9
Jan
2018
Guru Rinpoche | Padmasambhava
The history of Guru Rinpoche dates back in India. He is also known as the Padmasambhava. He is the Indian Buddhist Master of the 8th century.
He is an emanation of the Buddha Amitabha, and a number of Rinpoche have been evolved around the Padmasambhava’s life. He is popular as “The Second Buddha” across the Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan, and many places around the world.
During the teaching of Padmasambhava, he transmitted the Vajrayana to hundreds of disciples. His main students, The Twenty Five Disciples, are the root incarnations of the Padmasambhava these days. With his principle disciple, called Yeshe Tsogyal, he concealed thousands of hidden teachings or Termas in many places for the benefit of future generations.
According to the earlier history, Rinpoche secretly taught tantric education to princess Mandarava. In the Buddhist stories, Mandarava is often described as the consort of 8th-century Indian tantric teacher Padmasambhava. Mandarava’s father who was a king found out that Rinpoche is secretly teaching the tantric education and tried to burn him, but it is believed that when the smoke cleared he just sat there, still alive and in meditation. Greatly astonished by this miracle, the king offered Padmasambhava both his kingdom and Mandarava.
He also taught tantric education in Tibet.
Padmasambhava is said to have taken eight manifestations. They are
- Guru Orgyen Dorje Chang
- Guru Shakya Senge
- Guru Pema Gyalpo
- Guru Pema Jungne
- Guru Loden Chokse
- Guru Nyima Ozer
- Guru Dorje Drolo
- Guru Senge Dradog
Table of Contents
Present Padmasambhava
In Nepal
Yempi Mahavihar temple in Patan is the first place where Guru Rinpoche lived in Nepal. Before that, he had been staying in the charnel grounds. So this temple is the first temple where Guru Rinpoche lived. As soon as Guru Rinpoche settled here, the eighty-four mahasiddhas from India came to visit him and brought with them a wealth of tantras, tantric scriptures. Before this temple, Guru Rinpoche is believed to have meditated in the caves in the Pharping, 16km southwest of Kathmandu Valley.
In Bhutan
In A.D. 747, a Boddhistava, Padmasambhava, came to Bhutan from India at the invitation of one of the numerous local kings. After reportedly subduing eight classes of demons and converting the king, Guru Rimpoche moved on to Tibet. Upon his return from Tibet, he oversaw the construction of new monasteries in the Paro Valley and set up his headquarters in Bumthang.
In Europe
Tokpa Korlo, born in the US and later on moved to France and other parts of Europe to give knowledge about the Padmasambhava and Buddhist education as requested by Shamar Rinpoche.
”I awoke this morning to troubled mind, painful limbs and a soul in need of salve. Looking outside I saw a world covered in a beautiful layer of fresh snow, white softness everywhere and a cool crispness in the air.
The contrast to the beauty around me and my darker inner turmoil was so strong, I was breathing heavy before my feet even hit the cold floor. Guru Rinpoche is my favorite man in history. His exploits of legend and myriad lifetimes of epicness fail to compare to the pure outrageous power of the man himself. He was quite simply a walking, living Buddha. He is quoted as saying that we needn’t pray to his form, or make wishes for him to be with us – he was always inseparable from us. He is part of us, intertwined and living within all of us. His mind is our mind. His heart is our heart. All we ever need to do is understand this and we would never have the need to fear. All obstacles could be overcome by praying to him, invoking our own strength, and thusly realizing our own inner power and Buddha nature.
Instantly the white snow is beautiful and brilliant. The world is less heavy and I can breathe freely once more. Inner turmoil gone. Contrast removed. How could I worry anymore, for living in me, in all of us is the greatest man in history.”
— by Tokpa Korlo
In the USA
Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, the younger and experienced Rinpoche in America is a great Buddhist teacher and frequently accessible at the spiritual programs at the US, Europe, Canada, even South America.
Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche motivate for meditation saying, we here in the West get that we have to train our bodies if we want ‘em to be healthy. But what about our minds? We ignore them.
