Lord of the Dance

SUNY Series in Buddhist Studies

Matthew Kapstein, Editor
Lord of the Dance
The Mani Rimdu Festival
in Tibet and Nepal
Richard J. Kohn
Sta:te University of New York Press
Published by
State University of New York Press, Albany
2001 State University of New York
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Kohn, Richard J ., 1948-
Lord of the dance : the Mani Rimdu Festival in Tibet and Nepal I Richard
J. Kohn.
p. em. - (SUNY series in Buddhist studies)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-7914-4891-6 (alk. paper) -ISBN 0-7914-4892-4 (pbk : alk. paper)
1. Mani Rimdu Festival. 2. Buddhism-Nepal-Steng-chen-dgon (Monastery :
ThyAngboche, Nepal)-Rituals. 3. Dance-Religious aspects-Buddhism.
4. Tantric Buddhism-Rituals-Texts. 5. Rfiin-ma-pa (Sect)-Rituals. I. Title.
II. Series.
BQ5720.M28 K64 2001
294.3'436'095496--dc21
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
00-055622
To Jack
Contents
List of Tables
List of Illustrations
Foreword Matthew T. Kapstein
Preface
Sources and Methodology
Abbreviation Key
Part I Orientations
1 Introduction
2 The Gods
3 Deity Yoga
4 The Sworn Protectors
5 History: The Lord of the Dance Rituals
6 Tibetan Religious Dance
7 The Officiants
Part II The Days
8 The Days
9 Day Zero: Exorcism
10 Day One: Site, Preparation, and Drawing the Ma.Q.<;Iala
11 Days Two to Four: Making the Ritual Objects
12 Day Five: Arranging the Ornaments
13 Days Six to Twelve: The Practice
14 The Public Days
15 Day Thirteen: Dance Rehearsal
16 Day Fourteen: Empowerment
17 Day Fifteen: Masked Dance
18 Day Sixteen: Burnt Offering, Releasing the Borders,
Erasing the Sand
19 Day Seventeen: Invitation to the River
Vll
ix
xiii
xvii
xxi
XXV
xxxiii
3
9
31
35
49
55
63
69
73
87
113
135
141
163
165
175
185
237
251
Vlll CONTENTS
Part III In Conclusion
20 Epilogue 259
21 Outline of Lord of the Dance/Union of the Blissful Text 265
22 Outline of Playful Ocean Text 269
23 Outline of Followers Text 275
Notes 277
Bibliography 333
Index 355
Tables
The Passions Purified
The Four Shingon Emblems
The Four Sorceresses
Animal-Headed Goddesses of the Four Doors
The Goddesses of Direction
The Eight Sorceresses of the Holy Places in the Book
of the Dead
Typology of the Great Protectors
Protector Ritual Schedule
The Followers
Mani Rimdu Schedule
Washing the Lingka
Tormas Used in Mani Rimdu
Protector Tormas
Followers Tormas
The Five Buddha Families
The Three Aspects of the Highest Unelaborated
Empowerment
Dance and Its Rituals
Protector Dance at Different Monasteries
Protector Dance Masks and Props
Liberation Dances Compared
lX
22
24
24
26
27
27
42
47
47
70
76
122
128
131
153
155
187
209
210
230
Photographs
Mural, Thubten Choling Printing House, artist: Kapa Par Gyaltsten of
Pangkanna, ca. 1970, front cover
Lord of the Dance Mal)rja/a, ca. 1950, back cover
Trulshik Rinpoche, flanked by monks of Thubten ChOling
and Chiwong, Chiwong 1982 xxvii
2 Pit in Courtyard for Effigy, Chiwong 1979 94
3 Horse Dance, Chiwong 1982 95
4 Magician Playing Cymbals, Drum Dance, Chiwong 198
5 Long Life Man's Prostration Lesson, Chiwong 1979 201
6 .l)akii:II Dancer, Thami 1983 219
7 Thami Rinpoche with Burnt Offering "bouquet", Thami 1983 244
8 Sand in the River, Chiwong 1979 253
Illustrations
1. Inscription in the Symbolic Alphabet of the Sky Walkers 43
2. 'Gyur med rdo rje, Father. of the Lord of the Dance Tradition 50
3. Chiwong Assembly Hall, showing seat placement 65
4. Paper lingka from Thubten Chtiling Monastery 73
5. Arrangement of Offerings on the Mal)c/.ala Base for the
Site Ritual 88
6. Chiwong Assembly Hall, showing compass directions
and Mm:u/.ala directions 90
7. Chiwong Assembly Hall Complex 92
8. The Two Trays of Offerings Carried in the Sealing the
Borders Ritual 93
9. Wooden Magic Dagger 99
10. The Ten Spikes: Sequence of Placement 100
11. The Preparation Ritual: the Gods' Seats 103
12. Victory Flask 104
13. Schematic Diagram of the Preparation Ritual Offerings 107
14. Drawing the Lines, Thami 1983 110
15. Bell and V ajra 111
16. Configuration of Five: Chiwong, 1980 111
17. Mal){jala Tool 117
18. The Main Torma at Chiwong 123
19. gtor sgrom 124
20. Decorated Achievement Torma, Based on a sketch made at
Thubten Chtiling 125
21. "Simple" Torma Shapes 128
22. "Intermediate" Torma Shape 129
23. The "Six-shouldered" Torma of King Pehar 130
24. The ka zlum ldir can Torma Shape 130
25. Steadfast Women's Torma 130
26. Propitiation Torma at Thami Monastery 132
27. Implements in Center of Mal)c/.ala 135
Xlll
XIV ILLUSTRATIONS
28. Arrangement of Offerings and Daggers on Mar;(jala, 1980 138
29. Contract Torma 158
30. Seating Arrangement on Dais for Dance Rehearsal:
~ w q 1 m 1m
31. Monastery: Showing Orientation of Objects 17 4
32. The True Achievement Torma 178
33. Overture, with First Five of Eight Cymbal Players Present 191
34. Some Characteristic Movements of the Ging 194
35. Stick with Ends Cut in the Four Directions 243
36. Bouquet, Seen from Above, Thami, 1983 245
37. Order for Removing the Magic Daggers 248
38. Reciting "Om! The syllable A is first ... " 249
Map
5.1 Himalayan Region 53
XV
Foreword
I first met Rick Kohn in New York in 1978, as he was about to depart for
Nepal to begin fieldwork for his Ph.D. dissertation. His proposed research
concerned aspects of the temporary art created for ritual use in Tibetan
Buddhism. I had recently returned from Nepal, and he wished to inquire
about conditions for research in Solu, to the south of the Mount Everest
region. I could not have imagined then, nor, indeed, could Rick, that his work
would result a decade later in the fullest cinematographic and textual docu-
mentation of a major Tibetan ritual cycle yet achieved.
Rick's sumptuous 16 mm documentary film, Lord of the Dance, De-
stroyer of Illusion (1985), has been widely appreciated since its first release.
Known only to a relatively small number of specialized scholars, however, is
his thousand page dissertation, Man! Rimdu, Text and Tradition in a Tibetan
Ritual, completed in 1988 at the University of Wisconsin. The film and the
thesis both describe the Mani Rimdu festival celebrated annually at several
of the Sherpa monasteries of Nepal. Because the festival had been often
attended by trekkers and anthropologists, and indeed had been the topic of
two previous books, one may suspect that it was already very well known.
Rick showed us, however, that the Mani Rimdu festival remained poorly
described and largely misunderstood. Its history, religious significance, and
the elaborate ritual cycle in which the few days of public festivity are embed-
ded had never been properly examined. In fact, even the public masked
dances, for which the Mani Rimdu was best known, had been in important
respects misdescribed.
As Rick clearly recognized, the religious arts of Tibet, including masked
dance, painting and sculpture-which have much impressed Western observ-
ers owing to their fantastic imagery, profound symbolism, and splendid color
and ornamentation-are almost entirely subservient to one great art form, the
Buddhist tantric ritual. Without analyzing the ritual, its structure and syntax,
the individual products of Tibetan art are little more than disconnected arti-
facts; or, to use an image that is more appropriate to the present subject
matter (where the ritual "liberation" of the lingka is of central concern), they
are like the limbs of a sacrificial victim that lay lifeless apart from the body
XVll
XV Ill FOREWORD
that once animated them. Though always deeply engaged in the study of
Tibetan art, both in its temporary and enduring manifestations, Rick therefore
chose to study the Mani Rimdu as an organic whole, a living ritual body at
whose heart was the living lama and the mav4ala he created. Rick's film and
thesis in effect developed as the ethnographic equivalent of a biological life
history.
Throughout the abundant annotations to his work, and in his bibliogra-
phy, Rick refers to a very wide range of previous research on Tibetan Bud-
dhism. It is clear, however, that within this field one conversation partner
looms particularly large, namely, the brilliant pioneering scholar, Rene de
Nebesky-Wojkowitz. The latter's encyclopedic work on the Oracles and
Demons of Tibet, and his important and difficult explorations of Tibetan
sacred dance, were not, however, models that Rick emulated in any simple
sense. He saw these, rather, as important points of departure, platforms upon
which to erect his own intricate mm:zcjala-palace of inquiry. Significant, too,
in this regard, was the background provided by Ferdinand Lessing's great
study of the Yung-ho-kung Tibetan temple complex in Beijing and by Stephan
Beyer's pathbreaking researches on The Cult of Ttlrii.
The two large volumes of Rick's dissertation included a thorough de-
scriptive analysis of the rituals of the Mani Rimdu, and complete translations
of the corpus of liturgical texts that guide and accompany these rites. Rick's
approach was, to be sure, emphatically descriptive. Though interested in
theoretical reflection on a wide range of pertinent issues-including the analysis
of ritual, the role of visual documentation in ethnographical research, and the
methodology of translation-Rick believed that in the final analysis ritual
performance spoke for itself. The ethnographer's role in some respects par-
alleled that of the accomplished critic, whose task was not so much to attempt
to supply a definitive interpretation of the performance, but rather to assist
the viewer in discovering just what there was to see, and to suggest some of
the many avenues of possible understanding. As a result, Rick's work sug-
gests an elaborately detailed study of an opera, supplying descriptions of its
history, the dramatis personae and the various theatrical functions and roles,
together with a thorough synopsis of the events in the drama, and, finally, the
libretto itself.
Rick and I began to discuss prospects for the publication of the thesis not
long after he had completed it. He soon reached the conclusion that, while the
work as a whole might serve as a reference to specialists, an abridgement
complementing the film would provide a useful introduction to Tibetan reli-
gious performance for those more broadly interested in Buddhism and in the
study of ritual. Rick completed a preliminary version of the text in 1994,
largely on the basis of the first volume of his dissertation. Before he could
complete a final revision, however, tragedy struck and Rick was forced to
turn his energies to battling the illness that ultimately claimed his life in May
Foreword XIX
of this year. With the remarkable courage he summoned up throughout his
struggle, Rick finished work on the manuscript just two months before his
passing. It has been my responsibility and my privilege to see his book
through the press.
I am profoundly grateful to Marianne Betterly-Kohn for her thoughtful
encouragement throughout the preparation of Rick's book. Thanks, too, to
Benjamin Bogin for generously assisting in the compilation of the index, and
to the editorial staff of the State University of New York Press for their care
at every stage of production.
Matthew T. Kapstein
Editor, SUNY Series in Buddhist Studies
The University of Chicago
September 2000
Preface
In 1978, I set off for the Himalayas to begin a project called "Temporary Art
in Buddhist Communities of Nepal." It was a study of three media that had
been largely ignored by students of Tibetan art: sculpture of butter and.dough
(gtor ma), paintings of sand (rdul mtshon dkyi/ , khor), and ritual construc-
tions of thread (mdos). Although in America over the past few years, a
demonstration of sand painting or even dough sculpture has become practi-
cally obligatory for museum exhibitions of Tibetan art, in 1978 it was diffi-
cult to even find photographs of them.
Such art was made for ritual, and, once in the field, it became apparent
that a meaningful study would have to include their ritual context. To narrow
my focus, I not only decided to concentrate on a single ritual, but also I began
to shbp around for one rich in temporary art. My search led me to the Mani
Rimdu festival at Chiwong Monastery. At that time, Mani Rimdu was one of
the few, if not the only regularly scheduled ritual in Nepal to use a sand

Aild I was hooked. The was magnificent, the tormas diverse.
The festival was enchanting. Above all, the people there were unbelievably
kind and helpful. One man whom I had barely met, the well-known Sherpa
painter Oleshe, presented me with his entire collection of rare Tibetan
xylographs pertaining to the ritual.
If the festival was fascinating, it was also unknown, despite the fact it had
been written about before. Of Mani Rirndu's eighteen days, only three had been
even partially described. With no knowledge of the Tibetan language, previous
writers had ignored the hundreds of pages of texts used in the rituals. Of this
rather large corpus, only two short prayers-less than a dozen pages, had been
translated into any Western language. Even so, their translation was merest
coincidence and their connection to the festival was not known.
The deeper I went into the rituals, the more entranced I became by the
beauty of their religious concept, their structure and, often, of their literary
style. Beyond the individual rituals, there was another dimension of form-
the interplay of each element with the others and the grand architecture of the
festival as a whole. This interplay became a major focus of my research.
XXI
xxii PREFACE
As I worked on, a crucial fact became apparent, one of a practical nature.
Mani Rimdu was so big that it could not be used as a means to any other end.
It was a study in and of itself.
I reflected on the works that had first inspired my research-Ferdinand
Lessing's monumental plan to study the rituals of each chapel of Yung-Ho-Kung;
David Snellgrove's organic account of how Buddhists use ritual and art in Bud-
dhist Himiilaya; Stephen Beyer's compendious study of the rituals belonging to
The Cult of Tara, and through them, of the structure of Tibetan ritual itself. As
far-reaching as these pioneering works were, a niche still was left-a compre-
hensive study of a major Tibetan festival and the function of ritual in it.
My initial object in seeking out Mani Rimdu had been a wise one-to
limit my project to reasonable dimensions. Now, with the ambition and naivete
of a fledgling fieldworker, in a stroke I had converted my project into a
juggernaut of research that was to roll for nearly a decade.
Such a work could not have been accomplished without much help, and
I am happy to have this chance to thank those who have contributed their
faith, their expertise, or their financial support to this project.
The research was begun with the generous support of the Fulbright-Hays
Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Fellowship program of the Depart-
ment of Education.
I was able to return to Nepal for another eighteen months through the
kindness of the Social Science Research Council and American Council of
Learned Societies. Without the help of this _program, funded by the Ford
Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities, the project
could never have been brought to completion.
There are some who can never be thanked enough. Lama Trulshik Rinpoche,
Chant Leader Ngawang Tsundru, and the monks and nuns of Thubten Choling,
Chi wong and Thami Monasteries, opened their homes to me, their heritage and
their hearts. Mani Rimdu is their tradition and this book is theirs.
Nor is there any way to repay the kindness of my first teacher and
graduate advisor at the. University of Wisconsin, Geshe Lhundup Sopa. With-
out the solid background in Buddhist Studies that he gave his students, it is
doubtful that the guardians of the Mani Rimdu tradition would have been
willing to entrust their precious legacy to me; without his innate patience, this
book would not have been accomplished.
Special thanks also go to Lama Tharchin, who gave endless hours of
guidance through the convoluted byways of Mindroling ritual. All those who
are his students are fortunate to have such a teacher and friend.
A great debt of gratitude is due to His Majesty's Government of Nepal
and the Research Division and Centre for Nepal and Asian Studies at Tribhuvan
University in Kathmandu. Their enlightened policies ensure the continuation
of an international effort to record and preserve the diverse and remarkable
culture of their beautiful land.
Preface xxiii
As a side effect of the open atmosphere that they have created for schol-
ars, the city of Kathmandu itself has become one of the world's great insti-
tutes of Asian Studies and the collegial atmosphere among researchers there
is one of the many pleasures of field work in Nepal. The colleagues, Nepali
and Western who throughout the evolution of this project have given advice,
encouragement, and intellectual stimulation are too numerous to catalogue
here. Some of them are (in alphabetical order): Dr. Barbara Aziz; Pandit
Baidya Ashakaji Bajrcarya; Professor Dor Bahadur Bista of Tribhuvan Uni-
versity; Mr. Keith Dowman; Mr. Hugh R. Downs; Professor David N. Gellner;
Dr. Harka Gurung; Mr. Hubert Ducleer; Fr. John Locke, S.J.; Mr. Kalsang
Namgyal; Professor Bruce Owens; and Professors Christoph von Fiirer-
Haimendorf, David Snellgrove, and Tadeusz Skorupski of the School of Ori-
ental and African Studies at the University of London.
Special thanks are due to Dr. Michael Oppitz, director of the Ethno-
graphic Museum at the University of Zurich. All of us to whom he has
opened his library, his home, and his mind are enormously fortunate. A friend
like him is good to have and hard to find.
Nepal was an ideal place for my study in many ways. In its astounding
cultural diversity, it preserves analogs of each side of the Tibetan cultural
family tree. Here we find medieval Indian tantracisrri (among the Newars of
Kathmandu) side by side with classic Siberian shamanism (among the Magar
of West Nepal and others). On occasion, I have looked to either Newar
Buddhism or to shamanism to illuminate an aspect of Mani Rimdu. Without
the advice of experts in each field such as Pandit Bajracarya, Dr. Gellner and
Fr. Locke on the one hand and Dr. Oppitz on the other, such comparative
studies would have hardly been possible.
I owe considerable gratitude to the United States Educational Foundation
in Nepal, the United States Information Service, and the American Embassy
in Kathmandu. They provided help and hospitality that made my work easier
and my stay in Nepal more pleasant.
I also give my thanks to Ms. Sabine Lehmann and the management and
staff of the Vajra Hotel in Kathmandu for providing shelter and friendship on
many occasions when I stumbled raw and disheveled out of the mountains;
and to Mr. Charles Thomas for his generous hospitality and for the use of his
wonderful library.
Doctor Mark Tatz also deserves special mention here; with the heroism
of a true bodhisattva, he undertook the task of reviewing the manuscript of
my dissertation and offering his intelligent and insightful comments. Profes-
sor Matthew Kapstein of the University of Chicago also deserves my thanks
for encouraging me to transform that dissertation into this book.
Thanks also to Keith Dowman of Kathmandu for permission to repro-
duce the Sherpa artist Oleshe's line drawing of 'Gyur med rdo re from his
"The Nyingma Icons."
XXIV PREFACE
My most heartfelt thanks go to my family who never lost faith through
long years of watching this project unfold. Last but never least, I thank Franz-
Christoph Giercke of Sky Walker Productions, who with a wave of his wand
let me share the results of this long and arduous work with thousands of
people around the world.
To the others unnamed who have contributed help, advice and inspira-
tion, thank you.
Sources and Methodology
This book brings together several types of information on ritual practice-
literary sources, works of art, and ethnographic data. The methodology is
similarly manifold. For the ritual texts, the first step was translation. Later,
each work was checked, often line by line, with one or more experts in the
ritual.
The visual arts form a very special part of the festival. Lord of the Dance
and the other deities of Mani Rimdu are portrayed on the walls of monaster-
ies and on scroll paintings belonging to their lamas. Some works of art-
miniature paintings on cloth, mar:u/.alas painted of sand, and sculpture molded
from barley flour dough and colored butter-are not only .made specifically
for rituals, but also play a precisely defined role in them. Artworks in Tibet
are often based on texts, and in a sense, form a visual commentary on those
texts. My approach here has been the mirror image of traditional art history;
I was less concerned with what Mani Rimdu could tell us about the art of
Solu Khumbu than with what that art could tell us about Mani Rimdu.
The methods of the ethnographic research were participant observation
and interview. I attended eleven performances of Mani Rimdu, eight of them
from beginning to end. At the same time, I studied the performance with
ritual experts such as the Chant Leader of Thubten ChOling. Whenever pos-
sible, I correlated my notes and sketches with the texts on site.
Throughout the process, I photographed the rituals .and the implements
used in them. From time to time, these photographs were also used as pri-
mary data. In later stages, I was able to consult material from my film Lord
of the Dance/Destroyer of Illusion in a similar fashion.
1
Ritual texts form the script of Mani Rimdu. The rituals that the texts
describe are series of recitations and guided visualizations designed to .have
a direct and immediate emotional impact on those who practice them as well
as long-term spiritual benefits. The tradition itself states that an intense emo-
tional experience, or at least the physiological accompaniments of one, while
not to be confused with the final goal, is a sign of meditative success. The
hair on one's head and body stands on end; tears come to one's eyes.
XXV
XXVI SOURCES AND METHODOLOGY
Insofar as a meditator's mind is free from distraction-and a mind free
from distraction is a meditator's goal-at the moment of practice, the ritual
is the very content of his mind. By repetition, the rituals are designed to
shape and condition his mental world. Short of clairvoyance, a sympathetic
reading of ritual gives us a uniquely direct insight into the mind of a Tibetan
or Sherpa monk. If we let ourselves fall under their spell, even a ~ lovers of
literature, we can begin to appreciate the emotional satisfactions of the life of
a Buddhist meditator.
The image of Buddhist meditation we have had in the West is of a rather
abstract and chilly affair. Whatever merit this stereotype may possess for
other types of practice, it is certainly not the case in the tantric tradition to
which the rituals of Mani Rimdu belong. Those with any lingering doubts on
this matter are referred to the self-empowerment ritual, where, having visu-
alized himself as the god, the meditator imagines that
The red letter hrl/:! in the heart of this body of mine that has become
that of the Lord of the Dance Great Compassion, bums like a butter
lamp. Its shining light stimulates the gods of the mm:utala to project
countless forms from their minds-bodies and syllables, symbols
which blaze in a mass of beams of light, which come helter-skelter
like rain and snow, like a blizzard. They enter through [my] pores
and fill [my] body completely to the brim. Bliss blazes unbearably.
2
The structure of this book evolved into two parts.
The first contains a few brief remarks on various aspects of the ritual in
general. It provides an overview of some of the questions raised by a com-
plex Buddhist cultural performance such as Mani Rimdu.
The heart of the book, part two, contains the bulk of the ethnographic
and analytic material. It consists of a day-by-day account of the progress of
the festival based on field observation and interview, interwoven with key
passages drawn from the texts.
The informants who contributed their knowledge to this book were for
the most part monks of Thubten Choling and Chiwong monasteries and e x ~
perts on, or at least participants in the festival. Villagers were also consulted
as was appropriate, although to a far'lesser extent. Many of the latter came
from Junbesi, a large village midway between the two monasteries. Others
were from a variety of villages in Solu-Khumbu.
The principal informants were:
H. E. Trulshik Rinpoche (Zhva lde'u 'Khrul zhig Rin po che XI, Ngag
dbang blo bzang mdo ngag bstan 'dzin), abbot of Thubten ChOling. As spiri-
tual heir to Abbot Ngawang Tenzin Norbu of Rongphu Monastery, Trulshik
Rinpoche has long been the spiritual leader of the Everest region and the
leading expert on Mani Rimdu and on the god Lord of the Dance. Trulshik
Sources and Methodology xxvu
Rinpoche's incarnation lineage descends from an eighteenth-century Lharam
Geshe (Doctor of Divinity with Highest Honors) named Guyang Lodetsel
(Gu yangs blo bde rtsal), who was from the great Geluk Monastery of Drepung.
Though trained in the rival Geluk Order, he became a disciple of the famous
Nyingma saint Jigme Lingpa ('Jigs med gling pa, 1730-98) and then "be-
came (i.e. , reached the enlightened state of) a Heruka." Guyang Lodetsel is
said to have performed many marvelous feats (rdzu ' phrul) before the age of
ten. In more recent years, Trulshik Rinpoche XI had been the main disciple
of H. H. Dilgo Khyentse Rlnpoche, who, until his own death in 1991, had
become leader of the Nyingma Order at the death of H. H. Dudjom Rinpoche
in 1987. Trulshik Rinpoche has represented the Nyingma Order several times
at Kalacakra initiations given by H. H. the Dalai Lama.
3
V(?n. Ngawang Tsundru (Ngag dbang brTson ' grus), Chant Leader (dbu
mdzad) [pron. "umze"] of Thubten Choling. The principal rituals that com-
prise Mani Rimdu are also done outside of the festival; many of them are
performed more often at Thubten Choling than at Chiwong. A superb Umze
as well as an excellent teacher, Ngawang Tsundru knows every aspect of
their performance in detail.
Ven. Sang Sang Tulku, Ngawang Jimi (Sang sang sprul sku Ngag dbang
'jigs med), incarnation of the father of the previous Trulshik Rinpoche and
the disciple of the present one. A member of a Kagyii incarnation lineage, he
was educated at Rumtek Monastery. At the time of my research, he had for
Trulshik Rinpoche, flanked by monks of Thubt.en Choling
and Chiwong, Chiwong 1982
XXV Ill SOURCES AND METHODOLOGY
a number of years acted as Diamond Master at Thubten ChOling. Recently,
he built his own monastery in Nepal.
Ven. Lama Tsedrub Tharchin (Bla rna Tshe sgrub Thar phyin), a heredi-
tary lama (sngags pa) of the Repkong lineage in Amdo province. Among
Lama Tharchin's many areas of expertise, is detailed knowledgf of the major
protector ritual of Mani Rimdu, the Playful Ocean, which he learned from his
teacher Kusho Gyurme (sKu zhabs 'Gyur med a.k.a. 'Gyur med rdo rje).
4
Kusho Gyurme traveled with Dudjom Rinpoche, later head of the Nyingma
Order, when he was young; the two men were at Mindroling together. Ac-
cording to Lama Tharchin, Kusho Gyurme was equally famous as an expert
on ritual as the illustrious Nyingma hierarch. Lama Tharchin is in possession
of his notes on the Playful Ocean. Since he is not a member of the Rongphu/
Solu-Khumbu subtradition, I frequently checked his exegeses with Trulshik
Rinpoche. In nearly every case they agreed. In recent years, Lama Tharchin
has been in Northern California, where he has a established a flourishing
retreat center.
Ven. Tengpoche Rinpoche, Ngawang Tenzin (Ngag dbang bsTan 'dzin),
is abbot of the Khumbu monastery famous for its Mani Rimdu traditions.
Ven. Thami Rinpoche, Ngawang Shedrup Tenpai Gyaltsen (Ngag dbang
Bshad sgrub bstan pa'i rgyal mtshan), abbot of the other Khumbu monastery
that performs Mani Rimdu.
Head Monks, the Ven. Ngawang Pintsok and the Late Ven. Ngawang
Tsokdruk of Chiwong Monastery; Ven. Ngawang Yonten, and the monks of
Chiwong Monastery.
The Monks of Thami Monastery.
Among those who contributed valuable information in the earlier stages
of this research were Mr. Lobsang Chonjor, then of dGa' ldan chos pa'i gling
Monastery in Kathmandu, and Khenpo Lobsang Gendun Rinpoche, its late
abbot; and Penyima of Mendokpalgye, Solu, who was Chant Leader of
Chiwong in the late 1960s.
About the Translations
Ritual is aimed at affect. In the translations, I have tried to give a feeling of
the text as well as its sense. Wherever possible I give an English equivalent
for a Tibetan word or phrase rather than relying on a transcription of the
Tibetan or a reconstruction of the Sanskrit. This method extends to names of
deities and classes of spirits. Thus, for example, rDo rje sems dpa' (Vajrasattva)
is Diamond Mind Hero; srin po, ghoul; gnod byin, Malefactor/Benefactor;
and klu, Serpent Spirit. A ghoul might make an English speaker shiver; a srin
po or a raksasa would leave him equally cold. In some cases, Sanskritization
seemed particularly ill-advised; Tibet had srin po and gnod byin before it had
Sources and Methodology xxix
heard of the rtlksasa and yaks a of India; in Solu as in Tibet itself, klu worship
may antedate the advent of Buddhism. In proposing English equivalents, I
have followed the mythological and etymologiCal formulations of my infor-
mants. Although sometimes disputable as etymology, they are invaluable as
ethnography.
5
In the analytical sections of this book, where aesthetics were of less
concern, Sanskrit equivalents are used more freely. Mantras and other San-
skrit material included in the Tibetan text are given verbatim. If the Sanskrit
of the texts is corrupt, it is fairly systematic and those wishing to explore the
transliteration system of the Mindroling gter rna tradition will find the pri-
mary data undisturbed.
6
A Note on Secrecy
It is best to deal with issue of secrecy at least briefly here at the outset. Our
own main ritual text, the Lord of the Dance Manual, advises the initiate:
Now, you will enter this great mm:utala.
You will give birth to wisdom.
Since you will gain the highest true achievement thereby,
Do not speak to those who do not see.
7
More recently, His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama has written,
If the secret mantra is practiced openly and used for commercial
purposes, then accidents will befall such a practitioner, even taking
his life, and conditions unfavorable for generating spiritual experi-
ence and realizations in his continuum will be generated. With other
books it is not too serious to make an error, but with books of
Mantra it is very serious to err either in explanation or in translation.
Furthermore, if the fault of proclaiming the secret to those who are
not ripened is incurred, there is danger that instead of helping, it will
harm. There are many stories of people who have begun treatises on
Mantra but have been unable to complete their lifespan and others
whose progress was delayed through writing a book on mantra.
8
If this seems in a dire vein, we should remember that traditionally the
tantra system has promised death, madness, and hell to those that abuse it.
According to many authorities this danger is not so much mystical as it is
simply practical. Stephen Beyer put it neatly in The Cult of Tara. Although
referring specifically to the protector cult, his words could be as easily ap-
plied to the tantra as a whole:
XXX SOURCES AND METHODOLOGY
All these objects of monastic rituals ... are powerful deities who
symbolize currents of cosmic force to be tampered with only at
one's own peril. They constitute the monastic cult because they are
best left to the ritual experts. It is not that their cult is particularly
secret, just as there is nothing esoteric about the workings of a
television set; but in both instances the forces involved are too po-
tent to be played with by a layman, and in both instances the same
warning applies.
9
The monastery that was the source of the Mani Rimdu rituals was par-
ticularly secretive, even among guardians of tantric traditions. According to
at least one informant, this was not necessarily an advantage:
At Mindroling they were very secretive. The Lord of the Dance
rituals have three commentaries: Accompanying Methods, The Pre-
cious Lamp and The Light which Illumines Suchness. None of them
alone is sufficient to understand how to perform the ritual. On top
of this, there are even other commentaries, like the single folio on
how to complete the lingka.
Even these commentaries hide things. For example, when dis-
cussing drawing the lines of the mar:ujala, Accompanying Methods
calls the directions "fire, ghoul," etc. They would also abbreviate
things [so that they would not be understood], such as just saying do
the "suppression of the gnomes" or "cleanse." So no one ritual text
is complete. They made things so complicated that people would
just give up after a few tries. I think this was stupid.
Mindroling did this with many of its practices. They never even
told other monasteries everything. Now that Miildroling is gone, this
seems like a mistake. Had they been more open, their traditions
would be alive. Now, except for Thubten Choling and what little
there is in India-in Dehra Dun, with Khyentse Rinpoche, and some
others-there are none at all.
This opinion goes some way pyrhaps in explaining why these texts, long
held secret, were entrusted to my shaky (although suitably shaking) hands.
Sang Sang Tulku advanced another explanation of secrecy and its revelation;
one that neatly, and with defensible orthodoxy, sidesteps the problem:
In the past tantra was kept a secret, not to be shown to anyone
without initiation .. But there are some things that are naturally secret.
Even if you show them to someone else, they will not see; even if
you explain them, they will not understand.
10
Sources and Methodology XXXI
If some "declassification" of secret material was implicit in my research,
we should remark that this is not a new phenomenon. Originally, tantric
dance was, and, as we shall see, in some places, still is only practiced behind
closed doors. Even the seemingly innocuous and readily available Perfection
of Wisdom Sotras are said to have been guarded as secret when they were
first introduced to the human world.
Be that as it may, I was careful to receive permissi:on to translate the
texts that follow from Trulshik Rinpoche, the guardian of the Mani Rimdu
tradition. When the translations were nearing completion, I asked for specific
permission to publish them. To him, the issue was long since settled. "Why
else would you translate them?" was his somewhat puzzled reply.
AM
BO
BP
D
DP
E
EL
GC
GW
Jii
ICSR
LIS
LT
MIO
MV
NL
Abbreviation Key
Accompanying Methods. (Thugs rje chen po bde gshegs kun 'dus
kyi cho ga'i lhan thabs snying po'i mdzas rgyan zhes bya ba).
Burnt Offering. (Zab lam bde gshegs kun 'dus kyi sbyin sreg gi
cho ga 'dod don myur 'grub ces bya ba.)
Biographical Prayer. (gTer chen chos kyi rgyal po'i rnam thar
gsol 'debs zhal gsungs rna.)
Das, Tibetan-English Dictionary.
Daily Practice. (Thugs rje chen po'i rgyun khyer zab lam snying
po'i dril ba).
Edgerton, Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Dictionary.
Erasing the Lines, from Notes on the Practice (NP).
Geshe Chodrak's Dictionary
Guardians of the Word (bKa' srung .= Thugs rje chen po bde
gshegs kun 'dus kyi cho ga dang 'brel bar srung rna spyi dang bye
brag gi mchod gtor 'bul ba'i ngag 'don gyi rim pa).
Jiischke, A Tibetan-English Dictionary.
Inviting the Colored Sand to the River.
The Light which Illumines Suchness. (Thugs rje chen po bde gshegs
kun 'dus kyi sgrub thabs rnam bshad de kho na nyid snang ba'i
'od ces bya ba).
Lama Tharchin.
Mountain Incense Offering. (Ri bo bsang mchod).
Mahavyutpatti
Ngawang Lemen, Trulshik Rinpoche's servant.
xxxiii
XXXIV
NP
NY
NW
PL
PO
QBB
RP
RT
SST
so
S/P
SWT
TCU
TE
TPT
TR
UB
ABBREVIATION Kf.y
Notes on Doing the Complete Ritual Practice of Great Compas-
sion. (Thugs rje chen po'i sgrub mchod dkyus rna tsam gyi phyag
len zin bris). bDe kun, vol. Wu.
Ngawang Yonten, monk of Chiwong Monastery
Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Oracles and Demons of Tibet.
Precious Lamp (Rin chen sgron me).
The Playful Ocean. (bsTan skyong pa'i dam can po mams kyi
phrin las dngos grub kyi rol mtsho zhes bya ba).
Quickly Bestowing Blessings. ('Dir snang zin med kyi bya ba dang
sgrib Ius skye bar zlos pa'i rabs mdor bsdus tshigs su bead pa byin
rlabs myur 'jug ces bya ba bzhugs so.)
Religious Practice ([sMin gling] Chos spyod kyi rim pa thar lam
rab gsal zhes bya ba.).
Rinchen Tsering, assistant to Lama Tharchin in the early 1980s.
Sang Sang Tulku.
Condensed Torma Ritual for the Sworn Ones in General. (Dam
can spyi'i gtor ma'i cho ga nyung ngur bsdus pa).
Site/Preparation Ritual. (Thugs rje chen po bde gshegs kun 'dus
kyi sa chog dang/sta gon gyi ngag 'don dkyus gcig tu bkod pa).
Sky Walker Torma Offering. (mThun mtshams mkha' 'gro gtor 'bul).
Thubten ChOling Umze, Ngawang Tsundru.
Torma Empowerment. (Thugs rje chen po bde gshegs kun 'dus kyi
gtor dbang gi mtshams sbyor ngag 'don bdud rtsi'i nying khu zhes
bya ba).
Three-Part Torma Ritual. (Chos spyod kyi rim pa thar lam rab
gsal zhes bya ba las/gTor rna cha gsum gyi rim pa.) In RP.
Trulshik Rinpoche.
The Practice of Union of the Blissful Great Compassion Arranged
in Ritual Form. (Thugs rje chen po bde gshegs kun 'dus kyi sgrub
thabs chog khrigs zab lam gsal ba'i nyin byed ces bya ba). Short
Title: Union of the Blissful Manual (bDe gshegs kun 'dus las
byang).
Part One
Orientations
1
Introduction
This book describes a complex Tibetan festival. in light of its performance
and texts. It also looks at the works of art used in the festival and at the
festival itself as a work of art.
The Mani Rimdu festival is performed in the Sherpa and Tibetan mon-
asteries of Solu-Khumbu District in the Everest region of Nepal. These insti-
tutions, like nearly all the monasteries in Nepal outside of the Kathmandu
Valley, belong to the Nyingma order of Tibetan Buddhism.
Among all the ethnic groups of Nepal, the Sherpas are perhaps the best
known, on account of their exploits as mountaineers. Nepal, however is not
their original home. The first Sherpas came from Khams, the eastern province
of Tibet, around 1533.
1
Western scholars agree that the Sherpa's religious
beliefs are, in the words of Christoph von Fiirer-Haimendorf, the pioneer of
Sherpa ethnography, "basically those of Tibetan Buddhism."
2
In Mani Rimdu,
it would be difficult to make any distinction of belief and practice according
to ethnic lines. Indeed, the festival at Chiwong is performed by Sherpas and
Tibetans working in partnership.
Despite the Sherpas' long tradition of Buddhist faith, large monasteries
are a recent innovation in Solu-Khumbu. Whatever antiquity local tradition
ascribes to them, the largest monasteries in the region-those which perform
Mani Rimdu-were all built within the last seventy-five years.
3
Although often casually identified as a "Sherpa festival," Mani Rimdu
began at Rongphu Monastery in Tibet. This institution on the north face of
Everest was an influential force in the efflorescence of Sherpa monastic
culture earlier in this century.
Like much of Rongphu practice, most of the rituals that comprise Mani
Rimdu fmd their source at Mindroling Monastery, the great Nyingma center
3
4 INTRODUCTION
of central Tibet. In a way, Rongphu served as a substation in the transmission
of the Mindroling lineage, collecting and reassembling its traditions and then
sending them over the Nangpala pass to the monasteries of Solu-Khumbu just
a few days journey south.
In present day Solu-Khumbu, Mani Rimdu is performed at three Sherpa
monasteries: Chiwong, Thami, and Tengpoche, and in a somewhat different
form at Thubten ChOling, a monastery founded by refugees from Rongphu.
Participants at each of the Sherpa monasteries often maintain that their ver-
sion of festival is identical to the others', although if pressed, they will admit
to certain differences. These variations often shed light on the processes by
which Tibetan rituals are formed and we will examine them as they arise.
Mani Rimdu belongs to a genus of Tibetan rituals known as ril sgrub
(pill practices) [pronounced ril-drup]. The name Mani Rimdu is the Sherpa
pronunciation of the Tibetan term mal)i ril sgrub (the practice of mal)i pills).
The species of mal)i-pill rituals, which are dedicated to the god Avalokitesvara,
is not unique to the Everest region. A short mal)i-pill text, simply called "Mani
Rimdu Ritual" (Mal)i ril sgrub gi cho ga), was collected in China by W. W.
Rockhill in the 1880s. A mal)i ril sgrub was performed at "Shih-fang-t'ang, to
the west of Hsi-huang-ssu, outside the north wall of the city" of Beijing.
4
Today, the Dalai Lama himself performs a mal)i ril sgrub. Our Mani Rimdu,
although a variety of the larger species, has its own texts and traditions.
To give an idea of the scope of the festival, a few statistics are in order.
Mani Rimdu lasts up to eighteen days, although in some monasteries and
some years it may be a few days shorter. In that time, several hundred hours
are devoted to ritual practice. Eliminating the considerabie repetition involved,
over fifty hours of unique ritual are performed. The core of thirty-odd litur-
gical texts total over two hundred folios. There is, in addition, a considerable
amount of material committed to memory: commonly used mantras, invoca-
tions and exhortations, daily prayers and so on. Four commentaries on the
ritual of the main deity are known. The commentaries range in length from
eleven to two hundred twenty-six folios.
In interpreting this Himalayan mass of data, I have always sought to first
understand how the participants in the festival themselves perceive it. This
has been amplified with reference to the indigenous commentaries and then
with reference to other authorities and traditions, Tibetan and foreign.
As to be expected with such a long and complex event, Mani Rimdu
covers much cultural ground. Many of the subjects we shall discuss are
already known to Western scholarship in one form. or another and to one
extent or another. Rene de Nebesky-Wojkowitz, for example, has written at
length on the cult of the protector deities and on Tibetan sacred dance; Stephan
Beyer, on the structure of tantric ritual. For more than four decades, the late
Rolf Alfred Stein argued persuasively on the influence of the "nameless
religion" on Tibetan Buddhist praxis.
Orientations 5
That contemporary Tibetan Buddhism and in particular the practices of
the Nyingma sect were influenced by indigenous beliefs and practices which
in turn bear striking similarities to shamanic cults across northern and central
Asia, seems both obvious and is by now well documented, at least from a
structural viewpoint if not an historical one. Both Nebesky-Wojkowitz and
Stein devote a whole chapter to the subject, and Helmut Hoffmann, Mircea
Eliade, and Robert B. Ekvall treat it at length. Recently, Geoffrey Samuel
dedicated an entire book to this thesis.
5
In Mani Rirndu, we will see several such parallels, but for all its traces of
pre-Buddhist belief and practice, Mani Rirndu is preeminently a Buddhist cel-
ebration. In its visionary dramaturgy, we can see the core principles of the
Buddhist religion worked out. As with all tantric practice, indeed all ofMahll.yana
Buddhism, its inner goal is to incarnate wisdom and compassion on earth.
The main rituals of Mani Rimdu belong to the most profound system of
Tibetan meditation, the anuttarayoga class of tantra. In terms of philosophi-
cal view, they are said to embody the view of rdzogs chen, the Great Perfec-
tion or Great Fulfillment system.
In this book, topics specific to the tantras arise on nearly every page. I
have tried to deal with them in as straightforward a manner as possible,
without attempting a general disquisition on the subject. Those interested in
exploring Tibetan tantra can refer to a growing body of sound scholarship on
this profound and fascinating subject.
6
With the Great Fulfillment system, we face special difficulties. Given its
secrecy among the Tibetans of the Nyingma sect who are its chief exponents,
it may never be wholly open to public view. This book could not even begin
to fill such a tremendous void. Happily, among my sources were Buddhist
yogis fully versed in the Great Fulflllment system. Whenever the material
veered in that direction or towards the equally difficult subject of the yoga
of channels and winds, I endeavored to eke out enough information to make
the translation clear even in the absence of a full exegesis.
If the individual parts of Mani Rimdu do not reveal any startlingly new
realms of investigation, its very breadth gives us a certain advantage. In it,
we can see principles that other scholars have remarked in a general context
function in the particular.
This breadth also affords the opportunity to consider previously isolated
cultural elements in juxtaposition, interacting in the living context of a con-
temporary cultural performance. We can, for example, COI\lpare the tongue of
the magic dagger to the tongue of the gods; the central pole of the dance court
to the central pole of the offering cake to the spine of a yogi; the weight of
a cobblestone to the weight of Mount Meru.
The importance of these correspondences transcends the superficial fas-
cination of coincidence or the delights of etiological speculation. By exam-
ining them, we are able to see recurrent elements in outwardly different
6 lNfRODUCflON
events, and having understood their structure, predict unknown features of
incompletely explained rituals. Even in a cultural system as self-conscious
and as vocal as Tibetan Buddhism, structure speaks where the tradition itself
remains silent.
As Mircea Eliade remarked:
We compare or contrast two expressions of a symbol not in order to
reduce them to a single, pre-existent expression, but in order to
discover the process whereby a structure is likely to assume
meanings.
7
Within the breadth of the Mani Rimdil festival, some structures occur
again and again like leitmotiven in a Wagner opera. Thus, we will return
several times to such themes as movement through a tube, the descent of
light, the rainbow cord, the world tree, and the cosmic sheep.
8
Each new
context will suggest new aspects of the symbol, enriching its connections and
meaning.
The purpose of the work before you is primarily descriptive. If in addi-
tion to the analyses sketched above, there is a: thesis here, it is a rather simple
one. The job of a monk is largely ritual and meditation, and ritual and medi-
tation have satisfactions of their own.
These emotional and if you will, aesthetic satisfactions cannot be over-
emphasized, nor does one have to be a Buddhist or meditator oneself to
appreciate them. No one who has sat in the dark recesses of the chapel as
Mani Rimdu is performed can be insensible to the mood the rituals create. No
one who has sat with the monks during a break in the session and seen their
faces, still enrobed in the quietude of meditation, could doubt that the effect
of ritual on those who perform it is profound.
A part of the affective dimension of the ritual lies in the liturgy itself,
and can be appreciated without the sonorous music and the rhythm of the
chants. Buddhism has ever described itself as a method of overcoming suf-
fering and finding a transcendent happiness and peace. Tantric rituals, these
small worlds within which a meditator acts as if he has already reached his
goal, bring their own share of joy, even if it is only a fleeting shadow of a
greater joy to come.
To perform an elaborate ritual complex such as Mani Rimdu is to par-
ticipate in the creation of an elaborate work of art, and the joy of a profes-
sional meditator practicing his art can be understood, at least in part, if we
consider the satisfactions of more familiar arts. Like a symphony or opera, a
major ritual has its movements and motives, its structures and parallels, its
changes of theme and emotion.
As with the leitmotiven of Wagner or variations on a theme by Bach, the
repetition with variation of a symbol structure itself has a function. Structural
Orientations 7
parallels that students of religion find of intellectual interest have aesthetic
impact and emotional resonance for those who participate in the ritual.
The socioeconomic benefits of being a monk are obvious and have been
noted often enough. Joy, hard to prove and impossible to quantify, sometimes
eludes ethnographers. In a sense, however, to suggest, as has often been done,
that the major advantage to being a monk is economic or social is as vulgar
as it would be to suggest that Vladimir Horowitz was only in it for the
money. The virtuoso meditator like the virtuoso musician is the one who
participates the most fully in his art, the one for whom there is the least
"difference between the dancer and the dance."
If the performance of a ritual is an art, it is also a craft. Tormas must be
carefully sculpted of barley-flour dough and butter, a sand ma1J4ala drawn
neatly and with precision. The liturgy should be clear, well-ordered and crisply
performed. Like other craftsmen, the ritualist is proud of his professional
skills.
Once, after I had been a regular visitor to the monastery for several
years, the manager of Thubten ChOling invited me to photograph the Lord of
the Dance rituals performed at his monastery. When I objected that in the
darkness of the chapel, I would have to use a lamp whose bright flash might
disturb the monks at their prayers, he replied, "No, you come tonight. You
bring your lamp and take pictures. We want people in foreign lands to know
that the monks of Thubten Choling do things right."
The true medium of the arts of meditation and ritual is the human heart.
The final counsel of the rituals of Mani Rimdu is that we regard the Earth as
paradise and all those that inhabit it as gods. As Trulshik Rinpoche once
wrote in a poem addressed to a group of visitors from the Kharta region of
Tibet:
If your mind is pure, everyone's a Buddha.
If your mind is impure, everyone's ordinary.
We all wander samsara by the power of impurity.
Learn to purify your perceptions, People of Kharta!
9
This is not an insight unique to tantra or even to Buddhism. The Gospel
of Luke states that:
The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: neither shall they
say, lo here! or Io there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within
you. (17:20-21)
A similar impulse was given tongue in a shamanic context by the Native
American mystic Black Elk. Having traveled in a vision to the world-tree at the
center of the universe, he remarked, "but anywhere is the center of the world."
10
8 INrRODUCTION
For Eliade, this is a fundamental principle of human religiosity:
This means that everywhere in the cosmos archaic man recognizes
a source of the magico-religious sacred, that any fragment of the
cosmos can give rise to a hierophany, in accordance with the dialec-
tic of the sacred.U
The archaic, of course, should not be confused with the ancient. It is
alive and well. Hierophanies, at least small ones, are not that hard to find:
... you look at the clock and it is only five minutes from eternity;
you count the objects on the mantelpiece because the sound of the
numbers is a totally new sound in your mouth, because everything
new and old, or touched and forgotten, is a fire and a mesmerism.
Now every door of the cage is o p ~ n and whichever way you walk
is a straight line toward infinity.
12
As Joseph Campbell observed in the introduction to the Historical Atlas
of World Mythology, "the first function of mythology is to waken and main-
tain in the individual a sense of wonder and participation in the mystery of
this finally inscrutable universe."
13
It is this sense of wonder, perhaps, that distinguishes the human race. In
it, as odd a couple as an American novelist and a Tibetan mystic can meet.
As the Great Perfection yogis say, rig pa, the awareness of a Buddha, is an
everyday sort of mind. It can be found everywhere.
2
The Gods
Each of Mani Rimdu's many heterogeneous rituals invokes its own panoply
of deities. These range from high tantric tutelaries (yi dam), the embodiments
of great universals, on one end of the spectrum, to the deities of the moun-
tains, rocks, and streams of Solu-Khumbu on the other. In the broad ground
between these extremes, we fmd ancient gods of India and of Tibet pressed
into service as defenders of the Buddhist faith. In addition, there is the typical
assortment of other high-ranking spirits from Tathagatas to Sky Walkers.
Below them all swirl hosts of semidivine and demonic agencies of every sort
and description.
In this section, we discuss the central deity of Mani Rimdu and the gods
who form his immediate entourage. Their enormous numbers prohibit us
from lavishing this attention on the festival's full pantheon, although a gen-
eral discussion of the protectors and notes on specific lesser figures will be
found later.
The main deity, Lord of the Dance, sits at the center of the malJ,rJ,ala. In
his heart, dwells the fierce deity Hayagriva. Within Hayagnva's heart in turn,
rests the abstracted entity known as the Contemplation Hero. Surrounding the
main deity on the four petals of a lotus sit the Sky Walkers of the four
families. Beyond them, in the doors of the malJ,rJ,ala palace, stand four animal-
headed goddesses known as the Four Sorceresses.
LORD OF THE DANCE
The full name of Mani Rimdu' s chief deity (gtso bo) is Union of the Blissful/
Lord of the Dance/Great Compassion (bDe gshegs kun 'dus Gar dbang Thugs
9
10 THE Goos
rje chen po). Both the written and oral traditions, however, usually refer to
him by only part of this unwieldy name, either Union of the Blissful (bDe
gshegs kun 'dus, abbreviated 'bDe kun'), or Lord of the Dance Great Com-
passion (Gar dbang Thugs rje chen po).
1
Western scholars first noted the presence of Lord of the Dance in Solu-
Khumbu in 1957. In a description of the murals at Chiwong in Buddhist
Himalaya, David Snellgrove gave an excellent short description of the deity,
his entourage, and a bit of his history.
2
In name, Union of the Blissful has
something in common with the more widely kilown Union of the Secret
Ones, (gSang ba 'dus ba, Ssk. Guhyasamaja). For Snellgrove, Union of the
Blissful, like Guhyasamaja, is "one of those anonymous entities, who is chosen
to represent the notion of essentially-impersonal reflectively-personalized
buddhahood."
3
All the personal deities, yidam, need to have a certain degree
of anonymity so that they can serve for a meditator as a vision of himself in
the enlightened state. A mirror that already held a strong image would not be
a mirror. The declared corporate nature of Guhyasamaja and Lord of the
Dance polishes this depersonalized reflectivity to a high gloss.
Different deities are associated with different levels of tantric practice.
Trulshik Rinpoche identifies Lord of the Dance as a Highest Yoga Tantra
(anuttarayogatantra) form of Avalokitesvara, the bodhisattva who embodies
the compassion of all the Buddhas throughout space and time. Lord of the
Dance practices are particular to Mindroling Monastery in Central Tibet and
come from gter rna, hidden texts, discovered in the seventeenth century by
its abbot.
Lord of the Dance is red in color and has four hands. The fJrSt two hands
clasp a vajra before his chest in folded palms. He holds a rosary of miniature
red lotuses between the thumb and forefmger of his second right hand as if he
were counting them.
4
His second left hand holds a full-sized red utpala lotus.
The expression on his face is at once peaceful and wrathful (zhi khro).
He smiles, but his eye-teeth show. His forehead furrows slightly. He wears
a golden crown with five diadems. He has three eyes.
He is seated in the diamond, or as we call it, "lotus," posture. His consort
Secret Wisdom Mother (gSang ba ye she yum) sits facing him on his lap.
5
"The notion that A valokitesvara might be regarded as the primordial
deity, the point of departure for a unique theogony" Matthew Kapstein ob-
serves, "was introduced into Tibet no later than the ninth century with the
translation into Tibetan of the

