Clarifying the True Meaning
by
Tsele Natsok Rangdrol
Buddhas and bodhisattvas throughout all times and directions,
Embodiment of all objects of refuge, Padma
Totreng Tsal,
Consider all beings and myself with your
loving kindness.
May every wish we make be effortlessly
fulfilled.
Strengthen the Dharma and increase
auspicious conditions
So that true awakening will swiftly be
attained.
The Birth of Padmasambhava
The word 'padma' is Sanskrit. It was
preserved as a Tibetan word and means lotus flower. 'Sambhava' means
'born from'. Padmasambhava's usual name in Tibetan, is Pema Jungney,
translated from the Sanskrit name Padmakara that means 'originated
from a lotus.'
It is universally renowned that the
Precious Master took birth from a lotus flower in a way that is
called instantaneous birth. Instantaneous birth in itself is nothing
to marvel about since all beings take rebirth through one of the four
modes of birth: womb birth, egg birth, moisture birth and
instantaneous birth. But this master's birth was superior to ordinary
instantaneous birth. The reason is that the lotus flower from which
he was born, in the center of Lake Danakosha, had been fused with the
combined light rays of compassion of Buddha Amitabha and all the
buddhas of the ten directions.
This is not just an exaggerated praise
tenaciously offered by old ignorant followers of the Nyingma School;
Padmakara was foretold by Buddha Shakyamuni himself in many sutras
and tantras. If it was the case that those predictions are found only
in the Nyingma Tantras it would be difficult for other people to have
full trust in them so here is a quotation from the Immaculate Goddess
Sutra:
The activity of all the victorious ones of the ten directions
Will gather into a single form,
A buddha son who will attain marvellous
accomplishment,
A master who will embody buddha activity,
Will appear to the northwest of Uddiyana.
Padmasambhava is also prophesied in the Sutra of Inconceivable
Secrets:
A manifestation of the buddhas of the three times,
With marvellous deeds in this Good Aeon,
Will appear as a vidyadhara
In the center of a wondrous lotus flower.
The Tantra of the Ocean of Ferocious Activity says:
A holder of the secrets of all the buddhas,
The king of the deeds of indestructible
wrath,
A miraculous form without father or mother
Will appear as a vidyadhara
In Lake Kosha of Uddiyana.
There exists a vast number of similar quotations but since these will
suffice for gaining understanding I shall refrain from further
elaborations. The heart of the matter is that these quotations
establish that he was miraculously born from a lotus flower.
For people who could not be converted by
someone miraculously born Padmasambhava showed himself as taking
birth through a womb. In that version he was born as the son of King
Mahusita of Uddiyana and given the name Danarakshita. When reaching
maturity, he wanted to leave in order to practice the Dharma, but his
parents didn't permit him to do so. Unable to find any other way, he
saw that he could only escape through some felonious action. He
killed one of the kings' children and was then banished as
punishment. Taking ordination from the pandita Shakyabodhi he was
named Shakya Senge.
Whatever the case, Master Padma was not
an ordinary, material person. We should understand that all his deeds
and life examples are a magical display shown to convert people
according to their individual inclinations. By regarding him as a
normal human being we will fail to perceive even a fraction of his
enlightened qualities.
The Names of the Great Master
When Padmakara was born from a lotus
flower and, also, while being led back by King Indrabhuti, wherever
he was set down, a lotus spontaneously sprung up. The king exclaimed,
"This child is truly a lotus born one!" Therefore he became
renowned as Padmakara.
His ordination name was Shakya Senge.
Later when he became learned in the fields of knowledge and presided
as the head of 500 great panditas, he was known as Padmasambhava, the
Lotus Born. Thus he is indeed named after his manner of birth.
Padmasambhava's Stay in Tibet
Differing accounts exist regarding the
length of time Master Padma remained in Tibet. One story narrates
that he remained for 120 years. Other sources state he was asked to
leave due to the slander by evil-minded ministers after respectively
six or three years, 18 or three months. As I mentioned already, an
ordinary person cannot measure the deeds of the victorious ones;
remember that also here.
