The Eight Manifestations of Padmasambhava: Part Four

Guru Shakya Sengé Lion of the Shakyas

The fifth emanation is Guru Shakya Sengé, the form of Guru Rinpoche demonstrating the means of awakening within this lifetime through discipline and detachment.

This is a very simple and gentle approach, the gradual way of enlightenment. Shakya Sengé wears monk's robes and embodies the principle of realization through the monastic path.

After Buddha Shakyamuni's mahaparinirvana, there were seven generations of regents, the first being Mahakashyapa and the second, Ananda. The third and fourth lineage holders, Sanavasika (T. Nimakungwa) and Upagupta, were originally Ananda's students. Guru Shakya Sengé was ordained along with both of them by the Venerable Ananda on a small island in the Ganges River. There is a tradition of performing ordinations on such islands, which continues even today in Sri Lanka. Some schools don't ever give the full ordination on land. They'll go out on a river, a lake or the ocean and do it in a boat. It is said that when Guru Shakya Sengé was ordained, the earth goddess offered him monk's robes and a begging bowl in the presence of the buddhas of the ten directions.

After his ordination, Shakya Sengé practiced according to the traditional system which involves study, contemplation, and meditation. For more than twenty years he studied with Ananda, primarily focusing on the Tripitaka, or the Three Baskets of teachings; the vinaya, sutra and abhidharma. Guru Shakya Sengé mastered the Tripitaka as well as the outer and inner tantras and realized enlightenment.

After studying with Ananda, Guru Shakya Sengé spent many years in Bodhgaya. He practiced and taught the vinaya, sutra and abhidharma, serving many who were particularly suited to these teachings. Then he went to Rajagrha or Vulture Peak, one of the most famous places in the world of Buddhism. Here he meditated on the Prajnaparamita Sutras. The Buddha said that Vulture Peak has a special power to pacify the mind so as to reveal its true nature. Shakya Sengé went to meditate and contemplate the Prajnaparamita in all the places Buddha had originally given these teachings.

In Nepal, Guru Shakya Sengé took up the Vajrayana. In particular, he practiced on Vajrakilaya, which is one of the eight heruka teachings. These are very secret transmissions, the innermost of the tantric sadhanas. He practiced and meditated on Yangdag Heruka and Vajrakilaya for about three years. With this combination, he reached the highest Heruka level which is known as Mahamudra. Mahamudra is the understanding of great emptiness in which the entire universe is seen as great emptiness-bliss, within which everything manifests. According to historical accounts, Guru Rinpoche came to this realization in Nepal during the emanation time of Guru Shakya Sengé.

Vajrakilaya is a very important deity of the inner tantras. He represents the power and activities of all the Buddhas of the three times and ten directions. So by achieving the same realization as Vajrakilaya, Guru Rinpoche gained the ability to subdue negative forces all over the world. He used his ability to heal an eruption of the dark forces of the earth and sky that was taking place in Nepal at the time. These were among the activities of Guru Shakya Sengé, although he is mainly associated with discipline and gentleness.

In spite of his high realization, Guru Shakya Sengé follows the simplest ways and skillfully makes use of ordinary forms. He represents authentic spiritual development which proceeds from the ground level. He is not passively absorbed in a high state but is working from the grassroots. Even though Guru Shakya Sengé is fully realized, he makes appropriate use of worldly conventions. To be well aware of the law of karmic causation and to apply this knowledge in practice is the essential teaching of Guru Shakya Sengé.

Guru Shakya Sengé's activities had a profound influence on King Ashoka, the most famous and powerful monarch in all of Indian history. Ashoka was predicted by Buddha Shakyamuni in the following way; one day the Buddha was going to the city to beg for lunch. On the way, he passed a beach where a group of children were playing. They were building sand castles complete with structures for the king's court and treasure house. The children had even taken on positions such as king, queen, and ministers.

As the Buddha and his students approached, the little boy who was acting as the king saw them coming and was very happy. He picked up a handful of the sand and gravel which symbolized the royal treasure and ran toward the Buddha. When Ananda saw that the child was going to put sand in the Buddha's begging bowl, he was ready to turn the boy away, but the Buddha said, "Let me accept his offering. This is special." The Buddha lowered his bowl, but the child could not reach it. So the boy called for one of his little ministers. The boy king asked his friend to get down on all fours and then stood on his back to put the offering in Buddha's begging bowl.

Ananda and the other students saw all this and were very amazed. They asked, "Who is this child?" And Buddha replied, "This boy is uncommon. Through his aspirations and this connection with me here today, he will become a very great king about two hundred and fifty years after my mahaparinirvana. He will help spread my Dharma and support the sangha. He will create as many monuments to the Buddha throughout the world as the grains of sand which he carries on his palms. This is a very special child and his companions who helped him today will continue to support this boy's activities in the future." Then the Buddha did a special dedication prayer and continued on into the city. That was his prophesy about King Ashoka.

As predicted, Ashoka appeared about two hundred years after Buddha's mahaparinirvana. He was the son of a very famous monarch, but he was not considered a prince because he wasn't born in the palace. The King had been with another woman outside the palace and Ashoka was her son. Everybody knew of this. Most of Ashoka's half-brothers lived within the palace walls. When the king died, the brothers all started fighting for the throne. It seems the only thing that they all agreed on was that Ashoka should not be king. But Ashoka wanted to be king, and in any case, he had to defend himself against the anger and jealousy of his half-brothers. The situation culminated in a terrible fight one day which involved many of the sons but finally, Ashoka emerged victorious. He had killed all the others to become king.

Soon he moved the palace from the original site to Pataliputra. Today this place is known as Patna. Having re-established his capital at Pataliputra, Ashoka, a very powerful and vigorous fighter, started conquering other kingdoms and became ruler of nearly all of central India.

Ashoka pursued military conquest for years and killed many people. He was a very violent and cruel king. In some accounts, it is said that he wouldn't even eat lunch before he killed someone. In those times there was a school centering on a wrathful female goddess. Ashoka was a follower of this sect and his master told him that if he executed 10,100 human beings and offered them to the goddess, his power would increase, but since this was a ritual, he was not to do it in the ordinary, military way.

So Ashoka had a ceremonial house built right at the central junction of Pataliputra. It had four doors, one in each of the four directions and whoever was unfortunate enough to step inside would be executed, according to the king's orders.

As Buddha Shakyamuni stated, Ashoka had a good, strong foundation for the Dharma but for the moment, his great motivations were obscured. In order to help dispel those obscurations, Guru Rinpoche came in the form of a simple monk and stepped inside the house of sacrifice. The executioner asked him to come forward and drew his sword.

The monk asked, "Why are you going to kill me?" The executioner replied, "Because these are the king's orders. It is part of a special ceremony." So the monk said, "Let me stay here for one week and after that you can kill me." The butcher agreed to this and the monk immediately started telling him about the six realms of existence, describing each one in detail. At the end, he pointed out that if he had already been killed, the butcher would never have heard this profound teaching. The monk meditated awhile and then gave more extensive teachings on the hell realms. He told the butcher about the karma of killing and hurting sentient beings, saying that this would lead to birth in various hell realms. He explained how certain negative thoughts and actions relate to specific forms of suffering.

Well, as it happened, the butcher thought, "Until now I only knew one way of killing, but this monk has taught me many more. When the week is over, I am going to boil him in a big pot and then roast him!" By the end of the week, the executioner had prepared everything just the way he wanted it. He had the monk thrown alive into a huge cauldron of boiling soup. Then he pulled out and roasted him for awhile, But then, in the midst of the fire, he saw Guru Shakya Sengé sitting cross legged on a lotus. Thinking this rather extraordinary, he informed the king. Ashoka had to come see this for himself.

When Ashoka was entering the room, the executioner suddenly recalled his mandate to kill whoever came through the door. So he drew his sword, and the King, who never travelled without a weapon, drew his own and asked, "Why are you trying to kill me?" "Those were your orders," the executioner answered.

And the king said, "I don't remember giving you any orders to kill me!" The butcher reminded him, "You ordered me to kill the first ten thousand people who come into this room. I still have a ways to go. Therefore I am under orders to kill you." So Ashoka said, "Well, if that is the case, you were in here first, so maybe I should kill you!" At that point, the monk effortlessly levitated up into the sky. After performing the four activities of sitting, standing, laying down and walking in space, he began giving teachings. They were still having quite an argument while the monk was performing these miraculous activities in the sky above them.

