His Holiness the Dalai Lama: Prayer to Padmasambhava

Guru Padmasambhava

Yearning Song of Prayer to Invoke the Wisdom Mind of the Compassionate Teacher Padmasambhava

by His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama

མཐའ་བྲལ་དོན་དམ་འོད་གསལ་གཉུག་མའི་གཤིས། །

tadral döndam ösal nyukmé shi

The absolute, which is beyond all limits and extremes is the fundamental nature of clear light,

ལྷུན་གྲུབ་མཚན་དཔེའི་གཟི་འབར་ལོངས་སྤྱོད་རྫོགས། །

lhündrub tsenpé zibar longchö dzok

The perfect sambhogakāya is resplendent with the spontaneously present major and minor marks, Continue reading »

Padmasambhava: Instructions on Dreaming

Padmasambhava: Instructions on dreaming

Padmasambhava: Instructions on dreaming

Padmasambhava: Night-time Instructions on Dreaming and the Natural Liberation of Confusion

Here there are three parts:

  1. apprehending the dream-state,

  2. emanation and transformation, and

  3. dispelling obstacles to dreaming.

Apprehending the Dream-state

Dreaming is induced by latent predispositions, so regard all daytime appearances as being like a dream and like an illusion. Acquire penetrating insight according to the statement in the Perfection of Wisdom, “All phenomena are like a dream and like an illusion.” Continue reading »

Benefits of the Vajra Guru Mantra

Le otto manifestazioni di Guru Rinpoche
8 Manifestations of Guru Rinpoche

The Syllable by Syllable Commentary Explaining the Benefits and Advantages of the Vajra Guru Mantra

By the great tertön Karma Lingpa (14th century)

The Vajra Guru Mantra is the mantra associated with Guru Rinpoche, also known as Padmasambhava. This is a draft translation of a treasure text which explains the Vajra Guru Mantra. It was originally concealed during the time of Padmasambhava in Tibet and later rediscovered by Karma Lingpa (14th century) who brought it forth from its place of concealment and copied it down on reams of gold. It is simply known as “The Syllable by Syllable Commentary Explaining the Benefits of the Vajra Guru Mantra.” It begins with an invocation and then goes into a dialogue between Yeshe Tsogyal, the spiritual consort of Padmasambhava, and Padmasambhava himself.
And so, Yeshe Tsogyal begins:

I, the woman Yeshe Tsogyal, having offered to you the inner and outer mandala on a vast scale, have the following request. Continue reading »

Padmasambhava: The garland of views

padmasambhavaTHE GARLAND OF VIEWS: AN INSTRUCTION

Attributed to PADMA SAMBHAVA

Tibetan title: man ngag lta ba’i phreng ba

A note summarizing the different views, vehicles and so on.

Homage to the Blessed Manjushrikumara and Vajradharma!

The Worldly paths

The countless erroneous views that exist in the realms of the world may be subsumed into four categories:

  1. the unreflective,

  2. the materialists,

  3. the nihilists and

  4. the extremists.

The unreflective do not understand whether or not all things and events have causes and conditions; they are thoroughly ignorant. Continue reading »

Padmasambhava: Self Liberation through Seeing with Naked Awareness

Padmasambhava: This self-liberation through seeing with naked awareness is of such great profundity, and, this being so; you should become intimately acquainted with self-awareness.

Padmasambhava: This self-liberation through seeing with naked awareness is of such great profundity, and, this being so; you should become intimately acquainted with self-awareness.

Padmasambhava: Self Liberation through Seeing with Naked Awareness

  1. Here is contained “Self-Liberation through Seeing with Naked Awareness,” this being a Direct Introduction to the State of Intrinsic Awareness, From “The Profound Teaching of Self-Liberation in the Primordial State of the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities.”
    2. Homage to the Trikaya and to the Deities who represent the inherent luminous clarity of intrinsic awareness.
    3. Herein I shall teach “Self-Liberation through Seeing with Naked Awareness,” which is a direct introduction to intrinsic awareness From “The Profound Teaching of Self-Liberation in the Primordial State of the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities.”
    Truly, this introduction to your own intrinsic awareness should be contemplated well, O fortunate sons of a noble family!
    SAMAYA! Gya! Gya! Gya!
    4. Emaho!
    It is the single (nature of) mind, which encompasses all of Samsara and Nirvana.
    Even though its inherent nature has existed from the very beginning, you have not recognized it;
    Even though its clarity and presence has been uninterrupted, you have not yet encountered its face. Continue reading »

Padmasambhava: Instruction for women on attaining enlightenment without abandoning daily activities

Padmasambhava: The true nature of dharmata is not an object that the mind can grasp; it has no dimension and belongs to no category.

