Divining With Achi and Tara - Comparative Remarks On Tibetan Dice and Mala Divination - Tools Poetry Structures and Ritual Dimensions

Divining with Achi and Tārā
Jan-Ulrich Sobisch - 978-90-04-40262-1

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Prognostication in History
Edited by
Chia-Feng Chang (Taiwan National University)

Michael Lackner (Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg)
Klaus Herbers (Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg)
Alexander Fidora (University of Barcelona)
volume 1
The titles published in this series are listed at brill.com/prhi

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Divining with Achi and Tārā
Comparative Remarks
on Tibetan Dice and Mālā Divination:
Tools, Poetry, Structures, and Ritual Dimensions
Translated and Introduced by
Jan-Ulrich Sobisch
With Contributions by
Solvej Hyveled Nielsen
LEIDEN | BOSTON

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Sobisch, Jan-Ulrich, translator, editor. | Hyveled Nielsen, Solvej, 1987-

Title: Divining with Achi and Tārā : comparative remarks on Tibetan dice and mālā
divination : tools, poetry, structures, and ritual dimensions / translated and
introduced by Jan-Ulrich Sobisch ; with contributions by Solvej Hyveled
Nielsen.
Description: Leiden ; Boston : Brill, [2019] | Series: Prognostication in history, 2589-
4404 ; volume 1 | Includes bibliographical references and index. | English and
Tibetan.
Identifiers: LCCN 2019025577 (print) | LCCN 2019025578 (ebook) |
ISBN 9789004401952 (hardback) | ISBN 9789004402621 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Divination–Tibet Region. | Fortune-telling by dice–Tibet Region. |
A-phyi Chos-kyi-sgrol-ma (Buddhist deity)
Classification: LCC BF1773.2.T5 D58 2019 (print) | LCC BF1773.2.T5 (ebook) |
DDC 133.3–dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019025581
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019025582
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ISSN 2589-4404
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ISBN 978-90-04-40262-1 (e-book)
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This book is dedicated to the memory of D. Tsondu Senghe,
publisher of Tibetan texts and a great friend

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Contents
Acknowledgments ix
List of Illustrations x
Abbreviations xi
1 Introduction 1
1 Dice for Divination—One of Many Tools of Randomization 4
2 Poetry in the Prophecy 9
3 Chinese Buddhist Divination Poetry 10
4 Poetry in the Turkic Irk Bitig 13
5 Poetry in Turfan Fragments 14
6 Brief Poetical Elements in the Sanskrit Pāśakakevalī 15
7 Poetry in a Tibetan Dunhuang Divination Manual 16
8 Poetry in Mipham’s A ra pa tsa na 18
9 Structure and Nucleus of the Achi Mo 19
10 Poetry in the Achi Mo 23
11 More on the Divinations’ General Prognoses 28
12 The Detailed Prognoses and Their Categories 31
13 Ritual Remedies and Supports 35
14 Remedies in the Book of Consecration 36
15 Remedies in Tibetan Dunhuang Texts 38
16 Remedies in the Pāśakakevalī 39
17 Remedies in Later Tibetan Mo Texts 40
18 Ritual Proficiency 44
2 Interviews 47
1 Interview with Khenchen Nyima Gyaltsen Rinpoche 47
2 Interview with Lho Ontul Rinpoche 60
3 Translation of the Achi Mo 64

1 The Sādhana 64
2 Tibetan Text and Translation of the Divination Manual of Achi 72
4 Mālā Divination 186

1 Treng Mo: A Popular Tibetan Way of Divining with a Mālā 186
2 Tibetan Text and Translation of the Divination Manual of Tārā 188
3 Interviews with Khenchen Nyima Rinpoche and Dorzin Dhondrup
Rinpoche 206

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viii contents
4 Explanations from Khenchen Nyima Gyaltsen Rinpoche 206

5 Explanations from Dorzin Konchog Dhondrup Rinpoche 208
6 Some Variations and Similarities 212
7 Special Terminology of Tibetan Divination 214
8 Terminology of Fortune and Misfortune in Tibetan Buddhist Mo
Divination 230
Appendix 1: Glossary of Deities and Spirits 233

Appendix 2: Alphabetical List of Ritual Remedies and Supports 239
Bibliography 255
Index of Tibetan Terms 263
Index of Names of Authors of Accademic Works 265
General Index 266

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Acknowledgments
First and foremost I would like to thank Michael Lackner, Rolf Scheuermann,
and Michael Balsiger of the International Research Consortium “Fate, Free-
dom and Prognostication: Strategies for Coping with the Future in East Asia
and Europe” at the University of Erlangen-Nürnberg for granting me a visiting
fellowship and thereby providing me with a unique opportunity to do some
research in the still understudied field of Tibetan divination. I would also like
to gratefully acknowledge the support of all the staff at the consortium and
the other research and visiting fellows who worked there during my stay in
May–October 2017 and who provided a challenging intellectual environment.
In particular, I would like to thank Petra Maurer and Brandon Dotson for shar-
ing their knowledge of Tibetan divination with me on several occasions.
At the beginning of my project stood two interviews with the venerable
Khenchen Nyima Gyaltsen Rinpoche and the venerable Lho Ontul Rinpoche in
2016 at the Milarepa Retreat Center, Schneverdingen (Germany). I am grateful
for their kindness and the interest they took in my project. I have to thank espe-
cially the ven. Khenchen Nyima Rinpoche for providing me with the opportu-
nity to discuss many follow-up questions with him in the summer of 2017. The
interview with Khenchen Nyima was translated by Solvej Hyveled Nielsen and
the one with Ontul Rinpoche by Sonam Spitz. Special thanks are due to Solvej
for translating the tapes of the follow-up discussions with Khenchen Nyima
and, still later, for clarifying numerous questions with him through wechat.
Moreover, she contributed all sections of part four of this book with an intro-
duction to Mālā divination, a translation of a work attributed to Atiśa, further
interviews, and two glossaries, which should not only be exciting and very use-
ful for those who are interested in Tibetan divination, but also for those inter-
ested in medicine, ritual, proverbs, and general customs.
J.U.S.

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Illustrations
1 Ivory die, 1st–3rd c., Pakistan (Gandhara) or Afghanistan, H. 2 3/16 in. (5.6cm),
Metropolitan Museum, New York, USA. acc. no. 2000.284.19. public domain
https://images.metmuseum.org/CRDImages/as/web‑large/DP138064.jpg 2
2 Irk Bitig; The International Dunhuang Project, British Library Or.8212/161 5
3 Śrī Devi (Tib. dPal ldan lha mo), Himalayanart.org acc.no. F1996.11.5, with the
kind permission of the Rubin Museum, New York 8
4 Detail of ill. 3 9
5 Khenchen Nyima. With the kind permission of Khenchen Nyima Gyaltsen 48
6 Ontul Rinpoche. With the kind permission of Lho Ontul Rinpoche 61
7 Dorzin Dhondrup Rinpoche. With the kind permission of Dorzin Konchog
Dhondrup Rinpoche 209

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Abbreviations
B dByangs can grub pa’i rdo rje (1809–1887), dPal ldan lha mo la brten nas sho
mo ’debs tshul nor bu’i me long, TBRC W22334.
C lCags ra ba Ngag dbang phrin las dpal bzang po (1730–1794), dPal ldan dmag
zor rgyal mo’i sgo nas rno mthong sgrub tshul, TBRC W22327.
ChDz ’Bri gung bka’ brgyud chos mdzod chen mo, 151 vols., Lhasa, 2004, W00JW501
203
CMDh-1 Collection of Mantras and Dharani Incantations for Recitation (gZungs
’dus), TBRC W22348.
CMDh-2 Collection of Mantras and Dharani Incantations for Recitation (gZungs
bsdus), TBRC W1KG12113.
CWKC-1 Collected Works of Karma chags med, 49 vols., TBRC W22933.
CWKC-2 Collected Works of Karma chags med, 60 vols., TBRC W1KG8321.
CWKC-3 Collected Works of Karma chags med, 9 vols., TBRC W00EGS1017082
CWT Collected Works of sTag lung pa, 61 vols., TBRC W1PD166109.
D the sDe dge mTshal par bka’ ’gyur of Situpa, TBRC W22084.
DCh ’Bri gung bka’ brgyud kyi ’don chog nyer mkho phyogs sgrig, Dehradun, n.d.
J ’Jigs bral Ye shes rdo rje (1904–1987), bKra shis tshe ring ma’i ’phrul mo snang
gsal me long, in: ’Phrul mo sna tshogs phan bde’i ’byung gnas. Delhi, India:
Konchhog Lhadrepa, 1997; TBRC W23716, pp. 1–29.
K Karma Chags med (1613–1678), bCu gsum tshugs kyi mo yig mngon shes ’phrul
gyi me long nam mkha’ gsal ba. Nangchen: gNas mdo gsang sngags chos ’phel
gling gi dpe rnying nyams gso khang, 2010; TBRC W1KG8321 vol. 42, pp. 275–
299.
KR dKon mchog ratna, bsTan srung chos kyi sgrol ma’i sgrub thabs, Chos spyod
phyogs bsgrigs ratna’i zhal lung, compiled by Bragyal Konchok Norbu, Dri-
kung Kagyu Three Kayas Centre, Kaohsiung Hsien, Taiwan, 2002.
MD Mi ’gyur rdo rje (1646–1667), Gu ru mtshan brgyad kyi phreng mo. Paro
Kyichu, Bhutan: Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, 1983; TBRC W21578, vol. 3 pp.
357–360.
Mi Mi pham ’Jam dbyangs rNam rgyal rGya mtsho (1846–1912), Rig sngags kyi
rgyal po a ra pa tsa la brten nas blang dor brtag pa ’jam dpal dgyes pa’i zhal
lung, in: mo dpe phyogs bsdus snang srid gsal ba’i me long. Bylakuppe, India:
Ngagyur Nyingma Institute, 2001–2002; TBRC W29669, pp. 146–191.
N Ngag dbang Yon tan bzang po (1928–2002), rJe btsun sgrol ma’i mo yig rno
mthong g.yu yi me long g.ya’ bral dang rgya mtsho’i nang gi chu thigs nyag
tsam mthong ba’i gdon rdzas ngos ‘dzin zung. ’Dzam thang: mDo smad ’dzam
thang ’jam dbyangs shes rig lte gnas, 2010; TBRC W1KG5698, vol. 6, pp. 172–
204.

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xii abbreviations
P dKon mchog ’phrin las bzang po (1656–1718), A phyi chos kyi sgrol ma’i sho
mo snang srid gsal ba’i me long, Tsondu Senghe, Yorey Tsang (publ.), Delhi,
India, 1992; TBRC W23896.
RT Rin chen gter mdzod, Treasure Collection by Jamgön Kongtrul, 111 vols., TBRC
W20578.
S Śāntideva (late seventh to mid-eighth century CE), Mo rtsis ’jam dpa’i
dbyangs. Narthang Tengyur vol. go, 116a1–122a5, Peking Tengyur vol. go (143)
98a1–103b7.
T1 Atiśa Dīpaṃkara Śrījñāna (982–1054CE), rJe bstun sgrol mas jo bo rje dpal
ldan a ti sha la lung bstan pa’i ’phreng mo, in: ’Phrul mo sna tshogs phan
bde’i ’byung gnas bzhugs so, Konchhog Lhadrepa, Delhi, India, 1997, TBRC
W23716, pp. 63–73.
T2 Atiśa, ’Phreng mo mngon shes gtod ma, scanned in Bhutan by Karma Phunt-
sho as part of the Endangered Archives project, catalogue no. “Yagang Thor-
bu 057.”
T3 Atiśa, rJe btsun sgrol ma’i mo ’di sgrol mas jo bo ral gcig la dngos su gnang ba’i
sgrol ma’i mo yig, in: Bir gzhis ka nas khrid skor sogs, Rare rNyin ma pa texts
from Bir: Including writings of the Se ra mKha’ ’gro bde ba’i rdo rje and the A
tsa ra snags yig, Bir, India, 1979, Pema Gyaltsen, TBRC W23572, pp. 513–520.
T4 Atiśa, Jo bo dhī pam ka ras mdzad pa’i ’phreng mo, https://eap.bl.uk/archive
‑file/EAP105‑1‑3‑145.
TBRC www.tbrc.org, now renamed the Buddhist Digital Resource Center, estab-
lished by Gene Smith.
Tu Thu’u bkwan bLo bzang chos kyi nyi ma (1737–1802), rTa mgrin gsang sgrub
kyi chos skor las/ ’phreng mo ’debs tshul lkog gyur gsal ba’i me long. Delhi,
India: Ngawang Gelek Demo, 1969–1971; TBRC W21506, vol. 7, pp. 747–755.
Q Peking canon of 1737, Suzuki, 1955, Tokyo.

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chapter 1
Introduction
With this introduction I would like to provide a brief comparative survey of

some dice divination manuals of different cultures, languages, and times, to
shed a little light on the striking similarities we find in them and, thereby,
to place Tibetan dice divination in a broader context. A case in point is the
astonishing uniformity of four-sided dice found in Taxila (near today’s Islam-
abad) and Egypt that date to the ninth century (or earlier), although their exact
historical connection is not yet established. Both are made of bone, rectangu-
lar, “unbalanced” (i.e., their opposing sides do not respectively add up to the
same number), their “pips” (little holes representing the numbers) are each
surrounded by two concentric circles, and their two ends are marked with
two (Taxila) or three (Egypt) lines cut into them.1 Apart from such remarkable
material similarities, we also find, for instance, a similarity in numbers deriving
from the form (e.g., four-sided dice tend to produce sixty-four omens, on which
see below), and, moreover, also a similarity of ideas. The questions posed to the
diviners, for instance, recorded in many manuals, testify to the homogeneity of
human needs and desires throughout the world. Investigating some of these
similarities, the focus of this introduction will be on aspects of the dice, poetry,
structures, prognostic categories, and ritual remedies found in divinatory texts.
We use the terms “divination” or “prognosis” (in Tibetan: mo) in the present
publication for all prognostic techniques that either make use of standard signs
or produce random signs. Standard signs are, for instance, used in butter lamp
divination. Here, the diviner watches for certain standard signs like large or
small flames and a long or short duration of the flame and then interprets the
standard signs according to schemes that have already been laid down in the
respective divination manuals. We can find standard signs also, for instance, in
the practice of Tibetan bird divination, where we have manuals that describe
the behavior of birds or the sounds that they make. The diviner watches par-
ticular birds such as crows for the occurrence of typical behavior or sounds
and turns then to manuals that provide stock interpretations for each of these
“signs.” The production of random signs, on the other hand, is achieved mostly
through technical devices like dice, sticks, or shells. The numbers obtained
1 See Dotson (forthcoming), “Three Dice, Four Faces, and Sixty-Four Omens: Early Tibetan Dice
Divination by the Numbers.”
© koninklijke brill nv, leiden, 2019 | doi:10.1163/9789004402621_002 Jan-Ulrich Sobisch - 978-90-04-40262-1

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2 chapter 1
figure 1
Ivory die, 1st–3rd c., Pakistan (Gandhara) or Afghanistan, H. 2 3/16 in.
(5.6 cm), Metropolitan Museum, New York, USA. acc. no. 2000.284.19
public domain https://images.metmuseum.org/CRDImages/as/
web‑large/DP138064.jpg
through dice, for instance, lead to stock prognoses, often in the form of verses,
which provide basic interpretations of the random signs. Such stock prognoses
are what we find in the texts investigated here. It should be noted, however, that
there is some overlap between the categories roughly defined above, and—
although I have used terms like “standard signs” and “stock prognoses” in my
description—that there is always plenty of room for the diviner’s individual
interpretation. The stock prognoses may be very short and often cryptic for-
mulations, leaving much room for imagination, or they can be more concrete
such as when a prognosis predicts that one will find a lost item within a week
in the north-eastern direction.
There is another crucial difference to be discussed between types of meth-
ods. In the Mo divination that is under investigation here, what is to be divined
is “received” either in a vision or in the instant when the randomizing technical
device “falls” (e.g., when dice fall). In another type of method, fortune and mis-
fortune are calculated (Tib. rtsis), as in the Sino-Tibetan calculation methods
(Tib. nag rtsis and ’byung rtsis) that came to Tibet from China during the Yar-
lung dynasty (7th–9th c.). Instead of relying on visions or randomizing tools, it
relies on the idea that the elements fire, earth, iron, water, and wood pervade—
or, in fact, make up—all reality of space and time. In practice, one or several

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introduction 3
elements are related to components such as years, month, days, hours, cardinal
directions, planets, and zodiac signs, or to more mysterious Chinese elements
such as the nine numbers of the magical square (Tib. sme ba dgu) and eight
trigrams (Tib. spar kha). For all these elements such as fire and earth, and so
forth, which are either mutually conducive or antagonistic, a system has been
developed to calculate the favorable or unfavorable influences of their combi-
nations. Very similar to the process of divination, these calculations are used
to determine a prognosis for material wealth, life, health and so forth. How-
ever, in addition to the coming together of influences in a given situation, this
method also takes into consideration the constellations at the year of birth of
a person, which are believed to be determining factors that accompany a per-
son the whole life. Thus, if, for instance, a person’s health is in the year of his
birth related to the element of water and in another year to fire, that year will
be problematic for his health as these elements are antagonistic and certain
rituals will have to be carried out to protect him. Sino-Tibetan calculation has
common features with Tibetan geomancy (sa dpyad), one form of which analy-
ses the shape of mountains, rivers, and so forth, that are believed to have similar
influences like fire, water, earth, and so forth, from among the elements of cal-
culation. There exists, however, in Tibet also a form of geomancy that is more
closely related to divination since it uses randomizing tools that produce signs
on the ground or in the sand that are then divined. An important role is also
played by astronomy and astrology (Tib. skar rtsis) in Tibet. It too is a system of
calculation rather than divination to provide prognoses. Thus, the main differ-
ence between Sino-Tibetan calculation, landscape geomancy, and astrology on
the one hand, and Mo divination on the other is that in the former the progno-
sis is based on a calculation of the influencing elements, whereas a Mo divines
using vision or randomizing tools. In practice, however, diviners often combine
methods belonging to both divination and calculation.2
Apart from material aspects, structure, poetry, and so forth, dice divination
manuals all over the world have also many other aspects in common. Divina-
tory techniques with dice or similar technical devices for randomization occur
in all ancient, medieval, and modern cultures—i.e., they are a timeless phe-
nomenon. Their literary manifestations almost always bear elements of both
an elite, literary culture and of folk culture. Moreover, each sample we look at is
usually modeled after one or several older ones, eventually going back in some
2 All these systems and methods individually, and in particular their combination in the prac-
tice of divination deserve further study. For ngag rtsis, see Schuh 1972, 1973a, 1973b, 2010a,
Te-ming Tsen 2005, Shen Yu Ling 2005, Dorje 2002; for sa dpyad, see Maurer 2009, 2011, Schuh
2004; and for skar rtsis, see Schuh 1973c, 2010b.

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4 chapter 1
of its elements to divination books in other cultures. It is, thereby, connected

throughout the world to Babylonic, Egyptian, Hellenistic, Persian, Arabic, Euro-
pean, Central Asian, South-East Asian and other cultural spheres. When we find
similar structural elements, however, that does not necessarily mean that two
manuals have a traceable direct historical connection. In some cases, other fac-
tors may predetermine a structural element. As already mentioned, in the case
of dice divination (Tib. sho mo), similarly structured dice can lead to the same
number of prognoses in different manuals.3
1 Dice for Divination—One of Many Tools of Randomization
As Strickmann (2005: xxiv) has pointed out, there are one-step and two-step
systems of divination. A single-step procedure is one where one directly draws
a prognosis from pre-fabricated written answers; a two-step procedure has a
randomizing technique previous to drawing the answers. These two procedures
should again be differentiated from the less pre-structured direct visions aris-
ing in a trance or from the surface of a lake or a mirror. Lama Chime (1981: 11 ff.)
describes such less pre-structured signs arising on the surface of a lake or a mir-
ror as being like a vision that originates in the diviner’s (or the medium’s) mind
like a dream. Such a vision still needs complete and original individual inter-
pretation. A somewhat intermediate type of procedure is one where the diviner
searches for a sign in the flame of a butter lamp, the ball of his thumb, the
behavior of birds, or in the cracks of tortoiseshell or a bone thrown into a fire,
and so forth. The signs appearing in such procedures are usually pre-structured
in that previous “seers” have seen and transmitted them and someone has laid
them down as standardized signs and provided more or less detailed stock
interpretations in a divination manual. The diviner may see, for instance, a par-
ticular form of a crack in a bone, and he can refer to a manual that describes
the sign and lays down some interpretation, often in the form of poetry. The
diviner has to connect the stock interpretation with the situation of his partic-
ular client. He may have more or less liberty (or ability) to interpret the existing
stock prognosis. A fully developed two-step procedure uses a technical device
to select a prognosis at random. Such a device can be dice or even a cage bird
that is trained to pick one or more of sixty-four sheets of paper with short prog-
noses, often in verse form (Strickmann 2005: 5).
Dice divination is a classic fully developed two-step approach. Like other
methods of this category, it employs one of the many technical devices at the
3 This subject is thoroughly explored in Dotson (forthcoming).

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introduction 5
figure 2 Irk Bitig, showing on top of the pages the graphical markers for the prognoses 4-4-
4 and 2-2-2; The International Dunhuang Project, British Library Or.8212/161
beginning. In the case of the famous Chinese I-ching, for instance, one method
is to shake sticks in a tubular receptacle until one or several of them emerge
from its opening, but many other methods are possible, including the use of
coins. For a discussion of the usage of Buddhist rosaries (Skt. mālā) in Tibetan
divination, see Solvej H. Nielsen’s chapter on mālā divination below (p. 186 ff.).
Another randomizing device is a geomantic process where signs are pro-
duced in various ways, for instance by throwing stones or shells on the ground
or applying random numbers of dots to a sheet of paper (Ludwig 2014). The
idea is always the same, namely to arrive at a number that is then used to select
a simple answer such as “good,” “bad,” or “medium,” and so forth. It can also be
used to select a text passage (for instance a verse) that contains a prognosis and
can—if it is very brief or cryptic—still be further interpreted.
Previous scholars have pointed out that certain graphical patterns visible in
divination manuals indicate that dice play a role in the selection of a particular
prognosis.4 In some cases, groups of circles precede each section of a progno-
4 See the works of Thomas (1957: 113ff.), Francke (1924, 1928), Thomsen (1912), and Weber (1868),
and now Dotson (forthcoming).

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6 chapter 1
sis in the manual. The numbers of groups are always three, and the maximum
number of circles per group is four, thus:
o-o-o / o-o-oo / o-o-ooo / o-o-oooo

o-oo-o / o-oo-oo / o-oo-ooo / o-oo-oooo
o-ooo-o / o-ooo-oo / o-ooo-ooo / o-ooo-oooo
o-oooo-o / o-oooo-oo / o-oooo-ooo / o-oooo-oooo (= 16 sections)
oo-o-o (and so forth = 16 sections)
ooo-o-o (and so forth = 16 sections)
oooo-o-o (and so forth = 16 sections)—together 64 sections
This particular pattern indicates the use of dice with four sides, i.e., the oblong,
rectangular dice with rounded ends that have been described above. The four
long sides would bear one to four circles (carved “pips”): o, oo, ooo, oooo. A
diviner either uses three of such dice together or rolls one of these three times.5
Archaeological findings well establish the existence of such dice. According to
Stein,6 such dice were discovered in Niya and here the order of dots was 3 oppo-
site to 1 and 4 opposite to 2. Lüders (1907: 16f.) explains that according to the
Pāśakakevalī, the dice (Skt. pāśaka) were made from ivory or śvetārka wood and
inscribed with the numbers 1–4. As a general rule, such four-sided dice seem to
produce always sixty-four results (because the succession of numbers matters),
and thus there are 43 possible results.
In other cases we find only sixteen sections in the texts and sixteen numbers
from three to eighteen, indicating the (simulataneous) use of three six-sided
dice, as they are also visible in images of the Indo-Tibetan deity Śrī Devī (Tib.
dPal ldan lha mo) hanging down from the saddle of her mount. For these types
of dice, however, the three results are added up, thus:
1-1-1 = 3 1-2-6 = 9 2-6-6 = 14

1-1-2 = 4 1-3-6 = 10 3-6-6 = 15
1-1-3 = 5 1-4-6 = 11 4-6-6 = 16
1-1-4 = 6 1-5-6 = 12 5-6-6 = 17
1-1-5 = 7 1-6-6 = 13 6-6-6 = 18
1-1-6 = 8
5 The dice divination of the Bower Manuscript speaks of dice (Skt. pāśaka) in the plural. Since
the sequences 4-2-1, 2-1-4, 1-4-2, 2-4-1, 4-1-2 count as different cases, the dice have been addi-
tionally marked with (1st) a pot, (2nd) a disc, and (3rd) an elephant to keep their results apart.
The Pāśakakevalī, too, has three numbers for each throw and the sequence matters, but its
introduction speaks only of a single die, which must have been thrown three times (Lüders
1907: 22 f.).
6 Stein (1907: Pl. LXXIV, N.xv.004, and pp. 374 and 411).

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introduction 7
There is no consideration of combinations such as
1-2-3 (= 6) or
3-2-1 (= 6) or
2-2-2 (= 6), and so forth.
What counts is only the total sum of all three dice (or, perhaps, of three rolls of
a single die). The number of possible prognoses is thereby massively reduced
from sixty-four to sixteen. A particular case is a Turkic text investigated by
Thomsen (1912: 192), which has sixty-five sections (due to using a combination
twice by mistake). An exception is also the A pa ra tsa na text by the Tibetan
scholar adept Mipham (1846–1912), which uses two dice with six sides, resulting
in thirty-six different prognoses.
In the case of six-sided dice, it moreover appears to be the case that the
numbers or dots representing numbers on their six sides were distributed in
the same manner as they are on modern dice, where opposite sides always
add up to seven (1+6, 2+5, 3+4). Stein (1907: Pl. LII, E.001.b, pp. 374, 438, and
442) confirms this, i.e., that the opposite sides are always adding up to 7. Both
our interviewees, Ontrul Rinpoche and Khenchen Nyima, however, pointed out
that the dice used for the Achi Mo were “not like modern dice.”7 In Tibet, we
furthermore find dice with symbols or letters on them. A widespread exam-
ple is a die that bears on its six sides the six syllables of a Mantra of Bod-
hisattva Mañjuśrī: A—ra—pa—tsa—na—dhī.8 Mañjuśrī figures prominently
7 It remains unclear, however, whether that remark is to say that the dice were structured dif-
ferently (i.e., “unbalanced”), or whether they merely wanted to say that one would not use
dice that are otherwise used for gambling.
8 For further examples of letters appearing on dice, see below, p. 41 and ftn. 73. Jay Goldberg
and Lobsang Dakpa (1990) have translated a Mañjuśrī divination text by Mipham. They called
their book “Mo: Tibetan Divination System,” although their translation represents only one of
the many types of Mo, namely a dice divination that uses two dice bearing the letters A ra
pa tsa na dhī. In their introduction, which explains how to use the divination manual, they
add many details that are actually not mentioned in the original text. Especially their section
“Supplementary Interpretive Material” (pp. 17–22) contains instructions not found in the text
itself. However, this fact is not mentioned by them. In some minor ways, their translation
is a bit loose and occasionally missing or misinterpreting a point. Some of the ritual reme-
dies mentioned by Mipham were omitted, probably because they felt uncomfortable with the
fact that these remedies refer to Bönpo texts (Mipham is known to have incorporated Bönpo
material into his writings on divination). When I quote from Mipham’s book, I quote from the
Tibetan text (’Jam mgon ’Ju Mi pham rgya mtsho, 1846–1912, Rig sngags kyi rgyal po A ra pa
tsa la brten nas blang dor brtag pa ’jam dpal dgyes pa’i zhal lung, henceforth abbreviated Mi,
pp. 146–190). The title of the Tibetan text is not mentioned on Goldberg’s and Dakpa’s book.

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8 chapter 1
figure 3 Śrī Devi (Tib. dPal ldan lha mo), Himalayanart.org acc.no. F1996.11.5
with the kind permission of the Rubin Museum, New York

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introduction 9
figure 4
Palden Lhamo dice, Detail of ill. 3:
Die hanging down from the saddle.
Himalayanart.org acc.no. F1996.11.5
with the kind permission of
the Rubin Museum, New York
in Tibetan Buddhist divination systems, but other deities, like Palden Lhamo
(Skt. Śrī Devī), occur as well.
2 Poetry in the Prophecy
Various texts that were investigated show—despite their different origin, lan-
guage (Turkic, Sanskrit, Tibetan) and religion (Jaina?, Manichean?, Bönpo,
Buddhist)—a further striking similarity in that they all employ brief or more
detailed poetical expressions (not always metrical), mostly at the beginning of
each prognosis.9 As Dotson (2015: 1) noted, they “partake of a heightened regis-
ter of language involving archaisms, metered song, and impressionistic images.”
Stein (1971: 497–547) has pointed to the many myths and legends contained
in Tibetan-language Dunhuang manuscripts that helped to form Tibetan div-
ination texts. They “illustrate the original Tibetan component of what was to
become, in later Tibet and Mongolia, a highly Sino-Tibetan oracular idiom”
(Strickmann 2005: 8). The poetic element is a regular constituent in divination
manuals of different languages, cultures, and religions.
9 Thomas (1957), Thomsen (1912), Francke (1924, 1928), Weber (1859, 1868), Strickmann (2005),
Dotson (2015), and the present work.

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10 chapter 1
3 Chinese Buddhist Divination Poetry
The Book of Consecration (Kuan-ting ching, T. 1331) contains the earliest Chinese
Buddhist divination text. It was written and compiled in 457 by the Chinese
monk Hui-chien and does not employ dice. Instead, the prognoses, written on
slips of bamboo or strips of silk, are selected by the inquirer from a pouch
(Strickmann 2005: 58f.). There are a hundred rhyming eight-line stanzas of
five-syllable verses. Strickmann provides circa forty of these in full or partial
translation (pp. 60–70). The verses often contain a hint concerning the reason
for the inquirer’s good or bad luck. An extremely positive verse is no. 22 (p. 60):
How glorious this felicity!

It will bring forth the phoenix!
For you the unicorn will be aroused,
And sagely kings come capering!
How rare! No peer in all the world!
The devas shower down flowers!
Just recompense for merit that is yours;
All undertakings will be happy and auspicious.
But there are also very negative prognoses, like no. 3 (pp. 60–61):
In your previous life there was no felicity or kindness,

So you fell into sin.
You had no faith in the Three Treasures
And mocked and made light of the Hero of the World [the Buddha].
In your present existence you have therefore obtained suffering,
And so it will be until your life is done.
You have amassed sins equal to a mountain,
And the retribution for these acts will be truly endless.
Just imagine the inquirer’s shock when he draws this lot! It is indeed surprising
to find such a gloomy prognosis, particularly since it offers not a shred of hope:
“And so it will be until your life is done!” It is, in fact, very rare to find such a for-
lorn verdict in Buddhist divination manuals. However, it does occur in other
texts, too, such as in an Indian work ascribed to Śāntideva (see below, p. 40),
where one prognosis prompts the inquirer to “give up all hope!” In most other
Buddhist manuals that I have studied, however, one rarely finds such a negative
outlook on the future, and if a statement is negative, there is at least a remedy
offered to improve the situation (see also below, the section on ritual remedies,

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introduction 11
p. 35). Yet there is also a way out of this situation offered in the Book of Consecra-
tion since the inquirer is allowed to choose three slips (sometimes up to seven)
from the pouch (Strickmann 2005: 59). How these interact to form a compre-
hensive answer to the inquiry does not seem to be mentioned in the text. It
is not unusual that more than one divination is taken at a time (or that one
divination involves repeated draws or rolls of dice, and so forth). As Goldberg
and Dakpa explain (1990: 16f.) in their introduction to Mipham’s A ra pa tsa na
(which employs two dice with six syllables): “To ascertain whether an answer
is very firm or weak, it is advisable to throw the dice two more times. If the
same two syllables are repeated, then this means that your answer is very firm.
If the two syllables reverse themselves, then the answer is a weak one. If the
two syllables of the subsequent toss are different, then your answer is good as
it stands.” Similar instructions can be found in other texts, too (see for instance
the chapter on mālā divination below). However, there are also manuals that
strictly forbid multiple drawings, such as the Ling-ch’i ching (Strickmann 2005:
156, n. 5). In the Achi Mo, too, the three dice are only thrown once, and it insists
that “[i]t cannot be inaccurate!” (mi thig gang yang med).
As we have seen above, the verses in the Book of Consecration mostly do
not concern themselves with many poetic expressions (but see verse 22: “It
will bring forth the phoenix! For you, the unicorn will be aroused”). They
mostly delve directly into quite specific prognoses as this selection of first lines
shows:10
(5) It is likely this undertaking will not succeed;
(21) If you intend to dwell in this house

It will be greatly disastrous—you cannot stop here.
(31) You are an ill-omened person

And so have been made to dwell in this place.
(63) The plagues afflicting your six sorts of domestic animals

Cannot be treated by human agency.
(38) You wish to trade in various goods:

All that you undertake will prosper.
10 All translations by Strickmann (2005: 61 ff.).

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12 chapter 1
Although this book is clearly of Chinese origin (Strickmann 2005: 58, 60), its
author made an effort to draw on various Indian prototypes:
(44) … and he is freighted with sins as many as Ganges sands.
(27) Spoken by the mouths of Śakra and Brahmā,

This means all happiness, without deception.
The verses are ripe with morality and references to the law of karma:
(3) In your previous life there has been no felicity or kindness.
(33) Why have you casually spoken deceitful (…)?
(46) One claiming to have faith in the Tao11 and its Virtue,
To exert spiritual zeal and hold himself in quietude,
While in his heart maintaining untoward longings
Will in his next life fall amidst hungry ghosts.
(50) If father and mother do what is not good,

Many among their children and grandchildren will die.
Startling—for a Buddhist text—are the verses that pertain to military service.

The inquirer is ensured that superior officers will look after him, he will always
obtain victory in the battle, and will, due to Brahmā’s power, be rewarded (35).
In the face of “only piles of human bones,” one should “simply concentrate on
the Tao and its Virtue” and one will be free of sorrow—in the midst of a battle
(65)! War and one’s fate as a soldier, however, have always been a major con-
cern of those who seek advice from divination. Even our text, the Achi Mo,
advises under the rubric “enemies” (when six eyes show on the dice): “If you
undertake an offensive attack and ransacking (dmag jag), it will be successful.
Other than that, there is a slight danger of having an enemy, but since he can-
not harm, all will be well,” and one can improve one’s chances by reciting the
Glorification of the Warrior God and the Suppressing Drasi (for
further discussion of this topic, see below, p. 34).12
11 In fifth-century Buddhist texts, Chinese authors would still use “Tao” as a translation
for “[Buddhist] path.” They would only start to avoid Taoist terminology a bit later (oral
information by Stephen R. Bokenkamp, June 2017). Strickmann (2005: 69) identifies “the
Supreme Tao” with Skt. anuttarasaṃyaksaṃbodhi (verses 11, 38, 68).
12 In this book, the Tibetan titles of the ritual remedy texts are translated and printed in

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introduction 13
4 Poetry in the Turkic Irk Bitig
The Irk Bitig (“fortune book,” BL Or.8212/161) is a Turkic text that was discov-
ered in 1907 by Sir Aurel Stein in the “Halls of the Thousand Buddhas” (cave
17) near Dunhuang. It is written in runic script, in a “Manichean Türkü” dialect
(Clauson, 1961: 218), and most likely to be dated to the 9th century. Thomsen
published a translation in 1912. Clauson provides philological notes and sugges-
tions for improvement. At the beginning of one section, we read in a divination
providing a negative prognosis (Thomsen, 1912: 197):
A bear and a wild boar had met in a mountain pass. The belly of the bear
was torn open; the tusks of the wild boar were broken.
The text contains many similar poetic expressions involving animals, such as
eagles (with good and bad prognoses),13 falcons (bad, good, both), raven (good),
hawks (being caught by falcons: bad), a cuckoo (good), a swan (good), little
birds (good), horses (good, bad, both), oxen (bad), camels (good, bad, both), a
snake (bad), tigers (good), wolves (good), sheep (good), hare (bad), deer (good,
bad), and so forth. It is evident that the appearance of a specific type of animal
in the poetry of the divination is not per se indicative of a good or bad progno-
sis. Even though imagery of animals predominates, there are also other tropes:
– A large house was burnt down. Not even a layer(?) of it remained, not even
its enclosure(?) was left (a bad prognosis, Thomsen, 1912: 198).
– A pious old woman stayed home.14 By licking the edges of a greasy spoon she
lived and escaped death (no prognosis given, p. 198).
– A monk15 dropped his bell into a lake. In the morning it tinkles, in the
evening it jingles (a bad prognosis, p. 200).
– The morning dawned. Then the earth brightened. Then the sun rose and the
light shone over everything (a good prognosis, p. 201).
It is, thus, the particular situation described through these images that is indica-
tive of a good or bad prognosis. When an eagle attacks a falcon, it is bad; when
the falcon catches a hare but loses the hare, which is hurt, it is bad; when an
untrainable falcon settles upon a sightly rock, it is both good and bad; a god
on a horse is good; a horse stolen by a thief is bad; and so on. One can observe
small caps. For bibliographical information on them, see the appendix “Alphabetical List
of Ritual Remedies and Supports.”
13 Some entries are without a specific prognosis.
14 Clauson (1961: 220) suggests: “in the yurt.”
15 Clauson (1961: 221) suggests: “A woman … it clatters.”

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14 chapter 1
here how a divination text that otherwise shares structural elements with texts
from other cultures is made specifically “Turkic” by using indigenous images in
its poetical sections. A divination text provides, therefore, insights into the way
the culture in which it is situated expresses poetry. We can witness a similar
“indigenization” through poetry in most divination texts that have somehow
derived from texts of other cultures.
5 Poetry in Turfan Fragments
At the beginning of the 20th century, Albert Grünwedel and Albert von Le Coq
brought circa 40,000 manuscripts and fragments in sixteen different languages
from Turfan—an Oasis at the Silk Road—to Berlin. Francke found among these
manuscripts several fragments in the Tibetan language which he dated to the
8th century. He recognized these small fragments as divinatory texts based on
the groups of circles between the paragraphs of the writing. These circles rep-
resent the eyes on the four-sided dice used for divination. In the text, the circles
are followed by verses in typical oracular language. One of Francke’s fragments
reads:16
The camel went to drink water and the night had come …
The moon rose and the night fell(?). Then the sun rose …
Another fragment contains a complete verse but is very difficult to under-

stand.17 It is clear, however, that it contains poetic expressions involving ani-
mals. Unfortunately, the preserved portions are few and very fragmented. Some
of these fragments contain the overall prognosis “this Mo is good,” “this Mo is
lower average,” “this Mo is very good,” and so forth. We should also note that
the verses come from the mouth of deities that seem to belong to the Bön pan-
theon, or to put it differently, they belong to the pre-Buddhist period of Central
Asia. Despite the briefness of the fragments, Francke detected several close
analogies between his texts and the Turkic text translated by Thomsen. We can-
16 Turfan, Chotscho TM 200, first leaf, ll. 1–2: “rnga mo chu thung du song ba dang nam sros
… zla ba shard/ ’de nas nam nang so(?) de nas nyi ma shard …” Tib. nam sros [pa] = sa rub
pa = nyi ma nub pa (Tshe tan). Nam nang is uncertain.
17 Francke identifies the fragment as the “third leaf” from Mazar-Tagh, no. 10, ll. 1–3. The first
part reads for instance: mdā rgyal ni drum bu zhig rgod kyi ni ’dab chags kyang ma ’phangs
ni myi ma kyen/. Francke translates: “Auch wenn der Pfeilkönig lahm ist, wissen sich die
wilden Vögel nicht zu retten und wissen nicht zu fliegen,” but I cannot follow him here.

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introduction 15
not confirm, however, his identification of the “spirit” of the text as being that
of the Indian Pāśakakevalī (1928: 116).
6 Brief Poetical Elements in the Sanskrit Pāśakakevalī
In the Sanskrit text studied by Weber, the numbers of the four-sided dice appear
immediately before the verses in the form of numbers, and again at the very
beginning of the actual verse of divination as a numeral. This text has the
already well-known format of sixty-four sections. A unique and fascinating fea-
ture of this kind of divination is the “sign or token serving as a proof” (Skt.
abhijñānam, Weber 1859: 297). It mentions as proof of the correctness of the
prognosis the appearance of particular signs on the inquirer’s body or in his
dream, or of real events that have occurred or will soon occur. These can be a
sore spot on the belly (v. 12), a dispute with one’s mother (v. 22), or seeing a king
in a dream (v. 28). The prognosis mentions on occasion a date or a time frame
for the fulfillment of the prognosis (“within three months,” v. 15). Weber (1868:
283) speculates about a possible Jaina or Śaiva affiliation of the text before he
decides that it probably is Buddhist, for which I see no evidence. The colophon
seems to put it squarely into a Jaina context. The verse divinations contain at
their beginning very brief poetical expressions like the following (Weber 1868:
287):
Eins, Eins, und Drei zuletzt, dieses Gerassels hör’ du jetzt die Furcht!
(“One, one, and three at last, of this rattling, hear you now the fear!”)
Or (p. 289):
Eins, Zwei, und Drei zuletzt ist jetzt dein Paukenwurf gefallen hier. (“One,
two, and three, at last, has now your kettledrum-cast been thrown.”)
The expressions are rare and very brief, and, as we would expect, they offer a
first glimpse of the prognosis, such as in these examples:
– 1.1.2. “cutting like scissors”—bad
– 1.2.2. “a lovely roll [of the dice]”—good
– 1.2.3. “a shattering roll”—bad
– 1.3.4. “a roll called ‘victorious one’”—good
As each verse develops, the prognosis unfolds mentioning several details such
as trade, health, harvest, and so forth. Such sub-categories of the divinations
will be discussed in more detail below (p. 31 ff.).

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16 chapter 1
7 Poetry in a Tibetan Dunhuang Divination Manual
The Tibetan language Dunhuang text translated by Thomas (1957) provides

much more space for poetic expression. Verses occur before the actual prog-
noses, which are in prose. At the beginning of one section, it says (Thomas 1957:
129):18
Lake-land in turquoise country;

Turquoise fine, like willow-leaf.
Turquoise bird, criss-cross play and
Speech pleasant, joined to all good:
Today heard, happy tidings.
Following these lines, the text provides a detailed prognosis in prose and a final
summary of it as “good in the highest degree.” In the context of “outlook con-
cerning the household” (khyim phya) and “outlook concerning the life force”
(srog phya), it predicts that someone who once has been rich and now is poor
due to the intervention of a drala (dgra bla) will soon have his lot improved.19
Although the prognosis mentions no particular misfortune, it recommends as a
ritual remedy to worship a hindrance removing god (bgyegs sol lha mchod cig).
Undertakings (don gnyer), trade (tshong), and petitions (gsol shags) will lead
to success. If one awaits a visitor (’dron po [= mgron po]), he will arrive. In con-
trast to this good prognosis, a dramatic scene is evaluated as a bad prognosis
(Thomas 1957: 131):20
Ho! In meadow land, far up;

Stag-male with herd attached;
By hill dogs seven surrounded;
Not fleeing, as if bound, bound;
Remedies none availing.
By hunters seven surrounded;
Surrounded, which way to go? (“This mo, for whatever cast, is bad.”)
18 Thomas (1957: 120): mtsho ro ni g.yu yul na// g.yu bzangs ni lcang lo la// g.yu br(?)ya ni
bka(sic!) rtses dang / bka’ snyan ni bzang dgur sbyar// deng thos ni skyid pa’i lugs//.
19 On drala, see “Glossary of Deities and Spirits.” Please refer to that glossary for all deities
and spirits mentioned in this book.
20 Thomas (1957; 122): kye spang ka ni ya byi na/ sha pho ni khyus chags pa// ri khyi ni bdun gis
bskor// myi shor ni dam dam ltar// sman dag ni dngos cig ma// rngon pa ni bdun gis bskor//
bskor cing ni ci ru mchi//.

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introduction 17
Here, the detailed prognosis is that whatever one does in the context of “out-
look concerning the household” and “outlook concerning the life force” will
have no success because a great demon (gdon ched po) has come to the house.
If he is not expelled (bskrad), there will be no success in the future, trade will
be without gain, an enemy (dgra) will appear, a marriage will turn out unsuit-
able (gnyen byas na myi ’phrod), a traveller does not come, lost property (bor
lag) will not be regained (myi rnyed), and a petition will not be granted. This
divination manual (Tib. mo dpe) is rich in detail, and we can always sense a con-
nection between the mood of the poem and the general prognosis as “good” or
“bad.”
Dotson provides in his articles (2007: 21–22, 2015: 8–11) five samples from
another Tibetan Dunhuang text (ITJ 740), most likely from a Bön milieu (Dot-
son 2007: 25–26). One sample reads (Dotson 2015: 9):21
Oh! Up on the northern plains

Over there—they seek seven gazelle.
The thieves shall never get them
They are the possessions of the mu sman.22
The text summarises this prognosis as “extremely good.” In the context of

“household” and “life force,” the outlook concerning men and animals (phyugs)
is that they are not diminishing (myI nyams) since the gods (lha) protect hap-
piness and long life. Moreover, undertakings are accomplished, sick persons
will recover, petitions for official posts (rje blas gsol) will be granted, subsis-
tence (srId phya) will be good,23 a marriage (gnyen byas) will be a good match
(’phrod), trade will be profitable (khye phyIn), and a visitor (’dron po) will
come.24
21 Dotson 2015: 9: kye byang ka nI ya bya na dgo bdun nI phas kyang ’tshal / / rkun pos nI re
myI ’tshal / mu sman nI nyid gI dkor / /.
22 sman, of which there are many types, are Tibetan pre-Buddhist localized divinities. See
the entry “män” in the appendix “Glossary of Deities and Spirits.”
23 This category needs to be re-examined. In the Achi Mo text, it clearly refers to offspring,
i.e., the prolonging of the family line.
24 All of Dotson’s samples are “good” prognoses. The manuscript (ITJ 740) is unfortunately
not yet digitized in the British Library’s Dunhuang database.

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18 chapter 1
8 Poetry in Mipham’s A ra pa tsa na
This divination text of Mipham Rinpoche (1846–1912) employs two dice with six
sides bearing the letters of the mantra of Mañjuśrī, A ra pa tsa na dhīḥ, resulting
in thirty-six different prognoses. Each of the thirty-six entries of the manual has
six parts, providing (1) the two letters appearing on the dice (A A, A ra, A tsa,
and so forth), (2) a name for the section, (3) a brief summary of the prognosis,
(4) a sign (Tib. brda), (5) the section’s divinatory categories (such as “outlook
concerning the household”, “wealth fortune”),25 and (6) a summary at the very
end of the section.
Parts 2, 3, 4, and 6 offer the possibility to employ various poetical expres-
sions. As names for the sections, for instance, we find “stainless sky,” “blazing
rays of the sun,” or “māra of death.” The signs (brda) are of different complexity.
One is “sound of emptiness endowed with the three [gates of] emancipation,”
another one is briefly “spotlessly brilliant,” and yet another one is “enjoyment
of sense pleasures in the assembly that is free from men.” Several of these signs
come from the mouth of deities such as Yamāntaka or Mañjuśrī, from beings
like gandharvas and yakṣas, or demons like the “messengers of māra.” The sum-
mary at the end offers the result of the prognosis in a condensed form, such as
“granting fearlessness” or “departing of darkness.”
Part 3 provides the most space for poetical expressions, always picking up
in some way on the respective name of the prognosis (= part 2). Thus, we have
in prognosis no. 3: “Like the moon ‘Brilliant Nectar’ is shining in the sky, you
will accomplish peaceful, increasing, and virtuous activities; all will be well.”
Prognosis no. 6 has: “Everywhere joy increases like [when] one receives good
news [alluding to that particular prognosis’ name Vajra-Melody]; all will be
well.”
25 The translators’ interpretation of the term grogs cha (originally the homophone grogs
phywa) as “friends” is doubtful. Not a single prognosis in this category seems to be referring
to friends; in fact, the great majority of them refers to things. Khenchen Nyima explained
in the context of the Achi Mo that grogs phywa is to be understood as “outlook concerning
fortune or luck,” which would also work well here in the A ra pa tsa na, where this category
is always coupled with wealth. See also the chapter on Special Terminology.

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introduction 19
9 Structure and Nucleus of the Achi Mo
Structure of the Achi Mo manual

1. sādhana
2. sixteen sections of divination, each with two parts:
A. (the possible nucleus of the divination text)
(a) general prognosis (good, bad, average, and so forth)
(b) outlook concerning religion or basic prognosis, often in the
form of poetry
(c) further details of (b) and ritual remedies (optional)
B. detailed prognoses concerning:
(a) household
(b) building ground, pastures
(c) fortune
(d) wealth
(e) undertaking
(f) victory or defeat in court cases
(g) disease
(h) life force
(i) evil spirits
(j) doctor, medicine, medical treatment
(k) offspring
(l) enemies
(m) travellers
(n) trade
(o) travel
(p) lost items
The Achi Mo manual ascribed to Trinlé Zangpo (1656–1718) has two main parts
(1. and 2.), with the first one consisting of an evocation ritual (Skt. sādhana) of
the deity Achi. The second main part (2.) consists of the sixteen sections corre-
lating to the eyes of the three dice (namely 3 to 18). Each of these sixteen parts
again consists of parts A and B. In the following, I will discuss these two parts
(A and B) in more detail. Part A, of which I will argue that it is the nucleus of
the divination, provides three things. The first (a) is a brief immediate progno-
sis with seven levels: very good, good, higher medium, medium, lower medium,
bad, and very bad. This is followed (b) by a quintessential prognosis about the
“outlook concerning religion” (bstan pa’i chos phywa)26 and a “basic prognosis”
26 Lit. “the outlook concerning the Dharma teachings.” The Tibetan term phywa, sometimes

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20 chapter 1
(gzhi mo), often in the form of poetical expressions. Finally (c), we find further
details concerning the above and sometimes also ritual remedies as antidotes
to misfortune and ritual supports for the improvement of fortune.
Let us now investigate part A(b) concerning its noteworthy features. To begin
with, it is interesting that it mentions both a prognosis concerning religious
activities and a general outlook. In four of the sixteen prognoses, however, reli-
gious activities and general outlook are not differentiated. In the remaining
cases, a differentiation is made into high-ranking and common people and/or
into religious activities and common activities:
– the prognosis for high lamas (bla chen) and officials in charge (dpon po) is
differentiated from that of ordinary people (mi dkyus) (P 44),
– problems on the father’s side of the family (pha spun) are differentiated from
the occurrence of ups and downs (’phar ’bug) in religious activities (P 52),
– the prognosis for ordained people (bande’i mo) is said to be especially good
(P 64),
– important matters in religion (bstan chos) have a good prognosis in the long
run, but are uncertain in the short term, whereas for ordinary people things
remain stable and without many ups and downs (P 72),
– religious practitioners are particularly mentioned as being free from ob-
struction, and religious activities increase (P 82 and similarly P 101),
– the prognosis for high lamas and ordained people (bande) is differentiated
from that of (secular) headmen (mi dpon rigs), and this again from the prog-
nosis for common people (phal pa, P 89),
– good fortune for spiritual and mundane leaders like high lamas and kings is
good, but such a good fortune is “a bit overwhelming” (khyogs dka’ tsam) for
low and ordinary people (phal pa shin tu dman pa, P 121).
spelled phya or cha (which are homonymous), is very complex. Van Schaik (2008) says:
“During the time of Tibet’s imperial kings, it seems to have been the special possession
of the kings, but it was a method rather than a personal quality,” referring to the “divine
and magical nature of Tibetan kingship,” which included their mastery over “the royal
methods of fortune [= phywa].” Thomas (1957) translates it in the context of divination as
“lot,” Berounsky (2014) as “good fortune,” and Dotson (2017 and forthcoming) more neu-
tral as “fortune.” Tshe tan defines it as “sign, omen,” but at least in our text it clearly does
not refer to the sign, but to the description of what the sign (namely the cast of the dice)
predicts; hence we translate it as “outlook,” which covers much of the same ground as “for-
tune.” Concerning the expression (lit.) “Dharma teachings” (bstan pa’i chos), following the
idea of Khenchen Nyima, we thought that the respective section of the divination manual
focuses on the outlook or prognosis for religion in general (often in the sense of “outlook
for religious activities”).

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introduction 21
Already here in section A(b) with its prognoses for religious activities and
general outlook, the text sometimes mentions ritual remedies as antidotes to
misfortune and ritual supports for the improvement of fortune, such as prac-
tices of appeasement, services to the community, and merit accumulation
through offerings, and so forth. The prognosis for “four pips showing [on the
dice]” which is bad, remarks in its general section (P 35):
If one performs the service rites (rim gro)27 with much power, it will only
be slightly negative.
This is to say that if either the requester or performer of the Mo performs a

ritual service with great power, it will attenuate the negativity or improve the
positive tendency of whatever has been prognosed. Although it is not explicitly
mentioned here, “with great power” must mean that the practice is performed
with a strong faith, much clarity of mind, and perhaps also many times. To give
another example, the general prognosis for “five pips” states:
Ordinary persons … should supplicate the gods and guardians who show
favor to their family lineage.
“Who show favor” (’go ba) refers to the gods (lha) and guardians (srung ma)
who have had a connection to a person’s family in this and previous lives.28
The idea is closely related to another concept, namely that of a family line or
spiritual lineage serving and following (bsten pa) these deities for a long time.
In exchange for that service, the gods and guardians show favor to members
of that family or lineage by intervening in unfavorable situations. In partic-
ular, they become instrumental in the ritual remedies against misfortune.29
27 On rim gro, see Walter (2004: 159–163). The term refers to a broad range of ritual services,
including the building of stūpas, welcoming and thanksgiving rites, and presenting offer-
ings and worship to the ordained community, and so forth.
28 On the Tibetan verb ’go ba, see Dotson (2017).
29 Our texts are a bit ambiguous on who served (bsten) whom earlier, or who showed favor
(’go) to whom. Only once, on B 95, we have explicitly “guardians, who were served by the
ancestors” (pha mes kyis bsten pa’i srung ma). On the other hand, we have “guardians show-
ing favor to the ancestors” (pha mes la ’go ba’i srung ma; P 26, C 8), but the same passage in
B 88 reads “guardians who have been shown favor by the ancestors” (nas bgo[!] ba). P 44,
C 23, and B 93 all have rgyud la ’go ba’i srung ma (“showing favor to the lineage”), and P 96
omits the particle altogether (pha mes ’go ba’i srung ma), whereas B 106 and C 62 have
here again nas. In translating P, I have adopted throughout the translations “served by the
ancestors” and “showing favor to the ancestors.”

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22 chapter 1
This fact is also expressed in the sādhana of Achi at the beginning of our man-
ual (P 18f.):
… the guardians of the lineage of the forefathers (pha mes), the guardians
of the lineage of Ācāryas, the guardians of the [ritual] remedy [practices]
in solitary places, the protectors who have accepted to guard the teach-
ings of these Kagyupas.
The general prognosis for “six pips,” which is bad, recommends the following
remedies:
Making offerings to the sacred objects, restoring and whitewashing a

stūpa, paying respect to the ordained community, reading out loud the
Kanjur of the Buddha and the scriptures, giving a feast to beggars and
dogs, one thousand [mantras of] Bhairava and Vairocana …
Again, the remedy includes well-known means of merit accumulation, like

making offerings to Buddha, Dharma, and community, or giving food to beggars
and street dogs. Moreover, here and in other instances, the text recommends
as ritual remedies the mantra recitations and ritual practice of Mantra deities
such as Bhairava and Vairocana. Such practices typically include torma offer-
ings and, if the prognosis is very negative as when “twelve pips” occur on the
dice (P 110), wrathful Mantra rituals such as repelling and burnt offerings of
the four activities (which include wrathful activities). In one case, for instance,
there is the danger of severe disturbances through the sadag and lunyen, since
these gods appear to have developed much anger (khros). Remedies include
practices that cause a release from the harm of sadag or lu, propitiation as well
as torma and smoke offerings to lu, and ablutions (khrus) for the region, house,
gods, and place (P 147f.).
The underlying ideas of remedies and supports are, therefore, that nega-
tive influences are averted, harm-doers repelled, and good fortune is supported
and improved through the accumulation of merit and the activities of gods,
guardians, and the Mantra deities. Since such remedies often already occur
here in part A(b), which concerns the “outlook concerning religion” and the
“basic prognosis,” it appears that these first parts of the sixteen prognoses (part
A), together with the poetical lines at their beginning, form the nucleus of the
Mo. That is to say that this nucleus would already work as a complete divination
text without all the sixteen sections of part B(a-p) of the text, which feature all
the individual prognoses for household, life force, wealth, and so forth, and a
large number of ritual remedies and supports.

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introduction 23
10 Poetry in the Achi Mo
All sections (except for one) of the “outlook concerning religion” and “basic
prognosis” of part A(b) have at their beginning at least one (more or less) poet-
ical line. Most of these lines do not seem to be connected in a way that they
would add up to a single whole poem. Some of them, however, are prognos-
tic utterances without any poetic appeal, but for the sake of completeness, I
include them in the following presentation (the numbers in round brackets
indicate the pips of the dice, the evaluation in square brackets indicate the gen-
eral prognosis of the respective divination):
(3) In the end, it is bad, and tears stream forth from the eyes of the sun and
moon. [bad]
(4) Since the waning moon increases,30 it is like a veil.31 [bad]
(5) Upon the earth, one finds gold and turquoises.32 [good]
(6) There is the danger of harm from evil spirits. [bad]
(7) The victorious banner is planted on four temples,
the white conch is blown, and the gaṇḍi is beaten,
the seat of the Dharma is obtained,
one is made the lord of three monasteries,
and if one is a layman, one is made the king
and the ruler of the army and the people. [very good]
(8) Differentiating between good and bad is difficult. [above average]
(9) All of the three realms is under control.
The three thousand worlds are suppressed.
You will meet a self-confident traveler.33
The lion has seized the snow mountain,
but the other beings do not need to be afraid.
30 C 16 has yar ngo, i.e., “since the waxing moon increases.” This appears to be a disimprove-
ment, probably motivated by the fact that it is actually the waxing moon that increases
while the waning moon should be decreasing. But why should the waxing of the moon
(until the full moon of the fifteenth day) be taken as a sign of a veil? It seems to make
more sense to follow the unusual image of the increasing of the waning moon (mar ngo),
i.e., to assume that what is meant here is that the waning part of the moon increases (until
the 30th day of the new moon).
31 B 91 has zla ba phyed ’grib lta bu yin pas (“since it is like the veil of the half moon”).
32 B 93: om. whole line.
33 nga rgyal as a verb is usually understood to mean “to be arrogant, proud,” and so forth. In
the present case it is not a negative term and thus translated as “to be self-confident” (cf.
also the positive term “divine pride” lha’i nga rgyal).

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24 chapter 1
Wherever the religious practitioner is going,

he will be free from obstruction, religious activities increase
and great fame and resources will arise. [good]
(10) —[medium]
(11) The white conch is blown, and pleasing speech is heard.
In the dense turquoise tree
rings out the pleasing voice of the blue cuckoo.34 [good]
(12) The monkey falls from the top of the tree, or
the old trunk breaks or topples over.
Bad signs are visible, or35 there is the danger of their arising.36
You are going to exceed the time of your promise,37 or, the gods are
unhappy. [very bad]
(13) In the navel of Palden Lhamo
all the gods have made their castle.
They defeat the asuras in their battle.
When the gods win, this Mo “lands.”38 [good]
(14) All of the lama, master, and uncle [and so forth]39
are [like] sun and moon40 captured (zin) by suddenly [appearing] plan-
ets.41
They do not recover from that, which is the cause of distress. [below aver-
age]
(15) The rain of everything necessary and desired falls
from the wish-fulfilling jewel, and one’s hopes are accomplished.42 [good]
34 B 107: om. the latter two lines.

35 Following C 71: ngam.
36 Khenchen Nyima explains that this indicates the occurrence of bad signs such as a raven
making bad sounds or a child being born with only one eye, and so forth.
37 Read: khas len chags. This means that one has gone beyond the time limit until which one
has promised to get something done (Khenchen Nyima).
38 Tibetans use several terms in connection with the activity of “rolling dice.” When the dice
are “rolled” in the hands while reciting the mantra and then rolled out on a surface, that is
called sho bsgril. Just “throwing” the dice is called g.yug pa or gtor ba, but strictly speaking,
this activity is already included in the “rolling” (bsgril). The term bab, which is used here,
is then how the dice land, i.e., how the Mo turns out or is settled or cast. This part of the
process and the verb that describes it are involuntary and provide the random sign.
39 Tib. zhang po. Khenchen Nyima explains that the uncle on the female side is counted as
one of the most important family members in one’s life.
40 C 86, B 114: om. zla.
41 This is, for instance, like “the planet Rahula eating the moon,” indicating the worst case
(Khenchen Nyima).
42 P 140 om. a shad after the genitive. However, these are two metrical lines with seven syl-
lables each.

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introduction 25
(16) Like a black moon rising. [very bad]

(17) The wish-fulfilling tree is growing from the center of the ground.
Since its fruits are ripening, your hopes will be fulfilled. [very good]
(18) Palden Lhamo! Bestow on us43
siddhis and remove obstacles!
May every wish be accomplished and the necessary and desired things
arise. [above average]
It is conspicuous that the lines for 13 and 18 contain references to Palden Lhamo
(Skt. Śrī Devī). The search for the source of these lines led to two other divina-
tion texts that differ from the Achi Mo chiefly through the respective sādhanas
at their beginning. The first is a Mo text of Palden Magzor Gyalmo (a form of Śrī
Devī)44 by the sixth Chagrawa, Ngawang Trinlé Palzangpo (1730–1794).45 The
second is the Mo text46 of the same deity by Yangchen Drubpé Dorjé (1809–
1887),47 a Gelugpa author from the Ngülchu tradition of Western Tibet, who
composed his text in 1848 (sa sprel). He was a nephew of the famed Dharmab-
hadra. Both texts postdate Drikungpa Trinlé Zangpo’s (1656–1718) Achi Mo.48
Except for some details—of which the most important ones are noted in the
documentation of the Tibetan text below—the second main part (2.), which
follows the sādhana, is nearly identical in all three divination manuals. I assume
that all three works go back to an older Śrī Devī text that has not yet surfaced.
These largely identical Mo texts of the Tibetan tradition differ, as mentioned
above, chiefly concerning the sādhana at their beginning. That is, they con-
tain sādhanas of Achi or Magzor Gyalmo, and the authorship of these sādhanas
may be the principal reason for ascribing these Mo texts respectively to Trinlé
Zangpo, Chagrawa, or Yangchen Drubpé Dorjé. The fact that the Gelugpa tra-
dition (and perhaps the Drikung tradition, too), appropriated the divination
manual by merely adding a specific sādhana to it shows how incredibly mobile
these manuals can be.
43 B 125 has instead of this line: skal ldan gyi skyes bu khyod nyid la// ’dod khams kyi bdag mo
rab dgyes te//.
44 Tib. dPal ldan dmag zor rgyal mo.
45 lCags ra ba Ngag dbang phrin las dpal bzang po, dPal ldan dmag zor rgyal mo’i sgo nas rno
mthong sgrub tshul, TBRC W22327; abbreviated as C.
46 dPal ldan lha mo la brten nas sho mo ’debs tshul nor bu’i me long, TBRC W22334; abbreviated
as B.
47 Tib. dByangs can grub pa’i rdo rje.
48 Abbreviated as P.

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Apart from the different sādhanas, the text of the manual itself contains
some variants. These fall chiefly into three categories: (1) additional or omit-
ted ritual remedies, (2) orthographical variants, and (3) variation in wording,
including word order, omission or addition of words, and, rarely, complex but
not always meaningful variants. I chiefly document here the most significant
cases of the second and third category. If we compare the closeness of the
Achi and Magzor Gyalmo divination manuals with the different Tārā inspired
divination manuals ascribed to Atiśa discussed by Solvej H. Nielsen below (p.
186 ff.), we can see that such manuals also can have high plasticity. That is,
of the four versions we located (T1–T4), T2 omits the threefold repetition of
the divination that otherwise seems to be standard in the orally transmitted
system of mālā divination, T3 adds a recitation of prayers, and T4 has an addi-
tional introduction part with prayers and what seems to be a brief explana-
tion. Moreover, all four Tārā manuals show significantly more differences in
the main text than the three manuals of the Achi and Magzor Gyalmo divina-
tion.
Concerning the Achi manual, it is noteworthy that Śrī Devī figures so promi-
nently in the poetry of a Mo text that is otherwise connected in the Drikung
tradition to the deity Achi. Moreover, at least one sādhana of Achi invites Śrī
Devī as the deity of gnosis (Skt. jñānasattva) while Achi is the deity of the
pledge (Skt. samayasattva). In the process of that sādhana, both become insep-
arably united when the ritual practitioner utters the syllables dzāḥ hūṃ baṃ
hoḥ.49 In the literature on Achi, we also find several times her name augmented
by “Śrī Devī” (e.g., dPal ldan lha mo dbyings phyug chos kyi sgron ma).50 This
is probably why Khenchen Nyima stated in a follow-up interview that Palden
Lhamo is simply one of Achi’s names. Achi is usually explained to be an ema-
nation of the Jñānaḍākinī of Cakrasaṃvara.51
In the poetical lines translated above, one can find expressions like “eyes of
the sun and moon” or that a waning moon is “like a veil.” We also find the usual
elements of Indian Buddhist poetry like the victorious banner, the white conch
shell, and the gaṇḍi (drum), as well as the mentioning of monasteries, lamas,
asuras, and siddhis. One may read only a single line as having a relation to Tibet:
“The lion has seized the snow mountain;” all other lines indicate an Indian or
Indo-Tibetan cultural sphere. Except for three lines (3, 4, and 6 of the above), all
49 KR, p. 176.
50 ’Bri gung dKon mchog rgya mtsho, dPal ldan lha mo dbyings phyug a phyi chos kyi sgrol ma
dang ’brel ba’i chos skor gyi dkar chag rags rim.
51 E.g., KR, p. 176, i.e., on the same page where Achi and Śrī Devī become inseparately unified.

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introduction 27
lines are metrical and of even length, i.e., with seven syllables, but all the lines
taken together do not make the impression of forming a single whole poem.
The poetical expressions of these lines mostly provide a clear sense of whether
they lead to a positive or negative prognosis. Thus:
– “tears stream forth from the eyes of the sun and moon” is bad,
– “the waning moon increases and is like a veil” is bad,
– “upon the earth, one finds gold and turquoises” is good,
– “the victorious banner is planted on four temples …” is very good,
– “all of the three realms is under control …” is good,
– “the white conch is blown, and pleasing speech is heard …” is good,
– “the monkey falls from the top of the tree …” is very bad,
– “in the navel of Palden Lhamo, all the gods have made their castle …” is good,
– “all of the lama, master, and uncle [and so forth] are [like] sun and moon
captured by suddenly [appearing] planets” is below average,
– “the rain of everything necessary and desired falls …” is good,
– “like a black moon rising” is very bad,
– “the wish-fulfilling tree is growing from the center of the ground …” is very
good, and
– “Palden Lhamo, bestow on us siddhis and remove obstacles” is above aver-
age.
The obviousness of the connection between the poetical image and the prog-
nosis supports the conclusion in the previous chapter that part A of the Achi
Mo, which concerns only the “outlook concerning religion” and the “basic prog-
nosis” with its poetical lines and remedies, is the nucleus of the Mo.
After this nucleus follows part B(a-p) of the manual, containing detailed
prognoses for household, wealth, life force, and so forth. It is possible that these
sections of the divination with further detailed prognoses have been added at
a later time. The general tendencies visible in part B(a-p) reflect the moods of
the poetical lines in A(b). The details of part B concerning household, and so
forth, and the many ritual remedies of this part, however, have no obvious con-
nection to the poetry.
On a different note, the poetry of divination texts often employs expressions
that usually reflect the culture in which the text was produced or to which it
wants to be related. Thomas says in his analysis of a Tibetan language divina-
tion text from Dunhuang (1957: 116):
The introductory, metrical, portions (of varying length) of the Tibetan

paragraphs are unmistakably original both in expression and in content.
The verses, of six syllables, are highly oracular; and, apart from linguistic
difficulties, the terseness of the style contributes to further obscurity. But

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28 chapter 1
everything is characteristically Tibetan, with the spontaneously poetic

view of their familiar scenery of high mountains, plateaux and lakes and
its wild land-animals and water-fowl, the naturalness of this showing that
it was not an affectation due to the soothsayer’s jargon. There are also allu-
sions to the actual region, especially the Skyi country of the Tang-hsiang
people; and the language shares the peculiarities of the popular Tibetan
of the north-east …
This appears to be the case for pre-Buddhist texts of the wider Tibetan cultural
sphere. In contrast to that, Tibetan and Chinese Buddhist divination texts often
make an effort to employ Indian Buddhist poetical images. Here and there,
however, the poetry betrays a Tibetan or Chinese origin or influence. Now,
while the nature of the poetical expressions and the character of the basic prog-
nosis is closely connected and provides sense within a given cultural sphere,
the connection of the pips shown on the dice and the prognoses seem to be
completely arbitrary in ancient Tibetan texts. Dotson (2015: 7) remarks:
[N]o two texts are identical with respect to the prognoses and their con-
tents. Thus a given roll may result in a favorable prognosis in one text, but
an unfavorable one in another.
He makes this remark in the context of the Dunhuang texts that he has investi-
gated. We can only add the observation here that our manual mostly seems to
prefer the odd numbers of the dice for good prognoses while the even numbers
are tied to the negative ones.52
11 More on the Divinations’ General Prognoses
A typical feature of divination texts is that they provide for each roll of a die (or
whichever randomizing technique they use) an immediate general prognosis
such as “good,” “bad,” “average,” and so forth. An exception is the Chinese Bud-
dhist Book of Consecration (Kuan-ting ching), where the diviner has to derive
the general prognosis from the verses, which are mostly “either clearly positive
or negative in tone and implications” (Strickmann 2005: 60). In ancient Greek
texts, prognoses evaluate the inquirer’s fate or the plans the gods may have for
52 Except for “three,” which has a bad prognosis, and “eight” and “eighteen,” which are just
“above average.”

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introduction 29
him or her as being good, bad, or mixed. Other texts may not be operating with
a predestined fate or similar conceptions. In the Buddhist cultural sphere, we
would expect that the general prognosis reflects the “karmic destiny” of the
inquirer. It is, however, already mentioned in very early Buddhist texts, that the
knowledge of the ripening of karma is one of the ten powers possessed only
by a Buddha.53 Interestingly, our Tibetan sources do not appear to mention
karma as an important factor of divination. It is true that the historian ought
to be very careful concerning arguments build on the absence of evidence,
yet I think that the predominant silence of our sources concerning karma is
telling. It is noteworthy that recently, H.H., the fourteenth Dalai Lama, wrote in
an introduction to Gyurme Dorje’s monumental Tibetan Elemental Divination
Paintings (Dorje 2002: 8): “With the introduction of Buddhism into Tibet in the
seventh century these procedures [i.e., divinations] came to be used within a
Buddhist framework, functioning in accordance with Buddhist principles such
as interdependence and karma or cause and effect.” However, and to repeat,
this framework is largely invisible in Tibetan divination texts. The Dalai Lama’s
words are what one would expect of a Buddhist scholar, the simple truth “on the
ground,” however, seems to be that divination does not need a karmic frame-
work at all. There seems to be a parallel, but hardly interconnected existence
of karma and fortune in Tibetan Buddhist societies. The coexistence of these
two great ruling principles steering a person’s “fate” certainly needs attention,
especially since these two principles seem to be much more interconnected in
East-Asian Buddhism.54
Concerning the overall balance of good and bad prognoses, it is interesting
to note that in most texts (whether Buddhist or not)—except for several Chi-
nese ones—the positive prognoses always outnumber the negative ones.55 The
Turkic text investigated by Thomsen has:
53 Skt. daśatathāgatabalāni, see Majjhima Nikāya i 68 and Abhidharmakośabhāṣya, Pradhan

(1967: 411, 133; 414, 3). On the delay of some karmic results and the acceleration of others,
see the Kammavibhanga Sutta, Majjhima Nikāya 136 (iii 207).
54 For a striking example of such interconnectedness in Chinese Buddhism, see for instance
Beverley Foulks McGuire (2014). For anthropological treatments of fortune and karma,
see Epstein (1977) and Epstein and Lichter (1983).
55 A noteworthy exception is Chinese Taoist works, where “[a] gloom prevails: conditions
will, on the whole, be poor. (…) These dreary verses seem to have been inspired by the
earlier, fifth-century chapters of the Book of Spirit-Spells, with their interminable predic-
tions of ghastly demonic apparitions, epidemics, and other grim apocalyptic phenomena”
(Strickmann 2005: 55). The far spread Chinese Kuan ti divination is exactly balanced. It has
25 very good, 25 very bad, and 50 average prognoses, and another similar text has 25 good,
25 bad, and 10 average lots (Eberhard, 1965: 14). It is impossible to determine the balance
for Francke’s Tibetan texts since they are too fragmentary. We can find there, however,

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30 chapter 1
33 good, 6 mixed, 17 bad, 1 very bad, 1 bad-turning-good, and 7 not men-

tioned (= 65)56
Weber (1868: 281f.) mentions concerning the Sanskrit Pāśakakevalī that “[f]or-
tune and misfortune are not, as they are supposed to be according to law,
equally distributed, but only one-third of the casts are allocated to misfor-
tune.”57 The Tibetan Dunhuang fragment translated by Thomas has:
3 very good, 16 good, 1 mixed, 10 bad, 1 very bad (= 31)
Dotson’s Tibetan Dunhuang text (JOL Tib J 740) has:
2 excellent or very good, 38 good, 6 average, 1 below average, 13 bad, 2 very

bad (= 62)58
Mipham’s A ra pa tsa na has:
28 good, 8 bad (= 36)59
The Achi Mo has:
2 very good, 5 good, 2 higher medium, 1 medium, 2 lower medium, 2 bad,

2 very bad = 16
Thus, all of these divination texts provide more good prognoses than bad ones.
This fact is, in the context of Buddhist texts, initially surprising, since, due
to Buddhism’s general negative outlook on the nature of existence, we would
mention of prognoses in Turfan Chōtscho TID 107 (Francke 1924: 9) and in Turfan TIDµ
no. Tu56 (Francke 1928: 112). In the latter, we have, within the short fragment investigated
there, the prognoses “good,” “lower medium,” and “very good.”
56 By mistake, the text has sixty-five sections because two different prognoses are connected
to the dice numbers 3-1-3.
57 I wonder which law he had in mind—perhaps karma in connection with the over-
all Buddhist evaluation of “existence” as “suffering?” The English translation is mine.
Weber writes: “… Glück und Unglück [sind] nicht, wie von rechtswegen der Fall sein
sollte, gleichmässig vertheilt, sondern dem Unglück [sind] nur ein Drittel etwa der Würfe
[zugewiesen].”
58 The prognoses for 4-1-2 and 4-3-2 are missing (Dotson 2007: 21).
59 One die with six sides is used and thrown two times; sequence matters (i.e., A-ra and ra-A
are two different cases); thus, we have 62 = 36 prognoses.

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introduction 31
expect a different distribution. However, on second thought, is there a tenable

interrelation between Buddhist worldview and the negative or positive progno-
sis in Buddhist divination? Moreover, doctrinally, at least, the negative outlook
of Buddhism also pervades the positive prognoses: After all, good trade, health,
a long life, and so forth, are, according to Buddhist analysis, not lasting values.
They even may only add to the inquirer’s karmic entanglement with this world
that is, ultimately, only suffering.
12 The Detailed Prognoses and Their Categories
Let us now have a look at the detailed prognoses already briefly referred to
above. Some texts, but not all of them (such as the Turkic text studied by Thom-
sen), provide more—and more detailed—prognoses than just “good,” “mixed,”
or “bad.” They are usually split up into categories reflecting the different con-
cerns of everyday life. Across regions, cultures, languages, and religions, these
categories are of surprising similarity. They mostly pertain to two main con-
cerns:
– The prospects or probabilities of something to happen (such as for house-
hold, life force, marriage, and so forth, or of recovering from sickness), and
– recommendations for deciding something that is considered problematic or
risky, and inquiries into the appropriateness of an action (such as of staying
on a particular pasture or of moving on to another place, or of continuing to
take a particular medicine, and so forth).
None of the texts mention all categories, i.e., not every cast of a die provides
answers to all questions found in such manuals. The Achi Mo, however, offers
for all throws of the dice a great variety of categories.
Chinese Book Sanskrit (Jaina?) Tibetan Mipham’s A Achi Mo

of Consecration Pāśakakevalī Dunhuang ra pa tsa na
(Kuan-ting ching) pre-Buddhist text
home Hausstand household residence household

Lebensgefahr life force life force life force
undertakings Unternehmungen, Pläne undertakings wishes and undertakings
undertakings
disease Genesung von Krankheit disease disease disease
trade Gelderwerb, Geschäfte, trade trade
Getreide, etc.
glückliche Heimkehr von travel travel
einer Reise

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(cont.)

