The Four Exalted Brothers
An ancient statue of the Tibetan Emperor Songtsen Gampo.
(By Tsem Rinpoche and Pastor David)
According to The Clear Mirror of the Royal Genealogies (Gyalrab Salwai Melong) attributed to Sakyapa Sonam Gyaltsen (1312-1375 CE), the great Tibetan Emperor Songtsen Gampo (617-47 CE) decided that he had to make various statues of his yidam (tutelary deity) to be of benefit to sentient beings within his realm.
While he was in meditation, the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas revealed a pure vision to him. In the vision he was shown a ‘self-arising’ Avalokiteshvara statue made of sandalwood, located in Southern India. This was significant to the emperor as Avalokiteshvara was his yidam or personal meditational Buddha. At this point, it is said that a monk crowned with Buddha Amitabha on top of his head, emanated from the hair between the emperor’s eyebrows and was given the name Akaramatishila. This monk was dispatched to retrieve this statue, which he found in the form of an eleven-faced Avalokiteshvara. He brought the statue back to Tibet and presented it up to the emperor who was very pleased. Immediately, a thought came to the emperor that there was yet another ‘hidden’ emanated statue that would be of tremendous benefit to generations of sentient beings.
The emperor prayed to his yidam and a spectacle unfolded before his very eyes. From the chest of the self-arisen statue, a ray of light emerged and the emperor followed it with his eyes. The light pointed in the direction of the border between Nepal and India and he saw a white sandalwood tree within a dense forest. The tree was shining brightly and from it, the four self-arising brothers appeared. Hence, Akaramatishila was dispatched once more, this time to find the sandalwood tree. After several attempts, the monk finally found the sandalwood tree.
After combing through the dense forest of Southern Nepal for a long, the monk came across a herdsman who was tending many cows in a forest. That evening, the cows’ owner said to the herdsman, “You have been milking my cow!” The herdsman denied it and said that he had not done so. He explained that the cows were left to wander in the forest by themselves. The next day, the herdsman, accompanied by the owner, followed the cows to investigate the matter. They beheld the cows circumambulating the sandalwood tree that radiated light. The milk flowed from the owner’s cow, from her udders, and nourished the tree. The spectacle amazed the two of them. They told the monk and he realised that this was the tree that he had been searching for.
As he was about to cut the tree down, the tree spoke. The upper part of the trunk said to cut slowly as he would go to the settlement of Mangyul (near Kyirong). This self-arisen statue would later be known as the Noble Wati. Then a sound emerged from a portion under Noble Wati and said that he would go to the city of Yam-bu (or Yam-bha) Ya-‘gal. This self-arisen statue would be known as Noble U-Gang. Then another voice emerged from under him. The voice said that he would go to the border of India and Nepal. This self-arisen statue would be known as Noble Jamali. Finally, the fourth voice said that he would go to the snowy peaks of Tibet in order to be Emperor Songtsen Gampo’s yidam. This self-arisen statue would become be known as Noble Lokeshvara of Potala. Collectively, these four statues are known as The Four Exalted Brothers.
The Four Exalted Brothers are in the form of the standing Kharsapani Avalokiteshvara, which is identified by having one face and two arms. The left hand is in the mudra of teaching the Dharma while holding a lotus blooming at his side, and the right hand is in the mudra of transcendent giving or generosity. Thus, the emanated monk returned to Tibet with the statue of the Noble Lokeshvara and Noble Wati. It is for this reason that the Emperor Songtsen Gampo is credited with bringing the worship of Avalokiteshvara or Chenrezig to Tibet.
The Noble Wati
The Noble Wati Zangpo is commonly known as the Jowo of Kyirong. This old statue is the famous sandalwood image of Avalokiteshvara in the form of Kharsapani, and is one of the two Four Exalted Brothers brought over from Nepal by Akaramatishila at the order of Emperor Songtsen Gampo. It was installed at Kyirong and a temple was built to enshrine this sacred image. It was said that the presence of the statue quelled the region of a raging pestilence at the time.
