The Demon Crowned with a Raven Head: Rāhula's Archaic Form "Ki kang" and his Chinese Origins
Cameron BAILEY earned a B.A. in English Literature and Religious Studies from Indiana University, an M.A. in the History and Ethnography of Religion,specializing in Tibetan Buddhism, from Florida State University, and a DPhil (Ph.D.) in Tibetan Studies from the University of Oxford. He is currently assistant professor in the Department of Indian Philosophy at Dongguk University. Dr.Bailey’s doctoral dissertation focused on Sle lung Bzhad pa’i rdo rje, an eighteenth-century reincarnate lama, and his main literary contributions including his autobiography, tantric practice and commentarial texts, and a unique collection of protector deity mythology. Dr. Bailey’s research interests are mainly in protector deity origin myths and magical rituals, as well as the history and development of tantrism in India and Tibet.Email: kosomaddo@gmail.com
Abstract
Rāhula is one of the most important protector deities in the Rnying ma (Ancient)
schoolof Tibetan Buddhism, with a rich and especially striking iconography and mythologicalhistory. Tis deity is, in part, an adaptation and transformation of the Indian eclipse asura, Rāhu, and as such, previous scholarship on him has tended to focus on his Indian origins. This paper will shift focus and instead examine Rāhula’s connection to Chinese-inspired elemental divination (’byung rtsis) systems that became popular in ibet atleast as early as the eighth century. In particular, the article will examine the origi nmyth of “Ki kang,” an early alternate name for Rāhula, in what may be the earliestextant myth about him found in the Ancient Tantra Collection (Rnying ma rgyud’bum)
Textual clues in the myth indicate a deep and thorough connection to specifically Chinese systems of astral divination, showing that Ki kang /Rāhula may have been filtered through a specifically Chinese cultural lens before being adopted into ibetanBuddhism. Key words:
Ki kang, Rāhula, Rāhu, Tibetan Buddhism, Tantra, Mythology,Divination, Demonology
Previous research on the ibetan protector deity Rāhula, generally regardedas one of the three most important dharma protectors of the Rnying maschool of ibetan Buddhism, has tended to focus on his Indian origins.Scholarship on this deity has especially highlighted his connection to Indian mythology and astrology. 1
Tis connection is, of course, extremely important inunderstanding the evolution of this fascinating and extremely complex Tibetan deity from his origins as the asura and eclipse-causing phantom planet, Rāhu.However, this paper intends to shift focus away from Indian materials andinstead examine Rāhula’s understudied connection to ’byung rtsis
(elementaldivination) , specifically the sa bdag (earth lord)
deities that play a critical role inthis complex system (s)
of chronomancy, which seems to have been primarily imported into Tibet from China in the eighth to ninth centuries. I assertthat the available evidence suggests that Rāhula’s distinctive iconography and expanded cosmological role in ibet is more likely of Chinese than directly Indian origin.Like all deities in all religions, but especially in tantric Buddhism, Rāhula has been subject to acute mythological “contagion.” hat is to say,diachronically speaking, there have been a great number of figures with manydifferent names that evolved through time together and share enough Rāhula “family resemblances” to be considered related to each other. So just as, say, the goddess Śrī dēvī (Tib. Dpal ldan lha mo)
is more of a category of deities than aspecific figure, I am using “Rāhula” more as an umbrella term for a whole arrayof different forms and emanations that are iconographically, mythologically,and cosmologically related. One such deity in this “Rāhula family” is namedKi kang. In my investigations into origin myths related to Rāhula, I havefound only one relevant text actually in the Rnying ma rgyud ’bum, the Rnyingma school’s canonical collection of old tantras said to have been originallytranslated into Tibetan during the first transmission of Buddhism into Tibetan the eighth century (Mayer 2015)
This text, which is mainly concerned withthe deity Ki kang, appears in multiple editions of the Rnying ma rgyud ’bum
,titled [[Bdud bya rog mgo brtsegs gsang ba sgrol byed kyi rgyal po ki kang rog ta’imdo snying gzer nag po’i rgyud chen po (Te Great Black Nail antra, the Essence ofKi kang rog ti, Secret Liberating King, the Demon Crowned with a Raven Head) or more concisely, theGzer nag po’i rgyud, Te Black Nail antra.
Te Black
Nail Tantra and Clarifying Lamp Myths In the unparalleled pre-modern compilation of ibetan protector deity mythology,
The Biographies of the Ocean of the Oathbound Protectors
( Dam canbstan srung rgya mtsho’i rnam thar ) , its author/compiler/tradent Sle lung Bzhad pa’irdo rje (1697–1740)
cites only five sources for the multiple Rāhula origin mythshe discusses. the first two, which seem to be the main sources for the bulkof the Rāhula chapter, are ritual texts by two Rnying ma masters, the famous treasure discoverer Padma las’ bral rtsal (1291–1315) and Bya khyung pa ngagdbang padma (ca. 15th–16th centuries) , an important lineage master of andcommenter on the treasure cycles of Sangs rgyas gling pa (1340–1396) . A third text cited by Sle lung is a tantra entitled the Gza’ rgod nyi ma khros (Wild Planet Angry Sun) , which so far I have been unable to locate (Bailey 2012, 145–146)
BAILEY• Te Demon Crowned with a Raven Head
Rāhula’s Archaic Form “Ki kang” and his Chinese Origins
Te last two sources mentioned by Sle lung in his Rāhula chapter are, forour current purposes, the most relevant and interesting, as they are the onlytwo that mention the name Ki kang.
