Sam van Schaik examines the magic spells attributed to Padmasambhava in a grimoire compiled by Bari Lotsawa (1040-1112).
The grimoire compiled by Bari Lotsawa (1040-1112), known for short as the Ba ri be'u 'bum, is one of the earliest and most
influential of its kind. The grimoire contains hundreds of brief rituals, some of which are attributed to Indian and Tibetan figures.
Alongside obscure, and perhaps non-Buddhist names such as Shivaratna, the most often cited source for these spells is
Padmasambhava. This is perhaps surprising in a work by a founding figure of one of the 'new' (gsar ma) schools, although it
predates the work of Nyangral Nyima Ozer and others which consolidated Padmasambhava's role in the Nyingma terma
tradition. In this talk I will make a preliminary investigation of the spells attributed to Padmasambhava in the Ba ri be'u 'bum,
drawing out his characterisation in the grimoire as a preeminent sorcerer and role model for Tibetan users of magical rituals.
