{"product_id":"the-epic-of-gesar-of-ling-isbn-9781611800951","title":"The Epic of Gesar of Ling","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe first and only English translation of the centuries-old Tibetan spiritual allegory of King Gesar, a tale on a par with \u003ci\u003eThe Arabian Nights\u003c\/i\u003e or the King Arthur stories.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e For  hundreds of years, versions of the Gesar of Ling epic have been sung by  bards in Tibet, China, Central Asia, and across the eastern Silk Route.  King Gesar, renowned throughout these areas, represents the ideal  warrior. As a leader with his people's loyalty and trust, he conquers  all their enemies and protects the peace. \u003cbr\u003e     \u003cbr\u003eThe example of King  Gesar is also understood as a spiritual teaching. The \"enemies\" in the  stories represent the emotional and psychological challenges that turn  people toward greed, aggression, and envy and away from the true  teachings of Buddhism.\u003cbr\u003e     \u003cbr\u003eThe epic of Gesar is the longest single  piece of literature in the world canon, encompassing some 120 volumes;  here the first three volumes are translated, telling of Gesar's birth,  his mischievous childhood and his youth spent in exile, and his rivalry  for the throne with his treacherous uncle. | “The Gesar story is one of the Tibetan people’s most popular epics, its  stories being enacted and sung at festivals and on important ceremonial  occasions. By making the epic of Gesar available in English, the  translators are offering the modern reader a chance to experience the  particular character of this Tibetan tradition that has brought hope and  fortitude to many generations across the Tibetan-speaking world.”—from  the foreword by His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “The  timing [of this book] could not be better. As our modern world  experiences a loss of heart and humanity, and climactic changes and  disasters occur, we need the compassionate, wise, and potent energy of  Gesar more than ever.”—from the foreword by Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche | ROBIN KORNMAN (1947-2007) is best known for his work as a Tibetan  Buddhist scholar, as well as for being a founding member of the Nalanda  Translation Committee. Up until his death, he spent many years working  on this translation of the epic of Gesar. A longtime student of Chögyam  Trungpa Rinpoche, he earned his PhD from Princeton University and was a  professor of comparative literature at the University of Wisconsin,  Milwaukee.   SANGYE KHANDRO has translated many important Tibetan Buddhist texts. She  is a cofounder of Light of Berotsana, a nonprofit organization for  translators of Tibetan texts.  LAMA CHÖNAM is a Tibetan teacher who received twenty years of  traditional training as a monk in Tibet. He is a translator and adviser  to the Nalanda Translation Committee and a cofounder of Light of  Berotsana. |  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER ONE\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eIn this time of the five degeneracies of the dark age,9 it is difficult to liberate savage sentient beings from evil karma through the \u003ci\u003esūtrayāna\u003c\/i\u003e, the causal vehicle of characteristics, alone. It is even difficult to ripen them through tantra, the fruition vehicle of the secret mantra.10 \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eFor their minds are dry as a piece of rock; If you do not carve its hard surface with a chisel, Even if you soak it in a stream, it will not give way. Even if you work it with butter and oil, it will not become flexible. They are too stiff to be bent by the teachings on this life and the next. They will not submit to the restraint of the monastic law. \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e* Avalokiteśvara. \u003cbr\u003e† One of the epithets of Guru Rinpoche, Padmasambhava. \u003cbr\u003e‡ The five buddha families. \u003cbr\u003e§ One of the epithets of Gesar. