The following article is the first in a series of articles on the lineage holders of the Great Perfection.
All of the nine yanas (paths to enlightenment) culminate with, and are subsumed by, the Great Perfection.
The Buddha manifests in whatever form and in whatever way is needed to free sentient beings who are caught in the endless cycles of samsara and nirvana.
Kuntuzangpo, the primordial Buddha, transmits the realization of the Great Perfection spontaneously to all the Buddhas. The Buddha Vajrasattva transmits the meaning of the Great Perfection spontaneously and through indication, gesture and symbols. Masters such as Garab Dorje, with whom our series begins, and Guru Padmasambhava are enlightened beings who have manifested in human form to transmit the Great Perfection in ways that match our capacity for understanding.
If we want the fruit of enlightenment, then we must look to the lineage tree from which it comes. Making a connection to Rinpoche links usto the entire stream of lineage holders. The amazing life stories and extraordinary experiences of these great beings are often difficult to believe. Yet their stories are a legacy of blessings and inspiration which can pass by when our minds become clouded with doubt.
Rinpoche often tells this story of how what we take for granted seemed impossible to him:
"Someone told me about an object which could be used to have a conversation with a person far away. I was certain this person was taking me to be a fool. I knew that no sound could cross mountains, rivers and vast gorges. Later when I saw and used the telephone, I realized that he hadn't lied. When I marveled to someone about the amazing telephone, he told me about a box with people dancing and singing inside. I felt insulted. How could anything so fantastic really be true? Later, to my amazement, I saw the television and now enjoy watching it."
Just as Rinpoche found technology unimaginable, we sometimes find what he teaches us to be a little too fantastic to believe. When I began attending Rinpoche's teachings, the intention to do practice for the benefit of all who suffer was not hard for me to grasp. But I found the vast world of the Vajrayana, the different deities, visualization practices, and miraculous powers, so difficult to relate to that on several occasions I almost abandoned the pursuit. In spite of this, many times while I was in Rinpoche's presence as he revealed the profound inner meaning of the dharma, the thought welled up in me that just as he, out of his infinite kindness, sat with us, so did his teacher, and his teacher's teacher before him, and so on back to Garab Dorje. From that time until now the intention and the meaning have never changed. In realization, all teachers are one, and we find ourselves in the presence of Buddha. Lineage is both timely and timeless.
I attended a six-week retreat where I practiced under Rinpoche's guidance. At its close these words came to mind and my heart was filled with devotion:
Oh Glorious One,
Father of Awareness,
Compassionate Savior,
what a wonder to meet again in this life.
As experiences vanish
like ripples at the shore, childlike,
my mind strays with their movements.
In an instant, remembering You,
all clinging melts
like snowflakes on water.
Such is your kindness.
A deeper sense of lineage is growing within me, and I am drawn to learning more about the great masters whose lives made it possible for us to receive these incomparable teachings.
Garab Dorje was born in northern India in a country called Uddiyana near Dhanakosha Lake. His mother was a nun named Sudharma. One day while she was absorbed in her practice, she had a vision of a man of white light, holding a crystal vase marked with symbols. He approached her and placed the vase on the crown of her head. As he did so, she beheld all experience of the three worlds perfectly. Soon after, she gave birth to a son who, in his previous life, had spread the teachings of the Great Perfection in the realm of the gods. Although many auspicious signs occurred at his human birth, Sudharma was frightened and ashamed.
Sudharma was the daughter of a great king and queen. To bear a child as a nun was to imply that she had broken her vows, which was enough to disgrace the entire family. Her father, however, being of large mind, thought the child to be a divine incarnation. Sudharma' s maidservant also believed the child was a very special being. Nonetheless, in her confusion Sudharma thought the child must be the work of some evil force and abandoned him in a nearby ash heap. After all, there was no mortal father–how could this infant be real? Distraught, she left him in an ash heap.
Three days later, the maid-servant spoke with Sudharma, warning that this child might be an enlightened being. When she realized it was possible, Sudhanna rushed back and found the child, radiant and joyously playing in the ashes. She brought him home and, as she bathed him, music filled the air; spheres and rays of light manifested everywhere. Dakinis appeared out of space singing praises and making offerings.
Throughout the years, many miraculous and amazing events occurred around Garab Dorje. He always had an interest in local pandits (religious scholars) and matters of religion. When he was seven years of age, his interests turned into fervent requesting of his mother, over and over again, to speak with the pandits. His insistence captured his mother's attention, so she spoke to her father the king. At first the king did not take the request seriously, thinking that the boy would only be an intrusion, but then, remembering the boy's extraordinary qualities, he gave his royal approval.