A valokitesvara has been considered the special patron deity of Tibet
since at least the twelfth century.? His primacy as a deity for Tibetans, though,
seems to begin in the eleventh century, with the pandit Ansa and others. This
denoted a crucial shift in the intellectual history of Tibet. In the words of
Snellgrove and Richardson, it marked the change "from dependence on an
accepted Buddhist symbolic arrangement to devotional allegiance to a divine
Orientations 11
being conceived as a god in the Hindu pattern ... a change [that] begins to
characterize all Tibetan Buddhist practice."
8
By the time. the Mm:zi bKa' 'bum, the fount of later Avalokitesvara lore,
appears in the twelfth to thirteenth centuries, it had become firmly estab-
lished, "that A valokitesvara was the patron deity of Tibet" and the King
Srong btsan sgam po was "the very embodiment of Avalokitesvara, [and] the
founder of Buddhadharma in his formerly barbarian realm.'
09
By this time, the fame of Avalokitesvara was spread throughout popular
culture by strolling maolpa, initiates who made a profession of reciting Avalo-
kitesvara's mantra, om mm:zi padme ham, for the benefit of the populace.
10
Later, the cult of Avalokitesvara becomes so widespread that his mantra can
be heard on every lip and be seen in every hand, spinning inside well-worn
On the that dot the landscape, Tibetan Buddhists
engrave his mantra into the very bedrock of the Himalayas.
The physical description of Lord of the Dance has many similarities to
the white four-armed deity that is the most common form of Avalokitesvara
in Tibet. Indeed, our tradition states that the name Lord of the Dance Great
Compassion itself differentiates him from the ordinary four-armed Avaloki-
tesvara who it calls "Prince Great Compassion" (Jo bo Thugs rje chen po).
The great twelfth-century compendium of Buddhist iconography, the Sadhana-
mala, calls the white four-armed Avalokitesvara "Lord
of the Six Syllables.'' is the form associated by the
sadhana with the and, as his name suggests, with the six-
syllable mantra, om padme ham.
11
He is the canonical deity most closely
related to Lord of the Dance. is said in Tibet to be the specific form
of Avalokitesvara that incarnates as the Dalai Lama.
12
Although generally similar, the two gods differ in details of consort,
color; facial expression, and dress and ornamentation. The contents of the
hands also show minor differences. White A valokitesvara' s first pair of hands
display the same mudra as that of Lord of the Dance, but are either empty
or hold a wish-granting jewel. His second pair of hands holds a white lotus
rather than a red one, and an ordinary rosary, rather than a rosary (that is to
say, garland) of flowers.
"There were, however," states Matthew Kapstein, "other important de-
velopments of A valokitesvara in Tibet. The Rgyal ba rgya mtsho (Jinasagara)
form of the deity, the yi dam of the Karmapas which had been introduced by
Ras chung in the twelfth century, offers the closest iconographic precedent
among them to the Smin gling Lord of the Dance, and was familiar to, and
propagated by Gter bdag gling pa himself.''
13
The name Lord of the Dance conjures a number of images. Ironically,
most of them are misleading to one extent or another. For example, although
the god is associated with the "dance festival" of Mani Rimdu, there is no
intrinsic connection between Lord of the Dance and'dance festivals.
14
12 THE GODS
Lord of the Dance also occurs as an epithet in the names of yogis. The
great lexicographer Sarat Chandra Das defmes gar gyi dbang po as "a yogi
or ascetic engaged in meditation."
15
One of our own texts, in fact, calls 'Gyur
med rdo rje, the founder of the Lord of the Dance tradition, Padma gar dbang
"Lotus Lord of the Dance."
16
Some Nyingma texts call Padmasambhava, the progenitor of their school,
"Padma gar dbang thod 'phreng rtsal."
17
Indeed, Padmasambhava's biogra-
phy lists Lotus Lord of the Dance (Pad rna Gar gyi dbang phyug) among the
forms of Padmasambhava that illumine the myriad worlds beyond the borders
of the Saha universe. IS
According to Lama Tharchin, gar dbang means sprul sku-"tulku"-ema-
nation or incarnation; or sku tshab, "physical representative." He glosses the term
as sprul pa' i rot gar kyi dbang phyug, master .of the dance of incarnation.
For Trulshik Rinpoche; the epithet indicates Lord of the Dance's connec-
tion with anuttarayogatantra and is unrelated to its use in the names of yogis.
In another interview however, he explains "Lord of the Dance" much as
Lama Tharchin defined it, that is, as indicating Avalokitesvara's power to
incarnate in each of the six realms of living beings. This theme is often
illustrated in the Buddhist paintings known as "wheels of
existence" (srid pa'i 'khor to, bhavacakra), where a standing figure of
A valokitesvara is placed in each realm. In this regard, we might say that the
term "Lord of the Dance" refers to the creativity or adaptability of
Avalokitesvara's compassion-the power which allows him to incarnate in
whatever form will best allow him to help a given class of living beings.
For many of us, the epithet Lord of the Dance immediately calls another
deity to mind-the Hindu god !J.iva or Mahadeva (Tib. Lha chen). Interest-
ingly enough, the Mindroling texts themselves link the two gods.
According to the Playful Ocean, Mahadeva arises "From the play of
Lotus Lord of the Dance Compassion/In the body of a worldly protector in
order to tame the hard to tame," and "following the orders of great glorious
Lord of the Dance," he guards the places where Lord of the Dance's mm:u/.ala
resides.
19
Elsewhere, the text places Lord of the Dance at the head of the
lineage of lamas that have enjoined vows upon Mahadeva.
20
Speaking of Lord of the Dance, David Snellgrove, the first scholar to
study Buddhism in Solu-Khumbu stated rather boldly that,
Although originally a form of !J.iva, this divinity was accepted into
Buddhism as one of the many forms of Lokesvara. He therefore
becomes a special manifestation of A valokitesvara.
In the last hundred years there has been discussion among scholars of
whether or not !J.iva and Avalokitesvara have a common source, as even the
names ISvara (The Lord) and Avalokita-ISvara (The Lord who Looks Down)
Orientations 13
would suggest. Reviewing the evidence in her Introduction a l' Etude
d'Avalokiter;vara, Marie Therese de Mallmann concludes: "If there exist
undeniable analogies between A valokitesvara and J.tiva, they do not go back
to the ancient period, textually and iconographically, they do not seem to
appear before the tenth century or later."
21
Giuseppe Tucci, in his critique of
de Mallmann, however, notes that the famous seventh-century Buddhist trav-
eler Hsuan Tsang observed that to the people who dwell at the foot of Mount
Potala, Avalokitesvara's paradise, the god sometimes appears "in the aspect
of Pasupata irrthika or of Mahesvara."
22
Of course, no matter when the connection between the two deities origi-
nated, it is still significant. As Snellgrove observed, "the popularity of
Avalokitesvara in Tibet is presumably to be explained by the popularity of
this divinity (known as Lokesvara and popularly confused with J.tiva) in the
Himalayan region in general."
23
In any event, our texts, which first saw the
light of day in the late seventeenth century, are hardly likely to put an end
to the debate.
The Kathmandu Valley of Nepal is, of course, the home of the Newars,
whose living tantric Buddhist tradition is closest to that of Tibet. The Newars
also worship a form of Avalokitesvara called "Lord of the Dance." This god,
known to the Newars as Nartesvara, Padmanartesvara, or Natsyadeo is im-
portant to their cult practice and occurs in several forms.
In the Newar diksa, or initiation ceremony, Padmanartesvara must be
worshipped and serenaded. The form of Padmanartesvara here is eight-handed,
holding a vajra to the crown of his head and in one of his left hands, a bell.
In the initiation, the vajracarya (Diamond Master) who presides at the cer-
emony is said to instruct the disciple in how to use these instruments in the
manner of Padmanartesvara. Each of the god's other six hands holds a lotus,
corresponding to a syllable of his mantra, om rna {li pad me ham. He tosses
these lotuses into each of the six realms of rebirth, symbolizing that the
initiation closes the doors of the six rebirths to the initiate.
24
Of course, all forms of Avalokitesvara are associated one way or another
with the six realms.
25
In light of Trulshik Rinpoche's comment, however, it
is interesting that Newars associate this specific form of Avalokitesvara with
the six realms and in such an important context.
In newer times, Newars also depicted Padmanartesvara in the temples of
the Kathmandu Valley. One form figures in the Minath Temple in Patan, which
is situated across the street from the important Patan Macchendranath Temple
and is associated with it. Padmanartesvara is portrayed no less than three times
here: on the tora{la of the temple, in a small bas-relief on the support of the
large temple bell, and on the tora{la of another building in the temple com-
plex.26 According to contemporary Newar scholar Dr. Ashakaji Bajracarya,
Padmanartesvara's presence on the tora{la indicates "that they do tantric work
there" in general, adding that Padmanartesvara showed himself in the form of
14 THE GODS
Jatadhari Lokesvara, a.k.a. Minath.
27
The form of Padmanartesvara shown at
the Minath Temple is the closest in appearance to the form we associate with
Hindu depictions of Jliva as Nataraja, "Lord of the Dance" or "King of the
Dance." This form, balanced on one foot, haloed by a circle of swaying arms,
seems to epitomize all the grace of dance. Indeed,' it is only when we count his
eighteen hands and notice that each holds a lotus, that we know that we are not
looking at a statue of Jliva Nataraja hirnself.2
8
If, curiously, there is no indication from Tibetan sources connecting
Padmanartesvara with dance (other than his presence along with 'chams in a
festival less than a century old), the same is not true among the Newars. For
them Padmanartesvara is the embodiment of dance, and, as Natsyadeo, is
evoked by dancers and/or non-dancing priests whenever they perform the
dance of the the powerful autochthonous goddesses of the
Kathmandu Valley. The very first act of the Astamatrka dance is the song of
Padmanartesvara and the display of his picture.
29
On the occasion of the dance, a buffalo is sacrificed to the shrine of
Natsyadeo, a small triangular niche in the temple wall. Dr. Bajracarya notes
that, in theory, Nartesvara should not have blood sacrifices, only offerings of
the five ambrosias. He adds, however, that it is evident that the beneficiary
of the sacrifice is Nartesvara since the mantra used by the Gubaju officiating
at the sacrifice is "om nama nartesvaraya."
30
According to British Anthropologist and authority on Newar Buddhism
David Gellner, each of the old neighborhoods or tole of Kathmandu has its
own shrine to Natsyadeo. The singers of religious songs (bhajan) sacrifice
there, and often the shrine itself is decorated with buffalo horns. Buddhists
identify the god of these shrines as Nartesvara; Hindus as Mahadeva Nataraja.
31
Kalamandapa, a contemporary Newar dance group in Kathmandu, incor-
porates a short sadhana of Padmanartesvara in its adaptations of traditional
carya dance.
32
Hail to Padmanartesvara
-Hail to him who gives the Secret Mantra by means of the power
of bliss.
-He is the very form of all understanding and all knowledge.
-He is the Lord who practices the eightfold meditation.
-All hail to him the giver of all yogic success.
Refrain:
-He creates the whole universe for himself with his yogic mind.
-He instructs this universe with his enlightened mind.
-He has freed himself from the snare of illusion and gives happiness
to all.
-To such a true teacher I continually bow my head in respect.
Orientations 15
Above, we saw that although Nartesvara is a peaceful deity, as Natsyadeo
the Newars worship him with blood like a Bhairab, a wrathful one. In the
Tibetan tradition, Lord of the Dance is classed as a zhi khro deity. When
applied to a single deity, this term indicates a god who is both peaceful and
wrathful at the same time. Iconographically, this is indicated by the god's
face: he smiles, but with bared fangs.
The term zhi khro also applies to a class of deities and rituals. The zhi
khro tradition invokes two separate groups of deities, one peaceful and one
wrathful. The cult of the peaceful and wrathful deities is widespread in Solu-
Khumbu and is the most popular ritual cycle at Sherpa monasteries. One
work of the zhi khro cycle has become quite well-known in the West as The
Tibetan Book of the Dead.
In zhi khro ritual, the peaceful deities emanate from main deity Samantha-
bhadra's head and the wrathful deities from his heart. Lord of the Dance
emanates from his throat.
33
This equivocal position, being neither wholly with
the peaceful nor with the wrathful deities, but somehow with both or between
both is a recurrent image.
Snellgrove noted in Buddhist Himalaya that Lord of the Dance was
" ... the special yi dam of the Rongphu lamas and therefore both of Rongphu
and Jiwong (Chiwong) Monasteries."
34
At present however, aside from his
annual presence at Mani Rimdu (and his cameo appearance in the zhi khro
cycle), the god is not worshipped on a regular basis at Chiwong or any other
Sherpa Monastery.
35
Quoting "his informants," von Ftirer-Haimendorf correctly identified Lord
of the Dance, who he styled "Ku-wang Thu-je-chembu," both as a form.of
Avalokitesvara and as "'the god of Mani-rimdu. "'
36
Unfortunately, later writ-
ers on the festival ignored this facet of von Ftirer-Haimendorf's auspicious
beginning to the anthropology of the Sherpa.
Half a century earlier, Austine L. Waddell claimed that the cult of Union
of the Blissful Lord of the Dance, Great Compassion was important at
Pemayangtse (Tib. Padma yangs rtse; Sik. Pemiongchi) Monastery in Sikkim.
37
He also mentioned, without giving its title, that novices there \\;ere given
examinations on a forty-page book of the "magic circles" of that god.
38
Pemayangtse was, up until recently at least, Sikkim's most important Mon-
astery.39 Since it was modeled on Mindroling, we should not wonder at the
importance of Lord of the Dance there.
40
In 1895, Waddell noted that "until
a few years ago [Pemayangtse] was in the habit, of sending to Min-dol-lin its
young monks for instruction in the higher discipline and ritual."
41
The present
state of the Lord of the Dance cult in Sikkim is yet to be explored.
Since he is a Mindroling deity, one would expect to find Lord of the
Dance at the refugee resettlement of that monastery in India at Dehra Dun.
Trulshik Rinpoche actually asked after his favorite deity when he visited
Mindroling Trichen, the hierarch of Mindroling, a number of years ago.
Mindroling Trichen replied that he no longer has any disciples studying Lord
16 THE GODS
of the Dance, nor is the ritual practiced at his monastery. According to Trulshik
Rinpoche, although before his death in 1991, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche would
give the Lord of the Dance initiation, he did not teach the practice. Mindroling
itself suffered severe damage at the hands of the Chinese, who among other
things burned all of the monastery's books and printing blocks. Although by
1993, some religious practices had begun to reestablish themselves there, it
is unknown whether Lord of the Dance is among them. Thus, unless a tra-
dition flourishes in Sikkim or elsewhere, Trulshik Rinpoche at present may
be its sole exponent.
Whatever its vicissitudes in other places and other times, the cult of Lord
of the Dance is defmitely on the upswing in the Solu-Khumbu district of
Nepal. Since its destruction by the Chinese in 1959, Rongphu has been re-
born in Solu-Khumbu as Thubten Choling. As he was at Rongphu, Lord of
the Dance is the main yi dam at the new monastery.
42
Backed by the prestige
of its abbot, Trulshik Rinpoche, in the past several years Lord of the Dance
has been not only the most frequently practiced deity at Thubten Choling, but
also the one most frequently requested at the annual mass initiations held
there. Of the approximately one hundred candidates each year, some 80-90
percent have sought initiation in the mal)t/.ala of Lord of the Dance.
43
As
Trulshik Rinpoche's influence increases in the Nyingma order, Lord of the
Dance is sure to spread beyond the confmes of the Everest Region.
The main text of Mani Rimdu is the Union of the Blissful Manual. When
he composed it in 1897, Ngawang Tenzin Norbu (Ngag dbang bstan 'dzin nor
bu) wrote that his new edition followed "along the lines of the way it is done
at Orgyan Mindroling," but was "revised in order to conform to what appears
in the great Precious Treasure Trove (Rin chen gter mdzod)."
44
There are four commentaries to the Lord of the Dance practice: 'Gyur
med rdo rje's own Accompanying Methods; and no less than three by his
younger brother the Translator Dharma8n: Notes on the Practice of the Entire
Accomplishment Worship of Great Compassion, The Precious Lamp, and the
massive Light which Illumines Suchness. There is no commentary on Mani
Rimdu per se, but the one considered most relevant to the festival is the
Precious Lamp.
The Lord of the Dance cycle possesses a sizable literature aside from the
texts used in Mani Rimdu. One Mindroling collection is some four inches
thick.
THE HORSE-HEADED ONE
In the tantras it is not uncommon to find that one deity lives inside the heart
of another. Often two such deities are specified, a Wisdom Mind Hero (ye
shes sems dpa'), and within his heart, a Contemplation Hero (ting nge 'dzin
Orientations 17
sems dpa'). Sometimes these "heroes" have a non-anthropomorphic physical
form. The Vajrasattva meditation found in the preliminary practices of the
Lord of the Dance Manual, for example, specifies that atop the moon in the
deity's heart, there is "a vajra marked with a ham."
45
In the Lord of the Dance ritual, the Wisdom Mind Hero is rTa mgrin
[pronounced Tamdrin; Ssk. Hayagriva], a fierce deity associated with the
Lotus Family in general and with Padmasambhava and A valokitesvara in
particular.
The name Hayagriva originated in the Indian puraJ:!as, and is sometimes
translated as "Horse-Necked One." According toR. H. van Gulik's excellent
monograph, however, the deity's name would be more accurately rendered as
the Horse-Headed One.
46
Although the name Hayagriva was often originally an
epithet of V i ~ ? Q U , "about A.D. 500, the Northern Buddhists in India venerated
Hayagriva as Vidyaraja, and as an aspect of Avalokitesvara." Hayagriva be-
came prominent throughout East and central Asia as a god of horses per se. The
horse god is, of course, as Mircea Eliade points out, a typical shamanic deity.
The courser is pre-eminently the shamanic animal; the gallop and
dizzying speed are traditional expressions of "flight", that is of
ecstasy.
47
In the Manual, Hayagriva is also known as Excellent Horse Heruka (rTa
mchog Heruka) or Glorious Steed (rTa mchog dpal), and as King of Wrath
(Khro ba'i rgyal). He is referred to as a primordial god (gnyug rna' i lha), one
who has always been a god, as opposed to a recent apotheosis.
The Manual praises him saying-
Although you waver not from reality's peace,
The savage fury of your terrifying form blazes like fire!
Wrathful King! Blood drinker! Glorious Steed!
Your raging laughter! I praise you! [ 17b5]
In addition to being known for his fearsome neighing laugh, HayagriVa is
also known for his Horse's Dance, in which the god is called upon to fulfill his
vow to "dissolve the three worlds in the objectless realm."
48
Although called a
"dance," it is part of the liturgy the monastic assembly recites in its seats each
day of Mani Rimdu. In the Site Rituals and during the masked dance, however,
the Horse's Dance becomes a dance in fact as well as in name.
49
Although meditators visualize Hayagriva living within Lord of the Dance's
heart, painters show Hayagriva standing immediately below him. The Manual
describes him as holding "a lotus garland and a lotus," like Lord of the Dance
himself. Unlike Lord of the Dance, however, Hayagriva's "form rages fury."
50
In paintings, we can see iconographic details not found in the Manual. Some
18 THE Gons
of these are common to one or more of the many other forms of the god,
some are unique to the Lord of the Dance sadhana.
As elsewhere, Hayagnva here has a small, green, neighing horse's head
protruding from the top of his head. He is red in color as befits a god of the
lotus family. He has one face. His three round, bulging eyes and flame-like
bushy eyebrows are typical of fierce deities. His fanged mouth gapes and his
nose wrinkles with anger. As the text states, he has two-hands which hold a
lotus and a rosary. of lotuses. He has a crown of skulls and a garland of
freshly severed heads. He is cloaked with a human pelt, an elephant skin, and
a silken ribbon. He wears a tiger-skin skirt.
HayagrTva's consort, naked but for a leopard-skin skirt, is light red in
color. She has one face and two hands. Her right hand holds a chopper and
circles her consort's neck. Her left holds a skull in the typical pose, near to
his face as if offering it to him. Her right leg is stretched out parallel to his
and her left leg wraps around his waist.
In addition to his evocation as a member of the mar.uJala, we also find
Hayagnva in other parts of the Lord of the Dance ritual. Some of these
contexts are generalized, are roles he performs in many sadhanas. The first
such role is as the Expeller of Demons.
May I instantaneously blaze as Excellent Horse Heruka
Radiant with almost unbearable fury, like the fire at the end of the
world! [6b4]
In this guise, the meditator bribes, cajoles, and threatens the obstructive
spirits gathered in the place of meditation to "in haste itself, go away." If the
troublesome demonic forces do not obey; the meditator declares-
I will project a host of wrath
And diamond weapons from my mind! [7.4]
Your bodies and voices like unto fine powder
Will be shattered! That is sure. [7.5]
Hayagnva is also invoked in the next section of the ritual, "Defining the
Borders."
51
Here he is the King of Wrath who builds the diamond pavilion
that will keep out the obstructive forces he has just expelled.
THE CONTEMPLATION HERO
Just as Hayagnva dwells with the heart of Lord of the Dance, the Contem-
plation Hero (ting 'dzin sems dpa') dwells within Hayagnva's heart. In the
words of the sadhana-
Orientations
In his heart, meditate the Contemplation [Hero],
A clear red letter hrih, blazing light.
52
19
Although in general, meditational deities have a "seed" syllable (sa bon)
in their hearts, and here that syllable is the same as the Contemplation Hero,
the two terms are not necessarily synonymous. Other stidhanas, for example,
identify the Contemplation Hero as an object marked with a syllable rather
than a syllable itself.
53
AMITABHA
The Tathagata at the head of the Lotus Family is Amitabha, the Buddha of
Boundless Light. Painting and meditation make this metaphor concrete.
Thangka painters place a small image of Amitabha atop Lord of the Dance's
head and meditators visualize him floating there.
On my crown, the head of the family, Boundless Light,
Dressed as an incarnation, holds the life vase. [lObi]
According to later Buddhist theory, every Buddha has three bodies: a
Body of Truth (dharmaktiya), a Body of Enjoyment (sambhogaktiya), and an
Emanation Body (nirmtiJJaktiya). The text indicates that Amitabha here is in
his nirmtiJJakaya form. This is implied by the monk's robes in which he is
dressed in paintings of Lord of the Dance. His name in Tibetan may also hint
at this. According to some, the name Boundless Light (Tib. 'Od dpag med)
specifically indicates the nirmtiJJaktiya form of the deity while Infinite Illu-
mination (sNang ba mtha' yas) refers to his dharmaktiya form.
SECRET WISDOM MOTHER
Lord of the Dance's consort, Secret Wisdom Mother (gSang ba ye shes yum),
is portrayed in two forms. Normally, she is shown as we have already seen
her, seated on Lord of the Dance's lap in sexual union with him. Her head
is thrown back in the ecstatic pose typical of consorts and some solitary Sky
Walkers (mka' 'gro ma; rJ,akiJJi). She has four arms. The first pair, flung
around the god's neck, holds a chopper and a skull bowl. The second right
hand brandishes a sword high in the air. The second left holds a vajra-tipped
khatvtiriga staff at waist level.
More elaborate paintings also show Secret Wisdom Mother standing
alone in the lower right quadrant of the canvas. In this form, she is somewhat
fiercer than when she is in union with Lord of the Dance. She dances on a
small humanoid figure, bearing her weight on her left leg, which is slightly
20 THE Goos
bent. Her right leg is drawn up, with the heel almost touching her "secret
place."
When she is in union with Lord of the Dance, Secret Wisdom Mother
wears a crown of lotuses and a long garland of lotuses about her neck. When
she is alone, the crown is of ornamented skulls and the necklace of freshly
severed human heads. She holds the chopper and skull just below chest level.
Snellgrove identifies this goddess simply as the red rjaki1Jl or as
"Panc;laravasinl, the goddess who is regularly assigned to the lotus family."
54
Panc;luravasinT or Panc;laravasinT appears in the Manjusrrmalakalpa, an early
tantric work, as one of the half-dozen goddesses who surround Avalokitesvara.
55
Later, these goddesses are distributed as consorts to the five families of
Tathagatas. The standard Sanskrit iconography, the Sadhanamala, specifically
gives this name to the consort of the Two-Armed Padmanartesvara.
56
By the
time of Tsongkhapa, A valokitesvara is considered the "lord ... of the lotus
lineage" and Pao.c;laravasinT, its "mother."
57
Our texts however, do not use the name Plll)c;iaravasinT. Instead, they
invariably call Lord of the Dance's consort Secret Wisdom Mother. Judging
from the mantra they give her, om dhumaghaye nama/; svtihtl, her name
would be "Dhumaghaya," although that name points to a source other than
Sanskrit.
Secret Mother's treatment is precisely similar to that of Nairatmya in the
Hevajra cycle, VajrayoginTin the Cakrasariwara, Visvamata in the Kalacakra,
and, most significantly, Sarvabuddhac;lakii).I in the Jinasagara-Avalokitesvara.
Most important gter-ma cycles have both a yab-ka and yum-ka, focusing
upon the two consorts respectively.
58
One thing, however, sets Secret Wisdom distinctly apart-we find a
c;lakii).I of the same name in another Nyingma text, the biography of Padma-
sambhava.59 The biography calls her the "highest of rjaki1JTS" and gives her
other names as 1)-dkii).I "Sun-Moon Achievement," SUryacandrasiddhi (mKha
'gro nyi zla dngos grub) and "Queen of Karma" (Las kyi dbang mo che). It
is she who Padmasambhava meets in the great cemetery of Secret Play (gSang
chen rol pa) where he received the secret name of Skillful Skull Rosary
(Thod phreng rtsal).
Padmasambhava prostrates to the (jtlki1Jl, praises her as his guru, and
asks her for outer, inner, and secret empowerments.
60
Transforming Padma-
sambhava (who has taken his form of Dorje Dro!O) into the syllable ham, she
swallows him. Then,
Outwardly his body became like that of the Buddha Amitabha,
and he obtained the [em]power[ment]s of the Knowledge Bearer of
Life (tshe yi rigs 'dzin 'grub pa' i dbang rnams).
From the blessing of being within her body,
Inwardly his body became that of Avalokitesvara
Orientations
and he obtained the [em]power[ment]s of the meditation of the Great
Seal.
He was then, with blessings, ejected through her secret lotus,
and his body, speech, and mind were thus purified from mental
defilements.
Secretly his body became that of Hayagriva, Being of Power,
and he obtained the power of binding the haughty gods and demons
to vows (dregs pa'i lha 'dre dam Ia 'dog dbang thob).
61
21
This empowerment within the body of the 4aki1JT is a feature of the
highest yoga tantra, and occurs in the Lord of the Dance ritual as well, as
does the theme of a goddess devouring and subsequently giving birth to a
practitioner.
62
This episode in the biography raises Lord of the Dance's con-
sort from the ranks of the quotidian 4akil;!S (if that adjective could ever be
truly applied to any of these celestial figures). It is Secret Wisdom Mother
that gives Padmasambhava his spiritual rebirth as the theophany of the Lotus
family deities who are not only crucia,l to the Lord of the Dance tradition, but
central to Padmasambhava's role in the spiritual history of Tibet. Thus, our
obscure ritual resonates with the deepest chords of Nyingma mythology.
THE ENTOURAGE
The Four Sky Walkers
Arrayed around A valokitesvara in the m a ~ J 4 a l a on the four petals of a lotus
are the 4akas belonging to the four families of Buddhas. Each embraces his
respective 4aki1Jl. The names 4aka and 4aki1J! mean "Sky Walker." They are
celestial beings who traverse the sky of wisdom with the grace of a bird in
flight. So common are the Sky Walkers as representatives of the Buddha
families that the text takes scant notice that there are four instead of the
normal five. The "Praise" section, for instance, lauds them as follows:
You who make the five wisdoms real, and make use of the five
poisons-
Who purify the aggregates and appear in the five families-
Bodies that unite bliss and emptiness indivisibly!
I praise the host of Sky Walkers of the five families! [18.2]
The text seems to imply that Lord of the Dance himself should be taken
as the fifth Sky Walker. In that case he would take the place of the 4aka of
the fifth family, the Tathagata family, which is normally headed by Vairocana.
Since Lord of the Dance is of the lotus family, in his ma1}c}ala that family is
22 THE Goos
represented twice while the Tathagata family is ignored. Variant patterns
such as this are common in Tibetan iconography, particularly in systems that
were formulated before the present-day comprehensive schema coalesced.
63
The passage quoted above expresses the symbolism of the Q.aka/Q.akir.lis
and of the five families in general. They are the agencies which'transform the
flawed world of samsara, with its gross aggregates and virulent poisons, into
the perfect world of nirvtll)a. Seen another way, they reveal the intrinsic
perfection of this imperfect world.
As the Manual states:
I have long since spontaneously achieved
The five Buddhas' Body, Speech and Mind;
The five poisons purified and the five wisdoms
Indivisible from them .... [UB 11 b3]
Trulshik Rinpoche explains that the five poisons are purified in becom-
ing one with the five wisdoms. His list, below, differs somewhat from Snell-
grove's systematization in Buddhist Himtllaya.
64
THE PASSIONS PURIFIED
Passion Purified Wisdom Tathagata Constituent
stupidity purified truth realm wisdom Imperturbable Body
gti mug rnam par dag pa chos dbyings ye shes = Mi 'gyur mi bskyod sku
anger purified mirror wisdom Illuminator Speech
zhe dvang rnam par dag pa me long ye shes = rNam par snang mdzad gsung
egotism purified equanimitous wisdom Jewel Born Mind
nga rgyal rnam par dag pa mnyam nyid ye shes = Rin 'byung thugs
desire purified discriminating wisdom Endless Illumination Intelligence
'dod chags rnam par dag pa sor rtog ye shes = sNang ba mtha' yas yon tan
envy purified active wisdom Success [Activity
phrag dog rnam par dag pa bya grub ye shes = Don yod grub pa 'phrin las]
The Four Sorceresses
One of the more interesting, complex and enigmatic classes of deities in the
Lord of the Dance cycle is the group of goddesses known as the phra men
ma [pronounced "tra-men-ma"]. The phra men ma, whose name I have trans-
lated as Sorceresses, stand as guards in the doorways of Lord of the Dance's
Orientations
23
mal)(iala.
65
Each belongs to one of the Buddha families: Diamond Sorceress,
Jewel Sorceress, Lotus Sorceress, and Action Sorceress.
The four Sorceresses have other things in common as well. Each has the
body of a beautiful young woman and the face of an a n i m ~ l : a raven, a pig,
a dog, or an owl. "Each of them," the text tells us, ''holds a khatvatzga in her
left hand. Each is naked and dances ecstatically."
66
They dwell, the ritual
avers, in "the fortress of the strict word and vow!"
67
In a passage particularly dense with meaning, the Manual equates the
Sorceresses with several realms of Buddhist tantric thought.
I praise you, great glorious attendants,
Sorceresses who actually are the four immeasurables!
Magicians! Masters of the four actions-
Who perfect the acts which summon, tie, bind and intoxicate! [18.3]
Commenting on this, The Light which Illumines Suchness states that the
Sorceresses are "the substance of the four immeasurables" (tshad med bzhi' i
dngos gzhz)-6
8
It further correlates the four immeasurables (compassion, love,
joy, and equanimity), the four acts, and the four Sorceresses' hand implements.
As if this were not a tight enough knot of symbolism, the empowerment
section of the Manual associates the Sorceresses with the four types of ac-
tion: pacifying, extending, magnetizing, and destroying. Similarly, the long
commentary (LIS 127.1) explains that they are called "Magicians" or "Mi-
raculous Ones" (rdzu 'phrul) because "the play of their unstoppable magical
illusions, which are of the nature of the four acts of pacification, etc., tames
[beings]."
To unravel every strand of this skein of symbolism and to trace it to its
historical source, even were it possible, would be beyond our purpose. It is
interesting, however, to look at a few points on some of the threads, as clues
to the nature of these fascinating and complex figures.
The goddesses' seed syllables-jab ham bam hob; their implements-
the hook, lasso, chain, and bell; and their actions of summoning, tying, bind-
ing, and maddening are all of a piece. This symbolic complex is recalled
whenever a spiritual entity is summoned into a real or imagined object. Thus,
throughout the ritual they are used when the malevolent Spying Ghosts are
drawn into an effigy, and equally when the Wisdom Beings are invited to
inhabit the meditator during creation stage yoga. In either case, a yogi recites
the syllables, making the mudra symbolic of each implement in turn, and
imagines that he has performed the requisite action with regard to the entity
invoked.
In the Lord of the Dance Manual, these mantras and mudras are applied
to the tutelary deity and his entourage in the "entreaty to stay" that follows
the "invitation of the wisdom circle."
69
24
THE GODS
Ham. I beg you to stay, indivisible,
Like water poured into water,
In this great self-emergent mat;c;iala,
In these gods emanated by inconceivable concentration!
jab ham bam hob samayatistha together!
The ninth-century lexicon, the Mahavyutpatti, lists only one of our god-
desses, Vajr1li;lkusi (rDo rje lcags kyu rna), Diamond Hook Woman.
70
The
symbology of the summoning hook and so on, however, predates the formu-
lation of the tantra transmitted to Tibet, as we can see by its presence in the
proto-tantric Shingon system of Japan.
THE FOUR SHINGON EMBLEMs [!E) 8 FJ
action tool
summoning hook
leading cord
firmly holding lock
resultant joy bell
soothill 176.
In dealing with Sorceresses themselves, let us first summarize the at-
tributes that the Lord of the Dance Manual gives to them.
THE FOUR SORCERESSES
immeas-
quarter family color face action tool seed urable
pacifying east Diamond white raven summon hook ankuSa jab compassion
extending south Jewel yellow pig tie lasso pl!Sa ham love
magnetizing west Lotus red dog bind chain sphota bam joy
destroying north Action green owl madden bell hob equanimity
The origin of the phra men rna seems to be at least as complicated as their
function. It is likely that they coalesce many different traditions of mythology
and of symbology. Some of these traditions are that of animal-headed god-
desses in general, that of directional goddesses, and that of door-goddesses.
Figures with the heads of animals' and human bodies are one of the oldest
features of world religion.
71
In India, numbers of animal-headed goddesses
were worshipped in circular temples, often surrounding a central image of
j.l.iva.
72
In central Asia, we sometimes see a bird-headed goddess associated
with spiritual rebirth of a shaman. According to the Y akut,
Orientations
... each shaman has a Bird of Prey Mother, which is like a great
bird with an iron beak, hooked claws, and a long tail. ... At the
shaman's spiritual birth ... the bird ... cuts the candidate's body to
bits, and distributes them among the evil spirits of disease and death.
Each spirit devours the part of the body that is his share; this gives
the future shaman power to cure the corresponding diseases. After
devouring the whole body the evil spirits depart.
73
25
There is of course, an entire school of Tibetan Buddhist meditation,
called "gcod" or "cutting off," which models itself on the self-sacrifice of the
shaman. In gcod, the meditator repairs to a lonely and frightening spot and
visualizes cutting his own body to bits and feeding it to the ravening demons
who haunt the place. This, it is said, is an extraordinarily effective means of
"cutting off' one's own ego-attachment.
There are also structural similarities between the birth of a shaman and
the crucial act of Buddhist tantricism, the 'meditations of creation-stage yoga,
or, as it might be even more literally translated "the stage or process of giving
birth." In the creation process, the mar:uJala is the place where the initiate is
reborn as the god, where it is revealed that, for those with pure perceptions,
the world is paradise and all beings are divinities.
How then do the Sorceresses guard the mavdala' s door? As the com-
mentary says, the Sorceresses are the four immeasurables. In tantric termi-
nology, the four immeasurables are the "pure aspect" of these outwardly
ferocious symbolic beings. It is fitting that when one enters the mavdala, one
is reborn as an enlightened being with immeasurable love, immeasurable
compassion, immeasurable joy and immeasurable equanimity. This immeasur-
able vision is the gateway to the pure vision of the world as divine. Like the
Y akut Bird of Prey Mother dismembering the body of the future shaman, the
four dismember the initiate's discordant habits of perception,
so that he may experience a spiritual rebirth.
As the cj.akivr of Padmasambhava's biography devoured the great guru
only to give him spiritual rebirth from her own womb, the iconography of the
Sorceresses, with their heads of beasts and birds of prey and their bodies of
naked women, suggests that they perform a similar function for those who
enter the mavdala whose doors they guard.
74
There is, of course, also a larger Tantric Buddhist tradition of animal-
headed goddesses. Some of these are obviously Indian in origin. Others may
be of Tibetan or central Asian origin.
75
The Lion-headed goddesses of the
Tibetan pantheon are quite well known, both as independent figures and in
the entourage of the goddess J.l.ridevi.
76
A bird-headed yogin! is found, for
one, in the entourage of Cakrasamvara;
77
Perhaps most famous, and certainly
the most numerous, are the animal-headed goddesses of The Tibetan Book of
the Dead. These deities arise on the twelfth day of the bardo, the state
26 THE Goos
between death and rebirth.
78
Some of these goddesses are summarized in the
chart below.
By their position and their function as guards, the Sorceresses can also
be called simply "sgo rna," or "door women." Some traditions, such as the
Union of the Precious Ones and Vajrakila, however, have both phra men rna
and sgo rna and keep the two categories separate.
79
In the preceding chart, in
cases where two categories of animal-headed goddesses exist in a single
sadhana, I have concentrated on those associated with the ma'(lqala doors.
Although their heads may differ, wherever they are specified, the direction,
hand-implement and body color of the door goddesses agree with those of the
Sorceresses of the Lord of the Dance cycle.
ANIMAL-HEADED GODDESSES OF THE FOUR DOORS
Lord of Dance Book of Dead' Samvara Precious'
Vajrakrfad Four-Hand'
E raven cuckoo horse horse raven vulture
s pig goat boar boar owl owl
w dog lion lion lion stag crow
N owl serpent wolf serpent yak khyung
a Fremantle and Trungpa, The Tibetan Book of the Dead, 1975: 67. There are, of course, many
animal-headed goddesses in the Book of the Dead. These four are the Goddesses of the Doors.
b Lessing's diagram is somewhat obscure as to the deities' directions. I have reconciled them in my
list according to their names and colors. Despite their names, Vajra Hook, and so on, in Lessing's
sadhana all these goddesses seem to have the same hand implements: a skull drum (1.) and a
"magic wand" (r.). See Lessing, Yung-Ho-Kung, 1942: 131.
c Union of the Precious Ones, from Snellgrove, Buddhist Himalaya, 1957: 232,1isted in the chart
are the four gate keepers. Snellgrove does not specify their directions . .I have assumed for the
chart that his list is in standard order. The sadhana also gives a list of eight phra men ma with the
heads of a lion, tiger, fox, wolf, vulture, eagle, crow, and owl.
d Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Tibetan Religious Dances, 1976: 92, 98. These are the "gate guards" from
the "dance notes" ('chams yig) of Vajrak.Ila translated by Nebesky-Wojkowitz. Interestingly,
though, they are identified not as phra men ma, which the' chams yig gives separately, but as four
different classes of spirit: a Malefactress/Benefactress (gnod sbyin mo, ya4i), a Terrifier ('jigs
byed), an Ambrosia (bdud rtsi), and a Killer (gsod byed), respectively. Nebesky-Wojkowitz also
notes that "according to the only eye-witness account of a Vajrakila dance so far available, these
four sgo-ma are supposed to be bird-headed."
Cf. Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Oracles and Demons, 1956: 46-47. The animal names in Tibetan are:
bya rgod, 'ug pa, khva ta, and khyung. Nebesky-Wojkowitz notes that there are eight goddesses
in the entourage of Ye shes mgon po phyag bzhi pa rGva lo'i lugs, and their directions are re-
versed from the normal "Buddhist" order: E. W, N, S, SE, SW, NW, NE.
In the Stidhananuila, we find the parts of the household door: the lock,
keys, planks, and curtains each personified as a goddess.
80
More germane to
our discussion, however, are the two goddesses found portrayed on the tradi-
tional door curtains of the secret paja room of a :Newar temple.
81
They are
called simply "Kilkasya" and "Ugyasya." As the names indicate, they have the
Orientations 27
head of a raven and an owl respectively. Kakasya is blue and Ugyasya is
green. Both are in standing posture and have four arms. The upper two hold
a skull bowl.
82
The lower pair holds a khatvtlliga (r.) and a 4amaru (1.).
Door goddesses seem to belong to the broader category of directional
goddesses. Directional goddesses can be found in the Nispannayogavall, written
in the late eleventh or early twelfth century,
83
and the Vajratara-sadhanam.
The roughly contemporaneous Sadhanamala gives a list of six directional
goddesses, four of which correspond with the door goddesses of the Lord of
the Dance sadhana. Although, once again the heads differ-here they seem
all to be human-the other aspects are constant.
THE GODDESSES OF DIRECTION'
quarter color face tool name
east white ? hook Vajr!ll)kusi
south yellow human lasso Vajrapasi
west red human chain Vajrasphota
north green ? bell Vajraghanta
a From Bhattacharyya,/ndian Buddhist Iconography, 1958:258,297-299. In Bhattacharyya's trans-
lation ankuSa is goad and pasa noose. The last two goddesses in the set of six, and
J.LUmbha, clearly have little in common with the other four, and were added to make the four
directions six. Bhattacharyya, Ibid., 1958: 293 gives blurry pictures of statues of Vajrapas1 (fig.
193) and Vajrasphota (fig. 194) from a Beijing collection. They are both shown with human
heads. The other two undoubtedly follow suit.
As we have noted, in the Book of the Dead, the Sorceresses form a separate
category from the door women. Indeed, in the chart of door goddesses above, the
heads of the goddesses of Book of the Dead are in every case different from those
of the Lord of the Dance door goddesses. However, goddesses similar to those
of the Lord of the 'Dance Sorceresses can be found among the many other
groups of animal-headed goddesses enumerated in the Book of the Dead. As
might be expected, most of them belong to the category of Sorceresses.
THE EIGHT SORCERESSES OF THE HOLY PLACES IN THE BOOK OF THE DEAD
direction name color face right hand I left hand
east Sirhhamukha "wine" lion crossed at breast
south Vyaghrimukha red tiger crossed pointing downward
west ).lfgalamukha black fox razor _I entrails
north J.l.vllnamukha dark blue wolf (dog?) hold corpse to mouth
southwest Kamkamukha dark red hawk flayed skin over shoulder
southeast Grdhamukha pale yellow vulture shoulder: corpse I hand: skeleton
northwest Kakamukha black raven sword I skull cup
northeast 01umukha dark blue owl vajra I sword
28 THE Gons
The one type missing from the list is a sow-headed goddess. She does,
however, tum up elsewhere in the Book of the Dead as VllrahT, one of the six
yoginls of the northern quarter. VarahT is, of course, a Hindu deity of consid-
erable antiquity. The form found in the Book of the Dead holds a "noose of
teeth," a detail which agrees more with our "Binding Woman" than with
other descriptions of Varahi.
84
Francesca Fremantle and Chogyam Trungpa identify the phra men ma as
the pisacrs of India, a kind of demon "somewhat less terrible than the
raksasa."
85
The Mahavyutpatti (4756), however, translates pisaca, as sha za,
carnivore, and lists them -among the Hungry Ghosts. In the Sadhanamala,
pisacr occurs as an epithet of the goddess Parnasabari. According to
Bhattacharyya, this indicates that. "she was regarded as one of the demi-gods,
half human, half divine."
86
Like other members of the Indian demon class, the
name pisaca may have originally belonged to a tribal group long ago demon-
ized by the more centrally located architects of Indian culture.
What clues can the lexicographers provide for the etymology of the term
phra men ma? A phra men ma would be a woman who performs phra men,
which H. A. Jiischke defines as "sorcery, witchcraft." Geshe Chodak says that
phra men pa, a masculine form of the word, is "applied to demonesses and
to those who are both sky walkers and demonesses, and also to semi-divine
ghouls" (' dre mo zer ba dang mkha' 'gro dang 'dre mo gnyis yin pa Ia' ang
zer ba dang lha min srin po Ia' ang zerl ). He defines phra men ma as sha za
'gro (carnivorous beings). Trulshik Rinpoche however, states unequivocally
that they are "like goddesses .... They are not demonesses (' dre mo)."
81
According to Trulshik Rinpoche, the term phra men refers to deities with
a human body and an animal's head in general. Phra men ma refers to the
female of the type. Because they bring about heterogeneous appearances,
they can be called "apparitions."
88
When I tell Trulshik Rinpoche about Das'
definition of phra men as "magical forecasts," he says that the term has
nothing to do with telling the future, but rather. with a kind of direct percep-
tion (mngon shes). He emphasizes that the phra men ma are the guardians of
the gates and in reality (don du) the four immeasurables.
89
The name phra men ma can be also applied to living women, but in a
sense that is less than divine. John Ardussi and Lawrence Epstein, in their
discussion of "The Saintly Madman in Tibet," refer to them as a type of witch
related to the bdud mo and the gson 'dre. Characteristically, they are "pious
women who spend all their time in prayer and other religious activities, but
whose thoughts tum evil and unconsciously harm other people."
Alternating with violent and aggressive behavior, the victims are
characterized by autistic withdrawal from their environment, loss of
speech,' and occasional episodes of hyperphagia and coprophagia. In
terms of social relations this seems to symbolize two types of anti-
Orientations
social acts, withdrawal from interaction and eating too much or too
many horrible things. Witches are always depicted as cannibalistic,
and at their gatherings they are supposed to gorge themselves on
human and animal corpses.
90
29
It is interesting to note that however different they_are from their divine
namesakes in the Lord of the Dance mm:ujala, Ardussi and Epstein's human
phra men ma have at least one area of similarity. The phra men ma goddesses
have strange animal-like faces; human phra men ma have strange animal-like
eating habits.
Based on the testimony of their informants, Ardussi and Epstein catego-
rize these women "in a preliminary fashion" as schizophrenics.
91
Curiously,
this identification of phra men ma as mad-women brings us back to the
Indian pisacz.
92
In classical times, the pisaca demons gave their name to a
form of marriage. Of all the supernatural models for marriage, it was consid-
ered the lowest. In the words of A. L. Basham, it "can scarcely be called
marriage at all-the seduction of a girl while asleep, mentally deranged, or
drunk,"93
In this, it is well to remember that one of the hallmarks of tantricism on
both sides of the Himalayas is the identification of the saint with the madman
and of the sexual, and in particular the sexually degraded and dangerous, with
the divine.
Poetically at least, the borderland between the abnormal and the super-
normal is a vague one. To embody immeasurable compassion, immeasurable
love, immeasurable joy, and immeasurable equanimity is abnormal by ordi-
nary human standards. To embody that promiscuously ecstatic union with
existence, which the Sky Walker and the Sorceress suggest with their spread
legs and their faces transformed by abandon, transformed even into the faces
of animals, is by worldly standards deranged.
3
Deity Yoga
One of the earliest and most fundamental concepts of Buddhism is that of the
path-that religion has a goal and that there is a means to reach that goal. In
the introduction, we remarked that a sense of wonder, a vision however
fleeting of the world as divine, is part of our common human heritage. In the
context of tantric yoga, this vision is not left to chance or an arbitrary grace.
It is cultivated by a prO<:ess of meditation.
Each day the participants in Mani Rimdu meditate that:
The world outside becomes a divine palace.
Its inhabitants are perfected as the gods of the circle.
Sounds that resound are the mantra's own sound.
The mind's memories and thoughts are the Body of Truth. [UB
18.5]
The type of meditation in which one visualizes oneself as a god and the
world as paradise has two stages: the process of creation (Tib. bskyed rim;
Ssk. utpattikrama), often translated as the generation stage; and the process
of perfection (rdzogs rim; ni$pannakrama) or stage of completion or fulfill-
ment. The process of perfection continues the efforts of the creation process.
It makes the yogic vision of the creation process real.
1
Without attempting a general excursis on the subject of tantric medita-
tion, it would be well to mention some of the special features belonging to
the tradition at hand.
The creation process is commonly divided into three parts: self-creation
(bdag bskyed), visualizing oneself as the deity; creation in front (mdun bskyed),
31
32
DEITY YOGA
visualizing the deity floating in space before one; and creation in the flask
(bum bskyecl), visualizing the deity in a flask of holy water?
According to Trulshik Rinpoche, in the New Translation Schools the
three are performed separately. In the Nyingma, however, they can be done
all at once. This simultaneous method, he adds, is easier. Although the se-
quential method can also be used, it is more difficult inasmuch as that which
is visualized (dmigs bya) is more extensively developed.
Thus, in the Nyingma school there are three systems of bskyed rim:
(1) meditating on the deity as the self, in front and in the flask all at once
(bdag mdun bum gsum gcig char bsgom pa); (2) meditating on them sepa-
rately (bdag mdun bum gsum so sor bsgom pa); (3) a system where, before
the recitation, the creation of the deity passes from oneself into the creation
in front like one lamp lighting another (me rim btab Ita bu phye ba' i bsgom
pa).
In each case, the creation process has three aspects.
3
1. visualizing the form of the god clearly (rnam pa gsa/ ba)
2. keeping in mind the purity of the form (rnam pa dag par dran ba)
3. assuming the ego of the deity (lha' i nga rgyal 'dzin pa)
The deities visualized such as Lord of the Dance belong to the class
known as yi dam (Ssk. i$(adevata ). Yi dam has most often been translated
as tutelary deity, although recently the term personal deity has been used. It
is said that a yi dam is the very form in which a meditator will attain Bud-
dhahood. This concept may give a clue to the origin of the term. In Tibetan,
yi dam is related to the word for promise or pledge (dam tshig). The under-
lying concept seems to be either that the yi dam is the deity to which one is
pledged, or that it is the form in which one promises to become a Buddha,
a provisional image of one's potential Buddhahood.
4
Other deities of the
pantheon are merely worshipped; the yi dam is the god one strives to become.
The tutelary deities of the tantric pantheon have little in common with
the gods of other traditions. For the most part, they lack the personality of
Jehovah or the mythological I biographical details of the Greek or Hindu
gods. They are not creators of the universe. In keeping with their role as
ciphers of an eternal vision, the tutelary deities are oddly static.
What the yi dam have instead of biographies are "pure attributes." The
commentaries, for example, explain that Lord of the Dance's clasped hands
are the union of method and wisdom, and that they clasp a vajra because
wisdom and method are bound as of one taste with the indivisible diamond
of bliss.
5
Lord of the Dance, then, is pure. He does not have a body of flesh and
blood, but a pure body. On his level of being, it is said that even the causes,
which would result in a gross body of flesh and blood subject to death and
Orientations 33
decay, are totally absent. Having a pure body means that Lord of the Dance's
hands are not like the union of wisdom and method, they are the union of
wisdom and method.
In "recollecting the purity" of the deity, the meditator calls these pure
attributes to mind in detail. Thus, when he has re-created himself as the deity,
his hands are not flesh and blood, but wisdom and method and so on. This
refmement of the creative self-image dissolves the basis of demonic pride. In
the language of deity yoga, it is said to be the antidote to becoming a rudra
instead of a god.
6
We might speculate that this functions in an analogous way to early Bud-
dhist (or "Hinayana" in Tibetan parlance) meditations on the skandhas and
similar schemes for analyzing the human condition. The Hinayana philosophers
enjoin us to analyze the components of our body and mind. In so doing, they
say we will fmd no real basis for our feeling of selfhood; the feeling that drags
us helpless through the disasters of samsara. In recollecting the "purity of the
form," we remember the individual characteristics of the deity. Like the skandhas,
each in itself is an unsuitable resting place for a sense of ego, or in this case
a feeling of demonic pride. Between them, nothing can be found on which the
towering edifice of such an error might be built.
The third aspect of the creation process is assuming the deity's ego. This
is the thought "I am the deity." This "divine pride" is often considered to be
the most crucial aspect of the creation process. It is sometimes said that we
should not think that we are just imagining that we are the deity. The deity
is more like what we really are than our normal self-image is. In Buddhism,
our normal self-image is by defmition a total illusion. As the contemporary
Tibetan historian of religion, Khetsun Sangpo has put it,
These substitutions are not false visualizations. It is not a matter of
first thinking your surroundings are ordinary and then replacing them
by something that is fantastic but false. You are to conceive them as
having been this way from the very beginning and that you are
identifying their own proper nature. Your senses normally misrepre-
sent what is there, but through this visualization you can come closer
to what actually exists.
7
This identification of the mind as such (sems nyid) with Buddhahood is
for the Nyingma school not only the crux of the tantric vision, but also its
defining feature. As Dudjom Rinpoche points out, citing the Heruka Galpo,
Through the causal vehicle of dialectics
Mind-as-such is meditated upon as the cause of buddhahood.
Through the resultant vehicle of mantras
Mind-as-such is meditated upon as buddhahood.
8
34 DEITY YOGA
If the deities of Buddhism (and its concept of reality) are quite different
from the deity (and concepts of reality) of the Judeo-Christian tradition, one
aspect of man's relation to the divine is constant. That is faith. The Playful
Ocean declares:
0 body which is as pervasive and pure as imperceptible space,
Although we cannot perceive [you] to invite [you], or pray that you
come,
We pray you play wisdom's illusion and come
From the realm of compassion itself, which is purified as the body
of truth.
9
No matter how a deity is construed, it takes faith for a human being to
invoke an unseen god.
Faith in unseen powers is fundamental to cultural milieu of Solu-Khumbu.
It is common to the highest lama and to the lowliest villager. It underlies
every aspect of Mani Rimdu. Once, when discussing with Trulshik Rinpoche
the merits of the maf)i pills that are at the heart of Mani Rimdu, I brought the
conversation around to faith. The power of faith is a common theme in
Tibetan culture, and their myths and theories on the subject sometimes come
close to our notion of the placebo effect. Nevertheless, when I asked him if
the efficacy of the pills was dependent on the faith of the person who takes
them, his answer was simple and direct: "No. If you give the pills to a dog,
the dog will gain the merit."
From this perspective, it is not the power of faith that is at issue here,
but the power of blessing (byin rlabs).
4
The Sworn Protectors
The maT:uJ,ala of the central deity is surrounded by protective circles of lo-
tuses, cemeteries, diamonds, and flames. His divine assembly, as pictured in
the visionary paintings known as tshogs zhing is surrounded by circles of
protective deities. This section will provide an introduction, albeit a brief one,
to the protector rituals that form so important a part of Mani Rimdu.
The protector deities worshipped during Mani Rirndu fall into two main
groups. The first is the Great Protectors, high gods of the Indian pantheon
accorded at least sometimes with great spiritual advancement and always with
great supernatural powers. The gods of the second group are more parochial,
for the most part, they are Tibetan deities of lower rank. In the Mindroling
tradition, these are called the "followers" (rjes 'brang) of the Great Protectors.
The Great Protectors have an equivocal aspect. On the one hand, they are
often addressed as pure Buddha-like beings.
Although from the Truth Realm, you display the body of a glorious
Blood Drinker,
Originally, you are pure. We propitiate you
With progress on the paths of creation and fulfillment,
Such as the yoga that recognizes that you are indivisible
Or,
from our own minds! [PO 43.3]
Hom! Without straying from the realm of total purity,
Out of compassion, you teach in a body of wrath.
May we propitiate you, great powerful hero,
Heruka, who has vanquished the demon army! [PO 43.5]
35
36
THE SwoRN PROTECfORS
Or, again
Hrib! Come here, bearer of the diamond of every Conqueror's speech,
Great God brother and sister, who rise
From the play of Lotus Lord of the Dance Compassion,
In the body of a worldly protector in order to tame the hard to
tame! [PO 45b6]
On the other hand, the protectors are called dam can, "sworn ones"
bound by promises extracted by powerful magicians and yogis. Often these
promises are construed to be oaths to benefit the world rather than harm it
following their ferocious inclinations.
The liturgy lists many boons that the protectors should bestow from
increasing crop yields to replenishing "yogis' degenerate and broken vows!"
[PO 47b5]. The typical short list is found in the ceremony of the Virtuous
One, a form of Mahakala:
Glorious Diamond Great Black One, Lord of Hosts, brother and
sister and entourage-transgress not the words and advice of the
root and lineage Lamas! Protect the Buddhas' teaching! Praise the
grandeur of the [Three] Jewels! Defend the rule of the Virtuous
Community and religion! Cure the ills of the world! Increase sen-
tient beings' benefit and pleasure! Be a friend who helps Yogis!
Complete the Mantra Holders' work! Subdue the enemy of anger!
Vanquish harmful Obstructors! In particular, pacify all outer, inner
and secret opposing conditions; increase and expand conducive con-
ditions-the panoply of good we wish for; and act to bring success
to each and every highest and ordinary true achievement, for all
those who participate in this vow! [8b6]
According to Lama Tharchin, the protectors' specific promise is to
manifest in this world compassionately to protect religion and beings. He
puts an unexpected spin on the issue, however. Without such promises, he
ventures, the protectors might not manifest at all.
Such a concept is implicit in the act of invoking the protectors. There is
always the suggestion that if those performing the ritual did not invoke the
deity in question, he would simply fail to appear and thereby default on his
contract. Often their liturgy makes this explicit, as in this passages from the
liturgy Virtuous One:
Hnrh! I am a knowledge bearer and an achiever.
I dwell in the holy. I am attracted to the gods.
You are a guardian, a possessor of magic powers.
Orientations
Long ago, under the gaze of the Great Glorious One,
You swore to guard the teaching.
If I, the yogi, now invoke
Your strict promise,
By the power of your vow, I pray you come! [PO 41.3]
37
If such a promise is sign of an equivocal nature, it is in part a type of
equivocation that the tradition ascribes to the Buddha himself. On the one
hand, a certain logic argues that in his infinite compassion, a Buddha is
incapable of doing other than helping beings. The tradition itself, however,
constantly belies this. According to the legendary accounts of the life of the
Buddha, after his enlightenment j.illkyamuni despaired of communicating to
mortals his insight in all its subtlety. Only after the god Brahma urged him,
did he consent to :r;emain on Earth to teach. Similarly, in the "Seven-fold
Service" used in nearly every Tibetan ritual, the practitioner says,
Buddhas that long for nirval)a,
I beseech you to stay for an ocean of reons!
I urge you to tum the wheel of religion
Molded to the minds of those to be trained!
1
Like human religious practitioners who daily invoke their faith in the
three jewels and their resolve to attain enlightenment, in the rhetoric of their
rituals at least, the protectors need to constantly reaffirm their vows of com-
passion.
Others take a more dire view of the protectors and their potential danger.
Some believe that it can be harmful to begin propitiating a deity if one will
not persist in his ritual service. Tibetan physicians examine their patients
urine for signs of divine affliction. "For instance, perhaps one was showing
devotion and making propitiation for some time to that 'god' and then
stopped ... disturbance in this square indicates harm at the hands of such a
figure."
2
According to Robert B. Ekvall, " ... there is not much evidence to show
that conversion to Buddhism is regarded as necessarily final or enduring:
CHos sKyong may perhaps backslide.''
3
Ekvall gives a mythological justifi-
cation for this unreliability.
In the prologue to the Gesar epic, Padmasambhava is shown as
concerned and greatly grieved because, although in time past he had
bound the gods of the land by an exercise of magic repeated twice-
here the Bon number appears-that subjugation was losing its force.
Because the thaumaturgiC tour de force had not been repeated thrice-
here the Buddhist number appears-the native gods were stirring
38
THE SwoRN PROTECfORS
anew in rebellion, and someone was needed to reconvert or recon-
quer the demons of the Land of the Snows.
4
Propitiation of the protectors is an area in which monks can display the
professionalism that is the result of their lifelong dedication to ritual service.
This service creates a relationship with these dangerous unseen forces that
borders on intimacy.
Bhyob! Great Cemetery Goddess,
Raise your body from your cemetery home!
Come to this place with a loving heart,
The yogis longingly pray.
Mother whose play is the very appearance of wisdom,
Cemetery Goddess, Raise your body
From the vast, unutterable, unchanging realm!
Come here, for the time has come! [PO 28.5]
As we shall see, this relationship with the protectors and the skill in
handling them contributes to the monks value as a community resource.
Some European authors have regarded the protector deities as a projec-
tion of violent psychological forces.
5
Others, including some of our finest
scholars, have tended to dismiss the very concept of propitiation from Bud-
dhism altogether, along with other elements that they deem "superstitious" or
"unorthodox," and more extraordinary, to claim that "learned" Tibetans do
likewise. Even Ferdinand Diederich Lessing, the totemic ancestor of all of us
who would study Tibetan ritual, was not immune, and wrote:
The idea [of "untimely death"] springs from the same root as the
view, so common among so-called primitives, that death and illness
are not natural, but the work of pernicious demons and their baneful
witchcraft. Our author rejects such a view. Nevertheless he admits,
or seems to admit, the possibility of interference with the life pro-
cess by some outside power. Learned lamas, it is true, adhere per-
sonally to more philosophical theories, but at the same time they
compromise with the needs of the populace. This attitude of theirs
finds support in the Scriptures which say that the Buddha himself
adjusted his methods to the conceptual amplitude of his audience.
6
(italics mine)
In Solu-Khumbu, I never heard any such suggestion coming from a
Tibetan or Sherpa. Even were the implicit concept of this sort of socially
systemic deceit not inherently unpleasant, mercifully, it is unnecessary in this
case. The propitiation of protectors is too fundamental to Tibetan culture to
Orientations 39
conceive of as merely tolerated in a credulous peasantry by an artful and
condescending, if benign, elite.
To the people of Solu-Khumbu, propitiation is not just an advisable
activity, but an essential one. Everyone can give a story of how a bad sign
was dealt with, or a calamity averted by propitiating the relevant protector.
Villagers who quite literally have never heard the word satra or its Tibetan
equivalent, mdo, have an easy familiarity with the term skang gso (propitia-
tion).
The monastic elite comes from the same villages and the same families.
7
As monks, their involvement with the cult of the protectors increases dra-
matically. In Solu-Khumbu, protector rituals form an important part both of
a monk's professional duties and of his private religious practice. There is
nothing to suggest that belief in the protectors or any other supernatural
entities decreases or is vitiated by the monastic experience. If anything, it
increases. To the Sherpa monk, disbelief in the protectors is nearly unimag-
inable, especially in anyone interested in religion.
Monk One: You probably don't believe in the Followers, do you?
Ethnographer: (silence)
Monk One: (with a troubled look) But you surely believe in the
Great Protectors, don't you?
Ethnographer: (silence)
Monk Two: (in the nick of time) Of course he does!
Of course, Tibetan theologians are no strangers to subtle psychological
interpretation. Wondering if any of our own scholars' theories might fmd
their cognates in higher Tibetan intellectual circles, I made protectors and.
propitiation the topic of an interview with H. H. the Dalai Lama. Surely, if
we were to fmd Lessing's "learned lama," it would be here in the apartments
of this man revered by all of Tibet for his learning as well as for his saint-
liness. What His Holiness said is of sufficient moment to summarize at some
length.
8
Q. What is the nature of the Sworn Protectors of Religion (dam can chos
srung)?
A. Tibetan Buddhism has two aspects. On the one hand there is a
strict causal system. On the other hand, there is a great multiplicity
of gods. Some people in Tibet think that the Protectors are almost
like creator gods [but this is not the case].
In general there are two types of causes: the fundamental cause
and helping causes. [The classical example used in explaining cau-
sation is a potter making a pot.] In this example, the fundamental
cause is the clay, and the additional causes are the instruments, the
40 THE SwoRN PROTECTORS
potter, etc. that create the pot. Without clay, no matter how good the
instruments, no pot can be made.
It is on the level of helping causes that the Protectors can be
useful. No one but you yourself can change your basic karma [which
is the fundamental cause of your future], but as to when it will ripen
and which aspect, the protectors can make adjustments.
Q. What is the purpose of propitiation (bskang gso)?
A. In the phrase bskang gso, bskang ba means "to satisfy", as in
satisfying a desire ('dod pa bskang ba), or satisfying the mind (thugs
bskang ba). gSo ba means "to repair", to make up for a past offense
of word or deed, to repent or confess (bshags pa). Thus, bskang gso
is satisfying the Protectors and making up for past offenses. It puts
them in a favorable frame of mind if you later need a favor from
them. It is like giving a party for a rich and powerful man, or
apologizing to him if you have offended him.
In bskang gso, offerings are given, but they may be insufficient.
They must be augmented by mentally created offerings. All the
offerings must be cleansed by meditation and mantras, otherwise the
gods may not be able to use them.
The beings of the spirit world cannot be perceived by the ordi-
nary mind. They can sometimes be perceived in a semi-conscious
state, such as when falling asleep. Otherwise, it is necessary to have
one-pointedness of mind in order to perceive them. Many people do
bskang gso just thinking of their stomachs, they do not do it one-
pointedly. This is cheating. It is a waste of time, a waste of effort,
and a waste of money.
The spirit world has so many different races-dmu, rgyal po,
btsan. Sometimes, I think they must have race relations problems.
(laughter). Also some protect Buddhism, and others are against
Buddhism, so, like people, they also have ideological conflicts.
Even in my sketchy account, this interpretation is sophisticated and at the
same time imbued with Buddhist philosophical principles. What it does not
do, however is explain away the protectors or devalue their propitiation.
Early Western writers on Buddhism called that religion atheistic and
praised it as "the religion of common sense." But just as Lessing's concept
of a "learned lama" is an ethnocentric one, the concept of Buddhist atheism
is imbued with our own cultural heritage and limited by it.
For us, the antipodes of religiosity have been the absolute monotheism
of the ancient Near East and its derivatives, and a more recent but hardly less
absolute rationalism. It is true that Buddhism is atheistic in the sense that it
Orientations 41
does not center on a demiurge or Creator of the Universe similar to that of
Judaism, Christianity, or Islam. However, as we gain more data on the beliefs
of living Buddhists, it seems clear that none of them live in the peculiarly
empty cosmos of the modem West, with a cold infinite void above and only
Earth below.
THE PLAYFUL OCEAN AND THE FOLLOWERS
The rituals of the Great Protectors are found in a text called the Playful
Ocean ofTrue Achievement (dNgos grub rol mtsho). Like nearly all the ritual
texts of Mani Rimdu, the Playful Ocean originated at Mindroling Monastery.
The Playful Ocean is quite similar to the main protector ritual of the Dudjom
lineage, the Phrin las rnam rot, The Play of Ceremony. Sometimes the two
texts correspond word-for-word. Lamas familiar with both traditions, such as
Trulshik Rinpoche and Lama Tharchin, will refer on occasion to the Dudjom
text to check a sticky passage of the Playful Ocean.
Our edition of the Playful Ocean is printed at Thubten Choling from
blocks carved at Rongphu. Available from the Library of Congress, the Play-
ful Ocean and the Followers are among the few Mani Rimdu texts found in
American libraries.
9
According to the commentarial tradition of the Precious Lamp (Rin chen
sgron me), the protector ritual to be used in connection with Lord of the
Dance is the Guardians of the Word (bl(a' srung), a short text centering on
Great God (Lha chen). Great God, Mahadeva of the Indians, is considered by
the tradition to be an emanation of Lord of the Dance and the special Guard-
ian of the Word of his teachings.
Although the Guardians of the Word focuses on Mahadeva, it alludes to
all the gods of the Playful Ocean, albeit briefly. Thus, the use of the longer
text is a natural elaboration of the basic form of the ritual. The Playful Ocean
is, in fact, the protector ritual usually used at Thubten Choling when perform-
ing the rituals of Lord of the Dance. Presumably, it became a fixed part of
Mani Rimdu when the festival was first codified by Ngawang Tenzin Norbu.
In Mani Rimdu, the first of the daily protector rituals is "Blessing the
Offerings."
10
The first chapter of Playful Ocean, the Yoga of Self is only
necessary when the Playful Ocean is performed on its own. It is not used in
Mani Rimdu, since the function of creation or generation of the tutelary deity
has already been fulfilled by the maJ).(lala of Lord of the Dance.
11
It is possible to spread the performance of the Playful Ocean over
several days, worshipping a few deities each day. In such a case, the prac-
titioners must issue a "General Invitation of the Defenders of Religion," so
that the full complement of deities will be invoked each day. During Mani
Rimdu, the monks of Chi wong use the passage by that name in the Guardians
42 THE SWORN PROTECTORS
of the Word, because of the connection of that text to the Lord of the Dance
rituals.
When the Playful Ocean is performed alone, a similar interpolation may
be drawn from 'Gyur med rdo rje's Condensed Torma Ritual for the Sworn
Ones in General (Dam can spyi' i gtor ma' i cho ga nyung ngur bsdus pa).
The two ceremonies are so similar that it was only after considerable thought
that experts unequivocally specified that the Guardians of the Word should
be used in Mani Rimdu rather than the Condensed Torma Ritual.
The Playful Ocean addresses nine different deities. Four are types of
Mahakala; two can be classed as types of the Goddess, Devi; the remainder
are heterogeneous. An addendum for Long Life Woman, a deity associated
with Rongphu, brings the number to ten. The ten protectors of the Mindroling I
Rongphu tradition are summarized in the following chart.
12
TYPOLOGY OF THE GREAT PROTECfORS
Malu:lka/a Devl Other
1 Virtuous One 5 Mantra Guardian 6 Great God
2 Four-Handed One 9 Cemetery Grandmother 7 Planet Demon
3 Neuter 8 Son of Renown
4 Four-Faced One 10 Long Life Woman
Long Life Woman is at the head of a group of goddesses known as the
Five Long Life Sisters. According to the texts, these native Tibetan goddesses
were converted to Buddhism on no less than three occasions: first, by the
Achievement Yoginis in the Singhala cemetery; second, by Padmasambhava
at Khalarongo; and last by Milarepa at Chubar.
13
Ngawang Tenzin Norbu of Rongphu composed this ritual for the moun-
tain goddess whose home was so close to his monastery, basing it on prayers
written by the great Kagyii poet Pemakarpo (Padma dkar po)-a lama of
Milarepa's lineage. Thus, although the Long Life Sisters are worshipped
elsewhere in Tibet, our text belongs exclusively to Rongphu and its satellites.
The Playful Ocean is an anthology assembled by 'Gyur med rdo rje from
the separate practices of nine separate deities. Today, editions of the individual
rituals of at least some members of the group are still found. Presumably ali of
the texts existed as independent units before the collectiqn was made.
The organizing principle underlying the anthology is simple. It is struc-
tured to facilitate practice. To understand the organization of the Playful
Ocean, we must first briefly examine its structure from the viewpoint of a
single protector ritual.
The process begins with the preliminary practices necessary to embark
on the main meditation. The first is the yoga of self, in which the meditator
remakes himself as the tutelary deity. Without the power of the tutelary, an
Orientations 43
ordinary man dare not approach the great and powerful protectors. Another
necessary preliminary is the blessing of the various offerings. In a sense this
parallels the first act: just as an ordinary man cannot approach the protectors,
an ordinary offering cannot satisfy them. Both the offering and the one who
offers must be infused with a higher power.
Next comes the actual practice, which can be divided into nine parts. The
first is the basic ceremony ('phrin las) (1) for the deity, the visualization of
the deity and his entourage. Typically, the basic ceremony also includes an
invitation, a plea to stay, placing the god under oath, a salutation, and a
general offering.
Following this, the torma is offered (2) with an elaborate mantra. The
deity is then praised (3),
14
and his own mantra recited (4). Now comes the
propitiation (bskang ba) (5) of the deity per se, a special set of offerings to
fulfill his desires and satisfy his mind.
A confession (6) follows the propitiation. In the Playful Ocean, some
deities such as Virtuous One and Great God, have their own special confes-
sions. The .next section brings us to the point of the exercise-requesting
action toward the desired goal (7).
15
Finally, the torma is then fed to the deity
(8), and the concluding rituals performed (9).
This model holds for shorter propitiation rites as well as for longer ones.
Thus, we can see its basic elements in the "General Invitation" of the Guardians
of the Word, and in the shortest of all of our protector rituals, Ngawang Tenzin
Norbu's two folio Unelaborated (sPros med). As these rituals .demonstrate, when
worshipping more than one protector, it is the practice to first invoke all the
deities concerned, then to give each his offering in tum, praise him and so on.
When a group of deities each of whom has a separate text is worshipped, the
practitioner will flip from manuscript to manuscript to achieve the same effect.
The Playful Ocean in a sense does this for him. It disassembles the
Mindroling protector rituals and collates them so that the practitioner need
not flip cumbersomely between nine separate volumes. With the tenth deity,
Long Life Woman, the original process can still be seen. Not among the nine
Mindroling protectors, when she is worshipped the monks must continually
flip between her text and the Playful Ocean.
If the liturgies of the Playful Ocean are heterogeneous in origin, they are
also heterogeneous in structure, style, and mood. "The Ceremony for the
Glorious Protector, The Four-Faced One," has its own introduction and is
prefaced by a passage written in the mysterious "symbolic alphabet of the
Sky Walkers," unintelligible to ordinary mortals. As Trulshik Rinpoche puts
it, each syllable of this alphabet speaks volumes to those with eyes to see.
16
g 5 1 5 J 61
5
1 i l ~ ~ 8 8 g
Inscription in the Symbolic Alphabet of the Sky Walkers
(mkha' 'gro brdd yig) heading "The Ceremony for Four-Faced One" (PO 16.2)
44 THE SwoRN PROTECTORS
Some of the rituals invite the gods with op.omatopoeic verse (e.g., Planet
Demon, f 25.4), others do not. Some have elaborately categorized offerings
with separate verses for ordinary, secret, medicine, rakta, and torma offerings
(e.g., Great God, f 22.5 ff.). Others (e.g., Son of Renown, f 27b4) content
themselves with a single generic verse. Virtuous One (2.7.2.1, f 49.2 ff.) and
Great God (2.7.2.2, f 49b3 ff.) alone among the protectors have their own
confessions. These confessions are included when its god is worshipped and
excluded when he is not.
The mood of the various prayers varies with the deity invoked. The
ithyphallic Great God with his voluptuous consort Umadevi clinging to his
shoulder is propitiated in a sensuous mood. The propitiation of the fearsome
Four-Handed Mahakala is appropriately violent and gruesome. Its imagery,
whose fleurs are always mal, is enough to make Baudelaire blanche-
Your drink-vicious heart's-blood swirls like an ocean;
Your bath-maddening poison blood violently shimmers;
Flowers of the five senses burst into blossom;
Human meat smolders; smoke banks in clouds;
Butter lamps of human grease blaze like apocalyptic fires;
Ambrosial blood-clot perfume billows wave after wave;
A gruesome supper shimmers with flesh, blood and bone;
Turbulent roaring music quakes the three planes.
Gladdened and sated by this offering,
This inconceivable cloud of inner cemetery offerings,
Grant us enlightenment and magic power! [12b6]
If, in the Playful Ocean, the style of the rituals differs considerably from
one deity to another, both in terms of literary merit and apparent age, the
F ol/owers anthology is even more heterogeneous.
17
One prayer from the Followers, "The Worship Cloud for the God of the
Plain," stands out from the rest in several respects. First, as an exercise in
liturgical style, it is of the first rank. Second, it is written in the first person,
and the voice is that of Padmasambhava. Third, as if to give stylistic evidence
to back up this attribution, the prayer has a particularly ancient ring to it, unique
among the liturgies of Mani Rimdu.
18
Even a brief passage evokes a host of
antique Tibetan literary devices, such as repetition, a preoccupation with gene-
alogy, a taste for turquoise, and a love for the contours of the land of Tibet-
Name the body god's father-
He is '0 te gung rgyal.
19
Name the body god's mother-
She is the One-Winged Turquoise Bird (g.Yu bya gshog gcig).
Name the body god himself-
Orientations
He is Ya hud god of the Cruel Ones.
Name the country in which you dwell-
It is 'Dam bshod snar mo.2
A wild throne of shimmering green
Verdant in summer, verdant in winter too.[llbl]
The country in which you dwell is delightful to experience.
You adore it! [It is] the country of the gods! [llb2]
45
God of the Plain or God of the Plateau (Thang lha) is in himself an
intriguing deity. He figures in early Tibetan mythology and divination and is
mentioned in the Dunhuang manuscripts.
21
Despite his name, he is often
considered a mountain god.
22
Part of our text commemorates God of the Plain's conversion to Bud-
dhism. Rene de Nebesky-Wojkowitz puts this event in a familiar mythic
context; the same story is told of many of Tibet's autochthonous deities:
A legend relates that this mountain god was once an adversary of
Buddhism. When the Buddhist missionary Padma Sarnbhava carne
to Tibet, Nyen-chen Thang-la tried to block the saint's path with
mists and snowstorms. But Padma Sarnbhava succeeded in breaking
the mountain god's opposition and converting him into a protector
of the Yellow Doctrine.
23
From a literary viewpoint, the Playful Ocean's propitiation sequences in
particular are poetry in a very dark key.
Out of the empty realm, the sky before me becomes. a raging tangle
of blood and clots-Malaya, the volcanic island of blazing meteoric
iron. In this horrifying, chilling place, at the hub of a great palace
of graveyard play, atop a lotus and a sun, the syllable HUM sits on
the corpses of a man and a horse. It becomes a chopper marked with
a HUM, which changes into the Glorious Protector of Wisdom,
Virtuous One, the Great Black One. He is in the form of a diamond
ghoul: body blue-black; short and stocky and thick of limb. He is
radiant as a hundred thousand suns.
One face, two hands, three eyes has he. He grins, face aglow
and his fangs drip blood. His tongue rolls and clacks fiercely on his
palate. His nose wrinkling in anger, snorts out hurricanes. His three
eyes, round and red, roll back in rage. His dark brown hair, beard
and eyebrows stand on end, and blaze with a great star's light. [5b5]
The protector rituals are a trove of information about the odd comers of
Tibetan culture. The liturgy, among other things, serves as a catalogue of
46 THE SWORN PROTECTORS
cultural artifacts real and mythical. During the propitiation, in addition to the
"normal" peaceful and wrathful offerings, such as offering water of "vicious
heart's-blood" or "tempest tossed fat-specked blood" [45.1], the worshippers
offer a variety of magical implements. Among these are soul-stones, life-
wheels, secret images, mantra tags, murderous blades, meteorite thunderbolts,
and copper needles [42b5].
The beribboned arrow is, of course, present. This ancient artifact, typical
of the "nameless religion" of Tibet and of Siberian shamanist culture appears
in the propitiation in various forms. Four-Handed One [42b3] and Cemetery
Grandmother [48b3] each receive a vulture-feathered arrow hung with mul-
ticolored silks; Four-Faced One, "an arrow of heroic bamboo, beribboned
with strips of tiger and leopard skin and multicolored silk."
24
Hearts are a common item: bastard's hearts and life-hearts are offered on
one occasion [42b5], a knifed heart on another [43.6]. Sometimes one magic
device is filled with a variety of others. Four-Faced One, for example, re-
ceives a "failen hero's heart" stuffed with "images, mantra tags, a life-wheel
and soul-stone" [44b3]. Four-Handed One gets "The heart of a hero slain in
battle I Filled with a life-wheel with no mistakes I A triangular natural image-
stone, [and] a bastard's heart." Cemetery Grandmother gets a bastard's heart
filled with her life-wheel [48b3].
Nor are hearts the only vessel to be so used. The container may be a
hom, or in the case of Great God, a phallic vessel [46b6].
Black animals are offered to all forms of Mahakala. The offering to
Four-Handed One is a striking example of the theme.
The black horse, bedecked with ornaments, gambols like the wind.
The shaggy bull yak is as majestic as a thunderhead.
The demon sheep has a white rump and a curling iron hom.
The black bear-like dog trots following tracks of blood.
The black bird with the thunder-iron beak swoops and soars.
Birds and beasts of prey pounce on the life of enemies and
obstructors .... [42bl]
Such images are found in art as well as literature. On the wall outside of
the protector room of the Junbesi village temple, is a painting of such a
"display" (spyan gzigs), [pronounced chensik]. Contemplating this dark herd,
one recalls the cave paintings that are man's earliest religious art and is
reminded of the animal cults that antedate other religions in Asia as else-
where in the world.
25
It is as literary tropes, however, that these images are perhaps the most
familiar, at least in post-diaspora Tibet. A group of monks from Namgyal
Monastery visiting the "Wisdom and Compassion" exhibition at the Asian
Orientations
47
Art Museum of San Francisco stood rapt before a spyan gzigs painting. "Oh,"
one exclaimed, "there is the sheep with the curling iron hom," as the other
monks huddled around him to identify images that they knew from texts but
had never before seen depicted.
As we have noted, with so many deities to worship it is often impractical
to complete the Playful Ocean and the Followers in a single day. For Mani
Rimdu a system of rotation is used which spreads the worship of the protector
over four days.
DAY I
Virtuous One
Great God
Cemetery God
Long Life Woman
PROTECTOR RITUAL SCHEDULE'
Great Protectors
DAY2 DAY 3
Four-Handed Neuter
Great God Great God
Son of Renown Planet
Cemetery God Cemetery Godb
DAY4
Four-Faced
Mantra Guardian
Great God
Cemetery God
' Chart, copied from ms. attributed to Trulshik Rinpoche in the possession of the Diamond
Master of Chiwong, 1983. First six lines of chart, minus interpolation of Cemetery God (Dur
lha, i.e. Dur 'khrod lha mo) in type three days (see next note) agrees with TCU's account.
Tengpoche R!npoche's oral account of the Protector Rituals at his monastery tallies exactly
with the chart. 5/28/83.
bJn 1984, the Chiwong Konyer checked my chart and inserted Cemetery God here, this was
conflm1ed by observation at Thami Monastery the following spring.
THE FOLLOWERS
DAY I DAY2 DAY3 DAY4
Lion Face 30 Governors Dagger Guardians Medicine Ladies
Medicine Ladies Medicine Ladies Medicine Ladies King [Pehar]
Good Diamond Good Diamond Good Diamond Good Diamond
Demon/Stem/Serpent Furious Haughty One Steadfast Women Stem One
God of the Plain'
'Added from new Chiwong Umze's manuscript.
In addition to the liturgy of the specific deities, the general parts of the
Playful Ocean also must be recited. Thus, each day of Mani Rimdu, the
monks devote several hours to propitiating the protectors.
The protector rituals also form a crucial part of the Mani Rimdu' s sacred
dance tradition. The entire Playful Ocean is performed each day of the dances.
On the day of the masked dance, this makes for an exhausting marathon of
ritual that begins long before dawn and does not end until close to midnight.
5
History:
The Lord of the Dance Rituals
On Friday, August 23, 1680, 'Gyur med rdo rje, a.k.a. sMin gling gter chen,
the great Treasure Revealer (gter stan) of Mindroling Monastery, publicly
removed thirteen scrolls of yellow paper (shag ser) from a cave at Sha 'ug
stag sgo in the Mon county of Tibet. They were the hidden texts (gter rna)
of the Lord of the Dance rituals.'
'Gyur med rdo rje (1646-1714), the last of the forty-eight gter ston
prophesied in the Padma thang yig, was a younger contemporary of the Fifth
Dalai Lama, Ngag dbang blo bzang rgya mtsho (1617-1682).
2
It is said that
when 'Gyur med rdo rje was a young man, the Dalai Lama was his teacher,
and that when 'Gyur med rdo rje became older, the roles were reversed. This
relationship between the founder of Mindroling and the most prominent rep-
resentative of the Gelugpa order is less surprising when we note that the Fifth
Dalai Lama was born in a Nyingmafamily.
3
In 1676, just four years before
the discovery of the Lord of the Dance gter rna, the relatively small institu-
tion of Mindroling was established as "an important monastic teaching cen-
ter."4 Basking in the prestige of the Great Fifth, Mindrolmg became the most
influential Nyingma Monastery in Central Tibet.
5
It is said that through his relationship with 'Gyur med rdo rje, the Dalai
Lama was inspired to bring monastic dance to the Gelugpa sect, which had
shunned it up until then. The fifth Dalai Lama became one of the main
exponents of the Mindroling Dance traditions.
6
As we have already mentioned, Lord of the Dance strongly resembles the
white four-handed form of Avalokitesvara that Tibetans believe incarnates on
earth as the Dalai Lama. Given the close relationship between the discoverer
of the Lord of the Dance text and the Fifth Dalai Lama, it is possible that this
resemblance is more than coincidental.
49
50 HISTORY: THE LORD OF THE DANCE RITIJALS
r
r
' I
'Gyur med rdo rje, Father of the Lord of the Dance Tradition
It is well within the bounds of what Tibetans consider "skillful means"
for a lama to tailor a religious practice for a powerful patron. One can easily
imagine 'Gyur med rdo rje creating a meditation for his spiritual friend that
Orientations 51
honored him .by playing in a poetic way with his identity of A valokitesvara.
This, in fact, appears to have been the case. Tulku Thondup, in his excellent
survey of the terma tradition, asserts that the Great Fifth "was one of the
main receivers of this tradition."
7
Lord of the Dance, moreover, is a variation on the A valokitesvara theme
that is particularly "Nyingma" in style.
8
Thus, such an act would at once refer
to the Great Fifth's secret Nyingma sympathies and deepen the already close
bond between the two men.
The tradition might discount such speculation-or credit it to the seren-
dipity of karma-at least in so far as it implies that 'Gyur med rdo rje
consciously crafted the tradition to suit his illustrious disciple. Lord of the
Dance is, after all, a "treasure" teaching: 'Gyur med rdo rje discovered it, he
did not invent it. Part of the raison d'etre of treasures is their ability to suit
themselves to changing times and circumstances. If Lord of the Dance seems
miraculously appropriate to his circumstances, it is nothing to wonder at in
a milieu that is by nature miraculous.
If, however, 'Gyur med rdo rje had drawn a spiritual connection to
strengthen a personal and political alliance, and moreover, cited a hidden text
as a justification for so doing, it would not be a unique case either in Tibetan
history, or even in his own time. It is, in fact, just what the Great Fifth
himself seems to have done to honor one of his teachers, Blo bzang chos kyi
rgyal mtshan The Dalai Lama declared him to be an incarna-
tion of Avalokitesvara's celestial teacher Amitabha, and in so doing instituted
the office of Panchen Lama. The decision was based, in part, on a terma that
the Dalai Lama himself published.
9
According to Trulshik Rinpoche, among the many yi dam of Mindroling
and among the many treasures that 'Gyur med rdo rje discovered between his
twenties and his death, Lord of the Dance was not the most well-known, nor
the most frequently practiced. Lord of the Dance practices rather, occupied
a special position at Mindroling. Considered the best of all of 'Gyur med rdo
rje's many treasures, like a precious possession they were kept hidden; re-
vealed but occasionally and to a select few. Trulshik Rinpoche likens this to
not showing one's treasury to others or to the United States not sharing its
nuclear secrets.
The Lord of the Dance traditions were brought from Mindroling to Rong-
phu Monastery by its great abbot, Ngawang Tenzin Norbu. Lord of the Dance
became his yi dam, and hence the yi dam of his monastery and of his prin-
cipal disciple, the present Trulshik Rinpoche.
10
It was Ngawang Tenzin Norbu who, using the Lord of the Dance rituals
(which he had edited into their present form) as a basis, founded the Mani
Rimdu festival that is practiced in Solu-Khumbu today.
Although Mindroling practices form the basis of the liturgy, in creating
the dances Ngawang Tenzin Norbu was more eclectic. According to Trulshik
52 HISTORY: THE LORD OF THE DANCE RITUALS
Rinpoche, his teacher took the basis of the 'chams from bZhad Monastery in
gTsang province (gTsang bzhad dgon pa byang). To this, he added some
dances from Mindroling such as the Cymbal Dance (rol 'chams) and his own
changes and innovations.
The story of the transmission of the Lord of the Dance tradition is one
of fluctuations and reversals, even ironies. A small cult at the influential
monastery of Mindroling, Lord of the Dance becomes a large cult at the small
monastery of Rongphu. Its most elaborate ritual, Mani Rimdu, is imported to
Nepal, where the festival prospers, but the cult languishes. At the Sherpa
monasteries where Mani Rimdu is performed, the festival is the only occa-
sion Lord of the Dance rituals are practiced.
A key to understanding many of these vicissitudes-and the vicissitudes
of many a deity, Tibetan and otherwise-is the sponsorship of a charismatic
leader. Under the regis of Ngawang Tenzin Norbu, Lord of the Dance pros-
pered at Rongphu. Now, with the sponsorship of Trulshik Rinpoche, he flour-
ishes at Thubten Choling.
Without active sponsorship the sitUation is different. We have already
spoken of Trulshik Rinpoche' s informal survey of the state of Lord of the
Dance teachings and practices in the early 1980s. In the refugee establish-
ments of India, the cult of Lord of the Dance barely exists. Books on Lord
of the Dance are equally scarce. Not fmding The Light which Illumines
Suchness, the major Lord of the Dance commentary in Dharamsala, Trulshik
Rinpoche presented one of his few remaining copies to H. H. the Dalai Lama.
Presumably, the Lord of the Dance tradition has died out in Tibet. Thus,
unless the tradition that Waddell discovered in nineteenth-century Sikkim is
still alive there, the cult of Lord of the Dance does not exist outside of the
Solu-Khumbu district of Nepal.
12
Given the vastness of the Tibetan pantheon, the secrecy of the Lord of
the Dance tradition at Mindroling, and its restriction to that inaccessible
monastery and others under its sway, it is small wonder that the deity largely
escaped the notice of foreign observers. Previous references, where they exist,
are scanty.
THE SPREAD OF MANI RIMDU
Unhappily, Trulshik Rinpoche no longer is in possession of the records which
fix the exact date of the first Mani Rimdu at Rongphu. In his estimation, it
began there between 1907 and 1910 and moved to Solu-Khumbu about 1940}
3
Tengpoche was the first monastery in Nepal to perform the festival. Two to
three years later, Chiwong gave its first performance. Only many years later
did Mani Rimdu come to Thami.
Trulshik Rinpoche's .recollections are in basic agreement with data col-
lected by Luther Jerstad and Christoph von Fiirer-Haimendorf. According to
Orientations 53
Jerstad's sources, the first Tengpoche Mani Rimdu was performed in 1938.
14
The first complete Thami performance was in 1950, although the festival
without the dances is said to have performed there since 1940 or 1942,15
At Rongphu, Mani Rimdu was performed in the fourth month. It was one
of two dance festivals held at that monastery. The shorter (mdor 'dus) 'chams,
consisting of a gtor rgyab dance and a Golden Libation (ser skyems), was
performed in the twelfth month.
16
, ..... --... ;,. .... _ ...................... ,,__ t
~ ,
'-..;'. .. _/'
Tl BET
30
+Mt. Kailash
(J
Himalayan Region
17
6
Tibetan Religious Dance
Mani Rimdu has often been described as a "dance-drama."
1
Although, as we
will see, this appellation is simplistic to the point of error, Mani Rimdu does
certainly contain dance.
2
The standard study of Tibetan sacred dance ('chams) is Rene de Nebesky-
Wojkowitz's Tibetan Religious Dances. At the time of his research in the
1950s, Nebesky-Wojkowitz felt that it would be "premature to attempt now
to undertake a profound analysis" of the subject of the origin of 'chams. This
situation has not changed in the past decades.
As Nebesky-Wojkowitz rightly suggested, one would need to first un-
ravel the "two components" of "original Tibetan spiritual concepts and prac-
tices of Indian Tantracism."
3
This book can not hope to even begin such a
task: the traditions of Mani Rimdu are too far removed from their ultimate
Tibetan sources to satisfy even half of the bargain. We can, however, cast a
passing glance at each side of the family tree of Tibetan sacred dance, and
in the process, discuss a few of the problems that research in this field must
confront.
Were we to seek the lost Indic antecedents of' chams, one place to look
would be Kathmandu. There, the Vajracarya, the priestly caste of Buddhist
Newars, have their own tradition of sacred dance. Much of carya dance is
still performed in the inner recesses of Kathmandu's bahals (Ssk. vihara),
hidden from uninitiated eyes. Often, it is performed at night.
Even the most casual examination of carya dance reveals elements remi-
niscent of Tibetan 'chams. Some of its movements, for example, resemble the
curious hopping gait of certain Tibetan dance steps. As Kathmandu is the last
bastion of the type of Indian tantricism that spread to Tibet, it is likely that
55
56 TIBETAN RELIGIOUS DANCE
ctirya dance is a granduncle if not a direct ancestor of much Tibetan dance.
If it is possible to finally answer the question of Newar influence or analogs,
it will only be after studies are made closely comparing the choreography and
liturgy of Tibetan dance and its relatives. It is to be sincerely hoped that
someone undertakes such a study before the traditions involved disappear.
Although the early history of religious dance in Tibet is still obscure,
there is "sporadic evidence" to suggest that the heroes of Tibet's early bardic
songs (sgrung) were portrayed in masked dance.
4
Ritual dances ushered in
the New Year in Tibet as early as the period of the kings, and continue to do
so today.
5
The succeeding phases of the development of Tibetan ritual dance are
not any clearer than the earlier ones. This is perhaps because, like the ctlrya
dance of the Newars, 'chams was originally performed in secret, at night, and
barred to the uninitiated.
6
The first Buddhist sect to perform the 'chams in public were the Nyingrna.
This apparently initially received opposition from other sects, particularly the
Sakya, although they, too, eventually began to perform the sacred dance for
a general public.
7
Perhaps the earliest performance of a 'chams dated by Tibetan historians
was that of the monk Lhalung Pelki Dorje, who was disguised as a lay tantric
(sngags pa) in 842 c.E.
8
This occasion is remembered not for its importance
in the history of Tibetan dance, but because Pelki Dorje used his performance
of the black hat dance as a ruse to assassinate the apostate King Langdarrna.
The sacred dance reached the Gelugpa tradition during the time of the
fifth Dalai Lama (1617-1682).
9
Thus, as we have already suggested, 'chams
~ s a national phenomenon in Tibet can be laid at the door of the same
remarkable figure who introduced the secret texts of Lord of the Dance to the
world-the Great Fifth's Nyingma guru -Orgyan gTer bdag gling pa, a.k.a.
'Gyur med rdo rje.
10
It has been suggested that the famous treatise on sacred
dance (chams yig) attributed to the Fifth Dalai Lama was in its final form
actually ghost written by 'Gyur med rdo rje.
11
It is no surprise, then, to learn that even in later times, 'Gyur med rdo rje's
monastery, Mindroling was known for the lavish scale of its dances. One of
these had over one hundred roles-and costumes and masks for each.
12
Tibetan Buddhist dance today contains what is evidently pre-Buddhist
material, but how similar the present tradition is to those that existed before
the introduction of Buddhism to Tibet is uncertain. Such pre-Buddhist Ti-
betan elements as we find could have easily crept in at a later point.
13
The
New Year's dancer of the royal period, for example, had little in common,
in appearance at least, with the dancers of Mani Rimdu.
On this occasion a costume was worn which vividly recalls the dress
of the shamans. It was white, the hair of the head was rolled up and
Orientations
held together by silver bands, protected by a turban bearing an image
of a khyung . ...
14
57
If it is difficult to find an early precursor of' chams from which we might
trace a clear line forward to the present, it is equally perilous to attempt to
reconstruct ancient 'chams from existing traditions. In Mani Rimdu we see
some of the flexibility that makes hard and fast determination of the origin
of the tradition problematic.
A good example of this is found in the dance of the local protectors-
gods who are pre-Buddhist in type, if not pre-Buddhist chronologically. At
Chi wong and Thami, the dance portrays Shar lung, the local god of Rongphu
Monastery. At Tengpoche, the dance and the costume are identical, but the
character is identified as a completely different deity, an even more parochial
spirit, Zur ra rva skyes.
Even were we to assume that as an individual deity Shat lung is histori-
cally pre-Buddhist, which is by no means proven, it would be wrong to
assume out of hand that the dance of Shat lung is a pre-Buddhist survival. In
certain basic features, Shat lung's dance is similar to dances featuring more
Buddhistic figures. The dance of Dorje Dro!O (rDo rje gro lod), a manifes-
tation of the Buddhist saint Padmasambhava, for example, also features a
single deity preceded by two heralds. The action of both dances is also
similar; the deity is given a chair and fed part of the feast offerings.
Into this equation, we must factor the ability of one deity to replace
another. Just as Shar lung was not the last deity to occupy the leading role
of this dance, there is no reason to assume he was the first. Given the
similarities between the dances of Dorje DrolO and Shar lung, in the ab-
sence of historical data it is difficult to say whether we are looking at the
survival of a pre-Buddhist performance in Buddhist guise in the former
case, or a Buddhist dance tradition with some pre-Buddhist trappings in the
latter.
With Zur ra rva skyes we are close enough to the source to understand
his presence. The deity of a hidden valley of Khumbu, Tengpoche Rinpoche
found him more relevant to his monastery than Shar lung, the god of Rongphu
on the other side of Everest.
15
Similarly, although other traditions of Tibetan sacred dance center around
the god Vajrakila, the Mani Rimdu dances, like the festival as a whole are
based on the meditations on Lord of the Dance.
16
Here, once again the history
is recent and clear. By all accounts, this innovation was the work of Lama
Ngawang Tenzin Norbu, Abbot of Rongphu and seminal figure in the reli-
gious life of the Everest region of the last generation.
Like most things Tibetan, 'chams has its own literary tradition. As
Nebesky-Wojkowitz stated in Oracles and Demons of Tibet, however, such
works "are extremely rare":
58 TIBETAN RELIGIOUS DANCE
The printing blocks are generally kept under seal, and copies of
these texts may be printed only with the permission of the church
authorities, which is difficult to obtain.I'
Nebesky-Wojkowitz's Tibetan Religious Dances contains the first trans-
lation of a Tibetan dance book(' chams yig). This is an extraordinary asset for
all those who would study 'chams, and parallels to many features of the Mani
Rimdu dances can be found in this work.
As far as Mani Rimdu itself is concerned, there is said to be no true
'chams yig specific to the festival.
18
The closest thing to one, and that not
very close, is a one or two folio "counting book" (grangs ka). According to
one source, even this counting book is not in ordinary use at Chiwong, and
the monks learn to count their steps through oral instruction.
19
A traditional explanation of the genesis of 'chams is that they originate
in the visions of a lama. In the words of the Vajrakila dance book,
Especially the precious teacher (Guru Rinpoche) Chos kyi dbang
phyug, the zhabs drung Rin chen phun tshogs of 'Bri khung monas-
tery and many other "discoverers of treasure books" (gter bton) went
in their dreams to the Zangs mdog dpal ri. Here, having seen the
perfo11Ilance of various dances, they kept in mind the manifold body
positions they had observed and also the wonderful apparitions uti-
lizing these for the practice of dancing.
20
Mani Rimdu is no exception to this rule. Tengpoche Rinpoche states that
Ngawang Tenzin Norbu saw the dances in meditation. He adds more prosai-
cally, if somewhat contradictorily, that the Mani Rimdu dances "are a mix-
ture of types from several different monasteries."
21
Innovation and flexibility have not always been tolerated in Tibetan dance.
The early eighteenth-century dance book cited above discusses an innovation
of an earlier contemporary in the following terms.
The master (bdag po) sNgags 'chang from the Sa skya monastery
inserted into the Phur pa smad las kyi 'chams the Dance of the Owners
of the Cemetery (Dur khrod bdag po'i 'chams) in order to present a
new spectacle .... Perhaps it is correct-but the lamas living before his
time did not practice the dance in this way, and, since he inserted this
figure newly, it is not suitable to be included in the 'chams. Nowa-
days, some .priests not knowing anymore the way of practicing cor-
rectly the rites of Secret Mantras perform the dance as they think is
suitable only to gain food and in this manner they deceive people.
They think that the 'chams is just like an ordinary play and spectacle,
Orientations
and the common words which the above lama said without thinking
made obvious the foolishness of his unerances.
22
59
As if this were not enough, the authors of the dance book expatiate
further on the subject in the concluding verses:
Those who have given up the true way of practicing this dance and
have introduced their own style which is without origin,
In accordance with their imagination-such dancers could just as
well perform the dance in the middle of a market.
These are people who lower the Great Secret Doctrine.
23
The dance book here makes a categorical distinction between a valid source
of inspiration (visionary dreaming) and an invalid one (imagination). It should
be noted though that whether a specific innovation is praised or excoriated is
often a matter of the prestige of the innovator and the eye (and/or sectarian
affiliation) of the beholder. Stringent purism is standard in criticism of rivals,
sectarian and otherwise.
Certainly, we should not expect innovation per se to be prized in a
system where doctrines are verified by tracing them to an historical or a
celestial Buddha. The visions of a noted yogi, however, are considered direct
contact with the ultimate source of the tradition. No one has ever criticized
Ngawang Tenzin Norbu for his role in founding Mani Rimdu.
Whatever 'chams may have been in 1712 when the critique we cited was
published, in Solu-Khumbu today religious dances are considered largely as
a spectacle.
Some of the clerics who perform Mani Rimdu perceive this aspect of the
festival to be a fault. To them, a spectacle lacks the virtues that characterize
serious religious practice. Others, while not finding fault specifically with
Mani Rimdu, believe that 'chams in general has fallen from its golden age.
One learned lama explained that although it is said that in ages past even the
smallest gesture of the 'chams had a meaning, nowadays, the meanings are
forgotten.
24
In a. smaller time frame, monks from Rongphu often claim that
today's Mani Rimdu is but a pale shadow of the original festival of their
homeland.
The ritual object most closely associated with the dance is, of course, the
mask. In many places in the world, and Tibet is one of them, masks are held
to have an inherent power, even a resident spirit.
It is said that when the seventh Karmapa saw the mask of the Mahakllla
Yeshe Gonpo called "the Black Sumbha," he saw the deity in person.
25
Pa nam dga' dgong, a Gelugpa monastery located between Gyantse and
Shigatse, possessed an ancient 'chams mask of the yaksa Jinamitra, "alleged
60 TIBETAN RELIGIOUS DANCE
to possess supernatural qualities." Pregnant women came to see the mask "to
ensure easy delivery. The principal dancer, shortly after donning the mask, is
supposed to fall into a state similar to strong intoxication."
26
In donning the mask, the dancer dons the persona of the mask. In this
way, the mask defines the job of the actor or the shaman at a basic level. In
the words of the eccentric Tibetan saint and folk hero Drukpa Kunlek: "They
say that they are the body of l\1ahakala.'m
For Eliade, there is "a 'law' well known to the history of religions: one
becomes what one displays. The wearers of masks are really the mythical
ancestors portrayed by their masks.''
28
Such a conception is not alien to tantric dance. The masks of the
A$tam1l.trk1!. dancers of the Kathmandu Valley are believed to possess a life
of their own. As an emblem of this, they undergo a full set of Newar lifecycle
rituals, from birth rites to death rites.
29
Among the Newars of present-day Kathmandu, dancers are often consid-
ered possessed by the gods that they portray. If a dancer attacks a spectator,
as they sometimes do when someone has violated the sanctity of the occa-
sion, the assailant is restrained passively if at all. The community excuses
him as possessed by the god and therefore not in control of his actions.
30
On yet another level, the mask can be taken as a symbol for the way in
which human beings assume roles in their day-to-day lives. Although this
concept parallels certain currents in tantric thought, it is not an interpretation
found within the tradition. The rich world of symbolism often associated with
the mask is either absent in Mani Rimdu, or so totally submerged as to be
nearly so. Mani Rimdu is full of instances of men assuming a divine persona,
but this is done in a liturgical context and irrespective of dance and mask, the
god assumed is always Lord of the DanceY
However strange it might seem at first glance to don the mask of one god
and yet imagine you are another, there is a logic to it. Since, as the fruit of
Tantric yoga, one will achieve enlightenment in the form of one's chosen
deity, from a strict standpoint, a yogi only assumes the identity of a god of
the personal deity class (yi dam; istadevattl). Thus, if you ask, as I did of
Trulshik Rinpoche, whether there is any self-creation (bdag bskyed) for the
dance, the reply will come, "no, only the normal self-creation of Lord of the
Dance in the daily ritual.'' The gods of the dance, with the exception of Dorje
DrolO, who is a form of Padmasambhava, are Sworn Protectors and not gods
a yogi seeks to becomeY
Further, as the Playful Ocean makes clear, "ritual dance, and music and
dance with hand gestures ... carefully, brilliantly done" are a propitiation of
the protector deities. Propitiation of the protectors, as the Playful Ocean
makes abundantly clear, is only undertaken while visualizing oneself as the
yi dam.
33
Orientations 61
With ritual logic thus militating against it, it is somewhat surprising to
read in Nebesky-Wojkowitz's translation of the Vajrakila dance book that
"the dancer has to imagine himself to be whichever deity he represents and
he should bear a proud and steadfast manner,"
34
or that "the art of keeping
one's mind in the proper attitude-the meditation upon the deities repre-
sented in the dance has to be carried out in a clear manner and without
distraction."
35
Fortunately for our theory, the interpretation that the dancer
must visualize himself as the character he portrays belongs to Nebesky-
Wojkowitz, not to the dance book. The Tibetan text merely states in the first
case that the dancer "should firmly grasp the ego of the deity in question,"
36
and in the second "the mental art is to act inseparably from the ego and clear
appearance of the creation stage deity."
37
According to internal evidence,
then, the Vajrakila dance book confirms the data that we have collected-
"the deity in question" is likely none other than "the creation stage deity," the
personal deity appropriate to the festival rather than the deity portrayed in
any given dance. As the dance book tells us, "the wonderful mudra-dance [is]
done in connection with the bskyed rim meditation."
38
bsKyed rim meditation
is by definition visualization of oneself as a deity of the yi dam class.
Trulshik Rilipoche, in fact plainly states that there is no self-creation of
the characters of the dance. Instead,
There is a reason, a necessity to each of the dances. For example, for
the Golden Libation, we offer a golden elixir to the lama, the yi dam,
the 4akil:lls and the protectors. There is no other meditation or way
of thinking, except for the necessary reason. In general, however,
during all the rituals from the Site Rituals on, one should think of
one's body as the god (Lord of the Dance), speech as the mantra,
and mind as dharmata.
39
If, in Mani Rimdu, the only god to possess the dancers is Lord of the
Dance, that is not to say that Tibet has no tradition of possession by protector
gods. The well-known Tibetan oracles, in fact, do just that. Interestingly, the
rhetoric used to describe the possession of an oracle similar to that used in
part of the creation process yoga. The god Pehar descends upon the oracle of
Nechung (lha 'bab) just as the wisdom beings descend upon the creation
process yogi (ye shes 'bab).
40
Nevertheless, yogic theory aside, questions of whether other 'chams tra-
ditions recognize possession by protector deities, or whether in the case of the
masks such as "the Black Sumbha" cited above, possession by the deity is
transferred from the mask to its wearer, will only finally be determined by
investigation of those specific traditions. The lifetime career of a monk may
be meditation, but during the days of the dance his job is as an actor. Even
62 TIBETAN RELIGIOUS DANCE
if, in a strict tantric sense the dancers do not visualize themselves as the gods
portrayed in the dance, in a looser sense, they may. Like actors everywhere,
the dancers of Mani Rimdu imagine they are the characters they portray.
41
Actors in the West have their own culture, and a framework in which to
describe their experience. Mani-Rirndu notwithstanding, the cultural frame-
work of the Sherpa lacks a theatrical tradition and its language of theory. As
Trulshik Rinpoche's comments imply, the theoretical structure of creation
process yoga does not explain the assimilation of character in the dance. The
data available so far suggests that at Chiwong, the performers are left pretty
much to their own devices.
The one dance book that has been translated mainly describes steps,
mudras and ritual actions. Occasionally, however it directs the dancer to
simulate an emotion. Thus, we read "act ... as if frightened" (bred tshul gyl)
or "act as if unable to look at the corpse." Sometimes these directions become
quite specific: "In order to act as if being in doubt and wanting to see if the
corpse is dead or not, one lifts the heels slightly and raises oneself somewhat
upward."
42
When an actor is really in character, an audience can see it. On the day
of the "dance rehearsal," it becomes clear that best Sherpa performers portray
their characters effectively without the aid of elaborate costumes or masks,
or the underpinning of an elaborated performance theory.
7
The Officiants
Most of the Mani Rimdu rituals are performed by the entire monastic assem-
bly, or at least as many of them as are necessary and/or available at a given
time. The texts often refer to the assembly as the "two center rows," the
gzhung gral gnyis.
1
The term refers to the two long benches that form the
center of the typical monastic assembly hall (' dus khang). The right hand row
is headed by the Chant Leader (dbu mdzad). It is he who initiates the prayers
and keeps the rhythm going. He is also the conductor of the monastery
orchestra, leading the musicians with his cymbals.
At the head of the left hand row is the seat of the monastery's most
important functionary, the Diamond Master. It is he who performs the key
ritual operations and gives instructions to the chant leader. Some rituals, such
as the preparation of the lingka, or the site ritual for the Burnt Offering, are
performed by the Diamond Master alone.
The title Diamond Master (Tib., rdo rje slob dpon; Ssk., vajracarya) is
ambiguous. It refers to both the officiant of a given ritual and the monastic
functionary who normally performs that task. It also indicates the perfect tantric
teacher, one who can, in the words of the liturgy, blow "the auspicious conch of
religious teaching" for his disciples "in harmony with their varied inclinations.''2
Among the Buddhist Newars of Kathmandu, where the indigenous
monkhood was secularized centuries ago, the function of Diamond Master
became hereditary and Vajracarya, a family name.
According to Trulshik Rinpoche, in large monasteries in Tibet such as
Mindroling, the larria rarely performed day-to-day ritual tasks, and the posi-
tion of Diamond Master was assimilated to that of Diamond Deputy (rdo rje
rgyal tshab).
63
64
THE OFFICIANTS
At a medium-sized monastery, like Rongphu or Thubten Choling how-
ever, the lama who heads the monastery (and who is usually the incarnation
of the previous head of the monastery) often performs the duties of Diamond
Master himself, although an official by that name may also be present. At
Thubten ChOling, for many years Sang Sang Tulku has been the official
Diamond Master. At Chiwong, which has no incarnate lamas, the position
goes to the senior monk, who is invested with a s ~ a l l ceremony.
At a small monastery the Diamond Master performs other functions that
would be the job of a separate official at a larger institution. In the literature,
we sometimes read of' chams dpon (dance masters). At Chi wong the job of
instructing the monks in dance goes to the Diamond Master.
In our context, the Diamond Master of a ritual is normally the official by
that name; he belongs to the monastery performing the ritual. Because of the
ambiguity of the role, however, this is subject to change. Chiwong has no
resident lama of its own at present. When Trulshik Rinpoche arrives at
Chiwong for Mani Rimdu, or when Sang Sang Tulku is there alone, as
ranking lama, he preempts the position of vajracarya.
3
If the Diamond Master is paired with the Chant Leader by facing him
across the aisle, in many other contexts he has another partner, the ritual
assistant, or Diamond Actor (las kyi rdo rje, karmavajra). This title has some
of the same ambiguities as that of Diamond Master. On the one hand it may
refer to someone assisting at a single given ritual. On the other, it may refer
to someone who serves as assistant on a regular basis. Next to the Diamond
Master, the Diamond Actor is the rituals' most active participant. It is he who
hands the Diamond Master the appropriate ritual implement. It is he who
holds the offerings up to the altar, and who removes them at the prescribed
moment.
At Chi wong, the Diamond Actor is usually quite young, twelve years old
or so. At Thubten ChOling, the Diamond Actor tends to be a few years older.
If this pair of officiant and assistant form the core of the monastic ritual it is
because they personify the basic pair of spiritual traditions everywhere, the
master and the disciple. In some contexts, such as drawing the mafJ4ala, the
text refers to the pair specifically as such.
That we find the term here is no accident. This ritual recreates an arche-
typal moment in the tantric tradition-the master and disciple together cre-
ating the mafJ4ala of initiation. This is the time and place where the tradition
will be passed to the next generation, and in more than one sense, the world
will be changed.
D
Orientations
D
library
D
-DM CL-
DM
D
assembly hall
65
lama's thrones,
Trulshik Rinpoche, r.
bench, "central row"
Diamond Master
Chant Leader
altar
porch
D mar:uj.ala n
Chi wong Assembly Hall
(not to scale)
showing seat placement
pJan based on John Sanday <e:onsultants International 1982: Dwg. l1C/14.
Part Two
The Days
8
The Days
Although Mani Rimdu actually starts weeks earlier, the villagers of Solu-
Kh.umbu only know its public days of empowerment and dance. Some, if
they have been laggard in leaving, may have witnessed the Burnt Offering
that is performed on the day following the dance. Western writers, too, usu-
ally count Mani Rimdu as three or four days long. This suggests, in fact, that
they have based their work on interviews with villagers, or on one another.
1
For the monks who perform Mani Rimdu, however, the festival is at least
a two week affair. In the lunar calendar of Tibet, the last day of each month,
the thirtieth, is the dark of the moon and the fifteenth, the full moon. Tradi-
tionally, they say that Mani Rimdu begins on the dark of the moon, what
Tibetans call the "full sky," the last day of the preceding month.
Since the festival at Chiwong is normally held in the tenth month, the
first day is officially the thirtieth day of the ninth Tibetan month (T9/30).
Thami holds the festival in the fourth month, as did Rongphu just across the
Nangpala Pass in Tibet.
2
Thus, the first day of Mani Rimdu at Thami is the
"full sky" day of the third month.
At Tengpoche, although Mani Rimdu originally had the same dates as
Chiwong, in. recent years the festival has been performed a month earlier.
Thus, the festival there begins either on the dark of the moon of the eighth
month or the first day of the ninth month. Tengpoche Rinpoche gives several
reasons for the change: the coldness of the weather in the tenth month, water
shortages, and the difficulty of coming for both locals and foreigners at that
time. He adds that the H.M.G. office in charge of the guest house at the
monastery has requested that they make the change, doubtless an important
factor. It should be noted that Tengpoche is directly on the tourist route, and
that for the past two decades, tourists have formed the majority of festival
69
70
THE DAYS
goers there. Since the ninth month is high season, tourist dollars were un-
doubtedly a factor in making the change.
3
At Chiwong most years, the festival actually begins a few days after the
official date. This is possible because several of the first days are devoted to
the manufacture of ritual objects. The process, in and of itself, is relatively
free of ritual constraint and can be expanded or contracted liberally.
Other parts of the schedule are also subject to alteration. At Chiwong in
1980, for example, the last two days of the festival were compressed into a
single back breaking day to allow Trulshik Rinpoche, to return to his home
monastery early. Subject, like the calendar itself, to pressures astrological and
otherwise, the schedule of an ideal Mani Rimdu is seldom if ever adhered to
with total precision.
4
In the chart that follows, the first column numbers the
days of an idealized Chiwong performance.
MAN! RIMDU SCHEDULE
Tibetan Calendar Dates
Chiwong Thami
Day Primary Ritual 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1980 1983
0 Preparing the Effigy
- -
- 30 - - -
1 Site Ritual 2 2 30 I - 30 30
1 Reception Ritual 2 2 30 1 - 1 1
2-5 Making Mal)<;iala 3-4 3-4 1-5 2-4
-
1-4 1-4
5 Making Tormas 4 4 4-5 5
-
4 4
5 Arranging Ornaments 4 4 5 5
-
4 4
6-12 Daily Rituals 5-14 5-14 6-14 6-14 - 5-9 5-9
13 Dance Rehearsal 14 14 14 14 15,* 9 9
14 Public Empowerment 15 15 15* 15*
!52 10 11t
15 Masked Dance 16 16 16* 16* 16 ll 12t
16 Burnt Offering 17 17 17* 17*
17 12 13t
17 Invitation to River 17 18 18* 18* 18 l3 14t
(*) 1n 1983, the tenth Tibetan month had two eighth days, and in 1984, two twelfths. The chart
above is not adjusted to reflect the numbering of a "normal" Tibetan month. Thus, the fifteenth
day of the month is counted as the fourteenth and so on, as it was in the Tibetan calendars
published that year. In 1986, there was no seventh, but both the fourteenth and the fifteenth were
called the "fifteenth," so that the calendar returned to "normal" on that day. These two fifteenths
are indicated by subscripts. Duplication of numerals indicates that two events occur on the same
day, not that identically numbered days occurred in sequence.
(t) In 1983, the fourth month had no tenth. Once again, the dates have not been adjusted.
italics indicate data provided by informants.
(-) A dash indicates that no data was available.
The Days
71
The recognized astrologers and numerologists who prepare the Tibetan
calendar each year do considerable tinkering to maximize the auspicious days
and avoid the unlucky ones. Examining the relationship between the ritual
and the Tibetan calendar (for all its vagaries), several things become obvious.
The first is that Mani Rimdu at Chi wong is longer than at Thami. At Chi wong,
it typically lasts seventeen days, at Tharni, fourteen. The second is that Chiwong
seems to follow the official calendar, whereas Thami apparently ignores
calendrical irregularities.
More significantly however, we notice that at Thami, the entire perfor-
mance occurs during the waxing of the moon; whereas at Chiwong, the
festival waxes and wanes with the moon, reaching its climax when the moon
is full.
When Tibetans discuss rituals, they often divide them into four classes:
pacifying, extending, magnetizing, and destroying.
5
The first two are positive
acts, and are said to be most efficacious if performed with the waxing moon.
The second, negative pair should be performed with the waning moon. As a
by and large positive and constructive ritual, it is appropriate that Mani Rimdu
be perforffied with the waxing moon. In the parabolic trajectory of the Chiwong
Mani Rimdu, the most negative days, the undoing of the protective circle and
the erasure of the sand mm:u;lala, take place during the waning of the moon,
on the day, of the burnt offering. The other destructive ritual, preparing the
effigy, which we will discuss in a moment, occurs at the last moment of the
waning moon preceding Mani Rimdu. In a thirty-day lunar month, the last
day of the waxing moon is the fifteenth, the first day of the waning moon,
the sixteenth. Logically then, the ceremony that falls on the fifteenth, the
empowerment, should be the climax of Mani Rimdu. In fact, the lamas who
preside over Mani Rimdu consider it so, and the dances on the sixteenth, a
celebration of that achievement. According to Trulshik Rinpoche, the most
important thing is the practice (sgrub pa) that begins with the site ritual and
ends with the ceremony called "taking the true achievement." The 'dance is
less important. It is just a celebration (dga' ston) and a thanksgiving for the
achievement (sgr/,fb pa' i gtang rag). In his terms, the practice is fundamental
(rtsa ba); the dance and the burnt offering are secondary (yan lag).
6
Trulshik Rinpoche goes so far as to say that the dances are unnecessary.
Recently, he has backed up that claim. The Mani Rimdu he has instituted at
Thubten Choling is similar to the Chiwong performance in every detail but
one. It has no dances.
7
Ironically, the whole of Mani Rimdu has become
known in the West exactly for what the lamas think is the least important part
of it. The fust book about Mani Rimdu, wrttten by an American mountaineer
in 1969, was subtitled a "Sherpa Dance-Drama."
9
Day Zero: Exorcism
Paper lingka from Thubten Choling Monastery (enlarged detail)
73
74 DAY ZERO
Late in the night before the first day, the ranking monk-at Chi wong this
would normally be the resident Diamond Master-makes a pair of ritual
implements essential to Mani Rimdu, indeed to Tibetan sacred dance.
1
This
ceremony, done in private, is called "Activating the Lingka." The day of
activating the lingka is not normally counted as part of Mani Rimdu, or even
discussed. Indeed, it was not until I had studied Mani Rimdu for more than
five years that I observed the rite or even heard it mentioned. Thus, I have
called this day "Day Zero."
The classic work on the subject of the lingka is R. A. Stein's 1957
article, "The Linga of Lamaist Masked Dance and the Theory of Souls."
2
Mani Rimdu amply demonstrates Stein's thesis that the lingka is the central
object of Tibetan masked dance. The lingka is more than that, however. It is
a leitmotiv that runs throughout the whole of Mani Rimdu.
The lingka is the symbol of the enemy of religion-be it conceived as
internal or external: as passions or as demons. Lingka or linga is a Sanskrit
word, familiar to readers of the Kamasatra in its significance of "penis."
There may be a certain psychological sense to a group of celibate monks
taking a word that means "penis" and using to mean "enemy of religion." In
the rituals under discussion, however, Tibetans take the word in its other
meaning of "person, mark or sign."
3
The lingka makes a pair with a better known Tibetan ritual implement,
the phurbu, the magic dagger or nail. So interrelated are these two, that
Trulshik Rinpoche says that they "have the same meaning." As emptiness
implies relativity; darkness, light; yin, yang; the lingka implies the phurbu.
The lingka is there to be stabbed by the dagger; the demon is there to be
tra,nsformed by the exorcist; just as, in a sense, samstira is there to be trans-
formed into nirvtll;la. The lama,. the exorcist, does not travel without his
dagger. In Mani Rimdu, a lingka is assassinated three times each day.
4
As with most Tibetan rituals, "Activating the Lingka" can be done with
varying degrees of elaboration. If the ceremony is done the long way, it is
said to take a full seven days, but it can be done in four sessions, or if
necessary, even in a single session the night before the rites in which the
lingka is used begin.
5
The latter is the custom at Chiwong.
Although several different types of lingka are used in Mani Rimdu, the
"activating" ceremony is only performed for the two paper effigies. One will
be buried in the courtyard during the "Site Rituals" on the following day. The
other will be put under the sand mal;l(jala and used in the ritual of "Suppress-
ing the Gnomes" that is performed twice each day of the festival. The second
lingka also figures in the "Liberation Dance" performed during the public
part of the festival. This appearance and reappearance of the lingka in differ-
ent guises, and in rituals of less or inore elaboration and less or more theat-
ricality, is one of the most fascinating features of Mani Rimdu.
The Days 75
One, or, at some monasteries, two other types of lingka are found in the
masked dance. The first is the effigy that the skeleton-costumed Lords of the
Cemetery abuse during the Liberation Dance. This lingka is a floppy, long-
limbed cloth doll about two feet in length. It is a dirty grey in color, perhaps
originally white. It is entirely featureless. Its hands have no fingers; its feet, no
toes. Its face is smooth, without eyes or mouth, nose, or ears. It is bound with
ropes. Unlike the other lingkas, it is not destroyed, but reused year after year.
The third type of lingka is fashioned from the sort of dough used to make
offering cakes. This type appears in the sword dance at Thami and Tengpoche,
but is not used at Chiwong. Like the paper lingkas, it is an anthropomorphic
figure of a gnome in chains. At Thami, the figure is approximately six inches
in length. Its face has rudimentary features, modelled of dough and applied
to the surface. Its chains are represented by a simple strip of dough laced over
one leg and under the other. It has a s ~ a l l round concave well in its chest,
covered over by a round lid also made of dough.
On the day of the dance, the figure is hidden beneath the courtyard altar
until it is needed. It is then placed on the ground of the courtyard, where the
dancers dismember it with swords. The dough effigy at Thami is made ca-
sually during the course of the ritual fortnight, and seems to require no
special ceremony to fit it for service. Similarly, the cloth effigy does not
figure in the ceremonies on the dark of the moon.
6
The paper effigies used in Mani Rimdu are three inch squares of hand-
made paper, with the image of a gnome in chains block printed on it. The
examples that I have seen were printed at Thubten Choling, but given the
small size and general utility of such an item, blocks probably exist at other
monasteries in Solu-Khumbu as well. The Thubten Choling block is so well-
carved that, even printed on rough local paper, many fine details are visible.
The image of the gnome is printed diagonally on the paper, encased in
a 1 11/16 x 2 1/8 inch rectangle. The gnome's hair stands on end and his
forehead is wrinkled. Open-mouthed, his expression suggests fear and dis-
may. His hands are behind his back and his arms are chained at the elbow.
He crouches, knees bowed. Naked, his penis hangs down close to the heavy
chains about his ankles. The four syllables of the mantra "jab hum bam hob"
are on his right shoulder, left shoulder, right knee, and left knee, respectively.
As the ritual indicates, the syllable "tri," his seed syllable is at his heart. It
is surrounded by the mantra, "ya rna dam sri sumbhani jab jab."
The ceremony which activates the paper effigies has several parts. The
first part is "Washing the Lingka" with the five elements. The physical ac-
tions are done by a ritual assistant caled the Diamond Actor, while the offi-
ciating Diamond Master recites the liturgy and does the visualizations. There
are five sets of actions. Each is accompanied by a specific mantra and re-
peated twenty-one times.
76 DAY ZERO
WASHING THE L!NGKA
Action Mantra
I. sky gesture e wa shuddhi shuddhi
2. throwing earth on it lam ho shuddhi shuddhi
3. sprinkling water warn ho shuddhi shuddhi
4. waving a torch' ram ho shuddhi shuddhi
5. fanning air with a fan yam ho shuddhi shuddhi
The torch may be either a burning piece of thorn wood (tsher shing) or a small 011 soaked
torch. SST
In the second part, the officiants break the gnome's joints. This is done
to both lingkas. According to Sang Sang Tulku, this may be accomplished
either by folding the paper on every joint: neck, arms, and so forth; or by
pasting the lingka on a.goat's shoulder bone. In the case of the gnome effigy,
the folding method is used. As will be seen later, the second method is used
in Mani-Rimdu for an effigy. of the Lord of Death (Tib., gShin rje; Ssk.,
Yama) used in the ceremony of "Purifying the Door" in the Site Ritual of
Day One.
The Chant Leader of Thubten ChOling describes the making of the lingka,
as I have observed it at Chiwong:
First, the paper is pleated on the edge into a pear shape, with the
head at the point. Then, it is bound near the hands and then near the
head. A long cord is left at the head to lead to the sand mal)c/.ala. It
is also acceptable for it to go to the leg of .the mal)f}ala table. The
phurbu work is easy manually, but for us, very difficult mentally. It
is Rinpoche' s work.
The first lingka, the one used in the Site Ritual on the following day, is
singled out for special treatment in the next set of actions. It is wrapped in
a black cloth and then tied with a black string.
7
The second lingka, which will
go underneath the mal)c/.ala table, is only tied with a black string. The two
effigies are placed in a black triangular iron box. This box represents the
fathomless slippery-sided pit in which the rituals imprison them.
These physical preparations complete, the recitations begin. First the
officiant assumes the identity of Lord of the Dance and transforms the world
into his paradise.
8
In the Truth Realm's pure natural mal){jala
Are victorious Great Compassion's divine hosts.
Their bodies are a field of bodies of the light of appearance,
emptiness and bliss.
The Days
Their voices are empty sounds - the song of incantation, the sound
of mantras.
Their minds' nature-the pure from the first, unchanging Truth Realm.
Single-minded admiration of you gods
So long served and summoned, makes your bodies clear.
When we urge your holy streams of consciousness with melodious
voiced incantations,
Bestow natural empowerment and true achievement! [18b3]
Next, This is followed in tum by:
The Golden Libation (ser skyems)
Creating (i.e., visualizing) the lingka (ling ka bskyed pa)
77
Attracting the Gnomes (dam sri 'gug pa). This is done by unfurling the
yab tar scarf twenty-one times.
Casting mustard seeds
The first two of these items follow short texts that are used again and
again throughout Mani Rirndu. The Golden Libation, a common offering
used in a variety of contexts, employs a special set of equipment consisting
of a ewer, a chalice, and a shallow bowl. The officiant fills the chalice with
saffron-colored liquid from the ewer, and then pours it out, either into the
bowl or directly onto the ground. Our Golden Libation takes its text from the
Knowledge Holders' Root Tantra and customizes it for Lord of the Dance
9
0 Knowledge Bearers, holy main and lineage Lamas,
And Union of the Blissful, omnipresent peaceful and wrathful god,
And most of all, Lord of the Dance Great Compassion's divine assembly,
Take this Golden Libation, and create legions of magic yogic powers!
0 Virtuous One, 0 brother Great God and Guardian Mother sister,
and you others
With your obedient servants, slaves and emissaries,
Take this Golden Libation, and create legions of magic yogic powers!
0 Mantra Bearer, protector of my family;
And Lord who dwells in this land, in this part ofthe world;
0 God of Empowerment-this year, month, day, hour, minute-
Take this Golden Libation, and create legions of magic yogic powers!
In the tantric Mahayana ideology of Tibet, the magic powers that the
officiant requests are to be used in the compassionate service of living beings.
The highest magic power, the greatest trick of all, is enlightenment.
78
DAY ZERO
The next acts deal with the lingka itself. Visualizing the lingka follows
a short work called Gnomes I Spying Ghosts (Dam sri nyul len). It is of a
class of rituals so commonly committed to memory that finding a printed
version can be difficult. This version is from a handwritten manuscript col-
lected at Thubten Ch0ling.
10
The officant summons "tribe of spying demons,
the ghosts who interrupt achievement and lead it astray" into a sacrificial pit,
"broad and profoundly deep."
11
He locks the fingers of both hands in the
hook gesture (lcags kyu rgya). Reciting the mantra "tri yam jab tri diamond
hook jab. hom bam hob.," he "hooks" the ghosts and draws them to the pit.
The yah tar, or "silk scarf' is a square of fabric resembling the cloths
with which Tibetans wrap their books. It is ornamented on three of its comers
with a short ribbon. The fourth comer is tied to a vajra. The officiant flings
the yah tar out in front of him to unfurl it and then rolls it up again. He
usually repeats this sequence three times.
The purpose of the yah tar is clear. It is to summon the being beckoned
by the ritual. The gesture is interpreted variously. According to some, it is a
simple beckoning. In the Playful Ocean for instance, "The multi-colored silk
scarf with which we beckon flutters as it moves."
12
According to others, the
scarf flicks dust from the deities' eyes.
13
The "silk scarves" I have seen are
made of cotton. The most common variety of yah tar is black, in keeping
with the ferocity of the beings which it will beckon, and about two feet
square.
The mustard seeds are used in the final segment of the ritual of the
Spying Ghosts. They are kept in a carved hom called a "mustard weapon" or
"mustard sickle" (yung zor). In casting them at the effigy, the officiant imag-
ines that the seeds are boulders that batter the "one imagined" into submis-
sion.14 The mantra for the mustard seeds, "om hrib. vajrakrotahayagriva hulu
hulu hom phat," invokes the horse-headed god Hayagriva, the fierce power
that dwells at the heart of compassion.
After stoning the effigies, the officiant performs a protector ritual. In
typical Tibetan fashion there are three alternatives. The longest of the three
makes use of the entire Playful Ocean, Mindroling Monastery's full, one-
hundred-fifty-page protector ritual which invokes nine separate protector
deities, each with a voluminous entourage, plus, of course, the tenth cycle of
deities dictated by Rongphu custom, the Long Life Goddesses connected with
the high Himalaya. A more moderate alternative uses a much shorter text The
General Torma for the Sworn Ones (Dam can spyi gtor), abridging that text
even further to propitiate only the deities known as the "Four New Treasures"
(gter gsar hzhl): Four Faced One (Zhal bzhi); Guardian of Mantra (sNgags
srung rna); Great God (Lha chen); Cemetery Goddess (Dur lha). The shortest
option consists of propitiating Great God alone.
Following the propitiation, the ceremony of "Activating the Lingka"
concludes with the final rituals from the Union of the Blissful Manual.
15
The Days 79
The lingka represents different things at different points of the ritual.
During the daily "Suppressing the Gnomes," it represents a nyullen, a spying
ghost or a dam sri, a gnome. The nyul len are spirits that sneak about mon-
asteries and interfere with religious observances.
16
The dam sri are members
of the large and varied sri class of demons, which includes such loathsome
specimens of supernatural fauna as demons that specialize in eating children.
According to Giuseppe Tucci, the dam sri are specifically demons of death
who "seduce away" the life and breath "of man, so that he falls ill and dies.'
117
Lama Tharchin states that when someone breaks a major vow, it can give
birth to dam sri. Since these gnomes creep around and disturb meditators,
they are also called nyul len, "those who creep" or "Spying Ghosts." This is
not to say, however, that the tradition considers the gnomes invoked and
killed to be mere symbols for psychological forces. They are sentient beings.
In a segment of the Site Ritual virtually identical to the Spying Ghost rite, the
text specifically states that "the family of yama gnomes" that it draws into the
lingka are "unrighteous sentient beings."
18
In Oracles and Demons of Tibet, Nebesky-Wojkowitz spends some time
discussing the sri in general and the dam sri in particular. In his estimation,
the sri are a native Tibetan class of deities of considerable antiquity .
19
Nebesky-
Wojkowitz gives several different, but equally complicated accounts of the
sri and their many subdivisions.
Perna Garwangtsel (Padma gar dbang rtsal) gives a particularly elaborate
history of the sri.
20
According to his mythological schema, there seem to be
four generations of sri, the last of which were born from the "thirteen eggs
of existence." These eggs figure in origin myths of several different classes
of spirits .
. . . in the so-called "sri-country of.nine continents" (Sri yul gling
dgu), in the castle of the sri which consists of piled up skulls, there
came forth the first ancestors of the sri. They were the "sky sri"
(gnam sri) Gal and Gel, and the "earth sri" (sa sri) Cha rna mtsho
dgu. Then originated the so-called Ya ma dam sri- who took their
origin from men who had broken their oath-and the female M a
nges dgu shor, who came into existence out of women who had
adhered to heretic teachings. As the next came into existence the
father of the sri, called "gNam gyi bya nag gshog chags," "the black
bird of the sky with the broken wing," and their mother, whose name
was Sa yi byi gshog, "the winged earth-rat." Out of the union of
these two, the "thirteen eggs of existence" (srid pa' i sgo lnga bcu
gsum) originated.2
1
As Padma gar dbang rtsal's account continues, a different type of sri
hatches from each of these eggs. Each has a human body and the head of a
80
DAY ZERO
different animal. Some types had a characteristic abode, such as the points of
weapons; others were responsible for a special form of mischief, such as
arranging "that a person absent from home might suffer while away some
damage to its reputation." From one egg came beings " ... which had human
bodies but the heads of pigs. They chose the points where three valleys meet
as their abode; to these the name dam sri was given."
22
It will be noted that Padma gar dbang rtsal gives the name dam sri to
creatures of two separate generations. The first are the Ya ma dam sri. They
are of human origin, .and mediate between the first cosmological sky and
earth-born ancestors and the bird and rat parents of the egg-born sri. Exam-
ining the lingka used in Mani Rimdu once more, we find that it is identified
in the inscription as a Ya ma dam sri. The sri it portrays has a human head.
While Padma gar dbang rtsal does not specify what the Ya ma dam sri look
like, a human head would be fitting, given their human origin.
Whatever their form, class, or origin, one thing is clear: the sri must be
suppressed. According to Tucci, this was the work of a special class of Bon
priest called the dur gshen, the Cemetery Butchers.
23
According to Toussaint,
Padmasambhava subdued the dam sri at Zul phug, at So ha, and in Nepal.
24
There are ways of averting the sri demons other than the type of cer-
emony used in Mani Rimdu. One involves calling upon Padmasambhava in
his fierce demon subduing form of rDo rje gro lod "Diamond Sagging Belly.'>25
"The most efficacious method" recalls the animal-head imagery seen in the
origin myth of the sri. It is to
... bury or set out the skulls of men and animals which have been
filled with slips of paper inscribed with magic spells. The kinds of
skulls, the spells, and the nature of the place to which the skulls
should be brought vary according to which particular class of sri
should be defeated.
26
The specific method prescribed for the dam sri is to "bury the skulls of
a lynx, jackal, dog, goat, or pig in the center of an uninhabited place.'m
The effigy of the sri will be assassinated twice each day of Mani Rimdu,
close to the end of both the morning and afternoon sessions. During the daily
tantric feast, a different set of enemies is drawn into the lingka, one whose
murder would not trouble even the most literal-minded Buddhist. These are
"the enemies and obstructors, who are the five poisons of ignorance." These
are fittingly liberated "into the realm of wisdom free from thought!" [UB
22bl]
Recalling the article by R. A. Stein with which we started this chapter,
we might ask what the lingka represents in its most famous role, when it
appears in the vortex of the masked dance to be killed by the black-hatted
mantri magicians?
The Days 81
A logical place to look is in the rituals that Trulshik Rinpoche performs
with the paper effigy as the magicians torment its cloth counterpart on the
dance floor. Here, in the dance of liberation, we find both rituals performed.
In the first, as in today's ritual, the effigy represents the malevolent dam sri.
In the second, it represents the ultimate enemy of Buddhists, the "poisons of
ignorance."
If there is no moral problem attached to killing ignorance, how killing a
lingka that represents a life form "can be justified in line with Buddhist
philosophy," is a question that even Stein prefers to "abstain from examin-
ing."28 Trulshik Rinpoche, on the other hand, feels no such reticence. Look-
ing you straight in the eye, he says "if I killed you, and sent your spirit (rnam
shes) to paradise (zhing khams), you couldn't say that I had hurt you, could
you?"
The assassination of the lingka can be examined from a number of van-
tage points, and Trulshik Rinpoche's candor itself relates to a complex of
factors. One is the oft observed moral relativism of Mahayana Buddhist
philosophy. In earlier Buddhist philosophy, the act was paramount. Earlier
Buddhist philosophers, for example, maintained that a monk should not en-
danger his vow by rescuing a drowning woman. The Mahayana position
counts motivation as more imp9rtant than physical act, and thus asks such
questions as, "Is it a sin to steal a weapon from a madman?" and concludes
that it is not if the motivation is to help rather than to harm.
This moral problem is so thorny, that as the Thubten Choling Chant
Leader said above, dealing with the lingka "is Rinpoche's work." In a similar
vein, Sang Sang Tulku cited the oft cited tantric proverb, that on the tantric
path, like a snake trapped in a bamboo, there is no room to move side to side;
you go either straight up or straight down-straight up to heaven or straight
down to hell. Although the gnome is a demon (bdud), a sentient being (sems
can), the young lama continued, if he is killed with bodhicitta and his spirit
is sent to paradise, there is no fault.
This moral standard does not, of course, operate in a vacuum. It is
immersed in a world view in which not only does the universe teem with
unseen supernatural entities, but one in which magic works. Hence, first,
entities such as the spying ghosts exist and paradise exists; second, an adept
in magic can separate out a ghost's consciousness non-traumatically and lead
it to paradise. In this world view, the assassination of the lingka is not just
a moral question, it is a practical consideration as well. Does the officiant
have the magical and spiritual power to do it?
This is the framework in which Trulshik Rinpoche makes his point.
Discussing what at the time was a recent event, the assassination of Indira
Gandhi (which he abhorred), he observed, "If you can raise someone from
the dead, then it may be alright to kill him. If you can send his spirit (rnam
shes) to paradise, then it may be alright to kill him. If you cannot, it is riot."
82 DAY ZERO
Trulshik Rinpoche is considered to be the incarnation of dPal gyi rdo rje of
Lhalung, Tibet's most famous political assassin. Assassination is obviously a
subject to which he has given some thought.
The life of Guru Chos dbang (1212-1270) provides another example.
Once the great Nyingma Treasure Master demonstrated his magical powers
by killing a hare and conducting its spirit to paradise. Describing the event,
his biographer concludes that since the guru had "only killed the body which
had come about by force of its karma and the five poisons and transferred the
awareness component of the dead being to the dynamic centre of being-as-
such (chos-nyid-kyi klong) ... he had brought transmigration to an end. This
was the most marvellous deed of 'killing and rescuing' (gsad-gso) that had
ever been done. "
29
If killing visible beings is a thorny issue, supernatural assassination, it
seems, is a subject on which everyone in Tibetan societies can agree, irre-
spective of level of education or intellectual sophistication. The texts claim
that it can and should be done, and such, too, is the popular belief. Thus, a
villager calls on the lama to deal with the supernatural; a ritual expert like the
Chant Leader of Thubten Choling says that murder on the supernatural plane
is the prerogative of the lama; and the lama himself, the consummate profes-
sional, defmes the problem not just in terms of morality, but in terms of
professional competence.
This function of the lama as guide for the spirits of the departed is, of
course, part of his wider social function in the community. He is also the
guide par excellence of the spirits of the dead. A related role, that of guide
of the spirits of sacrificial victims is part of the shamanic heritage. The
U grian shaman, for example, does not kill the sacrificial victim,
he is concerned only with the mystical itinerary of the sacrificed
animal. The reason is plain: the shaman knows the road and, in
addition, he has the ability to control and escort a "soul," whether
that of a man or of a sacrificial victim.
30
For the lama, as for the shaman, the trades of guide for the spirits of the
departed men and for the spirits of the victims of sacrifice are closely allied.
As for the primacy of the assassination of the lingka among a lama's
duties, at Mani Rimdu no clearer evidence need be given than Trulshik
Rinpoche's schedule on the day of the dance. The lama, usually absent for
most of the dances, makes his appearance just before the Liberation Dance
and his exit immediately after it.
Despite a radical difference in the motivation for using them, it seems
obvious that there is a structural similarity between the rituals of the lingka
and black magic, and between the lingka and other magical substitutes.
Nebesky-Wojkowitz gives a fascinating account of a ritual in which Mahakala
The Days 83
is invoked to murder an enemy. Much of it will seem familiar to a student
of more benign rituals. All of the words that I have italicized below are
elements also found in one or another of the lingka rituals of Mani Rimdu.
To perform the ceremony at which Mahakala is to be requested to
kill someone, the sorcerer must put on a black ritual garment and a
broad brimmed hat of the same color. He then stands a small table
covered with the hide of a tiger or a human skin under a canopy of
human skins. On the table he places three stones, and on these a
shallow metal bowl containing five little piles of black grains mixed
with blood. A small triangular platform is erected in front of this
table, bearing in its center a drawing of the victim. On this platform
is placed an iron basin containing a torma. The torma consists of
dark flour mixed with blood and charred remains from a funeral
pyre. Round this offering-cake are set various foodstuffs beloved of
the demonic gods-onions, garlic, human flesh and beakers of freshly
brewed beer. Finally, the iron pan must be enveloped in black silk
and "fresh entrails.
Various other magic aids are then placed around the triangular
platform: for example, a figure modelled from earth on which the
victim left his footprint. A skull-bowl filled with black and white
mustard seeds. Powdered medicines and iron dust from a smithy is
also effective. Not until all these preparations have been made does
the sorcerer begin, at the astrologically propitious hour, with the
reading of the appropriate ritual books.
31
It should be no cause for astonishment, then, that the proper use of
exorcism can slide into abuse. The Tibetan tradition warns of the twin. pitfalls
of becoming obsessed with the supernatural and of spiritual chicanery. The
outspoken nineteenth-century lama, Patrul Rinpoche, a frequent critic of spiri-
tual abuse, remarked in a slightly different context:
People today who claim to be practitioners of ChO do not understand
any of this, and persist in thinking of spirits as something outside
themselves. They believe in demons, and keep on perceiving them
all the time; in everything that happens they see some ghost or
gyalgong. They have no peace of mind themselves, and are always
bewildering others with their lies, delivered with much assertive
blustering:
"There's a ghost'up there! And down there, too, a spirit! That's
a ghost! That's a demon! That's a tsen! I can see it ... Ha!-I've
got it, I've killed it! Watch out, there's one lying in wait for you!
I've chased it away! There-it looked back!"
84
DAY ZERO
"If you cut your belief in demohs at the root from within," he remarks,
"you will perceive everything as pure, and, as the saying goes: Demons
change into Dharma protectors, and those protectors' faces change into the
face of the nirrnanakaya."
32
The phurbu itself has long been of importance in Tibetan culture. It
figures in myths relating to the creation of Tibet, in which Tibet itself is the
body of a demoness nailed down with magic spikes.
33
The function of the
lama as bearer of the phurbu may be related in part to the to the pre-Buddhist
Tibetan shaman's role as wielder of the sacrificial knife.
34
This is not to say that the phurbu is a Tibetan invention. A Dunhuang
account has Padmasambhava himself bringing phur bu (Ssk. klla) rituals to
Tibet from the great monastery of Nalanda in India. We also find mention,
albeit brief, of the deity Vajrakila in the canon and in the Guhyasamaja-
tantra (8th century), and at least some use of the krla among present-day
Newar vajracarya.
35
The history and origin of the myths and symbols that coalesce in the
lingka I phurbu complex may never be disentangled. In the present case,
suffice it to say that the assassination of the lingka is similar to a variety of
sacrifices. The knife-bearing shaman kills the victim and the victim's essence
is sent to the upper regions to feed the gods. In many cultures, this latter is
accomplished by burning, and indeed the lingka is burned for this purpose
during the Liberation Dance.
It should be noted that in eleventh-century Tibet, the "liberation" or
ritual sacrifice of animals was widespread enough among Buddhists for Lha
bla rna ye shes 'od to complain that "since the growth (of rites) of 'liberation'
(killing), goats and sheep no longer have rest."
36
In a Buddhist context, the well-being of all concerned should be taken
into account, not just the supernatural guest and the host who wishes to
further his own ends by feeding him. The lingka rituals of Mani Rimdu carry
out this premise. Thus, we see two things. First, that no blood is spilled, even
though the beings drawn into the lingka and killed are believed to be quite
real. Second, that the well-being of the victim is assured.
To accomplish this, the victim is bifurcated. His consciousness, purified,
is sent to paradise-the pure land of the Buddha. His body, burnt, is carried
upward to feed the supernatural guests.
37
The guests now are enjoined to
repay their hosts kindness by putting their supernatural talents at his disposal.
Here we see a Buddhist transformation of two of humankind's earliest
and most pervasive religious practices, the sacrifice and the burnt offering. In
the Buddhist model however, there is no victim. It is strictly a win-win
situation.
Looking deeper into the seemingly fathomless pool of this primary, if not
primal scene, we fmd yet another level of symbolism, a yogic one. This level
is hidden in the shapes of the tools.
38
The Days 85
As Stephan Beyer has noted, the black triangular box in which the lingka
is placed "represents the dharmOdaya, the primordial and feminine 'source of
all events,' that it may be liberated into the Dharma realm, 'where there is
neither slayer or slain. "'
39
Shown as a triangle, Trulshik Rinpoche explains that in three dimen-
sions, the dharmOdaya, in Tibetan chos byung (the source of things), is a
pyramid. There are two types: the upward pointing (male) triangle or pyramid
of method; and the downward pointing (female) triangle or pyramid of wis-
dom. The union of method and wisdom is shown as a six-pointed star. It
forms the most typical of tantric yantra, seen, among other places, on modem
Nepali coins and in the center of the Lord of the Dance mar.u.Iala. The asso-
ciation of the union of method and wisdom and sexual union is familiar to
all students of Tibetan art-it is the standard explanation of the union of
tantric deities in Tibetan painting and sculpture. As already mentioned, the
plane of the transmundane deities is pure. Seen on this pure level, sexual
union is the union of method and wisdom.
Let us now tum to the phurbu. To see a dagger as a male sexual symbol
is perhaps too easy, but here, where the shape of the blade is itself a sexual
symbol-a pyramid-the argument becomes more compelling. If the placing
of the phurbu in the triangular box is a sexual act, we should expect to see
further correspondences in the symbolism. We do. The central act of the
creation-process yoga is rebirth on the divine plane, rebirth as a god. The
place where this occurs is the center of the mar.u.Iala. In the Lord of the Dance
maf)Q.ala, as in many used by the Nyingma order, the center lies within the
embrace of the male and female dharmodaya.
In the lingka ritual, the one "imagined in the pit" is slain to be reborn in
paradise. To do so, his consciousness is sucked up the hollow tube in the
center of the dagger, in the process purified, and finally ejected upward to the
happier land. From what little we know of perfection-process yoga, it is clear
that an analogous movement takes place. In certain contexts, we fmd that the
yogin, in a sexual union real or imagined, withdraws his semen back from the
tip of his penis. In others, energy moves into and up through the central
channel. In the yoga of transference ('pho ba), which can be used to "gain
rebirth in the Highest Pure Land at the time of death," wind and mind are
moved upward through the central passage and out through the top of the
head.
40
The word lingka, it will be remembered, has a dual meaning of penis .and
body. Physically, the phurbu has the same duality-its lower half is a pyra-
mid and its upper half is a torso and head. On a symbolic level, it seems to
reflect a movement of yogic energy between the two poles of the sexual
center and the head. In function, the phurbu is a tube though which con-
sciousness moves literally and figuratively upward: it enters as a demon and
exits as a deity. When the triangular blade of the phurbu (male) is inserted
86
DAY ZERO
into the triangular box (female) containing the lingka, the essence of the
lingka, its "seed" (sa bon) the syllable "nri" is drawn up the central channel
of the phurbu.
41
Conversely, a narrow tube such as that of the phurbu is often seen in a
process of spiritual rebirth as the birth canal. When we remember that else-
where to be spiritually reborn is to be unborn, the movement upwards through
the tube begins to remind us of the regressus ad uterum common to initiatic
cults.
42
We will see this image of regression or reversal to "primordial purity"
again. The zor, another triangularly shaped magic weapon, is used to "tum
back the enemies and obstructions of ignorance and egoism" and to tum back
"samsara to the realm of nirva1;1a."
43
In the case of the lingka and phurbu, the victim killed and the weapon
that kills him seem to be alternate images of the same reality: the body
impure, the body purified; consciousness impure, consciousness purified;
sexuality impure, sexuality purified. The divine yogic body kills the impure
body and replaces it, demonic consciousness is killed and transformed into
divine consciousness, mortal sexuality is destroyed to make way for the di-
vine union of method and wisdom, bliss and emptiness.
If the phurbu is a transformed vision of the lingka itself, this accords
perfectly with the tantric principle of transforming rather than abandoning
passions. There is a deeper logic to this mirroring of the killer and the killed.
In our context, reality is unborn and unchanging, whether it is experienced as
hell or heaven, samsara or nirvt11;a depends on how one has chosen to see it.
10
Day One: Site, Preparation,
Drawing the Mavc)ala
As we have seen at Thami, and in theory if not always in practice at Chi wong,
the first official day of Mani Rimdu is the thirtieth day of the month, the dark
of the moon. On this day, the monks perform the two types of ceremony that
typically begin a long Tibetan ritual complex.
1
These are the Site Ritual (sa
chog) and the Preparation Ritual (sta gon). The Site Ritual insures the coop-
eration of the autochthonous deities. The Preparation installs the tutelary
deity and his entourage in the mar.u;lala.
Xylograph editions of the Site Ritual and Preparation Ritual used in
Mani Rimdu may exist in Tibet, but I have never seen any in Solu-Khumbu.
There, the texts used belong to the miscellany of manuscripts that an indi-
vidual monk copies for himself. Since the two rituals are not performed by
every monk, they are not in every monk's collection, but Diamond Masters,
Chant Leaders, and monks who have previously held these positions usually
will have them.
The Site Ritual and Preparation Ritual are also described in the various
commentaries to the Lord of the Dance ritual, such as the Accompanying Meth-
ods (Lhan thabs) and the Precious Lamp (Rin chen sgron me). Indeed, referring
only to the Precious Lamp, a monk expert in ritual practice could perform the
ceremonies or without difficulty create his own Site and Preparation manuscripts.
The ellipsis is the favorite punctuation mark among editors of Tibetan
ritual texts, much to the frustration of the Tibetologist who does not know by
heart the several hundred pages of liturgy necessary to fill in the gaps, who,
indeed, is innocent of prayers known to an eight-year-old monkling. The Site
and Preparation manuscripts in my possession, from the collection of a former
Chant Leader of Chiwong, differ from the Precious Lamp mainly in the selection
87
88 DAY ONE
of passages elided. It may very well be that such manuscripts find their ultimate
source in more generalized commentaries, expanded where an individual monk I
copyist needs a fuller version of a given text and contracted where he is suffi-
ciently familiar with the passage to do without a detailed transcription.
The text that forms the basis of this chapter was specially prepared for
me in just this way by Trulshik Rinpoche's secretary, Ngawang Lodro.
2
The
theory behind the transcription was that all elisions be expanded to their full
length, so that even an ignorant foreigner could follow the text. Ngawang
Lodro apparently had some difficulty imagining the extent of a foreigner's
ignorance. Despite my instructions, he left a few passages to the memory of
the reader. These were supplied by Ngawang Tsundru, Chant Leader of
Thubten Choling, when we edited the text, as were some additional stage
directions from the Precious Lamp aiJ.d other commentaries.
At Chiwong, the Site and Preparation rituals take from three to five
hours to complete, depending on how they are scheduled. They may start as
early as eight in the morning, as in 1982, or as late as half past three in the
afternoon, as in 1980.
THE SITE RITUAL
0
0 0
flower*
offering water foot-bath
0
golden libation
8
0
food
0
flowers
n
0
perfume
0
lamp
0
incense
Arrangement of Offerings on the Mal)r;lala Base for the Site Ritual
The sketch is based on the arrangement used at Chiwong in 1980 and in 1982. The letter n
indicates the compass direction, not ritual direction of the mal)t;/ala.
The Days
89
The first step of the Site or Land Ritual is preparing offerings on the
mar.uJala base for the Owner of the Land. These offerings are the familiar set
of seven derived from Indian tradition: drinking water, footbath, flowers,
incense, a lamp, perfume, and food; with the addition of eighth offering, the
"flower on the edge" (*mtshams 'dzin me tog), peculiar to offering arrange-
ments on mar.u;lala surfaces. The "flower on the edge" rounds out, or more
accurately "squares out," the set of seven offerings. Traditionally, it is not
numbered among them. A white torma for the Owner of the Land is placed
on a tripod in the center of the table. Beneath the tripod is a smart pile of
grain. Behind it sits the "golden libation," an herbal elixir presented in a
silver chalice, that will be offered along with the torma.
The ritual orientation of the ma!J,t;lala does not necessarily correspond to
the directions of the COIJ)pass. Patterns of ritual activity indicate that at
Chi wong, the eastern door of the ma!J,t;lala lies to the geographical north. This
is to be expected. At Chiwong, the lama's throne lies to the north, and as
officiant he should face the ma!J,t;lala's eastern door.
This ambiguity becomes particularly confusing in the important north-
east corner of the ma!J,t;lala. The northeast is the fixed point from which
circles of offerings begin. It is the direction in which a variety of important
objects are placed: the "flower on the edge," the action flask, and the first
ritual colors of sand. As can be seen in the preceding illustration, these
objects are in the compass northwest, which is the ritual northeast in a ma!J,t;lala
whose eastern door lies to the compass north.
3
This relativity of direction does not indicate slackness of execution. It is
sanctioned by no less a bastion of orthodoxy than Tsongkhapa. The great
progenitor of the Gelukpa order points out in The Great Exposition of Secret
Mantra (sNgags rim chen mo) that although mother tantra ma!J,t;lalas should
start in .the south and father tantra ma!J,t;lalas in the east, since south and the
other directions only exist relatively, any direction will do.
Before the Site Ritual begins, communal tea (mang ja) is taken.
4
The
ritual is then introduced by that standby of Nyingma liturgy, the Seven Syl-
lable Prayer addressed to Padmasambhava (Tshig bdun gsol 'debs).
On the northwest border of Orgyan-land
On a lotus stamen's stem,
Astounding supreme achievement was won.
You who as the Lotus-Born are renowned,
You who a vast entourage of Sky Walkers surround,
Come, we pray, inspire us
Who follow in your footsteps.
om an hom vajraguru padmasiddhi hom
90
DAY ONE
rn
s
maf)r/.ala
01 C::: =:::i
D
D throne
al tar
rn
tJ
n
bench
Chiwong Assembly Hall
showing compass directions and maf)r)ala directions
Note that in the convention of Western cartography, nonh is up and south is down, but in the
convention of Tibetan iconometry east is down and west is up. Sketches are marked to show
which system they follow. The difference between ritual and compass directions is sufficiently
confusing for informants, ethnographers, and even participants for it to seem on occasion that
the orientation is reversed and that the ritual east actually faces south. See, for example, the
"configuration of five" at the end of this chapter.
This is followed by two special prayers that introduce the Union of the
Blissful Manual (bDe kun las byang), autobiographies in verse of gTer bdag
gling pa ' gyur med rdo rje and his son, Ratnab1ja. The monks then recite the
first sections of Manual that center on the visualization of themselves as the
deity, ending with the verses of praise dedicated to Lord of the Dance and his
entourage (UB 20b4). The monks depart from the normal practice in only a
few minor points.
5
They then skip to the conclusion of the Manual, which
prepares the meditators to rise from their contemplation and reenter the con-
ventional world. To do so, first they must dissolve the world of their visual-
The Days 91
izations step-by-step back into emptiness. From this void, reciting Lord of the
Dance's mantra "oril ab hiiril hrib oril mani padme hiiril," they "rise once
more as the god," the god that they wish to become and that in a certain sense
they already are.
6
When this hour and a half of ntual is complete, a stick of incense is
inserted in the back of the Site God's torma, and the offering lamp is lit.
Now, the Site Ritual itself begins, following its own ritual texts.
The first step is to placate the Owner of the Land (S/P lbl-2.1). In
Tibetan belief, these autochthonous spirits are the true owners of the earth's
surface. A Tibetan would no more undertake a ceremony without their per-
mission than we would throw a party at a neighbor's house without asking
first. The assembly blesses the offerings arranged on the table. Then, they
invite the Owner of the Land, and present them to him.
Hom! Consider us, Classes of Owner[s] of the Land, God[s],
Serpent[s] and [your] battalions!
Take this truly blessed offering torma!
We take this land in order to accomplish momentous deeds,
Thus we offer what pleases you. [lb5]
Having fulfilled their purpose, the offerings, including the torma and the
golden libation are cleared away.
Once the table is clear, the officiant and his assistant initiate a series of
purificatory actions which begin with the mar,uja[a base and expand until they
seal off the entire sacred space.
The officiant circles the ma1:ujala, sprinkling the surface with cow's urine.
The assistant sweeps the mar,ujala table with his robe. The master touches the
earth, and recites the mantra. He then mounts the surface of the mar:ujala and
visualizes himself as Hayagriva, the fierce horse-headed deity who lives within
the heart of Lord of the Dance. He addresses any ghosts who may be lurking
in the vicinity of the mar,uj.ala and demands that they leave posthaste. He
threatens those who fail to do so with immediate pulverization. As if to give
his threat credibility, he batters them with magical boulders in the guise of
mustard seeds, and then assaults them with the fearsome Blazing Wheel
Mantra ( Cakrajvalanovikanama).
The author of the Blazing Wheel Mantra, whose hidden text was discov-
ered in the fourteenth century, is said to be Jlakyamuni Buddha himself. It is
said that "Merely reciting this mantra, fierce entities will pant with fear, and
[you] will be liberated from the gnomes who open the jaws of death."
7
oril dhuru dhuru cakra jaya jaya cakra hana hana cakra bhuru bhuru
cakra bhramara bhramara cakra bedumani cakra jala jala cakra
sarilbhavegana nayasara cakra salaya salaya cakra naga.Saya naga.Saya
92 DAY ONE
calera bam bam calera hom hnm phat phat samatagara calera tibta
calera hum phat [16lbl]
One person continues to recite this spell throughout the acts that follow.
Having dealt with the mm:ujala surface, the time has come to widen the
circle of protection. The master, his assistant and the better part of the assembly
move to the perimeter of the ma!J4ala house. This is the path surrounding the
assembly hall that the faithful use to circumambulate it. Here, the assembly will
"Seal the Borders" (tho sdom), inviting the guardians of the four directions to
protect the performance of the ritual and to eliminate interruptions.
8
3 Er=====::::a 4
1
8 8
6
1
5T
courtyard
n
Chiwong Assembly Hall Complex
(not to scale)
M = mm:u;iala
numbers indicate other
Site Ritual locations
To arrive at the site of the ftrst offering, the southeast comer of the
circumambulatory path, the assembly must make a nearly complete circuit of
the assembly hall, bypassing the places where they will make offerings later
in the sequence. At the southeast corner, a statue of Yul 'khor srung, Protec-
tor of the Realm, god of the eastern quarter is set in a niche in the wall (1).
Starting with the east like the rising sun is a pattern of tantric ritual: it is
through the eastern gate that the initiate enters the mm:ujala.
9
The Days 93
At Chi wong, each comer of the monastery has a statue of one of the gods
of the four directions. Protector of the Realm (Yul ' khor srung, Ssk.
is the Great King of the East (1). Noble Son ('Phags skyes po,
Ssk. VirOdhaka) is the Great King of the South (2). Uneven Eye (Mig mi
bzang, Ssk. Viliipaksa) is the Great King of the West (3). The Great King of
the North (4) is Son of Renown, Vaisrava1.1a, the best known of the four
guardian kings.
10
Worshipped in other contexts as the god of wealth, he holds
a jewel-spitting mongoose.
Below each statue is a niche which serves as an altar for the offerings
that are about to be made. The simpler temples of Thami and Tengpoche
have pedestals for the offerings, but no statues. As usual, it is the ritual I
meditative realm that takes precedence. The art object, the physical reality so
important to us, is merely an embellishment, an afterthought.
-white tormas
-"food torrnas"
-butter lamps
1 = offering water
2 =footbath
3 =flowers
4 =incense
5 = lamp
6 =perfume
7 = food torma
8 = white torma
The Two Trays of Offerings Carried in the Sealing the Borders Ritual'
1
The monks nail a cylindrical multicolored pennant known as a "victory
banner" (rgyal mtshan) in each direction. On a tray or shelf below the victory
banner, they place a white torma of the king of the direction and a set of
seven offerings for him. The guardian is invoked, worshipped, and asked to
"fence out the Obstructors of the quarter" under his dominion.
Having secured the outer boundaries, the inner boundaries must be made
safe. First, they bless the place where they will "suppress the gnomes," a
small triangular pit (5) in the monastery' s dance courtyard ('chams rva) near
the steps leading to the porch and the chapel. Normally, the pit is covered
with one of the flagstones that pave the courtyard. It is exposed only twice
during Mani Rimdu: today and the day of the masked dance.
94 DAY ONE
Pit in Courtyard for Effigy, Chiwong 1979
The first step in blessing the spot is to offer a golden libation.
12
The
stated purpose of this offering is to induce the assembled gods, from Lord of
the Dance at the top to the Owner of the Land at the bottom, to "create
legions of magic yogic powers."
13
The participants request delivery of such
powers "this year, month, day, hour, minute." The sense of urgency is per-
tinent. The assembly is about to embark on an archetypical magical act-
exorcism, the slaying of demons. It is now that the lingka, created the previous
night, first comes into play.
The power of truth is axiomatic in many cultures. In the life-story of the
Buddha, we learn that the truth of his claim to enlightenment dispelled the
hosts of the demon Mara. Now, when the gnomes are imagined "within
the pit, broad and profoundly deep," the assembly musters all the truths of the
Buddhist religion and concerts their power toward materializing "the un-
righteous sentient beings, who are the family of yama gnomes" into the
lingka, "this image ... this symbolic substance."
Hom! In this great secret mawala
The obstructors who interrupt true achievement,
The gnomes who transgress the word
Are suppressed and afflicted.
14
As on the night before, the power of the elements is evoked to suppress
the gnomes. The cymbals begin to play, and are joined by the other musicians.
15
The pit is covered. Then, "the brothers in achievement cross their arms, right
over left, and make contact by interlocking their little fmgers."
16
They close
upon the burial pit. Eyes closed, gently rocking side-to-side, they pray.
The Days
95
Horse Dance, Chiwong 1982
In a sense, this small set of rituals performed without witnesses encap-
sulates and prefigures the day of dance that for the public is the climax of the
festival. The cycle begins with the Golden Libation, the offering made by the
Black Hat Magicians who initiate the dancing. In the middle, the linglw is
dispatched and buried in the courtyard. The cycle ends as we have just de-
scribed-with the monks in a tight circle, fingers interlocked, dancing the
"Horse Dance," the triumph of the god Hayagriva who is the ferocious power
of the god of compassion.
Hom! The Horse' s great promise to behave-'-
The .great diamond dancing vow,
The play of body, speech, mind, intelligence
And action, the diamond dance-
Makes the five poison passions' aggregates
Thunder thundering into the five wisdoms!
Makes the five bodies-spontaneously-born meteor-
Evaporate into bliss!
This is the glorious vow-
To dissolve the three worlds in the objectless realm. (UB 37 .5)
According to the long commentary (LIS 194.5 ff.), "by seeing the entire
universe and all its inhabitants as the body of Excellent Horse Heruka, every
action is accomplished."
Just as the first lingka is hidden in a triangular hole beneath the flag-
stones of the courtyard, the second lingka will be hidden in a black triangular
96
DAY ONE
iron box under the mm;Q.ala table inside the chapel. Twice each day of Mani
Rimdu it will emerge to be slain.
Later each day, when the Horse Dance is recited, an assistant will seal
an overturned offering plate by making a cross on it with the Diamond
Master's vajra. According to the commentary (LIS 194.5 ff.), the plate is
visualized as Mount Meru pressing down on the object imagined beneath it.
Knowing this, we can appreciate the full weight, as it were, of the image of
the lingka sealed beneath the stone in the courtyard.
17
In the iconography of
the mar;t/.ala, the crossed vajra is the foundation of the universe-the base on
which the mar;t/.ala rests. Even as the second lingka rests quiescent under the
mar;t/.ala table, then, a symbolic event occurs-the weight of the universe
presses down on it and on the untoward forces it represents.
Like parentheses within sets of parentheses, like gods within the hearts
of gods, the imagery of the assassination of the lingka both permeates and
embraces the festival. In the first instant, the ground is clearly laid: death and
transcendence, but a death and transcendence whose imagery lacks any note
of gothic morbidity. Rather, the participants-it is difficult to call them vic-
tims here-are instructed to evaporate into bliss, to thunder thundering into
the five wisdoms.
Here, too, for the first time, the allotropes of Buddhist exorcism are laid
out: the destruction of the gnomes, the destruction of the passions. One does
not replace the other: the destruction of the gnomes is not a empty shell to
be filled with a secret soteriological meaning. The gnomes are killed. As we
have seen in the previous chapter, their murder is a moral issue. By its side,
the act of destruction more familiar to students of Buddhism takes place-the
destruction of the passions. With such complexity of liturgical diction, it is
sometimes difficult to determine which parentheses are within which, which
are next to which. When read enough times, however, the ritual can be
parsed.
After the outdoor rituals comes a transitional ritual, a ritual at the thresh-
old, Purifying the Door. The liturgy follows the pattern of the rituals of the
four directions. Here, however, the deity invoked is Yama, the Black Slayer,
the Lord of Death.
18
In the course of the ritual, a small image of the deity is
affixed above the entrance to the assembly hall.
An image of the Lord of Death over the door is in no way unique to
Mani Rimdu, nor is it a new idea. The Dukhang (' dus khang, assembly hall)
at Alchi Monastery in Ladakh has a wall painting of the Inner Y amaraja
above the door which dates to the eleventh century.
19
Although sometimes numbered among the directional guardians, in a sense,
the Lord of Death is not limited to any of the four directions.
20
Here, he is
called upon to fulfill his promise not to let hostile forces past "the protective
circle of the horizon" of the mar.u;la/a. According to Sang Sang Tulku, he is the
gatekeeper who will not admit anyone who would disturb the rituals.
The Days 97
One ofYama's more common roles in Buddhist iconography is in "wheel
of life" paintings, where he holds the outer circle of the wheel of sarhsara in
his jaws. All those trapped within the wheel are subject to death; none can
elude his grasp. The present act mirrors and, as a mirror often does, inverts
this function. Here, Y ama's mastery of the limits of worldly existence forbids
entrance rather than exit. Rather than being trapped, those within the circle
of the will become free.
The Y ama ritual makes use of an object not present in the rituals of the
directional guardians: a second type of small paper image, called simply a rten,
an "image" or "support." Of the same size as the effigy of the gnome, the
image has the Lord of Death printed on it. He has one face with three eyes. As
in the image over the door at Alchi and the one that embraces the Wheel of
Life, the face is that of a raksasa demon not a bull. Like other fearsome deities,
his hair stands on end and he is haloed with flames. He has two arms. His
upraised right arm brandishes a club surmounted with a skull. His left hand,
arm crooked, holds a lasso at his waist. He wears a tiger-skin skirt, but is naked
from the waist up. His legs are extended in a striding posture.
The extraordinary thing about this image is not what is on it, but what
it is on. It is pasted to a goat's shoulder bone. As mentioned earlier, this is
a way of breaking a lingka's bones equivalent to folding the paper on which
it is printed. To understand why this is so, or to seek an alternative explana-
tion, we must look a bit farther into the history of Asian religion.
The shoulder bone has been an oracular device of shamans throughout
Asia for millennia. Scapulamancy, divination by examining the cracks that
form when the bone is put in a fire, as Eliade remarked, is "common to all
of Central Asia.'>2
1
That cracks in bone are something to be read is reflected
in the form of the earliest historical records we possess from China. They are
inscribed on sheep shoulder bones.2
2
Sheep, or as in this case, goat bones seem to be the most common,
although in some regions reindeer or even seal bones are used.
23
According
to some sources, in certain periods, a human shoulder bone was employed.
24
Already known in Tibet in the royal period,
25
bone oracles have been used. by
the

