Pilgrimage Guide of the Tibetan Buddhist
Holy Mountain Brag dkar sprel rdzong
Nakza Drolma (Zhuoma)
(Qinghai Normal University, Xining, 810008)
I. Introduction
pilgrimage guide (gnas yig) is a guidebook to a sacred
place. It gives directions and information about specific
routes of Buddhist holy sites. The guides are often written by great religious specialists like yogis and masters.
The texts are usually composed for pilgrims so that they could locate
the sites. There are important written descriptions about the sacred
places. Pilgrimage guides are considered to be a special literature
genre (e.g. Wylie 1965, Dowman 1988, Cobezón 1996). A number of
scholars in the West have studied pilgrimage guides to Tibetan Buddhist holy places (e.g. Filibeck 1988, Buffetrille 1997, Huber 1997,
Macdonald 1997).
Brag dkar sprel rdzong Mountain, also known as Sprel rdzong
Mountain, is considered a Buddhist holy mountain (gnas ri). It is one
of the three holy places in Qinghai; the other two are Kokonor Lake to
the north and A myes rma chen Mountain to the south. These three
holy places are said to be the embodiment of the three holy places: Ti
se Mountain, Ma pham g.yu mtsho Lake and Tsa ri Mountain in Tibet. Thus, these three holy places in Qinghai follow the pilgrimage
tradition of those in Tibet, according to which Brag dkar sprel rdzong
is said to be the second Tsa ri Mountain. The degrees of blessings received in these three places are considered to be equal to those of the
three holy places in Tibet. The most auspicious and benevolent year
for Sprel rdzong Mountain, like Tsa ri, falls in the Year of the Monkey,
according to the lunar calendar. The Year of the Monkey is known as
the ‘Great Pilgrimage’ (gnas ’dus). Such auspicious years attract a
large number of pilgrims to the mountain.
The object of the present research is a Tibetan text belonging to the
literary genre of the gnas yig. It is the guide to the holy place of Brag
dkar sprel rdzong Mountain, the mountain hermitage of Zhabs dkar
tshogs drug rang drol(1781–1851). The author of this text is 'Bri gung
dbu smyon chos kyi grags pa. The manuscript was found in
Bragdgon pa stan pa rab rgyas’s (1801–?) religious history book of A
A
Nakza Drolma, “Pilgrimage Guide of the Tibetan Buddhist Holy Mountain Brag dkar sprel
rdzong”, Revue d’Etudes Tibétaines, no. 48, Avril 2019, pp. 170-183.
Pilgrimage Guide of Brag dkar sprel rdzong
171
mdo Mdo smad chos 'byung, and was completed in 1865. The current
text is from Mdo smad chos 'byung (1982: 317-321). The dimensions of
the folios are 210 mm x 285 mm. The text is versified. Except the information provided by the name of the author, there is no other indication of his background in terms of lineage and tradition. The first
part of his name bears 'Bri gung, which is the name of 'Bri gung lineage of the Bka' rgyud pa School of Tibetan Buddhism. In her guidebook translation, Two Guidebooks to Ti se and La phyi, Filibeck writes,
“the 'Bri gung pas, follow the practice of meditating in the hermitages
in the mountains since Phag mo gru pa” (1110-1170) (Filibeck 1988: 7).
The author also mentions 'Bri gung 'jig rten mgon po (1143-1217), the
founder of 'Bri gung pa Sect. He writes in the pilgrimage guide the
master’s image is naturally formed at the site. It could be assumed
that the author of this gnas yig to Brag dkar sprel rdzong Mountain
had some associations with the 'Bri gung lineage in Central Tibet. In
his translation work The Life of Shabkar, Ricard mentions the birth and
death dates of the author 1597-1659 (Ricard 2001:204). According to
his research, the pilgrimage guide was written in the early 17th century.
In the author’s time, 'Bri gung pas still played active roles in the
veneration of holy mountains. That lineage held the tradition of sending hermits to the mountains. It was a very common practice for the
hermits to make their sacred journeys to various holy places across
Tibetan cultural geography. Thus, it is possible the author of the pilgrimage guide to Brag dkar sprel rdzong made his journey from central Tibet to Amdo, and composed the text.
