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Before the great Atisha decided to go to Tibet at the invitation of the Tibetan king Yeshe Oe, he consulted Arya Tara who told him that it would prove most beneficial to sentient beings and the teachings if he went. This story took place in 11th century India.
In more recent times, Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche (in an interview in London), revealed that he had a Tara picture "which on many occasions, Jamyang Khyentse Chokyi Lodro talked to, like a human." Dzongsar Rinpoche, who is the recognized incarnation of Jamyang Khyentse Chokyi Lodro, said that "it's just a simple Tara painting. No one special painted it, but it spoke many times to Jamyang Khyentse Chokyi Lodro. Many of his attendants even saw it."
In Tibet, there are many stories of statues that spoke. The Lhasa Jowo is one famous one. Sogyal Rinpoche, a modern Cambridge educated lama, mentioned that in his family there is an image of Tara that actually spoke three times. He said that his family also had an image of Shakyamuni Buddha... which took on smallpox in about the 1950s.
The factors involved in such phenomena are as follows:
1. the statue must be filled with holy mantras, relics and it has to be consecrated.
2. the statue is an object of veneration
3. the practitioner must have pure view
4. the practitioner must have pure devotion
Statues do not speak to everybody. It is said that when a statue speaks, the yeshepa (wisdom being) is present. It depends on the person to whom it speaks, his insight and his realisation. Sometimes the statue gives the person a teaching.
Do you have a story to tell about a talking statue?
Please share with us your story/stories and give us your explanation regarding this interesting phenomenon.
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It is said that a Bodhisattva who has reached the third Bhumi will be able to see Buddhas directly and talk to Buddha statues. In the Lamrim, it is reported that Atisha was already talking to Tara at the age of eleven. Here are more stories of talking Buddha statues and other "miracles":
1. One day, Atisha was walking round the vajra seat of enlightenment at Bodhgaya. While on the circumambulation path, it seemed he witnessed a conservation between two statues.
2. A statue of the Buddha under a balcony of the Great Temple at Bodhgaya once spoke to Atisha while he was circumambulating. "O mendicant!" it said, "If you wish to achieve complete and perfect enlightenment soon, train yourself with love, compassion and bodhicitta." (Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand, p. 36)
3. In Rumtek Monastery, the monastery of the Gyalwa Karmapa, head of the Kagyu sect of Tibetan Buddhism, built 370 years ago by one of the great Dharma kings of Sikkim, Phuntsok Namgyal, there is a small statue of the Buddha wrapped in gold brocade. It was sent there by the 9th Karmapa from Tibet. While in Tibet, the statue spoke personally to the Karmapa and others, giving predictions and teachings. But since it was in Sikkim, they were not able to hear anything. It is believed the statue will stay silent until the right person comes along.
4. The most important object in Rumtek Monastery is a statue of the 8th Karmapa made from white stone or marble. Some of you might know that the 8th Karmapa, Mikyo Dorje (1507-1554) was a former incarnation of Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche. Legend has it that the 8th Karmapa squeezed the stone and left his handprint on it. The statue appeared spontaneously as a result of his power and blessings. It is said by H.H. himself that whoever sees it is liberated and does not have to go to the lower realms. When he asked the statue whether it was a good likeness of himself, the statue replied, "Yes, of course." The face and everything is the Karmapa's face.
5. In Rumtek, there is a statue of the 1st Karmapa who taught the Six Yogas of Naropa three times.
6. The oldest thangka in Tibet is also found in Rumtek. It is a thangka of Atisha wearing a red pandita hat and sits in a teaching mudra. It is said to liberate on sight. (extracted from Norma Levine, Blessing Power of the Buddhas)
I find the above stories simply marvellous. It is difficult to explain such phenomena with conventional logic. It is easier to just accept with the heart completely open and listen with the inner ear and as Norma Levine said, "let the truth dimension awaken".
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Actually in Tibetan and Indian sources say that this occurrence is not unusual for those who are highly realized. This is in particular for Tara and in Tibet, Lama Tsongkhapa statues are also particularly well known for displaying miracles.
