The Life of Guru Rinpoche, Padmasambhava
Also known as Guru Rinpoche is not only a fully enlightened Buddha, but he has also manifested as one of the greatest sages of the Vajrayana Buddhism. He was born miraculously to serve infinite sentient beings through the power of his wisdom and compassion. He manifested in Zangdok Palri Pure Land and remains there as the body of light. Twelve years after the Mahaparinirvana of the Buddha, the rays of blessing light of the Buddha of Infinite Light touched a lotus in the Milk Ocean in the Southwest direction from Bodhagaya. As a result, Guru Rinpoche was born miraculously via lotus-birth without human parents.
Indrabodhi, the King of Oddiyana, and his Ministers found the child while sailing across the ocean. They brought him to the Palace and enthroned him as the Crown Prince. The young Padmasambhava was trained and skilled in all the arts of knowledge. But before long he took leave of the royal Palace in order to serve sentient beings through the path of esoteric teachings and sacred power. Guru Rinpoche was a fully enlightened Buddha, but to emphasize the importance of following the Dharma , he himself received various transmissions from both human knowledge-holders and non-human deities, and Dakini. He gave those teachings to infinite visible and invisible beings and through his invincible power, pacified many negative forces obstructing his enlightening activities. On one of the miraculous event of his life, he transformation of a huge fire (which was intent to burn him) into the Rewalsar lake. Thus, flourishing Dharma into the Kingdom of Zahor. Padmasambhave then, with his consort Princess Mandarava, of Zahor meditated in Maratika Cave in Nepal and attained immortality.
Through the meditations on Dzogpa Chenpo, he transformed his mortal body into “the rainbow-light-body of great transference". At the beginning of the 9th century, Guru Rinpoche visited Tibet at the invitation of King Trisong Deutsen Monastery, introducing Buddhism to Tibet for the very first time. His visited Tibet along with other Himalayan regions and accomplished three major goals:
Firstly, Guru Rinpoche tamed both human and non-human beings who were obstructing the building of the Samye Monastery and the establishment of Buddhism in Tibet. On the top of Hepo Mountain near Samye Monastery, he defeated the spirit forces, bounding them to vow as the protector of Dharma and the Dharma followers. Also, in the cave of Taktsang in Bhutan, he manifested himself in the form of Dorje Drolö, a wrathful form of Guru Rinpoche, and subdued the negative spirit forces.
guru padmasambhava and eight manifestations
Next, he taught hundreds of different teachings and the wisdom of Vajrayana to many of his accomplished disciples. The unbroken lineages of those transmissions have been maintained by highly enlightened adepts for centuries and are flourishing to this day. In today's world, these lineages are widely spread to many corners of the world.
He traveled to every valley of Tibet as well as Nepal, Bhutan, and Sikkim and blessed them as the Sacred lands. More amazingly, transmitting those esoteric wisdoms and teachings to his disciples, he miraculously concealed them in the pure nature of their minds. Then he also concealed numerous symbolic scripts or texts and religious objects in different places such as rocks, statues, lakes, and space. Those concealed teachings are known as his famous Ter, "Hidden Treasure Teachings"
Starting from the eleventh century till today, thousands of tertons- whom he has concealed the teachings-have miraculously been discovering thousands of volumes of ter teachings and ter objects from the rocks, earth, lakes, sky, etc. These discovered teachings and objects are called "the earth ter." Then, many of those tertons discovered the concealed teachings and wisdoms from the nature of their own minds through the power of the rebirths of Guru Rinpoche's direct disciples in their memory. These discovered teachings are called "the mind Ter."
His teachings are not only practiced in Tibet, but in many places around the World. Guru Rinpoche also blessed many valleys such as Sikkim, Khenpa Lung and Pemakö as "Hidden Lands."
"In the dark ages, people blame the decadence of the time as the culprit of their sufferings, but the sufferings are actually caused by their own misdeeds. Nevertheless when the devotees are facing danger, the safe places for them to escape to are the hidden lands."
One of the most famous body imprints of Guru Rinpoche is in Kurjey in Bumthang, Bhutan.
After staying in Tibet for about fifty-five years, Guru Rinpoche announced that he was leaving for the lands of the rakshas. On Gongthang pass in Western Tibet, he bade farewell to King Mutig Tsenpo and the assembled devotees of Tibet.
As Guru Padmasambhava looked up at the sky, suddenly appeared the dakinis and celestial beings with flowers, banners, and music in the midst of colorful beams of light with a beautiful blue horse adorned with ornaments. Riding the horse, Guru Rinpoche flew away through the sky before the eyes of all. He landed in Zangdok Palri, where he instantly emanated the Lotus Light Palace as a Manifested Pure Land. He still resides in Zangdok Palri, in the form of “rainbow-light-body of great transference” with an ocean of Enlightened Ones and the rebirths of many of his numerous devotees. Hence, he remains in the nature of Ultimate-body and the qualities of Enjoyment-body and the display of Manifested-bodies of Buddhahood.
"Every morning and every evening, I will come to serve you
By riding the rays of the rising and setting sun.
On the tenths of the waxing moons, I will come in person.
O my devout followers!
Arrange feast offerings in blazing vessels of precious gems
And sing the Seven Line Prayer in devotional melodies
With the sounds of music and skull damarus.
I, Orgyen (Guru Rinpoche) - from the Chamara subcontinent,
who, like a mother, cannot bear the cry of her beloved child,
will come to grant my blessings.
This is a promise!
guru rinpoche thangka painting
