The Legend of the Great Stupa

The Tibetan text of the Legent of the Great Stupa belongs to a special genre of literature produced by the Old School, the Nyingma called Terma. Termas are texts that were composed by the Great Guru Pedma Sambhava in the 8th century, written down in a secret scripts by his consort Yeshe Tsogyal and hidden in temples, caves, rocks etc, to be revealed, decoded and disseminated by Treasure Finders (terton) at the appropriate time. In other words, there are texts that have been revealed by great yogas of lineage of Padma Sambhava who had a special relationship with his spiritual being. Through this tradition of revelation the essense of the Great Guru's teaching is revealed repeatedly in a contemporary, revitalized form. Further, like the Tibetan book of the Dead (Bardo Thodol), this text is Thodol text, a scripture that is said to liberated the hearer from the bonds of mundane preoccupation to dispel the gloom of ignorance from his mind and to transfer his consciousness to a Pure land, merely by hearing the text.

According to the its colophon, this text was discovered in Tibet in the temple of Samye by the Terton Latsun Ngonmo (11th /12th century) a mystical scion of the royal family of the Samye area and a disciple of Ra Lotsava. This terton-monk deciphere it and hid it again, because the time for its dissemination was not ripe. The Terton Ngakchang Sakya Zangpo (15th -16th century) rediscovered it some 400 years later, and then had it printed in the traditional manner, carved in wooden blocks and printed on rice paper. Thus, this task belongs to the category of Terma called yangter or “twice revealed treasure”. Disciples of Shabkar Rinpoche had new wood blocks carved sometime after 1820 and these are the blocks still used in print the Tibetan text today.

The Great Stupa of the legend symbolized Buddha Mind, its construction the Yogic process leading to enlightenment and its destruction the waning of the Buddha's teaching. The first chapter relates the story of the poultry-woman who began the construction of the Stupa and her sons who completed it. The second chapter describes the fruits of the builders' Karma. The third describes the effects of offerings, worship and restoration of the Stupa. The fourth chapter describes the moral, political and social conditions obtaining in the kaliyoga, many of which are now conspicuously evident – and which are portents of the destruction of the Stupa.

The fifth chapter has assumed momentous significance for the Tibetan refugees, as in it Padma Sambhava prophesied the recent events that have uprooted the Tibetan from their homeland – genocide, destruction of the monasteries, and desecration of sacred artefact's. After the Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1959 and the subsequent Cultural Revolution, streams of refugees arrived in India and Nepal, the Tibetan monasteries and scriptures were destroyed and the landowners and monks who remained bound to the old dispensation were liquidated. But this chapter also offers hope to the exiles since predicts a prophet and redeemer who will “restore the stupa” and, presumably, return them to their homeland.

The first Chapter of the Legend of the Great Stupa:
Construction and Consecretion of the Stupa.
This is the story of the Great Stupa, Jarung Khashor. The Great Stupa is the receptacle of the Buddha Body of Infinite, Simplicity, identical to the Mind of all present and future and the ten directions. In the year of the fire-male-monkey on the tenth day of the monkey month in the middle chamber of the Great Monastery of Samye, which means “the Inconceivable, unchanging and spontaneously arisen.” the Great Religious Kind Trisong Detsen and the twenty-five disciples of the Guru assembled to receive initiation into the Most Secret Mind of the Lama (bla ma yang gsang thugs kyi sgrubs). The Kind request Orgyen Rinpoche, the Precious Lotus Born Guru of Orgyen, to be seated upon a throne of nine piled cushions. Then he offered his Guru a golden chalice of wine, various delicacies to eat gathered from all over the world, twenty-one turquoises drawn from the necklace that hung from his neck, five cups of gold, seven bowls of gold, eight clothes of fine silk and a vast store of other riches.

The King prostrated before his Guru one thousand times, and then addressed him. “Great Guru. I was born in Tibet, this barbarian country of red-faced monkeys, and I invited the sage Bodhisattva Santaraksita from the country of Zahor, and yourself, the Abbot of Orgyen, the Lotus Born Guru, to establish the Dharma in this country. I have built the Great Monastery of Samye wherein resides the Triple Gem, the receptacle of the accumulated merit of all beings, incomparable throughout the southern world of barbarian country that is like an island of darkness the Doctrine of the Triple Gem is diffusing like the early morning sun over the mountain peaks and all people can hear the explanation of the Holy Religion as they did in the golden age when Mahakasyapa Buddha taught in the central land of Magadha.

“While Mahakasyapa Buddha was preaching in Magadha, the benefactress Jadzima, the mother of four sons, built the Jarung Khashor Stupa in the district of Maguta, the the Kingdom of Nepal. Great Guru, if you could relate to us the fruit of the aspiration generated by the builders of that first Great Stupa, then we, having built this Great Monastery of Samye, and knowing how to pray, shall gain faith and confidence. In the futures. So that we shall be devoted, we entreat you to describe in detail the consequences of building that first Great Stupa, the Stupa of Jarung Khashor.”

Then the Great Guru spoke in reply, “Great King, listen carefully, remember my words, and I will relate to you the legend of Jarung Khashor. In a bygone age, countless aeon's ago, the Bjudhisattva Mahasattva, the Lord Avalokitesvara vowed at the feet of his Guru, the Buddha Amitabha, to liberate all beings from the misery of this world. Then having delivered innumerable beings from sorrow, he climbed to the top of the Potala Palace thinking that all beings without exception has been released. But looking over the six realms he saw many beings still languishing in the lower worlds, like flies on a refuse heap. Thinking that it was impossible to deliver all beings from the ocean of misery that is in the world, he wept and wiping two teardrops from his eyes with his forefinger; he prayed that even these two tears might assist beings of the future to overcome their sorrow. In fulfillment of that prayer those two teardrops were transmitted and incarnated as two daughter of King Indira, who lived in the Heaven of the Thirty-three Gods. The two daughters were named Goddess Purna (Complete) and Apurna (Incomplete). Apurna once stole some flowers and as a punishment for violating the law of the gods she was reborn in the human world, in the country of Nepal in the district of Maguta to a poultry man, Ansu and his wife, Purna. She was called Samvara (bDe mchog) the poultry woman (Jadzima). When she matured she loved four different men all of low caste and bore a son by each of them; the first son was born of a stable hand, the second of a swine herd, the third of a dog keeper and the fourth of a poultry man.

Jadzima amassed sufficient wealth from her work to raise her sons well and to establish them as educated householders. Later she amassed considerable wealth from her work and then thought to herself, 'My savings from the poultry business have permitted me to establish my sons as respectable householders. I have now accumulated a further store of wealth. So that all men shall benefit from it, I shall build a Great Stupa. A receptable of the Mind of all Buddhas, my own projected divinity. It will be a plane of adoration for countless beings and a reliquary for the indestructible remains of the Tathagatas. First, however, I must ask the permission of the Maharaja.

