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The Karma-pa Sect. A Historical Note

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 March 2011

H. E. Richardson
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Extract

By the Great Ming Emperor the Karma-pa GŽu'u la'i ta'i ba'u hva waṅ ta'i śiṅ rtsi tsa'i hu'o was invited and was made chief of all the ban-dhe (Buddhist monks) in the Empire. At Liṅ-gu svi-sde (temple) he performed a great service of prayers for the Great Imperial Father, Tha'i Ju, and the loving Queen-mother in order to deliver all creatures in the world from the round of transmigration and from hell. The service began on the fifth day of the second month of the fifth year of Yun Lo. On the first day there appeared an iridescent cloud of five colours, beautiful to see, expanding and contracting in various ways, in brilliance like the Wish-granting Gem. Also, above the mchod-rten (stupa) of Relics a ray of light, like the full moon, shone out unblemished and flickering a little. Also, two bands of golden rays rose above the dwelling place of the Precious Essence of all Bygone Buddhas, the Religious King, Powerful through Great Compassion, the Karma-pa gŽu'i la'i ta'i ba'u hva waṅ zi then ta'i śin tsi tsa'i hu'o, the place where he performed the ceremony after having made the dkyil-'khor (mandala).

Type
Articles
Information
Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society , Volume 91 , Issue 1-2 , April 1959 , pp. 1 - 18
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal Asiatic Society 1959

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References

page 1 note 1 The r Nam-thar (f. 110) quotes the title gŽu'u la'i, etc., in a slightly different spelling and apparently from a different source. It translates the title into Tibetan as follows: “De-bžin-gśegs-pa rin-po-che chos-kyi-rgyal-po nub-phyogs kyi byams-pa chen-po ži-ba-dbaṅ-phyug-gi saṅs-rgyas—Precious Tathagata, Religious King, Great Loving One from the West, Buddha of Imperturbable Power.” PT, f. 81, has a similar translation. This shows that the epithets “Precious Essence” etc., here are intended to be a translation of the title.

From the Tibetan Qrammar of S. C. Das it appears that the title was borne by the Žva-nag-pa Lamas at least down to the time of the fourteenth Incarnation, rGyal-dbaṅ-theg-mchog-rdo-rje (1797–1845). I understand it is not applied to the present (sixteenth) Incarnation. Perhaps it ceased to be used after the end of the Chinese Empire.

page 1 note 2 It might seem from the Tibetan text that only one dkyil-'khor was made but the rNam-thar mentions at least nine.

page 2 note 1 gnam khan, which is found frequently in the text, is perhaps the translation of a Chinese word. It does not seem to be common in Tibetan but I am told it means “a room for meditation, an upper room”.

page 3 note 1 gzim ther, meaning not clear. Jäschke gives “gzim ter”, “lamp”; but the reference here seems to be to part of the Imperial Palace.

page 3 note 2 Bin-po, ben-po-. Explained as woollen cloth. Cf. Das Dictionary, 'ban-po.

page 6 note 1 The Chinese has “Ta Ch'ing Fa Wang”, translated as Greatly Rejoicing, or Greatly Blessed, Prince of the Law. This is the religious title assumed by the Emperor. The Karma-pa Lamas bore the title Ta Pao Fa Wang, Very Precious Prince of the Law.

page 6 note 2 The Chinese has here something about expounding the Law in heavenly assemblies. This seems to have dropped out of the Tibetan or the translator has gone astray.

page 7 note 1 The earlier visit must be that of De-bžin-gśegs-pa in 1407, as is shown by mention in the Chinese of the Southern Capital. The Emperor Ch'êng Tsu transferred the capital from Nanking to Peking, but this was not done until 1414–1420. Wieger (op. cit., p. 1751) states that the monk Ha li ma (Karma-pa) was received at Ling-kouo-seu (Lin gu svi), in Nanking.

page 7 note 2 The Tibetan has the obscure phrase 'jal phrad ka bas, but the Chinese confirms my translation. Ka bas must stand for dga'bas, or less probably bkra-bas.

page 7 note 3 The Tibetan is rGya-sras. The Chinese has Son of the Buddha, which is a title given to high-ranking monks.

page 7 note 4 Zi' Che' Kyen represents the office Ch'i ssŭ shê chien in the Chinese. The Eunuch Liu Yun is named in the Ming Shih as leader of the expedition.

page 7 note 5 The Tibetan is bra kyi bgo' byas, which might conceivably refer to some sort of official dress (bra = marmot; bgo' = wear). The Chinese gives no help here, but I take the phrase to be a mistake for phra kyi mgo' byas (phra = ordinary; mgo' = head, leader), which occurs elsewhere in the letter.

page 7 note 6 The Chinese is translated: “together with officials of the capital and retainers.”

page 7 note 7 The words Gvo Sri, etc., represent the monastic titles Kuo Shih, Chan Shih, Chüeh-i, and Tu Kang.

page 7 note 8 A more literal translation of the closing sentence would be “I have not finished writing all the circumstances in detail”; but the Chinese, as translated by Mr. Lao, reads more graciously—“Faced with the task of writing this letter I am unable to say all I want to say and I hope you will give me your indulgence”.