As emanations of the Wisdom Buddha, every incarnation that arose before Dorje Shugden manifested was a fully Enlightened Being. Each incarnation contributed greatly towards the growth of Dharma throughout the Buddhist world. Dorje Shugden’s lineage of incarnations includes past great Mahasiddhas (highly attained practitioners), renowned Buddhist scholars, monastics of high moral discipline and outstanding Dharma teachers.

Manjushri

• Dorje Shugden is an emanation of Manjushri, the Buddha of Wisdom.
• Manjushri emanated during the time of Buddha Shakyamuni as one of Shakyamuni’s direct disciples.
• Manjushri had already achieved full Enlightenment in a previous age, long before the time of Buddha Shakyamuni.
• In the Sutra Revealing the Abode of Manjushri, Buddha explains how Manjushri manifests countless emanations to help sentient beings.

Mahasiddha Biwapa

• Manjushri manifested rebirth as the Indian Mahasiddha Birwapa.
• During the day, he studied and meditated on the Sutra teachings and during the night, he engaged in highly advanced practices.
• Whenever he did his prayers, Buddhas like Nairatmya and celestial beings with whom he had a particularly strong karmic connection would come to his room to participate in the ritual feast.
• In Nalanda Monastery where he studied, the monks nicknamed him “Birwapa” which means bad man” because they saw the celestial beings in his room as ordinary women, and believed that he was breaking his ordination vows and bringing bad reputation to the monastery.
• Due to Birwapa’s extraordinary deeds, many people developed faith in him and in the Buddhist teachings. In this way, he led many people onto a spiritual path.

Sakya Pandita

• Birwapa later incarnated in western Tibet as the great Lama of the Sakya tradition, Sachen Kunga Gyeltsen, more commonly known as Sakya Pandita.
• He was very special even as a young child. Once, he dreamt that the great Indian Pandit Vasubandhu gave him teachings on his text Treasury of Phenomenology. When he awoke, he had memorized the entire text, which was almost 50 pages long.
• Sakya Pandita’s name spread far and wide, reaching even to the Chinese Emperor who developed deep faith in him and the Buddhadharma.

Butön Rinchen Drub

• Sakya Pandita took rebirth as Buton Rinchen Drub in western Tibet.
• When Buton was a child, he could converse with Manjushri and displayed attainment of compassion and Bodhicitta in his speech and action.
• In this life, he focused mainly on teaching and writing. He translated many scriptures from Sanskrit into Tibetan and wrote 26 volumes of commentaries on Dharma practice (Kangyur – the spoken words of the Buddha, and Tangyur – the commentaries of Buddhist teachings)
• Buton Rinchen Drub and Sakya Pandita both showed practitioners how to meditate correctly and practice effectively to develop great wisdom and concentration

Duldzin Drakpa Gyeltsen

• Buton Rinchen Drub was later reborn in central Tibet as Duldzin Drakpa Gyeltsen, who became one of Lama Tsongkhapa’s principal disciples.
• Duldzin Drakpa Gyeltsen’s main activity was to help the teachings of Lama Tsongkhapa to flourish.
• He oversaw the full building of Ganden Monastery, the first and most prominent monastery of the Gelug school of Buddhism.
• He was especially famed for his pure morality and for upholding his vows very purely. His very name, “Duldzin“, means “Holder of the Vinaya”
• Lama Tsongkhapa’s disciples believed that Duldzin Drakpa Gyeltsen and Lama Tsongkhapa were equal in terms of their realizations, abilities, and wisdom. The position of Ganden Tripa – representing Tsongkhapa on earth, after his passing – was offered first to Duldzin. However, Duldzin declined the honour and offered it to Gyaltsab Je, choosing instead to devote his life to protecting and spreading Lama Tsongkhapa’s teachings.
• It was with this commitment and devotion to the Dharma that Duldzin first made a promise to arise as a Dharma Protector specially to protect the Middle View of Nagarjuna, as taught by Lama Tsongkhapa.

Panchen Sonam Drakpa

• Duldzin Drakpa Gyeltsen was later reborn in central Tibet as Panchen Sonam Drakpa. Like Duldzin, he devoted his whole life to making Lama Tsongkhapa’s lineage and teachings flourish everywhere.
• This Lama is unique in that he is the only person who has ever become the Abbot of all three main Gelug monasteries – Ganden, Sera and Drepung. He was also the Abbot of Gyuto Tantric College and became the 15th Ganden Tripa.
• Panchen Sonam Drakpa wrote many commentaries to both Sutra and Tantra. To this day at Drepung Loseling, the largest Gelugpa monastery, as well as at Ganden Shartse, monks qualify for their Geshe degrees by relying principally upon the scriptures of this great teacher.

Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen

• Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen lived in Drepung Monastery during the time of the 5th Dalai Lama. They were both disciples of the 4th Panchen Lama, Losang Chokyi Gyeltsen. Their affinity goes back to the time when Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen, in his previous incarnation as Panchen Sonam Drakpa, was the Spiritual Guide to the 3rd Dalai Lama.
• Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen was so highly attained that Tibetan, Mongolian and Chinese nobility and royalty would travel immense distances just to make offerings and request teachings from him. His attainments were often likened to those of the Dalai Lama himself.
• It was in this lifetime that Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen fulfilled his promise to become a Dharma Protector and arose as Dorje Shugden.

Dorje Shugden is an Enlightened Being, an emanation of the Buddha of Wisdom, Manjushri. He arose as a Dharma Protector 350 years ago in order to best safeguard the precious teachings of the Second Buddha known as Lama Tsongkhapa, to benefit all sentient beings.

During the degenerate times we live in and due to our karma, Dorje Shugden is the most helpful Dharma Protector for us because he is swift, powerful and benevolent.

He removes our obstacles, protects us and our loved ones, and provides conducive conditions for a successful life and spiritual practice. Above all, he grants us our virtuous and spiritual wishes quickly.

What does his name mean?

“Dorje” may be translated as “diamond” – the hardest element which cannot be destroyed. In the Buddhist context, indestructibility refers to the fully enlightened mind.

“Shug” means “power” and “Den” means “immovable”.

Altogether, “Dorje Shugden” means “Diamond of Immovable Power”.

What is a Dharma Protector?

A Dharma Protector is a being who manifests in a wrathful form in order to:

1. Avert inner and outer obstacles to Dharma practice and to the achievement of spiritual realizations.
2. Create conducive conditions for the practice of Dharma.

(Source: Heart Jewel by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso)

Dharma Protector practice is very valuable for helping to remove immediate worldly obstacles, problems and hindrances to our spiritual practice, and to provide conducive conditions for us to engage more effectively in our Dharma work and practice.

Enlightened or Unenlightened?

There are two kinds of Dharma Protectors:

1. Enlightened Protectors who are emanations of Buddhas, such as Palden Lhamo (an emanation of Tara), Six-Armed Mahakala (Avalokiteshvara), Dorje Shugden (Manjushri) and Setrab Chen (Amitabha).
2. Unenlightened Dharma Protectors, such as Nechung, who may be spirits that were oath-bound by Lamas to stop causing harm, and to serve and protect the Dharma as a Protector instead.

We can take refuge in Enlightened Protectors but not in unenlightened Protectors.

Further readings:

1. Introduction to Dorje Shugden
2. The History and Significance of the Dharmapalas
3. A Teaching on Dharmapalas from a Kagyu Perspective by Choje Lama Namse Rinpoche

For more about Dorje Shugden, the Lamas who practice him and other pages of note, click on any of the links below that may be of interest. To submit more links for consideration, please leave a comment.

Links about Dorje Shugden

• http://www.dorjeshugden.org/
• http://nyanangphelgyeling.org/
• http://www.serpommonastery.org
• http://shargadenpa.org/
• http://segyugadenphodrang.org/
• http://www.shugdensociety.info
• http://www.xiongdeng.com/
• http://phradorjeshugden.net/
• http://dorjeshugdenimagelibrary.wordpress.com
• http://www.dorjeshugdenhistory.org/
• http://shugden.tripod.com/
• http://kachemarpo.wordpress.com
• http://wisdombuddhadorjeshugden.blogspot.com/
• http://www.wisdombuddhadorjeshugden.org
• http://shugdensociety.wordpress.com
• http://dorjeshugdentruth.wordpress.com
• https://truthaboutshugden.wordpress.com/

Links to Great Lamas

• http://www.tbiusa.org/
• H.H. Trijang Choktrul Rinpoche’s Facebook Fanpage
• http://www.domogesherinpoche.org/
• http://www.thardeuling.com/
• http://kadampa.org/
• http://www.tsemrinpoche.com/
• http://www.lgpt.net/
• http://ahmc.ngalso.net/
• http://kunpen.ngalso.net/
• http://www.lamagangchenusa.org/
• http://www.rabten.eu/
• http://www.meditationtsongkhapa.org/
• http://www.khenrab.org/
• http://www.dgtlmonastery.org/
• http://www.gadenforthewest.org/
• http://www.ganden.org
• http://www.kadhampa.org/
• http://gadenpa.com/

