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THE WINGED AND THE FANGED CATHY CANTWELL AND ROB MAYER1 In the history of Western Tibetology, few scholars have done more to give the Bon religion of Tibet a fair hearing than Professor Per Kværne. Querying the often prejudiced views that at irst prevailed, he embarked on a wide-ranging series of dispassionate and scholarly studies in Bon that succeeded magniicently in displacing ignorance with insight. Not only that, but he contributed hugely to the preservation of Bon literature, Bon art, and Bon life in general. Our own, much more recent, foray into Bon studies has been considerably inspired by Per Kværne’s ine example of subjecting any received opinion on Bon to a rigorous and dispassionate examination. As a result, we have now come to suspect that perhaps a rather greater proportion of indigenous Tibetan ritual categories might continue to exist within the canonical Bon tantras than has sometimes been alleged—or at least, that is our impression from the single example we have studied. For although it is only a single text, it is also a very important, early, and seminal text for Bon, the foundation of their entire Phur pa tradition no less, so its testimony cannot easily be ignored. The text in question is the Black Pillar Secret Pith Instruction Root Tantra (Ka ba nag po man ngag rtsa ba’i rgyud) in 39 chapters, the irst and most important of the cycle of nine Phur pa tantras revealed by Khu tsha zla ’od at sPa gro cal gyi brag or Phug cal in Bhutan, sometime in the 11th or 12th century.2 Analysing the Black Pillar from the perspective of literary composition, we came to the conclusion that in many instances (of course, by no means all!) pre-existing non-Buddhist indigenous ritual structures had seemingly been disassembled into their component elements, and then these component elements in various ways reassembled into entirely new structures that now accorded with Buddhist tantric templates. Or, to use an architectural analogy, it 1 Thanks is due to the UK’s Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), who very generously funded this research. 2 Different sources give him different dates. See the discussion in Cantwell and Mayer 2013: 87–100. 154 CATHY CANTWELL AND ROB MAYER was as though some Bon po buildings had been carefully disassembled, and their constituent building materials, such as bricks, stones, window frames, and loors, newly reassembled into an ediice called the Black Pillar that conformed to a tantric Buddhist architecture.3 And if, as we believe, a religion is primarily located in the human beings who practise it, perhaps we can interpret such plentiful survivals of indigenous ritual symbolism within canonical Bon tantras as contributory evidence for the continuity of a distinctive albeit evolving Bon religious identity, stretching from pre-Buddhist times, through the period of change marked by the introduction of Buddhism, and on into the modern era. Why do we suspect that many such ritual elements were not imported from Indian tantrism, along with the kīla, the maṇḍala, the heruka, and all the other Indian categories also found in the Black Pillar? In some cases simply because we do not ind evidence for them in India, and they do not seem Indian; but in other cases because we also ind positive proof for their existence in surviving Imperial period sources (such as woodslips from Miran), as well as in other old sources (such as the dGa’ thang bum pa texts). We will present a fuller account of such elements within the forthcoming publication of our full English translation of the Black Pillar. In many cases, the categories most clearly identiiable as pre-Buddhist are the numerous retinues of the central Phur pa deity often seated at comparatively peripheral locations within his maṇḍala: such deities are classiied as gze ma, mtsho sman, sman gcig ma, bdud, etc. Here, however, we would like to present a category closer to the main Phur pa deity and the centre of his maṇḍala. As is often the case, it is not yet entirely clear to what degree and in what ways it might have been Buddhist inspired, and to what degree and in what ways indigenous. The category in question is the binary of Hawks and Wolves (khra spyang), their passionate couplings, and consequent progeny of Hawk-Wolf hybrids. The Hawks and Wolves are quite prominent and well known, and are not only represented in old canonical texts such as the Black Pillar. They also appear in contemporary Bon Phur pa ritual.4 For example, at the year-end (dgu gtor) Phur pa ceremony we attended For a more detailed analysis, see Cantwell and Mayer 2013. Within contemporary rituals we can ind such items as a khra spyangs gtor zlog, a khra spyangs ’dres byang, and a khra spyang zor rite. Thanks to Riccardo Canzio for sharing with us his unpublished handlist of some ritual sections within dBal phur nag po sgrub pa’i las tshogs skor 1974. See also des Jardins 2012: 187. 