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Yeshe Tsogyal, Terchen Urgyan Lingpa, Gustave-Charles Toussaint, Kenneth Douglas, Gwendolyn Bays, Tarthang Tulku-The Life and Liberation of Padmasambhava. 1 & 2-Dharma Publishing (1978) PDF
Yeshe Tsogyal, Terchen Urgyan Lingpa, Gustave-Charles Toussaint, Kenneth Douglas, Gwendolyn Bays, Tarthang Tulku-The Life and Liberation of Padmasambhava. 1 & 2-Dharma Publishing (1978) PDF
Part I: India
As Recorded by
Yeshe Tsogyal
Rediscovered by
Terchen U rgyan Lingpa
Translated into French as
Le Diet de Padilla by
Gustave-Charles Toussaint
Translated into English by
Kenneth Douglas and
Gwendolyn Bays
Corrected With the Original Tibetan Manuscripts
and with an Introduction by
Tarthang Tulku
DHARMA
:t
PUBLISHING
2. Lamas
I. O-rgyan-gling-pa, gter-ston,
BQ7950.P327Y4713
III. Title.
294.3'6'30924 [B]
78-17445
CONTENTS
Publisher's Preface
XlV
XlX
XXll
Introduction
XXVlll
P ART I: INDIA
Canto 1
Buddha Amitabha
Canto 2
12
Worlds
Canto 4
23
26
41
Swine
Canto 7
47
53
60
67
71
78
82
85
88
90
94
98
101
107
119
128
141
145
147
150
152
VI
155
163
167
169
177
180
187
191
219
224
231
234
239
245
249
257
VII
264
270
275
288
291
288
291
296
300
304
308
314
317
Please note that the textual content, from pages viii-xi is repeated, and shall be shown in
Part II: Tibet
Xl
Plate 1 Padmasambhava
p late 2 Guru Padmasambhava
p late 3 Amitabha
p late 4 Avalokite svara
plate 5 Padmasambhava
Plate 6 Guru Padmasambhava
p late 7 Guru Tsokyi Dorje
Plate 8 Guru Urgyan Dorje Chang
p late 9 Guru Padmasambhava
Plate 10 Guru Lodan Chogsed
p late 11 Guru Padma Gyalpo
Plate 12 Guru Shakya Senge
p late 3 Guru Nyima Odzer
p late 1 4 Guru Senge Dradog
p late 15 Guru Dorje Drolod
plate 16 Santarakita
plate 17 T risong Detsen
Plate 18 Padmasambhava
p late 19 Padmasambhava
plate 20 Padmasambhava
p late 21 Padmasambhava
p late 22 Glorious Copper Mountain
Statue ofPadmasambhava at Samye
Plate 23 Tsokyi Dorje
Plate 2 4 Urgyan Dorje Chang
Xli
11
109
111
113
115
193
195
197
199
201
203
205
207
209
211
213
215
317
319
321
323
3 40
3 48
423
425
427
429
431
433
435
437
439
541
543
545
547
549
551
553
555
557
559
561
563
565
567
569
571
573
575
577
579
581
583
585
587
589
591
593
P UBLISHER'S PREFA CE
ViI., ,
XIV
fonn. The text is such that when the meaning of passages is not clear
from the context, even one versed in the language and philosophy
cannot always easily arrive at the correct interpretation.
Yet Toussaint clearly made great effort to be true to the text, and
his fifteen years of effort show in the beauty of his work. Tibetan
poetry is not easy to translate. In Tibetan the religious imageries and
the symbolic language of poetry are meshed with terms of technical
philosophy and history-which do not lend themselves easily to poetic
rendering in most Western languages. Toussaint, however, managed
to bring into his French translation of Padilla bKa 'i Thallg the poetic
beauty and symbolic strength of the Tibetan original. Thus, although
his translation lacks a certain technical precision, it would be difficult
to find another of such beauty.
For the ter tna texts especially, the poetic form and symbolic
tone are as important as, and indeed are inseparable from, the text's
content and meaning. Yet it is in the meaning of certain passages that
there were problems in Toussaint's translation. And these were, of
course, carried over into the English, so that there were mistransla
tions throughout the manuscript which would create problems for
the reader. We were thus in a dilemma: to publish the work unedited
would do a major disservice to both the text and to its translators, yet
to do a major job of editing would also present problems. For one, we
would be working with the translation of a translation. For another,
because we would need to stay with the general language and tone of
the translation before us, we would have to take more than usual care
before making any changes or corrections.
Several problems in the translation were relatively minor-for
example, the nonstandard translation of common Tibetan and San
skrit terms. The term Bodhisattva, for instance, is translated as 'Hero
of the Awakening'; Tathagata as the 'Welcome One'; and Sutra and
Mantra as 'Texts and Formulas'. Demons ('drc) are called through
out the text 'genies'. More philosophical words such as dbyillgs, Skt.
dhatll (which is translated as 'plane' ) and yc-shes, skt. jt/clIIa (which
is translated mostly as 'knowledge' ) run into problems of transxv
la tion when they become parts ofcompounds. There are scores ofother
examples which could be cited.
We eventually made the decision to let the translation of most
words stand-for to substitute more philosophical terms for those in
use would have created a major change in the tone of the text. In
cases, however, where terms were clearly mistranslated such as in
zall, thai (penetration ) we have made corrections ; yet becaus e zallg
thai is a mystic term, it is difficult to capture the 'ecstatic' quality
of its meaning in a short space. Thus, in allowing the 'loose' trans
lation of terms to stand, many of the more philosophically complex
passages, although not actually mistranslated, do not carry the philo
sophical subtleties or impact of the Tibetan. And, even in passages
we have edited, there is still room for improvement.
We did not attempt to make a scholarly text out of what was not
meant to be one. We did, however, go back to the Tibetan and make
changes where the story line did not make clear sense, although we did
not attempt to clarify the more esoteric material except when abso
lutely necessary. When Toussaint captures the general meaning or
tone of a passage we have let it be. Clearly this leaves room for
subsequent versions of more scholarly precision.
There are se veral sections which were particularly troublesome.
Among these were the first eleven 'symbolic' cantos, as well as the later
cantos on the tenna and on Tantra. Other isolated passages should be
looked at again in the future, particularly those in the later cantos
where Padma gives teachings; in their brevity, they are often difficult
for the reader to understand.
The sections of Padilla bKa 'i Thall, which consist of lists of texts
also presented problems. Although we would have preferred to keep
these sections as an integral part of the text, it proved more practical to
tu m them back into the Tibetan. We have left them in the body of the
text rather than placing them in an appendix, for in Tibet Padilla
bKa 'i Tlzall, is considered a holy text which when recited has great
power to dispel all obstacles-even disease. The reciting of the com
plete text is considered to confer many blessings, and it is said that if
XVI
one reads the entire work one h undred and eight times, all obstacles to
learning the Dharma will disappear. Yet altho ugh it is read for these
religio us p urposes, it is also one of the most pop ular works read for
entertainment and inspiration.
Padmasambhava's teachings have now come to the West -and I
feel that they will be warmly welcomed here, for the west is the
direction of Amit iibha's paradise. And as Padmasambhava came both
in dream and in visions to many in Tibet who read the story of his life
with faith, perhaps the readers of this book in this co untry will also
have s uch blessings.
Someday, when time permits, I hope to do another translation of
this biography, dealing more acc urately with the philosophical terms
and passages. Yet this is a task which will take at least several years,
and I feel that it is important to make this precio us text available now.
Hopefully t here will soon be other translations of this biography
available, yet I believe that few translations co uld eq ual this one in its
strength as a whole, and in the bea uty ofits lyrical passages. It is clearly
a precio us jewel.
In Tibet the setting for Padilla hKa'i Thall)? was the c ult ure of
Tibet. This, of co urse, we cannot provide, b ut we have gathered
together many thankas which ill ustrate the material within the text.
These thankas show m uch of Padmasambhava's life, and incl ude
pict ures of his vario us manifestations and of all his main disciples. By
means of this translation and the thankas together, m uch material will
come to light for the first time in the Wcst.
I wish to express my deep gratit ude that Kenneth Do uglas and
Gwendolyn Bays were able to make possible this English translation
of Padma hKa'i Than,\? I am especially grateful to Mrs. Bays, who
combined patience, vigoro us effort, scholarship, and intel ligence with
a deep appreciation of this text and for Padmasambhava-it is the
combination of these q ualities that prod uced so bea utiful a transla
tion. I also wish to thank Mr. Robert Bays for his patience and care in
working on the man uscript.
For an intensive six months, the staff of Dharma P ublishing and
. .
XVll
XVllI
Jl.
XIX
"
XXI
Ylf!..
from this one and briefer. For example he has given in Ein Kapitel des
Ta se sung (Bastain, Festschrift, Berlin, 1896 ) and in Veroffentlichungen
aus dem Kg!. Museum fur Viilkerkunde, V (Berlin, 1897 ) four chapters
corresponding chiefly to cantos 13, 16, 22, and 23. He has also given in
the T'oung Pao of1896 three chapters which, under different numbers,
are found in canto 4 7 and partially in cantos 45 and 48. He has again
given in the Zeitschrift der deutschen lIlorgenlalldischen Gesellschaft of
1898 three chapters on the history ofMandarava, in Die Mythologie des
Buddhismus (Leip zig, 1900 ) a chapter of an a berrant recension and a
passage from canto 10 7, and finally in Bassler Archiv, III, 1, 1912, a
passage from canto 40 and a fragment from canto 106. For his part
Emil Schlagintweit, in Abhandlungen der Kg!. bayer.Akadelllie der
Wissef!schaften, I, XXI, 2 and XXII, 3 (M iinchen, 1899 and 1903 ) has
made an analysis of the first fifty-four cantos, partly in a summary
form, partly in a detailed manner and occasionally even a part in
translation. His sources were a manuscript of Udalguri and a wood
block print from Peking.
A l these works still left place for effort. This I have undertaken,
for what it is worth, checking myself at intervals with advice from
scholarly friends such as Sylvain L evi, Paul Pelliot, Louis Finot,
Ja cques Bacot, Jean Rahder, the Baron de Sta d-Holstein. I owe also
some valuable advice to Andr e d'Hormon. And neither do I want to
forget the information given to me by professor Ryosaburo Sakaki.
As far as equivalents are concerned, they are for the most part
borrowed from the Mahavyutpatti, from H ob ogirin, and from usage.
The fragments already published in the Bulletin de l'Ecole Franaise
d'Extreme Orient (XX, 4 ) , in theJournal Asiatique (tome CCIII, 1923 ) ,
and in Ewdes Asiatiques (Paris, Van Oest, 1925 ) were reviewed, and
besides the changes of form, I made certain corrections. Moreover, a
work like this one, pursued in different countries and often far from
libraries, could not be definitive. It ma y, however, mark a step
forward in the study of a little-known work, a worthy daughter of
Tibetan genius.
XXVI
. .
XXVII
I N T R O D UC T IO N
by Tarthang Tulku
XXV1l1
actions . . . yet it is clear that G ur u Padma's acts are act ually bene
ficial, and that they are an effective means to lead the people q uickly
away from harmful inclinations and states of mind.
Beca use Padmasambhava embodies the diversity of his wisdom in
compassionate action, he may appear in any form, responding differ
ently in each sit uation. Th us he can even manifest as those who seem
to have different 'identities'. At vario us times he appears as the Maha
siddhas Qombhi, Sarahapa, Nagpopa, L iiyipa, Viriipa, and even as
the king ofShambhala, Padma Karpo.
Padmasambhava's mission to help others takes him to all parts of
the world-we see him in China, T urkestan, Lal.lka, S umatra, and
elsewhere -while at the same time he may travel to the heaven realms
where he is ta ught by the B uddhas and Qakinis. G ur uPadma also has
as teachers the Eight Great Masters of India: L udr ub Nyingpo,
Vimalamitra, Hii rpkara, Prabahasti, Dhanasalpskrta, Romb ug uhya,
Santigarbha, and Ma 1f j usrimitra. Padmasambhava becomes a bhik u
under Ananda, the B uddha's main disciple; he then st udies with
Garab Dorje, Sri Si lpha, and J iianas iitra, and later on becomes Dhar
ma friends with Santarakita.
After becoming proficient in all of the S iitras and Mantras, in the
five sciences, and in all the Vajrayana teachings, Padmasambhava
proceeds to teach others. Giving teachings in all parts of India, G ur u
Padn a converts co untless t irthikas to the B uddhadharma. Effective
where no others co uld be, Padma is able both to protect and extend
the Dharma thro ugho ut the land. As G ur u Padma teaches others, we
see them carry on his work, finally making it possible for him to
fonnally leave India and carry the Precio us Dharma to Nepal and
Tibet.
The Abbot Santarakita, one of the most renowned pandits of
Nalanda University, having come to Tibet on the invitation of King
Trisong Detsen, convinces the king that for the Dharma to be
s uccessful in Tibet, Padmasambhava m ust be invited as well-the
three men having made a vow in a previo us life to fim1ly establish the
Dharma in the Snowy Land of the Tibetans. B ut before the teachings
xxx
can take root in Tibet, Padmamsabhava must first prepare the land,
subduing the negative forces which are set against the spread of the
Dharma. This is a process which Guru Padma deals with on many
levels, from controlling the demonic beings which attempt to obstruct
the construction of Samye monastery, to directing the translation of
the S iltras and Mantras which have been brought from India by
Guru Padma, by his disciples, and by the many other lotsawas and
Indian pandits.
In the same way as the Buddha turned the weapons of Mara into a
rain of flowers, Padmasambhava is able to transform the negative
energies of Tibet into Dharma activities. The 'outer' demons of the
Tibetan land, mirrored in the emotional obstacles of the Tibetan
people, need to be transformed before the enlightenment process can
proceed. Thus, at the same time as Padmasambhava conquers the
outer demonic forces, he also conquers the inner negativities of his
disciples. Also affected are the Bonpos, both the king's ministers and
the priests who oppose the Buddhist teachings. Their negative doc
trines are replaced by the Dharma, and those who do not become
Buddhists leave the land. In the S ilt ras the Buddha refers to Padma
sambhava as a Buddha and yet more than a Buddha-for with the
powerful energies of the Vajrayana, Guru Padma is able to condense
dark and destructive energies into the bright light of the teach
ings-thus transforming the land of Tibet into a Dharma land in a
few dozen years.
At the same time as Guru Padma is translating the texts and
teaching his disciples, he also travels throughout Tibet blessing the
land, and sealing and concealing the terma-the Vajrayana teachings
which he places in safekeeping for the sake of those of the future.
Within each terma Padmasambhava distills the essence of the three
highest esoteric T antras into a single systematic fornl for practice. The
. teachings of the tenna sadhanas are thus direct and powerful vehicles
for the unbroken enlightenment lineage. They are ways of practical
performance of the Doctrine, yielding the comprehensive path to
enlightenment.
XXXI
XXXll
XXXIV
THE LIFE
AND LIBERATION OF
PADMASAMBHAV A
THE REVELATlON
OF THE WESTERN PARADISE OF
THE BUDDHA AMIT ABHA
:
P
[)
.rincess Mandarava,
alasidd i of the town Where Wool Is Steeped,
.
Sakyadevl the Nepalese,
Mangala the Himalayan dog-keeper,
and Yeshe Tsogyal the Queen of the Ocean of Gnosis,
these five who had access to the Master's heart
envisaging the victorious orientation,
the everlastingness of the Three Jewels,
the accord of the Two Doctrines,
the paths of the Texts and the Formulas and the Doctrine of Absolute
Wisdom,
the propitiation by the spells of access,
and the intuition that grasps the m axims of truthestablished for the pure future, and then deposi ted mysteriously
in ten thousand nine hundred works
the history of the vast undertaking in which body, speech, and mind
were assumed
by the Master of U c;!c;!i yana, Padmasambhava.
For this, Thon-mi Sambho p deserves the merit and renown.
.
The ten strengths and the four intrepidities constitute his splendid
adornment.
His body bears the favorable signs that one can never tire of observing.
He is enveloped in rays that come from all the heavens, and is
enci rcled by the iridescent arch.
To the ten points of space he diffuses a reddish mercy radiance.
Perfect Buddha, he possesses nobility; male, he possesses vigor.
His Accomplishment through body, speech, and mind, one can never
con template sufficiently.
Ocean of Victory, his retinue piles itself aloft like clouds.
Eye unvarying, he is total serenity in the heavens.
To the ten points of space he diffuses rays of compassion and love,
and at the extremity of each ray he causes a Buddha to appear.
He diffuses ineffable rays without number, inconceivable by thought.
He accords the benefaction of universal conversion through all
ade quate modes.
And in the sky, where apart from him dwells no other Noble One,
are emanation, secondary emanation, tertiary emanation, distinct and
inconceivable.
Ofthe History, IlIIabried, ofthe Lil'es
ofthe Gllrtl of UqgiY(lIIa, Padlllasalllbhal'a,
this is the.first [allto,
The Rel'elatioll ofthe Westem Paradise
Sealed Oaths
CANTO 2
THE EMANATIONS EMITTED
BY BUDDHA AM IT ABHA FOR THE SAKE
OF THE WORLD
10
11
12
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
CANTO 4
Ij
WJf
23
Itlla[,ril?ed,
25
CA N T O 5
THE SERIES OF THE
BIRTHS OF RUDRA AND THE BEGINNING
OF HIS SUBJUGAnON
3.r
26
27
28
29
<<3>>
31
32
Then from his mouth he produced the fixed form of a curd of blood,
and from his body he disposed of a small pile of ashes.
And he who had eaten his mother for nourishment and dressed
himself in her raw skin,
who in his thirst had drunk her blood, and who in action had
perpetrated crime,
who, to live, had lived off the dead, had a complexion which shone
with light.
White on the right, red on the left, blue in the middle, his faces were
fierce;
his giant body was of a pale ash color;
his face was maliciously gracious with coarse muscular bundles of
rough flesh.
He attached on one side of himself a row ofwithered heads,
and hung fresh heads about him.
He made himself a garland of three fringes dangling with skulls,
and he oiled all his cheeks with red semen.
On his body a swine's skin grew. His mouth and eyes were scarlet;
his mop of hair, red with the mud of his hanging curls,
he tied in a knot of half-length with five kinds of asps.
Armed with bird claws on all his limbs,
he tied to these in turn the serpents of five species.
He swallowed voraciously, flesh and blood, every prey which
he could seize.
Boar spears and whatever could serve as a weapon, he carried.
From his left hand he drank from the skull filled with blood.
His breath gave rise to all the contagions of heat,
his nose to the various kinds of cold illnesses.
From his eyes, from his ears, and from his lower orifices
issued the four hundred and four sorts of typhus maladies.
Evils of air, earth, water, and fire,
acute quinsies, stomach spasms, malignant gastritises,
the ulcers of leprosy, the scabs of smallpox, great plagues, dropsies,
abscesses, erysipelas, cow-lickings, abscessed kidneys,
33
34
35
36
Even though he had subjugated the king, the queen, and their retinue,
and the entire kingdom of ogres,
the famous chief Ma-Rudra who Devoured His Mother
envied all that he saw as soon as he saw it.
Now again in arrogant challenge he said,
"Who then is greater than I,
Rudra, Ma-Rudra Who Devoured His Mother?"
But Dutsen marked his words more energetically:
"Among the titans there is one greater than you,
the chief of the suras, Mahakaru."
Magic art and mighty wonders took place.
The Formidable One, totally provoked, changed into a fire army,
and by means of a elever flight he fell down into Mahakaru's abode.
There he changed his method: instead of weapons,
on greeting Mahakuru he caused cold and hot sicknesses,
and killed him by his foul breath.
He seized the body, which had been overcome with erysipelas and
smallpox;
he took the corpse by the right foot.
The head, which went on display around the land,
was shown in the eight happy abodes.
The hidden wives, their sons, and their followings,
the eight planets, the twenty-eight constellations,
and the evil vighna guides, as many of them as there were,
fin ding no safety when they sought refuge,
ended by falling back before the Formidable One.
Committed to destroy the reign of the titans,
relying upon the strong of head and the weak of body,
he raised at his palace the standard of Mara
and raised before his portal the likenesses of frightful demons.
Surrounded by the magic apparatus of the ceremonial round,
37
38
39
40
CANTO 6
THE SUBJUGATION OF RUDRA BY THE
HORSE AND THE SWINE
/3. [
42
43
44
45
46
CANTO 7
47
48
49
50
51
-=------L,
&G5fu5
52
CANTO 8
THE EXPLANATION
OF THE WAY OF THE COMING FORTH
OF THE Two DOCTRINES
11".
53
54
55
56
and, in spite of every law of the sal!gha, he has killed her." And
shouts arose.
In vain the Seer Gautama, with calmness and solemnity,
protested his innocence.
When he had been tightly tied, he was led to the king,
and as punishment was raised on the point of a stake.
The Master Malina, returning to his home,
saw him from the road and approached him:
"0 pity! What has this boy done?" he asked.
"Master," said Gautama, "deeds have accumulated."
The master then said, "Whether you have caused harm
or have done nothing, it is terrible!"
And Gautama said, "Truly living master,
ifGautama did not kill Bhadra,
may the body of the master become the color of gold!"
And by this true word of the innocent
the black skin of the master turned golden.
The master then became famous as Seer Kanakavarna, Golden-color,
leader of gods and men and the most splendid wonder.
The master miraculously caused a rain squall to beat down,
which, on touching the body, enveloped it in a ftery tempest.
And he began to recall in vision, carnal love
occurring in a miserable dwelling in another land and in a
fonner time.
As he remembered, two germinal spheres, mixed in blood,
fell to the ground and became two eggs,
which, matured by a ray of the sun, burst open,
revealing two children in a cane ftcld.
Then he spoke and called the people,
and Gautama was removed from the point of the spike.
And the king asked: "How did it come to pass?"
But as for Gautama, he died.
The seer Kanakavarl!a uttered this truth:
"If Gautama did not kill Bhadra,
57
58
(_r--
'1n=,:r.>
j
:G,- -
59
CANTO 9
,
Jr
. .
60
61
Then Dampa Tokar made his way toward the abode of men.
And as among his retinue ofgods there was Maitreya, future Master of
the Dharma,
he took off the white insignia from his own head
and put it with the diadem on the head of Maitreya:
"After me, you will become the Buddha!"
And when this prediction of investiture was praised,
he went forth to become son of King Suddhodana of Kapilavastu.
Now Samantadhara, the Supreme Master,
saw that the abode of men was to be conquered by the Three Y ogas,
and the fruit of it was the Diamond V chicle of the Secret Formulas.
The Son of the Gods, Yeshe Togi Gyaltsen, Staff of the Sign of
Knowledge,
after the rain of the four rivers of power,
will be like a bull among the gods.
He thus left to become the son of King Tsugpu Risang, Beautiful
Crest of Hair.
The country to which he went was a western country, U<;l<;liyana.
In the center of the twenty-one regions of the country,
in the north of the cemetery Piled-up Black Clouds,
is the monastery of the Heruka.
In material it is of varied gems,
the form is round and the color blue;
the temples there are full of pure recitations;
on the four sides it has sixteen doors,
all opening at the same time.
And there is also the monastery ofUttala, arisen spontaneously,
directed by celestial beings.
And there is also the Temple of Apparitions
and the Monastery of Ghandola.
Now, after the lord of these places, King Tsugpu Risang,
accomplished the act of his desire
with Queen Chodoma, Worthy of Respect,
62
63
64
65
and the men's dried-out heads, with others still humid or broken
down.
