UNEARTHING HIMALAYAN TREASURES
INDICA ET TIBETICA
MONOGRAPHIEN ZU DEN SPRACHEN UND LITERATUREN
DES INDO-TIBETISCHEN KULTURRAUMES
Begründet von
Michael Hahn
Herausgegeben von
Jürgen Hanneder, Jens-Uwe Hartmann,
Konrad Klaus und Roland Steiner
Band 59
Indica et Tibetica Verlag
Marburg 2019
Unearthing Himalayan Treasures
Festschrift for Franz-Karl Ehrhard
Edited by
Volker Caumanns, Marta Sernesi
and Nikolai Solmsdorf
Indica et Tibetica Verlag
Marburg 2019
Signet: Bodhnāth stūpa, after Ehrhard 2005 (11991): 3
Gedruckt mit freundlicher Unterstützung der TARA-Stiftung
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ISBN 978-3-923776-62-7
ISSN 0723-3337
༄༅།། ཨོཾ་སྭ་སྟི། སངས་རྒྱས་དང་བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའ་དགེ་བའི་བཤེས་གཉེན་ཐམས་ཅད་ལ་ཕྱག་འཚལ་ལོ།
གནའ་དེང་རིག་པའི་གནས་ལ་སྤྱན་ཡངས་རིས་མེད་སློབ་ཚོགས་རྒྱུ་སྐར་བཀྲ།
།ཐུན་མིན་བོད་ཀྱི་རིག་གཞུང་ལ་དགྱེས་ལྷག་བསམ་ཉ་གང་ཟླ་འོད་འཚེར།
།ཡོན་ཏན་ཁུར་གྱི་ལོ་འབྲས་ལྕི་ཡང་ཁེངས་དྲེགས་ང་རྒྱལ་རི་བོ་བསྙིལ།
།ཚུལ་ལྡན་ཉམ་ཆུང་ཕལ་བའི་རྣམ་ཐར་བདག་གིར་བཞེས་མཛད་ཁྱེད་ཉིད་ཙམ།
འཛམ་གླིང་འདི་ན་སྙན་གྲགས་ཤིན་ཏུ་ཆེ་བའི་ཧཱམ་བྷོ་ཆེ་མཐོའི་སློབ་མཐར་ཕྱིན།
།རྨད་བྱུང་དཀའ་བཅུ་རབ་འབྱམས་ཞེས་བྱའི་མཚན་གྱི་ཅོད་པན་བདག་གིར་བཞེས།
།བལ་ཡུལ་ཞིབ་འཇུག་ལྟེ་གནས་དབུ་ཁྲིད་གནང་བཞིན་ཀ་ཐཱ་མན་གྲུ་རུ།
།ནང་བསྟན་ལོ་རྒྱུས་རིག་གཞུང་དང་བཅས་སྣ་མང་དཔེ་ཆར་ཞིབ་འཇུག་བྱས།
ནུབ་ཕྱོགས་ལྗར་མན་ལྷོ་ཕྱོགས་མུན་ནིག་མཐོ་རིམ་སློབ་གླིང་ཆེན་མོ་རུ།
།ཕུལ་བྱུང་དཀའ་བཅུ་རབ་འབྱམས་པ་ཁྱོད་ཉིས་སྟོང་གསུམ་ནས་ད་ལྟའི་བར།
།མཐོ་སློབ་ཆེན་མོའི་དགེ་རྒན་གནང་ཞིང་སློབ་ཕྲུག་གང་མང་སྐྱེད་སྲིང་མཛད།
།དེ་དག་གིས་ཀྱང་འཛམ་གླིང་འདི་ན་སྤྱི་ཕན་བསྒྲུབས་ཕྱིར་ཉིད་དང་མཚུངས།
འདས་སོང་བགྲང་བྱ་སུམ་ཅུ་ལྷག་བརྒལ་ཇོ་མོ་གླང་མའི་རི་རྒྱུད་ནས།
།ཆོས་དང་རིག་གཞུང་ལོ་རྒྱུས་ཡོངས་ལ་དཔྱད་ཞིབ་གནང་བཞིན་འཚོལ་སྡུད་བྱས།
།གྲོང་དང་གྲོང་ཁྱེར་དགོན་སྡེ་མང་པོའི་རིན་བྲལ་དཔེ་རྙིང་དུ་མ་ཞིག
།བརྒྱ་ཕྲག་ངལ་བས་སྲུང་སྐྱོབ་བྱས་ཤིང་པར་སྐྲུན་བྱས་གྲངས་ཉུང་ཉུང་མིན།
དེ་ཕྱིར་ཁྱེད་ཀྱི་མཛད་བཟང་ངོ་མཚར་རི་བོ་གངས་དཀར་ཏེ་སེའི་སྤོར།
།བོད་བརྒྱུད་ནང་བསྟན་ཁ་འབབ་རྣམ་བཞི་གཅིག་ཏུ་འཁྱིལ་བ་མ་ཕམ་མཚོར།
།ནུབ་ཕྱོགས་མཁས་དབང་སྐད་གཉིས་ལོ་ཙཱའི་རྣམ་དཔྱོད་རིག་པས་ཧུབ་ཀྱིས་བཏུངས།
།ཁྱེད་ཀྱི་མཛད་བཟང་དམ་པར་བསྟོད་བསྔགས་མེ་ཏོག་འཕྲེང་བ་ཡང་ཡང་ཕུལ།།
༧ དགེ་རྒན་ཆེན་མོ་ཨེ་ཧར་མཆོག་གི་མཚམས་སྦྱོར་མདོ་ཙམ་བརྗོད་པ་ཇོ་མོ་གླང་མའི་གངས་འོད། ཅེས་བྱ་བ་འདི་ཉིད་
ཁོང་གི་སློབ་མ་མི་ཉུང་བ་ཞིག་གིས་བསྐུལ་བ་ལ་བརྟེན་ནས་ ༧ གནས་མཆོག་ལུམ་བྷི་ནིའི་ཞིབ་འཇུག་ལས་རོགས་པ་
ཚེ་རིང་བླ་མ་ནས་བྲིས་པ་དགེ་ཞིང་བཀྲ་ཤིས་པར་གྱུར་ཅིག །།
Tabula Gratulatoria
Orna Almogi
Achim Bayer
Katia Buffetrille
Volker Caumanns
Oliver von Criegern
Christoph Cüppers
Olaf Czaja
Jacob Dalton
Hubert Decleer
Elena De Rossi Filibeck
Siglinde Dietz
Lewis Doney
Brandon Dotson
Helmut Eimer
Marlene Erschbamer
Karl-Heinz Everding
Hiromi Habata
Jens-Uwe Hartmann
Jörg Heimbel
David Jackson
Matthew Kapstein
Jowita Kramer
Ralf Kramer
Leonard van der Kuijp
Klaus-Diether Mathes
Petra Maurer
Gudrun Melzer
Burkhard Quessel
Jim Rheingans
Samyo Rode-Hasinger
Ulrike Roesler
Lambert Schmithausen
Johannes Schneider
Peter Schwieger
Marta Sernesi
Jan-Ulrich Sobisch
Nikolai Solmsdorf
Vincent Tournier
Vinītā Tseng
Tsering Lama
Helga Uebach
Roberto Vitali
Dorji Wangchuk
Yotsuya Kodo
Table of Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Publication List of Franz-Karl Ehrhard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Orna Almogi: The Human behind the Divine: Some Reflections on the
Scriptural Evolution of the Ancient Tantras (rNying rgyud) . . . . . . .
Achim Bayer: The World Arises from Mind Only: Candrakīrti’s Affirmation
of ciamātra at Madhyamakāvatāra 6.87 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Volker Caumanns: A Drop from the Ocean of Marvels: ʼJam mgon A mes
zhabsʼs Discussion of sNgags ʼchang Kun dgaʼ rin chenʼs Spiritual Genealogy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Christoph Cüppers: A Document of the Official Handover by the dkon
gnyer of the ʼPhags pa Wa ti Shrine in Kyirong . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Hubert Decleer: A Newar / Bon po Guide to Svayambhū: Ācārya Tenzin
Namdak’s e Light Illuminating Nepal: e Self-Arisen Caitya . . . . . .
Elena De Rossi Filibeck: “Dear Luciano…” Three Unpublished Letters by
Giuseppe Tucci to Luciano Petech from Tibet: In Search for Tibetan
Texts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Siglinde Dietz and Helmut Eimer: Tibetan Versions of the ye dharmā hetuprabhavā Stanza . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Lewis Doney: Life and Devotion: The Biography of Padmasambhava in Two
Works of A mes zhabs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Brandon Dotson: A Fragment of an Early Tibetan Divination Board from
Mīrān . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Marlene Erschbamer: Learning, Discipline, and Nobility: rJe ’Ba’ ra ba
and his Spiritual Father Zur phug pa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Jens-Uwe Hartmann and Bṣṇī Vīā: “Bathing the Body with Face
Downwards” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Jörg Heimbel: Producing a Deluxe bKa’ ’gyur Manuscript Set at Ngor
Monastery: The Commission (1601–1603) of Shar chen Byams pa Kun
dga’ bkra shis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
David Jackson: The History of Nā lendra Monastery: Sources and Some
Recent Findings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
xi
xix
1
27
51
79
87
119
133
143
165
189
203
219
235
x
Table of Contents
Matthew T. Kapstein: e All-Encompassing Lamp of Awareness: A Forgotten Treasure of the Great Perfection, its Authorship and Historical
Significance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Leonard W. J. van der Kuijp: A lag sha Ngag dbang bstan dar (1759–after
August 1, 1840): On Some Chinese Lexemes and the Chinese Language,
Part One . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Klaus-Dieter Mathes: Mountain Cult and Religious Geography in Dolpo
(Nepal): A Guide to Crystal Mountain Dragon Roar . . . . . . . . . . .
Petra Maurer: Obstacles in the Path of the Religious Life: The Early
Monastic Years of Grub chen Ngag dbang Tshe ring (1657–1734) . . . .
Ulrike Roesler: Biographies, Prophecies, and Hidden Treasures: Preliminary Remarks on Some Early bKa’ gdams pa Sources . . . . . . . . . . .
Peter Schwieger: Cultural Revolution in the Grassland: Tibetan Short Stories Addressing a Collective Trauma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Marta Sernesi: Writing Local Religious History: The Abbatial History of
Brag dkar rta so . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Jan-Ulrich Sobisch: Paracanonical Manuscript-Traditions of Tilopa’s
Ganggā ma Mahāmudrā: Translation of the Version Preserved by the
Aural Transmission Tradition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Nikolai Solmsdorf: The Ocean-Like Conqueror (rgyal ba rgya mtsho): A
Jina Sāgara Thangka in Mang yul Gung thang . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Helga Uebach: Notes on the Postal System (slungs) in the Tibetan Empire
in the 7th –9th Centuries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Roberto Vitali: Bang rim chos sde in Dwags po (11th –13th Century): mKhar
nag lo tsā ba’s Treatment and the Bai ser Follow-up . . . . . . . . . . .
Dorji Wangchuk: Rong zom pa on the Ālayavijñāna Theory . . . . . . . .
