the expression of awareness.
Having received all these empowerments in their entirety, I was given a white conch and told to return home. The very moment I heard that, the whole scenery of the charnel ground and all the masters vanished just like vapor disappearing from a mirror. When I regained my senses, I found that I was back in my meditation hut.
The second terma that I used for comparison for clearing up the spelling mistakes and omissions when preparing Dakini Teachings was revealed by Sangye Lingpa (1340–1396). He took birth in Kongpo, the southeastern province of Tibet, in the year of the Male Iron Dragon, the same year that the fourth karmapa, Rolpey Dorje, was born. Sangye Lingpa is regarded as an incarnation of Yeshe Rolpa Tsal, the second son of King Trisong Deutsen. In 1364 he revealed the Lama Gongdue cycle of teachings, his most important terma. Sangye Lingpa is also counted among the five terton kings. In recent times these two great masters were reborn as Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo and Terchen Chokgyur Lingpa.
Lastly, Dakini Teachings finishes with a chapter by the terton Guru Dorje Lingpa containing the last words of Padmasambhava. Dorje Lingpa (1346–1405) was one of five major revealers of hidden treasures in Tibet renowned as the five terton kings.
I would like to thank everyone who contributed to the preparation of this book, especially His Holiness Dilgo Khyentse and Ven. Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche for the directions and blessings. Marcia Binder Schmidt for rechecking the translation and overseeing the work at all stages, Mim Coulstock for editing, and Phinjo Sherpa for word-processing assistance.
This book contains some of the essence of Padmakara’s oral instructions on general Dharma practice and on how to behave in a personal and realistic way. I am delighted that these precious teachings are now appearing in the English language. Although our translation may not be perfect in scholarship and literary eloquence, I believe that the link between Guru Rinpoche’s blessings and the reader’s openness and sincerity will make up for these shortcomings. Reading or listening to someone else read the Dakini Teachings will then be close to being in the presence of Guru Rinpoche. Just as these teachings have touched me, may they touch the hearts of many other people and be a continual source of inspiration.
ERIK PEMA KUNSANG
Asura Cave, 1989
1. Also called The Precious Garland of Lapis Lazuli.
2. The same year that Phadampa Sangye passed away.
A Short Biography of Padmasambhava
by JAMGON KONGTRUL THE FIRST
This short life story of Padmasambhava, also known as Guru Rinpoche or Padmakara, is extracted from The Precious Garland of Lapis Lazuli, a collection of life stories of the 108 main tertons written by Jamgon Kongtrul the First and found in volume 1 of his Rinchen Terdzo.
Padmakara has influenced countless beings through the Vajrayana teachings and in particular through the activity of the profound terma treasures. This great master was not an ordinary person on the path or just a noble being on one of the bodhisattva bhumis but an emanation of both Buddha Amitabha and Shakyamuni who appeared in order to tame the human beings and spirits who are difficult to convert.
Even the great bodhisattvas are incapable of fully explaining his life example, but in brief I will narrate it as follows.
In the dharmakaya realm of the Luminous Vajra Essence, Guru Rinpoche has by nature attained perfect enlightenment since the very beginning as the liberated ground of primordial purity. He is renowned as the original protector, Unchanging Light.
In the self-manifest sambhogakaya realm of the Thunder of the Drum of Perfection, he spontaneously manifested as the boundless wisdom array of the five families of Buddha Immense Ocean possessing the five certainties.
As the external manifestation of this self-appearing display, in the countless displays of bodily forms in buddha-fields of the five families comprised of the semimanifest natural nirmanakaya realms of Mahabrahma, he appears to all the bodhisattvas on the ten bhumis. Since these all are the cloud banks of Guru Rinpoche’s wisdom display, the “inexhaustible wheel of adornment,” he is known as the All-Holding Lotus.
By the power of these wisdom displays he appears in countless worlds of the ten directions as the magical apparition of nirmanakayas who tame beings. In particular, it is taught that only in this saha world system he illuminates fifty worlds with the lamp of the teachings of sutra and tantra appearing as the eight manifestations to tame beings in the different parts of the world.
The dakini Yeshe Tsogyal had a vision in which she saw a manifestation of Guru Rinpoche called Immense Vajra Ocean in the direction to the east. Each of the pores in his body held one billion realms and in each realm there were one billion world systems. In each of these world systems there were one billion Guru Rinpoches, who each created one billion emanations. Each of these emanations carried out the activity of taming one billion disciples. She then saw the same display in each of the other directions and in the center.
In this world of Jambudvipa, Guru Rinpoche is known as just one nirmanakaya who tames beings1 but according to the different capacities and giftedness of people he is perceived in various ways. The history of The Oral Transmission of Kilaya and most Indian sources explain that he was born as the son of a king or a minister in Uddiyana, whereas the terma treasures for the most part narrate that he was miraculously born. In some texts he is said to have appeared from a bolt of lightning at the summit of Mount Malaya. Each of these wondrous stories differs in many ways. This is indeed a topic that lies far beyond the reach of an ordinary person’s intellect.
I shall now limit the explanation down to a mere seed, the life of Guru Rinpoche according to miraculous birth as it appears in the terma teachings.
In the land of Uddiyana situated to the west of Bodhgaya there was an island in Lake Danakosha, on which appeared a multicolored lotus flower through the blessings of the buddhas. Buddha Amitabha sent from his heart center a golden vajra marked with the letter HRIH into the bud of this lotus flower, which miraculously turned into a small child eight years of age holding a vajra and a lotus and adorned with the major and minor marks. The child remained there teaching the profound Dharma to the devas and dakinis on the island.
At that time Indrabodhi, who was the king of the country, had no sons. He had already emptied out his treasury by making offerings to the Three Jewels and giving alms to the poor. As a last resort, in order to find a wish-fulfilling jewel, he embarked on a journey on the great lake with his minister Krishnadhara. On their return, first Krishnadhara and later King Indrabodhi met the miraculous child. The king regarded him as an answer to his prayers for a son and brought him to the palace, where he was given the name Padmakara, the Lotus-Born. Padmakara was then asked to sit on a throne made of precious gems and given lavish offerings by all the people.
The prince grew up, bringing countless beings to maturation through his youthful sports and games. He married Prabhadhari and ruled the kingdom of Uddiyana in accordance with the Dharma. At that time he perceived that he would be unable to accomplish the immense welfare of other beings by governing a country, so he asked Indrabodhi permission to leave, which was not granted. In an act of play, he then pretended that his trident had slipped out of his hand; it fell and killed the son of one of the ministers. He was then sentenced to be expelled to a charnel ground. He remained in Cool Grove, Joyful Forest, and Sosaling, engaging in the conduct of yogic disciplines. During this time he received empowerment and blessings from the two dakinis Tamer of Mara and