3 4 THE WINGED AND THE FANGED 155 at Triten Norbutse Monastery in Kathmandu in 2009, the Hawks and Wolves had their own special dances performed by two monks within the temple during the major communal Phur pa practice.5 The Hawks and Wolves and their various couplings and combinations are also clearly visible as important details in many extant painted scrolls of the Bon Phur pa deity and his maṇḍala. The Hawks and Wolves are interesting not simply as an isolated individual item. More than that, there is the further suggestion that they might be representative of a wider cultural pattern, one that is relected for example in several further chapters of the Black Pillar, as well as in well-known rNying ma ritual cycles, such as rDo rje phur pa and rDo rje gro lod. Leaving aside their formal doctrinal signiications, which although very important we cannot discuss here, anthropologically speaking, the Hawks and the Wolves might signify two things: [i] A broad idea that hybrid or composite creatures, whether comprised from parts of naturally-occurring animals such as hawks and wolves, or from imaginary chimeras or deities, have special potency as protector deities, and that this principle is well represented within Bon. [ii] Entangled with these broader ideas, the narrower more particular category of a binary that speciically pairs a winged composite creature with a fanged composite creature, in a play on oppositional categories that might have delighted Claude Lévi-Strauss. Charles Ramble is already engaged in a Bon-related study of [i], the idea that hybrid or composite creatures have special potency as protector deities, so we will not say any more on the subject here, other than to mention that his hypothesis is amply supported by the Black Pillar, where not only the Hawks and Wolves, but also many dozens of other hybrid deities appear in several chapters of the work. The more particular category of a binary that speciically pairs a winged composite creature with a fanged composite creature remains a tantalizing question that requires a degree of further research to explore adequately. We have no idea, for example, how widespread the binary might be, and at this preliminary juncture, all we can do is present some empirical data. The Black Pillar is a carefully structured text, and its chapters progress in a rational sequence. Chapter 1 sets the opening scene, Chapter 2 explains how sentient beings have fallen from primordial wisdom, 5 See the vivid description of this in Schrempf 1999: 207–208. 156 CATHY CANTWELL AND ROB MAYER and Chapter 3 describes how the compassion of the Enlightened Ones manifests to save them. The speciic teachings of Phur pa then begin with Chapter 4 with its description of Phur pa’s pure land, while Chapter 5 describes the main Phur pa deity and his manifestations in the ten directions. Directly after this, the text continues through the retinues, proceeding irst to the more central and then to the more peripheral. Chapter 6 describes the arising of the Hawks, and Chapter 7 the arising of the Wolves and their unions with the Hawks. Chapter 8 introduces the sa bdag, Chapter 9 the bdud mo, Chapter 10 the sman cig ma and their brothers, Chapter 11 various groupings of activity ma mos, and Chapter 12 various groupings of ritual functionaries such as the ral ka mched bdun. The Hawks in Chapter 6 are at the top of the list of retinues, closest to the central deities. Their ground of origin in the transcendent enlightened nature is emphasised and described in Buddhist-congruent terms of emanation6 (nevertheless, despite their Buddhist-inspired nature and functions, their actual birth process seems indigenous, involving bird’s nests, the hatching of eggs, nurturing parent birds, and so forth). Likewise, the Wolves of Chapter 7 are described in Buddhist-inspired terms of emanation from an enlightened source. Clearly then, the Hawks and Wolves are represented as close to the central Phur pa deity, who is the symbol of highest enlightenment. But this is by no means the irst incidence of a winged and the fanged binary within the Black Pillar. We ind it already in the description of the central deity himself, and his emanations in the ten directions. For in Chapter 5 a few folios above, we ind the main description of the central Phur pa deity, who is made of iron, surrounded by his entourage of ten Phur pa deities of the ten directions, each made of a different substance, such as crystal, acacia, copper, gold, etc. What is interesting is that each of these Phur pa deities emanate pairs of zoocephalic (or sometimes 6 Chapter 6, incipit: // ji yang med pa’i stong pa las/ mkha’ klong dbyings kyi rang bzhin gyis/ drag gsas sku gsung thugs su grub/ de las lha mi bya gsuṃ sprul/ yab gcig mkha’ gying sprul pa las/ khra gsas khyung rgod thabs kyi bya/ “From out of the emptiness that is nothing whatsoever, the natural quality of the sky[-like nature] and expanse [of mind], with its spatial ield, becomes established as the body, speech and mind of the Destructive Divinity. From it emanate the trio of deity, human, and bird.