The Temple of Zhang Nya Stos
The Lcang Bu inscription stands at the ruins of Mtshur Phu Monastery, approximately 80 kilometres west of Lhasa. It records the founding of a Buddhist temple at Lcang Bu in the Stod Valley by the minister Zhang Tshes Pong Stag Bzang Nya Stos, during the reign of King Khri Gtsug Lde Brtsan — Ralpachen (r. 815–836 CE), the last great Buddhist king of the Tibetan Empire.
The inscription tells a simple story with profound implications. The king bestowed great grace upon Zhang Nya Stos. To repay that grace, the minister built a temple, installed monks, endowed the foundation with servants, fields, livestock, and religious implements, and dedicated the whole to the sovereign's spiritual merit. The king responded by naming the temple personally, placing it under the jurisdiction of the royal temple of 'On Cang Do, exempting it from all taxation and corvée, and decreeing that even if Zhang Nya Stos's bloodline should end, the endowments would remain with the temple — never reclaimed by the crown, never given away.
The charter concludes with a meticulous record of document custody: master copies at the dharma assembly and the fortress of Phying Ba alongside other great edicts, working copies at the 'On Cang Do temple and the Lcang Bu temple itself. This is medieval bureaucracy at its most careful — the legal infrastructure that sustained Buddhism across the Tibetan plateau. First English translation from Old Tibetan, based on the OTDO transliteration. Translated by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026.
Zhang Tshes Pong Stag Bzang Nya Stos — the history of the building of the temple at Lcang Bu in Stod, written on a stone pillar by command of the sovereign.
The Foundation
During the reigns of the sovereign's divine forefathers, the holy dharma was found. As the dharma edicts and royal decrees proclaim that the holy dharma shall not be abandoned through the ancestral lineage —
Zhang Tshes Pong Nya Stos took the holy dharma to heart.
The sovereign, the divine prince Khri Gtsug Lde Brtsan, bestowed great divine grace upon Zhang Nya Stos. To repay this great grace, Zhang Nya Stos dedicated the merit to the sovereign's spiritual benefit, and having made extensive prayers, built a temple at Lcang Bu in the Stod Valley and established supports of the Three Jewels.
Four monks were installed to reside there.
Servants for the temple's support, fields and pastures, religious implements, goods and wealth, livestock, and other necessities were fully allocated — so that the spiritual merit of the sovereign Khri Gtsug Lde Brtsan shall continue unbroken.
The Royal Protections
The name of this temple was bestowed by the sovereign's personal command. It was designated as subordinate to the great royal temple of 'On Cang Do, and by command, it was made to be governed from above.
That the temple's servants and property shall not be taxed, and that corvée and fines shall not be levied — this was commanded at the great divine plain.
That the temple's support endowments, as dedicated and arranged by Zhang Nya Stos, shall be maintained firmly — this was commanded.
The Succession
Should Zhang Nya Stos's line of sons and grandsons come to an end entirely, all his household servants, estates, and possessions shall not be reclaimed by the crown nor given away to others, but shall be added to the support of this temple — this was commanded.
The Custody of Documents
The inventory of the temple's allocated support and the master copy of the dedication document are deposited at the assembly hall of the tradition of the Blessed One.
The working copy is given to the abbot and overseer of the 'On Cang Do temple.
One copy identical to these is to be deposited at this temple — this was commanded.
The Edge Inscription
The master copy of the edict granted to the sons and grandsons of Zhang Tshes Pong Gsas Sto is deposited at the fortress of Phying Ba, alongside the other great edicts.
One identical copy is deposited alongside the other edicts at the place of royal command.
The working copy of the edict, in a small box, is deposited in the treasury of this temple — this was commanded.
Colophon
The Lcang Bu Inscription (insc_Lcangbu) is a stone pillar charter from the Tibetan Empire period, standing at the ruins of Mtshur Phu Monastery, approximately 80 kilometres west of Lhasa. It dates to the reign of Khri Gtsug Lde Brtsan, known as Ralpachen (c. 815–836 CE) — the last of the great dharma kings before the assassination that ended Tibet's imperial period.
Where the Skar Cung edict (also in this archive) records the imperial policy — "Buddhism shall never be abandoned in Tibet" — the Lcang Bu charter shows what that policy looked like on the ground: one man's gratitude, one valley, one temple, four monks, and a king's seal making it permanent. The meticulous document custody provisions — master copies at the dharma assembly and the royal fortress, working copies at both temples — reveal the legal infrastructure that sustained Buddhist institutions across the plateau. This is not just a religious document. It is a piece of administrative architecture.