One is The Black Nail antra, and theother is the Rin chen gsal sgron (Precious Clarifying Lamp) a treatise on elemental divination attributed in the Tibetan tradition to a Chinese treasure revealer named Du har nag po, who will be discussed in more detail below. o my knowledge, the full text of the Clarifying Lamp is no longer extant, though Slelung quotes from it extensively (Bailey 2012, 147–161) . As for the Black Nail Tantra, although Sle lung only mentions it in passing and does not quote fromit, presumably due to its similarity to the Clarifying Lamp, it still exists as a canonical text, part of the Rnying ma rgyud ’bum . o my knowledge it containsthe only extant example of a myth focused on a form of Rāhula that is not partof a gter ma cycle or commentarial material. Also, as I shall discuss in moredetail below, it appears to be the earliest extant myth of Rāhula’s origins. Ipresent the first full translation of it here:
Thus have I heard at one time, the supreme body of all the tathāgatas the Blessed One Noble Mañjuśrī Kumāra dwelt together with a retinue of bodhisattva heroes in the limitless Ākanișța in a celestial palace ornamented with a variety of precious stones, with the five desirable qualities in all directions, accomplishing the welfare of beings. With a peaceful mind, for the purpose of pacifying untamed savages, negative forces such as noxious spirits and death spirit violators, the Blessed One in the meditative absorption called “Frightening Malevolent Ones and Subduing All Evil”
instantly entered thebody of blood-drinking Bhairava, black like crushed stone, terrifying, with anangry mood. Adorned with various charnel ground ornaments and carrying various vicious weapons, his two feet crushing beings in the Vajra Hell, hemanifested from the sphere of space, churning the universe. ranscending levelsand limits, in all ways the highest, undiminished, roaming through the charnelgrounds, he became chief of a ma ṇḍ ala of great Vajra Holders, kings, regents, vassal kings, inner, and outer ministers and so forth, each with their ownretinue. He had an inconceivable host of disease causers, liars, and evil ones.Furthermore, he had a collection of passionate ladies: queens, queens of queens,female regents, female ministers, and serving women, each with their ownretinue, the ladies of the four types of disease of the humors, and inconceivable hosts of causers of the 404 types of diseases. He resided together
[with them all]
Also accompanied by his consorts Vetalī and Ekajaṭī, he dwelt in union [withthem] . Then the Blessed One, Mahābhairava, entered into the state of meditative stabilization called “The Five Lights Collecting All the Five Poisons.” Immediately upon entering that, the consort Vetalī generated the word “A ho” with lightning between her eyes. She was aroused by Mahābhairava, who entered into her mind. Tey cried “Oh bliss!” and dallied together. A shower of seminal fluid entered into the consort’s womb, and the irretinue simultaneously experienced the taste of bliss. Light emanated into the realms of the ten directions. With the mind of enlightenment, they bestowed initiation on all sentient beings, establishing them in bliss. All these light rays collected the essence of all the wicked beings in the three realms, the five poisons of wrong views, the ten non-virtues and so forth, and they dissolvedinto [Bhairava’s]
body. Ten, from the play of non-duality, [came]
the black light of hate, the yellow light of self-pride, the green light of jealousy and so forth.On a swastika base on the peak of Mount Meru the emanated light becamethe blazing rākṣasa Yakṣa Jvala and he dwelt at the peak of Mount Meru in ablaze of hate. The red light of lust and the smoky light of delusion emanatedinto the sea and became the nāginī Yakṣa Woman. She dwelt in boiling blood of lust, in the depths of the sea. Te consort Vetalī, with a smiling appearance,having seen the nāginī Vajra Yaksha Woman, glowing with lust, made a sign with her tongue. [Because of this]
the nāginī Vajra Yak ṣ a Woman also felt fiercely lustful. She cried out “Kha! Kha!” with the roar of a thousand thunder claps. Immediately the three-thousand-fold world systems simultaneously shook,shook intensely. Rattled, rattled intensely. Everything rattled intensely. Roared,roared intensely. Everything roared intensely. Moved, moved intensely.Everything moved intensely. When the edges were high the middle was low. When the middle was high the edges were leveled. All the devas , nāgas , asuras ,
garuḍas , gandharvas , kiṃ aras , mahoragas , yakṣas , rākṣasas , pretas ,
piśācas , bhūtas , kumbhāṇḍas , pūtanas , kaṭapūtanas , skandas , apasmāras , unmādas , cayas , ostārakas, nakṣatras , and so forth, all the evil ones abiding in these worlds were gathered together and they became angry and astonished. They spoke thus to the Blessed One: “E ma ho! Among the Noble Ones, Noble Yamāntaka, the dual light of space and awareness, by the blessings of the collected five worldly poisons you roared ‘Kikang’ with the force of a thousand thunder claps. Te trichiliocosm shook all at once, how wondrous! We beg you to be compassionate and protect us!” Having said that, they dispersed to their own abodes. hen the rākṣasa Yakṣa Jvala in a blaze of hatred on the peak of Mount Meru and the nāginī Vajra Yakṣa Woman in a flood of lustful blood from the depths of the sea,coiled around each other without touching and made the sound “King kang!”and five children were generated from their minds. Tere were four sisters anda brother. Te brother Ki kang caused great disturbance and the Ki kang sisterseach had four different heads. They ate and mangled all beings in the three realms and ruined the world so the Blessed One Bhairava Yamāntaka threw adiscus at the brother and cut his body into eight pieces. The Blessed One sucked phenomenal existence into the interior of his body, which transcended limits, into the vacuity of his precious mind. From the amulet box (
ga’u) of omniscience emerged a four-spoked precious dharma wheel surrounded by thefour great oceans and the seven playful lakes, divided into concentric circles bythe seven golden mountain ranges. Te Great Ki kang was thrust into the fourcardinal and intermediate directions which were thus produced. His headarose as the southwest and was established [there] . His right hand wasestablished as the southeast. His left hand was established as northwest. His two legs were established as the northeast. His tail was established as the east. His right shoulder was established as the south. His left shoulder was established as the west. His bladder was established as the north. His eyes,fangs, and heart were placed between his legs. His four sisters were placed at the corners of Mount Meru. Like that they were cut and concealed like bits of yeast. From each section of his body arose a [new]
Ki kang and again theyintensely shook the world. Also, the sisters were concealed like bits of yeast andemerged from the four corners of Mount Meru . Again and again they ate andchewed sentient beings of the three realms without distinction and excreted them. Again, the Blessed One Yamāntaka gathered the three realms under his power. He overpowered the triple world. Similarly, he gathered together the darkness of the entire great trichiliocosm. At the tip of light rays of his wisdom mind an inconceivably vast array of hooks, nooses, shackles, and bells spread out. Proclaiming “Hum Hum Phat! Hala Hala dzah hum bam hoh! E a rallihring dza dza!” with the roar of a thousand thunder claps simultaneously, hebrought Ki kang
under control. Brother Ki kang with his sisters werefrightened, extremely frightened, completely extremely frightened. Tey were shaken, intensely shaken, completely intensely shaken; were in terror, in intense terror, in complete intense terror. With palms joined together they spoke with one voice to the Blessed One, “Oh Bhairava, sir! We are the brother and sisters
2019 Ki kang. Because we are good children of poisonous results we chew, swallow,and excrete out all creatures in existence without exception. Tose actions of destroying yearly crops, if this is our natural activity, why do you reprimand us,great hero? Also, previously the great hero cut my body into pieces and buried them in the ten directions.
This is very bad! Do you not have compassion? If you the great chief himself are the lord of love and compassion, why do you manifest like this? Why do you roar harmful speech? Why incarnate like this] Great hero, we do not seek instructions, but we will become your attendants.Not minor, but ardent attendants.” Tus they begged. In general, they offeredup their life-force. Stead fast without hostility, he bestowed vows and initiation and they were established in worldly bliss. They were empowered to eat the life and breath of those who harm the Buddha’s teachings, those who send people to hell, and those who break their vows. Having bound under oath the eight classes of powerful gods and demons, they were empowered. Moreover, the rākṣasa’s ash-colored body was crowned
with a raven head. Having transformed into the eight classes of gods and demons he entered and roamed through dates and time, and Ki kang and the four enemies (sisters) by moving and shaking became masters over life and breath.