Yotsuya Kodo: Some Discrepancies between Candrakīrti and Tsong kha
pa: On the Critique of Svatantra Reasoning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
259
287
299
323
345
367
387
417
433
449
457
471
479
Introduction
Franz-Karl Ehrhard was born on 15 August 1953 in the historic city of Heidelberg,
the former centre of Romanticism in south-west Germany. His mother worked as
a nurse, his father was a civil servant employed by the German Railways. After
completing school, in lieu of military service, he worked at a local hospital. After
civilian service, together with a friend, he undertook a trip to Asia which was
to shape his academic future: the two travelled widely, visiting also Nepal and
India, and it was in Bodhgaya that Franz-Karl Ehrhard was deeply impressed by
Tibetans and their culture. The love for Nepal and its rich tradition was also ignited,
and would lead him to return to the country regularly throughout his subsequent
career.1
The decision was made and, after his return from Asia, Franz-Karl Ehrhard
moved to the northern part of Germany, to the “Free and Hanseatic City of
Hamburg,” where he enrolled at the university and began to study Indology,
Tibetology, and Social Anthropology. His teachers at the local “Seminar für Kultur
und Geschichte Indiens” were distinguished scholars such as the venerable Geshe
Gendün Lodrö, Prof. Albrecht Wezler and Prof. Lambert Schmithausen―the former a luminary of traditional Tibetan learning who left a lasting imprint on his
Western students, the latter two exceptional mahāpaṇḍitas who inherited the
imposing academic tradition of German Indology and Buddhology.
Franz-Karl Ehrhard continued his postgraduate studies at the same institution, completing his doctoral dissertation in 1987 under the supervision of Prof.
Lambert Schmithausen: this work, published in 1990 with the title Flügelschläge
des Garuḍa is devoted to a topic that will run like a thread (among many others)
through Franz-Karl Ehrhardʼs Tibetological career, namely the doctrinal system
and the history of the rNying ma school. In particular, it consists of an edition
and German translation of the spiritual songs (mgur) of Zhabs dkar Thogs drug
rang grol (1781–1851): it has to be noted that at the time only the songs of Mi la
ras pa had been translated and studied, together with the dohās and caryāgītis,
but the English translation of the Ocean of Kagyu Songs and other poetical collections were yet to come. The volume is opened by an introduction to rDzogs
1
We wish to thank Christoph Cüppers for his help in piecing together the information on the early
years of Franz-Karl Ehrhard’s career. We are also grateful to Oliver von Criegern for realising the
lay-out of this book. The printing of the volume was generously sponsored by the Tara Foundation.
xii
Introduction
chen—especially the sNying thig tradition—with a discussion of Khregs chod and
Thod rgal.
In 1988 Franz-Karl Ehrhard, now in his mid-thirties, succeeded Christoph
Cüppers in the Nepal Research Centre in Kathmandu, coordinating the activities of the Nepal-German Manuscript Preservation Project (ngmpp). He held this
position in Nepal for five years (1988–1993), during which he took part in the
expeditions aimed at microfilming the textual heritage preserved in private and
monastic libraries across the Himalayas: for this purpose, he travelled to Jumla,
Jomoson, Junbesi, Helambu, Kutang, Nubri, and Dolpo. This experience awoke his
keen interest in regional history and sacred geography, as well as his sensibility
for archival research and book history. The wealth of documents filmed during
the expeditions were partly of local origin, partly originating in south-western
Tibet and precipitously carried across the border after 1959, via ancient trade
routes and reactivating long-lasting institutional and personal networks. To the
latter typology of books belong the Collected Works (gSung ’bum) of Brag dkar
ba Chos kyi dbang phyug (1775–1837) and of dKar brgyud bstan ’dzin nor bu
(1899–1959), as well as 16th century printed books from Mang yul Gung thang,
that constituted part of the library of Brag dkar rta so hermitage in sKyid grong,
and that had been brought to safety to Lobpon Gyurmed in Nubri. These findings, shared with friends and colleagues, were the source material of Franz-Karl
Ehrhard’s subsequent major publications.
He also contributed to the publication of the recovered literature, in typeset
reproduction or facsimile. The earliest was the publication in Tibetan script of
Snowlight of Everest: A History of the Sherpas of Nepal, a series of texts compiled
by Bla ma Sangs rgyas bstan ’dzin (1923–1990) from Junbesi. Earlier writings by
the same author—including the Sher pa’i chos ’byung—had already been published
in 1971 in Paris by Alexander Macdonald; the supplement was edited together with
this scholar in 1987, and then published shortly after the death of the Sherpa Bla
ma (Stuttgart, 1992). It remained a fundamental source for the study of the region,
and was translated into Nepali two years later (Kathmandu, 1994). The works of
dKar brgyud bstan ’dzin nor bu, filmed in Nubri in 1992, were published in 1996
with a short introduction by their “treasure discoverer.”
Franz-Karl Ehrhard thus acquired a direct knowledge of the land, the people,
and the history of south-western Tibet and the Himalayas, which led him to participate in the dfg-funded project “Nation Building and Processes of Human Settlements in the Tibetan Himalayas” (“Staatenbildung und Siedlungsprozesse im
tibetischen Himalaya”), developed between 1993 and 1998 by the German Archaeological Institute (Bonn) and the Department of Archaeology in Nepal. His individual research project, titled “Religious Geography as Space-structuring Element”
Introduction
xiii
(“Religiöse Geographie als raumstrukturierendes Element”), focused on the sacred
sites and pilgrimage routes in the region of Mang yul Gung thang in south-western
Tibet, which he could visit for fieldwork in 1997. The research project was hosted
by the Institute of Indology of the University of Münster and was overseen by
Prof. Adelheid Mette. The main results of this enquiry were presented in the dissertation for his Habilitation, which he submitted at Hamburg University in 1998.
The manuscript was published in 2004 as Die Statue und der Tempel des Ārya Va-ti
bzang-po: Ein Beitrag zur Geschichte und Geographie des Tibetischen Buddhismus,
which, as pointed out in the title, is a work devoted to local history and religious
geography. Indeed, it is dedicated to the narratives relating to the temple of Ārya
wa ti bzang po in sKyid grong: centred on a composition by Brag dkar ba Chos
kyi dbang phyug—edited and translated—it presents in detail the life and works of
this master and it explores a wealth of related materials on the self-arising image
of Avalokiteśvara hosted in the temple, its “brothers,” and the sacred sites of sKyid
grong. Another work by the same Tibetan master that had also been filmed by
the ngmpp is the genealogy (gdung rabs) of the Gur family, which for centuries
headed the mDo chen bKa’ brgyud tradition in the region: it is edited, translated,
and studied in Franz-Karl Ehrhard’s 2008 monograph A Rosary of Rubies. These
publications represent breakthroughs into the history and the narrative lore of
the south-western Tibetan borderlands and are now essential reference works for
scholars furthering these studies.
This project was the inception of Franz-Karl Ehrhard’s rich research output
tracing the diffusion of Buddhist lineages and teachings (especially rNying ma
treasure traditions) and the foundation of temples and monasteries throughout
the Himalayas. He investigated the history of the regions that he had journeyed
in Nepal on the basis of hagiographies (rnam thar), lists of teachings received (gsan
yig), genealogies (gdung rabs), guidebooks (dkar chag), and travel accounts (gnas
yig) that for the great part had been filmed by ngmpp expeditions.2 During this
period, Franz-Karl Ehrhard begun to compose a picture of the religious history of
the Tibetan-Himalayan borderlands, piecing together biographical information,
travel accounts, and his own observations in the field. This opus is still ongoing,
and may be followed up and expanded upon by others thanks to the extensive and
2
These contributions include, inter alia, a follow up to Snellgrove’s classical study on the “Lamas
of Dolpo” (“Two Further Lamas of Dolpo,” 1996), “Tibetan Sources on Muktināth: Individual Reports
and Normative Guides” (1993), “Sa-’dul dgon-pa: A Temple at the Crossroads of Jumla, Dolpo and
Mustang” (1998), “Religious Geography and Literary Traditions: The Foundation of the Monastery
Brag-dkar bsam-gling” (2001), “The Enlightment Stūpa in Junbesi” (2004), and “Concepts of Religious Space in Southern Mustāṅ: The Foundation of the Monastery sKu-tshab gter-lnga” (2001). “The
Lands are like a Wiped Golden Basin” (1997) provides an overview of the Sixth Zhwa dmar pa’s travelogue of the 1629/30 journey to Nepal, a rare source that was later the topic of a PhD Dissertation
supervised by Franz-Karl Ehrhard at the University of Munich (Navina Lamminger 2012/13).
xiv
Introduction
detailed bibliographical references to the primary sources that constitute the backbone of his studies. His contributions allow identifying the individual trajectories
of influential Buddhist teachers, dating the foundation of specific sites, and tracing the origins of lama lineages in the Himalayan valleys. For example, two articles shed light on the origins of the main temples and lama lineages of Yol mo
(Helambu), supplementing and offering substantial correctives to earlier contributions by Graham Clarke: “The Story of How bla-ma Karma Chos-bzang Came to
Yol-mo’: A Family Document from Nepal” (2004), and “A Forgotten Incarnation
Lineage: The Yol-mo-ba Sprul-skus (16th to 18th Centuries)” (2007). The latter follows for five generations the reincarnation lineage of sNgags ’chang Shākya bzang
po (16th c.), the “discoverer,” renovator, and first caretaker of the Bodhnāth stūpa
in Kathmandu: Franz-Karl Ehrhard returns thus to one of his favourite early topics
of study, namely the history of the two main sacred Buddhist monuments in the
Kathmandu valley: the stūpa of Bodhnāth and the Svayambhūcaitya. His articles
on the Tibetan sources for investigating the successive renovations of the sites
(1989, 1990, 1991) were supplemented in 2007 by another survey of “Old and New
Tibetan Sources Concerning Svayaṃbhūnāth.” He also published a study of the
register (dkar chag) of the small reliquary of the yogin Rang rig ras pa (17th c.) that
flanks to the East the main stūpa of Bodhnāth (2002). Franz-Karl Ehrhard’s love
for the Kathmandu valley, where he has lived for so long and regularly returns
to with joy, transpires from a booklet collecting images of Bodhnāth and verse
compositions dedicated to the site, published in Kathmandu in 1991 with the title
Views of the Bodhnāth-stūpa, and a contribution to e Changing Town-scapes of
the Kathmandu Valley (1995).
Remaining in the field of sacred geography, we may emphasise Franz-Karl
Ehrhard’s important contribution to the study of “hidden lands” (sbas yul), a phenomenon that brings together his interest in the masters and teachings of the
rNying ma tradition and his work on local Himalayan history. Alongside his wellknown articles on “The Role of ‘Treasure Discoverers’ and their Writings in the
Search for Himalayan Sacred Lands” (1994) and “Political and Ritual Aspects of
the Search for Himalayan Sacred Lands” (1996), which discuss the tradition and
its ideology, he published case-studies of specific sites such as “A ‘Hidden Land’ in
the Tibetan-Nepalese Borderlands” (1997), and “A ‘Hidden Land’ at the Border of
’Ol-kha and Dvags-po” (2009–2010). He also wrote about the “opening” of hidden
lands in Bhutan (“Addressing Tibetan Rulers from the South” 2008), and Sikkim
(“The mNga’ bdag family and the tradition of Rig ’dzin Zhig po gling pa [1524–
1583] in Sikkim” 2005), two other Himalayan regions that attracted his scholarly
attention.
Introduction
xv
In 1998 Franz-Karl Ehrhard became Research Fellow at the Lumbini International Research Institute (liri), where in the following years he pursued his
own project, inspired, once more, by textual materials filmed by the ngmpp. In
particular, it was the inception of a twenty-year-long fascination with the beautifully produced, and richly illustrated, 16th century printed editions from Mang
yul Gung thang. His Early Buddhist Block Prints from Mang-yul Gung-thang (2000)
is a contribution to the study of Tibetan xylographic printing: in describing the
life and works of Chos dbang rgyal mtshan (1484–1549) and Nam mkha’ rdo rje
(1486–1553) it brings together for the first time accounts of book production from
biographical sources and exemplars of the mentioned editions. The transcriptions
of the full printing colophons of the books, and the study of the artisans that
worked in various capacities (scribes, carvers, illustrators, etc.) at their production, complete the monograph, which remains a reference work, in both method
and contents, for the study of xylography in Tibet. This study was accompanied
by the facsimile reproduction from ngmpp microfilms of two volumes printed in
Mang yul Gung thang in the early 16th century, namely the 1533 editio princeps of
Klong chen pa’s eg mchog mdzod, and a collection of works on the Great Seal
by the influential master of the Bo dong pa school bTsun pa chos legs (1437–1521).