Other Interesting Links

• http://www.facebook.com/DuldzinDorjeShugden
• http://twitter.com/dorje_shugden
• http://www.youtube.com/dorjeshugden
• http://www.facebook.com/GyelchenDorjeShugden
• https://www.youtube.com/TibetanPublicTalk
• Dorje Shugden Tibetan Followers Facebook
• Dorje Shugden Tibetan Followers Youtube
• https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbh8A7SmyD8xE0WdPbi5-IQ
• https://www.facebook.com/shargadenmonastery
• http://www.youtube.com/SharGadenMonastery
• http://twitter.com/shargaden
• https://www.facebook.com/serpom
• https://www.youtube.com/Serpomdratsang/
• http://www.arebuddhistsracist.com/

Dorje Shugden arose as the principal Protector of Lama Tsongkhapa’s doctrine about 350 years ago, at the time of the 5th Dalai Lama, who composed the first verses of praise to him.

However, the common lineage and practice that is being followed throughout the world today is more recent and comes from a great Lama called Tagphu Pemavajra. Tagphu Pemavajra had the special ability to astral travel and one day, he travelled to Tushita Heaven, the celestial abode of the Buddhist saint Lama Tsongkhapa. There, he requested the Buddhist ascended master Duldzin Drakpa Gyeltsen to expound the mystical teachings and practice of Dorje Shugden.

For the first time ever, Dorje Shugden’s full entourage and mandala emanated out from under Lama Tsongkhapa’s throne. Dorje Shugden then transmitted the practice directly to Tagphu Pemavajra, just as the Buddha Maitreya had transmitted five major philosophical treatises to the master Asanga in Tushita Heaven in earlier times.

Tagphu Pemavajra later transmitted these instructions to his disciple Pabongka Dechen Nyingpo, who wrote the Melodious Drum, the lineage practice prayer, and passed it on to Trijang Dorjechang Losang Yeshe who wrote a commentary on the prayer. From Trijang Rinpoche, who was also the junior tutor to H.H. the 14th Dalai Lama, the teachings were passed to many renowned Gelugpa teachers. Today, these teachers are teaching all over the world.

Is this a secret practice that requires initiation?

No, it is not secret. You do not require any initiation or empowerment to recite some of the prayers and Dorje Shugden’s mantra.

Can I practice Dorje Shugden even if I have not received the practice, initiation or empowerment from a lama?

Yes, you can. It is good to request an initiation (permission) or oral transmission from a qualified Lama if possible, as you will also receive the lineage blessings of this practice.

More advanced practice would require guidance and permission from a qualified teacher but you can already start to create a profound connection to this Protector by reciting prayers and his mantra, and praying sincerely to him.

How can I start doing Dorje Shugden’s practice?

If you have an image of Dorje Shugden, you can set up an altar if it is convenient. You can also make daily offerings such as flowers, light, incense, food or whatever you find pleasing. If it is not convenient for you to have an altar, you can start his practice simply by downloading and reciting any of the prayers that are available on this website. Or, you can recite his mantra anytime, anywhere:

OM BENZA WIKI BITANA SOHA

The most important part of doing Dorje Shugden’s practice is to have a sincere and pure motivation.

How can I do the practice if I don’t have much time?

You do not need much time for this practice. Simply recite a short prayer (below) and the mantra. You can also recite just the mantra at any time, anywhere and as many times as you like.

Whenever you have more time, you can recite the longer prayers (which can be downloaded from the prayers section of this website) and / or recite more mantras. Most importantly, generate a good motivation and have strong faith that Dorje Shugden will help you.

Prayer:
By just recollecting you for an instant,
Outer and inner obstructions are dispelled,
O powerful Dorje Shugden’s five families,
Bestower of the four activities,
To the Dharmapala and entourage, I bow down.

Mantra:
OM BENZA WIKI BITANA SOHA

What happens if I miss doing the practice when, for example, I am ill or travelling?

Dorje Shugden is an emanation of Manjushri, the Enlightened Buddha of Wisdom. He arose as a Dharma Protector about 350 years ago especially to protect Nagarjuna’s Middle View, as taught by Lama Tsongkhapa.

He is often considered to be a Protector of the Gelugpa lineage but actually, he protects all sincere Dharma practitioners equally.

