Part 5 In East, West, North and Central India, the Master performed many acts that benefited beings, principal among them the ones just mentioned. He was also active north of the River Ganges—all the way to Nepal. In the land of Drāmiḍ too, he did great acts and was the first to tame that land. A great many pure followers of the teachings remain there to this day. But, more than that, he did great acts for the beings of Tibet. In this land there is not a single being, human or otherwise, from earlier times until today, that has not become his student, either directly or indirectly, through his manifesting in a particular form with a particular name. Although we can recount some of his activities done in this form or by that name, how could anyone possibly capture the life-story of a sage who has realized the state of primordial unity? This Master’s principal activity was subjugating non-human beings. More so than all that has already been described, his actions to benefit non-human beings on the Island of Cāmara were even greater. Whereas those earlier actions were limited in area for small numbers of people, or lasted for a short length of time (whether one hundred or one thousand years), these later ones—in terms of area, length of time and numbers of beings—are difficult to comprehend. According to the Indian histories, having arrived in the Land of the Snow-Mountains, the Master tamed all the nāgas, yakṣas and evil spirits and instilled the king and others with faith through his miraculous powers. Other than that, there is not an extensive record of his time in Tibet. Furthermore, it is not clear whether he tamed Drāmiḍa before or after his journey to Tibet. The Tibetans assert that he departed Tibet for the island of rākṣasas, but the people of Drāmiḍa assert that he went there from Drāmiḍa. Of course, if the Master was manifesting two physical forms at the same time, then there would be no contradiction between the two

Part 4 The Master’s spiritual consort for his meditation on this maṇḍala, the yoginī called Śīlatvā, took up the second kīla-dagger, that of wrathful Amṛtakuṇḍali. She hurled it into the lake in Baṅgala, turning the nāga and its retinue into ashes. After seven days and seven nights, the lake dried up and all the heretical schools were overcome. The Master’s retreat attendant, a yogin from Kāmarūpa called Ratnaśīla, took up the third small kīla-dagger. With it he struck the crystal boulder in Rājagṛha, which immediately fell to pieces. This too greatly benefited the Buddhists. Śīlatvā and Ratnaśīla also had reached the vidyādhara stage, and, although they have disappeared, if they wished they could reappear in emanation bodies. The Master stayed a little longer in Trimala and crafted a sandalwood image of Noble Avalokiteśvara. In Vikramaśīla he built a small Tārā temple. Then he went again to glorious Uḍḍiyāna, gathered together the fortunate, and they built a temple there. During that time, near Uḍḍiyāna in a land called Kaccha, there was a highly respected Buddhist community. Even the king held the lay vows and was a paṇḍita. The Turkish king of Pāgada in the land of Molatāna had attacked Kaccha with his army and destroyed a few of its monastic colleges, yet more were facing imminent destruction. As the invading army, swimming and in boats, approached along the river Nīli, the Master awaited them on the bank. With a wrathful stare he raised his forefinger in the threatening mudrā. This caused the entire Turkish army—seven large ships, about five hundred small wooden boats and those swimming—to sink to the bottom of the river. All were killed. For many generations there was no further harm from Turks in that land. A Work Telling the Life and Liberation Story of the Great Master Padmākara.His ordination name was Padmākara, ‘the Lotus Born’. The secret name he received upon initiation into the maṇḍala was Padmasambhava, ‘the Lotus Born’.[26] In earlier times, people of Uḍḍiyāna called him Kamalakuliśa or Padmavajra, because on his forehead was a figure

