Hegiography of Lama Wangdu.ch.1

The Story of

Lama Tsering Wangdu

(Abridged)

Transcribed, Edited and Noted by Joshua Waldman

As narrated by Lama Wangdu from December 1998 to May 1999 Parphing, Nepal Copy write 1999

Please ask permission to print or distribute any portion of this text.

Copy write 1999 to Joshua Waldman. Please ask permission to print or distribute any portion of this text. www.lamawangdu.org

To give oneself, body, speech, and heart to the cause of Holy Truth,

Is the best and highest occupation, O Ye Dingri folk.

If ye fail to grasp a meaning, [to the guru] make ye prayer;

Doubt ye not that understanding then will come, O Dingri folk.

--Pha Dampa Sangye, 10th Century

Chapter One: From Birth to Chd.1

Langkor2:

The place where I was born was called Palkiri3, in West Dingri.4 What does

Dingri mean? Long ago the Buddha prophesied the name Dingri at Vulture Peak,

[just outside] Bodhgaya, India [in Rajgir].

When the Buddha was teaching the Perfection of Wisdom sutra, his disciple

Rabjor asked, Before you were teaching us the perfections of tolerance, diligence and

the other five perfections.5 Why, Buddha, are you now only teaching the perfection of

wisdom?

The Buddha replied, Of all the perfections, this is the most important.

If it is so precious, where will it spread in the future?

The Buddha replied, My teaching will spread from Vulture Peak to the north and

once again to the north. The Buddha picked up a stone about the size of a fist and he

1 The chapter headings were added by the author to clarify the narrative. Also, the first letter in proper Tibetan names are capitalized not the radical letter as in the Wylie system. 2 Birth place of Lama Wangdu. 3 Tib. Dpal Gyi Ri; Eng. The Great Holy Mountain. 4 Ferrari, p.154. 5 There are five perfections patience, diligence, discipline, generosity and wisdom. At vulture peak the Buddha only taught the last perfection-- the perfection of wisdom.


put finger marks on it.6 Wherever this stone lands, in the future, you will preach the

perfection of wisdom, and there, my Dharma7 will spread.

At the time of the Buddha, Dingri was still a lake. When he threw this stone, it

fell into a lake behind Everest producing a sound, Ding. It is from that noise, the name

Dingri8 came to be.

Just behind Dingri is another holy mountain called Tsipri.9 In the south is Mount

Everest; in the west stands Lapchi. In the north-west there is Pong Rong and in the north

is Butra. All these are very holy places.

When Buddha passed into

Parinirvana and the lake in Dingri eventually

dried up, people started to inhabit the area.

Rabjor was born as Pa Dhampa Sangye.10

When Pa Dampa Sangye was traveling on a

pilgrimage around Tsipri, from the top of the

mountain Dingri appeared below as a pot of

white milk, since it had snowed so

completely. However, in the West he saw a

dark place without any snowfall in the shape of an elephant sleeping. Today that place is

called Langkor, the Elephant Valley.11

6 Tib. ding do muk po; En. Dark ding stone. 7 Skt. Dharma; Tib. chs; Eng. Teachings in this case-- Buddhist teachings. 8 Tib. ri; Eng. Mountain; lit. Ding Mountain, or Mount Ding. 9 Ferrari equates Tsipri with rgod tsang on p. 66 and 154. However Trinley, a native of Dingri refers to the mountain as Dpal Gyi Ri (Balkiri). 10 Pa means father; Dhampa means sacred, Sangye means buddha. Pha Dhampa Sangye is Tibetan title given to the Mahasiddha Kamalasila. (p.30 note. 4, Savvas) He can also be called Dhampa. According to Ferrari he was from southern India and a pupil of the Mahasiddha Maitripa. He visited Tibet about five times beginning with 1092. In Tibet, mainly in Dingri, he introduced the Chod and Zi Je methods of meditation. (p. 154.) It is of this lineage Wangdu is a holder. 11 "gLang 'Khor became in 1097 the residence of Dam pa Sangye, and remained ever after the headquarters of the Dampa Ba sect." (Ferarri, p.154)

Pa Dampa Sangye


There, Dampa Sangye established a monastery. The king of Porong12 offered him

a white ox without even a single black hair on it for the purpose of delivering water.

