The Epic of Gesar of Ling

by Robin Kornman

  sleep of luminosity (Tib. ’od gsal gyi ngang du nyal). To sleep in a state of lucidity, and at the same time to be in the nature of the mind as clear-light awareness. Highly advanced meditators abide this way during sleep.

  Slingshot Braided Nine Eyes, the (Tib. ’ur rdo chu mig dgu sgril). Also called Wazi Bitra [Brighter than Zi]; Joru’s slingshot. The slingshot is a standard weapon for a shepherd boy. In Tibetan culture, someone who possesses a braided slingshot with nine eyes will be protected from demonic evildoers.

  śloka (Tib. sho lo ka). A song or verse written in Vedic meter with sixteen syllable couplets, with each sixteen-syllable line consisting of two eight-syllable submeters. Much of epic Indian verse is written this way, including the Mahabharata and Ramayana.

  smoke offering [lhasang] (Tib. lha bsangs). Literally, “divine purification.” A lhasang is a ceremony in which clouds of juniper smoke are offered along with tea, liquor, and various offerings from native Tibetan religion. The lha, or gods, are invited to descend down along the column of smoke and purify the physical space.

  Snow Mountain Haughty Gait (Tib. gangs ri ’gying shes). The nyen Gyogchen Dongra’s horse.

  solidification (Tib. a ’thas). A term found in the Great Perfection texts and liturgies that indicates the deep-seated habitual patterns of conceptualization and perception. These patterns make the transparent phenomenal world seem solid; they make that which is not truly existent seem truly existent; and they make the unreal illusory manifestations of mind seem externally real. It is the same as habituation. The term also refers to the tendency to solidify the sense of existence of the self or the subject.

  sons and nephews (Tib. bu tsha). The younger generation—as compared with pha khu, the fathers and uncles [brethren] of the older generation.

  splendor (Tib. ziji; gzi brjid). A kind of energy of magnificence, magnanimity, and power that surrounds warriors and great people. Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche translated the Tibetan as “dignity” and sometimes as “confidence.” It implies majesty, a kind of radiance that one would expect to see and feel from a great and noble king.

  spring of the nāgas (Tib. klu yi chu mig). A body of water (a lake or stream) where Gogmo met her father after she had entered Senglön’s family.

  stupa (Skt.; Tib. chos rten). An ornamental tower or obelisk-like monument containing the relics of enlightened beings. The Tibetan term chöten literally means “representation of the dharma.” A stupa represents the nature of enlightened mind. There are eight traditional types of stupas, each one having a particular significance that relates to the deeds of Buddha Śākyamuni’s life.

  Sugata [Gone to Bliss] (Skt.; Tib. bde bar gshegs pa). An epithet for the Buddha.

  Sukhāvati (Skt.). The pure land of exaltation; the name of Buddha Amitābha’s pure land.

  Super Warriors, Seven (Tib. yang thul). A group of superior warriors among the Thirty Mighty Warriors: Gyatsha Zhalkar (Tib. rgya tsha zhal dkar); Sengtag Adom (Tib. seng stag a dom); Tshazhang Denma Jangtra (Tib. tsha zhang ’dan ma byang khra); Anu Zigphen (Tib. a nu gzig ’phen); Druga-de Chökyong Bernag (Tib. ’bru dga’ bde chos skyong ber nag); Chölu Buyi Darphen (Tib. chos lu bu yi dar ’phen); and Nya-tsha Aten (Tib. nya tsha a rten).

  supports (Tib. rten). In rituals, the supports refer to the basis, that is the iconic element or ritual object that represents the deity. So for example, a thangka or icon of Hayagrīva would be a rten, a support for Hayagrīva. Often deities are invoked and invited to invest or dwell in their supports on a shrine.

  sweet potatoes [droma] (Tib. gro ma). Droma are a characteristic Tibetan sweet, a wild, yamlike root that grows wild in the lower valleys in places without grass. It ripens in both spring and fall; its green leaf that turns red when the root is ready to harvest. The fall troma are the sweetest and the most nutritious. The bigger ones are the size of a thumb joint; the smaller ones are the size of a bean and are less tasty. For the northeastern Tibetan tribes it is a staple delicacy with melted butter and yogurt.

  sweets, the three (Tib. mngar gsum). Sugar, honey, and molasses; three sweet substances that stem from the Vedic tradition and that represent all edible sweets. These are offerings that are used in peaceful ceremonies as well. See whites, three.