Instruction for women on attaining enlightenment without abandoning daily activities

The great master known as Padmasambhava, untainted by a womb, was born miraculously from a lotus flower. The mighty king of Tibet invited him to the Snowy Land. After he had tamed the land for Samye, he resided at the Juniper Ridge of Crystal Pearls. It was at this occasion that seven extraordinary women — Lady Tsogyal of Kharchen, Lady Diamond Lake of Shelkar, Lady Splendid Worship of Chokro, Lady Matingma of Dro, Lady Jewel Crest of Margong, Lady Sparkling Light of Chim and Lady Mati of Ruyan — arranged a golden mandala, the size of one cubit, with turquoise flowers as the seven royal possessions. Continue reading »

Padmasambhava: Liberation Through Hearing in the Bardo

Padmasambhava: Through these gradual instructions, one will certainly be liberated within seven rebirths.

Padmasambhava: Through these gradual instructions, one will certainly be liberated within seven rebirths.

Liberation Through Hearing in the Bardo:
From the Six Wonderful Methods for Enlightenment Without Cultivation
.

Here I [Padmasambhava] shall explain the profound meaning of liberation through hearing
for the ones who have arrived at the time of death.
Among the three kinds of bardos, the first is the time of the bardo of dying.

Fortunate one of noble family, listen one-point­edly. Pay heed. Do not wander.
Every experience in this world is Mara’s dream-like illusion.
Everything is impermanent, everyone is subject to death.
Noble one, turn away from further painful states.

The experiences of whiteness, redness and blackness are all the magical display of your mind. Continue reading »

The Prayer to Guru Rinpoche for Removing Obstacles and Fulfilling Wishes

Padmasambhava

Padmasambhava

The Prayer to Guru Rinpoche for Removing Obstacles and Fulfilling Wishes

This is a very famous prayer, usually called ‘du sum sangye’ or ‘dorje tsik kang druk’ (Eng: Six Vajra Lines) to Guru Rinpoche as the embodiment of the buddhas of the three times―past, present, and future―in order to remove obstacles and ensure any aspirations are easily fulfilled. It’s a terma revelation of the great tertön, Chokgyur Dechen Lingpa. As it says in the colophon of the prayer:

Discovered by the great terma-revealer Chokgyur Dechen Lingpa, from the right hand side of the Sengchen Namdrak rock on Mount Rinchen Tsekpa, ‘The Pile of Jewels’.Because the blessing of this prayer, one intended for this present time, is so immense, it should be treasured by all as their daily practice.”

In the life-story of Chokgyur Dechen Lingpa it tells of the discovery of another very famous terma, where this prayer was recited just before the terma was extracted:

Everyone went to Karma Taktsang. At the end of town was a big cave where Guru Rinpoche had appeared as Dorje Drollö. There Chokgyur Lingpa sang many songs, saying, Continue reading »

Padmasambhava: Four Teachings to the Dakini

These teachings from Padmasambhava were revealed as a terma treasure by Nyang Ral Nyima Ozer, 1124-1192.

Master Padma said: “You must make sure your Dharma practice becomes the real Dharma. You must make sure your Dharma becomes the real path. You must make sure your path can clarify confusion. You must make sure your confusion dawns as wisdom.”

What does that mean?” the lady Yeshe Tsogyal asked.

When you have understanding free from accepting and rejecting after knowing how to condense all the teachings into a single vehicle, then your Dharma practice becomes the real Dharma.
When in any practice you do you possess refuge and bodhichitta, and have unified the stages of development and completion, and means and knowledge, then your Dharma becomes the real path. Continue reading »

The final words of Padmasambhava

Padmasambhava

Padmasambhava

The final words of Padmasambhava

Homage to the master.

Lady Tsogyal of Kharchen served the nirmanakaya Orgyen Padmakara from her eighth year, accompanying him like a shadow follows a body. When the master was about to leave Tibet for the land of the rakshas, I, Lady Kharchen, having offered a mandala of gold and turquoise and having arranged a tantric feast, a wheel of gathering, implored:

Great master! You are leaving to tame the rakshas. I am left behind here in Tibet. Although I have served you for a long time, master, this old woman has no confidence about the time of death. So I beseech you to kindly give me an instruction condensing all teachings into one, which is concise and easy to practice.

The great master replied: Devoted one with a faithful and virtuous mind, listen to me. Although there are many profound key points of body, rest free and relaxed as you feel comfortable. Everything is included in simply that. Continue reading »

Padmasambhava: How to die

Padmasambhava: Have trust and settle in the state of equanimity.

Padmasambhava: How to die

In Insights by Erik Pema Kunsang

Liberation Through Hearing in the Bardo:
From the Six Wonderful Methods for Enlightenment Without Cultivation.

Here I [Padmasambhava] shall explain the profound meaning of liberation through hearing
for the ones who have arrived at the time of death.
Among the three kinds of bardos, the first is the time of the bardo of dying.

Fortunate one of noble family, listen one-point­edly. Pay heed. Do not wander.
Every experience in this world is Mara’s dream-like illusion.
Everything is impermanent, everyone is subject to death.
Noble one, turn away from further painful states.

The experiences of whiteness, redness and blackness are all the magical display of your mind.
These experiences are nothing other than yourself.
Do not be afraid. Do not fear them.
Continue reading »