Now follows a short life story of Guru Rinpoche, also known as Padmakara or Padmasambhava, extracted from the Precious Garland of Lapis Lazuli, a collection of life stories of the 108 main tertons written by Jamgon Kongtrul the First and found in Volume I of his Treasury of PreciousTermas – the RinchenTerdzo:
Padmakara has influenced countless beings through the Vajrayana teachings and in particular through the activity of the profound terma treasures.
This great master was not an ordinary person on the path or just a noble being on one of the bodhisattva bhumis butan emanation of both Buddha Amitabha and Shakyamuni who appeared in order to tame the human beings and spirits difficult to convert.
Even the great bodhisattvas are incapable of fully explaining his life example but in brief I will narrate it as follows.
In the dharmakaya realm of the Luminous Vajra Essence he has by nature attained perfect enlightenment since the very beginning as the liberated ground of primordial purity.
He is renowned as the original protector, Unchanging Light.
In the self-manifest sambhogakaya realm of the Thunder of the Drum of Perfection, he spontaneously manifested as the boundless wisdom array of the five families of Buddha Immense Ocean possessing the five certainties.
As the external manifestation of this self-appearing display, in the countless sceneries of bodily forms in buddha fields of the five families comprised of the semi-manifest natural nirmanakaya realms of Maha brahma, he appears to all the bodhisattvas on the ten bhumis.
Since these all are the cloud banks of Guru Rinpoche's wisdom display, the 'inexhaustible wheel of adornment,' he is known as the All-Holding Lotus.
By the power of these wisdom displays he appears in countless worlds of the ten directions as the magical apparition of nirmanakayas who tame beings.
By the power of these wisdom displays he appears in countless worlds of the ten directions as the magical apparition of nirmanakayas who tame beings.
In particular, it is taught that only in this Saha world-system he illuminates fifty worlds with the lamp of the teachings of Sutra and Tantra appearing as the eight manifestations to tame beings in the different parts of the world.
The Dakini Yeshe Tsogyal had a vision in which she saw a manifestation of Guru Rinpoche called Immense Vajra Ocean in the direction to the east.
Each of the pores in his body held one billion realms and in each realm there were one billion world systems.
In each of these world systems there were one billion Guru Rinpoches who each created one billion emanations.
Each of these emanations carried out the activity of taming one billion disciples.
She then saw the same display in each of the other directions and in the center.
In this world of Jambudvipa, Guru Rinpoche is known as just one nirmanakaya whotames beings but according to the different capacities and giftedness of people he is perceived in various ways.
The history of the Oral Transmission of Kilaya and most Indian sources explain that he was born as the son of a king or a minister in Uddiyana; while the terma treasures for the most part narrate that he was miraculously born.
In some texts he is said to have appeared from a bolt of lightning at the summit of Mount Malaya. Each of these wondrous stories differ in many ways.
This is indeed a topic that lies far beyond the reach of an ordinary person's intellect.
I shall now limit the explanation down to a mere seed, the life of Guru Rinpoche according to miraculous birth as it appears in the terma teachings.
In the land of Uddiyana situated to the west of Bodhgaya there was an island in a huge lake on which appeared a multi-colored lotus flower through the blessings of the buddhas.
Buddha Amitabha sent from his heart center a golden vajra marked with the letter HRIH into the bud of this lotus flower which miraculously turned into a small child eight years of age holding a vajra and a lotus and adorned with the major and minor marks.
The child remained there teaching the profound Dharma to the devas and dakinis on the island.
At that time Indrabodhi, who was the king of the country, had no sons.
At that time Indrabodhi, who was the king of the country, had no sons.
He had already emptied out his treasury by making offerings to the Three Jewels and giving alms to the poor.
As a last resort, in order to find a wish fulfilling jewel he embarked on a journey with his minister Krishnadhara on the great lake.
On their return first Krishnadhara and later King Indrabodhi met themiraculous child.
The king regarded him as an answer to his prayers for a son and brought him to the palace where he was given the name Padmakara, the LotusBorn.
Padmakara was then asked to sit on a throne made of precious gems and given lavish offerings by all the people.
The prince grew up, bringing countless beings to maturation through his youthful sports and games.
The prince grew up, bringing countless beings to maturation through his youthful sports and games.
He married Prabhadhari and ruled the kingdom of Uddiyana in accordance with the Dharma.
At that time he perceived that he would be unable to accomplish the immense welfare of other beings by governing a country so he asked Indrabodhi permission to leave which was not granted.
In an act of play, he then pretended that his trident slipped out of his hand; itf ell and killed the son of one of the ministers.
He was then sentenced to be expelled to a charnel ground.
He remained in Cool Grove, Joyful Forest and Sosaling, engaging in the conduct of yogic disciplines.
During this time he received empowerment and blessings from the two dakinis Tamer of Mara and Sustainer of Bliss.
When bringing all the dakinis of the charnel grounds under his command, he was known as Shantarakshita.
Padmakara returned to Uddiyana, to the island in Lake Danakosha where he practiced Secret Mantra and the symbolic language of the dakinis through which he brought the dakinis on the island under his command.
