Biography of Padmasambhava (Padma-Sambhava)

“I have decided to follow the path of truth…”

The great master PADMASAMBHAVA (in Tibetan PADMA-BYUN-GNAS), also known as Guru Rinpoche (the unspeakably precious Guru or Spiritual Master) or Padmakara (the one born of the lotus) is one of the most famous and revered figures of Tibetan spirituality.

Under his influence, Tantric Buddhism gained overwhelming importance in Tibet (compared to the ancient shamanic tradition of BON-PO, which was dominant in the “Land of Snows” before the advent of Buddhist teaching).

He has helped thousands of beings achieve spiritual liberation

PADMA-SAMBHAVA was the founder of the first Buddhist monastery in Tibet, Samye Monastery, and his disciples formed a school of Buddhism, which still exists today, called “RNYING MAPA” – or “NINGMAPA” or in other words, “Red Caps”.

Such a “treasure discoverer” is always a gifted being, with the highest spiritual abilities, being in fact a divine incarnation that manifests itself at a certain historical moment.

PADMA-SAMBHAVA has influenced the spiritual destiny of thousands of beings for the better through the teachings of VAJRAYANA.

The Tibetan tradition VAJRAYANA offers a very fast, lightning-like path to God,

she being bound by the supreme, overwhelming Grace that CHINNAMASTA,

hypostasized here in the form of the Supreme DAKINI, he offers it practically instantaneously, like a “lightning bolt”), and in particular, through the extraordinary information contained in his sacred texts, the THERMA.

As Tibetan tradition states, this great master was an emanation of DHYANI BUDDHA AMITABHA.

This is, for those familiar with these notions, according to the same VAJRAYANA tradition, the divine Sovereign of the PADMA Family of divine energies, who has thus manifested himself to guide, full of infinite compassion, human beings to attain the state of supreme spiritual liberation.

He was born in a lotus flower

Also about PADMA-SAMBHAVA, his disciples, who have been close to him through their faith, deep spiritual aspiration and the amazing yogic powers they have acquired, affirm that PADMA-SAMBHAVA illuminates 50 worlds with the light emanating from the teachings of the SUTRAS and TANTRAS, thus manifesting himself in the form of eight Divine manifestations to spiritually guide the beings in different parts of the world.

Although there is a biography of PADMA-SAMBHAVA recounted in some contemporary books, relatively little can be gleaned from it regarding the facts related to the history of his existence, a large part of the content of this biography being made up of myth, legend or allegory of a symbolic, spiritual nature.

Thus, this biography of Tibetan origin, describes the miraculous birth of the great master PADMA-SAMBHAVA:

“In the land of ORGYEN (by all estimates, the land would now correspond to the area where GAZNI is found, N-W of KASHMIR, India), on Lake DANAKOSHA, there was an island on which a multicolored lotus flower appeared.

From the celestial heights of his SUKHAVATI paradise, Buddha-Amitabha sent from His spiritual heart, shining with the light of Divine Wisdom, a 5-pointed vajra (ritual instrument used in tantric ceremonies, the symbol of Transcendent Consciousness and the Spiritual Path, n.n.) that fell right in the center of the lotus flower.

In the middle of this lotus miraculously appeared a wonderful baby, about a year old.

An aura of intensely bright light surrounded his angelic being, and he had all the major and minor signs of a spiritually liberated being.”

At that time, Indrabodhi, the king of that country, had no children.

He had already emptied his treasury, giving offerings to Buddhist deities and giving alms to the poor. As a last attempt to rid his country of hunger and poverty, he set out, together with his minister Krishnadhara, on a journey to the great lake Danakosha to obtain from the NAGA-si (“kings of snakes”) a magical gem that fulfilled any wish (we find here again a reference to the Tibetan symbolism of the lotus – PADMA, as a symbol of wisdom above all gregarious desires).

On their return, Krishnadara and then King Indrabodhi met, in the midst of a fully blooming lotus, the wonderful child.

The king considered him in response to his prayers to have a son and as a result, took him to the palace where he was given the name PADMAKARA, “Born-of-the Lotus“.

The prince grew up, easily learning the royal habits, becoming a fine and appreciated connoisseur of poetry, music and philosophy; Also, in wrestling and other royal sports no one equaled him.

He married Princess Bhasadhara (“Keeper of Light”) and ruled the kingdom of Orgyen, in accordance with the precepts of the DHARMA (Buddhist teaching).

At that moment, at the heights of worldly power and fully acquainted with the delights of the pleasures of the senses,

The Lotus-born realized, as a result of the appearance of divine visions, the illusory and ever-changing nature of all worldly things; at the same time, he realized that he would not be able to spiritually awaken other beings from the position of king of the country, so he asked his adoptive father, Indrabodhi, for permission to give up the throne permanently, permission that was NOT granted.

But divine necessity soon caused a series of events to take place in the courtyard of his palace as a result of which Prince Padmakara was unjustly accused of the death of the son of one of the ministers. Thus his abdication from the throne becomes inevitable.

“Life is like the dew of the grass”

Upon leaving, legend has it that the Lotus-Born would have addressed the crowd of saddened people who led him in this way:

“This life is ephemeral, and separation from it is inevitable. Life unfolds like the spectacle in a large square: here human beings gather, spending time together, then, after a while, they separate (due to death).
Why then do you worry so much about this temporary separation?

This is the Wheel of the World. Let us let go of the pain of separation and fix our thoughts only on attaining the state of spiritual liberation.
I have decided to follow the path of Truth, and I promise you that I will also prepare the way for your own salvation from the illusion-filled ocean of this world, so that you can join me later on the spiritual path.Until then, think about the fact that the physical body is not permanent; He is like a chasm.
Also think that breathing is not permanent either, it is like a cloud. The mind is not permanent either, but it is like lightning. Life is not permanent, it is like the winter dew.”

PADMAKARA first went to the cemeteries “Cool Grove”, “Merry Forest” and “Sosaling”.

These are the first of the eight cemeteries of ancient India where, one after the other, the Lotus-Born practiced SOSANICA YOGA or in other words, attending cemeteries – it is one of the 12 techniques performed by yogic followers from the East; Through this technique, it is intended that the practitioner

to understand the three main phenomena specific to SAMSARA (the illusory ocean of perpetual cosmic becoming) which are: ephemerality of manifestation, suffering and emptiness.

He learned the secret language of the DAKINI

During this period he received empowerment and blessing from two DAKINIs, having the names “She Who Subdues the Demons” and “DAKINI of the Peaceful Order”.

The Grand Master then returned to the land of Orgyen, to the island in the middle of Lake Danakosha, where he learned from the DAKINI here their secret symbolic language (this is one of the secret languages of Tibet, known today only by a very small number of high initiated LAMAS) and then preached the Mahayana to the DAKINI of the lake.

He then continued his spiritual practice in the “Dense Forest” cemetery, where he had several visions of VAJRA YOGINI (VAJRA DAKINI). Here he entered into communion through meditation with the world of the NAGA-si of the lakes, as well as with the planetary spirits, and because of his courage and spiritual steadfastness, he was invested with numerous supernatural powers by all DAKA-sis (the male counterparts of DAKINIS) and all DAKINIS.

In this way, PADMAKARA became known as DORJE DRAKPO TSAL (“The Terrible Power of VAJRA”).

He then went to pray at the holy temple in Bodh-Gaya (the place where he achieved spiritual enlightenment BUDDHA SAKYAMUNI).

Utilizing the magical powers of materializing and altering the form of his physical body at will, PADMA-SAMBHAVA manifested himself here in a manner considered downright miraculous by ordinary beings.
The people asked him who he was, and he answered them: “I have neither father nor mother, nor caste, nor name; I am an emanation of BUDDHA AMITABHA, ‘the one born by Divine will'”.But people didn’t believe him.

He achieved enlightenment through the grace of a tantric master

PADMA-SAMBHAVA understood that in order to perfect his spiritual teaching and practice, he is in great need of a spiritual teacher.

He then went to Sator, where he was received into the order of monks by the spiritual guide PRABHAHASTI (“The Elephant of Light”) and was given the name SHAKYA SENGE.

SHAKYA SENGE thus received 18 initiations in TANTRA YOGA and had countless spiritual visions of the tantric deities.

PADMA-SAMBHAVA then went to Tantric Master KUNGAMO, who was actually an incarnation of the sage DAKINI GUHYA JNANA.

Due to the strong spiritual influence of this spiritual master, PADMA-SAMBHAVA spontaneously felt that she identified herself with the secret MANTRA of CHINNAMASTA, thus attaining the state of spiritual enlightenment.

This enlightenment obtained through the grace of a DAKINI of Divine Wisdom was perceived by PADMA-SAMBHAVA as a purification and spiritualization of his entire being, at the level of all secret centers of force (CHAKRAS). However, the most powerful impact of the purifying divine force manifested by this wonderful and fascinating DAKINI on him was perceived by the PADMA-SAMBHAVA at the level of the three GRANTHI (“subtle-energetic knots” of the being), which were then completely unblocked for him.

One of the most important spiritual guides of PADMA-SAMBHAVA was Prince Shri Singha, who lived his life in a cave in Bhurma.

He taught the Lotus-born the highest spiritual teaching of all the 84,000 Buddhist teachings, known as DZOGCHEN (in Sanskrit MAHASANDHI, MAHA ATI, Great Perfection; these teachings are often presented as representing the highest of the inner TANTRAS belonging to the NYINGMAPA spiritual school).

When PADMA-SAMBHAVA asked his Spiritual Guide Shri Singha to present his teaching, the Guide pointed to the heavens and said:

“Do not manifest any desire for what you see.

Not even a wish. Not to manifest even a desire.

Desire and liberation are invisible and simultaneous.

Leave aside the doubts about external things.

To overcome doubts about lower things, make use of Divine Wisdom, which is absolute, perfect.”

In this way, PADMA-SAMBHAVA studied and received all the SUTRAS, Tantras and teachings from the many realized sages and spiritual guides in India. He had visions of all the Buddhist deities, even without doing any specific spiritual practice. During this period he made known the modality

to attain the first level of VIDYADHARA, that of full spiritual maturity.