Kampf, Feinde, Feind- enemies enemies enemies

schaft
petitions
wealth Reichthum wealth / prosperity wealth wealth
fame Würde, Ehre, Stand status / power /
influence
wild animals,
horses, and men?
state of the mar- Hochzeit, Ehe making a family
riage connection (mar-
riage)
Wiedersehen von Freun- friends friends (→ fortune)
den und Verwandten
country and land building ground
and pasture, arable
and inhabitable
land
Wiedererlangung ver- lost property lost items lost items
lorener Gegenstände
fortune auspice-luck (Tib. fortune (grogs
shis phya) phywa)
domestic animals animal luck
hunting
demons, phantoms demons evil spirits evil spirits
Gewinnung einer Jungfrau
family line, peace Geburt eines Sohnes, offspring
in the family Kinder, Gedeih’n im
Geschlecht
medicine Krankheit und Heilung appropriateness
of medicine and
medical treatment
appropriateness of
a doctor
Ankunft von Freunden visitors arriving of
und Verwandten guests/travellers
disputes, slander Rechtshandel, Rechtsstreit victory or defeat in
court cases
Unfälle (accidents)
Gefangenschaft (impris-
onment)
spiritual progress religious contained in part
[practice] A(b)

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(cont.)

trouble with local

officials
fate in the battle
rebirth, reward
On the term srid phywa, Dotson (2015: 12, n. 18) states:
The meaning of srid phya is complicated, as it depends on the polyvalent

term srid. As a starting point—and without going into thorny detail—
it is perhaps easiest to comprehend by analogy with kingship: the srid is
the realm of the king—all that he governs and possesses. The srid of an
ordinary person is similar but on a smaller scale.
Dotson translates “subsistence fortune,” and that seems to work with some
texts, but in the Achi Mo srid phywa rather means “outlook concerning the off-
spring,” i.e., outlook concerning the continuation of the family line, especially
through sons—a category that we can also find in the Book of Consecration
and the Pāśakakevalī. Another interesting term is grogs phywa, which is often
translated as “outlook concerning friends.” However, grogs phywa, when used
in prognostics, refers in a more general sense to fortune and luck, similar to
Thomas’ shis phya (“auspice-luck”) in a text from Dunhuang.
It is of some interest to note which categories are lacking in the Achi Mo:
Book of Consecrations Pāśaka Kevalī Dunhuang
petitions
fame Würde / Ehre / Stand status / power / influence
wild animals, horses, and men?
state of the marriage Hochzeit, Ehe making a family connection
(marriage)
domestic animals animal luck
hunting

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(cont.)
Book of Consecrations Pāśaka Kevalī Dunhuang
Gewinnung einer Jungfrau

(winning a damsel or virgin)
Unfälle (accidents)
Gefangenschaft (imprisonment)
trouble with local officials
fate in the battle
rebirth, reward
Note that the Achi Mo shares all omissions with Mipham’s A ra pa tsa na. But
it would be a mistake to conclude that the omitted categories are of no con-
cern for (Tibetan) Buddhists. If we summarise the above categories that are
not considered in Mipham’s text and the Achi Mo, we find that they are (with
some overlapping) concerned with
(1) personal status or advancement (fame, status, power, and influence),
(2) personal affairs and happiness (marriage, “winning a damsel”),
(3) issues with officials (petitions, trouble with local officials),
(4) personal fate and dangers (accidents, imprisonment, fate in the battle,
rebirth, reward), and
(5) animals (animal luck, hunting).
Concepts like fate in a battle and fortune in hunting certainly cause unease in
a Buddhist.60 On occasion, however, the Achi Mo, too, offers advice concerning
disputes, fights, and lawsuits, weapons lost to the enemy, killing of enemies (in
a poetical expression, P 49), and even successful offensive attack and ransack-
ing (P 61, P 158). Moreover, the text provides regularly prognoses concerning
profit and wealth and the loss and regaining of it. In general, we may assume
that success in business is not necessarily adverse to Buddhist ethics. After all,
a part of the profit that is gained will be “invested” in offerings to religious insti-
tutions to obtain spiritual merit. Moreover, of course, a Buddhist may need and
seek advice concerning disputes and lawsuits. But successful offensive attack
and ransacking? Still, we should not make the mistake to dismiss these belli-
cose elements as mere remnants of a pre-Buddhist era. They are, in fact, con-
60 Schmithausen (1997: 67 ff. and 1999: 52 ff.) has argued that the many methods of ritual
purification and strategies of compensation and atonement in Buddhist cultures show
that non-injury (Skt. ahiṃsā) was still the norm and violence the exception.

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cerns of people living in a sometimes hostile or unstable environment. After

all, bands of robbers and invading hostile armies were probably more common
to Tibetans than natural disasters. Nevertheless, offensive attack and ransack-
ing are certainly an extreme response to dangers. It should be noted, however,
that such extreme advice is only given in two instances, namely once in P 61,
where the prognosis for warfare is “only bad,” and once in P 158, where the gen-
eral prognosis is “very bad.” However, in both cases, the advice is somewhat
extenuated. The advice in P 61 reads:
If you undertake offensive attack and ransacking (dmag jag), it will be

successful. If not, there is the slight danger of having an enemy, but since
he cannot harm, all will be well.
The text seems to present two options: (1) The possibility that one could make
an offensive armed attack against an enemy, and (2) the possibility that one
does not attack (on the expense of the slight danger of having an enemy who
might attack oneself). In the second of these cases, there is very little actual
danger because the chance of an attack by an enemy seems to be very small,
and even if he attacks, he will not cause harm. Thus, an offensive attack against
others as in the first of the two possibilities, even though it would be successful,
appears to be unnecessary. In the second instance (P 158), the advice reads:
Although there is the danger of having enemies, they will not attack. [The
prognosis for] making an attack and ransacking them is good.
In fact, one can read this in the same manner, namely that the enemy will not
attack, and even though an offensive attack would have a good prognosis of
being successful, it is unnecessary. In any case, however, it is mentioned here
as a possible reaction to a perceived threat, and military activities are indeed
not unknown in Buddhist countries, including Tibet (see also my remark in
ftn. 64). Advice to warriors (and highwaymen?) in Buddhist divination manu-
als surely deserve a more thorough investigation than is possible on the basis
of the few instances I found.
13 Ritual Remedies and Supports
The idea of using skillful means as remedies against misfortune is far-spread

and very old. It did not only appear in the texts mentioned here but traveled,
for instance, also to Japanese temples, where a negative prognosis can be nul-

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lified by—literally—tying it to a sacred object, such as a statue. One can also

trace the idea back to ancient Chinese practice. In Buddhist texts, especially
in those of the Tibetan cultural sphere, we find divination texts that contain a
vast number of remedies; in the Achi Mo, often several remedies are provided
even on the level of each of the detailed prognoses.
If one considers the application of remedies to negative prognoses in the
Buddhist doctrinal context of karma, one may ask how karma, whose ripening
is supposed to be inevitable, can be averted. The problem is, in fact, complex,
but the available space does not allow a detailed discussion here. In general,
karmic results can occur delayed or be accelerated (cf. Majjhima Nikāya 136 iii
207). In particular, the accumulation of merit (Skt. puṇya) may help to prevent
the immediate ripening of negative karma. Thus, such acts prescribed in our
texts as whitewashing a stūpa or releasing life may provide good conditions
already in this lifetime. Moreover, spiritual merit also seems to cause a “thin-
ning out” of negative karma if the accumulation of virtue is vast.61 However,
even though these processes work in a general sense, ordinary beings are far
from being able to steer the course of their karma in any sense of a controllable
process, unless they make a strong and skillful effort to gather vast amounts
of merit.62 As a further indication of a parallel existence of the principles of
karma and fortune that mostly seems to be without interconnections in Tibet,
it is, especially in our text, chiefly the duty of the deities evocated in the con-
text of the ritual remedies to establish favorable conditions and to force back
evil influences. The evocated deities are, therefore, struggling with the beings’
fortune/karma similarly to Greek gods, who are often portrayed as intervening
with the beings’ fate. An important factor in many Tibetan divination texts is,
therefore, that one works to win the favor of a god or deity, who establishes
favorable conditions and repels unfavorable ones for one’s benefit.
14 Remedies in the Book of Consecration
In some cases, already the 5th century Chinese Buddhist Book of Consecration
(Kuan-ting ching) recommends methods of reversing misfortune. After having
first delivered a bad prognosis, verse 33 says (Strickmann 2005: 61):
61 I describe this process and its doctrinal background in my forthcoming study of Jigten
Sumgon’s Single Intention (dGongs gcig).
62 See Bayer (2010: 186 ff.) for the possibility of creating a virtuous antidote that is stronger
than the non-virtue that has been previously accumulated by a person. I would like to
thank Solvej H. Nielsen for pointing that passage out to me.

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Restore those goods and valuables [entrusted to and neglected by you];

Then make scriptures as well as images.
Similarly, verse 5 on the same page says:
If you can only focus your concern on the Three Treasures

You will have the chance to abandon these impurities.
Other verses call for a conversion:
(30) If you can only repent in your present life,

Disasters and malefices will all be banished hence (Strickmann 2005: 62).
(4) Expiate and repent, and burn various sorts of incense (p. 70).
Other recommended acts of merit accumulation are to make and sponsor

scriptures and images, bestow largess, exert spiritual efforts, maintain the pre-
cepts completely, carry out retreats, and participate in ritual assemblies
(p. 70f.). Interestingly, in verse 65 (p. 66), the prognosis pertains to one who
is not only in military service but obviously in the middle of a battle since
“weapons are all about your head … you can see nothing but piles of human
bones.” Here, the advice concerning methods of improving the warrior’s lot is
this:
Yet simply concentrate on the Tao63 and its Virtue,

And what sorrows can then remain?
You will return in safety to full security.
Such remedies to misfortune do not appear in all verses. However, references

to Buddhist practices abound. One must have faith in Buddha, Dharma, and
community, take refuge in them, do obeisance and homage to them, worship,
revere and exalt them, incline toward them, repent transgressions to them, and
so forth. We may assume that the general method of reversing misfortune is the
Buddhist version of good conduct consisting in the avoidance of demerit and
the accumulation of merit.64 Nevertheless, sometimes misfortune seems to be
incurable in the Book of Consecration:
63 For “Tao” meaning here “[Buddhist] Path,” see above, ftn. 11.
64 Concerning the tension that exists between merit accumulation and participation in a
battle, cf. the interesting case of a Buddhist member of the warrior caste, who filters his

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(3) In your present existence you have therefore obtained suffering,

And so it will be until your life is done (Strickmann 2005: 61).
(31) You are an ill-omened person (…)

And in the end [you] will fall into the deep abyss (p. 62).
(62) Drugs and decoctions are unable to affect it;

This disease cannot be treated (p. 63).
(63) You will go directly into the prison of earth [i.e. hell]
And stay there a million kalpas without emerging.
To draw such a lot must be quite shocking, but as mentioned above, the inquirer
chooses three to seven slips from the pouch so that such a misfortune can be
interpreted within a more dynamic context.
15 Remedies in Tibetan Dunhuang Texts
Dotson (2015: 7), referring to a paper of da Col (2012), points out:
On an elementary level, we should also consider such divination rituals—

and particularly their emphasis on the untamed, natural world, on female
divinities, and on fortune (phya)—within the context of Tibetan econo-
mies of fortune, where dice divination represents a technology not simply
for calling in good fortune, but for winning it.
In fact, most of the dice divination manuals investigated here prescribe reme-
dies when a prognosis predicts problems. The scale to which they prescribe
remedies, however, differs significantly from text to text. The Dunhuang text
investigated by Thomas mentions remedies only on occasion. In most cases,
these remedies are fairly unspecific (my own translations):
drinking water to avoid swallowing—and thereby killing—very tiny animals. When his
fellow warriors confront him with the suspicion that he might refuse killing enemies, he
states that, other than the enemies, the animals have not done anything wrong against the
ruler whom he owes loyalty. A warrior’s loyalty to the king seems to create the condition
for a “delimited abstention” from his Buddhist vows. See Schmithausen and Maithrimurthi
(2009: 63 f.).

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4-3-4: Make offerings to a hindrance-removing god: it will turn out well.65
3-4-4: Since an evil spirit [from] above and the sadag are harming, offer a
ransom! Perform the ritual well!66
2-3-2: Since a powerful evil spirit has intruded your home, whatever you
do, it will not be accomplished. If this spirit is not expelled, all undertak-
ings fail.67
When all evil spirits, and so forth, are repelled, [he] will live(?).68
2-2-4: There is an evil spirit in the prosperity mansion. Strike immedi-

ately!69
2-1-4: If you worship a good god, there is no end to abundance.70
16 Remedies in the Pāśakakevalī
The Pāśakakevalī studied by Weber also mentions remedies only occasionally:
Wend’ dich dem Gott der Götter zu! (“Turn to the god of gods!”)
Drum sei nur stets dem Lehrer hold und ehre die Hauptgottheiten. (“Thus,
always lean towards your teacher and honor the main deities.”)
Mit reinem Glauben, frohen Muths ehre die Kuladevatā. (“With pure faith
and in high spirits honor Kuladevatā.”)
Doch üb’ nur die Geschlechtsbräuche stetig und ehr’ die Hauptgötter!
Durch Bedienung der Ehrwürdigen wird dir dann alles Glück zu Theil.
65 Thomas (1957: 120): bgyegs sol lha mchod cig / bzang po ’ong /.
66 Thomas (1957: 120): yas gdon dang sa bdag gnod pas// glud ched po thong zhig// cho ga legs
par gyis zhig//.
67 Thomas (1957: 122): gdon ched po zhig khyim phugs yod pas// bya dgur yang myi grub/ pa
de yin’o// gdon lan ’di dag ma bskrad na/ don gnyer yang myi grub//.
68 Thomas (1957: 122): gdon lan las bsogs pa thams cad bz[l]og nas s[r]o[g](?).
69 Thomas (1957: 123): srid khar gdon zhugs// rtsob gis phog//.
70 Thomas (1957: 123): lha bzang po la mchod [n]a phyug zhing mtha’ myi ’gri//.

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(“Practise always the customs of the House and honor the main gods! By
worshipping the Venerable Ones, happiness will be bestowed on you.”)
But also:
So lass denn dieses Vorhaben; denk dir etwas ganz andres aus. (“Thus,
desist from this undertaking; think of something else.”)
And:
Geh’ eilig nach ’nem andern Ort, damit dein Leben du erhälst. (“Go quick-
ly to another place so that you may preserve your life.”)
17 Remedies in Later Tibetan Mo Texts
The Turkic text analyzed by Thomsen does not mention any remedies at all, but
the Achi Mo does. It provides a large number of concrete remedies for many of
the detailed prognoses, and in most cases, it provides a whole list of them (e.g.,
P 42):
If you recite the White Parasol Repelling and the Ornament of

the Peak of the Victorious Banner and practice the Repelling
with the Sixty Tormas, the Liturgy [of Suppressing] Enemies,
and the Suppressing Drasi, even if there are enemies, they cannot
harm you.
One can find a similar richness of remedies also in Mipham’s divination book,
the A ra pa tsa na (Goldberg 1990). However, before we turn to the remedies
of the A ra pa tsa na and the Achi Mo, let us first investigate the curious case
of the Mo rtsis (Skt. Kevalī), which is in the Tengyur attributed to Śāntideva
(henceforth abbreviated S). Nothing in this text indicates that this person is the
same Śāntideva who is known as the author of the Bodhicaryāvatāra and the
Śikṣāsamuccaya. The same, by the way, can be said about the Mālā divination
discussed below and its attribution to Atiśa. To think, however, that such great
scholars may have nothing to do with divination is certainly unwarranted; every
single Buddhist scholar I have met in the Tibetan tradition has either been a
practitioner of divinations himself or has requested divinations from others,
and we find divination texts in the collected works of most scholars of Tibetan
Buddhism. Divination has been and still is taken for granted in Tibetan soci-

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ety, from the level of the government, which regularly employs oracles (Maurer
2010), to the level of individual persons, no matter whether that person is highly
educated or not.
Returning to the question of authorship, if we take into account that its attri-
bution in the Achi and Magzor Gyalmo manuals to Trinlé Zangpo, Chagrawa,
or Yangchen Drubpé Dorje hinges chiefly on their supposed authorship of the
attached sādhana, we may assume that its attribution in these manuals is, in
general, a matter of attaching authority to it. But again, this caution does not
rule out in the least that Śāntideva and Atiśa were practitioners of divination. I
find it most likely that their names were attributed to divination texts because
they have practiced and transmitted them.
The text of the Mo rtsis (S) starts with the production of (one or more?) dice
during the second night session of the 29th day71 of the spring month from the
root of a gourd tree (Tib. ka ped).72 The ritual practitioner utters a mantra for
consecrating them at that point (Oṃ kṣīṃ kṣīṃ svā hā). The text describes the
die as oblong and rectangular, circa two finger (breadths) in length. On its four
long sides, the letters A, wa, ya, and da are drawn (or carved).73 Taking a die (or
all three dice?) into his hands, the ritual practitioner visualizes an unspecified
deity ( yi dam lha dran pa) and in a concentrated manner brings whatever mat-
ter has occurred, should occur, or is present at the moment to mind. With the
mantra, Oṃ bi shis pa lla te/ A na nā thi kha/ A bi nā bi ṣe kha/ mu kha manta
na/, spoken 100 times, he consecrates the dice again. Then he casts the dice
with the mantra Oṃ bi ṣi li la ti/ A bi li la hi/ A nanta bi dha/ sva warṇa bi she ṣa/.
He either uses three dice or throws one die three times. As in the other divina-
tion texts where three dice with four sides were used, 64 results are possible.
The manual provides them under the headings A A A, A da da, A ya da, and so
forth.
The text remains fairly general, or, in other words, specific categories for
which the advice is effective are very rare (except for “enemies,” for which see
below). A few times a prognosis would mention wealth, travel, or the need to
go to a particular place, the danger of abusive talk by others, and the receiving
71 Tib. mar ngo’i tshes bcu bzhi, i.e., the 14th day of the second (mar ngo = decreasing [moon])
part of the month. Weber (1868: 276) mistakes it for the 14th day of the month.
72 Skt. Śāṇḍilya or Bilva. In the Pāśakakevalī, Śvetārka is used; cf. Lüders (1907: 16, n. 3 u.
4).
73 These dice letters appear in many Sanskrit texts: A Va Ya Da, or A Bh Y D, or A B J D. They
obviously derive from Greek α β γ δ and either came to India (and thereby to Tibet) in
the same way as Greek astrology, medicine, and mathematics, and so forth, namely in
Alexander’s wake, or through Muslim transmission, which bore its own Hellenistic legacy
(Strickmann 2005: 117 f., with further references on p. 172, n. 44).

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of news. Danger or harm by demons is never mentioned, but the text is often
concerned with “enemies” (dgra).
In sixteen cases the result mentions no problem at all and one will be suc-
cessful with whatever one wishes to do. In eight cases it will be completely
impossible to accomplish the task, and the text mentions nothing that could
improve the situation. In fact, the text advises in such cases that one should
either try to accomplish something else, or, that it is not the right time, or, sim-
ply, that one will not be successful. In one case (no. 54), the text says: “Give up
all hope. It is extremely bad.” In the remaining forty cases, there are various
degrees of difficulties, but there is a chance to be successful in the end if one
follows the advice of the manual.
As already pointed out above, enemies play a prominent role in this man-
ual. The text mentions them in nineteen cases, but only in four cases, they
make success completely impossible (the other four cases of complete failure
are caused by general obstacles). Thus, this is a divination text where there is
in most cases at least some degree of hope for success, but one has to make
all kinds of efforts and follow the advice, which often concerns one’s attitude.
Such advice in the individual cases include:
– not to go to a place where an enemy lives
– to consult one’s friends; to comply to the counsel of close associates
– to act like an eight-footed lion (Skt. śarabha), i.e., very powerful and coura-
geous
– to remain unafraid
– to think about this matter from a distance (i.e., to let time pass?)
– to imagine (rnam par shes par gyis) that the enemy is completely subdued
– not to listen to what the enemy says (or in the end it will come out like that)
– to improve one’s mind; to purify the mind; to make the mind virtuous; to
remain virtuous without any [own] agenda; to benefit mundane beings with
a virtuous mind; to accumulate much merit
– to avoid confusion; to concentrate; to be completely focussed; to think [well]
– not to put much hope in others’ advice, to rely on oneself; not to trust others
– to protect oneself in countries that are difficult (dangerous?) to traverse
– not to become weary; not to become lazy, saying “this is tiring”
– not to be ashamed
– to be patient
– to cultivate a pure intention
– to form a resolve; to resolve to achieve the purpose
– to accept much hard work, great suffering, and long delays
– to rejoice for those who have been blessed by the deity
– to benefit others; to make someone else happy

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– to go to disagreeable places, if necessary; to move to other places

– to make a great effort [even?] for a small deed
– to supplicate one’s special deity; to manifest the deity; to remember the deity
at all times
– to settle the mind in the natural state and to remain [like that]
– not to wear out one’s body and mind meaninglessly
– not to rely on those who earlier were friends and [now] are enemies
– not to listen to others’ pleasing words
– to remember that someone is talking much and abusive [i.e., not to rely on
them]
– to get [people] on one’s side from early on and to make them glad, so that
they will not be enemies
– to ignore small bits of [disagreeable] information
– not to think of anything else and to do it according to religion
– to think of one’s purpose as a good matter, and not to talk about it
– to remain steadfast when enemies are creating obstacles
– to act in a hidden way
As already mentioned, sometimes one even finds a counsel in almost entirely

hopeless cases:
– to accept that this is not the right time
– to avoid any efforts and to rather turn to something else
However, also:
– not to make any effort even if someone says, “engage in another work!”
– to investigate it carefully, but refrain from efforts
Moreover, twice even:

– to give up all hope
The impressive list of advice from the manual ascribed to Śāntideva shows
that the idea of being able to “win” one’s fortune was already well developed
in Indian Buddhist divination texts. However, while here the improving of the
fortune and the remedies against misfortune are constricted chiefly to one’s
conduct, attitude, and imagination, later Tibetan divination texts like the A ra
pa tsa na and the Achi Mo are more specific and also offer tantric rituals as
remedies. Mipham’s A ra pa tsa na provides in each section such special means
either to further improve or secure an already fortunate prognosis or to coun-
teract misfortune. In this respect, it is closer to the Achi Mo than any other
text discussed here. It may be that this development of specific remedies in the

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form of ritual practices is a later Tibetan development, but more research is

necessary to come to a definite conclusion in this regard.
There are several different forms of remedies mentioned in Mipham’s text.
The most simple ones are advice like making circumambulations (bskor ba),
offering butter lamps, silken flags, and votive figures, or carving mantras on
stone. Other forms of remedies may already require a specialist, like perform-
ing torma repelling rituals (gtor bzlog) or prosperity rituals (phywa g.yangs),
or erecting sacred objects (rten bzhengs) such as statues or stūpas. Often, his
advice merely points into a specific direction, like “rely on a deity of discrimi-
nating wisdom (prajñā),” “rely on deities of green color,” or “practice peaceful
deities that ride on animals like the five Tseringma sisters.” Apart from that,
one also finds the prescription of one or several of numerous ritual recita-
tions like the long, medium, and short sūtra of discriminating wisdom (Praj-
ñāpāramitā), the Mara Repelling of Heart Sutra, and the Dispelling
the Darkness of the Ten Directions, as we find them also in the Achi
Mo. When the prognosis is very negative, Mipham also advises to practice force-
ful or wrathful deities of all kinds. Other than the Achi Mo, the A ra pa tsa na
prescribes very rarely a remedy for one of the specific prognoses, such as “life
force” or “travellers,” but it does so on occasion in the case of specific illnesses.
Otherwise, the remedies are listed at the end of each of its 36 sections.
18 Ritual Proficiency
In contrast, the Achi Mo stands out with its large number and a great vari-
ety of remedies. As in Mipham’s text, these fall into three categories. The first
is general advice concerning virtuous conduct and merit accumulation. The
second contains ritual remedies that require basic ritual skills like an elemen-
tary knowledge concerning the recitation of dhāraṇīs, mantras, and popular
sādhanas, including the ability to prepare the necessary offerings. The third
consists of ritual remedies that require specialized skills like the ability to per-
form advanced sādhanas and prepare complex offerings (including tormas,
thread crosses, and so forth). The Achi sādhana at the beginning of the manual
and many of the practices of part A and all of part B require a ritual special-
ist. Although the Achi sādhana itself is not overly complex, it mentions (P 10)
that “it is necessary to practice until the supreme signs emerge.” Both of our
informants pointed out that this would require practice with great skill, effort,
and faith. Khenchen Nyima explained this in connection with a passage (P 7),
where the deity Vajrayoginī is to be visualized in the open space and Achi in the
space in front of the practitioner. The text says: “From the seed syllable Baṃ of

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[Vajrayoginī’s] heart, light shines forth and falls upon Achi, invoking her men-
tal continuum and granting the effortless siddhi of unveiled, clear supernormal
perception.” Khenchen Nyima points out that this is something that has to be
“really perceived” by the practitioner.74 Moreover, he said: “The more qualities
such a person has accomplished, the better the divination will turn out when
he performs it,” and he explains that this chiefly refers to the accomplishment
of the Mantra deity (Tib. yi dam). Most qualified, however, would be someone
who can “directly see Achi’s face, [who] can directly converse with Achi—if
it is such a lama, he can perform the divination most perfectly.” On the other
hand, he also explains that “[at] the minimum … you have to accomplish the
required number of mantras, … you have to recite the mantra of the sādhana
100,000 times.” In this respect, Ontul Rinpoche, who is himself well-known for
performing the Achi Mo, says:
[F]rom the side of the diviner, there have to be qualities. In the case of
the Achi Mo, you must have a connection to her, you must be convinced
of her, you have to have faith, and you have to practice.
Apart from that, he also states:
There are many people who make divinations. With some people, their
prognoses do not turn out to be accurate, or not exactly accurate. With
some people, they are sometimes accurate, sometimes not. It will be evi-
dent when the prognosis comes true or not! One who is a hundred percent
accurate is the best diviner.
For those who are familiar with Tibetan Buddhism, this is a well-known asser-
tion: At best, there should be realization (Tib. rtogs pa) or perfect accom-
plishment, but at least there should be faith. While this leaves room for non-
specialists who nevertheless have great faith, the complexity of some of the
prescribed ritual remedies indeed requires ritual specialists who can perform
quite complex practices belonging to a variety of tantric cycles. This is, in par-
ticular, the case when the prognosis is merely average or below. In these cases,
the manual prescribes—especially when problems occur due to evil spirits
and in such contexts as diseases, life force, and enemies—ritual remedies that
require not only liturgical expertise. The various requirements demand skills
74 All quotes from Khenchen Nyima and Ontul Rinpoche are taken from the interviews (see
part two).

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46 chapter 1
in making tormas (gtor ma) and thread crosses (mdos), and mastery in rituals
of repelling (bzlog) of the highest yoga tantras, ransom rituals (glud), rituals of
suppressing (mnan pa), as well as in the tantric ritual activities of pacification
(zhi ba’i las), increase (rgyas pa), domination (dbang ba), and forceful subdu-
ing (drag po’i las). Thus, when such skills are required, the ritual performer has
to have control and access to the necessary knowledge and skills and has to be
sufficiently trained in them. One usually finds such persons among the highly
trained Mantra practitioners of Tibetan Buddhism. Even when the prognosis is
above average or good, many of the categories require ritual support to remove
negative influences or stabilize or further improve the prognosed fortune. Such
practices may include the making of tormas and thread crosses and rituals
of repelling and empowerment. Quite often a prognosis requires the recita-
tion of long sūtras such as the Prajñāpāramitā, Avataṃsaka, or Gaṇḍhavyūha.
Curiously, however, not all categories of the divination lend themselves to the
ritual manipulation of fortune. In the categories “lost items,” “trade,” “travel-
ers,” “doctors,” and “fortune” no remedies are offered at all, and the categories
of “building grounds” and “pastures” offer them only rarely.

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chapter 2
Interviews
1 Interview with Khenchen Nyima Gyaltsen Rinpoche
Khenchen Nyima was born in 1976 in Tibet and entered at the age of eleven at
Lho Lungkar (Kham) the monastery Ogmin Thubten Shedrub Ling, where he
underwent traditional studies for six years. In 1994, he left Tibet and studied
for ten years at different Tibetan Buddhist institutions in India. At the begin-
ning of 2002, he was authorized to teach at the Kagyu College at Jangchub Ling
(Dehradun, India) and in 2004 he was enthroned as a Khenpo (teaching pro-
fessor) of that College. In 2013, he became the Head Khenpo of all Drikung
monasteries in exile.
The interview with Khenchen Nyima took place at the beginning of August
2016, at the Milarepa Retreat Centre, Schneverdingen (Germany), where he led
a study program for translators. As an opener, we first discussed a brief pas-
sage from the colophon of a Tibetan text.1 In this autobiographical passage,
the Tibetan historian and Tantric master Amé zhab reports the following inci-
dent:
When I had reached my nineteenth year, on the third day of the second
month of the hare year (1615), (…) I saw again and again in my dream
clearly [Mahākāla] Gurgi Gonpo with eight deities in the midst of rain-
bows, clouds and masses of flames on top of the Eastern Mountain of
Sakya. [Upon reporting this to his teacher Müchen Sangyé Rinchen, the
guru said]: “This is not a positive sign since it is a confused appearance of
the mind, and the mind is beyond expression since it is unborn. It is also
not a negative sign. If we decide that it is a pure vision purifying a few
veils of the mind, it is [all right to leave it] like that.”
Question: What is the difference between Amé zhab’s dream sign and a sign
occurring through a divination ritual? If we compare the two, could the sign
appearing through the Achi Mo not also be a confused appearance of the mind?
1 Sa skya pa’i srung ma khyad par can rnams kyi rtsa ba’i sngags sogs kyi don bshad pa sngon
gyi dpe rnying yid ches can du byas pa las bshus pa by A mes zhabs Ngag dbang kun dga’ bsod
nams. See Sobisch (2007: 365).

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figure 5 Khenchen Nyima Gyaltshen

With the kind permission of Khenchen Nyima
Gyaltsen
Khenchen Nyima: Yes, because here [pointing to the Tibetan text passage
translated above] it says regarding Amé zhab’s dream that he saw the appear-
ance of Lord Mahākāla. He asked his guru about it, and the teacher said that
it was not particularly good or bad. So, when we think of someone who is an
authentic religious practitioner, it is said that there is no talk about good or
bad. However, in mundane terms, if gurus, tutelary deities, protectors, and so
forth, appear in someone’s dream, then it is considered a good sign. That is the
way of the world. Now, concerning these words of the guru who said that it
is neither good nor bad—if we think in terms of someone who is an authentic
religious practitioner, then it is said that he should not make any particular divi-
sions of good and bad. [Therefore, this dream vision] is not a particularly good
sign. Since [the dream] is a mental illusion, all sorts of things might appear—
sometimes it might occur to us to be good, sometimes it might occur to be bad.
On the other hand, however, it is [in a religious sense] also not [only] bad. When
one is practicing religion, gradually the veils [of illusion] will be purified bit by

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interviews 49
bit, and different pure appearances will occur. [The main thing is] that [as a
religious practitioner] one should not keep hopes and fears about [such things]
being specifically good or bad.
In general, Jetsün Milarepa said a lot of similar things to Dagpo Rinpoche
(Gampopa). Sometimes when Dagpo Rinpoche meditated, appearances of the
buddhas occurred [to his mind]. “Now I am probably quite good because I see
the buddhas,” he said to Jetsün Mila. However, Mila replied: “Oh, that is noth-
ing particularly good or bad! Because of the different movements of the wind
energy (Tib. rlung) in your [inner] channels (Tib. rtsa), you see such differ-
ent appearances. Do not keep any hopes or fears about those!” So when the
great Müchen talked in that way to Amé zhab, he was probably talking within
a similar context. When we speak of someone who is an authentic religious
practitioner, he should not have hopes and fears, and so there is no good or bad
[in that sense]. This is what he seems to be saying.2
Someone who has a very firm faith in Achi, a lama, performs the divination
with the purpose of benefiting the people. [When he does that], he temporarily
accomplishes the objectives of other sentient beings. [Ultimately], he works to
accomplish the activities of awakening for the sake of others.
When one performs the divination, one supplicates Achi. One thinks she can
cause anything to happen through her activities of awakening. [That means] to
make divination with faith. In the divination, sometimes good and sometimes
bad [signs] occur. They occur from supplicating Achi. It is like when we do an
exam: the results come from [our efforts]. That is the difference between the
2 Khenchen Nyima mentions that similar appearances occur when a yogi practices “the move-
ments of the wind energies in the channels and so forth.” I found similar statements in a text of
the Sakyapa Jetsün Dragpa Gyaltsen (Sobisch 2015), the Tshad ma bzhi’i yi ge, where one pas-
sage reads: “Many visions of buddhas and bodhisattvas appear to you. Since they arise from
inner dependent origination, do not be attached!” And: “Inconceivable experiences of cause,
path, and result arise for you—because they are your own inner dependent originations, do
not be attached!” The term “inner dependent origination” refers here to the yogic practices of
channels and winds (Tib. rtsa rlung), which cause these experiences. In short, since these are
very subtle experiences, they are more sublime than the illusions of everyday experiences,
but as they are nothing but cause and result, they are still illusions and one should not cling
to them. When one presses on one’s eyeballs, one gets a double vision—that is also noth-
ing but cause and result and dependent origination. Since these visions and experiences are
caused and occur through dependent origination, they have no “own-nature” or true exis-
tence of their own. As Nāgārjuna said (Mūlamadhyamakakārikā, D vol. 96, 15.2cd, fol. 8v):
“[True] ‘nature’ is unfabricated, without dependency on something else.” Khenchen Nyima
later mentioned in this context that although it would be best if the diviner has experience
in the practice of channels and winds, this is not a necessary precondition for performing the
Achi Mo.

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dream appearances in the case of Amé zhab and the good and bad [signs] in
the case of divination [which occur through supplication].
Question: In the case of the signs that appear to the lama who performs the
divination, if they are not the confused appearances of his mind, how are they
the activities of the awakening of Achi?
Khenchen Nyima: When we talk about performing divinations, an accom-

plished yogi does not need any divination, right? [He does not need to know]:
“Does it look like I will get sick? Will I die? How might this turn out for me?”
An authentic religious practitioner does not need such divinations. Jetsün
Milarepa, for instance, did not ask other people for divination. [He did not ask]:
“Will it be good if I go to Lapchi [mountain]? Will it be good if I go to Mount
Kailash?” Also, he did not perform divinations himself.3
For which purpose does one do divination? If, for instance, an ordinary per-
son plans some undertaking or loses a valuable thing, or he or his parents or
relatives are sick—which method can be applied to help in such a situation? He
is perplexed. He does not know where to search [for the lost item], or whether it
would be appropriate to change the doctor or the medicine. He has carried out
many undertakings in the past that may not have been completed, and he still
has more plans for the future, but does not know what their prospects are—
what does such a mundane person need? He needs to ask the lama, right? He
needs someone to perform a divination.
Regarding the person who performs the divination, if it is someone clair-
voyant, he can probably say it directly [and does not even need to perform
divination]. If that person is not clairvoyant, he needs to supplicate a deity, like
Achi or Palden Lhamo. He directs the question to the deity and asks: “How will
it turn out? What is the best method for him?” The requestor of the divination
asks the lama, and the lama performs the divination accordingly. When [the
lama] receives the prognosis, he proceeds accordingly. He says: “According to
3 The reason why accomplished yogis have no interest of their own in divination is that as
accomplished practitioners of Mahāmudrā, for instance, they abandon the concepts “helpful
for me” and “not helpful for me” (otherwise known as “hope and fear”), or as practitioners of
gcod (“cutting off”) they would not only not avoid harmful demonic influences through div-
ination practice, but instead invite these demons so that they can feed them, and so forth.
Concerning Theravāda Buddhist sources, there is an interesting article by David Fiordalis
(2014) on Buddhism, divination and the worldly arts, where he argues that the chief objection
against divination, and so forth, was that the monks should not earn a livelihood through it.
Other than that, it was probably a widespread and accepted practice at all times.

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the prognosis, that sick person will probably get cured.” Or: “He probably needs
to go to another doctor.” If something has got lost, he might say: “If you search
it in the eastern direction, you will probably find it,” all in accordance with the
prognosis.
Anyone who performs the divination first has to do the practice [of the sād-
hana]. For instance, even [an experienced] lama performing the Achi Mo first
has to recite a lot of Achi mantras and accomplish Achi completely. Therefore it
is said here [in the sādhana] that one has to practice until the signs occur. That
means, for instance, that through the practice of this Achi sādhana you receive
dreams where you see her face. It is not as in the case mentioned before, where
a good dream [is seen as neither good or bad] in the practice of a Mahāmudrā
yogi. Here, when one achieves a sign through the practice of Achi, you see the
sign as a valid proof of [success in] the practice of Achi. When one is convinced
that it is like that, one proceeds by performing the divination.
If we analyze properly, this kind of sign is an appearance of the yogi’s mind.
In general, there are many types of appearances of the mind: Confused appear-
ances, karmic appearances, conditioned appearances, the pure appearances
of yogis—there are many levels. According to this analysis, the appearance of
signs [in the practice of Achi] can be [understood as] appearances of a yogi
who has purified his karma. As the great Müchen said above: [The appearance
of Mahākāla in a dream] is also not bad because it is a pure appearance arising
due to a slight purification of mental veils. Müchen did define it like that, right?
Thus, when someone wants to perform the divination, he [first] practices
the Achi [sādhana], and when signs occur in his dream, he must form the clear
determination: “Having practiced Achi, this is a sign and valid proof of that
practice.” Moreover, when such appearances get progressively more sublime,
we can apply an explanation in terms of the view of Mahāmudrā, namely [that
such signs are] still slightly confused appearances. There are many levels of
confused appearances. If we take water as an example, when hell-beings look
at water it appears [to them] as something like burning lava, hungry ghosts
perceive it as mucus, human beings see it as water, but yogis [with pure per-
ception] see it as the nature of the goddesses. When the minds of the beings
get progressively purified, the appearances change in accordance to [the level
of] the purification. Similarly, when someone practices Achi, and the sign and
valid proof of the practice occurs, generally, those are appearances that are still
slightly confused, but these are not like our usual confused appearances. When
one performs divination while having confidence concerning these [purified,
but still slightly confused] appearances, one can temporarily accomplish the
purposes of oneself and others. On the basis of that, it is possible to help. [The
divination] can temporarily clear away the problems for those who make an

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inquiry. Based on that [the lama who makes the divination] can also benefit
other persons by bringing them onto the path of religion.
Question: Is that what is called “the awakened activity of Achi?”
Khenchen Nyima: Yes, that is what is called Achi’s awakened activities. When
we speak of “activities of awakening,” these consist not only in bringing all
sentient beings to Buddhahood. Generally, Buddha activity is to bring sen-
tient beings to Buddhahood. Persons with Śrāvaka potential are brought to the
level of the Śrāvakas, those with Pratyekabuddha potential to the level of the
Pratyekabuddhas, and those of the lower realms to the higher realms. The suf-
fering of those who have great suffering is pacified, and the illnesses of the
ill is cured. In brief, the activities of awakening accomplish temporary and
ultimate benefit and happiness for sentient beings. All these activities [with
temporary and ultimate results] are called Buddha activities. Accordingly, the
performance of the Achi divination can accomplish many temporary purposes
of others [and thereby lead them to the ultimate path].
If you are a beginner on the path, you might wonder: “Which place would
be good for a retreat? Would it be appropriate to go for a retreat to the Lapchi
Mountain? Alternatively, is it better to stay here for a retreat in Germany?” A
person without a high realization needs to know for a retreat whether particu-
lar problems may occur at that place, for example regarding food. In that case,
one can turn to the Achi Mo, which has [for each prognosis] a section called
“outlook concerning the religious activities.” This section provides a prognosis
about how religious activities will turn out. The prognosis may be that it will
turn out very well, or that there will be problems, like getting sick. In that way,
the diviner can perform the Achi Mo for the sake of beginners concerning reli-
gious activities.
Most other sections concern worldly issues: Will a sickness be cured? Will
travelers return? Will I have a son? Will I get pregnant? Will my business go
well? Such divinations are necessary since worldly people have those kinds of
problems. Religion is also meant to clear away the problems of worldly people,
right? Moreover, the text offers many practical methods to clear away prob-
lems. Sometimes it is recommended to request certain religious activities [to
be performed], sometimes problems need to be cleared away by [ritual prac-
tices such as] beating drums and making tormas, and sometimes there is the
advice to consult a different doctor regarding an illness. In that way, the prob-
lems of others are cleared away. These are Achi’s awakened activities that are
in accordance with religion.

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Question: How does the divination relate to the “supramundane” level?
Khenchen Nyima: It is not appropriate to ask for divinations directly con-

cerning supramundane matters, like asking whether one will reach the first
bodhisattva bhūmi [in this lifetime] or not, or whether one will achieve Bud-
dhahood, and so forth. However, according to Jigten Sumgön, there is an indi-
rect relation to the supramundane path. He says in the Single Intention (2.11)
“the sixteen pure codes of human beings, and so forth, and the divine codes
have the same vital point.” When he says, “pure codes of human beings,” that
refers to the conduct in the society of human beings; it is about being a good
person, and so forth. Other scholars hold that the “pure codes of human beings”
are a mundane religious practice, which is different from the “divine codes”
because one has to give up saṃsāra to practice them. Jigten Sumgön, however,
maintains that it is not like that. He teaches that the human codes and the
divine codes have the same vital point.4 Based on the practical methods of this
divination manual, the pure codes of human beings will become authentic, and
that will benefit the divine [supramundane] religious activities. Temporarily, in
the mundane world, we need things like long life, freedom from illnesses, and
material enjoyments. The divination helps to create conditions conducive to
those needs. In this way, the divination manual is a means to make the supra-
mundane path arise authentically in the mind-streams [of people].5
Question: How can the Mo-practice be described in terms of “conventional”

and “ultimate” truth?
4 This point has been taught to refute those who hold that the codes of the conduct of human
beings are abandoned when one enters into the conduct in accordance with the divine code.
Jigten Sumgön maintains in contrast to them that the pure codes of human beings are the root
and foundation stone of the divine codes when both are practiced with the wish of passing
beyond saṃsāra.
5 The Achi Mo can help to achieve long life, freedom from illness, material enjoyments, and
so forth, by prescribing ritual remedies to avert negative influences and ritual supports to
stabilize and improve good fortune. The lama, however, will advise the inquirer that a long
life, and so forth, should not be wasted for mundane activities. Instead, it should be skilfully
used in the practice of religion. In this manner the Achi Mo causes the religious path and
meditative concentration to arise. This is also expressed in a prayer contained in the Achi-
sādhana of Könchog Ratna (bsTan srung chos kyi sgrol ma’i sgrub thabs, KR, p. 179): “Please
cause the activity [to arise] that is victorious over unfavorable conditions and the fear of the
four Māras. Lead us and connect us to the samādhi that guides us on the perfect path. Until
we have obtained awakening, keep our body, speech, and mind away from false paths and
guide us to liberation and awakening.”

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Khenchen Nyima: When we speak in terms of the conventional and the ulti-
mate, the performance of divination is a conventional practice. Generally, in
the ultimate truth, there is no performer and no receiver of the divination. In
the ultimate truth, there are no things like a mālā [or dice, and so forth] to
perform the divination. In the context of the conventional truth of ordinary
beings, however, we have categories like “performer” and “receiver” of the div-
ination. These exist as separate categories, and based on the appearance of
these persons and things we perform the activity of divination. Therefore, gen-
erally, divination is conventional reality, it has a provisional meaning. When
we speak of provisional meaning, it means that the divination helps to pre-
vent problems and troubles and guides one unto a convenient path. Thus, the
prognoses offered by the divination provide guidance that helps to avoid unfa-
vorable conditions and paths and achieve favorable conditions and paths.
The Achi Mo [is done with dice] showing three to eighteen dots, [i.e., six-
teen possible results].6 [Each of the sixteen sections starts with] an explanation
about how your religious [activity] might turn out. It is an explanation about
how it might turn out when you are really practicing the essence of the Bud-
dha’s doctrine, the Dharma. You find this explanation at the beginning of each
of the sixteen sections. It is regarded as the most important [part of] the div-
ination. Below that, there follow [the explanations for] the mundane issues.
Actually, Achi’s main awakened activity is concerning the supramundane
[path]. Therefore [in many sādhana’s of Achi] it says:7
You combine the power over the three spheres of existence, you protect
all beings,
and you guard the teachings of a thousand buddhas.
You accomplish the wishes of beings in accordance with the Dharma—
I pay homage to the wish-fulfilling Achi!
When it says, “protecting all beings,” that includes the Achi Mo. It refers to help-
ing the beings. When one determines a person’s positive or negative prognosis
based on the Achi divination, one accomplishes her awakened activity con-
cerning the mundane level. However, if one asks what Achi’s main awakened
activity is, then it is bringing all sentient beings to Buddhahood. It is guid-
ing the beings [and fulfilling] their wishes in accordance with the Dharma.
6 Three six-sided dice are used. The lowest number is three (3×1), the highest eighteen (3×6).
7 ’Jig rten gsum mgon, p. 367: srid gsum dbang bsdud ’gro ba ma lus skyob/ sangs rgyas stong gi
bstan pa bsrung bar mdzad/ ’gro ba’i bsam pa chos bzhin bsgrub mdzad ma/ yid bzhin bsam
grub a phyir phyag ’tshal lo/.

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Yet, to guide the beings to the path of Dharma, first one has to proceed based
on the practical methods of the mundane path. Therefore, the Indian master
Ācārya Bhāvaviveka says:8
Wanting to climb to the top

of the great mansion of absolute truth
without the ladder of pure relative truth
is not suitable for a learned one.
Based on the authentic, mundane, conventional practices, one climbs to the

top of the great mansion of the ultimate. The conventional is like a ladder.
Therefore, the divination is like that ladder that is the conventional reality, a
Dharma of provisional meaning. However, based on that, it leads into the path
through which Achi can bring all sentient beings to Buddhahood. Therefore,
Achi’s main awakened activity concerns the supramundane path; but to accom-
plish that path, one must first practice the mundane practical methods. That is
the reason why the Achi divination has appeared.
Question: Is it possible to ask other questions than those that are making
up the various categories of prognosis in the divination manual? Could one
inquire through the Mo whether it would be appropriate to start a meditation
retreat now or later, and which practice one should emphasize?
Khenchen Nyima: The manual has no specific category for retreats. However,
you can include it in the main category that is concerned with the category “out-
look concerning the religious activities.” The lama can make two divinations:
one concerning the present year, one concerning the next. If the divination
concerning this year turns out better, then it is appropriate to start your retreat
in this year. In such cases, we have to include the many small activities [in the
main categories] like that.
8 Madhyamakahṛdaya 3.12 and Madhyamakahṭdayavṛtti (D vol. 98, fol. 56r). The text was stud-
ied by Lindtner (2001, ed.). Shōtarō Iida (1980) partly translated the third chapter (from which
the quote stems, p. 67). The most significant variant to the canonical editions is that the
canonical text does not speak explicitly of the “great mansion of absolute [truth]” (don dam
[bden pa’i] khang chen), but of a “mansion of reality” ( yang dag khang pa, Skt. tattva prāsāda).
One cannot find the Tibetan line “mkhas la rung ba ma yin no” (“not suitable for the learned
one”) as such in the Sanskrit verse. It seems to be the case that this verse is instead a part of
the commentary whereas the following verse (in Tib. no. 13) is the actual (and very similar)
12th verse (of the Skt. text). See on this problem, Heitmann (2004: 101, ftn. 2) and Kawasaki
(1992: 141).

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Question: So it is appropriate to ask such questions concerning meditation

retreats, and so on?
Khenchen Nyima: Yes, it is appropriate! Usually, as I said before, the ad-

vanced yogis do not have to determine [such a question] in that way. They
determine it by themselves. Jetsün Mila said that one should not cheat one-
self with divinations, astrology and so forth. It is [more] appropriate for an
advanced yogi to determine [such questions] by himself. However, if one is a
beginner like we are and is unable to determine [things] like that, one proceeds
by way of divination. Mainly it is about faith, right? If divination about going
to retreat this year turns out well, then, thinking “this year I will not get obsta-
cles,” one proceeds with this thought in one’s mind. In that case, if you go this
year, you will not get sick, you will not face problems, and the retreat will be
good. However, if the lama says that the divination for this year is not good
and one nevertheless enters into a retreat, then one lacks faith in one’s mind. If
one thinks that one has to enter the retreat despite the bad prognosis, then one
lacks the comfortable feeling in one’s mind. [As a consequence], one proba-
bly will face problems. There is a great relation [between occurrences and] the
feelings of one’s mind.
Question: There are many types of divination. Some people use dice, some a
mālā, others a mirror—what are the main differences between those? Is there
a method that is particularly suited for accomplishing the supramundane reli-
gious activities?
Khenchen Nyima: As I see it, there are probably no particular differences.

Some people use a mālā, some use dice, and then for some people there seems
to be the so-called unique accomplishment of mirror-divination of Achi. In the
mirror-divination, one looks into a mirror and whatever is going to happen will
appear in the mirror. For this [practice] one has to be a particular type of per-
son possessing the so-called mirror-divination-eye. In most cases, people use
either dice or a mālā. However, people who have transformed the channels in
the body may have the mirror-divination-eye. If we take something like a bird
of prey, it has the eye-capacity to see the prey many kilometers away. Likewise,
some persons have special abilities in the channels of their eyes. Thereby, hav-
ing accomplished the mirror-divination like that, some people can determine
[issues] by looking into a mirror. Otherwise, however, most people perform div-
inations using either a mālā or dice, whatever is convenient.
Question: There is no difference?

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Khenchen Nyima: There does not seem to be a particular difference between

those two. It does not seem to be the case, for instance, that if one uses a mālā,
it is for the sake of religious activities and if one uses dice it is for the sake of
mundane issues. However, when one is using dice, there is a difference regard-
ing the way the dice-holes are made in dice for playing games and in dice for
divination. I do not remember this well or clearly, but if the number one is on
this side, some dice have the number six here [on the opposite side].9 The dice
for divination and the dice for playing seem to be a bit different. However, I do
not remember the details.
Question: Is there a difference between Buddhist divination and Bönpo div-

ination?
Khenchen Nyima: There is probably a slight difference, right? Mostly they

are quite similar in scope. The divinations that our Buddhist lamas perform and
those that the Bön lamas perform … it is hard to say. Long ago, in the very begin-
ning, the Bönpos probably used divination first. In my view it is like this: When
the Buddhist lamas saw that the Bönpo lamas used divination, [they decided
that] we Buddhists also need divination.10 By attaching our own deities and
protectors to the practice, a Tibetan Buddhist tradition of performing divina-
tions came about. There was probably also a mutual exchange [of the elements
of divination]. The most important aspects [of the divination manuals] in both
[traditions] are probably very similar. However, in the performance of their
[respective] divinations, there are differences concerning the deity practice.
Question: Regarding the lama who performs the divination—what are his
specific characteristics? Is it also appropriate when other practitioners perform
divinations?
Khenchen Nyima: Concerning the person who performs the divination, we

usually say that it is done by a “high lama.” That does not mean that he has a
high throne or that someone with a low throne must be a low lama. A “high
lama” is one who has the qualities of abandoning [the veils] and accomplish-
9 Many dice are structured in a “balanced” manner, i.e., in the case of six-sided dice, the
opposite sides always add up to seven (1 + 6, 2 + 5, 3 + 4). Both my informants maintain that
the dice used for the Achi Mo are not like that.
10 In fact, Indian Buddhists already used divination before Buddhism came to Tibet. Tibetan
Buddhist divination methods owe similarly to Indian, Central Asian (including Bönpo),
Chinese, and other methods.

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58 chapter 2
ing [the qualities]. The more qualities such a person have accomplished, the
better the divination will turn out when he performs it. [As the text says], one
has to accomplish [the deity]. Possessing the qualities of abandoning [veils]
and accomplishing [qualities], one has accomplished the deity.
Someone who performs the Achi Mo has in the best case the qualities of
abandoning and accomplishing. He can directly see Achi’s face; he can directly
converse with her—if it is such a lama, he can perform the divination most per-
fectly. However, it is not always possible like that. Generally, in deity practice,
we talk about three ways of accomplishing the deity. The first is the accom-
plishment of signs, the second the accomplishment of the number, and the
third the accomplishment of time. In deity practice, the accomplishment of
signs means that one can bring forth all the signs of accomplishing the deity.
That is called the “approach of the sign” [i.e., mantra recitation until the signs
appear]. The accomplishment of the number means that even if one cannot
bring forth all the signs, one accumulates the mantra recitation exactly as it
is prescribed, such as 100.000 recitations. That is called the “approach of the
number” [i.e., mantra recitation until one accomplishes the prescribed number
of recitations]. Accomplishment of the time means that one has accumulated
mantra recitations for the required time. Here, for performing the Achi Mo, the
minimum requirement is that you have to accomplish the required number of
mantras, i.e., you have to do the mantra of the sādhana 100.000 times. That kind
of characteristic definitely seems to be necessary.
Question: Thus, if he has accomplished that minimum requirement, an ordi-

nary religious practitioner too can perform the divination.
Khenchen Nyima: There are also a lot of people [like that] who practice and
perform divinations. Other people, however, out of principle never perform
divinations. For instance, if you were to request someone like Jetsün Mila to
perform a divination, he would probably scold you. In our Drikung Kagyü tra-
dition, if we requested Drubwang Rinpoche to perform a divination, he would
scold us. He said: “We are monks! We are religious practitioners! Just practice
religion, and then all issues will be solved! Why should one perform divina-
tions? This so-called divination is for the sake of the mundane laymen and
women!” He would never help us with divinations. Other lamas will perform
divination out of kindness when a monk or layperson asks him to perform one.
It is up to the individual lama, right?
[Khenchen also explains later that the person performing the divination should
not just take the outcome literally, but should count on his intuition about the

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interviews 59
outcome. The best would be to combine the divination with astrology as Lam-
chen Gyalpo Rinpoche did.]
Question: Are there also monks, yogis, and other lamas requesting a lama to
perform divination?
Khenchen Nyima: Yes, the requester could be anyone. It is possible that

sometimes one lama might request another one to perform a divination, as one
doctor goes to another doctor [when he is sick]. He cannot do an operation on
himself! [He laughs]. Likewise, it is possible that a lama, a monk, a layman, a
laywoman, an old person, or a young person might ask a lama to make a Mo.
Question: But most people who make an inquiry are lay people?
Khenchen Nyima: Mostly this divination is for the sake of the lay men and
women. As I said before, it is mainly a practical method for helping with the
problems and troubles of mundane people. There are great problems and trou-
bles for the ordinary people, right? Therefore, one needs to perform divinations
for their sake.
Question: Does the lama who performs divination thereby generate income
for his monastery?
Khenchen Nyima: There is no specific fee for performing divination. If you

give an offering, that is fine, if you do not give an offering, that is also fine. You
mainly have to offer your faith. You need to have faith in the one who is per-
forming the divination. You have to offer your faith, and if you offer a gift on
top of that, it is fine, if not, it is also fine. The performance of divination is not
for the sake of business. If it were, there would have to be an exchange of object
and payment, but divination is not like that. Mainly, one needs to have faith in
the lama and the divination. Without that, the divination will not benefit you.
It will be just trouble for you.
In the monastery, we usually do have divinations, pūjas, group prayers, and
so on. However, that is not for the sake of generating income for the monastery.
It is mainly for the sake of helping the people. On the other hand, it is a tra-
dition that the people individually make offerings that the monk community
is allowed to use. Divinations and pūjas are not specifically for the sake of
improving the monastery’s economy; they are mainly for the sake of helping
the mundane people. We have a saying: “If you throw a stick upwards and fruits
fall down, there is profit.” [He laughs]. If I stand underneath an apple tree and

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60 chapter 2
just by chance throw a stick upwards, and if some apples fall down because of
that, then I have to eat them. If I throw them away, it is a waste. Likewise, it is
often so that divinations are done, and when the divination is done, an offering
is made to the lama, and the lama uses the offering for the monastery. That is
the general situation, but we do not perform a divination to get money.
It is possible that some strange person performs divination for the sake of
money. That is different. The religion taught by the Buddha, the Exalted One,
is a method for clearing away the problems of sentient beings. That is what he
has taught. However, it happens that some person uses religion as a business for
making a living. That is not the problem with the religion; it is a problem with
that person. Likewise, it is possible that someone performs divination, think-
ing “based on performing the divination I will make good money.” I cannot say
that there is nobody like that, right? However, from the religious perspective,
divination is not for the sake of that.11
2 Interview with Lho Ontul Rinpoche
Ontul Rinpoche was born in Eastern Tibet in 1950. At the age of four, he was
recognized as an incarnation and forced into his Indian exile at the age of nine.
He received teachings from many great teachers of the Nyingma and Kagyü
lineages while in India and later, during his visits in Tibet. In 1971 he settled at
Rewalsar (H.P.) and constructed a monastery at the “Lotus Lake” (Tso Pema).
Since childhood, he is known and much sought after as a practitioner of the
Achi Mo.
We started the interview with the same passage from Amé zhab’s writings
that we had given Khenchen Nyima and with the question whether such “con-
ceptual thoughts” (Tib. rnam rtog) as thinking of dreams or divinatory signs as
“good” or “bad” would not be harmful to spiritual practice.
Ontul Rinpoche: Generally, we speak of “good” and “bad” thoughts or con-

cepts. If there arises a fixation on or grasping of “good” or “bad,” we say in
Buddhism that it is not helpful. However, the interpretation of a Mo is [neces-
sarily] conceptual. In this case, concepts can have a beneficial aspect. We can
say that concepts—although they are delusive by nature—may be helpful for
us mundane people.
11 See above, ftn. 3, for a reference on monks being prohibited to earn a livelihood through
divination.

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interviews 61
figure 6 Ontul Rinpoche

With the kind permission of Lho Ontul Rinpoche
Question: Would you say that divination belongs to the side of the mundane
and relative truth or the transmundane and absolute truth?
Ontul Rinpoche: It belongs to the sphere of relative truth. We say that from
the perspective of delusion, relative truth is correct and from the perspective of
truth, absolute truth is correct. Truly correct is therefore only the absolute truth.
Nevertheless, relative truth is for us, from the perspective of delusion and for a
mind that remains in confusion, just the truth. That is how it is.
Question: When you perform divination, do you also provide prognoses for
inquiries about religious activities?
Ontul Rinpoche: You can make a Mo concerning all kinds of questions,

uncertainties, and doubts. There is nothing that is not allowed or unsuitable. I
provide divinations for whichever question is asked.
Question: Are some of the instruments used for divination, such as dice, mālā,
or mirror, held to be better than others?
Ontul Rinpoche: You cannot say “better or worse.” It depends on the diviner.
There are those who make a Mo with a mirror, who thereby understand the sit-
uation, and their prognosis is accurate. Some use a mālā, and their prognosis
is accurate. You cannot find in our texts any remark like “you have to use this

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62 chapter 2
or that instrument; otherwise it is not appropriate.” The critical issue is that

the Mo is accurate, that things come true as predicted. It is like clairvoyance.
[Whether it was accurate] will be seen when it comes true or not.
Question: Are the divinations of Buddhists and Bönpos the same?
Ontul Rinpoche: I am not sure about that, but the way we make divinations
seems to be very similar.
Question: Which characteristics must a person possess to be able to make

divination? Are diviners particular types of persons?
Ontul Rinpoche: Many people make divinations. With some people, their
prognoses do not turn out to be accurate, or not exactly accurate. With some
people, they are sometimes accurate, sometimes not. It will be evident when
the prognosis comes true or not! One who is a hundred percent accurate is the
best diviner. Apart from that, you cannot say that a person is the right type.
However, from the side of the diviner, there have to be qualities. In the case
of the Achi Mo, you must have a connection to her, you must be convinced of
her, you have to have faith, and you have to do the practice. Based on such a
connection, we make the Achi Mo.
Question: What kind of people ask for divination?
Ontul Rinpoche: Well, all kinds of people approach me. Monks, ordinary
people, old, young, sick people who want to know what their illness is or which
doctor they should go to, or whether they should have surgery or not. Nowa-
days people come and ask if they should buy a car or a motorcycle! Divination
is very problematic when people ask about surgery. What if this person dies!
That would be a big responsibility for me! Or the prognosis of the Mo is that
someone should have surgery on his eyes and he loses his eyesight! Then they
would say: “But I requested divination!” That is a big responsibility for me.
In such a situation I thought more than once that it would be better not to
make a Mo since the responsibility is too big. However, I make the Mo since
childhood, and I make it concerning all kinds of questions. Sometimes peo-
ple approach me when something was stolen, and they want to know who the
thief is. [He laughs]. All kinds of people approach me with all kinds of issues.
Whenever there is something that is difficult to decide, people say: “Make a
Mo!”

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interviews 63
Question: Is there a financial gain for the monastery if a lama makes a Mo?
Ontul Rinpoche: If a sick person approaches me and I make a Mo, some-

times it shows that a long life pūja and other service rituals have to be per-
formed. That can be in accordance to his inclinations, like the [mantra] practice
or Tārā’s repelling ritual. For such rituals, people offer money to the monastery.
That is the way it is done. People are free to provide an offering for the Mo-
maker, but it is also all right when they do not make an offering. There is no
rule for that, and nobody says: “I have to get so-and-so much for it.” When they
make an offering, I do not refuse it, but I never ask for one. That is the way we
do these things. Tibetans are like that.

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chapter 3
Translation of the Achi Mo
1 The Sādhana
A phyi chos kyi sgrol ma’i sho mo snang srid gsal ba’i me long
Dice Divination of Achi Dharma Tārā:

The Clear Mirror of Phenomenal Existence
by Könchog Trinlé Zangpo (1656–1718)
2 I pay homage to the guru and the special deity Vajrayoginī! Here I teach the
manner of accomplishing the dice divination of Achi Dharma Tārā. Arrange in
front of any painted or carved image of the goddess that you have set up what-
3 ever is necessary, such as the offerings, vajra, and bell. Then you should recite
the visualization practice of the Vārāhī and the divine lady [Achi]. [First], the
visualization practice of Achi.
Oṃ svabhāva śuddhāḥ sarvadharmāḥ svabhāva śuddho ’haṃ
Thereby you purify.
4 [Everything] becomes emptiness. Imagine in this empty state in front a

vast and marvelous circular maṇḍala. Above that is a four-spoked wheel
that is white in its center, blue in the east, yellow in the south, red in the
west, and green in the north. In its center arises from a Paṃ a lotus and
from a Raṃ a sun [with] a seat of the four māras. Above that is the white
syllable Hrīḥ with a visarga from which appears Achi, Lady of the Nanam
[clan], Divine Mother of the Expanse (Skt. Dhatvīśvarī),1 Dharma-Tārā,
5 with a single face, two arms, and a body complexion of white tinged with
red. Her feet suppress the four māras. She wears flapping, five colored
silken garments and is adorned with various precious gems. In her right
hand, she holds a polished silver mirror in which she perceives the three
1 It appears to be impossible to provide an adequate translation of Skt. iśvarī (Tib. dbang phyug
ma). My translation as “divine mother” tries to capture both aspects of her being an iśvarī and
an ancestor of the skyu ra family lineage.

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translation of the achi mo 65
times of past, present, and future. In her left hand, she holds a precious
wish-fulfilling jewel. She possesses a smiling countenance, with extend- 6
ing resplendence. She has obtained supernormal powers (Skt. ṛddhi), and
her might is unimpeded. Remaining on a seat of lotus and moon, she is
like the sun shining forth in a cloudless sky. Upon the [four] spokes [of
the wheel] are the ḍākiṇī of activities in the east, the ḍākiṇī of gnosis in
the south, the ḍākiṇī of the pledge in the west, and the ḍākiṇī of empow-
erment in the north and they are surrounded by the retinue of a hundred 7
thousand ḍākiṇīs who kill, devour, and steal. Above the top of Achi’s head
is Jigten Sumgön with a practice hat that is a seal,2 holding vajra and bell,
and sitting in the vajra posture. In the open space [above him], Vajrayo-
ginī is visible with a body of red color, holding a curved knife and a skull
cup filled with blood. Her right leg is bent, and her left one stretched out,
standing upon a corpse seat, and she is surrounded by the four ḍākiṇīs. 8
The outer torma [and other] material substances are the support [that
is visualized] in the form of the Varāhī who outshines the three spheres.
From the seed syllable Baṃ of her heart, light shines forth and falls upon
Achi, invoking her mental continuum and granting the effortless siddhi
of unveiled, clear supernormal perception.
Regard them as something desirable and remain without distraction. The man-
tra wheel:3
In the hearts of [Achi] Dharma Tāra and her retinue are the white sylla- 9
bles Baṃ Hrīḥ upon a moon seat, surrounded by: Baṃ Ha Ri Ni Sa Oṃ
Gha Mu Āḥ Dzi Ta Śva Ra Dharma Tā Ra Ma Ma Tsa Kra Svā Hā/ Yar ’Dus/
Sarba ’Dus/ Rā Dza Rā Dza ’Dus/ Ma Ma Dzñā Na Tā Ra ’Dus/ Gha Mu Sa
Ma Ya Tā Ra Dhe Ma Ḍā Ki Ni Sarba Ma Ma ’Dus Hūṃ Phaṭ/
That is the root mantra. The mantra of the dice:4
Oṃ Oṃ Nur Nur/ Sring Sring Shag Shag/ Pra Sha Ni sTon sTon/ rDar Sha
Ma Ni sTon sTon/ Pra Mun sTon sTon/ Shā Mun sTon sTon Svā Hā/ Phob 10
Ho Dun Bhyo Trag Rak Pra Ma Ra Shi La Svā Hā/ Sa Ma Ya sTvam Svā Hā/
2 Read: bka’ rtags sgom zhwa.

3 The mantra circle is turning clockwise.
4 According to Khenchen Nyima, the dice are held in one’s hand, close to the mouth, and the
mantra is recited to them.

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66 chapter 3
Recite this many times. Blow upon the dice. It is necessary to practice until
the supreme signs emerge. Utter the Ye Dharma [Mantra] and the hundred syl-
lables. Do not allow the dice and the book to pass into the hands of [other]
people, but keep them to yourself! It cannot produce inaccurate divinations!
Shake and roll [the dice] in a state of undistracted concentration. Offer a torma
at the end of the session. Utter the praise, and so forth:5
11 Hrīḥ. Beautiful Countenance (Skt. Mugdhā), Divine Mother of the Ex-

panse (Skt. Dhātvīśvarī), glorious Dharma-Tārā, with a white body with
a tinge of red, changeless, and with a dignified bearing. You are luminous,
drying up the false views of saṃsāra, a supremely delighted heroine, who
bestows great bliss and happiness. You have one face, two arms, and a
smile that pacifies. With your right hand, you are holding the ḍāmaru,
resounding with all-pervading pleasantness. In your left you are holding
a skull cup with a wish-fulfilling jewel inside, bestowing all siddhis on
practitioners. You are wearing the five-colored silken-brocade garment,
and you are adorned with jewels and fluttering silken chevrons. In the
midst of clouds, you are riding the aquatic blue horse. It is adorned with
blue turquoise reins and a golden bridle, and with beautiful silken girth
and lapis lazuli stirrups tinkling [with bells]. On a silken-brocade rug and
a golden saddle, laughingly [you ride], Divine Mother of the Expanse,
Glorious Goddess (Skt. Śrī Devī). With great compassion, you reveal the
miracle of [sending] messengers. You are surrounded by the assemblies
of asuras, yakṣas, and ḍākiṇīs, and you are endowed with the four activi-
ties of awakening, possessing the state of freedom from proliferation. To
increase the resources in glorious Drikung, the place of abundance, you
omnipotently protect the instructions. To protect the teachings, please
accept this torma! I beseech you to maintain your oath! Please carry out
the activities entrusted to you!6
Hūṃ. Beautiful Countenance, Glorious Goddess, Light of the Teach-
ings (Skt. Dharmadhīpa), with a white body tinged with red, changeless,
5 The full text of this praise is indicated by the first phrase only. The first part, starting with
“Hrīḥ” is the peaceful praise as it is found in many sādhanas (I have provided this part from
an anonymous block print of an Achi sādhana). The second part, starting with Hūṃ, is pro-
vided here according to ’Jig rten gsum mgon, vol. 9, pp. 566ff. (part of bsTan srung a phyi chos
kyi sgrol ma’i sgrub thabs). Jigten Sumgön composed both texts; the second one mentions
composition in the forest of Drikung, which is where—according to the tradition—Achi first
revealed herself to Jigten Sumgön.
6 Here follows now the wrathful praise (Drag mo mched lnga).

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and with a dignified bearing. Five Coloured One, who dries up the false
views of saṃsāra, supremely delighted heroine, who bestows great bliss
and happiness. You have one face, two arms, you smile with a beauti-
ful countenance. You hold in your right hand a ḍāmaru of human skulls,
fiercely resounding. With your left hand, you drink the warm heart-blood
of those who have broken their pledges. You wear the five-colored silken-
brocade garment, adorned with precious stones and fluttering silken
chevrons. You ride as a mount in the midst of clouds the aquatic dark
blue horse with precious ropes for the breast and back ropes, lapis lazuli
stirrups tinkling [with bells], adorned with a golden bridle, turquoise
reins, and five-colored silk. On a silken brocade rug and a golden saddle,
[you ride], Divine Mother of the Expanse, Glorious Goddess, wrathfully
laughing. With nine moods you miraculously send off messengers. You
are surrounded by the assemblies of asuras, yakṣas, and ḍākiṇīs, and you
are endowed with the four activities, possessing the state of freedom from
proliferation. Please remove all obstacles and bestow the siddhis of every-
thing desired. To increase the resources here in glorious Drikung, the
place of abundance, you omnipotently protect the instructions. To pro-
tect the teachings, please accept this torma and carry out the awakened
activities of perfecting the two accumulations!
Hūṃ. Divine Mother of the Sphere, Glorious Goddess, Light of Gno-
sis (Skt. Jñānolka), with a body of yellowish-red color, one face, and two
arms. You perform the activity of increasing, playing the ḍāmaru in your
right hand, and your left hand holds a skull cup filled with jewels. You
wear the garment of lapis lazuli and silk, and you ride a wild yak as your
mount. You are surrounded by a retinue that resembles you in perform-
ing the increasing activities. To protect the teachings, please accept this
torma! Please remember the oath and guard the teachings of the Bud-
dha!
Hūṃ. Divine Mother of the Sphere, Glorious Goddess, Light of the
Pledges (Skt. Samayapradhīpa), with a whitish-red body, adorned with
radiating jewels, you cause everything that is necessary and desired to fall
like rain. You grant siddhis with a mongoose bag in your right hand, and
in your left hand, you hold a jewel that accomplishes all wishes. You are
adorned with lapis lazuli and ruby, and you cause a constant stream of
jewels to rain down on those who practice. You ride an excellent horse
as your mount and roam about in the billionfold universe, and you are
surrounded by a retinue of a hundred thousand mighty goddesses. To
grant the siddhis, please accept this torma! Please remember your oath
and increase our fortune and wealth!

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68 chapter 3
Hūṃ. Divine Mother of the Sphere, Glorious Goddess, Light of Empow-

erment (Skt. *Vaśyaḍākiṇī),7 with one face and two arms, brandishing
a curved knife in your right hand. In your left hand, you hold an iron
hook for gathering food and wealth. You wear a head adornment of dried
skulls and a necklace of fresh heads, you dominate (dbang bsdud) the
three worlds, and you ride a garuḍa as your mount. You are surrounded
by a retinue resembling yourself in performing the activity of domination.
You are the ḍākiṇī who controls the accomplishment of all desired goals,
the collection of accomplishments, such as the inexhaustible wealth, ani-
mals, fortune and food, exceedingly powerful magic, the mirror (pra) that
clearly shows phenomenal existence, [the power over] the family lines
of the three realms, and so forth. To grant the siddhis, please accept this
torma! Please remember your oath and bring the three realms under your
control!
Hūṃ. Flesh-eating Karmaḍākiṇī, Owner of the Life Force, wrathful one
of great power, now is the time to devour flesh! Dark blue, you drink blood
and tear out hearts. You have one face, two arms, and an extremely wrath-
ful body. With the sword in your right hand, you cut through the vital vein
of those with broken pledges. With your left hand, you offer blood from
a skull cup to the mouth of the principal one. You wear a fresh hide of
an elephant and a tiger skin, you are adorned with the [eight] garments
of the charnel ground, and you ride a bearded donkey with a white blaze.
Karmaḍākaṇī, flesh eating and blood drinking one, you are surrounded by
a hundred thousand devouring demonesses resembling you. Ferociously,
guard the teachings! Listen to the yogis’ commands! Engage in the neces-
sary activities! Summon the life essence of harmful enemies and obstruc-
tors! Please accept this red torma of flesh and blood and perform the
7 Our text provides the names of six ḍākiṇīs. These are (1) Dharmatāra, which is yet another
name for the central deity Achi, here in her semi-wrathful form with ḍāmaru, wish-fulfilling
jewels in a skull cup, and riding an aquatic blue horse. (2) Dharmadhīpa, “Light of the
Dharma,” which is her wrathful form with ḍāmaru, blood drinking and riding a dark blue
horse. The ḍākiṇīs of the retinue are (3) Jñānolka, “Light of Gnosis,” (4) Samayapradhīpa,
“Light of the Pledges,” the present ḍākiṇī, namely “Light of Empowerment,” and the one that
follows in the text, namely Karmaḍākaṇī. Note that “Light of Empowerment” does not refer
to the tantric empowerment (Skt. abhiṣeka), but to the activity of subduing and controlling
(Germ. “Bemächtigung”). The maṇḍala drawing on the frontispiece has the Tibetan Sanskri-
tization bashyamḍākinī (= Vaśyaḍākiṇī) at the relevant place. According to that drawing,
Vaśyaḍākiṇī is situated in front of the central deity, Jñānolka to her left, Samayapradhīpa in
the back, and Karmaḍākaṇī to her right, and all five ḍākiṇīs are endowed with the heart syl-
lable Hrīḥ.

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forceful guarding of the teachings! In particular, you who have promised

to guard the teachings of the Dharma Lord, as your activity, guard the
teachings of the Buddha, which are the remedy! As your food, please take
this torma offering of the pledge substances and nectar! Remember your
oath and perform the awakened activities entrusted to you!
The [peaceful] praise and the [wrathful] praise Drag mo mched lnga were com-
posed by Kyobpa [Jigten Sumgön]. Utter both the peaceful and the forceful
praise with a pleasant melody!
Bhyoḥ. I pay homage and praise you, glorious Dharma-Tārā, supreme

mother of beings,8 as you arise in the supremely luminous palace made
of jewels from a Hrīḥ upon a seat of piled-up māra, obstructor, and rudra.
I pay homage and praise you, as you are free from proliferation and not
deviating from the sphere of reality, yet assuming, due to your intention to 12
benefit the beings for whom you have great love, the illusory body of vari-
ous emanations and bringing all of existence under control. I pay homage
and praise you, conductor of peaceful activities, as you are shining white
with a supremely clear complexion that is like the shining light of the
brightness of the moon, smiling and endowed with a beautiful, dignified
bearing. I pay homage and praise you, the source of everything needed
and desired, as you, to be endowed with the eye of an unimpeded vision of 13
the three times, hold the shining clear silver mirror in your right hand and
the jewel that fulfills every wish in your left. I pay homage and praise you,
principle ḍākiṇī, as you wear the silken garments fluttering around your
body, adorned with the ornaments of various bones, skulls, and precious
stones, and binding all māras, obstructors, and bhūtas into servitude. I pay 14
homage and praise you, remover of all obstacles, as you remain steadfast
especially at the great temple of Drikung, accomplishing the aspirations
of those who practice the teachings, and protecting from unfavorable
influences. I pay homage and praise you, caretaker of the teachings, the
forceful only mother, as you, when setting out to perform the activities,
uphold the strength of supernormal powers, mounting the aquatic blue
horse, and passing through the three-thousand world systems in merely
an instant flash. I pay homage and praise you, liberator of the vicious ones, 15
as you forcefully cause with the right the ḍamaru, which is emptiness, to
resound, drinking with the left hand the blood of māra with compassion,
8 Lit. “supreme relative.”

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70 chapter 3
and overpowering the assembly of mātṛkas with the trumpet of human

bone. Please perform quickly the activity of liberating all who destroy the
Buddha’s teachings, which are the remedies, the enemies who disparage
the guru and defeat the Dharma retinues, who are evil by nature, possess-
16 ing an unpleasant mind. May you, as you have accepted in the presence
of the excellent guru endowed with the lineage to protect the lineage and
support the pledge holders, take and enjoy this torma of the body, flesh,
and blood of the evil ones. Please accomplish the activities!
Through this Praise of the Dharma Protectress Dharma-Tārā: Source of All that is
Needed and Desired, which was composed in view of the supplication of Geshe
Rinchen Gyaltsen by the Bhikṣu Dharmarāja of the Shākya [clan], may the
beings be free from all obstacles, quickly accomplish their desired goal, and
17 may it be virtuous.
Please accept this torma adorned with excellent substances! May the
activities of supernormal perception be quickly accomplished!
Accomplishing the highest signs is important! [Make] the supplication Secret

of the Honing of the Divination:
Ma Hrīḥ. Please, mother, manifest your body from the sphere of reality
through the power of earlier aspirations and compassion,9 look from the
sphere of gnosis, and come here into this maṇḍala of activity through your
18 supernormal powers! Achi of the Nanam clan, mighty Dharma-Tārā, and
your sisters, the Tārā of Gnosis, Tārā of the Pledges, Goddess of Empow-
erment, and the Flesh-Eating [Karma]-Ḍākiṇī, the five sisters Lady Tashi
Tseringma, Semo Lagring [of the] Nam lake, the twelve Dorje Tenma,
the assemblies of the ten million ḍākiṇīs, the guardians of the lineage
19 of the forefathers, the guardians of the lineage of ācāryas, the guardians
of the [ritual] remedy [practices] in solitary places, the protectors who
have accepted to guard the teachings of these Kagyüpas, all you, who
are endowed with the pledge, your gnosis is clear and free from veils,
your compassion knows no postponing, your blessing has no near and far,
and there is no obstruction to your powers. Please bless ⟨⟨the dice’s pips
20 that are an affirmed pronouncement and⟩⟩10 us practicing yogis, teachers
9 Read: thugs rje.

