Above, in the depths of the blue sky,

Amidst swirling, five-coloured rainbow light,

A great palace spontaneously rises.[2]

There dwells great Orgyen, our sole father,

With his ḍākinī consorts.

May you bestow the supreme and common siddhis

Upon the fortunate men and women gathered here.

To Pemokö in the east,

The second pure Khecara—[3]

We yogis set out,

Casting our homeland behind,

Without attachment or clinging,

To fulfil[4] the instructions of the lamas and ḍākinīs.

May all the patrons gathered here

Remain in good health.

We, vajra brothers and sisters,

With our words and hearts as one,[5]

Entrust our minds to the Three Root deities

And set out with delight.

Since we’re happy when ill and joyful when dying,

We have neither the slightest hope nor fear.

The need for lords and lamas,

The petty hope of protection,

The binding ropes of kin, friends, and monastery—

The fetters of this life and the next—

We yogis have none of these.

So we live as we please,

Happy and joyful!

If we happen to return, we’ll be happy.

If we should die on the road, we’ll be glad.

If we stay, there is nothing to desire.

If we go, there is nothing to cling to.

If you think you can challenge us,

Come and do as we do!

At the very least, we make this prayer

To behold your fine faces once again.

With that, I sang songs of whatever arose, and beat out the dance. Amid the buzzing of the melodic recitation of the three syllables HŪṂ PHAṬ BHYOḤ, whistling songs, flute, hand-drum, and damaru, I went forth in the tantric conduct of rigpa, with leaping, running, and gazes.

COLOPHON

None

NOTES

[1] The more familiar name for this region is Pemakö (pad+ma bkod). Throughout his travel account, however, Lelung writes pad+mo bkod, using the variant form pad+mo for "lotus." Both spellings refer to the same place, and in this translation we follow Lelung's own spelling and render the name "Pemokö."

[2] We have chosen not to translate ma bzhengs (unbuilt) separately. The palace is described as lhun gyis grub pa, "spontaneously arisen." Something that arises spontaneously is by definition not constructed, so "spontaneously arises" already carries the sense of being unbuilt.

[3] Khecara (mkha' spyod) is first and foremost a highly purified experience connected with spiritual accomplishment (dngos grub, siddhi) in Buddhist tantra, in which one's realisation manifests as a completely pure realm. In its higher sense it is an utterly pure realm endowed with eight qualities, such as subtlety of form, where one can train further on the path. In a lesser sense, associated with the form realm, the god realm and the human realm, it can be reached through meditative ability or with the help of yakṣī or siddha guides. In calling Pemokö "the second pure Khecara," Lelung presents the hidden land as an earthly counterpart of that realm.

[4] “Fulfil” renders gtan la 'bebs par (lit. to establish). In the context of their departure for Pemokö, we understand this to mean carrying out the instructions received from the lamas and ḍākinīs. “Fulfil” conveys this contextual reading more naturally in English.

[5] The Tibetan reads kha zhe med par gtad nas, an abbreviated form of the classical expression kha zhe gnyis med, "mouth and mind not two." Kha (mouth) stands for what one says and zhe for one's inner mind or intention, so the phrase describes a sincerity in which speech and heart do not diverge, with no gap between what is said and what is meant. Since gtad conveys committing or entrusting oneself, the line describes devoting oneself with complete sincerity. We have rendered it "with our words and hearts as one" to keep both halves of the pairing, and the warmth of zhe, rather than flattening it to "sincerely or wholeheartedly."

Photo credit: Photograph © Thomas Laird, from The Dalai Lama's Secret Temple: Tantric Wall Paintings from Tibet, Ian A. Baker (Thames & Hudson, 2011)

Published: March 2026

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Lelung Jedrung Zhepe Dorje (Sle lung rje drung bZhad paʼi rdo rje). 1983a. "Gnas mchog Padmo bkod du bgrod paʼi lam yig." In Sle lung rje drung bZhad paʼi rdo rjeʼi gsung ʼbum, v., 389–493. Leh: Sonam, T. and Tashigang, D.L. BDRC W22130.

Published March 2026

Republished October 2026