I don't really know why but Tara is particularly 'sensitive' and there's just a great many statues that displayed miracles like speaking and other manifestations. Sometimes, statues like Tara and Lama Tsongkhapa even appear spontaneously in a rock or a cliff. These are also pretty amazing and are usually near meditational caves of great beings.
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I too have heard of accounts of talking images but the people spoken to were high level dharma practitioners who would know if the beings speaking to them were enlightened beings or spirits. Many people have claimed that their images in their home speak to them but those are just claims. Some claimed in their dreams they have enlightened beings appearing and giving them prophecy. Again, those are just claims.
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The Buddha statue is one of the most respected object to Buddhist. The first ever casting was done in the Gandhara period, in the country of Gandhara, North of India. In today’s geographic terms, the country was Pakistan during 500-550 B.E.
Prior to this period, no statue had existed. The only place for pilgrimage was the four commemorative sites.
The first was the Birth place (Lumpini park in Nepal), the second being the place of enlightenment (Buddhagaya in India), the third being the place where the first ever sermon took place (Baranasi in India) and the forth being the place of his passing away (Kusinagara in India).
A statue appear to be able to "talk" as a result maybe due to the devotees' cultivation efforts or the Buddha may have others intention on signaling some messages to the center or people. The devotees should quite down and seated to see what messages are the statues trying to give instead of shouting here and there, taking out the super lousy resolution hand phone and struggling to be in the front row to do the recording and got a lady put the hand phone so near to the statue.
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Other than talking statues, there are also emerging holy images from rocks and walls in tibet. i heard that these miracles are also signs of degenerating , due to Buddhas compassion they emerge themselves from rocks and walls.
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Buddha advised us to investigate to find the truth.It's better not to pass adverse remarks on what we do not know especially when it has something to do with the Buddha.This is because Buddhist miracles is unbelievable and hard to explained to those who have not seen.
Are miracles real? Three devout students of Buddhism,Glen Wallis,Judy Lief and Ari Goldfield,all believed that miracles are real,although today's miraculous events might not be as easily understood as those in religious legends.People living in ancient times may have been more comfortable with the supernatural as part of reality
while a modern, scientific mindset may not allow for an understanding of miracles.
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Dear Big Uncle, Samayakeeper, Tenzin K, Diablo and Red Lantern,
Thank you for responding to this post. Yes, why do miracles happen? Is it a sign of the degenerate age that Buddhas have to manifest in certain ways and talk in order to give assistance, blessings and guidance?
It is true that of all the Buddhas, Tara was particularly active in communicating with enlightened masters. There is a beautiful story of Tara who appeared to the great Indian master Sthiramati when the latter was a boy. In his previous life, Sthiramati was a pigeon, roosting in the rafters of the room used by the great Indian philosopher Vasubandhu. For many years, the pigeon listened to Vasubandhu's recitations of the sutras. Then one day, a hawk swooped in through the window and killed the pigeon. Vasubandhu offered many prayers for his "roommate" and the pigeon was born as Sthiramati, the son of a wealthy family in southern India. At a young age, Sthiramati said, "I must go to find my teacher Vasubandhu" and he set off for central India. Sthiramati took monastic vows and went into a retreat hut with a carved statue of Tara. The little boy believed she was real. His noon meal was just a handful of chickpeas. Before he began to eat his meal, he made Tara an offering by placing one chickpea on her carved hand. It rolled on the ground. He tried again and again and each chickpea fell into the dust. He was determined to not to eat until Tara did! Finally, all the chickpeas were on the ground and the frustrated young boy began to cry, saying, "You're so mean, Tara!" Instantly Tara appeared before him, comforted him, and offered him lots of delicious food. Sthiramati's devotion and wisdom were awakened. He became a great teacher and it is said that Tara always stayed with him thereafter. This story illustrates the power of virtuous action and devotion.
(extracted from "Tara's Enlightened Activity" by Khenchen Palden Sherab abd Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal)
The above story shows that one need not be a great master or a 3rd ground Bodhisattva in order to be able to talk to statues or experience miracles of Buddhas appearing to us. In Sthiramati's case, it was his pure devotion that moved Tara's heart. So as practitioners, we need not be disheartened that since we are not yet Bodhisattvas, the Buddhas will not appear to us. All it takes is great faith and devotion on our part. And there are many stories of great devotion which produced miracles in the history of Buddhism.