With this ox, water was delivered to a hundred meditators door to door in the summer

time. In the winter the ox delivered ice. After finishing work, the ox came back to

Dampa Sangyes monastery and circumambulated. Lang means ox and Kor means to

circle in this way the area was named Langkor.13 It was here that I was born.

My Parents:

My mother, although from a rich household in Langkor, worked as a maid for my

fathers family. She had no brothers but had three sisters. My mother was the middle

sister. [She was not very good looking and] had the nickname pig face.14

My father was the wealthiest man in Penak15 village in Dingri. His family was

also called Penakpa.16 He was the eldest of seven brothers. People called him Topgye17.

The youngest brother was a monk at Shelka Cho De18 monastery along with three

hundred other monks.

My mother being the maid in the Penakpa family became pregnant with me

through illicit relations with my father. The legal wife of my father did not have any

children herself. Her family was from Ling-Shar19, in the North just near Tsibri.

12 I couldnt find Porong in Ferrari. I must have been just a small village near Langkor. 13 Tib. Glang Bskor; 14 Tib. phak dong. Tibetans are often very upfront about physical appearances. For example, my nose is often referred to as snow mountain or Indian nose. A fat women was struggling to climb the stairs and she muttered under her breath, fat; or the fat nun who warned me not to eat too much tsampa because it had already made her so damn fat! 15 Tib. Dpe Nag; Eng. Black Example (see map) 16 It is common for villages to be named after the wealthiest families. 17 Tib. Stobs Rgyal; Eng. Powerful Victor. 18 Tib. Shel. Dkar Chos Sde; Eng. White Crystal Dharma Center. (see map) 19See map.

This wife had a brother who mostly stayed in the Penakpa family. The wifes

brother also claimed to be my father. So basically, there were two fathers for me. One

was the son of the Penak family; the other was the brother of the legal wife. Both were

sleeping with my mother, the maid servant, so both claimed to be my father.

My Birth:

Since my mother was pregnant, she stopped work and went back to her own

house and family in Langkor. Just before my birth, my mother had lost a lot of blood

had, just like a monthly period. She asked my sister, [I am worried that] Im getting a

lot of blood, will you go to uncle for a divination?

My uncle told her, Before you give birth to a son, you will have bleeding called

first blood.20 You do not need to worry, she will have a son. She will not have a

miscarriage.

The sun was shining through the window in the early morning when I was born.

It was the year 1936 of the tenth day of the first month of the Tibetan lunar calendar. At

that time the lamas were offering Tsok21 pujas in the monastery, as they regularly do on

the tenth.

At that time my mother remarked, I looked like a belly. Both my mother and my

aunt were scared to touch me. I didnt look like a human being. They called for an old

village woman. If something is born like this, the old woman said, if its a boy, then

its good. It needs to be opened up. So the old women opened this belly I was inside of.

When I was taken out, the umbilical cord was wrapped around me like a

meditation cord.22 I was crying. The old lady advised, Since your son was born with

this cord like a meditation belt, it is a very auspicious sign. Since he does not really have

a father, you should take special care of him.

Then my mother sent my aunt to the lama for a name. When the sister arrived at

the lamas house, the lamas were practicing Chd.23

20 Tib. thon khrag. 21 Tib. tshogs. A form of ritual offering and ceremony. 22 A woven belt worn by yogis to support the back during long periods of meditative absorption. 23 Tib. gcod; Eng. to cut. Refers to the cutting of the demons of self-grasping. According to Savvas in her thesis, gCod can also be referred to as sPyod or 'activities' or 'practice' meaning, that which is practiced according to Machig Labdron's teachings(Savvas, p. 1).


In the Chd text were the words Wangdu Jigme24, to subjugate25 and control

which they were reciting this at the time she arrived. My aunt asked, A son was born

with the umbilical cord around his neck like a meditation belt, will you please give him a

name?

[In accordance with what] the lama was reading at the time of her arrival he said,

His name will be Tsering Wangdu. So I was named Tsering Wangdu [Powerful Long

Life].

Growing Up:

When I was able to speak a few words, I told my mother when we were sleeping,

Dont sleep, get up, we have to pray.

My mother replied, I dont know what prayer I should say?

So I told her, Dewa chen po kyi po shor,26 or May I be born in the Buddhas

Pure land.27 This is the mantra my mother said I taught to her when I was first able to

speak.