Franz-Karl Ehrhard continued to pursue this avenue of research in a series of articles devoted to early Tibetan printing projects;3 in particular, he investigated
the transmission history and the editorial history of the Maṇi bka’ ’bum, and he
also recently co-edited a volume on Tibetan Printing: Comparisons, Continuities
and Change (2016). This substantial output has greatly advanced our knowledge
of early Tibetan xylographic printing, and has confirmed him as the leading expert
in this field of enquiry.
Franz-Karl Ehrhard’s interest in history and cultural history led him to study
narratives, teaching lineages, cloth paintings (thang kas), law and administration,
and donation inscriptions. In particular, he has investigated the relationship between secular and religious authority, and patterns of patronage, in 15th and 16th
century Tibet, focusing on the individual trajectories of influential masters such as
Kaḥ tog pa bSod nams rgyal mtshan (1466–1540), Vanaratna (1384–1468), mChog
ldan mgon po (1497–1531), dBus smyon Kun dga’ bzang po (1458–1532), or Chos
3
See “The Transmission of the dMar-khrid Tshem-bu lugs and the Maṇi bka’ ’bum” (2000), “The
Royal Print of the Maṇi bka’ ’bum” (2013), “Editing and Publishing the Master’s Writings” (2010),
“Gnas Rab ’byams pa Byams pa phun tshogs (1503–1581) and His Contribution to Buddhist Block
Printing in Tibet” (2012), “Buddhist Hagiographies from the Borderlands” (2016), “Collected Writings as Xylographs” (2016), “Printing a Treasure Text” (2018), and “Apropos a Recent Contribution
of Tibetan Xylographs from the 15th to the 17th Centuries” (in press).
xvi
Introduction
dpal bzang po (1371–1439);4 e Life and Travels of Lo-chen bSod-nams rgya-mtsho
(1424–1482) is introduced by a synopsis of the life of the 4th Zhwa dmar pa Chos
kyi grags pa (1453–1524), and is accompanied by the facsimile publication of the
Great Translator’s “Buddhist Correspondence” (2002). As may be seen, Franz-Karl
Ehrhard’s contributions to Tibetan and Himalayan studies are highly significant
in different fields of research, reflecting the impressive range and depth of his
expertise.
In 2003 Franz-Karl Ehrhard became Professor for Tibetology and Buddhist
Studies at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität in Munich. In the years leading
up to this appointment he had been visiting Professor at the University of Vienna
(2000), and at Harvard University (2001). In Munich, he has been a passionate
and inspiring teacher, and has greatly worked to foster the discipline: he acted as
Faculty Students’ Dean for many years, he oversaw about twenty Magister, Master and Bachelor theses, and he supervised eight PhD Dissertations and four Habilitation Dissertations.5 Between 2009 and 2015, he supported and directed five
4
See “Kaḥ thog pa bSod nams rgyal mtshan (1466–1540) and his Activities in Sikkim and Bhutan”
(2003), and “Kaḥ thog pa Bsod nams rgyal mtshan (1466–1540) and the Foundation of O rgyan rtse
mo in Spa gro” (2007), “Spiritual Relationships between Rulers and Preceptors: The Three Journeys
of Vanaratna (1384–1468) to Tibet” (2004), “Addressing Tibetan Rulers from the South: mChog-ldan
mgon-po (1497–1531) in the Hidden Valleys of Bhutan” (2008), “The Holy Madman of dBus and
His Relationships with Tibetan Rulers in the 15th and 16th Centuries” (2010), “Chos dpal bzang po
(1371–1439): The ‘Great Teacher’ (bla chen) of rDzong dkar and his Biography” (2017).
5
PhD Dissertations: Frank Müller-Witte, “Die Kategorien bdag und gzhan bei dPa’-ris sangsrgyas und Dor-zhi gdong-drug und ihre Relevanz für das Verständnis tibetischer Texte” (ss 2009);
Volker Caumanns, “Leben und Werk des Sa-skya-Gelehrten gSer-mdog Paṇ-chen Shākya-mchogldan (1428–1507)” (ss 2012); Navina Lamminger, “Der Reisebericht des Sechsten Zhva dmar pa
nach Nepal. Textkritische Edition, Übersetzung und Studie” (ws 2012/13); Nikolai Solmsdorf,
“Rig-’dzin Gar-dbang rdo-rje snying-po (1640–1685). A Treasure-Discoverer of the rNying-ma-pa
School from mNga’-ris Gung-thang” (ss 2013); Marlene Erschbamer, “Die Lehrtradition der
’Ba’-ra-ba bKa’-brgyud-pa. Untersuchungen zur Geschichte und zur gegenwärtigen Verbreitung
einer Schule des tibetischen Buddhismus” (ss 2016); Christoph Burghart, “Leben und Werk des
17. Thronhalters der ’Bri-gung bka’-brgyud-Tradition Rin-chen phun-tshogs (1509–1557) unter
besonderer Berücksichtigung seines Schatzzyklus Dam chos dgongs pa yang zab” (ss 2017); Marco
Walter, “Leben und Lehren des Gling-ras-pa Padma rdo-rje (1128–1188), Gründer der ’Brug-pa
bKa’-brgyud-pa” (ss 2017); Yüan Zhong, “Lives and Works of Karma nor-bu bzang-po (1906–1984)
and Karma stobs-rgyal (1944–2014)” (ws 2017/18). Habilitation Dissertations: Petra Maurer, “Die
Grundlagen der tibetischen Geomantie dargestellt anhand des 32. Kapitels des Vaiḍūrya dkar po
von sDe srid Sangs rgyas rgya mtsho (1653–1705). Ein Beitrag zum Verständnis der Kultur- und
Wissenschaftsgeschichte Tibets zur Zeit des 5. Dalai Lama Ngag dbang blo bzang rgya mtsho
(1617–1682)” (ss 2006); Ulrike Roesler, “Der dPe chos rin chen spungs pa des Po-to-ba Rin-chen-gsal.
Die Verschmelzung indischer und tibetischer Traditionen in einem frühen ‘Stufenweg zur Erleuchtung’ (lam rim)” (ws 2006/07); Brandon Dotson, “The Victory Banquet: The Old Tibetan Chronicle
and the Rise of Tibetan Historical Narrative” (ss 2013); Marta Sernesi, “Early Tibetan Printed Books:
History and Xylography in South-Western Tibet” (ws 2018/19).
Introduction
xvii
externally-funded research projects spanning a wide range of topics, from bKa’
brgyud contemplative traditions, to Sa skya hagiographical sources, to Old Tibetan
lexicography, and ideals and practices of kingship during the Tibetan Empire.6
He served as series-editor of Collectanea Himalayica: Studies on the History and
Culture of the Himalayas and Tibet (Indus Verlag, München), which published five
volumes, and, since 2008, of Contributions to Tibetan Studies (Reichert Verlag, Wiesbaden), which published seven volumes (nos. 6–12). All these endeavours ensured
that the small Department of Indology and Tibetology of Munich University developed into a major centre of Tibetan studies, were students and young scholars
could learn and work in a stimulating and supportive environment.
Franz-Karl Ehrhard is deeply passionate for his subject and generous with his
sources and knowledge, sharing widely the many Tibetan texts of his library, together with his carefully handwritten summaries and notes. His knowledge of
academic scholarship published in English, French, and German is impressive, as
is his learning in history, anthropology, history of religions, cultural history, book
history—just to name a few disciplines. He takes a real pleasure in studying, discussing, sharing, and exploring Tibetan and Himalayan history, culture, and literature. Because of this, alongside his institutional and didactic duties, he always
continued to dedicate time and energy to research, producing a wealth of scholarly
output throughout his career. Hence, this short sketch cannot make justice to the
breadth of Franz-Karl Ehrhard’s research interests and the impact of his contribution to the field of Tibetan and Himalayan studies. He is an inspiring role model for
his mentees, and a knowledgeable and amiable colleague, and this volume wishes
to be but a modest token of our appreciation.
Marta Sernesi
6
“Re-Enacting the Past. The Heritage of the Early bKa’ brgyud pa in the Life and Works of gTsang
smyon Heruka (1452-1507) and His Disciple rGod tshang ras pa sNa tshogs rang grol (1482-1559),”
funded by the daad (2009–2010) and the Gerda Henkel Stiftung (2010–2012), realised by Marta
Sernesi; “Die Hagiographie des tibetischen Gelehrten Shākya-mchog-ldan (1428–1507): Quellen und
historischer Kontext,” funded by the dfg (2010–2012), realised by Volker Caumanns; “Kingship and
Religion in Tibet,” funded by the Alexander von Humboldt Stiftung (2010–2015), realised by Brandon Dotson; “Lexikologische Analyse des alttibetischen Wortschatzes unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der Komposita,” funded by the dfg (2013–2015), realised by Joanna Bialek; “bKa’ brgyud
History and Xylography in South-Western Tibet. The Legacy of Yang dgon pa rGyal mtshan dpal
bzang po (1213-1258),” funded by the dfg (2012–2018), realised by Marta Sernesi.
Publication List of Franz-Karl Ehrhard
Monographs
1. Flügelschläge des Garuḍa: Literar- und ideengeschichtliche Bemerkungen zu einer Liedersammlung
des rDzogs-chen. Tibetan and Indo-Tibetan Studies 3. Stuttgart: Steiner Verlag, 1990.
2. Early Buddhist Block Prints from Mang-yul Gung-thang. Lumbini International Research Institute,
Monograph Series 2. Lumbini: Lumbini International Research Institute, 2000.
3. Life and Travels of Lo-chen bSod-nams rgya-mtsho. Lumbini International Research Institute,
Monograph Series 3. Lumbini: Lumbini International Research Institute, 2002.
4. Die Statue und der Tempel des Ārya Va-ti bzang-po: Ein Beitrag zur Geschichte und Geographie des
Tibetischen Buddhismus. Contributions to Tibetan Studies 2. Wiesbaden: Reichert Verlag, 2004.
5. A Rosary of Rubies: e Chronicle of the Gur-rigs mDo-chen Tradition from South-Western Tibet.
Collectanea Himalayica 2. München: Indus Verlag, 2008.
Articles
1. “Tibetan Texts in the National Archives, Kathmandu.” Journal of the Nepal Research Centre 4,
1980: 233–250.
2. “Observations on Prāsaṅgika-Madhyamaka in the rÑing-ma-pa School.” In Helga Uebach and
Jampa L. Panglung (eds.). Tibetan Studies: Proceedings of the th Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, Schloss Hohenkammer, Munich . Studia Tibetica: Quellen und
Studien zur tibetischen Lexikographie 2. München: Kommission für Zentralasiatische Studien,
Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften, 1988, 139–147.
3. “A Renovation of Svayaṃbhūnāth Stūpa in the 18th Century and its History (According to Tibetan Sources).” Ancient Nepal: Journal of the Department of Archaeology 114, 1989: 1–8.
4. “The Stūpa of Bodhnāth: A Preliminary Analysis of the Written Sources.” Ancient Nepal: Journal
of the Department of Archaeology 120, 1990: 1–9.
5. “Further Renovations of Svayaṃbhūnāth-Stūpa (From the 13th to the 17th Centuries).” Ancient
Nepal: Journal of the Department of Archaeology 123–125, 1991: 10–20.
