'Phags-pa shing-kun (Sublime Trees):
Swayambhu (Self-sprung):near Kimdol (sKyim-grol) = 'Liberating Draught') is Swayambhu.
On top of a jewel lotus blessed by the Buddha Vipaswi (gNam-par-gzigs),the Jina Vajradhara spontaneously arose from the Pure Land of Akanistha as a great sacred Tree of Life (mChod-sdong chen-po - a Bodhi Tree or stupa) called Jnana Gandola Swayambhu (The Self-Sprung Temple of Wisdom) which brings spiritual release by sight of it, hearing of it, reflecting upon it, or touching it.
Look into Newar chronicles called the Swayambhu Purana for extensive details on the arising of thirteen billion times more merit (for practising mantra etc.) in this place than in other great power places, and other interesting topics.
SK relates fragments of the prophecies made by Sakyamuni in the Gosrnga-vyakarana-sutra (gLang-ru lung-bstan-gyi mdo) concerning the origin of the stupa Goma Salagandha, which is usually confounded with the Swayambhu Stupa by Tibetans of today. As with the Manjushri-mulatantra, the Tibetans have interpreted prophecies concerning another country to concern themselves.
When the Buddha was living in Vaisali he prophesied in this manner to Sariputra and Ananda: 'Hereafter, a town called Kusala (dGe-ba), or Li-yul,will arise on the frontiers of India. In the Gamodeva Lake is the Ox-horn Prophecy Mountain (Gosrnga Vyakarana Parvata), and in the Gomadeva Lake the Goma Salagandha Stupa will arise.
In the middle of the lake will be a thousand petalled lotus, and in the centre of the lotus will be an image of Sakyamuni, while on the petals will be a thousand Bodhisattvas of the Tenth Grade.' Then Sariputra, the chief of the Buddha's retinue, asked him,
'What will be the cause of such an eventuality?'
And the Buddha replied,
'The cause will be the thousand emanations consequent upon my parinirvana'. [SK]
The sceptical Lama bTsan-po says,It is generally believed that {the Swayambhu Stupa} is the Goma Salagandha Stupa that is mentioned in the Gosrnga-vyakarana-sutra (The Ox-Horn Prophecy Sutra), and that it enshrines the relics of Kasyapa; but since Goma Salagandha is in Khotan (Li-yul) and the relics of Kasyapa are in India, it is difficult to believe these stories. However, the Stupa gives immense blessings.
[LT] Chos-kyi Nyi-ma is even more scathing about such Tibetan beliefs.Concerning the original of the Tibetan name Shing-kun for Swayambhu: Then after 21,000 arhats from Vulture Peak had taken earth and piled it beneath the dome of the Stupa, Nagarjuna cut off his hair and scattered it about, praying, 'May all kinds of trees grow on this sublime Stupa!' And after many species of tree had grown tall around the Stupa, it became known as 'Sublime Trees' ('Phags-pa Shing-kun).
[SK] But it is most likely that since the Stupa arose spontaneously at the time of the Buddha Sikhi (gTsug-gtor-can) and became known as Swayambhu (self-sprung), and that since the old Newar rendering was Sihmanggu, currently Singgu (i.e. in the 18th c.),
the Tibetan Shing-kun is a corruption of the Newari name. [CN.]
SK describes the Stupa like this: Beneath the Stupa of Swayambhu
is a place of the Nagas. About that is a live turtle, and upon the back of the turtle stands the Tree of Life axis (tshogs-shing) which is 7 fathoms (42') in circumference at its root
and 42 fathoms (252') in height. In the western lattice of the axis are the self-manifest 5,408 gods. In the cardinal directions are one Magadha measure of the relics of the jina Sakyamuni. The skin of the King Suvarnavarman (gSer-gyi Go-cha), upon which is depicted the mandala of Samvara and the 62 gods, is to be found therein.
It is said that the outer, inner and secret fields of syncronicity can be devined therefrom ..... [SK]
When the Buddha Sakyamuni was alive King Suvarnavarman was the Stupa's patron. [SK] No king with a name like this can be found in the lists of Newar chronicles. Perhaps the name is derived from the Manjusri-mulatantra.