Beasts of prey tear the remains, while others devour them;
some fling themselves on the flesh, while others moan,
some tear out the eyes, while others gnaw the feet,
some pulverize the bones, seize the flesh, and tear out the entrails.
Now when Santarakita arrived
in this cemetery with the terrifying clouds,
with a bamboo bow he took the scepter of this funeral feast,
killed the male demons who had sprung up, and possessed the females.
Surrounded by a crowd of ghouls,
and preserving his concentration, he sat down at a hundred and ninety
places.
Then he reflected on how to convert the kingdom of Meghavat,
and this entire multitude vanished like a rainbow.
66
CANTO 1 0
THE CONVERSION OF
THE KINGDOM OF MEGHAVAT
BY
THE POSSESSOR
1Jt'
67
and Donjor Jugsid, Ardent One Who Urges Union, was converted by
Padma's manifestation of the Body of Fruition.
Rahu, similarly, was converted by a solar manifestation of the Body
of Metamorphosis.
The three worlds were converted by an omnisalvational
manifestation of the Body of Fruition.
Brahma was converted by the Body of Metamorphosis appearing
immaculately,
and Vai<;liirya by the Body of Fruition appearing royally.
The head of the Vighnas, Odgi Chog, Excelling Light,
and those contemporary with the two manifestations, were also
converted.
Revealing itself above all as physical and verbal, the evidence of the
Body of Metamorphosis
is tranquillity of the senses, gentleness, a peaceful heart,
quietnss, and the holy perfections.
Exerting the threefold activity, the evidence of the Body of Fruition
places on the road of encounter anyone who has not yet rejected the
five poisons.
It has as its fivefold mass, the Five Families to express the Formulas,
and as immutable mind, the Exceeding Insight of the Plane of Essence.
Six classes of beings being supposed, it is the Vehicle of the Signs.
Three classes of beings being supposed, it represents the exterior
Formulas.
Five classes of beings being supposed, it represents the esoteric
Formulas.
At the same time, since these beings
were reflecting on virtue, desire decreased.
Elsewhere, in the four elements-earth, water, fire, and wind
in the Kamaloka, desire arises by itself
To begin with, the look incites to desire;
68
69
70
CANTO 1 1
THE DOCTRINE IN
ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAW OF INDIA
1f!.
..
71
72
73
74
75
76
or the writers are reduced to a servile state where coins are minted.
Everyone in agreement, and heresy having been destroyed,
the authentic Dharma ofIndia flourishes.
Many and various religions not arising,
many specious and presumptuous names are not apportioned.
77
CA N T O 1 2
THE DESCRIPTION OF THE
REGIONS IN THE COUNTRY OF U:t;>:t;>IYANA
',-
78
79
80
81
C A N T O 13
'
KING CHENMAY JORDEN S DISTRIBUTION
OF HIS TREASURE AS GIFTS
.
I
82
83
84
THE QUALITIES
OF THE LAKE OF DHANAKOSA, THE
LAKE OF PARTURITION
Jf"
" ,>
85
86
87
C A N T O 15
THE BACKGROUND
OF KING INDRABHUTI' S FAILURE
TO HAVE A SoN
II"
88
Yet, though to each he had given what was required, no son was born.
Now another sacerdotal personage, the seer Asenya,
a lofty magician who discerned the truth,
camt before the king with six acolytes and said: "Give us alms!"
"Nothing is left," was the answer.
But he rejoined, "Unless we have our share,
alms distributed to anyone at all are as if vainly thrown in the water.
The force of truth to which we give utterance is self-attested."
To this the king said, "Very well! All of youI invite you to dwell in my palace.
If what the seers say is true,
the prayer for the birth of a son finds favor through the exercise of
virtue!
Let now the queens pay homage!
Instead of the king and his retainers
traveling overseas to seek the Gem,
let the one thousand and two great pandits of the two confessions
effectuate the propitiation of the gods!"
And they prepared a site for the sacrificial fire
which redeems from discouragement and despair
and banishes the noxious spirits.
But all the demons simultaneously unleashed perturbations.
Thunder flashed and hail lashed, and there resounded sonorous
thunders and black winds.
Earthquakes, torrents of stones, wars, and gnawing sicknesse
aroused panic and overwhelmed Uqqiyana's regions.
Repeated groans rose and sprang from the ground;
the noblewomen were scattered like grains of sand.
Of the History, unabridged, of the Lil'es
of the Guru of U#iyal1a, Padmasam/Jha l'a,
this is the fifteenth canto,
King Indrahhiiti 's Independent Deed
Sealed Oaths
89
C A N T O 16
KING I NDRABHUTI
OBTAINS THE WISH- FULFILLING GEM
90
91
92
93
C A N T O 17
THE MEETING WITH
KING INDRABHUTI AND THE SIGNS
OF CAUSE AND EFFECT
If!.
94
95
96
1111 a bridged,
of the Lilies
97
C A N T O 18
THE PRAYER
OF KING INDRABHUTI TO THE
WISH-FULFILLING GEM
ow King Indrabhiiti,
.
the precIOus Gem, dlspenser of whatever nught
be needed,
98
99
100
C A N T O 19
THE COROLLA OF
THE UDUMBARA FLOWER AND THE
EIGHT M ANIFESTAnONS
]f"
101
102
103
104
"T0 the west of the lotus, most wonderful form on the expanse
of the waters,
appearing as Padmasambhava in the body of heaven,
surrounded by the host of the Lotus Qakinls,
sitting among the wonders whose power is to his liking,
to Padmasambhava, homage!
"To the north of the lotus of the All-Embracing Work,
appearing as Dorje Drolod, conqueror of the demons of misery,
surrounded by the host of the Karma Qakinls,
enthroned among the fivefold gnosis, quintuple perfect primacy,
to Dorje Drolod, homage!
"To the southeast of the lotus of the Members of the Awakening,
appearing as Nyima Odzer dispelling dark ignorance,
escorted by Heroes of the Vajra, his retinue,
enthroned among the Bodhisattvas, benefactors of human beings,
to Nyima Odzer, homage!
"To the southwest of the lotus, exercising the power of the Nine
Vehicles,
appearing as Padma Jungnay who makes the cannibals shut their
mouths,
surrounded by Heroes of the J ewcls, his escorts,
abiding within the access to the five paths and ten stages,
to Padma Jungnay, homage!
"To the northwest of the original lotus of the Being without Birth,
appearing as Senge Dradog, Master of the Dharma of the six
knowledges,
escorted by the Heroes of the Lotus, his retinue,
enthroned, pure enchanter, among the cardinal points,
to Senge Dradog, homage!
105
106
PORTPOLIO ONE
PADMASAMBHAVA'S
LINEAGE
rej oices that one can consecrate all activity to awakening. To the
ten points of space he diffuses rays of compassion and love, and at
the extremity of each ray he causes a Buddha to appear. He dif
fuses ineffable rays without number, inconceivable by thought.
He accords the benefaction of universal conversion through all
adequate modes. And in the sky, where apart from him dwells
no other Noble One, are emanation, secondary emanation,
tertiary emanation, distinct and inconceivable.
110
112
114
CANTO 20
"Drive from your home the wife who has a beautiful body but lacks
virtue!
wish for a young wife of pure lineage, able to change her thoughts,
who has neither duplicity nor anger, who is neither jealous nor
avanClOUS,
and who is acquainted with modesty!
May someone be willing to tell me if such a maiden exists:
a maiden who has little desire, aversion, or error,
and who does not act counter to my mind!
There are any number of ordinary maidens, but I care nothing for
them."
When he heard this verse and others similar, the king enjoined:
"TrigUlpdhara, go to Siiphapura!
Examine all the young girls in all the homes
and the one, whoever she may be, who is gifted with honest
perfections,
the one who is truly accomplished, bring her here!"
The minister went to all the homes of the land, but could not
find a single maiden of this kind.
Finally at a feast of the Buddha,
in the midst of five hundred young girls seated together,
,
he saw a lovely and fascinating young woman.
"Whose daughter arc you?" he asked.
"What difference does it make whose daughter I am?"
"The reason," he replied, "is that there is a handsome sovereign's son,
of immaculate birth, miraculously born from a lotus.
Are you worthy of being his queen? It would seem so.
Give me a happy smile and tell me your name!"
When she showed her shining teeth in her white face,
she stood out even more from the other young girls.
"My name," she said "is Bhasadhara.
I am the daughter of King Candragomsi,
Oh, thou best of men, speak quickly!
122
who on her knees before the Prince, looking into his face,
with joined hands made an eulogy in these words:
"Emaho!
I could never be satisfied, Prince, with contemplating you.
Neither those who are white as topaz,
nor those who are the color of coral or red as copper
can be compared to you.
I have seen your person and I have been changed by it.
Grant me the clear spring of your generosity!
With you as guide, how could I be unhappy!"
And with the praise she was mixing her tears.
Padma Gyalpo took the Wish-Fulfilling Gem
and revealing to Bhasadhara the moon of his face, he said:
"Daughter of the sovereign Candrakumara, 0 Bhasadhara,
there is no one on the earth who resembles you.
Always and ceaselessly I have been thinking of you;
I have been thirsty to see the one who is now so welcome
o give me the fresh water of your sight!"
And he gave her the Wish-Fulfilling Gem.
Bhasadhara, smiling, took the Gem and said these words:
"If! am outside the ways of evil,
may <;me single drop of the ocean
of the knowledge and virtue of the Prince be shed in affection;
When I am on my knees on the narrow ground,
changed by the Prince and obsessed with sorrow,
may he overflow with generous words to guide md"
And giving him back the Gem, she departed.
King Indrabhiiti sent to King Candrakumara this note:
"0 King who is at the center of the ocean of merits,
adorned with the perfection of the beautiful Bhasadhara,
give to my son the one who has the body of a goddess!"
At the sight of the note
King Candragomsi sent this word back:
124
127
CANTO 21
THE RENUNCIATION
OF THE KIN GDOM OF UI;>I;>IYAN A
If the measure of your burden is not thrust on you, it will be, if you
don't die.
May the king know that the law has not been broken."
Then the king paid the fine for the manslaughter of the child,
and having called the Prince back into the palace,
he posted ten thousand guards, and officers
at the exterior, interior, and median doors, as well as the entrance to
the Prince's quarters.
He forbade that they let the Prince even stroll about outside.
The king had an enclosure ditch dug on which postern gates opened,
and placed a strong army at the four gates of the city.
But while Bhasadhara and the Prince were sleeping, the princess
dreamt that
the mountains shook, the earth trembled at the same time, and
a great dead tree shaken by the wind was uprooted;
and it happened in the dream that heaven and earth were rolling
aboutthat hair was cut, and that one tooth was pulled.
Then unable to sleep, her heart in pain, she shivered
and said, "What is happening when one dream.:; such a dream?"
The Prince without compare calmed the trembling one:
"Bhasadhara, you who are innocence and candor,
sleep silently with happy dreams!"
And he went to the king's residence
which then lit up completely.
The king, awakening, said: "It is the sun which is rising!"
then looking and seeing the Holy Prince:
"What unhappiness is there that you are wandering sleepless in the
night?
Long Lotus Eye, what then are you doing?"
The Prince with joined hands kneeling down before his father said:
"Father, listen! In a single life I shall become a Buddha.
131
And the king said, "You speak truly, Bhasadhara, you are right.
Why have I not heard words like yours before?"
Then, the king went amongst the assembled ministers,
and with high bearing, he addressed the assembled multitudes with
these words:
"The Prince has left the palace and we remain seated under the great
tree of sorrow.
The transient body is like a young tree in the wind,
the ephemeral breath like mountain mist,
the transient mind like a lightning flash,
this ephemeral life like dew on the grass."
Thus he spoke, and among the visitors who had come from every
direction,
there were no caste distinctions, and all became choked with sobs.
Now, the Four Great Guardians of the World,
Vaisravana and Dhrtaragra,
Virupaka and, likewise Viru4haka,
with their sons, their ministers, their court,
their messengers, and their servants all in splendid array,
assembled there. Honoring the seven jewels of the kingdom,
kneeling with hands joined before the Prince,
they intoned this dithyramb:
"Emaho!
An ordinary royal throne is not a place of refuge:
In various births, sooner or later, comes the Miraculous One.
Without Padmasambhava, the ultimate meaning would not be
revealed;
as there are differences, there are the different Vehicles.
To unite view and action for liberation is the way of the Buddha
Padmahe achieves Buddhahood for the great purpose of achieving the fruit
"
C
everyone.
lOr
The 4akinls of the four orders then advanced,
139
CANTO 22
THE SOJOURN IN
THE CEMETERY OF CHILLY GROVE
]f'
"", ',_,
141
144
'r'
'--"
CANTO 24
ASSIDUITY IN MEDICINE
TAUGHT BY THE SON OF JIV AKAKUMARA
]f"
149
CANTO 25
SKILLFUL ASSIDUITY
IN THE FIVE ARTS AS TAUGHT BY
V ARlO US MASTERS
t-
CANTO 26
'
152
154
CANTO 27
...
W
155
turned the wheel of the Dharma as it never had been turned before.
On the Diamond Throne and at Benares
he turned the First Wheel in five good parts,
suppressing all suffering, a true path.
When seven years minus two months had passed,
the Four Truths repeated and developed, he stated the Twelve
Fundamental Factors of Cause.
He taught the Sutras of Legs Ilyes hstall and Karlllasataka,
the Kanlla-fJihlwlga and the Las malll ',ha,\[. The Las-kyi malll slllill
hstall-pa,
the Sutra of Pilr/a-pralllllkIJa-alladalla-sa'aka and the Bralll-ze
tsllOg-kyi IIldo were also taught,
as were the Drill lall bsah-pas IIldo, the Dalllallliika, and the Drall lIya
gsliac\[
derivatives,
the Mother-Scripture and sixteen derivatives.
Thus he expressed the Prajiiaparamita, the Dharma of openness,
the eight sections of the A bhisalllayafa(lkara, and the DOli bdllll ClI,
the Five Paths, Ten Stages, and the Hundred and Eight :!?ref rkml,!?:
these eight groups wipe out suffering.
One realizes the egolessness of dharmas and of persons;
and he indicated that once the Ten Stages have been accomplished,
one obtains the Essence Body.
He turned the Final Wheel in the land of Vaisali,
from the year of the male ftre tiger to that of the male earth tiger,
to the Abbey of Nalanda in Malaya, to Padmavatl, to the abode of
the gods, and elsewhere,
speaking to the daughters of the gods, the nagas, and the gandharvas,
and to beings of high wisdom, Heroes of the Awakening, Delivered
Ones, and others,
for thirteen years he made the wheel of the Dharma turn in the
teachings of the absolute meaning.
He taught the A I'atalJ15aka, the Ratllakiita, and the
La (I kal'ata ra-siitra ,
1 59
162
CANTO 28
1f!'.
and the bKa ' 'khoT hzhi was hidden in the land of Zahor.
"While the Doctrine of the Buddha remains preserved in the
Openness,
it is in the sky, in the abodes of the nagas, in the rocks, waters, and
trees,
in the mountains, caverns, borderlands, and charnel grounds,
in the monasteries, the stiipas, and at Nalanda,
in the regions of the gandharvas, kumbhal.lcJas, yakas, and nagendras,
that the Siitras have been deposited and are propagated.
The world's great treasures, at the mercy of kings,
of robbers, of fire and water, will be reduced to nothing.
This treasure of the holy Dharma of the Tathagata,
hidden thus, will remain indestructible throughout many eras,
and in later times these books will come to light, as has been predicted:
' After the nirvana of the Sage and the lapse of twenty-eight years,
King Ujayin will appear.
After the nirvana of the Tathagata and when eighty years have
gone by,
in the west, in the land of UcJcJiyana, will appear Bhadradevapalita,
who will teach the Three Yogas.
When I am no longer there and four hundred years have elapsed,
the bhiku Nagarjuna will appear:
he will be faithful to the tradition and will maintain it.
After the nirvana of the Tathagata when three hundred and fifty
years have been numbered,
Buddhaguhya will appear, emanating a magic power whose benefits
will be noted.
Counting from my nirvana, at the end of five hundred and seventy
years,
the son of the Commander of the Five Regions, Srlhiirhkara, will
appear.
Counting from my nirvana, at the end of eight hundred, almost nine
hundred years,
in the land ofZiyanta two pure brothers will appear
1 65
CANTO 29
J"
.,,'.,
167
168
CANTO 30
If
j t
<
' "
169
and in the gusts are numerous ghouls who carry away cadavers
and blow, in the manner of flutes, in shin-bones which they have on
hand.
In the northwest is the king of the Mountain of the Tombs with a
hundred peaks,
and there remain many creatures of the tombs
who have a treasure of Miraculous Gems.
On the northeast side, the Empusa Who Squints,
blue, wearing trousers of red cotton,
has the beak of a peacock, the eyes of an owl,
and the six necklaces of bones on its breast.
There is a mirror in the middle of its forehead
and its opulent coil of hair is tied with the vajra circle.
It flays, with its two hands, mannequins with human skin.
In the southwest on a mule is the goddess Fiend of the Tombs.
And in this cemetery, his back against the stupa, the Saint
for five years made the Wheel of the Dharma turn for the <;Likinis.
.J5)
yF9'
'
"
"'.
The hungry man accused the Bonpo of having stolen his cow.
They brought their dispute before the king of Kashmir.
"Exchange the cow and the gong," said the king, "and don't quarrel
any more.I "
The hungry man led his cow away, the Bonpo carried away his gong.
But the wife of the hungry man said: "Milk was taken!"
and she and her children yelped reproaches.
The hungry man then said, "The fact is that the Bonpo has taken
some milk."
And the Bonpo said, "You have beaten my gong. I protest."
"What does it matter that it was beaten? It is not worn."
"What difference does it make to have milked the cow? She is not
dry."
For lack of agreement they went back to the king's court,
and the Bonpo told of the cow, and the poor man told of the gong.
And they demanded the cow not yet milked and the gong before it
was beaten.
"Yes, so be it!" said the king and they went away again.
But on the road the hungry man killed the Bonpo,
after which he took up with the Bonpo's wife.
The wife of the hungry man notified her brother and they tied up
, her husband,
and took the body of the Bonpo to the king.
"Let the guilty one," said the king, "keep company with the corpse!
Let him be put on the cow and be beaten with the Bonpo's gong.
For the one who is looking, finding is not good; losing is not good
either.
Since everything has not been considered, may the affair not be
concluded."
When the order was given, they were walked around the town
and led to the cemetery Radiant Beatitude.
The holy Nyima adzer inquired, "What is the crime?"
The hungry man lied, "A Bonpo has killed my father and I, the son,
am accompanying his body."
172
Hearing this, the Saint saved the life of the hungry man as well as of
his cow,
admitted him to mix freely with the masters of the cemetery
and said, "Your cow is saved. You may live by means of its milk
and listen to the Dharma!" But the other one said, "I have a wife
and children."
"That you have a wife and children makes no difference according
to the Dharma.
There is the mantra circle crowned with rosettes;
toward the land of the Buddha the troop which you lead will be
directed."
Upon this the hungry man, discontent, said to himself
"Samanian liar with vain words! Such impostures!
When he is pretending to be a priest he acts like a magician,
and when he is pretending to be a magician he acts like a priest.
The women who are here are surely his,
as are the children, wherever they may be."
But in spite of this false judgment, he did as the Saint wished.
Next his cow died and he had no longer any livelihood.
Now Nyima Odzer said to the creatures of the tree of the tombs:
"Do not harm this man!
Let him eat the fruits of the tree!"
Therefore, the hungry man was protected by the langurs and the
monkeys from being devoured.
Fruits were spread out in front of him on the right and on the left,
and he wondered if, by means of the benediction, he would be able
to go and get his wife and children.
As he was climbing down from the tree, a branch broke under his feet,
his body suspended, he held himself back with his hands, but it
cracked again
and he fell into the water of the tombs Horrible Decay
where numerous creatures of the tombs made ready to devour him.
The little monkeys protected him, and the langurs held him up
underneath the great tree, quite a fight was brewing.
173
--- ---'-,
-
175
C A N TO 31
11
179
CANTO 32
II"
180
the Tantra of the sNga,\?s Srll llgs lla,\?-lIlo'i l?Ylld and the eighteen
sections,
the Gol sa gcod-pa glallg-po 51111 'byill I?ylld,
the rGyal-po lta-ba la zo'i rgYlld,
and the Bralll-ze theg-pa shall 'byed rgYlld.
He taught the twenty-one thousand parts of the kLollg dgll
and the Sellls Ilyi, which offers the supreme explanation of the
Essence Body.
Innate knowledge dominating the three regions altogether,
mind which nothing stops, Buddha whom nothing changes,
Garab Dorje, good fountain of the Dharma,
knew everything, and Padma assimilated it.
He concentrated on the Absorption in the Pure Void and on the
plane of Essence which proceeds from it,
and on the meditation which is self-created and unfeigned.
He practiced abstention from accepting or rejecting pain or
Awakening.
He obtained, as fruit, salvation through oneself, free from renouncing
or acqumng.
Of the History, IlIIabridged, of the Lilies
of the GllrtI of Uqqiyii lw, Padlllasalllbhal'a,
this is the thirty-seco(ld calltO,
The Sojollrll ill the Laukakll{a Cellletery
Sealed Oaths
186
CANTO 33
Next, Padma came to the land ofKhotan, to the great cemetery Pile
of the Worlds,
having a circumference of three and a half leagues.
In the center, is the self-rising stupa Ke'usa,
where dwells the great lamia, the Lady of the Charnel Houses.
In the northwest, is the marvelous tree of the tombs pleasant Abode,
where venomous coiled serpents, surrounded by the swine
and the birds of the tombs, all feed on the flesh of children.
In the northeast, in the fragrant lake of sepulchral water,
the swarming creatures of the water eat other creatures,
some skeletons, some moribund,
some fleshless, some already half-devoured,
some still alive, to be eaten from top to bottom;
and young girls of the KumbhaQ.<;ia
skin all the dead creatures of the water of the tombs.
In the southeast, in the fire of the funerals,
white and black boars vomit out skeletons.
In the southwest, in the obituary wind Whirling,
the Genies of the Sun, mother, son, and brother, take refuge,
exhausted.
In the north, the living king of the mountain of tombs
projects like sparks a quantity of fireflies.
In the east many creatures of the tombs are there, some dead,
others ill, others convulsed with agony,
others as skeletons, others deeply cut with arrows,
others full of life, others in their youth,
with apparent riches and treasures of gems.
189
190
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PLATE 6 Guru Padmasambhava
PLATE 7 Guru Tsokyi Dorje. Canto 1: The Buddha Amitabha abides in the
Western Paradise. Canto 2: The emperor Sangbo Chog sends his servants to pluck
a marvelous lotus growing in the Milky Sea as an offering to the Three Jewels.
Within another lotus flower are discovered five miraculous youths: Vajra,
Buddha, Ratna, Padma, and Karma Todtreng Tsal-who are invited to the
palace. Canto 4: The investiture of the five radiant sons. Canto 5: A wealthy
householder and his servant become monks under the bhiku Tubpka Shunu
kyuwa. The householder, Tarpa Nagpo, quarrels with his fellow monk and with
his teacher-and is reborn as a powerful demonic being who rules over gods and
men. Canto 6: After Tarpa Nagpo is subdued he becomes the Dharma protector
Mah:ikala. Canto 7: The Emperor Drtar:itra has one thousand and two sons
who will be the thousand Buddhas of the Golden Age. Canto 8: The monk Gau
tama is blamed for the murder of the courtesan Bhadra and is burned alive.