6. “The Nepal German Manuscript Preservation Project.” European Bulletin of Himalayan Research
2, 1991: 20–24.
7. “The ‘Vision’ of rDzogs-chen: A Text and its Histories.” In Ihara Shōren (ed.). Tibetan Studies:
Proceedings of the th Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, Narita . 2
vols. Monograph Series of Naritasan Institute for Buddhist Studies, Occasional Papers 2. Narita:
Naritasan Shinshoji, 1992, vol. 1: Buddhist Philosophy and Literature, 47–58.
8. “Two Documents on Tibetan Ritual Literature and Spiritual Genealogy.” Journal of the Nepal
Research Centre 9, 1993: 77–100.
9. “Tibetan Sources on Muktināth: Individual Reports and Normative Guides.” Ancient Nepal: Journal of the Department of Archaeology 134, 1993: 23–39.
10. “The Role of ‘Treasure Discoverers’ and their Writings in the Search for Himalayan Sacred
Lands.” e Tibet Journal 19/3 (special issue: Powerful Places and Spaces in Tibetan Religious Cul-
xx
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
Publication List of Franz-Karl Ehrhard
ture), 1994: 2–20 (reprinted in Toni Huber [ed.]. Sacred Spaces and Powerful Places in Tibetan
Culture: A Collection of Essays. Dharamsala, 1999, 227–239).
“Religious Places in the Valley.” In Andreas Proksch (ed.). Images of a Century: e Changing
Townscapes of the Kathmandu Valley. Kathmandu: GTZ and UDLE, 1995, 12–25.
“Two Further Lamas of Dolpo: Ngag-dbang rnam-rgyal (born 1628) and rNam-grol bzang-po
(born 1504).” Journal of the Nepal Research Centre 10, 1996: 55–75.
“Political and Ritual Aspects of the Search for Himalayan Sacred Lands.” Studies in Central and
East Asian Religions 9, 1996: 37–53 (reprinted in Toni Huber [ed.]. Sacred Spaces and Powerful
Places in Tibetan Culture: A Collection of Essays. Dharamsala, 1999, 240–257).
“A ‘Hidden Land’ in the Tibetan-Nepalese Borderlands.” In Alexander W. Macdonald (ed.).
Maṇḍala and Landscape. Emerging Perceptions in Buddhist Studies 6. New Delhi: D. K. Printworld, 1997, 335–364.
“‘The Lands are like a Wiped Golden Basin’: The Sixth Zhva-dmar-pa’s Journey to Nepal and
his Travelogue (1629/30).” In Samten Karmay and Philippe Sagant (eds.). Les Habitants du toit du
monde: Études recueillies en hommage à Alexander W. Macdonald. Recherches sur la Haute Asie
12. Nanterre: Société d’ethnologie, 1997, 125–138.
“Recently Discovered Manuscripts of the rNying ma rgyud ’bum from Nepal.” In Helmut Krasser,
Michael Thorsten Much, Ernst Steinkellner and Helmut Tauscher (eds.). Tibetan Studies: Proceedings of the th Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, Graz . 2
vols. Beiträge zur Kultur- und Geistesgeschichte Asiens 21. Wien: Verlag der Österreichischen
Akademie der Wissenschaften, 1997, vol. 1, 253–267.
“Sa-’dul dgon-pa: A Temple at the Crossroads of Jumla, Dolpo and Mustang.” Ancient Nepal:
Journal of the Department of Archaeology 140: 3–19.
“The Transmission of the dMar-khrid Tshem-bu lugs and the Maṇi bka’ ’bum.” In Christine
Chojnacki, Jens-Uwe Hartmann and Volker M. Tschannerl (eds.). Vividharatnakaraṇḍaka: Festgabe ür Adelheid Mee. Indica et Tibetica 37. Swisttal-Odendorf, 2000, 199–215.
“A Printed Laudation of Si-tu Chos-kyi ’byung-gnas and a Note on his Tradition of Tibetan
Medicine.” Lungta 13 (special issue: Situ Paṇchen: His Contribution and Legacy), 2000: 28–32.
“Religious Geography and Literary Traditions: The Foundation of the Monastery Brag-dkar
bsam-gling.” Journal of the Nepal Research Centre 12, 2001: 101–114.
“Concepts of Religious Space in Southern Mustāṅ: The Foundation of the Monastery sKu-tshab
gter-lnga.” In Perdita Pohle and Willibald Haffner (eds.). Kāgbeni: Contributions to the Village’s
History and Geography. Giessener Geographische Schriften 77. Gießen: Selbstverlag des Instituts
für Geographie der Justus-Liebig-Universität, 2001, 235–246.
“The Transmission of the ig-le bcu-drug and the bKa’ gdams glegs bam.” In Helmut Eimer and
David Germano (eds.). e Many Canons of Tibetan Buddhism. PIATS : Tibetan Studies: Proceedings of the Ninth Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies. Brill’s Tibetan
Studies Library 2/10. Leiden: Brill, 2002, 29–56.
“The Register of the Reliquary of Lord Raṅ-Rig Ras-pa.” Wiener Zeitschri ür die Kunde Südasiens
46, 2002: 146–167.
“Kaḥ thog pa bSod nams rgyal mtshan (1466–1540) and his Activities in Sikkim and Bhutan.”
Bulletin of Tibetology 39/2 (special issue: Contributions to Sikkimese History), 2003: 9–26.
“Spiritual Relationships between Rulers and Preceptors: The Three Journeys of Vanaratna (1384–
1468) to Tibet.” In Christoph Cüppers (ed.). e Relationship between Religion and State (chos srid
zung ’brel) in Traditional Tibet: Proceedings of a Seminar Held in Lumbini, Nepal, March . liri
Seminar Proceedings Series 1. Lumbini: Lumbini International Research Institute, 2004, 245–265.
“‘The Story of How bla-ma Karma Chos-bzang Came to Yol-mo’: A Family Document from
Nepal.” In Shoun Hino and Toshihiro Wada (eds.). ree Mountains and Seven Rivers: Prof.
Mushashi Tachikawa’s Felicitation Volume. Delhi: Motilal Barnasidass, 2004, 581–600.
Publication List of Franz-Karl Ehrhard
xxi
27. “A Monument of Sherpa Buddhism: The Enlightenment Stūpa in Junbesi.” e Tibet Journal 29/3
(special issue: Tibetan Monuments), 2004: 75–92.
28. “The mNga’ bdag Family and the Tradition of Rig ’dzin Zhig po gling pa (1524–1583) in Sikkim.”
Bulletin of Tibetology 41/2 (special issue: Tibetan Lamas in Sikkim), 2005: 11–29.
29. “A Short History of the g.Yu thog snying thig.” In Konrad Klaus and Jens-Uwe Hartmann (eds.).
Indica et Tibetica: Festschri ür Michael Hahn, zum . Geburtstag von Freunden und Schülern
überreicht. Wiener Studien zur Tibetologie und Buddhismuskunde 66. Wien: Arbeitskreis für
Tibetische und Buddhistische Studien, Universität Wien, 2007, 151–170.
30. “Kaḥ thog pa Bsod nams rgyal mtshan (1466–1540) and the Foundation of O rgyan rtse mo in
Spa gro.” In John A. Ardussi (ed.). Bhutan: Traditions and Changes. PIATS : Tibetan Studies:
Proceedings of the Tenth Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, Oxford .
Brill’s Tibetan Studies Library 10/5. Leiden: Brill, 2007, 73–95.
31. “A Forgotten Incarnation Lineage: The Yol-mo-ba Sprul-skus (16th to 18th Centuries).” In Ramon N. Prats (ed.). e Pandita and the Siddha: Tibetan Studies in Honour of E. Gene Smith.
Dharamshala: Amnye Machen Institute, 2007, 25–49.
32. “The Biography of sMan-bsgom Chos-rje Kun-dga’ dpal-ldan (1735–1804) as a Source for the
Sino-Nepalese War.” In Birgit Kellner, Helmut Krasser, Horst Lasic, Michael T. Wieser-Much and
Helmut Tauscher (eds.). Pramāṇakīrtiḥ: Papers Dedicated to Ernst Steinkellner on the Occasion
of his th Birthday. 2 vols. Wiener Studien zur Tibetologie und Buddhismuskunde 70. Wien:
Arbeitskreis für Tibetische und Buddhistische Studien, Universität Wien, 2007, vol. 1, 115–133.
33. “Old and New Tibetan Sources Concerning Svayaṃbhūnāth.” Zentralasiatische Studien 36, 2007:
105–130.
34. (together with Christoph Cüppers) “Die Kupferplatten der Könige Ādityamalla und Puṇyamalla
von Ya-tshe.” In Petra Maurer and Peter Schwieger (eds.). Tibetstudien: Festschri ür Dieter Schuh
zum . Geburtstag. Bonn: Bier’sche Verlagsanstalt, 2007, 37–42.
35. “Addressing Tibetan Rulers from the South: mChog-ldan mgon-po (1497–1531) in the Hidden
Valleys of Bhutan.” In Brigitte Huber (ed.). Chomolangma, Demawend und Kasbek: Festschri ür
Roland Bielmeier zu seinem . Geburtstag. 2 vols. Beiträge zur Zentralasienforschung 12. Halle:
International Institute for Tibetan and Buddhist Studies, 2008, vol. 1 (Chromolangma), 61–91.
36. “‘Turning the Wheel of the Dharma in Zhing sa Va lung’: The dPal ri sPrul skus (17th to 20th
Centuries).” Bulletin of Tibetology 44/1–2, 2008: 5–29.
37. “The Lineage of the ’Ba’-ra-ba bKa’-brgyud-pa School as Depicted on a Thangka and in ‘Golden
Rosary’ Texts.” Münchener Beiträge zur Völkerkunde: Jahrbuch des Staatlichen Museums ür Völkerkunde München 13, 2009: 179–209.
38. “A ‘Hidden Land’ at the Border of ’Ol-kha and Dvags-po.” e Tibet Journal 34/3–35/2 (special
issue: e Earth Ox Papers: Proceedings of the International Seminar on Tibetan and Himalayan
Studies, Held at the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, September on the Occasion of the
‘ank you India’ Year), 2009–2010: 493–521.
39. “Buddhist Fasting Lineages: A Thangka of the Eleven-faced and Thousand-armed Avalokiteśvara.” In Eli Franco and Monika Zin (eds.). From Turfan to Ajanta: Festschri for Dieter Schlingloff on the Occasion of His Eightieth Birthday. Lumbini: Lumbini International Research Institute,
2010, 291–302.
40. “The Holy Madman of dBus and His Relationships with Tibetan Rulers in the 15th and 16th Centuries.” In Peter Schalk (ed.). Geschichten und Geschichte: Historiographie und Hagiographie in der
asiatischen Religionsgeschichte. Acta Universitatis Upsaliensis, Historia Religionum 30. Uppsala:
Uppsala Universitet, 2010, 219–246.
41. “Editing and Publishing the Master’s Writings: The Early Years of rGod tshang ras chen (1482–
1559).” In Anne Chayet, Cristina Scherrer-Schaub, Françoise Robin and Jean-Luc-Achard (eds.).
xxii
42.
43.
44.
45.
46.
47.
48.
49.
50.
51.
52.
53.
54.
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Edition, éditions: l’écrit au Tibet, évolution et devenir. Collectanea Himalayica 3. München: Indus
Verlag, 2010, 129–161.