There appear to be more references to the Swayambhu Stupa than to any other power place in the Valley in the annals of all Tibetan sects but the rNying-ma-pa. For instance,
regarding the annals of the lineage of Ma-gcig Zha-ma, this great yogini's brother `Khong-bu-pa (1069-1144), one of many Tibetan scholar-yogins to come to Nepal during the phyi-dar, the second spreading of the doctrine, took instruction from Pham-thing-pa, Ye-rang-pa (the Patan-walla) and the Bengali Atulyavajra, who were Nepal's finest teachers of that day. He had his mortal remains brought to Nepal with those of his sister by his son, Khong-gsar-pa, who had them consecrated by his Guru Jayasena. This Khang-gsar-pa had the parasol hoisted above the Swayambhu caitya on numerous occasions and gathered about him many yoginis and ascetic yogins who were residents of Swayambhu
and performed ganacakras on many occasions.
[BA] The Saivites were flourishing at this time, and like the great translator Rwa-lo, the Tibetans fought many magical battles with them, although, according to the Tibetan chronicles, the Buddhists were inevitably victorious.
[BA] Atisa used a pilgrimage to Swayambhu as an excuse to leave Vikramasila Monastery in Bengal and escape his students, who would rather that he stay, so that he could run across the border to Tibet to expiate his jealousy of the monastic tradition by reforming and purifying Tibetan monasticism.
The Abbot Atisa had given his ex-Guru, the yogin Maitripa, a room at his monastery of Vikramasila, and later was astonished to discover that Maitripa had been performing puja with meat and wine within the monastery's confines. Atisa asked him to leave, whereupon with a sniff Maitripa took up his bed and walked off through a wall. Later, Atisa apologised to Maitripa who told him that the way to expiate his sin was to go to Tibet and reform Tibetan monasticism. [But see AC p.134.]
Our basic guide describes the origin of the Stupa very simply and concisely.
Adapting the metaphor of the Swayambhu Purana, Ngag-dbang rDo-rje mentions Buddha Vipaswi who threw the seed of the original thousand-petalled lotus into Lake Nag Hrad during the satya or kritya-yuga, and he mentions the jewel, the ruby (padmaraga), that was at the centre of the lotus, diffusing the great light that pervaded the world.
The jina Vajradhara is the anthropomorphic representation of the dharmadhatu that is self-arisen and self-existent. He arises as the Stupa out of Akanistha ('Og-min), the pure-land of the dharmakaya, the dharmadhatu as paradise here and now. The Bodhi Tree, the Tree of life, the Stupa, these are all symbolic variations upon the same theme. The gandola is the form of the stupa and wisdom (jnana, ye-shes) is its nature.
The Tibetan sources give some historical clues concerning the foundation and history of restoration of the Stupa. If we accept Santikar Acarya as the actual builder of the concrete Stupa and accept SK's assertion that Amsuvarman was Santikar's contemporary, since Amsuvarman reigned between 576 and 615 the Stupa dates from the early 7th century. But because Santikar is associated with the establishment of the vajrayana this date assumes a very early arrival of Tantra in Nepal. There is only one early inscription at Swayambhu, and we have only incidental literary evidence that the Stupa was worshipped by countless devotees from all over the Buddhist world, among them some of the most famous names is Buddhist history --Nagarjuna, Santideva, Naropa, Vagisvarakirti, Savari, Jalandharipa, Padmasambhava et al.