10 Ki kang brother and sisters were jubilant and having circled Mahābhairava three times knelt with their
BAILEY• The Demon Crowned with a Raven Head
Rāhula’s Archaic Form “Ki kang” and his Chinese Origins hands pressed together and spoke these words: “A la la ho! Mahābhairava,having thoughts of affection for us, has commanded us to act in accordance with our own karmic inclinations. How wondrous! We, brother and sisters, will not transgress the activity just as commanded and will perform the activities we have been entrusted without question,” thus they said and having vowed they went each to their own abode. Tus it was said. 11
Although relatively short, there is a lot to unpack in this story. First, I want to note several interesting points of contrast with the other (likely later)
versions of the Rāhula mythos, given in Sle lung’s chapter and attributed mainly to the work of Bya khyung pa. First, and rather strikingly, the main deity is never referred to as Rāhu or Rāhula, but simply as Ki kang, a name that does not appear in later versions of the myth. Also, there is no discussion of the episode for which Rāhula, based on the Indian mythology of the eclipse demon Rāhu,is best known, namely the theft of the elixir of immortality from the gods and his nemesis relationship with the sun and the moon whom he endlessly pursues and periodically consumes, thus causing eclipse phenomena. In The Black Nail Tantra story, Ki kang’s cosmic crimes are limited, rather genericall yas in similar protector deity origin myths, simply to the unrestrained massacre of living beings. Te only element that is similar to Rāhu’s mythology is his dismemberment with a discus. Tere is also no mention by Sle lung of Rāhula’spast life as a fallen Buddhist sage, which has been attributed to Bya khyung pa’s version of the story. Interestingly there is also very little physical description of Ki kang in Te Black Nail antra, and what little we do get is in relation to his dismemberment. From the dismemberment account, it seems that he is very anthropomorphic with one head, two arms, and two legs. He also apparently has some kind of tail in addition to his legs. Later we are told he is crowned with a raven’s head. Besides the raven’s head, this physical appearance is actually quite different from his standard iconography, which is described in the other versions of his origin myths in the Ocean of Oathbound. In these myths, andin typical paintings of Rāhula, he is shown with multiple heads, eyes coveringhis body, and a lower body of a snake (without humanoid legs) , none of which are present in Ki kang’s description in he Black Nail antra. 12
his perhaps suggests that Ki kang was originally a distinct, perhaps earlier, version of the deity that would later become the more elaborate, less humanoid, Rāhula.It is also worth mentioning that according to the Bya khyung pa version
of the origin myth, Rāhula was subdued and converted by Vajrapā ṇ i. hesame is true in Las ’brel rtsal’s treasure texts on Rāhula (Bailey 2015, 60–61) .However, in the Black Nail
version, the subduing deity is Mañjuśrī’s wrathful form, Yamāntaka. Not only that, but in the Black Nail
version, Yamāntaka is actually responsible for bringing Ki kang into being and effectively functions as his grandfather, a motif not at all present in the Bya khyung pa myth.Despite these differences, however, there is a striking degree of similarity and continuity between the different versions of the Rāhula myth. Rāhula’s “sisters,”the four animal-faced demonesses who function as his retinue goddesses, with whom he is consistently depicted in art, appear in both the Black Nail and Byakhyung pa versions of the myth. Similarly, Rāhula/Ki kang’s demonic parents and their locations, the rāk ṣ asa
who dwells on top of Mount Meru and the nāginī
who dwells in the ocean at the base of Meru, are virtually the same inthe Black Nail, Bya khyung pa, and Las ’brel rtsal versions, though the parents’ precise names differ. There are a number of other critically important points to note in the Black Nail myth, which we will return to later. For the moment, however, let us turnour attention to Sle lung’s final source, the Precious Clarifying Lamp . Sle lung’s text quotes from the Clarifying Lamp before simply mentioning The Black Nail Tantra in an off handed way without quotation. Te reason for this is that the myth in the Clarifying Lamp is essentially a more detailed version of the same story told in Black Nail.
The Clarifying Lamp version begins with the demonic parents at the poles of Mount Meru, who mate in basically the same way.From their union, Ki kang, here called Ki kang ’phung byed chen po (Ki kang “the great one who brings downfall”) , is born. More in line with his typical Indian and Tibetan iconography, he is described as having a lower body of a snake in this version because, we are told, his mother was a nāginī. He is also mentioned as holding a sword. In an especially strange detail, we are told that right after he was born, he squeezed his mother’s breasts so that four clots of blood came out of them. His mother then summoned a maidservant who buried each of the four clots on each of the four continents surrounding Mount Meru. he Clarifying Lamp then shifts to the standard Indian Rāhu myth,mentioning how Ki kang, now specifically called Rāhula, stole the ambrosia ofthe gods, taking away their subtle energy and dimming their luster. Tis crime,not the indiscriminate massacre of living beings, is what provokes Yamāntakato cut him into eight pieces. As in Black Nail, the eight pieces are buried in the
Rāhula’s Archaic Form “Ki kang” and his Chinese Origins eight directions around Mount Meru, although in the Clarifying Lamp version a ninth piece escapes on its own and becomes the planet Ketu, Rāhu’s brother phantom planet in Indian astrology, sometimes said to be Rāhu’s tail. Similar to
The Black Nail antra, eventually the eight buried pieces resurrect, summon the four animal-faced demonesses, as well as all other classes of gods and demons, to them and they begin roaming the universe stealing the breath of living beings and the essence of crops.Given the addition of the name Rāhula and the stealing-of-ambrosia my theme, I suspect that the Clarifying Lamp myth is later than the Black Nail
version of the myth. In fact, there is nothing in the Black Nail myth to directly connect Ki kang with the Indian figure of Rāhu, while the Clarifying Lamp explicitly makes this connection. he Black Nail myth also provides a smooth, single cohesive narrative for Ki kang’s origin, while the Clarifying Lamp provides what appears to be a bricolage that draws on multiple sources,including details seemingly haphazardly, such as the bizarre detail of the blood clots. 13 Furthermore, the more significant and much more detailed part of the Clarifying Lamp excerpt quoted by Sle lung comes after the origin myth.In fact, this myth is simply a short preface to an extremely comprehensiveal manac of Ki kang/Rāhula’s daily movements around the world on differentdays of the month, at different times of the day, and the various cosmological effects that accompany these motions. For instance, one section describes the different types of demons he manifests from different parts of his body at different times. Clarifying Lamp thus is primarily concerned with giving a multi-page, very precise, detailed account of what is simply a throwaway line in Te Black Nail antra about how Ki kang “transformed into the eight classes of gods and demons...entered and roamed through dates and time...moving and shaking, became [[[master]]]
over life and breath.” Tus, my suspicion is that the Clarifying Lamp may in fact be a commentary on the earlier Black Nail myth,or that they both draw on some ur source or tradition. But in either case the Clarifying Lamp injects elements directly connecting Ki kang to Rāhu’s India nmythology and cosmology, such as the addition of his brother deity Ketu and the stealing of ambrosia mytheme, etc., that are absent in the Black Nail version.