At this first level, conceptual and discursive thinking is transcended, and the ultimate divine nature of the Eternal Spirit – ATMAN – is revealed.

He had many paranormal powers.

In all these years of study, PADMA-SAMBHAVA aimed to perfect himself in the study of astrology (being called ” The Astrologer of KALACHAKRA” due to the level he had reached in this field) and medicine; He gained all the knowledge of reincarnation, hidden treasures, longevity, and full control over the physical plane.

He learned the yogic art of extracting essences from different substances for the acquisition of longevity.

He then gained paranormal control of his sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste, drinking only water, without eating anything.

He then came to master the art of the preservation of body heat, without the help of clothes (TUMMO).

He gained mental clarity, the ability to levitate and move in space at very high speeds with the help of breath control, and he accumulated vast knowledge through fasting and deep meditation on emptiness.

By successfully performing numerous spiritual SADHANAS, the PADMA-SAMBHAVA has managed not to be affected by any difficulties in life.

During this period he was given the name of “He who Enjoys the Highest State of Happiness.“

He extracted the essence of precious stones

He then learned to perfectly master the art of extracting the elixir from stones and sand, as well as transmuting impure food into pure food.

Another achievement of his was the perfection in the practice of all asanas (body postures).

PADMA-SAMBHAVA also achieved mastery in other yogic techniques such as:

prolonging life by assimilating the essential subtle energy of gold,

preventing diseases by assimilating the essential subtle energy of silver,

neutralization of poisons by assimilating the essential subtle energy of iron,

walking on water by assimilating the essential subtle energy of pearls,

Achieving clairvoyance by assimilating the essential subtle energy of lapis lazuli stone.

PADMA-SAMBHAVA thus came to perfect itself in the practice of 1,000 such essences and made them known for the benefit of all people.

That is why it has been called “The Lotus that contains the essence of precious stones”.

Tibetan legends state that theMedicine Buddha himself materialized before PADMA-SAMBHAVA and, giving him a vessel of AMRITA (the divine nectar of immortality), asked him to drink it.

PADMA drank only half of it for the prolongation of his own life, and the other half he hid in a STUPA (n.n – Buddhist monument, in the shape of a stone mound, more or less pyramidal, surrounded by a railing that is generally carved).

The master’s mystical lovers or consorts

The great tantric master Padmasambhava had a huge number of spiritual lovers, not to mention superficiality in love, uncontrolled sensuality or even debauchery. Without respecting the five perfect conditions, a man’s action, even if his intentions are spiritual, would lead to the loss of time and energies, as well as spiritual degrigolade.

Padmasambhava had five very close spiritual lovers, disciples with a very high spiritual realization, from whom he did not separate all his life.

These were:

Mandarava – the emanation of Varahi’s body,

Yeshe Tsogyel- the emanation of his Speech,

Shakya Devi – the emanation of his Mind,

Kalasiddhi- the emanation of his Quality,

Tashi Kyidren- the emanation of his Activity.

In order to carry out his intention to reach the second level of VIDYADHARA, that of full mastery of life for which he had received spiritual empowerment from the tantric master Kungamo, Rinpoche needed an authentic spiritual consort (at the second level VIDYAHARA, the yogi, although still bound to his body, begins to acquire special powers, such as the lengthening, at will, of the cycle of life and the modification of the external form, the ability to manifest as “a billion things through the three incalculable eons” and to act for the spiritual good of all beings).

He then went to Zahor, located in the northwestern part of the land of Orgyen, where King Arshadhara reigned. A daughter had been born to this king, to whom, right from birth, a wandering yogi had predicted that she would give up the world and become a yogi.

She got the name MANDARIVA. Legend has it that MANDARAVA grew rapidly, in one day as much as a normal child in a month. At the age of 13, everyone considered her to be the sublime incarnation of a DAKINI. Many suitors for her hand came from different countries, but she refused, which angered King Arshadhara, her father, to the extreme.

Finally, the king, her father, was persuaded and allowed her and the 500 maids to follow the spiritual path, building them a large and beautiful Buddhist monastery.

Padmasambhava remained for some time in the Zohar, and after converting the population, he and his consort went to the Maratika Cave at Heileshe, Nepal, where they practiced the yoga of immortality in the mandala of Amitayus, Guru Pema attaining the level of Holder of the Knowledge of Immortality (tshe’i dbang-la rig-‘dzin). From Nepal they traveled to Bangala where Mandarava was transformed into the cat-faced Dakini (the one), helping to transform and convert the entire country.

Returning to his native country, as no prophet is recognized in his country. Guru Pema was again burned at the stake, this time along with Mandarava, and again they remained unharmed.

After this Mandarava became the Queen of the Dakinis of Orgyen (Orgyen is the pure land of the Dakini – a Buddhist land of nirmanakaya).

Padmasambhava hid these writings to prevent the destruction of secret teachings, avoiding the perversion or modification of this by those who would not be able to understand it. He also impregnated each scripture with spiritual blessings, which pours through grace upon the one who discovers and reads it.

This is all that is known about Sakya Dema. except that when Tsogyel visited Yanglesho a few years later, the Guru’s previous consort was still living there as yogins.

The yoga techniques that Sakya Lama exposed to Tsogyel are:

~the simultaneous processes of creative and realizing meditation that lead to the mahamudra,

~the realization process of ‘burning and dripping’,

~yoga zap – lam of Bliss and Emptiness,

~yoga thogal of the four visions leading to the rainbow body and

~yoga of conscious sleep.

Some contemporary Tibetans believe that Raj Kumari, the so-called Living Goddess of Basantapur Kumari Baal in Kathmandu. it is an emanation of the Goddess Sakya Dema.

Kalasiddhi is also born in Nepal.

At the age of fourteen Dakini was found by Tsogyel on his second visit to Nepal, when she came to hand over guru’ssecret precepts. Tsogyel called it Kalasiddhi (kala = constituents, ‘atoms’ and also the name of the substrate of the elements of the human body (bile, phlegm, seed, etc.) and since Kalasiddhi belongs to the ‘Body’ family (kayakula) of the Dakini (and specifically to the shell type of Dakini, Samkini, which refers to the physical nature of the yoni), it will gain siddhi by achieving the essential Emptiness of the ‘atomic’ (material) structure of the body.

In Mangyul, Kalasiddhi received initiation into the Lama Tantra Mandala and after a long period of meditation she acquired siddhis. She accompanied Tsogyel to the court of King Mutri Tsenpo, Samye, and to the retreat center at Chimphu where she met Guru Pema.

The guru immediately perceived the potentiality of Kalasiddhi as a mudra in his practice of sustaining and spreading Tantra in Tibet and asked Tsogyel to give it to him for this purpose. Soon after this, Guru Pema left for the Southwest, leaving Kalasiddhi in the care of Tsogyel, who passed on detailed zap-lam teaching to her as a parting gift.

Tashi Khyidren of Bhutan is a beloved popular figure from western Bhutan, where she is known as Bhutan’s gift to the Great Guru in her work to spread tantras in Tibet.

At the age of thirteen she met Tsogyel meditating in the Nering Drak Cave, subjected to the assaults of local spirits and demons. Full of unwavering admiration for yogins, from time to time she brought him milk and honey.

After Tsogyel was successful in subduing the spirits and also the hostile local population, Khyidren’s father came to pay homage to her and Tsogyel asked him to give her his daughter. King Hamra agreed, and Tsogyel changed his name from Khyidren to Chidren. Soon after this Khyidren accompanied Tsogyel to Womphu Taksang in Tibet, where she met Guru Pema.

He asked Tsogyel to give him Khyidren to perform with her, as a mudra, the initiation rituals Dorje Phurba, which he had to perform for the protection of Tibet.

Khyidren played an important role as the secondary lover of the Guru in this initiation, in the symbolism of Phurba-tantra. Khyidren is the tiger on whose back Guru Pema and Tsogyel, as Phurba and his Counterpart, rode to subdue the gods and demons of Tibet.

Khyidren was reborn as the daughter of Machik Labdron (considered a reincarnation of Tsogyel).

He survived the burning of the stake

The biography “The Life and Spiritual Liberation of PADMA-SAMBHAVA”, recorded by YESHE TSOGYEL (in which the external events are so deeply intertwined with the internal ones, that it is sometimes difficult to grasp exactly in which plane of reality they unfolded), thus recounts the meeting between Rinpoche and MANDARAVA:

“then PADMA-SAMBHAVA decided that the time had come to instruct MANDARAVA, so he materialized in front of her and the companions who were in the monastery garden, in the form of a smiling young man, dressed in the bright colors of a rainbow. The air was filled with ethereal, crystal-like sounds and impregnated with the smell of incense. As soon as she saw PADMA-SAMBHAVA, MANDARAVA felt in her soul a deep happiness, a pure and endless joy…”

At first, PADMA-SAMBHAVA trained MANDARAVA and her 500 followers in the three YOGA (the ATI, ANU, CHITTI yogic systems belonging to the YOGACHARA or Contemplative school of MAHAYANA, founded by ASANGA, then developed, around 700 d.Ch., into MANTRAYANA).

We continue the sequence of the story from “The Life and Spiritual Liberation of PADMA-SAMBHAVA“:

“A shepherd, who saw PADMA-SHAMBHAVA together with MANDARAVA and the princess’s companions, went to the king telling him that MANDARAVA lived with a BRAHMACHARIN (tantric adept who perfectly realizes sexual continence).

The king sent soldiers who forced their way into the monastery and tied up PADMA-SAMBHAVA. The king ordered that PADMA-SAMBHAVA be burned at the stake, and MANDARAVA to be kept in a pit full of brambles for 25 years. The soldiers tore his clothes off the PADMA, beat him and hit him with stones and tied him to a pole. Hundreds of people in the vicinity were ordered to come with a bundle of wood each and a measure of sesame oil. Then they took a long piece of cloth which they soaked in oil and wrapped the PADMA with it.

