Crazy for Wisdom: The Making of a Mad Yogin in Fifteenth-Century Tibet

376 Pages·2012·22.519 MB·English

by  Stefan Larsson

Crazy for Wisdom
THE MAKING OF A MAD YOGIN
I ' FIFTEE 'TH-CENTURY TIBET
BY
STEFAN LARSSON
BRILL
Brill's
Tibetan Studies
Library
Edited by
HenkBlezer
Alex McKay
Charles Ramble
VOLUME30
The titles published in this series are listed at brill.com/btsl
Crazy for Wisdon1
The Making of a Mad Yogin in Fifteenth-Century Tibet
By
Stefan Larsson
BRILL
LEIDEN • BOSTON
2012
Cover illustration: A statue ofTsangnyon Heruka from the 16th century. (c) Reproduced with
permission, Portraits of the Masters, 2003, Serindia Publications and Oliver Hoare Ltd.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Larsson, Stefan, 1968-
Crazy for wisdom : the making of a mad yogin in fifteenth-century Tibet I by Stefan Larsson,
University of California, Berkeley.
pages em - (Brill's Tibetan studies library ; v. 30)
Revision of the author's thesis (doctoral-University of Stockholm, 2009) under the title:
Birth of a Heruka : How Sangs rgyas rgyal mtshan became gTsang smyon Heruka : A Study of a
Mad Yogin.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-go-04-20393-8 (hardback : alk. paper) - ISBN 978-90-04-23287-7 (e -book)
1. Gtsan-smyon He-ru-ka, 1452-1507. 2. Bka'-brgyud-pa lamas-China-Tibet Region-Biography.
I. Title.
BQg6o.T757L37 2012
294·3'923092-dc23
(B]
2012021562
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covering Latin, IPA, Greek, and Cyrillic, this typeface is especially suitable for use in the
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ISSN 1568-6183
ISBN 978 90 04 20393 8 (hardback)
ISBN 978 90 04 23287 7 (e-book)
Copyright 2012 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands.
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PltliVHIIIIY ORUt;KERIJ WU.CO ll.V,-AMERSFOOitT, THE NET!Ir.IU.ANOS
CONTENTS
List of Illustrations .......................................................................................... ix
Preface ................................................................................................................ xi
Acknowledgements ........................................................................................ xv
Abbreviations ................................................................................................... xix
PART ONE
INTRODUCTION AND SOURCES
1 Introduction .............................................................................................. 3
Milarepa Meets Padampa Sangye ....................................................... 3
Why Mad? ....................................................................... ;.......................... 4
Who is Mad? .............................................................................................. 6
The Mad Yogins of Tibet ....................................................................... 1 o
Fifteenth-and Sixteenth-Century Tibet and the Mad Yogins ... 22
2 Sources ......................................................................................................... 31
Life Stories and Songs ............................................................................ 31
Life Stories ................................................................................................. 31
Songs ............................................................................................................ 38
The Biographies of Tsangnyon ............................................................ 40
The Earliest Biography and the Songs of Tsangnyi:in .............. 42
Lion of Faith ......................................................................................... 44
Heart of the Sun .................................................................................. 47
Making the Body-Hairs of the Faithful Flutter .......................... 49
The Brief Life Stories ......................................................................... 51
PART TWO
TSANGNYON HERUKA
3 Birth and Childhood ............................................................................... 55
Prophecies .................................................................................................. 55
Previous Incarnations ............................................................................. 57
vi CONTENTS
The Birth ..................................................................................................... 6o
Before Birth ........................................................................................... 62
Birth ........................................................................................................ 65
Childhood ................................................................................................... 67
4 The Exceptional Monk ........................................................................... 73
Ordination .................................................................................................. 73
Meeting His Main Teacher ................................................................... 8o
Tantric Instructions and Practice ....................................................... 83
The Aural Transmission ................................................................... 83
Instructions and Practice ................................................................. go
The Young Monk Seems to be Mad .............................................. 94