In the past Buddha Shakyamuni taught the
Saddharma Pundarika Sutra. The sutra describes that the Buddha
performed a miracle, making the duration of teaching, which was one
morning, appear as if it were 50 aeons. The Buddha could also
transform one moment into an aeon and one aeon into one moment. How
can our intellect grasp that?
In the general perception of people and
as narrated in the shorter and longer Bashey Annals, Master
Padma came to Tibet, performed a ritual for taming the land around
Samye and twice made a ritual fire offering to tame the gods and
demons. When about to perform the ritual a third time, some
manipulative ministers prevented him from doing so. Master Padma gave
the king and a few worthy people advice. When Padmakara was about to
turn the dunes into meadows, the desert into fields and plant trees
and so forth, the ministers misinterpreted this and prohibited it.
Without having fulfilled his purpose, he was escorted to the Sky
Plain Pass by two religious ministers. On the way Master Padma
overcame some murderers sent by antagonistic ministers, by paralyzing
them with his gaze. Leaving from the Sky Plain Pass, Master Padma
flew through the air toward the southwest.
These narrations are exclusively what is
described in the shorter and longer Bashey Annals. The Bashey
Annals are only comprised of superficial perceptions of the ministers
of that time which I don't consider fully authentic. Try to
understand this comparison: the Buddha's twelve deeds and so forth
differ in the traditions of Hinayana and Mahayana. We only take the
Mahayana version to be truly accurate. The Hinayana version is what
was perceived through the limited vision of Hinayana disciples. This
is the same as the analogy of a white conch seen to be yellow by a
person suffering from jaundice. The person with healthy eyesight will
see it as it truly is. Here similarly, we should not regard an impure
perception as true but place our trust in the impeccable words of the
Great Master himself.
In this regard, it should be mentioned
that there is no conflict in the uncorrupted terma teachings that
unanimously say Master Padma remained in Tibet for one hundred and
eleven years. Since Indians then counted six months as one year these
'years' should be regarded as 'half-years,' therefore, meaning that
Guru Rinpoche stayed for fifty-six years.
Some ministers and faithless people
perceived that Guru Rinpoche only spent a few months in Tibet. They
only saw that Padmakara tamed the land of Samye, performed its
consecration and gave teachings to the king and some fortunate
disciples. The major part of the time the Great Master stayed in
Tibet he spent visiting, blessing, concealing termas and so forth in
the principal sacred places and areas. For these reasons it seems
that most Tibetan commoners didn't meet him.
From our point of view, when
Padmasambhava was about to leave Tibet for the land of rakshas in the
southwest, he consecrated all the temples. He was escorted to the Sky
Plain Pass in Mang-yul by Prince Lhasey and many other disciples
where he gave many predictions and instructions. On the tenth day of
the Monkey month he was led through the sky to the continent of
Chamara by dakas and dakinis carrying offerings.
Padmasambhava being an Enlightened Buddha
Ordinary beings to be trained perceive
the buddhas of the three times as taking birth among different types
of sentient beings in the different worlds. Moreover, the buddhas
enact the deeds, for incalculable aeons, of gathering the
accumulations and purifying the obscurations. We can find evidence to
this in the stories of the past lives of the buddha. If we regard the
words of the Buddha as authentic, we also can trust in his statements
found in many sutras and tantras concerning the Great Master
Padmakara as the embodiment of the compassion of all the buddhas.
There is no great need to suffer by stubbornly objecting.
Padmasambhava's Appearance into this World
According to the scriptures mentioned
above and other texts including the Tantra of the Perfect
Embodiment of the Unexcelled Nature, there are varying statements
about exactly when Master Padma would appear. Most sources seem to
agree on twelve years after the passing of the Buddha. The Nirvana
Sutra says:
Twelve years after I pass into Nirvana,
A person who is superior to everyone
Will appear from the anthers of a lotus
flower
In the immaculate Lake Kosha
On the northwestern border of the country
of Uddiyana.