Canto 9: The prince S:intarakita must let his brother have the throne. He is then
exiled, and abides in a cemetery, where he subdues the demons.
194
[Grids, showing corresponding locations on the respective plates, are included at the end
of the document, to preserve page-numbering sequence.]
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middle of thePalace of Nine Tufts. Canto 13: It is a time of famine in UQQiyana.
While gathering lotus flowers for food, a minister discovers a child in one of the
lotuses, and carries the child to the king. Canto 14: The glacial lake ofDhanakosa
will be the birthplace ofPadmasambhava. Canto 15: King Indrabhiiti distributes
his royal treasure to the seers who say that their prayers will gain for him a son.
Cnto 16: In order to gain the Wish-Fulfilling Jewel, the king travels across the
sea to the Land of Gems where he obtains the Jewel. Canto 17: Upon returning to
UQQiyana, the king meets with Padmasambhava, who has been born from the
lotus in the lake of Kosa. On the way to the palace with the king, Padmasam
bhava sees a fLherman and realizes that holding a kingdom is like being a fish
caught on a hook. Canto 18:Padmasambhava lives in the palace as a prince. Canto
196
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PLATE 9 Guru Padmasambhava. Canto 21: Vajrasattva predicts that the time has
come for Padmasambhava to renounce the throne. The murderer Mp?ala has
transmigrated into a bee, and the courtesan Bhadra into the son of one of the
king's men-so the Prince causes the bee to kill the boy. The Prince then obtains
permission from the king to leave the palace. With the vajra and khatval).ga, the
Prince causes the death of two other members of the household, and he is thus
exiled. I;>akinls escort the Prince to the cemetery of Chilly Grove. Canto 22:
Padmasambhava abides in the cemetery of Chilly Grove where he subdues the
demons and teaches the Qakinls. At Ga'u Sod he brings forth a child not yet dead
and the king of the country makes war; alone Padma defeats the army. Canto 23:
Padmasambhava learns the astrological sciences from Arjuna the Seer. Canto 24:
Padma learns the medical sciences from Jivakakumara. Canto 25: Padma learns
linguistics from Kungi Shenyen, and various crafts from Visvakarma and a village
woman. Canto 26: Padmasambhava learns the Tantras from the Master Prabhati
and is given the name the Bodhisattva Sumitra. Canto 27: Padmasambhava
becomes a bhiku under !I.llanda. Canto 28: !I.llanda tells Padmasambhava of the
198
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PLATE 11 Guru Padma Gyalpo. Canto 34: In the cemetery of Sleep in the
Mysterious Paths of Beatitude, Padmasambhava, as the bhiku Kunga Monlam,
obtains teachings from the qakini Sangwa Yeshe. After this, Padma obtains
teachings from Sri Sitpha and in the cemetery of the Mysterious Apparitions,
Padma teaches the qakinis and is given the name Todtreng Tsal. Canto 35: In
China, Padmasambhava obtains the teachings of the Astrological Calculations
fron Manjusri, and then teaches them in turn. Canto 36: Padmasambhava
subdues the land of the Butchers. Canto 37: Princess Mandarava is born in the
kingdom of Zahor. When she reaches a marriageable age, many powerful kings
arrive in Zahor to ask for her hand in marriage. Canto 38: Princess Mandarava
angers her father by refusing to marry any of her suitors. Canto 39: Princess
Mandarava runs away from the palace, strips off her finery, and dedicates herself
to the Dharma.
202
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PLATE 12 Guru Shakya Senge. Canto 40: Padmasambhava, seeing that it is time to
instruct Princess Mandarava and her retinue, appears to them as an eight year old
child sitting cross-legged in the sky above their garden. The princess faints; Padma
arouses her, and proceeds to teach her the Dharma. Canto 41: The king finds
Padmasambhava in the princess's palace and has him burned alive. When Padma
does not die, the king asks for forgiveness. He offers the throne to Padma, and then
'
he himself draws the chariot which carries Padma to the palace. Canto 42:
Padmasambhava defends the land of Zahor with a mighty bow. Canto 43:
Padmasambhava teaches the king and the princess Mandarava. Canto 44: Pad
masambhava and Mandarava receive blessings from Amitabha. Canto 45: Prin
cess Mandebhadra gives up her life to feed the beasts in the cemetery. Asoka
attempts to bum Padmasambhava (the bhiku Indrasena), at the stake. When
Pad rna is unharmed, Asoka turns his mind to the Dharma. Canto 46: The young
Nagarjuna receives medical teachings from the bhiku Indrasena and is given the
throne to share with his brother. Nagarjuna gives up the throne to become a
bhiku. Aryadeva is born from a lotus and studies with Padma. Canto 47: With
the help of Mandarava the throne of Bengal is overthrown. Canto 48:
Padmasambhava appears as pombhi Heruka, and the beer-seller Vinasa becomes
his disciple. The king ofUqqiyana is bitten by an asp, and Vinasa is sent to gather
water from the Milky Sea to cure the king.
204
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13 Guru
Mandarava to U<;I<;Iiyana. The ministers, seeing him with a woman not his wife,
bind them together and attempt to burn them at the stake. When the king sees the
funeral pyre he realizes that it must be Padmasmabhava, and finding that it is,
invites him to the palace. Canto 50: Padmasambhava and Mandarava travel to
the land of the Good Drummers. There Mandarava takes the form of a tiger to
suckle a young child who has been left in the cemetery with her dead mother.
When the child grows up, Padmasambhava becomes her teacher. Canto 51:
Padmasambhava defeats the tirthikas who would debate with him. King
Namkhay Shugchen's ugly son gains a wife by force, and Padma leads them both
to the Dharma. When the king attempts to kill Padma, the funeral pyre turns
into a stiipa. Canto 52: The tirthikas under Nagavi?nu take over Bodhgaya.
Padmasambhava, in a dream, causes a young woman to become with child. This
child and the fish Kasa destroy the king and hi court. The boy then becomes a
bhik?u, and is chosen as the next king of Bodhgaya when an elephant puts a
Kalasa on his head. Canto 53: Padmasambhava travels to Nepal where he
instructs Shakyadevl, and subdues many demons who are then set to watch over
the Dharma treasures which he has hidden for future generations.
206
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PLATE 14 Guru Senge Dradog. Canto 54: Trisong Detsen becomes king of Tibet
and takes an interest in the Dharma. Canto 55: King Trisong Detsen decides to
build a monastery. Canto 57: The King sends envoys to India to invite the great
Abbot Santarakita to Tibet. The Abbot, after his longjourney from India, meets
with the king. Canto 58: The construction ofSamye is begun; but the nagas and
the demons hinder progress. The Abbot thus tells the king to invite Padma
sambhava to Tibet. Canto 59: King Trisong Detsen's messengers meet with
Padmasambhava in Nepal and invite him to Tibet. Canto 60: As Padma travels
into Tibet, he subdues the many fierce qakinis and demons who would hinder the
spread of the Dharma. Canto 61: Padmasambhava decides to meet with the king.
After making clear why he will not bow down to him, Padmasambhava singes
the king's robe. Canto 62: Padmasambhava blesses the soil of the future
monastery, and arranges for the gods and demons to help with the construction.
In order to subdue the demons, Padma meditates in the form of a garuqa holding
a snake in its mouth. The king breaks the spell and frees the nagas. The Guru
meditates in a tent by the nagas' lake and the nagas cause great amounts of gold to
wash ashore.
208
PLATE 15 Guru Dorje Drolod. Canto 64: The consecration ofSamye Monastery.
Canto 66: King Trisong Detsen asks Santarakita and Padmasambhava to remain
in Tibet. Canto 68: When there is difficulty in teaching a group of young Tibetans
how to translate, the king turns to Padmasambhava who tells him of the young
Vairotsana who will be able to easily learn the art. Canto 69: The king and six
ministers travel to Nyemo Sands to meet the young Vairotsana. Canto 71: The
one hundred and eight lotsawas are asscmbled. Canto 73: Vairotsana obtains
teachings from the Indian pandits. Canto 74: Vairotsana is hindered from
returning to Tibet. Canto 75: Having returned to Tibet, Vairotsana is accused of
sorcery and condemned to death. Canto 76: Vairotsana is banished to the Ravines
ofGyalmo Tsawa. Canto 77: InGyalmo Tsawa, Vairotsana is tossed first into the
reptile ditch and then into the lice ditch. Finally he is removed from the ditches
and the people of the land ask his forgiveness. Canto 78: Namkhay Nyingpo and
four other bhikus from Tibet meet with the Guru HiiIpkara. Canto 79:
Namkhay Nyingpo is exiled from Tibet. Canto 80: The Dharma is translated in
Samyc monastery. Canto 81: Vimalamitra arrives in Tibet.
210
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PLATE 16 Santarak?ita. Canto 82: The Buddhists and the Bonpos debate in front
of the king. Canto 83: Yudra Nyingpo travels from the Ravines of Gyalmo
Tsa';Va to Samye monastery. Canto 84: Translation work proceeds in the Hall of
Translations. The king becomes ill and is cured by Namkhay Nyingpo. While
Namkhay Nyingpo keeps the sun in the sky, the king washes his hair. Canto 85:
Namkhay Nyingpo humbles the king. Canto 86: The inscriptions and statues of
Samye Monastery. Canto 89: The king honors the translators, after which
Padmasambhava gives him teachings. Soon after this, Princess Pale Lotus becomes
ill, and the king takes her to the Guru for blessings. The princess dies, and the
Guru tells the king of her future births. Cantos 90-91: Padmasambhava gives a
description of the places where the Tenna will be hidden in Tibet. Canto 97:
Against Padmasambhava's advice, King Trisong Detsen celebrates the New Year
and is fatally wounded as he participates in a horse race. Canto 98: Padmasam
bhava prepares to leave for the land of the rak?asas. Canto 99: Princess Manda
rava appears before the assembled multitudes and gives praise to Padmasam
bhava. Canto 100: Padma indicates the benefits which accrue from praying to
his image. Canto 102: Padma tells Prince Lhaje the prophecy of his future as a
Dhanna revealer.
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PLATE 17 Trisong Detsen. Canto 103: Padmasambhava gives advice to the three
fortunatc women. Canto 104: Pekar and other fierce demonic beings test Pad
masambhava. Canto 105: Prince Tsanpo makes offerings to the Guru and then
a'ccompanies him on his way to the Guntang pass ofMang Ylii. Canto 106: The
Guru, dismounting from his black horse, gives teachings to all those accom
panying him on his way. Canto 107: The prince and his retinue accompany
Padmasambhava to Palma Paltang where Padmasambhava gives them teachings.
Padma then dismisses the assemblage and flies off to the land of the rak?asas. Canto
108: Yeshe Tsogyal expresses her admiration and adoration of the Guru Padma
sambhava.
214
C A NT O 34
1[
frequents heaven.
. In the cemetery of Sleep in the Mysterious Paths of Beatitude,
he came to the place of the qakini Siiryacandrasiddhi,
the highest of the qakinis, Sangwa Yeshe.
Padma, also called bhiku Kunga Monlam, desired to go
before her, as she was also the great sovereign I)akini of Deeds,
Laygyi Wangmo.
Finding the door to the Castle of the skull closed, he could not attain
salvation.
So he sent a mcssage through the maidservant Kumari,
and when he received no reply, he asked her if she had forgotten.
She was carrying a crystal chalice which she had filled with water,
and Padma said, " Let me carry it and put it on the chalice sideboard
"
c
lOr you.
And the Victorious One put the chalice on the sideboard and caused
it to adhere there.
Kumari tried and tried but she could not get the chalice to move.
She removed the carrying cord and went up to the Victorious One.
With a crystal dagger she cut open her breast, within which
219
CANTO 35
THE SOJOURN IN
THE LAND OF CHINA AS PREDICTED
BY AV ALOKITESV ARA
.
and at the summit of the mountam sits ManJusn.
_ '
"These people will not listen to the Sage's Law of the absolute
meanmg.
Yet, if I explain the teachings of relative truth
people will give them much attention and faith.
These calculations have not declined, but the Holy Dharma is not
spreading;
I will place these teachings in a great copper vase and seal them with
an amulet.
He thus placed the eighty-four thousand keys to the branches of
knowledge in a vase
and hid the treasure in the northeast of Wu T'ai Shall.
CANTO 36
.
on thIs sIde of the great land of Chma,
. . there was the city of the butchers who were all depraved.
In order to convert the evildoers, Padma assumed their likeness
under the appearance of a son of a family oflow lineage.
Thus, as the ca1).qala Kati Evil Hand,
he built a grass hut
and, to change the faith of all men,
killed and ate the wild animals.
Still not satisfied with the reaction, he cut and ate his own flesh.
Then, because he had upset a number of people,
he fled to the cave Samen Kotara.
To his friend who was a butcher, a wild and evildoer,
he sent back all sorts of magic instruments
and said: "Your work and mine are in agreement.
You are oflow lineage-take up hunting!
I am giving you fully a hundred bamboo bows and arrows.
Kill and destroy! Take my place!
I have shut the door of the three lower states of being.
Every sentient being has a different mindwhat one person may understand, may not be understood by others."
23 1
THE GLANCE AT
THE REGION TO BE CONVERTED
!I
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234
238
CANTO 38
PRINCESS MANDARAVA'S
DISCOVERY OF THE FLESH OF
A BRAHMAN'S BODY
'
As was the custom in that country, the king went to the palace
of each of his queens
and spent the night with each in turn.
Each queen then had to see the king's repast.
When the turn of old Queen Hauki arrived,
because of the numerous suitors, all the meat had been eaten
round about,
so not one meat dish could be served.
241
244
PT
kind as a mother to her serving men and women and to all her retinue,
resembling the udumbara flower:
since the kings of the ten directions sought to make her their prey,
she would not remain in the palace and took refuge in the Dharma.
That is the princess's story
and, try as I might, my advice was not heeded."
Having said this, she broke into tears.
The king then went forth from his palace,
and together with the queen, went in search of the princess, making
many mqUines.
The confidante, sobbing, wiped away her tears:
"Dear lord, king, master of men, hear me!
Though first of rank among all the women, divine,
she was not dizzied by the palace, but left it.
She has humiliated her body with red paint;
she gave me her jewels and said: 'My friend, go back!'
I ran as fast as I could; but she did not return.
So Mandarava, consecrated to the deities,
having cast off her garments, and dressed like a beggar woman,
quenching her thirst with water, and eating earth,
her legs crossed, without moving, remains at the level of the ground,
for she has been surfeited with dainties and with luxury."
The news went out to the kings and princes, in letters carefully
composed
that because Mandarava had dedicated herself to the Dharma,
the suitors could not set her on worldly paths. Grinding their teeth,
each of them bore offhis riches and returned to his own country.
247
248
CANTO 40
'f!'"
-" >"
249
Padma set turning the Wheel of the Dharma of the Three Yogas
and made fall the rain of the Dharma; content she was, and happy.
The princess and her attendant put their hands together and wept.
Not daring to lay hands on him, the ministers
once again begged the king:
"This foreign sramal).a is extraordinary,
he is Vaisraval).a or a son of Brahm a;
he is, as it were, the princess's Guru, we do not dare lay hold of him."
The king was furious when he heard this.
"This foreigner is dishonoring my daughter;
tie up this Samanian of low birth.
Demand a tribute of sesame seed oil from the villagers, and let him
be burned alive in palm leaves!
As for the princess, who has received and sheltered a man,
who now has consorted with a ne'er-do-well vagabond,
put her in a pit carpeted with thorns,
and leave her there for twenty-five human years!
And put a dome over it, so that she may not see the blue sky!
And erect a double screen, so that she may not see the sun!
Do not let the five hundred women servants cross the threshold,
and hurl into a dungeon whoever has heard the man's voice!"
With that, the king returned to his palace.
Then out of the dungeon they pulled the notables,
whose long hair, flesh, skin, bones, and eyes were stuffed with
lice and nits.
Their wives had gathered together,
255
and the notables were regaled with food and shelter, and they
all greatly rejoiced.
Then the notables called the chief sergeantmen were sent to capture the sramal).a, who was then thrown
to the ground.
And ministers of the exterior and the interior, along with the notables,
after digging the hole, and cutting the thorns,
went to the palace where the princess was residing.
Of the History, unabridged, of the LitJes
of the Guru of U#iyana, PadlllasalllbhatJa,
this is the fortieth wnto,
The Meeting with Princess MandaratJa
Sealed Oaths
256
CANTO 41
"
' ...
257
"From other funeral pyres," thought the king, "the smoke has
dispersed in three days.
But even after seven days, this smoke has not scattered."
He had means of transportation prepared,
and went to see for himself Incredulous, he saw that
the pyre had been transformed into a lake of water
girt about by large ditches filled with fire
whose flames were burning upside down.
From the center of the lake a lotus issued forth,
and the lotus supported a child of eight,
whose body was as though dyed in the purple of seashells,
and whose face was covered with a dew-like perspiration.
The whole sky was haloed with iridescent light.
One hundred maidens who resembled the princess were uttering
praIses,
and there were one hundred octillion splendors and accumulated
benedictions.
The king, unable to believe his eyes, looked on all sides,
but, wherever he looked, it was the same.
"Do my eyes deceive me?" he wondered.
And, rubbing his eyes, he looked again and again.
The Child addressed the king thus:
"Burning alive a Buddha of the Three Times, the Supreme Essence,
how did such a sinful king come to be?
Worldly and deceitful, you aspire to the Dharma
but deliver insane judgments, how did such a sinful king come to be?
Clinging to the five poisons of misery, the roots of ignoranceboth now and later, how did such a sinful king come to be?
The happiness of beings, the basis of all councilshave the king and his ministers, proud of their crimes, seen to that?"
Hearing these words, the king fell on the ground.
"Master, I realize that I have done such things!"
259
HRI:
To the one who dominates the three worlds and the three domains, to
Padma Gyalpo, praise!
To the one who annihilates Mara and evil guides, to Dorje Drolod,
praise!
For him, total felicity has been achieved-to Yeshe Kandro,
praise!
Thereupon, the Guru spoke:
"King Aradhara, listen!
How could my body, which is of an ethereal nature, experience
pleasure and pain?
On this immaculate body the element of fire inflicts no harm
nor does it cause the least discomfort.
As an animate being, one meets with error.
A king is endowed with all the perfections, like Mount Meru;
since I intend to lead diverse beings to the paths of the Buddha,
I will proclaim the royal orders."
At that, the king bowed down many times
and said to the ministers: "Quick, to the palace!
Open the new store of silk garments!
Bring all my headgear and clothing!
Go and fetch the chariot, the parasol, and the victory banners!"
The ministers hastened to the palace,
and on the chariot they spread soft satins in a heap,
and to the four corners they fastened tintinabulating banners.
Padma donned the five royal robes, one over the other:
first the robe of silk on a blue background,
then the striated robe, the red one, the one of samite,
and finally the great cloak.
On his head he put the lotus-petal crown
on which a jewel of five colors
held fast a golden vajra with nine points
with an eagle feather at the peak.
He also put on the variegated tiara with the propitiatory scarves,
262
the diadem that sparkled with gems and with golden suns and moons.
Finally, he donned a Cintamal)i, the most admirable headdress.
Among the eleven million Jambudvlpa regions to be converted,
he displayed the prodigy of eleven million Padmasambhavas.
Invited to mount the chariot, he seated himself
But who would pull the chariot? Descending from his high estate,
the king removed his clothes, put the cord around his neck and pulled.
One hundred athletes cleared the way; then the crowd pressed in,
some prostrating themselves, others praying,
some weeping, others falling in a faint,
yet others running on ahead or following, gazing at Padma's face.
Padma was taken to the palace,
a palace of seven precious substances, and was requested
to seat himself upon the throne adorned with precious stones.
OJ the History, Illzabridged, oj the Lilies
oj the Gllru oj Uddiyiilla, Padlllasalllbhal'a,
this is the Jorty__first WlltO,
The BOllfire Erected by the Killg ojZahor
Scaled Oaths
263
CANTO 4 2
J'"
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264
The queen said, "So, even for a moment, you refuse to leave?"
"I shall remain," the girl replied.
Their hearts failing them, the queen and her serving women
burst into tears.
One woman came up, then two, then many gathered,
and the crowd, made up of the women of Zahor,
weeping, filled the lonely valley.
The king wondered ifhis daughter was dead,
so he himself came to see the princess:
"It is I who barricaded my daughter's path to the Dharma.
May she bestow one thought on her repentant father!
The higher I have striven to rise, the deeper I have sunk.
Having neglected the true meaning, I am overcome by grief and
sad ness. "
His heart failed him, and he sighed.
At this, the princess returned to the palace.
Once more beholding the Master's face, she took refuge in him with
all her heart.
She bowed very low
and, having thus prostrated herself, she praised him in lyric tones:
"Emaho!
To the land without virtue he has come, this Buddha incarnate,
endowed with powers and intrepidities, moved by neither hope nor
fear,
a prodigy visible from everywhere, a living bliss,
born from a lotus stalk, glorious in its white and red brilliance,
his person decorated with the signs of the miraculous
and, as his beauteous aspects and the thirty-two favorable signs reveal,
Buddha of the Three Times, Padmasambhava's body is perfect.
Many, filled with respect, have been converted by him.
He is a pure Body of Fruition with all its signs and beautiesa presence like that of Mount Meru in its splendid massiveness and
height,
his head rounded like a kingly mountain, like a chalice,
265
269
CANTO 4 3
O
S
King Aradhara,
in his eight palaces and one hundred and
.
eight residences,
. ""
with the parasols flaunted at the pinnacles,
gave himself up to the pleasures of the five senses.
. But when he had made obeisance to the Saint,
that Sovereign Sun who dissipates the night of ignorance,
the Saint explained to him the vast significance of the profound
Formulas.
After the king had reflected, without becoming attached to asceticism,
all at once in one single life, he acceded to the All Purity;
with the explanation of the Tantras and Agamas,
with the counselings from the uttermost depths of intimate
abstraction,
with the handling of, and familiarity with, practical matters,
with the precious meaning which each element of karma represents,
with the principle inherent in every Formula within its essence,
with the annals of uninterrupted faith,
'
270
The princess spoke: "He bears transmigration like a stone around his
neck." And she wept.
"And when," she asked, "will the time come that puts an end to his
existences?"
"The six classes of beings, all that there are,
are reborn so that they may win the supreme victory.
When all living beings have exhausted all their lives,
your father, fortunate one, will cease to be reborn.
When by pressing sand one obtains oil,
your father, fortunate one, will cease to be reborn.
Thus, to guide those in the round of existence,
the spiritual parent, by passing through many births,
will obviate the falsehoods that counterfeit the Holy Dharma.
In order that he may be, for the living, a lamp in the darkness,
the king of omniscience, by undertaking to convert,
forewarns others against the obstacles that might separate them from
the Dharma.
I n order that he may indicate the path to those who lack support,
the spiritual king, by accepting life in the cycle,
renders ineffective the deceit that feigns to be the Buddha's Teaching."
"But transmigration-that stone around the neck-will it disappear?"
"Wherever there is to be found the Buddha who has cast aside
eXistence,
there you will behold no more blemishes, fortunate one!
And in nirvana merits themselves lose their meaning." Thus he spoke,
and for two hundred years he dwelt in the land ofZahor.
