TIBETAN MAGIC FOR DAILY LIFE: MI PHAM'S TEXTS ON GTO-RITUALS

Lin Shen-Yu

Among the famous rNying ma masters Mi pham rnam rgyal (1846-1912) is one of the eminent scholars living in the latter half of the nineteenth and in the early twentieth centuries. Born as a descendant of a royal clan, he started, around six years old, receiving the teachings of religious texts, and introductions to astronomy, divination and so forth. At the age of twelve he became a novice in the monastery Ju mo hor gSang sngags chos gling, which is a subsidiary monastery of Zhe chen bsTan gnyis dar rgyas gling, in Eastern Tibet. Due to his talent and exceptional comprehension, Mi pham was already in his young age known as "the little venerated scholar" {btsun chung mkhas pa). Besides his brilliant intellectual performances, he engaged himself in meditation retreats since he was young. His

Cahiers d'Extrême-Asie 15 (2005) : 107-125