by: Jörg Heimbel

Portraits of the Great Abbots of Ngor: The Memorial or Death Anniversary Thangka (dus thang)

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Appendix B:

Further References and a Composite List of

Memorial Thangkas

[This is a post that was first uploaded as a draft to my Academia.edu account in May 2024.]

Since the publication of my paper on the Ngor tradition’s practice of commissioning a memorial thangka as part of an abbot’s funerary commission, I have continued to work on a classification of the different types of posthumous abbot portraits—both in painting and statue—that were made as part of funerary commissions (Heimbel forthcoming). In the process, I came across further references to the commissioning of memorial thangkas in written sources such as the abbatial histories (gdan rabs) of Ngor, which I had not systematically used for my previous paper. I have therefore compiled all these new references here and also made a composite list of all the memorial thangkas currently known to me.

Memorial Thangkas Mentioned in the First Abbatial History of Ngor

Here I list the memorial thangkas recorded in the first abbatial history of Ngor by Sangs rgyas phun tshogs (1649–1705), the twenty-fifth abbot:1

(1) Memorial thangka of Nam mkha’ dpal bzang (1535–1602), the thirteenth abbot

  • Sangs rgyas phun tshogs, gDan rabs (fol. 17b3): lam ’bras dang| lam zab kyi kha skong| sku rten dus thang gsung rten bka’ ’bum pusti gsum|

(2) Memorial thangka of dPal ldan don grub (1563–1636), the sixteenth abbot

  • Sangs rgyas phun tshogs, gDan rabs (fols. 21b6–22a): dbon rin po che dpal mchog rgyal mtshan gyis sku ’dra dus thang| dngul gdung dus ja sogs dgongs pa yongs su rdzogs par mdzad|

(3) Memorial thangka of bSod nams rgya mtsho (1616–1667), the twenty-first abbot

  • Sangs rgyas phun tshogs, gDan rabs (fol. 24b1): lam ’bras brgyud pa’i kha skong gi sman sku dus thang dang|

Memorial Thangkas Mentioned in the First Supplement to the Abbatial History of Ngor

Here I list the memorial thangkas recorded in the first supplement to the abbatial history of Ngor by dPal ldan chos skyong (1702–1759), the thirty-fourth abbot:

(1) Memorial thangka of Sangs rgyas phun tshogs (1649–1705), the twenty-fifth abbot (made in Khams, most likely in sDe dge, where he passed away)

  • dPal ldan chos skyong, gDan rabs (fol. 11a5): gzhan yang khams phyogs su gdung ’bum chen mos gtsos lha khang sku brnyan| dus thang dus mchod rgyun ldan lo dus kyi mchod pa dkyil ’khor chen po’i sgrub mchod sogs|

(2) Memorial thangka of Tshul khrims dpal bzang (1675–1710), the twenty-eighth abbot

  • dPal ldan chos skyong, gDan rabs (fol. 14a1–2): bla brang lam ’bras lha khang du kha skong sku brnyan| dus thang gsar bzhengs dus mchod deng sang bar du bla brang gdan sa rim byon pa rnams dang| 

(3) Memorial thangka of bSod nams dpal ldan (1669–1713), the twenty-ninth abbot

  • dPal ldan chos skyong, gDan rabs (fol. 16a2–3): rjes kyi bya ba dgongs rdzogs kyi rim pa lam ’bras lha khang du sku brnyan dang| dus thang bzhengs pa sogs … legs par bsgrubs so|

(4) Memorial thangka of bSod nams bzang po (1689–1749), the thirtieth abbot

  • dPal ldan chos skyong, gDan rabs (fol. 22b2): dus thang thog tshad ma gsar [= gser] ris| sku brnyan sman ’dam las grub pa gnyis bzhengs|

(5) Memorial thangka of bKra shis lhun grub (1672–1739), the thirty-first abbot

  • dPal ldan chos skyong, gDan rabs (fol. 27a1): zla ba byung ngo cog tu gtsug lag khang la dgram rgyu’i dus thang thog tshad ma|

