the common people in Yol mo, however, are not aware of this
subjugation story.6 The “Clouds of Offerings to Lady g.Yang ri” is an important witness
documenting the integration of a local cult into a more universal form of religion, namely the
northern treasure tradition (byang gter) of the rNying ma pa school.
sNgags ’chang Shākya bzang po, the “Author” of the Clouds of Offerings to Lady g.Yang ri
Shākya bzang po, a treasure-finder of the rNying ma pa school from southern Tibet (see plate 1),
is most prominently known for having repaired the Bodhnāth7 and Svayambūnāth8 stūpas. In
doing so, he founded the lineage of Yol mo sprul skus, in virtue of having discovered earlier,
during a renovation of bSam yas in the year 1512, an inventory of the Bodhnāth stūpa, which
prophesies in its last chapter that Shākya bzang po will be a reincarnation of Padma Gung btsan, a
minister at Khri srong de’u btsan’s (ruled from 755 until 797) court. Through this strategy he
managed to be perceived in relation to the myth of the Bodhnāth stūpa.9 Moreover, Shākya bzang
po opened the hidden land of Yol mo, called “Lotus Grove” (padma’i tshal), and founded the first
temple in Yol mo, Tsu ḍī,10 in the vicinity of Tarkeghyang.11 According to Lama Ye shes rdo rje’s
biography of Shākya bzang po, the first Yol mo sPrul sku founded Tsu ḍī and collected numerous
1
The full title of the text is: “Clouds of Offerings to the Guardian of the Power Place of the Hidden Snow
Land of Yol mo, the Mighty Lady g.Yang ri.”
2
Improvements to my English by Philip H. Pierce (Nepal Research Centre, Kathmandu) are gratefully
acknowledged.
3
Literally, “The hidden land Yol mo, [surrounded] by a fence of snow [mountains]” (sbas yul yol mo gangs
kyi ra ba). Yol mo, which also goes by the name of Helambu, lies north-east of Kathmandu along the upper
reaches of the Melamchi and Yangri rivers. See Clarke 1980:3-4.
4
Sometimes also spelled dbyangs ri, “melodious” or “harmonious mountain.”
5
This is confirmed by Zsoka Gelle, who is currently working on a PhD project on Yol mo at the University
of Vienna. For a similar perception of a mountain (i.e., Crystal Mountain Dragon Roar in Dolpo) behaving
as a deity, see Mathes 1999:72.
6
According to Zsoka Gelle.
7
Ehrhard 1990:7-9.
8
Ehrhard 1991:14.
9
Ehrhard 2007:27.
10
In Nepali Churighyang, and in Tibetan rTse ri.
11
Ehrhard 2007:26; Ye shes rdo rje 2012:17.
38 Klaus-Dieter Mathes
sacred items and relics for his temple. Of particular interest is the fact that Shākya bzang po
entrusted the “protectress of the teaching” (bka’ srung) and “guardian of [Yol mo] territory” (gzhi
bdag) g.Yang ri with the task of protecting the sacred objects he brought there from being carried
across the pass above and the “red water” (dmar chu). These probably are, respectively, the Ganja
La (leading to Langthang) and the Indravatī Khola to the south-east.12
Lady g.Yang ri
In Shākya bzang po’s “Clouds of Offerings,” Lady g.Yang ri is said to be the queen of sman
mos13 and a guardian of the area (gzhi bdag) who rides a dragon (see plate 2). Having a dragon as
mount could hint at Chinese influence. In his Vaiḍūrya dkar po, for example, the Tibetan regent
sDe srid Sangs rgyas rgya mtsho (1653-1705) refers to the guardian of the ground (sa bdag) Nang
lha as the “master of a dragon” (’brug rje), which is, according to him, a title of Chinese origin.14
A more likely origin is Bon, however, where one of the “four sman [mos] of miraculous power”
(rdzu ’phrul sman bzhi)15 rides a dragon (and the remaining three, a garuḍa, lion, and tiger).16 In
the preliminary remarks to his “A Petitionary Offering to the Great Guardian of the Teaching, the
Emanated Lady g.Yang ri,” a certain Ngag dbang dam chos rgyal mtshan informs us that our
guardian lady belongs to the same category of beings as the five sisters of auspiciousness and
long life (bkra shis tshe ring mched lnga) mentioned in Mi la ras pa’s (ca. 1028-1111)17 biography
and songs of realization.18 According to this ritual, the adept must first place a statue or picture of
lady g.Yang ri on his shrine, along with a statue or painting of Tārā, Padmasambhava, Mi la ras
pa, and the five sisters.19 The mention of Mi la ras pa is indicative of the great esteem this bKa’
brgyud yogin enjoys in Yol mo, which is most evident in the prominent role Mi la’s retreat cave
sTag phug seng ge rdzong plays in this region, and suggests that Lady g.Yang ri is thought of as
standing in a similar relation to Mi la ras pa as the five sisters (see below). Another interesting
piece of information from Ngag dbang dam chos rgyal mtshan’s “A Petitionary Offering” is that
the adept invites Lady g.Yang ri, the queen of sman mos, to come from the cave of the hidden
land “Lotus Grove” on the slopes of the crystal snow mountains and other places such as the Yol
mo palace constructed of heaped jewels.20 To the north of g.Yang ri Peak on the trail to Ganja La,
12
Ye shes rdo rje 2012:17-18: “[Shākya bzang po] founded the Tsu ḍī temple ... and put there whatever
came into his hands, be it supports of the Buddha’s body, speech and mind, or treasure (gter ma) items, or
items associated with empowerments and realization. He entrusted the protectress of the teaching and
territorial guardian g.Yang ri ma with the task [of protecting] these items from being carried away over the
pass above or the red river.” (tsu ḍī dgon pa phyag btab ... sku gsung thugs rten | gter rdzas | dbang rdzas |
sgrub rdzas sogs phyag tu gang bzhugs su gsol nas | ’di rnams yar la la ma brgal | mar chu la ma brgal |
zhes bka’ srung dang gzhi bdag g.yang ri ma la gnyer gtad mdzad |).