“The Narrative of the Birth of the Buddha as Told by Bskal-bzang Chos-kyi Rgya-mtsho (15th
Century).” In Christoph Cueppers, Max Deeg and Hubert Durt (eds.). e Birth of the Buddha:
Proceedings of the Seminar Held in Lumbini, Nepal, October . liri Seminar Proceedings Series
3. Lumbini: Lumbini International Research Institute, 2010, 355–376.
“‘Flow of the River Gaṅgā’: The gSan-yig of the Fifth Dalai Bla-ma and its Literary Sources.”
In Henk Blezer and Roberto Vitali (eds.). Studies on the History and Literature of Tibet and the
Himalaya. Kathmandu: Vajra Publications, 2012, 79–96.
“Gnas Rab ’byams pa Byams pa phun tshogs (1503–1581) and his Contribution to Buddhist Block
Printing in Tibet.” In Charles Ramble and Jill Sudbury (eds.). is World and the Next: Contributions on Tibetan Religion, Science and Society. PIATS : Tibetan Studies: Proceedings of the
Eleventh Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, Königswinter . Beiträge
zur Zentralasienforschung 27. Andiast: International Institute for Tibetan and Buddhist Studies,
2012, 149–176.
“The Scribe’s Remark: A Note on the ‘Rig-’dzin Tshe-dbang nor-bu (Waddell) Edition’ of the
rNying ma rgyud ’bum.” Zentralasiatische Studien 41, 2012: 231–237.
“The Royal Print of the Maṇi bka’ ’bum: Its Catalogue and Colophon.” In Franz-Karl Ehrhard and
Petra Maurer (eds.). Nepalica-Tibetica: Festgabe for Christoph Cüppers. 2 vols. Beiträge zur Zentralasienforschung 28. Andiast: International Institute for Tibetan and Buddhist Studies, 2013,
vol. 1, 143–172.
“Spreading the sNying thig Teachings: The Biographical Account of rDzogs chen pa bSod nams
rin chen (1498–1559).” Bulletin of Tibetology 49/1 (special issue: rNying ma Studies: Narrative and
History), 2013: 55-76.
“Lowo Khenchen (1456–1532) and the Buddhist Pilgrimage to the Ārya Wati Zangpo.” In Benjamin Bogin and Andrew Quintman (eds.). Himalayan Passages: Tibetan and Newar Studies in
Honor of Hubert Decleer. Somerville: Wisdom Publications, 2014, 15–43.
“‘An Ocean of Marvelous Perfections’: A 17th -Century Padma bka’i thang yig from the Sa skya pa
School.” In Jim Rheingans (ed.). Literary Genres, Texts, and Text Types: From Genre Classification
to Transformation. Brill’s Tibetan Studies Library 37. Leiden: Brill, 2015, 139–181.
“Glimpses of the Sixth Dalai Bla ma: Contemporary Accounts from the Years 1702 to 1706.” In
Olaf Czaja and Guntram Hazod (eds.). e Illuminating Mirror: Tibetan Studies in Honour of Per
K. Sørensen on the Occasion of his th Birthday. Contributions to Tibetan Studies 12. Wiesbaden:
Reichert Verlag, 2015, 131–154.
“‘A Thousand-spoke Golden Wheel of Secular Law’: The Preamble to the Law Code of the Kings
of gTsang.” In Dieter Schuh (ed.). Secular Law and Order in the Tibetan Highland: Contributions
to a Workshop Organized by the Tibet Institute in Andiast (Switzerland) on the Occasion of the th
Birthday of Christoph Cüppers from the th of June to the th of June . Monumenta Tibetica
Historica iii/13. Andiast: International Institute for Tibetan and Buddhist Studies, 2015, 105–125.
“‘Throne-holders of the Middle Valley’: Buddhist Teachers from Southern Dolpo.” Bulletin of
Tibetology 51/1–2 (special issue: Buddhist Himalaya: Perspectives on the Tibetan Cultural Area),
2015: 7–45.
“Collected Writings as Xylographs: Two Sets from the Bo dong pa School.” In Hildegard Diemberger, Franz-Karl Ehrhard and Peter Kornicki (eds.). Tibetan Printing: Comparisons, Continuities
and Change. Brill’s Tibetan Studies Library 39. Leiden: Brill, 2016, 212–236.
“Buddhist Hagiographies from the Borderlands: Further Prints from Mang yul Gung thang.” In
Orna Almogi (ed.). Tibetan Manuscript and Xylograph Traditions: e Wrien Word and Its Media
within the Tibetan Culture Sphere. Indian and Tibetan Studies 4. Hamburg: Department of Indian
and Tibetan Studies, Universität Hamburg, 2016, 127–169.
Publication List of Franz-Karl Ehrhard
xxiii
55. “Chos dpal bzang po (1371–1439): The ‘Great Teacher’ (bla chen) of rDzong dkar and his Biography.” In Volker Caumanns and Marta Sernesi (eds.). Fieenth Century Tibet: Cultural Blossoming
and Political Unrest. Proceedings of a Conference Held in Lumbini, Nepal, March . liri Seminar
Proceedings Series 8. Lumbini: Lumbini International Research Institute, 2017, 1–32.
56. “A Thangka from Brag dkar rta so and its Inscription.” In Katia Buffetrille and Isabelle HenrionDourcy (eds.). Musique et épopée en Haute-Asie: Mélanges offerts à Mireille Helffer a l’occasion de
son e anniversaire. Le Pré-Saint-Gervais: L’Asiathèque, 2017, 371–383.
57. “Printing a Treasure Text: The 1556 Edition of the Bya rung kha shor lo rgyus.” In Oliver von
Criegern, Gudrun Melzer and Johannes Schneider (eds.). Saddharmāmṛtam: Festschri ür JensUwe Hartmann zum . Geburtstag. Wiener Studien zur Tibetologie und Buddhismuskunde 93.
Wien: Arbeitskreis für Tibetische und Buddhistische Studien, Universität Wien, 2018, 75–93.
58. (together with Marta Sernesi) “Apropos a Recent Collection of Tibetan Xylographs from the 15th
to the 17th Centuries.” Revue d’Etudes Tibétaines 48 (special issue: Perspectives on Tibetan Culture:
A Small Garland of Forget-me-nots Offered to Elena De Rossi Filibeck, ed. by Michela Clemente,
Oscar Nalesini and Federica Venturi), 2019 (in press).
Edited Volumes
1. (together with Christoph Cüppers and Philip Pierce) Views of the Bodhnāth-Stūpa. Kathmandu:
Bauddha Book, 1991.
2. (together with Alexander W. Macdonald) Snowlight of Everest: A History of the Sherpas of Nepal.
Nepal Research Centre Publications 18. Stuttgart: Steiner Verlag, 1992. (Nepalese translation,
Kathmandu, 1994).
3. (together with Ingrid Fischer-Schreiber) Das Lexikon des Buddhismus: Grundbegriffe und Lehrsysteme, Philosophie und meditative Praxis, Literatur und Kunst, Meister und Schulen, Geschichte,
Entwicklung und Ausdrucksformen von ihren Anängen bis heute. München: Scherz, 1992.
4. e Collected Works of dKar-brgyud bsTan-ʼdzin nor-bu: A Recent Lama of Brag-dkar rta-so. Smanrtsis Shesrig Spendzod 142. Leh: D. L. Tashigangpa, 1996.
5. e Oldest Block Print of Klong-chen Rab-ʼbyams-paʼs eg mchog mdzod. Facsimile Edition of
Early Tibetan Block Prints. Lumbini International Research Institute, Facsimile Series 1. Lumbini:
Lumbini International Research Institute, 2000.
6. Four Unknown Mahāmudrā Works of the Bo-dong-pa School. Facsimile Edition of Early Tibetan
Block Prints. Lumbini International Research Institute, Facsimile Series 2. Lumbini: Lumbini International Research Institute, 2000.
7. A Buddhist Correspondence: e Leers of Lo-chen bSod-nams rgya-mtsho. Facsimile Edition of a
th Century Tibetan Manuscript. Lumbini International Research Institute, Facsimile Series 3.
Lumbini: Lumbini International Research Institute, 2002.
8. (together with Petra Maurer) Nepalica-Tibetica: Festgabe ür Christoph Cüppers. 2 vols. Beiträge
zur Zentralasienforschung 28/1–2. Andiast: International Institute for Tibetan and Buddhist
Studies, 2013.
9. (together with Hildegard Diemberger and Peter Kornicki) Tibetan Printing: Comparisons, Continuities and Change. Brill’s Tibetan Studies Library 39. Leiden: Brill, 2016.
Lexicographical Contributions
1. “Tibetischer Buddhismus.” In Ingrid Fischer-Schreiber et al. (eds.). Lexikon Östlicher Weisheitslehren: Buddhismus, Hinduismus, Taoismus, Zen. München: Scherz, 1986. (English translation:
xxiv
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“Tibetan Buddhism.” In e Rider Encyclopedia of Eastern Philosophy and Religion. London, 1989;
e Shambhala Dictionary of Buddhism and Zen. Boston, 1991.)
2. “Himalayan Buddhism.” In Lindsay Jones (ed.). Encyclopedia of Religion. Second Edition. 15 vols.
Detroit: Macmillan Reference, 2005, vol. 2, 1230–1235.
Reviews
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
Hidden Treasures and Secret Lives: A Study of Pemalingpa (–) and the Sixth Dalai Lama
(–), by Michael Aris. In Zeitschri der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellscha 142/1,
1992: 206–208.
Tibet: Civilisation et société. Colloque organisé par la Fondation Singer-Polignac à Paris, les , ,
avril , ed. by Fernand Meyer. In Zeitschri der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellscha
142/2, 1992: 395–398.
Divinity Secularized: An Inquiry into the Nature and Form of the Songs Ascribed to the Sixth Dalai
Lama, by Per K. Sørensen. In Zeitschri der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellscha 143/1, 1993:
223–225.
Materials for the Study of Āryadeva, Dharmapāla and Candrakīrti. e Catuḥśataka of Āryadeva,
Chapters and , with the Commentaries of Dharmapāla and Candrakīrti: Introduction, Translation, Sanskrit, Tibetan and Chinese Texts, Notes. 2 vols., by Tom J. F. Tillemans. In Zeitschri der
Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellscha 144/1, 1994: 221–224.
e Buddha Within: Tathāgatagarbha Doctrine According to the Shentong Interpretation of
the Ratnagotravibhāga, by Susan K. Hookham. In Zeitschri der Deutschen Morgenländischen
Gesellscha 144/2, 1994: 415–419.
e Life of Shabkar: e Autobiography of a Tibetan Yogin, by Matthieu Ricard. In e Tibet Journal
22/1, 1997: 87–90.
e Full-Fledged Khyung-chen Bird: An Essay in Freedom as the Dynamics of Being, by Klong-chen
Rab-ʼbyams-pa Dri-med ʼod-zer and Herbert Guenther. In e Tibet Journal 22/3, 1997: 116–119.
Consecration of Images and Stūpas in Indo-Tibetan Tantric Buddhism, by Yael Bentor. In e Tibet
Journal 23/3, 1998: 129–132.
Natural Liberation: Padmasambhavaʼs Teachings on the Six Bardos, by Gyatrul Rinpoche and B.
Alan Wallace. In e Tibet Journal 24/4, 1999: 68–71.
sDe-dpon sum-cu: Ritual und Ikonographie der “Dreißig Schutzgoheiten der Welt”, by Namgyal Ronge, Utz Poley, Rudolf Kaschewsky and Pema Tsering. In e Tibet Journal 25/2, 2000:
60–62.
e Dating of the Historical Buddha / Die Datierung des historischen Buddha, Part , by Heinz
Bechert. In e Tibet Journal 25/3, 2000: 70–71.
e Brief Catalogues to the Narthang and the Lhasa Kanjurs: A Synoptic Edition of the “bKaʼ ʼgyur
rin po cheʼi mtshan tho” and the “rGyal baʼi bkaʼ ʼgyur rin po cheʼi chos tsʼan so soʼi mtsʼan byaṅ
dkar chag bsdus pa”; e Early Mustang Kanjur Catalogue: A Structured Edition of the mDo sṅags
bkaʼ ʼgyur dkar chag and of Ṅor chen kun dgaʼ bzaṅ poʼs bKaʼ ʼgyur ro cog gi dkar chag bstan pa
gsal baʼi sgron me, by Helmut Eimer. In Indo-Iranian Journal 44/2, 2001: 174–179.