Of the History, lIllabri!?ed, of the Lil'es
of the GlIru 4 Uddiyalla, Padlllasalllbhal'a,
this is the forty-third callto,
The Kill,Rdolll of Za 110r Estahlished ill the Dhamla
Scaled Oaths
274
CANTO 44
THE ATTAINMENT As A
KNOWLEDGE OF LIFE RECEPTACLE
't
275
277
CANTO 45
MANDHEBHADRA GIVES Up
HER LIFE AND KING ASOK A Is LED
'!!
_
TO THE DHARMA
abodes of the Three Jewels, which they will honor with offerings.
In these sanctuaries of adoration, the Eleven-Faced Great
Compassionate One will reveal himself
for these grandchildren of the Monkey.
Utilizing one hundred miraculous sacred objects,
sixteen goddesses will conduct the service."
Thus he spoke, and the girl gave up her ornaments
and, having arrived at the cemetery, was devoured by the wild beasts.
As day broke, the king appeared with his retinue,
sad of heart, for he had had a frightening dream about his daughter.
" Mandhebhadra!" he called out, "where have you gone?"
and he looked for her on every side.
Entering the cemetery, he saw a robe stiff with blood
and, a little farther on, hair scattered here and there,
the remains of a foot, and the outline of a skull.
"who has been carried to the cemetery? who has died?" he asked
himself
"May it not be Mandhebhadra!"
Then, bathed in tears, he inquired of the Victorious One, who replied:
"It is your daughter, she has been eaten by the wild beasts."
The king at once fell in a swoon.
By throwing water over him, the Master brought him back to his
senses,
and the Victorious One declared, "Mandhebhadra is passing through
rebirth."
Thereupon, the king and his followers were led to the Dharma,
and throughout the country the Great Vehicle and the Great
Meditation spread.
Then the Saint decided to reveal himself in the region of the Indian
plain.
In the town of Kusumapura,
King Asoka ruled over demons;
280
there was a schism in the Doctrine, so that the clergy were all at each
other's throats.
The Listeners were split into two sectsthe swarm of the younger believers forming the Mahasal)ghika,
and the small group of elders forming the Sthavira.
Since then, more than two hundred human years had passed.
Having put to rout the Sounding Drums people
and the people of the Town with Lianas,
King AS-oka was in his residence.
Looking at him in the region to be converted,
Padma adopted the form of a bhiku
and went to beg at the royal residence.
"Seize this man who shows contempt for me!" cried the king.
"Pour oil in a cauldron,
fan underneath it a fire of dry wood,
and put in the cauldron this new arrival with his bhiku airs!"
But later when they looked, a lotus had blossomed in the cauldron
and, two fathoms high in the air,
the bhiku soared unharmed.
King Asoka was overcome with remorse.
"I have acted wrongly toward this man of beggar-like appearance.
I have heaped up the worst faults.
How can I make amends?"
He then summoned the bhiku, whose name was Indrasena.
And Indrasena declared,
"In ten million places in Jambudvlpa
build ten million stiipas in one night;
feed and give gifts to the disinherited, and then your faults will be
pardoned."
Hearing these words, the king thought:
"While it is easy to give alms to the needy,
ten million stiipas will not arise all by themselves in one night.
This amounts to saying that my faults are unpardonable."
281
282
CANTO 4 6
rr
and studying day and night without uttering a word, learned the
five branches of knowledge.
Finally, when he saw the head symptoms, he could diagnose the
state of health down to the feet.
His mother then asked him, "How much do you know?"
And he answered that he had attained the highest degree of
knowledge.
Delighted, she did obeisance to her son.
When the time arrived for the qualifying competition,
two seats of honor were set up and the two princes were seated.
"The throne will go to the more learned of the two!" declared the
king. .
First, the son of the first wife expounded on the science of medicine.
, He knew all three hundred topics, and people were amazed.
So they said, "There is no need for the other to speak!
How can he know what he has never learned? The decision has been
reached."
But then the second son expounded on the science of medicine.
Gods, nagas, and perfume-eaters gathered.
In addition to the three hundred topics that the father had taught,
he recited old Sastras of medical science that were almost forgotten.
Gods and nagas bowed low and circumambulated him,
and the people said: "He knows without ever having learned; it is
wonderfu1!"
The father bowed to him, touching his head to his son's feet,
and declared that the two princes would share the throne.
The younger son then said:
"Power does not tempt me; I request instead to be allowed to
practice religion."
Three times this request was denied, but finally it was granted;
and he continued his studies of the Dharma with the bhiku
Indrasena,
was ordained,
284
- ---
. ---T
-"'V'-WJ5kP
287
CANTO 4 7
J:'
288
290
C A N T O 48
IN THE PLAN TO
CONVERT THE REGION OF UI;>I;>IYANA, PADMA
ApPEARS As l!OMBHI HERUKA
- -I,Jf'
"If you do not pay at the time agreed upon, you will be punished by
the law."
As he had no money to pay for the beer, he implanted a mystic
dagger to keep the sun high in the sky,
and the grass, the trees, the springs, everything dried up.
When all the little creatures began to die in the heat,
the raja Sangi Dreg, Pride of Bronze, called a council.
He asked all the people of the country what could be causing the sun
to stay in the sky,
and fmally Vinasa said, ''There is a yogi who came to my place."
At which the people replied in chorus:
"A yogi has many means. That is it!"
And the raja went to the Guru:
"He who practices yoga should be the benefactor of beings
and not cause them such inconvenience."
"But I am unable to pay for the beer," said Qombhi.
The raja then promised to pay
and, with the sun free to move, this seven-day morning came to an
end.
S:
C:C"\/
1C
c'-
'--.-/
,,:; )
(,--
"---./
,,-----
..
--
'--"
./
cJ'-C
.
' J
'---' '--
295
CANTO 4 9
THE KINGDOM OF UQQIYANA
Is BROUGHT TO THE DHARMA
JJt.
""" "
HUM:
299
CANTO 5 0
-'.
--" -->
CANTO 5 1
THE CONVERSION OF THE
TIRTHIKAS OF THE LAND OF COPPER
AND THE LAND OF GOLD
JT.
.'
',, '
But the enclosure became a golden stiipa, with the spire properly
rounded,
with a wheel of the Dharma protected by a parasol,
which Nyima Shugchen and his wife kept turning.
At the sight of the stiipa, the repentant king accpted the faith and
entered the Dharma.
Of the History, lit/abridged, of the Lil'es
of the Gllm (r U#iY(lIIa, Padlllasalllbhal'a,
this is the.fiJty:first rallto,
The COIIIJcrsiot/ (ifthe Tirthikas of the Lat/d (r Copper
at/d rthe Lat/d of Gold
Sealed Oaths
Y5ji5JiJI0)l
307
CANTO 52
m::
In the first half of the ninth month she gave birth to a son.
When signs and portents were shown to a Brahman, he declared
them good
and named the child Samvarakalagarbha.
H e grew quickly. And at the end of eight years he said:
"Mother, who is my father?"
In the eyes of his mother tears formed.
"Don't speak in this way! You have no father."
"Well then, what is the name of the king of the land,
and what are the names of the king's masters of ceremonies?"
"The king is NagaviglU,
six tlrthika masters make his sacrifices."
Thereupon the son said:
"I am going away, I am going away to Bodhgaya in India.
Without a father, a mother cannot sustain a son."
So, he went to Bodhgaya;
at first the guards at the gate did not admit him into the town,
but the six masters and the king had gone out to relieve their
weanness,
and the boy said to them:
"I ask protection as the gift of the Teachings.
A child of eight years, I do not yet understand the Law.
When later I am considered capable, you will have only to send me
away.
I have neither father, mother, nor relatives.
Take me as a servant, giving me only food and clothing."
"Let him come in!" said the king. "We will make him a kitchen aide."
Samvarakalagarbha was admitted,
and his manner of living corresponded to that of the tlrthikas.
Now Kasa, of the people of the fishes, was incarnated as an adult fish;
caught by those who were fishing for the royal table, he was served.
Swallowed without being chewed,
310
313
CANTO 53
Ir"
,c
'.-
r ;,
PUR ! ! U LI O T I I R LI
P A l ) M ASA M I3I l AV A
\-.
T H E T E R M A M AST E R
>
/
320
322
324
KingIndrabhiiti
gathered the whole lot together and made of it a hundred and eighty
volumes and hid it.
The land in the ten directions trembled, and the world was
inundated with light.
The deities made flowers to rain down,
and in the air among the clouds, they presented large offerings.
Qakinls, guarantors of the Dharma and guardians of the treasure,
made the circumambulation.
In order to dissipate in the world the night of ignorance,
nourished with the power of their former lives and blessed by the
prophecies,
333
337
rA1
(j,
.?<
!0
(!2j
.
l'l!lill.lIIai"l<Jilill a<'JI
, " t
bl<f),ry<ll:;ff...P-i"'lf'1 ;;'1il'
'c .'
l ':''a:.:t,qr tJl.q.q-.q.:t.:':r.\
.q 1
IIr,\t)'at/ ,\tllm padilla 'h)'I1I1,\t ,\til as kyi skyes rabs malll par thar pa
\t)'as par bkod pa padilla bka'i thall,!? )'i,!?
DHARMA
t
-v-
PUBLISHING
CONTENTS
349
352
355
357
Bodhisattva Abbot
Canto 58 The Prediction As Told to the King of Tibet by
360
364
Trisong Detsen
Canto 60 The Evil Genies ofTibet Are Mastered and
Canto 61
370
Bound by Oath
The Refusal to Make Obeisance upon Meeting
376
384
391
Monastery
Canto 64 The Consecration ofSamye Monastery,
393
396
399
402
407
King ofTibet
411
Become aTranslator
Canto 70 The Dharma IsTranslated by theTwo Gurus and
414
theThree Lotsawas
418
Translators
*
,
421
of Padmasambhava
443
446
Canto 74
Stems
450
453
459
Banished fromTibet
465
471
475
480
by the King
Canto 81 The Wonders Shown by the Great Pandit
Vimalamitra
344
485
488
Tibet
Canto 83
492
502
Translations
Canto 85 The Sacred Scriptures and the Holy Dharma Are
511
Established inTibet
Canto 86 The Description of the Divine Statues and the
519
Inscriptions of Samye
Canto 87 The RevisedTranslation of the Sastras and
532
the Precepts
Canto 88 The Assemblage of the Revised Translations of
535
539
Padmasambhava
597
CompoundedThings
Canto 90 The Prediction about the Future Lives of Princess
605
Pale Lotus
610
619
633
Treasures
639
Revealers of theTreasures
644
647
Decline
Canto 97 TheThought of Going to the Southwest to the
Land of the Rakasas
345
654
Canto 98
Canto 99
661
670
Statue
677
Who Follow
680
688
692
704
708
People ofTibet
729
741
White Purity
Epilogue
746
Colophon
748
Appendix
756
Index
758
346
PADMASAMBHAVA
C A N T O 54
in the horse year, the first spring month, the first day of the tiger
month,
on the date of the conquering star, at dawn, as the rising sun spread
its warmth,
the king of Tibet, Trisong Detsen, was born.
The learned Chinese, Birje the Illustrious,
prepared the table Q[ divination, calculated the auguries, and declared:
"Knowledge of the signs and divination blended in one,
the horoscope of a great man emerges from the calculations.
The nine diagrams being transformed, the eight trigrams appear.
Dark red mouth, the seal of regal thought on his visage,
teeth the color of snow, in seemly ranks,
azure hair, curling to the right on his head,
he will be perfectly beautiful, like the son of a god.
He will bring together the best pandits and lotsawas.
From instructional schools and colleges of meditation the teaching
of the Dharma will spring uphe will build the bridge of the Dharma between India and Tibet."
:\nd he gave him the name of Trisong Detsen.
Thirteen years later, in the winter season, the king died,
,llld when the heir was fifteen years old, he was proclaimed king.
:\s wives he took Queen Tsepongza, Red Adornment
and Queen Dromsa, Lamp of Awakening.
Within seven years he changed the brigands into military leaders.
For the exterior he had as his foundation watchfulness, for the
interior, husbandry.
And, at the age of seventeen, he began to think on the Dharma.
Of the History, III/abridged, of thc Lillcs
of thc Gllru of Uddiyiilla, PadmasambhalJa,
this is thc.fifty-follrth WlltO,
The Birth of TrisollR Dctsell and His A cccssion
Sealcd Oaths
35 1
C A NTO 5 5
'
",>"
352
354
C A NT O 5 6
1r
<
<
355
CANTO 5 7
Siddharaja to India
and again Ebag the Uigur to China.
\yclcome,
hl' once more fasted and observed the rites for the two queens.
Of the History, III/abri([ed, of the Lil'es
of the Gllru of Uddiyiilla, Padlllasalllbhal'a,
this is the fifiy-sel'ellth callto,
The Bodhisattva AMIot IlIl'ited by the Killg oj Ti[,et
Sealed Oaths
359
C A N T O 58
1J[!'
BODHISATTVA ABBOT
Then the foundations were laid for the walls, but a naga
whose abode was a rose bush with beautiful petals, knowing
that in order to build, his rose bush would be cut down, resisted
and called the genies to his aid.
Yakas and amanuas, in concert with three gaynyen,
destroyed by night what had been built during the day,
360
363
CANTO 59
THE REPEATED
DELEGATIONS SENT TO INDIA
BY
'"
S
364
369
CANTO 60
Jf:..
And she gave the heart of her life, while he bound her by an oath.
As her secret name she was called the Unfleshed Turquoise and
Diamond Lamp,
and he committed a great treasure to her care.
Then he came to Oyug Bremo,
where the twelve earth goddesses each released a thunderbolt
and tried to crush him between the mountains.
But by his blessings their thunderbolts turned into charcoal; their
strength failed them;
and the twelve goddesses, together with the twelve tutelary ladies
and the twelve from above and from below, gave the heart of their
lives.
The Guru bound them by oath and to all of them he entrusted a
treasure.
Then he pushed on to the fort called the Bird's Nest of Oyug.
The great gaynyen Dorje Legpa Kyong
appeared amid his retinue of three hundred and sixty brothers.
Padma bound them all by an oath and left a treasure in their care.
Then, when he came to the valley of Shampo,
Shampo appeared, the white yak the size of a mountain,
from mouth and nostrils exhaling whirlwinds and snow tempests.
Using the iron hook mudra, the Guru seized him by the muzzle,
bound him with the mudra of the noose, chained him with the mudra
of the shackles,
and with the bell mudra flogged him, body and mind.
Now when the yak gave the heart of his life, the Guru bound him by
oath and entrusted him with a treasure.
To test the Guru, the spirit of the ArgalisPlateau
took on the guise of a white reptile and blocked his path.
The head reached the district of the Uighurs,
37 1
while the tail coincided with the Sog River of Khams and
Gyermotang.
With a staff the Guru transfixed the serpent through the middle:
"y ou are the king naga Chalk Color,
king of the gandharvas with the five hair coils.
Depart, and prepare yourself to make a circular oblation!"
The spirit fled to the ice-cold snows, but the snows melted
and, when the greenish ice had given way, the black mountain peak
could be seen.
The spirit could withstand no longer, so he served a gal)acakra decked
out with dainties
and, changing into a child wearing a turquoise hair net
and a turban of white silk, he did obeisance and circumambulated.
He gave the heart of his life and, having been bound by oath,
he was given one hundred treasures to watch over.
As his secret name, he was called Major Vajra of GreatPower.
,
Then, on the northern plateau, the Guru came to the valley ofPan
Yul.
Those wild northerners, the Ting Lomen Visages,
gathered together the winds of the northern regions
and loosed them on the Guru and his following.
Those with him became parched, so he attracted a cool breeze.
Then, guiding a fiery wind, like sun on butter,
he melted one of the Ting Lomen and bound him by oath.
When all of them had given the heart of their lives, he entrusted a
treasure to their care.
Then, at Lang Drom of the Heavenly Blue Juniper Trees,
Padma entered the Mandala of the SupremePerfect Meaning
and reached Attainment. On the midnight following the seventh day,
he loosed his wrath, and when he looked,
the leaders of the army of Mara, their banners unfurled,
372
375
CANTO 6 1
1Jl-'
After that, in the Double Castle in the park along the Brahmaputra's
bank,
he met the ruler himself
The king of Tibet stood forth in the midst of his courtone might have thought it the quivering radiance of a brood of
pigeons.
The two queens appeared, surrounded by their ladies,
376
in
am
am
am
1,1111Padmasambhava
Maker of Gods.
\1ine are the counsclings of the Holy Luminosities on thePlane of
Essence.
Concerning equanimity, that chart of the mind,
I write the letters that make up words to bear the meaning.
Padmasambhava the Scribe.
\1ine are the counsclings of the unwritten Teachings.
To men born on the four continents
I expound archknowledge by means of the knowledge of the Three
Times.
I
am
am
379
1 am Padmasambhava
'I
am
am
Padmasambhava theYouth.
\linc are the counselings of both the relative and absolute meaning
of the Doctrine.
I ,tann the fortress of the threefold ecstasy;
III places of every kind I like to play.
I
am
am
381
383
C A N T O 62
lI
HUM:
free of natal stain, I am the Diamond Born of the Lake, Tsokyi Dorje.
Nothing can injure my body, nor can death overtake me.
Terrible is suffering in the whirl of the six classes of beings,
and mental tumult pervades the short life of the violent ones.
Trisong Detsen erecting a temple
is like placing a jewel on a victory banner.
If, in Tibet, the teaching of the Holy Dharma is established,
those who dislike the genies need depend on them no longer.
The great Indian pandit invited to the feast
is as one bringing a lamp into the shadows.
If in Tibet the Holy Dharma of happiness is spread,
and the genies depart, people will depend on them no longer.
Therefore, I accept the offer and the gift of the earth.
King Trisong Detsen, carry out your intention!
Build a temple! The spirits will help your work.
Padnp the enchanter does not break his word."
He flew away into the clear sky,
and everywhere where the shadow of the Diamond Hero reached,
the twenty-one nonhuman adepts,
the twelve goddesses of the earth and the Qakinis of the snow
nlountains,
the ones of the shale mountains and the gods and the spirits,
gandharva, kumbhalJQa, nagendra, and yaka,
and the deities of the eight great planets and the twenty-eight
constellations
gathered earth and stones from the mountains and valleys.
On the day of the dragon, the day of the finger-like stars,
in the eighth phase of the middle moon of autumn,
in the year of the male earth tiger,
with Jupiter waxing, the foundations of the edifice were laid.
The monastery, according to the king's plan,
included a triple central ridge in the style of Meru,
386
390
THE INVOCATION TO
PROTECT THE RICHES OF
SAMYE MONASTERY
from Mongolia will come the Khan Namteu Karpo, White Vulture
of the Sky,
and all Tibet will fall into the hands of the Mongols.
Their tutelary god is Tengri Bodhisung.
Let the genie king Shingjachen, At the Sign of the Tree, be invited
and the monastery entrusted to him; it will then not be destroyed.
If the Mongol warrior triumphs over the college of meditation,
they will carry off the riches ofPekar.
I will set up the protective statue in the temple atPekar," she said.
"Thus, when in the fight against this warrior the college is overcome
when the intruders attempt to pillage both provisions and riches,
some of them will go mad; the others will collapse in a swoon."
SoPadmasambhava of
U44iyana
put the pillar of the king in thePekar temple.
On the external pillar he put white animals,
on the inside pillar he put a reed vulture decorated with a tail of
variegated silks,
and on the secret pillar he put masks, magic masts, and other things.
,
392
C A N T O 64
THE CONSECRATION
OF SAMYE MONASTERY, ACCOMPANIED BY .
MYSTERIOUS OCCURRENCES
395
CANTO 65
THE SIGNS OF
RESPECT FOR SAMYE MONASTERY AND
THE RESULTS WHICH ACCRUE
.'
C A NT O 6 6
THE Two GURUS ARE
BEGGED BY KING TRISONG DETSEN
r
:
TO REMAIN IN TIBET
"
"
Then, after many prostrations, with joined hands, the king begged
them:
" Guru and Abbot, you the sun and the moon, treasures of thought!
At the age of thirteen, left an orphan by my father,
King of the Red Faces and of Tibet, I had no joy of it.
At the age of fifteen, I took over the reign along with the military
strife,
allowing the ministers to choose what steps to take.
At the age of seventeen, the thought of the Dharma came to me.
My emissaries said to me: 'Invite the great Abbot!'
A great good fortune, the Abbot was called to Tibet.
But the hostile genies hindered the conversion of the country,
so a prediction was made: 'If the Guru is invited, your aim will be
achieved!'
A precious benediction, the Guru arrived in Tibet.
Samye Monastery is more like a human being than masonry.
The favor has been received, but the founder has not exhausted
what he has to say,
and the life of Trisong Detsen has not reached its end.
May the two Gurus deign to stay and not depart!
The images have been placed, but the texts have not been translated.
May the Gurus expound Formulas and philosophy in Tibet!
Tibet is darkened by shadows and on the wrong road;
may the Gurus light the lamp of the Two Doctrines!"
Thus did he beg them, being moved to tears and repeatedly paying
them homage.
The two Masters conferred together:
" The pagan Tibetans have no vessels of the Dharma,
and the ministers, with black thoughts toward the Doctrine, are
extremely dangerous.
All those of royal race arc deceitful in speech.
Though the king has shown himself satisfied,
if we should leave now, he will grow angry.
400
40 1
CANTO 67
THE PROMULGATION
OF THE LAW OF RELIGION
BY
Ik
\
L
..
There are three laws: the law of religion, the royal law, and the law
of the steppes.
I, Trisong Detsen, King of Tibet, am henceforward King of Religion.
Whosoever is subject to my might,
let him bear the consequences for his acts, both good and evil!
Let those who act well, in accordance with the Holy Law,
found monasteries either of the Observances or of White Magicians
and may they choose as they desire between the two!
Let all men and women learn the alphabet and reckoning!
Let whoever writes, enunciates, preaches, or expounds the Dharma,
402
403
Let the abbots who are monks observe the rule related to their vows
and hold fast to the explanation in the Three Baskets.
Let monks quench their thirst with pure beverages and tea;
let them nourish themselves with grain, sugar, honey, and cheese;
and let them wear an undertunic and a saffron robe as garments!
Let them dwell in monasteries,
and let them abstain from black liquor, meat, and mixed
nourishment.
Let the lofty magicians act in accordance with their sworn vows
and as is explained in the Tantras!
Let them quench their thirst with chang! Let them not usurp church
property!
Let them eat whatever they choose, but not poisonous things!
Let their ritual garb be white, red, and black!
Let them dwell in the places of conjuration, and let the virtues be
prbpagated along with their spells!
In order to maintain the teaching, let them set their hearts on
Attainment.
Let the best of the monks study the yellow Sutras,
and to the best of the magicians let the mandalas and Formulas be
shown!
To the best of the laymen let the Two Teachings be assigned.
To the incapable let everyone show kindness;
let sufficient alms be given to the poor.
Let one rely on capable men! Let lasting promises be established!
Let all the rumors and news spread abroad be received calmly.
Let the most respected teachings be sought for far and wide,
and let the Teaching not be mixed! Let it be carried out for each
school separately.
Let those abstain who were either Bon or tirthika!
Let the Bonpo who have not seen Samye Monastery be exiled and
depart!
Let the Bonpo who have come to the central region withdraw to the
lower plains!
404
Let those who have come to Tsang province be called Tsakhas of the
wilderness!
If anyone affronts the Law of Rcligion which I am enunciating,
the royal law will assuredly take effect.