13
For a characterization of the sman mo spirits, see Nebesky-Wojkowitz 1975:198-202.
14
See Schuh 2011:8-9.
15
Listed in Tenzin Namdak 1972:632.
16
In Bon, these four sman mos are the underlying principles of the four elements—earth, air, fire and water
(Martin 2001:61).
17
Quintman 2008:363.
18
Ngag dbang dam chos rgyal mtshan: g.Yang ri ma’i gsol mchod, fol. 1a1-2: “... the local guradian of the
Hidden Snow Land and so forth, the great protectress of the teaching, who belongs to the same category [of
beings] as the five sisters of auspiciousness and long life, the emanated Lady g.Yang ri ma....” (...sbas (text:
bal) yul gangs rwa sogs kyi gzhi bdag bka’ srung (text: bsrung) chen mo bkra shis tshe ring mched lnga’i ya
gyal du gyur pa sprul pa’i jo mo g.yang ri ma’i...).
19
Op. cit., fol. 1a3: “The general supports of the Buddha’s body, speech and mind, along with statues,
pictures, reliefs, and so forth of noble Tārā, the precious one from Oḍḍiyāna, noble Mi la, the five sisters of
long life, and Lady g.Yang ri ma, are agreeably displayed.” (sku gsung thugs rten spyi dang | bye brag rje
btsun sgrol ma dang | o rgyan rin po che | rje btsun mi la | tshe ring mched lnga | jo mo g.yang ri ma bcas
sku bris ’bur sogs ci ’byor legs par bkram pa’i ...).
20
Op. cit.: fol. 2b1-2: “The great queen of sman [mos], Lady g.Yang ri ma and her retinue are brought here
instantaneously from the cave of the hidden land “Lotus [Grove]” [on] the slopes of the crystal snow
mountains, the Yol mo palace of heaped jewels and other [places].” (sbal yul padma’i phug gangs dkar shel
Clouds of Offerings to Lady g.Yang ri 39
not far from the snow mountains, there are a Padmasambhava cave called “cave of
accomplishment” (sgrub phug) and close by, the caves of Mandāravā and Ye shes mtsho rgyal. In
the Nepal itinerary composed by the Sixth Zhwa dmar pa Chos kyi dbang phyug (1584-1630),
this location is described as being located in the middle of a mass of scattered rocks, which
indeed appear as described in the text, namely as if they were heaped wish-fulfilling jewels21 (see
plate 3). Locating Lady g.Yang ri’s abode in the area of the Padmasambhava cave, is expressive
of perceiving Lady g.Yang ri as a subjugated sman mo deity.
In another offering ritual to the guardians of treasure (gter bdag), recently written by the
contemporary Yol mo lamas dBang chen and Nyi ma, Lady g.Yang ri is invoked and served as
the last of four guardians, the first three being rDo rje legs pa, Gle ru, and Cha ti. Lady g.Yang ri
and g.Yang ri Peak, to which she is invited, are described as follows:
The power place called Yol mo, prophesied by Padmasambhava, has the form of an opened
lotus, and in the middle of it is the imposing king of mountains (i.e., g.Yang ri). No matter
where one looks [at it] from, it is beautiful and majestic. The moon and the sun circle around
its peak. Fog ever gathers at its waist. From its peak, [the surrounding peaks look] like small
mountains. The midair flashes like lightning, and there are continuous heavy thunderbolts and
hail. Forests adorn all the directions. There are various fruit trees with ripe fruit, flowers of all
colours, deer, and very frightening beasts. A variety of birds sing sweetly. To such a supreme
power place [as the mountain of] g.Yang ri—its tall body like a crystal touching the sky, its
dome of blue turquoise, and its four sides of black iron, with splendour around its red summit
[full of] wild roses, and ornamented with gold and silver rings—to this supreme power place,
to its throne [of] beautiful jewels erected inside the tall body [of the mountain, Lady g.Yang ri]
is invited, [she who is] the local guardian of intact [tantric] commitment, bound by [oath to]
Padmasambhava of Oḍḍiyāna.22
Lady g.Yang ri is conspicuously absent in Chos kyi dbang phyug’s Nepal itinerary,
notwithstanding that in its detailed treatment of Yol mo g.Yang ri Peak is mentioned twice, if
with the variant reading ri g.yang ril23 (“Mount Prosperity Ball”). g.Yang ri Peak does indeed
have a very round shape, and the description of Chos kyi dbang phyug’s itinerary towards the
Padmasambhava cave in the north perfectly matches the actual topography:
gyi mgul dang | yol mo’i rin chen spungs pa’i pho brang sogs nas sman btsun chen mo jo mo g.yang ri ma
’khor dang bcas pa skad cig gis spyan drangs par gyur |).