Garab Dorje was invited to the assembly of the five hundred most honored religious scholars, where he engaged in discussions and debate concerning profound religious view. His unsurpassable understanding and realization were acclaimed by them all. Most certainly he was the incarnation of an enlightened being. They bowed to him and praised him, giving him the name Wisdom Nature. The king himself, who experienced joy whenever he was in the child's company, named him Garab Dorje (Joyous Vajra).
As a young man, Garab Dorje went north to a remote mountaintop named Where the Sun Rises. This place was reputed to be inhabited by many pretas (hungry ghosts). He chose to live in the most frightening of all places there.
Garab Dorje spent 32 years on this mountaintop meditating. On one occasion the earth shook seven times, rattling those who were meditating with impure motivation and distorted views. One such heretical king was enraged by the power of Garab Dorje's practice and sent assassins to kill him. When the assassins arrived at the entrance to his cave, he appeared to them radiating light as brilliant as the sun and flew into the sky. Their minds were turned and, instead of killing him, they became his followers.
Garab Dorje received direct instruction from Vajrasattva,who appeared many times, showering him with light and bestowing upon him empowerments, texts, and teachings. Garab Dorje became the recipient of some six million four hundred thousand verses of the Great Perfection. The dakinis assisted him in committing these words to paper, and after three years the texts were placed in a secret cave, where one dakini remained in constant vigil, making offerings to the sacred texts.
By his miraculous power, Garab Dorje flew to the charnel grounds near Bodhgaya. There he transmitted the doctrine of the Great Perfection to many learned ones and to the knowledge-holding dakinis. During this time they compiled and indexed the many verses of the Great Perfection.
Nearby in a neighboring village, Manjushrimitra, a Brahmin master of the arts and philosophy, had a vision in which Manjushri said to him,"If you wish to find the most direct path to enlightenment, go to the charnel grounds at Bodhgaya. There you will find an enlightened one who will guide you."
Manjushrimitra left his home and spent seventy-five years studying with Garab Dorje, receiving the complete instructions and transmissions of the Great Perfection. After the transmission was complete, Garab Dorje transformed into a body of light, like a rainbow, and vanished into the morning sky. The earth trembled and music filled the air.
Though joyful at seeing their master leave the physical plane in a body of rainbow light, Manjushrimitra and the other disciples were deeply saddened by the prospect of life without him.
Later a commemoration for Garab Dorje's enlightenment was held at the headwaters of a huge river. Manjushrimitra, feeling helplessly alone, prayed fervently, praising and calling to his beloved teacher. Suddenly the sky was filled with rainbows and spheres of light. In the midst of this, Garab Dorje's rainbow-light hand appeared, from which a golden box the size of a thumbnail fell into Manjushrimitra's hand. Inside the box were the master's final pith instructions, The Three Words That Penetrate the Essence. Upon reading this, Manjushrimitra instantly attained realization equal to that of Garab Dorje.
The following article is the first in a series of articles on the lineage holders of the Great Perfection.
All of the nine yanas (paths to enlightenment) culminate with, and are subsumed by, the Great Perfection.
The Buddha manifests in whatever form and in whatever way is needed to free sentient beings who are caught in the endless cycles of samsara and nirvana.
Kuntuzangpo, the primordial Buddha, transmits the realization of the Great Perfection spontaneously to all the Buddhas. The Buddha Vajrasattva transmits the meaning of the Great Perfection spontaneously and through indication, gesture and symbols. Masters such as Garab Dorje, with whom our series begins, and Guru Padmasambhava are enlightened beings who have manifested in human form to transmit the Great Perfection in ways that match our capacity for understanding.
If we want the fruit of enlightenment, then we must look to the lineage tree from which it comes. Making a connection to Rinpoche links usto the entire stream of lineage holders. The amazing life stories and extraordinary experiences of these great beings are often difficult to believe. Yet their stories are a legacy of blessings and inspiration which can pass by when our minds become clouded with doubt.
Rinpoche often tells this story of how what we take for granted seemed impossible to him:
"Someone told me about an object which could be used to have a conversation with a person far away. I was certain this person was taking me to be a fool. I knew that no sound could cross mountains, rivers and vast gorges. Later when I saw and used the telephone, I realized that he hadn't lied. When I marveled to someone about the amazing telephone, he told me about a box with people dancing and singing inside. I felt insulted. How could anything so fantastic really be true? Later, to my amazement, I saw the television and now enjoy watching it."
