Tag Archives: THE SERAKHANDRO

The Teachings of Guru Rinpoche in The Sera Khandro Lineage taught by HE Serling Tulku Yongdzin Rinpoche (6)

Chapter Five

How wonderful!

Then you, Lotus-Born Master,
Assumed the form of Great Powerful Héruka,
Proclaimed, “Houng! Houng!,” and brought gods and demons under
your control.

You suppressed them with orders and seals, and bound them under oath.

You consecrated the ground for the construction of Samyé.

The Four Great Kings directed the work.

During the day, humans worked; during the night, gods and demons.

Samyé’s walls look like an unusual being.

The monastery’s design replicates Supreme Mountain, the four main
and four adjacent continents.

Samyé’s qualities are inconceivable.

On the temple’s three levels—above, below, and between—
Statues of the peaceful and wrathful deities were sculpted.

During the consecration, when you scattered auspicious flowers,
The deities spoke and a rain of medicine fell.

Flames rose from the commemoration pillar; sculpted copper dogs
barked.

The entire place was filled with amazing, auspicious signs,
Gladdening the king, his ministers, his subjects, and the court.

The land of Tibet became endowed with auspicious portents, virtue
and happiness:
Samyé’s benefits are inconceivable!

This completes Chapter Five from The Immaculate White Lotus: The Life
of the Master from Oddiyana: Construction of the Samyé Temple and its
Consecration.

Om Ah Houng Benza Guru Péma Siddhi Houng

The Teachings of Guru Rinpoche in The Sera Khandro Lineage taught by HE Serling Tulku Yongdzin Rinpoche (5)

Chapter Four

How wonderful!

Then, by the strength of your forceful previous aspirations,

When the Buddhist king Trisong Détsen was unable to tame the land
for the temple construction at Samyé,

The great scholar Bodhisattva
Foretold that inviting you, the Master from India, [would lead
to success].

Important messengers were sent to you with gold and
proclamations.

Upon meeting the messengers, you discussed the matter
And decided that the time was right to go to Tibet.

You sent the king’s three messengers on before you.

When you reached Nepal, gods and demons
Created many crises, miraculous appearances, and obstacles.

When you reached Mong-youl, great difficulties arose.

You meditated upon [the deity] Bitotamma for seven days

And all the obstacles dissolved naturally.

You bound under oath the gods and cannibal demons of Tibet:

Some acknowledged their faults and prayed,

Some offered you their vitality mantra,

Some made promises, some paid respect,

Some accepted responsibility to protect the doctrine,

Some revealed their [invisible] forms [to human beings], and
some kept their vows.

When you reached Tsang-rong, gods and humans greeted you;
In Tö-loong, everyone welcomed you.

You performed miracles; ambrosia flowed from the water of your
accomplishment.

All who met you were moved to faith and confidence.

At Ombu Grove, the king received you.

Although the king was Gentle Splendor incarnate,
His intense arrogance prevented him from making obeisance to you.

You sang the song of your own greatness and power,
And performed miracles, moving the king to faith.

He prayed and prostrated before you, and invited you to sit on a
golden throne.

He presented you with precious things and wondrous offerings.

All gods and humans of Tibet paid homage to you.

Evil government ministers created foul obstacles;
Religious government ministers consulted with you and were helpful.

This completes Chapter Four from The Immaculate White Lotus: The Life
of the Master from Oddiyana: The Invitation from the King of Tibet and
Binding the Gods and Demons Under Oath.

Om Ah Houng Benza Guru Péma Siddhi Houng

The Teachings of Guru Rinpoche in The Sera Khandro Lineage taught by HE Serling Tulku Yongdzin Rinpoche (1)

 Introduction

    THE FOLLOWING BIOGRAPHY of Guru Rinpoché is a fairly typical example of his brief life stories that appear in treasure texts. Dorjé Tso, a Tibetan woman and disciple of Guru Rinpoché, wrote and concealed it, to be retrieved one thousand years later by a reincarnation of Yeshé Tsogyal, Sera Khandro.

     As is common in the treasures, the account is short on cold, hard facts. We find Guru Rinpoché the disciple of such great Buddhist teachers as Ananda and Nagarjuna; he comes to Tibet, succeeds in establishing Buddhism there, then leaves for the land of cannibal demons. Apart from a spare recital of Guru Rinpoché’s activity, the point of the text seems to be to present a supplication to the Master, and to address what we would now call “abandonment issues.” By most accounts, Guru Rinpoché left Tibet, leaving Yeshé Tsogyal and the rest of his disciples to fend for themselves. The question to Guru Rinpoché here is, How should we cope with your absence? His reply is two-fold: regardless of his present location on the globe, he continues to bless his followers, and they should recognize and regard with pure vision his many emanations among them.

    Different stories of the Lotus-Born Master’s life bring into focus specific aspects of his activity suitable for a specific day and age, which we must assume is the reason for the concealment of treasures intended for one era and not another. Yet one constant theme in Guru Rinpoché’s histories is tension and resolution related to the awful fact of his departure. The treasures simultaneously remind each century’s followers of Guru Rinpoché’s overpowering presence and his enormous absence, and like this treasure text, they often provide solace in the form of a supplication and the advice to see the Master everywhere.

    This treasure is, in Tibetan measure of time, very modern, having been retrieved in 1927, according to the date supplied by Tulku Thondup for the birth of Sera Khandro (1899). Sera Khandro was a prolific treasure revealer: four hefty volumes of her treasures are preserved in their modern edition. She also composed texts, incduding two autobiographies, which I have not had the good fortune to read.

    Her homeland was central Tibet, but she journeyed to eastern Tibet, where she became known by a nickname that recalled her foreign status, “Wee-mo,” the local pronunciation of “Ü-mo,” Lady from Central Tibet. Her consort was the son of Dudjom Lingpa (1835-1904), one of the greatest treasure revealers of the nineteenth century. Dudjom Lingpa returned as the spiritual master who led the Nyingma tradition for many years, His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoché (1904-1987). Dudjom Lingpa’s son returned as the son of Dudjom Rinpoché, Thinley Norbu Rinpoché; and, according to Tulku Thondup, Sera Khandro lives among us again as Saraswati, daughter of Chadral Rinpoché.

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