“Having thought within herself in this manner she approached the Maharaja, prostrated herself before him, circumambulated him, placed her palms together and appealed to him, 'Great King, I am a poor woman, a poultry woman, and single-handedly I have raised four sons of different fathers with profit of my business and established them as householders. I crave your permission to build a Great Stupa which will be my projected divinity, which will be a plane of adoration for innumerable beings, which will be a receptacle of the Mind of all the Buddhas and which will be a reliquary for the indestructible remains of the Tathagatas. It will be constructed with the wealth that I have accumulated since my sons became self-sufficient.”

“A great king never makes hasty decisions. The King composed his mind for a moment and pondered within himself. “This poultry woman is a poor woman who has saved sufficient wealth to bring up four illegitimate sons and now she wishes to build a Great Stupa. This is wonderful and amazing.”

“Then he gave her permission to build the Stupa Jadzima was filled with contentment and joy and again prostrating before the king circumambulated him many times and then returned home. Thereafter she began the construction of the Great Stupa together with her four sons, and an ass and an elephant. Earth was brought to the site, foundations were laid and walls were built up to the third level. At this point the people of Nepal, feeling resentful towards the poor poultry woman who had shamed them by her superior achievement, assembled and asked each other what sort of construction should be expected of the king, the minister and the wealthy and famous if a poor poultry woman could build such a Stupa. Considering themselves insulted and injured they went to the king with a petition to obstruct the work. They said to him, “Great King you have blundered, if this poor poultry woman can construct such a Great Stupa, what should be expected of you, the king, the ministers and the wealthy men of the country”. If you permit this construction we shall be humiliated. It would be better if the earth and stones were carried back to the quarry. It is not proper that this woman be permitted to build this Stupa.”

“The Great King replied, 'Listen to me carefully. This is poor poultry woman has saved sufficient riches to bring up for illegitimate sons and has accumulated sufficient wealth to build this Stupa. I consider this a marvelous achievement. I have already given her my permission (kha shor) to proceed with the work (bya rung). I, the king, speak only once.”

“Other men also tried to obstruct the progress of the construction, but unsuccessfully. So the Great Stupa became known as Jarung Khashor, which implies that once authority to build has been given every obstacle can be overcome. The work of construction continued without interruption, through summer and winter, for four years, until the Stupa was completed up to its neck.

“At that time Jadzima discovered that she was dying. She called her four sons and their servant to her and said, Complete the Great Stupa which is my projected divinity and which is plane of adoration for both mundane and supra mundane beings. Place the indestructible remains of the Tathagatas within this Stupa and then consecrate it with great honor and reverence. This is my last wish and when it is filled the grand intention of all the Buddhas of the past, present and future shall be realized. By obeying my wishes you, my son will also fulfill the purpose of this life and the next.”

“With these words Jadzima passed away. Cymbals sounded and the gods sent down a rain of flowers. Rainbow lights shone in the sky and the poor poultry woman, Jadzima, through her generosity in constructing the Great Stupa, attained Buddhahood. She is now known as the Buddha Chamsi Lhamo Pramsha.

“The four sons remained faithful to their mother's wish, and to repay her kindness and attain merit they agreed to add the upper portion and complete Stupa. So, as before, the sons loaded bricks upon the elephant and donkey and continued the work. They worked for three more years before the construction was completed – seven years in all. The indestructible relics of the Tathagata Mahakasyapa (the Buddha of the previous age) were sealed in the tree of life (tge axis) within the Stupa.

Then after sumptuous offering had been arranged and consecrating flowers strewn everywhere, the Tathagata Mahakasyapa surrounded by his attendant Buddhisatvas, appeared throughout the fields of the sky in front of the Stupa. All the Buddhas and Buddisattvas of the ten direction with innumerable Arhats surrounding them, the five lineages of Tathagatas, the Lords of the Three worlds and the innumerable wrathful and peaceful deities beyond conception, like blooming buds of Sesamum, appeared there, scattering flowers, honoring the occasion with their most auspicious presence. Many cymbals sounded, the gods sent a storm of flowers while sweet smelling incense wafted in every direction. The earth itself shook three times. The boundless light of divine vision diffusing from the Bodies of the assembled Tathagatas eclipsed the sun and irradiated the night for the consecutive days.”

The Second Chapter of the Legend of the Great Stupa:
Fulfillment of Prayer According to the Boddhisattva's Vision..
Again King Trisong Deusen spoke to the Lotus Born Guru, “Great Guru, I entreat you to describe the prayers that were offered and the inspiration that was formed before this most marvelous Stupa called Jarung Khashor. Please relate to us the story of the fulfillment of those prayers”.

The Great Guru replied, “Listen to me, Great King: When flowers were scattered at the consecration of the Stupa and when fantastic miracles were performed and wonderful signs were seen, the vast assembly of Buddhas and Buddhisattvas addressed the benefactors and devotees with one voice and said, “Listen, you most fortunate and well born. Through the pure mind that created the wish to construct this Great Stupa, the supreme receptacle of the Buddha Body of Infinite Simplicity Inseparable from the mind of all the victorious Ones of the past, present and future, through this benefaction, whatever prayer you offer will be granted to perfection.

Then the son of Jadzima, the deceased poultry woman said to each other, “It was the enlightened vow of our old mother that led to the construction of this Stupa but following her deathbed wishes we completed the edifice and consecrated it and were privileged to see the countenance of all the Buddhas and Buddhisattvas. Now, through that accumulated of merit, we may ask for the fulfillment of any prayer. It would be unwise to pray any petty thing”.

"The eldest son, the son of a stable hand, considered what universal prayer he could offer, 'In the icebound and barbarous kingdom to the north the mountains are snow covered and the valleys are flooded. It is the haunt of water birds in summer and it is one vast ice field in winter. It has been prophesied that the floods will subside and that after the Bodhisattva, Lord of the Universe, Avalokitesvara, has come to train the inhabitants in the Lore of the Tathagata Sakyamuni, the Doctrine of the Buddhas will be diffused throughout the land. It is my prayer that I may establish the Doctrine of the Buddhas in Tibet.'

"So he prayed accordingly, 'Through the merit that I have gained in completing this Stupa with pure heart and aspiration, may I be reborn as a Great King and protector of religion in the icebound border country of savages to the north. When the strength of the five poisons - hatred, lust, sloth, jealousy and pride - increases in the kahyuga, the time of destruction and corruption, spreading the Lore of the Tathagata Sakyamuni may I establish the Doctrine of the Buddhas there for all time.'