(6) Memorial thangka of Tshul khrims lhun grub (1676–1730), the thirty-second abbot

  • dPal ldan chos skyong, gDan rabs (fol. 29a1): gtsug lag khang du dus thang che legs bzhengs pa|

(7) Memorial thangka of Nam mkha’ bsam ’grub (1696–1755), the thirty-third abbot

  • dPal ldan chos skyong, gDan rabs (fol. 34a4): e waṃ gtsug lag tu dgram rgyu’i dus thang gsar bzhengs|

(8) Memorial thangka of bSod nams lhun grub (1714–1745), thirty-sixth abbot

  • dPal ldan chos skyong, gDan rabs (fol. 41b6): dus thang|

Other Newly Found References for Memorial Thangkas

Here I list newly found references from other sources:

(1) Memorial thangka of Go rams pa bSod nams seng ge (1429–1489), the sixth abbot (made at his main seat at rTa nag Thub bstan rnam rgyal)

  • Rwa ston Yon tan ’byung gnas, Go rams pa’i rnam thar (p. 364.10): thang sku rje nyid kyi sku ’dra gtsug lag khang gi thog tshad ma|
  • A mes zhabs Ngag dbang kun dga’ bsod nams, Go rams pa’i rnam thar (p. 269.1–2): …| dus mchod thang ka rnams bzhengs pa’i ’og btsugs nas brtsams te …|

(2) Memorial thangka of Brang ti Paṇ chen Nam mkha’ dpal bzang (1535–1602), the thirteenth abbot

  • Kun dga’ blo gros, Sa skya’i gdung rabs kha skong (p. 95.2–5): yang rje ’di nyid kyis gsar bzhengs mdzad pa la| …| dus thang che ba rnams e waṃ lam ’bras lha khang du bzhugs shing|

(3) Memorial thangka of Kun dga’ bsod nams lhun grub (1571–1642), the fifteenth abbot

  • Kun dga’ blo gros, Sa skya’i gdung rabs kha skong (pp. 110.14–111.1): klu sdings su sman sku mda’ khang gang ma dus ja thang ka che legs gsum rnams grub …|

A Composite List of Memorial Thangkas

This composite list includes all the memorial thangkas currently known to me. It is based on (1) references found in the available full-length biographies of the abbots of Ngor (Heimbel 2021), (2) their capsule biographies as part of the abbatial history of Ngor with its first supplement and other newly found references (see above),2 and (3) the available memorial thangkas (Heimbel 2021, Heimbel 2022), excluding those for which the abbot cannot currently be identified for reasons such as a lack of access to the inscriptions. For each memorial thangka, I indicate in square brackets the type of reference available for it using the following abbreviations: 1 = recorded in one or more full-length biographies; 2 = recorded in Ngor’s abbatial histories or those other sources; and 3 = the memorial thangka is available.  