21
Zhwa dmar pa Chos kyi dbang phyug: Bal yul du dgrod pa’i lam yig, fol. 36b2-4: “That sacred power
place of accomplishing what is completely perfect ... in the middle of it is a mass of rocks which look like a
supreme heaped mass of wish-fulfilling jewels. In the middle of them, the cave of siddhis...” (yang dag
mchog gi sgrub gnas dam pa de | ... dbus na yid bzhin nor bu’i phung po mchog | spung pa lta bu’i rdza brag
stug po’i dbus dngos grub phug pa...).
In his Vaiḍūrya dkar po, sDe srid Sangs rgyas rgya mtsho writes that a landscape is ideal when the front of
a mountain looks like a heap of jewels (Maurer 2009:255).
22
dBang chen & Nyi ma: gNas chen yol mo’i gangs ra’i gter bdag mchod pa, 10a2-11a1: gnas ni yol mo
zhes | padma ’byungs gnas lung bstan pa | dbyibs (text dbyib) ni padma kha phye ’dra | padma de’i lte ba la |
ri rgyal lhun po re ’dug (text: gdug) | ga nas ltas kyang mdzes shing brjid | rtse la nyi zla ’khor ro ro | sked
(text: skyed) la na bun (text: ’un) thib se thibs | rtse (text: rtsa) na ri phran ltar bar snang glog (text: klog)
ltar khyug se khyug | thog chen ser ba sha ra ra | phyogs rnams thams cad nags rgyan | shing tog (text: thog)
sna tshogs ’bras bu ldan | me tog dkar dmar gser la sogs | ri dwags mang po de na gnas | gcan gzan (text:
zan) mang po ngar ’tsher | bya rnams sna tshogs skad snyan (text: snyen) sgrogs | de ’dra’i gnas mchog
g.yangs ri na | sku ’khar shel ’dra gnam du reg | ba gam sngon mo’i g.yu la byas | ’gram bzhi nag po’i lcags
la byas | se’i mgo mo dmar la mdangs | gser dngul a long brgyan gyis spras | sku ’khar de’i nang bzhengs
(text: sheng) na | rin chen mdzes pa’i khri stengs na | u rgyan padma ’byung gnas kyis | dam btags (text:
rtags) gzhi (text: bzhi) bdag dam tshig can | gnas mchog ’di ru spyan ’dren no |.
23
Zhwa dmar pa Chos kyi dbang phyug: Bal yul du bgrod pa’i lam yig, fol. 35b4.
40 Klaus-Dieter Mathes
I reached a place with a spring known as Vaja Garden, identifying it with the words: “This is
[the place] of which there is a prophesy in the guide book to power places:24 To the north of
g.Yang ril [Peak] one reaches a community of practitioners at a place with a pleasant meadow
[in the middle of a] thick forest.” I stayed [there] for one day. ... The next day I set out on the
path and reached only on the following morning the master Padmasambhava’s cave of the
accomplishment of what is completely perfect.25
A pleasant meadow with a spring in the middle of thick forest is indeed reached after descending
from g.Yang ri Peak (3,771m) about 300 metres to a narrow ridge, which leads back up to a
massive fortress-like rocky outcrop (approx. 4,200m), behind which the Padmasambhava cave is
located. Of particular interest is also Zhwa dmar Chos kyi dbang phyug’s account of g.Yang ril
Peak, which reconfirms that it is the above-mentioned centre of the power place:
At the centre of the power place, at so-called g.Yang ril Peak, [the Mahāsiddha rGyal mtshan
’bum]26 built a three-storey chapel surrounded by a circumambulation path. In it he erected
statues of the great compassionate Ocean of Victorious Ones27 and Padmasambhava. A monk
of pure discipline was constantly washing the [reflections of the] statues which appeared in a
mirror forged by a blacksmith of good family. It is said that everybody who sees the statues [in
the mirror] and drinks from the runoff water is protected from the lower realms. At the centre
of [this] power place of Yol mo gangs ra, which had been prophesied by Master Padma-
sambhava, the [Mahā]siddha rGyal mtshan ’bum set about building this chapel and other [such
edifices], but could not complete them because of obstacles. Still, those visiting the power
place should meditate on the Ocean of Victorious Ones and recite [his mantra] for just one
session.28
The same story is also found in the biography of Sūrya Seng ge (1687-1738), which was written
by his son the Fifth Yol mo sprul ’Phrin las bdud ’joms.29 Even though Lady g.Yang ri is reported
to have appeared to Sūrya Seng ge,30 she does not play any role in the sacred topography of
24
In his Nepal itinerary, Zhwa dmar pa Chos kyi dbang phyug made extensive use of gnas yig literature
(see Ehrhard 1997:132).
