Chapter 1c - The Zur Geneology (ix): Dam pa se brag pa

[Full title: The Zur Geneology (ix): Dam pa se brag pa (ston shAk)]

Now ston shAk of dbus: he belonged to the family of gcer ba wang thung, a householder of gzad. Having gone to Iearn the alphabet at the school of lha rje nya ri ba, he obtained faith (in the Doctrine) and pursued his studies.

Then, as stated above, he visited lha rje rgya nag pa. He studied thoroughly all Tantras and precepts, and intended to practise meditation.

He accordingly went in search of an hermitage in the Northern Mountains (byang ri). Dam pa yo chung ba was said to be engaged in cutting rocks at yol pa brag.

Ston shAk asked him: “Will you build a hermitage here?” “Yes,” replied the latter.

He further inquired: “Besides this place, is there another place (suitable) for building?”

“If one were to establish (a hermitage) on the rock overgrown with thorny rose bushes over there, it would do, but I have found that this (place) is more inaccessible than the other place, and so shall build (my hermitage) here. Besides these, there is no other place,” said again yol chung ba.

Then dam pa ston shAk proceeded to the rock over grown with thorny wild rose shrubs, and heard a voice saying: “ls there a piece of bread to be found on the bank of its spring?” Again he heard (the voice saying): “Are there not five lumps of food (zan rtog)?”

He understood these words to be auspicious omens, and took up his residence there, practiced meditation and his mind found its goal.^[1]

He held in restraint gods, and demons, developed the faculty of teaching to {R 13O} numerous disciples, and became known as dam pa se brag pa.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

in Tibet, people looking for a place to build a house, always pay attention to the talk of local people