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Tibet's Warrior Messiah
| Article
# : |
14525 |
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Section : |
CULTURE
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| Issue
Date : |
3 / 1988 |
5,955 Words |
| Author
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Merlinda Fournier
Merlinda Fournier is a free-lance author based in the
Washington, D.C., area. |
Gesar of Ling is the Iliad of the Orient, one of the most pervasive and influential epics of Eastern culture. Passed on for possibly a thousand years, this enduring heroic legend continues to shape the life and character of its nation of origin, Tibet. In addition, it has a strong impact on the cultures of neighboring china, Mongolia, and India. It is as widely read in Central Asia as is Homer's Iliad in the West, and has recently begun to make inroads into American culture.
Although historic Tibet is often thought of as an idyllic fable land, the legendary Shangri-La, early in its history it was a powerful military empire. It was from that time that the saga of Gesar of Ling arose. Gesar stories and songs have been a part of almost every Tibetan's childhood since perhaps the seventh century, and remain so today.
One of the world's longest epic poems, the written version of Gesar of Ling fills about twenty-eight massive volumes. The story centers on the cosmic struggle between injustice and righteousness as embodied in the mystical adventures of Gesar, a messianic warlord.
Gesar the warrior is a voluntary savior--in Buddhist terms, a bodhisattva--who descends from his life in the heavenly realms for the express purpose of bringing righteousness to humankind. And the most elemental characteristic, the motivating force of such a being, is compassion.
This dynamic juxtaposition of ferocity and kindliness led a modern religious teacher, the late Tibetan Buddhist master Chogyam Trungpa, to formulate a remarkable spiritual practice, aimed at
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