10 Tib. dmod bcol gyi sho mig. According to an explanation of Ontul Rinpoche, this phrase is
to be left out when one uses this sādhana to accomplish the deity.

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and disciples, patron and lama,11 people, wealth, and retinue with your
body, speech, mind, qualities, and activities! May you, residing in this
sacred support of the supplication and offerings of us, the yogis, remove 21
the obstructions of the path that accomplishes unsurpassable awaken-
ing, and liberate us from the fear of the four māras! Do not let us enter
into the confused paths of body, speech, and mind and guide us towards
accomplishing liberation and awakening! Please bestow the supreme and
common siddhis on us! Please clear up ⟨⟨lack of clarity of this divina-
tion⟩⟩,12 cognitive misorientation, dullness, concealment, impurity, cor- 22
ruption, and the contaminated dust of delusion, which are like clouds in
the sky. May we master by your mere wish13 compassion, strength, and
supernormal powers like the sun shines forth in a cloudless sky, and may
you increase our life and powers! Accomplish glory and fame! Protect the
instructions and teachings! Support retinue and individuals! Accomplish 23
all intended aims in accordance with the Dharma! Guard us during the
day! Keep watch over us by night! Cause entirely all intended aims to be
accomplished! Sa Ma Ya sTaṃ/ Su Pra Tishṭha Badzra Ye Svā Hā.
The honing of the truth:
I pay homage! Through the truth of the instructions of the glorious root 24
and lineage gurus, through the truth of the Buddha’s instructions, through
the truth of the Dharma instructions, through the truth of the commu-
nity’s instructions, through the truth of the instructions of the deities of
the four tantra classes, the heroes and ḍākiṇīs, the five Achi sisters, and
the protectors and guardians of the Dharma, and especially through the
truth of the instructions of the retinue of Achi Dharma Tārā’s body, and
so forth, and through the blessing of great truth, reveal with clarity ⟨⟨state 25
here your purpose⟩⟩! Quickly remove cloudiness, concealment, and all
unclearity! Reveal it clearly!
11 Tib. yon mchod, short for yon bdag dang mchod gnas, the first of which means “patron” and
the second, literally, “worship location.” It has been variously translated as “patron and
priest,” “benefactor and recipient,” and so forth, but “priest” is an alien term and “recip-
ient” too passive. There is a mutual relationship between the two: The patron provides
offerings and worldly protection and the mchod gnas teaching and spiritual protection.
Here I translate it simply as “lama.”
12 Tib. mo ’di yang phyir mi gsal ba. According to an explanation of Ontul Rinpoche, this
phrase is to be left out when one uses this sādhana to accomplish the deity.
13 Read: smon.

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72 chapter 3
You must concentrate your mind with a strong motivation on these words,
open wide your eyes to the sky without expecting14 [a particular result] and
throw the dice.
2 Tibetan Text and Translation of the Divination Manual of Achi
The Tibetan text of the sādhana of Achi is not documented here. For the entire
text, including the sādhana, see TBRC W23896.
༼3༽ The Tibetan brackets refer to the number shown on the dice.
25 The numbers in the left margin refer to the page numbers of the Tibetan
text published by Tsondu Senghe.
(a) The round brackets refer to the subsections of the divination.
14 Read: ltos pa med par; lit. “not depending,” “unconcerned.”

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ཨ་ཕྱི་ཆོས་ཀྱི་སྒྲོལ་མའི་ཤོ་མོ་སྣང་སྲིད་གསལ་བའི་མེ་ལོང་ཞེས་བྱ་བ་བཞུགས་སོ།།
25
26 ༼3༽ ཤོ་མིག་གསུམ་པ་ལ་བབ་ན། ལར་མོ་འདི་འབྲིང་སྨད་ཙམ།a བསྟན་སྲིད་ཀྱི་ཆོས་ཕྱྭའམ་
b གཞི་མོ་ནི། ནམ་ཕུག་ངན་ཞིང་ཉི་ཟླའི་མིག་ནས་མཆི་མ་འབྱུང་ཞེས་ངན་པས། ཕ་མེས་ལ་c འགོ་
བའི་སྲུང་མའི་བསྐང་བ་བྱ། དགེ་འདུན་ལ་བསྙེན་བཀུར། རྟེན་འགངས་ཆེན་ལ་མཆོད་འབུལ་ཚོགས་

བསགས་མང་དུ་གྱིས།
(a) ཁྱིམ་ཕྱྭ་ནི། བུད་མེད་ལ་ངན། གོད་ཁ་ཡོང་ཞིང་གྱོད་དང་ཁ་མ་མཆུའི་ངོ་ཆེ་བས། དགྲ་གྲུབ་དང་།d
གདུགས་ཤེར་བཟློག་འདུས་དང་། ནོར་ཕྱྭ་ནི། སྔར་ཡོད་ཕྱིས་མེད་པར་མ་སོང་ན་རབ་ཕྱིས་ན་གསར་

27 འབྱུང་ཡོང་བའི་རེ་བེ་མེད་ཅིང་། རྒྱུན་མའི་གཟུངས་སྟོང་ཚར། སེར་གདོང་མའི་བཟློག་བསྒྱུར་བཅས་
བསྒྲུབ་ན་སྐྱོན་མེད་ཙམ་ཡོང་།
aB 88: ’bring tsam. b B 88: chos cha; om. bstan srid kyi. cB 88: nas. dP 26: dgra grub,
but according to Khenchen Nyima we should read mi kha sgra zlog. Cf. B 88, C 8: mi kha dgra
(s)brub(!).

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(3) When three pips show on the dice15
Generally, the prognosis is merely below average. The outlook concerning reli-
gion (bstan pa’i chos phywa),16 or basic prognosis (gzhi mo) is:
In the end,17 it is bad and tears stream forth from the eyes of the sun and
moon.
Since this is bad, you must perform appeasement of the guardians who have
been showing favor18 (’go ba) to the ancestors (pha mes).19 Gather many accu-
mulations of merit by paying respectful service (bsnyen bkur) to the ordained
community and making offerings to the most sacred objects.20
(a) Outlook concerning the household (khyim phywa): For women, this is
negative. A loss21 will occur, and there is much danger of legal conflicts (gyod)
and court cases (kha mchu).
Ritual remedies:
Repelling of Hostile Gossip, White Parasol Repelling, Heart
Sutra Repelling Practice, Wealth Continuum Dharani (1,000
times), if you do the Lion Face Dakini’s Repelling, there will be no prob-
lem.
15 Lit. “if [the dice] land on the third [of sixteen possible configurations of the] dice-eyes,”
(Tib. sho mig gsum pa la bab na).
16 The text here has bstan srid kyi chos but in all other cases just bstan pa’i chos, which I take
to be the correct reading. See the remarks in chapter 1, ftn. 26.
17 It is also possible to translate “in the future.”
18 On the verb “showing favor” (Tib. ’go ba), see chapter 1, ftn. 29.
19 Guardians who are “showing favor to the ancestors” are closely related to one’s family or
spiritual lineage.
20 Tib. rten, lit. “supports.” These are representations in physical form of the body, speech,
or mind of buddhas, deities, and so forth, namely statues, religious texts, stūpas, and so
forth.
21 Tib. god kha, loss, mostly of livestock; see the chapter “Special Terminology.”

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76 chapter 3
(b) ཁངས་ས་འཚེར་ས་ཨེ་འཕྲོད་ཅེ་ན་a འཕྲལ་དུ་བཟང་བཟང་འདྲ་ཡང་། ཕུགས་ན་b ཚ་དང་ནོར་ལ་
གོད་ཁ་ཡོང་བས་མི་ལེགས།
(c) གྲོགས་ཕྱྭ་c ནི། ཁ་གྲོགས་ཆེ་ཡང་གཏིང་གྲོགས་ཆུང་བར་གདའོ།
(d) ནོར་ཕྱྭ་ནི། སྔར་ཡོད་ཕྱིས་མེད་པར་མ་སོང་ན་རབ་d ཕྱིས་ན་གསར་འབྱུང་ཡོང་བའི་རེ་བ་མེད་ཅིང་།

28 ནོར་སྤུ་རྟགས་ཅན། འོད་ཅན་གྱི་བཟང་པོའི་རིགས་ཕྱིར་འཆོར་ཉེན་འདུག་པས། གཡང་འགུགས་དང་
། རྣམ་སྲས་ཀྱི་བསྐང་བ། ཛཾ་བྷ་ལའི་ནོར་སྒྲུབ། ལན་ཆགས་ཀྱི་གཏོར་མ་ཐོང་།
(e) དོན་ཕྱྭ་ནི། བསམ་པ་ལྟར་འགྲུབ་དཀའ་ན། ཕྱོགས་ཙམ་འགྲུབ་ཅིང་དེ་ཡང་མྱུར་དུ་འགྲུབ་དཀའ་
བས་སྔོན་བསྟེན་སྲུང་མའི་བསྐང་བ་དང་། གསོལ་ཁ་བསངས་བཅས་བྱ། རྒྱལ་མཚན་རྩེ་མོའི་དཔུང་

29 རྒྱན། ནོར་བུ་བཟང་པོའི་གཟུངས། སྒྲོལ་དཀར་སྔོན་བཅས་བསྒྲུབ་ན་བཟང་།
(f) ཁ་མཆུ་སོགས་རྒྱལ་ཕམ་ནི། ཚུལ་རྒོལ་e ཡིན་ན་སྐྱོན་མེད་ཙམ་གྱི་ངོ་། ཕར་འཛུག་བཤོལ་ན་
བཟང་།
aC 9, B 88: khang pa’am yul sa e ’phrod ce na; B om. ce. bC 9, B 88: phyin chad. cB 88: drog
cha. d C 10, B 89: sngar yod phyir ma song na rab. e C 11, B 89: tshur rgol, P: tshul(!) rgol.

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(b) If you want to know about the appropriateness of a building ground or

pasture (khang sa ’tsher sa22 e ’phrod ce na): In the short run it will improve,
but in the long run, since there will be illness and loss of wealth [livestock], it
is not good.
(c) Outlook concerning one’s fortune (grogs phywa): Although there are
many minor good things (kha grogs), only a few of them will really be bene-
ficial or valuable (gting grogs).23
(d) Outlook concerning wealth (nor phywa): The best [case] is if you do
not lose [the wealth] that you already possess.24 There is no hope to get new
[wealth] later. There is a danger that you will lose to others (phyir ’chor) wealth
[i.e., livestock] with fur and bearing special signs (spu rtags can) or brilliant,
high quality [possessions].
Ritual remedies:
Summoning Prosperity, Appeasement of Vaishravana, wealth accom-
plishment of Jambhala, Torma of Retribution.
(e) Outlook concerning an undertaking (don phywa): If it is difficult to ac-

complish something according to your intention, you will accomplish it merely
partially, and it may also be difficult for you to accomplish it quickly.
Ritual remedies:
Appeasement of the guardians who were served [by the forefathers] earlier,
Petition and Smoke Offering, Ornament of the Peak of the Vic-
torious Banner, Dharani of the Good Jewel, White and Blue Tārā
[practices].
(f) Victory or defeat in court cases (kha mchu rgyal pham): If you are the
defendant, the prognosis is that it will not go wrong. If you postpone acting
as accusant (phar ’dzug), all will be well.
22 The term refers to pastures in general (cf. Punzi 2013: 105f., ’tsher sa = “abandoned pasture
land,” and Cüppers (2007: 42 and 49), “zurückgelassene Weidegebiete”). The other manu-
als (B and C) rather speak of “house” (khang sa) and “land” ( yul sa).
23 For the terms kha grogs and gting grogs, see the chapter “Special Terminology.”
24 The meaning remains doubtful.

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78 chapter 3
(g) ནད་ཕྱྭ་ནི། ནད་ཡུན་རིང་བའམ་གདོན་དྲག་པོས་གློ་བུར་དུ་གཟེར་སོགས་འབྱུང་ཉེན་ཆེ། ཁྱད་པར་
ཚ་ནད་a དམ་རྩ་དཀར་ནད་ཀྱིས་ན་ངོ་ཆེ། སྟག་ལོ་པ་དང་ཡོས་ལོ་པ་གཉིས་ཅུང་ཞིག་འཚུབ་ཆ་ཆེ་

30 བས་འབུམ་རྒྱས་འབྲིང་བསྡུས་གསུམ། མཚན་བརྗོད། བསྐལ་བཟང་། གསེར་འོད། འཆི་བསླུ། ཚེ་
ཐར་། ལུས་ཆས་སྤོང་དག་བཅས་བསྒྲུབ།
(h) སྲོག་ཕྱྭ་ནི། རིམ་འགྲོ་b ལེགས་པར་བྱས་ན་ལྗོན་ཤིང་རླན་དང་འཕྲད་པ་བཞིན་སྐྱོན་མེད།
(i) གདོན་ཕྱྭ་ནི། ཕ་མེས་སྲུང་མའི་c འཁུ་ལྡོག་དང་། མོ་འདྲེ། རྒྱལ་བཙན། ཤར་ལྷོ་ནུབ་བྱང་ཕྱོགས་

31 ནས་ཀ་ཆའི་d རྗེས་སུ་འབྲངས་པའི་གནོད་པའམ། ཡང་ན་མི་ཆེན་བན་བོན་eསོགས་ཀྱི་རྗེས་སུ་
འབྲང་བས་གནོད། སྔོན་བསྟེན་སྲུང་མའི་བསྐང་བཤགས་གང་མང་། སྡོང་རྒྱན་མདོ། མདོ་ཐིག ཁ་
འབར་མའི་མདོས། གཏོར་མ་བརྒྱ་རྩ། གླུད་རྫོང་། འབྱུང་བཞི་གཏོར་མ། བརྒྱ་བཞི། གདུགས་དཀར་
བཅས་བསྒྲུབ།
aC 11, B 89: tshad nad. b C 12, B 89: rim gro. The misspelling occurs several times in P. cC 12:
pha mes kyi bsrung ma’i; B 89: pha ma’i srung ma. d C 12: phyogs gang rigs ka ca’i. eB 89: mi
chen dpon po sogs, “great men such as dPon pos [ministers].”

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(g) Outlook concerning diseases (nad phywa): There is a great danger that a
long-lasting illness will arise or that you will be suddenly afflicted by fierce evil
spirits (gdon drag po), and so forth. In particular, there is a great danger that
you will get ill with fever or fall sick with nerve disease.25 People [born in] tiger
and hare years have a slightly greater predisposition for misfortune.
Ritual remedies:
Large Hundred-Thousand Lines Prajnaparamita, Medium Prajna-
paramita, Abbreviated Prajnaparamita, Uttering the Names, Good
Fortune, Golden Light, Cheating Death, Releasing Life, and the giv-
ing away of garments.
(h) Outlook concerning the life force (srog phywa): If you perform the ritual
service well, all will be well,26 like finding a tree [full of] sap.
(i) Outlook concerning evil spirits (gdon phywa): There will be harm due to
the anger of the guardians of the ancestors, due to dremo,27 gyal[po and] tsen
[spirits]. Moreover, harm is coming along with possessions [acquired] in the
east, south, west, and north,28 or with great men [such as] Buddhist and Bön
priests (ban bon).
Ritual remedies:
Appeasement and confession ritual to the guardians whom [your forefathers]
served earlier (as much as possible), Dharani of the Trunk Ornament,
Drop of the Sutra, Jvalamukha, One Hundred Tormas, Ransom,
Torma of the Four Elements, Four Hundred Offerings, White
Parasol Dharani.
25 Tib. rtsa dkar nad, lit. “white channel disease.” These diseases “are related to the nerves”
(Kletter and Kriechbaum 2001: 262). In Tshe tan: “A disease that affects parts of the white
body channels or [otherwise known as] dbang rtsa [i.e., the nerves] that branch off from
the brain.”
26 Lit. “without defects.”
27 mo ’dre, synonymous with ’dre mo.
28 See the chapter “Special Terminology:” ka cha (ca)’i rjes su ’brangs pa’i gnod pa.

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80 chapter 3
(j) སྨན་པ་ཨེ་འཕྲོད་ཅེ་ན། དེ་ལ་བསྟེན་པས་འཕྲལ་སྐྲགས་སྣང་གི་ངོ་ཤར་ཡང་།a ཅིས་ཀྱང་བསྟེན་ན་

32 b ཆ་གསུམ་ཐོང་། སྣང་བརྒྱད་སྒྲོགས་པར་བྱས་ན་ཅུང་ཟད་ཕན་འགྲོ་སྙམ།
(k) སྲིད་ཕྱྭ་ནི། གཟུངས་གྲྭ་ལྔ་དང་དེ་ཡི་དབང་ཞུ། དོན་ཡོད་ཞགས་པའི་སྙིང་པོ་དང་གཟུངས། སྒྲོལ་
མ་གང་མང་བསྒྲུབ་ན། བུ་གཅིག་འབྱུང་ངོ་ཆེ། འོན་ཀྱང་ཆུང་སྲི་མནན་པ་གལ་ཆེ།
(l) དགྲ་ཕྱྭ་ནི། དགྲའི་འཇིགས་པ་ཆེ། འོག་རྟ་མདའ་གཞུ་དགྲ་ལ་ཤོར། དགྲ་བླའི་དཔང་བསྟོད།

33 རྒྱལ་མཚན་རྩེ་མོའི་དཔུང་རྒྱན་སྟོང་ཚར། གཡང་སྐྱབས་དང་། རླུང་བསྐྱེད་ཅོད་པཎ་འཛུག
(m) མགྲོན་པོ་ཨེ་ཡོང་ཞེ་ན། མགྲོན་པོའི་གནས་ཚུལ་མགྱོགས་པོར་ཐོས་པའམ། ཐག་རིང་མགྲོན་
པོ་ཡིན་ན་ཟླ་བ་གཅིག་ཚུན་ལ་སླེབ།c དེ་མིན་ཕྱི་དལ་ཆེ་ཞིང་དགྲ་གྱོད་ཀྱི་ངོ་ཡང་འདུག་པས་ཕྱོགས་
བཅུའི་མུན་སེལ་གང་མང་། གདུག་དཀར་ཟློག་པ་དང་། གཟུངས་མདོས་བཅས་བསྒྲུབ།
34 (n) ཚོང་ཕྱྭ་ནི། ཁེ་མི་ལོན་པས་d བཤོལ་ན་ལེགས།
aC 13, B 90: de la brten pas [B: nas’]phral du skrag dngangs kyi ngo zhig shar. bC 13: cis kyang
byed na; B 90: cis kyang byed dgos na. c C 14, B 90: zla byed [B: zla gcig] tshun la e sleb [B: slebs]/.
dC 15, B 90: khe spog [B: phogs] mi che bas.

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(j) Appropriateness of the doctor (e ’phrod):29 There is the possibility that,

for the present, great fear arises by consulting him. If you must consult him
nevertheless, offer the Triple Torma, and if you read out loud the Eight
Appearances, there might be some benefit.
(k) Outlook concerning offspring (srid phywa): Request the Five Great
Dharanis and its empowerment. If you practice Essence of the Amogha
Lasso and [its] Dharani and any Tārā [mantra] a lot, there is a good chance
that a boy will be born. However, it is essential to practice Suppressing
Chung Si.
(l) Outlook concerning enemies (dgra phywa): There is a great fear of ene-
mies. You will lose riding horses, bow, and arrow to the enemy.
Ritual remedies:
Glorification of the Drala, Ornament of the Peak of the Vic-
torious Banner (1,000 times), Wealth Protection, making a Wind-
Generating Chevron.
(m) If you want to know whether travelers30 will arrive (e yong zhe na): You
will soon hear about travelers, or, if travelers are far away, they will arrive within
a month. If not, there is a danger that they will be much delayed or have a con-
flict with enemies.
Ritual remedies:
Dispelling the Darkness of the Ten Directions (as much as possi-
ble), White Parasol Repelling together with dhāraṇis and thread crosses.
(n) Outlook concerning trade: Since you will not get a profit, it is better to
postpone it.
29 C 13 and B 90 have an extra section for the doctor: yun ring bsten na phan [B: ’phrod] ngo
tsam yod kyang / gzhan mkhas pa yod na spos pa bzang. But why should one search another
doctor when there is a benefit from a doctor one has consulted for a long time, or when
that doctor is appropriate (B: ’phrod)? In B and C follows a section concerning medicine
and treatment, which is mostly identical with what one finds in our text.
30 Literally, mgron po means guest or visitor. Khenchen Nyima points out that this category
is used for people who want to inquire about the return of family members and friends
who have gone on a journey (usually for business reasons).

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82 chapter 3
(o) ལམ་ཕྱྭ་ནི། ལམ་དུ་ཞུགས་ན་རྐུན་ཇག་གི་ངོ་དང་། ཐོག་སེར་གྱིས་གནོད་པའི་ངོ་། ཡང་ན་གཅན་
གཟན་གྱིས་རྟ་ནོར་ལ་འཚེ་བས་a འཐེན་པ་བཟང་ཞིང་། ཅིས་ཀྱང་འགྲོ་ན་རང་གི་སྲུང་མ་ལ་འཕྲིན་

བཅོལ། གསེར་འོད། བཀྲ་ཤིས་བརྩེགས་པ་སྒྲོགས།
(p) བོར་སྟོར་ཨེ་རྙེད་ཅེ་ན། མི་འོས་པའི་མིས་ཁྱེར་བའི་ངོ་། རིམ་གྱིས་b མངོན་ཆུང་གིས་ཤར་ལྷོའི་c

35 ཕྱོགས་སུ་རྟོགས་འཇུག་d བྱས་ན་རྙེད་ངོ་ཆེ།e
༼4༽ ཤོ་མིག་བཞི་པ་ལ་བབ་ན། ལར་མོ་འདི་ངན་ཙམ་ཡིན། བསྟན་པའི་ཆོས་ཕྱྭའམ་གཞི་མོ་ནི།

ཟླ་བ་མར་ངོ་f རྒྱས་པའི་ཕྱིར་འགྲིབ་པ་ལྟ་བུ་ཡིན།g རིམ་འགྲོ་སྟོབས་h ཆེ་བ་བྱས་ན། ཅུང་ངན་ཙམ་
ལ།i བསྐལ་བཟང་སྒྲོགས། ཞི་རྒྱས་དབང་དྲག་གི་སྦྱིན་སྲེག ལུས་ཆས་གོས་ལྷམ་j སྤོང་དག མཆོད་
རྟེན་ལ་སྐུ་དཀར་གསོལ་བ་བཅས་བསྒྲུབ།k
36 (a) ཁྱིམ་ཕྱྭ་ནི། ན་རེས་ཚ་རེས་རྒྱུན་མི་འཆད། འཐབ་མོ་དང་གྱོད་ཀྱི་ངོ་མཐོང་བས་རྡོར་གཅོད་གང་
མང་། འཕགས་མ་འོད་ཟེར་ཅན་མའི་གཟུངས་སྟོང་ཚར། ཕོ་ལྷ་ཁྱིམ་ལྷ་གསོལ། ལན་ཆགས་གཏོར་

མ་གང་མང་།
aC 15: gcan gzan gyi rigs dang sbyang khus rta nor la tshe bas. bC 15: rim bzhin. cReading shar
dang lho as in C 15 and B 90. d Read rtog ’jug as in B 90 f. (acc. Goldstein = rtog zhib); C 15: rtog
’dzug. e B 90 f.: shar dang / lho phyogs su mngon chud gis rtog ’jug byas na rim bzhin rnyed ngo
yin. f C 16: yar ngo. g B 91: zla ba phyed ’grib lta bu yin pas. hC 16: gtos (“extensive”). iC 16:
ha cang mi ngan tsam. B 91 has this phrase at the end of the enumeration of all ritual remedies.
jC 16, B 91: om. gos lham. k B 91 adds: mdos ’phen byas.

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(o) Outlook concerning one’s travel: If you set off on a journey, there is the
danger of robbery and harm from thunder and lightning. Moreover, because of
danger for pack animals (rta nor)31 from predatory beasts, it is good to postpone
it, and, in any event, if you set off nonetheless, you should invoke the guardians.
Ritual remedies:
Golden Light, Layers of Auspiciousness.
(p) If you want to know about lost items: There is a danger that a criminal
(mi ’os pa’i mis) will take something away. If you, slowly and inconspicuously,
investigate in the eastern and southern directions, the likelihood of finding it
is good.
(4) When four pips show on the dice

Generally, the prognosis is only negative. The outlook concerning religion, or
basic prognosis, is this:
Since the waning moon increases, it is like a veil.32
If you perform the service rites with much power, it will only be slightly neg-
ative. Recite the Good Fortune. Make a burnt offerings ritual of pacifica-
tion, increase, domination, and forceful subduing (Burnt Offering of the
Four Activities), the clearing away of possessions [such as] clothes and
shoes, and the whitewashing of a stūpa.
(a) Household: [Household members] will alternately get sick continuously.

There is the danger of fights (’thab mo) and conflicts (gyod).
Ritual remedies:
Vajra Cutter (as much as possible), Shining Noble Lady Dharani (1,000
times), supplication of the pola and the kyimla, Torma of Retribution (as
much as possible).
31 Tib. rta nor; Goldstein (2001: 458) “horse and yak;” Norbu (1983: 237) “horse, donkey, and
yak” (according to a note by Dan Martin); Nietupski (2011: 87) “sheep, yaks, and horses
(and hybrid strains)”. In our text, rta nor cannot include sheep (and goats) since these are
listed elsewhere in the text alongside the rta nor. It seems that rta nor generally refers to
pack animals, including “horse, donkey, and yak.”
32 For a discussion of this line, see chapter 1, ftn. 30.

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84 chapter 3
(b) ཁང་གསར་འཚེར་ས་ཨེ་འཕྲོད་ཅེ་ན།a དེར་ཆ་གསུམ་ཀླུ་གཏོར་བཏང་ན་སྐྱོན་མེད་ཙམ། འཚེར་
སར་b ཀླུ་གཙན་c གྱི་གནོད་པས་རྟ་ནོར་ལ་གོད་ངོ་ཆེ་བས་མི་ལེགས་སོ།
37 (c) གྲོགས་ཕྱྭ་ནི། སྟོང་སྐད་ཆེ་ཡང་དགུན་གྱི་འབྲུག་སྒྲ་དང་འདྲ་བར་གདའོ།
(d) ནོར་ཕྱྭ་ནི། བོར་སྟོར་དང་གཅན་གཟན་གྱིས་འཚེ་ཞིང་གོད་d ངོ་ཆེ་བས་ནོར་ལྷ་གསེར་འོད་བརྒྱ་
ཚར། ནོར་ལྷའི་རིགས་སྒྲུབ་ཅིང་གོད་སྲི་མནན་པ་བཅས་བསྒྲུབ།
(e) དོན་ཕྱྭ་ནི། དོན་དེ་ཕྲན་ཚེགས་ཡིན་ན་འགྲུབ་ཅིང་། རྔམས་ཆེན་རིགས་ཡིན་ན་སྒྲོལ་མའི་མཎྜལ་

38 བཞི་ཆོག ནོར་བུ་བཟང་པོའི་གཟུངས་སྟོང་ཚར། བཀྲ་ཤིས་བརྩེགས་པ། སྒྲོལ་མའི་མཚན་བརྒྱ་རྩ།
སྲུང་མའི་འཕྲིན་བཅོལ་དྲག་ཏུ་བྱས་ན་བསམ་པ་འགྲུབ་དཀའ་ནའང་། ཕྱོགས་ཙམ་འགྲུབ་པར་
གདའོ།
(f) ཁ་མཆུ་སོགས་རྒྱལ་ཕམ་ཇི་ལྟར་འབྱུང་ཞེ་ན། འཕྲལ་རྒྱལ་བ་ལྟར་སྣང་ཡང་། ཕུགས་འགྱོད་དང་
ཤོར་གོད་ཀྱི་ངོ་ཆེ། ཁ་མཆུ་ནག་པོ་ཞི་བར་བྱེད་པའི་མདོ་ཁྲི་ཚར་འདོན།
aC 17 and B 91 as before: khang pa ’am yul sa e ’phrod ce na/ khang [B: khang pa] gsar gzung na.
bC 17: ’tsher sar bzung na/. c Read btsan as in B 91 and C 17. dC 17: gtses shing shor god kyi.

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(b1) New house or a pasture: If you offer the Triple Torma and the Lu
Torma, all will be well.
(b2) Pasture: It is not all right because there is a great danger that you will lose
pack animals due to the harm caused by lu and tsen at the pasture ground.
(c) Fortune: There will be much empty talk like thunder in the winter.
(d) Wealth: There will be harm from loss and predators, and there is a great
danger that you will lose livestock.
Ritual remedies:
God of Wealth “Golden Light” (100 times), any practice of the wealth-
god family,33 Suppressing the Gösi.
(e) Undertaking: If the undertaking is a minor matter, you will accomplish it.
If it is more serious, practice the following.
Ritual Remedies:
Ritual of the Four Tara Mandalas, Dharani of the Good Jewel
(1,000 times), Layers of Auspiciousness, Names of Tara (100 times). If
you do an invocation of the guardians forcefully, [undertakings] will be partly
accomplished, although with difficulties.
(f) Victory or defeat in court cases: An apparent, temporary victory may arise,
but there is a great danger of lasting regret (phugs ’gyod) and loss (shor god).34
Ritual remedy:
Sutra of Pacifying Black Disputes (10,000 times).
33 Tib. nor lha’i rigs. Such advice, i.e., where the practice of a particular kind (rigs) of family
of deities is recommended, is rare in the present Mo, but one can find it often in other
divination manuals. Mipham’s A ra pa tsa na, for instance, often advises like “if you rely
on green deities, all activities will be quickly accomplished” (Goldberg 1990: 40).
34 According to Khenchen Nyima, this loss is “a loss to thieves and a loss of livestock due to
misfortune.”

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86 chapter 3
39 (g) ནད་ཕྱྭ་ནི། ནད་གཞི་ཆེ།a སྙིང་རླུང་སོགས་རླུང་b གི་ནད་གཟེར་c སོགས་འབྱུང་བའི་ངོ་། ཟླ་
གཅིག་ཚུན་འཚུབ་ངོ་ཆེ་བས་d བརྒྱད་སྟོང་པ། འབུམ་ཆུང་། གདུགས་དཀར། འཇིགས་བྱེད་སྟོང་

ཚར། ཚེ་ཆོག་བཅས་མྱུར་དུ་བསྒྲུབ་བོ།e
(h) སྲོག་ཕྱྭ་ནི། ཚེ་སྒྲུབ་ཚེ་ཐར་ལོ་གྲངས་འཆི་བསླུ། ཚེ་གཟུངས། ཚེ་དཔག་མེད་དང་རྣམ་རྒྱལ་མའི་

40 སྐུ་བཞེངས།f འཆི་མེད་རྔ་སྒྲའི་གཟུངས་སྒྲོགས། སྟོབས་པོ་ཆེ་བསྒྲུབ་ན་g ཉེས་ངོ་མེད་ཙམ།
(i) གདོན་ཕྱྭ་ནི། གདོན་ལ་མོ་འདྲེ་h དང་། ཐེའུ་རང་། མ་མོ། ཡུལ་ལྷ། ཁྱིམ་ལྷར་ཐབ་གཞོབ་སོགས་
ཀྱི་ཕོག་ཐུག་ཤོར་བས་གདོན། གདུགས་དཀར་གྲངས་མན་། སྡོང་རྒྱན་མདོ་སྟོང་ཚར། རྣམ་འཇོམས།

སྒྲོལ་མའི་གཡུལ་མདོས། ཆ་གསུམ་བསངས་དང་རྒྱགས་བརྔན། སཱཙྪ། ཁྱིམ་ཁྲུས་རབ་གནས་
སོགས་བྱ།
41 (j) སྨན་པ་ཨེ་འཕྲོད་ཅེ་ན། སྨན་གྱིས་ཕན་ངོ་ཆུང་བས་ཁ་སྤོས་ན་བཟང་། སྨན་དཔྱད་འདི་ཨི་འཕྲོད་ཅེ་
ན། སྨན་སྤོས་ན་བཟང་དཔྱད་i རེ་ཞིག་འཐེན་ན་ཕྱིས་ཕན་ངོ་ཙམ་ཡོང་།
aC 19, B 92: shin tu che. b B 92: snying rlung dang srog rlung. cB 92, C 19: rlung nad dam
[skrang] gzer. d C 19, B 92: zla gcig tshun [la] shin tu ’dzer cha che [B: om. cha che] bas. eC 19,
B 92: tshe chog sogs rim gro gal che. f C 19 adds after gzhengs pa: sogs gtos che ba bsgrub na (“If
you do extensive undertakings such as …”). g This could also mean “if you practice of Maha-
bala” (sTobs po che), but B 92 reads: ’chi blu byed pa sogs rim gro stobs che bar bsgrub na. hC 19,
B 92: ’dre mo. i C 20: sman dang dpyad.

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(g) Disease: There will be a severe disease (nad gzhi che). There is a danger
that painful wind disease,35 and so forth, such as depression (snying rlung) will
arise. There is a great danger that the problem will last up to one month.
Ritual remedies:
Eight Thousand Lines Prajnaparamita, Abbreviated Prajnapara-
mita (’Bum chung), White Parasol, and Terrifier (’Jigs byed) [mantra] (1,000
times). These should be quickly practiced together with a ritual for long life!
(h) Life force

Ritual remedies:
Life Accomplishment, Releasing Life as many times as one has years of
age, Cheating Death, Life Dharani, having statues made of Amitāyus and
Uṣṇīṣvijayā, Dharani of the Drum Sound of Deathlessness—if the
practice is powerful,36 there is no danger of defects [for your life force].
(i) Evil spirits: There will be harm because you have offended evil spirits [such
as] modré, téurang, mamo, yül-la, and kyimla by spreading the scorched odor
of the hearth, and so forth.
Ritual remedies:
White Parasol Repelling (many times), Dharani of the Trunk Orna-
ment (1,000 times), Vajra Defeater, Battle Thread Cross of Tara,
three-part smoke offering, “Provisions” Smoke Offering, votive offerings
(tshwa tshwa), ablutions,37 Consecration, and so forth, of the house.
(j1) Doctor: Since the chance that the doctor will be of help is small, it is good
to change [to another one].
(j2) Medicine and medical treatment: It is good to change medicine. If you

put the treatment on hold for a while, there is some chance that it will help
later.
35 Tib. rlung gi nad gzer.

36 Here I follow B 92.
37 Tib. khrus. Numerous ablution practices exist for the house, dwelling, locality, or region,
and for gods, Buddha statues, and so forth. Several more specified works are listed in the
“Alphabetical List of Ritual Remedies and Supports.”

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88 chapter 3
(k) སྲིད་ཕྱྭ་ནི། སྲིད་ཕུག་ཆུང་a བུ་མོ་མ་གཏོགས་བུ་མི་འབྱུང་། གལ་ཏེ་བྱུང་ན་རྒྱལ་འགོང་གིས་
སྲིད་ལ་རྐུ་བས་གསེར་འོད་རྔ་སྒྲ། སོ་སོར་འབྲང་མ། ཆུང་སྲི་མནན་པ་བཅས་བསྒྲུབ།
42 (l) དགྲ་ཕྱྭ་ནི། དགྲ་སྲི་ལངས་བས་འོས་མེད་ནས། དགྲ་སྲི་ལངས་ངོ་ཆེ།b གདུགས་དཀར་བཟློག་
པ། རྒྱལ་མཚན་རྩེ་མོའི་དཔུང་རྒྱན། དྲུག་ཅུ་མའི་གཏོར་ཟློག དགྲ་ཆོས། དགྲ་སྲི་མནན་པ་བཅས་

བསྒྲུབ་ན་དགྲ་ཡོད་ནའང་འཚེ་བར་མི་ནུས་སོ།
(m) མགྲོན་པོ་ཨེ་ཡོང་ཞེ་ན། ཞག་གསུམ་ཚུན་ལ་སླེབ་པའམ། གསར་དུ་གཏམ་ཐོས་པའམ་c དེ་
མིན་ལམ་དུ་ཞུགས་པའི་ངོ་མེད།
43 (n) ཚོང་ཕྱྭ་ནི། ཁེ་མི་ཡོང་ཁར་བོར་རླག་ཡོང་དོགས་ཡོད་པསའཐེན་ན་བཟང་།
(o) ལམ་ཕྱྭ་ནི། ཅི་ཆེར་བདེ་བར་མཆིས་མོད་ཀྱང་d འགོར་གཞི་ཆེ།
(p) བོར་སྟོར་ཨེ་རྙེད་ཅེ་ན། བཙལ་ཀྱང་ངལ་བའི་རྒྱུ།e ཡང་ན་བྱང་ཕྱོགས་སུ་ཟླ་བ་གཅིག་ཚུན་ལ་
རྩད་ཆོད་ན་དང་།f དེ་མིན་རྙེད་ངོ་མེད།
aB 92: om. phug(s) chung. b B 92: ’os med pa dgrar lang ngo che. cB 93, C 21: gsal cha’i gtam
thos yong [C: thos na thong]. d C 22, B 93: nyer ’tshe med pas bde bar mchis/ ’on kyang. “Because
[the road] is undamaged, [travel] is comfortable, but (…).” eB 93 has this sentence at the end
of this section. f C 22: zla ba gcig tshun dogs bcug na rtsad chos thang.

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(k) Offspring: [The chance for] the continuation of offspring is small.38 Girls
will be born, but not a boy. If [a boy] is born, the gyalgong [demon] will steal
his life.
Ritual remedies:
Drum Sound of Golden Light, Mahapratisara Dharani, Suppress-
ing Chung Si.
(l) Enemies: Due to the rising of a drasi demon, there is a great danger that
these drasi arise in inconvenient [ways].
Ritual remedies:
White Parasol Repelling, Ornament of the Peak of the Victo-
rious Banner, Repelling with the Sixty Tormas, Liturgy of Sup-
pressing Enemies, Suppressing Drasi—if you accomplish these, even if
there are enemies, they cannot harm you.
(m) Travelers: They will come within three days, or you will hear news [about
them], or if that is not the case, it is unlikely that they have already departed.
(n) Trade: Since in addition to not getting any profit, there is the fear of losing
things, it is good to postpone it.
(o) Travel: [The road] will be as comfortable as possible, but there is cause for
delay.
(p) Finding lost items: Even if you search, it will be [just] a cause for weari-
ness. Alternatively, you may track it down within one month in the northern
direction. If not, there is no chance to find it.
38 Read: srid phugs, which refers to the continuation of offspring, esp. concerning the birth
of boys.

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90 chapter 3
༼5༽ ཤོ་མིག་ལྔ་པ་ལ་བབ་ན། ལར་མོ་འདི་བཟང་ངོ་ཆེ་སྟེ། བསྟན་པའི་ཆོས་ཕྱྭ་འམ་གཞི་མོ་ནི།

44 ས་ཡི་སྟེང་ནས་a གསེར་གཡུ་རྙེད། ཅེས་b འཕྲལ་ཕུགས་གཉིས་ཀར་བཟང་ཞིང་། ཁྱད་པར་བླ་ཆེན་
དང་དཔོན་པོ་c གང་ལ་ཡང་བཟང་། མི་དཀྱུས་མར་དོན་ཕྲན་བུར་བརྟེན་པའི་ཉེས་འགྱོད་ཀྱི་ངོ་ཡོད་
པས་རིགས་རྒྱུད་ལ་འགོ་བའི་ལྷ་སྲུང་གསོལ།
(a) ཁྱིམ་ཕྱྭ་ལ། ཚེ་རིང་དགེ་d ཞིང་སྐྱིད་པ། ཁ་རྗེ་དབང་ཐང་འཕེལ་སྐད་དོ།
45 (b) ཁང་ས་འཚེར་ས་ཨེ་འཕྲོད་ཅེ་ན། ཁང་ས་e ཡིན་ན། འཕྲལ་དུ་ལེགས་པའི་ངོ་ཆེ་སྟེ། ལོ་མང་ན་མི་
འཕྲོད་པས་f འཐོར་ཞིག་འོང་བས་སྤོ་g དགོས་པ་ཡོང་། འཚེར་སར་རྐུན་ཇག་གི་ངོ་ཙམ་ལས་འཕྲོད་

ངོ་ཆེ། འཕགས་མ་འོད་ཟེར་ཅན་མའི་གཟུངས་ཐོན། དགྲ་ལྷ་དང་ཡུལ་ལྷ་ཁྱིམ་ལྷ་གསོལ།
(c) གྲོགས་ཕྱྭ་ནི། དགྲ་དཔུང་གི་དཀྱིལ་ནས་ནོར་བུ་ལོན་h ཞེས་i ཁ་གྲོགས་གཏིང་གྲོགས་ཆེར་
བར་མཆིས།j
46 (d) ནོར་ཕྱྭ་ནི། རྟ་ལུག་བརྒྱ་སྟོང་k འཕེལ་བའི་ངོ་ཞེས་བཟང་། རྟ་ལུག་འཕེལ་ཁ་ཆེ་ཡང་། ནོར་
ཕྱུགས་རྐང་ཕྲན་l རིགས་ལ་གོད་ངོ་དང་ཤོར་གོད་m ཅུང་ཞིག་འོང་ངོ་ཆེ་བས་གཟུང་འདུས་ནོར་

གཟུངས། ནོར་རྒྱུན་མའི་གཟུངས་བཅས་གང་མང་། ལན་ཆགས་གཏོར་མ་གཏོང་།
aC 22: sa yi dkyil nas. b B 93: om. whole sentence. c C 22: mi dpon pa; B 93: mi chen. dC 23,
B 93: bde. e C 23, B 93: khang pa. f C 23, B 93: lo mang [B: mang po] mi [B: ma] ’gyangs. gC 23:
spong. h C 23: long. i B 93 ends the sentence here with the statement: zhes bzang ngo. jB 93:
om. this line. k C 24: rta brgya lug stong. l C 24: gnags phyugs rkad phran; B 93: nam phugs
rkang phran. m C 24: god kha’i ngo dang / shi god.

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(5) When five pips show on the dice

Generally, the prognosis is very good. The outlook concerning religion, or basic
prognosis, [is this]:
Upon the earth, one finds gold and turquoises.
Thus, all will be well both in the short and long term, and in particular, all will be
well for any high lama (bla chen) and officials in charge (dpon po). Since for ordi-
nary people (mi dkyus), there is the danger of regretting a fault that [occurred]
based on a trifling matter, they should supplicate the gods and guardians who
have shown favour to their family lineage.
(a) Household: There is a chance of an increase of life, virtue, happiness, merit

and its enjoyment (kha rje dbang thang).
(b) Building ground or a pasture: If there is a building ground, there is a good

chance that it will be good in the short term. However, because [the house build
there] will be crumbling down because [the building ground] will become
inappropriate when many years have passed, one will have to move. Despite
the mere chance of robbers and bandits at a pasture, there is a good chance of
it being appropriate.
Ritual remedies:
Shining Noble Lady Dharani, supplications of drala, yül-la, and kyimla.
(c) Fortune: “A jewel is found in the midst of a hostile army,” thus, there will be
a great boon [of both] bigger and smaller value.
(d) Wealth: There is a chance of increasing one’s horses and sheep to hundreds
and thousands; thus all will be well. Even though the increase of horses and
sheep is large, there is a great danger that there will be some loss [to thieves]
and loss [by death]39 among the livestock and smaller kinds [of animals].40
Ritual remedies:
Collection of Dharanis, Wealth Dharani, Wealth Continuum
Dharani (many times), Torma of Retribution.
39 C 24 mentions explicitly “by death.”

40 Tib. nor phyugs rkang phran.

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92 chapter 3
(e) དོན་ཕྱྭ་ནི། ཅི་བསམ་འགྲུབ་པའི་དོན་ཡོང་བའི་ངོ་།a དོན་རྔམས་ཆེན་ཡིན་ན་རེ་ཞིག་ངོ་མི་གསལ་
ཡང་ཕུགས་བཟང་། དོན་ཕྲན་ཚེགས་ཡིན་ན་མྱུར་དུ་འགྲུབ་པའི་ངོ་ཆེ།
47 (f) ཁ་མཆུ་སོགས་རྒྱལ་ཕམ་ཇི་ལྟར་འབྱུང་ཞེ་ན། འཕྲལ་དུ་བློ་འགྱོད་སྐྱེ་དགོས་ཙམ་b གྱི་རྐྱེན་ཕྲན་
བུ་ཡོད་ན་ཡང་ནམ་ཕུགས་རྒྱལ་བར་འོང་།
(g) ནད་ཕྱྭ་ནི། འཕྲལ་ངོ་ལྗི། རིམ་གྲགས་ཀྱིས་ནད་དེ་གཞི་མེད་དུ་འགྲོ་ངོ་ཆེ་c ཡང་དེ་མིན་གློ་བུར་གྱི་
ནད་ངོ་d ཅུང་ཡོད་པས་གདུགས་དཀར་སྟོང་ཚར། གྲྭ་ལྔ། ལོ་གྱོན་མའི་གཟུངས། སྟོབས་པོ་ཆེ། རྡོ་རྗེ་

རྣམ་པར་འཇོམས་མ་སོགས་གང་མང་བསྒྲུབ།
48 (h) སྲོག་ཕྱྭ་ནི། སྲོག་གི་ཀ་བ་བརྟན་པས་བཟང་། ཁྱད་པར་དུ་ལུག་ལོ་པ་བཟང་།
(i) གདོན་ཕྱྭ་ནི། ནུབ་ཕྱོགས་ནས་ཀ་ཆའི་རྗེས་སུ་འབྲང་བའི་རྒྱལ་པོ་དང་བཙན། ཐབ་གཞོབ་སོགས་
ཀྱིས་ཐབ་ལྷ་མནོལ་ཞིང་ཀླུ་དང་ས་བདག་གནོད་པས། འབུམ་རྒྱས་འབྲིང་བསྡུས་གསུམ། ཤེར་སྙིང་

། མདོ་སྡུད་པ། བསྐལ་བཟང་། བཙན་མདོས། གནས་ཁང་ལ་ཁྲུས་གསོལ། ཀླུ་གཏོར། ཀླུ་འབུམ། ས་
49 བདག་དབང་ཆེན། ས་ཀླུ་གདོན་གྲོལ་རྣམས་བསྒྲུབ་ན་ལེགས་སོ།
aB 93: om. whole line. b C 25, B 94: blo kyog pa dogs tsam. cThe phrase rim grags kyi[s] nad in
C 25 and P 47 should be read rim drag gis. Cf. B 94: ’phral du babs lci zhing rims gnad kyi ngo shar/
’on kyang de gzhi med du ’gro ngo che/: “Temporarily [the disease] is very heavy and there will
arise the danger of a contagious disease. However, there is a good chance that it will disappear
completely.” d C 25: om. ngo.

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(e) Undertaking: There is the chance that whatever one wishes will be accom-
plished. If there is an important matter (don rngams chen), for a while, the
chances may be unclear, but in the long run, all will be good. If it is a minor
matter (don phran tshegs), there is a good chance that you will accomplish it
quickly.
(f) Legal disputes: Even though, temporarily, there is a minor circumstance of

doubt,41 in the long run, there will be a victory.
(g) Disease: Temporarily, the danger [of getting sick] is great, [but] the disease
will gradually get cured and will then completely disappear. Alternatively, there
is a slight danger of fleeting diseases.
Ritual remedies:
White Parasol Dharani (1,000 times), Five Great Dharanis, Dharani
of Logyön, Mahabala, Vajra Defeater, and so forth (as much as possi-
ble).
(h) Life force: Since the pillar of life force is firm, all will be well. It is especially
good for those [born in] a sheep year.
(i) Evil spirits: Gyalpo and tsen, who come along with the possessions [brought
from] the westerly direction [will cause harm]. The scorched odor of the hearth
has contaminated the tabla, and so forth, and the lu and sadag will cause
harm.42
Ritual remedies:
paramita, Abbreviated Prajnaparamita, Heart Sutra, Condensed
Sutra, Good Fortune, Thread Cross of Tsen Spirit, Ablution of
the Dwelling, Lu Torma, Hundred Thousand Lu, a great empower-
ment of the sadag, Liberation from Trouble with Sadag and Lu—if
you accomplish these, all will be well.
41 Following C 25 and B 94.

42 Khenchen Nyima explains that in Tibet, if, for instance, a reddish dog suddenly appears at
night time, it is said that tsen spirits come along with it. If foxes howl at night time, there
will be harm from modré spirits. Because people believe in this and have these strong
superstitions, these signs have the effect of making people sick.

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94 chapter 3
(j) སྨན་དཔྱད་ཨེ་འཕྲོད་ཅེ་ན། སྨན་པའི་ངག་བཞིན་བྱས་ན་ངོ་སོ་ཆེ་སྐད་དོ།a
(k) སྲིད་ཕྱྭ་ནི། སྲིད་ཀྱི་ཆུ་མིག་རྡོལ་བའི་ངོ་སྟེ་བཟང་། ཡང་ན་སོ་སོར་འབྲང་མའི་སྲུང་འཁོར་ཐོགས།
རྟེན་འགངས་ཆེན་ལ་མཆོད་མེ་ཕུལ།b
(l) དགྲ་ཕྱྭ་ནི། ཧོར་འདྲ་ཐང་ལ་རྒྱུག་པ་ཡིས།c དགྲ་སྲོག་གཅོད་ཅིང་དགྲ་ལས་རྒྱལ། ཞེས་ཤིན་ཏུ་

50 བཟང་།
(m) མགྲོན་པོ་ཨེ་ཡོང་ཞེ་ན། མགྲོན་པོ་ངོ་སོ་དང་བཅས་མྱུར་དུ་སླེབ་པའམ་གཏམ་སྐྱེལ་བའི་མི་
ཞིག་མྱུར་དུ་འོང་ངོ་ཆེ་བས་བཟང་།
(n) ཚོང་ཕྱྭ་ནི། བསམ་ཐོག་ལྟར་d མྱུར་དུ་བྱས་ན་ལེགས། ཕྱིས་འགྱང་ན་ཁེ་སྤོག་ཆུང་བར་གདའོ།
(o) ལམ་ཕྱྭ་ནི། ཁྱིམ་ནས་ཐོན་དཀའ་ཙམ་གྱིས་ཕྱི་དལ་གྱི་ངོ་ཆེ་བས།e ལམ་དུ་ཞུགས་ན་བདེ་བར་

51 མཆིས། འོན་ཀྱང་རླག་བོར་ལ་ཟོན་དགོས་པས་f བསངས་དང་། དགྲ་བླའི་དཔང་བསྟོད་བྱ། སྲུང་
མའི་འཕྲིན་བཅོལ། ཕྱོགས་བཅུ་མུན་སེལ། སྒྲོལ་མ་དཀར་སྔོན་གྱི་མཚན་བརྒྱ་ཚར་བཅས་གང་མང་
བསྒྲུབ།
(p) ནོར་སྟོར་ཨེ་རྙེད་ཅེ་ན། འཕྲལ་དུ་བཙལ་ན་རྙེད་པའི་ངོ་། དེ་ཡང་ལྷོ་ཕྱོགས་སུ་མི་རིང་བར་ཡོད་ངོ་
ཆེ། འགྱང་ན་མི་རྙེད་སྐད། སླར་བོར་སྟོར་འབྱུང་g ཉེན་ཡོད་པས་གཟབ་བོ།h
aC 26, B 94: gsos ngo che. B and C add a section on the appropriateness of a doctor: shin to ’phrod
ngo che yang yun ring tsam bsten [C: brten] dgos par gda’o/ (“The prognosis is ‘very appropriate’
and you must rely on him for a long time”). b B 94, C 27: mar me mtshan thub phul (“offer a
lamp that lasts all night”). c B 94: om. this line. d B 94, C 27: bsam pa ltar; om. thog. eB 27
and C 95 om. bas. f C 27: brlag stor la zon skyor bya (skyor is unclear); B 95: chu dang por stor la
zon. g C 28: slar yang bor stor; B 95: rjes la’ang bor stor. hB 95: ’dzem; C 28: om.

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(j) Medicine and medical treatment: If one follows the doctor’s advice, there
will be a great chance of healing.
(k) Offspring: The chance of a gushing forth of the fountain of offspring is good.
Apart from that, carry the circular protection (amulet) of Mahapratisara
Dharani and offer a lamp to a most sacred object (rten ’gangs chen).
(l) Enemies: “Rushing through the plains like Mongols, they kill the enemy and
are victorious over them,” thus, it is very good.
(m) Travelers: Since the chance is very good that travelers will soon arrive who
have accomplished their purpose, or that a messenger will arrive, it will all be
well.
(n) Trade: If you do the intended [trade] as quick as lightning, all will be well.
If you drag it out for a longer time, the profit will be small.
(o) Travel: Because departing from home proves to be difficult, there is a great
danger that you will be delayed, but43 if you [just] depart, it will go smoothly.
However, you must take precautions against robbery.
Ritual remedies:
Smoke Offering, Glorification of the Drala, an invocation of the
guardians and Dispelling the Darkness of the Ten Directions (as
much as possible), Names of Tara (White and Blue Tārā, 100 times).
(p) Lost Items: There is a chance of regaining [the item] if you search immedi-
ately. There is a good chance that [the lost item] is not far away in the southern
direction. It looks like if you postpone [the search], you will not regain it. Since
the danger of loss occurs again, be careful!
43 I translate here an instrumental as adversative (ngo che bas).

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96 chapter 3
52 ༼6༽ ཤོ་མིག་དྲུག་པ་ལ་བབ་ན། ལར་མོ་འདི་ངན་ཙམ་ཡིན། བསྟན་པའི་ཆོས་ཕྱྭའམ་གཞི་མོ་ནི།

གདོན་གྱིས་བཙེས་པའི་ངོ་།a ཕ་སྤུན་ནང་འཁྲུགས་པའམ་དམག་འཁྲུག་གྱོད་དང་ཁ་མཆུ་སོགས་ཀྱི་
ངོ་། བསྟན་པའི་ཆོས་ཕྱྭར་འཕར་འབུག་b ཀྱི་ངོ་ཆེ་བས། རྟེན་འགངས་ཆེན་ལ་མཆོད་འབུལ། མཆོད་
53 རྟེན་ཞིག་གསོས་དང་སྐུ་དཀར་གསོལ། དགེ་འདུན་ལ་བསྙེན་བཀུར་དང་། རྒྱལ་བའི་བཀའ་འགྱུར་
དང་གསུང་རབ་སྒྲོགས།c སྤྲང་སྟོན་དང་ཁྱི་སྟོན་གཏོང་།d འཇིགས་བྱེད་དང་ཀུན་རིག་བཅས་སྟོང་ཚར་
(a) ཁྱིམ་ཕྱྭ་ནི། གློ་བུར་འཇིགས་སྐྲག་དང་འཐབ་འཛིངས་ཀྱི་ངོ་། འགྱང་མིན་བཟའ་ཚང་འབྲལ་
བ་དང་། ཡང་ན་ཆུང་མ་དང་། བུ་ཆེ་ཆུང་ཤི་ཆད་ངོ་། བོར་སྟོར་གྱི་ངོ་ཆེ་བས་འགོ་བའི་ལྷ་ལྔའི་གསོལ་

54 མཆོད། ཕ་མེས་སྲུང་མའི་བསྐང་བཤགས། གདུགས་ཤེར་སྟོང་ཚར། མཚན་བརྗོད། བསྐལ་བཟང་།
གསེར་འོད། ཏོག་གཟུངས། བསངས་དང་ཞི་བའི་སྦྱིན་སྲེག་བཅས་བསྒྲུབ།
(b) ཞིང་ས་ཡུལ་ས་ཨེ་འཕྲོད་ཅེ་ན། ཁང་ས་e འཕྲུལ་དུ་བཟུང་ན་བཟང་བས་ལེགས།f
(c) གྲོགས་ཕྱྭ་ནི། ཆུ་ཡི་སྦུ་བ་g དང་འདྲ་སྐད་དོ།
aC 28, B 95: nad gdon gyis ’tshe ba’i [B: ’chi pa’i] ngo. b C 29, B 95: bstan jus ’phar ’bub. cC 29,
B 95: rgyal ba’i bka’; om. dang gsung rab sgrogs. d C 29, B 95: om. gtong. eC 30, B 95 khang pa
(“house”) throughout the manual. f C 30, B 96: khang pa ’phral du bzang bzang ’dra yang/ de la
brten pas [B: pa’i] sems ’gyod dang / na tsha rgyun mi chad [B: ’chad] pas mi legs. gC 30, B 96:
wu ba (“foam”). B adds: … ltar yal nas ’gro (“disappear like [foam]”).

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(6) When six pips show on the dice

Generally, the prognosis is only bad. The outlook concerning religion, or basic
There is the danger of harm from evil spirits (gdon).
There is the danger of internal discord on the paternal side of the family (pha
spun), or of warfare, conflicts, and legal disputes, and so forth. Concerning the
outlook for religion, there is the danger of ups and downs (’phar ’bug).
Ritual remedies:
Making offerings to the most sacred objects, restoring and whitewashing a
stūpa, paying respect to the ordained community, reading out loud the Kangyur
of the Buddha and the scriptures, giving a feast to beggars and dogs, one thou-
sand [mantras of] Bhairava and Vairocana.
(a) Household: There is a danger that sudden scares and fights will break out.
There is a danger that a young couple44 will separate or that a wife and elder
and younger children will die. There is a great danger of losing [possessions].
Ritual remedies:
Offering to the Five Patron Gods, Appeasement and Confession
To the Guardians [who have shown favor to] the forefathers, White Para-
sol Dharani and Heart Sutra (one thousand times), Uttering the
Names, Good Fortune, Golden Light, Top Ornament Dharani,
Smoke Offering, Burnt Offering of Pacification.
(b) Arable and inhabitable land (zhing sa yul sa):45 Since it is good if you
immediately seize an [appropriate] building ground (khang sa), that will be
well.46
(c) Fortune: [Your fortune] will be like bubbles in the water.
44 Tib. ’gyang min bza’ tshang. See Jäschke: ’gyang bar, “before many years shall have passed.”
45 “Arable land” (zhing sa) is not actually mentioned in the prognosis itself, where it says
“building ground” (khang sa) instead.
46 Since this prognosis is supposed to be “only bad,” this entry seems to be corrupt. Cf. C 30,
B 96: “Immediately, the house seems to be good, but since the regret and sickness [that
occurs] based on that [house] is without interruption, it is not good.”

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98 chapter 3
(d) ནོར་ཕྱྭ་ནི། སྔོན་དུ་ཡང་འགྱོད་གོད་མང་དུ་བྱུང་ན་དེས་ཐུབ།a དེ་མ་བྱུང་ན་ནོར་ལུག་ལ་གོད་ངོ་དང་

55 ། རྟ་དྲེལ་སོགས་ལ་གཅན་གཟན་གྱི་ངོ་ཆེ།b ལར་གཡང་ཕྱིར་ཤོར་བས་ཇི་ཙམ་བསགས་ཀྱང་འཛད་
པ་ཡིན་པས་ཛཾ་བྷ་ལྷ་གང་རིགས་ཀྱི་ནོར་སྒྲུབ། ནོར་བུ་བཟང་པོ་དང་། ནོར་ལྷ་གསེར་འོད་བརྒྱ་ཚར།
ནོར་རྒྱུན་མའི་གཟུངས། རྟ་གཟུངས། ལུག་གཟུངས། གསེར་འོད། གཡང་འགུགས། ལན་ཆགས་
56 གཏོར་མ། ཆུང་སྲིའི་གཏོར་མ། གདོན་གསུམ་གཏོར་མ། འབྱུང་བཞིའི་གཏོར་མ། ཆུ་གཏོར་བརྒྱ་ཚར་
བཅས་ཚོགས་གསོག་ལ་འབད་པ་གལ་ཆེ།
(e) དོན་ཕྱྭ་ནི། བ་སྤུ་c རླུང་གིས་འཁྱེར་བ་དང་འདྲ་སྟེ་གར་འགྲོ་ཆ་མེད་ཅིང་། མར་གོང་ནང་ནས་རུས་
འཛེར་ཐོན་ཅེས། མ་ཉེས་པའི་ཁ་ཡོག་བླ་མ་མི་དཔོན་གྱི་བཀའ་བཀྱོན་པའམ། ཉེ་བ་ཤག་པོ་རྣམས་

ཀྱི་འཁང་ར་བྱེད་པ་ཞིག་ཡོང་ཉེན་གདའ་འོ།d
(f) ཁ་མཆུ་རྒྱལ་ཕམ་ཇི་ལྟར་འབྱུང་ཞེ་ན། མེ་སྟག་ཆུང་ངུས་ནགས་ཚལ་བསྲེགས་པ་དང་འདྲ་

57 སྟེ། གཞི་ཆེར་འགྲོ་ཉེན་གདའ་འོ། ཕར་རྒོལ་བཤོལ་བ་ལེགས། ཚུར་འཛུག་གི་རིགས་ལ་གདུགས་
དཀར་གཏོར་བཟློག སྒྲོལ་མའི་གཡུ་མདོས། ཤེར་སྙིང་བཟློག་པ་བཅས་གང་མང་བསྒྲུབ་ན་ཉེས་ཆེ་
བ་མེད་ཙམ།
aP 54, B 96: des thub; C 31: nges thub. b C 31, B 96 gyis gnod ngo. cC 31, B 96: bya spu. dC 32:
nyes pa shag po rnams ’khang ra byed dgos pa zhes yong gnyen gda’o. B 96: nye ba shag po rnams
gros dang zhu bar ’bod dgos pa zhig yong nyen gda’.

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(d) Wealth: If you already have had many regrets and losses earlier, [now] you
will be able to bear with it.47 If you did not, there is a danger that you will lose
yak and sheep (nor lug), and there is a great danger that horses, mules, and so
forth, will be harmed by predatory beasts.48 Again, since wealth is dissipating,
[we say] “easy come, easy go” ( ji tsam bsags kyang ’dzad pa yin).
Ritual remedies:
Wealth accomplishment of any kind of Jambhala, Dharani of the Good
Jewel and God of Wealth “Golden Light” (100 times); it is important to
make efforts in the gathering of accumulations of the Wealth Continuum
Dharani, Horse Dharani, Sheep Dharani, Golden Light, Summon-
ing Prosperity, Torma of Retribution, Chungsi Torma, Torma of
the Three Spirits, Torma of the Four Elements, Water Torma (100
times).
(e) Undertaking: It is said “like a feather of a bird taken by the wind, it is

uncertain where one will go,” and “a bone splinter coming out from a lump
of butter.”49 There is the danger of unfounded accusations of wrongdoing (ma
nyes pa’i kha yog), reprimands from lama or headman, and a hostile attitude of
close companions.
(f) Victory or defeat in court cases: Like small sparks burn a forest there is
a danger that [the case] will become dangerous. Postponing disputing others
(phar rgol) is good. In the event of prosecution [or disputes] against oneself
(tshur ’dzug gi rigs la), [one should practice the following].
Ritual remedies:
White Parasol Repelling, Battle Thread Cross of Tara, Heart
Sutra Repelling Practice—if you accomplish as much as possible, there
will not be a great fault.
47 Tib. des thub; following a suggestion of Solvej Nielsen.

48 C 31 and B 96 is preferable.
49 According to Khenchen Nyima, a bone splinter in a lump of butter is an example of how
bad something can turn out to be, like the damage a bone splinter can do when one swal-
lows the butter.

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100 chapter 3
(g) ནད་ཕྱྭ་ནི། གློ་བུར་ཤི་ཆད་མ་བྱུང་ན་ནད་ཡུན་རིང་བའི་ངོ་ཆེ། རིམས་a དང་སྟོད་གཟེར་གཟའ་ནད་

58 སོགས་ཀྱི་ངོ་ཆེ་བས་ཉི་ཁྲི་བརྒྱད་སྟོང་པ། གྲྭ་ཏོག་གསེར་གསུམ། ལོ་གྱོན་མའི་དབང་ཞ། ལོ་གྱོན་
མའི་གཟུངས། གཟའ་ཡུམ། ཕྱག་རྡོར། ཁྱུང་ཁྲ་སོགས་ཀྱི་དབང་བརྒྱ་ཚར་ཞུ།
(h) སྲོག་ཕྱྭ་ནི། ནད་པ་ཡིན་ན་སྲོག་ཤིན་ཏུ་ཉེན། ཁྱད་པར་དུ་བྱ་ལོ་པ་དང་ཁྱི་ལོ་པ་b ལ་ངན། ཞག་
གསུམ་ཚུན་ལ་མ་ཤི་ན། རིམ་འགྲོ་ཚེ་ཆོགc ཚེ་དབང་བརྒྱ་རྩ། ཚེ་སྒྲུབ། ཚེ་མདོ། ཚེ་གཟུངས། འཆི་

59 མེད་རྔ་སྒྲའི་གཟུངས། འཆི་བསླུ་། ཚེ་བསླུ་བ། ཚེ་ཐར་ལོ་གྲངས། ཚེ་དཔག་སྲུང་འཁོར་འདོགས།
སེང་གདོང་མའི་བཟློག་པ། དྲུག་ཅུའི་བཟློག་པ་འབད། གནས་དགོན་བཟང་པོ་ལ་སྐོར་བ་དང་ཕྱག་
འཚལ་སྙན་ཤལ་མཆོད་འབུལ་d སོགས་གང་མང་བསྒྲུབ། ནད་པ་མིན་ན་སྲོག་ཕྱྭར་ཉེན་ཆེ་བ་མེད།
(i) གདོན་ཕྱྭ་ནི། སྲུང་མ་མ་དགའ་ཞིང་ནུབ་ཕྱོགས་ནས་སེར་མོ་བ་དང་དངོས་པོ་གནད་ཆེན་གྱི་རྗེས་

60 སུ་འབྲང་བའི་རྒྱལ་འགོང་གིས་གནོད་པས། སྲུང་མའི་བསྐང་བ་གྲངས་མང་། འཇིག་བྱེད་སྟོང་ཚར།
རྒྱལ་གསོལ། རྒྱལ་མདོས། བརྒྱ་བཞི། གསེར་འོད་རྔ་སྒྲ། ཤེར་སྙིང་བཟློག་པ་བཅས་བསྒྲུབ།
aC 33, B 96: tshad rims (“feverish spreading disease; contagious disease?”). bB 97: om. khyi lo
pa. c C 33: rim gro stobs chen gyis bzlog tsam la; B 97: bzlog pa stobs chen. dB 97, C 34: gnas
bzang [por] mjal ba dang bskor ba phyag [C: om.] mchod pa.

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(g) Disease: If sudden death does not occur, there is a great danger that you
will get sick for a long time. There is the great danger of spreading diseases
(rims nad), pain in the upper back (stod gzer), epilepsy (gza’ nad), and so forth.
Ritual remedies:
Twenty-Eight Thousand (unidentified), Dra Tog Ser Sum, Dharani of
Logyön, Dharani of Grahamatrika, request the Empowerment of
Logyön, request the Vajrapaṇī and Garuda Empowerment (100 times).
(h) Life force: If one gets sick, the life force will be in great danger. It is espe-
cially bad for those born in a bird or dog year.
Ritual remedies:
If you do not die within three days, make efforts in [long] life ceremonies
[such as] one hundred life empowerments, Life Accomplishment, Life
Sutra, Life Dharani, Dharani of the Drum Sound of Deathless-
ness, Cheating Death, Cheating Life, Releasing Life (as many [lives]
as you have years of age);50 wearing a protection maṇḍala of Amitāyus (amu-
let), Lion Face Dakini’s Repelling, making efforts in Repelling with
the Sixty Tormas, circumambulating sacred places and monasteries and
making prostrations and silk scarf offerings, and so forth (as much as possi-
ble)—if one does not get sick, there will be no great danger for one’s life force.
(i) Evil spirits: The guardians are unhappy, and there will be harm from the
gyalgong spirits who come along with a vow holder (ser mo ba) and precious,
valuable things [brought] from the western direction.
Ritual remedies:
Appeasement of the guardians (many times), Bhairava [mantra] (1,000 times),
Offering to Gyalpo, a thread cross of gyalpo, Four Hundred Offer-
ings, Drum Sound of Golden Light, Heart Sutra Repelling Prac-
tice.
50 Khenchen Nyima: “Release one life [animal] for every year you lived.”

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102 chapter 3
(j) སྨན་པ་ཨེ་འཕྲོད་ཅེ་ན། སྨན་ཟོས་དུག་ཏུ་འགྱུར་ཞེས་གདའ་འོ། སྨན་དཔྱད་ཨེ་འཕྲོད་ཅེ་ན། ཕུག་
ཕན་ངོ་ཆེ་ཡང་། འཕྲལ་ལམ་དུ་འགྲོ་དཀའ་ཙམ་འདུག་པས། རེ་ཞིག་འཐེན་པའམ། ཆ་གསུམ།

61 འབྱུང་བཞི་གཏོར་མ། ཀླུ་གཏོར་བཅས་བསྒྲུབ་ན་ཉེས་ངོ་མེད་ཙམ།
(k) སྲིད་ཕྱྭ་ནི། སྲིད་ཀྱི་ཆུ་མིག་སྐམས་པས། རིམ་འགྲོ་སྟོབས་ཆེན་གྱི་བསོད་ནམས་བསགས་ཆེ་ན་
བུ་གཅིག་འབྱུང་ཡང་སྲིད།
(l) དགྲ་ཕྱྭ་ནི། དམག་ཇག་བྱེད་a ན་བཟང་། དེ་མིན་དགྲ་ངོ་ཕྲན་བུ་ཡོད་b ཀྱང་འཚེ་མི་ནུས་པས་
བཟང་། འོན་ཀྱང་དགྲ་བླའི་དཔང་བསྟོད། དགྲ་སྲི་མནན་པ་བཅས་བསྒྲུབ་བོ།
62 (m) མགྲོན་པོ་ཨེ་ཡོང་ཞེ་ན། མགྲོན་པོ་ཚུར་ཡོང་བའི་འདུན་པ་མེད་པའམ། ཡང་ན་ད་ལྟ་c སླེབ་
པའམ། གཏམ་སྐད་འཕྲལ་དུ་ཐོས་ངོ་ཆ།
(n) ཚོང་ཕྱྭ་ནི། གསེར་ཕར་གཏོང་ན་བོང་བ་ཚུར་ཡོང་སྐད་དོ།
(o) ལམ་ཕྱྭ་ནི། བགྲོད་དཀའ་ཙམ་གྱིས་ངལ་དུབ་ཆེ་བར་གདའ་འོ། དེ་མིན་ཉེན་ངོ་ཧ་ཅང་མེད་ངོ་།
འོན་ཀྱང་གོད་ཁ་ཕྲན་ཚེགས་འབྱུང་ཉེན་ཡོད་པས་གདུགས་དཀར། སྣང་བརྒྱད། རྟ་གཟུངས་ཐོན།
aB 97: phar dmag jag byed. b B 97: rang la dgra ngo phran bu. cC 36, B 97: myur du.

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(j1) Doctor: The medicine you have taken will turn into poison.
(j2) Medicine and medical treatment: There is a great chance of benefit in the
long run, but since it is difficult to get cured51 temporarily, postpone it for the
time being.
Ritual remedies:
Triple Torma, Torma of the Four Elements, Lu Torma—if you ac-
complish this, it cannot go wrong.
(k) Offspring: The fountain of offspring has dried up, but if the accumulation
of merit through powerful ceremonies is vast, it is nevertheless possible that a
boy will be born.
(l) Enemies: If you undertake an offensive attack and ransacking (dmag jag),
it will be successful. If not, there is a slight chance of having an enemy,52 but
since he cannot harm, all will be well.
Ritual remedies:
Nevertheless, accomplish Glorification of the Drala and Suppressing
Drasi.
(m) Travelers: There is no plan of a traveler to return here, or, otherwise, there
is a good chance that he will arrive now, or that one will hear news presently.
(n) Trade: It looks like if one hands over gold, one will get back a lump of dirt.
(o) Travel: Due to the mere difficulties of travel you will get exceedingly fa-
tigued. Alternatively, there is not much danger of [travel] going wrong. How-
ever, there is a danger that a trifling loss will occur.
Ritual remedies:
White Parasol Dharani, Eight Appearances, Horse Dharani.
51 Tib. lam du ’gro, lit. “getting on the road (= working out well).”
52 These two cases are explicitly and more clearly differentiated in B 97: “undertaking an
armed attack on the other” and “slight danger of having an enemy.”

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104 chapter 3
63 (p) བོར་སྟོར་ཨེ་རྙེད་ཅེ་ན། ར་མདའི་མོ་ལ་ཤིན་ཏུ་བཟང་།a བོར་བ་བཙལ་དགོས་ན་ཐག་མི་རིང་བ་
ནུབ་b ཕྱོགས་སུ་བཙལ་ན་རྙེད།
༼7༽ ཤྭ་མིག་བདུན་པ་ལ་བབ་ན། ལར་མོ་འདི་བཟང་བ་ཡིན། བསྟན་པའི་ཆོས་ཕྱྭ་འམ་གཞི་མོ་

ནི། ལྷ་ཁང་བཞི་ལ་རྒྱལ་མཚན་འཛུག དུང་དཀར་འབུད་ཅིང་གཎྜི་བརྡུང་། ཆོས་ཀྱི་གདན་ས་ཐོབ་
64 པ་དང་། དགོན་སྡེ་གསུམ་གྱི་བདག་པོ་བྱེད། མི་སྐྱ་ཡིན་ན་རྒྱལ་པོ་དང་། དམག་དང་འབངས་c ཀྱི་
བདག་པོ་བྱེད། ཅེས་ཤིན་ཏུ་བཟང་། ཁྱད་པར་བནྡེའི་མོ་ལ་ལྷག་པར་d བཟང་།e
(a) ཁྱིམ་ཕྱྭ་ནི། སྐྱིད་ཀྱི་ཆུ་མིག་རྡོལ། དགའ་བའི་གླུ་གར་རྩེ་སྟེ་བཟང་།
(b) ཁང་ས་ཡུལ་ས་ཨེ་འཕྲོད་ཅེ་ན། ཁང་ས་f བཀྲ་ཤིས་ཤིང་ཞལ་དྲོ། བདེ་སྐྱིད་ཀྱི་ཉི་མ་དགུང་ནས་

65 ཤར།g འཚེར་ཕྱྭ་ནི།h མི་ནོར་དར་ཞིང་རྒྱས་པས་བཟང་། འོན་ཀྱང་ཡུལ་ལྷ་ལ་གསོལ་མཆོད་ཡང་ཡང་
བྱ།
(c) གྲོགས་ཕྱྭ་ནི། ཁ་གྲོགས་མེད་པ་ཡང་འདྲ་སྟེ།i གཏིང་གྲོགས་ཆེ་བར་འདུག
(d) ནོར་ཕྱྭ་ནི། ནོར་ནག་གི་རིགས་ལ་གདོན་ངོ་j ཅུང་ཙམ་འདུག་ཀྱང་། ལར་བསོད་ནམས་ཀྱི་ར་བ་

k གཡང་གི་ནོར་བུས་གང་ཞེས་པའོ། གདོན་l ངོ་བཟློག་ཕྱིར་ནོར་རྒྱུན་མའི་གཟུངས་གདུགས་དཀར་
གཙུག་ནག་བཅས་བསྒྲུབ།
aB 98: rnyed pa’i ngo che. b C 37: byang (“northern”); B 98: nub byang (“north-western”). cB 98:
dmangs dang nor. d C 38: om. lhag par. e B 98: spyi dang khyad par dgon sde’i mo la bzang.
fC 38, B 98: khang pa. g 38: gung la shar; B 98: ’phel. h C 38, B 98: ’tsher sar. iC 38: mi che ’dra
yang. j C 38, B 98: cung [zad] god ngo. k C 38, B 98: rwa ba (“enclosure”). lC 38: god (“loss”);
B 98: om.

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(p) Finding lost items: The prognosis for the pursuit is very good.53 If you must
find the lost item, you will find it when you search not far away in the western
direction.
(7) When seven pips show on the dice

Generally, the prognosis is good. The outlook concerning religion, or basic prog-
nosis, [is this]:
The victorious banner is planted on four temples,

the white conch is blown, and the gaṇḍi is beaten,
the seat of the Dharma is obtained,
one is made the lord of three monasteries,
and if one is a layman, one is made the king
and the ruler of the army and the people.
Thus it is very good. In particular, the prognosis for ordained ones (bande’i mo)
is especially good.
(a) Household: The fountain of happiness gushes forth, the joyful song and
dance are performed; thus all will be well.
(b1) Building ground or inhabitable land: The building ground is auspicious

and welcoming. The sun of well-being and happiness shines from the skies.
(b2) Pasture: Since people and wealth will flourish and increase [while staying
there], all will be well. However, you should make supplication and Offering
to the Yül-la again and again.
(c) Fortune: Moreover, there seems to be no superficial fortune, but there is [a

prognosis of] fortune of greater value.
(d) Wealth: There is a slight danger of harm for the yak, dri, and cattle kind
[of wealth], but your “enclosure of merit will be filled with prosperous wealth.”
Repel the danger of trouble.
53 This indicates that persons have taken the item and have to be followed (the next sentence
concerns lost items).

