Gyalpo spirits
Encyclopedia
Gyalpo spirits are one of the eight classes of haughty gods and spirits (lha srin sde brgyad) in Tibetan mythology and religion. Gyalpo , a word which simply means "king" or "raja" in the Tibetan language
, in Tibetan mythology is used to refer to the Four Guardian Kings and especially to a class of spirits, both Buddhist
and Bön, who may be either malevolent spirits or oath-bound as protector deities
(Tib. chos skyong; Skt. dharmapālas).
characterizes this type of spirit as generally red in colour and of violent character, harassing mainly lamas and religious people, but also laity and even animals. In fact Gyalpo spirits often have both white (peaceful) and red (wrathful) forms.
It is believed one can be protected against Gyalpo spirits by means of appropriate rituals. In religious meditation instructions texts, Padmasambhava
warns his disciples against magical displays of this class of spirits.
Some gyalpos are believed to be bound by oath by Padmasambhava
, for example Gyalpo Pehar
is believed to be the main guardian of the Samye
temple build at the time of Padmasambhava
and the king Trisong Detsen
.
Machig Labdron
enumerates outer, inner and secret ways gyalpo spirits manifest. The outer way are very elegant temples with beautiful ornaments, crystal stupas and many offerings, rich with silver and gold, with well dressed monks giving teachings, full of charisma; their characteristic provocation is nervousness and confusion. Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche
(1920–1996) wrote that as very often gyalpos manifest as masters, spiritual teachers and enlightened beings, several highly realised practitoners of the past fell for their tricks. Tibetans believe that when one dreams of a lama this may be a Gyalpo spirit. In Vajrayana there exist special methods for checking whether a being manifesting as one's spiritual master is really the guru or a gyalpo. There also exist special practices for protecting oneself from the influence of gyalpos or cutting off the negative influence if one has done gyalpo practice in the past.
Some lamas state that enlightened beings sometimes appear in the form of Gyalpo spirits or that such protectors may have a dual nature. Lelung Shepay Dorje writes, "Those such as the great yaksha Tsiu Marpo and King [Gyalpo] Pehar are, in actuality, definitely Buddhas, and fully renowned as protectors of Buddha's teachings... With one expression Pehar may help someone, and with another he may obstruct someone, but his actions are not conceivable to ordinary thought. When dispatched for activity, Pehar is made offerings in the aspect of a Dharma protector and requested to perform activities, while, on the other hand, the very same Pehar is often dispatched on missions in the aspect of a demon."
myth, Gyalpo Pehar (] [also spelt: pe kar & dpe dkar) is the chief spirit belonging to the gyalpo class. When Padmasambhava
arrived in Tibet
in the eighth century, he subdued all gyalpo spirits and put them under control of Gyalpo Pehar, who promised not to harm any sentient beings and was made the chief guardian spirit of the Samye Temple
built at that time. Some Tibetans believe that the protector of Samye sometimes enters the body of a medium (called the "Dharma Lord of Samye") and acts as an oracle.
or State Oracle of Tibet.
branch of Tibetan Buddhism
, the Gyalpo Sum are three spirits which were traditionally said to protect the main Sakya Monastery
. These three are Tsiu Marpo, Dorje Setrap, and Gyalpo Shugden
. In view of the modern controversy about Dorje Shudgen within the Gelug
school, HH Sakya Trizin
the head of Sakyas issued a letter in 1996 stating that some Sakyas worshipped Shugden as a lower deity but Shugden was never a part of the Sakya
institutions.
Trinley Kalsang's research demonstrates that Dorje Shugden was at one time worshipped as an emanation of Buddha by the important Sakya lama, Morchen Kunga Lhundrub (1654–1728). The oldest known ritual dedicated to Dorje Shugden was composed by the Drugpa Kagyu Lama Dreu Lhepa and Sakya Morchen Lhundrup. Bell interprets these two instances as indicating "something of Dorje Shukden's initial ecumenical appeal."
