The Epic of Gesar of Ling

  “The Gesar story is one of the Tibetan people’s most popular epics, its stories being enacted and sung at festivals and on important ceremonial occasions. By making the epic of Gesar available in English, the translators are offering the modern reader a chance to experience the particular character of this Tibetan tradition that has brought hope and fortitude to many generations across the Tibetan-speaking world.”

  —from the foreword by His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama

  “The timing [of this book] could not be better. As our modern world experiences a loss of heart and humanity, and climactic changes and disasters occur, we need the compassionate, wise, and potent energy of Gesar more than ever.”

  —from the foreword by Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche

  ABOUT THE BOOK

  The epic of Gesar has been the national treasure of Tibet for almost a thousand years. An open canon of tales about a superhuman warrior-king, the epic is still a living oral tradition, included on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This book is a translation of the beginning portion of this enormous corpus, covering all the events from Gesar’s divine conception to his human birth and mischievous childhood to his coronation as king of Ling.

  Born in the pure lands the son of two wisdom deities, Gesar takes rebirth in the human realm in order to defeat the demon kings who had taken over the empires of Asia and to thus liberate the people from suffering. His jealous uncle Trothung proves to be the first major threat to this goal, but Gesar outwits him every time using magic. In the last chapters of the book, he and Trothung’s son face off in a high-tension horse race to decide who will win the throne of Ling and the hand of the coveted Princess Drugmo in marriage.

  Gesar’s story is popularly read as an allegory, with Gesar representing the ideal of spiritual warriorship—that is, fearlessness in the face of obstacles on the path to enlightenment. Just as Gesar rides his flying steed, we too can ride the energy of dignity, confidence, and power that is inherent to us, subduing inner demons and claiming victory.

  ROBIN KORNMAN, SANGYE KHANDRO, LAMA CHONAM (1947–2007) is best known for his work as a Tibetan Buddhist scholar, as well as a founding member of the Nalanda Translation Committee. Up until his death, he spent many years working on this translation of the epic of Gesar. A longtime student of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, he earned his PhD from Princeton University and was a professor of Comparative Literature at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.

  SANGYE KHANDRO is an American woman who studied Buddhist philosophy and Tibetan language with Tibetan masters in India and Nepal. She has studied and translated many important Tibetan Buddhist texts. She is a cofounder of Light of Berotsana, a nonprofit organization for translators of Tibetan texts.

  LAMA CHÖNAM CHÖYING NAMGYAL was born in the Golog area of eastern Tibet in 1964. His root teacher, Khenpo Munsel, was a direct disciple of Khenpo Ngagchung and was himself one of the great authentic Dzogchen masters of the twentieth century. Lama Chönam escaped Tibet in 1992 and later came to the United States, where he resides today. Over the past sixteen years, Lama Chönam has been teaching Tibetan language and the Buddhadharma. He is one of the founders of the Light of Berotsana Translation Group.

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  THE EPIC OF

  Gesar of Ling

  GESAR’S MAGICAL BIRTH, EARLY YEARS, AND CORONATION AS KING

  TRANSLATED BY

  Robin Kornman, PhD

  Sangye Khandro

  Lama Chönam

  Forewords by

  His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama

  Alak Zenkar Rinpoche

  Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche

  SHAMBHALA

  Boston & London

  2015

  Shambhala Publications, Inc.

  Horticultural Hall

  300 Massachusetts Avenue

  Boston, Massachusetts 02115

  www.shambhala.com

  © 2012 by Light of Berotsana Translation Group

  Cover art by Rinjin Dorje Sherpa

  Frontispiece © Rinjin Dorje Sherpa

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGUES

  THE HARDCOVER EDITION OF THIS BOOK AS FOLLOWS:

  Gesar. Volume 1–3. English.

  The epic of Gesar of Ling: Gesar’s magical birth, early years, and coronation as king / translated by Robin Kornman, Sangye Khandro, and Lama Chönam; forewords by Alak Zenkar Rinpoche and Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche.

  p. cm.