The Buddha also said in the Sutra of Predictions in Magadha:
I will pass away to eradicate the view of permanence.
But twelve years from now, to clear away
the view of nihilism,
I shall appear from a lotus in the
immaculate Kosha Lake
As a noble son to delight the King
And turn the Dharma wheel of the unexcelled
essential meaning.
This is the version unanimously agreed upon in all the narrations
found in authentic terma teachings.
It is difficult for myself to identify
correctly the exact year when the Buddha was born and passed away.
There are many discrepancies in the various treatises, but all the
histories of the Nyingma School tell that Buddha Shakyamuni passed
away in the Year of the Iron Bird and that Padmasambhava was born in
the Year of the Earth Monkey. Between these two events are twelve
years so I consider that to be the correct version.
One version of the Kathang mentions that
Padmasambhava took ordination from Ananda in the presence of the
arhant Nyima Gungpa and Kashyapa the Elder. Other reliable and
uncorrupted terma teachings do not include this story. I myself,
though old and uneducated, have read quite a few of the shorter and
longer versions of Guru Rinpoche's biographies. In particular, I have
carefully examined the manuscript of Ngadag Nyang's terma that is
renowned as the Sanglingma Life Story. My sources say that
Padmakara stayed five years in the royal palace in Uddiyana and five
years in Cool Grove. After that time he went to many different
charnel grounds such as Joyful Grove and Sosaling where he received
empowerment and blessings from the wisdom dakinis Vajra Varahi,
Sustainer of Peace, and Subduer of Mara. Here he also bound under
oath the mundane dakinis and karma dakinis and employed them as his
servants.
Although the Buddhadharma and all topics
of knowledge arose spontaneously within Padmasambhava's mind, he
nevertheless pretended to study languages, healing, logic,
craftsmanship and so forth to instill confidence in ordinary
followers. After this he took ordination in a cave in Zahor from the
preceptor Shakyabodhi who is more known as the great master Prahasti,
and was given the name Shakya Senge. The reason Guru Rinpoche became
a monk was to safeguard ordinary people from giving rise to wrong
thoughts. Padmakara then received the empowerments, tantric
explanations and oral instructions on Yoga Tantra from Master
Prahasti. These details are indisputable and trustworthy.
Criticism of Followers of the Nyingma School
The teachings of the Secret Mantra of
the Early Translations are profound, extensive and marvellous.
Unfortunately its followers fool themselves with pursuing the upkeep
of livelihood and attainment of temporary aims, instead of
endeavoring in practice to gain realization. Leading the life of a
householder, they belong to the category of neither Sutra nor Tantra.
They are nothing but a dishonor to the Early Translations. This is
exactly the reason why followers of the Sarma Schools, both learned
and ignorant, not only expel the teachings and followers of the
Nyingma School from the confines of Buddhism but find them as
loathsome as beholding a pool of vomit. Due to these circumstances
the flawless words of Padmakara, the Second Buddha, have been
corrupted by people's individual corrections, omissions, additions,
presumptions and guesswork. The Secret Mantra has become like
precious sandalwood turned into charcoal for trade.
In this dark age it seems that no one
engages in teaching, studying or practicing the flawless older
termas. The volumes of books have become worms' nests. The teachers
waste their lives chasing after the novelty of so-called new termas
or anything that resembles a terma which nowadays proliferate like
mushrooms on a summer meadow. On seeing this sad state of affairs, an
old ignorant monk like me can do nothing but shed tears.
The Reliability of the Katang Literature
Nowadays, there are two renowned
versions of Padma Katang. One, by Orgyen Lingpa is in poetry and the
other by Sangye Lingpa is in prose. Their effect on the land of Tibet
has been immense. Although the main part of these two texts surely is
the words of the Great Master, obviously some uneducated and foolish
people have interpolated them with colloquial terms and phrases of
their invention. Similarly, the famous Five Chronicles are
unmistakenly a terma by Orgyen Lingpa. However, no matter how you
examine the verbiage and meaning it is unlike authentic terma
teachings. For example, the assertion that Guru Rinpoche had a son
and the predictions of people who later appeared I personally find
implausible. The various versions of Padma Katang are for the most
part comprised of the teachings of Master Padmasambhava. Of course
they possess great blessings, but it is simply hard for me to regard
them as reliable historical sources.