Just as Rinpoche found technology unimaginable, we sometimes find what he teaches us to be a little too fantastic to believe. When I began attending Rinpoche's teachings, the intention to do practice for the benefit of all who suffer was not hard for me to grasp. But I found the vast world of the Vajrayana, the different deities, visualization practices, and miraculous powers, so difficult to relate to that on several occasions I almost abandoned the pursuit. In spite of this, many times while I was in Rinpoche's presence as he revealed the profound inner meaning of the dharma, the thought welled up in me that just as he, out of his infinite kindness, sat with us, so did his teacher, and his teacher's teacher before him, and so on back to Garab Dorje. From that time until now the intention and the meaning have never changed. In realization, all teachers are one, and we find ourselves in the presence of Buddha. Lineage is both timely and timeless.
I attended a six-week retreat where I practiced under Rinpoche's guidance. At its close these words came to mind and my heart was filled with devotion:
Oh Glorious One,
Father of Awareness,
Compassionate Savior,
what a wonder to meet again in this life.
As experiences vanish
like ripples at the shore, childlike,
my mind strays with their movements.
In an instant, remembering You,
all clinging melts
like snowflakes on water.
Such is your kindness.
A deeper sense of lineage is growing within me, and I am drawn to learning more about the great masters whose lives made it possible for us to receive these incomparable teachings.
Garab Dorje was born in northern India in a country called Uddiyana near Dhanakosha Lake. His mother was a nun named Sudharma. One day while she was absorbed in her practice, she had a vision of a man of white light, holding a crystal vase marked with symbols. He approached her and placed the vase on the crown of her head. As he did so, she beheld all experience of the three worlds perfectly. Soon after, she gave birth to a son who, in his previous life, had spread the teachings of the Great Perfection in the realm of the gods. Although many auspicious signs occurred at his human birth, Sudharma was frightened and ashamed.
Sudharma was the daughter of a great king and queen. To bear a child as a nun was to imply that she had broken her vows, which was enough to disgrace the entire family. Her father, however, being of large mind, thought the child to be a divine incarnation. Sudharma' s maidservant also believed the child was a very special being. Nonetheless, in her confusion Sudharma thought the child must be the work of some evil force and abandoned him in a nearby ash heap. After all, there was no mortal father–how could this infant be real? Distraught, she left him in an ash heap.
Three days later, the maid-servant spoke with Sudharma, warning that this child might be an enlightened being. When she realized it was possible, Sudhanna rushed back and found the child, radiant and joyously playing in the ashes. She brought him home and, as she bathed him, music filled the air; spheres and rays of light manifested everywhere. Dakinis appeared out of space singing praises and making offerings.
Throughout the years, many miraculous and amazing events occurred around Garab Dorje. He always had an interest in local pandits (religious scholars) and matters of religion. When he was seven years of age, his interests turned into fervent requesting of his mother, over and over again, to speak with the pandits. His insistence captured his mother's attention, so she spoke to her father the king. At first the king did not take the request seriously, thinking that the boy would only be an intrusion, but then, remembering the boy's extraordinary qualities, he gave his royal approval.
Garab Dorje was invited to the assembly of the five hundred most honored religious scholars, where he engaged in discussions and debate concerning profound religious view. His unsurpassable understanding and realization were acclaimed by them all. Most certainly he was the incarnation of an enlightened being. They bowed to him and praised him, giving him the name Wisdom Nature. The king himself, who experienced joy whenever he was in the child's company, named him Garab Dorje (Joyous Vajra).
As a young man, Garab Dorje went north to a remote mountaintop named Where the Sun Rises. This place was reputed to be inhabited by many pretas (hungry ghosts). He chose to live in the most frightening of all places there.
Garab Dorje spent 32 years on this mountaintop meditating. On one occasion the earth shook seven times, rattling those who were meditating with impure motivation and distorted views. One such heretical king was enraged by the power of Garab Dorje's practice and sent assassins to kill him. When the assassins arrived at the entrance to his cave, he appeared to them radiating light as brilliant as the sun and flew into the sky. Their minds were turned and, instead of killing him, they became his followers.
Garab Dorje received direct instruction from Vajrasattva,who appeared many times, showering him with light and bestowing upon him empowerments, texts, and teachings. Garab Dorje became the recipient of some six million four hundred thousand verses of the Great Perfection. The dakinis assisted him in committing these words to paper, and after three years the texts were placed in a secret cave, where one dakini remained in constant vigil, making offerings to the sacred texts.
By his miraculous power, Garab Dorje flew to the charnel grounds near Bodhgaya. There he transmitted the doctrine of the Great Perfection to many learned ones and to the knowledge-holding dakinis. During this time they compiled and indexed the many verses of the Great Perfection.
Nearby in a neighboring village, Manjushrimitra, a Brahmin master of the arts and philosophy, had a vision in which Manjushri said to him,"If you wish to find the most direct path to enlightenment, go to the charnel grounds at Bodhgaya. There you will find an enlightened one who will guide you."