Unlike the pilgrimage guides of the three holy places Ti se, La phyi
and Tsa ri, which are widely known to scholars, the pilgrimage guide
to Brag dkar sprel rdzong is little known. Mathew Ricard only translated its first two verses in his introduction to Brag dkar sprel rdzong
Mountain, where Zhabs dkar tshogs drug rang grol meditated before
his sacred journey to Central Tibet.
II. A Brief Analysis of the Pilgrimage Guide
1. Forms and Purposes of the Text
Pilgrimage guides are a special Tibetan Buddhist literature genre. Such
texts often have their own forms and purposes, particularly pilgrimage
guides to holy mountains. The more detailed pilgrimage guides contain
the origins of the gnas (places), the characteristics of the gnas, the process of opening the gnas sgo (door of a place) which leads to the pilgrimage routes for circumambulation around the holy mountains, de-
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scriptions of specific pilgrimage routes, and the benefits of circumambulating the gnas.1 The content of the texts often reflects the author’s
background and the school he follows. The purposes of the writing
transcend mere guides for the pilgrims and serve the purposes of elevation and propagation of a religious school.
The pilgrimage guide to Brag dkar sprel rdzong follows the aforementioned forms. The first verses deal with the origin of the gnas, in
which the narrative traces to the enlightened master Padmasambhava,2
the Guru Rinpoche, who “comes” to the holy mountain to subdue the
local gods and spirits. Gods, nagas, gnyan, btsan, semi-gods and srin po
are common motifs in pilgrimage guides. These “non-Buddhist” gods
and spirits play major roles in local human affairs. Tibetans worship
territorial gods and beseech them for various worldly needs and wishes. The rituals practiced for such mountain gods belong to the yul lha zhi
bdag category of popular religion, which differs from the gnas ri type of
mountain as the former is merely concerned with worldly affairs and
remaining in the cycle of saṃsāra, while the latter seeks eternal liberation.3 The narration from this text shows spiritual beings as opponents
to the master Padmasambhava, who is the emanation of the white
dharma (dkar po chos), Buddhism. The subjugation of local gods and
srinpo by Padmasambhava includes the mountain god Gnyan sprel
zlaba chen po, and some other adjacent territorial gods.
In terms of the characteristics of the gnas, the narrative points out
that Brag dkar sprel rdzong Mountain is the second Tsa ri Mountain.
Tsari is considered to be one of the three most important holy places of
‘Bri gung pa, one of the twenty-four prominent Buddhist holy locations,
and the palace of ‘Khor lo sdom pa’. The narrative says its blessings are
equal to that of Tsa ri Mountain. Next, the guide to Brag dkar sprel
rdzong shows that the mountain plays an important role among the
bordering regions.
Regarding the process of opening the gnas sgo, the text is mainly
concerned with the confrontation of the master Padmasambhava with
those outer unruly autochthonous forces and empowerment of the
place. The master subdues them through his magical power; he converts the mountain god Gnyan sprel zla ba chen po into dharma protec1
2
See Slob dpon bso nams bzang po ,1982; D. R. Filibeck, Elena ,1988.
He is the master from Oḍḍiyāna who, along with Śāntarakṣita and King Khri
srong lde btsan, formally established Buddhism in Tibet during the 8 century. In
particular, he is renowned for his suppression and conversion of malevolent spirits and hostile non-Buddhist forces, as well as for introducing Tibet many oral
transmissions and the texts of Mahāyoga and Atiyoga. To practitioners of the
Rnying ma School and all those who follow the practices of Mahāyoga and Atiyoga, he is revered as a ‘second Buddha’.
th
3
Karmay 1998:433.
Pilgrimage Guide of Brag dkar sprel rdzong
173
tor,4 along with other mountain gods like his consort Brang dmar ma,
and the adjacent territorial god A myes rma chen. As a superior hero,
this tantric master then bestows his blessings over the landscape by
praying, hiding treasures and leaving imprints of his feet on the rocks.
Finally, he takes control of the mountain, and its access is open to the
Buddhist devotees for ritual practice.
