Story 106: Lama Tang Bai and Miss Bai Zong Folktales
Lama Tang Bai and Miss Bai Zong
Author: Anonymous
There is a Tangbai Qunze (a position for temple lamas) temple in the Nyangre Valley to the north of Lhasa; in the Zanaxika (manor) in the south, there is a Bai Zongnu girl cliff. The old people all say: In the temple to the north, there is a statue of the young lama Niang Retang Bai Qunze; the cliff stone in the south is the incarnation of the beautiful Bai Zong girl. They were originally a loving couple who were killed alive by the powerful lama.
Today, across the Jiqu River Valley in Lhasa, they look at me and I look at you, no matter how windy or snowy they are, without even blinking an eyelash. It has been many, many years. Speaking of which, there is another story here:
Once upon a time in the Sera Monastery in Lhasa, there was an extremely beautiful young lama named Nyangretang Baiqunze. Girls from far and near just glance at him and they are guaranteed not to want to drink tea for three days or catch tsampa for five days. why? Hun’er stays with Tang Baiqunze!
But Niangretang Baiqunze was not a wandering lama like Cangyang Gyatso. He doesn’t drink, gamble, or fight. When he sees a young woman, he is like a mouse seeing a cat. He hides in fear. I chant the sutras honestly every day, study the Dharma sincerely, and wipe the sutra hall until it shines. The great living Buddha Xi Lao Gyaltsen admired and valued him very much.
Tang Baiqun entered the temple at the age of thirteen, donated money to the community at the age of fifteen, and became the attendant of the Great Living Buddha (the attendant in charge of the food and beverages of the Great Living Buddha) at the age of seventeen.
In Buddhism, I have a bright future as good as gold. Some powerful lamas in the temple had long regarded him as sand in their eyes and thorns in the soles of their boots, and they vowed to crush him like a louse. They said: “This kid Tang Baiqun is now rising like a kite in the wind. Let’s give him a hailstorm as big as an egg and make him fall from the colorful clouds into a stinky mud pit.”
To the south of the Lhasa River, there is a manor under the jurisdiction of the Sera Monastery, called Zana Xika. At this time, the lama in charge of Xika ran away without a trace following a local woman. After hearing this, several great lamas patted their bellies happily and celebrated, saying, “Okay! The time has come!” Then they went together to see the great living Buddha Xilao Gyaltsen, while the sponsor mother Retang Baiqun went to Zana Xika to serve as a Xidian (Xika steward).
When the Living Buddha heard this, he shook his head repeatedly and said, “No! No!” He also pointed at the great lamas angrily and said, “Hey! Everyone, there are thousands of lamas and hundreds of monks in our Dracang (monastic group). You can choose from a thousand or a hundred. Why do you want to get rid of my subordinates, delay his study of Confucian classics, and affect his future!”
The great lamas pretended to be trembling with fear, and they all lay on the ground and kowtowed, just like old hens pecking at highland barley. They said: “Living Buddha Rinpochen (big treasure)! Please open your old wise eyes and take a look! This Zana Xika is a nest that gave birth to a demon girl; the seven lamas we sent were seduced by them. Those who had to return to the secular world returned to the secular world, and those who eloped elope.
The people of Lhasa even made up a song to mock us on the Bajiao Street. If we don’t send a Tao man like Nuretang Baiqun, who has a correct Buddhist heart and a strong wisdom root, to take charge of the affairs this time, we will find someone in the temple. There is no suitable person left. The loss of temple property is a small matter, but the damage to the reputation of the living Buddha, your old man, is a big deal!”
When the great lamas said this, the Living Tulku Shirab Gyaltsen had no choice but to nod in agreement. He summoned Tang Baiqunze to the throne, personally blessed him and touched his head, and said: “Go, my good disciple Tang Baiqunze! When you arrive in Xika, you must not make fun of young women.
Among a hundred women, ninety-nine are all Rakshasa transformations; if a monk is exposed to a woman’s black body, he will fall into the most terrifying hell after death, and will not be able to endure the pain of the six reincarnations.” Tang Baiqun didn’t want to be a Xidian at all. He even said “pusuo” and “zhuji” (meaning thank you) in his mouth. The words of the living Buddha are like stones rolling down from the mountain. Who dares to push them back?