I already have a Dharma Protector practice so why would I need to do Dorje Shugden’s practice?

Dorje Shugden has manifested specifically at this time to assist practitioners in this day and age. As obstacles and distractions become much greater at this time, Dorje Shugden’s practice is very effective to help us clear these obstacles. His practice is complementary to all our practices and there is no conflict or overlap at all.

You should continue your existing Dharma Protector practices, but you can also add Dorje Shugden’s practice to your daily prayers. You can add his prayers in after your normal Protector prayers, or simply recite his mantra.

Can I still do Dorje Shugden’s practice if I am already doing other spiritual practices?

Yes, there is no conflict or problem in adding Dorje Shugden’s practice to what you are already doing. You can also put images of him on your altar alongside images / statues of other deities and / or Buddhas. However, if you already have a Lama and have already been advised to do certain prayers, you should maintain what you have already been taught.

If you wish to do Dorje Shugden’s practice (or any other practice for that matter) on top of what you have already been advised, do seek the advice of your Lama as he will know what practices would be most suitable and beneficial for you.

Can I be harmed in any way from doing this practice?

It is impossible for any Enlightened Being like Dorje Shugden to harm anyone. He abides totally in compassion and wisdom, and would never do anything to harm any being.

Will Dorje Shugden harm you if you stop doing his practice?

No. As he is a fully Enlightened Buddha, he will never have any motivation to harm any being.

Which high lamas practice Dorje Shugden?

Many of the highest Lamas today – who have been recognized as highly realized, Enlightened Beings themselves – have been well known for relying upon Dorje Shugden. Well-known and highly esteemed Gelugpa practitioners of Dorje Shugden, past and present, include:

Past Masters

• The 5th Dalai Lama, Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso
• Losang Thubten Wangchuk Jigme Gyatso (head of the Gelugpa school of Buddhism in Mongolia)
• Ngulchu Dharmabadra
• The Indian master Shakya Shri Bhadra
• The 11th Dalai Lama (who installed Dorje Shugden as the Protector of the Gelugpa tradition)
• Gyara Tulku Rinpoche
• Domo Geshe Rinpoche (regarded by the 13th Dalai Lama as an emanation of Lama Tsongkhapa)
• Serkong Rinpoche (regarded by the 13th Dalai Lama as Vajradhara)
• Dagpo Kelsang Khedrub Rinpoche
• Pabongka Rinpoche
• Trijang Rinpoche
• Ling Rinpoche
• Khangsar Rinpoche
• Tathag Rinpoche (in charge of the Tibetan Government after the death of the 13th Dalai Lama)
• Zong Rinpoche
• Khen Rinpoche Losang Tharchin
• Lati Rinpoche
• Geshe Ngawang Dhargyey
• Khechog Rinpoche
• Lama Yeshe
• Dagom Rinpoche

Present Masters

• Lobsang Tamdin
• Ribur Rinpoche
• Geshe Rabten
• Dagyab Rinpoche
• Gelek Rinpoche
• Lama Zopa
• Geshe Kelsang Gyatso
• Yongyal Rinpoche
• The 14th Dalai Lama
• Gonsar Rinpoche
• Gangchen Rinpoche and others

Where can I find out more information about this Protector and his practice?

There is plenty of information available on this website, including a wealth of articles, images and videos. There is also a very helpful forum which encourages plenty of discussion and where you can ask any questions you may have about Dorje Shugden and his practice.

Dorje Shugden is very swift in his help and can assist you in any aspect of your life, for your highest benefit. He can help to:

• Alleviate financial difficulties and health problems
• Bring greater peace, clarity and stability to your mind
• Clear your mind so that you are able to handle difficult situations with more focus and wisdom for positive outcomes
• Grant you wealth and all the resources you need for a successful life and spiritual practice
• Protect you from dangerous or life-threatening situations
• Protect you against negative interferences such as spirit disturbances, negative energies or black magic
• Improve your intelligence, memory and wisdom
• Clear obstacles so you can focus on your Dharma practice without any interruptions or difficulties
• Open your mind to gain a deeper understanding of the Dharma teachings. Then, you can apply and practice them to bring improvements to your life

Can Dorje Shugden protect me from harmful spirits?

There are many types of protection one can receive, depending on the spirit or malady, but one of the most powerful is relying on an Enlightened Dharma Protector, such as Dorje Shugden.