When I started to walk, children my age played a lot of games, but I didnt play

[with them]. Instead, I made stupas with small stones and was said to have done many

prostrations to them.

They told me that when I was small I also used to give Dharma teachings. There

were about five or six boys and girls who played with me. The children would come

24 Tib. dwang dus jig med; Eng. Powerful fearless. 25 Referring to the subjugation of demons. 26 Skt. om ami dewari; a mantra to Amitaba buddha. Although not in accordance with Pha Dhamapa Sangyes lineage, this mantra was still recited by lay practitioners. 27 A place where the practice of dharma has less obstacles than this world. The Amitaba buddha promised that those who recite his name will be born there and more easily attain freedom from samsara.


with tsampa28 to make pak.29 But instead of making pak we made tsok offerings30 for

pujas.

The children nicknamed me lama lama.

I remember among my friends, the children to whom I taught Dharma, was one

girl. She was hard of hearing. I took her on my lap and in her ear I told her Dharma

stories. We used to play games like that.

My Mother Moves Away:

In the north of Dingri there was a family called Ugyen Shika31 who were

somehow related to my family. Ugyen Shikas son wanted to bring my mother to his

family, and also he wanted to take me [with him]. When the Penakpa family heard this

talk of my going away to the north district of Ugyen Shika, they confiscated me from my

mother. At that time, I was still taking milk from her.

In the sixth month of the Tibetan calendar on the fourteenth day was the death

festival of Pa Dampa Sangye, called The Langkor Religious Feast.32

At the celebration that year, the people where singing, Its a custom to stop the

pony from drinking milk from the horse, but it is the custom of Penakpa to stop the baby

from drinking mothers milk., referring to how Penakpa took me away from my mother

while I was still feeding.

I stayed with my father, Topgye, and his real wife. I also lived with my uncle,

Norbu Thndrup who shared the same wife as my father. Since they were otherwise

childless they brought me up with great love.33

28 Roasted barley flour, the staple food for Tibetans. 29 Tsampa mixed with tea and made into dough. 30 Tsok offerings are symbolic sculptures made with pak. They are not intended to me eaten. Offering tsok is a practice of the perfection of generosity whereby one offers ones food to the deity. Once the tsok has been offered it is appropriate to take it down from the alter, Tibetans are not foolish enough to think a god or two will come, at least in physical form, to feast on it. 31 Tib. Dwu Rgyan Gzis Ka; Eng. Mayer of Ugyen. Shika is a title given to the leader of ten or more villages. 32 Tib. Glang Bskor Nyams Gcod.


The Penakpa family was rich and there were many people living in the household,

grandmothers, grandfathers and so forth, about eighteen members total. So for a few

years I was taken care of very well. I remember the grandmothers death followed by the

death of the [legal] wife [of my father]. These two women had been significant in raising

me.

After the deaths, the Penakpa family got a new wife. This new wife didnt show

much care for me. In fact she just sent me out to graze the sheep [rather than deal with

me]. Later, the new step mother gave birth to two daughters and she became even more

jealous of me. She said, Your mother is in Langkor, your father is in north Dingri, why

are you still staying here? She was bad to me especially after having the new children.

Grazing Sheep:

I lived on the middle floor of the home. The ground flood was where they kept

sheep. I turned my room into an alter, using small mud statues and apricot pits as

offerings. I even made candy wrappers into clothes34 [for the statues].

In the fall we had to harvest the barley and put it in the pastures to separate the

grain from the weeds. I used to sleep in the grain fields at night, and in the day I would

graze the sheep. Whenever the villagers lost their yaks or sheep or other animals they

came to me to ask for divination. Although I didnt have the beads or dice for a

divination I would say, Go here to find your animal. And almost always they would

find it. I remember these small things.

Since I was living in this manner for so long, there was no one to teach me

reading, writing or Dharma. One day in the fall, I was sleeping in the field looking after

the grains. A monk, Ugyen, came to the field to teach his son how to read a text. I would

33 About 30 percent of all marriages in Dingri were polyandrous. It was considered to strengthen the household and was viewed positively by most members of society. (Aziz, p.143) 34 Tibetans dress their statues in cloths made of silk to show respect.


watch him and repeat the same things at night. When I recited the alphabet at night my

father was surprised. How did you learn how to pronounce the alphabet? he asked.