"The second son, the son of the swine herd, then offered this prayer, 'Through the merit that I have gained in completing the Great Stupa, when my brother has been reborn as a King and protector in the icebound land of savages and when the Precious Doctrine of the Buddha is being established and the necessity arises to introduce the community of the Sangha - the foundation of the Doctrine - into that country, may I be reborn as a Bhiksu, who will become a great Arhat, to ordain converts as members of the Sangha.'

"Then the third son, the son of the dog keeper, offered this prayer, 'Through the merit that I have gained in completing this Stupa, when my two brothers have established the Doctrine of the Buddhas in the icebound land of savages and when the people follow the Doctrine of the Buddhas, may I be born not from the womb of a woman but miraculously from the pollen bed of a lotus. Destroying the succession of births and deaths, may I live as long as the sun and moon. Subduing and training gods, demons and men alike, and subjecting all the poisonous cannibal natives of this barbarous country, may I be reborn as a tantric yogin, a mantradhara, to guard the Buddhas' Doctrine which my brothers will establish.'

"Then the youngest son, the son of the poultry man offered this prayer, 'Through the merit that I have won in completing this Stupa, when you three have been reborn in the icebound land of savages, one to establish the Doctrine, one to keep it steadfast and one to guard it, may I be born as the minister who will coordinate your activities.'

"After the four sons had offered their prayers, all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas spoke to them with one voice, 'Worthy sons, most fortunate beings, you have offered truly exalted and unselfish prayers. All the Buddhas are rejoicing with you. The mountain of merit that you have produced by this prayer is incomparable - even the Buddhas of the three times are unable to match it.'

"Then all the Buddhas of the ten directions and all the Bodhisattvas dissolved in a single flash of light that vanished into the Great Stupa. Thereafter the Stupa became known throughout the world as the 'Unity of Buddhas.'

"Just then a bloodsucking insect settled on the neck of the stable hand's son and stung him, causing intolerable pain. He brushed off the insect with his hand, there bykilling it. But with boundless compassion he prayed in this way, 'When I am born as a religious king in the icebound land of the savages may this insect be reborn as a Prince practising Dharma.'

"The ass that had carried building material to the stupa overheard these prayers and thought that he too should offer a prayer, but lacking the capacity nothing whatever arose as a prayer in his mind. Then he became angry and with his wrath arose negative thoughts, 'When this stable hand's son is reborn as a religious king establishing the Dharma in the icebound land of thesavages, let me be reborn as a minister with a malicious tongue that reborn as a Great Bodhisattva who will assassinate the will render ineffective whatever actions the king evil king.' performs.' "The servant of the four sons, understanding the ass's thoughts, offered this prayer, 'When this ass is reborn as a wicked minister who will obstruct the spread of the Dharma, let me be reborn as a wise and religious minister so that I can overcome and repulse his deceitful machinations.'

"The elephant also wished to pray, but he also found himself unable. He became angry, 'I have carried heavy loads of stone and earth for the construction of the stupa but I have received no reward. When Jadzima's sons have been reborn and have established the Doctrine in the icebound land of savages let me be reborn as the religious king's great grandson to suppress and to destroy the Doctrine.'

"A crow perched nearby, revolted by such a wish, created a perfect thought. It offered this prayer, 'When the elephant is reborn as a persecutor of religion and when that king tries to suppress the Buddhas' Doctrine let me be "Two Brahmin youths wearing the yellow sacred thread, attendant upon the Stupa, offered this prayer, 'When the Precious Doctrine is established in the icebound land of savages, let us both be reborn as lotsmvas who will translate all the Holy Scriptures.'

"Also attending the ceremony of consecration were two intelligent girls of a royal family who prayed in this manner, 'When the Buddhas' Doctrine will be established in the icebound country of the savages, let us both be born with the superior learning that will enable us to write down and copy the Sacred Texts of the Buddhas' Speech and the commentaries upon it.'

"In this way, at that time, innumerable prayers were offered to benefit all beings and all those boundless prayers were granted. The eldest son, the stable hand's son who prayed for rebirth as a king, has been reborn as yourself, King and Protector of Religion, Trisotl Detsen. The swine herd's son who prayed for rebirth as an Abbot has been reborn as the Abbot and Bodhisattva Santaraksita. The dog keeper's son who prayed to be reborn as a tantric yogin has become myself, the Abbot of Orgyen, the Lotus Born Guru. The poultry man's son who prayed for rebirth as a religious minister is the present king of Yarlung. The bee for whom rebirth as a prince had been supplicated is the present princess Padma Salso. The misguided ass which wished for rebirth as the iniquitous minister has been reborn as the evil Mashang Tromba. The servant who prayed for rebirth as a religious minister to subdue the heretical faction has been reborn as Padma Khungtsen. The deluded elephant which had wished for rebirth as an irreligious king who would suppress the Doctrine will be reborn as your great grandson and his name will be Langdarma, The Ox-headed. The crow that prayed with compassion to be reborn as the assassin of that wicked king has been reborn as the Prince Muruk Tsempo; in the future when the elephant's reincarnation will suppress the Buddha's Doctrine, he will be reborn as the Bodhisattva Lhalung Pelgyi Dorje and he will assassinate the king. The two Brahmin youths who prayed to be reborn as translators have been reborn as Kaba Peltsek and Chokro Lui Gyeltsen. The two princesses who prayed to be reborn as scribes have been reborn as Denma Tsemang and Lekchin Nyima."

The Lotus Born Guru ceased speaking. King Trisoh Detsen and the whole assembly, with full confidence in the Guru's words, were astounded. They prostrated themselves again and again before offering powerful prayers for the Doctrine and for all sentient beings.

The Third Chapter of the Legend of the Great Stupa:
The Consequences of Offering, Circumambulation and Prayer..
The third time the King approached the Lotus Born Guru he made this supplication. "Great Guru, tell us of the benefit and favour granted by prostrating before the Stupa, of circumambulating the Stupa, of adoration and offering to the Stupa, and service to this quintessence of all the Buddhas of the past, present and future."

The Great Guru replied, "Listen, Great king, and give me your full attention. After the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of the past, present and future were absorbed in their reality into the receptacle of Pure Mind forever, this Great Stupa could grant any supplication and fulfill every aspiration immediately and effortlessly, for it became a Wish Fulfilling Gem, the Yeshe Norbu. The benefits and favour received by any living creature who with a pure hear prostrates himself before the Great Stupa, circumambulates it and adores it, are inconceivable and incalculable, beyond the expression of the Buddhas of the past, present and future, for these stones were laid in order to bring inconceivable joy to humanity. As this Great Stupa is the supreme receptacle of the Mind of the Buddhas of the past, present and future, so it is the plane of adoration of both mundane and supramundane beings. To both men and gods, whatever supplication is made and whatever prayer is offered, all wishes will be granted and even supreme realisation and spiritual power shall be given.

