Competition between Bon shamans and Padmasambhava’s yogis

The establishment of Vajrayana Tantric Buddhism as a fundamental method in Tibet

Shamanism is a series of methods in which the practitioner, in altered states of consciousness, comes into contact with certain entities in the subtle plans. A shaman is supposed to be a person who has, by these methods, a certain influence and can obtain certain services from certain beneficial or evil spirits.
The shaman enters those altered states of consciousness, usually within a ritual and possibly using methods of generating trance states, which include appropriate musical pieces, plants or drugs with psychoactive effects.
Beneficial or evil spirits draw this attribute from the aPARENT meaning of their deeds.

However, despite the most authentic good intentions, the true meaning of OK or WORK of a deed is known only to the Supreme Heart.
Asking for help from the subtle, most often within a barter (as is often produced in shamanism) is a gesture that exposes us to receive back, according to the Law of Action and Reaction, the karmic recoil and exposes us to taking, without the ability to filter, some information or subtly messages that are impregnated with the limited intentions and vision of the subtle being we call.
That is why the yogi spiritual masters have firmly indicated that it is certainly preferable to achieve what we need through our own skills gained, eventually, through authentic and sustained yogic practice or to call the Supreme Consciousness, the disinterested help of angelic entities (who in yoga are presented as beings who are in the company or support of various particular aspects of the One Supreme Consciousness – Ishvara) or the help of authentic spiritual masters.

Leo Radutz

Here is a fascinating text that presents how the nondualistic yogic teaching entered Tibet through the Indian Grand Master Padmashambhava.It is a unique situation in the known history of the Earth: following a genuine contest between bon shamans and yogis, it was established that the true teaching that deserves to be known or cultivated in Tibet is yoga.
It is an excerpt from the work “The Celestial Dancer”.

Establishing, spreading and perpetuating learning
Spiritual teaching has no purpose other than the well-being of humanity. The welfare of humanity is the only reason for the activity of Buddha and Bodhisattva. That is why there are these three parts in this chapter that describe how Tsogyel served all living beings.

The first part describes the manner in which she firmly established the precious living of Buddha’s spiritual teachings, exorcising evil spirits and converting the evil and unfaithful. The second part describes how by establishing the tradition, it spread the teachings of Sutra-e and Tantra-e, thereby expanding monastic communities and supporting them. And the third part describes how she hid an inexhaustible treasure of spiritual (apocalyptic) teachings extremely valuable to be revealed in the future, so that the Word of the Conquerors does not disappear but spreads until the samsara is emptied of worldly desire.


Nyatri Tsenpo, descended from the Sakya clan in India, was enjoined as King of all Tibet. He propagated the Bon religion. The last of his line was Lhatotors, under whose reign the Buddha’s teaching was introduced into Tibet. The Indian name Sakyamuni became well-known in the four districts of Central Tibet and the people received the transmission of the practice of the ten virtues. During this time the doctrines of the reformed Bon were widely propagated. The practice of these doctrines was in accordance with the buddha’s teaching.
Adherents of the Bon Reformed doctrine believed that Buddha Sakyamuni and Master Bon Shenrab were two forms of a single essence, and the scrolls of parchment painted depicting this relationship became popular. This new movement became known as the New Translation of Zhang-Zhung.
During the life of the Buddhist Emperor Songtsen Gampo, who was an emanation of Arya Avalokitesvara, two images of the Lord Buddha were brought to Tibet and installed in Lhasa and ramoche temples, which the King built for this purpose. He erected a hundred and eight other temples that served in the conversion of the four districts and border lands.


Many ceramic or metal-cast representations and painted scrolls painting various gods, all in Nepalese or Chinese models, have become popular.
Agunci when the naturally manifested image called Jowo Zhalzema (Tara) miraculously appeared in Trandrunk, the King, amazed, built a sublime temple especially for her. The sacred name of the Three Jewels regarded as a deity, the practice of the six-syllable mantra (OM MANI PADMA HUNG) and the image of the Great Cosmic Power of Compassion (Mahakarnunika – Tujechembo) spread through the Tibet Country, to the Chinese borders. Both Buddha’s teaching and the reformed Bon’s teaching spread, existing together, free from prejudice. There was no distinction between the values of the different practices. Thus it is said with regard to the ritual gait with rotation around, to make the rotation in an anticlockwise direction, indicating Dzokchen, and clockwise, indicating mahamudra, while the prostration indicateumumumumumabo (mahamadhyamaka). The king established a law based on the ten virtues. Topmi Sambhota translated many tantras of The Tujechembo extensively, pre-clean and concise: the King, his ministers, courtiers and queens lived strictly according to the commandments and commitments to this deity.