I replied, Mr. Ugyen is teaching his son and I learned from him.

My father thought, Oh, I should teach my son too. He managed to find a text of

the alphabet and gave it to me. I was able to learn everything in one day easily.

Trulshik Rinpoche:

One day, my family invited Trulshik Rinpoche35 to consecrate a shrine room in

the house. Trulshik Rinpoche happened to see my own shrine room and my play things.

He asked, What are those?

My father said, Oh, my son always does this. He is in the habit of making

spiritual offerings.

Trulshik Rinpoche said, This boy must be a reincarnation of a Dharma

practitioner; he should be sent to a monastery to study. Then he asked me if I would

like to come to his monastery.

I replied, Im not going to your monastery, I am going to practice Dharma

myself. When I said this, Trulshik Rinpoche just kept quiet and went away.

35 Tib. Khrul Zig Rin Po Che; Eng. Free from mistaken thought, his precious jewel.


Naptra Rinpoche:

My family had a special guru from Kham named Naptra Rinpoche.36 He was

considered the main lama of my family. This lama was well respected by everyone in the

village. My family put me on a horse between two big bags

and took me to see him. At the time I was arriving, Naptra

Rinpoche had [just] finished building a new lha-khang37 and

was conducting a puja on the roof. The monks were

blowing big horns.38 My horse became frightened by the

noise and threw me off. When I fell from the horse I landed

on a pile of sheep shit without injury and without pain in my

knees. My parents were worried that I had broken

something, but actually nothing had happened to me, I was

just standing in a pile of sheep shit.

Then they took me to see the Rinpoche.

Naptra Rinpoche said, This boy should practice

Dharma and become a monk, he will have a long life.

Otherwise he will have a short life. He said I would be a

good practitioner. This being so, my parents asked the lama to take care of my teaching

and requested him to take a piece of my hair.

The Rinpoche asked me if I would like to practice Dharma. I said yes. So he

took my hair, giving me the spiritual name Ngawang Chsang.39 I was about twelve

years old.

36 Tib. Na Bkra Rin Po Che; 37 Lit. God house, Eng. shrine room. 38 Tib. sang dung, Long copper horns, about five to six feet in length, played similar to an Australian Digeridoo. 39 Eng. Powerful, Pure Dharma.

Naptra Rinpoche


In the following two years at the monastery I learned many practices from Naptra

Rinpoche. I learned about powa40 practices and the meditation practices called

explanations.41

Shelkar Ch De:

After two years my father said, Now you are a good Dharma practitioner, its

time you should learn to read and write. So he took me to my uncle in Shelkar Ch De

monastery. I was fourteen years old when I walked [to the monastery] with [just] my

small shepherd bag.

When the sun was rising, I arrived at my uncles house. He was happy to see me.

He called me by my nickname Child Deprived of Milk and gave me cookies.

During my stay, my uncle taught me to read and write, how to spell words

correctly and also the Manjusri mantra so I would have good intelligence.42 Every

morning I got up to recite prayers in front of him.

At Shel kar Ch De traditionally a lama comes from Sera monastery in Lhasa and

serves as a khenpo.43 [One year] the khenpo44 [got to know me and] said, This boy is

very intelligent and cute. He liked me very much and gave me cookies and fruits. The

khenpo asked me if I wanted to be a monk in the monastery. I told him, No, I wouldnt

40 Transference of consciousness literally, according to Powers, Powa is a way of projecting the consciousness out of the crown of ones head from the body. Where the consciousness is projected depends on the practice and the practitioner, sometimes into the form of a deity, other times into higher levels of clear light awareness.(Powers, 363) Also, Powa can be performed by the priestly efficient on behalf of a person about to die or recently deceased. (Evens-Wentz, 170) This practice is regularly performed at traditional Tibetan funerals. It is considered the short cut to enlightenment. 41 Tib. khrid ka. 42 Om Ah Ra Batza Na Di. The last syllable is repeated very quickly until the breath runs out, then the whole mantra is recited again. Tibetans recite this mantra in order to increase intelligence, memorize texts faster, and I recite it in order to pronounce Tibetan better. (Its a real work out for the tongue!) 43 Lit. knowledgeable one. The main Dharma teacher, usually skilled in areas of logic and philosophy. 44 Tib. mkhen po.


like to become a monk. I would like to be a yogi and stay away from monasteries

[instead]. I would like to practice myself.

