The Epic of Gesar of Ling: Gesar's Magical Birth, Early Years, and Coronation as King
 CHAPTER ONE      In this time of the five degeneracies of the dark age,9 it is difficult to liberate savage sentient beings from evil karma through thesūtrayāna, the causal vehicle of characteristics, alone. It is even difficult to ripen them through tantra, the fruition vehicle of the secret mantra.10For their minds are dry as a piece of rock; If you do not carve its hard surface with a chisel, Even if you soak it in a stream, it will not give way. Even if you work it with butter and oil, it will not become flexible. They are too stiff to be bent by the teachings on this life and the next. They will not submit to the restraint of the monastic law.* Avalokiteśvara.† One of the epithets of Guru Rinpoche, Padmasambhava.‡ The five buddha families.§ One of the epithets of Gesar.Formerly, during the lives of the three ancestral dharma kings, when the land of Tibet passed from Bön to Buddhism, in order to naturally pacify11 the envy of the vicious gods and demons of Tibet, Padma Tötreng [Lotus Skull Garland] the Mantra Holder bound them by oath. If he had managed to make them swear their oaths of fealty to the buddhadharma three times, then the dharma kings would have been long-lived and their subjects would have enjoyed bliss and happiness. However, powerful demon ministers took control over the subjects and, faced with this opposition, Padma was able to tame and bind the spirits of Tibet only twice, not thrice. This caused war in the four directions and the auspicious coincidence of the glorious gateway, the perfect astrological conjunction,12 was missed. The foreign borderland demons wandered into central Tibet and the dharma kings fell down to the level of commoners.The whole world in general and in particular the land of Tibet, indeed all lands, changed and became oppressed by suffering. The compassionate mind of the Noble Excellent Great Compassionate One could not bear this, and so he supplicated Amitābha, Lord of Sukhāvatī.13[Avalokiteśvara supplicates Amitābha to intercede in Tibet.]14OṂ MAṆI PADME HŪṂ ḤRĪḤ I bow to the refuge, chief of the vast pure realm, Amitābha,15 Lord of Sukhāvatī, in the west. Although compassion is truly unbiased, Look down on this impure place ofsaṃsāra.In the ocean of saṃsāra’s suffering, You know how to kill the sea monster of sin. How terrifying are the waves of the five poisons! Minds blinded by obscurations Circle endlessly in saṃsāra, how pitiful! Please compassionately reveal supreme skillful means.16With these words he reverently supplicated. The blessed one Amitābha answered with these words:Good, good, O son of noble family; For sentient beings confused by ignorance, If they are not fortunate disciples, it is difficult to guide them.Thus, if beings in the age of the five degeneracies Have no iron ring of faith,17 Even the teacher who guides beings out of the three worlds Has no way of catching them with the iron hook ofcompassion.But in the divine buddha field of the thirty-three18 The father, the great god, Ödden Kar [White Luminosity] And the supreme mother Mandā Lhadzei [Celestial FlowerDivine Beauty] Have a son, Demchog Karpo Ngangyag [White SupremeBliss Good Nature]. He and Gyuma Lhadzei [Illusory Divine Beauty] Will unite asEandvam19 and give miraculous birth Through their light rays of unfabricated compassion20 To the child Döndrub [Accomplisher of Benefit], anemanation of their blessings.21 He is Joyful to Hear and delightful to see. If he were to transfer into a human body in Jambudvīpa, That heroic bodhisattva would tame untamable disciples. Sentient beings in the land of Tibet would experience blissand happiness. There is no doubt they would be liberated from birth in thelower realms. Therefore, you must go to the continent of Cāmara. Supplicate and repeat these words to Padma Tötreng. Strive for the benefit of beings, supreme warrior of the mind. Remember this,E ma ho!*He graced and honored Avalokiteśvara with these words of prophecy and confirmation.[Avalokiteśvara visits Padmasambhava to request that he cause the emanation of Gesar.]