Sharawa's Final Instructions ........................................................... 94
Tsari .............................................................................................................. g6
Tantric Studies in Palkhor Chi:ide Monastery ................................. 97
5 The Birth of a Heruka ............................................................................. 105
Leaving the Monastery............................................................................ 106
Embarking on the Path of a Wandering Yogin .............................. 1o 8
Patronage and Madness ......................................................................... 114
Meditation Practice ................................................................................. 120
The Heruka is Born ................................................................................. 126
6 The Mad Yogin ......................................................................................... 133
Madman of Tsang .................................................................................... 133
Action .......................................................................................................... 135
Miraculous Powers .................................................................................. 137
The Meeting with Gyalwang Chi:ije .................................................... 140
Establishing Connections with Powerful Leaders ......................... 141
A Mad Yogin under Attack ................................................................... 142
Traveling On .............................................................................................. 144
Lhasa ............................................................................................................ 145
The Meeting with Tangtong Gyalpo .................................................. 149
Encountering the Dead .......................................................................... 151
Chuwar and Nepal ................................................................................... 153
Back in Tibet ............................................................................................. 156
7 A Mad Yogin Turns the Wheel of Dharma ...................................... 159
Tsangnyi:in Begins to Compose Texts and Songs ........................... 159
Political Involvement .............................................................................. 162
CONTENTS vii
Traveling to Lo, Tise, Gungtang, and Tsa ....................................... 165
A Mad Yogin Called into Question ................................................... 167
Composing the Life and Songs of Milarepa .................................... 171
Wanderings and Retreats ..................................................................... 172
The Renovation of Svayambhii. Stii.pa .............................................. 178
The Last Tour .......................................................................................... 182
Final Nirvana ........................................................................................... 184
8 Tsangnyon Heruka and Tantric Buddhism .................................... 189
Precursors and Parallels to Tantric Buddhism .............................. 191
Buddhist Lifestyles ............................................................................ 194
Mahayana Buddhism ....................................................................... 196
Tantric Practice ....................................................................................... 198
The Heruka ............................................................................................... 205
The Siddha ................................................................................................ 206
Madness as a Practice in Tantric Buddhism .................................. 210
Carya ..................................................................................................... 212
Vratacarya ............................................................................................ 213
Tibetan Explanations of Disciplined Conduct .............................. 216
Tsangnyon's Opinion of Disciplined Conduct .............................. 224
PART THREE
THE SCHOOL OF TSANGNYON HERUKA
9 Tsangnyon's Own Works ..................................................................... 229
The School of Tsangnyon ..................................................................... 229
The Life and Songs ofMilarepa ......................................................... 231
The Life of Marpa ................................................................................... 242
The Aural Transmission Compilation .............................................. 243
Miscellaneous Works ............................................................................ 250
10 Some Key Figures and Texts ............................................................... 255
The Life and Works of Gotsangrepa ................................................. 255
The Life and Works of Lhatstin ......................................................... 262
The Life and Works ofNgodrub Pembar ........................................ 269
The Life of Sonam Lodro ..................................................................... 270
The Life ofSharawa ............................................................................... 271
viii CONTENTS
