The Superhuman Life of Gesar of Ling: The Legendary Tibetan Hero, As Sung by the Bards of His Country

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The Superhuman Life of Gesar of Ling Ling by Alexandra David-Neel is a fascinating retelling of the legendary Tibetan epic centered on Gesar, a warrior-king and divine hero, Rooted in Tibetan folklore, mythology, and Buddhist philosophy, this epic captures the adventures of Gesar as he battles demons, overcomes adversity, and restores harmony to the world.

David-Neel presents the tale with vivid storytelling, blending cultural richness and spiritual depth. Gesar is depicted not merely as a warrior but as an embodiment of higher virtues like courage, wisdom, and compassion. The epic reflects profound Buddhist teachings, symbolizing the inner struggles of the human spirit against ignorance and delusion.

This book offers readers a captivating glimpse into Tibetan culture and its spiritual ethos. It is both an engaging narrative and a meaningful exploration of how myth and spirituality intertwine to guide human understanding and inspire transcendence.

Alexandra David-Neel was a pioneering French explorer, writer, and scholar, best known for her extensive travels in Tibet and her contributions to the study of Tibetan Buddhism. She was one of the first western women to visit Tibet, where she spent time in Lhasa, gaining firsthand knowledge of Tibetan culture and spirituality. Also published by us are David-Neel's other books, including Magic and Mystery in Tibet, Buddhism: its Doctrines and its Methods, Tibetan Tale of Love and Magic, Initiations and Initiates in Tibet, My Journey to Lhasa, The Secret Oral Teachings in Tibetan Buddhist Sects, The Superhuman Life of Gesar of Ling, and Tibetan Journey, sharing her insights into Tibetan rituals, mysticism, and philosophy. Her groundbreaking work bridged Eastern and Western thought, making her a key figure in the study of Buddhism and Himalayan cultures.

The Gesar of Ling Epic is the Iliad of Central Asia. The hero who has given it his name is as well known and popular with the Tibetans as with the Manchus; his adventures are recited round Lake Baikal as in the Altai Mountains. Temples that are dedicated to Gesar have been found in China, and it has been questioned whether he is not to be recognized in Kuanti, the war-god adopted by the Manchu Emperors. On the other hand, it has been considered whether in the name Gesar there is not to be found a distant echo of that of Cesar, which undoubtedly penetrated into the mysterious depths of Asia. It has been recognized that certain of the episodes in the Epic have been borrowed from those romantic tales of Alexander the Great that had no less success in the East than in the West. The original nature of the work has been much discussed: some declare it to be Buddhist; others anti-Buddhist; others again see in it a solar myth that symbolizes winter and spring.

The Mongolian version of the work has been accessible to the European reader for nearly a century; I. J. Schmidt made a German translation of it as early as 1839. Several Tibetan versions, very unequal in length, have been reported, of which we possess a few manuscripts. Recently, in Calcutta, the missionary A. H. Franke, printed a version that he had heard recited in Lower Ladakh. But, if in Europe we make books about it, in its native land the Gesar Epic is essentially a living and spoken thing. It also can say: ""Volito vivu per ora vivum."" Rhap- sodists carry it across the high tablelands where they lead their wandering lives. It was there that Madame Alexandra David- Neel had the opportunity of hearing them and of noting down their recitations. In the meantime, until she is able to publish the original text, let us thank her for revealing to the public, in so picturesque and attractive a form, an Epic that in its national importance and cultural significance ranks with the lliad, Encas, Niebelungen Ring, and Roland legends.

Historical personality of Gésar-Bards and manuscripts Supposed miraculous effects of the Bongs of the Gésar Epic Tibetan legends concerning the Buddha Concentration of thought viewed as determinant cause of rebirth Japanese and Tibetan opinions-Personages figuring in the poem, their antecedents The paradise of the copper-coloured mountain The monster Tamdrin his origin, his exploits, his extraordinary end-The fantastic character of the Epic justified by the Tibetan belief in the subjectivity of the world-How I became acquainted with Gésar and his Epic-Interview with a descendant of the hero at the Castle of Ling-A bard held to be a reincarnated relation of Gésar and a little monk thought to be the reincarnation of his enemy, the King of Hor-I receive a flower, not in season, supposed to be sent by Gésar-A strange prediction, which comes true The Warrior Messiah of the Tibetans Traditions and prophecies concerning the return of Gésar Chang Shambala, the mysterious country of the North.

Among the small number of works that have been translated from the Tibetan, very few belong to profane literature proper. Unquestionably, in Tibet, the importance of this type is not to be compared to that of the philosophic and religious literature, which, in addition to canonical Writings translated from the Sanskrit, embraces thousands of original productions that have been written in Tibetan by authors known or anonymous.

However, in the country of the Lamas, as everywhere else, there exist popular works that, although impregnated with religious sentiments for religious thought dominates everything in Tibet, constitute what may be termed the ""profane literature"" of the Tibetans.

This literature includes productions of different kinds: history, legends, poetry, geography, travels, as well as technical books dealing with medicine, astronomical and astrological calculations, etc.

It is to be noticed that works of the purely imaginative kind, namely: novels, do not exist in Tibet, or, at least, do not come under that denomination. Fiction as we understand it is repugnant to Tibetans. It is not that their authors do not use their imaginations. On the contrary, they allow this faculty the fullest possible scope, and the fantastic element flourishes in so exuberant and candid a fashion in their writings, that its equal is only to be found in our fairy tales. Nevertheless, all the extravagant wonders that abound in their narratives are held to have happened, the heroes of the tales to have really lived, and the stories themselves to be authentic from beginning to end. ""What is the good of writing about that which is not true,"" remarked a Tibetan to whom I was explaining the nature of our novels and the pleasure that many, at home, find in reading them Tibetan profane literature includes some very famous works, and the most celebrated of all is the Gésar of Ling Epic, the Tibetan national poem.

There exist several versions of the fabulous history of Gésar. Although very unlike in detail, they nevertheless present sufficient points of resemblance for J. Hackin, who based his opinion upon the only three versions known at the time, to declare that the legends concerning this hero ""have common origins."" The version that I collected in Eastern Tibet (the Kham country), which is much fuller than the three previous ones, confirms this opinion.

Taking into consideration the fact that this last version is the best known in Tibet, that it is looked upon in the light of an authority not only in the Kham country, which is held to be the Hero's native land, but also in Lhasa and in all Tibet proper; it has a certain right to the title of official version. Still, we must be careful not to see in it an absolutely faithful echo of the primitive legend.

Ten or twelve centuries ago the Gésar Saga consisted of, perhaps, two or three songs only. They were chanted by unknown bards who had been inspired by the scattered traditions concerning the exploits of a great warrior king.

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