  Swirling Auspiciousness (Tib. bkra shis ’khyil ba). Rongtsha Tragen’s teakettle.

  Tagtang Tramo [Colorful Tiger Plain] (Tib. stag thang khra mo). The same as Upper Tiger Plain Gathering Place.

  tantric feast. See gaṇacakra.

  Tārā (Skt.; Tib. sgrol ma). A female emanation of Avalokiteśvara, the bodhisattva of compassion. She is invoked as a remover of obstacles, but also as the patron female Buddha of women. There are several forms in which Tārā is visualized, the white and the green aspects being the most popular. The liturgies directed toward the different aspects focus on different services requested of the goddess.

  Tashi Nyinmo Delek. See Auspicious-by-Day scarf.

  tenma (Tib. bstan ma). Female protectors who were zodors converted by Padmasambhava to protect the land of Tibet and the Buddha’s doctrine. There are twelve of these protectors who are sisters. See also zodors.

  terma (Tib. gter ma). Sacred material objects and texts that were hidden during the lives of Padmasambhava and Yeshe Tsogyal, and were predicted to be revealed by their designated disciples in future centuries. Many terma are immaterial, in that the teachings simply well forth from the mind of the reincarnated disciples when they are predicted to remember them.

  tertön (Tib. gter ston). One who discovers or reveals hidden terma teachings.

  the’u rang (Tib.). One of the eight classes of gods, this is a class of local deities generally harmful to humankind. According to one description, the’u rang are invisible one-legged demons who ride mounted on tornados. They are harmful to children, and gamblers pray to them while playing dice. Whoever receives the blessings of the the’u rang will win when they gamble, but after death the person must become a servant of the the’u rang.

  Thirty Skulls (Tib. thod pa sum cu’i che ’go yin). The eldest member in a tribe among thirty warriors. For example, this could refer to Chipön or Senglön.

  three gates (Tib. sgo gsum). The gates of body, speech, and mind.

  three sufferings (Tib. sdug bsngal gsum). Suffering of pain on top of pain (duḥkha duḥkhatā); suffering of change (vipariṇāma); and suffering of compounded phenomena or conditioned existence (saṃskāra duḥkhatā). The three sufferings permeate the experience of rebirth in any of the six classes of living beings that inhabit samsara or cyclic existence. The third is considered to be the most all-pervasive and difficult to purify in terms of releasing the mind from the bonds of ignorance.

  three trainings (Tib. bslab gsum; Skt. trīśikśa). Training in discipline (Skt. śila); concentration (Skt. samādhi); and incisive knowledge (Skt. prajñā).

  thüd (Tib. thud). Hearty yam cakes (Tib. skyid snum thud); literally, “happy, oily cheese.” A round cake made by mixing cheese, ghee, ground yam and sugar.

  tigers in their prime (Tib. stag shar). Also “young tigers” and “youthful tigers”; a term in the epic for young warriors.

  Ting-öd Münsel [Blue Light That Dispels Darkness] (Tib. mthing ’od mun sel). A jewel owned by the nāgas. Also called Ting-öd Zibar [Deep Blue Blazing Splendor].

