Orated by Jamyang Dorje Rinpoche of
the Taipei Padmakara Buddhist Society
Recorded by Pema Tsering on 22 Aug
2007 with due respect
Translated from Chinese into English
and editted by Jigme Sherab with due respect
Homage to Padmasambhava and
Pema Norbu Rinpoche
May 2006 – In the holy land of
Padmasambhava, Bhutan, a blind accomplished master knew his time of
his death in advance and sat in crossed vajra posture while passing
into parinirvana.
As the author was afraid of gradually
forgetting the details of this master’s liberation story over the
passage of time, the sublime details of it were committed to paper
with one’s own inadequate literary skills. It is hoped that
all those who see, hear or are acquainted with the facts of this
history will be filled with deep faith and devotion to
Padmasambhava, thereby receiving blessings and accomplishments.
This accomplished adept is a
Bhutanese. When he was alive, people mostly addressed him as
“Drubtop” which means someone who has attained realisation.
Moreover, due to the fact that he attained realisation and
liberation through the recitation of the Vajra Guru mantra, he was
also called, “Benza Guru Drubtop”, meaning “The Vajra Guru
Siddha”
This accomplished master “Benza
Guru Drubtop”, whose external appearance was dirty and unkempt but
who, internally, was extraordinarily free and liberated, was
previously a visually handicapped beggar who lived in the
peripheral slums of Bhutan.
Later, due to the help of Urgyen
Lama (of Sangngak Thegchog Osel Ling Monastery) and Jamyang
Dorje Rinpoche, this accomplished master who had went through a
difficult life (but with equanimity) was invited to the
monastery where they looked after him as a offering to a most
unsurpassed field of merit. This was the reason that the last
10 years of his life was relatively peaceful and safe.
“Benza Guru Druptop” was not
born blind. It is said that his visual impairment was the result of
curses wrought by mantras which his enemies had inflicted upon
him. Before he went blind, he was just a common farmer who
belonged to the Bon religion. At that time, the farmer did
not understand the vast qualities of Padmasambhava and had even
entertained sacrilegious views towards Guru Rinpoche and slandered
him with negative speech.
To recover his sight, the farmer
had approached many doctors who were unable to help. With no
other resort, he asked several spiritual friends and masters for
advice on what spiritual practice to do in order to recover his
sight.
Finally, he listened to some
masters’ advice and decided to start reciting the Vajra Guru mantra
(OM AH HUNG BENZA GURU PADMA SIDDHI HUNG), relying on it as his
sole practice, and eventually he went on to achieve an astounding
level of realisation.
When “Drubtop” started to recite the
Vajra Guru mantra, his faith in Padmasambhava began to ripen
and increase. Due to his blindness, day or night was not much
difference to him and he began to recite the mantra diligently day
and night without distinction.
When he completed a hundred million
recitations, “Drubtop”’s prayer-wheel, which he rotated as he
recited the mantra, began to drip inconceivable nectar.
It is well known that prayer-wheels contain dry paper rolls and it
is impossible for water to drip from it out of thin air, yet his
prayer-wheel began to manifest such a strange phenomenon.
This demonstrated the authencity of the results of “Benza Guru
Drubtop”’s practice and also showed how wonderful Padmasambhava’s
blessings were. After that, he did not slow down, but instead
continued to recite the mantra diligently, praying to Guru Rinpoche
with great faith.
When “Benza Guru Drubtop” had
completed the mantra 300 million times, in a dream-like state, he
personally met the Lotus-Born Guru and received a prophecy, thereby
attaining an inconceivable level of realisation.
Padmasambhava told “Benza Guru
Drubtop”, “If you live on for 7 more years, your eyesight will be
recovered. The reason for you having lost sight in both eyes
is that you previously believed in the Bon religion and especially,
you had disparaged and despised (noble beings), causing confused
inter-dependent phenomenon to arise. Now although you have
seen me, due to that karmic obscuration, you will not be able to
immediately regain your eyesight.”
Thus “Benza Guru Drubtop” was not able
to recover his eyesight even though he had seen the Guru
Rinpoche.
In the mysterious state, Guru Rinpoche
also asked “Benza Guru Drubtop” to make a special dharma hat as a
auspicious interdependent-arising, which the blind “Benza Guru
Drubtop” made himself from bronze pieces without anyone’s
help.
In spite of “Benza Guru Drubtop”’s
inner realisation and his extraordinary clairvoyance due to Guru
Rinpoche’s blessings, due to his external visual handicap,
no-one was willing to look after him properly. Thus he
wandered around in the region of “Chim” in Bhutan. The locals
called him “Benza Guru Drubtop”.
“Benza Guru Drubtop” knew of a secret
method to reverse obstacles which the Lotus-Born Guru had
personally transmitted to him. It could swiftly remove all
heavy illnesses or urgent calamities befalling a person. This
method is special but inelegant. It required that “Benza Guru
Drubtop” make a special kind of torma and recite a short ritual,
the specifics of it is only known to himself, and then he must
strip naked and while totally nude take the torma to a nearby
triple-intersect junction. This method is quite powerful, all
the people for whom the “Drubtop” had performed this ritual,
recovered from their problems without exception.