"This Great Stupa, Jarung Khashor, the Precious Wish Fulfilling Gem, grants all manner of happiness. Whoever visits the Great Stupa and gazes upon it has the three doors of the lower realms - the realms of hungry ghosts, animals and hellish spirits - closed against him when his spirit wanders in the bardo after death; whoever hears the vibration of the Great Stupa with his ears has the seed of supreme illumination planted within him; whoever visualizes the nature of the Great Stupa is freed from paranoia, megalomania and lethargy and is reborn into the stream of concentrated mind; whoever folds his hands in reverence follows the Path of Reality.

"The ambitious leader who makes a sacrifice to the Great Stupa shall become a Universal Monarch. Whoever circumambulates the Great Stupa attains the seven qualities of divine happiness - noble birth, fine form, great pleasure, virtue and understanding, power and prosperity, freedom from disease and extreme longevity. Whoever offers prayer finds immediate fulfillment of his wishes for both himself and others. Whoever offers gifts to the priests of the Stupa is reborn free from thirst and sickness. Whoever offers flowers to the Great Stupa obtains ease and contentment, and prosperity and health; whoever offers incense achieves pure action; whoever offers lamps has the darkness of unknowing illuminated; whoever offers perfume is freed from anxiety and suffering; whoever offers sacrificial food lives a life of concentration free from hunger.

"Whoever offers music to the Great Stupa spreads the Vibration of Dharma throughout the ten directions: whoever offers the sound of cymbals obtains deep and strong understanding and prosperity; whoever offers the sound of tinkling bells obtains a gentle and sweet voice - the sacred tones of Brahma.

"Whoever offers a Mandala to the Great Stupa attains perfect virtue and understanding as fruit of social intercourse and meditation practice. Whoever offers a Mandala of the five precious stones - gold, silver, turquoise, coral and pearl - is freed from poverty and misfortune and becomes master of the inexhaustible ethereal treasury; whoever offers a Mandala of the seven precious things enjoys the riches of the kingdom in his temporal existence and acquires the Divine Body with the seven limbs of adoration in the realm of sublimity; whoever offers a Mandala of the seven spices of life is freed from diseases of body, emotion, impulse and consciousness, from fatal diseases and all sickness; whoever offers a Mandala of the five essentials of existence is released from the suffering of pride, envy, hatred, lust and lethargy and attains the Buddha Body of the Five Transmuted Lineages of Amitabha, Amoghasiddhi, Vajrasattva, Ratnasambhava and Vairocana; whoever offers a Mandala of the five grains reaps a rich harvest from seeds sown.

"Whoever offers the five kinds of incense to the Great Stupa becomes attractive and loved by all; whoever offers the five kinds of perfume obtains a clean house untroubled by unpleasant odours; whoever offers the five divine gifts accumulates merit, and his power, glory, pleasure and worldly goods increase; whoever offers the Celestial Parasol and Victory Banner has the tension of passion alleviated and becomes worthy of honour and reverence; whoever offers embroidered hangings or a divine ensign obtains happiness, wealth and abundance, and is freed from fear of fire, water, lions, elephants, retribution, snakes, temptresses and thugs; whoever offers a rosary or crown attains the ecstasy of men and gods and is bejeweled with the seven precious things; whoever offers a lamp experiences, in a vision, the reality of all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of the ten directions; whoever offers mustard oil is freed from the veil of lethargy; whoever offers a butter lamp irradiates the ten directions with the light of Dharma.

"Whoever offers the Precious Wheel to the Great Stupa turns the Wheel of Dharma; whoever offers the Precious Jewel receives his heart's desires falling like rain; whoever offers the Precious Queen is reborn in the stream of understanding; whoever offers the Precious Minister becomes a spiritual leader skilled in method and manipulation; whoever offers the Precious Elephant has understanding of the highest meaning of the Mahayana; whoever offers the Precious Horse acquires confidence, energy, imagination, and discernment of the Four Feet of Magical Transformation - confidence, energy, intelligence and application; whoever offers the Precious General conquers all adversaries; whoever offers the Seven Precious Regal Gifts attains mastery of the Great Kingdom of Dharma; whoever offers all of these Eight Magical Symbols is well omened and enjoys the pleasure and wealth of gods and men.

"Whoever offers robes for the Buddha-Image or Priest of the Great Stupa enjoys fine sensuous clothes; whoever offers a coat of whitewash to the Stupa acquires a fair and lustrous complexion, happiness, prosperity and health, attaining predominance over men, gods and demons. Whoever offers curd, milk and butter will possess the Ever Provident Cow and a herd of cattle; whoever offers molasses, honey and sugar receives celestial food; whoever offers fruit juice enjoys many delectable delicacies; whoever offers food for the sacrament obtains supreme realization and spiritual powers, and all potential arising in the mind will become actual; whoever offers water perfumed with the five scents has his darkness illuminated and is reborn with nobility and attractive purity.

"Whoever offers the Supreme Lotus Seat is miraculously reborn, gentle and beautiful on the pollen bed of a lotus flower to eventually obtain the Lion Throne of Fearlessness; whoever performs priestly duties is saved from the suffering of hell, the realm of tortured spirits and the animal kingdom, and obtains health, wealth and virtue; whoever performs ordered ritual. adoring all the Buddhas, attains the power of Buddha Action; whoever cleans dust and dirt from the Great Stupa attains a beautiful body and fine complexion; whoever repairs or restores the Great Stupa has the seed and root of unknowing eradicated. Whoever seeks unity with Buddha Mind, dissolving his ego in the Emptiness of the Great Stupa, attains awareness of the Great Symbol - Mahamudra - with the Vidhyadharas; whoever becomes a Lama or Exemplar enters the arena of creative spontaneity; whoever makes offerings to the Great Stupa is reborn to power.

"Whoever restores the Great Stupa accomplishes the four forms of Buddha Activity, attains every aim he conceives and receives the highest understanding; whoever makes bricks becomes Monarch of the Universe, Lord of every speck of dust; whoever carries earth and stones has the dangers to life and limb eliminated and obstacles in living removed - receiving lifelong health and beauty; whoever strives to purify body, speech and mind, the three doors of illumination, is blessed by all the Buddhas' Three Bodies; whoever makes virtuous friends follows the Dharma Path of the ten virtues, and never being without kindly exemplars he receives whatever power is required in every situation; whoever supervises the work of restoration is reborn as a leader of the Bodhisattvas of the ten directions performing only Buddha Service; whoever perseveres at his craft will master medicine, dialectics, music and metaphysics in all future existences; whoever makes the seven ritual paces toward the Great Stupa when unable to make a pilgrimage attains the pure human vessel after seven reawakenings and recalls his past lives; whoever gives profitable advice acquires the talents of knowledge; whoever gives instruction has every word he utters in this and future existences heard and understood by all living beings; whoever fills a hole or seals a crack in the fabric of the Great Stupa is reborn as a man or god able to realize the sacred vision.