This famous statue of Noble Wati of Kyirong is commonly represented as a background element in paintings of Sakya Pandita when he is depicted in debate posture. This thangka commemorates Sakya Pandita when he defeated an Indian teacher by the name of Harinanda in front of the statue of Noble Wati of Kyirong. Sakya Pandita was the first Tibetan master to achieve this feat. This is remarkable considering the reputation of Indian masters as formidable debaters.
The Noble Wati featured on the left side of the Sakya Pandita thangka.
Noble Wati of Kyirong is also said to have spoken several times to the temple caretakers and to have given prophecies of the future. Over the centuries, this sacred statue became an object of veneration. People used to come from all over central Tibet to seek its blessing. After the fall of Tibet, Tibetan refugees took the statue from its temple in Kyirong. It was said that the idea to remove the statue came from a dream a man had. He was staying at the temple for the night. The man said he dreamt that the Noble Wati spoke to him and told him that if he was brought to safety, he would be around for many years to come but if left at the temple, the statue would not last more than another year or two. Today, the Noble Wati is in the possession of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama in Dharamsala in India.
The Phakpa Wati Lhakang in Kyirong, Tibet where the Noble Wati was once enshrined.
The Noble Lokeshvara of Potala
The Noble Lokeshvara is in the middle and attended by Tara on the left and another statue of Avalokiteshvara on the right.
The north side of the Great Western Hall in the Red Palace is the location of one of the oldest and most important chapels. This chapel, along with the Dharma cave below it, dates from the 7th century CE and is called Phakpa Lhakhang. The chapel enshrines the ancient jewel encrusted statue of Avalokiteshvara and two of his attendants. This is the Noble Lokeshvara of the Potala that was once worshipped by the Emperor Songtsen Gampo and now an object of veneration to hundreds of Tibetan pilgrims. On the floor below the chapel is a low and dark passage that leads into the Dharma Cave where Songsten Gampo is believed to have studied Buddhism and meditated. In these caves are the famous statues of Songsten Gampo, his wives, his chief minister and Thonmi Sambhota, the scholar who developed Tibetan script.
The picture on the left is a rare one of an unadorned Noble Lokeshvara. The jewels and silks are never removed unless to apply more gold onto the statue.
The Noble Lokeshvara is enshrined in the Phakpa chapel that is in the Red Palace of the Potala.
The Noble U-Gang
In Nepal, there is a temple in which an image of Avalokiteshvara is enshrined and is known as the Noble U-Gang. In Nepal, the Noble U-Gang is known by other names such as Bungadeo or Karunamaya by the Newars along with other exalted names like Lokeshvara and Karujuju. To the Hindus, he is known as the famous Rato Macchendranath, the teacher of Gorakhnath (a famous Hindu saint) and he was a siddha-mendicant who is popularly worshipped in the Kathmandu Valley.
The Noble U-Gang is officially enshrined in Bungamati or Bungadeo for half a year and for the other half of the year, the statue is brought over to Tabahal in Patan. The Noble U-Gang is hewn from sandalwood and has detachable arms. The image is in the simple posture of standing, covered with clay and painted red annually. There is a religious festival called a jatra in which the image is paraded around town as a blessing for all who witness the procession.
An ancient Nepalese thangka (Paubha) of the Noble U-Gang.
The Tibetans know Macchendranath as the Mahasiddha Minapa from Abhayadana Sri’s Legends of the Eighty Four Mahasiddhas. Minapa was a Bengali fisherman who on one fateful day, hooked a giant sea creature that put up a great struggle. In the end, the creature pulled him into the ocean’s depths and swallowed him. The fisherman lived in the fish’s belly for twelve years. One day, the sea creature swam close to Mahadeva who had settled himself at the bottom of the ocean in order to teach Umadevi, his consort, a secret Dharma. Consequently, Minapa overheard the instruction and began to practice in the belly of the creature. The sea creature was eventually caught and the yogin was liberated. Minapa found that he had gained siddhi. In the Indian tradition of the siddhas, Macchendranath is also identified with the Mahasiddha Luipa, the fish-gut eater or Minapa. Unfortunately, no authoritative biographical texts survives that could tie the Indian, Tibetan and Nepali cultural traditions together to form a coherent picture. However, the identification of Rato Macchendranath as the Noble U-Gang of the Four Exalted Brothers is the closest identification of this statue.