Sa bdag, ’Byung rtsis , and Du har Nag po
Tis “roaming through dates and time” is characteristic of the sa bdag, the so-called “earth lord” spirits in Sino-Tibetan nag rtsis or ’ byung rtsis (elemental calculation/divination) . Knowledge of the movements of the sa bdag, the directions in which they abide at any given time, and the various effects they can have on the world and a particular individual at any given time is a critical component of the chronomancy of ’byung rtsis.
The detailed documentation of the movements of the sa bdag in ’ byung rtsis is reminiscent of, if not directlyt ied to, the observations of planetary motion in more conventional astrology.
One the most detailed sources of information on sa bdag and their motion comes from Sde srid Sangs rgyas rgya mtsho’s (1653–1705) masterwork treatise on ’byung rtsis, the Vai ḍ ūrya dkar po (White Beryl) which devotes an entire chapter to these spirits.
They are less a specific species of spirit as such, andare not particularly associated with the physical earth or soil despite the literal meaning of their name, but rather are a pantheon of deities who have power over the divinatory space of the ’ byung rtsis system. Many of them appear to have Chinese origins (Schuh 2011, 7–12) , and others are important Indian deities that appear to have been somewhat iconographically modified. For instance, there is a group of sa bdag
who reside in and control the magic nine-square geometric divination diagram called the me ba.
There is a specific deity assigned to each of these nine squares, one of whom is named Lha chen dbangphyug che (Māhadeva Maheśvara) who carries Śiva’s iconic trident (Schuh 2011,76) , but is otherwise iconographically different from Śiva. The Vaiḍūrya dkar po discusses several hundred individual sa bdag, a few of which have names and iconography characteristic of what we could call the Rāhula “type.” Te most significant of these is Gnam gyi gza’ chen lha rgod (The Great Wild Planet God of the Sky) , who is depicted with Rāhula’s typical,most common iconography: nine heads with a tenth raven head on top, thelower body of a snake, covered in eyes, holding a makara -headed banner in one hand and a bow in the other. Gza’ chen lha rgod is the leader of a sub-group offive sa bdag called the Yang khol sa bdag , and immediately following him in the same group is Rāhu himself, also called Bar gyi khyab ’jug, the “Pervader of the Intermediate Space.” Interestingly, Schuh notes that Rāhu himself is not give nany iconographic description (Schuh 2011, 131–132) . Another group is called the Tshes la rgyu ba’i sa bdag (Te earth lords who move on the days of the month) .
Ki kang is part of this group, depicted more or less as he is described in the Clarifying Lamp myth (though not in the Black Nail myth where he has humanoid legs) , which is essentially just like Gza’ chen lha rgod, except with only one humanoid head, although still with a raven head crowning it (Schuh 2011, 140–146) .One of the sources for the sa bdag chapter of the Vai ḍ ūrya dkar po mentioned in its colophon by Sangs rgyas rgya mtsho is the Precious Clarifying Lamp (Schuh 2011, 26–27) almost certainly the same text quoted by Sle lungin the Ocean of Oathbound.
The Precious Clarifying Lamp was said to have originally been written by a Chinese ’byung rtsis master named Du har nagpo (c. 8th–9th century) based on teachings given to him directly from Mañjuśrīhimself. Mañjuśrī is essentially the patron deity of divination and astrologyin the Sino-ibetan tradition, and according to Sangs rgyas rgya mtsho, allthe teachings found in the Vai ḍ ūrya dkar po ultimately descend from thebodhisattva of wisdom. Du har nag po is listed as being the sixty-secondholder of the lineage of ’ byung rtsis teachings, which includes a host of otherChinese masters including Confucius (Kongzi) himself
(Schuh 2012, 1295) .Perhaps underscoring the importance of the figure of Rāhu in the ’ byung rtsis tradition, Du har nag po’s disciple, and the sixty-third lineage holder, wasnamed Ra hu dmar po che (Dorje 2001, 57) . he Precious Clarifying Lamp is said to have been Du har nag po’s most important work and was supposedly translated when Du har came to Tibet at the time of Emperor Khri srong lde’u btsan (740–798)
(Schuh 2012, 1409–1410) .Schuh argues that he more likely lived after the collapse of the Tibetan empire during the so-called dark period, between approximately 850 and 950. In anycase, there is a record of Du har nag po’s work being translated by Byang chub’od (959–1040) , indicating that Du har nag po certainly lived before the
phyidar period (ca. 1040)
(Schuh 2013, 340) . 16
It is an open question as to whether or not the passage quoted from the Clarifying Lamp by Sle lung was in fact actually written by a pre-eleventh century author. But given the evidence I have presented here it certainly stands as a distinct possibility, making it andthe Black Nail myth, which shares many of the features of the Clarifying Lamp myth but in a seemingly even more nascent form, likely the earliest extant Tibetan versions of Ki kang/Rāhula’s origin story
Structurally Similar
’Byung rtsis
Myths Specific structural features of Ki kang/Rāhula’s origin myth appear to haveconnections to other ’ byung rtsis -related
myths. Mañjuśrī-Yamāntaka’s inclusionas the original creator as well as subjugator of Ki kang in the apparently earlier versions of the myth in the Black Nail and Clarifying Lamp is significant givenMañjuśrī’s role as the patron deity of astrology and divination, specificallyin the nag rtsis lineage. In fact, Yamāntaka’s dismemberment of Ki kang andestablishment of his pieces in the eight directions is reminiscent of the ’ byungrtsis myth of Mañjuśrī’s slaying of the cosmic turtle ( rus sbal ) , who, like Kikang, was dispersed,
with the world being created from the constituents of itsbody. Similarly, according to the ’ byung rtsis tradition, the eight directions areassociated with the different sections of the cosmic turtle’s body (Cornu 1997,31;53–54) . 17
Te cosmic turtle features prominently in Sino-ibetan divinationcosmology and iconography, perhaps most famously as part of the ibetan srid pa ho protection amulet (Yoeli-lalim 2018) . In the Black Nail myth, withits eight-part dismemberment and world-creation motifs, a motif absent fromRāhula’s later mythology, Ki kang is effectively functioning in the capacity of
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Rāhula’s Archaic Form “Ki kang” and his Chinese Origins 133 the more well-known figure of the cosmic turtle.Another distinctive mytheme in Rāhula’s origin that is consistent in every version of the story cited by Sle lung, are the demonic parents, one of whomlives on Mount Meru and the other who lives in the waters at its base. As faras I am aware this mytheme does not feature at all in Rāhu’s Indian mythology,and while I have reviewed a number of tantric Buddhist deity origin myths,this particular mytheme, as far as I know, is almost exclusive to Rāhula’sorigin. “Almost,” because the only other ibetan myth in which I have seenit, or something approximating it, appears in a ritual text aimed at enhancinga person’s “wind horse” ( rlung rta ) , or uplifting spiritual energy, entitled
Mdoschog sna tshogs byung ba’i rlung rta bskyed pa’i mdo chog
(Ritual Scripture of Various Tread-cross Methods for Raising the Wind Horse) . Kelényi, who calls attentionto this text and translates portions of it, does not mention its author but notesthat it contains a section directly quoted from the Vai ḍ ūrya dkar po (Kelényi2002, 76) ,
indicating it was produced after Sangs rgyas rgya mtsho’s text.Like many ibetan ritual texts, including he Black Nail antra, this“ mdo chog” includes a myth, in this case a universal creation story. It tells theorigins of the deified eight trigrams ( spar kha ) , which are also an importantand thoroughly Chinese component of ’ byung rtsis. Given this origin myth’sstructural similarity to the story of Ki kang/Rāhula’s origins, I quote Kelényi’stranslation of this section in full: HŪ Ṃ ! In the sky, then, was Old Father Khen, and on earth Old Mother Khon; since earth between should bind them,the pillar between sky and earth was created by means of a mountain,and in this way was born the eldest boy, the Gin- mountain.From around the rocky mountain the wind came into being,and the eldest girl, the Zon-