  Includes bibliographical references and index.

  eISBN 978-0-8348-2750-9

  ISBN 978-1-59030-842-4 (hardcover)

  ISBN 978-1-61180-095-1 (paperback)

  1. Epic literature, Tibetan—Translations into English.

  I. Kornman, Robin, 1947–2007. II. Khandro, Sangye. III. Chönam, Lama. IV. Title.

  PL3748.G4E5 2012

  895′.41—dc22

  2011014496

  CONTENTS

  Publisher’s Note

  Foreword by His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama

  Foreword by Alak Zenkar Rinpoche

  Foreword by Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche

  Preface

  Historical Introduction

  Translator’s Introduction

  Acknowledgments

  VOLUME ONE

  The Events Leading to Gesar’s Incarnation in the Land of Ling

  VOLUME TWO

  Gesar’s Birth and Childhood in the Land of Ling

  VOLUME THREE

  Gesar Wins the Horse Race and Becomes the King of Ling

  Notes

  Glossary of Terms

  Glossary of Names

  Bibliography

  E-mail Sign-Up

  PUBLISHER’S NOTE

  This book contains diacritics and special characters. If you encounter difficulty displaying these characters, please set your e-reader device to publisher defaults (if available) or to an alternate font.

  THE EPIC OF GESAR OF LING IS A GREAT WORK drawn from centuries of oral tradition that combines cultural, literary, musical, and historical elements with Tibetan Buddhist values. The Gesar story is one of the Tibetan people’s most popular epics, its stories being enacted and sung at festivals and on important ceremonial occasions.

  Many ancient peoples have recited epics as a source of inspiration—the renowned Mahabharata and Ramayana in India, the Hamzanama in Persia, and the Iliad and Odyssey in Greece, for example. Tales of the heroic feats of Gesar of Ling enjoy a similar status among the people of Tibet.

  By making the epic of Gesar available in English, the translators are offering the modern reader a chance to experience the particular character of this Tibetan tradition that has brought hope and fortitude to many generations across the Tibetan-speaking world; we have sound reasons to be grateful to them.

  AUGUST 14, 2012

  Foreword by

  ALAK ZENKAR RINPOCHE

  IT HAS COME TO MY ATTENTION that Lama Chönam and Lotsawa Sangye Khandro have been able to successfully complete the English translation of The Events Leading to Gesar’s Incarnation in the Land of Ling,a Gesar’s Birth and Childhood in the Land of Ling,b and Gesar Wins the Horse Race and Becomes the King of Ling,c which are the first three volumes of the great epic of King Gesar of Ling. For those of us who are dedicated to the preservation of the Gesar epic, this great ne
ws, like the melodious beating of the drums in the heavenly realms, brings the epic one step closer to worldwide awareness and appreciation.

  These three initial volumes, like a fountainhead, are the source for the entire body of the many hundreds of episodes that comprise the great body of this epic. The first volume, The Events Leading to Gesar’s Incarnation in the Land of Ling, describes the wisdom intent of all one thousand buddhas of this fortunate kalpa, and accords with the spiritual mandate of the great Vajra Master Padmasambhava. It chronicles the way the young godling who was known by the name Thöpa Gawa, or Joyful to Hear, lived in the higher god realm of Gadend [Tuṣita] and how he formed the enlightened intent to take rebirth in the lower realm of human beings (Jambudvīpa), where the purpose and goal for this rebirth is then established. This sets the stage for the account of how this great hero Gesar is able to uplift and maintain the continuity of the lineage of Ling through the profound and secret deeds that he performs, like opening a precious jeweled receptacle.

  The second volume, Gesar’s Birth and Childhood in the Land of Ling, describes the astonishing arrangement of the rūpakāya (enlightened body of form), which he emanates to actually appear in the world of human beings. By displaying an array of magical manifestations that virtually transcend thought, speech, and expression, he then enacts enlightened deeds that pacify, enrich, magnetize, and wrathfully subdue all beings. In order to establish the basis for the battleground to defeat the borderland negative forces of Hor and Düd, he seizes the land of Ma and spends the early years of his life preparing this domain for the future deeds to occur.