Twenty-five years after the King’s death the influence of the Bon heretic shamans grew, and both the teaching of Budda and the Teaching of the Bon Reformed were bitterly persecuted. The followers of the Reformed Bon were removed, as they are today. Some were exiled to Kham, others to Jar and others to other places, until no followers remained in Central Tibet. Then the Buddha’s teaching was stifled and threatened with extinction, a conflict broke between the King and his ministers, but the (spiritual) influence prevented future persecution, although the faith remained at a low level. The religion of the Misguided Bon shamans took over the country, so that later, during the Buddhist Emperor Trisong Detsen, conditions were created that made it very difficult to propagate The Buddha’s teaching.


The religion of the Bon shamans, with its deviant metaphysics, supported the non-existence of pure (paradisiacal) realms. Their main gods were spirits – gyalpo, gongpo and masters of the earth, as well as Cha and Yang, Gods of Chance and Luck, and other worldly deities. Their religion prescribes the exchange of daughters to marry sons, and elaborate marriage ceremonies. Their teachings were transmitted as fables and legends considered inspired.
It was believed that Cha and Yang, the Gods of Chance and Luck could be worshipped by dance and songs. In the fall, followers of this religion made a blood sacrifice of a thousand wild donkeys. Her spring performed a ritual in which the feet of a deer were offered to the gods as a ransom price for the new life.


In winter the blood sacrifice was made to the god Bon (Bon-lha) and in the summer they killed animals as an offering and made the sacrifice to Master Bon (Shen-rab). Thus, they accumulated the karma of ten vicious actions and unredeemable sins.
According to their metaphysical vision, the universe was considered to be an immaterial mental creation in the form of gods and demons, so everything that conceived the mind was a god or a demon. Their highest goals were rebirth in the sphere of absolute nothingness; failing this follow that rebirth in the sphere of infinity or ultimately the rebirth in limbo where there is no existence and no non-existent. The sense of success of their rituals was the manifestation of the gods worshipped (and thus improved), who at best would have eaten the flesh of a sentient being or drank his blood, or in the worst case would have appeared as a rainbow. Ordinary people, with little intelligence, were impressed by such signs and believing in the philosophy of the Bon shamans, were driven to disaster. However, this perverse religion of the Bon shamans had invaded the country, being promoted by most Of Zhang’s ministers. By this time the sacred Buddhist painting and sculpture had disappeared, The Buddha’s teachings were no longer taught, the Lhasa and Thansilk temples were destroyed, and the provincial temples had been destroyed.


Tibet was in a state of anarchy when Ayra Manjusri incarnated as Buddhist Emperor Trisong Detsen to restore the tradition of Buddha’s teachings. The king invited many scholars from India to his court, including Bodhisattva from Zahor, Santarksita. The temples of Lhasa, Trandrk and Rmoche, which had been built for the fulfillment of the sacred oath of Emperor Sontsen Gampo, were repaired and reconsecrated. Then preparations were made for the construction of the Samye temple, but the lower gods, the Tibetan people and the Bonopos erected so many obstacles that the construction was postponed. The starlet, Bodhisattva Santarksita of Zohar, made this prophetic statement: “No incarnate being, god or disembodied demon, will ever be able to harm a being who has touched the body of the indestructible diamond (vajra). Invite the Lotus-born Master of Orgyen here, otherwise you and I, priest and protector, will face obstacles at every turn.”


Acting on this advice, the King sent three of his trusted courtiers who had studied the language in India to invite Guru-l Orgyen Rimpoche to the Orient. The three translators arrived at Guru’s feet, without any incident and showing him the invitation, they returned with him to Tibet. The king, his ministers, courtiers and queens were involuntarily gripped by faith.
A remote welcoming cortege was reduced to Zhongda; a second cortege of welcome met him in Lhasa; and the King himself, along with his entourage, welcomed him into the Ombu skull. Riding his guest’s horse to Samye, he gained an immediate connection with Guru-l and his priest. The king, the ministers of courtiers and queens all looked at Guru with devotion and overwhelmed by his divine splendor, by the radiation of his being, were spurred to obey him without hesitation. The starlet also prostrated himself in front of him, and spent some time with him in religious discussions.


After the King, ministers and his anuletage, together with the Master Staret and translators arrived at Samya, Guru examined the situation of the temple project and made his prognosis.
“During the life of my ancestor Songtsen Gampa,” said the King, “a hundred and eight temples were built. But because they were scattered, it was not possible to get to them and so they fell into ruin. I’d like to build the same number of temples surrounded by a single wall.”
Guru-l agreed and from his state of samadhi, he magically projected a vision of four temples, each of which had two satellite temples, surrounding a central pagoda temple, all inside a surrounding wall, a spectacle that everyone saw. This project represented the mandala of Mount Meru, together with its surrounding continents and the satellite islands. “Great King, if we realize this vision in wood and stone, will it please my heart?” asked Guru.
The King was delighted. “This is inconceivable. Of course it is impossible to fulfill such a dream! If we really succeed this temple complex will be called Samye, the Unthinkable One.”
“Expand your horizons, Great King!” replied Guru.” Act and nothing will stand in your way. Just as you, as King, reign over human beings, the incarnate beings of Tibet, and I control the formless entities, the gods and the disembodied demons. Why wouldn’t we make it?”