The pyre as high as a mountain was lit from 4 directions, the resulting smoke covering the sunlight. The satisfied crowd went home. But suddenly, shaking began to be felt like those that occur when there is an earthquake. These terrible divine signs made the king realize how thoughtlessly he had acted.

He began to intuit that the so-called shepherd was actually a Divine incarnation, gifted with exceptional qualities. Seven days later, the king saw that the pyre continued to smoke. Wanting to see what was going on there, the king discovered, in amazement, under a rainbow, a huge lake surrounded by the wood that continued to burn. In the middle of the lake, on a lotus flower, sat a young man with an extraordinarily bright aura, who was Rinpoche himself, next to him were 8 fascinatingly beautiful women, all of whom had the appearance of MANDARAVA.

Overwhelmed with astonishment and bitterly repenting of his mistakes, the king offered himself, his own kingdom and his own daughter, MANDARAVA, to the Great GURU. Thus, Princess MANDARAVA became the spiritual consort of PADMA-SAMBHAVA, and the king, along with 21 other close friends received several spiritual initiations from PADMA, who became their master. The king became a Teacher of the Dharma, and the land of Zahor became full of yogis, the spiritual doctrine of the Buddhas remaining there for 200 years. “

From the spiritual teachings of PADMA-SAMBHAVA

*The most important thing, before engaging in any practice specific to authentic spiritual teachings , is to amplify Bodhichitta, meaning that our mind must be fixed only on the supreme spiritual liberation. The one who has amplified in his own being the state of Bodhichitta will constantly cultivate the feeling that all beings are his mothers; He will be free from all prejudice and limitations, his essential purpose now being to serve all conscious beings.

*There is no conscious being who has not been your father or mother at some point. So, as a reward for the goodness of all conscious beings, put yourself at their service without delay, aiming to do them as much spiritual good as possible.

Cultivate kindness and compassion for all conscious beings. Whatever you do, do for the spiritual good of all conscious beings. Consider others more important than yourself.

*No matter how worthy the action you are involved in, do not forget for a moment that all phenomena are like dreams and magic.

Do not forget for a moment that after a shorter or longer period of time you will die, so there is no point in running, desperately clinging to the things of this world. Do not forget for a moment that the future is the one that lasts and that, consequently, you must make every effort to have a future as bright as possible from a spiritual point of view. Don’t deceive yourself with anything. If you believe that you are a learned person or of great nobility, then you will never acquire any spiritual qualities. So throw this delusion as far as possible and engage in the practice of authentic spiritual teachings, without the slightest hesitation.

You cannot truly know another being if you yourself do not have access to the subtle, elevated means of higher knowledge. That’s why don’t criticize others. In essence, all conscious beings are by their very nature liberated beings. Therefore, do not judge the mistakes and unfulfillments of other people. Stop analyzing the limitations of others. Analyze yours and see what you can do to eliminate them. Stop analyzing the shortcomings of others, but only your own. The greatest evil is to criticize other people in a religiously moralizing tone, but without knowing what is in their minds. So give up this moralizing attitude as the strongest poison.

*”Great YOGI” simply means to be free from constraints and attachments.

*Anyway, if you do not trust the spiritual practice you are engaged in, then any effort in this regard is in vain and everything you do will be pointless, no matter what spiritual technique you perform, it is essential to do it without a bit of doubt and distrust.

There is no other place for meditation besides the Eternal Spirit, for true spiritual teaching is nowhere else but in the immortal Spirit. Always and always turn to Your Own Supreme Self – ATMAN.

All phenomena are like reflections in a mirror, without their own existence, and they can be known as long as they are not thought of in a conceptual manner.

*DAKINI means “magician” in Sanskrit and refers to the astonishing spiritual powers that these fascinating and terrible female entities of the tantric pantheon awaken, through their spiritual force, in the consciousness of the brave, pure and persevering aspirant; The DAKINIS represent, at the same time, the feminine aspect of the enlightened consciousness.

* When a human being who is attracted to spirituality and an authentic master meet, it is similar to the situation in which a blind man finds himself finding the stone that fulfills his desires.

* You have to see how, in fact, every experience you live contains within it the formless ecstasy.

* It is not enough to practice yoga from time to time; Your spiritual practice must be continuous, like the flow of a river.

* Teaching, reflection and meditation are the basic aspects of true spiritual practice. Diligence, faith and trust are the three poles of the spiritual life. Knowledge, discipline, and kindness are the three characteristics of spiritual practice. The absence of attachment, the absence of obsessive desires, and the absence of dependence on something or someone are the three factors of harmony in authentic spiritual practice.

* When there is no longer a trace of stinginess or prejudice in your mind, it is called the perfection of generosity.

* When, masterfully, you manage to eliminate any disturbing emotion from your mind, this is the perfection of spiritual discipline.

* When you have fully freed yourself from anger and resentment, this is called the perfection of patience.

* When you are no longer lazy or indolent, this is the perfection of striving.

* When you can no longer be disturbed in any way, nor are you attached to meditation, this is the perfection of concentration.

* When you are completely free of concepts, this is called the perfection of discriminatory knowledge.

* Learn to extinguish the consuming flames of anger with the water of loving-kindness.

* Learn to cross the river of the desires of the numberless on the bridge made from your spiritual exercises.

* Learn to light the torch of discriminatory knowledge in the darkness of stupidity.

* Learn to break the mountain of pride with the hammer of persevering patience.

* Learn to get out of the blizzard of envy and jealousy by wearing the warm garments of patience.

It is said that the spiritual strength of Grand Master Padma-Sambhava increases as worldly conditions deteriorate. He is the Sublime Alchemist, The spiritual guide who transforms hatred into wisdom, the lower passions into love, darkness into light. The stronger the forces of evil become, the more pronounced are the Divine forms in which the great master manifests himself. In the abysses of human despair and suffering of all kinds, the diamond of his wisdom shines like a sun.

Difficulties, oppositions of all kinds, and dangers on the spiritual path can be successfully overcome with the invaluable help of this perfect master.

In order to attain perfection in the second level of VIDYADHARA, that of full mastery of life, Padma-Sambhava went with Mandarava to the Maratika cave in Nepal, which is said to have easily given access to the subtle, paradisiacal world of BODHISATTVA AVALOKITESHVARA.

He relished the nectar of immortality

Here, they practiced for three months and seven days the SADHANA of Eternal Life (which consisted of certain forms of tantric asceticism consecrated to DHYANI BUDDHA AMITAYUS, an emanation of DHYANI BUDDHA AMITHABA).

After this period, Padma Sambhava and her beloved appeared in a vision BUDDHA AMITAYUS himself (called by Tibetans also “The One with Endless Life”) who, according to Tibetan legend, “placed the urn of endless life on the heads of Padma and Mandarava, gave them to drink from the nectar of immortality, initiating them and thus making them no longer dependent at all on the cycle of deaths and births until the end of this KALPA” (this symbolic language actually expresses the attainment by the two of them of perfection at the VIDYADHARA level of mastery of life, also called the VIDYADHARA level of longevity). Within these tantric asceticisms, Padma achieved the perfect identification, thanks to her intense transfiguration, with HAYAGRIVA (in Tibetan, TAMDRIN; HAYAGRIVA is a terrible protective deity belonging to the “family” of Divine energies (PADMA within the VAJRAYANA tradition), and Mandarava achieved the perfect identification with VAJRA-VARAHI. Tibetans believe that VAJRA-VARAHI – in Tibetan, DORJE-PHAG-MO – incarnated successively in each abbess at Yam-dok Lake Monastery in Tibet. They often call VAJRA-VARAHI “the most precious jewel of speech” or “the feminine energy of the Divine Good”, thus suggesting some of its essential qualities: a high initiatory capacity and a great power to annihilate evil. Both thus acquired the paranormal powers that allowed them to transform their bodies into rainbows (in tantric language “rainbow body” expresses the sublime quintessence of the divine energies of the five “families” of DHYANI BUDDHA-si) or to become invisible. After that, Padma and Mandarava took up residence in a cave in the Precious Shale Mountains, which are found in the land of Kotala, between Zahor and the rest of India. Here they stayed for 12 years, during which time they consistently practiced YOGA. All this time, the king of Kotala, Nubsarupa, took care that they did not lack anything necessary for life. After making the entire land of Zahor embrace Buddhism, Padma wanted to do the same in her homeland and embarked on a journey to Orgyen with Mandarava. While begging, they were detained by the king and his ministers and burned on a huge sandalwood pyre. The spiritual guide and his consort were able to demonstrate the extraordinary strength of their spiritual practice, miraculously transforming the pyre into a lake of cold water, in the center of which Padma and Mandarava appeared again alive and unharmed on a huge lotus, carrying a string of skulls around their necks, a symbol of the liberation of all beings from the nets of SAMSARA. After performing this miracle, Padma-Sambhava was called Padma Thotreng Tsal (“The Invincible Lotus of the String of Skulls”). He then stayed for 13 years in the land of Orgyen, as the spiritual guide of the king, making all the people embrace the path of DHARMA, helping many people to free themselves from ignorance. During this period, Padma-Sambhava provided the spiritual empowerment and specific teachings for KADUE CHOKYI GYAMTSO (literally, these Tibetan terms would translate as: “The Divine, Unique and Infinite Teaching, which encompasses in it all other teachings”), by which the king, queen and all those whom KARMA allowed attained the state of spiritual enlightenment. Then Padma-Sambhava was called Padma Raja (“The Lotus King”).

He defeated death with the help of his spiritual powers

Tibetan legends also tell of other miracles performed by Padma-Sambhava: thus, on his return from Orgyen, Padma-Sambhava went to the city of Pataliputra in Kusumapura (in India) where a cruel and spiritually unfaithful king lived, having the name of Ashoka, who, after stirring up quarrels between the younger and older Buddhist monks of his land, He killed both of them.
To help King Ashoka turn to genuine spiritual faith, Padma transformed into the monk Wangpo Dey and went to Ashoka’s palace, begging for alms. Being full of suspicion towards any monk who came to his court, Ashoka ordered this monk to be boiled in a large pot of oil until there was nothing left of it.

