Above, in the deep blue sky,

Five-coloured rainbow light swirls;

In the spontaneously arising great palace—

Dwells the sole father, Great Orgyen, together with consort and ḍākinīs—

Please bestow upon the fortunate men and women gathered here,

Supreme and common siddhis.

Pemokö in the eastern direction,

The second pure Khechara—

We yogis who have turned our backs on our homeland,

Without attachment or clinging,

Depart to establish the instructions of the lamas and ḍākinīs.

May all the patrons gathered here remain in good health.

We, vajra brothers and sisters,

Wholeheartedly directing our minds to the three-root deities,

Set out with delight.

Since illness and joy, death and ease are all certain,

There is not the slightest hope or fear.

The concerns of lamas and leaders,

The narrow hope of seeking refuge,[2]

The fetters of kin, friends, and monastery—

The knotted shackle of both this and future lives

Since we yogis are unbound by these things— we live as we please.

Even though we return, it is with happiness;

Even though we die on the road, it is with joy.

Whether we stay or go, there is neither attachment nor clinging.

If you wish to compete with us— come in this way.

I make only this aspiration— 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 with leaping, running, and gazes of rigpa's tantric conduct.

COLOPHON

None

NOTES

[1] This spontaneous song was sung in Pemokö by Lelung Zhepe Dorje in 1729, and is found in his travel account entitled Pleasant and Truthful Words: Directions to the Supreme Pilgrimage Site of Pemako. Lelung had embarked on an expedition to open the sacred sites of Pemokö having been commanded in a vision by Gesar Gyalpo. Far from a gentle paradise, he describes the region as a perilous landscape filled with venomous snakes, swarms of insects, predatory beasts, hostile tribes, and debilitating illnesses—fevers, swelling, blisters, tumours, and pustules—as well as malevolent spirits displaying magical emanations.

By this point in the journey, Lelung had reached the rugged Gyala region in Kongpo with a small group of close companions, including consorts, mediums, and advanced practitioners. Having just bestowed empowerments and offered a great feast for local patrons and pilgrims, who remained behind, he and his inner circle prepared to press onward into the hidden land. It is at this moment of departure, as the expedition leaves the settled world and enters deeper into Pemokö, that he bursts into spontaneous song.

[2] This is an interesting sentence and should be read in the context of having a narrow mind towards only certain lamas or traditions contrary to the spirit of non-sectarianism that Lelung Zhepe Dorje embodied.

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.