* From an emanation of the single father, Khajing, the bird of skilful methods, Hawk Divinity, Wild Garuḍa [arises]”. Etc. *(Lopon Tenzin Namdak explains, deity = the Phurpa yi dam; human = sTag la me ’bar; bird = the Hawk deities). THE WINGED AND THE FANGED 157 theriomorphic) forms, where one is winged and the other fanged or tusked. Thus we ind the following pairs:7 1. Main central deity holds phurbus made from: hawk and vulture quills / bear and lion bones, with these blades emerging from the heads of those animals, and emanates attendants with: wild boar head / sea monster head 2. Above deity emanates attendants with: garuḍa head / dragon head 3. East deity emanates attendants with: vulture head / lion head 4. South-east deity emanates attendants with: raven head / fearsome bear head 5. South deity emanates attendants with: owl head / tiger head 6. South-west deity emanates attendants with: crow head / leopard head 7. West deity emanates attendants with: hoopoe head / cat head 8 North-west deity emanates attendants with: sky hawk head / jackal head 9. North deity emanates attendants with: bat head / brown bear head 10. North-east deity emanates attendants with: mouse hawk head / weasel head Yet again, an underlying structural template (in this case a central Phur pa heruka deity with emanations in the ten directions, each lanked by two attendants), is typically Buddhist, and close parallels exist in numerous rNying ma Phur pa maṇḍalas; yet individual symbolic units out of which the ediice is constructed, such as the winged and fanged zoocephalic deities, look like they might owe something to indigenous symbolism. We should add, it has sometimes been suggested that indigenous elements within Bon tantrism might be expected to occur largely amongst the subdued deities of the maṇḍala’s periphery. Yet here, if these examples are indeed to some degree indigenous, we ind them closer to the enlightened centre of the maṇḍala. But how sure are we that the winged/fanged binary as evidenced in Chapter 5 is in truth indigenous? Or even the Hawks and Wolves in Chapters 6 and 7? Might they not be Indian after all? We cannot say for sure as yet. None of the many learned Indologists we have approached know of any such iconography from India, nor have we found it ourselves; but of course, given the vastness of Indian culture, that cannot yet be taken as deinitive proof of its non-existence. A close approximation does exist in rNying ma Phur pa texts, in the form of the well-known Buddhist equivalents to the Bon pairs, known 7 Chapter 5 of the Black Pillar does not attach a name to this class of deities, but its Chapter 13 seems to imply that they are to be identiied as the group of gze ma gyad mo (also mentioned in Chapter 1 as gyad mo dang gze ma). Other more recent Bon sources describe them as khra thabs gze ma, see Bonpo Thangkas from Rebkong 280: 43–41. 158 CATHY CANTWELL AND ROB MAYER as the ’phra men ma, or “hybrid females”. Again, these are zoocephalic deities who emanate from the ten direction herukas as pairs, known as Carnivores (za byed) and Killers (gsod byed). The rNying ma version is less systematic than the Bon, with not all the Carnivores being fanged, and not all the Killers being winged, and the central deity does not have an additional animal-headed pair. The most common rNying ma list is as follows: 1. Above, the pig-headed carnivore and lizard-headed killer 2. East, the tiger-headed carnivore and vulture-headed killer [vulture is the same] 3. South-east, the yak-headed carnivore and raven-headed killer [raven is the same] 4. South, the stag-headed carnivore and owl-headed killer [owl is the same] 5. South-west, the leopard-headed carnivore and crow-headed killer [this one is parallel] 6. West, the cat-headed carnivore and hoopoe-headed killer [this one is parallel] 7 North-west, the wolf-headed carnivore and hawk-headed killer [this one is very similar] 8. North, the lion-headed carnivore and bat-headed killer [bat is the same] 9. North-east, the bear-headed carnivore and weasel-headed killer 10. Below, the brown bear-headed carnivore and rat-headed killer It is worth noting that this list is found in early Phur pa texts, and also in Chapters 12 and 13 of the Thabs zhags manuscript as found at Dunhuang (and in the bsTan ’gyur).8 While the Thabs zhags root text (which shows no clear sign of having been written or compiled in Tibetan) clearly signals the existence of such a group, it does not specify them all: only its commentarial text (which does show possible signs of having been written or compiled in Tibetan) lists them in full.9 For traditional polemicists of whatever persuasion, the historical relations between the Bon and rNying ma variants might constitute an important consideration. Is the Bon list a later adaptation of the Buddhist one, slightly modiied to accentuate the winged/fanged binary? See Cantwell and Mayer 2012: 299, 302. Felicitously, an intact manuscript of the Thabs zhags commentary, complete with the root tantra embedded as lemmata, has been preserved at Dunhuang. This root tantra in the form of lemmata incorporates clear indicative errors avoided in some other branches of the root tantra transmission. From these one can infer the existence of an archetype that was, at a minimum, two levels of copying prior to the Dunhuang version. See Cantwell and Mayer 2012: 10. 