The Myth of Tibetan Mountain Gods

The Myth of Tibetan Mountain Gods

There are countless high mountains in Tibet, and ancient Tibetans believed that Gods resided on every one of them. The worship of mountain Gods was one of the most important forms of nature worship among ancient Tibetans; it was fundamental to their entire belief system. Each mountain God possessed his own territory and was in charge of particular affairs. Around each God sprang up myths,legends, sacrificial rites and procedures. Analysis of Tibetan mountain God worship should lead to a fuller understanding of Tibetan mythology, and to a vision of the larger structures of that mythology.As ancient Tibetan society grew ever more complex, individual, autonomous Tibetan mountain Gods became associated in a complex hierarchy. Classification and stratification heralded the emergence of a single, supreme Deity. different geographical circumstances, and complex social developments and contradictions in the religion, however, brought about similarities, differences, and contradictions in characteristics and functions among the Deities in the upper echelons of the system.According to traditional, pre-Buddhist Tibetan belief, there are four great mountain Gods in the Tibetan region; each one is identified with a specific sacred mountain1: yar-lha-sham-po in central Tibet; gnyan-chen- thang-lha, in Byang-thang in the north; sku-lha-ri-rgya in the south; vod-de- gung-rgyal in the south. These four Gods, together with five other famous mountain Gods—rma-chen-spon-ra (or Anyesrmachen), shyogs-chen-ldong- ra, sgan-po-lha-rje, zhogs-lha-rgyug-po, and shevu-kha-rag—Form the core.

The four great Sacred mountains in Tibetan Buddhism— lcogs-po-ri, mgon-po-ri,hos-po-ri, and dkar-po-ri—differ from those named here.of the Tibetan mountain-God system; together they were called “the nine creator-Gods” (srid-pa-chags-po-lha-dgu). In addition, geographical differences between each Tibetan region gave rise to individual local Gods, such as the great mountain God gnyan-po-g’ywu-rtse-rdza-re, worshipped by the Tibetan go-log tribe, and the sacred mountain of gangs-dkar-ti-se in western Tibet. The study of Tibetan mountain Gods presents two principal problems. First, previous research on Tibetan mythology has had little to say about them, and what data does exist is quite heterogeneous. In addition, the features of the myths have certainly been diluted over time. Buddhist myths and rituals muffled the original character of the Tibetan myths; for example, almost all mountain Gods are now Buddhist guardians. These twin obstacles require that our investigation must start with the place of mountain Gods in relevant folk beliefs, myth, ritual, and customs. Some Tibetan literature and rituals scriptures also help to reveal the outline of the involved mythology. In what follows, all these sources are employed in providing an introduction to and analysis of some well-known mountain God myths and rituals.

Retrieved from: http://www.chinabuddhismencyclopedia.com/en/index.php/The_Mythology_of_Tibetan_Mountain_Gods:_An_Overview


My reflection:

This myth reflects the religious situation in Tibet and what are their beliefs. Also, it reflects the extent to which the Tibetans revered the nature surrounding them and the extent of their attachment to nature. We know that Tibet is a charming mountainous area with very high mountains, and that the Tibetans owe nature a great importance to the extent of sanctification and worship and that they thought god is in nature.