Padmasambhava

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Guru Rinpoche - Padmasambhava statue - near Kullu, India

Padmasambhava (also Padmakara or Padma Raja) (Ch: 蓮華生上師, Pinyin: Lian Hua Sheng Shang Shi; Tib: Pema Jungne, Wylie: padma 'byung gnas), in Sanskrit meaning "lotus-born", is said to have brought Tantric Buddhism to Tibet in the 8th century. In Bhutan and Tibet he is better known as Guru Rinpoche ("Precious Master") where followers of the Nyingma school regard him as the second Buddha.

[edit] Life and Teachings

According to tradition, Padmasambhava was incarnated as an eight-year-old child appearing in a lotus blossom floating in Lake Dhanakosha, in the kingdom of Uddiyana, traditionally identified with the Swat Valley in present-day Pakistan.^[1] His special nature was recognized by the local king who married him to one of his daughters, Mandarava. She and Padmasambhava's other main consort, Yeshe Tsogyal, developed into realised practitioners. Many thangkas and paintings show Padmasambhava in between them.

Padmasambhava's ability to memorize and comprehend esoteric texts in a single hearing established his reputation as a master above all others. Accused of the mystical killing of an evil minister, he was banished from the court and chose to live in a cemetery. Transiting various heavens and hells, he developed the power to transcend the cycle of birth and death, accomplishing the so-called great transference.

His fame became known to Trisong Detsen, the 38th king of Tibet (742–797), whose kingdom was beset by evil mountain deities. The king invited Padmasambhava to Tibet where he used his tantric powers to subdue the evil deities he encountered along the way, eventually receiving the Emperor's wife, identified with the dakini Yeshe Tsogyal, as a consort. This was in accordance with the tantric principle of not eliminating negative forces but redirecting them to fuel the journey toward spiritual awakening. In Tibet he founded the first monastery in the country, Samye Gompa, initiated the first monks, and introduced the people to the practice of Tantric Buddhism.

Guru Rinpoche, the patron saint of Sikkim. The 118 foot statue in Namchi, South Sikkim, is the tallest statue of the saint in the world.

In Bhutan he is associated with the famous Taktshang or "Tiger's Nest" monastery built on a sheer cliff wall about 500m above the floor of Paro valley. He flew there from Tibet on the back of Yeshe Tsogyal, whom he transformed into a flying tigress for the purpose of the trip. Later he travelled to Bumthang district to subdue a powerful deity offended by a local king. Padmasambhava's body imprint can be found in the wall of a cave at nearby Kurje Lhakhang temple.

Padmasambhava also hid a number of religious treasures (termas) in lakes, caves, fields and forests of the Himalayan region to be found and interpreted by future tertöns or spiritual treasure-finders.

According to Tibetan tradition, the Bardo Thodol (commonly referred to as the Tibetan Book of the Dead) was among these hidden treasures, subsequently discovered by a Tibetan terton, Karma Lingpa.

Statue of Guru Rinpoche in his meditation cave at Yerpa, Tibet

[edit] Manifestations

Statue of Padmasambhava at Pema Osel Ling near Santa Cruz, CA

Padmasambhava is said to have taken eight forms or manifestations (Tib. Guru Tsen Gye) representing different aspects of his being - wrath, pacification, etc.:

• 1. Guru Orgyen Dorje Chang (See image + description)
• 2. Guru Shakya Senge (See image)
• 3. Guru Pema Gyalpo (See image + description)
• 4. Guru Padmasambhava (See image + description)
• 5. Guru Loden Chokse (See image + description)
• 6. Guru Nyima Ozer (See image + description)
• 7. Guru Dorje Drolo (See image + description)
• 8. Guru Senge Dradog (See image)

[edit] Notes

1. ^ The conventional notion is that Uddiyana was located in the Swat Valley of present-day Pakistan, although some historians, including Robert E. Thurman, suggest it may have been in present-day Afghanistan.

[edit] References

• Schmidt, Erik Hein, and Marcia Binder, ed. 1993. The Lotus-Born: The Life Story of Padmasambhava. Composed by Yeshe Tsogyal, revealed by Nyang Ral Nyima Öser, foreword' by Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, clarification by Tsele Natsok Rangdröl. Translated from Tibetan by Erik Pema Kunsang. 1st edition, Shambhala Books. Reprint: Rangjung Yeshe Publications, Boudhanath. 1998. ISBN 962-7341-55-X
• Thondup, Tulku. Hidden Teachings of Tibet: An Explanation of the Terma Tradition of the Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism. London: Wisdom Publications, 1986.
• Tsogyal, Yeshe. The Lotus-Born: The Lifestory of Padmasambhava. Translated by Erik Pema Kunsang. Boudhanath: Rangjung Yeshe Publications, 2004.
• Zangpo, Ngawang. Guru Rinpoche: His Life and Times. Snow Lion Publications, 2002.

[edit] See also

• Bön in Bhutan

[edit] Further Reading

• Tsogyal, Yeshe. The Life and Liberation of Padmasambhava. Padma bKa'i Thang. Two Volumes. 1978. Translated into English by Kenneth Douglas and Gwendolyn Bays. ISBN 0-913546-18-6 and ISBN 0-913546-20-8.

[edit] External links

• Translation of The Full Story of Guru Padmasambhava - 109 KB PDF - With permission of the copyright holder
• The Eight Manifestations of Guru Padmasambhava
• Tsering: Buddyjski Serwis Internetowy ( Padmasambhava, Nyingma, Ngak Phang )
• A Short Biography by Jamgon Kongtrul
• Samdruptse Website, Namchi, Sikkim

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