8 9 THE WINGED AND THE FANGED 159 Or might the Buddhist list include some Bon inluences? Is the winged/ fanged binary itself predominantly indigenous in origin, as we currently guess? Or, might this binary have irst developed as an elaboration of early Buddhist tantric traditions of zoocephalic ’phra men ma, such as those of the Thabs zhags commentary and early Vajrakīlaya tantras, or those found in the rGyud gSang ba snying po’s Chapter 15, where we do indeed ind a list of eight ’phra men ma, precisely four of whom are winged, and precisely four fanged?10 To add to the historical confusion, it has never yet been quantitatively established to what extent such early rNying ma tantric traditions are pristinely Indic, and to what extent they might also include Tibet-speciic redactions, whether made by Indian missionaries or by Tibetan converts. In this context, we must also consider what increasingly became a standard form of rNying ma pa heruka, with three fanged heads, two wings, six arms, and four legs. This form is widely attested from Nyang ral nyi ma ’od zer (1124–92) onwards, but also appears in at least one much older source, Chapter 12 of the Thabs zhags root tantra (which, unlike its commentary, shows no clear sign of having been written or compiled in Tibetan).11 What is of interest is his two wings: for while numerous herukas, as described in the many surviving sources that are incontestably pristinely Indian, might bare their fangs, few if any have so far been found spreading their wings. It would seem that if winged herukas did exist in India, they were most probably part of a rare, minority tradition.12 Might the rNying ma pa’s increasingly widespread 10 seng gdong (lion), stag gdong (tiger), wa gdong (fox), khyi gdong (dog), bzhad gdong (swan or water bird), kang ka’i gdong (Skt. kaṅka = heron), dur bya’i gdong (charnel ground bird), ’ug pa’i gdong (owl). 11 Despite the explicit mention of wings on the herukas in the Thabs zhags, the descriptions of herukas in the rGyud gSang ba snying po’s Chapters 15 and 17 mention only the three heads, the six arms, and the four legs, but do not mention any wings; and even the fangs are only mentioned near the end, in the eulogy in Chapter 21; nevertheless the later tradition seems to take the presence of the wings as implicit (thanks to Gyurme Dorje for his clariication). Likewise some early Sa skya descriptions of the Phur pa heruka omit the wings, and the Dunhuang text IOL Tib J 306 also describes a rNying ma-style heruka, but without the wings. 12 So far, we know of only a single possible example for an Indian winged heruka: bDe mchog rdo rje mkha’ lding (Vajragaruḍasamvara), a form of Samvara combined with garuḍa, surrounded by a retinue of a further 50 deities in garuḍa form. It is found in T̄ran̄tha’s sGrub thabs rin ’byung brgya rtsa (deity 228), and transmitted in some dGe lugs and Jo nang pa traditions. According to the notes attached to TBRC Resource ID T711, the tradition was transmitted by Rwa lo ts̄ ba rDo rje grags, which might indicate Indian rather than Tibetan origins. If it is indeed Indian rather than Tibetan, it might be seen as an exception that proves the rule, since the comparative rarity of such 160 CATHY CANTWELL AND ROB MAYER proliferation of wings upon their already fanged Buddhist herukas have been an indigenously Tibetan emphasis or development? Bu ston (1290–1364) found no Sanskrit original for the rGyud gSang ba snying po, the Thabs zhags, or rDo rje Phur pa, and despite their acceptance as valid rNying ma traditions by the early Sa skya hierarchs, Bu ston preferred to exclude them, and related texts, from the canon. Apart from the lack of available Sanskrit originals, Bu ston did not elaborate further on his reasons. It is tempting to speculate that some conservative Tibetan opinion might have considered these traditions to have been redacted by Indian siddhas with a Tibetan audience in mind, and hence to incorporate some local Tibetan colour such as wings—illicitly, in their view? For the Dunhuang Phur pa lo rgyus text (PT44) and the Dunhuang Thabs zhags commentary (IOL TibJ 321) might indeed be interpreted as hinting at Tibet-speciic redaction by Indian siddhas with regard to the Phur pa and Thabs zhags traditions respectively, a narrative also repeated in the later Phur pa lo rgyus texts.13 We have not yet got many conclusive answers to these complex historical questions of origins. The rules of evidence probably dictate that winged herukas in Indian sources seems in stark contrast to their widespread occurrence in rNying ma pa sources. Note, however, that in this case, the wings do not appear to be inherent to heruka per se as in the rNying ma examples, but only appear upon him because heruka is here combined with garuḍa. In short, the wings derive from garuḍa; they are not inherent to heruka as in so many rNying ma pa examples. Thanks to Jeff Watt for this reference. 