Pèlerins, Lamas et Visonnaires: Sources orales et écrites sur les pèlerinages tibétains, by Katia Buffetrille. In Indo-Iranian Journal 44/3, 2001: 279–285.
Himalayan Hermitess: e Life of a Tibetan Buddhist Nun, by Kurtis Schaeffer. In Journal of the
International Association of Tibetan Studies 2, 2006: 1–8.
Life, Transmission, and Works of A-mes-zhabs Ngag-dbang-kun-dgaʼ-bsod-nams, the Great th
Century Sa-skya-pa Bibliophile, by Jan-Ulrich Sobisch. In Indo-Iranian Journal 50/2, 2007:
193–196.
Learning, Discipline, and Nobility:
rJe ’Ba’ ra ba and his Spiritual Father Zur phug pa
Marlene Erschbamer
(Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, München)
1. Introduction
Many centuries before Buddhism reached Tibet and long before the different bKa’
brgyud traditions emerged, the pre-Socratic Greek philosopher Heraclitus of Ephesus (c.520–460 bce) elaborated on the concept of flow and expressed this in his
river images. He put this concept in a nutshell using the meanwhile famous aphorism panta rhei, everything flows. He meant the natural process of change, an allegory on continuation but also on impermanence. It may sound contradictory but
for Heraclitus it forms a unity. This image of a river can also be used for lineages
within Tibetan Buddhism, as a lineage includes continuation but also a natural
process of change. Lineages are fluid as well, transmissions being handed over
from one generation to the following, from teacher to disciple.1
The student-teacher relationship is important in Buddhism, main teachers being called spiritual teacher or spiritual father. Such a spiritual father serves as a
good example for one’s own spiritual path, passes on teachings, and provides the
student with further guidance, explanations, and helpful advices. Zur phug pa Rin
chen dpal bzang (1263–1330), a master belonging to the ’Brug pa bKa’ brgyud tradition, was the main teacher of rGyal mtshan dpal bzang po (1310–1391), who is
also known as rJe ’Ba’ ra ba. The latter is regarded as the founding father of the
’Ba’ ra ba bKa’ brgyud pa, a tradition whose teachings have been practiced since
the fourteenth century.
According to tradition, learning, discipline, and nobility (mkhas btsun bzang
gsum) are the three good qualities of a teacher. rJe ’Ba’ ra ba perfected all of them
under the guidance of his main teacher Zur phug pa.
The aim of this article is to present the connection between rJe ’Ba’ ra ba and
Zur phug pa as an ideal example of a student-teacher relationship. First, the life
of Zur phug pa will be presented. This is followed by his relationship with his
1
Miller (2005: 374–375) used the image of a river when speaking about Tibetan transmission
lineages: “Just a river erode and change the terrain, lineages impact the religious, political, social,
and economic environment. […] Lineage is a fluid and adaptable collection of material and nonmaterial transmissions that are passed down from one generation to the next […].”
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heart disciple rJe ’Ba’ ra ba. Both of them stood in the transmission lineage of the
Ri chos skor gsum by Yang dgon pa (1213–1256/8). Furthermore, the significance
of trilogies (skor gsum) within the ’Ba’ ra ba bKa’ brgyud tradition will be set in
context.
2. Zur phug pa and the Good Qualities of a Teacher (mkhas btsun bzang)2
Zur phug pa was born in a village called Shen gyi dpe’u chung, which lies in the
valley of Śrī dpal, in a water-pig year, that is 1263.3 After having seen people suffer
in his early years, he became interested in Buddhist teachings and soon decided
to practice and to live a life according to the Buddhist doctrine. He took the first
vows of a novice under mKhan po Tshul khrims snying po at the age of seven. The
latter also gave him the name Rin chen dpal bzang po. At the age of 22, he took
the full vows of a monk from mKhan po Me nu ba rin chen rdo rje and mKhan
chen rDo rje rin chen pa.4
He studied under many teachers, such as mKhas btsun Tshul rin po, who gave
him many cycles of empowerments, tantra, and texts for practice (dbang rgyud
sgrub skor). Furthermore, he served under his maternal uncle mKhan chen rDo rje
rin chen pa for many years. Then he served and studied under Chos rje sPyan snga
Rin chen ldan pa (born 1202), the heart disciple of Yang dgon pa, for twelve years.
2
Several hagiographies of Zur phug pa are preserved: The texts entitled Kun mkhyen zur phug
pa’i rnam thar rin po che (gSer phreng / a, vol. 2, 4 fols.: 13–20) and Bla ma zur phug pa’i rnam thar
mdor bsdus pa (gSer phreng / a, vol. 3, 10 fols.: 37–56) are part of the four-volumes work entitled bKa’
brgyud gser phreng chen mo: Biographies of Eminent Gurus in the Transmission Lineage of Teachings
of the ’Ba’-ra dKar-brgyud-pa [= gSer phreng / a], which was published in 1970. They were also published more recently in Bod kyi lo rgyus rnam thar phyogs bsgrigs kyi lo rgyus rnam thar phyogs
bsgrigs [= gSer phreng / b]; see vol. 27: 13–20 and vol. 28: 37–56. In 1970, another compilation was
published under the title dKar brgyud gser ’phreng: A Golden Roseary of Lives of Eminent Gurus [=
gSer phreng / c], comprising a hagiography of Zur phug pa written in dbu med (fols. 447–449). Additionally, shorter hagiographies of this master were published: in 1986 within the Chos ’byung mkhas
pa’i dga’ ston: 852–854; in 2009 within the bKa’ brgyud chos ’byung nor bu’i phreng ba: 121; and in
2013 within the Legs bshad nor bu’i gter mdzod: 154–156. For further reading on Zur phug pa in
western languages see Ehrhard 2009: 189, 195; Erschbamer 2017: 32–34; and Smith 2001: 47–49.
3
Different spellings of the name of this village exist: rDe shon gyi grong dpe chung in gSer
phreng / a, vol. 2: 14.4–5; Te shon gyi se chung in gSer phreng / a, vol. 3: 39.5; sTe shon gyi grong
dpe’ chung in gSer phreng / c: 447.3–4; and Shen gyi dpe’u chung in Chos ’byung mkhas pa’i dga’
ston: 852 and bKa’ brgyud chos ’byung nor bu’i phreng ba: 121.
4
See gSer phreng / a, vol. 2: 16.1–2, vol. 3: 39.5, 40.3–4, 42.3–4; gSer phreng / c: 448.1–2; and Legs
bshad nor bu’i gter mdzod: 154.
Learning, Discipline, and Nobility
191
During this time, he received many teachings, among which also the Ri chos skor
gsum by Yang dgon pa.5
At the age of 25, he considered living as a contemplative ascetic and travelling
to rTsa ri and other monastic centres in dBus, but his maternal uncle mKhan chen
rDo rje rin chen pa advised him not to do so. Therefore, he travelled to other places,
such as Byang zur, Lan chab gangs, lHa gdong, rTsibs ri gnam sdings, and Chos
sdings, where he meditated for many years.6
2.1 The Good Qualities of a Teacher (mkhas btsun bzang)
In Tibetan tradition, monasteries aim to bring forth monks and nuns, who accomplish erudition or learning (mkhas), discipline (btsun), and nobility or conscientiousness (bzang). According to Buddhist thought, a balance between study and
practice is important. Learning, discipline, and nobility (mkhas btsun bzang gsum)
are different steps to become a good teacher:
(1) One studies many teachings and investigates them very carefully. By
studying, reflecting, and meditating (thos bsam sgom gsum), one becomes
a learned one (mkhas).
(2) One takes the meaning of what was learned as personal advice and practices discipline (btsun). The practice of the three trainings (bslab pa gsum),
that are training in moral discipline (tshul khrims kyi bslab pa), training in
concentration (ting nge ’dzin gyi bslab pa), and training in wisdom (shes
rab kyi bslab pa), serves as a method to achieve this goal.
(3) One is kind-hearted and uses what one has learned and experienced for
the Buddhist doctrine and for all sentient beings (bzang). It is important
to be conscientious in the way of giving teachings, debating, and writing
(’chad rtsod rtsom gsum).7
It is notable that in the hagiographies of Zur phug pa it is said that this ’Brug pa
master completed the nine good qualities of a teacher, and not just three as listed
above:
5
See gSer phreng / a, vol. 2: 16.2–4; vol. 3: 42.4, 45.5–6; gSer phreng / c: 448.2–3; and Legs bshad nor
bu’i gter mdzod: 154.
6
See gSer phreng / a, vol. 3: 46.1–6 and Legs bshad nor bu’i gter mdzod: 155.
7
See Bod rgya tshig mdzod chen mo: 304–305 and Wangchuk 2006: 227. Furthermore, one biography about Tsong kha pa (1357–1419), founder of the dGe lugs tradition, is entitled mKhas btsun
bzang gsum gi bstod pa, written by ’Chi med rab rgyas; see Kaschewsky 1971: 35. The first Dalai
Lama dGe ’dun grub pa (1391–1474), one of the most important disciples of Tsong kha pa, is also
known for having completed the three good qualities of a teacher; see Shen Weirong 2002: 87–114.
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To summarize, [Zur phug pa] completed the nine good qualities of a teacher (mkhas
btsun bzang dgu) and reached the highest degree of a scholar. [He] was everywhere
renowned as the omniscient Zur phug pa.8
This probably refers to the nine ways of being learned (mkhas pa’i tshul dgu),
which refers to a person, who:
(1) accomplished the three good qualities of a teacher, namely learning, discipline, and nobility (mkhas btsun bzang gsum),
(2) accomplished without hindrances teaching, debating, and writing (’chad
rtsod rtsom gsum), and
(3) acts in a good manner regarding teaching, practice, and religious activities
(bshad sgrub las gsum or bshad sgrub chos spyod gsum).9
In the following a brief account of the monastery Zur phug dgon is given, which
is the practice place established by Zur phug pa, and where he has taught many
disciples.
2.2 The Monastery Zur phug dgon
Zur phug pa, who taught many disciples, established the monastery Zur phug
dgon in the vicinity of the monastery Lo paṇ, the latter founded by Lo paṇ ras
chen chos skyong, a disciple of Yang dgon pa. It was an important monastery on
the pilgrimage route around the mountain rTsib ri, which lies in southern Tibet,
northeast of Ding ri and west of Shel dkar:10
While staying at Śrī Zur phug, Yol gdong dpon mo jo mo requested empowerments
and teachings and offered subsequently a plot of land, where a monastery was established. During the summer and winter, [Zur phug pa] practiced in sealed retreat.
During autumn and spring, [he] acted for the benefit of sentient beings. Since the time
had come to benefit others, many hundred spiritual teachers (dge ba’i bshes gnyen or
dge bshes) and holders of an umbrella (gdugs thogs pa) gathered and a meeting place
for scholars and kind-hearted [people] was prepared. The novice as well as the fullmonastic ordination was established. Countless empowerments and advices, instructions and means to dispel obstacles, studies, reflections and explanations famously
8
Compare Legs bshad nor bu’i gter mdzod: 155.5–7; mdor na bla ma mkhas btsun bzang dgu la
gtugs pas mkhas pa’i phul du phyin par gyur te/ kun mkhyen zur phug pa zhes yongs su grags. See
also gSer phreng / a, vol. 2: 17.2–3 and gSer phreng / c: 448.6.