When he walked out of the sutra hall, the great lamas gathered around him. His face, as fat as a cow’s belly, smiled like a flower. They congratulated him on becoming the richest Xika under the Sera Monastery at such a young age. The leader, this is a good job that cannot be bought for a thousand taels of silver. Behind the scenes, they sent a secret letter to Miss Bai Zong, ordering her to think of various ways to seduce Tang Baiqun and return to secular life.
If this thing is done, she can be exempted from the salary and debt; if it can’t be done, not only will the salary be increased and the interest rate will be increased, but she will also have to use a whip to speak. Bai Zong is the most beautiful rose in Zanaxika. The great lamas tried to get her idea several times, but they failed to pick the rose and got pricked with thorns. Mentioning her name still makes the great lamas feel itchy in their teeth.
On the fifteenth day of the fourth month of the Tibetan calendar, Tang Baiqun rode a big green mule and crossed the Jiqu River in Lhasa from Xiangga Ferry to Zana Xika to take office. The dam outside Xika was crowded with people on the three floors inside and outside, all wanting to take a look at the most famous handsome man in Sera Monastery. Some young girls brought highland barley to sprinkle, some brought butter tea, and some brought fruits with rock sugar.
They thought: As long as Tang Baiqun tastes a little bit, even a little bit as big as a sparrow’s beak shell, they will be happier than celebrating the festival. , more satisfying than the Chinese New Year.
Among the girls who look like flowers, the girl with the most beautiful clothes is the girl from Bai Zong; the girl with the most beautiful appearance is the girl from Bai Zong; the girl with the loudest laugh is also the girl from Bai Zong. A step forward is worth the price of a hundred horses, a step back is worth a hundred oxen, a toothy smile is worth a hundred sheep, a smile is worth a smile. Le, worth the price of a hundred goats. She held a small seven-color.
Tibetan cushion in her left hand, and a small watering can inlaid with pine ear stones in her right hand. She twisted her waist like Luoyu Yuzhu, walked with thin steps like Haizi’s light waves, and stopped Niangre Tang Baiqunze with a smile. The horse head said: “My name is Miss Zana Bai Zong. Please try the wine I brew. Is it sweet? Please try the wine I brew. Is it fragrant?”
Next, she sang in a charming tune:
Welcome, welcome,
Welcome Niangretang Baiqunze to visit;
Welcome to Qunze Hello Flowers;
Are you tired? Please dismount and sit for a while.
Are you thirsty? Please have a taste of the wine.
This wine is the first and second round of wine,
There is brown sugar and rock sugar in the wine.
White highland barley from my hometown for cooking wine,
The person who makes wine is me, Miss Bai Zong.
Niangretang Baiqun was riding on the mule. Thinking of the Living Buddha’s warning, he was so frightened that he trembled all over. He didn’t dare to answer the question, didn’t dare to answer the song, and didn’t dare to look at the mule. He secretly kicked the mule’s buttocks, as if running for his life. They ran into Xiben Mansion as well. Miss Bai Zong couldn’t cry even if she wanted to, and couldn’t laugh even if she wanted to, so she had to go home lazily.
Three months later, the wheat in the valley turned yellow, and the Zanaxika Fruit Festival came. The men and women near Xika were all racing horses, shooting arrows, singing and dancing on Caobazi; only Tang Baiqun was alone in the small sutra hall, reading sutras and chanting Buddha’s name.
Miss Bai Zong, wearing a robe as bright as colorful clouds, a waist as beautiful as peach blossoms, and jewelry as sparkling as stars, walked into the small sutra hall to find Tang Bai Qunze, and sang in a delicate voice:
Please listen to it,
Niangretang Baiqun listened,
The crowd is hello and the flowers are listening;
Today is the annual Wangguo Festival,
Old men and old women were drinking and partying.
Would you like to go and sing? Qun Ze,
Can you go dancing? Qun Ze,
If you don’t sing or dance,
Is it okay to go out and see the excitement? Qun Ze!
Tang Baiqun took a sneak peek and was surprised that Miss Bai Zong was so beautiful. He immediately remembered his duty as a cultivator, and his face turned as red as red cloth with embarrassment. He quickly lowered his head, recited the Six-Character Sutra nine times, and then sang:
Please listen to it,
Miss Zana Bai Zong!
When I was thirteen years old, I became a lama and cultivated the Buddha body.
When I was fifteen years old, I donated to the community and accumulated merit.
When I was seventeen years old, I paid a tribute to the living Buddha.
Buddha roots are as solid as snow-capped mountains.
I swore an oath at the feet of the Bodhisattva,
I took the precepts in front of the Living Buddha.