The next parts of the pilgrimage guides deal with the descriptions
of specific pilgrimage routes on the mountain, which are the main objective of the text. Objects on these routes include naturally formed
Buddhist deities, holy icons and materials like stones, earth and water.
It is believed that these objects and materials are sacred; one gets blessings when seeing or touching them.
The last verses of the text focus on the circumambulation of the holy
mountain. According to the text, there are three circumambulation
paths around the mountain: the outer path, known as phyi skor, the
middle and inner circumambulation paths (respectively, bar skor and
nang skor). The narrative describes the length of these paths, as well as
the four directions, the four lakes, and the four corners of the mountain
gods. Then the author concludes the gnas yig by pointing out that he
dares not describe the benefits of circumambulation because he is afraid
he might not be able to explain them clearly and the words he would
need to use might be too complicated.
2. Types of Pilgrimage Routes
The narrative shows several types of pilgrimage routes based on the
characteristics of each gnas sgo. One way of categorizing pilgrimage
routes is determined by their origins, explained in the myth of the great
tantric master Padmasambhava’s empowering over the mountain, and
subduing the unruly autochthonous forces. This type of gnas sgo is described in the first verses of the pilgrimage guide. It is the most important pilgrimage route of the holy mountain.
The other categorization of pilgrimage routes is based on one’s cognitive ranking. Most people who visit the sacred mountain Brag dkar
sprel rdzong as pilgrims are described as falling into two classes, which
are “excellent persons” or “saints” (skyes bu rab), and “ordinary persons” (skyes bu phal ba). This classification of the pilgrims is derived
from Buddhist conceptions of a person’s karma, cause and effect. One’s
capability of seeing some of the special pilgrimage places is based on
the merits one accumulated in both his previous lives and the present
one. The karma ascribes a pilgrim ranking as “pure” (dag pa) or “impure
beings” (ma dag pa). These two cognitive rankings determine two types
4
See Nebesky, 1975.
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of pilgrimage routes. The first one includes the physical obvious pilgrimage routes that everyone is able to see and venerate. This type of
pilgrimage routes includes Padmasambhava’s Cave and the Holy Water. The other routes involve tantric visionary interpretation, which can
only be envisioned by the “excellent persons” through their pure vision. The narrative shows a number of such pilgrimage routes where
one can envision the presence of celestial realms, meditational deities,
and other divine beings and sacred objects. For example, the text goes:
“On the right side of that (referring to the previous pilgrimage route),
on the wall of the cave, hold the torchlight above the footprint, look up
from below the maṇḍala, [in] the marvellous Dharmadhātu Palace of
Akaniṣṭha, the Five Buddha Families dwell at the centre and in the
four directions. The Five Families of the Most Supreme dwell at the
centre and in the intermediate directions. There are different
perceptions of them……” “Then walk out and at the path of the
doorway, entering the narrow Bardo5 Passage on the right, will calm
the fears in the intermediate state later. There are numerous entrances
to holy sites here and there on the rocks. And there are many treasures
at those [sites], the fortune to be able to see [them] depends on one’s
karma.”
Another way of viewing the pilgrimage routes is to classify them according to the three levels of the universe. The notion of the “three levels” (sa gsum) traces to Buddhist tantric interpretations, in which Buddhist holy mountains are considered to be the abode of a high-class
deity. Those mountains often have twenty-four pilgrimage routes
matching the twenty-four rtsa of the deity’s body. The twenty-four sites
are divided into three sets of eight, which form a “three levels” (sa
gsum) organization of space: upper (sky), middle (earth) and lower
(underground) spaces. Each set of eight sites is respectively known as
“the eight gnas of celestial action” (mkha’ la sbyod pa’i gnas brgyad), “the
eight gnas of action on earth” (sa la sbyod pa’i gnas brgyad), and “the
eight gnas of action underground” (sa ‘og na sbyod pa’i gnas brgyad ).