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Chandragomin and the Naked Tara:
Here is another beautiful story about Tara and the great Indian master Chandragomin, who taught at Nalanda Monastery in ancient times. He was a famous scholar, but very humble and poor, owning only his robes, bowl, and the text of the Prajnaparamita. One day a poor beggar woman came to him in tears, begging for a few alms so she could provide a dowry for her daughter. Having nothing of value to give her, Chandragomin began to cry. He prayed to a picture of Tara painted on the wall of his room. The image quickly came to life, took off her (now quite real) silken clothes and ornaments of gold and jewels, and gave them to him for the beggar woman's daughter. The painting then returned to his wall and was ever after known as the Naked Tara.
(extracted from Khenchen Palden Sherab & Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal (2007):Tara's Enlightened Activity)
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The Statue that came to greet the Buddha:
One of the first statues of Buddha Shakyamuni was made in Jetavana Grove. It was ordered by King Prasenajit and was made of hardwood. King Prasenajit placed it at his seat in the vihara. Fa Hien, the Chinese pilgrim, reported that when Shakyamuni next visited Jetavana, the statue came out to meet him. The Buddha told it to return to its place, saying that it would serve as a model for others after his passing away. The Jetavana vihara which housed this image was once an elaborate seven-storied building. It eventually burned down but the image survived and a two-storied structure was built in its place. At the time of Hsuan Chwang the statue was kept in a brick shrine.
(extracted from Jeremy Russell,1981, The Eight Places of Buddhist Pilgrimage)
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Pabongka Rinpoche and Heruka
Kyabje Pabongka Rinpoche was an emanation of Heruka Chakrasamvara. He was the holder of the Heruka Body Mandala Lineage.
Once Pabongka Rinpoche invoked the wisdom beings of the Heruka mandala to enter a statue of Heruka Chakrasamvara. Heruka then offered nectar to Pabongka Rinpoche, and told him that seven generations of his disciples would be protected by the body mandala of Heruka.
At another time, when Pabongka Rinpoche was making offerings to a statue of Heruka, the wisdom being actually entered the statue. The statue danced and told him that anyone who received the Heruka initiation from him, up to the seventh generation, would be taken to the dakini paradise.
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Midakpa, thanks for listing so many true accounts of Buddha statue that spoke to human beings. In all the events that the statue spoke, notice that all those being spoke to are highly attained masters and lamas. It is indeed such a great miracle to read of the statue that manifested after the 8th Karmapa squeezed a stone and left his handprint on it. We have to be very cafeful though. Sometime ago, I remembered a lama saying that Buddha and deities appear only to highly realized beings and not to ordinary folks like myself. The negative forces are able to trick us by appearing to us as a Buddha!
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The Goddess Tara has a special place in the hearts of her devotees. Tara is famous for her ability to protect devotees from the eight fears. The eight fears are: fear of lions, elephants, fire, snakes, floods/water, imprisonment, thieves and cannibals/disease caused by evil spirits. There are many stories about how Tara manifested to save those who call out to her in times of danger. Here is an interesting story in which Tara spoke:
"There was a Sendhapa Sravaka who lived at Vajrasana (the site of Buddha's enlightenment) and one summer he was going via the Neranjana river valley (more commonly known by its colloquial name, the river Phalgu) to the holy site of Maya. The river had recently been in flood and the Sravaka could not withstand the current on the ford and was carried off by the river. He thought, "Mahayanists have a goddess called Tara who protects from the fear of water," and so he cried out, "O Tara!" to her. The wooden image of Tara kept in an outer courtyard of Vajrasana arrived in its bodily form and said, "You never even (usually) remember me - now you call out to me - is that the proper way to behave?" He managed to get out of the water himself and thereafter that particular image became known as "River Valley Tara".