Whats the use of becoming a yogi without first becoming a monk? the khenpo

protested.

I said, Im not beneficial to the Dharma by becoming a monk, I would be

beneficial to the Dharma as a yogi through meditation.

Practicing With Naptra Rinpoche:

By the time I reached fifteen my real mother and her family didnt know me

[anymore]. There wasnt anyone whom I felt close to in my heart. When I stayed at my

fathers house, his new wife became jealous of me and told me to leave. I had to argue

with her all the time. Basically it was my father and uncle who really cared for me.

I was sent to Naptra Monastery to study with my lama [again]. During my stay I

received all the teachings for mandala offerings, Dorje Semba45 practice and so forth.46

In this year I offered 100,000 prostrations,47 100,000 mandala offerings,48 recited

100,000 Dorje Semba mantras49 and recited 1,200,000 Guru Rinpoche mantras50-- I was

sixteen.

45 Skt. Vajrasattva. A white gentle looking deity representing the enlightened mind of the Buddha. This practice is aimed at purifying negativities of body speech and mind. 46 and so forth refers to prostrations and guru yoga. This collection of four practices is called the four extraordinary preliminary practices, they are what lamas give to their disciples first. Preliminary practices are usually proscribed in sets of 100,000 for each one. 47 From a standing position one prostrates with the whole body stretched out in front while visualizing the guru and reciting the refuge prayer. 48 On a metal plate one visualizes the world as a mandala and drops rice and stone in five spots while reciting a prayer. One feels as though they are offering precious things to all beings, thus practicing the perfection of generosity. 49 Tib. yig brgya or one hundred syllable mantra. 50 Also called Vajra Guru mantra: om ah hung vajra guru pema siddhi hung.


Becoming the Governor:

When I returned home from the monastery my father asked me to graze the sheep.

One day I brought the sheep down to the river to drink and saw a man in a white

chuba51 on a white52 horse standing while his horse drank. He asked me, Are you the

one called Tsering Wangdu?

Yes, I said and I came to learn that my uncle had been appointed the official of

Thong-mn county and had sent this man to fetch me.

When I reached home my father explained to me, Your uncle has been appointed

head of the county and he needs many helpers because the business is very big. But your

uncles health is no good, therefore you should go tomorrow. Pack your damaru and bell

and go tomorrow. The next morning, with the man on the white horse, I left, crossing

Dingri Lama to Thong mn53 village.

That night we reached Phatruk Gara54 village. From there it took two more days

to reach a village called Khangkya55, and then Thong Mn.

Thong Mn County:

Thong Mn means the moment it is seen-- it is liked. It means calm and peaceful

and rich. My uncle told me I had been appointed [fully] in charge and I had to take care

of all the farms and so forth. I needed to stay for at least two years and I couldnt go to

the monastery to study until I had finished my residence.

Although the officials residence was very rich and vast, most of the villagers

were very poor. Only a few were well off. Most villagers had to borrow grains; they

even had to borrow grasses [to feed their animals].

51 Tradition Tibetan dress. 52 A white color is often used to symbolize auspicious beginnings, or good luck. 53 Tib. Mthong Smon; Eng. instant appreciation. 54 Tib. Pha Drug Sga Ra; Eng. Six Father, Army Camp. 55 Tib. Gangs sKya; Eng. White Snow. (see map)


Just below in Kharta56 lived people who were once rich but were at the time very

poor. However, they still retained their rich peoples sur names. Before their houses

were large, by now they were crumbling. They didnt have enough to eat and just ate

vegetable soup.57 The Shika administration had records of grain loans from these people

from long ago, about 10,000 measures. Although it was written in the documents, there

was no hope of ever recovering this grain because they were so poor.

[Having visited Kharta village] I told them to [just] bring a yak58 horn full of

grain as a symbol of paying back all the old debts. After, I burned the old loan

documents, I said, Now you should not worry about these old loans to the Shika

[administration]. Feel as though you have paid them back with this yak horn. From now

on, whatever new grains you borrow from me, you must pay them back to me the [next

year].

The Shika village had no tradition of lamas giving offerings or empowerments so

I invited a Nyingma59 lama from a nearby village to come. All the families were

distributed the tsok.60 I also asked this lama to give empowerments.61

In the northeast side in Tsogo village lived a high Kagyud62 lama called Gyaltsen.

