Yeshe Tsogyal - 16 Nov

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PADMASAMBHAVA, CHOKGYUR LINGPA, TULKU URGYEN RINPOCHE, ORGYEN TOPGYAL RINPOCHE, AND LAMA PUTSI PEMA TASHI Dispeller of Obstacles

YESHE TSOGYAL The Lotus-Born

DAKPO TASHI NAMGYAL Clarifying the Natural State

TSELE NATSOK RANGDRL Mirror of MindfulnessEmpowermentHeart Lamp

CHOKGYUR LINGPA Ocean of AmritaThe Great GateSkillful GraceGreat Accomplishment

TRAKTUNG DUDJOM LINGPA A Clear Mirror

JAMGN MIPHAM RINPOCHE Gateway to Knowledge, Vol. 1, Vol. 2, Vol. 3, & Vol. 4

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ADEU RINPOCHE Freedom in Bondage

KHENCHEN THRANGU RINPOCHE King of SamadhiCrystal Clear

CHKYI NYIMA RINPOCHE Present Fresh Wakefulness

TULKU THONDUP Enlightened Living

ORGYEN TOBGYAL RINPOCHE Life & Teachings of Chokgyur Lingpa

DZIGAR KONGTRL RINPOCHE Uncommon Happiness

TSOKNYI RINPOCHE Fearless SimplicityCarefree Dignity

DZOGCHEN TRILOGY COMPILED BY MARCIA BINDER SCHMIDT Dzogchen PrimerDzogchen EssentialsQuintessential Dzogchen

ERIK PEMA KUNSANG Wellsprings of the Great PerfectionA Tibetan Buddhist CompanionThe Rangjung Yeshe Tibetan-English Dictionary of Buddhist Culture & Perfect Clarity

MARCIA DECHEN WANGMO Confessions of a Gypsy YoginiPrecious Songs of Awakening compilation

CHOKGYUR LINGPA, JAMGN KONGTRL, JAMYANG KHYENTSE WANGPO, ADEU RINPOCHE, AND ORGYEN TOPGYAL RINPOCHE The Tara Compendium Feminine Principles Discovered

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Copyright 1993 Erik Hein Schmidt

First Shambhala edition 1993

First Rangjung Yeshe edition 1998

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All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher. Special discount is given for classroom use. Write to the above address. Distributed to the book trade by North Atlantic Books and Random House

PUBLICATION DATA:

Buddhism; Vajrayana; biography; terma literature; Padmasambhava (padma byung gnas); Guru Rinpoche (gu ru rin po che); Written down by: Yeshe Tsogyal (ye shes mtsho rgyal), 9th Century; Revealed as a terma by: Nyang Ral Nyima Oser (myang ral nyi ma od zer) 11241192; Essay on Padmasambhava by Tsele Natsok Rangdrl (rtse le sna tshogs rang grol) (b. 1608); Foreword by: Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse (skyabs rje ldil mgo mkhyen brtse; rab gsal zla ba) (19101991); Translated by: Erik Pema Kunsang (Erik Hein Schmidt); Edited by: Marcia Binder Schmidt

English titles: 1. The Sanglingma Life Story of Padmasambhava. 2. The Dharma History and Biography of the Lotus-Born Master. 3. The Jewel Garland. 4. The Immaculate Life Story of the Lotus Born Master. Tibetan titles: slob dpon padma byung gnas kyi skyes rabs chos byung nor bui phreng ba zhes bya ba bzhugs so. rnam thar zangs gling mao.

ISBN 978-0-99099-782-5

Includes bibliographical references.

1. Eastern philosophyBuddhism. 2. VajrayanaDzogchen (Nyingma). I. Title.

COVER ART DETAIL: Padmasambhava, Tsikey Gompa

DESIGN: Rafael Ortet

Eight years after I pass into nirvana, I will reappear in the country of Uddiyana bearing the name Padmasambhava. I will become the lord of the teachings of Secret Mantra.

BUDDHA SHAKYAMUNI, from the Tantra of the Perfect Embodiment of the Unexcelled Nature

Table of Contents

Contents

THE COPPER TEMPLE LIFE STORY OF PADMASAMBHAVA

His Holiness Dilgo Khyentse

G URU PADMASAMBHAVA, the glorious Master of Uddiyana and king of the Dharma, is the single embodiment of the activity of the victorious ones throughout the three times. According to the ways in which sentient beings perceive reality, there exists an inconceivable number of life stories of the three mysteries of his body, speech, and mind. Among them, the Sanglingma Life Story entitled The Jewel Garland Dharma History and Biography, revealed from the profound terma of Ngadag Nyang, is like the king.

The Sanglingma places emphasis on how Padmasambhava converted disciples in the dark country of Tibet. It condenses all the biographies and histories of Guru Rinpoche and contains the profound key points of the nine vehicles of Sutra and Mantra. It is the most authoritative scripture regarding how the teachings of Sutra and Mantra spread to the Snowy Land of Tibet.

The Sanglingma also contains oral instructions and advice that the Great Master of Uddiyana left as his profound and detailed testament to help the Buddhadharma and people of future generations.

This biography, containing Padmasambhavas final advice concerning practice, the quintessence of the teachings of Sutra and Mantra, has been carefully translated into English by Erik Pema Kunsang of Denmark with the single, pure intention of furthering the Buddhadharma.

The gate to the benefit and good qualities of Guru Rinpoches life story having been opened to people of all times and races, may everyone who sees, hears, or thinks of him obtain insight into the sacred Dharma of scriptures and realization and be assured of becoming a child of the victorious vidyadhara on the Glorious Copper-Colored Mountain on Chamara.

This was written at the glorious temple of Ngagyur Shechen Tennyi Dargye Ling by Dilgo Khyentse on the fifteenth day of the first month of the Year of the Iron Horse. May it be virtuous.

T HE LOTUS-BORN: THE LIFE STORY OF PADMASAMBHAVA, commonly called Sanglingma, is a translation of a biography of the great master recorded by his foremost Tibetan disciple, the dakini Yeshe Tsogyal. The name Sanglingma means Copper Temple. It refers to a temple built at Samye by one of King Trisong Deutsens queens. Yeshe Tsogyal concealed this biography in the ninth century under the statue of the tantric deity Hayagriva on the temples shrine. The terma treasure was revealed by Nyang Ral Nyima ser (11241192). In later centuries it became known after its place of discovery.

Jamgn Kongtrl the First (18131899) felt this life story of Padmasambhava was important enough to be the first text in the first volume of his famous collection of terma treasures known as Rinchen Terdz. The Sanglingma itself belongs to the Kathang literature, a class of Buddhist scriptures that narrates the biography of Padmasambhava as it was written down by his close Tibetan students. Many of these biographies were concealed as terma treasures to protect them against the changes of time. Centuries later they would be revealed by a