Tsangnyön Heruka
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Tsangnyön Heruka ( "The Madman Heruka from Tsang", 1452-1507), was an author and a master of the
Kagyu The ''Kagyu'' school, also transliterated as ''Kagyü'', or ''Kagyud'' (), which translates to "Oral Lineage" or "Whispered Transmission" school, is one of the main schools (''chos lugs'') of Tibetan (or Himalayan) Buddhism. The Kagyu lineag ...
school of
Tibetan Buddhism Tibetan Buddhism (also referred to as Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, Lamaism, Lamaistic Buddhism, Himalayan Buddhism, and Northern Buddhism) is the form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet and Bhutan, where it is the dominant religion. It is also in majo ...
. Born in Tsang, he is best known as a biographer and compiler of the ''Life of
Milarepa Jetsun Milarepa (, 1028/40–1111/23) was a Tibetan siddha, who was famously known as a murderer when he was a young man, before turning to Buddhism and becoming a highly accomplished Buddhist disciple. He is generally considered one of Tibet's m ...
'' and ''The Collections of Songs of Milarepa'', both classics of
Tibetan literature Tibetan literature generally refers to literature written in the Tibetan language or arising out of Tibetan culture. Historically, Tibetan has served as a trans-regional literary language that has been used, at different times, from Tibet to Mongoli ...
.