Manjushrimitra left his home and spent seventy-five years studying with Garab Dorje, receiving the complete instructions and transmissions of the Great Perfection. After the transmission was complete, Garab Dorje transformed into a body of light, like a rainbow, and vanished into the morning sky. The earth trembled and music filled the air.
Though joyful at seeing their master leave the physical plane in a body of rainbow light, Manjushrimitra and the other disciples were deeply saddened by the prospect of life without him.
Later a commemoration for Garab Dorje's enlightenment was held at the headwaters of a huge river. Manjushrimitra, feeling helplessly alone, prayed fervently, praising and calling to his beloved teacher. Suddenly the sky was filled with rainbows and spheres of light. In the midst of this, Garab Dorje's rainbow-light hand appeared, from which a golden box the size of a thumbnail fell into Manjushrimitra's hand. Inside the box were the master's final pith instructions, The Three Words That Penetrate the Essence. Upon reading this, Manjushrimitra instantly attained realization equal to that of Garab Dorje.
The following article is the first in a series of articles on the lineage holders of the Great Perfection.
All of the nine yanas (paths to enlightenment) culminate with, and are subsumed by, the Great Perfection.
The Buddha manifests in whatever form and in whatever way is needed to free sentient beings who are caught in the endless cycles of samsara and nirvana.
Kuntuzangpo, the primordial Buddha, transmits the realization of the Great Perfection spontaneously to all the Buddhas. The Buddha Vajrasattva transmits the meaning of the Great Perfection spontaneously and through indication, gesture and symbols. Masters such as Garab Dorje, with whom our series begins, and Guru Padmasambhava are enlightened beings who have manifested in human form to transmit the Great Perfection in ways that match our capacity for understanding.
If we want the fruit of enlightenment, then we must look to the lineage tree from which it comes. Making a connection to Rinpoche links usto the entire stream of lineage holders. The amazing life stories and extraordinary experiences of these great beings are often difficult to believe. Yet their stories are a legacy of blessings and inspiration which can pass by when our minds become clouded with doubt.
Rinpoche often tells this story of how what we take for granted seemed impossible to him:
"Someone told me about an object which could be used to have a conversation with a person far away. I was certain this person was taking me to be a fool. I knew that no sound could cross mountains, rivers and vast gorges. Later when I saw and used the telephone, I realized that he hadn't lied. When I marveled to someone about the amazing telephone, he told me about a box with people dancing and singing inside. I felt insulted. How could anything so fantastic really be true? Later, to my amazement, I saw the television and now enjoy watching it."
Just as Rinpoche found technology unimaginable, we sometimes find what he teaches us to be a little too fantastic to believe. When I began attending Rinpoche's teachings, the intention to do practice for the benefit of all who suffer was not hard for me to grasp. But I found the vast world of the Vajrayana, the different deities, visualization practices, and miraculous powers, so difficult to relate to that on several occasions I almost abandoned the pursuit. In spite of this, many times while I was in Rinpoche's presence as he revealed the profound inner meaning of the dharma, the thought welled up in me that just as he, out of his infinite kindness, sat with us, so did his teacher, and his teacher's teacher before him, and so on back to Garab Dorje. From that time until now the intention and the meaning have never changed. In realization, all teachers are one, and we find ourselves in the presence of Buddha. Lineage is both timely and timeless.
I attended a six-week retreat where I practiced under Rinpoche's guidance. At its close these words came to mind and my heart was filled with devotion:
Oh Glorious One,
Father of Awareness,
Compassionate Savior,
what a wonder to meet again in this life.
As experiences vanish
like ripples at the shore, childlike,
my mind strays with their movements.
In an instant, remembering You,
all clinging melts
like snowflakes on water.
Such is your kindness.
A deeper sense of lineage is growing within me, and I am drawn to learning more about the great masters whose lives made it possible for us to receive these incomparable teachings.
Garab Dorje was born in northern India in a country called Uddiyana near Dhanakosha Lake. His mother was a nun named Sudharma. One day while she was absorbed in her practice, she had a vision of a man of white light, holding a crystal vase marked with symbols. He approached her and placed the vase on the crown of her head. As he did so, she beheld all experience of the three worlds perfectly. Soon after, she gave birth to a son who, in his previous life, had spread the teachings of the Great Perfection in the realm of the gods. Although many auspicious signs occurred at his human birth, Sudharma was frightened and ashamed.
Sudharma was the daughter of a great king and queen. To bear a child as a nun was to imply that she had broken her vows, which was enough to disgrace the entire family. Her father, however, being of large mind, thought the child to be a divine incarnation. Sudharma' s maidservant also believed the child was a very special being. Nonetheless, in her confusion Sudharma thought the child must be the work of some evil force and abandoned him in a nearby ash heap. After all, there was no mortal father–how could this infant be real? Distraught, she left him in an ash heap.