9
At least one passage in gSer phreng / c leads to this conclusion. It provides the information that
Zur phug pa accomplished the nine good qualities of a teacher but above all, he reached highest perfection in learning, discipline, and nobility, the three good qualities of a teacher; see gSer phreng / c:
448.6: gzhan yang bla ma mkhas btsun bzang dgu la gtugs nas chos mang du gsan/ mkhas btsun bzang
gsum phul du phyin pa mdzad.
10
See rTsib ri’i gnas bshad: 96–97 and Buffetrille 2013: 37–39.
Learning, Discipline, and Nobility
193
filled Northern and Southern La stod, and the teaching [cycles] Ri chos and ’Brug skor
were widely spread in the ten directions.11
The monastery was abandoned after some time. Years later, the ’Brug pa master mKhas dbang Sangs rgyas rdo rje (1569–1645) arrived, renovated destroyed
parts, and stayed there for some time.12 According to Buffetrille, only ruins of the
monastery Zur phug existed in 1993.13
Zur phug pa taught many disciples who accomplished the good qualities of
a teacher (mkhas btsun bzang). The most outstanding among these, who became
the heart disciple of Zur phug pa, was rJe ’Ba’ ra ba rGyal mtshan dpal bzang po
(1310–1391).14 In what follows, the teacher-disciple relationship of Zur phug pa
and rJe ’Ba’ ra ba will be illustrated.
3. rJe ’Ba’ ra ba and the Composition of Trilogies (skor gsum)
rJe ’Ba’ ra ba (1310–1391) was a great luminary and important scholar of his time.
He studied, among others, under the third Karma pa Rang byung rdo rje (1284–
1339), Bu ston Rin chen grub (1290–1364), and Sa skya bla ma dam pa bSod nams
rgyal mtshan (1312–1275), whereas Zur phug pa (1263–1330) was his main teacher.
rJe ’Ba’ ra ba is best known for his main work called ar pa ’jug pa’i gru bo zab
don kyi gter mdzod, which expounds the whole Buddhist tradition in verse and
prose commentary, and for being the founding father of the ’Ba’ ra ba bKa’ brgyud
tradition.
The ’Ba’ ra ba bKa’ brgyud pa received its name from ’Ba’ ra brag dkar, a
place in the Shangs valley, north of gZhis ka rtse. Later in his life, rJe ’Ba’ ra ba
11
Compare Legs bshad nor bu’i gter mdzod: 155.13–156.2; de nas shrī zur phug tu bzhugs nas/ yol
gdong dpon mo jo mos dbang dang chos zhus nas sa cha phul bar/ dgon gnas btab/ dbyar dgun la ’dag
sbyar gyis sgrub pa dang/ ston dpyid la ’gro don mdzad/ gzhan don dus la bab pa’i dbang gis/ dge
ba’i bshes gnyen gdugs thogs pa brgya tsho mang po ’dus shing/ mkhas pa dang/ bzang ba rnams kyi
gtugs sa byed/ rab byung dang bsnyen rdzogs sgrub pa/ dbang dang gdams pa/ khrid dang gegs sel/
thos bsam dang bshad pa mdzad pa sogs bsam gyis mi khyab/ la stod lho byang phogs na snyan grags
kyis khyab cing/ ri chos dang ’brug skor gyi bstan pa phyogs bcur dar zhing rgyas par mdzad de. See
also gSer phreng / a, vol. 2: 17.3–18.5.
12
See rTsib ri’i gnas bshad: 96–97. mKhas dbang Sangs rgyas rdo rje was a disciple of the fourth
’Brug chen Padma dkar po (1527–1592). Both of them, Padma dkar po and his disciple Sangs rgyas
rdo rje, studied the Ri chos skor gsum by Yang dgon pa; see Higgins 2015.
13
See Buffetrille 2013: 52.
14
See Legs bshad nor bu’i gter mdzod: 156.4–5 for a list of Zur phug pa’s disciples who accomplished
the good qualities of a teacher.
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established the monastery Don grub sdings, which became the main seat of the
eponymic incarnation lineage, the ’Ba’ ra ba sPrul sku.15
3.1 rJe ’Ba’ ra ba and his Spiritual Father Zur phug pa
Zur phug pa and his disciple rJe ’Ba’ ra ba both stood in the transmission lineage
of the Mountain Dharma Trilogy or Trilogy of Hermit Teachings (Ri chos skor
gsum), teachings containing Mahāmudrā instructions for yogins in retreat, which
were transmitted from master to disciple. The Ri chos skor gsum were teachings by
Yang dgon pa, a great yogin from lHa stod lho and direct disciple of rGod tshang
pa (1189–1258), who is considered the founding father of the so-called sTod ’brug,
one among the many branches of the bKa’ brgyud traditions. Yang dgon pa passed
these teachings to Chos rje sPyan snga Rin chen ldan pa (b.1202), who was the
main teacher of Zur phug pa. Zur phug pa, in turn, was the main teacher of rJe
’Ba’ ra ba rGyal mtshan dpal bzang po, the founding father of the ’Ba’ ra ba bKa’
brgyud pa, a sub-branch of the sTod ’brug tradition. rJe ’Ba’ ra ba received many
teachings from Zur phug pa, among which the Ri chos skor gsum were probably
the most important. In this way, these teachings became part of the core teachings
of the ’Ba’ ra ba tradition.16
rJe ’Ba’ ra ba was recognised as the incarnation of Yang dgon pa from whom
the cycle of the Ri chos skor gsum emerged. He stayed at ’U yug when he heard
about the glorious Zur phug pa and then set out on a journey to La stod lho. Zur
phug pa accepted rJe ’Ba’ ra ba as disciple and made a prophecy that he would
become a great leader.17
15
The ’Ba’ ra ba bKa’ brgyud pa as well as the Shangs pa bKa’ brgyud pa, the latter founded by
Khyung po rNal ’byor, have their origin in the Shangs valley. However, these are two completely
different traditions, which sometimes are confused. The ’Ba’ ra ba bKa’ brgyud pa is a branch of
the many traditions belonging to the Dwags po bKa’ brgyud pa, which are going back to Dwags
po lha rje sGam po pa (1079–1153) and his nephew Dwags po sGom tshul (1116–1169); for further
readings on the different branches belonging to the Dwags po bKa’ brgyud tradition see, among
others, Czaja 2013: 77, n. 56; Erschbamer 2017: 1–6; Lobsang P. Lhalungpa 1995: 117–139; Quintman
2004: 47–49; Geshe Lhundub Sopa 2009: 117–137; and Smith 2001: 41–46. For a photograph of ’Ba’
ra brag dkar as well as for further reading on the hermitage of ’Ba’ ra, whose buildings were only
ruins after 1959, see Akester 2016: 547–549.
16
See Erschbamer 2017: 8. On the Ri chos skor gsum by Yang dgon pa, see Higgins 2015. Higgins
points out that two main distinctions were made by Yang dgon pa: (1) mahāmudrā in the mode of
abiding (gnas lugs phyag chen) and (2) mahāmudrā in the mode of error (’khrul lugs phyag chen).
Also other great masters, like the rNying ma master Klong chen rab byams pa (1308–1364) and Dol
po pa Shes rab rgyal mtshan (1292–1361), the founding father of the Jo nang tradition, distinguished
between these two modes, although in a more general way; see Higgins 2015: 53–54. For further
reading on Dol po pa, see Stearns 2010.
17
See gSer phreng / a, vol. 2: 69.4–5.
Learning, Discipline, and Nobility
195
rJe ’Ba’ ra ba received many teachings, guidance, and empowerments from Zur
phug pa. For seven months, he listened to explanations and guidance regarding
the Ri chos by Yang dgon pa and he became the best among the disciples of Zur
phug pa. He also received the full monastic ordination from Zur phug pa:
At the age of nineteen, [he] called by name for the sake of the truth [that is to request
for ordination]. The [master] who had completed learning, discipline, and nobility
[the three good qualities of a teacher], called Bla ma Rin chen dpal bzang po [that
is Zur phug pa], acted as preceptor (mkhan po), ’Dul ba ’dzin pa Slob dpon Grub
mchod pa as master of ceremonies (las slob), and dGe slong bSod nams dpal as secret
preceptor (gsang slob). [rJe ’Ba’ ra ba] took the full vows of a monk in the presence of
the whole qualified monastic community, which has faith in accepting the vows of a
fully ordained monk.18
Furthermore, rJe ’Ba’ ra ba completed the so-called three good qualities of a
teacher (mkhas btsun bzang gsum) under Zur phug pa. After Zur phug pa had
passed away in 1330, rJe ’Ba’ ra ba met his teacher in his dreams.
3.2 On Trilogies (skor gsum)
As mentioned before, the Mountain Dharma Trilogy or Trilogy of Hermit Teachings
(Ri chos skor gsum) by Yang dgon pa became core teachings of the followers and
practitioners of the ’Ba’ ra ba bKa’ brgyud tradition. But not only this important
work by Yang dgon pa was arranged as a trilogy (skor gsum). Also rJe ’Ba’ ra
ba, incarnation of Yang dgon pa who stood in the transmission lineage of these
teachings, wrote and divided some of his teachings into such trilogies. This raises
the question why they preferred to group their writings into three parts, whether
this is intentional or rather coincidental.
According to the catalogue (dkar chag) of rJe ’Ba’ ra ba’s writings in gSer
phreng / a and gSer phreng / b, he wrote five trilogies:19
18
Compare gSer phreng / a, vol. 2: 66.4–6; dgung lo bcu dgu la/ don gyi slad du mtshan nas smos
te/ bla ma rin chen dpal bzang po zhes pa’i mkhas btsun bzang gsum ’dzom pa des mkhan po mdzad/
’dul ba ’dzin pa slob dpon grub mchod pas las slob mdzad/ dge slong bsod nams dpal gyis gsang don
mdzad/ dge slong bzod pa la sogs pa dad pa’i dge ’dun grangs dang mtshan nyid tshang ba’i drung du/
bsnyen par rdzogs. For further information on the different persons who partake in an ordination,
see Pahlke 2012: 63, 152.
19
The hagiography (rnam thar) of rJe ’Ba’ ra ba in gSer phreng / a and gSer phreng / b was written by
Blo gros rin chen, a disciple of rJe ’Ba’ ra ba. Another catalogue of collected writings was published
in the last of the fourteen volumes of rJe ’ba’ ra ba chen po rgyal mtshan dpal bzang gi bka’ ’bum:
A Tibetan Encyclopedia of Buddhist Scholasticism [= bKa’ ’bum]. It was written by O rgyan Ngag
dbang ye shes dpal bzang (1700–1760), a native from Mang yul Gung thang, belonging to the ’Jam
[dpal] gling [pa] family of sKyid grong, and an important master within the ’Ba’ ra ba transmission
lineage. In his catalogue, these texts are part of the theoretical or philosophical writings (gzhung)
of rJe ’Ba’ ra ba, belonging to the “Further texts related to the exegesis of Buddhist thought.” Ngag
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Marlene Erschbamer
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
Trilogy of exposition of what has been implied (dgongs bshad skor gsum)
Trilogy of jewels (nor bu skor gsum)
Trilogy of putting [the teachings] into practice (lag len skor gsum)
Trilogy of profound meaning of Mantra (sngags don zab mo skor gsum)
Trilogy of the essence (snying po skor gsum)
Furthermore, the verse exegesis of central Buddhist thought by rJe ’Ba’ ra ba, called
ar pa ’jug pa’i gru bo zab don kyi gter mdzod, is also known under the short title
ar gru skor gsum, that is Boat [towards] Liberation Trilogy or Boat [by which one
enters the] Liberation Trilogy.20 The teachings of rJe ’Ba’ ra ba are denoted as a
trilogy, for example, in the hagiography of Nam mkha’ seng ge (14th / 15th cent.),
the heart disciple of rJe ’Ba’ ra ba.21
dbang ye shes dpal bzang did not group these teachings into trilogies as in the catalogue by Blo gros
rin chen. Whereas the different texts contained in the catalogue of the bKa’ ’bum are accessible, gSer
phreng / a just gives a catalogue. Some of the texts found in the catalogue of gSer phreng / a can be
assigned to texts in bKa’ ’bum, but not all of them; see Erschbamer 2017: 51–86.
