Sorcerer of the Iron Castle:
The Life of Blo bzang bstan pa rab rgyas,
the First Brag dkar sngags rams pa of A mdo
(c. 1647-1726)
Bryan J. Cuevas
(Florida State University)
T
he period between the late seventeenth and early eighteenth
centuries was a momentous one in Tibetan history,
witnessing among other consequential movements the
surge of Dge lugs pa power throughout the whole of Tibet. In A mdo
specifically (those northeastern areas of Tibet that are now in
Qinghai, Gansu, and northern Sichuan), it was also a period
dominated by native-born A mdo monks who spent time in central
Tibet training in some of the most celebrated Dge lugs pa institutions
in and around Lhasa, later to return home to establish their own
important monasteries and religious centers.1 This was, of course, the
story of the foundation of Bla brang Bkra shis ’khyil (est. 1709),2 as
well as many other major Dge lugs pa monasteries in A mdo that
maintained strong ties to central Tibet. The stories of those
institutions and the lives of the monks who founded them are
generally well-known and have received abundant attention by
scholars in our field. Less well-known is the story of the figure I
want to introduce here, Brag dkar sngags rams pa Blo bzang bstan
pa rab rgyas. His life, for the most part, fits the basic pattern of this
historical period, although the main institution he founded in the
early eighteenth century, called Me long brag dkar in the northern A
mdo province of Khri ka (Ch. Guide), certainly never rose to the
illustrious stature of a Bla brang, or Dgon lung, or Sku ’bum.3 But his
eventful activities in central Tibet at the end of the seventeenth
century, the contacts he made there, and his ties at home to some of
A mdo’s most prominent personalities and institutions makes his
story worth telling. At the very least, such is the viewpoint of Brag
dkar sngags rams pa’s eighteenth-century biographer.
1
2
3
On this as a characteristic pattern in the periodization of A mdo’s history from
roughly 1673 to 1709, see Tuttle 2012: 137-138.
Nietupski 2011.
For the history of Dgon lung, see Sullivan 2013; on Sku ’bum, see Karsten 1996.
Bryan J. Cuevas, “Sorcerer of the Iron Castle: The Life of Blo bzang bstan pa rab rgyas, the First
Brag dkar sngags rams pa of A mdo (c. 1647-1726),” Revue d’Etudes Tibétaines, no. 39, April 2017,
pp. 5–59.
6
Revue d’Etudes Tibétaines
[1] The Biography of Brag dkar sngags rams pa
We now have available to us a short biography of Brag dkar sngags
rams pa in 11 folios, which is included in a collection of his writings
preserved in a two-volume set of blockprints edited and produced in
1990 at Rong bo dgon chen, scans of which have only recently been
published online at the TBRC.4 The biography is entitled Drops of
Nectar Nourishing the Faith of Devoted Disciples: The Life of the Supreme
Lord of Siddhas Brag dkar Rin po che, [from] the Lama’s Own Words (Grub
pa’i dbang phyug dam pa brag dkar rin po che’i rnam thar bla ma nyid kyi
gsung sgros dad ldan gdul bya’i dad pa’i gso byed bdud rtsi’i zegs ma).5 By
the literary standards of traditional Tibetan Buddhist hagiography,
the text is a rather ordinary and fairly modest piece of sacred
biography. As is typical, it promotes Brag dkar sngags rams pa as a
virtuous Buddhist monk and powerfully effective tantric master. In
particular, the text is persistent in what appears to be one of its
primary goals: to demonstrate Brag dkar sngags rams pa’s special
relationship to Vajrabhairava, his personal chosen deity (yi dam), and
to the fearsome protectors Gshin rje Chos kyi rgyal po (Yama
Dharmarāja) and Dpal ldan lha mo, in her wrathful form as Dmag
zor rgyal mo. I will say more about his special relationship to
Vajrabhairava and the rituals associated with this deity in the next
section. But first a few additional details about the biography itself.
Stylistically, the text is an interesting patchwork of biographical
and autobiographical narrative vignettes in a mix of voices,
somewhat loosely organized, and semi-chronological, but with no
specific dates provided. Consequently, the dates I have come up
with were calculated from the few precise dates recorded in the
colophons of Brag dkar sngags rams pa’s own works and by
corroborating various events and individuals mentioned in the
biography with information that is more securely established in the
historical record. Nonetheless, all my dates remain tentative. The text
appears to be have been compiled from the author’s personal
conversations with the subject, as well as Brag dkar sngags rams pa’s
own recollections, notes, and letters. The colophon indicates that the
text’s author was the monk Drung yig pa Blo bzang rgya mtsho. This
is an individual who would later rise to become the fourteenth abbot
4
5
Brag dkar gsung ’bum. For a table of contents see Appendix 3 below. According
the publisher’s par byang, the collection was compiled from original texts
procured in 1949 from the holdings at Me long brag dkar.
Brag dkar gsung ’bum v1, text ga. A translation of the biography is given below in
Appendix 1; a transcription of the Tibetan is reproduced in Appendix 2. I am
grateful to Cameron Foltz, Roland Mullins, and Tracy Stilerman for their
valuable insights and observations on the text and translation of this work.
Sorcerer of the Iron Castle
7
of the Tantric College (rgyud grwa) at Rong bo.6 The project was
supported by Mkhan chen Dge ’dun rgya mtsho (1679-1765), who at
the time was the sitting abbot of Rong bo dgon chen.7 This would
mean the biography was most likely written sometime between the
years 1732 and 1735, just a few years after Brag dkar sngags rams
pa’s death in c. 1726. Alternatively, it could have been written a bit
later, between 1755 and 1759, during the tenure of Dge ’dun rgya
mtsho’s second term as abbot of the monastery. But, given the
evidence, I find the later dates less compelling.
I have included a translation of the entire biography in Appendix
1, but here in this introduction I would like to highlight three
historical events that are alluded to or mentioned directly in the text,
and that I hope will contribute something valuable to the history of
A mdo in general, but more specifically, to the neglected stories of
significant individuals and institutions in this region that have yet to
be duly explored.
Brag dkar sngags rams pa, as one might expect, was born in Brag
dkar, a small village in Reb kong (Ch. Tongren) just north of Rong bo,
likely in the year 1647.8 At the age of thirteen he took his novice
6
7
8
See Rong bo gdan rabs, 378-379. No dates are given for him, but note that his
predecessor, the thirteenth throne-holder of Rong bo Rgyud grwa, was Mkhar
gong Sangs rgyas tshang who is mentioned by name in the biography (Brag dkar
rnam thar, 47.4-48.2). The twelfth throne-holder Dge ’dun mkhas grub (17421811) assumed office in the iron-bird year 1780 and served in that post for
several years. His predecessor, the eleventh throne-holder, was Dge ’dun
mkhyen rab (1736-1815), who in 1781 was appointed the seventeenth abbot of
Rong bo dgon chen. Drung yig Blo bzang rgya mtsho was a student of the
famous Dkon mchog ’jigs med dbang po, the Second ’Jam dbyangs bzhad pa
(1728-1791). Among Drung yig pa’s own students are listed Skyabs mchog rin po
che, Mkhan chen Don yod rgya mtsho (1778/79-1825, nineteenth abbot of Rong
bo), our own Brag dkar sngags rams pa, [Bis pa Ngag dbang] Mi pham zla ba
(1767-1807, seventeenth throne-holder of Rong bo Rgyud grwa), Rje Dge ’dun
mkhas grub (1742-1811), A khyung Ngag dbang mkhyen rab, Sku mche Rdo
rje ’chang Bsod nams rgya mtsho, and Rje Dge ’dun mkhyen rab (1736-1815).
Drung yig pa’s successor, the fifteenth throne-holder of Rong bo Rgyud grwa,
was Blo bzang bstan pa’i rgyal mtshan (d. 1808), who would be recognized as
the first reincarnation of Brag dkar sngags rams pa and hence the First Brag dkar
sprul sku (see below).
This is Klu ’bum Dge ’dun rgya mtsho, who twice served as abbot of Rong bo
dgon chen, as the ninth (appointed in 1732) and as the twelfth two decades later
(r. 1755-1759), serving a grand total of seven years (Rong bo gdan rabs, 206-210
and 214; also Deb ther rgya mtsho, 312-315). He was a student of the First ’Jam
dbyangs bzhad pa (1648-1722), with whom he began studying in 1704. He left
central Tibet and returned to A mdo in 1722. The biography of Brag dkar sngags
rams pa was probably composed during Dge ’dun rgya mtsho’s first stint as
abbot, when Drung yig Blo bzang rgya mtsho was still a junior monk.
One recent summary of Brag dkar sngags rams pa’s life by Dge ’dun dpal bzang
(2007: 261-265) gives his birthdate as 1653. The date is plausible but, in my
8
Revue d’Etudes Tibétaines
vows at the hermitage of Bkra shis ’khyil and became one of many
students there of the renowned Shar Skal ldan rgya mtsho (16071677), the visionary songsmith and Dge lugs pa reformer of Rong
bo.9 It has been well-documented that throughout Skal ldan rgya
mtsho’s illustrious career as monastic leader of Rong bo, he worked
diligently to expand Dge lugs pa influence among the Khoshud
Mongols and Tibetans in northern A mdo and was profoundly
successful in that endeavor. By the time the young Brag dkar rin po
che had entered Bkra shis ’khyil under Skal ldan rgya mtsho’s
tutelage, the elder leader had begun to pull back from his official
duties and soon retired from his post at Rong bo to spend his
remaining years at the remote hermitage he had founded two
9
opinion, seems a few years too late, especially given certain other events that are
alluded to in the original text whose dates are more secure, e.g. the turmoils at
Bya khyung and its abbatial succession (see discussion below). The discrepancy
appears, in part, to have been the result of a misreading of Brag dkar sngags
rams pa’s age in the original blockprint on fol. 34.1, where clearly it says he
studied under Skal ldan rgya mtsho at Bkra shis ’khyil until he was 29 years old
(lo nyer dgu), which by my rendering would have been in the year c. 1676/77.
Dge ’dun dpal bzang (2007: 262), however, gives his age incorrectly here as 24
(dgung lo nyer bzhi). According to the 1653 birthdate proposed by Dge ’dun dpal
bzang, this too would have been around 1676/77. So the year is more or less
accurate, but the age is mistaken. I suspect this misreading may be the reason the
rest of Dge ’dun dpal bzang’s dates in his summary are off by five or six years.
With that in mind, note also that he gives 1729 as the year of Brag dkar sngags
rams pa’s death. This is more difficult to verify, or to dispute, and is thus a
slightly more reasonable date to accept, at least tentatively. However, I still
suggest an earlier date of 1726, which is the year a small set of prayers and
supplications to Brag dkar sngags rams pa was compiled by his student and
friend, the Fifth Stong ’khor Bsod nams rgya mtsho (1684-1752) at the behest of
one Sngags rams pa Dpal ldan rgya mtsho (see Brag dkar gsung ’bum v1, text nga).
It is reasonable to presume that these prayers could have been written in
memoriam to the lama shortly after his death. For what it is worth, the last of the
dated texts authored personally by Brag dkar sngags rams pa and contained in
his Gsung ’bum was completed in the first month of the earth-pig year 1719 (see
Brag dkar gsung ’bum v1, text pha).
A brief account of the life of Skal ldan rgya mtsho can be found in Deb ther rgya
mtsho, 305-308. For a detailed study of his life and songs in English, see Sujata
2005. The hermitage of Bkra shis ’khyil was founded by Skal ldan rgya mtsho in
1648. On its early history and later developments, see Rong bo gdan rabs, 402-423.
According to Sujata (2005: 372), in the time of Skal ldan rgya mtsho, the
congregation hall was called Bka’ gdam pho brang, where “instruction in both
scriptures and rituals evoking protective deities, initiations, textual
transmissions and tantric rituals was given to mountain hermits, and practices
such as year-long retreats and month-long retreats were established for them.
The number of mountain hermits studying there increased, later reaching as
many as two hundred.” The hermitage was Skal ldan rgya mtsho’s primary
residence for the last seven years of his life, which for the most part is the period
described at the start of Brag dkar sngags rams pa’s biography.
Sorcerer of the Iron Castle
9
decades earlier in 1648. It was during these years, and in this setting
at Bkra shis ’khyil, that Brag dkar sngags rams pa became a fully
ordained monk and received from Skal ldan rgya mtsho his initial
religious training. He would remain at Bkra shis ’khyil with his
teacher until he was thirty years old, which I surmise was likely the
year of Skal ldan rgya mtsho’s death in 1677 or shortly before.
[2] Lhasa and the Great Iron Castle
At the age of thirty (c. 1677), following the directives of his teacher,
Brag dkar sngags rams pa traveled to Lhasa and took up residence in
the famous Tantric College of Rgyud smad,10 and for the next nine
years he furthered his education in the tantras and practices of the
distinctive Dge lugs pa triumvirate: Guhyasamāja, Cakrasaṃvara,
and Vajrabhairava, under the leadership of the twenty-seventh abbot
of Rgyud smad, Ngag dbang blo gros rgya mtsho (1635-1688), who
in 1682 would rise to become the forty-fourth Dga’ ldan khri pa (r.
1682-1685).11 The biography, in fact, identifies him by his official title
Khri Rin po che. Incidentally, Ngag dbang blo gros originally hailed
from Klu ’bum in A mdo and was also the teacher of the First ’Jam
dbyangs bzhad pa (1648-1722) and the Second Lcang skya Ngag
dbang blo bzang chos ldan (1642-1714), both of whom make a brief
appearance in our text.12
In describing Brag dkar sngags rams pa’s activities in central Tibet,
the biography focuses mainly on establishing his special affinity with
Vajrabhairava and, in turn, his intimate familiarity with the
teachings of Rwa lo tsā ba Rdo rje grags, the infamous eleventh10
11
12
Rgyud smad grwa tshang was established in 1433 by Tsong kha pa’s disciple Rje
Shes rab seng ge (1382-1445) in the southern district of Lhasa known as
Nor ’dzin rgyal mtshan (later moving north of the city to the Lcang lo can). It is,
of course, one of the two main Tantric Colleges of the Dge lug pa tradition and
has enjoyed historical ties with the Tantric Colleges of Se ra and ’Bras spungs
monasteries. For a concise history of the institution and a list of its early abbots,
see Lodrö 1974: 287-292.
Brief sketches of Khri chen Ngag dbang blo gros rgya mtsho’s life and career can
be found in Dga’ ldan chos ’byung, 93; ’Jigs byed chos ’byung v2: 399-405; ’Bras
spungs sgo mang chos ’byung v1: 52-57; Hor gyi chos ’byung v1: 226-229. Dates for
his tenure as abbot of Rgyud smad are not given, but he must have stepped
down from his position around 1680, which is the year his successor Bsam blo
Sbyin pa rgya mtsho (1629-1695) assumed the office.
It may be significant to add here that Khri chen Ngag dbang blo gros and his two
students, Lcang skya and ’Jam dbyangs bzhad pa, were holders of the special
Sras rgyud lineage of Vajrabhairava transmissions in the Dge lugs pa tradition.
See ’Jigs mdzad zhal lung, 7a.6-8a.2 (513-515). For a history of the Sras rgyud
tradition in English, see Champa 1999.
10
Revue d’Etudes Tibétaines
century translator and promoter in Tibet of the tantras and fierce
rites of Vajrabhairava. The biography only hints at this, but in other
sources, such as Dkon mchog bstan pa rab rgyas’s Oceanic Book (Deb
ther rgya mtsho) written in 1865, Brag dkar sngags rams pa is
explicitly identified as the reincarnation of Rwa lo tsā ba.13 This is
also confirmed in one of Brag dkar sngags rams pa’s own
compositions, in which he refers to himself as “Rwa chen gnyis pa,”
the second Great Rwa.14 If we browse the records, we find that the
first Rwa lo incarnate (in A mdo at least) was a figure by the name of
Blo bzang bsam grub (d. 1708), a contemporary of Brag dkar sngags
rams pa and the twenty-sixth abbot of Bya khyung monastery. He
was born in central Tibet at Rgya mkhar phu in Gtsang and assumed
the abbatial throne in the year 1696.15
13
14
15
Deb ther rgya mtsho, 319.
Brag dkar gsung ’bum v2, text khi: 209.3. Here in the colophon it is also stated that
Brag dkar sngags rams pa compiled this text from the authorized words of Rje
btsun Tshar pa yab sras, which he described as an “account of the advent of the
deities and ḍākinīs’s portents of unrest” (lha dang mkha’ ’gro’i ’tshub cha byung ba’i
lo rgyus). Tshar pa yab sras is a reference to the celebrated Sa skya duo of Tshar
chen Blo gsal rgya mtsho (1502-1567) and his principal disciple ’Jam dbyangs
mkhyen brtse’i dbang phyug (1524-1568). Both were leading patriarchs in the
sixteenth century of the Eastern Rwa tradition (rwa shar lugs) of Vajrabhairava.
See Cuevas 2015b: 73-75. A transmission lineage is provided earlier in the text
(ibid., 182) as follows: Grub chen Padmavajra, Bla ma Bal po Bha ro, Rwa che
Rdo rje grags, Rwa Chos rab, Rwa Ye shes seng ge, Rwa ’Bum seng, Rwa
Dharma seng ge, Rwa Dkon mchog seng ge, Rwa Shes rab rgyal mtshan, Rgyal
[Rgya] ston Dbang phyug rgyal mtshan, Rgya ston Kun dga’ brtson ’grus,
Mkhas grub Brtson ’grus byang chu, Bshes gnyen Kun dga’ rgyal po, Bla ma
dbus stod pa Yon tan chos rin, Yer ba Brtson ’grus rgyal mtshan, Grub chen
Chos skyong rgyal mtshan, Bla chen Yon tan rgya mtsho, Rdo rje ’chang [Tshar
chen] Blo gsal rgya mtsho, ’Jam dbyangs mkhyen brtse dbang phyug, Grub
mchog Bsod nams chos ’phel, Mkhas grub Ngag dbang chos grags, Dgon gsar
ba ’Jam dbyangs bstan ’dzin, and drin can rtsa ba’i bla ma [=Shar Skal ldan rgya
mtsho].
Bya khyung gdan rabs, 137-140. It would appear that a number of disparate
individuals over the centuries, in different regions of Tibet and belonging to
diverse sectarian lineages, have been identified as reincarnations of the notorious
Rwa lo tsā ba. To cite just two examples from the fourteenth and fifteenth
centuries, there is Rgya ston Kun dga’ brtson ’grus (named in the lineage listed
in the previous note), who is acknowledged to have been the fourth Rwa lo
incarnate in no less a source than the Rwa lo rnam thar itself (p. 308; trans. Cuevas
2015a: 277). His standing in this regard is uniquely accepted also among certain
Sa skya historians, such as ’Jam mgon A myes zhabs (1597-1659; see Cuevas
2015b: 74). In view of the discussion that follows, it is also worth noting that
Tāranātha (1575-1634) identifies Kun dga’ brtson ’grus and his father, Ru
mtshams kyi [r]gya Dbang phyug grags pa [=Dbang phyug rgyal mtshan], as
first patriarchs of what he calls the “Rwa Iron Castle” lineage (rwa lcags mkhar ba)
issuing forth from Rwa ’Bum seng (see Gshin rje gshed chos ’byung, 114.3-4). As
for other Rwa incarnations, there is also Dge ba rgyal mtshan (1387-1462), third
Sorcerer of the Iron Castle
11
In line with this special identification with Rwa lo tsā ba, the
biography describes in some detail a noteworthy event that occured
during Brag dkar sngags rams pa’s tenure at Rgyud smad. The text
relates that an official order had come down from the then acting
Regent, Sde srid Sangs rgyas rgya mtsho (1653-1705), requesting the
skills of a tantric specialist familiar with the unique Dge lugs pa rites
of the so-called “Great Iron Castle” (lcags mkhar chen mo). Brag dkar
sngags rams pa, of course, was the one chosen for this task and the
text describes the elaborate preparations he undertook to perform
the rite, as well as the various dreams and omens that forecast his
success.16
The Sde srid’s offical decree stated that these rites were to be
deployed against the ’Brug pa, by which we must assume were
meant certain followers of the ’Brug pa Bka’ brgyud. Where these
followers were located and under what circumstances and why they
were to be ritually attacked is not mentioned in the text. However, if
we consider the approximate timing of the Regent’s decree, which
was issued at some point during Brag dkar sngags rams pa’s
residence in central Tibet, between the years c. 1677 and c. 1686, and
if we also link this to what we already know about the historical
events of the period, then I would suggest that this is likely an
oblique reference to the war of 1679-1683 between the Dge lugs pa
government in Lhasa and allies of the ’Brug pa in Ladakh. Shortly
after Sde srid Sangs rgyas rgya mtsho became Regent in the summer
of 1679, the Dga’ ldan pho brang and its Khoshud Mongolian allies,
with the approval of the Fifth Dalai Lama (1617-1682), had begun to
launch a war against Ladakh. Historians sympathetic to the Dge lugs
pa explain that this was a justified response to unprovoked
harassments from the Ladakhis, who were largely ’Brug pa
adherents. The Ladakhi ruler was accused also of having sided with
the Bhutanese in the previous war of 1675-1679.17 In early 1680, the
sources tell us, Ladhaki troops surrendered to the Tibetans and their
16
17
abbot of ’Phan po Na lendra (r. 1459-1462; see Jackson 1989: 10-11) who is
identified in the Fifth Dalai Lama’s Thob yig (v1: 275.3 and 298.3) as the second
Rwa lo (rwa lo gnyis pa)—just like Brag dkar sngags rams pa two centuries later
(!). It is clear from these few examples that an official line of Rwa lo sprul skus
was never formally coordinated among the various Gsar ma schools. Moreover,
to my knowledge, such a line was never granted an institutional foundation
anywhere in Tibet.