  The third volume, Gesar Wins the Horse Race and Becomes the King of Ling, is based on the wager that is won by the winner of the race. Gesar is the victor and becomes the sovereign ruler of the six districts of Ling. As the proverb tells us:

  The hammer that pounds the previously untamed enemies;

  The parent who cares for those who are helpless.

  And in his own words, “Except for the enemies of the Buddha’s doctrine and those who bring harm to sentient beings, I, Gesar, have no enemies.”

  Hence, according to this authentic quote, to that end Gesar spent his entire life enacting great waves of enlightened activity. Among the great epics that exist in this world, this epic life story of King Gesar of Ling is a beacon of light that will once again shine forth through these efforts. To that end I offer my heartfelt gratitude to the translators for their kindness in making this possible.

  THUBTEN NYIMA

  [ALAK ZENKAR RINPOCHE]

  Fall 2010

  a. Tib. lha gling.

  b. Tib.’khrungs gling and rma sa bzung.

  c. Tib. rta rgyug.

  d. Tib. dga’ ldan.

  Foreword by

  SAKYONG MIPHAM RINPOCHE

  AS A DESCENDANT OF GESAR OF LING, I am delighted that this new translation of the Gesar epic has come to the Western readership. The timing could not be better. As our modern world experiences a loss of heart and humanity, and climactic changes and disasters occur, we need the compassionate, wise, and potent energy of Gesar more than ever. He was an incredibly brave and heroic being who believed in the goodness of humanity and was able to raise the spirits and energy of the people of Ling at a time when they were experiencing confusion and chaos.

  The epic of Ling has all the aspects of a great story—love, hope, despair, and finally victory. I’m extremely pleased that the late Dr. Robin Kornman and my friends Lama Chönam and Sangye Khandro—in the spirit of Gesar—all persevered to produce this wonderful translation. I have no doubt that it will be of great benefit to the world.

  SAKYONG MIPHAM RINPOCHE

  Halifax, Nova Scotia

  Summer 2011

  PREFACE

  THE EPIC OF GESAR OF LING: GESAR’S MAGICAL BIRTH, EARLY YEARS, AND CORONATION AS KING is the translation of the first three of over one hundred volumes of the national epic of Tibet, sung by bards since the twelfth century. In the latter half of the nineteenth century, the epic was compiled by Gyurmed Thubten Jamyang Dragpa under the supervision of his teacher, Ju Mipham Jampel Gyepai Dorje (1846–1912). This compilation was then carved into woodblocks and printed in Derge in eastern Tibet. The beginning portion of these block prints was later edited, arranged, typewritten, and published as three separate volumes under the direction of Thubten Nyima (Alak Zenkar Rinpoche) and others:

  lha gliṅ gab tse dgu skor. Chengdu, China: Sichuan People’s Publishing House, 1980.

  sku rje yid bzhin nor bu’i rnam thar ’khrungs gling me tog ra ba’i smad cha rta rgyugs bzhugs so. Chengdu, China: Sichuan Nationalities Publishing House, 1980.

  gling rje ge sar rgyal po’i sgrung—rta rgyug nor bu cha bdun. Chengdu, China: Sichuan Nationalities Publishing House, 1980.

  The present volumes are translations of these editions; however, we have changed the titles to make the English more descriptive of the narrative. All bracketed text, footnotes, and endnotes are ours. The prologues, the volume 2 afterword and editor’s note, and the volume 3 postscript were included by the original Tibetan editor, Gyurmed Thubten Jamyang Dragpa; the four-line verses at the beginning of each chapter, the table of contents in volume 3, and the root verses (indicated by bold text) of the Horse Race Supplication written by Ju Mipham Rinpoche were added by Thubten Nyima and his colleagues. Wherever reference is made in the notes to the “original text,” it means that which is found in our source texts, cited above.