I will never dance in this life, girl,
I won’t sing in this life, girl.
I will not seek pleasure in this life,
Please get out quickly, girl!
Miss Bai Zong was very disappointed, her clothes were wet with tears of sadness, and she walked out of the sutra hall crookedly. Tang Baiqun, on the other hand, couldn’t make up his mind to meditate on the scriptures and study the Dharma, so he sat alone on the mat in a daze.
Another three months passed, the highland barley was cut and the field was finished, and the cold winter with falling snowflakes arrived. Every household in Zanaxika was busy delivering errands to the temple. The highland barley is piled in the courtyard of Xika, and each household has to send someone to guard it in turn.
That night, it was Miss Bai Zong’s turn to be on duty. The weather was so cold that the wild dogs were too cold to make a sound. Bai Zong was wearing thin clothes, squatting in the yard and shivering. She sang to Tang Bai Qunze’s window:
Please listen to it,
Niangretang Baiqun listened,
Hello, all flowers, listen!
The stars in the sky are trembling with cold;
The girl was shivering from the cold outside;
Is there some tea for me to drink? Qun Ze!
If there is no tea, let me make a fire, okay? Qun Ze!
Is there a quilt to keep me warm? Qun Ze!
There is no quilt to let me hide from the wind, okay? Qun Ze!
Tang Baiqun listened inside, feeling very anxious. Open the door. I am a lama. How would I behave if I let a young woman in in the middle of the night? Don’t open the door. I can’t bear to let such a good girl freeze outside. Finally, he gritted his teeth and told Bai Zong through the door:
Please listen to it,
Zanabaiso listen!
When I was thirteen years old, I went to a temple to practice Buddhism.
When I was fifteen years old, I donated to the community and accumulated merit.
I will give the living Buddha a souvenir for seventeen ros.
Buddha roots are as solid as snow-capped mountains.
I swore an oath at the feet of the Bodhisattva,
I took the precepts in front of the Living Buddha.
I can’t let you come in and warm yourself by the fire, girl!
I can’t invite you in for tea, girl!
I can’t lend you a quilt to keep out the wind and cold, either.
Please go away quickly, girl!
After singing, Tang Baiqun turned over and rolled over on the mat, dozing off and flying to nowhere. After a while, he heard Bai Zong sitting outside the door, “Cixiu”, “Cixiu”, crying sadly. Involuntarily, he opened the door a small crack and pulled Miss Bai Zong into the room.
When the rooster crowed for the first time, Tang Baiqun woke up and saw the beautiful girl Bai Zong sleeping next to him, with a engagement ring on her hand. He was so frightened that he quickly rolled off the mat. He thought of the merits he had accumulated over the years and his future in Buddhism. It was like snowflakes under the sun, melting cleanly, and the bones in his heart were broken. He quickly ran into the small sutra hall, crawled at the feet of the Bodhisattva, and kept kowtowing, his forehead dripping with blood. He begged the Bodhisattva like this:
Ouch, hey, how sad I am,
Ah well, well, how sad I am!
Avalokitesvara with thousands of hands and eyes,
The Great and Compassionate Jampa Buddha!
O Taras who save those who are in distress,
Ordain my great living Buddha Sirao Gyaltsen!
Please forgive my sins,
Qing showed me a way out.
At this time, Miss Bai Zong came in and handed him a piece of parchment paper. Tang Baiqun took a look and saw that it was a secret letter from the great lamas asking Bai Zong to seduce him to return to secular life. He never dreamed that the people who pushed him into the Nie River and the Sea of Misery were Chief Lama, Tiebang Lama, and his gang in his temple. He was so angry that his whole body was shaking like a leaf, and he collapsed to the ground. It took him a long time to wake up. Bai Zong said: “Qunze! I didn’t listen to the great lama’s words to harm you, I like you from the bottom of my heart!” Next, he sang sincerely:
Please listen to it,
Niangretang Baiqun listened,
Hello, all the flowers, listen!
Look at the white duck in the sky,
Why do they always fly by in pairs?
Look at the wild deer on the ground,
Why do you always roam in pairs?
Look at the Bodhisattva in the shrine,
Why are there both males and females?
Look at the human world,
There is conjugal joy everywhere.
You are a single man,
I am an unmarried girl!
If we become a pair,
The gods will also come down to celebrate.
Tang Baiqun had nothing to refute what Miss Bai Zong said. As a result, the relationship between the two people became closer day by day. Just like the golden deer cannot live without the green grassland, the blackbird cannot live without the willow forest.