the Kalmyk, the Kirghiz, the Mongols,2

7
and even by the Sherpas.2
8
Among the Bonpo of Tibet, it was, along with divination with colored
threads and spirit possession, a major method of divination.
29
The literature
on scapulamancy is nearly as vast as the subject itself.
30
The function of the scapula in central Asian shamanism is not limited to
divination, however. As Karjalainen reports, a Vasyugan-Ostyak shaman rows
to the other world in his shaman's trunk using a shoulder bone as an oar.
31
For Eliade, scapu/ce have a deep connection to the art of divination:
Divination itself is a technique particularly adapted to actualizing the
spiritual realities that are the basis of shamanism or to facilitating
98
DAY ONE
contact with them. Here again the animal's bone symbolizes the mystery
of life in continual regeneration and hence includes in itself, if only
virtually, everything that pertains to the past and future life.
When we examine Eliade's data, particularly the Vasyugan-Ostyak ex-
ample, in the light of its use in Mani Rimdu, another interpretative structure
seems to take shape. Like the colored thread and the central pole which we
will see later, the shoulder bone can be seen as a link between realms-
between the land of the living and the land of the dead. If divination is
reading messages from that other world-the shaman's stock-in-trade-then
the Bonpo's fire-cracked bone is as indicative of that passage as the oar with
which the V asyugan-Ostyak rows across the river that separates him from the
spirit world.
As if to further our argument, Ferdinand D. Lessing, and later Samten G.
Karmay, record a shoulder of sheep being used in a Tibetan rite to recall an
errant soul. In that ritual, the meat of the "soul-leg" (bla rkang) is used to
help restore the victim's soul and the bone examined to divine whether or not
the ritual has taken effect.
32
Another reason that the shoulder bone functions so well in these contexts
has been elucidated by Michael Walter.
33
The sheep's shoulder is the same
shape as Jambudvipa, the southern continent of Indian cosmology, which
represents the known world. Thus, here, just in Buddhist paintings of the
Wheel of Life, an image of the Lord of Death is juxtaposed to an image of
the world.
As we will see again later it is not just the shoulder bone of the goat
or sheep that .is a symbol of a change of planes, but its skull as well. In
Tibet, the sheep skull represents the "sky-door" that leads to the upper
realms.
34
Taking all of this into account, it seems fitting that we find an image
of Yama on a shoulder bone: an image of the Lord of Death on an image
of the passage from the world of the living to "the realm of the dead. It is
also fitting that this is the ritual of the door, for it marks the passageway
from the profane world to the world of the spirit. It is a liminal ritual in
every sense of the word. Sang Sang Tulku's explanation, that Yama is here
a gate-keeper, although different on one level, may relate to the same layer
of symbolism.
The shoulder in its most common shamanic usage-divination-is by
definition a cracked or broken bone, and as such, a simulacrum of breaking
the lingka's bones, a natural enough thing to want to do to the Lord of
Death. In either case, the shoulder bone puts us in contact not so much with
the mystery of life as with the Lord of Death. Given the continuity of
symbolism, perhaps the flask-shaped bone with its small square of paper
The Days
99
can be conceived according to one or more resemblance: old wine with a
new label.
Having placed the image of Y ama above the door, the monks reassemble
in the chapel. Once more, they recite "Blazing Wheel."
Wooden Magic Dagger
The protective circle established by the Site Rituals is now further for-
tified with the energy of the ten spikes or "magic daggers." The term dagger
(Tib. phur bu; Ssk. klla) refers both to a set of deities and to a set of imple-
ments. The ten deities "have the body of a Wrathful One above and the
blazing form of a spike below."
35
The Dagger Deities are visualized on the
basis of ten wooden daggers.
The wooden daggers for the ma!Jdala are simple in form. They lack the
details that characterize the most elaborate examples of phurbu. The three-
faced head of Hayagriva surmounted by a neighing horse's head, the blade
twined with snakes and disgorged from the gaping mouth of a makara, all are
reduced to their simplest geometric equivalents.
In the visualized three-dimensional ma!Jdala, the Dagger Deities occupy
the ten directions: the east, south, west, north, northeast, northwest, south-
west, southeaSt, above and below. Each of the wooden daggers is labeled
with a strip of cloth naming its direction. When the wooden daggers are
placed on the ma!Jdala table, the dagger that represents the deity who occu-
pies the zenith of the protective sphere is placed east of the eastern dagger,
and is so marked. The dagger of the god who rests at the nadir of the pro-
tective sphere is marked "west of west."
At the beginning of the Site Ritual, the officiant mounted the m a ~ ; d a l a
table and in the person of Hayagnva, threatened any lurking ghosts. Later,
around the pit, the monks recited the "Horse Dance," the triumph of the
Horse-Headed God. Now, the officiant visualizes himself as Hayagnva and
literally dances on the surface of the m a ~ ; d a l a .
100
DAY ONE
Below (W of W)
w
.ffi_ NW
\
E
Above (E of E)
6. N
!
& NE
The Ten Spikes: Sequence of Placement (TCU)
This quiet little dance, often performed without a single witness, is one
of Mani Rimdu's most awe-inspiring moments. Its movements are stylized
and stately. Balanced on one foot, arms swaying to the slow and ponderous
rhythm of the mantra that suppresses the ghosts, the dancer reminds one of
Nataraja, the Hindu Lord of the Dance. At the end of each series of move-
ments, the recitation is punctuated by the sound of the master tapping the
head of the magic nail with a wooden ritual hammer. As he nails down the
ghosts, his assistant proffers a triangular base to hold the dagger upright. The
master places the dagger in the base and the assistant places it in the appro-
priate direction at the edge of the maf)c/.ala. The daggers not only nail down
enemies arid obstructors so that they cannot move, but emit rays of light
which become a protective sphere (srung 'khor) of fused vajra so dense that
even air cannot enter.
36
The bases in which the daggers stand are triangular, like the black iron
box and the hole in the courtyard. The triangle is the prison of the lingka, the
The Days 101
entity to be nailed down and suppressed. Here, the text specifies that these
beings are "harmful ghosts" (gnod byed 'byung po).
It has been noted that both the god portrayed on the articulated form of
magic daggers and the god evoked in the dagger dance are Hayagriva. The
reason for this is simple: the dagger itself is Hayagriva.
37
The commentary
calls this form of the Horse-Headed god Padmakilaya, "Lotus Spike." The
word lotus indicates his membership in the lotus family of Lord of the Dance.
38
The Magic Dagger visualization is very complicated. To summarize the
exegeses of Trulshik Rinpoche (TR), the Thubten ChOling Umze or Chant
Leader (TCU) and the long commentary (LIS): the officiant imagines his fm-
gers to be the five Tathagatas and their consorts. At their point of union, the
dagger is visualized as their "excellent son, Padmakilaya" (LIS). This form of
Hayagriva has the body of the god from the waist up and a dagger from the
waist down (TR). With the egos of these three visualizations firm, the officiant
strikes the heart of the lingka (LIS). In the form of the letter "a," he absorbs
the life-force (tshe rlung) of the Enemy I Obstructor (dgra bgegs) into his own
life-force (TR). The khru rlung of the Enemy I Obstructor is sucked up into the
dagger, where it is washed (khru) (TR). Then, its consciousness can go to the
Akani$tha heaven instead of to hell (TR). Its temporarily purified conscious-
ness is sent to the Akani$tha heaven, where it dissolves into the heart of
Amitabha. Thence, it is liberated into the Truth Realm (LIS 190.1 ff.). The
Diamond Master stabs the last feast, during the verse below, at the word "khaht'
in the mantra, the Diamond Actor brings it to the front of the mar:u;lala (TCU).
39
In the Union of the Blissful Manual, there are two major passages dedi-
cated to Hayagriva. The second of the two, the Horse Dance, was associated
earlier with the dramatization of the triangular pit. Now, during the drama-
tization of the dagger, the last act of the Site Ritual, the monks recite the first
passage. The Manual calls it "Defming the Borders." The commentary calls
it the "Protective Circle."
Hom! I am the King of Wrath-the very soul of the speech of all the
Blissful!
From the great play of my mind,
Which blazes with unbearable, awesome majesty,
I project diamond weapons, blazing fire,
As the upper and lower borders.
Above, I spread a diamond tent.
Below, I spread the diamond ground.
I fill the border with a diamond fence.
I project hosts of wrathful emanations,
Weapons and blazing cones of firelight.
The pavilion of the unvanquished protector
Is built within the limits of the great mat:u/.ala.
40
102
DAY ONE
Amidst this high drama-and high drama it is-with its ringing poetry and
stately dance-we must remember several other. factors. Chi wong is a small
monastery high in the forests of Nepal, far from the centers of Tibetan culture,
of which many are now defunct. Mani-Rimdu is performed but once a year,
and parts of it, particularly the rituals of the flrst and last days, are not repeated
within a given year's cycle. The installation of the Magic Daggers is among the
most complicated of these. The officiant, twirling clockwise and counterclock-
wise on a tabletop, is obliged to stop in the direction indicated by a small, limp
cloth label dangling from the dagger in his grasp, a label reading, let us say,
"east of east." His assistant, young, certainly inexperienced, a year gone since
the last time, if any, that he has done this, must, in coordination with his
twirling teacher, be at the right place at the right moment with the right dagger
stand, receive the dagger, place it at the right place on the periphery of the
maiJ([ala, and then hand him the next in the unalterable sequence of an identical
looking, but thankfully diminishing, dozen daggers. A degree of confusion is
easily anticipated. Handled always with calm and often with grace, it nonethe-
less tends to deflate the dramatic tension of the scene.
Looking at the Site Rituals as a whole, we can chart a clear progression
from small and local to more and more universal. Two-dimensional space is
evoked with the god of the plane, the site, and is then deflned by the four
directions, each with its god. A larger sphere is evoked with the Lord of
Death, the god of the limits of our world, whose jaws and claws:-as seen in
the well-known Tibetan wheel of life paintings-grasp the horizon. Space is
further deflned by gods of the ten directions, the ten Dagger Deities.
Later in the day, the surface of the mm:u;lala is prepared and its lines
ritually drawn along the same directional schema. If the Site Rituals seem to
prefigure the drawing of the mm:uJala, it is because they are part of the same
process. To deflne a sacred space is to make space itself sacred. The flrst step
is to protect a territory where the fragile lineaments of this vision may be
traced in peace.
THE PREPARATION
According to the commentaries, the Preparation Ritual (sta gon), [pronounced
dawon] has two parts: the Gods' Preparation (lha sta gon) and the Flask
Preparation (bum pasta gon). The Gods' Preparation establishes the seats of
the gods on the mm:u;lala. The flrst stage in this process is to mark off each
seat, the place that the symbol or syllable of god will occupy in the flnished
sand mar:u;lala.
Each seat has not only a flxed position, but also a flxed size and shape.
Lord of the Dance has the largest-a square in the center of the maiJ([ala. The
members of the entourage all have round seats. As we move outward, each
group of deities is more peripheral to the mal;lr/.ala, both literally and figura-
The Days 103
tively, and their seats diminish in size accordingly. The seating arrangement
reveals other aspects of the mar:utala not revealed in the sand painting that will
replace it, such as the presence of Lord of the Dance' s Consort, Secret Wisdom
Mother; and of Horse-Headed One who resides in Lord of the Dance's heart.
The seats are drawn with "sweet-scented water mixed with the five
ambrosias" and then covered with "flowers."
41
In Tibetan ritual, nurtured in
that country's harsh climate, flowers are often replaced by grain. This gives
Tibetan festivities an austere monochromatic cast: bowls of grain on the altar,
grain flung in the air in celebration. One must see a Newar Vajracarya,
strewing a mm:u;Iala with the lush flowers of the Kathmandu Valley to picture
of the original intention of the Indian texts .

0 Lord of the Dance
Consort
@ Hayagrtva

(!)
0
00
0
@)0
Q)
~
East
CD Diamond Sky Walker
Lotus Sky Walker
G) Karma Sky Walker
@ Jewel Sky Walker

The Preparation Ritual: the Gods' Seats
(3) E Door Woman
S Door Woman
(i) W Door Woman
Door Woman
tripod feet
104 DAY ONE
Once the seats have been established, a multitude of offerings is arrayed
on the ma1;U}ala surface. So great is their profusion that their pattern can be
difficult to ascertain. Each quarter has a set of nine offerings: three each of
incense, lamps, and food tormas. The whole is surrounded by the now famil-
iar set of seven offerings plus one.
The monks make the assembled offerings ritually pure and then imagine
that:
The entire circle of the primordially existent Lord of the Dance
Great Compassion's ocean of a mar:u/.ala, sits in the sky above the
m(ll:u/.ala surface.
42
present the offerings and beseech the gods of the circle to "remem-
ber your vows of the past ... and come here to this house." The text asserts
that the gods then "rest pleasurably in their own places."
43
In the center of the mal)t/.ala, over the square seat of Lord of the Dance,
the monks have placed a group of objects that relate to the Flask Preparation.
The flask itself is called the "victory flask," the "rnam rgyal bum pa." It is
"filled with the essence of the thirty-five substances (rdzas so lnga)."
44
A
second flask, the "action flask" (las bum), is set on the northeast corner of the
mal;lt/.ala.
The victory flask sits on a tripod called a "manji" or "manyinga." Such
a tripod is traditionally used to hold objects above a mal)t/.ala. The commen-
tary refers to it as a throne.
45
Balanced in the crook of the flask's spout is a vajra wrapped with a
colored cord: The cord is called a "gzungs thag," a (spell-cord).
46
It
is wound of five different colors of thread and represents a rainbow.
Victory flask on manji, with vajra and cord
The Days
105
Like the shoulder bone, a cord representing the rainbow is a shamanic
device of considerable distribution and antiquity. The dmu-rope by which the
first kings of Tibet descended from the sky at birth (and into which they
dissolved at death that they might re-ascend) was a rope of rainbow light.
47
In Buriat initiations, the rainbow cord is the shaman's road to "the realm of
the spirits, the sky."
48
The Tungus of Manchuria use a cord of red silk or
sinew for a similar purpose.
49
We have already noted that Bonpo shamans use colored threads in divi-
nation. Nebesky-Wojkowitz describes the use of strings in Bonpo funerary
rites, in which interestingly enough, an animal leg also appears.
The Bonpo dispatches his soul to the other world in order to ascer-
tain the fate which the soul of the deceased met and if necessary to
free it from the power of malignant spirits .... Sometimes when
carrying out such a rite, a string is tied with one end to one hand of
the medium and with the other end to the severed leg of the sacri-
ficed animal. The string should apparently serve as a kind of "path"
through which the spirit enters the body of the medium.
50
A fascination with rainbows, although typically Tibetan is in no way
unique to Tibet. As Eliade observed,
... a considerable number of peoples are known to see in it [the
rainbow] the bridge connecting earth and sky, and especially the
bridge of the gods. This is why its appearance after a storm is re-
garded as a sign of god's appeasement. It is always by way of the
rainbow that mythical heroes reach the sky.
51
Tibetan Buddhists have much symbology centered around the rainbow.
One of the advanced states that are the goal of Nyingma practice, for ex-
ample, is called the rainbow body.
52
The five colors of the rainbow are often
said to symbolize the five families of Tathagata. As if to prove Eliade' s point,
when the Dalai Lama first gave the Kalacakra initiation in the United States,
a rainbow appeared and was greeted as a good omen.
Students of Tibetan painting will remember that one deity is often seen
floating at the end of a rainbow that emerges from a more central deity's
heart.
53
In a thangka, the deity at one end of the rainbow is projecting forth,
manifesting, emanating the deity at the other. In fact, this is what will happen
in the ritual that is about to commence. Each monk will visualize that he
himself is Lord of the Dance, and that Lord of the Dance simultaneously
106 DAY ONE
floats above the ma!Jrjala. The rainbow of the ritual, like the rainbow of the
thangka, is a symbol of the conduction of spiritual energy, a link between
deities consubstantial in some sense. In the ritual, the monk will visualize that
the mantra he recites, made of light, revolves in his heart. The light of the
mantra swirls into the rainbow of the spell-cord, and flows into the heart of
the deity floating at the center. This, in Tibetan ritual is the general function
of the spell-cord. It transmits mantras from the practitioner to the object of
his ritual performance.
As we have seen with the lingka and to a lesser extent with the spell-
cord, the physical props used in ritual are stand-ins for objects that the ritu-
alist I meditator visualizes. In a sense, it is particularly fitting to call them
"props," not as an abbreviation {or "properties" as in Western theater, but as
an equivalent of the Tibetan word rten, a generic term for an image in its
sense of being a support for something visualized.
Here then the flask is a support for the visualized flask that is manipu-
lated on the more significant level of the ritual-the level to which visualiza-
tion and imagination give access. Thus, we learn of the visualized flask that
the meditator creates from the syllable bhram, that although "externally, it
has the form of a flask, internally, is the wisdom palace, a realm of the clear,
luminous, stainless five lights."
54
Within such a victory flask, sit Lord of the
Dance and the deities of his entourage. Within the action flask, "the King of
Wrath, Red Hayagriva ... blazes terrifying as the fires at the end of the
world."
55
In the flask preparation, the physical flasks are cleansed with water and
mantras, to make them fit to be the basis of the visualization. Then, the rituals
cap. proceed according to the Manual, up to the point where the mantras of
Lord of the Dance and of Hayagriva are transmitted to their respective flasks
via the spell-cord. The spell-cord is unrolled from around the vajra and
passed to the Diamond Master, the end with the vajra remaining on the
victory flask. The assembly recites the mantras of Lord of the Dance and his
entourage. Then, the cord and vajra are transferred to the action flask and
Hayagriva's mantra is recited. The rituals of the Manual continue until "the
gods have melted into the substance of great bliss and become of one taste
with the water in the flask."
56
After the gods have been transubstantiated, the flasks are ready to be
used in the ritual. They are removed from the table along with the offerings
and the surface of the mal;lrjala is wiped clean. The assembly disperses.
The Days
107
~ @
@ 0 @
@ @
000 ooOIIOoo 000
0
0

@
@
0

East
NE Aower
@
Incense
Victory ~ a s k
Offering Water
0
Perfume
with Spell-cord

Footbath
0
Lamp
Working Flask
@
<D
Conch
Flowers
Food Torma
Schematic Diagram of the Preparation Ritual Offerings (Chiwong/TCU)
108 DAY ONE
DRAWING THE M A ~ A L A
The site protected and the gods received into the mm:u/.ala, the geometry of
the maQ(/ala itself can be articulated. The first step is to cleanse the surface
with the five products of the cow (paficagavya), which the liturgy identifies
as "five kinds of self-created ambrosia." The master circles the table, sprin-
kling the surface with this mixture using the middle fmgers of both hands. 5
7
Once the. surface has been cleansed in this peculiarly Indic fashion, the
maQ(!ala may be drawn. There are two parts to drawing the maf)(/ala, draw-
ing the outline and coloring it in. The distinction, already hinted at, between
is physical and ritual reality is nowhere clearer than at this moment. The
lines, which from a ritual viewpoint do not yet exist, are clearly to be seen
on the maf)(/ala table where they were sketched many years past.
58
The col-
oring, which will take but a few moments to accomplish from a ritual view-
point, will require many days of labor to make visible to profane eyes.
The rituals of the lines and of the colors are the work of two people: the
master and an assistant, who are visualized as the god of the maf)(/ala and his
consort.
59
The assistant in this context is called either the "disciple" or the
"line servant" (thig gi g.yog).
60
The tool used to draw a maf)(!ala is a string,
and the first step to drawing it is to prepare that string. As usual, the action
takes place on two planes. The master and disciple place on the table the five
colors of thread from which they will wind the string. Onto this humble
object, they project a complex visualization in which the creative force of the
lines patterns a new reality in the womb of space. As elsewhere in creation-
process yoga, spiritual rebirth is cast in a vocabulary rich with procreative
Cl:SSOciations-()ne meaning of the word aspiration to enlightenment (bodhicitta)
is semen; the mother's sky is the womb of the goddess.
From the empty realm, from om hum tram hrrb ab, line strings that
have the nature of the five Tathagata families come into existence.
They enter my body. They melt into aspiration to enlightenment
[and] become of one taste with the line string. They are projected
into the Mother's sky.
61
Picking up the threads, they wind them together to the rhythm of their
breath. Then, they recite,
Great bliss, Mother of Secrets,
By drawing the diamond aspiration to enlightenment lines,
Make all the billion worlds, all the paradises,
Into the great natural mm:u/.ala.
62
The master and disciple draw the lines of the maf)(/ala in the air above
the table, mimicking a carpenter with a chalk line. In changing places to draw
The Days 109
each new line, they slowly circle the mal)f/.ala with a complicated backward-
spinning motion, ducking under the string at points like dancers at a sorcerer's
sock-hop. The master and disciple should imagine all the while "that in the
sky above the mal)f/.ala, the real mar.zc/.ala is clear in its splendor."
63
Vajras in hand, they draw each of the "lines in the air" (gnam thig) by
plucking the string and saying the mantra bhram jiia. Having drawn the
images of the line, they invite the wisdom essence of the original, primordial
lines (ye thig gi ye shes pa) to inhabit them.
64
This is, of course, a pattern that we have seen before and will see again.
An image of the item in question is created, either physically or mentally, and
then the "original" item is invited to inhabit it. From the consecration of a
statue to the initiation of a disciple, the principle of being able to magically
invest your own creation with divine power is what makes tantric rituals pos-
sible. It is what makes a torma fit to offer and what "draws" the mar.zf/.ala in
a ritually meaningful sense. In many ways, it is the tantric ritual par excellence.
Drawing the lines is a complicated series of actions and, like the place-
ment of the daggers, is done with a certain degree of trial and error and
hesitancy. The text is not helpful here, as it uses a special vocabulary. The
language would be difficult in any case because of the technical complexity
of the process. It also seems specifically intended to conceal this magic
technology from the uninitiated. As we will see, it occasionally conceals its
meaning from legitimate practitioners. The commentary reads
The two axes-east-west and north-south.
The fire-wind and ghoul-power diagonals.
Fire-power, wind-ghoul, east and west sides.
Wind-power, fire-ghoul, north and south sides.
65
It should be noted that the third and fourth lines of this stanza each seem
to describe four sides, giving us an eight-sided square. To bring any clarity
to the passage, we must first decipher it into "plain Tibetan."
The two axes run from east to west (1) and north to south (2).
The diagonals run from southeast-northwest (3) and from southwest-
northeast (4).
The east (5) and west (6) sides run
from southeast to northeast and from northwest to southwest.
The north (7) and south (8) sides run
from northwest to northeast and from southeast to southwest.
The Chiwong Mani Rirndu of 1980 gives a good idea of the confusion
to which such ciphers can lead. My notes for that year show the master and
disciple taking twelve different positions. Adjusting the compass directions to
mal)c/.ala directions, we can attempt to reconcile these to the text as follows.
110
DAY ONE
Master Disciple line duplication?
I. east west axis
2. west east axis of 1
3. southwest northeast diagonal
4. south north axis
5. southeast northwest diagonal
6. southwest northeast diagonal of 3
7. southeast northwest diagonal
8. southeast northeast E side
9. northwest southwest W side
10. northwest northeast N side
11. southeast northwest diagonal of 7
12. southeast southwest S side
As we can see, four extra lines have appeared. They are the mysterious
fire-power, wind-ghoul, wind-power and fire-ghoul sides transformed into
the diagonals they resemble in name.
66
At Tharni in 1983, several details of the process could be observed which
are not described in the commentaries. Nine lines were drawn, the first of
which was possibly a symbolic "original line." The master wrapped his end
of the string around a bell, the disciple his end around a vajra. For lines 2
and 3, logically the two axes, the master twisted his vajra in the middle of
the string for a moment, and once again removed it, before saying the mantra
and plucking the string as for the other lines.

cn
2
a-, 0.
Disciple
67
Drawing the Lines, Tharni 1983
That the Master holds the bell and the disciple the vajra is somewhat
puzzling. Generally speaking, the bell is the female symbol and the vajra the
male, and in this ritual, the master is identified as the deity and the disciple
The Days
111
as the consort. Seemingly then, the master should wield the vajra and the
disciple hold the bell. Alternately, it may be that the bell-string-vajra is to be
seen as a single unit wielded by the master with the assistance of the disciple,
or even, although perhaps less likely, that the interchange of symbols reflects
the intimate connection between the deities.
Disciple
Bell and Vajra
Mani Rimdu has tens of thousands of similar details and to master every
one is all but impossible. Small discrepancies are seen at every monastery
and in no way diminish the monks achievement. Even an ethnographer with
nothing to do but observe only discovered the discrepancies in the
lines years later in cross-checking his notes.
Trivial_ as this example may be, it raises interesting issues of correctness
versus error and tradition versus innovation in Tibetan culture. We discuss
these issues at some length in the next chapter.
As in drawing the lines, the ritual coloring of the is a separate
act from the physical coloring. The former is done in a few minutes on day
one. The visible coloring process takes one or more monks working steadily
several days to complete.
The colors are made by adding packaged Indian dye powder to wet sand.
The mixture is then cooked dry and poured onto a piece of paper. Any clumps
are broken up with the fmgers. The colored sand is poured into a small bag for
storage.
68
Each color is replenished as the supply runs low. I have observed the
sand itself being manufactured at Chi wong by pulverizing quartz with a ham-
mer; other Tibetan monasteries are a!so said to use quartz.
69
We will discuss the
sand further when we reach the physical coloring of the
Configuration of Five: Chiwong, 1980
The sacks of color are brought out and poured into ring, the type of small
bowl usually used for offerings. The ring are placed at the center of the
mal)t;iala in a pattern called the "configuration of five" (lnga tshom).
112 DAY ONE
The Master draws the seed syllable appropriate to the color in the sand
of each bowl. According to the ritual directions of the mal)t/.ala, the arrange-
ment should be: in the center, hrT/:! in red; in the east, ham in blue; in the
west, om in white; and in the north ti/:!, in green.
70
Following the commentary, the officiant takes a pinch of each color,
mixes them in the palm of his hand, and then places the mixture in the
northeast comer of the wall, covering the small pile with an upturned dish.
At Chiwong in 1980, the master actually drew the northeast comer of the
rainbow-colored mal)t/.ala wall and covered the drawing.
11
Days Two to Four:
Making the Ritual Objects
The next several days have no ritual activity. fustead, the monks spend their time
preparing the ritual objects that will be used during Mani Rimdu. These are the
pills, the sand mav4ala, and the many toirnas necessary to the various supernatu-
ral entities that the festival evokes. Each of these activities is time consuming.
With cooking, rolling, drying, and coloring, the pills take several days ,to make.
The sand ma1J4a,la too is a matter of many man-days' labor. Creating the dozens
of major tormas occupies most of the monks of Chiwong for.a full day.
Making our usual distinction between mechanical and ritual processes,
we will see that the physical creation of the pills is completed the next few
days. The ritual creation of the pills is the ongoing business of Mani Rimdu;
it will continue until the fourteenth day when they are distributed to the
public. For the mai)Q.ala, the ratio is reversed. Ritually, the mai)Q.ala is com-
plete in both line and color on the first day. For this reason, a prefabricated
ma1)4ala painted or drawn on cloth, paper or wood is an acceptable substi-
tute. Physically, however, the process of fabricating the ma1)4ala from sand
grain-by-grain takes several man-days.
The tormas, each a complex three-dimensional sculpture, take a large
group of monks the better part of a day to complete. Although the major
tormas are physically present on their various altars throughout the festival,
ritually, they only come to life for a few minutes each day.
The pills are a magical device, pure and simple. The beauty and careful
crafting of the mal)dala and the tormas rank them as works of art.
THE PILLS
Since mal)i-pills are the sine qua non of Mani Rimdu, we will discuss them
first. At Chiwong, the pills are approximately 3-5 mm in diameter and have
113
114
DAYS Two TO FouR
a slightly dull red finish. The maQi-pills made at Thubten Choling are slightly
smaller, smoother, and more uniform. Their major ingredient is rice flour
specially milled for the ritual using hand-operated mill stones. At Chiwong,
this task usually falls to the older nuns.
To give the dough a consistency that will make it hold together as pills,
the monks add a mucilaginous substance extracted by boiling from the root
of a local plant called hlere in the Sherpa language.
The monks and nuns roll the dough into small balls and collect them
on bronze plates. The still moist pills are poured into a cloth bag supported
by two wooden handles. Over the next few days, each monk will take his
turn with the bag, rolling the pills back and forth inside it to dry and smooth
them. The dried pills are colored bright red with the extract of another
edible root called "ombulak," and then returned to the bag to smooth the
coating.
Before the hlere is poured into the flour, minute quantities of two sepa-
rate magic compounds are added. The first is powdered metal made of "five
precious things," the rin chen lnga. A set for the manufacture of the rin chen
lnga consists of a small metal bar with scraping bar chained to it. The bar is
a sandwich of five metals: gold, silver, copper, brass, and iron, the last being
the "bread" of the sandwich.
1
The second magic compound is simply called ril rdzas (pill substance).
2
The ril rdzas used at Chiwong is compounded by Trulshik Rinpoche. When
he was resident at Thami in 1959 and 1960, he prepared some for that
monastery, but no longer knows if it is used there.
Trulshik Rinpoche compounds the pill substances from a variety of "bless-
ings" (byin brlab). "Blessing" here refers to the hard dark-brown granular
substance that lamas regularly give to those who seek audience with them.
Each lama compounds his own blessings. They are also called "ambrosia"
(bdud rtsi), or "ambrosial religious medicine" (bdud rtsi chos sman).
The word bdud rtsi itself translates the Sanskrit term amrta, the divine
"elixir of immortality" of Indian legend. It is an ambiguous term. In a Tantric
context, there is much talk of five ambrosias: urine, excrement, semen, flesh,
and blood.
3
From the Tibetan word, which etymologically translated would
.be "demon juice," we may infer that in Tibet the term possessed daemonic
connotations from the outset.
In Tibet, the urine and excrement of great lamas is prized for its medici-
nal qualities. Reputedly the denizens of the village at the foot of the Potala
once did a brisk trade in the Dalai Lama's excrement. It is quite possible that
the ambrosia in the ril rdzas.has similar ingredients. This would account for
Trulshik Rinpoche's reticence and vagueness on the subject. However, we
should note that even if ril rdzas was purely an herbal compound, it would
likely be classified as part of a lama's secret knowledge.
The Days
115
Whatever their composition, the amount of ril rdzas added is minute.
The pharmacological effect, if any, of either the pills or of bdud rtsi seems
to be a subtle one. In any event, the "active ingredient" of the pills is not the
ril rdzas but the mantras. Were it not, the public could come for the pills on
the fourth day instead of after a further week or more of ritual.
Trulshik Rinpoche likens the process of making the pills to brewing beer.
"The grain itself has no power to make you drunk, but after the work of
brewing is done, it does."
4
Just as alcohol will have an effect regardless of
one's belief system, the action of the pills does not depend on the faith of
those who take them. The ritual text is equally clear on this subject. Once the
divine light has entered the pills, "It can bring about the liberating experience
of the four liberations of seeing, hearing, remembering, and touching."
5
The pills are also said to have more modest spiritual effects. Through the
ritual, each pill gains the power to generate faith in A valokitesvara equivalent
to saying his mantra one thousand times.
6
According to Trulshik Rinpoche,
the pills "have many benefits." For example, they also bestow worldly virtues
such as long life and health.
While the pills are being made, a round, bronze mirror is prepared to
cover them as they rest in their skull bowl atop the mal){jala. The mirror used
is a larger-sized version of the Tibetan magician's me long. It is covered with
red colored butter. Two opposed equilateral triangles, forming a six-pointed
star, the "origin of dharmas" are incised in the butter. The points of one of
the triangles are decorated with swastikas, those of the other, with the equiva-
lent "joyous swirl" (dga' dkyi[) motif.
A four-petalled lotus is in the center of the star. In the hub of the lotus, a
monk writes the mantras of the three central deities of the maTJala: Lord of the
Dance, the Horse-Headed god Hayagnva, and Lord of the Dance's consort.
These are respectively: "om ab hnm hrib om mani padme hnm," "om hrib
vajrakrotahayagriva hulu hulu hOm phaf' and "om dhumaghaye namab svliha.'>7
The mantras of the four families of Sky Walkers as they appear in the "Empow-
erment of the Body" section of the Manual go clockwise around the lotus, one
to a petal: "Vajra dhllka dhllki kara kaya ... ", Ratna dhllka dhllki nirica kllya ... ",
Padma dhllka dhllki nihri kllya .. .'',Karma dhllka dhllki saya kaya."
8
The mirror
will not be employed until the monks "take the true achievement" of their efforts
immediately before the public empowerment of the fourteenth day.
THE MANDALA
MalJalas (Tib. dkyil 'khor) are a feature of many Tibetan rituals, particularly those
involving empowerment
9
One can look at a maTJala from many different view-
points. On a very basic level, it is an architectural drawing, a two-dimensional
116
DAYS Two TO FoUR
rendering of a three-dimensional building and its grounds. The building is the
palace of the god, the grounds are his paradise. The rendering is governed by
fixed conventions. Certain features, the gates, for example, are shown in eleva-
tion, as if viewed from the outside at eye level. Other features are shown as a
plan, viewed from above, such as the crossed-vajras that form the foundation of
the palace. The juxtaposition of elevation and plan in a single drawing has some
curious results. Beyond the deer and wheel motif that graces the portal roofs, we
can see the edge of the vajra foundation, as if it were floating in air, or as if the
walls of the nu:u:uJ,ala had been blown out flat by a miraculous explosion that had
toppled them outward but left them otherwise intact
The visualization of the maiJ4ala required by the ritual would be made
easier with a three-dimensional model to refer to. Such models do exist,
although there are none in Solu-Khumbu.
10
The matJala used in a ritual may be a ready-made drawing or painting
on cloth, paper or wood, or it may be drawn for the occasion with pen and
ink or with sand on the floor or other horizontal surface.
There are some differences in the conventions of sand and
in other media. MatJalas painted on cloth typically show the deities
in bodily form in their respective places. Sand (rdul tshon dkyil
'khor; represent the deities by their mantric seed syllables or
by a characteristic hand implement.
11
Lord of the Dance, for example, is
indicated by a vajra. The vajra here is doubly appropriate. It is the conven-
tional way to represent the main deities and at the same time, the implement
that Lord of the Dance holds in his first pair of hands. The Four Sorceresses
are represented differently at different monasteries and on different occa-
sions. At Chiwong in 1980, for example, they were shown by their syllables:
"jab hom baril hob." At Thami, they are represented by their hand imple-
ments: a sword (or better a hook), a lasso, a chain, and a bell.
The custom of drawing on the ground with colored powders is wide-
spread on the Indian subcontinent. In many communities, women do floor
paintings as a part of their household rituals. Certain South Indian commu-
nities are well-known for their Hindu religious floor paintings.
According to Tucci, originally, the was invariably made of
colored powders (Ssk. Solely an initiatic device, it was drawn for the
occasion and erased when its purpose had been served. Later the
became "confused with the pata," and began to be painted on cloth.
12
The practice of making sand was already a part of tantric
Buddhism in India and is mentioned in the Hevajra-tantra. For materials, the
tantra suggests several possibilities .
. . . using the sacred writing-colours, or secondly powder made from
the five gems, or else the grains of rice and so on. With these the
should be made, in size three cubits plus three inches.
13
The Days 117
The "five sacred writing-colours" are a grisly alternative to powdered
gemstones. The tantra specifies them for a rainmaking ritual:
Black colouring is obtained from charcoal of the cemetery, white
from ground human bones, yellow from green lac, red from cem-
etery bricks, green from caurya leaves and ground human bones,
and dark blue from ground human bones and cemetery charcoal.
14
Chiwong employs neither of these picturesque recipes. The sand there is
colored with packaged Indian dye powder purchased in the bazaar. As we
have at least sometimes the sand itself is pulverized quartz.
15
Like all religious activity, drawing a mar:u;lala gains merit for the one
who does it. Je Tsongkhapa, the great fourteenth-century Tibetan scholar,
religious reformer, and founder of the Gelugpa order, claimed that if you
construct a mar:u/.ala of sand, the merit that you gain will be multiplied by the
number of grains of sand.
The extra merit of making a sand mar.u;l.ala is counterbalanced by the
difficulty of the process. In. 1978, when this research project began, Mani
Rimdu.was reputedly the only ritual performed in Nepal to use a sand mar.u;iala.
In pre-1959 Tibet, the practice was widespread, and, according to some re-
ports, sand mar:u/.alas are not uncommon in some of the refugee communities
in India. In Nepal, sand mar:u;lalas seem to be enjoying at least a minor
renaissance. In the last few years, Thubten ChOling has taken to making them
for two separate ritual cycles. Sand mar.u/.alas are also made at Dingo Khyentse
Rinpoche's monastery in Kathmandu.
Crude sand mar:uJalas and the larger blocks of color in finer specimens
are made by taking a .quantity of sand in the palm of the hand and slowly
dribbling it out with the fmgertips. For fme work, a tool is necessary. This
tool is a small metal cone, usually between four and six inches in length. It
is an inch to an inch and a half in diameter at its widest point, narrowing to
a quarter of an inch or less at the business end of the tool. The longitudinal
axis of the cone is ridged on one side.
Tool
The painter fllls the tool with sand and then scrapes the striated edge
with another metal object. At Chiwong a vajra is used for this purpose. The
monks of Thami employ a less picturesque but equally effective butter knife.
Scraped, the cone vibrates and sand trickles from its mouth. The flow of sand
118
DAYS Two TO FouR
is determined in part by the size of the opening and roughness of the stria-
tions, but can be regulated by scraping with more or less vigor. A careful
artist, using a finely made tool, can make lines a few grains of sand wide.
The sand painting may be done by a single monk or by as many as three
or four. There is no set pattern as to who these may be. In Chiwong in 1979
and 1980, the head monk did the painting. After his decease, the job devolved
to a succession of junior monks. At Thami the painting has been the job of
the monastery's oboists, two young men with the multifaceted artistic talent
that one encounters with regularity in Nepal's monasteries. Tengpoche, the
largest of the three Sherpa monasteries that perform Mani Rimdul is the home
of a professional thangka painter. He is said to create the sand mw:uJala at
that monastery.
16
The sand always starts at the center and works its way out
toward the edge. The work is done methodically and with logic. There is a
tradition of how its various parts should be done and more experienced monks
advise the less experienced in the fine points of the art. This does not rule out
individual variations. The being symmetrical, one can sometimes
observe two monks simultaneously creating the same motif in discernibly
different styles.
The in each monastery differs in size, in color choice, and,
naturally, in skill of execution. Like many aspects of monastery life, the skill
shown in making is related to a monastery's size. The odds of
finding a talented artist are twice as great when you have twenty men to
choose from than when you have ten. Continuity is also an asset. All other
things being equal, the more years of experience a given maJ:l{j.ala maker or
making team has accumulated, the better the Of course,
all other things never are equal. As mentioned above, Tengpoche has the
good fortune to have a professional painter. The monk who created the
Chiwong mm:zdala in years past was renowned as a learned and kindly man.
Painting, however, was not his calling, and the Chiwong has im-
proved in the less experienced, but nimbler hands of his successors.
The monasteries' sand differ, too, in color and in motif, al-
though perhaps they should not, as the rules of iconography are strict and a
proportions mathematically determined.
Such variation is not restricted to sand paintings, nor is it suggestive of
a more casual attitude toward temporary media. The painted-wood Lord of
the Dance at Chi wong and Thubten: ChOling also differ in color and
detail. Different examples of a given in museum collections also
vary. This should not be surprising: although iconographers have long since
fixed the proportions of the Buddha's body in mathematical grids, there has
never been a lack of variety in Buddha images.
During the ritual, the sand is housed in a wooden structure also
called a (Tib. dkyil 'khor). The structure consists of a platform for
The Days 119
the painting and a roof supported by four columns. Monasteries, even those
which do not use sand paintings often possess such miniature houses, al-
though those intended for drawings on cloth, paper, or wood can be consid-
erably smaller.
The smaller structures often have a permanent place in the chapel, but
those that house the Mani Rimdu mafJ4,a/a are so large and cumbersome that
they must be kept disassembled in storage during the rest of the year. At
Chiwong, where the and its abode are particularly large and heavy,
they must assemble the housing before the sand painting begins. At Thami,
where the unencumbered mm){ja/a is small and light enough to be rotated
during the painting process, the housing is assembled after the is
completed.
The housing is curtained to hide the from view during the
ceremony. Indeed, supporting these curtains is a primary function of the
structure as a whole. In full-scale initiations at Thubten Choling, where the
must be hidden during the first part of the ceremony and revealed
in the latter part, curtains are often simply hung from four poles attached to
the corners of the table on which the rests.
THE TORMAS
While the painters are busy inside the chapel, other monks begin
making the tormas outside on the monastery porch.
For Tibetans, the word torma (gtor ma) identifies any of a variety of
offering cakes sculpted from dough or grain and decorated with butterY The
substance traditionally used is the Tibetan staple, tsampa, roasted barley flour,
although at Chiwong in 1982, corn meal was_ used for reasons of economy.
One type of torma, the feast (tshogs) is usually made of rice, at least in Nepal
where that grain is plentiful. Another, the true achievement torma, has butter
and sugar mixed into the dough.
Butter is used on tormas in several different ways. "White tormas" are
painted with plain melted butter. To make a red torma, ombulak root is
cooked into the butter before it is applied.
18
Tormas painted with black-dyed
butter are also used in Mani Rimdu.
Sculpted butter, plain or colored, is applied as surface decoration. At
Chiwong, the butter is prepared by kneading it with a rolling pin on a cor-
rugated stone. Once smooth and clean, the butter can be colored. Unlike red,
which is made from an edible root, the other pigments are Indian dye powder
and are quite inedible. While being worked into the various decorations, the
butter is kept chilled in water. A kind of butter palette is sometimes used.
This is a wooden box in which lumps of many different colors of butter are
kept in the cool recesses of the monastery until needed.
120 DAYS Two TO FouR
The monks work the butter with their fingers to create the basic shapes:
disks, dots, lunar crescents, flower petals, and so on. They model fine detail,
such as the corolla of the flower in the "flower of the senses" torma, with a
pointed stick. The most unique tool of the torma making process is the mar
dar, the 'butter-wand'. This uniquely Tibetan device is a syringe made of
metal or bamboo. It is used to extrude a thin spaghetti-like strand of butter,
which is let drop into the cooling bucket and then rolled back up around the
wand. These white strands are used to decorate the edges of the torma, and
also for the filigree-like designs sometimes applied to their surface.
Different tormas have different purposes. Some represent a deity; others
are magic weapons. The main torma in a ritual may pass through several
layers of meaning. On a basic level, however, a torma is an offering for a
deity. The Sanskrit word that the mantras for offering tormas employ is bali,
the common term for an offering or sacrifice.
The sacrifice Tibetans identify as a torma is a cake, but the name may
point to bloodier past. Although the etymology of the Tibetan word torma is
not entirely clear, Ekvall's claim that it means "broken-up" is a cogent one.
19
Sacrifices were important in pre-Buddhist Tibetan religion, and in earlier
times "torma" seems to have referred to the animals broken-up by sacrificial
priests.
20
Dough figures used at Tibetan New Year represent the heads of
sheep and goats-the proverbial "head on a platter" that we know of from our
own heritage of animal sacrifice. Our texts speak of tormas "adorned with
human blood," and many tormas are colored a very bloody red to signify this,
albeit with root extracts.
21
The "flower of the senses" (dbang po'i me tog) is an extremely common
type of torma, used in Mani Rimdu as well as in many other rituals. A
gruesome, if formal arrangement of human eyeballs, ears, a tongue, and so
on-all crafted from dough and butter-it is set in a real skull. It is an
offering which symbolizes the gift of the officiants' own sense organs. Fit-
tingly, it has become an outlet for artistic creativity. Examples vary greatly
in style and monks lavish care on each macabre detail: the pupils of the eyes,
the lobes of the ear, or the flower that symbolizes the mind.
According to Helmut Hoffmann and Robert B. Ekvall, the torma's leg-
endary origin in Tibet dates from Padmasambhava's prohibition of blood
sacrifice, animal and human. Thus, it is a common belief that Padmasambhava
personally taught the Bonpo to make "substitute effigies of their victims."
22
Similarly, in Nepal, where blood sacrifice is still common, refugee Tibetans
are criticil of the practice, sometimes claiming that it shows that non-Buddhist
customs lack compassion.
The substitution of a cake for a corpse is quite logical in a Buddhist ritual
context, but it is not certain that the substitution was a Tibetan innovation.
Food in its infinite variety is a ritual offering worldwide. Indic rituals such
as the Vajapeya, "the drink of strength" recorded in Brahmanic literature,
The Days
121
specifically mention offering cakes.
23
This ritual, which like the related horse
sacrifice, the Avamedha, was a means by which "the magical power which
pervaded the king at his consecration was restored and strengthened."
24
The
Vajapeya employs a wheel-shaped offering cake representing the sun.
25
Con-
sidering the influence of royal ritual on later Buddhist practice-the empow-
erment, the signal Tantric ritual is both named for and modeled on the ancient
Indian royal consecration-it is possible that the offering cake entered Bud-
dhist praxis in India.
There is both anthropological and art historical evidence to support to
this argument. Newar Buddhists also employ bali made of grain; the fifth-
century Buddhist caves at Ajanta, India house an image of a man holding a
dun-colored pear-shaped object that looks suspiciously like a modern feast
torma.
26
A score of different types of tormas and groups of tormas are used
during Mani Rimdu. Some are iconic; some non-iconic. Some are linked to
a specific ritual and/or a specific god. Others are a generic type that-can be
used in a number of different contexts. Some are offerings, pure and simple;
others fulfill a complex set of functions. Certain tormas, for example, are
given irt worship, whereas others are objects of worship. Some are both.
Although all are food in one sense or the other, only three of the types of
tormas used in Mani Rimdu are intended to be eaten: the feast tormas, the
achievement torma, and the "true achievement."
27
Each torma must be transformed by the meditative imagination before it
is fit for use. These meditations are given in the liturgy with which the torma
is associated. William Stablein explains one such transformation in his com-
parison of Newar and Tibetan ritual practice.
Because the main deity and his consort are outwardly projected
to couple within the food and produce the bodhicitta and en-
suing ambrosia, the process is known as baliyoga, i.e., the union
within the offerings which generally occurs near the end of the
samadhipaja.
28
The most elaborate tormas are kept for the length of the festival, simpler
ones are thrown out after a single use. Even those tormas that endure the
entire festival by Tibetan standards are short-lived. According to Trulshik
Rinpoche tormas can be divided into three categories according to their lon-
gevity. The most durable, are the permanent tormas, rtag gtor. Although
fashioned of tsampa and butter like the tormas of Mani Rimdu, the rtag gtor
were kept "forever" like statues, a feat impossible outside of the arid, frigid,
microbe-free monastery interiors of Tibet proper. Next in longevity are the
rten gtor (durable tormas). Even in the atmosphere of Solu-Khumbu, -rela-
tively septic by Tibetan standards, a "durable torma" can be kept for one to
122 DAYS Two TO FouR
five years. The bulk of tormas are session tormas, thun gtor. They are made
for a given ritual and then disposed of. All the tormas of Mani Rimdu are
thun gtor.
If we were to count all the tormas made for Mani Rimdu, they would
number in the hundreds. In this chapter, we will discuss some of the principal
examples. Others will be handled as they occur in the ritual.
TORMAS USED IN MANI RIMDU
I Generic/Specific
kept? days forms
type
(GIS) (YIN) used known
achievement torma (sgrub gtor) s
y
general 2
offering torma (mchod gtor) G
y
general 1
Sky Walker torma (mkha' 'gro bra/ gtor) s
y
general I
Protector tormas s
y
general 3'
Followers tormas (rjes 'brang) s
y
general 1
propitiation tormas (bskang gtor) G
y
general 2
food torma #2 (zhal zas) G
y
general 2
food torma #1 (zhal zas) G N general I
fierce food {drag po' i zhal zas) G
y
general 2
flower of the senses (dbang po' i me tog) G
y
general
feast (tshogs) G
y
general
lama's feast (bla tshogs) G N general 1
obstructor tormas (bgegs gtor) G N general I
three-Part torma (cha gsum) s N general 1
Steadfast Women's torma (brtan gtor) s N general 1
contract torma (chad tho) s N general 1
gift tormas (' bul gtor) s N general 4
torma balls (gtor ril) G N 13, 15 1
white tormas/red tormas (dkar dmar gtor) s N 13, 15 1
magic weapon tormas (zor) G N 13, 15 1
true achievement torma (dngos grub) s
y
14/16b 1
Serpent Spirit (klu) offering torma
c
N 17 1
' At Thami, the elaborate form was used in 1980 and the intermediate form in 1983. Chiwong
invariably uses the simple form. The intermediate form is also said to be the type of torma
employed at Tengpoche. Interview with Tengpoche Rinpoche Ngawang Tenzing, 5/26/83.
bAt Tengpoche, the True Achievement Torma is used on the sixteenth day, immediately after
the destruction of the sand mat:uja/a.
'At Chi wong and at Thami a generic torma is used. At Tengpoche, they use a special klu torma.
According to Trulshik Rinpoche, the Chiwong practice is correct.
lotus petals
(pad ma'i
gdab)
buttons
(theb kyu)
The Days
THE MAIN TORMA
front view rear view
The Main Torma at Chiwong
123
the fierce torrna or
lotus torrna shape
(khro gtor ram
pad rna' i gtor kyi
dbyibs)
The main torma of Mani Rimdu is called "the achievement torma of the
main god" (lha gtso bo'i sgrub gtor), or more fully, "the torma which is the
substance that serves as a basis for achieving the god" (lha sgrub pa' i rten
rdzas kyi gtor ma). Red in color, it is also known as "the red glorious torma"
(dpal gtor dmar po).
The torma represents a god sitting atop the world mountain, surrounded
by his entourage. The body of the torma stands for the body of the god. The
stick that runs vertically through its center is called the torma's spine, literally
its "tree of life."
29
The four steps that form the base are the four levels of
Mount Meru. Smaller elements represent the lesser deities that surround Lord
of the Dance, his "minions." The four lotus petals (pad ma'i gdab bzhi), one
on each of the four sides, represent the four Sky Walkers. The four balls at
the comers represent the Four Sorceresses. The four sets of three "buttons"
beneath them represent the assembled gods of the entourage.
30
Although in its detail the main torma of Mani Rimdu is specific to Lord
of the Dance, in its basic form it is the same as the tormas of other gods. This
shape is called "the fierce torma or lotus torma shape" (khro gtor ram pad
ma' i gtor 'kyi dbyibs). The "elaborate" torma for Zhal bzhi 'the Four-Faced
One', for example, has the same basic shape. It differs, however, in having
black steps and no leaves, buttons or balls. It is surrounded on the lowest step
and at its base by an entourage of small tormas.
The "face" (zhal) of the torma is decorated with "flowers"-flat disks of
white or red butter. The red disk is decorated at the center with a small white
124
DAYS Two TO FouR
dot. The white disks are decorated with a small set of concentric circles,
made by piling up ever smaller dots of various shades of red. The comers of
each step of the world mountain has a tiny board carrying a flame decorated
with a series of dots graduated in size and shade.
~ flame motif3'
simple elaborate
gtor sgrom
A thin flat board called a gtor sgrom surmounts the torma. This board
has further decorations of butter. In their simpler form, the decorations con-
sist of further disks-a white one below and a red one above, with a white
crescent moon between them. Surmounting the disks is a white flame.
Elaborate gtor sgrom may be either made anew of butter each time or
made for reuse, in which case they are painted on a thin sheet of wood or
metal.
The gtor sgrom used in Solu-Khumbu are of a distinctive shape said to
be peculiar to the Nyingma sect.
32
The outer edge of these gtor sgrom are
decorated with a multicolored band of flames. An inner triangular area con-
tains a lotus throne surmounted by a symbol particular to the god in question.
In the case of the main torma at Tharni, the Sanskrit syllable "hri" is em-
ployed. In the case of a torma for the God of the Planets, the symbol would
be a bow and arrow or a crocodile victory banner (chu srin rgyal mtshan).
For Guardian of Mantra, the symbol would be the mummy-club that fero-
cious goddess brandishes.
33
The Days 125
An achievement torma is only necessary in the extended worship of the
deity. In the brief worship of Lord of the Dance that is done regularly at
Thubten Choling, only an offering torma is used.
When asked to comment on the rationale behind the specific shape of the
achievement torma, Trulshik Rinpoche says that it is "like the cross in Chris-
tianity. It is the symbol of the god. He likes it."
Tormas vary somewhat in form from monastery to monastery. At Thami,
the steps of the torma are higher and the "body" smaller. The decorations that
halo the torma are more elaborate. At Chiwong the protrusion on the back of
the torma is angular as in the illustration. At Thami, it is more rounded. The
small balls are not found at Thami. In the Thubten ChOling version, deemed
correct by Trulshik Rinpoche and Chant Leader Ngawang Tsundru, the steps
are even smaller in proportion to the body of the torma than they are at
Chiwong. Although variations in peripheral decoration and so on are consid-
ered to be legitimate; others, such as changes of proportion are deemed
incorrect.
Decorated Achievement Torma
Based on a sketch made at Thubten Choling
126
DAYS Two TO FouR
Most tonnas are made from memory. There are manuscripts that de-
scribe how to make tonnas, and when they are available, monks may rely on
them for more elaborate and less commonly used examples. The work con-
sulted at Thami is the elaborately illustrated Rongphu guide to ritual imple-
ments.34 This fascinating work of indigenous ethnography is based on research
done at Mindroling monastery. The use of it was abandoned at Rongphu
when later research revealed that it had many inaccuracies. Trulshik Rinpoche
considers the work to be obsolete and classifies tonnas made from it as "old
Rongphu style." Indeed, the tonnas of Thami differ in proportion and in
detail from those made at Thubten Choling, which follows the purer Mindroling
style based on the findings of a second research expedition. At Thami, the
Ritual Guide also provides the model for the protector tonnas.
At Chiwong, a short un-illustrated manuscript is used. It presumably is
accurate. However, making a tonna from a written recipe is laborious indeed.
Once the monks of Chiwong discovered that I had sketches of previous
years' tonnas, they began to borrow my notebooks. Thus, future accounts of
the Mani Rimdu lineage may include one rather bemused member who spoke
Tibetan with an American accent.
The meaning of the main tcinna is different at different moments in the
ritual. In the Nyingma tradition, a tonna such as this, or rather, our perception
of a tonna such as this passes through three phases.
35
At first, during the
rituals of the Lord of the Dance Manual, it is perceived as something to be
offered (mchod rdzas du shes pa). Then, during the public empowennent, it
is perceived as the god (lha ru shes pa). After the empowennent, it is per-
ceived as the very substance of true achievement, of siddhi (dngos grub du
shes pa or dngos grub kyi rdzas su shes pa).
These various states are reflected in the liturgy.
In the section of the Manual called "Offering the Tonna," we read:
In the pure tonna dish of the Truth Realm
All things desired in a tonna are heaped in a heap.
I pray you receive this ambrosia of the vow,
Excellent amidst uncorrupted blissful offerings! [16bl]
The empowennent ritual used on Day Fifteen states that during the "Actual
Empowennent":
The tonna vessel becomes a great self-emergent spontaneously built
paradise. The tonna substances sit in it in the fonn of the gods of the
circle of Union of the Blissful, Lord of the Dance, Great Compassion's
mm:u/.ala.
Sang Sang Tulku notes that during the Medicine and Rakta Offerings, a
daily part of the Manual rituals, the tonna is thought of as the god. Thus, the
The Days
127
medicine and rakta are first offered to the torma, and then to the lamas and
gods of the maTJdala mentioned in the Medicine Offering verses.
3
6
The torma reaches its third level of significance after the empowerment
on Day Fifteen. To quote the text, "The torma substance, into which the gods,
as light, have melted, is given as true achievement." At this point, the text
goes on to direct the disciples to eat the torma, and indeed, according to
Trulshik Rinpoche, a little piece of the main torma is eaten when such a ritual
is done for a small group. With hundreds participating in its public empow-
erment, the custom is not followed at Mani Rimdu, as it would demolish the
torma.
Through most of the Mani Rimdu, the main torma stays on the shelf at
the edge of the mal)r},ala.
For the Lord of the Dance rituals at Thubten ChOling, an offering torma
(mchod gtor) is made instead of the elaborate achievement torma. This simple
torma is of a generic shape, similar to the offering torma for the Serpent
Spirits (klu) used on the last day of Mani Rimdu. However, the Lord of the
Dance offering torma is red in color as befits that deity, instead of white as
for the klu.
31
According to Chant Leader Ngawang Tsundru, since Mani Rimdu
uses an ;1chievement torma no offering torma is necessary.
THE PROTECTOR TORMAS
After the main torma, next in importance and care of manufacture are the
tormas of the Great Protectors (mgon chen gyi gtor ma). The Protector tormas
are food offerings to the gods known as the Sworn Protectors of Religion
worshipped in the Playful Ocean of True Achievement, the second of Mani
Rimdu's two major ritual texts. During Mani Rimdu, the Protector tormas are
kept in a glass-doored case at the north end of the chapel.
Since there are ten Sworn Protectors in all, each with his own entourage,
the Protector tormas are quite complex. Whereas the main torma of Lord
of the Dance is made from memory, the monks often consult a manuscript for
the Protector tormas.
As with many things Tibetan, tormas may be made in any of three
ways-simply, elaborately, or somewhere in between. At Chiwong the simple
pattern is followed. At Tengpoche, the medium type is preferred.
38
At Thami,
either the medium or elaborate type is used, depending on how much time the
monks feel they can relegate to the task that year. The elaborate tormas are
quite elaborate. The torma for Planet, for example, is covered with the eyes
that cover that god's body.
Even so-called simple tormas may be quite elaborate. Planet's does not
have his eyes, but the god's writhing snake tail is represented by a coil of
dough that spirals down the body of the torma. The god Mahadeva, who is
128
DAYS Two TO FouR
shown in an ithyphallic form in the iconography of Mani Rimdu, is given an
appropriately phallic torma. Its form is obviously related to the lingam which
represents Mahadeva in Hindu culture, but is more anatomically detailed.
The rest of the simple protector tormas fall into a few groups. One group
is white and round, that is to say in the shape of a truncated cone, rounded
at the top. The rest are red and of one of two forms: triangular (zur gsum) or
"shouldered" (dpung ro).
39
A "triangular" torma is a tall triangular pyramid
with a flattened top. The shape of a "shouldered" torma is suggested by its
name. It has two shallow depressions on its face.
0
Planet Great God round triangular
"Simple" Torma Shapes
PROTECfOR TORMAS
deity (left to right) color shape
#b
I. Planet red snake 4
2. Four-Faced One red shouldered ?
3. Neuter red shouldered ?
4. Four-Handed One red shouldered ?
5. Virtuous One red shouldered 5
6. Guardian of Mantra red triangular 4
7. Great God (Mahlldeva) red phallic 4
8. Son of Renown red shouldered 4
9. Cemetery Goddess red triangular 4
10. Long Life Woman white round 4
This chart is based on sketches made at Chi wong in 1980 and 1983.
b # = number of front row entourage tormas.
shouldered
ball banner
y
black
N red
N red
N red
N black
N black
y
red
y
red
N black
y
white
It will be noticed from the chart, that if we remove deities like j.liva and
Rahula, whose bodily eccentricities suggest their unusual form, the tormas
fall into two types neatly according to sex: shoulders for the male deities and
triangles, the archetypical symbol of the female sex organ, for the goddesses.
Long Life Woman is truly the odd-woman out. Her torma is peacefully white
The Days 129
and round-this gentle goddess of the pristine Himalayan peaks lacks any
hint of the sexuality and danger suggested by the blood-red vagina-shaped
tormas of the terrifying Guardian of Mantra and Cemetery Goddess.
Each of the tormas has a row of smaller tormas in front of it and other
smaller tormas to the side and rear. Those in the front row are the same shape
as their master; the others may differ. As with the main tormas, unusual
shapes are reserved for unusual deities. Thus, a small snake-wound (sbrul
'khril) torma is found behind the tormas of Mantra Guardian and Four Handed
One-Planet (gZa') being in those gods' entourages as well as being wor-
shipped in his own right. In Planet's own torma, we find another four snake-
wound tormas to his right, with the four in front giving a total of eight,
corresponding to the eight major gods of his retinue. The bodily form of these
gods, the liturgy reminds us, "are like their chief."
40
The side and back tormas are of varying sizes. Not all of them corre-
spond in shape to the major torma with which they are associated. Among the
larger of the side and back tormas, a twisted shape and a miniature version
of the shouldered shape are most common. Each of the principal tormas and
their front row companions has a small cup-shaped "button" before it. In
some c a s ~ s , this cup is empty. In others, it contains a small ball.
With all these tormas and sub-tormas, naturally there is confusion. That of
rDo rje legs pa (Good Diamond) is a case in point. This deity, in addition to being
a protector of the "Followers" class in his own right, appears in the entourages
of Four-Handed One (PO f 11.6) and of Mantra Guardian (PO f 19.5). In 1983,
however, his torma perplexingly replaced one of the small snake-shaped tormas
in Planet's entourage, although the former god is not mentioned in the sadhana
of the latter. In 1980, his small but distinctive torma (see in the next section on
the Followers) lurked in the background of Great God, another deity with
whom he has no connection. Similarly in 1983, the order of the tormas was
changed, and both years that I recorded the ritual at Thami, there was a differ-
ent number of Followers tormas from the prescribed fifteen.
41
Paradoxically, the intermediate form of the torma, which as mentioned
above is used at Tengpoche and sometimes at Thami, is the simplest. In their
intermediate . .form, the tormas of all the deities are identical in shape-a
small; nearly rectangular rhomboid placed atop a larger one and flush with it
in front. Perhaps to make up for this unaccountable uniformity, the interme-
diate tormas are often the most meticulously crafted.
"Intermediate" Torma Shape
130
DAYS Two TO FouR
THE FOLLOWERS
The next lllajor group of tormas is for the Followers (rjes ' brang), those
deities who follow the main Protectors. These tormas are considerably smaller
than the Protectors-approximately six inches tall exclusive of decorations.
They are also much simpler, inasmuch as they lack subsidiary entourage
tormas. Each Followers torma is decorated with two white disks of butter
with a small pink and a tiny red dot in the center. Most of the Followers
tormas are red and triangular. A few are distinctively shaped. King Pehar has
a "six-shouldered" (shog drug) torma. Good Diamond has a torma with tusk-
like forms protruding from the cup in front of it.
42
u
0
0
The "Six-Shouldered" Torma of King Pehar
Serpent's torma is white and like those of the minor Planets, wound with
a snake (sbrul ' khril). Both God of the Plain and the Owners of the Land
(gzhi bdag) have round (zlum po) white tormas.
43
The white torma for Medi-
cine Ladies is called ka zlum ldir can, after its round bulging shape.
The ka zlum ldir can Torma Shape
Demon' s (bDud) torma is appropriately black and comes to a droopy hooked
point (rtse gug) on top. The Steadfast Women have an unusual three-tiered torma.
The bottom is a cube. This is surmounted by a triangular wedge, which in tum
is capped by a rounded cone. The Steadfast Women's torma is red.
The Steadfast Women's Torma
The Days 131
FOLLOWERS TORMAS
deity (left to right) #
color shape ball?
l. Treasure Master PO red triangle N
2. Stem One
9 red triangle N
3. King [Pehat]
8 red six -shouldered
y
4. Furious Haughty One 7 red triangle
N
5. Good Diamond 6 red triangle
b
6. Dagger Guardians 3 red triangle
N
7. Governors of the Haughty 2 red triangle N
8. Lion Face 1 red triangle N
9. Steadfast Women 4 red cube/triangle/cone
y
10. Medicine Ladies 5 white ka zlum ldir can
y
11. Demon 10 black hooked point
y
12. Stem One 10 red triangle N
13. Serpent 10 white snake-wound
y
14. God of the Plain 11 white round
y
15. Owners of the Land PO white round
y
One informant in discussing the tormas, maintained that the khro gtum dregs pa were also
called sha med, "the Fleshless One[s]." This, however, is the name of one of the twelve
Steadfast Women.
bMy 1985 sketch shows #5 not even having a cup. My 1980 sketch shows #5, 6, 7 and Slacking
cups. In my 1982 sketch, all the tormas have cups. In an alternate form, Good Diamond's torma
has a cup with two half-crescent shaped prongs emerging from it.
# = number of deity in the Followers ritual text, if any. PO = the Treasure Master and the
Owners of the Land ate worshipped in the part of Playful Ocean into which the worship of the
other Followers is inserted, section 2.4, f 38b2 ff.
OTHER PROTECTOR TORMAS
Two other kinds of tonnas are associated with the protector ritual, the pro-
pitiation tonna (bskang gtor) and the gift tonnas (' bul gtor). Each of these
has a special relation to a specific part of the Playful Ocean.
The propitiation tonna is associated with the "Propitiation Process." At
Thami, a row of ten identical red tonnas is made near the rear edge of a
board.
44
Each has a "button" in front of it and is decorated with four white
disks of butter and a simple gtor sgrom. At the front edge of the board, is a
low, wavy-edged proscenium, red with a white border, representing the
Himalayas. The space between the two serves as a trough for various "pro-
pitiation substances," as if the meditators had fllled the vast Tibetan plateau
with their offerings.
132
DAYS Two TO FouR
The Propitiation Torma at Thami Monastery (cut-away view)
Only one propitiation torma is made for each Mani Rimdu; a new gift
torma is made each day. The gift torma consists of two rows of small tormas.
In the center of the first row is a "shouldered" torma somewhat larger than
the rest, the "torma for the Sworn Ones in general" (dam can spyi gtor).
45
Flanking it left and right, are tormas for the Land Owner (gzhi bdag) and
Treasure Masters (gter bdag) who are worshipped each day just before the
Followers ritual.
46
The Treasure Masters have a triangular red torma with a
"button" in front of it. That of the Land Owners is white and "round" with
a button and a ball. The proportions of the various parts of the gift torma are
fixed. According to TCU, the "shoulders" of the dam can torma should be
two thirds of its height. The surrounding tormas should be slightly more than
half the height of the shoulders. On the back of the dam can there are two
vertical rows of nine buttons, each surmounted by a ball.
47
As these deities
are worshipped each day, the front row does not vary.
According to Trulshik Rinpoche, the gift tormas have the same function
as the larger protector tormas kept for the length of the festival. Both are
food, but whereas the protector tormas are as extensive as a "royal banquet,"
the gift tormas are like a short snack.
48
The rituals for the Protectors and their Followers are not done in their
entirety each day. The deities are broken down into four groups and rotated
according to a fixed schedule.
49
The rear row of the gift torma reflects this,
and has tormas for gods of that day's schedule. Each gift torma is a smaller
version of the main torma of that god. Thus, for example, on Day Fourteen
of the 1983 Chiwong Mani Rimdu, a type-four day, the rear row had, left to
right: a shouldered torma for Four-faced .One, a triangular torma for Mantra
Guardian, a phallic torma for Great God, and a triangular torma for the
Cemetery Goddess. Sometimes the gift torma shows variations that are dif-
ficult to account for. Day eight of the same year, for example, a type two day,
had the expected tormas for Four-Handed One, Great God, and Cemetery
Goddess, but instead of a torma for Son of Renown, had the red torma of
Good Diamond and the white torma of the Medicine Ladies, the only deities
among the Followers to be worshipped every day.
The Days
133
Thubten ChOling follows the Mindroling system and takes the gift tormas
to the Protector room (mgon khang) for a few minutes before disposing of
them outside of the monastery. Chiwong and Thami, however, follow the
Rongphu system and take the gift tormas directly outdoors.
50
The nature of the tormas offered is described in the section of the Playful
Ocean called "Feeding [them] the Tormas." Having invoked the power of the
truth to aid in the transformation, the assembly prays:
... may the enemies of the teaching and of beings in general,
In particular, the past enemies who attack us Knowledge Bearers
and our patrons and entourages,
The future enemies who think about us,
The present enemies who hate us, the embodied who point us out as
enemies
And the host of disembodied harmful obstructors-all of them, no
matter where they live, where they run wi!hin the three existences,
In an instant, in a moment, be drawn into this, the basis of our
imaginings! [53.2]
After makirig this astonishing offering of "the flesh and blood of enemies
and obstructors and the rest of the nine desirable things," pleasing to the
ferocious nature of the gods to whom it is offered, and reciting the appropri-
ate mantras, the assembly explains the bargain they are making in prayer:
51
If [I] give this in thanks for the good deeds you have done before
And that you might bestow in the future, the desired true achievement
Of the four unflagging activities,
Receive it with great pleasure, and delighting in it,
Enhance all the benefit and pleasure of the teaching and. beings,
Particularly [for] us disciples and masters and our entourages!
Elevate us with oceans of health and unchanging life and fame and
wealth!
And pacify all the unrighteous demon enemy's strife!
Achieve a wish-fulfilling ocean of multitudinous deeds!
Hoist the standard of universal victory!
Guard and defend until enlightenment! [53b4]
THE SKY WALKER TORMA
Throughout the festival, a torma sits in a place of honor on the ritual east (at
Chiwong south) ledge of the mal)cjala enclosure facing the door. It is the
mkha' 'gro bra! gtor given to the 4akiJJiS during the Sky Walker Torma
134 DAYS Two TO FouR
Offering. The name bra/ gtor refers to the torma's shape, whose flat front is
much like a triangular torma, but whose back has the conical form of a
"round" torma. It is approximately ten inches in height and rests in a copper
bowl fashioned to look like a human skull. The ritual is unique to Mani
Rimdu. When Thubten Choling performs Lord of the Dance rituals sepa-
rately, they replace it with a Sky Walker ritual using an entirely different
torma.
52
12
Day Five: Arranging the Ornaments
Once the tormas and the mai'J4ala are complete, usually sometime in the after-
noon of the fifth day, the rituals resume with "Arranging the Ornaments"
(rgyan 'god). The monks carry symbolic implements and ritual devices around
the in procession, and then arrange them on the mai'J4ala surface and
around the periphery of the structure that houses it. The procession, performed
in ceremonial dress to musical accompaniment, has a feeling of pomp. The
liturgy recited during the ritual gives the symbolism of the key objects.
Now, the configuration of ritual implements in the center of the mal)r}.ala
reaches its final form, a variation of the arrangement used during the Prepa-
ration Ritual. A tripod forms the base, balanced on which is a skull bowl full
of mal)i-pills. A red cloth covers the skull. On the cloth, rests the magic
mirror painted with the "origin of things" and mantras. As before, the vajra
wrapped with the rainbow-colored spell-cord surmounts the edifice.
1
Implements in Center of Mal)r/.ala
135
136
DAY FIVE
This structure is appropriate to the center of the as it is the
center of Mani Rimdu. Some of its constituents have already been discussed.
2
Others are new to us, and deserve discussion in detail.
The skull is particularly interesting. Skulls are a common enough symbol
of the philosophic contemplation of the transience of life and magical domin-
ion over the world of the dead. At Chiwong, the skull in which the pills are
placed is said to be that of a soldier who died in armed conflict. Such em-
bellishments are common in the Tibetan tradition, a sign, as if another were
needed, that we are operating in the realm of magic power.
Lamas sometimes advance another explanation of the skull. Here, the value
of the skull lies in the fact that it is a "natural vessel," a vessel not made by
human hands.
3
This image calls up the natural, unelaborated state of pure
awareness, the state back to which tantric practice should lead. In Buddhist
parlance, the word "vessel" often denotes the world. One might say that the
skull vessel suggests the world in its pristine, original divine state, unsullied by
sordid conceptual thought. Since the addition of the pill element, the actual
ril sgrub, to the ritual was a Rongphu innovation, there is no mention of
either the pills or the skull that contains them in the Mindroling commentaries.
The tripod minimizes the destruction of the sand painting by the objects
placed on it. Although smaller and more ornate, it is quite similar to the
tripods Tibetans use for cooking. Indeed, the configuration of flask and tripod
suggests a cooking process-it resembles nothing so much as a device for
heating tea.
In tantric ritual, skulls also have a connotation of a cooking vessel. The
traditional tripod stand upon which a skull bowl, real or simulated, rests
sHggests the cooking process. It is a triangular configuration, the shape that
symbolizes fire. Sometimes, it takes the form of three miniature skulls, ar-
ranged as hearth stones. Sometimes it is a triangular box, often redundantly
patterned with flames. Many times, it is a combination of all these motives-
a flame-patterned triangular box with a skull at each comer. As usual in
Tibetan art, these details correspond to the visualization prescribed by ritual.
4
The imagery of cooking should not be surprising. Heat and warmth are
common symbols of spiritual attainment. A short lineage is said to have kept
its warmth (drod), because it has not dissipated its heat over too many gen-
erations. The grace bestowed by an empowerment also can be measured in
terms of its heat.
5
A well-known Tibetan yoga is that of psychic heat (gtum
mo). Cooking is, after all, a transformation.
The remaining objects are directly mentioned in the "Arrangement" lit-
urgy. Each is called upon to fulfill its symbolic function:
Wisdom sword, cut the net of illusion!
Wisdom arrow, pierce ignorance, the three poisons!
Dagger of Action, subdue the battalions of obstructive demons!
We beg you to stay as ornaments to the great [7b2]
The Days
Excellent umbrella of love, protect sarhsara from the heat of longing!
Victory banner of religion, give victory over obstructive demons!
Flag of Wisdom, perfect the doctrines of enlightenment!
We offer you as ornaments to beautify the Conqueror's mar:u/.ala! [7b4]
Argham, flowers, incense, butter-lamps,
And perfume, food, music, and other offerings actually assembled,
Plus the mentally emanated offerings of Samantabhadra,
We give in worship of the gods of the mal){j.ala! [7b6]
6
137
Although the commentary mentions a procession of but four me hod g.yog
(offering servants), according to TCU if there are enough participants, the
procession should consist of fourteen:
1. the Diamond Master with incense
2. conch player
3. conch player
4. oboe player
5. oboe player
6. flask
7. skull bowl full of achievement pills (sgrub ril) covered by the magic
mirror
8. four skulls
7
9. four arrows
10. ten daggers
11. four victory banners
12. four pennants ('phan)
13. the nyer spyod offerings
14. the achievement torma (sgrub gtor).
In practice, the procession varies from the "ideal" and even from year to
year. In 1983 at Chiwong, for example, the procession had eleven members.
1. oboe player
2. oboe player
3. incense
4. cymbals
5. Diamond Master with bell and vajra
6. daggers
7. mirror and pills plus four swords
8. four arrows
9. twelve daggers
10. nyer spyod offerings
11. victory banners and pennants
The participants circumambulate the mal)l/.ala three times, playing their
instruments. They then stand in front of the structure to recite the liturgy. As
138 DAY FIVE
the manuscript directs,' the verses are interspersed with musical interludes.
8
At
the end of the recitation, the participants unceremoniously arrange the orna-
ments in their respective places. In 1982, they were placed in the following
order: first the tripod, skull, cloth, and mirror; then the daggers and offerings
on the surface of the mar:u;fala; fmally the victory banners, pennants, and so on;
the vajra and mantra cord; the achievement torma; and the offerings around the
mm:u;fala's periphery. The entire process took about thirty minutes.
4
Incense
Skull/cloth/mirror/
@
vajra/mantra cord Incene

