28.04.2015 Views

Buddhist-Meditation-Systematic-and-Practical

Buddhist-Meditation-Systematic-and-Practical

Buddhist-Meditation-Systematic-and-Practical

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

could not have developed. According to Tibetan ancient<br />

history, King Trisong Detsan tried to build <strong>Buddhist</strong><br />

temples in his l<strong>and</strong> but they all collapsed or some hitch<br />

occurred preventing their completion. Suspecting the<br />

intervention of hostile demons, Bhadanta Santarakshita,<br />

then in Tibet, advised the king to send for the great yogi<br />

Padmasambhava. The yogi accepted the king's<br />

invitation, <strong>and</strong> both on his journey to Tibet in 746 C.E.,<br />

<strong>and</strong> during his stay in the "l<strong>and</strong> of snows," he subdued<br />

many demons who attacked the Holy Dharma. His<br />

journey took him through Kalimpong where he killed<br />

some demons <strong>and</strong> converted others, ensuring, of course,<br />

that those killed obtained a much more favorable birth<br />

in the Pure L<strong>and</strong>. The stories about him are legion in<br />

Tibet in spite of the fact that he lived in ancient times.<br />

All the various <strong>Buddhist</strong> schools respect him except a<br />

few of the more extreme Gelugpas. The local Gelugpa<br />

teachers of eminence, Dhardoh Rinpoche (well-known<br />

for his liberal <strong>and</strong> non-sectarian views) <strong>and</strong> Tomo<br />

Geshe Rinpoche (the reincarnation of a renowned yogi)<br />

both believe in him as a great teacher. The latter built a<br />

hermitage in a holy place associated with Guru<br />

Rinpoche, without whom the Tantra could not have<br />

been established in Tibet.<br />

Homage is not given here to the guru's first consort<br />

M<strong>and</strong>arava although she is no less worthy of respect.<br />

We especially honor his second consort, Yeshe Tsogyal.<br />

Mr. Chen explained, "She has been my personal<br />

441

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!