So Samye was built. Its exterior construction, once completed and purified, the temples were filled with receptions of the Buddha’s Body, Speech and Mind – imagining, books and stupa gathering. Then the monastic community was reunited. One hundred and eight brilliant translators, favored by karma-ic, were chosen according to guru’s intuitive judgment. Further on, three thousand people were brought together from the thirteen principalities, and of these three thousand, three hundred were invested monks by staret. Guru him became their Master (Vajracarya). But when the translators began their work on the scriptures, the Bon ministers, who were hostile to Buddha’s teaching, and the Bon shamans referred to above began to create obstacles. On several occasions, translators were exiled to the border areas, through the machines of these evil beings. After the work of the translators was stopped for the third time, the King was forced to grant the Bon religion a status equal to that of the Buddhist religion, and it was decided that Bonpo followers would found the monastery called Bongso, in Yarlung.


After the King and his ministers reached a certain understanding, twenty-one scholars were immediately invited from India. The one hundred and eight translators who had been dispersed were brought back to Samya, and three thousand aspirants gathered from the thirteen principalities to be simultaneously invested. From Zhan-Zhung and other Bon areas, seven Bon scholars and seven Bon magicians were invited to The Ombu. The King sent three courtiers to meet and escort the great translator Drenpa Namkha Wongchuk; Guru to Rimponche, who lived with me in Womople Taksanng, he offered him a magic horse called Garudas (the) Gallopand nine times (faster); and to all the other translators and candidates he distributed a horse and a burden animal. That way, we all arrived quickly in Samye.


The guru insisted on a detour through Lhasa, where he made seven favorable predictions regarding the success in establishing tantra. The Jowo image of Sakyamuni in Lhasa spoke at the time, predicting favorable arrival. Guru returned to Samya and was greeted by a welcome convoy in front of the stone container at Zurhkar.
On the Yobok plain, near Samye, a high throne was erected. When Guru-l Rimpoche took his place in it, the twenty-one scholars from India and the Tibetan translators bowed before him and the twenty-one scholars all said the same thing. “Oh, oh! Only this time we enjoy the favor of meeting Guru-l of Orgyen, Pema Jungne, in person. Oh, Oh! This is the fruit of many epochs of accumulated merit!” and looking with devotion to the Guru’s face, they cried. In particular, the meeting between Guru and Vamalambitra was eagerly awaited, such as a reunion of his father and son, and later, hand in hand, they walked to the Temple of the Tuse pagoda.


In the altar room on the first floor of Utse, the King, his courtiers and staret performed the prostration and then they went up and sat in the upper room of the altar, the residence of Buddha Vairocana. Here Guru announced that in order to make it easier to propagate The teaching of Buddha, three rituals of consecration must be celebrated at Sambye and also three rituals of the sacrifice of fire will have to be performed to defeat the demons. Consecrations were celebrated, but because of his inattention, the King neglected to ask the Guru to lead the three sacrificial fires and Guru failed to carry them out. “Now if you ask about the violin,” the Guru said later, “the Buddha’s teaching will surely spread, but the power of the temptation of devils will increase proportionally.”


During the final month of the year, at the festival known as Loze Daze, both Buddhists and Bonpo-si went to Samye to celebrate the rituals of the Tibetan King. The five Bon scholars, who had been personally invited to Samye by the King, did not recognize the sacred symbols of the Buddha’s Body, Speech and Mind and did not accept the ten-virtue rule. They did not achieve any prostration or ritual encirclement, sitting in a string with their backs to the sacred images. The King and most of his ministers were offended. Soon in the following days the King met the followers of Bon in front of Vairocana’s image in the Utase pagoda.