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFormerly, during the lives of the three ancestral dharma kings, when the land of Tibet passed from Bön to Buddhism, in order to naturally pacify11 the envy of the vicious gods and demons of Tibet, Padma Tötreng [Lotus Skull Garland] the Mantra Holder bound them by oath. If he had managed to make them swear their oaths of fealty to the buddhadharma three times, then the dharma kings would have been long-lived and their subjects would have enjoyed bliss and happiness. However, powerful demon ministers took control over the subjects and, faced with this opposition, Padma was able to tame and bind the spirits of Tibet only twice, not thrice. This caused war in the four directions and the auspicious coincidence of the glorious gateway, the perfect astrological conjunction,12 was missed. The foreign borderland demons wandered into central Tibet and the dharma kings fell down to the level of commoners. \u003cbr\u003eThe whole world in general and in particular the land of Tibet, indeed all lands, changed and became oppressed by suffering. The compassionate mind of the Noble Excellent Great Compassionate One could not bear this, and so he supplicated Amitābha, Lord of Sukhāvatī.13 \u003cbr\u003e[Avalokiteśvara supplicates Amitābha to intercede in Tibet.]14 \u003cbr\u003eOṂ MAṆI PADME HŪṂ ḤRĪḤ I bow to the refuge, chief of the vast pure realm, Amitābha,15 Lord of Sukhāvatī, in the west. Although compassion is truly unbiased, Look down on this impure place of \u003ci\u003esaṃsāra\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003cbr\u003eIn the ocean of saṃsāra’s suffering, You know how to kill the sea monster of sin. How terrifying are the waves of the five poisons! Minds blinded by obscurations Circle endlessly in saṃsāra, how pitiful! Please compassionately reveal supreme skillful means.16 \u003cbr\u003eWith these words he reverently supplicated. The blessed one Amitābha answered with these words: \u003cbr\u003eGood, good, O son of noble family; For sentient beings confused by ignorance, If they are not fortunate disciples, it is difficult to guide them. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThus, if beings in the age of the five degeneracies Have no iron ring of faith,17 Even the teacher who guides beings out of the three worlds Has no way of catching them with the iron hook of \u003cbr\u003ecompassion. \u003cbr\u003eBut in the divine buddha field of the thirty-three18 The father, the great god, Ödden Kar [White Luminosity] And the supreme mother Mandā Lhadzei [Celestial Flower \u003cbr\u003eDivine Beauty] Have a son, Demchog Karpo Ngangyag [White Supreme \u003cbr\u003eBliss Good Nature]. He and Gyuma Lhadzei [Illusory Divine Beauty] Will unite as \u003ci\u003eE \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003evam\u003c\/i\u003e19 and give miraculous birth Through their light rays of unfabricated compassion20 To the child Döndrub [Accomplisher of Benefit], an \u003cbr\u003eemanation of their blessings.21 He is Joyful to Hear and delightful to see. If he were to transfer into a human body in Jambudvīpa, That heroic bodhisattva would tame untamable disciples. Sentient beings in the land of Tibet would experience bliss \u003cbr\u003eand happiness. There is no doubt they would be liberated from birth in the \u003cbr\u003elower realms. Therefore, you must go to the continent of Cāmara. Supplicate and repeat these words to Padma Tötreng. Strive for the benefit of beings, supreme warrior of the mind. Remember this, \u003ci\u003eE ma ho! \u003c\/i\u003e* \u003cbr\u003eHe graced and honored Avalokiteśvara with these words of prophecy and confirmation. \u003cbr\u003e[Avalokiteśvara visits Padmasambhava to request that he cause the emanation of Gesar.] \u003cbr\u003e* \u003ci\u003eE ma ho!\u003c\/i\u003e is a Tibetan exclamation of wonder and jubilation. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThen, in a single instant, Avalokiteśvara, the greatly compassionate Lord of Skillful Means, went to Padma Ödkyi Zhalyei Dechen Lhundrub kyi Potrang [Celestial Palace of Lotus Light—Spontaneously Present Exaltation] on the subcontinent of Cāmara. There he found a magnificently terrifying city of \u003ci\u003erākṣasas\u003c\/i\u003e, a place so terrifying that it frightens even the death gods and makes the Lord of Life himself, Brahmā, withdraw. A land so terrifying that even the \u003ci\u003evināyakas\u003c\/i\u003e shun it, not to mention ordinary men, who cannot even bear the sight of it. \u003cbr\u003eIn this place, in order to effect measureless benefit for beings, Avalokiteśvara manifested as a demon cub, wearing a crown made from mother of pearl, enveloped in a halo of glimmering white light. Arriving at the eastern gate of Jampei Künkyab Lingchen [Great Garden of All-Pervading Mercy],22 there a demon minister rākṣasa with seven heads saw the child and said: \u003cbr\u003eWhat a wonder! What a sight I am seeing this morning! \u003cbr\u003eI would say you are a god, but you look like a demon rākṣasa cub. \u003cbr\u003eI would say you are a demon, but for your aura of light. \u003cbr\u003eWithin the walls of Padma Barwei Rawa [Garden of \u003cbr\u003eBlazing Lotuses], \u003cbr\u003eWe sentient