Sipé Gyalmo
Bön · deity · mythic · Recorded classification
Sipé Gyalmo (Srid-pa'i rgyal-mo), the 'Queen of the World of Existence', is the foremost guardian goddess of Bön, invoked as protectress of the doctrine and its practitioners. She is understood as the wrathful manifestation of the peaceful wisdom mother Sherab Chamma (Satrig Ersang). In her characteristic iconography she is dark, many-armed and terrifying, brandishing weapons and riding a mule; her cult remains central in Bönpo monasteries such as Menri.
Domains
- protection
- sovereignty
Powers
- to destroy the enemies and obstructors of the Bön doctrine
Epithets
- Srid pa'i rgyal moPer Kværne, The Bon Religion of Tibet: The Iconography of a Living Tradition, 1995 (secondary)
Relations
- equated with: Satrig ErsangShe is regarded as the wrathful manifestation of the peaceful wisdom mother Sherab Chamma / Satrig Ersang.Per Kværne, The Bon Religion of Tibet: The Iconography of a Living Tradition, 1995 (secondary)
Sources
- Sipé Gyalmo, the 'Queen of Existence', is the chief wrathful protectress of the Bön religion, the fierce manifestation of the wisdom mother, iconographically shown riding a mule.: Per Kværne, The Bon Religion of Tibet: The Iconography of a Living Tradition, 1995 (secondary); Samten G. Karmay, The Treasury of Good Sayings: A Tibetan History of Bon, 1972 (secondary)