The next day, the king wanted to see how well his command had been carried out. Overwhelmed with amazement, he found a lotus flower growing in the oil in the pot, and in the middle of the flower sat the monk he had punished, who was, in fact, Padma-Sambhava. Faced with this unprecedented miracle, King Ashoka immediately realized his mistake and was overcome with remorse. Padma-Sambhava then helped this unbelieving king to build an impressive number of STUPAs in one night to atone for his sins, thus awakening in Ashoka an unshakable spiritual faith. Ashoka then went on pilgrimage to Bodh-Gaya (the place where the Buddha practiced meditation and attained enlightenment), gave many alms to the poor, and put his life at the service of spreading authentic spiritual doctrine. That is why he then became known as Ashoka the Righteous. The biography of the Grand Master also mentions another king who poisoned Padma-Sambhava, but he managed to escape absolutely unscathed after this ordeal, demonstrating once again the exceptional spiritual powers he possessed.

Once, when he was thrown into the river, Padma caused the river to flow up the hill and levitated above the water. Thus he came to be known as “ The Mighty Young GARUDA “.

In addition to all this, the Tibetan Grand Master manifested himself in the form of Acharya Padmavajra, the Spiritual Guide who revealed HEVAJRA TANTRA (a famous treatise of Tantric Buddhism, which describes the path of worship of the inseparable couple achieved by divine knowledge, PRAJNA and its means of knowledge, UPPAYA, but also in the form of Brahmin Saraha, DOMBI HERUKA, VIRUPA, KAKLOCHARYA and other MAHA SIDDHA-his.

When 500 non-Buddhist preachers (these are followers of the BON path, a kind of native Tibetan shamanism, lacking a true spiritual orientation) were about to demonstrate the “inferiority” of Buddhist spiritual teachings in a public debate held at Bodh-Gaya, Padma challenged them and following the ensuing confrontation, he, together with his disciples, emerged victorious.

Some of the Bon preachers resorted to spells, but Padma-Sambhava countered their actions by means of a powerful MANTRA-e learned from a DAKINI known as the “Tamer of Death”. The rest of the population converted to Buddhism, and the banner of true spiritual doctrine rose victoriously again to the heavens. During that time, Padma-Sambhava became known as the Senge Dradrok Master (The Lion-Like Voice).

Excerpt from the work “The Celestial Dancer”

Below we present a fascinating text that presents how the nondualistic yogic teaching penetrated Tibet through the Padma-Sambhava .
It is an excerpt from the work “The Celestial Dancer”.

„ Establishing, spreading, and perpetuating the teaching
Spiritual teaching has no other purpose than the welfare of humanity. The well-being of humanity is the sole reason for the activity of the Buddha and the Bodhisattvas. That is why there are these three parts in this chapter that describe how Tsogyel served all living beings.

The first part describes the manner in which she firmly established the precious living of Buddha’s spiritual teachings, exorcising evil spirits and converting the evil and unfaithful. The second part describes how by establishing the tradition, it spread the teachings of Sutra-e and Tantra-e, thereby expanding monastic communities and supporting them. And the third part describes how she hid an inexhaustible treasure of spiritual (apocalyptic) teachings extremely valuable to be revealed in the future, so that the Word of the Conquerors does not disappear but spreads until the samsara is emptied of worldly desire.

Nyatri Tsenpo, descended from the Sakya clan in India, was enjoined as King of all Tibet. He propagated the Bon religion. The last of his line was Lhatotors, under whose reign the Buddha’s teaching was introduced into Tibet. The Indian name Sakyamuni became well-known in the four districts of Central Tibet and the people received the transmission of the practice of the ten virtues. During this time the doctrines of the reformed Bon were widely propagated. The practice of these doctrines was in accordance with the buddha’s teaching.

Followers of the Bon Reformed Doctrine believed that Buddha Sakyamuni and Master Bon Shenrab were two forms of a single essence and the scrolls of parchment painted painting this relationship became popular. This new movement became known as the New Translation of Zhang-zhung.
During the lifetime of the Buddhist Emperor Songtsen Gampo, who was an emanation of Arya Avalokitesvara, two images of Lord Buddha were brought to Tibet and installed in Lhasa and the Ramoche temples, which the King built for this purpose. He erected a hundred and eight other temples that served in the conversion of the four districts and border lands.

Many ceramic or metal-cast representations and painted parchments depicting various gods, all in Nepalese or Chinese patterns, became popular.
When the naturally manifested image calledJowo Zhalzema (Land) miraculously appeared in Trandrunk, the King, amazed, built a sublime temple especially for it. The sacred name of the Three Jewels regarded as a deity, the practice of the six-syllable mantra (OM MANI PADMA HUNG) and the image of the Great Cosmic Power of Compassion (Mahakarnunika – Tujechembo) spread through the Tibet Country, to the Chinese borders. Both Buddha’s teaching and the reformed Bon’s teaching spread, existing together, free from prejudice. There was no distinction between the values of the different practices. Thus it is said with regard to the ritual gait with rotation around, to make the rotation in an anticlockwise direction, indicating Dzokchen, and clockwise, indicating mahamudra, while the prostration indicateumumumumumabo (mahamadhyamaka). The king established a law based on the ten virtues. Topmi Sambhota translated many tantras of The Tujechembo extensively, pre-clean and concise: the King, his ministers, courtiers and queens lived strictly according to the commandments and commitments to this deity.

Twenty-five years after the death of the King God the influence of the Bon heretics samans increased and both Budda’s teaching and the Bon Reformed teaching were bitterly persecuted. The Aepts of the Reformed Bon have been removed, as they are today. Some were exiled to Kham, others to Jar and others to other places, until no followers remained in Central Tibet. Then the Buddha’s teaching was stifled and threatened with extinction, a conflict broke between the King and his ministers, but the (spiritual) influence prevented future persecution, although the faith remained at a low level. The religion of the Misguided Bon shamans took over the country, so that later, during the Buddhist Emperor Trisong Detsen, conditions were created that made it very difficult to propagate The Buddha’s teaching.

The religion of the Bon shamans, with its deviant metaphysics, supported the non-existence of pure (paradisiacal) realms. Their main gods were spirits – gyalpo, gongpo and masters of the earth, as well as Cha and Yang, Gods of Chance and Luck, and other worldly deities. Their religion prescribes the exchange of daughters to marry sons, and elaborate marriage ceremonies. Their teachings were transmitted as fables and legends considered inspired.
It was believed that Cha and Yang, the Gods of Chance and Luck, could be worshipped through dance and song. In the fall, followers of this religion made a blood sacrifice of a thousand wild donkeys. Her spring performed a ritual in which the feet of a deer were offered to the gods as a ransom price for the new life.

In winter the blood sacrifice was made to the god Bon (Bon-lha) and in the summer they killed animals as an offering and made the sacrifice to Master Bon (Shen-rab). Thus, they accumulated the karma of ten vicious actions and unredeemable sins.
According to their metaphysical vision, the universe was considered to be an immaterial mental creation in the form of gods and demons, so everything that conceived the mind was a god or a demon. Their highest goals were rebirth in the sphere of absolute nothingness; failing this follow that rebirth in the sphere of infinity or ultimately the rebirth in limbo where there is no existence and no non-existent. The sense of success of their rituals was the manifestation of the gods worshipped (and thus improved), who at best would have eaten the flesh of a sentient being or drank his blood, or in the worst case would have appeared as a rainbow. Ordinary people, with little intelligence, were impressed by such signs and believing in the philosophy of the Bon shamans, were driven to disaster.However, this perverse religion of the Bon shamans had invaded the country, being promoted by most Of Zhang’s ministers. By this time the sacred Buddhist painting and sculpture had disappeared, The Buddha’s teachings were no longer taught, the Lhasa and Thansilk temples were destroyed, and the provincial temples had been destroyed.

Tibet was in a state of anarchy when Ayra Manjusri incarnated as the Buddhist Emperor Trisong Detsen to restore the tradition of the Buddha’s teachings. The king invited many scholars from India to his court, among whom was the Bodhisattva of Zahor, Santarksita. The temples of Lhasa, Trandrk and Rmoche, which had been built for the fulfillment of the sacred oath of Emperor Sontsen Gampo, were repaired and reconsecrated. Then preparations were made for the construction of the Samye temple, but the lower gods, the Tibetan people and the Bonopos erected so many obstacles that the construction was postponed. The starlet, Bodhisattva Santarksita of Zohar, made this prophetic statement: “No incarnate being, god or disembodied demon, will ever be able to harm a being who has touched the body of the indestructible diamond (vajra). Invite the Lotus-born Master of Orgyen here, otherwise you and I, priest and protector, will face obstacles at every turn.”

Acting on this advice, the King sent three of his trusted courtiers who had studied the language in India to invite Guru-l Orgyen Rimpoche to the Orient. The three translators arrived at Guru’s feet, without any incident and showing him the invitation, they returned with him to Tibet. The king, his ministers, courtiers, and queens were involuntarily seized with faith.
A long-distance greeting procession was dismissed as far as Zhongda; a second welcoming procession met him in Lhasa; and the King himself, together with his entourage, welcomed him in the Ombu grove. Riding his guest’s horse to Samye, he gained an immediate connection with Guru-l and his priest. The king, the ministers of courtiers and queens all looked at Guru with devotion and overwhelmed by his divine splendor, by the radiation of his being, were spurred to obey him without hesitation. The starlet also prostrated himself in front of him, and spent some time with him in religious discussions.

After the King, ministers and his anuletage, together with the Master Staret and translators arrived at Samya, Guru examined the situation of the temple project and made his prognosis.
“During the lifetime of my ancestor Songtsen Gampa,” said the King, “one hundred and eight temples were built. But because they were wasted, it was not possible to reach them, and so they fell into ruin. I would like to build the same number of temples surrounded by a single wall.”
The guru agreed and from his samadhi state, he magically designed a vision of four temples, each of which had two satellite temples, surrounding a central pagoda temple, all within an enclosing wall, a spectacle that everyone saw. This project represented the mandala of Mount Meru, together with its surrounding continents and the satellite islands. “Great King, if we realize this vision in wood and stone, will it please my heart?” asked the Guru.
The king was delighted. “This is inconceivable. Of course it is impossible to fulfill such a dream! If we really succeed this temple complex will be called Samye, the Unthinkable One.”
“Expand your horizons, Great King!” replied Guru.” Act and nothing will stand in your way. Just as you, as King, reign over human beings, the incarnate beings of Tibet, and I control the formless entities, the gods and the disembodied demons. Why wouldn’t we make it?”