It’s only a day or two’s journey from Zanaxika to Sera Monastery. Tang Baiqun’s friendship with Miss Bai Zong had been secretly reported to several great lamas. Within three days, a letter was sent from the temple, asking Tang Baiqun to rush back to chant sutras.
When Tang Baiqun heard this, his face turned pale with fright. The ring was on his hand and he couldn’t take it off even if he pulled it left or right, as if it had taken root. He had no choice but to wrap a handful of wool and ride back on a big green mule.
While chanting sutras, Lama Tiebang came over with an iron stick as thick as a butter tube and said “Zanlang” and “Zanrang”. He pointed at Tang Bai Qunze’s finger and asked in a weird voice: “Hey! Mr. Xidui, what are you doing with the wool wrapped around your finger?” Tang Baiqun said, “I cut my hand accidentally with the sickle when cutting highland barley.” Lama Bang knew this already, stretched out his big bear-like hand, grabbed Tang Bai Qunze’s wrist, pulled off the wool on his finger, and revealed the dazzling golden engagement ring in front of everyone.
Lama Tiebang was so happy that he shouted loudly on the spot, like a male donkey in heat: “Please look at the omniscient and omnipotent Great Living Buddha! Please look at all the lamas! This naughty Tang Bai Qunze boasts that his Zen mind is stronger than snow water.” Clean, the Buddha’s roots are stronger than the snow-capped mountains, and now he has done the dirtiest thing in the world, and brought the witch’s dirt into the sacred Buddhist temple.”
The great living Buddha Xi Lao Gyaltsen kept sighing, shaking his head like a double-sided Dharma drum, left his throne and went to the inner room to meditate, leaving Tang Baiqun to the disposal of Tiebang Lama. As for Lama Tang Bai, he had been frightened out of his soul a long time ago. Even if his whole body was covered with mouths, there was no way he could defend himself. Lama Tie Peng took him outside the temple and beat him with a rawhide whip.
Poor Tang Baiqun had been reading scriptures and worshiping Buddha since he was a child. His skin and flesh were as tender as white butter. He only received a few whips before his skin was torn, his flesh was dripping with blood, and he passed out. At this time, Bai Zong came from Zana Xika, knelt at the feet of Tiebang Lama, and begged bitterly: “Great Lama, Great Lama! I don’t want you to forgive me, and I don’t want you to forgive my debts. I just want you to forgive me.” Please give me this poor man to support!”
The Tiebang Lama ignored her and ordered the bastard to whip her hard and beat her hard! Miss Bai Zong was worried and took out the secret letter to complain to the living Buddha. Tiebang Lama then took away his whip and announced that Tang Baiqun would break the precepts and return to secular life.
He would be kicked out of the religion forever, fined one thousand taels of silver, and have the Bodhisattva’s golden body repainted in the Buddhist temple. At the same time, he would also send two loads of butter and one load of tea, and serve tea in Zacang. Three times, he apologized to all the lamas.
Bai Zong carried Tang Bai Qunze, who was about to die, back to his hometown. He treated Tang Bai Qunze’s illness and injuries like a mother caring for her lamb. He also invited a respected old man to go to Niangre to deliver a letter to Tang Bai Qunze’s parents. The letter said: “The sons of the two old men returned to secular life in Zanaxika and married me, Miss Bai Zong. Married. No matter in terms of talent or appearance, there is nothing wrong with me.
If the old man misses his son, we will go to Niangre Mountain Valley together; if the old man does not miss his son, we will go to Zha Na Xika has fallen into a nest!” The two old men were already unhappy about their son returning to secular life. This time Bai Zong asked someone to deliver the letter, which only added fuel to the fire. They tore up the letter on the spot, returned the khata and gifts, and said: “We only have lamas in yellow cassocks and no animals with black heads!”
After Tang Baiqun married Miss Bai Zong, they lived a harmonious and happy life. Tang Baiqun had been a lama since he was a child and could not do any farm work. Fortunately, Miss Bai Zong is strong and capable, and the fields at home are well organized. During the off-season, she went to the mountains to cut down bundles of tamarisk branches, tied them into brooms, and sold them on Bajiao Street in Lhasa.
The family was far from wealthy, but they were neither hungry nor cold. A year later, Miss Bai Zong gave birth to a fat son, who was sometimes called Dad and sometimes called Mom. Tang Baiqun felt that this was the life that real people lived, and even the gods in the sky envied him.
