Tuesday, May 12, 2026 · 天火 · tianmu.org
Funeral and Mortuary Rites
✦ ─── ⟐ ─── ✦
Texts
The Funeral of Sten Rgan Nyer PaA pre-Buddhist Tibetan funeral narrative and bride-quest from Dunhuang manuscript IOL Tib J 731 (verso). A father's funeral cannot be fulfilled despite offerings of hundreds of animals. A demon devours the family. The surviving boy escapes to a sky goddess on the tail of a white crane. Nine generations later, a magical bride provides the means to complete the rites at last. First freely available English translation.The Horse SacrificeTwo pre-Buddhist Tibetan ritual narratives from Dunhuang manuscript Pelliot tibétain 1136. A mythological charter for funeral horse sacrifice: two noble friends bound by a death-pact, supernatural horses caught in the valleys, a princess cursed by black sorcery and healed by the Bird-Priestess. Pure Bon religion from Imperial Tibet. First English translation.The Lineage of the Mdzo MoA pre-Buddhist Tibetan funeral narrative from Pelliot tibétain 1289 — an origin myth authorizing the sacrifice of the mdzo mo (female dzo) at funeral rites. The genealogy of the funeral mdzo, the quest for the White Conch Bull, the Lord of Lords' death at the hands of nine demonesses, and the triple self-offering at the funeral: man, woman, and mdzo. 73 lines from the sealed cave library at Dunhuang. First English translation.The Mdzo Funeral RitesTwo pre-Buddhist Tibetan funeral narratives from Pelliot tibétain 1068 — origin myths authorizing the use of the mdzo cow in funeral rites. A hero visits his grandmother's supernatural court and receives a golden mdzo whose butter anoints his dead sister. A brother's desperate quest for the magical mdzo cow Drang-ma to smooth his mistreated sister's death-stiffened hair. First freely available English translation from Old Tibetan.The Paths of the DeadThree pre-Buddhist Tibetan funeral narratives and a complete guide to the underworld from Pelliot tibétain 1134 — the most detailed surviving map of the Tibetan afterlife before Buddhism. Origin myths authorizing funeral rites, the tale of Lhe'u Yang-ka Rje caught between gods and demons, a shepherd's lament for the dead, and a systematic journey through the passes and realms of the land of the dead. 297 lines from the sealed cave library at Dunhuang. First English translation.The Royal Funeral RitualsA complete protocol for the funeral of a Tibetan emperor — the most detailed surviving record of pre-Buddhist Tibetan royal burial rites. Pelliot tibétain 1042 from the Dunhuang cave library.