So Samye was built. Its exterior construction, once completed and purified, the temples were filled with receptions of the Buddha’s Body, Speech and Mind – imagining, books and stupa gathering. Then the monastic community was reunited. One hundred and eight brilliant translators, favored by karma-ic, were chosen according to guru’s intuitive judgment. Further on, three thousand people were brought together from the thirteen principalities, and of these three thousand, three hundred were invested monks by staret. Guru him became their Master (Vajracarya). But when the translators began their work on the scriptures, the Bon ministers, who were hostile to Buddha’s teaching, and the Bon shamans referred to above began to create obstacles. On several occasions, translators were exiled to the border areas, through the machines of these evil beings. After the work of the translators was stopped for the third time, the King was forced to grant the Bon religion a status equal to that of the Buddhist religion, and it was decided that Bonpo followers would found the monastery called Bongso, in Yarlung.

After the King and his ministers reached a certain understanding, twenty-one scholars were immediately invited from India. The hundred and eight translators who had been dispersed were reunited in Samya, and thousands of aspirants gathered from the thirteen principalities to be simultaneously invested. From Zhan-Zhung and other Bon areas, seven Bon scholars and seven Bon magicians were invited to The Ombu. The King sent three courtiers to meet and escort the great translator Drenpa Namkha Wongchuk; Guru to Rimponche, who lived with me in Womople Taksanng, he offered him a magic horse called Garudas (the) Gallopand nine times (faster); and to all the other translators and candidates he distributed a horse and a burden animal. That way, we all arrived quickly in Samye.

Guru insisted on a detour through Lhasa, where he made seven favorable predictions regarding the success in establishing Tantra. Sakyamuni’s Jowo image in Lhasa spoke at the time, predicting a favorable arrival. The guru returned to Samya and was greeted by a welcome convoy in front of the stone container at Zurhkar.
On the Yobok plain, near Samye, a high throne was erected. When Guru Rinpoche took his place in it, the twenty-one scholars from India and the Tibetan translators bowed to him and the twenty-one scholars all said the same thing. “Oh, Oh! Only this time we enjoy the favor of meeting the Guru of Orgyen, Pema Jungne, in person. Oh, Oh! This is the fruit of many ages of accumulated merits!” and looking with devotion at the face of the Guru, they wept. In particular, the meeting between Guru and Vamalambitra was eagerly awaited, such as a reunion of his father and son, and later, hand in hand, they walked to the Temple of the Tuse pagoda.

In the altar room on the first floor of Utse, the King, his courtiers and staret performed the prostration and then they went up and sat in the upper room of the altar, the residence of Buddha Vairocana. Here Guru announced that in order to make it easier to propagate The teaching of Buddha, three rituals of consecration must be celebrated at Sambye and also three rituals of the sacrifice of fire will have to be performed to defeat the demons. Consecrations were celebrated, but because of his inattention, the King neglected to ask the Guru to lead the three sacrificial fires and Guru failed to carry them out. “Now if you ask about the future,” Guru said later, “The Buddha’s teaching will surely spread, but the power of the devils’ temptation will increase proportionally.”

During the final month of the year, at the festival known as Loze Daze, both Buddhists and Bonpo-si went to Samye to celebrate the rituals of the Tibetan King. The five Bon scholars, who had been personally invited to Samye by the King, did not recognize the sacred symbols of the Buddha’s Body, Speech and Mind and did not accept the ten-virtue rule. They did not achieve any prostration or ritual encirclement, sitting in a string with their backs to the sacred images. The King and most of his ministers were offended. Soon in the following days the King met the followers of Bon in front of Vairocana’s image in the Utase pagoda.

“Oh, King-God, what is this naked figure of his eight naked companions?” asked Bon followers. “What is his purpose? Where do they come from? Aren’t they Indian panditi?”
“The central figure, the main image is Buddha, Virocana and his companions are eight great Spiritual Heroes” replied the King. “We consider this image to be the current body of Buddha, so we prostrate ourselves in front of it and adore it. Our negative karma is thus released and by this merits are accumulated.”
“What are these two horrible shapes at the door? Aren’t they killers?” the Bon followers asked further. “What are they made of and what is their purpose?”
“These two guardians of the threshold are representatives of the glorious Lekden Nakpo, the terrible Great (god), the Master of All Magical Powers,” the King said. “He is the executor of those who violate their sacred vows, but he is also an ally of those who follow the Mahayana. These images of him were made of various precious stones by the divine sages and blessed by the great Indian sage Perma Jungne. This deity performs the necessary function of spreading the doctrine of the Buddha and of purifying the sins of sentient beings.”
“What can come from a clay statue, made by skilled people?” asked Bon’s followers full of contempt. “You were deceived and tempted, a King. Tomorrow, we Bon followers will perform a spectacular ritual for you, a sacrifice that will completely renew your spiritual resources.”

Later, as they walked outside and observed the multiple stupa, Bon followers asked the King: “What are those monuments there that have a lot of eagle droppings rising on the roof, wheels of fat in the middle and a lot of dog dung at the base?”
“Those are called “sugata-s” or symbols of the body of The Dharmakaya’s universal order.” “The meaning of these names is explained by themselves,” King replied. “There is no representation of the Divine and Universal Sipritual Body of Buddha, but because of the manifested form of the hive, this illustrative edifice is the reception of the offerings of all beings, it is also called “place of worship” or “reception of offerings”. From the components of its upper structure, the thirteen discs indicating the thirteen wheels of the propagation of learning are embellished by the vaults and symbolic ornaments of the coronation of the eight distinct and ideal signs of Buddha. The dome (or vault) indicates the four boundless qualities of the accomplished being – loving kindness, understanding joy, compassion and calmness (serenity or inner balance). And the base, decorated with lions, which are at the same time a vehicle and a throne, represents a treasury of wealth and fulfillment of desires.”
“This monument, built with so much toil, is totally useless,” Bon followers said. “It is as useless as a barricade for brave fighters, and it is as useless as a hiding place for cowards. It’s very strange. Probably some Indian evil spirit bewitched the King.”
At this, the hearts of the King and his ministers were gathered.

Then Bon followers gathered in the three Temples of Women (Jowo Ling) to perform a ritual of worship of the King. The Bon Priests remained in the eight small temples, and the scholars in the Tamdin Temple (Tamdin Ling). “Because this ritual is for a great King,” the Bon priests told the King, “we need a deer with beautiful horns, a deer with a turquoise cap, a thousand males and females of yak, sheep and goats, and a complete equipment of royal robes.” The king quickly fulfilled their request. “We need specimens of all the things that exist in the world,” they then asked, and the King quickly fulfilled them and this request. “We need eight kinds of wine and nine kinds of cereal,” they said afterwards, and they were brought to them.

Then the King and his court received a formal invitation to witness the Bon ritual, and the King and the Queens, ministers and courtiers arrived to find the nine Bon scholars placed in a central line, and then, in line, to their right and left, nine magicians and other Bon priests. The many horses, called “Servants of Sacrifice”, each carried a knife, the Bon purifiers brought water into golden ladles, which they poured over deer and other sacrificial animals to purify them, and other samans called Boni Negri threw the grain upon them. The Samans called Bon Petitioners asked questions and received answers from the gods and demons that surrounded them. Then the horses shouted, “Here’s a deer!” cutting the animal’s neck as part of the sacrifice. Three thousand sheep, yaci and goats were slaughtered at the same time and in the same way. Then the four legs of the deer were broken into sacrifice. Shouting: “Here’s a sheep!”, “Here’s a goat!” etc. and as they took each type of animal, they thus skinned the limbs of three thousand live animals. Horses, oxen, horses, dogs, birds, pigs have been slaughtered in different ways. After this killing, the stench of burnt hair spread to Samye, while various types of meat were offered. After it was fried, the shaman named the butcher Bon cut the meat, the named Bon shaman the one who sorts has transated the meat and distributed it to the various clerks, and Bon the fortune teller did the calculations. Then the horses, already filling the copper vessels with blood, arranged them on the skins, while other priests skinned the flesh from several skins. Once they’ve finished their work, they’ve all sung invocations.

As the King, his ministers and queens watched in fear of copper vessels, the blood began to boil and steam, then from these steam, ghostly rainbows shone and sparked various voices of disincant evil spirits that sounded striated, like the voices of drunks, and heavy breaths or hoarse laughter could be heard. “These are the voices of the Swastika, Cha, God of Chance and Yang, God of Fortune, cried out to the Bon priests. The flesh and blood were offered to us to eat and drink.

“Does this bloody ritual have any virtue in it?” asked the King.
“It is good for the King,” they answered, “but it is of little benefit to us. Is not your heart full, O King, are you not amazed?”

But the King was depressed, and the others were full of confusion and doubt when they returned to Pagoda Utse. All the scholars and translators who had witnessed the ritual were unanimous in their opinion. “A doctrine cannot have two teachers.,” they said. “If the east is low, naturally, the west is up. Fire and water can never be allied. No purpose is served by mixing the Buddha tradition with the doctrine of these extremist fanatics. Wise people shy away from negative companies. We will not accompany these fools for a moment. We will not drink the water from the valley where these violators of sacred vows live. Rather we will seek peace and happiness in areas outside the borders.”

Then they sent this ultimatum to the King and presented it nine times” “Either the Buddha’s teaching is established exclusively in Tibet, or the Bon doctrine is allowed to flourish. It is absolutely impossible for them to coexist.”
On the second occasion of the presentation of this petition, the King called his ministers and court before him and addressed them as follows: “Ministers to obey Tibetans, please listen to me! Because the habits of Buddhists and Bonpos are like the face and back of the hand and mutual incriminations abound, who could sustain trust in any of them? You, the learners, Tibetan translators and monks who are part of this order, who have given me such advice that does not allow any compromise, what must be done?”