beings, confused by ignorance, \u003cbr\u003eHave never seen and would be lucky even to hear of \u003cbr\u003eThe coming of such an unfamiliar child. \u003cbr\u003eWhat is the great aim, the great matter that caused you to \u003cbr\u003ejourney here alone like this? \u003cbr\u003eThen he sang this song of interrogation: \u003cbr\u003eLu Ala,23 the song begins. Thala is the melody of the song. These are the demon lands of Cāmara, The country of the impure rākṣasas and demons And the pure land of the vidyādharas and ḍākinīs. \u003cbr\u003eThis morning, young child, you suddenly arrived here. Where do you come from, what kind of place? What aim could you have that is of such great import? \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eIf you do not have in mind great matters, Then there is no great reason \u003c\/i\u003e[don] \u003ci\u003efor coming so far. \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eIf you haven’t been possessed by an evil spirit\u003c\/i\u003e [gdon]\u003ci\u003e, Why would you drown yourself in a river? Only a very serious court case Could put a wealthy man in jail.\u003c\/i\u003e24 \u003cbr\u003eIn Cāmara’s Blood Lake of Sin25 The bite of the jaws of the cannibal demons is hotter than fire. The reach of the arms of the cannibal demonesses is longer \u003cbr\u003ethan a river. The \u003ci\u003etramens \u003c\/i\u003eon the hunt race around faster than the wind. \u003cbr\u003eWhat’s your reason for coming here? Who are your father and mother, their race and religion? Don’t you keep any secrets, tell me straight out. \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eHonest speech brings success to the monastery. Straight arrows strike the target yonder. If your path is straight, the road between central Tibet and China is \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003enot long.\u003c\/i\u003e26 \u003ci\u003eOne sign is enough for a superior man to understand. If not, it is like whipping an old ox. \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIf that’s what you need, then look to your precious life. If you understand, I have explained my words. If not, I’m not going to sing them again. \u003cbr\u003eThus he sang and the boy cub answered, “Oh yes, sir, I understand.27 \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eIf the secret pith of the proverb does not emerge, Even though the meaning is profound the secret words will be mute. If you can’t have the results in your hands, All those words are just bubbles of spit. If earth and water do not burgeon in early spring Then the southern turquoise dragon is just a silent venomous snake.\u003c\/i\u003e28 \u003ci\u003eIn the sky Mount Meru is circled by the sun and the moon. If they do not benefit the plains of the four continents Then Meru is neither of benefit nor harm. The sun and the moon would just spin like the heads of brainless dupes \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eAnd the people of the four continents would have no appreciation for the virtues of the sun and the moon.\u003c\/i\u003e29 \u003cbr\u003eMy cause, on the other hand, is great.30 \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe continents of black earth come to an edge\u003c\/i\u003e31 \u003ci\u003eBut no one can find the measure of the white clouds above. If my cause is great, I’ll go to China and back in one day\u003c\/i\u003e32 \u003ci\u003eAnd I’ll repeat my words again and again. \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOf course, I have many stories I could tell, but only to the leader, majestic Padma Tötreng. Take me up the staircase to the imperial assembly hall of the Great Minister. There is no reason to casually explain this great cause to a public gathering. Just as the proverb says: \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eIf you throw the six grains in a meadow, there will be no sprouts. If you plant seeds in a plowed field, then you get results. \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSo the tale I must tell is like this,” and he sang this song: \u003cbr\u003eOṂ MAṆI PADME HŪṂ HRĪḤ \u003cbr\u003eI supplicate the transcendent dharma.33 May I hold to the natural state of ultimate emptiness. \u003cbr\u003eIn case you do not recognize the likes of me, I am the beloved child Künphen Nyinje [All-Benefiting Compassion]. My father is Jangsem Künkyab Gön [Compassionate \u003cbr\u003eSovereign Lord]. My mother is Tongnyid Chödrön [Emptiness Dharma Torch]. This morning I came from the Plain of Great Bliss. The goal I seek is the benefit of self and other;34 My destination is the isle of Cāmara; My request is to master Skull