Singh, Bireshwar Prasad

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Apollo (Cambridge)

ON ATISA'S ITINERARY IN TIBET -BIRESHW AR PRASAD SINGH I According to Prof. Petech, Sum-pa-mkhan-po-Ye-Ses-dPal-'byor, the Mongolian historiographer, completed his encyclopaedic work popularly known as dPag-bsam-!jon-b:a,i in A.D. 17481 • The full title of the work is 'Phags-yul-rgya-nag-chhen-po-bod-dmi-sog-yul-du-dam-pa ';-chhos-byun-tshul, dPag-bsam-!jon-bzan-ses-bya-ba (i.e. the history of Buddhism in India, Tibet, China and Mongolia). The Re'u-mig, i.e. chronological table, forms part of part III of the aforesaid work as edited by Dr. Lokesh Chandra from the collection of Dr. Raghuvira. Sum-pa was a prolific writer and hardly there is any subject which has been left from the domain of his writing. He wrote on history, grammar, mathematics, astrology, geography and almost all sub-jects concerning Buddhist religion2• Sum-pa was born in Wood-Ape year (A.D. 1704)3 in the neighbourhood of dgon-Iuil monastery of Amdo in ulterior Tibet. The. monastery lies to the north east of Hsi-ning in the Ching-hai (Tsinghai or Koko Nor) province of China which is inhabited by Chinese, Tibetans and Mongours'. Accol'ding to Sarat Das, Sum-pa died at the age of 736 which should be A.D. 1776 according to Tibetan way of calculating time. Tibetologists, however, are not in agreement about the date of his death·. In Re'u-mig7. Sum-pa describes the principal events of Tibet year by year beginning from A.D. 1027 to A.D. 1746. He has divided the whole chronology according to Tibetan system into 12 cycles of 60 years each. An English translation of the portion of Re'u-mig containing the chronology and chronicle of Atisa's visit to Tibet and his work there is given below. Fire-Hare (A.D. 1027) Earth-Dragon (A.D. 1028) Earth-Serpen t (A.D. 1029) II FIRST CYCLE Kalyii1)amitra Po-to-ba-rin-chhen-gsaI8 was born. The twelfth Kulikiiditya (Rigs-ldan-bchu-gftis-pa-fti-ma) sat on the throne of Sambhala. Gyi-jo-Io-tsatshas (lo-tsa-ba) translated Kiilacakra into Tibetan language. Since Buddha attained Ninii1)a in the Fire-Hare year, this was the 361st year of Adhidr~/i. According to some historians who believe that Buddha passed away in the year Iron-Dragon, this was the 408th year of Adlridu/i. According to some Gyi-Jo translated the great com-mentary of Kiilacakra into Tibetan in ti,,,, year'. Se-ston-kun-rigs, the spiritual teacher of the sister of Ma-chig-sha-ma-Icham-srh\ and disciple of 'Brog-mi-lo-tsatsha was born. 15 Iron-Horse (A.D. 1030) Iron-Sheep (A.D. 1031) Water-Ape (A.P.1032) Water-Bird (A.D. 1033) Wood-Dog (A.D. 1034) Wood-Hog (A.D. 1035) Fire-Mouse (A.D. 1036) Fire-Ox (A.D. 1037) Earth-Tiger (A.D. 1038) Earth-Hare (A.D. 1039) Iron-Dragon (A.D. 1040) Iron-Serpent (A.D. 1041) Water-Horse (A.D. 1042) Water-Sheep (A.D. 1043) Wood-Ape (A.D. 1044) Wood-Bird (A.D. 1045) Nil Phu-chhuit-ba-gshon-rgyan was born. According to Deb Slion-polO (Blue Annals), Po-to-ba was also born during the year but the year Fire-Hare is certainll. sTod-luil-pa-rin-chhen-siiiil-po, the pupil of sPyan-Sna-ba was born. sPyan-sna-ba-tshul-khrim-'bar was born. Deb Snon-Po (Blue Annals), however mentions that he was born in Earth-Tiger year. 'Khon-dkon-mchog",rgyal-po of Sa-skya was born. bla-chhen-po-dgoils-pa-rab-gsal passed away from this world. rNog-chhos-rdo-rje, the pupil of Mar-pa was born. Nil Nil According to doxology and travel accounts of Jo-bo (Atisa)lI, he reached mNa'-ri13. Thos-pa-dga' (Mid-Ia-ras-pa) was born. Ba-ri-Io-tsa-rin-grags was born14. The monastery of Sha-lu15 was founded. According to written travel accounts, AUsa left Nepal. Na-ro-pan-chhen died18• According to some travel books Jo-bo-(AtISa) reached Nepal. sNe'u-zur-pa-ye-'bar, the principal disciple of dGon-pa-pal'l was born. sMyug-rum-pa-milar-sgon-brtson-'grus-'bar was born. AUsa reached Mila'-ris. 