When the fat son was three years old, Tang Baiqunze’s parents also changed their minds. The old woman came from Niangre Valley to visit the young couple, driving as much as a mule could carry. Tang Baiqun was afraid that his old lady would be unhappy, so he hid his son in a wicker basket and told him to be silent like a little mouse.
When the old lady came in, she asked, “Where is my wife?” Tang Baiqun said, “I went to the mountain to chop broomsticks.” The old lady asked again, “Where is my little grandson?” Tang Baiqun didn’t answer yet. She stretched out her hand from the wicker basket and shouted: “Pola (grandma)! Hug me!” “Pola, hug me!” The old lady took out the little fat boy and kissed him three times on the left side of his face and three times on his right side. Next, I laughed so hard that my jaw almost dropped.
At this time, Miss Bai Zong came back carrying a bundle of tamarisk branches as big as an ox. She was so tired that her clothes felt like they had been soaked in water. The old lady held her hand and looked left and right, tears streaming down her face. She said: “My dear daughter-in-law, you are right. In terms of character and appearance, you are much better than my unsatisfactory evil beast! We spent half of our family property to find a job for him.”
It’s a very good official position. You will move to Lhasa in a few days and don’t go to Bajiao Street to sell brooms anymore.” The old lady stayed for three days. She was so happy that she couldn’t close her mouth. She stumbled and stumbled with her little grandson. I stumbled back to Niangre.
As the saying goes: Every crack in the wall is an eavesdropping ear. Tang Baiqun wanted to go to Lhasa to serve as an official, but somehow it reached the ears of the great lama of Sera Monastery. Tiepeng Lama and a few losers rushed to Zana Xika overnight and rushed into Tang Bai Qunze’s home. Before his buttocks even touched the mat, he said with a smile: “Good luck, good luck, the great living Buddha has forgiven your fault and sent us.
Please go back to the temple to take the Geshe exam (the highest degree for Yellow Sect lamas)!” Tang Baiqun had long seen that they were not well-intentioned and refused to go. The Iron Bar Lama clapped his hands and caught him like an eagle catching a chicken. gone. On that night, the lamas secretly killed Tang Baiqunze by the Lhasa River. The body was carried on an oxen, climbed over the Gola Mountain, and hid it in a small pagoda in Pengbo.
When Miss Bai Zong came back from cutting tamarisk trees in the mountains, she couldn’t find her husband, and her heart felt like a steel knife digging into her. She went to Nyangre Valley to look for it, but there was none; to Sera Monastery, there was none; and she searched all over Lhasa, but there was none. So she shouted along the banks of the Lhasa River and searched everywhere in the barren mountains and ridges.
As she ran, she called Tang Bai Qunze’s name. Not to mention the flesh-and-blood people who heard it, even the flesh-and-blood stone shed tears and was sad. In this way, she searched day after day, month after month, year after year. Her beautiful face was haggard, her bright eyes were dull, and her slender body was stooped. However, she Still looking for her every day, every month, every year… Eventually, Miss Bai Zong herself disappeared.
Some people say that she threw herself into the Lhasa River, some say that she became a madman, and some say that she climbed up a high cliff and looked forward to her mother every day. In the end, her body turned into a rock.
Narration: Gangzhuo, Langjiexue Commune, Gongga County, Nima Penduo, Chengguan Town, Xigaze
Written by: Liao Dongfan Tsering Dorje Tsering Droga Collected and translated
Note: This story, formerly known as “Nyangre Tangbai Qunze and Zana Zhambai Zong”, is mainly spread in Lhasa, Shigatse and Shannan. In the Niangre Valley in the northern suburbs of Lhasa, there is the Tangbai Qunze Temple, which was quite popular in the past. After Miss Bai Zong died, she turned into a cliff stone. This cliff stone is still there today. According to local legend, she became the cliff god.
There are also several differences between what Gangdro and Nima Pendo told. For example, Nima Penduo said that among the seven lamas, Bai Zong was the one who returned to secular life; Gangzhuo said that only Bai Zong and Tang Baiqun got along well with each other.
Nima Penduo talked about it being over when the two got married, while Gang Zhuo talked about Tang Bai being killed and Bai Zong becoming the cliff god. When their son was thirteen years old, he took out a nine-edged sword from his grandmother’s house and used it to Taking the opportunity to serve tea, he killed these great lamas and avenged his parents.