Three days later, the maid-servant spoke with Sudharma, warning that this child might be an enlightened being. When she realized it was possible, Sudhanna rushed back and found the child, radiant and joyously playing in the ashes. She brought him home and, as she bathed him, music filled the air; spheres and rays of light manifested everywhere. Dakinis appeared out of space singing praises and making offerings.
Throughout the years, many miraculous and amazing events occurred around Garab Dorje. He always had an interest in local pandits (religious scholars) and matters of religion. When he was seven years of age, his interests turned into fervent requesting of his mother, over and over again, to speak with the pandits. His insistence captured his mother's attention, so she spoke to her father the king. At first the king did not take the request seriously, thinking that the boy would only be an intrusion, but then, remembering the boy's extraordinary qualities, he gave his royal approval.
Garab Dorje was invited to the assembly of the five hundred most honored religious scholars, where he engaged in discussions and debate concerning profound religious view. His unsurpassable understanding and realization were acclaimed by them all. Most certainly he was the incarnation of an enlightened being. They bowed to him and praised him, giving him the name Wisdom Nature. The king himself, who experienced joy whenever he was in the child's company, named him Garab Dorje (Joyous Vajra).
As a young man, Garab Dorje went north to a remote mountaintop named Where the Sun Rises. This place was reputed to be inhabited by many pretas (hungry ghosts). He chose to live in the most frightening of all places there.
Garab Dorje spent 32 years on this mountaintop meditating. On one occasion the earth shook seven times, rattling those who were meditating with impure motivation and distorted views. One such heretical king was enraged by the power of Garab Dorje's practice and sent assassins to kill him. When the assassins arrived at the entrance to his cave, he appeared to them radiating light as brilliant as the sun and flew into the sky. Their minds were turned and, instead of killing him, they became his followers.
Garab Dorje received direct instruction from Vajrasattva,who appeared many times, showering him with light and bestowing upon him empowerments, texts, and teachings. Garab Dorje became the recipient of some six million four hundred thousand verses of the Great Perfection. The dakinis assisted him in committing these words to paper, and after three years the texts were placed in a secret cave, where one dakini remained in constant vigil, making offerings to the sacred texts.
By his miraculous power, Garab Dorje flew to the charnel grounds near Bodhgaya. There he transmitted the doctrine of the Great Perfection to many learned ones and to the knowledge-holding dakinis. During this time they compiled and indexed the many verses of the Great Perfection.
Nearby in a neighboring village, Manjushrimitra, a Brahmin master of the arts and philosophy, had a vision in which Manjushri said to him,"If you wish to find the most direct path to enlightenment, go to the charnel grounds at Bodhgaya. There you will find an enlightened one who will guide you."
Manjushrimitra left his home and spent seventy-five years studying with Garab Dorje, receiving the complete instructions and transmissions of the Great Perfection. After the transmission was complete, Garab Dorje transformed into a body of light, like a rainbow, and vanished into the morning sky. The earth trembled and music filled the air.
Though joyful at seeing their master leave the physical plane in a body of rainbow light, Manjushrimitra and the other disciples were deeply saddened by the prospect of life without him.
Later a commemoration for Garab Dorje's enlightenment was held at the headwaters of a huge river. Manjushrimitra, feeling helplessly alone, prayed fervently, praising and calling to his beloved teacher. Suddenly the sky was filled with rainbows and spheres of light. In the midst of this, Garab Dorje's rainbow-light hand appeared, from which a golden box the size of a thumbnail fell into Manjushrimitra's hand. Inside the box were the master's final pith instructions, The Three Words That Penetrate the Essence. Upon reading this, Manjushrimitra instantly attained realization equal to that of Garab Dorje.
The following article is the first in a series of articles on the lineage holders of the Great Perfection.
All of the nine yanas (paths to enlightenment) culminate with, and are subsumed by, the Great Perfection.
The Buddha manifests in whatever form and in whatever way is needed to free sentient beings who are caught in the endless cycles of samsara and nirvana.
Kuntuzangpo, the primordial Buddha, transmits the realization of the Great Perfection spontaneously to all the Buddhas. The Buddha Vajrasattva transmits the meaning of the Great Perfection spontaneously and through indication, gesture and symbols. Masters such as Garab Dorje, with whom our series begins, and Guru Padmasambhava are enlightened beings who have manifested in human form to transmit the Great Perfection in ways that match our capacity for understanding.
If we want the fruit of enlightenment, then we must look to the lineage tree from which it comes. Making a connection to Rinpoche links usto the entire stream of lineage holders. The amazing life stories and extraordinary experiences of these great beings are often difficult to believe. Yet their stories are a legacy of blessings and inspiration which can pass by when our minds become clouded with doubt.
