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[[la phyi]], [[la phyi]] [[gangs ra]], [['brog]] [[la phyi]] [[gangs kyi ra ba]]
#REDIRECT:[[Prince Murub Tsepo]]
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[[Image:La-Phyi.jpg|frame|A view from the "Crest-Cave" on Lapchi mountain, Nov. 2005]]
An area mostly situated in Nepal, just at the border of Tibet and Nepal, north of Kathmandu. East of Nyanang ([[gnya' nang]]) and west of Drin Chubar ([[brin chu dbar]]). One of the most important places which where frequented by [[Milarepa]], ([[rje btsun mi la ras pa]]) for a long time. Other great masters who stayed there, most of them of one or the other [[Kagyu]] school, include [[Rechungpa]] ([[ras chung pa]], [[ras chung rdo rje grags pa]]), [[Nyö Lhanangpa]] ([[gnyos lha nang pa]]), [[Tsang Nyon Heruka]] ([[gtsang smyon he ru ka]]), the "Victorious Hermit of Lapchi" [[Namkha Gyaltsen]] ([[rgyal]] [[la phyi]] [[pa nam]] [[mkha' rgyal mtshan]]) who was said to be an incarnation of Milarepa's mind aspect and who spent 31 years there before he passed away, and [[Shabkar Tsogdruk Rangdrol]] ([[zhabs dkar tshogs drug rang grol]]). Together with [[Kangkar Tise]] (or Kailash) and [[Tsari]], Lapchi is one of the three holy mountain ranges that are believed to be the abode of [[Chakrasamvara]]. Together with the other two, Lapchi is listed among the "24 sacred places of the world" where it is identified as [[Godavari]]. There are twelve caves in Lapchi in eight of which Milarepa has meditated for considerable lengths of time: [[ze phug]] or [[Crest Cave]], [[g.yu]] [[thog]] [[phug]], [[sbas pa]] [[gong]] or [[Revelation of All Secrets]], [[sbas pa]] [['og]], [[sbas pa]] [[nub]], [[ras chen]] [[phug]], [[ras chung phug]], [[stag tshang]] [[phug]], [[seng]] [[khyams]] [[phug]], [[bdud 'dul phug mo che]], [[lung]] [[stan]] [[phug]] or [[Prophesied Cave of the Great Forest]] and [[gnam]] [[phug ma]], the most famous one being [[bdud 'dul phug mo che]], the "[[Cave of the Subjugation of Mara]]", where he subdued all evil forces. It is there where Milarepa survived for six month on only one measure of tsampa, after it had snowed continuously for 18 days and nights. He mastered the practice of Tummo ([[gtum mo]]) there and displayed various miracles like transforming his body into fire and water etc. A small monastery, [[Chöra Gephel Ling]] ([[chos ra dge 'phel gling]]), founded in the 1830s by Shabkar Tsogdruk Rangdrol, is situated just below this cave, on a small level plain called the [[chos 'byung ma thang]]. The actual mountain range of la phyi itself is considered to be the mandala of Chakrasamvara with a retinue of 62 deities. It is surrounded by three prominent mountains, the [[dkar po]] [['bum]] [[ye]], [[nag po]] [['bum]] [[ye]] and [[gser]] [[po]] [['bum]] [[ye]]. These mountains are considered to be the palaces of [[Avalokiteshvara]], [[Vajrapani]] and [[Manjushri]] respectively. The entire place is considered to be the essential mandala of [[Vajrayogini]]. Viewed from the highest cave, the ze phug, one can easily see the triangular shape of the area, with a triangle of sky above, a triangle of earth below and a triangle of water in between (see picture). For centuries Lapchi has been taken care of by masters of the [[Drikung Kagyu]] school. Since the mid-80s the Ven. Nubpa Rinpoche has supervised the reconstruction of this sacred place. Presently about 40 retreatants are in long-term retreats there.
 
