Record 12
Phurba Tsewang of Ganzi County (Householder, 1935 – 1996)
Summary
Before his passing, Phurba experienced the results of his diligent practice. He dreamed of a woman in white who said, "Do not return to your hometown, take this white path to the pureland, I will guide you." Because of this prophecy, he said, "I will be born into the pureland." In the end, he did not have the chance to return to his hometown and passed away.
Life Experience
(1) Years of Suffering
He was born in the Tibetan 16th Rabjung Wood Pig year (1935) in Shari Village, Ganzi County, Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province. He had eight children. Before the Cultural Revolution, in the olden society, he was the leader of a tribe and his family was quite wealthy. However, during the Cultural Revolution, he was targeted and all his property was confiscated, leaving him destitute. Among the companions who suffered a similar faith, there were some virtuous and wise teachers. It was likely due to the influence of these teachers that he became a person dedicated to virtue. Later, people in his village would say, "To do virtue, one should be like old Phurba." He became a role model for virtuous deeds in the village.
(2) Performing virtues in his Life
When he was released from the labor reform center, he spent several years making hundreds of thousands of Tsa-tsa (miniature clay figurines of deities) and Buddha images. While making these, his palms cracked and became covered in sores. In this, he was a person who could endure great hardships. For a period of time, he kept his commitment to perform full prostrations at the sacred mountain Tsari Yerke for three years. He completed one million prostrations.
The day after he completed his prostrations was the first day of the Tibetan New Year. His family asked him to return home to celebrate the New Year. Phurba said, " That night, I had a dream. The holy place of Tsari Yerke turned into a prayer hall where Guru Padmasambhava and his retinue were partaking of the Ganachakra offerings. I also came there, but since I was illiterate and could not recite the text, I knelt by the side with joined palms, waiting respectfully. Suddenly, there was a natural sound, it was said:
Where Protector Amitabha resides
Showering the sweet rain of Dharma
May I be reborn in that sacred land.
Self-appearance Zangdok Palri
The root guru Padmasambhava,
Surrounded by Dakas and Dakinis
May I be reborn in that sacred land.
"This experience arose for me. Then I was given my share of the Ganachakra offerings in a wooden offering plate with a raised base, after which I woke up."
From that time on, no matter what practice he recited, Phurba would habitually recite these two stanzas as a concluding aspiration. His family said, "This aspiration prayer was something that only appeared in your dream, it has no scriptural basis, so we don’t know if it should be recited." Phurba replied: "This aspiration came to me because of the virtues I created. I don’t know if it’s a sign of accomplishment. Nonetheless, I will recite it."
In addition, he vowed to uphold the Mahayana Eight Precepts on every auspicious day and every first day of the Tibetan New Year. In keeping with his vow, he observed the precepts for over three months each year. If Phurba got to know that Mahayana Eight Precepts were being given nearby, he would go and participate in the event.
It is said that during his lifetime Phurba recited Amitabha's name more than seven million times. In the winter of 1996, he went to Serthar Larung (Buddhist college established by HH Jigme Phuntsok Rinpoche) where he borrowed a place to stay from his friend Rilu Akar. For one and a half months, he circumambulated the liberation mandala 10,000 times.
Signs at the Time of Passing
He said to Akar: "I have completed ten thousand circumambulations. I will return home the day after tomorrow. I have already arranged for the vehicle to take me back." The next morning, he said to Akar: "I can't go back anymore. I had a very strange dream last night." Akar asked: "What was this strange dream about?"
Phurba said, "In my dream, I was circumambulating the mandala when suddenly a woman in white appeared and said to me, 'Do not return to your hometown. Take the white path above to Sukhavati.' When I looked up, I saw a place behind the mandala full of blooming flowers. There was a grayish-white road. I asked her, “If I were to go on this path, will I manage to find the way?” The woman in white replied, “Go ahead, I will guide you.”
From behind the mandala, a white light appeared, with deities flying in space. I had a strong feeling that this dream meant that I will be reborn in Sukhavati." Akar joked, "You’re not even sick. How can you be reborn in Sukhavati before you die?"
After this, Phurba went to circumambulate the mandala. Suddenly, he felt a pain in his legs, so he returned to Akar’s house. The next morning, Phurba’s legs worsened and he told them, “Don't accompany me." He also told his daughter Pema Ladron, "You have to attend class and I need to pray to the Guru, so you should go to class." He did not want anyone to stay with him.
That day, he remained alone at home praying to the Guru. The next day, several masters, including Guru Lama, were invited to come and recite prayers. Guru Lama placed a sacred Dharma pill into Phurba’s mouth, in that instant, a white vapor resembling incense smoke rose from the center of his crown, rising to the height of about an arm's length. There and then, Phurba stopped breathing and passed away. This occurred in 1996.
Investigation and Verification
On 23 July 2020, we, the editors, visited the third stop of Shari Village in Ganzi County, where we interviewed the deceased’s son, Tsewang Sengdrub, and other close family members and relatives regarding the story of Phurba’s passing 24 years ago. On 15 September 2022, we went to the second Buddhist division (Khandro Ling) of Larung Gar and interviewed his daughter, Jomo Pema Ladron. Based on what they shared, we wrote this article which was further reviewed by them. Also, to make it more readable, we made some adjustments to the wording, after which we asked them to carefully verify the content for any errors or omissions. They confirmed that the details were accurate.
We did not solely rely on the deceased’s last words or the testimonies of those familiar with this matter. We also conducted a thorough investigation to assess whether the interviewees were trustworthy. After concluding that we could rely on their accounts, we included the story of Phurba’s passing here.