25
Zhwa dmar pa Chos kyi dbang phyug: Bal yul du bgrod pa’i lam yig, fol. 36a3-5: gnas yig gi nang du
g.yang ril gyi byang phyogs pa nags mthongs spang gshongs bde ba zhig yod sar sgom chen pa’i sde thob
zhes lung bstan yod pa de yin zhes ngos ’dzin pa’i rdo rje gling zhes pa | chu mig ’dug pa der sleb nas zhag
gcig (text: zhaginas) bcas so | ... de nas sang nyin lam du zhugs pas snga dro’i (text: ’dro’i) cha kho nar slob
dpon padma’i sgrub gnas yang dag mchog gi sgrub phug tu sleb nas |.
26
I.e., the Mahāsiddha dPal ldan rgyal mtshan, who was a direct disciple of Rig ’dzin rGod ldem ’phru can.
(See ’Phrin las bdud ’joms: Gu ru sūrya seng ge’i rnam thar, 18a5-6; and Ehrhard 1997:132).
27
I.e., the red Avalokiteśvara.
28
Zhwa dmar pa Chos kyi dbang phyug: Bal yul du bgrod pa’i lam yig, 35b4-36b2: gnas gyi lte bar ri
g.yang ril zhes bya ba der lha khang sum brtsegs ’khor khyams cog dang bcas pa bzhengs (text: gzhengs)
shing der thugs rje chen po rgyal ba rgya mtsho padma rgyal po sku bzhengs (text: gzhengs) | mgar ba rigs
can gyis brdungs pa’i me long la de’i sku’i gzugs snyan shar bar dge slong tshul khrims gtsang mas rgyun
du sku khrus gsol shing | sku de mjal ba dang khrus chab ’thung pa’i skye bo thams cad ngan song las skyob
par ’gyur zhes | slob dpon padmas lung bstan pa yol mo gangs rwa’i gnas kyi lte ba der lha khang sogs ni
grub thob rgyal mtshan ’bum zhes pas mdzad par brtsams ’dug kyang bar chad kyis (text: kyi) ma ’grub par
’dug na’ang | gnas de nyid mjal rgyal ba rgya mtsho bsgom bzlas thun gcig kyang bgyis |.
29
’Phrin las bdud ’joms: Gu ru sūrya seng ge’i rnam thar, 17a3-18a4. Note that the peak is referred to as
dByangs ri’i rtse.
30
Op. cit., fol. 11b1-5: “[Sūrya Seng ge] spent seven months performing one-pointedly the “Heart Sādhana
of the Wrathful Guru”, when one day the fierce sound hūṃ pervaded the sky. Pondering what this was, he
clearly saw a blue hūṃ, the size of a man, within a sphere of rainbow light in front of him in the sky. When
he had attained such signs of realization, it was the queen of sman [mos], in particular, mighty g.Yang ri,
who came, in the form of a noble lady, and promised: “Great hero, come to my land, where I will provide
all favourable conditions.” Then she disappeared.” (drag po thugs kyi sgrub pa’i nyams bzhes rtse gcig tu
mdzad de zla bdun bzhugs | de’i tshe nyin gcig hūṃ gi sgra drag po zhig nam mkha’ khyab pa byung par | ci
Clouds of Offerings to Lady g.Yang ri 41
g.Yang ri Peak in this biography. What is even more surprising is that in the treasure-text “Guide
to the Power Places of Yol mo” discovered by Rig ’dzin rGod ldem ’phru can (1337-1406) Lady
g.Yang ri is not mentioned among the guardians of Yol mo, even though she is normally depicted
in the temples of Yol mo together with rDo rje legs pa, the lay practitioner gLe ru and the ruler
deity Cha ti.31
In Mi la ras pa’s biography and songs of realization Lady g.Yang ri is not mentioned by name,
but the way the female guardian of Yol mo is portrayed very much reminds one of her peaceful
manifestation in Shākya bzang po’s “Clouds of Offerings.”32 In his Mi la rnam mgur, gTsang
smyon Heruka (1452-1507) introduces the chapter on Yol mo gangs ra as follows:
When [Mi la ras pa] was in the Tiger Cave Lion Fortress,33 the female guardian of the area of
Yol mo showed herself right from the beginning in her peaceful aspect, of beautiful
appearance. She promised to do his bidding and honoured [him] greatly.34
sKyabs rje Bya bral Rin po che, a highly respected rNying ma pa lama in Yol mo, also mentions
Lady g.Yang ri as a protector in his recently published “A Melancholy Song about the Country,
Times and Nature—in Memory of a Hidden Land”:
The co-emergent lady35 from the land of Tibet, the sman mo deity Lady g.Yang ri protects [the
hidden land]. She belongs to the family of ḍākinīs who are endowed with the [perfect]
qualities of women.36
assistants first invoked Lady g.Yang ri by blowing trumpets (rgya gling) and conch shells (dung)
near the stūpa in all four major directions (see plate 5). While the village lamas performed their
ritual, based on a collection of northern treasures (byang gter) discovered by gTer ston Rig ’dzin
rGod ldem ’phru can, in which not even the name g.Yang ri is mentioned, the numerous pilgrims
from all parts of Yol mo, danced around in a circle, repeatedly appealing to Lady g.Yang ri in
between songs (see plates 6 & 7). During the rituals performed on the same day in the temple of
Tarkeghyang, against the background, as it were, of the same festival, not a single line was
recited for Lady g.Yang ri, let alone Shākya bzang po’s “Clouds of Offering to Lady g.Yang ri.”38
On the altar of the temple, there was, however, in the lower row to the far right, a gtor ma for our
lady (see plate 8).