In general it is impossible for ordinary
people to measure buddhas and great siddhas who can transform time,
show numerous manifestations of their bodily form and display
inconceivable kinds of miracles. Sometimes a single teaching or deed
of the Buddha is perceived in different ways by various disciples due
to their capacity and caliber. For instance, when the Buddha
displayed the Great Miracles Hinayana followers saw them as lasting
only one day while the people of the Mahayana type perceived them for
half a month.
People generally accept only three
turnings of the wheel the Dharma. Yet, extraordinary people saw the
Buddha give an inconceivable number of other teachings such as the
Avatamsaka, Kalachakra and so forth. Until one attains the 'eye of
Dharma,' it is inappropriate to try to judge the Buddhadharma or
other people.
Here is a story to illustrate the huge
difference between the scope of perception of Hinayana and Mahayana:
Once noble Manjushri had spent the rainy
season retreat in the company of King Salgyal's assemblage of queens.
Later Mahakashyapa criticized him, sounded the gong and said,
"Bodhisattva, you offender, don't stay among the sangha of
monks!" The Buddha himself then exhorted Manjushri to reveal the
power of his qualities. By his power it was seen how a Manjushri was
present near each buddha in each realm in the ten directions. It was
also seen that a Mahakashyapa was sounding a gong in each realm as
well. The Blessed One then said, "Mahakashyapa, are you going to
expel all these forms of Manjushri or only this one?"
Mahakashyapa felt remorse. He wanted to throw down the gong but was
unable to do so. The gong itself continued to sound. Asking the
Buddha for forgiveness, the Buddha told him to ask forgiveness from
Manjushri.
According to this story, when even a
great arhant like Mahakashyapa is unable to judge the character of
another person, how can ordinary people like ourselves do so? It is
really important to avoid creating more obscurations!
Padmasambhava's Level of Realization
The Great Master of Uddiyana said that
he was not an explicit buddha but a buddha who had attained the 'four
results of spiritual practice.' Some people, displeased with that
statement, made various objections. It does not lie within my power
to present a claim about whether Padmasambhava specifically realized
the fruition of an arhant. Yet, the position of the Nyingma School on
this definitely is that he is an embodiment of the compassion of all
the buddhas of the ten directions. Padmasambhava appeared as a
nirmanakaya to tame the beings of the dark age. This is not just our
personal opinion that we stubbornly uphold with deluded obsession.
The Great Master was foretold by the Buddha himself. There is no need
to elaborate on this or to define him as an ordinary person who had
to journey the path in stages such as achieving the result of an
arhant or a pratyekabuddha.
Padmasambhava's Five Superior Qualities
Buddha Shakyamuni extolled the virtues
of the forthcoming incarnation Padmasambhava. He described him as
possessing five qualities that made him superior to other emanations
of the buddhas. The following quotation is from the Nirvana Sutra:
Kyeho! Listen, whole retinue, with one-pointed mind.
This emanation of myself
Will be superior to other emanations in the
three times.
Not subject to age and decline,
His eminent form will be superior to other
emanations.
From the very first vanquishing the four
maras,
His wrathful power will be superior to
other emanations.
Teaching the greater vehicle of buddhahood
in one lifetime,
His realization will be superior to other
emanations.
Converting the central and surrounding lands of the Jambu continent,
His benefit for beings will be superior to
other emanations.
Beyond passing away in this Good Aeon,
His life span will be superior to other
emanations.
This is because he is an emanation of
Amitabha.