He wore dreadlocks. I also invited him to make tsok to distribute to the people and to

give empowerments.

After two years at Thong Mn, I was able to know everything that happened in

the villages. I told any family that was taking loans, What ever grains you take now,

56 Tib. Khar Ta; Eng. Strait Horse. (see map) 57 A kind of soup usually made with meat, in this case the people couldnt even afford meat. 58 Tibetan domestic animal. 59 One school out of the four different schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The Nyingma school claims to be the oldest coming from Guru Rinpoche. In English Nyingma means old, thus the old school. 60 In this case, various food items are first offered to the deity and then taken down for distribution. It is both a way of sharing the blessings and feeding people. (Not like there is any difference.) 61 A religious ritual where the lineage holder passes the lineage to the disciple and gives them his blessings. 62 Tib. Bk Brgyud; oral tradition. Another school of Tibetan Buddhism whose lineage is traced through Milarepa, Marpa, Naropa and originally from the Mahasiddha Tilopa.


you must pay back next fall with interest. When you need grain next year I will give it to

you.

Before my supervision, if the Shika official came near, the villagers became

scared and ran away. But I was called, New Shika Wangdu. When I came near no one

was scared. All came to see me, to drink and dance and enjoy themselves. It was like

this for three years.

Doctor Paldens Trouble:

As I told you, my family was Penakpa from Dingri. When I was an official in

Shika, Doctor [Amji] Palden63 and his family had a dispute with my family about pasture

land. The doctor found out about me and my residence in Thong Mn Shika. Suspicious

that I would become powerful and rich, he worked out a plan. Amji inquired, So how is

the Thong Mn Shika doing these days?

The people said, Before Thong Mn inhabitants had to eat in hiding. Now, since

Wangdu has come, we dont need to hide; we can party and enjoy ourselves. We are

very happy. Reports such as these were discovered by the family of doctor Palden.

The doctors wifes family asked a monk relative living in Shelkar Ch De

Monastery if he wanted to preside over the Shika administration. They convinced him

that doing so would be very beneficial. So this monk reported to the high lama of the

Shelkar Ch De Monastery, The real Shika official staying in this monastery is sick.

His relative who is working in Thong Mn is like a monk and is giving everything away,

not taking care of taxes. He is giving everything as tsok and alms to beggars. There is

no hope of receiving anything for the Monastery. If you could replace him it would be

best; otherwise Thong Mn Shika will be empty.

63 Tib. Aem Rji Dpal Rdan; Eng. Great Doctor.


When the head lama got the news, he recounted one proverb, You eat the grass

in the pasture but shit in the cliffs.64

So [the cunning monk] made a deal with the high lama, If you make the Shika

resign and give me his position, I will give you and your entourage food for three years

and whatever else you need for your house.

As you know, I was not the real Shika official, my uncle was. His roommate was

Pnlop Champa-La65, the highest spiritual lama at the monastery, he gave teachings, cut

the hair and taught dialectics to the monks. He was actively involved in spiritual

practices and did not take part in [any] worldly activities. Compared to other monks, this

monk was poor. He was a genuine practitioner and never involved himself with the

worldly activities of the monastery. At the time Pnlop practiced, my uncle was sick and

I was giving alms to the people.

The Head Lama Talks to Pnlop:

One day the political director called for Pnlop Champa and said, I heard that

due to the real administrators illness and your intense spiritual practice, there is now a

young man called Wangdu working in Thong Mn. He is giving everything to the

beggars and practitioners. The people are saying they are happy they have a spiritual

administrator, yet he is giving everything away. We need to change this administrator.

Youd better get ready to hand over the administration to someone else.

Pnlop Champa simply replied, Oh, that's nice. But we never asked to be

appointed as high official of Thong Mn anyway. You appointed us at Shika, remember?

Not only that, but you appointed a sick man to act as official. As you know, I am busy

teaching dialectics and practicing Dharma and I dont have time to look after Shika. It

64 Yaks shit in the pasture and it becomes fertilizer or firewood, but when they go to the cliffs and shit, it is useless, Wangdu was like that, giving to Nyingma an Kagyud lamas and not to Shelkar. 65 Master Love is in the house baby!!!


would be nice if you assumed this responsibility once again. These two lamas had no

need to quarrel at all; just by these words it was decided to hand over the administration

to someone else.