Soon, Guru Shakya Sengé began to talk to them about how bad the karma is for taking the lives of other sentient beings. "These are terrible actions," he said. "This is not the Dharma, which is a positive path. Stop all this violence. Since the king is unwilling to give his own life in this ceremony, how can he take the lives of others? You have been told about the evils of killing, so you should not take the lives of others anymore." The monk warned, "By taking advantage of your power and using it for selfish ends, you will end up suffering far more than your victims." Upon hearing this, both King andexecutioner dropped their swords and became blissfully aware of the Guru who continued giving teachings. Ashoka himself destroyed the sacrificial house and then took refuge in the Three Jewels.

Historical records relate that after this episode, Ashoka vowed that he would never again touch a sword with violent or negative thoughts. It is said that he became the most gentle and peaceful king of all time. Even without making war, Ashoka's loving-kindness and compassionate attitude insured that his domain grew even bigger and more prosperous until his kingdom covered a large part of southern Asia. It spread from Afghanistan on the west to Burma and Cambodia in the east and south to Sri Lanka. Ashoka visited the pilgrimage places of the Buddha and erected many stone pillars, inscription stelae, pyramid-shaped monuments and one million stupas containing Buddha relics throughout these lands. In Nepal, there are four or five stupas near Kathmandu that were built by Ashoka and there are many others all over India.

Previously, he had been known as Ashoka the Cruel, but since he'd become a follower of Dharma his name was changed to Dharmashoka. He is one of the greatest examples of a religious monarch in the history of the world. In the guise of a simple monk, Guru Padmasambhava helped bring Ashoka to the Dharma.

That was the external version of the story concerning Guru Shakya Sengé's activities in Pataliputra. The inner meaning is that bodhicitta is the absolute state of Guru Shakya Sengé. This supremely beneficial thought arising from the expanse of infinite love and immeasurable compassion is always coemergent with wisdom. Wisdom matures the expression of love and compassion so that they become pure and true. These qualities are not externally existing, as if you would have to acquire them from anywhere outside yourself. They are all naturally inherent within you. Love and compassion are already yours to share. Look into your mind and discover that it has a wondrous array of original attributes. Loving-kindness and compassion are supreme among these primordial qualities.

The precious bodhicitta is radiating all the time, guiding us through all our difficulties even though we are hardly aware of it. Love and compassion inspire us to communicate and make friends with each other. They are completely based in primordial wisdom and inseparable from the nature of ordinary awareness. Therefore, when we start to actively develop bodhicitta, negative emotions, such as anger, hatred, jealousy, and violent thoughts, naturally dissolve and vanish. When you begin to cultivate genuine loving-kindness and compassion, ego-clinging and obstructions naturally disappear. At the same time, you feel great joy, peace and happiness which can be shared and appreciated by your friends and others. We should grow strong in the practice of friendliness and compassion toward all beings.

The absolute way to understand Guru Shakya Sengé is as detachment and simplicity; to find satisfaction, joy and happiness in following the middle path between asceticism and luxury. This principle is well represented in the serene mood and transcendent discipline expressed in artistic representations of Guru Shakya Sengé.

The Sambhoga Guru Shakya Sengé portrayed on thangkas looks a lot like Buddha Shakyamuni in a monk's robe with one face, two arms, two legs and a top knot or unishaka on his crown chakra. In Tibetan, this feature is called tsupa which is nothing other than a dark blue concentration of wisdom light. His skin is golden and his robes are red. He holds a begging bowl in the palm of his left hand while sitting on a lotus with sun and moon discs. Whereas Buddha Shakyamuni stretches his right hand down in the earth touching mudra, Guru Shakya Sengé holds a five-pointed vajra. Like all the other emanations, his body is luminous and transparent, being completely of the nature of a wisdom-rainbow body.

As in all the previous meditations, begin with the supreme thought to benefit others. Visualize a small sphere of golden light which transforms into Guru Shakya Sengé.

Recite the Vajra Guru mantra for as long as you'd like before absorbing the golden wisdom-essence into your heart. Remain in non-dual meditation for a while and then dedicate the merit to all sentient beings.

Among the six paramitas, Guru Shakya Sengé is associated with sila. By making us more calm and peaceful, practice on Guru Shakya Sengé will naturally develop moral strength, discipline and perfect conduct, which leads to deeper concentration and contemplation. The middle path beyond asceticism and indulgence leads to great equanimity and a profound realization of the true nature. This is the main principle embodied in the emanation of Guru Shakya Sengé.

Guru Sengé Dradok, The Lion's Roar

The sixth manifestation of Padmasambhava is Guru Sengé Dradok. Sengé Dradok is the first of the two wrathful emanations of Guru Rinpoche, the other being Dorje Drollo. Wrathful deities are particularly useful in counteracting negative influences from black magic, curses and other disturbances, such as people who malign you for no good reason. Guru Sengé Dradok is very efficient in subduing or pacifying such obstacles.

Sengé Dradok emanated in India. Orissa, which is not far from Calcutta, was the site of a very famous stone lingam and yoni which symbolizes Shiva in union with his consort. Every day people would slaughter and burn many animals there in ceremonial sacrifices. Sengé Dradok went there and pointed his finger at this lingam until it cracked and burst. People took that as a sign and stopped making animal sacrifices in that area.

Another story related to Guru Sengé Dradok took place north of Bodhgaya at Nalanda, the largest monastery in the history of Buddhism as well as the first great university on earth. As part of the contemplation practices at Nalanda, practitioners engaged in debates so as to refine their understanding of the Dharma. Everyday, there were lively exchanges expressing the viewpoints of the various schools within Buddhism as well as arguments in support of the tenets of some non-buddhist traditions. These contests still go on at some of the bigger monasteries.

In ancient times, it was expected that the loser of the debate would convert to the winner's viewpoint. It happened that a group of 500 powerful, non-Buddhist scholars came to Nalanda. For the most part, they were black magicians, so they requested a two-part competition, the normal scholarly debate, followed by a contest of magic.

Nalanda was full of scholars and it was easy to find five hundred qualified debaters, but no one at Nalanda was skilled in magic. They knew that this could cost them the debate and force them to convert, so they had a meeting to figure out what to do.

Suddenly a black lady appeared in the sky before them and said "Don't worry. My brother can help you." "Who is your brother?" they asked.

"His name is Padmavajra," she replied.

"Where is he?" they asked.

"He is now living in the darkness of the Frightful Charnel Ground. You must call on him to come." And they said, "We don't have his number. How should we invite him?" So the black lady taught them the secret hot-line code: the Seven Line Prayer. She told them Padmavajra would appear if they petitioned him in this way. As they chanted the prayer from the rooftops of Nalanda, Guru Rinpoche immediately appeared and agreed to help them.

Come the day of the debate, the Buddhists easily won the first half of the contest. The non-buddhist school then threatened them with by saying that after a week there would be plenty of signs. So Guru Rinpoche practiced on Singhamukha, the Lion-faced dakini, and she immediately gave him the appropriate teachings to actualize the completion stage. When a week had passed, a host of frightful omens like violent winds and thunder came. Guru Rinpoche transformed into the wrathful Sengé Dradok and with the freedom and power of the lion's roar, he made the subjugation mudra and threw the thunderback at them. They also conjured other minor forms of disturbing magic, like threatening entities hovering in the sky and other terrible things. Guru Sengé Dradok pointed the subjugation mudra and the dark shadows immediately fell to the ground. This was how he protected Nalanda University and helped meditative and contemplative activity continue flourishing there. All these extraordinary actions are associated with the energy of Guru Sengé Dradok.

The form of Guru Sengé Dradok is especially helpful in subduing the irrational energies of black magic as well as at dispelling bad omens and nightmares. If, unexpected obstacles suddenly arise, he has the power to neutralize both visible and invisible beings and to avert natural disasters. Guru Sengé Dradok can pacify all such threats. He is also a strong buddha for overcoming jealousy. When you stop being jealous, your attitude becomes one of love and compassion. There is nothing obstructing the free radiation of beautiful qualities.

Sengé Dradok is a wrathful emanation but his wrath is basically directed toward the destruction of jealously and greed. It is not accompanied by attachment and clinging; there is nothing to win or lose. Rather, this wrath actively dispels lust and envy. There are many wrathful deities in the Vajrayana, but none of them are angry or emotionally negative. These forms express the intensity of true love and the fierceness of genuine compassion involved in dispelling attachment, ignorance and anger.

There is a line from a Vajrakilaya tantra which says, "The vajra wrath of bodhicitta cuts through and destroys anger." This is very important to understand. The wrathful nature of Guru Sengé Dradok is totally based upon love and compassion for all sentient beings.

The absolute way to meditate on Guru Sengé Dradok is to transcend jealousy and greed. This will instantly overcome black magic, curses, hexes, nightmares, and unexpected obstacles.