"Whoever lives by the Great Stupa in prayer masters the secrets of immortality and discovers the source of life; whoever remains permanently by the Stupa reciting the scriptures never suffers from the privations of famine or invasion and if a king remains there his kingdom will be peaceful and his subjects content; whoever utters mantra in others' hearing and demonstrates the Bodhisattvas' qualities attains all the virtue of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas; whoever listens and then explains the meaning of the Dharma acts according to the Buddhas of the past, present and future; whoever protects this Great Stupa from damage is saved from the fear of an untimely death; whoever creates a line drawing or model of this Great Stupa may travel to the Pure Land of any Buddha and remain there until he becomes indissolubly united with Pure Mind; whoever writes the legend of this Great Stupa or writes the biography of a Bodhisattva receives the same reward as the writers of the entire Buddhist Canon; whoever rejoices in the ecstasy of existence is reborn at the source of Buddha Quality; whoever beseeches the Great Stupa for the wave of bliss receives empowerment from all the Buddhas of the ten directions; if any being, by chance, visualizes this Great Stupa he is miraculously reborn in the essence of a lotus flower in the Western Buddhafield of Sukhavati, the Pure Land of Bliss.

"Any human being who maliciously damages this Great Stupa suffers in countless ways in this existence and in successive lives; he shall suffer the excruciating agony of the Avici Hell without possibility of escape or means of expiation.

"This Great Stupa is like the Precious Wishfulfilling Gem: whatever supplication is made by any living being for the supreme power of understanding or any relative understanding or authority, it shall be granted - every prayer will be fulfilled. This miraculous Stupa is called Monlam Tamche Drupa - the Fulfiller of All Prayers."

After the Lotus Born Guru had spoken, King Trison Detsen and his attendants were struck with wonder and inspired to a pinnacle of faith they wept with joy. Throwing their bodies on the ground and prostrating before the Guru a thousand times, they offered this prayer,

“EM MA HO! The miraculous nature of this Stupa cannot be described even by a Buddha. It is inconceivable! It is ineffable! Hereafter through every existences let us be reborn favoured by the Great Stupa, offering to it everything under the sky and even the sky itself.”

The Fourth Chapter of the Legend of the Great Stupa:
The Portents of the Ruin of the Great Stupa in the Middle of the Kaliyuga
Again King Trison Detsen spoke to the Lotus Born Guru, "Great Guru, in the kalivuga, the age of decadence and corruption, when the Voice of Buddha is a mere echo, will this Great Stupa, this Wish Fulfilling Gem, be destroyed or damaged? Will it decay? And if it is neglected or damaged what will be the portent of its ruin? What vice will corrupt this area of the transitory world? When the signs and omens are seen, what must be done?"

Guru Rinpoche replied, "Listen, Great King. The real perfection of this Great Stupa is indestructible, inviolate and incorruptible: it is inseparable from the Body of Infinite Simplicity of all the Buddhas. But the phenomenal fabric of the Great Stupa is perishable, a transitory form in a changing world, and it can be damaged by the four elements. The damage will be repaired by the incarnations of the Lords of the Three Families - Manjusri, Avalokitesvara, and Vajrapani – and the Wrathful Bhrikutis and Tara Devi.

"As the kalivuga progresses towards the final conflagration, life expectancy of man decreases and the weight of darkness becomes more intense, but there remain restraints on the downward path when the Voice of Buddha is heard and the Path of Dharma followed. Towards the end of the era, when man's lifespan has been reduced from sixty to fifty years and there has been no respite in man's increasing egoism, these conditions will prevail, portending ruin to the Great Stupa: householders fill the monasteries and there is fighting before the altar; the temples are used as slaughterhouses; the ascetics of the caves return to the cultivated valleys and the yogins become traders; thieves own the wealth and cattle; monks become householders, while priests and spiritual leaders turn to robbery, brigandage and thievery. Disorder becomes chaos, which generates panic raging like wildfire. Corrupt and selfish men become leaders, while abbots turned army officers lead their monks as soldiers; and nuns put their own bastards to death. Sons see their estates and inheritances stolen from them. Mean and vulgar demagogues become local bosses. Young girls instruct the young in schools. The belch of the Bon Magician resounds in the yogin's hermitage and the wealth of the sanctuaries is looted; the scriptures of the Tathagatas, the images of the Buddhas, the sacred icons, the scroll paintings and the stupas will be desecrated, stolen and bartered at the market price, their true worth forgotten; the temples become dung-smeared cow sheds and stables.

"When religious duties are forgotten, spirits of darkness previously controlled by ritual power are unloosed, and frenziedly govern the mind of whatever being they possess. Spirits of vindictive power possess monks; spirits of egoistic wickedness possess the mantradhara or magician; spirits of disease possess the Bon Priest; enchanting spirits causing disease possess men; grasping, quarreling spirits possess women; spirits of wantonness possess maidens; spirits of depravity possess nuns; spirits of rebellion and malice possess children; every man, woman and child in the country becomes possessed by uncontrollable forces of darkness. The signs of these times are new and fantastical modes of dressing - traditional styles forgotten; the monks wear fancy robes and the nuns dress up before a mirror. Every man must carry a sword to protect himself and each man guard his food from poison. Abbots and Masters poison their pupils' minds and hearts; the executive and legislature disagree; men become lewd and licentious; women become unchaste; monks ignore their discipline and moral code; and the mantradharas break their covenant. As the frenzy of malicious, selfish, vindictive and ruthless spirits grows, paranoid rumor increases and ornament and clothing fashions change more frequently. "Drunkards preach the Path to Liberation; the advice of sycophants is followed; fraudulent teachers give false initiations; guileful impostors claim psychic powers; loquacity and eloquence pass as wisdom. The arrogant elevate profanity; the proletariat rules the kingdom; kings become paupers; the butcher and murderer become leaders of men; unscrupulous self-seekers rise to high position. The Masters of the High Tantras stray like dogs in the streets and their faithless. errant students roam like lions in the jungle. Embodiments of malice and selfishness become revered teachers, while the achievements of tantric adepts are reviled, the guidance of the Secret Guru execrated, the precepts of the Buddha ignored and the advice of yogins and sages unsought. Robes become worn by fools and villains while monks wear foreign dress - even murderers wear the sacred robe. Men resort to maledictory enchantment learning mantra for selfish ends; monks prepare poisonous potions for blackmail, extortion and profit. False doctrines are devised from the Buddhas' Word and the teachers' interpretations become self-vindications. Many treacherous paths, previously uncharted, are followed; many iniquitous practices spread; behavior becomes tolerated which was previously anathema; ideals are established contrary to tradition; and all good customs and habits are rejected and many despicable innovations corrupt. The wealth of the monasteries is plundered and spent upon gluttony by those under vow; following errant paths men become trapped by their own mean actions; the avaricious and spurious protectors of the pure teaching no longer fulfill their functions.