Undoubtedly between the 7th and 14th centuries the structure was restored many times,
as earthquakes assure that no building in the Valley can survive for even a century without attention, but the first evidence of restoration informs us that the damage just repaired was not caused by nature but by man. An inscription records the ravages of the Muslim Shams Ud-din's armies in 1349 and that the principal patron of the repair work
was a certain minister, Saktimalla Bhalloka. We identify him as the Ba'-ro (Bhalloka-Bhallo-Bharo-'Ba'-ro, which was an honorific title) of SK. He was assisted by governor (dpon-chen) Sakya-bzang-po, who was perhaps a scion of the `Khon of Sa-skya, a Tibetan scholar (dbU-gTsang dGe-shes) and Lama dbU-pa. The 'axis' of the stupa was replaced at this time. Then in 1505 in another major restoration, which Yol-mo-pa Sakya bZang-po patronised, the wheel and pinnacle were placed on top by gTsang-smyon,
the crazy yogin Sangs-rygas rGyal-mtshan from West Tibet. The 6th Zhamarpa had the four gilt shrines placed at the cardinal directions in 1614. Rang-rig-ras-pa had a new pinnacle (ganjira) erected during the reign of Parthivendra Malla, the consecration taking place in 1694. The next major restoration was consecrated in 1750, probably in the wake of an earthquake, as the extensive restoration included the environs of the Stupa. Ka-thog Rig-'dzin-chen-po, the 13th Karmapa and Situ Pan-chen were the patrons of this restoration. The Tibetan inscription on the pillar on the S.E. side of the Stupa commemorates this event. SK would mention only names that have meaning for the writer's Tibetan readers and we should not assume that the Stupa has been kept in repair through the devotion and wealth of the Tibetans alone. Both Saivites and Vaisnavas, kings and commoners, have paid homage to the Stupa down the centuries,
and we can be certain that without a king's permission and support nothing could have been achieved. I have no date on the history of the Stupa since 1750 except to note that in the past decade attempts to shore upon the eastern flank of the hill have failed, and unless the most recent undertaking involving the demolition of the buildings on the south side succeeds, after thirteen centuries the Self-Sprung Temple of Wisdom is likely to fall victim to the accelerating pace of the kaliyuga.
A story of Padmasambhava at Swayambhunath related in Dudjom Rimpoche's Yid-kyi mun sel tells how the greatest of exorcists transfixed the Lord of the Earth sPrul-1to-nag-po with a phur-ba, and how seven bats and a stone image of gShin-rje-nag-po flew there as protectors. It is said that this image is still worshipped
although sunk into the ground
Swayambhu (Self-sprung):near Kimdol (sKyim-grol) = 'Liberating Draught') is Swayambhu.
On top of a jewel lotus blessed by the Buddha Vipaswi (gNam-par-gzigs),the Jina Vajradhara spontaneously arose from the Pure Land of Akanistha as a great sacred Tree of Life (mChod-sdong chen-po - a Bodhi Tree or stupa) called Jnana Gandola Swayambhu (The Self-Sprung Temple of Wisdom) which brings spiritual release by sight of it, hearing of it, reflecting upon it, or touching it.
Look into Newar chronicles called the Swayambhu Purana for extensive details on the arising of thirteen billion times more merit (for practising mantra etc.) in this place than in other great power places, and other interesting topics.
SK relates fragments of the prophecies made by Sakyamuni in the Gosrnga-vyakarana-sutra (gLang-ru lung-bstan-gyi mdo) concerning the origin of the stupa Goma Salagandha, which is usually confounded with the Swayambhu Stupa by Tibetans of today. As with the Manjushri-mulatantra, the Tibetans have interpreted prophecies concerning another country to concern themselves.
When the Buddha was living in Vaisali he prophesied in this manner to Sariputra and Ananda: 'Hereafter, a town called Kusala (dGe-ba), or Li-yul,will arise on the frontiers of India. In the Gamodeva Lake is the Ox-horn Prophecy Mountain (Gosrnga Vyakarana Parvata), and in the Gomadeva Lake the Goma Salagandha Stupa will arise.
In the middle of the lake will be a thousand petalled lotus, and in the centre of the lotus will be an image of Sakyamuni, while on the petals will be a thousand Bodhisattvas of the Tenth Grade.' Then Sariputra, the chief of the Buddha's retinue, asked him,
'What will be the cause of such an eventuality?'