20
Here again is an image of a river, as mentioned in the introduction: the boat takes you from one
side to the other, and liberation is the ultimate goal or final destination of the boat trip. Yet, rGod
tshang ras chen (1482–1559), one of the most famous disciples of the Holy Madman from gTsang
(1452–1507), named the texts concerning rJe ’Ba’ ra ba three or six cycles (bskor gsum pa’am drug);
see Ehrhard 2010a: 138, n. 17. For further readings on the Madman from gTsang see, among others,
Larsson 2012. The madman from dBus, Kun dga’ bzang po (1458–1532), as well as the aforementioned
rGod tshang ras chen, transmitted the doctrines of the Great Seal and the Six Doctrines of Nāropa
according to the interpretation of rJe ’Ba’ ra ba; see Ehrhard 2010a: 136–138, 2010b: 223.
21
The cycle of teachings is called sKyes mchog chen po’i zab chos mthar par ’jug pa’i gru bo skor
gsum in gSer phreng / a, vol. 2: 240.2 and in gSer phreng / b, vol. 27: 241.2, and they are called ar gru
skor gsum in Legs bshad nor bu’i gter mdzod: 170. Nam mkha’ seng ge (14th / 15th cent.) was born in a
place called Zam phu in the Shangs valley. He took his first vows under rJe ’Ba’ ra ba, who also gave
him the name Nam mkha’ seng ge. rJe ’Ba’ ra ba bestowed numerous empowerments on him, as
well as reading-transmissions, and instructions (dbang lung khrid), especially on the ar gru skor
gsum. He stayed at different practice sites, such as the mountain hermitage dPal ri, and Don grub
sding[s], the monastic seat of the ’Ba’ ra ba tradition. Both places were strongly connected with his
main teacher rJe ’Ba’ ra ba, who used to stay at the hermitage of dPal ri during the summer and
at the monastery Don grub sding[s] at ’Ba’ ra brag, his home region in the Shangs valley, during
the winter. Later in his life, Nam mkha’ seng ge established the monastery of sGron ma sding[s] in
Rong, where he started his teaching activities. He taught, among others, the two ’Ba’ ra ba masters
Byang sems chen po Kun dga’ chos rgyal (1353–1449) and mKhas grub Mon rdzong ras chen zla ba
rgyal mtshan (1418–1506). Kun dga’ chos rgyal had first studied under rJe ’Ba’ ra ba. When, in the
second half of his life, the latter left Tibet and went to Bhutan, Kun dga’ chos rgyal studied with
Nam mkha’ seng ge, the heart disciple of rJe ’Ba’ ra ba. Kun dga’ chos rgyal acted for many years as
abbot of the monastery Don grub sding[s] in the Shangs valley before he went to Rong and stayed
at the monastery of sGron ma sding[s]. Mon rdzong ras chen, on the other hand, being a native from
Rong, went to the monastery of sGron ma sding[s] in his early years, where he studied under Nam
mkha’ seng ge. After having lived for about ninety years, Nam mkha’ seng ge passed away in his
monastery sGron ma sding[s]; see gSer phreng / a, vol. 2: 236–247; gSer phreng / b, vol. 27: 237–248;
Legs bshad nor bu’i gter mdzod: 170–171; and Ehrhard 2009: 191.
Learning, Discipline, and Nobility
197
Additionally, even if not explicitly indicated as a trilogy in the title, the entire
collected writings of rJe ’Ba’ ra ba are grouped into three major parts. The sections
are not named identically in gSer phreng / a and bKa’ ’bum, but they are grouped
into similar sections:
(1) Cycle of theoretical or philosophical writings (gzhung yig)
(2) Cycle of the explanatory texts regarding the profound teachings (khrid)
(3) Cycle of supplemental writings (zur ’debs lhan thabs)22
Thus, it can be suggested that it was common to arrange scriptures as trilogies.
A further well-known example of a trilogy is the Do ha skor gsum, assigned to
the Indian mahāsiddha Saraha, who played an important role among the different
bKa’ brgyud traditions. Although it is controversial if Saraha really composed a
trilogy consisting of the Treasury of Couplets of King, Queen, and People, the Do
ha skor gsum, or whether just the People dohā is authentic, a transmission lineage
developed from exactly such a trilogy by Saraha in Tibet. As we learn in texts
dealing with the life of rJe ’Ba’ ra ba, he received the Do ha skor gsum, the three
cycles of dohā literature, at Shug gseb.23 To that day, the authenticity of Saraha’s
trilogy might have been already accepted within the bKa’ brgyud traditions and
it might have served as a model to arrange the own scriptures as trilogies.24 And
yet, another connection between transmitted texts of Saraha and the ’Ba’ ra ba
bKa’ brgyud tradition exists: the tradition of spiritual songs, which may be traced
back via Mar pa to Saraha and his dohā literature.25 Besides the importance of the
22
See gSer phreng / a, vol. 2: 156.3–5 and bKa’ ’bum, vol. 14: 447.1–2. The first two cycles are mentioned in both catalogues, the one in gSer phreng / a and the one in bKa’ ’bum, labeled as philosophical writings (gzhung) and explanatory texts (khrid). The third cycle is named “Cycle of the precious
practice” (nyams su len pa sgrub pa’i lag len rin po che’i bskor) in gSer phreng / a, whereas it is called
“Cycle of supplemental writings” (zur ’debs lhan thabs) in bKa’ ’bum.
23
See gSer phreng / a, vol. 2: 85.6–87.5; rNam mgur / a: 9v.7–10r.3, 10v.3; rNam mgur / b: 10v.1–4,
11r.4; and Erschbamer 2017: 35. On the controversy about Saraha’s trilogy see Guenther 1969: 13–
15; 1993: 9–11; Jackson 2004: 7–8; and Schaeffer 2005: 59–60, 71–78. For further readings on Saraha
see also Braitstein 2011 and 2014. On the different mahāsiddha see Linrothe 2006.
24
See Schaeffer 2013: 204. In 1509, for instance, sNyug la Paṇ chen Ngag dbang grags pa (1458–
1515) was urged by the Holy Madmen of dBus, Kun dga’ bzang po (1458–1532), to make xylographic
prints, among others, of the Do ha skor gsum; see Ehrhard 2010b: 239. The Do ha skor gsum also
played an important role among the holy madmen of Tibet. The Holy Madman of dBus listed these
teachings as being characteristic among the bKa’ brgyud traditions. Furthermore, they influenced
his own lifestyle; see DiValerio 2015: 30–31, 89, 91.
25
The tradition of spiritual songs is of course not only found within the ’Ba’ ra ba tradition but also
within many other branches of the bKa’ brgyud pa; see Schaeffer 2013: 203–204. A great number of
spiritual songs disseminated by rJe ’Ba’ ra ba are accessible; see rNam mgur / a and rNam mgur / b.
His incarnation Nam mkha’ rgyal mtshan (1475–1530) also sang many spiritual songs on different
occasions in order to give spiritual advice and thus to benefit others; see mGur ’bum / a and mGur
’bum / b for these songs. Other members of the ’Ba’ ra ba transmission lineage also composed such
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siddhadohā literature within the different branches of the bKa’ brgyud tradition
and thus also of the ’Ba’ ra ba bKa’ brgyud pa, there is a further link between
Saraha and rJe ’Ba’ ra ba. The incarnation line of rJe ’Ba’ ra ba goes back to Yang
dgon pa, Bla ma Zhang g.Yu brag pa (1123–1193), and the Indian brahmin Saraha.26
rJe ’Ba’ ra ba received the Do ha skor gsum as well as the Ri chos skor gsum,
which might have inspired him to arrange his works similarly as a trilogy, in accordance with his predecessors.
5. Concluding Remarks
This study contributes to the little-known tradition of the ’Ba’ ra ba bKa’ brgyud pa,
particularly to its founding father, rJe ’Ba’ ra ba rGyal mtshan dpal bzang po, and
his spiritual father Zur phug pa. In this context, learning, discipline, and nobility
(mkhas btsun bzang gsum) are the three good qualities of a teacher but also steps
to become a good teacher oneself. rJe ’Ba’ ra ba completed these qualities under
the ’Brug pa master Zur phug pa, who reached the highest degree of a scholar and
became known as omniscient (kun mkhyen) Zur phug pa.
The present study intends to show that lineages include continuation but also
a natural process of change. Moreover, they are fluid, transmissions being handed
over from teacher to disciple, from one generation to the following. rJe ’Ba’ ra ba
not only had close relations with Zur phug pa but was also connected to the Indian mahāsiddha Saraha via two lineages: (1) through a transmission lineage and
(2) through an incarnation lineage. rJe ’Ba’ ra ba was the fourth in his line of incarnations going back to Yang dgon pa, Bla ma Zhang, and further back to Saraha. He
received the Ri chos skor gsum by Yang dgon pa from his main teacher Zur phug
pa as well as the Do ha skor gsum by Saraha from other teachers. These scriptures
might have served as a model, which inspired him to arrange his works similarly
as a trilogy, in accordance with his predecessors. rJe ’Ba’ ra ba himself composed
a verse exegesis of central Buddhist thought, the Boat [towards] Liberation Trilogy
songs, which are included in their hagiographies instead of collected in a separate corpus. For further
reading on Nam mkha’ rgyal mtshan see Ehrhard 2000: 51–55; Ehrhard 2009: 193; Erschbamer 2017:
87–114. Furthermore, the Holy Madman of gTsang listed Buddhist masters who stood in a tradition
of songs (mgur) in his catalogue. This list also comprises the Indian Saraha and rJe ’Ba’ ra ba; see
Larsson and Quintman 2015: 101–105.
26
The first Karma pa Dus gsum mkhyen pa (1110–93) and Gling ras pa Padma rdo rje (1128–1288),
who is regarded as the founding figure of the ’Brug pa bKa’ brgyud tradition, were also regarded
as incarnation of Saraha. Thus, it was quite common among the different bKa’ brgyud traditions
to legitimise an incarnation lineage by connecting it to Saraha; see, among others, Schaeffer 2005:
50. Miller also refers to the close ties of the bKa’ brgyud traditions to Saraha and to the siddhadohā
literature; see Miller 2005: 307.
Learning, Discipline, and Nobility
199
(ar gru skor gsum). The image of a boat towards liberation resembles the river images of the pre-Socratic Greek philosopher Heraclitus of Ephesus, whose famous
aphorism panta rhei means everything flows.
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Marlene Erschbamer
Fig. 1. Depictions of teacher Zur phug pa (left) and disciple rJe ’Ba’ ra ba (right) from Chos spyod
yid bzhin nor bu’i gter mdzod, in bKa’ ’bum, Vol. 10 (tbrc w19975), fol. 477.
Fig. 2. Statues of teacher Zur phug pa (left) and his disciple rJe ’Ba’ ra ba (right) at the ’Ba’ ra ba
monastery of sPa phyug (Papyuk), East Sikkim, India, 2014 (Photos: M. Erschbamer).