"The celestial order, disrupted, loosens plague, famine and war to terrorize terrestrial life. The planets run wild, and the stars fall out of their constellations; great burning stars appear bringing unprecedented disaster. Rain no longer falls in season, but out of season the valleys are flooded. Famine, frost and hail govern many unproductive years. Rapacious female demons (Mamo) and the twelve guardian protectresses of the Dharma (Tenma), unpropitiated and enraged, release diseases, horrible epidemics and plagues, which spread like wildfire, striking men and cattle. Earthquakes bring sudden floods, while fire, storm and tornadoes destroy temples, stupas and cities in an instant. At this time the Great Stupa itself falls in ruins. During this pall of darkness the Wheel of Dharmaa at Vajrasana (Bodh Gaya) ceases to turn; the storm of war rages in Nepal for many years; India is stricken with famine; the Kathmandu Valley is inflicted with plague; earthquakes decimate the people of Upper Ngari in Western Tibet; plague destroys the people of Central Tibet; the Kyi Valley District of Lhasa subsides; the peaks of the High Himalayas in the borderland of Mon fall into the valleys. Three strong forts are built on the Five Peaked Mountain: yogins assemble in the Valley of the Bear's Lair on Mon; two suns rise in Kham to the east: the Chinese Emperor dies suddenly: four armies descend on Central Tibet from the borders; the Muslim Turks conquer India; the Garlok army suppresses the Dharma in Kashmir; the Mongols conquer Tibet; the Jang army enters Kham; the Protectors' Temple, Rasa Trulnang (The Jokhang) in Lhasa is threatened; the famous temple of Samye is desecrated; the stupas of Bhutan tilt and the Wheel of Dharma malfunctions.

"The great monasteries of the country become deserted and the belch of the Bon Priest resounds in quiet hermitages; the wise and simple leaders of the monasteries have been poisoned so that the lineal explanations and practices are fragmented or lost; the holders of the lineal traditions meet sudden death. Impostors and frauds cheat the people and black spectres haunt the land. The knot in the silken thread binding demonic forces in divine bondage is untied and the cord of faith keeping the human mind harmonious is severed. The king's law is broken and the strength of communal unity lost; the people's traditions are rejected and the sea of contentment dries up; personal morality is forgotten and the cloak of modesty thrown away. Virtue is impotent and humiliated and led by coarse, immodest and fearful rulers. Abbots, teachers and professors become army officers, while the ignorant guide religious aspirants, explain the doctrine and give initiation. Aspirants speak with self-defensive abuse, while butchers and wild elephants lead men. The passes, valleys and narrow paths are terrorized by shameless brigands; fearful, lawless and leaderless, the people fight amongst themselves, each man acting out of self-interest. Tibet becomes corrupt and defiled. These are the conditions prevailing during the middle of the kaliyuga when the duration of man's life is fifty years: these are the portents of the destruction of the Great Stupa.

"These signs and sufferings shall awaken the mind of a man sickened by the human condition. Favoured in his actions and governed by sympathy and compassion towards suffering beings, he shall dedicate himself to the restoration of the Great Stupa. He shall aspire to the highest human achievement and fulfil his wish to re-establish perfection."

After Guru Rinpoche had spoken, Trison Detsen and his attendants were stunned and disheartened. Then recovering his senses, Padma Khungtsen, the spiritual leader of Gos, arose and prostrated himself one hundred times before Guru Rinpoche and then addressed him. "Great Guru, let me be reborn to restore the Great Stupa when it is in ruins during the decadence and corruption of the kaliyuga, when man's life is short."

Guru Rinpoche granted this prayer. King Trison Detsen asked to be reborn as an assistant to restore the Great Stupa and his attendants prayed that they too should be born to assist in the restoration.

The Fifth Chapter of the Legend of the Great Stupa:
The Restorers and Their Attainment
Again King Trison Detsen spoke to the Lotus Born Guru, "Great Guru, when life is short during the destruction and corruption of the kalivuga and the damaged Stupa must be restored - as you have foretold - where will the reincarnate Padma Khungtsen, the Rinpoche of Gos, be born? What will be his name? How shall we know him? And how many friends and disciples will surround him? What contentment and ability will the restoration of the Great Stupa bring to that circle?"

The Great Guru replied, "Listen well, Great King. Your questions are most pertinent. At the end of the era of degeneration, when the duration of man's life has shrunk to fifty years, there will be one hundred and one inauspicious omens. At the height of this darkness Padma Khungtsen, the Rinpoche of Gos, will be reincarnated due to the power of his resolution to attain Buddhahood. He will be born in the year of the Hog in the highlands of the Province of Tsang to a family of tantrikas adept in the arts of magical transformation, and he will be called Pellan Zangpo. He possesses strong mental powers and a clear vision of the course his life must take. As a result of discretion and clarity of perception in the lives since his resolution was formed, he is born with confidence that the Triple Gem signifies Eternal Bliss, with respect for the function of the temple, and with devotion towards the inner sanctity of form, sound and thought. Belonging to the Mahayana Family, he possesses compassion for human beings and all living creatures, and his generosity in giving, speaking and thinking is unlimited. With the blissful knowledge of the Emptiness of the profound nature of all things, he masters violent Buddha Action and the ferocious expression of the wrathful protectors. He completes the practices of visualization and recitation, and then the union with his own source of power is consummate and the Guardian Protectors of the Inner Sanctum are obedient and bound in his service. He is born as a child with concentrated devotion to Orgyen Rinpoche himself.

"If the vow of this Great Being remains unbroken and unimpaired, then, in his twenty-fifth year, the Stupa is restored. If the work is postponed but started before his thirty-third year, then it will be completed. But if the work is delayed beyond this, war will burst like a hurricane over Tibet and China and the pitilessness of that calamity will triple the weight of darkness, and famine and disease will usher all living beings into an abominable hell. From the northeast highland border of China an army whose number will equal five measures of white mustard seed will invade Tibet and the clamour of terror will resound like thunder for many years. Through the southern lowlands an army whose number equals nine measures of white mustard seed will invade Tibet and the voice of fear will resound like a flying dragon. The armies will dart from valley to valley like incinerating lightening and then invade and conquer Western Tibet. The highland forces will invade China, plundering to victory. One half of the Tibetan people will be slain while the temples are devastated, the images desecrated, the sacred scriptures trampled in the dust and the monks and priests murdered. The ruined villages will become desolate, for the survivors of this holocaust will escape to Sikkim, Bhutan, Nepal and India as refugees and to the Hidden Valleys of the Himalayas. Those who remain, tied by avarice to land and wealth, will be massacred with their cattle by the barbarian iconoclasts.

