words of the cunning zombie. Thus the zombie was freed from his captivity time and again and was able to go back home to India.
Thus it is told that after eighteen (some say twenty-four) long and perilous journeys from Tibet to India, the prince finally succeeded in capturing the zombie and bringing him all the way back to the guru Gömpo Ludrup. After all the time he had spent on this very difficult task, it was with a feeling of immense relief that the prince laid his heavy burden down before the old sage.
âThere, itâs done!â the prince allowed himself to say through sheer inattention. Instantly the sack opened and once again the triumphantly gloating zombie escaped to India. But the old sage of the cave was an extraordinary being possessed of a high level of intuition. He made a deft and rapid movement to catch hold of Ngödrup Dorje. But he failed! That is to say, he almost failed, because the guru was able to grasp three hairs from the renowned zombieâs mane. Making use of these, he was able to exterminate entirely several incurable diseases and save the lives of a great many people throughout the world. In this way the princeâs bad karma, after so much time and effort, was finally purified.
At last the prince was able to return home to his parents, the king and the queen. They had aged a great deal because of the grief they had suffered at the disappearance of their only son. Everyone had believed he was dead. But now the young prince had become a fine and handsome man, tall of stature and with a royal bearing. Once in his kingdom, despite his shabby traveling clothes, people immediately recognized him as he passed by and they followed him all the way to the palace. The news of his return spread like wildfire throughout the land, and word of it rapidly reached the king and queen. Still in disbelief, they waited for his arrival at the palace. Seeing him, they were beside themselves with happiness. They had really regained their beloved son. They prepared a great feast to which all the people were invited. It was a magnificent and joyful celebration that lasted seven weeks. The royal parents chose a bride for him, a bride worthy of their sonâbeautiful, intelligent, and with a big and noble heart. The marriage ceremony was performedâand on the same occasion, the prince was enthroned as the new king. This began an era of boundless happiness for the entire kingdom.
The royal couple had fourteen children, all beautiful, intelligent, and endowed with good hearts, like their parents. In spite of the heavy task of guiding the country on a path that would bring benefit to the people, the king saved some time for his wife and children. He regaled them with all the fine stories that the zombie Ngödrup Dorje had related to him during all those trips from India back to Tibet. Little by little, these stories became known throughout the palace, and then, in not so very long, they spread beyond it, so that in the end all the people of Tibet came to know them.
So it was that my grandmother learned them from her parents and told them to my father, who in his turn transmitted them to me during my childhood in Germany. I am very happy now to be able to share some of them with you through the present volume. I hope that as time goes by, you will tell them to those around you, and in this way the wonderful stories of the zombie Ngödrup Dorje will live forever.
Afterword
It was my wish through these tales to introduce you to the world of imagination of the Tibetan people as well as to some social, cultural, and spiritual aspects of Tibetan life. I also wanted to address a topic of current concern. I am referring to the psychological quality of obsessive attachment and its destructive consequences. Nowadays, what with the Internet and other new technologies, hardly a day passes when we do not learn of a variety of dreadful occurrences brought about by an obsessive attitude toward power, money,
Thus it is told that after eighteen (some say twenty-four) long and perilous journeys from Tibet to India, the prince finally succeeded in capturing the zombie and bringing him all the way back to the guru Gömpo Ludrup. After all the time he had spent on this very difficult task, it was with a feeling of immense relief that the prince laid his heavy burden down before the old sage.
âThere, itâs done!â the prince allowed himself to say through sheer inattention. Instantly the sack opened and once again the triumphantly gloating zombie escaped to India. But the old sage of the cave was an extraordinary being possessed of a high level of intuition. He made a deft and rapid movement to catch hold of Ngödrup Dorje. But he failed! That is to say, he almost failed, because the guru was able to grasp three hairs from the renowned zombieâs mane. Making use of these, he was able to exterminate entirely several incurable diseases and save the lives of a great many people throughout the world. In this way the princeâs bad karma, after so much time and effort, was finally purified.
At last the prince was able to return home to his parents, the king and the queen. They had aged a great deal because of the grief they had suffered at the disappearance of their only son. Everyone had believed he was dead. But now the young prince had become a fine and handsome man, tall of stature and with a royal bearing. Once in his kingdom, despite his shabby traveling clothes, people immediately recognized him as he passed by and they followed him all the way to the palace. The news of his return spread like wildfire throughout the land, and word of it rapidly reached the king and queen. Still in disbelief, they waited for his arrival at the palace. Seeing him, they were beside themselves with happiness. They had really regained their beloved son. They prepared a great feast to which all the people were invited. It was a magnificent and joyful celebration that lasted seven weeks. The royal parents chose a bride for him, a bride worthy of their sonâbeautiful, intelligent, and with a big and noble heart. The marriage ceremony was performedâand on the same occasion, the prince was enthroned as the new king. This began an era of boundless happiness for the entire kingdom.
The royal couple had fourteen children, all beautiful, intelligent, and endowed with good hearts, like their parents. In spite of the heavy task of guiding the country on a path that would bring benefit to the people, the king saved some time for his wife and children. He regaled them with all the fine stories that the zombie Ngödrup Dorje had related to him during all those trips from India back to Tibet. Little by little, these stories became known throughout the palace, and then, in not so very long, they spread beyond it, so that in the end all the people of Tibet came to know them.
So it was that my grandmother learned them from her parents and told them to my father, who in his turn transmitted them to me during my childhood in Germany. I am very happy now to be able to share some of them with you through the present volume. I hope that as time goes by, you will tell them to those around you, and in this way the wonderful stories of the zombie Ngödrup Dorje will live forever.
Afterword
It was my wish through these tales to introduce you to the world of imagination of the Tibetan people as well as to some social, cultural, and spiritual aspects of Tibetan life. I also wanted to address a topic of current concern. I am referring to the psychological quality of obsessive attachment and its destructive consequences. Nowadays, what with the Internet and other new technologies, hardly a day passes when we do not learn of a variety of dreadful occurrences brought about by an obsessive attitude toward power, money,
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