“Oh, King-God, what is this naked figure of his eight naked companions?” asked Bon followers. “What is his purpose? Where do they come from? Aren’t they Indian panditi?”
“The central figure, the main image is Buddha, Virocana and his companions are eight great Spiritual Heroes” replied the King. “We consider this image to be the current body of Buddha, so we prostrate ourselves in front of it and adore it. Our negative karma is thus released and by this merits are accumulated.”
“What are these two horrible shapes at the door? Aren’t they killers?” the Bon followers asked further. “What are they made of and what is their purpose?”
“These two guardians of the threshold are representatives of the glorious Lekden Nakpo, the terrible great (god), Master of All Magical Powers,” the King said. “He is the executor of those who violate his sacred vows, but he is also an ally of those who follow the mahayana. These images of him were made of various precious stones by divine sages and blessed by the great Indian sage Perma Jungne. This deity performs the necessary function of spreading the doctrine of Buddha and purifying the sins of sentient beings.”
“What can come from a clay statue, made by skilled people?” asked Bon followers full of contempt. “You were deceived and tempted, a King. Tomorrow, we Bon followers will perform a spectacular ritual for you, a sacrifice that will completely renew your spiritual resources.”


Later, as they walked outside and observed the multiple stupa, Bon followers asked the King: “What are those monuments there that have a lot of eagle droppings rising on the roof, wheels of fat in the middle and a lot of dog dung at the base?”
“Those are called “sugata-s” or symbols of the body of The Dharmakaya’s universal order.” “The meaning of these names is explained by themselves,” King replied. “There is no representation of the Divine and Universal Sipritual Body of Buddha, but because of the manifested form of the hive, this illustrative edifice is the reception of the offerings of all beings, it is also called “place of worship” or “reception of offerings”. From the components of its upper structure, the thirteen discs indicating the thirteen wheels of the propagation of learning are embellished by the vaults and symbolic ornaments of the coronation of the eight distinct and ideal signs of Buddha. The dome (or vault) indicates the four boundless qualities of the accomplished being – loving kindness, understanding joy, compassion and calmness (serenity or inner balance). And the base, decorated with lions, which are at the same time a vehicle and a throne, represents a treasury of wealth and fulfillment of desires.”
“This monument, built with so much toil, is totally useless,” Bon followers said. “He is as useless as a baricardfor brave fighters, and he is as useless as a hideout for the cowards. It’s very strange. Perhaps some evil Indian spirit has enchanted the King.”
At this, the hearts of the King and his ministers have gathered.


Then Bon followers gathered in the three Temples of Women (Jowo Ling) to perform a ritual of worship of the King. The Bon Priests remained in the eight small temples, and the scholars in the Tamdin Temple (Tamdin Ling). “Because this ritual is for a great King,” the Bon priests told the King, “we need a deer with beautiful horns, a deer with a turquoise cap, a thousand males and females of yak, sheep and goats, and a complete equipment of royal robes.” The king quickly fulfilled their request. “We need specimens of all the things that exist in the world,” they then asked, and the King quickly fulfilled them and this request. “We need eight kinds of wine and nine kinds of cereal,” they said afterwards, and they were brought to them.


Then the King and his court received a formal invitation to witness the Bon ritual, and the King and the Queens, ministers and courtiers arrived to find the nine Bon scholars placed in a central line, and then, in line, to their right and left, nine magicians and other Bon priests. The many horses, called “Servants of Sacrifice”, each carried a knife, the Bon purifiers brought water into golden ladles, which they poured over deer and other sacrificial animals to purify them, and other samans called Boni Negri threw the grain upon them. The Samans called Bon Petitioners asked questions and received answers from the gods and demons that surrounded them. Then the horses shouted, “Here’s a deer!” cutting the animal’s neck as part of the sacrifice. Three thousand sheep, yaci and goats were slaughtered at the same time and in the same way. Then the four legs of the deer were broken into sacrifice. Shouting: “Here’s a sheep!”, “Here’s a goat!” etc. and as they took each type of animal, they thus skinned the limbs of three thousand live animals. Horses, oxen, horses, dogs, birds, pigs have been slaughtered in different ways. After this killing, the stench of burnt hair spread to Samye, while various types of meat were offered. After it was fried, the shaman named the butcher Bon cut the meat, the named Bon shaman the one who sorts has transated the meat and distributed it to the various clerks, and Bon the fortune teller did the calculations. Then the horses, already filling the copper vessels with blood, arranged them on the skins, while other priests skinned the flesh from several skins. Once they’ve finished their work, they’ve all sung invocations.

As the King, his ministers and queens watched in fear of copper vessels, the blood began to boil and steam, then from these steam, ghostly rainbows shone and sparked various voices of disincant evil spirits that sounded striated, like the voices of drunks, and heavy breaths or hoarse laughter could be heard. “These are the voices of the Swastika, Cha, God of Chance and Yang, God of Fortune, cried out to the Bon priests. The flesh and blood were offered to us to eat and drink.


“Does this bloody ritual have any virtue in it?” the King asked.
“It’s good for the King,” they replied, “But it’s of little benefit to us. Isn’t your heart full, Oh, King, aren’t you amazed?”


