Materials: Bionic bone ornaments, embroidered brocade cover. (Not factory-molded, therefore, length, shape, and sound may vary from set to set.)

Dimensions: 33 cm

Description:

The Gangling's Role, Origin, and Story in Tibetan Buddhist Ritual

The Gangling (Tibetan: rkang gling, meaning "leg bone flute"), also known as the Gangdong, Kangling, or shinbone trumpet, is a unique Tibetan Buddhist ritual instrument primarily used in Tantric rituals. Made from human leg bones (usually the thigh or shin), it produces a low, mournful sound, symbolizing the impermanence of life and the cycle of birth and death. In Tibetan Buddhism, the Gangling is not only a musical instrument but also a bridge for practitioners to transcend self-attachment and connect with spirits and ghosts. The following details its role in rituals, its historical origins, and the stories and legends surrounding it.

The role of the kangling in Buddhist rituals

The kangling is primarily used in the rituals of the Tantric tradition of Tibetan Buddhism (particularly the Nyingma and Kagyu schools), playing a key role in summoning, subduing, and offering. Considered a "wisdom" instrument, it is often held by yogis, mahasiddhas, or practitioners of the dāntiān school (jöpa), in conjunction with other instruments such as a vajra bell or skull drum. Specifically:

**Summoning and Subduing Spirits**: The sound of the kangling is believed to "please all wrathful deities" (such as wrathful deities) and "intimidate all evil spirits." During exorcism rituals (the pacification, enhancement, attraction, and destruction methods), the chanter plays the kangling to command ghosts, non-human beings, or evil spirits, helping to remove obstacles, resolve illnesses, and dispel nightmares or misfortunes. Certain principal deities, such as the large red guardian wielding a shinbone trumpet or the wrathful goddess of the charnel ground, also use it as a symbolic instrument, symbolizing control over the three realms (the realm of desire, the realm of form, and the realm of formlessness).

- **Practice of Offering and Contemplation**: In the practice of offering oneself (a tantric practice to eliminate ego attachment), the kangling is used to invite all beings in the dharmakaya realm. Practitioners play it to absorb their negative karma and ill energy, contemplating their unity with the void. This helps practitioners experience the impermanence of life and death and transcend attachment to the body. Rituals are often performed at cemeteries (graveyards) or crematoriums, where the wailing kangling creates a transcendental atmosphere, reminding participants of the fragility of life.

- **Other Settings**: It is also used in Tibetan opera performances, chanting music, and shamanic rituals to summon wind and rain. Its slender, deep sound, played alone, enhances the ritual's mystical quality. Overall, the kangling is not only a sonic instrument but also a medium symbolizing impermanence and generosity, helping practitioners to deeply grasp the core Buddhist teaching that all conditioned phenomena are like dreams and illusions.

In modern monasteries, due to the scarcity of human bones, bronze or metal simulating leg bones are often used, but the traditional kangling retains its sacred status.

Origin and Production

The origins of the Gangling can be traced back to the Bon religion (a pre-Buddhist primitive religion) of Tibet, whose beliefs in ghosts and spirits and summoning rituals were profoundly influential. Later, during the 8th century Tang Dynasty, when the Tibetan king Songtsen Gampo introduced Indian Esoteric Buddhism (Tantric Buddhism, a branch of the Leftist school), the Gangling was incorporated into Tibetan Buddhism, becoming a core ritual implement for the practice of offering oneself. This integration led Tibetan Buddhism to depart from the doctrines of earlier orthodox Buddhism, emphasizing Shaktism's dual cultivation practices and indigenous shamanic elements. The practice of offering oneself was founded by the Tibetan female master Machig Labdrön (1055–1149), who combined Bon's charnel ground practices with the Indian Vajrayogini meditation. The Gangling thus became a symbolic tool for the severance of ego.