wind, was born, andfrom the blazing fire arising through the blowing of the windthe middle daughter, the Li -fire, was born. Trough the fire on the surface of the earthmetal came into being,and thus the middle son, the Dva- metal, was born. Trough the karma of the two eldest Gin and Zon , passion was born:
three times the Gin -mountain boy went roundthe Mount Meru by the right side,and did not find a wife, and roamed,for her part, the eldest daughter, the Zon -wind went round the sea three times by the left,and did not find a husband, and roamed,then, in the poisoned country of the rāk ṣ asas, bearing the name Ye le dgung sngon, in the dark, swirling expanse of the karma’s windbrother and sister were joined,and from this sordid union their children were born, Kham and Zin
(Kelényi2002, 80) . Note the parallels with Rāhula’s origin story, specifically Ki kang’s origin in the Black Nail
version. o summarize the key points of striking similarity, Khen and Khon ,
the trigrams of sky and earth like Yamāntaka and Vetalī, take therole of the primordial deities who create several others, including Gin and Zon.Gin ,
like Yak ṣ a Jvala, lives on the slopes of Mount Meru, and is also implied tobe a rāk ṣ asa, again, like Yak ṣ a Jvala. Zon ,
like Vajra Yak ṣ a Woman, lives in thesea. Yak ṣ a Jvala and Vajra Yak ṣ a Woman, like Gin and Zon , are also technicallybrother and sister. Teir union produces a male deity with four sisters, and in Gin and Zon’s case, they produce a male deity with one sister. It is interestingto note especially that Gin and Zon’s son is named Kham in ibetan. heChinese word for this trigram is kan ( 坎 ) , which is phonetically similar to gang ( 剛 )
from which the ibetan word kang in Ki kang is likely derived. Whilethere does not appear to be any etymological connection between these twoterms in Chinese, the ibetans may have conflated the names due to phoneticsimilarity. In which case Ki kang may be an alternate name for the trigramdeity Kham (or vice-versa) . In any case, in both myths an act of godly incestresults in profound cosmic disruption. According to Kelényi the rlung rta text continues, describing how, with the interbreeding of rāk ṣ asas and nāginīs ,
hybrid spirits were produced that caused harm to living beings. Tat is, untilMañjuśrī intervenes to restore order, albeit in a decidedly gentler fashion thanhe accomplishes this in Te Black Nail antra (Kelényi 2002, 80–81) .Detailed text-critical work needs to be undertaken to determine theconnection (if any)
between this trigram origin myth and Rāhula’s. Given the number of obvious mythematic parallels, it seems likely one influenced theother, or that they both emerged from the same narrative tradition. My pointhere is not to attempt to explain how these myths precisely relate to each otherphilologically. At this stage I merely want to emphasize that much of Rāhula’s ibetan mythology appears to be specifically drawn from a thoroughly ’ byungrtsis
that is to say a Chinese-influenced context rather than being a wholesale, direct adaptation of Indian mythology and cosmology as previousscholarship has implied or assumed. Chinese Origins Rāhula’s Chinese connection or partial origin is also suggested by the name Kikang itself. Ki kang appears to be an abbreviated form of the word King kang.In the Black Nail myth translated above, “King kang” is the sound made by thedemonic parents as their minds intermingle to produce Ki kang and his sisters.Incidentally, “Kingkang is a phonetic transcription of
jingang , the Chinesetranslation of vajra , pronounced kinkang
in Middle Chinese” (anaka 2018,133) . In the Rnying ma tradition, there is also a form of Yamāntaka namedKing kang, 18
which is particularly noteworthy given Yamāntaka’s connectionto Ki kang in the Clarifying Lamp and Black Nail myths. Furthermore, itis recorded that at the Dbu rtse, the main temple at Bsam yas, ibet’s firstBuddhist monastery, on the second floor which was designed in Chinese style,there were said to be two wrathful gate guardians named King and Kang (Sørensen 1994, 378) . Te Dbu rtse emple also happens to be renowned as theplace of concealment for a number of treasure texts related to divination (Dorje2001, 57) . Tus it is tempting, though premature without further evidence, toconnect the “Ki kang” of the Black Nail and Clarifying Lamp myths to thesespecifically Chinese gate guardians.Ki kang/Rāhula’s most distinctive iconographic trait, the raven or crow headas his crown, is likely of Chinese provenance or at least influence as well. Tereis no example of Rāhu possessing a raven head in any of his Indian iconography (Markel 1990) . However, there are strong solar associations with crows in Chinesemythology and iconography and other east Asian myths in which crows arespecifically associated with eclipse phenomena (Bailey 2015, 46, n. 46) , such as theiconographic convention of depicting the sun as a three-legged crow. Rāhu (la)
is of course best known for causing solar eclipses. See Figure 4 for an example ofRāhu’s iconographic association with a crow-marked sun in east Asia. hus, the Black Nail myth, which as we have seen likely predates other versions of the myth, focuses on a deity with a Chinese name, with specificallyeast Asian iconography (the raven/crow head) , and has legs, which is alsoatypical in his south Asia iconography (Bailey 2015, 37) . Furthermore, there isno reference in the Black Nail myth to the more overtly Indian names Rāhula,Rāhu, or Khyab ’jug chen po (Mahavi ṣṇ u) . Tere is little to no reference to Rāhu’sIndian mythemes such as stealing the ambrosia of the gods or his association with eclipses. All this would seem to indicate, perhaps, that Ki kang was anindependent Chinese deity (though obviously inspired by esoteric Buddhism giventhat his name is essentially just “Vajra”)
who was later, perhaps in the ClarifyingLamp or a related tradition, conflated with the Indian figure of Rāhu.Additionally, the sources we have examined, including the Black Nail antra, the Clarifying Lamp, and the Vai ḍ ūrya dkar po,
consistently connect the deitiesof the Rāhula “type,” such as Gza’ chen lha rgod and Ki kang, with the nag rtsis or ’ byung rtsis
tradition attributed to Chinese sources and a lineage of Chinesemasters. his Chinese attribution should not be regarded as simply ibetanlegend. According to available historical records, the Chinese were aware ofthe Indian figure of Rāhu long before the ibetans. Mak (2015, 7)
notes thatthe nine standard graha
(planets)
of Indian astral science, which includes Rāhu, were known in China from translations of Buddhist sutras at least as early as230 CE. Te earliest evidence for ibetan contact with Rāhu of which I amaware is the period of the first transmission of Buddhism into ibet duringthe eighth century, approximately 500 years later. Scholarship on astrology inChina, such as the recent works of Mak and Kotyk, has convincingly arguedthat there was a surge in development of astrological divination systems andastral magical practices in the ang Dynasty (618–907) . Tis appears to havebeen mainly influenced by, and in conjunction with, the growing popularity oftantric Buddhist rituals. As such, the Chinese astrological systems developedduring this time were heavily influenced by specifically Indian Buddhistcosmological and related mythological assumptions, but also included anamalgam of astrological knowledge from other cultures as well, such as Persia,Greece, and Egypt. However, these disparate cultural influences were distinctlyand specifically adapted to a Chinese cultural milieu.One important Chinese astrological manual produced under the influence
of esoteric Buddhism was the
Xiuyao jing ,
which is essentially an astrologyalmanac. Its full title translates as reatise on the Auspicious and Inauspiciousimes and Days, Good and Bad Nak ṣ atras and Planets, as Proclaimed bythe Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī and the Sages.