Dorje Shugden’s rites, rituals, prayers, meditations and protective mantras are hailed as one of the best. This practice is excellent to do daily to bless our environment and bestow peace, as it is very effective. You can download a picture, keep it in your home or office, and ask for sacred protection. Many can attest that Tibetan protection is ancient and powerful. Daily prayers and invocation to Dorje Shugden also bless the environment and bestow peace to all beings in that area.

I’m not very spiritual or spiritually inclined right now. How can Dorje Shugden still help and would he?

Of course Dorje Shugden will still help you; he helps all beings equally, just as the sun shines on all. He can help you on the most basic level of clearing your immediate problems (financial, health, relationships, family, harmony, business, legal matters, etc.).

On a higher level, Dorje Shugden helps you develop a stronger spiritual practice to bring more peace and wisdom into your life.

What does Dorje Shugden get in return for helping me?

Dorje Shugden does not require anything from us and does not “get anything back” from us.

As a fully Enlightened Being, he helps us unconditionally, out of his great compassionate wish to free us from suffering. The only thing he would like for us is to improve our minds to become better, kinder people.

Bearer of the Wisdom Sword

Dorje Shugden is a sublime emanation of Venerable Manjushri, Buddha of Wisdom. Highly attained masters like Mahasiddha Tagphu Pemavajra, Kyabje Pabongkha Rinpoche and Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche have mentioned this in their teachings and written works.

Venerable Manjushri’s name is a combination of ‘Manju’, which means gentle and ‘Shri’, which means brilliance. Therefore Manjushri literally means ‘Gentle Brilliance’.

Manjushri is really a fully enlightened being and has manifested as the Bodhisattva student of Buddha Shakyamuni. In the Sutra Revealing the Abode of Manjushri, Buddha explains that in the remote past, Manjushri attained full Enlightenment in his pure land as a Buddha called Tathagata Lamp of the Nagas. In the same Sutra, Buddha also describes how Manjushri manifests countless emanations to help sentient beings in many worlds and planes of existence.

Although Manjushri appeared as a disciple of the Buddha, he had great power himself to help sentient beings. Sometimes people would come to Buddha for help and advice but Buddha would refer them to Manjushri because they had a stronger karmic link with him. Some had such a strong connection with Manjushri that through his blessings and skill, they were able to develop very powerful realizations.

Thus, Manjushri features extensively in the scriptures of the Sutra and Tantra teachings. In the form of a Yidam (meditational deity), Manjushri appears as a 16 year-old youth wearing the six ornaments of a Bodhisattva.

He carries the fiery sword of wisdom in his right hand that he brandishes against the darkness of ignorance. In his left hand, he holds the stem of a lotus that blooms with the Perfection of Wisdom scripture resting on it.

Both the sword and the scripture denote Manjushri’s ability to bestow wisdom as a means to liberate sentient beings. Thus, Dorje Shugden closely resembles Manjushri, by holding up in the air a flaming sword of wisdom.

Lord of Miracles

The earliest recognized incarnation of Dorje Shugden was born in ancient India as the famous Mahasiddha Biwawa. Mahasiddhas are spiritual practitioners (yogis) who have achieved profound spiritual realization, and are characterized by their often unconventional and outrageous behaviour and teachings.

Biwawa is among the earliest lineage-holders of the Chakrasamvara Tantra, which he achieved by diligently practicing Tantra at night in Nalanda Monastery. After practicing for a very long time without any apparent results, Biwawa had a series of nightmares which he took to be a bad omen so he threw his mala in the latrine out of sheer frustration.

He was initially very disheartened but he later had a dream of the female Buddha Nairatmya, where the nightmares were revealed to be a sign of impending spiritual attainment. He recovered his mala, purified it with incense and resumed his practice.

As Biwawa performed his practices, mysterious women would appear. Eventually the female Buddha Nairatmya appeared and gave him initiation directly. In actuality, these women were divine Dakinis who came to partake of his Tsog offerings and Tantric rituals. However, many monks saw these Dakinis as ordinary women entering his quarters and Biwawa was expelled from the monastery. He freely excepted the blame and even called himself “Bira Wapa” or ‘Goitered Hero’.

After his expulsion, Biwawa roamed the land as a disheveled yogin. At one time, he parted a river with his miraculous powers which was witnessed by some monks. The monks realised that he was actually a Mahasiddha, so monastic officials came to apologize to him and request his return to the monastery.

However, Biwawa had already taken off his robes, so he continued on his way and eventually came upon the forest of a nearby kingdom. As soon as the king heard that he was a Buddhist yogi, he ordered his arrest. Then, after he ordered the guards to bind him with chains, they attempted to drown him, bury him and subject him to many other such tortures. However, Biwawa was not harmed in any way and remained unperturbed. Eventually, the king developed tremendous faith in him and became Buddhist along with his whole kingdom.

