Padmasambhava in Sanksrit means lotus-born, it said to have brought Tantric Buddhism to Tibet in the 8th century. In Bhutan and Tibet he is better knwon as Guru Rinpoche (Precious Master) where followers of the Nyingma school regard him as the second Buddha.
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. HIs special nature was recognized by the local king who married him to one of his daughters, Mandarava. She and Padmasambhavas other main consort, Yeshe Tsogyal, developed into realized practitioners. Many thangkas and paintings show Padmasambhava in between them.
yeshe tsogyal
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.
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.
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.
Samye Monastery complex
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.
Takshang - The
Tiger's Nest
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 tertons.
Synchronicity - As it happens, the birthday of a popular and colorful lama, Chorling Rinpoche, son of the late Urgyen Tulku, and a Terton, meaning a lama with a special talent for finding Termas, hidden teachings and prophecies left in caves, rocks, lakes, and other secret places by Padmasambhava and the likes of him, coincides with the birthday of Padmasambhava.
Love and pranams,
Billy
Synchronicity - As it happens, the birthday of a popular and colorful lama, Chorling Rinpoche, son of the late Urgyen Tulku, and a Terton, meaning a lama with a special talent for finding Termas, hidden teachings and prophecies left in caves, rocks, lakes, and other secret places by Padmasambhava and the likes of him, coincides with the birthday of Padmasambhava.
Love and pranams,
Billy