The narrative of the pilgrimage guide to Brag dkar sprel rdzong does
not clarify the eight sets. However, there are quite a number of pilgrimage routes that reflects these three levels. One is those routes of celestial
realms and meditational deities belonging to the category of the eight
gnas of celestial action. There are several pilgrimage routes that show
such type of gnas sgo. The other type is the ones on earth including
great masters and holy waters. The last type of the pilgrimage routes
are the ones underground. Such examples include the routes to the Bardo Passage, the Lord of Death, and the Three Lower Realms. Although it
5
Bardo indicates an interval or intermediate period of experience between death
and rebirth.
Pilgrimage Guide of Brag dkar sprel rdzong
175
is uncertain whether every pilgrimage route matches to one of the set of
eight sites, from those examples above we can see the narrative at least
follows the tradition of the “three levels” in composing the text.
In conclusion, this text plays an important role in the making of
that mountain into an acknowledged holy place as it explains the
blessings found on that holy mountain. The text is one of the earliest
written sources about that holy mountain and a central guide on pilgrimage practice. This pilgrimage guide represents unique Tibetan
Buddhist literary tradition that opens for both the intellectuals and
lay people. As a traditional written text, the manuscript has a significant position in local history and literary contribution.
III. Translation of the Pilgrimage with subtitles
In the following translation, I divide the verses into 51 sections and
put 18 subtitles based on the completeness of their meaning.
[1. Opening of the site and taming of the srin spirits]
1.
2.
3.
4.
In this degeneration age, Guru Padmasambhava himself, will
go to Lake Khri gshog rgyal mo. In the middle of the G.yer
mo thang, at the shore, [he] subdue the nine vow-breaking
siblings. There [he] hide many treasures of sādhana and
Dharma, [and] opened gates to sacred places and the Dharma.
Then at dusk and dawn, a srin po with a long mane of blood,
[and] a srin mo with nasty fangs, [and] their seven children,
escaped and stayed at Sprel rdzong brag.
When] meditating in the cave, while the Master will remain
in a state of samādhi, of blazing enchantment and destruction,
the Rakshasis will block the top entrance of the cave with a
rock. [Padmasambhava] descended from above brandishing
[his] vajra. Even though remaining in a state of samādhi, on
the left side of the 'Dus mo rdzong, on the upper part of the
rock, appeared as if a blasting fire, there is a dimming rocky
shelter, [the demon] retreated to the border. [Padmasambhava] struck with the thunderbolt too, [and] destroyed [him]
like the dust of dew. There are traces of such liberation, the
faces of male and female demons and so on; vivid evidence
can be found today.
The srin po gave up evil wishes. Because of that reason, in the
future, some people will be reborn by the srin po, [and]
preach the Dharma and spells, immoralities harmful to the
Doctrine, all kinds of unpleasant things [they] will commit,
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the red-handed butchers will occupy some countries. As an
antidote for controlling such incidents, the master stayed at
Yang rdzong Cave, of Sprel rdzong brag dkar.
[2. Binding the mountain god under oath]
5.
In the palace of Rdo rje klo dkar, during his meditation, a
being, who has a human body, and a monkey’s head appeared, and said ‘I am the guardian of this place’. [Padmasambhava] bound under oath the guardian of this place.
Thereby, making [him] the protector of the Doctrine. [He]
gave empowerment, bound [him] in an oath and gave [him]
a name G.nyan sprel zla ba chen po.
[3. Hiding treasures and leaving imprints of
Padmasambhava’s feet on the rocks]
6.
7.
Then Padmasambhava prayed and wished, that future harm
will not come from the demon. [He] hid many treasures and
other things. When [Padmasambhava] made the offering
cake, [he] performed the dance and so on, the imprints of his
feet emerged on the rocks in great number, [and he] left his
footprints on the rocks in four directions.
This Sprel rdzong brag dkar, where three valleys meet, was
the place where [Padmasambhava] conquered the demon in
the past; [therefore it is] the holiest among the border-taming
regions.6
[4. Guide to the holy place of Rdo rje klo dkar gsal ba and other deities]
8.
6
In the supreme holy place of Rdo rje klo dkar gsal ba, Five
Families and the seed in the manner of avadhūtī, rasanā and
lalanā, three bodies [and] six syllables that block the door of
rebirth, the self-manifested Gurusiddhi rise in relief. Inside,
at the upper half, is the shrine room of the enlightened ones.
