The Life and Liberation of Padmākara, the Second Buddha

Reposted from: lotsawahouse.org

Padmasambhava the manifestation of Amitābha sent to tame sentient beings:

The Life and Liberation of Padmākara, the Second Buddha

from A Precious Garland of Lapis Lazuli [1]

by Jamgön Kongtrul

Namo Guru-buddhādi-padmākara-pādāya

Padmasambhava, known as the ‘Second Buddha’, has influenced countless beings through the essential vajrayāna teachings of secret mantra, and especially through his profound terma-treasure activities here in Tibet. This great master was not an ordinary person on the path, nor merely a noble being on one of the bodhisattva levels. Guru Padmasambhava was an emanation of both Buddha Amitābha and the peerless Śākyamuni, and his purpose was to pacify human and spirit beings that were otherwise difficult to tame. Even the great bodhisattvas are incapable of fully telling the story of his life and liberation, yet I shall nonetheless give a brief outline in the pages that follow.

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What Tibet’s Greatest Ever Yogi Can Teach Us About Living Life

Jetsun Milarepa Image Source: ganachakra.com
Jetsun Milarepa Image Source: ganachakra.com

Reposted from thedailymind.com

His name was Milarepa and he was a murderer
. The start of this yogi’s life was marred by violence, hatred and revenge. But mention his name to any Tibetan and their eyes will well up with tears of devotion and joy. For this is a story about change. This is a man who recognized his flaws and mistakes and turned his life around. This is a man who became the greatest yogi the world has ever seen.

Who was Milarepa?

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Origin Of Mantra ཀརྨ་པ་མཁྱེན་ནོ། – Karmapa Chenno

Reposted from redzambala.com:
ཀརྨ་པ་མཁྱེན་ནོ།
The most important practice in Tibetan Buddhism is Guru Yoga, meditation and mantra on the spiritual head and teacher of the tradition, which is seen as living Buddha, embodiment of three kayas and 10 bhumi (extraordinary powers). In Kagyu tradition the head Lama is Gyalwa Karmapa and his mantra is ཀརྨ་པ་མཁྱེན་ནོ། Karmapa Chenno. It is believed sounds of this mantra are directly connected with the enlightened mind of HH Karmapa and carry its enlightened qualities and brings help when it is most necessary for the benefit of student.

Here I would like to share with you a story about the origins of Karmapa Chenno mantra. The Karmapa mantra has originated at the times of 8thKarmapa Mikyo Dorje (1507-1554) in context of teaching about “Calling the Lama from afar.” (more…)

Filling Sacred Objects

By: Dorjé Lopön Dr. Lye 

In Drikung Dharmakirti’s (First Kyabgon Chungtsang) “Ocean of Merit and Wisdom: Instructions for Filling Sacred Objects,” it is stated that among the five types of sacred relics necessary for filling a stupa or statue, the mantra script is the most important as they are the “dharmakaya relics” (chos.sku.ring.bsrel). The mantras are first printed on sheets of paper, cut to fitting-sized strips, painted over with a mixture of saffron and medicinal spice (such as the “six good ingredients” and camphor), rolled up into tight little rolls of mantras and in this case, put into the “bhumpa” (the vase-shaped) part of the stupa alongside with whatever of the other four types of sacred relics that might be available.

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