Rinpoche often tells this story of how what we take for granted seemed impossible to him:
"Someone told me about an object which could be used to have a conversation with a person far away. I was certain this person was taking me to be a fool. I knew that no sound could cross mountains, rivers and vast gorges. Later when I saw and used the telephone, I realized that he hadn't lied. When I marveled to someone about the amazing telephone, he told me about a box with people dancing and singing inside. I felt insulted. How could anything so fantastic really be true? Later, to my amazement, I saw the television and now enjoy watching it."
Just as Rinpoche found technology unimaginable, we sometimes find what he teaches us to be a little too fantastic to believe. When I began attending Rinpoche's teachings, the intention to do practice for the benefit of all who suffer was not hard for me to grasp. But I found the vast world of the Vajrayana, the different deities, visualization practices, and miraculous powers, so difficult to relate to that on several occasions I almost abandoned the pursuit. In spite of this, many times while I was in Rinpoche's presence as he revealed the profound inner meaning of the dharma, the thought welled up in me that just as he, out of his infinite kindness, sat with us, so did his teacher, and his teacher's teacher before him, and so on back to Garab Dorje. From that time until now the intention and the meaning have never changed. In realization, all teachers are one, and we find ourselves in the presence of Buddha. Lineage is both timely and timeless.
I attended a six-week retreat where I practiced under Rinpoche's guidance. At its close these words came to mind and my heart was filled with devotion:
Oh Glorious One,
Father of Awareness,
Compassionate Savior,
what a wonder to meet again in this life.
As experiences vanish
like ripples at the shore, childlike,
my mind strays with their movements.
In an instant, remembering You,
all clinging melts
like snowflakes on water.
Such is your kindness.
A deeper sense of lineage is growing within me, and I am drawn to learning more about the great masters whose lives made it possible for us to receive these incomparable teachings.
Garab Dorje was born in northern India in a country called Uddiyana near Dhanakosha Lake. His mother was a nun named Sudharma. One day while she was absorbed in her practice, she had a vision of a man of white light, holding a crystal vase marked with symbols. He approached her and placed the vase on the crown of her head. As he did so, she beheld all experience of the three worlds perfectly. Soon after, she gave birth to a son who, in his previous life, had spread the teachings of the Great Perfection in the realm of the gods. Although many auspicious signs occurred at his human birth, Sudharma was frightened and ashamed.
Sudharma was the daughter of a great king and queen. To bear a child as a nun was to imply that she had broken her vows, which was enough to disgrace the entire family. Her father, however, being of large mind, thought the child to be a divine incarnation. Sudharma' s maidservant also believed the child was a very special being. Nonetheless, in her confusion Sudharma thought the child must be the work of some evil force and abandoned him in a nearby ash heap. After all, there was no mortal father–how could this infant be real? Distraught, she left him in an ash heap.
Three days later, the maid-servant spoke with Sudharma, warning that this child might be an enlightened being. When she realized it was possible, Sudhanna rushed back and found the child, radiant and joyously playing in the ashes. She brought him home and, as she bathed him, music filled the air; spheres and rays of light manifested everywhere. Dakinis appeared out of space singing praises and making offerings.
Throughout the years, many miraculous and amazing events occurred around Garab Dorje. He always had an interest in local pandits (religious scholars) and matters of religion. When he was seven years of age, his interests turned into fervent requesting of his mother, over and over again, to speak with the pandits. His insistence captured his mother's attention, so she spoke to her father the king. At first the king did not take the request seriously, thinking that the boy would only be an intrusion, but then, remembering the boy's extraordinary qualities, he gave his royal approval.
Garab Dorje was invited to the assembly of the five hundred most honored religious scholars, where he engaged in discussions and debate concerning profound religious view. His unsurpassable understanding and realization were acclaimed by them all. Most certainly he was the incarnation of an enlightened being. They bowed to him and praised him, giving him the name Wisdom Nature. The king himself, who experienced joy whenever he was in the child's company, named him Garab Dorje (Joyous Vajra).
As a young man, Garab Dorje went north to a remote mountaintop named Where the Sun Rises. This place was reputed to be inhabited by many pretas (hungry ghosts). He chose to live in the most frightening of all places there.
Garab Dorje spent 32 years on this mountaintop meditating. On one occasion the earth shook seven times, rattling those who were meditating with impure motivation and distorted views. One such heretical king was enraged by the power of Garab Dorje's practice and sent assassins to kill him. When the assassins arrived at the entrance to his cave, he appeared to them radiating light as brilliant as the sun and flew into the sky. Their minds were turned and, instead of killing him, they became his followers.