Dagger
0
Perfume
@ Northeast Rower
0
Lamp

Offering Water
@ Food Torma
EJ
Rowers Tripod legs
Arrangement of Offerings and Daggers on 1980 (not to scale)
' With the superstructure of the mat;uja/a enclosure and the curtains in place, it is difficult to
position objects with total precision on the easily marred sand painting. As the sketch indicates,
the actual position of some of these objects at Chiwong in 1982 was slightly irregular. The
orientation of the daggers was even more difficult to detennine and may not be precisely as
shown in the sketch.
The Days 139
The tripod is placed in the center of the mar:ujala. In the sand around it,
the nyer spyod offerings form one circle and the twelve daggers another.
The external ornaments are placed as follows: ribbons (cod pan) hang
from the roof comers; an arrow is on each of the four pillars; the four
pennants and the four swords are to the left and right of the four gateways.
The offerings are placed in small bowls on the shelf below the gateway on
each side: the peaceful offerings to the left and wrathful offerings, in mirror
image, to the right. An extra bowl of flowers separates the two sets. Thus,
from left to right there are: two waters; flowers, incense, lamp, "perfume,"
food torma, flowers, fierce food torma, water, lamp, incense, flower of the
senses, two waters.
The north and south sides of the torma (ritual east and west) are special.
To the compass north, either in the gateway itself or on a small table placed
below the gateway, is the achievement torma of Lord of the Dance, flanked
by miniature skull bowls containing "medicine" and rakta. To the left is the
contract torma, to the right, the Steadfast Women's torma. The Sky Walkers
torma is on the south side facing the chapel door, flanked by medicine and
rakta.
The arrows have ribbons of different colors: red, white, green, and yel-
low. They are said to correspond to the colors of the directional guardians:
on the northwest corner, white; on the northeast comer, yellow, on the south-
west comer, red; and on the southeast comer, green.
9
13
Days Six to Twelve: The Practice
It is said that a story should have a beginning, a middle, and an end. For
Tibetans, a ritual should have preparatory practices, the ritual itself, and a
concluding ceremony. If we look at Mani Rimdu in this way, we might call
the first five days preparatory rituals and the next seven, the actual practice.
1
Informally, these seven are simply called the sgrub pa, the practice.
The rituals that take place during this period are more or less the same
each day. As we have seen, the pattern varies in the major and minor protec-
tors worshipped. Some variation in the daily prayers which begin and end
each day's practice is also normal.
Although the entire festival occupies three weeks and the daily practice
is done all day every day, in a certain very narrow way the actual Mani
Rimdu is a single quatrain inserted into the text of the Lord of the Dance
Manual. This quatrain, composed by Ngawang Tenzin Norbu of Rongphu
Monastery, dissolves the transformative power of the deity into the pills the
monks have prepared. It is this act that transforms the ordinary Mindroling
Monastery meditations on Lord of the Dance into a "pill practice." All the
rest can be seen as a three-week elaboration of this central minute.
For many parts of the ritual, several alternate texts can be found, each
with a different level of elaboration. There is a logic to the choices made
between the alternatives. One guiding principle seems to be a sense of the
degree of elaboration appropriate to the occasion as a whole. A certain level
of elaboration in one area implies a commensurate level in others. Since Mani
Rimdu is a major festival, it is appropriate that Ngawang Tenzin Norbu's
quatrain be embedded in the full Lord of the Dance ritual, as opposed to a
shorter text such as five-folio long Heart of the Profound Path.
141
142
DAYS SIX TO TWELVE
The ritual of the personal deity should be accompanied by a protector
ritual. According to the Mindroling tradition expressed in the commentary
called the Precious Lamp, the closest thing that the monks of Solu-Khumbu
have to a commentary on Mani Rimdu itself, the Protector ritual of choice is
the Guardians of the Word. This relatively short text concentrates on Mahadeva,
the Protector most closely associated with Lord of the Dance. A major fes-
tival, however, demands more. Thus, the full Mindroling protector ritual, the
Playful Ocean, is substituted. In the Mindroling tradition, the Playful Ocean
implies the use of a separate ritual for the minor protectors. Thus, the F of-
lowers ritual is brought into the picture.
At Rongphu, a tenth deity was worshipped at the same level of elabora-
tion as the nine gods of the Playful Ocean. This was Long Life Woman, a
goddess associated with neighboring mountain peaks. Hence, the Long Life
Woman ritual is found in Mani Rimdu as well.
With all this, it would be inappropriate to ignore the local protectors of
Rongphu and those associated with the other monasteries where Mani Rimdu
is performed. At Chiwong, Shar lung, the protector of Rongphu is wor-
shipped alongside Tashi Palchen (bKra shis dpal chen), the protector of Mount
Numbur and other local gods.
2
At Tengpoche, Shar lung and distant Tashi
Palchen are ignored, and a half-dozen others worshipped in their stead-Jo
mo glang rna, Goddess of Everest and local protector (gnas srung) of Rongphu;
Zur ra rva skyes, protector of the hidden valley of Kembalung in Khumbu;
the Tibetan epic hero Gesar of Ling; Drag shu! dbang po; and Khum bu yul
lha, the local god of Khumbu who lives on the mountain we call "Khumbila."
3
A variety of other auxiliary rituals, mostly of the Mindroling tradition
enter at this point. The Three-Part Torma is an example. This ceremony, a
commonly performed ritual for the Guardians of the Directions (phyogs
skyong), the Ghosts (' byung po ), and the Obstructors (bgegs) comes from the
Mindroling Religious Practice collection.
4
A liturgical banquet of such richness and complexity becomes difficult
to define or even to comprehend. Certain rituals are always performed, yet
are said to be "unnecessary." Others are deemed to be necessary, but may not
be performed. Occasionally, an extraneous ritual commissioned by a particu-
lar patron or dictated by a specific circumstance interposes itself into the
sequence of events. With so much activity, it is sometimes difficult even for
a participant to say with precision whether a given ritual has been performed
or not.
Even where the rituals are constant, there are subtle variations of per-
formance. On any given day, some rituals and parts of rituals are recited in
that hypnotically slow .cadence that only those familiar with Tibetan chant
know, others, at a tempo rapid enough to do an American tobacco auction-
eer proud. Many are recited at a speed between these extremes. Certain
The Days
143
rituals, for example, daily prayers, are always set at high speed. Others,
such as parts of the visualization, offerings and self-empowerment of Lord
of the Dance Manual, will vary from one day to the next. In this way, each
passage gets its contemplative due, although, presumably, an experienced
meditator can achieve the necessary visualizations even when reciting at
breakneck pace.
The music also differs from day-to-day. The orchestra at Chiwong dur-
ing Mani Rimdu is typical of small monastic assemblies. It normally consists
of a pair of cymbals, a pair of conches, a pair of oboes, a pair of thigh-bone
trumpets (ill this case made of copper), and a large pole-drum. At Chiwong,
only one drum is used; in Tibet, as many as twenty to thirty were employed.
5
The orchestra plays set interludes. Many of these are indicated in stage direc-
tions included in the ritual text. Sometimes the text gives the required selec-
tion a name, such as a "longing melody" or "fierce sounding music."
6
More
often, simply the word "music" is used.
This word is somewhat ambiguous, however. Rol mo, from the verb rol,
to play or to enjoy, in addition to denoting music in general, is also a com-
mon name for the large-domed cymbals of the monastic orchestra. These are
otherwise called sbub 'chal, as opposed to the smaller-domed, higher pitched
sil gnyan cymbals.
7
Passages marked rol mo are sometimes played with
cymbals alone, sometimes by the full orchestra.
Musical interludes are also performed where none is indicated in the
stage directions. An example being the doubling of musical interludes In
parts of the "General Invitation for the Defenders of Religion." Indicated in
the text or not, a given passage may be alternately included or excluded as
the degree of elaboration changes from day-to-day.
8
The instrumentation changes in a similar manner. During the protector
rituals, for example, the orchestra uses the long telescopic trumpets known as
dung chen only on alternate days.
9
Certain instruments are played whenever their name appears in the text.
Thus, when Planet Demon is invited, the thigh-bone and the whistle are
sounded as the text races past their names:
Human thigh trumpet-di ri ri!
Thousand-eyed conflagration-' u ru ru!
Tune played on a whistle-kyu ru ru!
10
As in Indian classical music, instrumental passages are sung for teaching
purposes. An experienced chant leader (dbu mdzad) can sing and mime all of
a ritual's musical passages. The Thubten ChOling Chant Leader, for example,
sings certain cymbal passages using the syllables "pram" and "pi-pa-ram."
These syllables are also found in written form.
11
144
DAYS SIX TO TWELVE
THE FIRST SESSION
At a Tibetan monastery, the day begins with the sound of a gong. After a few
minutes, a pair of novices climbs the stairway that leads to a special gable in
the courtyard roof. Soon, the smooth reverberation of a conch and a rollick-
ing prayer read in childish voices echo throughout the monastic compound.
12
Within twenty to thirty minutes, the monks are in tlleir seats and have begun
their prayers.
During Mani Rimdu, the day's rituals are performed in two sessions. The
first session typically begins between 5:00A.M. and 7:00A.M., and takes about
three hours to complete, including breaks. The session begins with the daily
prayers common to a variety of monastic rituals. At the monasteries that
perform Mani Rimdu, these prayers are drawn for the most part from the
Mindroling Religious Practice collection.
Next, two preliminary prayers are performed that specifically relate to
the Lord of the Dance ritual: the "Biographical Prayer" of the Great Treasure
Master gTer bdag gling pa and an "Abridged Chronicle in Verse of the
Unsuccessful Actions of the Life" of his son Ratnabija. These preans of praise
to the founding fathers of the Mindroling tradition are included in the Thubten
Choling edition of the Lord of the Dance ritual.
After this, the monks embark on Lord of the Dance Manual itself.
The Manual is forty-one folios long and its organization is a typical of
tantric meditation texts. Following a short description of the preparation of
the ritual equipment, the text is divided into three sections: the Preliminaries
(f. 3.4 ff.), the Actual Practice (f. 9.2 ff.), and the Concluding Sequence (f.
20b5 ff.). Only the first two are performed in the morning session.
The preliminary practices begin with a set of five rituals common to all
tantric worship: Going for Refuge, Generating the Aspiration to Enlighten-
ment, Diamond Mind (Vajrasattva) Meditation, an Offering Mm:ujala, and
Guru Yoga.
Occasionally, these generic rites are modified to the specific context. The
refuge, for example, reads-
Namo! Until all beings, including myself are enlightened,
I go for refuge to the Sky Walkers,
The lama, Buddha, Holy Religion,
The Best of Congregations and the god of the m a ~ J c j a l a
Union of the Blissful. [3b4]
In recent years, a number of fine works have been published on prelimi-
nary practice.
13
It is pointless to dwell on them here, except to note that they
lay the psychological foundation believed necessary for the successful comple-
tion of tantric ritual practice.
The Days
145
The General Preliminaries are followed by a series of five Special Pre-
liminaries (f. 6b4 ff.). In the first two, Expelling Demons, and Defining the
Borders, the meditator visualizes him/herself as Hayagriva in order to expel
obstructive forces and to create a sphere of protection, a sacred space into
which they cannot return.
I am the King of Wrath-the very soul of the speech of all the Blissful!
From the great play of my mind,
Which blazes with unbearable, awesome majesty,
I project diamond weapons, blazing fire, [7bl]
As the upper and lower borders.
Above, I spread a diamond tent.
Below, I spread the diamond ground.
I fill the border with a diamond fence. [7b3]
Confession, Showering Blessings, and Blessing the Things to be Offered
round out the Special Preliminaries.
Showering Blessings is an act that occurs with several different degrees of
elaboration, even within Mani Rirndu. The present form is the most basic-
Hum! From the Truth Realm of unchanging bliss,
0 host of gods of the ocean of Conquerors,
Regard me lovingly, with unflagging compassion,
And bestow empowerment, blessing and true achievement.
Manifest your battalions of magic powers (mthu)l
4
And quickly show your marks and signs. [8.5]
Blessing the Things to be Offered infuses the material offerings used with
their ideal counterparts. This is done both for the outer and inner offerings. It is
clear from the text that this is not so much a question of modifying an external
substance as it is modifying one's own view. Thus, the sequence begins-
I come into focus as the god. From my heart
I project ram yam kham. Fire, wind and water
Bum and toss and wash the impure grasping of things as discrete
entities.
15
[8b2]
Similarly, it is revealed that the Medicine (amrta) and Rakta, a pair of
offerings that, among other things, symbolizes the semen and menstrual blood
of spiritual rebirth, are in actuality the five wisdoms and non-attachment.
The Actual Practice (f. 9.2 ff.) begins with the Meditation on the MalJdala
of the Residence and the Residents. This is where the monks first create their
146 DAYS SIX TO TwELVE
visualization of Lord of the Dance's paradise, his palace, his body, and his
entourage.
The ritual weaves meditative and philosophical terminology into an evoca-
tive description of the creation ex nihilo of this new world-
Om. samsara, things are originally
Unfeigned, free from elaboration-suchness,
Self-emergent wisdom, the all-encompassing realm,
The truth Body, whose nature never changes. [9.3]
M. From the sky, like a rainbow,
From the heart of emptiness, the creative power of illusion rises
As compassion for the six kinds of beings everywhere-
The natural unceasing Enjoyment Body cloud-[9.4]
Hom. Emptiness and great compassion
Unified-the blissful diamond mind.
Meditate that from the limpidly lustrous letter hrlb-
The great drop of semen that causes the incarnated body-[9.4]
The whole circle of the mal)t}.ala
Is gradually elaborated. [9.5]
The mal)c/.ala palace and its inhabitants are described in the loving detail
necessary to visualize them.
The syllable hrlb appears in the sky above the mal)c/.ala, and descends to
the throne-"It becomes a red utpala flower marked with a hrlb" [9b4]. The
syllable suffuses the universe with light, a light that invites all the myriad
Buddhas who dwell in the ten directions of space. They melt into the syllable
that has thus invited them. In an instant, it becomes at once the meditator and
the god, Lord of the Dance-
A red body, the color of rubies.
One face, four hands, blazing light.
A captivating smile of pleasing anger. [10.1]
Lord of the Dance and his consort, in tum, propagate their entourage in
a passage that highlights that procreative imagery that abounds in creation
stage yoga, projecting "a cloud wheel of bodhicitta (semen) letters ... to the
homes of the gods of the entourage" that produce them "from their individual
seeds" [10b3].
Each figure of this vision must then be consecrated by the syllables om
ab ham, to bless his or her body, speech and mind. Then, the Wisdom Circle,
the actual deities (as opposed to their visualized shells) can be Invited.
The Days
Hom! Arise! Arise! Mighty gods of the ten forces!
Do not miss the chance! You, who by the power of compassion
Have the interests of all sentient beings at heart! Noble Avalokitevara!
I beg you to come with every one of your entourage!
Head of the family, Protector Boundless Light! I beg you to come
From your blissful paradise whose nature is Truth's Body!
Blissful Great Compassion! I beg you to come
From Mount Potala, that spontaneous magic apparition!
Great glorious King Hayagriva! I beg you to come
From the half-moon mawJala of fierce [and] powerful play!
Secret Wisdom Sky Walker! I beg you to come
From the Orgyan Incarnation's fortress in the western quarter!
Sky Walkers! Heroes of the four families! I beg you to come
From your residence in the twenty-four cemeteries!
Obedient Sorceresses! I beg you to come
From the fortress of the strict word and vow! [12.1]
147
Once present, the deities are Entreated to Stay, Saluted with respect
and presented with a series of Offerings: Outer Offerings to the five senses
and so on, Inner Offerings of Medicine (i.e., amrta), Tormas, and Rakta, and
Secret Offerings of Union, Freedom, and Suchness. The Actual Practice ends
with Praise and the Recitation of the mantras of Lord of the Dance and his
entourage.
In the morning session, the Manual is performed straight through to this
point-the section entitled "Doing the Recitation" (f 18.5ff.).
To set the stage for the recitation, its "object" must be "clarified." This
entails summoning the profoundest insights of creation stage practice. If we
take seriously the tantras claim to be an "effect vehicle," that is, a practice
that seeks to meditatively recreate the experience of Buddhahood rather than
simply amass its causes, then a ritual text such as the Lord of the Dance
Manual would be a sensible place to look for a vision of what the mentality
and activity of a Buddha might be. The Manual, as does many a tantric text,
does indeed present such a vision. Moreover, it presents it at precisely the
juncture one might expect it-during the central act of creation stage yoga:
mantra recitation.
16
As we have seen before, a general pattern of tantric ritual is for the
meditator to first create a visualization discursively described by the text and
then to recite a mantra which actualizes the imagined scenario.
"This," the Manual tells us, "clarifies the object of the recitation-
In the hearts of the assembled gods, on a lotus, sun
And moon pedestal, there is a [syllable] hrzb, its end
Encircled by very fine mantras.
17
Radiating light, it worships the Buddhas of the ten directions.
148
DAYS SIX TO TWELVE
[They] steep me in grace and in true achievement.
I purify obstruction, complete accumulation, and obtain the four
empowerments.
It strikes sentient beings in the three worlds and the six migrations,
And cleanses their karma, passion, sin and obstruction.
The world outside becomes a divine palace.
Its inhabitants are perfected as the. gods of the circle.
Sounds that resound: the mantra's own sound.
The mind's memories and thoughts: the Body of Truth." [18.5]
In mantra practice, we should note, action consists of radiation of light
from the heart. The first set of actions establishes a reciprocal relation with
the Buddhas that inhabit the ten directions of the cosmos, linking the prac-
titioner to them in a web of exchanged light. The second set of actions fulfills
the bodhisattva vow by cleaning all sentient beings of fault and establishing
what is the logical result bodhisattva practice as well as its ultimate goal, the
transformation of the world into the paradise of a Buddha.
The visualization begins with definable actions: things are worshipped
(mchod), dissolve (thim), are cleansed (sbyangs) and become transformed
(gyur). As the final act progresses, verbs fall away: "Sounds that resound: the
mantra's own sound./ The mind's memories and thoughts: the Body of Truth"
(sgra grags sngags kyi rang sgra ste/ sems kyi dran rtog chos sku'i ngang).
What began as a transformation, is, in the end, a fait accompli, echoing the
Mahayana dictum that between samsara and nirvtll)a, there is not a hair's
breadth of difference.
Mantra practice, in a sense, limns a portrait of a Buddha and of Buddha
activity. The portrait is prescriptive rather than descriptive; it aims not so much
at defming a Buddha as at creating one. There are, however, parallels with the
more familiar descriptive portraits. A Buddha, a satra tells us, does not act in
a sequential premeditated way, but rather directly and spontaneously. His ac-
tion is without intention or volition (cetana, abhisamsktira), effort (yatna,
abhoga) or deliberation (vikalpa).
18
In the words of the Mahayanasiltralaizktira,
a Buddha does not bring beings to spiritual maturity, "living beings advance
to maturity without volitional action [on the Buddha's part]."
19
Although nothing within the purview of normal human activity could
conform perfectly to this standard, the curiously quiescent activity that we see
in mantra recitation does at the very least resonate with the canonical descrip-
tions. After all, what could be closer to spontaneous effortless action than the
works of a radiant heart. Nor is it impossible, given its simplicity, to imagine
such activity evolving, becoming with practice even more spontaneous, less
deliberate. The Mantraylina tradition, by definition, puts mantra recitation
forward as the royal road to Buddhahood. Its direct, imaginative engagement
of the human heart may form part of the foundation for this claim.
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149
Since the "actual Mani Rimdu"-the practice that involves the pills-is
a special kind of mantra recitation, it is here that it is inserted.
The light of my heart is wound with the spell-cord.
It incites the hearts of the god[s] produced in front. Beams of light
Dissolve sarhsara and nirvalJ,a into all-pervasive clear light.
It dissolves into me and the achievement substance .. It can liberate
The experience of the four liberations of seeing, hearing, remembering
and touching.
Trulshik Rinpoche explains "the four liberations" as "having seen the
pills, you are liberated. Having heard about the pills, you are liberated ... ,"
and so on. For the pill incantation, a long spell-cord is passed down each of
the two rows of monks, and a third to Trulshik Rinpoche. The cords each
have a vajra at the end. They lead over the rafters to the main cord that goes
down to the pills in the center of the mal)t}ala. Since these are
only the mal)i-Avalokitesvara's mantra-is recited at this point.
The recitation from the Manual ends with a ebullient passage of devo-
tional verse, one of the many small masterpieces of liturgical art that forms
a part of Mani Rimdu.
Om. It is good! It is good! Teacher, you
Stop karma and passion;
Lead suffering to bliss;
Awaken the Truth Realm;
Purify body, speech and mind
With the melodious sound of bliss!
From the home of bliss-the path of bliss!
The unexcelled fruit of bliss!
Emaho! Great body of bliss!
Emaho! Great secret mantra of bliss!
Emaho! Awakening worlds of bliss!
Emaho! Living in the home of bliss!
Emaho! Bliss incorruptible!
I salute forever
The wholly blissful in nature! [20.6]
The morning session concludes with an assortment of short practices.
The first is the Spying Ghosts, a ritual assassination of the lingka similar to
those of the first days. The second is the Shower of Blessings. This text, also
composed by Ngawang Tenzin Norbu especially for use in Mani Rimdu,
expands on the same theme we saw above in the Manual, calling down the
blessings of the cosmic principles, deities, and lamas associated with the
150
DAYS SIX TO TWELVE
festival. Next, the assembly produces the "maQi-sound" by repeating Lord of
the Dance's mantra, "om ai:t hum hrib. om mai)i padme hum." Session One
ends with a group of concluding prayers drawn, like those that began the
session, from the Religious Practice collection.
THE SECOND SESSION
The second session typically begins between 2:00P.M. and 3:00 P.M., and lasts
approximately four hours. Since the preliminary practices from the Manual
were completed in the first session, they are not repeated. Following a short
prayer, the second session leads off with "The Actual Practice."
20
The rituals continue through the mantra recitations, and then embark on
the Manual's Concluding Sequence.
21
This includes the ritual of the tantric
feast, one of the most common and most typical of tantric rituals; and a self-
administered empowerment, in which the monks revivify the initiation that
they have received from the lama.
In all, the Concluding Sequence (f. 20b5 ff.) has four parts: [Dedicating the
Guardians' Tormas], the Feast Offering, the Empowerment and the Conclusion.
Feast offerings (gaQacakra) (f. 20b6 ff.), as a genre, originated among
the groups of yogis who congregated in the cemeteries of ancient India. The
Tibetan word tshogs, which I translate as "feast," signifies an assemblage
both of persons and of foodstuffs. The Lord of the Dance feast is similar to
that of any nu,mber of tantric deities. It consists of Arrangement and Blessing,
Inviting the Guests to the Feast, Offering, Confession, Liberation, Enjoying
the Feast, and Discarding the Leftovers. Elements of the feast are dramatized
in 'tibetan sacred dance, and we will discuss them further when we treat the
Mani Rimdu dances.
Another sine qua non of tantric practice is empowerment. Without em-
powerment one cannot fully engage in the rituals of Mani Rimdu. Empow-
erment (f. 22b5 ff.) in this context is self-administered, and presupposes a
regular empowerment by a qualified lama. A place to insert an empowerment
for others is provided immediately following the self-empowerment. Thus, a
lama may the easily adopt the ritual to that purpose.
The self-empowerment has two major divisions: the so-called entrance to
the empowerment and the actual empowerment. These, in turn, have numer-
ous subdivisions.
22
It is during the Entrance that the monks visualize that they
enter the maQdala.
The Actual Empowerments consist of the three-part Flask Empowerment
and the three-part Highest Unelaborated Empowerment.
23
After this, in theory,
new disciples may enter and receive empowerment (34.5), although I have
never seen this happen in Mani Rimdu.
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Inasmuch as empowerment is at the heart of creation stage yoga, the
thrust of the self-administered empowerment is clear. As the yogi declares:
From now on, do everything saying,
"I am Avalokitesvara." [25.3]
Like an empowerment given by a lama, the self-administration has many
stages. We will touch on a few key points here.
Having prepared oneself, one must open the four doors of the mal)r).ala.
The doors, it will be remembered are the abodes of the Sorceresses, the
animal-headed goddesses who incarnate immeasurable compassion, love, joy,
and equanimity. The door one actually enters is the eastern door, home of
"The Diamond Sorceress who summons/ With the iron hook of immeasur-
able compassion."
24
Tantra in general and empowerment in particular are always said to be
secret. Before crossing the threshold, the initiate promises to keep the secrets
of having entered the mal)r).ala and of Avalokitesvara having entered one's
heart. Following this is one of the most extraordinary events-and passages
of prose-of the ritual. The actual deities, the wisdom beings come to inhabit
the simulacrum of the deity that the initiate has created-his vision of himself
as Lord of the Dance.
The red letter hrl/:1 in the heart of this body of mine that has become
that of the Lord of the Dance Great Compassion, bums like a butter-
lamp. Its shining light stimulates the gods of the mal)r).ala to project
countless forms from their minds-bodies and syllables, symbols which
blaze in a mass of beams of light, which come helter-skelter like rain
and snow, like a blizzard. They enter through [my] pores and fill [my]
body completely to the brim. Bliss blazes unbearably. [25.5]
At this point, the pungent incense known as gu gul is burned. This scent
is always a signal of an extraordinary event, but the text calls for even more
extraordinary scents to be mixed with it-balls of dried menstrual blood, cat
droppings, and the five ambrosias--excrement, urine, semen, flesh, and blood.
Despite the textual injunction, these are not employed at Chiwong.
Trulshik Rinpoche explains that these scents are used to summon the
deity because he enjoys them. Much has been written elsewhere about such
tantric paraphernalia, and without adding to the generaldebate, I would like
to suggest that here they are symbols of chaos, evidence of the crack in the
worlds that occurs if a man becomes a god. In another sense, they are ciphers
of a greater truth in which distinctions between the sublime and the foul are
irrelevant. As the Manual itself says elsewhere,
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DAYS SIX TO TWELVE
Hob! If you question and examine all things,
Nature is not to be found.
Brahmin, untouchable, dog and pig
Enjoy the self same nature.
A ho mahasukham-E rna 'o! Bliss! [34b2]
At the beginning of other-oriented (as opposed to self-administered)
empowerments, initiates are given strips of red cloth, blindfolds, to tie across
their faces. In Mani Rimdu the blindfolds are represented by a mudra rather
than by a cloth, but the meaning is the same. As they are removed, the
assembly chants-
0 mighty A valokitesvara, endeavor
To open your eyes today!
Open them and see everything!
Unsurpassable diamond eyes! [26.1]
These blindfolds are interesting from a number of viewpoints. For one
thing they represent a thread that runs not just through tantric ritual but
through the greater culture of Asia.
Tibetari thangka painters paint the eyes of the central deity last and
follow it on the full moon by ari "opening the eyes" ceremony.
25
Newar
Buddhist sculptors, tantrics like the Tibetans, use a similar ritual to open
the eyes of their statues arid wood carvings arid imbue them with the di-
vine presence.
26
In Japanese popular culture, we find statues of Daruma
(Bodhidharma) traditionally sold with the pupil of one eye left unpaintedY
The blindfold is also ar1 article of shaman's gear. A Samoyed shamar1
carries a kerchief "with which to blindfold his eyes so that he Carl enter the
spirit world by his own inner light."
28
Contemporary shamar1s among the
Magar of Nepal have a similar custom. During the ritual "birth" of a shaman,
the initiate is blindfolded and the blindfold pierced with a needle to "open up
the passage of sight." The shamar1s believe that if the car1didate is a true one,
he will be able to see with the blindfold on arid thus to dance properly atop
the tree of life.
29
As we have seen, like the hub of the mm:utala, the shaman's
tree of life is in the center of the universe.
When the Lord of the D a r ~ c e initiate, that "great hero of the mind"
removes his blindfold, enjoined to "look well." He then declares,
I see the whole mm;dala of Union of the Blissful Lord of the Dance
Great Compassion, the residence and its residents, just as if it were right
before my eyes. [26.4]
The rest of the empowerment follows suit. The initiate is empowered by
the instruments of the five families of Tathagatas.
The Days 153
THE FIVE BUDDHA FAMILIES
Direction Center East South West North
Color White Blue Yellow Red Green
Family Tathagata Diamond Jewel Lotus Action
Tathagata Vajra Ratna Padma Karma
Family Symbol wheel vajra jewel lotus sword
Family Head llluminator Imperturbable Jewel-Born Boundless Infallible
Light Success
Vairocana Ak$obhya Ratnasambhava Amitabha Amoghasiddhi
Buddha Gesture Preaching Earth-witness Giving Meditation Fear-not
Type of Wisdom Truth Realm Mirror-Like Equanimitous Discriminating Active
Type of Evil Stupidity Anger Pride/ Desire Envy
Egocentricity
Aggregate Form Consciousness Feelings Perception Miscellaneous
Instrument of Name Flask Crown Vajra Bell
Empowerment
This sequence makes the explicit correspondences between the five fami-
lies, the five types of wisdom and the five poisons that we noted in chapter 2.
The chart above summarizes the symbolic equations as they are given in the
Lord of the Dance Manual.
During the Bell Empowerment, for example, the initiate makes this request-
HUm! Empowerment by the wisdom (shes rab) Truth Realm bell
Has the identity of active wisdom.
30
Empower me into the karma family
In order to completely purify envy! [28.5]
Immediately following these "Five Ordinary Empowerments of Aware-
ness," the initiate is empowered to become a Diamond Master, a perfect
Tantric teacher. The instrument of empowerment is the tantric adept's basic
set of tools: the vajra and bell, identified as the deity in union with his
consort. This unification of polar forces, of masculine and feminine, the text
implies, bestows the flexibility and sensitivity required of a spiritual master-
Hnrh! Great vajra and great bell-
Pair who are the holy bliss Pledge Being
In union with the Wisdom Goddess-
Whatever training methods you use on anyone,
They are psychologically appropriate to him.
You give the power to rise
To the exalted rank of Diamond Master. [29.6]
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DAYS Srx TO TWELVE
The successful completion of the Master's empowerment is celebrated
by a passage which highlights in poetic fashion the creativity of a Diamond
Master-
Hilm! Blow for your disciples, 0 fortunate one,
The auspicious conch of religious teaching
In harmony with their varied inclinations,
Easing them home in enlightened stateP
1
[29b4]
During the Empowerments of Body, the lama flashes a miniature paint-
ing (tsakali) of each god of the mal)t}ala before the initiates.
The Speech Empowerment employs a rosary and a tsakali inscribed with
the mantras of the divine assembly. The initiate visualizes that
The gods assembled in my heart become a mal)t}ala of syllables
(gsung yi ge). Rosaries of mantras come from the heart of the mal)t}ala
and enter via the pathway of my throat. They melt into the circle of
letters in my heart. [31 b6]
In so doing,
The power of the sixty aspects of melodious speech,
Gives the empowerment which fully proclaims
Religion's eighty-four thousand doors
Adapted to the minds of the unimaginable number that are to be
tamed. [32.2]
For the mind empowerment, the lama displays the "master's mirror," a
small bronze disk, as the text exhorts the initiate to cleave to his or her
realization of the absolute.
32
Hum! All things are like a reflection in a mirror,
The unelaborated, empty, clear, infinite realm.
The playful creativity of self-arising wisdom
Is unimpeded, like the play
Of a magician at a magic show.
Stay in the realm of unelaborated original purity! [32bl]
The foregoing rituals are classed aS flask empowerments, common to all
four classes of the tantra.
33
The three last empowerments belong to the
anuttarayogatantra alone-the Secret Empowerment, the Discrimination
Woman's Wisdom Empowerment, and the Fourth Empowerment. Each em-
powerment in succession is more subtle. Each takes place in a different
The Days
155
maf)tja/a, cleanses a specific mental defilement, empowers the disciple for a
special type of meditation, and serves as a harbinger of one of the four bodies
of the Buddha. In the Fourth Empowerment, for example, the disciple is told
that-
Thus, in the absolute aspiration to enlightenment maf)t}ala, one ob-
tains the fourth empowerment. The stains are cleansed from innate
wisdom. One is empowered for the path of meditation on the Great
Fulfillment. One is granted the fortune of obtaining the fruit of the
Actuality Body.
34
[33b5)
Finally, all dissolves into the emptiness that is the nature of the mind.
Ho}J.! The mind itself is rootless.
From the beginning it is unborn, insubstantial.
There is neither meditation nor meditator.
Everything from the beginning is pure,
And rises as great innate wisdom's play.
Therefore, all substances' lack of substance
Is the reality of all the Buddhas. [33b4)
THE THREE ASPECTS OF THE HIGHEST UNELABORA TED EMPOWERMENT
Stain Path
Empowerment Mal)(jala cleansed Empowered Fruit Instrument
Secret Conventional Speech Veins and Enjoyment Seminal Drop
Empowerment aspiration to winds Body of aspiration to
enlightenment enlightenment
The Wisdom Bhaga Mind Meditation on Truth Body The Awareness
[Woman's] the Seminal Woman
Innate Wisdom Drop
Empowerment
Fourth Absolute Innate Great Actuality [The realm of
Empowerment aspiration to wisdom Perfection Body just-this-ness]
enlightenment
After the empowerment comes a welter of interpolated material. The
series starts with the Three-Part Torma ritual. Following this comes the first
of the Protector rituals, "The General Invitation of the Defenders of Religion"
from the Guardians of the Word, a ritual summary in which all the Sworn
Protectors and their Followers receive their due. Such a summary is neces-
sary whenever the Playful Ocean is not performed in full.
156
DAYS SIX TO TWELVE
This is the case in Mani Rimdu. As we have seen, the ceremony alternates
daily between four sets of four or five deities drawn from the ten Great Pro-
tectors worshipped at Rongphu: the nine protectors of the Playful Ocean plus
Long-Life Woman. The Followers rituals have their own rotation schedule.
35
The "General Invitation" summons and then exhorts the entire terrifying
assemblage-
... guardians who defend holy religion along with your entourages,
your armies of attendants and messengers-take this enormous torma
given in worship and guard the Buddha's teaching! Praise the gran-
deur of the [Three] Jewels! Defend the rule of the Virtuous Commu-
nity and religion! Cure the ills of the three worlds! Increase sentient
beings' benefit and pleasure! Be a friend who helps Yogis! Com-
plete the Mantra Holders' work! Subdue the enemy of anger! Van-
quish harmful Obstructors! In particular, pacify all outer, inner and
secret opposing conditions; increase and expand conducive condi-
tions-the panoply of good we wish for; and act to bring success to
each and every highest and ordinary true achievement, for all those
who participate in this vow! [6.1]
After this, the participants perform the Playful Ocean straight through
for the deities of the day, first doing "Ceremonies" (phrin las) that invoke the
chosen protectors, then continuing with the offerings and praises for those
gods.
36
Parts of the first section of the Playful Ocean are redundant in the
context of a larger performance and are skipped. The monks omit the "Yoga
of Self," for example, as they have already visualized themselves as a god
during the Lord of the Dance rituals.
After the Praise section, which lauds each deity in the fullness of his or
her gruesome grandeur, the worship of the day's Followers is inserted. The
Followers are a collection of autochthonous Tibetan deities that have been
subsumed into the Buddhist pantheon. Following the Followers, rituals are
performed for the specific local deity or deities worshipped at the monastery
in question, such as Tashi Palchen at Chiwong or Zur ra rva skyes at
Tengpoche.
37
The Playful Ocean rituals resume with the Torma Offerings for two
other types of genii loci, the Treasure Owners and the Land Owners, and
continue through the Confession.
In the midst of this, one of the most important phases of the process
occurs-the actual propitiation of the Protectors. The word Propitiation (bskang
gso), we have seen, is not only the commonly used cover term for Protector
rituals, but part of the working vocabulary of ordinary Sherpa villagers.
Propitiation also is the locus classicus for much of the imagery found in that
unique form of Tibetan painting, rgyan tshogs, (assembled offerings), which
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157
shows all the offerings pleasing to a Protector, including his clothes and orna-
ments, which, unoccupied, mysteriously stand in the air as if the unseen god were
wearing them. If, then, one wishes to understand the herds of black animals that
crowd such canvases, one need go no farther than the Playful Ocean's Propitia-
tion of the Four-Handed Mahllkala we cited in the Introduction.
38
The black horse, bedecked with ornaments, gambols like the wind.
The shaggy bull yak is as majestic as a thunderhead.
The demon sheep has a white rump and a curling iron hom.
The black bear-like dog trots following tracks of blood.
The black bird with the thunder-iron beak swoops and soars.
Birds and beasts of prey pounce on the life of enemies and obstructors,
And other support substances crowd every paradise.
By these, Wisdom Protector and entourage, be propitiated! [42bl]
Propitiation is followed by confession.
39
The confession is specifically
addressed to the Protectors and specifically refers to infractions of tantric
vows. For example-
Having agreed to meditate the four-session yoga,
Contrite, (I] confess to being diverted to ordinary activities.
Having agreed to incite the minds of the Blissful,
Contrite, I confess to gossiping about ordinary pastimes. [49.4]
Another interpolation, Ngawang Tenzin Norbu's miniature Protector ritual,
the Unelaborated, falls between the latter two confessions. A two-folio dis-
tillation of the Playful Ocean and Followers' seventy folia, the Unelaborated
is a good example of the category of rituals that an expert Chant Leader may
deem unnecessary, yet seemingly is always performed.
After this brief interpolation, the Playful Ocean continues through its con-
cluding rituals: Thanksgiving, Praise, Confessing Fault, Staying Firm, Request
to Go (omitted in Mani Rimdu), Dedicatory Prayer, and Auspicious Speech.
The monks then return once more to the Lord of the Dance Manual,
beginning with the sections entitled "Enjoying the Feast" (f. 34.6) and "Throw-
ing Out the Remains" (f. 35.1), where the feast is actually shared by the
assembly and a small portion of leftover food collected as a further offering
to the protectors associated with Lord of the Dance.
Hum! Among Great Compassion's circle of attendants,
You who possess a vow to defend the teaching-
The hosts of Ladies, Sky Walkers,
Ging [and] Langka, and Sorcerers, Slow-Walkers and Malefactor/
Benefactors.
40
158 DAYS Srx TO TwELVE
You are fearsome in fonn; you have ornaments of violence.
You judge [our] quality; you gauge the warmth [of our practice].
You follow vows;
41
you circulate among the cemeteries.
Together with your individual incarnations and messengers,
Please eat these glorious leftovers!
And act in accord with your vows! [35.4]
The assembly then continues with the Lord of the Dance Follow-up or
Conclusion (f. 35b2 ff.). This begins with a cycle of rituals that make use of
a small, obelisk-shaped offering called the "Contract Tonna." The cycle begins
with an Entreaty, followed by "Proclaiming the Contract Tonna" and "Incit-
ing it to be a Weapon."
Contract Tonna
The contract recalls Padmasambhava's encounter with the autochthonous
spirits of Tibet.
Hom! All you accomplished Knowledge Bearers,
Guardians Sworn to an Oath!
Come to this tonna, this holy thing,
And fulfill your promises! [36.4]
The Master Padmasambhava
Called you great and haughty gods of Tibet
To account as lackeys, as messengers.
Having been sworn to an oath,
The Days
I urge you to the stringent vows enjoined upon you!
Complete your appointed task! [36.5]
0 Knowledge Bearers following Orgyan [Padmasambhava],
And patrons who support the teachings,
Reach the zenith, the highest high,
And protect your children the lowly low! [36bl]
In this four-homed kingdom of Tibet,
Protect us from vicious invaders!
Pacify all disease, darkness, disturbance and strife!
Make our harvests good, our cattle healthy-make things
pleasant! [36b2]
159
Turning the Contract Torma into a weapon demonstrates once more how
thoroughly Buddhistic even the most magic-laden moments of Tibetan ritual
are. Here, the torma, which is literally the stele that commemorates Padma-
sambhava's contract with the gods of Tibet (much as the stelre of the ancient
Tibetan kings proclaimed their edicts and treaties), is turned into an instru-
ment of spiritual transformation of the world-
Hum! Tum back the enemies and obstructions of ignorance and
egoism
Compassed by appearing and existing!
0 magic torma weapon of the play of wisdom,
Tum the vessel of the world into a divine palace!
Sentient beings, born and transient, to Buddhahood!
Suffering to the realm of bliss!
Samsara to the realm of nirva1.1a!
Tum the five poisonous passions into the five wisdoms!
The five father aggregates into the five mother elements!
Samsara to the element of nirvtlf;Za!
Everything into primordial purity! [36b4]
The torma celebrating Padmasambhava's contract with the indigenous
spirits is followed by the Steadfast Woman Protectors (brtan ma), a brief
offering to the mountain-goddesses he encountered as he entered Tibet, and
the prayer to Hayagriva known as the Horse's Dance (f. 37.5; see Day One).
Immediately following the Horse's Dance, the Spying Ghosts ritual is
repeated. We have seen this prayer before in the Site Rituals where it fol-
lowed the burial of the ghosts in the courtyard. Given the intimate connection
between Hayagnva and the magic dagger that the officiant uses to dispatch
the ghosts, both are fitting junctures to invoke him.
160
DAYS SIX TO TWELVE
The Horse Dance also reenacts the burial of the ling/ca. By making a cross
with the master's vajra, the assistant symbolically creates the foundation of the
universe (which is visualized as a vajra-cross) and presses down on the lingka
with the weight of Mount Meru, with the full weight of the world.
Another interpolation follows, The Completely Agreeable Sky Walker
Torma Offering. This is an short invocation of the five families of dakir;l and
other associated with Lord of the Dance. A special Sky Walker torma
is made for this offering at the beginning of the festival. It rests on the edge
of the mar;rjala enclosure nearest the chapel door
The Follow-up section of the Manual begins with Taking the True
Achievement (37b2) and continues with variations on the same themes that
we have just seen in the Playful Ocean-Thanksgiving, Praise, Confessing
your Failings, Prayer to Remain Firm, Request to Go, Retraction, a Dedica-
tory Prayer, and the Auspicious Recitation.
The Retraction deserves special mention. It is here that the meditative
vision conjured out of emptiness is returned to it. The mat;U)ala residence
dissolves into the gods who dwell within it. They, in tum, dissolve into Lord
of the Dance, who dissolves into Hayagriva, who dissolves into the syllable
hrll; in his heart. The hril; itself then dissolves upward, finally disappearing
into the arch of the vowel i that surmounts it and from there flickering out
into emptiness.
The customs observed during this part of Mani Rimdu follow the Manual
with few exceptions. The section called "Taking the True Achievement" is
performed only on the last day, the day of empowerment. As Mani Rimdu
uses a sand mar;rjala, the normal prayer to Remain Firm (brtan bzhugs) and
Request to Go (gshegs gsol) are omitted. Instead, a passage of the Playful
Ocean is specially modified for the occasion.
Consider me, all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas who dwell in the ten
directions!
Conquerors! Until all the living beings that exist, who are as vast as
the sky, achieve the state of non-abiding nirvtlr;a, do not go to
nirvtil;a [yourselves]! Stay firm!
We pray you stay firm in this sand until we perform the
ritual that asks you to go.
Having stayed firm, we also pray you grant every supreme and
common true achievement to us and to all sentient beings.
Finally, the monks recite a prayer written by Ngawang Tenzin Norbu,
The Valley of Benefit and Pleasure (sMon lam phan bde'i ljong); the "Aus-
picious Recitation" (39b2) and "Shower of Blessings" from the Manual; and
produce the "mar;i-sound"-again they recite Lord of the Dance's mantra
"om llb hiim hrib om mani padme htim."
42
The Days 161
Auspicious Recitations (bkra shis) [pronounced "tashi"] involve throw-
ing grain, tsampa, or flowers in the air and are perlormed in public by the
throngs that gather during Tibetan New Year. The Auspicious .Recitation
from the Lord of the Dance Manual is a short version of that common
Tibetan ritual.
Om! May it come! The boon of the highest blessing-
The good fortune of the Lama, the head of the hundred families!
May it come! The rain of true achievement-the good fortune
Of the heavenly host of the peaceful and wrathful tutelaries!
May it come! The good fortune of the Sky Walkers-
The heroes whose actions succeed without fail!
May .it come! All the success ever imagined!
The good fortune of the highest virtue and goodness! [39b2]
The second session ends with concluding prayers from Religious Practice.
Several of them are traditionally associated with Mani Rimdu.
43
The rest are
drawn from the common stock of closing prayers perlormed at the monastery.
14
The Public Days
The thirteenth day is the first of Mani Rimdu's three public days. These days
are marked by large outdoor events easily accessible to and often designed
for a mass audience. Since this is the case, many villagers think of the festival
as consisting only of these days. Even residents of nearby villages usually are
unaware of the earlier and later parts of the ritual. Foreigners who have
written about Mani Rimdu, presumably relying on such informants, have
spread this impression to the outside world.
Many of these days' events take place in the monastery's dance courtyard
('chams ra). This includes not only formal occasions of dance and empower-
ment, but much of the audience's informal eating, drinki.D.g, and merrymaking.
On the path leading to the courtyard, hawkers sell oranges, peanuts, and apples.
At all three monasteries, there used to be a tradition of neighboring villagers
feeding all comers to the public festival. As late as 1983, this custom partially
survived at Thami, where chang and snacks of fruit and pastries were provided
to local people on the day of the dance. Previously all in attendance were
served, but in 1983, foreign tourists, an ever-increasing presence at Mani Rimdu,
were served food but not chang. This is doubtless due to the lack of manners
that Sherpas perceive in foreigners: a Sherpa needs to have refreshments forced
on him in an elaborate interchange of refusal and insistence; a foreigner will
summon a donor to him like a waitress.
A major reason Sherpas and Tibetans give for attending the Chiwong
Mani Rimdu is to see Trulshik Rinpoche and to receive his blessings. This,
of course, is done en masse on the day of empowerment. For many partici-
pants a hurried contact as part of a rapidly moving queue is not enough. Thus,
throughout the public days a constant stream seeks audience with the lama.
163
164
THE PUBLIC DAYS
They dress for the occasion in their richest attire. The amalgam of Western
and Nepali dress that most Sherpas nowadays prefer often gives way to
traditional costume. The long robe of rare Chinese brocade or local wool, the
women's finest blouse or in some cases, her family's wedding vest, emerge
from a rarely opened trunk. Even the incurably modem put on their cleanest
expedition parka. or NATO jacket. Outside the monastery, they rinse their
mouths before approaching the lama.
When the lama is on stage, they, too, are on stage. They load his table
with ceremonial scarves and with elaborately arranged offerings-pastries
piled like the logs of a cabin; a broad tray of grain dotted with coins.
According to Buddhist belief, the magnitude of a gift depends on the
donor's attitude, not on its material worth. A mind fixed purely on giving,
myth tells us, makes the most of even the humblest offering. In their most
elaborate form, the offerings made on the dais are ritually transformed into
a mawtala-a world of offerings.
1
This is done with recitations and through
passing a set of symbolic objects from donor to lama. These objects represent
both the universe that is offered and the three jewels-the Buddha, teaching
and spiritual community who are the recipients of the offering. Ideally, the
ritual is accompanied by a corresponding visualization. The patrons of this
elaborate ceremonial are usually, although not exclusively, the wealthy, high-
status members of the lay community. Occasionally, a less prominent person
gives such an offering, perhaps in part as a demonstration of upward mobil-
ity. The offerings, discreetly hidden in envelopes, are presumably large.
When Trulshik Rinpoche is in his private chamber above the chapel, the
audiences continue. Here, they are more intimate and individualized but no
less ritualized. Lay audience seekers usually come as a family group. Both
nuclear and extended families can be seen. Professional religieux often come
with a contingent from their monastery or nunnery.
The audiences are similar to those Trulshik Rinpoche grants at Thubten
Choling. The group prostrates on the ground three times in the traditional
manner and then it makes its presentations and requests. A medicament, an
amulet or a prayer may be needed. A baby or an invalid may need a new
name. Advice or prophecy may be sought. In the end, Trulshik Rinpoche
gives them what they want (or at least an explanation of why he cannot) and
they are sent away, each with a blessing, a protective cord, and perhaps a
packet of "ambrosial spiritual medicine."
Sometimes a party delivers a wholesale lot of offerings and requests
from Tibet or a distant part of Solu-Khumbu. Each individual's donation and
request is tallied. The lama's staff assembles the order and provides a receipt
for each donation, no matter how small.
15
Day Thirteen: Dance Rehearsal
The thirteenth day of Mani Rimdu is the day of the dance rehearsal. Sherpas
call this day by several names: cham-gyu, cham-gyi, or cham-chong. Of these
terms, the latter corresponds to the Tibetan phrase 'chams sbyong (also pro-
nounced cham-chong) 'dance practice' or 'dance training'. The most preva-
lent term found in Western writings, tsam-ki-bulu (or cham-ki-bulu) "showing
of the dance," seems somewhat less frequently used by Sherpas thari the other
terms.
1
Presumably it is equivalent to the Tibetan 'chams rgyugs 'but, the
term Ngawang Tsundru, Chant Leader of Thubten Choling, prefers as a de-
scription of the events of the thirteenth day. According to him, rgyugs 'but
means "showing for inspection, as a student shows a teacher his work for
correction." The phrase Cham-gyu or cham-gyi may also be a variation on the
Tibetan term 'chams rgyugs 'but. On its own, it could be taken to mean a
"quick dance" or a "dance run-through.''2
According to informants, the theoretical justification of the Day Thirteen
dances is indeed to present them to the lama for his inspection and approval.
3
Although with hundreds of spectators pouring into the monastery every hour,
how a lama could cancel even a hopelessly faulty performance is purely a
matter of conjecture. To my knowledge, this dreadful scenario has never
taken place.
Starting on the thirteenth day, the routine of the past weeks is broken. The
normal rotation of protector deities is abandoned and both the Playful Ocean
and the Followers are performed in full. The monks begin before dawn to allow
time for the dance. If there is not time to complete the ritual marathon before
the dance,. the monks will complete it that evening following the dance.
4
This
allows for some flexibility in the starting time of the day's rituals.
165
166
DAY THIRTEEN
When the ceremonies in the assembly hall are finished, the monks as-
semble on the porch facing the courtyard, and perform the Mountain Incense
Offering (Ri bo bsangs mchod). The Mountain Incense Offering is a common
Tibetan ceremony. It is often performed by itself, or, as here, in combination
with other rituals. In this Buddhist adaptation of an ancient indigenous ritual,
incense is offered to two sets of "guests."
5
The "upper guests" are the assem-
bly of gods. The "lower guests" are those to whom one owes a karmic debt
by virtue of having mistreated them in previous lifetimes. According to Ti-
betan belief, the demons that afflict one in this life are the spirits of those one
has injured in the past reborn. In paying back such debts, the Mountain
Incense Offering deals with karmic situations that would shorten one's life,
either by direct karmic retribution or by revenge of an individual karmic
creditor-if such a distinction can be made.
6
In the elaborate version of the Mountain Incense Offering used at Chi wong
Mani Rimdu several other ceremonies are appended to the basic ritual-"The
Praise of the War God" (dGra lha' i dpang bstod) from The Diamond Heart of
Pure Appearance (Dag snang rdo rje snying po); and "Attracting Fortune"
(g.Yang 'gugs) composed by Lha btsun nam mkha' jigs med, author of the
Mountain Incense Offering. Both, like the bsangs itself, are examples of ex-
tremely old types of Tibetan ritual.
7
A special "Auspicious Omens" (bkra shis)
and "Dedicatory Prayer" (bsngo ba smon lam) are also included in the collec-
tion. Protector rituals from other sources, in the form of the Unelaborated and/
or extracts from the Playful Ocean are inserted before "Attracting Fortune."
8
At Chiwong, in addition to the specified incense, two groups of tormas
and a golden libation are offered. The first group is a gift torma for the
Mountain Incense Offering. It is similar in appearance to the gift torma for
the Sworn Ones (dam can 'but gtor).
9
The second group is usually just called "the six white and [six] red
tormas" (dkar gtor dmar gtor drug), although I have also heard it referred to
as the "offering torma for the Mountain Incense Offering."
10
A dozen small
tormas are arranged in a row on a board, six round white ones to the left and
six red triangular ones to the right. Each white torma has a "button and ball"
in front of iti each red one, an empty b1,1tton. The tormas are placed together
with the libation cup on a stemmed metal platter. According to Trulshik
Rinpoche, the white and red tormas are sometimes said to be offerings to the
twelve Steadfast Women (brtan rna). In his opinion however, they are an
offering to the Lama, Tutelary, Sky Walkers and Protectors in general, the
white tormas being dedicated to the vegetarians among them, and the red to
the meat
According to Sang Sang Tulku, the tormas and the golden libation are
connected with the interpolated Protector Rituals. This is consistent with the
general timing of their exit. The red and white tormas and golden libation are
removed first. At this point, the assembly can be heard to recite the mantras
The Days 167
of the protectors, "Om Mahllkala .... " A few minutes later, the gift torma is
removed.
12
Trulshik Rinpoche specifies that the beribboned arrow on the courtyard
altar is connected to "Attracting Fortune," and indeed, near the end of the
Mountain Incense Offering sequence, the arrow is removed from the altar and
given to the lama.
13
Holding it by its point, the lama rotates the arrow in a
clockwise arc, the movement inscribing an invisible inverted cone. Such a
movement seems to be common usage with the beribboned arrow. Indeed, in
Mongolian the mda' dar is called dalalgha, which comes from the verb "to
rotate or gyrate."
14
At the same time, beer (chang) and parched barley flour (tsampa) are
held up to the altar as directed in the text. An assistant then replaces the
arrow on the altar.
15
The text also specifies the offering of a goat. This leads
one to suspect that the goat's shoulder bone on the altar also is connected to
the "Attracting Fortune." We will speak of this again shortly.
I have not included a translation of the Mountain Incense Offering. Al-
though a scholarly study of this complex work is yet to be done, translations
do exist.
16
"Attracting Fortune" is even rarer and is as yet untranslated.
17
For the
time being, I will summarize some of its key points, as it refers to many items
of indigenous Tibetan and northern Asian origin found on the dance altar.
These will be discussed more fully at the end of this chapter.
"Attracting Fortune" is an offering of a sacred goat (g.yang ra). In this
context, goats and sheep seem to be interchangeable. Rolf Alfred Stein has
published a fragment of an early g.yang 'gug, obsessed with sheep and wool:
"The material of the good-fortune bag is wool. The father was the sky sheep
Reddish-white, the mother the earth sheep Reddish. These two united and had
sons. Of five were sweet smelling lambs."
18
The beneficiary of the offering is an assemblage of indigenous gods of
the Tibetan highlands, lowlands, and middle lands. These include, respec-
tively: the Five Malefactor /Benefactor Brothers; the Ocean Medicine Spirits
and the Steadfast Ones; and the Seven Siblings-Demons, Stern Ones and
Blazing Ones. Last on the list and apparently taking pride of place, is the
important indigenous deity Good Diamond (rDo rje legs pa). In addition to
the goat, Attracting Fortune mentions offerings of "sacred beer, an auspicious
beribboned arrow, and flour and butter."
Interestingly enough, the leg of a sheep figures in another Tibetan ritual
of attracting or calling, the "Calling the Soul" (bla 'gugs). In that context, a
leg of mutton called the "soul-leg" (bla rkang) is among the items needed
first to rescue a victim of demonic soul-snatching, and then to judge if the
effort was a success. The ritual also uses an effigy of a sheep itself. This
effigy is called the "soul-sheep" (bla lug) and is used to divine if the errant
soul has or has not returned. As Lessing has observed, "The Tibetans and
168 DAY THIRTEEN
other peoples assume a mysterious relation between the soul and the sheep
and lamb."
19
In the words of Tucci, the sheep is of "cosmo gonic significance" in early
Tibetan myth.
20
It is involved with the origins of the Earth, and of milk and
barley. Several myths link it to the invention of prophecy. In one myth, the
first divination thread (ju thig), a key tool of Bonpo prophesy and the "recep-
tacle for the soul of the world," originates from the shoulder of the "Divine
Sheep with the Great Wool."
21
The other device central to the g.yang 'gug,
the magic arrow, is of evil origins. Through the intervention of the primal
sheep, it comes into the possession of the forces of good.
22
In early Tibetan ritual, the smoke of the bsangs was said to force open
the door in the sky, and give access to the heavens. The head of the ram also
sometimes represented the "sky-door."
23
Like the rite of "cutting-off' (gcod) and the Mountain Incense Offering
itself, "Attracting Fortune" is a perfect example of Tibetan Tantric ritual, in
that it unifies, even homologizes indigenous Tibetan and northern Asian el-
ements with yogic physiology and Buddhist soteriology, mythology, and
metaphysics. The goat is identified as the "sacred goat of the rainbow body,
the diamond truth body," and is asked to "Grant the true achievement of the
great rainbow body transference!" After the goat is further infused with bless-
ings, it and the other gifts-the arrow, beer, and so on-are offered to the
assembled deities, who are asked in return to bestow a typical list of magic
and spiritual attainments, similar to those we have seen in the Playful Ocean
and elsewhere.
The "Auspicious Omens" ritual done after the dance--or considered as
t h ~ last part of the dance-also belongs to the Mountain Incense Offering. It,
too, is an elaborate example of its type, in which parched barley flour and
barley beer are offered.
24
The requisites of the ritual are displayed on the courtyard altar. Thus, in
1983, the altar held the following:
Upper shelf, (1, r): a bowl of tsampa; ambrosia in a miniature skull-
shaped cup; the gift torma for the Mountain Incense Offering; rakta in
a miniature skull cup; a bowl of chang.
25
Upper shelf, rear: the beribboned arrow, upright.
Lower shelf, front row: the white and red tormas.
26
Lower shelf, back row (1, r): the "seven offerings"-water, footbath,
flowers, incense, lamp, and food (torma).
Luther G. Jerstad, paraphrasing von Fiirer-Haimendorf, reported that the
"dance of showing" is "complete with music, chants, and ritual articles, but
minus the masks, costumes, and audience."
27
The Days
169
This is somewhat inexact. There is an audience, although not nearly in
the numbers of the day of the masked performance, varying in number from
dozens to hundreds, depending on the monastery and the year. There are also
costumes of a sort-not the elaborate brocades of two days hence, but the
formal set of a monks regalia, including the vestigial water bottle that
the vinaya regulations permitted mendicant monks to carry in the heat of the
Indian sun.
28
As to chants and ritual articles: true, the Mountain Incense Offering
remains the same as on the day of the masked dance. The other liturgy which
accompanies the masked dance, however, is totally absent. This is no trifling
distinction. Indeed, it is the absence of rituals more than the absence of masks
that marks this 'chams as a rehearsal rather than an actual performance.
The individual dances and the part the liturgy plays in them will be
discussed in detail later. For now we will restrict our discussion to the ways
in which the Day Thirteen dances differ from those of Day Fifteen.
The absence of liturgy itself affects the performance of the dance. On
Day Fifteen, the dancers stand stock still in the courtyard as the monks on the
dais recite lengthy passages of text. Without these chants, they pause but
momentarily. The two comic sequences that are a much loved part of the
masked dance, the Long-Life Man and the Seer, are omitted on Day Thirteen.
Without the liturgy and the comedy, the dances are considerably shorter. At
Chiwong in 1983, the dance rehearsal took two hours and twenty minutes.
The masked dances were eight hours longer. Correcting for the comic se-
quences, about four hours and twenty minutes in 1983,
29
we see that the
liturgy adds some three and a half hours to the performance. Thus, although
unnoticed by previous observers, the liturgy performed in the midst of the
dance actually consumes more time than does the dance itself.
In its broad outlines, each act of the dance is similar to the others. A row
of monks sits on the porch of the courtyard to chant the liturgy and serve as
the orchestra for the dance. Behind them, a makeshift curtain separates the
stage-the front of the porch-from the wings. From within the chapel beyond,
now transformed into a dressing room, a thigh-bone trumpet sounds.
30
It is
answered by a musician on the dais. The curtain parts and the dancers enter.
They descend, typically by pairs, to the courtyard floor. They dance, moving
around the courtyard in a clockwise direction. They pause in the cardinal and/
or intermediate directions and execute repetitive series of steps. They march
forward and back, make small circles and twirl in place. Their hands move;
many of the motions are identifiable as one or another of the mudras typical
of Indian influenced ritual and dance. As the act draws to a close, the dancers
line up in two rows at the far end of the courtyard and exit, once again by pairs.
Without elaborate costumes and masks, the dances become difficult to
distinguish one from another. Occasionally a telltale idiosyncrasy provides an
170
DAY THIRTEEN
easy identification, at least for the frequent Mani Rimdu-goer. Two pairs of
dancers, one with cymbals, one with drums must be the Ging. Dancers with
swords belong to the Sword Dance. A lone dancer can only be Dorje Drolo.
Even without their skeleton costumes, the Lords of the Cemetery can be
identified by their jangling, loose-boned, capering dance.
0
c::::::J
Lama
D
drum
c:::l
D
Thubten Choling monk
(Q
cymbals
Chiwong monk
~
oboe
D
other monk ~ long hom
D Treasurer Diamond M a s t t ~ r cOO Chant Leader
Seating Arrangement on Dais for Dance Rehearsal: Chiwong, 1982
The props used in the masked dance may or may not be present. The
sword dancers have their swords and Dorje DrolO his vajra and dagger; but
the Protectors lack the identifying implements they will carryY
The. position of a given dance relative to the others also identifies it, as
do, although with less precision, the number of participants. For the most part
subtler qualities differentiate the dances. To the expert ear, the music changes;
and to the practiced eye, there are variations in sequence of movements,
mudras and individual steps. For identifying most of the dances, an ethnog-
The Days
171
rapher anned with notes of previous years' performances has a distinct ad-
vantage over an ordinary spectator, Sherpa or foreign.
After the last dance, the "Auspicious Omens" from the Mountain Incense
Offering is recited. Tsampa and chang from the altar are distributed to the
monks on the dais. The monks throw the tsampa in the air, some saying aloud
as they do so the traditional "tashi delek phunsum tsok"-"Auspicious omens,
pleasure and goodness! May virtue accumulate!" each at his own pace,
they pass behind the curtains, and retire to the interior of the chapel.
Before we leave the dance rehearsal, we should discuss a few of the
implications or at least associations of some of objects we have seen that
relate more to the common religious heritage of central Asia, the "shamanic"
heritage if you will, and less to the Buddhist tradition.
The most obvious of these are the arrow and the shoulder bone. Lessing,
Nebesky-Wojkowitz, and others have discussed the beribboned arrow at
length.
32
According to Nebesky-Wojkowitz, its original use was a divinatory
device of Bonpo shamans, although Buddhists, particularly those of the
Nyingma sect, make use of a great variety of them.
33
Beribboned arrows are
known to every Tibetan, as they are used in the wedding ceremony.
The arrow is a common enough implement in classic Siberian shaman-
ism as well, and the connection between their use among Tibetans and Sibe-
rian shamans has been made some thirty years since.
34
The arrow plays a part
in shaman's seances.
35
Magar shaman of West Nepal, for example, use min-
iature bows and arrows to shoot back the poisoned arrows that malignant
spirits and witches have shot into their patient.
36
According to Eliade:
The arrow embodies a two-fold magico-religious significance; on
the one hand, it is an exemplary image of speed, of "flight"; on the
other, it is the magical weapon par excellence (the arrow kills at a
distance). Used in purification ceremonies or ceremonies to eject
demons, the arrow "kills" as well as "drives away" and "expels" evil
spirits.
37
As we have seen in the earlier days of Mani Rimdu and will see tomor-
row, the flight to another plane and the "slaying of demons" have elements
in common.
Another use of the arrow by Tibetans, Chukchi and others, is as a pipe
"to suck the illness out of the body of a patient."
38
The change of planes
effected by means of being sucked through a pipe, is a theme we have seen
and will see again elsewhere, in the use of the magic dagger and in the eating
habits of the gods.
The. goat's shoulder bone is another object with strong shamanic associa-
tions. Some mentioned on the first day of Mani Rirndu, when we first
encountered a shoulder bone, others, were mentioned concerning the ritual of
172 DAY THIRTEEN
"Attracting Fortune." As we have seen, the shoulder bone is a device associated,
one way or another, with a passage between planes, an oar with which the
shaman may row to the other world.
39
This theme, like the flight of the arrow,
fits in the context of the symbols that cluster in the center of the dance courtyard.
At Chiwong, on the day of the dance, the altar is set up against the
central pole of the awning that shades the dancers. Thami, lacking Chi wong's
elaborate dance theater ('chams rva), lacks a full awning. There, the altar is
set against a flagpole placed in the center of the dance area. Both poles are
newly erected. At Chiwong, the tent pole replaces the usual flag pole. At
Thami, a new flag pole replaces the previous year's.
40
A visitor to one or the other monastery might be misled by the flags or
the awning. A visitor to both, readily sees that it is the pole itself that is
important. Indeed, the erection of the pole in the center of the circular dance
area is a common feature of Tibetan' sacred dance. According to Nebesky-
Wojkowitz:
These flagpoles are called phya dar (also cha dar). They are the
ensigns of the highest ranking divinities represented in the 'chams.
The cloth of the flags should correspond to the ritual color of those
gods, goddesses, or groups of deities appearing in the 'chams. Ac-
cordingly, in the case of many dharmapalas, the flag is black or
dark blue. On it are printed magic spells invoking the protector of
the creed in whose honor the ensign has been set upY
The pole, of course, is an important religious symbol in Siberian shaman-
ism: it is the route to the other world. In Nepal, Magar shamans climb a pole
during their initiations.
42
Indeed, in many cultures trees or poles serve as the
link between two planes; between earth and the heavens. The pole, the moun-
tain, and similar symbols may all well. be, as Eliade has noted, variations of
"the symbolism of the 'center.' "
43
In Bon mythology, for example, the instru-
ment of passage is often a rope, by which one escapes "to the heavens and a
very real bliss."
44
The placement of the shoulder bone and the beribboned
arrow only reinforces the pole's already strong shamanic associations.
The rupture of planes that occurs as the shaman climbs the tree is similar
to the rupture of planes that occurs when the initiate enters the center of the
god's mal)r)ala. In the dance, the pole is in the center of the stage on which
the gods dance. The dances, for the most part are symmetrical, and the gods
arranged around the center as if in a mal)t;/ala. In some Tibetan monastic
dances, the dancers actually move within circles outlined on the courtyard in
chalk.
45
The symbolism is also linked on another level: a mal)r)ala is a vision
of a god's home in paradise. Mani Rimdu and many other Tibetan sacred
dances are often said to be based on yogis' visions of the paradises and the
gods' movements in them.
46
The Days 173
An altar is placed against the world-tree to hold the various items used
in the ceremonies and in the dance. An altar is another kind of intermediary
between the planes of the human and the divine. It is where the offerings are
placed that make the voyage between the two realms. It is fitting that the
altar, the receptacle of the offerings, be plugged into the wire that, so to
speak, conducts power between the two planes.
47
The tent-pole and altar recall a basic level of symbolism in Tibetan
culture to which many Tibetan rituals can be related: the symbolism of the
nomads tent and the Tibetan house. In the tent, the hearth is in the center, the
smoke hole, the door to the upper levels of the world, above it. The central
pole of the tent lies next to the hearth. By climbing a notched pole, one
reaches the upper storeys of the house; by climbing the dmu-pole one ascends
to the upper storeys of the universe. The name of the flagpole, phya dar, itself
relates to this belief. The phya, like the dmu were gods of ancient Tibet, just
as the mu-bya were the ancient Qiang gods of the sky. Thus, the rope or
ladder of the phya is the same as that of the dmu.
48
An image of the soul in flight, the arrow that we saw earlier relates to
the same set of symbols. As Stein has observed,
In handbooks known as "Opening the door to the sky" (nam-mkha'
sgo-byed) ... the "soul" consisting of light, is seen going off into
the distance through the "roof hole" of the sky like a flying arrow.
49
Another symbolic complex of considerable antiquity is the mountain at the
center of the world and the tree that grows upon it. Inside the monastery, in the
torma, the symbols of the tree and the mal)(iala coalesce with each other and
with the symbol of the world-mountain. The torma is placed in front of the
mal)(ia[a and alternates with it as the outward location of the deity. In shamanic
cosmology, the world-tree grows atop the world-mountain.
50
Just as the world-
mountain is in the center of the world, a god dwells at the center of his
mal)rjala, the diagram of his paradise, his world. The four steps at the base of
the main torma are the steps of the world-mountain, and the stick within the
body of the torma, the life-tree. 5
1
At various points in Mani Rimdu, the torma
is considered the body of the god. The spine is the life-tree of a man's body;
the "life-tree" of a torma is the backbone that holds it up. The main pole of a
thread-cross (mdos) is also called its "life-tree," and the foundation on which
it is erected, "ri rab lhun-po, the world-mountain."
52
The Sricakrasarhvaratantra
explicitly homologizes the spine of the divine body to the axis of Mount Meru.
In his 1919 edition of the tantra, Dawa-samdup notes that "in Sanskrit the spine
is called Merudanda, i.e., Meru axis."
53
Western students of Buddhism and other Indic religions have sometimes
tried to make a distinction between religions which seek salvation upwards
in heaven ("Western Religions") and religions that seek salvation within
174 DAY THIRTEEN
("Eastern Religions"). This sometimes leads to a sensation of conflict when
approaching Tibetan data. Having created this neat duality, it is annoying to
find data that doesn't fit. If salvation is within, why do Tibetans worship gods
that are outside? If the real enemy is within, the real demons in the mind, how
is it possible for. Buddhists to routinely "kill" external demonic forces? We
can use the complex as a window (or perhaps more
a propos, as a smoke-hole) to look through to a point in the history of
religions when upwards or inwards may not have been so much a clash of
opposing theologies as a modality of symbols. It is fitting that in Mani Rimdu
the mar;clala should be next to the life-tree imbedded in the torma. It is also
fitting that the monks dance around the central tree in the way that the gods
of their visualizations are arranged around the mar;clala.
In a Buddhist philosophical context, the duality of outside and inside
blurs. In a Nyingma meditational context, one may generate the tutelary god
upwards (in the sky or in front) and inwards at the same time.
g
E9
g[Jg
g g
[QJ
altars
chapel
El