And the Buddha replied,
'The cause will be the thousand emanations consequent upon my parinirvana'. [SK]
The sceptical Lama bTsan-po says,It is generally believed that {the Swayambhu Stupa} is the Goma Salagandha Stupa that is mentioned in the Gosrnga-vyakarana-sutra (The Ox-Horn Prophecy Sutra), and that it enshrines the relics of Kasyapa; but since Goma Salagandha is in Khotan (Li-yul) and the relics of Kasyapa are in India, it is difficult to believe these stories. However, the Stupa gives immense blessings.
[LT] Chos-kyi Nyi-ma is even more scathing about such Tibetan beliefs.Concerning the original of the Tibetan name Shing-kun for Swayambhu: Then after 21,000 arhats from Vulture Peak had taken earth and piled it beneath the dome of the Stupa, Nagarjuna cut off his hair and scattered it about, praying, 'May all kinds of trees grow on this sublime Stupa!' And after many species of tree had grown tall around the Stupa, it became known as 'Sublime Trees' ('Phags-pa Shing-kun).
[SK] But it is most likely that since the Stupa arose spontaneously at the time of the Buddha Sikhi (gTsug-gtor-can) and became known as Swayambhu (self-sprung), and that since the old Newar rendering was Sihmanggu, currently Singgu (i.e. in the 18th c.),
the Tibetan Shing-kun is a corruption of the Newari name. [CN.]
SK describes the Stupa like this: Beneath the Stupa of Swayambhu
is a place of the Nagas. About that is a live turtle, and upon the back of the turtle stands the Tree of Life axis (tshogs-shing) which is 7 fathoms (42') in circumference at its root
and 42 fathoms (252') in height. In the western lattice of the axis are the self-manifest 5,408 gods. In the cardinal directions are one Magadha measure of the relics of the jina Sakyamuni. The skin of the King Suvarnavarman (gSer-gyi Go-cha), upon which is depicted the mandala of Samvara and the 62 gods, is to be found therein.
It is said that the outer, inner and secret fields of syncronicity can be devined therefrom ..... [SK]
When the Buddha Sakyamuni was alive King Suvarnavarman was the Stupa's patron. [SK] No king with a name like this can be found in the lists of Newar chronicles. Perhaps the name is derived from the Manjusri-mulatantra.
There appear to be more references to the Swayambhu Stupa than to any other power place in the Valley in the annals of all Tibetan sects but the rNying-ma-pa. For instance,
regarding the annals of the lineage of Ma-gcig Zha-ma, this great yogini's brother `Khong-bu-pa (1069-1144), one of many Tibetan scholar-yogins to come to Nepal during the phyi-dar, the second spreading of the doctrine, took instruction from Pham-thing-pa, Ye-rang-pa (the Patan-walla) and the Bengali Atulyavajra, who were Nepal's finest teachers of that day. He had his mortal remains brought to Nepal with those of his sister by his son, Khong-gsar-pa, who had them consecrated by his Guru Jayasena. This Khang-gsar-pa had the parasol hoisted above the Swayambhu caitya on numerous occasions and gathered about him many yoginis and ascetic yogins who were residents of Swayambhu
and performed ganacakras on many occasions.
[BA] The Saivites were flourishing at this time, and like the great translator Rwa-lo, the Tibetans fought many magical battles with them, although, according to the Tibetan chronicles, the Buddhists were inevitably victorious.
[BA] Atisa used a pilgrimage to Swayambhu as an excuse to leave Vikramasila Monastery in Bengal and escape his students, who would rather that he stay, so that he could run across the border to Tibet to expiate his jealousy of the monastic tradition by reforming and purifying Tibetan monasticism.
The Abbot Atisa had given his ex-Guru, the yogin Maitripa, a room at his monastery of Vikramasila, and later was astonished to discover that Maitripa had been performing puja with meat and wine within the monastery's confines. Atisa asked him to leave, whereupon with a sniff Maitripa took up his bed and walked off through a wall. Later, Atisa apologised to Maitripa who told him that the way to expiate his sin was to go to Tibet and reform Tibetan monasticism. [But see AC p.134.]
Our basic guide describes the origin of the Stupa very simply and concisely.