This is another ancient Nepalese thangka depicting The Noble U-Gang as enshrined in the temple at Patan.
This is the Rato Macchendranath temple in Patan, Kathmandu where the Noble U-Gang is enshrined within.
The tall chariot carries the Noble U-Gang as it is brought on a procession during the Rato Macchendranath Jatra.
The Noble Jamali
A closeup of the Noble Jamali that is also known as Seto Macchendranath.
According to a lama of Kojarnath, the fourth of the Four Exalted Brothers is the sacred statue of the Noble Jamali. The local Newari legends attribute King Gunakamadeva with the worship of Jamali. This king was a contemporary of both King Amsuvarman and the Tibetan Emperor Songtsen Gampo.
In the Newari legends, it was mentioned that a king from the West stole the Noble Jamali. From the 10th to the 13th centuries, the Western Malla kings ruled over Kojarnath and the Noble Jamali was most likely taken hostage by one of the Malla Kings and later reclaimed by the city state kingdoms of the valley. In fact, there were other cases of sacred images being stolen by invading Tibetans in the Vamsavali. The Noble Jamali reappeared in Kathmandu during the reign of Yaksa Malla (1428-1480 CE) and it was recorded that he was found in a well or a field in Jamal, just south of the present royal palace.
It was probably in Yaksa Malla’s time that Jamali was enshrined in Jana Bahal, which was officially known as Kanaka Caitya Mahavihara near Indra Chowk. The Noble Jamali is a plastered statue of Padmapani Lokesvara, white in colour. The Newars call the Noble Jamali, Jama Deo or Karunamaya Lokeswar. However, the Hindus claim that this statue is actually the patron saint of Kathmandu, Seto Macchendranath. The Noble Jamali wears the Bodhisattva crown and ornaments, and the figure of Buddha Amitabha is painted prominently in his hair. Enshrined on his right and left are the White and Green Taras. The Noble Jamali as Seto Macchendranath is honoured yearly in a religious festival in which the statue is paraded around town.
A ritual ablution is being performed on the Noble Jamali by a Nepalese priest.
An artist redraws the features of the Noble Jamali in preparation for the Seto Macchendranath Jatra festivities.
The Noble Jamali is enshrined within the ancient Jan Bahal temple since the 15th century.
The tall chariot carries the Noble Jamali out on parade during the Seto Macchendranath Jatra festivities.
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This is an amazing story of the 4 statues that are still in existence in our time and age. Thank you Pastor David.
Thank you Pastor David for sharing this article. It interesting and amazing how this deity can self arisen on sandalwood or rocks. It is said that these places with self-arisen deity is very blessed and sacred. Everyone who goes there to pray need to set their aspirations high.
With folded palms,
Vivian
Dear Pastor David,
I love this interesting and exciting stories about the four exalted brothers. i love it very much because if it’s self arising and it has spoken before,and it has helped and benefited many people in Tibet in the past. And i love those beautiful pictures of the statues. Great write up from a great writer! 🙂 _/\_
Very interesting story of the statues of Avalokiteshvara.. This old statue is one of the two Four Exalted Brothers Now i know after reading this post and about the Newari legends as well.The ancient Nepalese thangka depicting The Noble U-Gang in the temple at Patan, Kathmandu was an eye opener for me. Rejoice a beautiful piece.,
Thank you, Pastor David for sharing this interesting post and beautiful pictures shared.
好精彩的文章！！ 谢谢黎国圆讲法师的分享。
观音菩萨的慈悲让他化现成为四尊不同的木像， 让我们可以直接看到观音菩萨的形象， 可以直接献上供养， 与观音菩萨结缘。
我曾经参观过第四尊， Noble Jamali。 就在尼泊尔加德满都。 那里常年都有很多朝圣者或游客来到， 向这尊观音菩萨献上供养。 而且我们也可以看到当地人都会在哪里献上酥油灯， 就好像是日常生活一直都会做的事情。
其他三尊也非常漂亮、庄严， 也带有一些神秘的色彩。
希望未来也有机会一览其他三尊观音的风采。
谢谢
Thank you P David, for this very interesting mystical story of the self-arising statues of Avalokiteshvara retrieved for the great Tibetan Emperor Songsten Gampo by a mystically arisen monk, Akaramatishila.