To practice on Guru Sengé Dradok, begin by cultivating a feeling of loving kindness and bodhicitta. Then visualize a dark blue sphere of light within a churning black cloud which transforms into the wisdom rainbow form of Guru Sengé Dradok. His skin color is dark blue and he has one face, two arms and two legs. Wearing a tiger-skin and surrounded by wisdom fire, he stands upon a demon who embodies negative habit energy and black magic. All of this is happening above a lotus surmounted by sun and moon disks. A crown of five skulls sits on his head and his long reddish-yellow hair blows up into the sky. He has three glaring eyes looking upward and four fangs. His right hand holds a flaming, five-pointed vajra high in the air and his left hand makes the subjugation mudra toward the earth. Lightning bolts fly from the tips of his fingers and sometimes you will see eight-spoked iron wheels spinning amidst the flames. Imagine he is chanting with great power, the syllables HUM and PHAT! Like a lion's roar, the deep vibration of his voice shakes the entire world.

Visualize Sengé Dradrog and recite the Vajra Guru Mantra as much as you can while he radiates wisdom lights which dissolve all negativity, black magic, bad omens, nightmares, or anything in the environment that might seem a little strange or unusual. Feel that these obstacles are completely removed by his blessing. Finally, dissolve Sengé Dradok into a dark blue light which merges with your heart center. Remain in meditation as long as you can and then dedicate the merit to all beings.

This is a Five-Part Series. The links are as follows:
The Eight Manifestations of Padmasambhava: An Introduction
The Eight Manifestations of Padmasambhava: Part Two (Padma Gyalpo, Loden Chokse)
The Eight Manifestations of Padmasambhava: Part Three (Nyima Ozer, Padmasambhava)
The Eight Manifestations of Padmasambhava: Part Four (Shakya Senge, Senge Dradok)
The Eight Manifestations of Padmasambhava: Part Five (Padma Jungne, Dorje Drollo)

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Karmapa: "Zero Possibility" of Arrest

The Indian media are running with the following today:

"The Himachal Pradesh government today gave a clean chit to Karmapa Ugyen Trinely Dorji in a foreign currency seizure case, saying he has no links with the money seized from his transit home near Dharamsala. 

"The huge foreign currency recovered during raids from the Gyuto Monastery, the transit home of the Karmapa, are donations and offerings from devotees and the Karmapa has no links with it as the affairs of the trust are managed by trustees," Chief Secretary Rajwant Sandhu told reporters here. 

"The Karmapa is a revered religious leader of the Buddhists and the government has no intentions to interfere in religious affairs of the Buddhists," she said, adding there was no question of any action against the Karmapa and also no reason to believe that he has links with the foreign currency seizure to the tune of Rs 7.5 crore from Sidhbari. 

When asked whether there was any chance of the Karmapa "being arrested" in connection with the seizure, she said there was "zero" possibility of any such thing happening. 

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Tibetan Geomancy: Part Two

"Ananda, what is this realm of time and space? Time means duration and space location. You know that the ten directions are in space and that the past, present, and future are in time. There are ten directions of space and three aspects of time. All living beings owe their bodies to illusory time and space which are interwoven within them and continue to affect them." 

                                          --The Surangama Sutra

Our initial essay on the loose topic of Tibetan geomancy -- extrapolative calculation moreso than feng shui, even though "geomancy" is probably the wrong word -- discussed a method based on the relationship between trigrams. We selected this method because it is commonly presented in the various English language books one finds. It is also rather an old method for the Tibetans, dating back to the time of King Srong-btsang-sgam-po's Chinese wife, Kon-jo. This is all introduced in the essay just mentioned, so you can refer back to set the stage.

Today, I thought it might be interesting to take our discussion to the next level, and introduce a few elements of information one never finds in the English language books. We are going to examine the actual precedents of the Tibetan method. 

The Tibetan method we presented in our first post is the simplified and culturally assimilated outgrowth of  what was, by the T'ang dynsasty, a highly developed and almost bewilderingly complex feng shui methodology based on notice of landforms, stars, natural processes ("elements"), and points of the compass. The trigrams were one symbolism invoked to manage this complexity. You can actually think of them as a language, if you like to think that way. To this point, some of you may recall I once wrote:

"Time and direction are the stagecraft of dreams. The dreams are life, having all the indefinite properties of illusion, yet remaining sticky. We mark off these dreams of life with a linear past, present, and future. We go to and fro, reaching out: pulling in. We ought to enjoy the show but it is good not to believe too much. What we really provide for ourselves by marking time and direction is a kind of fantastic parable of egocentricity; then invested with an idea of the duration of our egocentric selves in some sort of place or point.

"That is hardly immortal.

"We become controlled by our creations, our dreams of calendar, compass, and clock. We become imprisoned in misery with hopes and fears for the future, trying to predict when we will get "out." We look for all the reasons we stay "in," breeding other sets of hopes and fears for the present and the past.

"Why encourage this?

"When we first begin to seriously analyze time and direction they seem simple to know yet difficult to explain. As we learn more, the language we are forced to use seems unconnected because we are dealing with unfamiliar concepts. These concepts have an open, spacious, and even boring, featureless nature.

"Indeed, there are only slight precedents for the expression in any human language, concerned as language is with the task of communication by symbols rather than evocation by direct experience. Among the possibilities we might want to consider is one which says that some divination systems could be nothing more or less than attempts to refine the languages of man, permitting more intimate experiences with time.

"They could be.

"They could also be the languages of the intimate experiences, celebrating themselves.

Be all that as it may, to reduce the complexity of T'ang era feng shui to a few basic concepts, we can say that nine basic form factors were layered onto five courses theory (the "five elements"), and this was in turn layered onto twenty-four directions. The twenty-four directions were layered onto twenty-four divisions of time, and the divisions of time were layered onto lunar mansions. In this environment, the eight trigrams were the lingua franca, each one associated with (a) time, (b) direction, and (c) element. Each trigram was made to manage three of the twenty-four divisions, and this subsumed the relationship of those three with the remaining twenty-one.

The whole of this approach was very much the product of what the T'ang geomancers called fen yeh: or the practice of drawing sky-earth concordances. They imposed the night sky on China, and came up with four designated areas, or "palaces:" Dusky Warrior (north), White Tiger, (west) Red Bird (south), and Blue Dragon (east). Each palace ruled seven lunar mansions. This is the world that Queen Kon-jo knew. When she left China, she was going to the realm of the White Tiger, to the land ruled by the Wolf Star, Sirius; land of the lunar mansion Mane, associated with war, executions, and death.

So, too, there is a notion that all of this is happening in an ordered progression. The elements are producing and overcoming each other as the case may be, the earth is spinning, the directions are moving, and the stars are moving.

The notion of movement led to the rather romantically expressed concept of "wandering," "roaming," or "flying." This was the idea that every year is ruled by a particular trigram; thus, the years are said to be moving. This is a very simple idea, but it was not simply born. The trigram ruling a year was proposed by the combination of symbols used to express the twenty-four divisions of time -- symbols known as "stems" and "branches." Thereafter, to determine how this trigram would relate to the other trigrams -- in each of eight geomantic houses -- the practitioner would study how the lines of the trigram changed in order to become the trigram of the particular direction.

So, then, we now have a yearly trigram, and it is going to be the same as one of the trigrams ruling one of the eight geomantic houses. By noting how the lines of the trigram change, we have some idea of the relationship of this trigram to the seven remaining houses. 

I want to notice in passing that for years, people have decided they know precisely how this happens. However, the entire belief system suffered a jolt when archaeologists dug up a trove of scrolls at Mawangdui, among which were heretofore unknown  -- now the earliest known -- versions of the I Ching. They discovered that arrangements of the lines had originally proceeded in a manner much different than anyone ever suspected.

This process became known two ways: as "lesser moving transformation" and "greater moving transformation;" the former used to examine sites for the dead, i.e. tombs, and the latter used to examine sites for the living. 

Therefore, the Tibetan method we discussed in our initial article on the subject is properly known as the "greater moving transformation" method. Sometimes, this is simply called the "moving year" method.

At this point, we should understand that there are seven ways to change the component lines of any given yearly trigram in order that it may transform into the remaining trigrams. In the T'ang, these seven moving lines were associated with seven stars of the Big Dipper. Of course, they knew nine stars, but for the geomantic system they used seven. The T'ang astrologers and geomancers referred to these stars by their variously specialized names (there are common, standard, inner, outer, and secret  names, in addition to other possibilities mentioned hereunder) and that is most certainly the way that Queen Kon-jo -- devout Buddhist or no -- would have referred to them. You also must understand that in her time, these stars were not just lights in the sky; rather, they were invested with personalities, and various attributes. There was in fact an entire palette of possibilities. If you were a mandarin, you had one palette. If you were a woman, you had another palette. There are therefore many names, and the names are variously translated, but here are the main, external images:

• Hungry Wolf
• Giant Gates
• Prosperous Existence
• Lettered Composition
• Incorruptible Virtue
• Martial Composition
• Defeated Army

Now, in China, east was considered yang, and west was considered yin. So, to arrange these images, the T'ang geomancers put the positive, or fortunate images in the east, and the negative, or unfortunate images in the west. They put corruption in the north, and virtue in the south. They divided the eight geomantic houses into two groups of four each: four were yang houses, and four were yin houses.