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106 chapter 3
66 (e) དོན་ཕྱྭ་ནི། ཁ་འཛུམ་མུ་ལེ། ཁོག་དགའ་ཤིག་གེ་འགྲུབ་ཅིང་།a དེ་ཡང་ཅུང་ཟད་བསྲིང་དགོས་པ་
གདའ་འོ།
(f) ཁ་མཆུ་སོགས་རྒྱལ་ཕམ་ཇི་ལྟར་འབྱུང་ཞེ་ན། འཕྲལ་དུ་སེམས་ངལ་ཙམ་ཡང་ཡོད། ཕུགས་
བཟང་བར་གདའ་འོ།
(g) ནད་ཕྱྭ་ནི། སྤྱིར་ནད་བབ་ལྗི།b ཁྱད་པར་འབྲུག་ལོ་པ་དང་སྦྲུལ་ལོ་པ་ལ་འཇིགས་པའི་གདོན་ནད་

67 དང་།c གྲང་བའི་ནད། མཆིན་ནད་སོགས་འབྱུང་བས་འབུམ་རྒྱས་འབྲིང་བསྡུས་གསུམ། ཕལ་ཆེན་
མདོ། སྡོང་པོ་རྒྱན་མདོ་གང་མང་སྒྲོགས། ཕོ་ལྷ་མཆོད། སྦྱིན་བསྲེག་སོགས་བསྒྲུབ་བོ།
(h) སྲོག་ཕྱྭ་ནི། སྲོག་གི་ཀ་བ་བརྟན་པས་བཟང་།d ནད་པ་ཡིན་ན་ཤིན་ཏུ་འཛེར་བས་ཚེ་རྟ་ཟུང་
འབྲེལ་དབང་བརྒྱ་རྩ། འཆི་ངེས་པའི་སྲོག་བསླུ། འཆི་བསླུ། མིང་བརྗེ་ལུས་བསྒྱུར། སྤོང་དག་ཐོང་

68 །e མདོར་ན་རིམ་འགྲོ་རང་འཁོས་སྟོབས་ཆེན་བསྒྲུབ་f ན་མི་ཉེན་ཙམ་མོ།
(i) གདོན་ཕྱྭ་ནི། རྒྱལ་པོ་བཙན། མོ་འདྲེ་སོགས་ཀྱིས་ཤར་ཕྱོགས་ནས་གདོན། གསེར་འོད། བརྒྱད་
སྟོང་། གདུགས་དཀར། ཤེར་སྙིང་། བརྒྱ་བཞི། རྒྱལ་གསོལ། བཙན་གསོལ། ཀླུ་གཏོར་ས་བདག་

དབང་ཆེན། ཆ་གསུམ། ཕྱོགས་བཅུ་མུན་སེལ། སྤང་སྐོང་ཕྱག་རྒྱ་བཅས་བསྒྲུབ།
aB 98: khog dga’ ya le(?) ’grub; C 39: khog ’dzum shig ge ’grub. bC 39, B 99: shin tu lci. cB 99,
C 39: lo bar ’dzer [C: bas]/ gdon nad. d B 99: spyir srog cha bzang. eC 40: lus bsgyur/ ming brje
spong dag thong. B 99: lus bsgyur/ ming spo/ spong thabs sogs. fB 99: ’khos bstun gyi rim gro
stobs che bar byas, C 40: rim gro dang ’khos kyis stobs chen bsgrub.

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Ritual remedies:
Wealth Continuum Dharani, White Parasol Dharani, Black Ush-
nisha Dharani.
(e) Undertaking: You will accomplish it with a natural smile and a happy, ele-
vated heart. However, it looks like you have to prolong it a bit.
(f) Victory or defeat in court cases: Temporarily, one feels tired out. In the long
run, all will get better.
(g) Disease: Generally, one will fall profoundly ill. Especially for those who were
born in a dragon or snake year, diseases of terrifying spirits, diseases of coolness,
diseases of the liver, and so forth, will arise.
Ritual remedies:
Large, Medium, and Abbreviated Prajnaparamita, Avatamsaka,
Gandhavyuha (as much recitation as possible), Offering to the Pola,
a burnt offering.
(h) Life force: Since the pillar of life force is stable, all will be well. If one gets
sick, one will be in very great danger (shin tu ’dzer ba).
Ritual remedies:
Combined Amitayus and Hayagriva Empowerments (one hundred
times), Cheating Certain Death, Cheating Death, changing the name
and transforming the appearance (lit. body),54 complete abandoning.55 In
short, if one accomplishes the ritual service with great vigor according to one’s
abilities,56 there will be hardly any danger.
(i) Evil spirits: Gyalpo, tsen, modré, and so forth, are bringing negative influ-
ences from the east.
54 According to Khenchen Nyima, this includes a total change of one’s clothes “from hat to
shoes,” but also the bed sheets, and so forth.
55 The Tibetan term is spong thag; alternative spellings are spong dag or spong thabs. Accord-
ing to Khenchen Nyima, this is the giving away of all of one’s possessions, for instance,
before one embarks on a journey. An example is the Drikung Lama Drubwang Rinpoche,
who sold off everything he owned and gave the generated profit to the community of
monks before he traveled to Europe. When he returned to India, he had to buy everything
anew.
56 The construction is a bit unclear in all three manuals.

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108 chapter 3
69 (j1) སྨན་པ་ཨེ་འཕྲོད་ཅེ་ན། སྨན་པ་བསྟེན་མུས་ཡིན་ན་ཕན་དཀའ་བས། སྨན་པ་གསར་དུ་སྤོ་ན་ངོ་སོ་
གདའ་འོ།a
(j2) སྨན་དཔྱད་ཨེ་འཕྲོད་ཅེ་ན། སྨན་དང་དཔྱད་འཇམ་པོའི་རིགས་འཕྲོད། གཏར་བསྲེག་བཟང་ངོ་མ་
མཆིས།b ཅི་ནས་ཀྱང་བྱེད་ན། དག་པ་གསེར་གྱི་མདོ་ཐིག་སྒྲོགས། ཆ་གསུམ། རླུང་བསྐྱེད་ཅོད་པཎ་

འཛུག་པར་བྱེད་ན་ཉེས་ངོ་མེད་དོ།
(k) སྲིད་ཕྱྭ་ནི། ཕྱྭ་ནི། རྟེན་འགངས་ཆེན་ལ་ཕྱག་དང་བསྐོར་བ་གསོལ་འདེབས་སྙིང་རུས་དགོས།

70 དོན་ཡོད་ཞགས་པའི་སྙིང་པོའི་གཟུངས་སྟོང་ཚར། སྒྲོལ་མ་འབུམ་བསྒྲུབ་ན་སྲིད་འཕེལ་ཞིང་བཟང་
ངོ༌།
(l) དགྲ་ཕྱྭ་ནི། དགྲ་མེད་ཤིན་ཏུ་བཟང་ངོ་།
(m) མགྲོན་པོ་ཨེ་ཡོང་ཞེ་ན། དགའ་ལ་སྤྲོ་སེང་ངེ་མྱུར་དུ་སླེབ་བོ།c
(n) ཚོང་ཕྱྭ་ནི། གསེར་དངུལ་སོགས་ཀྱི་ཚོང་ཡིན་ན་བཟང་ངོ་། རྟ་ནོར་དབུགས་ཡོད་d རིགས་ཀྱི་ཚོང་
ཡིན་ན་ཁ་སྲ་ཞིང་ཕམ་བའི་ངོ་ཆེ།
71 (o) ལམ་ཕྱྭ་ནི། ཤུལ་ལམ་བདེ་ཞིང་སྐྱིད་པ་མཆིས། འོན་ཀྱང་གྱོད་སོགས་ཐུག་འཕྲད་ཕྲན་བུ་ཙམ་
མཐོང་།e སྲུང་མ་གསོལ། ལྷ་བསངས་ཐོང་།
aC 41: ngo so che bas bzang ngo; B 99: ngo che. b B 99: ’phrod ngo mi che. cC 42: dga’ yal le
spro sing nge. B 100: dga’ ye re myur du sleb. d C 42: rta nor sogs dbugs yod, B 100: rta nor sogs
srog chags. e C 43: ’gyod sogs la thug ’phrod kyi ngo phran bu tsam mthong. B 100: gyod sogs thug
phrad kyi ngo phran tsam mthong.

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Ritual remedies:
Golden Light, Eight Thousand Lines Prajnaparamita, White Para-
sol Dharani, Heart Sutra, Four Hundred Offerings, Offering to
Gyalpo, Offering to Tsen, Lu Torma, a great empowerment of the sadag,
Triple Torma, Dispelling the Darkness of the Ten Directions,
Sutra of the Seal of Abandoning and Mending.
(j1) Doctor: If one is currently consulting a doctor, he can hardly help. There-
fore, if one shifts to a new doctor, there will be a success.
(j2) Medicine and medical treatment: Medicine or treatment of the gentle

kind will be appropriate. Bloodletting and moxibustion (bsreg) will have no
positive effect. If it absolutely must be done, [rely on the remedies].
Ritual remedies:
Drop of the Sutra, Triple Torma, Wind-Generating Chevron—if
this is made, there will be no danger of a fault.
(k) Offspring: You must make prostrations, circumambulations, and supplica-

tions to a most sacred object from the depth of your heart.
Ritual remedies:
Essence of the Amogha Lasso Dharani (one thousand times), Tārā
[mantras] (one hundred thousand)—the offspring will increase and be well.
(l) Enemies: There will be no enemies; all will be very well.
(m) Travellers: [They] will come quickly with joy and pure happiness.57
(n) Trade: If the trade pertains to gold, silver, and so forth, all will be well. If the
trade pertains to living beings like pack animals, it will be difficult to control
(kha sra),58 and there will be a great danger of losing [in the business].
(o) Travel: The road will be pleasant. However, it seems that there will be a bit
of an encounter with a legal conflict, and so forth. Supplicate the guardians and
make Smoke Offering to the gods.
57 Following C 42.
58 Lit. “difficult to steer” (like a headstrong horse).

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110 chapter 3
(p) ནོར་སྟོར་ཨེ་རྙེད་ཅེ་ན། བཙལ་མིན་ལ་མ་ལྟོས་པར་ཤར་དང་བྱང་a གི་ཕྱོགས་ནས་རིམ་བཞིན་
རྩད་ཆོད་ངོ་ཆེ།b སླར་ནོར་སྟོར་གྱི་རིགས་ཡོང་ངོ་ཡོད།c
༼8༽ ཤོ་མིག་བརྒྱད་པ་ལ་བབ་ན། ལར་མོ་འདི་འབྲིང་སྟོད་ཡིན། བསྟན་པའི་ཆོས་ཕྱྭ་འམ་གཞི་

72 མོ་ནི། བཟང་ངན་གཉིས་ཀྱི་དབྱེ་འབྱེད་དཀའ། བསྟན་ཆོས་d ལར་རྒྱའི་རིགས་འགངས་ཆེ་བར་
ཕུགས་བཟང་ཡང་།e འཕྲལ་དུ་རྒྱུག་མིན་སྣ་ཚོགས་འོང་བ་དང་། ཕལ་པའི་གཞི་མོ་ནི། གཞི་བརྟན་
པ་ཙམ་ལས་བཟང་ངན་གྱི་འཕར་འབུག་ཆེ་བ་མི་ཡོང་།
(a) ཁྱིམ་ཕྱྭ་ནི། བློ་བདེ་བག་དྲོ་བྱིན་ཆེ་བ་མཆིས། འོན་ཀྱང་སྲུང་མ་འཁྲུགས་རྐྱེན་གྱིས་ནང་འཛིང་

73 ཕྲན་ཚེགས་ཡོང་དོགས་ཡོད། སྲུང་མའི་དུས་གཏོར་མ་ཆག་པར་གྱིས།
(b) ཁང་ས་ཡུལ་ས་ཨེ་འཕྲོད་ཅེ་ན། ཁང་ས་ཕུགས་འཕྲོད་ངོ་ཆེ་ཡང་། འཕྲལ་འཚུབ་ལྷོང་འབྱུང་བས་
སྲུང་བ་དགོས།f འཚེར་ས་ཡིན་ན་ནོར་གོད་g ཕྲན་བུའི་ངོ་ཡོད་པས་ཅིས་ཀྱང་སྡོད་ན་ཡུལ་ལྷར་གསོལ་

མཆོད་ཐོང་། འབྱུང་བཞིའི་གཏོར་མ། ནོར་གྱི་གླུད་རྫོགས།
aC 43, B 100: shar ram byang. b C 43: btsal ba la mi ltos par. cB 100 adds: pas ’dzems par bya
(“therefore, be careful!”). d C 43: bstan jus. e C 43: ’phral du lam du(?) rgyug min. fC 44,
B 100: ’tshub slong [/ lhongs] phran bu ’byung [/ yod]; om. bas srung ba dgos. gC 45: nor la shi
chad.

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(p) Lost items:59 There is a good chance that one by-and-by comes to know
(rtsad chod) [about the lost item] from the east or north60 without really
searching.61 There is a danger that things like a loss will occur again.
(8) When eight pips show on the dice

Generally, the prognosis is above average. The outlook concerning religion, or
basic prognosis, [is this]:
Differentiating between good and bad is difficult.
Concerning the essential issues of the general situation in one’s religious tra-
dition, they will be good in the long run but remain temporarily uncertain.
Concerning the basic prognosis for ordinary people, apart from the mere fact
that the basis is stable, there will not be many ups and downs of good and bad.
(a) Household: Happy, magnificent and cheerful! However, due to a distur-

bance of the guardians, there is a danger that there will be some petty internal
quarrel.
Ritual remedy:
Do not exceed [the time limit] of the timely torma of the guardians.62
(b) Building ground and inhabitable land: There is a good chance that the
building ground will be appropriate in the long run, but since in the short term
there will occur omen of obstruction, you will need the guardians. If [your
inquiry concerns] a pasture, there is the danger of a small loss of wealth.63 Thus,
if you nevertheless have to stay, [rely on the remedies].
Ritual remedies:
Supplication and Offering to the Yül-la, Torma of the Four Ele-
ments, Ransom of wealth.
59 Read bor stor.

61 Following C 43.
62 These regular offerings are made in the Drikung tradition on the 9th, 19th, and 29th day
of the lunar calendar.
63 This indicates the death of livestock, cf. C 45.

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112 chapter 3
74 (c) གྲོགས་ཕྱྭ་ནི། གྲོགས་ཅུང་ཡོད་a ཀྱང་ཕྱི་དལ་གྱི་དབང་དུ་འགྲོ་དོགས་ཆེའོ།
(d) ནོར་ཕྱྭ་ནི། ལར་ཟས་ནོར་ལོངས་སྤྱོད་འཕེལ་བ་མཆིས། འོན་ཀྱང་འཕྲལ་དུ་བོར་སྟོར་དང་། ཚོང་
ཕམ་པ། ནོར་ཤོར་གོད་རིགས་ཅུང་ཞིག་ཡོང་བར་གདའ་འོ།b ནོར་རྒྱུན་མའི་གཟུངས། ཡངས་པའི་

གྲོང་ཁྱེར་དུ་འཇུག་པའི་མདོ། གསེར་འོད་གཡང་སྐྱབས་གང་མན་། རྣམ་སྲས་བསྐང་བ། སྲུང་མའི་
75 སྐང་ཕྲན། ལན་ཆགས་གཏོར་མ་འབུངས། འབྲུལ་གཏོར་ཆ་བཞི་བཅས་བསྒྲུབ།
(e) དོན་ཕྱྭ་ནི། ཇི་ལྟར་བསམ་བཞིན་ཕུགས་འགྲུབ་ངོ་ཆེ། འཕྲུལ་དུ་གཞན་གྱི་ཁ་འཛུག་གི་རྐྱེན་
གྱིས་རེ་ཞིག་འགྲུབ་དཀའ་བའམ་འཕྲལ་དུ་ཇི་ལྟར་མ་འགྲུབ་ཀྱང་ནན་ཏན་གྱིས་བསྒྲུབ་ན་འགྲུབ་
པའི་ངོ་། ལྷ་སྲུང་མཆོད། རྒྱལ་མཚན་རྩེ་མོའི་དཔུང་རྒྱན། ནོར་བུ་བཟང་པོའི་གཟུངས། བཀྲ་ཤིས་
བརྩེགས་མདོ། སྒྲོལ་མའི་མཎྜལ་བཞི་ཆོག་བཅས་བསྒྲུབ་བོ།
76 (f) ཁ་མཆུ་སོགས་རྒྱལ་ཕམ་ཇི་ལྟར་འབྱུང་ཞེ་ན། རེ་ཞིག་རྒྱལ་ཕམ་དབྱེ་འབྱེད་དཀའ་བར་གདའ།
སྲུང་མ་མཆོད། གདུགས་དཀར་ཟློག་པ། གྲྭ་ཏོག་གསེར་གསུམ། ཁ་མཆུ་ཞི་མདོ་བཅས་བསྒྲུབ་ན་

བཟང་།
(g) ནད་ཕྱྭ་ནི། ནད་གཞི་ཆེ་རླུང་ནད་བད་ཀན་དང་རྨུ་ཆུ།c རྟ་སོགས་ཀྱིས་གདབ་ཚད་d ཀྱི་རིགས་ནད་

77 ངོ་ཆེ། སྲུང་མ་སྤྱི་དང༌། ཁྱད་པར་ལྷ་མོའི་བསྐང་བ། ཡུལ་ལྷ་དང་སྐྱེས་ལྷར་གསོལ་མཆོད། གདུགས་
དཀར་སོགས་ཀྱི་སྲུང་འཁོར་འདོགས། རླུང་བསྐྱེད་ཅོད་པཎ་འཛུག ཕལ་ཆེན་དང་བསྐལ་བཟང་
སྒྲོགས། གླུད་མང་དུ་རྫོགས། མོ་འབྲིང་ཙམ།e
aB 100: drog ngo cung zad yod, C 45: grogs ngo cung yod. bB 100f.: om. sentence starting with
’on kyang. c B 101: dmu chu, C 47: mu chu. d C 47: rngab/rdab chags; B 101: rngabs/rdabs rkyen.
eThis last remark is om. in C 47 and B 101.

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(c) Fortune: There are few lucky signs, but a great danger of a forced delay.
(d) Wealth: Generally, nutrition, wealth, and resources will increase. Presently,
however, there will be a bit of loss [of items], bad trade, and loss of wealth.
Ritual remedies:
Wealth Continuum Dharani, Sutra Introduced in the City of
Vaishali, Wealth Protection of the Suvarṇabhāsottamasūtra (as much
as possible), Appeasement of Vaishravana, appeasement and invocation
of the guardians, Torma of Retribution, Sprinkling Torma in Four
Parts.
(e) Undertaking: There is a good chance that it will come out as intended in
the long run. Temporarily, it will be difficult to accomplish for some time due
to the interfering gossip of others, or there is a chance that even if you cannot
accomplish it in this way presently, you will [nevertheless] accomplish it when
you do it with effort.
Ritual remedies:
Making offerings to gods and guardians, Ornament of the Peak of the
Victorious Banner, Dharani of the Good Jewel, Layers of Auspi-
ciousness Sutra, Ritual of the Four Tara Mandalas.
(f) Victory or defeat in court cases: For the time being, it is difficult to deter-
mine whether there will be victory or defeat.
Ritual remedies:
Offering to the Guardians, White Parasol Repelling, Dra Tog Ser
Sum, Sutra of Pacifying Black Disputes.
(g) Disease: There is a great danger that you will get serious diseases (nad gzhi
che) [such as] wind and phlegm diseases, advanced edema,64 and the “fever
[that arises] from falling from a horse, and so forth.”65
64 Following B 101. Khenchen Nyima describes this disease as “bursting of swollen wounds
brought about by having disturbed lu or tsen.”
65 Khenchen Nyima explains that it is believed that if one does not get up quickly after falling
from a horse or a motorcycle, and so forth, spirits will enter and infect the wounds.

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114 chapter 3
(h) སྲོག་ཕྱྭ་ནི། སྲོག་ཚེ་བརྟན་ཀྱང་། གློ་བུར་བགེགས་འཚུབ་ངོ་ཆེ་བས་ཚེ་ཐར། ཚེ་དབང་ཞུ་བ།
སྒྲོལ་དཀར་བཞེངས།a རྣམ་རྒྱལ་མའི་གཟུངས་བཅས་བསྒྲུབ།
78 (i) གདོན་ཕྱྭ་ནི། སྲུང་མ་ཡུལ་ལྷ་སྐྱེས་ལྷ་བཅས་འཁྲུགས་ཤིང་གནོད་པ་དང་ཁྱད་པར་རྒྱལ་པོ་དང་
མ་མོས་གནོད། དེ་ཡང་འཐབ་འཛིང་ངོ་དམ་སེལ་གྱི་རྐྱེན་གྱིས་གནོད། སྲུང་མའི་བསྐང་བཤགས།

ཡུལ་ལྷ་གསོལ་མཆོད་རྒྱལ་གསོལ། རྒྱལ་མདོས་བརྒྱ་བཞི། ཤེར་སྙིང་བདུད་བཟློག ཁ་འབར་མའི་
མདོས། གནས་ཁང་ལ་ཁྲུས་དམ་ཚིག་རྡོ་རྗེའི་བཟླས་པ་བཏང་ན་ལེགས།
79 (j1) སྨན་པ་ཨེ་འཕྲོད་ཅེ་ན། འཕྲུལ་དུ་ཕན་ངོ་ཆེར་མི་ཡོང་ཡང་། ཕུགས་གཏིང་ཆོད་པའི་ཕན་པ་ཆེ་བ་
ཡོད་སྐད་དོ།
(j2) སྨན་དཔྱད་ཨེ་འཕྲོད་ཅེ་ན། འབྱུང་བཞའི་ཚྭ་ཚྭ།b ཆ་གསུམ། གདུགས་དཀར་བཅས་བསྒྲུབས་
ནས་སྨན་པའི་ངག་བཞིན་བྱས་ན་རིམ་བཞིན་ཕན་ནོ།
(k) སྲིད་ཕྱྭ་ནི། སོ་སོར་འབྲང་མའི་སྲུང་འཁོར་འདོགས། སྒྲོལ་མ་གང་མང་བཏོན་ན་སྲིད་ཕྱྭ་བཟང་
བར་གདའ་འོ།
aC 48, B 101: tshe dpag med dang sgrol dkar, C 48: … sku bzhengs. bC 49, B 102: gtor ma.

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Ritual remedies:
Appeasement of the guardians, in particular, Appeasement of the Lha mo,
supplication and offerings to the yül-la and the kyela, wearing the “White Para-
sol” protection mandala (amulet), and so forth, making a Wind-Generating
Chevron, reciting Avatamsaka and Good Fortune, making many Ran-
som [rituals]. [This part of the] prognosis is merely average.
(h) Life force: The life force is stable, but there is a great danger of sudden
obstruction (bgegs ’tshub).
Ritual remedies:
Releasing Life, requesting long life empowerment, making a statue of the
White Tārā, Dharani of Ushnisha Vijaya.
(i) Evil Spirits: The guardians, the yül-la, and the kyela have been disturbed
and harmed, and in particular there will be harm caused by gyalpo and mamo.
Moreover, there is the danger of fights and harm due to grudges.66
Ritual remedies:
Appeasement and confession ritual to the guardians, Offering to the Yül-
la, Offering to Gyalpo, a thread cross of gyalpo, Four Hundred Offer-
ings, Heart Sutra Repelling Practice, Jvalamukha Thread Cross,
Ablution of Dwellings, Samayavajra Recitation.
(j1) Doctor: The chance of benefit will not increase in the short term, but there
will be a long-term, profoundly effective benefit.
(j2) Medicine and medical treatment: If you follow the doctor’s instructions
after having applied [the ritual remedies], it will gradually help.
Ritual remedies:
Votive offerings of the four elements, Triple Torma, White Parasol Dha-
rani.
(k) Offspring: Wear a Mahapratisara Protection Mandala (amulet). If

you recite as many Tārā [mantras] as possible, the outlook concerning the off-
spring will be good.
66 Tib. dam sel, “grudge, discord, disharmony” but also “abandonment of an oath.”

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116 chapter 3
80 (l) དགྲ་ཕྱྭ་ནི། ལྷ་སྲུང་གསོལ་ན། དགྲ་ངོ་ཆེ་ཡང་སྐྱོན་a མེད་ཅིང་བཟང་ངོ་།
(m) མགྲོན་པོ་ཨེ་ཡོང་ཞེ་ན། རེ་ཞིག་ཕྱི་དལ་ངོ་ཆེ་ཡང་སླར་སོ་སོ་དང་བཅས་ཡོང་སྐད་དོ།
(n) ཚོང་ཕྱྭ་ནི། རེ་ཞིག་ཚོང་ཁ་སྲ་ཞིང་འགོར་གཞི་ཡུན་རིང་ཙམ་ཡོད་ནའང་ཡུན་བསྲིང་ན་b ཚོང་རྒྱལ་
བར་ངེས་སོ།
(o) ལམ་ཕྱྭ་ནི། སེམས་འགྱོད་སོགས་ཀྱི་ངོ་ཅུང་ཟད་འདུག་c ཀྱང་ལྷ་བསངས་དང་། ཕྱོགས་བཅུ་

81 མུན་སེལ་ཐོན། ཤུལ་ལམ་བདེ་བར་མཆིས།
(p) བོར་སྟོར་ཨེ་རྙེད་ཅེ་ན། རྩད་ཆོད་དཀའ་ཙམ་ཞིག་འདུག་སྟེ། ནུབ་དང་བྱང་གི་ཕྱོགས་སུ་བཙལ་ན་
རྙེད་པའོ། དེ་མིན་སླར་ཁུངས་འདོན་པ་ཞིག་ཡོང་བར་འདུག་གོd །
༼9༽ ཤོ་མིག་དགུ་པ་ལ་བབ་ན། ལར་མོ་འདི་བཟང་བར་མཆིས། བསྟན་པའི་ཆོས་ཕྱྭ་འམ་གཞི་

82 མོ་ནི། ཁམས་གསུམ་ཐམས་ཅད་དབང་དུ་འདུས། སྟོང་གསུམ་ཐམས་ཅད་ཟིལ་གྱིས་གནོན། ང་
རྒྱལ་ཅན་གྱི་མགྲོན་དང་འཕྲད། སེངྒེ་གངས་རི་འཛིན་པ་ལ། སྲོག་ཆགས་གཞན་ལ་སྐྲག་མི་དགོས།
ཆོས་པ་གང་དུ་འགྲོ་བ་ལ། གེགས་མེད་དམ་ཆོས་འཕེལ་བ་དང་། སྙན་གྲགས་ལོངས་སྤྱོད་རྒྱ་ཆེན་
འབྱུང་། ཞེས་འཕྲལ་ཕུགས་ཀུན་ལ་བཟང་།
aC 49, B 102: om. che yang skyon. b B 102: yun la ma bltas par ’bad na. cC 50, B 102 add: dang
skrag sngangs [/ (d?)ngangs] kyi (“and fear”). d C 50 f. adds: rta nor sogs kyi po rab(?) yin na nub
byang gi phyogs su btsal na rnyed ngo che/ de min re zhig rtsad chod pa’i ngo med cing slar gleng
gzhi dang bcas mtha’ ’dod yang srid/.

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(l) Enemies: If you make supplications to gods and guardians, there will be no
defect, and all will be well, even though there will be much danger of enemies.
(m) Travelers: For the time being, there is a great danger that [the travelers] will
be delayed, but it looks like later, they will return with their purposes accom-
plished.
(n) Trade: For the time being, even though trade will be difficult to control and
there will be a long delay, if you prolong [the efforts],67 it is sure to be successful.
(o) Travel: There is a slight danger of deep regret.
Ritual remedies:
Make smoke offerings to the gods and recite Dispelling the Darkness of
the Ten Directions and the road will be more comfortable.
(p) Lost items: Tracking them down may be a bit difficult. However, if you
search in the western and northern directions, you will find them. If not, later
someone will come to tell you the source [from where to get them back].
(9) When nine pips show on the dice

nosis, [is this]:
All of the three realms is under control.

The three thousand worlds are suppressed.
You will meet a self-confident traveler.
The lion has seized the snow mountain,
but the other beings do not need to be afraid.
Wherever the religious practitioner is going,
he will be free from obstruction, religious activities increase
and great fame and resources will arise.
Thus, all will be well both in the short and long term.
67 B 102 seems to say: “If you make efforts for [some] time without looking [for profit].” The
idea is that one should not give up, but keep up the effort.

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118 chapter 3
(a) ཁྱིམ་ཕྱྭ་ནི། བསོད་ནམས་ལྗོན་པར་ཆོས་ནོར་གཡི་ལོ་འདབ་རྒྱས་ཤིང་། བདེ་སྐྱིད་ཀྱི་མེ་ཏོག་
བཀྲ་སྐད་དོ།
83 (b) ཁང་ས་ཡུལ་ས་ཨེ་འཕྲོད་ཅེ་ན། ཤིན་ཏུ་འཕྲོད་ངོ་ཆེ། འོན་ཀྱང་ཐབ་གཞོབ་ལ་འཛེམ་པ་གལ་
ཆེའོ།a
(c) གྲོགས་ཕྱྭ་ནི། གྲོགས་ངོ་ཤིན་ཏུ་ཆེ། འོན་ཀྱང་དེའི་རྗེས་སུ་འབྲང་བའི་གདོན་གྱི་ངོ་ཆེ་བས་བརྒྱ་
བཞི། སེང་གདོང་མའི་བཟློག་བསྒྱུར་གྱིས།
(d) ནོར་ཕྱྭ་ནི། བང་མཛོད་ནོར་གྱིས་གང་། ར་བ་ཕྱུགས་ཀྱིས་གང་བས་བཟང་།
84 (e) དོན་ཕྱྭ་ནི། དོན་རྔསམ་ཆེན་ཡིན་ན་ཇི་བཞིན་འགྲུབ་དཀའ། དེ་མིན་གཏམ་སྙན་དང་བཅས་b པས་
མྱུར་དུ་འགྲུབ་བོ།
(f) ཁ་མཆུ་རྒྱལ་ཕམ་ཇི་ལྟར་འབྱུང་ཞེ་ན། རེ་ཞིག་རྒྱལ་ཏེ། འགྱུར་ལྡོག་གི་ངོ་ཆེ། དཀོན་མཆོག་
བརྩེགས་པ། འཕགས་མ་འོད་ཟེར་ཅན་མའི་གཟུངས། བཀྲ་ཤིས་བརྩེགས་མདོ། སྤང་སྐོང་ཕྱག་རྒྱ།

གདུགས་དཀར་བཅས་བསྒྲུབ་ན་རང་རྒྱལ་ལོ།
85 (g) ནད་ཕྱྭ་ནི། རྟ་ལུག་c ལོ་པར་ཅུང་ཞིག་རྩུབ། དེ་མིན་ནད་པ་སྙིང་རླུང་སྨུག་པོ་གྲིབ་ངོ་ཆེ་ཡང་། རིམ་
བཞིན་ཟླ་བ་སྤྲིན་བྲལ་བཞིན་དུ་འགྲོའོ།
(h) སྲོག་ཕྱྭ་ནི། རྟ་ལུག་ལོ་པར་ཅུང་ཞིག་འཛེར།d ཚེ་དབང་ཞུ། ཚ་ཐར་བཅས་བསྒྲུབ། དེ་མིན་ཚེ་
སྲོག་རྡོ་རྗེ་བྲག་ལས་བརྟན་e སྐད་དོ།
aC 52, B 103: thab gzhon [B: shor] sogs; om. gal che’o. C adds: ’tsher sar bor stor dang god kha’i ngo
phran tshegs kyi ngo tsam las bgegs btshub(!) che ba med/. bC 53, B 103: gtam snyan gyi ngo so
dang bcas. c B 103: om. lug. d C 54: cud ’tshug. e C 54, B 103: rdo rje’i brag dang mtshungs [/
’dra].

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(a) Household: It looks like the leaves and petals of religion and wealth grow
on the tree of merit, and the flowers of happiness are glittering.
(b) Building place and inhabitable land: There is a good chance that they will
be very appropriate. However, it is essential to avoid the scorched odor of the
hearth.
(c) Fortune: There is a very good chance of good fortune. However, there is a
great danger of accompanying negative influences.
Ritual remedies:
Four Hundred Offerings, Lion Face Dakini’s Repelling.
(d) Wealth: The treasury will be filled with wealth, and the fencing will be filled
with livestock; thus all will be well.
(e) Undertaking: If the undertaking is an important one, it is difficult to be

accomplished like that. Alternatively, accompanied by positive evaluations, it
will quickly be accomplished.
(f) Victory or defeat in court cases: For the time being, there will be victory,
but there is a great danger that it will be reversed.
Ritual remedies:
Ratnakuta, Shining Noble Lady Dharani, Layers of Auspicious-
ness, Pang Kong Chagya, White Parasol Dharani—if these are accom-
plished, it will be automatically victorious.
(g) Disease: It will be a bit rough for those born in a horse or sheep year. If one
is not [born in those years], there is a great danger that a dark depression will
afflict the ill person.68 However, gradually it will become like the clouds sepa-
rating from the moon.
(h) Life force: Those born in horse and sheep years will be in a bit of danger.69
Request long life empowerment and accomplish it together with Releasing
Life. Otherwise, it looks like the life force will be more robust than a vajra rock.
68 Tib. snying rlung smug po grib.

69 Tib. cung zhig ’dzer.

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120 chapter 3
(i) གདོན་ཕྱྭ་ནི། ས་རྐོ་རྡོ་རློག་སོགས་དང་ཐབ་གཞོབ་a ཀྱི་རྐྱེན་གྱིས་ཀླུ་གཉན་ས་བདག་དང་

86 འགྲས་ཤིང་གཞན་གྱི་བྱད་ཁའི་ངོ་། ཡུལ་ལྷ་སོགས་ཀྱི་ཕྲག་དོག་གི་ངོ་ཡོད་པས་ཀླུ་ཡི་གདོན་གྲོལ།
ཀླུ་བསངས། ཀླུ་འབུམ། ཀླུ་གཏོར། ས་བདག་འཁྲུགས་བཅོས། ལུས་ངག་ཡིད་གསུམ་བཅིངས་པ་
ལས་གྲོལ་བའི་གཟུངས། བྱད་གྲོལ། དྲུག་ཅུའི་བཟློག་པ། གདུགས་དཀར་གཏོར་བཟློག ཡུལ་ལྷའི་
གསོལ་མཆོད། རླུང་རྟ་རི་ཁྲུས་བཅས་འབད་དོ།
87 (j) སྨན་དཔྱད་ཨེ་འཕྲོད་ཅེ་ན། སྨན་པའི་ངག་བཞིན་བྱས་ན་འཕྲོད་ངོ་ཆེ།b འོན་ཀྱང་མེ་བཙའི་རིགས་
ཡིན་ན་རེ་ཞིག་འཐེན་པ་བཟང་།c
(k) སྲིད་ཕྱྭ་ནི། ལྷ་སྲུང་མཆོད་ཅིང་། སོ་སོར་འབྲང་མའི་གཟུངས་གྲངས་མང་ཐོན། སོར་འབྲང་འཁོར་
ལོ་འདོགས་ན་d སྲིད་འཕེལ་བས་བཟང་།
(l) དགྲ་ཕྱྭ་ནི། དགྲ་མགོ་རྨུ་གབ་གྱིས་གཡོགས། དགྲ་དཔུང་རང་སར་ཞི་ཞེས་བཟང་ངོ་།
(m) མགྲོན་པོ་ཨེ་ཡོང་ཞེ་ན། གོམ་པ་ཤུར་རེ་e རྡུལ་ནག་བཅས་མྱུར་དུ་སླེབ་སྐད་དོ།f
88 (n) ཚོང་ཕྱྭ་ནི། ཕར་ཚོང་རྒྱུའི་རིགས་ཁེ་ཆེ་ཞིང་བཟང་། ཚུར་ཉོ་རྒྱུའི་ཚོང་ཁ་སྲ་ཞིང་ཁེ་ཆུང་བར་གདའ་
འོ།
(o) ལམ་ཕྱྭ་ནི། རྟ་ཕོའི་སྲབ་དང་མཐུར་ཐག་ངོ་།g ཞེས་མྱུར་ཞིང་གེགས་མེད་པ་བཟང་བར་མཆིས།
aB 103 o. thab gzhob. b B 104: sman bdud rtsi dang ’dra bas ’phrod ngo che. cB 104 adds: gzhan
sman pa’i ngag bzhin bya. d C 56, B 104: om. sor ’brang etc. eB 104: sha re. fC 56: gom stobs
shar dag rngul nag rtsa re myur du sleb skad do. B 104: dngul nag dza re/ gom stabs sha re myur du
slebs skad. g C 56: mthur mda’. The whole phrase is om. in B 104.

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(i) Evil spirits: Through digging up the earth, crushing stones, and so forth, and
the scorched odor of the hearth, lu, nyen, and sadag have become displeased,
and there will be the danger of curses. There will be a danger that the yül-la,
and so forth, will become jealous.
Ritual remedies:
Release from the Lu’s Harm, Lu Smoke Offering, Hundred Thou-
sand Lu, Lu Torma, Repairing Disturbances of the Sadag, Dharani
of Getting Free from the Fetters of body, speech, and mind, Release
from Sorcery, Repelling with the Sixty Tormas, White Parasol
Repelling, Offering to the Yül-la, putting up prayer flags, performing
the Ablution of a Mountain.
(j) Medicine and medical treatment: If you follow the doctor’s instructions,
there is a good chance that it will be appropriate. However,70 if [the treatment]
is of the moxibustion type, it will be good to withdraw from it for the time
being.71
(k) Offspring: Recite many times the dhāraṇīs of gods, guardians, and the
Mahapratisara Dharani. If you wear the Mahapratisara [Protec-
tion] Mandala (amulet), the offspring will increase, and all will be well.
(l) Enemies: The enemies’ chief is covered up with ignorance. The enemies’
armies will be automatically pacified; thus all will be well.
(m) Travelers: They are coming fast with quick72 steps, sweating.
(n) Trade: The selling (phar tshong rgyu’i rigs) will be profitable and good. The
buying will be difficult and with little profit.
(o) Traveling: There is the sign of “bridle and halter73 of the stallion,” thus, all
will be well in that it will be quick and without obstacles.
70 B 104 presents the following under the separate heading “medication and treatment.”
71 B 104 adds: “[Concerning] other [treatments] you must follow the doctor’s advice.”
72 Following B 104.
73 C 56 has “halter” (mthur mda’). This is used for walking the horses around, not for riding
(Khenchen Nyima). Probably a phrase that indicates control over the situation.

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122 chapter 3
(p) བོར་སྟོར་ཨེ་རྙེད་ཅེ་ན། བོར་བ་རྙེད་ཅིང་འབྲོས་ན་ཐར། ཞེས་a མྱུར་དུ་རྙེད་པའི་ངོ་ཆེ། དེ་ཡང་འོས་

89 མེད་ཐག་ཉེ་བའི་མི་ཞིག་གིས་བརྐུས་པའམ། ཡང་ན་རྐུན་མའི་ལག་ལ་མ་ཚུད་པར་གདའ་བས་b
བཙལ་ན་མྱུར་དུ་རྙེད་དོ།
༼10༽ ཤོ་མིག་བཅུ་པ་ལ་བབ་ན། ལར་མོ་འདི་འབྲིང་ཙམ་ཡིན། བསྟན་པའི་ཆོས་ཕྱྭ་འམ་གཞི་མོ་

ནི། བླ་ཆེན་དང་བནྡེའི་རིགས་ལ་འཕྲལ་ཕུགས་གཉིས་ཀར་བཟང་། མི་དཔོན་རིགས་ཀྱི་བསྟན་སྲིད་
90 ལ་འཕར་འབུག་ཆེ་ཡང་ཕུགས་བཟང་། ཕལ་པའི་གཞི་མོ་ལ་གླེང་བརྗོད་དང་།c སེམས་འགྱོད་ཀྱི་ངོ་
ཅུང་ཞིག་འདུག་པས། སྔོན་བསྟེན་སྲུང་མ་གསོལ། གཏོར་མ་བརྒྱ་རྩ། གདོན་གསུམ་གཏོར་མ་གཏོང་
བ་བཅས་བསྒྲུབ།
(a) ཁྱིམ་ཕྱྭ་ནི། བོར་སྟོར་དང་ཁ་འགྱོད་སེམས་འགྱོད་ཀྱི་ངོ་དང་། སྐྲགས་དངས་d ཀྱི་ངོ་མཐོང་བས་
རྩོད་པ་བྱེད་པ་དང་འཐབ་མོ་བྱེད་སར་མི་འགྲོ། འབུམ་དང་ཕལ་ཆེན་སྒྲོགས། བརྒྱ་བཞི། རྒྱལ་མཚན་

91 རྩེ་མོའི་དཔུང་རྒྱན། གདུགས་དཀར། སྒྲོལ་མ་དཀར་སྔོན། གསེར་འོད་གཡང་སྐྱབས། གཡང་
འགུགས་བཅས་བསྒྲུབ།
(b1) ཁང་ས་ཨེ་འཕྲོད་ཅེ་ན། ཁང་ས་དེ་འཕྲད་འཚུབ་ལྷོང་ཆེ་ཙམ་ཡང་། ཕུགས་ནོར་རྫས་ཀྱི་ར་བ་
ཁེངས་ཤིང་། རིགས་བརྒྱུད་ཀྱི་སྲིད་འཕེལ་བར་གདའ་འོ།
(b2) འཚེར་ཕྱྭ་ནི། ན་ཚ་དང་གྱོད། གོད་ཀ་འབྱུང་ཉེན་ཡོད་པས་སྤོས་ན་ལེགས།
92 (c) གྲོགས་ཕྱྭ་ནི། གྲོགས་ཕྱི་དལ་ཆེ་བས་རེ་ཞིག་མེད་དོ།
aThis phrase is om. in B 104. b C 57 and B add: sngar phan (“recently”). cThis phrase is om.
in B 104. C 57 illegible. d C 58, B 104: bred dngangs.

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(p) Lost items: “What you have lost you will find and if you escape you will be
free.”74 Thus, there will be a good chance to find it quickly. Moreover, since it
has been stolen by a nearby thief, or, alternatively, since it has not come into
the hand of a thief, if you search for it, you will quickly find it.
(10) When ten pips show on the dice

Generally, the prognosis is merely average. The outlook concerning religion, or
For high lamas and ordained persons, all will be well in both short and
long-term. For secular leaders, there will be many ups and downs, but in
the long run, all will be well. Concerning the basic prognosis for the com-
mon people, there is the small danger of disputes and deep regret.
Ritual remedies:
Supplication of the guardians who were served [by the forefathers] earlier, One
Hundred Tormas, Torma of the Three Spirits.
(a) Household: Since there is the danger of loss, minor and deep regret, and
fear, do not go to places where there are quarrels and fights!
Ritual remedies:
Hundred-Thousand Lines Prajnaparamita, Avatamsaka, Four Hun-
dred Offerings, Ornament of the Peak of the Victorious Ban-
ner, White Parasol Dharani, White and Blue Tārā [mantra], Wealth
Protection of the Suvarṇabhāsottamasūtra, Summoning Prosperity.
(b1) Building ground: Although an omen of a sudden obstacle to that building

ground has appeared, in the long run, the enclosure will be filled with posses-
sions, and the offspring of one’s family line will increase.
(b2) Pasture: Since there is a risk of diseases, conflicts, and loss [of livestock],
it is good to shift [to another pasture].
(c) Fortune: Since there is a great delay [of good fortune], for the time being,
there is none.
74 According to Khenchen Nyima’s explanation, this is “cryptic poetry that requires the
diviner’s intuition.”

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124 chapter 3
(d) ནོར་ཕྱྭ་ནི། འཕྲལ་དུ་ཤོར་གོད་ཀྱི་ངོ་ཆེ་ཡང་། ཕུགས་ངན་པ་རང་མ་མཆིས། ནོར་ལུགས་a ལ་
གོད་ཁ་ཕྲན་ཚེགས་ཡོང་། མཛོ་རྟ་གཉིས་ཤིན་ཏུ་བཟང་། རྣམ་སྲས་བསྐང་བ་གཡང་འགུགས། བུམ་

གཏེར་འཇུག་པ། ཤེར་སྙིང་བདུད་བཟློག ནོར་གཟུངས། ལུག་གཟུངས། ལན་ཆགས་གཏོར་མ་གང་
མང་བསྒྲུབ།
93 (e) དོན་ཕྱྭ་ནི། ཐག་རིང་རྔམས་ཆེན་དོན་གཉེར་ཡིན་ན། བསམ་པ་བཞིན་འགྲུབ་ངོ་ཆེ། ཐག་ཉེ་
དོན་ཆུང་རིགས་ལ་ཁ་སྨྲས་དང་ཕྱི་དལ་གྱི་ངོ་ཆེ། བུ་མང་པོ་སོ་སོར་འབྲང་མའི་གཟུངས་སྟོང་ཚར།
གཟུངས་འདུས་གྲངས་མང་བསྒྲུབ་བོ།
(f) རྩོད་པ་རྒྱལ་ཕམ་ཇི་ལྟར་འབྱུང་ཞེ་ན། གླེང་གཞི་ཇེ་མང་གིས་རེ་ཞིག་ཐག་ཆོད་དཀའ།b ཕུགས་

94 གཙང་ཞིང་ལེགས་པར་ཡོང་ངོ་ཆེ། སེང་གདོང་མའི་བཟློག་བསྒྱུར། གདུགས་ཤེར་བཅས་བསྒྲུབ་བོ།
(g) ནད་ཕྱྭ་ནི། བྱ་སྤྲེལ་ལོ་པ་ཅུང་ཞིག་འཛེར། འོན་ཀྱང་ནད་ངོ་ཆེ་ཡང་c རིམ་དྭངས་ཀྱི་ངོ་ཤར། ནད་
སྨུག་པོ་གཟེར་ཐུང་གི་རིགས་ཏེ་གདོན་སོགས་འབྱུང་ངོ་ཆེ། རིམ་གྲོ་འབུམ་རྒྱས་འབྲིང་བསྡུས་
གསུམ། གྲྭ་ཏོག་གསེར་གསུམ། གཟུངས་བསྡུས། མཆོད་རྟེན་ལ་སྐུ་དཀར་གསོལ། རླུང་བསྐྱེད་
95 ཅོད་པཎ་འཛུག སཱ་ཙྪ་འདེབས། བརྒྱ་བཞི། གཏོར་མ་བརྒྱ་རྩ། འབྱུང་བཞིའི་གཏོར་མ་གཏོང་། གཟའ་
ཡུམ་ཕྱག་་རྡོར་བཅས་ཀྱི་དབང་ཞུ།
aB 105: phyugs. b C 60: ’khrugs nas thag chod pa dka’; B 105: khrun chod dka’. cThis phrase is
om. in B 105.

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(d) Wealth: There will be, temporarily, a great danger of losing, but in the long
run it will not be really negative. There will be a small loss of yak and sheep.
Both the dzo and the horses will do very well.
Ritual remedies:
Appeasement and Summoning Prosperity of Vaishravana, Trea-
sure Vase Filling, Heart Sutra Repelling Practice, Wealth Dha-
rani, Sheep Dharani, Torma of Retribution (as much as possible).
(e) Undertaking: If you pursue an important, distant matter, the chance is good
that you will accomplish it according to your wishes. Concerning a minor, short-
term matter, there will be much danger of bad-mouthing and taking longer
[than expected].
Ritual remedies:
Bahuputra Dharani and Mahapratisara Dharani (one thousand
times), Collection of Dharanis (many times).
(f) Victory or Defeat in court cases: Due to an increasing dispute it will be dif-
ficult to come to a resolution for the time being. The chance is good that, in the
long run, it will be resolved and well.
Ritual remedies:
Lion Face Dakini’s Repelling, White Parasol Repelling, Heart
Sutra Repelling Practice.
(g) Disease: There will be a bit of danger for those born in a bird or snake
year. However, even though there will be a great danger of getting sick, the
chance emerges that [the sickness] will gradually abate. The phlegm disease
“dark [face]” will be of the type with sharp pain75 and there is a great danger
that evil spirits will rise, and so forth.
75 Tib. nad smug po gzer thung. Khenchen Nyima explains that a person afflicted with this
disease has a dark face, cannot eat greasy food, and experiences much sudden sharp pain.

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126 chapter 3
(h) སྲོག་ཕྱྭ་ནི། སྲོག་གི་རྨུ་ཐག་མི་འཆད་ཅིང་། ཞེས་a སྲོག་ཕྱྭ་བརྟན་པས་བཟང་། ནད་པ་ཡིན་ན་ཚེ་
དབང་ཞུ། ཚེ་མདོ་དང་ཚེ་གཟུངས་བཅས་བསྒྲུབ་བོ།
96 (i) གདོན་ཕྱྭ་ནི། མོ་འདྲེ་དང་དཔེ་ཧར་གྱིས་གདོན། དེ་ཡང་རང་ཉིད་ཕྱོགས་ནས་འབྲང་བའི་རྒྱལ་
པོས་གནོད།b ཕ་མེས་འགོ་བའི་སྲུང་མ་མཆོད། ཁ་འབར་མའི་མདོས། ཆ་གསུམ། རྒྱལ་མདོས།

རྒྱལ་གསོལ། བརྒྱ་བཞི། རྟ་མགྲིན་གྱི་དབང་ཞུ། མདོ་སྡུད་པ་སྟོང་ཚར། གསེར་འོད་རྔ་སྒྲ་གྲངས་མང་
བཅས་བསྒྲུབ་བོ།
(j) སྨན་པ་ཨེ་འཕྲོད་ཅེ་ན། ཧ་ཀྱང་c ངོ་སོ་མི་ཆེ་ཡང་། ནན་གྱིས་བསྟེན་ན་འཕྲོད་ཙམ་ཡོང་། སྨན་

97 དཔྱད་འདི་ལྟར་ཨེ་འཕྲོད་ཅེ་ན། སྨན་པའི་ངག་བཞིན་བྱས་ན་འཕྲོད་ངོ་ཆེ། གཏར་ཁའི་རིགས་ཀྱིས་
ཕན་ངོ་ཡང་དཀའ། དེ་མིན་འབྲིང་ཙམ།d
(k) སྲིད་ཕྱྭ་ནི། སྲིད་འབྱུང་ངོ་ཆེ་ཡང་། སྔོན་བསྟེན་སྲུང་མའམ་ཁྱིམ་ལྷ་འཁྲུགས་པས་མགོ་ཐོན་
དཀའ་བར་གདའ་འོ། སྒྲོལ་མ་འབུམ་ཐེར་སྔོན་བརྟེན་སྲུང་མའི་གསོལ་མགྱོགས་དང་། ཕྱོགས་བཅུ་

98 མུན་སེལ་སྒྲོགས། ཆུང་སྲི་མནན། གདུགས་དཀར་གཏོར་བཟློག སོར་འབྲང་དང་གདུགས་དཀར་
སྲུང་འཁོར་འདོགས།
aThis phrase is om. in B 106. b C 62 adds gtsan gdon, B 106 has mo ’dre and rgyal gdon. cC 62,
B 106: ha cang. d B 106: dpyad gzhan ’bring tsam.

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Ritual remedies:
Hundred-Thousand Lines, Medium and Abbreviated Prajnapara-
mita, Dra Tog Ser Sum, Collection of Dharanis, whitewashing of a
stūpa, making a Wind-Generating Chevron and votive offerings, Four
Hundred Offerings, One Hundred Tormas, Torma of the Four
Elements, requesting of the empowerment of Grahamātrikā and Vajrapaṇī.
(h) Life force: “The cord of life force has not been cut.” Thus, since the outlook
concerning the life force is stable, all will be well. If you get sick, [apply the
remedies].
Ritual remedies:
Requesting of long life empowerment, Life Sutra, Life Dharani.
(i) Evil spirits: There will be negative influences of modré and Pehar. Moreover,
there will be harm from gyalpo spirits, who are accompanying you.
Ritual remedies:
Offering to the Guardians who showed their favor to the forefathers,
Jvalamukha Thread Cross, Triple Torma, a thread cross of gyalpo, Of-
fering to Gyalpo, Four Hundred Offerings, requesting the empower-
ment of Hayagrīva, Condensed Sutra (one thousand times), Drum Sound
of Golden Light (many times).
(j1) Doctor: He is mostly not very effective. However, if you consult him with
diligence, he will do some good.76
(j2) Medicine and medical treatment: If you follow the doctor’s advice, the
chance that it will be appropriate is very good. The bloodletting type of treat-
ment will hardly help. Otherwise, it will be of merely medium help.77
(k) Offspring: The chance of offspring will be good, but since the guardians
who were served [by the forefathers] earlier or the kyimla were disturbed, it
will be more difficult for the head to come out [when giving birth].
76 Lit. “he will be merely appropriate.”

77 B 106: “The other treatments are merely of medium help.”

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128 chapter 3
(l) དགྲ་ཕྱྭ་ནི། དགྲ་ངོ་ཙམ་མཐོང་ཡང་། དགྲ་བླའི་a དཔང་བསྟོད། སྲུང་མ་མཆོད། དགྲ་སྲི་མནན།
དྲུག་ཅུའི་གཏོར་བཟློག་བཅས་བསྒྲུབ་ན་བཟང་།
(m) མགྲོན་པོ་ཨེ་ཡོང་ཞེ་ན། ཐག་རིང་མགྲོན་པོ་དོན་b འགྲུབ་ཅིང་བཟང་། ཚུར་ཡོང་བའི་འདུན་མ་c

99 ཙམ་ལས་རེ་ཞིག་མི་སླེབ་པའམ། ཡང་ན་ཁ་སྨྲས་དང་བཅས་མྱུར་དུ་སླེབ་ངོ་ཡིན། ཐག་ཉེ་འི་རིགས་
ལ་ཕྱི་དལ་ཆེ།
(n) ཚོང་ཕྱྭ་ནི། ཐག་རིང་འགྲོ་དགོས་ཀྱི་ཚོང་ཁེ་སྤོགས་འབྲིང་ཙམ་དང་། ཐག་ཉེའི་ཚོང་པ་ཡིན་ན།
འདོད་ཁེ་མི་ཡོང་ངོ་ཆེ།
(o) ལམ་ཕྱྭ་ནི། ལམ་དུ་དགྲ་ངོ་ཡོད་ཅིང་ལར་གཞི་ནས་ཐོན་དཀའ་ཙམ་ཡོད། ཡང་ན་ལམ་དུ་འགོར་
གཞི་d ཆེ་ཞིང་།e རྨིག་པ་ཁ་བྲག་ཅན་ལ་ཤི་ཆད་དང་གྱོད་དང་སེམས་འཚེར་གྱི་ངོ་ཆེ། རིམ་གྲོ་བཀྲ་

100 ཤིས་བརྩེགས་མདོ། སྣང་བརྒྱད། རྒྱལ་མཚན་རྩེ་མོའི་དཔུང་རྒྱན་བཅས་གང་ཐོན་དང་། སྲུང་མ་
མཆོད། ལྷ་བསངས་ཐོང་། བརྒྱད་སྟོང་། གདུགས་དཀར་སྒྲོགས།
aC 64: dgra lha. b C 64, B 106: ’dod don. c C 64: ’dun pa, B 107: bskur(!) ma. dC 65: ’god gzhi.
eB 107 adds: dgra ngo dang.

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Ritual remedies:
Immediately one hundred thousand Tārā [mantras] and supplications to the
guardians who were served [by the forefathers] earlier, Dispelling the
Darkness of the Ten Directions, Suppressing Chung Si, White Par-
asol Repelling, wearing (amulets of the) Mahapratisara Protection
Mandala and “White Parasol” protection mandala (amulet).
(l) Enemies: There will be some slight danger of enemies.
Ritual remedies:
Glorification of the Drala, Offering to the Guardians, Suppres-
sing Drasi, Repelling with the Sixty Tormas.
(m) Travelers: The faraway travelers have accomplished their affairs, and all
will be well. Except for the [mere] plan of returning, for the time being, they
will not come. Alternatively, there is a chance that they will face bad-mouthing
[where they went] and come [back] quickly. Those who are close by will be
much delayed.
(n) Trade: The profit from trade where one has to travel long distances will
be merely average. If it is a close-by trade, there is a danger that you will not
achieve the desired profit.
(o) Travel: There is the danger of enemies on the road, and it is, in general, a
bit difficult to depart from the place where one is. Alternatively, there is a sig-
nificant cause for being delayed (’gor gzhi) on the road, and there is a great
danger that hoofed livestock with special signs will die, and of conflicts and
weariness.78
Ritual remedies:
Layers of Auspiciousness Sutra, Eight Appearances, Ornament of
the Peak of the Victorious Banner (as much as possible), Offer-
ing to the Guardians, Smoke Offering to the gods, Eight Thousand
Lines Prajnaparamita, White Parasol Dharani.
78 Tib. rmig pa kha brag can, lit. with split hooves. Here, however, meaning “best animals
with special signs” (see the chapter “Special Terminology”).

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130 chapter 3
(p) བོར་སྟོར་ཨེ་རྙེད་ཅེ་ན། བཙལ་མ་དགོས་པ་ལག་ཏུ་ལོན་པའམ། ཡང་ན་རྙེད་དཀའ་བས་ངལ་བ་
དོན་མེད་འགྲོ་དགོས་ཆེ།a སླར་འཐོར་སྲིད་ཀྱི་ངོ་ཡོད།b
101 ༼11༽ ཤོ་མིག་བཅུ་གཅིག་པ་ལ་བབ་ན། ལར་མོ་འདི་བཟང་ངོ་། བསྟན་པའི་ཆོས་ཕྱྭ་འམ་གཞི་

མོ་ནི། དུང་དཀར་འབུད་c ཅིང་གཏམ་སྙན་ཐོས། གཡུ་ཡི་ལྗོན་ཤིང་འཐིབ་པ་ལ། ཁུ་བྱུག་སྔོན་མོའི་
གསུང་སྙན་སྒྲོགས།d ཞེས་འཕྲལ་ཕུགས་གཉིས་ཀ་ལ་བཟང་། ཁྱད་པར་བནྡེའི་མོ་ལ་ཤིན་ཏུ་བཟང་
བས་དགེ་སྦྱོར་འཕེལ་བར་མཆིས་སོ།
(a) ཁྱིམ་ཕྱྭ་ནི། བསོད་ནམས་ཀྱི་ལྗོན་པར་ནོར་རྫས་ཀྱི་ལོ་འདབ་རྒྱས་ཤིང་རིགས་བརྒྱུད་ཀྱི་མེ་ཏོག་

102 བཀྲ་བར་གདའ་འོ། འོན་ཀྱང་ཀླུ་དང་ས་བདག་གིས་གནོད་པས། ནད་ངོ་། གོད་ངོ་། ཕྲན་ཚེགས་འདུག
ཀླུ་གཏོར་ཡང་ཡང་ཐོང་། ཀླུ་བསངས་བཅས་བསྒྲུབ།
(b) ཁང་ས་ཡུལ་ས་ཨེ་འཕྲོད་ཅེ་ན། ཁང་ས་འཚེར་ས་འཕྲོད་པར་གདའ། གཞི་བདག་ལ་བསངས་
དང་། ཀླུ་བསངས་ཐོང་། གཟའ་ཀླུ་འཁྲུགས་བཅོས་བཅས་བསྒྲུབ།
(c) གྲོགས་ཕྱྭ་ནི། ཧ་ཅང་རྔམས་མི་ཆེ་ཡང་གྲོགས་དུ་མ་ཡོད་སྐད་དོ།
103 (d) ནོར་ཕྱྭ་ནི། སྤྱིར་ཟས་ནོར་འཕེལ་བས་e བཟང་། ཁྱད་པར་རྟ་དྲེལ་འཕེལ་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་ངོ་ཆེ། ལོ་ཏོག་
བཟང་ངན་འཕར་འབུག་ཆེ་བ་ཡོང་ཉེན་ཡོད། ནོར་རྒྱུན་མའི་གཟུངས། རྣམ་སྲས་བསྐང་བ། གཡང་

འགུགས་བཅས་བྱས་ན་བཟང་།
aB 107: ngal ba don med kyi ngo che; C 65: dal ba don med du ’gro dgos che. bC 65, B 107: slar
yang bor stor gyi ngo. c C 66: dung gi skad ltar; B 107: om. dB 107: om. the latter two lines.
eB 108: ’tshal bas.

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(p) Finding lost items: It will come back to you without the need to search for
it. Otherwise, since it is difficult to find, there is the great danger of meaningless
exhaustion.79 There is the danger of losing it once again.80
(11) When eleven pips show on the dice

nosis, [is this]:
The white conch is blown, and pleasing speech is heard.

In the dense turquoise tree
rings out the pleasing voice of the blue cuckoo.
Thus, all will be well in the long and short-term. In particular, since the prog-
nosis for ordained ones is very good, virtuous practice is increasing.
(a) Household: On the tree of merit, the leaves and petals of possessions
unfold, and the flowers of the family line are dazzling with brilliance. However,
due to the harm caused by the lu and sadag, there is a slight danger of sickness
and loss.
Ritual remedies:
Lu Torma (again and again), Lu Smoke Offering.
(b) Building ground and inhabitable land: Building ground and pasture are
appropriate.
Ritual remedies:
Smoke Offering to the zhidag and lu, Repairing the Disturbance of
the Zakar and Lu.
(c) Fortune: Although [the fortune] is not hugely valuable, there is still a lot of
[minor] fortune.
(d) Wealth: Generally, food [improves] and wealth increases and thus all will be
well. In particular, there is a good chance that [the herds of] horses and mules
increase. There is a danger that the quality of the harvest will go up and down.
79 As Khenchen Nyima said, it is like building sandcastles at the beach. Following B 107.

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132 chapter 3
(e) དོན་ཕྱྭ་ནི། འཕྲལ་ལམ་དུ་རྒྱུག་མིན་ཕྲན་བུ་འབྱུང་ཡང་དོན་a དེ་ལེགས་པར་འགྲུབ་པ་གདའ་འོ།
104 (f) རྩོད་པ་རྒྱལ་ཕམ་ཇི་ལྟར་འབྱུང་ཞེ་ན། གཞི་b ཆེ་ན་ཐག་ཆོད་དཀའ་ཙམ། དེ་མིན་ཁ་སོ་དང་ངོ་སོ་
མཐོ་བ་མྱུར་དུ་ཡོང་སྐད་དོ།
(g) ནད་ཕྱྭ་ནི། རྟ་ལུག་སྦྲུལ་c ལོ་པ་རྣམས་ནད་གཞི་ཆེ་ཙམ། དེ་མིན་ཟླ་བ་སྤྲིན་བྲལ་བཞིན་d མྱུར་
དྭངས་ཀྱི་ངོ་། ནད་པ་རྨུ་ཆུའམ་e ཆུ་སེར་གཡི་རིགས་དང་། གློ་བ་དང་། མཁལ་ནད་སོགས། གཉན་

105 སྐྲང་ཤུ་བ་དང་། བརྡབ་ཆགས་f སོགས་ཀྱི་ངོ་ཆེ། ཕྱག་ན་རྡོ་རྗེ་དང་ཁྱུང་ཁྲའི་དབང་ཞུ། མཆུ་སྡེ་ལྔ་དང་
། རླུང་རྟ་འཛུག
(h) སྲོག་ཕྱྭ་ནི། ཚེ་སྲོག་ལྕགས་ཀྱི་སྡོང་པོ་ལ། ཉེར་འཚེ་སྟ་གྲིས་མི་ཆོད་པས་བཟང་།
(i) གདོན་ཕྱྭ་ནི། ཉི་མ་ནུབ་བྱང་g ཕྱོགས་ནས་འགྲུལ་བའི་རྗེས། ཟོང་གནད་ཆེན་རིགས་ལ་རྗེས་སུ་
འབྲང་བའི་རྒྱལ་པོ་h དང་གནོད་སྦྱིན་གྱི་གནོད་i པའམ། ཆུ་མིག་གཉེན་སར་j ཕོག་ཐུག་སོང་བའི་

106 རྐྱེན་གྱིས་གནོད། ས་བདག་གི་གནོད་k དང་། བྱད་ཕུར་གྱི་ངོ་ཡང་ཆེ་བས་རྒྱལ་མདོས། ཆ་གསུམ།
ཀླུ་འབུམ། ཀླའི་སྤང་སྐོང་། ཀླུ་དང་ས་བདག་གི་གདོན་གྲོལ། ཀླུ་གཏོར། བྱད་གྲོལ། ལུས་ངག་ཡིད་
གསུམ་བཅིངས་པ་ལས་གྲོལ་བའི་གཟུངས་གང་མང་། སྡོན་པོ་རྒྱན་པའི་མདོ། ཁྱུང་ནག་གི་སྒོ་ནས་
གནས་ཁང་ཁྲུས་གསོལ། རིམ་གྲོ་ལེགས་པར་བསྒྲུབ་བོ།
aB 108: phugs don. b B 108: tshig myog. c C 68, B 108: add ’brug. dB 108: om. zla ba sprin bral
bzhin. e C 68, B 108: dmu chu. f B 108: bdab chag. g C 69, B 108: om. byang. hC 69: ’grul
rjes sam zong nad che ba’i rigs las ’brangs pa’i rgyal po …; B 108: ’grul rjes sam/ zangs (zongs?) snod
che ba’i rjes su ’brang ba’i rgyal po … i C 69, B 108: rgyal po dang gson ’dre gnod. jB 108: gnyan,
C 69: chu mig sogs sa gnyan por. k C 69: klu gdon dang sa bdag gi gdon.

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Ritual remedies:
Wealth Continuum Dharani, Appeasement and Summoning Pros-
perity of Vaishravana.
(e) Undertaking: Even though temporarily it will not work out completely, in
the long run,81 you will accomplish the undertaking well.
(f) Victory or defeat in court cases: If it is a serious matter, it is a bit difficult to

resolve. If it is not, the announced and real high point will quickly come.
(g) Disease: Those born in a horse, sheep, or snake year will fall seriously ill. For
others, there is the chance to be quickly healed like clouds separate from the
moon. There is the great danger of sicknesses such as edema or of the lymphatic
fluids, and sickness of the lungs, kidneys, and so forth, and severe swelling of
the skin and breaking bones due to a fall.
Ritual remedies:
Requesting of the Vajrapaṇī and Garuda Empowerments, Five Lips, hoist-
ing prayer flags.
(h) Life force: The life force, [which is like] an iron trunk, is not cut by harm,
[which is like] an ax; thus, all will be well.
(i) Evil spirits: There is harm from gyalpo and yakṣas accompanying the
guests82 coming from the north-western direction or tagging along with pre-
cious things. Alternatively, there is harm due to irritating, dangerous places
such as wells.83 There is also great danger of harm from the sadag and sorcery.
Ritual remedies:
A thread cross of gyalpo, Triple Torma, Hundred Thousand Lu, Mend-
ing Breaches of the Lu, Release from the Lu’s Harm, Release
from the Sadag’s Harm, Lu Torma, Release from Sorcery, Dharani
of Getting Free from the Fetters of body, speech, and mind (as many
times as possible), Gandhavyuha Sutra, cleaning of the dwelling through
the Black Garuda [ritual]. These ritual services should be accomplished well!
81 Following B 108.
82 ’Bri gung dialect: ’grul ba, “guest.”
83 C 69 preferable?

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134 chapter 3
(j1) སྨན་པ་ཨེ་འཕྲོད་ཅེ་ན། སྨན་བསྟེན་ཙམ་གྱིས་ངོ་མཐོ་བར་ཡོང་བས་བཟང་།
107 (j2) སྨན་དང་དཔྱད་འདི་འདྲ་བ་ཨེ་འཕྲོད་ཅེ་ན། སྨན་པའི་ངག་བཞིན་བྱས་ན་ལེགས།a
(k) སྲིད་ཕྱྭ་ནི། སྒྲོལ་མ་ཐོན། རྟེན་འགངས་ཆེན་ལ་མཆོད་འབུལ་དང་བསྐོར་བ་བྱས་ན། སྲིད་གཡང་
འཁོར་བས་མྱུར་དུ་བཙའ་b སྟེ་བཟང་།
(l) དགྲ་ཕྱྭ་ནི། དགྲ་ངོ་མེད་ཅིང་མགོན་སྐྱབས་ལྷས་མཛད་པས་བཟང་ངོ་།
108 (m) མགྲོན་པོ་ཨེ་ཡོང་ཞེ་ན། མགྲོན་པོ་མྱུར་དུ་སླེབ་པའི་ངོ་། འོན་ཀྱང་གཏམ་ངན་ནམ་གྱོད་དང་ཁ་
མཆུའི་ངོ་ཅུང་ཞིག་གདའ་འོ།
(n) ཚོང་ཕྱྭ་ནི། ཁེ་སྤོགས་ཆེ་ཞིང་ལམ་དུ་རྒྱུག་པར་གདའ་འོ། དེའང་མྱུར་དུ་བརྩོན་c ན་ལེགས།
(o) ལམ་ཕྱྭ་ནི། གདོན་d ངོ་ཅུང་ཞིག་མཐོང་། དེ་མིན་འགྲོ་བདེ། བར་ཆད་མེད་པས་e བཟང་།
(p) བོར་སྟོར་ཨེ་རྙེད་ཅེ་ན། ཤར་ཕྱོགས་སུ་བཙལ་ན་རྙེད་ངོ་ཆེ། འོན་ཀྱང་ཁ་མཆུའི་ངོ་ཆེ་བས།

109 གདུགས་དཀར་དང་། ཁ་མཆུ་ནག་པོའི་བཟློག་པ་དང་གཟུངས། མཆུ་སྡེ་ལྔ་ཐོན།
aC 70 and B 109 add: ’on kyang klu gtor dang cha gsum thong [/ byed dgos]. bC 70: byis pa myur
du. c B 109: brtsam. d C 71, B 109: god kha [/ ka] (“loss”). eC 71, B 109: om. phrase.

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(j1) Doctor: Since the chances [to be healed] increase by merely consulting the
doctor, all will be well.
(j2) Medicine and medical treatment: If you follow the doctor’s instructions,
it will be well.
(k) Offspring: If you recite Tārā [mantras] and make offerings and circumam-
bulations to a most sacred object, the offspring prosperity will surround you
and thus [a child84] will quickly be born; so all will be well.
(l) Enemies: Since there is no danger of enemies and the gods guard and pro-
tect you, all will be well.
(m) Travelers: There is a chance that travelers will arrive soon. However, there
is a slight danger of bad talk or conflicts, and legal disputes.
(n) Trade: The profit is extensive and [the trade] will work out well. Moreover,
if you pursue the matter quickly, all will be well.
(o) Travel: There is a small danger of negative influences. Otherwise, the travel
is smooth. Since there are no obstacles, all will be well.
(p) Lost items: There is a great chance to find them if you search in the eastern
direction. However, there is a great danger of legal disputes.
Ritual remedies:
White Parasol Dharani, Repelling Black Disputes and Dharani,
Five Lips.
84 Explicit in C 70.

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136 chapter 3
༼12༽ ཤོ་མིག་བཅུ་གཉིས་པ་ལ་བབ་ན། ལར་མོ་འདི་ཤིན་ཏུ་ངན། བསྟན་པའི་ཆོས་ཕྱྭ་འམ་

གཞི་མོ་ནི། སྤྲེའུ་ཤིང་རྩེ་ནས་ལྷུང་བའམ། ཡང་ན་སྡོང་རྒན་ཆག་གམ་འགྱེལ། ལྟས་ངན་མཐོང་ངན་
a འབྱུང་ཉེན་ཡོད། ཁས་ལེན་ཆག་གམ་ལྷ་མ་དགའ།b ནམ་ཕུགས་ཡུལ་འཕོ་འཆུག་གམ།c ཤི་
110 ཆད་ཀྱི་སྟོང་པ་གངས་རིགས་d འབྱུང་ངོ་ཆེ། འཕྲལ་དུ་ལྷ་མ་དགའ་བའི་རྐྱེན་གྱིས་འཁོན་འཛིན་དང་
ནང་དམེ་ཡོང་བའི་ངོ་ཡོད་པས་e རིམ་གྲོ་ལ། རྒྱལ་བའི་བཀའ་འགྱུར་སྒྲོགས།f དགེ་འདུན་ལ་བསྙེན་
བཀུར་འཇིགས་བྱེད་དང་གསང་འདུས་སོགས་ཀྱི་ཆོ་ག མགོན་པོ། དྲུག་ཅུ་མ་དང་གདུགས་དཀར་
111 སོགས་ཀྱི་བཟློག་བསྒྱུར་རིགས་དང་། ལས་བཞིའི་སྦྱིན་སྲེག སྤོང་དགg སྤྲང་སྟོན་སོགས་རིམ་གྲོ་ལ་
འབད་པ་གལ་ཆེ།
(a) ཁྱིམ་ཕྱྭ་ནི། ནང་མི་མཐུན་ཞིང་ལེ་ལན་བརྡལ་བས་h དུས་འདའ་བར་མཆིས་ལ་བག་ཉེན་ཆེ། གློ་
བུར་སྐྲག་སྔགས་དང་ན་ཚའི་གཞི་ཆེ། ནོར་རྫས་སོགས་ཀྱི་བང་མཛོད་ཞིག་པས་i སྔོན་བསྟེན་སྲུང་

མའི་བསྐང་གསོལ། རྟེན་ལ་རབ་གནས་བྱ། བུམ་གཏེར་མཛོད་དུ་སྦས། རྣམ་སྲས་ཕུན་ཚོགས་འདོད་
112 འཇོ་དང་། ཞི་བ་བདེ་བྱེད་གཡང་སྐྱབས། རྣམ་སྲས་བསྐང་བཤགས། ནོར་ལྷ་གསེར་འོད། གཡང་
འགུགས་སྒྲོལ་ཤེར་བཅས་བསྒྲུབ་བོ།
aC 71: ngam. b B 109: om. whole verse. c B 109: nam phugs yul gzhan la ’pho’phyug ’byung ngo
che. d B 109: shi chad kyis stong pa gang rung; C 72: gang rigs. eB 109: ’khon ’dzin dang nad
ngo shar bas. f B 109, C 72: rgyal ba’i bka’ sgrog[s]. g B 110: spong thabs. hC 73, B 110: om.
la bag nyen che. i The whole section up to this point is substantially different in B 110 and C 73
(which is partly illegible). B 110: nang mi mi mthun zhing nor god dang blo bur bred sngags sogs
gegs tshubs kyi ngo shar bas.

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(12) When twelve pips show on the dice

Generally, the prognosis is very bad. The outlook concerning religion, or basic
The monkey falls from the top of the tree, or

the old trunk breaks or topples over.
Bad signs are visible, or85 there is the danger of their arising.
You are going to exceed the time of your promise,86 or, the gods are
unhappy.
In the future, there is a great danger that an unwanted transference to another

place87 occurs or any [painful] emptiness through deaths [in the family, and
so forth].88 In the short term, there is a danger that because the gods are dis-
pleased, there will be enmity and fratricide (nang dme).
Ritual remedies:
Reading out loud the Kanjur of the Buddha, respectful service to the ordained
community, Bhairava and Guhyasamāja rituals, any kind of Repelling such as
of Mahakala Repelling Practice, Repelling with the Sixty Tor-
mas, and White Parasol Repelling, Burnt Offering of the Four
Activities, complete abandoning,89 giving beggars a feast, and so forth. Mak-
ing efforts in the ritual practices is important!
(a) Household: There will be discord in the home and blaming of others,90 and
thus there will be a great danger that you feel that you are wasting your time.
There will be sudden panic and diseases will be chronic. The store of one’s pos-
sessions, and so forth, will perish.91
Ritual remedies:
Appeasement and supplications of the guardians who were served [by the fore-
fathers] earlier, Consecration of a most sacred object, concealment of a trea-
85 Following C 71.
86 Read: khas len chags.
87 An “unwanted transference” such as being forced to flee from one’s home region. Follow-
ing B 109, reading ’phyug (lit. “wrong, mistaken”) as “unwanted.”
88 Following B 109.
89 See above, ftn. 55.
90 Khenchen Nyima suggested here to read le lan zla.
91 The whole section up to this point is substantially different in B 110 and C 73.

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138 chapter 3
(b1) ཁང་ས་ཡུལ་ས་འཛིན་པ་ཨེ་འཕྲོད་ཅེ་ན། ཁང་ས་འཕྲོད་a ངོ་ཆེ་ཕུགས་ཤིས་པ་རང་མི་ཡོང་།
(b2) འཚེར་ས་ཨེ་འཕྲོད་ཅེ་ན། གེགས་འཚུབ་ཅུང་ཞིག་ཡོད་ཀྱང་། ཆ་གསུམ་བཏང་ན་བསྡད་ཀྱང་མི་
སྐྱོན།
113 (c) གྲོགས་ཕྱྭ་ནི། འཕྲལ་དུ་ངན་ཡང་ཕུགས་སྐྱོན་མེད་ཙམ།
(d) ནོར་ཕྱྭ་ནི། སྙིང་ནོར་ཕྱིར་འཆོར་བའི་ངོ་། བོར་སྟོར་དང་ཕྱུགས་ལ་གོད་ཁ་འབྱུང་ངོ་། རྣམ་སྲས་
བསྐང་བ། ནོར་རྒྱུན་མའི་གཟུངས། ནོར་བུ་བཟང་པོའི་གཟུངས་ཁྲི་ཚར། ཛཾ་ལྷའི་ནོར་སྒྲུབ་གཡང་

འགུགས་བཅས་བསྒྲུབ་བོ།
(e) དོན་ཕྱྭ་ནི། འཇའ་ཚོན་གྱི་རྗེས་སྙེགས་པ་དང་འདྲ་སྟེ། ཡིད་ལ་བརྣགས་པ་b དོན་མེད་ངལ་བའི་

114 རྒྱུར་ཟད་དོ། དོན་ཆུང་ངུ་འགྲུབ་ངེས་རིགས་ཡིན་ཀྱང་ཕྱི་དལ་ཆེའོ།
(f) ཁ་མཆུ་རྒྱལ་ཕམ་ཇི་ལྟར་འབྱུང་ཞེ་ན། བསྙན་ཕར་འཛུག་གི་རིགས་འབྲིང་ཙམ།c དེ་མིན་མ་ཉེས་
ཁ་ཡོག མི་ཁ་གླེང་གཞི་ཇེ་འཕེལ་དུ་འགྲོ་བའི་ངོ་། བརྒྱད་སྟོང་། གཟུངས་བསྡུས། ཁ་མཆུ་ཞི་མདོ།

གདུགས་དཀར་བཟློག་པ་བཅས་གང་མང་བསྒྲུབ་བོ།
aC 74, B 110: ’phral du phrod. b B 110: yid la re ba. c C 75: bsnyon phar ’jug rigs ’breng tsam; B 110:
don dngos ’bring.

