Celestial Plan to Relieve Suffering

At a time of despair in the land of Tibet, when the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara asked Buddha Amitābha to help relieve the people's suffering, Amitābha replied that there were a king and queen in the pure land who would give birth to a great being to be named Thöpa Gawa, meaning Joyful to Hear, who would then manifest in the human realm to bring an end to suffering. 

In the higher pure lands, the divine prince Thöpa Gawa receives Padmasambhava's command to manifest in the human realm to benefit beings. In reply, Thöpa Gawa stipulates certain conditions which are granted by Padmasambhava. Thöpa Gawa then manifests in the human realm and subdue the demons such as those from the borderland country of Hor. 

The magical child Thöpa Gawa was born as Joru, and was always up to mischief, testing everyone and everything. A skillful magician, he could manifest countless likenesses of himself simultaneously engaging in various activities. These disturbing appearances were displayed to spread his enlightened activity ever farther, since all his seeming misdeeds were later proved to be illusory. He caused so much trouble even to get exiled, a part of his plan to subdue demons in the wilderness. He then took help of his mother and his future wife to find a horse that would help him win a race organized to select the King of Ling. 

Once the race was won, Joru became the king of Ling. At that time his outer presence was completely transformed from the strange, wild demeanour he had displayed as a child into that of a great being. Gesar's form was breathtaking; his countenance was the most handsome of the handsome, so that all never tired of looking at his face. 

He is given the name Gesar Norbu Dradül, and that is when the final conditions for the manifestation of his principal enlightened activities are complete. 

When he manifested in the land of White Ling, he conquered many malicious kings and māras. He traveled alone to conquer the northwest land of Düd (land of the demons) and liberated their king, Lutsen Gyalpo. He revenged the attacks with many magical activities, pushing the people of Hor to the brink of defeat, and finally leading his army to conquer them. 

Gesar's every word and deed was an expression of his ultimate wisdom, compassion, and power. Even the beings that he seemed to kill were not slain in an ordinary sense but, rather, by that appearance their harmful and malicious behavior was brought to an end and their consciousnesses were sent to higher states.