  1. Memorial thangka of Go rams pa bSod nams seng ge (1429–1489), the sixth abbot [2]
  2. Memorial thangka of lHa mchog seng ge (1468–1535), the ninth abbot [1]
  3. Memorial thangka of dKon mchog lhun grub (1497–1557), the tenth abbot, portraying together with him two previous abbots—Kun dga’ dbang phyug (1424–1478), the fourth abbot, and Go rams pa bSod nams seng ge (1429–1489), the sixth abbot—to commemorate their coinciding death anniversaries [1, 3]
  4. Memorial thangka of Sangs rgyas seng ge (1504–1569), the eleventh abbot [1]
  5. Memorial thangka of dKon mchog dpal ldan (1526–1590), the twelfth abbot [1]
  6. Memorial thangka of Nam mkha’ dpal bzang (1535–1602), the thirteenth abbot [1, 2, 3]
  7. Memorial thangka of Kun dga’ bkra shis (1558–1615), the fourteenth abbot [1]
  8. Memorial thangka of Kun dga’ bsod nams lhun grub (1571–1642), the fifteenth abbot [2]
  9. Memorial thangka of dPal ldan don grub (1563–1636), the sixteenth abbot [1, 2]
  10. Memorial thangka of Nam mkha’ sangs rgyas (fl. 16th/17th century), the seventeenth abbot [1]
  11. Memorial thangka of Shes rab ’byung gnas (1596–1653), the eighteenth abbot [1, 3]
  12. Memorial thangka of Nam mkha’ rin chen (1612–1657), the nineteenth abbot [1]
  13. Memorial thangka of bSod nams rgya mtsho (1616–1667), the twenty-first abbot [1, 2, 3]
  14. Memorial thangka of dPal mchog rgyal mtshan (1599–1673), the twenty-second abbot [1]
  15. Memorial Thangka of ’Jam dbyangs Nam mkha’ dpal bzang, (1611–1672), the twenty-third abbot [3]
  16. Memorial Thangka of Sangs rgyas phun tshogs (1649–1705), the twenty-fifth abbot [2, 3]
  17. Memorial thangka of Tshul khrims dpal bzang po (1675–1710), the twenty-eighth abbot [1, 2]
  18. Memorial thangka of bSod nams dpal ldan (1669–1713), the twenty-ninth abbot [2]
  19. Memorial thangka of bSod nams bzang po (1689–1749), the thirtieth abbot [2]
  20. Memorial thangka of bKra shis lhun grub (1672–1739), the thirty-first abbot [1, 2]
  21. Memorial thangka of Tshul khrims lhun grub (1676–1730), the thirty-second abbot [2]
  22. Memorial thangka of Nam mkha’ bsam ’grub (1696–1755), the thirty-third abbot [2]
  23. Memorial thangka of Sangs rgyas dpal bzang (1699–1745), the thirty-fifth abbot [1]
  24. Memorial thangka of bSod nams lhun grub (1714–1745), the thirty-sixth abbot [1, 2]
  25. Memorial thangka of Byams pa Kun dga’ bstan ’dzin (1776–1862), the forty-seventh abbot [1, 3]
  26. Memorial thangka of ’Jam dpal bzang po (1789–1864), the fifty-first abbot [1]
  27. Memorial thangka of Kun dga’ bstan pa’i blo gros (1822–1884), the fifty-third abbot [1]
  28. Memorial thangka of Byams pa Kun dga’ bstan pa’i rgyal mtshan (1829– 1870), the fifty-fourth abbot [1]

Endnotes

  1. For the terms of office of all Ngor abbots, see Heimbel 2017: 513–546. ↩︎
  2. Of the four successive abbatial histories of Ngor, the capsule biographies of the abbots presented in the first two histories are quite detailed and sometimes include information on funerary commissions, whereas the latter two are comparatively brief and do not include any relevant details on these commissions. Therefore, only the first two histories are referred to here. ↩︎

Bibliography

Works in Tibetan
Kun dga’ blo gros (1729–1783). Sa skya’i gdung rabs kha skong = dPal ldan sa skya pa’i gdung rabs rin po che byon tshul zhal skong bcas bsdoms shing lhag par dus mchod bla brang pa’i gdung rabs kha yod lag yod du bgrangs pa gdan rabs bcas kyi lo rgyus ngo mtshar srid na ’gran bral. Beijing: Mi rigs dpe skrun khang, 1991.

dPal ldan chos skyong (1702–1759), the thirty-fourth abbot of Ngor. gDan rabs = E waṃ pa’i gdan rabs rin chen phreng mdzes kyi kha skong rtogs brjod byin rlabs ’dod dgu’i dpal ster. In Lam ’bras tshogs bśad: The Sa-skya-pa teachings of the path and the fruit, according to the Ṅor-pa transmission. As arranged by ’Jam-dbyaṅs Blo-gter-dbaṅ-po and his successors and incorporating other texts transmitting the lineage through the present Ṅor and Sa-skya systems. Reproduced from prints from the Sde-dge blocks from the library of the Ven. Klu-sdiṅs Mkhan Rin-po-che of Ṅor. 6 vols. Sa-skya Lam ’bras Literature Series, vols. 22–27. Dehra Dun, U.P.: Sakya Centre, 1985, vol. 4 (ya), fols. 1a–50a (pp. 495–593).