Garab Dorje received direct instruction from Vajrasattva,who appeared many times, showering him with light and bestowing upon him empowerments, texts, and teachings. Garab Dorje became the recipient of some six million four hundred thousand verses of the Great Perfection. The dakinis assisted him in committing these words to paper, and after three years the texts were placed in a secret cave, where one dakini remained in constant vigil, making offerings to the sacred texts.
By his miraculous power, Garab Dorje flew to the charnel grounds near Bodhgaya. There he transmitted the doctrine of the Great Perfection to many learned ones and to the knowledge-holding dakinis. During this time they compiled and indexed the many verses of the Great Perfection.
Nearby in a neighboring village, Manjushrimitra, a Brahmin master of the arts and philosophy, had a vision in which Manjushri said to him,"If you wish to find the most direct path to enlightenment, go to the charnel grounds at Bodhgaya. There you will find an enlightened one who will guide you."
Manjushrimitra left his home and spent seventy-five years studying with Garab Dorje, receiving the complete instructions and transmissions of the Great Perfection. After the transmission was complete, Garab Dorje transformed into a body of light, like a rainbow, and vanished into the morning sky. The earth trembled and music filled the air.
Though joyful at seeing their master leave the physical plane in a body of rainbow light, Manjushrimitra and the other disciples were deeply saddened by the prospect of life without him.
Later a commemoration for Garab Dorje's enlightenment was held at the headwaters of a huge river. Manjushrimitra, feeling helplessly alone, prayed fervently, praising and calling to his beloved teacher. Suddenly the sky was filled with rainbows and spheres of light. In the midst of this, Garab Dorje's rainbow-light hand appeared, from which a golden box the size of a thumbnail fell into Manjushrimitra's hand. Inside the box were the master's final pith instructions, The Three Words That Penetrate the Essence. Upon reading this, Manjushrimitra instantly attained realization equal to that of Garab Dorje.
The following article is the first in a series of articles on the lineage holders of the Great Perfection.
All of the nine yanas (paths to enlightenment) culminate with, and are subsumed by, the Great Perfection.
The Buddha manifests in whatever form and in whatever way is needed to free sentient beings who are caught in the endless cycles of samsara and nirvana.
Kuntuzangpo, the primordial Buddha, transmits the realization of the Great Perfection spontaneously to all the Buddhas. The Buddha Vajrasattva transmits the meaning of the Great Perfection spontaneously and through indication, gesture and symbols. Masters such as Garab Dorje, with whom our series begins, and Guru Padmasambhava are enlightened beings who have manifested in human form to transmit the Great Perfection in ways that match our capacity for understanding.
If we want the fruit of enlightenment, then we must look to the lineage tree from which it comes. Making a connection to Rinpoche links usto the entire stream of lineage holders. The amazing life stories and extraordinary experiences of these great beings are often difficult to believe. Yet their stories are a legacy of blessings and inspiration which can pass by when our minds become clouded with doubt.
Rinpoche often tells this story of how what we take for granted seemed impossible to him:
"Someone told me about an object which could be used to have a conversation with a person far away. I was certain this person was taking me to be a fool. I knew that no sound could cross mountains, rivers and vast gorges. Later when I saw and used the telephone, I realized that he hadn't lied. When I marveled to someone about the amazing telephone, he told me about a box with people dancing and singing inside. I felt insulted. How could anything so fantastic really be true? Later, to my amazement, I saw the television and now enjoy watching it."
Just as Rinpoche found technology unimaginable, we sometimes find what he teaches us to be a little too fantastic to believe. When I began attending Rinpoche's teachings, the intention to do practice for the benefit of all who suffer was not hard for me to grasp. But I found the vast world of the Vajrayana, the different deities, visualization practices, and miraculous powers, so difficult to relate to that on several occasions I almost abandoned the pursuit. In spite of this, many times while I was in Rinpoche's presence as he revealed the profound inner meaning of the dharma, the thought welled up in me that just as he, out of his infinite kindness, sat with us, so did his teacher, and his teacher's teacher before him, and so on back to Garab Dorje. From that time until now the intention and the meaning have never changed. In realization, all teachers are one, and we find ourselves in the presence of Buddha. Lineage is both timely and timeless.
I attended a six-week retreat where I practiced under Rinpoche's guidance. At its close these words came to mind and my heart was filled with devotion:
Oh Glorious One,
Father of Awareness,
Compassionate Savior,
what a wonder to meet again in this life.
As experiences vanish
like ripples at the shore, childlike,
my mind strays with their movements.
In an instant, remembering You,
all clinging melts
like snowflakes on water.
Such is your kindness.
A deeper sense of lineage is growing within me, and I am drawn to learning more about the great masters whose lives made it possible for us to receive these incomparable teachings.
