http://www.himalayanart.org/image.cfm/435.htmldepicting the Mo Lha in the center?
From here: http://nalandatranslation.org/media/Thi ... ornman.pdfAs the name of a particular spirit, Drala is part of a set of personal energies called “the five
patron gods,” as mentioned in the “Invocation for Raising Windhorse.” The five patron
gods occupy stations on the body of a warrior and are essential to his or her success in life.
They are almost synonymous with one’s windhorse (lungta; rlung rta) and are sometimes
called the “five patron gods of authentic presence.” Authentic presence is a translation for
the Tibetan word wangtang (dbang thang), which literally means the “field of power.” It can
be thought of as a globe of invisible light or energy that surrounds a warrior or a saint.
Tibetan thangkas represent it in cross section as a rainbow arc above the shoulders. When
the five patron deities are fully vested on the body of the warrior, his or her windhorse is
raised and the wangtang spreads open like an energy field projecting out from the body.
What is the individual character of each of the five patron gods? One list gives them this
way:
crown of the head—yul lha (yul lha; “country god”)
right shoulder—dra lha (dgra lha; “enemy god”)
right armpit—po lha (pho lha; “male god”)
left armpit—mo lha (mo lha; “female god”)
heart—sok lha (srog lha; “life-force god”)
Yul lha is a very ancient class of deity sometimes associated with hunting. It is translated
at times as “god of the chase.” Sometimes it is simply the word for the deity that rules a
certain region. The sok of sok lha is the famous Tibetan word for “life force.” The life force
dwells in the heart of human beings. It is part of a list of three forces which, in native
Tibetan lore, are essential to human life—sok, tse (tshe), and la, or life force, longevity
energy, and soul.
Sok is sometimes called sok marpo (srog dmar po), the “red life.” Without it the human
body would become inanimate. Tse is an energy which a person receives in a certain
amount at birth. When the tse is all used up, a person dies of old age.4
La is a complex of energies that is responsible for one’s sense of identity. Some scholars,
influenced by the Chinese theory of multiple souls, call it a soul. The la can actually wander
from a person’s body. In that case, one would become depressed, forgetful, and extremely
vulnerable to illness. Eventually, a person whose la has wandered will die. Therefore, there
are important ceremonies in which you call the la back, even offering a “ransom” for its
return. Actually, the famous Kagyü White Tårå practice that is done to extend one’s life is
called “ransoming for the return of the la.”