Pnlop -La came and told me, Now our time is over and within one month we

have to hand this over to another official.

Meanwhile the political director monk approached the protector deity and

performed a divination in order to choose the new official. He claimed he had a vision of

the monk from the doctors family; but as we know, they had previously made a deal.

This new monk came with some other monks to take over the office of Shika.

The Handover:

I handed over everything to him. At first all worked out well. Later this monk

alleged that things were not okay and that it was not properly handed over. There were

two things that were not right, he complained, First, this Wangdu Shika gave tsok

offerings with Nyingma and Kagyud lamas. Gelugpa lamas have no history of giving

offerings to Nyingma and Kagyud lamas. We Gelugs are masters of the government. We

should not even offer a little bit of bell sound or incense to a Nyingma lama. But this

Wangdu welcomed Nyingma and Kagyud lamas with musical instruments, had them give

empowerments and tsok to the people. All this is not permitted.

Pnlop retorted, Although the offering was made by Nyingma and Kagyud

lamas, it was eaten by the people of the village. Just as there is nothing wrong with

chanting, om mani padme hum. It is just spiritual practice and all people have benefit

[from it]. Only you are to blame [for making a problem]!

Second, continued the monk, this Wangdu has burnt all the loan documents of

the Kharta valley that go back to historical times. We need to retrieve these documents.

If these documents are not given back I will not take over the office.


The new monk officer had already [given] back the yak horn full of grain to the

families in the Kharta valley saying, Take back your yak horn, we need to make a new

agreement.

Because of this, Pnlop and the monk broke into fight and didnt agree for some

time. The monk said, Now we are not in the position to agree. In this handover we

need a witness. So the high lama himself had to come down to the official residence

with nine other monks to see to the quarrel.

My Residency Ends:

When they were discussing the matter, the high lama said, Who is this Wangdu

who gave the tsok offerings, anyway? and called for me. The new monk official then

reported everything he had accused me of, including inviting Kagyud and Nyingma

lamas, of giving tsok offerings and burning the old loan documents. The head lama

asked me seriously, Did you do all of that?

Yes, I did it. I said. In Shika residence there are so many grains, and they are

so old and rotten that even the horses wouldnt eat them. The villagers dont have grains

to eat so I gave each person one tsok. I went to the villages to see if the families really

did not have enough food to eat. I burnt the loan documents for them since they didnt

have enough to pay back the loans.

The head lama did not reprimand me. Instead he told the new administrator

monk, You shouldnt do this! Wangdu has nothing-- if you want pak, put your hand in

the tsampa bag. If there is nothing wrong with the tsampa, eat it.66

Wangdu hasnt done anything wrong. There is enough grain to feed the

monastery and all the animals are all accounted for-- nothing is missing. The other Shika

officials only just fulfilled the requirements and take what they wanted, but Wangdu has

taken nothing [for himself]. All he did was make some tsok offerings and pujas. After

66 A proverb meaning: if there is nothing, wrong dont make a problem; if it aint broke, dont fix it.


some arguing between the new monk and the high lama, the high lama insisted, If you

refuse to take the office I will simply appoint someone else [you are not obligated for this

job]!

To me he said, You can go home now; there is no more problem. 67

The Demise of the Head Lama of Shelkar:

The political head of Shelkar started his journey back to the monastery. He

stopped for a tea break just before reaching Chela68, a high pass on the way. There, the

monks arranged tea and food for him. The lama asked all the monks to make offering to

the protector deities before eating. Just as the monks made the offering prayer, the

directors cup broke in half, just like that.69 Then he felt very ill. They again poured tea

for him. The lama again asked them to make offering prayers to the protector deities.

But before the tea reached his mouth the second time, he collapsed and died immediately

from stroke.70

67 They checked to see if I had given my wife jewelry. But only learned that I was being supported by her family. the narrative doesnt yet explain about his wife so I left it out of the text. 68 I was unable to find this pass in Ferrari, however Trinley explains, The pass is between Shelkar and Rumbu Valley. This pass is very high, from it you have a complete view of Mt. Everest, Jho Yu etc. 69 Wangdu snaps his fingers. 70 It is implied that this is karmic retribution for having lied in front of the protector deities.


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Hegiography of Lama Wangdu.ch.1

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