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sure vase in the storeroom, “Wish-Granting Cow of Abundance” (phun tshogs

’dod ’jo) of Vaiśravaṇa, Zhi ba bde byed g.yang skyabs (unidentified), appease-
ment and confession of Vaiśravaṇa, God of Wealth “Golden Light”, Sum-
moning Prosperity with Tārā and Prajñapāramitā.
(b1) Building ground and inhabitable land: There is a good chance of an

appropriate building ground, [but] in the long run it does not seem to be quite
so auspicious.
(b2) Pasture: There will be small obstacles and some trouble. However, if you
offer the Triple [Torma], there will not be a problem even if you remain
there.
(c) Fortune: Even though it is bad in the short term, in the long term there will
not be a fault.
(d) Wealth: There is a danger that cherished wealth will get lost to others. Loss
[of possessions] and misfortune for the livestock may occur.
Ritual remedies:
Appeasement of Vaishravana, Wealth Continuum Dharani, Dha-
rani of the Good Jewel (ten thousand times), wealth accomplishment of
Jambhala, Summoning Prosperity.
(e) Undertaking: It is like chasing a rainbow. What you hold in mind is mean-
ingless and only a cause of fatigue. Even though it is certain that less important
undertakings will be accomplished, there will be a considerable delay.
(f) Victory or defeat in court cases: [If you are] the accusant, [your chances]
will be merely medium.92 If not, there will be a danger that unfound accusa-
tions (ma nyes kha yog), bad talk, and disputes will spread wide.
Ritual remedies:
Eight Thousand Lines Prajnaparamita, Collection of Dharanis,
Sutra of Pacifying Black Disputes, White Parasol Repelling (as
much as possible).
92 The formulation indicates the status of accusant and a pointing to the fault of others.

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140 chapter 3
115 (g) ནད་ཕྱྭ་ནི། སྤྱིར་ནད་ལས་ཐར་དཀའ་བའམ། ཡང་ན་རེ་ཞིག་དྲག་དཀའ་བའི་ངོ་།a ཁྱད་པར་བྱ་
སྤྲེལ་གཉིས་ལ་ངན། དམར་རིགས་ཀྱི་ཟས་ཟོས་རྐྱེན་གྱིས་b གྲིབ་ངོ་དང་། ཟས་དུག་གི་རིགས་c དང་

མགོ་དང་རོ་སྟོད་ན་བ་དང་ཁ་ལུད་ཁྲག་འབྱུང་བའམ།d སྙིང་རླུང་e རིགས་འབྱུང་ངོ་ཡིན་པས་ཡུལ་
ལྷ་དང་། སྲུང་མའི་བསྐང་གསོལ་བཤགས་པ། དམ་ཚིག་རྡོ་རྗེའི་བཟླས་པ་བྱ། བྱབ་ཁྲུས་དང་རྣམ་
116 འཇོམས། ནད་པ་སྤོ་ཆོག་དང་དབང་ཞུ། ཞི་བའི་སྦྱིན་སྲེག སྒྲོལ་མའི་གཡུལ་མདོས། རྒྱལ་མདོས།
གླུད་རྫོང་གང་མང་། སྡོང་རྒྱན། མཆུ་སྡེ་ལྔ། ཀླུ་གཏོར། མཚོ་སྨན་གུར་མདོས། ཆ་གསུམ། གཏོར་མ་
བཅས་རིམ་གྲོ་ལ་ཧུར་ཐག་གིས་སྒྲུབ་པ་གལ་ཆེ།
(h) སྲོག་ཕྱྭ་ནི། ནད་པ་ཡིན་ན་ཤིན་ཏུ་ངན།f དེའང་རིམ་གྲོ་སྟོབས་ཆེན་གྱིས་བཟློག་ཙམ། འབུམ་

117 རྒྱས་འབྲིང་བསྡུས་གསུམ། ཚེ་གཟུངས་འབུམ་ཐེར། ཚེ་དབང་བརྒྱ་རྩ། ཚེ་སྒྲུབ། ཚེ་ཐར། འཆི་བསླུ།
ལུས་བསྒྱུར་མིང་རྗེ། སྙིང་ནོར་ལུས་ཆས་སྤོང་དག་བགྱི།g
(i) གདོན་ཕྱྭ་ནི། རྒྱལ་པོས་གདོན། མོ་འདྲེ་དམ་སྲི་སོགས་ཀྱིས་གནོད། དེ་ཡང་བུད་མེད་ཉེ་འབྲེལ་
ཕྱོགས་ནས་འབྲང་བས་གནོད།h ཁྱད་པར་སྲུང་མའི་དུས་གཏོར་ཆགས་པའམ། ཉམས་གྲིབ་

118 ཕོག་པའི་འཁྲུ་ལྡོག་ལ་བརྟེན་ལྷ་མ་དགའ་བས། ན་ཚ་སོགས་འབྱུང་བའི་ངོ་། ཉི་ཁྲི། བརྒྱད་སྟོང་།
གསེར་འོད། གདུགས་དཀར་གཏོར་བཟློག བརྒྱ་བཞི། སྒྲོལ་མའི་གཡུལ་མདོས། ལྷ་སྲུང་གི་བསྐང་
བཤགས་སོགས་བསྒྲུབ་བོ།
aB 110: … dka’ zhing phran bu’i drag skyed kyang re zhig ’byung dka’ ba’i ngo. bC 76: dang reg
pa’i rkyen gyis grib … (“and touching”); B 111: dang reg pa’i rkyen byas/. cB 111: nad la zas dug/
grib rigs/ snying rlung sogs rlung nad/. d B 111: kha lus nas khrag ’byung (“blood appearing from
mouth and body”). C 76: kha lung(?) nas khrag ’byung. eC 76 adds: ngam rlung nad. fB 111,
C 77: nyen [che]. g C 77: snying nor ram lus chas spong dag bgyi, B 111: om. hB 111: … phyogs
nas ’brang ba’i rgyal po dang mo ’dre dam sri gang rung gis gnod.

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(g) Disease: In general, it will be difficult to get rid of a disease. Alternatively, for
the time being, there will be the danger of a difficult recovery. It will be partic-
ularly bad for those born in bird and monkey years. There will be the danger of
defilement through eating the food of the red kind,93 poisoning through [bad]
food, sickness in the head and the upper back, blood appearing in the spittle,
and depression.
Ritual remedies:
Appeasement, supplication, and confession to the yül-la and the guardians,
Samayavajra Recitation, Vidarana Ablution, Vaiśravaṇa, moving the
sick,94 requesting an empowerment, Burnt Offering of Pacification,
Battle Thread Cross of Tara, a thread cross of gyalpo, Ransom (as much
as possible), Dharani of the Trunk Ornament, Five Lips, Lu Torma,
Thread Cross Tent for Tsho men, Tripple Torma. It is important that
you perform the ritual services energetically!
(h) Life force: If [this divination is for a] sick person, it is very bad. It can be
mostly repelled through powerful ritual service.
Ritual remedies:
Hundred-Thousand, Medium, and Abbreviated Prajnaparamita,
Life Dharani (one hundred thousand), one hundred life empowerments,
Life Accomplishment, Releasing Life, Cheating Death, changing the
name and transforming the appearance (lit. body), complete abandoning of
significant wealth or clothing.95
(i) Evil spirits: There will be negative influences from gyalpo and harm from
modré and damsi. Moreover, there will be harm from [demons and spirits]
coming along with female relatives. In particular, since the gods are displeased
due to the exceeding [of the time limit] of the regular, timely torma offerings
of the guardians, or due to being angered since they are affected by tainted
pledges, there is a danger that diseases, and so forth, will arise.
93 Meat, bones, fat, blood, and so forth (sha rus tshil khrag sogs dmar rigs).
94 Tib. nad pa spo chog, a ritual in the context of moving sick people from one place to
another (Khenchen Nyima Gyaltsen).
95 Following C 77.

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142 chapter 3
(j1) སྨན་པ་ཨེ་འཕྲོད་ཅེ་ན། སྨན་ཟོས་དུག་ཏུ་འགྱུར་ཉེན་ཆེ་སྐད་དོ།
(j2) སྨན་དཔྱད་ཨེ་འཕྲོད་ཅེ་ན། ཕན་ངོ་འཕྲལ་དུ་མི་ཆེ་ཡང་། ནན་གྱིས་བསྟེན་ན་འཕྲོད་ངོ་ཙམ།
119 (k) སྲིད་ཕྱྭ་ནི། སྲིག་ཀྱི་མཚོ་མོ་སྐམ་ཞིང་སྲིད་རྐུན་ཕུགས་སུ་ཞུགས་པས་ངན།a
(l) དགྲ་ཕྱྭ་ནི། བློ་གཏད་སྙིང་ཕུགས་འོས་མེད་ནས་དགྲ་སྡང་བའི་ངོ་།b དགྲ་གྲུབ་དགྲ་སྲི་མནན་
གཏད། རྒྱལ་མཚན་རྩེ་མོའི་དཔུང་རྒྱན། ལྷ་སྲུང་ལ་གསོལ་མཆོད་འཕྲིན་བཅོལ། དགྲ་ལྷའི་དཔང་

བསྟོད་བསྒྲུབ་ན་ལེགས།
(m) མགྲོན་པོ་ཨེ་ཡོང་ཞེ་ན། སེམས་འགྱོད་བཅས་མྱུར་དུ་སླེབ་པའམ། ཡང་ནེ་རེ་ཞིག་ཕྱི་དལ་ཆེ།
120 (n) ཚོང་ཕྱྭ་ནི། ཤ་དམར་རིགས་c ཡིན་ན་མྱུར་དུ་ཚོང་བྱས་ན་བཟང་། དེ་མིན་ཁེ་སྤོགས་ཁ་སོ་ཆེ་ཡང་

d ཆུའི་སྦུ་བ་དང་འདྲ་སྐད་དོ།
(o) ལམ་ཕྱྭ་ནི། དགྲ་ངོ་དང་རྐུན་ངོ་། རྟ་འཆི་སྒ་ཆག་པས་རེ་ཞིག་འཐེན་པ་བཟང་།
aC 78 adds: bu mo gtogs bu mi ’byung. b B 111: blo gtad pas snying rku zhing ’os med pa nas dgra
ldang ba’i ngo; C 79: blo gtod pas snying phugs ’os med nas snying rku ba’i dgra ldang ba’i ngo.
cC 79: sha mar rigs. d B 112: khe yong rgyu’i khe pho che yang.

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Ritual remedies:
Pancavimsatisahasrika Prajnaparamita Sutra, Eight Thousand
Lines Prajnaparamita, Golden Light, White Parasol Repelling,
Four Hundred Offerings, Battle Thread Cross of Tara, appease-
ment and confession to gods and guardians.
(j1) Doctor: There is a great danger that [his] medicine will turn into poison.
(j2) Medicine and medical treatment: The chance that it is in the short term
beneficial is not great. If you continue [with that medicine or treatment] with
effort, there will be a chance that it is appropriate.
(k) Offspring: Since the lake of offspring has dried up and the thief of offspring
will finally arrive, it will be bad.
(l) Enemies: There is the danger of enmity from an unexpected side, i.e., from
trusted friends.
Ritual remedies:
Ritual for [Suppressing] Enemies, Suppressing Drasi, Ornament
of the Peak of the Victorious Banner, supplication, offering, and invo-
cation of gods and guardians, Glorification of the Drala—if these are
accomplished, it will be well.
(m) Travelers: It looks like they will arrive quickly with deep remorse, or, for
the time being, there will be a considerable delay.
(n) Trade: If it is of the “raw meat” kind,96 it will be good to conclude the trade
quickly. If it is not [raw meat], the profit will be good, but it may be just like a
bubble in the water.
(o) Travel: There is the danger of enemies and robbers. Since [there is the dan-
ger of] the death of horses and saddle breaking,97 it will be good to postpone it
for the time being.
96 One edition of P is corrected to sha dmar rigs, as I have translated here and as Khenchen
Nyima read it initially. But “meat and butter” is also possible as in C 79.
97 “Death of horses [and] saddle breaking” is a metaphor for bad luck on the road (Khenchen
Nyima).

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144 chapter 3
(p) བོར་སྟོར་ཨེ་རྙེད་ཅེ་ན། ནང་མིས་བརྐུས་པའམ་ཐག་མི་རིང་བ་ཞིག་གིས་བརྐུས། ཐབས་ཀྱིས་
འགུག་ན་a རྙེད་ངོ་ཙམ།b དེ་མིན་རྙེད་དཀའ་བ་ཤར། སླར་བོར་སྟོར་གྱི་ངོ་ཆེ་བས་གཟབ།
121 ༼13༽ ཤོ་མིག་བཅུ་གསུམ་ལ་བབ་ན། ལར་མོ་འདི་བཟང་། བསྟན་པའི་ཆོས་ཕྱྭ་འམ་གཞི་མོ་ནི།

དཔལ་ལྡན་ལྷ་མོའི་ལྟ་བ་ལ། ལྷ་རྣམས་ཀུན་གྱིས་རྫོང་བཅས་ཏེ། ལྷ་མིན་རྣམས་ཀྱི་གཡུལ་ངོ་ཕམ།
ལྷ་རྣམས་རྒྱལ་ཚེ་མོ་འདི་བབ། ཅེས་c སྤྱིར་d བཟང་ཁྱད་པར་བླ་ཆེན་རྒྱལ་པོ་སོགས་ཀྱི་བསྟན་སྲིད་
122 བཅས་ལ་འཕྲུལ་ཕུགས་བཟང་བའི་ངོ་།e ཕལ་པ་ཤིན་ཏུ་དམན་པའི་མོ་ལ་ཁྱོགས་དཀའ་ཙམ།f
(a) ཁྱིམ་ཕྱྭ་ནི། ཚེ་རིང་བདེ་སྐྱིད་མི་ནོར་ཟས་གསུམ་འཕེལ། འདོད་དགུ་དབང་དུ་འདུ་བས་བཟང་ངོ་།
(b) ཁང་ས་ཡུལ་ས་ཨེ་འཕྲོད་ཅེ་ན། ཁང་སར་བདེ་སྐྱིད་ཉི་མ་ཤར།g མཁོ་དགུའི་གཡང་འགུགས་
བྱིན་ཆངས་པས།h བཀྲ་ཤིས་ལྷུན་གྱིས་འགྲུབ་པས་ཞལ་དྲོ་ཞེས་བཟང་ངོ་། འཚོར་སར་རྟ་ནོར་ར་

ལུག་i འཕེལ་བས་བཟང་།
123 (c) གྲོགས་ཕྱྭ་ནི། རྒྱ་མཚོའི་གཏིང་ནས་ནོར་བུ་ལེན་ཞེས་ཐག་རིང་འོས་མེད་ནས་j གྲོགས་ཆེ་བ་
ཤར་བས་བཟང་།
(d) ནོར་ཕྱྭ་ནི། ས་གཞི་ནོར་དང་མི་ཡིས་གང་། ཐིགས་པ་བསགས་ན་རྒྱ་མཚོར་འགྲོk ཞེས་སྤྱི་ལ་
བཟང་། ཁྱད་པར་འབྲུ་དང་གསེར་དངུལ་འཕེལ་ཆེ།l རྟ་ནོར་སོགས་སྲོག་ཆགས་རིགས་འཕེལ་ཆེ།

འཕེལ་འགྲིབ་ཅུང་ཞིག་འབྱུང་བས་m ལྷ་སྲུང་གསོལ། གཡང་འགུགས་དང་། རྟ་ནོར་གཟུངས་ཐོན།
aB 112, C 80: sgugs [/ bsgug] na. b B 112: phran bu’i don e yong. cB 112: om. whole verse. dB 112:
spyi dang khyad par. e C 81: rgyas pa’i ngo; B 112: rgyal ba’i ngo. fC 81: dman par mo bzang bas
thog dka’ tsam; B 112: ngan par mo ’di bzang ches pas thob dka’ tsam yin. gB 112 adds: bas bag
dro (“thus it is cheerful”). h C 81, B 112: mkho dgu [B: rgu] g.yang ngu khug[s] pas. iC 81, B 112:
rta nor lug gsum. j B 112: ’os med kyi sa nas. k B 112 f.: zas nor ’bru dang rin chen kun// thigs pa
bsags pa’i rgya mtshor ’khyil//. l C 82: om. ’phel che. m B 113: rta nor srog chags kyi rigs la ’phel
bgrib(!) cung zad ’byung bas.

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(p) Lost items: They were either stolen by internal people or stolen by some-
one not far away. There is a probable chance to relocate them if you gather them
with skill. Otherwise, they appear to be difficult to find. Since there is a great
danger that they will get lost again, be careful!
(13) When thirteen pips show on the dice

nosis, [is this]:
In the navel of Palden Lhamo

all the gods have made their castle.
They defeat the asuras in their battle.
When the gods win, this Mo “lands.”
Thus, generally, all will be well. In particular, the chances of good fortune for
spiritual and mundane [leaders like] high lamas and kings are good,98 both in
the short and long term. This prognosis is a bit overwhelming for ordinary peo-
ple who are very low.99
(a) Household: Long life, happiness, people, wealth, and food are increasing.
Since everything desired is under one’s control, all will be well.
(b) Building ground and inhabitable land: On the building ground the happi-
ness [increases like] the rising sun. Since the Summoning of Prosperity of
the general requirements is resplendent, you will spontaneously accomplish
good fortune. Thus it is auspicious, and, hence, all will be well. Since on the
pastures pack animals, goats, and sheep are increasing; all will be well.
(c) Fortune: “The jewel is taken from the depth of the ocean.” Thus, since great
fortune appears from unhomely (’os med) far away [places100], all will be well.
(d) Wealth: “The ground is filled with wealth and people. If you gather the
droplets, it will become an ocean.” Thus, generally, all will be well. In partic-
ular, grains, gold, and silver will increase much. Pack animals, and so forth, and
[all] living creatures will increase much. There will be a bit of fluctuation.
98 Tib. bzang ba’i ngo.

99 Tib. khyogs dka’, lit. “difficult to bear.” Ordinary people do not have enough merit to handle
this good prognosis.
100 B 112 explicitly.

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146 chapter 3
124 (e) དོན་ཕྱྭ་ནི། ཅི་བསམ་མྱུར་དུ་འགྲུབ་པའི་སྡོང་གྲོགས་ལྷས་མཛད་པས་བཟང་།
(f) ཁ་མཆུ་སོགས་རྒྱལ་ཕམ་ཇི་ལྟར་འབྱུང་ཞེ་ན། གཞི་ལྗི་ཞིང་མི་ཁའི་ངོ་ཆེ་ཡང་། སྲུང་མའི་འཕྲིན་
བཅོལ་དང་། བརྒྱ་བཞི་བཅས་བསྒྲུབ་ན་གཏམ་དོན་ངོ་སོ་ཆེ་བ་ཡོང་ངོ་།
(g) ནད་ཕྱྭ་ནི། ལྗོན་ཤིང་རླན་དང་འཕྲད། གཡུའི་ལོ་འདབ་རྒྱས། གསེར་གྱི་མེ་ཏོག་བཀྲ་སྟེ། མྱུར་དུ་

125 ནད་ལས་གྲོལ་ལོ།a ཚད་རིམས་བརྡབ་ཆག་རྨས་འགྲམ་གྱི་ངོ་ཆེ་ཡང་མྱུར་དུ་སེལ་སྐད་དོ།b
(h) སྲོག་ཕྱྭ་ནི། ཚེའི་བུམ་པ་ལ་དཔལ་གྱི་ཉི་ཟླས་མཛེས། སྲོག་བཅུད་དྭངས་མས་གང་ཞེས་ཤིན་ཏུ་
བཟང་ངོ་།
(i) གདོན་ཕྱྭ་ནི། ལྷ་སྲུང་གསར་རྙིང་འཁོན་པའམ། དགོན་རྙིང་གི་ཀ་ཆའི་རྗེས་སུ་འབྲང་བའི་རྒྱལ་
པོ་དང་འགོང་པོ། ཕ་མེས་c འགོ་བའི་བཙན་གྱིས་གནོད། བྱད་ཕུར་ངོ་ཅུང་d ཞིག་ཡོད་པས་ལྷ་སྲུང་

126 གསོལ་མཆོད། བརྒྱད་སྟོང་། གསེར་འོད། གྲྭ་ལྔ། བརྒྱ་བཞི། རྒྱལ་མདོས། བཙན་གསོལ། ཆ་
གསུམ། བྱད་གྲོལ། བཟློག་བསྒྱུར་གྱི་རིགས་ལ་འབད།
aB 113: ljon shing rlan dang ’phrad pa ltar myur du nad las grol bar gda’. bC 83 adds at the begin-
ning: nad la mkhris pa dang … and so forth. B 113: nad la mkhris pa/ chams rims/ rngab(?) chag/
rma ’gram sogs kyang yin. c B 113: pha mes nas. d C 84: che.

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Ritual remedies:
Supplication to the gods and guardians, Summoning Prosperity, pack ani-
mal dhāraṇī (rTa nor gzungs, unidentified).
(e) Undertaking: All will be well because the gods will help to accomplish
whatever you wish for quickly.
(f) Victory or defeat in a dispute: There is great danger of massive trouble and
people’s bad talk.
Ritual remedies:
Invocation of the guardians, Four Hundred Offerings—if you accomplish
that, you will have greater success with your speech.
(g) Disease: The tree is watered, its turquoise leaves and petals spread out, and
the golden flowers are brilliant. One will be quickly relieved from the disease.
There is a great danger of feverish colds, fractures from falling [from a horse,
and so forth], and wounds that spread over the body, but it looks like they will
heal quickly.
(h) Life force: “The glorious sun and moon beautify the life vase. It is filled with
the purified essence of life force,” thus, all will be very well.
(i) Evil spirits: The old and new [guardian gods] resent [each other],101 or,
gyalpo and gongpo spirits tag along with some objects of an old monastery,102
and the tsen, who have shown favor to one’s forefathers, will cause harm.103
There is a small danger of sorcery.
101 Khenchen Nyima explains that this refers to the retinues of the old and new guardians,
not to the guardians (like Achi) themselves.
102 Khenchen Nyima explains that it is not advisable to remove things from an old monastery
and keep them in one’s home. It could be that one already owns such a thing for a long time
(or inherited it from one’s parents), but when the occasion is there, the demons accom-
panying the thing can cause trouble. Such a potential source of harm is pointed out here.
103 Sometimes tsen demons are employed as helpers by offering tormas, smoke, and the
golden oblation (gser khyems) to them.

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148 chapter 3
(j1) སྨན་པ་ཨེ་འཕྲོད་ཅེ་ན། མྱུར་དུ་བསྟེན་ན་ཤིན་ཏུ་འཕྲོད།
(j2) སྨན་དང་དཔྱད་འདི་ཨེ་འཕྲོད་ཅེ་ན། སྨན་པའི་ངག་བཞིན་བྱས་ན་འཕྲལ་ཕུགས་གཉིས་ཀ་

127 བཟང་ངོ་།a རིམ་གྲོ་ལ་ཀླུ་གཏོར་དང་ཆབ་གཏོར་བཏང་ན་བཟང་ངོ་།
(k) སྲིད་ཕྱྭ་ནི། ལྷ་སྲུང་བཟང་པོས་གྲོགས་མཛད་པས། སྲིད་མྱུར་དུ་འབྱུང་སྟེ་བཟང་ངོ་།
(l) དགྲ་ཕྱྭ་ནི། དགྲ་ཚུལ་རྒོལ་མེད་b ཅིང་ལྷ་ངོ་མཐོ་བས་སྡང་བའི་དགྲ་བོ་ཞི། དཔའ་བའི་དར་ཕྱར་c
ཞེས་བཟང་ངོ་།
(m) མགྲོན་པོ་ཨེ་ཡོང་ཞེ་ན། མགྲོན་པོ་གཏམ་སྙན་དང་བཅས་ཏེ་མྱུར་དུ་སླེབ་པས་གདན་འདིང་
གཡོས་སྦྱར་ལ་མྱུར་དུ་བརྩོན་སྐད་དོ།
128 (n) ཚོང་ཕྱྭ་ནི། ཚོང་ཁེ་སྤོགས་འབྱུང་ཞིང་རྒྱལ་ཁ་ཐོབ་d པས་མྱུར་བར་བྱས་པ་བཟང་།
(o) ལམ་ཕྱྭ་ནི། འགྲོ་བདེ་གེགས་མེད་ཅི་བསམ་འགྲུབ་པའི་ངོ་ཆེ་སྟེ་བཟང་ངོ་།
(p) བོར་སྟོར་ཨེ་རྙེད་ཅེ་ན། མྱུར་དུ་ཤར་ལྷོའི་ཕྱོགས་ནས་པའམ། ཡང་ན་བཙལ་མ་དགོས་པར་ལག་
ཏུ་ལོན་ཡང་སྲིད། དེ་མིན་འགྱང་ན་རྙེད་དཀའ།
aC 84: bzang ngo che. b C 85, B 114: tshur rgol gyi dgra. cC 85, B 114: ’phyar. B partly illegible.
dC 85: ’thon.

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Ritual remedies:
Supplications and offerings to the gods and guardians, Eight Thousand
Lines Prajnaparamita, Golden Light, the Five Great Dharanis, Four
Hundred Offerings, a thread cross of gyalpo, Offering to Tsen, Triple
Torma, Release from Sorcery. Engage in any type of repelling.
(j1) Doctor: If you consult him immediately, he will be very appropriate.
(j2) Medicine and medical treatment: If you follow the doctor’s instructions,
all will be well both in the short and long term.
Ritual remedies:
Lu Torma, Water Torma.
(k) Offspring: Since the gods and guardians are friendly and offer assistance,
soon there will be offspring, and thus all will be well.
(l) Enemies: There are no attacking enemies, and since the gods will be in a
good position [to help], they will pacify hateful enemies. “Hoisting the flag104
of courage,” thus, all will be well.
(m) Travelers: It looks like travelers will come quickly and with pleasant news,
thus, “make an effort quickly in arranging the seats and the cooking.”
(n) Trade: Trade will be profitable, and you will be successful. Thus, it is good
to do it quicker.
(o) Travel: The travel is smooth and without obstacles. There is a good chance
that whatever one wishes will be accomplished; thus, all will be well.
(p) Lost items: They will be found quickly in the south-eastern direction. Alter-
natively, it is even possible that they will come back into your hands without the
need to search for them. Otherwise, if it drags out, it will be difficult to regain
them.

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150 chapter 3
129 ༼14༽ ཤོ་མིག་བཅུ་བཞི་ལ་བབ་ན། ལར་མོ་འདི་འདི་འབྲིང་སྨད་ཙམ། བསྟན་པའི་ཆོས་ཕྱྭ་འམ་

གཞི་མོ་ནི། བླ་མ་སློབ་དཔོན་ཞང་པོ་ཀུན། ཉི་ཟླ་a གློ་བུར་གཟའ་ཡིས་ཟིན། སོས་པར་འགྱུར་མེད་མྱ་
ངན་རྒྱུ། མོ་ངན་ཕལ་ཆེར་གཞི་མོ་ལ་བབས་ནས་རྒྱུ་ནོར་ཟས་གསུམ་ཀུན་ཆུ་ཡི་གཉེར་མ་མཐའ་
ནས་འཛད།b ཅེས་རང་གི་བླ་མ་དང་ཞང་པོའི་ཕྱོགས་ལ་ངན་ཞིང་ཡུལ་ལྷ་c མནོལ་བས་བྱ་བ་ལམ་
130 དུ་མི་འགྲོ་ཞིང་། བསགས་པའི་རྒྱུ་ནོར་རིམ་བཞིན་འཛད་པའི་ངོ་། ལྷ་སྲུང་བསྐང་བཤགས། རྟེན་ལ་
མཆོད་འབུལ་དང་ཁྲུས་གསོལ་རབ་གནས་བསྐྱར། ཞི་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་སྦྱིན་བསྲེག་བཅས་བསྒྲུབ་བོ།
(a) ཁྱིམ་ཕྱྭ་ནི། བཟའ་ཚང་འཁོན་འཛིང་d དང་བྱེ་བྲལ་ངོ་ཆེ། བོར་སྟོར་དང་ཕྱུགས་ལ་གོད་ཁའི་ངོ་ཡོད་
ཅིང་ངན་པས་འབུམ་རྒྱས་འབྲིང་བསྡུས་གསུམ་གྲྭ་ཏོག་གསེར་གསུམ། ཕལ་ཆེན། གཟུངས་འདུས།

131 གདུགས་དཀར། སྒྲོལ་མ། ནོར་ལུགས་གཟུངས་བཅས་བསྒྲུབ་བོ།
(b1) ཁང་པའམཡུལ་ས་ཨེ་འཕྲོད་ཅེ་ན། ཁང་ས་ཁ་རྗེ་ཆེ་བར་མི་འགྱུར་ཡང་།e ཧ་ཅང་མི་ངན་པས་
བཏང་སྙོམས་ཞོག
(b2) འཚེར་སར་བོར་སྟོར་དང་གོད་ཁ་ཕྲན་ཚེགས་ངོ་ཙམ་ལས་གེགས་འཚུབ་ཆེ་བ་མེད།
aC 86, B 114: om. zla. b P 129 chu’i gnyer ma mtha’ nas ’dzad. These are actually verses, which is
not visible in P. c C 86, B 114: phugs lha. d B 114: mi mthun. eB 115: khang pa bsod nams ’phel
rgyas che ba rang mi ’byung.

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(14) When fourteen pips show on the dice

Generally, the prognosis is merely below average. The outlook concerning reli-
gion, or basic prognosis, [is this]:
All of the lama, master, and uncle [and so forth]

are [like] sun and moon captured (zin) by suddenly [appearing] planets.
They do not recover from that, which is the cause of distress.
Having received this prognosis that is chiefly bad for the basic progno-
sis,
all of the property, wealth, and food will be consumed until the last bit.
Thus, it will be bad for one’s lama and uncle, and the yül-la105 will be contam-
inated. Therefore, there is a danger that you will have no success and you will
gradually consume your acquired wealth.
Ritual remedies:
Appeasement and confession to gods and guardians, offerings, ablutions, and
Consecration of sacred objects, Burnt Offerings of Pacification
and Increase.
(a) Household: There is a great danger that couples will quarrel and separate.
There is the danger of losing things and livestock, and thus it is bad.
Ritual remedies:
paramita, Abbreviated Prajnaparamita, Dra Tog Ser Sum, Avatam-
saka, Collection of Dharanis, White Parasol Dharani, Tārā [man-
tras], yak and sheep dharani.106
(b1) House(!) and inhabitable ground: The building ground will not increase
your happiness, but it will be mostly not so bad; thus, remain unconcerned.
(b2) Pasture: Apart from some danger of a trifling loss of property and live-
stock, there will not be any great obstacles and problems.
105 Tib. yul lha.

106 Nor lug gzungs, unidentified.

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152 chapter 3
(c) གྲོགས་ཕྱྭ་ནི། གྲོགས་ཁ་ལ་ཡོད་ཀྱང་ལྕེས་ཕུལ་ལྟར་གྲོགས་ངོ་མེད་པ་མིན་a ཀྱང་། རེ་ཞིག་
ལག་ཏུ་ཁེལ་དཀའཙམ་ཡིན།
132 (d) ནོར་ཕྱྭ་ནི། གང་སྟོང་རེས་མོས་འབྱུང་བའི་ངོ་།b ཕྱི་ཡུལ་མཁར་ལ་c ཧ་ཅང་མི་ངན་ཡང་། ནང་
ཟས་ནོར་གྱི་གཡང་d ཉམས་པས་བརྒྱད་སྟོང་། གཟུངས་འདུས། ཛཾ་བྷ་ལྷ་དཀར་པོའི་སྒོ་ནས་བུམ་

གཏེར་སྦས། ཛཾ་ལྷའི་ནོར་སྒྲུབ། རྣམ་སྲས་བསྐང་བ། གཡང་སྐྱབས། ནོར་ཕྱུགས་བསྲུང་ཞིང་སྤེལ་བའི་
133 གཟུངས། ལན་ཆགས་གཏོར་མ། མི་ལ་བཀལ་ཡས་བཅས་རིམ་གྲོ་དེ་རྣམས་གྲངས་མང་བསྒྲུབ།
(e) དོན་ཕྱྭ་ནི། དོན་ཆུང་རིགས་ཕྱོགས་ཙམ་འགྲུབ་ངོ་ཡོད་ཀྱང་། དོན་ཆེན་རིགས་གཞན་གྱི་ཕྲ་མ་
བཅུག་རྐྱེན་གྱིས་ལམ་དུ་འགྲོ་མི་སྟེར་བས་རེ་ཞིག་འཐེན་ནས་ཕྱིས་རིང་བསྲིང་ན་བཟང་ངོ་།
(f) ཁ་མཆུ་ཕམ་རྒྱལ་ཇི་ལྟར་འབྱུང་ཞེ་ན། ཕུགས་གླེང་ཆེ་བས་e མཐའ་གཙང་f དཀའ་ཡང་རྒྱལ་ཁ་
ལོན་པའི་ངོ་ཙམ་ཡོད།
134 (g) ནད་ཕྱྭ་ནི། ནད་ངོ་ཆེ་ཞིང་ཡུན་རིང་བསྟེན་དགོས་པའི་ངོ་།g ཁྱད་པར་གདོན་ནད་གཙོ་ཆེ་སྟེ། ཁྲག་
དང་སྨུག་པོ་གླང་ཐབ་གཟེར་ཐུང་གི་ངོ་ཆེ། ཚེ་དབང་བརྒྱ་རྩ། བརྒྱ་བཞི། ཤེར་སྙིང་བདུད་ཟློག ཆ་

གསུམ་བཅས་བསྒྲུབ་བོ།
aB 115, C 88: drogs kha la yod pa’i lce yis ’phul/ zhes drog ngo med pa min kyang. bB 115: om. whole
phrase. c C 88: phyi yul mkhar gyi sar; B 115: phyi yi yul mkhar. dC 99, B 115: nang zas nor gyi
sar. e C 89: phugs sleb che bas; B 115: phugs char slebs mi che. fB 115: mtha’ gcod. gC 90:
sman pa yun ring bstan dgos pa’i ngo; B 115: sman sogs bsten dgos pa’i ngo.

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(c) Fortune: Like just having something good in the mouth, but pushing it away
with the tongue—it is not so that there is no chance of fortune, but for the time
being it is merely difficult to make it happen.
(d) Wealth: There is a danger that decrease and increase will alternate. For out-
side of the house objects, it will be mostly not so bad, but the “inner fortune”
of food and possessions will deteriorate.
Ritual remedies:
Eight Thousand Lines Prajnaparamita, Collection of Dharanis,
hiding the treasure vase of the White Jambhala, wealth accomplishment of
Jambhala, Appeasement of Vaishravana, Wealth Protection, Dha-
rani of the Protection and Increase of Wealth and Livestock,
Torma of Retribution, Mi la bkal yas (unidentified). Practice these ritual
services as many times as possible.
(e) Undertaking: There is a chance that you will partly accomplish minor
undertakings, but you will not get the chance to work out major undertakings
well due to the slanderous interference by other people. Therefore, for the time
being, if you hold it back and postpone it to a later time, all will be well.
(f) Victory or defeat in court cases: Since the trouble is very complex,107 it is
difficult to solve it finally, but there will be some chance to gain victory.
(g) Disease: There is a great danger of illness, and there is the danger of having
to consult [a doctor/medicine, and so forth] for a long time. In particular, dis-
eases of demonic influences will be the chief [diseases]. There is a great danger
of [problems with] blood [pressure,] phlegm disease “dark [face],” and colics
with sudden sharp pains.108
Ritual remedies:
Requesting one hundred life empowerments, Four Hundred Offerings,
Heart Sutra Repelling Practice, Triple Torma.
107 Read phugs gling. This form of trouble is complex in that it involves many people and has
many future entanglements, as when one finds out that something that was apparently
stolen was actually sold to the supposed thief through a series of people at the beginning
of which is one’s own mother (whom one cannot sue; example by Khenchen Nyima).
108 All of these are phlegm diseases (Khenchen Nyima).

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154 chapter 3
(h) སྲོག་ཕྱྭ་ནི། འབྲིང་ཙམ་ཚེ་བསྲིང་བའི་ཐབས་གལ་ཆེ། ཚེ་སྒྲུབ་དང་ཚེ་དབང་ཞུ།
135 (i) གདོན་ཕྱྭ་ནི། ཉི་མ་ལྷོ་ཕྱོགས་ནས་རྒྱལ་པོ་འདྲེ་མོ་གསོལ་མཆོད་བྱས་པའམ་བྱེད་པའི་མི་ཞིག་
གི་རྗེས་སུ་འབྲང་བ་ལ་འཁྲིལ་ནས་འོང་བས་གནོད།a གཞན་ཡང་ལྷ་མོ་ལ་གྲིབ་ཕོག་b ཅིང་ལྷ་

སྲུང་བཙན་པོ་མནོལ་བས་དེའི་བཤགས་པ་ཡིག་བརྒྱ་གང་མང་། དམ་ཚིག་རྡོ་རྗེའི་བཟླས་པ། ཁྲུས་
གསོལ་ལྷ་བསངས་བྱ། རྒྱལ་མདོས་དང་རྒྱལ་གསོལ། རྟ་མགྲིན་དང་ཕྱག་རྡོར་གྱི་དབང་ཞུ། སྤར་
ཁའི་བཅོས་ཁ་གྱིས།c
136 (j1) སྨན་པ་ཨེ་འཕྲོད་ཅེ་ན། རེ་ཞིག་ཕན་ངོ་ཆུང་བས་སྤོས་ན་བཟང་ངོ་།
(j2) སྨན་དཔྱད་ཨེ་འཕྲོད་ཅེ་ན། སྨན་དང་གཏར་བསྲེགས་ཀྱི་རིགས་འབྲིང་ཙམ། དཔྱད་གཏོང་བ་
བཤོལ་ན་ལེགས།d
(k) སྲིད་ཕྱྭ་ནི། སྲིད་ཕུགས་མ་ཉམས་e ཀྱང་བགེགས་དབང་གིས་འབྱུང་དཀའ་བས་ལྷ་སྲུང་གསོལ།
རྟེན་འགངས་ཆེན་ལ་མཆོད་འབུལ་ཕྱག་སྐོར། རྟེན་ཁྲུས། སྦྱིན་བདག་མོ་ལ་ཁྲུས་བྱ་རྟེན་ལ་གསོལ་

137 བ་སྙིང་ནས་ཐོབ། སྲིད་འཕེལ་གྱི་རིགས་དང་སོར་འབྲང་གི་སྲུང་འཁོར་ཐོགས། སྒྲོལ་མ་འབུམ་ཐེར་
རམ་གང་མང་ཐོན། དོན་ཡོད་ཞགས་པའི་སྙིང་པོའི་གཟུངས་གང་མང་། གདུགས་དཀར་སྟོང་ཚར་
aB 116: nyi ma lho phyogs kyi rgyal po dang ’dre mor gsol mchod dgos pa ma byas pa’am/ gsol mchod
byed mkhan gi mi zhig gi rjes su ’brangs nas gnod/. b C 91, B 116: dam nyams pa’i grib. cB 116:
spar kha’i lto bcos bcas gyis. d C 92: spyod gtong ba bshol ba; B 116: spyod kyi rigs bshol na. eC 92:
ma skam (“not dried out”).

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(h) Life force: [The prognosis] is merely mediocre. Means of prolonging life
will be important.
Ritual remedies:
Life Accomplishment, requesting long life empowerment.
(u) Evil spirits: Harmful influences will accompany you and attach themselves
to [those of] you who have made offerings and supplications to gyalpo and
dremo [spirits] of the southern direction, or to [another] person who has made
[such offerings and supplications]. Moreover, the goddesses have been struck
with the contamination (grib) [due to oath damaged109], and gods, guardians,
and tsen po have been stained.110
Ritual remedies:
Make as many confessions of that [damaging and staining] as possible through
the 100 syllable mantra, Samayavajra Recitation, offer ablutions and make
a Smoke Offering to the gods, a thread cross of gyalpo, Offering to
Gyalpo, requesting the empowerment of Hayagrīva and Vajrapaṇī, ritual of
averting the danger of the eight trigrams.111
(j1) Doctor: Since there is, for the time being, only a small chance that he will
be of benefit, it will be good if you shift [to another doctor].
(j2) Medicine and medical treatment: Medicine, bloodletting, and moxibus-

tion will be mostly of medium [benefit]. If you postpone medical treatment,
you will be well.
(k) Offspring: The family line has not come to an end, but it will be difficult to
conceive due to obstructors.
Ritual remedies:
Supplications to gods and guardians, offerings, prostrations, and circumambu-
lations to a most sacred object, ablution of a most sacred object, ablution of
109 According to C 91 and B 116.

110 Khenchen Nyima explains that, for instance, if one throws meat and bones into a lake, the
lu will be contaminated (grib phogs).
111 Following B 116; a lto bcos is a method of removing negative conditions like sickness
through ritual practice. spar kha is the Tibetan word for the Chinese trigrams (Ch. bagua;
see Littlejohn, 2001: 8–9). P 135, C 91: spar kha’i bcos kha [/ ka] [b]gyis.

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156 chapter 3
(l) དགྲ་ཕྱྭ་ནི། སྐྲག་སྔགས་དང་འུར་ཟིང་མྱུར་དུ་འབྱུང་ངོ་ཡོད་པས་དགྲ་ལྷའི་དཔང་བསྟོད། རླུང་

138 བསྐྱེད་ཅོད་པཎ་འཛུག ལྷ་སྲུང་ལ་འཕྲིན་ལས་བཅོལ། དྲུག་ཅུའི་གཏོར་བཟློག སེང་གདོང་མའི་གཏོར་
རྒྱག བཟློག་པའི་རིགས་ལ་བརྩོན་པ་གལ་ཆེ།
(m) མགྲོན་པོ་ཨེ་ཡོང་ཞེ་ན། མགྲོན་པོ་གཞི་གླེང་ཞིང་ཕྱི་དལ་གྱི་ངོ་ཆེ།
(n) ཚོང་ཕྱྭ་ནི། གསེར་དང་བོང་བ་བརྗེ། འབྲུ་ཡིས་ཕུར་མ་ཉོ་སྟེ་ངན།a
(o) ལམ་ཕྱྭ་ནི། རྐུན་མའམ་གཅན་གཟན་ནམ། ཁ་བའམ་ཆུ་སོགས་ཀྱིས་ལམ་བཅད་པའམ། ཡང་

139 ན་གྱོད་དང་གླེང་བརྗོད་b ཀྱིས་འགོར་གཞི་ལྕི་ཞིང་། ངལ་དུབ་ཆེ་བར་མཆིས་སོ།
(p) བོར་སྟོར་ཨེ་རྙེད་ཅེ་ན། རྟ་ནོར་སོགས་བོར་བ་ཡིན་ན། ནུབ་བྱང་c ཕྱོགས་ནས་བཙལ་ན་རྙེད་ངོ་ཆེ།
དེ་མིན་རེ་ཞིག་རྩད་ཆོད་པའི་ངོ་མེད་ཅིང་། སླར་གླེང་གཞི་བཅས་མཐའ་ནས་དོན་ཡང་སྲིད་དོ།
aC 93: ’bru’i sbun ma. b C 93, B 117: gzhan dang gleng brjod. cC 93, B 117: nub dang byang.

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a woman,112 heartfelt prayers to a most sacred object, and so forth, wearing

protective amulets that ensure the increase of the family line, Mahapratis-
ara Dharani, one hundred thousand Tārā [mantras] (or as much as possible),
Essence of the Amogha Lasso Dharani (as much as possible), White
Parasol Dharani (1,000 times).
(l) Enemies: There is a danger that panic and uproar will quickly arise.
Ritual remedies:
Glorification of the Drala,113 making a Wind-Generating Chevron,
invocation of gods and guardians, Repelling with the Sixty Tormas,
Lion Face Dakini’s Repelling. Engaging in the repelling type of practice
is important.
(m) Travelers: There is a great danger that travelers will run into significant
trouble and become delayed.
(n) Trade: [The trade] is bad because [it is like] exchanging gold for lumps of
dirt or buying the husk of grain.114
(o) Travel: The path will be blocked by thieves, predatory beasts, snow, water,
and so forth, or there will be a severe delay due to legal cases and disputes with
others, and there is a prognosis of greater fatigue.
(p) Lost items: If you have lost pack animals and if you search in the north-
western direction, there will be a great chance of recovering them. If not, then,
for the time being, there will be no significant chance of an investigation. Later
on, along with disputes, it will be possible that it finally reemerges.
112 Tib. sbyin bdag mo la khrus [gsol byed pa], a ritual for women who cannot get pregnant
(Khenchen Nyima).
113 Here misspelled dgra lha.
114 These are metaphors for bad business. “Husk” is confirmed by C 93.

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158 chapter 3
༼15༽ ཤོ་མིག་བཅོ་ལྔ་ལ་བབ་ན། ལར་མོ་འདི་བཟང་བར་མཆིས། བསྟན་པའི་ཆོས་ཕྱྭ་འམ་གཞི་

140 མོ་ནི། ཡིད་བཞིན་ནོར་བུས་a དགོས་འདོད་ཀྱི་ཆར་པ་འབེབས་ཤིང་བསམ་དོན་འགྲུབ། ལྷག་པར་b
ཞི་བའི་ལས་བཅོལ་ཀུན།c ཤིན་ཏུ་བཟང་ཞིང་འགྲོའམ་སྡོད། གཞི་མོ་ནད་མོ་གང་ལ་ཡང་།d རང་ལོ་
གང་ཡིན་ཐམས་ཅད་དང་།e དེའི་རིགས་མཐུན་ཀུན་ལ་བཟང་། ཞེས་སྤྱིར་བཟང་། ཁྱད་པར་ཞི་ལས་
141 དགེ་ལས་སྒྲུབ་པ་བཟང་། དེ་ཡང་རང་ལོ་མཐུན་པའམ། དེའི་རིགས་མཐུན་ཁྱིམ་ཚེས་ཀྱི་ལོ་པས་དོན་
དུ་གཉེར་བའམ་བསྒྲུབ་ན་བཟང་བའོ།f
(a) ཁྱིམ་ཕྱྭ་ནི། མི་ཁ་གླེང་གཞི་ཕྲན་ཚེགས་འབྱུང་ངོ་ཡོད་ཀྱང་། ཁ་རྗེ་དབང་ཐང་ངར་བ་མཆིས་པས་
བཟང་ངོ་།
(b1) ཁང་སའམ་འཚེར་ས་ཨེ་འཕྲོད་ཅེ་ན། ཁང་ས་ཤིན་ཏུ་འཕྲོད།
(b2) འཚེར་སར་ཡུལ་ལྷ་གསོལ་མཆོད་དང་བསངས་དང་བརྒྱག་བརྔན་ཐོང་། དེ་ལྟར་བྱས་ན་ཉེས་ངོ་
མེད་པར་ཡོང་ངོ་།
142 (c) གྲོགས་ཕྱྭ་ནི། གྲོགས་g ཤིན་ཏུ་ཆེ་བས་ཧ་ཅང་རྔམ་མ་ཆེ་མཛོད།h
aB 117: yid bzhin nor bu lag tu gson pa ltar (“like getting a wish fulfilling jewel into one’s hands”).
bB 117: khyad par. c B 117: zhi ba dang dge ba’i las brtsams na (“if one begins pacifying and vir-
tuous activities”). d C 94 seems to have nang mo; B 117 (non-versified): ’gro sdod gzhi mo nang
mo gang yin kyang. e B 117: om. this line. C 94 has thid, obviously misreading the short form of
thams cad, i.e., thad (tha written with an anusvara). f B 117: om. these two sentences starting
from zhes spyir bzang. g C 95, B 117: grogs ngo. h B 117: ham mi che bar gyis. In dbu med script,
ham (“to brag about s.th.”) and rngam (“to be excited about s.th.”) can easily be misread for each
other.

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(15) When fifteen pips show on the dice

nosis, [is this]:115
The rain of everything necessary and desired falls down

from the wish-fulfilling jewel, and one’s hopes are accomplished.
In particular, all the pacifying activities one commits to
[turn out] very well and whichever prognosis [one does concerning]
going, staying, general [issues], [particular issues like] disease, [and so
forth],
is good for everyone who is of the same birth year as oneself
and for everyone who is of a matching birth year [to one’s own].
Thus, in general, all will be well. In particular, accomplishing pacifying and vir-
tuous activities will be good. Moreover, if someone with the matching birth
year sign or with a neighboring sign strives or practices, all will be well.116
(a) Household: Even though there is a danger that minor bad talk will occur,
all will be well because merit and its enjoyment will flourish.
(b) Building ground and pasture: The building ground will be very appropri-
ate.
Ritual remedies:
Concerning the pasture: Offering to the Yül-la, Smoke Offering, and
Gyag Ngan—if you proceed like that, there will not be any problem.
(c) Fortune: Since the [prognosis for117] fortune is very good, do not brag about
it.118
115 P 140 f. and C 94 present these lines as verses (P overlooks the verse status of the first two
lines); B 117 presents them as prose.
116 A person, for instance, who goes to welcome a bride, should have a birth sign matching
with hers. If one has to touch a dead body, it is sometimes better to have opposing signs;
these things have to be determined by astrological calculation (Khenchen Nyima).
117 C 95, B 117 explicitly.
118 Following B 117.

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160 chapter 3
(d) ནོར་ཕྱྭ་ནི། རྡུལ་མང་བརྩེགས་པས་རི་བོ་དང་། ཐིགས་པ་བསགས་པས་རྒྱ་མཚོ་སྟེ། ནོར་རྫས་
ལོངས་སྤྱོད་ངང་གིས་འབྱུང་བར་གདའ་འོ།a
(e) དོན་ཕྱྭ་ནི། དགེ་ཞིང་ཤིས་པའི་ལས་b ཡིན་ན། བསམ་བཞིན་མྱུར་དུ་འགྲུབ་པའོ། དེ་མིན་ཇི་

143 བཞིན་འགྲུབ་དཀའམ་ཕྱི་དལ་གྱི་ངོ་།c ཡང་ན་ཁ་སྨྲས་དང་བཅས་འགྲུབ།d ཕྱོགས་བཅུ་མུན་སེལ།
བཀྲ་ཤིས་བརྩེགས་པ། སྒྲོལ་དཀར་སྔོན་བཅས་གང་མང་བསྒྲུབ་བོ།
(f) ཁ་མཆུ་རྒྱལ་ཕམ་ཇི་ལྟར་འབྱུང་ཞེ་ན། ཕུགས་ཤིན་ཏུ་བརྟན་ཅིང་བཟང་ངོ་ཆེ་ཡང་། འཕྲལ་ཤོར་
གོད་སོགས་ཀྱི་གླེང་གཞི་ཚེ་ཙམ་ནས་སེམས་ངལ་ཆེ་བར་མཆིས་སོ།e
(g) ནད་ཕྱྭ་ནི། ནད་གཞི་མེད་ཅིང་རིམ་གྱིས་དྭངས་བའི་ངོ་། ནག་ཤ་f དང་ཕག་ཤ་ཟོས་པའི་རྐྱེན་གྱིས་

144 ན་བའི་ངོ་། དེ་མ་ཞུ་བ་དང་། ཕོ་སྐྲན་དང་གྲང་ནད་ངོ་ཆེ་བས། གྲྭ་ལྔ། གསེར་འོད། སྒྲོལ་ཤེར། ཆུ་ཏོར།
ཆ་གསུམ། རླུང་བསྐྱེད་ཅོད་པཎ་འཛུག སཱཙྪ་ལོ་གྲངས་ཐོབ།
(h) སྲོག་ཕྱྭ་ནི། ནད་པ་ཡིན་ན། ཚེ་སྒྲུབ། ཚེ་དབང་ཞུ། ཚེ་ཐར་བཅས་བསྒྲུབ་ན་ཉེས་ངོ་མེད་ཙམ། དེ་
མིན་སྲོག་ཕྱྭ་བརྟན་ཅིང་བཟང་།
aC 96 and B 118 add: ’on kyang phyugs la god kha’i ngo cung zhig [/ zad] yod [/ ’dug] pas/ nor gzungs
dang lan gtor thong[s] (“However, since there is a slight prognosis of loss concerning livestock,
offer the Wealth Dharani and the Torma of Retribution”). bC 96: zhi ba’i las. cB 118:
de min ji bzhin mi ’grub pa’am/ re zhig mi ’grub pa’am. d B 118: kha smras dang bcas te myur du
’grub pa gang rung gi ngo yod pas. e C 97, B 118: om. gleng. B 118: shor god phran bu dang / gzhi
dang sems ngal che tsam mchis. f C 97, B 118: nad la ra sha.

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(d) Wealth: By piling up many grains of sand, you will get a mountain. By gath-
ering many droplets, you will get an ocean. Thus, possessions and wealth will
appear by themselves.
(e) Undertaking: If it is a virtuous and auspicious activity, you will quickly

accomplish it according to your wishes. If not, it will be difficult to be accom-
plished like that, or there is the danger of a delay. Otherwise, you will accom-
plish it despite the criticism of others.
Ritual remedies:
Dispelling the Darkness of the Ten Directions, Layers of Auspi-
ciousness, White and Blue Tārā [mantra] (as much as possible).
(f) Victory or defeat in court cases: In the long term, it will be very stable, and
there will be a great chance that it will be good. However, in the short term
there will be greater exhaustion of the mind from a quite big dispute regarding
losses [of possessions and livestock], and so forth.
(g) Disease: There is no severe disease, and there will be a chance of gradual
purification. There is a danger that you will get ill from eating beef119 and pork.
There is the great danger of not digesting that [properly], and of stomach can-
cer (pho skran) and coolness diseases.
Ritual remedies:
Five Great Dharanis, Golden Light, Tārā and Prajñāpāramitā [prac-
tices],120 Water Torma, Triple Torma, making a Wind-Generating
Chevron, as many votive offerings as [the sick person has] years of age.
(h) Life force: If you get sick, request the Life Accomplishment and em-
powerment of long life, and practice Releasing Life. If you do that, there
will not be a big problem. If you are not [sick], your prognosis concerning life
force will be “stable and good.”
119 Tshe tan: nag sha = dud ’gro gnag phyugs kyi sha, i.e., the meat of yak, dri, and dzo.
120 According to Khenchen Nyima, anything is possible here from a recitation of Tārā suppli-
cation to an extensive pūja involving a mandala. For the Prajñāparamitā, he said that a
long version would be the Repelling of Heart Sutra and a short version would be
the Heart Sutra.

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162 chapter 3
145 (i) གདོན་ཕྱྭ་ནི། བཙན་དང་ཐེའུ་རང་། ཀླུ་གཉན་གནོད་པས། མཚན་བརྗོད། བརྒྱད་སྟོང་། གཟུངས་
འདུས། བཙན་གསོལ། ཆ་གསུམ། ཀླུའི་གདོན་གྲོལ། ཀླུའི་སྤང་སྐོང་། ཀླུ་བསངས་བཅས་བསྒྲུབ་བོ།
(j1) སྨན་པ་ཨེ་འཕྲོད་ཅེ་ན། སྨན་ཕོར་བདུད་རྩིས་ཁེངས་ཏེ་འཕྲོད་ངོ་ཤིན་ཏུ་ཆེ་སྐད་དོ།
(j2) སྨན་དཔྱད་ཨེ་འཕྲོད་ཅེ་ན། གཏིང་ཐོན་དཀའ་ནའང་། ཕན་ངོ་ཆེ་བར་འབྱུང་བ་གདའ་འོ།
146 (k) སྲིད་ཕྱྭ་ནི། སྲིད་སྲུང་ལྷས་མཛད་པས་ལྷ་སྲུང་མཆོད་ན་སྲིད་འཕེལ་བ་ཐེ་ཚོམ་མེད་དོ།a
(l) དགྲ་ཕྱྭ་ནི། དགྲ་མགོ་b རྨུ་གབ་ཀྱིས་ཐུམ་པས་ཤིན་ཏུ་བཟང་ངོ་།
(m) མགྲོན་པོ་ཨེ་ཡོང་ཞེ་ན། མྱུར་དུ་འོང་བར་མཆིས། འོན་ཀྱང་གླེང་གཞི་ཕྲན་བུའམ། སེམས་
འགྱོད་བཅས་ཏེ་མཆིས་སོ།
(n) ཚོང་ཕྱྭ་ནི། ཚོང་རྒྱལ་ནོར་འཕེལ་ཐག་རིང་འགྲོ་དགོས་པ་ཡིན་ནའང་མཆོག་ཏུ་བཟང་ངོ་།
(o) ལམ་ཕྱྭ་ནི། འགྲོ་བདེ་ངལ་བ་མེད་ཅིང་ཅི་བསམ་འགྲུབ་པར་གདའ་འོ།
147 (p) བོར་སྟོར་ཨེ་རྙེད་ཅེ་ན། ཤར་དང་ནུབ་ཕྱོགས་ནས་དོགས་བཅུག་ན་རིང་པོར་མ་འགྱང་བར་རྩད་
ཆོད་པའི་ངོ་། ཡང་ན་བཙལ་མ་དགོས་པར་ལག་འབྱོར་སྲིད་སྐད་དོ།
aB 119: rten ’gangs cher mchod ’bum dang sgrol ma gang mang bsgrub na/ lha bla mas gnang ba’i
srid bsod nams can myur du ’phel. b B 119: dgra dmag.

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(i) Evil spirits: There will be harm from tsen, téurang, and lunyen.
Ritual remedies:
Uttering the Names, Eight Thousand Lines Prajnaparamita, Col-
lection of Dharanis, Offering to Tsen, Triple Torma, Release
from the Lu’s Harm, Mending Breaches of the Lu, Lu Smoke Of-
fering.
(j1) Doctor: It looks like the medicine bottle is filled with nectar, and there is
an excellent chance that it will be appropriate.
(j2) Medicine and medical treatment: Even though it is difficult to get [the
disease] out from the depth, a chance of greater benefit will occur.
(k) Offspring: Since the gods guard the family line, if you make offerings to
guardians and gods, there is no doubt that the offspring will increase.121
(l) Enemies: Since the chief of the enemies122 is wrapped by ignorance, it will
be very good.
(m) Travelers: They will arrive soon. However, [they will come] with a bit of
dispute or remorse.
(n) Trade: Even though a long way has to be traversed to make a profit in trade
and increase one’s wealth, it will be supremely good.
(o) Travel: It is comfortable to go and it will not [lead to] exhaustion. One will
achieve whatever one strives for.
(p) Lost items: If you direct your attention to the eastern and western direc-
tion, there will be a chance to track them down. Alternatively, it looks like it
will come into your hands without any need for searching.
121 Completely different in B 119.

122 Or is this in P literally “head [of the] enemy”? In that case, the literal reading “wrapped
head” would produce a metaphor.

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164 chapter 3
༼16༽ ཤོ་མིག་བཅུ་དྲུག་ལ་བབ་ན། ལར་མོ་འདི་ཤིན་ཏུ་ངན་པར་གདའ། བསྟན་པའི་ཆོས་ཕྱྭ་

འམ་གཞི་མོ་ནི། ཟླ་བ་ནག་པོ་ཤར་འདྲ་བ།a སྤྱིར་བསྟན་སྲིད་རིགས་b ལ་ཉམས་རྒུད་ཆེའོ། གཞི་མོ་
148 གང་ལ་ཡང་སྐྱིད་སྡུག་སྒང་གཤོང་ཆེ་c ཞིང་ས་བདག་ཀླུ་གཉན་ཁྲོས་པས་མི་ལ་ན་ཚ་ཕྱུགས་ལ་གོད་
ཁ་d འབྱུང་། བླ་མ་དཔོན་པོའི་བཀའ་བཀྱོན་ནམ་མ་ཉེས་ཁ་ཡོག་ཤོར་གོད་ཆེ་བར་འབྱུང་བས། རྒྱལ་
བའི་བཀའ་འགྱུར་སྒྲོགས། ལས་གཞིའི་སྦྱིན་སྲེག རབ་གནས་ཀླུ་དང་ས་བདག་གི་གདོན་གྲོལ། ས་
149 བདག་དབང་ཆེན་སྡེ་དགུའི་བུམ་གཏེར་འཇོག ཀླུ་འབུམ། ཀླུ་གཏོར། ཀླུ་བསངས། ཡུལ་ཁམས་དང་
ཁང་ཁྱིམ་ལྷ་ཁྲུས་རི་ཁྲུས་བཅས་བསྒྲུབ་བོ།
(a) ཁྱིམ་ཕྱྭ་ནི། ཁ་སྨྲས་གླེང་བརྗོད་འཐབ་མོ་ངོ་། བཟའ་ཚང་བྱེ་བྲལ་སྔོན་དུ་འབྱུང་བའམ་དར་རྒུད་
འབྱུང་།e ཀླུ་གཉན་ས་བདག་ཁྲོས་པས་རྨ་དང་སྐྲང་པོ་f སོགས་འབྱུང་ཞིང་བསགས་པའི་ཟས་ནོར་གློ་

བུར་དུ་ཟད་ངོ་འདུག་པས། འབུམ་རྒྱས་འབྲིང་བསྡུས་གསུམ། གདུགས་དཀར་སྟོང་ཚར། ནོར་རྒྱུན་
150 མའི་གཟུངས། ཉེས་པ་ཀུན་སེལ། གླང་རུ་ལུང་བསྟན། འཇིགས་བྱེད་གསང་འདུས་གང་རུང་གི་ཆོ་ག
སྒྲོལ་མ། ཤེར་སྙིང་། ཀླུ་གཏོར། ཀླུ་འབུམ། ཀླུའི་སྤང་སྐོང་། གཏོར་མ་བརྒྱ་རྩ་བཅས་བསྒྲུབ་པ་གལ་
ཆེ།
(b) ཁང་སའམ་འཚེར་ས་ཨེ་འཕྲོད་ཅེ་ན། འཕྲལ་འཕྲོད་ངོ་ཙམ་ཡང་། ཕུགས་མི་རིང་བ་གེགས་

151 འཚུབ་ཆེ་བས་སྤོས་ན་ལེགས། འཚེར་སར་ཡུལ་ལྷ་དང་། ས་བདག་གིས་གནོད་པས་ཡུན་རིང་མི་
སྡོད་པ་བཟང་ངོ་།
aB 119: nag phyogs zla ba’i ’phel ’grib ’dra. b C 100, B 119 add: lar rgya’i rigs. cB 119: gzhi mo
la’ang skyid sdug gang stong che zhing /. d C 100, B 119: shi chad (“death”). eB 120: sngar
’byung ngam/ ma ’byung na da ’byung ngo. f B 120: skrangs pa (“swellings”).

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(16) When sixteen pips show on the dice

Generally, the prognosis is very bad. The outlook concerning religion, or basic
Like a black moon rising.
In general, there will be a considerable decline for both the spiritual and the
worldly side. Whatever the basic prognosis is about, there will be many ups
and downs of happiness and suffering, and since the sadag and the lunyen are
angry, a disease will arise for humans, and loss will arise concerning livestock.
Scoldings from lamas and headmen or false accusations or loss [of possessions
and livestock] will occur.
Ritual remedies:
Recitation of the Buddha’s Kanjur, Burnt Offerings of the Four Activi-
ties, Consecration, Release from the Sadag’s Harm, Release from
the Lu’s Harm, a great empowerment of the sadag, “Treasure Vase” of nine
sections (sde dgu), Hundred Thousand Lu, Lu Torma, Lu Smoke Offer-
ing, ablution practices for the region, house, gods, and mountains.
(a) Household: There is the danger of criticism [from others], and of arguments
and fights within the household. Either couples are parting first, or [later] there
will be ups and downs [in the family]. Since the lunyen and the sadag are angry,
wounds and abscesses, and so forth, will appear, and there is a danger that the
food and wealth that you have gathered will be all of a sudden exhausted.
Ritual remedies:
paramita, Abbreviated Prajnaparamita, White Parasol Dharani
(1,000 times), Wealth Continuum Dharani, Removing of all Faults,
Ox Horn Prophecy, any possible ritual of Bhairava and of Guhyasamāja, Tārā
[mantras], Heart Sutra, Lu Torma, Hundred Thousand Lu, Mending
Breaches of the Lu, One Hundred Tormas. It is essential to practice
these.
(b) Building ground and pasture: There is the chance of some short-term
appropriateness, but in a not too far future, there will be significant obstacles
and troubles. Therefore, it would be good to move [to another place]. Concern-
ing pasture, since the yül-la and the sadag cause harm, it will be good not to
stay too long.

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166 chapter 3
(c) གྲོགས་ཕྱྭ་ནི། གྲོགས་ཅུང་ཡོད་ཀྱང་རྗེས་འབྲང་གིས་གནོད་པ་ཆེ་བའི་ངོ་།a
(d) ནོར་ཕྱྭ་ནི། ཤི་གོད་བོར་སྟོར་ཤོར་གོད་ཀྱི་ངོ་ཡོད་པས་གདུགས་དཀར། བརྒྱད་སྟོང་། གསེར་འོད།

152 པདྨ་གཡང་འབུམ། ནོར་གཟུངས། རྣམ་སྲས་བསྐང་བ། གཡང་འགུགས། ནོར་གླུད། རྟ་གཟུངས། ཞི་
བའི་སྦྱིན་སྲེག་བཅས་བསྒྲུབ་བོ།
(e) དོན་ཕྱྭ་ནི། བསམ་དོན་མི་འགྲུབ་མ་བསམ་པའི་ཉེས་འགྱོད་ཡོང་བའི་ངོ་སྟེ་ཤིན་ཏུ་ངན་ནོ། འོན་
ཀྱང་ཟོར་དང་མཐུ་སྒྲུབ་སོགས་མངོན་སྤྱོད་ཀྱི་ལས་བསྒྲུབ་པར་དགེ་ཞིང་བཟང་ངོ་།
(f) ཁ་མཆུ་སོགས་རྒྱལ་ཕམ་ཇི་ལྟར་འབྱུང་ཞེ་ན། ཕར་འཛུགས་རིགས་བཤོལ་བ་ལེགས། དེ་མིན་

153 སྒྲོལ་མའི་གཡུལ་མདོས། གཡུལ་ལས་རྣམ་རྒྱལ་གཟུངས། གདུགས་དཀར་བཟློག་ཆེན། ཤེར་སྙིང་
བདུད་བཟློག སྲུང་མའི་འཕྲིན་བཅོལ་བཅས་བསྒྲུབ་ན་ཉེས་ངོ་མེད་དོ།
(g) ནད་ཕྱྭ་ནི། སྤྱིར་སྲོག་ལ་ཉེན་ཆ་b ཆེ། ཁྱད་པར་བྱ་ལོ་པ་དང་ཕག་ལོ་པ་གཉིས་ངན། སྲོག་ལ་མ་
སྐྱོན་ཡང་ནད་གཞི་ལྕི། སྨན་རྒྱུན་ཟས་སུ་བསྟེན་དགོས་པའི་ངོ་། ཤ་དམར་རྐྱེན་ནམ། གཞན་གྱིས་

154 མནན་གཏད་བྱས་པའི་བྱད་ཕུར་ངོ་དང་ཐན་ལྟས་སོགས་འབྱུང་ངོ་།c གཞན་ཡང་གཉན་d དང་མཁྲིས་
པ་ཚད་རིམས་གཟའ་ནད་རྨ་སྐྲངས། ཟུག་གཟེར་e རུས་པ་སྐམ་ཚད་f བྱེད་པ། སྐྱུག་བཤལ་སོགས་
བྱེད་པ་འབྱུང་ཞིང་། འབུམ་རྒྱས་འབྲིང་བསྡུས་གསུམ། ཀུན་རིགས་དབང་བརྒྱ། ཚེ་ཆོག གདུགས་
དཀར། ཤེར་སྙིང་བཅས་གང་མང་། གཟའ་ཡུམ་འདོན། ཕྱག་རྡོར་ཁྱུང་ཁྲ་། ཀླུ་དབང་རྒྱལ་པོ་སོགས་
155 ཀྱི་རྗེས་གནང་ཞུ། བྱབ་ཁྲུས་ཞུ། སྣང་བརྒྱད་དང་ཀླུའི་སྤང་སྐོང་། ཀླུ་གཏོར། འབྱུང་བཞིའི་གཏོར་མ།
ལན་ཆགས་གཏོར་མ། བྱད་ཁྲོལ་དང་བྱད་བཟློག་རིགས་ལ་འབད།
aB 120: drog ngo cung zad ’dug kyang de’i rjes su ’brang bzhig [ba zhig?] gis gnod pa’i ngo. bB 121:
’dzer cha. c C 104: sha mar gyi rkyen dang gzhan gyi mnan gtad byas pa’i byad phur gyis gnod
pa’i ngo dang der brten ’than ltas sogs ’byung ba’i ngo. B 121 after ngo: yin pas/ de ’dra’i mtshan ltas
ngan pa ’byung ngam ’byung ba’i ngo. d C 104, B: om. gnyan; add: bad kan. eC 104: gzer zug.
fB 121: rus rkang na ba.

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(c) Fortune: There is a bit of fortune, but there is a great danger that harm
comes along with it.
(d) Wealth: There is a danger that animals will die and [possessions] will be
lost.
Ritual remedies:
White Parasol Dharani, Eight Thousand Lines Prajnaparamita,
Golden Light, Hundred Thousand Riches of the Lotus, Wealth
Dharani, Appeasement of Vaishravana, Summoning Prosperity,
Wealth Ransom, Horse Dharani, Burnt Offering of Pacification.
(e) Undertaking: There is a danger that you will not accomplish your inten-
tions and that you will feel remorse concerning unintended faults. Thus, it will
be very bad.
Ritual remedies:
Accomplishing the forceful activities (mngon spyod) such as the Sickle Ac-
complishment and Sorcery Accomplishment will be virtuous and good.
(f) Victory or defeat in court cases: If you postpone [acting as] accusant (phar
’dzug), that will be good. Otherwise, [apply the remedies].
Ritual remedies:
Battle Thread Cross of Tara, dhāraṇī of “Complete Victory in the Battle”
(g.Yul las rnam rgyal gzungs), White Parasol Repelling, Heart Sutra
Repelling Practice, an invocation of the guardians—if you accomplish
that, there will be no danger of faults.
(g) Disease: In general, there is a great danger (nyen cha che) for life. In par-
ticular, it is bad for those born in bird or sow years. Even though there is no
defect concerning the life force, there will be dangerous diseases. It is neces-
sary to take medicine continuously. There will occur a sickness based on eating
raw meat [meat poisoning], or the danger of harm from black magic done by
others will occur, and there is a danger that bad signs, and so forth, will occur.
Moreover, there will be infected wounds, bile, feverish flues, epilepsy, wounds
and abscesses, sharp pain, pain in the bones due to dry fever, vomiting, diar-
rhea, and so forth.

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168 chapter 3
(h) སྲོག་ཕྱྭ་ནི། ཚེ་སྲོག་གཡང་དཀར་ལུ་གུ་ལ། བར་ཆད་སྤྱང་ཀིས་འཚེ་དོགས་ཡོད།a ཅེས་ཕ་
མེས་ངུར་སྲི་ལངས་པས་ཚེ་སྒྲུབ་སོགས་ལ་འབད་པ་གལ་ཆེ། སྒྲོལ་དཀར། རྣམ་རྒྱལ་མ། ཚེ་

156 དཔག་མེད། སློབ་དཔོན་པདྨ། འཆི་མེད་རྔ་སྒྲ་སོགས་ཀྱི་སྒོ་ནས་ཚེ་སྒྲུབ་རིགས་དང་། ཚེ་གཟུངས།
རྣམ་རྒྱལ་མའི་གཟུངས། ཚེ་ཐར། ཚེ་དབང་ཞུ། ཚེ་དཔག་རྣམ་ལྔའི་སྐུ་བཞེངས། ནད་པ་ཡིན་ན་འཆི་
བསླུ། ཚེ་འགུགས། མིང་བརྗེ་ལུས་བསྒྱུར་ལུས་ཆས་སྤོང་དག་བཅས་བསྒྲུབ་བོ།
(i) གདོན་ཕྱྭ་ནི། གདོན་ནི་གྲེ་བོ། བསེ་རག གསོན་འདྲེ། ཐག་རིང་འགྲུལ་བའི་རྗེས་དང་། ཀ་ཆའི་

157 རྗེས་སུ་འབྲང་བའི་རྒྱལ་པོ་དང་འགོང་པོས་གདོན།b ཁྱད་པར་ཆུ་མིག་སོགས་ཀླུ་གནས་པའི་ཕྱོགས་
སུ་སྤྱོད་ལམ་ཕོག་ཐུག་ཤོར་བས་ཀླུ་གཉན་c ཁྲོས་པས་གདོན། ཁ་འབར་མའི་མདོས། དག་པ་
གསེར་གྱི་མདོ་ཐིག ཉེས་པ་ཀུན་སེལ། བརྒྱ་བཞི། གླུད་རྫོངས་དམ་སྲི་གླུད་བསྔོ། གཏོར་མ་བརྒྱ་རྩ།
མཆུ་སྡེ་ལྔ། ཀླུ་བསངས་བཅས་བསྒྲུབ་བོ།
aB 121: bar chad spyang ki’i dog cha yod. b C 106: gdon la ’dre the’u rang gson ’dre thag ring ’grul
ba’i rjes dang ka ca’i rjes su ’brangs pa’i rgyal po dang ’gong pos gnod. B 121: thag ring gi ’grul pa’am/
ka ca’i rjes su ’brang ba’i rgyal po gnod. c C 106 adds: dang sa bdag.

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Ritual remedies:
paramita, Abbreviated Prajnaparamita, requesting one hundred Vairo-
cana empowerments, any long life ceremony, White Parasol Dharani,
Heart Sutra (many times), Dharani of Grahamatrika, requesting the
permission (rjes gnang) of Vajrapaṇī, Khyung khra (unidentified), Lu King,
requesting an ablution, Eight Appearances, Mending Breaches of the
Lu, Lu Torma, Torma of the Four Elements, the Torma of Retribu-
tion, efforts concerning the Undoing of Sorcery and repelling of sorcery
(byad bzlog).
(h) Life force: “To the life force, [which is like] sheep, there is the danger of
harm from obstacles, [which are like] a wolf.” Thus, since dursi spirits [of the
forefather’s charnel ground] are rising,123 it will be essential to engage in Life
Accomplishment, and so forth.
Ritual remedies:
White Tārā, Uṣṇīṣa Vijaya, Amitayus, Ācārya Padma[sambhava mantras?],
Dharani of the Drum Sound of Deathlessness (through these one
accomplishes the life-accomplishment type of practices), Life Dharani, the
Dharani of Ushnisha Vijaya, Releasing Life, requesting the life em-
powerment, erecting a statue of the five forms of Amitayus. If you get sick:
Cheating Death, Summoning Life, changing the name and transforming
the appearance (lit. body), complete abandoning of garments.
(i) Evil spirits: There will be negative influences from the evil spirits drewo,
serag, and söndré who come along with guests from far away, and from gyalpo
and gongpo who come along with things. In particular, there will be negative
influences due to the wrath of lunyen because one accidentally has behaved
offensively towards the places where lu live, such as springs.124
123 Deceased family members have to be buried or burned, and so forth, at a place (in the
water, “in space” [i.e., fed to the vultures], and so forth) that accords with astrological signs.
If that is done in an improper way, the si demons of the charnel ground may rise and cause
trouble. On the other hand, if everything is done in a proper way, that can cause fortune
for the family (Khenchen Nyima).
124 For instance, accidentally spilling musk in a lake might kill one’s whole family since it is
harmful to the whole lu family of beings (Khenchen Nyima).