"Desiring release from this suffering, the Great Being with the power of my bliss, with compassionate sympathy to all living beings, free from self-interest in his own body, life and satisfaction, restores vigour through divine anger, giving the people of the border countries and the refugees the guidance and strength they require. When the voice of virtue of the exiles has been united, the friends of the Great Being begin their combined endeavor to restore the Great Stupa. But the morbid powers of darkness have inveigled all men into vice and there are few men to put confidence and devotion in the Great Being - as few men as there are stars in the daytime. Nevertheless, the Great Being is attended by one hundred and thirty thousand devotees of virtuous action, one thousand and six masters of deep prayer, eighty-eight yogins adept in maintaining the discipline demanded by the inner voice of integrity, eighty liberal and unstinting benefactors, twenty-three seers, eight incarnate instructors in the secrets of the Eight Bodhisattvas, twenty-five devoted spiritual sons, five incarnate Dakinis, seven disciples blessed by the Dakinis and twenty-five maidens of high birth and good family as disciples. Communing with them, he removes the defiling veils from their minds and clears all obstacles from their paths. Finally he encounters three incarnations - the first, my own Spiritual Son, an incarnation of my boundless understanding; the second, an incarnation of the Abbot Santaraksita, Master of Discipline; and the third, an incarnation of yourself, the Great King Trison Detsen, Minister to all corporeal needs. He receives their empowering touch of bliss, and then fully restores the Great Stupa.

"If the Great Stupa is restored according to this prophecy, content and prosperous men of the entire southern continent of Jambudvipa will reap abundant harvests for twenty-five years. Contented and prosperous men in India, Nepal and Sikkim will reap abundant harvests for thirty-three years. The Land of the Snows will be free from invading barbarian hordes for sixty years and harvests will be fruitful and men happy and prosperous for forty years. The thoughts of the Path-Followers will be actualized. The Wheels of Dharma at the temples and monasteries of India and Tibet, at Vajrasana and Samye, will be untouched by the vagaries of the elements and the barriers obstructing the transmission of explanation and instruction will be removed and the Dharma will spread. Great Beings, Masters of the Lineal Traditions, will strengthen their lineages and spread the example of Buddha Service. The indications of revealed perfection of the completion of the practices of visualization of the Deity and recitation of mantra by mantradharas, will appear without hindrance. The subservient gods and demons of Tibet, King Trison Detsen, his family and heirs and the leaders of the country, will adhere to both spiritual and temporal obligations, giving power to many and satisfaction and virtue to all. The spirits of malice and vindictiveness, instruments of the ruination of Tibet, and the black beasts corrupted by egoistic intent will be vanquished and eradicated.

"And all living creatures engaged in the restoration of the Great Stupa, after three reawakenings, are reborn with the body of a man or god, a pure vessel for the nectar of Dharma, and finally attain Buddhahood in the Western Paradise of Sukhavati, the Land of Bliss. Whoever has put trust in the Great Stupa, whoever has found joy in the nature of the Great Stupa, whoever has shown devotion to the Great Stupa and whoever rejoices with the Bodhisattvas when the Restoration of the Great Stupa has been completed, after seven rebirths, sits at the head of the Vidhyadharas in the Infinite Palace of Lotus Light in the Copper-Coloured Mountain of Ngayab in the southwest. Any living creature who envisions the Great Restoration with his eye, or hears its vibration with his ear, or imagines it in his mind, or feels it with his body, has all traces of unknowing action, the stains of sixty-thousand great aeons of ignorance, removed from his mind. All men engaged with the Great Being in the Restoration of the Great Stupa either with or without understanding, trust or devotion, receives a part of his supreme realization and spiritual power, and arriving at the end of human experience, they live in the Reality of the Vidhyadharas at the feet of Orgyen Rinpoche himself.

"Finally, there are three levels of attainment in this Great Stupa: First, the rewards of offering and prayer disclosed in the third chapter; second, the rewards of perfection in virtue which inspire the exhaustless voice of intuition, the instructions of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of the past, present and future through hundreds of thousands of aeons; and third, the Qualities of the Buddha, Bodv_of Infinite Simplicity which utterly transcend the realm of expression."

When Guru Rinpoche, the Abbot of Orgyen, the Lotus Born Guru, had spoken, the devotees, lost in wonder, received the wave of bliss and power to sustain them during the kaliyuga. Then thanking the Guru for his vision. they praised him, The Great Guru replied, "Listen well, Great King. Your questions are most pertinent. At the end of the era of degeneration, when the duration of man's life has shrunk to fifty years, there will be one hundred and one inauspicious omens. At the height of this darkness Padma Khungtsen, the Rinpoche of Gos, will be reincarnated due to the power of his resolution to attain Buddhahood. He will be born in the year of the Hog in the highlands of the Province of Tsang to a family of tantrikas adept in the arts of magical transformation, and he will be called Pellan Zangpo. He possesses strong mental powers and a clear vision of the course his life must take. As a result of discretion and clarity of perception in the lives since his resolution was formed, he is born with confidence that the Triple Gem signifies Eternal Bliss, with respect for the function of the temple, and with devotion towards the inner sanctity of form, sound and thought. Belonging to the Mahayana Family, he possesses compassion for human beings and all living creatures, and his generosity in giving, speaking and thinking is unlimited. With the blissful knowledge of the Emptiness of the profound nature of all things, he masters violent Buddha Action and the ferocious expression of the wrathful protectors. He completes the practices of visualization and recitation, and then the union with his own source of power is consummate and the Guardian Protectors of the Inner Sanctum are obedient and bound in his service. He is born as a child with concentrated devotion to Orgyen Rinpoche himself.

"If the vow of this Great Being remains unbroken and unimpaired, then, in his twenty-fifth year, the Stupa is restored. If the work is postponed but started before his thirty-third year, then it will be completed. But if the work is delayed beyond this, war will burst like a hurricane over Tibet and China and the pitilessness of that calamity will triple the weight of darkness, and famine and disease will usher all living beings into an abominable hell. From the northeast highland border of China an army whose number will equal five measures of white mustard seed will invade Tibet and the clamour of terror will resound like thunder for many years. Through the southern lowlands an army whose number equals nine measures of white mustard seed will invade Tibet and the voice of fear will resound like a flying dragon. The armies will dart from valley to valley like incinerating lightening and then invade and conquer Western Tibet. The highland forces will invade China, plundering to victory. One half of the Tibetan people will be slain while the temples are devastated, the images desecrated, the sacred scriptures trampled in the dust and the monks and priests murdered. The ruined villages will become desolate, for the survivors of this holocaust will escape to Sikkim, Bhutan, Nepal and India as refugees and to the Hidden Valleys of the Himalayas. Those who remain, tied by avarice to land and wealth, will be massacred with their cattle by the barbarian iconoclasts.

