King of the Empty Plain: The Tibetan Iron-Bridge Builder Tangtong Gyalpo

by Cyrus Stearns

King of the Empty Plain is familiar to every Tibetan yet nearly unknown in the rest of the world. Tangtong Gyalpo's incredible lifespan, profound teachings, unprecedented engineering feats, eccentric deeds, and creation of Tibetan opera have earned this fascinating figure a unique status in Tibetan culture. Believed to be the great Indian master Padmasambhava appearing again in the world to benefit living beings, he discovered techniques for achieving longevity that are still held in highest esteem and are frequently taught six hundred years later. His construction of fifty-eight iron suspension bridges, sixty wooden bridges, 118 ferries, 111 stupa monuments, and countless temples and monasteries in Tibet and Bhutan remains an awe-inspiring accomplishment.

This book is a detailed study of the life and legacy of this great master. An extensive introduction discusses Tangtong Gyalpo's Dharma traditions, the question of his amazing longevity, his "crazy" activities manifested to enhance his own realization and to benefit others, and his astonishing engineering and architectural achievements. The book includes a complete translation of the most famous Tibetan biography of Tangtong Gyalpo, as well as the Tibetan text and English translation of a unique early manuscript describing his miraculous death. The text is further enriched with ten color plates and seventy-seven black-and-white illustrations.

Genres: Buddhism

700 pages, Hardcover

First published October 25, 2007

Reviews

[Pendred Noyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating account of a 15th century Tibetan polymath: yogi, architect, meditator, artist, impresario, engineer, project manager, founder of monasteries, Tangtong Gyalpo was like a Leonardo of the Himalaya. The book does a great job of sorting through various legends of his life, presenting them along with external evidence where it exists. The author is especially helpful in tracking down examples of Tangtong Gyalpo's iron suspension bridges, many of which still exist in some form in Tibet, northern India and Bhutan today. I could have used a bit more skepticism over some of his legend's more outlandish claims, such as splitting a rock with a glance or transporting large quantitites of iron by flying it through the air. But this is a lovely exploration of a famous saint and historical figure from a culture quite different to our own.

[Bonnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book about an amazing Tibetan Buddhist teacher. The amount of projects that Tangton Gyalpo accomplished in his very long life is phenomenal. This book includes information about the time he lived in, various aspects of bridge building in 14th century Tibet, as well as his Buddhist studies and accomplishments. Tibet is a land of very steep river canyons and the bridges served many purposes. There are some photos of them in the book and more are available from an internet search.

Most of the book is about Tangtong Gyalpo's early life and studies and later his teachings and miraculous activities, so if you're not a student of Tibetan Buddhism, you may not relate to all of it.

[Shenine Wangmo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love all of it: texts and the list of plates, it is so full of life and still inspiring now for the 2020s, so this is an ageless publication! That's the power of an authentic Path!

[Tony Gualtieri · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fine introduction to Tangtong Gyalpo (1361-1485), known in the West as "the Leonardo da Vinci of Tibet" (if he's known at all). The book consists of a long introduction outlining Tangtong's achievements and the complete text of A Jewel Mirror In Which All Is Clear, a biography written by Lochen Gyurmé Dechen in 1609 emphasizing the mad yogi's wondrous spirituality. While the biography is a bit repetitive, episodic and hagiographic, it is fascinating for the reader to inhabit the strange world of Tibetan Buddhism with its combination of the miraculous and the mundane.