The line that mentions Padmasambhava "teaching the greater
vehicle of buddhahood in one lifetime" does not mean that he
attained enlightenment in one life. It means that Padmasambhava is
superior by being someone who teaches the profound instructions of
Secret Mantra through which buddhahood can be attained in this very
body and lifetime.
Primordial Buddhahood According to Vajrayana
According to the Nyingma School, the
ultimate source of all buddhas is called Buddha Unchanging Light.
This buddha is all-encompassing wakefulness, the realization of all
the victorious ones throughout the three times without a single
exception. This wakefulness is primordially beyond delusion, the
original state of supreme and changeless great bliss that transcends
the confines of mental constructs. It is also known as the dharmakaya
Samantabhadra, the great forefather of all the buddhas.
The unceasing, natural expression of
this wakefulness manifests as wisdom forms free from obscuration.
These wisdom forms are the buddha Vajradhara, the victorious ones of
the five families of sambhogakaya and so forth who are endowed with
the 'seven aspects of union.' They can only be perceived by the great
bodhisattvas on the ten levels.
The compassionate energy of the
sambhogakaya buddhas appears as a magical display. This display is
inexhaustible and unending, the incarnate emanations and the
nirmanakayas of supreme enlightenment, such as Buddha Shakyamuni.
This display of emanations appears unceasingly for as long as there
are sentient beings to be benefitted.
In this way all the infinite mandalas of
the victorious ones in the ten directions and in particular in this
Saha world-system, as exemplified by the thousand buddhas who
successively appear during the Good Aeon, are of one identity in
being the vast dharmadhatu of innate wakefulness. The magical display
of emanations simply appears according to those who have the fortune
to be influenced. Such buddhas are not ordinary people who
necessarily must attain enlightenment through traversing the path
gradually.
If this is truly so, one might question
the Mahayana sutras that say the Buddha first aroused the intent to
attain supreme enlightenment, next he gathered the accumulations of
merit and wisdom during three incalculable aeons, and finally he
attained buddhahood while enacting the twelve deeds. The answer is
that those Mahayana teachings were an exercise in expedient meaning
for the benefit of ordinary disciples to communicate that a each
action yields a particular result.
Just like Buddha Shakyamuni,
Padmasambhava was an emanation of all the buddhas. Padmasambhava
appeared to convert the beings of the dark age, like the moon light
of compassion on the lake of the disciple's faith. From this angle,
the debates whether he was born from a womb or appeared miraculously,
whether he attained the level of an arhant, and whether he became
enlightened within one lifetime, or the like; all such refutations
and affirmations are like a child trying to fathom the sky.
Most important and trustworthy is the
words of the Buddha: "Rely not on the expedient but on the
definitive meaning. Rely not on the conditioned but on the
unconditioned. Rely not on the words but on the meaning."
How Padmasambhava Received Empowerment
As mentioned earlier, we should keep in
mind that Guru Rinpoche was not an ordinary person. To begin with,
when he was born from a lotus flower in Danakosha all the eight
classes of gods and demons of this world-system paid homage to him
and presented offerings. The victorious ones of the ten directions
appeared, like cloud banks assembling, and conferred empowerments and
blessings upon him.
Not only did he receive empowerment to
Yoga Tantra from the master Prahasti, but later while residing in the
eight great charnel grounds he had the complete teachings of the
Three Inner Tantras of Secret Mantra clarified by Prahevajra,
Manjushrimitra, Shri Singha, the dakini Karmeshvari and many other
great masters. In addition, he journeyed to the Dharmadhatu Palace of
Akanishtha where he received the Three Inner Tantras in the presence
of the teachers of the three kayas, Samantabhadra, Vajradhara and
Vajrasattva.
When Padmasambhava went to Maratika and
engaged in the sadhana of longevity, his aim was not to attain
immortality out of fear of birth and death, but to bring benefit to
future generations of followers. Acting as if practicing the sadhana
of longevity, he then received the tantras, sadhanas and oral
instructions from Buddha Amitayus and accomplished an immortal body.
