Everything about Padmasambhava totally explained
Padmasambhava (also
Padmakara or
Padma Raja; earlier -
Saroruha Vajra or simply
Saroruha) (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's better known as
Guru Rinpoche ("Precious Master") or
Lopon Rinpoche, where followers of the
Nyingma school regard him as the second
Buddha. Padmasambhava is the son of
Drenpa Namkha.
His Pureland Paradise is Zangdok Palri (the Copper-coloured Mountain).
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 of
Ancient India in present-day
Pakistan. His special nature was recognized by the local king who married him to one of his daughters,
Mandarava. She and Padmasambhava's other main,
Yeshe Tsogyal, developed into realised practitioners. Many
thangkas and paintings show Padmasambhava in between them.
His fame became known to
Trisong Detsen, the 38th king of the Yarlung dynasty, and the first Emperor 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.
Padmasambhava had five major female tantric companions, the so-called 'Five Wisdon Dakinis' (
Wylie:
Ye-shes mKha-'gro lnga) or 'Five Consorts.' In Padmasambhava's biography - they're described as the five women "who had access to the master's heart", and practiced secret sexual
tantric rites which are considered to have exorcised the previous demons of Tibet and converted them into protectors of the the country.' They were: Mandarava of Zahor - the emanation of
Vajravarahi's Body; Belwong Kalasiddhi of (North-West) India - the emanation of Vajravarahi's Quality, Belmo Sakya Devi of Nepal; the emanation of Vajravarahi's Mind, Yeshe Tsogyal of Tibet; the emanation of Vajravarahi's Speech and Mangala or Tashi Kyedren of "the Himalayas" - the emanation of Vajravarahi's Activity.
Padmasambhava's ability to memorize and comprehend esoteric texts in a single hearing established his reputation as a master above all others. Knowing that the life force of the wife and son of evil minister was about to end, he constructed an accident which resulted in their death. As a result, Padmasambhava was banished from the court and exiled in a charnel ground. Transiting various heavens and hells, he developed the power to transcend the
cycle of birth and death, accomplishing the so-called
great transference, otherwise known as
Nirvana.
In
Bhutan he's 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.
Padmasambhava is attributed with the quotation, "When the iron bird flies and the horse goes on wheels, the Dharma will travel west to the land of the red men." Although it has become common to interpret this as a prophesy regarding the West, Buddhist scholar
Stephen Batchelor argues that it more likely refers to the dharma coming to Tibet from
China, with "Iron Bird" referring to the Iron Bird year (781, when Chinese scholars were invited to teach at Samye), the "red faces" being Tibetans (who painted their faces red for battle), and "wheeled horses" being
chariots, a traditional symbol of power.
Iconography
The
khatvanga, a
danda with three severed heads denoting
liberation from the three worlds or
triloka, crowned by a
trishula and dressed with a sash of the Himalayan Rainbow or
Five Pure Lights of the
Mahabhuta is a particular divine attribute of Padmasambhava and endemic to his iconographic representation. The katvanga is also emblematic of Padmasambhava when depicted as an accoutrement of his divine consorts,
Mandarava and
Yeshe Tsogyal and according to the
Twilight Language is representative of
Yab-Yum in these examples.
Manifestations
Padmasambhava is said to have taken eight forms or manifestations (Tib.
Guru Tsen Gye) representing different aspects of his being - wrath, pacification, etc.:
In the 14th century,
Christian missionaries came to
Lhasa, Tibet hoping to convert the population. After hearing the Christians recount the story of the life, death, and
resurrection of Jesus, the Tibetans exclaimed, 'It was he!' "The pious Buddhists were completely convinced that Jesus Christ was an incarnation of Padmasambhava." The Christians then stopped trying to convert the population because the Buddhists thought the teachings of Christ were a "confirmation of the teachings that had been proclaimed by
Sakyamuni, Padsambhava, and other Buddhist saints."
When
Theos Bernard visited Tibet in 1937, he was accepted as a reincarnation of Padmasambhava, what enabled him to take part in many special religious ceremonies and to discuss Tibetan teachings with some of the leading lamas at famous Tibetan monasteries.
The Vajra Guru mantra
The
Vajra Guru (Padmasambhava)
mantra Om Ah Hum Vajra Guru Padma Siddhi Hum is favoured and held in esteem by
sadhakas. Like most Sanskritic mantras in Tibet, the Tibetan pronunciation demonstrates
dialectic variation and is generally
Om Ah Hum Benza Guru Pema Siddhi Hung. In the Vajrayana traditions, particularly of the
Nyingmapa, it's held to be a powerful mantra engendering
communion with the
Three Vajras of Padmasambhava's
mindstream and by his
grace, all enlightened beings.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Padmasambhava'.
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