Brag dkar rnam thar, 35.3-37.2.
On the war with Ladakh from 1679-1683, see Petech 1977: 70-77 and 1990: 19-44.
On the earlier war of 1675-1679 with Bhutan, see Ardussi 1999: 65-66. See also
Wangdue 2012 v1: 140-141. A more recent assessment of the Ladakhi conflict is
offered in Jinpa 2015: 113-150. Dge ’dun dpal bzang (2007: 262) misidentifies
the ’Brug pa in this episode as referring to the Bhutanese (lho ’brug pa).
12
Revue d’Etudes Tibétaines
Mongolian forces without resistance, and in 1683, when the Mughals
stepped in to defend the Ladhaki king, they too withdrew before a
disastrous war ensued. As Luciano Petech has noted, the Tibetan
sources claim that the sudden withdrawal of the Mughals, and
presumably also the earlier submission of the Ladakhi troops, was
the direct result of “magic tricks and witchcraft worked from the
distance by the Dalai Lama”18—though more accurately this would
have been executed by the Sde srid, since the Fifth Dalai Lama had
already died the year before. For the Dge lugs pa at this time, these
so-called “magic tricks and witchcraft” would have most certainly
included the fierce rituals of Vajrabhairava, like those of the Great
Iron Castle. 19 And, if we accept the account provided in his
biography, Brag dkar sngags rams pa was one of the Lhasa
government’s chief Vajrabhairava sorcerers engaged in this hostile
effort.
The Great Iron Castle is a Vajrabhairava rite following in the
tradition of Rwa lo tsā ba, though the symbolism of the Iron Castle
goes back much earlier, originating in the canonical cycle of the
Vajrabhairava tantras themselves. In the foundational myth of
Vajrabhairava’s subjugation of Yama described briefly, for example,
in the Tantra’s Legend Chapter (Gtam rgyud kyi rtog pa), Yama and his
minions are said to dwell in “sixteen gateless iron castles,” which
Vajrabhairava trampled with his sixteen legs. The Great Iron Castle
at the center he then flattened with his “liṅgam of single-pointed
pristine wisdom,” and thereby succeeded in vanguishing the Great
Māra and his demonic forces.20 In the Three Chapter Tantra (Rtog pa
gsum), these sixteen gateless iron castles are identified as the “city of
Yama,” which according to the liturgical program outlined in this
tantra is to be constructed as an impenetrable iron trap to capture
and subdue the spirit of one’s enemies, human or demonic.21
18
19
20
21
Petech 1990: 34.
Curiously, this war of 1679-1683 in western Tibet may actually be alluded to in
the biography of Rwa lo tsā ba, where it gives a brief account of Rwa lo
performing the “repelling rite of the sixty-four sacrificial cakes” (drug cu rtsa
bzhi’i gtor bzlog) to subdue the “armies of upper Hor” at Lake Manasarovar.
Fittingly, the text relates that after being bombarded by these gtor ma missiles,
the Hor armies surrendered without putting up a fight. See Rwa lo rnam thar, 135;
trans. Cuevas 2015a: 124-125. On the likelihood that the Rwa lo rnam thar as we
now have it was compiled or embellished by certain Dge lugs pa sympathizers
in the late seventeenth century, see Cuevas 2015b: 71-76.
Siklós 1996: 137: mi bzad zhabs ni bcu drug gis / lcags mkhar sgo med bcu drug brdzis /
ye shes rtse gcig mtshan ma yis / dbus kyi lcags mkhar chen po brdzis / de tshe bdud chen
las rgyal nas.
Siklós 1996: 140: sgo med lcags mkhar bcu drug bya / ’di ni gshin rje’i grong khyer ste /
srid pa gsum gyi ’jug pa yin. This city is then described as follows: de yi phyi rim mu
Sorcerer of the Iron Castle
13
A version of this ritual of the Great Iron Castle is to be found in
Brag dkar sngags rams pa’s Gsung ’bum, in a text entitled Emissary of
Violent Action: A Supplement to “The Magical Device of Blazing Weapons
that Ends the Life of Vow-Breakers: An Exposition on the Sixty Great Gtor
mas.” (Gtor chen drug cu pa’i rnam bzhag dam nyams kyi srog gcod
mtshon cha ’bar ba’i ’phrul ’khor zhes bya ba’i zur ’debs ’phrin las drag po’i
pho nya). 22 The colophon states that Brag dkar sngags rams pa
composed the text in the tenth month of the wood-bird year 1684 at
Chu lam sding gsum in the Stod lung valley south of Lhasa. The date
of the text, therefore, corresponds roughly to the timing of the
episode described here in the biography, just a year or so after the
fact. As the title indicates, Brag dkar sngags rams pa’s text is a
supplement to an earlier work; a text composed by the Fourth
Paṇchen Lama Blo bzang chos kyi rgyal mtshan (1570-1662). The
Paṇchen’s work was inspired by a much earlier set of root verses
simply called Drug cu pa, “The Sixty,” that were written by Tsong
kha pa’s disciple Zhwa lu pa Legs pa rgyal mtshan (1375-1450), the
Fourth Dga’ ldan khri pa.23 I should add here that the Paṇchen
Lama’s text was sealed in secrecy and is thus excluded from all
modern editions of his Gsung ’bum, but in its place Zhwa lu pa’s root
verses are usually included.24 In more recent times, the Great Iron
Castle rites were again the subject of a few works by the Tenth
Paṇchen Lama Chos kyi rgyal mtshan (1938-1989), and these by
contrast are readily available in the various editions of his own
Gsung ’bum.25
22
23
24
25
khyud gsum / kun tu lcags ris bskor ba ste / mu khyud de dag re re la / khang pa sum cu
gnyis dang ldan.
Brag dkar gsung ’bum v2, text ci. As a testament to the enduring value of this text
and the ritual it describes, note that the work is included among a collection of
common liturgies practiced in exile by the monks of Rgyud smad in
contemporary South India. In the Dkar chag, however, Brag dkar sngags rams pa
is not mentioned as the author of the work. See Smad rgyud chos spyod v2: 349-399.
The Fourth Paṇchen Lama had received the transmission of these root verses
from his teacher Dben sa pa Sangs rgyas ye shes (1525-1590/91). See Thob yig v1:
315.6-316.2; note also Dukūla I, 196 (trans. Karmay 2014: 150), where in the midst
of war between Dbus and Gtsang in 1640, the Fifth Dalai Lama, upon being
requested to perform hostile rites, mentions having received the Drug cu pa from
the Paṇchen Lama.
See Drug cu pa’i rtsa tshig zha lu pa chen pos mdzad pa in Paṇchen Lama IV(a) v2:
885-889; also Paṇchen Lama IV(b) v2: 638-640. The Dkar chag of the former edition
(v2: 3.3-4.1) gives a list of sealed works (bka’ rgya) that have been excluded from
the collection; the Gtor chen drug cu pa’i rnam bzhag dam nyams kyi srog gcod mtshon
cha ’bar ba’i ’phrul ’khor is the sixth title in the list.
Titles include Dpal rdo rje ’jigs byed kyi gtor chen drug cu pa’i rnam gzhag dam nyams
kyi srog gcod mtshon cha ’bar ba’i ’phrul ’khor bka’ rgya can sngags khang dus gtor
mdzad pa bzhin nag po ’gro shes su bris pa in Paṇchen Lama X(b): 128-171; Lcags
mkhar mtshon cha ’bar ba’i ’phrul ’khor gyi sngon ’gro bkras lhun rgyud grwa’i phyag
14
Revue d’Etudes Tibétaines
[3] Founding of Me long brag dkar
Brag dkar sngags rams pa left central Tibet and returned to A mdo in
c. 1686, residing for a number of years again at the hermitage of Bkra
shis ’khil. Later, having moved north to Khri ka, he founded his own
modest hermitage, called Me long brag dkar, known today simply as
Me long dgon (Ch. Meilong si).26 The biography indicates that he
established this institution at the behest of many faithful disciples,
including the Mongolian overlord Baatur Taiji. This was Dalai
Khung-Taiji Dashi-Baatur (1632-1714), the youngest son of Güüshi
Khan (1582-1655), who at that time was chief of the Kökenuur
Mongols.27 Much could be said about this famous Mongol chieftain
and the prominent Dge lugs pa leaders he supported in those years,
but suffice it say that Baatur Taiji likely did more than petition Brag
dkar sngags rams pa to build his hermitage; he almost certainly
secured the land for him and much of the necessary financial
resources.
Nine texts in Brag dkar sngags rams pa’s Gsung ’bum were written
at Me long brag dkar. Of those that are dated in the colophons, the
two earliest ones were completed in the water-sheep year 1703.28
These consist of high eulogies to the institution and fumigation rites
26
27
28
bzhes ltar bkod pa in Paṇchen Lama X(a) v2: 415-445 (this text concludes with a brief
history of the transmission, 438.4-446.3); Lcags mkhar mtshon cha ’bar
ba’i ’phrul ’khor gyi ngag ’don zhal yig bka’ rgya can in Paṇchen Lama X(a) v2: 447518. Here the full name given to these rites is significant: Lcags mkhar gtor chen
drug cu pa, which further reinforces that the Drug cu pa ritual and the so-called
“Great Iron Castle” referred to in Brag dkar sngags rams pa’s biography are one
and the same. I wonder if the number “sixty” (drug cu pa) here might originally
have been an orthographic reversal of Tibetan “sixteen” (bcu drug pa), which is
the actual number of Yama’s iron castles identified in the canonical texts.
This monastery is known by several names: Mkha’ spyod dpal gyi gur khang,
Kun bzang me long brag dkar, and Me long dgon mkha’ spyod dpal gyi gur
khang. For its history, see the brief account in Mtsho lho khul gyi dgon sde lo rgyus,
238-251, which includes also a short biography of Brag dkar sngags rams pa (pp.
240-245) drawn almost verbatim from our present text.
See Sullivan 2013: 134 n. 628. Atwood (2004: 574) notes that in 1697 Dalai KhungTaiji Dashi-Baatur, along with the Kökenuur nobility, “submitted to Kangxi in a
personal audience at Xi’an, receiving rich titles and gifts.” In the context of that
submission, Dashi-Baatur also had official contacts with the Second Lcang skya
Ngag dbang blo bzang chos ldan. For details, see Sullivan 2013: 133-139. The
Second Lcang skya makes a brief appearance in Brag dkar rnam thar, 39.5-6,
where it is said that he invited Brag dkar sngags rams pa to his encampment to
perform a series of consecrations. On this event, see note 64 below.
See Brag dkar gsung ’bum v1, text cha and text sha. There are two other dated texts
in the collection authored at this site: one composed in the fire-pig year 1707
(Brag dkar gsung ’bum v1, text kha) and another composed in the earth-dog year
1718 (Brag dkar gsung ’bum v1, text ma).
Sorcerer of the Iron Castle
15
for subjugating the hostile local spirits of Khri ka. It is plausible, then,
that Me long brag dkar was founded around the same time, in 1703
or shortly before that year. Again, in this section, the biography
emphasizes Brag dkar sngags rams pa’s close personal affinity with
Vajrabhairava and relates that he used Me long brag dkar as a
primary site for Vajrabhairava retreats.
[4] Protecting the Abbatial Seat at Bya khyung
The third historical episode I wish to highlight here involves Brag
dkar sngags rams pa’s dramatic activities at Bya khyung, one of the
oldest and most renowned Dge lugs pa monasteries in A mdo,
founded in 1349 by Tsong kha pa’s teacher, Don grub rin chen (13091385).29 The biography alludes to a tumultous period in the abbatial
succession of this institution between the years 1713 and 1716.30 The
text notes that Bya khyung was being plagued by an evil spirit and,
as a result, the abbots were dying off at an untimely pace. 31 A
petition letter is said to have been sent to the Fifth Paṇchen Lama Blo
bzang ye shes (1663-1737), requesting that he appoint a skilled
ritualist who could protect the abbatial throne and vanguish the
threatening demon. A list of five candidates were offered for
consideration: (1) the Third La mo zhabs drung dkar po Ngag dbang
blo bzang bstan pa’i rgyal mtshan (1660-1728), founder of La mo bde
chen monastery in A mdo;32 (2) the Fifth Stong ’khor Bsod nams rgya
mtsho (1684-1752);33 (3) the Second Chu bzang Blo bzang bstan pa
29
30
31
32
33
For an extended account of the life of Don grub rin chen and his founding of the
monastery, see Bya khyung gdan rabs, 10-63.
Brag dkar rnam thar, 40.3-43.6.
Brag dkar rnam thar, 40.4.
For a brief biography of the Third La mo zhabs drung dkar po, see ’Bras spungs
sgo mang chos ’byung v1: 603-606. He was born in the A mdo region of Khri ka,
recognized by the Fifth Dalai Lama, and later participated in the search for the
Seventh Dalai Lama (1708-1757). He founded La mo bde chen in 1682.
The Fifth Stong ’khor Bsod nams rgya mtsho is mentioned frequently by name in
our biography and in the colophons of several of the texts in Brag dkar sngags
rams pa’s Gsung ’bum. The two lamas appear to have been very close
companions. He was born in A mdo in the region of Gcan tsha (Ch. Jianzha) and
was a student of the aforementioned La mo zhabs drung dkar po, who served as
his ordination preceptor. Though he remained a champion of the Dge lugs pa
and an avid proponent especially of the legacy of teachings followed at Rgyud
smad and Se ra smad in central Tibet, he also trained under a number of
prominent Rnying ma teachers. The Stong ’khor incarnation line, to which Bsod
nams rgya mtsho belongs, has a peculiar history in both A mdo and Khams and
is deserving of a thorough study. Short biographies of several prominent figures
16
Revue d’Etudes Tibétaines
(1652-1723);34 (4) the First ’Jam dbyangs bzhad pa, founder of Bla
brang Bkra shis ’khyil;35 and finally, (5) our own Brag dkar sngags
rams pa. I suppose readers can guess who was chosen for the task.
The text notes that Brag dkar sngags rams pa initially refused to
take the job, citing the urgent pleas of his devoted disciples from Reb
kong and Khri ka who, because of his old age (he was sixty-nine at
the time), worried for his safety. He was eventually persuaded and
made his way to Bya khyung. The biography then recounts a bizarre
series of events.36 When Brag dkar sngags rams pa arrived at the
monastery, he was informed that a hostile criminal who had been
repeatedly plundering the premises—an emanation of a demon
named Rkun po nag ral (Black-Maned Thief)—was recently
apprehended and executed by an angry mob. Brag dkar sngags rams
pa requested that the corpse of this criminal be flayed and
dismembered and the parts brought to him. After this was done, he
used the skin as a ritual mat and burned the remaining body parts as
sacramental substances in a fierce homa rite, deploying as well the
yantras of Vajrabhairava. According to the biography, several signs
occured indicating that the rite was successful and that the evil
demon was properly bound and subjugated. Soon thereafter he
witnessed “the head of a lama shoot up from below the ground and
then sink back down into the earth.” Thinking that this might be a
former lama of Bya khyung, he performed a ritual to liberate the
restless spirit from the monastery. He was then able to establish a
protection circle around the abbatial throne and peace was restored
to the monastery. The biography then relates that Brag dkar sngags
rams pa temporarily assumed leadership of Bya khyung, serving as
abbot for one month, before appointing a more suitable candidate, a
monk by the name of Ngag dbang nor bu (1688-1758), who then
34
35
36
in the lineage are contained in Ming mdzod, 769-782 (on Bsod nams rgya mtsho,
see 772-773).
On the life and career of the Second Chu bzang, see Bsod nams rgya mtsho 2001:
14-17. He was ordained under the Seventh Dalai Lama and later served as
nineteenth abbot of Dgon lung from 1680 to 1687, and as the eighteenth throneholder of Sku ’bum from 1696 to 1713. Like Brag dkar sngags rams pa, his
contemporary, he also enjoyed the patronage of the Kökenuur ruler Dalai
Khung-Taiji Dashi-Baatur, as well as a few other prominent Mongolian leaders.
He was assassinated in 1723 by the army of Nyan kwan yo (Ch. Nian Gengyao, d.
1726) during the tragic uprising of the Mongol prince Blo bzang bstan ’dzin
(1692-1755) against the Qing; on which, see note 53 below.
Much has been written about this pivotal figure, see, for example, Maher 2006;
Nietupski 2011: 17-21, passim and sources cited therein.
Brag dkar rnam thar, 42.1-43.3.
Sorcerer of the Iron Castle
17
became the thirty-first abbot of Bya khyung in c. 1716. He held that
position for five years, stepping down in c. 1721.37
The untimely deaths in this period of Bya khyung’s sitting abbots,
the twenty-eighth, twenty-ninth, and thirtieth to be precise, can be
corroborated in the Abbatial Succession of Bya khyung (Bya khyung gdan
rabs).38 That source tells us that the twenty-eighth abbot, Blo bzang
bkra shis (1647-1713), assumed the throne in 1712 but died a year
later.39 The next in line, the twenty-ninth abbot, Ye shes rgya mtsho
left his post at Bya khyung after less than a year because of
inauspicious omens. 40 He must have assumed the office in 1713,
shortly after the death of his predecessor. The thirtieth abbot, ’Jam
dbyangs bkra shis, only served in that post for half a year before
becoming deathly ill. Healing rituals were conducted but he was
unable to recover. He left the monastery to convalesce at the
hermitage of Stag sdong dkar po where he was to consult with one
of Bya khyung’s retired abbots, the twenty-fifth abbot Blo bzang chos
dbyings, but along the way he died tragically after falling from his
horse.41
[5] Reply to the Questions of the Fifth Stong ’khor Rin po che
At this point in the biography there occurs a small division break.42
In this second and final section of the text, the narrative opens with
Brag dkar sngags rams pa’s reply to the questions of the Fifth
Stong ’khor Bsod nams rgya mtsho concerning Brag dkar rin po che’s
previous incarnations, the levels of spiritual realization he had
achieved, and the yogic powers he had acquired.43 Brag dkar sngags
rams pa responds with characteristic Buddhist humility, but admits
that he had been told by his teacher Skal ldan rgya mtsho and a few
others close to him that he was the reincarnation of the great Indian
mahāsiddha Kṛṣṇācārya, 44 in addition to the eleventh-century
Rnying ma translator and Rdzogs chen pioneer Rong zom chos kyi
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
On Ngag dbang nor bu, see Bya khyung gdan rabs, 151-155.
Bya khyung gdan rabs, 142-158. Note that this section also includes a brief sketch
of the life of Brag skar sngags rams pa (pp. 146-151) based for the most part on
our biography.
Bya khyung gdan rabs, 142-144.
Bya khyung gdan rabs, 144-145.
Bya khyung gdan rabs, 145-146. The twenty-fifth abbot Blo bzang chos dbyings
assumed the throne in 1645 (ibid., 135-137).
Brag dkar rnam thar, 45.4.
Brag dkar rnam thar, 45.4-47.2.
On the life of this celebrated caryāgīti singer composed by Tāranātha, see
Templeman 1989.