This was sufficient for tombs, but it was not sufficient for the living. In order to introduce further nuances, the geomancers also arranged the houses in terms of greater and lesser, so now you had a progression in each group of four: from lucky to really lucky, and from bad to really bad. They also completely reversed the east-west paradigm, saying that west was favorable and east was unfavorable.

They also made one other refinement, which was to introduce the image of "servants," which now gave them eight distinct images to symbolize each of the eight geomantic houses. The "servants" image was simply the yearly trigram, and the trigram among the eight that was its duplicate. Now the arrangement became as follows -- these are the T'ang "greater moving" inner names, and remember this is with reference to the Big Dipper:

• Ursa Majoris Alpha: lucky -- birth
• Ursa Majoris Beta: lucky -- sky healing
• Ursa Majoris Gamma: unlucky -- harm
• Ursa Majoris Delta: unlucky -- six killers
• Ursa Majoris Epsilon: unlucky -- five ghosts
• Ursa Majoris Zeta: lucky -- extended time
• Ursa Majoris Eta: unlucky -- end of fate
• Servants: lucky

If you glance back to our first article, you see how the Tibetan names come to resemble these images: "sky healing" and "five ghosts" are the most obvious correspondences, and you can work out the rest from there.

So, now you have learned something about Tibetan astrology that the Tibetan astrology books do not teach you, and you have learned something that most Tibetan astrologers do not know.

Now, we mentioned that Queen Kon-jo was a Buddhist, and indeed she was a fervently devout Buddhist, so it might do her some justice to examine the ways Buddhism could relate to the ideas of the T'ang astrologers, who after all were operating on the basis of a fundamentally Daoist cosmology.

We can begin by asking what sort of Buddhist cosmology would the Queen know? Would she know Abidharma? It seems possible, but we find no evidence that Abidharma cosmology colored her geomantic methods. Would she know Kalachakra cosmology? Seems highly unlikely. This leaves us with Dzogchen cosmology, and since we are looking at arts that are, by the T'ang, well grounded in Daoist thought, we might find something interesting along the lines of the old Daoist versus Dzogchen arguments. After all, the Daoists and the Dzogchen practitioners both enjoy the number five.

You know, something "could" be there -- in theory if not in fact -- but it certainly does not leap out. Dzogchen does not care to count how many stars are in the sky. Dzogchen does not entertain directions. There are referential features such as the five lights engendering the five elements, and so forth, but these features -- by their very nature as referential features -- dissipate. There are in fact not five elements but twenty-five elements -- five earths, five waters, five fires,  five winds, five spaces -- none of which are in opposition to each other, nor may they be said to produce or overcome each other. They manifest as deception, so what are you pointing at? Everything lives in its own condition. Any postulated concordances are superficial, no less than they are artificial -- like explaining a movie in order to explain "life." Remember that the next time somebody tries to sell you "pre-Buddhist, Dzogchen geomancy." 

"If you realize the real to return to the source, the void in the ten directions will vanish."

                              --Surangama Sutra

It seems more likely than not that when Queen Kon-jo is performing her calculations, Buddhism doesn't enter into the matter very much all. When she is transmitting the moving year method of geomancy, she is transmitting a classical Chinese system influenced by the Daoists. All the Tibetans do is tune up the language, and follow the owner's manual. Through the years, this becomes a rote exercise. Nobody remembers the fine points about roaming years, stars, moving lines, and so forth.

"Heretics always speak of natural existence but I preach causes and conditions which are beyond the stage they have reached."

                                  --Surangama Sutra

What Dzogchen presents is a deeper, immediate abiding in what Buddha presents. When, according to the Surangama Sutra, Buddha discussed time and direction he did so in terms of latency, or potential, or arising possibility.

He said, "The entanglement of the three times with the four cardinal points, or the four cardinal points with the three times, results in the constant twelve. Allowing for the change and transformation of discriminative thoughts occurring thrice (to cover past, present, and future), this constant is increased..." He explained this as an increase to cover the potential function of the six sense organs, each organ being represented by the number 1,200. He gave the example of your eyes:

"Ananda, now measure the potentiality of each organ. For instance, your eyes can see things in front and on both sides, but nothing behind you. Its incomplete field of activity represents only two thirds of the maximum, that is only 800 merits."

After demonstrating the inconsistent potential of the other senses -- the ears amount to 1,200, the body 800, and so forth, Buddha concluded:

"Ananda, as you now wish to go against the samsaric current of desire, you should revert to the very organ (from which it flows) until you reach the state beyond birth and death. You should look into the six functioning organs and see which one is consistent or not, is deep or shallow and is all-penetrating or deficient. If you find the all-pervading organ, you should turn back its karmic flow so that it accords with its penetrating quality: the difference between realization by means of this penetrating organ and that through a deficient one is comparable to that between a day and an aeon. I have now revealed to you the six organs (arising from) your True Mind and their respective potentialities so that you can choose the one most suitable to you and advance in your practice."

We make elaborations, and then we name these elaborations as a philosophy, or as "geomancy," or "feng shui." They are cheaper than psychiatry, but what else can we really say about them? Great proficiency in the mantic arts will not liberate you. At best, great proficiency in the mantic arts is like learning another language: one that might allow you to help others, should you go to the place where that language is spoken.

Therefore, what I want to say about Tibetan geomancy is at this point maybe a bit disappointing.

Talk of tortoises arises in questions of "yes" or "no." We can ask once, or we can ask several times. Depending on possibility no less than probability, we can arrive at any number of answers one way or the other. By adding to the number of times we ask, we alter the possibilities. By adding to the fundamental of "yes" or "no," we alter the probabilities rather considerably. Maybe the tortoise is anxious, and he is sweating. Maybe he is steaming.

In the final analysis, the only thing there is what we put there.

Go where you want to go, do what you want to do.

Hand the tortoise a towel.

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The Eight Manifestations of Padmasambhava: Part Three

Guru Nyima Özer Ray of Sun

As I explained earlier, Guru Nyima Özer is usually considered the second emanation. Because Guru Nyima Özer is associated with crazy wisdom activities, I wanted to tell you about Guru Loden Chokse first so that you would be able to understand the guru's accomplishments as a student and tantric initiate. In this context, you should be able to appreciate the miraculous deeds of Guru Nyima Özer. Although incomprehensible to linear or chronological interpretations, all eight emanations can simultaneously appear together or in many different places unlimited by any dualistic system of understanding. On the level of common perception, Nyima Özer happened either right after or during the time of Loden Chokse. Guru Nyima Özer is a special buddha whose emanation serves to increase awareness of the great emptiness-bliss. He is the master of great joy and ecstatic states of awareness. Nyima Özer wandered across India, serving sentient beings in many different guises.

There were actually many emanations of Guru Nyima Özer, not just the one commonly portrayed in thankas. Sometimes he appeared as a powerful master of meditation, but he also appeared as a weak-looking beggar as well as in various animal forms for the benefit of sentient beings. His activities are beyond conditional limitations. I want to tell you how he got his name which means "Ray of Sun." Guru Nyima Özer travelled widely, performing crazy wisdom activities while visiting the eight great charnel grounds, the thirty-two major power spots, wilderness areas and even cities. The extent of his wandering cannot be comprehended by ordinary conceptions. As it is historically recounted, when he left the kingdom of Oddiyana, he went to a famous cemetery known as Chilly Grove and practiced meditation there for five years. During this time, Guru Nyima Özer was inwardly subduing some of the wilder sentient beings.

At one point, he came to Varanasi. Today, this is a big city on the Ganges River, and it was already a busy place back in those days. There was a lady who served alcohol in Varanasi and Guru Rinpoche saw that through contact with her, he could draw hundreds of people toward enlightenment. The lady was named Vanessca.

Nyima Özer appeared at her shop in the style of a wild yogi, holding a katvanga in his right hand and asked this woman, "Do you have any beer?" "Of course," she answered.

"Good. How much do you have?" "Five hundred gallons," she replied.

"Great. I want it all." She poured him a large serving and when he had finished it, he asked for another. "Pay me for what you have already drunk," she said.