In conclusion, it seems likely that a native g.Yang ri cult—with the mother goddess g.Yang ri on
a par with Padmasambhava—has enjoyed such a popularity in Yol mo, that it could not be
entirely ignored by the lamas, even though this is what Rig ’dzin rGod ldem or Zhwa dmar Chos
kyi dbang phyug obviously attempted to do (at least according to the texts investigated). Shākya
bzang po’s Clouds of Offerings must then be seen as an attempt to incorporate this g.Yang ri cult
such that the mother goddess could still be worshipped, but under the control of Padmasambhava.
This same subjugation finds iconographic expression in the arrangement of Padmasambhava
above Lady g.Yang ri on the newly erected upper part of the stūpa on g.Yang ri Peak (see plate 4,
photo taken on October 19, 2012). Before that, heavy lightning had destroyed the upper dome of
the stūpa (including the relief of Padmasambhava).39 On my third visit (February 13, 2013), the
relief of Padmasambhava was covered by a white scarf (kha btags), so that three pilgrims from
Tarkeghyang, a mother and her two daughters, could not recognize Padmasambhava. They
performed a gaṇacakra ritual in front of the relief of Lady g.Yang ri, while the older daughter
recited an offering to the four protectors, Lady g.Yang ri, rDo rje legs pa, the lay practitioner gLe
ru and the ruler deity of Cha ti.40
38
I thank Dörte Kamarid and Manuela Kendler, both participants of my excursion seminar in the summer
semester 2012, who decided to stay back in Tarkeghyang to document the rituals performed on April 6,
2012, in the village gompa.
39
According to Kaji Lama in sGang yul, the partly destroyed stūpa was first errected seven years ago (i.e.,
in the year 2006) by Kunsang Lama, now living in the USA and Kathmandu. Before, there was only a
simple Yol mo-type stūpa.
40
I could not photograph the text but was told that it was composed by Bya bral Rin po che.
41
Thanks are due to David Templeman, who shared with me his copies of a rather corrupt version of the
Tibetan text and his provisional translation. While latter represents a good starting point for a preliminary
understanding of the ritual, the Tibetan text itself did not prove helpful for my edition.
Clouds of Offerings to Lady g.Yang ri 43
Sigla
A Text A is from a collection of daily protector rituals called Byang gter ngo mtshar bla
brgyud byin rlabs phung bzhugs. A further ritual starts on the last page, immediately after
the g.Yang ri ritual. The latter thus is, at present, the last ritual performed at Tsu ḍī
Gompa. My thanks go to Zsoka Gelle, Vienna, who photographed the text for me, with
the kind permission of Lama Sangs rgyas, in Tsu ḍī Gompa in April 2012.
B NGMPP reel no. E 590/5
C NGMPP reel no. E 1831/13
D Text D is a modern computerized text, which directly depends on C, but has some
valuable corrections by Bya bral Rin po che. Photographed and later scanned by the
author with the kind permission of Zla ba bzang po in Sermathang, Yol mo, on October
23, 2012.