his text was produced in 759 byAmoghavajra (705–774) , one of the most influential masters in the historyof tantric or esoteric Buddhism in east Asia, along with one of his disciples.According to Mak this text “became an authoritative manual for all mattersrelated to calendars, astronomy and astrology in the Esoteric Buddhisttradition” (Mak 2019, 25–26) . Rāhu is of course one of the planets featured inthis text and Rāhu consistently features prominently in astrology manuals ofthis era as one of the standard nine
(Mak 2015 and 2019)
Conclusion
Te increased development of astrological systems and texts during the angera, particularly around the eighth and ninth centuries, corresponds preciselyto traditional ibetan accounts of when the Chinese nag rtsis or ’ byung rstis systems, including their pantheon of sa bdag deities like Ki kang, were beingdisseminated in ibet. As we have seen, Du har nag po, the attributed authorof the Clarifying Lamp text with its detailed descriptions of Ki kang/Rāhula’smonthly motions, is said to have lived and taught during the reign of Khrisrong lde’u btsan, or perhaps a bit later. If accurate, this would likely havebeen only a few decades after the composition of Amoghavajra’s
Xiuyao jing.
Terefore, given the available evidence presented here I propose the hypothesisthat the deity we now know of as Rāhula in ibet was a Chinese adaptationof the Indian Rāhu, or a wholly different deity, who was passed into ibet viathe transmission of the ’ byung rtsis systems, perhaps originally simply called “Kikang” before being explicitly linked with Rāhu.Future research into the origins of the ibetan Rāhu (la)
and the Sino- ibetan ’
byung rtsis systems more generally would do well to focus attention on ang-era astrological texts. Te astrological material found in the Dunhuangcaches, for example, could be invaluable in this work and perhaps illuminatepoints of contact between ibetans and the esoteric Buddhist divinationsystems developed in China
Notes 1 See primarily Bailey (2012 and 2015), but also others such as Sanders (2011) whodiscusses the Ki kang origin myth, fully translated in this article, but does not sufficientlycontextualize it. 2
Tis text appears in at least the Mstshams brag, Gting skyes, and Sde dge editions of the Rnying ma rgyud ’bum , under slightly different titles. My translation, however, was donebased on a reprint of the story in a modern collection of protector deity myths fromthe Rnying ma tantras (Bstan ’dzin Rgya tsho 2005), which misattributes the story toanother scripture entitled Las kyi mgon po bya rog dgong can gyi rgyud NGB (M): 927, mi,177.5–186.7 (vol. 46). 3
Tere is no mention of the name or term “Ki Kang” at all in the stories about Rāhulataken from Las ’bral rtsal and Bya khyung pa’s texts.
4 According to Negi (1993, 4291a), mi bsgrungs is the equivalent of the Sanskrit du ṣṭ a
meaning “evil” or “wicked.”
Tis is my gloss of
de ltar byas pa’i phyogs bzhi mtshams brgyad du ki kang chen po gzir te . Te phrasing of the
ibetan seems to suggest the directions were created in conjunction with the different parts of his body being scattered. 6
Tis appears to be inconsistent with the above detail in which eight parts of Ki kang’sbody are established in the cardinal and intermediate directions, with no mention of thezenith and the nadir, which would suggest eight rather than ten directions. 7 My gloss of dmyal ba’i grong rten byed pa could be more literally rendered as “those whoare based in hell cities”. 8 My tentative interpretation of rog ti nag po de yang lus srin po. 9 brtsegs literally means “stacked” or “piled.”
10 Appears to refer to the idea, as we shall see, presented in other texts, that Ki kang
manifests as or emanates different types of demons at different times in a monthly cycle. 11 ’di skad bdag gis thos pa dus gcig na
/ de bzhin gshegs pa thams cad kyi sku mchog bcom ldan’das ’phags pa ’jam dpal gzhon nu ’og min gyi mtha’ dang dbus med pa
/ steng ’og phyogsmtshams kun tu ’dod pa’i yon tan lnga dang
/ rin po che sna tshogs kyis rnam par spras pa’i gzhal yas khang na
/ ’khor gyi byang chub sems dpa’ rnams dang
/ thabs cig tu bzhugs shingsems can gyi don mdzad pa las
/ thugs zhi bas mi thul ba’i gdug pa can dang
/ ya ma dam srila sogs pa log ’dren can rnams dang
/ ’gal byed cham la dbab pa’i ched du
/ bcom ldan ’das nyid gdug pa spa bkong mi bsgrungs kun ’dul zhes bya ba’i ting nge ’dzin la snyoms par zhugs nas
/zhugs ma thag tu ’jigs byed khrag ’thung gi sku
/ rdo stang zil bcag pa’i ’phro ltar nag la ’tsherzhing rngom brjid ldan pa
/ dur khrod gyi rgyan sna tshogs kyis bklubs shing
/ gdug pa’imtshon cha sna tshogs bsnams pa
/ zhabs gnyis na rag (rak) dmyal ba’i bstan pa gzir zhing
/snang srid khong stong na ’phyo ba zhig dbyings las mngon du shar te
/ gnas tshad dang dpag pa las ’das shing
/ dur khrod kyi long long ’phyo ba [308] na
/ rdo rje ’dzin pa chen po dang
/ rgyal po dang
/ rgyal thebs dang
/ rgyal
phran dang
/ nang blon dang
/ phyi blon la sogs pa re re’i ’khor na yang
/ nad gtong ba dangkhram ’debs mi bsgrungs pa’i tshogs bsam gyis mi khyab pa dag dang
/ gzhan yang ’dod pa’i gtso mo’i tshogs
/ rgyal mo dang
/ rgyal mo’i rgyal mo dang
/ rgyal thebs mo dang
/ blon modang
/ bran mo dang
/ g.yog mo’i tshogs re re’i ’khor na yang