Garland. Thus, as the ancient proverb says: \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThough merchandise from China is essential to central Tibet, It is not that the farmers of central Tibet are lacking in wealth, \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eIt is that this sustains the mental link between China and Tibet. Though empowerments and teachings are essential between master \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eand disciple, Passing them down does not mean the teachings are not precious, It is that this sustains the samaya link between aspiration and path. Though the great minister is essential to the district and its chief, It is not that without the minister the system is unable to function, It is that this is the way the status of both the government and \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003emonasteries is displayed. \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe real meaning of my words I offer to you. Please intercede on behalf of my humble self. When you make your request to the leader, bare your heart. The extent of his compassion will depend on karma. \u003cbr\u003eMy import is not small; it is of great importance. Of great import is the general welfare of beings. If it were unimportant, why would I have come? \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eFutile wandering in borderlands, Buying famine itself, Those who suffer not, yet throw themselves into deep gorges, Have let their life force be carried away by demons. The wealthy who carry their goods on their heads\u003c\/i\u003e35 \u003ci\u003eAre just asking for their wealth to be squandered. The mighty who oppress the many Will cast themselves down in self-humiliation. The humble who presume to utter proud words Will just close themselves off from receiving any benefit.\u003c\/i\u003e36 \u003cbr\u003eThings such as these are indeed pointless. \u003cbr\u003eBut into the hall of Lord Rākṣa Skull Garland I had no choice but to enter. May you deeply consider and seize me with your compassion. I offer this narrative story; Please let my words enter your mind and heart. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThus he requested and the demon minister replied, “Hey, you!37 Since ancient times our demon king Rākṣa Skull Garland’s royal lineage has had terribly strict rulers. Their law strikes hot as lightning bolts. Their sovereignty covers the country, vaster than the blue sky. Their clout is mightier than Rāhu.38 What can a little gypsy kid the likes of you hope for? Even when we who are the interior ministers stand before such kings, we are just waiting to be punished even if we have done nothing wrong. They are ready to jump on us for no reason or arrest us for no real cause. They are ready to gobble up the flesh of a living man and gulp down the blood of a live horse. In this lin­eage there have been such men. This king’s guts seem to have broadened and his mind, which is empty in nature yet full of mercy, unites all three temperaments: peaceful, wrathful, and relaxed.39In recent generations they have all been the same that way: \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eLike sleeves cut from the same pattern or beads chosen from the same \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003erosary. \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eIn the strictness of our monastic law and the law of the land \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e‘Roots and sticks are not to be mixed!’ \u003c\/i\u003e40 \u003cbr\u003eI am ready to ask whether you will be well received. Otherwise we both will be like an old ox leaping into the river when it is thirsty, or an old cow heading for grass, or an old donkey driven by rain. No one has ever dared to informally barge in on him. \u003cbr\u003eGenerally when you visit a temple, you offer the guru there a white scarf. If you are able to greet him, what do you have as a presentation offering?” \u003cbr\u003eAvalokiteśvara answered: “I have the thirty varieties of formal presentation offerings. If you want to count them, they are: as dharma the six-syllable maṇi man­tra, as path the six perfections along with the six objects of outer appearance, the six consciousnesses of inner knowing, and the six gates of the sense faculties that lie in between. Are these suitable presentation offerings?”41 \u003cbr\u003eWhen he had said this, the minister answered, “I can’t really say if that will be acceptable. \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe more the poor man values food, \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe more the rich man tightens his stomach for him. \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe more the rich man values a horse, \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe more stubborn-headed the merchant is on his selling price. \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe way it is, the dzomo of a poor person is like a horse, \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eBut for a great band of robbers it is nothing but a quick snack on the \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eroad.