The great Tibetan Emperor Songtsen Gampo, out of great compassion, decided that he had to make various statues of his yidam (tutelary deity) to be of benefit to sentient beings within his realm. In his meditation, he was given a vision of a ‘self arising’ Avalokiteshvara statue made of sandalwood, located in Southern India. Akaramatishila who emanated from the hair between the eyebrows of the emperor, successfully brought this statue ,an eleven-faced Avalokiteshvara, back to Tibet.
Then, after thinking that there would be more statues to be discovered and brought back for the benefit of all beings, the emperor received the vision of a white sandalwood tree in a deep forest and , out of that tree four self-arising brothers appeared. Akaramatishila found the tree and managed to retrieve the four brothers.The four brothers are -the Noble Wati who was installed in Kyirong), Noble U-Gang in Yam-bu , Noble Jamali and Noble Lokeshvara of Potala.The four are known as the Four Exalted Brothers.
All these statues arose out of the great compassion of Avalokiteshvara to bless and protect all beings. The places where these statues have been installed , have now become pilgrimage sights. Knowing how they mysticaaly arose, fills us with awe at the power of Buddhas like Avalokitehvara in manifesting their compassion.
The emanated monk Akaramatishila returned to Tibet with the statues of the Noble Lokeshvara and Noble Wati. It is for this reason that the Emperor Songtsen Gampo is credited with bringing the worship of Avalokiteshvara or Chenrezig to Tibet.
“This is the Noble Lokeshvara of the Potala that was once worshipped by the Emperor Songtsen Gampo and now an object of veneration to hundreds of Tibetan pilgrims. On the floor below the chapel is a low and dark passage that leads into the Dharma Cave where Songsten Gampo is believed to have studied Buddhism and meditated. In these caves are the famous statues of Songsten Gampo, his wives, his chief minister and Thonmi Sambhota, the scholar who developed Tibetan script.”
This is very interesting indeed because there is a strong link between King Songsten Gampo and Dorje Shugden emanation Thonmi Sambhota.
One evidence is the Pabongka Monastery in Lhasa which has a long history that pre-dates the building of the Jokhang and the Ramoche temple.
King Songtsen Gampo lived here together with his queens and studied the Tibetan script that was constructed by Thonmi Sambhota in the same period and place. The original stone with the first Tibetan text – a carved out “Om mani padme hum” – can be seen at the Rigsum Gonpo Lhakang below the main palace. (see attached photo)
The four Rigsum Gonpo Lhakhangs were all built in the seventh century during the time of King Songtsen Gampo, each situated in a cardinal direction with Jokhang at the center. Popular legend credits Songtsen Gampo with building the four Rigsum Gonpos to protect the Jokhang. The Rigsum Gonpo are Avalokiteshvara, Manjushri and Vajrapani, a triad of deities known as Lords of the Three Families, representing the body, speech and mind of all buddhas of all times.
Sources:
http://www.mytibet.nl/gompas/pabongka.htm
http://treasuryoflives.org/institution/Southern-Rigsum-Gonpo-Lhakhang
It’s interesting to know how King Songtsen Gampo was credited with bringing the worship of Avalokiteshvara or Chenrezig to Tibet as opposed to how the other Dharma Kings are said to have brought Buddhism to Tibet. Maybe that’s why the Tibetans love Chenrezig so much.
And, the locals show such reverence and worship for Chenrezig though they are known different to them. The temples housing 2 of the 4 exalyed brothers in Nepals have been around for hundreds of years and are still revered today. There has to be something to these legends.
Thank you, Pastor David for a very interesting sharing.
