Tsiu Marpo – the Enlightened Demon

Feb 4, 2020 | Views: 3,577

(By Tsem Rinpoche)

Tsiu Marpo drawing found in Tengyeling Monastery, Lhasa.

The Dharma Protector (Sanskrit: Dharmapala) called Tsiu Marpo is an ancient Buddhist deity. His story stems from over a thousand years ago during the time of Padmasambhava, the “lotus born”, who is also known as Guru Rinpoche. Padmasambhava was a great Indian tantric master invited to Tibet by King Trisong Detsen, to subdue negative forces obstructing the proliferation of the Buddhist teachings by the great Shantarakshita.

Shantarakshita, the abbot of India’s famed Nalanda Buddhist University, was commissioned by the king not only to translate scores of Buddhist scriptures from Sanskrit into Tibetan, but also to ordain the first community of monks in the country, thereby firmly establishing Buddhism in Tibet. Unfortunately, he was plagued by negative forces, local deities and spirits who opposed the spread of Buddhism for their own selfish ends. Shantarakshita advised the king to invite Padmasambhava who, by engaging in spiritual warfare, won and bound these entities never to harm again and to only assist sincere Dharma practitioners on their spiritual path instead. One such being was Tsiu Marpo, who was installed as one of the Protectors of Samye Monastery, the first Buddhist monastic institution founded by Shantarakshita and King Trisong Detsen.

Later, when the primary Dharma Protector of Samye Monastery, named Pehar Gyalpo or Nechung, moved to Drepung Monastery near Lhasa, Tsiu Marpo took over this prominent position and is propitiated as such even until this day. He is propitiated to help increase the growth of Dharma in Tibet and its surrounding areas, and provide Dharma practitioners with their mundane needs so that they can focus on their spiritual journey.

But Tsiu Marpo is much older than the story recounted above. In fact, in one account it is said:

“According to the Tantra of the Red-Razored One the being that would become the deity Tsi’u Marpo was born during the dispensation of the Buddha Kashyapa as the Khotanese Prince Chorwa. Chorwa is said to have had faith in Buddhism and to have taken monastic ordination. One day, when he was meditating alone in the forest, the daughter of the local king was bathing nearby when she was bitten by a venomous snake. Chorwa was able to save her life by giving her a medicinal antidote, but when two evil ministers saw this, they spread the false rumour that the monk and the princess were making love.

The king, outraged by this, sent men to kill the monk. The princess attempted to dissuade him by telling him the truth of the matter, but he did not listen, and out of protest she vowed to be reborn as the hostile spirit sister of the monk in a future life, then threw herself off a cliff, committing suicide, in protest. Chorwa, meanwhile, fled to the Himalayas, and his mind became downcast and full of evil intentions. He then proceeded to go on a killing and raping spree, but eventually the king’s army caught up to him and stabbed him to death. Before he died, the monk swore to be reborn as a tsen demon, and the “executioner of all beings.”

Thereafter he hatched from an egg produced from the union of a deity named “Lekpa” and a female tsen. When he was born, he had six other tsen demon brothers growing inside his body – (2) the “black obstacle might demon” in his head, the (3) “divine might demon” in his bones, (4) “rock might demon” in his body heat, (5) “knife might demon” in his blood, (6) “serpentine might demon” in his pus, and (7) “defiling might demon” in his ‘messy rotten garments of flesh.’ Together they became the seven wild tsen brothers.”

(Source: Bailey, C. (2015). Tsi’u Marpo: History, Narrative & Myth)

Tsiu Marpo, commonly recognised as a worldly Protector, is the head of the Seven Wild Tsen Brothers, as mentioned in the story above. They are also known as the Seven Blazing Brothers. His practice was popularised by the Nyingma teacher Ngari Panchen Pema Wangyal (1487-1542 CE). Tsiu Marpo is very much practised within the Nyingma lineage up till the present day. You can see his depiction in many Nyingma temples, but his practice has also spread to all major schools of Tibetan Buddhism in one form or another.

A line drawing of Tsiu Marpo

Tsiu Marpo’s Iconography

According to the text The Unprecedented Elegant Explanations by Lelung Zhepe Dorje (1697-1740 CE), Tsiu Marpo is said to have a red body with a slight tinge of green. His red hair is made of blazing fire and he is said to wear a red silk robe, with sleeves made of blue satin. Wearing a turban of red silk, and a belt of golden jewels, his form blazes with the energy and blinding light of 100,000 suns. It is said that “meteors spring from his eyes, bloody hailstones fall from his mouth, blizzards of disease swirl from his nostrils, and poisonous black serpents issue from his ears.”