\u003c\/i\u003e42 \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe jackal that usually eats horses \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eSometimes wonders ’perhaps this sheep would do?’ \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWho knows what will be satisfactory as a presentation offering? At the same time I cannot say that these presentation offerings would not do. \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe sacred symbol, the souvenir of a pilgrimage to Tsari Mountain, \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eIs really nothing but a nine-node bamboo stick.\u003c\/i\u003e43 \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eTo import chao hsi tea,*  you must transport across hill and dale, \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eBut anybody with money can have a pinch of it if they want. \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eIndeed the worth could then exceed a nugget of silver the size of a \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ehorse’s hoof. \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAre these things you bring of great value or tiny and insignificant?” The boy responded, “Indeed, they are not great, for this is just the precious jewel of being free and well-favored,44 the two spans and four cubits of the human body. On the other hand, they are not meager, because if you possess the power of analysis, you can see that they are the inexhaustible provisions for this life and the next, the kar­mic wealth that fulfills all wishes in saṃsāra, the wish-fulfilling gem, so difficult to acquire.” \u003cbr\u003e[The demon minister continues] “But if you do not possess an analyti­cal mind,45 then these things are the anchor of the three poisons in the ocean of saṃsāra, the stick that drives us with happiness and sadness,46 a sack full of filth. Well now, whoever you are, I will request that you be received into his presence. Wait here for a moment,” he said, and he entered the palace. \u003cbr\u003e[Padmasambhava and Avalokiteśvara finally meet, but in a mystical \u003cbr\u003eway.] \u003cbr\u003eThere on top of a wrathful seat of corpses,47 on a dazzlingly beautiful throne of gold, sat Lotus Rākṣa Skull Garland [Padmasambhava] himself, his mind resting in meditation on the great nature of phenomena. Even though he already understood that Avalokiteśvara was waiting outside, Padmasambhava feigned ignorance and said to the great rākṣa minister with seven heads: \u003cbr\u003e“Hey, you! This morning, who was that singing pointless songs, chanting \u003cbr\u003e* Jasmine tea. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eunceasing melodies, and repeating imbecilic words? What great purpose does he aim to attain? Who does he trust? To whom does he bow down?” The minister thought to himself, “Even though he’s sitting on his lordly throne, his bright eyes see the bridge outside.” \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eIt seems that the sun is traversing the sky, But its light pervades Jambudvīpa. It seems that the southern clouds \u003c\/i\u003e48 \u003ci\u003eare piled in the sky, But they rain across the dense earth. \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe thought that Padmasambhava in his chamber had probably seen every­thing that had just happened outside and said to him, “Oh Precious Crest Jewel, in the varicolored hundred thousand demon villages of great bliss, at the eastern gate of the iron wall49 named Jampei Künkyab Lingchen, a little boy who is not a human and not a demon, who is not a god, but has an aura of white light, has dropped in. He says that he has a matter of pith and importance to impart. Listen carefully and focus the silk scarf of your hearing. Please, Lord, direct your mind.” With these words he prostrated three times and then sang this informative song: \u003cbr\u003eLu Ala, sing the song this way. Above in the Ruby Palace, Amitābha of Uḍḍiyāṇa, know me!