Szilágyi András (szerk.): Ars Decorativa 19. (Budapest, 2000)
Béla KELÉNYI: Biographical Details from the Year of the Fire-Monkey
Chos rje Don [grub] Rin [chen] pa 7 mnal lam du 'Jigs byed zhal gzigs shing rJe 'di lung bstan pa / 8. "In a dream a vision of Vajrabhairva appeared to Chöje Döndub Rinchen [later on Tsongkhapa's teacher], and prophesied (the birth of) the Lord [i.e. Tsongkhapa]." yum gyi mnal lam du skye bo mams rnga roi [mo] mchod rdzas khyer nas sPyan ras gzigs bsu zhes par nam mkhar gser sku ri rab tsam 'khor bcas bzhugs pa lus la thim pa rims pa /9 9. "In her dream his mother saw people carrying musical instruments and votive offerings and parading in front of Avalokiteshvara, who appeared in the sky along with his entourage as a golden statue the size of a mountain, and then (shrinking in size) came down into her [i.e. the mother's] body." yum gyi thugs ka 'i shi[=e]l sgo b[-phjye zhing mkha 'gros khrus gsol ba rmis rJes tho rang[s] Itams par he khrag las tsandan sdongpo 'khrungs pa //10 10. "(Before his birth) his mother dreamt that a door the colour of crystal had opened in her heart,* so that the dakini could bathe it (i.e. the statue). At dawn the Lord was born, and from the blood of his navel a sandalwood tree sprang up." * In the Tibetan biographies (except in Jamyang's text) the child the colour of white crystal known from the preceding dream appeared to his mother, and opening her womb, removed the golden statue of Avalokiteshvara, which the dakini made clean. 13 Chos rje Don Rin pas 'Jam dbyangs ril bu gnang ba /11 11. "Chöje Döndub sent relic pills (originating) from Manjushri [to Tsongkhapa]." dgung lo gsum par Karma Rol pa 'i rdo rje'i drung du dge [bjsnyen sdom pa bzhi[=e]s cing lung bstan pa /12 12. "At the age of three he (Tsongkhapa) took the layman's vows [i.e. upasaka] from the Karmapa, Rolpe Dorje [Karmapa IV, 1340-83], and participated in spiritual guidance." Chos rje Don Rin pa 7 drung du dge tshul gyi sdom pa g[=b]zhes pa// 13 13. "(At the age of seven [according to Jamyang at the age of eight]) he took his novice's vows from Chöje Döndub Rinchen." Chos rje Don Rin pas drung du dbang skurzhus pa// 14 14. "He asked Chönje Döndub Rinchen's consecration." mnam[-I] lam du Phyag rdor dang Jo bo rje dang mjal ba /15 15. "Vajrapani and Atisha appeared to him in a dream." Ijags bsnyen mdzad pa /16 16. "He practised recitation of the mantras." 'Bri khung pa'i phrin las pa dan[=ng] 'grogs* dbUs gTsang la phebs pa / *This part is missing from Jamyang's text. 17. "Joining an official from Drikung [Densa Rinchen Pel], (at the age of sixteen) he went to Ü-Tsang Province." XXX Chab mdor zhag bzhugs skabs gnas bcu [drug] dang mGon po zhal gzigs pa /18 18. "In Chamdo, where he stayed for one day, the 16 (arhats) and Mahakala appeared (to him in a vision)." The second scroll, the thangka from the Rév collection, presents the career of the great reformer beginning from the tunc he was seventeen. Alas, it has survived in a condition worse than that of the work in the Patkó collection; the bottom of the frame has almost completely come away, and its strengthening elements are later insertions. Like the first scroll, the figure of Tsongkhapa sits emphasised in the middle, but his right hand is held in vitarka mudra (in the pictures of the series the main protagonist's hand postures and attributes differ from one another); and in his left hand, there is a book. There is an inscription on the back part of the thangka: g-yas gnyis, that is "the second (thangka) on the right side". The captions to the various scenes are as follows:
