Eight Classes of Beings

Tibetans talk about the “eight classes of beings”: (1) srin po, (2) ma mo, (3) ‘dre, (4) rak sha, (5) btsan, (6) gyal po, (7) bdud, and (8) klu. The beings in each class are known to have characteristic appearances, temperaments, and relations to humans.

For example, the klu are subterranean spirits associated with the water element. They can be very intelligent and have much interaction with the human world. In Bön it is believed that klu are often responsible for illnesses and other obstacles in life. It is also believed that Dzogchen and other teachings have been taught throughout the world of the klu and that teachings can be received from the klu.

The spirits associated with rocks are called btsan. They are usually represented as red people riding red horses, sometimes with red flags. In rocky places there are often holes, tunnels, connections between one area and another; Tibetans believe that these act as roadways for the btsan and that they shouldn’t be blocked by a building or a road.

This is because the spirits can take revenge on those who block their way by inflicting pain in the heart area and sometimes even causing death by heart attack.

The gyalpo are a class of spirits who were once powerful humans who died and were reborn as this kind of spirit. Gyalpo means “king.” Sometimes they take forms familiar to us, human or animal, and sometimes they are completely unfamiliar in form. They are especially found in castles where kings and royalty were murdered. In Europe I encountered many stories of ghosts, usually of people who died a violent death. From the Tibetan point of view these could be gyalpo. The gyalpo can be tamed by strong practitioners who are sensitive to the non-physical world and who know the proper practices. Once the gyalpo are tamed, practitioners can often convert them, teach them religion, and extract their promise to protect a doctrine or religious group.