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 who aspires to attain enlightenment but only for the benefit of all sentient beings, always placing the needs of others before themselves.
bodhicitta. Mind directed toward clarity and compassion. An inherent quality of all beings.
chakra. Literally means “wheel.” Generally refers to a network of channels within the body.
Chamara. A mythic island, generally taken to be south of India.
Chipön Rongtsa Tragen. Brother to Trothung and Senglön, uncle to Gesar, and elder of Ling. The chieftain of the Lesser Lineage of Mukpo.
daka, dakini. Respectively, a male or female guardian, a manifestation of enlightened energy and activity.
Denma. Chief minister of Gesar, clever strategist and tactical planner. Known also for his archery skills and as a great and loyal warrior.
Denza. Trothung’s wife.
dharma. Refers to the spiritual teachings of Buddhism, as well as a more secular notion of truth or sense of natural law.
dri. Female yak
dralha. Deities that represent the strength and integrity of a warrior. Often symbolically represented on horseback. Some are more like nature spirits. Interchangeable with the term werma.
drong. Wild yak. Larger and more powerful and aggressive than domesticated yaks.
Drukmo. Daughter of Tönpa Gyaltsen of Kyalo, she is the wise and beautiful woman who marries Gesar. Her hand is won in the horserace. Also known as Sengcham Drukmo, Sengcham meaning Lion, and Drukmo, sister dragon.
Düd. A country of demons and bandits north of Ling. Figure prominently in a subsequent tale, The Battle of Düd and Ling, generally regarded as the greatest battle saga of the epic.
garuda. A large mythic bird. In Hinduism, Vishnu’s mount; in Buddhism, the king of birds and a symbol of warriors’ vastness, strength, and power.
Gesar. Known by many names at different times in the epic. Döndrub and Topa Gawa were names given to his mind stream prior to his human birth. Joru was the name given to him shortly after birth by his half-brother Gyatsha. He became known both as Gesar and Norbu Dradül after winning the horserace and being enthroned as king. Sometimes addressed as Sengchen Gyalpo, meaning Great Lion King.
Gogmo. Gesar’s mother, whose name literally means “woman from Gog.” She was born as a nagini princess, youngest daughter of the naga king Tsugna Rinchen. She came to Gog, a country bordering Ling, after leaving her naga kingdom at the behest of Padmasambhava.
Gyatsha. Elder half-brother of Gesar, son of Senglön and Gyaza, and grandson to the emperor of China. Becomes second in command to Gesar in further exploits of the epic.
Hayagriva. Horse-headed deity in the Buddhist pantheon. Attendant to Avalokiteshvara.
Hor. A kingdom to the east of Ling, ruled by demons and populated by bandits. Raiding parties came from Hor into Ling. In a later tale there will be a war between Hor and Ling.
Jambudvipa. The southern continent of Buddhist cosmology. It is the world of humans, analogous to planet earth in Western cosmological systems.
karma. Literally means action. Refers to the totality of a person’s actions in this life and felt to influence or produce ramifications in this life and the lifetimes to follow.
Kyalo Tönpa Gyaltsen. Chieftain, and father of Drukmo. Said to be the wealthiest man in Ling.
kyang. Also spelled kiang. A horse like Tibetan wild ass. A very powerful and noble creature that to this day roams the high plains of Tibet.
Ling. Large kingdom in ancient eastern Tibet, presumably in Amdo Province.
Ma Chu River. River in Northeastern Tibet that flows into China where it becomes the Yellow River. Sixth largest river in the world.
Ma Valley. An extensive valley in Ling in the area of the headwaters of the Ma Chu River.
Magyal Pomra. A mountain range in northeastern Tibet and the mountain spirit or zodor associated with it.
Manéné. A powerful sorceress and Gesar’s aunt and protector. Seen to be the feminine manifestation or aspect of Gesar’s wisdom. Throughout the many stories of the epic, she provides important council to him and appears to him at dramatic times sometimes as a bee, sometimes as a dakini often riding a horse or a lion.
mara. Usually translated as “demon.” A class of malevolent beings that can cause obstacles. When capitalized, it refers to the tempter of Shakyamuni Buddha who appears just prior to his enlightenment.
Michung. An important minister and friend to Gesar. Known for his eloquent speech and sharp insight as well as his relatively short stature.
Mount Kailash. A mountain in southwestern Tibet. It has 21,770 feet of elevation and is sacred to Hindus, Buddhists, Jains and Bon. In Buddhist cosmology it is known as Mount Meru and is often pictured as the center of the universe.
naga, nagini. Respectively, male and female water beings, portrayed with human torsos and blue- skinned serpent-like lower bodies. Naginis have long, turquoise hair.
Ne’uchung. Cousin and good friend to Drukmo. Known for her beauty, royal bearing, and insight.
nyen. A class of generally malevolent spirits. Some however where in the past very helpful to Gesar.
Padmasambhava. An eighth century Indian Buddhist master, who came to Tibet at the invitation of its king, Trisong Detsen. He has many manifestations both wrathful and peaceful.
pecha. Tibetan literally for ‘book’. Generally refers to religious liturgical text.
rakshasa. Cannibal demon, shape-shifting monster.
samsara. The confused cyclic existence of this world, in contrast to nirvana.
sangha. The community of Buddhist practitioners.
stupa. Ornamental tower-shaped monument usually containing the relics of meditation masters.
Triple Gem. In Buddhism this refers to Buddha as teacher, Dharma as teachings, and Sangha as fellow practitioners.
Trothung. Brother to Chipön and Senglön, uncle to Gesar. Chieftain to the Tag-rong province in present-day Golog.
Tsugna Rinchen. Naga king and father to Gesar’s mother, Gogmo.
Tushita. One of the divine or celestial realms in Buddhist cosmology.
vajra. Literally diamond or adamantine. Usually refers to a ritual object used in Vajrayana Buddhist practice.
yak, dri. The main beast of burden in Tibet. The dri (female yak) was prized for her milk. Both are important sources of food, and their fur is used for clothing and in tent construction.
yaksha. Nature spirit, usually benevolent.
zodor. A class of worldly spirits, originally part of the Bön pantheon, and generally associated with a place, most often a mountain. The main zodor in the epic is Magyal Pomra, which is the name for the mountain as well as the zodor that resides there.
