Extract from "Fearless in Tibet"
SORCERER’S ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT ON THE DALAI LAMA (Part 1)
Lhasa, Central Tibet Year of the Earth Pig, 1899
In 1886, when the Thirteenth Dalai Lama was 11 years old, Demo became Tibet’s regent. Demo was the head of the Tengyeling Monastery, and its estate was the largest and most powerful in Lhasa at the time. Demo served the young Dalai Lama well, and thanks to his position, his monastery increased its already substantial wealth. In the Wood Sheep year (1895), Demo stepped aside and the Dalai Lama was enthroned as the spiritual and political ruler of Tibet. Many in Demo’s court were not pleased with their loss of power. In particular, Norbu Tsering, Demo’s nephew and manager of the Tengyeling estate, was distressed at the sudden reduction in Tengyeling’s political clout after the Dalai Lama ascended to the throne.
The wealth of Tengyeling in the late 1800s was a testament to Norbu Tsering’s proficiency in worldly ways. He not only employed financial skills and real estate management, but he also relied heavily on tantric practitioners to perform wealth rituals. But now Tengyeling’s influence was waning. Increasingly discontent with Tengyeling’s lot, Norbu Tsering believed the regency would be returned to his uncle Demo if something suddenly caused the Dalai Lama’s life to end. So he began to conspire against the Tibetan leader. Unable to gain access to anyone who worked with and served the Dalai Lama’s food, Norbu Tsering felt that poisoning, a common method used in China and Tibet at that time to eliminate enemies, was not an option. Then, on the occasion of hosting a ritual in their family home in the west part of Lhasa, presided over by Nyagtrül, the young tantric practitioner from Nyarong, Norbu Tsering hatched a plot to assassinate the Dalai Lama.
Nyagtrül’s rise to prominence in Lhasa had been quick. He had chosen to ignore Tertön Sogyal’s directive to leave Lhasa for an extended meditation retreat. He had not studied under a teacher since arriving in Lhasa and had not seen Tertön Sogyal or Tertön Rangrik. Nonetheless, his occult powers had increased greatly.
Before coming to Lhasa, Nyagtrül had been taught sorcery. A combination of the shamanism of Tibet’s past and Indian tantra, certain spells were the source of his magical powers to influence others, make matter invisible, or control the weather. The efficacy of this sorcery is ignited when a prescribed ritual is performed by a yogi who has mastered, among other talents, undistracted visualizations and mantra recitation. Such practices were taught rarely, for fear they would be misused.
Without a constant spiritual guide to look over Nyagtrül’s progress, the original pure motivation behind his spiritual practices became obscured by a sinister urge to acquire many disciples, wealth, and temples. Nyagtrül began to picture himself ruling over a monastic estate similar to Tengyeling, where thousands of students would bow at his feet. As his motivation to benefit others was overshadowed by an egoistic longing for material abundance, he began to rely solely on magic and worldly spells. He used them not to help others but rather for prosperity and influence for himself and for his patrons.
Just after dusk one evening, Nyagtrül agreed to assist Norbu Tsering in his conspiracy. Norbu Tsering did not mention the name of the Dalai Lama to Nyagtrül, however, saying only that a person needed to be eliminated in order for Tengyeling’s power to return. Nyagtrül set about the task straightaway.
On thin rice paper, Nyagtrül sketched the body of a naked man, around which he drew a mantra wheel; bound with chains at the neck, the man was pinned down by two large scorpions that held his head and feet in their mouths. Then he inscribed a spell on the paper, slowly enunciating aloud each syllable—a specific spell used to deplete an individual’s vital life-force. He recited the spell again and again, infusing the diagram with its injurious power. He strengthened the spell by visualizing scorpions and snakes dispensing the essence of their venom into the sketch.
Burning poisonous herbs on a small ember, Nyagtrül held the diagram over the bluish smoke to saturate the paper with noxious fumes. After he folded the paper into a square smaller than the palm of his hand, he drew a smaller diagram on the outside, with flames around the edge, and inscribed more wrathful and violent spells. As he wrapped the paper square with black and red thread, Nyagtrül knew that the black magic he had employed was the strongest possible, and he was confident in its efficacy.
At the conclusion of the ritual, Nyagtrül called Norbu Tsering into the dark room where the wicked diagram lay on the table.
“Give me the name and birth year of the person,” Nyagtrül said. “I will write it on the paper.”
“Thubten. Thubten Gyatso. Born in the year of the Fire Rat.”
Nyagtrül paused. The bamboo pen in his hand hovered above the paper as the butter lamp fizzled out. “You want to kill the Dalai Lama?” Nyagtrül questioned.
“Do it. I’ve backed you this whole time in Lhasa and provided you with whatever you wanted. Now just write what I have told you!”
Nyagtrül knew that his incantations and sorcery were powerful enough to take the life of any individual, no matter how holy that person may be. He stared at the diagram. The ring of flames sketched around the edge and the inward-coiling mantras left just enough space to write the name of the intended victim.
“You write it. I am not writing his name,” Nyagtrül said, thrusting the pen at Norbu Tsering.
“I don’t care who is the scribe or the sorcerer. I just want what is due to me.” Norbu Tsering grabbed the pen and wrote, “SUPPRESS THUBTEN GYATSO, BORN IN THE FIRE RAT YEAR.”
Nyagtrül hung his head between his shoulders as the Dalai Lama’s name in ink dried on the agent of death.