When entering it, take off ornaments and wear light clothes,
go inside holding a butter lamp and torch. And look above to
the open space, [there one can see] Cakrasaṃvara,
Guhyasamāja, Hevajra and Yamāntaka and others. And the
maṇḍalas of the four classes of tantras are presented in relief.
Here the bordering region refers to Amdo, the area where the mountain of Brag
dkar sprel rdzong is located, is the bordering region between Inner Mongolia and
the north-eastern part of Tibet.
Pilgrimage Guide of Brag dkar sprel rdzong
177
[5. Guide to the pure crystal cave]
9.
Coming out from there and going to the left, there is the
crystal cave of -the Pure Glory. Go in there with a lighted
butter lamp and a torch. In the pure paradise of Khecara and
the magnificent Cāritra, open miraculously formed divine
palace, [that] naturally emerged in relief. There are four big
ravines and four lakes, all self-manifested, [and] an assembly
of two thousand and eight hundred divine beings in relief.
At the summit, four animal-headed ḍākiṇī and so forth are
clearly visible, the gates of lower rebirths are blocked merely
by seeing them.
[6. Guide to the cave of Garuḍa and other holy places surrounding it]
10.
11.
12.
13.
7
8
Then come out, like before, with a butter lamp, light a torch
at the end of a long cane of a wood, and go up to the third
floor, there’s the Garuḍa,7 the emanation of the mind of the
Enlightened One, raising [its] head and hovering in the sky,
small horns are adorned with a wish-fulfilling jewel, on seeing the jewel, the sufferings of poverty will be dispelled.
Wings are stretched out to the right and left, and the feet, tail
feathers and so on are clearly visible. By merely seeing
[them], one will recover from various, malevolent diseases
caused by nāgas and the lord of the earth.
To the right side of the Garuḍa are one thousand statues of
the Buddha; to [the] left is the 'Bri gung ‘jig rten gsum mgon.
On the right side of that, on the wall of the cave, hold the
torchlight above the footprint, look up from below the
maṇḍala, [in] the marvellous Dharmadhātu Palace of
Akaniṣṭha, the Five Buddha Families dwell at the centre and
in the four directions. The Five Families of the Most Supreme
dwell at the centre and in the intermediate directions. There
are different perceptions of them.
On the rock face outside the cave, Padmasambhava from
Oḍḍiyāna8 resides clearly.
A mythological bird normally depicted with an owl-like sharp beak, often holding a snake, and with large and powerful wings. In tantric Buddhism, the Garuḍa
is associated with Vajrapāṇi and certain wrathful forms of Padmasambhava, and
may symbolize the trans-mutative power which purifies certain malevolent influences.
Oḍḍiyāna is the name of an ancient kingdom, probably in the remote north-west
of the Indian subcontinent, where a large corpus of tantric literature is said to
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14.
15.
16.
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On the left side are eight teachings with the appearance like
a box, adorned with the dharma wheel, umbrella and top. A
hundred families of peaceful and wrathful supreme deities
dwell clearly.
To the left are ten wrathful deities and so on dwell clearly.
To its left, Shri Devi dwells vividly.
In the innermost corner of the cave is a sādhana spring of
Oḍḍiyāna; drinking from and bathing in it will purify diseases, evil spirits, sins and defilements. In this cave, the
doors to the three holy sites are located.
[7. Guide to the maṇḍala of the eighty spheres of stag sgrol]
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
Next go out and reach the gate, and on the right and left. On
the outer walls on the sides of the gate are the Four Great
Kings. To one side, in the valley on the left, there is a cave
with an entrance facing to the southeast, looking up above it,
there is the maṇḍala of the eighty spheres of stag sgrol.
To the right side of the door is a precious elephant. Above
the entrance is the eleven-faced Avalokiteśvara, [and] Padmasambhava [in his manifestation] as the Twisted Nectar
and, the venerable Acalā and others are clearly manifested.
On the corner are Amitāyus,Vajravārāhī and so forth clearly
manifested.
At the corner of the entrance, knock on the door with a stone
in a careful manner, the sound reaches all the heavenly
realms; it is the same as visiting. Looking to the upper steps
from the corner [of the entrance], Avalokiteśvara and Supreme Attribute are clearly visible, [and] Supreme Rāhula
and others are manifested clearly [as well]. The entrances to
the holy place will be opened one time.