On the way to south India, Biwawa came across a river that he wanted to cross but the boatman requested for payment. He said he didn’t have any money so he stopped the river with his miraculous powers and crossed the river on his own. The boatman developed faith in him and became one of his greatest students. He was called Dombi Heruka.

Then, Biwawa came to another kingdom and entered a local tavern. He began to drink a lot of beer and wouldn’t stop drinking so the bartender demanded that he pay for his beer. At first he refused to pay but the bartender insisted. Biwawa held his hand aloft to the sky in a threatening mudra to stop the sun and said that he would pay for the beer only when the sun set. The sun stayed in the sky for days which created much chaos and distress among the people.

Subsequently, the King came and requested that he let the sun set and there was darkness for three days. By witnessing this display of Biwawa’s extraordinary powers, the people soon developed faith in him and the entire kingdom eventually entered the Buddhist path.

Along his travels, Biwawa arrived at a place in South India where the king kept five hundred dreadlocked yogis as ritual masters to slaughter tens of thousands of livestock for blood offerings to a statue of Ishvara. Biwawa went directly to the statue and as he pointed his finger at it, the statue broke into four parts, terrifying the king and his subjects.

Then, Biwawa magically restored the statue to its original state with an image of Avalokiteshvara on its head. One of the dreadlocked yogis developed strong faith in Biwawa, became his student and was known as the famous Mahasiddha Krishnapada.

People at that time developed intense faith easily after just seeing a display of miracles. Using this method to bring many people to Dharma and to spread the teachings, Biwawa tirelessly performed many miracles which instilled strong faith in people everywhere. In this lifetime, he had countless disciples, some of whom, became powerful Mahasiddhas themselves.

Thonmi Sambhota

Architect of the Tibetan Script

The legendary Thonmi Sambhota is widely regarded as one of the earlier incarnations of Dorje Shugden. His life, although shrouded in legend, is still very much an integral part of early Tibetan history. His name is written as Thonmi or sometimes as Tumi (man from Tu), reflecting the place of his birth. Sambhota is Sanskrit and it means Tibetan (Bhota) Scholar (Sam).

Thonmi Sambhota is said to have been born to Anu, a minister to King Songtsen Gampo and was from the Thonmi clan from Central Tibet. He grew to become such an intelligent young man that the Tibetan Emperor showed him favor. In 633, he was sent on an expedition to India with seven other brilliant young Tibetans to study and research the Indian scripts in order to develop one for the Tibetan language. At that time, he was just a teenager.

The Tibetan Emperor gave the traveling party enough gold to cover their expenses throughout their stay in India, as well as some valuable gifts to be presented to the Indian King, Peljinje Bina Lhachen, according to Tibetan records. Along their journey, the expedition passed through Nepal and the Nepalese King gave them fever preventive medicines in exchange for some of the valuable gifts they had in their possession. The medicines proved to be crucial for their survival through the long trek into tropical India.

Upon arriving in India, the expedition searched far and wide before finally discovering Brahmin Lijinkara and another teacher known in Tibetan as Lha Rigpa Sengge or Devavidyasimha. With these and other teachers, Thonmi Sambhota studied language, grammar, lexicography, poetry, literature and related topics, and also philosophy for about seven years. Unfortunately, the other Tibetan youths accompanying Thonmi Sambhota to India died because of the tropical heat, according to written records and also verbal history.

Upon completing his studies, Thonmi Sambhota returned to Tibet with gifts from the Indian King to the Tibetan Emperor. He also brought with him every available treatise on Sanskrit grammar, and also many other texts from India to Tibet. These texts are said to be amongst the very first Buddhist scriptures to enter Tibet from India.

Thonmi Sambhota then commenced the great project of conceptualizing the Tibetan script at the Kukarmaru Palace in Lhasa. He was reputed to have developed the Tibetan script based on the fusion of the Devanagari and Kashmiri scripts. He was also credited with the composition of six accompanying texts that delineate Tibetan grammar, which was based on the Sanskrit equivalent. However, only two texts are extant today (Sumchupa and Takjukpa) and are still very much in use in the study of Tibetan grammar.