  Tingshog Gung-gu [Azure Nine-Panels] (Tib. g.yu sbra mthing shog gung dgu). Also called the Turquoise Yak-Hair Tent in Nine Partitions. A magical possession of the nāgas given by King Tsugna Rinchen of the nāgas to his daughter prior to her departure for the human realm, where she is destined to become Gesar’s mother. From her, it passed to Tönpa Gyaltsen of Ralo, and hence to the Ling tribe at large who took this as booty. Eventually it was possessed by Senglön, but it still accompanied Gesar’s mother wherever she went.

  torma (Tib. gtor ma). Offering cakes. Some tormas represent deities and buddhas who are worshipped on the shrine, and others represent offerings of food and other desirables. They are made from roasted barley flour, pa
inted with food dyes, and ornamented with colored wheels of butter.

  Trakhar Namdzong. See Falcon Castle Sky Fortress.

  tramen / Wangchugma (Tib. phra man / dbang phyug ma). An animal-headed wrathful female ḍakiṇī who holds hand emblems and serves as a messenger and emissary, and protects the perimeter of the mandala of deities. Each tramen has a deeper significance pertaining to the transformation of the passions and poisons in the ordinary world into the wisdom nature through invoking the ḍakiṇī. These explanations are found in secret vajrayāna teachings that one must have empowerment for in order to study and practice.

  Tratöd (Tib. khra stod). Another name for Upper Falcon (Valley). See Falcon Cave.

  Trawa Kha [Sparkling Mouth] (Tib. spra ba kha). The name of a legendary fish in Hor.

  Treasure, Sevenfold (Tib. gter cha bdun). Seven precious objects that were the common wealth of the tribe. They were a statue of Śākyamuni made of conch shell; a statue of Avalokiteśvara in conch; a turquoise statue of Tārā; the conch of the law called White Conch of the Law Resounding Afar; the drum of the law called Radiating Light; the hand cymbals called Sun Dragon Thunder; the banner called Drala Gathering Lance; and the key and code to open the treasure portal of Sheldrag [Crystal Rock].

  tribes, nine (Tib. tsho dgu). Another list of ancient aristocratic families of Tibet: Ga (sga), Dru (’bru), and Dong (ldong); Sed (sad), Mu (dmu), and Dong; and Pel (dpal), Da (zla), and Tra (’pra).

  tribes of Tibet, six (Tib. mi’u gdung drug). In Drigung, the Kyura tribe (Tib. ’bri gung kyu ra); in Taglung, the Khazi tribe (Tib. stag lung kha zi); in Sakya, the Khön tribe (Tib. sa skya ’khon); in Chögyal, the Nam tribe (Tib. chos rgyal gnam); at Kyungpo, the Gya tribe (Tib. khyung po gya); and at Ne’u Dong, the tribe of the Lha (Tib. sne’u gdong lha).

  Trisong Deutsen (714–797 C.E.) (Tib. khri srong lde’u btsan). Ruler of the Tibetan empire four generations after its founder, Songtsen Gampo (Tib. srong btsan sgam po). Trisong Deutsen was predicted by the Mañjuśrīmūla tantra. He brought the great founders of the Nyingma lineage and mahāyāna to Tibet; that is, the tantric guru Padmasambhava and the great abbot Śāntarakṣita. Therefore the three are sometimes known as a triad: the Guru, Abbot, and King (Tib. mkhan slob chos gsum). Trisong Deutsen is regarded as an emanation of Mañjuśrī, the bodhisattva of wisdom.

  tsatsa (Tib. tsa tsa). A miniature clay image of a deity such as Avalokiteśvara, or an image of a stupa.

  tsen (Tib. btsan). A type of earth lord, or local spirit of the land that inhabits the rocks and crags of mountainsides. In the threefold order of gods (lha, nyen, and lu [nāgas]), they stand with the nyen in the middle or intermediate space between heaven and earth. Often represented as red in color.

  Tsharong (Tib. tsha rong). A kingdom that is a vast farmland, and the place where the treasure of barley is acquired in the Saga of Tsharong and Ling.