But the King was depressed, and the others were full of confusion and doubt when they returned to Pagoda Utse. All the scholars and translators who had witnessed the ritual were unanimous in their opinion. “A doctrine cannot have two teachers.,” they said. “If the east is low, naturally, the west is up. Fire and water can never be allied. No purpose is served by mixing the Buddha tradition with the doctrine of these extremist fanatics. Wise people shy away from negative companies. We will not accompany these fools for a moment. We will not drink the water from the valley where these violators of sacred vows live. Rather we will seek peace and happiness in areas outside the borders.”

Then they sent this ultimatum to the King and presented it nine times” “Either the Buddha’s teaching is established exclusively in Tibet, or the Bon doctrine is allowed to flourish. It is absolutely impossible for them to coexist.”
On the second occasion of the presentation of this petition, the King called his ministers and court before him and addressed them as follows: “Ministers to obey Tibetans, please listen to me! Because the habits of Buddhists and Bonpos are like the face and back of the hand and mutual incriminations abound, who could sustain trust in any of them? You, the learners, Tibetan translators and monks who are part of this order, who have given me such advice that does not allow any compromise, what must be done?”


Ministers Bon zhang replied: “O King-God, when the river and its bed are of the same size everything is in harmony. Before, when this problem arose, it was necessary to exile many translators. If you follow the same course of action, both Bonpo and Buddhists will be able to sleep in their own beds and there will be peace.”
Then Go the Elder asked for silence. “When the Bon is growing, the King is inconsolable and full of doubt and fear. When Buddhism spreads, ministers lose their confidence and their purpose oscillates. When Bon and Buddhism have equal status, like fire and water, they become mortal enemies. It is obvious that this agony must end in the end. The truth must be separate from what is false in a court of justice. The relative validity of the two doctrines will be weighed by the pebble procedure. If the real is distinguished from the unreal, nothing remains to be done. Therefore, tomorrow, a confrontation will be initiated with the King presiding, the minstrs and courtiers in the first place, the Buddhist faction aligned in a string to the right of the King and the Bon in the left of the King. He’ll be judged by metaphysics. Truth will be granted recognition by the usual cup of wine and the deception will receive its punishment.
Further rivals must demonstrate their miraculous powers as proof that they are right, the creativeselves will be fully potented by psychic power. Then if the doctrine of Buddha is proven to be valid, it will be defended and strengthened, and the Bon will be removed. If the Bon proves to be stronger, then Buddhism will be destroyed and the Bon will be established. A decree in this direction will be promulgated. Anyone who does not obey this decree, whether it is the King, ministers, queens or subjects, he will be tried according to the law. Everyone must swear that they will obey.”


This proposal was found acceptable by the King, ministers, queens and courtiers, all vowing to obey this decree. Ministers Bonpos supported the competition, consisting that in such a struggle Buddhism will not be able to rival the magical powers and witchcraft of Bon followers.
Then the King sent this reply to the petition of the scholars:

“Be careful, oh, ye gods, masters of wisdom and power!
Buddhists and Bonposwill negotiate with each other as executors,
And since no one gives credit to others.
The king, ministers and queens are full of distrust of both;
Both Buddhists and Bonpo are subjugated by doubt and fear.
That’s why, tomorrow, you will compete with the Bon priests,
Rivaling with them in signs of truth, evidence of power, in magical and psychic force.
Any dharma will inspire confidence in the King and ministers,
In that dharma we will place our trust and that dharma will be followed.
False and what is not trustworthy will be with rejected promtitude,
And those who support them will be exiled to the borders of the barbarian tribes.
This ordered the King and the Minstri. Reflect and act wisely.
The scholars were delighted to receive this communication and they sent this reply:

So be it, Master of the people, sacred King-God!
This is the method of all righteous kings,
What is right will overcome what is unjust;
The truth will surely defeat these rebellious devils.
As all the great sages and followers are present here,
More devils will perish than in Vajrasana.
Our dharma has defeated these extremist fanatics often before,
So why should we be afraid of these followers? Ordinary voucher?
Whoever is defeated will be punished by the victorious,
And it is only right that those who lose should be exiled.