13 Like the innumerable Phur pa lo rgyus texts (historical narratives with a ritual function) of later centuries, PT44 describes Padmasambhava’s induction of the ritually important bSe goddesses of Nepal into the Buddhist pantheon for the irst time, to serve as Phur pa protector deities. Padmasambhava does this as a prelude to his transmission of Phur pa teachings to Tibetan and Nepali disciples. These Nepalese bSe deities also turn up in canonical NGB texts, such as the Phur pa bcu gnyis, so that the historical-narrative Phur pa lo rgyus texts and the canonical NGB tantras mutually reinforce one another. Likewise, Sa skya Paṇḍita’s redaction of the rDo rje phur pa rtsa ba’i dum bu, which became canonical beyond the rNying ma school through its inclusion in the Tshal pa Kanjur, is explicitly interpreted by the subsequent Sa skya tradition to represent these same bSe goddessses initially tamed by Padmasambhava. The unavoidable implication is that the Sa skya system of Phur pa exegesis consciously accepts the rNying ma lo rgyus tradition, that an Indian siddha, Padmasambhava, had introduced signiicant ritual additions particularly intended for Tibet, to an originally Indian scriptural tantric tradition, understood as bKa’ or Buddhavacana. Coming from a rNying ma and Sa skya background as he did, Bu ston was undoubtedly familiar with these Phur pa lo rgyus traditions. See Cantwell and Mayer 2008: 45–47, 56–66. In a very similar manner, IOL TibJ 321 seems to say that the Thabs zhags root tantra had been redacted in a signiicant way by Padmasambhava, or perhaps even revealed by him, although the original point of departure for its maṇḍala design remains close to that of the Indian Sarva-tathāgata-tattva-saṃgraha. See Cantwell and Mayer 2012: 91–98. THE WINGED AND THE FANGED 161 a reliable answer can only inally come from a comprehensive Indological, Sanskrit-based investigation. It might be that the evidence available from the Tibetan sources consulted by various scholars so far depends too much on hearsay and was too much articulated within polemical contexts, independently to support any conclusion beyond dispute. While such questions of origins have been important for Bon and Buddhist polemicists over many centuries, they are not the only area of interest for us. What we see and ind equally interesting here is a Tibetan cultural tendency to play on category boundaries, whether they be of Indian or indigenous origins. This play seems to occur in a manner that might have delighted Lévi-Strauss. One example is the garuḍa ritual from bDud ’joms Rinpoche’s (1904–87) treasure revelation of rDo rje gro lod (a wrathful form of Padmasambhava). The garuḍa is a category-crossing hybrid endowed with horns, beak, claws, wings, and fangs, and, in line with a symbolic logic Charles Ramble has recently mentioned in parallel contexts,14 its horns protect against any bad omens of horned animals, its beak protects against any bad omens of beaked animals, its claws protect against any bad omens of clawed animals, its wings protect against any bad omens of winged animals, and its fangs protect against any bad omens of fanged animals. Yet it is the winged and fanged categories that are singled out for particular emphasis, as we can see in these lines of revealed gter ma verse: (Seeing) a white bird of the sky with fangs, Since it is not possible for birds to have fangs, Is a very bad omen for your father. (Seeing) a black earth rat with wings, Since it is not possible for a rat to have wings, Is a very bad omen for your mother. If these two should conceive children, Then the 81 bad omens will result. From these will arise all types of illnesses, evil spirits, and obstacles, Broken hearts and all possible anxieties.15 The principle is similar with the Hawks and Wolves of the Black Pillar’s Chapter 7. Through their unions, they produce miraculously ap14 Unpublished talk delivered at the Tibetan Protector Deities Workshop, Wolfson College, Oxford, 4 June 2014. 15 gnam gyi bya dkar mche ba can: bya la mche ba mi srid de: ltas ngan kun gyi pha ru byung: sa yi byi nag gshog pa can: byi bar gshog pa mi srid de: ltas ngan kun gyi ma ru byung: de gnyis srid du sbrum pa las: ltas ngan brgyad cu rtsa gcig byung: de las nad gdon bgegs rigs dang: chag che nyam nga thams cad byung: (bDud ’joms Collected writings, vol. Ba: 302–303). 162 CATHY CANTWELL AND ROB MAYER pearing incongruous offspring with both wings and fangs, who emanate evil omens that descend like a rain on the enemies of Bon, strenuously destroying them. No doubt, there is plenty of material here, enough for a book or PhD. For the time being, we simply present a translation of Chapter 7 of the Black Pillar.16 KA BA NAG PO MAN NGAG RTSA BA’I RGYUD, CHAPTER 7 Base text (=Kanj): Ka ba nag po man ngag rtsa ba’i rgyud, vol. 160, pp. 1–125 of Theg chen g.yung drung bon gyi bka’ ’gyur, Bod ljongs bod yig dpe rnying dpe skrun khang, Lhasa 1999. (= 3rd edition of Bon Kanjur, in 178 volumes) Nor: Vol. 35, pp. 1–72 of Bonpo Kanjur held in the University of Oslo, Norway, published by Ha-san-yon and Bon-slob Nam-mkha’ bstan-’dzin, Sichuan, c. 1987 (= 2nd Edition of Bon Kanjur, in 192 volumes) Tenj: Vol. 268, pp. 1–163, Bon gyi brten ’gyur chen mo, 2nd edition (in 333 vols), n.d., n.p., ISBN 7-223-00984-5 (sic). From a private collection, courtesy of Dr J.