Pure Blue Nectar: Dromtonpa and the Fragrant Secret
In a section of the artwork, Dromtonpa is shown methodically teaching the Daoist teachings of the Heat Shock Temple. The painting also portrays the ancient cypress grove around the Heat Shock Temple. It dates to the mid-19th century and is held in a private collection, under the title 'Inheritance group picture of the Patriarch Zhong Dunba: Great Master Dromtonpa.
The painting "Lineage and Previous Life Transmission of Respected Master: Dromtonpa" (late 18th century, Zurich National Museum of Folklore) partially depicts the distant Rezeng Monastery and an ancient cypress forest. In the scriptures, this site is frequently called the "incense tree grove of Heat Shock" （རྭ་སྒྲེང་བདུག་སྤོས་ཤིང་གི་ཚལ་）. The cypress trees in that area are said to possess seven layers of ornamental bark （ཤུན་པ་/ཁོག་པ་རིམ་པ་བདུན་ལྡན་པའི་ཤུག་ནག་）.
Within this body of literature, the seven turquoise sacred trees (ལྷ་ཤིང་གཡུ་ཤུག་) are frequently employed as symbols for the first through seventh Venerables (political and religious authorities). This form of expression is deeply connected to the protective endeavors of the Seven Buddhas and the transmission of teachings between the old and new Kagyu lineages, a connection captured in the phrase, "Ideas like root veins, purity like fragrance, spreading like emerald leaves.
This tree is composed of the five essential elements: it is grounded by Earth, moistened by Water, warmed by Fire, and moved by Wind. Its roots emerge from the abode of the nagas, its crown ripens in the domain of the gods, and its leaves extend throughout the realm of humans. Its fragrance pervades every direction, and it is endowed with color, scent, flavor, and potency.
Fragrance permeates the air in every corner, as the leaves scatter across the realm of humankind.
This tree, with its essence of color, fragrance, taste, and vitality, Excerpt from "Purifying Smoke Offering Text - Sacred Blue Water"（མནོལ་བསང་ལྷ་ཆབ་སྔོན་མོ།） "Blue Glass Tibetan Medicine Thangka: Properties and Functions of Medicinal Herbs" In the first half of the 20th century, the Menzikang Tibetan Medical Institute in Lhasa Partial: Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, and Space are the five foundations of the Five Elements theory, which is the basis of Tibetan naturalism and biology.
In connection with the Five Elements theory, the origins and distinctive qualities of various fragrances require further elucidation. A mid-18th-century work titled "Gadang Pa's Lineage Transmission: Bodowa" (པོ་ཏོ་བ་；1031-1105), held in the Rubin Museum collection, depicts a golden incense burner holding lighted incense sticks upon a table. Situated to the north of Sangye Temple's main hall are three square-shaped Buddha halls.
Of these, the Buddha hall on the right—which represents Jambudvipa, one of the eight subcontinents—is called the White Lotus Treasure Hall (པད་དཀར་དཀོར་མཛད་གླིང་). On its exterior wall, two texts about smoke/incense offerings were once inscribed; in scriptures, these texts are commonly known as the "Sangye Inscriptions" (བསམ་ཡས་ལོགས་བྲིས་མ་).
The "Purifying Smoke Offering Text: Sacred Blue Water" is one of these works, attributed to Lotus-born himself. Its origin is actually connected to a palace-curtain scandal. Even though later scholars have debated whether the text is genuine, the incense culture and theory of odor it puts forward, together with its underlying "cleanliness-impurity" narrative system, had a direct influence on the Tibetan people's daily lives and their views of nature.
Whether smoke offerings or incense burning are used, scents are believed to remove mental obstacles and enable people to face all negative conditions that stand in the way of successful pursuits. At the same time, odors are regarded as a weapon for resisting disharmony and as a commodity that both creates individual space and maintains public space. "Panoramic View of Songye Temple" Late 18th to mid-19th century, Newark Museum Collection. "Praise to the Tibetan Ruler Gushri Khan" From the late 18th century, in the collection of the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco.
Every spirit in that area was defiled and vanquished when the corpse of the abandoned infant came into contact with the territorial deity. The child, born to the palace queen with an unknown bloodline, had been buried alive by a maid at the queen's request. Unbeknownst to them, this clandestine abandonment was the true origin of a series of calamities, including nationwide drought and illness among both rulers and subjects.
The nation was thrown into enduring disaster by the turmoil and upheaval, leaving the maid, stricken by illness as well, with no alternative but to reveal her deeds to those in power. The queen, having faced punishment, held hope that the Lotus-born Grandmaster, residing at Sangye Green River, might extend assistance. It is the law of cause and effect that all sentient beings undergo suffering. Moved by compassion, the Grandmaster directed the rulers to assemble the necessary materials for the ceremony and to await him at Sangye Hiwbu Mountain come daybreak.
At the break of dawn, the fragrant substances bearing the quintessence of the five elements were set ablaze by the Grandmaster in a container, while he chanted the "Purifying Smoke Offering Prayer, Sacred Blue Water." Since this event is absent from historical records, it has drawn doubt from scholars.
Revisiting the text, however, reveals that the connections it draws (contamination impacting spirits), the particular fragrance sources (linked to contamination), and the way cleanliness is defined all carry considerable scholarly importance. Dating from the mid-15th century, "The Great Master Zhenbao Holding the Treasure Vase with Lotus Flower" belongs to a private museum collection.
A quote from the piece reads: 'If the wisdom god is polluted, cleanse it with sandalwood; if the worldly god is polluted, cleanse it with frankincense.' This linkage between fragrance and pollution cannot be wholly traced back to Buddhist tradition. The work, titled 'Master Darong Jujuzu: Darongtangba Zaxibei', dates to the mid-13th century and is held in the Brooklyn Museum collection. Notably, its detail shows disciples offering incense and fragrant smoke.
For those seeking to understand Tibet's distinctive incense culture, "Ritual Smoke Offering Texts: Sacred Blue Water" offers an excellent lens, as it combines Buddhist and native incense traditions. Long before the Buddhist era in Tibet, the special effectiveness and paramount significance of fragrances in shaping sacred and personal healing dimensions were already recognized. A description from that context notes, "The Tibetan court was filled with the aroma of exotic and local incense burning.
Through fragrances, people liberate their sensory experiences and construct a grander cosmology. As part of a series of articles, "Journey of Tibetan Fragrances" takes us through Tibet's long-standing incense culture: from the Tubo period's "incense road" to multi-layered portrayals of incense sources, from the integration of incense culture into local life studies and "literary-arts" narratives to, ultimately, a more systematic and diversified incense universe.
This article is translated from Aguo's blog. As the proverb goes: "Let fragrance awaken the mind, and the mind will directly reach the palace of wisdom." In the Rubin Museum collection is "The Scroll Offering of Mandala," dating from the 19th century. One detail depicts a celestial maiden holding a conch shell filled with incense. Set off on a journey of aromas.