(Story extracted from the book "The Origin of Tara Tantra" by Jo Nang Taranatha)
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"Tara of the Turned Face"
"Once, at Vajrasana, an old lady erected a Tara temple with the image's face showing outwards. On completion the old lady grieved that the image had its back facing the Mahabodhi Shrine and thought that it was not at all good like that. Then the image itself said, "If you are not happy about it, I will look towards the Mahabodhi site!" So the image itself changed direction so that it and the temple door faced the Mahabodhi, and (from then on) that particular image became known as 'Tara of the Turned Face'.
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Below is another story taken from Taranatha's "The Origin of Tara Tantra":
"At the time of King Dharmapala there was a stone statue of Tara which was situated beside the spring from which the monks of north-eastern Vajrasana drew their water. At that time the Singhala Sravakas known as the Sendhapas burned many tantric scriptures and, finding a large silver image of Heruka, they destroyed that as well. They also did a great deal of damage to the Mandala of Buddhasrijnana. The king punished the Singhala Sravakas and a certain Sendhapa monk went before the mentioned Tara image, begging her, "Save me from the fear of the king's punishment!" The Tara statue replied: "In times of peace you never so much as even remember me - do you recall me now? Get down into the water spout!" Although the spout was very small his whole body was contained within it and the king's men who were searching for him were unable to find him. Then, fleeing at night, he eventually arrived in distant eastern India. At a great festival time at Vajrasana there was a certain door of an attic which would not open. At the very summoning of the Singhala monk, the closed door opened of its own accord. The king rejoiced at the abundance and variety of things found inside."
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Here is the story of how Tilopa (Acarya Tillipa) received the empowerment of the Tara Tantra by Tara herself:
"The Acarya Tillipa, in a previous time when he had not attained Siddhi and when he was living in a temple in the eastern areas, from time to time saw light arise from underneath the plinth of an image of Buddha Sunendra, and occasionally he heard the sounds of music. Digging in the earth and looking there he saw this very Tantra of Tara. At that time he was not able to find anywhere for empowerment into that Tantra. Later, having attained the supernormal Siddhi powers, he went to the western land of Urgyen where there was a certain bluish-green girl who bore all the signs of a Dakini. He showed the signs which had been explained in the tantra and she gave the answering signs back to him. Tillipa prayed to her and she was transformed into the Goddess Tara and gave him the blessings and the empowerment of the Tantra. Tillipa taught Acarya Naropa who taught Dombhipa, Kanakasri, Kandhapa and Thakkinagnapa. ...Tillipa was begged for instruction by Lilavajra who was himself requested by Rahulagupta (one of the teachers of Atisha). Atisha received the Tara Tantra empowerment from Rahulagupta."
(Jo Nang Taranatha, The Origin of Tara Tantra)
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Tibetans seem to have a special affinity with Tara. There are more stories of Tara statues or images talking than any other Buddha statues. This is perhaps due to Tara being one of the most accessible of the Tibetan deities.
Besides the stories of Tara's images speaking miraculously, Tibetans also have stories of "spontaneous sculptures", self-created images that appear slowly out of rock. In Parping, Nepal, there is a spontaneous sculpture of Tara below a cave that is associated with Padmasambhava. A temple has been built around it. Visitors are impressed with the unmistakable likeness to Tara. It is said that this image is producing itself in response to the many prayers to Tara that are being recited. This is indeed a miracle.
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White Tara
White Tara is also called Wish-Fulfilling White Tara (Cintamanicakra Sita Tara). There is a famous Tibetan story that illustrates how White Tara helps her devotees:
"A Kadampa Geshe awoke one morning remembering a strange but vivid dream, in which the sun rose in the west and set in the east. Feeling disturbed, he went to his lama and recounted the dream, but far from setting his mind at rest, the lama told him that the dream was most inauspicious and was a sign of impending death. The Geshe then went to a palm reader, who confirmed that he had only three years left to live. Realising the gravity of his situation, the Geshe decided to forego his studies and instead to devote his remaining years to practice.
He visited a lama well-known for his wisdom in giving appropriate practice, explained his predicament, and asked for a practice that would help him to reach enlightenment quickly. However, the lama told him not to worry and gave him the empowerment of White Tara with instructions to do the practice diligently, promising that in this way, his life would be lengthened. The grateful Geshe embarked on the practice with great energy and soon had a vision of White Tara, who told him he would live to be sixty.
