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Ging Tshogling Cham: Wrathful War Dance
One of the most entertaining mask dances is the Ging Tsholing Cham, a dramatic ritual dance in which the intensity of the drum beat captures the audience attention. This beat intensifies leading into a fight scene beloved by children in particular. The mask dance is also locally known as Tro-ging, or entertaining dance in local Nabji dialect, for its entertaining presentation and performance. The dance is performed by two sets of performers. Boecham pa dancers are laymen trained in the dances, the regalia gives them the wrathful appearance of celestial beings known as Ging, which includes daka and dakini sky spirits. Monastic dancers, called Tsun cham pa, take on the role of the Tsholing emanation of guardian deities and Dharma protectors. These include the Four Kings of the cardinal points and the Eight Classes of Gods and Goddesses; these roles are usually performed by monks.
According to literary sources, the mask dance was introduced by Tertön, treasure revealer, Pema Lingpa (1450-1521). In a vision he entered the spiritual realm of Guru Padmasambhava, known as Zangdok Pelri, the copper-colored mountain. There he saw this dance being performed and was able to transmit the dance to this realm. Pema Lingpa, who had a strong connection to Guru Padmasambhava across many lifetimes, met his enlightened master several times. On these occasions, Guru Padmasambhava conveyed predictions for the future; gave Pema Lingpa the list of treasures to be discovered in disguise; guided him to discover sacred sites; and often invited him into his realm during meditation states and dreams.
On this particular occasion, Pema Lingpa came to Zangdok Pelri and found Rang-jung Trulpai Phodrang, the magnificent self-arising palace. There he saw the Guru Padmasambhava manifesting in a rainbow body from which millions of his forms emerged, filling the three realms of the universe, multiplying beyond our imagination. This is known as Ja-lue rainbow body or wisdom body. Among these magical representations, Pema Lingpa saw the enlightened sages of India and Tibet sit in the right row and the scholars sit in the left row. In between them sat the 108 treasure discoverers, who are incarnations of Guru Padmasambhava and his 25 chief disciples. Overhead, a cloud of gods and goddesses transformed into one hundred Dampa Rigja Protective Deities– forty-two took peaceful forms, and fifty-eight took Ging wrathful appearance. These deities made various sensuous offerings, including the performance of Dorji-lugar Vajra Dances, dancing upon the air, rejoicing in the doctrine.
Outside the entrance gate of the palace, in each of the Four Directions are thousands of warriors from the Pho-jued and Mo-jued, male and female classes of protecting deities, the Eight Classes of Gods and Goddesses, led by the kings of the Four Directions who are Tshoglings, getting ready to overcome obstacles to the sacred teachings. In the war scene between the Gings and the Tshoglings, the drum beats of the Gings arouse a sense of fear in the obstacles and samaya oath breakers, the Tshoglings aggressively guide them to follow the righteous path of humanity. The vibrating sound produced by the beating of the drums symbolizes the Choe-ngai dra, the Buddhist teachings.
A similar performance was originally introduced by Guru Padmasambhava to aid Tibet’s King Thrisong Detsen (c. 755-797 or 804 AD). Padmasambhava used his supernatural powers at the great Samye Monastery in Tibet, he manifested in the form of Ging and Tshogling, producing an immense positive force to fight and subdue the evil spirits that hindered the construction of the monastery. With the demons subdued, Samye became an important part of establishing the teachings of the Buddha in the region.
When Pema Lingpa saw the spectacular performance he realized its benefits for the liberation of sentient beings. At Korphu Temple, Trongsa, one of his seats in central Bhutan, Pema Lingpa introduced the sacred mask dance to Jigten me-yul the human realm. Korphu Drub is the annual mask dance festival that coincides with the temple's dedication ceremony, and continues this dance tradition. There is still a saying that goes, "If you are not sure about the choreographies of Ging Tsholing, you should visit Korphu Drub."
Due to the importance of the dance, Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal (1594-1651) who unified Bhutan later spread this mask dance to most annual mask dance festivals. The successive Je Khenpo spiritual leaders as well as the Druk Desi temporary continued this legacy.
Bhutan