'Brog-mi-lo-tshas founded the monastery of Myug-lUil18. rMa-lo-tsha-Chhos-'bar. a native of La-Stod and famous as the male-partner of Ma-chig-sha-ma was bomu . 'Brom paid his respects to Ausa. Nil 16 Fire-Dog (A.D. 1046) Fire-Hog (A.D. 1047) Earth-Mouse (A.D. 1048) Earth-Ox (A.D. 1049) J rOil-Tiger (A.D. 1050) Iron-Sheep (A.D. 1051) Water-Dragon (A.D. 1052) Water-Serpent (A.D. 1053) Wood-Horse (A.D. 1054) 'Brin-Ston of rOyal was born. Zla-grags-pa, son of IChe-dal-sgan-Pa was born. Chhag-khri-mchhog met Atisa. rOya - 'dul- 'dzin -dban- phyug - tshul- khrims - 'bar was born. Jo-bo (Atisa) had the honour of seeing Maitreya and Mafjj,ugho~a and having religious discussions with them at sNe-thaii. Nil Mu-dra-pa founded E-dgon20. gNal-chhos-'bar was born. 'Brom gave rkh pre-sents to Atisa. mKhas-grub thinks that Atisa wrote his work on Buddhist chronology during the year and hence according to him AUsa was born in Water-Horse year21. mDsed uharma-bodhi (,Dsen Dharma-bodhi), the pupiLof Khams-pa-Iun-pa, Lab-sgron, Yu-mo and sBa-sgom of rNin-ma sect of later spread (of Buddhism in Tibet) was born~~. Was sDiti-po-snubs-Chhos-'bar born '! gLati-ri-th"n-pa-rdo-rje-senge, the disciple of Po-to-ba was born23 • bLa-ma-gsen, the pupil of Ron-lom-Io-tsa-ba-chhos-bzan, was born. Atisa attained Parinirl'iilJ.G. JIl Notes I. dPag-b.\{/m-(joll-b=mi. cd. Lokesh Chandra' (New Delhi: 1959), Preface, p. XV., cf. the C('ographr of Tibet ed. and trans. Turrel V. Wylie (Roma: 1962), p. 196, note 763 wherein Wylie states that the date should be corrected to 1749. 2. A complete list. of his works can be found in dPag-bsulI-/joll-h=tlli, Part Ill, edited by Lokesh Chandra. 3. S. C. Das incorrectly calculates Wood-Ape year as equivalent to A.D. 1702 (JASB. 1889, J.P. 37). For correct Christian equivalents of Tihetan years. see "Table of Tibetan Sexagenary ':::-ycle" Journal Asiatiqllc. 19IJ. Part I. pp. 666-()7. 4. cf l'ag-hl<lIIl-(jo/l-b':'tlli, prcface, p. XIII. 5. JASH, IS::!9, I, p .• W. 6. For example, S. Sira has given A. D. 1781) a!> the year of his death 17 (Acta Oriental la, XVII, Part I, p. 77); Cf. Samten G. Karmay. The Treasury of Good Sayings: A Tibetan History of Bon (London : 1972), p. 197 where he seems to doubt that Sum-pa died in A.D. 1776 as according to the colophon of a work composed by Sum-pa, it is mentioned that he composed the work in A.D. 1786. 1. We have used the Tibetan text of Re'u-mig as contained in dPag-bsall-Ijon-bzari ediled by Dr. Lokesh Chandra. . 8. Po-to-ba-rin-chhen-gsal. 9. Here Sum-pa is obviously referring to Bu-ston (See E. Obermiller. History of Budhism, p. 211). 10. Deb-llrer-sllOli-po. Its full title is: Bod-kyi-J'lIl-dll-c'hhos-dali-cllhos-smra-ba-ji-ltar-bYllri-ba';-r;m-pa-deb-ther-slfori-po or the Blue Annals, the Stages of tire Appearance of the Doctrine arul Preachers in tire laird of Tibet. .It was composed by 'Gos-lo-tsa-ba-gZon-nu-dpal (A.D. 1 392-A.D. 1481). It is gener~ny referred to by its abbreviat-ed title Deb-slim, or Blue Annals (BA, I, Intro., i). 11. See BA, I, pp. 263 according to which PO-lo-ba was born in Iron-Sheep year (A.D. 1031) and died at tile aae of 75 in the year Wood-Bird (A.D. 1105). 12. AUsa is popularly known in Tibet by the name ofJo-bo or Jo-bo-rje (literally the Arya or the noble lord) .. 13. The year of Atisa's reaching mNa'-ridoes not seem to be correct for Sum-pa bimself later states tbat be reacbed mNa'-ri in Water-Horse year i.e. A.D. 1042. 