Consecrated Medicines and Spiritual Practices: A Reflection on the Many Traditions Represented in the Relics by Zur mKhar ba mNyam nyid rdo rje

This contribution is aimed at analyzing a series of life-prolonging and rejuvenating treatments (bcud len), recipes of ambrosia for immortality (bdud rtsi sman), and yogic and meditative techniques incorporated in the Man ngag bye ba ring bsrel (Ten Million of Quintessential Instructions, The Relics; henceforth Ring bsrel), a medical corpus mainly authored by Zur mkhar ba mNyam nyid rdo rje (1439–1475). The many treads of mNyam nyid rdo rje’s literary production reflect his rNying ma and bKa’ brgyud spiritual legacies: the author systematically elaborated materials drawn from the rNying ma gter ma tradition and complex medico–alchemical practices ascribed to the third Karmapa Rang byung rdo rje (1284–1339) and O rgyan pa rin chen dpal (1230–1309). The key ingredients of the recipes include saxifrage [bdud rtsi ’od ldan; Micranthes melanocentra; Saxifraga melanocentra], purple sage [lug mur; Phlomoides bracteosa], potent substances such as black aconite [bstan dug; Aconitum spicatum;], nightshade [thang phrom; Anisodus spp.; Mandragora caulescens], mercury–sulfide ashes (zla bcud; bcud rgyal), aphrodisiacs containing salamander meat [da byid, gangs sbal; Batrachuporus pinchonii], caterpillar fungus [dByar rtswa dgun ’bu; Cordyceps sinensis], and other substances endowed with hot potencies that can enhance gtum mo practices such as the dwarf rhododendron [da lis; Rhododendron spp.] and compounds containing long peer [pi pi ling; Piper longum], black pepper, [pho bar is; Piper nigrum], ginger, and so forth. The consecrated medicines and the rituals can bestow protection from any sort of diseases, diseases-carrier forces (gdon), and poisoning and lead to spiritual achievements. The analysis of these scriptural materials brings into focus the historical interrelation of diverse traditions that are represented by the heterogeneity of ideas and practices handed down through the Zur medical lineage.