by Tāranātha Part 3 Activity in India Next, the Master thought to himself, “I must now work as much as I can for the benefit of sentient beings.” Thus, he went to the Tharu kingdoms, such as the in country of Tirāhut, and to the countries to the north, such as Kāmarūpa and Nepal. Over a few years, for all those fortunate enough, the Master used various means—such as teaching the Dharma and instructing in alchemy and elixirs—to help many thousands of people. He extended their lives, increased their wealth, found water where there was none, and forced it underground where there was too much. Even nowadays there are many places to be found, such as in Tharu, Champa and Khasya, where the Master created springs or underground water passages. In the land of Campāraṇa, there is the great river Bhati that he made go underground for about one day’s travel, and another that travels underground for just a short time. In those days, in the south of India, in Trimala, near Triliṅga, in a sandalwood forest near to the sacred spot of Lakṣmaṇa, at Śivasthān, there stood a naturally arisen śivaliṅgaṃ of about one cubit in height. Each day, many animals were killed there to make a blood sacrifice. Heretics recited maledictory mantras, whose mere utterance brought down pestilence and plague upon the local Buddhist community. Trimala was a thriving country, home to a large number of Buddhists, and these were the people who made most of the offerings to Odantapurī. Therefore these practices of blood sacrifice and sorcery at the naturally-arisen śivaliṅga were causing considerable harm. Meanwhile, in the land of Baṅgala in the east, a small lake had sprung up southwest of Nālandā, close to a place called Bāgala. This lake was the home of a malicious nāga loyal to the heretics. Simply by offering an oblation to the lake, they obtained limitless amounts of gold, silver, pearls and jewels, and with these they were establishing new heretical schools across the five eastern regions. Needless to say, the nāga’s powerful magic was also detrimental to the Buddhist community.

By. Taranatha Part 2 The Master remained for a long time in those charnel grounds, keeping company with the formidable beings who lived there—the bhūtas, rākṣasas, piśācas and ḍākinīs. By practising the recitation of the vidyā-mantras with diligence, he had visions of all the wrathful vajra-kings, like Trailokyavijaya and Yamāntaka,  and received teachings from them. He spoke with Mahākāla and the seven mātṛkās as if speaking with humans. He took the cruel nāgas and yakṣas and made them his servants. He mastered ten million wrathful mantras, both worldly and transcendent. Through the magical power of his mantra recitation, the Master went again and again, together with powerful non-human beings, to the eight great primordial charnel grounds of our world. He also met the eight divine masters of those places and accomplished an ordinary siddhi in each of them. In the charnel ground Ghorāndhakāra lived the master Dhanuṣkṛta, with whom he attained the siddhi of the sword. In the charnel ground Gahvara lived the master Bhūmiputra, with whom he attained the siddhi of the pill. In the charnel ground Jvālākulakaraṅka lived the master Sūryaputra, with whom he attained the siddhi of the balm of magic sight. In the charnel ground Vibhīṣaṇa lived the master Amṛtaprabha, with whom he attained the siddhi of fleet-footedness. In the charnel ground Aṭṭahāsa lived the master Śivaṃkara, with whom he attained the siddhi of the medicine that heals every ailment. In the charnel ground Lakṣmīvana lived the master Vararuci, Seeker of the Sublime, with whom he attained the siddhi of the elixir of immortality. In the charnel ground Kilikilārava lived the master Nagna, with whom he attained the siddhi of the treasure vase. In the charnel ground Caṇḍogra lived the master Bhṛgu, with whom attained the siddhi of the alchemy of gold. Through these attainments the Master rose to the level of a vidyādhara. He thought, “Now that I have accomplished this, I shall attain complete awakening.” However, in a dream, the Buddha Amitābha came to him with the following prophecy, “You have not yet realised suchness. Due to your wrathful, war-like actions devoid of higher perception, you

by Tāranātha Oṃ svasti! The Three Reasons for Confidence is a work that recounts the life and liberation of the Great Master Padmākara. I pay homage to the guru! An ocean of eloquent speech, the uninterrupted teachings of the victors,Sometimes assumes the form of a spiritual teacher,Who fills every direction with the light of the sacred Dharma,Displaying countless maṇḍalas while never waveringFrom the luminous vajra heart essence.Padmākara, with devotion, I bow to you. In this account, I discard whatever is false, and instead recount whatever I have found to be true. There was a time when the tantric teachings of our guide, the perfectly enlightened Buddha, ranged far and wide throughout the land. King Devapāla[2] ruled the supreme kingdom of Magadha[3] and glorious Uḍḍiyāna[4] was ruled by King Hayalīla,[5] and all in accordance with the Dharma. There was a learned teacher of the warrior caste who had adopted the Three Jewels as his spiritual guide. In the language of Uḍḍiyāna, this man’s name was Srado, and in the language of India he was Sragdhara, Holder of the Flower Garland. Srado fathered a son, an infant born with all the physical marks of perfection. His skin was white, tinged with red, and there was the pattern of a lotus on his ring ringer. His eyes and lips were like lotuses in bloom, and his skin bore many virtuous signs—marks such as lotus flowers, hooks and lassos. The child’s birth was celebrated with a great feast. When the brahmins examined the signs, some foretold that he would become a king, others that he would be ruler of a principality, and others still that he would live in charnel grounds and bring ruin upon the family line. With such a variety of good, bad and indeterminate prophecies, nothing was certain. However, all were in agreement that it would be difficult for others to prevail over him. Finally, a highly accomplished yogin was asked and he said, “This child will be most supreme among practitioners of the Secret Mantra, and, because he has all the marks of the