18
Revue d’Etudes Tibétaines
bzang po (1042-1136),45 and more recently, in the sixteenth century,
Rtses thang Byang ma pa Dpal ’byor bsod nam lhun grub (b. 1553),
scion of the ancient Zur clan and thirteenth abbot of Se ra byas.46
There is no mention here that he might also have been the
reincarnation of Rwa lo tsā ba, but he does declare in his reply that
Rwa lo appeared to him in a dream and entrusted him with certain
unique instructions on the magical devices or yantras of
Vajrabhairava.47
The biography concludes with a very brief but intimate deathbed
exchange between Brag dkar sngags rams pa and his student Tshis
ka tshang, in which Brag dkar rin po che reports experiencing a
premonition of Yama Dharmarāja pacing back and forth outside in
the courtyards of Bkra shis ’khyil, waiting to take him away. He died
shortly thereafter. This student of his, identified here and throughout
the text as Tshis ka tshang or Tshis ka’i sngags rams pa tshang, is
more widely known by the name of Lha ri sngags rams pa Blo
bzang ’byung gnas (b. 1684), who in 1725 founded the monastery of
Lha ri bsam gtan gling in the neighboring province of Gcan tsha (Ch.
Jianzha).48 Today, Lha ri bsam gtan gling (Ch. Lari si) is a bipartisan
Rnying ma institution predominatly adhering to the popular Sngags
mang tradition. The monastery was originally a small mountain
hermitage and in Brag dkar sngags rams pa’s Gsung ’bum, we have
his short exposition of precepts for retreatants of this site, written in
the earth-ox year 1709.49
[6] The Incarnation Line of Brag dkar sngags rams pa
In closing, one final comment about the sprul sku line that was
instituted after Brag dkar sngags rams pa’s death. We have very
scant information about this particular line of incarnations and
frustratingly little has been recorded about the lives and dates of the
45
46
47
48
49
On Rong zom, see Almogi 2002: 67-80 and references cited therein.
Biographical information on Rtses thang Byang ma pa is disappointingly sparse.
A few details are provided in a short entry in Tre hor lha rams pa 2009 v1: 286.
There he is said to have been a teacher of ’Khon ston Dpal ’byor lhun grub (15611637), the early mentor of the Fifth Dalai Lama who had been the first to initiate
him into the teachings of Rdzogs chen.
Brag dkar rnam thar, 46.2-4.
On the life of Blo bzang ’byung gnas and his founding of Lha ri bsam gtan gling,
see Blo bzang dar rgyas 2010: 208-243 (pp. 220-222 in this section of the work is
quoted almost verbatim from Brag dkar sngags rams pa’s biography).
Brag dkar gsung ’bum v1, text ra. An updated contemporary manual is
reproduced in Blo bzang dar rgyas 2010: 632-645, entitled Lha ri’i ri khrod pa
rnams kyi bca’ khrims legs lam gsal ba’i sgron me.
Sorcerer of the Iron Castle
19
individuals in the series. What we do know is that the first two
incarnates were seated at Rong bo monastery, where they each held
institutional positions of the highest rank. We also know that from
the mid-eighteenth century until the present day there have been
seven of them total.
In the beginning, the first to be recognized as the rebirth of Brag
dkar sngags rams pa was Blo bzang bstan pa’i rgyal mtshan (d. 1808).
During the course of his life, he held the abbatial seat of all three of
Rong bo’s main colleges. He was the fifteenth throne-holder of Rong
bo’s Tantric College, the sixth throne-holder of the Kālacakra College
(dus grwa), and at the very end of his life, in 1807, he became the
twenty-third abbot of Rong bo dgon chen.50 He died the next year.
The second incarnation was Don yod bstan pa’i rgyal mtshan, who
served as thirteenth throne-holder of the Kālacakra College, but died
young, around the age of forty.51 I have not been able to locate the
identities of the next several in the lineage, but the seventh and
current Brags dkar sngags rams pa sprul sku, who to my knowledge
is still with us, is ’Jigs med bstan pa rab rgyas (b. 1937). There is a
short biography of him in a recent gazetteer of the Kökenuur
region.52 That source states that at the time this survey was published
in 1996, ’Jigs med bstan pa rab rgyas was presiding lama (bdag
skyong) of the monasteries of Seng ge gshong ya mgo dgon and Seng
ge gshong ma mgo dgon. These are the two renowned art schools in
Reb kong and, in fact, Ma mgo dgon is another of Brag dkar sngags
rams pa’s practice centers that he purportedly founded in the early
eighteenth century (1706 to be exact).53 In addition to these two, it is
50
51
52
53
Rong bo gdan rabs, 233, 379, 391, and 395-396.
Rong bo gdan rabs, 396; Deb ther rgya mtsho, 320.
Mtsho sngon po’i rkang tsha’i lo rgyus, 185-189.
For a brief note about these two famous painting schools, see Dorje 1996: 595;
histories of the institutions can be found in Dge ’dun dpal bzang 2007: 259-285.
In Rong bo gdan rabs, 403, it states that Brag dkar sngags rams established several
practice centers (sgrub sde) near Bkra shis ’khyil, one of them being Seng ge
gshong ma mgo dgon. This fact is not mentioned in the biography of Brag dkar
sngags rams pa. According to Dge ’dun dpal bzang (2007: 259), his gazetteer of
Reb gong and surrounding regions, Seng ge gshong ma mgo dgon Dga’ ldan
phun tshogs gling was established in 1706 when Brag dkar sngags rams pa first
erected the assembly hall (’du khang) with its shrines and sacred objects on the
ruins of the older Buddhist temple at the site, the Dus gsum sangs rgyas kyi lha
khang, which had been built sometime in the twelfth century. Alternative
sources say, according to the author, that the institution was officially founded in
1647 by the Fourth Stong ’khor Mdo rgyud rgya mtsho (d. 1683). Later, the Fifth
Stong ’khor Bsod nams rgya mtsho gave the monastery its name and installed
the goddess Dpal ldan lha mo as its dharma protector. The two other centers
founded by Brag dkar sngags rams pa listed in the Rong bo gdan rabs are Bde ldan
brag dkar [=Me long brag dkar] and Thig mo [bkra shis rab brtan dgon]. The
20
Revue d’Etudes Tibétaines
stated that ’Jigs med bstan pa rab rgyas was also in charge of the
monasteries of Phyug nor dgon and Me lung dgon, which I suspect
is actually Me long brag dkar.54
In the end, I think Brag dkar sngags rams pa’s consequential links
to Bya khyung, Rong bo, Rong bo Bkra shis ’khyil, Me long brag
dkar, Seng ge gshong, Lha ri bsam gtan gling, and perhaps even
Stong ’khor are illuminating and stand as testament to the wider
influence this Lhasa-trained monk and Vajrabhairava master from
Reb kong exerted on some of A mdo’s most prominent institutions
and personalities in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth
centuries. His legacy, though modest, persists today throughout
northern A mdo in the regions of Reb kong, Khri ka, and Gcan tsha,
and at the monasteries of Rong bo, Seng ge gshong ma mgo dgon,
and Lha ri bsam gtan gling especially.
54
latter is identified in Brag dkar sngags rams pa’s biography as the hermitage of
Tho’u mo, Bde ldan bkra shis rab brtan (see Brag dkar rnam thar, 49.2). On its
founding, see also Dge ’dun dpal bzang (2007: 126), where he states that Brags
dkar sngags rams pa newly erected the temples and sacred objects of the
Maitreya temple (byams khang), assembly hall, and Mañjuśrī temple (’jam dbyangs
khang) at Thig mo and inaugurated its dharma programs, including the Great
Prayer festival. Dge ’dun dpal bzang (2007: 259-260) also mentions that Brag
dkar rin po che installed Dmag zor rgyal mo as the institution’s main protector.
Over time, Thig mo fell into ruin and its most sacred objects were divided up
between the two institutions in Seng ge gshong. The monks at Thig mo then
joined the community at Ma mgo dgon, where the unique monastic traditions of
Thig mo were preserved. Both traditions continued to be maintained by the line
of Brag dkar sngags rams pa incarnates. Finally, in this same section, Dge ’dun
dpal bzang adds an intriguing detail to Brag dkar sngags rams pa’s biography,
which I suspect is likely based on oral tradition at Seng ge gshong. He writes (p.
265) that, following the disastrous 1723-1724 uprising against the Qing led by the
Mongol prince Blo bzang bstan ’dzin, Brag dkar sngags rams pa and the Fifth
Stong ’khor Bsod nams rgya mtsho together performed the sorcery rites of
Vajrabhairava and Dpal ldan lha mo aimed at the Qing commander Nyan gung
lo (Ch. Nian Gengyao, d. 1726), the Imperial army’s “general-in-chief for the
pacification of distant lands” (fuyuan dajiangzhun). With these rites, it is claimed,
the two allegedly succeeded in killing the general. Both lamas were richly
rewarded for their service to the Buddha’s teaching and to the people of the
Kökenuur region. Today, the (magical) sword they deployed to end the life of
the Chinese commander is now kept as an object of veneration at Ya mgo dgon
and the painted image (bsnyen thang) of Dpal ldan lha mo, which they also used
in these rites, is held at Ma mgo dgon. For background to the tragic 1723-1724
uprising and an account of the events, see Katō Naoto 2013: 411-436; also
Sullivan 2013: 321-341, which focuses especially on the destruction of Dgon lung
monastery. On the career of Nian Gengyao and his actual fate on January 13,
1726, see Hummel 1943-44 v1: 587-590 (Nien Kȇng-yao).
Mtsho sngon po’i rkang tsha’i lo rgyus, 189. Phyug nor dgon is in the region of
Rkang tsha (Ch. Gangcha xian), west of Xining. For a brief history of the
institution, see ibid., 61-69; also Mtsho byang khul gi dgon sde lo rgyus, 159-168.
Sorcerer of the Iron Castle
21
Appendix 1: Translation of
the Biography of Brag dkar sngags rams pa
The Drops of Nectar Nourishing the Faith of Devoted Disciples
The Life of the Supreme Lord of Accomplished Masters Brag dkar rin po che
[from] the Lama’s Own Words
55
BIRTH AND VOWS OF RENUNCIATION
[32] Nama guru Mañjughoṣa
Blo bzang, the kind-hearted, lily patch of the Victor’s Teaching,
Rab tu rgyas mdzad, the eminent propagator, daylight guardian
of the master siddhas,
His life story, the moonlight that clarifies all,
Radiates forth to flower the water-lily of intelligence among
the faithful.
This is a brief account of the life of Brag dkar rin po che Blo bzang
bstan pa rab rgyas dpal bzang po, lord of scholars and siddhas, from
his own mouth, entitled Drops of Nectar Nourishing the Faith of Devoted
Disciples. The birthplace of this holy lord of siddhas was called Brag
dkar, near Thos bsam rnam par rgyal ba’i gling, the great dharma
center of Rong bo,56 in the region of Reb kong, the Golden Valley.
[33] Born the son of the mighty sorcerer and mantra-holder Tshe
gzungs ’bum and his faithful and devoted wife Bol bza’ rdo rje sman,
he was raised by both parents. When he reached the age of thirteen,
as entry into the Buddha’s Teaching, he very purely and properly
received the vows of renunciation at the feet of the Venerable Holy
Lama, Learned and Accomplished, Sunlight of Speech Skal ldan rgya
mtsho dpal bzang po, after which he took up the victory banner of a
saffron-robed monk.
55
56
Section titles have been added.
This is the central monastic college of Rong bo, one of three colleges within the
institution. For its history, see Rong bo dgan rabs, 140-356. The other two are
tantric colleges: Rgyud grwa gsang chen chos kyi bang mdzod (ibid., 357-381)
and Dus grwa gsang sngags dar rgyas gling, the so-called “Kālacakra College”
(ibid., 382-401). A fourth college is the retreat and meditation center Sgrub grwa
gnas mchog Bkra shis ’khyil (ibid., 402-423), first established by Shar Skal ldan
rgya mtsho.
22
Revue d’Etudes Tibétaines
EARLY YEARS AT THE HERMITAGE OF BKRA SHIS ’KHYIL
At the age of seventeen, he entered retreat at the sacred hermitage of
Gnas mchog Bkra shis ’khyil, and when he was twenty years old, he
took full ordination in the presence of Rgyal sras sprul ba’i sku rin
po che [Blo bzang bstan ’dzin].57 He served at the lotus feet of the
Venerable Holy Lama, [34] Learned and Accomplished, Sunlight of
Speech Skal ldan rgya mtsho dpal bzang po. Until he was twentynine, the fine vase of his mind was well-filled with profound and
extensive instructions, including initiations, reading transmissions,
practice authorizations, guiding instructions, and so forth. Once
when he was doing several sealed retreats at the hermitage of Bkra
shis ’khyil, he saw, as if in a meditative vision, many sentient beings
appear outside his retreat cell circumambulating and shouting
“Namo Vajrabhairava!” like the roar of a thousand rolls of thunder.
On another occasion, when the Venerable Holy Lama, Learned
and Accomplished, Sunlight of Speech Skal ldan rgya mtsho dpal
bzang po was staying there in the Gzim khang rab dga’ of Bkra
shis ’khyil, he saw in the distance this holy lord of siddhas himself
arrive to listen to his oral teachings on the dharma. [The Lama] asked
one of his attendants there [beside him], “Who is that down there?”
The attendant responded, “He’s a fully ordained monk from Brag
dkar.” And [the Lama], looking directly into the monk’s future, at
the reality of what would come, among other things, remarked,
“What sort of elder teacher will he become?”
STUDIES AT RGYUD SMAD AND ACTIVITIES IN CENTRAL TIBET
Later, when [this holy lord of siddhas] was thirty years old,
following the orders of the Venerable Holy Lama, Learned and
Accomplished, Sunlight of Speech Skal ldan rgya mtsho dpal bzang
po, he traveled to Dbus and took up residence at the Glorious
College of Smad rgyud, the source of many scholars and
accomplished masters. For nine years he received and practiced in
great detail the general instructions of the extensively profound
mantra tradition, and in particular the instructions on the sūtras and
tantras, such as those of Cakrasaṃvara, Guhyasamāja, Vajrabhairava,
the Five Stages, and so forth. In addition, [35] he received many
initiations, reading transmissions, practice authorizations, and
guiding instructions, and, in turn, he also bestowed [his own]
57
Rgyal sras Blo bzang bstan ’dzin was a teacher also of Skal ldan rgya mtsho. See
Deb ther rgya mtsho, 306.
Sorcerer of the Iron Castle
23
dharma teachings. Thereafter, he requested permission to leave the
Glorious College of Smad rgyud. For three years he traveled from
place to place in order to receive numerous teachings on dharma,
and the excellent vase of his mind was well-filled with very rare and
precious streams of dharma. Having resided at the Glorious College
of Smad rgyud, this holy lord of siddhas had grandly and without
delay traversed an ocean of learning, [all] the fields of study.
[Once during his time at Smad rgyud], an official order had come
down from the lord of scholars, the regent Sde srid Sangs rgyas rgya
mtsho, which stated: “For the sake of the Victor’s Teaching, [both]
general and specific, the Great Iron Castle (lcags mkhar chen mo),
unique to our own superior Dge lugs pa tradition, must be built up
against the ’Brug pa and others.” 58
In deciding who among the many scholars and accomplished
masters assembled within the halls of Glorious Smad rgyud would
benefit the Buddha’s Teaching and living beings if elected the
[officiating] Vajra Master [vajrācārya], [the Sde srid] performed a
divination (thugs dam brtag pa) and the fine face of this holy lord of
siddhas himself appeared. Based on this, [the Sde srid] said that the
very face of this holy lord of siddhas appeared [to him] as the one
who, if selected Vajra Master, would [most] benefit the Buddha’s
Teaching and living beings, and so he appointed him Vajra Master.
After that, [the Sde srid] asked this holy lord of siddhas, “Do you
have certainty about the sequence of guiding instructions and ritual
practices of the Iron Castle and so on?” And he replied, “When I
[lived] in Mdo smad, in the presence of the Venerable Holy Lama,
Learned and Accomplished, Sunlight of Speech Skal ldan rgya mtsho
dpal bzang po, [36] I obtained the blessed sequence of guiding
instructions on the magical devices, the Iron Castle, and so forth.
However, I do not possess the divine pride of the chosen deity [i.e.
Vajrabhairava], but I do possess the pride of [my] lama.”
Thereafter he made preparations for constructing the Great Iron
Castle and while staying in retreat, he had a dream in which
extremely terrifying storm clouds appeared and, with deafening
thunder, a violent hail began to fall. When the hailstorm came above
the holy lord’s own head, a woman adorned with ornaments
appeared in the sky, spread out a large flying black cloth [above him],
and prevented the hail from falling upon the holy lord of siddhas. In
regard to this, he said, “That adorned woman was certainly the
goddess Dpal ldan lha mo.” And, “Dpal ldan lha mo is our own
divine tantric guardian.” Afterward, he went to [Chos ’khor] Rgyal
58
On this event, see introduction above.
24
Revue d’Etudes Tibétaines
me tog thang59 and extensively trained in the practices of dispatching
the [New Year’s] Day gtor ma offerings (tshes gtor) of Dpal ldan lha
mo. When [years later] he returned to Mdo smad, he gave the [New
Year’s] Day gtor ma offerings repeatedly.
Then, while preparing the [rites of the] Iron Castle, this holy lord
of siddhas had a dream in which he saw many thickly bearded
blacksmiths doing various types of forging at Se ra theg chen gling.
He asked them, “Why is that necessary?” And they responded, “It is
especially necessary this year, and must be continued from now on.”
When this holy lord of siddhas finally completed the Great Iron
Castle and cast the gtor ma in the direction of the enemy, [37] a
flower blossom broke off from the tip of the gtor ma and went off to
the land of the ’Brug pa. In a roar60 it fell upon some of the enemies
of the Buddha’s Teaching and smashed them into dust. Afterward,
upon receiving word of this, he said that his earlier dream was an
omen of that [victory].
During the time Khri rin po che Blo gros rgya mtsho was acting as
lineage lama and Vajra Master, the tantra [students of Smad rgyud]
went to Chu mig lung.61 One time when a dharma session was being
held there, within the assembly, this holy lord of siddhas, covering
his head with his shawl, entered meditative equipoise for a bit on the
generation stage of Guhyasamāja. At that moment Khri rin po che
was standing at a window above the assembly hall. When he looked
down at the assembly, he saw a mass of white light radiating from a
monk’s body. In sparkling white brilliance [the light] spread in all
directions, including the spot where [Khri rin po che] himself was
standing. To one of his attendants he said, “Look there! Who is the
monk down there in the assembly whose head is slightly covered? A
mass of white light is radiating from his body.” The attendant looked
down and replied that it seemed to be this holy lord of siddhas
himself. [Khri rin po che] responded with great joy, “Such a
magnificent and mature tantra [student] I have here in this Tantric
College of mine!”
59
60
61
The personal monastery of the Dalai Lamas established in western Dwags po in
1509 by the Second Dalai Lama Dge ’dun rgya mtsho (1476-1542). In the
mountains behind the monastery is the famous lake Lha mo bla mtsho, the bla
gnas of the Dalai Lamas, customarily used to divine the future incarnations of
that office. The monastery is a sacred site of Dmag zor rgyal mo, ferocious
emanation of Dpal ldan lha mo.
Correct chem for chems.
Chu mig lung, west of Lhasa, was the site of the annual summer retreat for the
monks of Rgyud smad. The site was chosen as an alternative to Yangs pa can in
the seventeenth century during the wars between Dbus and Gtsang.
Sorcerer of the Iron Castle
25
Another [time], this lord of siddhas said that he had a spiritual
vision that [in a past life] he was himself the holy one Rtse thang
Byang ma pa Dpal ’byor bsod nams lhun grub and that some of his
like-minded peers told him that as well. [38] On the basis of that
[identification], he developed a strong desire to visit Rtse thang
Byang ma pa’s birthplace. In the past, [long] before he had visited
there, [Rtse thang] possessed an abundance of wealth, but in later
times its fortunes and such had deteriorated.62 Consequently, the
conditions were not suitable for the lord of siddhas to stay for even
one day. He said that, as a result, he reflected on there being nothing
stable and reliable with respect to worldly affairs, prosperity and
poverty, high and low [status], joy and sorrow, and the like, and an
immeasurable revulsion [for this world] was born in him. “That Rtse
thang Byang ma pa was an incarnation of Gung thang lo tsā ba,”63
the Great Accomplished One Skal ldan rgya mtsho dpal bzang po
[once] said.