Gyalchen Shugden The current 14th Dalai Lama
has declared Dorje Shugden
or Dholgyal ('gyalpo of Dhol') to be a gyalpo, and has controversially banned this practice from Tibetan monasteries. Some other lamas, especially from other schools, consider him a gyalpo. However, Trijang Rinpoche, the "root Guru" of the Dalai Lama, taught that just as Setrap is an emanation of Buddha Amitabha
, Dorje Shugden is an emanation of Buddha Manjushri, asking "What worse karma could there be than denying this and asserting that he was reborn in the preta
realm?" Thus, he criticized those who mistake Dorje Shugden's provisional appearance in the form of a gyalpo as being his definitive nature, explaining that an enlightened being appearing in the aspect of a gyalpo to benefit living beings is not the same as an enlightened being actually taking such a lower rebirth. Some other learned Gelugpa Lamas also consider Dorje Shugden to be an emanation of Buddha Manjushri and a protective deity.
Tibetan language
The Tibetan languages are a cluster of mutually-unintelligible Tibeto-Burman languages spoken primarily by Tibetan peoples who live across a wide area of eastern Central Asia bordering the Indian subcontinent, including the Tibetan Plateau and the northern Indian subcontinent in Baltistan, Ladakh,...
, in Tibetan mythology is used to refer to the Four Guardian Kings and especially to a class of spirits, both Buddhist
Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism is the body of Buddhist religious doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet and certain regions of the Himalayas, including northern Nepal, Bhutan, and India . It is the state religion of Bhutan...
and Bön, who may be either malevolent spirits or oath-bound as protector deities
Dharmapala
In Vajrayana Buddhism, a dharmapāla is a type of wrathful deity. The name means "Dharma-defender" in Sanskrit, and the dharmapālas are also known as the Defenders of the Law , or the Protectors of the Law, in English....
(Tib. chos skyong; Skt. dharmapālas).
Nature
Geoffrey Samuel describes these Gyalpo spirits as "king-spirits" who are "the spirits of evil kings or of high lamas who have failed their vows." He also states that they are white in color. Nebesky-WojkowitzRené Nebesky-Wojkowitz
René de Nebesky-Wojkowitz was an Austrian ethnologist and Tibetologist. He is mostly known for his 1956 publication Oracles and Demons of Tibet, which was the first detailed study of Tibetan deity cults.- Biography :René Mario de Nebesky-Wojkowitz was born in Groß Hoschütz in Moravia on June 29,...
characterizes this type of spirit as generally red in colour and of violent character, harassing mainly lamas and religious people, but also laity and even animals. In fact Gyalpo spirits often have both white (peaceful) and red (wrathful) forms.
It is believed one can be protected against Gyalpo spirits by means of appropriate rituals. In religious meditation instructions texts, Padmasambhava
Padmasambhava
Padmasambhava ; Mongolian ловон Бадмажунай, lovon Badmajunai, , Means The Lotus-Born, was a sage guru from Oddiyāna who is said to have transmitted Vajrayana Buddhism to Bhutan and Tibet and neighbouring countries in the 8th century...
warns his disciples against magical displays of this class of spirits.
Some gyalpos are believed to be bound by oath by Padmasambhava
Padmasambhava
Padmasambhava ; Mongolian ловон Бадмажунай, lovon Badmajunai, , Means The Lotus-Born, was a sage guru from Oddiyāna who is said to have transmitted Vajrayana Buddhism to Bhutan and Tibet and neighbouring countries in the 8th century...
, for example Gyalpo Pehar
Gyalpo Pehar
According to Tibetan Buddhist myth, Gyalpo Pehar is a spirit belonging to the gyalpo class. When Padmasambhava arrived in Tibet in the eighth century, he subdued all gyalpo spirits and put them under control of Gyalpo Pehar, who promised not to harm any sentient beings and was made the chief...
is believed to be the main guardian of the Samye
Samye
The Samye Monastery or Samye Gompa is the first Buddhist monastery built in Tibet, was most probably first constructed between 775 and 779 CE under the patronage of King Trisong Detsen of Tibet who sought to revitalize Buddhism, which had declined since its introduction by King Songtsen Gampo in...
temple build at the time of Padmasambhava
Padmasambhava
Padmasambhava ; Mongolian ловон Бадмажунай, lovon Badmajunai, , Means The Lotus-Born, was a sage guru from Oddiyāna who is said to have transmitted Vajrayana Buddhism to Bhutan and Tibet and neighbouring countries in the 8th century...
and the king Trisong Detsen
Trisong Detsen
Trisong Detsän or Trisong Detsen ཁྲི་སྲོང་ལྡེ་བཙན , was the son of Me Agtsom and one of the emperors of Tibet and ruled...