* May I and all sentient beings filling space Attain the state of a deathless awareness holder. \u003cbr\u003eSeated on top of a jeweled throne with a peaceful and \u003cbr\u003ewrathful corpse50 On a blazing lotus, Leader in this life, dear lord and chief, listen. Guide in the next life, O guru, listen, Buddha who benefits us in both this and future lives. This morning when the golden rays of the royal parasol51 Struck the peak of [Zangdog] Pelri [Glorious Copper-\u003cbr\u003eColored Mountain], \u003cbr\u003e* “Know me!” (Tib. \u003ci\u003emkhyen\u003c\/i\u003e) is a salutation used when a disciple is invoking a deity, asking for its attention and blessing. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAt the eastern gate of Jampei Künkyab Lingchen, \u003cbr\u003eIn the middle of the Plain of Great Bliss, \u003cbr\u003eAppeared a beautiful little boy radiating light, \u003cbr\u003eEmbellished with garlands of light rays and rainbows. \u003cbr\u003eHe said his name is Künphen Nyinje. \u003cbr\u003eHe said his great purpose is the limitless benefit of beings \u003cbr\u003eAnd that he must be presented directly to you, the leader of \u003cbr\u003eCāmara. \u003cbr\u003eHe said there is no time to spare. \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThis great utterance of the field of generosity, If not a skillful way of offering, Is a sign that the guru is a learned master. That purification of the cause of a succession of crimes, If not extortion exacted by a minister, Is the yoke oppressing the mighty chieftain. The heat-covering storm clouds in the sky, If not the devouring mouths of the eight classes, Are the timely rain that helps to ripen the six grains. The prayers of a humble beggar, If not hunger’s call for help, Are the white silk scarf of the humble beggar’s pure intentions. \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAlthough I could not grasp his thought, I am still obliged to \u003cbr\u003espeak on his behalf. \u003cbr\u003eThis long presentation scarf of his formal request52 \u003cbr\u003eIs difficult for this minister to pass on to you. \u003cbr\u003eThe essential point in his request seems to be \u003cbr\u003eThat he would like permission to come before your golden \u003cbr\u003ethrone. \u003cbr\u003eForgive this fool for filling the golden palace of your ears with \u003cbr\u003ethis news, \u003cbr\u003eHowever, if the affair is important, I have served your honor. \u003cbr\u003eIf you hear and understand my offering song, \u003cbr\u003eThen please give your reply to what he has requested.53 \u003cbr\u003eThus he requested and the magnificent Skull Garland Lotus answered: “Oh, Excellent! According to the examples in the proverbs: \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eTo the guru who is a guide and a teacher, \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eBetter abandonment of evil deeds than a hundred offerings. \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eTo the chief whose sovereignty is vast, \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eBetter the straight truth than a hundred presentation offerings. \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eWhen you begin to accumulate merit, \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eBetter an auspicious connection\u003c\/i\u003e54 \u003ci\u003ethan a hundred material \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003egoods. \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eToday, in the Fire Monkey year, the eighth day of the first moon, on the day of the glorious gate of auspicious coincidence, whichever he is of the eight classes of beings, whether \u003ci\u003elha\u003c\/i\u003e, nyen, \u003ci\u003elu\u003c\/i\u003e, or human,* now quickly allow him to enter and stand before me.” \u003cbr\u003eThen the minister went out to the gate but the little boy had disappeared with­out a trace. There should have been some sign of him, but instead it was like the proverb: \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eNo tracks of the bird in the sky; No path of wind for the bird; No prints of the mouse on the ground No hiding hole for the mouse. \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut straight ahead there was a golden lotus with eight petals; upon its stamen stood a white HRĪḤ. On the petals, the syllables OṂ MAṆI PADME HŪṂ HRĪḤ ĀḤ55 were repeating their own sounds. He thought, “How strange. What shall I declare to the chief? How will I explain this to the ministers? What will I say to the servants? What will I proclaim to the people?”His mind flipped back and forth twelve times; he came up with at least twenty-five stratagems.56 Finally he thought, \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e“Since the empty mind is inexhaustible, There is no exhausting the intelligence of a great man.57 If you do not clamp down on your little tongue, There is no end to the speech of learned ones. \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e* “Whether lha, nyen, lu, or human” (Tib. \u003ci\u003elha, gnyan, klu, mi\u003c\/i\u003e)—that is, gods, nyen (mountain­dwelling spirits), nāgas (gods, mountain spirits, serpents, water-dwelling spirits), and humans—a traditional division of beings into four orders. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eIf you do not measure the step of your little feet, \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThere is no end to the length of a dirt path. \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eIf it does not reach the blue water, \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThere is no end to the blazing red fire. \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis time it is like: \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eA support without blessings, \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eLike the relics of a pig;\u003c\/i\u003e58 \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eA mumble without clarity, \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eLike a mute explaining the taste of brown sugar.\u003c\/i\u003e59 \u003cbr\u003eAlthough it may be pointless to try to describe this with words, maybe I can carry it in my hands. I guess that person I saw this morning must have been some kind of magical emanation. So it seems that this flower here might be his magic. If that’s so, then why not carry the flower in and place it before the king? Just this morning the king said a person with merit needs an auspicious connection.60 And after all, the king gave me orders, saying, ‘Whether it is a god or a demon, bring it in’. Since this thing is an intangible rainbow-like form, perhaps this is a magician’s trick or a magician’s basis for transformation.61 Whether good or bad, I know that it is something miraculous! \u003cbr\u003eEven though there is no one here to give his message to, I’ll just have to take this thing that has appeared here inside and offer it.” \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThis is a matter of pleasing the white snow mind and \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eOf what seems lovely to these colorful eyes.\u003c\/i\u003e62 \u003cbr\u003eHe thought it must be some kind of auspicious sign, so he picked up the flower and carried it to the door of Padmasambhava’s [Skull Garland’s] private chambers, called Self-Appearing Lotus. The flower in his hand turned into a white light the size of the moon and dissolved into the heart center of the demon king Rākṣa Skull Garland. \u003cbr\u003e[Avalokiteśvara calls upon Padmasambhava to create the incarnation of \u003cbr\u003eGesar from primordial ultimate mind.]63 \u003cbr\u003eThen through the self-clarity of his wisdom intent, the Great Compassionate Avalokiteśvara sang this song, easily comprehended, which invokes the mind stream.64 \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOṂ MAṆI PADME HŪṂ HRĪḤ \u003cbr\u003eFrom the pure land of the Blazing Lotus Blessed One Amitābha, know me. You who are supreme in the lotus family, Treasure of \u003cbr\u003eOmniscience, Miraculous king, please heed me! \u003cbr\u003eIt is difficult to tame the wilderness land of Tibet. In the kingdom of the land of snow, Nine oath-breaking demon65 kings and ministers uttered \u003cbr\u003eperverted aspiration prayers. When they transferred from that life They were reborn as: \u003cbr\u003eThe eastern demon [māra of the east], Southern Throne \u003cbr\u003eTiger Eye, The southern demon, Poison Tree of Sadam, The western demon, Lutsen [Nāga Might] of the Mu clan, The northern demon, Gurkar, White Tent The’u Rang Cub,66 Turquoise Peak67 Luminous Child, Earth Lord King Nyenrawa, The Lion Demon Asê Khyilpa, The barbarian Demon King Shingtri, And the general demons of the world such as Black Bear, and \u003cbr\u003eso on.68 Each one of them is surrounded by an innumerable retinue, The visible enemies and the invisible demonic forces Who are to be the culprit leaders inflicting misery on the land \u003cbr\u003eof Tibet. They will treat the teachings of cause and effect and the Rare and Precious Three Jewels with contempt. They will lead all sentient beings down the path to the lower \u003cbr\u003erealms. They will sow the seeds of the lowest possible realms. Oh pity the ignorant beings in saṃsāra! The great powerful one who tames the difficult to tame, Great being, divine child, Joyful to Hear, The primordially