Adapting the metaphor of the Swayambhu Purana, Ngag-dbang rDo-rje mentions Buddha Vipaswi who threw the seed of the original thousand-petalled lotus into Lake Nag Hrad during the satya or kritya-yuga, and he mentions the jewel, the ruby (padmaraga), that was at the centre of the lotus, diffusing the great light that pervaded the world.
The jina Vajradhara is the anthropomorphic representation of the dharmadhatu that is self-arisen and self-existent. He arises as the Stupa out of Akanistha ('Og-min), the pure-land of the dharmakaya, the dharmadhatu as paradise here and now. The Bodhi Tree, the Tree of life, the Stupa, these are all symbolic variations upon the same theme. The gandola is the form of the stupa and wisdom (jnana, ye-shes) is its nature.
The Tibetan sources give some historical clues concerning the foundation and history of restoration of the Stupa. If we accept Santikar Acarya as the actual builder of the concrete Stupa and accept SK's assertion that Amsuvarman was Santikar's contemporary, since Amsuvarman reigned between 576 and 615 the Stupa dates from the early 7th century. But because Santikar is associated with the establishment of the vajrayana this date assumes a very early arrival of Tantra in Nepal. There is only one early inscription at Swayambhu, and we have only incidental literary evidence that the Stupa was worshipped by countless devotees from all over the Buddhist world, among them some of the most famous names is Buddhist history --Nagarjuna, Santideva, Naropa, Vagisvarakirti, Savari, Jalandharipa, Padmasambhava et al.
Undoubtedly between the 7th and 14th centuries the structure was restored many times,
as earthquakes assure that no building in the Valley can survive for even a century without attention, but the first evidence of restoration informs us that the damage just repaired was not caused by nature but by man. An inscription records the ravages of the Muslim Shams Ud-din's armies in 1349 and that the principal patron of the repair work
was a certain minister, Saktimalla Bhalloka. We identify him as the Ba'-ro (Bhalloka-Bhallo-Bharo-'Ba'-ro, which was an honorific title) of SK. He was assisted by governor (dpon-chen) Sakya-bzang-po, who was perhaps a scion of the `Khon of Sa-skya, a Tibetan scholar (dbU-gTsang dGe-shes) and Lama dbU-pa. The 'axis' of the stupa was replaced at this time. Then in 1505 in another major restoration, which Yol-mo-pa Sakya bZang-po patronised, the wheel and pinnacle were placed on top by gTsang-smyon,
the crazy yogin Sangs-rygas rGyal-mtshan from West Tibet. The 6th Zhamarpa had the four gilt shrines placed at the cardinal directions in 1614. Rang-rig-ras-pa had a new pinnacle (ganjira) erected during the reign of Parthivendra Malla, the consecration taking place in 1694. The next major restoration was consecrated in 1750, probably in the wake of an earthquake, as the extensive restoration included the environs of the Stupa. Ka-thog Rig-'dzin-chen-po, the 13th Karmapa and Situ Pan-chen were the patrons of this restoration. The Tibetan inscription on the pillar on the S.E. side of the Stupa commemorates this event. SK would mention only names that have meaning for the writer's Tibetan readers and we should not assume that the Stupa has been kept in repair through the devotion and wealth of the Tibetans alone. Both Saivites and Vaisnavas, kings and commoners, have paid homage to the Stupa down the centuries,
and we can be certain that without a king's permission and support nothing could have been achieved. I have no date on the history of the Stupa since 1750 except to note that in the past decade attempts to shore upon the eastern flank of the hill have failed, and unless the most recent undertaking involving the demolition of the buildings on the south side succeeds, after thirteen centuries the Self-Sprung Temple of Wisdom is likely to fall victim to the accelerating pace of the kaliyuga.
A story of Padmasambhava at Swayambhunath related in Dudjom Rimpoche's Yid-kyi mun sel tells how the greatest of exorcists transfixed the Lord of the Earth sPrul-1to-nag-po with a phur-ba, and how seven bats and a stone image of gShin-rje-nag-po flew there as protectors. It is said that this image is still worshipped
although sunk into the ground