/ ’du ba rnam bzhi nad kyi bdagmo dang
/ bzhi brgya rtsa bzhi’i nad gtong ba’i tshogs bsam gyis mi khyab pa dang
/ yum bai tA li dang
/ e ka dza is kyang mdun gyis bltas nas
/ sku la rnam par’khril te gnas so
/ de nas bcom ldan ’das ’jigs byed chen pos
/ ’od zer sna lnga dug lnga kun sdudces bya ba’i ting nge ’dzin la snyoms par zhugs te
/ zhugs ma thag tu yum bai tA lis a ho zhessmin mtshams glog ’gyu ba’i brda gcig mdzad pas
/ ’jigs byed chen pos kyang bskul ba de thugssu chud nas
/ a ho su kha zhes bya ba byang chub sems kyi char yum gyi mkha’ la mngon parbabs nas rol pa mdzads pas ’khor rnams dang dgyes pa’i ro dus gcig tu bstar te
/ ’od zer phyogsbcu’i ’jig rten gyi khams su spros pas
/ sems can thams cad la byang chub sems kyis dbang bskurnas bde ba la bkod de
/ ’od zer de dag gis khams gsum gyi gdug pa can dang
/ phyin ci log gi duglnga dang
/ mi dge ba bcu la sogs pa’i bcud thams cad bsdus nas
/ nyid kyi sku la thim parmdzad do
/ de nas gnyis su med pa’i rol pa las zhe sdang gi ’od zer nag po dang
/ nga rgyal kyi [309] ’od zer ser po dang
/ phrag dog gi ’od zer ljang gu la sogs pa
/ ri rab kyi rtse la g.yungdrung gi gnas su ’phro ba las srin po yag sha (yaksha) dzwa la ’bar bar gyur te
/ ri rab kyi rtsena zhe sdang gi me ’bar zhing gnas so
/ ’dod chags kyi ’od zer dmar po dang
/ gti mug gi ’od zerdud ka rgya mtsho’i gting du ’phros pa las
/ ’bras bu klu mo yak sha (yaksha) mor gyur te
/ rgyamtsho’i gting na ’dod chags kyi khrag mtsho khol zhing gnas pa las
/ yum bai ta lIs ’dzum pa’imdangs kyis
/ klu mo rdo rje yag sha (yaksha) mo la gzigs nas
/ ’dod chags kyi zil ba dang bcas pa’i ljags kyis brda zhig mdzad pas
/ klu mo rdo rje yak sha (yaksha) mo yang yid g.yo ba’i ’dodchags drag po skyes te
/ khi khi zhes bya ba’i ’dod chags kyi skad drag po ’brug stong dus gcig tuldir ba tsam byung ngo
/ byung ma thag tu ri rab kyi rtse la gnas pa’i srin po yag sha (yaksha)’bar ba yang
/ yid g.yo ba’i ’dod chags drag po rab tu skyes nas
/ kha kha zhes bya ba’i sgra skadchen po ’brug stong dus gcig ldir ba tsam byung ngo
/ byung ma thag tu ’jig rten gyi khamsstong gsum dus gcig tu g.yos
/ rab tu g.yos
/ kun tu rab tu g.yos
/ chem
/ rab tu chem
/ kun tu rabtu chem
/ ‘ur
/ rab tu ‘ur
/ kun du rab tu ‘ur
/ ldeg rab tu ldeg kun tu rabtu ldeg shig rab tu shigkun tu rab tu shig mtha’ mtho na ni dbus dma’
/ dbus mtho ni mtha’ dma’ bar gyur to
/ ’jig rten gyi khams na gnas pa’i lha dang
/ klu dang
/ lha ma yin dang
/ nam mkha’ lding dang
/ dri zadang
/ mi ’am ci dang
/ lto ’phye chen po dang
/ gnod sbyin dang
/ srin po dang
/ yi dwagsdang
/ sha za dang
/ [310] ’byung po dang
/ grul bum dang
/ srul po dang
/ lus srul po dang
/skem byed dang
/ brjed byed dang
/ grib gnon dang
/ gnon po dang
/ nam grula sogs pa’i mi bsgrungs pa’i tshogs thams cad sdangs shing ngo mtshar du gyur te
/ bcom ldan’das la ’di skad ces gsol to
/ e ma ho
/ ’phags pa’i nang nas ’phags pa gshin rje’i gshed
/ dbyingsdang ye shes gnyis med ’od zer gyis
/ snang srid dug lnga bsdus pa’i byin rlabs ni
/ ki kang sgraskad ’brug stong ldir tsam na
/ stong gsum dus gcig g.yos pa ngo mtshar che
/ bdag cag rnams lathugs rje bskyab tu gsol
/ zhes glengs nas
/ rang rang gi gnas su dengs so
// de nas srin po yagsha (yaksha) dzwa la ri rab kyi rtse la zhe sdang gi me ’bar ba dang
/ klu mo rdo rje yag sha(yaksha) mo rgya mtsho’i gting nas ’dod chags khrag mtshor ’khyil ba gnyis lus ma phrad par
BAILEY• Te Demon Crowned with a Raven Head
Rāhula’s Archaic Form “Ki kang” and his Chinese Origins 141 king kang gi sgras bskul te yid kyis bshos pa las
/ bu ming sring lnga mtshe mar skyes so
/ bu mospun bzhi ming po dang lnga’o
/ ming po ki kang phung byed chen po dang
/ sring mo ki kangmgo brnyen ma bzhir gyur nas
/ srid pa gsum gyi sems can thams cad za zhing ’cha’ ste
/ ’jigrtenphung pa la thug par gyur pa las
/ bcom ldan ’das ’jigs byed gshin rje’i gshed pos ’khor lo gcigming po la brgyab pas lus dum bu brgyad du gtubs te
/ bcom ldan ’das kyi sku dpag pa las ’das pa’i khong stong du snang srid bcug nas thugs rin po che’i khong seng
/ kun rig gi ga’u nas rin po che gser gyi ’khor lo rtsibs bzhi pa gcig bton pa’i mtha’ rgya mtsho chen po bzhi dang
/ rolmtsho bdun gyis ni [311] bskor
/ gser gyi ri bdun gyis ’khor bar bcad
/ de ltar byas pa’i phyogsbzhi mtshams brgyad du
/ shar lho (lhor)lag pa g.yas pa dgod
/ byang nub tu lag pa g.yon pa dgod
/ byang shar du rkang pa gnyis dgod
/shar du mjug ma dgod
/ nub tu dpung ba g.yon dgod
/ byang duchu so dgod
/ rkang pa gnyis kyi bar du mig dang mche ba snying gsum dgod
/ ri rab kyi grwamtshams su sring mo bzhi dgod do
/ de ltar bkram zhing sbas pa las sba ru ma btub ste
/ lus dedum bu re re las
/ shin tu yang ’jig rten g.yos so
/ sring mo yang sba ruma btub ste
/ grwa bzhi nas langs nas
/ srid pa gsum gyi sems can la shin tu yang dus dangrnam pa med par za zhing ’cha’ ba dang
/ sbyor ba ngan pa gtong ba las
/ yang bcom ldan ’das gshin rje’i gshed pos khams gsum dbang du bsdus
/ srid gsum zil gyis mnan
/ stong gsum gyistong chen po’i ’jig rten gyi khams thams cad mun nag bzhin du gtibs te
/ thugs ye shes kyi nyizer gyi rtse la
/ zhags pa’i tshogs dang
/ lcags sgrog gi tshogs dang
/ srilbu’i tshogs bsam gyis mi khyab par spros te
/ ha la ha la dzah hum bam hoh ea ralli hring dza dza