If monk to prior, pupil to teacher,
servant to master, son to father and mother,
younger son to older, wife to husband
should offer opposition or recalcitrance, or should kill,
let such be burned in the fire or thrown in the water!
By means of fetters and jails let fear of the law be aroused
in the wicked!
With no laws in the country, insolent bad folk oppress others;
let such be stripped beneath the raised staff! Let the noose be tightened
around the neck!
There are three, five, seven, nine, eleven, thirteen laws;
fifteen, seventeen, nineteen, twenty-one laws,
twenty-three, twenty-five, twenty-seven, twenty-nine laws;
there are thirty-one, thirty-three, thirty-five, thirty-seven and nine,
forty-one, forty-three, forty-five, forty-seven and nine,
fifty-one, fifty-three, fifty-five, fifty-seven and nine,
sixty-one, sixty-three, sixty-five, sixty-seven and nine.
Laws of fire, of wind, of water, of iron, these four,
with the laws of wood, of earth, and of the sky, seven.
May all these laws bring maturation above the material element!
Let the murderer pay the blood price! If he is without means, let an eye
be taken and a knee be broken!
Let the thief repay! Let the fine for adultery be collected.
Let straightforwardness distinguish the decrees of justice! Let the
brawler be jailed.
Let the brutal suffer the lex taliollis! Otherwise, let his ears be cut off.
Let the heterodox be kept away from the flock of the pious!
405
Let the liar be banished to the frontiers! For failure to pay, let a pledge
be taken!
Let all the dishonest men be handed over to upright men,
and let people tremble ceaselessly!
Let the barley be sold by the bushel, the weight be according to the
scales.
Let the fixed price of goods be measured in gold.
During the watches of the night let hounds be kept alert to guard
against thieves!
Let all be forced to obey. Let the unruly be swept away!
Let everything be decided by the authority of the Law, the Formulas,
and the ministers!
Let the code be read once to each individual, and to those who are
without conscience, let it be repeated.
Let there be evil people neither in mountains nor in valleys nor on the
plains.
Let the ten offenses be uprooted, the ten virtues spread.
Let c;pable men be held in affection and made happy! Let animals be
freed from their yoke!
Let those with possessions be content with what they have! Let those
who have little do their best to economize.
Of the History, uIlalmdged, of the Lives
of the Guru of Uqqiyalla, Padmasambhava,
this is the sixty-sevellth calltO,
The Promulgatioll ofthe La", of Religioll by
the Killg of Tibet Trisollg Detsell
Sealed Oaths
406
'
T
',,," '-"
4 10
C A NT O 6 9
VAIROTSANA As A YOUTH
Is INVITED
BY
THE KING TO
BECOME A TRANSLATOR
,'
41 1
413
CANTO 70
THE DHARMA Is
TRANSLATED
BY
', '
414
417
CANTO 7 1
11<
420
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T H E M A N I F ESTATI O N S
A N D DISC I P L ES
O F P A D M ASA M B H AVA
1..... - .
424
426
428
430
432
434
436
438
C A N T O 72
'Sf
. 1. aving departed earliest, the first t,:o men to reach India
were Valrotsana, endowed with a noble spmt,
,7EA,
.
and Legdrub, the son ofT elen, chief of Tsangs of the Cliffs of
the South, the first one of Tsangs who had a pure mind.
Though Legdrub was only twenty-five, he was already an
accomplished meditator.
445
11
of Tibet :
" The great Bhiku Bodhisattva
and Padma the Enchanter, in Tibet,
have bv the law of cause and effect
made clear the Two Doctrines of the Buddha.
The law of cause and effect is not enough for King Trisong Detsen,
so he has requested that teachings be drawn from everywhere.
He would be most happy if you would keep him in mind."
Now the great pandits, one after the other, set forth the Doctrines of
the Dharma.
Legdrub, in his impatience, soon left for Tibet, saying,
" Before my mother dies I wish to explain the Dharma to her."
But on the road he was killed by wild animals.
Vairotsana, who remained in India, applied himself to the study of
the Dharma.
To his master's question, "Are you not satisfied?" he replied , " No."
And, with a pillow under his arm, he lay with his face against the
earth, immovable.
,
446
449
C A NT O 7 4
452
C A NT O 75
VAIROTSANA' S TEACHING
OF THE DHARMA Is SLANDERED -
lfi
nd Vairotsana replied:
,
"Born a man, I have raised mysclfby another birth.
"
A pure vow has opened for me admission to the Indian land.
Attainment has permitted me the miracle of winged feet.
Worship of the lama has won noble lineage for me.
Faithful to my O:lth, I have been able to fulfill my quest;
purified of faults, I have taken the advice of the sages.
by all the sure sources I have been led to the Doctrine;
with my needs fulfilled, I sought a spiritual friend.
My parents gave me the life of the body, my friend that of being.
By friendship with you, I have won the true A wakening.
In the kingdom of Tibet the night of ignorance will be dispelled,
and maturity will thus arise for the benefit of salvation;
may the root of good be blessed with Kumara!
Now that I have the wings on my feet I am going to depart.
As far as Nepal let the exhorting friend accompany mel"
Thus he spoke and offered a golden patra.
."
"I have not seen him. Perhaps he ate yaka meat and became invisible
I have only seen a cattle-driver who just now returned to Tibet!"
Now Kumara, being sworn to his friend, hastened to Kapilavastu,
and told the king's men:
"The Tibetan pandit has been killed; your runner has been notified.'
To the questions, adequate answers were given about Chan Trang.
Soon Vairotsana reached Nepal.
To the holy monastery ofShanku he offered a golden icon,
and presenting the gift he chanted:
"Conqueror of the Three Times, non-contributor to the causes of
offense!
By the principle of mercy the earthly sojourn reminds us of heaven
and the mercy of the Master is impartial.
The path of rebirths is as boundless as the sea.
In drder to dry up this sea, in his compassion may the Conqueror of
the Three Times be patient!"
After this chant, he gave the noble icon as a gift.
Now, on the road from Tibet,
the sister goddesses of India caused it to snow
and sang this song, unravelling the true from the false:
"Buddha of the Three Times, spiritual essence,
without birth and without death you are.
Worthy and of noble spirit,
to make the sun of the soul to shine,
moved by a good golden thought,
between Tibet and India you faced sixteen tests while seeking
initiation:
one more will not stop you.
If our words are true, take away this snow!"
And the sisters, under the form of rosy goddesses
revealing themselves among the clouds, undertook to serve him.
When Vairotsana arrived at Samye Monastery, the king himself
454
It was too much for his goodness and he made a great wish:
"May all the virtues cultivated by Vairotsana
spread into the country of the beggar!
May he be born, according to circumstances, into an incarnation of
wisdom!
May there be in the place to which the beggar is attached
benediction, happiness, riches, and joy!"
The cauldron carried the beggar behind the castle ofalka,
and it was found there by one who was the owner of it.
"What is there inside?" He looked and a reverend appeared.
"My cauldron has made a child!" And he led him away to his house.
And alka Gyugtang became the Village of the Beggar.
Of the History, lI'taf,ril?cd, of the Lil'cs
of the Glint of Uddiyiilla, Pad'llaSalll hlltll'tl,
this is the SCFell tytth ca II to,
The Call1 lllllY Cast as T 'airotsalta Explai llcd the Dharllla
Scalcd Oaths
458
CANTO 76
1r-
At this time, when the king was going to the army, the bells would
rmg;
at mealtimes conch shells would be blown;
the sonorous gong would call the monks to the service;
and the beating of the great drum called the ministers to council.
Now Red Ornament beat the large drum.
Ministers from the outside and from the inside and great counselors
assembled.
And to the assembled council the lady said:
"The one who was thrown into the water was a beggar
the Black Sorcerer is hiding in an inner chamber.
He is for Tibet an evil which annoys me. Tell the prince to kill him!"
These words of Red Ornament had a motive.
Vairotsana was handsome, extremely handsome;
the lady had offered him a rendezvous and he had not accepted
Ollt of spite she was denouncing him.
Therewith the fourteen ministers of the exterior and of the interior
met the masters of deliberations.
Common people as well as court people, all were of the opinion: "The
lad y is telling the tru th."
Lhasang and Lupel were sent as delegates to the sovereign:
"The people assembled in the plain of the willows and elms
have a petition for the monarch and entreat him to listen."
The king went among the people and the petition was presented.
The lords stammered:
"He says he is erecting a temple . . . but the men say that he is building
mIsery.
" He says these are gods . . . . but they are of golden clay.
" He says he has translated the Dharma . . . . but he has only learned
how to make the poison charms.
"He says they are superior . . . . but the lord is flattering the people.
" He has raised the parasol with fringes . . . . but the silk is torn.
460
" He says he has made a good law . . . . but the beggar was thrown into
the water.
"He said it is a pavilion for shelter . . . . but it conceals the evil of Tibet.
"And the Dharma . . . . what Dharma? Death to the monk!"
Such words mortified the king.
"of all the lotsawas of India and Tibet, Vairotsana is the greatest
scholar!"
Ministers and subjects all repeated: "Death!"
And noisily throwing clods and stones, clapping their hands,
beating their breasts, staining their faces with dirt, they lamented.
The counselors Lupel and the others were consulted:
"If this monk, the peril of the land, is n9t killed,
he will abuse the king and exalt himsel("
All of a sudden Vairotsana was dragged out into the open.
The king took his hand weeping.
At this instant the scholar Vairotsana
sang this song of the sixteen tests which he had overcome:
"With goodness Trisong Detsen
commissioned me to conduct the research of the Holy Dharma.
To carry, I have carried the golden patra as a test.
To walk, I have walked to the Indian country as a test.
To climb, I have climbed the path of precipices as a test.
To cleave, I have cleaved the snow tempest as a test.
To tend, I tended the final jaundice as a test.
To eat, I have eaten the many final dishes as a test.
To sec, I have seen the face of the masters as a test.
To hear, I have heard the five forms of pure mind as a test.
To be given, I have been given the heart initiation as a test.
To understand, I have understood the knowledge of the subject
matter itself as a test.
To find, I have found the fearful Formulas as a test.
To be answered, I have been answered by the noble Manjusrl as a test.
To obtain, I have obtained the goal of the winged feet as a test.
461
464
The son of Kin Dosher Nagpo, Prince Pelsher Tsanpa, gave the
orders:
"To begin with," said the prince,
"let him be thrown from Tshawa into the ditch of reptiles!"
At the end of three days the people of the land came to see
and at that moment Vairotsana sang:
"0 you of this country, sire and ministers, 0 nobles!
Fifteen men were chosen, making fifty-seven weep.
For the Doctrine of Buddha and the King of the Vehicles, this fruit,
twenty-five Indian scholars
gave the Precepts to the land of Tibet.
By misfortune, the high ministers
and Red Ornament, that stupid one, betraying her oath,
blackened me with calumny-casually, in the presence of the
sovereign.
And here I am, a scholar among the Tibetans, sent into exile.
Because I bear on my monk's body
the Upadesas which in a single life procure fruit,
and the' powerful Formulas which master transgressors,
and the sacred Treatises, quite a pile of gems,
I beg that I be withdrawn from this ditch of the frightful reptiles."
Thereupon, King Dosher Nagpo said:
"The Tibetan king, the lord of the Kingdom of the Ghosts,
often acts in a base and most crude fashion.
For wives he takes the slaves of the frontiers,
for ministers of state those with the nine major t'lUlts.
For nourishment he has various kinds of human flesh;
his clothing is that of the people of the mountains.
For wealth it is stones he esteems.
Ifhe is agitated, it is as a war chief and a chief of brigands.
As gods he serves the yakas and the rakasas;
as friends he looks for the worse ones: nagas and demons.
When he observes at a distance, he does not see the sky.
466
This king of the ogres with a red face is greedyhe is called Great Lungs and Bowels. As for you,
according to the advice of the nobles and of the ministers,
from the reptile ditch you will pass into the lice ditch.
But if, seven days from now, no army has appeared,
we will take your words as mistresses and carry them on our heads."
Therefore, he was withdrawn from the reptile ditch
and, in the ravines ofTshawa, he was thrown into the lice ditch,
ful l of human lice, dog lice, goat lice, sheep lice, bedbugs,
fleas, bird parasites, and stinging flies.
At the end of seven days the people of the land came to see:
the innocent one was shining like the fire of Phrom.
"Forgive us our wrongs!" they said and they were absolved.
Then Vairotsana chanted:
"Formerly, in a previous life,
I was born as a mongoose in this country
and I tore to shreds numerous serpents and toads.
This is therefore the note which has fallen due.
May this misfortune change my destiny!
Formerly in a previous life,
I was the bhiku Piirl)a,
and in order to eat I picked up the lice from my robe.
This is therefore the note which has fallen due.
May this misfortune change my destiny!"
And the inhabitants recognized that he had been
the bhiku Piiqla in a former life,
and, invited to the royal palace, he forgave them.
Incarnation of the Goddess Srlmati, Princess Yudra, Turquoise Voice,
lady of the cemetery of the yoginls, addressed this song to him:
''Tibet is only a desert with a covetous king.
You, Hero of the Awakening, who know your past lives,
you have, for the good of beings, come to Jambudvlpa.
467
- ===
470
CANTO 78
THE ACQUISITION OF
ATTAINMENTS BY THE FIVE BHIKUS
SENT TO INDIA
471
474
C A NT O 7 9
THE EXILE OF
NAMKHAY NYINGPO TO LHOBRAG
AND THE RIVER KHAR
II' '['
.
.'
"
"c_
475
476
479
C A NT O 8 0
II
".
He sent to the land of Zhang Zhung to call the high Bon priest.
This one, He Who Has the Head of Tambourine Mountain,
appointed Tangnag the Bonpo for translation work.
And in the temple of Aryapala four bundles of the Book of the
Hundred Thousand Nagas were translated.
"The Bon teaching will be established," the king proclaimed.
And he said further, "Since the Bon rites call for funeral monuments,
480
Bring them forward!" Now when the king had them brought,
the three Tibetans saw on Vimalamitra auspicious signs.
Imbued with respect, they presented a mandala to him,
and looked him up and down.
"By benediction may he be willing to come!"
Ho:re Vimalamitra arose.
"Manuduru Krohe," he said.
And three times he pronounced this sentence.
Each one of the lotsawas understood in his own waY.
Chogrolui Gyaltsen of Chogro heard it thus:
"When on the bow the arro\v is placed,
if the archer has an agile thumb,
the arrow will touch the target."
And Kawa Paltseg of Kaba heard:
"Once the men are in the boat,
if they are diligent rowers,
they ill cross the river."
Finally Rinchen Chog, the Reverend of Ma, heard:
"The one who depends on merit
in lands even not his own,
wherever the chalice of his body has rolled,
it will make the outpouring of the river of the spirit."
And all three understood that Vimalamitra would leave for Tibet.
,
484
C A NT O 8 1
",
S
.
"
485
"
-"
OM A HUM SVAHA
487
C A NT O 82
1f!.
and during the carrying out of the lustral ceremonies by the Bon and
the Buddhist,
the king came to believe more strongly in the Dharma and to doubt
the Bon superstitions.
On the plain of Donkhar an oratorical joust was arranged,
and the king came to believe in the Dharma and to doubt the Bon
superstitions.
Guru Padma and Tangnag the Bonpo faced one another,
each in turn supporting and refuting every object of debate,
and the king came to believe in the Dharma and to doubt the Bon
superstitions.
The Bodhisattva, Santarakita, and the leader of Shari faced one
another,
each ill turn supporting and refuting every object of debate,
and the king came to believe in the Dharma and to doubt the Bon
superstitions.
Vimalamitra and Lishi of the Long Nape faced one another,
each in turn supporting and refuting every object of debate,
and the king came to believe in the Dharma and to doubt the Bon
superstitions.
The nine Bon Vehicles and the nine of the Buddhadharma were
confronted
for their respective refutation by the lotsawas,
and the king came to believe in the Dharma and to doubt the Bon
superstitions.
All the Bonpo under the king's scepter having been called together,
and their proportion in the three territories having been established,
they received the name of patrons with the twisted hair.
490
CANTO 83
AND V AIROTSANA Is
ASKED TO RETURN
ViI
'
492
tears gushing forth, they held their hands at their hearts, and collapsed
on the ground.
The bent old parents wept as they looked at their son.
And Vairotsana, despite his tender feelings for his father and mother,
pretended not to see them and wept discreetly.
Such were the contrite greetings of king, ministers, and people.
Of the History, lII/abried, of the LiFes
4 the Gllru 4 Uqqiyiilla, PadlllasalllbhaFa,
this is the ei,hty-third Wllto,
Ylldra Nyill,RlJO Is Sellt to Joill the Dharllla
alld T Tairotsalia Is Asked to Retllm
Sealed Oaths
501
C A NT O 8 4
504
510
JIrk.'
\.
'r
511
beneath the daises and the victory banners, they played the horns of
the Dharma,
and three times circumambulated the three temples at the summit of
Samyc Monastery.
With the noise of drums, dances, and masquerades, and with
everyone taking part,
the festival covered the mountain crest on eight sides.
The various lotsawas and pandits, according to their respective rites,
proceeded to the consecrations, and flowers were strewn everywhere.
When the king and Namkhay Nyingpo happened to meet each
other at the festival,
they were not in agreement concerning who should be the first to
bow.
"I am most high," declared the ruler, "I am leader of all the black
heads;
it is I who launch the beasts with the demon manes
let Namkhay Ningpo bow down before me!"
To which the great Master Namkhay Nyingpo replied:
"I am the great lord of all yoga;
in my body I am the substance of knowledge,
and the king himscif has asked me for power
let him salute me!" Thus they argued.
The reverend Namkhay Nyingpo from Nubs spoke again:
"Infallible root of the Teaching of the Buddha,
the Basket of Discipline of the Holy Dharma has been translated into
Tibetan.
The Pra;iiiipiiralllitii and the intact heart of the Teaching of the
Buddha, the Secret Mantras,
and the external and internal Tantras have been translated into
Tibetan.
The sun and moon of the Two Doctrines have risen, an unique couple.
If the lotsawas and pandits of India and Tibet all together
515
5 18
CANTO 86
THE DESCRIPTION OF
THE DIVINE STATUES AND THE
INSCRIPTIONS OF SAMYE
",
K
<'
519
Then there are the bas-relie: on the west are the three kinds of
Defenders.
The whole temple is entrusted to the Messengers of Power.
Next, in the temple of the confession of human faults,
the temple of Maitreya in the Tuita heaven, the deities include
Maitreya, his four acolytes, and the two guardians of the threshold.
Above is the Buddha Amitabha with his procession of four.
Finally, laterally there are the thirty-five Buddhas and the
twenty-one Taras.
From the peristyle one can see, as much outside as inside,
the sixteen Sthaviras, paragons of Samyc.
In the first room are inscribed the eighteen returns to life
the best at length
and the lower briefly,
and again the history of the great deities.
On the peristyle is depicted the A I'afllliisaka.
The guardian deity of the temple is the akint Guli with the
ornate club.
The temple of the Dispenser of Mercy,
the temple of the great prophets, has as deities
first the lord Anabhoga Buddha with the Lotus,
then Vajrapal)i, Sarvantvaral)avikambhin,
the Fierce One in the nectar Wave, Ktlaya,
and finally the forty-two Beings come from the ten directions
in all, forty-seven divinities.
The Sutra depicted on the panelings is the Ratllallll'.l?lza.
On the road of circumambulation is painted the noble Always in
Tears,
applying himself to the Pra;iiaparalllita.
The whole temple is entrusted to the guardian king with the leather
cUIrass
and to the lion-faced akint.
These are the divinities and the inscriptions of the four temples.
522
There are also eight small temples. In the room of the pure Dharma
are many deities, the principal Bodhisattvas, and their retinues.
A fresco represents the King of Concentration;
the Guarantor is Brahma with the Hair-knot of Skulls.
The pavilions where believers receive the rules of discipline,
the temple of orthography, and the kitchen, have as deities
the lord Sakyamuni and six of his retinue.
The Sutra depicted on the panelings is that of the Riches of All Kinds.
The verandas are purified, as well as the kitchen of the reverends.
The Defender is a king holding lightning in his hand.
The temple which helps the Community subsist,
the temple of the exorcizing chanters, has as deities
Mahabodhi, a metal statue with a retinu;: of four.
And A kasagarbha is depicted there, with the Sl"ltra of the Riches at his
head.
The defense is entrusted to twenty-eight divine lords.
The temple of Hearing, Considering, and Contemplating guards
against obstacles;
the temple of the Indian translators has as deities
Jobo Shakya, a metal statue, with four acolytes.
On the panels is depicted the pure Discipline.
And in the Room of the Perfumes, lotsawas and pandits stand before
Amitayus;
the Defender is the yaka with the goat's forehead.
In the temple where the Doctrines of the Baskets are translated,
in the temple ofVairocana with the oracles, the deities are the lord
Vairocana
and the four secret Energies which he embraces,
and in a painting, the Vairocana of the Clear A wakening.
The temple which opens by turns the Vehicles and the Doctrines,
the temple of immovable Ecstasy, has as deities
the divine father Vairocana
and, taken as lords by the helpers with the benedictions,
523
with the King and the ministers in the middle, the songs, dances, and
n1USlC,
the jugglers, the athletes measuring their strength,
and on Red Rock, half-way up the slope Tshomo,
the lotus stems, germinated spontaneously, the numerous omens of
great wonder,
and the appearance of all the marvels in Tibet.
And in this place are reealled the rose of happiness and its songs which
continued for twelve years.
The Defenders are the three Luminous Brother Kings.
The shelter of the bells is entrusted to the nagas and the deities of the
planets.
The middle room has as lord the Buddha Dipal!kara,
who contemplates, smiling, his eight spiritual SOIlS.
Including the c;lakinls King and Kang, there are eleven icons.
Looking in the middle one sees depicted
the Blld-/lled hllr :,?)'lIr-bar 11II1,,?-dll-hstall-pa /lido.
From the promenade one sees depicted outside the Sutra of the
c,?TSII,R-IW rill-chell /lido.
and inside the cycle of the Non-Returning.
In front of the same promenade are the figures of two of the regents.
The high room has as lord Vairocana with the Omnipresent Look,
more beautiful amid his retinue of eight spiritual sons.
Including the sixteen entities who have come from ten directions
and eight guardians of the threshold, there are thirty-three divinities
in all.
On the central wall are painted
the five Buddhas, in the colors of the five points of space,
and on the four doors the goddess with offerings.
Under a high shelter embellished with stonework
is a large golden bell decorated with pendentives.
For the middle floor and the upper floor
the Guarantors are the three brother yaka kings.
527
The Defenders are not the high Guardians, but the brother and sister,
the naga-king, and the Tortoise of the earth.
Then, to guard the seven bas-reliefs,
are the king with the horse's head, the yaka KUI)9ali,
Piin).abhadra, and Mal)ibhadra.
This is the description of the Golden Temple in the Central Park.
For the queen Dromsa, Lamp of Awakening,
the temple of her tutelary deity, Gewa Gyay,
has neither spiritual sons nor daughters depicted; it includes only a
single vault,
and is built of bricks well cemented to the melted bronze.
The lord is Amitabha and there are six other metal statues:
Maiijughosa, Avalokitdvara, Samantabhadra,
the King of the Doctors, these four divine persons,
as well as the fierce Conqueror Vajrapal)i and the Immutable
Protector.
There; are two more clay statues: Vaj rasattva and Maitreya.
Thus, lord and assistants, there are nine in all.