The King was very pleased with that response. He then explained the terms of the confrontation in detail to Bon followers and told them to prepare. Bon’s followers sent assurances that their nine scholars would win in the confrontation, informing him that their nine magicians were without rivals in magical powers.
On the fifteenth day of the new year, in the middle of the great camp of Yobok, near Samye, a high throne was erected for the King. The scholars and translators took their seats to his right, Bon followers to his left and ministers and the court in front of him. Behind them lay a large crowd dressed in red or black, gathered from the four districts of Central Tibet. First the King made this statement: “Ho! Residents of the Land of Tibet, gods and people, Buddhists and Bonposi, ministers, queens and courtiers, please be careful. Before the Kings allowed Buddhism and Bon to coexist. Then the Bon won an ascendant

. I have tried to support Buddhism and Bon equally, as have my ancestor Songtse Gampo, but Buddhism and Bon are hostile (opposite) and their mutual accusations have created doubts and suspicions in the minds of the King and his ministers. Now we will compare and evaluate their metaphysics and whichever system wins our trust will be adopted entirely. Anyone who refuses to embrace the doctrine of the winners will be destroyed by the law. The adherents of any of these two systems, Buddhism and bon, proven false, will be exiled to the borders, so that even the name of their doctrine will be forgotten in this country. This official decree guarantees the winner that he will receive his merits of justification. The entire homage will be given to the victorious, and we will adhere to their doctrine.” The king repeated this decree nine times, and the ministers collaborated on it, repeating it on the tablets of their law (documents, papyri), and they all agreed.
Then the Great Orgyen himself levitated to the crown of a tree and addressed the challengers: “It is good that Buddhist metaphysics is distinguished by that Bon. First, because this is the preface to all formal debates, sharpen your intelligence with the usual exchange of riddles and parables. Then discover the heart of your tradition with the jewels of exegesis because there lies the joy of every seed. In the end, your arguments, their premises and conclusions will be judged, because authentic polemics are the sign of an uncombatable metaphysics. After that you will demonstrate the evidence of your siddhi, because magical selves inspire confidence in the King and his ministers.”
After making these statements, he manifested the essence of his Corps as Sakyamuni, the Master of all Sakya-si, and the King and his ministers and His Bonpo-si were overwhelmed by his aura; he manifested an emanation of his Speech in the form of Padma Sambava, the leader of the groups of scholars and translators and followers were thus encouraged and inspired; and the emanation of his Mind took the form of Dorje Trollo, defeating his opponents, manifesting miracles contrary to nature, so that even the Bonpo-s i gained an unshakable faith and paid homage to him.
Then Atsara Pelyang and a Bon follower engaged in an exchange of riddles and follower Bon won. The Bon Group paid tribute to its gods by raising their flag. The king appointed them by the ceremonial wine cup and the Bonpo ministers were pleased, giving their opponents in riddles generous gifts. The king was restless. “Early morning food is the harbinger of an imminenet pain,” the scholars said. “They won the battle in riddles, but riddles are not part of Buddha’s teaching. Now, Bon followers must discuss religion with teachings.”

The great sage Vimalamitra rose to the head of his radu:
All phenomena come from a cause,
And the cause was explained by Tathagata.
What causes this cause to end
It was explained by the Great Ascet in these terms:
Don’t do any harm
And cultivate virtue to a full extent;
Your own mind is thus disciplined.