This holy lord of siddhas remarked, “These days, all I know are
the complete instructions of the Great Venerable Rwa [lo tsā ba]
Vajrakīrti.” And he added, “From time to time I felt a sort of satisfied
pride [with respect to the practice of those instructions]. I thought
that during my stay in Dbus I would not be busy with work and
other such things, and that if and when the time was right I would
[find] an excellent scribe and compose a volume of teachings on
Glorious Vajrabhairava, which I would call The Complete Teachings on
Glorious Vajrabhairava [according to] the Virtuous Pronouncements of the
Superior Dge ldan pa Tradition. But because I was overwhelmed with
work and other such things, there was never a proper time for such
activities.”
During his stay in Dbus, he erected, among other things, an
especially sublime three-dimensional meditation maṇḍala (blos
bslangs) of Glorious Vajrabhairava in accordance with the tantra and
the intentions of the great accomplished masters, and he worked
extensively for the welfare of the Buddha’s Teaching and of living
beings. When he was heading out on his journey back to Mdo smad,
62
63
Rtse thang at this time was still a Bka’ brgyud stronghold and had been
devastated during the civil wars in the previous century. It was not until the
Seventh Dalai Lama (1708-1757) in the middle of the eighteenth century that the
area was transformed and converted to the Dge lugs pa.
This may be a reference to Mal gyo lo tsā ba Blo gros grags pa (eleventh century),
who is sometimes referred to as Gung thang lo tsā ba. He was the patriarch of
the Mal tradition (mal lugs) of Vajrabhairava and was a teacher of Sa skya Kun
dga’ snying po (1092-1158), among other hierarchs of the Sa skya ’Khon family.
Tāranātha gives a brief history of the Mal tradition in Gshin rje gshed chos ’byung,
126.6-127.6.
26
Revue d’Etudes Tibétaines
he said that he had a vision of the upper portion of the figure of
Glorious Vajrabhairava in splendid clarity and that, for some reason,
the lower portion [39] was obscured. He remarked, “I saw that clear
upper portion of the figure [as representing] my earlier life when I
served at the lotus-feet of the Venerable Holy Lama, Learned and
Accomplished, Sunlight of Speech Skal ldan rgya mtsho dpal bzang
po. And I saw that lower portion of the figure, which had been
obscured for some reason, [as representing] my later life when I was
greatly distracted by village rituals and the like. This is what I saw.
Not only that, but while serving at the lotus-feet of the Venerable
Holy Lama, Learned and Accomplished, Sunlight of Speech Skal
ldan rgya mtsho dpal bzang po, many extraordinary degrees of
experiential realization and [blissful] heat arose within me when I
practiced meditation. Later on, when I visited the regions of Dbus
and Gtsang, I put aside such [meditation practices] and thereafter all
the tantric spiritual qualities I had previously possessed vanished
like a fading rainbow. For most of my life, when I had practiced
meditation at the sacred hermitage of Bkra shis ’khyil, positive
things would occur, but [later] my mind, in a state of laziness, was
disturbed by the demons of distraction and that created obstacles for
me.”
RETURN TO A MDO AND FOUNDING OF ME LONG BRAG DKAR
From Dbus he traveled back here to Mdo smad and resided for some
years at the sacred hermitage of Bkra shis ’khyil. During this period,
the Supreme Incarnate known as Ho thog thu [Qutuqtu]64 invited
him to his encampment to place dhāraṇī, relics, and the like inside
numerous sacred objects of the enlightened body, speech, and mind
64
This is the Second Lcang skya Ngag dbang blo bzang chos ldan (1642-1714). He
had left Lhasa and returned to A mdo in 1683 at the age of 42 and spent that year
in solitary retreat at a hermitage attached to Dgon lung monastery called Byang
chub gling, after which he visited Thang ring and Sku ’bum. On Lcang skya’s
activities in A mdo, see Sullivan 2013: 116-149. I suspect this meeting with Brag
dkar sngags rams pa must have occurred during one of Lcang skya’s extended
retreats in A mdo, either between the years 1683-1687 or between 1688-1693, the
latter after he had returned from his first meeting with the Kangxi Emperor (r.
1661-1722) in Beijing. By my calculations, Brag dkar sngags rams pa left Lhasa
and returned to A mdo in c. 1686, so the dates seem to correspond to the first
period. Perhaps the consecration ceremony referenced here may have been
requested for Lcang skya’s Byang chub gling hermitage. Note that Brag dkar
sngags rams pa composed a text for the Second Lcang skya Qutuqtu on the ritual
deployment of gtor zor, which is reproduced in Brag dkar gsung ’bum v2, text chi.
No date is given in the colophon.
Sorcerer of the Iron Castle
27
[of the buddhas], to consecrate them, and other such things. He
performed the consecrations and so on and made elaborate offerings.
The overlord of that country, named Bā dur the’i ji [Baatur Thaiji],
venerated the Lama and stayed on for some years. At the behest of
many devotees, including Bā dur the’i ji, [this holy lord of siddhas]
also founded an exceptional practice center, which was called Me
long brag [40] dkar. At that sacred place, there were three large
boulders in the shape of a [three-pointed] dharmodaya.65 Atop [those
three boulders] a hermitage (gzim khang) was raised, wherein many
Vajrabhairava retreats were held. The lord of siddhas also personally
offered many praises to that hermitage, particular expressions such
as:
Glory is that sacred place, spontaneous, uncontrived dharma
source (dharmodaya);
Joy, self-originated, exists there within its hollows (phug pa).
He also said, “That sacred place is exceptional. On the right side of
that dharmodaya is a rock that has a naturally-arisen [image of Yama]
Dharmarāja.”
ACTIVITIES AT BYA KHYUNG
On another occasion, at the great dharma center of Bya khyung,
source of the superior Dge ldan pa teaching, whichever holy lama
was in residence there, each sat on the [abbatial] throne for only a
short while—at best, [presiding] for a single year, or for half a year,
or in the worst case, for just a month. Having been harmed beyond
their control [by] an evil ghostly spirit (gshegs ’gro ba’i gdon ngan), at
least five prominent holy lamas [of Bya khyung] passed away,
departing for other realms. Many religious services and ritual
ceremonies for repelling [that demon] were performed again and
again, but to no avail. [Some] wondered whether at this point there
was a special holy lama, a scholar and accomplished master who
could help. A petition letter was written to the Omniscient Paṇchen
Blo bzang ye shes dpal bzang po, listing five names: La mo’i zhabs
drung Dkar po tshang, Stong skor rin po che, Chu bzang dpon slob,
Kun mkhyen ’Jam dbyangs bzhad pa, and this holy lord of siddhas
[Brag dkar rin po che].66 [41] [The letter] stated: “Who among these
65
66
The common triangular form of the thread-cross (mdos), usually combined to
make a diamond. For illustrated examples, see Beer 1999: 323-324.
On the identities of these figures, see introduction above.
28
Revue d’Etudes Tibétaines
[five candidates] can subdue that evil demon and, in doing so, bring
benefit to the Buddha’s Teaching and to living beings?”
A divination was requested and signs appeared indicating that
this holy lord of siddhas himself was the one who could help. On
account of that, [some officials from the monastery] came repeatedly
to invite this holy lord of siddhas [to Bya khyung], but many monks
and laypeople, noble and lowly, from the regions of Reb gong and
Khri ka pleaded over and over again that it would be ill-advised (mi
nyan tshul) for him to go, and as a result of their appeals, he did not
go. Later again, he was invited [to Bya khyung] with much insistence,
persuading [him] that the monastery was an exceptional sacred site,
comparable to the source of the Dge lugs teaching.
In response, he said, “Now that I’m an old monk, having at this
point reached the age of sixty-nine, were I to be harmed in bringing
benefit [to Bya khyung], then [so be it] I’ll be harmed.” Thereafter, he
would not listen to [the people’s] objections and such, and convinced
to take leave, he accepted [the invitation].
“Now I must go into retreat for the sake of living beings,” he said,
and for one month he practiced in retreat [focusing on] Glorious
Vajrabhairava. At its conclusion, the master, accompanied by twenty
attendants, traveled to the great dharma center of Bya khyung.
Along the way, the lord of siddhas experienced the vision of a white
[Yama] Dharmarāja leading the reins of his own horse. As [he and
his entourage] traveled by boat across the Rma chu River, the image
of the Victor Śākyamuni appeared sitting atop each one of the ripples
of the water.
“Is this the apparition of a demon?” he wondered, and then
intently visualized the repelling of demons. Looking again [at the
water], he concluded, “This is not the apparition of a demon.” [42]
Later, when [he and his entourage] were welcomed at the great
dharma center of Bya khyung, there at the monastery was an
extremely hostile criminal (mi nag), an emanation of a demon called
Rkun po nag ral, who earlier had been brutally assaulting the
monastery again and again. On one occasion, when [this criminal]
came to plunder [the monastery], he was surrounded by a crowd of
people and apprehended; his life-force was then destroyed. The lord
of siddhas himself, having heard [about this], ordered, “Flay the skin
of that vow breaker and make it a pelt (g.yang gzhi). Bring me his five
sense organs, flesh, blood, fat, hair, and all the rest!”
Having done as he had ordered, [these items] were offered up [to
him]. He then told them to tan (mnyes) the skin, after which he
indicated his satisfaction. Then the master, in the company of his
twenty attendants, went into strict retreat [focusing on] the Glorious
Victor Vajrabhairava. Just as he was about to leave [the retreat], he
Sorcerer of the Iron Castle
29
performed the fourfold burnt offering rites of pacification,
enrichment, subjugation, and fierce destruction. As he was
performing the burnt offering of fierce destruction, he laid out the
sacramental materials for the wrathful [rites] on top of the mat of
skin. For the main part [of the rite], he used the flesh, fat, and the rest
as the sacramental substances to be burned. He used the hair for the
binding cord (thun thag) of the liṅga effigy. When he offered the
burnt sacramental substances to the fierce deity, a large and
extremely terrifying black poisonous spider fell from the pillars of
the assembly hall into the fire pit and burned. This was accompanied
by many other peculiar signs of that sort. The evil demon of that
place was bound under oath and smashed into dust. At that moment,
[this holy lord of siddhas] had a vision in which he saw the head of a
lama shoot up from below the ground and then sink back down into
the earth.
“Who is that?” [43] he wondered, and then quickly he thought
that it might be one of the former lamas [of the monastery], so he
performed the method for liberating [him] from that place.
Afterward, for seven days, he accomplished the magical device of
the Glorious Victor Vajrabhairava, and then established a magic
circle of protection around the house of the [abbatial] throne. For
three years no one had been able to unlock the door of the temple of
the ferocious spirit (btsan khang) of that place, [but] he struck that
[door] with his hand two or three times and the door then opened on
its own accord. Inside the protector’s temple, he dispelled the
obstructing spirit and afterward consecrated and blessed [the
temple].
After that, he sat on the [abbatial] throne of the great dharma
center of Bya khyung for about one month, [temporarily] serving as
abbot. Thereafter, upon petitioning Ngag dbang nor bu, who was
chief [spiritual advisor] to the regent (rgyal tshab), he appointed him
as [thirty-first] lama [of the monastery].67 The latter acted as abbot for
five years. Then, having received permission, the spiritual advisor
(bla ma) to the regent Gdung/Gdong gzhug tshang was appointed as
[thirty-second] lama [abbot].68 Both lamas invited the holy lord of
67
68
This likely occurred around 1716 when Ngag dbang nor bu was 28 years old.
This abbot, unnamed in the text, was Ngag dbang chos grags (alias ’On ’ja’
tshang and Mtsher mo che yang) who ascended to the throne in 1721 and served
in that post for about five years (c. 1726). As a young boy, he had entered Bya
khyung as a novice, then went to central Tibet and was educated at Se ra byes.
His reincarnation was named Blo bzang chos grags. See Bya khyung gdan rabs,
155-157. Both he and Ngag dbang nor bu are mentioned by name in the
colophon of Brag dkar sngags rams pa’s Byang chub lam gyi rim pa’i dam khrid ’jam
30
Revue d’Etudes Tibétaines
siddhas back again to Bya khyung monastery, requesting many
dharma teachings, including the initiations of Glorious Guhyasamāja
and Vajrabhairava [as] Solitary Hero, as well as the practice
authorizations of Sitātapatra, Vaiśravaṇa, the outer, inner, and secret
[forms of Yama] Dharmarāja, and [Beg rtse] Lcam sring. As an
offering of gratitude, they presented him with thousands of gifts,
including ten horses, gold, silver, clothing, and much more.
RETURN TO ME LONG BRAG DKAR AND BKRA SHIS ’KHIL
From there, he went to Me long brag dkar, where he gave many
dharma teachings to numerous visitors from various places, such as
Dpon slob ’Ja mo tshang69 and Tshis ka’i sngags ram pa tshang.70
These teachings included the complete initiations of the trio of
Cakrasaṃvara, Guhyasamāja, and Vajrabhairava, [44] the Six
Doctrines of Nāropa, the guiding instructions on Mahāmudrā,
among others. Later, the one addressed as Zhabs drung tshang of Mi
nyag 71 invited him to be the group leader of a [band] of maṇi
[practitioners] and received some practice authorizations and many
dharma teachings. Dpon slob ’Ja mo tshang extended an invitation to
him as well and he too received many dharma teachings, such as the
[sādhana] of Amitāyus and Hayagrīva conjoined, the secret sādhana of
Hayagrīva, the cycle of Hayagrīva with his four dog-faced
[attendants], the practice authorization of Black Mañjughoṣa, and so
on.
From Me long brag dkar, he then traveled to the sacred hermitage
of Bkra shis ’khyil, as if his grounding [was now] complete.72 To
69
70
71
72
dpal zhal lung ba’i snying po bdud rtsi gser zhun yang gsal sgron me (see Brag dkar
gsung ’bum v1, text ta).
This is the First ’Ja’ mo grwa tshang Ngag dbang grags pa (1678-1745), who
appears by name in the colophon to a text written for him by Brag dkar sngags
rams pa at Me long brag dkar (see Brag dkar gsung ’bum v1, text ’a). According to
Deb ther rgya mtsho, 296, he was a devotee and practitioner of Vajrabhairava. He
was also a student of Ngag dbang ’phrin las rgya mtsho (1678-1739), the fifth
abbot of Rong bo dgon chen who in 1734 re-established Rong bo Rgyud grwa.
See ibid., 308 and Rong bo gdan rabs, 364-369.
Blo bzang ’byung gnas, founder of the monastery of Lha ri bsam gtan gling. See
introduction and note 48 above.
This may be the same Mi nyag zhabs drung to whom Dkon mchog ’jigs med
dbang po (1728-1791) once wrote a letter (his personal name was Tshul khrims
nyi ma). See Zhabs drung tshul khrims nyi ma la gnang ba’i springs yig in Dkon
mchog gsung ’bum v10: 72-73.
Tib. gzhi rdzogs lta bu (lit. “as if it were the fulfillment/perfection of the
foundation”) might be better translated idiomatically as “as if he had come full
Sorcerer of the Iron Castle
31
those who were in retreat there at the sacred hermitage, he gave
some dharma teachings, including guiding instructions on The Easy
Path: Stages of the Path [to Enlightenment], 73 the initiation of the
thirteen-deity [maṇḍala of] Vajrabhairava, the practice authorization
of the dharma cycle of Mañjughoṣa, and other instructions. Besides
that, in A mdo, Dbus, and other places, this holy lord of siddhas
gave and received so many initiations, reading transmissions,
practice authorizations, guiding instructions, dharma teachings, and
the like that it is beyond the comprehension of [someone] like me—
so then how can I describe [it all]?
To continue, when [this holy lord] was traveling here to Reb gong
from Khri ka, he stopped for a day on the banks of the No’u rung
River. That night, he distributed the gtor ma for the departure of the
protectors, the sixty,74 the white gtor ma, and so on. The next day, as
he proceeded to teach, the territorial spirit (gzhi bdag) of Khri ka, a
cannibal demon (srin po), said to him, “I had come to escort [you] to
this site.” And [this holy lord replied], “Now you [must] go back.”
He said that the upper torso [of this spirit] was that of a man and his
lower half was that of the coiled tail of a snake, like Mañjughoṣa
Nāgarakṣa.75
Also, on another occasion, he said that during his stay in Dgon
rong,76 [45] he saw the territorial spirits from the region of Khri ka
traveling to the region of Reb gong. Wondering why [they were
doing this], he entered [a state of] meditative tranquility. Afterward,
he learned that ’Dul ba tshang of Chu ma77 had departed for another
realm and that was the reason [the spirits were traveling to Reb
gong]. He said that [’Dul ba tshang] was a great holy being.
And on yet another occasion, [this holy lord] said that when he
was in retreat in his private quarters (gzim gur), there was a cook
73
74
75
76
77
circle” or “like he had fulfilled what he had begun” or something to that effect.
Or, alternatively, “as if perfected [he had now returned to his] foundation.”
Reference to a popular lam rim work written by the Fourth Paṇchen Lama,
entitled Byang chub lam gyi rim pa’i dmar khrid thams cad mkhyen par bgrod pa’i bde
lam. An edition from Bku ’bum byams pa gling is available at TBRC (W9810).
This likely refers to the gtor ma rites of the Great Iron Castle mentioned earlier in
the text.
A protector form of Mañjuśrī that helps those who have nāga diseases, among
other afflictions. For an image, see Willson and Brauen 2000: 305, illustration no.
236.
Dgon rong brag skya rdo rje rdzong in Khri ka, founded in 1646. See Mdo smad lo
rgyus chen mo v5, 276. There is one text in Brag dkar sngags rams pa’s writings
that eulogizes this institution, written in the earth-ox year 1709 (see Brag dkar
gsung ’bum v1, text cha, part one).
I have not been able to identify this figure, but Chu ma is probably ’Khyog chu
in Ba yan mkhar, modern day Hualong county, in the same province Bya
khyung is located.
32
Revue d’Etudes Tibétaines
who was boiling tea for him. Just before [the cook] had picked up the
tea, he saw a dark-skinned nomad with dark brown braided hair
hunched down in front of [the holy lord]. Then when he [turned] to
serve him his tea, [that nomad] was gone. In disbelief, he asked,
“Who was that just here?” [The holy lord] replied, “That was the
great regional spirit (yul bdag chen po) of Khri ka.”78
REPLY TO THE QUESTIONS OF STONG SKOR RIN PO CHE
AND MISCELLANEOUS RECOLLECTIONS
The Fifth Stong skor Mañjuśrī Ngag dbang bsod nams rgya mtsho
asked this holy lord of siddhas, “Which lama was your former
incarnation? Which chosen deity and dharma protector’s faces have
you beheld? What levels of experiential realization and types of
spiritual qualities did you attain?” He asked these questions
repeatedly and with great insistence. And accordingly, [this holy
lord of siddhas] politely responded in a formal letter as follows:
“How can you ask a person like myself to remember his [past]
lives and [provide] an unmistaken and authentic [account] of the
stages of spiritual qualities of experiential realization [and] the
special deities and protectors that have revealed themselves [to me]?
When I was young, I relied upon the kindness of the Venerable Lama
Skal ldan rgya mtsho, from whom I took the vows of renunciation. I
entered [the path] by way of study and reflection. That lama himself
[46] was chief among thirty-five tutors [to whom I] respectfully paid
reverence and [from whom I] kindly requested the dharma. In some
of my lama’s statements, and [from] a few like-minded dharma
[peers], I heard it said that I was [formerly] the great siddha Nag po
spyod pa [Kṛṣṇācārya], Rong zom chos bzang, and Rtse thang Byang
ma ba Dpal ’byor bsod nam lhun grub. With my experience how
could I have the direct perception and valid visionary cognition of an
accomplished practitioner? In [my] dreams, delusions, and the like,
Vajrabhairava revealed himself to me and the one who was blessed
by that [deity], the Great Rwa [lo tsā ba] Vajrakīrti, entrusted [to me]
his series of magical devices, among other things. I beheld the forms
of each of our own dharma protectors and heard their words. Once
or twice the [lineage] lamas appeared and revealed their faces [to
me], [gave] teachings, displayed [themselves], and so on, but I was
unsure about whether they were real or not. Moreover, I did not
78
See Buffetrille 2002 for a fascinating discussion of the legends of the great yul lha
of Khri ka and his local identification with the Chinese warrior god Guan Yu and
also Wenchang, Chinese god of literature.