Besides this, everytime someone
requested the “Benza Guru Drubtop” for any help, his way of
divination was also different from others. He did not need
the use of any divination apparatus, nor did he require the person
to say much, but would be able to know the intentions of the person
and be able to speak out the intimate details of the supplicants’
residence, environment and all other kinds of details, including
those personal secrets that the person requesting did not want
revealed. Evidently, the “Benza Guru Drubtop” had attained
great clairvoyance of knowing others’ minds due to the blessings of
Guru Rinpoche. He was also widely acknowledged as “Drubtop”
due to this.
“Benza Guru Drubtop”’s inner secret
realisation did not cause him to try to improve his own living
conditions but instead he regarded poverty and suffering as not
being any obstacle or problem impeding him.
What did not change was that he
continued supplicating Guru Rinpoche day and night, reciting the
Guru Rinpoche mantra respectfully and so when he passed into
parinirvana, a conservative estimate of the number of Guru Rinpoche
mantras he had recited in his life amounts to more than 600
million.
Unlike others, he was not interested
in promoting his own diligent efforts at practice or his miraculous
responses , instead “Benza Guru Drubtop” benefitted beings in a
spontaneous and extemporaneous way. Thus, most of the people
who knew him did not know how profound his inner realisation
was.
Most people only regarded his external
style and occasional obstacle-averting rituals as a sign that he
was merely a practitioner with some achievements. Most of his
secret conduct and responses, he would only tell to Urgyen Lama and
a few close friends who had faith.
Although he was a siddha, he did not
alter his clothes or appearance, but remained like a beggar,
allowing others to make offerings and making-shift of whatever they
offered to wear. Although he was invited to stay at Sangngak
Thegchog Osel Ling Monastery, and could have chosen to have better
living premises and conditions, he only preferred to live in a
dilapidated corner of the monastery and sleep in his own old
covers, using yellowed and hole-ridden blankets and pillow.
“Benza Guru Drubtop” would only accept
others’ clothing and food. If someone offered his cash notes
or coins, he will recite mantras and blow on them as a blessing,
before returning them to the offerer, telling him not to use the
money but to keep it on the body as a blessed artifact for
protection. When one offered him a khata, it was the same
case. This showed that “Benza Guru Drubtop” has already
viewed all wealth as nothing, with no desire or wish for
anything.
The author once requested one of the
abbots of the monastery, Jamyang Dorje Rinpoche, to make some money
offerings, but was instead met with laughter from Rinpoche who
said, ‘“Benza Guru Drubtop” does not want money, how to make
offerings to him? If you want to give him clothings or other
things, he may not accept, or he may just bless them and return
them to you. if you want to offer food, he is now provided food by
the monastery, so he may not enjoy what you offer him. Apart
from his meals, he doesn’t really accept any other food.’
Hearing this, the author felt deeply that this siddha master was
truly without needs or wants and was worthy of respect and
veneration.
Seven days before he demonstrated
impermanence, the “Benza Guru Drubtop” informed the abbot Urgyen
Lama,”I am going to leave this world to go and see
Padmasambhava.” At that time, the abbot felt that Drubtop was
still healthy and thought that he was merely joking. He did
not pay much attention to this remark. “Benza Guru Drubtop”
then confidently told several monk friends that, “Urgyen Lama does
not have freedom over birth and death, but I do. He will not
understand my meaning… the dharmakaya is beyond death,
because I have realised the dharmakaya, there is really no death to
speak of for me!” Totally unschooled and who had not studied any
dharma teachings, sutras or commentaries, yet, “Benza Guru Drubtop”
was able to make many such statements that utilised the expressions
of the Dzogpa Chenpo realisations.
With nothing special happening, apart
from those monk-friends who knew about it being worried that “Benza
Guru Drubtop” would manifest death, others did not feel that the
Drubtop would really be able to predict his own time of death, and
be able to leave this world with such ease and freedom. Seven
days later, in the clear gentle light of dawn, “Benza Guru Drubtop”
sat in crossed-vajra posture and impertubably released his intent
into the dharmadhatu. At that moment, a gentle tremor in the
earth could be felt.
After his parinirvana, the
usually-deserted monastery was thronged by more than 3000 people
trying to pay their respects. After he passed away, everyday
at dawn, there were three birds flying in to circumambulate his
body three rounds before flying off. These were said to be
dakinis paying their respect.
“Benza Guru Drubtop” passed away
exactly 7 years from when he received the vision from
Padmasambhava, thus fulfilling the prophecy that he would “recover
his sight”. Because now, he would have no body to obstruct
him from going to the Sangdok Palri Pureland to see Guru
Rinpoche.
The author wishes that this
extraordinary account of a recent Guru Rinpoche siddha would
encourage all sentient beings to give rise to faith and supplicate
Guru Rinpoche, ultimately attaining the same state as him.