"Had it not been for the central government, I would not be able to live such a good life,'' said Sangzhub frequently. "I will repay the kindness of the government with my recorded songs."

To obtain quality sound, Sangzhub recorded his songs in a cave. Very often, he stayed there for a whole day. In a few years, Sangzhub finished recording 41 volumes of King Gesar in 1,989 tapes.

** Sangzhub's theory

According to Sangzhub, King Gesar has 18 large chapters, which recounted large-scale wars; 18 mid-sized chapters, which did not mention any large-scale wars; and 18 small chapters, which told of many different things.

Of the 18 large chapters, Sangzhub held that there were four chapters about fighting demons, and that all other wars broke out after these ones. Therefore, Sangzhub argued, the war against the demons played a vital role in King Gesar .

Yu Xixian, a master in the epic Gansu edition, held that the "Peace Reigning the Three Realms -- Heaven, Earth and Man" came after the 18 large chapters. In Sangzhub' s view, however, this referred to peace in India, Nepal and the Han area. According to Sangzhub, King Gesar conquered the areas neighboring the Ling State to bring peace to Ling before returning to the heavenly kingdom.

This section of Sangzhub' s works were recorded in 86 tapes.

** Deity teaches student

Sangzhub insisted that he learned to sing King Gesar from the deities. Before starting to sing, he closed his eyes and counted rosary beads in mediation, inviting deities to assist him. Only then was Sangzhub able to sing with great emotion.

"When I sing the role of Gesar' s enemies, I will do my best to fight Gesar,'' he often said, adding: "I will do that mercilessly."

Page:

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

All rights reserved. Reproduction of text for non-commercial purposes is permitted provided that both the source and author are acknowledged and a notifying email is sent to us.