torma

G
mar;4ala
courtyard
pole


Monastery: Showing Orientation of Objects (not to scale)
16
Day Fourteen: Empowerment
Just as butter is not churned from sand,
Without empowerment there is no siddhi.
Mahamudra-tilaka tantra
1
The fourteenth day is the day of public empowerment. According to many of
those who attend Mani Rimdu, including Trulshik Rinpoche, the empower-
ment is the most important of its public events.
Empowerment is the sine qua non of the tantric experience. It ritually
transforms the disciple into his chosen deity. In creation-stage yoga, the
disciple will meditate that he or she is that god. Without empowerment, as
the Mahamudra-tilaka tantra suggests, such meditation is fruitless.
Generally, the empowerment is said to be modeled on the royal conse-
cration of ancient India. The Sanskrit name for both ceremonies is abhiseka,
indicating the "sprinkling" that baptizes a prince and turns him into a king.
In India, according to that venerable expert A. L. Basham, "the king was
evidently the fellow of the gods, if not a god himself'; the Satapatha Brahmai)Q
identifies the king with both Prajapati and Visnu.
2
By no means everyone who attends that uniquely Tibetan celebration,
the mass empowerment, has an intention of practicing creation-process yoga.
Despite the growing popularity of his cult, it is doubtful if many of those who
come to Mani Rimdu meditate on the god Union of the Blissful/Lord of the
Dance/Qreat Compassion. There is even some doubt that the initiation be-
stowed at Mani Rimdu is sufficient to empower one to practice deity yoga.
Be that as it may, the empowerment is stated to have a direct effect on those
175
176 DAY FOURTEEN
who receive it. The Torma Empowerment text read on Mani Rimdu's four-
teenth day enumerates some of the signs of successful empowerment.
3
The first sign of grace
By virtue of such an empowerment
Is that, unasked for, aspiration and respect are born in one's stream
of consciousness.
The second sign of grace
Is that whatever you tum your imagination to is firm and clear.
The third sign of grace
Is that understanding of self-emergent wisdom rises.
The empowerment is also said to have more concrete benefits, and ones
that demand less of its recipients, among them long life and health.
Previous authors have identified the public empowerment of Mani Rimdu
as a "life empowerment" (tshe dbang). True, the Mani Rimdu empowerment
shares several features with that common ritual. "Liquor of life" (tshe chang)
and the centimeter wide balls of sweetened tsampa known as "life pills" (tshe
ril) are distributed to the public at both ceremonies. The fame of the life
empowerment further confuses the issue. Many foreigners-and Sherpas-
know of no similar public ceremony and routinely misidentify the Mani
Rimdu empowerment as a tshe dbang.
4
In one of my first interviews with Trulshik Rinpoche, I asked him about
the "life empowerment" that I had read was a part of Mani Rimdu. He
answered with more than a little exasperation in his voice, "Why does every-
one call it that! It is not a life empowerment!"
The name of the principal manuscript used makes this clear. It is The
Utterance which is the Essence of Ambrosia: The Annotated Torma Empow-
erment of Great Compassion Union of the Blissful. As Trulshik Rinpoche
went on to explain, the Mani Rimdu empowerment is a torma empowerment
rather than a life empowerment. Even were the text and the lama not so
insistent, we might suspect that we were not dealing with a life empowerment
here simply because the deity of Mani Rimdu is Avalokitesvara, and not one
of those more frequently associated with life empowerments, such as Amitayus.
In The Cult of Tara, Stephan Beyer describes a torma empowerment as
an addition to a larger empowerment ceremony. In it:
... the Master (to use an informant's metaphor) "introduces" the
deity to the recipient; here the deity is generated in a torma, the
Master prays the deity's favor for his disciple, and the deity is ab-
sorbed by contact into the recipient's body, now rendered a fit vessel
to contain this power throughout the preceding ritual of permis-
sion. . . . Thus the power to contemplate the deity is transmitted
through the primary magical means of the Master's visualization and
recitation in the ritual of permission, and to this there may be added
The Days
the further magical device of the torma, in its second and third
aspects-as an evocation and as a substance of magical attainment.
5
177
According to Trulshik Rinpoche, there are three types of empowerment
that might be used, an elaborate flask empowerment (spros be as bum pa' i
dbang), the three forms of unelaborated supreme empowerment (spros med
mchog dbang rnam gsum), and the essentially meaningful torma empowerment
(snying po don gyi gtor dbang). Only the last of these is employed here.
6
We
will discuss the Union of the Blissful Torma Empowerment in a moment.
To accommodate the very full schedule of the fourteenth day, the rituals in
the chapel start exceedingly early. In 1980, the morning gong rang at five A.M.
Shortly before the indoor ceremonies, a singular event occurs.
7
Those
loitering at the threshold are given notice that they must either go in or out.
The door is closed and fastened from the inside. It is time for the ritual
known as the "Taking the True Achievement" (dngos grub blang ba).
At first glance, this seems to be (finally) one of the secret rituals with
which everyone insists Tibetan Buddhism is rife. Perhaps it is, but when
questioned about the closed door policy, Trulshik Rinpoche suggests simply
that here it is not a matter so much of excluding people per se as it is that
only those who have done the ritual have any "achievement" to "take."
That no one is ejected from the chapel bears this out. Typically the room
is filled by a score or two of visiting monks and nuns, a few pious laymen,
and an occasional stray swept in at the crucial moment.
The ceremony for "Taking the True Achievement" is taken directly from
the Lord of the Dance Manual.
Om! From the Truth Realm's excellent fortress-
From the mandala of apparitions that tame beings-
a victorious, accomplished, noble A valokitesvara
And entourage, pray consider us!
We have entered this mal)t/.ala.
We have sought refuge in you.
When we reverently pray to you and the Protectors,
Consider us with a Protector's compassion!
Bestow upon us immediately,
Blessings of body, speech and mind;
And all the highest and ordinary true achievements
From the fme flask of your victorious mind!
In order to liberate many beings,
I pray you bestow upon us
True achievements of the four types of action-
Purifying, extending, magnetizing, and fierce!
Om !i.b hllm sarvasiddhi phala hum [37b2]
178 DAY FOURTEEN
This prayer is only recited on Day Fourteen. Coming between the inter-
polated Sky Walker torma offering and the prayer of thanksgiving, it is counted
as part of "The Conclusion" of the Manual.
The liturgy here may be unique, but the actions that accompany it par-
allel events that transpire later during the public empowerment. Structurally,
if not liturgically, "Taking the True Achievement" is a "private empower-
ment." All the empowerment substances are assembled, carried by a troop of
monks wearing their yellow ceremonial hats.
The liturgy is read and the achievement mantras recited. The band strikes
up and the procession forms, carrying the flask, mirror, life pills, life
liquor, and the main torma on its wooden base.
8
Each monk in turn offers the
ritual device he bears to Trulshik Rinpoche and to the hierarchy of participant
monks. Finally, the spectators sitting on the periphery of the chapel are served.
There is a specific procedure for each item. The pills are placed in your
right hand, the liquor in your left. A smear of colored butter is wiped from
the mirror and a deft vertical stripe painted on your proffered throat. Finally,
the torma bearer approaches and places the weighty object, the substance of
siddhi, upon your head. Venerable clerics are approached gingerly. Ethnog-
raphers and other youngsters often receive the siddhi with a. playful and
resounding clunk on the head.
Since the torma has been the body of the god, one might suspect that it
would be consumed as a sacrament. According to Trulshik Rinpoche, this is
indeed the custom when the empowerment is given to a small group. With
so many in attendance at Mani Rimdu, it is impractical. As Trulshik Rinpoche
points out, it would destroy the torma.
Instead, another torma is employed for this purpose. This small sweet-
ened torma is called the "substance of true achievement" (dngos grub kyi
rdzas), or more simply "true achievement" (dngos grub; Ssk., siddhi).
9
According to Trulshik Rinpoche, three substances used in the empower-
ment have the meaning of true achievement: the torma, the life pills, and the
life liquor. They are not, however, to be found in any of the Mani Rimdu
texts, but originate in the traditions of Rongphu Monastery.
10
In shape, the bottom of the true achievement torma is much like that of
a round torma. The top, with four spade-shaped face's, has a unique design.
During the ceremony, it rests, along with the life pills, the skull bowl of
liquor and related items on a table to the north of the mavd.ala. It is consumed
at a later point.
The True Achievement Torma
The Days
179
After the procession, the sacred substances are placed on the table north
of the ma!J4ala. There is a short prayer, the doors are opened, and the visitors
leave.U
Unlike the other days of Mani Rimdu, Day Fourteen has only one ses-
sion of ritual instead oftwo.
12
The day begins in a normal fashion, adjusted,
of course, to take into account the changed circumstance-the pill recitation,
the core of Mani Rimdu, has been completed. The content of the day-to-day
ritual has already been discussed in some detail.
13
The following lists sum-
marize the special way in which these rituals are ordered on Day Fourteen.
Some of the other activities unique to the day of Empowerment will be
discussed later in this chapter.
1. Preliminary Practices (sngon 'gro) from going for refuge to bless-
ing the offerings (Manual [UB] 2bl ff.)
2. Actual Practice (dngos gzhi) from meditating on the ma!J4ala to
reciting the mantras of Lord of the Dance and his entourage. (UB
3.4 ff.) Since no more mantras are to be sent to the pills and flasks,
the spell cords are removed after the recitation of the mantras.
3. Spying Ghosts.
4. Shower of Blessings
5. Feast, Self-Application of the Empowerment, etc., as usual until the
interpolated Sky Walker Torma Offering (Thun mtshams mka' 'gro
gtor 'bul).
6. Sky Walker Torma Offering. Today is the last day that the Sky
Walker ritual is performed. Thus, the Sky Walker torma is taken
out immediately after the offering is read. According to the custom
of Chiwong, the torma is taken out with a fanfare played on the
oboe, and removed to the roof gable.
14
After this, the special regimen begins.
1. Obstructor Torma (bgegs gtor). This ritual is the first of the Special
Preliminaries performed each day. In it, the practitioners assume
the guise of Hayagnva, and alternately bribe and threaten Obstruc-
tive forces. (UB 6b4).
2. Defming the Borders (mtshams gcod). Continuing to visualize them-
selves as Hayagriva, the meditators imagine that they build a pro-
tective diamond pavilion around the ma!J4ala. (UB 7bl).
3. Showering Blessings (by in 'bebs) (UB 8.5). The assembly exhorts
the divine host to "Manifest your battalions of magic powers/And
quickly show your marks and signs." Confession (bshags pa) omit-
ted today.
4. Recitation Exhortation (' dzab skul) (UB 18b3).
180
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
DAY fOURTEEN
Recitation. Accomplishment mantra "oril lib hnri1 sarvasiddhi phala
hiiri1" is added as an appendix every time each mantra is said.
Gathering Blessings (byin sdus) (UB 19.5), however, is not used.
Medicine (i.e., ambrosia; Ssk., amrta) Offering (sman mchod) (UB
15b4).
Torma Offering (gtor rna) (UB 16b1).
The Offering of Rakta, ceremonial "blood" (UB 16b2-b3)
Confession (bshags pa) (UB 7b6-8.3)
Taking the True Achievement (dngos sgrub blang) (UB 37b1)
Procession of monks carrying: i. flask, ii. pills in skull+ mirror, iii.
life pills, iv. life beer, v. achievement torma.
The monks replace the above items on the mm:u.iala table. [recita-
tion of Avalokitesvara mantra (malJ.i sgra)]l
5
Offering (mchod) (UB 38.1)
Praise (bstod pa) (UB 38.2)
The Hundred Syllable Mantra, i.e., the purificatory meditation on
Va jrasattva.
Confessing your Failings (nongs bshags) (UB 38.3)
Prayer to Remain Firm (brtan bzhugs) (PO 54b3, emended.
Retraction (bsdus rim) (UB 38b2)
Dedicatory Prayer (bsngo smon).
Auspicious Omens (bkra shis).
Two selections from the Mindroling Religious Practice anthology:
(a) The mTsho rgyal Prayer (mTsho rgyal smon lam) (RP 178.3 ff.),
and (b) "The Three Jewels' ... "Prayer ("dK.on mchog gsum kyi . .. ")
(RP 183.1-183.4)
An hour or two later, the hom and oboe players ascend the roof to play
the duets that signal the beginning of main events during the latter part of the
festival.
Another hour passes as the stage is prepared. The lama's throne is moved
and rearranged. Seats are set out for the descendants of Chiwong's founder.
These broad chairs, handsome pieces of Sherpa household furniture, directly
face the lama's throne at distance of no more than a few feet. Nothing could
more strongly reinforce the family's special status as patrons of the monastery.
In recent years, one prominent local has provided a homemade public
address system with determined generosity. This modem enhancement trans-
forms the afternoon's prayers and religious discourses, which were formerly
simply inaudible, into an incomprehensible din.
The crowd begins to gather. Soon, a procession forms in the courtyard
to greet Trulshik Rinpoche. Visitors, often children, man the long-poled cer-
emonial flags, forming a line with the monastery orchestra. The orchestra
plays a stately fanfare to welcome the lama. With hours to go before the
The Days 181
climax of the ceremony, several hundred people already have gathered.
16
More will trickle in as the day goes on.
From the stairwell that leads down from the lama's quarters to the porch,
a pair of oboes sounds. Wearing his flame-shaped scarlet mitre, the lama
descends to the stage accompanied by a formal cortege of monks. One twirls
a large parasol above the lama's head. Another walks backward before him,
cleansing his path with a sheaf of burning incense sticks. The lama ascends
his throne, sitting motionless for five minutes or more until the fanfare is
concluded, as groups of nuns make prostrations in the courtyard below.
One member of the procession that greets the lama wears the mask of the
Long-Life Man and, as the lama takes his seat, presents him with a ceremonial
scarf. The Long-Life Man, a beaming figure with a long white beard and the
smooth round face of an infant, will play a comic role in the dances tomorrow.
In the context of a procession, however, he reverts to his generic function of
a harbinger of longevity. In Tibet, as in China and Japan, the Long-Life Man
is one of a group of such symbols-the pine tree and the deer being others.
Across Asia, they are a frequent motif in every medium of art; they can be
found in paintings, frescos, porcelain, woodwork, and even carpets.
The Torma Empowerment text states, if the empowerment is given "in
connection with the basic empowerment," that is to say the "self-application"
from the Manual completed that morning, "a separate accomplishment ser-
vice is unnecessary."
17
Many of the rituals which would accompany a free-
standing initiation can be omitted.
Be that as it may, the lama must still complete nearly half an hour of
preliminary prayers and religious discourse before beginning the main cer-
emony. The text leaves the content of this address up to the officiant, specify-
ing only an "appropriate religious discourse." The teaching is a general one,
beginning with impermanence and death and leading up to the desirability of
seeking empowerments.
18
Around this time, lay people begin to make their formal offerings. A
representative of the main line of the founder's descendants presents a mar.uJala,
using the objects we have already seen symbolizing the offering and its
recipients.
Before the actual empowerment begins, a representative of the monas-
tery reads a long list of donors and their contributions. "Tenzin Sherpa of
village A, 20 rupees; Tsering Lama of village B, 30 rupees," and so on. Such
recitations are invariably part of elaborate Sherpa rituals from individually
sponsored ceremonies to public festivals. They advertise a Sherpa's sponsor-
ship of his religion: both his desire to give and his ability to do so. Although
Buddhist ethicists sometime stress the special virtue of secret generosity, here
the principle is clearly that no good deed should go unnoticed. In their small
and intimate way, these proclamations are similar to the announcements of
corporate and foundation sponsors on American public television.
182 DAY FouRTEEN
This done, the actual empowerment begins. Small additions are made to
the published text, for example, the oral transmission of a few additional
mantras, such as that of Padmasambhava or of !lakyamuni.
19
An empowerment ritual is a participatory drama and takes the form of
call and response. The lama prompts the initiates at each tum, asking ques-
tions or requesting them to repeat passages after him. "Imagine something
like this," he instructs them, "this very place on earth, purified, becomes the
great mal;lqala of omnipresent wisdom." "Repeat after me," he commands, '0
Diamond Master, pray consider me!'" At Mani Rimdu, however, few can
hear the lama's commands and even fewer are sufficiently acquainted with
the ritual to comply with them. Those that can and do are mostly confmed
to the small crowd of monks and patrons seated for the ceremony on the dais.
Following the ceremony, it is the time for an event the public has eagerly
anticipated-the distribution of the empowerment substances. The band strikes
up a fanfare and the faithful crush up to the dais. In a good year they may
be eight hundred or more. In an off year, such as 1983, when Trulshik
Rinpoche was ill and Sang Sang Tulku, the younger and less revered incar-
nation of Trulshik Rinpoche's father officiated in his stead, there were about
250 present.
The crowd is high-spirited, even pushy. Guards, usually monks from
other monasteries or young, pious villagers, help control the crowd. The
combination and alternation of attitudes with which a well-brought-up Sherpa
youth tries to dissuade a man old enough to be his grandfather from vaulting
over the ledge of the dais into the thick of the crowd provide an interesting
spectacle. Firmness is tempered by gentleness; resolution dissolves in respect
for. age. Tentativeness reigns. Though those in the midst of the crowd are
often as helpless as tempest-tossed flotsam and must ride the ebb and flow
of the human sea, miraculously, no one loses his temper. Even the threats of
the guards are imitations of mock threats. The message is "I'm supposed to
try to stop you from coming up here, so please don't," or "I'm supposed be
firm now, so please pretend that I'm serious." Confrontation, such as there is,
turns into a joke or a shrug.
In some recent years, Nepali police officers have been present at
Chi wong-the district capital is just down the hill at Saleri. These officers are
non-Sherpas and their approach, while hru:dly tough as nails, lacks the charm-
ing air of unreality that marks the Sherpas' efforts to police themselves.
One practical innovation in crowd control of recent years, employed by
both the official and the unofficial police, has been to restrict access to the
stage by blocking off all but a single entrance to the east and a single exit to
the west, and periodically barring the stairs until the crowd on the dais thins
to tolerable proportions.
It takes about an hour for everyone to go through the receiving line and
obtain all the blessings. Since this is a torma empowerment, the main bless-
The Days 183
ing is bestowed by the torma itself. To this end, the torma rests on the table
to Trulshik Rinpoche's right (west). As in procession that followed the "tak-
ing the true achievement" ritual that morning, the empowerment is received
by contact between a person's head and the piece of wood that supports the
torma.
The torma rests on Trulshik Rinpoche's table, which a pious Sherpa will
anyway touch with his head in respect. Thus, it is difficult to say what
proportion of the supplicants are actually aware of the torma's role in the
proceedings. After they pass the torma, Trulshik Rinpoche gives them his
hand-blessing (phyag dbang), usually by tapping them with the beribboned
arrow. When asked about the significance of the arrow here, Trulshik Rinpoche
replies that it is convenient for the purpose. Indeed, it is just the right length
to allow him to tap those who pass with ease. Lamas often use the nearest
item of even the most remote spiritual connotation to bestow a hand-blessing.
Sometimes, when pressed, they grab a somewhat incongruous object. No one
seems to mind, however. Whatever the object, it is a conduit for the blessings
that flow from the person of the lama himself.2
The location of the actual empowerment substances, the pills and so on,
and of the line of monks who serve them differs from year to year. Usually
they stand to the west of the lama's throne, although some years they are to
its east. The supplicants jostle by, receiving each blessing ill turn. Some eat
the pills immediately, some save them for later, some split their options.
Occasionally, someone asks the pill-server for a double dose on behalf of a
person unable to attend.
In a festive mood, the villagers retire to eat, drink and be meny at the
tea shop/beer-hall/restaurant/hotels in the quadrangle below the monastery.
17
Day Fifteen: Masked Dance
Day Fifteen occasions the most widely known part of Mani Rimdu, the Masked
Dance. Like most other days, however, a great deal of time actually is de-
voted to ritual. The sequence of rituals differs from that of previous days. The
pills and the flask water have fulfilled their purpose in the empowerment and
no longer need ritual attention. The entire ceremony is done in one session.
As in the rehearsal of Day Thirteen, all the Great Protectors and all the
Followers are worshipped. The first part of the rituals is completed inside
the monastic assembly hall. To accommodate the full cycle of protectors, the
monks begin very early. In 1983, the first long hom sounded at 4:30A.M. and
the session ended by nine. The second part follows a break of several hours.
It is performed on the courtyard porch, which, as usual on days of public
ceremony, serves as a dais. At Rongphu, where the 'chams was held on the
fifteenth day of the fourth month, the entire process began much earlier and
the dances were underway at dawn.
1
The rituals may be summarized as follows:
2
Indoor:
1. Preliminaries
2. Actual Practice (minus outer offerings).
3
In Recitation-flask prac-
tice and pill practice are not done. Ritual skips to "Offering and
Praise" of Lord of the Dance and his entourage (20.2). The
monks also skip three other segments: the Shower of Blessings,
Self-Application, and Three-Part Torma.
3. On a typical day of Mani Rirndu, the monks worship only a fraction
of the full complement of Protectors. To give each his or her daily
185
186 DAY FJFfEEN
due, the monks add the "Invitation for the Protectors in General"
(5.2). Since today the entire Propitiation (Playful Ocean+ Follow-
ers) is performed, the General Invitation (5.2) is not necessary. The
"Recitation" (ff. 5.1, 5.3-5.9), however, is done.
4
Outdoor:
4. Mountain Incense Offering, including "Auspicious Omens."
5. The dances.
Today's dances are usually referred to simply as 'chams, although to
distinguish them from the dances of Day Thirteen, the term 'bag 'chams,
'masked dance' may be used.
For the most part, each deity has its own mask, although some are re-
cycled to serve for several deities. The protector masks first seen in Dance
Seven, for example, also are used to portray an entirely different set of deities
in Dance Twelve-the Liberation Ging. Masks of more important figures,
such as Dorje DrolO (Dance ThTee) and the Great Protectors (Dance Seven)
tend to be larger than those of lesser figures.
Certain dancers wear distinctive headgear in lieu of a mask. The Magi-
cians who appear at various times during the day and the drum dancers of
Dance Four don broad-brimmed papier-mache hats. The Sky Walkers wear
the crowns and wigs of the five families of Tathagatas.
Most of the costumes fall into a few main types, distinguished according
to the position the character occupies within the spiritual hierarchy.
5
The basic costume of upper-echelon figures consists of a long, triangular-
slee.ved robe (phod ka) constructed of strips of various colors of silk brocade.
To this is added a diamond-shaped bib or tippet of silk applique, worn over the
head like a poncho.
6
A similar bib is a part of the "five families" regalia worn
during the burnt offering and certain stages of the empowerment rituals. To this
are added various details. Some dancers wear bone-ornaments (ru rgyan), oth-
ers, an apron bearing the face of a fierce deity .
7
Higher echelon figures are always shod. Their boots (/ham) are usually
the special white-sided variety reserved for dance, although sometimes the
ordinary maroon woolen boots of a monk are seen.
8
The dress of lower-echelon figures exhibits more variation. Padma-
sambhava's messengers, the Ging, wear a sort of multicolored motley. The
Lords of the Cemetery (Dance Six) dress like skeletons. Other minor figures
wear the outfits of the Black Men who accompany the local deity of dance
eight, even though the performers, as in Dance Twelve, may represent entirely
different supernatural entities. Lower-echelon characters dance barefoot.
Each of the various comic figures, the Long-Life Man, and the Seer and
his companions, has his own characteristic dress.
In discussing the dances of Day Thirteen, we observed that more than a
mere absence of masks differentiated them from the dances of Day Fifteen.
The Days
187
It was in fact, the absence of rituals that marked them as a rehearsal rather
than the "real thing". The chart that follows lists the dances and the rituals
associated with them.
The demarcation of the various dances is somewhat arbitrary and different
informants count them differently. For each source that refers to the 'Liberation
Dance as a unit, for example, there is another that lists the Lords of the Cem-
etery and the Black Hat Magicians separately. A list posted on the chapel wall
at Thami, for instance, divides the action into sixteen or seventeen parts:
Magicians/Ging/Dorje Drolo/Drum Dance/Long-Life Man/Lords of
the Cemetery/Liberation Dance/Great Protectors/Black Men/
Sharlung/Sky Walker/Seer/Remainder Sword Dance/Magic Weapon
Dance/Ensemble/ Auspicious Omens//
9
Each dance and the rituals associated with it will be discussed at length
in the succeeding pages. It should be noted from the outset that accounts of
the rituals used in a given dance vary somewhat from informant to informant,
and even among different interviews with a single informant. Further, be-
cause. of the logistics involved, it is difficult to confirm or deny these ac-
counts by observation. To complicate matters further, ritual practice varies
from monastery to monastery and perhaps even at a given monastery from
year to year.
DANCE AND ITS RITUALS'
Dance/ Approximate Duration Ritual Source
0. Music Dance [Overture] 40" none
- 30" Mountain Incense Offering own
1. Golden Libation 14" Golden Libation Knowledge
[8 Black Hat Magicians] Bearers'
Root Tantra
2. Ging 18" 1. Seven-syllable Prayer Le'u bdun rna
[2 drums + 2 cymbals] 2. "gnas mchog 'di ru . ..
..
3. Diamond Sagging Belly [solo] 14" 1. Seven-syllable Prayer
2. :gnas mchog 'di ru ...
..
[The Feast Offering:]
3. Blessing tbe Feast UB 20b6
4. Inviting the Guests UB 21.4
5. The First Course UB 21b4
6. Confessing to the Guests UB 22.3
4. Drum Dance [6 Magicians 23" Seven-syllable Prayer
= 4 drums + 2 cymbals]
5. Long-Life Man 1'45" Pantomime/Comedy -
continued on next page
188 DAY FIFTEEN
DANCE AND ITS RITUALS' (continued)
Dance/ Approximate Duration Ritual Source
6. Liberation Dance 23"
-Two Lords of the Cemetery -
-
-Two Magicians (1) Mindroling Gnomes
(2) Liberation of Last Feast UB 22.4-b2
(3) "nyon nwngs bdag lta'i .. . "
segment#
7. The Four Great Protectors 33"
1 (Blessing Propitiation
Substances) PO 40bl
2-5 -Propitiation
-Confession 49.2-50.6
-Requesting Action 51.1-b6
6 -Feeding the Tonna 53.3-54.3
7
- -
-Final Rituals PO 54.4
8. Sharlung [+ Black Men] 15" Requesting Action Sharlung
9. Sky Walkers 20" Song of the Queen of Spring
.
10. The Seer 3'19" 1. own
2. before sword trick,
Showering Blessings
& Iron Hook gesture
3. Horse Dance UB 37.5
II. The Remains [2 Black Men] 06" The Remains of the Feast UB 35.4-bl
Exit Trulshik Rinpoche
12. Sword Dance 15" 1. Entreaty UB 35b3
[Liberation Ging] (2. Tonna to Defenders
of Religion in General) (PO 53.2)
Interlude (3. Concluding Rituals) (PO 54.4)'
13. Sickle Dance 08" 1. Proclaiming Contract UB 36.3
[2 magicians + 2 Black Men] 2. (Tonna a Weapon) UB 36b4
(no dancing) 3. Steadfast Women UB 37.1
14. Ensemble 15" 1. "rigs 'dzin rtsa brgyud . .. " cf. PO 53.2
[6 black hats+ 2 Black Men] 2. Horse Dance UB 37.4
3. Concluding Rituals UB 38.2
4. Auspicious Signs UB
The identification of texts in this chart is drawn from the accounts various infonnants. It was
checked with the Diamond Master and monks of Chiwong, 12!2/84.Material in parentheses is
from one infonnant only, or otherwise in question. Timings are from Chiwong perfonnances.
According to TCU 1982, 1983, the protector rituals conclude in Dance Seven, and the fmal
rituals from the Playful Ocean come after the protector dancers exit. Trulshik Rinpoche in a
separate interview, assigns a further protector ritual to Dance Twelve, and places the fmal
rituals after that dance. See below in chart and notes.
Pha bong kha's Bla ma'i mchod pa, up to lb2 " .. ARALI HO."
There is some confusion about exactly what rituals are used here. See note 209, in the discus-
sion of Dance Twelve.
'Trulshik Rinpoche interview, 11/27/83. See preceding note d.
The Days
189
If we take a moment to analyze this chart, we see that the bulk of the
rituals fall into three main groups. Although the state of our knowledge of
other 'chams is sketchy at best, it is evident that these groups are present
elsewhere, albeit in different combinations. The way the three ritual com-
plexes are interwoven in Mani Rimdu makes it difficult to separate them.
In one case, for example, two halves of what in other traditions is a single
sequence are isolated from each other by several extraneous dances. In one
case-Dance Twelve-because of a change of liturgy, a dance that else-
where has a strong relationship to one group of rituals is now associated
with another. In some cases, an individual dance performs more than one
function.
The first of the three groups of rituals is the tantric feast and the homolo-
gous ritual of suppressing the spying ghosts. This ritual type is by far the
most pervasive. In one way or another it is related to no less than six separate
dances-three, six, eight, eleven, twelve, and fourteen.
The first sequence of feast rituals occurs in Dance Three. The feast is
blessed, the guests-the gods of the mal)Q.ala, represented here by Dorje
DrolO----invited, and the feast torma offered to them.
10
The second act, Dance
Six, sees the liberation of both the last of the feast and the gnomes. During
Dance Eight, the feast is offered to the lama. The dance of the remains (11)
deals with the remains of the feast. Although the liturgy of the feast is now
complete, the action of Dance Six-liberation of the effigy-continues in the
twelfth dance. The fourteenth dance contains the "Horse Dance" ritual which
s u p p r e ~ s e s the forces attacked in the liberation dance.
The second major ritual complex, that of the protector deities is repre-
sented by the seventh and eighth dance. In Dance Seven the Great Protectors
of the Playful Ocean are propitiated; in Dance Eight, the local protector.
Although as we have just seen, the twelfth dance belongs in a sense to the
feast complex, according to some accounts, at Mani Rimdu a torma is offered
to the protectors at this time. The protector rituals are brought to an end in
the interlude between Dance Twelve and Thirteen.
Some places in Tibet, the third ritual complex, throwing the torma, was
a separate festival. In Mani Rimdu it figures in Dance Thirteen and Fourteen.
In Dance Thirteen, Padmasambhava's contract with the "great and haughty
gods of Tibet" is proclaimed and the torma changed into a magic weapon that
will return "sarhstlra to the realm of nirvMa!" As in the daily rituals, the
"Horse Dance" usually follows the contract. Here, it not only carries on the
theme of suppression, but the theme of the world reverting to paradise. Thus,
Dance Fourteen continues the sequence of the feast and furthers the theme
introduced by throwing the torma. The twelfth dance contains the entreaty to
the gods of the mal)t/.ala that precedes the magic weapon sequence in the
Manual and can be considered an introduction to it.
As we have already observed, the dances mirror the structure of the site
ritual performed on the first day of Mani Rimdu. They begin with a Golden
190 DAY FIFTEEN
Libation (Dance One), have the suppression of the lingka at their center (Six,
Twelve), and end with the Horse Dance (Fourteen).
OVERTURE-THE MUSIC DANCE
A dance more in name than in deed, the Music Dance (rol 'chams) serves as
an overture to the other dances. According to Trulshik Rinpoche, the Music
Dance originated at Mindroling.
11
But for a few ceremonial touches, the
monks who perform it wear monastic dress.
A full orchestra complete with long horns assembles in the courtyard.
The overture begins. After a few minutes, the sound of the orchestra is
amplified by music from within the chapel. A multitude unseen of cymbals
sound, crashing like waves. Drum beats and syncopated metallic clangs punc-
tuate the orchestration. The rhythm is unusual and compelling; the effect
startling and electric.
The curtains behind the dais part and a monk steps onto the porch. He
wears the sickle-shaped yellow hat of a pandit, and plays a pair of cymbals
joined with a long white ceremonial scarf (kha btags) draped around his back.
He descends to the stair landing that is midway between the dais and the
courtyard floor. Here, he halts, and without missing a beat, continues to play
in unison with the cymbals inside.
Two minutes later, others begin to emerge. Like the first, each wears
a ceremonial hat and has a sash across his shoulders. The sash may be a kha
btags, a red sash, or, in the case of senior monks, yellow robes that mark
strict adherence to the vinaya, the Buddha's rules for the monastic orderY
The monks form a line that stretches from the backstage area through the
curtain to the dais. The first monk descends to the courtyard floor and
stands northeast of the central altar. The second monk replaces him on
the stair landing. The first monk turns to face him. As they play, they
watch each other's hands closely. Their duet is still in unison with their
companions.
Every two minutes the process repeats. As each monk quits the landing,
he is replaced by another from the line on the dais. The monks displaced from
the position northeast of the altar form an diagonal arc southeast of it. As
each new monk joins, his companions move to their left, enlarging the arc
and forcing it clockwise.
When the eighth and final cymbalist descends to the courtyard, the oboe
players exit.
13
The cymbalists, now in two rows (one east and one west of the
The Days
El
0
The Overture, with First Five of Eight Cymbal Players Present
(not to scale)
191
altar), face each other to play a octet. After a few minutes, the cymbalists
begin to. dance, playing continuously as they execute their steps. The dancing
stops, but the two rows continue playing to each other for several minutes.
Finally, they reform their arc and, playing softly, exit the courtyard.
Immediately following their exit, as during the rehearsal two days ear-
lier, the monks seated on the dais begin the Mountain Incense Offering.
According to Trulshik Rinpoche, a "noble yak" and "noble steed" are offered
to propitiate the defenders of religion in connection with the Mountain In-
cense Offering. At Rongphu, this occurred at about six in the morning. This
offering is also apparently made at Chiwong, at least in some years.
14
The Mountain Incense Offering is rooted in archaic Tibetan religious
practice. The offering of a richly decorated horse and yak may be a bloodless
survival of pre-Buddhist animal sacrifices.
15
DANCE ONE-THE GOLDEN LIBATION
The first actual dance is sometimes called the "black hat" dance (zhva nag)
or the snga8s pa, the dance of the "tantric magicians."
16
In Tibet, Magician,
or literally "Tantric," has become a hereditary profession. Here, the name
refers to the costume-and presumably the character-of the dancer with the
traditional black hat, coat with wide triangular sleeves (phod ka), and so on.
17
According to Trulshik Rinpoche, the dance is properly called the "Golden
Libation," .after the ritual that it enacts.
18
Many different golden libations are
192 DAY FIFTEEN
known to Tibetan Buddhist practice. In Mani Rimdu, it is an offering to the
gods of Lord of the Dance's mm:zrf.ala.
19
The text used is the same oneem-
ployed during the site rituals to bless the "the site where the gnomes will be
suppressed."
20
Thigh-bone trumpets sound inside the chapel and are answered by
the musicians on the dais outside. Eight black-hat dancers emerge, each
with a vajra in his right hand.
21
In their left hands, the dancers hold a
silver chalice-at Chiwong actually a large butter lamp-for offering the
libation.
22
The magicians dance and then stop and stand in a circle. An attendant
passes among them and places a torma ball and some liquor in their chal-
ices. As the offerings are distributed, the monks on the dais recite the
liturgy to a soft accompaniment on the cymbalY The long horns and drums
join in and the music and dance resume. With a sidelong sweep of the arm,
the dancers toss the offerings in the air. The sequence is done three times
in all.
The dance itself has a complex choreography .
24
In one characteristic
movement, the performers have their arms outstretched at the sides. This is
likely the gesture the 'chams yig calls "stretched out like the wings of a
vulture" (lag pa rgod gshog !tar brgyangs pa).
25
After the offering sequences
are complete, the long horns join in once more. The dancers form two rows
and exit by pairs.
26
The dance lasts approximately fourteen minutes.
Black hat dances are a feature of many 'chams traditions. Some of the
examples recorded in the literature also involve a golden libation. One is
the dance witnessed by G. A. Combe in a Nyingma monastery in eastern
Tibet in the 1920s. Performed on the tenth day of the seventh month in
honor of Padmasambhava, the dance Combe described is virtually identical
to the one practiced in Solu-Khumbu today.
27
The Fifth Dalai Lama's' chams
yig also calls for mantra bearers (sngags 'chang) to perform a golden
libation.
28
The black hat dance, of course, is famous for another reason. In the year
846, while performing it, the sngags pa Lhalung Pelki Dorje assassinated
King Langdarma. This story is so well known, that even today performances
of the black hat dance recall Pelki Dorje to the Tibetan mind. Strictly speak-
ing, however, the dance does not commemorate that occasion, as some au-
thors have claimed.
29
As Stein rightly points out, if the Black Hat Dance with
its attendant (and structurally similar) ceremony of killing the lingka (see
Dance Six) was the occasion of assassination of Langdarma, we must pre-
sume that it antedates the assassination.
30
The magician's dance is considered a very serious business. According
to one expert, the lead Black Hat Dancer should do a week retreat before
performing itY
The Days 193
DANCE TWO-THE GING
The literary and oral traditions both record an abundant variety of spirits styled
Ging.
32
Although the term ging or 'gying or gying originally may have referred
to a class of Bon deities, it can also be used as an epithet of dharmapalas,
heroes (dpa' bo), messengers (pho nya), and even the Lords of the Cemetery.
33
In Mani Rimdu, two types of Ging are mentioned. One, Liberation Ging
(sgrol ging), are gods of high rank. We will meet them later in the Sword
Dance. The Ging of Dance Two are somewhat less lofty beings-heralds that
come from Padmasambhava's paradise, the Copper-Colored Glorious Moun-
tain (Zangs mdog dpal ri), to announce his arrival.
34
The prayer chosen to
introduce their dance (and the dance of Dorje Drolo that-follows) is an ob-
vious one. It is the Seven-syllable Prayer, the standard invocation of Padma-
sambhava, and perhaps the best-known piece of Nyingma liturgy.
35
On the northwest border of Orgyan-land
On a lotus stamen's stem,
Astounding supreme achievement was won.
You who as the Lotus-Born are renowned,
You who a vast entourage of Sky Walkers surround,
Come, we pray, inspire us
Who follow in your footsteps.
Om ab hnm vajraguru padmasiddhi hom
To this is appended another stanza, a type of byin 'bebs (shower of
blessings) often known simply by its first line, "gnas mchog 'di ru ... ":
Bless this place so excellent;
Grant us excellent achievers the four empowerments!
Remove all obstructions and misleading interruptions!
Bestow enlightenment and magic powerP
6
Two of the Ging are male and play cymbals; two female, and play
drums.
37
One cymbal player's mask is white and the other's green. The drum-
mers' are red and yellow.
38
Each mask has a diadem of a single skull, a pair
of triangular pennants at the temples and a pair of rainbow colored fans at the
ears.
39
The expression on their faces is said to be slightly wrathful.
By nature, the Ging are frolicsome and funny. They hop, wiggle, and
leap; they make the audience smile and laugh. In one of their characteristic
movements they dance toward each other in pairs, turning back-to-back when
they meet, rotate in that position 180, and part, now heading in the direction
opposite from the way they came (see position 3, in sketch 34).
194 DAY FIFTEEN
The Ging bound in so cheerfully, playing their small drums and cymbals,
grinning and wagging their brightly colored heads, that one can easily imag-
ine another traditional function of Padmasambhava's messengers-a yogi's
alarm clock. Contemporary scholar Khetsun Sangpo Rinpoche might be de-
scribing the drum beating Ging when he advises:
As soon as you awaken in the morning, imagine that Padma Sambhava
with his retinue of Bodhisattvas appear vividly before you, ringing
bells and beating small drums. Their music dispels all drowsiness,
rousing you into complete wakefulness.
40
Like other sets of four, the Ging are sometimes credited with performing
the four actions. This correlation may be somewhat arbitrary, however. Al-
though four Ging appear in Solu-Khumbu; at Rongphu, there were eight.
41
At
the monastery visited by Combe in the 1920s, either four or eight drum-playing
Ging appeared. As in Mani Rimdu, .they corresponded to the directions and
were identified as denizens of Padmasambhava paradise. Eight Ging partici-
pated in the Lhasa New Year's festival. Two types of Ging: the 'ging of the
sky' (nam ging) and the 'ging of the earth' (sa ging) are reported in dances at
Hemis. In other parts of Tibet, dances with sixteen Ging were also known.
42
0 0
00
0 0
0 0
0 01 2 00 3
~
@0
+--- ---+
)
0
3a 3b 3c 3d
0000
0 ~ /0
00
/00,
4 0 Os
Some Characteristic Movements of the Ging
The Days
195
DANCE THREE-DORJE DROLO
As it was for his heralds the Ging, the Seven-Syllable Prayer is used to
summon Dorje Drolo (rDo rje gro lod). Dorje DrolO, whose picturesque name
means Diamond Sagging Belly, is a' fierce manifestation of Padmasambhava.
Various forms of Padmasambhava are a common feature of Tibetan sacred
dance; often all eight of his major emanations are portrayed.
43
Dorje DrolO is
the form the saint took to vanquish the demons of Tibet.
44
The mask of Dmje DrolO conforms to the general iconography of that figure.
It is large and dark brown. Its eyes bulge and its fangs protrude. Its hair is made
of yak-tail. Its eyebrows and beard are raised golden swirls. It has a crown of five
skulls and large earrings decorated with a wheel.
45
In addition to his mask, Dmje
DrolO wears a phod ka and a bib appliqued with a large crossed vajra.
The "reason for the necessity" of the dance is the offering of the. first and
second feasts to Padmasambhava.
46
The offering of feasts in the dance of Dorje
DrolO is said to be a Rongphu tradition, not found in other monasteries in Tibet.
47
The musicians on the dais begin the act with a flourish on the thigh-bone
trumpet. The cymbals and long horns join in, and within the chapel, a pair
of oboes. The lama begins to ring his bell. The eccentric, compelling rhythm
of the metal clanger rings out from behind the curtain.
Three ceremonial figures enter the courtyard to honor Dorje DrolO in the
same way that later they will honor the lama's entrance. The oboists are first
to enter, followed by a monk holding a smoldering sheaf of incense or the
wand that represents one. He enters respectfully, walking backwards and
preceding the one he honors. The three figures descend to the courtyard floor
and take their positions, the oboists to the west of the staircase, the incense
bearer to the west. Each wears a yellow ceremonial hat.
Dorje DrolO enters on their heels. In his right hand he bears a tasseled
vajra, his left brandishes his magic dagger. An assistant brings out a chair,
carpet, and table and places them one yard to the southwest of the "center-
stage" altar.
48
A large feast torma is also brought out and placed on the altar's
lower shelf. Dorje DrolO make.s a circuit of the courtyard. He stops
in each of the cardinal points to dance, turning and stabbing in all directions
before continuing on his way. Two-thirds through his act, he reaches the
chair and sits down. The monks on the dais begin their liturgy. Above the
noise of the crowd, one can catch the seed syllables that bless the feast.
Hiirh! I project from my mind ram yam kham.
They burn, cast out and wash away all wrong and fault.
In the natural bliss guardian kapala,
These holy substances-the five meats, the five ambrosias
Melt into desirable uncorrupted ambrosia,
Swirl in the essence of all true achievement. [UB 21.2]
196 DAY FIFTEEN
An assistant goes to the courtyard altar and cuts the feast torma. He
brings the first serving-top of the torma-to Dorje Drolo on a platter. In the
daily ritual, this part is reserved for the lama. The assistant then brings a
spoon of sacramental liquor from a skull-bowl or glass on the altar. Dorje
Drolo takes the liquor in his hand and drinks beneath his mask.
The liturgy that accompanies the offering of the top of the torma is
"Inviting the Guests."
Hum! Victorious Accomplished Protector, treasure of compassion!
Chief, together with your entourage,
Come here from the pure nature fortress!
Partake of the proffered feast!
Your headdress, your top-knot flutter, flap!
Ribbons! Ribands! Pu ru ru!
Jewels! Bone ornaments! Tra la la!
Sweet sounding music! Di ri ri!
Singing! Dancing! Zigging! Zagging!
Hundred thousand circle host! Sha ra ra!
Come here! Partake of the proffered feast!
Bless this dwelling place!
Put some juice in these feast tormas!
Bestow upon us yogis, us supreme achievers assembled here,
The highest and ordinary true achievements!
Guru dheva dhakini samaya jab jab e aralli hri hrib [UB 21.5]
The assistant brings a second portion of the feast torma. Dorje DrolO
motions at it with his magic dagger, gesturing as if to stab it.
At first, this seems illogical. Stabbing the torma belongs to the last part
of the feast, the liberation ritual, related to the dance of the same name which
will be performed later in the day. Trulshik Rinpoche, however, dispels the
seeming contradiction. Dorje Drolo's gesture does not indicate stabbing, he
says, but eating. A more conventional demonstration of that act, like putting
food in one's mouth, he adds, would be difficult while wearing Dorje Drolo's
enormous mask. The use of the magic dagger takes on additional significance
when we consider that the dagger is a symbol of the divine metabolism that
purifies what passes through it, digesting obstreperous spirits and converting
them into gods of the pure lands. The act of eating here and the acts of Dance
Six and Eight have a certain similarity. When a yogi eats a feast, he feeds the
gods that dwell in his body. When he stabs it, it is eaten by his dagger. When
he burns the equivalent lingka, he feeds the gods of paradise.
49
The Days
Dorje Drolo's act of eating echoes the liturgy recited on the dais.
Hob! The five great meats of the Buddha vow-
The essence of the five blameless ambrosias-
Things to really eat and chew-
That have color, aroma and flavor-
This feast offering which commingles everything-
This unexcelled yogic offering-
Enjoy it in joy, 0 ma1,1dala god host!
Pray take it in the realm of bliss! [2lb5]
Ga1,1acakrapoja

197
The feast eaten, Dorje Drolo rises. An assistant removes the table, chair,
and carpet. Dorje DrolO dances northward to the stair, stabbing in the air as
he advances. The oboists rejoin the ensemble. When the dancer reaches. the
landing, he circles once to face the crowd and exits. His performance takes
some fifteen minutes.
Of the many beings portrayed in the dances, Dorje Drolo is the highest. He
is not a protector, but rather the archetype of the subduer of protectors-Padma-
sambhava. Padmasambhava is a character well known to the audience. He is the
hero of myth, the role model of yogis, and perhaps the most worshipped figure
of the Nyingma Order. Although in one sense a figure of history and myth, for
the Nyingma the Precious Guru is much more. As a personal deity, he is inti-
mately involved in the reconfiguration of meditators' personal identity.
The role of Dorje Drolo is one of Mani Rimdu's "meatier" parts. A solo,
the dance requires much of its performer. The character has a distinct and
dynamic persona-the fierce demon-slaying form of the divine hero/saint. It
is a role full of subtext-the character's very presence implies scenarios well
known to the audience even if they are unseen on stage. Dorje DrolO is
generally reserved for the most talented dancers. As performing art, it is the
best Mani Rirndu has to offer.
DANCE FOUR-THE DRUM DANCE
Thigh-bone trumpets sound inside the monastery and are echoed from the
dais. The long horn begins a solo. It is soon joined by instruments inside the
chapel-cymbals and, more faintly, drums. The dancers enter dressed in black-
hat costumes. Two play cymbals; two, medium-sized drums; two, small