Sorcerer of the Iron Castle
33
accomplish very much study and reflection. But when I was twenty
years old, I took full ordination in the presence of Rgyal sras sprul
ba’i sku [Blo bzang bstan ’dzin] and thereafter served at the lotus feet
of the Venerable Holy Lama Skal ldan rgya mtsho dpal bzang po at
the hermitage of Bkra shis ’khyil. Every day I diligently practiced the
common and unique experiential instructions for twelve or thirteen
years. I believe that serves as a substitute (dod po) for divine visions
and prophecies.
Following the kind advice of my lama, I traveled to Dbus and for
nine years I respectfully served at the lotus feet of the two [teachers]
named Rje Blo gros and Rā na at the Glorious College of Smad rgyud.
Under them I studied the meaning of the Glorious Guhyasamāja
Tantra, the king of [all] tantras. [47] At Chu mig lung in Stod lung,
for eight or nine years, I established karmic tendencies in the
practical instructions on the Five Stages of the Whispered Lineage.
During those years, the ambrosia of words of the sacred beings
reached my ears, but besides achieving familiarity with the objects of
the mind, the spiritual qualities never came to me.”
Again, according to the words of this holy lord of siddhas, he said
that once when he was maintaining the guiding instructions at Chu
mig lung, he beheld the face of the Glorious Dmag zor rgyal mo. A
vision appeared to him of multiple rays of light emanating from her
heart [and] on the tips of each light ray were many buddha realms.
“Did you all [see] that?” He asked the great mantra-holder Mkhar
sgong Sangs rgyas tshang,79 who took his question to mean that it
was a divine vision and that, even though [this holy lord] had
previously obtained the practice authorization of Dmag zor ma from
the lama Rtis tshang maṇi pa rin po che,80 she was actually the unique
dharma protector of this lord of siddhas himself. After that, [Mkhar
79
80
This is likely Rig sngags grub pa Mkhar gong dge ’dun bstan pa rab rgyas, the
thirteenth throne-holder of Rong bo Rgyud grwa. See Rong bo gdan rabs, 378. He
was born in Chu dmar and was educated at Rong bo dgon chen. A practitioner
of Vajrabhairava, he was widely renowned for his powerful sorcery (nus mthu).
Rtis tshang maṇi pa is the alias of Shes rab bkra shis (1647-1716), the sixth abbot
of Rong po dgon chen, who ascended the throne in 1708. He too was a student of
Shar Skal ldan rgya mtsho. See Rong bo gdan rabs, 200-204. In 1666 he went to
Lhasa and was educated at Sgo mang College at ’Bras spungs and received full
ordination from the Fifth Dalai Lama in 1672. In 1683 he established Rdzong
dkar bka’ gdams pho brang bkra shis gling in Rdzong dkar. He was famous for
promoting the practice of maṇi recitation among the lay communities in A mdo,
which earned him his title. His reincarnation was Blo bzang mkhas mchog (17191791). One of Brag dkar sngags rams pa’s songs (mgur) was written at a retreat
site in Rdzong dkar called Dben gnas Rdzong dkar yang dben bsam gtan khang
bu. This song is the first in the collection composed in the fire-horse year 1666 at
the behest of his spiritual friend Skyid shod zhabs drung Ngag dbang
bstan ’dzin ’phrin las (1639-1682). See Brag dkar gsung ’bum v1, text ja: 88-91.5.
34
Revue d’Etudes Tibétaines
sgong Sangs rgyas tshang] requested the practice authorization
[from him]. In [the holy lord’s] own words, he said, “After I asked
Chu bzang dpon slob for the practice authorization, I decided from
that point on that I would not grant the practice authorization of Lha
mo [Dmag zor ma] to anyone, but now you are in need of the
authorization.” So then, with pleasure, he granted the authorization
to Mkhar sgong Sangs rgyas tshang. He also bestowed upon him the
reading transmission of his notes [on Dmag zor ma].
That night, [Mkhar sgong] Sangs rgyas tshang [48] dreamed that a
lama, who was identified as the Glorious Noble Lord Atiśa,
bestowed upon him the practice authorization of Dmag zor ma.
During the gtor ma empowerment, when [Atiśa] placed the gtor ma
upon his head, he said, “Until you attain enlightenment, may all the
adverse circumstances that prevent you from practicing the sacred
dharma, like a body accompanied by its shadow, be dispelled. May
all favorable circumstances be achieved.” This and other such
statements were spoken [by Atiśa] clearly in his dream.
And again, from the lord of siddhas own words, he said,
“Previously, I practiced Six-Armed Mahākāla as my chief dharma
protector, but from the moment I beheld the face of Dmag zor ma, I
took her as my principal protector.
Moreover, on another occasion when this holy lord of siddhas
was continuously reciting the Madhyamakāvatāra, he dreamed that an
especially exalted tree with extremely beautiful branches and fruits
grew in the middle of that text of the Madhyamakāvatāra he was
reciting from. On top of each and every branch was the buddha
realm of Mañjughoṣa in full display. He said, “My lama, the Learned
and Accomplished, Sunlight of Speech Skal ldan rgya mtsho dpal
bzang po sat at the foot of that [tree], so this treatise of mine
possesses these sorts of spiritual qualities.”
Another time, when this holy one was [still] a small child, while
sleeping one evening in his father’s lap, an evil spirit attacked a
woman next door. A caller (’bod mi) arrived and said to his father,
“Since you are a lay tantric priest, you must perform an exorcism
(bka’ bsgo)!” His father [49] replied, “It would be irresponsible (mi
nyan) of me to go this evening. If this boy of mine wakes up and
finds that no one is here, he’ll become frightened.” But [the caller]
was insistent and so [the father] went. Soon thereafter, when the boy
woke up and there was no one around, he became frightened and
began to cry. But on his pillow [appeared] a white [Yama]
Dharmarāja, who said to him, “Boy, don’t be afraid!” Later on, after
his father had returned, [this holy child] told him the reason [he was
not afraid] and his father said, “Keep quiet [about this] and don’t tell
anyone!”
Sorcerer of the Iron Castle
35
On another occasion, after a remarkable image of Venerable
Mañjughoṣa was erected within the hermitage of Tho’u mo, Bde ldan
bkra shis rab brtan,81 all eighteen practice centers in the region of Reb
kong invited him to perform the A RA PA TSA NA82 vase consecration
of Mañjughoṣa. After he performed this for one month, he presided
over a communal feast to its conclusion. He then set out for his
residence (gzim khang). In the midst of the large crowd that had
gathered [in] the main marketplace, his horse was startled and many
people were unable to rein him in, but the holy one himself said to
them, “Let go of my horse’s reins! Let him loose!” They released the
reins and peacefully, without distress, he traveled to his residence.
Later on, his nephew (dbon po) Blo gros was carrying [the holy
lord’s] tea, but the master Tshis ka tshang was sitting in front of him
[and] that suddenly caused [his nephew] to spill a little bit [of tea].
Afterward, [the holy lord] said to his nephew Blo gros, “You must
leave. You need to arrange my pillows in the sleeping quarters (gzim
khang).” When his nephew went out, he thought the master and his
attendant, the two of them, were going to have a secret conversation,
[50] so he hid [behind] the door and listened. [The holy lord] asked
Tshis ka tshang, “Is there no one here?” And he replied that there
was no one. [The holy lord then] said, “Now, because you are a
worthy vessel, you are a student [I can] tell [this to]. Awhile back,
when my horse was startled, I had a vision that [Yama] Dharmarāja
was leading my horse by its reins.”
And again, [this holy lord] said that when he was residing at
Rgyud smad, there was a demoness coiled around a tree directly
across from the Tantric College. Occasionally, from the top of the
tree, that demoness would gaze down upon the dharma community
and repeatedly inflict harm on the [monks]. One time, the holy one
himself, always inwardly reciting Vajrabhairava, consecrated [with
mantra] many small pebbles, pelted the tree [with them], and
invoked fierce visualizations. Thereafter, [the demoness] no longer
stayed in that tree and no more harm came to the [monks].
PREMONITION OF DEATH AND DEPARTURE TO THE BUDDHA REALM
Furthermore, in the year he departed to the buddha realm, when he
was staying in the Gzim khang [rab dga’] of Bkra shis ’khyil, Tshis ka
81
82
This is Thig mo, one of three centers founded by Brag dkar sngags rams pa. See
note 53 above.
The five-syllable abbreviated mantra of Mañjuśrī, which in its full form consists
of forty-two syllables. A RA PA TSA (CA) NA are the first five letters of the complete
syllabary. For references, see Gyatso 1992: 198 n. 8.
36
Revue d’Etudes Tibétaines
tshang stood before him and [the holy lord] said, “My friend, it
seems that I’m going to die this year. In these courtyards of mine, a
white-horned [Yama] Dharmarāja is pacing back and forth. That
white-horned [Yama] Dharmarāja is facing me.” He then later
became ill. On the verge of departing to the buddha realm, he made
sign gestures to Ri khrod pa Mdo ba tshang83 and to the steward
(gnyer ba) of Khri ka, saying to them, “Place the first morning tea (ja
phud) inside the tea vessel.” After they had done so, he did six long
recitations of HŪṂ, the Protector’s [syllable], and announced, “Now,
accompanying this black man, I must go.”
AUTHOR’S COLOPHON
[51] That being so, recorded here is only a small portion of what I, an
inferior intellect, had heard with my own ears about the life and
liberation of this holy lord of siddhas himself.
The life story [of this] master siddha, a garden [of Mount]
Malaya,
Permeates like a fine fragrance, profoundly enriching
All realms of good fortunate disciples without exception, who
Inspired by the winds of faith, [lead] lives without bias.
Upon the golden ground of precious faith and veneration,
Grows justly the wish-fulfilling tree of spiritual qualities,
whereupon
Atop the branches and leaves of study, reflection, and
meditation in full bloom,
The sweet fruits of the three embodiments of a buddha are
produced.
From the ocean of whichever of the three mysteries of his life
story [could be told]
83
This may be Mdo ba Ngag dbang don grub (c. 1671-1748), the thirty-sixth
throne-holder of Bya khyung. On whom, see Bya khyung gdan rabs, 164-165. He
was a student of both the fifty-fourth Dga’ ldan khri pa Ngag dbang mchog ldan
(1677-1751; assumed office in 1739) and the thirty-fifth throne-holder of Bya
khyung, Bde khang ba Blo bzang rab brtan (1683-1766). Mdo ba Ngag dbang don
grub was appointed abbot of Bya khyung in the water-dog year 1742 and served
for seven years until his death, which must have been in 1748, the year the
thirty-seventh throne-holder Brag lung Ngag dbang mkhas grub rgya mtsho
(1711-1773) took office. The text says he lived for 77 years, hence the suggested
birth date of 1671.
Sorcerer of the Iron Castle
37
Only a few drops are compiled here – yet to all the learned
scholars,
This will be unsatisfactory to their tastes, but nonetheless,
In my own mind arose a simple wish to tell [his story].
My efforts here, gathering an ocean of accumulated merits for
myself and others,
I dedicate to all sentient beings as vast as the sky [who have
been our] benevolent old mothers,
And lovingly cared for by genuine spiritual friends,
So that they may all obtain the rank of the Omniscient Victors.
This [testament entitled] The Drops of Nectar Nourishing the Faith of
Devoted Disciples: The Life of the Supreme Lord of Accomplished Masters
Brag dkar rin po che [from] the Lama’s Own Words, was very generously
repeated on written scroll (thang skur skyar ba) by Drung yig pa Dge
slong Blo bzang rgya mtsho, with the kind support of Khyab bdag
rdo rje ’chang Dbang mkhan chen Dge ’dun rgya mtsho dpal bzang
po. In so doing, moreover, may the authentic spiritual advisors, in
accordance with their joy, [52] lovingly take care of me and others
throughout our successive rebirths.
Sarva maṅgalaṃ. Oṃ svasti.
PRINTER’S COLOPHON
From the ocean of Skal ldan rgya mtsho’s altruistic aspirations,
This blockprint was set at Rong bo dgon chen,
The great dharma community, wherein the melodies of
scripture and reasoning are broadcast
By myriads of youthful ochre[-robed] monks.
Appendix 2: Transliteration of Tibetan Text
[31] grub pa'i dbang phyug dam pa brag dkar rin po che'i rnam thar
bla ma nyid kyi gsung sgros dad ldan gdul bya'i dad pa'i gso byed
bdud rtsi'i zegs ma zhes bya ba bzhugs so //
[32] na mo gu ru mañju gho ṣa ya / blo bzang rgyal ba'i bstan pa'i sa
mos tshal / rab tu rgyas mdzad grub dbang nyin mo'i mgon / gang
de'i rnam thar kun gsal 'od dkar can / dad ldan blo gros ku mud
bzhad phyir spro / de la 'dir mkhas shing grub pa'i dbang phyug
38
Revue d’Etudes Tibétaines
dam pa brag dkar rin po che blo bzang bstan pa rab rgyas dpal
bzang po'i zhal snga nas kyi rnam par thar pa dad ldan gdul bya'i
dad pa'i gso byed bdud rtsi'i zegs ma zhes bya ba cung zad brjod pa
ni / de yang grub dbang dam pa 'di nyid kyi sku 'khrungs ba'i yul ni
reb kong gser mo ljongs kyi sa'i cha rong bo'i chos sde chen po thos
bsam rnam par rgyal ba'i gling dang khad nye ba brag dkar zhes par
yab mthu [33] stobs kyi dbang phyug sngags 'chang tshe gzungs
'bum dang / yum dad gus sogs dang ldan pa bol bza' rdo rje sman
gnyis kyi sras su 'khrungs / yab yum gnyis kyis sked bsrings te /
dgung lo bcu gsum bzhes pa'i tshe rje btsun bla ma dam pa mkhas
grub smra ba'i nyi ma skal ldan rgya mtsho dpal bzang po'i zhabs
drung du bstan pa'i 'jug sgor rab tu byung ba'i sdom pa rnam par
dag pa legs par mnos nas ngur smrig gi rgyal mtshan bzhes / dgung
lo bcu bdun bzhes tshe dben pa'i gnas mchog bkra shis 'khyil du
sgrub pa la zhugs shing / dgung lo nyi shu pa'i tshe rgyal sras sbul
ba'i sku rin po che'i drung du bsnyen par rdzogs te rje btsun bla ma
dam pa mkhas [34] grub smra ba'i nyi ma skal ldan rgya mtsho'i
zhabs pad bsten te lo nyer dgu'i bar du dbang lung rjes gnang khrid
sogs zab rgyas kyi gdams pa'i bdud rtsis thugs kyi bum bzang legs
par gtams / dben gnas bkra shis 'khyil du mtshams kyi bcad rgya
mang po gnang ba'i skabs shig nyams snang lta bur gzim khang gi
phyi ru sems can mang pos / na mo vajra bhai ra va ya zhes pa'i sgra
'brug stong ldir ba ltar sgrog cing bskor ba byed pa'i snang ba shar /
yang skabs shig rje btsun bla ma dam pa mkhas grub smra ba'i nyi
ma skal ldan rgya mtsho rin po che bkra shis 'khyil gyi gzim khang
rab dga' na bzhugs yod pa la / grub dbang dam pa 'di nyid gsung
chod nyan phyir thag rang po na phebs pa mthong nas ma gi su red
gsungs pas / nye gnas zhig yod pa des de brag dkar dge slong
tshang red zhugs pas khong ma 'ongs ba'i gnas tshul sogs mngon
sum gyis gzigs stabs kho la bla rgan ji 'dra zhig yong ngam gsungs /
de nas dgung lo sum cu bzhes tshe rje btsun bla ma dam pa mkhas
grub smra ba'i nyi ma skal ldan rgya mtsho dpal bzang po'i bka' ltar
dbus su phebs te / mkhas pa dang grub pa du ma'i 'byung gnas dpal
ldan smad rgyud grwa tshang du bzhugs te / sngags zab mo'i zab
rgyas kyi gdams pa spyi dang / khyad par bde gsang 'jigs gsum rim
lnga sogs mdo sngags kyi gdams pa rgya mtsho lta bu la lo dgu'i bar
du gsan sbyong zhib tu gnang / zhor la dbang lung rjes gnang khrid
[35] sogs mang po gsan / phar la yang gsung chos mang po gnang /
de nas dpal ldan smad rgyud grwa tshang du dgongs khrol zhus te
lo gsum gyi ring la phyogs phyogs su gsung chos mang po gsan
phyir phebs shing chos rgyun shing chos rgyun shin tu dkon po sogs
kyis thugs kyi bum bzang legs par bkang / grub dbang dam pa 'di
nyid dpal ldan smad rgyud grwa tshang du bzhugs nas cher ma 'gor
ba'i skabs su rig gnas rgya mtsho'i pha rol tu son pa mkhas pa'i
Sorcerer of the Iron Castle
39
dbang bo sde srid pa sangs rgyas rgya mtshos rgyal bstan spyi dang
bye brag gi ched du 'brug pa sogs 'ga' zhig la ri bo dge lugs pa'i rang
lugs thun mong ma yin pa'i lcags mkhar chen mo zhig brtsig dgos
zhes bka' phebs shing / dpal ldan smad rgyud pa'i nang nas mkhas
grub gnyis 'doms mang po'i nang nas rdo rje slob dpon gang gis
gnang na bstan 'gro la phan dgongs nas thugs dam brtag pa gnang
bas grub dbang 'di nyid bzang po'i ngo shar bar brten / grub dbang
dam pa 'di nyid kyis rdo rje slob dpon gnang na bstan 'gro la phan
pa'i ngo shar gsungs nas rdo rje slob dpon du mnga' gsol / de nas