In ancient times, they used a certain sea shell, the cowrie, for currency. Nyima Özer did not actually have even one, but he reassured the woman that she would be paid, and she poured him another beer. They didn't have bottles back then, but rather large bowls or jars. When it was empty, he asked for a refill. And after that, another. He continued in this way until the woman said, "Look, I'm not going to give you any more beer until you pay for what you have already drunk." Guru Nyima Özer stuck his katvanga into the ground so that it threw a shadow across the table and said, "I'll pay you when this shadow moves." Vanessca agreed to this and gave him another bowl. He finished it and immediately asked for more. But the shadow did not move at all. It stayed right where it was. The sun continued to hover high above the horizon while Guru Rinpoche finished all five hundred gallons of beer and was still asking for more. He was not even near drunk yet, but people in the vicinity were becoming concerned because the sun had not moved for hours and the day was getting unusually long. Cocks were beginning to crow.

Upon learning of the situation at the tavern, everybody realized that this must be a very powerful yogi. The sun did not move across the sky, which meant that the earth was no longer turning. The matter was brought to the king's attention and his ministers were sent out to investigate. When they understood that this was all happening because some wild yogi didn't have any money to pay for the beer, they offered to foot his bill. Guru Nyima Özer thanked them and picked up his katvanga.

Immediately the sun turned a deep red and sunk below the horizon. A great shadow fell over the land and suddenly it was night.

This demonstration helped hundreds of sentient beings in that area to become enlightened. The name Nyima Özer or "Ray of Sun" was a result of this incident as people remembered the yogi who could stop the sun.

Vanesseca, the woman who owned the tavern, was among those who were deeply moved by this. After Guru Nyima Özer left Varanasi, she tried to get in touch with him. Upon learning where he was meditating, she approached to request more teachings. Guru Nyima Özer gave her direct transmission of the Dzogchen teachings and Vanesseca immediately became a great yogini. When she began to share these special teachings, she attracted so many students that there came to be a Vanesseca lineage.

On the inner level, Guru Nyima Özer signifies a clear understanding of the structure of one's psycho-physical constitution. He is the Buddha associated with mystical experience and spiritual realization. That is the primary message communicated by the emanation Guru Nyima Özer. To know the secrets of the inner structure of one's physiology means that the discovery of primordial wisdom is very, very close. Therefore, it is important to become familiar with the subtle structures of the body. In the inner tantras, these are known as the residing channels (rtsa), the display of the winds (the movements in these channels or rlung), and the ornamentation of the essence elements of the body (thig-le). Our entire experience, the patterning of our conceptions, the displays of our visual and auditory systems, are all reflections of these three structures. To understand this well is to be in direct and deep communication with the energies of both the internal and external world.

All we see of earth, water, sun, clouds, wind, and fire is no other than a reflection of our own inner structures. More specifically, forms such as trees, grass, water and mountains are no other than reflections of the channels. Sound and echoes are a reflection of the movement of winds. Your external world mirrors your inner constitution. Inwardly, the primordial nature manifests as thig-le, the essential elements of the body. There are white and red forms of thig-le. Both are completely free from any formation or visibility, abiding in a cycle of complete equanimity. Thig-le are reflected externally in the planets, the sun, moon, and stars. Their brightness and clarity reveal a radiant openness. These are no other than reflections of the essence elements of the body. We think of the sun and moon as two unique things, but according to Buddha's teachings, there are billions of suns and innumerable moons and planets. All are reflections of the infinite reality of primordial wisdom, displayed in this form and appearing according to the needs of individuals.

To clearly comprehend the interrelated dynamics of all three aspects of the vajra body allows primordial wisdom to awaken very easily. The bright, clear light of primordial wisdom is the essential source of all these inner structures. This must be understood. Revelations of these hidden dimensions of the body are often accompanied by great joy and happiness. This is also known as bde-chen or great blissfulness. Blissfulness is an inherent quality of primordial truth. By tuning in to one's own vajra structuring, insights and joyful experiences will arise, transcending all sense of hardship and difficulty. Full comprehension of the galaxy within corresponds to control of the external elements. This is why Nyima Özer had no difficulty controlling the sun or his lifespan. Through internal knowledge and discipline, he gained mastery over such things. He had realized a certain flexibility, a skillful means of exercising his will that is incomprehensible to our modern views. This is the external way to understand Guru Nyima Özer.

The inner way is to know your own internal structures to the point of great blissfulness, great equanimity and the full realization of primordial wisdom. When you become intimately familiar with the channel and wind systems, when you understand the cycles of the essence elements of the body, you will enjoy a clarity that will eventually lead to primordial wisdom. This is how to understand the inner meaning of Nyima Özer.

To practice on Guru Nyima Özer, meditate on love and compassion and feel into the deeper nature of the mind. Visualize him as he is usually depicted in thangkas. This form is known as Sambhoga Nyima Özer. He has one face, two arms, and two legs. His skin color is golden-red and his facial expression is semi-wrathful, with both eyes opened wide and bulging a little. He has long hair, some of which is tied up above a tiara of five skulls, while most is hanging loose over his shoulders. He has a moustache, beard and a few bone ornaments. He is bare-chested and wears a tiger-skin skirt. His left hand is making the subjugation mudra and he seems to be bringing sunlight down on to the tip of his finger. His right hand is holding a katvanga and he sits on a lotus with sun and moon discs, his left leg partially extended and his right drawn in.

When meditating on Guru Nyima Özer, see him as a wisdom form, a manifestation of love and compassion in a rainbow body, not as a solid entity. In this condition, recite the Vajra Guru Mantra while the radiance of Guru Nyima Özer shines on all sentient beings and even illuminates the pure land. The blessing power of the Buddha rains down on Guru Nyima Özer as he emanates a golden-red light. This light envelops you and in resonance with the wind and channel exercises, intensifies realization.

Dissolve Guru Nyima Özer into the golden-red light and absorb the light into your heart center where it mingles with the primordial nature of the mind. Relax in that state for as long as you can.

This is a very powerful practice for the actualization of beneficial activities. If you are beginning to practice love and compassion and value wisdom but are limited in your ability to embody your understanding, Guru Nyima Özer will help you actualize these qualities and bring them into relationship with sentient beings.

Remember that our visual and tactile perceptions of phenomena, the vibrations registered by our auditory system, and our experience of space or luminosity are all external displays of transformations happening in our channel and wind systems. When this is recognized, the essence elements are immediately transformed into great emptiness-bliss. To abide in this way frees one from all discomfort, hardship and difficulty. Everything is transformed into great blissfulness. This is how to practice Guru Nyima Özer.

Guru Padmasambhava, The Lotus-born

The fourth emanation is Guru Padmasambhava. He is part of the continuity of enlightened activities which happened after Nyima Özer and Loden Chokse. This emanation is about transforming negative energy into more peaceful and compassionate forms, developing the power, and expressing the inner urge of Guru Padmasambhava which is the heart of loving-kindness and compassion. There is no hint of suppression or repression in Guru Padmasambhava. His negativity transforming disposition helps us to grow ever stronger in compassion simply by coming into contact with the emotional reactivity of others. This is the particular purpose and power associated with this emanation of Guru Rinpoche.

The following story is a good example of the power of Guru Padmasambhava in transforming negative energy into more peaceful and loving forms. According to the biographies, there were at least four different occasions on which people tried to burn Guru Padmasambhava at the stake. The particular incident I am about to relate also introduces the wisdom dakini, Princess Mandarava.

Guru Padmasambhava was meditating on Vulture Peak, the place where Buddha Shakyamuni had delivered the Prajnaparamita teachings. Upon internally inquiring where he might be able to offer the most help to all beings, he had a vision of Zahor, a country northwest of Bodhgaya. He also saw a wisdom dakini in his vision. This was Mandarava, a perfectly enlightened being who happened to be the daughter of the king. Guru Padmasambhava realized that with her assistance, they could both achieve immortality or realize the state of deathlessness. For these two reasons he immediately manifested in the country of Zahor.

Geographically, the ancient border of Zahor would not be located far from present-day Dharamsala where his Holiness the Dalai Lama is living. There is a lake with lotuses there, called Tso-pema where Guru Rinpoche performed many miraculous activities.

King Arsadhara of Zahor was quite wealthy and powerful at that time. Although he had many queens, he had no sons and Mandarava was his only daughter.

Mandarava is a Sanskrit word, and the name of a type of flower which translates roughly into English as "to catch the mind" of others. During both her conception and birth there were many auspicious signs and omens indicating that this would be a remarkable child. After the little princess was born, she displayed all the major and minor marks of a realized being. Mandarava grew much faster than other children. It is said that she accomplished a year's growth in a week, quickly maturing into one of the most kind-hearted and beautiful girls in that whole region. Everybody loved and protected her. The young princess was popular throughout the kingdom.

