The Zangs gling ma

The bKa' thang Zangs gling ma is the earliest full-length Tibetan hagiography of Padmasambhava. It therefore contains important depictions of Khri Srong lde brtsan, his motives for inviting the Indian master and their relationship while Padmasambhava was in Tibet. Nyang ral Nyi ma 'od zer (1124-1196) wrote it, though he claimed to have merely discovered it, buried for him by Padmasambhava in the eighth century. Such finds are known in Tibet

as gter ma, “discovered” treasure. They are more deeply revered than real treasure among certain religious communities there. Many Tibetans believe that Padmasambhava himself created almost all gter ma, whether religious objects, ritual texts or sacred histories, and buried them around the

Tibetan landscape for future masters to discover. Tradition calls these masters gter stons, “treasure discoverers.” Most Tibetologists, in contrast, doubt that Padmasambhava authored the gter ma biographies of his life. The texts themselves show signs of their gter stons' authorship rather than Padmasambhava's. I prefer to say that Nyi ma 'od zer, not Padmasambhava, wrote the Zangs gling ma.

mNga' bdag Nyang ral Nyi ma 'od zer (henceforth Nyang ral) was a member of the Nyang/Myang clan. His ancestry stretched back to the beginning of the empire under gNam ri sLong mtshan in the seventh century. A faithful monk-minister of Khri Srong lde btsan, called Ban de Myang Ting nge 'dzin, was praised in the ninth-century Zhwa-temple pillar inscription. The Myang clan therefore enjoyed a high status and practiced Buddhism from the early centuries of its introduction into Tibet. Since the Myang family received royal favour, the clan increased its geographical area of influence even after the fall of the dynasty. Starting from their power base in Myang, they then shared the sBrang mkhar sbre can area of g.Yo ru with another clan. Later they spread south to the lHo brag region of g.Yo ru, where Nyang ral was born.

Nyang ral revived the imperial legacy of both his family and religious lineage using the direct dynastic link offered by gter ma. His biography, the Dri med, describes him meeting the “mad man” sMyon pa don ldan, who declares:

Now there are before me many learned professors of Dharma and practitioners who are accepted as realized yogins. But [Nyang ral] your coming is like the rising of the sun in the sky, shining for the welfare of beings... Listen up, all you fortunate ones assembled here! The previous king of this border country is these days Nyang the younger, with retreat hair piled on his head (ral pa can ).

I doubt that this was how Nyang ral first discovered he was a reincarnation of a former dynastic king. Perhaps it constitutes a later justification of Nyang ral's claim to that status. Nevertheless, the benefit of this identification is obvious. The Dri med legitimises his religious practices by claiming that he possesses not only rediscovered dynastic texts but also the authority of a reincarnated dynastic king. Nyang ral becomes a flesh-

and-blood personification of the dynastic golden age. Furthermore, as the Dri med shows, he used his unique access to the Buddhist lineages held by Khri Srong lde btsan to find gter ma that the king had buried for his future reincarnation to find. Nyang ral's personal fame and that of his gter ma revelations propelled him to primary position among the greatest ever treasure discoverers, the five ‘kings (of) treasure' (gter rgyal).

The Narrative

Nyang ral wrote two similar historical depictions of Khri Srong lde brtsan. His gter ma hagiography of Padmasambhava is called the bKa’ thang Zangs gling ma (henceforth ZL), since Nyang ral claims to have discovered it in the copper temple (zangs gling) at bSam yas. ZL was perhaps influenced by the no longer extant, and probably quite short, chos ’byung by Rong zom pa Chos kyi bzang po (eleventh century), and Zhang ston bKra shis rdo rje's (1097-1167) more specific history of the Seminal Heart (snying thig) tradition, that purportedly included Myang Ting nge 'dzin.

Nyang ral's extensive history of how Dharma arose in Tibet is called the Chos ’byung Me tog snying po sbrang rtsi’i bcud (MTN). I suspect that Nyang ral wrote the history based in part on the hagiography, although MTN omits Padmasambhava's activities in India, before coming to Tibet. It also includes some other episodes in the life of Khri Srong lde brtsan, not present in ZL (see below). Here is a brief precis of their shared content:

Bodhisattva Manjusri incarnates as Khri Srong lde brtsan in order to establish Buddhism in Tibet and tame the savage Tibetan people. Light emanates from his heart and enters the womb of Khri lDe gtsug brtsan's wife, Queen Jincheng Gongzhu. Khri Srong lde brtsan is born with the marks of a ‘child of the gods' (lha’i bu). At twenty-one years of age, he aspires to practice the Dharma by building bSam yas Monastery. He invites Abbot Santaraksita

to tame the subterranean spirits around the construction site; but the Indian master fails to bring them under control. Santaraksita recommends Padamasmabhava from Uddiyana, a siddha who is more skilled in the Mantrayana. Padmasambhava arrives in Tibet and performs many miracles, eventually binding every Tibetan deity to an oath to protect Buddhism. The spirits help to build bSam yas, as do the wives of Khri Srong lde brtsan. Padmasambhava and Santaraksita consecrate the main shrine, and then ask to return home. The king implores them to stay and teach Buddhism for the good of Tibet. The two masters agree.

Tibetan and Indian scholars then work together to translate all the Buddhist scriptures from Sanskrit. Khri Srong lde brtsan sends two Tibetans, Nam mkha’i snying po and Vairocana, to search out new teachings in India and return with them to Tibet. Khri Srong lde brtsan rewards both for their success, but some jealous ministers conspire to remove them from court. Nam mkha’i snying po remains, but Vairocana is banished to Tsha ba rong, much

to the dismay of Khri Srong lde brtsan. The king invites another great abbot, Vimalamitra, who displays his disinterest in worldly status in a similar fashion to Padmasambhava. He refuses to prostrate to the king, who instead bows to him. Khri Srong lde brtsan then invites all the scholars and masters to bSam yas where they translate many more texts.

Finally, the narrative returns to Padmasambhava. He initiates Khri Srong lde brtsan into several mahayoga lineages and prophesies that the king will discover the teachings again in a future life. He extends the lifespan of Khri Srong lde brtsan, but eventually the king dies and Padmasambhava leaves Tibet to tame another country’s demons. His lengthy farewell speech includes advice for all members of society, from the new king, Mu tig

btsan po, downwards. It especially recommends practicing the mantra of Avalokitesvara, om mani padme hum. Mu tig btsan po, his retinue and the disciples of Padmasambhava are anguished at his departure, but vow to practice Buddhism and govern the country in the manner of the master and Khri Srong lde brtsan respectively.