Off topic

Caution! This blog contains pornography, speeches of hate, contempt, slander, defamation and promotes gambling, racism, violence and/or terrorism. Don't think so? Well, the Government of India, a fairly constant source of amusement, certainly does. Recently the Department of Telecommunications provided Internet Service Providers with a list of sites, etc. to be blocked from India... including blogspot! The mentioned country undoubtedly is the world's greatest democracy since it tolerates such behaviour even at the highest level of what seems to be a chain of command rather than a government.

Read the article here.

Klong rdol bla ma's short note on precious materials

Klong rdol Ngag dbang blo bzang (1729-1794) is one of the most famous encyclopedists of Tibetan culture, and is usually associated with Sera monastery. His comparatively short oeuvre contains among many useful things a short treatise on precious materials, the Rin po che brtag thabs mdor bsdus. The e-text below is a transcript from the Chinese edition of his gsung 'bum. The rather dry list is made enjoyable by miscellanious notes here and there, such as what fake pearls are made out of, what is a sinistrorse conch shell used for, etc. Note that among the countries where silver comes from, Russia (Rgya ser) is also included. [drawing from Mongolia, currently in my private collection.]

Rin po che brtag thabs mdor bsdus
(Klong rdol Ngag dbang blo bzang gi gsung 'bum [in two volumes] Bod ljongs Bod yig dpe rnying dpe skrun khang, 1991, reprint 2002. vol.2. pp. 659-667.)

[five types of turquoise]

(p. 661) g.yu rkyang drug dkar drug dmar bar g.yu dang |
mchin kha la sogs g.yu la gtogs tsam lnga |
sul med dreg med drug dkar drug dmar gnyis |
zil gnon g.yu rkyang nor bu spug ces grags ||
sul mang dreg ldan g.yu rkyang mdog 'dra yang |
rin thang chung zhing drug dkar drug dmar zer |
'byung khungs gangs can bod kyi brag ma gtogs |
'dzam gling yul gru kun las mi 'byung bshad |
'bring dang ngan pa yul gru kun nas thon ||

[several types of pearl]

sangs rgyas byang sems nya ru sprul pa yi |
khog pa'i nang nas mu tig dmar po 'byung |
de la rakta mu tig ces su grags ||
wa lu mu tig ganda mu tig dang |
si ka mu tig ram pa mu tig dang |
sa rba mu tig smad kyi mu tig dang |
rma lu mu tig bcas te rigs bdun ni |
glang chen sprul gyi klad pa las byung dang |
rgya gar lho phyogs shing gi 'dab ma la |
lha yi char rgyun 'bab las byung ba'am |
yang na char pa nya yis btung ba las |
kha dog sna tshogs mu tig rab yin no ||
phal cher rgya mtsho'i 'gram gyi srog chags ni |
nya phyis rus pa yod pa'i khog nas thon |
cha ya rtse zhes mu tig 'bring po yin |
kun gyi tha ma chu sbur las byung ba |
chu yi mu tig khong stong gsob pa yin |
mdog dbyibs mtshungs pa'i nya phyis rdzus pa'ang yod ||

[three types of coral]

byu ru rgya mtsho'i bye ma la |
nyal stabs su ni skyes pa yin |
byi ba'i rwa yin zer ba blun skad yin |
dbye ba byur nag byur dkar byur dmar (p. 662) gsum |
byur nag bya rog mig 'dra 'od zer 'phro |
byur dkar dung gnyis che chung mnyam na yang |
byu ru yang la dung ni lci ba yin |
byur dmar mtshal kha ma dang dmar skya dang |
khrag mdog khro tshag can dang rigs gsum yod ||
snga ma bzang zhing phyi ma rin thang chung |
yan lag rgyas shing dbyibs legs nor bu yin |
bad kan smug po'i nad la phan pa yin ||

[lapis lazuli]

mu men brag dang chu chen ri las byung |
sngo nag sngon po gser dang 'dres pa bzang |
tha ma dkar gong shas che shin tu che |
lag pas theg tshad kla klo'i phyogs nas byung |
rdzus ma rgya nas thon dang nor dogs yod ||

[conch-shell]

dung ni srog chags dung rnams rjes bzung phyir |
skye ba lnga par byang sems dung la skyes ||
g.yas 'khyil gsung skad thos pas nad rigs sel |
khyim du bcang na 'thab rtsod med cing mthun ||
g.yon 'khyil dung khra tsher ma can sogs yod |
dung skad yin phyin rol cha kun las mtho ||
nya phyis bzang ba bza' btung gang byas rnams |
dug tu mi 'gyur rin chen snod dang ni |
dung dkar dbyibs sogs rab 'bring tha gsum yod ||

[gold]

gser ni klu rgyal nya dang tshe ring bya |
brun las 'dzam bu chu bo'i gser ni thon |
rgya mtsho chen po'i 'gram gyi bye gser dang |
gu lud rdo bzhu sa gser byang 'brog gser |
khams gser bod gser yul gru kun las byung ||
sa las thon pa thig po che byung na |
sa le sbram zer bye ma gser la min |
bsreg na dmar zhing brdar na ser ba dang |
bcad na dkar zhing snga dro dmar ba dang |
nyin gung ser zhing dgong mo dkar na bzang ||