The central Tsiu Marpo statue at the Jowukhang, or Tsiu Marpo’s residence at Samye Monastery.

The text The Perfect Feast Invocation gives a more detailed description. In this text, Tsiu Marpo is said to ride on tumultuous waves of blood, filled with dismembered body parts and the corpses of enemies. Whistling violently, he grimaces with his upper lip biting and gnawing his lower lip. Brandishing a red silken spear in his right hand, he holds a lasso on his left, which shines like the rays of the sun. In order to tame the enemies or negative forces obstructing the spiritual journey of practitioners, he throws his lasso to bind them as fast as lightning. On his left side hangs a leopard-skin bow case and on his right a tiger-skin quiver. Under his robe, he wears a coat of armour covered with scorpion shells.

Assembled around him are 100,000 mighty demon warriors and 20,000 groups of serpent demon warriors and countless sky demons, as well as animals like tigers, leopards, eagles, falcons, etc. Then surrounding these warriors are four additional groups of his emanations that aid him in his works:

500 monks: holding begging bowls, monk’s staffs and wearing lacquered hats. They all proclaim the truth. They appear in front of him.
500 exorcists: wearing black robes and black hats, they hold daggers and skull cups. They recite powerful and fierce mantras. They appear on his right.
500 men: brandishing sharp swords and holding shields. They proclaim words of encouragement and appear on his left.
500 black women: shouting curses and shaking their black garments, they appear behind him.

Tsiu Marpo as Kache Marpo

My personal painting of Kache Marpo

Kache Marpo, a popular Dharma Protector within the Gelug tradition, is said to be none other than Tsiu Marpo. Research by Christopher Bell (presented below) confirms Kache Marpo as the enlightened Tsiu Marpo. Bell’s work, Tsiu Marpo: The Career of a Tibetan Protector Deity, mentions that one of the six tsen ‘demons’ that formed from Tsiu Marpo’s body is known as the ‘Rock Might Demon’ who comes from the red highlands.

This description is in sync with the account of Kache Marpo as coming from the ‘mansion of the high rising copper-red mountains’ in The abbreviated torma offerings and request for activity of Powerful Tsen Go Kache Marpo called “Sport of the Slaughterer”, written by His Holiness Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche. Bell’s thesis statement that the ‘Rock Might Demon’ is the ‘Overlord of the Red Copper Rock’ further supports the derivation that the ‘Rock Might Demon’ is Kache Marpo that manifested from Tsiu Marpo’s body.

Lastly, the iconography of the ‘Rock Might Demon’ (on page 50 of Bell’s thesis) is identical to Kache Marpo’s, except for the sword which he holds (Kache Marpo, by contrast, wields a lance).

The central Tsiu Marpo statue at Tengyeling Monastery (a satellite branch of Samye Monastery in Lhasa)

Kache Marpo is considered an emanation of Tamdrin (Sanskrit: Hayagriva), which makes him a fully accomplished being and also a Buddha who appears in a worldly form. It is said that when Dorje Shugden manifested, Tsiu Marpo saw the benefits of Dorje Shugden’s practice and activities and, on his own free will, took an oath to become one of Dorje Shugden’s ministers. So he is practised within the Nyingma tradition as Tsiu Marpo and within the Gelug tradition as Kache Marpo.

In this role, Kache Marpo is one of Dorje Shugden’s main attendants, assisting him by carrying out his Dharma instructions and activities. Kache Marpo assists us in overcoming inner and outer obstacles to our spiritual practice and although he takes on the form of a worldly Protector, he is Tamdrin (a wrathful form of Avalokiteshvara). Thus Kache Marpo is an enlightened Dharma Protector and as such, has his own set of pujas, offerings and rituals which can be used to propitiate him and invoke his blessings.

As Dorje Shugden’s main attendant, Kache Marpo is said to wait outside of Dorje Shugden’s mandala or celestial abode. He stands guard, ever ready to ride out and carry out Dorje Shugden’s instructions, leading the fight against obstacles faced by sincere practitioners.

Historically, this efficacious deity’s practice has not been limited to only the Nyingma and Gelug traditions. He was also propitiated within the Sakya tradition in the form of Tsiu Marpo. In this tradition, he was part of a triad known as the Gyalpo Sum, or Three Kings, alongside Dorje Setrap and Dorje Shugden. This triad was a group of Dharma Protectors that were relied heavily on upon in the Sakya tradition.