Not only Padmasambhava himself, but also Princess Mandarava reached
this attainment. She became renowned as the Single Mother and Queen
of Siddhas and had numerous followers. The practices she taught are
still applied by the New Schools.
This was just one example of how
Padmasambhava manifested the attainment of the vidyadhara level of
longevity. The three other vidyadhara levels to be accomplished
according to the Nyingma School are the vidyadhara level of
maturation, the vidyadhara level of mahamudra and the vidyadhara
level of spontaneous perfection.
Historical Details
Much detailed analysis can be made about
the exact time King Trisong Deutsen invited the Great Master and when
Samye was built. Other issues to be raised are: whether Padmakara
remained secretly ruling the country for some years after the king
passed away at the age of fifty-six, how long Master Padma stayed
during the reign of Prince Lhasey, whether Guru Rinpoche consecrated
the Vajradhatu Temple at Karchung after its completion, and what he
was doing while the dispute broke out between the systems of Indian
and Chinese Buddhism.
The truth is that the numerous
well-known historical writings all differ on many points and it is
hard to decide on which to rely. It is also difficult to discern
whether the statements made in the Kathang are corrupted or authentic
so we are still in want of reliable sources.
Nevertheless, historical narrations from
the uncorrupted terma teachings of the Nyingma School mention that
Trisong Deutsen was born in the Year of the Horse. At the age of
seventeen he gave rise to the thought of Dharma and invited the
pandita Shantarakshita to lay the foundation for a temple. When
hostile gods and demons interrupted the building, Shantarakshita
proclaimed that Guru Rinpoche should be summoned.
Padmasambhava arrived in the later part
of the Year of the Tiger and tamed the building site. The foundation
was established in the Year of the Rabbit and the construction went
then on for five years. The consecration was celebrated for a whole
twelve year cycle.
While the Buddhadharma was being
translated the Great Master spend approximately ten years at Samye
and Chimphu. He brought worthy disciples to ripening and liberation.
Moreover, there are convincing descriptions that he stayed in all the
sadhana places of the country of Tibet.
Padmasambhava was not present during the
dispute between the Indian and Chinese systems. Shantarakshita
predicted a certain master by the name Kamalashila was predestined to
solve that conflict and should therefore be invited to Tibet. After
Kamalashila defeated the Chinese teacher Hashang, he reestablished
the earlier system of the Buddhadharma.
To ensure that Trisong Deutsen's life
span would last for as long as the sun and moon would shine,
Padmakara prepared the empowerment and elixir of longevity. But when
about to present it to the king, some evil ministers protested and
the auspicious coincidence was undone. Later the king regretted and
made another request. By receiving the empowerment of longevity his
life was extended for thirteen years. Although he was not meant to
live for more than fifty-six he remained till the age of sixty-nine.
Prince Muney Tsenpo, the oldest of the
king's three sons, was then placed on the throne. He established four
major places to worship the Tripitaka and the Abhisambodhi. He
attempted the remarkable feat of equalizing rich and poor. Later he
was poisoned by his own mother.
The middle son was known under the names
of Mutig Tseypo, Muri Tsenpo, Hutse Tsenpo, or as Lekpey Lodro, the
name he was given by Padmasambhava. He was young but dignified. He
was enthroned at the age of thirteen. He became known as Seyna-lek
Jing-yun and he built the nine-storied Vajradhatu Temple at Karchung.
His queen, Ngangchungma, had the Tsenthang Temple in Yarlung
constructed. Padmakara consecrated both temples.
The youngest son was Murub Tseypo or
Prince Virtuous Protector. Padmasambhava gave him the name Prince
Damdzin. He was strong-headed and wrathful. He became a general and
appointed to the task of guarding the borders in the four directions.
After he had brought all enemies under his command, on his return he
had a fight with a minister's son. The son died and Prince Damdzin
was sentenced to exile in the district of Kongrong for nine years.
Mutig Tseypo was young and had great
faith in Padmasambhava. He asked for advice in all matters. That is
the reason Master Padma is said to have ruled the kingdom.
