Gtsang smyon He ru ka Sangs rgyas rgyal mtshan (1452-1507)
Dictionary Definition:
When ordained at age 7, he received the monastic name Sangs rgyas rgyal mtshan. He received the name Chos kyi grags pa from his teacher Sha ra Rab 'byams pa. The original unshortened version of his epithet was Gtsang pa Smyon pa. His name Khrag thung rgyal po was received in a vision. He died while visiting Ras chung phug in Yar lung Valley.
Stefan Larsson, The Mad Heruka from gTsang: Madness in a Buddhist Perspective, a paper to be delivered at the International Association of Buddhist Studies conference (London 2005).
Stefan Larsson, What Do the Childhood and Early Life of Gtsang smyon Heruka Tell Us about His Bka' brgyud Affiliation? Forthcoming in the Proceedings of the 11th IATS (Bonn 2006).
I. Maruta Stearns, The Life of Gtsang smyon Heruka: A Study in Divine Madness, M.A. thesis, University of Washington (Seattle 1985).
See Roberts, Rechungpa, chapter 3, especially the biographical sketch of Gtsang smyon on pp. 60-64. There are three main biographies: by Lha btsun Rin chen rnam rgyal, Rgod tshang ras pa, and Rab 'byams Dngos grub dpal 'bar (this last only exists in form of a copy kept by E. Gene Smith).
For a very remarkable metal image, see Portraits of the Masters, p. 155 (yet another image on following pages). The inscription reads: mkhas grub gtsang smyon sangs rgyas rgyal mtshan la na mo (sangs rgyal is an obvious printing typo here and it must be read sangs rgyas).
Another very probable portrait image is one of a Mahāsiddha holding khatvanga, vajra and skullcup, topknot, bone ornaments, etc. with the inscription rje btsun tsang pa la na mo. See Uhlig, On the Path to Enlightenment, p. 180.
His biography by Rgod tshang ras pa, a woodblock print in 146 folios with the title Gtsang smyon he ru ka phyogs thams cad las rnam par rgyal ba'i rnam thar rdo rje theg pa'i gsal byed nyi ma'i snying po, listed in Drepung Catalog, p. 1519.
His biography by Dngos grub dpal 'bar, Rje btsun gtsang pa he ru ka'i thun mong gi rnam thar yon tan gyi gangs ri la dad pa'i seng ge rnam par rtse ba, a woodblock print in 31 folios, listed in Drepung Catalog, p. 1561.
Dungkar Rinpoche's dictionary, pp. 1664-1665.
A translation of an account of his meeting with Thang stong, who was his elder, is found in Stearns, King, p. 79.
PPTK, pp. 291-293, with a list of works and a biographical sketch. He was born in Gtsang Myang stod Mkhar dga'. Father was Sngags 'chang Sangs rgyas dpal ldan, mother Ye shes mkha' 'gro ma. His childhood name was Chos rgyal lhun po.
Bibliography:
Bde mchog mkha' 'gro snyan rgyud.
Bde mchog mkha' 'gro snyan rgyud (Ras chung snyan rgyud): Two Manuscript Collections of Texts from the Yig cha of Gtsang smyon He ru ka, "reproduced from 16th and 17th century manuscripts belonging to the Venerable Dookpa Thoosay Rimpoche," Smanrtsis Shesrig Spendzod series nos. 11-12 (Leh 1971), in 2 vols. Vol. one contains the Bya btang 'Phrin las dpal 'bar manuscript. Vol. two contains the Gra dkar Rab 'jam pa manuscript.