Shortly before his sixtieth birthday, the Geshe turned his mind once again to the deity. White Tara appeared in another vision and told him that if he made a statue of her, he would live another ten years. The Geshe immediately made the statue and continued living in good health. As he neared his seventieth birthday, White Tara asked him to make another statue. The Geshe lived on to see his ninety-fifth birthday before he died.
(Gill Farrer-Halls, The Feminine Face of Buddhism)
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Here is another historical account of the miracles of Tara that occurred in Tibet. It is one of the stories of how people benefited from their deep devotion to Mother Tara:
"Over a period of about three years a certain monk constructed a Tara temple and from the hand of the Tara image a long-life elixir dripped like a perpetual flow of milk. The monk, having drunk some, relinguished old age and, living for 300 years, looked as if he were a 16-year-old youth."
(Jo Nang Taranatha, "The Origin of Tara Tantra")
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The following story recounts how the worship of Mother Tara benefited a community of monks in Tibet:
"Once, an Upasaka stayed in a Tara temple to pray. One night while doing his prostrations at the feet of the Tara image, a stone vessel emerged from underneath the statue's feet. Whatever wealth he wished for came out of that vessel in endless quantity and also sustenance for 500 monks for a period of 30 years."
(Jo Nang Taranatha, "The Origin of Tara Tantra")
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Practitioners who make Tara their tutelary deity are protected from dangers. Here is a story of how a Tara devotee was saved by Tara:
"The Acarya Subhasakirti, the great Vinaya expert, was one who, supported by the Tantra causing Tara to arise, made her his tutelary divinity. Once, while going from the centre of the country to look at the western areas, he entered a temple on a border mountain. He preached there and established many centres for monks. There were many Garlog chiefs there who said, "The shaven-headed, red-robed monks will harm us. We must destroy them." And so an army of about 300 elephants arrived there. The Acarya prayed to Tara who said, "Hurl water in the oncoming army's path!" When that very thing was done, all the elephants became terrified and were quite beyond the control of any of their mahouts which were carried back to their own dwelling places."
(Jo Nang Taranatha, "The Origin of Tara Tantra")
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There is also the famous account of the eight Acaryas who were saved from the Eight Fears. The first story is as follows:
"In the south of India was the Acharya Dikavarma, a great practitioner of the Scriptural Collection for Ascetics and, by relying on the Tara Tantra and Yamantaka, he became perfected in the application and practice of Mantras. Debating with the heretic Brahmin Acarya Gapurila in the southern land of Vidarbha, the heretic was defeated... Then at a time when the Acharya and the monks were together in the temple and the latter were supplicating him for explanations of the Dharma, the heretic set fire to the temple. The Acarya beseeched The Noble lady (Tara), and arriving from the heavenly spheres she caused a veritable endless river of rain to shower down from the skies, and so the fire was quenched."
(Jo Nang Taranatha, "The Origin of Tara Tantra")
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Protectress from the Fear of Leprosy
Tara is known as the Protectress from the Fear of Leprosy. Here is a story about how Tara cured an acarya of leprosy:
In the land of Kumaraksetra, by the power of his karma, a powerful acarya caught leprosy, and as he wandered here and there from one person to another, he infected them. About 500 Brahmins caught that virulent disease from him. Relatives and doctors fled from his presence for he defiled their state of purity. Eventually he was reduced to begging for a living. One day on the road he saw a stone image of Noble Arya Tara, and with faith welling up inside him he begged her on behalf of the 500 (infected) Brahmins. A liquid-like medicine trickled in an endless stream from Tara's hand, and when he had bathed in it (he found that) the leprosy had subsided. It is said that he became as completely beautiful as the gods.
(Jo Nang Taranatha, The Origin of Tara Tantra)
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Protectress from the Fear of Poverty
Tara is also the Protectress from the Fear of Poverty. Below is a story of how a poor Brahmin was saved from poverty by Tara:
"A Brahmin who was extremely poor and suffering considerably as a result, came upon a stone image of Tara one day in a narrow street, and he poured out an account of how his troubles had arisen. Pointing out a site near the shrine, Tara said that it would be changed into a treasure trove. Then, exactly as she had indicated, he found many golden vessels filled with pearls and silver vessels filled with various jewels. It is said that down to the seventh generation all the sufferings due to his poverty were resolved."