The Bon Zhang ministers replied, “O God-King, when the river and its riverbed are of the same size, everything is in harmony. Before, when this problem arose, it was necessary to exile many translators. If you follow the same course of action, both Bonpos and Buddhists will be able to sleep in their own beds and there will be peace.”
Then Go the Elder asked for silence. “When the Bon is growing, the King is inconsolable and full of doubt and fear. When Buddhism spreads, ministers lose their confidence and their purpose oscillates. When Bon and Buddhism have equal status, like fire and water, they become mortal enemies. It is obvious that this agony must end in the end. The truth must be separate from what is false in a court of justice. The relative validity of the two doctrines will be weighed by the pebble procedure. If the real is distinguished from the unreal, nothing remains to be done. Therefore, tomorrow, a confrontation will be initiated with the King presiding, the minstrs and courtiers in the first place, the Buddhist faction aligned in a string to the right of the King and the Bon in the left of the King. He’ll be judged by metaphysics. Truth will be granted recognition by the usual cup of wine and the deception will receive its punishment.
Further rivals must demonstrate their miraculous powers as proof that they are right, the creativeselves will be fully potented by psychic power. Then if the doctrine of Buddha is proven to be valid, it will be defended and strengthened, and the Bon will be removed. If the Bon proves to be stronger, then Buddhism will be destroyed and the Bon will be established. A decree in this direction will be promulgated. Anyone who does not obey this decree, whether it is the King, ministers, queens or subjects, he will be tried according to the law. Everyone must swear that they will obey.”

This proposal was found acceptable by the King, ministers, queens and courtiers, all vowing to obey this decree. The Bonpos ministers supported the competition, advising that in such a fight Buddhism would not be able to rival the magical powers and sorcery of the Bon followers.
Then the King sent this answer to the petition of the scholars:

“Be careful, oh, ye gods, masters of wisdom and power!
Buddhists and Bonposwill negotiate with each other as executors,
And since no one gives credit to others.
The king, ministers and queens are full of distrust of both;
Both Buddhists and Bonpo are subjugated by doubt and fear.
That’s why, tomorrow, you will compete with the Bon priests,
Rivaling with them in signs of truth, evidence of power, in magical and psychic force.
Any dharma will inspire confidence in the King and ministers,
In that dharma we will place our trust and that dharma will be followed.
False and what is not trustworthy will be with rejected promtitude,
And those who support them will be exiled to the borders of the barbarian tribes.
This ordered the King and the Minstri. Reflect and act wisely.
The scholars were delighted to receive this communication and they sent this reply:

So be it, Master of men, sacred God-King!
This is the method of all righteous kings,
What is just will overcome what is unjust;
The truth will surely defeat these rebellious devils.
As all the great sages and adepts are present here,
More devils will perish than in Vajrasana.
Our Dharma has defeated these extremist fanatics often before,
So why should we fear these followers. Are you used to it?
Whoever is defeated will be punished by the victorious,
And it is right that those who lose should be exiled.

The King was very pleased with that response. He then explained the terms of the confrontation in detail to Bon followers and told them to prepare. Bon’s followers sent assurances that their nine scholars would win in the confrontation, informing him that their nine magicians were without rivals in magical powers.
On the fifteenth day of the new year, in the middle of the great camp of Yobok, near Samye, a high throne was erected for the King. The scholars and translators took their seats to his right, Bon followers to his left and ministers and the court in front of him. Behind them lay a large crowd dressed in red or black, gathered from the four districts of Central Tibet. First the King made this statement: “Ho! Residents of the Land of Tibet, gods and people, Buddhists and Bonposi, ministers, queens and courtiers, please be careful. Before the Kings allowed Buddhism and Bon to coexist. Then the Bon won an ascendant.

I tried to support Buddhism and Bon in equal measure, as did my ancestor Songtse Gampo, but Buddhism and Bon are hostile (opposite) and their mutual accusations have created doubts and suspicions in the minds of the King and his ministers. Now we will compare and evaluate their metaphysics and whichever system wins our trust will be fully adopted. Anyone who refuses to embrace the doctrine of the winners will be destroyed by the law. The adherents of any of these two systems, Buddhism and Bon, proved false, will be exiled to the borders, so that even the name of their doctrine will be forgotten in this country. This official decree guarantees the winner that he will receive his merits of righteousness. The whole homage will be paid to the victorious and we will adhere to their doctrine.” The king repeated this decree nine times and the ministers collaborated on it, repeating it on the tablets of their law (documents, papyruses), and all agreed.
Then the Great Orgyen himself levitated to the crown of a tree and addressed the challengers: “It is good that Buddhist metaphysics is distinguished by that Bon. First, because this is the preface to all formal debates, sharpen your intelligence with the usual exchange of riddles and parables. Then discover the heart of your tradition with the jewels of exegesis because there lies the joy of every seed. In the end, your arguments, their premises and conclusions will be judged, because authentic polemics are the sign of an uncombatable metaphysics. After that you will demonstrate the evidence of your siddhi, because magical selves inspire confidence in the King and his ministers.”
After making these statements, he manifested the essence of his Corps as Sakyamuni, the Master of all Sakya-si, and the King and his ministers and His Bonpo-si were overwhelmed by his aura; he manifested an emanation of his Speech in the form of Padma Sambava, the leader of the groups of scholars and translators and followers were thus encouraged and inspired; and the emanation of his Mind took the form of Dorje Trollo, defeating his opponents, manifesting miracles contrary to nature, so that even the Bonpo-s i gained an unshakable faith and paid homage to him.
Then Atsara Pelyang and a Bon follower engaged in an exchange of riddles and follower Bon won. The Bon Group paid tribute to its gods by raising their flag. The king appointed them by the ceremonial wine cup and the Bonpo ministers were pleased, giving their opponents in riddles generous gifts. The king was restless. “Early morning food is the harbinger of an imminenet pain,” the scholars said. “They won the battle in riddles, but riddles are not part of Buddha’s teaching. Now, Bon followers must discuss religion with teachings.”

The great sage Vimalamitra stood at the head of his river:
All phenomena come from a cause,
And the cause was explained by the Tathagata.
Which causes the cessation of this cause
It was explained by the Great Ascetic in these terms:
Don’t do any harm
And cultivate virtue to a full extent;
Your own mind is thus disciplined.

And as he was in the lotus position (floating) in the sky, his aura expanding and shining, he snapped his fingers three times. The nine Bon magicians lost their nerve and the nine Bon scholars were silenced. They were left unchallenged. Then, likewise, the twenty-five Indian scholars and one hundred and eight translators, each exhibited an essential message from the scripture, and taking a controversial passage, each demonstrated the miraculous, authentic evidence of its realization. Bon’s followers were silenced, shrouded in obscurity, because they were incapable of performing real miracles.
“You must win this debate, have ordered Bon ministers. Show your magical powers. These monks have amazed the gods and people of Tibet with their miracles. They argued convincingly. Their science and behavior is a thing for the mind and they radiate goodwill and joy. Looks like our expectations have been cheated. Now, if you have any talent, whether it is proof of a siddhi, magical powers or negative spells, use it quickly.” And their minds being troubled, they became manic and bitter, exhorting their priests with terrible curses.
“These Indian barbarians insulted the deities of The Swastika Bon,” Bon followers said. “We will not debate with these scholars. Later we will kill them by magic powers. We’ll only debate with translators, because they’re Tibetans.”
Meanwhile, by washing the scholars, the King gave each of them a deliver of gold dust, a yellow gold bowl to beg and a brocade robe. The flag of the dharma was unfurled, the conca was made to sound and a real rain of flowers fell on them. From heaven the gods proclaimed their homage in verse and revealed themselves in all the splendor of their reality. To these all Tibetans were bet, and their tears of faith in Buddha’s teaching fell like rain. But hail and stones fell on the ranks of Bon followers. “The gods point to the real signs of realization,” the Bonpo ministers said, and they paid homage to Buddha’s teaching, placing the feet of the learned above their heads and bringing their negative deeds to the translators to be known. Manjusri himself appeared to the King, showing him the difference between the real dharma and the false one.
“Buddhists have already won the victory,” most people agreed. “Their wonderful dharma is superior. We’ll all practice Buddha’s teaching” and I’m starting to disperse.
“Wait!” ordered the King. “Translators must debate with Bon followers.”
First, the great translator Vairotsana debated with representative Bon Tangnak, then Namkhai Nyingpo debated with Tongyu. In the same way, each translator debated with a Bon representative and not a single Bon representative could live up to his rival. The king counts a white pebble for each valid statement or action and a black pebble for each inauthentic statement or action. Vairotsana collected nine hundred white pebbles and Tangmak collected five hundred black pebbles. The translators won again and the sacred flag was deployed again. At the end of his debate, Namkhai Nyingpo of Nub accumulated three hundred white pebbles of truth and Tongyu accumulated hundreds of black pebbles of falsehood. Again, the translators unfurled the flag. I, Tsogyel debated with a yogini swastika Bon named Bonmo Tso of the Chokro Clan and I emerged victorious. I demonstrated my magical powers, which I will describe later, and Bonmo Tso has been silenced. In the same way, a hundred and twenty translators came out victorious. Even the nine wise Bon rulers have been defeated. Reduced to silence, with their tongues as if bound, they were unable to say another word.
Then came the moment of a challenge to prove the siddhi. Vairotsana held the three realms in the palm of his hand. Nomkhai Nyingpo, riding a ray of sunshine, has demonstrated many miracles. Sangye Yeshe gathered many malevolent spirits with a gesture of her phurba, destroying her enemies with a movement of the phurba and breaking a stone with another blow of her phurba. Dorje Dhunjom ran like the wind, surrounding the four continents in a blink of an eye and offered the King seven different types of treasures as proof of his valiant deeds. Gyelwa Chokyang conquered the three realms in an instant and offered Brahma’s new spoke wheel as proof of his deed. Gyelwa Lodro walked on water. Denda Tsemang defeated Bon followers in religious debate, explaining Kanjur Rucok from memory, projecting the formulas of vowels and consonants into the sky. Kaba Peltsek enslaved legions of arrogant spirits. Odren Shonnu swam like an ocean fish. Jnana Kumara extracted the ambrosia from a stone. Ma Rinchen Chok ate pebbles, chewing them like a soft dough. Pelgyi Dorje moved without any hindrance through the rocks and mountains. Sokpo Lchapel called a tigress into the south’s clasts through her hook mudra, her calling mantra and her samadhi. Drenpa Namkha called a wild yak from the north. Gyeltsen’s Chokro invoked the manifested forms of the Three Aspects of Buddha in the sky before him. Langdro Konchok Jungden caused thirteen lightning bolts to fall simultaneously and spread them like arrows wherever he wanted. Kyeuchung called and subdued all the Dakinis with his samadhi. Gyelmo Yudra Ningpo defeated the Bon apes in grammar, logic and science, and overcoming outward appearances through the inner penetration of his samadhi, he made many transformations. Gyelwa Jangchub has been living in the lotus position. Tingdzin Zangpo flew to the sky, his vision surrounding the four continents simultaneously.