On the central facade are traced,
on the right, the mandalas of the hundred sacred kinds
and on the left the palaces of the eight fulfilled precepts.
If, from the promenade one looks outside,
one sees depicted the generation of the five castes, the appearance of
the Dharma in Tibet,
the manner in which invited lotsawas and pandits translated the
Dharma,
the putting into effect of the religious code, the study of the art of
transla ting,
the meeting of the pandits and the king,
the manner in which the concepts of the Bon religion were removed,
the purifying ceremonies when it was abolished,
and the story ofVairotsana and Namkhay Nyingpo,
with only half of the person, as far as the navel, represented.
530
531
C A N T O 87
and the Ga(1qarJyiiha. The i?Ser 'ad dall/-pa and others were also revised.
In order to comment on the Three Wheels,
the translation of the Sastras corresponding to the Sutras were also
revised:
S
the astras on the Four Truths of the V chicle of the Sravakas and
Pratyekas,
many explanatory sections of the Vinaya texts,
and many other commentaries relating to the Sutras.
There was also the Mahiil'ihhiiii, and the seven following works:
the Dlwrll/aska lldha by the Sthavira Sariputra,
the Prajiiapti-sastra by Maudgalyayana,
the Dhiitu-kiiya by PurlJa the Arhat,
the Vijiiiina-kiiya by Devasarman
the SaJ!I,lti-paryiiya by Mahakoghila,
the Jiiiilla-prasthiilw by Katyayanlputrathus seven Sastras relating to the Abhidharma.
The Paiicaskalldha-prakara(1a by Vasubandhu,
the Vi/!lsaka-prakara(w, the Tril!ISikii-prakara(w,
the Karll/a-siddh i-prakaralJa,
the Vyiikhyii-Yllkti-{lkii, and the countless commentaries of the
treasure of the Abhidharma
were all collected together.
The Sastras of the Vehicle of the Bodhisattvas were:
the Mllia-miidhyamlka-kiirikii of the illustrous master N agarjuna,
the Vigraha-tJyii l'arta II l-kiirikii-lliillla ,
the Catllb-sataka of Aryadeva,
the Madhyalllaka-hrdaya-l'rtti-tarkajl'iila of the master Bhavya,
the BlIddlwpiilita of Buddhapalita,
the Madhyalllakiil'atiira ofCandraklrti,
the SatyadtJaya-tJihha(I,a-paJijika ofJiianagarbha,
the MadhyalllakiilaJ!lkiira by the master Santarakita,
the Madhyalllakiiloka by Kamalaslla, and still more
the history with the poetry of ASvaghoa,
the Vdiilla-tJarga by that Arhat Dharmatrata
533
534
CANTO 88
THE ASSEMBLAGE OF THE REVISED
TRANSLAnONS OF THE SECRET FORMULAS,
EXOTERIC AS WELL AS ESOTERIC
538
his right is Mandarava, to his left Yeshe Tsogyal. At the top of the
thanka is Vimalamitra, below is Vairotsana. Above and to the
right holding a skull cup is YudraNyingpo. To the right, flying,
arc Yeshe Yang and Yeshe De. Directly below is Sange Yeshe and
to the left is Gyalwa Lodro. Below him is Konchog Jungnas.
Among the rocky mountains is Palgyi Dorje and below him is
Palgyi Senge. Kawa Paltseg sits with folded hands; Sogpo Lhapal
sits with a tiger; Ma Rinchen Chog consumes a rock; Kichung
Lotsa is catching a bird. Below is Trisong Detscn and to the left is
Yeshe Tsogyal. Above is Odrang Palgyi Wangchug. In the corner
is Dranpa Nanka and above him is Palgyi Yeshe. Dranpa Tse
mang holds a book and above is Palgyi Senge. Extracting water
,from a rock is Yeshe Zhonu. To the left is Karchen Palgyi
Wangchug. Flying above is Dorje Dudjom and to the right is
Gyalwa Choyang. Flying above is NamkayNyingpo.
PLATE 33 Guru Padmasambhava transmitted the essence of his
542
544
546
548
550
gence with his tutelary deity, he was often heard neighing like a
horse from the crown of his head. Thus he dissolved all karmic
inclinations by practicing the meditation which is beyond speech,
the object of no-thought, the 'horse of non-action', which
peither comes nor goes. Through perfect understanding of the
inseparability of form and formlessness, he radiated the light of
original awareness represented by Amitabha and was able to
transmute his body into a raging fire. During his life, Gyalwa
Chogyang performed many services for King Trisong Detsen and
learned to blend every action into the path of freedom.
552
Nepal to request that Padma enter Tibet. He was among the first
five Bhikus ordained by Santarakita and traveled to India as one
of the 108 translators. Though exiled to Lhobrag, he returned to
heal the King and in a contest of powers made two statues get up
and walk. He created thunder and turned the whole sky red. He
made a erag count pebbles that were thrown at it, after which the
King conceded Namkhay Nyingpo's greater power. Having
translated and practiced the Mantrayana teachings and Dzog
Chen realization, he could ride on the rays of the sun. One day in
early spring, his nephew asked him for some seeds to plant
because the farmers' supply was finished. Namkhay Nyingpo
replied, "If the fanners have no seed, where can I, a yogi, find
any?" But taking some small rocks, he instructed his nephew to
pulverize them and then plant the granules. Soon, many varieties
offlowers, plants and vegetables could be seen sprouting from the
ground. Accustomed to flying wherever he traveled, one day
Namkhay Nyingpo's string of beads fell from the sky into a
certain valley. When his fingers, in picking up the beads, touched
the earth, five fragrant flowers appeared, and from the center of
theflowers emerged five Qakinis who, in turn, erected five stlipas
which exist to this day. Namkhay Nyingpo practiced meditation
for many years in the rocky southern mountains of Bhutan and
finally left this world embraced in a rainbow of light.
554
556
PLATE 41 Born into the clan of Brog near Shan tag, Palgyi Yeshe
558
PLATE 42 Born from the clan of Lang, Palgyi Senge's father was
the Bodhisattva, Shangchig Dekor. At age eight he traveled
throughout the mountains and subdued many wild demons in
Uc.lc.liyana at the invitation of Ling Gesar. Trisong Detsen sent
him to India with Dorje Dudjom and Sakyaprabha to invite
Padmasambhava to Tibet. He was also one of the first five
Bhikus ordained by Santarakita. One of the 108 translators who
were sent to India, Palgyi Scnge became the heart-son of Guru
,Rinpoche. Through his earnest practice of one of the Heruka
Sadhanas, he understood the interrelation of causes and condi
tions and surrendered completely the neurotic craving which
accumulates Karma. During the Bonpo debates, he drew rain
bow figures in space. On one occasion he visited the lower realms
and liberated many human and nonhuman beings from the
bewilderments of clouded judgment. For a long time he practiced
meditation in the Himalayas near Bhutan, ofe
f ring to all the
nectar of spiritual instruction.
560
562
PLATE 44 Yeshe Yang was one of the 108 translators sent to India
and one of eight manuscript editors who transcribed Guru Rin
poche's private inner teachings. While deep in meditation, he
understood the arising and vanishing of thoughts in the sky-like
expanse of mind, and his awareness extended beyond space and
time to the realm of no-thought. In this lucidity of Mind-itself,
he traveled throughout space to the realm of the c;lakinis and
received the eloquent ciphers appropriate to the recording of the
terIna. Following Padmasambhava's directions, he concealed
many of these oral teachings in various secret places such as rocks,
'deep pools, caves and the sky. He was known and respected for his
clear, exact expression. He released himself from all worldly
entanglements and resided for a time in the forested mountain
sides with Sogpo Hapal. One day, he flew up into the sky and
disappeared.
564
dogs.
566
568
570
572
574
576
578
<.!ita, Kichung was born into the clan ofBrog and learned Sanskrit
without efo
f rt at an early age. Padmasambhava instructed
him in many esoteric Tantric teachings, and through his practice
he became widely known as an all-encompassing master of the
Mantrayana. He immediately comprehended that which is be
yond the domain of discursive thought, and, like the sky, freed
himself from all limitations through unclouded devotion and
faith. By means of finger gestures he was able to attract and catch
flying birds and reach them the transient nature of all phenom
ena. He lived, as a layman, in the warm fertile valleys of eastern
Tibet.
580
582
584
586
PLATE 56 Palgyi Dorje was born near Lhasa, but moved to the
eastern frontiers where he served to protect the border of China
and Tibet. Soon he was overcome by sadness at the imperma
nence of all existence and, hearing about the great Buddhist
teachers at Samye, set out with his two brothers for central Tibet.
There he studied with Vimalamitra and was initiated by Pad
in Lhasa and found the King attending a ritual dance. Joining the
let fly the fatal arrow and fled, washing offhis horse in the nearby
S88
590
592
C A N T O 89
THE TEACHING OF
THE IMPERMANENCE OF ALL
COMPOUNDED THINGS
604
C A N T O 90
Ii
."
605
608
609
C A N T O 91
11<
.
ow, the Master and the monarch, being of the same mind,
looked with sadness at the eighteen returns to life,
the best and the longest, as well as the worst and the shortest.
..
But the terma treasures of the five times five perfections are rich,
and the base and root of the treasures is wide.
Treasure of the ancestors, treasure of the descendents, treasure of the
masters, and arch-treasure;
each one of these four include eighteen times eighteen treasures,
and each one of the eighteen reveals five times five perfections.
Sealed treasures! Sealed hiding places! Sealed Secrets!
Profound sealed shelters of the treasures! Sealed stability! Fivd
Sealed treasures! Their revealers are perfect;
nine endowed with many great gifts.
They are high by caste, born lords of royal family;
high by body, well-provided with beauties and signs;
high by their faculties, having learned all they need to know;
high through hearing, possessing Texts and Formulas in entirety;
610
At the minor Tiger of Char he hid a small treasure and a wild treasure.
In the Mottled God Who Rises, he hid the profound treasure of the
transcendent meaning.
In Char, Dag, and Kongpo, the Master hid a treasure of reflection.
At Lor Nyal, among the Mons of the south, the Master hid a secret
treasure.
In the holy place of Tsari he hid the secret treasure, mother and son.
In the Cave of the Blacksmith of olka he hid four sections of the
female treasure.
At Onpu, in the Tiger's Lair, he hid the ocean of the Two Doctrines.
On the rocks of the Trained Rooster's Crest
Lhasang and Luipel hid a pair of men's garments,
with a hundred copper utensils, iron tools, and pieces of kitchen ware.
On the mountain of the Shield and in the interior of the cave The
Great Commiseration,
they hid many an admirable treasure, the treasure of the Dharma.
At Lomo, the younger hid a treasure of admirable extent.
At the Dragon Yair of Yarlung, in the stupa with five arrows,
he hid many a combination of profound treasure and of material
treasure.
On the rock mount of the monastery of Gontang
he hid an admirable treasure, a treasure of the Dharma, and many
sacred objects.
At the mountain against which the monastery of Pangtang has its
back
he hid the Tantric theme of the qualities which appeared from
Kuvera.
At the mountainous spur of the Mother and the Son he hid a secret
treasure.
In the rock y mount of the Tsantang Temple with the Turquoises
he hid five great treasures and nine small ones.
In the Himalayan castle at Gonpogdong were hidden
five spiritual treasures, an admirable treasure, and a turquoise coat of
mail which frees from poverty.
616
6 1 8
'
K
and in this Tibet the Holy Dharma will be split into three systems,
but the two treasures of precepts will guard the Doctrine of the
Buddha.
Warned by these signs not to fail and to bring to light
the treasure hidden in the limits of the black tents of Tsang,
a Revealer will appear, the Bonpo Aya Lhabum.
Now he will not endure, and after his nirvana,
in the provinces of dbUs, Tsang, and Khams, a law offive poisons will
culminate;
a heretical chief will annihilate the Doctrine by his methods
and will attach a cord to his feet, passing himselfoff as a sacred servant.
Warned by these signs not to fail and to bring to light
the treasure hidden at Bumtang of the Himalayan Steppes,
a Revealer will appear, Khyungpo PaIge.
Now he will not endure, and after his nirvana,
in all the monasteries of Tibet the needle of quarrels will prick.
At the Red Mountain of Lhasa a temple will arise;
the lake ofNgang Nyur will dry up, sand will overcome the
pralne.
Warned by these signs not to fail and to bring to light
the treasure hidden at Gegyas, at the Haspo mountain,
a Revealer will appear, the Man ofSha, Dorje Gyalpo.
Now he will not endure, and after his nirvana
one who will say that he is my incarnation will reveal false treasure.
To the presence of those of broken vows, riff-raff will throng.
Scoundrels will express irrelevant teachings,
disturbers of the Doctrine of the treasure, they will multiply the
robbers of Doctrine.
Heresies will spread out like herds of goats
and the so-called Padmasambhava will be a desperate person.
Warned by these signs not to fail and to bring to light
622
but his people will be divided and the soldiers will fight eaeh other in
their quarters.
Warned by these signs not to fail and to bring to light
the treasure hidden at Drompargyang,
a Revealer will appear, Ponsay Khyungtog.
Now he will not endure, and after his nirvana
even those who have not gone to India will be called lotsawa,
and the honorable scholars of Tibet will be deported to the frontiers.
A Tartar Priest will install a new regulation,
white on the outside, black on the inside, like a conch shell or a grain.
And the merits of Tibet will fall to a minimum.
Warned by these signs not to fail and to bring to light
the hidden treasure at theCrystalCave of Padma,
a Revealer will appear, Ramo Shelmen.
Now he will not endure, and after his nirvana
a Tartar army, forming itself at Natag, will enter Tibet.
They will be like animals, and no scourge will be comparable.
Many protectors of life will act as murderers.
And when the living are buried under ground,
warned by these signs not to fail and to bring to light
the treasure hidden at the River Khar, in the place called Ladder of
Heaven,
a Revealer will appear,Chokyi Wangchug.
Now he will not endure, and after his nirvana
at the Fort of theCrows a troop will beat the drum of the law
and will enroll the lazy ones to harvest the gold of hay.
Warned by these signs not to fail and to bring to light
the treasure hidden at the rock ofZang-yag,
a Revealer will appear,Jotse the Guru.
Now he will not endure, and after his nirvana
horses and female yaks will be watered in the temples.
624
and keeping a family secretly, will multiply like dogs and pigs.
Upholding the armed struggle and the inner wrong, they will be
pOlson.
Warned by these signs not to fail and to bring to light
the treasure hidden in the Golden Temple, in the central park,
the anchorite of Gra, Chokyi Dorje, will appear.
Now he will not endure, and after his nirvana
men will argue heterodoxically about the Doctrine which conforms
to the precepts of the Buddha.
And treating the Great Perfection like dirt, they will believe in a false
religion.
Pseudo-remedies will be offered, mixtures which will be called lunar.
A Tibetan chronology, an apocryphal cycle of sixty called Seldron,
in disagreement with all the chain of calculations, will be circulated.
Treasures of the texts, not at all complete, will be designated,
and many deceptive Doctrines will pass for scriptures of revelation.
Warned by these signs not to fail and to bring to light
the treasure hidden at Oyug of the Yaks,
a Revealer will appear, Yak Char Ngon.
Now he will not endure, and after his nirvana
in all of Tibet the sacred rites will be laughed at;
the laity, the men of the world, will take up the language of the
Dharma.
People will say, that between a black goat and a black begging bag,
there is no difference
and when coolness is applied to the sickness of IlIlIg,
they will say it is the genies.
The demon of sickness will stand over the pillow of the sick.
Each one will have an astrological register in hand.
The stupid mob will reject, again and again, the learned from its list.
Warned by these signs not to fail and to bring to light
the treasure hidden at Pagro, in the Himalayan foothills,
a Revealer will appear, the Siddha Kharnag.
626
and a crafty incarnated demon will have a wide and long ascendancy.
Warned by these signs not to fail and to bring to light
the treasure existing at Trintang at the Koro rock,
a Revealer will appear, Rinchen Lingpa.
Now he will not endure, and after his nirvana
from the depth of Yarlung a conqueror will stand out, produced by
karma;
pigs will till the soil; the Tartars will eat Khams and dbUs,
and a hundred and eight fortifications will rise up together.
Warned by these signs not to fail and to bring to light
the treasure hidden in the cave of Crystal Rock,
a Revealer will appear, Urgyen Lingpa.
Now he will not endure, and after his nirvana
the foreign horde boring in at the center will fight swine and female
ya ks,
and dbus and Tsang will be dismembered; they will seek the herds of
swme.
Warned by these signs not to fail and to bring to light
the treasure hidden in the Deep Valley, in the Tiger's Lair,
a Revealer will appear, Dorje Drolod.
Now he will not endure, and after his nirvana
the earth will be brown with Tartars; they will throw themselves
upon all the strongholds of the central country,
and skulls will be dragged by dogs from beneath the stiipas.
Warned by these signs not to fail and to bring to light
the treasure hidden at Chimpu, in Samye Monastery,
a Revealer will appear, Drimay Odzer.
Now he will not endure, and after his nirvana
uninvited foreigners will be like thorns among one's loved ones.
With a cataclysm, an incarnation of Mara will come.
628
632
C A N T O 93
ow Padmasambhava ofU44iyana
uttered at the appropriate moment a testament of friendly
.
.
admol11tIon
to the fmders of treasures with deeds which had been blessed:
m
j
..
>
If you can keep your oath no matter who gives you trouble,
that is enough.
Hypocrisy and restlessness give no light;
not only just words are used in expressing respect.
Express your prayers to me from Uiyana with your whole heart!
And, whatever disguise the obstacle demons take,
protect yourself and keep your oath in readiness!
Do not spread your views around like the Revealers of the Treasure;
if theory and practice are unskilled, obstacles to the Dharma will arise.
Make careful preparation, your gear in readiness.
T rust in the Guru, for through him is the lineage.
After three years he can give the teaching.
If you do not apply yourself to the Dharma, others will not be bound.
Plant this well in your mind! This is my heartfelt advice.
If you do not yourself practice the Teachings, innumerable others
will not believe!
Practice your whole lifetime; wrap yourself in the Dharma!
Obtaining this Doctrine of the treasue is
like taking a gem from the head of an asp.
Whoever is clever receives the gem and rejoices;
those who are not clever, die by its poison.
You can get wealth or death, either one.
Once you are able to ward off danger, that is the precious treasure of
the earth;
live in isolation, and subjugate yourself.
Let your action be the writing of books, your treasures ink and paper;
when you find the Buddha within you, others will supply your needs.
All will respect you-even the gods will make you offerings;
when you attain perfect thought, you will hold the lineage of the
Buddha.
When you respect the head of the Three Jewels, you can enter at the
foot of the Doctrine,
you will have innumerable disciples,
636
638
CANTO 94
3[
I will bring it to pass that it be one and the same with the Texts,
Formulas, and Precepts.
They will revile me and will say that my teachings are false;
false ones they will say are true.
They will not know that the ones dressed in skins are sinful;
they will not accept that they are full of secret evils,
and in this way the Doctrine of the demon will grow.
There will be many false biographies of me,
and dwarfPadmas will come to Samye Monastery
and will say that the Great One has not appeared at all.
They will give as the Doctrine of the great Padma, this very one of
mme.
From this false lineage, they will confuse men,
and they will also say that there are two or three holy Nagarjunas.
But by those gifted with calm, gentleness, and wisdom,
many apocryphal writings will be disclosed."
Of the History, Illlabridged, of the Lilies
of the Gllm of Uddiyiilla, Padlllasalllbhalla,
this is the Ilillcty-follrth camo,
The Descriptioll alld Qllal!ficatiollS of the Rellealers of thc TrcaslIrcs
Scaled Oaths
643
CANTO 95
1I
"
644
646
CANTO 96
647
Demonic maladies will rage-plague and the disease of the nagas and
genies of the earth.
The women, their feminine bodies hot with fever, will be carried
away alive by the goblins.
Lightning, disasters, famine and war will come to pass.
But an incarnation of Pad rna will come from the east.
Famine will come upon the men who live thirty years.
Impartial actions will be of the past, the good will adulate the wicked.
Dissension will come from within, nagas, demons, bhutas, and
gnomes will proliferate.
Like genies, the Te'urang will harm the children.
Laws abolished, the country will go astray; earth and heaven will go
wrong.
But an incarnation ofPadma will appear from the southwest borders.
For those who live twenty years the Unhealthy Age will come to pass.
Men and gods will hide themselves in the sands where women will
come to them.
For a year rain will be lacking and there will be no reserve
famine will be prolonged nine times nine months.
There will be illnesses, deadly evils, plagues, cancers, angina, and
painful colics.
Like grahas, the four sorts of erroneous sacrileges will be propagated.
The sun being darkened by a planet, its path will no longer be seen.
Like genies, the ills of night, fainting, and madness will be rampant.
But an incarnation ofPadma will come from the north.
At the time when people live for ten years, the Age of Weapons will
appear.
Up to the limits of the Impure Age this will be a terrible time:
The sons who reach ten years will make their vows
and the daughters at five years will be given in marriage.
The measure of the body will be the span and the width of the fist.
Oleander and millet, which have become the best foods, will be eaten.
Not one goat, sheep, or yak will be seen.
People will dress in buckram, which has become the best clothing;
649
Roused to anger, those from high stations as well as those from low,
all will lose control of their mouths and hands,
and will draw swords from their belts.
The five hundred priestly persons of rank will strike and kill each
other.
They will use knives; blood will be spilled, and they will go to prison.
When the king, saddened, withdraws into his lodgings,
ministers of the exterior, ministers of the interior, and wise men
will dress in the skins of red cows and red bulls.
In the cold, with covered heads, they will take up the sticks of beggars.
And the king's glance will wander over the oppressed land.
For Queens, ministers, and others-there is indeed only one master;
but the land is full of oblators and masters of ceremony.
In the ravines with porches of rock, those who have left their
positions make the great meditation;
and places are not lacking in which to contain the mountain
hermitages.
This view will appease the king's sorrow.
But in his view they will be revealed under a double aspect:
those dressed as red bulls he will see as respectable, and the rites of
Shakya as hypocrisies.
The sap of the earth will escape; madder and tinctorial water-plants
will rot;
it will no longer be possible to change the color of clothes.
There will no longer be shaved heads, renunciation, ordination,
abbots, or masters.
From all the books, the letters will be lostthe most ancient by erasure, the most recent by mutilation.
Hearing and commentary of the Dharma will fade away like fog.
Meditation and Achievement will be like the morning star.
Without exception, all will devote themselves to the ten
non -vi rtues.
In the second place the Age of Epidemies will come.
65 1
In the anguish of their hunger people will kill their sons in order
to eat them,
and in order to eat them, the lords will carry away the poor.
Odor-bearing plants will be eaten, from the woods, from the earth,
and from the ocks.
The bloodshed with weapons will last seven years,
the killing by diseases, seven months and seven days,
the murderous famines, seven years and seven months.
The survivors, one by one, will cower
on islands in the rivers, in the heart of the mountains, in the hollows
of trees.
For seven days they will be nourished by waterthen they will come back into the towns and the districts.
Seeing each other, they will stretch out to each other in sympathy.
Marveling to themselves, they will say: 'I see a living person and not
a dead one.'
In great joy they will kiss each other on the mouth and will put their
arms around each other's necks.
And it is then that Maitreya the Conqueror will be incarnated.
He will appear in his full height of two hundred cubits.
At such a marvel, people will make inquiries and he will say these
words:
'I have adopted the ten virtues and cast off the ten non-virtues.
I do not know desire which buzzes like a bee.