According to one account, Thonmi Sambhota presented his creation to Emperor Songtsen Gampo in a grand assembly that was attended by all the ministers and dignitaries. Then, he began to teach the Emperor to read and write this new script, and the intricacies of grammar. In gratitude, the Emperor bestowed on him the title Lopon Thonmi. It was said that the Emperor then retired for four years to master this new script and grammar, and subsequently engaged in many translations including twenty-one Tantric texts on Avalokiteshvara. The Emperor was also said to have composed the two large volumes of the Mani Kabum, a collection of teachings and practices revolving around Avalokiteshvara.

According to legend, Thonmi Sambhota was highly regarded and heavily rewarded for his invention. But some of his fellow ministers harbored jealousy and defamed him in the Emperor’s presence. Thonmi Sambhota eventually won them over by explaining the value of his achievement and the sufferings he had endured.

There is no record of the year of Thonmi Sambhota’s passing or the length of his life. He is said to have had at least one son called Mahasata and grandson Nyima Longsel. He had two apprentice translators and they were known as Dharmakosha or Lhalung Dorje Pel and Drenka Mulakosha. Thonmi Sambhota would eventually be counted as the fourth of the seven most trusted and wisest ministers of the Emperor Songtsen Gampo.

Trisong Detsen

The Dharma King

In 790 CE, another of the earlier incarnations of Dorje Shugden, Trisong Detsen, was born in Tibet. He was of royal blood and his parents were King Me Aktsomchen and Princess Chin Ch’eng Kun Chu. This young boy would eventually grow up to become one of the Three Great Dharma Kings of Tibet, laying the foundation for Buddhism to take root in the Tibetan plateau.

The Tibetan empire that the young Trisong Detsen inherited was in serious decline. After the glorious reign of King Songtsen Gampo, the first Dharma King of Tibet, the empire was disintegrating as Tibet lost several cities in Turkestan, Nepal became embroiled in a rebellion, and the Arabs began encroaching on the Western front of the Tibetan empire.

King Trisong Detsen initiated several successful military campaigns against Tang China and against the Arabs in the West. However, he is best remembered by later generations of Tibetan Buddhists for his great patronage of Buddhism. He invited Shantaraksita, Padmasambhava, Kamalashila and various other great Indian pandits to Tibet, thus initiating the first dissemination of Buddhism in the Land of Snows.

King Trisong Detsen, together with the Indian master Shantaraksita, also began the construction of Samye Monastery, the first Buddhist monastery on Tibetan soil. However, the project was plagued by a series of accidents. The building itself would collapse when construction reached a certain point, and the workers were afraid, believing that the accidents were caused by a demon that inhabited a nearby river. Therefore, Shantaraksita advised the King to invite Padmasambhava, a Tantric adept, to subdue these opposing supernatural forces.

The arrival of Padmasambhava and the eventual subjugation of supernatural forces ensured the completion of Samye Monastery and the diffusion of Tantra teachings in Tibet. Under King Trisong Detsen’s patronage, the very first ordination of Tibetan monks was also performed at Samye Monastery. The King also initiated an immense project to translate the vast corpus of Buddhist scriptures from Sanskrit into Classical Tibetan.

At that time, Buddhist masters and scholars from both China and India were propagating the Buddhist teachings in Tibet. Suspecting that the Chinese Chan Meditation Master Hvashang Mo-ho-yen was propagating misinterpreted teachings, King Trisong Detsen hosted a famous two-year debate from 792-794 CE, known by Western Tibetologists as the “Council of Lhasa” although it took place at Samye Monastery, which was quite a distance from Lhasa.

The great debate was between the Chinese Chan Meditation Master Hvashang Mo-ho-yen and the scholar Kamalashila, a student of Shantaraksita, and eventually became known as the debate between Chinese and Indian Buddhist traditions as they were represented in Tibet. Kamalashila represented the “gradualist approach” to enlightenment according to the Buddhist philosophy that flourished in India. Meanwhile, Mo-ho-yen represented the third dissemination of Chan Buddhism in Tibet. In the end, Kamalashila was victorious and the Chan master was banished. This marked the turning point during which Tibet shifted squarely towards India for its lineage and teachings of Buddhism.

King Trisong Detsen had five wives who bore him three sons and two daughters (the numbers varies depending on the source). Amongst his wives, Yeshe Tsogyal was the most famous for being later considered to be an emanation of Vajrayogini. She was offered to his guru, Padmasambhava, by the king and became the guru’s consort and student. King Trisong Detsen eventually retired to live at Zungkar, handing over power to his second son, Mune Tsenpo in 797 AD.