.
Machig Labdron
Machig Labdrön
Machig Labdrön was a renowned 11th century Tibetan Tantric Buddhist practitioner and teacher....
enumerates outer, inner and secret ways gyalpo spirits manifest. The outer way are very elegant temples with beautiful ornaments, crystal stupas and many offerings, rich with silver and gold, with well dressed monks giving teachings, full of charisma; their characteristic provocation is nervousness and confusion. Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche
Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche
Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche . A contemporary Buddhist master of the Kagyü and Nyingma lineages, who lived at Nagi Gompa hermitage in Nepal, Urgyen Rinpoche was considered one of the greatest Dzogchen masters of our time.-Life:...
(1920–1996) wrote that as very often gyalpos manifest as masters, spiritual teachers and enlightened beings, several highly realised practitoners of the past fell for their tricks. Tibetans believe that when one dreams of a lama this may be a Gyalpo spirit. In Vajrayana there exist special methods for checking whether a being manifesting as one's spiritual master is really the guru or a gyalpo. There also exist special practices for protecting oneself from the influence of gyalpos or cutting off the negative influence if one has done gyalpo practice in the past.
Some lamas state that enlightened beings sometimes appear in the form of Gyalpo spirits or that such protectors may have a dual nature. Lelung Shepay Dorje writes, "Those such as the great yaksha Tsiu Marpo and King [Gyalpo] Pehar are, in actuality, definitely Buddhas, and fully renowned as protectors of Buddha's teachings... With one expression Pehar may help someone, and with another he may obstruct someone, but his actions are not conceivable to ordinary thought. When dispatched for activity, Pehar is made offerings in the aspect of a Dharma protector and requested to perform activities, while, on the other hand, the very same Pehar is often dispatched on missions in the aspect of a demon."
Gyalpo Pehar
According to Tibetan BuddhistTibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism is the body of Buddhist religious doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet and certain regions of the Himalayas, including northern Nepal, Bhutan, and India . It is the state religion of Bhutan...
myth, Gyalpo Pehar (] [also spelt: pe kar & dpe dkar) is the chief spirit belonging to the gyalpo class. When Padmasambhava
Padmasambhava
Padmasambhava ; Mongolian ловон Бадмажунай, lovon Badmajunai, , Means The Lotus-Born, was a sage guru from Oddiyāna who is said to have transmitted Vajrayana Buddhism to Bhutan and Tibet and neighbouring countries in the 8th century...
arrived in Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
in the eighth century, he subdued all gyalpo spirits and put them under control of Gyalpo Pehar, who promised not to harm any sentient beings and was made the chief guardian spirit of the Samye Temple
Samye
The Samye Monastery or Samye Gompa is the first Buddhist monastery built in Tibet, was most probably first constructed between 775 and 779 CE under the patronage of King Trisong Detsen of Tibet who sought to revitalize Buddhism, which had declined since its introduction by King Songtsen Gampo in...
built at that time. Some Tibetans believe that the protector of Samye sometimes enters the body of a medium (called the "Dharma Lord of Samye") and acts as an oracle.
Nechung Gyalpo
The Great Dharma King (rgyal chen) Nechung Dorje Drakden (rdo rje grags ldan) or Nechung Chokyong (chos skyong) is considered to be the chief minister of Gyalpo Pehar or the same as the activity aspect of Gyalpo Pehar. It is the spirit of this deity which possesses the Nechung OracleNechung Oracle
The Nechung Oracle is the State Oracle of Tibet. The medium of the State Oracle currently resides with the current Dalai Lama in Dharamsala, India...
or State Oracle of Tibet.