-L. Achard. (This is identical with the version found in vol. 268, pp. 165–345 of Tanbai Nyima, ed., Bonpo Tenjur, 380 vols, Lhasa 1998.) Ktm: dbu med ms from the library of Geshe Yungdung Gyaltsen, folios 1a–49v. NGMPP Reel Number E3406/2, Running Number E55878, ilmed 20/9/2000. KTY: oral explanations of Khenpo Tenpa Yungdrung, Shenten Dargye Ling, Blou, France, 2011/12. Bonpo Thangkas from Rebkong: edited by Bon brgya dge legs lhun grub rgya mtsho; Shinʼichi Tsumagari, Musashi Tachikawa, Yasuhiko Nagano Suita, Osaka: National Museum of Ethnology, 2011. Thangka Paintings of Yungdrung Bon: A sngags Tshe ring bkra shis and gNyan mo grub (eds). gYung drung bon gyi rab ’byams dkyil ’khor rgya mtsho’i zhal thang kun ’dus / Thangka Paintings of Yungdrung Bon / 西 藏本教唐卡. Si khron dpe skrun tshogs pa / Si khron mi rigs dpe krun khang, 341 pp. (hard cover in slip case, larger than A4) 2010. Some questions of gender remain problematic in our interpretation, which is not altogether unusual in old Phur pa texts such as these, whether Buddhist or Bon. 16 THE WINGED AND THE FANGED 163 [28.2] [Tenj 33.2] [Ktm 10r.7] [Nor 14v.4] gnyis ’dzin ’khrul rtog sun phyung nas/ Having refuted erroneous conceptions of dualism, bla med g.yung drung gnas su dgod/ [One] is established in the unsurpassed eternal abode. sprul pa thabs kyi phyag rgya ni/ The emanations which are symbols [of] means sngon tshe dbal bon khro bo yi17/ Were emanated in bygone times, [by] the wrathful Wal Bon, byin rlabs18 [3] dbal ri chen por sprul/ On the great consecrated Wal mountain.19 [Ktm 10v] sprul pa ’dus pa’i ri bo ni/ This mountain [where] the emanations assembled, shar phyogs dkar gsal dung gi log20/ [In] the east [has a] clear white conch shell side; lho phyogs gdong21 ’tsher g.yu’i22 log23/ [In] the south [has a] luminously radiant turquoise side; nub phyogs [4] dmar gdangs24 zangs kyi log25/ At the west [has a] lustrous red copper side; byang phyogs gzi brjid gser gyi log26/ [Nor 15r] [In] the north [has a] resplendent golden side; dbus steng mdzes pa g.yu ’od ’bar/ Above the centre, a beautiful turquoise light blazes; ye shes lnga yi cho ’phrul yin/ [It] is the miraculous appearance of the ive wisdoms. 17 yi: Tenj, Ktm, Nor yis; we follow Tenj, Ktm, Nor byin rlabs: Tenj byin brlabs 19 Kanj’s reading would be: Were emanated in bygone times, [by] the consecration of the wrathful Wal Bon, on the great Wal mountain. 20 log: Tenj, Nor logs 21 gdong: Tenj, Nor gdangs ; we follow Tenj, Nor 22 g.yu’i: Tenj, Nor g.yu yi 23 log: Tenj, Nor logs 24 gdangs: Nor nag 25 log: Tenj, Nor logs 26 log: Tenj, Nor logs 18 164 CATHY CANTWELL AND ROB MAYER [dbal [5] ri’i phyogs dang mthun pa’i27/] [In accordance with the directions of the Wal Mountain,] 28 [dbal ri’i phyog bzhi dbus dang lngar/ In the four directions plus the centre of the Wal Mountain, sa bdag lnga’i sprul pa29 ru/ As emanations of ive Earth Mistresses, srid pa’i rin chen chu dmig lnga/ Five precious springs of existence well up, brdol ba’i dbal ri stobs dang ldan/ Endowed with the Wal Mountain’s power. srid pa’i chu dmig de lnga la/ At these ive springs of existence, khro bo yab lnga’i sprul pa ru/ As emanations of the ive Wrathful male deities, kha dog phyogs dang mthun pa ru30/] In accordance with the direction colours [of the Wal Mountain], rang brtags31 mtshan ma32 rin chen min ma33 can/ Each one characterised by their own symbolic implements, and endowed with jewelled eyebrows.34 dbal gyi gcan spyang gdug pa lnga ru babs35/ 36 The ive vicious predatory Wal Wolves descend; 27 pa’i: Tenj pa yi Ktm, 10v.2–3 and Nor 15r 1–2 omit the previous line, but differ from our base text Kanj and Tenj in giving instead the seven lines from here, up to kha dog phyogs dang mthun pa ru/ KTY: these seven lines may have been omitted in the other versions, but should be included here, since they give a necessary part of the narrative, namely the arising of the Five Springs. 29 pa: Ktm omits 30 ru: Nor yi 31 brtags: Tenj, Ktm rtags, Nor brtan 32 ma: Ktm ma’i 33 min ma: Tenj, Ktm, Nor smin ma; Tenj, Ktm, Nor are better. 34 KTY: the meaning here is eyebrows. 35 babs: Nor bab 36 The Kathmandu/Norway passage has introduced emanations of the Wrathful male deities—but if this text is not in error, these are presumably to be distinguished from the Wal Wolves introduced now, who are described immediately below as emanations of the Wrathful female deities. It therefore seems to make sense to start a new 28 THE WINGED AND THE FANGED 165 khro mo yuṃ lnga’i sprul pa [6] ru37/ As emanations of the ive Wrathful female deities, kha dog phyogs [Tenj 34] mthun gdug pa’i mche38 sder can/ 39 [Their] colours accord with their directions, and they have poisonous fangs [and] claws. rtogs kyi mtshan ma rin chen thig le’i40 brgyan41/ [They] are ornamented with jewel drops, as signs of realisation, gdug pa dbal gyi bya khra lnga du chags/ And have passion for the ive vicious Wal Hawks. de [7] nyid42 cig yid cig la43 chags ’gyur na44/ By these pair[s] coming to have passion for one another, rin chen bsrid pa’i45 chu mig lnga la ’thung46/ [They] drink at the ive precious springs of existence; spyang khus gdong47 ’thung khra’i48 ’og nas ’thung49/ The Wolves drink from above, the Hawks drink from below;50 sentence here. However, uncertainty about the intended genders remains (see also note 67 below). 