grub dbang dam pa 'di la lcags mkhar sogs kyi khrid rgyun dang /
phyag len nges 'drongs yod dam zhus tshe ngas mdo smad du rje
btsun bla ma dam pa mkhas grub smra ba'i nyi ma skal ldan rgya
mtsho dpal bzang po'i drung nas 'khrul [36] 'khor dang lcags mkhar
sogs kyi khrid rgyun byin rlabs can thob yod pas nga la yi dam lha'i
nga rgyal med kyang / bla ma'i nga rgyal yod gsungs nas lcags
mkhar chen mo brtsig pa'i gra bsgrigs gnang ste sgrub pa la zhugs
pa'i skabs der mnal lam du char sprin shin tu 'jigs su rung bar 'brug
sgra drag po dang bcas pa'i ser ba drag po babs pas grub dbang dam
pa rang gi dbu'i thad du sleb tshe nam mkha' nas bud med rgyan can
zhig gis dar nag gi phyar ba chen po zhig nam mkhar bting bas grub
dbang dam pa rang gi steng du 'bab tu ma bcug pa rmis shing / de
lta bu'i bud med rgyan can de ni dpal ldan lha mo yin par nges
gsungs shing / dpal ldan lha mo 'di nged rang tsho'i rgyud kyi lha
srung yin gsungs nas rgyal me tog thang du phebs dpal ldan lha
mo'i tshes gtor gtong rgyu'i phyag len sogs zhig rgyas bslab cing /
mdo smad du phebs phyin lha mo'i tshes gtor chag med du gnang /
de nas lcags mkhar gyi gra bsgrigs gnang ba'i skabs grub dbang dam
pa 'di'i mnal lam du se ra theg chen gling na mgar pa sma ra dang ag
tshom can mang pos mgar sna tshogs byed kyin 'dug bas de ci la
dgos zhes dris tshe 'di da lo yang dgos / da phyin chad kyang dgos
zer ba rmis / byis lcags mkhar chen mo'i sgrub pa thon pa'i skabs su
grub dbang dam pa 'dis gtor ma dgra phyogs su brdab tshe gtor ma'i
[37] rtse nas me tog cig chad nas 'brug pa'i yul phyogs su song bstan
dgra 'ga' zhig chems la phabs shing thal bar brlag[s] / phyis su de lta
bu gsan pas sngar gyi mnal lam de de'i ltas yin par 'dug gsungs /
khri rin po che blo gros rgya mtsho brgyud pa'i bla ma rdo rje slob
dpon gnang yod pa'i skabs rgyud pa rnams chu mig lung du phebs
te chos thog tshugs yod dus shig chos grwa nas grub dbang dam pa'i
'dis sku gzan gyis dbu btums te dpal gsang ba 'dus pa'i bskyed rim la
cung zad mnyam par bzhug yod tshe / khri rin po che khong 'du
khang steng gi rab gsal na bzhugs yod pas chos grwa la gzigs pas de
na grwa ba zhig gi lus las 'od zer dkar po'i tshogs phyogs kun dang
khri rin po che rang gi bzhugs sa sogs su dkar phrom phrom 'phro
bar 'dug pa gzigs pas / nye gnas zhig la chos grwa na dbu cung zad
40
Revue d’Etudes Tibétaines
btum nas bzhugs yod pa'i grwa ba ma gi su yin ltos dang / ma gi'i
lus las 'od zer dkar po'i tshogs 'phro gin 'dug gsungs / nyes gnas
kyis bltas pas grub dbang dam pa 'di nyid yin tshul zhugs pas /
nga'i rgyud grwa 'di na 'di 'dra ba'i rgyud rgan zhed po rang yod
gsungs te thugs mnyes tshul mdzad / yang grub dbang 'di nyid rtse
thang byang ma pa dpal 'byor bsod nams lhun grub yin par dam pa
rang gi nyams snang dang / grogs chos mthun 'ga' zhig gis kyang
yin gsung bar [38] brten / rtse thang byang ma pa'i 'khrungs yul der
'byon 'dod drag po skyes / der phebs pa'i sngon 'byor ba chen po
dang ldan pa yin yang phyis su 'byor ba sogs nyams dma' ru song
stabs grub dbang rang zhag gcig tsam yang bzhugs pa'i cha rkyen
ma 'grigs par brten 'jigs rten gyi bya ba 'byor rgud mtho dma' skyid
sdug sogs la yid brtan mi 'dug snyam pa'i skyo shas dpag med
'khrungs gsungs / rtse thang byang ma de ni gung thang lo tsa ba'i
yang sprul yin zhes grub chen skal ldan rgya mtshos gsungs / grub
dbang dam pa 'dis rje btsun rwa chen vajra kirti'i gdams pa ma lus
par shes pa da lta nga tsam gsungs nas thugs khengs pa'i nga rgyal
lta bu skabs skabs su gnang zhing / da dbus phyogs der 'dug ring la
brel ba sogs med cing / drung yig legs po zhig gi stabs 'grigs na ngas
dpal rdo rje 'jigs byed kyi chos skor cha tshang ba ri bo dge ldan pa'i
lugs kyi dge bod zer ba'i dpal rdo rje 'jigs byed yi chos skor zhig
rtsom snyam yod kyang brel dbang sogs kyis de 'dra'i stabs ma 'grigs
gsungs / dbus su bzhugs ring la dpal rdo rje 'jigs byed kyi blos
bslangs rgyud dang grub chen gyi dgongs pa ltar gyi khyad 'phags
zhig kyang bzhengs pa sogs bstan pa dang 'gro ba'i don rgya chen po
mdzad nas slar mdo smad du chibs bsgyur gnang ba'i lam skabs shig
tu dpal rdo rje 'jigs byed sku stod shin tu gsal bor 'dug cing / sku
smad rkyen zhig gis [39] bsgrib 'dug pa zhig zhal gzigs shing / de'i
sku stod gsal bor 'dug pa de nga'i tshe stod la rje btsun bla ma dam
pa mkhas grub smra ba'i nyi ma skal ldan rgya mtsho'i zhabs pad
bsten pa la bltas shing sku smad rkyen zhig gis bsgribs pa de tshe
smad la grong chog sogs kyis g.yeng ba che ba 'di la bltas 'dug / der
ma zad ngas rje btsun bla ma dam pa mkhas grub smra ba'i nyi ma
skal ldan rgya mtsho dpal bzang po'i zhabs pad bsten nas sgom
sgrub byed tshe nga la nyams rtogs dang drod tshad khyad par can
mang po byung zhing / rjes nas nga dbus gtsang phyogs su song rjes
de lta bu phar la zhog rgyud kyi yon tan sngar yod rnams kyang 'ja'
yal ba ltar song / nga'i mi tshe hril bor dben gnas dam pa bkra shis
'khyil nas sgom sgrub cig byas na legs po zhig yong rgyu la blo le lo
ngang rnam g.yeng gi bdud kyis bskyod de bar chad byas gsungs /
dbus nas mdo smad 'dir phebs shing dben gnas dam pa bkra shis
'khyil nas lo 'ga' zhig bzhugs / de skabs gong ba'i sku skye ho thog
thu zer bas gong ba'i sgar du sku gsung thugs rten mang po la
gzungs gzhug 'bul ba dang rab gnas sogs kyi ched du gdan drangs te
Sorcerer of the Iron Castle
41
rab gnas sogs byas shing 'bul ba rgya chen po phul / yul di'i mi
dpon bā dur the'i ji zer bas bla mar bkur zhing lo 'ga' zhig bzhugs /
bā dur the'i ji sogs dad ldan mang pos bskal ma byas te me long brag
[40] dkar zhes pa'i sgrub sde khyad 'phags zhig kyang btab / gnas
der pha bong chen po gsum chos 'byung gi dbyibs su yod pa de'i
steng du gzim khang zhig phub ste / de'i nang du rdo rje 'jigs byed
kyi mtshams mang po gnang zhing / de lta bu'i gzim khang der
bsngags brjod kyang mang po gnang / khyad par du / dpal chos
'byung ma bcos lhun grub gnas / skyid rang byung phug pa de na
yod / ces sogs gsungs / de grub gnas khyad par can yin zhing /
chos 'byung de'i g.yas phyogs kyi brag zhig la chos rgyal rang byon
yod ces grub dbang rang gis gsungs / yang skabs shig ri bo dge ldan
pa'i bstan pa'i 'byung khungs chos sde chen po bya khyung du bla
ma skyes bu dam pa gang bzhugs rab lo re'am / 'bring lo phyed /
tha ma'ang zla ba re tsam las khrir bzhugs dbang med par gshegs
'gro ba'i gdon ngan zhig gnod nas bla ma skyes bu dam pa 'gangs
can lnga tsam zhing gzhan du phebs song / de la bzlog thabs kyi sku
rim dang rim gro tshabs chen mang po yang yang byas kyang phan
pa ma byung ba la da bla ma skyes bu dam pa shing grub pa thob
ba'i khyad par can zhig gis phan e thogs bas ma nas / pan chen
thams cad mkhyen pa blo bzang ye shes dpal bzang po'i zhabs
drung du / la mo'i zhabs drung dkar po tshang / stong skor rin po
che / chu bzang dpon slob / kun mkhyen 'jam dbyangs bzhad pa /
grub pa'i dbang phyug dam pa 'di dang lnga'i mtshan zhu shog tu
bris te / [41] de rnams kyi nang nas gang gis gdon 'dre ngan pa de
thul nas bstan 'gro la phan thogs zhes thugs dam brtag pa zhus pas /
grub dbang dam pa 'di nyid kyis phan thogs pa'i thugs dam brtag pa
babs par brten / grub dbang dam pa 'di nyid yang yang gdan 'dren
du 'ongs kyang reb gong phyogs dang khri ka'i phyogs kyi skya ser
dag zhan mang pos phebs mi nyan tshul yang yang zhus par brten
ma phebs / rje nas nan chen pos gdan 'dren zhus pa la dge lugs kyi
bstan pa'i 'byung khungs lta bu'i dgon gnas khyad par can yin gshis
/ de la phan thogs na nga ban rgan gyi tshe de skabs dgung lo re
dgu bzhes la gnod na yang gnod gsungs nas bshol btab pa sogs la
ma gsan par phebs chog par zhal bzhes gnang / da nga 'gro ba la
mtshams shig byed dgos gsungs nas zla ba gcig gi ring la dpal rdo
rje 'jigs byed kyi mtshams shig gnang / mtshams grol rjes dpon
g.yog nyi shu skor chos sde chen po bya khyung du phebs par lam
skabs su chos rgyal dkar po zhig gis grub dbang rang gi chibs kha
nas khrid 'gro ba'i nyams shar zhing / rma chu la gru steng nas
phebs tshe yang chu bo'i gnyer ma re re'i steng na thub pa sangs
rgyas bcom ldan 'das kyi sku re bzhugs yod pa'i nyams shar bas
bdud kyi cho 'phrul 'dra yin nam dgongs nas bdud bzlog pa'i thugs
dmigs drag tu gnang ste slar bltas bas bdud kyi cho 'phrul ma yin
42
Revue d’Etudes Tibétaines
par 'dug ces [42] gsungs / de nas chos sde chen po bya khyung du
phyag phebs tshe dgon pa de la shin tu gnag pa'i mi nag bdud sprul
rkun po nag ral zer ba zhig yod pa des sngar yang yang dgon pa la
gnod tsha bas chen po byas / de skabs yang rku 'phrog byed du 'ong
ba mi mang pos bskor nas bzung ste srog dbang bkum pa grub
dbang rang gis gsan pas / dam nyams de'i pags pa shus la g.yang
gzhi gyis / dbang bo rnam lnga dang sha khrag tshol dang ral ba
sogs 'dir khyer la shog gsungs / de ltar byas nas phul bas pags pa
mnyes gsungs nas thugs mnyes stabs mdzad / de nas dpon g.yog
nyi shu skor gyis bcom ldan 'das dpal rdo rje 'jigs byed kyi mtshams
dam bor gnang nas grol khar dpal rdo rje 'jigs byed kyi zhi rgyas
dbang drag bzhi'i sbyin sreg gnang zhing / drag po'i sbyin sreg gi
skabs su mi lpags kyi g.yang gzhi'i steng du drag po'i rdzas rnams
bshams / don snying sha tshil sogs bsreg rdzas su byas / ral pa
lingga'i thun thag byas / drag po'i lha la bsreg rdzas 'bul ba'i tshe 'du
khang gi gdung ma'i steng nas dug sdom nag po 'jigs su rung ba shin
tu che ba zhig thab nang du lhung ste tshig pa la sogs pa'i ltas khyad
par can mang po dang bcas gnas de'i gdon 'dre ngan de dam la btags
shing thal bar brlags / de skabs khong gis gzigs snang la sa 'og nas
bla ma zhig gi dbu yar la bud nas de rjes phyir sa 'og tu nub 'gro ba
gzigs pas / de su yin [43] dgongs tsa na bla ma snga ma zhig yin par
'dug dgongs nas gnas de nas grol thabs gnang / de rjes bcom ldan
'das dpal rdo rje 'jigs byed kyi 'khrul 'khor zhag bdun du bsgrub pa
gnang nas de khri khang du srung 'khor kyi tshul du bzhag / gnas
de'i btsan khang gi sgo lo gsum du sus kyang 'byed ma thub pa de la
phyag gis brdungs stabs lan gnyis gsum gnang bas sgo yang rang
phye la song / mgon khang nang du bgegs bskrad byas nas rab gnas
gnang zhing byin gyis brlabs / de nas chos sde chen po bya khyung
gi khrir zla ba gcig tsam bzhugs shing mkhan po gnang / de rjes
khong gi rgyal tshab tu rtsa ba'i ngag dbang nor bu zhu ba de bla
mar bskos / des lo lnga'i bar du bya khyung gi mkhan po gnang /
rjes nas dgongs khrol zhus te rgyal tshab tu bla ma gdung gzhug
tshang zer ba mkhan por bskos / bla ma de gnyis kyis grub dbang
dam pa 'di nyid slar bya khyung dgon sder spyan drangs te / dpal
gsang ba 'dus pa'i dbang / 'jigs byed dpa' bo gcig pa'i dbang / gdugs
dkar dang / rnam sras / chos rgyal phyi nang gsang gsum / lcam
sring rnams kyi rjes gnang sogs bka' chos mang po zhus / gtang rag
gi ched du rta bcu / gser dngul gos sogs 'bul pa'i rnam grangs stong
phrag lhag tsam phul / de nas me long brag dkar du phebs / dpon
slob 'ja' mo tshang dang / tshis ka'i sngags ram pa tshang sogs
phyogs phyogs nas phebs pa mang po la bde gsang 'jigs gsum kun
tsheg sogs kyi dbang / [44] nā ro chos drug dang / phyag chen gyi
khrid sogs bka' chos mang po gnang / de rjes mi nyag zhabs drung
tshang zer bas ma ṇi zhig gi tshogs dbur gdan 'dren byas shing / rjes
Sorcerer of the Iron Castle
43
gnang 'ga' zhig dang / bka' chos mang po gsan / dpon slob 'ja' mo
tshang gis yang gdan 'dren zhus te / tshe rta zung 'brel / rta mgrin
gsang sgrub / rta mgrin shwa na bzhi bskor / 'jam dbyangs nag po
rnams kyi rjes gnang sogs bka' chos mang po gsan / de nas me long
brag dkar nas gzhi rdzogs lta bur dben gnas dam pa bkra shis 'khyil
du phebs / dben gnas der ri khrod pa rnams la lam rim bde lam gyi
khrid / 'jigs byed lha bcu gsum ma'i dbang / 'jam dbyangs chos skor
gyi rjes gnang sogs bka' chos 'ga' zhig gnang / gzhan yang grub
dbang dam pa 'dis mdo dbus sogs su dbang lung rjes gnang khrid
sogs bka' chos mang po gnang tshul dang gsan tshul sogs bdag lta
bu'i blo yul las 'das pas brjod par ga la nus / yang khri ka'i phyogs
nas reb gong 'dir phebs skabs shog no'u rung chu khar zhag bzhugs
gnang / de nub mgon po'i gshegs gtor dang / drug chu pa / dkar
gtor sogs pa sngos / phyi nyin zhal gsung phebs par khri ka'i gzhi
bdag srin pos nga gnas 'di ru bskyal 'ongs shing / da nang phyir
phebs / khog stod mi la smad sbrul mjug tu 'khyil ba 'jam dbyangs
nā ga rakṣa lta bu zhig red gsungs / yang dgon rong na [45] bzhugs
pa'i skabs shig khri ka'i phyogs kyi gzhi bdag rnams reb gong
phyogs su 'gro ba gzigs pas de ci yin de la mnyam par 'jog rgyu zhig
yod gsungs / de rjes chu ma'i 'dul ba tshang zhing gzhan du phebs
pa gsan pas de'i rkyen yin par 'dug / de skyes chen dam pa zhig red
gsungs / yang skabs shig gzim gur zhig tu mtshams gnang yod pa la
gsol ja skol ba'i ja ma zhig yod pa des gsol de ma len du song tshe
mdun na mi 'brog pa sha mdog smug pa ral ba smug shar re ba cig
mdun du tsog pur bsdad yod pa mthong / de rjes gsol ja 'dren du
song tshe mdun du mi 'dug / kho rang yid ma ches par de lta bu su
yin zhus tsa na / de khri ka'i yul bdag chen po de red gsungs // ! //
yang grub pa'i dbang phyug dam pa 'di la / stong skor mañjuśrī
lnga pa ngag dbang bsod nams rgya mtshos / bla ma khyed kyi sku
skye ba snga ma la bla ma gang yin / yi dam lha dang chos skyong
gang gi zhal gzigs / nyams rtogs dang yon tan ci lta bu mnga' zhes
nan cher yang yang zhus pa la 'di ltar / lags bka' phebs don zhu lan
la bdag lta bu'i gang zag la skye ba brgyud tshul gyi rjes dren dang /
nyams rtogs kyi yon tan lhag pa'i lha dang srung ma'i zhal bstan pa'i
rim pa 'khrul med tshad ldan ga la yod / chung du nas rje btsun bla
ma skal ldan rgya mtsho'i bka' drin la brten nas rab tu byung / thos
bsam gyi sgor zhugs / bla ma de nyid [46] kyis gtso byas pa'i yongs
'dzin sum cu so lnga tsam gyi zhabs la gtugs nas chos kyi bka' drin
zhus / bla ma'i gsung sgros dang chos mthun 'ga' zhig gi gsung
'phros la / grub chen nag po spyod pa dang / rong zom chos bzang
dang rtse thang byang ma pa dpal 'byor bsod nams lhun grub rnams
yin zer ba thos / rang gi myong bas grub pa'i mngon sum dang /
nyams snang tshad ma ga la yod / rmi lam nying 'khrul sogs la vajra
bhai ra vas zhal bstan pa dang / de nyid kyis byin gyis brlabs ba'i
44
Revue d’Etudes Tibétaines
rwa chen vajra kirtis 'khrul 'khor gyi rim pa sogs gtad pa dang /
rang re'i chos skyong rnams kyi sku mthong pa dang / gsung thos
pa sogs dang / bla ma rnams kyis zhal bstan gsung bkod sogs byung
ba lan re lan gnyis byung yang de la nges pa med med bsam pa yod
/ gzhan thos bsam rgya chen po ma grub kyang lo nyi shu'i skabs /
rgyal sras sprul ba'i sku'i zhabs drung du bsnyen par rdzogs nas
dben gnas bkra shis 'khyil du rje btsun bla ma dam pa skal ldan rgya
mtsho'i zhabs kyi padmor bsten nas thun mong dang thun mong ma
yin pa'i nyams khrid nyin re bzhin du nyams su len pa'i brtson pa lo
bcu gnyis bcu gsum bar du byas la / de ni zhal gzigs dang lung
bstan gyi dod po yin bsam / bla ma'i bka' phebs pa la brten nas dbus
su phyin nas dpal ldan smad rgyud grwa tshang du lo brgyad dgu'i
bar du rje blo gros mtshan can dang / rā na'i mtshan can gnyis kyi
zhabs pad brten nas rgyud kyi rgyal po [47] dpal gsang ba 'dus pa'i
rgyud don la sbyangs ba byas / stod lung chu mig lung du lo brgyad
dgu'i bar du snyan brgyud rim lnga'i dmar khrid la bag chags bzhag
/ de dag gi skabs su dam pa'i skyes bu rnams kyi gsung gi bdud rtsi
yang rna ba'i lam du son pa dang / yid kyi yul du goms par byas pa
las lhag pa'i yon tan bdag la ma mchis lags / zhes gsungs / yang
grub dbang dam pa 'di nyid kyi zhal gsung la / khong gis chu mig
lung du khrid skyong gin yod pa'i skabs shig dpal ldan dmag zor
rgyal mo'i zhal gzigs / de'i thugs ka nas 'od zer mang po 'phros pa'i
'od zer re re'i rtse mor sangs rgyas kyi zhing mang po mthong ba'i
snang ba shar / khyed tsho la de lta bu'i song gi gsungs / sngags
'chang chen po mkhar sgong sangs rgyas tshang zhu bas sngar bla
ma rtis tshang ma ṇi pa rin po che'i sku phyogs nas dmag zor ma'i
rjes gnang thob kyang / grub dbang 'di nyid kyi chos skyong thun
mong ma yin pa yin tshul dang / zhal gzigs byung tshul gyi gsung
sems la bzung nas rjes sor rjes gnang zhus pas khong gi zhal gsung
la / ngas chu bzang dpon slob la rjes gnang zhus nas phyin chad su
la yang lha mo'i rjes gnang byed pa rtsis med kyang / da khyod la
rjes gnang byed dgos pa po yin gsungs nas mkhar sgong sangs rgyas
tshang la rjes gnang dgyes bzhin byas / yig chung rnams kyi lung
yang gnang de nub sangs rgyas tshang rang gi [48] rmi lam du jo bo