Rwa ston Yon tan ’byung gnas (fl. 15th/16th century). Go rams pa’i rnam thar = rTsa ba bsdus pa’i rnam thar bshad pa byin rlabs rgya mtsho. In A mes zhabs Ngag dbang kun dga’ bsod nams (1597–1659). Kun mkhyen bsod nams sengge’i rnam par thar pa dad pa rgya mtsho’i rlabs phreng rnam par g.yo ba, pp. 320.9–369.19. In Si khron bod yig dpe rnying bsdu sgrig khang (ed.). Kun mkhyen bsod nams seng ge’i rnam thar phyogs bsgrigs. Mes po’i phyag rjes 1. Lhasa: Bod ljongs mi dmangs dpe skrun khang, 2017, pp. 277–446.

Sangs rgyas phun tshogs (1649–1705), the twenty-fifth abbot of Ngor. gDan rabs = dPal e waṃ chos ldan gyi gdan rabs nor bu’i phreng ba. In Lam ’bras tshogs bśad: The Sa-skya-pa teachings of the path and the fruit, according to the Ṅor-pa transmission. As arranged by ’Jam-dbyaṅs Blo-gter-dbaṅ-po and his successors and incorporating other texts transmitting the lineage through the present Ṅor and Sa-skya systems. Reproduced from prints from the Sde-dge blocks from the library of the Ven. Klu-sdiṅs Mkhan Rin-po-che of Ṅor. 6 vols. Sa-skya Lam ’bras Literature Series, vols. 22–27. Dehra Dun, U.P.: Sakya Centre, 1985, vol. 4 (ya), fols. 1a–26b (pp. 1–52).

A mes zhabs Ngag dbang kun dga’ bsod nams (1597–1659). Go rams pa’i rnam thar = Kun mkhyen chos kyi rgyal po bsod nams seng ge’i rnam par thar pa ngo mtshar gsal ba’i nyin byed bsod nams rab rgyas. In Si khron bod yig dpe rnying bsdu sgrig khang (ed.). Kun mkhyen bsod nams seng ge’i rnam thar phyogs bsgrigs. Mes po’i phyag rjes 1. Lhasa: Bod ljongs mi dmangs dpe skrun khang, 2017, pp. 170–276.

Works in European Languages
Heimbel, Jörg. 2017. Vajradhara in Human Form: The Life and Times of Ngor chen Kun dga’ bzang po. Lumbini: Lumbini International Research Institute.

———. 2021. “Portraits of the Great Abbots of Ngor: The Memorial or Death Anniversary Thangka (dus thang).” In Volker Caumanns, Jörg Heimbel, Kazuo Kano, and Alexander Schiller (eds.). Gateways to Tibetan Studies: A Collection of Essays in Honour of David P. Jackson on the Occasion of his 70th Birthday. 2 vols. Indian and Tibetan Studies 12.1–2. Hamburg: Department of Indian and Tibetan Studies, Universität Hamburg, vol. 1, 301–379.

———. 2022. “Portraits of the Great Abbots of Ngor: The Memorial or Death Anniversary Thangka (dus thang). Appendix A: The Memorial Thangka of Drangti Penchen Namkha Pelzang, the Thirteenth Abbot of Ngor.”

———. Forthcoming. “Classifying Funerary Commissions: Portrait Statues of the Great Abbots of Ngor.” In David Pritzker and Yannick Laurent (eds.). Tibetan and Himalayan Statuary across Time and Space. Proceedings of the 16th Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, Prague, 3–9 July 2022.