Several Tibetan guidebooks ([[gnas yig]]) to Lapchi are available, one by [[g.yung]] [[ston]] [[zhi byed]] [[ri pa]] (15th cent.), one by the [[6th Shamar Rinpoche]] [[gar dbang chos kyi dbang phyug]] (1584-1630), and the presently most popular one by the 34th throne holder ([[gdan rabs]]) of the [[Drikung Kagyu]], [[bstan 'dzin chos kyi blo gros]] (1869-1906), composed in 1901.
 
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[[Drigung Father and Son]] are the senior and the junior incarnates of [[Drigung Monastery]], [[Drigung Chetsang]] ([[che tshang]]) and [[Chungtsang]] ([[chung tshang]]). The former was here [[Drigung Kyabgön Tendzin Padma Gyaltsen]] ([['bri gung skyabs mgon bstan 'dzin pad ma rgyal mtshan]], born in 1770), the twenty-seventh hierarch of [[Drigung]] and the reincarnation of [[Jigten Gonpo]] ([['jig rten mgon po]], 1143-1217). The latter was the reincarnation of [[Drigung Rigdzin Chökyi Trakpa]] ([['bri gung chung tshang rig 'dzin chos kyi grags pa]], 1597-1659). See Tendzin Pemai Gyaltsen's Account of the Various Masters of the [['bri gung bka' brgyud pa]] School. About their authority over [[Lapchi]], see LNY and [[chap.11, pgs. 342-343, note 10]] in ([[MR-ShabkarNotes]])
 
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Please expand other particulars regarding [[Lapchi]] here.
 
According to the [[Hevajra Tantra]] (see Snellgrove 1959, 1:70) these are: [[Jalandhara]], [[Oddiyana]], [[Paurnagiri]], [[Kamarupa]], [[Malaya]], [[Sindhu]], [[Nagara]], [[Munmuni]], [[Karunyapataka]], [[Kulata]], [[Arbuta]], [[Godavari]], [[Himadri]], [[Harikela]], [[Lampaka]], [[Kani]], [[Saurasta]], [[Kalinga]], [[Kokana]], [[Caritra]], [[Kosala]], and [[Vindhyakaumarapaurika]].
 
Other sources, such as the ''[[sadhana]]'' ([[sgrub thabs]]) of the ''[[Queen of Great Bliss]]'' ([[yum bka' bde chen rgyal mo]]) from the ''[[Longchen Nyingthig]]'' (see [[Tulku Thondup]], 1985), give a different enumeration of these [[twenty-four sacred places]].  They abide on the [[vajra-body]] inherent in every sentient being, which is symbolized here by the body of [[Vajrayogini]].  These twenty-four are divided in three groups:
 
a) Eight celestial abodes (Skt. - ''khagacharya'', Tib. - [[mkha' spyod]]): 1) The crown of the head is [[Jalandhara]], 2) in between the eyebrows is [[Pulliramalaya]], 3) the nape is [[Arbuta]], 4) the ''[[urna]]'' (the hair at the center of the forehead) is [[Rameshvara]], 5) the right ear is [[Oddiyana]], 6) the left ear is [[Godavari]], 7) the eyes are [[Devikota]], and 8) the shoulders are [[Malava]].
 
b) Eight earthly abodes (Skt. - ''gocharya'', Tib. - ''[[sa spyod]]'': 9) the throat is [[Lampaka]], 10) the underarms and kidneys are [[Kamarupa]], 11) the two breasts are [[Odra]], 12) the navel is [[Trishanku]], 13) the nose-tip is [[Koshala]], 14) the palate is [[Kalinga]], 15) the heart is both [[Kanchika]] and 16) [[Himalaya]] ([[Himavat]]).
 
c) Eight undergound abodes (Skt. - ''bhugarbha'', Tib. - ''[[sa 'og gi gnas brgyad]]''): 17) the genitals are [[Pretapuri]], 18) the anus is [[Grihadeva]], 19) the thumbs and the big toes are [[Maru]], 20) the thighs are [[Saurashtra]], 21) the calves are [[Suvarnadvipa]], 22) the sixteen other fingers and toes are [[Nagara]], 23) the knees are [[Kulata]], and 24) the ankles are [[Sindhu]].
 