  The work in Tibetan is divided into sections that are written in prose and poetry. This is mirrored in the text of the translation. The verse sections are primarily songs that are sung by various characters in the epic, and the melodies referred to are specific tunes that correspond to that character and the mood that is being portrayed. Italicized sections within the verse are lines that have been identified as traditional Tibetan proverbs. Proverbs in colloquial life were the style of the day in the time of Gesar of Ling and have continued to be prevalent in the Golog culture up through this present generation. They are used in abundance throughout the epic.

  The names of people and places have been written in phonetic transliteration in the text, and at the first appearance, the English translation is given in brackets. The Wylie spelling also appears in many of the glossary entries. In some instances the English translation of a name seemed awkward to use in the text, so the original Tibetan was maintained; however, some of the place names appear only in English when that was judged to be expressive and elegant. The glossary is not exhaustive, but it contains names and important places that recur throughout these first three volumes of the epic. In the glossary of terms we have opted not to include too many of the Buddhist terms that appear, since so many of these terms have permeated Western culture over the past decades and are familiar to readers.

  Here are a few comments about pronunciation. We have tried to be phonetically descriptive, but at the same time we distinguish sounds that are close but not exactly the same in Tibetan. This is most problematic with aspirated sounds: for example, the sounds p and ph differ in that the first is like the p in “pen,” and the second is like the p in “perish,” rather than the f sound we are used to in English. The same is true for transliterated t and th and tsa and tsha sounds, where the added h creates only a more aspirated t or s sound. All c sounds in Tibetan are a hard c, and all g sounds are a hard g, though this is less guttural than in English and closer to a k sound. U never sounds like the u in “bug,” but always like the oo in “look.”

  Finally, it is our sincere wish that readers will thoroughly enjoy the many nuances that comprise the first glimpse of this introductory book to the great epic of King Gesar of Ling. Among the ranks of the greatest epics that exist in this world, may this serve as a literary treasure that informs the world more completely about the highly sophisticated great civilization of Tibet and the possibility of replicating to some degree the noble qualities of the enlightened society that the land of Ling came to be known for. May all be auspicious!<
br />
  LAMA CHÖNAM, SANGYE KHANDRO, and JANE HAWES

  Light of Berotsana Translation Group

  Ashland, Oregon

  Fall 2010

  HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION

  IN THIS HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION I have been asked to provide some background on the scope of this project and to help place the Gesar of Ling epic within a cultural, literary, and religious context. It is our hope that this will aid the readers in understanding the first three volumes of the epic presented here. Lama Chönam’s far more detailed introduction provides a wealth of material regarding the epic itself and how it fits within the culture of Tibet. He also provides a detailed explication of the chapters and volumes presented in this translation. On behalf of the late Dr. Robin Kornman, who was unable to write this himself, here I will write in more general terms about epic literature, how the project developed over time, and a few remarks about the text itself. Some of this may be redundant and, for this, apologies are offered. Nonetheless, may the glory of the world increase through these efforts.

  GESAR OF LING IN EPIC LITERATURE

  The Gesar of Ling epic is the national oral epic for the country of Tibet, equivalent to the Iliad and the Odyssey. It is generally accepted by scholars that it is indeed the longest single piece of literature currently in the world canon, encompassing some 120 volumes and about 20 million words. There are a number of different accounts of the epic that span from Persia through Tibet and into China and India. The version presented here is the one most commonly referred to when the epic is studied in the present day. This was compiled by Gyurmed Thubten Jamyang Dragpa, a disciple of the great Mipham Jampel Gyepei Dorje (1846–1912),1 who was actively involved in the propagation of the Gesar epic as well as the notion of enlightened society. Mipham Rinpoche himself revealed mind treasures for the spiritual practice of Gesar as a wisdom embodiment including many protector and juniper smoke-offering prayers. Just as was true for the Iliad and the Odyssey, many early versions of this epic were sung by bards, having been composed orally, and then passed down by word of mouth. Just as the tales we know as the Homeric epics were written down hundreds of years after the initial composition, likewise the epic of Gesar of Ling was sung and composed for centuries before the present versions were rendered into text. In keeping with the way of all great epics, the story of Gesar of Ling has passed back and forth between oral and written forms for centuries.