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PART-I
History, Legends and the Significance of Different attire of Guru Rinpoche
In most of the Buddhist artistic figures, Guru Rinpoche is always depicted as the central figure in Vajraparyankasana5, the meditative posture with his feet hidden to represent his esoteric nature, surrounded by his disciples and the two principle consorts, and other bodhisattvas of the Nyingma order.
Padma Sambhava was an Indian tantric sage who brought Buddhism from India to Tibet in the 8th Century AD. The Tibetan king Trisong Deutsen( 790-844), second of the third Dharma-kings invited Padmasambhava on the advice of the abbot Shantarakshita9 from India to subjugate the negative forces hostile to the propagation of Buddha-dharma in Tibet and spread the tantric teaching. He converted the entire country and founded the Tibetan Buddhism and who became the patriarch of the Nyingmapa lineage.
towards the Western Land of Uddiyana and finally enters into the Arabian Sea. When the river reaches Uddiyana, it forms a lake filled with lotuses. As the lotus roots produce a sweet-milky juice, it is called "Ocean of Milk." However there are different interpretations regarding his birth. Some Indian historians affirm that he was born to a minister or a King of Uddiyana, and some claim that he appeared instantaneously on the summit of Mt. Malaya in Sri Lanka. But Guru Padmasambhavas treasure teachings confirm the version which states that he was born spontaneously from a lotus. Prior to Guru Padmasambhavas birth, in the centre of the lake, a large, fully mature, beautiful, red lotus grew, and from the heart of Buddha Amitabha in space, a red syllable HRIH 16(H is sound of breath, the symbol of all life; R is the sound of fire; I is the intensity which stands for the highest spiritual activity) fell about eight cubits above the collora of the lotus. The syllable dissolved into light and instantly, without depending on the causes and conditions of father and mother, there arose an eight-year-old child perfectly adorned with the characteristic of major and minor marks17. Holding a vajra18 and a lotus in his hands, he immediately began giving teachings to the gods and dakinis of the area.
The king regarded this as an answer to his prayers and adopted as his son. He was given the name Padmakara, the lotus born. This set the stage of Padmasambhava as prince of Orgyen. After few years later he was married to a beautiful princess named Bhasadhara (Woechangma), the daughter of the King Chandra Kumar of a nearby country in India. He soon realized that there was no real meaning to life based on the exercise of political and other worldly pleasures and happiness. So he renounced the kingdom just as Buddha Shakyamuni had done some twelve years earlier to perform many of the same deeds that Shakyamuni performed as Prince Siddhartha. He undertook a period of extended meditation and learnt the teachings from the numerous masters, the most famous of whom was Prabhahasti, the incarnate emanation of the AdiBuddha (Kuentu Zangpo). Soon he became renowned for his excellence in poetry and philosophy, arts, music and meditation.
End Notes
i
Guru Padmasambhava- literally means lotus born master, and also popularly known as Guru Rinpoche, the precious master or a teacher.
ii
Vajra-yana (dorji-theg-pa) - the indestructible diamond vehicle (yana-a vehicle or path of realization) or the secret vehicle often synonymous with mantrayana and Tantrayana; it was developed out of Mahayana Buddhism and based on highly developed ritual practices.
iii
Nyingma- it means ancient in Tibetan, the early transmission school or old translation school;referes to teaching brought to Tibet and traselated mainly by the great master Guru Padmasambhava, Vimalamitra and Shantarakshita and Vairotsana during the reign of King Trisong Deutsen(790-844) and in the subsequent period up to Rinchen Zangpo in the 9th century.
iv
Tantra- literally means continuity, the secret teaching in vajrayana, a term for various kinds of texts, generally containing the vajrayana system of meditation, or the secret teaching of a lineage passed from the Buddha to the present lineage holders without interruption.
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Vajrapayankasana- the meditative posture usually seen Guru Rinpochhe with his feet hidden to represent his esoteric nature
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Kurje literally means body print, after defeating the Seljing Karop, the local deity of Kurje Guru Rinpochhe has meditated in the cave Drakmar Dorji Tshegpa for a period of three months and had left a body print, thus the place came to be known as Kurje
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Dzong- literally means fortress, the dzongs were built during the time of the Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel, either to celebrate the victory over the defeated internal and the external enemies or as a monastic centers.
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Shantarakshita (Tib. Shyiwa Tsho) - he is also called Khenpo Bodhisattva, Bodhisattva Abbot. This great Indian pandita of the Mahayana school was abbot of the Buddhist university of Nalanda. He was invited to Tibet by King Trisong Detsen where he founded the temple and monastery of Samy and ordained the first seven Tibetan monks, thus establishing the Tibetan Sangha, according to Nagarjunas Sarvastivadin tradition.
x
Samantabharda (Tib. Kuntuzangpo) In the Dzogchen teachings, our true nature, that state of the Ground, is given the name the 'Primordial Buddha'. His name means always good', always well or unchanging goodness. What this signifies is that unchanging goodness, or fundamental goodness, is our ultimate nature.
xi
Lama- the spiritual master or guru in Tibetan Buddhism, venerated by students, but its now used as a polite form of addressing any Tibetan monk, regardless of the level of spiritual development.
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Yidam (skt. Istadevata) - one of the three roots (lama, yidam, khandro), the tutelary or chosen meditation deity, which is the root of spiritual accomplishment According to the Vajrayana, the lama is seen as the Buddha, the yidam as the Dharma, and he khandro as the Sangha. As it says in the Longchen Nyingtik Ngndro Refuge Buddha, Dharma and Sangha are in reality lama, yidam and khandro.
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Dakini (Tib. Kandro) - Khandro literally means sky-goer, indicating one who traverses the 'sky' of the expanse of wisdom a female embodiment of enlightened energy. Sometimes refers to as female dharma protector. It is also used as a title for the spiritual consort of enlightened masters.
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Amitabha- Buddha of infinite light; red in color, he is associated with the western direction, belonging to the Padma or Lotus family. The practices related to Amitbha are able to transform the poison resulting from desire into discriminating wisdom.
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Dzogchen- Dzogchen is an abbreviation of the Tibetan word Dzogpachenpo, where Dzogpa means complete, or the end; and chenpo means great, so literally it means Great Perfection, or Great Completeness. Traditionally Dzogchen can be traced to two original Sanskrit term; Mahsadhi or Atiyoga. Mahasandhi means the gathering of all or the quintessence, signifying that Dzogchen is the very essence, the cream and the heart juice of all teachings. Hence many of the teachings are known as Nyingtik or Heart Essence, for example the Longchen Nyingtik, and the Sanskrit term Atiyoga means primordial yoga; Ati indicates the topmost, summit or zenith.
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HRIH7
Major and minor marks-The major and minor marks of a Buddhas body are a description of his special physical characteristics. There are 32 major and 80 minor marks.
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Vajra (Tib. Dorji) - meaning thunderbolt which is an irresistible force, and diamond which can cut any substance but not be cut itself. It represents the adamantine, diamondlike, spiritual power of enlightenment. This is often represented by the scepter held by a practitioner in his or her right hand in a ritual practice, together with a bell held in the left hand; this symbolizes the union of compassion (vajra) and wisdom (bell).