-end Part 1 extract-
SORCERER’S ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT ON THE DALAI LAMA (Part 1)
Lhasa, Central Tibet Year of the Earth Pig, 1899
In 1886, when the Thirteenth Dalai Lama was 11 years old, Demo became Tibet’s regent. Demo was the head of the Tengyeling Monastery, and its estate was the largest and most powerful in Lhasa at the time. Demo served the young Dalai Lama well, and thanks to his position, his monastery increased its already substantial wealth. In the Wood Sheep year (1895), Demo stepped aside and the Dalai Lama was enthroned as the spiritual and political ruler of Tibet. Many in Demo’s court were not pleased with their loss of power. In particular, Norbu Tsering, Demo’s nephew and manager of the Tengyeling estate, was distressed at the sudden reduction in Tengyeling’s political clout after the Dalai Lama ascended to the throne.
The wealth of Tengyeling in the late 1800s was a testament to Norbu Tsering’s proficiency in worldly ways. He not only employed financial skills and real estate management, but he also relied heavily on tantric practitioners to perform wealth rituals. But now Tengyeling’s influence was waning. Increasingly discontent with Tengyeling’s lot, Norbu Tsering believed the regency would be returned to his uncle Demo if something suddenly caused the Dalai Lama’s life to end. So he began to conspire against the Tibetan leader. Unable to gain access to anyone who worked with and served the Dalai Lama’s food, Norbu Tsering felt that poisoning, a common method used in China and Tibet at that time to eliminate enemies, was not an option. Then, on the occasion of hosting a ritual in their family home in the west part of Lhasa, presided over by Nyagtrül, the young tantric practitioner from Nyarong, Norbu Tsering hatched a plot to assassinate the Dalai Lama.
Nyagtrül’s rise to prominence in Lhasa had been quick. He had chosen to ignore Tertön Sogyal’s directive to leave Lhasa for an extended meditation retreat. He had not studied under a teacher since arriving in Lhasa and had not seen Tertön Sogyal or Tertön Rangrik. Nonetheless, his occult powers had increased greatly.
Before coming to Lhasa, Nyagtrül had been taught sorcery. A combination of the shamanism of Tibet’s past and Indian tantra, certain spells were the source of his magical powers to influence others, make matter invisible, or control the weather. The efficacy of this sorcery is ignited when a prescribed ritual is performed by a yogi who has mastered, among other talents, undistracted visualizations and mantra recitation. Such practices were taught rarely, for fear they would be misused.
Without a constant spiritual guide to look over Nyagtrül’s progress, the original pure motivation behind his spiritual practices became obscured by a sinister urge to acquire many disciples, wealth, and temples. Nyagtrül began to picture himself ruling over a monastic estate similar to Tengyeling, where thousands of students would bow at his feet. As his motivation to benefit others was overshadowed by an egoistic longing for material abundance, he began to rely solely on magic and worldly spells. He used them not to help others but rather for prosperity and influence for himself and for his patrons.
Just after dusk one evening, Nyagtrül agreed to assist Norbu Tsering in his conspiracy. Norbu Tsering did not mention the name of the Dalai Lama to Nyagtrül, however, saying only that a person needed to be eliminated in order for Tengyeling’s power to return. Nyagtrül set about the task straightaway.
On thin rice paper, Nyagtrül sketched the body of a naked man, around which he drew a mantra wheel; bound with chains at the neck, the man was pinned down by two large scorpions that held his head and feet in their mouths. Then he inscribed a spell on the paper, slowly enunciating aloud each syllable—a specific spell used to deplete an individual’s vital life-force. He recited the spell again and again, infusing the diagram with its injurious power. He strengthened the spell by visualizing scorpions and snakes dispensing the essence of their venom into the sketch.
Burning poisonous herbs on a small ember, Nyagtrül held the diagram over the bluish smoke to saturate the paper with noxious fumes. After he folded the paper into a square smaller than the palm of his hand, he drew a smaller diagram on the outside, with flames around the edge, and inscribed more wrathful and violent spells. As he wrapped the paper square with black and red thread, Nyagtrül knew that the black magic he had employed was the strongest possible, and he was confident in its efficacy.
At the conclusion of the ritual, Nyagtrül called Norbu Tsering into the dark room where the wicked diagram lay on the table.
“Give me the name and birth year of the person,” Nyagtrül said. “I will write it on the paper.”
“Thubten. Thubten Gyatso. Born in the year of the Fire Rat.”
Nyagtrül paused. The bamboo pen in his hand hovered above the paper as the butter lamp fizzled out. “You want to kill the Dalai Lama?” Nyagtrül questioned.
“Do it. I’ve backed you this whole time in Lhasa and provided you with whatever you wanted. Now just write what I have told you!”
Nyagtrül knew that his incantations and sorcery were powerful enough to take the life of any individual, no matter how holy that person may be. He stared at the diagram. The ring of flames sketched around the edge and the inward-coiling mantras left just enough space to write the name of the intended victim.
“You write it. I am not writing his name,” Nyagtrül said, thrusting the pen at Norbu Tsering.
“I don’t care who is the scribe or the sorcerer. I just want what is due to me.” Norbu Tsering grabbed the pen and wrote, “SUPPRESS THUBTEN GYATSO, BORN IN THE FIRE RAT YEAR.”
Nyagtrül hung his head between his shoulders as the Dalai Lama’s name in ink dried on the agent of death.
-end Part 1 extract-