37 ru: Nor ni 38 mche: Nor mchu 39 The Wal Wolf emanations are not mentioned on the list of deities for Thangka 43 in Bonpo Thangkas from Rebkong, but they are surely the ive unlabelled small, wolflike emanations depicted near the bottom of the thangka. The white wolf is near the bottom right of the thangka (perhaps indicating the east); the yellow is slightly lower and more central; the blue is at the same level as the white, on the left hand side; the reddish is just to the left of this and a little higher; while the green is central and slightly higher than the other wolves. They seem neither to be depicted in Thangka 57, nor to be described Thangka Paintings of Yungdrung Bon, although their emanations are depicted (see below). 40 thig le’i : Tenj thig les; Nor omits 41 brgyan: Nor rgyan 42 nyid: Tenj, Ktm, Nor gnyis; we follow Tenj, Ktm, Nor 43 cig yid cig la: Tenj gcig yid gcig la, Nor gcig gcig la yid 44 ’gyur na: Nor gyur nas 45 bsrid pa’i: Tenj srid pa’i; Nor omits 46 ’thung: Nor ’thungs 47 gdong: Tenj, Ktm, Nor gong; we follow Tenj, Ktm, Nor 48 khra’i: Tenj khra yis; we follow Tenj here 49 ’og nas ’thung: Nor ’og ’thungs 50 KTY: The imagery here has meanings at different levels. The precious springs of existence imply the eternal primordial time of original existence. 166 CATHY CANTWELL AND ROB MAYER yid sems ’dres [29] ba’i51 rin chen sgo ngar bltaṃs/ [They] give birth to precious eggs which are the fusion of mind and mental [consciousness], de las sprul pa dbal gyi phur pa52 lnga ru byung/ From which emanations are produced as the ive Wal messengers. dung spyang khra gshog sprin dpung ral pa [2] can/ 53 The Conch Wolf with Hawk Wings has locks of hair piled up [like] clouds; lcags spyang khra gshog me dpung chu54 ’od can/ The Iron Wolf with Hawk Wings has a mass of lames, with the radiance of light over water; zangs lcags55 khra gshog khra yi mchu sder can/ The Copper Wolf with Hawk Wings has hawk’s beak [and] talons; gser spyang khra gshog56 sprin57 dmar58 ral [3] pa can/ The Golden Wolf with Hawk Wings has red locks [like heaped] clouds; 51 ba’i: Tenj, Nor pa’i sprul pa dbal gyi phur pa: Tenj, Ktm sprul pa dbal gyi pho nya, Nor dbal gyi sprul pa; we follow Tenj and Ktm 53 Note that in Bonpo Thangkas from Rebkong (Thangka 43), these emanations are depicted (towards each side of the upper section of the painting) as having wolf-like bodies and heads, but bird beaks as well as wings, thus, fully integrating the wolf and the hawk. Note also that in this thangka, the group are all shown with a large head of bushy hair, which is indicated in some of the description given here in the Ka ba nag po. They are depicted in the upper left of Thangka 57 in Thangka Paintings of Yungdrung Bon, just below the Five Hawk Emanations, and they are described on p. 151 (group 18): (1) a white wolf body with the wings of a hawk, a white tail, bent like a sickle, and hawk beak, wings and talons; (2) similarly, an iron-coloured wolf body with hawk beak, wings and talons, and hair locks emitting lames; (3) a copper-coloured wolf body; (4) a yellow-coloured wolf body; (5) a deep blue-coloured wolf body (1 spyang khu’i lus dkar po/ khra yi gshog pa can rnga ma dkar po zor ba bzhin bkug pa/ khra yi mchu dang gshogs pa sder mo can/ 2 de bzhin du lcags mdog can gyi spyang lus/ khra yi gshog sder mchu dang ral pa me dpung ’phro ba can/ 3 spyang lus zangs mdog can/ 4 spyang lus gser mdog can/ 5 spyang lus mthing mdog can bcas lnga’o//). In this thangka illustration, their open mouths appear to depict wolf teeth, despite their beak-like snouts. 54 chu: Tenj chung, Nor spu, Ktm ral pa spu, losing the metre. KTY advises that Kanj’s reading, chu, is preferable to chung but no better than ral pa spu. Both chu and ral pa spu can work equally well. Me dpung chu ’od can is often used in the sense of lames with the radiance of light playing over water. Ktm’s reading could read as … and hair locks with luminous strands.., but could also be interpreted in other slightly different ways. 55 lcags: Tenj, Ktm, Nor spyang; Tenj, Ktm, Nor are preferable. 56 khra gshog: Nor omits 57 sprin: Ktm, Nor rlung 58 dmar: Nor mar 52 THE WINGED AND THE FANGED 167 g.yu spyang khra gshog thig ler59 ’khyil [Nor 15v] pa’i spyan/ The Turquoise Wolf with Hawk Wings has eyes which become round like bindus. gshen gyi bka’ nyan dgra la rtags60 ’byin ma/ [These] females61 who are obedient to the practitioner, producing signs for the enemies,62 rol pa’i63 cho ’phrul ya ma [Ktm 11r] zung gi bu/ Have, as [their] display, miraculously appearing incongruous offspring; [4] sprul pa ltas ngan64 dgra la char du ’bebs/ [Their] emanated evil omens descend like a rain on the enemies; dbal phur pho nya drag po’i las la brtson/ Wal Phurpa’s servants are strenuous in their destructive actions. de lnga’i cho ’phrul mngon par65 byung [Tenj 35] ba ni/ [These] actually manifesting miraculous manifestations of the ive of them: nyi ma phyogs bzhi [5] dbus dang lngar/ [Upon] sun[s], in the four directions and the middle, making ive, rigs mthun spyang khu66 lnga po la/ 67 [There are] ive wolves in accordance with the ive families; 59 thig ler: Nor thig le rtags: Nor rtag 61 KTY: this is referring to the above mentioned group of ive hawk-wolves. 62 KTY: this means they show warning signs to the obstacles, or let them see the consequences of their deeds. 