Conclusions ....................................................................................................... 277
Epilogue ............................................................................................................. 289
Glossary .............................................................................................................. 305
Tibetan Spelling Key ...................................................................................... 309
Appendix 1 Tentative Chronology of the Life ofTsangnyon ......... 321
Appendix 2 A Summary of the Life of Tsangnyon Heruka ............ 324
Bibliography ..................................................................................................... 327
Index ................................................................................................................... 343
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
Figures
Kharkha, the birthplace of Tsangnyon Heruka, north of
Gyantse (photo: Stefan Larsson) ....................................................... 61
2 Tsangnyon's younger brother, Konchok Gyaltsen (block-print
illustration from the Collected Songs ofTsangnyon Heruka) ... 64
3 Milarepa, Marpa, and Rechung (right), the first three lineage
lamas of the Aural Transmission of Rechung (block-print
illustration from the Life and Songs ofLhatsiln) ........................... go
4 Palkhor ChOde, the monastic complex of Gyantse where
Tsangnyon spent about three years as a young monk, before
becoming a wandering yogin (photo: Stefan Larsson) ............... g8
5 Gurpa Dratsang, the monastic department of Palkhor Chode,
where Tsangnyon studied the tantras while he was a monk
(photo: Stefan Larsson) ........................................................................ 100
6 The famous Kumbum or Tashi Gomang Stli.pa of Palkhor
Chode in Gyantse (photo: Stefan Larsson) .................................... 103
7 Hevajra, Tsangnyon's chosen deity, Gongkar Chode (photo:
Stefan Larsson) ........................................................................................ 130
8 The Four-Armed Mahiikala, the main protector of the aural
transmission (block-print illustration from Heart oft he Sun) ... 136
9 Botang Gonpo Mahakala statue in Kathmandu (photo:
Stefan Larsson) ........................................................................................ 156
10 Tsangnyon's female companion, Ktintu Zangmo (block-print
illustration from the Collected Songs ofTsangnyon Heruka) .... 173
n The Svayambhii Stiipa in Kathmandu, Nepal. The photo was
taken in 2010 during the final stages of the latest renovation
(photo: Stefan Larsson) ........................................................................ 181
12 Rechung Puk 2006 (photo: Stefan Larsson) ................................... 186
13 A statue of Tsangnyon Heruka from the sixteenth century.
Copper alloy with applications of silver and polychrony,
height 20 em. Inscription: Mkhas grub gtsang smyon sangs
rgyas rgyal mtshan La na mo, "Homage to the scholar-adept
Tsangnyon Sangye Gyaltsen." (c) Reproduced with
permission, Portraits oft he Masters, Dinwiddie ( ed. ), 2003,
Serindia Publications and Oliver Hoare Ltd. ................................. 190
X LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
14 Naropa, Indian siddha and lineage holder of the Kagyii
tradition, Kumbum Stiipa, Gyantse (photo: Stefan Larsson) 208
15 Tsangnyon (block-print illustration from Lion ofF aith) ............ 215
16 A statue of Tsangnyon Heruka from the seventeenth century.
Copper alloy with gilding, height 16,5 em. Inscription: Rtsang
ba snyon pa [gtsang pa smyon pa] [a na mo, "Homage to the
Madman of Tsang." (c) Reproduced with permission,
Portraits of the Masters, Dinwiddie (ed.), 2003, Serindia
Publications and Oliver Hoare Ltd. .................................................. 225
17 Tsangnyon's great source of inspiration, Milarepa, Kumbum
Stiipa, Gyantse (photo: Stefan Larsson) .......................................... 233
18 Marpa, Milarepa and Rechungpa, the first three Tibetan
lineage lamas of the Aural Transmission of Rechung,
Rechung Puk (photo: Stefan Larsson) ............................................. 244
19 Gotsangtepa, one ofTsangnyon's main disciples (block-print
illustration from Heart of the Sun) .................................................... 257
20 Lhatsiin Rinchen Namgyal, one of Tsangnyon's main disciples
(block-print illustration from Life and Songs ofL hatsiin) .......... 263
21 Tsangny6n's main teacher, Shara Rabjampa Sangye Senge
(block-print illustration from Sharawa's biography) ................... 272
22 A recently made statue of Tsangnyon Heruka, Rechung Puk
(photo: Stefan Larsson) ........................................................................ 289
23 The well in Tagtse from which Tsangnyon is believed to have
revealed a ritual dagger (photo: Stefan Larsson) ......................... 297
24 The entrance to the cave in Yu Ganden Choling
(photo: Stefan Larsson) ........................................................................ 299
25 The ruins of the monastery of Rechung Puk, where
Tsangnyon's lineage was upheld until recently
(photo: Stefan Larsson) ........................................................................ 300
26 Tsangnyon Heruka's shoe, kept in a small village near his
birthplace in Kharkha (photo: Stefan Larsson) ............................ 302
Map
1 Places and districts that were of importance to Tsangnyon 54