CH. VII] THE CHRONICLES OF LADAKH : TRANSLATION 11. I
supposed to have attained to Arhatship during life, but became Arhats at the moment of their death. Hence the Grub-thob, or Siddha, would seem to be ` a candidate for Arhatship ', one who will obtain Grub-pa, i.e. perfection, when he dies. Two characteristics of the Grub-thob, incidentally mentioned here, also prove that between him and an arhat designate is very little difference. The first is that he is able to have intercourse with the ` eighty great disciples ', i.e. that time to him is of no account. The second is that he has obtained the ` rainbow-body ' (hjah-lus), i.e. a body which at death vanishes out of sight, not leaving any trace behind, just like the rainbow. Compare the seven Khri (thrones) in Chapter IV (ante). This, of course, amounts to obtaining Parinirvána. Now, as according to Sir Monier Williams (Buddhism, ed. 2, p. 134), the third and highest degree of Arhatship is identical with Supreme Buddhahood, it is no longer difficult to understand why Stag-tshaia-ras-then should be styled a Sams-rgyas, i.e. a Buddha. Stag-tshaia is said to be the author of the little book of travel, the Sant-bha-la-pahi-lam-yig, referred to once or twice in these notes. (Portrait statuettes of Stag-tshail may be seen at He-mi and Lce-hbre.—F.) The Rgyal-mntshan is a crinoline-shaped kind of parasol, but cylindrical, not conical, in form, about 3 feet in height by 1 foot in width ; it consists of two or three hoops with a covering of black woollen threads or of trimmings of calico. (It is of Indian origin.—F. W. T.) It is planted on the roofs of lamaseries and palaces. The Pay-chen-rin-po-che at Bkra-sis-lhun-po is not usually supposed to be an incarnation of Subhüti ; but, as he may be an incarnation of Amitabha, of Mailjusri, of Vajrapáni, and of Tsoii-kha-pa, there is no reason why he should not be an incarnation of Subhüti as well. (But see Grünwedel, Mythologie, p. 207, where Subhüti is placed at the head of the hierarchs of Bkra-sislhun-po.—F. W. T.)
Tibetan glog (i.e. klog reading)=fire-arms. As to 5a-wail and Ga-ye (Za-yas) no information was available. Bkra-sis-bstan-hphel, however, was confident that mar-jag-la-gtoit-ba means ` to kill '. Dgoiisrdzogs-la really has a much more profound meaning than simply ` in memory '. I think its primary meaning is ` to complete what may be supposed to have been the intention of the deceased person to do, but was left undone ' ; a secondary meaning would be ` to perform meritorious works on behalf of a deceased person, so as to benefit him or her in the bar-do purgatory ' ; and thirdly (once in C MS., distinctly so),
funeral rites and prayers read for the benefit of the soul.' The litany used on such occasions is called, in the case of the Dge-ldan-pa sect, Sbyan-lam, ` the way of removing obstacles,' viz. in the road to a happy rebirth, and is usually read for forty-nine days (as Sir Monier Williams gives it, Buddhism, ed. 2, p. 334). Rgya-lha, ` great deities ' ; I follow in this translation Bkra-sis-bstaia-hphel's explanation ; but still some misgivings as to its accuracy remain. Hbum-tshan are large earrings of silver or gold, consisting of a ring about 2 inches in diameter, on to which are strung, like beads, a large number of very diminutive rings of silver or gold. Sa-phud, a first offering, earnest of land. Tsho-sntad, ` decline of life'; tsho-stod, `prime of life.' The king was like a lion and the lama like a tiger ' is an allusion to their proper names : sen-ge = lion, stag= tiger. Mchod-yon, ?nchod = lama ; yon= donor, i.e. yon-bdag (dánapati), present lord. One Ladakh rupee is equal to á rupee British coinage. Rkyan-khab = Urdu Kimkhwáb, cloth. Men-tse, silk-gauze with dots ; gliit-ri, the same without dots. The two words combined are men-gliit. A-se is a broad variety of this kind of loose gauze. For ` scarfs of blessing ' see Huc' & Gabet's memoirs, etc. Lo-ito-gsunt, compare Jiischke's Dict., sub voce iao, zla-ba-ito-bctt means ` the first half of the tenth month ', hence here we probably ought to translate ` the first half of the third year '. Naia-rtan means ` his own private utensils for religious worship '.
NOTES BY THE TRANSLATOR
As regards the works of literature mentioned in the above account the following may be said : The Bkah-hgyur is, of course, the well-known encyclopaedia. The copy in gold, silver, and copper writing mentioned above is apparently still existent at Bab-sgo. The Ston-phrag-brgya-pa is a well-known work of Mahayana philosophy, the Satasáhasriká Prajiiá-pàramitá, comprising 100,000 slokas. Mdo-sde is the name of one of the divisions of the Bkah-hgyur, viz. the sűtras. (Skal-bzans is the Bhadra-kalpa, the beginning of the Mdo.—F. W. T.) Byams-chos is perhaps the abridged title of the work Byams-pas-zuspahi-chos-brgyad ; but this work has eight, not five, chapters as stated in the text. For Brgya-rtog-gser-gsum, the well-known trilogy, see notes on Hjam-dbyahs-rnam-rgyal. The biography of Stag-tshafi-ras-chen has not yet been discovered, but will probably soon come to light. The Mgur-hbu?n are the well-known 100,000 songs of Mi-la-ras-pa.
The additional lines from L MS. are of particular importance, for they tell us of Shah Jahán's attempt to conquer Ladakh. He did not succeed, however, in capturing the town of Mkhar-bu. This town was built
IIIF Color HighRes