'Gos-Io-tsa-ba also bolds tbat AUsa reached mNa'-ri in Water-Horse year i.e. A.D. 1042 (8A, I. p. 247; cr. Alaka Chattopadhyaya, Alisa (Jlld Tibet, Calcutta: 1967, pp. 307-11 mNa'-ri is identical with mNa'-ris which is the westernmost province of Tibet. also known as Ngari khorsum, consisting mainly or the districts of Purang Shangshung and Man-yul (TED, p. 362, cr. TEJ, p. 132). 14. Tbos-pa-dga' (meaning delightful to hear) was the name given to Mid-Ia.ras-pa at the time of his birth by his falber. Sum-pa seems to have borrowed the date from 'Gos-Io-tsa-ba wbo also assigns his death to Water-Hare year (A.D. 1123) and says that he died at tbe age of 84. Go-Io-tsa-ba has arrived at these dates after making firm calculations (BA, II pp. 427-436). In another source, the dates of his birth and death are given as Water-Dragon year (A.D. 1052) and Wood-Hare year (A.D. 1l3S) respectively. This source, however, also agrees that he died at the age of 84 (W. Y. Evans-Wenz, Tibet's Greal Yogi Milerapa, London: 1969. pp. 52, 273). 15. The monastery of Sha-lu was, CKcording to Du-stan, fOUlldcd by Lchc-btsan·ses-rab-'byuil-gnas. There were four rrimary and six secondary sections here (Buston, If, p.206). The place was a few miles south-west of Tashi-lhun-po, the seat of the famous historian and chronologist Bu-ston Rin-po-che (TED. p. 184). . 18 16. Na-ro-pan-chhen (i.e. Naropa) was born in A.D. 956 «JBRS, 1967. p. 125). 17. S. C. Das translates this passage: uYe-ses-bhar of Sneju ssur, the eldest son of Dgon-pa was born". He thus describes the name wrongly and translated the Tibetan word Bu-den to mean "eldest son" incorrectly here. The word means "Principal discipJe" (Cr. BA, II. p. 311). 18. cr. BA, I, p. 207. 19. S. C. Das (JASB, 1889. p. 41), however, translates the crucial text as follows: uMa-chig sha-ma's husband was born.' rMa Lo-chawa Chhos-'bar of La-slod was born." But in our opinion the text refers to only one person named rMa-lo-tsha·Chhos-'bar who was not the husband of Ma-chig-Sha-ma but her male partne~. Ma-chig-Sha-ma was married at the age of 14 but being disgusted with her marriage. she reigned insanity and separated from her husband (BA, I. p. 221). rMa-Jo...tsa-ba accepted Ma-chig-sha-ma as his Mudra. i.e. female partner (BA. II, p. 219) after she left her husband. 20. Identical with the monastery of Bo-dota which lies on the route from P'un-tsogs-glin to bKra-Aes.-lhun-po (MBGHC. p. lS6n; cr. Tucci, TPS. p. 205 wherein Tucci places Poton i.e. same as Do-dOlH on road between Lha-rtse and bkra-Ses .. lhun-po te. Tashi'. hunpo in the neighbourhood of Zabs-dge-ldin). 21. Here S. C. Das does not give the complete translation of the passage. He simply mentions .. AtiSa wrote his work on the Buddhist Chro-nology"(JASB. J889,p. 41). Water-Horse year~ the year of AU sa', birth given here, is equivalent to A.D. 982 (vide M.P. Pelliot, "Table of Tibetan Sexagenary cycle", JouTtlal Asiatique. 1913. part I. pp. 666-61). 22. S. C. Das translates the whole passage incorrectly (JASB. 1889, p. 41); Cf. BA, I, pp. 17S-}89 wherein names of the teachers of Dbanna-bodhi were given. 23. gLan-ri-than-pa-rdo-rje-sen-ge died in A.D. 1123 (SA. I. p. 210). JASB· BA:-I BA,I/ TED Abbreviations - Journal of theA.fiatic SocietJ' of .Bengal, Calcutta. The Blue Annah, Part One (Calcutta: 1949) by G. N. Roerich. - The Blue /irmals, Part Two (Calcutta: 1953) by G. N. Roerich. - A Tibetan £ngli.m DktiOllllry (Delhi : P!ttna: Varanasi. 1.970) by S. C. Das. TEJ - A Tibetan Ellg/ish DictioNuy (London : 1968} by H. A. Jaschke. JBRS - The Jour1lQ1 of Bihar Research Society, PaUla. TPS - TibetQII PQi"ted Scrolls by G. Tucci .. MBGHC - mKhYe1f-brtse's Guide To The Holy Place3 of C.II,rQI Tibn (Rome: }958) by A. Ferrari and Luciano Pe.tecla. 19 

On Atisa's Itinerary in Tibet

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