"Desiring release from this suffering, the Great Being with the power of my bliss, with compassionate sympathy to all living beings, free from self-interest in his own body, life and satisfaction, restores vigour through divine anger, giving the people of the border countries and the refugees the guidance and strength they require. When the voice of virtue of the exiles has been united, the friends of the Great Being begin their combined endeavor to restore the Great Stupa. But the morbid powers of darkness have inveigled all men into vice and there are few men to put confidence and devotion in the Great Being - as few men as there are stars in the daytime. Nevertheless, the Great Being is attended by one hundred and thirty thousand devotees of virtuous action, one thousand and six masters of deep prayer, eighty-eight yogins adept in maintaining the discipline demanded by the inner voice of integrity, eighty liberal and unstinting benefactors, twenty-three seers, eight incarnate instructors in the secrets of the Eight Bodhisattvas, twenty-five devoted spiritual sons, five incarnate Dakinis, seven disciples blessed by the Dakinis and twenty-five maidens of high birth and good family as disciples. Communing with them, he removes the defiling veils from their minds and clears all obstacles from their paths. Finally he encounters three incarnations - the first, my own Spiritual Son, an incarnation of my boundless understanding; the second, an incarnation of the Abbot Santaraksita, Master of Discipline; and the third, an incarnation of yourself, the Great King Trison Detsen, Minister to all corporeal needs. He receives their empowering touch of bliss, and then fully restores the Great Stupa.

"If the Great Stupa is restored according to this prophecy, content and prosperous men of the entire southern continent of Jambudvipa will reap abundant harvests for twenty-five years. Contented and prosperous men in India, Nepal and Sikkim will reap abundant harvests for thirty-three years. The Land of the Snows will be free from invading barbarian hordes for sixty years and harvests will be fruitful and men happy and prosperous for forty years. The thoughts of the Path-Followers will be actualized. The Wheels of Dharma at the temples and monasteries of India and Tibet, at Vajrasana and Samye, will be untouched by the vagaries of the elements and the barriers obstructing the transmission of explanation and instruction will be removed and the Dharma will spread. Great Beings, Masters of the Lineal Traditions, will strengthen their lineages and spread the example of Buddha Service. The indications of revealed perfection of the completion of the practices of visualization of the Deity and recitation of mantra by mantradharas, will appear without hindrance. The subservient gods and demons of Tibet, King Trison Detsen, his family and heirs and the leaders of the country, will adhere to both spiritual and temporal obligations, giving power to many and satisfaction and virtue to all. The spirits of malice and vindictiveness, instruments of the ruination of Tibet, and the black beasts corrupted by egoistic intent will be vanquished and eradicated.

"And all living creatures engaged in the restoration of the Great Stupa, after three reawakenings, are reborn with the body of a man or god, a pure vessel for the nectar of Dharma, and finally attain Buddhahood in the Western Paradise of Sukhavati, the Land of Bliss. Whoever has put trust in the Great Stupa, whoever has found joy in the nature of the Great Stupa, whoever has shown devotion to the Great Stupa and whoever rejoices with the Bodhisattvas when the Restoration of the Great Stupa has been completed, after seven rebirths, sits at the head of the Vidhyadharas in the Infinite Palace of Lotus Light in the Copper-Coloured Mountain of Ngayab in the southwest. Any living creature who envisions the Great Restoration with his eye, or hears its vibration with his ear, or imagines it in his mind, or feels it with his body, has all traces of unknowing action, the stains of sixty-thousand great aeons of ignorance, removed from his mind. All men engaged with the Great Being in the Restoration of the Great Stupa either with or without understanding, trust or devotion, receives a part of his supreme realization and spiritual power, and arriving at the end of human experience, they live in the Reality of the Vidhyadharas at the feet of Orgyen Rinpoche himself.

"Finally, there are three levels of attainment in this Great Stupa: First, the rewards of offering and prayer disclosed in the third chapter; second, the rewards of perfection in virtue which inspire the exhaustless voice of intuition, the instructions of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of the past, present and future through hundreds of thousands of aeons; and third, the Qualities of the Buddha, Bodv_of Infinite Simplicity which utterly transcend the realm of expression."

When Guru Rinpoche, the Abbot of Orgyen, the Lotus Born Guru, had spoken, the devotees, lost in wonder, received the wave of bliss and power to sustain them during the kaliyuga. Then thanking the Guru for his vision. they praised him,

Postscript

The Dakini Yeshe Tsogycl wrote down these words in the Sacred Script of the Dakinis as Guru Rinpoche, the Lotus Born Guru, was speaking. As the initiation into the Most Secret Heart of the Lama (bLa ma yang gsang thugs kyi sgratbs) was given, this terma was hidden in the monastery of Glorious Samye (deal bsam yas mi 'gyur lhun gyis grub pa) in the Great Temple's upper chamber behind the image of Mahavairocana. Prayer was offered that it might be discovered by a worthy recipient at the auspicious time.

Here ends the Legend of the Great Stupa Jarung Khashor which releases the disciple from the bonds of samsara.

First Discoverer's Postscript

I, the Terton Lhatsun Ngonmo (Lha btsun sngon mo), known as Lha Wong Gyatsor Lodo (Lha dbang rgya mtsor blo gros), withdrew, with due reverence, this terma from its place of concealment behind the image of Mahavairocana. The Legend of the Great Stupa Jarung Khashor, related by the Precious Guru of Orgyen, was in the form of mystic formula. I received revelations at the time of discovery which directed me to rewrite it in the manuscript, which was printed from wood blocks in the ancient script on yellow parchment and to reconceal it on possession of the Chini Lamas of Boudhanath, and the southwest side of the Lion Throne of the Red Stupa. presented to the translator by the Third Chini Lama, May it be discovered by a worthy recipient with ability at Punya Vajra. May it serve to shed light upon the nature of the auspicious time! the Great Stupa!

I, Ngakchang Sakya Zangpo, blessed with the compassion of the Precious Guru of Orgyen, received in a dream revelations disclosing the location of this ternrn. I discovered it on the eighteenth day of the month of the sheep in the water, male-monkey year. May it benefit all lineages of sentient beings! In the Tibetan language the Legend of the Great Stupa is called the nrC/7ocl rten chen po hva rung kha shor gvi lo rgvus tllo•s pas grol ba bshugs so.

This translation has been done by Kunzang Tenzin (Keith Dowman) upon the authority of His Holiness the late Dunjom Rinpoche, Yeshe Dorje, and with the assistance of the schoolmaster Nima Norbu of Darjeeling. Jatal Rinpoche, Sangve Dorje, of Ghoom, corrected the manuscript which was printed from wood blocks in possession of the Chini Lama of Boudhanath, and presented to the translator by the Third Chini Lama, Puniya Vajra. May I serve to shed light upon the nature of the Great Stupa!

Copyright © 2007 Gonjang Monastery