“This is the Noble Lokeshvara of the Potala that was once worshipped by the Emperor Songtsen Gampo and now an object of veneration to hundreds of Tibetan pilgrims. On the floor below the chapel is a low and dark passage that leads into the Dharma Cave where Songsten Gampo is believed to have studied Buddhism and meditated. In these caves are the famous statues of Songsten Gampo, his wives, his chief minister and Thonmi Sambhota, the scholar who developed Tibetan script.”
This is very interesting indeed because there is a strong link between King Songsten Gampo and Dorje Shugden emanation Thonmi Sambhota.
One evidence is the Pabongka Monastery in Lhasa which has a long history that pre-dates the building of the Jokhang and the Ramoche temple.
King Songtsen Gampo lived here together with his queens and studied the Tibetan script that was constructed by Thonmi Sambhota in the same period and place. The original stone with the first Tibetan text – a carved out “Om mani padme hum” – can be seen at the Rigsum Gonpo Lhakang below the main palace. (see attached photo)
The four Rigsum Gonpo Lhakhangs were all built in the seventh century during the time of King Songtsen Gampo, each situated in a cardinal direction with Jokhang at the center. Popular legend credits Songtsen Gampo with building the four Rigsum Gonpos to protect the Jokhang. The Rigsum Gonpo are Avalokiteshvara, Manjushri and Vajrapani, a triad of deities known as Lords of the Three Families, representing the body, speech and mind of all buddhas of all times.
Sources:
http://www.mytibet.nl/gompas/pabongka.htm
http://treasuryoflives.org/institution/Southern-Rigsum-Gonpo-Lhakhang
I wonder what is the significant of knowing these Four Exalted Brothers? Sorry for my ignorance but are these Four Brothers enlightened? Are they an emanation?
If I didn’t come across this storyear, I would have thought that They were just local deities.
Thanks Pastor David Lai.
They are all Chenrezig arising from the same sandalwood tree.
To summarise, They emanated from Lord Chenrezig to suit the needs of the practitioners at that time. Am I correct?
P/s : I will bear in mind that They are the same nature.
Thanks Choong.
Dear Jacinta,
The Four Exalted Brothers are statues of a form of standing Kuan Yin / Chenrezig / Avalokiteshvara that was carved from a single sandalwood tree. These are not local deities. These statues are famous for having shown many miracles especially the ability to speak and give prophecies of the future like the Noble Wati. Hence, they are very popular among Tibetan pilgrims who come to pay homage to these statues because it would be like praying before Chenrezig.
Thank you Pastor David for presenting this very interesting story of the Four Exalted Brothers. Everything about it is truly magical especially in the beginning how the Tibetan Emperor Songtsen Gampo had a vision of Avalokiteshvara when he was meditating and was shown a ‘self-arising’ statue of Avalokiteshvara made of sandalwood.Basically how everything unfolded sounds very magical.
I sometimes wonder how come these magical kind of things hardly appears these days like in ancient times? Could it be because we lack the merits and people in general are not as spiritual as before? Then shouldn’t it be more relevant for miraculous signs to appear, I guess it boils down to lack of merits on our part and not enough real genuine practitioners of the Dharma.
These stories help spiritual seekers like myself to keep having faith and to keep up our practice because such magic does exist, and it is up to us to preserve these teachings to continue to give hope and light to others who may have lost their way. In a way these type of stories reminds me of the movie called Lady in the Water by M. Night Shyamalan, where people have forgotten how “believe” and have forgotten to to find their true purpose in life.
Thank you again Pastor David, for such tales keep our imagination flowing and keep the faith that miracles do and can happen.It also makes me appreciate seeing these statues better, if I do see them again in Nepal, and to receive Avalokiteshvara’s great blessings.
The story of “The Four Exalted Brothers” is very interesting and i felt lots of excitement after reading this, its like the movie Harry Porter came to life. I have first followed H.E Tsem Rinpoche to a pilgrimage trip in Nepal during 2008, It was an eye opener. I will never know there are so many holly Buddhist places out there if not for Rinpoche’s kindness. Im glad recently i have the opportunity making a pilgrimage trip to Nepal again making offerings to Vajrayogini, and one of the The Four Exalted Brothers. I like these holy places alot. I hope i can always come back to these places to make more offerings.