On the platform attached to the entrance, Marba, the translator, the enlightened sages and others are clearly visible.
On the middle of the doorway, there is a stone, with Padmasambhava’s footprint, please venerate it!
[8. Guide to the shady side of Brag dkar sprel rdzong Mountain]
23.
Then on the shady side [of the mountain] there is a cave,
with the entrance facing the north; go there carrying a torchlight and butter lamp. There is the alms bowl of Guru Padhave been propagated in the human world for the first time. The land of
Oḍḍiyāna is associated with the great tantric master Padmasambhava in particular (Coleman 1994: 355).
Pilgrimage Guide of Brag dkar sprel rdzong
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
179
masambhava, on which self-manifested Sanskrit syllables are
visible. At the beginning of the eon (bskal ba), the opening
was [turned] up, after that, in the middle of the eon, it was
lying [with the opening to the side].At the present eon of degeneration, it is turned upside down. Signs of time and the
world ages and so on are visible on it.
If one goes further, one can see a pond in the plain. When
ascending from down there, one can see a feast and offerings
bestowed by ḍākiṇīs. In front of this, appears like a throne of
Oḍḍiyāna, illuminate it with a torch underneath, on a treasure chest, treasure letters are visible.
Then walk on to the wall to the left side, there is a crystal
rock with a turquoise colour, above the centre of it is the
Medicine Buddha’s, lapis lazuli (vaiḍurya) alms bowl with
four sides, filled with various jewels and medicine, and gold
and silver are stuffed inside the chest. It has been sealed with
seven layers. One will be liberated from hunger and diseases
by touching and seeing [them].
On the left side above there are self-manifested [images]
clearly visible in relief. There are the Eight Medicine Buddhas.The Medicine Buddha, the supreme healer of the three
poisons and diseases, liberating [one] from the four hundred
and four diseases.
After that, go up to the summit of the cave, enter the small
cave located there, in all directions self-manifested [images
of] assembly of divinities dwell, those who have accumulated pure karma will be able to see them, while they are difficult to perceive for the ordinary ones.
Then come out and on the left side, there is a cave entrance
facing southeast. Bring a bright torch there. On the right side
of the path, on the surface of the rock, Vajrakīla and Sixteen
phur ba Protectors are manifested.
Then when gradually going upwards, if someone familiar
[with the place] observes the surface on the left, there are
temples and celestial palaces, archways, porches, four pillars
and so on clearly visible.
In the centre of the visible wheels, there are umbrellas and
victory banners, and the Sixteen Arhats are spontaneously
present. The Four Great Guardian Kings stay at the gate,
Along the path to the cave is the bosom of the wishing cow,
for the fortunate ones milk is really available; when consumed by whomever, all desired wishes for this life time will
be granted.
Walking to the end, at the distance of three arm-spans, water
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flows in summer and the path cannot be crossed. It is only
possible to cross in autumn and winter. There are some
treasures and entrances to the holy sites.
[9. Guide to the bardo passage]
33.
Then walk out and at the path of the doorway, entering the
narrow Bardo Passage on the right, will calm the fears in the
intermediate state later. There are numerous entrances to holy sites here and there on the rocks. And there are many
treasures at those [sites], the fortune to be able to see [them]
depends on one’s karma.
[10. Guide to the cave of the Buddha Maitreya and the Eight Bodhisattvas]
34.
When arriving at the door of this sacred place in the east,
there are rocky hills on either side of the entrance, resembling white silk curtains stretched and between [them]. To
the right side, the sky is merely visible. There is a valley in
the south that leads towards the north, go there where there
is a cliff resembling a hoisted flag. There is a cave facing towards the south. Lighten the torch and go inside, there stand
the Buddha Maitreya and the Eight Bodhisattvas.
[11. Guide to the site of the ladder to liberation and the Buddha of
Avalokiteśvara]
35.
36.
37.