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170 chapter 3
158 (j) སྨན་པ་ཨེ་འཕྲོད་ཅེ་ན།a ཉེས་འགལ་ཆེར་མེད་ཀྱང་ཕན་པ་ཆུང་བས་རེ་ཞིག་འཐེན་ཅིང་སླར་བྱས་
ན་ཅུང་ཞིག་ངོ་མཐོ་ཡོང་སྐད་དོ།
(k) སྲིད་ཕྱྭ་ནི། སྲིད་ཀྱི་ཆུ་མིག་སྐམ་པས་ཁྱིམ་ཐབ་གཞན་བརྟེན་b པ་བཟང་ངོ་།
(l) དགྲ་ཕྱྭ་ནི། དགྲ་ངོ་ཡོད་ཀྱང་ཚུར་ལ་མི་ཚུགས་སོ། དམག་ཇག་སོགས་ཕར་རྒོལ་བ་བཟང་ངོ་།
(m) མགྲོན་པོ་ཨེ་ཡོང་ཞེ་ན། ལུས་སེམས་ལ་སྡུག་བསྔལ་ཅི་རིག་པ་དང་བཅས་ཏེ་མཆིས།c ཐག་

159 ཉེ་ཡིན་ན་ཡུན་མི་རིང་མི་འགྱང་བར་སླེབ། ཐག་རིང་མགྲོན་པོ་ཞག་གསུམ་མི་འགྱང་པར་སླེབ་
པའམ། གཏམ་གསར་ཞིག་མྱུར་དུ་ཐོས་ངོ་ཆེའོ།
(n) ཚོང་ཕྱྭ་ནི། ཐག་ཉེའི་ཚོང་པ་ཡིན་ན་སྐྱོན་མེད། དེ་མིན་ཁེ་སྤོགས་མི་ཆེ་ཞིང་། བོར་སྟོར་དང་འོག་
ཁལ་ལ་གོད་ངོ་ཆེ་བས་མི་ལེགས།
(o) ལམ་ཕྱྭ་ནི། རྐུན་ཇག་གཅན་གཟན་སོགས་ཀྱིས་འཚེ་ངོ་། བྱ་བ་ལམ་དུ་མི་རྒྱུག་ཅིང་བགྲོད་

160 དཀའ་བ་དང་སེམས་ངལ་གྱི་ངོ་ཆེ་བས་ཅིས་ཀྱང་འགྲོ་ན་དགྲ་ལྷ་དཔང་བསྟོད། ལྷ་བསངས་བརྒྱག་
བརྔན། སྲུང་མའི་གསོལ་མཆོད་སྣང་བརྒྱད། བཀྲ་ཤིས་བརྩེགས་པ། གདུགས་དཀར་སྟོང་ཚར་
སོགས་བསྒྲུབ་བོ།
(p) བོར་སྟོར་ཨེ་རྙེད་ཅེ་ན། མ་འགྱང་བར་ཤར་དང་བྱང་ཕྱོགས་སུ་བཙལ་ན་རྙེད་ངོ་ཙམ། དེ་མིན་རྙེད་
དཀའ་བ་འདུག་པས་ཧུར་ཐག་གིས་བཙལ་ཉུག་གྱིས།d
aC 107: sman ci tsam bsten kyang don med da(!) shin tu ngan (“Whichever doctor one consults,
it will be useless. Very bad.”). B 122: sman bdud rtsir bsam nas zos pa de/ dug nag po brtsegs pa’i
spun zlar song / zhes mi ’phrod/ (“One who imagines medicine as nectar and takes it has gone to
a brother who stacks up black poison.”) What follows in P is found in C and B under the heading
“medicine and treatment,” which does not occur in P. b C 107, B 122: bsten. cB 122: om. whole
sentence. d C 109, B 123: om. pas hur thag gis btsal nyug gyis.

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Ritual remedies:
Jvalamukha Thread Cross, Drop of the Sutra, Removing of all
Faults, Four Hundred Offerings, Ransom and Damsi Ransom, One
Hundred Tormas, Five Lips, Lu Smoke Offering.
(j) Doctor: Even though there is not a significant problem since the benefit will
be small, postpone it for the time being, and when you visit him later, it looks
like a slightly better chance of recovering will occur.
(k) Offspring: Since the fountain of offspring has dried up, it will be good to
attend to125 another spouse.
(l) Enemies: Although there is the danger of having enemies, they will not
attack. [The prognosis for] making an attack and ransacking them is good.
(m) Travelers: They will come with all sorts of physical and mental suffering.
If they are close by, they will soon arrive within a short time without delay. Far
away travelers will arrive with not [more than] three days delay, or there is a
great chance to receive news quickly.
(n) Trade: Nearby trade will be without problems. If it is not [nearby], the profit
will not be high, and since there is a great danger of losing possessions and rid-
ing animals, it is not good.
(o) Travel: There is the danger of harm from thieves, robbers, wild animals, and
so forth. Since there is great danger of misfortune, difficult travel, and mental
exhaustion, if you nevertheless will have to go, [apply the remedies].
Ritual remedies:
Glorification of the Drala,126 Gyag Ngan, Offering to the Guard-
ians, Eight Appearances, Layers of Auspiciousness, White Parasol
Dharani (one thousand times).
(p) Lost Items: If you search without delay in the eastern and northern direc-
tions, there will be a mere chance of finding them. Otherwise, since they will
be difficult to recover, search with effort!

126 Here spelled dgra lha.

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172 chapter 3
161 ༼17༽ ཤོ་མིག་བཅུ་བདུན་ལ་བབ་ན། ལར་མོ་འདི་ཤིན་ཏུ་བཟང་ངོ་། བསྟན་པའི་ཆོས་ཕྱྭ་འམ་གཞི་

མོ་ནི། འདི་བབ་མོ་འདི་ཀུན་ལ་བཟང་། བདེ་ཞིང་བསམ་པའི་དོན་ཀུན་འགྲུབ། ས་གཞི་དཀྱིལ་ནས་
དཔག་བསམ་འཁྲུངས། འབྲས་བུ་སྨིན་པས་རེ་བ་སྐོང་། འཕྲལ་ཕུགས་གང་ལ་མོ་འདི་མཆོགa ཅེས་
འཕྲལ་ཕུགས་གཉིས་ཀར་བཟང་བར་གདའ་འོ།
162 (a) ཁྱིམ་ཕྱྭ་ནི། འཕྲལ་དུ་སེམས་འགྱོད་ཁ་སྨྲས་ཀྱི་ངོ་ཅུང་ཞིག་འཐོང་ཡང་།b ལྷ་སྲུང་མཆོད་བསྟོད།
སྒྲོལ་ཤེར། གདུགས་དཀར་བཅས་བསྒྲུབ་ན་སྔར་བས་ད་བཟང་ངོ་།
(b1) ཁང་སའམ་ཡུལ་ས་ཨེ་འཕྲོད་ཅེ་ན། ཁང་སར་བདེ་སྐྱིད་པདྨོ་བཞད། ཕྱྭ་གཡང་གི་ཟིལ་མངར་
ཆགས་ཞེས་ཤིན་ཏུ་བཟང་བ་ཡིན།
(b2) འཚེར་ས་ནི། ཟས་ནོར་c འཕེལ་ཞིང་སྐྱིད་པར་གདའ་འོ།
163 (c) གྲོགས་ཕྱྭ་ནི། གྲོགས་ལྷས་མཛད་པས་གྲོགས་ངོ་ཡོད།
(d) ནོར་ཕྱྭ་ནི། ནོར་ཕྱུགས་ཆུང་ངུའི་རིགས་ལ་གོད་ངོ་ཕྲན་བུ་ཡོད་ཀྱང་ནོར་གཟུགས། གསེར་འོད།
ཀླུ་གཏོར། ལན་ཆགས་གཏོར་མ་བཅས་བསྒྲུབ་ན་སྟོབས་འབྱོར་ལོངས་སྤྱོད་འཕེལ་བར་གདའ་འོ།
(e) དོན་ཕྱྭ་ནི། བསམ་དོན་མྱུར་དུ་འགྲུབ་ན་ལེགས། འགྱང་ན་གེགས་ངོ་ཆེ། རྒྱལ་མཚན་རྩེ་མོའི་

164 དཔུང་རྒྱན། བཀྲ་ཤིས་བརྩེགས་པ། ཕྱོགས་བཅུ་མུན་སེལ་བཅས་གང་མང་། ལྷ་སྲུང་མཆོད་ཅིང་
འཕྲིན་ལས་བཅོལ་ན་མྱུར་དུ་འགྲུབ་ངོ་ཆེ།
aC 109: ’phral du gang gi mo ’di mchog; B 123: om. whole line. bB 123, C 110: cung zad mthong
bas [/ yang]. c C 110, B 123: om. zas; B 123: zog (“goods; merchandise”).

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(17) When seventeen pips show on the dice

Generally, the prognosis is very good. The outlook concerning religion, or basic
This prognosis here is good in all respects.

Happiness and all wishes are accomplished.
The wish-fulfilling tree is growing from the center of the ground.
Since its fruits are ripening, your hopes are fulfilled.
This prognosis is supreme in both the short and long term.
Thus all will be well with respect to both the short and long term.
(a) Household: Temporarily, there seems to be a slight danger of remorse and

bad talk.
Ritual remedies:
Offerings to and praise of the gods and guardians, Tārā and Prajñāpāramitā
[practices], White Parasol Dharani—it will improve.
(b1) Building ground and inhabitable land: On the building ground, the lotus
of happiness and well-being will blossom, and the nectar of good fortune will
emerge; thus it will be very good.
(b2) Pasture: Food and wealth will increase, and there will be happiness.
(c) Fortune: Since the gods will provide fortune, there will be a chance of good
fortune.
(d) Wealth: There will be a small loss concerning smaller kinds of livestock.
Ritual remedies:
Wealth Dharani, Golden Light, Lu Torma, Torma of Retribu-
tion—power, fortune, and wealth will increase.
(e) Undertaking: If your wishes are quickly fulfilled, all will be well. If [the
undertaking] is delayed, there will be a great danger of obstruction.
Ritual remedies:
Ornament of the Peak of the Victorious Banner, Layers of Auspi-
ciousness, Dispelling the Darkness of the Ten Directions (many

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174 chapter 3
(f) ཁ་མཆུ་རྒྱལ་ཕམ་ཇི་ལྟར་འབྱུང་ཞེ་ན། རྒྱལ་ཁ་ཐོབ་ཅིང་འཕྲལ་ཕུགས་གཉིས་ཀར་ཕན་སླེབ་ཆེ་
བ་ཡོང་བའི་ངོ་།
(g) ནད་ཕྱྭ་ནི། ནད་མྱུར་དུ་གྲོལ་ངོ་དང་ནད་མཇུག་a ཐོན་པར་གདའ། རིམས་ནད་b རླུང་ནད། རྨ་
འགྲུམ་c སོགས་ཀྱི་ངོ་ཆེ་བས། རྡོར་གཅོད་གྲངས་མང་། གདུགས་དཀར། གསེར་འོད། ཉི་ཁྲི། འབྱུང་

165 བཞི་གཏོར་མ། རླུང་བསྐྱེད་ཅོད་པཎ་འཛུག
(h) སྲོག་ཕྱྭ་ནི། ཚེའི་གཡུང་དྲུང་ལ་རྟག་བརྟན་ཐིག་ལེས་སྤྲས་ཞེས་ཚེ་སྲོག་བརྟན་པར་མཆིས་སོ།
(i) གདོན་ཕྱྭ་ནི། ཀླུ།d གཉན་བཙན་ཡུལ་ལྷ་བཅས་ཀྱིས་གནོད་པས། ཀླུ་གཏོར། ཀླུ་འབུམ། ཀླུའི་
སྤང་སྐོང་། བཙན་མདོས། ཡུལ་ལྷའི་བསངས་དང་གསེར་སྐྱེམས། ལན་ཆགས་གཏོར་མ་བཅས་

བསྒྲུབ་བ།
166 (j1) སྨན་པ་ཨེ་འཕྲོད་ཅེ་ན། སྨན་པ་བསྟེན་ཙམ་གྱིས་ངོ་སོ་ཡོང་བར་འདུག་པས་མྱུར་དུ་བསྟེན་ན་
ལེགས།
(j2) སྨན་དཔྱད་ཨེ་འཕྲོད་ཅེ་ན། སྨན་པའི་ངག་བཞིན་བྱས་ན་འཕྲལ་ཕུགས་གཉིས་ཀར་བཟང་བར་
(k) སྲིད་ཕྱྭ་ནི། དཔག་བསམ་ཤིང་e ལ་གསེར་གྱི་སྙེ་མ་འཁྲུངས་ཞེས་སྲུང་མའམ་ཚེ་རིང་མཆེད་

167 ལྔའི་གསོལ་མཆོད། སོར་འབྲང་གཟུངས་དང་། སྲུང་འཁོར་འདོགས་དང་སྲིད་འཕེལ་ལོ།
aC 111, B 123: nad ’jug. b C 111, B 124: nad na [/ las] rims dang. cC 111: rma nad ’gram. dB 124:
klu sman. e B 124: g.yu’i dpag bsam ljon shing.

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times), offerings and invocations to gods and guardians—the chance is high

that [the undertaking] will be quickly accomplished.
(f) Victory or defeat in a court case: You will obtain victory, and in both the
short and long term there will be a chance that great benefit will arise.
(g) Disease: There is a chance of quick relief from sickness, and the sickness
will be rooted out. There is a great danger of contagious diseases, wind diseases,
wounds spreading all over the body, and so forth.
Ritual remedies:
Vajra Cutter (many times), White Parasol Dharani, Golden Light,
Pancavimsatisahasrika Prajnaparamita Sutra, Torma of the Four
Elements, making a Wind-Generating Chevron.
(h) Life force: The svastika of life is ornamented with the mark (thig le, Skt.
tilaka?) of permanence and stability; thus, the life force will be stable.
(i) Evil spirits: Lu, nyen, tsen, and yül-la are causing harm.
Ritual remedies:
Lu Torma, Hundred Thousand Lu, Mending Breaches of the Lu,
Thread Cross of Tsen Spirit, smoke offerings and the golden libations
(gser skyems) of the yül-la, Torma of Retribution.
(j1) Doctor: Since there will be an effect by merely consulting the doctor, if you
quickly consult him, it will be good.
(j2) Medicine and medical treatment: If you follow the doctor’s orders, it will
be good in both the short and the long term.
(k) Offspring: Golden ears of corn grow forth on the wish-fulfilling tree.
Ritual remedies:
Offering to the Guardians or Offering to the Five Sisters of
Long Life, Mahapratisara Dharani, wearing protective amulets—the
offspring will increase.

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176 chapter 3
(l) དགྲ་ཕྱྭ་ནི། དགྲའི་དཔུང་ཞིག་དཔའ་ངར་ཡལ་གོ་མཚོན་གྲུམ་a ཞེས་དགྲ་ངོ་མེད་ཅིང་བཟང་ངོ་།
(m) མགྲོན་པོ་ཨེ་ཡོང་ཞེ་ན། མྱུར་དུ་གཏམ་དང་་བཅས་ནས་ཡོང་བའི་ངོ་།b
(n) ཚོང་ཕྱྭ་ནི། ལྷ་བཟང་པོས་གྲོགས་མཛད་པས་ཚོང་རྒྱལ། ཐག་རིང་འགྲོ་དགོས་ཡིན་ན་ལམ་བདེ་
བར་མཆིས་སོ།
168 (o) ལམ་ཕྱྭ་ནི། དགྲ་རྐུན་གྱི་འཚེ་བ་མེད་ཅིང་ཅི་བསམ་འགྲུབ་པའི་ངོ་ཆེའོ།
(p) བོར་སྟོར་ཨེ་རྙེད་ཅེ་ན། གསེར་དངུལ་སོགས་ནོར་ཟོང་གི་རིགས་ཡིན་ན་c ནང་གི་མི་འོས་མེད་
གཅིག་གིས་བརྐུས་པའི་ངོ་། བཙལ་མི་དགོས་པར་ལག་ཏུ་འབྱོར་བའམ། ཡང་ན་རྙེད་བཀའ་བའི་ངོ་།

རྟ་ནོར་སོགས་བོར་བ་ཡིན་ན་ཐག་མི་རིང་བ་ནས་རྩད་ཆོད་པའི་ངོ་།
169 ༼18༽ ཤོ་མིག་བཅོ་བརྒྱད་ལ་བབ་ན། ལར་མོ་འདི་འབྲིང་་སྟོད་ཙམ་ཡིན། བསྟན་པའི་ཆོས་ཕྱྭ་

འམ་གཞི་མོ་ནི། དཔལ་ལྡན་ལྷ་མོས་བདག་ཅག་ལ།d དངོས་གྲུབ་སྩོལ་ཞིང་བར་ཆད་སེལ། ཅི་
བསམ་འགྲུབ་ཅིང་དགོས་འདོད་འབྱུང་། བདེ་ལེགས་ཀུན་འབྱུང་མོ་འདི་ནི། བཟང་པོ་ཀུན་གྱི་མཇུག་
སྡུད་པ། འཕྲལ་དུ་ངན་ཡང་ཕུགས་སུ་བཟང་།e ཞེས་པ་སྟེ་བསྟན་སྲིད་ལར་རྒྱའི་རིགས་ཆེན་པོ་དང་
170 ཕུགས་ཀྱི་གཞི་མོར་བརྟན་རྒྱ་ཆེ་ཞིང་བཟང་བའི་ངོ་། འཕྲལ་དུ་བློ་འགྱོད་དང་ཁ་སྨྲས། བྱ་བ་ལམ་དུ་
རྒྱུག་མིན་ཕྲན་བུ་ཙམ་ཡོང་བས་ལྷ་སྲུང་སྤྱི་དང་ལྷ་མོའི་བསྐང་བ་། འབུམ། སྒྲོལ་ཤེར། མཚན་བརྗོད་
བཅས་བསྒྲུབ་ན་བཟང་ངོ་།
aC 113, B 124: dgra yi dpung zhig / dpa’ bo’i dar yol [/ dad yal]/ rno ba’i mtshon bskums/. bB 124:
gtam snyan dang bcas ste myur du ’ong, C 113f.: myur du gtam snyan dang bcas te ’ong. cB 124:
zog rigs; C 114: nang zong gi rigs. d B 125 has instead of this line: skal ldan gyi skyes bu khyod nyid
la// ’dod khams kyi bdag mo rab dgyes te//. e B 125: bstan srid dang phugs kyi lar rgyar gzhi mo
brtan cing bzang.

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(l) Enemies: “A host of enemies, who are past the prime of their braveness,
draw back their sharp weapons.” Thus, there will be no danger of enemies, and
all will be well.127
(m) Travelers: There is a chance that they will come quickly with pleasant
words.128
(n) Trade: Since you receive help from excellent gods, you will be successful in
your trade. If you have to travel a long way, the path will be comfortable.
(o) Travel: There will be no danger from enemies and thieves, and there is an
excellent chance that you will accomplish your intentions.
(p) Lost items: If they are articles of wealth such as gold and silver, there is
a danger that a close-by (nang gi) criminal has stolen them. They will either
come back into your hands without the need to search for them or, otherwise,
there is a danger that they will be difficult to find. If pack animals went astray,
there is a chance to track them down not far away.
(18) When eighteen pips show on the dice

Generally, the prognosis is above average. The outlook concerning religion, or
Palden Lhamo! Bestow on us

siddhis and remove obstacles!
May every wish be accomplished and the necessary and desired things
arise.
This prognosis of the arising of happiness and excellence
is the conclusion of all excellence.
It may be bad in the short term, but all will be well in the long term.
Thus, the situation concerning more significant issues of your religious tradi-
tion and the general Mo for the future are stable, increasing, and good. Tem-
porarily, there will be regret and bad talk, and you will not work out activities
in their details.

128 Following B 124.

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178 chapter 3
(a) ཁྱིམ་ཕྱྭ་ནི། ནམ་ཕུགས་བདེ་ཞིང་སྐྱིད་པ་ཡོང་། འཕྲུལ་དུ་འཐབ་འཛིང་དང་ཁ་མཆུ། ན་རེས་བྱེད་

171 པ་a དང་གོད་ངོ་ཕྲན་བུ་ཡོད་པས་བརྒྱད་སྟོང་། གསེར་འོད། གཡང་སྐྱབས། ནོར་གཟུངས། གཏོར་མ་
བརྒྱ་རྩ། གདུགས་དཀར་བཅས་བསྒྲུབ་བོ།
(b1) ཁང་ས་ཡུལ་ས་འཛིན་པ་ཨེ་འཕྲོད་ཅེ་ན། ས་དེར་རྒྱལ་འགོང་དང་། ཀླུ་གཉན་གནས་པས་ནོར་b
ལ་ཤི་གོད་འབྱུང་ཡང་ཧ་ཅང་མི་ངན་པས་འབྲིང་སྨད་དོ།
(b2) འཚོར་སར་གོད་ངོ་འབྱུང་ངོ་ཆེ་བས་སྤོས་ན་ལེགས།
172 (c) གྲོགས་ཕྱྭ་ནི། གྲོགས་ཕྲན་བུ་ཙམ་མྱུར་དུ་འོང་ངོ་ལས་རྔམས་ཆེན་མི་ཡོང་c བར་གདའ་འོ།
(d) ནོར་ཕྱྭ་ནི། ཟས་ནོར་སྤྱིར་གང་སྟོང་སྣ་ཚོགས་འབྱུང་བས་འགྱུར་ལྡོག་གི་ངོ་། ཁྱད་པར་རྟ་དྲེལ་ཤི་
གོད་ཀྱི་ངོ་ཡོད་པས་རྣམ་སྲས་བསྐང་བ། ཡུལ་ལྷ་གསོལ་མཆོད། ལྷ་བསངས་དང་། ཀླུ་བསངས། རྟ་

གཟུངས། རྟ་བསངས། རྟ་གླུད། རྟ་མགྲིན་བཟློག་པ། ནོར་གཟུགས། གསེར་འོད་བཅས་བསྒྲུབ་བོ།
aC 116: na re dang ’gyod; B 125: om. b C 116, B 125: rta nor. cC 117, B 126: om. las rngams chen
mi yong.

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Ritual remedies:
Appeasement to gods and guardians, Appeasement of the Lha mo, Large
Hundred-Thousand Lines Prajnaparamita, Tārā, and Prajñāpāramitā
[practices], Uttering the Names.
(a) Household: Eventually, there will be happiness and joy. Temporarily, there
will be fights and disputes, [family members will] alternately get sick, and small
losses [of livestock] will occur.
Ritual remedies:
Eight Thousand Lines Prajnaparamita, Golden Light, Wealth
Protection, Wealth Dharani, One Hundred Tormas, White Para-
sol Dharani.
(b1) Building ground and inhabitable ground: On those places reside the gyal-
gong spirits and lunyen. Therefore, since even though death and loss will occur
to your livestock,129 it will mostly not be too bad, [this part of the prognosis] is
lower medium.
(b2) Pastures: Since there is a great danger of loss of livestock occurring, it will
be good when you move.
(c) Fortune: Besides a little fortune that is quick to arrive, there is no bountiful
fortune going to come.
(d) Wealth: Since, in general, various decrease and increase will occur con-
cerning food and wealth, there is the danger of change. In particular, there is a
danger that horses and mules will die or get lost.
Ritual remedies:
Appeasement of Vaishravana, Sutra of the Seal of Abandoning
and Mending, smoke offerings to the gods and lu, Horse Dharani, Horse
Smoke Offering, Horse Ransom, Hayagriva Repelling, Wealth
Dharani, Golden Light.
129 C 116, B 125 explicitly.

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180 chapter 3
173 (e) དོན་ཕྱྭ་ནི། བསྒྲུབ་པའི་དོན་དེ་དོན་དུ་གཉེར་བའི་ཕྱོགས་ཀྱི་འདྲེའམ། ཁྱིམ་གྱི་རྒྱལ་འགོང་ངམ།
ལྷོ་ཕྱོགས་ནས་བན་བོན་a བར་ཆད་ཀྱི་འདྲེས་གནོད་པས་ཇི་བཞིན་དོན་དེ་འགྲུབ་པར་དཀའ་བར་
(f) རྩོད་པ་རྒྱལ་ཕམ་ཇི་ལྟར་འབྱུང་ཞེ་ན། འཕྲལ་དུ་རྒྱལ་ཁ་ཐོབ་བ་མི་ཡོང་ནའང་། ཕུགས་བཟང་
ཞིང་བརྟན་པའི་ངོ་ཆེའོ།
174 (g) ནད་ཕྱྭ་ནི། འཕྲལ་དུ་དྲག་ངོ་བརྟས་b ཀྱང་། གཞི་ཆེ་བས་སྨན་དཔྱད་ཡུན་རིང་བསྟེན་དགོས་ངོ་
ཤར།c ནད་ལ་རླུང་མཁྲིས་དང་གདོན་ནད། འཁྲུ་སྐྱུག གློ་བའི་ནད་དང་། མཆིན་ནད་སོགས་འབྱུང་

ངོ་ཡོད་པས། འབུམ་རྒྱས་འབྲིང་བསྡུས་གསུམ། ཀུན་རིག སྨན་ལྷའི་ཆོ་ག་དང་དབང་། བཀྲ་ཤིས་
བརྩགས་པ། བརྒྱ་བཞི། འབྲུལ་གཏོར་ཆ་བཞི། འབྱུང་བཞི་གཏོར་མ་དང་གླུད་རྫོང་། སྲུང་མའི་གསོལ་
175 མཆོད་ཡང་ཡང་བསྐང་མདོས། སེང་གདོང་མའི་གཏོར་བཟློག་བཅས་བསྒྲུབ་བོ།
(h) སྲོག་ཕྱྭ་ནི། ཚེ་སྒྲུབ་སོགས་བྱས་ན་ཉེས་ངོ་མེད་ཅིང་བཟང་ངོ་། འོན་ཀྱང་ཚེ་དབང་ཞུ། ཚེ་ཐར། ཚེ་
གཟུངས། ཚེ་རྟ་ཟུང་འབྲེལ་དབང་། ཚེ་དཔག་མེད་ཀྱི་སྐུ་བརྒྱ་རྩ་བཞེངས།
aC 117: dpon por. b C 118, B 126: bstan. c B 126: om. the whole following sentence until yod pas.

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(e) Undertaking: Since the undertaking that you plan to accomplish will be
harmed by dré spirits that pursue [the same objective],130 or by the gyalgong
demon of the household, or by obstacle producing dré spirits, who are Buddhist
and Bön, from the southern direction, it will be difficult to accomplish it just as
planned.
(f) Victory or defeat in court cases: Even though you will not obtain victory
immediately, there is an excellent chance that in the long term it will be good
and stable.
(g) Disease: Although temporarily there is a beginning tendency of recovery,

since [the disease] is chronic, the prognosis indicates the necessity to keep the
medication and the medical treatment. Concerning sicknesses, there is a dan-
ger that wind diseases, bile diseases, diseases caused by demonic influences,
vomiting and diarrhea, lung diseases, and liver diseases, and so forth, may arise.
Ritual remedies:
paramita, Abbreviated Prajnaparamita, rituals and requesting empow-
erment of Vairocana and Medicine Buddha, Layers of Auspiciousness,
Four Hundred Offerings, Sprinkling Torma in Four Parts, Torma
of the Four Elements, Ransom, Offering to the Guardians (again
and again), Appeasement, Thread Cross, Torma and Repelling of
the Lion-Faced Dakini.
(h) Life force: If you practice the Life Accomplishment, and so forth, there
is no danger of a fault, and all will be well.
Further remedies:
Requesting the long life empowerment, Releasing Life, Life Dharani,
requesting the Combined Amitayus and Hayagriva Empowerment,
making a hundred statues of Amitayus.
130 These spirits need to be satisfied with the same things that we possess, and thus they are
offered replicas of horses, and so forth. In the case that is mentioned here, the demons
have the same goal and thus may become jealous and harmful. They have to receive a
matching offering to prevent their negative influence (Khenchen Nyima).

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182 chapter 3
(i) གདོན་ཕྱྭ་ནི། རྒྱལ་འགོང་ཀླུ་བཙན་སོགས་ཀྱིས་གནོད་པས་གསེར་འོད། གྲྭ་ལྔ། ཤེར་སྙིང་བདུད་

176 ཟློག ཀླུའི་གདོན་གྲོལ། རྒྱལ་གསོལ། བཙན་གསོལ། ཀླུ་བསངས། འབྱུང་བཞིའི་གཏོར་མ་བཅས་
གྲངས་མང་བསྒྲུབ་བོ།
(j1) སྨན་པ་ཨེ་འཕྲོད་ཅེ་ན། འཕྲལ་དུ་བསལ་བ་a དཀའ་ནའང་ནན་གྱིས་བསྟེན་ན་ཕན་ངོ་ཤར།
(j2) སྨད་དཔྱད་ཨེ་འཕྲོད་ཅེ་ན། འགྲུལ་གདོན་གྱིས་b འཕྲལ་དུ་འཕྲོད་དཀའ་c ཙམ་འོང་ན་ཡང་ཀླུ་

177 གཏོར། ཆབ་གཏོར། སྒྲོལ་ཤེར་བཅས་བསྒྲུབ་ན་ཕན་སླེབ་ཆེ་བའི་ངོ་།
(k) སྲིད་ཕྱྭ་ནི། ལྷ་སྲུང་མཆོད། སྐྱེས་ལྷ་དང་ཡུལ་ལྷ་གསོལ། སྒྲོལ་མ་འབུམ་ཐེར། སྨན་བླའི་ཆོ་ག
སོར་འབྲང་མའི་གཟུངས་དང་སྲུང་འཁོར་གྲྭ་ལྔ། ཏོག་གཟུངས། དགེ་འདུན་བསྙེན་བཀུར། རྟེན་ཁྱད་

པར་ཅན་ལ་སྐོར་བ་ཕྱག་མཆོད་སོགས་ཅི་ལྕོགས་བྱས་ན་སྲིད་འབྱུང་བས་བཟང་ངོ་།
178 (l) དགྲ་ཕྱྭ་ནི། དགྲ་ལྷའི་དཔང་བསྟོད། སྲུང་མའི་གསོལ་མཆོད། གཟུངས་འདུས། གདུགས་དཀར་
བཅས་བསྒྲུབ་ན་དགྲ་ངོ་མེད་ཅིང་བཟང་ངོ་།
(m) མགྲོན་པོ་ཨེ་ཡོང་ཞེ་ན། ཕྱི་དལ་གྱི་ངོ་ཡོད་ཀྱང་། རྒྱ་ཆེར་མི་འགྱང་ཡོང་བའི་ངོ་།
aC 119: ngo len ’phral du gsal; B 126: ’phral du ngo len gsal. bC 119: ’grul gnod; B 126: ’dre zhig gi
gnod pas. c C 119: phan dka’.

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(i) Evil spirits: There will be harm from gyalgong spirits and lunyen, and so
forth.
Ritual remedies:
Golden Light, Five Great Dharanis, Heart Sutra Repelling Prac-
tice, Release from the Lu’s Harm, Offering to Gyalpo, Offering
to Tsen, Lu Smoke Offering, Torma of the Four Elements (many
times).
(j1) Doctor: Even though it is difficult to counteract [the sickness] immediately,

a beneficial effect will arise if you heed the doctor[’s advice] with efforts.
(j2) Medicine and medical treatment: Due to harmful spirits coming along
with guests, it will temporarily be a bit difficult to [find] an appropriate [med-
icine or treatment].
Ritual remedies:
Lu Torma, Water Torma, Tārā and Prajñāpāramitā [practices]—there is an
excellent chance that there will be a benefit.
(k) Offspring: Offerings to gods and guardians, and to kyela and yül-la, one hun-
dred thousand Tārā [mantras], Medicine Buddha Ritual, Mahapratis-
ara Dharani, protective amulets of the Five Great Dharanis, Top Orna-
ment Dharani, respectful service to the ordained community, circumambu-
lations of and prostrations to a most sacred object, and so forth (whatever is
manageable)—you will get offspring, and thus all will be well.
(l) Enemies: Glorification of the Drala,131 Offering to the Guard-

ians, Collection of Dharanis, White Parasol Dharani—there will
be no danger of enemies, and it will be good.
(m) Travelers: It looks like there is the danger of a delay, but there is a chance
that it will not take much longer.
131 Here again spelled dgra lha.

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184 chapter 3
(n) ཚོང་ཕྱྭ་ནི། ཁེ་མེད་ངལ་བའི་རྒྱུ་ཡོང་སྐད་དོ།a
(o) ལམ་ཕྱྭ་ནི། ཐག་ཉེའི་རིགས་ལམ་བདེ་ཞིང་དོན་འགྲུབ་པའི་ངོ་། ཐག་རིང་ལ་བོར་སྟོར་དང་། ན་

179 ཚའི་ངོ་ཆེ་བས། སྲུང་མའི་གསོལ་མཆོད། གདུགས་དཀར་བཟློག་པ། ལྷ་བསངས། རླུང་བསྐྱེད་དར་
ལྕོགས་འཛུག་པ་བཅས་བསྒྲུབ་བོ།
(p) བོར་སྟོར་ཨེ་རྙེད་ཅེ་ན། ཐག་མི་རིང་བར་དོགས་བཅུག་ན་རིམ་གྱིས་ཁུངས་ཆོད་པའི་ངོ་ཡོད་ཀྱང་
གླེང་གཞི་ཆེ་བའི་ཉེན་ཡོད་པས་གདུགས་དཀར་སྒྲོགས། གསོལ་ཁ་དང་བསངས་བཅས་མཆོད་ན་
བདེ་བར་ལག་ཏུ་འབྱོར་རོ།།
180 ཞེས་ཨ་ཕྱི་ཆོས་ཀྱི་སྒྲོལ་མའི་ཤོ་མོ་སྣང་སྲིད་གསལ་བའི་མེ་ལོང་ཞེས་བྱ་བའི་རྣོ་མཐོང་སྒྲུབ་ཚུལ་
དང་། དེའི་འགྲེལ་བཤད་དང་བཅས་པ་བླ་མ་གོང་མ་རྣམས་ཀྱིས་མཛད་པ་མང་ཡང་ངོས་འཛིན་
དཀའ་བས། འདིར་དོན་ཐམས་ཅད་བསྡུས་ནས་གསལ་བར་བྱས་པ་འདི་ཡང་། དཀོན་མཆོག་འཕྲིན་
ལས་བཟང་པོས་སྦྱར་བའོ།།
aB 127: khe med ngal ba che ba’i rgyu yin pas then; C 120: khe med gyod med ngal ba che ba’i rgyu
yin.

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(n) Trade: It looks like there will be no profit and [only] the cause for exhaus-
tion.132
(o) Travel: There is a chance that short travel will be comfortable and that you
will accomplish your aims. There is a great danger of loss and illness on long
travels.
Ritual remedies:
Offering to the Guardians, White Parasol Repelling, smoke offer-
ings to the gods, making a Wind-Generating Chevron.
(p) Lost items: If you put your attention nearby, there is a chance that clues
will be gradually revealed, but there is the danger of great disputes.
Ritual remedies:
White Parasol Dharani, Petition and smoke offerings—happiness will
come to you.
[Author’s colophon]: The manner of accomplishing the “sharp vision” of the

Dice Divination of Achi Dharma Tārā: The Clear Mirror of Phenomenal Existence
together with its explanatory commentary is such that it is difficult to identify
the many contributions by the former gurus; thus, Könchog Trinlé Zangpo has
here summarised the matter and composed this clarification.
132 B 127: khe med ngal ba che ba’i rgyu yin pas then; C 120f.: khe med gyod med ngal ba che ba’i
rgyu yin.

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chapter 4
Mālā Divination
1 Treng Mo: A Popular Tibetan Way of Divining with a Mālā
Translation, Interviews, and Discussion
By Solvej Hyveled Nielsen
Among the many tools for divination mentioned in the introduction of this
book, the most popular one among Tibetan Buddhist lamas and lay practition-
ers is a string of 108 beads (Skt. mālā, Tib. phreng ba). It is in Buddhist practices
a popular tool for counting activities like mantra recitation, breaths, or pros-
trations. It is both used when a diviner, often a lama, performs divination for
a client, and when experts and non-experts make divination for themselves. A
mālā is always at hand and continuously blessed through daily ritual use so that
the relationship of most Tibetans to their personal mālā is often charged with
religious sentiments. It is, therefore, a sacred randomizing tool1 in everyone’s
hand. Dice (Tib. sho), on the other hand, are not a typical commodity item, and,
moreover, they would have to be produced explicitly for divination practice
since ordinary gambling dice are not acceptable in this context. Both my infor-
mants, Khenchen Nyima Gyaltsen Rinpoche and Dorzin Konchog Dhondrup
Rinpoche,2 say that they use the mālā when they perform divination. More-
over, as we will see, the mālā can be used as a substitute for the dice even in
dice divinations, such as the Achi Mo.
There are many different ways of holding the mālā and counting its beads for
the divination, but it seems to be common to all that the diviner has to obtain
three results in a sequence.3 In the mālā divination manuals, each of these three
results is typically obtained through two counts of beads, producing two num-
bers, whereas the orally transmitted systems explained by Khenchen Nyima
1 As Jan-Ulrich Sobisch explained in the introduction, an (etic) technical term for the dice, the
mālā, and other tools for divination would be “tools for randomization.” From an emic per-
spective, as explained by Khenchen Nyima Gyaltsen, however, these are instead tools that
manifest the awakened activities (’phrin las) of the respective deity.
2 For biographical information about Dorzin Dhondrup, see the interview section below.
3 The mālā divination manual T2, however, does not mention this three-fold repetition. The
mālā divination manuals T1–T4, which are all ascribed to Atiśa, will be described below.

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mālā divination 187
and Dorzin Dhondrup (see below) are more simplified and only operate with
one count for each of the three sequential results. The numbers are then
analyzed according to the particular system that the diviner is using, either
transmitted in a written or oral form, and there seems to always be room for
his or her intuitional judgment of the outcome concerning the situation or
client.4
The present chapter contains a translation of a short manual of mālā divina-
tion (= T1) that is ascribed to the great Indian Buddhist master Atiśa Dīpaṁkara
Srījñāna (b. 982CE) of the Buddhist university of Vikramaśilā in North-East
India.5 Atiśa was invited to Tibet in the early 1040s and taught there until his
death in 1054. The title and colophon of the manual mention that Atiśa had
received the text by way of a revelation from the deity Tārā. Apart from this
text, there are at least two other, substantially different mālā divination manu-
als of Tārā ascribed to Atiśa.6 One of them (= T2) was briefly mentioned above
(ftn. 3). It was scanned in Bhutan by Karma Phuntsho as part of the Endangered
Archives project. The manuscript has eight pages and is handwritten in a fairly
standard Tibetan dbu can script, but with some orthographic abbreviations and
variant spellings. The other manual (= T3) is available in handwritten Tibetan
dbu med script among the writings of the female Tibetan adept Sera Khandro
(1892–1940). It also has eight pages (pp. 513–520 of the volume) and is the only
Tārā mālā divination that I have seen so far prescribing preliminary recitations
of Tārā’s mantra before performing the divination. A unique feature is that the
introductory and concluding lines, as well as the liturgical instructions (“recite
seven times,” etc.), are written in ’khyug yig script.
There are a few modern prints of the T1 Tārā Mo, but also an old Bhutanese
manuscript (= T4), which was scanned by Karma Phuntsho under the Aris Trust
Centre of Oxford University. This manuscript has an introduction of two and
a half pages (not contained in the other available versions of the manuscript)
with prayers and a few explanatory lines that are difficult to understand, partly
because of the non-standard orthography. It contains numerous variants of
spellings and grammatical particles, which are much less standard than those
in the version (T1) translated here. The T1 version was published in Delhi in
1997 by Konchhog Lhadrepa and is the only text on mālā divination from a col-
4 Khenchen Nyima emphasized the diviner’s intuition many times during the interviews; see
also Lama Chime (1981: 16) on this point.
5 I am very grateful to the venerable Khentrul Khorchak Rinpoche of the Sakya College in Dehra
Dun, India, for his kind explanations of difficult phrases and terms in this text.
6 Martin (forthcoming, p. 7, ftn. 14) also mentions a possible existence of a mālā divination
manual by Atiśa in Mongolian language.

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188 chapter 4
lection of twenty-two divination texts, altogether entitled “Various Divinations:

Source of Benefit and Happiness” (’Phrul mo sna tshogs phan bde’i ’byung gnas).
The fact that there are several similar, but at the same time astonishingly
different, Tārā mālā divination manuals ascribed to Atiśa shows the high mobil-
ity and even plasticity (Sobisch’s term) of the Tibetan divination manuals. The
general substance and structure of the manuals is the same, but the content
of the divination is shaped into very different forms. There is, furthermore, yet
another Tārā divination manual of the twenty-one Tārās ascribed to Atiśa; how-
ever, this one does not employ a mālā, but is to be performed with white and
black barley grains or beads.7
The Tārā Mo manual translated here (T1) is in many ways similar to the Achi
Mo manual, but much briefer. The sentences are short, and the titles of the rit-
ual remedies are abbreviated. When these titles are given in small caps, they
can be found in the appendix “Alphabetical List of Ritual Remedies and Sup-
ports” in this book. In contrast to the remedies of the Achi manual, however,
most of the remedies of the Tārā manual are not as specified but mentioned in
a more general way.
In addition to the translation, the present chapter also offers a description
of the orally transmitted systems of performing mālā divinations explained by
Khenchen Nyima and Dorzin Dhondrup. The chapter concludes with a few
remarks of comparison between the described methods.
2 Tibetan Text and Translation of the Divination Manual of Tārā
༼1—1༽ The Tibetan brackets with numbers refer to the beads left after
counting.
༼+—+༽ These Tibetan brackets refer to the positive and negative results of
three consecutive prognoses.
64 The numbers in the left margin refer to the page numbers of the
Tibetan text published by Konchhog Lhadrepa.
7 This text is entitled sGrol ma nyer gcig ma’i gsal ba’i mgron mo, and Dan Martin mentions it
as a nine folio publication from Lhasa, printed by Par-pa Dpal-ldan (see Martin’s blog http://
tibeto‑logic.blogspot.dk/, “Padampa’s Rosary Divination,” posted 31.05.2013).

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63 རྗེ་བཙུན་སྒྲོལ་མས་ཇོ་བོ་རྗེ་དཔལ་ལྡན་ཨ་ཏི་ཤ་ལ་ལུང་བསྟན་པའི་འཕྲེང་མོ་འདི་ལ་རང་གི་ལག་
པ་གཡས་པ་ཨ་ལས་ཟླ་བའི་དཀྱིལ་འཁོར། གཡོན་རཾ་ལས་ཉི་མའི་དཀྱིལ་འཁོར་དུ་སྒོམ། འཕྲེང་
བ་དགྲ་བཅོམ་པར་བསམ། དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་ལ་ཕྱག་འཚལ་ལོ། །བརྒྱུད་པའི་བླ་མ་རྣམས་
ལ་ཕྱག་འཚལ་ལོ། །དུས་གསུམ་གྱི་སངས་རྒྱས་དང་བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའ་ཐམས་ཅད་ཀྱིས་རྣོ་
བའི་མོ་སྟོན་མཛོད་ཅིག །ཇོ་བོ་དཔལ་ལྡན་ཨ་ཏི་ཤ་ལ་ཕྱག་འཚལ་ལོ། །རྣོ་བའི་མོ་སྟོན་མཛོད་ཅིག
།མཁྱེན་རབ་ཀྱི་བདག་པོ་འཕགས་པ་འཇམ་དཔལ་ལ་ཕྱག་འཚལ་ལོ། །རྣོ་བའི་མོ་སྟོན་མཛོད་ཅིག
ཐུགས་རྗེའི་བདག་ཉིད་འཕགས་པ་སྤྱན་རས་གཟིགས་ལ་ཕྱག་འཚལ་ལོ། རྣོ་བའི་མོ་སྟོན་མཛོད་
ཅིག །མཐུ་སྟོབས་ཀྱི་བདག་པོ་ཕྱག་ན་རྡོ་རྗེ་ལ་ཕྱག་འཚལ་ལོ། རྣོ་བའོ་མོ་སྟོན་མཛོད་ཅིག །ཕྲིན་
64 ལས་ཀྱི་བདག་པོ་རྗེ་བཙུན་སྒྲོལ་མ་ལ་ཕྱག་འཚལ་ལོ། རྣོ་བའི་མོ་སྟོན་མཛོད་ཅིག ལེགས་ཉེས་ཀྱི་
ཤན་ཕྱེ། དྲང་པོར་ཕོབ་ཅིག མཐུ་སྟོབས་བདེན་པར་སྟོན་ཅིག ། ཅེས་མོ་བརྡར་རོ། འཕྲེང་བ་གཉིས་སུ་
བཅད་དེ་གསུམ་དུ་འདྲེན་ནོ།།
༼1—1༽ དེ་ལ་གཅིག་ཕྱིར་གཅིག་བྱུང་ན། ཤིང་སྐམ་པོ་ལ་ལོ་འདབ་རྒྱས། ལུང་པ་སྐམ་པོ་ཆུ་

མིག་རྡོལ། མོ་སྐམ་པོ་ལ་བུ་སྐྱེས། དབུལ་པོ་ལ་ཟས་ནོར་རྙེད། བདས་ན་ཟིན། བྲོས་ན་ཐར། དོན་

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63 For this mālā divination, which was revealed by the Exalted Tārā to the glorious
Lord Atiśa, visualize your right hand as a moon disk arising from the syllable A,
and your left hand as a sun disk arising from the syllable RAṂ. Think of your
mālā as an Arhat. [Pray as follows] to hone the divination:
Homage to the Three Jewels!

Homage to the gurus of the lineage!
Buddhas of the three times and all bodhisattvas, please show me a clear
divination!
Homage to the glorious Lord Atiśa!
Please show me a clear divination!
Homage to the Lord of Wisdom, noble Mañjuśrī!
Homage to the Embodiment of Compassion, noble Avalokiteśvara!
Homage to the Lord of Power, Vajrapāṇi!
Homage to the Lord of Awakened Activities, exalted Tārā!
64 Please show me a clear divination!
May it turn out to be upright and differentiate good and bad!
Show it to me powerfully and truthfully!
Divide the mālā into two parts8 and count three beads at a time.
(1—1) When you get one and then one again: Leaves and petals will flourish on
a dry tree. Spring water will gush forth in a dry valley. A son will be born to a bar-
ren woman. The poor will find food and wealth. If you chase someone, you will
catch him. If you escape, you will be free.9 Your aims will be accomplished. If
you wonder whether you will meet someone, you will meet him. If you wonder
8 The diviner parts the mālā randomly and counts the beads to obtain two numbers between
one and three. Khenchen Nyima demonstrated how he parts the mālā by grasping it with two
fingers of the right hand at two points simultaneously, creating thereby a loop. Then he grasps
with the left hand a random bead to the left of the point where his right hand holds the loop.
He then counts the beads between the left and the right hand with his left hand, three at a
time, until either one, two, or three beads left. This is the first number. The second number
is obtained by opening the loop and counting the beads that were contained in the stretch
of the mālā between the two points where the two fingers held the mala (before opening the
loop), until either one, two, or three beads are left.
9 Khenchen Nyima explains for a similar sentence that occurs in the Achi Mo manual (P 88),
that it is a case of cryptic poetry requiring the diviner’s intuition.

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192 chapter 4
གྲུབ། ཨེ་ཕྲད་ཟེར་ན་ཕྲད། ཨེ་བདེན་ཟེར་ན་བདེན། གྲོགས་ཕྱྭ་ལ་གྲོགས་ཆེ། གདོན་ཕྱྭ་ནི་ཤར་ཕྱོགས་

ནས་མི་སྐྱ་བོའི་ནོར་ཕྱིར་འདྲེ་བོ་གནམ་ཐེའུས་གནོད། ཚོང་ཡིན་ན་རྒྱལ། དགྲ་ཕྱྭ་ལ་དགྲ་མེད། ཅི་ལ་
བཏབ་ཀྱང་བཟང་ངོ༌།།
༼1—2༽ གཅིག་ཕྱིར་གཉིས་བྱུང་ན། གྲོགས་ཕྱྭ་བཟང་། ཚོང་ཕྱྭ་རང་རྒྱལ། སྒྱེད་བུ་མགོ་གསུམ་

65 གྱི་ངོ་། སྦྲུམ་པའི་ངོ་ཡིན་བཟང་ངོ༌། སྲོག་ཕྱྭ་ལ་གསོས་པའི་ངོ༌། ཨེ་ཡོང་ན་ཡོང་འདྲེ་བོས་གནོད། དགྲ་
ཕྱྭ་དགྲ་མེད། སྔངས་སྐྲག་ཡོང་། ཨེ་འགྲོ་ན་མི་འགྲོ། སྡོད་ན་བཟང་། འཕྲད་ཕྱི་ཐལ་ཏེ་ཕུགས་བཟང་ངོ་
། ནད་པ་ཡོད་ན་རྣམ་འཇོམས་ཀྱི་ཁྲུས་བྱས་ན་བཟང་ངོ༌།།
༼1—3༽ གཅིག་ཕྱིར་གསུམ་བྱུང་ན། དགྲ་མུན་ལྟར་འཐིབས། ཞྭ་གོས་ཆུས་ཁྱེར་གྱི་ངོ་། མཁར་

རྨངས་བྱེ་མ་ལ་བྱས། བྱེ་མ་ཆུས་ཁྱེར་གྱི་ངོ་། སྲོག་ཕྱྭ་ལ་ལུས་བསྒྱུར་མིང་སྤོ། སེམས་ཅན་ཚེ་ཐར་
ཐོང་། མར་མེ་ཉིན་སྤར་གྱིས། ཅི་ལ་བཏབ་ཀྱང་ངན་པར་འདུག །གོས་རྙིང་པ་བོར་བའི་ངོ་། ཕྱུགས་
རྨིག་པ་ཅན་ལ་ངན། མི་ཁ་སྡང་། གདོན་ཕྱྭ་ལ་རྐང་ཐང་ཕྱི་ནས་འབྲང་བའི་འགབ་འདྲེས་གནོད། ཆུ་

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whether something is true, it is true. The outlook concerning fortune indicates

that there will be a vast fortune. The outlook concerning evil spirits indicates
harm from dré and namtéu spirits10 who follow lay people’s possessions from
the eastern direction. If you do business, it will be successful. The outlook con-
cerning enemies indicates no enemies. Whatever your inquiry is, the result will
be good.
(1—2) When you get one and then two: The outlook concerning fortune is pos-
itive. The outlook concerning business indicates success. This sign of a tripod
hearth [made of] three heads is a sign of pregnancy and is good.11 The outlook
concerning life force indicates signs of recovery. If you wonder whether some-
65 one will arrive, he will arrive. There is harm from drewo spirits. The outlook
concerning enemies indicates no enemies, [but] panic will strike you. If you
wonder whether you should go, do not go. If you stay, it will be good. In the
short term,12 there will be a delay,13 but in the long term, it will be good. If there
are ill persons, it is good to perform Vidarana Ablution.
(1—3) When you get one and then three: Enemies will envelop you like dark-
ness. There is a danger that your hat and clothes will be carried away by water.
There is a sign that the foundation of a building will crumble into sand, and the
sand will be carried away by water. For the outlook concerning life force, you
should transform your appearance and change your name,14 perform Releas-
ing Life of sentient beings, and burn butter lamps all day. Whatever your
inquiry is, the result will be bad.
There is a danger of losing old clothes. This prognosis is, moreover, bad for
the hoofed cattle. There will be hostile gossip. The outlook concerning evil spir-
its indicates harm from gabdré spirits that follow and tag along with travelers
on foot. Chudré and médré (fire spirits) will cause harm. You should perform
smoke offerings to the gods and ablution practices.
10 For the Tibetan spelling of the spirits given in transcription, see the appendix “Glossary of
deities and spirits.”
11 According to Korchak Rinpoche, this metaphor of a tripod hearth is positive and tied to
the number three (also below, T1 66, “two and one”).
12 Read ’phral as in the very similar sentences in T1 69.
13 Read phyi dal as in T1 66.
14 For an explanation of this practice, which entails a complete change of one’s clothes, see
the chapter “Special Terminology” under ming brje lus bsgyur.

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194 chapter 4
འདྲེ་མེ་འདྲེས་གནོད། ལྷ་བསངས་དང་ཁྲུས་བྱ། ཨེ་ཡོང་། ཨེ་འགྲུབ། ཨེ་བདེན་ཟེར་ཚད་མེད། དགྲ་

66 ཕྱྭ་དགྲ་དང་ཕྲད། མི་ཁ་དགྲ་སྒྲུབ་བྱའོ། གྲོགས་ཕྱྭ་ལ་ལྟོགས་འདྲེས་གནོད། གདོན་ཕྱྭ་གདོན་ཆུང་།
ཚོང་ཕྱྭ་ཕམ་པའི་ངོ་།
༼2—1༽ གཉིས་ཕྱིར་གཅིག་བྱུང་ན། ཁྱིམ་ཕྱྭ་ལ་བཟང་། སྒྱེད་བུ་གསུམ་གྱི་ངོ་། རྐུན་མའི་མོ་ལ་

བཟང་། གྲོགས་ཕྱྭ་གྲོགས་ཡོད། སྙིང་དང་འདྲ་བ་གཅིག་དང་ཕྲད་པའི་ངོ་ཡིན། གྲོགས་ལ་ཁ་ཆུའི་ངོ་
། ཚོང་ཕྱྭ་བཟང་། བུད་མེད་ཁ་མཆུ་ཅན་ལ་བུ་གཅིག་སྐྱེ། དགྲ་ཕྱྭ་ཞག་ལྔ་དྲུག་ཚུན་ལ་སྔངས་སྐྲགས་
ཡོང་། དགྲ་མནན་བྱའོ། ཕྱི་དལ་ཆེ། གདོན་ཕྱྭ་ལ་བུད་མེད་ཀྱི་བཙོག་གྲིབ་བྱས་པའི་གྲིབ་ལྷ་ལ་ཕོག
།ལྷ་བསངས་དང་ཁྲུས་བྱའོ། མོ་འབྲིང་།

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There will be limitless wondering: “Will he come? Will it get accomplished?

Is it true?” The outlook concerning enemies indicates that you will encounter
enemies. You should perform repelling of hostile gossip.15 The outlook concern-
66 ing fortune indicates harm from togdré spirits. The outlook concerning evil
spirits indicates few evil spirits. The outlook concerning business indicates a
danger of loss.
(2—1) When you get two and then one: The outlook concerning the household
is good. The tripod hearth is the sign of this prognosis.16 It is good for thieves.17
The outlook concerning fortune indicates a fortune. There is a chance that you
will meet a soul mate. There is a danger of getting into a dispute18 with friends.
The outlook concerning business is good. A quarrelsome woman will give birth
to a son. The outlook concerning enemies indicates that within five to six days,
panic will strike. You should perform “suppressing enemies.”
There will be a considerable delay. The outlook concerning evil spirits indi-
cates that the gods will be offended by the contamination from women’s unsan-
itary handling of their menstruation.19 You should make smoke offerings to the
gods and ablution practices. This prognosis is average.
15 A few ritual remedies that appear below with similar titles probably refer to something
like the Repelling of Hostile Gossip in the appendix. These are mi kha dgra sgrub,
“suppressing enemies” (dgra mnan), and “repelling enemies” (dgra bzlog). The Achi Mo
(P 26) has dgra grub referring to the same remedy. See the chapter “Special Terminology”
under mi kha dgra bzlog.
16 See above, ftn. 11.
17 What appears to be counsel for thieves (and also concerning warfare) is something that
one finds quite often in divination manuals, and that would certainly make an interesting
research subject. Both Khorchak Rinpoche and Khenchen Nyima confirmed that there is
an element of counsel for thieves in these divination manuals.
18 Read kha mchu.
19 Khorchak Rinpoche explains that according to old beliefs, this happens if women drop
some menstruation blood on the special places where the lu and gods live, or even if
women stay at these places while having their period. A related term is pang grib, “con-
tamination from giving birth,” which happens if the birth-giving women (called pang ma)
drops blood and other pregnancy fluids on the ground. The verb here is btsog grib byas
pa, which can also refer to contaminating oneself through fratricide or unethical sexual
behavior (Tshe tan).

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196 chapter 4
༼2—2༽ གཉིས་ཕྱིར་གཉིས་བྱུང་ན། བཞི་ཕྲད་པས་ངན་པ་ཡིན། རིམས་ཞག་བཞི་དང་ཟླ་བ་

བཞིན་པའི་ངོ་ཡིན། གདོན་ཕྱྭ་བན་བོན་གྱི་བྱད་ཁ་དང་། བཙན་དང་བདུད། སྐྱས་ནག་དང་ཤ་དམར་གྱི་
67 ཕྱི་ནས་གནོད། བུད་མེད་སྤར་འཛིན་བྱས་པས་མནོན་གྲིབ་ལངས་ལྷ་མ་དགའ། འཐབ་འཁོན་གྱི་ངོ་
། ཆས་ནག་གཅིག་གི་ཕྱི་ནས་མནོན་གྲིབ་ཕོག །བོན་གཙང་མས་ལྷ་གསོལ་ཞིང་ཁྲུས་བྱས་ན་ཕན།
གྲིབ་སེལ་དང་། དགྲ་བཟློག་གྱིས། མི་ཁ་དགྲ་སྒྲུབ་བྱ། ཅི་ལ་བཏབ་ཀྱང་ངན་ནོ།།
༼2—3༽ གཉིས་ཕྱིར་གསུམ་བྱུང་ན། གསེར་གྱི་སྤང་བཟང་ལ་འབྲས་ཀྱི་ལྗང་པ་སྐྱེ། གཡུའི་མེ་

ཏོག་འཁྲུངས། རབ་ཆད་ལ་བུ་སྐྱེས། བདས་ན་ཟིན། བྲོས་ན་ཐར། ཁྱིམ་ཕྱྭ་དང་གྲོགས་ཕྱྭ་ལ་ཆོས་
བྱས་ན་བཟང་། གདོན་ཕྱྭ་ལ་མིའི་ཟས་གོས་ངན་པའི་ཕྱི་ནས་གདོན་ཡོད། ཁྲུས་བྱའོ། ཚོང་བྱས་ན་ནོར་
རྔམས་ཆེན་ལག་ཏུ་ཡོང་ཟེར། མོ་འདི་ཅི་ལ་བཏབ་ཀྱང་བཟང་ངོ་།།
༼3—3༽ གསུམ་ཕྱིར་གསུམ་བྱུང་ན། སྲིད་ཕྱྭ་དོན་ཕྱྭ་དགྲ་ཕྱྭ་ཀུན་ལ་བཟང་ངོ་། ནད་པ་ཡོད་ན་ནད་

གཞི་ཆེ་ཡང་མི་འཆི། གདོན་ཕྱྭ་ལ་བཙན་དང་རྒྱལ་པོ་འགོང་པོས་གནོད། ཕྱི་ཐལ་ཅུང་ཟད་ཡོད་དེ་
འབྲིང་སྟོད་ཡིན།
68 ༼3—2༽ གསུམ་ཕྱིར་གཉིས་བྱུང་ན། ལྷ་འདྲེ་མི་གསུམ་བྱོལ་སོང་། ཕྱུགས་དང་བཞི། མི་

བཙུན་སྙེན་དང་ལྔ། ཞལ་ལྕེ་གཤགས་དང་ཁ་མཆུའི་ངོ་། རྡོ་ཡིས་བརྡུང་བའི་བར་དུ་ལག་པ་ཚུད།

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(2—2) When you get two and then again two: Since you hit the number four,
it is bad. There is a danger of a contagious disease lasting four days or four20
months. The outlook concerning evil spirits indicates that you will have to face
sorcery from Buddhist and Bön masters, harm from tsen and dü spirits, and
harm following a black tent or raw meat. The gods are displeased because of the
contamination21 from holding hands with a woman. There is a danger of fights
67 and resentment. Contamination22 following a black garment will strike you. It
will be beneficial to ask a pure Bön master to make offerings to the gods and
ablution practices. You should clear away contamination and perform repelling
of enemies and repelling of hostile gossip. Whatever your inquiry is, the result
will be bad.
(2—3) When you get two and then three: The golden meadow is fertile, and
rice seedlings will grow. The turquoise flowers will grow. A barren woman will
give birth to a son. If you chase something, you will catch it. If you escape, you
will be free. The outlook concerning the household and the outlook concerning
fortune will be good if you practice the Dharma. The outlook concerning evil
spirits indicates harmful influences following bad food and clothes. You should
perform ablution practices. If you do business, it looks like you will get your
hands on great wealth. Whatever your inquiry is, the result will be good.
(3—3) When you get three and then three again: The outlook concerning
offspring, the outlook concerning undertakings, and the outlook concerning
enemies are good in all cases. If there is an ill person, the disease is severe, but
he will not die. The outlook concerning evil spirits indicates harm from tsen,
gyalpo, and gongpo spirits. There will be a bit of delay,23 but otherwise, this
68 prognosis is above average.
(3—2) When you get three and then two: There is a danger of verbal defeat24
or dispute because of gods, demons, or humans, concerning animals and cattle,
or with venerable close friends. Your hands will get caught between collid-
ing stones. Your hands will accidentally get caught under the saddle rope and
get scraped. You will obtain something that you should not be obtaining. You
20 Read bzhi.
21 Read mnol grib.
22 Read mnol grib.
23 Read phyi dal.
24 The word for defeat here is metaphorical, literally, it says, “getting your tongue cut off”
(zhal lce gshags).

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198 chapter 4
བྲེས་ཐག་ཞོར་ལ་འབྲེད་པ་ཚུད། མ་ལེན་པར་ལེན། མ་ཉེས་པར་ཉེས། ཁ་ཡོག་གི་ངོ་ཡིན། གདོན་ཕྱྭ་

མོ་འདྲེ་ཅན་གྱི་ཟས་སམ། བུད་མེད་ཀྱི་ཕྱི་ནས་རྨེ་འདྲེ་དང་། གྲི་བོ་ཐབ་འདྲེས་གནོད། ཡུན་རིང་ནད་
པ་ཡིན་ན་འཆི་ཉེ་ཆེ། ཁྱད་པར་བུ་སྲིན་ནད་པའི་མོ་ལ་ངན་ནོ། བུ་ལོན་སྙེག་མཁན་གྱི་ཕྱི་ནས་འདྲེ་ཟེར་
བ་འདུག གཙུག་ཏོར་འདོན། ལྷ་གསོལ། གཡང་སྐྱབས་འདོན། དགྲ་ངོ་འདུག་པས་དགྲ་ལྷ་གསོལ།
ཚོང་དང་མཁར་ལས་བཟང་ངོ༌།།
༼3—1༽ གསུམ་ཕྱིར་གཅིག་བྱུང་ན། འཕྲལ་ཕུགས་གཉིས་ཀར་བཟང་། ཁྱད་པར་སྲིའུ་གསོ་

བ་བཟང་། ལྷ་བཟང་པོས་མགོན་སྐྱབས་བྱེད། སྲོག་ཕྱྭ་བཟང་། གདོན་ཕྱྭ་རྐང་ཐང་གི་ཕྱི་ནས་བཙན་
69 དང་འདྲེ་བོས་གནོད། དགྲ་ཕྱྭ་ལ་དགྲ་མེད། ཨེ་འགྲོ་ན་མི་འགྲོ། སྡོད་ན་བཟང་། འཕྲལ་ཕྱི་ཐལ་ཆེ་ཏེ་
ཕུགས་སུ་བཟང་ངོ་།།
༼+ + +༽ མོ་ལན་གསུམ་བཏབ་པའི་གསུམ་བཟང་ན། སྲོག་ཕྱྭ་རྒྱུས་ཐག་ལྷས་བྱེད། སྡོང་

གྲོགས་དཔལ་དུ་འབར། ནོར་ལྷ་ཆོས་སྐྱོང་འགོ་བས་བཟང་། སྲོག་ལྷས་ནོར་དགྲའི་ལག་ནས་ཐོབ།
གྲོགས་ཕྱྭ་བཟང་དགྲ་ཕྱྭ་རྒྱལ་ཞིང་སྨ་བབ་པའི་ངོ་ཡིན། རྙེད་དམ་ན་རྙེད། ཡོང་ངམ་ན་ཡོང་། སོང་
ངམ་ན་སོང་། ད་ལྟ་ཆོས་བྱེད་པའི་ངོ་། གྲོགས་དང་ཕྲད། འགྲོ་བ་དག་ལ་དགྲ་འདུག་ཀྱང་ཉེས་སྐྱོན་

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will be at fault without [intentionally committing] a fault. There is a danger of

unjust accusation. The outlook concerning evil spirits indicates food contami-
nated by modré spirits, or harm from médré spirits following women, or harm
from driwo tabdré spirits. If there is a chronically sick person, there is a great
danger that he will die. This prognosis is especially bad if the person who is ill is
your sibling.25 It looks like there are dré spirits following someone who collects
debts. You should recite the Dharani of Ushnisha Vijaya, make offerings to
the gods, and recite Wealth Protection. Since there is a danger of enemies,
make offerings to the drala. This prognosis is good for business and building
work.
(3—1) When you get three and then one: This result is good both for the short
term and the long term. It is especially good for those who are raising children.
Benevolent gods are protecting you. The outlook concerning life force is good.
The outlook concerning evil spirits indicates harm from tsen and dré spirits
69 following travelers on foot. The outlook concerning enemies indicates no ene-
mies. If you wonder whether you should go, do not go. If you stay, it is good. In
the short term, there will be considerable delay,26 but in the long term, it will
be good.
The divination should be repeated three times.27
(+ + +) When all three results are good: The outlook concerning life force indi-
cates that the gods provide for its continuity. Their assistance will increase to
abundance. The wealth deities and Dharma protectors will show you favour,
and thus this prognosis is good. Your life force deity will obtain wealth from
your enemy’s hand. The outlook concerning fortune is good. The outlook con-
cerning enemies indicates that there is a chance of victory and humiliation of
the enemy. If you wonder whether you will gain something, you will gain it. If
you wonder whether someone will arrive, he will arrive. If you wonder whether
someone will go, he will go. There is a sign that now is a good time to prac-
tice the Dharma. You will encounter good fortune. Although the travellers have
enemies, they do not cause trouble. If you request something28 it will be given
25 Read bu sring.
26 Read phyi dal.
27 When the above-described divination (the first part) is repeated three times, you get three
consecutive results, and these are what is referred to in the following (the second part).
28 The phrase zhu gsol btab na here indicates a request to someone quite superior, possibly
about a religious matter.

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མེད། ཞུ་གསོལ་བཏབ་ན་གནང་། དྲི་བ་ལན་ཡོད། ཚོང་རྒྱལ། སྲིད་ཕྱྭ་ལ་བུའི་ངོ་། ནད་པ་ལ་བཏབ་ན་

དུས་ཕྱོགས་ཀྱི་རྒྱས་པ། ཉི་ཁྲི་གཙུག་ཏོར་ཚེ་དཔག་མེད་འདོན། འཆི་ངེས་པའི་སྲོག་བསླུ། ཚྭ་ཚྭ་ལོ་
70 གྲངས་ཐོང་། ནད་པའི་སྲོག་ཕྱྭ་ངན་པས་ཟབ་དགོས། ཆབ་གཏོར་མང་དུ་ཐོང་། ཐེའུ་རང་སྐྱལ་འདེབས་
ཀྱི་མནན་པ་དང་ཁ་འཆིང་དགོས། གཞན་མ་ཅི་ཡང་མི་ཉེས་བཟང་ངོ་།།
༼– + +༽ སྔ་མ་ངན་པས་གཉིས་བཟང་ན། སྲོག་ཕྱྭ་མི་འཆི། གདོན་ཕྱྭ་གཤིན་འདྲེ་ཕོ་མོས་གནོད།

རྒྱལ་མདོས་ཐོང་། རྒྱལ་སྲིན་ཁ་སྦྱོར་གྱི་བསྲུང་བ་ཐིགས། ཐང་ཡིག་འདོན། གྲོགས་ཕྱྭ་ལ་གྲོགས་
ཅུང་ཟད་ཡོད། སོང་ངམ་ན་སོང་། ཡོང་ངམ་ན་ཡོང་། དཀོར་ཕྱྭ་ལ་རྒྱལ་པོས་གནོད། དགྲ་ཕྱྭ་ལ་ཅུང་
ཟད་ཡོད་དེ་མི་སྐྱོན། རྙེད་དམ་རྙེད། སྲི་རུ་སྲི་ལངས་པས་ངན། གཞན་མོ་བཟང་ངོ་།།
༼+ + –༽ སྔོན་གཉིས་བཟང་ལ་ཕྱི་མ་ངན། དཀོར་ཕྱྭ་གོད་ཁ་ཡོང་བས་ངན། གཉེན་ཕྱོགས་སུ་

མྱ་ངན་ཡོང་བའི་ངོ༌། སྲོག་ཕྱྭ་ལ་གྲིབ་དང་མི་གཙང་བས་ཉེན་བླང་། ན་ཚ་ཡོང་སྟེ་ནད་གཞི་ཆེར་མེད་
པས་སྲོག་ལ་མི་སྐྱོན། བརྒྱ་བཞི་གཙུག་ཏོར་གཏོར་མ་གཏོང་། གྲོགས་ཕྱྭ་ལ་གྲོགས་ཕྱིར་སྤོང་། མར་

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to you. There will be answers to your questions. Business will be successful.

The outlook concerning offspring indicates that there is a chance of getting
a son. If you are making this divination for an ill person, you should recite
“Increase in the times and directions,”29 Pancavimsatisahasrika Prajna-
paramita Sutra, Dharani of Ushnisha Vijaya and Amitayus [mantras].
Perform Cheating Certain Death,30 and make as many votive offerings
(tshwa tshwa) as you have years of age. Since the outlook concerning the life
force of sick persons is bad, you need to be careful.31 Make a lot of Water
70 Torma offerings. It is necessary to suppress téurang spirits by trapping them
in a bag32 and tying it up. Otherwise, there are no problems in this prognosis33
at all.
(– + +) When the first result is bad, and34 the last two are good: The outlook
concerning life force indicates that there will be no death. The outlook con-
cerning evil spirits indicates that there is harm from male and female shindré.
You should make a thread cross for gyalpo spirits. You should wear a protective
amulet of the gyalpo and sinmo spirits in union. You should recite an ancient
biography (thang yig). The outlook concerning fortune indicates that there will
be a bit of fortune. If you wonder whether someone will go, he will go. If you
wonder whether someone will arrive, he will arrive. The outlook concerning
possessions indicates that there is harm from gyalpo spirits. The outlook con-
cerning enemies indicates a few enemies, but they will not harm. If you wonder
whether you will gain something, you will gain it. Where there are already si
spirits, more si will arise; thus it is bad. Otherwise, this prognosis is good.
(+ + –) When the first two are good, and the last one is bad: The outlook con-
cerning possessions is bad because there will be a loss. There is a danger of
distress among your relatives. The outlook concerning life force indicates that
you will attract danger due to contamination and uncleanliness. Diseases will
strike, but since they will not be serious, there will not be problems for the
life force. You should make Four Hundred Offerings, recite Dharani of
Ushnisha Vijaya and make torma offerings.
29 This text is unidentified (Dus phyogs kyi rgyas pa).

30 See the chapter “Special Terminology” under ’chi nges pa’i srog bslu.
31 Read gzab.
32 Read rkyal. For an explanation of this ritual, see the chapter “Special Terminology” under
rkyal ’debs.
33 Read mo as three lines below in the Tibetan text.
34 Read la for pas as in all the following headlines.

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202 chapter 4
71 ཟས་པས་མེ་ཤོར། ཆང་རེས་པས་ཆུ་འཐུང་། གཉེན་རས་པས་འཁང་བྱུང་། དཔོན་རས་པས་གཡོག་

འཐབ་བྱས་པའི་ངོ་། ཕར་རྒོལ་བས་ཚུར་མི་དགྲ་བོ་ནད་ཀྱིས་བཏབ་པའི་ངོ་། ཡོང་ངམ་ཡོང་། འགྱོད་
བྱུང་ཉེན་ཡོད། རྙེད་དམ་ན་རྙེད། རང་ཡིན་ཡང་འགྱོད་དོ། སེམས་མི་བདེ། ཞུས་ན་གནང་བའི་ངོ་། བྱས་
ན་བཟང་། བུད་མེད་ལ་བུ་མི་སྐྱེས། ཤིས་པ་འབྲིང་།
༼– + –༽ བར་པ་བཟང་ལ་སྔ་ཕྱི་གཉིས་ངན་ན། དཀོར་ཕྱྭ་ལ་ཐབ་གཞོབ་བཙོག་རོ་མི་གཙང་བའི་
ངོ་། ལྷ་མ་མཉེས། ཁྲུས་དང་ལྷ་བསངས་ཐོང་། དགྲ་ཕྱྭ་ལ་དགྲ་མེད། བཙན་ཁྲོས་ཏེ་ཉེན་བླང་། ཞུས་པ་
མི་ཡོང་། གཏར་བསྲེག་གི་ངོ་། རིམས་ནད་ཀྱི་ངོ་།
༼+ – +༽ བར་པ་ངན་ལ་སྔ་ཕྱི་གཉིས་བཟང་ན། དཀོར་ཕྱྭ་ལ་ཆོས་པ་ཡིན་ན་ཆོས་སྐྱོང་འགོ
།ཁྱིམ་པ་ཡིན་ན་ལྷ་བཟང་འགོ །སྲིད་ཕྱྭ་ལ་ལྷས་སྐྱབས་བྱེད། བརྡབས་ཀྱང་མི་ཆག གྲོགས་ཕྱྭ་
72 གྲོགས་ཆེར་ཡོད། དགྲ་ཕྱྭ་དགྲ་ཉེས་གྱོད་མེད་དེ་བཟང་། ཡོང་ངམ་ན་གྲོགས་དང་བཅས་ཏེ་ཡོང་།
སྟོར་རླག་མེད། སོང་ངམ་སོང་། ཞུས་པ་གནང་། ཚོང་རྣམས་གང་ལའང་བཟང་།

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The outlook concerning fortune indicates that fortune will abandon you.
There is a danger that by eating butter, [it will feel like] getting burned; expect-
71 ing35 beer, you will get to drink water; expecting36 someone to be a friend, you
will get resentment; expecting37 someone to be a [good] leader, he will create
servitude and fights. There is a danger that due to making an attack, enemies
and diseases will strike you. If you wonder whether someone will arrive, he will
arrive. There is a danger that you will come to regret something. If you wonder
whether you will gain something, you will gain it. Although something has been
your own [wish], you will come to regret it. You will face unhappiness. There is
a chance that if you request something, it will be given to you; it is good if you
do so. A woman will not give birth to a son. The auspiciousness is average.
(– + –) When the middle result is good, and the first and last are bad: The
outlook concerning possessions indicates a danger of contamination due to a
scorched smell from a hearth,38 or from garbage. The gods will be displeased.
You should perform ablution practices and smoke offerings to the gods. The
outlook concerning enemies indicates no enemies. The tsen spirits are angry
and will cause danger. You will not get what you requested. There is a danger
that bloodletting and moxibustion [will be necessary]. There is a danger of con-
tagious diseases.
(+ – +) When the middle result is bad, and the first and last are good: The out-
look concerning possessions indicates that if you are a Dharma practitioner, the
Dharma protectors will show you favor. If you are a householder, the benevo-
lent gods will show you favor. The outlook concerning offspring indicates that
the gods will offer protection. You will fall down, but you will not break [any
72 bones]. The outlook concerning fortune indicates a great fortune. The outlook
concerning enemies indicates problems with enemies, but no disputes; thus,
it is good. If you wonder whether someone will arrive, he will arrive endowed
with fortune. There will be no loss.39 If you wonder whether someone will go,
he will go. Your requests will be fulfilled. This result is good regarding all kinds
of business.
35 Read re bas.
36 Read re bas.
37 Read re bas.
38 The tabla (god of the hearth) is offended and escapes; see thab gzhob shor ba in the chapter
“Special Terminology.”
39 Read stor brlag.

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204 chapter 4
༼+ – –༽ སྔ་མ་བཟང་ལ་ཕྱི་མ་གཉིས་ངན་ན། དཀོར་ཕྱྭ་ལ་གདོན་གྱིས་གནོད། གོད་ཁ་དང་

ནད་གཞི་ཡོད་དེ་མི་སྐྱོན། མོ་འབྲིང་། ལྷ་བཟང་འགོ་བས་ལྷ་གསོལ་བྱ། བོན་དགྱེར། དགྲ་ཕྱྭ་འབྲིང་།
གྲོགས་ཕྱྭ་ཅུང་ཞིག་ཡོད་པས་མྱུར་དུ་ཡོང་། སོང་ངམ་ན་སོང་། ཞུ་གསོལ་ཁ་འགྱོད་ཆེ།
༼– – +༽ སྔ་མ་གཉིས་ངན་ལ་ཕྱི་མ་བཟང་ན། དཀོར་ཕྱྭ་ལྷ་བཟང་པོ་འགོ །སྲོག་ཕྱྭ་འཆི་བ་མེད་

པས་བཟང་། ཕྱི་ཐལ་ཅུང་ཞིག་ཡོད། སོང་ངམ་ན་སོང་། ཞུ་བ་མི་གནང་། སྐྱར་ན་སྟོར་ན་སྟོར་ཉེན་ཆེ།
རྙེད་དམ་ན་རྙེད། དགྲ་ཕྱྭ་འབྲིང་། ཤིས་ལ་རབ་ཏུ་བཟང་ངོ་།།
73 ༼– – –༽ གསུམ་ཀ་ངན་ན། དཀོར་ཕྱྭ་ཤིན་ཏུ་ངན། སྲོག་ཕྱྭ་མྱུར་དུ་འཆི། གྲོགས་ཁ་ནས་ཤོར།

ནོར་དགྲས་ཁྱེར། དགྲ་དམག་ཏུ་ཡོང་། སྟོར་བ་མི་རྙེད། ཞུས་པ་མི་གནང་། དགྲ་བྱེད་དུ་འོང་། ཚོང་
ཡིན་ན་མི་འཆམས། ཤི་བ་དང་མིའི་སྲི་ལངས་པས་ཤིང་ཏུ་ངན་པ་འདུག་གོ །རིམ་གྲོ་ལ་འབད་དོ།།
འཕྲེང་མོ་རྫོགས་སོ། །འཕྲེང་མོ་འདི་ཇོ་བོ་རྗེ་དཔལ་ལྡན་ཨ་ཏི་ཤ་བོད་ལ་བྱོན་པའི་དུས་སུ་སྒྲོལ་མས་
ལུང་བསྟན་པ་ཡིན་ནོ༎ ༎

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(+ – –) When the first is good, and the last two are bad: The outlook con-
cerning possessions indicates harm from evil spirits. There are loss and severe
disease, but it will not cause significant problems. This prognosis is average.
Since the benevolent gods show you favor, you should make offerings to the
gods. You should chant rituals in Bön melodies.40 The outlook concerning ene-
mies is average. Since the outlook concerning fortune indicates that there will
be a bit of fortune, it will come soon. If you wonder whether someone will go,
he will go. You will be regretting your words when you make a request.
(– – +) When the first two are bad, and the last one is good: The outlook con-
cerning possessions indicates that the benevolent gods will show you favor. The
outlook concerning life force is good because there will be no death. There will
be a bit of a delay.41 If you wonder whether someone will go, he will go. Your
requests will not be fulfilled, and if you ask repeatedly, there is a great danger
that you will lose all chances.42 If you wonder whether you will gain something,
you will not gain it. The outlook concerning enemies is average. The auspicious-
ness is very good.
73 (– – –) When all three are bad: The outlook concerning possessions is very bad.
The outlook concerning life force indicates that you will quickly die. The for-
tune will slip away from your mouth. Your enemy will take away your wealth.
There will be war with your enemies. You will not find your lost items. Your
requests will not be fulfilled. You will come to engage in enmity. If you are
doing business, there will not be agreement. Since zhiwé si and misi spirits will
appear, this result is very bad. You should strive in the ritual services.
The mālā divination manual is completed. This mālā divination manual was
revealed by Tārā to the glorious Lord Atiśa when he came to Tibet.
40 Read bon gyer.