/ zhes ’brug stong dus gcig ldir ba tsam gyi sgra bsgrags nas dbang dubsdus pas
/ sring mo bcas pa
/ bred
/ rab tu bred
/ kun tu rab tu bred
/’dar
/ rab tu ’dar
/ kun tu rab tu ’dar
/ sngangs
/ rab tu sngangs
/ kun tu rab tu sngangs nas
/bcom ldan ’das la mgrin [312]
gcig tu thal mo sbyar te ’di skad ces gsol to
/ e m ho ’jigs byed chen po lags
// bdag cag ki kang ming sring rnams
/ / pha la gdug pa’i bu lags pas
/ /snang srid srogchags ma lus kun
/ /su phrad khyur mid ’cha’ ba dang
/ /sbyor ba ngan pa gtong ba dang
/ /lotog ’joms pa’i las ’di dag
/ /bdag cag rnams kyi rang las na
/ /dpa’ bo chen po ci la bkyon
/ /sngar yang dpa’ bo chen po yis
/ /bdag gi lus gtubs phyogs bcur sbas
/ /’di yang shin tu ma legs so
/ / thugs rje ’breng yang mi mnga’ ’am
/ /gtso bo chen po khyod nyid ni
/ /thugs rje byams pa’imnga’ bdag na
/ /’di lta’i cho ’phrul ci la ston
/ /gtug pa’i gsung sgra ci la sgrogs
/ /thugs kyisprul pa ci la ’gyed
/ /dpa’ bo chen po bdag cag la
//bka’ bab mi ’tshal ’bangs su mchi
/ /’bangs lanan tan ma chung zhig
/ ces gsol to
/ /spyi sdom srog snying ’di mdongs gsol du phul lo
/ / / mi g.yo zhing mi ’khu bar byas te
/ dam bstsal zhing dbang bskur nas
/zas su ni sangs rgyas kyi bstan pa ’jig pa dang
/ dmyal ba’i grong rten byed pa dang
/ dam laszlog pa’i srog dang dbugs la dbang bskur te
/ dbang lha ma srin sde brgyad dam la btags nasdbang bskur ro
/ /rog ti nag po de yang lus srin po la
/ mgo bya rog gis brtsegs pa de
/ lha masrin sde brgyad du gyur nas dus tshod dang tshed grangs la ’jug cing rgyu ba dang
/ ki kangdang gshed bzhis bskyod ’gul gyis
/ srog dang dbugs la dbang byed par gyur pas
/ ki kang mingsring rnams rjes su yi rangs te
/ ’jigs byed chen po la g.yas phyogs nas [313] lan gsum bskor babyas nas
/ pus btsugs thal mo spyar nas ’di skad ces gsol to
/ /a la la ho
/ ’jigs byed chen pos bdag cag rnams la thugs brtse bar dgongs nas
/ bdag cag rang rang gi spyod pa las dang mthun parbka’ stsal pa ngo mtshar che’o
/ bdag cag ming sring ji ltar bka’ stsal pa las mi ’da’ zhing
/ gnyerdu gtad pa’i las rnams gdon mi za bar bgyid do zhes gsol zhing dam bcas nas
/ rang rang gi gnas ga la ba der dong ngo
/ /zhes gsungs so
// Bstan ’dzin Rgya tsho (2005, 307–313). Tiscorresponds to the first chapter of he Black Nail antra
NGB (M) 931: mi, 276.3–361.2
(vol. 46), 276–289. 12
Tere are a number of iconographic variants of the “Rāhula” type, however, some withlegs instead of a snake’s body. For instance, “Heruka Blood Eye” (ib. Khrag mig), alsoknown as the Supreme Gza’ in a sādhana collection by Chos kyi grags pa (1595–1659),has a consort who sits in his lap and rides on a serpent, indicating he has human legs. SeeBailey (2015, 51) and also “Khrag mig ma” in Chandra (1999–2005, 6:1677). 13
Te four blood clots may be a reference to, or connected with, Ki kang
/Rāhula’s foursisters. 14 Chronomancy here meaning techniques for determining the auspiciousness orinauspiciousness of hours, days, months, and years, in this context based specifically onthe knowledge of the purported locations and motions of certain deities. 15 On the function, history, and the full significance of the sa bdag, specifically in the contextof Sangs rgyas rgya tsho’s text, see Schuh (2011). See also Dorje (2001). 16 Adding to the confusion, however, I have found a reference to a Da hu ra nag po, alsonoted to be a Chinese treasure revealer with an important text with Clarifying Lamp in the title ( Sku rgyud snang gsal sgron me ), who is dated as late as the twelfth century.See Jamgön Kongtrul (2012, 900). However, given the different spelling of his name,the different text title, and the much later date, despite the striking similarities Iam inclined to believe this was a different person. I am not aware of any Chinesesource that mentions Du har nag po, though finding one should be a focus of furtherresearch. 17
What is particularly interesting about this Sino-ibetan cosmic turtle myth and itsapparent intersection with the Ki kang
/Rāhula origin story is that it seems to takeinspiration from the Hindu myth in which the universe is created by the devas and asuras
working together to churn the milky cosmic ocean with Mount Meru restingon the back of a giant turtle, who is an emanation of Vi ṣṇ u. his also happens to bethe same myth in which Rāhu’s theft of the elixir of immortality features prominently. Te common ibetan name for Rāhu(la) is Khyab ’jug, which is also the ibetan namefor Vi ṣṇ u. Ki kang essentially standing in for the cosmic turtle in the Black Nail mythappears to be further Buddhist appropriation and adaptation of Vi ṣṇ u’s mythology. Formore discussion on this appropriation, see Bailey (2015, 59–63). On the transmission ofthe Chinese iconographic figure of the divination turtle to ibet, see Poupard (2018). Itshould also be noted that the eight-fold dismemberment of Ki kang is distinctly differentfrom the typical Indian myth of Rāhu’s beheading, where he is cut into only two pieces– head and tail (Bailey 2012, 18).
AILEY• Te Demon Crowned with a Raven Head
Rāhula’s Archaic Form “Ki kang” and his Chinese Origins 143 18
Tis deity was, for instance, invoked in the wrathful magic practices of the (in)famousMongol-repelling sorcerer, Sog bzlog pa Blo gros rgyal mtshan (1552–1624) (Gentry2017, 350)
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