In this manner, all twenty-five Mahasiddha-s from Chiphu demonstrated the evidence of their siddhi. Moreover, the eight Siddha-and yerpa, the tall-here tantra priests of Sheldrak, the fifty Hermits of Yong Dzong, etc., all illustrated a different particular sign of a Siddhi. They turned fire into water and water into fire. They danced in the sky, passed unhindered through mountains and stones, walked on the water, made much of a little and made grow what was a little in a multitude. All Tibetan people could not be of use, but they gained great faith in Buddha, and Bon followers could not resist defeat. Bonpo sympathizers among ministers were speechless.
As for my confrontation with Bon followers in proving siddhi, Bon followers have been defeated. But after that, they devised nine negative spirits called: the magic smell of the scons, the food thrown at the dogs, the mixing of the butter from the blade with blood, the skin of black magic, the projection of the pestilential spirits and the projection of the devils, etc. With these cursed spirits they destroyed nine young monks in an instant, but I let a drop of saliva fall into the mouth of each of the monks, and so they rose fully restored, showing an even greater skill in the game of wisdom than before. Thus, again, bon followers were defeated.

Then, raising my index finger in the gesture of threat to the nine magicians and delighting PHAT! nine times, they lost consciousness paralyzed. To bring him back to his senses, I intoned NINE times HUNG. Levitnand in lotus position, etc., we have demonstrated full control over the elementary forces. Rotating fire wheels with five different colors at the tips of my right hand’s fingers, I terrified the Bon followers and then pouring streams of water of five colors from the tips of my left hand,” these streams gathered in a lake. Taking a Chiphu boulder, breaking it like a piece of butter, I modeled it into various images. Then I designed twenty-five forms manifested similar to myself, each of them illustrating a proof of a siddhi.
“These Bon followers can’t defeat even one woman” said the people of Tibet, becoming contemptuous of them.
“Tomorrow our nine magicians will each call a lightning bolt at the same time and reduce this Samye to a pile of ashes,” Bon followers said. And they went to the epors and called their lightning bolts, but I wrapped them around the tip of my pointing finger, realizing the gesture of the threat, and threw them at the Bon residence at Ombu, which was demolished. After collecting thirteen lightning bolts that I directed at the Bon heads, they returned to Samye full of sin.
When the Bonpo were about to be exiled, being defeated in magical powers as previously described, ministers Takra and Lugong swore that they would not go into exile. They returned to Ombu, where they made elaborate preparations to ruin Tibet by unleashing the effective magical powers of the cycle with nine stages of minor karmas and then the nine-stage cycle of Pelmo’s major karmas, through curses thrown into the fire, into the water, into the ground and into the air through a flag and so on.

The King explained this problem at length to translators and scholars, and they were in ways to combat evil. Guru Rimpoche, assuring him that everything would be fine, instructed me to protect them. Then we went to the Utse pagoda, where we revealed Dorje Phurba’s mandala and practiced the phurba rituals, until, after seven days, the mandala deities appeared. The Siddhi obtained in this practice was the power to make their own enemies enforceable. Thus, Bon followers destroyed themselves, Both Takra and Lugong, along with five other ministers Bon implacably hostile to the Dharma, died at once, and of the nine magicians, eight died only one remaining. Thus, the reserve of the Bon magicians has been exhausted, being defeated all by magical powers.

The emperor summoned all Bonpo followers to Samye, where they suffered certain charges. Guru-l Rimponche has decided their fate.
“Because Bon followers still have a certain faith that is in accord with Buddhist doctrine they can sleep in their own beds. Yet the Bon samans, all the extremist fanatics, will be surgungited outside the country’s borders. No purpose is served by killing them.”
The King, acting in accordance with guru’s command, divided the Bon books into the reformed and Samanistic categories, throwing the Bon Samanic ones into the fire, while the books of the reformed Bon were hidden, being considered as the treasure of later revelations. The reformed Bonpo followers were sent back to Zhang-zhung and the provinces, while the Bon shamans were sent to Treulakchan in Mongolia.
After this, the King, his ministers and courtiers, all the King’s subjects, both Tibetan and foreign, were subject to the law of refraining from The Practices of the Samanic Bon and of practicing only the teaching of Buddha. According to this law, the entire central Tibet and Kham, up to the Throne Gate in China, became territories where the teaching of Buddha and sangha’s community spread, and many monasteries, meditation centers and academies were founded.
Then, after the King promulgated this second decree, at Samye was beaten the drum of teaching, the clam of teaching resounded, the flag of teaching was raised and deployed and the throne of teaching was prepared. The twenty-one Indian scholars took their seats on the nine brocade pillows. The great Orgyen, Perma Jungne, the Boddhisattva of Zahor and the wise Kasmirian Vimalamitra took their seats on the great throne and gold adorned with nine brocade pillows. Translators Vairotsana and Namkhai Nyingpo each took their seats on several piles of nine brocade pillows and the other translators sat on top of two or three brocade pillows. Then the King gave generous gifts of gold and other gifts to each of them. He gave each of the great Indian scholars, nine brocade scrolls, three gold pots, three pounds of gold dust, etc., so that the gifts formed a pile the size of a mountain. To the three priests of Zahor, Orgyen and Kashmir, he offered them a plate of gold and turquoise and a large quantity of brocade, etc., gifts of immense honor. Then he begged everyone to propagate the teachings of the Sutras and Tantras in Tibet. All the scholars were delighted to accept, smiling in approval, and the abbot, Master Vajra and Vimalamitra gave their solemn word that they would strive to fortify the Buddha’s teaching until the King’s wish was fulfilled.

After this, seven thousand monks entered the academy at Samye and nine hundred entered the meditation centers at Chimphu; a thousand monks entered the academies of Tranduk and a hundred monks entered the meditation centers at Yong Dzong; three thousand monks entered the military academy in Lhasa and five thousand monks entered the meditation center at Yerpa; the new monks were invested in these three pairs of institutions over the course of a year. Moreover, monasteries and meditation centers have been established at Langtang in Kham, Rabgang in Minyak, Gyeltan in Jang, Jatsang in Mar, Rongzhi and Gangdruk in Kham, Donghu in Powo, Ronglam in Barlam, Buchui n Kongpo, Chimyul at Danglung in Dakpo, tsuklak in the four districts of Central Tibet, and Takden Jomo Nang in Tsang. In Everest, etc., along Tsang County. Tsangung and Ngari, monasteries and meditation centers have been established in a very large number.”

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He obtained the grace of divine love and compassion specific to the level of MAHAMUDRA

On his way to the cave of Yanglesho (now known as Palphing) located between India and Nepal, the Great Padma-Sambhava met Shakya Devi, the daughter of a Nepalese king, who agreed to be his mystical consort and to follow him in the realization of his tantric SADDHANA which aimed at attaining the third level of VIDYADHARA called MAHAMUDRA. (At the third level VIDYADHARA – in Tibetan, PHYAG CHEN RIG’DZIN – it is assumed that the practitioner can leave his body at will). Mahamudra is one of the highest teachings of the VAJRAYANA path; The Tibetan term for MAHAMUDRA – PHYAG CHEN RIG’DZIN – is described as representing the realization of beatific emptiness, liberation from the chains of SAMSARA, as well as the inseparability between the two. Regarding this period of his spiritual practice, Padma-Sambhava noted, “In Yanglesho Cave I began to become aware of the Sublime HERUKA Reality of the mind that allowed me to attain the powers of endless love and compassion specific to the realization of MAHAMUDRA.” (“The term HERUKA here designates a symbolic expression of the Supreme Consciousness).

Padma’s practice was interrupted as NAGA Gyongpo and Yaksha Gomaka, as well as Logmadrin, a demon from the etheric plane, stopped the rain for several months. This led to drought, famine and disease, which affected the people of India and Nepal, Padma-Sambhava realized that the demons in this area were opposed to his attainment of MAHAMUDRA.

That is why he asked his GURU Prabhasti (“The Elephant of Light”) to give him a means to remove these obstacles. Prabhahasti sent him the text “DORJE TANTRA PHURBA BYITOTAMA”, which was so voluminous that it could not be carried by a single man. When this text arrived, the demons were terrified even by his mere presence. In this way the obstacles in the way of Padma’s SADHANA were removed, and he attained perfection in the Mahamudra.

Padma-Sambhava also visited other ancient kingdoms where he offered people the teaching of DHARMA: Hurmudzu, which bordered Orgyen, Sikojhara, Dharmakosha, Rugma, Tirahuti, Kamarupa, Kancha and more. It is not known exactly when he went to the land of Droding, but the tantric teachings he gave there about deities continue to this day.

From the spiritual teachings of Grand Master Padma-Sambhava

*According to the spiritual vision of Grand Master Padma-Sambhava, the foundations of spiritual preparation are the following:

It is necessary, first, to eliminate all your doubts through a correct vision, to come to fully understand all spiritual teachings, like the eagle that soars to the sky. It is necessary to gain safety through appropriate behavior, without being intimidated by anything at all, just like an elephant enters the water.