*E ma ho!is a Tibetan exclamation of wonder and jubilation.Then, in a single instant, Avalokiteśvara, the greatly compassionate Lord of Skillful Means, went to Padma Ödkyi Zhalyei Dechen Lhundrub kyi Potrang [Celestial Palace of Lotus Light—Spontaneously Present Exaltation] on the subcontinent of Cāmara. There he found a magnificently terrifying city ofrākṣasas, a place so terrifying that it frightens even the death gods and makes the Lord of Life himself, Brahmā, withdraw. A land so terrifying that even thevināyakasshun it, not to mention ordinary men, who cannot even bear the sight of it.In this place, in order to effect measureless benefit for beings, Avalokiteśvara manifested as a demon cub, wearing a crown made from mother of pearl, enveloped in a halo of glimmering white light. Arriving at the eastern gate of Jampei Künkyab Lingchen [Great Garden of All-Pervading Mercy],22 there a demon minister rākṣasa with seven heads saw the child and said:What a wonder! What a sight I am seeing this morning!I would say you are a god, but you look like a demon rākṣasa cub.I would say you are a demon, but for your aura of light.Within the walls of Padma Barwei Rawa [Garden ofBlazing Lotuses],We sentient beings, confused by ignorance,Have never seen and would be lucky even to hear ofThe coming of such an unfamiliar child.What is the great aim, the great matter that caused you tojourney here alone like this?Then he sang this song of interrogation:Lu Ala,23 the song begins. Thala is the melody of the song. These are the demon lands of Cāmara, The country of the impure rākṣasas and demons And the pure land of the vidyādharas and ḍākinīs.This morning, young child, you suddenly arrived here. Where do you come from, what kind of place? What aim could you have that is of such great import?If you do not have in mind great matters, Then there is no great reason[don]for coming so far.If you haven’t been possessed by an evil spirit[gdon], Why would you drown yourself in a river? Only a very serious court case Could put a wealthy man in jail.24In Cāmara’s Blood Lake of Sin25 The bite of the jaws of the cannibal demons is hotter than fire. The reach of the arms of the cannibal demonesses is longerthan a river. Thetramenson the hunt race around faster than the wind.What’s your reason for coming here? Who are your father and mother, their race and religion? Don’t you keep any secrets, tell me straight out.Honest speech brings success to the monastery. Straight arrows strike the target yonder. If your path is straight, the road between central Tibet and China isnot long.26One sign is enough for a superior man to understand. If not, it is like whipping an old ox.If that’s what you need, then look to your precious life. If you understand, I have explained my words. If not, I’m not going to sing them again.Thus he sang and the boy cub answered, “Oh yes, sir, I understand.27If the secret pith of the proverb does not emerge, Even though the meaning is profound the secret words will be mute. If you can’t have the results in your hands, All those words are just bubbles of spit. If earth and water do not burgeon in early spring Then the southern turquoise dragon is just a silent venomous snake.28In the sky Mount Meru is circled by the sun and the moon. If they do not benefit the plains of the four continents Then Meru is neither of benefit nor harm. The sun and the moon would just spin like the heads of brainless dupesAnd the people of the four continents would have no appreciation for the virtues of the sun and the moon.29My cause, on the other hand, is great.30The continents of black earth come to an edge31But no one can find the measure of the white clouds above. If my cause is great, I’ll go to China and back in one day32And I’ll repeat my words again and again.Of course, I have many stories I could tell, but only to the leader, majestic Padma Tötreng. Take me up the staircase to the imperial assembly hall of the Great Minister. There is no reason to casually explain this great cause to a public gathering. Just as the proverb says:If you throw the six grains in a meadow, there will be no sprouts. If you plant seeds in a plowed field, then you get results.So the tale I must tell is like this,” and he sang this song:OṂ MAṆI PADME HŪṂ HRĪḤI supplicate the transcendent dharma.33 May I hold to the natural state of ultimate emptiness.In case you do not recognize the likes of me, I am the beloved child Künphen Nyinje [All-Benefiting Compassion]. My father is Jangsem Künkyab Gön [CompassionateSovereign Lord]. My mother is Tongnyid Chödrön [Emptiness Dharma Torch]. This morning I came from the Plain of Great Bliss. The goal I seek is the benefit of self and other;34 My destination is the isle of Cāmara; My request is to master Skull Garland. Thus, as the ancient proverb says:Though merchandise from China is essential to central Tibet, It is not that the farmers of central Tibet are lacking in wealth,It is that this sustains the mental link between China and Tibet. Though empowerments and teachings are essential between masterand disc...