1882.] 
Sarat Chandra Das —Contributions on Tibet . 
53 
VI.—LIFE AND LEGEND OF TSON KHAPA (LO-SSAN-TAGPA), 
THE GEEAT BUDDHIST EEFOEMEE OF TIBET. 
Tson-khapa was born in 1378, A. D. 1 in the town of Tson kha 
(or Onion valley) in Amdo in Eastern Tibet. His father’s name was 
Lubum-o-e, and that of his mother Shin-ssah-a-chho. The house in 
which he was born was overhung by a sandal-wood tree rich in foliage. 
It is said to have borne a hundred thousand leaves, on every one of which 
was visible the naturally grown picture of Tathagata S'enge-na-vo (Simka 
dhvani). There having spontaneously appeared on the bark of that 
wonderful tree the mantras sacred to Manjusri, the protector of the three 
classes of beings, viz., men, suras and asuras, the men of the place 
erected a chaitya at its foot. A large monastery containing 10,000 monks 
was established near it and called the monastery of Kuburn Chamba- 
lin. It is said that the marvellous leaves of the selfsame sandal tree 
are even at the present day observed by pilgrims to bear the Tathagata’s 
image inscribed, as it were, by nature. 
When three years old, Tsoh-khapa received the first initiatory 
sacrament from the celebrated Karmapa Lama Bolpai-dorje, who gave him 
the name Kun-gah-ninpo. At the age of seven the young novice is said 
to have been miraculously visited by Vajrapani and the Indian saint Dipan- 
kara S'ri-jnana (called Atisa in Tibet), from whose hands he received benedic¬ 
tion. Having attained his eighth year, he received the second sacrament of 
novices from the sage Ton-dub Binchhen who changed his name to Lo-ssan- 
tagpa or Sumatildrti in Sanskrit. From the same Lama he received 
instruction in the Sutras and Tantras. His study-room is said to have 
been filled with sacred volumes, the lustre of which served him for light. 
At the age of sixteen he visited Tibet proper, where in the principal monas¬ 
teries of U and Tsan, such as Dewa-chan &c, he studied the sacred literature 
of the Buddhists under such eminent scholars as Lama Wumapa, Je-tsun 
Ken-dah-va, the hermit of Lho-brag named Lakyi-dorje, Tasi-senge 
&c. At the age of twenty he took the monastic vows from Tshul-thim 
Einchhen, when he manifested a very powerful memory. He was able 
to recite at a time about 553 sloJcas of the Dulva without a mistake. He 
was afterwards initiated into the vows of Bodhisattva and others of the 
strictest kind appertaining to the Tantras. He now acquired the right 
to confer benediction on others. He also propitiated the divine mother 
Tara called Dolma in Tibet, Dugkar-samaja Guhya, Sambara, Bhairava 
and others of his tutelary dieties. The great Indian teacher, Nagarjuna, 
S'ri Saraha and the all-knowing Buton, besides many other Indian and 
1 On the 10th lunar month of the year, bearing- the name ‘ fire-bird,’ of the 6th 
cycle in Tibetan chronology. 