Edition
[A 2944; B 1b; C 1a; D 1] sbas yul yol mo gangs rwa’i1 gnas2 bdag jo mo g.yang3 ri phyug mo’i
mchod phrin (4bzhugs so4) |
1
BC ra’i 2 AB gter 3 BCD dbyangs 4 A ni
(1
| bstan dang ’gro ba’i don phyir du |
| yul phyogs bkra shis dar rgyas phyir |
| sbas yul yol mo gangs (2rwa yi |2)
| gzhi3 bdag g.yang4 ri’i gsol mchod5 ni |1) 1.1
1
AB omit 2 C ra’i 3 C bzhi 4 C dbyang D dbyangs 5 C mchos
(1
| yid ’ong gnas su rtegs2 bu’i khar |
| gtsang ma’i phye3 la dpal gtor ni |
| brjid ldan brgyan spras ’bru steng bzhugs |
| g.yas g.yon sman dang ra kta bshams4 |1) 1.2
1
AB omit 2 C grteg 3 D phyed 4 C bsham
(1
| de ni gong2 gnon gtor ma’o3 |
| g.yang4 ri’i5 [D 3] gtor ma6 sman shos ni |
| zlum7 po rtse ring brgyan8 gyis9 mdzes |
| (10gshos zang10) gtor chung bdun gyis11 bskor |1) 1.3
1
AB omit 2 D dgong sa 3 D ma’i 4 CD dbyangs 5 D ri 6 D ma’i 7 C ’dum 8 D rgyan 9 C gyi 10 C shos
gzung 11 D gyi
(1
| mtha’ ma theb kyus2 legs par rgyan |
| rang nyid yi dam lhar gsal3 la |
| ’phrin las (4brgyas bsdus4) skabs dang sbyar |
| mchod pa ’bru gsum (5sngags phyag5) drug |1) 1.4
1
AB omit 2 C kyu 3 D gsar 4 D bsdus pa’i 5 C phyag rgya
(1
| byang spel2 gyur [C 2a] te byin gyis brlabs |
| thugs ka’i3 ’od kyis4 spyan drangs5 la |
| (6rnga rdung6) gnyan pa’i dbyangs dang bcas7 |1) 1.5
1
AB omit 2 C yel 3 C kha’i D ka 4 D kyi 5 C drang 6 C ta dung D ra bdung 7 D bcas pa’i
(1
mos shing dad2 | |1) [D 4]
44 Klaus-Dieter Mathes
1
AB omit 2 D gdung
(1
de nas las la bskul ba ni |1)
1
A ces bskul ba ni BC omits
(1
| kyai1) | yang cig2 sman btsun snyan3 gsan ’tshal4 |
| yol mo (5gangs kyi5) ra ba ’dir |
Clouds of Offerings to Lady g.Yang ri 45
(1
| phyag g.yas bdud2 kyi zhags pa bsnams |
| phyag g.yon3) nad kyi rkyal4 pa bsnams |
(3
(1
| dam tshig nyams pa’i mi rnams la |1)
| nad kyi rkyal2 pa kha phye3 la |
| mi nad phyugs4 nad sna tshogs gtong5 |
| dam nyams rnams [D 8] kyi srog (6rtsa gcod6) | 3.4
1
B omits 2 C skyal 3 B phyes C phyed 4 CD phyug 5 B stongs CD mthong 6 A rtsa chod CD bcod
mdzod
1
B mar 2 D ’phros 3 C omits 4 B chog 5 B dbu 6 A le rgan B leg rgan C leb kan 7 BCD gsol 8 C sku
la 9 D dbus phrug 10 A legs par D ’dzam legs
(1
| sna tshogs rin chen (2rgyan gyis2) brgyan3 |1)
| phyag g.yas shel ’phreng4 dkar po bsnams | [C 4a]
| skye med thugs dam dbyings su lta5 |
| phyag g.yon bdud rtsi bum pa bsnams | 4.3
1
AB | sku stod dar gyi na bza’ gsol | 2 C brgyan gyi 3 D rgyan 4 A phreng 5 A bzla B zla
| kyai | [A 300] (1yang cig1) sman btsun2 snyan3 gsan4 ’tshal5 | [D 10]
| khyed la ’phrin6 las bcol ba ni |
| yul gyi ming ni sbas pa’i yul |
| gnas kyi ming ni padma’i tshal | 4.6
1
C g.yang gcig D yang gcig 2 B btsu 3 D snyen 4 B bsal 5 D tshal 6 A phrin
B lo 8 ABC bsgyur
1
B nad me CD bar chad 2 CD zhi ba dang 3 CD longs spyod phun gsum tshogs [D 11] par mdzod 4
B bzhing 5 ABCD dbug 6 A ’god B gnod ba bdon C gdon 7 B khog D bsdom
(1
| jo mo g.yang2 ri3 ma4 ma hā bha liṃ ta kha kha (5khā hi khā hi5) |1)
1
CD omit 2 AB dbyangs 3 A ris 4 A ma la 5 B kha hri kha hri
[Colophon:]
A: ces pa’ang sngags ’chang shā kya bzang po’i mdzad pa las nye bar bsdus1 [A 302] pa las nye
bar bsdus1 pa’o | sus ce na dpal rig ’dzin chen po bdud ’joms gyis so | |
1
A bsdud
B: none
CD: | ces jo mo g.yang1 ri’i mchod pa sprin ’di yang | sngags ’chang shā kya bzang po’i mdzad
pa’o | ’di ’bris dge bas2 gsang sngags rnal ’byor rnams | padma’i gnas ’dir bshad sgrub bstan pa
rgyas | bstan pa’i sbyin bdag tshe ring longs spyod ’phel | gsang sngags bstan pa phyogs kun dar
bar shog | (2sa rva mang ga laṃ | bha va ntu2) | (3sbas yul rnal ’byor skyong ba’i mthu mo che |
sman btsun jo mo g.yang4 ri phyug mo ’khor bcas rnams | ’dir gshegs brgyan gyi mchod gtor ’di
bzhes la | rnal ’byor dpon slobs bsam don grub pa dang | sangs rgyas bstan pa rgyas pa’i ’phrin las
mdzod | rje sngags ’chang shā kya bzang po’i chos rgyud ’dzin cing | tshe ’di’i byang chub sgrub
la re |3)
1
CD dbyangs 2 CD ba’i 2 D | bkra shis | | dge’o | | sa rva mang ga laṃ || 3 D omits 4 C dbyangs
48 Klaus-Dieter Mathes
Translation
Clouds of Offerings to the Guardian of the Power Place42 of the Hidden Snow Land of Yol mo,
the Mighty Lady g.Yang ri.