A painting of Tsiu Marpo in the main chapel at Tengyeling Monastery, Lhasa. Notice the striking similarities between this depiction of Tsiu Marpo and the depiction of Kache Marpo that we are with familiar with.

Tsiu Marpo – the Career of a Tibetan Protector Deity

Presented below is Christopher Bell’s thesis titled Tsiu Marpo: The Career of a Tibetan Protector Deity. His work provides a clear and much-needed volume all about Tsiu Marpo in English. Though an important deity within the history of Buddhism in Tibet, there is scant information about his mythology, rituals and significance available in English. And this is something that Bell provides in his work. He presents his research into Tsiu Marpo from four different angles:

The story of Tsiu Marpo’s origins and his connection with Tibetan cultural history
Tsiu Marpo’s iconography and an explanation of Tibetan Buddhist representations of violence
Tsiu Marpo’s propitiation in rituals to avert negative influences or obstacles
Tsiu Marpo’s prominence within the Tibetan Buddhist tradition of oracles

Throughout his thesis, he provides reliable textual sources to provide readers with an insightful overview of everything about Tsiu Marpo, and the importance of Dharma Protector practice amongst both the laity and the ordained community of Tibet. Do take a read and learn more about this beneficial protector, one who manifested to become Dorje Shugden’s main attendant in order to further benefit sentient beings.

Tsem Rinpoche

Disclaimer: This text is presented here for strictly educational, non-commercial purposes only and no profit is being derived from making it available here.

Kundeling Monastery’s Tsiu Marpo statue. The monastery is located in Lhasa and the statue is located in the monastery’s Protector chapel.

At Sera Monastery, Lhasa. This statue of Tsiu Marpo may be found in Sera’s Protector chapel.

Tsiu Marpo: the Career of a Tibetan Protector Deity

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Page 41-60
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Page 81-100
Page 101-120
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3 Responses to Tsiu Marpo – the Enlightened Demon

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Samfoonheei on Feb 13, 2020 at 3:39 pm

Tsiu Marpo is a ancient Tibetan worldly deity who is none other than Kache Marpo. Tsiu Marpo became known as the special protector of Samye Monastery in the 17th century. The practices of Tsiu Marpo as a Dharma Protector have now been adopted by all Tibetan Buddhist traditions. Been practised within the Nyingma tradition as Tsiu Marpo and within the Gelug tradition as Kache Marpo and also propitiated within the Sakya tradition in the form of Tsiu Marpo. Well researched post on Tsiu Marpo . Interesting read.
Thank you Rinpoche for this sharing.

Tsa Tsa Ong on Feb 6, 2020 at 1:25 pm

I really enjoyed reading this interesting and informative article about Dharma Protector Tsiu Marpo, who is none other than Kache Marpo. Kache Marpo is considered an emanation of Tamdrin (Sanskrit: Hayagriva), which makes him a fully accomplished being and also a Buddha who appears in a worldly form. It is said that when Dorje Shugden manifested, Tsiu Marpo saw the benefits of Dorje Shugden’s practice and activities and, on his own free will, took an oath to become one of Dorje Shugden’s ministers. So he is practised within the Nyingma tradition as Tsiu Marpo and within the Gelug tradition as Kache Marpo. In this role, Kache Marpo is one of Dorje Shugden’s main attendants, assisting him by carrying out his Dharma instructions and activities. Kache Marpo assists us in overcoming inner and outer obstacles to our spiritual practice and although he takes on the form of a worldly Protector, he is Tamdrin (a wrathful form of Avalokiteshvara). Thank you Rinpoche and blog team for this clear and precise write up.?????

Bradley Kassian on Feb 5, 2020 at 6:17 pm

Thank you for this clear and precise history of the Dharma Protector Tsiu Marpo, who is none other than Kache Marpo, and is practiced in all Tibetan Buddhist traditions in one form or another. He has taken a prominent role in Samye Monastery even to this day and continues to help sincere practitioners. He is one of the Seven Wild Tsen Brothers. With a history stretching back to the Buddha Kashyapa as the Khotanese Prince Chorwa.

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Tsiu Marpo – the Enlightened Demon

Tsiu Marpo’s Iconography

Tsiu Marpo as Kache Marpo

Tsiu Marpo – the Career of a Tibetan Protector Deity

Tsiu Marpo: the Career of a Tibetan Protector Deity

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