King Gesar Epic: Heaven Realm Chapter

Author: Liu Liqian
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2000-06-01
Features: The compiler of this book is a Buddhist, and naturally, whenever the opportunity arises, he promotes the idea of "transforming Bon into Buddhism" as Buddhist thought. For example, the protagonist of the story, Gesar, according to the beliefs of Bon, is a mixture of human and divine. However, as the compiler is a Buddhist, he explains it as the incarnation of a Buddha. Thus, when Gesar is about to be born, just like a Buddha is about to descend, the request for the five directional Buddhas to give him an empowerment is vividly depicted in the text. But throughout the epic, it basically reflects the life of the nomads, such as their beliefs, customs, moral concepts, and the true face of original Bon. In terms of language and writing, it extensively uses the oral language of the nomads, along with many archaic words. There are also many metaphors and proverbs, which play a crucial role in the book. In terms of the style of the epic, it always begins with prayers to the gods, self-introductions, and the declaration of location before moving on to the main topic, using metaphors and proverbs to imply the meaning of the words. This style runs through all the parts of the epic. Therefore, it can be said that this "Heavenly Realm Chapter" summarizes the entire scope of the epic and is an indispensable prologue to the whole story.