ABSTRACT
The extraordinary force of his personality and his overwhelming physical presence comes across clearly in a passage where Dargye Nomunqan recalls his own memories of the lama. It is a peculiarly suggestive kind of hagiography. It brings together quite mundane details with the recognition of marks that are normally associated with the Buddha himself and what must be an accurate account of the powerful effect he had on others: As to the form of the lord lama's bodily mandala as it was perceived by us fortunate ones like a feast of nectar for our eyes: his body was neither very large nor very small, but no matter how important were the lamas and chiefs who assembled before him, his great dignity was clearly apparent. Whatever sort of wretched robes he wore, they surpassed the elegance and finery of others. When great lamas and
chiefs, proud and haughty, who had never seen him before came into his presence, their bodies and voices trembled, they quite lost their courage, they could not look at him in the face, and they found it dif ficult to reply to his questions. As soon as some faithless ones who secretly intended not to prostrate before him beheld the mandala of his face, the hairs of faith were moved, tears stirred in their eyes and they would take his feet on the crown of their heads.