(Jo Nang Taranatha, The Origin of Tara Tantra)
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Gyelwa Ensapa and the Mahakala painting
This is a story of Gyelwa Ensapa who became master of the complete teachings of the scriptures as well as the complete practice instructions for the Oral Tradition given by Manjushri to Lama Tsongkhapa.
Ensapa said:
"Of the Oral Tradition, essence of the speech
of that lama known as Losang Drakpa,
most excellent chief of the spiritual sons of Manjushri,
I alone am the holder."
For most of his life Gyelwa Ensapa sought out lonely places to meditate. One day, in one of these places, he meditated on his tutelary deity with single-pointed concentration. Suddenly there arose a violent wind and the earth shook. Then, from the painted image of his Protector (Mahakala) hanging behind him, a thunderous voice came, saying:
"Chief of the twenty-four dakas,
the great Terrifying One resides at this place.
Like the white lotus sprung forth from the water,
May it be blessed in a secret way"
This blessed thangka was kept in the temple of the wrathful deities at Ensa monastery. When the great Gyelwa Ensapa passed away, during the funeral ceremonies, there were numerous rainbow canopies and continuous rain of flowers from the sky as if showered down by gods. His remains were placed in the chapel called Palace of the Dharma at Ensa Monastery. (Janice D. Willis, 1995. "Enlightened Beings")
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The legend of the Sandalwood Buddha
There is a very interesting story about the wooden statue that paid homage to the Buddha when the latter returned after visiting his mother in Tryastrimsa Heaven. According to legend, this is what happened:
"A local ruler, Pasentikosol, had become sufficiently concerned about the Buddha's absence that he commissioned a likeness carved from sandalwood. When the Buddha returned to earth down his miraculous triple stairway at Samkasya, Pasentikosol invited him to see the sandalwood statue, which according to legend then arose from its seat in homage to the living Buddha.
Shakyamuni, however, objected to this theatrical piece of adulation and raised his left hand, commanding the image, known as the Phra Kaen Chan, to remain seated."
This gesture of the Buddha is called the left-handed abhayamudra and is related to this particular episode.
(extracted from Michael Jordan, "Buddha. His Life in Images", pp. 256-257)
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Lama Tsongkhapa's self-portrait
When Lama Tsongkhapa was in northern Tibet with his master Rendawa at the Monastery of Ngamring Choday, he received gifts and letters from his family requesting him to return home. Je Tsongkhapa considered going back but decided to remain where he was as he needed to continue his studies in order to help sentient beings. Thus he wrote a letter to his mother instead and enclosed a self-portrait. When his mother opened it, the portrait spoke to her.
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Surprising that no one has mentioned the famous speaking Tara statue located in Phelgyeling Monastery in Kathmandu.
Here's a pic of the famous Tara statue that spoke. This statue is famous throughout the Himalayan region due to its ability to speak to those with pure minds. Many have come to Phelgye Ling Monastery to behold this treasure and ask Arya Tara for her blessings.
[above from phelgyeling's website]
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Another talking Tara also in Kathmandu, The Itum Bahal Talking Tara. Located in the temple of Itum Bahal, this Tara is said to have flown there from Tibet and is called the Talking Tara.
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Lama Tsongkhapa and Atisha
When the great Lama Tsongkhapa was writing "Unlocking the Door of the Supreme Path" below the Lion Rock at Radreng, north of Lhasa, he would make petitions in his prayers to the lineage holders of the Lamrim tradition. He had with him a statue of Atisha that depicted Atisha with his head bent over to one side. Whenever Je Rinpoche petitioned this statue, he received visions of all the gurus of the Lamrim lineage, and they would discuss Dharma with him. He had visions of Atisha, Dromtonpa, Potowa, and Sharawa for a month. These latter three figures finally dissolved into Atisha, who placed his hand at the crown of Je Rinpoche's head and said, "Perform deeds for the teaching and I shall help you." This means that it was he who requested Tsongkhapa to write the Great Stages of the Path. Je Rinpoche completed it up to the end of the part dealing with mental quiescence. Venerable Manjughosha requested him to complete the book. As a result, Je Rinpoche wrote the section on special insight.