In those days, marriages were usually pre-arranged by the families. Even today it is like this in many parts of India and Asia. Because she was so beautiful and well-known, there were many kings, ministers and rich people asking to marry Princess Mandarava. This worried the king because he thought, "If I had hundreds of Mandaravas, I could make friends and relations of them all, but unfortunately I only have one Mandarava. If I give her to one, all the others will be angry. Her husband might be happy, but everybody else will be upset." He fell into a dilemma and felt very confused as to a solution.

Finally, he decided to leave it up to Mandarava so that he could say it was her choice. When asked, the Princess said she didn't want any of her suitors; she just wanted to practice and meditate. She had made a decision and King Arsadhara was respectful of her choice. He had a beautiful convent built and arranged for five hundred girls to accompany Princess Mandarava in her quest for a spiritual life. They all lived like nuns in hermitage.

One day during an outdoor practice, a magnificent rainbow appeared high in the sky above the nunnery. In the center of this brilliant rainbow light, Guru Padmasambhava appeared. As soon as he began to speak, all the nuns felt a strong, intimate connection with him. They asked him to come down and give more extensive teachings. So he descended into the courtyard and was invited into the meditation hall where he began to instruct them in the practices of the inner tantras.

Now a cowherd was in search of a cow by the hermitage. He couldn't find the cow, but while he was looking around, he thought he saw a man being invited into the convent. Thinking that perhaps his eyes had deceived him, he quietly approached the wall and heard what was unmistakably a man's voice coming from inside the convent. So he went down to the village to tell everybody. Well, people were quite upset. They didn't like the idea of the nuns having a man in their midst. If they wanted to study the Dharma and give up household life, why did they invite this man in? And what was his intention in being there? A few people decided to investigate for themselves and concluded that there was definitely a man in the royal convent. This was very shocking news and folks were not prepared to accept such a state of affairs. Rumors multiplied throughout the villages and by the time word got to the palace, it had become an incredible scandal. King Arsadhara was extremely angry.

Even the queen mother was insulted. Emotionally, it was as if a volcano had erupted in the royal chambers. A group of ministers and soldiers were dispatched to check out the truth of the allegations, and if they were true, to kill the offender and to punish everyone else involved.

When the king's delegation arrived at the convent's meditation hall, Guru Padmasambhava was expounding the Dharma while sitting on a throne surrounded by all 500 nuns. Everybody was very calm and peaceful. It looked like they were having a good time. When the king's men began to get aggressive, the nuns drew closer around Guru Rinpoche and Mandarava. The Princess pleaded with them. "Please don't do this. This is our beloved teacher. He is helping guide us to enlightenment. Tell that to my father. There is nothing else going on here besides Dharma teachings." The men ignored her and Guru Padmasambhava was captured. His hands were bound and they led him off surrounded by hordes of people. They wanted to make sure that he did not try to run away. By royal decree, his punishment was to be burned at the stake. Mandarava was sentenced to prison for 25 years, while all 500 of her attendants were sentenced to ten years. All of this was the king's decision. A great quantity of wood was collected from the local households and soaked with sesame oil.

Guru Rinpoche was tied in the center and the pyre was lit. The king ordered that no one be allowed into the area for a week except those who were tending the fire.

Now while Guru Rinpoche was in the midst of the flames, the fire transformed into water, which soon became a lake encircled on its outer perimeter by a ditch sporting a halo of upside-down flames. In the center of this beautiful lake there was a wondrous lotus flower and above that, Guru Padmasambhava was sitting in the posture of royal ease, even more glorious than before. The guards who were watching couldn't believe what was happening but they attempted to describe it in a message to the king. The king didn't believe it either and wanted it reconfirmed. The guards stuck by their story, so he decided to come see for himself.

King Arsadhara cautiously approached the miraculous lake. At first, he thought it was just a magical illusion, so he walked around the outer ditch, trying to detect whether it was real or not. He blinked and gazed hard, he rubbed his eyes and opened them wide as if there was something wrong with his vision, but every time he turned to look, he beheld the same incredible scene with Guru Padmasambhava gloriously sitting in the center of a beautiful lotus flower, looking more confident than ever. While the king was busy making his investigation, Guru Padmasambhava called out, "Welcome, oh ignorant king. You have such a narrow mind! Your judgements are insane! You cannot do anything to me. Having realized the great equanimity, my nature is like that of the sky which cannot be burned or destroyed. Oh deceitful and obscured one, how did you ever come to be king?" Upon hearing this the King immediately felt very sorry about what he had done. He fell on the ground and began doing prostrations saying, "Master, please forgive me, I am sorry for all my ignorant actions. I offer you my kingdom. Please come to the palace." Guru Padmasambhava answered "I don't need a kingdom or a palace." So the king requested teachings and Guru Padmasambhava accepted his invitation.

The king wanted to escort Guru Rinpoche in royal style, as he would welcome another great monarch. He sent ministers back to the palace to retrieve the royal vestments and presented Guru Padmasambhava with ceremonial robes. In place of horses, King Arsadhara himself pulled the Guru's chariot into Zahor.

Historically, Guru Padmasambhava's famous five-sided hat was a gift from the King of Zahor. It was the King's own coronation hat and was offered to Guru Rinpoche as a symbol of respect. I don't know if he was wearing it when he came to Tibet or whether it was just one of his favorites, but this five sided hat has become an auspicious symbol.

Mandarava and her 500 attendants were released from prison and Guru Padmasambhava stayed in Zahor for a long time giving Vajrayana teachings, specifically focusing on the combined instruction of all the inner tantras. As a result, it is said that about 100.000 people, both men and women, reached the vidyadhara state. This is considered a very high realization on the Vajrayana path and Arsadhara, the king of Zahor, was among the fortunate ones.

The lake where they tried to burn Guru Padmasambhava is not far from Dharamsala. It is still a popular place of pilgrimage. Maybe some of you have gone there already or perhaps you will go in the future. It is one of the major Buddhist pilgrimage spots in India.

In the nearby Himalayan region is an area called Kashmir which was part of Tibet in ancient times. It is now part of India, but Kashmiri culture is very much like that of Tibet. They wear clothing very similar to the styles adopted by Tibetans and they practice Dharma. They say that when Guru Padmasambhava emerged from the lake surrounded by fire, the Kashmiri people were the first to offer him tea. Therefore, they have a special connection with Guru Rinpoche.

Many young girls and groups of old ladies come to the lake holding hands, and, while sitting on the shore of the lake, they chant and sing for hours at a time. There is a small island which floats on the lake called "The Lotus Stalk." It consists of a tangle of roots, some soil and a bit of bush. They say that whenever the women come and sing, that island moves, confirming their unique connection with Guru Rinpoche. We saw this ourselves. They start singing and the island begins moving. It is really kind of nice. It is not a very big island, but when the women chanted, the wind picked up and blew it toward them. Sometimes these women even throw gold rings and jeweled ornaments on to the island and when they leave, the island drifts back out toward the center. This actually happens in Tso-pema. We've seen it with our own eyes quite a few times.

After this, Guru Padmasambhava went to the Martika Cavern, which is renowned as the Cave of Immortality. There he practiced with Mandarava for three months on the Buddha Amitayus. At the end of this period, Buddha Amitayus appeared and initiated them into deathlessness. Guru Rinpoche and Mandarava realized immortality.

They had defeated Mara, the demon of death. As we have already said, Guru Padmasambhava is a totally enlightened being, prior to appearing in this or any world. He is a direct emanation of Buddha Amitabha and a reincarnation of Buddha Shakyamuni. This means he is free from both emotional and mental obscurations and is always transcendent to death and mortality. But on the relative level, he came to this realization in Martika Cave.

Guru Padmasambhava is the always present Buddha. His influence is still with us. His inspiration, his blessings, and his presence pervade Tibetan history. He did not merely appear in the eighth century and then disappear. In every century, the great masters of all four schools of Tibetan Buddhism have been guided by Guru Rinpoche directly or indirectly. His presence is always with us, which is why he has become known as the always living or present Buddha. This is another way of understanding the truth of Guru Rinpoche's immortality.

In historical terms, Guru Padmasambhava was born eight years after Buddha Shakyamuni's mahaparinirvana. Yet when he came to Tibet in the eighth century, he was still young. As I said earlier, we cannot comprehend enlightened activities within the limits of our ordinary conceptions. We cannot fathom these stories because our knowledge is very restricted and will not accept what the mind perceives as contradictory. For example, there are teachings which say that Guru Padmasambhava came to Tibet when he was 3000 years old. In ancient India they employed a system which counted the waxing moon as one month and the waning moon as another month.