Life

Tsangnyön Heruka was a
nyönpa The term ''nyönpa'' ( "mad one(s)"; Sanskrit ''avadhūta'') may refer to a group of Tibetan Buddhist yogis or a single individual belonging to this group. They were mainly known for their unusual style of teaching, to which they owed their nam ...
() or "religious madman", whose eccentric ways of life were considered signs of spiritual realization. He was ordained as a
śrāmaṇera A sāmaṇera (Pali); sa, श्रामणेर (), is a novice male monastic in a Buddhist context. A female novice is a ''śrāmaṇerī'' or ''śrāmaṇerikā'' (Sanskrit; Pāli: ''sāmaṇerī''). Etymology The ''sāmaṇera'' is a ...
, but at the age of 21 renounced his vows and trained under various tantric yogis from different schools. His first teacher was Shara Rabjampa Sanggye Sengge (1427–1470) who conveyed to him the "Aural Transmissions" (''snyan brgyud'') of the Kagyu tradition.Biography of Tsangnyön Heruka
/ref> Tsangnyön spent years in solitary retreat on Tsari in southern Tibet, which is the major sacred mountain retreat for the Kagyu school. He also studied the tantras in Pelkhor Chode Monastery in
Gyantse Gyantse, officially Gyangzê Town (also spelled Gyangtse; ; ), is a town located in Gyantse County, Shigatse Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. It was historically considered the third largest and most prominent town in the Tibet region ( ...
for three years. After Heruka left the monastery, he became a wandering yogi for the rest of his life, never staying in one place permanently. He was known to keep his hair long, carry a
khaṭvāṅga A khaṭvāṅga ( sa, खट्वाङ्ग) is a long, studded club originally created as a weapon. It was adopted as a traditional religious symbol in Indian religions such as Tantric traditions like Shaivism and Vajrayana Buddhism. The kh ...
and drink from a
kapala A kapala (Sanskrit for "skull") is a skull cup used as a ritual implement (bowl) in both Hindu Tantra and Buddhist Tantra (Vajrayana). Especially in Tibet, they are often carved or elaborately mounted with precious metals and jewels. Etymol ...
. When local villagers saw his body covered in human ashes and blood with his hair adorned by human fingers and toes, they gave him the name 'Nyönpa' (madman). He later used the name ''Trantung Gyelpo'' () "King of the Blood-drinkers", "blood drinker" being the Tibetan name for the deity
Heruka :''Heruka is also a name for the deity of the Cakrasaṃvara Tantra.'' ''Heruka'' (Sanskrit; Tibetan: ), is the name of a category of wrathful deities, enlightened beings in Vajrayana Buddhism that adopt a fierce countenance to benefit sentient ...
. These eccentric ways were influenced by an Indian sect of yogis called
Kapalika The Kāpālika tradition was a Tantric, non-Puranic form of Shaivism which originated in Medieval India between the 7th and 8th century CE. The word is derived from the Sanskrit term ''kapāla'', meaning "skull", and ''kāpālika'' means t ...
s or "skull-bearers", who practiced austerities as well as dressing in loincloths and human ashes and carrying symbols of the
dakini A ḍākinī ( sa, डाकिनी; ; mn, хандарма; ; alternatively 荼枳尼, ; 荼吉尼, ; or 吒枳尼, ; Japanese: 荼枳尼 / 吒枳尼 / 荼吉尼, ''dakini'') is a type of female spirit, goddess, or demon in Hinduism and Bud ...
s such as bone ornaments and skulls. Many monks questioned his behavior and way of dress but Tsangnyön was known to strongly defend his unconventional practice through rigorous argument and accurate quotations from scriptures. He became a famous teacher and gathered numerous followers, he was also a composer of religious songs. Tsangnyön was very influential with various Tibetan political leaders and he used his influence to mediate between warring factions. In 1488 while staying at the pilgrimage site Lapchi Snow Mountain, Tsangnyön completed the ''Life of Milarepa'', a biography of the Tibetan poet. It was one of the first texts that was produced through
woodblock printing Woodblock printing or block printing is a technique for printing text, images or patterns used widely throughout East Asia and originating in China in antiquity as a method of printing on textiles and later paper. Each page or image is create ...
in Tibet and it quickly became a widely circulated text. Tsangnyön's main goal seems to have been the promotion of the teachings of the early Kagyu masters. In 1504,
Ratna Malla Ratna Malla was the first independent king of Kantipur. He was one of the six sons of Jayayakshya Malla. On the death of his father in 1482, he and his brothers attempted to rule collegially. However, Ratna Malla decided to become an independent ...
, the king of
Kantipur Kantipur (from kanti ''light'', pur ''city'') was a medieval kingdom in the Malla (Nepal), Malla confederacy of Nepal. The name of the kingdom was derived from the Sanskrit name of its capital city, now known as Kathmandu. History The kingdom ...
, invited Tsangnyön Heruka to
Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...
to restore the famous
stupa A stupa ( sa, स्तूप, lit=heap, ) is a mound-like or hemispherical structure containing relics (such as ''śarīra'' – typically the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns) that is used as a place of meditation. In Buddhism, circumamb ...
known as
Swayambhunath Swayambhu (Devanagari: स्वयम्भू स्तूप; new, स्वयंभू; sometimes Swayambu or Swoyambhu) is an ancient religious complex atop a hill in the Kathmandu Valley, west of Kathmandu city. The Tibetan name for the ...
. Tsangnyön traveled to Nepal and completed the renovation within three months. In 1505, he compiled a biography and a song collection of
Marpa Lotsawa Marpa Lotsawa, Lotsāwa (, 1012–1097), sometimes known fully as Marpa Chökyi Lodrö (Wylie transliteration, Wylie: mar pa chos kyi blo gros) or commonly as Marpa the Translator (Marpa Lotsāwa), was a Tibetan Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhist teacher ...
. He also completed his major life work, which was the collection of the aural transmissions of the Kagyu tradition. He died at the age of fifty-five in 1507 at Rechung-Puk north of the
Yarlung Valley The Yarlung Valley is formed by Yarlung Chu, a tributary of the Tsangpo river, Tsangpo River in the Shannan Prefecture in the Tibet Autonomous Region, Tibet region of China. It refers especially to the district where Yarlung Chu joins with the Cho ...
.


Legacy

After his death three of his disciples wrote biographies of him: Gotsangrepa, Lhatsun Rinchen Namgyel and Ngodrub Pembar. Kuntu Zangmo, Tsangnyön’s female companion, oversaw the printing of his songs, writings and a biography of him.


Further reading

A recent publication that includes research on the Madman of Tsang is David M. DiValerio's (2015) ''The Holy Madmen of Tibet''.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tsangnyon Heruka 1452 births 1507 deaths 15th-century Tibetan people 16th-century Tibetan people Drukpa Kagyu lamas Tibetan Buddhism writers