[silver]

rgya dngul skyon med 'o ma kha dang ni |
hor dngul shing kha khams (p. 663) dngul zho kha ma |
rgya ser rgya gar bal po'i skyon can dang |
ra dngul lug dngul rdo yi khyad so yin ||
yi ge 'bri dang dngul spyad bcos rgyu ni |
snum zhag phog nas khrus na shin tu dkar |
'o kha zho kha bzang zhes mes po'i gtam ||

[amber]

spos shel sbur len kha che mong gol dang |
mnga' ris mtsho nang mon gyi yul nas byung ||
kha che gur gum mdog 'dra bzang ba dang |
dkar skya chu sbur 'dra dang dmar nag ngan ||
brdzus ma ga bur spos dkar bsdus pas bcos |
phyi yi rgya mtsho'i bcud sdud bzang shos yin |
'dam sogs dug chu las thon ngan pa yin ||
spos kyi rigs yin bcangs na grib la phan ||

[iron]

o ḍi bi sha las byung lcags nag ni |
sha rus ma lus shing bzhin gcod par byed |
lan gcig bsnun pas glang chen phyed tshal bcad |
rin po che yin gser dang rin thang mtshungs ||
rgya nag lcags bzang rno zhing gyong mnyen 'dzom |
lcags ngan ngar med bzo rigs sna tshogs grub ||
bod lcags dkar mnyen lhung bzed rgyu la bzang |
khams kong lcags ngar so nam lag cha yin ||

[copper and alloys]

sa 'og gser bzhin thon pa rang byung zangs |
nor bu dznyi kṣe grags pa de la'ang yod |
gser dngul zangs dang lcags dkar dang |
rdo shel zha nye dkar nag dang |
dngul chu brgyad rnams bzhu btul gyis |
bcos ma'i dznyi kṣe zhes su grags ||
li dkar li ser li dmar dang |
li khra li smug rol mo bcos |
skad snyan byung na bzang ba yin |
skad med mdog nag bal po dang |
khams bod li brdzus sna tshogs 'byung ||
rin chen bsres pas gser zhag kha dog brtag |
zangs ni bal po phyogs nas (p. 664) thon pa dang |
tsha la ma 'dres snod spyad rnying pa dang |
gzhan 'dres med na mnyen cing sul med bzang ||
phyis su gsar thon sus mang gyong zhing ngan |
mo rag rdo rag ser zhing gyong mnyen legs |
pho rag rag skya bcos pa'i rag yin ngan |
pad sdong dngul 'dra ngan pa 'khar ba 'dra |
ljon dmar zangs 'dra stong dkar lcags dkar 'dra ||
khro nag lcags gnyis ma gtogs phyogs gcig bsres |
de la 'khar ba zer zhing kun gyi tha ||
phyi ma 'di kun dong rtse bcos pa yin |
dbus su bug pa brtol bas khyer bde zhing |
rgya gar rgya nag tshong chas gya nom rdzas |
lto gos gtam gsum bsgrub pa'i cha rkyen yin ||

[land]

*dge bcu tshang ba'i yul phyogs ni*
[[[probably glosses originally:]]]
rtsam pa 'thag rdo | khang pa'i rtsig rdo | zhing 'debs pa'i sa | khang pa bcos rgyu'i sa | me shing | khang shing | 'thung chu | zhing chu | khang pa'i nye skor dud 'gro 'jog thub sa gam 'brog | thag ring sa rta phyugs stobs chen bzhag thub sa rgyang 'brog ste |
[[[end of suspected glosses]]]

'thag rdo | khang rdo | khang sa | zhing sa | khang shing | bud shing | 'thung chu | zhing chu | gam 'brog [|] rgyang 'brog [|]

de ltar tshang na mig gi yul du gzugs mdzes pa | rna bar sgra snyan | sna la dri zhim | lce la ro mngar | lus la reg bya 'jam pa 'dod yon lnga la ci 'dod du longs spyod pa | gser dngul rta glang 'bru gos dar 'khor g.yog mnga' thang rigs rgyud rgyas pas nor che ba | 'khor g.yog gnyen 'brel thams cad kyis mi dge ba ngo shes shing spangs pas phyi ma dmyal ba yi dwags dud 'gro sogs mi khom pa'i gnas brgyad la mi skye ba'i chos | mthar thug yun ring song tshe rang bltos bcas khyim bdag mgon med zas (p. 665) sbyin bzhin | tha ma nyan rang | 'bring byang sems | rab sangs rgyas kyi sar 'gro nges pa'i thar pa ste | rgyal ba Bskal bzang rgya mtshos gsang 'dus dbang chen gnang skabs rin chen 'byung ldan gyi dbang gi skabs thar pa nor chos 'dod pa gter mdzod rgyal zhes pa'i bshad pa gnang skabs 'di ni | snyan ngag mkhan rnams kyis dpal ldan tshangs pa sde bzhi'i bang mdzod 'dzin gsungs pa dang don gcig pas dge bcu tshangs pa'i yul du | 'dod pa | chos | nor | thar pa yongs su tshang ba'o || zhes gsungs so ||

zhes pa 'di ni Klong rdol bla ma Ngag dbang blo bzang gis sbyar ba'o ||