Homage to the three roots (i.e., bla ma, yi dam and mkha’ ’gro ma)!
[1 Preliminary Remarks]
On the fringes they are well ornamented with small dough pyramids.
[Next,] one visualizes oneself as one’s preferred deity (i.e., yi dam)49
And performs either the extensive or abbreviated ritual action, depending on the circumstances.
This involves offerings, the three syllables, [the six] mantras, and the six hand gestures. 1.4
There are [acts of] purification, an increment [of qualities], and a blessing.
She is invoked with light from one’s heart,
Accompanied by the beautiful sound of a drum. 1.5
42
AB read “treasure guardian” (gter bdag), but I have not come across any information about a hidden
treasure (gter ma) on or near g.Yang ri’s mountain.
43
During the G.yang ri festival on April 6, 2012 this was the gtor ma for rDo rje legs pa in the temple of
Tarkekhyang.
44
The la don must be taken in this sense here. Compare, for example, the English idiom “cast in gold.”
45
I.e., sman rak. In the temple in Tarkekhyang they were not placed near the dpal gtor, though.
46
Lit. “the superior and the subdued one.”
47
According to Lama Tenzin Gyaltsen, Bicher Goan, Dolpo. Strictly speaking, the syntax requires taking
sman shos as an attribute of gtor ma: “the gtor ma made of the best of medicines.” Nebesky-Wojkowitz
(1975:199) mentions a sman gtor and a sman rag gtor ma as offerings to sman mo deities. The first consists
of various medicines, while the second is prepared by mixing medicines with blood. But during the
preparation of the g.yang ri’i gtor ma (on April 5, 2012) for the festival in Tarkekhyang neither medicine
nor any herbs were used.
48
“Good food” (gshos zang) is prepared from clean tsam pa enriched with plenty of butter and similar
ingredients (Lama Tenzin Gyaltsen).
For a picture of the gtor ma, see plate 8.
49
According to Ngag dbang dam chos rgyal mtshan’s g.Yang ri ma’i gsol mchod (fol. 2a4), the adept must
visualize herself or himself as Padmasambhava.
Clouds of Offerings to Lady g.Yang ri 49
In your left hand you hold a gtor ma offering for the Glorious One.
[Kindly] shower down most needed accomplishments like rain
On those with intact [tantric] commitments.
Your beautiful face—so amazing! 2.5
[4 A Petitionary Offering]
It is a power place that protects one from hostile soldiers in degenerate times,
Before, in front of the lord of the teaching,
Avalokiteśvara, Tārā,
And Padma[sambhava] from Oḍḍiyāna, 4.7
[Colophon]
A: This is a summary of a summary of what was composed by the mantra adept Shākya bzang
po. By whom [is this summary of a summary]? By the great Vidyādhara bDud ’joms.54
53
Ma hā bha liṃ ta in the mantra goes back to Skt. mahābalin, “great gtor ma.”
52 Klaus-Dieter Mathes
B: Not available
CD: This “Cloud of Offerings” to Lady g.Yang ri is a work of the mantra adept Shākya bzang po.
May through the merit of having written this the mantra yogins [and] the teachings of theory and
practice blossom in this power place of the Lotus [Grove]! May the benefactors of the teaching
live long; may their wealth increase! May the teachings of the secret mantra [path] spread
everywhere! May there be auspiciousness!
[C continues:] Powerful lady, you who support the yogins of [this] hidden land, queen of sman
[mos], mighty Lady g.Yang ri, come here together with your retinue, and accept this ornamented
gtor ma offering! Fulfil the wishes of yogins, masters and disciples, and unfold your activity of
causing the Buddhist teaching to blossom! My hope is to uphold the Dharma lineage of the
venerable mantra adept Shākya bzang po and to attain enlightenment in this life.
54
I.e., the Fifth Yol mo sprul sku Karma Phrin las bdud ’joms.
Clouds of Offerings to Lady g.Yang ri 53
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Tibetan texts
sKyabs rje Bya bral Rin po che. “Yul dus rang bzhin la skyo ba’i nyams mgur sbas yul dran bskul bzhugs
so,” sBas yul spyi dang bye brag yol mo gangs ra’i gnas yig, TBRC W00KG01. Published by Khenpo
Nyima Dondrup, Kathmandu 2003, 44-49.
Ngag dbang dam chos rgyal mtshan. Bka’ srung chen mo sprul pa’i jo mo g.yang ri ma’i gsol mchod ’phrin
las myur ’grub ma zhes bya ba bzhugs so, 6 fols., NGMPP reel no. E 2842/2.
