The next book of the epic is to be published by Shambhala Publications on August 3, 2021. It is entitled The Taming of the Demons and tells the exciting tale of the battle between Düd and Ling. Translated by Jane Hawes, Lama Chönam and David Shapiro. More information to follow. “Not just for scholars and established aficionados of the Gesar epic, this translation is exciting and eminently accessible. I was loath to stop reading, and you will be too.” —Natasha…..
The book that first was seen on this blog is now available on Amazon. It is entitled Gesar and Covid-19: An Ancient Warrior Returns to Battle the Pandemic. A great read and available here. Hope you enjoy it.
Chapter Nine Ne’uchung took her own bedroom and, while Michung may have wanted for something else, as his yearning gaze suggested, he was given the small fold-out couch in her study, which he shared in monklike repose with Gyatsha. They had never been great friends although, bound by oaths and battles, they were close at times. Tonight, they chatted a bit about their lives over the past few hundred years and, as the silences lengthened, they both grew bored…..
Chapter Seven Well, it turned out that Drukmo was not in Buffalo at all. The bard had just wanted to write ‘Buffalo’ because he liked the word—it reminded him of the yaks, dri, and drong that he had loved so much when he was a boy long ago upon the wilderness of the northeastern Tibetan province of Amdo. There, the verdant valleys and broad mountain reaches contrasted with each other and the livestock roamed and was herded across the…..
Chapter Five Bard here. Those of you familiar with the Gesar epic must be wondering a number of things. At the top of your list might be, “Where is Trothung and what happened to him?” Well, that is a good question and to find out we will take a brief historical tangent. We last saw Trothung many years ago. 860 to be exact, around the end of Gesar’s first incarnation and his various battles with the enemies of Ling. For…..
A brief note to the reader. In this chapter is the first of many songs and within them you will find italicized proverbs. The majority are Tibetan in origin though a few well known Western proverbs are included. Do please enjoy and your comments are always very welcome. D and J. Chapter Three Many people believe Chamara to be a mythic place, and it has been described as such in the ancient Tibetan Buddhist texts. It is…..
Gesar and COVID-19: An Ancient Hero Returns to Battle the Pandemic Chapter One It was a cool, early spring day in Tushita Heaven and Gesar was contemplating the oneness of the universe and the cosmic truth and compelling nature of compassion, blissfully, as was his wont, unaware of the situation below. Troubles had been brewing and yes, brewing is pretty much the right word, for some months. A virus, like the SARS and MERS coronaviruses before, had begun in…..
Glossary abhisheka. A ceremony of empowerment in Buddhism. Amitabha. Buddha of the Sukhavati, the land of bliss, the pure land, the western buddha field. Avalokiteshvara. A bodhisattva, the embodiment of compassion, and one of the three principle protectors of this world, the other two being Manjushri and Vajrapani. Amnyé Gompa. An evil magician who was killed and burned by Gesar in The Battle of Düd and Ling. (By Lama Chönam and Jane Hawes in publication. Shambhala Publications) bodhisattva. One…..
Introduction Gesar and Covid-19: An Ancient Hero Returns to Battle the Pandemic If you are a reader who has heard of Gesar, it is likely that you know this as an ancient myth, one perhaps formed around the historical Gesar who is believed to have lived in northeastern Tibet in the early 11th century CE. You may also know that it was largely an oral tale told by bards for hundreds of years. Beyond this, maybe you know it…..
This web site will now host a serial entitled: GESAR and COVID-19 ~ An ancient hero returns to battle the pandemic. Each week on Monday a new chapter (or two) will be posted. We hope you enjoy it. It was written with the very capable assistance of my wife, Jane Hawes who also edited the Gesar of Ling book and has been an active Tibetan translator for the last fifteen years or so. We expect, depending on our generally dependable…..