And as he was in the lotus position (floating) in the sky, his aura expanding and shining, he snapped his fingers three times. The nine Bon magicians lost their nerve and the nine Bon scholars were silenced. They were left unchallenged. Then, likewise, the twenty-five Indian scholars and one hundred and eight translators, each exhibited an essential message from the scripture, and taking a controversial passage, each demonstrated the miraculous, authentic evidence of its realization. Bon’s followers were silenced, shrouded in obscurity, because they were incapable of performing real miracles.
“You must win this debate, have ordered Bon ministers. Show your magical powers. These monks have amazed the gods and people of Tibet with their miracles. They argued convincingly. Their science and behavior is a thing for the mind and they radiate goodwill and joy. Looks like our expectations have been cheated. Now, if you have any talent, whether it is proof of a siddhi, magical powers or negative spells, use it quickly.” And their minds being troubled, they became manic and bitter, exhorting their priests with terrible curses.
“These Indian barbarians insulted the deities of The Swastika Bon,” Bon followers said. “We will not debate with these scholars. Later we will kill them by magic powers. We’ll only debate with translators, because they’re Tibetans.”
Meanwhile, by washing the scholars, the King gave each of them a deliver of gold dust, a yellow gold bowl to beg and a brocade robe. The flag of the dharma was unfurled, the conca was made to sound and a real rain of flowers fell on them. From heaven the gods proclaimed their homage in verse and revealed themselves in all the splendor of their reality. To these all Tibetans were bet, and their tears of faith in Buddha’s teaching fell like rain. But hail and stones fell on the ranks of Bon followers. “The gods point to the real signs of realization,” the Bonpo ministers said, and they paid homage to Buddha’s teaching, placing the feet of the learned above their heads and bringing their negative deeds to the translators to be known. Manjusri himself appeared to the King, showing him the difference between the real dharma and the false one.
“Buddhists have already won the victory,” most people agreed. “Their wonderful dharma is superior. We’ll all practice Buddha’s teaching” and I’m starting to disperse.
“Wait!” ordered the King. “Translators must debate with Bon followers.”
First, the great translator Vairotsana debated with representative Bon Tangnak, then Namkhai Nyingpo debated with Tongyu. In the same way, each translator debated with a Bon representative and not a single Bon representative could live up to his rival. The king counts a white pebble for each valid statement or action and a black pebble for each inauthentic statement or action. Vairotsana collected nine hundred white pebbles and Tangmak collected five hundred black pebbles. The translators won again and the sacred flag was deployed again. At the end of his debate, Namkhai Nyingpo of Nub accumulated three hundred white pebbles of truth and Tongyu accumulated hundreds of black pebbles of falsehood. Again, the translators unfurled the flag. I, Tsogyel debated with a yogini swastika Bon named Bonmo Tso of the Chokro Clan and I emerged victorious. I demonstrated my magical powers, which I will describe later, and Bonmo Tso has been silenced. In the same way, a hundred and twenty translators came out victorious. Even the nine wise Bon rulers have been defeated. Reduced to silence, with their tongues as if bound, they were unable to say another word.
Then it was time for a race to prove siddhis. Vairotsana held the three realms in the palm of his hand. Nomkhai Nyingpo, riding a ray of sunshine, has demonstrated many miracles. Sangye Yeshe gathered many malevolent spirits with a gesture of her phurba, destroying her enemies with a movement of the phurba and breaking a stone with another blow of her phurba. Dorje Dhunjom ran like the wind, surrounding the four continents in a blink of an eye and offered the King seven different types of treasures as proof of his valiant deeds. Gyelwa Chokyang conquered the three realms in an instant and offered Brahma’s new spoke wheel as proof of his deed. Gyelwa Lodro walked on water. Denda Tsemang defeated Bon followers in religious debate, explaining Kanjur Rucok from memory, projecting the formulas of vowels and consonants into the sky. Kaba Peltsek enslaved legions of arrogant spirits. Odren Shonnu swam like an ocean fish. Jnana Kumara extracted the ambrosia from a stone. Ma Rinchen Chok ate pebbles, chewing them like a soft dough. Pelgyi Dorje moved without any hindrance through the rocks and mountains. Sokpo Lchapel called a tigress into the south’s clasts through her hook mudra, her calling mantra and her samadhi. Drenpa Namkha called a wild yak from the north. Gyeltsen’s Chokro invoked the manifested forms of the Three Aspects of Buddha in the sky before him. Langdro Konchok Jungden caused thirteen lightning bolts to fall simultaneously and spread them like arrows wherever he wanted. Kyeuchung called and subdued all the Dakinis with his samadhi. Gyelmo Yudra Ningpo defeated the Bon apes in grammar, logic and science, and overcoming outward appearances through the inner penetration of his samadhi, he made many transformations. Gyelwa Jangchub has been living in the lotus position. Tingdzin Zangpo flew to the sky, his vision surrounding the four continents simultaneously.

In this manner, all twenty-five Mahasiddha-s from Chiphu demonstrated the evidence of their siddhi. Moreover, the eight Siddha-and yerpa, the tall-here tantra priests of Sheldrak, the fifty Hermits of Yong Dzong, etc., all illustrated a different particular sign of a Siddhi. They turned fire into water and water into fire. They danced in the sky, passed unhindered through mountains and stones, walked on the water, made much of a little and made grow what was a little in a multitude. All Tibetan people could not be of use, but they gained great faith in Buddha, and Bon followers could not resist defeat. Bonpo sympathizers among ministers were speechless.
As for my confrontation with Bon followers in proving siddhi, Bon followers have been defeated. But after that, they devised nine negative spirits called: the magic smell of the scons, the food thrown at the dogs, the mixing of the butter from the blade with blood, the skin of black magic, the projection of the pestilential spirits and the projection of the devils, etc. With these cursed spirits they destroyed nine young monks in an instant, but I let a drop of saliva fall into the mouth of each of the monks, and so they rose fully restored, showing an even greater skill in the game of wisdom than before. Thus, again, bon followers were defeated.

