The great master Nagarjuna once tasked his devoted disciple with a daunting quest: to fetch the Golden Corpse from the chilling Chilly Grove cemetery. 'Whatever happens,' Nagarjuna warned, 'you must not utter a single word. If you speak, the corpse will escape back to its tree.' The disciple reached the cemetery, captured the shimmering gold-and-turquoise-skinned corpse, and bundled it into a sack to carry it back. To pass the time, the corpse offered to tell a story, ending the tale with a riddle or a provocative question. Time and again, the disciple, moved by the cleverness or the perceived injustice in the tales, forgot his vow and spoke to answer. Instantly, the corpse laughed and flew back to its perch. Only through immense discipline and after many failed attempts did the disciple finally maintain absolute silence, successfully delivering the magical body to Nagarjuna to complete a ritual for the benefit of all sentient beings.
True spiritual mastery and the fulfillment of great goals require unwavering discipline and the absolute control of one's speech and reactions.
Questions about this story
What is the moral of The Corpse Stories?
The moral is that silence and self-discipline are essential for achieving spiritual enlightenment. It emphasizes that even well-intentioned speech can lead to failure if it breaks a sacred commitment or a focused vow.
Who is Nagarjuna in Tibetan folklore?
Nagarjuna is a historical Indian philosopher revered in Tibet as a 'Second Buddha.' In these folk tales, he often appears as a powerful tantric master who guides disciples through supernatural and psychological challenges.
What is a Ro-lang in Tibetan culture?
A Ro-lang is the Tibetan version of a 'zombie' or 'vetala'—an entity that inhabits a corpse. In this specific cycle, the corpse is 'golden,' possessing great wisdom and magical properties used for spiritual rituals.
Why must the disciple remain silent during the journey?
Silence represents the focused mind and the restraint of the ego. By speaking, the disciple allows external distractions—the corpse's stories—to break his meditation, causing his spiritual progress to reset.
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Good night.
