The Great Buddhist Master – Padmasambhava
Wrathful Guru Rinpoche (Main Figure)
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(Top to bottom): Four-Armed Chenrezig, Wrathful Guru Rinpoche, Medicine Guru Rinpoche, Ekajati and Dorje Shugden.
Deity: Wrathful Guru Rinpoche
Alternative names: Guru Padmasambhava (Sanskrit); Pema Jungne (Tibetan)
Guru Rinpoche, also known as Guru Padmasambhava, is highly revered within all schools of Tibetan Buddhism and there are three well-known stories regarding his birth. The first recounts his birth from a lotus in the Dhanakosha Lake in the country of Oddiyana and is why he has the epithet “Lotus-Born”. The second tells of his birth in North India as the son of a king, while the third suggests he was from South India and the brother-in-law of Santarakshita, abbot of the famed Nalanda Monastery.
It was in the 8th Century that Santarakshita travelled to Tibet to establish the first monastic institution there under the patronage of King Trisong Detsen, who is considered the second of Tibet’s three great Dharma kings. However, Santarakshita faced many supernatural obstacles to the founding of the monastery due to the interferences of local mountain gods and spirits scared of losing their disciples to the Buddhist faith. Santarakshita invited Guru Rinpoche to Tibet to subdue the obstructive beings who opposed the spread of Buddha’s teachings.
Guru Rinpoche waged supernatural war against these deities and won due to his high spiritual attainments. Instead of vanquishing these obstructive beings, he chose to follow the Buddha’s teachings on compassion and bound them to oath never to harm sentient beings again. They promised to protect and provide for practitioners on the Buddhist path. One such being was Nechung, also known as Pehar Gyalpo. Once a powerful spirit from Persia, he came to reside in Tibet and after battling with Guru Rinpoche, he was subdued. Nechung also promised to aid the “Holder of the White Lotus”, meaning an emanation of Chenrezig. When the powerful line of Dalai Lamas arose, Nechung came to their aid for temporal matters, as the Dalai Lamas are considered emanations of Chenrezig. Since that time, Nechung has come to be regarded as one of the State Dharma Protectors of Tibet.
The depiction of Guru Rinpoche in this thangka is his wrathful form. Similar to his peaceful form, he is portrayed holding a vajra in his right hand, symbolic of his ability to subjugate negative beings. In the crook of his left arm rests a trident, representing his consort Mandarava, while he holds a blood-filled skull-cup in his lap. He sits in a posture of royal ease. Normally depicted with a peaceful countenance, in this image Guru Rinpoche scowls in wrath. This wrath is not directed at people or beings but the karma that arises from people’s negative actions. This leads them to suffer the consequences of their actions which usually involves pain in one form or another. As a fully enlightened being who operates from the highest form of compassion, Guru Rinpoche manifests in wrathful form to battle the debilitating effects of this negative karma.
The four rings of energy surrounding Guru Rinpoche represent his mastery of the four elements that constitute physical existence – earth, water, air and fire. The scorpions he emanates represent the overcoming of negative karma, the transformation of our mental delusions into those of an enlightened being and also the clearing of inferences within our lives such as spirit disturbances and negative supernatural occurrences.
Deity: Four-Armed Chenrezig
Alternative name: Avalokiteshvara (Sanskrit)
Chenrezig’s sacred name literally means the “All-Seeing Lord”. He is regarded as the embodiment of the compassion of all enlightened beings. In this form, his four arms represent the Four Immeasurables of loving kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy and perfect equanimity. His two main hands, folded at his heart, hold a blue wish-fulfilling jewel, symbolising the great compassion of all the Buddhas. With his other right hand he holds aloft a mala (rosary) comprising of 108 beads, representing his ability to guide all beings on the path of liberation from suffering. His remaining left hand grasps the stem of an immaculate lotus, indicating that he is unstained by the delusions of samsara.
Deity: Medicine Guru Rinpoche (English)
Alternative name: Guru Padmasambhava Bhaisajyaguru (Sanskrit); Ogyen Menlha (Tibetan)
Guru Rinpoche has many forms and one of the most efficacious is Guru Rinpoche Medicine Buddha. In this form, he appears blue in colour, holding the stem of an aurora plant, similar to Medicine Buddha Bhaisajya Guru (Sanskrit), also known as Sangye Menlha (Tibetan). In his left hand he holds a skull-cup overflowing with healing nectar and a long life vase. The practice of Medicine Guru Rinpoche is said to cure illnesses, promotes healing and lengthens one’s life.
Deity: Ekajati
Alternative name: Ralchigma (Tibetan)
Ekajati is considered the main protector of the terma or revealed teachings prevalent within the Nyingma tradition. However, her practice can also be found in all other major traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. She appears dark blue in colour with a single braid of hair flowing upward, after which she derives her name (“Eka” means ‘one’ while “jati” means ‘braid of hair’). She has one eye and one long and sharp tooth, which bites down over her lower lip, and one breast.
In her right hand which is in a wrathful mudra, she holds aloft a human corpse. In her left hand she holds a human heart. She is depicted in a dancing posture, atop a prostrate human figure, with a triangular throne. The human figure represents obstacles and our negative karma. In her role as a Dharma protector Ekajati is known as the protector of all secret mantras. She reminds practitioners of their tantric commitments and not to reveal tantric meditation practices to those who are not ready to receive them.
Deity: Dorje Shugden
Dorje Shugden is a Dharma protector that has been propitiated by all four major Tibetan Buddhist schools. Dorje Shugden is recognised to be an emanation of the bodhisattva Manjushri. In fact, Dorje Shugden arose from a long line of incarnated lamas who strove to proliferate and protect the teachings. He is a protector of recent origins, arising 350 years ago, and due to his strong affinity with beings of this time, he is widely renowned to be efficacious and powerful in overcoming our obstacles and creating favourable conditions for our practice.
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The depiction of Guru Rinpoche in this beautiful art thangka with Four-Armed Chenrezig, Medicine Guru Rinpoche, Ekajati and Dorje Shugden is his wrathful form. Its paints a thousand words of compassion , positive energy clearing obstacles, cure illnesses, promotes healing and so forth.
Thank you Rinpoche for this wonderful sharing with easy explanation for us.