Then, raising my index finger in the gesture of threat to the nine magicians and delighting PHAT! nine times, they lost consciousness paralyzed. To bring him back to his senses, I intoned NINE times HUNG. Levitnand in lotus position, etc., we have demonstrated full control over the elementary forces. Rotating fire wheels with five different colors at the tips of my right hand’s fingers, I terrified the Bon followers and then pouring streams of water of five colors from the tips of my left hand,” these streams gathered in a lake. Taking a Chiphu boulder, breaking it like a piece of butter, I modeled it into various images. Then I designed twenty-five forms manifested similar to myself, each of them illustrating a proof of a siddhi.
“These Bon followers cannot defeat a single woman,” the people of Tibet said, becoming contemptuous of them.
“Tomorrow our nine magicians will each call a lightning bolt at the same time and reduce this Samye to a pile of ashes,” Bon followers said. And they went to the epors and called their lightning bolts, but I wrapped them around the tip of my pointing finger, realizing the gesture of the threat, and threw them at the Bon residence at Ombu, which was demolished. After collecting thirteen lightning bolts that I directed at the Bon heads, they returned to Samye full of sin.
When the Bonpo were about to be exiled, being defeated in magical powers as previously described, ministers Takra and Lugong swore that they would not go into exile. They returned to Ombu, where they made elaborate preparations to ruin Tibet by unleashing the effective magical powers of the cycle with nine stages of minor karmas and then the nine-stage cycle of Pelmo’s major karmas, through curses thrown into the fire, into the water, into the ground and into the air through a flag and so on.

The King explained this problem at length to translators and scholars, and they were in ways to combat evil. Guru Rimpoche, assuring him that everything would be fine, instructed me to protect them. Then we went to the Utse pagoda, where we revealed Dorje Phurba’s mandala and practiced the phurba rituals, until, after seven days, the mandala deities appeared. The Siddhi obtained in this practice was the power to make their own enemies enforceable. Thus, Bon followers destroyed themselves, Both Takra and Lugong, along with five other ministers Bon implacably hostile to the Dharma, died at once, and of the nine magicians, eight died only one remaining. Thus, the reserve of the Bon magicians has been exhausted, being defeated all by magical powers.

The emperor summoned all Bonpo followers to Samye, where they suffered certain charges. Guru-l Rimponche has decided their fate.
“Because Bon followers still have a certain faith that is in accord with Buddhist doctrine they can sleep in their own beds. Yet the Bon samans, all the extremist fanatics, will be surgungited outside the country’s borders. No purpose is served by killing them.”
The King, acting in accordance with guru’s command, divided the Bon books into the reformed and Samanistic categories, throwing the Bon Samanic ones into the fire, while the books of the reformed Bon were hidden, being considered as the treasure of later revelations. The reformed Bonpo followers were sent back to Zhang-zhung and the provinces, while the Bon shamans were sent to Treulakchan in Mongolia.
After this, the King, his ministers and courtiers, all the King’s subjects, both Tibetan and foreign, were subject to the law of refraining from The Practices of the Samanic Bon and of practicing only the teaching of Buddha. According to this law, the entire central Tibet and Kham, up to the Throne Gate in China, became territories where the teaching of Buddha and sangha’s community spread, and many monasteries, meditation centers and academies were founded.
Then, after the King promulgated this second decree, at Samye was beaten the drum of teaching, the clam of teaching resounded, the flag of teaching was raised and deployed and the throne of teaching was prepared. The twenty-one Indian scholars took their seats on the nine brocade pillows. The great Orgyen, Perma Jungne, the Boddhisattva of Zahor and the wise Kasmirian Vimalamitra took their seats on the great throne and gold adorned with nine brocade pillows. Translators Vairotsana and Namkhai Nyingpo each took their seats on several piles of nine brocade pillows and the other translators sat on top of two or three brocade pillows. Then the King gave generous gifts of gold and other gifts to each of them. He gave each of the great Indian scholars, nine brocade scrolls, three gold pots, three pounds of gold dust, etc., so that the gifts formed a pile the size of a mountain. To the three priests of Zahor, Orgyen and Kashmir, he offered them a plate of gold and turquoise and a large quantity of brocade, etc., gifts of immense honor. Then he begged everyone to propagate the teachings of the Sutras and Tantras in Tibet. All the scholars were delighted to accept, smiling in approval, and the abbot, Master Vajra and Vimalamitra gave their solemn word that they would strive to fortify the Buddha’s teaching until the King’s wish was fulfilled.

After this, seven thousand monks entered the academy at Samye and nine hundred entered the meditation centers at Chimphu; a thousand monks entered the academies of Tranduk and a hundred monks entered the meditation centers at Yong Dzong; three thousand monks entered the military academy in Lhasa and five thousand monks entered the meditation center at Yerpa; the new monks were invested in these three pairs of institutions over the course of a year. Moreover, monasteries and meditation centers have been established at Langtang in Kham, Rabgang in Minyak, Gyeltan in Jang, Jatsang in Mar, Rongzhi and Gangdruk in Kham, Donghu in Powo, Ronglam in Barlam, Buchui n Kongpo, Chimyul at Danglung in Dakpo, tsuklak in the four districts of Central Tibet, and Takden Jomo Nang in Tsang. In Everest, etc., along Tsang County. Tsangung and Ngari, monasteries and meditation centers have been established in a very large number.”

 

Scroll to Top