63 rol pa’i: Nor rig pa’i 64 ltas ngan: Nor ltar na 65 par: Nor du 66 spyang khu: Nor spyang gi 67 This further set of emanations do not appear to be depicted in Bonpo Thangkas from Rebkong (Thangka 43). They are depicted in the upper right of Thangka 57 in Thangka Paintings of Yungdrung Bon, just below the Five Hawks, and they are described as the Wolf emanations (spyang khu’i sprul pa lnga) on p.151 (group 19): a white wolf ridden by a white hawk [which] casts a snake lasso from the tips of its talons; a black wolf ridden by a black hawk; a red wolf ridden by a red hawk, and a yellow wolf by a yellow hawk; a blue wolf ridden by a blue hawk; the hawks similarly casting snake lassos from their talons (spyang khu dkar mo bya khra dkar pos zhon pa/ bya yi sder rtses sbrul zhags ’phen pa/ spyang nag khra nag gis zhon pa/ spyang khu dmar mo khra dmar mos/ gser spyang gser khras zhon pa/ spyang sngon khra sngon gyis zhon pa/ khra yis sder mos sbrul zhags ’phen pa sogs ’dra’o//). The wording of this description (the particles, mo and po in the irst example) would suggest that the wolf 60 168 CATHY CANTWELL AND ROB MAYER sprul pa yang dag gnaṃ khras68 zhon/ The authentic sky hawk emanations ride upon them; gdug pa rin chen sder mo yis69/ With their vicious jewelled talons, rang rtags sbrul gyi zhags [6] pa ’phen/ [They] cast serpent lassos, which are their own implements; gang la dmigs pa70 gting nas len/ Whoever [they] think of is comprehensively captured; bon daṃ71 bsrung zhing bka’ ’khor skyongs72/ [They] guard the vows of Bon and protect the wheel of the teachings; dbal ri gdug pa’i skad73 la ’grol74/ [They] frequent the waist of the noxious Wal Mountain. dbal phur sgo [7] ba’i75 srung ma byed/ [They] act as guardians of the Wal Phurpa’s gates.76 rgya mdud thig le ri rab brjid77/ Imposing, [they are] a Mount Meru essence knot.78 che ba’i yon tan bsam mi khyab/ [Their] qualities of greatness are inconceivable. mounts are female while the hawk riders are male, and this would appear to it with our text above, which seems to give the Wal Wolves given at the beginning of the chapter as female emanations. However, there is some uncertainty (see above) and the set of Hawk emanations in Chapter 6 are similarly given female particles. Also, although not explicit in this text, the pairs of carnivore/bird-headed ’phra men ma in the rNying ma tradition are often given as male/female pairs, and KTY explains that generally in Bon contexts, the wolves are male, and the hawks female. In any case, we now have another variation on the combination of the wolves and hawks, this time as linked pairs of mounts and riders. 68 khras: Nor khra 69 yis: Tenj yi 70 pa: Tenj pa’i 71 dam: Nor dag 72 skyongs: Tenj skyong 73 skad: Tenj, Nor rked; Ktm rkyen. KTY: the Tenj, Nor reading is preferable. 74 ’grol: Tenj ’dril; KTY: ‘grim (to frequent) may in fact be the correct reading here. 75 sgo ba’i: Tenj, Nor rked pa’i; Ktm rkyen kyi. 76 gates: Tenj’s reading of waist might also be plausible 77 brjid: Ktm ’dzin 78 KTY: the image of the knot (rgya mdud) symbolises that it is unchanging in its essence (thig le), indicating its eternal essence (ngo bo) or natural condition. THE WINGED AND THE FANGED 169 mthu dpung stobs79 dang ldan par ’gyur/ [They] are endowed with might and a great number of magic powers. nyon mongs bdud80 lnga log rtogs81 [30] ’dul/ [They] subdue the wrong views of the demons of the ive deilements, dgra dang bgegs la smos ci dgos/ No need to mention the enemies and obstacles. ’phrin82 las rang skal ’dul bar byed/ [Their] enlightened action tames each of those who are karmically destined to be tamed.” ces gsungs swo 83/ Thus [he] spoke. ka ba nag po man ngag rtsa ba’i rgyud las/ From out of the Black Pillar Pith Instruction Root Tantra, khra spyang gdug pa’i [2] byung lugs84 bstan pa’i le’u ste bdun pa’o/ This is the seventh chapter, the teaching on how the vicious Hawk Wolves arose. BIBLIOGRAPHY A sngags Tshe ring bkra shis and gNyan mo grub (eds) 2010. Thangka Paintings of Yungdrung Bon. (g.Yung drung bon gyi rab ’byams dkyil ’khor rgya mtsho’i zhal thang kun ’dus / 西藏本教唐卡.) 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Vienna: The Austrian Academy of Sciences Press. –––– 2008. Early Tibetan Documents on Phur pa from Dunhuang. Vienna: The Austrian Academy of Sciences Press. bDud ’joms Rin po che, ’Jigs bral ye shes rdo rje (1979–85). The Collected Writings and Revelations of H. H. bDud-’joms Rin-po-che ’Jigs bral ye shes rdo rje, 25 vols. Kalimpong, Dupjung Lama. An electronic version is available from the Tibetan Buddhist Resource Centre (http://www.tbrc.org) with the title bDud ’joms ’jigs bral ye shes rdo rje’i gsung ’bum, W20869 0334-0358, 25 vols. des Jardins, Jean-Marc 2012. “The Records of Tshul khrims mchog rgyal on the Black Phur pa Cycle of the Tibetan Bon pos.” Revue d’études tibétaines 23: 169–202. Schrempf, Mona 1999. “Taming the earth, controlling the cosmos: transformation of space in Tibetan Buddhist and Bon-po ritual dance.” In Toni Huber (ed.), Sacred Spaces and Powerful Places in Tibetan Culture, pp. 198–224. Dharamsala: Library of Tibetan Works and Archives.