Hate is like the hot tempered lion,
ignorance is like the snuffling of a dog.
Giving up all three of these-this is how the Doctrine grows.'
And he will make many minds apply themselves to virtue."
Of the History, IIl1ahridged, of the Lilies
of the GlIm of Uddiyiilla, Padlllasa lllhhalla,
this is the lIillety-sixth WlltO,
HOII' the Teachillg of the BlIddha Will Groll' alld Dcclillc
Sealed Oaths
653
11-
654
The king was no longer protected; his state was complicated by fever
and, at age fifty-nine, in the year of the dragon, he died.
The affair remained secret, and the Guru held the government for
fourteen years.
But after the secret was discovered in the tiger year when the
king would have been sixty-nine,
Mune Tsanpo was raised to the throne.
But having rebuked the queen Tsepongza, he perished by poisoning.
Then Mutig Tsanpo was raised to the throne.
From among the glorious queens, he took the third as his consort,
and guarded the government by the Dharma.
He maintained the usages and customs of all his ancestors;
thanks to the King of the Dharma, Trisong Detsen,
two-thirds of the inhabited land was under the royal sceptre.
Outstanding incidents established his merits, but brief was the time
of his life.
Now Padma of UMiyana was thinking of leaving
and Prince Mutig Tsanpo was inconsolablesince birth Padma had been his Guru.
Since he had been in his company for so long, he could not bear to be
parted from his Guru's compassion,
and he was uttering long sighs and weeping at intervals.
He took the Father's hand as they went by the monastery, and
implored him to stay.
The Guru led the prince, pure son of the gods, in his deep sorrow, to
the height of Mount Haspo;
then he set forth the Doctrine:
"On the earth there is no man born who is immortal.
Of beings who have come from a father, there is no one that death
spares.
All are born and die in their turn.
The development of this human body
brings many causes of ruin and few of sustenance655
then, with the support of the body and of the eyes, clearly,
the knowledge which discloses the Essence Plane, einbracing source
and derivatives.
Finally he taught the K/ollg-sde of the Great Perfection,
the sure initiation, the best gem of his heart.
The prince then said to the Guru,
"Such meaning has never been uttered,
by Buddhas of the past, present, or future,
and if it had been, it will not always be so.
Although I like all precepts,
I have not heard the name of the one in which such things are
revealed."
Now the Guru said to the lord,
"A Padmasambhava such as I will come to Tibet in three thousand
years.
When after the nirvana of the Sage
four thousand two hundred years will have passed,
toward the west of the Diamond Throne,
on the northwest borders of the land of U<J<Jiyana,
on the island of the Lake ofDhanakosa,
in a lotus ofImmaculate Brilliance
by spontaneous generation he will be born of the rainbow.
The marvelous child of marvels
will be found by a King Indrabhiiti,
who will adopt him and will turn over the kingdom to him.
But he will repudiate it and, in order to establish beings in happiness,
he will practice mortifications from which he will then turn away.
After five years at the royal palace,
he will go in the same manner to Chilly Grove
and will practice the Dharma for ten years.
On the plains of India and China, in the lands of U44iyana and
Zahor,
in Magadha and among the Tirthika, in Kashmir and in Sirphala,
657
two months at the cave ofChumo, and two months at T ramo Darlha.
And he will have his seat one year at Shaug Tago,
one year on the rock of the Great Castle,
one year on the rock of Chal,
and one year at the glacier of the Mountain of the Gods.
And he will have his seat three months at Gyupuja Lhun,
three months at the cave of Monsgom,
three months at Onpu, at the Tiger's Lair,
two months at the Steep Mountain,
and one year at the cave of Dvags Jong.
And he will have his seat three days at the Minor Tiger of Char,
five days in the ravine of the Bear's Cave,
seven days in the ravine of the Tiger's Lair,
nine days in the ravine of the Leopard's Lair,
and six days in the ravine of the Wolfs Den.
And he will have his seat four months at the Cave of the Qakinis,
four months at the rock of Lhartse, one month at Rongpoi Ja,
one month in the valley of the Lion's Mane of Chim,
one half month in the valley of the Little Mound,
one month and a half at Fine Feast,
and three months at Tradrug of Lhasa.
Thus he will completely fmish the conversion of Tibet.
The Teaching of the past Buddhas has done the ploughing;
and now that Texts and Formulas are spread in Tibet
and the Doctrine has been forecast about the hidden treasures of the
future,
having already shown great goodness to Tibet, Padma does not
retire at all.
But very near to Jambudvipa, at Kayyuwa,
are the five great territories of the rakasas, which are near to
Uqqiyana.
At the center is the Glorious Copper Mount,
surrounded by five hundred towns of ogres.
To the east there is Lal)kapuri,
659
660
CANTO 98
!Ie
" Lord who dissipates ignorance and its shadows by the brilliant torch
of knowledge,
66 1
who cuts short the net of miscomprehension with the sword of high
wisdom,
who triumphs over hostile emotions thanks to the host of orthodox
VIews,
who saves from the river of transmigrations by the ship of great
mercy,
who pacifies the obstacles to good by means of the mastery of the
Secret Formulas,
who is a refuge to all the living
in the four ways of acquiring merits,
who holds the true meaning of archknowledge in whatever is said
and in whatever is revealed,
whose generous favor gives joy in all the counsels which the people
seek,
who has the appearance of the Lion of the Shakyas, Shakya Senge,
you are the Lord of the Doctrine, the equal of whom cannot be
encountered in the three worlds!
Where you have not given precepts, never is there a hopeful glance.
Remain, I beg of thee, as long as I livc!"
But when, not daring to put off too long the subjugation of the ogres,
the prince asked the Guru to stay at least one year more, the Guru
replied:
"Even if! delay a year, the separation will come; I cannot help it."
To which the prince, his eyes filled with tears
and his breath caught in his throat,
by the fervor which was oppressing him and the force of his affiiction,
fainted.
He was thinking, "If the Guru leaves, the refuge is lost;
662
From these three, the merits of all Tibet will appear again,
and the Teaching will be established by the colleges of meditation and
by the colleges of commentary.
When a rich man without a child conceals his treasures,
it is said that the poor are replete with wealth.
When you reach seventy years,
arply yourself assiduously to religion.
Take permanent support from the 9akinls, Guardians of the
Dharma, and always set out a round oblation!
Follow the classifications for exterior and interior conduct,
and stay in agreement with the most modest!
Using what you realize in solitude, establish and increase your
concentration!
Untie by the mudra of deeds the tied knot of causes!
Raise with the mind the joy of the body!
When you are tired of the noise of the world,
when 'you vacillate, establish yourself on the Essence Plane!
When the misfortune of a bad cycle presses you, recognize that it is
only a dream!
Delighting yourself in concentration, although it may be increasing
or declining,
treat all things on the level of the indifference of the dead!
Carefully examining the good and the bad, come what may from
both of them,
carry everything which appears, to the path of the Essence Body!
If you are unaware of confidence, you will fall, whether you be god
or demon.
But if you continually aspire after the Buddha, you will find him in
spite of your faults.
Without taking pride in noble thoughts, or comparing yourself with
others,
do not ask counsel on what you will have decided yourself!
Perfecting in one single life a Buddha of benediction,
664
though you do not pursue the vast study of numerous Siitras and
Tantras,
withdraw yourself into deep concentration!
There is no other Teaching for doing good. Hide all books like
treasures!
Fear the lack of an oath like the triple damnation
and above all else beware of the five poisons!"
Of the History, IlIIabrid,f?ed, of the Lilies
of the Gum of U#iyiil/a, Padlllasalllbhalla,
this is the I/il/ety-eighth WlltO,
The TestalllCllt Set Forth at the Tillie of the Requestfor Delay
by the Pril/ce Mlltig Tsal/po
Sealed Oaths
665
CANTO 99
Jf!'
" HUM.
'"
with her left hand she was holding a death's head adorned with
tresses and shells,
and with her right hand an iron dagger; on her head were several silks,
and she was wearing a tunic of human skins.
Then, in the sight of all, doing the ritual tour of the mandala,
the gods of high glory, in a crowd, revealed their faces.
Each one blew out a noise, a groaning, a buzzing.
Some people were fainting, others were wrinkling their brows.
And they exalted the Guru with this song of grandeur:
"
HUM:
C A N T O 1 00
11."
"
670
whoever does not have the meaning will obtain it ifhe invokes me;
he will be in the spirit of knowlcdge and outside the sins of the wheel.
For one who, although overflowing with riches, will not have
made ceremonies or offerings of homage,
the joys of the world, whatever they may be, will no longer increase.
r will answer all those who bring me their prayers.
Let them invoke me, and from me, Padma, will come the necessary
along with whatever they desire."
Of the History, IlIIaf,ridJ:cd, of thc Lilies
of the Glint of UdQiyiilla, Padlllasalllblwlla,
this is the olle IlIlIIdredth WlltO,
Which Shollls the Relllard of the Prayers Addressed to the IlIIa,!?e
Scaled Oaths
676
CANTO 10 1
n
)ffering the flower of the blissful body,
" L 1 Padma meditating the inseparability of Blissfulness and
"
VOIdness
oh thou, Goddess provider ofjoy which is tranquil and
unwavenng,
one's own body, which is without self-nature, clearly manifests both
Padma and consort.
Whoever senses the wretchedness of misfortune's cycle,
instructed by this experience, sets out in quest of happiness;
on the path it is clear that one obtains the fruit
which comes forth from all the qualities of the Secret Formulas.
Whoever patiently serves his antagonist
still cannot perfect knowledge and merit to the very limits of
the purpose of self and other,
for the mind which is disturbed scatters the seeds of transmigratory
existence.
But whoever abjures the activity of falseness
to him is radiant joy and resounding fame.
In maturity he takes up the psychic warmth, but immature, he is
consumed by the heat.
He who is fim1 and unflagging will remain resourceful to the last;
clearly virtue is intact in the Void.
677
and as they pass from misery, it will be granted that they will return
no more.
Sovereign remedy against poison's afflictions,
eternal Buddha, creative force within the radiant space of great bliss,
a torch he is, beacon that disperses the night of unknowing;
he grants the vision of beauty that constitutes the harmony of the
Two Doctrines.
Lion's voice by which disputes are arbitrated,
great groundswell, warrior leader seizing the initiative,
gloriously he reveals to all the sun and moon of his visage,
reveals the words of truth devoid of any particular nature.
Since all eternity pure spirit, bright as the glint of moon on water,
he grants, to the accomplished, virtue that knows no fear.
Radiant lamp that rises above the shadowy earth,
totality of one hundred and ten concentrations, ecstasy completely
matched by love,
unblemished heart embracing everything-just as it embraces the
sphere of heavensun and moon of the knowledge of the sage, dazzling effulgence,
to each one clad in human form he grants no less excellent a field.
He holds the lineage of the Secret Formulas, of Bliss and of the Void.
Just as with the ocean and the regions of heaven,
his depths arc difficult to scrutinize; the measure of the man cannot
be appraised.
Blessed be the good vessel that distributes upright deeds!
By listening to him and imitating his virtues,
one gains access, upon purification, to the treasure ofpure Attainment.
In the Supremely Noble One is vested great virtue.
Of the History, 1I1whridged, of the LiFes
of the Gllru of U#iY(lII a, PadlllasalllhhaFa,
this is the ol/e Ill/lldred al/d first cal/to,
The Blissflll COl/telllplatiol/ of the Void hy Those Who Follow
Sealed Oaths
679
-
T
680
Like a man whose mouth has been closed, create with set purpose the
quiet around you.
Do not indiscriminately place your trust in those of human lineage!
Giving the slip to feather-brained folk who are of no concern of
yours, sit on the ground!
From those ready to make great sacrifices but who are disobedient,
ill deeds will come.
Like a mass of rock, load down your mouth and make it weighty!
And even though in one hundred and twenty-one of your lifetimes
you have not learned the Dharma, you assuredly will be a Buddha."
On hearing this praise of the precepts and this prediction,
Prince Lhaje wept bitterly and fell in a faint.
After a time he came to himself and did obeisance.
"The whole misery of the cycle we are passing throughexert your mercy and cut it off, utilizing this existence of mine!"
Then together with his father and his mother he bowed low.
But from Guru Padma came these words,
'
"How can you hope to entertain the thought of Enlightenment
hell, miserable and useless, is most strangehell is the lama of all the Buddhas.
Sakyamuni, master of the Doctrine, showed how
one needs five hundred pure lives and five hundred impure lives.
And Avalokitesvara, Hero of the Awakening,
having generated the mind of Enlightenment until the empty
intervals,
was so overwhelmed by the Enlightenment Mind that his head
splintered into one thousand fragments
from which Amitabha fashioned anew eleven faces.
Intent on their labors, the Heroes of the Awakening and the Buddhas
abandon the calm and felicity of their abodes
and practice austerities for the benefit of all beings.
Ponder the previous lives of the Silent One, the History of
Padmasambhava!
684
Do you not trust that they show compassion for living beings?
That you seek faith, suffer misery.
In the ten trillion regions of this world of vicissitudes, that is the best
Attainment.
Y cs, yes! Knowledge is the best victorious Attainment.
In entire concord, beings bring their thoughts to fruition.
Out of countless lives proceeds the perfect manifested state of Buddha,
and in this time splendid recompense awaits these beings.
I of Uqqiyana predict that these beings, born sons of men, will then
return no more.
Since for this region the narratives of previous lives are many,
an outline is thereby given of the manner of incarnation in Tibet.
The body of the prince is such a great benefaction
that by his five senses, by his fluids, by his flesh, blood, and bones,
he will nourish whatever can exist, even the heart of a louse.
Ifhe should nourish the rustic, the Attainment of man appears.
Ifhe should nourish the poor man, the Attainment of provender and
riches appears.
Ifhe should nourish the dead man, the Attainment oflife appears.
Ifhe should nourish the believer, the Attainment of the Dharma
appears.
Though these virtues beyond a doubt are many,
heretics see in this virtue a cause of grievance.
But they themselves, if a single act of clinging be deferred,
will be purified of their faults, will undertake the tasks of the Dharma
and, by this very fact, in thirteen lives will have the best Attainment.
Through sight, hearing, memory, and touch, they will know the
meanmg;
but by depending on merely a sesame seed of defilement,
they will certainly go to lower states.
Even when the wise, born in high states, destroy merely the smallest
virtue, the seed will sprout,
illnesses will come forth like the hindrance of the seer's epileptic
selzures685
ills caused by the grahas, the vighnas, the bhiitas, and the ravages
of the genies.
If the body of the prince should serve as nourishment for the author
of one of the five great crimes,
behold him raised to the level of the Knowledge Vehicles.
As for those who, in accord with their karma, are reborn in an
animal's body,
the ruler of the country being well-disposed, they will not be beaten.
All this is the merest outline of your many virtues.
of veritable knowledge the best Attainment is you yourself, royal
one!
In the time when life will last only fifteen years,
hide your very body as a treasure!
And when the time has come for it to appear on earth,
there will also appear beings weak in merit:
men plunged in sin, bu tchers,
beings having the inferior female birth,
and beings, though they be devoid of merit, who have a human body.
And the creatures that dwell in the waters,
and the birds that traverse the sky,
their sins expunged, will obtain a pure human body
and one will behold eloquence, zeal, learning, and faith.
But in this very hour of conversion on the part of flesh with seven
births,
fifteen hundred teachings of the Buddha will be obscured
and, with no alteration in the time, there will be no studying on earth.
Furthermore, royal authority having been undermined, the law of
Tibet will be widely infringed.
With forces joined at Silunilu, a battle will be fought.
Above all, there will be a ready recourse to sins and to the five
pOlsonsall will take up anns, and the period of conflict will stretch out.
The bearers of signs will approach the Doctrine's head.
In their unrestraint, abbots will break their vows,
686
The law of the gods will be set aside, evil will be done with ingenuity;
wars, plagues, and famines will appear together.
By direct order, lovely betrothed girls
will be taken and exhibited from eve to morning, attracting hosts of
spectators.
When people's minds are staggered, revolution will break out.
Body and soul alike will grow weary of evil deeds.
Temples and monasteries will be dismantled to protect the strong.
Union will be forced upon dissenting castes.
No one will offer resistance, for who would not escape suffering?
As for the conduct of those possessed of knowledge-ah!
The treasures being revered, many Scriptures will appear.
At that time, the flesh with seven births, having become provender,
will be nectar assuaging the ills of the three poisons."
Thus excellently did he speak.
And the Sovereign rejoiced, as did the Prince and his nwther.
Of the History, IlIIa bri\?ed, (r the L iFes
of the GllrtI r U#iyiilw, PadllwsambhaFa,
this is thc OIlC 11IIIIdred alld sccolld WlltO,
Which Shows, Throllgh thc Prcdictioll COllccmillg L/w;c,
thc Blcssill,\? That Comcsfrom Flcsh with SCFCII Births
Scaled Oaths
687
C A N T O 103
688
Not other than the Holy Dharma is the lineage of leading others.
Think of others in solitude whom no one aids!
Do not be loud and boastful . . . rather, depend on solitude.
Having renounced relatives, friends, achievement, food, clothing,
external, internal, and intermediate contingencies,
with nothing of your own left to you, depend on only what is
necessary.
Like the leper, take and reflect on the humblest share.
Since one cannot rely upon all the laws,
in the same way as one is deceived by a faithless friend,
until death comes, do without whatever is unnecessary!
And since absolutely nothing useless will arise,
the endless wandering of the mind will be conquered.
Even unto poverty, misery and death, contemplate the Great
Perfection.
Do not fail to call on me! Do not despair!"
Of the History, lI,ta hricd, 4 the Lil'es
of the Gl/TI/ of Uqqiyalla, Padmasalllhhal'a,
this is the o'le h,l IIdred alld third WlltO,
The Adl'ice GiFel! the Three Fortllllate Womell Brore the Departllre
Sealed Oaths
69 1
CANTO 104
Dr
.", . .. ow
The Guru, in deep meditation, did not noticebut as he regained his senses, he caused by means of his concentration
the young gaynyen to break his way through the crowd,
and to appear before him, a crystal rosary in his hand.
The Guru said, "You who resemble one of the tribe of yakas
and show yourself as a gaynyen, of whom are you the son?"
He replied, "I am son of a daemon.
Can you make a covenant with the son of a daemon?"
And the Guru said, "If! can make a covenant,
can you defend the Doctrine of the Buddha?"
To that Pekar replied, "If henceforth in all of Tibet
the stupas and temples are entrusted to me,
I can defend the Doctrine. If they are not entrusted to me, I will do
great harm,
and when I wish to harm, the oath will be void and violated ."
The Guru Padmasambhava entrusted to him , body, speech, and
mind,
the temples and the stupas which posterity would erect,
and the gaynyen promised to defend the Doctrine.
Then the Guru made a hund red and eight terrible incantations.
"If you violate the oath, how will it be?
And if you harm and overturn, how will it be?" he asked.
The great gaynyen replied,
"When I harm it will be in three ways.
I will harm the wives and the sons of the yogis.
I will harm their fields, their houses, their animals and all their
possessions.
I will harm their kin, their households, and their donors.
When I harm the wives of the yogis,
I will make them convulsed, crazy, and demented.
They will secretly be adulteresses with the enemy;
693
transformed into enemies, they will start for the enemy country,
but their craving for the enemy done, they will send the enemy off.
Then pouring out their inner feelings, divulging their secret counsels,
they will shamelessly urge that the enemy be cut into pieces.
Having said, 'They are gods!' they will fall to saying, 'They are
demons!'
Their hearts will suffer; weeping and desirous,
they will beat their breasts, struggling, eager to kill themselves;
that is how harm will come to the wives.
When I harm the sons, they will no longer be fed.
I f they are, they will fall down in faints, demented.
Confused, they will flee to other places,
and many will die. This will be the harm to the sons.
And it will be the same thing for the fields, the houses, and the
possesslOns.
The fields will be lost to men for the leaves will not grow.
Insects will appear in the spring; in the autumn, hail.
The houses will collapse, ruined and with holes in them.
The animals will be stolen or carried away by wild beasts.
At the same time the beasts with both round hoofs and split hoofs
will perish.
When one can no longer provide food, this will be my harm.
And if! harm the kin and their household,
relatives will be internally divided.
The strongest will die; the weakest will remain.
The donors will struggle among themselves; the household will deal
a blow to its own heart.
From that time on, there will be the guilty, and therefore evil
retributions, disasters,
groanings, and evil words spoken rashly, wars and assassinations.
And when I transgress, it will be in three ways.
I will break the concentration in which one contemplates the tutelary
deities.
694
Magical creations of the king will arise, with all sorts of terrors.
However many Formulas are pronounced, their effective strength
will not reach the enemy,
and to the reciters themselves, sudden evils and persecutions will
conle.
The power of speech will fail, benedictions will fail, and I will break
the Formulas.
I will break the stays, the foundation of the evocatory rite;
when I break the outer supports, many of the kin will die,
when I break the inner supports, the sons will be infected
with disease,
when I break the secret supports, all sorts of outrages will
come forth.
I manifest in various worlds, without my coming from here or from
anywhere.
,
The newborn sons will die, receptacles will be prepared for their dead
bodies.
Brothers will mourn as widowers of their sisters . . . ill-omened
mournmg.
Sick people and the mothers of stillborn babes will treat themselves.
Wherever benediction succeeds, Pekar will harass it.
And then, the soil being ruined, I will raise the sea.
Demonic, spell-casting priests will be the clergy of the people.
Evil spirits will come to haunt the sanctuaries of evocation.
I, master of the temples, the stupas, and the Scriptures,
will possess the bodies of the virgins.
To do harm, I will split all asunder.
IfI keep the covenant 1 will protect the heart
ifl break it I will take out the heart.
But in spite of the injuries, the transgressions and the ravishings,
the exact integral History of the Lives of the Guru,
related by the one who, day or night, is on guard, will resound to
cease no more."
Thus he spoke, and giving the heart of his life, was compelled by oath.
Then the Venerable One, having taken the mystic attitudes,
and having shown how the earth could be filled with extreme misery
and death,
to guard from this, made a great number
of amulets, little white cords, magic poles, and other things which
subdue,
outer, inner, secret, and other kinds.
Then the enemy of the Doctrine shared food with him.
Now as the Guru was stopping on the road to Samye Monastery,
to meditate on the banks of the Brahmaputra,
the great Violet Shining Seer
appeared in the guise of a young magician
leading a roan horse from which he had just dismounted.
698
when he strikes magic objects, the latter do not react, for they are
powerless.
As your work, choose the propitiation of the magic force! As your
servants, take the genies!
As your possessions, collect the sacred apparatus! Use the weapons
given by the nagas to strike!
Let your sexual nature be overcome by the Dharma!
Take as your sustenance the food of the enemy, as clothing the
evocation chapel!
Have as your friends the akinls, the sworn guardians of religion!
And provided with the magic force of Dharma, do good to all beings!"
Of the History, IIlIahril?ed, of the Lilies
of the Gllru of UdQiyii l/a, Pad,,/asalllhhalla,
this is the olle hUlldred alldfOll rth (a II to,
The Qllestiollillcl? abollt the OjJerzses of
the Master of Life, Those of the Plallets, alld the Niigas
Sealed Oaths
703
reI"' f.
707
CANTO 1 06
D
P
708
the short javelin, the hatchet, the axe, and the saw which rips.
In the hell offull-life the torments are five:
one is trampled, one is pressed, one is crushed,
one dies, and one lives and dies again and again.