rje dpal ldan a ti sha yin zer ba'i bla ma zhig gis bdag la dmag zor
ma'i rjes gnang byas / gtor dbang skabs gtor ma mgo thog tu bzhag
nas dus da nas bzung ste byang chub ma thob kyi bar du lus dang
grib ma bzhin du 'grogs nas dam pa'i chos sgrub pa'i 'gal rkyen
thams cad sol / mthun rkyen thams cad sgrubs shig ces sogs gsung
ba'i rmi lam gsal bo byung gsungs / yang grub dbang rang gi zhal
gsung las / ngas snga sor mgon po phyag drug pa chos skyong gi
gtso bor byed kyin yod pa la / dmag zor ma'i zhal gzigs byung
phyin chad la dmag zor ma gtso bor byas pa yin gsungs / yang grub
dbang dam pa 'dis dbu ma la 'jug pa dus rgyun du zhal 'don gnang
Sorcerer of the Iron Castle
45
gin yod la skabs shig mnal lam du dbu ma la 'jug pa'i zhal thon gyi
dpe de'i dbus su ljon shing khyad par du 'phags pa yal ga dang lo
'bras shin tu legs pa zhig skyes shing / yal ga re re'i steng na rje
btsun 'jam pa'i dbyangs kyi zhing gi bkod pa tshang ba re yod pa /
de'i rtsa ba na nga'i bla ma mkhas grub smra ba'i nyi ma skal ldan
rgya mtsho rin po che bzhugs pas / nga'i bstan bcos 'di la yon tan 'di
'dra yod gsung pa zhig rmis gsungs / yang dam pa 'di chung ngu
byis pa'i dus pha'i pang na nub mo nyal yod pa la khyim mtshes kyi
bud med cig la 'dres gdon gyis gnod pas pha sngags pa dge bsnyen
zhig yin stabs bka' bsgo zhig byed dgos zhes 'bod mi byung bar phas
[49] nga do nub 'gro mi nyan / nga'i bu 'di sad na 'di na su med stabs
skrag par 'dug byas kyang nan ches pas song / de rjes bu gnyid sad
tshe su yang med pas skrag cing bshum pa la sngas mgor chos rgyal
dkar po zhig gis bu ma 'jigs shig gsungs / de rjes pha yong nas de la
rgyu mtshan bshad pas khyod kha rog sdod dang su la yang ma
bshad ces smras / yang skabs shig tho'u mo'i dben gnas bde ldan
bkra shis rab brtan nas rje btsun 'jam pa'i dbyangs kyi 'dra khyad
'phags zhig bzhengs nas / reb kong phyogs kyi sgrub sde bco
brgyad thams cad gdan drangs te 'jam dbyangs a ra pa tsa na'i bum
sgrub zla ba gcig gi ring la gnang nas tshogs grol khar tshogs dbur
phebs shing / de nas gzim khang la phebs khrom chen po tshogs
yod pa'i gseb nas chibs pa 'drog nas mi mang pos chibs kha ma thub
pa la dam pa rang gis nga'i chibs kha nas ma 'dzin par thongs la shog
gsungs / chibs kha btang ba dang ma 'dog par bde bar gzim khang
la phebs / rjes nas gsol ja dbon po blo gros kyis khyer ba la / mdun
na dpon slob tshis ka tshang bzhugs 'dug / de skabs char en tsam
bab pa la rkyen byas nas dbon po blo gros la khyod song la nga'i
sngas mgo'i thad kyi gzim khang la thigs cag byed dgos gsungs nas
/ dpon po phyir song tshe dpon g.yog gnyis kyis gsang gtam zhig
gnang rgyu [50] red bsam nas sgo phag nas nyan pas / tshis ka
tshang la 'di na su mi 'dug gam gsung ba la su yang med zhus pas /
da khyod slob ma snod ldan yin pas bshad pa yin / da ci nga'i chibs
pa 'dog pa'i tshe nga'i chibs kha nas chos rgyal gyis khrid 'gro ba'i
nyams shar gsungs / yang rgyud smad na bzhugs tshe rgyud pa'i
chos grwa'i thad so'i phar ga de na sdong po zhig yod pa de la 'dre
mo zhig 'khril nas skabs skabs su 'dre mo des sdong po'i rtse nas
tshur chos grwa bltas nas khong rnams la rgyun du gnod pa skyel
bar 'dug pa la / skabs shig dam pa rang gis nang snga mo nas rdo rje
'jigs byed gsungs nas rde'u mang po bsngags te sdong po da la brab
cing thugs dmigs drag po gnang bas phyis su sdong po de la mi gnas
shing khong rnams la yang ma gnod par song gsungs / yang zhing
la phebs pa'i lo de la bkra shis 'khyil gzim khang na bzhugs skabs /
mdun du tshis ka tshang bzhugs pa la a rog da lo nga shi 'gro ba 'dra
/ nga'i gzim khang khyams 'di tsho na chos rgyal rwa dkar po can
46
Revue d’Etudes Tibétaines
zhig phar 'gro tshur 'gro byed par 'dug / chos rgyal gyi rwa dkar po
yin pa de mdun ngo yin gsungs / yang sku snyung nas zhing la
gshegs khar ri khrod pa mdo ba tshang dang / khri ka'i gnyer ba la
phyag brda' gnang / ja phud kyi snod nang du ja phud cig zhog
gsungs nas phud bzhag rjes mgon po'i hūṃ ring po lan drug gsungs
nas / da nga mi nag po 'di la 'grogs nas 'gro dgos gsungs / [51] de
ltar grub pa'i dbang phyug dam pa nyid kyi rnam par thar pa blo
dman bdag gi sgra 'dzin lam du son tshul ni re zhig de tsam mo /
smras pa / grub dbang rnam thar ma la ya skyes tshal / dad pa'i
rlung gis bskul tshe phyogs med kyi / skal bzang gdul bya'i zhing
kun ma lus pa / rab tu 'ged byed dri ngad 'di 'dra 'thul / dad gus rin
chen gser gyi sa gzhi la / yon tan dpag bsam ljon shing legs 'khrungs
nas / thos bsam sgom pa'i yal 'dab rab rgyas rtser / sku gsum 'bras
bu mngar bo 'byin phyir yin / gang gi rnam thar gsang gsum rgya
mtsho las / chu thigs tsam zhig brdong 'dis mkhas rnams kun / mgu
ba'i gnas min 'on kyang bdag nyid kyi / yid kyi brjod 'dod spro ba
skyes las byung / 'dir 'bad rang gzhan dge tshogs rgya mtsho'i
tshogs / mkha' mnyam drin can ma rgan sems can rnams / mtshan
ldan dge ba'i bshes kyis rjes bzung nas / kun mkhyen rgyal ba'i go
'phang thob phyir bsngo / zhes grub pa'i dbang phyug dam pa brag
dkar rin po che blo bzang bstan pa rab rgyas dpal bzang po'i rnam
par thar pa bla ma nyid kyi gsung sgros dad ldan gdul bya'i dad pa'i
gso byed bdud rtsi'i zeg ma zhes bya 'di ni / khyab bdag rdo rje
'chang dbang mkhan chen dge 'dun rgya mtsho dpal bzang po'i bka'
drin gyis 'tsho ba drung yig pa dge slong blo bzang rgya mtshos dā
na'i mtha' thang skur skyar ba 'dis kyang bdag gzhan rnams tshe
rabs kyi phreng bar mtshan ldan dge ba'i bshes kyis dgyes bzhin [52]
rjes su 'dzin pa'i rgyur gyur cig / sarva mangga laṃ / oṃ sva sti /
skal ldan rgya mtsho'i thugs bskyed rol mtsho las / nyer 'khrungs
dge 'dun ngang mo 'bum phrag gis / lung rigs dbyangs snyan spel
ba'i chos grwa che / rong bo dgon chen zhes byar spar 'di bsgrubs
//
Appendix 3: The Collected Works of Brag dkar sngags rams pa
Volume 1
(Ka) Rje btsun bla ma’i rnal ’byor ’dod dgu’i ’byung gnas dbang gi rgyal po,
1-18. Written at the earnest behest of Dge slong ri khrod pa
chos ’phel at Dben gnas kun bzang Me long brag dkar mkha’
spyod gur khang.
Sorcerer of the Iron Castle
47
(Kha) Dpal rdo rje ’jigs byed kyi bla ma’i rnal ’byor ’dod dgu’i mchog stsol,
19-30. Date: me phag (1707), first month, fifth day. Written at
the behest of Dge slong blo bzang rnam rgyal and others at
Dben gnas kun bzang Me long brag dkar mkha’ spyod gur
khang.
(Ga) Grub pa’i dbang phyug dam pa brag dkar rin po che’i rnam thar bla
ma nyid kyi gsung sgros dad ldan gdul bya’i dad pa’i gso byed bdud
rtsi’i zegs ma, 31-52. Author: Drung yig pa dge slong blo
bzang rgya mtsho with the support of Khyab bdag rdo
rje ’chang dbang mkhan chen dge ’dun rgya mtsho dpal
bzang po.
(Nga) Mkhas shing grub pa’i dbang phyug chen po rdo rje ’dzin pa blo
bzang bstan pa rab rgyas dpal bzang po’i gsol ’debs smon lam dang
bcad pa, 53-58. Author: Rig pa ’dzin pa’i char gtogs ngag
dbang bsod nams rgya mtsho (=Fifth Stong ’khor). Date: me
rta (1726). Written at the behest of Sngags rams pa dpal ldan
rgya mtsho and others at Gdan sa bkra shi rab brtan.
(Ca) Rje btsun blo bzang bstan pa rab rgyas kyi gsung las gsol ’debs dang
ja mchod ’ga’ zhig bcas, 59-73. Date: first part [fol. 68.6],
shing ’brug (1664), seventh month, second day. Written at
Dben gnas bkra shis ’khyil ba’i yang dben nyi ’od ’khyil ba;
second part [fol. 73.4] handwritten by [Brag dkar sngags rams
pa] Blo bzang bstan pa rab rgyas and produced in book form
(glegs bam bzhengs) by Dge slong bsam gtan mchog grub.
(Cha) Dgon rung brag skya rdo rje’i rdzong gi gnas bstod bsngags brjod me
tog phreng mdzes dang kun bzang me long brag dkar mkha’ spyod
gur khang gi gnas bstod bde legs gzhi ’dzin, 75-85. Date: first part
[fol. 81.2], sa glang (1709); second part [fol. 85.3], chu lug (1703).
(Ja) Rdo rje ’chang chen po blo bzang bstan pa rab rgyas kyis mdzad pa’i
mgur ma le tshan ’ga’ lags so, 87-104. [Includes five songs].
Date: first song [fol. 91.5], me rta (1666), fourth month.
Written at the behest of Ngag dbang bstan ’dzin ’phrin las
[=Skyid shod zhabs drung] at Dben gnas rdzong dkar yang
dben bsam gtan khang bu; second song [94.2] written at the
behest of Blo bzang don grub; third song [98.2] written at the
behest of Ri khrod pa ngag dbang rgya mtsho [=Fifth
Stong ’khor?] at Dben gnas rab dga’ mthon po’i ri sul. No
dates or petitioners mentioned for songs four and five.
48
Revue d’Etudes Tibétaines
(Nya) ’Phags pa phung po gsum pa’i dmigs rim sdig sgrib sbyong bar byed
pa’i gaṅgā’i chu rgyun, 105-118. Written for the retreatants (ri
khrod pa) of Dben gnas kun bzang Me long brag dkar,
including notes recorded by Dge slong ri khrod pa chos ’phel
dar rgyas.
(Ta) Byang chub lam gyi rim pa’i dam khrid ’jam dpal zhal lung ba’i
snying po bdud rtsi gser zhun yang gsal sgron me, 119-243.
Includes notes written for Ngag dbang chos grags and Ngag
dbang nor bu.
(Tha) Byang chub lam gyi rim pa’i don bsdus nas tshigs su bcad pa shin tu
legs pa, 245-254. Written at Dben gnas kun bzang Me long
brag dkar.
(Da) Dpal gsang ba ’dus pa’i bskyed rim gyi khrid yig skal bzang ’jug
ngogs, 255-308.
(Na) Dpal gsang ba ’dus pa’i rdzogs rim rim pa lnga’i dmar khrid rdo
rje ’chang dbang bla ma’i zhal lung snyan brgyud rgyud sde’i yang
snying, 309-362.
(Pa) Dpal gsang ba ’dus pa nas bshad pa’i spyan ras gzigs ’jig rten dbang
phyug gi sgo nas ma ṇi ril bu sgrub bya ba’i cho ga, 363-370. Date:
sa glang (1709). Written at the earnest behest of Dge slong
ngag dbang mkhas btsun and others.
(Pha) Thugs rje chen po gsang sgrub kyi dmar khrid tshe gcig sangs rgyas
sgrub pa’i lam mchog nyams len gsal ba’i sgron me, 371-401. Date:
sa phag (1719), first month, first day. Written in accordance
with the intentions of Er ti ni bo shog thu [=Erdeni Boshogtu]
at Gong dgon dga’ ldan skyed tshal gyi bla brang bkra shis
mthong sngon with Dge slong ye shes skal bzang as scribe.
(Ba) Thugs rje chen po gsang sgrub kyi rdzogs rim sbyang don zhal shes
ngag gis rgyas btab pa zung ’jug gzhal med khang du bgrod byed
rin chen them skas ’od ’bar nor bu, 403-436. Date: first month,
second day [sa phag, 1719?]. Written at Gong ba’i dgon gsar
dga’ ldan skyed tshal gyi bla brang bkra shis mthong sngon
with Dge slong ye shes skal bzang as scribe.
(Ma) Thugs rje chen po rgyal ba rgya mtsho’i sbyin sreg byed tshul lag len
du dril ba mun sel gsal ba’i sgron me, 437-455. Date: sa khyi
(1718), tenth month, second day. Written at the behest of Er ti
Sorcerer of the Iron Castle
49
ni [=Erdeni] at Dben gnas kun bzang Me long brag dkar
mkha’ spyod gur khang.
(Tsa) ’Pho khrid gser gyi sgo ’byed kyi yang snying snyan brgyud ’chi med
bdud rtsi mkha’ spyod pa’i them skas rig ’dzin grub pa’i bcud len,
457-483. Written at Se ra chos sdings kyi ’jam dbyangs phug.
(Tsha) ’Pho ba’i khrid yig rig ’dzin grub pa’i pho nya, 485-494.
(Dza) Gcod kyi gdams pa skal ldan re skong dbang gi rgyal bo, 495-580.
Date: shing glang (1685), tenth month, second day. Written as
a gift to Dka’ bcu ba ngag dbang sbyin pa at Chos sde chen
po dpal ldan ’bras spungs kyi ldong sog po khang with Bka’
bcu smra ba as scribe.
(Wa) Gcod kyi dmigs khrid gdan thog gcig ma tshogs gnyis gter mdzod,
581-605. Written for the retreatants (ri khrod pa) of Dben gnas
dge ldan chos gling.
(Zha) Thabs shes gcod kyi snying po’i don nyams len rgyun ’khyer du dril
ba, 607-620. Written for Dka’ bcu blo bzang phan bde and
others.
(Za) Gcod kyi nyams len gdan thog gcig ma, 621-629. Written on the
banks of the Blue Lake (mtsho sngon ’gram).
(’A) Chos drug yid ches gsum ldan gyi yang snying dmar khrid sku gsum
nor bu’i gling du bgrod pa’i gru gzings, 631-665. Written for
Zhabs drung ngag dbang grags pa (=’Ja’ mo grwa tshang)
and A jo sku skyes bstan ’dzin rgya mtsho blo gros at Kun
bzang Me long brag dkar mkha’ spyod gur khang.
(Ya) ’Khrul snang mun sel gsal ba’i sgron me, 667-676.
(Ra) Dben gnas lha ri bsam gtan gling gi ri khrod pa rnams la khrims su
bca’ ba’i yi ge phan bde’i ’byung gnas, 677-687. Date: sa glang
(1709), ninth month. Written at Phun tshogs dar rgyas gling.
(La) Dpal ldan lha mo’i gnyer gtad dang khri ka’i lha gnyan gyi gsol kha,
689-693.
(Sha) Khri ka srin po ri bdud ’dul gtum po ’phrog byed la bsang mchod ’bul
ba’i cho ga bsam don lhun grub, 695-704. Date: chu lug (1703),
seventh month, first day. Written at the behest of Nye char
50
Revue d’Etudes Tibétaines
dge slong bsam gtan and Bsod nams dar rgyas at Dben gnas
kun bzang Me long brag dkar mkha’ spyod gur khang.
Volume 2
(Sa) Mkhas grub khyung po rnal ’byor gyi zhal gdams mgur brgyad du
grags pa’i nang tshan ā li ka li’i gdams pa nyams su len tshul byin
rlabs nyer ’jug, 1-5.
(Ha) Dpal rdo rje ’jigs byed kyi lam rim pa gnyis nyams su len tshul bshad
pa zung ’jug gi sar bgrod pa’i them skas, 7-97.
(A) Dpal rdo rje ’jigs byed kyi rdzogs rim zung ’jug gi sar bgrod pa’i them
skas, 99-130. Written at Se ra theg chen gling, based on the
instructional texts of multiple scholars, such as Blo gros rgyal
mtshan and Blo bzang phan bde.
(Ki) Dus dgra’i dbang po’i bsnyen yig lag len gsal ba’i nyi ma dngos grub
sprang rtsi’i ’byung gnas, 131-163. Written at the behest of Blo
bzang bstan ’dzin and his students.
(Khi) ’Dir rwa chen rdo rje grags kyi thun mong ma yin pa’i rim pa dang
po’i lam la slob tshul ’khrul med bla ma dam pa’i zhal las byung ba
zin thor bkod pa gsang chen myur lam, 165-209. Compiled by
Rwa chen gnyis pa Blo bzang bstan pa rab rgyas dpal bzang
po [=Brags dkar sngags rams pa] from the authorized
teachings of Rje btsun Tshar pa and his spiritual son. Text
transmitted by Bse rdo rje ’chang.
(Gi) Chos rgyal nang sgrub kyi mngon rtogs thun mong ma yin ba, 211216. Written at the behest of Chos ’phel dar rgyas at Kun
bzang Me long brag dkar.
(Ngi) Rdo rje ’chang sngags rams pa blo bzang bstan pa rab rgyas kyis
gnang ba’i phyag len ltar chos rgyal gtor sgrub thun mong ma yin
pa’i zin bris, 217-228. Transcription by Bse’i sprul ba’i sku rin
po che [=Bse rdo rje ’chang?] of the handwritten notes of Dge
glong chos ldan rgya mtsho, the lama’s principal disciple and
attendant.
(Ci) [Dpal rdo rje ’jigs byed chen po’i lam tshogs] gtor chen drug cu pa’i
rnam bzhag dam nyams kyi srog gcod mtshon cha ’bar
ba’i ’phrul ’khor zhes bya ba’i zur ’debs ’phrin las drag po’i pho nya,
229-283. Date: shing byi (1684), tenth month. Written upon
Sorcerer of the Iron Castle
51
urgent request by the orders of Rje shes rab ’byung gnas blo
gros sbas ba’i gdan sa pa sha san dha ra sa mu dra at Bod yul
byang phyogs stod lung phu’i dgon pa Chu lam sding gsum
du grags pa’i dang po’i gnas.
(Chi) Gtor zor ’phen skabs kyi dmod bcol spu gri dar ma dug gi mde’u
thung zhes bya ba bka’ rgya ma, 285-291. Written for Lcang skya
hu thog thu [=Second Qutuqtu] and others at Dben gnas dam
pa kun bzang Me long brag dkar.
(Ji) ’Jam dpal gshin rje’i gshed kyi ’phrin las la brten nas dgra bgegs sgrol
ba’i las gtad drag sngags ’bar ba’i thog mda’, 293-313.
(Nyi) Sri gnon gyi bca’ gzhi bla ma’i man ngag yi ger bkod pa, 315-325.
Notes taken by several of the lama’s students.
(Ti) Liṅga’i dpe ris skor, 327-338. Calligraphed by ’Jigs med
brtson ’grus in the presence of Khri chen blo bzang ’jigs
med ’phrin las rgya mtsho following the directives of Kha so
sngags rams pa’i sprul rabs bdun pa chen po. [Several of
these liṅga images are reproduced and discussed in Cuevas
2011: 83-84.]
(Thi) Dpal rdo rje ’jigs byed kyi sgo nas gshed ’dul bya tshul gnam
lcags ’bar ba’i thob, 339-355.
(Di) Dpal rdo rje ’jigs byed kyi cho ga’i skabs su mkho ba’i man ngag zhal
shes rdo rje ’chang blo bzang bstan pa rab rgyas kyi gsung ngag ji
ltar ma nor ba dharma pha las bkod pa, 357-368. The words of
[Brag dkar sngags rams pa] Blo bzang bstan pa rab rgyas
handwritten by Śākya’i dge slong dharma pha la exactly as
spoken.
(Pi) Ye shes kyi mgon po gur gyi gtor ma la brten nas zhi ba’i las sgrub
tshul mdor bsdus lag len snying por dril ba, 369-375. Written at
the behest of the teachers of Bya khyung brag.
(Phi) Rnam sras mdung dmar can gsang ba gshin rje ltar bsgrub pa’i gtor
chog lags, 377-385.
(Bi) Gnod sbyin yab yum gyi ’khor lo sgrub pa’i tshul rdo rje ’chang kyi
mgo bde bar bkod pa, 387-392.
52
Revue d’Etudes Tibétaines
(Mi) Brag dkar sngags rams pa’i gsung ’bum gyi par byang, 393-398.
Collection reproduced from copies of texts preserved at Brag
dkar me long mkha’ spyod dpal gyi gur and presented to
Kha so sngags rams pa’i mchog sprul in the earth-ox year
1949. Restored, edited, and printed in the iron-horse year
1990 at [Rong bo] Thos bsam rnam par rgyal ba’i gling.
