Padmasambhava & Yeshe Tsogyel - The Legend of the Great Stupa & The Life Story of the Lotus Born Guru
Dharma Publishing - Two Termas from the Nyingma Tradition
From the Preface:
The Tibetan people, many now refugees in India, maintain the living tradition of Vajrayana Buddhism. In an age when the influence of Western rationalism has penetrated and transformed the way of life of cultures throughout the world, their vision of the universe is unique. As reflected in the two translations contained in this book, the universe is viewed as a field of spiritual powers that may be directed toward either good or evil. These powers, if harnessed correctly, could harmonize existence for the benefit of all.
The texts presented here have wide appeal to the Tibetan public as well as to those who have engaged the rigorous training necessary to comprehend and transmit the Vajrayana teachings. The same sophisticated faith that fostered these legends aeons ago gives the Tibetan people today the strength to continue manifesting a degree of peace and contentment that is almost unknown in industrial society. These translations are offered here in the hope that they may help Western people grasp the intuitional and subtle levels upon which this ancient culture built its strong and compassionate way of life. The translation of the Legend of the Great Stupa was initiated and blessed by His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche, the spiritual leader of the Nyingma school from the early 1960s until his passing away in 1987. The Life Story of the Lotus Born Guru was transmitted by Kanjur Rinpoche and his son, Pema Wangyal, to Keith Dowman.
This book represents the combined effort of peoples in the East and the West. It is through the guidance and generosity of Tarthang Tulku Rinpoche, Head Lama of the Tibetan Nyingma Meditation Center in Berkeley, California, and the efforts of his students that this publication was made possible.
From the Introduction to the Legend of the Great Stupa:
The Legend of the Great Stupa, known in Tibetan as mChod rten chen po bya rung kha shor gyi lo rgyus thos pas grol ba, focuses on incarnation, adoration, disaster, and rebirth to convey the power of meritorious action, aspiration, and vow. It is a Tibetan means of instructing the visionary along the spiritual path, a path that begins with an initial flash of insight into the possibility of enlightenment and ends with the attainment of complete realization. Given in a narrative between Guru Padmasambhava and his entourage of disciples, this teaching takes place in the temple mandala of Samye Ling, the most ancient of the revered shrines of Tibet. The text has been used in ritual for several centuries to eradicate habitual mental patterns of distortion and stupor by evoking a focused concentration upon sound and meaning. The efficacy of this ritual, which is known as Liberation through Hearing, must be personally experienced.
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From the Introduction to the The Life Story of the Lotus Born Guru:
This is a translation of the zab pa skor bdun las orgyen rnam thar dpag bsam ljon shing, the life story of the Great Guru Padmasambhava, mendicant, tantrika, magician, scholar, exorcist, priest, missionary, visionary and saint. This treasure text was concealed by the Great Guru in the eighth century and recovered from Karmai Damchen Rock by Orgyen Chokyur Lingpa.
Born in Oddiyana (Orgyen in Tibetan) shortly after the Parinirvana of Shakyamuni Buddha, Padmasambhava traveled throughout India and other realms before being invited to Tibet by the Dharma King Trisong Detsen. The Guru's magical power was his primary instrument in pacifying forces hostile to the Dharma and introducing the Mantrayana to Tibet. He brought to Tibet highly evolved techniques of yoga and meditation and transmitted the lineages of the Mahayoga and Atiyoga Tantras preserved to the present day within the Nyingma tradition. The principal events in the Guru's life are narrated in the ten chapters of this life story.
Uploaders Note:
Personally, when this book came into my hands many years ago, it truly seemed to magically transform my view of the world. I believe it fulfills the aspirations expressed in the preface, if we are open to these teachings. It is a pleasure to share it here.
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MsSVig