41 Read phyi dal.
42 The translation of this idiomatic sentence is according to Khorchak Rinpoche’s explana-
tions. Thus, stor na stor nyen che here seems to mean “there is a great danger that you will
lose it completely” or “will lose all chances [of getting your request fulfilled].”

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206 chapter 4
3 Interviews with Khenchen Nyima Rinpoche and Dorzin Dhondrup

Rinpoche
Divination methods have a long history in Tibet with many influences from
China, Central Asia, and India, possessing numerous textual and oral trans-
missions. In fact, in a publication like this, we can barely scratch the surface
of Tibetan divination and hardly do justice to the many scattered publications
on specialized topics. If we only compare here the accounts of two informants,
Khenchen Nyima and Dorzin Dhondrup, it becomes immediately apparent
how diverse Tibetan approaches to divination can be.
4 Explanations from Khenchen Nyima Gyaltsen Rinpoche
The facts on which the following account is based are derived from a series
of interviews by Jan-Ulrich Sobisch with Khenchen Nyima in Schneverdin-
gen (Germany), July and August 2017, where I assisted as a translator. While
Khenchen Nyima answered questions directly about the Achi dice divination
translated in this book, he also made a few remarks on a different, undocu-
mented divination system. This orally transmitted system is more simplified
and usually performed independently of a manual, and a mālā is used instead
of dice as a randomizing tool. However, Khenchen Nyima explained that this
method could also be combined with the Achi manual. Thus, according to
Khenchen Nyima, we have three approaches to the Achi divination: 1) the Achi
Mo manual, which prescribes using three dice as randomizing tool, but accord-
ing to Khenchen Nyima can also be done with three counts on a mālā; 2) an
oral system, which, when done independently of the manual, is done with a
mālā; and 3) a combination of the oral system and the manual, which can be
done either with a mālā or the dice. The oral system comprises a series of three
divinations, where each result has its own significance; thus, it requires three
consecutive counts on a mālā as described in the following, or three consec-
utive throws of the three dice when combined with the Achi dice divination
manual.
To make the mālā divination, which can be employed in all the three ap-
proaches to the Achi divination, the diviner divides (bcad) the mālā into three
parts by creating three loops with it. First, the diviner creates two loops with
the mālā that he holds in one hand and then grasps randomly with his other
hand at the remaining slightly longer loop of the mālā as if laying it on top of
the other two loops. Instead, however, he counts now the beads (phreng rdog)
of the “free loop” up to the point where he holds the mālā with his other hand.

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He counts six beads at a time (counting actually 3-6-3-6, and so forth). When
he comes close to the point where he holds the mālā, either six or less than six
beads are remaining. That produces his first number. Then he takes the second
loop and repeats the counting of the beads as before. When six or less than
six beads are remaining, he has the second number. This he repeats with the
remaining loop until arriving at the end of the mālā, whereby he produces the
third number. Since he gets three numbers (between one and six), this method
can be used instead of the standard method of using three six-sided dice.
In the first of the three mentioned approaches to Achi divination, which
follows the manual (translated and discussed in this book), the three dice are
only thrown once, but in the third approach, when the oral system is applied
to the manual, the diviner usually throws the three dice three times and pays
more attention to either the first, second, or third throw, depending on what
the nature of the question is. In this way, he gets three consecutive numbers
between three and eighteen, which can be checked against the Achi manual,
but also investigated through the oral system explained in the following. How-
ever, Khenchen Nyima adds that for the oral system, the diviner’s intuition is
often more important than the numbers, so, in the third approach, some would
throw the dice only once and interpret the oral system solely based on their
intuition about the situation in question.
According to the oral system, the result of the first throw of the three dice
or the first count on the mālā pertains to the current state of the gods’ fortune,
since the gods, like all beings, have good and bad times. If the gods are in a
favorable (literally, “high”) position (lha ngo mtho ba), they can provide sup-
port and help. If they are in an unfavorable (literally, “low”) position (lha ngo
dma’ ba), their assistance is rather unlikely. In general, Khenchen Nyima says
that in the Achi divination, uneven numbers are good, and even numbers are
bad. Thus, the numbers one, three, five, and so forth, indicate a good position of
the gods, whereas the numbers two, four, six, and so forth, point to a low posi-
tion. This first count or throw is important for divinations about topics such as
exams, business, giving a speech, construction work, or other projects that one
is about to start in the very near future.
The second throw of the three dice or count on the mālā indicates either
a positive outlook concerning fortune (grogs phywa) or obstacles (kha ’tshag)
for your undertakings, such as studies, travel, or business. It may also indicate
danger for an ill person (dmar ngo). Here, too, odd numbers indicate fortune
and even numbers obstacles.
The final throw or count on the mālā pertains to the outlook concerning
the future (phyi phywa). This can be either “quick” (mgyogs po), or “slow” (dal
po); “light” ( yang) or “heavy” (lji). A heavy or slow future indicates that some-

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208 chapter 4
thing will be delayed, like travellers returning home. Here, Khenchen Nyima
says, the outcome is not indicated by odd or even numbers. Instead, when there
is a high number, the outlook concerning the future indicates slowness and
delay.
Khenchen Nyima said on several occasions that the diviner’s personal intu-
ition plays a large part in determining the result of the divination, especially
in the oral system. When the diviner has practiced and accumulated mantras
as prescribed in the sādhana at the beginning of the Achi manual, he should
feel confident that Achi has blessed him to make accurate divinations, and he
should give the answers according to his intuition.
5 Explanations from Dorzin Konchog Dhondrup Rinpoche
Dorzin Konchog Dhondrup Rinpoche was born in 1969 in Nangchen, Eastern

Tibet. In 1984 he became a monk at Gar Monastery. From 1994 he studied at
the Drikung Kagyu Institute in Dehra Dun, India, and in 2006, he was sent to
Singapore to serve as the resident lama of the Drigar Thubten Dargye Ling Cen-
tre, where he still resides. I met Dorzin Dhondrup when I was asked to translate
his teachings in Scotland, September 2016. The interviews for this chapter were
conducted during September and October 2017 over the internet, via voice mes-
sages, written messages to confirm spellings of terms, and video calls, all in the
Tibetan language.
Dorzin Dhondrup mainly differentiates two popular methods, namely dice
and mālā divination. Dice divination (sho mo), he says, is done according to
the numbers and descriptions in, for instance, the Achi Mo manual. Mālā div-
ination (phreng mo), on the other hand, is usually done according to oral lore.
Usually, dice divinations should be done with dice; only if dice are not avail-
able, it is possible to use a mālā as the randomizing tool. Dorzin Dhondrup is
not aware of a custom of looking at three throws of the dice individually as one
does with the three counts of the mālā in the mālā divination. However, Dorzin
Dhondrup said that he has a better understanding of the mālā divination, and
this is also how he does divinations himself.
As it is stated in the Achi sādhana, Dorzin Dhondrup emphasizes that before
you can successfully perform either dice or mālā divination, it is essential to
practice in retreat, accumulate the mantras and visualize and supplicate Achi
or another appropriate deity, such as your Mantra deity ( yi dam). If you just go
through the motions of divination with merely a technical knowledge, it will
not turn out accurately, and you will not be able to know the real, more pro-
found meaning of the divination (don dag thig pa).

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figure 7 Dorzin Dhondrup

With the kind permission of Dorzin Konchog Dhondrup Rinpoche

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210 chapter 4
When the diviner is preparing for a mālā divination, he first rolls up the
mālā in his hands, concentrates with closed eyes and blows on the mālā to
bless it. Then he unfolds the mālā again and grasps it with both hands at two
random places, an action which is called “dividing the mālā” (phreng ma bcad
pa). He counts the beads, three at the time, usually with the right hand toward
the left. When the right hand reaches the place where the left hand holds the
mālā, there will be either one, two, or three beads left; this is the first number.
This counting procedure is repeated three times, which is called “three groups”
(tshogs gsum) or, perhaps, “three counts.” This procedure provides the three
subsequent numbers necessary for the analysis. Between each count, Dorzin
Dhondrup stroke the mālā a few times along the beads with his right hand, as
if making it neutral again for the next count.
Dorzin Dhondrup is aware that there are other systems of counting more
than three beads at a time and obtaining higher numbers of beads than three
after the count, especially if the mālā is used as a substitute for the dice in dice
divination. However, he does not know the details of other systems than the
one he described and uses himself, which is, he says, the system used in his
homeland in Nangchen, Eastern Tibet. The system works with the numbers
one, two, or three for each count, and in addition to that, he describes the out-
comes when all three counts produce the same number (one, one, one, and so
forth).
5.1 The First Count of the Mālā, Called “Position of the Gods” (lha ngo)
The first count of the mālā provides answers about the present situation. When
three beads are left, it is called “favorable position of the gods” (lha ngo mtho
ba). This means that you have helpful assistance from the gods’ activities (lha’i
sdong grogs ’phrin las yod pa).
When two beads are left, it is called “obstacles” (kha ’tshag; lha ngo la kha
’tshag ’dug, synonymous with bar chad). This does not necessarily indicate a
great danger, but it means that there are obstacles for your work or other activ-
ities, or for anyone who is sick. You should apply ritual remedies, such as deity
practices, to avert problems.
When one bead is left, it is called “clear message” (kha gsal). This means that
there is some hope for accomplishment in your work or other undertakings
(las don). If you are waiting to find out about some situation, the news will
come soon. Dorzin Dhondrup is familiar with the term “unfavorable position
of the gods” (lha ngo dma’ ba), which Khenchen Nyima uses as the negative
outcome of this first count, but in Dorzin Dhondrup’s system, the category is
called “clear message” and still has a positive outlook, or at least one that is
above average.

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5.2 The Second Count of the Mālā, Called “Outlook Concerning Fortune”
(grogs phywa)
The second count of the mālā is generally the most crucial for all possible
inquiries. When three beads are left, it is called “outlook concerning great for-
tune” (grogs phywa chen po; grogs chen po ’dug). This means that you are fortu-
nate and lucky, and you will be able to accomplish your activities.
When two beads are left, it is called “outlook concerning obstacles in the
fortune” (grogs phywa ’tshag; grogs phywa la ’tshag ’dug). This means that your
work will not go well, your business will be bad (tshong pham), sicknesses will
not heal, or even that persons who are sick might die, and so forth.
When one bead is left, it is called “outlook concerning empty fortune” (grogs
phywa stong pa; grogs stong). This is neither good, nor bad. It is called “empty”
because, there are no particular obstacles visible for your undertakings, work,
or business, and so forth, but also no particularly hopeful signs.
5.3 The Third Count of the Mālā, Called “Outlook Concerning the Future”
(phyi phywa)
As the name implies, the third count of the mālā is mainly concerned with
future developments. When three beads are left, it is called “outlook concern-
ing a heavy future” (phyi phywa lji mo), or “outlook concerning a slow future”
(phyi phywa ’gyang mo). This means that your work, business, recovery from
sickness, and so forth, will be delayed. It does not mean that whatever you ask
the divination about will not happen at all, but it will be “heavy” in the sense
of slow development.
When two beads are left, it is called “outlook concerning obstacles in the
future” (phyi phywa ’tshag), and indicates obstacles or difficulties.
When one bead is left, it is called “outlook concerning a light future” (phyi
phywa yang mo). This is positive and means that your work will be accom-
plished quickly, travelers will arrive soon, and so forth.
5.4 Obtaining the Same Number in All Three Counts of the Mālā
When three beads are left in all three counts, it is called a “great divination” (mo
chen; mo chen bab song). This is a very good and favorable sign, although it is
not necessarily certain that your undertaking will be fully accomplished.
When two beads are left in all three counts, it is called a “prognosis of quick-
ness” (mgyogs ngo). This means that the undertaking, work, business, sickness,
and so forth, will be quickly concluded (thag chod pa). It is neither positive nor
negative but only refers to the quickness of the outcome. If it is about a person
who is sick, it can mean that he or she will soon be healed or die; or it can mean
that your work or other activities will soon be accomplished or fail.

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212 chapter 4
When one bead is left in all three counts, it is called “empty luck” (stong
rgyug). This indicates neither profit nor loss. Nothing particular seems to get
accomplished.
These descriptions are Dorzin Dhondrup’s understanding of mālā divination,

but he is aware that each diviner might have his or her own understanding
and way of analyzing the signs. He compares the situation to medical prac-
tices, where each doctor has his or her own individual preferences concerning
medicine and treatments.
6 Some Variations and Similarities
As the limited examples of this chapter readily illustrate, Tibetan mālā divina-
tion comes with a diversity of methods of counting beads and analyzing signs.
All this is chiefly transmitted orally, although we possess some written manuals,
too, such as the Tārā Mo translated above. In his chapter on Tibet in the anthol-
ogy Oracles and Divination, Lama Chime (1981: 15–16) paints a similar picture
of the methods for Tibetan mālā divination. He mentions that there are differ-
ent systems of counting either three, four, five, or six beads at a time. In the
system that he explains in more detail, however, four beads are counted. The
method here is the same as the one explained by Dorzin Dhondrup, where the
diviner grasps the mala with both hands (without making any loops). In Lama
Chime’s system, however, the beads are counted alternately with both hands.43
As a result, between one and four beads are left, and the prognoses are as fol-
lows (Lama Chime 1981: 15):
One bead: Good fortune, but it may not come immediately.

Two beads: Misfortune.
Three beads: Whatever is happening, whether good or bad, will occur
very quickly.
Four beads: Moderately good fortune, but with some difficulties.
Lama Chime also says that the count is repeated three times, as is the case in
most of the divination systems I have heard or read about. The idea is that by
43 Dorzin Dhondrup did mention that this way of counting is sometimes used, but he himself
only counts with the right hand.

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repeating the procedure three times and obtaining three prognoses, the diviner
has the chance to give a more detailed interpretation.
Lama Chime (1981: 15) also mentions that in addition to such less complex
systems of mālā divination as the one described by him, there also exist man-
uals of higher complexity. These texts—like the Tārā Mo translated here—are
more complex and detailed since they contain a greater amount of possible
results and touch on a variety of topics. As seen above, the Tārā Mo contains
nine immediate results by combining two numbers between one and three in
all possible ways:
1—1 → good
1—2 → good (with some short-term delay and problems for people who
are sick)
1—3 → bad
2—1 → good/average (some danger of disputes, enemies, significant
delay, angered spirits)
2—2 → bad
2—3 → good (some problems with harmful spirits)
3—3 → above average (some problems for sick people, and due to harm-
ful spirits and delay)
3—2 → bad (except for building activity and business)
3—1 → good (with some short-term delay)
Some of these prognoses differentiate into short-term and long-term devel-

opments, and sometimes when problems are predicted, the text suggests the
application of ritual remedies. In addition to these nine possible results, which
comprise the first part of the divination, the process leading to them should be
repeated three times. After that, a second part can be performed based on the
eight possible combinations of the three results as either good or bad (probably
counting the average prognoses as good):
good—good—good → good (except for people who are sick)

bad—good—good → mixed
good—good—bad → mostly bad or average
bad—good—bad → mostly bad
good—bad—good → good
good—bad—bad → average
bad—bad—good → mixed: average and good
bad—bad—bad → very bad

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214 chapter 4
In most cases where the prognosis is not purely positive, individual remedies
are suggested. It is probably left to the diviner’s intuition how the individual
prognoses of each of the three repetitions and the combined result of all three
are to be fused into a single prognosis.
The Tārā Mo contains most of the categories from the Achi Mo, but here they
are never mentioned in any particular order, and in each prognosis, only some
of the categories are mentioned. An additional category, mentioned in most of
the prognoses of the second part, is the “outlook concerning possessions” (dkor
phywa). However, it is similar in meaning to the “outlook concerning wealth”
(nor phywa) of the Achi Mo. The Tārā Mo contains a few poetical lines at the
beginning of some of the prognoses in its first part, but it does not appear to
be possible to identify a “nucleus” of the divination as in the Achi Mo.44 The
general statements of whether the prognoses in the first part are good, bad, or
average occur at the end of each prognosis (or once in the middle) whereas
they always occur at the beginning of each prognosis of the Achi Mo.
Like the Achi Mo, the Tārā Mo contains some metaphors and cryptic phrases
which are left to the diviner’s intuitive interpretation. The Tārā Mo also con-
tains several of the same types of ritual remedies for averting misfortune and
ritual supports for the improvement of fortune as we found them in the Achi
Mo. However, these are not systematically mentioned at the end of each prog-
nosis as in the Achi Mo, but are spread out between the various categories of
the prognoses.
As we have seen, Khenchen Nyima offered an explanation as to how the two
traditions of oral systems and divination manuals can be combined. He said
that in order to give a more detailed divination, the diviner should know the
categories of an orally transmitted system like the ones described here; and,
building on his intuition, apply this to the analysis of the result obtained from
the manual.
7 Special Terminology of Tibetan Divination
In July and August 2017, I had the chance to assist Jan-Ulrich Sobisch as a trans-
lator during a series of interviews with Khenchen Nyima Gyaltsen Rinpoche
44 As Sobisch explains in the introduction, part A of the Achi Mo constitutes a “nucleus,” i.e.,
the main part of each possible result of the divination, which can function without the
further subcategories.

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in Schneverdingen, Germany. One objective of his interviews was to clarify

specific terms and phrases of the Achi Mo manual that is translated in this
book. Using the recordings of these interviews, I extracted and translated from
Tibetan to English Khenchen Nyima’s definitions, example sentences, and sto-
ries concerning the terminology of divination for the present glossary. Other
sources for this glossary are Tibetan dictionaries (Tshe tan 1985, Jäschke 1981)
as well as Khentrul Khorchak Rinpoche’s explanations of special terms in the
Tārā Mo manual (translated in this book). These additional sources are identi-
fied in the entries.
The glossary mainly consists of terms and phrases that Khenchen Nyima
used and explained. His explanations are especially valuable since they go
beyond the definitions we find in our dictionaries, covering specifically the field
of divination and regional terminology, mainly from Eastern Tibetan dialects.
I have provided page numbers and spellings according to the Achi Mo (P)
and Tārā Mo (T1) manuals. However, when Khenchen Nyima or Khorchak Rin-
poche corrected the spellings, their version is reported, and in these cases, the
spellings from the manuals are provided in brackets. Alternative spellings of
single syllables are given in brackets immediately after the syllable they refer
to, according to the Great Tibetan-Chinese Dictionary (Tshe tan 1985).
ka cha (ca)’i rjes su ’brangs ba’i gnod pa—harmful influences that tag along
with things (ka ca, old syn. of dngos po). Among Tibetans, there exists a belief
that if you obtain an item from another place, for example, from a temple (espe-
cially of a different religion) or another household, the harmful spirits that
accompany the object may cause sickness or other types of harm. Harmful
spirits may not only come along with things but also sentient beings such as
visitors from other places. An example of a spirit following objects is the story
where Padmasambhava tried to find a deity as a protector of the newly built
monastery in Samyé. He managed to get hold of the Mongolian spirit Gyalpo
Pehar by transferring Mongolian objects to Samyé. Pehar followed these items
and Padmasambhava bound him to the monastery as its protector.
This belief is also the reason why Tibetans are usually hesitant to allow
ancient objects such as statues or valuable items to be transferred to their
homes (unless temporarily and for business purposes only). Even if an old
object has been in one’s home for a long time and never before caused any
harm, it may cause harm any time when the conditions are favorable for that
(rkyen ’phrad). A diviner might ask the client to check their home for such old
items.
Khenchen Nyima also provided examples of spirits following a sentient
being. There is, for instance, the Tibetan belief that if a reddish dog suddenly

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appears at one’s home in the evening, tsen spirits inevitably come along with it,
and, furthermore, if foxes howl at night, it will bring harm form modré spirits.
Because people have these beliefs, it happens that they get sick or even die, and
so forth, when they experience these kinds of bad omens.
rked rags kyi mo—belt divination; method of using one’s belt as a randomizing
tool for divination.
rkyal ’debs—(T1 69–70: skyal ’debs); lit. “putting in a bag.” For this ritual of sup-
pressing evil spirits, a group of people, including the person afflicted by an evil
spirit, gathers at evening time. They bring along a leather bag, a strap to tie it,
a bone trumpet, and a piece of human skin (mi pags, or mi pags g.yang gzhi).
They chant the ritual liturgy, cover the afflicted person with the skin, and beat it
lightly, whereby the spirit is lured into the bag. The bag is then tied up, and the
spirit is suppressed, for instance, by burying it underground. (Khorchak Rin-
poche).
skad—“it is said.” When it occurs at the end of sentences or phrases in Mo texts,

it is often synonymous with ngo, “sign,” “danger,” or “chance of [something].” In
the present book, skad (and also zer in the T1 67) is translated as “it looks like”
to distinguish it from the term ngo.
skam tshad—a dry fever (syn. gting tshad, “deep fever,” and the opposite of rlon
tshad, “moist fever”). The dry fever is the worst type of fever because it stays
deep inside the body, whereas the moist fever entails sweating and getting the
disease out.
skyug (skyugs) bshal—vomiting and diarrhea (syn. ’khru skyug).
kha ’gyod—to regret lightly or (only) by mouth; see also sems ’gyod, “to regret
deeply.” According to Khorchak Rinpoche’s explanation, kha ’gyod also means
“to regret what one has said.”
kha smras—bad talk; slander; see also kha ’dzug.
kha mchu—dispute; syn. gyod.
kha ’tshag—obstacles (syn. bar chad), such as obstacles on the road, in busi-
ness, in studies, and so forth. A diviner can investigate whether such obstacles
will occur or not, and how grave they will be by looking at the second of three

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counts on the mālā in mālā divination, or the second of three throws of the dice
in dice divination. If the second count or throw has a negative outlook, it is a
sign of obstacles (kha ’tshag), if it has a positive outlook, it is called “outlook of
fortune,” grogs phywa. See the chapter on mālā divination.
kha ’dzug—to gossip or verbally interfere regarding other people’s activities

(syn. phra ma bcug, kha smras, and mi kha). There is a Tibetan belief that if you
are starting work or a project, you should keep silent about it at first because if
others know and talk about it, that talk will obstruct the success of the project.
See also mi kha dgra bzlog, a ritual remedy against this kind of bad talk.
kha ’dzum mul le—to smile lightly because something good has happened (in
Central Tibetan ’dzum mul mul).
kha so—“well done,” i.e., other people’s praise when one has accomplished
something (the accomplishment itself is called ngo so, and these two terms
often appear together). It can also mean “luck” or “going well” (like lam ’gro),
e.g., when describing a profit (khe spogs kha so, P 120).
kha sra—usually “difficult to steer” (lit. “rough in the mouth”), as in “horses,

mules, and so forth that are difficult to steer,” (Tshe tan). In P 80, this term is
also used in the context of trade, i.e., “trade that is difficult to control.”
khas len chags—(P 109: chag); to be unable to fulfil a promise on time.
khungs ’don pa—lit. “to mention the source [of a problem].” Refers to someone
who provides a clue about where something that was lost can be found.
khog dga’ shig ge—to be happy deep inside in an elevated way, (Khenchen
Nyima: “as if flying, or sitting or lying on soft grass”).
khyung nag—“Black Garuda.” A ritual for cleansing, e.g., one’s home or objects
(mentioned in P 106). A ritual mirror is held and purified water from a vase is
poured over it.
khyogs dka’—lit. “difficult to lift up or carry.” In the context of divination, it

means that a very positive divination may be difficult to handle for ordinary
people (see P 145) because they lack merit. As a consequence, they will not be
able to enjoy the fruit fully.

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218 chapter 4
khrus bsgrub—an ablution practice performed by a lama. Lay people try to get
hold of the blessed water to do the practice on their own.
god kha (ka)—loss and other misfortune mostly concerning livestock. It occurs
when cattle, horses and other livestock die from sickness, fall down from cliffs,
get eaten by wolves, and so forth. See also shor god, shor ngo che, and god ngo
che.
god ngo che—great danger of loss [of livestock]. See god kha.
dgon rnying gi ka cha (ca)—things from old temples. Such objects are partic-
ularly prone to bringing harmful spirits along with them; see ka cha (ca)’i rjes
su ’brangs ba’i gnod pa.
’go ba—showing favor; assisting—supportive activity of gods, guardians, pro-

tectors, and otherwise harmful spirits (such as tsen, in P 125, or dré spirits) that
have been worshiped.
’gor gzhi—cause for a delay (on the road, etc.). Also: ’gor ngo, “danger of de-
lay.”
gyod—dispute; lawsuit, legal case.
grib phog—to get contaminated (similar to mnol). Contamination occurs, for

instance, when one defiles the abode of spirits. For instance, when one throws
leftovers containing meat or bones into a lake, the lu inhabiting that lake will
become contaminated and, as a result of that, cause diseases.
grogs—fortune, luck, boon (also: grogs ngo, grogs phywa, grogs rtsa, all mean-
ing “sign of fortune” or “outlook of fortune”). An astrological term that also
occurs in other contexts, such as medicine. It always has a positive connotation
and may have classifications such as “greater” or “lesser fortune” (grogs che or
grogs chung). The term kha grogs signifies a smaller fortune (getting something
of less importance or value) while gting grogs signifies real benefit or value. See
also kha ’tshag.
For instance, a Tibetan person will employ this term when he or she wakes
up in the morning and hears a crow making clicking sounds with its throat or
tongue. In this case, the person will believe that he will be exceptionally for-
tunate today (grogs yag po yong sa red) and, for instance, receive a present or
good news. Moreover, when a group of several people has soup together, and

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one person finds a large piece of meat in the soup, that person will believe that
he will be exceptionally fortunate (grogs chen po) that day.
grogs kha la yod kyang lces phul—lit. “having something good in the mouth
but then pushing it out with the tongue.” This is a Tibetan proverb about
destroying a chance to get something good, like a reward or a present, just in
the moment of receiving it. It is like being about to eat something tasty, which
then slips from one’s tongue, falls on the ground, and is no longer edible (see P
153).
glud—ransom or effigy (similar to gto). In a “horse ransom” (rta glud), for

instance, a figure is made of a horse that is sick. In the ritual, the harmful influ-
ences are caused to enter the effigy, which is then destroyed or thrown away.
gleng gzhi—dispute; argument among relatives, spouses, and so forth.
sgang gshong—ups and downs; lit. “above [the mountain] and [down] the val-
ley” (syn. ’phar ’bug and dar rgud).
rgyug min—uncertainty whether something will work out well or not (see lam
du ’gro or lam du rgyug).
brgyag brngan thong—performing a specific torma offering accompanied by

a smoke offering (bsang). The torma has to be brought high up on a mountain,
by a large group of Tibetans riding on horseback. Different ritual texts exist in
all traditions. See Gyag Ngan in the appendix of ritual remedies.
dgra gyod—trouble with enemies, usually followed by a lawsuit (combination

of the two terms dgra “enemy” and gyod “legal case”). For example, if a per-
son rides to another place to sell horses, and they get stolen, the thieves are
the enemies. He will make a legal case, and the authorities of his home place
will have to negotiate with the authorities of the place where the horses were
stolen.
’grul gdon—harmful spirits tagging along with travelers (’grul ba’i rjes su ’brang
ba’i gdon). To avoid trouble with these spirits, Tibetans do not allow travelers
into their house if a family member is sick since the accompanying harmful
spirits might cause further harm to that person. Similarly, if a woman is giving
birth, visitors are not allowed inside on the first day.

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220 chapter 4
rngams che—great, important, valuable; lit. “thick.” In the context of fortune

(grogs), “bountiful.”
ngo—sign or prognosis, danger or chance that something will happen. E.g., ngo
che (a definite sign, prognosis, danger, or chance), “there is a danger that it is
going to rain” (gnam de ’bab ngo ’dug). Also, ngo mtho, a favorable (lit. high) sign
(as in P 158).
ngo so—accomplished purpose; success; reward or present. It also has an ele-

ment of others being amazed at one’s accomplishments.
chags—in the present context: “exceeding” the time for something, see also
khas len chags, and srung ma’i dus gtor chags.
’chi nges pa’i srog bslu—lit. “cheating the life force that is certain to die.”
According to Khorchak Rinpoche, this practice is the same as Releasing Life
(tshe thar), but here the animals that are saved were specifically doomed to be
killed on the same day.
nyi ma—besides the usual meaning of “sun,” this can also be a term for “direc-
tion,” e.g., “the north-western direction” (nyi ma nub byang phyogs).
nyi zla gza’ yis zin—lit. “the sun and the moon are captured by the planet
[Rahula].” A metaphor for something terrible, such as the death of one’s lama
or parents (P 129).
nyug pa—(Eastern Tibetan) to search. Also, bstal nyug (combination of Cen-

tral and Eastern Tibetan verbs, see P 160).
snying phugs—to trust or place one’s trust in something, i.e., “giving one’s heart
to someone or something” (syn. blo gtad).
snying rlung—depression (leading to insomnia and mental weakness).
bsnyad phar ’dzug—accusing others or pointing out the faults of others.
rta ’chi sga chag—lit. “the horse dies and the saddle breaks.” A way of saying
that someone has bad luck on the road.

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rta lha—guardian gods who protect horses. Similar to rta bdag, such as the
yakṣa Kubera. There also exist “sheep gods” (lug lha), “goat gods” (ra lha),
“wealth gods” (nor lha), etc.
bstan srid lar rgya—syn. bstan chos lar rgya, the situation of one’s Dharma
tradition, e.g., concerning the wellbeing and education of its monks and nuns.
bstan srid can refer to both the religious (bstan) and the mundane sphere (srid);
see P 121.
thag ring mgron po or thag ring ’grul ba—lit. “guests [from] afar,” but here
(e.g., P 33), referring to relatives who are traveling for business, etc., and whose
return one awaits, i.e., “travelers to far away [places].” Opp. of thag nye mgron
po “travelers to nearby [places].”
than ltas—a bad sign.
thab gzhob shor ba—the scorched smell from spilling something into the fire-
place. According to Tibetan belief, the hearth god (thab lha) is offended and will
escape when one puts dirty substances into the fireplace, for example, stained
wood, or when one spills meat, fat, or milk, and so forth, into the fire. As a con-
sequence, one will get wounds on the body, and if milk is spilled, the cows will
get wounds on the udders (Khorchak Rinpoche).
thed (?) kyi mo—a method of divination done with a small bone from the legs
of sheep.
dar rgud—ups and downs, lit. “flourish and decline,” (syn. ’phar ’bug and sgang
gshong).
dur sri—si spirits of the charnel ground; harmful influences (see the Glossary
of deities and spirits). The place and method of disposal for a diseased per-
son must be appropriately investigated through astrology, etc., to determine
whether the body should be buried, burned, given to the river, or the vul-
tures, etc. If the place does not match with the person’s elements or disposition
(khams dang mi mthun pa, or mi ’phrod pa), charnel ground spirits will rise and
cause harm to the family, especially the children. On the other hand, if the dis-
posal of the body happens in the best way, this causes fortune and wellbeing
for the family.
dogs bcug—to direct or turn one’s attention (lit. “doubt”) to something (P 147).

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222 chapter 4
gdab tshad—fever from falling down. According to a Tibetan belief, one should
get up immediately if one has fallen from a horse, from a roof, a staircase, etc., to
prevent harmful influences and diseases coming from the ground and causing
fever, etc. Harmful influences can especially enter wounds and cause further
inflammation and swelling (as in a disease called dmu chu).
’dre—a type of spirits. These spirits strive to possess the same objects (or objec-
tives, see P 172–173) as human beings. One’s animals and possessions must be
protected through rituals against them. Dré spirits can also cooperate with peo-
ple and become followers of Buddhism or Bön (P 173).
sdong grogs—help, assistance, helper or companion. It can refer to gods who

assist in accomplishing a purpose (P 124).
brdab chag—breaking the bones when falling from yaks, horses, or motorcy-
cles, etc.
na res tsha res—to take turns in getting ill (res mos byas nas na ba, also na res
byed pa), mainly used in Eastern Tibet. Referring to families where the mem-
bers fall sick alternatingly.
nad pa spo chog—a ritual in which a sick person has to be moved from one
place to another. It is done to accelerate the healing, in case the illness was
connected with the place.
nad gzhi che—severe or chronic disease.
nad mjug thon pa—to root out or completely remove sickness (syn. nad gzhi
nas thon pa / don pa).
nad smug po—a disease related to phlegm (bad kan), where the face turns
dark, and one cannot eat greasy food.
nad gzer—(also gzer nad) an illness accompanied by sharp pain (Tshe tan).
nor nag—wealth consisting of cattle (yaks, cows, and buffalos).
nor spu rtags can—wealth [in the form of livestock] having fur with unique
characteristics. According to a Tibetan belief, it is considered a great wealth to
own sheep, horses, yaks, etc., with unique colors, such as black with a white

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chest, white with a bit of black or red, or with other special signs on the body,
such as sheep with four horns.
mnan gtad—black magic (syn. mthu rgyab pa), where the name of a person is
written on paper and placed in a yak horn together with different substances.
The horn is then buried, and rituals are performed. It is believed that this will
harm or even kill the person.
rno mthong—sharp (clairvoyant) vision. It is accomplished (sgrub) through

mirror divination (pra), or other types of divination (mo), astrology (rtsis), etc.
pang grib—contamination from giving birth. When a birth-giving woman

(pang ma) drops blood and other pregnancy fluids at places where gods and
lu dwell, the ground is contaminated (Khorchak Rinpoche).
pra—(pra dbab pa) mirror divination, sometimes also using the surface of a
lake, etc. Some people believe that this is the original form of divination. Hav-
ing performed rituals, a diviner perceives syllables or cryptic poems in a mirror
or on the surface of a lake, etc. It usually requires a specialist to interpret such
signs.
spong dag (thag) thong—(also: spong dag [thag] byed pa) complete abandon-
ment. A practice where one gives away all possessions. A related term is lus chas
spong dag (thag), “complete abandonment of the garments” (see P 30).
sprang ston dang khyi ston—a feast for beggars and dogs. Offering food and
clothes to groups of beggars and dogs.
phugs gling che—(P 133: phugs gleng che). Deep and complex trouble. For
instance, if one’s object is stolen and sold on through several people, and upon
investigation, it is traced back to one’s family members, whom one cannot
sue.
phog thug shor—to accidentally harm or offend a being, such as a lu (see

P 157). It can occur when one accidentally touches a water spring (chu ’go, or
chu mig), ponds, lakes, and other places where lu live, or if one disposes of
garbage or urinates close to such places. As a consequence, the offended lu
cause wounds, etc. A most contaminating substance for lu (and similarly for
fish, snakes, etc., who are all of the same family) is musk (gla rtsi). When one—
even only accidentally—spills musk into the water and thereby contaminates

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224 chapter 4
lu, one’s whole family may die. Moreover, lu spirits may not cause harm imme-
diately, but over a long period, which is considered the worst type of harm.
phyi phywa—outlook for the future. Such an outlook has the categories “quick”
(mgyogs po), “slow” (dal po), “light” ( yang), or “heavy” (lji). Checking whether
the “outlook for the future” is slow or fast, for instance, one can learn whether
travelers (mgron po) are coming soon or at a later time. One can use the third
of three counts with the mālā in mālā divination or the third dice throw in
dice divination to obtain this particular sign; see the chapter on mālā divina-
tion.
phyi yul mkhar—outside possessions such as the fields, the house, etc. An
opposite term is the “inner fortune of food and wealth” (nang zas nor gyi g.yang,
P 132).
phywa—outlook (concerning something).
phra ma bcug—see kha ’dzug.
phreng mo—mālā divination.
’phar ’bug—ups and downs, unstable situation, i.e., a change (’gyur ba). Syn.
sgang gshong and dar rgud. The term ’bug is similar to ’grib pa or med pa chags
pa (to diminish or decrease). If a sum of money is invested in a business, but
there is only financial loss, it is called ’bug pa. If the decreasing continues,
Tibetans say ’bug pa ’bug pa ’bug pa (especially in East Tibet).
’pho ’phyug—(P 109: ’pho ’chug); to be forced to move to an unpleasant place.
phreng ma bcad pa—to divide the mālā (for example into loops) for mālā div-
ination.
bum gter—wealth vase (syn. gter bum). A consecrated vase filled with pre-
cious substances and mantras. Such a vase attracts wealth when placed in one’s
house, for example, in the store room (mdzod khang, see P 111).
byad phur—harm from black magic or sorcery (other related terms are byad
ka, phur kha, zor kha). Rituals of repelling (bzlog pa) are necessary to ward it
off.

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sbyin bdag mo la khrus—ablution of a woman who wants to get pregnant (lit.

“ablution of the donor [of offspring]”). The ritual is usually performed by a
lama. With the recitation of mantras, he blesses water that is poured over and
drunk by the woman.
mar gong nang nas rus ’dzer thon—lit. “a bone splinter emerging from a lump
of butter.” A way of expressing that something bad is about to happen (if one
swallows the splinter with the butter, it will cause severe damage).
mi kha dgra bzlog, or mi kha dgra sgrub—(P 26: dgra grub, see also the Alpha-
betical List of Ritual Remedies and Supports, under Repelling of Hostile
Gossip). A ritual practice of opposing bad talk from other people. A less formal
practice that Tibetans do for this is to write or carve into stones the letter kha
many times.
mi ’os pa’i mi—a criminal or unsuitable, unworthy person; someone who does
not have the right to do what he is doing.
ming brje lus bsgyur—to change the name and transform the appearance (lit.
“the body”). There is a Tibetan belief that such a radical exchange of one’s name
and all one’s clothes (Khenchen Nyima: “from hat to shoes”) can help to cure
a sickness. It may also include changing the whole bed, mattress, pillow, etc.
In the Tārā Mo, this ritual remedy is called lus bsgyur ming spo, “to change the
clothes (lit. ‘body’) and switch the name.”
mo sgrubs tshar ba—to finish a required practice before one can do a particu-
lar divination. In the case of the Achi Mo, for instance, the minimum require-
ment is that one finishes the recitation of the required amount of mantras
through the sādhana practice (often 100,000 repetitions).
mo ’bab pa—the result or outcome of divination; (lit. “the landing of the div-
ination,” referring to the falling of the dice or the number of remaining beads
in the mālā count).
mo thig pa—an accurate outcome of divination.
dmar ngo—a bad sign in divination, particularly related to diseases. To say in

Tibetan dmar ngo ’dug means, “there is a danger for the ill person.” To investi-
gate whether such a bad sign exists and how grave it is, the diviner looks at the
second of three counts in mālā divination or the second throw of the dice in

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226 chapter 4
dice divination. If the outlook is positive instead, it is called “outlook concern-

ing fortune” (grogs phywa); see the chapter on mālā divination.
dmu chu—(P 76: rmu chu; another alternative spelling is mu chu). Dropsy,
edema, or swelling of the body. The swelling can also cause wounds, similar
to leprosy. There is a Tibetan belief that this kind of disease arises due to the
pollution of a water pond with frogs, lu, sadag spirits, etc.
rma ’gram—wounds that spread all over the body.
rmig pa kha brag can—the very best and most beautiful animals among your
livestock, endowed with special signs. The best horse, for instance, is one with
beautiful patterns and good body shape, the best yak is one without horns and
with very long fur (called g.yang gi g.yag, “yak of prosperity”), and the best type
of sheep is one with four horns.
tshong rgyal ba—lit. “victory in business.” Success in business (the opposite is

tshong pham pa, “loss in business”).
’tshub cha—an omen indicating that a loss or obstacle is on its way. A predis-
position for misfortune (P 29, and Tshe tan).
’tshub lhong—sign or omen of obstruction (P 73, and Tshe tan).
’dzer ba—lit. “having a hoarse throat.” Danger; trouble.
zhal lce gshags—lit. “to get the tongue cut off.” To get defeated verbally. If some-
one talks too much, this can be used as a threat, similar to khyod kha tshem
bzhag dgos, “I’ll sew up your mouth!” (T1 68, Khorchak Rinpoche).
gzhi nas thon pa—to depart from one’s base or the place where one stays.
gzhi che—a great or strong cause or basis (for something to happen). Similar to
gzhi lji, “heavy basis.” The opposite is gzhi chung, “minor cause [for something
to happen].” See also nad gzhi che ba.
gza’ nad—epilepsy, lit. “planet disease.” There is a Tibetan belief that epilepsy
is caused by the harmful influence of the planet Rahula, which causes the blood
to rise to the brain.

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gzer thung—a sudden sharp pain.
bzlog bsgyur—repelling (syn. bzlog pa). A ritual for warding off harmful influ-
ences.
’ur thag gi mo—lasso divination.
’og khal—riding animals, especially the yak (riding yaks are also called sna lo).
g.yang dkar lu gu—lit. “the white wealth, [namely] sheep.”
g.yang skyabs—rituals for protecting and retaining one’s wealth. See the Al-
phabetical List of Ritual Remedies and Supports, under Wealth Protec-
tion.
rang ’khos—[according to] one’s own abilities. Referring especially to one’s

financial capacities when making offerings.
ri khrus—ablution ritual for “cleansing mountains.” The actual purpose is to

purify the yül-la and lu of the mountain when they have been polluted and,
therefore, are the cause of sicknesses. Purified water is poured from a vase on
the mountain while reciting a ritual. The purification also includes removing
garbage from the environment.
rigs mthun khyim tshes—neighbouring astrological signs. If one cannot get a

person with a matching astrological sign (see also lo rtags mthun pa) to do a
particular activity, the second best is to get someone with a neighbouring sign.
rus pa skam tshad—dry (i.e., deep) fever in the bones (see also rus tshad and
skam tshad).
rus tshad—fever in the bones. This causes intense pain in the bones and can
even lead to bone cancer (see also rus pa skam tshad and skam tshad).
lag tu khel ba—to carry out something, put into practice, or make something
happen.
lam du ’gro, or lam du rgyug—working out well, being successful or lucky (las
ka yag po chags yag, “one’s undertaking goes well”).

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228 chapter 4
le lan zla ba—(P 111: le lan brdal); blaming others.
lo grangs—[to perform a practice] as many times [as one has] years of age.
lo rtags mthun pa—matching astrological signs (also: lo mthun pa). For in-
stance, if a bride is going to be welcomed to her new home, only persons with
the same astrological sign should escort her inside. Furthermore, when a dead
body has to be touched, this should be done by persons with either matching or
directly opposite astrological signs. This is also the case for a person who digs
up the first portion of the soil before building a new house.
shi chad—annihilation by death; death.
sho bsgril—to roll the dice (for divination). First, the diviner has to roll the dice
in his hands while reciting the mantra, and then roll them out on a surface to
obtain the numbers. All this is done without showing the dice to anybody else.
Khenchen Nyima demonstrated how the diviner covers the obtained numbers
with his hand.
shor god—loss (to thieves) and loss (of livestock) due to misfortune. See also
god kha.
shor ngo che—a great danger of loss (of wealth to thieves, etc.).
sa klu gdon grol—a ritual practice to liberate someone from the harm (gdon)
of the sadag or lu (nāgas), etc. (see the Alphabetical List of Ritual Remedies and
Supports, under Liberation from Trouble with the Sadag and Lu).
sems ’gyod—deep regret, regretting something deep in the mind (sems); (see
also the opposite kha ’gyod, “light regret”). A similar term is “lasting regret”
(phugs ’gyod, P 38).
sri langs pa—rising of si spirits. Tibetans believe that there are many types of
si spirits connected with different negative phenomena. When something bad
happens, the death of a human or an animal, or a fight, and so forth, the si spirit
connected with this phenomenon can rise and cause it to happen repeatedly in
the area. For example, “cattle si” (phyugs sri) cause a chain of misfortune for the
cattle in the area, “si of fights” (’khrugs sri) cause fights to occur repeatedly, and
so forth. (Khorchak Rinpoche; see also si in the Glossary of deities and spirits).

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srid—offspring, that is, having children. (See Jäschke 1881: srid pa, “a single
being,” as in bar do’i srid pa, “a being of the intermediate state.” In this sense, a
newborn baby is a srid pa. Thus, srid phywa means “the outlook for new-borns
or a birth of a new baby,” hence “offspring”).
srid ’phel gyi srung ’khor—a protecting amulet that increases offspring, that
is, the family line. These can be connected with different deities, for example,
Achi or Mahapratisara (sor ’brang) as in P 137.
srid g.yang—prosperity of offspring. In Tibet, there are some sacred objects

(rten), such as stupas, statues, and mountains, that you can circumambulate to
increase the chances of having children.
srung ’khor ’dogs—to wear a protective amulet.
srung ma’i dus gtor chags—to exceed the time frame for the timely torma
offerings to the protectors. In the Drikung tradition, the prayers and offerings
to the protectors should be done on the 9th, the 19th, and the 29th day of the
lunar month.
bsod nams kyi ra ba g.yang gi nor bus gang—lit. “the enclosure of merit is full
of prosperous wealth;” this is a metaphor indicating that someone has excellent
merit (mi de dpe bsod nams chen po red).
lham sgro’i mo—shoe lace divination.
lha’i bya versus ’dre’i bya—the divine bird, which is the cuckoo (khu byug), ver-
sus the demon bird, which is the partridge (sreg pa). These are called so only
because of their voices that are pleasing and unpleasant, respectively.
lha ngo mtho ba—the protecting gods are in a good, favorable, strong, lucky,
or confident (lit. “high”) position. Thus, they can do their job of protecting and
assisting better. Gods have, like humans and other beings, good and bad, strong
and weak, lucky and unlucky periods.
The opposite is lha ngo dma’ ba, “the gods are in a low position.” This pair (of
the gods’ high and low position) is the first in a set of three categories of the div-
ination that are investigated in the first count on the mālā in mālā divination
or the first dice throw in dice divination. The second category is grogs phywa,
“outlook of fortune,” with the opposite negative dmar ngo, “bad sign,” and kha
’tshag, “obstacles.” The third category is phyi phywa, “outlook for the future.” See
the chapter on mālā divination.

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230 chapter 4
lha srung gsar rnying ’khon pa—hostility or resentment between the [retinues
of] the old gods or protectors [that were, for instance, traditionally practiced
in your family], and the new ones [that you start to practice].
a phyi’i bskang rdzas—the offering substances for the Achi appeasement or

fulfillment ritual. These consist of pictures or figures of animals such as horses,
yaks, sheep, and goats, and a crane, a mirror, a victory banner, and so forth.
8 Terminology of Fortune and Misfortune in Tibetan Buddhist Mo

Divination
The following table is a glossary of Tibetan terms for fortune and misfortune
as we find them in several manuals for dice and mālā divination (cf. the list
of abbreviations). This glossary provides in each entry a few sample references
to these manuals. The orally transmitted divination systems described in this
book based on Khenchen Nyima Gyaltsen Rinpoche’s and Dorzin Dhondrup
Rinpoche’s explanations also abound in such terminology. For discussions on
the meanings and functions of some Tibetan terminologies and concepts of
fortune and the interesting overlaps between beliefs in Buddhist karma and
merit-making versus popular beliefs in more short-term types of fortune, see
da Col 2007, 2012; Epstein 1977, 1983; Clarke 1999; Gerke 2012; Roche and Sa
mtsho 2011. For studies more directly concerning karma and divination in the
Chinese tradition, see McGuire (2014). However, the topic of popular beliefs
in fortune and misfortune versus Buddhist karma remains understudied, espe-
cially in the Tibetan tradition and when it is in combination with divination.
The terms of fortune in Tibetan Buddhist divination lore, which appear to be
remnants of popular beliefs from pre-Buddhist times, are usually intermingled
with Buddhist karma terms.
Fortune terms Misfortune terms
bkra shis—auspiciousness, prosperity, good luck bkra mi shis—inauspiciousness, lack of prosperity,

(P 64,4, Mi 175,9, S 234,2). It can also be shortened to bad luck (J 15,2).
shis pa (P 112,3, Mi 182,1).
rkyen—cooperative causes or conditions that func-
skal bzang or skal ldan—fortunate or lucky in tion only within one lifetime (in contrast to primary
terms of having opportunities (J 4,3, S 236,7). karmic causes, rgyu, that work across several life-
times); both positive and negative, but in divination

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(cont.)
kha rje—fortunate and enjoyable circumstances terminology often referring to negative influences
(P 131,2), sometimes combined as kha rje dbang from spirits or pollution (P 75,2, 85,5, 105,5, Epstein
thang meaning enjoyment and energy or power due and Lichter 1983: 238f.).
to luck or fortune (P 44,4).
god kha—misfortune mostly concerning livestock,
grogs—fortune or luck; a divinatory category in such as loss and sickness (P 26,4, 62,4, 91,5).
most manuals and the orally transmitted divination
grib—pollution that causes misfortune and illness,
systems explained by Khenchen Nyima and Dorzin
often due to inappropriate behavior that offends
Dhondrup.
spirits (T1 66,4, P 135,2). There are many different
dge ba—virtue through which one accumulates types, e.g., dmar grib, pollution from eating raw
merit (N 197,14); also auspiciousness (S 234,2, Mi meat (Tu 754,2) and the more general zas grib, food
146,9). pollution (P 115,2); ro grib, pollution from contact
with a corpse (Tu 754,2); dam grib or nyams grib,
’go ba—being favored by protecting gods (Tu 753,4,
pollution from broken vows (Tu 753,2, J 6,2); btsog
T1 69,2, Dotson 2017).
grib, pollution from uncleanliness (T1 66,4); related
rten ’brel—dependently arisen sign of either for- to that is pang grib, pollution from childbirth fluids
tune or misfortune (i.e., signs or omens that arise or menstruation (Khorchak Rinpoche, Epstein 1977:
due to causes, conditions, or karma); also just fortu- 90). Sometimes combined as mnol grib, contamina-
nate circumstances (N 190,13, Roche and Sa mtsho tion and pollution (T1 67,1).
2011: 240).
bgegs—obstruction, sometimes in the form of spir-
phywa, phya (cha, sa)—outlook, prognostic, omen; its (P 136,3, Tu 753,6, Mi 155,10).
also fortune, luck. Used for all the categories listed
’tshag, kha ’tshag, or tshag—obstacle; used in the
in divination manuals, e.g., khyim phywa “outlook
oral divination systems explained by Khenchen
concerning household,” etc.
Nyima and Dorzin Dhondrup (also, MD 359,3).
dbang thang—personal power, energy or charisma
’tshub cha or ’tshub lhong—bad omen indicating
due to fortune or luck (K 297, J 4,6). Also as kha rje
misfortune or troubles (P 91,3, 150,5, Mi 176,2).
dbang thang, enjoyment and energy or power due
to fortune (P 44,4). gdon—harmful influences from spirits (P 157,2, T1
67,4, J 6,2).
zhal dro (h.), kha dro—auspicious, welcoming,
lucky. Appears often together with bkra shis as in gnod pa—harm from spirits (T1 65,1, P 173,2).
P 64,4.
mnol—contamination that causes misfortune,
g.yang—prosperity (J 21,6, da Col 2012: 79). Some- often due to having offended spirits (P 48,3, 129,4).
times referring to physical wealth, e.g., srid g.yang, Also combined as mnol grib, contamination and
a wealth of children (P 107,3), or g.yang dkar lu gu, pollution (T1 67,1).
wealth of sheep (P 155,3).
byad kha or byad phur—curse, sorcery, or black
rlung rta—luck (Mi 172,9, N 193,12). Also referring magic resulting in misfortune (T1 66,5, P 85,5, 105,5).
to the hanging of prayer flags or throwing small
mi kha—gossip from others, resulting in misfortune
pieces of paper with printed prayers into the air.
(P 114,3, T1 65,5, Epstein 1977: 91).
Both methods are believed to improve luck (P 86,4,
da Col 2012: 79). mi dge ba—non-virtue, leading to misfortune (Mi
167,2), but also referring to inauspiciousness (Mi
176,8).

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232 chapter 4
(cont.)
lam ’gro or lam du rgyug—luck or going well dmar ngo—bad omen indicating illness (N 180,3,
(P 108,2, 129,5). also used in Khenchen Nyima’s divination system).
las ’phro—karmic residue. More often referring lan chags—karmic retribution, also related to
to fortunate karma (J 4,3), but also “misfortunate” harmful spirits, and it causes misfortune (J 7,4, 24,6,
(J 25,3). Epstein 1977: 81).
bsod nams—merit, both in terms of virtuous activi-
ties and their resultant fortune (J 23,5, N 197,15).
lha ngo—“the position of the gods;” how favorable
the circumstances are for getting help and support
from protective gods. Also, a category in the oral
divination systems explained by Khenchen Nyima
and Dorzin Dhondrup. It can be either favorable
(lit. high) lha ngo mtho ba (P 127,3) or unfavorable
(lit. low or weak) lha ngo dma’ ba (T3 517,4) or lha
ngo zhan pa (N 193,2).

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appendix 1
Glossary of Deities and Spirits
chökyong—(chos skyong, Skt. dharmapāla). Dharma protector. A synonym is “guard-

ian of the teachings” (bstan pa’i srung ma). A general designation for deities that abide
by their pledge (dam tshig, Skt. samaya) of protecting the Buddhist teachings. They
have a terrifying appearance with fangs, blue, black, or red skin, and sometimes many
heads and feet, but are embodiments of the compassion of buddhas and bodhisattvas,
and they act wrathfully with the purpose of benefiting the beings.
chudré—(chu ’dre). Water spirit.
chungsi—(chung sri). Si demons who kill children (Nebesky-Wojkowitz 1956: 216).
damsi—(dam sri). Si demon of samaya breaking. See si.
drala—(dgra lha/bla). Lit. “enemy god.” An enemy or warrior god is a deity who is
especially capable of protecting against enemies and increases property. Pehar is often
called the “warrior god of men.” Other Dharma protectors too are called warrior gods,
such as Tsi’u dmar po and rDo rje legs pa. It is also the name of a personal protec-
tive deity, whose seat is the right shoulder. For details of both types of these gods, see
Nebesky-Wojkowitz (1956: 318) and Hoffmann (1950: 198). There is a variety of spellings,
such as sgra/dgra lha/bla, however, Berounsky (2009) points out that according to quite
uniform Dunhuang sources the ancient spelling seems to be dgra bla (PT 1043, 1047,
1051, ITJ 0738). Moreover, he points out that dgra (lit. “enemy”) and dmag (lit. “war”)
are often interchangeable (dgra dpon, dmag dpon, dgra rgyag pa, dmag rgyag pa, and
so forth). Hence, these gods embody the metaphor of war.
drasi—(dgra sri). Si demon of the enemy. They tend to re-arise during the course of
the year and month in which an enemy previously arose (Tshe tan). See si.
dremo—(’dre mo). The dré are a type of spirits who compete with human beings for
objects. Dremo is the female form. Cf. the chapter “Special Terminology.”
drewo—(gre bo). Male form of dré spirits. According to Gyurme Dorje, the spirit of a
murder victim (Dorje 2002: Glossary).
driwo tabdré—(gri bo thab ’dre). Dré spirit of the kitchen knife.

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234 appendix 1
dursi—(dur sri). Si demon of the charnel ground. See si.
dü—(bdud). Demons that are a sub-category of the six classes of gods of the realm of
desire (Tshe tan). According to the legends surrounding Padmasambhava, the dü were
one of five types of particularly dangerous followers of Pehar (the others were tsen, lu,
shinjé, and mamo; see Lama Chime 1981: 29).
gabdré—(’gab ’dre). A type of dré spirit that tags along with people and wealth (Tshe
tan).
gongpo—(’gong po). The gongpo are male, female (’gong mo), and children (’gong
phrug). They are said to be hostile to the rulers of Tibet, and their evil influence has
to be regularly transferred to substitute offerings (glud). There appear to be several
bands of gongpo (such as seven, nine, and three). Some of them are briefly described
by Nebesky-Wojkowitz (1956: 283f.).
gösi—(god sri). The si of misfortune that is said to cause cattle to degenerate (Nebesky-
Wojkowitz 1956: 302).
gyalgong—(rgyal ’gong). Demons who, among other harm, cause the death of newborn
boys. (Cornu 1990: 226ff.). Nebesky-Wojkowitz (1956: 300) describes them as a union of
gyalpo and gongpo. They reside in temples and monasteries.
gyalpo—(rgyal po). The spirits of evil kings or high lamas who have failed their vows
(Bell 2006: 14).
kyela—(skyes lha). Lit. “birth deity,” god of the birth constellation. The deity of the day
and locality that are associated with the birth of a person. For a few remarks on the
difficulties of defining this type of deity, see Walter (2009: 150).
kyimla—(khyim lha). Household god. Complementary to the pola (gods of the pater-
nal ancestors), this god belongs to the mola (gods of the maternal ancestors) and is
concerned with the inner protection of the house (and therefore also called “gods of
the inner [house],” phug lha). For a detailed description, see Tucci (1988: 188f.).
lu—(klu). Skt. nāga. They are prevalently water-spirits. They can be dangerous and
cause, for instance, leprosy (mdze nad) and all kinds of skin diseases (Nebesky-Wojko-
witz 1956: 290). According to the legends surrounding Padmasambhava, the lu were
one of five types of particularly dangerous followers of Pehar (the others were dü, tsen,
shinjé, and mamo; see Lama Chime 1981: 29).

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glossary of deities and spirits 235
lunyen—(klu gnyan). Malicious lu (Skt. nāga). The term lunyen either refers to an espe-
cially malicious nāga (klu btsan po’am gdug pa can), or to a hybrid form that is both a
lu and nyen demon (Tshe tan).
mamo—(ma mo). The mamo cause fits of fainting, show a close similarity to the
mātṛka of India, and are usually “depicted as ugly and ferocious female figures of a black
colour, half-naked, with emaciated breasts and clotted hair. Their typical weapons are
the sack full of diseases (nad kyi rkyal pa), the magic notched stick (khram shing), a
black snare (zhags pa nag po), and a magic ball of thread (gru gu)” (Nebesky-Wojkowitz
1956: 167, 269). According to the legends surrounding Padmasambhava, the mamo were
one of five types of particularly dangerous followers of Pehar (the others were dü, tsen,
lu, and shinjé; Lama Chime 1981: 29). For a recent discussion of the mātṛka of India, see
Hatley (2012: 99–130).
män—(sman). Tibetan pre-Buddhist localized divinities, of which there are numerous

types. For rtse smam, yul sman, mtsho sman, gnam sman, g.yu sman, brag sman, i.e.,
män of the mountain peak, area, lake, sky, turquoise, rock, and so forth, see Nishida
(2016).
médré—1. (rme ’dre). A type of dré spirit. According to bTsan lha, rme means “contam-
inated” (btsog pa). Probably a type of dré spirit that causes defilement.
2. (me ’dre). Fire spirit.
misi—(mi’i sri). Si demon of humans. See si.
modré—(mo ’dre). Same as dremo.
namtéu—(gnam the’u, sometimes gnam thel). gNam the’u dkar po is the leader of the
→ téurang (Nebesky-Wojkowitz 1956: 283).
nyen—(gnyan). The nyen are closely related to the sadag type of spirits and the lu.
They are usually assigned to the space between earth and sky, and their characteristic
color is yellow. They usually are of an evil nature and inhabit trees, rocks, mountains,
rivers, lakes, clouds, planets, and so forth (Nebesky-Wojkowitz 1956: 288f.).
Pehar—(pe har). King of the gyalpo demons. Deity that enters into the Nechung (gnas
chung) Oracle of the Dalai Lama and other mediums (cf. Maurer 2010). According to the
legends surrounding Padmasambhava, Pehar—before he was bound to an oath—was
the chief of five types of particularly dangerous followers (namely dü, tsen, lu, shinjé,
and mamo, Lama Chime 1981: 29). Pehar eventually became a bodhisattva and protec-

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236 appendix 1
tor of Buddhism (p. 30). According to Khenchen Rinpoche (and Lama Chime, p. 31),
Pehar came along with objects from Mongolia that Padmasambhava brought or had
ordered to be brought to Samyé monastery. See the chapter “Special Terminology,” ka
cha’i rjes su’ ’brang ba.
pola—(pho lha). God(s) of the paternal ancestors. A god concerned with the external
protection of the house (Tucci 1988: 189). Complementary to the household or interior
god (kyimla, mola, or pugla).
sadag—(sa bdag). Spirits of the locality and time. The sphere where sadag exist is time
and space, and these consist of elements that are either conducive or antagonistic. To
avoid conflict, complex calculations of time, space, elements, and animal cycles are
necessary. The sphere of the sadag is organized like a kingdom. Human beings should
avoid contact with them since they cause harm. Their harm can be repelled with the
help of rituals. One group of the sadag, the lto ’phye, is very prominent since they have
to be pacified with a ritual (namely the sa chog) when the ground needs to be exca-
vated (for instance in building construction). Iconographically, the lto ’phye resemble
the lu (nāgas). The lto ’phye change their position in the ground throughout the year.
To know their position, it is necessary to make astronomical calculations. According to
sDe srid Sangs rgyas rgya mtsho’s Vaiḍurya dkar po (ch. 31), there are (1) sadag that do
not change in space and time (klu, gnyan, gcan, bsen mo, and so forth), (2) sadag that
reside in different directions throughout the year, (3) change their location monthly, (4)
daily, (5) and during the twelve times of the day. The chapter describes in detail which
activities should be avoided in their vicinity (funerals, weddings, contamination of the
hearth, building a house, transporting corpses, and so forth). The unmoveable ones
reside in the household, on the surface of the earth, in the eastern, southern, western,
and northern directions, and on nine levels below the earth, the moveable ones change
their location at different times. The various sadag cause particular threats to the land-
lord, human beings in general, those who deliver or welcome the bride, the military
commander, travelers, sea travelers, and so forth. Some of them change their appear-
ance several times during the day. See Schuh (2012).
serag—(bse rag). Connected to the groups of gongpo and damsi demons (Nebesky-
Wojkowitz 1956: 284). Tshe tan defines them as “spirits who consume the essence of
nourishment and wealth.”
shindré—(gshin ’dre). A ghost; a spirit of a dead person who stays around and causes
harm (Tshe tan).
shinjé—(gshin rje, Skt. yamaḥ). The Lord of Death.

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glossary of deities and spirits 237
si—(sri). A class of evil spirits containing numerous sub-categories related to specific

phenomena, such as weapons, water, sky, earth, suicide, old age, death, pledges, adults,
or children. They manifest when they meet the conditions to do so, for instance, if one
offends them (Tshe tan). For descriptions of various si demons and their origination,
see Nebesky-Wojkowitz (1956: 300–303).
sinmo—(srin mo). Skt. rākṣasī. Female, flesh-eating spirits. They are “cannibal demons,
figuring in Indian and Tibetan mythology, with red neck and eyes, which drink blood
and subsist on dead bodies” (Sarat Chandra Das Dictionary, 1902: 1290). For the legend
of the sinmo demoness pinned down at the time of King Songtsen Gampo, see Miller
(1998). For her subjugation during the construction of the Jokhang temple, see Gyatso
(1989). “Local variations of this story are found throughout the Tibetan world. The srin
mo represents the archaic religious complex, and her subjugation heralds the triumph
of Buddhism. Wherever the story is told, the local landscape is perceived in reference
to the body of the demoness” (Shneiderman 2002: 243).
sogla—(srog lha). Life force deity. One of the five types of assisting deities (’go ba’i lha,
see Tshe tan). God of the vital strength concentrated in the heart (Tucci 1988: 269, n. 18).
söndré—(gson ’dre). A “living demon,” a human being, often female. Meeting her in the
evening can cause fever and illness. “While their body lies lifeless as in sleep their spirit
(bla) becomes at night a demon (’dre) which wanders around restlessly bringing mis-
fortune and lingering illness to those with whom they come into contact. Those who
see these demonic women from close up can ascertain their identity” (Tucci 1980: 187).
tabla—(thab lha). Hearth god. The hearth god is easily offended by bad smells pro-
duced, for instance, by spilling (even involuntarily) substances into the fire. It must be
pacified with smoke offerings (Tucci 1988: 189).
téurang—(the’u rang). According to Nebesky-Wojkowitz (1956: 282f.), these are deities

of an evil nature, which cause disunity and quarrel and make children ill. They are also
believed to influence the weather, and especially to send hailstorms. Their leader is →
namtéu karpo. For a detailed account, see Blondeau (2008: 207ff.).
togdré—(ltogs ’dre), a type of dré spirit that removes the nutrition from food and causes
hunger (Tshe tan).
tsen—(btsan). Demons who occupy the intermediate zone between the underworld
and the heavens. They appear as helmeted and armored horsemen, who roam the
mountains and are said to be related to ancestral spirits (Hoffmann 1986: 95). According

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238 appendix 1
to the legends surrounding Padmasambhava, the tsen were one of five types of partic-
ularly dangerous followers of Pehar (the others were dü, lu, shinjé, and mamo; Lama
Chime 1981: 29). Nebesky-Wojkowitz devotes a whole chapter to them (1956: 166–176).
yül-la—( yul lha). Local deity. According to Nebesky-Wojkowitz (1956: 4), many of the
ancient local deities are classified under the vague term yül-la. Lindahl (2010: 235)
points out that the deities petitioned in yül-la rituals include the zhidag, the sadag,
the yül-la, the drala, and the lu.
zakar—(gza’ skar). Planetary spirits. They play an essential role in astrology, medicine,
and rituals of controlling harming forces.
zhidag—(gzhi bdag). Local protector. Depending on local custom interchangeable

with yül-la ( yul lha). According to Pommaret (1996: 42), the yül-la and the zhidag per-
tain to a horizontal notion of space and to a precise territory. They are “often thought
of in folk tales as being interrelated with each other in a pattern of ‘family relation-
ship’ whether at the village or regional levels” (Karmey 1996: 59). Local protectors are
not always male, such as the five Tseringma goddesses of the La phyi region (Tshe ring
mched lnga) in western Tibet (now partly Nepal). They do not dwell below a village or
downstream of a valley but are always associated with heights (Ibid. p. 67).
zhiwé si—(shi ba’i sri). Si demon of death. See si.

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appendix 2
Alphabetical List of Ritual Remedies and Supports
For canonical references, see, unless otherwise noted, the Derge canon. Whenever it
was possible to identify a ritual text within one of the Drikungpa collections of such
texts, that was preferred. Otherwise, reference is made to similar collections such as
those of Karma Chagmé (CWKC-1, 2, and 3), which are also popular among the Drikung-
pas. If such a reference could not be made, to provide an example, available ritual texts
of other traditions are mentioned.
Abbreviated Prajnaparamita (bsDus pa or ’Bum chung)

Shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa stong phrag brgya pa’i don ma nor bar bsdus pa ’bum
chung. Zhol par khang print, Lha sa, 1914?; TBRC W3CN1595.
Ablution of a Mountain (Ri khrus)

Ri khrus shel dkar me long, DCh vol. 1, pp. 177–190; also ChDz vol. ro, no. 3, pp. 467–482,
and KR pp. 349–359.
Ablution of the Dwelling (gNas khang la khrus gsol)

Ri klung gnas khang sogs la khrus chog byed tshul nyes pa kun sel, Collected Works of
Chu bzang Bla ma Ye shes rgya mtsho, TBRC W1KG10772, vol. 1, pp. 382–390.
Appeasement and Confession to the Guardians (Srung ma’i bskang bshags)

Chos srung bskang bshags, Collected Works of the 5th Dalai Lama, vol. 14, pp. 163–168,
TBRC W1PD107937.
Appeasement and Summoning Prosperity of Vaishravana (rNam sras

bskang ba g.yang ’gugs)
rNam thos sras la brten nas phywa g.yang ’gugs pa’i cho ga, Collected Works of the 3rd
Detri Tulku Jamyang Tubten Nyima (1779–1862), vol. 5, pp. 11ff., TBRC W22204.
Appeasement of the Lha mo (lHa mo bskang ba)

dPal ldan lha mo’i spyi bskang, CWKC-3, vol. 7, pp. 603–606.
Appeasement of Vaishravana (rNam sras kyi bskang ba)

’Don cha nyer mkho phan bde’i bum bzang, Anthology of liturgical texts used in the
Drukpa Kagyu order, vol. 5, pp. 674–679, TBRC W23685.

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240 appendix 2
Avatamsaka Sutra
Sangs rgyas phal po che zhes bya ba shin tu rgyas pa chen po’i mdo (Buddha Avataṃsaka
Nāma Mahāvaipūlyasūtra), D vol. 35–38.
Bahuputra Dharani (Bu mang po[’i gzungs])

’Phags pa bu mang po rton pa zhes bya ba’i gzungs (Ārya Bahuputra Pratisara Nāma
Dhāraṇī), D vol. 91, 52a5–52b5.
Battle Thread Cross of Tara (sGrol ma’i g.yul mdos)

rJe btsun ’phags ma sgrol ma’i g.yul mdos ji ltar bya tshul bsgrigs bltas chog tu bkod pa
dgra las rnam par rgyal ba’i rnga sgra, DCh vol. 1, pp. 799–825.
Black Ushnisha Dharani (gTsug tor nag mo’i gzungs)

CMDh-2, pp. 327–335.
Burnt Offering of Pacification (Zhi ba’i sbyin sregs)

Ngan song yongs su sbyong ba gtsug tor dgu’i zhi ba’i sbyin sreg gi cho ga ’od kyi snye ma
by Rig ’dzin Chos kyi grags pa, ChDz, vol. phe, pp. 190–228; Phur ba yang gsang bla med
kyi zhi ba’i sbyin sreg gi cho ga phrin las 1hun grub by ’Phrin las bzang po, ChDz, vol.
re, pp. 115–134, dPal ‘khor lo sdom pa lhan skyes lha lnga dril lugs kyi zhi ba’i sbyin sreg
nag ’gros su bkod pa phrin las kun ’byung by ’Phrin las bzang po, ChDz, vol. le, pp. 283–
327.
Burnt Offering of the Four Activities (Las bzhi’i sbyin sreg)

dPal rdo rje mal ’byor ma’i sgo nas las bzhi’i sbyin sreg ’dod don kun sbyin by Rig ’dzin chos
kyi grags pa, ChDz, vol. me, pp. 572–600, and gSang chen rgyud sde rgya mtsho’i phrin
las bzhi’i sbyin sreg gi cho ga phrin las kun ’grub, pp. 600–663.
Cheating Certain Death (’Chi nges pa’i srog bslu)

Lit. “cheating the life force that is certain to die.” According to Khorchak Rinpoche, this
practice is the same as Releasing Life (tshe thar), but here the animals that are saved
were specifically doomed to be killed on the same day.
Cheating Death (’Chi bslu)

Mṛtyuṣṭhāpaka (’Chi ba bslu ba), D vol. 28, fols. 57b4–58a6. On such rituals, see Walter
(2000: 605–624).
Cheating Life (Tshe bslu ba)

Offering a ransom for longevity. Yab sras kyi tshe bslu by Phag mo gru pa rDo rje rgyal
po, Collected Works of Phag mo gru pa, vol. 7, 9v–11v, TBRC W23891; Bla tshe bslu zhing

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alphabetical list of ritual remedies and supports 241
dgug pa’i cho ga rin chen srog ri rgyab rten by ’Bri ban bde mchog rdo rje, DCh, vol. 1,
pp. 658–684.
Lurma (Chung sri’i gtor ma)

gDon gsum gtor mas bzlog thabs dang / chung sri gtor mas bzlog thabs, CWKC-2, vol. 39,
pp. 277–294.
Collection of Dharanis (gZungs ’dus)

CMDh-1, vol. 1, pp. 851–855.
Combined Amitayus and Hayagriva Empowerment

Tshe rta zung ’brel gyi tshe dbang bskur ba’i cho ga tshe srog rdo rjer sgrub pa’i bcud len
by Thang stong rgyal po, TBRC W4CZ1112.
Condensed Sutra (mDo sdud pa)

’Phags pa chos yang dag par sdud pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Ārya Dhar-
masaṃgīti Nāma Mahāyānasūtra), D, vol. 65, fols. 1b1–99b7.
Consecration (Rab gnas)

Rab gnas bsdus pa, DCh, vol. 1, pp. 158–159; Rab gnas, KR, pp. 345–349.
Damsi Ransom (Dam sri glud)

gSang bdag dregs pa ’dul byed las tshogs dam sri’i glud mdos, RT, vol. 70, pp. 249–255.
Defeating Mahasahasra (sTong chen mo rab tu ’joms ma)

One of the Five Great Dharanis. sTong chen po rab tu ’joms pa zhes bya ba’i mdo, D,
vol. 90, 63b1–87b1; vol. 102, fols. 189b6–190a1.
Dharani of Getting Free from the Fetters (bCings pa las grol ba’i gzungs)
bCings pa las grol ba’i gzungs, D, vol. 96, fols. 116a5–116a6.
Dharani of Grahamatrika (gZa’ yum)

’Phags ma gza’ rnams kyi yum zhes bya ba’i gzungs, D, vol. 91, fols. 180b5–183b4 and
183b5–186a5.
Dharani of Logyön (Lo gyon ma’i gzungs)

’Phags ma ri khrod lo ma gyon ma zhes bya ba’i gzungs, (Ārya Parṇṇaśavari Nāma Dhā-
raṇī), D, vol. 94, fols. 228b1–229a3; also Lo ma gyon ma’i gzungs chog shin tu zab pa by
Rig ’dzin Chos kyi grags pa, ChDz, vol. ne, pp. 291–298.

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242 appendix 2
Dharani of the Drum Sound of Deathlessness (’Chi med rnga sgra’i gzungs)
Q, vol. 7, 243b1–243b5.
Dharani of the Good Jewel (Nor bu bzang po’i gzungs)

Ārya Maṇibhadra Nāma Dhāraṇī (’Phags pa nor bu bzang po’i gzungs), D, vol. 96,
fols. 56a1–56b2.
Dharani of the Protection and Increase of Wealth and Livestock (Nor

phyugs bsrung zhing spel ba’i gzungs)
’Phags pa nor phyugs skyong zhing spel ba zhes bya ba’i gzungs dang gtsang ma klu ’bum
dkar po, TBRC W1KG22684.
Dharani of the Trunk Ornament (’Phags pa sdong po rgyan gyi mchog ces bya
ba’i gzungs)
Ārya Gaṇḍālaṃkārāgra Dhāraṇī, D, vol. 102, fols. 235a2–235b4.
Dharani of Ushnisha Vijaya (rNam rgyal ma’i gzungs)

Sarvatathāgatoṣṇīṣavijayā Nāma Dhāraṇī Kalpa (De bzhin gshegs pa thams cad kyi
gtsug tor rnam par rgyal ma’i gzungs), D, vol. 90, fols. 248a3–250a5.
Dispelling the Darkness of the Ten Directions (Phyogs bcu’i mun sel)
KR, pp. 324–326.
Dra Tog Ser Sum (Grwa tog gser gsum)

According to Khenchen Rinpoche, this consists of: (1) “Five Great Dhāraṇīs” (gZungs
chen grwa lnga, see Grwa lnga), (2) the ’Dus pa chen po rin po che tog gi gzungs, and (3)
the gSer ’od mdo (see gSer ’od). TBRC W3CN506.
Ārya Mahāsannipāta Ratnaketu Dhāraṇī Nāma Mahāyānasūtra (’Phags pa ’dus pa chen
po rin po che tog gi gzungs zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo), D, vol. 56, fols. 187b3–
277b7.
Drop of the Sutra (mDo thig)

Appeasement of sadag, cf. Tsering (1995: 114). Dag pa gser gyi mdo thig, or, alternatively,
gZa’ skar gsang ba’i zu tse bskol gyi mdo zhes bya ba’i gzungs, ascribed to Kong rtse lha’i
rgyal po, TBRC W1KG5988, vol. 1, ch. nu, p. 1343.
Drum Sound of Golden Light (gSer ’od rnga sgra)

gSer ’od snga sgra, CMDh-2.