’Phrin las bdud ’joms. Gu ru sūrya seng ge’i rnam thar mdor bsdus nges shes ’dren pa’i shing rta, 36 fols.,
NGMPP reel no. E 2691/6.
dBang chen & Nyi ma. gNas chen yol mo’i gangs ra’i gter bdag mchod pa bzhugs so, 15 fols., NGMPP reel
no. L 281/6.
Rig ’dzin rGod kyi ldem ’phru can. “Yol mo gang gi ra ba’i gnad yig bzhugs so,” sBas yul spyi dang bye
brag yol mo gangs ra’i gnas yig, TBRC W00KG01. Published by Khenpo Nyima Dondrup, Kathmandu
2003, 23-27.
Rus pa’i rgyan can (=gTsang smyon Heruka). rNal ’byor kyi dbang phyug chen po mi la ras pa’i rnam
mgur. mTsho sngon mi rigs dpe skrun khang 1989.
Zhwa dmar pa Chos kyi dbang phyug. Bal yul du bgrod pa’i lam yig nor bu spel ma’i ’phreng ba zhes bya
ba bzhugs so, 47 fols., NGMPP reel no. L387/3.
Ye shes rdo rje. gTer ston yol mo ba sngags ’chang shā kya bzang po’i rnam thar dang gnas chen sbas yul
yol mo gangs rwa’i lo rgyas me tog padma’i phreng ba zhes bya ba bzhugs so. Kathmandu: Shambala
Graphic Design, 2012.
Shākya bzang po. sBas yul yol mo gangs ra’i gter bdag jo mo dbyang ri phyug mo’i mchod phrin bzhugs so,
4 fols. NGMPP reel no. E 590/5.
_______ sBas yul yol mo gangs ra’i gnas bdag jo mo dbyang ri phyug mo’i mchod phrin bzhugs so, 5 fols.
NGMPP reel no. E 1831/13.
Other works
Clarke, Graham 1980. “A Helambu History,” Journal of the Nepal Research Centre 4, 1-38.
Ehrhard, Franz-Karl 1990. “The Stupa of Bodhnath: A Preliminary Analysis of the Written Sources,”
Ancient Nepal. Journal of the Department of Archaeology, 1-9.
_______ 1991. “Further Renovations of Svayaṃbhūnāth-Stūpa (from the 13th to the 17th centuries),”
Ancient Nepal. Journal of the Department of Archaeology, 10-20.
_______ 1997. “’The Lands are Like a Wiped Golden Basin’: The Sixth Zhva-dmar-pa’s Journey to
Nepal and his Travelogue (1629/30),” in Les Habitants du Toit du Monde. Études Recueillies en
Hommage à Alexander W. MacDonald par les Soins de Samten Karmay et Philippe Sagant. Nanterre:
Société d’ethnologie, 125-38.
_______ 2007. “A Forgotten Incarnation Lineage: The Yol-mo-ba sPrul-skus,” in The Pandita and the
Siddha: Tibetan Studies in Honour of E. Gene Smith. Dharamsala: Amnye Machen Institute, 25-49.
Khenpo Nyima Dondrup 2010. Guide to the Hidden Land of the Yolmo Snow Enclosure and its History.
Kathmandu: Vajra Publications.
Martin, Dan 2001. Unearthing Bon Treasures. Life and Contested Legacy of a Tibetan Scripture Revealer,
with a General Bibliography of Bon. Leiden, Boston, Köln: Brill
Mathes, Klaus-Dieter 1999. “The Sacred Crystal Mountain in Dolpo: Beliefs and Pure Visions of
Himalayan Pilgrims and Yogis,” Journal of the Nepal Research Centre 11, 61-90.
Maurer, Petra 2009. Die Grundlagen der tibetischen Geomantie, dargestellt anhand des 32. Kapitels des
Vaiḍūrya dkar po von sde srid Sangs rgyas rgya mtsho (1653-1705). Ediert und übersetzt von Petra
Maurer. Andiast: International Institute for Tibetan and Buddhist Studies.
Nebesky-Wojkowitz, René de 1975. Oracles and Demons of Tibet: The Cult and Iconography of the Tibetan
Protective Deities. Graz: Akademische Druck- u. Verlagsanstalt.
Quintman, Andrew 2008. “Toward a Geographic Biography: Mi la ras pa in the Tibetan Landscape,”
Numen 55, 363-410.
Schuh, Dieter 2011. “Die sa-bdag (Erdherrengeister) und die Schwierigkeiten der Interpretation
illuminierter Manuskripte,” Zentralasiatische Studien 40, 7-163.
Tenzin Namdak 1972. Sources for a History of Bon. Dolanji: Tibetan Bonpo Monastic Centre.
54 Klaus-Dieter Mathes
PLATES
[5] Mata Lama (with the trumpet) and his fellow village lamas in the
act of invoking Lady g.Yang ri.
56 Klaus-Dieter Mathes
[7] Villagers from Yol mo dancing and singing in front of the stūpa
on g.Yang ri Peak.
[8] The gtor mas for rDo rje legs pa (left) and Lady g.Yang ri (right)
in the gompa of Tarkeghyang during the g.Yang ri festival on April
6, 2012.