He then practiced in the Rugged Forest and was blessed with a vision of Vajra Yogini.
He bound under oath all the nagas of the lakes as well as the planetary spirits and was invested with supernatural powers by all the dakas and dakinis.
Thus he became renowned as Dorje Drakpo Tsal, Wrathful Vajra Power.
He then journeyed to the Vajra Throne in Bodhgaya where he showed many miracles.
People asked who he was and when he replied that he was a self-appeared buddha they did not believe but instead defamed him.
Seeing the many reasons to have a teacher, he went to Zahor where he took ordination from Prabhahasti and was given the name Shakya Senge.
He received the teaching on Yoga Tantra eighteen times and had visions of the deities.
The he went to the female master Kungamo who was the wisdom dakini Guhya Jñana appearing in the form of a nun.
He asked for empowerment and she changed him into the letter HUNG which she then swallowed and emitted through her lotus.
Inside her body he was bestowed the entire outer, inner and secret empowerments and purified of the three obscurations.
Later, he met the eight great knowledge-holders and received the Eight Sadhana Sections.
He received the Magical Net from the great master Buddha Guhya and Dzogchen from Shri Singha.
In this way he studied and received all the sutras, tantras and sciences from numerous learned and accomplished masters of India.
He became adept by learning a topic just once and had visions of all the deities even without practicing.
At this time he was known as Loden Choksey and he displayed the manner of perfecting the vidyadhara level of maturation.
He then went to the country of Zahor where he magnetized Mandarava, a qualified dakini who was the daughter of King Vihardhara.
Taking her as his sadhana support, they practiced for three months in the Maratika Cave after which Buddha Amitayus appeared in person, conferred empowerment upon them and blessed them to be inseparable from himself.
They were given one billion tantras on longevity and accomplished the vidyadhara level of life-mastery.
Having attained the vajra body beyond birth and death, they went back to teach the kingdom of Zahor.
When begging for alms, they were arrested by the king and his ministers and burned alive.
The master and his consort inspired faith by displaying the miracle of transforming the pyre into a cool lake in the center of which they sat on a lotus flower.
They caused all the people to embrace Dharma practice and established them in the state beyond falling back into samsara.
Padmakara then returned to convert the people of Uddiyana.
While begging for alms, he was recognized and burned in a huge pyre of sandal wood.
The master and his consort again appeared unharmed on a lotus flower in the center of a lake wearing a garland of skulls to symbolize liberating all sentient beings from samsara.
Because of showing this miracle he was then renowned as PadmaTotreng Tsal, Powerful Lotus of the Garland of Skulls.
He remained in Uddiyana for 13 years as the king's teacher and established the whole kingdom in Dharma practice.
During this time he gave the empowerment and teachings for the Dharma Ocean Embodying All Teachings (Kadu Chokyi Gyamtso), through which the king and queen as well as all the destined ones accomplished the supreme vidyadhara level.
He was then known as Padma Raja, the Lotus King.
In accordance with a prophesy in the Sutra on Magical Perception, Padmakara transformed himself into the monk Wangpo Dey in order to convert King Ashoka.
Having established Ashoka in unshakable faith, during a single night he erected in this world one million stupas containing the relics of the Tathagata.
He also subdued several non-Buddhist teachers, was poisoned by one king but remained unharmed.
When he then was thrown into the river he made the river flow upstream and danced about in mid-air.
Through that he became known as Powerful Garuda Youth.
Moreover, Padmakara manifested himself in the form of Acharya Padmavajra, the master who revealed the Hevajra Tantra, as well as the Brahmin Saraha, Dombi Heruka, Virupa, Kalacharya and many other siddhas.
He practiced in the great charnel grounds where he taught the Secret Mantra to the dakinis.
He subdued the outer and inner mundane spirits and named them protectors of the Dharma.
At that time he became known as Nyima Özer.
When five hundred Non-Buddhist teachers were about to defeat the Dharma in debate at Bodhgaya,
Padmakara challenged them and was victorious.
Some of the teachers resorted to evil spells, but Padmakara scattered them by means of a wrathful mantra given by the dakini Tamer of Mara.
The rest converted to Buddhism and the banner of the Dharma was raised to the skies.
At that time he became known as Senge Dradrok.
Up to this point he had exhausted the three defilements and resided on the vidyadhara level of life-mastery, the stage of having fully perfected the supreme path.
Proceeding to the cave of Yanglesho situated between India and Nepal he met Shakya Devi, the daughter of a Nepalese King, whom he accepted as his sadhana support and consort.
While practicing Vishuddha Heruka three powerful spirits created obstacles, preventing rainfall for three years and causing disease and famine.
Padmakara sent messengers to India asking his masters for a teaching that could counteract these obstacles.
Two men returned loaded with Kilaya scriptures and the obstacles were spontaneously pacified the very moment they arrived with the scriptures in Nepal.
Padmakara and his consort then attained the supreme siddhi and abided on the vidyadhara level of mahamudra.
To be continued..........
Shared by Lotuschef / Pure Karma
To be continued..........
Shared by Lotuschef / Pure Karma
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