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Eight Appearances (sNang brgyad)

’Phags pa gnam sa snang brgyad ces bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo, CMDh-2, vol. 2,
pp. 484–498. The text is discussed by Tucci (1990: II, 723, n. 29). Edition and transla-
tion in Weber and Huth (1891).
Eight Thousand Lines Prajnaparamita (brGyad stong)

Aṣṭasahāsrika Prajñāpāramitā, TBRC W22084, vol. 33.
Empowerment of Logyön (Lo gyon ma’i dbang)

Lo gyon ma’i dbang grangs su bsogs pa’i tshe dbang, CWKC-1, vol. 31, pp. 723–726.
Essence of the Amogha Lasso (Don yod zhags pa’i snying po)
’Phags pa don yod zhags pa’i snying po zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Āryāmogha-
pāśa Hṛdaya Māhāyānasūtra), D, vol. 91, fols. 278b1–284a7.
Essence of the Amogha Lasso Dharani (Don yod zhags pa’i snying po’i gzungs)
’Phags pa don yod zhags pa’i snying po zhes bya ba’i gzungs (Ārya Amoghapāśa Hṛdaya
Nāma Dhāraṇī), D, vol. 91, fols. 284b1–287a5.
Five Great Dharanis (Grwa lnga)

The “five great dhāraṇīs” (gzungs chen grwa lnga) 1) sTong chen mo rab tu ’joms ma, 2)
rMa bya chen mo, 3) gSang sngags rjes su ’dzin ma, 4) bSil ba’i tshal chen mo, 5) So sor
’brang ma.
Five Lips (mChu sde lnga)

According to Khenchen Rinpoche, these are five dhāraṇīs connected with different
colours and metals, such as ’Phags pa lcags mchu nag po, D, vol. 96, fols. 54a3–55b7. See
also: rDo rje’i mchu, gNam lcags mchu, ’Phag(!) pa lcag mchu, ’Phag(!) pa lcag(!) mchu
nag po, ’Phag(!) pa lcags mchu nag po, ’Phags pa zangs mchu dmar po, ’Phags pa kha chu
nag po, Collection of Buddhist Liturgical Prayers, pp. 425–484, TBRC W1PD86474.
Four Hundred Offerings (brGya bzhi)

According to Tshe tan (entry: brgya bzhi) a ritual of offering one hundred butter lamps,
foods (zhal zas), votive offerings (tsha tsha), and ransom representations (ngar mi or
dri glud) each to remove obstacles. brGya bzhi’i cho ga’i rim pa shin tu zab pa by ’Bri
gung pa dKon mchog ratna, DCh vol. 1, pp. 951–982.
Gandhavyuha
“sDong po rgyan pa” is an alternative Tibetan title for the Gaṇḍavyūha Sūtra (Tib. sDong
po bkod pa). Geshe Sonam Rinchen also states that the two are identical (1997: 202, n. 9;
1999: 147, n. 14).

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244 appendix 2
Garuda Empowerment (Khyung khra’i dbang)

rDo rje khyung khra’i dbang sgrub thabs las phran dang bcas pa jo bo nā ro pa’i lugs by
Rig ’dzin Chos kyi grags pa, ChDz, vol. ne, pp. 230–244, and rDo rje khyung khra dang nā
ga rakṣa’i sgrub thabs rjes gnang shin tu bsdus pa, pp. 244–256.
Glorification of the Drala (dGra bla[lha] dpang bstod)

For the text and translation of this text revealed by Rig ’dzin rgod ldem can (1337–1409)
or authored by the 5th Dalai Lama, see Berounsky (2009: 37ff.).
God of Wealth “Golden Light” (Nor lha gser ’od)

Contained, e.g., in TBRC W1KG12536.
Golden Light (gSer ’od)

Ārya Suvarṇaprabhāsottama Sūtrendrarāja Nāma Mahāyānasūtra (’Phags pa gser ’od
dam pa mdo sde’i dbang po’i rgyal po zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo), D, vol. 89,
fols. 151b1–273a.
Good Fortune (bsKal bzang)

Ārya Bhadrakalpika Mahāyanāsūtra (’Phags pa bskal pa bzang po pa zhes bya ba theg
pa chen po’i mdo), D, vol. 45, fols. 1b1–340a5.
Great Peacock (rMa bya chen mo)

One of the Five Great Dharanis. rMa bya chen mo’i gzungs, Rigs sngags kyi rgyal mo
rma bya chen mo, sTog Palace Kangyur, vol. 103, no. 518, 467r, TBRC W22083.
Gyag Ngan (brGyag brngan)

Slob dpon pad mas mdzad pa’i brgyag brngan, sNga ’gyur g.yag ze dgon gyi ’don cha las/
bsang mchod skor/, pp. 201–246, TBRC W1PD181160.
Hayagriva Repelling (rTa mgrin bzlog pa)

Padma dbang gi rgyal po las/ dpal rta mgrin gyi bzlog pa me lce ’khor lo by Chos rgyal
gling pa, Collection of Termas, vol. 8, pp. 155–160, TBRC W2DB16630.
Heart Sutra (Shes rab snying po)

Bhagavatī Prajñāpāramitā Hṛdaya (bCom ldan ’das ma shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa’i
snying po), D, vol. 34, fols. 144b4–146a3.
Heart Sutra Repelling Practice (Sher snying bdud bzlog)

’Phags pa shes rab snying por brten pa’i bdud bzlog gi cho ga phan bde’i dpal ster by ’Bri
ban dharma, DCh, vol. 1, pp. 983–1083; Shes rab snying po’i zlog pa, KR, pp. 302–306.

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Horse Dharani (rTa gzungs)

gNam chos dpal rno bkra’i skor las rta gzungs, Visionary teachings received by Tulku
Mingyur Dorje (1646–1667) set down and annotated by Karma Chagmé (1613–1678),
vol. 1, pp. 556–557, TBRC W21578.
Horse Ransom (rTa glud)

dGongs gter las rta glud btang thabs, RT, vol. phi, no. 1787.
Horse Smoke Offering (rTa bsangs)

Offering to horse protecting deities such as Kubera rta bdag (Khenchen Rinpoche).
Hundred Thousand Lu (Klu ’bum)

On such a ritual of 100,000 white, black, and mixed nāgas, see Mumford (1989: pp. 99ff.);
Stein (2010: passim). Klu ’bum dkar nag khra gsum rgyas pa, TBRC W23443.
Hundred Thousand Riches of the Lotus (Padma g.yang ’bum)

Padma g.yang ’bum yid bzhin nor bu, RT, vol. 79, pp. 459–484.
Jvalamukha (Kha ’bar ma)

Several canonical works concerning the preta Jvalamukha exist. Yi dags kha nas me ’bar
ba la skyabs mdzad pa zhes bya ba’i gzungs, D, vol. 91, fols. 130a1–132b2; Yi dags mo kha
’bar ma dbugs dbyung ba’i gtor ma’i cho ga, D, vol. 91, fols. 132b2–134a5. See also RT, vol.
pi, 1754.2 and 1755.
Jvalamukha Thread Cross (Kha ’bar ma’i mdos)

Kha ’bar ma’i mdos chen ma mo’i gdon sogs gnod pa kun sel, Collected Works of Co ne
Grags pa bshad sgrub (1675–1748), vol. 14, pp. 153–165, TBRC W1PD90129.
Large Hundred-Thousand Lines Prajnaparamita (rGyas pa or ’Bum rgyas)

Śatasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra (Shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa stong phrag brgya
pa), D, vol. 14–25.
Layers of Auspiciousness (bKra shis brtsegs pa)

A sūtra text; cf. TBRC W3CN508.
Liberation from Trouble with the Sadag and Lu (Sa klu gdon grol)
CWT, pp. 394–398.
Life Accomplishment (Tshe sgrub)

sGrol dkar gyi tshe sgrub snying po gsal by Rin chen phun tshogs, ChDz, vol. tu, pp. 262–

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246 appendix 2
264, and Tshe sgrub zab mo’i las gzhung mdor bsdus by Rig ’dzin Chos kyi grags pa, vol.
ne, pp. 188–191.
Life Dharani (Tshe gzungs)

Tshe dang ye shes dpag tu med pa’i gzungs thung ngu gnyis, D, vol. 91, fols. 211b1–211b2.
Life Sutra (Tshe mdo)

Short for ’Phags pa tshe dang ye shes dpag tu med pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo,
(Ārya Aparimitāyur Jñāna Nāma Mahāyānasūtra), D vol. 91, fols. 211b2–216a7 (tantra
section).
Lion Face Dakini’s Repelling (Seng gdong ma’i bzlog bsgyur)

mKha’ ’gro seng gdong ma’i bsnyen sgrub bsrung bzlog gi las rim gsal byed by ’Bri gung
pa bsTan ’dzin padma’i rgyal mtshan, DCh, vol. 1, pp. 685–704; Seng gdong ma’i bzlog
bsgyur, KR, pp. 313–314.
Liturgy of Suppressing Enemies (dGra chos)

dGra chos bsdus pa dgra bgegs tshar gcod, RT, vol. 83, pp. 415–426.
Mahabala (sTobs po che)

sTobs po che’i sgrub thabs (Mahābalasādhana), D, vol. 76, fols. 33a4–33b1.
Mahakala Repelling Practice

dPal ye shes kyi mgon po phyag bzhi pa’i gtor bzlog bya mgo ma’i bca’ bshom phyi nang
gi gtor ma ngag ’don bcas kyi rim pa by Yongs ’dzin yon tan ’byung gnas, ChDz, vol. nyo,
pp. 300–325.
Mahapratisara Dharani (So sor ’brang ma)

One of the Five Great Dharanis. ’Phags ma so sor ’brang ma chen mo gzung bar
’gyur ba’i gzungs (Ārya Mahāpratisāra Vidyārājñī Dhāraṇī), D, vol. 90, fols. 204b1–
204b3.
Mahapratisara Protection Mandala (So sor ’brang ma’i srung ’khor)

So sor ’brang ma chen mo’i srung ba (Mahāpratisarārakṣā) by Buddhaśrījñānapāda, D,
vol. 74, fols. 220a6–224b3.
Mahasitavana Sutra (bSil ba’i tshal chen mo)

One of the Five Great Dharanis. bSil ba’i tshal chen po’i mdo (Mahāśītavana Sūtra),
D, vol. 90, fols. 138b6–150b1.

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Medicine Buddha Ritual (sMan bla’i cho ga)

sMan bla’i mdo chog bdud rtsi’i thigs pa nag ’gros bklag chog tu bkod pa by Chos kyi blo
gros, ChDz, vol. no, pp. 213–242.
Medium Prajnaparamita (’Bring pa)

Probably referring to the Aṣṭadaśasāhasrikā Prajñāparamitā Sūtra of 18.000 lines
(’Phags pa shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa khri brgyad stong pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen
po’i mdo), D, vol. 29–31, TBRC W22084.
Mending Breaches of the Lu (Klu’i spang skong)

Klu’i spang skong, CMDh-1, vol. 1, pp. 765–795.
Lu King (Klu’i dbang rgyal po)

Klu’i dbang phyug rgyal po’i sgrub thabs (Nāgeśvararājasādhana) by Nāgārjuna, D,
vol. 77, fols. 257b7–259a6.
Lu Smoke Offering (Klu bsangs)

Klu bsangs mdor bsdus phan bde’i gru char, DCh, vol. 1, pp. 537–553.
Lu Torma (Klu gtor)

Klu gtor gyi cho ga (Nāgabalividhi) by Atiśa, D, vol. 79, fols. 221b3–222a6, rJe btsun sa
skya ba’i phyag bzhes dkar cha bzhi / bar do cha bzhi / klu gtor bsdus pa bcas by Rig ’dzin
Chos kyi grags pa, ChDz, vol. de, pp. 119–129; Klu gtor rgyas pa sbyin pa’i lang tsho na ga
me na ka [/nā ga me na ka], pp. 129–148, also in: DCh vol. 1, pp. 507–535.
Names of Tara (sGrol ma’i mtshan ma)

Ārya Tārābhaṭṭārikā Nāma Aṣṭaśataka (rJe btsun ma ’phags ma sgrol ma’i mtshan brgya
rtsa brgyad pa zhes bya ba), D, vol. 94, fols. 217a2–219a6.
Offering to Gyalpo (rGyal gsol)

sNye mo mthong smon sgrub sde’i bstan bsrung dre’u lhas rgyal po’i gsol mchod ’phrin las
myur grub by Padma’i rgyal mtshan, ChDz, vol. ko, pp. 634–639.
Offering to the Pola

Gwa zi pho lha’i bsang mchod, CWT, vol. 32, pp. 143–145.
Offering to the Five Patron Gods (’Go ba’i lha lnga’i gsol mchod)
A group of protectors (mo lha ’am zhang lha, srog lha, dgra lha, pho lha, yul lha). ’Go ba’i
lha lnga’i gsol mchod mdor bsdus bkra shis dpal bskyed, DCh, vol. 1, pp. 401–416.

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248 appendix 2
Offering to the Five Sisters of Long Life (Tshe ring ma mched lnga’i mchod
pa)
Tshe ring mched lnga’i mchod phrin rgyun khyer, Collected Works of Karma pa mKha’
khyab rdo rje, vol. 8, pp. 1–12, TBRC W22081.
Offering to the Guardians (Srung ma’i gsol mchod)

sNgags srung ma’i gsol mchod, CWKC-3, vol. 7, pp. 519–540.
Offering to the Yül-la (Yul lha gsol mchod)

Yul lha spyi’i gsol mchod, CWKC-3, vol. 7, pp. 229–238.
Offering to Tsen (bTsan gsol)

bTsan gsol spyi ’gro, bTsan gsol yul btsan gsol mchod spyi ’gro, CWKC-3, vol. 7, pp. 223–
228.
One Hundred Tormas (gTor ma brgya rtsa)

gTor ma brgya rtsa ’bri gung lugs, TBRC W23903. gTor ma brgya rtsa’i cho ga mdor bsdus
by Rig ’dzin Chos kyi grags pa, gSung ’bum, DCh, vol. 1, pp. 563–568; Nor lha dang dman
pa’i chu sbyin brul gtor dang gtor ma brgya rtsa’i cho ga rnam ’dren sbyin pa’i shin rta
sogs gtor chog gi rim pa, DCh, vol. 1, pp. 459–483.
Ornament of the Peak of the Victorious Banner (rGyal mtshan rtse mo

dpung rgyan)
Ārya Dhvajāgrakeyūra nāma dhāraṇī (’Phags pa rgyal mtshan gyi rtse mo’i dpung rgyan
ces bya ba’i gzungs), D, vol. 91, fols. 45b1–46b4.
Ox Horn Prophecy (Glang ru lung bstan)

’Phags pa glang ru lung bstan pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Ārya Gośṛṅga
Vyākaraṇa Nāma Mahāyānasūtra), D, vol. 76, fols. 220b6–232a7.
Pancavimsatisahasrika Prajnaparamita Sutra (Nyi khri)

D, vol. 26–28.
Petition (gSol kha)

Worshipping of a deity to make a petition. A phyi chos kyi sgron ma’i gsol kha by Rin
chen phun tshogs, ChDz, vol. ju, pp. 362–371.
“Provisions” Smoke Offering (rGyags brngan)

bSangs kyi cho ga bde legs kun ’byung rgyags brngan dang bcas pa by Padmasambhava,
RT, vol. pi, no. 1732.

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Ransom (Glud rdzong)

rGyal po’i glud rdzong gi gling gzhi, Klong gsal rab ’bar rgyal mdos, Collected Works of
Rigzin Longsal Nyingpo (1625–1692), vol. 6, pp. 519–548, TBRC W22124.
Ratnakuta (dKon mchog brtsegs pa)

It is not clear whether this refers to the vast Ratnakūṭa collection of sūtras of the canon
or to a single text. Indian commentaries such as the Mahāyānasūtrālaṃkāra and the
Śikṣāsamuccaya actually cite the Kāśyapaparivarta when they refer to the Ratnakūṭa-
sūtra (Nattier 2003: 31).
Release from Sorcery (Byad grol)

sGrol ma’i byad ’grol gyi yi ge slob dpon padma nag pos mdzad pa, sGrub thabs kun btus,
Collection of Sadhanas, vol. 1, pp. 45–46, TBRC W23681.
Release from the Lu’s Harm (Klu’i gdon grol)

Klu’i gdon las grol par byed pa sbrul ’dzin bsang pa (Nāgagrahanirmocanaguhyasarpad-
hāraka) by Dipaṃkarabhadra, D, vol. 74, fols. 83a3–84b4; Klu’i gdon sgrol, DCh vol. 1,
pp. 653–658.
Release from the Harm of the Sadag (Sa bdag gi gdon sgrol)
Sa bdag gdon grol, CWT, vol. 19, pp. 394–398.
Releasing Life (Tshe thar)

The practice of protecting animals from being slaughtered, and so forth, and of releas-
ing them from confinement, often by buying them from their owners or the ones who
caught them. This is sometimes combined with rituals and is very popular especially
in East Asia. For examples, see TBRC T444 → associated works.
Removing of all Faults (Nyes pa kun sel)

CMDh-1, vol. 1, pp. 689–696.
Repairing the Disturbance of the Zakar and Lu (gZa’ klu ’khrugs bcos)
gZa’ klu ’khrugs bcos, CWKC-1, vol. 27, pp. 193–206.
Repairing Disturbances of the Sadag (Sa bdag ’khrugs bcos)

Sa bdag ’khrug bcos kyi cho ga mdor bsdus zhi bde’i dpal ster, Collected Works of bDud
’joms Rin po che ’Jigs bral ye shes rdo rje, vol. 18, pp. 59–604, TBRC W20869.
Repelling Black Disputes (Kha mchu nag po’i bzlog pa)

’Phags pa kha mchu nag po zhi bar byed pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo, TBRC
W3CN2373.

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250 appendix 2
Repelling of Hostile Gossip

mKha’ ’gro seng gdong ma’i mi kha dgra zlog by Karma Chag med, CWKC-2, vol. 18,
pp. 389–392.
Repelling with the Sixty Tormas (Drug cu pa’i gtor bzlog)

Khenchen Rinpoche mentioned that often a practice of the Yamāntaka cycle is used.
Cf. TBRC T1433 → associated works.
Ritual for [Suppressing] Enemies (dGra grub)

gShin rje’i dgra grub pa’i ’khor lo’i sgrub thabs (Yamārisiddhacakrasādhana), D, vol. 48,
fols. 71b7–76b3.
Ritual of the Four Tara Mandalas (sGrol ma’i maṇḍal bzhi chog)
bCom ldan ’das ma yid bzhin ’khor lo’i sgo nas maṇḍal bzhi pa’i cho ga, DCh, vol. 1,
pp. 283–322.
Samayavajra Recitation (Dam tshig rdo rje’i bzlas pa)

Dam tshig rdo rje’i bzlas pa, Collected Works of Jamgon Ju Mipam Gyatso (1846–1912),
vol. 25, pp. 374–375, TBRC W2DB16631.
Sheep Dharani (Lug gzungs)

CMDh-1, vol. 1, pp. 851–855.
Shining Noble Lady Dharani (’Phags ma ’od zer can)

’Phags ma ’od zer can zhes bya ba’i gzungs (Ārya Mārīcī Nāma Dhāraṇī), D, vol. 90,
fols. 157a1–158b1.
Sickle Accomplishment (Zor sgrub)

dPal ye shes kyi mgon po phyag bzhi pa’i zor sgrub spu gri reg ’joms, CWT, vol. 43, pp. 444–
464.
Smoke Offering (bSangs)

dPal ye shes kyi mgon po phyag bzhi pa’i bsangs mchod by the 4th Chetsang Rinpoche
Tendzin Padme Gyaltsen, ChDz, vol. ko, pp. 589–595.
Sorcery Accomplishment (mThu sgrub)

Za byed gsod byed ’phrog byed gsum gyi mthu sgrub kyi zhal shes man ngag by rJe dKon
mchog rin chen, ChDz, vol. je, pp. 294–295.

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Sprinkling Torma in Four Parts (’Brul gtor cha bzhi)

Torma for removing moral failures. ’Brul gtor cha lnga’i rim pa, Kaṃ tshang chos spyod
sogs kha ton gces btus, vol. 1, pp. 68–69, TBRC W00EGS1016759. Note that this ritual has
five parts (cha lnga) instead of the four mentioned in our text.
Summoning Life (Tshe ’gugs)

Thugs sgrub bar chad kun sel gyi tshe ’gugs, RT, vol. 15, pp. 135–137.
Summoning Prosperity (g.Yang ’gug[s])

g.Yang ’gug dngos grub char ’bebs, CWT, vol. 40, pp. 158–167. For Bön versions of this
type of ritual, see Berounsky (2014) and Ramble (2015).
Suppressing Chung Si (Chung sri mnan pa)

Khro bo stobs po che ma hā ba la’i sgo nas chung sri mnan pa bya tshul, Collected Works
of Blo bzang bsam grub, vol. 1, TBRC W17528.
Suppressing Drasi (dGra sri mnan pa)

dGra sri mnan pa’i cho ga dug mda’ nag po, Collected Works by the 8th Kirti Lobzang
Trinlé (1849–1904), vol. 12, fol. 5ff., TBRC W4615.
Suppressing the Si of Misfortune (God sri mnan pa)

Bla ma’i nor sgrub padma rgyal po’i g.yang chog dang ’brel ba’i god sri mnan pa nag ’gros
bklags chog tu bkod pa, Terma Collection of gTer bdag gling pa, vol. 8, pp. 155–170, TBRC
W27492.
Sutra Introduced in the City of Vaishali (Yangs pa’i grong khyer du ’jug pa’i
mdo)
’Phags pa yangs pa’i grong khyer du ’jug pa’i mdo chen po (Ārya Vaiśālī Praveśa Mahā-
sūtra), D, vol. 72, fols. 157b4–161b1. See also the ’Phags pa yangs pa’i grong khyer du ’jug
pa’i mdo las ’byung ba’i bde legs kyi tshigs su bcad pa, D, vol. 96, fols. 256a7–257a5 (tantra
section).
Sutra of Pacifying Black Disputes (Kha mchu nag po zhi bar byed pa’i mdo)
’Phags pa kha mchu nag po zhi bar byed pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo, TBRC
W3CN2373.
Sutra of the Seal of Abandoning and Mending (dPang skong phyag brgya)
One of the sūtras that “fell from the sky” under King Lha tho tho ri (Stein 2010: 225f.).
It contains methods for taming nāgas. dPang skong phyag brgya[’i mdo], D, vol. 68,
fols. 1b1–5b2.

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252 appendix 2
Thread Cross of Tsen Spirit (bTsan mdos)

Slob dpon padma rgyal pos mdzad pa’i btsan gyi mdos phran bklag chog tu bsdebs pa by
Padmasmabhava, RT, vol. phi, no. 1758.
Thread Cross Tent for Tsho men (Tsho sman gur mdos)
Tsho sman gur mdos, CWKC-1, vol. 26, pp. 285–296.
Top Ornament Dharani (Tog gzungs)

Ārya Mahāsannipāta Ratnaketu Dhāraṇī Nāma Mahāyānasūtra, (’Phags pa ’dus pa chen
po rin po che tog gi gzungs zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo), D, vol. 56, fols. 187b3–
277b7.
Torma and Repelling of the Lion-Faced Dakini (Seng gdong ma’i gtor bzlog)
Ye shes kyi mkha’ ’gro rdo rje drag mo seng gdong ma’i gtor bzlog bka’ gter dgongs pa gcig
’dril yang bzlog rdo rje pha lam by ’Bong sprul Rin po che, ChDz, pp. 477–536, and bKa’
gter zung ’jug mkha’ ’gro seng gdong ma’i gtor bzlog ’phral khyer gyi phyag len gsal bar
bkod pa ’jigs med gdong lnga’i nga ro, pp. 608–632.
Torma of Retribution (lan chags gtor ma)

Lan chags gtor ma don bsdus by ’Bri ban bha dra (= ’Phrin las bzang po), DCh, vol. 1,
pp. 571–572.
Torma of the Four Elements (’Byung bzhi gtor ma)

’Byung bzhi’i gtor ma dam pa sangs rgyas kyi lugs yang dag pa by Rig ’dzin Chos kyi grags
pa, DCh, vol. 1, pp. 495–506.
Torma of the Three Spirits (gDon gsum gtor ma)

gDon gsum gtor mas bzlog thabs dang / chung sri gtor mas bzlog thabs, CWKC-2, vol. 39,
pp. 277–294.
Treasure Vase Filling (Bum gter ’jug pa)

bCom ldan nor rgyun mar brten pa’i bum gter sgrub thabs yid bzhin dbang rgyal, DCh,
vol. 1, pp. 583–598.
Triple Torma (Cha gsum)

The entry gtor ma cha gsum in Tshe tan explains: “Torma offered to the protectors of
the directions, the elemental spirits (Skt. bhūta), and the obstructors” (phyogs skyong
dang/ ’byung po/ bgegs bcas la sbyin pa’i gtor ma). Under the entry cha gsum the expla-
nation is: “One torma portion for the general superior objects of worship, one portion
for the ten protectors of the directions, and one portion for the six families in gen-

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eral and the evil demons and obstructors in particular.” Cha gsum gtor ma mdor bsdus
phrin las ’grub byed by Rig ’dzin Chos kyi grags pa, ChDz, vol. de, pp. 148–154; DCh, vol. 1,
pp. 485–494; and KR pp. 318–324.
Undoing of Sorcery (Byad khrol)

rNam ’joms kyi sgo nas byad khrol gyi cho ga mdor bsdus ’khyer bde, DCh, vol. 1, pp. 229–
243.
Uttering the Names (mTshan brjod)

Mañjuśrī Nāma Saṃgīti ( Jam dpal ye shes sems dpa’i don dam pa’i mtshan yang dag par
brjod pa), D, vol. 77, fols. 1b1–13b7.
Vajra Cutter (rDor gcod)

Ārya Vajracchedikā Nāma Prajñāpāramitā Mahāyāna Sūtra (’Phags pa shes rab kyi pha
rol tu phyin pa rdo rje gcod pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo), D, vol. 36, fols. 121a1–
132b7.
Vajra Defeater (rDo rje rnam par ’joms ma)

Vajravidāraṇa Nāma Dhāraṇī, (rDo rje rnam par ’joms pa zhes bya ba’i gzungs), D, vol. 95,
fols. 265b3–266b7.
Vidarana Ablution (Byab khrus dang rnam ’joms)

The Achi manual has “Ablution and Vidāraṇa,” but this is most likely the “Ablution of
Vidāraṇa” (as in the Tārā Mo manual). rNam ’joms kyi byab khrus, rNam chos las byung
ba’i rnam ’joms kyi byab khrus, Visionary teachings received by Tulku Mingyur Dorje
(1646–1667), set down and annotated by Karma Chagmé (1613–1678), vol. 13, pp. 273–
298, TBRC W21578. Cf. also rNam ’joms khrus, KR, pp. 329–334.
Water Torma (Chu gtor, Chab gtor)

Chu gtor gyi cho ga ( Jalabalividhi) by rGyal ba’i sde, vol. 41, pp. 1189–1194, TBRC
W1PD95844; Drang srong dri med la chu gtor ’bul ba tshogs gnyis myur rdzogs mchod
pa’i sprin by Rig ’dzin Chos kyi grags pa, ChDz, vol. de, pp. 106–108; ’Jam dpal chab gtor
mdor bsdus tshogs gnyis kyi gru chen, pp. 92–106; Nad sel gyi chab gtor by Rig ’dzin Chos
kyi grags pa, DCh, vol. 1, pp. 557–563; Chab gtor brgya rtsa’i don bdsus, pp. 569–570.
Wealth Continuum Dharani (Nor rgyun ma[’i gzungs])

bCom ldan ’das ma nor rgyun ma’i gzungs kyi rtog pa, D, vol. 91, fols. 191a2–192b4; Ārya
Vasudhāra Nāma Dhāraṇī (’Phags pa nor gyi rgyun ces bya ba’i gzungs), D, vol. 91,
fols. 186a5–190a3.

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254 appendix 2
Wealth Dharani (Nor gzungs)

gNam chos thugs gter skor las nor gzungs, Visionary teachings received by Tulku Ming-
yur Dorje (1646–1667), set down and annotated by Karma Chagmé (1613–1678), vol. 3,
pp. 498–499, TBRC W21578.
Wealth Protection (g.Yang skyabs)

A ritual that appears to be a supplement of the Suvarṇabhāsottamasūtra, i.e., the ’Phags
pa gser ’od dam pa mdo sde’i dbang po’i rgyal po las g.yang skyabs. According to Beroun-
sky (2014: 73) it involves “ritual tools as arrows and ‘cushion of g.yang’ into which all
buddhas will arrive.” Cf. g.Yang skyob kyi cho ga mdor bsdus ’dod rgu char ’bebs by dKon
mchog ’gyur med bstan pa’i nyi ma, DCh, vol. 1, pp. 785–798.
Wealth Ransom (Nor glud)

Rig ’dzin rdo rje drag po’i gsung ’bum, Visionary Teachings of ’Dzi sgar mChog sprul rDo
rje drag po (1740–1798), vol. 1, pp. 613–616, TBRC W1KG10061.
White Parasol Dharani (gDugs dkar mo)

Ārya Tathāgatoṣṇīṣasitatapatre Aparājitā Nāma Dhāraṇī (’Phags pa de bzhin gshegs pa’i
gtsug tor nas byung ba’i dkar po can gzhan gyis mi thub pa zhes bya ba’i gzungs), D,
vol. 90, fols. 219a7–224b2; gTsug tor gdugs dkar mo’i sgom bzlas bde ba can gyi zhing
du bgrod pa’i gdams pa bya rgyal khyung gi rta pho, DCh, vol. 1, pp. 122–128; and KR,
pp. 308–313.
White Parasol Repelling (gDugs dkar bzlog pa)

’Phags pa de bzhin gshegs pa’i gtsug tor nas byung ba’i gdugs dkar mo can gzhan gyis mi
thub ma phyir zlog pa chen mo mchog tu grub pa zhes bya ba’i gzungs, D no. 591, vol. 90,
fols. 212b7–219a7; ’Phags pa de bzhin gshegs pa’i gtsug tor nas byung ba’i gdugs dkar mo
can gzhan gyis mi thub ma phyir bzlog pa zhes bya ba’i gzungs kyi sgrub thabs by Can-
dragomin, D, vol. 74, fols. 184b4–185b5; gDugs dkar bzlog pa, KR, pp. 308–313.
White Tara (sGrol dkar)

bCom ldan ’das ma yid bzhin ’khor lo’i sgo nas don gnyis sgrub pa ’chi med kyi ’dod ’jo by
Rig ’dzin Chos kyi grags pa, ChDz, vol. de, pp. 318–360.
Wind-Generating Chevron (rLung bskyed cod paṇ)

For a sample text in the collected works of the 13th Karmapa, see Coura (2013: 94).

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Index of Tibetan Terms
ka ped 41 gnyen byas 17

skar rtsis 3, 3n2 snying rlung 87
bskor ba 43
bskrad 7 gtor ba 24n38
gtor ma 45
kha mchu rgyal pham 77 gtor bzlog 44
kha ’tshag 207, 210 rta nor 83
kha sra 109 rten bzhengs 44
kha gsal 210 rtogs pa 45
khang sa 77 stong rgyug 212
khyim phya 16 stod gzer 101
khyim phywa 75 bstan chos 20
khye phyIn 17 bstan pa’i chos phywa 19, 20n26, 75
khyogs dka’ tsam 20 bsten pa 21, 21n29
khrus 22
khros 22 thag chod pa 211
’thab mo 83
gyod 83
grib 155 dal po 207
grogs cha 18n25 don rngams chen 93
grogs chen po 211 don gnyer 16
grogs stong 211 don dag thig pa 208
grogs phywa 18n25, 32 f., 77, 207, 211 don phywa 77
glud 45 don phran tshegs 93
dgra phywa 81 drag po’i las 46
dgra bla 16 dran pa 41
dgra dman 195n15 gdon ched po 17
dgra bzlog 195n15 gdon drag po 79
bgyegs sol lha mchod 16 gdon phywa 79
mgyogs ngo 211 brda 18
mgyogs po 207 mdo 45
mgron po 16 ’dron po 16f.
’go ba 21, 21n28 f.
’gor gzhi 129 nag rtsis 2, 3n2
’grul ba 133n82 nang dme 137
rgyas pa 46 nad phywa 79
bsgril ba 24n38 nad gzhi che 87, 113
nor phywa 77
gcod 50 nor lug 99
bcad 206 mnan pa 45
rnam rtog 60
cha 19, 20n26
pang grib 195n19
rje blas gsol 17 pang ma 195n19
lji 207 spar kha 3
dPal ldan lha mo 6f., 9

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264 index of tibetan terms
dpon po 20 tshur ’dzug 99

tshogs gsum 210
pha spun 20, 97 tshong 16
pha mes 21n29, 22 tshong pham 211
phar rgol 99 ’tsher sa 77
phar tshong 121
phar ’dzug 77, 167 zhang po 24n38
phal pa 20 zhal lce gshags 197gods
phugs ’gyod 85 zhi ba’i las 46
pho skran 161 gzhi mo 20, 75
phya 19, 20n26, 38
phywa 19, 20n26 gza’ nad 101
phywa g.yangs 44 bzlog 45
phyi phywa 207, 211
phyugs 17 yang 207
phreng rdog 206 yi dam lha 41, 45
phreng ba 186, 208 g.yug pa 24n38
phreng mo 208
’phar ’bug 20 rim gro 21, 21n27
’phrin las 186n1 rims nad 101
rlung 49
bande’i mo 20
bab 24n38 lam du ’gro ba 103
bor lag 17
bla chen 20 shis phya 32f.
dbang ba 46 sho 186, 208
dbang rtsa 79n25 sho bsgril 24n38
’byung rtsis 2 sho mo 4, 208
shor god 85
ma nyes pa’i kha yog 99, 139
mar ngo 41n71 sa dpyad 3, 3n2
mi dkyus 20 ser mo ba 101
mi kha dgra sgrub 195n15 srId phya 17
mi dpon rigs 20 srid phywa 33, 81
mi ’os pa’i mi 83 srung ma 21
mo chen bab song 211 srog phya 16
mo dpe 17 srog phywa 79
sme ba dgu 3 gsol shags 16
dmag jag 12, 35, 103 bsreg 109
dmar ngo 207
lha 21
btsog grib byas pa 195n19 lha ngo 207, 210
rtsa dkar 79n25 lha ngo mtho ba 207, 210
rtsa ba 49 lha ngo dma’ ba 207, 210
rtsa rlung 49n2 lha’i sdong grogs 210
rtsad chod 111
rtsis 2

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Index of Names of Authors of Accademic Works
Bayer, Achim 36n62 Lichter, David 29n54, 231

Bell, Christopher P. 234 Lindahl, Jared 238
Berounsky, Daniel 20n26, 233 Lüders, Heinrich 6, 6n5, 41n72
Blondeau, Anne-Marie 237
Bokenkamp, Stephen R. 12n11 Maithrimurthi, Mudagamuwe 38n64
Martin, Dan 187n6, 188n7
Clarke, Graham E. 230 Maurer, Petra 3n2, 41, 235
Clauson, Gerald 13, 13n14f. McGuire, Beverly F. 29n54, 230
da Col, Giovanni 38, 230f. Miller, Robert J. 237
Cornu, Philippe 234
Cüppers, Christoph 77n22 Nebesky-Wojkowitz, René De 233–238
Nietupski, Paul 83n31
Dakpa, Lobsang 7n8, 11 Nishida, Ai 235
Das, Sarat Chandra 237 Norbu, Namkhai 83n31
Dorje, Gyurme 3n2, 29, 233
Dotson, Brandon 1n1, 4n3, 5n4, 9, 9n9, 17, Pommaret, Francoise 238
17n21, 20n26, 21n28, 28, 30n58, 33, 38, Punzi, Valentina 77n22
231
Roche, Gerald 230f.
Eberhard, Wolfram 29n55
Epstein, Lawrence 29n54, 230ff. Sa mtsho skyid 230f.
Schmithausen, Lambert 34n60, 38n64
Fiordalis, David 50n3 Schuh, Dieter 3n2, 236
Francke, A.H. 9n9, 14, 14n17, 29n55 Shen Yu Ling 3n2
Shneiderman, Sara 237
Gerke, Barbara 230 Sobisch, Jan-Ulrich 47n1, 49n2, 186n1, 188
Goldberg, Jay 7n8, 11, 40, 85n33 Stein, M. Aurel 6, 6n6, 9, 13
Goldstein, Mevyn C. 83n31 Strickmann, Michel 4, 9n9, 9–12, 12n11, 28,
Grünwedel, Albert 14 29n55, 36ff., 41n73
Gyatso, Janet 237
Te-ming Tsen 3n2
Hatley, Shaman 235 Thomas, F.W. 5n4, 9n9, 16, 16n18, 20n26, 27,
Hoffmann, Helmut 233, 237 30, 33, 38, 39n65–70
Thomsen, Vilhelm 5n4, 7, 9n9, 11n10, 13f.,
Karma Phuntsho 187 29, 40
Karmey, Samten 238 Tucci, Guiseppe 234, 236f.
Kletter, Christa 79n25
Kriechbaum, Monika 79n25 Van Schaik, Sam 20n26
Lama Chime 4, 187n4, 212 f., 234–236, 238 Walter, Michael 21n27, 234
Le Coq, Albert von 14 Weber, Albrecht 5n4, 9n9, 15, 30, 39, 41n71

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General Index
abhijñānam 15 (text name) 7, 11, 18, 30–34, 40, 43f.,

absolute truth see: ultimate truth 85n33
accidents 32, 34 archaism 9
accusations, unfounded 99, 139, 165, 199 Aris Trust Centre 187
activities armies
four 22, 45 f. enemies’ 121
increasing 18 hostile 35
military 35, 37 astrology 3, 56, 59, 221, 223, 238
mundane 53n5 astronomy 3, 236
of awakening 49 f., 52, 54, 186n1 Atiśa 26, 40f., 186n3, 187f., 187n6, 191, 205
of gods 210 attack
of gods, guardians, and Mantra deities enemies do not 149, 171
22 by enemies 35, 203
pacifying 18, 159 making an offensive 12, 34f., 103, 103n52,
religious 20 f., 24, 53, 55 ff., 61, 117, 171
177 attitude 42f.
ritual 45 authentic practitioner 48ff.
wrathful 22 authorship 25, 41
ahiṃsā 34 Avalokiteśvara 191
Amé Zhab 47 ff., 50, 60 Avataṃsakasūtra 46
ancestors (or forefathers) 21n29, 22, 70, 75,
75n19, 79, 127, 147, 169, 234, 236 bad-mouthing 125, 129
anger 22, 79, 141, 213 balance of good and bad prognoses 29,
animals 13f., 17, 91, 197 29n55
danger of death for 167 ball of thumb divination 4
deities riding on 44 barley grains used for divination 188
doomed to be killed 220, 240 battle 37, 37n64
domestic 11, 32 fate in 33f.
luck 34 victory in 12
pack see: pack animals bellicose elements 34
protecting a. through rituals 222, 249 benefit
riding 171 for religious activities 53
tiny 38n64 of others 42, 49, 52
wild 28, 32 f., 171 own 36, 59
with special signs 129n78 Bhāvaviveka 55
antidotes 20 f. bilva 41
appearances bird(s)
condtioned 51 behaviour of 4
confused 47, 50 f. demon 229
dream 50 divination with 1, 4
karmic 51 divine 229
of the mind 51 bird year, bad for those born in 101, 125, 141,
pure 49, 49n2, 51 167
arable land 32, 97 birth 229, 234
A ra pa tsa na contamination from giving 195n19
mantra 7, 7n8, 18 deity 234

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general index 267
giving 219, 223 success in 34, 52, 193, 195, 197, 199, 201,
matching year of 159 203, 211, 226
problems at 127 using religion as 60
year of 3, 159, 159n116 butter lamp divination 1, 4
black magic 167, 223f.
bloodletting 109, 127, 155, 203 calculation 2f., 159n116, 236
bodhisattva bhūmi, reaching the first 53 cardinal directions 3
bone(s) 4, 12, 37, 99, 99n49, 141n93, 155n110, cattle, harm for 105, 193, 197, 218, 228, 234
216, 218, 221, 225, 227 cause and effect see: cause and result
breaking 133, 147, 203, 222 cause and result 29, 49n2
cancer 227 channel(s)
pain in 167, 227 and winds practice 49n2
Book of Consecration 10 f., 28, 31–34, 36 ff. inner 49, 49n2, 56
Book of Spirit-Spells 29n55 of the eyes 56
boon, bigger and smaller 91 white ch. disease 79n25
Bower manuscripts 6n5 chudré spirits causing harm 193
boy (or son) clairvoyance 50, 62, 223
birth of 33, 52, 81, 89n38, 103, 191, 195, clarity of divination 71
197, 201 clear message 210
death of newborn 234 coins 5
no birth of 89, 203 common people see: ordinary people
Bön(po) 7n8, 9, 14, 17, 72, 79, 181, 197, 205, conceptual
222, 251 Mo interpretation being 60
divination 57, 62 thoughts 60
Brahmā 12 conduct 37, 43f., 53, 53n4
Buddhist 15, 34 conflicts, danger of 75, 81, 83, 97, 109, 123,
Chinese 10, 28, 36 129, 135, 236
ethics 34, 38n constellations at year of birth 3, 234
Indian 26, 28, 43, 187 construction work 207, 236f.
pre- 14, 17, 28, 31–34 conventional truth 53ff., 61
Theravāda 50n3 court cases (legal disputes) 34, 97, 109, 135
worldview 29, 31, 36n64, 230 being accusant in 77, 99, 139, 167
building ground (inhabitable land) 19, 32, being defendant in 77, 99
46, 111 danger of 75
appropriateness of 77, 91, 97, 105, 111, 119, difficult to resolve 133, 153
123, 131, 139, 145, 159, 165, 173 increasing disputes in 125
better to move elsewhere from 165 massive trouble with 147
construction on 199, 228, 236 no immediate victory in 181
death and loss of livestock on 179 postponing 77, 99, 167
gyalgong and lunyen residing on 179 resolve of 125
problems with 91, 123, 139, 151, 165, 193 reversal of victory in 119
seizing 97 victory or defeat in 19, 32, 77, 85, 99, 107,
business 207, 211 113, 119, 125, 133, 139, 153, 161, 167, 175, 181
bad 211 criminals 83, 177
delay in 211 crows 1, 218
divination not for the sake of 59 curses, danger of 121
loss in 109, 195, 224
metaphors for bad 157n114 Dagpo Rinpoche see: Gampopa
no agreement in 205 damsi (demons), harm from 141

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268 general index
death accompanying things 147n102

in the family 137, 224 bird 229
loss by 91 cannibal 237
no 201, 205 expelling 17
of animals 167, 179 having same goal than oneself 181n130
of horses 143 inviting 50n3
of life stock 111n63, 179 dependent origination 22, 49n2
of newborn boys 234 Dondrup, Dorzin 186, 208ff.
of oneself 205 dice 1 f., 5ff., 54, 56, 61, 186, 206–208
of one’s lama 220 as randomizing tool 206
of one’s parents 220 balanced 57n9
of sick people 199, 211, 216 blessing the pips of 70
of wife and children 97 blowing upon 66
sudden 101 consecrating 41
deity falling of see: rolling
accomplishing the signs of 58, 70 for divination 4f., 57
activities of 186 for playing games (gambling) 57, 186
birth 234 four-sided 1, 6, 14f., 41
blessed by 42 made of bone 1
conversing directly with 45, 58 modern 7
directing a question to 50 production of 41
invoking 44 rolling 2, 6, 11, 24n38, 41, 53, 66, 72, 207f.,
local 238 217, 224f., 228f.
manifesting 43 shaking 66
Mantra 45, 208 six-sided 6f., 11, 18, 54n6, 57n9, 207
of day and locality 234 substituted by mālā 186, 210
of discriminating wisdom 44 throwing see: rolling dice
of gnosis 26 unbalancd 1, 7n7
of green color 44, 85n33 with symbols or letters 7, 7n8, 8, 11,
of life force 199, 237 41n73
of the pledges 26 digging up earth, displeasing spirits through
peaceful and riding animals 44 121
personal protective 233 divine codes 53, 53n4
practice 57 f., 210 divinities, female 38
realization of 41, 45 discriminating wisdom 44
remembering 43 disease 19, 31, 38, 45, 79, 87, 93, 101, 107, 113,
seeing the face of 45, 58 119, 125, 133, 141, 147, 153, 159, 161, 165,
special 43, 64 167, 175, 181
supplication of 43, 50 arising for humans 165
tutelary 48 being a danger for life 167
unspecified 41 caused by demonic influences 153, 181
winning the favor of 36 causing diarrhea 167, 181
wrathful 44 causing wounds and absesses 167
delays (see also: travel, travellers) 161, 193, chronic 137, 181, 199, 222
197, 205, 208, 211 coming from the ground 222
forced 113 contagious 92n, 175, 197, 203
long 42, 81, 123, 139, 195, 199 dangerous 167
of karmic results 29n53, 36 “dark face” 125, 153
demons 32, 42, 197 difficult recovery from 141

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general index 269
due to with
demonic influences 153 advanced edema 113
eating beef and pork 161 blood in spittle 141
eating raw meat 167, 197 defilement through red food 141
food poisoning 141 dry fever 216
pollution of pond 226 improper digestion 161
wound infection 167 inflamation 222
dying from 211 pain in the bones due to dry fever
feverish spreading 100n 167
fleeting 93 pain in upper back 101
gradual improvement of 93, 125, 161 sharp pain 125, 153, 167
involving danger of death 167, 199 swelling of the body 226
involving problems with blood pressure swelling of the skin 133
153 tendency for recovery 181
nerve 79 vomiting 167, 181
not healing 211 wounds and absceses 167
of bile 167, 181 wind 87, 113, 175, 181
of bursting of swollen wounds 113n64 disputes 32, 34, 93, 123, 157, 163, 185
of colics 153 concerning animals 197
of coolness 107, 161 in the family 179
of depression 87, 119, 141 postponing 99
of dropsy 226 spreading of 139
of edema 113, 133, 226 with friends 195, 197
of epilepsy 101, 167, 226 doctor 19, 46, 50, 103, 212
of fever from falling from horses 113 appropriateness of 32, 81, 87, 95, 109, 115,
of feverish colds 147, 167 127, 143, 149, 163, 175
of head and upper back 141 chosing 62
of lymphatic fluids 133 consulting a different 50ff., 87, 109, 155
of stomach cancer 161 consulting immediately 149
of terrifying spirit 107 danger of having to consult for a long
of the kidneys 133 time 153
of the liver 107, 181 following his advice 95, 115, 121, 127, 135,
of the lungs 133, 181 149, 175, 183
of wounds spreading over body 147, good effect from consulting 175
175 postponing visit to 171
particularly bad for people born useless 170n
in bird and monkey years 141 dog, reddish color 93n42
in bird and sow years 167 dog year, bad for those born in 101
in horse, sheep, and snake years 133 domination, ritual of 46
phlegm 113, 125, 153, 222 dragon year, bad for people born in 107
profound 107 Dragpa Gyaltsen, Sakyapa Jetsün 49n2
quick relieve from 133, 147, 175 drala, intervention of 16
risk of 123 drasi (demon), rising of 89
serious 113 dré spirits
severe 87, 113, 197, 205 being Buddhist or Bön 181
skin 234 causing harm 193, 199
spreading 101 following
white channel 79n25 debt collectors 199
will strike 201, 203 travelers on foot 199

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270 general index
lay people’s possessions 193 enmity 137, 205

persuing same objective 181 from trusted friends 143
producing obstacles 181 environment
dream vision 4, 6, 15, 47 f., 50 f., 60 hostile and unstable 35
dremo (demons), harm due to 79, 155 removing garbage from 227
drewo spirits evil spirits 19, 32, 79, 87, 93, 101, 107, 115, 121,
coming along with far away guests 169 127, 133, 141, 147, 163, 175, 183, 193, 195,
harm from 193 197, 199, 201
dri, harm for 105 afflicted by 79
driwo tabdré spirits, harm from 199 coming along with female relatives 141
Drubwang Rinpoche 58 disturbing 115, 183
Dunhuang (manuscripts or texts) 9, 13, 16 f., food contamination by 199
27 f., 38, 304 harm from 23, 39, 45, 87, 97, 205
dursi spirits 169 harmful influences of e. attaching to you
dü spirits, harm from 197 155
dzo doing well 125 harmful influences of e. following bad
food and clothes 197
Egypt 1 in the prosperity mansion 39
elements (fire, earth, iron, water, wood) 2 f. intruding homes 39
empowerment, ritual of 46 negative influences of 169, 175
Endangered Archives 187 offending 87
enemies 12, 17, 19, 32, 35, 42 f., 45, 81, 89, repelling 39
95, 103, 109, 117, 121, 129, 135, 143, 149, rising of 125
157, 163, 171, 177, 183, 195, 197, 203, evocation of deities 36
205
attacking them 12, 35, 103, 171 faith 10, 12, 21, 37, 39, 44f., 49, 56, 59, 62
being pacified 121 fame 32ff., 117
conflict with 81, 195 family lineage (or line) 17n23, 21, 32f., 91,
creating obstacles 43 123, 131, 155, 157, 163, 229
danger of 117, 129, 143, 199 fate 12, 28f., 33f., 36
drawing back their weapons 177 father’s side of the family 20
fear of 81 discord within 97
gods in a good position to help against feasting beggars and dogs 22, 97, 137
149 fee for divination 59, 63
humiliation of 199 forceful subduing 46, 68n7
killing of 34, 38n64 forefathers see: ancestors
no danger of or harm from 40, 89, 103, favorable conditions 36, 53n5, 54, 215
109, 135, 177, 183, 193, 199, 201, 203 favor, shown 21n29
obtaining wealth of 199 by gods 203, 205
pacifying 149 by protector 203
panic and uproar through 157, 193 to ancestors 75, 147
stealing wealth 205 to family lineage 21, 91
repelling of 197 winning f. of gods 36
victory over 199 fights
war with 205 advice concerning 34
weapons, horses, etc., lost to 34, 81 at retreat place 52
will not attack 35, 171 avoiding places where there are 123
will strike 203 danger of 83, 97, 115, 165, 197
wrapped in ignorance 121, 163 in the household 179

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general index 271
food reuniting with 32

completely consumed 151, 165 future
contaminated by spirits 197, 199 heavy 207, 211
decrease and increase of 179 light 207, 211
defilement through eating red 141 negative outlook on 10, 17
deterioration of 153 outlook concerning 207, 211
finding 191 slow 207f., 211
giving f. to beggars and street dogs 22 quick 207
improving 131, 145, 173
not able to eat greasy 125n75 gabdré spirits tagging along with travelers
poisoning through bad 141 193
fortune 2, 19, 20, 20n26, 21 f., 32 f., 38, 46, 77, Gampopa 49
85, 91, 97, 105, 113, 119, 123, 131, 139, 145, gandharvas 18
153, 159, 167, 173, 179, 193, 195, 197, 199, Gaṇḍhavyūhasūtra 46
201, 203, 205, 207, 211 f. geomancy 3, 5
accompanied by bad influences or harm girls, birth of 89
119, 167 goats, being well on pastures 145
and karma 29, 29n54, 36 goddesses struck with contamination 155
and luck 33 gods 39
appearing from unhomely far away places activities of 22
145 assistence from 210
being calculated 2 being angry 22
delay in 123 being displeased 24, 137, 141, 197, 203
difficult to make happen 153 being stained 155
economies of 38 fortune of 207
empty 211 Greek 36
for spiritual and mundane leaders 145 guarding and protecting 135, 163, 199,
for the family 169n123 203
harm comming along with 167 helping 147, 149, 177, 210
improving 20 ff., 43, 46, 53n5, 214 hindrance-removing 39
in hunting 34 in favorable position 149, 207, 210
inner 153 in unfavorable position 207, 210
like bubbles in the water 97 offended by unsanitary handling of men-
losing 203, 205 struation 195, 195n19
no chance of 153 plans of 28
not bragging about 159 protecting happiness and long life 17
obstacles in 211 providing fortune 173
of gods 207 providing life force 199
provided by the gods 173 showing favor 21, 91, 203, 205
ritual manipulation of 46 turning to 39
superficial 105 gongpo (spirits)
vast 193 coming along with things 169
winning good 38, 43 harm from 197
foxes howling at night 93n42, 216 tagging along with objects from old
fratricide 137, 195n19 monastery 147
friends 18n25, 33, 43 gossip
consulting one’s 42 hostile 193, 195, 197
disputes with 195, 197 interfering 113
enmity from 143 gourd tree 41

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272 general index
Greek hare year, predisposition for misfortune in

gods 36 f. 79
letters 41n73 harvest, unstable quality of 131
texts 28 headmen 20, 165
grudges 115 hell 38
guardians 21, 21n29, 22 hell-beings 51
activities of 22 Hellenistic legacy 41n73
anger of 79 honing of the truth 71
appeasement of 75 hope
being stained 155 accomplished 24f., 159, 173
unhappy 101 and fear 49, 50n3
disturbance of 111, 115, 127 degrees of 42
invoking 83 for success 42, 210
needing 111 giving up all 10, 42f.
offering assistance 149 put in other’s advice 42
of the ritual remedy 70 signs for 211
of the lineage of forefathers 22, 70 hopeless 43, 77
of the lineage of ācāryas 22, 70 horses 32f.
old and new g. gods resenting each other bone fracture from falling from 147
147n101 dying or getting lost 143, 143n97, 179
served by forefathers 127 falling from 113, 113n65, 147
showing favor 21, 75, 91 harmed by predators 99
timely torma of 111, 141 increase of 91, 125, 131
Gurgi Gönpo see: Mahākāla losing to enemy 81
gyalgong (spirits) horse year
causing harm 183 bad for people born in 119
coming along with vow holder and valu- serious illness for people born in 133
able things 101 hostile attitude of companions 99
demon of the household 181 household 16–19, 31, 75, 83, 91, 97, 105, 111,
residing on building ground 179 119, 123, 131, 145, 159, 195, 197
stealing life of newborn boy 89 alternating sickness of family members in
gyalpo (demons) 79 83, 179
accompanying guests 133, 141 danger of
accompanying oneself 127 conflict, loss, or bad talk in 75, 83, 97,
coming along with possessions 93, 169 123, 137, 151, 165, 173, 179
harm caused by 115, 127, 133, 141, 197, of sickness in 131, 137, 165
201 of death of family member in 97
harm through having made offerings to demon of 181
155 exhaution of food and wealth in 165
negative influences from 107, 141 guardians disturbed in 111
tagging along with objects of old happiness in 91, 105, 111, 119, 131, 145, 159,
monastery 147 179, 195, 197
internal quarrel in 111, 137, 165, 179,
Halls of the Thousand Buddhas 13 201
happiness religion and wealth increase in 119
personal 34 separating couples in 151, 165
prognosed 12, 40, 91, 105, 109, 119, 145, ups and downs in the family of the 165
173, 177, 179 house
protected by gods 17 crumbling down 91

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general index 273
demon comming to 17 delay and acceleration of 29n53, 36

disasterous to dwell in 11 “thinning out” of 36
new 85 karmic entanglement 31
Hui-chien 10 Kevalī 40
hungry ghosts 51 killing 34, 38n64
hunting 32 f. Khorchag Rinpoche, Khentrul 187n2
Könchog Ratna 53
I-ching 5 Kuan ti 29n55
illness 44, 52, 77, 185 Kuan-ting ching 10, 28, 31ff., 36
connected with place 222 Kuladevatā 39
cured 52 f., 53n5 kyela 115
danger of 153 kyimla 87, 127
long-lasting 79
with fever 79 lake divination 4
illusion 48, 49n2 lama
imagination 2, 43 as requester of divination 59
imprisonment 32, 34, 38 bad prognosis for 151
income generated for monastery 59 different prognoses for ordinary people
indigenization 14 and 20, 91
influence(s) good prognosis for 91, 123, 145
averting negative 22, 36, 46, 53n5 performing divination 45, 49–52, 55,
demonic 50n3, 153, 181 57ff., 63, 186
favorable and/or unfavorable 3, 69 qualities of 45, 49, 51, 57
negative 107, 119, 127, 135, 141, 155, 169, signs apearing to 50
181n130, 197 Lamchen Gyalpo Rinpoche 59
power and 32 ff. lawsuits see: court cases
intention, to cultivate pure 42 leaders, spiritual and mundane 20, 123, 145
interdependence see: dependent origination life force 16f., 19, 31, 44f., 79, 87, 93, 101, 107,
interpretation 115, 119, 127, 133, 141, 147, 155, 161, 169,
conceptual 60 175, 181, 193, 199, 201
detailed 213 contamination and uncleanliness causing
individual see: intuition danger for 201
stock see: prognosis deity of 199
intuition 2, 4, 58, 123n74, 187, 187n4, 191n9, gods providing for continuity of 199
207 f., 212, 214 danger for 101, 141, 167, 169, 201
Irk Bitig 5, 13 quickly comming to end 205
ivory 6 signs of recovery of 193
life, increase of 91
Jaina 9, 15, 31 ff. light, shining forth 44
Jñānaḍākinī of Cakrasaṃvara 26 lion, eight-footed 42
jñānasattva 26 lineage
of Ācāryas 22
Kammavibhanga Sutta 29n53 spiritual 21, 77
karma 30n57, 36, 230 family see: family line
factor in divination 29, 29n54, 230 Ling-ch’i ching 11
fortune and 29n54, 36 liturgical expertise 45
law of 12 livelihood, earning through divination
purification of 51 50n3
ripening of 29, 36 livestock, with special signs 77, 129

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274 general index
loss 75, 85, 99, 205 Mahāmudrā 50n3, 51

by animal death 91, 167 mālā (see also: rosary)
danger of 95, 103, 109, 111, 123, 131, 185, beads 186, 188, 191n8
195 blessing of 210
of all chances 205 blowing on 210
of livestock 77, 85, 85n34, 91, 123, 125, 151, counting beads of 186, 206f.
161, 165, 173, 179 dividing 191, 191n8, 206, 210
of riding animals 171 divination 56f., 61, 186ff., 191, 206ff.,
of riding horses, bow, and arrow to enemy 210ff.
81 first count on 207, 210
of wealth or possessions 77, 85, 99, 111, neutralizing of 210
113, 125, 139, 151, 161, 165, 167, 171, 201, parting at random 191n8
205 rolling up in hand 210
of yak and sheep 99, 125 second count on 207, 211
to thieves 85n34, 91 substituting dice 186, 206, 210
lost items 19, 32, 46, 111, 117 thinking of it as Arhat 191
cannot be found 89, 205 third count on 207, 211
coming back without searching 111, 131, three counts on 206, 208, 211
149, 163, 177 mamo (spirit), harm caused by 87, 115
danger of losing again 95, 111, 131, 145 Manichean 9, 13
difficult to find 149, 171, 177 Mañjuśrī 7n8, 18, 191
finding 83, 89, 95, 105, 117, 123, 131, 135, mantra of 7f., 18
145, 149, 157, 163, 171 mantra
getting information about 111, 117, 185 deities 22, 45
not in the hands of a thief 123 practitioner of 46
stolen by internal people 145 wrathful M. rituals 22
stolen by s.o. not far away 145, 177 recitation 22, 24n38, 41, 44f., 51, 58,
stolen by thief 83, 123 186f., 208
tracking down 117, 163 māra
lot 20n26 fear of the four 53n5
loyalty to the ruler 38n64 messenger of 18
lu 22 marriage 17, 31–34
causing bursting wounds 113n64 Mazar-Tagh 14n17
contamination of their abodes 155n110, medical treatment 19, 32, 87, 95, 103, 109,
169, 195n19 115, 121, 127, 135, 143, 149, 155, 163, 175,
displeased 121 183
harm caused by 85, 93, 131, 175 continuing 143, 181
living in springs 169 difficult to find 183
lunyen gentle 109
being angry 165, 169 postponing 87, 103, 155
causing wounds and absesses due to medicine 19, 31f., 50, 87, 95, 103, 109, 115, 121,
anger 165 127, 135, 143, 149, 155, 175, 183, 212
harm caused by 22, 163, 183 being appropriate 121, 143, 163, 181
residing on building ground 179 being of medium benefit 155
benefit on the long run 103
magical square, nine numbers of 3 changing 50, 87
Magzor Gyalmo see: Palden Magzor continuous use 143
Gyalmo difficult to find appropriate 183
Mahākāla 47 f., 51 gentle 109

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general index 275
necessay to take continuously 167 mundane 48, 54, 61

no great benefit of 143 issues 53f., 57
turning into poison 103, 143 leaders 20, 145
meditating 55 f. path 55
médré spirits people 42, 50, 58–60
causing harm 193, 199 world 53
following women 199 Müchen Sangyé Rinchen 47, 49, 51
merit accumulation 21 f., 34, 36 f., 37n64, 42,
44, 75 Nāgārjuna 49n2
messenger, arrival of 95 name changing 107, 141, 169, 193
Milarepa 49 f., 56, 58 namtéu spirits following lay peoples’ posse-
mind sions 193
appearances of 47, 49 ff. negativity, attenuate 21
being beyond expression and unborn Ngawang Trinlé Zangpo, sixth Chagrawa
47 25, 41
clarity of 21 Niya 6
concentrating 72 non-injury 34n60
deluded 61 numbers
purifying 42, 51 even and odd 28, 207f.
settling in a natural state 43 high 208
veils of 47, 51 nyen (demons)
military being displeased 121
activities 35 causing harm 175
service 12, 37 Nyima Gyaltsen, Khenchen 7, 18n25, 19n26,
Mipham 7, 7n8, 11, 18, 30–34, 40, 43 f., 85n33 24n36, n37, n41, 44f., 47–60, 186, 191n9,
mirror divination 4, 56, 61 206ff., 210, 214f.
eye of 56
misfortune 16, 20 f., 30, 35, 85n34, 139, 171, 212 obscurity 27
calculating 2 obstruction
incurable 37 danger of 173
interpreting 38 free from 20, 24, 70, 117
methods of reversing 36 f., 43, 214 omen of 111
predisposition for 79 on the path 71
misi spirits 205 sudden 24, 115
mobility of divination manuals 25, 188 officials 20, 91
modré (spirit) trouble with 33f.
food contamination by 199 offspring 19, 32ff., 81, 89, 109, 115
harm from 87, 93n42, 141, 216 continuation of 89, 95, 201
negative influences from 107, 127, 141 difficult for head to come out at birth
offending 87 127
money, divination for the sake of 60 difficult to conceive due to obstructors
monkey year, bad for people born in 141 155
Mo rtsis 40 f. dried up 103, 143, 171
moxibustion 109, 121, 155, 203 gods and guardians offer assitance con-
Mūlamadhyamakakārikā 49n2 cerning birth of 149, 203
mules increase of 121, 123, 127, 163, 175, 183, 197
dying or getting lost 179 only possible if attending another spouse
harmed by predators 99 171
increasing 131 will quickly be born 135, 149

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276 general index
omen 20n26 poetical expression 9, 14f., 18, 20, 22f., 26ff.,

one-step systems of divination 4 214
Ontul Rinpoche, Lho 7, 45n74, 60–63, poetry 4, 9f., 13f., 16, 18f., 23, 22–28, 123n74,
70n10, 71n12 191n9
oracular 14 possessions, harm coming along with 79,
highly 27 93, 93n42, 133, 141, 147
Sino-Tibetan o. idiom 9 power and influence 32–34
orally transmitted systems 186 f., 206 ff., predators 85
210 ff., 214 pregnancy 52, 157n112, 193
ordained fluids 195n19
community 21, 22n27, 75 proficiency, ritual 44ff.
people 20, 123, 131 profit (see also: trade) 17, 34, 59, 107n55,
ordinary people 20 f., 50, 59, 91, 111, 123 117n67, 212
overwhelming for 145 prognosis
orthography, non-standard 187 accuracy of 15, 45, 61f., 208
outlook 20, 20n26 basic 2, 14, 19, 22f., 27f., 75, 83, 91, 97,
own nature 49n2 105, 111, 123, 131, 145, 151, 159, 165, 173,
177
pacification ritual 45 detailed 16f., 19, 27, 31, 36, 40
pack animals for ordained ones being good 105
being well on pastures 145 general 19, 28f.
danger for 83 number of 7, 18, 20, 22, 29, 29n55, 30n59
going astray 177 stock 1f., 4
loss of 85, 157 prosecution against oneself 99
recovering lost 157 protectors 22, 48, 57, 70
trade with 109 showing favor 199, 203
Palden Lhamo 9, 25 ff., 50, 145, 177 puṇya 36
Palden Magzor Gyalmo 25, 41 pure codes of human beings, sixteen 53
paśaka 6, 6n5 purpose, stating one’s 71
Paśakakevalī 6, 6n5, 15, 30–34
pasture(s) 19, 31 f., 46, 151 random
appropriateness of 77, 85, 91, 111 numbers 5
flourishing of 105, 173 parting mālā at 191n8, 206, 210
obstacles on 139 selecting prognosis at 4
risk of disease, conflicts, and loss at 123 signs 1f., 24n38
shifting to another 123, 165, 179 randomizing 2
Pehar, negative influence of 127 tools 2–5, 28, 186, 206, 208
petitions 16 f., 32 f. ransacking 12, 34f., 103, 171
places regret 85, 91, 87n46, 99, 117, 123, 177, 203, 205
disagreable and dangerous 43, 133 relative truth see: conventional truth
of gyalgong and lunyen 179 releasing life 36, 101n50
of lu 169, 195n19 religion
of quarrels and fights 123 acting according to 43
solitary 22 bringing others to 52
planets 3, 24, 24n41, 27, 151 helping in mundane matters 52, 60
plasticity of divination manuals 26, 188 increasing 117
pledges outlook concerning 19f., 22, 27, 52, 54f.,
deity of 26 75, 83, 91, 97, 105, 111, 117, 123, 131, 137,
tainted 141 145, 151, 159, 165, 173, 177

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general index 277
practicing 32, 48, 53n5, 58 sickness

ups and downs in 97, 165 danger of getting 50, 52, 79, 83, 93,
remedies, ritual 16, 19–22, 27, 35 f., 38–40, 93n42, 101, 107, 125, 131, 133, 141, 161,
43 ff., 53n5, 188, 210, 214 167, 179, 181, 199, 201, 210f.
complexity of 45 recovering from 17, 31, 51f., 175, 211
remorse 167, 173 siddhi 45, 65, 177
repelling 22, 39, 44–46 signs 4f., 18, 20n26, 244n36, 48, 113, 121, 137,
repenting 37 167, 193, 195, 199, 211f.
reprimands from lama and headmen 99, accomplishment of 58
165 approach of 58
responsibility of making divinations 62 as an appearance of the mind 47, 51
result, not expecting 72 astrological 162n123
retreats 37, 52, 55 f., 208 as valid proof of success 51
rewards 33 f. in a dream 47f., 50f., 60
robbers 35, 83, 91, 95, 143, 171 emerging of supreme 44, 66
rosary (Skt. mālā) 5, 54, 57, 188n7 from the mouth of deities 18
neighboring sign (in birth year calcula-
sadag (demons) 22, 39 tion) 159
being displeased or angered 121, 165 occuring through divination 47, 49ff.,
causing harm or disturbance 22, 39, 93, 60
131, 133, 165 occuring through sādhana practice 51
causing wounds and absesses due to of matching birth year 159, 159n116
anger 165 on the ground 3
sādhana 19, 22, 25 f., 41, 44 f., 51, 58, 64–72, pre-structured 4
208 random 1f., 24n38
samādhi 53n5 serving as proof 15
samayasattva 26 special s. of animals 77, 129
Śaiva 15 standard 1f., 4
śāṇḍilya 41n72 supersticious belief in 93n42
Śāntideva 10, 40 f., 43 zodiac 3
śarabha 42 Single Intention 36n61, 53
scorched odor si spirits, increasing 201
of garbage 203 skillful means 35
of hearth 87, 93, 119, 121, 203 skills, basic ritual and specialized 44
security 37 slander 32, 153
seed syllables 44 snake year
seperation of a couple 97, 151, 165 bad for people born in 107, 125
Sera Khandro 187 serious illness for people born in 133
serag spirits coming along with far away soldier, fate as 12
guests 169 solitary places 22, 70
sexual conduct 195n19 sorcery 133, 147, 197
sheep soul mate, meeting a 195
increase of 91, 145 sow year, bad for people being born in 167
loss of 99, 125 söndré spirits coming along with far away
sheep year guests 169
bad for people born in 119 specialist, ritual 44f.
god for people born in 93 spiritual progress 32
shells 5 Śrī Devī 6–9, 25f., 26n51
shindré spirits, male and female 201 status 32ff.

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278 general index
stolen items, making divination to find 62 being difficult to control 117

stones 5 being helped by gods 177
displeasing spirits through crushing 121 being like a bubble in the water 143
sub-categories of the divination 15, 19 buying difficult in 121
subsistence 17, 33 close-by 129, 171
supernormal delay of 117, 129
perception 45, 70 long distance 129, 163, 171
powers 71 not getting profit through 81, 89, 103, 185
supplication 42, 49 f. postponing 81, 89
supports, ritual 20 ff., 35 f., 46, 53n5, 214 profit through 95, 121, 129, 135, 143, 149,
suppressing, ritual of 45 163, 171
supramundane selling profitable in 121
activities 56 with gold and silver 109
path 53 f. with pack animals 109
surgery, divination for 62 with raw meat 143
śvetārka wood 6, 41n72 trance 4
transference, unwanted t. to another place
tabla (demons), being contaminated 93, 137
203n38 travel 19, 31, 41, 83, 89, 95, 103, 109, 117, 121,
talk 129, 135, 143, 149, 157, 171, 185, 207
abusive 41, 43 danger for pack animals during 83
bad 135, 139, 147, 159, 173, 177 danger of
empty 85 death of horses and saddle breaking
talking, not t. about activities 43 143
tantra, highest yoga 45 death of livestock 129
Tao 12, 12n11, 37, 37n63 of enemies and robbers 83, 95, 129,
Taoist 143, 157, 171, 177, 199
gloom in T. works 29n55 of regret 117
terminology 12n11 of wild animals 171
Tārā delay of 89, 95, 117, 129, 157
mantra 187 delay through blocked path 157
manuals 26 delay through legal dispute 157
revelation from 187 departing being difficult 95, 129
Mo 187 f., 213 f. encounters with legal conflict 109, 135,
Taxila 1 157
téurang (spirit) exceedingly fatiguing through dificulties
harm caused by 87, 163 103
trapping 201 harm from thunder and lightening 83
Theravāda Buddhism 50n3 long t. will be comfortable 177
thieves, counsel for 195n17 loss and illness on long 185
thunder and lightning, harm from 83 on comfortable road 89, 109, 163, 177
tiger year, predisposition for misfortune in postponing 83, 143
79 quick and without obstacles 121
togdré spirits causing harm 195 short t. will be comfortable 185
tortoiseshell 4 smooth and without obstacles 135, 149
trade 11, 16 f., 19, 31, 46, 81, 89, 95, 103, 109, travelers 17, 19, 32, 44, 46, 52, 81, 89, 95, 103,
117, 121, 129, 135, 143, 149, 157, 163, 171, 121, 129, 135, 143, 149, 157, 163, 171, 177,
177, 185 183
bad 103, 113, 157, 185 accompanied by spirits 193, 199

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general index 279
arrival of 81, 89, 95, 103, 193, 199, 201, 203 postponing 153
arriving with remorse 143, 163 quickly accomplishing 147, 161, 171, 175
arriving with fortune 203 unfavorable
coming quickly 89, 95, 109, 117, 121, 129, condictions 21, 36, 54
135, 143, 149, 163, 171, 177, 211 position of the gods 207, 210
coming with physical and mental suffer- victorious over u. conditions 53n5
ing 171 ups and downs 20, 97, 111, 123, 165
delay of 81, 117, 129, 143, 157, 171, 183
having accomplished affairs 95, 129, 211 Vajrapāṇi 191
having enemies 81, 199 Vajrayoginī 45, 64
news about 81, 89, 103, 171 verbal defeat 197
no plan to return 103 Vikramaśīla 187
not coming 17, 129 violence 34n60
not yet having departed 89 virtue, accumulation of 36
significant trouble for 157, 171 vision 2f., 49n2
with pleasant news 149 direct v. in trance 4
trigrams, eight 3, 155, 155n111 in a dream 4, 48, 51
Trinlé Zangpo 19, 25, 41, 64, 185 of buddhas 49, 49n2
true existence 49n2 pure 47
true nature, unfabricated 49n2 sharp v. of divination 185
tsen (spirits) visitor 16f., 32, 81n30
being angry 203 visualization 41, 44, 64, 191, 208
being stained 155
coming along with possessions 93 war 12, 205
coming along with travelers on foot 199 warfare 35, 97
coming along with reddish dog 93n42 counsel for 195n17
disturbing 113n64 warriors 35, 37, 37n64
employed as helpers 113n64 wealth 18n25, 19, 32, 34, 41, 77, 85, 91, 99,
harm caused by 79, 85, 93, 147, 163, 175, 105, 111, 113, 119, 125, 131, 139, 145, 153, 161,
197, 199, 203 167, 173, 179, 214
having shown favor to forefathers 147 avoiding to lose 77
negative influences from 107 appearing by itself 161
Tshad ma bzhi’i yi ge 49n2 deities show favor 199
Tseringma sisters, five 44 finding 191, 197
Turfan fragments 14 f. fluctuation in 145, 153, 179
Turkic 7, 9, 13f., 29, 31, 40 increasing 91, 105, 113, 119, 131, 145, 163,
two-step systems of divination 4 173
inner (food, etc.) 153
ultimate truth 53 ff., 61 loss of, see: loss
undertaking 10 f., 16 f., 19, 31, 50, 77, 85, 93, no hope for 77
99, 107, 113, 119, 125, 133, 147, 153, 161, outside of the house objects of 153
167, 173, 181, 197 weapons 37, 177
being like chasing rainbow 139 lost to enemy 34
delay in 139, 161, 173 weariness, danger of 89, 129
desisting from 40 wells, harm from dangerous 133
harmed by demons 181 wind energy, movement of 49, 49n2
helped by gods 147 winning a damsel 32, 34
no obstruction for 207, 210 f. wishes, accomplishment of 31, 42, 54, 93,
not accomplishing 39, 167 125, 149, 161, 173

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280 general index
worldly Yangchen Drubpé Dorjé 25, 41

arts 50n3 yül-la 87, 115
issues 52, 165 being contaminated 151
people 52 being disturbed 115
protection 71n11 being jealous 121
world, untamed natural 38 causing harm 87, 165, 175
offending 87
yak, harm for 105
yakṣas 18 zhiwé si spirits 205
harm from y. accompanying guests 133 zodiac signs 3

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Divining With Achi and Tara - Comparative Remarks On Tibetan Dice and Mala Divination - Tools Poetry Structures and Ritual Dimensions

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Divining with Achi and Tārā

Jan-Ulrich Sobisch - 978-90-04-40262-1

Chia-Feng Chang (Taiwan National University)

The titles published in this series are listed at brill.com/prhi

Jan-Ulrich Sobisch - 978-90-04-40262-1

Translated and Introduced by

Solvej Hyveled Nielsen

Jan-Ulrich Sobisch - 978-90-04-40262-1

Names: Sobisch, Jan-Ulrich, translator, editor. | Hyveled Nielsen, Solvej, 1987-

Copyright 2019 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands.

This book is printed on acid-free paper and produced in a sustainable manner.

Jan-Ulrich Sobisch - 978-90-04-40262-1

Jan-Ulrich Sobisch - 978-90-04-40262-1

3 Translation of the Achi Mo 64

4 Mālā Divination 186

Jan-Ulrich Sobisch - 978-90-04-40262-1

4 Explanations from Khenchen Nyima Gyaltsen Rinpoche 206

Appendix 1: Glossary of Deities and Spirits 233

Jan-Ulrich Sobisch - 978-90-04-40262-1

Jan-Ulrich Sobisch - 978-90-04-40262-1

Jan-Ulrich Sobisch - 978-90-04-40262-1

Jan-Ulrich Sobisch - 978-90-04-40262-1

Jan-Ulrich Sobisch - 978-90-04-40262-1

With this introduction I would like to provide a brief comparative survey of

© koninklijke brill nv, leiden, 2019 | doi:10.1163/9789004402621_002 Jan-Ulrich Sobisch - 978-90-04-40262-1

Jan-Ulrich Sobisch - 978-90-04-40262-1

Jan-Ulrich Sobisch - 978-90-04-40262-1

of its elements to divination books in other cultures. It is, thereby, connected

1 Dice for Divination—One of Many Tools of Randomization

3 This subject is thoroughly explored in Dotson (forthcoming).

Jan-Ulrich Sobisch - 978-90-04-40262-1

Jan-Ulrich Sobisch - 978-90-04-40262-1

o-o-o / o-o-oo / o-o-ooo / o-o-oooo

1-1-1 = 3 1-2-6 = 9 2-6-6 = 14

Jan-Ulrich Sobisch - 978-90-04-40262-1

There is no consideration of combinations such as

Jan-Ulrich Sobisch - 978-90-04-40262-1

Jan-Ulrich Sobisch - 978-90-04-40262-1

2 Poetry in the Prophecy

Jan-Ulrich Sobisch - 978-90-04-40262-1

3 Chinese Buddhist Divination Poetry

How glorious this felicity!

In your previous life there was no felicity or kindness,

Jan-Ulrich Sobisch - 978-90-04-40262-1

(5) It is likely this undertaking will not succeed;

(21) If you intend to dwell in this house

(31) You are an ill-omened person

(63) The plagues afflicting your six sorts of domestic animals

(38) You wish to trade in various goods:

10 All translations by Strickmann (2005: 61 ff.).

Jan-Ulrich Sobisch - 978-90-04-40262-1

(44) … and he is freighted with sins as many as Ganges sands.

(27) Spoken by the mouths of Śakra and Brahmā,

(3) In your previous life there has been no felicity or kindness.

(33) Why have you casually spoken deceitful (…)?

(50) If father and mother do what is not good,

Startling—for a Buddhist text—are the verses that pertain to military service.

Jan-Ulrich Sobisch - 978-90-04-40262-1

4 Poetry in the Turkic Irk Bitig

Jan-Ulrich Sobisch - 978-90-04-40262-1

5 Poetry in Turfan Fragments

Another fragment contains a complete verse but is very difficult to under-

Jan-Ulrich Sobisch - 978-90-04-40262-1