Tibetan and Himalayan Library - THL

[1] In fact the words can be spelled two other ways in Tibetan, and each spelling has a different meaning. When spelled rtags brtan, the words mean “stable or trustworthy sign.” When spelled rtag brtan, they mean “permanent and stable.” Ser smad spom ra dge bshes ye shes dbang phyug, Ser smad thos bsam nor gling grwa tshang gi chos ’byung lo rgyus nor bu’i phreng ba [A History of the Sermé Tösam Norling College: A Garland of Jewels] (Bylakuppe: Sermey Printing Press, 1984), 39, prefers the “revealed sign” (rtags bstan) etymology. dung dkar blo bzang ’phrin las, Dungkar Tsikdzö ChenmoDung dkar tshig mdzod chen mo [The Great Dungkar Dictionary] (Krung go’i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang, 2002), 985, prefers the “permanent and stable” (rtag brtan) etymology.

[2] Ye shes dbang phyug, Sermé LogyüSer smad lo rgyus [A History of Sera Mé], 39.

[3] The other two eyes of the deity are located at Pabongkha Hermitage (Pabongkha RitröPha bong kha ri khrod) and at Garu Nunnery (Garu GönpaGa ru dgon pa).

[4] For a biography of EnsapaDben sa pa, see Janice D. Willis, Enlightened Beings: Life Stories from the Ganden Oral Tradition (Boston: Wisdom Publications, 1995), 51-70.