A Creation Folklore
When I was a kid, my Grandmother used to tell me that there was not anything called universe at the beginning. She said “jig rten", the world, was hallow, void and full of dust and wind, constantly arising, becoming, changing and fading. As the wheel of time turned constantly and countless eons passed, the wind and dust grew thicker and heavier, forming the mighty double thunderbolt scepter of Dorje Gyatram was shaped. She said as the wind grew, Dorje Gyatram created the clouds, which in turn created the rain. The rain fell for many years until the ocean was formed. Then, all was calm, quiet, and peaceful. The Ocean became clear as a mirror. Once more, wind gently moved over the waters of the ocean, churning them continually until light foam appeared on the surface. Just as cream is churned into butter, the light was created as well as the earth. At that time, there was no trace of human and living beings. She saif At first our world was inhabited by gods from Rirap Lhunpo. There was no pain or sickness. They lived in contentment, spending their days in deep mediation.
One day one of the gods noticed that on the surface of the earth there was a cream-like substance, he tasted it found it to be delightful to the taste. He encouraged other gods to taste it. All the gods so enjoyed eating the creamy food that they would do nothing else. The more they ate the more their powers diminished. No longer were they able to sit in deep meditation; the light that once shown so brightly from their bodies began to fade, and finally was lost altogether. The world was clothed in darkness, and the mighty gods of Rirap Lhunpo became human beings.
Then, out of the darkness of night there appeared in the heavens the sun, and when the sun faded the moon and stars lit up the sky and illumined the world. She said the sun, moon, and stars appeared because of the past good deeds of the gods, and are a everlasting reminder to us that our world was once a peaceful, beautiful place, free from pain.
After become human beings, they began to eat the fruit of the nyugu plant. Each person had his own plant, which produced a corn-like fruit. Each day, as one fruit was eaten, another would appear. It was enough to satisfy the hunger of the beings of Dzambu Ling (earth).
One morning a man awoke to find that instead of producing only a single fruit his plant had grown two. Feeling greedy, he ate the two fruits. As a result, his plant was empty next day. Needing to satisfy his hunger, the man stole someone elses plant, and so it went on and on, each person needed to steal from another in order to eat. With theft came greed, and each person, afraid of being left without, began to grow more and more nyugu plants, having to work harder and harder to ensure that he would have enough to eat.
Strange things began to happen on Dzambu Ling. What used to be the peaceful abode of the gods from Rirap Lhunpo was now full of men who knew theft and greed.
This is how our world came to be, how from gods we became human beings, subject to disease, old age, and death.
When I was a kid, my Grandmother used to tell me that there was not anything called universe at the beginning. She said “jig rten", the world, was hallow, void and full of dust and wind, constantly arising, becoming, changing and fading. As the wheel of time turned constantly and countless eons passed, the wind and dust grew thicker and heavier, forming the mighty double thunderbolt scepter of Dorje Gyatram was shaped. She said as the wind grew, Dorje Gyatram created the clouds, which in turn created the rain. The rain fell for many years until the ocean was formed. Then, all was calm, quiet, and peaceful. The Ocean became clear as a mirror. Once more, wind gently moved over the waters of the ocean, churning them continually until light foam appeared on the surface. Just as cream is churned into butter, the light was created as well as the earth. At that time, there was no trace of human and living beings. She saif At first our world was inhabited by gods from Rirap Lhunpo. There was no pain or sickness. They lived in contentment, spending their days in deep mediation.
One day one of the gods noticed that on the surface of the earth there was a cream-like substance, he tasted it found it to be delightful to the taste. He encouraged other gods to taste it. All the gods so enjoyed eating the creamy food that they would do nothing else. The more they ate the more their powers diminished. No longer were they able to sit in deep meditation; the light that once shown so brightly from their bodies began to fade, and finally was lost altogether. The world was clothed in darkness, and the mighty gods of Rirap Lhunpo became human beings.
Then, out of the darkness of night there appeared in the heavens the sun, and when the sun faded the moon and stars lit up the sky and illumined the world. She said the sun, moon, and stars appeared because of the past good deeds of the gods, and are a everlasting reminder to us that our world was once a peaceful, beautiful place, free from pain.
After become human beings, they began to eat the fruit of the nyugu plant. Each person had his own plant, which produced a corn-like fruit. Each day, as one fruit was eaten, another would appear. It was enough to satisfy the hunger of the beings of Dzambu Ling (earth).
One morning a man awoke to find that instead of producing only a single fruit his plant had grown two. Feeling greedy, he ate the two fruits. As a result, his plant was empty next day. Needing to satisfy his hunger, the man stole someone elses plant, and so it went on and on, each person needed to steal from another in order to eat. With theft came greed, and each person, afraid of being left without, began to grow more and more nyugu plants, having to work harder and harder to ensure that he would have enough to eat.
Strange things began to happen on Dzambu Ling. What used to be the peaceful abode of the gods from Rirap Lhunpo was now full of men who knew theft and greed.
This is how our world came to be, how from gods we became human beings, subject to disease, old age, and death.