They stand for a moment in a circle inside the door, playing their
instruments. 5
2
Then, they descend by pairs to the courtyard, a small drum and
cymbal roll providing a fanfare for each pair. As the first two reach the
198 DAY FIFTEEN
courtyard, the long hom stops playing. The dancers continue their steps.
Moving by pairs, they stand and face the center, circle the courtyard clock-
wise, tum to and fro; and then stand in place playing softly.
According to Trulshik Rinpoche, the drum dance is "just a dance."
53
This it
not to say that it is devoid of liturgy. At certain points, as the dancers stand in
place, the monks on the dais can be seen praying.S4 According to participants, the
liturgy is once again the Seven-Syllable Prayer dedicated to Padmasambhava.
About twenty minutes from the first pair's entrance, the musicians on the dais
join in once more. The dancers line up and exit as they entered, by pairs.
Although it is the drums (rnga) that undoubtedly give the drum dance its
name (rnga ' chams) [pronounced "nga cham"], it should be noted that many
Sherpa monks pronounce the name "ngak cham" and spell it sngags ' chams
or even ngag chams. 5
5
Thus, an alternate, if less correct, title for this segment
would be the "mantra dance."
At Tengpoche, rather than the black hats of tantric magicians, the danc-
ers wear golden-colored hats (gser thebs) of a similar shape. Such hats are
worn by protectors such as Pehar and Good Diamond (rDo rje legs pa). Their
use in Mani Rimdu was an innqvation of Tengpoche Rinpoche, adapted from
a dance at Samye which honors Guru Rinpoche's subduing of the autochtho-
nous gods of Tibet's first monastery.
56
Drum dances are known in other traditions of ' chams. In Bhutan, the
drum dance is said to .be connected with the worship of Padmasambhava.
57
In the dance of Vajrakila, black-hatted drum dancers are accompanied by a
dancer wearing the mask of that deity.
58
Magician Playing Cymbals, Drum Dance, Chiwong
The Days
199
DANCE FIVE-THE LONG-LIFE MAN
In Solu-Khumbu layman and monk alike identify the principal figure ofMani
Rimdu's fifth dance as Long-Life Man. Some Western authors, however,
identify this figure as Hva Shang. Hva Shang or Ho Shang Mahayana was the
well-known Ch'an Buddhist monk who debated the Indian Pandit Kamalasila
at Samye c.779. Tibetans assert his defeat marked the end of Chinese influ-
ence on their religion.
59
Given the unanimity of local opinion, the idea that
Hva Shang appears in Mani Rimdu is without doubt mistaken. Secondary
sources do place him in a wide range of other monastic dances, however, and
this is most likely the source of the error. To exacerbate the confusion, the
appearance-and antics-of various Hva Shang closely resemble those of
Mani Rimdu's Long-Life Man. Typically, he is
a dancer wearing a huge, bald-headed mask showing a fat, smiling
face with Chinese features. The attire of this figure consists of a
crown of colorful brocade, a jacket in Chinese fashion, high boots,
and a long rosary worn around the neck.
60
In Mani Rimdu, the face of the mask is broad and pale but not conspicu-
ously "Chinese." Its countenance is youthful, almost infantile; its expression
is radiant. Unlike Hva Shang, Long-Life Man does not sport a crown. The
jacket covers an absurd plenitude of brocade robes, one layer hiding the
other. The jacket and outer robe are yellow, a color traditionally reserved for
those with religious vows. His rosary is accompanied by a stout brass-bound
staff.
As at Mani Rimdu, Hva Shang often is joined by a pair of assistants or
servants who make him the butt of their jokes. In an account given by Lessing,
they "drag him on the scene in an undignified manner," much as they do at
Mani Rimdu.
61
In Solu-Khumbu, these assistants wear ordinary clothes, or if
they have been serving as such, the fringed hats of monastery proctors.
The Long-Life Man act at Chiwong can be .broken down into several
distinct scenes.
62
The first. is his entrance. Long-Life Man appears to no
fanfare. He simply walks out on the dais and to the stairs. Once there, how-
ever, he must descend to the courtyard floor, a challenge for such an old, old
man. To achieve this, he enlists his assistants. As elsewhere, they are usually
young men or boys.
63
One or both of them are the proctors who keep the
crowds from infringing on the playing area, and so have already been seen
by the audience.
64
Long-Life Man is too fat, too feeble, and, most of all, too arrogant to
walk down a flight of stairs unassisted. His descent, like every part of the act
of the Long-Life Man is a comedy of errors. Several methods are tried. Most
of these attempts end with the Long-Life Man on the ground. Using their
200 DAY FIITEEN
hats, whips, or similar items, his assistants help to brush the dust from his
voluminous robes, battering him about the groin as they do so. In this se-
quence, Long-Life Man's wealth and pride become a decided disadvantage to
him. He possesses no less than eight layers of silk robes. As each is revealed,
the absurd iteration elicits laughter from the crowd. The laughter quickens as
Long-Life Man demands that his servants clean each garment in tum, giving
them eight full chances to abuse his person.
Finally, Long-Life Man decides to yoke his servants with his rosary and
ride them down the steps like horses. Nearly every year, this ends with the
three of them in a mangled heap. Once in a great while, they succeed in this
absurd task. To the amazement and delight of the crowd-and doubtless the
actors themselves-Long-Life Man descends the stairs on his curious steed
to ride in triumph at least part way around the courtyard floor.
The second scene is the mock presentation of a ceremonial scarf (kha
btags). The presentation of kha btags marks formal greeting and leave-taking
among Tibetans and Sherpas. For Tibetans it was once an indispensable part
of meeting any individual of markedly higher status, although at present, in
Solu-Khumbu at least; it is mostly used for greeting lamas. As we shall see
in a moment, a major function of the Long-Life Man is to present a kha btags
in earnest. It is fitting then, that the first scene after his elaborate entrance
should be a parody of his serious function.
The Long-Life Man wanders the courtyard looking for a suitable candi-
date to honor. He bends his neck to "squint" up at the balcony. Finding no
one worthy, he swivels his wrist in the Nepali gesture of "nothing doing."
65
Occasionally, he threatens to present the scarf to a member of the audience
who invariably cringes and wriggles under his attentions.
66
Finally, having
found no one on whom to bestow it, he puts his kha btags away.
The mock kha btags presentation parodies both an important cultural
ritual and the social hierarchy it reaffirms, but does not undercut them. In the
end, it is not that the process of bestowing honor is found lacking, just that
for the moment no fit-or willing-recipient has been found. In a humorous
way, the scene reaffirms a perception shared by actor and audience, that the
one worthy of honor is not among them: it is the. lama alone.
In the third scene, the servants help Long-Life Man lay a carpet on the
floor. A Tibetan carpet measures one yard by two. Even with a yak-hair
blanket beneath it as a pad, it is normally no problem to lay. In the hands of
our "three stooges," it becomes a major undertaking. However the carpet is
arranged, it is not right. It is lumpy. It is wrinkled. It is arranged in an
outrageous manner, humped up the way a monk arranges his heavy winter
cassock so that it will sit empty in his seat. Some parts of the act are impro-
visation. One year, one servant used the carpet as a lap rug while the other
wore the blanket as a shawl.
67
The Days
201
Finally, the carpet is arranged properly. Upon further consideration,
however, Long-Life Man determines that it is not quite in the right spot, and
his servants must move it again. They cringe as Long-Life Man cuffs them
roundly for their incompetence. If abused, they give as good as they get. One
servant dusts the carpet with his hat, dealing Long-Life Man a stout blow to
the face in the process. When the carpet is finally placed, the servants invari-
ably lie on it themselves.
The fourth scene is the prostration lesson. By now, the carpet is finally
in its proper place, oriented north-south on the west side of the courtyard.
Now we discover its purpose. The carpet now lies in front of the lama's
throne. It is there so that the threesome can prostrate to him.
The long prostration is a ritualized demonstration of respect and obei-
sance .for Sherpas and Tibetans. It is the common formal salutation made to
high lamas, monastery altru:s, and sacred shrines. The prostration begins with
the palms pressed together at the heart. The hands are then placed first on top
of the head, then at the throat, and finally at the chest. The devotee then goes
down on his knees, places his palms on the ground and stretches out flat.
After a final salute of his pressed palms, he returns to an upright position.
Although the smallest Sherpa or Tibetan child knows how to do this, in their
outlandish ignorance (or monumental perversity) the assistants do not. They put
their hands in the wrong place and at the wrong angle. They stand facing in the
wrong direction. They fall down. They get distracted and wander away.
Through all this, the Long-Life Man is the tireless, if irascible teacher.
Again and again, he bends their bodies to the proper position. He does not
Long Life Man's Prostration Lesson, Chiwong 1979
202 DAY FIFfEEN
allow them to make a salutation from the groin instead of from the heart.
When they wander, he drags them back. When they fail to rise, he lifts them
to their feet. When they are out of synch, he shoves them into unison. Under
his implacable tutelage, they finally succeed in achieving at least a semblance
of a prostration.
68
Like the mock-offering of the kha btags, the theme of the prostration
lesson is honoring the lama. The Long-Life Man may be vain and proud, his
assistants may be ignorant and foolish, but in the end the act of honoring the
lama is itself honored. Like the kha btags sequence, it does not question
social hierarchy but ultimately affirms it.
The fifth is the water-torma offering. Like the preceding scene, it is a
lesson in a widespread Himalayan Buddhist practice: an offering to the yi
dvags, hungry ghosts that wander among us unseen. Before this is done,
however, the seat must be moved from the northwest quadrant to the north-
east. Then, a small Tibetan folding table is brought out, and the torma offer-
ing kit. This consists of a pot with a spout, a pan, a small plate, and a folding
tripod to hold the plate above the pan. Also included are a miniature cymbal
to call the ghosts, and a crystal rosary. When in storage, everything but the
pan, which is too broad, is kept wedged inside the offering pot.
To begin the offering, this paraphernalia must be carefully unpacked.
The tripod must be assembled-a Chinese puzzle-like affair that is a chal-
lenge even to the deft of touch. The pot must be filled with water, and the
water offered to the spirits (rather than poured on the crowd).
69
All this is achieved with complications best left to the imagination. One
routine observed at Thami deserves special mention. When the Long-Life
Man rings to call the spirits, he looks up at the sky with expectation, as if
waiting to see them descend in the flesh. He repeats the action, again to no
avail. Then he rings his cymbal in every direction. No possible hiding place
is spared, including his own posterior and his assistants ears. At this point,
he rises to threaten the audience with a dousing from the water pot.
The earlier scenes are affirmations of the real and unwavering personal
bond between laymen and the lama, traditionally the basis of Buddhist soci-
ety. The torma offering is a more equivocal statement. The lama may possess
intangible spiritual qualities but he is a person one can see and touch. The
various disembodied entities with which the Himalayas are crowded are another
matter. Tibetans and Sherpas universally acknowledge they exist, but spiri-
tual etiquette (at least among lamas) dictates that no one admit to seeing them
personally, except in the most exceptional circumstances. To do so may be
considered tantamount to bragging of spiritual prowess, one of the graver
forms of spiritual pride. On the other hand, it is also acknowledged that if
contact with supernatural entities is sought for the wrong reason, in the wrong
way, or by the wrong person, they can fail to appear or worse. From a
Tibetan viewpoint the Long-Life Man's failure to perceive the hungry ghosts
The Days 203
likely would be due to his own lack of yogic prowess rather than to the
nonexistence of the supernatural. Nonetheless, the torma offering is hardly
the unflinching affirmation of supernaturalism that the kha btags presenta-
tions or the prostration lesson are of the socioreligious contract.
The sixth act is the genuine kha btags presentation. As we saw on Day
Fourteen, a primary function of the Long-Life Man is as a symbol of long life
itself and the wish that those he salutes live long. Indeed, speaking of the
purpose of the various dances, Trulshik Rinpoche specifies that the Long-Life
Man sequence is "like a welcoming ceremony.'>7
At Chiwong, Trulshik Rinpoche traditionally makes his entrance during
the final scene of the Long-Life Man act. When he enters, Long-Life Man
interrupts his performance, often midroutine, and reverts to his iconic func-
tion. Draping a kha btags across his arms in the prescribed manner, he ap-
proaches the dais and makes obeisance. He spreads his kha btags across
Trulshik Rinpoche's table. The lama hands it to an assistant who puts it
around the Long-Life Man's neck.
71
Sometimes, particularly if his act has gone longer than usual, the Long-
Life Man will abruptly break off his performance at this point, and the dances
resume with the sixth segment.
72
In any event, the fmal act Long-Life Man
performs before his exit is the presentation of a kha btags to the lama.
Accounts confirm that similar figures perform this function elsewhere. In
a Buriat monastery visited by Labbe, a "Hva Shang" presents ceremonial
scarves.
73
"According to the schedule of the dance" witnessed by G. A. Combe,
the old man and his two companions "should be the first to greet the Gu ru
mtshan brgyad"-the eight manifestations of Padmasambhava.
74
The Khachine
Khan of Buriat 'chams presents scarves to the major deities as they enter the
courtyard.
75
Long Life Man in general and the kha btags presentation in particular
also present an occasion to affirm the social contract between the monastery
and its founding family. During Long-Life Man's performance, the family,
seated in their private section of the balcony, is served lavish dishes of food.
In 1994, when it came to the kha btags presentation, Long-Life Man first
used his scarf to salute the head of Chiwong's male line, then the monks on
the dais, and only then, Trulshik Rinpoche's still empty throne. At that point,
the monastery presented elaborate displays of food to its patron. Immediately
after Trulshik Rinpoche's entrance, the ranking female of the line completed
the symmetry, presenting food to the lama-in 1994, a rare and costly foreign
delicacy: a large heart-shaped box of valentine candy upended to resemble a
torma. She was followed by the leading woman of the Tamang tribe, the
secqnd most important Buddhist etlmic group of Solu and devoted patrons of
Mani Rimdu and Trulshik Rinpoche.
The ironic antiphony between the activity on the balcony where real big
shots are treated to a stream of obsequious service and the shenanigans of the
204 DAY FIFTEEN
masked and obviously over-fed "big shot" below (and his obsequious ser-
vants) is perhaps intentional. But if there is social criticism here, it is tem-
pered by the fact that the display on the balcony is real; that on the stage is
clowning. As always in Mani Rimdu, the social order is reaffirmed.
Bearded elders similar to the Long-Life Man can be found in Chinese
dance. It is quite possible that the name the Mani Rimdu tradition gives this
figure, "Long-Life Man," corresponds to his original function. The name
"Hva Shang," in so far as it occurs in other 'chams traditions, may refer to
a Chinese origin of the figure, be it real or imagined.
Although according to some accounts, the historical figure Hva Shang
Mahayana appears in certain 'chams, such a precise identification is even
more doubtful than the general one.
76
We should note, first, that the word hva
shang, or ho shang in Chinese is a generic term for Buddhist monk, and
second, that Hva Shang Mahayana is the only "Hva Shang" most Tibetans
know. Thus, a misidentification at this point could as easily be indigenous as
be the product of a Western observer's speculation.
Inasmuch as Long-Life Man appears in art in Tibet and across Asia with
an identical appearance and function to the figure in Mani Rimdu, if we wish
to advance a candidate for the urjorm of the figure we find in dance, Long-
Life Man would be a good choice. As for the character in Mani Rimdu there
is no doubt. He is never called "Hva Shang" in Solu-Khumbu. In light of this,
one wonders how many other "Hva Shang" in the spotty literature on Tibetan
dance were similarly extrapolated from secondary sources and how many
were based on ethnographic research.
The enormous popularity of the Long-Life Man ensures maximum atten-
dance for the crucial act that follows it-the Liberation Dance.
DANCE SIX-THE LIBERATION DANCE
The Liberation Dance contains what by all accounts is the central act of
Tibetan sacred dance-the liberation of the effigy known as the lingka. It is
an act that occurs in most, if not all major 'chams performances.
77
The themes
of demon-slaying and ritual sacrifice-for "liberation" is a peculiar Buddhist
form of those universal religious acts-is also central to 'chams cousin, Newar
carya dance.
78
The action begins. with a one-minute pas de deux by the Lords of the Cem-
etery. In an alternate schema used in Solu-Khumbu, the Liberation Dance is
sometimes described as two separate dances: the pas de deux of the Lords of the
Cemetery (dur bdag gnyis) and the Magicians' pas de deux (sngags pa gnyis).
79
The Lords of the Cemetery, or better, the Lord and Lady of the Cem-
etery-for one is male and one is female-are stock figures of Tibetan art
The Days 205
and of Tibetan dance. In paintings and sculpture they are shown as two
skeletons dancing with anns and/or legs intertwined. Although there are sev-
eral sorts of skeleton deities in the Tibetan pantheon, the Lord and Lady of
the Cemetery can be distinguished by their crowns of five small skulls and
by the fan-shaped ornaments behind their ears.
80
Whatever their grisly associations in our minds, in Tibetan art and in
dance the Lords of the Cemetery are joyous, even comic figures. Contempo-
rary lama and Tibetologist Namkhai Norbu explains the phenomenon in this
way:
The dancing, grinning skeletons ... express a dynamic vision of death
and transformation, unchanging inner essence transcending the con-
stant mutations of externals. Meditation on the impermanence of all
phenomena should lead to a joyful freedom from attachment, and
not a morbid pessimism.
81
In the Nyingma and Sakya sects, Lords of the Cemetery are said to be
"among the more important Worldly Guardians, 'jigs rten pa'i srung ma."
82
According to Trulshik Rinpoche, they are the emissaries (pho nya) of the
Magicians, much as the Ging are the emissaries of Padmasambhava. Other
sources identify them as emissaries of Y ama, the Lord of Death.
83
As we will
see later, in addition to its iconographic logic, this fits with their role in
dances at other monasteries.
The Lords of the Cemetery enter and begin their bony jangling dance.
Their movements are so close to the way they are represented in art that they
seem to be a painting come to life. The dancers carry sticks with a small flat
spade or spoon-shaped end to represent the mummy-club that is their weapon.
84
Like the other servants and emissaries-the Ging and the Black Men-the
Lords of the Cemetery dance barefoot.
Following their frolicsome duet, the skeletons (ru rang) stand for a moment
facing each other. It is then that the two black-hatted Magicians enter.
85
The Magicians wear special black and brocade costumes. Each carries a
magic dagger in his left hand and a vajra in his right. They join the Lords
of the Cemetery in a stately dance, with the Magicians in the center of the
line and the skeletons to their left and right. They begin to circle the court-
yard. The motions of the four are similar at first. Later, each pair adopts its
own set of movements.
The dancers move to the south end of the courtyard. As the monks on
the dais begin to recite, the dancers stand-still facing each other-their
hands twisted into the mudra known as the hook gesture (lcags kyu rgya).
Like the mudra, the liturgy is taken from the Spying Ghosts ritual. The first
section of the text is recited once:
206 DAY FIFTEEN
E yam ram jvala ram
Within the pit, broad and profoundly deep,
From [the letter] tri, comes the tribe of spying demons,
The ghosts who interrupt achievement and lead it astray.
The bodies they all assume are exhausted.
86
An assistant uncovers the burial-pit near the stairs in the courtyard floor.
The dancers continue to stand as the officiants recite the second passage.
Namo! Homage to the Three Jewels!
Homage to the Three Jewels!
Homage to talk of truly pure reality!
Homage to undeceiving talk of the subject of cause and effect!
And especially, blessed by the true word of the divine host of the
Union of the Blissful/Lord of the Dance/Great Compassion maiJ(jala,
and by the great truth-
May all the ghosts who interrupt realization and lead it astray-the
family of spying demons-come to be in this image, in this symbolic
substance!
Tri yam jab tri vajra artlkusaja jab hom bam hob
There is music; with a flick of his wrist, the lama flings out his black
scarf; the skeletons break into motion and dance helter-skelter away. The
magicians hold fast, never breaking the mudra that summons the spirits to the
sp9t.
The skeletons return and the dancers resume their tableau. Again, there
is the liturgy, the. music, the scarf, and the skeletons skittering away _87 The
act is repeated three times.
88
The third time, all four dancers dance together.
The black hats dance and exit. Now alone, the skeletons dance mid-
courtyard to the altar, and as the music continues, unwrap the lingka that has
been kept for them underneath the altar. A floppy, featureless doll of graying
white cloth, the effigy is bound in the middle of a long and stout rope.
89
The
skeletons take either end and circle the courtyard, abusing the doll with their
clubs in rhythm with their dance. They fling the cloth figure down in front
of the steps, near to the triangular pit in which the paper effigy was buried
on the first day. They dance a moment longer and exit. According to one
expert, the hallmark of Lord of the Cemetery dancers in Tibet was their exit,
in which they would vault from the courtyard floor to the monastery porch
in a single bound.
90
The performance in Solu-Khumbu, though bouncy, is not
nearly this athletic; and the skeletons leave the courtyard in a more conven-
tional fashion.
The Days
207
The music continues, but the focus of attention now shifts to the dais.
The lama rolls his magic dagger between his palms and stabs the "last feast."
The ritual of liberation is carried out according to the directions in the Union
of the Blissful Manual. In the case of the Vajrakila dances done elsewhere
in Tibet, the corresponding part of that ritual would be used.
91
Hum! Excellent Horse (Hayagnva), projecting hosts of messengers
From his mind, puts those poisoned with ignorance
Into the pit of unliberated action,
So that they are exhausted and without a refuge. [22.5]
Hum! May the fiercely cruel blood drinker's weapon
Sharp and hard-the tool of wisdom-
Liberate the enemies and obstructors,
who are the five poisons of ignorance,
Into the realm of wisdom free from thought! [22bl]
Om padmakrota vajrakilaya sarvaatrUm maraya rbad
The lama then sprinkles the feast with ambrosia, using the lid of the
small skull cup. An assistant rushes the liberated feast to the courtyard altar.
92
The liturgy continues. Then, to the sound of music, the lama takes a pair
of iron tongs and removes the paper lingka from the black iron box in which
it has been kept. On a plate on his table, there is a triangular pyre made of
small sticks. As the crucial moment draws near, an assistant sets it aflame.
Hum! This thing that has been liberated into the selfless realm,
The five passions and view of the self
which are its aggregates and body,
This desirable thing, this great diamond pledge,
Partake of it pray, to liberate the world! [22b3]
Mahamamsa rakta kemniriti guhyasamaya khararil khllhi
Having recited the "burnt offering" which feeds the body of the passions
to the gods of the mal)d.ala, the lama places the effigy into the flames, tri-
angle into triangle.
93
To cleanse the black triangular box, he waves it over the
fire. After waiting a minute for the flames to die down, the assistant takes the
still-burning pyre to the triangular burial-pit near the stair.
94
Ten minutes pass with neither ritual nor fanfare. Finally, the assistant
places the ashes of the lingka into the burial pit. There they join the remains
of the other paper effigy that was made on the dark of the moon and buried
208 DAY FIITEEN
on the first day of ritual. The assistant places the heavy flagstone over the pit,
sealing it for another year.
Whether or not the Black Hat dance commemorates the assassination of
Langdarma (see Dance One), the structural similarities between that event
and the liberation dance are striking. Each is a magical act in which a Tantric
Magician (sngags pa) kills an incarnation of evil (an evil bull incarnated as
a king, an evil spirit incarnated in the lingka) with a magic weapon. In each
case, the weapon (an arrow, a phur bu) has tube-like properties appropriate
to the metabolic model of transcendence. In each case, the magician breaks
the flow of the victim's karma and propels his consciousness to paradise.
The metabolic metaphor works two ways. In one sense, the tube of the
arrow or dagger digests its victim, extracting the sublime essence from his
coarse matter. Given the upward direction of the spirit through the tube,
however, we might also see it as peristalsis in reverse: what begins as spiri-
tual offal is turned back into life-giving spirit.
DANCE SEVEN-THE GREAT PROTECTORS
There is a strong connection between the cult of the protector deities and
Tibetan religious dance and many 'chams include dances of one or more
protectors.
95
In a certain sense, despite our earlier caveat, dance is itself a
ritual; at the very least, it is an offering to the protector gods. As the propi-
tiation ritual itself puts it,
Brilliant displays stretch to the horizon;
Ritual dance, and music and dance with hand gestures, are carefully,
brilliantly done.
The ingredients of a scapegoat and the world of a thread cross appear,
and are not mixed up.
May this mass of all things inanimate and animate propitiate you!
96
As one who has followed the progress of the festival for the past two
weeks would expect, the deities of the Mani Rimdu protector dance come
from the Mindroling protector ritual t h a ~ has been used throughout Mani
Rimdu-The Playful Ocean of True Achievement.
97
The deities of the
Mindroling cycle, nine in number, are supplemented by one from the Rongphu
tradition-Long Life Woman. At present, the full ten are not danced any-
where. The selection of those that are varies from monastery to monastery.
At Chiwong and, formerly, at Thami four deities are represented. At
Tengpoche (and at Thami from 1983 on) eight are portrayed. The tradition at
Rongphu was originally eight. The groupings of four or of eight are the same
at each monastery that employs them (see chart below). In 1958 and 1959-
The Days 209
the last years before the Chinese Army carne to Rongphu and the Mani
Rimdu tradition ended in Tibet-the full ten were danced there.
98
When a lesser number of dancers is used, it is usually attributed to lack of
personnel. No doubt capital for the extravagant costumes and masks also is a
factor. To change the number of dancers as Tharni did in 1983, first a monas-
tery must gain permission from the proper authorities, in this case, Trulshik
Rinpoche. Then they must assemble the necessary masks and costumes. It is
evident that some desire to "keep up with the Joneses" was involved in the
innovations of 1983 at Tharni. For years, the nearby larger and more famous
monastery at Tengpoche had presented an eight protector dance.
When the dance is restricted to four deities the logic behind their choice
is easy to ascertain, at least in part. One of the four is a form of Mahakala,
the archetypical protector; another is Mahadeva, the specific protector asso-
ciated with Lord of the Dance. Although the last of the four, Mantra Guardian
and Cemetery Grandmother, are both considered forms of Devi, each is a
unique and important goddess in her own right. When greater numbers of
dancers are available, the strategy seems to be to add the more unique deities
and ignore one or more of the redundant Mahakalas.
99
In the interlude before the Great Protectors enter, the "Blessing of the
Propitiation Substances" from the Playful Ocean is performed to prepare the
offerings. While the Protectors are on stage, the monks perform the Propitia-
tfon (bskang ba), Confession (bshags pa), and Entrusting the Deeds (phrin
las bcol ba) for each god.
100
THE PROTECfOR DANCE AT DIFFERENT MONASTERIES
deity
1 Virtuous One t
2 Four-Handed One t*
3 Neuter t
4 Four-Faced One
5 Mantra Guardian t*
6 Great God t
7 Planet Demon t*
8 Son of Renown t
9 Cemetery Mama t
10 Long Life Woman t
Thami', before 1983.
"Thami" = 1983 and onward.
Rongphu Chiwong Thami' Thami"
-
-
- -
- -
- - - -
- -
- -
- -
Teng'
-
-
c According to Tengpoche Rinpoche, 5(29/83 interview; confirmed by observation, Tengpoche,
11/17/86.
Illustrated in Khempo Sangyay Tenzin, et al. 1975 (Kailash III: 4) (t) or in Beyer 1973: 49 ff.
(*). The iconography of the deity illustrated may not correspond in every detail to form speci-
fied in the Playful Ocean.
210 DAY FIITEEN
PROTECTOR DANCE MASKS AND PROPS'
hand implements
deity color right hand left hand
1 Four-Handed One blue skull "knife"/chopper"
2 Neuter blue spear heart
3 Mantra Guardian brown mannequin heartl"rat" club
4 Great God red hook snare
5 Planet Demon brown sword bow
6 Son of. Renown red lance/victory banner mongoose
7 Cemetery Mama brown mirror heart
8 Long Life Woman white vajra life flask
Based on performances at Thami 5(23/83 and Tengpoche 11/17/86. Where two items separated
by a slash (/) are shown, the former was at Thami, the latter at Tengpoche. The initial iden-
tifications were made by Thami Rinpoche in 1983, and the order of the deities in the chart is
his. In the dance of 1983, Son of Renown preceded Planet Demon. Otherwise, the order of the
chart is the order in which the dancers entered the courtyard that year. The masks and imple-
ments used at Chi wong (Ns 1, 3, 4, and 7, indicated by bold type) are identical unless
otherwise noted.
b Chiwong 1980: skull and a sword. Four-Handed One, who, of course, has four arms holds all
of these items. The Playful Ocean, "His first two hands, holding a chopper marked with the
enemy's heart above a skull of blood, embrace his consort. His lower two [hands) brandish a
flaming sword and a khatvtlQga." [10bl)
<Chi wong 1980: a hammer-like implement with a half-vajra on one side, a makara head on the
other, and surmounted by a half-vajra fmial. It is difficult to tell what these "rat" or "makara"
clubs could represent. The Playful Ocean mentions neither: "With her right hand, she raises a
human cudgel (zhing gi dbyug) above her head. In her left, she [holds) the enemy's heart [from
which] iron wolves scatter, swooping like falcons." [18b2) Trulshik Rinpoche's thang ka agrees
with the sadhana in every respect, down to showing an iron wolf leaping from the enemy's heart.
Like Dorje Drolo, the Great Protectors are significant figures, and like
him they are greeted with full pomp. The oboe duet, the clanging percussion
and the incense wand herald their entrance.
At Chiwong, the dance has eight movements.
101
The dancers enter in the order they will retain throughout most of the
dance: Four-Handed One, Mantra Guardian, Great God and Cemetery God-
dess.102 They dance to the courtyard and array themselves in the four corners,
clockwise from the northwest. They dance first east to west and then west to
east, returning to their places.
103
As the dancers stand in place, the monks on
the dais begin the first of the required selections from the Playful Ocean-
Blessing the Propitiation Substances.
From the empty realm [comes] [the syllable] bhram. From it [comes]
an unimaginable realm of fierce cemetery residences. In it, is the
The Days
entire panoply of outer, inner and secret offerings, displays, sympa-
thetic substances, support substances, propitiation substances and so
forth-the nine necessary types of desirable goods which pacify
existence. They are enriched with the nine goodnesses. They are
adorned with the nine beauties. Their nature is innate wisdom, illu-
sion. They rise [to perception] as every form of pleasure. They fill
the realm of the sky.
104
[40b6]
211
The chant continues. The cymbals and drums on the dais begin to mark
a slow cadence, and the Protectors start to dance, still in place. After half a
minute, there is a loud cymbal passage and the chanting stops. The gods
dance, bending their knees, their weapons making gestures of attack.
The second movement begins with a rapid chant. The text is the Propi-
tiation of the Four-Handed Protector.
105
At the words, "Although from the
Truth Realm, you display the body of a glorious blood drinker ... ", the gods
start to dance, the cymbals growing louder over the last part of the chant.
106
Although from the Truth Realm, you display the body of a glorious
Blood Drinker,
Originally, you are pure. We propitiate you
With progress on the paths of creation and fulfillment,
Such as the yoga that recognizes that you are indivisible from our
own minds!
Rejoice in non-dual bliss!
Bestow each and every true achievement,
And spread all the Sage's teaching far and wide,
Especially, the Diamond Vehicle! [43.3]
The cymbals grow yet louder and the liturgy stops, but the dance continues.
The third movement is the Propitiation of the Guardian of Mantra.
107
The
chant is very fast now; the cymbals and drums soft. The dancers stand still,
facing each other as the monks on the dais catalogue the substances that will
please the fearsome goddess.
The skull castle shimmering in fury-the cemetery residence,
The garments ofglory, ornaments and necklaces,
And a varied wealth of riches, displays, and so forth,
By the desirables, the nine necessities be propitiated.
108
[45.6]
As before, the drums and cymbals grow louder, as to the slow chanting
which propitiates the last members of Guardian of the Mantra's entourage,
"Butcher Black Murderess" and her companions, the gods begin to dance.
109
212 DAY FJFrEEN
Once more, the cymbals and drums play loudly when the chanting stops. The
gods dance in place.
The fourth movement begins like the third with a chant in quick-tempo.
The chorus of Great God's Propitiation is heard-"be propitiated ... be pro-
pitiated."110 The chant slows and the gods dance, starting just at the point that
the propitiation moves from the mundane to the transcendent, from the ma-
terial to the ethereal.
May the character of awareness, pure from the beginning mind itself,
[And] that which appears from its energy, arises without
impediment-the magic illusion [which is the god's body]
Arising spontaneously and liberated spontaneously-the realm of
just-the-way-things are,
111
Propitiate the Great God brother and sister! [47.2]
Arms down, elbows bent, the dancers wave their forearms back and forth
in time. The music grows louder and the chant ends. The Protectors spin and
march back and forth from east to west.
The fifth movement, the Propitiation of Cemetery Grandmother begins
with a very fast chant.
112
The second passage again begins with a slow dance
accompanied softly on the cymbals and drum. As in the previous segments,
the dancing starts when the chant reaches its climax.
Since we worship and serve you, Field Defending Grandmother,
In a Sotra-Tantra Religious Island of accomplished Knowledge
Bearers such as this,
Do not waver from acting as a refuge
From plagues such as smallpox,
And unsympathetic, contrary conditions, the forces of harm;
And completely purify sympathetic conditions, [and] quickly achieve
the goal we have in mind! [48b6]
113
The music grows louder and the dance continues. After half a minute, the
dancers begin a clockwise circle, backtracking sometimes as they move around
the courtyard. The movement ends with them standing still once more, but the
circle has rotated 180 so that the Four-Handed One is now in the southeast.
The sixth movement is dedicated to "Requesting Action" from the
Protectors.
114
In the ten directions, spread the Conqueror's teaching,
The basis from which all the virtues of existence and peace spring!
And thus make the adherents to the teaching grow like the waxing
moon-
The Days
They nourish it by explaining the transmissions and achieving
understanding. [52.4]
Pacify all difficulties for beings [whose numbers are] vast as the sky,
And nourish them with an ocean of the wealth of the ten virtues,
And increase all the good in the vessel of the world and its inhabitants,
And elevate it with the glory of the golden age! [52.5]
Particularly for us yogis and our followers, do the [four] deeds-
Pacify all discordant decline, [both] internal and external,
Such as disease, malignancy and obstructors,
115
and interruption!
Achieve total victory in the war against the demonic legions!
Increase and extend life, merit, greatness
Enjoyment, strength, and hearing, thinking and meditating!
Bring the beings of the three levels, and all their
Virtues and glory under your power! [52bl]
With unbearably fierce actions, liberate
Into the Realm of Wisdom
The enemies and obstructors whose minds are wild and topsy-turvy,
Along with the forces of darkness, the demon battalions! [52b2]
0 mind itself, original guardian of the teaching, unadulterated
By the smell of hope or fear-free from extremes,
116
reveal true bliss!
And with four kinds of action glorify
The ocean of true achievement which fulfills beings hopes! [52b3]
213
The movement is structured like the previous one, except that in the final
dance, the gods execute a series of kicks and short steps to the east and west.
They spin, then stop when the music stops.
According to the Chant Leader of Thubten Choling, the seventh move-
ment is Feeding the Torma.
117
The unaccompanied liturgy invokes the power
of the truth and uses it to sweep the enemies of religion into the torma.
And depending on the magic power of these great truths, may the
enemies of the teaching and of beings in general,
In particular, the past enemies. who attack us Knowledge Bearers
and our patrons and entourages,
The future enemies who think about us, [53.2]
The present enemies who hate us, the embodied who point us out as
enemies,
214 DAY FIFTEEN
And the host of disembodied hannful obstructors-all of them, no
matter where they live, where they run within the three existences,
In an instant, in a moment, be drawn into this, the basis of our
imaginings! [53bl]
Then, after a short musical interlude for the cymbals, drum and long
horns, the monks recite the mantras that feed the tormas to the Protectors, as
they do so, placing their finger-tips together and pulling them apart. The
mantras give way to a rapidly recited verse; then, to a piece of music for full
orchestra-thigh-bone trumpet, long horn, cymbals, drum, and oboes. The
gods resume their dance, spinning in place. They line up with Four-Handed
One and Mantra Guardian to the northwest and northeast, and Great God and
Cemetery Grandmother to the southwest and southeast.
The assistant removes the Protector torma from the altar. Having pros-
trated on the steps, he brings a plate of feast and the skull beer from courtyard
altar to Trulshik Rinpoche. Trulshik Rinpoche puts sacramental beer on his
wrist and licks it off. The Protectors dance up the stairs and exit by pairs.
118
The orchestral accompaniment continues after their departure, the per-
cussion becoming muted, then louder again. The final note is a long trailing
groan from the long horn.
Although the courtyard is now empty, the dance of the Protectors con-
tinues into its eighth and final movement. This segment is dedicated to the
closing prayers of the Playful Ocean.
119
The lama accompanies the musicians
on his c/.amaru. The music stops and the monks recite at a rapid tempo,
placing their palms together their hands in the anjali gesture and making the
other necessary mudras. The chant becomes rhythmic as the cymbals and
drums begin a soft accompaniment. Finally, the monks chant the "Auspicious
Omens" that end the Playful Ocean.
Come, good fortune of the root and lineage lamas!
Protector[s] of the circle of the infinite mavc/.ala ocean!
The unchanging, thrice secret bliss diamond mind!
120
Wish-granting tree that grants beings supreme benefit and pleasure!
Come, good fortune of the hosts of tutelary deities,
Countless Form Body clouds in the Truth Body sky,
Who having risen, playful with a hundred peaceful and wrathful
aspects,
Hurl down the rain of the nine-fold desirable true achievement!
[55.5]
Come, good fortune of glorious blazing Mahakala,
Who brings the black ones to an end, root, branch and tribe
The Days
With a dazzling brilliance that is hard to bear-
The dance of Glorious Heruka's compassionate play! [55bl]
Come, good fortune of the ocean-like host of Sworn Ones,
The Conqueror's attendants, the unbearably furious ones
Who annihilate the demon army, who defend the supreme achievement
like a son,
Who guard the teaching with the four forms of action!
215
The dance of the Protectors concludes with an orchestral arrangement for
long horns, oboes, (jamaru, bells, cymbals, and drums.
At monasteries outside of Solu-Khumbu, some protector dances seem to
portray a lone deity and his entourage.
121
Others feature groups of eight to ten
protectors, such as the eight (or nine) drag gshed of gSang chen rdo rje
Monastery in the Pedong Valley of Bhutan.
122
Although these dances have
features in common with Mani Rimdu's dance of the Great Protectors, with-
out knowledge of their liturgical bases it is difficult to say whether the. deities
they portray correspond in any way to those of Mani Rimdu.
The Dance of the Great Protectors, in fact, is an ideal illustration of the
difficulty of studying 'chams-or any other Tibetan ritual activity-without
access to its liturgy, and the history of scholarship on the subject provides the
perfect cautionary tale. In the late 1960s, Luther Jerstad witnessed a dance
with eight protectors at Tengpoche.
123
He also found a list of eight protectors
in Antoinette Gordon's Iconography of Tibetan Lamaism.
124
Putting two and
two-or eight and eight-together, he concluded that Gordon's list described
the deities in Mani Rimdu. Unfortunately, the list was irrelevant. Thus, Jerstad's
identifications of the deities in this dance are all incorrect, except for one,
Mahakala, which is merely imprecise.
To make matters worse, Jerstad often avoided his own field data in favor
of Gordon's iconographic descriptions. Thus, we read that the red-masked
gShin rje gshed, who only appears in the Mani Rimdu of Jerstad's imagina-
tion, holds a skull bowl and a "gri-gug, a tantric knife, shaped like a small
hatchet."
125
In fact, neither of the red-masked figures of Mani Rimdu holds
implements even resembling these. Jerstad himself noted at least one of the
discrepancies between what he had seen and what he had read. When he
sought an explanation for it, he put the blame on the monks. He did, however,
charitably allow that "this probably owes to lack of properties, and not to
deficiency of knowledge of his proper form."
126
Seven years later, the great alpinist and mountaineering authority Mario
Fantin followed in Jerstad's footsteps and reproduced all of his errors in a
large format picture book.
127
To add to the confusion, a later publication indicates that Gordon's group
of eight deities-the drag gshed brgyad---may actually figure in unrelated
216 DAY FIFTEEN
dance festivals at other sites. After Jerstad and Fantin, however, one reads
such accounts with a skeptical eye.
128
DANCE EIGHT-SHARLUNG MAHA-UPASAKA
AND THE BLACK MEN
At Chi wong and Thami, as at Rongphu, the eighth dance represents Shar lung
dge bsnyen chen po, the local.god of the latter Mona,stery. Although the term
upasaka in Sanskrit is quintessentially Buddhist, describing the vows of a lay
cleric, in Tibet the term dge bsnyen is also applied to various local deities,
including the twenty-one dge bsnyen, "an ancient group of Mountain gods,"
who, Nebesky-Wojkowitz explains, "are named after the mountains and val-
leys which are supposed to be their residence."
129
As was the case with the Lords of the Cemetery and the Magicians, the
dances of the Black Men and of Sharlung dge bsnyen chen po are often
counted as separate dances. According to Trulshik Rinpoche, much as the
Lords of the Cemetery are the emissaries (pho nya) who precede the
Magicians, and the Ging the heralds of Padmasambhava, the Black Men
are the servants of Sharlung. The Black Men carry swords and wear black
clothes of a unique design: a baggy blouse and trousers, each with wide
tight-fitting cuffs. Each wears an appliqued bib (stod /e) and a small black or
brown mask.
130
Like the other servants in the Mani Rimdu 'chams, they are
barefoot.
131
The music that marks the entrance of the Black Men is unlike the other
compositions played at Mani Rimdu. The long-hom passages have weirdly
abrupt crescendos and diminuendos, perhaps a survival of pre-Buddhist lit-
urgy. They dance until the music stops, then exit.
The strange groaning fanfare resumes as Sharlung enters. Sharlung car-
ries a banner-draped spear in his right hand and a whip in his left. His brown
mask is surmom:ited by a cylindrical banner flanked by triangular pennants.
His entrance is unusual, in that he walks backwards to and down the stairs.
He wends his way around the courtyard, dancing until he reaches the south.
Then, the long hom stops tplaying, and Sharlung dances in his place to the
cymbals and drums. A monk' brings out a chair. As Dorje DrolO before him,
Sharlung sits.
The Black Men enter for second time, dancing wildly to a fast passage
for long horns and percussion. This time they carry white ropes or kha btags.
132
As they dance together, they make knotting gestures. Trulshik Rinpoche
explains that the ropes are their black lassos (zhags pa nag po). "At Rongphu,
they were long and black and thrown at the ground, to mimic lassoing an
animal. At Chiwong, they do not know this and do it in the air with kha
btags." At Thami, the Rongphu tradition of black ropes is preserved.
133
The Days
217
The Black Men position themselves at the southeast and southwest. The
three dance together in the south. Then the chair is removed and they all exit.
The ritual action, the "reason for the necessity" of the dance of Sharlung
is to feed a feast offering to the Lama. Earlier, the feast was offered to the
gods. Now it is a pledge substance (dam tshig gi rdzas) offered to the body
god (Ius lha).
134
The liturgy used in the dance of Sharlung is an excerpt from The Ful-
fillment of the Practitioner's Hopes: A Cloud of Offerings for the Guardian
of the Oral Tradition of rDza rong phu Hermitage, Shar lung Upasaka.
135
The section excerpted is entitled "Putting him to Work." It highlights both
Sharlung's duty as body god of the lama of Rongphu and his obligations to
the community at large.
Hom! Such is the work with which you are charged-
To guard the Buddha's teaching strictly!
To praise the Conqueror's grandeur greatly!
To make flourish the Lama's life and body!
To remove discord and create harmony
By practicing the doctrines that establish the definite meaning!
Magically grant us yogis' every wish,
And extend each enjoyment we desire!
Above all, be a support at our backs, an unwavering legion of powers!
We practice holy religion properly
In this great place!
Help us practice holy religion!
A local protector is by defmition parochial. When a festival like Mani
Rimdu is transplanted, such deities are likely to be supplemented or replaced
by gods of more immediate interest. In the daily liturgy of the local protec-
tors, we saw the former occur when b.Kra shis dpal chen, the god of Solu's
Mount Numbur was added to the roster of deities. At Tengpoche, we see an
example of the latter.
Dance eight is the dance of the local protector (gnas srung), and
Tengpoche Rinpoche, a lama of an independent cast of mind. He has replaced
the god of Rongphu with one more close at hand, Zur ra rva skyes, who is
worshipped as the protector of Khembalung-a hidden valley nearby in
Khumbu.
136
Trulshik Rinpoche's description of his supernatural neighbor is both
personal and picturesque.
Zur ra rva skyes is a little bit like a demon (bdud). He is the younger
brother of the Cemetery Goddess (Dur khrod lha mo = Dur khrod
rna mo)-her only brother. He kills people. Since he has been got
218 DAY FIFTEEN
at by many lamas, he's become a little better, though. He is the god
of Khembalung, a site sacred (gnas) to Padmasambhava.
137
Like Shar lung, Zur ra is worshipped during the dance with a short
prayer. Although the character and the liturgy are different, according to
Tengpoche Rinpoche, the dance is the same.
138
The ultimate origin of Zur ra rva skyes is unknown. A similar name
appears in the Tibetan epic: Senglong Ragyey (Seng blon ra skyes), Gesar's
father.
139
However, beyond their names, a relationship between the two fig-
ures is as yet to be discovered.
DANCE NINE-THE SKY WALKERS
Dances both of male and female Sky Walkers are known in Tibet. Although
the present example features Sky Walking Women, it partakes of elements of
each kind of dance. As in some 4aka dances, the participants play the 4amaru.
As in some r}aki!Ji dances, each wears the five-lobed paficatathtigata head-
dress rather than a mask.
140
As is typical in monasteries, the Mani Rimdu Sky Walkers are portrayed
by young boys, often the youngest of the monastery's novices. They are five
in number, referring to the five Tathagata families into which Sky Walkers
are commonly grouped.
141
According to Trulshik Rinpoche, the Sky Walker
dance is a celebration (dga' ston) of the enjoyment the feast.
142
The thigh trumpets sound and the music begins-a trio for long horns,
cymbals and drums.
143
The Sky Walkers enter the courtyard. Each carries a
t}amaru in her right hand and a bell in her left. As the Sky Walkers dance
around the central altar, the oboists begin to play. Within a minute of their
entrance, the dancers have lined up in front of and facing the dais. Each
stands holding her r}amaru near her head and her bell at her waist. The
dancers hold the bell with elbow bent and the wrist curiously turned inward
so that the back of the hand rests on the hip and the bell is upside down. The
monks on the dais recite the Sky Walker prayer.
The prayer, an excerpt from "The Song of the Queen of Spring" (dPyid
gyi rgyal mo ), is not used elsewhere in Mani Rimdu. It celebrates the union
of bDe mchog (Sartwara). and his consort and contains numerous references
to sexual yoga.
144
Despite the Nyingma' s reputation for being perhaps a bit
more free-spoken on this subject than the other orders, the prayer is Gelugpa
in origin and comes from Pha bong kha's Lama Worship (Bla ma'i mchod
pa). Trulshik Rinpoche sometimes refers to the Sky Walker dance itself as a
Gelugpa dance.
The Days 219
:t;>aki.ni Dancer, Thami 1983
220 DAY FIITEEN
If you want to sing the Song of the Queen of Spring-
Hom! I pray
To every Tathagata,
And to all the Heroes and Y oginis,
Sky Walkers and Sky Walking Women!
In bliss Joyous Heruka,
Maddened with bliss, comes to the Mother,
And enjoys [her] according to ritual,
Entering into innately blissful union.
A Ia Ia! La Ia hob! A i ab! Arali ho!
Stainless hosts of Sky Walkers!
Look on me with love! Do every deed!
Hom! I pray
To every Tathagata,
And to all the Heroes and Y oginis,
Sky Walkers and Sky Walking Women!
Bliss has much moved my mind,
So, my body moving much in dance
Plays in the lotus of the mudrll. Make this bliss
An offering to the hosts of Yoginis!
A Ia Ia! La Ia hob! A i ab! Arali ho!
The prayer takes but a minute to read. Then, to a soft accompaniment of
cymbals and drums, the Sky Walkers begin their elegant and gentle dance.
A minute later, they face the dais once more and the monks begin to pray.
Their final dance is somewhat At first, the dancers move for-
ward and backward a short distance, perhaps a foot. Then, they circle the
altar playing their t/.amaru. Their playing stops as they wait to make their
exit, but each resumes as he leaves the stage.
DANCE TEN-THE SEER
The Sherpas call the star of tenth act the "Tolden" (Tib., rTogs !dan), the
Seer. Like the Sky Walker dance, the Seer is a celebration of the enjoyment
the feast. However, Trulshik Rinpoche explains, whereas the former was
serious celebration, the latter is comic.
145
The Days 221
At Rongphu, the act is said to have been a rather short affair-no more
than two hours long. The Seer simply explains a little Buddhist doctrine and
then leaves.
146
In Solu-Khumbu, the Seer is'.by far the longest act of Mani
Rimdu-often enduring a staggering hours. It is also the
most beloved. The day of the dance is a long one. Now and again, members
of the audience take a break at the tea shops. During most of the day, these
shops do a thriving business; during the Seer, they are often deserted.
147
In
1994, a thousand people jammed the monastery to see the Tolden.
Much of the present-day Seer's performance is devoted to clowning. One
highly placed Tibetan monastic informant voiced mild disapproval of this
custom, finding it inexplicable except for the fact that, in his words, "Sherpas
like a lot of 'ha ha."' In general though, Tibetans enjoy the Seer's antics
every bit as much as the Sherpas, and monks laugh as loudly as laymen. Most
years, the monks can be seen crowding the dais-their place of privilege-
craning around the pillars to catch a better view.
The name rTogs ldan, "Seer," means "he who has penetrating insight."
According to Ngawang Yonten, who has played the part for many years at
Chiwong, the Seer lives up to his name. He is a Buddhist yogi capable of
doing in truth all the things he acts out in the dance, such as balancing on the
point of a sword without being impaled.
The Seer wears the red and white striped shawl of a Buddhist yogi. The
rest of his costume is in keeping with his character: bone earrings, a top-knot,
and a yellow vest or shirt. He carries the thigh-bone trumpet and large\double-
headed (jamaru drum (gcod (jam) which mark the chOpa (gcod pa), the prac-
titioner of the yoga of cutting-off. gCod is a fearsome rite steeped in the
shamanic traditions of an earlier age. The meditator imagines that he cuts up
his body and offers it to all flesh-eating demonic forces in want of food. The
Seer's script specifies that he perform the rite, which he does, cirCling the
courtyard and singing in the plaintive voice typical of gcod song. During one
performance of Mani Rimdu, I heard the Seer shout, "I am a Kagyii yogi!"
148
According to some sources, the Seer represents a specific historical figure,
and the dance portrays his life and demonstrates his powers.
149
The Seer's half-mask has the dark complexion, large nose, and protrud-
ing eyes of a caricature Indian. The half-mask leaves his mouth relatively
free, and indeed he is the only character in Mani Rimdu that speaks. Much
of what he says is found in manuscript form, although some dialog may be
transmitted orally, without reference to a printed page. Some of this memo-
rized but unwritten material belongs to the 'dre dkar tradition-a school of
itinerant satirical performance. For Stein, the 'dre dkar, or "white demon,"
actor exemplifies that uniquely Tibetan personality: "ambiguous figures whose
character is at once sacred and hilarious."
150
The same could be easily said
of our Seer, and to an extent, of the other coll).ic figure of Mani Rimdu, the
Long-Life Man.
222 DAY FIFrEEN
The script used for much of the Seer's dialog at Chiwong is a ragtag
miscellany of papers, obviously in many hands and possibly of several
generations. The text begins with a description of the Seer's entrance and
then goes into his rather lengthy sermon. The selection below gives all of his
entrance and a little of the sermon-just enough to give its flavor.
151
The Seer's Schedule
At the beginning, when coming from inside the Assembly Hall, come out saying,
Mao.i ho, Padme hrlb
[Then, go for refugej1
52
Then, make yourself known.
153
Then, [recite]-
The three roots, collected ...
154
Also, then explain religion.
1
ss
Then, teach about impermanence.
156
[Then, the ten non-virtues, etc.jl
51
Then, offer incense to the gods.
158
Also do a song and dance.
159
[Also, then, there is the 'dre dkar dance.jl
60
Then, the Bro brdung.
161
Then, do an empowerment.
162
Then, do the "Attracting F ortune"
163
-
ris gu 'khu yo 'khu yo!
smug pa 'khu yo 'khu yo!
164
On this residence, today
Luck and fortune, 'khu yo!
'khu yo, fortune, 'khu 'khu yo!
Then, offer a Long Life Prayer.
Then, do the Auspicious Omens.
165
The Long Life Prayer is done after the "Truths"
166
-
Om svasti! By the intrinsic power of
The three supreme undeceiving truths of the Lama,
And the truth of the Tutelary and Sky Walkers,
And the truth of the Sages (rsi) and Knowledge Bearers-
Here and now, may I achieve the results of my wishesP
67
Ananda, the sublime son of the Fourth Guide,
The incarnations that in succession come, [each] a new dance [of]
The sublime one named Ngawang Losang Donag,
168
The Days
That their lives remain firm for a hundred reons,
I offer with respect this long life prayer!
169
The Lama's body is a diamond body,
Brilliantly shining, forever everywhere-
Inconceivable, perfect in its qualities-
! offer with respect this long life prayer to the Lama's body!
The Lama's voice is the song of Brahma.
It resounds like the unstoppable lion's roar.
I offer with respect ...
To the Lama's speech, which vanquishes the non-believer's perverted
views!
The Lama's mind is like the sky-
The blissful, clear, unimpeded realm of the sky!
I offer with respect ...
To the Lama's mind!
The unchanging body! The Lama's body!
The unimpeded speech! The Lama's speech!
The unmistaken mind! The Lama's mind!
I offer ... this long life prayer to the Lama's body, speech and mind.
Especially, all the holy, highly born who uphold
The Sugar Cane Man's precious teaching,
170
Those who uphold the teaching in broad Jambu-land,
171
That their lives remain firm for a hundred reons ...
The noble clergy who Cleave to the Conqueror's teaching,
Beautified by the jeweled ornaments of the three learnings, the
transmissions and understanding,
Those who strive to hold others dearer than themselves,
That their lives ...
Especially, the kind patrons of the teaching who bear the lineage
Of the Sovereign Nyima Wozer,
172
Those who, in general, bear the lineage
Of he who was named Lama Sangyay of the Nyang clan,
I offer with respect ...
Especially, to work for the pleasure, happiness and glory
Of every form of being born in broad Jambu-land,
223
224 DAY FIFTEEN
And to pacify all disease, darkness, strife, dispute and trouble,
And then to spread the Buddha's teaching, with respect, I offer a
long-life prayer!
Namo Guru! I bow to Ngawang Norbu's feet!
The root of all religious [teachings]
Is twofold-Philosophy (mtshan nyid), the cause vehicle;
And Mantra, the effect vehicle.
In the cause [vehicle], Philosophy, there are the ten perfections, and
so on;
And in the effect [vehicle], Mantra, there are the nine successive
vehicles, and so on.
Action Tantra, BehaviorTantra, Yoga, [and] Unexcelled [Yoga] Tantra
Are the four classes of tantra.
The first, Philosophy (mtshan nyid), has two parts:
The Branches of What is to be Explained,
And What is Actually to be Explained.
The first among these is the door
-the method of relying on a spiritual friend.
Also, there is the thing to be abandoned-a perverted spiritual friend;
And the thing to be taken up-the method of relying on a spiritual
friend, and so on.
If this has not been done already,
173
T h ~ Great Orgyan said-
"Not checking a lama is like drinking poison.
Not checking a disciple is like jumping off a cliff."
The method of relying on a virtuous friend-since that's over with-
Part two has three parts-The Way a Master Explains Religion,
The Way a Disciple Listens, and How Master and Disciple Explain
and Listen to Religion Respectively.
174
Among these, there is also the way the Master, the Buddha, ex-
plained religion; the way the Arhats explained religion; the way the
masters, the pa!J4itas explained religion-and so on. There are many
of them.
However, if you summarize them-
Part Two-The Way Disciples Listen, has two parts: Motivation and
Behavior. This also has two parts: The Vast Concept of the
The Days
Bodhisattva's Motivation, and The Vast Method of the Motivation of
the Secret Mantra.
Regarding the first, The Vast Concept-
you must cast aside thoughts of this life.
The all-pervading sky is pervaded by beings,
And among all those beings, who are pervaded by suffering, there
is not a one who has not been your father and mother. When they
were your parents, their kindness was great. They gave you the first
taste of food, covered you up with the very best of clothes-put
simply, they had extreme loving kindness.
In order to liberate all those who have acted with such kindness
from the ocean of samsara, and to get them liberation and the pre-
cious state of enlightenment, right now, having heard the holy and
profound, I must have the sound motivation which considers that [I
should] practice it.
225
A monk of Khumbu interviewed by anthropologist Vincanne Adams
sums up the Seer's message:
When you are born, you must die. Everyone gets sick, but this [pro-
cess] shows one the physical body. It will get sick, disease and die.
The main idea is that you must meditate. Otherwise, you are wasting
your time. Tolden says that the lama, shaman, doctor-none can save
your life. They will care for the sick people, but we are all mortal-
jiktenpa ('jig rten pa)-destructible bodies. At the time of death, nobody
can save you. Not even your relatives can help you then. You must
leave your body behind. Then you must walk by yourself.
175
The Seer's speech is a linguistic hodgepodge. One moment he will ban-
ter with the CDO in Nepali. The next, he will speak Sherpa, or quite passable
central Tibetan dialect. Religious discourses, like the one above are in a more
classical Tibetan.
There is hardly the space here to describe four-and-one-half hours of
comedy. Many elements of the Seer's performance, such as the 'dre dkar
tradition are yet to be explored by Western scholarship. The Seer himself
could.easily be the subject of an entire book. Before we leave him however,
it would be good to describe one of his more significant acts in some detail.
The sword trick is a major feature of the Seer's yearly performance. In
preparation, the actor strips off his upper garments and takes up a large
sword. He prays over the weapon, dances in a circle and sings. Halting near
226 DAY FIFrEEN
the edge of the courtyard, he places the sword upright, bracing the handle
against the flagstone floor. He bends over, placing his weight on the sword
point and balancing from the waist. The crowd begins to throw money.
The Seer circles the courtyard further and stops at another spot to repeat
his. balancing act. A second flurry of coins clatters to the ground.
Once more, the Seer moves on and for a third time bends over his sword.
This time he puts on the pressure and the sword bends. Money hails.
The liturgy the Seer recites during his trick is real. It is one of the
"Showering Blessings" rituals used in Mani Rimdu. The mudni he makes is
likewise genuine-the iron hook gesture that is used to summon supernatural
entities/forces into our realm. The sword, however is fake. Dull-pointed and
made of flexible steel, it is easily bent when braced in the heavy folds of
cloth around the waist of the Seer's costume.
176
The actor who plays the Seer discusses this piece of stagecraft openly
and without any reticence. To at least some of the members of the audience,
however, his act is no trick. For them, it is only the power of the mantra that
protects the Seer from certain death. For one Sherpa informant, a young,
successful English-speaking businessman, the sword trick was a sign of the
very efficacy of his religion. Were he to think it was fake, he said, he would
lose faith in his own culture. Others less subject to the pressure of foreign
ideas might have a less drastic reaction.
As the Seer leaves the courtyard, he shouts "Farewell, good-bye, I'll
come back tomorrow or the next day."
177
It will be a year before the audience
sees the Seer again. Many members of that audience will be the same as this
year and year before. No matter how often they have seen him and how many
times they have heard his jokes, they will await him eagerly. An old joke is
an old friend and he who brings one is always welcome.
The figure of the Seer has features in common with characters of other
'chams. Like the Mongolian eagan obo, the "White Old Man," he alone
among the dancers is allowed to speak.
178
Like both the eagan obO and the
atsara of other traditions, he collects money from the spectators.
The atsara-their name is presumably from the Sanskrit acarya-are
worth a few more words. Like the Seer, their masks are dark brown or black,
often bearded and have a large nose. Their hair is long or in a top-knot.
According to all accounts the atsara represent the Indian yogis they indeed
resemble-figures designed to "ridicule the priesthood of Hinduism. "
179
There is evidently some relation between the Seer and the atsara, but of
what it consists we may only speculate. As we have shown above, the Mani
Rimdu Seer is no figure of ridicule, nor is he considered to be a Hindu. It
may be that here we see the mask and costume of a comic stock Hindu given
a new name and put to a new use. It should not be forgotten that the long-
haired yogis of ancient India (or of modern Tibet) were not all Hindus. It may
well be that at least some of the atsara of other traditions like the Seer are
The Days
227
Buddhist yogis, and for all the laughter they provoke, figures of reverence
rather than ridicule.
Throughout much of his act, the Seer is accompanied by the figures of
an old man and woman, and their child, the rag doll effigy of the liberation
dance. The old man and woman also have analogues elsewhere. In eastern
Tibet, for example, we fmd a nomadic yak-herd and his wife leading a cow,
the man armed with a sling and his wife, carrying a milk pail.
180
The old couple that appear with the "Ha Shang" at Choni have some
interesting parallels to our own. The couple at Mani Rimdu carry a doll, and
to some extent abuse it. At Choni, "after the litzga had been cut up," the old
couple "hurled pieces of the dough effigy among the spectators."
181
The sword trick also has analogues outside the realm of sacred dance.
Similar demonstrations are in the repertoire of several Tibetan oracles. Can-
didates for the oracle of Nechung must twist a heavy sword into a spiral.
182
In his memoirs, Nebesky-Wojkowitz describes a performance by an oracle of
the god Dorje Shugden:
A servant pressed a short sword into the oracle priest's right hand.
The seer placed the point against his hip, where a strong leather
strap showed under his brightly colored apron, and pushed on the
handle until the blade doubled up.
183
Such a twisted sword is called a "knotted thunderbolt" and is valued as
a defense against the supernatural. Hung next to the door, it can prevent
malignant spirits from entering.
184
DANCE ELEVEN-THE REMAINDER
The eleventh dance concerns the remainder of food on the feast plate, the
"jutho," to use the Indian and Nepali term,
185
the leftovers from the offerings
to the gods of the m a ~ ; u j a l a and the gods of the body. The figures of the
remainder dance wear the costumes of the two Black Men, the relatively
lowly supernatural entities that were seen earlier serving the local god. The
Chant Leader of Thubten ChOling firmly states, however, that they are not the
two Black Men, identifying them instead simply as the "Remainder's" (!hag
ma).l86
As the name implies, the ritual used here is the Remainder of the Feast:
Hum! Among Great Compassion's circle of attendants,
You who possess a vow to defend the teaching-
The hosts of Ladies, Sky Walkers,
Ging [and] Langka, and Sorcerers, Slow-Walkers (shugs 'gro) and
Malefactor /Benefactors.
228 DAY FIFTEEN
You are fearsome in form; you have ornaments of violence.
You judge [our] quality; you gauge the warmth [of our practice].
You follow vows; you circulate among the cemeteries.
Together with your individual incarnations and messengers,
Please eat these glorious left-overs!
And act in accord with your vows!
Om ucchi(>ta balirhta khahi
187
The commentary further refines the list of the guests to be invited to
offering or the remainders.
The twenty eight isvarl, the thirty-two Sky Walkers, the eighteen
great Ging, the three types of langka.
188
Further, the seven Grand-
mothers, the four Sisters, the eight Blazing Women, the three-hundred
sixty Messengers, and so on. And those of the race of Sorceresses,
shugs 'gro, and Malefactor/Benefactors.
189
Taking these passages into consideration, it would seem that the "Re-
mainders" costume represents a status in the supernatural hierarchy rather
than an absolute identity. As Tengpoche Rinpoche puts it, these beings are
"servants who are not supposed to feast with the. other deities. "
190
The dance is simple and short.
191
Two black-clad dancers enter, one
wearing a green mask, the other a red one. They race around the courtyard
a n < ; ~ . proceed to the southeast and southwest comers. A monk gives each a
plate of leftover feast from the central altar.
192
The remainder ritual is recited,
the music begins, the "Remainders" dance briefly and exit.
193
The Vajrakila 'chams yig describes a dance of the remains, but its move-
ments seem to have little to do with ours.
194
DANCE TWELVE-THE SWORD DANCE
The characters of the Sword Dance are the Liberation Ging (sgrol ging), al-
though in Solu-Khumbu their masks are borrowed from the Protector Dance.
195
According to Trulshik Rinpoche, if we think of the Great Protectors as "Min-
isters of War" in the armies of righteousness, "then the Liberation Ging are like
colonels (steng dpon)." Each sword dancer carries a sword in his right hand and
a scabbard in his left.
196
The sword Dance at Chiwong is a simple affair. At
Thami, as we will see in a moment, it is rather more complex.
At Chi wong, the dancers enter one by one. Each jumps from the bottom
step to the courtyard floor and goes to the northeast comer, where he dances
while the others wait on the stairs. After a half minute or so, he relinquishes
his comer and moves one place clockwise around the circle. Once all the
The Days 229
dancers are the courtyard, they dance until the music stops, then stand, each
in his own corner, as a passage of liturgy is read. In all there are three
recitations, alternating with sequences of dance.
197
At a certain point, the
assistant removes a pair of tormas.
198
The Liberation Ging resume their dance,
stabbing and slashing in the air with their swords. They exit by pairs.
The Sword Dance is sometimes called the Liberation Dance (bsgral
'chams), the name normally given to Dance Six.
199
As this alternate title
implies, at some monasteries at least, the Sword Dance is a continuation of
that dance. Dance Six, it will be remembered, contains attacks on three sepa-
rate effigies. Skeleton dancers abused a cloth lingka, and the lama stabbed a
dough effigy (the last of the feast) and a burned a paper lingka.
At Thami and Tengpoche,
200
as before them at Rongphu,
201
the sword
dance features a lingka made of dough which the dancers cut up with swords.
At Chiwong, however, a dough effigy is not used. At Thami, the effigy is
perhaps six inches long. To all appearances it is made from the same sort of
barley flour dough as a torma. It is painted red.
202
The figure has a rudimentary face--ears, eyes, and nose, but no mouth. It
has no hands, or at least no details of a hand articulated. Its left arm is at its
side; its right arm is bent at the elbow, with the hand end pointing to the chest.
As in paper effigies, the lingka' s legs should be bent outward at the knee,
203
and
are bound by a strip of dough representing iron chains (lcags sgrog). The chest
of the dough effigy has a deep cavity in it, with a raised lip and a lid. This
cavity serves as a receptacle for blood or a blood substitute.
204
The Vajrakila
'chams yig identifies the lingka aS "an. image of the enemies and obstruc-
tors,"205 and specifies that it should be: " ... complete with brain, heart, bowels
etc., just like a real corpse, of great and terrifying splendor.'
0206
At Thami, the dough lingka is kept under the altar in a triangular black
wooden box until it is needed. After a passage of liturgy and a musical
interlude, the box is removed. The music resumes and the dancers close on
the box. They cut up the lingka, pick up the dismembered pieces with the tips
of their swords and continue their dance. The music stops and there is liturgy
on the dais. An assistant wearing a yellow ceremonial hat approaches the
courtyard altar, and sprinkles a gift torma (' bul gtor) of the protector type
with ambrosia and ceremonial blood (rakta).m He places a piece of the cut
up effigy next to the torma and carries it out. The Liberation Ging resume
their dance and then exit by pairs.
208
According to Trulshik Rinpoche, the Sword Dance contains two rituals,
"Urging the Contract" from the Lord of the Dance Manual, and "Giving the
Torma to the Defenders of Religion.'' Although this identification has its prob-
lems, there is much to argue in its favor.2
09
If in the earlier "Liberation Dance,"
the corpse of the enemy was fed to the gods of the ma!Jala, here it is fed
directly to the protectors. The liturgy of the "Feeding" itself offers "the flesh
and blood of enemies and obstructors" to the protectors in thanks for the boons
they have already granted and in expectation of those yet to come?
10
230 DAY FIFrEEN
Trulshik Rinpoche describes the Sword dancers as killers of the enemy;
they stab the lingka with their swords. Nowadays, he adds, they rush through
the prayer instead of doing it to the rhythm of the dance.
211
The dismemberment of a dough lingka is a common feature of Tibetan
sacred dance. Many times it follows close on the heels of the other effigy related
dances. Different dancers dispatch the effigy in different traditions. It is common
for either Y ama-the Lord of Death-or the stag-headed creature who some-
times is counted among his minions to do the cutting. In some traditions, skeleton
dancers, also often considered subalterns of Yama, tear the lingka to pieces.
212
The chart that follows this section compares the key features of the two sorts
of "liberation dance" as they are performed at various parts of the Himalayas.
Other types of sword dances are known in Tibet, but it is difficult to see
their immediate relation to the present type. One is an athletic/military event
performed by warriors or dancers costumed in the flagged helmets and other
paraphernalia of Tibetan warriors of old.
213
Another, called the "noble offer-
ing" or "glorious gift" (dpal 'bu[) is performed by the Nechung oracle while
possessed by Pehar.
214
LIBERATION DANCES COMPARED
carrying daggers/stabbing swords/cutting place source
skeletons black hat/lama sgro/ ging Solu-Khumbu Kohn
"attendants" black hat (rite) stagb E. Tibet Combe
"a lama" 7 Yama Hemis
-
- black hat, 8 drag gshed black hat 'Gye mur Pott
skeletons' black hat black hat? Po tala
d
skeletons
-
stag Choni (Coni) Rock
Yama Yama (rite) stag Mi nyag Stein
atsaras
-
Yama Kumbum Tafel
skeletons Yama stag Mongolia Lessing
lamas Y ama ("killing") Inner Mongolia Haslund-Chr.
skeletons -
-
Thimpu Davis
' In Mani Rimdu, the skeletons bear a lingka of cloth suspended from a rope. The dough effigy, where
used, is not brought out theatrically, but is kept out of sight beneath the courtyard altar until needed.
bIt should be noted that after the /ingka is cut up, the previous dancers, seemingly Vajrakila and
his entourage and/or the black-hat dancers, return. Then, "Each member of this group was given
a piece of the dough effigy, which he held a while, throwing it eventually into one of the four
main directions." Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Tibetan Religious Dances, 1976: 19.
'The skeletons "wheel around" the lingka. It is unclear how it gets on stage. Nebesky-Wojkowitz,
Ibid., 1976: 44.
d From various sources, see Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Ibid., 1976: 43, n. 84. For other references, see
my note on the Liberation Dance in note 77.
The Days
231
DANCE THIRTEEN-THE MAGIC WEAPON DANCE
Like the Overture, the Magic Weapon Dance originated at Mindroling. The
dance takes its name from the magic weapon the dancers employ. The magic
weapon here is a torma. Its name, zor, is related to the Tibetan word for
sickle. There are many different kinds of zor, and rituals to make use of them.
In Mani Rimdu, the zor is a red four inch tall pyramid of dough with three
sides edged with a white motif of flames.
The zor is a form of the contract torma used each day in the Lord of the
Dance rituals. In this ritual, the torma begins as a representation of the con-
tract between Padmasambhava and the "great and haughty gods of Tibet,"
and ends as a magic weapon that rights the spiritually topsy-turvy condition
of the world. The ritual content of the dance is the same as in the daily
ritual-Giving the Contact Torma.
215
Only the form of the torma changes. In
the daily ritual, the contract torma form is used, in the dance, the magic
weapon. As in the daily ritual, after the Magic Weapon Dance, a torma is
offered to the Steadfast Women. This offering however, is not acted out by
the dancers.
The first figures to enter the courtyard are two Magicians. They dance
at the north end and then circle the courtyard making a mudrtl. The mudra
consists of touching the backs of the hands together, fmgers bent in, knuckles
touching, then flinging the hands outward.
216
There are two such sequences,
separated by pauses in the music and movement.
During one of the pauses, a monk hands them a magic weapon torma.
The dancers stand with hands on hips as the liturgy is recited on the dais:
217
Hom! Turn back the enemies and obstructions of ignorance and
egoism
Compassed by appearing and existing!
0 magic torma weapon of the play of wisdom,
Tum the vessel of the world into a divine palace!
Sentient beings, born and transient, to Buddhahood!
Suffering to the realm of bliss!
Samsara to the realm of nirvana!
Tum the five poisonous passions into the five wisdoms!
The five father aggregates into the five mother elements!
Samsara to the element of nirvlll).a!
Everything into primordial purity! [UB 36b4]
The music resumes and the magicians carry out in a literal way what the
stage directions in the Manual have urged them to do each day. They take the
torma from the altar and "hurl it as a weapon."
218
232 DAY FIFTEEN
Another pair of dancers enters wearing the costumes of the Black Men.
The Counting Book ('Chams gyi tho dge) calls these figures messengers (pho
nya). The Magicians dance with them, first at the north side of the courtyard.
The danc.ers move a quarter circle clockwise around the courtyard, and then
a quarter circle counterclockwise. This sequence is repeated twice.
The dancers line up by pairs, the Magicians to the north and the Black
Men to the south. As the Magicians dance, the Black Men stand still. The
Magicians exit, and then in tum the Black Men dance out.
The Magic Weapon Dance .is a cousin to another of the most common
Tibetan dances-and major rituals-the gtor rgyab.
219
This ceremony typi-
cally employs several magic weapons and other tormas and culminates in
their cremation. Zor 'chams as such are also known at other monasteries. In
Bhutan, they are counted as one of the major forms of' chams.
220
Thanks to the commentary, we have precise instructions on the view that
should be taken during the magic weapon ritual:
Transform the Guardians' tormas into the torma weapon of the play
of wisdom (ye shes), then, with an attitude of understanding the non-
duality of samsara and nirva]J.a, hurl it on top of the dualism that is
characterized by the view of self.
221
With perfect Buddhist orthodoxy, the zor is a weapon turned inward
against the enemy within the mind-the false view of self that separates
sentient beings from Buddhahood.
DANCE FOURTEEN-THE ENSEMBLE
At Chi wong, the Ensemble ('chams sna) consists of six Magicians and two
dancers in the costumes of the "Black Men. "
222
At Thami, four dancers wearing
protector masks are also present. According to Tengpoche Rinpoche, if there
are enough dancers, all of the characters should reappear at this time. If there
are not, half will suffice.
223
At Rongphu, there were twenty-two dancers.
224
The purpose of the Ensemble is the ritual known in the Manual as the
"Horse Dance" and the hook mudra that goes along with it. The rite invokes
Hayagriva, the spirit of the magic dagger, the suppressor of obstructive forces.
As we saw during the site rituals on Day One, the "Horse Dance" is an exultant
celebration around the grave-like prison of the lingka---the triangular pit.
The dancers enter one at a time, the Magicians in the lead. Once they are
all present, the music stops and they stand as the liturgy is recited.
225
The music resumes and the monks make their mudra and dance. They
reenact the ceremony of the first day, but now in the splendid costumes of
the dance. They form a circle in the center of the courtyard, and with arms
The Days 233
crossed and hands in the hook gesture, lock one to another by their little
fingers. They close on the central pole and then disperse outward. After a few
moments of dancing, they form two lines and exit by pairs.
Trulshik Rinpoche explains that the Enemies and Obstructors have been
stabbed and burned, and now must be suppressed. When (if ever) they gen-
erate the bodhicitta, the aspiration to enlightenment for the sake of all sen-
tient beings, they will be allowed to emerge from their prison.
As we have seen before, the Horse Dance invokes the foundation of the
mat:u/.ala of the universe and presses down on the "those that have been
imagined" with the weight of the world mountain. In the Site Ritual, the
dancers surround the burial pit. Now, the focal point of the Horse Dance is
the central pole, a few yards away. The mythological geography, however is
identical. The central pole is the spine of the world, the spine of the world
mountain which the Horse Dance places over the pit. The Ensemble realigns
the universe and returns order to the world.
In one way, this order is conceived in quite ancient terms. The baleful
spirits, the "spying" or wandering ghosts are put back in the underworld
where they belong, with nothing less than the entire world mountain to pre-
vent their escape; The hierarchy of the universe is restored.
It is not just the weight of the world, however, that seals the enemy in,
but the very principal of an orderly universe. The crossed vajra (and the
circle of dance) also evoke tantric cosmology-the mavt;iala-the world put
back into the divine order that is its birthright. In the divine world of the
mavt;iala, demons and passions-the objects to be suppressed-the allotropes
of "those who are imagined," are totally transformed. In the ordered world of
the mar.zt;fa/a all beings are divine; all thought forms, primordial wisdom.
FIFTEEN-THE AUSPICIOUS OMENS
If the Music Dance is the overture to the Mani Rimdu 'chams, the Auspicious
Omens is its coda. Like the Music Dance, it figures in the traditional lists of
dances; like the Music Dance, it is not really a dance in the full sense of the
word.
The Auspicious Omens is a recitation of the short "Auspicious Omens"
normally recited toward the end of each day's session:
Om! May it come! The boon of the highest blessing-
The good fortune of the Lama, the head of the hundred families!
May it come! The rain of true achievement-the good fortune
Of the heavenly host of the peaceful and wrathful tutelaries!
May it come! The good fortune of the Sky Walkers-
The heroes whose actions succeed without fail!
234 DAY FIFTEEN
May it come! All the success ever imagined!
The good fortune of the highest virtue and goodness!
226
As in the daily version of the auspicious recitation, the monks wear their
ceremonial hats for the occasion. The orchestra plays and an assistant distrib-
utes spoonsful of offering liquid from a glass on the altar and pinches of
tsampa. The tsampa is thrown in the air as part of the ceremony. When
tsampa is thrown out of doors; it is said to represent erasing the tracks of the
"black ones," the forces of evil, from the ground.
227
When the prayers draw to a close, the monks pack up and leave without
any further ceremony. It is nowten o'clock at night and most of the specta-
tors, who have been trickling out during the past several dances, are already
gone.
After the dances are over, it is the custom at Thami and Tengpoche for
the villagers to gather in the monastery courtyard. There they form a large
circle and do Sherpa folk dances to the accompaniment of their own voices.
That evening, the monastery is buying the beer and monks navigate the circle
of dancers with a large bucket of chang. They ply their wares with the good
humored insistence that is the hallmark of Sherpa and Tibetan hospitality.
Even were it to be given as one, "no" would not be taken for an answer. The
merriment lasts far into night.
At Chiwong, at least in the 1980s, this custom did not prevail. Instead,
the public retired to the tea shops at the edge of the monastery compound.
There the songs and dances are more likely to be Nepali-or of late, disco-
. than Sherpa, but the spirits of the celebrants are equally high.
EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
Since the evening of the twelfth day, hostelers and tea shop concessionaires
have set up shop on the monastery grounds. At Thami, as was the case
previously at Chiwong, these entrepreneurs must content themselves with
tents and tarpaulins for shelter. Since 1980, there has been a large permanent
structure at Chiwong to accommodate them, consisting of a dozen or so
partially open wooden stalls built around a central courtyard.
As a rule, each stall is occupied by the same tenant year after year. Most
of these concessionaires come from nearby villages. Many are professional
tea shop owners, local men of prominence, or have family contacts to the
monastery. One, for example, is from a branch of the family that built Chi wong.
Another is related to one of the monastery's novices. Some of the tenants
belong to more than one category.
The tea shops are a gathering place throughout the festival. People come
for a break in the dances, to drink tea, a glass of chang, or to eat noodle soup
The Days 235
(tukpa) or dumplings (mo mo), two foods that Sherpas rarely eat at home, but
are a special treat at festivals and bazaars. Each night, but especially the night
of the masked dance, people will gather here to sing and dance.
One of Mani Rimdu's myriad functions is as a place for young men and
women to meet. A tea shop may become the home of a dance party where,
under the watchful eye of elder kinswomen, young men and women can
display their bravado and grace through dance. As is traditional, men dance
with men and women with women, although in a show of brave modernity,
a mixed couple may take to the floor, to a farrago of giggling.
For some in Solu-Khumbu, drinking to excess is part of the pleasure of
a large public gathering. Despite its religious purpose, Mani Rimdu is no
exception. If we compare the drunkenness at Mani Rimdu to the drunkenness
of a bazaar, where the ground may be littered with unconscious men at the
close of the business day, it is relatively mild.
Occasionally, after a night of drinking, a shouting match will break out
in the tea shop courtyard, or more rarely, a fight. Onlookers invariably inter-
cede to separate and mollify the combatants, who are nearly always young
males. Often no real resolution is reached, and the quarrel may flare up again
later in the evening or the next day. As with the drunkenness to which it is
related, fewer conflicts seem to arise at Mani Rimdu than at a typical bazaar.
It has already been noted that Trulshik Rinpoche considers the dances of
Mani Rimdu to be relatively unimportant.
228
To many people in Solu-Khumbu,
however, they are the reason for attending the festival. They watch the dances
with amazement, amusement or boredom. Sometimes they do not watch them
at all. Many members of a Mani Rimdu audience claim to receive a spiritual
value, either directly or indirectly from the dances. Some feel they are ben-
eficial simply because they are a religious event. Others, feel that they are
educational, that they prepare one for death by introducing one to the appear-
ance and manner of the beings one will meet in the intermediate state. This
is not just true of Mani Rimdu. It was noted by researchers as early as
Bleichsteiner in 1937.
But, [the dances] also have a practical interest for the spectators ....
Demoniacal protective divinities especially surge through the bardo,
among the terrible visions. One of the goals of cultural dances con-
sists in making them known to believers, to familiarize them with
their physiognomy, so that, in the intermediate state they do not lose
heart when faced by their saviors.
229
18
Day Sixteen: Burnt Offering, Releasing
the Borders, Erasing the Sand
By early morning on the sixteenth day, the greater part of the spectators have
left Chiwong. The monks who perform the ritual, of course, and the family
of the monastery's founder remain. A few of the concessionaires who have
serviced the festival may not be quite ready to depart and there are always
stragglers.
After the hullabaloo of the last few days, the courtyard, strangely empty,
echoes to every footfall. The monks, exhausted from their marathon perfor-
mance, seem pepsive. A calm atmosphere prevails.
The majority of the day's ceremonies are performed with few if any
spectators present. As usual, there are rituals for Lord of the Dance and for
the Protectors of Religion. The day's main events though are the Burnt Of-
fering, Releasing the Borders and Erasing the Sand Maodala.
The version of the daily ritual done in the chapel follows the general
pattern of the other days: the preliminary and actual practices from the Manual,
the Protector rituals, the feast and so on. Since the pills and even the flasks
have been left behind, the recitations that infuse them with divine power are
not done. The self-administered empowerment of other days is also skipped
and the schedule of Protectors curtailed.
1
The sixteenth day is characterized by continual shiftings of venue, and
one way to divide the action is by where it takes place. Some rituals are
indoors in the chapel. Others, outdoors in the courtyard or on the path that
circumambulates the chapel. Before we describe the days events, it is useful
to gain an overview.
2
237
238 DAY SIXTEEN
I Outdoor-courtyard:
1. Site Ritual for Burnt Offering mal].c}ala. (BO 3.3-3b6)
Making the Burnt Offering sand mal}.c}ala.
II Indoor-chapel (daily rituals):
2a. The Lord of the Dance Manual is performed as usual from the two
introductory Prayers up to the Confession (f. 8.3). At this point a number
of minor elisions are made:
General Confession (spyi bshags) is skipped
In the Shower of Blessings (f 8.4) only one measure of music is needed
instead of the usual three. It is unnecessary to use the beckoning scarf
(yab dar).
Outer Offering (f 12b5-15.5) not needed.
Flask Recitation (bum 'dzab) (f 19b3-20.2) not needed.
No Pill Recitation.
3. Protector rituals of three major deities from the Playful Ocean, two of
the Followers, and two sets of local deities are done: Four-faced One,
Great God, Cemetery Grandmother; Medicine Ladies and Good Dia-
mond; and the Abridged Prayerl and Tashi Palchen. The progression of
these rituals is as follows:
Playful Ocean from the beginning, Blessing the Offerings (mchod rdzas
by in gyis rlobs pa) and the General Invitation from the Guardians of the
Word,
4
up to and including:
The Recitation (bzlas pa)
2b. The monks then return to the Lord of the Dance Manual to perform the
Feast (tshogs) and selected rituals associated with it:
Blessing the Propitiation Substances (skong rdzas byin rlabs)
Propitiation of Four-Faced One, Great God, and Cemetery Grandmother.
During this time Enjoying the Feast (tshogs la rot) is recited.
Confessions (bshags pa): Great God's; the Confession from Scripture
(gzhung gi bshags pa).
Request to Act (phrin las gsol ba): Four-Faced One's; Great God's; and
the Request from Scripture (gzhung gi phrin las, i.e. the phrin las gsol
ba dngos).
Feeding the Torma (gtor rna stab). Gift Torma(' bul gtor)
5
and Followers
Torma (rjes 'brang) are removed from chapel.
6
Playful Ocean Follow-up Rituals (rjes chog)
4. Three-Part Torma (cha gsum).
7
2c. Union of the Blissful Manual, continued, including:
Remains of the Feast (tshogs gyi !hag rna)
Exhortation (bskul ba)
Contract Torma (chad tho)
The Days
Steadfast Women Torma (brTan rna)
Horse Dance (rta bro)
III Outdoor-courtyard:
5. Burnt Offering ritual itself (BO 4.3-8.2)
IV Indoor-chapel (daily rituals, continued):
239
2d. Conclusion (rjes kyi bya ba) of the Lord of the Dance Manual; continued:
The Offering and Praise (mchod bstod) beginning "Om! The assortment
of offerings enjoyed by Samantabhadra ... "
8
Confessing Fault (nongs bshags) (UB 38.3)
Hundred Syllable mantra of Vajrasattva (yig brgya) (3X)
The Recitation for Remaining Firm (brtan bzhugs kyi dzab, i.e. the
emended gshegs gso/)
9
Retraction Sequence (bsdu rim)
Rising as the God (lhar /dang)
The i.e., a fmal recitation of the Lord of the Dance mantra
V Outdoor-circumambulatory path:
6. Releasing the Borders (mtha' sgrol)
7. Clearing the Door (sgo byang)
VI
8. Gathering the Magic Daggers (phur bu bsdu)
9. Erasing the Sand (rdul tshon bsubs)
10. Lord of the Dance Dedicatory Prayer (UB 34b6)
11. Lord of the Dance Auspicious Omens (UB 39b2)
BURNT OFFERING
The Burnt Offering or homavidhi is among the oldest rites in South Asia for
which we have literary evidence. Found in the Veda, it is a basic ritual of
240 DAY SIXTEEN
orthodox Hinduism. It is also performed by Newar Vajrilctlrya, and is likely
to have long been a feature of Buddhist tantracism.
10
The Tibetan Burnt
Offering has been described in some detail by Lessing, Beyer and others. We
will concentrate here on the form it takes in Mani Rimdu.
11
Like the other rituals of Mani Rimdu, the Burnt Offering centers around
the deity Union of the Blissful/ Lord of the Dance I Great Compassion. The
offering has is own text, The Profound Path Union of the Blissful Burnt
Offering Rite, entitled "Quickly Achieving the Desired Goal" (BO).
The text offers five alternative rituals. They correspond to the usual four
actions (las bzhi) of tantric ritual with the addition of a "Supreme Burnt
Offering" (mchog gi sbyin sreg). Among these, the Mani Rimdu ceremony is
a peaceful or pacifying Burnt Offering.
According to the ritual text, the peaceful Burnt Offering has numerous
benefits:
In general, it is for all sentient beings in the three worlds. Pacification
is done principally from the point of view of human beings; the harm-
ful and the sinful, the poor, those who have wrong views, the arrogant,
and so on, down to the spirits of disease, and so on. [BO 2b4]
The text states that a peaceful offering should occur on "the first day of
the waxing moon."
12
The way that the festival is scheduled at Chiwong this
requirement is fulfilled. Thami's ritual cycle is shorter and the ceremony falls
a few days short, on the twelfth day of the Tibetan month. As this is the date
that t h ~ Precious Lamp suggests for a Burnt Offering, it is possible that
Tl1ami derived its custom from that text. Once accepted, this assumption
leads us to the conclusion that Thami's abbreviated schedule as a whole may
be a result of an attempt to reconcile the festival with the requirement of the
commentary .
13
As usual for a major ritual undertaking, the text specifies that a Site
Ritual first be performed. The officiant, assuming the awe-inspiring form of
Hayagriva, apologizes to the inhabitants of the land about to be used. For this
purpose, a small white torma (dkar gtor) is prepared and set on a tripod. The
torma is blessed with a sprinkling of flask water and the recitation of the
horse mantra dedicated to Lord of the Dance's fierce manifestation,
Hayagriva.
14
The actual request for the land is as follows,
Hum! Forgive us, 0 legions of lords of the soil, of gods and of
serpents and your generals!
Take the offering torma we have blessed and dedicated!
We take this land, that we may do fearful deeds.
We please you with what delights you-please give it to us! [3b2]
The Days 241
A stick of incense is put in the back of the torma. The horse mantra is
recited/
5
followed by, "Om ab hom hana hana krota hum p h a ~ . " Then, vajra
in hand, the officiant touches the ground to seal the bargain.
16
The torma is
removed and the ritual concludes. The entire proceeding takes but three
minutes.
Sometime in the spacious and loosely structured morning, work on a
sand mm:u/.ala for the Burnt Offering will begin. The first step is to construct
the hearth on which it will be drawn. For this purpose, earth is piled on the
courtyard floor. Using planks as a mold and rope or stones as buttresses, the
earth is pressed into a square about eight inches high and a foot and a half
on a side, or as the text says "one cubit (khru) across and half a cubit high."
17
Before the ceremony begins, this frame will be removed.
The principal Mani Rimdu mal)t/.ala inside the chapel is on a wooden
table which has the outline of the mal)(iala drawn permanently, if faintly, on
it. The much smaller and simpler geometry of the Burnt Offering mal)r;iala
must be laid out afresh every year with compasses and measuring strings.
The text indicates specific proportions for the mal)r;iala, and these are
followed although the measurements are taken in a loose and approximate
way. This casual approach extends to the sand painting itself. Lines are
drawn quickly and broadly, and areas colored loosely. At Thubten Choling,
there is a one-page manuscript that illustrates all four varieties of sand mal)r;iala
for the Lord of the Dance Burnt Offering. Chiwong does not possess a copy,
and, drawn from memory, the mal)r;iala there varies considerably from year
to year. The Precious Lamp also describes the mal)r;iala in some detail, al-
though it lacks illustrations.
Sometime during the day, the canopy is removed from the courtyard and
a miscellany of other preparations for the special ceremony set under way.
Among these are seating arrangements for the participants. The lama's throne
is erected on the west side of the courtyard. It is adorned for the occasion
with a drawing of the seven seas and seven mountains marked with the
syllable "bam."
18
Tables for the offerings are placed nearby. Along the south
end of the courtyard, benches and tables are set out for the monks.
On the east side, facing the lama across the hearth, the monastery honors
the family of its founder with a bank of comfortable seats. Offering seats at
the hearth is an important feature of Sherpa etiquette, and seating arrange-
ments a way of reaffirming status within the community.
19
Throughout the
festival special seating has been arranged for the family of the patron. On the
day of empowerment, they are on the dais before the lama's throne. During
the dance, they are front row center in the balcony with a private kitchen
nearby so that they can provide themselves with tea and snacks.
20
In the present arrangement, the lama is as always, both literally and
figuratively on top of the heap. From there on, however, the status flow is
ambiguous and arguably intentionally so. In Sherpa seating arrangements,
242 DAY SIXTEEN
status usually flows clockwise. The host is seated closest to the fire, the
highest status guest to his left and so on down the line. This corresponds to
a general Tibetan practice of positioning: to honor someone (or something),
you place it to your right,2
1
hence such customs as the clockwise circu-
mambulation of stapas and other sacred spots.
In the seating arrangement observed in the 1980s, the elements of the
status pattern were separated and diffused. The first important factor, propin-
quity to the highest status person (the lama) was ceded to the monks. The
second, clockwise orientation to him, was granted to the patrons. Or, looked
at in a different way, the patrons stared across the fire at the lama, coequal
horizontally but appropriately lower in elevation. By 1993, the positions had
changed somewhat. The lama and monks retained their places. The patron's
family now sat facing the monks. This position corresponds to the second and
marginally lower status row of monks found inside the temple, making them,
in effect, somewhat junior monks, an interesting turn, given their family
name: Lama.
If the flow of the hierarchy is ambiguous, its presence is certainly not.
Woe betide the Sherpa who in error sits in the patron's rank. He will be
removed, politely to be sure, but firmly; the forces of religion and society
united against him.
22
Sitting in the patron's seats when they are unoccupied,
however, is not taboo as is sitting in the lama's throne.
The metaphor of seating is one more reminder of the strong relationship
between the monastery and the family of its founder. During the public fes-
tival, a portrait of Sangyay Lama has always been placed in the courtyard
rafters on an equal level with those of the royal family of Nepal. The Lama
c l ~ has traditionally perceived Chiwong as a "private monastery" belonging
to their family. This perception is not universally shared, although it has been
willingly or grudgingly ceded to one extent or another by a wider circle.
23
The descendants of the founder continue to be important patrons of Chi wong,
and at the monastery it is certainly felt that respect and honor are due to them.
As preparations for the Burnt Offering continue, a pyre of split wood is
built on top of the maf)(jala. The wood is arranged in neat layers, the ends
of one stick resting crosswise on two below it, somewhat in the manner of
.a log cabin. At Thami, where firewood is scarce, yak dung is used instead.
For the peaceful Burnt Offering used at Mani Rimdu, the pyre should be
circular in shape, although most years it more resembles a six-pointed star.
The triangle and star, in theory, are reserved for the fierce Burnt Offering
The monks ready the offerings to be burned. Branches of "milk-wood"
(' o rna shing, yam shing; Ssk. samidh), a special wood with a smooth bark
are cut in a special way-in twelve finger-width lengths with the ends cut "in
the four directions" so that they resemble a radish rose.
24
A pair of fire-tormas
(me gtor) are made. Grain, biscuits, ku.Sa-grass, strips of cloth and other
offerings are put in bowls. A pot of ghee is warmed.
The Days
243
<;
.... :: ........................................ ......... : .: .: .: .: .: ... .: .: .: .: .:
. :. ..... ........ .. .. .. . ... .... .. ...........................................................
Stick with Ends Cut in the Four Directions
In simpler Burnt Offering ceremonies, the lama sits directly before the
flre and consigns the offerings to the flames with his own hands. In such
ceremonies, a flre wall is built between the lama's throne and the hearth.
25
In
the Mani Rimdu ritual, the lama sits at a distance from the hearth and an
assistant-the text calls him a fire-servant (me g.yog)--conveys the offerings
from the lama to the fire.
The indoor rituals start sometime in late morning or early afternoon and
last about one-and-one-half hours. After a short break, the monks assemble
outside for the actual Burnt Offering.
The offering begins with a prayer. Then, the officiating lama puts on the
"ftve families" crown and the associated regalia.
26
The monks visualize the hearth in its pure form-
Out of the empty realm, there appears before me a peaceful hearth
space, the nature of moon [and] water [and] crystal, white and round
of edge, radiant with white light. [4b4]
The hearth is sprinkled with holy water from the flask, and lit using a fire
starter in the shape of a small butter lamp made of dough.
The ritual proceeds according to the text. The flrst deity worshipped
Agni, the Vedic god of fire. Like other forms of Agni, he rides upon a goat.
Here, however, he is in a peaceful aspect and his color is white rather than
the usual red.
27
He is "in the guise of an one of the divine sages who
composed the Vedas.
28
The text specifies the offerings: "ghee; fuewood a span long that comes
from the top of a milk-fruit tree, or wood smeared with scent, or rubbed with
butter-whatever can be properly counted; black sesame; incense of white san-
dalwood, and so forth; sal gum; white flowers, and so forth" [4.3]. These are
supplemented with a variety of grains, grasses, and even store bought biscuits.
Several sets of offerings are burned in this phase of the ritual, in a
complicated pattern of sevens and threes. The lama and assistant count out
the offerings, often audibly. Solid offerings are transferred by hand from their
trays to the plate that will carry them to the flre. The melted butter is doled
out using a pair of ladles.
29
The smaller simpler ladle (dgang gzar) is used
to flll the larger more symbolically complex ladle (blug gzar).
As in other Buddhist Burnt Offerings, after the offerings to the "mun-
dane Fire God," a set of Buddhist deities is worshipped. This "transcendental
Fire God" is Lord of the Dance accompanied by his entourage.
244 DAY SIXTEEN
Throughout the festival, these deities have dwelt in the sand maiJ{/.ala in the
center of the chapel. Now their Wisdom Beings (ye shes pa, jiianasattva) must
be brought from the mar:z4ala to the courtyard to participate in the Burnt Offering.
The divine demenagement is done with appropriate pomp, a grand pro-
cession carrying the caravan of the gods. Several methods of accomplishing
the transfer are known. Pinches of sand may be taken from the divine seats,
or the reflection of the deities may be captured in mirror and carried outside
in a miniature pavilion.
30
In Mani Rimdu, the device used is a "bouquet" or
"configuration" (tshom bu).
Thami Rinpoche with Burnt Offering "bouquet," Thami 1983.
The Days 245
The bouquet is assembled on the base of a mal)c/.a[a offering plate. It
consists of a group of small white cones of dough, which correspond in
number and position to the gods of the mal)t/.ala. The lama prepares the
bouquet a few days in advance.Jl
Bouquet, Seen from Above. Thami, 1983.
Once the monks have visualized the Lord of the Dance and his entourage
in the fire, the bouquet is brought in. The procession, conches and oboes
playing and incense burning, circumambulates the fire three times before it
deposits the bouquet on the lama's table. A pair of pennants (ba dan) and a
pair of victory banners (rgyal mtshan) accompany the bouquet on its tray.
They are placed at the front and back of the side altar respectively.
32
Saying the mantra of one of the gods, the lama breaks off the top of the
corresponding cone and hands it to his assistant. The assistant brings it to the
fire where the assembly has visualized the Pledge Beings. He tosses it in as
he circles and returns immediately to the lama for the next. In this way, each
Wisdom Being in tum is united with his visualized counterpart.
The bouquet is not mentioned in the Burnt Offering text, but in the
Precious Lamp. This still attests, however, that it is a Mindroling practice
rather than local innovation. Its absence from the Burnt Offering text might
suggest that the custom is of a later date or perhaps came to Mindroling from
a different source. Given Mindroling's tendency to separate elements of a
ritual for the sake of secrecy, however, it is difficult to draw even such a
small conclusion with much certainty.
Once the Wisdom Beings are in place, they are presented with a se-
quence of offerings similar to those for the mundane Fire God. In the midst
of the offerings, we find a custom mentioned neither in the Burnt Offering
text nor in the commentaries. A set of small scraps of paper are given to the
lama. Each slip bears the name of someone who has died in the last year. The
lama reads the names in silence, and then, using the large ladle transfers them
246 DAY SIXTEEN
to a plate already piled with other offerings. The assistant consigns them to
the flames in the usual manner.
Before the worship of the transcendental fire-god concludes, one of the
fire tormas is placed in the pyre. Thus placated, the assembly requests him
to "perform the act of pacification" and to "cause us quickly to obtain Bud-