=='''Discussion'''==
 
The following is from [[Matthieu Ricard]] ([[MR]]) in his [[The Life of Shabkar]].  The terms you may have been searching for will appear '''bolded''' in this wonderfully educational, and highly abbreviated geographic description of ''how'' the land of Tibet '''''actually lives through''''' it's cultural habitat, both historically ''and'' spiritually:
 
from chapter 11, pp. 342-343, note 10:
 
The [[White Snow Mountain]], [[Kangkar Tise]] ([[gangs dkar ti se]]), [[Mt. Kailash]] (literally 'Silver Mountain'), is one of the world's great holy mountains, sacred to [[Hindus]] and Buddhists alike.  It is one of the so-called "[[Three Holy Places of Tibet]]", associated with the [[body, speech, and mind]] aspects of [[Chakrasamvara]] and [[Vajravarahi]].  The other two are [[Lapchi]] ([[la phyi]]) and [[Tsari]] ([[tsa ri]]).  These three are also listed among the "[[Twenty-four Great Sacred Places]]" (Tib. - [[gnas chen nyer gzhi]]), (Skt. - ''pitha'') of the world, [[Mt. Kailash]] being identified as [[Himavat]], [[Lapchi]] as [[Godavari]], and [[Tsari]] as both [[Caritra]] and [[Devikota]].  There are several descriptions of and guides to [[Mt. Kailash]], including one written by [[Konchog Tendzin Chokyi Lodro]], the [[sixth Drigung Chungtsang]] ([['bri gung chung tshang dkon mchog bstan 'dzin chos kyi blo gros]], 1829-1906), and a recent one composed by [[Choying Dorje]] (1990), hereafter quoted as MK.
 
It is recounted in the ''[[Chakrasamvara Tantra]]'' and it's commentaries (as related in MK) that the world was once ruled by [[Bhairava]], the wrathful form of [[Mahadeva]], who made the land of [[Magadha]] the seat of his power.  It is said also that four [[devas]] and four ''[[gandharvas]]'' descended from the sky and established their dominion in the eight places known as the [[Eight Celestial Abodes]] ([[mkha' spyod kyi gnas brgyad]]).  Likewise, four [[yakshas]] and four [[rakshasas]], already on the earth, made their way to [[Jambudvipa]], where they established themselves in the [[Eight Earthly Abodes]] ([[sa spyod kyi gnas brgyad]], while four [[naga]s and four [[asura]]s came to [[Jambudvipa]] from beneath the earth, to settle themselves in [[Eight Underground Abodes]] ([[sa 'og gi gnas brgyad]]).  They invited [[Bhairava]] to visit their dwellings, twenty-four in all, but he, instead of coming personally, manifested in each place as a ''[[lingam]]'' to which these savage beings would make blood sacrifices.
 
These demonic forces prevailed from the "[[golden age]]" until the beginning of our present "[[era of strife and conflict]]." It was then, the tantra recounts, that the Blessed One, [[Vajradhara]], knew that the time had come to subdue these unsuitable beings. Without his mind ever wavering from [[objectless compassion]] ([[dmigs pa med pa'i snying rje]]), he arose in the formidable wrathful display of a [[Heruka]] with four heads and twelve arms. He danced, and through the power of the [[nondual wisdom]] of all [[the Buddhas]], trampled down [[Mahadeva]] and his consort together with their [[retinue]], liberating their minds into the absolute expanse and establishing them in [[great bliss]].
 
The [[Heruka]] then blessed each of the [[twenty-four abodes]] as a palace of [[Chakrasamvara]] and each of the twenty-four [[lingam]]s as a [[mandala of sixty-two wisdom deities]]. The sixty-two are [[Chakrasamvara and his consort]], and his [[retinue]]: the [[twenty-four male and twenty-four female Bodhisattvas]], and the [[twelve goddesses]].
 