Gyalpo Sum
In the SakyaSakya
The Sakya school is one of four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism, the others being the Nyingma, Kagyu, and Gelug...
branch of Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism is the body of Buddhist religious doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet and certain regions of the Himalayas, including northern Nepal, Bhutan, and India . It is the state religion of Bhutan...
, the Gyalpo Sum are three spirits which were traditionally said to protect the main Sakya Monastery
Sakya Monastery
Sakya Monastery, also known as dPal Sa skya or Pel Sakya is a Buddhist monastery situated 25 km southeast of a bridge which is about 127 km west of Shigatse on the road to Tingri in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China.The seat of the Sakya or Sakyapa school of Tibetan Buddhism, it was founded in...
. These three are Tsiu Marpo, Dorje Setrap, and Gyalpo Shugden
Dorje Shugden
Dorje Shugden , "Vajra Possessing Strength", or Dolgyal Shugden , "Shugden, King of Dhol" is a deity in Tibetan Buddhism, especially its Gelug school, who is regarded as a Dharma Protector or "guardian angel." The practice of Dharma Protectors is central to most religious Tibetans and...
. In view of the modern controversy about Dorje Shudgen within the Gelug
Gelug
The Gelug or Gelug-pa , also known as the Yellow Hat sect, is a school of Buddhism founded by Je Tsongkhapa , a philosopher and Tibetan religious leader...
school, HH Sakya Trizin
Sakya Trizin
Sakya Trizin or Sa'gya Gongma Rinboqê is the traditional title of the head of the Sakya Order of Tibetan Buddhism.The Sakya Order of Tibetan Buddhism was founded in 1073, when Khon Konchog Gyalpo , a member of Tibet’s noble Khön family, established a monastery in the region of Sakya, Tibet,...
the head of Sakyas issued a letter in 1996 stating that some Sakyas worshipped Shugden as a lower deity but Shugden was never a part of the Sakya
Sakya
The Sakya school is one of four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism, the others being the Nyingma, Kagyu, and Gelug...
institutions.
Trinley Kalsang's research demonstrates that Dorje Shugden was at one time worshipped as an emanation of Buddha by the important Sakya lama, Morchen Kunga Lhundrub (1654–1728). The oldest known ritual dedicated to Dorje Shugden was composed by the Drugpa Kagyu Lama Dreu Lhepa and Sakya Morchen Lhundrup. Bell interprets these two instances as indicating "something of Dorje Shukden's initial ecumenical appeal."
Gyalchen Shugden
Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lama is a high lama in the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" branch of Tibetan Buddhism. The name is a combination of the Mongolian word далай meaning "Ocean" and the Tibetan word bla-ma meaning "teacher"...
has declared Dorje Shugden
Dorje Shugden
Dorje Shugden , "Vajra Possessing Strength", or Dolgyal Shugden , "Shugden, King of Dhol" is a deity in Tibetan Buddhism, especially its Gelug school, who is regarded as a Dharma Protector or "guardian angel." The practice of Dharma Protectors is central to most religious Tibetans and...
or Dholgyal ('gyalpo of Dhol') to be a gyalpo, and has controversially banned this practice from Tibetan monasteries. Some other lamas, especially from other schools, consider him a gyalpo. However, Trijang Rinpoche, the "root Guru" of the Dalai Lama, taught that just as Setrap is an emanation of Buddha Amitabha
Amitabha
Amitābha is a celestial buddha described in the scriptures of the Mahāyāna school of Buddhism...
, Dorje Shugden is an emanation of Buddha Manjushri, asking "What worse karma could there be than denying this and asserting that he was reborn in the preta
Preta
Preta, प्रेत or Peta is the name for a type of being described in Buddhist, Hindu, Sikh, and Jain texts that undergoes more than human suffering, particularly an extreme degree of hunger and thirst...
realm?" Thus, he criticized those who mistake Dorje Shugden's provisional appearance in the form of a gyalpo as being his definitive nature, explaining that an enlightened being appearing in the aspect of a gyalpo to benefit living beings is not the same as an enlightened being actually taking such a lower rebirth. Some other learned Gelugpa Lamas also consider Dorje Shugden to be an emanation of Buddha Manjushri and a protective deity.