across and even injured some members of her family. She was soon shut up in a cage to prevent further ravages.
âOh, what a cruel revenge!â the prince cried out, so taken with this incredible story that yet again he had thrown all restraint to the winds.
Alas, the sack on the princeâs back opened up by itself and released its prisoner, Ngödrup Dorje. Gloating hugely, the zombie declared, âHereâs the blow you deserve for talking back!â and he disappeared in a puff of wind.
The prince was left all alone in this desolate place with an immense feeling of remorse and failure. â Nga kugpa! What an idiot I am!â he cried out, filled with anger toward himself. But neither his anger nor his tears could change the situation in the least. After a long time he regained his composure, took a firm hold on his courage, and decided to continue with the mission he had been given by the guru Gömpo Ludrup. With the firm resolve never to let his vigilance lapse again, he returned to Silwaytsal to capture âHe Who Fulfills All Dreams.â
15
Hunting Down the Zombie Again
T HUS IT WAS that Prince Dechö Zangpo yet again traveled across the whole breadth of the kingdom and finally arrived in India at the dwelling place of the dead. Making use of the cone-shaped red object given him by the guru, he continually forced aside the numerous dead beings who were attempting to speak to him until the moment he finally saw a zombie different from all the others. The top of the zombie was gold, the bottom of him was silver, and he had a mane of pure turquoise. This zombie fled to the top of a sandalwood tree, but the prince, employing the persuasive power of the magic ax, easily managed to get hold of the zombie Ngödrup Dorjeâbecause it was indeed him. This time the prince had resolutely determined to hold his tongue the entire length of the return journey no matter what story the sly spirit might relate to him.
The twenty-first day, as the prince, with his burden on his back, was crossing in silence the great barren plain, Ngödrup Dorje began speaking to him in a very sweet and soothing voice:
âIn this desolate region, there are no people and you will not find a place to rest, not even a place the size of a prairie-dog dropping. So to make this long journey a little more pleasant, I propose two solutions. Either you, a living being, will tell me a story, or I, who am a dead being, will tell you one.â
The prince was completely on the alert and did not breathe a word. Thus the zombie began telling him of the beggarâs further adventures.
16
Justice Is Served
W ELL, THEN, the family of the young manâs in-laws and everyone in the village were terrified by what had happened to the beautiful young woman. No one could calm the monkey down or think of a way to change it back into a woman. The young man let three long months go by in order to punish his wife. Finally he disguised himself as a great spiritual master, burned one of the giant birdâs feathers to get the bird to return, and had himself carried on its back above his parents-in-lawâs village. Everyone in the region thought they were seeing a miracle. At the sight of the young man being carried about in the sky, they thought that the Buddha himself had descended from the heavens. The people prostrated to this phenomenon and recited a great number of mantras.
The false master had himself put down on the roof of the house of his parents-in-law and was received with extreme devotion by the family, who did not recognize him at all. Honored by this high-level visit and full of hope that they might receive some precious help for their daughter, the family showed this grand master the monkey shut up in the cage and related what had transpired. The false master played his role to the hilt, and after a long silence he said: âHmm! I see that your daughter has an extremely worthy husband to whom she has caused
âOh, what a cruel revenge!â the prince cried out, so taken with this incredible story that yet again he had thrown all restraint to the winds.
Alas, the sack on the princeâs back opened up by itself and released its prisoner, Ngödrup Dorje. Gloating hugely, the zombie declared, âHereâs the blow you deserve for talking back!â and he disappeared in a puff of wind.
The prince was left all alone in this desolate place with an immense feeling of remorse and failure. â Nga kugpa! What an idiot I am!â he cried out, filled with anger toward himself. But neither his anger nor his tears could change the situation in the least. After a long time he regained his composure, took a firm hold on his courage, and decided to continue with the mission he had been given by the guru Gömpo Ludrup. With the firm resolve never to let his vigilance lapse again, he returned to Silwaytsal to capture âHe Who Fulfills All Dreams.â
15
Hunting Down the Zombie Again
T HUS IT WAS that Prince Dechö Zangpo yet again traveled across the whole breadth of the kingdom and finally arrived in India at the dwelling place of the dead. Making use of the cone-shaped red object given him by the guru, he continually forced aside the numerous dead beings who were attempting to speak to him until the moment he finally saw a zombie different from all the others. The top of the zombie was gold, the bottom of him was silver, and he had a mane of pure turquoise. This zombie fled to the top of a sandalwood tree, but the prince, employing the persuasive power of the magic ax, easily managed to get hold of the zombie Ngödrup Dorjeâbecause it was indeed him. This time the prince had resolutely determined to hold his tongue the entire length of the return journey no matter what story the sly spirit might relate to him.
The twenty-first day, as the prince, with his burden on his back, was crossing in silence the great barren plain, Ngödrup Dorje began speaking to him in a very sweet and soothing voice:
âIn this desolate region, there are no people and you will not find a place to rest, not even a place the size of a prairie-dog dropping. So to make this long journey a little more pleasant, I propose two solutions. Either you, a living being, will tell me a story, or I, who am a dead being, will tell you one.â
The prince was completely on the alert and did not breathe a word. Thus the zombie began telling him of the beggarâs further adventures.
16
Justice Is Served
W ELL, THEN, the family of the young manâs in-laws and everyone in the village were terrified by what had happened to the beautiful young woman. No one could calm the monkey down or think of a way to change it back into a woman. The young man let three long months go by in order to punish his wife. Finally he disguised himself as a great spiritual master, burned one of the giant birdâs feathers to get the bird to return, and had himself carried on its back above his parents-in-lawâs village. Everyone in the region thought they were seeing a miracle. At the sight of the young man being carried about in the sky, they thought that the Buddha himself had descended from the heavens. The people prostrated to this phenomenon and recited a great number of mantras.
The false master had himself put down on the roof of the house of his parents-in-law and was received with extreme devotion by the family, who did not recognize him at all. Honored by this high-level visit and full of hope that they might receive some precious help for their daughter, the family showed this grand master the monkey shut up in the cage and related what had transpired. The false master played his role to the hilt, and after a long silence he said: âHmm! I see that your daughter has an extremely worthy husband to whom she has caused
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