Nyawon Kunga Pel was born in 1285 into the royal family of Gyantse in the Nyang region of Tsang. He is the nephew of Khampa Geshe Nya Rinchen Tarma. He was intelligent and able to recite the Litany of the Names of Mañjuśrī when he was child. He went to  Jonang Monastery where the master Yonten Gyatso stared at him, pointed his finger, and exclaimed with a laugh, “He is the rebirth of Jamyang Sarma !” Nyawon was then taken to Sakya Monastery, where he learned to read and write, and for five years studied Prajñāpāramitā, epistemology, Abhidharma, and other monastic studies. He was a brilliant youth, and after receiving the vows of a novice monk from the abbot Nyima Gyeltsen when he was twelve years old, Nyawon traveled around for further studies at many of the great Sakya, Kadam, and Kagyu centers of learning in U and Tsang. At the age of nineteen he received full ordination from the abbot Tashi Sengge t Nyetang Monastery, and gained the reputation of being invincible in debate. Nyawon first met the Dolpopa Sherab Gyeltsen in 1292-1361) at Jagoshong Monastery , and when they spoke for a while Dolpopa became very pleased and gave him gifts. Nyawon felt undivided faith in the great master and served him during the journey back to Jonang. According to tradition, when Nyawon was about twenty years old he was stricken with a serious illness and could not move his arms and legs. Some friends carried him to Sakya, where Dolpopa was teaching. He requested a blessing from Dolpopa, and when the master spit and breathed upon him, Nyawon was instantly cured of the paralysis. He later received from Dolpopa countless teachings, such as the initiation of Kālacakra, the Lamdre Sakya and Zhama traditions , and many other guiding instructions such as the six-branch yoga of Kālacakra. He also received all the scriptures that had been translated into the Tibetan language, such as the Bodhisattva Trilogy, the Tantra Trilogy of Hevajra, and the ten sutras of definitive meaning. Nyawon stayed with Dolpopa until he was fifty-six years old. He also received

Born in A.D. 1575, Kun-dga’-sñiń-po (= Anandagarbha), better known as Lama Tāranātha, wrote this work in 1608, i.e. at the age of 34, according to the Tibetan mode of calculating the age. This work is usually referred to as rGya-gar-chos-“byuň, which means “the history of Buddhism in India”. But the brief title Tāranātha himself chose for it was dGos-‘dod-kun-‘byui, literally “that which fulfils all desires”. The corrupt Indian form in which the name occurs in the title-page of its Potalá edition (1946), namely Kārya-kāma-sarva-pravrtti-nāma, is evidently intended to convey the same idea. Thus the history of Buddhism in India was for Tãranātha something more than mere history. It was also the māhātmya of Buddhism : the account was intrinsically auspicious, so much so that it led to the fulfilment of all desires. But there is nothing extraordinary about this. As Vasil’ev (spelt Wassiljew in German) rightly remarks. historiography for the Buddhists had always been an important mode of propagating their creed.  In Tibetan writings Tāranātha is usually mentioned as “Jo-nan Tāranātha” or “rje-btsun (= bhattāraka) Tāranātha of the Jo-nảń sect”. Jo-nań is the name of a place with a lofty caitya and a convent about a hundred miles to the north-west of the Tashi-lhun-po. The sect of Tibetan Buddhism which had Jo-nań as its stronghold came to be known as the Jo-naň-pa sect. The founder of this sect was Phyogs-las-rnam-rgyal. (= Digvijayi), born in A.D. 1306. It appears that a pronounced enthusiasm for the Kālacakra Tantra constituted an important feature of its creed. Tāranātha himself, a later leader of the sect, was famous as an author of several works and “guide-books ” (khrid-yid) on the Kālacakra doctrine, which Roerich wanted to analyse-a project unfortunately left unfinished by him.  The chief monastery of the Jo-nań-pa sect—rTag-brtan-phun-tshogs-glii ( = the perfect and eternally firm island)-had a printing establishment well-known in Tibet. The complete works of Täranātha were published by it. A copy of this is preserved in the Tsybikov Collection, Institute of the Peoples of Asia (now renamed as the Institute of