Mahasiddha Naropa

Progenitor of the Vajrayogini Lineage

In 1016 AD, one of the previous incarnations of Dorje Shugden took rebirth as a prince in Pullahari, in what would later become modern day Kashmir. He was exceptional in his maturity, wisdom and compassion, and would eventually be counted as one of the 84 great Mahasiddhas of ancient India, the Mahasiddha Naropa.

Naropa was originally known as Samantabhadra and was raised as a noble aristocrat. His father, the reigning monarch, wanted him to inherit the kingdom and rule over the people. However, by the age of eight, his inclination towards religion and higher thought became more apparent. He was very learned and was renowned as a notable scholar from a very young age.

When Naropa came of age, his parents arranged for him to be married to a girl by the name of Vimaladipe. Although they enjoyed marital bliss, he continued his spiritual pursuits to the point that even his wife became his student.

Naropa eventually left the palace in order to receive his novice vows in a monastery in Kashmir. He engaged in formal studies for three years before entering Nalanda Monastery, where he received full ordination vows and graduated at the age of 28. At that time, Nalanda was a prestigious institution of higher learning with over 500 lecturers teaching various subjects and with numerous students from all over India, Nepal, Ceylon, Indonesia, Greece and even faraway China. The educational curriculum spanned 10 years and was famed for being extremely rigorous.

Nalanda Monastery has four main entrances and near each entrance is the residence of one of the monastery’s most brilliant professors. These professors are known as Mahapandits and Naropa was said to have ascended the ranks to become one of these professors. During his tenure, he was known as Mahapandit Abhayakirti. Thus, he became very famous throughout ancient Buddhist India and acquired many students. However, everything was about to change when he had a strange encounter with an old woman.

While studying the great treatises under a banyan tree, an old woman appeared to him and asked if he understood what he was reading. Naropa replied without much thought, “Yes, of course.” The old woman then laughed hysterically and proceeded to ask if he had experienced what he was reading. Yet again, the master responded by saying, “Yes, of course.” The old woman then wept hysterically. This disturbed Naropa and he asked the old woman why she wept.

The old woman replied that she was overjoyed to hear that he understood the teachings but wept while explaining:

You have not experienced Enlightenment and so you cannot possibly really know the actual meaning. You are a scholar. And yet you mistakenly believe that intellectual comprehension equates genuine enlightened experience.

Realizing that she was correct, Naropa stopped reading his books and asked, “How can I realize enlightenment?” She responded, “My brother is the great yogi Tilopa and he can guide you on the path of direct mystical experience.” Naropa was filled with faith upon hearing Tilopa’s name.

Thus, Naropa left the monastery and became a mendicant. He chased every whisper of his Guru’s name and searched all over India. One day, he chanced upon another mendicant, whom he instinctively recognized to be his Guru, Tilopa. But Tilopa refused to accept him and rebuked and hit him with a stick instead.

However, Naropa remained steadfast and endured what is now known as the ‘twelve major and twelve lesser trials’ before Tilopa finally accepted him as a student. Each trial represented an aspect of the teachings and a method for his Guru, Tilopa, to skillfully break through his student’s pride. Naropa’s suffering while enduring those trials purified his mind to the extent that he was able to gain enlightenment swiftly, through the later instructions of his Guru.

Upon attaining enlightenment, Naropa returned to Pullahari and gave teachings to his wife, who eventually became known as the great yogini, Niguma. Some accounts claim that she was actually Naropa’s sister but regardless, a lineage of her special instructions descended and survives to this day.

Another of Naropa’s most celebrated disciples is the Tibetan master, Marpa of Lhodrak. He traveled to India in his youth in order to study and translate the teachings and on his travels down south, he stayed at Pharping for a time to acclimatize before continuing his journey into tropical India.

At Pharping, Marpa encountered two yogis who were students of Naropa. This encounter led him to seek out Naropa and become his student. Naropa bestowed on Marpa the Four Transmissions of Oral Instructions of Tilopa, and also further instructions on Dream Yoga and the Intermediate state. These collectively became known as the Six Yogas of Naropa.

Naropa was also widely known to be the progenitor of the Vajrayogini Tantric practice. After being initiated into the practice of Vajravarahi, Naropa gained a vision of Vajravarahi in the form of Vajrayogini, who initiated him into a new practice that is also based on the Cakrasamvara cycle of teachings. Hence, Vajrayogini is often called Naropa’s Dakini and this Vajrayogini lineage is known as Naro Kacho.

After entering clear light, Naropa left behind numerous students and especially the living practice of Vajrayogini and the Six Yogas of Naropa.