Garab Dorje was born in northern India in a country called Uddiyana near Dhanakosha Lake. His mother was a nun named Sudharma. One day while she was absorbed in her practice, she had a vision of a man of white light, holding a crystal vase marked with symbols. He approached her and placed the vase on the crown of her head. As he did so, she beheld all experience of the three worlds perfectly. Soon after, she gave birth to a son who, in his previous life, had spread the teachings of the Great Perfection in the realm of the gods. Although many auspicious signs occurred at his human birth, Sudharma was frightened and ashamed.
Sudharma was the daughter of a great king and queen. To bear a child as a nun was to imply that she had broken her vows, which was enough to disgrace the entire family. Her father, however, being of large mind, thought the child to be a divine incarnation. Sudharma' s maidservant also believed the child was a very special being. Nonetheless, in her confusion Sudharma thought the child must be the work of some evil force and abandoned him in a nearby ash heap. After all, there was no mortal father–how could this infant be real? Distraught, she left him in an ash heap.
Three days later, the maid-servant spoke with Sudharma, warning that this child might be an enlightened being. When she realized it was possible, Sudhanna rushed back and found the child, radiant and joyously playing in the ashes. She brought him home and, as she bathed him, music filled the air; spheres and rays of light manifested everywhere. Dakinis appeared out of space singing praises and making offerings.
Throughout the years, many miraculous and amazing events occurred around Garab Dorje. He always had an interest in local pandits (religious scholars) and matters of religion. When he was seven years of age, his interests turned into fervent requesting of his mother, over and over again, to speak with the pandits. His insistence captured his mother's attention, so she spoke to her father the king. At first the king did not take the request seriously, thinking that the boy would only be an intrusion, but then, remembering the boy's extraordinary qualities, he gave his royal approval.
Garab Dorje was invited to the assembly of the five hundred most honored religious scholars, where he engaged in discussions and debate concerning profound religious view. His unsurpassable understanding and realization were acclaimed by them all. Most certainly he was the incarnation of an enlightened being. They bowed to him and praised him, giving him the name Wisdom Nature. The king himself, who experienced joy whenever he was in the child's company, named him Garab Dorje (Joyous Vajra).
As a young man, Garab Dorje went north to a remote mountaintop named Where the Sun Rises. This place was reputed to be inhabited by many pretas (hungry ghosts). He chose to live in the most frightening of all places there.
Garab Dorje spent 32 years on this mountaintop meditating. On one occasion the earth shook seven times, rattling those who were meditating with impure motivation and distorted views. One such heretical king was enraged by the power of Garab Dorje's practice and sent assassins to kill him. When the assassins arrived at the entrance to his cave, he appeared to them radiating light as brilliant as the sun and flew into the sky. Their minds were turned and, instead of killing him, they became his followers.
Garab Dorje received direct instruction from Vajrasattva,who appeared many times, showering him with light and bestowing upon him empowerments, texts, and teachings. Garab Dorje became the recipient of some six million four hundred thousand verses of the Great Perfection. The dakinis assisted him in committing these words to paper, and after three years the texts were placed in a secret cave, where one dakini remained in constant vigil, making offerings to the sacred texts.
By his miraculous power, Garab Dorje flew to the charnel grounds near Bodhgaya. There he transmitted the doctrine of the Great Perfection to many learned ones and to the knowledge-holding dakinis. During this time they compiled and indexed the many verses of the Great Perfection.
Nearby in a neighboring village, Manjushrimitra, a Brahmin master of the arts and philosophy, had a vision in which Manjushri said to him,"If you wish to find the most direct path to enlightenment, go to the charnel grounds at Bodhgaya. There you will find an enlightened one who will guide you."
Manjushrimitra left his home and spent seventy-five years studying with Garab Dorje, receiving the complete instructions and transmissions of the Great Perfection. After the transmission was complete, Garab Dorje transformed into a body of light, like a rainbow, and vanished into the morning sky. The earth trembled and music filled the air.
Though joyful at seeing their master leave the physical plane in a body of rainbow light, Manjushrimitra and the other disciples were deeply saddened by the prospect of life without him.
Later a commemoration for Garab Dorje's enlightenment was held at the headwaters of a huge river. Manjushrimitra, feeling helplessly alone, prayed fervently, praising and calling to his beloved teacher. Suddenly the sky was filled with rainbows and spheres of light. In the midst of this, Garab Dorje's rainbow-light hand appeared, from which a golden box the size of a thumbnail fell into Manjushrimitra's hand. Inside the box were the master's final pith instructions, The Three Words That Penetrate the Essence. Upon reading this, Manjushrimitra instantly attained realization equal to that of Garab Dorje.