And there are three punishments in the hell without-intermission:
flaying of the breasts, tearing by wild beasts,
and the burning of the heart and lungs with great fire.
In the north and at twenty series ofleagues from samjlva,
there are also eight cold hells:
the one of the phials, the one of the burst phials,
the one where the teeth chatter, the one where people cry 'Alas!'
the one where the throat rattles 'Achu!' the one where one is opened
like a blue water lily,
the one in which the cold cleaves one in half, and the one where the
cold splits one like a lotus.
These hells each encompass two hundred leagues.
I n the arbuda there are three torments:
the freezing, the phials, and the shock of the phials.
In tho nirarbuda there are four torments:
dismemberment, pus, wounds, and freezing.
In the hell where the teeth chatter the torments are five:
one cannot talk, it is the teeth which make themselves heard,
one is frozen, one is rigid, and the limbs shiver.
In the hell where one cries 'Alas!' there is a triple torment:
the body is frozen, the mind exhausted, and the speech is
lamentation.
In the hell where one rattles 'Achu!' the torment is double:
the body is emaciated and pus drops from the five sense organs.
In the hell where one is opened like a blue water lily, the torment is
quadruple:
the body bursts and splits into four parts.
In the hell where cold cleaves one in half, the torment is eightfold:
the body bursts and splits into eight parts.
7 10
In the hell where one breaks like a lotus, there are sixteen miseries:
the body bursts and breaks into sixteen parts.
Each day one dies again.
Some, being born a hundred days and a hundred nights,
experience for ages the misery of being born and of dying and the resl
At each interval of the eighteen neighboring infernal regions,
there is the hell where one feels the heat of desire
and the hell of the variegated cloud with the fire-wheel.
One sinks up to the knees in the pit of flame,
one sinks up to the haunches in the swamp ofliquid corruption.
On the road of razors, flesh and bones are mangled;
it rains swords, and there are iron trees with cutting leaves.
In the river of hot ashes without a ford,
burning flesh and bone rise and settle from the surface
to the bottom.
The yoni is filled with boiling bronze liquid;
the lingam, compressed between red irons.
These, in a general way, are the eight regions of hell.
"But there are sufferings seven times worse than these,
particularly in the special diamond gehenna.
At the southwest of the hell where the cold splits one like a lotus,
a burning iron soil covers a hundred leagues.
There are eight hot hells of immobile diamond,
seven times hotter than the eight hot hells,
at successive intervals of five thousand leagues.
At the southwest borders there are eight cold diamond hells,
seven times colder than the eight cold hells,
at successive intervals offour thousand leagues.
At the northwest borders, the duration of the sun and of the day
is sevenfold that which it is in the preceding hells,
and the intervals are three thousand leagues.
In the northeast there is the sampala hell,
7 1 1
Now that the gods taste the great fruition of their merits,
the titans become envious and fight.
The wheel damages the weapons, it tears and grieves to
death.
Aggressive are their words, with the shouts 'Strike! Kill!'
Although they do not die, they endure burning, drowning,
beheading, tearing out of the heart, and disembowelment.
Fighting day and night, they continuously engage in military works.
It is the immense, intolerable suffering of quarrel and of battle.
"The state of being man, although it is the happiest,
admits sufferings eight times more enormous.
First, when the father and mother are joined, the primary and
secondary cause,
the mixture of the germinal elements of each
neither disintegrates nor remains inert, but is endowed with strength
and grows.
Gradually swelling of the veins in the navel is produced
a triangular ox-eye, king of the maternal veinslike the time offormation for a tadpole.
The mother suffers in the stomach and in the eyelids;
she is like a foolish bee, drenched and melancholy,
trembling with tenderness, head heavy,
taken with nausea but purified below, voice halting, desirous of a
man's mind.
It takes nine months for the seven constituent parts of the body to be
completed.
When the mother is hungry, it is as if the embryo were in a chasm,
shivering and anguished in the currents which are always growing.
When she is satiated, it is as if the embryo were pressed against a rock.
In spite of the agitations, the body is being completed piece by piece.
At the time of the union of the father and mother, one would
say the embryo is like a square of boiling fire.
This heat being dissipated, the anxiety aims at redoing it.
716
When the mother moves, the embryo seems to be shaken by the wind,
oscillating above and below, turning, turning, all dazed.
When the mother sleeps, it feels as if it were pressed by a mountain,
miniscule as it is and in the mother's body.
When the mother has eaten, it feels as ifit were put under a lid.
In the jet darkness the senses and natural defects arise.
Terrified when the mother sits or gets up,
it thinks that its body is bent, that its heart is taken away, or that it is
turning and rolling down.
If the mother is badly nourished, it has only a mixed pile to sustain it.
It is naked, and so it sleeps, cold and miserable as if it were in hell.
When the first half of the tenth month is completed, the constituent
parts of the body are complete.
Now, with the head and feet in reverse, at the moment of birth,
because of the narrowness of the birth passage,
mother and son take a half step toward the land of the dead,
each with the great pain of fever.
The mother's birth passage, which is without bones, is forced
to the limit of bony resistance.
and it seems to her that her body is bursting into a thousand pieces.
The child is held back, strangling, and the skin is scraped.
Pushed toward the outside as much as can be done,
he is broken in body and mind, as if hammered by a heavy ram.
When he falls on the bed, it is as ifhe were rolled in a bundle of thorns.
Although he is dressed in a soft warm cloth,
it is no longer the soft, warm womb of his mother,
and scratches, discomfort, and pain come to him.
This treasure which the mother has received is like a small bird
carried away by the falcon;
when the umbilical cord is cut, she feels strong pain in her heart.
Then increasing in size daily and monthly, the child grows,
wetting himself and pouting,
his mouth dry, his stomach empty, his body cold, and his limbs
swollen.
717
even if they are born in lower states, I will come to redeem them.
My life has no condition of death;
for each man of faith there will be a Padmasambhava!"
Following this discourse the prince and subjects were filled with awe.
Of the History, lllla llridged, of the Lil'es
of the Glint of Uc}rjiY{lIla, Padmasaml1haFa,
this is the olle h'llldred alld sixth Cal/to,
The Teachillgs Set Forth to the Prillce alld to the People
Sealed Oaths
728
CANTO 1 07
J'
he Guru Padmasambhava
came to Lhasa, to Samye Monastery, to Ramoche and
to T rulnang.
He took from the right nostril of the horse's head
within the heart of AvalokiteSvara
the Wishing Jewel which fulfills all desires;
given by the king of Angmatog to the incarnation Akarmatislla the
bhiku,
the Jewel had the color of a magpie's egg,
the shape of an owl's head, and the size of a grain of'lazi'.
Then he said to the child Lhaje:
"Take it in your hand!
If you assume difficult tasks, it will satisfY all your needs.
I f you unwisely fall into libertinism, it will become inactive.
Hide this miraculous Jewel like a treasure!"
<
"'> "'"
and all the monks of Tibet, who were led by the abbot Shakya Sonam,
and all the learned lotsawas of Tibet,
who were led by Vairotsana, Kawa Paltseg and Chogrolui Gyaltsen,
and all the chief sorcerers and black necromancers of Tibet,
who were led by the master of sorcery, Sangyay Yeshe,
and all the drum players and garland makers of Tibet,
who were led by the magician Dorje Dudjom,
and all the apothecaries of Tibet, led by Slla, the high lama,
the doctor from Nyang,
and all those who spread out divining tables in Tibet,
who were led by the learned master ofJang Yak's Down,
all the men and citizens ofTibet, led by the worthy general Kharchen,
and finally all the young girls and women of Tibet, led by the qakinl,
Yeshe Tsogyal,
made an honorary escort for the Guru up to Palma Paltang
and to the plateau of the Lofty Ngangri Chog,
accompanying him to the resting place of the Rock Like an
Angry Ogre.
"0 Guru! declare the maxims of meditation out of your great mercy
and for each person give a Doctrine!"
Then 'Padma exhorted all of Tibet with these words:
"Although now I am here before you, I will soon be gone
but I offer to remain in the hearts of all the Tibetans.
Have done with all light and irrelevant speech, and the truth will
come forth;
insulting words harden like a mirror in the heart.
You can embrace an inch but not a milegold must be beaten thin in order to sell, 0 Prince and subjects.
"Do not commence what is not carefully looked into;
do not worry your head about that which has no past or future.
Do not educate your mind in the bad custom of the reverse of
the Chain of Causations:
examine your deeds well, 0 Prince and subjects.
730
"I am going away, I leave now, having left behind some views,
I am leaving having left behind some views.
Without need for meditation day or night, I go to the place of
meditation.
"I am going away, 1 leave now, having left behind some meditations,
I am leaving having left behind some meditations.
Free from lethargy and excitement, the two hindrances to
meditation, I depart.
"I am going away, 1 leave now, having left behind some deeds.
1 am leaving, having left behind some deeds.
With lucidity I know all that I need to know, and now I go.
"I am going away, I leave now, having left behind some fruits,
I am leaving, having left behind some fruits.
Having obtained Buddhahood, I manifest Realization, and I go.
"I am going away, 1 leave now for the land of the ogres in the
southwest,
I am leaving to subdue the ogres with red faces.
1 go to establish all beings in happiness.
"I am going away, I leave now for the palace of the Glorious Copper
Mountain,
I am leaving for the palace of the Glorious Copper Mountain.
I will now guide all the ogres to the Dharma.
"For a long time now the prince and subjects have enjoyed good
health.
Compassion has not ceased; they obtain what they request."
Having thus spoken, he rose
above the acacia chair, his feet placed equally
736
to the town of Rontang of Mang Yul, at the end of the Pool of the
White Willows,
twenty-five sat down to meditate.
They all looked at the rainbow-hued brightness of the Guru's wake,
and saw him among the golden sun's rays, like a raven in the
distance,
quivering in the light as he was leaving.
Soon he was like a ring-dove, then like a sparrow,
then like a bee, then like a tiny bubble disappearing from sight.
And they no longer saw him with their eyes.
Although they continued to meditate, they looked without seeing
him.
But in the evening when they sat down to meditate, they saw him
like a sun's ray,
passing beyond India without touching upon Uc;lc;liyana;
they saw Padma reach the top of Mount Jambuza and alight.
Finally in the morning, as they sat in meditation, they looked
and they saw him on the island of Ceylon, near the Fire City,
seated in the cool shade of a celestial magnolia tree.
His marvelous steed All Knowing on a beach of golden sand
was grazing on white grass, the queen of medicinal herbs.
And in the presence of the Guru, about a thousand of the ogres'
daughters,
young and very well-proportioned, were worshipping him, touched
by the light of the Dharma.
In the ogres' and ogresses' iron house without exit,
the king of the ogres could be seen putting on a garland of death
heads for strength,
and all the ogres humbly bowed to Padma.
Then the prince, the ministers, their trusty friends, and the rest,
having bowed down on the road, set out for the palace.
When they arrived at the caravansary ofPalmo Paltang,
739
Prince Mutig Tsanpo said, "He, our benefactor, the sight and hearing
of whom has touched our memory,
our Guru has left in the direction ofU<;\<;\iyana;
he is leaving the valley of Tibet empty.
The Father, the Lord, the King is leaving for heaven.
I am tired in body and soul. And you, are you not also tired?
Let us all go, prince and subjects, and complete
the ceremonial circuit at Zambulung ofShangs!"
When the prince had thus spoken
the crowd of ministers answered him,
" Listen, Sire, King of the Dharma!
For what reason should we go to Zambulung? Let us return to the
palace!
Prince and subjects are left behindand the Lord, transformed into a swallow,
will promptly arrive in paradise."
After this the prince and his subjects returned to their homes.
740
CANTO 1 08
THE EXPRESSION
OF ADORATION TO THE WING OF
WHITE PURITY
Jf:"
'>
"' ,
74 1
743
745
EPILOGUE
"
Q
746
COLOPHON
S
-
In the year of the water dragon, on the monday of the eighth day of
the fourth month,
the lucky day of the eleventh house, guru U rgyan Lingpa took from
the heart of the great Vishnu guarding
the threshold of the Crystal Cave ofPadma,
wha was arranged by Padma in the
stronghold of the Crystal Rock of Yarlung.
Guru Urgyan Lingpa, Layden the Friend,
in the land ofzhu in the company of Gomshag Lehor,
has called forth from among the treasures this one.
This is the translation, which contains not a single impure word,
of the text existing in the Sanskrit, the manuscript with golden pages.
men of faith and intelligence who examined this text, put everything
back in place.
Thus constituted, this book from central Tibet was transcribed by
the great consecrator (the reincarnation of the) King of Zahor. The
copy of it which was used by the honest scholar Kyabdal Drub was the
intermediary text. The last of all is this one.
At the right of the sacred dwelling of Katog Dorje in the country
ofDo-khams, to the left and facing the sacred dwelling ofChu'oser, is
the great sanctuary of the Conqueror's prediction, an excellent place
of the siddhi acquired by many lofty Bearers of Knowledge. It has
been a central dwelling since the Dharma appeared in the mountain
ranges of the continent.
I, Sherab Odzer, ask that future examiners, men of faith and
intelligence, collect this doctrine of the Buddha. This is the perfect
meditation of the Compassionate One who progresses in complete
serenity and then arranges his lofty thoughts for the good of the
learned of the six classes; it is the purity of heart which deeply affirms
the treasure of the river of greatly desired knowledge; it is an
inexhaustible gift of the Dharma, which was disparaged in former
times because of this exposition, but not later. Everything will have to
be put in order without admitting duality of speech, affirmation and
negation, or other disparity of discourse, in spite of the request not to
make any interpolations.
The Prayer for the Propagation of the Doctrine:
To the Bodhisattvas, the Conquerors of the Three Times together
with their disciples-a multitude of the Vidyadharas and Siddhas,
white guardians of the ocean of the intangible Dharma whom all bless
for their accomplishment-a pure vow!
May the precious immaculate Doctrine of the Conqueror, the sole
cause of happiness of inexhaustible living beings, the field of ap
pearance of all prosperity and virtue, be extended and enlarged in all
times and places!
749
May all those who have not gone across, go across! May all beings-not
delaying for even a fraction of a breath-take nirvana into considera
tion! May even the future Heroes of Awakening give the funda
mental teaching, that is, the threefold activity, the Dharma of virtue
condensed, and the prohibitions which are helpful to living beings.
In this life and in others to come, alms and prohibitions having been
directed to the roots of good such as they are found to be, may the
great idea of Perfection be quickly acquired! May those who have not
acquired it, obtain lives in heaven of the rank of gods and goddesses
and may they possess all the heavenly virtues! May they, joining the
holy and sublime Kalyal).amitra and imitating their endurance, devote
themselves to the Dharma of the Great Vehicle, and accomplish in one
instant their own good and that of others!
May these superior men who truly cast off indifference and inatten
tion, correctly achieving the sadhana of the Great Vehicle, by
holdillg themselves fimlly to the good and to the heights, quickly
bring about the birth of knowledge!
May the diamond brothers and sisters and all others have no obstacles
when entering the path of the supreme Great Vehicle. May they have
the best companions, and may they find favor and perfection!
May the well-being of those saved in the profound good thought of
Attainment be final and supreme! May the good of those who have
obtained power by their spontaneous works be without number!
Here follows the vow of the Bardo.
Moreover, when the time of my perishable life will be ended, may I be
welcomed in a heaven filled with a crowd of the lofty Yidams, both
calm and wrathful, and by all the Qakas of the sacred ocean. May I
follow a path which will shine with the light of the sons and daughters
of the higher gods, and may I see myself received by the sounds of
music and all kinds of perfumed incense according to past joys.
752
755
APPENDIX
Equivalents for some of the Tibetan and Sanskrit terms which appear throughout
the text are listed below. The second list contains technical Tibetan terms from
the original which were not translated consistently and for which there is no
Sanskrit equivalent. [NE
no equivalent I
=
756
757
INDEX
A blzisalllllyaiaJ!,kara, 504
bhikuni, 220
641
Bodhgaya, 206, 308-13
Bodhisattva, xv, xxviii, 170, 45 1 , 513
Bodhis,lfIl'a-car),<ll',lI,ira, 509, 534
Body of Essence, 60, 68, 159, 169,
186, 221 , 25 1 , 261 , 464, 657,
664, 669, 743
Body of Fruition, 26, 53, 54, 60,
67-68, 104, 221 , 26 1 , 265, 496
Body of Metamorphosis, 26, 47, 53,
60, 67-68, 104, 176, 221 , 25 1 ,
26 1, 464, 657, 664, 669, 743
Bonpo, xxii, xxxi, 1 7 1 -72, 200, 212,
380, 404, 432, 456, 478, 480,
488ff, 544, 560, 566, 574, 576,
578, 582, 586, 590, 620, 622, 654
Brahma, 40, 68, 79, 227
voice of, 79, 255, 288, 39 1 , 495,
668
Brahman, 60, 88, 101, 103, 22 1 , 236,
286, 336
of betrothals, 125
seven times born, 242-44, 291-92
Brahmaplltra, 353, 355, 376, 698
Bralll-zc Isl/(Jllls-kyi IIId" , 158, 532
Brusha, 164
Buddha, xx, xxviii, xxxi, 49, 56, 103,
1 10, 120, 122, 136, 146, 155,
184, 194, 220, 234, 274, 349,
447, 454, 487, 634, 641 , 647,
669, 685, 693
759
Dharmasattva, 48, 5 1
Dharmaskandha, 533
Dharmasoka, King, 182, 184, 303
Dharmasri, 444
Dharmatrata, 533
Dhrtaragra, 47, 48, 139
Diamond plane, 55, 141, 220,
393, 416
Diamond Throne, 64, 7 1 , 73, 94,
156, 158, 164, 251 , 314, 350,
357, 360, 364, 409, 444, 452, 657
Diamond Vehicle, 10, 36, 46, 60, 7 1 ,
161, 451
Dignaga, 534
Dipavkara, 3 1 , 35, 54
Qombhi Heruka, xxix, 291-95,
329. See also Mahasiddha alld
Padmasambhava
Dorje Chang, 23, 178, 196, 25 1.
See also Padmasambhava alld
Vajrasattva
760
47 1 , 479
26 1, 298, 434
377, 727
378, 487
298, 438
101-02, 336
Gat1qal'),ii/ra-slltra, 533
386, 424
387-88, 642
Hanuman, 146
Haspo, Mt., 353, 355, 385, 63 1 , 655
Hauki, Queen, 236, 241-43
Hayagnva, 45, 22 1 , 385, 394, 552
76 1
lells, 709fl
icruka, 62, 79, 300, 552, 558, 562,
578, 646
leruka Sad hanas, 424, 426, 428, 430,
432, 434, 436, 438, 473, 478,
51 3, 560, 576
'-letll-hiIId'Hlii //III-I'rll/wra (1<1, 534
levajra, 510
liil]1kara (Mahahiil]1kara Guru,
xxx, 302, 471-74, 548, 578
ndrabhllti, King, 78, 82-85, 88-101,
1 14, 120-2 1 , 123, 124-25,
126, 196, 293-95, 299, 333,
428, 465, 481, 657
nvcstiturc, 46, 50, 60-61 , 153, 194
alandhara, 34
inamati, 357
inamitra, 444, 488, 503, 509
nana Kumara, 358, 419, 432, 506,
542, 556, 566
Ilana Sti, 358
nanasiitra, xxx, 444
owo Shakya, 353, 630
Caiasa, 3 1 1 , 3 12, 362-63, 605
(alasiddhi, 3, 301
(ali, 55, 190, 436
(amaiasila, 444, 488, 533
Gmariipa, 73
(anakavartp the Seer, 57
Capiiavastu, 62, 45 1, 465, 481
Carma, 30-3 1 , 38, 45, 57, 86, 128-31 ,
134, 157, 175, 196, 231-33, 235,
240, 252, 279, 320, 324, 337,
366, 396, 432, 467, 469, 552,
560, 568, 603, Sec IIlso retribu
tion
Carmasataka, 158, 473, 532
(ar//la-I'ihltlll.tga, 158
762
391, 697
N uden Dorje, 49
Nyemo Sands, 210, 41 1
Nyil11a Odzer, lOS, 169fl'., 200, 206,
261 , 434, 625
sNyillg Thig, 483, 656, 681
ogres, 31, 37, 44, 81
Pad"ta-dkarp(l, 160, 164, 532, 641
Padl11a Gyalpo, 98, 104, lOS, 1 1 9fl'.,
202, 261 , 294, 297, 428
Padma Jungnay, 105, 299, 377, 727
Padma Karpo, xxx, 303
Padmasambhava, xxii, xxiii, xxviii,
3, 4, 10, 23, 53, 67, 72-73, 87,
95, 102, lOS, 1 1 0, 139, 180, 182,
188, 196, 198, 202, 204, 206,
208, 210, 212, 2 14, 2 1 9, 249,
261fl'., 286, 290, 291 , 296, 297,
304, 3 14, 320f!, 361, 362, 364,
365f!, 376, 377, 385, 387, 392,
393fl'., 399, 408, 412, 424, 426,
428, 430, 432, 438, 446, 492,
51 2, 531 , 597, 623, 727. See also
Guru alld Todtreng Tsal
advice to the prince and to the
subjects, 663fl'., 680fl'., 704fl'.,
730fl'.
advice to the queen, 688fl'.
Ananda and, 153-66
Asoka and, 204, 280-82
as butcher, 231 fl'.
as Dewa Ngodrub, 298
as Dharmasrt, 144
as Dorje Dragpo, 233, 424, 436
as OOl11bhi Heruka, 292-95
as Gautama, 56-59, 130
as indrasena, 204, 281fl'.
as Kunga Monlam, 202, 2 1 9
as Sangbo Chog, 8 , 1 1, 85, 103
764
as Saukyadeva, 30 I ff.
as Senge Dong Cenma, 424
as Sumitra, 154-62, 198, 426
as Tabshay Yingjor, 55, 56
as Tubka Shunukyuwa, 26-30,
38, 42
as Vl.lurahula, 269
as Yeshe Kandro, 262
birth of, 86, 95, 103-06, 1 12
burning of, 204, 206, 257ff,
296-99, 306, 430
deformed prince and, 206, 305-06
departure from Tibet, 324, 638,
661 ff, 707, 727ff, 735ff.
description of, 10, 103-06,
265-66, 316, 329, 667-69,
670-7 1
eight manifestations of, xxxiii,
251, 261, 297-99. See also Guru
exiled, 1 35-40
false doctrine of, 643
future appearances of, xxxiv, 638,
649, 657ff, 683, 728, 730
images of, 672-76, 745
investiture of, 141, 153, 220-22,
276, 349-50
Kalasiddhi and, 3, 301
Mandarava and, 204, 206, 249ff,
296-99
Mangala and, 3, 690
manifestations of, 377-82, 320
Nagarjuna and, 204
names of, 12-22
Pekar and, 693ff.
places of evocation, 644-46
prophecies of, 198, 2 1 2, 273-74,
279, 6OOff, 647ff
Samye monastery and, 384ff,
393-95
766
767
Tibet, (colitilil/ed )
331, 349ff.
Tsugpu Risang, 62
Tubka Shunukyuwa, 26-30, 38, 42,
194
Vairotsana and, 4 1 1 - 1 3
Tsa-ba 'j /1/ IlJi, 1 58
459, 750
568
730, 74 1f[
Vinasa, 292-95
Vinaya, 158, S05
V1rya of Rugyong, 419, 420, 47 1 ,
474, 479
657, 68 1 , 749
769
[Plate 7]
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