When I walk on snow-laden paths of hills my each footprint appear clear, deep and distinct which I can trace my path back without effort. But after a while due to wind and fresh snowfall all traces of my footsteps are wiped out in the snow. The residue is what sticks to my imagination. It is the same with the study of history. Every episode in it howsoever realistic, does fade with the sweep of time and occurrences of new events. Surviving evidences largely depend on interpretation of the historian whose reason emanates from intellect and as such has the glaring weakness of limitations of one’s mind which are conditioned by the present environment. The general attitudes and outward expressions of men of our time cannot be similar to those of the primitive society or even of the preceding generations. Thus, the logic of today recalling the events of the past times with indecisive evidences must surely be inaccurate in many ways.་The line of demarcation between history and legend is too thin to observe while writing; the two overlap each other unconsciously and unknowingly. Faith and reason overpower each other throughout one’s life, which results in contrad iction, but the conflict never ceases in any sphere. As such, it is difficult to say if the author of a book of history is free from the influence of his faith in analysing the past. I know many such persons who do not accept in their writings many episodes as historical in order to exhibit their rational mind and modern scholarship. But in the core of their hearts they believe the episodes in toto and do respect them. Such proclivities in authors are nothing short of dishonesty. As we focus our vision on the historical perspective of our time interspersed with strong socio-economic bias of the historian for recording past events to suit their political ideologies, we can sense the real flaw in the cross currents of historical literature and that takes us into a land of phantasy. In this situation I

Tāranātha was born at Karak in 1575, into the hereditary line of the great Tibetan translator Ra Lotsāwa Dorje Drak. His Tibetan name was Kunga Nyingpo, but he is generally known by the name Tāranātha, which he received in a vision from a great Indian adept. According to tradition, when he was about one year old he declared, “I am master Kunga Drolchok!” But this was kept secret for several years, and it was not until he was about four years old that he was brought to Kunga Drolchok‘s (kun dga’ grol mchog, 1507-1566) seat of Cholung Jangtse Monastery (chos lung byang rtse) and formally recognized as his incarnation. He then began years of intense study and practice under the guidance of a series of great masters, many of whom had been major disciples of Kunga Drolchok. Guided by Kunga Drolchok’s disciple Jampa Lhundrub (byams pa lhun grub, d.u.), Tāranātha first studied and mastered various subjects of sutra and tantra. Then he received a vast number of tantric teachings and initiations, primarily of the Sakya tradition of Lamdre, from another of his predecessor’s disciples, Doring Kunga Gyeltsen (rdo ring kun dga’ rgyal mtshan, d.u.). Kunga Drolchok’s disciple Draktopa Lhawang Drakpa (brag stod pa lha dbang grags pa, d.u.) taught Tāranātha many esoteric instructions, especially the Six Yogas and Mahāmudrā. Jedrung Kunga Pelzang (rje drung kun dga’ dpal bzang, 1513-1588), who was Kunga Drolchok’s nephew and successor on the monastic seat of Jonang Monastery (jo nang dgon), transmitted to Tāranātha the teachings of Kālacakra and the dharma protector Mahākāla that he had received from his uncle. From Kunga Drolchok’s disciple Lungrik Gyatso (lung rigs rgya mtsho, d.u.), Tāranātha received many transmissions, especially the Kālacakra initiation, the explanation of the Kālacakra Tantra, the esoteric instructions of the Six-branch Yoga according to the Jonang tradition, and the collected writings Dolpopa Sherab Gyeltsen (dol po pa shes rab rgyal mtshan, 1292-1361). He is said to have gained a special experiential realization when he practiced the Six-branch Yoga. When Tāranātha was fourteen years old, the Indian adept Buddhaguptanātha (d.u.) arrived in Tibet. This master became one of Tāranātha’s most important teachers, passing to him countless transmissions of tantric initiations and esoteric instructions.