At the [[nirmanakaya]] level, it is said that [[Mt. Kailash]] was miraculously blessed by [[Buddha Shakyamuni]] and [[five hundred arhats]].  Once, [[Ravana]] ([[mgon po beng]]) and his consort had taken to their palace in [[Lanka]] one of the three statues of [[Buddha Shakyamuni]] which the Lord himself had blessed.  Desiring to place this statue on a worthy support, [[Ravana]] had planned to take [[Mt. Kailash]] on his back and carry it to [[Lanka]].  At the same moment [[Lord Buddha]] and [[five hundred arhats]] came flying through the sky and alighted to the west of [[Mt. Kailash]], leaving their footprints in the rock.  The [[Buddha]] stepped on all four sides of the mountain, leaving footprints in the rock which are known as the [[Four Immutable Nails of Kailash]] ([[mi 'gyur ba'i gzer bzhi]]).  [[Ravana]] thus was unable to lift the mountain.  Then the Buddha sat on a rock in front of the mountain and taught [[Dharma]] to the [[naga king]] [[Anavatapta]], the lord of the [[Lake Manasarovar]].  He then taught the ''[[Lankavatara Sutra]]'' to [[Ravana]], and blessed him and his consort as the [[Glorious Wisdom Protector]], the [[Great Being and Consort]] ([[dpal ye shes mgon po beng chen lcam dral]]).
 
[[Mt. Kailash]] was later blessed by [[Guru Padmasambhava]], and became famous after [[Jetsun
Milarepa]] lived there and held his contest of miracles with [[Naro Bonchung]].  (When [[Jetsun Milarepa]] and the [[Bonpo]] [[Naro Bonchung]] held their famous contest of miracles to decide who would retain supremacy over the sacred mountain, they left imprints of their feet in the rocks and many other miraculous signs.  See G. C. C. Chang, (1962, vol. 1, pp. 215-224).  Later [[Gyalwa Gotsangpa]] ([[rgod tshang pa mgon po rdo rje]]), [[Linge Repa]] ([[gling rje ras pa]]) (1128-1188), and many other great meditators lived ascetic lives at the foot of [[Mt. Kailash]].
 
In particular, holders of the [[Drigung Kagyu]] lineage frequented this place in great numbers.  [[Drigung Jigten Gonpo]] ([['bri gung 'jigs rten mgon po]] 1143-1217) had a dream in which the guardian deities of the [[Three Sacred Places]] of [[Tsari, Lapchi, and Kailash]] came and prostrated themselves before him, requesting him to go and bless their territories.  [[Jigten Gonpo]] replied that he would send great meditators instead.  Accordingly, he dispatched 80 hermits to each place.  Some years later, he reputedly sent 900 hermits and finally 55,525 practitioners to each site (see Huber, 1989).  At [[Kailash]] these were under the leadership of the great ''[[pandita]]'' [[Yakgangpa]] ([[pan chen yag sgang pa]]), who is also called (according to MK, pg. 59), [[Dorzin Guhya Gangpa]] ([[rdor 'dzin guh ya sgang pa]]); at [[Lapchi]] the practitioners were led by [[Geshe Paldrak]] ([[dge bshes dpal grags]], 12th-13th century); and at [[Tsari]] they were under the guidance of [[Dorzin Gowoche]] ([[rdor 'dzin mgo bo che]]).  In the [[Three Sacred Places]] of [[Tsari, Lapchi, and Kailash]], ''Dorzin'' ([[rdor 'dzin]] = ''Holder of the [[Vajra]]'') usually refers to a spiritual master or an administrator sent from [[Drigung Monastery]] as representative of the [[Drigung]] hierarchs.  (see Petech 1978, 317.)  ([[MR-ShabkarNotes]]).
 
 
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Latest revision as of 22:26, 4 May 2006

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