lha btsun pa byang chub 'od

lha btsun byang chub 'od - Lhatsün Jangchub Ö; the nephew of the King of Gugey, Lha Lama Yeshe Ö (lha bla ma ye shes 'od). Lha Lama sent envoys with offerings of gold to invite Atisha to Tibet so that he could restore the purity of the teachings, which were in decline. But Atisha refused. Meanwhile, Lha Lama was captured by the king of Garlog, who was alarmed at any effort to revive the teachings. The king demanded Lha Lama's weight in gold as ransom. When Jangchub Ö brought it, Lha Lama said, "I am now old, and it matters little whether I live or not. Use the gold to bring Pandita Atisha here." So Jangchub Ö sent Naktso Lotsawa to India with the invitation. Hearing that the king Lha Lama had sacrificed his life for the sake of the teachings, Atisha said he could not refuse the invitation, although he had received a prediction from Tara that he would live to the age of ninety-two if he remained in India but only until seventy-three if he went to Tibet. [MR] [RY]