[Buddha-l] Three Buddhist "Magicians"

[Christopher Fynn]

Hi Terence

Though they do have different meanings the three terms gomchen (sgoms chen) 
["great" meditator],  naljorpa (rnal 'byor pa)[yogin], and ngagpa (sngags pa) 
[mantrika /tantrika] are in everyday language pretty much interchangeable. All 
three words are most frequently used to refer to non-celibate hereditary lamas.

All three of these terms could technically also be used for monastic 
practitioners who may have spent time in retreat doing Vajrayana practice - but 
in spoken Tibetan the terms "sgoms chen" & "sngags pa" almost always mean 
non-celibate lamas usually belonging to the Nyingma tradition.

Bhutanese usually refer to these lamas as "sgoms chen" while Tibetans seem to 
use "sngags pa" more often.

I'd hesitate to translate any of these as "magician"  - Of the three terms 
"sngags pa" would probably be closest since it implies mastery of mantras which 
some translate as "spells".

All three of these appellations are quite often used sarcastically. In speech 
they can imply something like "womaniser", "drunkard" - or a monk who one 
suspects of breaking vows. Anyway it is best to use these words cautiously as 
they can easily be taken the wrong way.

- C

P.S. I don't know whether Madam David-Neel should be considered as an authority 
on Tibetan. An old lama from India I knew years ago had translated for her on 
several occasions in Tibet. According to what he told me, Mme. David-Neel spoke 
Hindi reasonably well but she could not speak or understand Tibetan.




Terence Hays wrote:
> In her rather sensational account of her exploits in Tibet and surrounding
> areas (_Magic and Mystery in Tibet_), Alexandra David-Neel discusses the
> activities of three types of practitioners, the gomchen (goms chen?),
> naljorpa (rnal 'byor pa), and the ngagspa. For the most part, the activities
> of all three are described in similar terms and all receive the title
> "magician". She does make a distinction between the gomchen and ngagspa but
> does not, at least from what I recall, clearly articulate the difference (if
> I am not mistaken ngags pas are hereditary lamas). At times it appears that
> she uses the terms "gomchen" and "naljorpa" interchangeably. Would someone
> be kind enough to shed some light on this issue.
> 
> Thanks,
> TH
> 
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