(Pabongka Rinpoche, "Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand")
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Atisha and Tara
According to Pabongkha Rinpoche, the great Atisha was able to communicate directly with Avalokiteshvara and Tara whenever he needed advice. When the Tibetan king Jangchub Oe sent representatives to invite him to Tibet, Atisha consulted Tara who told him that it would be most beneficial to sentient beings and the teachings if he went. Moreover, there would be much benefit resulting from a lay vow holder (upasaka). Atisha also checked whether going to Tibet would be a hindrance to his own lifespan. Tara said that if he did go, his life would be shortened by twenty years. Atisha did not hesitate. All he thought of was the benefits of his going to Tibet. If it meant a shorter life, then so be it! The great bodhisattva did not think of his own life at all but instead found a great sense of purpose in his going to Tibet to spread the Dharma.
Atisha promised his abbot that he would return to India after three years. At the end of three years, he had to go back to his monastery as promised. But although Atisha appeared to be preparing to leave, he was constantly on the lookout for an upasaka because Tara had previously told him that "it would be most beneficial for the teachings if you took on a great upasaka in Tibet". At this time Tara was repeatedly telling him, "The upasaka will soon be here". So Atisha waited but there was no upasaka. "My upasaka hasn't come, he said. "How could Tara lie!"
One day, Dromtonpa turned up and met Atisha in an alley. From then on, Dromtonpa served Atisha until the latter's death But before that, Atisha gave to Dromtonpa, the teaching of the stages of the path to enlightenment or Lamrim. Dromtonpa, a lay person, gave the teaching in public and handed down three lineages to his followers. The great Je Tsongkhapa took these three Kadampa lineages and combined them into one stream.
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The Shakyamuni statue that spoke to Langdharma
There is a Shakyamuni statue in Phelhyeling Monastery, Nepal, that is famous for having spoken to the Tibetan king Langdharma (838-841 CE). Langdharma was the last king of the Yar Lung dynasty of Tibet. He came to power after the death of Relpachen (r. 815-836) . According to Tibetan history, he is said to have persecuted Buddhism. His anti-Buddhist activities included closing monasteries and nunneries, forcing monks and nuns to return to lay life and cutting off government aid for Buddhism. It was reported that during his reign, Langdharma ordered all statues to be destroyed unless they proved their worthiness by speaking. At that time, a Shakyamuni statue spoke directly to Langdharma and it was spared from being destroyed. This statue is still in Phelgyeling Monastery.
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Not only Tara and Buddha statues that spoke in Tibet. There were many Lama Tsongkhapa statues that exhibited these miraculous signs. There were 8 Lama Tsongkhapa statues that were the most famous in Tibet for exhibiting miracles. Some spoked, some dissolved into light and entered the practitioner thus bestowing powerful realisations, some flew to other lands and so forth. I read them in Geshe Kelsang Gyatso's Heart Jewel book.
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Atisha in the Lhasa temple
Once, Atisha, invited by rNog Legs-pa'i-ses-rab, visited the Lhasa temple. As he approached the temple, a tall man with a long beard appeared at the temple door and said, "Welcome, Oh great pandita, may thou achieve the highest success." Atisha rushed forward, but the man went inside the temple and melted into the image of Avalokiteshvara. With a deep sigh, Atisha said, "Ah, I missed Avalokiteshvara."
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Atisha and Avalokiteshvara
Before Atisha went to Tibet, there were many divine predictions and inspiration. These inspired him to make the decision to go to Tibet. There was one such prediction at the temple of Amitabha in Bodhgaya. Atisha once visited this temple and the image of Avalokiteshvara suddenly spoke to him, "In the north there is a ksetra of mine and your tutelar deity Taradevi is already residing there in the cause of the living beings. A large number of people there awaits your guidance. You have got to go there and work for the living beings." Thus it was predicted by Avalokiteshvara himself that the Tibetans were to be the followers of Atisha.