  Turquoise Bird (Tib. g.yu bya). The horse belonging to Dongtsen, the son of Trothung.

  Turquoise Leaf Array, pure land of (Tib. g.yu lo bkod pa’i zhing). Tārā’s pure land.

  Two Excellent Ones, the Sun and the Moon Conjoined (Tib. yag gnyis nyi zla kha sprod or kha ’dzom). The word conjoined probably refers to a geographical feature where two or more canyon entrances meet.

  Ü (Tib. dbus). One of three provinces of Tibet located in the central region, which is referred to today as the Tibetan Autonomous Region.

  Uḍḍiyāṇa (Skt.; Tib. o rgyan). An epithet of Padmasambhava, and the name of the semi-mythical land northwest of India in which he was born. The many names of this land, Orgyan, Oḍḍiyāṇa, and Uḍḍiyāṇa, are all also epithets of Padmasambhava.

  Ultimate Warriors, Three (Tib. zhe thul gsum). Falcon, Eagle, and Wolf, three supreme warriors who are even greater than the Thirty Mighty Warriors and the Seven Super Warriors.

  uncontrived conduct. See yogic conduct.

  upāya (Skt.; Tib. thabs). Literally “skillful means” or “method”; refers to the ability to teach in a way that is appropriate to a student’s understanding, to a bodhisattva’s display of compassion, or to a meditator’s capacity to work with whatever situation arises.

  upheavals (Tib. lhongs tshad). False visions that occur in the course of chöd practice. These involve apparitions that occur to the mind that has been focusing intensely upon the nature of emptiness and the lack of true inherent identity. Such experiences are encouraged as an integral part of the practice in order to induce realization in the mind of the practitioner.

  Upper Dil-yag Tiger Plain in Ma (Tib. rma dil yag stag thang gong ma). The gathering place where the people of Ling assembled to discuss important affairs, and a plain used for encampments. It was one stage on the trade route between Tibet and China. Upper Tiger Plain is surrounded by beautiful mountains.

  Upper Falcon Sky Fortress. See Falcon Castle Sky Fortress.

  Ü-Tsang (Tib. dbus gtsang). Central Tibet is made up of four districts, or ruzhi (Tib. ru bzhi). They are Ü (Tib. dbus) within which are Üru (Tib. dbu ru) and Yoru (Tib. g.yo ru), and Tsang (Tib. gtsang) within which are Weiru (Tib. gwas ru) and Rulag (Tib. ru lag). In the seventeenth century, they became known as Weiru (Tib. gwas ru), Wönru (Tib. gwon ru), Püru (Tib. spus ru), and Gung-ru (Tib. gung ru).

  u-zi (Tib. u zi). A kind of Chinese tea.

  Vaiṣakha (Skt.; Tib. sa ga zla ba). One of the twenty-eight nakśatras (Tib. rgyu skar nyi shu rtsa brgyad), which are divisions or phases of the lunar zodiac. It is also the name for the fourth month of the Tibetan lunar calendar. See also constellation.

  Vaiśravaṇa [Kubera] (Skt.; Tib. rnam thos sras). The deity of wealth. He has the form of a king and wears glorious, effulgent clothes.

  vajra (Skt.; Tib. dorje; rdo rje). The ritual scepter used by tantric practitioners in their liturgical practice. The original vajra was the weapon of Indra, the king of the gods. It was made from an adamantine substance so hard that it could cut anything, but it could not be cut itself. This is why the word vajra is sometimes translated as “diamond” as a noun, and “indestructible” as an adjective. It is also translated as “thunderbolt.” The shape of the vajra is a short rod with three, four, five, or nine points at both ends. The points are curled in and touch each other to make a flower-bud shape.

  Vajra Dhātviśvarī [Dorje Yingchugma] (Skt.; Tib. rdo rje dbyings phyug ma). Vajra Mother of Basic Space; she is the ḍākinī of the central direction, who represents the basic space of phenomena or the nature of emptiness. She is also the consort of the central Buddha in the mandala of the five buddha families. See also buddha families, five.

