PADMASAMBHAVA
Active in the late eighth century, Padmasambhava (Lo-
tus Born) is widely revered throughout the Himalayan
regions under the title Guru Rinpoche. He is of par-
ticular importance to the followers of the RNYING MA
(NYINGMA) school of Tibetan Buddhism, who con-
sider him the “Second Buddha” and a founder of their
school. Today Padmasambhava is the focus of many
rituals. The tenth day of each lunar month is devoted
to him. At monasteries of the Rnying ma school, these
days are observed with ritual feasting, and sometimes
religious dances (’chams) are performed to pay homage
to the Indian master’s eight manifestations (gu ru
mtshan brgyad). Many Buddhist monasteries are dec-
orated with paintings of these same eight forms.
The influences of this renowned master on Tibetan
Buddhism have been both historical and inspirational.
Initially in the eighth century he seems to have played
a crucial role in the establishment of Buddhism in
Tibet. Since then he has appeared to Tibetans in rev-
elations and visionary encounters. As a result of the
latter inspirational role, visionary biographies of Pad-
masambhava abound, and his historical activities have
become heavily mythologized.
Historically, relatively little is known of this master.
He seems to have come from Oddiyana, a kingdom
probably located in the northwest of India. The late
eighth century was an unusually creative period in the
development of tantric Buddhism. In particular, these
years saw the arrival of the Mahayoga class of TANTRAS.
Remarkable for their transgressive practices and im-
agery, the Mahayoga tantras taught the violent means
for subjugating demons and harmful spirits. Pad-
masambhava seems to have specialized in these new
Mahayoga practices. Traveling through the Himalayan
regions of India and Nepal, his reputation was en-
hanced by his activities around Kathmandu valley,
were he is said to have stayed in retreat for some years
at Muratika, Yang le shod, and the Asura cave. Around
this time, the Tibetan king, Khri song lde btsan (r.
755–797), was working to construct Tibet’s first Bud-
dhist monastery, BSAM YAS(SAMYE). On the recom-
mendation of the Indian scholar S ́antaraksita, the king
invited Padmasambhava to assist with subjugating the
indigenous Tibetan spirits opposed to the foreign re-
ligion. Padmasambhava accepted the invitation, and
his activities around Bsam yas were considered crucial
to the establishment of Buddhism as the state religion
of Tibet.This basic narrative is embellished with many leg-
endary details in the later visionary biographies re-
ceived as gter ma(treasure) texts after the eleventh
century. One early biography that was particularly in-
fluential was the Zang gling ma(Copper Colored Moun-
tain) discovered by Nyang ral nyi ma’i ’od zer
(1124–1192). Named after the paradise for which Pad-
masambhava is believed to have departed Tibet, this
biography describes the master’s miraculous birth
from a lotus blossom at the center of Lake Danakos ́a
in Oddiyana. Initially raised by the king Indrabodhi,
the youth is said to have renounced his royal trappings
to live as a Buddhist ascetic. Various legendary adven-
tures are then recounted, including Padmasambhava’s
meeting with his first consort, the Indian Mandarava,
at the Lotus Lake (Mtsho Padma) in Himachal Pra-
desh. While residing near Kathmandu, he is said to
have gathered the scattered practice traditions for the
deity Vajraklaya into a single, all-powerful system. In623