pure is self-liberated.69 \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMay the five families of the victorious ones grant him \u003cbr\u003eempowerment. May the protectors of the three families bless him. As the \u003ci\u003enirmāṇakāya\u003c\/i\u003e who tames the vicious, It falls upon you to invoke your samaya.70 Therefore, protector of beings, don’t be idle. \u003cbr\u003eThus he supplicated. And then Nangsid Zilnön [Lotus Skull Garland] smiled, his heart glad, and replied, “Good,” and sang these words in a sweet melody: \u003cbr\u003eKye Ho! O supreme bodhisattva, very good! Your striving for the benefit of beings is excellent. In the limitless sky of your enlightened mind of \u003ci\u003ebodhicitta \u003c\/i\u003eThe white luminous moon of your compassion shines upon \u003cbr\u003eothers. The innumerable constellations are your aspiration prayers. Your kindness eliminates the darkness of ignorance.71 \u003cbr\u003eLike the moon in the midst of the lunar mansions, You are the child who binds the phenomenal world in servitude. Great bodhisattva, hearing you brings rejoicing and liberation. You are the lord who embodies the activity of all the buddhas. \u003cbr\u003eAll the victors are one in the space of wisdom. The buddha nature of the\u003ci\u003e sugatas\u003c\/i\u003e pervades all sentient beings. Accordingly, in order to liberate all unrealized saṃsāric \u003cbr\u003ebeings, The sugatas cannot help but fulfill their vows to benefit \u003cbr\u003ebeings. Protector, whatever you intend for others’ benefit Will come true for sentient beings. May your practice of the perfection of aspiration be \u003cbr\u003ecomplete.72 \u003cbr\u003eIn this way he prayed and confirmed the invocation of the sacred vow of all the sugatas of the ten directions. Even the demon minister of this \u003ci\u003esambhogakāya\u003c\/i\u003e field of disciples was established in bliss through liberation upon the sight of that which is astonishing. Then the Great Compassionate One departed for Potala Mountain. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e[Padma causes the birth of the future Gesar as the godling Thöpa Gawa, \u003cbr\u003eJoyful to Hear.]73 \u003cbr\u003eLater, on the holy day when the \u003ci\u003eḍākas\u003c\/i\u003e and the ḍākinīs gather, the tenth day of the lunar month, deathless Lotus Skull Garland himself was surrounded by a vast assembly performing a tantric feast.* While he was dwelling in the \u003ci\u003esamādhi\u003c\/i\u003e of the all-pervading \u003ci\u003edharmadhātu\u003c\/i\u003e, from the top of his head he emitted a green ray of light, which invoked the mind stream of the dharmadhātu Samantabhadra [Always Excellent]. Then, from the heart center of the dharmadhātu Samantabhadra, there emanated a five-pointed blue vajra marked in the center with the syllable hūṂ.† It radiated out and went tothe garden Tsasum Gawa [ Joyful Three Roots] and entered the top of the head of the godling Demchog Karpo Ngangyag. He experienced in­expressible bliss and had a vision in which he became the wrathful deity Heruka Hayagrīva, the Neighing Horse.74 \u003cbr\u003eFrom the heart center of Dhātviśvarī‡ Mother of Basic of Space emanated a red lotus with sixteen petals, the anthers marked with the syllable ĀḤ.§ It radiated light, which entered into the top of the head of Gyuma Lhadzei. An inexpressible meditation experience blazed within her, and she had a vision that she transformed into the Vajra Sow Vajravārāhī. Then Hayagrīva and Vajravārāhī joined in passion­less union.75 \u003cbr\u003eThe sound of their union of bliss and emptiness invoked the mindstreams of the sugatas of the ten directions. From the heart centers of the blessed ones, the victorious ones of the five families, various colored lights emanated in the ten direc­tions, cleansing the obscurations of the five poisons of all sentient beings. The lights gathered back here and transformed into a crossed double vajra, the essence of the activity of all the \u003ci\u003etathāgatas\u003c\/i\u003e of the ten directions. \u003cbr\u003eThat vajra entered into the crown of the head of Demchog Karpo, where it was melted by the fire of exaltation. Then that became the energy of wisdom wind \u003cbr\u003e* Sanskrit, \u003ci\u003egaṇacakra\u003c\/i\u003e.","brand":"Shambhala","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48338550882533,"sku":"NP9781611800951","price":49.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781611800951.jpg?v=1769572649","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/the-epic-of-gesar-of-ling-isbn-9781611800951","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}