Bibliography
Tibetan Sources
Blo bzang dar rgyas 2010
Khyung phrug Blo bzang dar rgyas. Lha ri bsam gtan gling gi lo
rgyus ’phrin las ’od dkar. Lanzhou: Kan su’u mi rigs dpe skrun
khang, 2010. [TBRC W1KG16238]
Brag dkar gsung ’bum
Brag dkar sngags rams pa Blo bzang bstan pa rab rgyas.
Collected Works: Gsung ’bum/Blo bzang bstan pa rab rgyas. Reb
kong: Rong bo dgon chen, 1990. [TBRC W28897]
Brag dkar rnam thar
Drung yig pa Blo bzang rgya mtsho. In Brag dkar gsung ’bum
vol. 1, text ga, fols. 31-52.
’Bras spungs sgo mang chos ’byung
Bstan pa bstan ’dzin. Dpal ldan ’bras spungs bkra shis sgo mang
dpe mdzod khang. 2 vols. Mundgod: Dpal ldan ’bras spungs
bkra shis sgo mang dpe mdzod khang, 2003. [TBRC W28810]
Bsod nams rgya mtsho 2001
Bsod nams rgya mtsho. Blo bzang bstan pa’i dbang phyug gi
rnam thar dpag bsam ljon shing. No publishers information,
2001. [TBRC W23674]
Bya khyung gdan rabs
Tshe tan zhabs drung. Dge ldan bstan pa’i ’byung khungs dpal
ldan bya khyung theg chen yon tan dar rgyas gling gi gdan rabs
dkar chag yid ’phrog gtam gyi nying khu. Zi ling: Mtsho sngon
mi rigs dpe skrun khang, 1984. [TBRC W20846]
Sorcerer of the Iron Castle
53
Deb ther rgya mtsho
Brag dgon pa Dkon mchog bstan pa rab rgyas. Yul mdo smad
kyi ljongs su thub bstan rin po che ji ltar ba’i tshul gsal bar brjod pa
deb ther rgya mtsho. Lanzhou: Kan su’u mi dmangs dpe skrun
khang, 1982. [TBRC W28064]
Dga’ ldan chos ’byung
Sde srid Sangs rgyas rgya mtsho. Dpal mnyam med ri bo dga’
ldan pa’i bstan pa zhwa ser cod pan ’chang ba’i ring lugs chos
thams cad kyi rtsa ba gsal bar byed pa baiḍūrya ser po’i me long.
Beijing: Krung go bod kyi shes rig dpe skrun khang, 1989
[1998]. [TBRC W8224]
Dge ’dun dpal bzang 2007
Chu skyes Dge ’dun dpal bzang. Reb gong yul skor zin tho.
Lanzhou: Kan su’u mi rigs dpe skrun khang, 2007. [TBRC
W1GS91829]
Dkon mchog gsung ’bum
Dkon mchog ’jigs med dbang po. The Collected Works of Dkonmchog-’jigs-med-dbaṅ-po: The Second ’Jam-dbyaṅs-bźad-pa of Labraṅ bkra-śis-’khyil. Reproduced from prints from the Bkra-śis’khyil blocks. Gadan Sungrab Minyam Gyunphel Series 21. 12
vols. New Delhi: Ngawang Gelek Demo, 1971. [TBRC
W1KG9560]
Dukūla I-III
Ngag dbang blo bzang rgya mtsho. Za hor gyi ban de ngag
dbang blo bzang rgya mtsho’i ’di snang ’khrul ba’i rol rtsed rtogs
brjod kyi tshul du bkod pa du kū la’i gos bzang las glegs bam. 3
vols. Lhasa: Bod ljongs mi dmangs dpe skrun khang, 19891991.
Gshin rje gshed chos ’byung
Jo nang rje btsun Tāranātha. Rgyud rgyal gshin rje gshed skor
gyi chos ’byung rgyas pa yid ches ngo mtshar. In The Collected
Works of Jo-nang rje-btsun Tāranātha. 17 vols., vol. 10: 1-147.
Leh: C. Namgyal and Tsewang Taru, 1982-1987. [TBRC
W22277]
Hor gyi chos ’byung
’Jigs med rig pa’i rdo rje. Chen po hor gyi yul du dam pa’i chos ji
ltar byung ba’i bshad pa rgyal ba’i bstan pa rin po che gsal bar byed
54
Revue d’Etudes Tibétaines
pa’i sgron me. Zi ling: Mtsho sngon mi rigs dpe skrun khang,
1993. [TBRC W21994]
’Jigs byed chos ’byung
’Jam dbyangs bzhad pa’i rdo rje. Dpal rdo rje ’jigs byed kyi
chos ’byung khams gsum rnam par rgyal ba dngos grub kyi gter
mdzod. Gangs can rig mdzod 66-67. 2 vols. Lhasa: Bod ljongs
bod yig dpe rnying dpe skrun khang, 2013.
’Jigs mdzad zhal lung
A khu ching Shes rab rgya mtsho. ’Jam dpal du dgra’i dbang po
ma he’i gdong can bcud gsum lha’i ’khor lo’i rim pa dang po’i zab
khrid zin bris ’jigs mdzad rdo rje’i zhal lung. In Gsung ’bum/Shes
rab rgya mtsho. 7 vols., vol. kha (2): 1a-68b (501-635). Lhasa:
Zhol par khang, 1998-1999. [TBRC W21505]
Lodrö 1974
Geshe G. Lodrö [Dge bshes dge ’dun blo gros]. Geshichte der
Kloster-Universität
Drepung,
mit
einem
Abriss
der
Geistesgeschichte Tibets. 1. Teil: Tibetischer Text. Abhandlungen
aus dem Gebiet der Auslandskunde, Bd. 73. Wiesbaden:
Franz Steiner. [TBRC W2CZ8087]
Mdo smad lo rgyus chen mo
Hor gtsang ’jigs med et al. Mdo smad lo rgyus chen mo. 6 vols.
Dharamsala: Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, 2009.
[TBRC W2CZ7959]
Ming mdzod
Ko zhul grags pa ’byung gnas and Rgyal ba blo bzang mkhas
grub. Gangs can mkhas grub rim byon ming mdzod. Lanzhou:
Kan su’u mi rigs dpe skrun khang, 1992. [TBRC W19801]
Mtsho byang khul gyi dgon sde lo rgyus
Mtsho byang bod rigs rang skyong khul gi bod brgyud nang bstan
dgon sde khag gi lo rgyus snying bsdus. Zi ling: Mtsho sngon mi
rigs dpe skrun khang, 2003. [TBRC W00KG01062]
Mtsho lho khul gyi dgon sde lo rgyus
Mtsho lho bod rigs rang skyong khul gyi dgon sde khag gi lo rgyus
snying bsdus. Zi ling: Mtsho sngon mi rigs dpe skrun khang,
1999. [TBRC W20214]
Sorcerer of the Iron Castle
55
Mtsho sngon po’i rkang tsha’i lo rgyus
Mtsho sngon po’i rkang tsha’i lo rgyus mes po’i zhal lung. Zi ling:
Kan su’u mi rigs dpe skrun khang, 1996. [TBRC W20197]
Paṇchen Lama IV(a)
Blo bzang chos kyi rgyal mtshan. Collected Works (Gsuṅ ’bum)
of Blo-bzaṅ-chos-kyi-rgyal-mtshan, the First Paṇ-chen bla-ma of
Bkra-śis-lhun-po. 5 vols. New Delhi: Mongolian Lama
Gurudeva, 1973. [TBRC W23430]
Paṇchen Lama IV(b)
Blo bzang chos kyi rgyal mtshan. Paṇ chen blo bzang chos kyi
rgyal mtshan gyi gsung ’bum. 5 vols. Beijing: Krung go’i bod rig
pa dpe skrun khang, 2009. [TBRC W1PD177557]
Paṇchen Lama X(a)
Bstan ’dzin ’phrin lhun grub chos kyi rgyal mtshan. The
Collected Works Suṅ ’bum of the Tenth Paṇ-chen Chos-kyi dbaṅphyug. 2 vols. New Delhi: Ta-shi Lhun-po Monastery, 1998.
[TBRC W1KG11666]
Paṇchen Lama X(b)
Bstan ’dzin ’phrin lhun grub chos kyi rgyal mtshan. Gong sa
skyabs mgon paṇ chen thams cad mkhyen pa sku phreng bcu pa
chen po rje btsun blo bzang ’phrin las lhun grub chos kyi rgyal
mtshan dpal bzang po’i gsung ’bum. Zi ling: Mtsho sngon mi
rigs dpe skrun khang, 2011.
Rong bo gdan rabs
’Jigs med theg mchog. Mdo smad bstan pa’i gnas gzhi rong bo
dpal gyi dgon chen phyogs thams cad las rnam par rgyal ba bde
chen chos ’khor gling gtso byas pa’i gser ljongs rig pa ’byung ba’i
grong khyer du dam pa’i chos dar tshul che long tsam brjod pa
rdzogs ldan gtam gyi rang. Zi ling: Mtsho sngon mi rigs dpe
skrun khang, 1998. [TBRC W27315]
Rwa lo rnam thar
Rwa Ye shes seng ge. Mthu stobs dbang phyug rje btsun rwa lo
tsā ba’i rnam par thar pa kun khyab snyan pa’i rnga sgra. Zi ling:
Mtsho sngon mi rigs dpe skrun khang, 1989.
56
Revue d’Etudes Tibétaines
Smad rgyud chos spyod
Gsang chen dpal ldan smad rgyud grwa tshang gis nyams bzhes
chos skor gyi rim pa. 11 vols. Hunsur: Gyudmed Tantric
College, 1982. [TBRC W00EGS101253]
Thob yig
Ngag dbang blo bzang rgya mtsho. Zab dang rgya che ba’i dam
pa’i chos kyi thob yig gang ga’i chu rgyun. In The Collected Works
(Gsung-’bum) of Vth Dalai Lama, Ngag-dbang blo-bzang rgyamtsho. 25 vols., vols. ka-ga (1-4). Gangtok: Sikkim Research
Institute of Tibetology, 1991-1995.
Tre hor lha rams pa 2009
Tre hor lha rams pa Dge bshes tshul khrims chos ’phel. Ser
byes chos ’byung legs bshad rta bdun bdag po’i ’od zer. 2 vols.
Bylakuppe: Sera Jey Library and Computer Center, 2009.
[TBRC W1KG2757]
Secondary Sources
Almogi, Orna. 2002. “Sources on the Life and Works of the EleventhCentury Tibetan Scholar Rong zom chos kyi bzang po.” In
Tibet, Past and Present: Tibetan Studies I. Proceedings of the Ninth
Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies,
Leiden 2000. Edited by Henk Blezer, 67-80. Leiden: Brill.
Ardussi, John. 1999. “The Rapprochement Between Bhutan and Tibet
Under the Enlightened Rule of Sde-srid XIII Shes-rab-dbangphyug (r. 1744-63).” Journal of Bhutan Studies 1.1: 64-83.
Atwood, Christopher P. 2004. Encyclopedia of Mongolia and the Mongol
Empire. New York: Facts On File.
Beer, Robert. 1999. The Encyclopedia of Tibetan Symbols and Motifs.
Boston: Shambhala.
Buffetrille, Katia. 2002. “Qui est Khri ka’i yul lha? Dieu tibétain du
terroir, dieu chinois de la littérature ou de la guerre? Un
problème d’identité divine en A mdo.” In Territory and
Identity in Tibet and the Himalayas. Edited by Katia Buffetrille
and Hildegard Diemberger, 135-158. Leiden: Brill.
Champa Thubten Zongtse. 1999. The History of Segyu Gaden Phodrang
Monastery (1432-1959): A Wonderful and Meaningful Religious
Sorcerer of the Iron Castle
57
History of the Glorious Segyu Gaden Phodrang Monastery—the
Fountainhead of Great Secret Tantric Teachings. Translated by
Tenzin Dorjee. Sebastopol, CA: Healing Buddha Foundation.
Cuevas, Bryan J. 2011. “Illustrations of Human Effigies in Tibetan
Ritual Texts: With Remarks on Specific Anatomical Figures
and Their Possible Iconographic Source.” Journal of the Royal
Asiatic Society 21.1: 73-97.
—, trans. 2015a. The All-Pervading Melodious Drumbeat: The Life of Ra
Lotsawa. New York: Penguin Classics.
—. 2015b. “Rva lo tsā ba and His Biographers.” In The Illuminating
Mirror: Tibetan Studies in Honour of Per K. Sørensen on the
Occasion of His 65th Birthday. Edited by Olaf Czaja and
Guntram Hazod, 57-79. Wiesbaden: Reichert Verlag.
Dorje, Gyurme. 1996. Tibet Handbook with Bhutan. Bath, England:
Footprint Handbooks.
Gyatso, Janet. 1992. “Letter Magic: A Peircean Perspective on the
Semiotics of Rdo Grub-chen’s Dhāraṇī Memory.” In In the
Mirror of Memory: Reflections on Mindfulness and Remembrance
in Indian and Tibetan Buddhism. Edited by Janet Gyatso, 173213. Bibliotheca Indo-Buddhica Series no. 123. Delhi: Sri
Satguru Publications.
Hummel, Arthur. 1943-44. Eminent Chinese of the Ch’ing Period (16441912). 2 vols. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress.
Jackson, David. 1989. The Early Abbots of ‘Phan-po Na-lendra: The
Vicissitudes of a Great Tibetan Monastery in the 15th Century.
Vienna: Arbeitkreis für Tibetische und Buddhistische Studien.
Jinpa, Nawang. 2015. “Why Did Tibet and Ladakh Clash in the 17th
Century? Rethinking the Background to the ‘Mongol War’ in
Ngari (1679-1684).” Tibet Journal 40.2: 113-150.
Karmay, Samten G., trans. 2014. The Illusive Play. The Autobiography of
the Fifth Dalai Lama. Chicago: Serindia Publications.
Karsten, Joachim Günter. 1996. A Study of the Sku-’bum/T’a-erh ssu
Monastery in Ch’ing-hai. 2 vols. Ph.D. Dissertation.
University of Auckland.
58
Revue d’Etudes Tibétaines
Katō Naoto. 2013. “Lobjang Danjin’s Rebellion of 1723.” In The
Tibetan History Reader. Edited by Gray Tuttle and Kurtis R.
Schaeffer, 411-436. New York: Columbia University Press.
Maher, Derek. 2006. “The Lives and Time of ’Jam dbyangs bzhad pa.”
In Power, Politics, and the Reinvention of Tradition. Proceedings of
the Tenth Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan
Studies, Oxford 2003. Edited by Bryan J. Cuevas and Kurtis R.
Schaeffer, 129-144. Leiden: Brill.
Nietupski, Paul. 2011. Labrang Monastery: A Tibetan Buddhist
Community on the Inner Asian Borderlands, 1709-1958. Lanham,
Maryland: Lexington Books.
Petech, Luciano. 1977. The Kingdom of Ladakh c. 950-1842 A.D. Serie
Orientale Roma 51. Rome: Istituto Italiano per il Medio ed
Estremo Oriente.
—. 1990. “The Tibetan-Ladakhi-Moghul War (1679-1683).” In
Luciano Petech, Selected Papers on Asian History, 19-44. Serie
Orientale Roma 60. Rome: Istituto Italiano per il Medio ed
Estremo Oriente.
Siklós, Bulcsu. 1996. The Vajrabhairava Tantras: Tibetan and Mongolian
Versions, English Translation and Annotations. Buddhica
Britannica Series Continua VII. Tring: The Institute of
Buddhist Studies.
Sujata, Victoria. 2005. Tibetan Songs of Realization: Echoes from a
Seventeenth-Century Scholar and Siddha in A mdo. Brill’s Tibetan
Studies Library 7. Leiden: Brill.
Sullivan, Brenton. 2013. The Mother of All Monasteries: Gönlung
Jampa Ling and the Rise of Mega Monasteries in
Northeastern Tibet. Ph.D. Dissertation. University of Virginia.
Templeman, David, trans. 1989. Life of Kṛṣṇācārya/Kāṇha. Dharamsala:
Library of Tibetan Works and Archives.
Tuttle, Gray. 2012. “Building up the Dge lugs pa Base in A mdo: The
Roles of Lhasa, Beijing and Local Agency.” In Zangxue xuekan
(Journal of Tibetology) 7: 126-140.
Sorcerer of the Iron Castle
59
Wangdue, Gyaltse Namgyal, trans. 2012. Political and Military History
of Tibet. 2 vols. Dharamsala: Library of Tibetan Works and
Archives.
Willson, Martin and Martin Brauen. 2000. Deities of Tibetan Buddhism:
The Zürich Paintings of the Icons Worthwhile to See (Bris sku
mthoṅ ba don ldan). Boston: Wisdom Publications.
Revue
d’Etudes Tibétaines
numéro trente-neuf — Avril 2017
Revue d’Etudes Tibétaines
numéro trente-neuf — Avril 2017
ISSN 1768-2959
Directeur : Jean-Luc Achard.
Comité de rédaction : Alice Travers, Jean-Luc Achard.
Comité de lecture : Ester Bianchi (Università degli Studi di Perugia),
Fabienne Jagou (EFEO), Rob Mayer (Oriental Institute, University of
Oxford), Fernand Meyer (CNRS-EPHE), Françoise Pommaret (CNRS),
Ramon Prats (Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona), Charles Ramble
(EPHE, CNRS), Françoise Robin (INALCO), Brigitte Steinman (Université de
Lille), Alice Travers (CNRS), Jean-Luc Achard (CNRS).
Périodicité
La périodicité de la Revue d’Etudes Tibétaines est généralement bi-annuelle,
les mois de parution étant, sauf indication contraire, Octobre et Avril. Les
contributions doivent parvenir au moins six (6) mois à l’avance. Les dates de
proposition d’articles au comité de lecture sont Novembre pour une
parution en Avril, et Mai pour une parution en Octobre.
Participation
La participation est ouverte aux membres statutaires des équipes CNRS, à
leurs membres associés, aux doctorants et aux chercheurs non-affiliés.
Les articles et autres contributions sont proposées aux membres du comité
de lecture et sont soumis à l’approbation des membres du comité de
rédaction. Les articles et autres contributions doivent être inédits ou leur réédition doit être justifiée et soumise à l’approbation des membres du comité
de lecture.
Les documents doivent parvenir sous la forme de fichiers Word, envoyés à
l’adresse du directeur (jeanluc.achard@sfr.fr).
Comptes-rendus
Contacter le directeur de publication, à l’adresse électronique suivante :
jeanluc.achard@sfr.fr
Langues
Les langues acceptées dans la revue sont le français (en priorité), l’anglais,
l’allemand, l’italien, l’espagnol, le tibétain et le chinois.
La Revue d'Etudes Tibétaines est publiée par l'UMR 8155 du CNRS (CRCAO),
Paris, dirigée par Ranier Lanselle.
Revue d’Etudes Tibétaines
numéro trente-neuf — Avril 2017
Bryan J. Cuevas
Sorcerer of the Iron Castle: The Life of Blo bzang bstan pa rab
rgyas, the First Brag dkar sngags rams pa of A mdo (c. 1647-1726)
pp. 05–59
Nicolas Bommarito
The Khache Phalu: A Translation and Interpretation
pp. 60-132
Jay Holt Valentine
Introduction to and Translation of The Garland of Light: Lives of the
Masters of the Northern Treasure Tradition
pp. 133-165
Pieter Cornelis Verhagen
Notes apropos to the Œuvre of Si tu Paṇ chen Chos kyi 'byung
gnas (1699?-1774) (5) — The 'Eight-Stanza Hymn to Mahākāla': A
Glimpse of the Translator at Work
pp. 166-228
Yannick Laurent
On Maṇi and Epigraphy — Four Stone Inscriptions from Spiti
pp. 229-265
Agnieszka Helman-Ważny & Charles Ramble
Tibetan documents in the archives of the Tantric Lamas of
Tshognam in Mustang, Nepal: An interdisciplinary case study
pp. 266-341
Jonathan A. Silk
Materials Toward the Study of Vasubandhu’s Viṁśikā (II): An
edition of the Dunhuang Manuscript Pelliot tibétain 797
pp. 342-360
Compte-rendu
Cathy Cantwell
A review of Janet Gyatso. Being Human in a Buddhist World: An
Intellectual
pp. 361-366