9
10
Then come out and go to the southern side, and if one takes
the path that is merely recognisable, one will see a white
rock looking like a hoisted flag in the west. To its side there is
a cave facing towards the east. Lighten a butter lamp and
look around, and the landscape of Sukhāvatī9 is clearly visible. On its surface are many self-manifested [images].
Come out and go along the circumambulation route to the
right, [one will see] a ladder with forty-nine rungs to heaven
and liberation. Every step will leave the cyclic saṃsāra behind.
When arriving there, on the left side of the rock, “Thee, noble
son, go to Sukhāvatī;” pray for Avalokiteśvara10’s prophecy
with devotion.
This term refers to the Pure land of the Buddha Amitābha.
Yama means the lord of death.
Pilgrimage Guide of Brag dkar sprel rdzong
181
[12. Guide to the cave of the victorious Vairocana]
38.
On the back side, between the meadow and rock entrance,
there is a cave entrance, lighten the butter lamp, [one will
see] Victorious Vairocana with eight bodhisattvas disciples
stand.
[13. Guide to the holy site of Padmasambhava’s footprints]
39.
When one returns to the path, one will see a fearsome black
rock, on which, the footprint of Padmasambhava from
Oḍḍiyāna is actually visible. If one goes upward from the
rock, on the foot of the rock, which upper part resembles a
blazing fire, there are destroyed faces of male and female
yamas11, and traces of eliminated demons and so forth.
[14. Guide to the cave of the three lower realms]
40.
There are three caves at the end of the circumambulation
path, entering there one will be liberated from [rebirth in] the
three lower realms.
[15. Guide to the meditation caves]
41.
42.
43.
44.
And then if one climbs to the upper peak, there are numerous extraordinary places for meditation. Padmasambhava
resides in the middle of the cave. There are remnants of an
altar, a drum and other things.
[In the] red rock, the precious crystal palace, the Five Families, Three Families and Supreme Hundred Families reside.
In the self-appeared immense palace, seven hundred and
twenty divinities of the eight sādhana teachings reside.
In other caves the divine abodes of the Five Families are present, countless manifestations of the assembly of deities reside [there], and the eight manifestations of the Guru [Padmasambhava] reside [there] clearly.
Outside there is the essence of the Lords of the Three Families and so on, [and] the self-manifested syllables and so on
clearly show. In the complete maṇḍala of the eight sādhana
teachings, [and] there are many treasure and holy places ful-
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Revue d'Etudes Tibétaines
ly encircled by chests. If those familiar with it look, they can
take [from the chests]. The white and red bodhicitta, the socalled sindhurā, [can be taken] as one’s wishes and needs.
The story can be found in the explanation of “The Explanatory Tantra”.
[16. Guide to routes of the Lord of Death and hells]
45.
Between the north and the west is the ladder to liberation. If
one could walk on three paths, one’s three obscurations
would be removed. Right below are the Lord of Death and,
hot and cold hells [with] the roaring sounds of demons.
[These can be] clearly found if an intelligent person examines.
[17. Guide to the Holy Waters]
46.
In the time of going on the pass should not change the departure. Beneath the mountain corner at the left side of the
entrance to the holy site, beneficial medicinal springs with
six tastes flow. Either drinking or bathing [there] will give
seventeen good qualities, without doubts [they] will wash
away diseases and evil spirits.
[18. Guide to the corner of Brag dkar sprel rdzong ]
47.
48.
49.
50.
51.
Then at the corner of the mountain [there are] handprints
and so on, and self-manifested syllables can be seen.
To the right there is [a mountain] called Chu bzang brag
dkar, a male mountain and the abode of heroes.
In a valley is Rma chen spom ra, and, footprints are visible;
[the deity] liberates human beings and livestock from epidemics.
To the left lies Spel mo brag, a female mountain and the
abode of heroines.
In the front is Zhing skyong ral ba can, to its left is his consort Brang dmar ma. Both the Father and Mother, are Dharma and Field Protectors.
v
References
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Pilgrimage Guide of Brag dkar sprel rdzong
183
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[8] Karmay Samten G. (1998) “The Cult of Mountain Deities and Its
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bzhi’i gnas mchog gangs dkar tise’i gsol ‘debs byin rlabs kyi
churgyun
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