This translation is independently derived from the Old Tibetan transliteration as published by the Old Tibetan Documents Online project (OTDO). No reference translation was consulted — no English translation of this inscription was available at the time of translation.
Translation notes: "Zhang" (張) is a Chinese-origin clan name common among powerful ministers of the Tibetan Empire. The precise identification of 'On Cang Do (the supervising royal temple) is uncertain. "Lha ris" in the context of temple servants refers to persons enrolled in the divine register — temple dependents exempt from secular obligations. "Bka's gnang ngo" ("this was commanded") is the formulaic closing of each provision, reflecting the charter's legal character.
Translated from Old Tibetan by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026. Formatted for the Good Work Library by Tanken (探検), the seventh of this name, Expeditionary Tulku Life 57.
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Source Text: ལྕང་བུའི་གཙིགས་བྱང་
Old Tibetan source text from the Old Tibetan Documents Online (OTDO) project, Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa (ILCAA), Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. Transliteration of the stone pillar inscription at Mtshur Phu. Presented here for reference, study, and verification alongside the English translation above.
Main Inscription (s1–s46)
zhang tshes pong stag bzang nya stos / stod kyi lcang bur / gtsug lag khang brtsigs pa'i lo rgyus / rdo rings la bri bar / btsan po'i bka's gnang ste bris pa' /
btsan po lha sras yab myes kyi sku ring la / dam pa'i chos brnyes nas / gdung rabs su dam pa'i chos myi gtang zhing mdzad par chos gtsigs dang / bka' lung stsald pa las 'byung ba bzhin /
zhang tshes pong nya stos / dam pa'i chos nyams su blangs /
btsan po lha sras / khri gtsug lde brtsan 'phrul gyi bka' drin / zhang nya sto la cher stsald pas / bka' drin chen po bsab pa'i phyir / btsan po sku yon du bsngos te / smon lam rgya cher btab nas /
stod lungs kyi lcang bur / gtsug lag khang brtsigs ste / dkon mchog gsum gyi rten btsugs / dge slong bzhi gnas par sbyar nas /
rkyen kyi bran dang / zhing 'brog dang / lha cha dang / nor rdzas dang / rkang 'gros las stsogs pa / tshang bar bcad de / btsan po khri gtsug lde brtsan gyi sku yon rgyun myi 'chad par byed do /
gtsug lag khang 'di'i mtshan yang / btsan po'i bka' zhal gyis btags ste / 'on cang do'i thugs dam gyi gtsug lag khang chen po'i mjug la gdags shing / chis kyang / bla nas mdzad par / bka's gnang /
lha ris kyi 'bangs dang / dkor la / khral myi dbab pa dang / khva dang / chad ka myi bzhes pa las stsogs pa yang / lha ris chen po'i thang du / bka's gnang ngo /
gtsug lag khang 'di'i rkyen ris bsngo zhing spyad pa yang / zhang nya stos / ji ltar byas shing / bsngos pa bzhin brtsan bar / bka's gnang ngo /
nam zhig na / zhang nya sto la / bu tsha rgyud yong myed pa zhig du gyur na / khol yul las stsogs pa dbang ngo cog / blar yang myi bzhes / gyang myi sbyin bar / gtsug lag khang 'di rkyen du bsnan par / bka's gnang ngo /
gtsug lag khang gi rkyen bcad pa'i dkar cag dang / bsngos yig bla dpe ni / bcom ldan 'das ring lugs kyi 'dun sar bzhag / 'og dpe ni / 'on cang do gtsug lag khang gi gnas brtan dang / mngan la stsald / dpe de dang 'dra ba gcig ni / gtsug lag khang 'dir gzhag par / bka's gnang ngo /
Edge Inscription (e1–e21)
zhang tshes pong gsas sto'i bu tsha / gtsigs gnang ba'i / bla dpe ni / phying ba'i skun mkhar na / gtsigs chen po gzhan gyi zla la bzhag /
de dang 'dra ba rnam gcig ni / gtsigs gzhan gyi zla la / bka'i sar bzhag /
gtsigs kyi 'og dpe 'phra men gyi sgrom bu ni / gtsug lag khang 'di'i mdzod du gzhag par / bka's gnang ngo /
Source Colophon
Old Tibetan transliteration from the Old Tibetan Documents Online (OTDO) project, Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa (ILCAA), Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. Identifier: insc_Lcangbu. The OTDO transcription is based on established epigraphic readings. The inscription stands at the ruins of Mtshur Phu Monastery, approximately 80 kilometres west of Lhasa. Dating: reign of Khri Gtsug Lde Brtsan (c. 815–836 CE).
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