Padmasambhava stayed for three years during the reign of Mutig
Tseypo.
Prince Lhaje was the oldest of Mutig
Tseypo's five sons and received many oral instructions and
predictions from Padmakara. Both he and his brother Lhundrub died at
an early age. The third son, Tsangma, took ordination as a monk.
Since Langdarma was unsuitable to rule, Tri Ralpachen was later
appointed king. Most of the historical sources agree on this. Anyhow,
Padmasambhava left Tibet while Prince Mutig was still young.
The Dependency of Perception
Of course it is impossible for any
ordinary person to measure fully the virtuous qualities of even a
single pore of the Buddha's body since it defies the reach of
ordinary thought. The inconsistencies and dissimilarities in the life
stories of enlightened beings come about because those beings are
perceived by different levels of people to be influenced. It is
therefore totally inappropriate to make fixed generalizations.
In the past the buddha by the name
Indomitable appeared with a body the size of eighty cubits while the
tathagata King of Stars was the size of one inch. The sugata
Boundless Life lived for one hundred billion years while the sugata
Lord of Assemblies appeared as living for just one day. These buddhas
were definitely unlike ordinary people who have different life span
and degrees of merit. The buddhas appeared in those ways because of
the different karmic perceptions of the different followers.
The superior qualities of our teacher,
Buddha Shakyamuni, were perceived in varying ways respectively by
common people, the shravaka followers of Hinayana and the bodhisattva
followers of Mahayana. Devadatta and the heretics perceived the
Buddha only with their impure thoughts. This does not mean that the
Buddha himself had different degrees of qualities but only proves the
individual perceptions of different people.
Master Padma was a supreme nirmanakaya.
He appeared free from faults and fully endowed with all eminent
qualities. He surely does not remain within the reach of people's
solid fixation on a permanent reality but appeared according to those
to be tamed. Consequently, the clinging to absolutes concerning
whether he took birth from a womb or was born miraculously, whether
his different names and deeds in the Indian countries agree with one
another, whether there are inconsistencies in the duration he
remained in Tibet and so forth, are nothing but causes to exhaust
oneself and prove one's ignorance while attempting to conform the
inconceivable to fit within the confines of conceptual thinking.
The Great Master expressed the real
essence of this in his advice named the Precious Garland of Gold:
I, Padmakara, came to benefit Tibet.
By miraculous displays, I have tamed the
vicious spirits
And established many destined people on the
path of ripening and liberation.
The profound terma teachings shall fill
Tibet and Kham with siddhas.
Pass and valley, mountain and cave,
everywhere down to the size of a hoof,
I have consecrated to be a place of
sadhana.
Creating the auspicious coincidence for
lasting peace in Tibet and Kham,
I shall nurture beings with an unceasing
stream of emanations.
My kindness to Tibet is great but it will
not be appreciated.
Padmakara also said,
In the future some incorrigible people with wrong views,
Foolish and corrupt, with the pretense of
learning,
Babbling self-praise and disdain for
others,
Will claim that I, Padma, did not stay long
in Tibet.
Some will say that I stayed one month, some
will say two weeks,
Some will claim that the Master of Uddiyana
returned
With a load of gold after ten days.
That is not true; I stayed for one hundred
and eleven years.
In all of Tibet, center and border land,
the three valleys, down to the size of one arm span,
There is not any place I didn't visit.
Intelligent people, have trust when you
discern
Whether I protect Tibet with kindness!
He also said,
Once in the future, some haughty and ignorant people
Will claim that Padmakara the Younger came
to Tibet
While Padmakara the Elder never arrived in
Tibet.
There is not a Younger and an Elder, in
essence they are the same.
Just let people with wrong views say what
they want.
If you have faith and devotion, supplicate
me constantly.
You will then receive the blessings, people
of future generations.
This is how Padmasambhava spoke and in that I have full trust.
Tsele Natsok Rangdrol
Translated by Erik Pema Kunsang and included in The Lotus-Born
.
No comments:
Post a Comment