The crafting of Gangling is meticulously crafted, and the materials and craftsmanship reflect its mystical potency:

**Material Standards**: Traditionally, human leg bones (primarily thigh bones) are used. The best are the left leg bones of 16-year-old Brahman virgins (which possess the greatest power to control spirits); the second-best are the right leg bones of teenagers of the same age. The potency decreases with the type of deceased: victims, those killed in battle (who possess a violent nature), women with difficult childbirth (who harbor deep resentment and may have lost two lives), and those who died from viruses can all be used; the elderly who died of natural causes have the weakest potency. Occasionally, tiger leg bones are used as a substitute to enhance their ferocious power. The bones must meet specific requirements: the two ends must be of different heights or sizes (the right side represents a deity, the left side represents a ghost, with the deity higher and the ghost lower to generate commands); a wide platform at the bottom (the stage for the Dakini); a protruding bone point on the inside (the sword of wisdom); and a natural cave nearby (the Dakini's abode). Those over a hundred years old and meeting all these requirements are considered rare.

- **Craftsmanship**: The ball joint is sawed off to form a single or double tube. One end is covered with a mouthpiece made of cowhide or brass, and the other end is secured with copper wire or a metal sleeve. The medullary canal is naturally hollow, eliminating the need for additional drilling. Some are accompanied by a vajra-knotted whip or a human-shaped leather puppet specifically used to summon non-human beings.

These standards stem from Tantric teachings, which believe that certain bones contain powerful energies that can amplify the effectiveness of rituals.

Related Stories and Legends

The legends of Gangling often revolve around the practice of the body-giving method and the life of the Jokpa (a practitioner of renunciation), emphasizing the extreme spirit of self-sacrifice and the renunciation of attachments. While there is no single "creation myth," several core narratives and legends reflect the brutal yet profound philosophy of practice:

- **The Legend of Majiratsu**: As the founder of the body-giving method, Majiratsu came from a poor family and encountered demonic obstacles during his early years of practice. She visualized herself transformed into the black form of Vajrayogini, her body dismembered by a hatchet: her flesh and blood were offered to the Buddhas of the ten directions, to sentient beings in the six realms below, and even to her enemies and demons that devoured her essence. Legend has it that she played the Gangling to summon the spirits of the charnel ground, absorbing the negative karma of sentient beings and ultimately attaining emptiness. Her disciples inherited this practice, and over the decades, numerous accomplished figures emerged. For example, a Jokpa practiced in a charnel ground for years, wrapped in only a shroud and deprived of food, yet was able to command spirits and demons to remove obstacles for his followers, earning him the reverence of thousands. This legend emphasizes the open-mindedness of "sickness comes, sickness comes, death comes, death comes," subverting the common fear of death.

- **Story of Jokpa's Interaction with Demons**: Legend has it that a Jokpa lived in a cave in a crematorium, where he played the Gangling daily, keeping company with fierce spirits. Once, a believer seeking relief from a chronic illness sought relief from his illness. He meditated on "the unity of self and illness" and played the Gangling made from the leg bones of a woman suffering childbirth. He summoned the vengeful spirit of a woman in labor, transforming it into a Dharma protector and instantly healing the patient. However, this Jueba himself contracted the disease and died. His remains were later crafted into a new Gangling, continuing the teachings of impermanence. Another legend claims that a Gangling made from the leg bones of those killed in battle sounds like a war cry, capable of summoning wind and rain, and helping shamans subdue mountain spirits and monsters, reflecting the legacy of Bon.

- **Folk Legends about the Power of Selected Bones**: In Tantric traditions, the leg bones of a 16-year-old virgin are believed to be "pure and spotless." When played, they resemble the whisper of a dakini, enabling direct communication with wrathful deities. Bones from women who have undergone childbirth are believed to carry a surge of resentment, specifically designed to defeat stubborn evil. These stories not only explain the rigorous crafting process but also serve as a warning to practitioners: Gangling is a unique instrument, a tool for "fighting poison with poison." Only the brave can wield it, or it will backfire.

In short, Gangling embodies the unique characteristics of Tibetan Tantric Buddhism—a blend of terror and compassion, using brutal forms to speak directly to the mind. While its source material has sparked controversy from a modern perspective, for believers, it is a supreme tool for liberation. If you want to go deeper, you can refer to Tibetan literature such as "The Biography of Mahjila".