dhahood." Each' monk then visualizes that:
Having thus made the request, the host of gods radiate a stainless
light, like moon-beams from their bodies. It completely purifies all
my spirits of sickness, sins and obscurations. [7b3]
They recite the Hundred Syllable Mantra of Vajrasattva and make a
confession. The transcendental deities are recalled to the bouquet-half of
each cone of dough has been left on the plate to receive them-and returned
in procession to the indoor mm:uJala along with the banners and pennants.
Further offerings are made to the mundane fire-god, including the second
fire torma, and he is requested to grant the customary boons.
33
Take this torma, worshipfully offered!
Obtain for us yogis and our entourage:
Health, life, dominion,
And glory, fame and good fortune-
Every enjoyment, vast and complete!
And then bestow upon us true achievement
Of the acts of pacification, extension and the rest!
Guard us, 0 Sworn Ones!
Be a friend who aids all true achievement!
Make naught of untimely death and diseases
And Malignancies and Obstructors!
Make naught of bad dreams
And bad signs and bad deeds!
Make .the earth pleasant, the crops good,
The grain grow and the cattle grow!
Fulfill all the desires in our hearts,
The wellspring of everything virtuous and good! [PO 5b4]
The lama removes his crown and the entire assembly puts on ceremonial
hats for the auspicious recitation. As instructed by the text, the assistant pours
a glass of milk in a circle on the hearth to symbolically put out the fire.
34
The
The Days 247
empty utensils and plates are passed over the flames. The lama removes his
hat and the concluding prayers draw to an end. The monks rise, and without
ceremony, mount the stairs and enter the assembly hall.
At one point or another in the latter sections of the offering, the monas-
tery serves food to people as well as to gods. Formerly, monks, visiting
clergy, and the patron's family were the only recipients, although more re-
cently the few outsiders in the courtyard have also been served. The elders
of the family are served in a style that rivals the treatment due to the lama.
Their food is abundant and neatly arranged on their plates; their teacups rest
in stemmed silver stands.
When the fire has died down, the villagers come to collect the coals and
ashes. Having been the residence of the gods they carry a blessing, and in the
Himalayas are sometimes placed beneath the foundations of houses.
Before the fire cools, the monks return to the chapel, where they con-
tinue the concluding segments of the Lord of the Dance rituals from where
they left off before the Burnt Offering.
Once more it is time for "Taking the True Achievement."
35
The monastic
orchestra begins to play as the bouquet is removed from the north side of the
mal)t;lala and given to the lama. He touches it to his head. He then breaks the
remains of each cone, first off the plate and then into small pieces. He
replaces the broken bouquet on the tray and puts a pinch of dough on his
assistant's head. The assistant circles the chapel, placing a bit of the bouquet
on each monk's head.
When they finish, the monks rise and don their ceremonial hats. The
lama also rises and puts on his mitre and yellow vinaya robe. Still reciting
Lord of the Dance's mantra, they leave the chapel to loosen the cordon of
protection that they established on Day One.
RELEASING THE BORDERS-ERASING THE SAND
Considering the often intentionally obscure cast of Mindroling' s commentarial
literature, Dharmasri's Notes on the Practice of the Entire Accomplishment
Worship of Great Compassion, although typiCally incomplete, does give a
fairly clear description of Releasing the Border (mtha' sgrol) and the rituals
that follow it.
36
When I asked for a text of those rituals, the relevant passages
of Dharmasri's commentary were duly copied. The following description is
based on the performance of the ritual at Chiwong, expanded with reference
to Dharmasri's text.
The first act is to circumambulate the monastery and free the borders, or
release the Kings of the Four Directions who were set to guard the place of
religious practice. As might be expected, in many ways the ritual mirrors the
one it undoes. Similar trays of offerings are carried, and music is played in
248 DAY SIXTEEN
each direction. In each of the four directions, the image is sprinkled, an
offering left and the Guardian King set to his "appointed task." Then, the
victory banner that was set out for him is removed, and the procession pro-
ceeds to the next location. As they move from place to place, they are never
silent. They recite Lord of the Dance's mantra continually.
When the procession reaches the door, a monk removes the shoulder
blade icon placed there on the first day. The procession reenters the chapel
and all but the lama and his assistants take their seats.
While the procession was busy outside, others dismantled the gazebo that
encloses the sand maiJ4ala, taking care not to disturb the delicate painting. The
roof tiers and columns, even the foundation that supported the sand-painted
tabletop have been put aside. The tabletop now lies directly on the ground.
The offerings have been taken from the surface of the maiJdala and the
magic daggers moved to its edge. The daggers, however, still maintain their
relative positions symbolic of the ten directions.
The lama and assembly recite the "Four Hum Mantra" over and over in
unison: "om vajra kilaya utkilaya sarvakila vajradharal)a ajfiavaya hum hum
hiim hUm phat hob."
37
As they recite, the lama removes the daggers, circling
clockwise to take them from the intermediate directions, and counterclock-
wise for the cardinal directions.
38
He sprinkles the tips of the spikes and the
spike stands with milk.
Order for Removing the Magic Daggers, According to TCU
The Days 249
Now the time has come to gather the residual power from the gods' seats
and to erase the mm:u;lala. The oboes play the stuttering notes that launch the
orchestral accompaniment for the acts that follow. With a look of intense
concentration, the lama takes a pinch of sand from each position and places
it on his head. The words of the mantra he recites mean "Om! The syllable
A is first, because of the primordial non-arising of events. Om llb hom p h a ~
svaha."
39
Then, he places the point of his vajra in the sand in one comer and
slices through the painting. His vajra cuts a spiral that loops inward though
the doorways and the lotus petals, fmally cutting to the very heart of the
mal)t;lala.
Reciting "Om! The syllable A is first ... "
When he is fmished, the lama steps back. There is a moment's lull; all
present-these include laymen some years-wait. Then, following the lama's
gesture like an orchestra its conductor, the others descend on the mal)t;lala
and sweep it away with their hands. In a single minute, the magnificent
painting born of a week's patient labor has returned to amorphous sand.
They sweep the sand into a pile and scoop it into a brass vase. When the
vase will hold no more, a monk packages the remainder in slips of paper to
distribute as a blessing. The vase is set on a tripod in the center of the barren
mal)t;la/a table. The periphery is decorated with the usual series of eight
offerings beginning with the "flower on the edge."
The rest of the monks return to their seats. The assembly puts on its hats,
and the prayers continue. Dharmasri's commentary instructs, "Do "[In]
Heruka['s] Glorious ... " and "[Consider me,] Lama, Tutelary ... ", the Dedi-
catory Prayer and the Auspicious Omens." This is the Dedicatory Prayer-
[May the turning of the feast circle]
In HERUKA's glorious city
[Make myself, others-all beings without exception,
Succeed in this single mal)t;lala!]
250 DAY SIXTEEN
Consider me, Lama, Tutelary and divine host!
I dedicate to great enlightenment
The virtue my striving has achieved here today,
Combined with the virtues I accrue and possess in the past, present
and future! [38b6]
From now on, until I am in the heart of enlightenment,
May I be of good family, clear of mind, without egoism,
Very compassionate, and respectful to the Lama!
May I remain in the glorious diamond vehicle! [39.1]
May I be matured by empowerment and attentive to my vows!
May I complete the service and practice of the two sequence path,
And, without difficulty, join the ranks of the Knowledge Bearers!
May I easily attain the two forms of true achievement! [39.2]
It is certain that the Conqueror Endless Illumination
Prophesied birth from a gorgeous holy lotus
Into the Conqueror's good and joyous mm:ujala.
May I attain it! [39.4]
When I actually obtain there what has been prophesied,
May I, in a billion emanations,
Aid sentient beings greatly with my spiritual powers (blo yi stobs),
Wherever they may be in the ten directions! [39.5]
May the Conqueror's teaching spread far and wide!
May every goal its adherents explain be achieved!
May all contrary conditions be pacified for all who are born!
May they meet with spiritual and material wealth (phun tshogs)-
whatever they wish! [39bl]
The oboists rise and play .a recessional for the lama. The concluding
series of the monastery's daily prayers drones on. Without the imposing
structure of the ma1)4ala house, the room seems empty.
19
Day Seventeen:
Invitation to the River
According to Trulshik Rinpoche, the purpose of the Invitation to the River is
simple:
To pray to the king of the Serpent Spirits and his entourage that they
take charge of the precious sand that has been blessed by the
Tathagatas; and to make offerings to them and put them to work at
increasing and spreading perfect happiness and goodness in the world
in general and in this place in particular.
1
Consignment to the King of the Serpent Spirits is the common fate of
mar:ujala sands. At Yung-ho-kung, Lessing tells us, they were placed in the
"Well of the Nagas," a structure in the temple's entrance courtyard that
symbolized the "world ocean.'
02
Dharmari's commentary advises us to seek
out such places as:
the bank of a river that flows continually without ever drying up, a
pool in a river that descends to the ocean and a spring ....
3
In Solu-Khumbu such places are typically small streams downhill from
the monastery. At Chiwong, there is an ideal place for the purpose-a min-
iature waterfall in a tiny rivulet a half hour's walk down the mountainside.
This morning, there is no ritual in the chapel. The only preparation is to
paint the white eight-petalled m a ~ ; u ; l a l a of the Serpent Spirits. This is done
with colored powder on a mal)(iala plate. The plate is first coated with butter
to keep the painting from being destroyed before it reaches the stream.
4
251
252 DAY SEVENTEEN
The procession to the river starts in the late morning. It is even more
elaborate than the usual form of this festive event. Before it gets under way,
two monks mount the roof to play a booming chorus on the long horns. The
sand is the star of this show, and the procession begins at the place where it
now resides-the vase in the center of the ma1J4ala table. The lama leads the
way, holding a vajra and ringing a bell as he walks. Behind him is the Diamond
Master of Chiwong. To him is entrusted the vase of sacred sand, covered with
a folded altar cloth appliqued with squares of silk. Three men carry flags on
long poles. One monk bears the offering torma (mchod gtor) for the Serpent
Spirits. Another holds a tray of offerings-the mal)t/.ala of the rulgas, the flask,
a set of silver bowls and lamps for the offering set (nyer spyod), the lama's rice
container and bowls. of rice for the monks. Another monk carries a glass of
milk. Milk is the offering par excellence for the serpents. When Trulshik
Rinpoche officiated at a klu service in a nearby village, it was considered an
auspicious sign when his mare gave milk when nearing the shrine.
For music, there is the obligatory oboe duet, and the Chant Leader of
Thubten Choling plays the cymbals. A monk with a censer follows along.
Amidst all this, a villager leads the lama's gaily saddled horse. As usual in
processions, the monks wear their ceremonial hats.
The procession stops at a place where the stream crosses their path.
Above the trail, there is an embankment some two feet high. The stream
forms a small pool atop the embankment before it falls to another small pool
at the side of the trail. A flat stone lies over the waterfall, on which the
assistant lays out the offerings, the torma, the sand, and the naga mal)t/.ala.
The monks remove their hats, sit down on the embankment and begin to
recite. Few have the manuscript for this ritual and they must look over each
other's shoul.ders. They visualize an "ocean filled with jewels and flowers."
"In the middle of it," they recite, "is a white eight-petalled lotus," symbolized
by the miniature sand painting they have placed above the stream. In the
center of the mal)t/.ala, the King of the Serpent Spirits and his consort appear.
Around them on the petals are the eight lesser Serpent Spirits of his entou-
rage. The assembly calls them all by name, praises and makes offerings to
them. Finally, with the gift of the torma, the Serpent Spirits are enjoined with
their task.
Serpent King with your entourages-worship, as you have prom-
ised, these sands, precious in nature, recently blessed by the
Tathagatas, and increase and expand the perfect glory of pleasure
and goodness, for the world at large and for this region in particular!
The monks put their hats back on for an auspicious recitation. They throw
rice to represent a rain of flowers. After a few other small rituals, the monks
send the Serpent King and his entourage back to their undersea paradise.
The Days 253
Sand in the River, Chiwong 1979
To a. musical accompaniment, the offering torma is placed in the upper
pool and the naga mar:u.Iala washed off. Finally, the sand is carefully poured
from its vase. The pool slowly turns a dark purplish hue as the water leaches
the pigment from the sand. After a few moments, the colored water cascades
over the falls, and begins its long journey to the sea.
The assistant rinses the vase and fills it with water. The lama washes his
hands and face in the waterfall, paying careful attention to his eyes, ears, and
mouth. Somewhat incongruously, given the ritual aspect of his ablutions, he
uses a bar of soap, and for his teeth, a toothbrush. When he is finished, the
senior monks follow suit, and after them, the others present.
The assembly makes its slow way uphill, the lama on his horse. There
is no music until the procession is in sight of the monastery, then as the long
horns greet them from above, the musicians begin to play.
With a green-leafed twig, the Diamond Master sprinkles water from the
vase onto the path and the land surrounding it, to distribute good fortune. As
he does so, the text instructs him to recite the mantra "Om ruru sphuru jvala
ti$tha siddhi locana sarva artha sadhani svaha." He begins this auspicious
cleansing at the stream and continues it even inside the assembly hall.
Back in their seats, the monks recite both dedications of merit, the ordi-
nary one from the Manual and the longer one from the appendix, plus the
long auspicious recitation.
5
After this, barring a few short interpolations, the
rituals run as follows-
254 DAY SEVENTEEN
the Auspicious Prayer from Religious Practice (RP f 180.6 ff);
the Seven Branches (RP f 162.1-163.1).
At this point, it is the custom at Chiwong to thank Trulshik Rinpoche.
To do this, a representative of Chiwong presents him with a kha btags
reciting the "Mandala Offering" from Religious Practice (RP f 21.3-22.4).
The mal)4ala offering is an elaborate one, using the same set of symbolic
objects used for that purpose during the public empowerment-the statue,
book, and stapa. Following the offering to the lama, a kha btags and a gift
of money are distributed to all those who participated in the ritual. Even
wood carriers and ethnographers are included in this largesse. The amount
given is large by local standards. In 1983, the rank and file monks received
ten rupees each.
The thanksgiving continues with the following special long-life prayer
for the lama (zhabs brtan)-
The lama's body is a diamond body.
More beautiful to look at there is none.
Its qualities are inconceivable.
May the Lama's body endure!
The lama's speech is the song of Brahma.
Its unstoppable lion's roar
Terrifies the Hindu deer.
May the Lama's speech endure!
The lama's mind is like.the sky,
An empty realm-blissful, clear, and free from conceptualization.
It dwells within the three freedoms.
6
May the Lama's mind endureF
This is followed by a small selection of prayers in general use in the
monastery:
the general long life prayer (zhabs brtan spyi) for all lamas from the
Mindroling Religious Practice collection (RP f 90b2-91b2);
a confession, also from Religious Practice
8
a series of short minor prayers so well-known and so thoroughly memo-
rized that the Chant Leader of Thubten Choling had no manuscripts for
them.
The final act is a brief ritual in which the meditator visualizes that the
lama in the form of Padmasambhava bestows the four empowerments upon
The Days 255
him.
9
That done, the lama stands to make his ceremonial exit. Without fan-
fare, the assembly follows him.
Mani Rimdu has come to an end.
Part Three
In Conclusion
20
Epilogue
In 1985, I returned to Solu-Khumbu with a film I had made about Mani
Rimdu called Lord of the Dance/Destroyer of Illusion. It was the first time
a film had been projected in any of these isolated villages and monasteries;
indeed, our generator was the first electricity much of the district had seen.
Our premiere was at Chiwong, late the night of the dances. About five hun-
dred people huddled on the frigid flagstones of the courtyard. The projector
whirred and the crowd fell silent.
The film begins in blackness, like the void out of which the visualiza-
tions of ritual arise. A small red point appears. As the camera pans down-
ward, the point grows into a brilliant crimson triangle. It is not until the end
of the shot that we understand what it is that we are seeing. The red triangle
is Trulshik Rinpoche's hat; the first shot ends with his face filling the
screen. When the audience, chilly and exhausted after their fourteen-hour
theatrical marathon recognized that image, they broke into applause and
cheers.
Until quite recently, Mani Rimdu and the village festival ofDumje were
the Sherpas' only form of theater. They are still their most elaborate cultural
performances. The heroic exploits of lamas have long been a part of Sherpa
folklore. Every local Sherpa knows the story of how Serpa Dorjesangpo (Ser
pa rdo rje bzang po) climbed the thousand-foot cliff to Chiwong using his
magic dagger as a piton (Macdonald 1980). Today, despite changes on every
hand, lamas are still the heroes of the Everest region.
259
260 EPILOGUE
FUNCTION
Mani Rimdu reaffirms this perception. The monks distribute magic pills to
provide spiritual sustenance and physical well-being to all who take them.
The fearsome deities with whom lama and monastery must deal are paraded
before the public. The monks abandon their dull maroon uniforms and don
the splendid brocades of tantric magicians, with mudras and magic weapons
matching the chaotic forces of the supernatural threat for threat. To the spec-
tators, so great is the monks' mastery of the mysteries, that their mantras can
prevent a sharp sword from penetrating human flesh. It is no wonder that
when the need for discretionary ritual services is the greatest, at times of
death or serious supernatural interference, the village turns to the monastery.
This interdependence of the laity and the clergy, with the clergy providing
spiritual services, and the laity, material support (mchod yon), is a key con-
cept in Tibetan Buddhist societies.
The monk garbed as a magician is not just an outward symbol of a social
relationship however. He expresses an inner truth. As we have seen, in the
rituals themselves the monks constantly enact the role of spiritual hero: "I am
Padmasambhava" they tell "the Great Stern One, God of the Plain" [Follow-
ers 12bl].l
This power to help others and to master enemies natural and supernatu-
ral, external and internal, comes from meditation on the deity. II). tantra ev-
erything can be related to the deity. As 'Gyur med rdo rje, the fountainhead
of the Lord of the Dance tradition stated,
Whatever mantric practitioners do for their own sake and for the
sake of others-all supreme and ordinary true achievements up to
the subtle activities-is only using a particular ritual practice such as
meditation and recitation to satisfy a god [BO 2.1].
But the self-creation of tantric yoga is more than simple instrumentality,
although in the magical world view, the supernatural power of the divine is
the most potent instrument possible. Through the ritual, the monks try to
come into contact with the ultimate rightness of existence itself. Within the
charmed circle of the ritual -
The world outside becomes a divine palace.
Its inhabitants are perfected as the gods of the circle.
Sounds that resound are the mantra's own sound.
The mind's memories and thoughts are the Body of Truth. [UB 18.5]
The rituals reinforce this perception and reaffirm a monk's compassion-
ate duties: it is he, who for the sake of all beings, meditates on the infinite
In Conclusion 261
increase of the good, and takes on the responsibility of keeping the dangerous
forces of the unseen world at bay.
The rituals, if they idealize the world, are also an all-embracing mirror
of life. While working together on the manuscript of the Playful Ocean,
Lama Tharchin once pointed out that in day-to-day life we never do one thing
at a time. We may be eating a meal, but at the same time listening to music,
thinking, and holding a conversation. Similarly, ritual engages all our senses
at once. Drums boom, incense wafts in clouds. A monk's hands are rarely
still: they roll in mudras, ring bells, tell beads. As his voice chants, his mind's
eye visualizes the ritual drama unfold. He dissolves the world into the black-
ness of emptiness and recreates it as paradise.
STRUCTURE
If Buddhism has classically tended to concentrate on the inner life, putting
the emphasis on the achievement of Buddhahood and the conquest of psycho-
logical enemies, in our context conquest is often seen as twofold. In ritual one
deals with external enemies (dgra) as well as the obstructive forces within the
mind (bgegs). Whether they are internal or external, the process of dealing
with "undesirables" is identical. When Trulshik Rinpoche assassinates the
lingka, one cannot determine by the structure of the ritual whether "the ones
imagined" are the spying ghosts that haunt monasteries or the five passions
that poison living beings' hearts.
Some of these structures have their origins or at least their analogues
outside of the Buddhist world. Buddhism is a religion of considerable toler-
ance. Lacking philosophical absolutism and a commensurate concept of her-
esy, it has been able to adapt symbols and assimilate traditions freely. In
these pages, we have seen many analogues to shamanist belief and practice.
Some doubtless existed in Tibet long before Buddhism came; others may
have seeped in through its northern borders at a later date; yet others were
already a part of Buddhism before it left India. To sort them out is tricky at
best: as the dances of Dorje DrolO and Sharlung demonstrate, to distinguish
a non-Buddhist tradition in Buddhist guise from a Buddhist tradition with
non-Buddhist trappings may be a hopeless task.
Many of these common structures, the world-tree for one, are so wide-
spread as to defy an attempt to determine their origin. That we find them in
Mani Rimdu is no surprise; the world-tree is everywhere from the Maypole
and the Christmas tree to the Yakut's tent. What is interesting is not their
provenance, but how they function and interact within the festival. The rain-
bow-cord, which leads the shaman and the ancient Tibetan King to the upper
storeys of the universe, and which connects god to god in a Tibetan thang ka,
connects man to god in the daily mantra recitations. The row of poles that
262 EPILOGUE
stretches from the courtyard to the chapel defines the axis mundi for each part
of the festival: in the ma1)4ala for the main ritual, in the torma for the
empowerment, and in the courtyard for the dance. The crossed vajra is the
foundation of the world' as ma1)4ala, and in the "Horse Dance," it presses
down with the weight of the world-mountain on demons, or on our ordinary
view of reality. Hollow tubes (the central channel, the magic dagger, the
god's tongue) suck spiritual substance (be it of a man, a demon, or an offer-
ing) into another realm. Trulshik Rinpoche kills the ghosts and the passions
and sucks their essence up through his magic dagger into a higher realm.
Pelkidorje, one of Trulshik Rinpoche's previous incarnations, kills King
Langdarma with an arrow-a device which shamans from Tibet to Siberia
use to suck disease from a patient (Nebesky-Wojkowitz 1956: 544).
This type of analysis has its limits. Freud is said to have remarked that
"sometimes a cigar is just a cigar." When Trulshik Rinpoche states that he
chooses an arrow to bless the multitudes because it is a convenient length, we
must grant him equal courtesy.
Other types of logic operate in a festival such as Mani Rimdu. We have
seen the logic of the ordering of the festival and its degree of elaboration.
Sometimes the boundary between order and randomness is arbitrary: there is
a logic to the historical development and diffusion of the festival but also a
random element. We can trace the steps that took a small private cult from
a monastery in Central Tibet and made it the focal point of a rural festival
in Nepal. They have the order and the randomness of the breaking balls in
a game of billiards, ruled at once by physics and chance.
CHANGE
Today Tibetan and Sherpa culture are both at a crossroads. The terrible de-
struction of lives and culture that have taken place in Tibet under Chinese
rule is well known; Rongphu itself lies in ruins. Fortunately, in our little
comer of the Himalayas, the refugee monks of Thubten ChOling are, as the
French say, bien tombes. Having fled Rongphu, their new monastery has
assumed much of their former home's position of spiritual leadership in the
Everest region.
The Sherpas, too, face drastic cultural change; gone are the days when
the monastery was the principal means of education and social mobility.
Sherpas today have government schools and many more options. In the pre-
vious generation, a young man cut out for something other than farming
would more than likely become a: monk. Today, the monastery must vie with
the trekking agency and the other lucrative adjuncts of mountaineering and
tourism. Sadly, with progress comes loss. More Sherpas can read and write
In Conclusion 263
than ever before, but in Nepali, the language of the governing elite, not in the
Classical Tibetan of their own monasteries.
In both parts of our region there are other outside pressures: pressures
toward Hinduization (more in Solu than in Khumbu, but everywhere through
schools and radio), and toward Westernization (more in Khumbu than in
Solu, but moving southward as tourism expands).
Everywhere, we see a deteriorating environment and an uncertain future.
Caught between the pincers of overpopulation and deforestation; poised be-
tween China and India, Nepal is a potential trouble spot to say the least.
Tengpoche Rinpoche once asked why I was making such a detailed
study of Mani Rirndu. "Did I," he asked, incredulously, "plan to perform
Mani Rimdu in the United States?" I countered his question with another. Did
he think Mani Rirndu would be performed in another fifty years? In another
hundred? His answer was "probably not" to the former and "definitely not"
to the latter. "Well," I said, "this way people will know how it was 'done."
The lama looked at me, straight and hard. "What you said is very good," he
replied, and as if to prove it, a manuscript that I had asked to copy but that
previously could not be found, that probably did not exist, materialized within
a half hour.
Although migration to Kathmandu (and even New York!) has emptied
many villages of their young adults in recent years, Sherpas fortunately retain
a positive sense of the value of being a Sherpa and an interest in preserving
their own heritage. The people of the Chiwong area, for example, are now
embarked on a restoration of their exemplary but long neglected monastery.
Sherpa language classes have sprung up in Solu's schools.
We have spent several hundred pages discussing a small festival in an out of
the way place. Such a mass of material often has a chilling effect on future
research, but truly we have just scratched the surface. We have introduced
propitiation literature, but have scarcely given it the attention it deserves; nor
have we even tried to plumb the dep'ths of tantric yoga. The dance qua dance
and the theatrics of Day Fifteen were but barely mentioned. Buddhist ser-
monizing, seen in passing on Day Fourteen, was hardly addressed. As much
as we have spoken about art and iconography, we have not beeri exhaustive.
The list could go on. Thus, this is an epilogue, not a conclusion.
William Blake said that one can see the world in a grain of sand. In Mani
Rimdu we have an entire ma'(ltjala.
In closing, then, it seems fitting to recall the words of the Lord of the
Dance Manual,
Here, in the Union of the Blissful ma'(ltjala,
We, through our shameless ignorance,
264 EPILOGUE
Have erred in view, meditation and behavior, and have gone astray.
The creation sequence was unclear; the spells recited, too few.
The ritual was impure; the remainder, mixed up.
The substances offered won't do. We have been lazy and indolent.
These and any other failings there may be,
We confess. Please be patient with us! [38.3]
1.0
2.0
2.1
2.1.1
2.1.1.1
2.1.1.2
2.1.1.3
2.1.1.4
2.1.1.5
2.1.2
2.1.2.1
2.1.2.2
2.1.2.3
2.1.2.4
2.1.2.5
2.2
2.2.1
2.2.2
2.2.3
2.2.4
2.2.5
2.2.6
2.2.6.1
2.2.6.2
21
Outline of Lord of the Dance
Union of the Blissful Text
The Preparations-arranging the necessary objects.
The Actual Method of Achievement
The Preliminaries
General Preliminaries
Going for Refuge
Generating the Aspiration
The Diamond Mind Meditation Recitation
The Mat:utala
Guru Yoga
The Special Preliminaries
Expelling Demons
Defining the Borders
Confession
Showering Blessings
Blessing the Things to be Offered
The Actual Practice
Meditation on the Mat;t/.ala of the Residence
and the Residents
Blessing and Consecration
Inviting the Wisdom Circle
Entreating them to Stay
Salutation
Offerings
Outer Offerings
Inner Offerings
2.2.6.2.1 Offering Medicine
265
2bl
3.4
3.5
3b6
4.3
4b6
5.2
6b4
7bl
7b5
8.4
8bl
9.2
9.3
lObi
llbl
12bl
12b3
12b5
15b4
266 OUTLINE OF LORD OF THE DANCE
2.2.6.2.2 Offering Tormas 16.6
2.2.6.2.3 Offering Rakta 16b2
2.2.6.3 Secret Offering 16b4
2.2.6.3.1 Offering Union
2.2.6.3.2 Offering Freedom
2.2.6.3.3 Offering Suchness 17.1
2.2.7 Praise 17.2
2.2.8 Doing the Recitation 18.5
2.3 The Concluding Sequence 20b5
2.3.1 [Dedicating the Guardians' Tormas]
2.3.2 The Feast Offering 20b6
2.3.2.1 Arrangement and Blessing
2.3.2.2 Inviting the Guests to the Feast 21.4
2.3.2.3.1 Offering 2lb4
2.3.2.3.2 Confession 22.3
2.3.2.3.3 Liberation 22.5
2.3.2.4 [Enjoying the Feast]
2.3.2.5 [Discarding the Leftovers]
2.3.3 Empowerment 22b5
2.3.3.1 Applying it to Oneself
2.3.3.1.1 Entrance 23.1
2.3.3.1.1.1 Entering the External Symbolic Mm:uJala
2.3.3.1.1.1.1 Making it Enter the Tools 23.3
2.3.3.1.1.1.2 The Actual Entrance 23.5
2.3.3.1.1.1.2.1 A Prayer
2.3.3.1.1.1.2.2 Refuge, Aspiration and the Seven Limbs 23b3
2.3.3.1.1.1.2.3 Adhering to the Special Vow 24.1
2.3.3.1.1.1.2.4 The Secret Mantra's Inner Generation of the
Aspiration to Enlightenment 24.4
2.3.3.1.1.1.2.5 Salutation upon Entering via the Four Doors 24b1
2.3.3.1.1.2 Entering the Inner Wisdom MaTJr).ala 24b4
2.3.3.1.1.2.1 Undertaking the Vow 24b5
2.3.3.1.1.2.2 The Wisdom [Beings] Descend 25.4
2.3 .3 .1.1.2.3 Throwing and Fastening the Flower 25b5
2.3.3.1.1.2.4 Opening the Eyes 26.1
2.3.3.1.1.2.5 Teaching to See 26.3
2.3.3.1.2 The Actual Empowerments 26.6
2.3.3.1.2.1 The Flask Empowerment
2.3.3.1.2.1.1 A Prayer
2.3.3.1.2.1.2 Bestowing the Five Ordinary Empowerments
of A ware ness 26b2
2.3.3.1.2.1.3 The Diamond Master's Empowerment 29.3
2.3.3.1.2.1.4
2.3.3.1.2.2
2.3.3.1.2.2.1
2.3.3.1.2.2.2
2.3.3.1.2.2.3
2.3.3.2
2.3.4
In Conclusion
The Empowerment of Body, Speech and
Mind Appended to it
The Highest Unelaborated Empowerment
The Secret Empowerment
The Wisdom [Woman's] Innate Wisdom
Empowerment
The Fourth Empowerment
Disciples Entering and their Empowerment
[insert Three-Part Torma Ritual]
[insert 2.3.2.4 Enjoying the Feast]
[insert 2.3.2.5 Throwing Out the Remains]
The Conclusion
[Entreaty]
Proclaiming the Contract Torma
Inciting the Contract Torma to be a Weapon
The Steadfast Woman Protectors
The Horse's Dance
[Insert: 1. The Gnomes, the Spying Ghosts;
267
30.4
32b6
33.5
33b3
34.5
34.6
35.1
35b2
35b3
36.4
36b4
37.2
37.5
2. The Completely Agreeable Sky Walker Torma Offering]
Taking the True Achievement 37b2
Thanksgiving 38.2
Praise
Confessing your Failings
[Prayer to Remain Firm]
[Request to Go]
[Retraction]
Dedicatory Prayer
The Auspicious Recitation
[Insert: Additional Prayers]
[Colophon]
[END]
Appendices included in Thubten Choling edition:
A Shower of Benefit and Pleasure.
The Auspicious Omens of Profound Path Union of the Blissful.
A Paradise of Benefit and Pleasure.
38.3
38.5
38b1
38b2
38b5
39b2
40b6
41.5
A Prayer for Lord of the Dance Great Compassion Union of the Blissful.
[END]
22
Outline of Playful Ocean Text
1.0 The Preliminaries
1.1 Arranging the Equipment
1.2 The Yoga of Self 3.1
1.3 Blessing the Offerings 4.1
1.4 Offering the General Torma to the Lama and the
Tutelary Deity 4b5
2.0 The Actual Practice
[2.1.0 The General Invitation to the Defenders of Religion
from The Guardians of the Word 3b6-8b1]
2.1 The Sequence of Ceremonies of the Individual
Sworn Ones 5b5
2.1.1 The Ceremony for Virtuous One
Entourage:
1. Krodhisvanma 6b3
2. Karma Protector
3. Vajrakirtlkara
4. Malefactor/Benefactor
5. Rahula 7.6
6. Black Remati 7b3
Invitation 8.5
Plea to Stay 8b3
Entrusting the Vow 8b5
Salutation 9.2
Offerings
269
270 OUTLINE OF PLAYFUL OCEAN TEXT
2.1.2 The Ceremony for Four-Handed One 10.5
Entourage:
1. Black Candika 11.1
2. Crow Face (Karma Protector) 11.2
3. Black Blazing Woman
4. Flesh-Eating Lion Face 11.3
5. Planet Demon 11.4
6. (The Four Haughty Officers)
6.1. White Brahma
6.2. Dark Red Death Lord
6.3. Good Diamond
6.4. Black Malefactor/Benefactor llb3
Invitation llb3
Plea to Stay 12.3
Putting them to the Vow 12.4
Salutation 12b2
Offerings 13b3
2.1.3 The Ceremony for Black Neuter 13b3
Entourage:
1. Glorious White Blazing Woman
2. Karma Protector-Black Life Demon
3. Body Protector-Black Tiger Rider
4. Speech Protector-Red-Brown Club
5. Mind Protector-Blue-Black Chopper
6. Quality Protector-Black Virtuous One
7. Deed Protector-Tragsad
8. Lord of The Desire Realm-Black Remati
Invitation 15.1
Plea to Stay 15b1
Salutation 15b2
Offering 15b4
2.1.4 The Ceremony for Four-Faced One 16.2
(Introduction)
(Purification) 16.5
Visualizing the Guardian 16bl
Entourage:
1. Secret Mother Reti 16b6
2. Serpent Demon
3. Y amaraja, Prince of the Lords of Death 17.2
4. Rahula himself 17.3
5. Ghoul 17.4
Invitation 17.6
In Conclusion
271
Plea to Stay
17b4
Offering Sequence
17b6
2.1.5
The Ceremony for Mantra Guardian
18.3
(minor entourage)
18b4
Entourage:
1. The Butcher Black Murderess
18b6
1.1. Jackal Face Woman
19.1
1.2. Fox Face Woman
1.3. Owl Face Woman
2. Planet Demon Rahula and entourage
3. Malefactor/Benefactor Butcher
19.3
4. High Born Good Diamond
19.5
(more minor entourage)
Invitation
19b3
Plea to Stay 20.5
Salutation 20.6
Offering 20b1
2.1.6 The Ceremony for the Great God 20b4
1-4 The Four :Oliki
Invitation 21b3
Offerings 22.5
Ordinary
Special: secret, medicine, rakta, torma 22b2
2.1.7 The Ceremony for Planet Demon 23.3
Entourage:
1. The Serpent Ghouls
1.1. Father Diamond Ghoul
1.2. Mother Diamond Lightning Flash
2. The Eight Major Emanated Planets 23b6
2.1. Great Blue-Green One
2.2. The Sage
2.3. Demon Rogti
2.4. Pi$tipatra
2.5.Byinuraja
2.6.Long Smoke Tail (Comet)
2. 7. Great Pervader
2.8.Eclipse
3. The Tiger-Ghoul, Sickle Face 24.6
4. The Mummy-Ghoul, Bear Face
5. The Kong-Ghoul, Ox Face
6. The Wilderness-Ghoul, Crocodile Face
(minor entourage)
272 OUTLINE OF PLAYFUL OCEAN TEXT
Invitation 25.3
Plea to Stay 25bl
Salutation 25b2
Offering 25b4
2.1.8 The Ceremony for Son of Renown 25b5
Entourage:
1. Yellow Jambhala
2. Yellow True Knower
3. Yell ow Happy Repletion
4. Black Wilderness Dweller
5. White Good Gem
6. Yell ow Five Dice
7. Yellow Swirling Soft One
(minor entourage)
Invitation 27.3
Plea to Stay 27.6
Salutation 27b1
Offering 27b2
2.1.9 The Ceremony for the Field Protector,
Cemetery Grandmother 27b4
The Four Grandmothers
(minor entourage)
Invitation
Plea to Stay 29.2
Salutation
Offering 29.4
2.2 Giving the Tormas 29bl
2.3 Praise 29b6
2.3.1 The Praise of Virtuous One, Master of Hosts 30.3
2.3.2 The Praise of Four-Handed One 30b3
2.3.3 The Praise of Neuter 32.3
2.3.4.1 The Praise of the Guardian of the Teaching,
Four-Faced Great Black One 33b3
2.3.4.2 The Plea to Act 34b2
2.3.5 The Praise of the Grandmother,
Guardian of the Mantra 34b6
2.3.6 The Praise of the Great God, the Great Lord 35b6
2.3.7 The Praise of the Sage, the Pervasive One
and Entourage 36b2
2.3.8 The Praise of Son of Renown 37b4
2.3.9 The Praise of the Grandmother, Defender
of the (Cemetery) Fields and her Entourage 38.4
2.4 The Followers 38b2
In Conclusion
273
(2.4.1)
The Followers (insert)
(2.4.2)
The General Torma Offering for the Treasure Owners
38b3
(2.4.3)
The General Torma for the Land Owner
39.2
2.5
The Recitations
39b3
(2.6)
The Feast Offering (insert)
40b4
2.7
The Propitiation Process
40b5
2.7.1
Propitiating the Individual Sworn Ones
(Cleansing the Propitiation Substances)
2.7.1.1
Propitiation of Virtuous One, Master of Hosts
41.3
2.7.1.2
Propitiation of the Wisdom Protector,
Four-Handed One
42.2
2.7.1.3 Propitiation of the Glorious Protector, Neuter 43.5
2.7.1.4 Propitiation of the Guardian of the Word,
Five Fierce Tribes (i.e., Four-Faced One) 44.2
2.7.1.5 Propitiation of the Grandmother
Mantra Guardian 44b6
2.7.1.6 Propitiation of the Great God 45b6
2.7.1.7 Propitiation of Planet Demon 47.4
2.7.1.8 Propitiation of the Great King Son of Renown 47b6
2.7.1.9 Propitiation of the Defender of the Field, Cemetery
Grandmother 48.6
[2.7.2] [Confession]
2.7.2.1 Virtuous One's Confession 49.2
2.7.2.2 The Great God's Confession 49b3
2.7.2.3 The Actual Confession from Scripture 50.6
2.7.3.1 Requesting Action toward the Desired Goal 50b6
2.7.3.2 The Actual Request for the Acts in Question 5lb6
(Enjoying the Feast and Throwing Out the Remains) 53.1
2.8 (The Special Sendings and Urgings for the Objects
of Magical Supression) 53.1
2.9 Feeding the Tormas 53.1
3.0 The Concluding Ritual 54.4
3.1 Offering Thanks 54'.4
3.2 Confessing Fault 54.5
3.3 Staying Firm 54b4
3.4 Request to Go (omitted in Mani Rimdu) 55.1
3.5 Prayer 55.3
3.6 The Auspicious Speech 55.4
Colophon 55b3
List of Donors 56.4
(END) 57.5
23
Outline of Followers Text
[1] The Torma Ritual for the Treasure Guardian, the Defender
of the Field 1 b 1
[2] The Food Offering for the Thirty Governors of the
Haughty Ones 2b5
[3] The Food Offering for the Magic Dagger Guardians 3b3
[4] The Guardians of Tibet, The Twelve Steadfast Women 4.2
[5] The Fulfillment of the Protectors Hopes: The Cloud of
Offerings for the Treasure Guardian Medicine Ladies 5.6
[6] "The Food Offering to the Treasure Owner," from The Lord of
Death-Conqueror of the Haughty 6.6
[7] Spontaneous Wish Fulfillment a Food Offering to the Stern
One of the Rock, Butcher of Life 7.1
[8] The Offering to the King-The All-Encompassing
Wish-Granting Tree 8b2
[9] The Method of Achievement for Offering to the Great
Malefactor I Benefactor 9.5
[10] The Food Offering to the Treasure Guardians Demon,
Stern One, and Serpent 10b2
[11] The Worship Cloud for the God of the Plain 11.5
[END] 12b4
275
Notes
Sources and Methodology
1. Its 108 minute theatrical version, 56 minute television version (broadcast as
Destroyer of Illusion. The Secret World of a Tibetan Lama), seventeen hours of
archival film material, and seventy hours of archival audio were designed in part to
serve as a resource for scholars. On the use of photography and film as data, see
Collier 1967.
2. "The Descent of the Wisdom Beings," UB 2.3.3.1.1.2.2, f 25.5. The Torma
Empowerment used on the fourteenth day of Mani Rimdu has a similar passage.
3. A brief biography of Trulshik Rinpoche can be found in ChO Yang 1991:
33-34.
4. This 'Gyur med rdo rje is not to be confused with the seventeenth-century
Mindroling treasure master of the same name.
5. On the question of Indic and Tibetan cults, see for example: on klu, Macdonald,
"The Coming of Buddhism," 1980: 141; on gnod byin, Snellgrove, Buddhist Himalaya,
1957: 291, n. 29; and Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Oracles and Demons, 1956: 280-281; on
srin po,'Nebesky-Wojkowitz 1956: 14; and in general, Tucci, Religions of Tibet,
1980: 163-64. On the value of fictitious etymologies, see Turner, The Forest of
Symbols, 1961: 11.
6. I did, however, make one editorial decision in the transliteration: to render the
Tibetan "ba" by "va" when appropriate. Thus, vajra appears in recognizable form instead
of as "bajra". Similarly, tsa, tsha, and dza are given in. accordance with the Basham
system: ca, cha, and ja. The editorial "sic" when it appears, does not indicate deviation
from correct Sanskrit (which is rife), but gross deviation from the texts' own system.
7. UB 2.3.3.1.1.2.1, "Undertaking the Vow," f 24b5. The term Las byang
(Manual) is from 'phrin las gyi byang bu, (chart of ritual actions). The term does not
mean, as has sometimes been suggested, "karma purification."
8. "Essence of Tantra," in Tsong-kha-pa: 1977, pp. 17-18.
9. Beyer, The Cult of Tara, 1973: 54.
10. SST interview l/86.
277
278 NoTES
Chapter 1: Introduction
1. Oppitz, "Myths and Facts," 1974: 232.
2. von Fiirer-Hairnendorf, The Sherpas of Nepal, 1964: 175. Also see Snellgrove,
Buddhist Himillaya, 1957: 216; and Ortner, Sherpas through their Rituals, 1978: 11,
and 1985. On cultural differences, see Miller, "Tibetan Culture," 1978.
3. See von Fiirer-Haimendorf, The Sherpas of Nepal, 1964: 126 ff.
4. Rockhill, "The Lamaist Ceremony," 1890a.
5. See Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Oracles and Demons, 1956: chap. 27, "Some Notes
on Tibetan Shamanism," pp. 538-553; Samuel, Civilized Shamans, 1993; and Stein,
Tibetan Civilization, 1972: 191, "Tradition-the Nameless Religion." Also my see
notes on the dance altar on Day 13 and elsewhere.
6. The monument of Nyingma tantric studies is Dudjom 1991. On Tibetan
tantrism in general, the works of Professor Geshe Sopa of the University of Wiscon-
sin, Jeffrey Hopkins, and others at the University of Virginia, Tulku Thondup, and
several recent publications of the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives are also
notable. See for example: Khetsun Sangpo, Tantric Practice, 1982; Cozort, Highest
Yoga Tantra, 1986; Tsong-kha-pa, Tantra in Tibet, 1977, and The Yoga of Tibet,
1982; Dhargyey, A Commentary on the Kalacakra Tantra, 1985; and Mullin, Medi-
tations on the Lower T a n t r a ~ , 1983.
7. Eliade, "Methodological Remarks on the Study," 1959: 95.
8. On the tube, see Days 0, 13, 15; on the descent of light, see Day 1: the
reception, Days 6-12, 14; on the rainbow cord, Day 1: the reception, Days 6-12; on
the world tree, Days 2-4: the main torma, Day 13, Day 15; and the cosmic sheep, Day
0, Day 1: site, Day 13:3.
9. Trulshik Rinpoche: n.d:e.
10. John G. Neidhart, Black Elk Speaks: Being the Life story of a Holy Man of
the Ogalala Sioux. (New York: William Morrow, 1932; Lincoln: University of Ne-
braska Press, 1961) bison ed., 42-43, cited in Campbell, The Way of the Animal
Powers, 1984: 224.
11. Eliade, Shamanism, 1964: 107.
12. Henry Miller, Black Spring.
13. Campbell, The Way of the Animal Powers, 1984: 8.
Chapter 2: The Gods
1. Thus, Lord of the Dance was a natural choice for the title of my 1985 film
about Mani Rimdu. To confuse the matter a bit, though, recently a quite unrelated
Nyingma lama gave his English-language biography the same name.
2. Snellgrove, Buddhist Himillaya, 1957: 235-236. Snellgrove also mentions
Lord of the Dance who he calls "Lotus-Lord of the Dance" or "Unity of All the
Notes 279
Blessed" on p. 255, where the name "Unity of All Blessed" occurs as an epithet of
Padmasambhava in a dKon mchog spyi 'dus ritual; and on p. 259-261, where he
describes the fierce form of the Burnt Offering associated with Lord of the Dance.
3. Snellgrove, Buddist Himi1laya, 1957: 204.
4. The texts, UB f 10.2 and the Daily Practice, f 2b1, are somewhat ambiguous
here: phreng ba can mean either rosary or garland. The details are evident in paintings
of the god. The rosary counting gesture can be seen in many other forms of Lokevara:
see Bhattacharyya Indian Buddhist Iconography, 1958: 401 ff.: figs. 3 (A), 6 (A), 11
(A), 12 (A), and so forth.
5. For more on Lord of the Dance's consort, see below, pp. 19-21.
6. Kapstein, "Remarks on the Mw:Ji bKa'-'bum," 1992b: 88.
7. Such beliefs are expressed in the Ma f.li bka' 'bum, a gter ma compiled in
the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. See Kapstein, Ibid., 1992b: 80; Tucci, The Reli-
gions of Tibet, 1980: 41; Stein, Tibetan Civilization, 1972: 38. Also see, among
others, Dalai Lama II (1475-1542), A Meditation on the Four-Armed Avalokitesvara,
in Mullin, Meditation on the Lower Tantras, 1983: 50.
8. Snellgrove and Richardson, A Cultural History of Tibet, 1968: 130. Also see
Kapstein, "Remarks on the Mru.U bKa'-'bum, 1992b: 85.
9. Kapstein, Ibid., 1992b: 83.
10. Stein, Tibetan Civilization, 1972: 174.
11. Bhattacharyya, Indian Buddhist Iconography, 1958: 126. See also Tucci, The
Religions of Tibet, 1980: 170.
12. For some possible historical ramifications of this concept on the Lord of the
Dance tradition, see chap. 5. On Sa<;!ak$ari-Lokesvara, see Bhattacharyya, Ibid., 1958:
125 ff.; figs. 94-97 on pp. 173-174; and fig. 6 (A) on p. 402. According to Snellgrove,
The Hevajra Tantra, 1959: 102, n. 3, Padmanartesvara is also mentioned in Kw:Jha's
Yogaratnamala, ms. belonging to Cambridge University Library, Add. 1699, p. 146,
11. 21-22, and in Tucci's, lndo-Tibetica, iii:2, p. 57.
13. Personal communication, August 1999.
14. Nor, for that matter, between Mani Rimdu and dance-Mani Rimdu is per-
formed without dances at Thubten Chtiling.
15. Das, Journey to Lhasa, 215.
16. Followers, f. 7.2. Also see Khempo Sangyay Tenzin and Gomchen Oleshay,
"The Nyingrna Icons," 1975 (Kailash, III/4): 371. The term also occurs in the name
of at least one Bonpo deity, gar dbang rta mgrin, a Bonpo form of Hayagriva. See
Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Oracles and Demons, 1956: 23, note 2.
17. LT, instructions on the mKha' 'gro thugs thig, Santa Cruz, Ca., 7/87.
18. Cl\lltO 3: Rewalsar edition f 11b4; Ye shes mtsho rgyal 1978, p 13.
19. Section 2.7.1.6, "The Great God's Propitiation," f. 45b6 ff.; Section 2.3.6,
"The Praise of the Great God, the Great Lord," f. 35b6 ff.
280 Nons
20. Section 2.1.6, "The Deeds of the Great God, the Great Lord," f. 22.3 ff.
21. "S'il existe des analogies indeniable entre et c;iva, elles ne
remontent pas a Ia periode ancienne: textuellement et iconographiquement, elles ne
semblent pas apparattre avant le xe siecle au plus tot," de Mallmann 1948: 115,
translation mine. In her discussion of this question, pp. 111-115, de Mallmann sum-
marizes and refutes the opposing view as stated by Kern, 1884, Saddharmapur:u.[arlka,
Sacred Books of the East XXI. Oxford: p 407, n. 2; Foucher, 1900: Etude sur
l'lconographie Bouddhique de l'lnde, 1e partie, Paris: pp. 172-3; de 1a Vallee-Poussin,
1909, Encyclopredia of Religion and Ethics, Edinburgh-New York, II, Avalokitevara;
and Przyluski, 1923: "Les Vidyaraja. Contribution a l'histoire de la Magie dans les
sectes mahayanistes," Bulletin de/' Ecole d' Extreme-Qrient, Chap. 23: 301-
318, p. 314.
22. Tucci, "A propos 1951: 186, and note 2.
23. Snellgrove, Buddhist Himalaya, 1957: 187.
24. Interview with Pandit Vaidya Ashakaji Bajracarya, 10/9/83. Dr. Bajracarya,
a vajracarya of Patan, is a noted physician, and community leader as well as a
scholar. According to him, there is also a two-handed form who holds a vajra and
bell and two different six-handed forms, one sitting and one standing. Dr. Bajracarya
says that when a vajracarya dances, he holds the vajra and bell like the two-
handed Padmanartevara. Amoghabajra Bajracarya (1979: 38) also gives an eight-
handed form and lists Padmanartesvara among the 108 forms of Avalokitesvara
(1979: 21).
25. Khetsun Sangpo 1982: 25-26, for example, says that the six-syllable mantra
"overcomes the seeds of defilements that would cause rebirth" in each of the six
realms.
26. For a photograph of the fust, see Amoghabajra Bajracarya, Nepabdeya, 1979:
21.
27. For more on the relation between Padmanartesvara and Minath, see Dowman,
"A Buddhist Guide," 1981: 246-247.
28. This form of Padmanartesvara, one of three mentioned in the Sadhanamala,
is described by Bhattacharyya, Indian Buddhist Iconography, 1958: 133 ff. Gordon,
The Iconography of Tibetan Lamaism, 1939: 65, notes an interesting yab yum variety.
29. Ashakaji Bajracarya, interview 9/12/83. This song is published in his Newari
work Ma/laklllrna Karil Pyakaril (The Dance of the Astamatrka).
30. Ashakaji Bajracarya, interview 9/12/83.
31. David Gellner, interview 9/12/83. Also see Nepali, The Newars.
32. Shrestha, Buddhist Ritual Dance, 1986, p. 8-9.
33. Snellgrove, Buddhist Himalaya, 1957: 233. According to Kapstein (personal
communication), however, "the peaceful deities are generally associated with the
heart, and the wrathful with the head."
34. Snellgrove, Ibid., 1957: 235.
Notes 281
35. At Trakshindu, built around the time of Snellgrove's visit, there is a beau-
tiful mar.u.fala of Lord of the Dance on the ceiling of the chapel, however there is no
worship of the god at that monastery at this time. Chiwong itself went through a
period of decline since Snellgrove's visit; perhaps the god declined with it.
36. von Fiirer-Haimendorf, The Sherpas of Nepal, 1964: 223.
37. Waddell says bde gshegs kun 'dus gar dbang and thugs rje chen po. Al-
though he probably means our bDe gshegs kun 'dus gar dbang thugs rje chen po, it
is possible that he does actually mean to indicate two deities (1) Lord of the Dance,
and (2) the common white four-armed form of Avalokitesvara sometimes called Jo bo
thugs rje chen po. Waddell, Buddhism of Tibet, 1895: 182-183, n. 1.
38. This work may be quite similar to the Manual used at Mani Rimdu which
has forty-one folios. (See below.) Waddell, Ibid., 1895: 182-183. Waddell also men-
tions (p. 175) a four-page manuscript of "The Collection of the Tathagatas" malJIJ.ala
rituals that the monks were required to memorize for their examinations. Unless this
is merely a confusion of numbers, the latter manuscript is possibly the Lord of the
Dance Daily Practice text, the Thugs rje chen po' i rgyun khyer zab lam snying po' i
dril ba. The xylograph edition of this work presented to me by Trulshik Rinpoche is
three folia long.
39. On Pemayangtse, founded in A.D. 1705, see Waddell, Buddhism of Tibet,
1895: 285 ff., Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Where the Gods are Mountains, n.d.: 120; Surdev
Singh Chib, Sikkim, p. 72; and so forth.
40. Waddell, Buddhism of Tibet, 1895: 173.
41. Waddell, Ibid., 1895: 173.
42. Followed by Gu ru drag dmar, sKu gsum thugs thig, and Byang gter drag
mthing. Trulshik Rinpoche, 1980 interview.
43. This is based on estimates made for two recent years by Ngawang Norbu,
manager (phyag mdzod) of Thubten Choling.
44. UB f 41.
45. UB 2.1.1.3, f 4.3 ff. This is absent in the Vajrasattva practice described by
Khetsun Sangpo 1982: 141 ff. A similar set appears within the heart ofVajrakilaya.
See Herein Is Contained The Daily Yoga Of The GLORIOUS DORJE PHURBA
Called The Compact Heart Essence, Dorje Nyingpo (Paris, n.d.), 7:5. For another
non-anthropomorphic deity, see the "Contemplation Hero."
46. van Gulik, Hayagrlva 1935: 10: "From the variants
Asvamukha, Va<;lavamukha it appears that in this case Hayagriva ought to be trans-
lated as 'Horse-headed One.'" My discussion here follows van Gulik.
47. Eliade, Shamanism, 1964: 154.
48. See UB f. 37.5.
49. See the appropriate sections of Day One and Day Fifteen for a more detailed
description.
50. UB 2.1.2.2, 10.5.
282 NoTES
51. UB 2.1.2.2, f. 7b 1 ff.
52. UB 10bl.
53. See The Daily Yoga OfThe GLORIOUS DORJE PHURBA, cited in note 45.
54. Snellgrove, Buddhist Himalaya, 1957: 235-236. Also see, The Hevajra Tantra,
1959: '02, n. 3. Her name, usually given as Plll)c.laravasini, means "The White Clad
One." Her name leads Snellgrove to conclude that she is "probably [an] imaginative
Bud.dhist creation," unlike many other deities who are "essentially non-Buddhist in
origin." See Snellgrove, Indo-Tibetan Buddhism 1987: 150-151. According to Dowman,
Sky Dancer (1985: 201; chap. 5, n. 7), her name relates to her position as the goddess
of gtum mo, of psychic heat.
55. Snellgrove, Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, 1987: 150-151.
56. Sadhanamala, p. 75, cited in Bhattacharyya, Indian Buddhist Iconography
1958: 134. The earliest known edition of the Sadhanamilla is dated 1165. See
Bhattacharyya, Ibid. 1958: 385.
57. Tsong-kha-pa (Hopkins, transl. and ed.), 1981: 149.
58. I am indebted to Matthew Kapstein for this comment on consorts.
59. Mysterious Apparitions Canto 34: f 111.5-114. 5 in the Rewalsar edition, p.
219 ff. in Ye shes mtsho rgyal, 1978.
60. Tarthang's rendering has "teachings" for empowerment here.
61. Tarthang, Kalacakra, p. 221; Rewalsar ff. 112.5-12bl. I have modified the
Toussaint I Tarthang translation somewhat. Parenthetical material is from the Rewalsar
edition.
62. See the section entitled Four Sorceresses below.
63. This alone is too fragile a foundation on which to build an argument con-
cerning the historicity of the Lord of the Dance tradition. For a summary of the long
and complex evolution of the Five Buddha system, see Snellgrove, Indo-Tibetan
Buddhism, 1987: 189 ff.
64. Snellgrove, Buddhist Himillaya, 1957: 66-67. I am indebted to Prof. David
Germano of the University of Virginia for noting the absence of 'phrin las in this chart.
65. Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Tibetan Religions Dances, 1976: 92, passim, prefers
"witches".
66. UB 11.5.
67. UB 12.1.
68. LIS 126b5 ff.
69. UB 2.2.4, f. 12b2. Also see Spying Ghosts; SIR 3b1, and so forth. Beyer first
made this structural connection between creation stage visualization and the creation
of effigies. See Beyer, The Cult of Tara, 1973: 101-102. Beyer has sketches of the
mudras on p. 102.
70. Among a heterogeneous list of terms nondescriptly styled "names originat-
ing in the tantras." Mahavyutpatti (MV) 4234, 4284.
Notes 283
71. See for example, the "sorcerer" of the Trois Freres cave, c. 14,000 B.c.
Campbell, Way of the Animal Powers, 1984: 76, fig. 132.
72. See Dehejia, The Yoginl temples, 1982, 1986.
73. Eliade, Shamanism, 1964: 37.
74. The story of Padmasambhava and the t/tlkiQl is given on page 20-21.
75. Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Oracles and Demons, 1956:.46-47 thinks, for I am
indebted to Prof. David Germano of the University of Virginia for noting the absence
of 'phrin las in this chart.example, that the animal-heads of the goddesses in Four-
Handed One's entourage may indicate "that they are Bon deities who have been
assigned a minor position in the pantheon of Tibetan Buddhism."
76. See Fremantle and Trungpa, The Tibetan Book of the Dead, 1975: 65.
Mindroling tradition includes the slightly rarer male form of this deity, see Followers
[1], ff. 1b1-2b4.
77. Dowman, "A Buddhist Guide," 1981: 267-268.
78. Of the Chonyid Bardo. See Gordon, Iconography of Tibetan Lamaism, 1939:
101, who calls them the "Hlanmenmas," and Evans-Wentz.
79. See below, and for Vajraklla, Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Tibetan Religions Dances,
1976: 92; for Union of the Precious Ones, Snellgrove, Buddhist Himalaya, 1957: 232.
The Union of the Precious Ones tradition also has four directional sets of six god-
desses each who preside over the four actions of pacifying, and so forth.
80. Bhattacharyya, Indian Buddhist Iconography, 1958: 316-317.
81. The specimen I describe is in the possession of Dr. David Gellner, and was
purchased in the vicinity of K wa Bahal in Patan. I am also indebted to him for the
identification of the Goddesses.
82. The skull bowl usually forms a pair with the chopper. According to my
notes, however, these goddesses hold only the skull bowl.
83. Bhattacharyya, Indian Buddhist Iconography, 1958: 385.
84. Fremantl.e and Trungpa, The Tibetan Book of the Dead, 1975: 67. See
Bhattacharyya, IndianBuddhist Iconography, 1958: 364 for VarahT as she appears in
the Ni$pannayogavall.
85. Fremantle and Trungpa, Ibid., 1975: 63 and note; quotation from Basham,
The Wonder that was India, 1959: 318.
86. Bhattacharyya, Indian Buddhist Iconography, 1958: 196. Edgerton, Buddhist
Hybrid Sanskrit, 1970: II, 346 simply defmes the term as "ogress."
87. When I ask SST, however, if phra men rna are witches, using the Nepali
term "bokshi," he agrees. He further states they are like mkha' 'gro rna, but a little
lower. He does not know the etymology of the term, but agrees with Geshechodak's
definition of "lha min srin po."
88. Or magicians-"sna tshogs bstan [phyir] sgyu 'phrul," TR 12/2/83.
89. TR 12/2/86. Das, it should be noted, also gives phra men rna as a synonym
of' gyad rna, "a goddess ... that brings on division, dissention, or disunion." (D 295)
284 NoTES
90. Ardussi and Epstein, "The Saintly Madman in Tibet," 1978: 329.
91. Ardussi and Epstein, Ibid., 1978: 329.
92. Basham, The Wonder that was India, 1959: 318.
93. Basham, Ibid., 1959: 168. It is also interesting to note, that like the naga, the
legendary pisaca seem to be based on a tribe living in India at the time. Seep. 318.
Chapter 3
1. Dudjom Rinpoche's chapter on "the Resultant Vehicle of the Secret Man-
tra," 1991: v.1, pp. 243-372, is a superb summary of the Nyingma perspective on this
crucial subject. Cozort, Highest Yoga Tantra, 1986: 65, passim, gives a detailed
discussion of rdzogs rim and of the anuttarayogatantra system as a whole from the
Geluk point of view.
2. Trulshik Rinpoche notes that the flask generation is unimportant if you are
not doing a self-application (bdag 'jug) or an empowerment (dbang).
3. This threefold analysis and the discussion that follows are based on oral
instructions of Lama Tharchin. Beyer, The Cult of Tara, 1973: 68ff. also covers this
material in a lucid way.
4. Robert Thurman has proposed the translation "archetype deity" much in this
sense. The related term dam tshig pa also seems to have the signification of provi-
sional, promised or potential. The dam tshig pa is the visualized deity which will be
enlivened when the deity's wisdom essence (ye shes pa) descends during empower-
ment. UB 25.5.
5. LIS 123.5. Also see UB 2.2.7, The Praise, f 17.3.
6. The story of Rudra, perhaps the most fascinating episode of Tibetan mythol-
ogy, may be found in cantos 5 and 6 of 0 rgyan gling pa's version of Ye shes mtsho
rgyal's biography ofPadmasartJ.bhava. Also see Kapstein, "Samantabhadra and Rudra,"
1992, and Davidson, "Reflections on the Mahesvara," 1991.
7: Khetsun Sangpo, Tantric Practice in Nyingma, 1982: 18-29.
8. Dudjom Rinpoche, The Nyingma School, 1991: 244.
9. PO 1.4, General Torma for the Lama and Tutelary Deity, f 5.2.
Chapter 4
l. Cf. UB f 5.6. Of course, the Hinayana and Mahayana conceive nirvaiJa
differently. The rhetoric of ritual posits a nirvaiJa closer to that of the Hinayana, at
least for emotional effect.
2. Donden, Health through Balance, 1986: 129.
3. Ekvall, Religions Observances in Tibet, 1964: 25, also see Nebesky-
Wojkowitz, Where the Gods are Mountains, n.d.: 205 for a similar conclusion. It
Notes 285
should be noted that Ekvall's example does not refer to the high dharmapalas but
rather to local spirits subdued by Padmasambhava.
4. Ekvall, Ibid., 1964: 25.
5. The classic example is Sierksma's, Tibet's Terrifying Deities. Sex and Ag-
gression in Religious Acculturation, The Hague: 1966. A more knowledgeable and
respectful author once suggested to me that the protectors "are usually taken to rep-
resent unliberated karma."
6. Lessing, "Calling the Soul," 1951: 265.
7. That in Solu-Khumbu there are both native Sherpa and refugee Tibetan
monasteries, should not confuse this issue. The statement holds true for each
community.
8. 11/22/85. The following account is based on notes summarizing the inter-
view, which was considerably longer than it appears here. Although these notes were
written down immediately after the interview took place, it is a summary rather than
a transcript, and contains omissions and possibly minor inaccuracies. Although some
of the language is direct quotation, it is by and large paraphrase. Material in brackets,
as usual, is my interpolation.
9. Listed under "Gter-bdag-glin-pa 'Gyur-med-rdo-rje" in the Library of Con-
gress catalogue. Others may now be found in the collected works of Gter bdag and
Lo chen published by D. G. Khochhen Trulku in Dehra Dun, India. These were not
available to me in connection with the present research.
10. PO 1.3, f 4.1.
11. bDag gi rnal 'byor 'Yoga of Self'-PO 1.2, ff. 3.1-4.1.
12. Snellgrove, Buddhist Himalaya, 1958: 242 gives a slightly different list of
"the chief protectors" at "Chiwong and among the Nying-ma-pas generally." The list
contains one or two small errors-Ekajata should be sNgags srung rna, not Dur khrod
lha mo; Vajrakumara is better classed with the yi dam than with the dam can. If we
wish a generic list of protectors, it might be better to examine painting of the Sworn
Ones in Trulshik Rinpoche's collection-the only such thang kha I have seen in Solu-
Khumbu. It consists of two long book-sized panels, each containing seven gods stand-
ing in a row. The first panel depicts the Protectors "that are prayed to often:" Son of
Renown, Great God, Four-Faced One, Neuter, Mantra Guardian, Cemetery Grand-
mother, and Long Life Woman. All of these gods are among the Great Protectors
worshipped at Mani Rimdu. The second panel shows deities who are "prayed to less
often:" Good Diamond (rDo rje legs pa), Visuu (Khyab 'jug), Four-Handed One,
Virtuous One, Lion-Face (Seng gdong), Medicine Lady (sMan btsun), and Red Ts'iu
(Ts'iu dmar po). These seven, with the possible exception of Ts'iu dmar po, are, for
this tradition, derived from either the Playful Ocean or the Followers.
13. LLW 4.5-4b3. Detleb lngo Lauf states that they were subdued by Milarepa
in the eleventh century, who in tum attributed their first conversion to Buddhism to
Padmasambhava. mGur 'bum, Canto 30, cited in Lauf, ''Tshe-ring-ma," 1972: 260-
261. Also see Mi-la-ras-pa 1989: 296-332.
14. The Followers and other minor deities are worshipped at this point.
286 NoTES
15. In the "General Invitation," the request to act comes before the praise.
16. On this symbolic alphabet, see Tullcu Thondup, Hidden Teachings of Tibet,
1986.
17. Each section of the Followers retains its colophon, which aids analysis con-
siderably; the Playful Ocean, by contrast, has lost its colophons.
18. Stein (Tibetan Civilization, 1972: 192) remarks that in general, the structure
which we find in the invocation of God of the Plain, which inquires as to the god's
name in both the religion of gods and in the religion of men is indicative of "the
ancient style of the songs." That alone among the Mani Rirndu rituals this prayer has
been translated more than once is a tribute to the unerring instincts of Snellgrove and
Nebesky-Wqjkowitz. See Snellgrove, Buddhist Himalaya, 1957: 239-242; Nebesky-
Wojkowitz, Oracles and Demons, 1956: 206, and n.d.: 32-33. Nebesky-Wojkowitz's
passage is shorter and the text he used may not be identical to Snellgrove's and mine.
For my full translation, see Lopez, Religions of Tibet, 1997: 387-394.
19. sku lha' i yab smos pa. '0 te gung rgyal, which Nebesky-Wojkowitz gives
as 'Od de gung rgyal, '0 de gung rgyal, and '0 di gung rgyal, is the god of a
mountain of that name in central Tibet. An old man dressed in silk and wearing
turquoise bracelets, he carries a lance, a flag, and a cane-stick. According to Klong
rdol bla rna, he is the father of eight mountain gods. See Nebesky-Wojkowitz 1956:
206, 208, 277, and 311. Stein (1962: 194) remarks that "Ode Kunggyel" is the god
who descends to earth to become progenitor of the line of kings. Snellgrove translates
his name, which he gives as 'Od gung rgyal as "Zenith Sovereignty of Light." Tucci
(1980: 226) locates the mountain south of '01 kha.
20. 'Dam bshod snar mo (or 'Dam shod snar mo, viz. Nebesky-Wojkowitz)
might be translated as Shivering Swamp Bottom, or following Snellgrove, "Oblong
Lower Marsh." Das refers to a 'dam bshod sdar mo as "one of the thirty-seven sacred
places of the Bon," D 679.
21. Stein, Tibetan Civilization, 1972: 192.
22. According to Nebesky-Wojkowitz (n.d.: 32), "Nyen-chen Tang-la [is] the
embodiment of the Trans-Himalaya, the mighty range of mountains that runs through
the wilderness of Northern Tibet." Stein (1972: 192) equates him with a single holy
mountain that bears the god's name-Nyenchen Thanglha, not the entire range. In
later times, he is considered to be the god of "Potala Hill" (dMar po ri) in Lhasa.
Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Oracles and Demons, 1956: 205.
23. Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Where the Gods are Mountains, n.d.: 32. For an ex-
ample of a similar story, see Lauf, "Tshe-ring-ma," 1972: 259. Nebesky-Wojkowitz
notes that Thang lha is worshipped in Sikkim as well as Tibet; it is probably there that
he collected his data.
24. [44b3] The beribboned arrow appears again in the ancient Mountain Incense
Offering performed on the days of the dance. See Day Thirteen.
25. On this subject see Campbell, The Way of the Animal Powers, 1984: passim.
An excellent plate of a display thangka can be found in Thurman and Rhie #158.
Notes 287
Chapter 5: The Lord of the Dance Rituals
1. I am indebted to Matthew Kapstein for this precise date, a by-product of hiS
long labors in Nyingma history. See Dudjom Rinpoche 1991, vol. 1, pp. 825-834.
Dargyay, The Rise of Esoteric Buddhism in Tibet, 1979: 179, and n. 371, gives the
date as the twenty-ninth day of the sixth Tibetan month. 'Gyur med rdo rje mentions
Sha 'ug stag sgo in his Biographical Prayer, f. 2b3, although not speCifically in
connection with the Lord of the Dance Union of the Blissful cycle. 'Gyur med rdo rje
has been called "one of the most essential links in the preservation of the entire
Nyingma lineage of bKa-ma teachings of Maha-, Anu- and Atiyoga." Crystal Mirror,
Journal of the Tibetan Nyingma Meditation Center, vol. 5, Berkeley, 1985, 285.
The original gter ms. is preserved in the collection of Minling Trichen. A pho-
tograph of a part of it appears in Thondup, Hidden Teachings of Tibet, 1986: plate 16.
On the discovery, also see LIS 223b5 and the note on Tullm Thondup's plate 6.
2. Prats, "Some preliminary considerations," 1980: 256. For short biographies
of 'Gyur med rdo rje, see Dargyay 1979: 174-186 and Thondup, The Tantric Tradi-
tion, 1984: 81-83, and 1986, passim. Dargyay 1979: 174 gives his birth date as either
1634 or 1646. Dudjom Rinpoche (1991) has a more complete account. Portraits of
'Gyur med rdo rje may be found in Dudjom Rinpoche and in Kailash III, 4: 380.
3. Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Tibetan Religions Dances, 1976: 85; Snellgrove and
Richardson, A Cultural History of Tibet, 1968: 196.
4. Snellgrove and Richardson, Ibid., 1968: 196. 'Gyur med rdo rje is generally
credited with founding Mindroling in 1676. For more on Mindroling, see Ferrari,
mK'yen brtse's Guide, 1958; Li-An-Chi, "rNying-ma-pa," 1948: 149-151; Waddell,
The Buddhism of Tibet, 1895: 73, 175; Tucci, To Lhasa and Beyond, 1956: 146-147;
Das, Journey Lhasa and Central Tibet, 1909: 304.
5. Mindroling and rDo rje brag pa were the two major monasteries of the Nyingma
Sect (Waddell1895: 277). On the fifth Dalai Lama's relations with the Nyingma Sect,
also see Stein, Tibetan Civilization, 1972: 171-172; Tulku Thondup, The Tantric Tra-
dition, 1984; and Dudjom Rinpoche 1991, vol. 1, pp. 683-4 and 821-4.
6. In 1647, at the age of thirty, the Great Fifth began work on his own Dance
Notes ('chams yig), the basis of the text translated by Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Tibetan
Religions Dances, 1976: 111-245. On the transmission of 'chams, see Nebesky-
Wojkowitz 1976: 85 ff.; on that of the Lord of the Dance tradition, see Thondup,
Hidden Teachings of Tibet, 1986: n. on pl. 16.
7. Thondup, Ibid., 1986: caption to plate 16.
8. These are more what we might call resonances than one-to-one correlations or
direct linkages. Among them are that Lord of the Dance is red, sexualized, secret,
closely linked to the Nyingma protector !J.iva and with Hayagnva, who although wor-
shipped by all the Buddhist orders of Tibet, is himself closely linked to Padmasambhava.
9. The terma explains that Avalokitesvara took his bodhisattva vow before
Amitabha to help all beings, culminating in his incarnation as Dalai Lama. Stein,
Tibetan Civilization, 1972: 84.
288 Nons
10. Snellgrove (1957: 235) also states that Lord of the Dance was the "special
yi-dam" of Chiwong Monastery. Whatever the situation was in 1957, as I indicate,
this is no longer the case. Lord of the Dance rituals at the monastery are now re-
stricted to the once-a-year Mani Rimdu celebration.
11. See the discussion of Lord of the Dance under "gods" earlier in this section.
12. Waddell, The Buddhism of Tibet, 1895: 175, 182-183. See the discussion of
"gods" earlier in this section for a summary of Waddell's account.
13. This and the estimates that follow are from a 1980 interview with Trulshik
Rinpoche.
14. Jerstad, Mane Rimdu, 1969: 72. Tengpoche Rinpoche, however, in an 5/26/
83 interview claimed Mani Rirndu was first performed at Tengpoche 65-66 years
ago-or in 1917-1918, quite a number of years before the monastery was built!
15. von Ftirer-Haimendorf, The Sherpas of Nepal, 1964: 135. Jerstad who ig-
nores the rituals, characterizes the early Thami Mani Rimdus as "dances," stating that
the 1950 performance was distinguished by having for the first time "the 'proper'
dances in their order, and with the correct masks and costumes."
16. This tradition has also been revived at Thubten Choling. In 1985, it was
performed on the twenty-ninth day of the ninth month. Trulshik Rinpoche, interview,
11/11/85.
17. Based on "Tibet and Adjacent Countries," Snellgrove, Buddhist Himalaya, 1957.
Chapter 6: Tibetan Religious Dance
1. E.g., in Jerstad's Mani Rimdu. Sherpa Dance-Drama.
2. See the section titled "The Days."
3. Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Tibetan Religious Dances, 1976: 65.
4. Tucci, The Religions of Tibet, 1980: 233.
5. See Tucci, Ibid., 1980: 237.
6. According to oral tradition; see Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Tibetan Religious
Dances, 1976: 32.
7. Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Ibid., 1976: 32.
8. There is some question as to whether Pelki Dorje was a lay tantric or a monk.
Contemporary lay tantrics, such as L T, claim him as one of their own. Most sources
identify him as a monk. As Matthew Kapstein points out (personal communication),
monastic records from Dunhuang confmn that there was a famous monk by this name.
9. Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Tibetan Religious Dances, 1976: 43. Stein, Tibetan
Civilization, 1972: 82.
10. Mindroling maintained a connection to the central government until the
Chinese invasion as a place where officials went for education. The connection was
Notes 289
reconfirmed at least once in modern times through the medium of dance when
Mindroling performed a special 'chams for visit of regent Reting Rinpoche. Nebesky-
Wojkowitz, Ibid., 1976: 66, n. 6.
11. Matthew Kapstein, personal communiCation, 1989.
12. The Zhi khro' i rtsa 'chams portrays forty-two peaceful and fifty-eight wrath-
ful deities. Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Ibid., 1976: 12.
13. Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Ibid., 1976: 9.
14. Tucci, The Religions of Tibet, 1980: 237.
15. Perhaps covertly, or even unconsciously, this was also his way of asserting
independence from the Rongphu tradition and its heir, Trulshik Rinpoche.
16. The Nyingma tradition adapted by the Gelugpa uses Vajrakila and a Sakya
version of a Vajrakila 'chams yig also exists. See sNgags 'chang chen po kun dga'
rin chen (1517-1584) 1576.
17. Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Oracles and Demons, 1956: 402, note 5.
18. Trulshik Rinpoche 11/30/83. In lieu of one, Trulshik Rinpoche recommends
a work on 'chams in general, the 'Chams yig kun bzang rnam rol or rol mtsho. This
seems to have some relation to Nebesky-Wojkowitz's 'chams yig, the Kun tu bzang
po'i 'chams kyi brjed byang lha'i rol gar, Dalai Lama V, Ngag dbang blo bzang rgya
mtsho, et al.: 1712. See Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Tibetan Religious Dances, 1976: 111-
245.
19. My source here is unfortunately indirect, although a reliable informant. It
was many years before I was to obtain a copy of this five folio work-the 'Cham[s]
gyi tho dge-alas, too late to include here. Translation and analysis of it will have to
wait for a future publication.
20. Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Tibetan Religious Dances, 1976: 241.
21. Tengpoche Rinpoche n.d.: 7. Trulshik Rinpoche has also said that Ngag
dbang bstan 'dzin nor bu adapted the traditions of several different monasteries in.
creating the Mani Rimdu dances. See descriptions of the individual dances, Day'
Fifteen.
22. Dalai Lama V, et. al. 1712 as translated by Nebesky-Wojkowitz in Tibetan
Religious Dances,l916: 242-243.
23. Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Ibid., 1976: 242-243.
24. Sangyay Tenzin, interview.
25. Stein, Tibetan Civilization, 1972: 189. Stein also records a mask called "Black
able-to-fly."
26. Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Tibetan Religious Dances, 1976: 51.
27. Cited in Stein, Tibetan Civilization, 1972: 190.
28. Eliade, Shamanism, 1964: 179-180. Emphasis is Eliade's.
29. Joshi, 'The Living Tradition," 1987: 51-52.
290 NoTES
30. I have observed this myself in Katlunandu as well as discussed it with several
Newarists. To the ethnographer's chagrin, tape recorders and cameras are often seen as
sacrilegious intrusions, and more than one has fallen to the sword of a god.
31. Or in some instances his allomorph, Hayagriva, theHorse-Headed One.
32. Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Tibetan Religious Dances, 1976: 33 reports that the
dancer who portrays the demoness bDud mo at the bSam yas mdos chen dances must
spend a week in meditation beforehand. Although Nebesky-Wojkowitz does not specify
the subject of the dancer's meditation, it is safe to assume that the yogi does not
meditate that he is a demoness. Most likely he meditates on a yi dam to give him the
spiritual strength to master the demoness, perhaps followed by a propitiation of her.
Nebesky-Wojkowitz, 1976: 75 gives a series of "special rules" that dancers must obey
in preparation for their performance. Among these is "meditation on those deities they
will personify." In the absence of evidence to the contrary, it should be assumed that
such meditation is self-creation only if the deity is capable of functioning as a yi dam.
If the deity is a Sworn Protector or similar deity, logically, the meditation would be
a propitiation of some sort.
33. PO 44b4; 3.1 ff.
34. Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Tibetan Religious Dances, 1976: 113.
35. Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Ibid., 1976: 240.
36. "yid lha gang dang gang gi nga rgyal brtan po 'dzin cing/." Translation,
mine. Cf. Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Ibid., 1976: 112.
37. "yid kyi bzo ni lha'i bskyed rim gyi nga rgyal gsal snang dang rna bral bas
so//." Translation, mine. Cf. Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Ibid., 1976: 241.
38. Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Ibid., 1976: 191.
39. Trulshik Rinpoche interview,11(27/83. Of course, in the dance of the' chams
yig, "the yi dam Vajraklla himself appears. This, however, should not muddy the
waters once we understand the principle involved-the exigencies of creation process
yoga.
40. This structural similarity was noted by Stein, Tibetan Civilization, 1972:
188.
41. Interviews conducted by Ashok Kumar Gurung and Professor Dunbar Ogden
of the Drama Department at University of California, Berkeley, at Chiwong Monas-
tery, December 15-18, 1986. Unfortunately, as these interviews were conducted in
Nepali and translated into English, it is unclear where the monks would place this
theatrical type of visualization in the more formal conceptual framework of ritual,
which is formulated in Tibetan.
42. Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Tibetan Religious Dances, 1976: 183.
Chapter 7: The Officiants
1. See for example SIP f 2b3.
Notes 291
2. "The Diamond Master's Empowerment," UB 29b4.
3. This occurs often enough in the course of a normal Mani Rimdu, especially
for physically strenuous rituals such as carrying the sand to the river. When Trulshik
Rinpoche was ill in 1984, Sang Sang Tullcu came in his stead. That year and in 1985,
when at my suggestion he attended the Mani Rimdu site rituals, he did all the work
of the Diamond Master.
Chapter 8: The Days
1. von Fiirer-Haimendorf, The Sherpas of Nepal, 1964: 212 has four days;
Jerstad, Mani Rimdu, 1969: 162 has three.
2. Although a connection between the two festivals is unlikely, we might note in
passing that the Nyingrna monastery of Tshal gung thang in Tibet also traditionally
performed a 'chams on this date. The dance was "popularly known as the Gung thang me
tog mchod pa, the (Tshal) gung thang flower offering." Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Tibetan
Religious Dances, 1976: 30.
3. Tengpoche Rinpoche, 1(26/83 interview.
4. In 1984, for the purposes of our filming, the monks of Chi wong stuck to the
traditional schedule-but in this instance, they asked us when we would like them to
begin.
5. Discussions of the four actions abound. An unusual one can be found in
Paul, The Tibetan Symbolic World, 1982: 72.
6. Trulshik Rinpoche interview, n.d.
7. Thubten Choling is however, not "anti-dance." In 1985 (T9(29, November
lith), gtor rgyab and gser skyems dances traditionally performed at Rongphu in the
twelfth month were performed at Thubten Choling.
Chapter 9: Day Zero: Exorcism
1. In 1984, when I observed activating the lingka for the first time, I had
invited Sang Sang Tulku to accompany me to Chiwong. As representative of Trulshik
Rinpoche (and, by reincarnation, his father), Sang Sang Tullcu was the ranking lama
and thus officiated. The following account is based on an interview with him that took
place following Mani Rimdu, and secondarily, on film material shot at during the
ritual. See Kohn, Lord of the Dance, 1985.
2. "Le linga des danses masquees lama"iques et la theorie des ames." Stein's
interest in the subject continued, and he followed that article with one on the phur-
bu in 1978, "A propos des documents anciens relatif au phur-bu (klla)."
3. Stein, "Le linga des danses," 1957: 201. Stein cites MV "mtshan" and "rtags"
as well as Filliozat. As Mark Tatz observes, these terms also can mean "primary
sexual characteristic." Personal Communication, February 1988.
292 NOTES
4. The individual lingka rituals will be discussed as we come to them in the
festival and in the texts. One such discussions is found in UB f 22b3.
5. The rather cryptic one folio manuscript that SST uses to order the ritual, the
Thun dam sri from the Thun bzhi'i zin bris gives several possibilities ranging from
one to four days.
6. Yet another version of the lingka, and a particularly bizarre one at that, can
be found in Rawson, The Art of Tantra, 1973, pl. 106. This is a carpet in the shape
of a lingka in the pit. Its use is difficult to imagine.
7. In 1985, no other fabric coming readily to hand, Sang Sang Tulku used a
piece of black drapery from our film equipe.
8. This consists of reciting the entire Union of the Blissful Manual up until
"[Mantra] Recitation," including "Offering" (mchod pa) and "Praise" (bstod pa), and
the "Exhortation" (bskul).
9. The Knowledge Holders' Root Tantra (Rig' dzin rtsa rgyud) is found in gTor
zlog, ff 4bl-6. The directions for customizing it for Lord of the Dance are found in
PL f 2b5 ff, and in NP (bDe kun, vol. Wu), f 2.
10. The ritual is quite similar in form and content to the "Liberating" (bsgral)
section (UB 2.3.3.3, f. 22.4) of the "Feast Offering" (tshogs mchod) in the main ritual.
11. 'brub khung, according to Das is a synonym for the fire-pit used in the burnt
offering (D 933).1t would seem to derive from the verb 'brub pa "to overflow, or gush
forth." TR, however, says that this is not its meaning in the phrase 'brub khung, which
"is like a prison." "Once they are imprisoned in the pit, they cannot go anywhere,
cannot spy. They may die or they may not."
12. PO 2.7.1.2, 42b3.
13. LT.
14. According to TR. The source cited by Stein, "Le linga des danses," 1957:
226 mentions "a variety of magical ingredients" (thun rdzas sna tshogs [kyis] brab),
which "must be let fall on the body of the enemy-obstructor and reduce it to a
powder." Also see Lessing's 1959 article "Senfkomer."
15. The Feast (tshogs), the Remains (/hag ma), and the Auspicious Omens (bkra
shis).
16. GC 312 spells this name nyulle and defines it as "a gnome who interrupts
religious practice." bsgrub pa'i bar chad pa'i dam sri'i ming.
17. Tucci, The Religions of Tibet, 1980: 193. Also see Beyer, The Cult of Tara,
1973: 299.
18. SIP 4b4. This is also the opinion of the practitioners of the ritual. See notes
on the Spying Ghost ritual, Kohn, Mani Rimdu, 1988: 522.
19. Nebesky-Wojkowitz, 1956: 300. Nebesky-Wojkowitz spends some time in
Oracles and Demons of Tibet, discussing the sri in general and the dam sri in particu-
lar, although unlike our text, he never links them to the nyu/ len spirits. Other refer-
ences can be found on pp. 119, 284, 302-303, and 469.
Notes 293
20. In his Byang gter phur pa' i sri mnan yi dam drag po gang Ia' ang sbyar du
rung ba' i lag len 'don 'gregs dkyus gcig tu bsdebs pa 'bar ba' i brjid gnon thog
brtsegs zhes bya ba bzhugs so, cited by Nebesky-Wojkowitz, 1956 300 ff.; 595.
21. Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Oracles and Demons, 1956: 300-301.
22. Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Ibid., 1956: 301-302. It is possible that in other ac-
counts, the dam sri have a different bodily form. In a lingka for subduing the dam sri
reproduced by Nebesky-Wojkowitz as figure 25 on page 518, the figure has the head
of a bird rather than a pig.
23. Tucci, Tibetan Painted Scrolls, 1949: II: 715 cited in Nebesky-Wojkowitz,
Oracles and Demons, 1956: 516, n. 15. Nebesky-Wojkowitz (301, n. 98) also directs
us to Tucci's Indo-Tibetica, III/2, p 92. We should note that in this context gshen is
a class of religious officiant and thus perhaps better translated as sacrificial priest.
24. Toussaint, Le Diet de Padma, 1933: 248, 193; cited by Nebosky-Wojkowitz,
Oracles and Demons, 1956: 301, n. 98.
25. Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Ibid., 1956: 516.
26. Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Ibid., 1956: 516.
27. Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Ibid., 1956: 517.
28. Stein, "Le linga des danses," 1957: 205. Stein also notes that rnam shes (see
below), which he translates as "arne," soul, has that significance in ordinary speech
and in the Chinese and Mongolian lexicons (where b/a is given as its synonym),
"whatever else it might signify in orthodox dogma." According to some orthodox
sources, however, it is the rnam shes that transmigrates.
29. See Dargyay, The Rise of Esoteric Buddhism, 1979: 114-115. We should
add however that Chos dbang himself said that given the difficulty of fmding human
birth, to do the same for a human being would give rise to "unlimited evil" despite
the benefits to the victim. See Dudjon Rinpoche 1991, vol. 1, p. 767. On the general
question, also see Tucci, The Religions of Tibet, 1980: 186.
30. Eliade, Shamanism, 1964:183
31. Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Where the Gods are Mountains, n.d.: 250. A similar
paper effigy, "wetted with the blood of a woman of ill-repute" is buried in a wild yak
hom along with some of the victim's hair in a ritual of assassination practiced by the
Bonpo of the Chumbi Valley. See Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Ibid., n.d.: 252.
32. Patrul Rinpoche, (Orgyan) 1994: 305-306.
33. Stein, La Civilization Tibetaine, 1981: 18.
34. For further discussion of Bon shamans as officiants of sacrifice, see Ekvall,
Religious Observances, 1964: 30, and 38.
35. Bischoff and Hartman, "Padmasambhava," 1971; Stein, La Civilization
Tibetaine, 1981: 167; Beyer, The Cult of Tara, 1973: 44, and n. 83; Locke, Karuna-
maya, 1980: 209.
36. Cited in Stein, Tibetan Civilization, 1972: 152.
294 Nons
37. Or, as SST explains it, his body is cooked and offered to the Union of the
Blissful maf.l4ala gods. The phurbu itself can also be seen as "eating" the victim: as
Stein (1977: 59) observes," ... d'une maniere ou d'une autre, Ia guele du makara du
,phur-bu est censee manger les demons transperces. La lame triangulaire sert sans
doute de langue que absorbe par un canal interieure." We will see more on this
"canal" elsewhere. Its should be noted that a dancer impersonating Dorje Drolo will
"eat" a torma with his dagger later in the festival. See Day Fifteen, Dance Three.
38. Yet another yogic level can be found in the Biography of 'Brugs pa kun legs.
"I place the lingka of illusory (' khrul pa' i) karmic propensities I In the burnt offering
pit of the Illusory Body (sgyu Ius) I I strike it with the dagger of the unborn mantra I
And reach the peak where enemies [and] obstructors are slain." "sgyu rna Ius kyi hom
khung du I bag chags 'khrul pa'i lingga bcug I skye med sngags kyi phur bus btab I
dgra bgegs rtsed nas gcod pa'i yang rtse phyin 1." Cited in Stein, "Le linga des
dances," 1957: 160. I have retranslated the Tibetan text.
39. Beyer, The Cult of Tara, 1973: 312.
40. Cozort, Highest Yoga Tantra, 1986: 98. On the model of the action of the
phurbu, we could hypothesize a yoga in which the movement from the tip of the penis
to the crown of the head is continuous and complete. RK.
41. See Stein, "Le lii'lga des danses," 1957: 221-222; and my note on UB 23b3.
42. On this see Eliade, "Methodological Remarks," 1959: 100, and so forth.
There is perhaps a hint of this in Mahayllna Buddhist rhetoric when it speaks of the
dharmadhatu as "the unborn state."
43. See UB f 36b4.
Chapter 10: Day One
1. In certain 'chams traditions, similar rituals may be performed amidst the
dances themselves. See Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Tibetan Religious Dances, 1976: 101-
102.
2. The Unabridged Recitations for the Site Ritual and Preparation for Great
Compassion I Union of the Blissful (SIP).
3. See "Drawing the m a ~ ; ~ 4 a l a " and SIP f. 7.5.
4. This pattern was mentioned by TCU; yet another example both of the detail
with which Tibetan ceremonies are laid out, and of a good Chant Leader's knowledge
of them.
5. The changes are: (1) "General Confession" (spyi bshags) (UB 8.5) is omit-
ted; (2) in the "Descent of Blessings" (byin dbab), the three musical interludes (brgyud
gsum rol mo) are replaced by single one; (3) the bulk of the outer offerings, such as
water, flowers are glossed over (UB 12b6-15.5), and the monks proceed to the inner,
tantric offerings; (4) the "Flask Practice" (bum sgrub) (UB 19b3-20.2) is omitted.
6. This is the lhar /dang, that is, the Gathering Sequence from the Manual (UB
38b2 ff.).
Notes 295
7. This hidden text (gter rna) was found by sPrul sku bzang po grags pa and
transcribed by Rigs 'dzin rgod ldem, the pair who discovered the famous Le' u bdun
ma. It is also known as Turning Back the Gnomes (Sri bzlog). In RP, the colophon
reads "sPrul sku bZang po grags pa removed this from the treasure of rGyang yon po
and gave it to the Knowledge Bearer rGod ldem."
8. SST interview 1984.
9. See UB 2.3.3.1.1.1.2.5: "Entering via the Four Doors and Salutation," f24bl
ff. Also note that east vis-a-vis the mm:uJala, and east vis-a-vis the assembly hall are
different, as in the previous illustration.
10. Or "Son of [the sage] Visravas," see Snellgrove, Indo-Tibetan Buddhism,
1987: 333.
11. Based on a sketch from Chi wong. Offerings 4-7 completed from PL and TCU.
12. See text in Day 0.
13. The liturgy lists the range of deities, although the context of the Site [God's]
Ritual complex tends to focus attention on the latter.
14. SIP 5.1.
15. The Site Ritual text differs slightly from the similar Spying Ghosts ritual
employed during the rest of Mani Rimdu. Lord of the Dance and his entourage are
included among the homages and "the unrighteous sentient beings, who are the family
of yama gnomes" are substituted for "the ghosts who interrupt realization and lead it
astray, who are the family of spying demons." SIP f 4b4.
16. SIP f 5.3.
17. In the mar,uJala offering, Meru also performs this function. See Lessing,
"Miscellaneous Lamaist Notes," 1956 on the "Thanksgiving Offering," p. 6 6 ~
18. gShin rje'i gshed nag po. The god in question here, although called gShin rje'i
gshed (Yamantaka), by his function of protecting the door; his epithet "Lord of Reli-
gion," and his mantra "Orh vajra yamara:ja ... " is evidently the Lord of Death himself
(Tib. gShin rje, Ssk. Y arna). Lama Tharchin supports this conclusion. According to his
exegesis, Yama (gShin rje) and Yamantaka (gShin rje'i gshed) are the same. Yamantaka
is not the slayer of Yama, but the slayer of black magicians (byad ma). With this in
mind, we can rethink the genitive particle, and read the name gShin rje'i gshed not as
"The Slayer of the Lord of Death," but as "The Slayer who is the Lord of Death."
19. The Inner Yamara:ja (gShin rje nang sgrub) has the head of a rl1k$asa rather
than a bull. See photograph D25 in Pal 1982, A Buddhist Paradise, which Pal incor-
rectly identifies as Maha:ka:la. On gShin rje nang sgrub, see Nebesky-Wojkowitz,
Oracles and Demons, 1956: 82.
20. See, for example, Lokesh Chandra, Buddhist Iconography, 1988, #384.
21. Eliade, Shamanism, 1964: 257, n. 131.
22. See David Keightley's classic Sources in Shang History. The Oracle Bone
Inscriptions of Bronze Age China (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1978).
23. Reindeer among the Chukchi (Bogoras, The Chukchee, 487 ff., cited in
Eliade 1964: 257, n. 131); seal among the Koryak (Eliade 1967: 164).
296 NoTES
24. Ekvall, Religious Observances in Tibet, 1964: 21.
25. Hoffmann, Que/len zur Geshichte, 1950: 193-195 refers us to the documents
from Turkestan (N
2
s 100 and 101) published in JRAS (1934): 488. See Ekvall, Reli-
gious Observances in Tibet, 1964: 263-264 on contemporary Tibetan shoulder bone
divination.
26. Eliade, Shamanism, 1964: 116.
27. Eliade, Ibid., 1964: 164. See Bawden's 1958 article "On the Practice of
Scalpulamancy ... " for a Mongollamaist scapulamancy text.
28. Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Where the Gods are Mountains, n.d.: 154.
29. Hoffmann, Que/len zur Geschichte, 1950: 193, 194-195; 1967: 82; Ekvall,
Religions Observances in Tibet, 1964: 21.
30. Eliade, Shamanism, 1964: 164, n. 97 summarizes some of the vast literature.
So wide is the distribution of scapulamancy that it has even been adduced in support
of the Siberian landbridge theory. See Laufer, "Columbus and Cathay, and the mean-
ing of America to the Orientalist," lAOS, LI 2, (June 1931): 87-103.
31. Die Religionen der Jugra-Volker, II, 335, cited in Eliade, Shamanism, 1964:
164.
32. Lessing gives a detailed list of good and bad omens taken from the weight,
texture, smell, and taste of the bone. Lessing, "Calling the Soul," 1951: 275; Karmay,
"L'fune et Ia turquoise," 1987: 97. For more on the ritual of "Calling the Soul," see
Day 13.
33. Walter, "Scapula Cosmography," 1997.
34. Stein, Tibetan Civilization, 1972: 211. We will hear more about this skull
and the interchangeability of sheep and goats, in the Mountain Incense Offering, a
bsangs ritual performed on the days of the dance. See Day 13.
35. SIP 5b5. According to Trulshik Rinpoche, the Ten Magic Daggers are dif-
ferent from the similarly named deities that we will meet later in the Followers Ritual.
These latter, the twelve Magic Dagger Guardians (phur srung), are the female Dog,
Weasel, and Mistress spirits. If they resemble their names, they would be different
even in appearance from the present deities (Followers, 3: f 3b3 ff.). Newar Vajracaryas
protects a sacred space with a Dasakrodha ritual employing ten kila (see Locke 1980,
209). Although Locke identifies the krodha as the ones subdued rather than as here
the subduers, a connection between the two rituals is evident.
36. SST Interview 1984.
37. This was noted by Stein, "Le li.Jiga des danses," 1957: 221-222.
38. LIS. See UB f 22b3. The dagger mantras in The Spying Ghosts and in
Erasing the Lines use the phrase "Vajrak:Ilaya." The term vajra here is somewhat
problematic. It may be used simply in a poetic sense, or in the !?road sense of vajrayana.
Alternatively, it may indicate the intrusion of another tradition, in which the dagger
is grouped with the vajra family instead of with the padma family, or it may invoke
the deity Vajrakila who wields the magic spike.
Notes 297
39. In Stein:s text (1957: 221-222), Chos kyi seng ge's rTsa gsum rab 'byams
rgya mtshor mchod pa' i tshogs kyi 'khor lo' i rnam bshad bde chen rab 'bar, the
dagger is also visualized as Hayagriva. "In rolling the dagger in his fmgers, the force
of the deities concentrates and melts into the phur ba. The white and red emissions
of the five couples mix. This mixture melts into the crown of the head (the syllable
om) of the phur pa (who is Hayagriva), then descends in succession first to the throat
(ah), then to his heart (ham). The rays of light coming from the letters transform into
hooks, which draw in the soul (bla srog) of the enemy-obstructor in the form of a
green syllable nrr, and join it to the breath [which incorporates it into the phur pa].
From the heart of the phur pa (the ham place), it again mounts [united to the god]
progressively in the ah (the throat) and the om (the crown)." The officiant strikes the
lingka and imagines that his life ("longevite") mixes with that of the enemy, and that
he thus obtains "immortality as indestructible as a vajra." The five families send out
waves of amrta which bathe the enemy and purify his sins. "His alaya-vijflana and
klistamanas rest in the form of a nrl in blood plasma." In turning the phur pa, (the
soul) becomes black and loses consciousness. One thus radically severs the sins and
the three bodies. After this "bath," "the nature of the Three Bodies (the Buddha nature
inherent in the soul) is imagined as a white 'a'. This 'a' passes through the body of
the phur pa (formed, below by the triangular blade and above by rTa mgrin), and
melts, at the crown, into the palace of Bliss of the Akanistha heaven, in the figure of
glorious rTa mchog rol pa ('Best of Horses,' a form of Hayagriva), dwelling in the
five wisdoms." It is interesting to note that the hollow blade of the phur pa resembles
the hollow tongues of gods which ingest the offerings. Cf. UB f 29b1, SWT f 1b1,
and so forth.
40. UB 2.1.2.2, f 7b1 ff.
41. PL 3b5. See SIP, the passage following f 6.3.
42. s I P f 6.4.
43. s I P f 6b2.
44. PL 3b5 ff.
45. AM 11b1 ff. Cited in note on S/P, f. 7.6, "Arranging the Ornaments."
46. gzungs in Sanskrit is dharai',IT. A dharai',IT is a type of mantra, often of con-
siderable length.
47. Stein, Tibetan Civilization, 1972: 203; 224-225.
48. Eliade, Shamanism, 1964: 118. Sandscheiew mentions an interesting Buriat
ritual in which a red string tied on one end to an arrow and on the other to a birch
tree is used in a ritual of recalling the soul of an invalid. G. Sandscheiew,
"Weltanshauung und Shamanismus der Alaren-Burjaten," Anthropos: 22-23, Posieux
1927-1928: 581, cited in Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Oracles and Demons, 1956: 551.
49. Eliade, Shamanism, 1964: 111.
50. Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Oracles and Demons, 1956: 551, also see Nebesky-
Wojkowitz, "Die Tibetische," 1947: 59.
51. Eliade, Shamanism, 1964: 132.
298 NoTES
52. Stein (1962: 224-225) has already noted the similarity between the death of
a rainbow-bodied saint and of an ancient Tibetan king.
53. The colored strips of cloth on the edge of a thangka are also said to represent
a rainbow that connects it to heaven. See Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Oracles and Demons,
1956: 551.
54. Here, bhram. S I P 6b3.
55. SIP 6b3.
56. UB 20.1-20.2. This structure holds for flask rituals irrespective of deity or
sect. For a Kagyii example with the goddess Tara, see Beyer, The Cult of Tara, 1973:
409-415.
57. Chiwong, 1980.
58. Lessing, Yung-Ho-Kung, 1942: 129 notes that as is the case here, "If the
stand is used for the mao<;!ala of one definite deity only, permanent outlines for the
mao<;lala are drawn in black on its platform."
59. Tsongkhapa is of a somewhat different opinion. In sNgags rim chen mo, he
specifies that the vajracarya meditate that he is the main deity and the other grub
thob, who help draw the mar.uJala with the string, imagine themselves as Vairocana
(system of Luchang) or bDud rtsi dkyil ba (system of Shendapa). Others: Lawapa,
Nyimajungne, and so forth, state that the lama may use either his favorite deity or the
main deity of the mar;uJala in question.
60. A short description of the process of preparing a sand maooala at Yung Ho
Kung, see Lessing, Yung-Ho-Kung, 1942: 128.
61. AM 9b4.
62. SIP 7.4.
63. AM 10.2 ff.
64. AM 10.2 ff.
65. AM 10.2 ff. Also see note in SIP following f 7.4.
66. One, it will be noted, is an extra axis. Whether this was a first attempt to
solve the problem, or an inaccuracy in my own note-taking process is difficult to say.
The difference between a man standing to the leftish part of the side of the mar.ujala
and one standing to the rightish part of the comer may be nil, especially if that person
is unsure of where he is supposed to be.
67. In my field sketch of 1983, the sixth line appears to be more in the center
than on the edge. In 1980, however, the positions of the four edge lines were clear.
68. Chiwong: November 17, 1982.
69. The head monk of Chiwong did so in 1980; the monks of Namgyal monas-
tery use quartz for the Kalacakra mar.uJala.
70. TCU interview. These directions suggest that at Chiwong the mar.uJala east
is oriented to the compass south. See note a to p. 90 above and S I P 7 .5.
Notes 299
Chapter 11: Days Two to Four
1. See Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Oracles and Demons, 1956: 363.
2. Also called "bab dra." Trulshik Rinpoche interview, 12/86.
3. See Beyer, The Cult of Tara, 1973: 158 and passim.
4. Trulshik Rinpoche interview, 11/79.
5. See UB, passage following f 19b6 and note.
6. Trulshik Rinpoche interview, 11/79.
7. Cf UB 2.2.8, 18b3.
8. These mantras can be found in UB4, f 31.1 ff. "kaya ... "is short for "kaya
abhisifica hom," the mantra of the body empowerment. Since the mirror is associated
in the ritual with the throat, the center of speech, rather than with the body per se,
"kaya ... " may be an error resultmg from copying the mantras from the body empow-
erment text.
9. Tucci, Tibetan Painted Scrolls, 1949: 270. On the etymology of the word
dkyil 'khor, see Haarh, "Contributions to the Study," 1959: 59 ff.
10. Called blo blang dkyil 'khor, examples can be found in the Potala in Lhasa
and in the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives in Dharamsala. David Germano
reports that a three-dimensional mar.uj.ala of the Peaceful and Wrathful deities exists
at Penor Rinpoche's monastery in Byalakuppe, India. In the 1980's, a Tibetan wood-
worker was commissioned to make a three-dimensional mm:ujala in Japan. The same
artist later created a similar maooala at Khetsun Sangpo's monastery in Kathmandu.
Personal communication, 1995.
11. There are exceptions to at least the former rule. The gods of the painted
wood mar.u/.ala at Chi wong, like those of a sand painting, are represented symbolically
rather than figuratively. I have never seen a figurative sand mar:ujala, however. Also
see Lessing, Yung-Ho-Kung, 1942: 128ff.
12. Tucci, Tibetan Painted Scrolls, 1949: 270. On the pa{a, see Kapstein, "Weav-
ing the World," 1995.
13. Snellgrove, The Hevajra Tantra, 1959: I.x.4; vol. I, p. 81; vol. II, p. 35.
Snellgrove seems to arrive at the term "sacred writing-colours" from the Sanskrit text
of the tantra: "divyena rajolekhena athava madhyamena tu// paiicaratnamayais c011)air
athava tar)c.iuladibhib." It is clear that the Tibetan relates to this, however: "rdul mtshon
dam pa'i tshon dang nil/ yang na 'bring po nyid kyis tell rin chen lnga yi phye ma'am//
yang na 'bras pa sogs pas soft' The phrase corresponding to "sacred writing-colours"
is divyena rajolekhena, "divine writing powders."
14. Snellgrove, Ibid., 1959: l.ii.20; vol. I, p. 51.
15. For more on the sand, see the discussion under Day One. A detailed descrip-
tion of the sand painting process at Thami appears in my article "The Ritual Prepa-
ration of a Tibetan Maooala ,"in Maooala and Landscape, edited by A. W. Macdonald
(1997).
300 Nons
16. Conversation at Tengpoche, 1986.
17. The word is also given to a water offering to the hungry ghosts, a separate
subject.
18. Das, Journey to Lhasa, 1909 calls this dye smug rtsi or smug tshos, and
identifies the root from which it comes as macretomia.
19. Ekvall, Religious Observances, 1964: 28-29.
20. gshen. See Snellgrove and Richardson, A Cultural History of Tibet, 1968:
52. Descriptions of Tibetan royal sacrifices can be found in the biography of Yeshe
Tsogyal. See Dowman's 1985 translation, Sky Dancer.
21. See PO 2.7.1.7, f 47.5 and Lama Tharchin's note; also f 41b3.
22. Ekvall, Religious Observances, 1964: 28-29, and n. 28; Hoffmann 1967:
72-73.
23. Basham, The Wonder that was India, 1959: 42, 81 ff.
24. Basham. Ibid., 1959: 81.
25. Horsch, "The Wheel," 1957: 63; citing Keith, "Religion and Philosophy of
the Veda," HOS, 31, p. 67; quoting Weber, "Uber den Vajapeya," pp. 20, 34. It is
interesting to note that this cake was placed upon a pole. In present day tonnas, as I
show elsewhere, the pole, suggestive both of placement at the center of the universe
and of a shift in planes of existence, is incorporated into the body of the tonna itself.
26. See Locke, Karunamaya, 1980: 78-81 on Newar bali; see Singh, Ajanta, for
the proto-torma.
27. Although in practice, the achievement torma is not eaten at Mani Rimdu. See
discussion under "The Main Torma," below.
28. Stablein, "A Descriptive Analysis," 1978: 533. This visualization, however
is not mentioned in our ritual texts.
29. The vertical pole inside a statue of a god is also called a srog shing. See
Stein, Tibetan Civilization, 1972: 187. The fascinating subject of "life-trees" will be
raised again on Day 13.
30. In the drawing, the mtheb kyu (buttons) are the three small ledges in the
corners opposite the lotus petals. This term also refers to the similar small "ledges"
on the backs of the protector tormas and to the finger-sized hand moldings of dough
affixed to other tormas. Beyer, The Cult of Tara, (1973: 324) describes "buttons" as
"small tetrahedrons of dough placed around the base of the tonna as an additional
food offering." The term might be translated "crooked thumbs," which they some-
times resemble (cf. D 587, 608).
31. The actual motif used is a flame pattern with a familial resemblance to
"Nepali design" (bal ris), the fill motif most common to Tibetan design.
32. Trulshik Rinpoche 12/4/83.
33. Trulshik Rinpoche 12/4/83.
Notes 301
34. The Rong phu oyan mdo sngags bzung 'jug chos gling nges pa don gyi dga'
ba' i tshal gyi chog khrid deb sa ther kun gsa/ me long. A copy of this extremely rare
manuscript reposes in the East Asian Library of the University of California, Berkeley.
35. Trulshik Rinpoche interview, 11/80. A similar situation seems to obtain in
the Kagyii tradition; see Beyer, The Cult of Tara, 1973: 403, 430.
36. See UB f 15b4 ff. The medicine and rakta are symbols of the male and
female generative fluids respectively. According to Paul, The Tibetan Symbolic World,
1982: 87, ''Through their magic sexual union, the deity will be generated as to be
present in the ritual." Although this observation has logic, it is not found in the liturgy,
nor have I found any Tibetan source that makes this connection.
37. TCU, 1983.
38. Tengpoche Rinpoche, 5/26/83 interview
39. The spelling of this alexical term was given by Ngawang Samten, the former
Chant Leader of Chiwong.
40. PO f 24.5. This is the way the tormas appeared at Chiwong in 1980.
41. In 1980 there were twelve in 1983, sixteen. TCU speculated that in 1983,
they may have added a torma for the local deity (yul lha) to the series, but could not
even guess about the 1980 number. It is barely possible at Thami, where the monks
are somewhat secretive, that I was never given an opportunity to see the Followers
torma in its final form.
42. This was the form in which the torma appeared in the entourage of Planet
at Chiwong in 1983. The 1983 tormas at Thami also had such a torma among them,
but since their order and number was different, it is not absolutely certain that it was
for this deity. At Chiwong among the Followers tormas per se, Good Diamond has
had an ordinary triangular torma in all the years for which I have sketches.
43. See PO 39.2.
44. In 1983. In 1980, there were only nine. According to TCU, ten is the correct
number.
45. Cf. "The General Torma," PO f. 4b6 ff.
46. PO f. 38b3 ff.
47. Chiwong, 1980, Day 2.
48. Trulshik Rinpoche, 6/87.
49. Charts of these schedules appear in the section on the protector rituals in the
introduction.
50. Trulshik Rinpoche, 1980.
51. Paradoxically, the liturgy also prescribes an offering of "the enemies' flesh
and blood" for the peaceful goddess Long Life Woman. LLW f 9.2.
52. Ngag dbang bstan 'dzin nor bu's bDe kun tshogs Ia byor rung rgyu'i mkha'
'gro'i [b]sun bzlog.
302 NoTES
Chapter 12: Day Five
l. More informally, the cord may be tied to the flask, as was the case at Chiwong
in 1980.
2. The string has been discussed at length in the Preparation Ritual on Day One.
The mirror, in the discussion of the pills on Day Two.
3. Dingo Khyentse Rinpoche/Tulku Perna Wangyal, explanation of the Vajrakila
empowerment (Boulder, Colorado: 6/20/87). See Rockhill, "On the Uses of Skulls,"
1890b for other interpretations.
4. See the sanctification ofthe ambrosia in PO 1.3, Blessing the Offerings, f 4.5.
5. See TE, Part Three (The Conclusion). Heat (Ssk. tapas) and spiritual achieve-
ment have, of course, been likened in India since the time of the Vedas.
6. I have eliminated the mantras here. They may be found in SIP 7b2 ff.
7. It is not clear where these skulls are to go, as they are not employed at
Chiwong. They may be intended as receptacles for the arrows, especially as TCU
notes that the skulls and arrows can be carried by the same person.
8. Although in 1983, I counted three instead of the requisite four.
9. Such was the arrangement in 1980. In 1983, the order was changed. Accord-
ing to former Chant Leader Ngawang Samten, the 1980 order was correct. Interview,
1983.
Chapter 13: Days Six to Twelve
l. Given how widespread this three-part analysis is, it is somewhat surprising
that"it is not generally applied to Mani Rimdu as a whole. For Trulshik Rinpoche's
definition of the parts of the festival, see the discussion of the "Day Zero" rituals.
2. In Trulshik Rinpoche's short text, Abridged Prayers for the Local Gods.
3. According to Trulshik Rinpoche, as the protector of Rongphu, Sharlung is not
necessary elsewhere, just as Tashi Palchen is not needed outside of Solu. (Interview
ll/15/84.) The list of gods worshipped at Tengpoche was provided by Tengpoche
Rinpoche in a series of interviews conducted in May 1983 (5/28-29/83). According
to Trulshik Rinpoche, Zur ra rva skyes can be applied everywhere in Solu-Khumbu,
since is a general protector of the region. Gesar, although not used at Chi wong, as a
protector is "particularly powerful in this dark age" (TR interview, 11/15/84). Each of
these deities has his own one to two folio liturgy. That of Khum bu yul lha, for
example, is The Offering Cloud for the Local God, composed by rDza sprul Rinpoche.
4. My translation of this text can be found in Lopez, Religions of Tibet, 1997.
5. Tengpoche Rinpoche, interview 5/26/83.
6. The Union of the Blissful Manual, for example, requires "fierce sounding
music" (rol mo' i sgra drag po) to expel obstructive spirits and (UB 7bl), and a
Notes 303
"longing melody" or "plaintive song" (gdung dbyangs) for showering blessings (UB
8.5).
7. The spelling sbub 'chal is uncertain. Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Tibetan Religious
Dances, 1976: 27 gives it as above; Tucci, The Religions of Tibet 1980: 119 as sbub
chal; D 937, and Ja 404 have sbug chal or sbug chol; and Jerstad, Mani Rimdu, 1969:
102 gives it as "Sbug 'cham." In Solu-Khumbu, I have always heard the term pro-
nounced "buup chen." Nebesky-Wojkowitz calls the sbub 'chal "small cymbals,"
perhaps thinking of a version similar to those used in Mani Rimdu's dance of the
Gin g. Tucci's identification and sketch are correct.
