The Prince and the Zombie (15 page)

M
ANTRA

A Sanskrit word; in Tibetan,
ngak
. Mantras are composed of syllables of healing and energy. The mantra most recited by the people of Tibet is
OM MANI PADME HUM
.

N
AGA

A Sanskrit word; in Tibetan,
lu.
Nagas are beings who rule the subterranean world and bodies of water, and who control weather and rain. Their usual form is that of a snake, but they are reputed to be able to assume human form and to interfere with the affairs of human beings. Sometimes friendly, sometimes vindictive, always extremely touchy, the
nagas
are capable of causing diseases in humans who have provoked them by causing a disturbance in the realm of waters or the underworld. They are of major importance in Tibetan medicine.

N
AGARJUNA

See
Gömpo Ludrup.

N
OBLE EIGHTFOLD PATH

A major body of teaching composed of eight practices to be carried on simultaneously: right understanding, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right attention, and right concentration. Practicing these eight in everyday life should make it possible for the practitioner to understand the causes of suffering and to discover the remedies to them.

N
YINGJE

A Tibetan word that expresses profound compassion toward a suffering being.

O
M MANI PADME HUM

This is the short mantra of Avalokiteshvara, which the people of Tibet very often recite. It is carved into stones and placed in written form in prayer wheels so that suffering may be transcended and help may come to all beings.

P
ARAMITAS, OR TRANSCENDENT VIRTUES

In Tibetan,
parol tu chinpa
, a major body of six practices: the six virtues or the six perfections. These are: generosity, ethics, patience, energy, concentration, and knowledge. These
paramita
practices (in the Mahayana tradition) are an integral part of training to attain the awakened state of mind,
bodhichitta
, of which compassion is a main characteristic.

S
ANDALWOOD

A tree that grows in India and other places whose wood exudes a very pleasant and long-lasting fragrance.

S
HO

A Tibetan word, the name of a traditional Tibetan dice game, often played for hours at a time by two, three, or four players.

S
ILWAYTSAL

A Tibetan name meaning “ Garden That Brings Coolness.” It probably refers to a place in India, in the state of Bihar, near Nalanda, where the Indian people brought their dead to have them cremated or buried. In Buddhist literature it is often referred to by its native Sanskrit name, Sitavana, which is usually translated “Cool Grove.” It is one of the eight great charnel grounds of the tantras and was a prominent site in the life story of the Buddha.

T
EA WITH BUTTER AND SALT

This Tibetan national beverage is a highly fortifying drink. It is closer to a bouillon than an ordinary tea. It is composed of dried black tea leaves, boiling water, butter, milk, and salt.

T
SAMPA

Barley flour that is finely ground and grilled.
Tsampa
is a traditional Tibetan dish that may be eaten without anything added to it; it may also be mixed with tea made with butter and salt or else with yogurt.

Y
AK

A bovine beast of Tibet that provides food to the Tibetan people and is of use to them in many other important ways.

Acknowledgments

I had the good fortune of having a father who still knew the tales of my country. At my request, he recorded a number of them for me and told me some others live in person. He is an embodiment of the living memory of ancient Tibet and a great source of inspiration for me in my life. I have a great deal of love and respect for him.

Without my husband, Claudio, I would have had difficulty putting down roots in Switzerland, which was a major precondition for me in writing down these tales. I thank him for all his love.

A big thank-you goes to my friends Jean-Claude and Marie-Paul Perréard, who for many years have been supporters of the Tibetan cause through the French organization Objectif Tibet, as well as in other ways. Their loyal friendship and their encouragement of my writing from the beginning were a big help to me in completing this book.

I am very grateful to Hélène Aubry-Denton, who in a brief but effective coaching session helped me to recognize a major blockage of mine during the writing of the tales. The problem was that I was troubled by the unpleasant thought that I was betraying the oral quality of my country's tradition.

My thanks as well to Christian Pennel, a member of Objectif Tibet, who also encouraged me and helped me technically in transforming the beginning of the tales to a form suitable to a written text.

I would like to express my deep gratitude to Sylvette Divizia-Bayol and Fabienne Vaslet, who had the kindness and patience to reread and correct my pages. Their enthusiasm and their comments inspired me greatly.

I am infinitely thankful to my friend Michel Tardy, who believed in me and gave me enormous support in the publication of this book.

And finally, I would like to thank my audiences for their enthusiasm on occasions when I had the opportunity to recount a part of the tales. This encouraged me a great deal and helped me to move forward in completing this book.

About the Author

T
ENZIN
W
ANGMO
was born in India in 1962 and was educated by her parents in the tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. She grew up in Germany and has lived in Switzerland since 1974. Having taken a higher degree in education, she taught in a secondary school in the German-speaking part of Switzerland. Today Tenzin Wangmo, who is multilingual, is an advanced-level coach specializing in social integration, adult tutoring, and consulting to organizations in the process of undergoing major changes. As a lecturer and Tibetan storyteller, her appearances are appreciated and acclaimed by a wide general and professional audience.

From the age of eighteen, Tenzin Wangmo has been actively engaged on behalf of her country and her people. In particular she has worked in support of two villages in Tibet dedicated to orphaned children. At the same time, she continues to follow the teachings of great Tibetan masters both in Europe and in India.

 

 

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