That way, one year becomes two. But this still means he was at least 1500 years old when he came to Tibet. It is very difficult to fit this statement in with the rest of our knowledge. Occasionally you will see people over one hundred on television and invariably, they appear very old. It is often difficult for them to move. Most of us would be surprised if a 100 year old man could walk through the doorway of his house, never mind a 1500 year old man crossing the Himalayas! When Guru Padmasambhava became immortal, he completely transformed all the gross elements into their subtle wisdom forms. These wisdom elements are free from decay, decline and change. Liberation from these notions gave him the flexibility and openness to perform many incomprehensible activities. This also applies to wisdom dakini Mandarava. She too, is a totally enlightened, immortal being who has appeared again and again in many different forms. Mandarava was only the first of these incarnations. The second is known among the Gelugpas, the Sakyas and Kagyus as the Queen of Accomplishment. In another incarnation, she is a famous long-life Buddha emanating from the Padma family. Around the tenth century there lived a great yogini named Machig Lapdron who was yet another emanation of the wisdom dakini Mandarava.

It is important to understand that all the activities of Guru Rinpoche are designed to break through the rigidity of dualistic concepts and conventions. He is beyond the limits of worldly views and traditions. In one sense, these conditional forms are very important and special, but in another way, they are just conceptual systems developed to solve certain problems, none of which apply to the realization of the true nature. Our view of things is a creation or product of our conceptualizing. Guru Padmasambhava's activities transcend these definitions and indicate that in order to become enlightened we have to go beyond mundane approaches.

Guru Rinpoche has appeared in the world in the guise of kings and queens, royal ministers, peasants, children, and even as animals. He continues to appear in many different ways in order to help beings break down the walls of dualistic conceptions which restrict understanding, liberating them into the vastness of equanimity. That is the focus of Guru Rinpoche's activity. As the embodiment of ultimate bodhicitta, he uses many different forms to communicate.

Bodhicitta is available to every sentient being all the time, throughout the day, from year to year throughout all our lifetimes and on into the future forever. It is something that is very special for every one of us. In developing bodhicitta, we don't have to make any particular effort to remove negative qualities, such as anger and jealousy. The generation of bodhicitta naturally removes these obstacles, just as darkness naturally disappears the moment the sun rises in the eastern sky. Compassion is one of the primary roots of spiritual practice. Every spiritual discipline must be based upon compassion and for that reason Guru Padmasambhava taught that if you don't have compassion, then the root of your spirituality will be rotten. It might even start to smell.

Everybody needs love and compassion all the time. There is nobody who will refuse the gift and benefits of love and compassion. These qualities are well symbolized by the lotus flower or padma which is always fresh and lovely. Everyone can appreciate its beauty. Sambhava means essence or identity. This means that the essence of all blessing and benefit for beings in samsara is bodhicitta. It is the essence of real spiritual practice and we should continually develop it in ourselves.

Practicing on Guru Padmasambhava will help us cultivate bodhicitta and transform negativity. So begin meditating with the bodhicitta attitude and then visualize a small sphere of white light which has a reddish glow. This transforms into the transcendental wisdom body of Guru Padmasambhava with one face, two arms and two legs.

His complexion is a rich white and his demeanour is very peaceful. He is wearing a red monk's hat. Sometimes I wear the same kind of hat when I give empowerments.

It is tall and pointed. He sits on a lotus surmounted by sun and moon discs. His right hand is making the protection mudra, while his left hand holds a skull-cup filled with amrita or long-life nectar. During the practice, imagine that the wisdom blessing of this nectar flows out to you and all sentient beings, purifying negative emotions, mental obscurations, diseases, external obstacles and so forth. Do this until you feel that everything has been completely transformed into the purity of the original sphere of primordial wisdom.

You can do this meditation anytime, but it is particularly effective when your mind feels disturbed, tired, and crowded with too many conceptions, over-busy with stressful thoughts and heavy attitudes. Of course, you can also do other practices at such times, but when you need to transform or regenerate your energy, it is especially good to meditate on Guru Padmasambhava. It will revitalize your life force and help balance the essence elements of the body. Feel deeply into his presence with love and compassion, and arouse bodhicitta. When you excel in the practice on bodhicitta, you are filling your whole body, your heart, all your channels and wind systems, with the energy of love, compassion and wisdom. This brings a calm and peaceful state of relaxation and helps create a nice atmosphere for other sentient beings, harmonizing both internal and external environments.

While clearly visualizing Guru Padmasambhava, begin reciting the Vajra Guru Mantra. Open your heart and mind until you are full of love, compassion and wisdom and chant in that mood for as long as you have time. When you are finished, dissolve the visualization into a sphere of white light with a reddish tinge around the edges and draw it into your heart center. Meditate for awhile in that non-dual disposition and then dedicate the merit to all sentient beings.

This completes four emanations, so we have four more to go.

This is a Five-Part Series. The links are as follows:
The Eight Manifestations of Padmasambhava: An Introduction
The Eight Manifestations of Padmasambhava: Part Two (Padma Gyalpo, Loden Chokse)
The Eight Manifestations of Padmasambhava: Part Three (Nyima Ozer, Padmasambhava)
The Eight Manifestations of Padmasambhava: Part Four (Shakya Senge, Senge Dradok)
The Eight Manifestations of Padmasambhava: Part Five (Padma Jungne, Dorje Drollo)

 

 

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Tibetan Geomancy

The principal root of astrology,

Is the great golden tortoise.

The tail to the north and the head above.

The right and left sides lie east and west.

The limbs extend to the four quarters

On which lies supreme

The world Jambudvipa and rests.

The practice of what we nowadays generally refer to as feng shui -- rather incorrectly thinking of this as what we otherwise know as geomancy -- came to Tibet by way of King Srong-btsang-sgam-po's Chinese bride, known to the Tibetans as Un-shing Kon-jo. We know precisely when this occurred, as she arrived in Lhasa in 641, the year of the Iron Ox. This is during China's T'ang dynasty, and her father was in fact the second T'ang Emperor. 

One chapter of the Mani Kabum begins with the rather laconic observation, "Queen Kon-jo was skilled in Chinese divination." This seems to be the case. Owing to contemporary writings of both Chinese and Tibetans, we are able to piece together a rather exact picture of Kon-jo's skills and interests. One means of accomplishing this is through notice of the items she thought to take with her when she departed China. Indeed, history records that among gifts of all sorts, and a justly celebrated golden statue of the Buddha at age twelve, Kon-jo took with her three hundred and sixty works on divination.

What sort of works were these, and more to the point, what sort of feng shui did Kon-jo practice? If you try to recover this from English language sources, quite possibly the earliest reference you will find is Sarat Chandra Das, in the Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, in 1881 and 1882. It isn't very helpful, but it is fun. He states, "The earliest written encyclopedia of Astrology is the chief repository of Yeekyin, the first of the Uhu series. The art of divination called Porthan which was brought into Tibet during the reign of the Than dynasty was obtained from this great work." You have to chew on that a little while to understand he refers to the I Ching, and to the T'ang dynasty.

While discussing Kon-jo's skills, the Mani Kabum further explains that, "There are one hundred and eight parts in the [geomantic] examination of behavior and so forth. There are ninety-two in the earth examination." By this and other references, we are able to deduce that the Queen was a skilled practitioner of not one but all methods of divination, geomancy, and feng shui. These methods were based, severally, on notice of the five elements, the trigrams, the directions, and what is generally known as the "form school."

As the years passed, what seemed to stick was a mixture of approaches, all of which are summarized by the catch-all Tibetan term sa-bshad, pronounced "sa shey," and generally translated as "geomancy." You also see this butchered up as "sache," or "sachey," and so forth. Actually, the better way for geomancy is sa-dpyad. If you ask the average Tibetan today about feng shui, they will respond by telling you this is sa-bshad. The modern practitioners -- and by this I mean the practitioners educated in the matter since the 1950s -- no longer take into account Kon-jo's seventh century influence, but state that the art dates from the eighth century. However, the art they commonly describe as sa-bshad is purely that of the form school, as it depends on examining the effect of land forms on views of the sky, and then the shape of land forms themselves. What they call sa-dpyad refers to spirits.

As an aside, there are other methods employed, such as taking into account the movements of the Bhumipati, or sa-bdag ("sadak," or earth spirits -- the sa-dpyad we just mentioned), the placement of objects (nang-bshad), and so forth. We are here concerned with but a single method, unrelated to these. This method appears to be one that accompanied Kon-jo on her journey from China.