8. For example, according to TCU a musical interlude is optional at the end of
PO 2.7.3, "Requesting Action toward the Desired Goal," f. 51b6. At other junctures,
(PO f. 40b4) music is only played if the monks take a toilet break.
9. Etymologically, dung chen means "big conch."
10. PO f. 25.4.
11. The sbram and sbir sbram of the Vajrakila 'chams yig is more than likely
TCU's "bram" and "pi-pa-ram". Cf. Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Tibetan Religious Dance,
1976: 109, passim. Ibid., pp. 246-247 and note has a partial glossary of cymbal and
drum terms used in the 'chams yig.
12. At Chiwong, the conch prayer used is Twenty-one Salutations and
Praises of the Noble Tara, using her Root Mantra (Aryataramantra-malastotra-
namaskarekavimsatikantlma, 'Phags ma sgrol ma' i rtsa ba' i sngags kyis bstod cing
phyag 'tshal ba nyi shu cig pa), RP ff. 3 9 b ~ 3 . 6 .
13. Khetsun Sangpo, Tantric Practice, 1982, and Patrul Rinpoche, (0 rgyan),
1994 are notable examples.
14. According to Das, mthu, "force or power of an inherent nature; innate en-
ergy; capacity, resource. Chiefly used for Magic Powers, but not invariably .... mthu
rtsal = mthu stobs, Prabhava, magic, witchcraft" (D 600). LT gives nus pa (capabil-
ity) as a synonym for mthu. He says there are three types of mthu: outer, inner and
secret. Outer power is the power to get rid of demons. Inner power is the power to
get rid of hindrances. Secret power is the power to liberate the idea which perceives
a self into the realm of selflessness ("bdag 'dzin gyi rtog pa bdag med pa'i dbyings
su sgral ba'i mthu dan ldan pa"). Colloquially, mthu rgyab, "to strike with mthu,"
means to curse in a magical sense.
15. The impure grasping ideas (ma dag dngos 'dzin gyi rnam rtog) in the minds
of the worshipers, which are mental stains (sems kyi di-i ma), are burned by the fire,
scattered by the wind and washed by the water-TR. LIS 65.1 specifies that fire that
emerges from ram bums away every impurity of the substances offered, the wind that
emerges from yam blows away every shackle of holding things to be real (dngos
'dzin), and the water that emerges from kham washes away every stain of evil karmic
propensities (bag chags ngan pa).
16. On the centrality of mantra recitation and for a fascinating critique of its
abuses, see Patrul Rinpoche 1994: 274.
304 NoTES
17. LIS 129.5 mentions that the mantras should revolve clockwise. LT notes that
this is generally true for male deities. The mantras in female deities hearts circle
counterclockwise.
18. Griffiths, On Being Buddha, 1994: 103.
19. Ibid., 1994: 104.
20. Manual, f. 9.2 ff.
21. Ibid., f. 20b5 ff.
22. The Entrance is divided into Entering the External Symbolic Mawala, Making
it Enter the Tools, and the Actual Entrance, which in tum consists of a Prayer, Taking
Refuge, Adhering to the Special Vow, The Secret Mantra's Inner Generation of the
Aspiration to Enlightenment, Salutation upon Entering via the Four Doors, and En-
tering the Inner Wisdom m a ~ ; ~ Q . a l a . This last is further subdivided into five parts:
Undertaking the Vow, The Wisdom [Beings] Descend, Throwing and Fastening the
Flower, Opening the Eyes, and Teaching to See.
23. The Flask Empowerments are: (1) the Five Ordinary Empowerments of
Awareness, (2) The Diamond Master's Empowerment, and (3) the Empowerment of
Body, Speech and Mind. The Highest Unelaborated Empowerments are: (1) The
Secret Empowerment, (2) The Wisdom [Woman's] Innate Wisdom Empowerment,
and (3) the Fourth Empowerment.
24. This passage comes from later in the empowerment-f. 31.5.
25. Spinner "The Painted Mind," 1979: 88. Beyer, The Cult of Tara, 1973: 460
describes such a ritual.
26. Personal communication, Joy Wolf Shepherd on recarved temple struts.
27. See, for example, the discussion of Kaigen Kuyo, opening the eyes of Daruma,
McFarland, Daruma, 1987: 64.
28. Eliade, Shamanism, 1964: 148.
29. Michael Oppitz, conversation, 6/10/83. Also his 1980 film, Shamans of the
Blind Country. A still photograph can be found in Oppitz, Shamanen im Blinden
Land, 1981:219.
30. bya grub ye shes. "Active," cf. Snellgrove, Buddhist Himalaya 1957: 67.
31. chos stan bkra shis dung bus la/byang chub gnas du dbugs phyungs shig/
TR glosses this saying that the Diamond Master prophesies that his disciples will live
in the home of the enlightened ones (byang chub gnas).
32. Like the blindfold, the mirror has an interesting history as a shaman's tool.
Although, according to Eliade (1964: 153-154), it is "clearly Sino-Manchurian," in
origin, its use is widespread, with its "magical meaning."
33. Cozort, Highest Yoga Tantra, 1986: 34. The sequence of empowerments, as
understood in the Nyingmapa tradition, is surveyed inter alia in Dudjom 1991, vol. 1,
pp. 346-372.
Notes 305
34. One of the two divisions of the Truth Body, ngo bo nyid sku; Ssk.
svabhavikakaya, could be translated many ways-Nature Body (following Hopkins),
Existential Body, Essentiality Body, or Identity Body.
35. The schedules for both the Great Protectors and the Followers are given
above in chart form at the end of the chapter on the Sworn Protectors in part 1.
36. For an overview of the imagery, structure, and literary style of protector
rituals, see the section on the Sworn Protectors in part 1.
37. See page 57, and Dance Eight in Day Fifteen.
38. For example, the enormous painting belonging to the Musee Guimet repro-
duced in Rhie and Thurman #158.
39. At this point, a special confession to Virtuous One is performed, if it is a day
on which that god is propitiated. Great God's Confession follows, and after it, the
section called the Actual Confession.
40. The GING mentioned here are "almost the same as" (gcig pa dra po) those
in the dance-TR. The commentary (LIS 193.1) speaks of the Eighteen Great GING,
of which Nebesky-Wojkowitz (1956: 279) gives several different lists. SST states that
the Langka are the same as Ghouls (srin po, ra/qasa). In light of this, it is interesting
to note that (J.Ui) Lanka in Indo-Tibetan myth was traditionally the home of the
ra/qasa (cf. D 1205, 1290). Sorcerers = phra men. SST, defining shugs as "slowly"
(cf. shug shug Ia, D 1239), tentatively identifies a Slow-Walker (shugs 'gro) as a
being similar to a Sky Walker; Das 1240, however, defmes shugs gro as a mule or
a horse, and GC 882 as a mule (dre'u). Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Oracles and Demons,
1956: 92 lists a shug sgrogs mgyogs byed as one of the twenty-one Butchers (bshan
pa) in the retinue of the god !Cam sring. [An alternative explanation derives shugs
'gro from shugs, "power," and thus considers the term as equivalent to Ssk. sakti.-
MK.]
41. SST seems to favor this interpretation. Dam tshig rjes gcod might also be
taken to mean "you judge our vows."
42. The Showering Blessings here is not Ngawang Tenzin Norbu's separate
ritual, but the similarly named section of the Manual, f. 8.4 ff.
43. "/ and all other living beings ... ," The Ocean Queen Prayer, and "The
Three Jewels .... "
Chapter 14: The Public Days
1. Lessing's article on the "Thanksgiving Offering" gives an account of a mar.u;ia/a
ritual performed at an audience with the Panchen Lama (1956: 60, n. 4). The photo-
graph included, which Lessing says "resembles the golden mandala used at the audi-
ence," shows a more elaborate version of the gold mar.uJa/a plate than Trulshik Rinpoche
employs. Both mm:uja/a plates have metal representations of the tshom bu offerings
affixed to their surface. On Trulshik Rinpoche plate, these metal fingers are uniformly
306 NoTES
plain. In Lessing's, the fingers are capped with sculptural versions of the offerings
they represent. The ritual he describes elsewhere in the article, however, calls for
tshom bu made of rice.
Chapter 15: Day Thirteen
1. It is first found in von Fiirer-Haimendorf, The Sherpas of Nepal, 1964: 213,
then in Jerstad, Mani Rimdu, 1969: 100, and so forth.
2. Cf. brgyugs, D 342. One of the ex-Chant Leaders of Chiwong spelled the
term for me as 'chams rgyid. It is possible that rgyid is for skyed, "growth" (D 1 08),
a close enough approximation to the way that he defmed the term. Another term
sometimes seen, 'chams dmar, or "red dance," he had never heard before. This term
is said to be derived from the red, or naked, unmasked faces of the dancers. Interview,
11/19/83.
3. This was corroborated by interviews conducted by Ashok Gurung, then a
student at World College West, in the Chiwong Mani Rimdu of 1986.
4. TCU interview, 5/83. This was the case at Chiwong in 1982.
5. Stein goes so far as to say, "C'est dans ces rituels que se sont rnieux conserves
le style et le pantheon de Ia religion ancienne." For more on this fascinating subject,
see Stein's discussion of bsangs offerings and their history (1981: 180 ff.).
6. Lama Tharchin points out that the Vajrasattva meditation in its full form, and
the cutting (gcod) ritual are other effective means of dealing directly with karmic
creditors. As well as having a similar intent, all of these rituals have, in this respect,
a similar structure.
7. Stein 1972: 199. Such rituals also seem to have a broad connection with
bsangs rites. See Stein, La Civilization, 1981: 180.
8. SST. According to SST, in the Rongphu and Thubten ChOling method, some
of the Playful Ocean is inserted. At Thubten ChOling, the Unelaborated is recited and
then the torma and golden libation taken out.
9. Indeed the tormas are nearly identical in form. TCU, in a 1984 interview,
identified it as belonging to the Mountain Incense Offering, which its appearance and
disappearance at this moment confirms. The 1983 torma had the typical back arrange-
ment of a gift torma-a large "shouldered" torma flanked by smaller triangular and
round ones; and a front arrangement of four small red tormas. The first, second and
fourth of these were identical: triangular in shape and decorated with a button. The
third torma was phallic and decorated with a button and ball. Also see Days 2-4.
10. Ri bo bsangs mchod mchod gtor ma-TCU.
11. TR 1983.
12. Chiwong 1982. In any event, by the end of the Mountain Incense Offering,
both sets of tormas and the golden libation are removed.
13. TCU interview, 5/83. Interview 12/6/83.
Notes 307
14. Its other name in Tibetan, g.yang mda', "fortune arrow," also seems to link
it to ceremonies such as the present. The most well-known use of the arrow is in the
Tibetan marriage ceremony, where the matchmaker uses it to hook the bride and drag
her away from her companions. See Lessing, Yung-Ho-Kung, 1942: 142-143 for a
lengthy treatment of the physical appearance and symbolism of the beribboned arrow;
and Lessing, "Calling the Soul," 1951: 283, n. 19 for a bibliography on the subject.
15. Chiwong 1983, 1984.
16. One is available from Orgyan Cho Dzong Nyingma Study and Retreat Cen-
ter, P.O. Box 555, Route 81, Greenville, NY 12083. For a related text, see also Lopez,
ed., Religions of Tibet 1997, pp. 401-406.
17. Lessing, Yung-Ho Kung, 1942: 139-147 has described a g.yang 'gug cer-
emony of the Gelugpa sect in some detail. This ceremony is somewhat different from
ours. As an "orthodox" touch for a ritual to evoke prosperity, it involves VaisravaJ)a,
although it preserves some of the interesting pre-Buddhist elements of our ritual, such
as the beribboned arrow. Also see note 14.
18. Like ours, Stein's version also has a beribboned arrow. Stein 1962: 199. For
a photograph of the g.yang dkar lugs, a sheep head molded of tsampa and decorated
with colored butter offered at the New Year, see Stein, La Civilization, 1981: 179.
19. Lessing, "Calling the Soul," 1951: 267-268, 274-275. The soul leg is used
here in combination with the soul stone of human beings-the turquoise. When he
recovers, the victim must put on the turquoises and eat the leg of mutton. On soul-
stones, et al., see the introductory remarks on the Playful Ocean, and PO f 44b3,
passim. For more on shoulder bones, see Day One: The Site Ritual and Walter,
"Scapula Cosmography," 1997.
20. Tucci, The Religions of Tibet, 1980: 234.
21. Tucci, Ibid., 234.
22. Tucci, Ibid., 234-235.
23. Stein, Tibetan Civilization, 1972: 211.
24. In my sketches of the altar from 1980 and 1983, I labeled this item chang.
In 1982 and again in 1984, my notes specify that milk is offered-in Solu-Khumbu
the two often look identical. On a 1983 interview however, TCU corrected my im-
pression. According to him, it is chang.
25. The cups and bottles of chang have a flame-shaped dot or smear of butter
on their rims. As Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Where the Gods Are Mountains, n.d., 155
(among others) has observed, for the Sherpa, a smear of butter is a necessary part of
formally serving chang.
26. In 1980, the courtyard altar arrangement was somewhat different:
Upper shelf, front row (r, 1): the "seven offerings"; upper shelf, back row
(1, r): tsampa in a stemmed metal bowl; ambrosia; offering torrna for the
Mountain Incense Offering on a stemmed pedestal; rakta; the beribboned
arrow in a stand; chang in a butter decorated glass. On other occasions, a
bottle of chang, either the traditional wooden variety or the now ubiquitous
308 NoTES
recycled glass bottle may be seen. Lower shelf: golden libation liquid in a
metal ewer; the white and red tormas.
27. Jerstad, Mani Rimdu 1969: 100; von Fiirer-Haimendorf, The Sherpas of Nepal,
1964: 214.
28. I have noted these canteens used at Thami. Sometimes, as at Chiwong in
1980 and 1983, they are omitted. The decorative tassels that tie up their robes and the
rest of the regalia, however, remain. Rockhill, "Notes on the Ethnography of Tibet,"
1971 (1893): plate 33, fig. 2 has an early photograph of one of these canteens.
29. The first, the Long-Life Man took an hour and the second, the Wise Man,
three hours and twenty minutes.
30. The curtain dividing the porch and the temple used as a dressing room are
both common features of' chams. Nebesky-Wojkowitz's 'chams yig calls the dressing
room the "chas zhugs khang pa." See Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Tibetan Religious Dances,
1976: 67; 105.
31. Chiwong 1983.
32. See Lessing, Yung-Ho-Kung, 1942: 143; Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Oracles and
Demons, 1956: 365-383, passim.
33. Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Ibid., 365-368 lists three pages of such arrows.
34. Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Ibid., 543.
35. For a use of arrows in Siberian seances, see U. Harwa, Die religiosen
Vorstellungen bei den siberischen Volkern (Stuttgart: 1925), 55, cited in Eliade, Sha-
manism, 1964: 175, n. 140.
36. Oppitz, "The Wild Boar and the Plough," 1983: 36.
37. Eliade Shamanism, 1964: 175, n. 140. Also see Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Oracles
and Demons, 1956: 543. The use of arrows to expel demons is also seen in the
exorcistic rituals of Tibetans and Sherpas. A prominent example of the latter is the
Dumje festival performed in Junbesi and other Sherpa villages.
38. Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Ibid., 544.
39. Among the Vasyugan-Ostyak. See this book, Day One; Eliade, Shamanism,
1964: 164; and Karjalainen, Die Religionen der Jugra-Volker, II, 335.
40. Nor are the pole and the altar unique to Mani Rimdu; they seem to be a
fixture of Tibetan sacred dance. Nebesky-Wojkowitz (1976: 24) reports that at the
New Year's dance at Gangtok, the royal Sikkirnese flag in the center of the dance
court is replaced by an altar and two victory banners. Note that as at Thami, an old
pole is replaced with a new one.
41. Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Tibetan Religious Dances, 1976: 67. It is interesting
that in Nebesky-Wojkowitz the pole is connected specifically with the cult of the
dharmaptilas, who are by definition pre-Buddhist deities, although admittedly in
the case of the major dharmapa/as, mostly of Indic origin.
42. According to Michael Oppitz, the noted expert on Magar shamanism, the
Magar have two cosmological schema. "The shamanic one is indeed vertical, the
central pillar of the house and the life-tree [are] the most concrete representations of
Notes 309
this concept." Interestingly, the other schema is "a question of inside (a rock)-the
side of the gods and outside." Personal communication, 9/19/87. The ritual birth of
a Magar shaman, in which the initiate climbs the tree of life may be seen in Oppitz's
film Shamans of the Blind Country. Oppitz's writings and film are an invaluable
resource on Magar shamanism in particular and Siberian shamanism in general.
43. Eliade, Shamanism, 1964: 264.
44. Ekvall, Religious Observances, 1964: 19.
45. Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Tibetan Religious Dances, 1976: 67. Nebesky-
Wojkowitz also notes that his 'chams yig speaks of a first and second dance circle
('chams skor).
46. See Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Ibid., 65. Tengpoche Rinpoche states that the Mani
Rimdu dances originated in the mediations of Ngawang Tenzin Norbu, the founder of
the festival. Tengpoche Rinpoche n.d.: 7.
47. In some monasteries, the structure that supports the pole serves as an altar-
a "square or rectangular base two to three feet high and made of stone or mud."
(Nebesky-Wojkowitz 1976: 67). This arrangement would further heighten the similar-
ity between the courtyard pole and the torma "life-tree" and "world-mountain" dis-
cussed previously. In Solu-Khumbu, however, the pole is anchored in the courtyard
floor and a movable wooden altar employed.
48. Stein has developed these arguments persuasively. Stein, Tibetan Civiliza-
tion, 1972: 210 ff, passim.
49. Stein, Ibid., 225.
50. Hoffmann, Que/len zur Geshichte, 1950: 19, cited in Nebesky-Wojkowitz,
Oracles and Demons, 1956: 552. See Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Ibid., 552-553 for a good
discussion of the life-tree in its various guises and in relation to the world-tree. Also
see Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Tibetan Religious Dances, 1976: 73 on the "life-wood" of
a thread cross.
51. Certain gods are also called srog shing (Life Tree). Four-Faced. Mahakala
(GW f 6b5; PO 2.3.4, f 33b3) and RAHULA (PO 2.3.7, f 36b3) are called the
backbone or life-tree of the Knowledge Bearers. Also see Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Oracles
and Demons, 1956: 194. Son of Renown is called the "Fabulous tree who rains down
everything desirable, whatever we wish!" (PO 2.3.8, f 37b6; GW f 7.5). Although,
it is obvious for the god of wealth to be called a wish-granting tree (see PO 2.1.8, f.
26.3), we should not ignore that the wish-granting tree in Indian myth also leads from
one plane to another-from the world of the demigods to the world of the gods.
52. Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Oracles and Demons, 1956: 552.
53. Kazi Dawa-samdup, Shrlcakra Sambhara Tantra, 1919 [1987]: 114.
Chapter 16: Day Fourteen
1. Quoted by Ku sri bka' bcu siddhi in his commentary on Tsongkhapa's The
Foundation of all Excellence, cited in Wangyal 1983: 285.
310 NoTES
2. Basham, the Wonder that was India, 1959: 81; Satapatha Brahmar:za v, 4,
3,4; v, 2, 2, 15. Cited in Basham 1959: 81 and notes 4 and.5. See Greenwold, "The
Role of the Priest," 1978: 501 for some interesting remarks on the relationship be-
tween d i ~ a and the homa sacrifice in the Newar priesthood.
3. My translation of the full text of the torma empowerment can be found in
Lopez, Religions of Tibet, 1997.
4. Jerstad, for example, echoed Haimendorf's identification of the empowerment
as a tshe dbang. Jerstad, Mani Rimdu, 1969: 102-103; von Fiirer-Haimendorf, The
Sherpas of Nepal, 1964: 215. In fairness to both men, it should be emphasized that this
assertion can probably be traced to a Sherpa villager who served as an informant
5. Beyer, The Cult ofTtlrll, 1973: 403, 430. On p. 430, Beyer describes a torma
empowerment connected with White Tara.
6. Trulshik Rinpoche 12/6/83. My translation of the text can be found in Lopez,
Religions of Tibet, 1997: 225-233.
7. Chiwong, 1982-11 A.M.; 1983-10 A.M.
8. Chiwong 1983. In the mass of movement at this point, the exact order of the
procession is difficult to ascertain.
9. This torma may occasionally be referred to as the bdag bskyed, or "self-
creation." It is sometimes called the "tranggyen" (' brang rgyan-TCU; or 'brang
rgyas). I am somewhat uncertain of the etymology of this latter word. According to
Das, Journey to Lhasa, 927, 'brang rgyas means a woman's breast, and can refer to
a round torma (gtor rna zlum po). Trulshik Rinpoche denies any such connection, at
least in the torma's current significance. Interview 12/6/83. The resemblance of tormas
in general to breasts, and Sherpa joking on the subject has been remarked elsewhere,
prominently in the writings of Robert Paul; see Paul, Sherpas and their Religion,
1970: 352-353; 1982 passim. Das aside, the shape of the true achievement torma is
not the one that Tibetans normally refer to as round. See sketch.
10. Trulshik Rinpoche, 12/6/83.
11. Chiwong 1982.
12. My outline follows TCU's description.
13. See Days Six to Twelve. A complete translation of the Torma Empowerment
ritual can be found in Lopez, Religions of Tibet, 1997.
14. According to TCU. By way of confirmation, I found the torma in the gable
above the courtyard two days later. 11/22/83.
15. Chiwong 1983.
16. In 1983, two hundred fifty by my count.
17. Torma Empowerment (TE), f lb.
18. According to Sang Sang Tulku, who officiated at Chiwong in 1983. Beyer
gives an example .of the type of speech that many lamas give on the occasion of a
public empowerment. Beyer, The Cult of the Tara, 1973: 386. For an additional
example, see Lopez, ed., Religions of Tibet 1997, pp. 355-368.
Notes 311
19. Noted in 1982 and 1983 respectively. Other details of the performance of the
empowerment liturgy can be found in the notes to the translation of TE, and in the
directions given by the text itself.
20. In 1986, after the Liberation Dance, Trulshik Rinpoche used the flat of his
magic dagger to touch those who sought his blessing. Occasionally, when this re-
searcher was being particularly obtuse, the lama would flick the recalcitrant ear with
his finger, as we might tap a radio, television, or computer in hopes of improving its
performance.
Chapter 17: Day Fifteen
l. Trulshik Rinpoche, 1986 interview.
2. According to TCU 1982 interview, except where otherwise noted.
3. Chiwong 1983.
4. TCU 1982, confirmed Chiwong 11/21/83.
5. Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Tibetan Religious Dances, 1976: 94-98 has a superb
study of the costume of a black-hat dancer based on his study of the 'chams yig.
Jerstad's descriptions of the costumes and masks of the Tengpoche Mani Rimdu are
by and large excellent,) and without doubt the best feature of his work.
6. Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Ibid., 1976: 94 calls this a stod le. Jerstad, Mani Rimdu,
1969: 113 uses the term rdor gong.
7. pang khebs, see Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Tibetan Religious Dances, 1976: 94.
8. I have always heard the dance footwear referred to as !ham, the ordinary
word for boot. Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Ibid., 1'976: 94 also uses this term. Jerstad, Ibid.,
1969: 113 calls the dance boots ras zom.
9. This list has several spelling and punctuation errors, some of which effect
meaning. For example, "Remainder Sword Dance" should be separated by punctua-
tion and the "Drum Dance" appears as the homophonous "mantra dance." Verbatim,
the list is: "sngags pa/ging palrdo rje gro lo!sngags chams!mi tshe ring!dur bdag
gnyisldgral chamslmgon chenlmi naglsha lung nga/mkha' 'grolrtogs ldanllhag ma gri
chams!zor chams/chams snalbkra shis/1"
10. Inasmuch as the sole function of the Ging is to herald Dorje Drolo, Dance
Two is related at least indirectly to the feast.
11. TR 11/27/83. According to Trulshik Rinpoche, the Music Dance as practiced
today "has some faults." The following description is taken from the 11i'21/83 per-
formance at Chiwong, except where otherwise noted.
12. Chiwong 12/1/82.
13. At Rongphu, there were a dozen music dancers. Trulshik Rinpoche 1986
interview.
14. "de nas ri bo bsang mchod dang 'brel ba'i chos skyong gi bskang rdzas chibs
rta chibs g.yag la gzung gso." Thubten Choling Chant Leader, Ngawang Tsundru
312 NoTES
confirms that at Rongphu a horse and a yak were offered in connection with the
Mountain Incense Offering, but says that at Chiwong sometimes they are given and
sometimes not. Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Oracles and Demons, 1956: 541, and Tibetan
Religious Dances, 1976: 23-24 describe the use of horse offerings in Sikkimese
dances dedicated to Gangs chen mdzod lnga, the god of Mt. Kanchenjunga.
15. On pre-Buddhist bsangs, see Stein, Tibetan Civilization, 1972: 206-210. On
animal sacrifices, see Stein, Ibid., 1972: 117 passim. Also see the discussion of tormas
as sacrifice in Days 2-4 above.
16. Sanskrit, mantri,literally, "those who use mantras" or "the tantrics." Nebesky-
Wojkowitz's 'chams yig refers to the sngags pa as sngags 'chang, mantradhara, "man-
tra holders" (1976: 115). Some of Nebesky-Wojkowitz's informants identified the char-
acter in this dance as a Bon priest. Nebesky-Wojkowitz agreed with his "more learned
Tibetan informants" that black hat dancers are Tantrics. Nebesky-Wojkowitz himself
notes no "striking similarity" between the dress of a Bonpo and the black-hat costume.
Further, citing an account of Reting Rinpoche leading a black-hat dance, Nebesky-
Wojkowitz finds it unlikely that so august a Buddhist dignitary lead a dance that por-
trayed Bonpo. See Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Tibetan Religious Dances, 1976: 80, and 93.
17. Nebesky-Wojkowitz devotes five pages (1976: 94-98) to a detailed descrip-
tion of the black-hat costume. There is also a lengthy passage in his 'chams yig on
the subject (pp. 115-118).
18. Jerstad's informants evidently subscribe to same theory-he calls this dance
the gser skyems. Jerstad, Mani Rimdu, 1969: 112 ff. Tom Laird, a photo-journalist and
former resident of Junbesi reports that Sherpa laymen also call it by the name gser
skyems. 1982.
19. There is no evidence that it has any connection with Zur ra rva skyes or
Samantabhadra as Jerstad (1969: 115) suggests.
20. The text, a customized version of the ritual found in the Knowledge Holders'
Root Tantra, is found in Site Rituals: SIP 4b2 ff. The Knowledge Holders' Root
Tantra (Rin chen rtsa rgyud) is from gTor zlog, ff. 4b1-6. The directions for custom-
izing it for use with the Lord of the Dance cycle may be found in PL ff. 2b5 ff., or
in NP f 2.
21. At Chiwong in 1986, the present and ex-Chant Leaders, standing and danc-
ing next to each other, carried magic daggers. The other dancers held vajras. Accord-
ing to Trulshik Rinpoche, in a 1986 interview, at Rongphu there were eight to twelve
Golden Libation dancers.
22. The replacement of the black-hat magicians' traditional phurbu and bandha
(skull cup) by a stemmed libation cup in contexts where an offering is made to the
local spirits was noted by Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Tibetan Religious Dances, 1976: 98.
23. My notes from 1983 state that a drum is also used here, while in 1985, I
noted that the drum was only used when the dancers were in motion.
24. Detailed choreography is beyond the scope of this paper. An interesting
symbolic analysis of one sequence of steps can be found in Jerstad, Mani Rimdu,
1969: 118.
Notes 313
25. Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Tibetan Religious Dances, 1976: 118-119. Nebesky-
Wojkowitz's translation differs slightly from my own.
26. In 1985, the dancers at Chiwong had new hat cloths. The cloths were two
of each color, and the dancers exited by color coordinated pairs. Exit Order: Blue,
Red, White, and Pink.
27. G. A. Combe, A Tibetan on Tibet, London 1926, cited in Nebesky-Wojkowitz,
Tibetan Religious Dances, 1976: 18.
28. Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Ibid., 1976: 119.
29. According to Jerstad, Mani Rimdu, 1969: 115-117, for example, the dance
tells the story covertly, an example of what he calls "the 'hidden' discourse" of
"symbolic, tantric language."
30. Stein, "Le linga des danses," 1957: 203.
31. Jamyang Norbu, former director of the Tibetan Institute for Performing Arts,
interview, 11/85. Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Tibetan Religious Dances, 1976: notes that
"the higher-ranking lamas personify the chief divinities of the dance and the leader of
the Black Hats." 1976: 75.
32. See for example, Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Oracles and Demons, 1956: 34, 91,
95, 145, 147, 156, 157, 267, 278-80; Tibetan Religious Dances, 1976: 81; Tucci,
Tibetan Painted Scrolls, 1949: 617. No doubt this variety of Ging is what convinced
Jerstad (1969: 123) that the Guardians of the Four Directions were the Ging of Mani
Rimdu. He seems to be alone in this conclusion. Jiischke's (68) essay at defining ging:
"a little drum, or the beating of it, as an accompaniment in dancing" is possibly a
confusion based on the fact that ging of dances often play drums. Das (219) repeats
Jiischke's error, adding the caveat "probably".
33. Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Ibid., 1956: 278-80; Ibid., 1976: 81; Geshe Chodrak
(dGe bshes chos grags. 1949):116; Beyer, The Cult ojTara, 1973: 50. Beyer gives the
etymology of ging as a shortened versiop of "gingkara" derived from the Sanskrit
kirizkara, "servant, attendant."
34. Trulshik Rinpoche, based on 11/27/83 interview and others. Also see Stein,
Tibetan Civilization, 1972: 188. I have found no evidence to suggest they are con-
nected with the lokapala as Jerstad suggests (1969: 122-123).
35. The Tshig bdun gsol 'debs is also used in Dance Four (rnga 'cham).
36. Literally, "Highest and Ordinary True Achievements."
37. According to Trulshik Rinpoche. GC 116 defines Ging po and Ging mo
simply as male and female servants (g.yog po, g.yog mo).
38. According to Trulshik Rinpoche and at Chi wong. Jerstad, Mani Rimdu, 1969:
121 gives a different schema.
39. These fans are also seen in the Lords of the Cemetery of Dance Six. There
they are said to differentiate those deities from similar but lesser figures. Perhaps they
perform a similar function in the iconography of the Ging, although this would seem
to be contradicted by their single diadem. On these fans, see Dance Seven.
314 Nons
40. Khetsun Sangpo, Tantric Practice, 1982: 197.
41. Trulshik Rinpoche, 1986 interview.
42. See note 27 under Dance One and Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Tibetan Religious
Dances, 1976: 1976: 6-7; 15, 81.
43. Some are evident in dances held at Bodhanath stapa in Kathmandu, see
Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Ibid., 1976: 30-31, citing M. Lobsiger-Dellenbach, "Recherches
ethnologique au Nepal," Globe 92-93 (1954-1956): 74-76; E. Maillart, The Land
of the Sherpas (London, 1955), p. 42. The dance of the eight manifestations of
Padmasambhava is described by Combe. A dance of the eight manifestations was
founded in America in recent years, by Lama Tharchin at his center in Corralitos,
California.
44. Lama Tharchin, lecture, "The Eight Forms of Padmasambhava," lOn/87.
45. A new Dorje Drolo mask was introduced at Chiwong in 1983. The old one
was similar, but had no earrings-at least in its last years.
46. Trulshik Rinpoche interview 11/27/83. The first and second feasts can be
found in the Lord of the Dance Manual, ff. 21b4-22.3, i.e., UB 2.3.2.3.1 and 2.3.2.3.2.
Jerstad notwithstanding, this liturgy contains neither praises of Dorje Drolo nor lists
of the demons he destroyed. Cf Jerstad, Mani Rimdu, 1969: 126.
47. Tengpoche Rinpoche, interview 5/9/83. In a rival lama's opinion, this addi-
tion is rather "stupid."
48. Deities sitting to be honored is a feature of other 'chams. In the Padma-
sarnbhava dances described by Combe, eight forms of Padmasambhava sit to be
"receive homage." See Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Tibetan Religious Dances, 1976: 15-17.
49. See Stein "La Gueule du Makara," 1977: 59; Day Zero; and Dances Six and
Eight.
50. According to informants, the "second feast," the one stanza confession that
follows this offering is also read during the dance of Dorje Drolo. See UB f 22.3.
51. According to my notes of 1980, that year there were only four drum danc-
ers-two with cymbals and two with drums. Chiwong 11/23/80.
52. Chiwong 12/1/82.
53. Trulshik Rinpoche interview 11/27/83.
54. Chiwong 11/21/83.
55. In the dance list posted at Thami and in a Chiwong monk's notebook,
respectively.
56. Tengpoche Rinpoche, 5/29/83. Tengpoche Rinpoche called this dance "po
drup." In Nebesky-Wojkowitz, such hats are sometimes called bse thebs.
57. According to some of Nebesky-Wojkowitz's informants, although the dance
he himself witnessed was performed by Bhutanese soldiers as part of a royal wedding
in the fall of 1951. See Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Where the Gods are Mountains, n.d.:
163, and Tibetan Religious Dances, 1976: 35-36.
Notes 315
58. Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Ibid., 1976: 98; also 107. The Vajrakila 'chams yig
describes an elaborate drum dance in eight movements. See Nebesky-Wojkowitz,
Ibid., 1976: 194-208.
59. See for example Jerstad, Mani Rimdu, 1969: 132. Jerstad cites an interesting
tale from "one Buddhist informant" that the character of Hva Shang was imported
from China by the 13th Dalai Lama from a monastery "outside Peking" that he visited
during his stay there. Jerstad-or his informant-may have been thinking of the 13th
Dalai Lama's exile in Mongolia (1904-1906), during which he had a dream leading
to the importation of a similar figure from Mongolian dance-the eagan ebugan or
eagan abO, Tib. rgan po dkar po (the 'White Old Man'). As mentioned, the eagan abO
has some similarities to the Seer of Dance Ten. See Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Tibetan
Religious Dances, 1976: 44, 83-84.
60. Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Ibid., 1976: 82. See Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Ibid., 1976:
82-83 for a general account of Hva Shang. Also 1976: 40 (at Hemis); 43-44 (the
Potala); 48 (Tashilhunpo).
61. Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Ibid., 1976: 83. In the performance described by Jerstad
(1969: 132 ff.), there is only one assistant, who is enlisted later in the act.
62. At Thami, the act is essentially the same. In 1980, the year my notes on this
act at Tharni are the fullest, I do not record a prostration lesson. Many of the other
routines, however, are identical. I indicate a few of these similarities in the notes
below.
63. According to Nebesky-Wojkowitz, these boys relate the figure to the "arhat
(gnas brtan) Ha zhang." Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Ibid., 1976: 83; also see pp. 15-17, and
42-43.
64. At Chiwong in 1986, these proctors took a more active role. There were
three, rather than the usual one or two, all young Sherpas recruited from other mon-
asteries. Instead of merely bearing their traditional fringed hat and whip, they were
masked and suited in black like minor spirits. Their boisterous improvisational slap-
stick became a show in itself at times interfering with the flow of the proceedings. The
audience at the time responded enthusiastically, and their humor and elan made them
unusually effective proctors. Nonetheless, afterwards some thought they had gone too
far, and there is some doubt as to whether they will appear in future performances or
become a part of the tradition at Chiwong. As an interesting sidelight, these young
Sherpas showed evidence of exposure to Kathmandu "bideo" parlors-their steps
often owed as much to the traditions of Kung Fu film as to those of Tibetan sacred
dance.
65. Chiwong 11/21/83.
66. Chiwong 12/1/82; Thami 1980.
67. Chiwong 11/21/83.
68. One year, the Long-Life Man undercut his own success. After the first suc-
cess, his arms still around his assistants shoulders, he led them not into a second
prostration, but a Sherpa line-dance (zhabs bro). Chiwong 11/21/83.
316 NoTES
69. Chiwong 11/21/83; Thami 1980.
70. rten 'brei, interview 11/27/83. Otherwise, the dance is "just play."
71. At Tengpoche, with the lama seated in the balcony, the kha btags presenta-
tion becomes a hilarious comedy of errors involving that universal device of slapstick,
a ladder. See Jerstad, Mani Rimdu, 1969: 133.
72. Such was the case at Chiwong in 1982. Trulshik Rinpoche entered about an
hour into the act, during the "torma offering lesson." Long-Life Man broke off the act,
saluted the lama and exited.
73. To the "chief figures of the 'chams," as Nebesky-Wojkowitz states some-
what vaguely. At Mani Rimdu it is to the lama. At Tashilhunpo, the spectators throw
scarves at him. Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Tibetan Religious Dances, 1976: 83.
74. Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Ibid., 1976: 16.
75. Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Ibid., 1976: 62 after P. Labbe, Chez les lamas de Siberie
(Paris, 1909), pp. 177-89.
76. For such an account, see Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Tibetan Religious Dances,
1976: 83.
77. See Stein's classic 1957 article, "Le liti.ga des danses masquees lamalques et
Ia theorie des ames." As could be expected, Nebesky-Wojkowitz (1976) has numerous
descriptions of this event, viz.: in eastern Tibet, citing Combe, 18-19; at Hemis, 40;
at 'Gye mur, citing Pott, 40-42; at the Potala New Years, citing various sources, 44-
45; at Tashilhunpo, various sources, 49; at Choni (Cone), citing Rock, 49-50; among
th!! Minyag, citing Stein, 54; at Kumbum, citing Filchner and Tafel, 57-58; in Mongolia,
citing Lessing, 59; in Inner Mongolia, citing Haslund-Christensen, 60. In 1783, Samuel
Davis made what is perhaps the earliest account by a European; see Aris, Views of
Medieval Bhutan, 1982: 59.
78. Joshi, "The Living Tradition," 1987: 48, 50.
79. Dur bdag gnyis, Ssk., Citipati; see Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Oracles and De-
mons, 1956: 86. They may also be called Zhing skyong, Ksetrapllla; see Nebesky-
Wojkowitz, Tibetan Religious Dances, 1976: 78. According to Lama Tharchin, in
some 'chams they are simply c;alled the lingka- carriers (ling 'khyer).
80. For others that appear in the dance, see Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Ibid., 1976:
78-79. For an example from the visual arts, see Tucci, Tibet, 1967: 122, fig. 4.
81. Namkhai Norbu, Crystal and the Way, 1986: 49.
82. Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Oracles and Demons, 1956: 95.
83. Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Ibid., 1956: 86.
84. zhing dbyug or zhing rgam pa'i dbyug pa. Trulshik Rinpoche 1983. These
sticks are replaced from time to time. At Chiwong in 1980 they were two feet long,
with one spade-shaped end and one spoon-shaped end. Each had a small ball-shaped
lump midway and was unpainted. In 1983, the zhing dbyug were eighteen inches long,
straight and one-ended (spade-shaped), and roughly painted with red diagonal stripes.
These are reminiscent of the long "spotted sticks" of Mongolian 'chams with which
two subordinate skeleton dancers "put to flight the evil-natured raven who tries to
Notes
317
steal the linga." Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Tibetan Religious Dances, 1976: 78-79. In the
Protector dance Ekajafi also brandishes a mummy-club, but it is far more detailed than
the rudimentary props of the Lords of the Cemetery.
85. They are called ru rang in a Chiwong monk's own notes on the dance. He
pronounces ru rang as "ru-tang." The term is no doubt derived from the classical
Tibetan rus-krang.
86. According to TCU, 1982. See Spying Ghosts text.
87. Occasionally, snatches of liturgy are overheard. At Chiwong 11/21/83, I
could distinguish the passage "the true words ... the true words" at this point, con-
firming TCU's 1982 testimony.
88. I only recorded two times in 1983, however.
89. Stein reproduces a fascinating manuscript illumination showing a magician
tying down a demon with a rope around his neck in just such a manner. See, La
Civilization, 1981: plate facing p. 148. Jerstad, Mani Rimdu, 1969: 137 reports, inter-
estingly, that he has heard the effigy "called a bskang ba, an offering to the Lord of
the Dead."
90. Interview with Jamyang Norbu, former head of the Tibetan Institute for the
Performing Arts, Dharamsala, 11/85. In 1982 with Trulshik Rinpoche presiding and
again in 1983, when Sang Sang Tulku officiated, the entire dance was completed
and the dancers had made their exits before the stabbing and burning took place on
the dais. In 1980 and 1986, however, Trulshik Rinpoche disposed of the last feast and
the paper effigy before the dancers' exit. Immediately after the burning effigy was
placed on the ground, the Magicians danced and made their exit. The skeletons then
enacted their play with the doll and made their exit. TCU, in describing the liturgy
of this dance, ;llso indicated that there were further dances after the ritual. The order
of the dance I have chosen to describe here is that of 1982 and 1983, but details of
the performance come from my notes of all four years.
91. The Vajrakila 'chams yig directs that "the liberation be done according to the
Manual." (las gzhung /tar bsgral). Cf. Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Tibetan Religious Dances,
1976: 222-223.
92. Observed, Chiwong 11/21/83. Note that this is specified by the Manual. Cf.
f 22bl
93. According to Jerstad, Tengpoche Rinpoche claims it is eaten by the zhva-
nag. This assertion is so bizarre that it must be the result of a translation problem. See
Jerstad, Mani Rimdu, 1969: 139.
94. According to TCU (1982), dance should follow burning the lingka. By this
point in 1983, however, the dance had already finished and the Lords of the Cemetery
had abandoned the doll. The assistant removed the doll and placed it under the altar.
At Chiwong 12/17/86 a young monk ran out at another point and took the doll inside
the chapel directly from where the skeletons had left it on the courtyard floor.
95. Nebesky-Wojkowitz goes so far as to say that "The cult of the dharmapalas
includes the performance of religious dance." Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Oracles and
Demons, 1956: 402.
318 NoTES
96. Propitiation of Four-Faced One, PO f 44b4. Ironically, except in the last two
years of Mani Rirndu at Rongphu, which had all ten Protectors, this is the only form
of Mahakala not portrayed in the :Mani Rimdu dances. According to some informants,
at Chiwong, where the form of Mahakala danced is Four-Handed One, this section
would not even be read during the dance.
97. Nebesky-Wojkowitz reports a Protector dance done at Mindroling itself in
conjunction with the Padmasambhava 'chams, but the group of deities is different-
the so-called Ma gza' dam gsum--Ma mo Ekajap, gZa' chen Rahu and Dam chen rDo
rje legs pa. See, Tibetan Religious Dances, 1976: 14.
98. Trulshik Rinpoche. Accounts of the number originally presented at Rongphu
differ. According to TCU in an 1983 interview, only eight were danced at Rongphu.
There is also mention of nine protectors danced. The chart follows TCU's list.
99. Which of the Playful Ocean's four forms of Mahakala is the "logical choice"
is somewhat problematic, however. Virtuous One is sometimes considered the "chief
of the protectors" (PO 40b2). In other ways, Four-Faced One seems the "best choice."
If we look at the four groups of four deities used when performing the Playful Ocean
piecemeal, Four-Faced One is the form of Mahakala found in the list most closely
resembling the group in the dance-that of "type four" days. As it is, the selection
used in the dance corresponds to no known grouping. Again, in Trulshik Rinpoche's
Protector thang ka, Four-Faced One, not Four-Handed One is found among the more
frequently worshipped gods of the top row; and according to Beyer, Four-Faced One
is the special protector of the Nyingma sect. A N yingma iconography prepared by two
noted Sherpa experts (Khempo Sangyay Tenzin, et al. 1975), however, lists every
Mahakala of the Playful Ocean except Four-Faced One. This is yet another example
of the difficulty of extrapolating from one tradition to another in Tibet's dizzying
pantheon of protectors.
100. Trulshik Rinpoche interview 11/27/83. TCU, who was hesitant about some
of the later segments of the dance, stated in an 1982 interview that the propitiations
of all the gods were recited. In his schema of 1983, adopted here, propitiations are
only performed for deities actually danced. According to TCU, the confession is not
performed.
101. The following description is taken primarily from the 1983 performance.
The text selections were first identified by TCU in a 1982 interview. In 1983, we
reviewed these field notes together to reconcile them with the fine points of the
liturgy. According to Jerstad, the eight sections correspond to the number of Protec-
tors danced. In his account, the positions of the dancers rotate, so that each deity stops
in his dance in front of the lama as "a chant is intoned, invoking the protection of the
particular deity who faces the Abbot at that time." Jerstad, Mani Rimdu, 1969: 147.
Tengpoche Rinpoche once told me that the dance of the Protectors contains only the
Propitiation rituals, which would be consistent with Jerstad's account. Unfortunately,
I was not able to discuss the dance in sufficient detail with Tengpoche Rinpoche to
confirm or deny Jerstad on this point. As noted below, there are some problems with
TCU's account of the last movements which would be solved if we apply Jerstad's
scheme to Chiwong.
Notes 319
102. This was the order in 1983. In 1980 and 1982, it was Four-Handed One,
Cemetery Goddess, Great God, and Mantra Guardian.
103. Chiwong 12/1/82.
104. "Support substances" (rten rdzas = rten pa'i dam rdzas). LT explains this
term in two ways. The first is that it means "things that make a god stay." Examples
are the soul-stone and the life-wheel. In the second interpretation, the term means
"holy substances of dependence," indicating that the yogi depends on, or resorts to the
god. rTen rdzas include black yaks, and so on. sKang rdzas (propitiation substances).
105. Playful Ocean f 42.2 ff.
106. Playful Ocean f 43.3, "chos kyi dbyings . ... "
107. Playful Ocean f 44b6 ff.
108. spyan gzigs (displays) are displays of wildlife; in modern Tib. = zoo.
109. Playful Ocean f 45b4,"bshan pa ~ r o g . ... "
110. Playful Ocean f 45b6 ff.
111. rang shar rang grol gnas lugs ji bzhin dbyings. The three yogas each have
a meditation on emptiness: Mahayoga, that appearances are empty (snang stong);
Anuyoga, that bliss is empty (bde stong); and Atiyoga (rdzogs chen), that knowledge
is empty (rig stong). LT
112. Playful Ocean f 48.6.
113. sgrub pa' i rig 'dzin mdo sngags chos g/ing sder. "Sutra /Tantra Religious
Island" is a common part of a monastery's name in Solu-Khumbu. The textual pas-
sage, Playful Ocean f 48b6 ff.: "zhing skyong . ... "is, as usual according to TCU. My
field notes from 1983, however, indicate that this dance is devoid of liturgy.
114. TCU does not indicate where this starts, but as Great God is worshipped in
the dance, it would be logical to begin with his "phrin las," Playful Ocean f 50b6 ff.
According to TCU, the confession that comes between the propitiations and the "re-
quest" is skipped. As mentioned above, Trulshik Rinpoche states that it is performed.
115. gdon bgegs. Any harm or decline produced by a non-human agent There
are twenty-one thousand classes of malignancies (gdon rigs) and eighty thousand
classes of obstructors (bgegs rigs). LT
116. LT defmes "free from extremes" (mtha' bra[) as "free from elaboration's
four extremes" (spros pa'i mtha' bzhi dang bra/ ba). In other words, not existence,
not nonexistence, not both and not neither (yod rna yinlmed pa rna yinlgnyis ka rna
yinlgnyis ka min pa rna yin).
117. Playful Ocean f 53.2 ff. This seems confirmed by observation at Chiwong
(see the following note), although Trulshik Rinpoche's account and observation at
Thami place that ritual in the "Sword Dance." Also see Dance Twelve.
118. The removal of the tomia was observed in 1980 and 1985. The timing is
confirmed by TCU in our 1983 interviews. The other details in this paragraph are
based on a single observation: Chiwong 10/29/85.
320 Nons
119. Playful Ocean f 54.4 through end.
120. The three secrets are of body, speech, and mind (gsang ba gsumlsku'i
gsang ba /gsung gi gsang balthugs kyi gsang ba). LT
121. See for example the dance of Vaisraval)a at Shalu (Zhva lu), Nebesky-
Wojkowitz, Tibetan Religious Dances, 1976: 34; the dance of Neuter (Ma ning) in
eastern Tibet, Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Ibid., 1976: 17.
122. Witnessed by Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Ibid., on April 5, 1952. See Nebesky-
Wojkowitz, Ibid., 1976: 36 ff. From its position in the line-up, the dance of the Ten
Wrathful Ones (khro bcu) of the Eastern Tibetan monastery visited by Combe seems
to represent a lower order of supernatural entities. See Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Ibid.,
1976: 15.
123. See Jerstad, Mani Rimdu, 1969: 140 ff.
124. Gordon, The Iconography, 1939: 36. For the record, Gordon's list was: l.
Lha-mo, 2. Tshangs pa dkar po. 3. Beg tse, 4. gShin rje chos rgyal, 5. rNarn thos sras,
6. mGon po, 7. rTa mgrin, 8. gShin rje gshed.
125. Jerstad, Mani Rimdu, 1969: 144.
126. Jerstad, Ibid., 1969: 146.
127. Fantin, Mani Rimdu. Nepal. 1976: 90-100. Although, to his credit he oc-
casionally trusted his eyes enough to report a moment when Jerstad's account veered
sharply from reality.
128. See Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Tibetan Religious Dances, 1976: 37, 75. To at-
tempt to align Jerstad's observations to the Playful Ocean is a difficult and unreward-
ing task. For a chart correlating the deities of the dance with'the Playful Ocean, see
"Protector Dance Masks and Props," earlier in this section. To be fair to Jerstad and
Fantin, the time and training necessary to untangle the skein of a ritual like Mani
Rimdu are prohibitive. The account you are reading-as unsatisfactory as it is in
many ways-is the product of nearly a decade of translation, field research, and
interviews.
129. Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Oracles and Demons, 1956: 222. Nebesky-Wojkowitz
lists several other miscellaneous dge bsnyen deities, including the important dge bsnyen
Phying dkar ba (160-165); and Lha'i dge bsnyen, an outrider of the god of Mount
bKra bzang zhing skyong in the Changthang "12 stages to the north of Shigatse"
(220). In Tingri district, of which Rongphu is a part, Shar lung is also found as the
name of a village, and there may be a relation between the two (see Aziz 1978:
appendix 1).
130. At Chiwong in 1980, one mask was black, one brown. According to TCU,
at Rongphu the masks were black. At Tharni, the Black Men wear animal pelts as
belts.
131. According to Jerstad, Mani Rimdu, 1969: 155, they wear "everyday black
woolen Sherpa boots."
132. At Chiwong 11(29/85, they used kha btags. In 1983, they used ropes.
Notes 321
133. Trulshik Rinpoche interview 10/27/85. Thami 5/23/83.
134. Trulshik Rinpoche interview 11/30/83. Body gods, LT explains, (sku lha,
or, as here ius lha) are gods that protect your body. They are also often mountain
gods. Thang lha, one of Tibet's more important autochthonous deities, for example,
is "body god of Khri srong Ide btsan" (Followers 12.2).
135. dBen gnas rdza rong phu'i bka' srung shar lung dge bsnyen gyis mchod
sprin sgrub pa' i re skong zhes bya ba bzhugs so, from Collected Propitiations (bsKang
'dus), vol. Ja.
136. Some of Jerstad's informants identified him incorrectly as Khumbu yullha.
See Mani Rimdu, 1969: 157. For more on Khembalung, and secret valleys in general,
see Bernbaum, The Way to Shambhala, 1980: 53 ff. For an illustration of Zur rva, see
gTer ston Sans rgyas dban 'dus 1979: 592; the volume also contains a ritual dedicated
to the god, #236 "gSang ba'i bdag Zu rwa ba'i 'phrin las 'dod pa'i dpal ster (Zu
rwa)," pp. 200-217.
137. Interview, 11/27/83. TCU adds that he is the guardian of the door (sgo
srung) of Khembalung-he does not let others in.
138. Tengpoche Rinpoche, 5/29/83, specifies that Zur ra's short (sdu ba) ritual
be used.
139. Roerich, "The Epic of King Gesar," 1942: 289, 299. We should note that
Gesar himself, in addition to his duties as an epic hero, is worshipped as a local
protector. Indeed, he is a personal favorite of Tengpoche Rinpoche who has added
him to the list of protectors worshipped during Mani-Rimdu at his monastery.
140. Those reported by Combe have both. Combe's (lakir.zr dancers beat drums
like those of the Ging, "but somewhat smaller" and "sing a short song of praise." See
Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Tibetan Religious Dances, 1976: 16-17. In the dances that
Nebesky-Wojkowitz himself witnessed in the Pedong Valley, two pafzcatathagata-
crowned dancers accompanying themselves with (iamaru and bells executed a "slow
dance." See 1976: 37.
141. Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Ibid., 1976: 16-17; Fantin, Mani Rimdu. Nepal. 1976:
49. When in recent years, Lama Tharchin has mounted the first productions of' chams
in the United States featuring his American students as dancers, women have danced
the Sky Walkers with a singularly appropriate and beautiful effect.
142. Interview 11/27/83.
143. At Thami, the Sky Walkers are greeted by a formal procession, complete
with incense and oboes. The procession reappears to see them out. Thami 5/23/83.
144. Trulshik Rinpoche explains the allusion to sexual yogic practice in the
verse below, stating that "according to ritual" means "without desire, as opposed to
in the manner of laymen."
145. Trulshik Rinpoche interview 11/27/83.
146. Trulshik Rinpoche interview 10/27/85.
322 NoTES
147. Chiwong 12/1/82. Similarly, Sherpa villagers who have seen my film Lord
of the Dance/Destroyer of Illusion, often ask with disappointment, "Where is the
Tolden?" The answer best given is that it was tbo dark to shoot. That the Tolden's
performance is three times the length of a feature film is staggering to contemplate
for Sherpa and Westerner alike.
148. "nga bka' rgyud grub thob yin." Sherry B. Ortner has already refuted
Jerstad's claim that the Seer is an Indian yogi and an object of ridicule in the eyes of
the Sherpas. My own research bears out her statements. As Ortner says, "Most of the
Sherpas I spoke to were not aware of this meaning, and were impressed by the
Tolden's feats of spiritual strength." See Ortner, ''The White-Black Ones," 1978b:
282; also Das, Journey to Lhasa, 539; Dargyay, The Rise of Esoteric Buddhism, 1979:
35; and Dowman, The Divine Madman, 1980: 61, n. 2. Allione, Women of Wisdom,
1986: pl. 26 shows a modern-day Tolden from Tashi Jong, in Northern India, also
firmly identified as a Kagyi.i yogi: ''These Yogis practice the Six Y ogas of Naropa and
wear only thin white cotton clothes, symbolizing that they have accomplished the
yoga of inner heat (tummo) like Milarepa." Although Jerstad's assertion that the Seer
represents a Hindu sadhu, and Fantin's interpretation of his name as "The Over-
Confident Man" seem to be totally without merit, similar figures in other 'chams, the
atsara, may be so characterized with some justice. The question of the atsara will be
dealt with later in this section.
149. Ortner, "The White-Black Ones," 1978b: 282.
150. Stein, Tibetan Civilization, 1972: 218.
151. My manuscript was copied by Agike, monk and former Chant Leader of
Chiwong Monastery, from the Chiwong manuscript. I checked the copy with Ngawang
Yonten of Chiwong, who plays the part of the Seer. Ngawang Yonten was servant and
student of Ngawang Tsokdruk (Ngag dbang tshogs drug), one of Chiwong's first monks
and until his death in 1981, head monk of Chiwong. The interpolations in brackets are
Ngawang Yonten's. NY attributes the authorship of The Seer text to his teacher, whereas,
several layman of Junbesi attributed it to the renowned painter 0 Leshe, also of Junbesi,
adding that "many people say that." 0 Leshe was reputedly involved in the founding
of Mani Rimdu at Chi wong. He is generally regarded by local Sherpas to have been a
saint. For more on him, see Downs, Rhythms of a Himalayan Village, 1980, passim.
According to Thami Rinpoche, there is also a small text for the Seer at his monastery,
but I have not been able to compare it to the Chiwong edition.
152. The specific refuge that the Tolden recites comes from UB f. 3b3 ff.,
153. ngo shes bya. NY says that this consists of "my saying 'chape nang jung'
(Tib. "Welcome!") to [the late] Ngawang Tenzin Norbu, Trulshik Rinpoche, and so
on, and then to the patrons of the monastery, and then to the monks."
154. According to NY, these are two books printed in Solu-Khumbu.
155. chos 'chad = "chos thams cad kyi rtsa ba ni ... ", see below. NY.
156. mi rtags (sic). NY says that there is no book for this. He simply extempo-
rizes along these lines: "First you get married. Then a child is born. Then, you get
sick. Then, a Lama comes and treats you, but you can't be cured and then, you die.
Notes
323
Then, the Lama transfers your consciousness ("pho ba rgyab gyi reef'). Then, they
bring your body out of the house."
157. See ff. 14-16b2. NY
158. lha bsang, that is, he recites a small passage from the Mountain Incense
Offering (Ri bo bsangs mchod)-the first page. NY
159. NY says "any song is O.K. This year I sang Sherpa songs, Tibetan songs,
and Nepali songs."
160. 'bras dkar, for 'dre dkar [pronounced drekar]. Although in my copy of the
manuscript this line comes below, NY places it here instead, and says that after
"Attracting Fortune," he did another gcod, and then the two Black Men (mi nag)
entered with knives. In any event, the drekar is an itinerant Tibetan entertainer who
gives humorous religious teachings. There is a "drekar'' book, which NY knows by
heart. However, he does not know where a copy of it could be found. During this
segment, the Seer begs money from the audience. NY also sang the jesting song
("Dochire ... ")from the Nepali Tihar (Divali) festival at this point, which he catego-
rizes as a "Nepali drekar." After the drekar, the Seer plays diCe.
161. NY identifies the Bro brdung as a book belonging to the gcod (cutting off)
the ego tradition. The part recited is the first eight lines beginning "bdag nyid he ru
ka ka pa Ia Ia 'di/" and then "de nas rna/ 'byor . ... "
162. This semicornic empowerment is done with a Lama's hat, a Lama's boot,
and the doll used elsewhere in the dances. NY.
163. g.yang 'gugs, (Attracting Fortune) probably indicates the verse that follows
it. As will be remembered, however, there is a section dedicated to this ancient and
popular pre-Buddhist Tibetan ritual in the Mountain Incense Offering. See note 14 and
Day Thirteen.
164. NY says that he does not know what these ejaculations mean, but that
Ngawang Tsokdruk, to whom he attributes the text, did.
165. I.e., the Auspicious Omens, f 17 ff, usually up to "skyabs gnas .. .. "NY.
166. zhabs brtan ni bden pa'i 'jug tul. According to NY, the "Truths" is the
evocation of the power of truth found in the Spying Ghosts ritual, etc.: "sangs rgyas
gyi bka' bden pa/chos gyi ... ldge 'dun gyi . .. " up to "Om surnbhani sumbhani."
Note, however, that the first stanza below is also an evocation of the truth. The "Long
Life Prayer", begins "Om svasti", below. NY continues his account as follows: first,
the "chos kyi t/,a rna ru", four lines, then the gCod yul mkha' 'gro' i gad rgyangs from
the Klang chen snying thig, pp. 571-586. The passage used begins "Phat ... " on p.
574, line 6, and continues to " ... shag!", p. 578, line 4.
167. ris 'brus 'grub par mdzod. ris 'brus should read re 'bras, (the result of
one's hopes). NY.
168. The Fourth Guide (rnam 'dren bzhi ba) is the Buddha (RT). His spiritual
son or disciple was Ananda. Ngag dbang blo bzang mdo sngags, Trulshik Rinpoche,
is considered Ananda's reincarnation. Thus, this prayer is dedicated to the lama who
presides, not only over the Chiwong Mani Rirndu, but the entire tradition.
324 NoTES
169. In this prayer whenever the Seer says "I offer ... this long life prayer!"
(zhabs brtan 'bul lo), he falls on his sword. NY.
170. Bu ram shing pa, " I k ~ a k u , n. of the progenitor of the solar race, an epithet
of Sakya Sirilha Buddha who was born of that race," from bu ram shing, (sugar cane
plant) D 871. Also see MV 79.
171. I.e., Jambudvipa: India, the known world. Khyad par' dzam gling yongs kyi
bstan 'dzin mkhyen, probably for mkhan, "those who." RT.
172. Sovereign Nyima Wozer = mnga' bdag Nyi rna 'od zer. Lama Sangyay =
Bla rna sang [rgyas], the patron who built Chiwong. His family, the Lama clan of
Phaphlu is said to be the lineage of Nyima Wozer, i.e., of the Nyang clan (NY). On
Nyang Nyima Wozer, the great twelfth century gter ston, see Tulku Thondup, The
Tantric Tradition, 1984: 151, and Dargyay, The Rise of Esoteric Buddhism, 1979:
passim. See now also Dudjom 1991, vol. 1, pp. 755-759. Family panegyrics have
long been a part of Tibetan festivals. See Stein, Tibetan Civilization, 1972: 193.
173. sngon du rna bye nal. The manuscript has bye for byed. RK
174. The text actually reads slob dpon (master). That phrase inverted, however,
dpon slob, is an abbreviation for slob dpon dang slob rna (master and disciple).
175. Adams, Tigers of the Snow, 1996: 147.
17 6. J erstad describes another sort of trick sword. In his account, the weapon is
sharp, hard, and truly dangerous. The trick lies in a blade that retracts part way into
the handle. Instead of bending the sword, the dancer "turns slightly to avoid the
blade." Mani Rimdu, 1969: 153-154.
177. Chiwong 12/1/82.
178. On the eagan obO, see Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Tibetan Religious Dances,
1976: 83-84; Berger and Bartholomew, Mongolia, 1995: 158.
'179. Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Tibetan Religious Dances, 1976: 82.
180. Ibid., 1976: 17; 84.
181. Ibid 1976: 84.
182. Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Where the Gods are Mountains, n.d.: 211.
183. Ibid., 220.
184. Ibid., 217.
185. As Trulshik Rinpoche put it, uncharacteristically using the Nepali word.
Interview 11/27/83.
186. TCU thus corrects me when I call them the "Black Men" (mi nag). There
are, interestingly enough, a group of Bon deities called the /hag rna bzhi, although
they have no relation to the present liturgy. See Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Oracles and
Demons, 1956: 315.
187. I include here only the main recitation. The subsidiary passages and stage
directions, can be found in UB 35.1 ff, Throwing out the Remains (/hag rna gtong ba).
188. Langka indicates the carnivorous rll/cyasa demons who populate mythologi-
cal pri Lanka. The exact significance of langka tshar gsum, which I have provision-
Notes 325
ally translated as "the three types of langka," however is not entirely clear. It might
also be for langka rtsa gsum, "the [twenty-] three langka."
189. LIS 192b6-193.2. I take the text's phra men (Sorcerer) for phra men ma
(Sorceress). On shugs 'gro, see note in Day 6-12, the first session.
190. Quoted by Jerstad, Mani Rimdu, 1969: 159. Jerstad's guess that the dancers
are the goddesses Makaravaktra and Siiilhavaktra is just that-a guess-and not a
likely one given that those goddesses have the heads of a crocodile and a lioness,
respectively, a detail that would no doubt be reflected in their masks, were the god-
desses present.
191. This may be the reason the Thami list, cited earlier in this chapter, does not
separate it by punctuation from the Sword Dance that follows.
192. Chiwong 11/21/83.
193. I have only the word of TCU that the ritual is read at this particular junc-
ture. I have never actually seen or heard it either at Chiwong or at Thami. The rest
of this account is a composite of 1982 and 1983.
194. See Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Tibetan Religious Dances, 1976: 187.
195. This is asserted to be for purely practical reasons. We should note in pass-
ing that Ekajaty (known as Mantra Guardian in the Playful Ocean), whose mask is one
used here for one of the liberation Ging, appears among a group of deities in a gShin
rje dance of the Nyingma sect under the name of "liberation mother" (sgrol yum).
Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Ibid., 1976: 14.
196. Although in Mani Rimdu the dancers enter the courtyard carrying their
weapons, in other 'chams the weapons are already on stage, either on the central altar
or on a table next to the dough effigy. Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Ibid., 1976: 67.
197. At Chiwong 1983. The above account is summarized from that year.
198. I first observed these tormas at Chiwong in 1982, although was unable to
identify them. In 1984, the Contract and Steadfast Women tormas were removed at
this time. By all accounts (and the logic of the ritual), however, they should not be
taken out until the next dance when the contract torma becomes a magic weapon.
199. Trulshik Rinpoche interview 11/27/83. In a similar vein, the Vajrakila 'chams
yig refers to a liberation sword (sgrol gri). Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Tibetan Religious
Dances, 1976: 193.
200. Jerstad does not mention the dough effigy in his brief account of the sword
dance, although I witnessed it used at Tharni in 1980 and 1983, and at Tengpoche in
1987. Cf. Jerstad, Mani Rimdu, 1969: 161.
201. TCU 1983.
202. TCU, examining my sketch from Thami, states that the figure used at
Rongphu was made differently. The interpretations of the parts of the lingka are his.
According to Nebesky-Wojkowitz, the dough effigy is called a "zan ling," as opposed
to a "shog ling," a paper effigy. He indicates that it may also be painted dark blue or
constructed of black flour, but at Thami and Tengpoche it is red. Nebesky-Wojkowitz,
Tibetan Religious Dances, 1976: 106-107.
326 NOTES
203. According to TCU. My sketch from Thami shows them straight.
204. Nebesky-Wojkowitz gives an elaborate list of magical additions to lingka-
figurines and to scapegoats (g/ud) that allow them to magically stand in for those
whom they represent. Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Ibid., 1976: 106.
205. dgra bgegs kyi gzugs brnyan. Cf. Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Ibid., 1976: 203.
206. Nebesky-Wojkowitz Ibid., 1976: 193.
207. There is a plate of feast in front of the torma, it is possible, though less
likely that it is the object of these attentions, since it remains untouched for the rest
of the evening.
208. Based on observation at Thami 5/23/83.
209. In an interview on 11/27/83, Trulshik Rinpoche said that the Protector
ritual used is the Chos skyong spyi Ia gtor ma 'bul. Although this designation is
ambiguous, it almost certainly indicates the "Feeding the Tormas," Playful Ocean
f 53.2 ff. The relevant field observations I possess confirm this. In addition to the
above from Thami in 1983, when I was first at Tharni in 1980, I overheard part of
the offering mantra, " ... khahi khahi," and noted that a torma was sprinkled and
removed at this time. This data conflicts with TCU's account in which the "Feed-
ing" was already done during the Protector Dance and the liturgy of the Playful
Ocean long since concluded. It is possible that the two monasteries differ on this
point. If we grant this, and assume that the Tharni practice is closer to the Rongphu
system, we can explain the discrepancies between the two accounts. TCU, who
performs the rituals of both Dance Seven and Twelve at Chiwong, would tend to
describe the present-day practice of Chiwong. Trulshik Rinpoche, who by contrast
leaves the dais before Dance Twelve is performed, would be more likely to describe
the "official" Rongphu system.
210. Playful Ocean f 53b4.
211. TR interview, n.d. The Vajrakila 'chams yig goes so far as to indicate the
syllables of liturgy on which certain dance steps are to be executed. See for example,
Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Tibetan Religious Dances, 1976: 221: "The step taken with the
left foot should correspond to the final stanza of the bsgral sloka, but, should the s/oka
not accord with the movements, one should correlate the fmal word with the left foot
step in the direction of walking." Also see 1976: 205 ff.
212. Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Where the Gods are Mountains, n.d.: 237; also see
Tucci, The Religions of Tibet, 1980: 155.
213. Nebesky-Wojkowitz has written widely about one such performance in the
Sikkimese Kangchenjunga dance. It is performed immediately after the overture to
"drive away lingering evil forces," the dancers entering the courtyard shouting a
Tibetan war-cry-"kyi hu hut" Some movements of this dance-among the few dance
movements named anywhere in Western literature-mimic swordsmanship: "unsheath-
ing the sword" (gri 'khor), "sharpening the sword" (gri rdar), and "lifting the sword"
(gri 'phyar). See Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Oracles and Demons, 1956: 404; n.d.: 235;
and 1976: 23. For a dance performed by soldiers, see my notes on Dance Four.
Notes 327
214. This is part of a ceremony called lo re'i gsol kha. See Nebesky-Wojkowitz,
Tibetan Religious Dances, 1976: 27. We have already seen the relation between
oracles and swords above in Dance Ten.
215. Trulshik Rinpoche interview 11/27/83.
216. Neither the Manual nor commentaries name this mudra. The description in
my notes is reminiscent of the "opening gesture" (dbye rgya) used to open the doors
of the mar.uJala during the daily self-empowerment. Why such a gesture should be
employed here is another matter entirely.
217. Chiwong 1982. Although, checking in 1983, I could not hear the recitations.
218. UB f 37.2.
219. In eastern Tibet, the gtor rgyab is also performed by black hats. On gtor
rgyab see Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Tibetan Religious Dances, 1976: 19; on zor and other
magic weapons, see Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Oracles and Demons, 1956: 354-358.
220. It was reputedly introduced there by the first Dharmarllja of Bhutan. See
Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Tibetan Religious Dances, 1976: 35. Nebesky-Wojkowitz 1965:
404 also refers to the zor 'chams as a dance step related to the diamond walk (rdo rje
'gro).
221. LIS 193b6.
222. Lit., "varied dance." It is also called the "log 'chams," the "Return Dance,"
or perhaps the "Expulsion Dance." Tengpoche Rinpoche also calls it the "mtha'
'chams," the "Final Dance" (Tengpoche Rinpoche 5/29/83). At Chiwong in 1982, the
Magicians held vajras. In 1982, the "Black Men" carried the props that represent the
"enemy's heart"; in 1983, their hands were empty.
223. Tengpoche Rinpoche 5/29/83.
224. Trulshik Rinpoche, 1986 interview.
225. At Thami, in 1983, I noted that the dancers all do the hook mudra, as they
stand during the liturgy.
226. Tengpoche Rinpoche (5/29/83) specifies this passage (UB 39b2 ff) as the
Auspicious Omens text used at this point. There are other "Auspicious Omens" used
in Mani Rimdu, such as that of the Manual appendix and the one in Religious Prac-
tice. Similar recitations are found at the end of most complicated Tibetan ritual se-
quences. According to TCU (1982), all the Manual between the Horse Dance and the
Auspicious Omens is read. At Chiwong in 1983, I heard rituals recitec;l consonant with
his identification.
227. When grain is thrown indoors at an analogous moment it represents a rain
of flowers. Lama Tharchin 6/84.
228. Trulshik Rinpoche interview 11/27/83, see Day 0.
229. "Mais il s'y attache aussi pour les spectateurs un interet pratique .... Parmi
les images terribles surgissent surtout dans le bardo les divinites protectrice
demoniaques. L'un des but des danses culturelles consiste a les faire connaltre aux
328 NoTES
croyants, a familiariser ceux-ci avec leur physionomie a fin que, parvenirs a l'etat
intermediare, ils ne se derobent pas devant leurs saveurs." Bleichsteiner, l' Eglise
Jaune, 1937: 219. In Solu-Khumbu, this observation has been confmned as recently
as 1986 by A. Gurung.
Chapter 18: Day Sixteen
1. TCU interview, 1982.
2. The outline is based on TCU's 1983 revision of his 1982 account. I was able
to corroborate it in nearly every detail at Chiwong, 11/22/83.
3. The name TCU used here was bsDus gsol, evidently for gSol bsdus, the
Abridged Prayer, i.e., Trulshik Rinpoche's Abridged Prayers for the Local Gods
(gNas bdag gsol bsdus).
4. TCU did not mention this latter, but it was used Chiwong 11/22/83.
5. In 1983, the 'bul gtor had gifts for four deities: Four-Faced One, Mantra
Guardian, Great God, and Cemetery Grandmother. TCU judged the addition of a sub-
torma for Mantra Guardian an unimportant error. It was not reflected in the liturgy.
6. 12/10/82, 11/22/83. In 1983, at the end of the day the following tormas
remain in the torma cabinet: the Great Protectors, the food, the fierce food, the flower
of the senses.
7. TCU notes that because on the Burnt Offering day there are no flasks (las
bum, rnam rgyal bum pa), instead of starting at RP151.1, "SVABHV A ... " you need
the mudra and mantras found on f 150b6-151.1-the Diamond Malefactor/ Benefac-
tor gesture with "Om vajrayak$a hum," and the diamond fire gesture with "Om vajra
jvalayanala hana daha paca mathabhaiijaraua hum phat." See Three-Part Torma text,
in Lopez, Religions of Tibet, 1997.
8. Kun bzang rnam rol mchod pa'i tshogs .... UB 38.2 requires repetition of
an earlier passage-"the clouds of inner and outer worship offered in common" from
The Outer Offerings, f 15.5-15b6.
9. See Day Six.
10. See Greenwald, "The Role of the Priest," 1978: 493.
11. Lessing, for example, describes a peaceful Burnt Offering of the god Samvara,
in his book, Yung-Ho-Kung, 1942: 151-160. Beyer describes a peaceful Burnt Offer-
ing of Tara in, The Cult of Tara, 1973: 264-275. Snellgrove describes a Lord of the
Dance Burnt Offering of the fierce type performed on an ad hoc basis at Chiwong,
Buddhist Himalaya, 1957: 259 ff, and plate 39b. Also see Skorupski's contribution to
Staal, Agni, 1983.
12. BO 3b6.
13. The pull to reconcile the facts Of practice with the theories of commentary
is a strong one. TCU attempts to reconcile the Chiwong schedule with the Precious
Lamp. He observes that the commentary antedates the invention of Mani Rimdu, and
Notes 329
therefore does not take the days of dance into account-in the Precious Lamp, the
empowerment and Burnt Offering fall on the same day. Thus, the commentary must
be adjusted to fit the necessities of the festival.
14. My notes from Chiwong 1983 indicate that a mantra beginning "Om
sarvabighanaril ... " is also recited, although neither BO nor SIP mentions such a
mantra. PL 6b6 states that the Sky Treasury mantra (nam mkha' mdzod sngags)
should be used here: "Nama).l sarvatathligatebhyo visvamukhebhya).l sarvathlikharil
utgate sparru:ta imam gaganakharil svaha" (cf. SIP 3.2). It is quite possible that I
misheard it.
15. PL 7.1; Chiwong 1983.
16. In 1983, SST used his left hand although the vajra is typically wielded in the
right.
17. BO 4.1. For more on the geometry and construction of Burnt Offering
mar;4alas, see Beyer, The Cult of Tara, 1973: 250; 265-266; 268.
18. mTsho bdun ri bdun. TCU calls these elements of Buddhist cosmology the
seven rivers and seven mountains-chu bdun ri bdun. Stein's photograph from Ghoom
shows the syllable, minus the rivers and mountains, painted directly on the fire wall.
Lessing's version also has merely the syllable. See Stein, La Civilization, 1981: 68,
top; Lessing, Yang-Ho-Kung, 1942: 153.
19. Ortner has written on the status implications of seating at some length.
Ortner, "Sherpa Purity," 1978: 61, 74 ff, fig. 1 on p. 75.
20. By 1993, the family's position during the dance had moved to the side
balcony, a less convenient but more easily defended location. This in itself shows a
change in the relations between the leading family and the surrounding community.
In the early 1980s, interlopers in the "private box" could and would be informed of
their gaffe by most any Sherpa. In the mid-1980s one occasionally saw a lone inter-
loper refuse to move and his presence finally be accepted with a shrug. In 1994, non-
family members casually edged into the private domain en masse, despite the pres-
ence of police officers charged to block their way.
21. The chronicles give examples of this practice as early as the eighth century
in the reign of 'Khri srong lde'u btsan. See Stein, Tibetan Civilization, 1972: 142.
22. This actually happened in 1980. With changes that are now in the wind, it
is interesting to speculate what would happen were the incident to be repeated some
years hence. In 1987, for example, the family's privileged seating at the public em-
powerment simply ceased to exist.
23. Other Sherpas sometimes state with a mixture of pride and resentment that
their forebears built Chi wong too. The pride is in the accomplishment. The resentment
is twofold: (1) that their forebears' labor was conscripted by the all-powerful Sangyay
Lama, who provided the capital and took all the credit; (2) that despite the contribu-
tion of others, his descendants persist in regarding Chiwong as their own private
property. Ortner, "Sherpa Purity," 1978: 76 gives a sketch of the movements in clan
hierarchy that surrounded the building of Chi wong, although she disguises the names
as usual. The interloper in the example below, was not to my knowledge a descendant
330 NoTES
of one of these conscripts, but merely from a village too far distant to appreciate the
situation. There is some evidence that the perception of Chiwong as a "private"
monastery is now changing, but to what extent only the future will tell.
24. Lessing's physical description of the preparation of the sticks accords with
the practice at Chiwong. According to Lessing, the wood symbolizes the Bodhi tree
and "is offered in order to obtain early illumination." See, Yung-Ho-Kung, 1942: 152,
157. Judging by its leaves, it is perhaps a variety of bay or even willow.
25. For a drawing of this, see Lessing, Ibid., 1942: 153; for a photograph, Stein,
La Civilization, 1981: 68, top.
26 .. These are also used in the self-administered empowerment, UB 22b6. Lessing
(1942: 154-155) describes such regalia in detail.
27. See Bhattacharyya, The Indian Buddhist, 1958: 362; Lessing, Ibid., 1942: 158
28. BO f 4b5.
29. Beyer, The Cult of Tara, 1973: 167 has a sketch of these ladles.
30. Lessing, Yung-Ho-Kung, 1942: 160-161.
31. See note in BO following f 6.1. The concept of a configuration of "heaps"
on this plate is also present in the mar:u;iala offering ritual. In that context, Lessing
translates tshom bu as "little heap of offering stuff." See Lessing, "Miscellaneous
Lamaist Notes," 1956: 60; and 66, n 16.
32. Chiwong 1980.
33. I.e., GW 19b3-20.2. See PO 1.4, f 5b4 ff.
34. Just how symbolically was evidenced in 1980, when wood was added to the
pyre after it had been "put out" with the milk. The wood was presumably added so
that the fire would stop smoking.
35. Cf. Day Fourteen. The following description was taken from Chiwong 11/
24/80. Interview subjects did not discuss this repetition of the "true achievement" in
specific, but by its character and from its position vis a vis the other ritemes, the
identification is self-evident. At Tengpoche, where the "true achievement" torma is
elaborately shared out at this point, its presence is even more conspicuous.
36. NP f 11 ff.
37. "Erasing the Lines" and SR f 2b2.
38. Chiwong 1980; also cf. note in "Erasing the Lines."
39. Om akaro mukharh sarvadharmanartJ. adyanutpannatv!lt om a1;t hnm phat sv!lha.
The translation is from Beyer, The Cult of Tara, 1973: 146. The gesture recalls
Lessing's account of transferring the wisdom beings via pinches of sand during the
Burnt Offering.
Chapter 19: Day Seventeen
1. "rDul tshon chu bor spyan 'dren pa'i dgos pa ni klu'i rgyal po 'khor dang
bcas pa rnams Ia de bzhin gshegs pa rnams kyis byin kyis brlabs pa'i rdul tshon rin
Notes 331
po che'i rang bzhin can de bdag gir mdzad par gsol nas mchod pa dang/ 'jig rten gyi
khams spyi dang/ khyad par sa phyogs der bde legs phun sum tshogs pa 'phel zhing
rgyas pa'i phrin las bcol ba'i dgos pa dang phan yon pa red." Trulshik Rinpoche,
personal communication.
2. Lessing, Yung-ho-Kung, 1942: 6, 161.
3. NP,fll.
4. DharmaSri avoids this problem by directing that the mal)t)ala be created at
stream side. See NP.
5. The longer dedication is A Paradise of Benefit and Pleasure; the auspicious
recitation, A Shower of Benefit and Pleasure. This and the rituals that follow were
identified by TCU in 1982, the list incorporates several emendations that he made in
1983. Thus, the account is well considered to say the least, although I have never been
able to corroborate the texts by independent observation.
6. rnam thar gsum, probably for rnam thar sgo gsum, "the three doors of
liberation": emptiness, the sign-less, the wish-less. Cf. D 759.
7. This prayer is said to be an adaptation of a praise from Religious Practice.
TCU gives it as: "bla ma'i sku ni rdo rje sku// mdzes zhing blta bas chog mi shes/
I bsam gyis mi khyab yon tan !dan// bla ma'i sku Ia zhabs brtan 'bull/ bla ma'i gsung
ni tshangs pa'i dbyangs// 'gag med seng ge'i sgra dang !dan// mu stegs ri dwags skrag
mdzad pa// bla ma'i gsung Ia zhabs brtan 'bul// bla ma'i thugs ni nam mkha' 'dra//
bde gsa! mi rtog stong ba'i ngang// mam thar gsum Ia legs gnas pa// bla ma'i thugs
Ia zhabs brtan 'bul."
8. "Desire, anger ... " following the "Seven Branches," RP f 163.1-b6.
9. "Namo guru ... ", RP 52.2-54b6.
Chapter 20: Epilogue
1. My translation of this prayer can be found in Lopez, 1995.
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354 BIBLIOGRAPHY
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rje chen po bde gshegs kun 'dus kyi gtor dbang gi mtshams spyor ngag 'don bdud
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Annotated Torma Empowerment of Great Compassion Union of the Blissful.] Short
title: gTor dbang [Torma Empowerment]. xyl.
bKa' rdzogs pa chen po yang zab dkon mchog spyi 'dus dang de' i cha lag zhi khro
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pa' ire skong zhes bya ba bzhugs so. ["The Fulfillment of the Practitioner's Hopes:
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Thugs rje chen po bde gshegs kun 'dus kyi cho ga dang 'brel bar srung rna spyi dang
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Compassion Union of the Blissful Ritual.] Short title: bKa' srung [Guardians of the
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Thun mtshams mka' 'gro gtor 'but gzhugs so. [Herein lies the Sky Walker Torma
Offering for the Break in the Session.] ms. n.d. (SWT)
De bzhin gshegs pa dang thugs rje dam Ia gnas pa rnams kyis brjod med kyi bshags
pa. bShags pa'i rgyud dri med pa'i rgyal po las! Ye shes lha dang 'khon gcugs pa
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Index
Achievement Yoginis, 42
Adams, Vincanne, 225
Agni me lha, 243, 246
Ajanta caves, 121
Akani$\ha, 101
Amdo province A mdo, xxviii
Amitabha 'Od dpag med, Snang ba
mtha' yas, 19, 20, 51, 101, 147
Amitayus Tshe dpag med, 176
Ananda, 222
animal-headed godesses, see sorceresses
Ardussi, John, 28
arrow mda', 46, 137, 139, 167-68,
171-72, 183, 208, 262
assassination, 81-84, 96, 261
See also killing; sacrifice
14, 60
Asvamedha "horse sacrifice," 121
atheism, 40-41
Atisa, 10
atsara, 226-7
Auspicious Recitations Bkra shis, 161,
166, 168, 171, 180, 186, 214-15,
222, 233-34, 253
Avalokitesvara Spyan ras gzigs dbang
phyug, 4, 9-16, 17, 20, 49-51,
115, 147, 151-52, 176, 177
Jinastlgara, Rgyal ba rgya mtsho,
11, 20
Lord of the Six Syllables
Sa<iaksarl-Lokdvara, 11
See also Lord of the Dance
Bajracarya, Ashakaji, 13, 14
bardic songs sgrung, 56
bardo, 25-26
Basham, A. L., 29, 175
Bde mchog SaT]'IVara, 218
Beyer, Stephan, xxix, 4, 85, 176-77,
240
Bhutan, 198, 215, 232
Black Elk, 7
Black Hat Magicians. See Magicians
Black Men Mi nag, 186, 216-18,
227, 232
Blake, William, 263
Bleichsteiner, Robert, 235
blessing byin rlabs, 34, 114, 145
See also Mani Rimdu, liturgies and
rituals of: "Showering Blessings"
Bodies of Buddhahood Sangs rgyas
kyi sku, 19
355
Body of Emanation sprul pa' i sku,
nirmtll)aktlya, 19
Body of Enjoyment longs spyod
rdzogs pa' i sku, sambhogakiiya,
19
Body of Truth chos sku,
dharmakaya, 19, 31, 34
Bon, 80, 97-98, 105, 120, 168, 171-
72, 193
Boundless Light. See Amitabha
Brahma Tshangs pa, 37
Buddha, 148
See also Amitabha; Bodies of
Buddhahood; Five Buddha Fami-
lies; ).IMcyamuni
Burnt Offering Homavidhi, Sbyin sreg
63, 69, 71, 207, 237, 239-47
Butcher Black Murderess, 211
356 INDEX
Cakrasal]wara 'Khor lo bde mchog,
20, 25
Sricakrasal'flvaratantra, 'Khor lo
bde mchog gi-rgyud, 173
calendar, Tibetan lunar, 69-71
"Calling the Soul" bla 'gugs, 167
Campbell, Joseph, 8
Cemetery Butchers Dur gshen, 80
Cemetery Goddess Dur khrod lha mo,
129, 132, 210, 217
Cemetery Grandmother Dur khrod
rna mo, 42, 46, 209, 212, 214
Great Cemetery Goddess Dur lha
chen mo, 38, 78
ceremonial scarf kha btags, 200, 202-
3, 254
'chams. See dance, 'chams
Chodak, Geshe, 28
Chos kyi dbang phyug, 58
Combe, G. A., 192, 194, 203
comedy, 169, 193, 199-205, 220-27
confession bshags pa, 43-44, 145,
156-57, 180, 209, 246
Contemplation Hero' ting nge 'dzin
sems dpa', 9, 16-17, 18-19
cooking, ritual symbolism of, 136
Copper-Colored Glorious Mountain
Zangs mdog dpal ri, 58, 193
cosmology, 98
counting book grangs kat 'chams gyi
tho dge, 58, 232
creation stage bskyed rim, utpattikrama,
23, 25, 31-34, 43, 85, 108, 146-
47, 151, 175, 260
in relation to dance and acting, 61-
62
"Cutting-off" Gcod, 25, 168, 221
Dagger Deities, 99, 102
(lakin!. See Sky Walker
Dalai Lama Ta /a'i bla rna
Fifth, Ngawang Lobzang Gyatso
Lnga pa chen po Ngag dbang blo
bzang rgya mtsho, 49-51, 56, 192
Fourteenth, Tenzin Gyatso Bcu bzhi
pa Bstan 'dzin rgya mtsho, xxvii,
xxix, 4, 39-40, 52, 105
dance 47, 49, 51-52, 55-62, 71, 99-
100, 163, 165-74, 185-235
carya, 14, 55-56, 204
'chams,55-62, 74,165-74,185-235
Chinese, 204
Cymbal Dance rol 'chams, 52
Drum Dance rnga 'chams, 197-98
gtor rgyab, 232
Liberation Dance bsgral 'chams,
74-75, 82, 84, 187, 204-8, 229-
30
Horse Dance rta bro, 17, 95-96,
99, 101, 159-60, 189-90, 232-
33, 262
Magic Weapon Dance zor 'chams,
231-32
masked dance' bag' chams, 185-235
Mongolian, 226
Music Dance rol 'chams, 190-91,
233
of the Owners of the Cemetery Dur
khrod bdag po' i 'chams, 58
Phur pa smad las kyi 'chams, 58
rehearsal 'chams rgyugs 'bul, 165-
74
Sword Dance, 170, 228-30
tantric dance, xxxi, 4
dance book 'chams yig, 56, 58-59,
61-62, 192, 228-29
dance court 'chams ra, 5, 93, 163, 172
dance master 'chams dpon, 64
Das, Sarat Chandra, 12
Dawa-samdup, Kazi, 173
Demon Bdud. See Followers
demons sri, 79-80
Devi, 42, 209
DharmasrT, the Translator Lo chen
Dhar rna shri,-16, 247, 249, 251
Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche Dil mgo
mkhyen brtse Rin po che, xxvii,
XXX, 16, 117
Diamond Actor Karmavajra, Las kyi
rdo rje, 64, 75, 101
Diamond Deputy Rdo rje rgyal tshab,
63
Diamond Hook Woman Vajrankusl,
Rdo rje lcags kyu rna, 24
Diamond Master, Vajracarya, Rdor
rje slob dpon, xxviii, 63-65, 74,
75, 87, 96, 101, 106, 137, 153-
54, 182, 252-53
Diamond Mind Hero Vajrasattva, Rdo
rje sems dpa', xxviii, 17, 144,
180, 246
divination, 97-98, 105, 168, 171
"door women" sgo rna, 26
Dorje Drolo Rdo rje gro lod, 20, 57, 60,
80, 170, 186, 189, 195-97, 261
Dorje Shugden Rdo rje shugs /dan, 227
'dre dkar tradition of satirical perfor-
mance, 221-22, 225
Drukpa Kunlek 'Drug pa kun legs, 60
Dudjom lineage, 41
Dudjom Rinpoche Bdud 'jams Rin po
che, xxvii, xxviii, 33
Dumje festival sgrub chen, 259
Dunhuang, 45, 84
Ekvall, Robert B., 5, 37, 120
Eliade, Mircea, 5, 6, 8, 17, 60, 97-
98, 105, 171-72
empowerment abhiseka, dbang, 115,
121, 126-27, 136, 150-55, 163,
175-83, 222, 240, 254, 262
life tshe dbang, 176
torrna gtor dbang, 176
Index
Torma Empowerment (Union of the
Blissful), 176-77, 181-83
use of blindfolds, 152
Ensemble 'chams sna, 232-33
Epstein, Lawrence, 28
exorcism, 73-86, 94, 96
faith, 34
Fantin, Mario, 215-16
Five Tathagata Families rgyal ba rigs
lnga, 153, 186, 218
Lotus Family padma'i rigs, 17, 19-
21, 101
Five Long Life Sisters tshe ring
mched lnga, 42
Followers of the Great Protectors Rjes
'brang, 35, 39, 47, 129-31, 155-
56, 185
357
Demon Bdud, 47, 130-31
God of the Plain Thang lha, 44-45,
47, 130-31, 260
Good Diamond Rdo rje legs pa,
47, 129-32, 167, 198
King Pehar Pe har rgyal po 47, 61,
130-31, 198, 230
Medicine Ladies, 47, 130-32
Planet Rahula, Gza', 47, 127-31
Serpent Klu, 47, 130-31
Steadfast Women Brtan rna, 47,
130-31, 159, 166
Four Immeasurables catvary apra-
maQani, tshad med bzhi, 23, 25
Fremantle, Francesca, 28
Freud, Sigmund, 262
Fiirer-Haimendorf, Christoph von, 3,
15, 52, 168
Gandhi, Indira, 81
Gcod, See "Cutting-off"
Gellner, David, 14
Geluk order Dge lugs, xxvii, 49, 56,
89, 117, 218
generation stage. See creation stage
Gesar, 37, 142, 218
ghosts 'byung po, 142
ghoul raksasa, srin po, xxviii, 28, 97
Ging, 170, 186, 193-94, 216
Liberation Ging sgrol ging, 193,
228-29
gnome dam sri, 74-81, 91, 94, 96,
see also Mani Rimdu, liturgies
and rituals of.
goat, 167-68
God of the Plain [gNyan chen] Thang
lha. See Followers of the Great
Protectors
God of the Planets, 124
Good Diamond Rdo rje legs pa, See
Followers of the Great protectors
Gordon, Antoinette, 215
Great God Mahadeva, Lha chen, 41-
44, 46, 77, 78, 127-29, 132, 142,
209-10, 212, 214
Great Exposition of Secret Mantra,
sNgags rim chen mo, 89
358
Great Perfection/Fulfillment system
Rdzogs chen, 5, 8
Great Protectors, 35, 39, 41-47, 127-
29, 156-57, 177, 185-86, 189,
208-16, 228, 237
See also Cemetery Goddess; Great
God; Long Life Woman;
Mahakala; Planet Demon; Son of
Renown
Gshin rje gshed, 215
Gter bdag gling pa. See 'Gyur med
rdo rje
gter ma, xxix, 20, 49-51, 91
guardians of the four directions
phyogs skyong, 92-93, 139, 142,
247-48
Gulik, R. H. van, 17
Guru Chos dbang, 82
Guyang Lodetsal Gu yangs blo bde
rtsal, xxvii
'Gyur med rdo rje (= Gter bdag gling
pa, Smin gling gter chen), 11,
16, 42, 49-51, 56, 90, 144, 260
Hayagriva, See Horse-Headed One
Heruka Galpo, 33
Hevajra, 20
Hevajra-tantra, Kye rdo rje'i rgyud,
il6
hidden texts. See gter ma
hidden valleys sbas yul, 217
Hrnayana theg pa dman pa, 33
Hoffman, Helmut, 5, 120
Horse-Headed One, Hayagrlva, Rta
mgrin, 9, 16-18, 21, 78, 91, 95,
99, 101, 103, 106, 145, 147,
159-60, 179, 207, 232, 240
INDEX
Lord C?f Wrath, Red Hayagriva, 106
Lotus Spike Padmakilaya, 101
mantra of, 115, 240, 241
Horse Dance. See dance, Horse Dance
Hsuan Tsang (Xuanzang), 13
hungry ghosts preta, yi dvags, 202
Hva Shang, 199, 203-4, 227
Infinite Illumination. See Arnitabha
Jaschke, H.A., 28
Jatadhari Lokesvara (Minath), 14
Jerstad, Luther, 52-53, 168, 215-16
Jigme Lingpa 'Jigs med gling pa,
xxvii
Jinamitra (yaksa), mask of, 59
Junbesi, Nepal, 46
Kagyii order Bka' brgyud, xxvii, 42,
221
Kakasya, 26-27
Kalacakra Dus kyi 'khor lo, 20, 105
Kalamandapa, Newar dance group, 14
Kamalasila, 199
Kamasatra, 74
Kapstein, Matthew, 10, 11
Kara!J4avyaha-satra, Mdo za ma tog
bkod pa, 10, 11
Karjalainen, 97
Karmapa Kar ma pa, 11
seventh, Chi:idrak Gyatso Bdun pa
Chos grags rgya mtsho, 59
Karmay, Samten G., 98
Kathmandu Valley, 3, 13, 55, 60, 64,
103, 263
Newar inhabitants of, 13-15, 26,
55-56, 60, 64, 84, 103, 121, 152,
204, 240
Khembalung Mkhen pa lung, 217-18
Khetsun Sangpo, 33, 194
killing, 81-84, 96, 208, 230
See also assassination; sacrifice
Knowledge Holders' Root Tantra, Rig
'dzin rtsa rgyud, 77
Kusho Gyurme Sku zhabs 'Gyur med,
xxviii
Labbe, P., 203
Lama Tsedrub Tharchin Bla ma Tshe
sgrub Thar phyin, xxviii, 12, 36,
41, 79, 261
Lama Worship, Bla ma'i mchod pa
218, 220
Lama Sangyay, patron of Chi wong
monastery, Bla ma sang rgyas,
223, 242
Langdarma Giang dar ma, 56, 192,
208, 262
Lessing, Ferdinand Diederich, 3 ~ 0 .
98, 167--68, 171, 199, 240, 251
Lha bla rna Ye shes 'od, 84
Lha btsun nam mkha' jigs med, 166
Lhalung Pelki Dorje Lha lung dpal
gyi rdo rje, 56, 82, 192, 262
Light which Illumines Suchness, De
kho na nyid snang ba' i 'od, 16,
23, 52, 95-96, 101, 232
lingka, xxx, 64, 73-86, 94-98, 100--
101, 106, 149, 160, 190, 192,
196, 204, 206-8, 227, 229-30,
232, 261
"Activating the Lingka," 74-78
"Washing the Lingka," 75-76
See also Mani Rimdu, liturgies and
rituals of
local protectors gnas srung, 57,. 142,
189, 217
drag gshed, protector of Gsang
chen rdo rje Monastery, 215
Drag shul dbang po, 142
Jo mo glang rna, Goddess of
Everest, 142
Khum bu yullha, 142
'0 te gung rgyal, 44
Shar lung, protector of Rongphu,
57, 142, 216-18, 261
Tashi Palchen Bkra shis dpal chen,
protector of Mt. Numbur, 142,
156, 217
Index
Zur ra rva skyes, protector of
Tengpoche, 57, 142, 156, 217-18
See also Owner of the Land
Long Life Man Mi tshe ring, 169,
181, 186, 199-204, 221
long-life prayer zhabs brtan gsol 'debs,
254
Long Life Woman, Tshe ring ma, 42,
43, 78, 128-29, 142, 156, 208
Lord of Death Yama, Shin rje, 76,
96-99, 102, 205, 230
Lord of the Dance/Destroyer of Illu-
sion (film), xxv, 259
359
Lord of the Dance (Great Compas-
sion), Nartevara, Gar dbang
(thugs rje chen po), xxv, xxvi,
9-16, 87, 94, 101, 116, 141, 142,
160, 192, 206, 209, 237, 260
as personal deity, 32-33, 60--61,
175
empowerment of, 151-52, 175
name of, 9-10
in Newar Buddhism, 13-15
mantra of, 91, 115, 147, 150, 160,
247-48
rituals of, 7, 76-77, 85, 90--91,
102, 104--6, 123, 125-27, 134,
144-46, 231, 240-47; Unelabo-
rated, Spros med, 43, 157, 166;
Union of the Blissful Manual,
Bde gshegs kun 'dus las byang,
xxix, 16, 22, 23, 78, 90, 101, 106,
126, 141, 143-44, 147-53, 157,
160--61, 177-78, 181, 207, 229,
231-32, 237, 253, 262, 265--67;
Shower of Blessings, Byin rlabs
'char 'bebs, 149, 179
texts, revelation of, 49-51
in Tibetan sacred dance, 56-57
Lord of the Dance, as a form of J.l.iva
Natartlja, 100
Lord of the Dance Manual. See Lord
of the Dance, rituals of, Union of
the Blissful Manual
Lords of the Cemetery Dur bdag, 75,
170, 186, 187, 204--6,216
Lotus Family. See Five Buddha Fami-
lies, Lotus Family
magic dagger klla, phur bu, 5, 74, 76,
84-86, 99-102, 137-39, 159,
195, 196, 205, 207-8, 232, 248,
259, 262
See also Dagger Deities; Vajrakila
magicians mantrin, sngags pa, 95,
186, 187, 192, 204--6, 208, 216,
231-32, 260
magic weapon zor, 86, 231-32
mustard weapon yung zor, 78
360
Mahakala (Mgon po) Nag po chen po,
36, 42-46, 60, 82-83, 209, 214-
15
Four-Faced One Zhal bzhi, 42, 43,
46, 78, 123, 132
Four-Handed One Phyag bzhi, 42, 44,
46, 129, 132, 157, 210-12, 214
Neuter Ma ning, 42
Virtuous One Legs /dan, 36, 42-45,
77
Yeshe Gonpo Ye shes mgon po, 59
Mahamudra-tilaka tantra, Phyag chen
thig le' i rgyud, 175
Mahayana theg pa chen po, 5, 77, 81,
148
Mahayanasatralankara, Theg pa chen
po mdo sde rgyan, 148
Mahavyutpatti, Bye brag tu rtogs
byed chen po, 24, 28
Malefactor/Benefactor yak=a, gnod
byin, xxviii, 157, 167
INDEX
Mailman, Marie Therese de, 13
mal)l/.ala, dkyil 'khor, xxv, xxix, xxx,
25, 35, 64, 85, 87-92, 94, 96-97,
99-104, 106, 113, 115-19, 126-
27, 133, 145-46, 150-
52, 154-55, 160, 164, 172-74,
177, 179-80, 189, 233, 241-42,
245-46, 251-52, 262
"bouquet" tshom bu, 244-47
drawing, 108-112
painted, of the Lord of the Dance,
118
Preparation Ritual, 103
sand rajomal)l/.ala, rdul tshon dkyil
'khor, 7, 71, 74, 76, 102, 108-
113, 116-19, 160, 237, 241, 244,
248-53
tool for applying the sand, 117-18
Mal)i Bka' 'bum, 11
mal)i pills, mal)i ril bu, 34, 113-15, 135,
137, 141, 149, 178, 183, 260
Mani Rimdu mal)i ril sgrub
69-71, 74-77, 80, 82, 84, 87, 93,
98, 111,
117-121, 127-28, 132, 134, 136,
141-44, 149, 152, 156,
171, 173-76, 178-79,
182, 185, 189, 192-93, 197-99,
203-4, 208, 215, 217-18, 221,
226-27, 231, 233-35, 240-44,
255,
definition, 4
history of, 49-53
liturgies and rituals of: Accompany-
ing Methods, Lhan thabs, 16, 87;
"Arranging the Ornaments"
Rgyan 'god, 135-39; "Attracting
Fortune," g.Yang 'gugs
172, 222; "Attracting the
Gnomes," 77; "Blessing the
Propitiation Substances," 209-11;
Completely Agreeable Sky
Walker Torma Offering, 160;
Condensed Torma Ritual, gtor
rna' i cho ga nyung ngur bsdus
pa, 42; "Dedicatory Prayer,"
bsngo ba smon lam, 249-50;
"Defming the Borders" mtshams
gcod, 179; Diamond Heart of
Pure Appearance, Dag snang
rdo rje snying po, 166; "Entrust-
ing the Deeds" phrin las bcol ba,
209; "Erasing the Sand
Mar:u;lala," 237, 248-50; "Feed-
ing the Torma," 213-14; Flask
Preparation bum pa sta gon, 102,
104; Followers, Rjes 'brangs,
44-47, 142, 165, 275; Fulfillment
of the Practitioner:s Hopes, 217;
"General Invitation of the De-
fenders of Religion, " 155-56,
186; General Torma for the
Sworn Ones, Dam can spyi gtor,
78; "Giving the Contract
Torma," 231; "Giving the Torma
to the Defenders of Religion,"
229; Gnomes/ Spying Ghosts,
Dam sri nyu/ len, 78; Gods'
Preparation Lha sta gon, 102-3;
Golden Libation Ser skyems, 53,
61, 77, 89, 91, 94-95, 166, 189-
90, 191-92; Guardians of the
Word, bka' srung, 41-43, 142,
Index
155; "Invitation to the River,"
251-55; "Inviting the Guests,"
196; Mountain Incense Offering,
Ri bo bsangs mchod, 166--69,
171, 186, 191; Playful Ocean,
protector ritual, Rol mtsho, xxviii,
12, 34, 41-47, 60, 78, 127, 131,
133, 142, 155-57, 165-66, 168,
189, 208-15, 261, 269-73; Play
of Ceremony, Phrin las rnam rol,
41; "Praise of the War God, "
Dgra lha'i dpang bstod, 166;
"Purifying the Door," 76, 96;
Quickly Achieving the Desired
Goal, 240; "Recitation Exhorta-
tion" 'dzab sku/, 179; "Releasing
the Borders" mtha' sgrol, 237,
247-48; Religious Practice (litur-
gical collection of Mindroling),
Smin gling chos spyod, 142, 144,
150, 161, 180, 254; "Remainder
of the Feast" Tshogs /hag, 227-
28; "Requesting Action," 212-13;
"Sealing the Borders" tho sdom,
92-93; Seven Syllable Prayer,
Tshig bdun gsol 'debs, 89, 193,
195, 198; "Showering Blessings"
byin 'bebs, 179, 193, 226; "Song
of the Queen of Spring, " Dpyid
gyi rgyal mo'i glu dbyangs, 218,
220; "Suppressing the Gnomes,"
74, 79, 93; "Taking the True
Achievement" dngos grub blang
ba, 177-78, 180, 247; "Urging
the Contract," 229; "Worship
Cloud for the God of the Plain, "
44-45
See also dance, lingka, Lord of the
Dance, offering cakes, offerings,
propitiation, site rituals
Maiiju.SrTmalakalpa, 'Jam dpal rtsa
rgyud, 20
mantra sngags, xxix, 43, 75-76, 78,
100, 106, 109, 115, 135, 147-50,
154, 166--67, 178-80, 182, 214,
241, 245, 249, 253
accomplishment, 177, 180
361
Blazing Wheel, Cakrajvalanovika-
namo, 91-92, 99
Four Hll111, haf!l bzhi' i sngags, 248
Hundred Syllable, of Vajrasattva,
rdor sems yig brgya, 180, 246
of the Horse-Headed One, 115, 240
of Lord of the Dance, 91, 115,
150, 160, 247
recitation, japa, dzab, 147-50
six-syllable, of Avalokitesvara,
satf.alqarl, yi ge drug pa 11, 149,
180
of Secret Wisdom Mother, 20, 115
of the Sky Walkers, 115
Mantra Guardian Sngags srung rna,
42, 78, 124, 129, 132, 209-11,
214
Mantrayana sngags kyi theg pa, 148,
224
Mara, Bdud, 94
masks, 'bag rna, 59-60, 186, 195,
210
Minath Temple, Patan, Nepal, 13
Milarepa Mi Ia ras pa, 42
mind as such sems nyid, 33
Mindroling Trichen Smin grol gling
Khri chen, 15
mirror me long, 115, 135, 137-38,
154, 178, 244
monasteries vihara, dgon pa
Alchi, Ladakh, 96
'Bri khung, Central Tibet, 58
Bzhad in Gtsang, Gtsang bzhad
dgon pa byang, 52
Chiwong, Solu Khumbu, Spyi
dbang, xxvi, xxviii, 3, 4, 10, 15,
41-42, 52, 57, 58, 62, 64-65,
69-71, 74-76, 87-90, 92-93,
102, 109, 111-14, 116-19, 125-
27, 132-33, 136-37, 142-43,
151, 156, 163, 166, 169, 172,
179-80, 182, 191-92, 199, 203,
208, 210, 216, 221-22, 228-29,
232, 234, 237, 240-42, 247,
251-52, 254, 259, 262
Choni, Amdo, Co ni dgon chen,
227
362
monasteries vihilra, dgon pa (continued)
Drepung, Central Tibet, 'Bras spungs,
xxvii
Hemis, Ladakh, 194
Mindroling, Central Tibet, Smin
grot gling, xxviii, xxix, xxx, 3,
10, 15-16, 41, 43, 49, 51-52, 56,
78, 126, 133, 136, 141-42, 144,
190, 208, 231, 245, 247
Na1anda, India, 84
Namgyal, in Dharamsala, India,
Rnam rgyal grwa tshang, 46
INDEX
Pa nam dga' dgong, 59
Pemayangtse, Sikkim, Padma yangs
rtse, 15
Rongphu, Tibet, (Rdza) rong phug,
xxvi, xxviii, 3, 4, 15, 16, 41-42,
51-53, 59, 69, 78, 126, 133, 136,
142, 156, 178, 185, 191, 194,
195, 208-9, 216-17, 221, 229,
232, 262
Rumtek, Sikkim, Rum btegs, xxvii
Samye, Central Tibet, Bsam yas,
198, 199
Tengpoche, Khumbu, Stengs po
che, 4, 52-53, 57, 69, 75, 93,
118, 127, 129, 142, 156, 198,
208-9, 215, 217, 229, 234
Thami, Khumbu, Tha mi, xxviii, 4,
52-53, 57, 69-71, 75, 87, 93,
110, 114, 116-19, 124-27, 129,
131, 133, 163, 172, 187, 202,
208-9, 216, 228-29, 232, 234,
242
Thubten Choling, Solu Khumbu,
Thub bstan chos gling, xxvi,
xxviii, XXX, 7, 16, 41, 52, 64, 71,
73, 75, 114, 117-19, 125-27,
133--'34, 144, 164, 241, 262
Mount Meru Ri rab, 5, 96, 123, 160,
173
mudra phyag rgya, 169, 170, 205-6,
214, 226, 231-32
music rot mo, 143, 190-91, 216, 218,
252
Nairatrnya Bdag med ma, 20
Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Rene de, 4, 5,
45, 55, 57-58, 61, 79, 82-83,
105, 171-72, 227
Nechung oracle Gnas chung dpa' bo,
61, 227, 230
Neuter, See Mahakala
New Translation Schools Gsar ma pa,
32
Ngawang Lodro Ngag dbang blo gros,
88
Ngawang Pintsok Ngag dbang phun
tshogs, xxviii
Ngawang Tenzin Norbu Ngag dbang
bstan 'dzin nor bu, xxvi, 16, 41,
42, 43, 51-52, 57-59, 141, 149,
157, 160, 224
Ngawang Tsokdruk Ngag dbang
tshogs drug, xxviii
Ngawang Tsundru, chant leader of
Thubten Choling monastery dbu
mdzad Ngag dbang brtson 'grus,
XXV, XXVii, 76, 82, 88, 101,125,
127, 132, 137, 143, 165, 213,
254
Ngawang Yonten Ngawang Yonten,
xxviii, 221
Ni$pannayogavall, Rna/ 'byor rdzogs
phreng, 27
Norbu, Namkhai, 205
Notes on the Practice of the Entire
Accomplishment Worship of
Great Compassion, 16, 247, 249,
251
Nyang Nyirna Wozer Nyang nyi ma
'od zer, 223
Nyingma order Rnying ma, xxvii,
xxviii, 3, 5, 21, 32-33, 49, 51,
56, 85, 105, 124, 126, 171, 174,
192, 197, 205, 218
liturgy of, 89, 193
obstructors vighna, bgegs, 142, 261
offering cakes bali, gtor ma, 5, 7, 43,
83, 89, 91, 93; 109, 113, 119-34,
147, 156, 166, 173-74, 176,
178-80, 183, 189, 195, 203,
213-14, 229, 240-41, 252, 262
Achievement torma of the main
god lha gtso bo'i sgrub gtor,
123-27, 137-39
Contract Torma chad tho, 158-59
Feast torma tshogs gtor, 195-96
Fire torma me gtor, 242, 246
Flower of the senses dbang po'i me
tog, 120
Index
Gift tormas 'bul gtor, 131-33, 166-
67, 229
Obstructor Torma bgegs gtor, 179
Propitiation tormas bskang gtor,
131-32
Protector Tormas, 127-29
Sky Walker Torma mkha' 'gro bra/
gtor, 133-34, 139, 160, 178-79
Steadfast Women's Torma, 139
Tormas of the Followers rjes
'brang gi gtor ma, 130-31
Tormas of the Great Protectors
mgon chen gyi gtor ma, 127-29,
214
True Achievement Torma dngos
grub gtor ma, 178
Water-torma chu gtor, 202
See also Mani Rimdu, liturgies and
rituals of
offerings, 40, 43, 91, 93, 104, 107,
120, 147, 164
feast gm;acakra, tshogs 'khor, 150,
189, 197, 217
medicine sman mchod, 126-27,
145, 147, 180
rakta, 126-27, 145, 147, 180
set of seven upacara, nyer spyod,
89, 137-39, 252
Three-Part Torma, Gtor ma cha
gsum gyi rim pa, 142, 155
"origin of dharmas" dharmodaya,
chos 'byung, 85, 115, 135
Owner of the Land Gzhi bdag, 89,
91, 94, 130, 132, 156
363
Pha bong kha, 218, 220
Padmasambhava, 12, 17, 20, 37, 42,
44-45, 57, 60, 80, 84, 89, 120,
158-59, 182, 186, 189, 192-98,
203, 216, 218, 224, 231, 254,
260
Skillful Skull Rosary Thad phreng
rtsal, 20
Padma thang yig, 49
paintings
of the assembled offerings rgyan
tshogs, 156-57
display spyan gzigs, 46-47
of the divine assembly tshogs
zhing, 35
thangka pa{a, thang ka, 105, 152,
261
Panchen Lama
first, Lobzang Chokyi Gyaltsen Pal)
chen Blo bzang chos kyi rgyal
mtshan, 51
Patrol Rinpoche Dpal sprul rin po che,
83-84
Pehar. See Followers of the Great
Protectors
Perna Garwangtsel Padma gar dbang
rtsal, 79-80
Pemakarpo Padma dkar po, 42
Perfection of Wisdom Sutras
Prajiiaparamitii, Sher-phyin, xxxi
perfection stage ni.spannakrama,
rdzogs rim, 31
personal deity i.sradevata, yi dam, 10,
15, 32, 51, 60-61, 174-75, 197
pisacr, see sorceresses
Planet Rahula, Gza'. See followers of
the Great Protectors
Planet Demon Gza' bdud, 42, 143
Pledge Beings samayasattva, dam
tshig sems dpa', 245
pole phya dar, 172-73, 233, 261-62
possession, 60-61
Prajapati, 175
Precious Lamp, Rin chen sgron me, 16,
41, 87-88, 142, 240, 241, 245
364
Precious Treasure Trove, Rin chen
gter mdzod, 16
preliminary practices, sngon 'gro,
144-45, 179
Preparation Ritual sta gon, 87-88,
102-7, 135
propitiation skang gso, 43-46, 60,
131-32, 156-57, 208-9, 211-12
definition, 38-40
"Great God's Propitiation," 212
"Propitiation of Cemetery Grand-
mother," 212
"Propitiation of the Four-Handed
Protector," 211
"Propitiation of the Guardian of
Mantra," 211
prostrations, 201-3
protector deities, 35-47, 60, 208
explained. in relation to causation,
39-40
rituals of, 155-56, 166
INDEX
See also Followers of the Great
Protectors; Great Protectors; local
protectors; Sworn Ones
Protector of the Realm Dh.rtara.wa,
Yul 'khor srung, 92-93
Protector room mgon khang, 133
psychic heat gtum mo, 136
rainbow, 104-6, 261
body 'ja' Ius, 105
Ras chung, 11
Ratnabrja (= Ratnavijaya) Rin chen
rnam rgyal, 90, 144
Rebkong Reb skong, xxviii
Remainders /hag ma, 227-28
Richardson, Hugh, 10
rig pa, "awareness," 8
ril rdzas "pill substance," 114-15
Rin chen phun tshogs, Zhabs drung,
58
ritual, XXX, 4, 5
manufacture of objects used in,
111-34
See also empowerment; exorcism;
Lord of the Dance, rituals of;
offerings; protector deities, rituals
of; Mani Rimdu, liturgies and
rituals of; propitiation; sacrifice;
site rituals
Rockhill, W. W., 4
rten, 97
rudra, 33
sacrifice, 46, 120-21, 167-68, 191,
204
See also assassination; killing
Sadhanamala, 11, 20, 26-28,
37, 91, 94, 182, 222
Sakya order Sa skya, 56, 205
Samantabhadra Kun tu bzang po, 15
Samuel, Geoffrey, 5
Sang Sang Tulku Ngawang Jimi Sang
sang sprul sku Ngag dbang 'jigs
med, xxvii-xxviii, xxx, 64, 76,
81, 96, 98, 126, 166, 182
Satapatha Brtlhmal)a, 17 5
scapulamancy, 97-98
secrecy, xxix-xxxi, 151, 177
secret mantra guhyamantra, gsang
sngags, xxix
Secret Wisdom Mother Gsang ba ye
shes, 10, 19-21, 103, 115, 147
"seed" syllable blja, sa bon, 19, 23,
112, 116, 195
Seer, comedic character, Rtogs /dan,
169, 186, 220-27
Senglong Ragyey Seng blon ra skyes,
218
Serpa Dorjesangpo Ser pa rdo rje
bzang po, 259
Serpent Spirit ntlga, klu, xxviii, 127,
251-52
King of, Nagaraja, Klu'i rgyal po,
251-52
Seven-fold service. See offerings, set
of seven
shamanism, 5, 24-25, 46, 56, 60, 82,
97-98, 105, 152, 171-73, 221,
261
sheep, 167-68
Sherpa, see Solu-Khumbu
Shingon sect of Japan, 24
shoulder bone, 171-72, 248; see also
scalpulamancy
silk scarf yab tar, 78
Sikkim, 52
site rituals sa chog, 61, 71, 74, 76,
79, 87-102, 189, 233, 240
!Jiva Mahadeva, lha chen, 12, 24, 128
as Nafarllja, 14
skulls, 135-39
Sky Walkers mkha' 'gro, Qakalt/ilkinr,
19, 115, 133-34, 147, 157, 160,
186, 218-20
Four, mkha' 'gro bzhi, 21-22, 123
"Sun-Moon Achievement" *Sarya-
candrasiddhi, (Mkha' 'gro) Nyi
zla dngos grub, 20
Sarvabuddhadllkini, Sangs rgyas
thams cad mkha' 'gro ma, 20
symbolic alphabet of, mkha' 'gro
brda yig, 43
See also sorceresses
Snellgrove, David, 10, 12, 13, 15, 20
Solu-Khumbu district, Nepal, xxvi,
xxviii, 3, 4, 16, 38-39, 51-53,
57, 59, 69, 75, 121, 164, 192,
194, 199, 200, 204, 206, 217,
221, 228, 235, 251, 259, 263
art of, XXV, 124
monasteries, 4, 242: see also mon-
asteries: Chiwong, Tengpoche,
Thami, Thubten ChOling
Sherpa people of, 3, 62, 97, 163-
65, 180-83, 198, 200, 202, 221,
234-35, 259, 262-63
Son of Renown VaifravaQa, Rnam
thos sras, 42, 93, 132
sorceresses, phra men ma (pifaca/r,
sha za), 22-29, 116, 123, 147,
151
spell-cord gzungs thag, 104-7, 135,
138, 149, 179
Index
spying ghosts nyu/ len, 23, 78-79, 81,
189, 206, 233, 261
Spying Ghosts, 149, 159, 179, 205-6
sri. See demons
J.lddevi Dpalldan lha mo, 25
Srong btsan sgam po, II
Stablein, William, 121
365
Stein, Rolf Alfred, 4, 5, 74, 80-81,
167, 173, 192, 221
satra, mdo, 39
Sworn ones Dam can, 36, 39, 60,
127, 132, 155, 215
See also Great Protectors
Tamang, people of Nepal, 203
tantra rgyud, xxix, xxx, 4
anuttarayoga class of, bla na med
pa' i rgyud, 5, 10, 154
Tengpoche Rinpoche, Ngawang
Tenzin Ngag dbang bstan 'dzin,
xxviii, 57, 58, 69, 198, 217-18,
228, 232, 263
Thami Rinpoche, Ngawang Shedrup
Tenpai Gyaltsen Ngag dbang
Bshad sgrub bstan pa' i rgyal
mtshan, xxviii, 253
thread-cross mdos, 173
Tibetan Book of the Dead, 15, 25,
27-28
Tibetan medicine, 37
torma, See offering cakes
tourism, 69-70, 163
Toussaint, Gustave-Charles, 80
transference 'pho ba, 85
Treasure Owner gter bdag, 132, 156
Treasure Revealer gter ston, 49, 58
Trulshik Rinpoche Zhva Ide' u 'Khrul
zhig Rin po che XI, Ngag dbang
blo bzang mdo ngag bstan 'dzin,
xxvi-xxvii, xxxi, 7, 10, 12, 15,
16, 22, 28, 32, 34, 41, 43, 51-
52, 60-64, 69, 71, 74, 81, 85,
101, 114-15, 121, 125-27, 132,
149, 151, 163-64, 166-67, 175-
78, 180, 182-83, 190-91, 196,
203, 205, 209, 214, 216-18, 220,
222, 228-30, 233, 235, 251, 254,
259, 261-62
Trungpa, Chogyam, 28
Tsongkhapa Tsang kha pa, 89, 117
366
tsakali, 154
Tucci, Giuseppe, 13, 79, 80, 116, 168
Tulku Thondup, 51
Ugyasya, 26-27
Umadevi, 44
Umze (chant leader) dbu mdzad,
xxvii, 87, 143, 157
Union of the Blissful Bde gshegs kun
'dus. See Lord of the Dance
Union of the Precious Ones Dkon
mchog spyi 'dus, 26
Union of the Secret Ones Guhya-
samaja, Gsang ba 'dus ba, 10,
84
upasaka, dge snyen, 216
INDEX
Vairocana, Rnam par snang mdzad, 21
Vajrakila Rdo rje phur pa, 26, 57, 61,
84, 198, 207, 228, 229
Vajrattlrtl-stldhanam, 27
Vajrayogini Rdo rje rnaz"' byor rna, 20
Valley of Benefit and Pleasure, Smon
lam phan bde'i ljong, 160
Varllhi, Phag mo, 28
victory banner rgyal mtshan, 93, 137-
38, 245, 248
Virtuous One. See Mahllkala
Khyab 'jug, 17, 175
visualization. See creation stage
Vivamata Sna tshogs yum, 20
Waddell, L. Austine, 15, 52
Walter, Michael, 98
wheel of existence bhavacakra, srid
pa' i 'khor lo, 12, 97-98, 102
Wisdom Beings jntlnasattva, ye shes
pa, 23, 61, 244
Wisdom Mind Hero jnanasattva, ye
shes sems dpa', 16
witches, 28-29
yantra, 85
yidom. See personal deity
Yung-ho-kung, 251
zhi 'khro, 15
zor. See magic weapon