It is necessary to carry out your spiritual practice until you reach the state of SAMADHI that removes the darkness of ignorance, just as a lantern brings light into a dark room.

It is necessary to liberate your being through knowledge, becoming a perfectly convinced follower of authentic spiritual teachings, like a towering stallion freeing himself from his bonds.

It is necessary to condense all the teachings into one, understanding that the many, apparently different teachings actually contain the same Divine Truth, like the merchant who gathers all his gain together.

*Learn the faith that is unfluctuating, like the flow of a river.
Learn compassion without enmity, like sunlight.
Learn the generosity of the unprejudiced, like a spring with good drinking water.
Learn to keep your spiritual covenant, like the purity of a crystal.
Learn to acquire the spiritual vision that is free of subjectivism, like the frozen expanse of space.
Learn to learn behavior that is devoid of attachment or rejection.
Learn to yearn for authentic spiritual teaching, just as a hungry man craves food or a thirsty man craves water.

When you combine the spiritual path with the right vision, the right meditation, the right action, and the consecration of all actions to the divine, then your ignorance will sublimate into wisdom.

People without perseverance and without a genuine spiritual purpose consider those close to them, food, possessions, and descendants to be the most important thing in their lives. They consider distractions of all kinds to be useful things.

For them, the company of others is a very pleasant thing. They do not pay any attention at all to the passing of years, months and days, and at the moment of death they are put face to face with what they have been and what they have done, but it is too late.

Therefore, the true spiritual aspirant must not forget that it is the years and months, the days and moments, that incessantly shorten the time remaining until the encounter with death, so he must not give up even for a moment his spiritual practice.

“The life of Tibetan Grand Master Padma-Sambhava is much more than just a historical reality. It represents a pinnacle of altruistic actions manifested in a perfect human form. His life is an exemplary testimony of how all the wonderful qualities of the Buddhas and BODDHISATTVAS can manifest in a single human being. Everything Padma-Sambhava does only for the spiritual good of others, all the actions he takes will surely help other beings sooner or later. Padma-Sambhava, which embodies the living light of VAJRAYANA’s teachings, transcended both birth and death. It may disappear in some form, but it will reappear in countless others. His extraordinary spiritual force influences the whole world, and for every being who has been, is, or will be, the Divine Grace of this sublime Spiritual Guide will always manifest itself in some form.”
Tarthangtulku Rinpoche

It appeared in various forms to guide people to spirituality

It is generally believed that Padma-Sambhava lived in India for 36 years, during which time he breathed new life into spiritual teachings, while guiding many beings to perfection. However, there are scholars who say that, in fact, the actual period spent by Padma-Sambhava in India would be only 18 years. To help people in Mongolia and China turn to spirituality , Padma-Sambhava manifested here in the form of King Ngonshe Chen and the yogi Tobden. He appeared in the land of Shangshung in the form of a miraculously born child named Tavi Hricha, and in this form, he led many deserving disciples on the path of obtaining the “rainbow body” (which allegorically express, according to the teachings of VAJRAYANA, the quintessence of the Divine energies of the five DHYANI BUDDHAS—and who are often represented, each, in one of the first five fundamental colors: yellow, silver-white, red, green, and blue). In this way, Padma-Sambhava’s work in guiding people towards spiritual liberation, appearing in different places, in different forms, speaking different languages, proves to be exceptional.

We will now describe how Padma-Sambhava came to Tibet. In the second half of the 8th century d.Ch., the king of Tibet, bearing the name Trisong Detsen, himself an emanation of MANJURSHI, manifested a strong aspiration to spread the sacred teachings of DHARMA (i.e. Buddhist teaching).

To this end, he invited the Khenpo Bodhisattva of India (Khenpo is commonly known as Shantarakshita, he being the Indian Spiritual Guide under whose guidance the first brotherhoods of monks appeared in Tibet), who introduced Tibetans to some fundamental perceptions of Buddhist teaching.

He stopped an avalanche of rocks

A year later, the foundation for a huge temple was made, but the spirits of Tibet created obstacles, thus preventing further construction. Listening to Khenpo’s advice, the king sent five couriers to invite the great master Padma-Sambhava there. Finding out about this invitation by paranormal means, before the couriers, Rinpoche had left Mangyul, which was located between Nepal and Tibet. To reach the center of Tibet, Padma-Sambava walked through Ngari, Tsang, and Dokham, miraculously visiting all the districts. Arriving in the Oyuk district, the 12 TENMA goddesses gathered in the desire to prevent Padma-Samabhava from spreading the Buddhist teaching from India in the “Land of Snows”. Tibetan legend says that they tried to stop Padma, causing a terrible avalanche of rocks on him. The great tantric master, using all his magical power, not only sent these rocks back to the feet of the goddesses, but, even more, caused the collapse of the mountains that served as their dwellings.

Recognizing the superiority of the powers and spiritual doctrine represented by Padma-Sambhava, the 12 TENMA goddesses swore to protect, from that moment on, DHARMA so that no one would ever defile its purity. Because of this, they are now called in Tibet: “The 12 Protective Goddesses of Spiritual Doctrine”.

In the Tamarisk forest at Red Rock, Padma-Sambhava met the king of Tibet and went to the top of Mount Hepori to build the monastery whose architectural plan corresponded to a symbolic representation of the Universe. Thus, he laid the foundation of the Samye Monastery and supervised the work until its completion. The work was completed in 5 years and consisted of the temple complex Vihara the unchanging and Spontaneously Realized, the Wonderful Samye, the 3 Temples of the Queens, a complex that was built in such a way as to resemble the sacred Mount Sumeru surrounded by 4 continents, 8 subcontinents, the sun and the moon and the wall formed by the Iron Mountains.

The statues moved from their place

During the ceremony of consecration to the divine of the construction, which Padma performed together with Khempo BODDHISATTVA, many auspicious signs were manifested. It is said that on the first day of consecration, immediately after Padma sat in a meditative posture, the statues of the first level came out of the temple and, after surrounding the temple three times, sat on the east side, waiting for the end of the ceremony, to return to their seats. The next day, the statues of the second level achieved the same thing, and on the third day, those on the third level. The whole ceremony was performed eight times, after which the entire consecration ritual was declared entirely completed.

Buddhist teachings were translated into Tibetan

The king of Tibet then wanted to translate and establish authentic spiritual teaching, so he convinced several intelligent young Tibetans to study to become translators. Khenpo BODDHISATTVA, Padma-Sambhava and other pandits, along with Vairochana, Kawa Platseg, Chog-ro Lui Galtsen and other translators translated into Tibetan all the Buddhist scriptures existing at that time, as well as most of the treatises that explained them. Of Padma’s main Tibetan disciples, two of them, namely Vairochana and Namkhai Nyingpo were sent to India, where Vairochana studied DZOGCHEN with Spiritual Master Shri Singha, while Namkhai Nyingpo received the teachings on VISHUDDHA HERUKA from the great Spiritual Master Hungkara. Both achieved spiritual attainment and spread the teachings they had received in Tibet. King Trisong Detsen then asked for empowerment and instruction from the Padma-Samabhava. At Chimphu, the monastery above Samye, Padma-Sambhava revealed the MANDALA of the 8 HERUKA-si (these 8 terrible deities are also known as “the 8 energies of the Divine Logos”, they actually express energies of Divine knowledge and activity) into which he initiated his nine main disciples, among whom was the king.

Each of them was entrusted with a certain transmission and all nine obtained certain SIDDHI by consistently putting into practice the teachings received.

MANJUSHRI – his full Sanskrit name is MANJUSHRIGHOSHA and he literally translates as “The one with the voice that is unspeakably soft and full of delight”; personifies the knowledge of all the BUDDHAS. This knowledge is of two types: ordinary and transcendent. As far as ordinary knowledge is concerned, in Tibetan schools, both secular and monastic, there is a custom to start each day by reciting the MANTRA of MANJUSHRI, this practice having the gift of developing memory, increasing the capacity for understanding and introspection. As for transcendent knowledge – PRAJNAPARAMITA, it has as its object the discovery of the true nature of the human being and of the external phenomena, which is the Divine beatific void.

From the spiritual teachings of the Tibetan Grand Master Padma-Sambhava

Do not say anything that is useless to yourself or harmful to others. He who does not listen to wise advice deserves all the contempt. And in order not to end up in the pitiful situation of always complaining, think about it beforehand.

*Always look carefully: the one who has no worldly function can hide, in the depths of his being, the brightness of the inner light. For true power is not conferred by human fame. And it is harder for you to get recognition in this world than denigration.

We never know how a man’s life will end, but we do know that this end is the result of his deeds. Even when we are not defeated in a confrontation, it is good to give up the victory in favor of the other. For those who are the powerful of the day are taught, sooner or later, to find pleasure in obedience and never to despise others.

*Whoever possesses something, suffers because he has no more.

Padma-Sambhava described the stages of his mystical road as follows:

I. Read a large number of books on the various religions and philosophies of mankind. Listen to many spiritual guides who expound different spiritual doctrines. To personally experience numerous spiritual lines.

Ⅱ. To choose one of the many spiritual doctrines studied and to give up the rest, as the eagle takes a single sheep from the flock.

Iii. To remain in a modest, humble social condition, without trying to appear important in the eyes of the world, but beyond the seemingly insignificant, to allow the mind to soar above worldly powers and glory.

Iv. To manifest a state of detachment from everything. Not making any choices between the things you come across. Refrain from any effort to acquire or have something. To accept with equal detachment what occurs: wealth or poverty, appreciation or contempt. To neither be sad nor to repeat what you still have to do, but on the other hand, never to be proud of what you have achieved.

V. To look calmly and with perfect detachment at the contrary opinions and the various manifestations of the activity of beings. To understand that this is the nature of things, the inevitable mode of action of every being, and to remain calm, perfectly calm. To look at the world as if you were on the highest mountain from where you can see the valleys and the lower and scattered heights around.

You. It is said that stage VI cannot be described in words. This corresponds to the realization of the “Divine Beatific Void” which, in the Lamaist terminology, is called “inexpressible reality”.

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