So, then, the aspect of geomancy we shall now discuss is not so much a feng shui method of siting -- although it can be -- as it is a method of fate calculation which is used as the basis of various other calculations. We are going to look at this in the form typically encountered by Westerners, and we are going to teach you how to use this method for yourself.

I have selected this particular method to discuss because it is encountered in the various compilations one sees -- Philippe Cornu's book comes to mind, as does Michael Erlewine's book -- and because, for one reason or another, it seems to be the method that causes the most confusion. So, I want to attempt to resolve that confusion by carefully explaining how the method works.

Every year, a person has four favorable and four unfavorable directions. These are with reference to the cardinal directions, north, south, east, and west, and the intermediate directions northeast, northwest, southeast, and southwest. Each of these eight directions, in turn, is associated with a particular trigram.

By determining the operative, individual trigram associated with a person's current year, and by noting its relationship to the other trigrams, we can then see what the person's favorable and unfavorable directions will be.

Above is the so-called "cosmic tortoise." I picked this one to show you because it is from an old book by Paul Carus, entitled Chinese Thought, published in 1907. He, in turn, took it from L. Austine Waddell's work of 1895, The Buddhism of Tibet, or Lamaism. When you try to study this subject in English, these are likely to be the earliest references you will find. I'll just note in passing that Waddell also touched the subject of divination in his Lamaism In Sikhim, published in 1894.

You see this "cosmic tortoise" diagram in the center of all Tibetan astrological thangkas, or srid-pa-ho. These are usually sold as "protection mandalas" or "astrological diagrams." If you know how to read them, they are actually complete teaching aids, because they describe the whole of astrology and geomancy as it is commonly practiced.

What I want you to particularly notice is the diagram shows the eight trigrams, and around each trigram you have a diagram in which there are eight boxes, each with one of eight symbols. These symbols are the sun, a vajra, an "eternal knot," a swastika, a triangle, five dots, a phurba, and a body part. The body parts are typically right foot, left foot, penis, right shoulder, left shoulder, right hand, left hand, and head.

Each of these symbols refers to a particular favorable or unfavorable aspect, and each of these aspects refers to a particular direction. As a complete example, Cornu refers to these in the following manner:

• Sun: Sky medicine
• Vajra: Life Support
• Knot of Eternity: Prosperity
• Swastika: Message of Luck
• Triangle: Injury
• Five points: Five Demons
• Phurba: Life-cutting Demons
• Body Part: Bodily Punishment

Erlewine uses slightly different language, but the idea is the same. He refers to these symbols in the following manner:

• Sun: Sky Healer
• Vajra: Healthy Life
• Eternal Knot: Generating, Glorious
• Swastika: Auspiciousness, Prosperity
• Triangle: Evil Spirit
• Five Dots: Five Ghosts
• Phurba: Devil Cutting
• Body Part: Body Destroying

So, then, each trigram has eight geomantic houses, if you like to put it that way, and each house has a symbolic quality. In greater detail, these qualities are as follows:

• gNam-sman: Sky medicine, or sky healer. This direction is the most favorable. It is good for curing illness, medical or surgical procedures, finding doctors, finding medicines, or finding solutions to problems. It is good for resolving obstacles.
• Srog- 'tsho: Life support, or healthy life. This is the next best direction. The head of the bed should be oriented in this direction during the particular year. You can also go do yoga in this direction, or engage in any activity that increases vitality.
• dPal-skyed: Prosperity, or wealth generating. This is the third best direction. As indicated, this direction indicates material luck.
• Phya-lon: Message of luck, or auspiciousness. This is the fourth best direction. A good direction for travel, or various undertakings.
• gNod-pa: Injury, or harm; evil spirits. This is the lightest of the bad directions. Accidents and wounds occur in this direction.
• 'Dre-lnga: Five demons, or five ghosts. This is a heavier expression of the bad directions. Demonic influences arise in this direction. People usually display ransom diagrams to deceive the demons. Mirrors can also be used.
• bDud-bcod: Life cutters, or life-cutting demons. This direction is heavier still, in the sense that it is worse than the previous directions. This is a direction of death. Usually, you put a phurba facing this direction, which is to say you put the point of a phurba facing this direction.
• Lus-chad: Bodily injury, or corporal punishment. This is considered the worst direction, on the theory that a particular body part will lead one to destruction. I will very gently take notice that the image of a penis is used in one of the houses, so as an example, if you engage in sexual intercourse in that particular direction you will be led to ruin. In some other case, you see the image of a right hand, or a foot, so you get the general idea. There is a dual calculation in this area, where one notices the body part indicated on the chart, and then compares this to the element of one's birth bLa, or "soul force" if you will, versus that of the year.

Now that we understand the favorable and unfavorable directions, it is time to consider how to make the appropriate calculations. We will be calculating which one of the eight trigrams impacts us as individuals in the current year. For convenience, we'll use the chart below:

This seems to be where most people become confused, but it is actually quite simple. I will take an example using the current year, 2011, and a woman born in 1959. Simply take out a calculator,  subtract 1959 from 2011, and then add one. That gives us 53. Now, look at the diagram above, and find the box at "north," labeled "kan." That box is counted as one, and as this is a woman, we go counter-clockwise around the square until we reach 53, which is the box labeled "south," or "li." The trigram "li" is her trigram for the year 2011. If we were doing this for a man, we would begin at "li" and count clockwise around the square. That is the only difference. For women, begin at north and go counter-clockwise. For men, begin at south and go clockwise.

Now, examining the geomantic houses for Li, we see that her lucky directions are north, east, southeast, and east. Her unlucky directions are northeast, west, northwest, and southwest. Just as a further example, her injury direction is northeast, five demons are in the west, life-cutting demons are northwest, and her corporal punishment is southwest. She will want to avoid southwest at all costs.

The complete table for Li is now given:

• Sky Medicine: North
• Life Support: East
• Eternal Knot: Southeast
• Swastika: South
• Triangle: Northeast
• Five Dots: West
• Phurba: Northwest
• Body Part: Southwest

The complete table for Kun (Khon) is now given:

• Sky Medicine: Northwest
• Life Support: Northeast
• Eternal Knot: West
• Swastika: Southwest
• Triangle: East
• Five Dots: Southeast
• Phurba: North
• Body Part: South

The complete table for Dui (Da) is now given:

• Sky Medicine: Northeast
• Life Support: Northwest
• Eternal Knot: Southwest
• Swastika: West
• Triangle: North
• Five Dots: South
• Phurba: East
• Body Part: Southeast

The complete table for Qian (Khen) is now given:

• Sky Medicine: Southwest
• Life Support: West
• Eternal Knot: Northeast
• Swastika: Northwest
• Triangle: Southeast
• Five Dots: East
• Phurba: South
• Body Part: North

The complete table for Kan (Kham) is now given:

• Sky Medicine: South
• Life Support: Southeast
• Eternal Knot: East
• Swastika: North
• Triangle: West
• Five Dots: Northeast
• Phurba: Southwest
• Body Part: Northwest

The complete table for Gen (Kin) is now given:

• Sky Medicine: West
• Life Support: Southwest
• Eternal Knot: Northwest
• Swastika: Northeast
• Triangle: South
• Five Dots: North
• Phurba: Southeast
• Body Part: East

The complete table for Zhen (Tsin) is now given:

• Sky Medicine: Southeast
• Life Support: South
• Eternal Knot: North
• Swastika: East
• Triangle: Southwest
• Five Dots: Northwest
• Phurba: West
• Body Part: Northeast

The complete table for Xun (Zon) is now given:

• Sky Medicine: East
• Life Support: North
• Eternal Knot: South
• Swastika: Southeast
• Triangle: Northwest
• Five Dots: Southwest
• Phurba: Northeast
• Body Part: West

People often ask, "Well, what if you have to travel north, and north is a bad direction that year?" If travel in a bad direction cannot be avoided -- and most of the time it cannot -- then before beginning one's journey, there are several remedies that may be applied. One can take a few steps in a lucky direction, and rather disingenuously say that one has begun the journey by going in that direction.

On a more practical level, one can bow to the Buddha of the direction in which one is traveling and ask for a safe journey. This approach seems to work best, and there is even an extensive reference available: Chog-Chu Mun-Sel, or Sutra of Dispelling the Darkness of the Ten Directions. You can download this here. You can also maximize your chances by traveling on an auspicious day, or beginning at an auspicious hour. 

Now you have this little note on fortunate and unfortunate directions. Still, I want to tell you that to speak of directions is often an obstacle in itself. If you want to think in terms of directions, you can think of them as being equally fortunate without any further reference to themselves. It is the thinking of "good" and "bad" directions that leads to trouble in the first place.