  Vajradhara [Dorje Chang] (Skt.; Tib. rdo rje chang). Literally, “holder of the vajra.” The divine source of the tantric teachings and the compiler of the vajrayāna teachings. He is a dharmakāya buddha, or a deity who represents the absolute state of enlightenment.

  Vajrapāṇi (Skt.; Tib. gsang ba’i bdag). A bodhisattva, the Lord of the Secret the embodiment of power, and one of the three principal protectors of this world, the other two being Avalokiteśvara and Mañjuśrī. He is called the Lord of the Secret because he is considered a primordial figure in esoteric Buddhism.

  Vajrasādhu [Dorje Legpa] (Skt.; Tib. rdo rje legs pa). One of the most important protector deities in Tibet; a wrathful protector who rides a brown ram and holds the implements of a blacksmith. He is also known as the “genyen Vajrasādhu” and as the “samaya-bound Vajrasādhu” (Tib. dam can rdo rje legs pa).

  Vajrasattva [Dorje Sempa] (Skt.; Tib. rdo rje sems dpa’). Among the five buddha families, he is the buddha of the East, white in color, holding a vajra in the right hand and a bell at the waist. In a sense Vajrasattva is the generic tantric god; his name means “vajra being.” His hundred-syllable mantra is used to purify violations and corruptions of the samaya or tantric sacred vows, as well as all aspects of negative karma. He is the head of the pantheon of one hundred wisdom deities: the forty-two peaceful deities and the fifty-eight wrathful deities. See buddha families, five.

 
; Vajravārāhī [Dorje Phagmo] (Skt.; Tib. rdo rje phag mo). A form of Vajrayoginī, the female, semiwrathful Buddha. She is often just called the Sow (Tib. phags mo), which is a more noble expression in Tibetan than in English. She is probably originally related to Varaha, the third incarnation of Viśṇu, who became a gigantic boar and saved the earth from perishing in a flood by lifting it up on a tusk. This is the wrathful female red buddha who led Padmasambhava in a dream in volume 1. She is one of the greatest objects of devotion in Tibet, particularly for inner vajrayāna practitioners who see her as the representative of the nature of emptiness and the birthplace of all the Buddhas, as well as as phenomenal existence.

  Valley of Eighteen Falcon Caves (Tib. lung khra phug bco brgyad). The region where Rongtsha Tragen’s fortress is located.

  valleys, four (Tib. rong bzhi). A geographical division of Lower, or eastern, Ling.

  Vast as the Sky (Tib. nam mkha’ leb chen). A helmet given by the Younger Lineage to Zhalkar on his birth celebration.

  vidyādhara [awareness holder] (Skt.; Tib. rig ’dzin). There are four states of vidyādharahood, which are: the mature vidyādhara (Tib. rnam smin rig ’dzin); the immortal (Tib. tshe dbang); the mahamudrā (Tib. phyag chen); and the spontaneously present (Tib. lhun grub). These four represent the higher stages of accomplishment on the path of realization, which leads to the final state of buddhahood.

  vināyakas (Skt.; Tib. bgegs). Literally, “obstructers.” A kind of demon that obstructs a person’s dharma practice. Vināyaka is also an epithet for Ganeśa, the elephant-headed deity with a baby’s body who removes obstructions to practice. He appears in semiwrathful form in Tibetan tantra as a king of the dralas and as a local protector deity. In the case of Ganeśa, the name refers to a protecting rather than an obstructing spirit.

  virtues, ten (Tib. dge ba bcu). Abandoning killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, slander, harsh words, idle gossip, covetousness, ill will, and wrong views.

  Vulture Peak (Tib. bya rgod spungs ri). The mountain in northern India where Śākyamuni Buddha turned the second wheel of the dharma.