Why is Guru Rinpoche, the Lotus-Born Padmasambhava, considered the second Buddha of our times? Why are Padmasambhava’s teachings more than just another teaching lineage in Buddhism? Why are Guru Rinpoche’s teachings more akin to Quantum Physics than religion? In this Buddha Weekly podcast documentary, we answer these questions and more — and finish with the magnificent chanting of Padmasambhava’s mantra 108 times!
Listen here, or on your favorite Podcast Directory, such as Apple Podcasts, Google, and many others:
Timecodes / Chapters
00:00 Introduction
00:12 The Buddha of Vajrayana Guru Rinpoche
04:21 Guru Rinpoche’s Science of the Mind
05:00 Padmasambhava’s Miraculous Birth
06:11 Eight Forms of Padmasambhava
07:29 Emptiness and Quantum Physics
09:29 Padmasambhava — Emptiness and Entanglement
10:55 The Buddha For Modern, Dangerous Times
12:26 Lotus Family
13:02 Practicing Padmasambhava
13:37 Chanting of Mantra: beautifully sung / arranged / composed by Hrishikesh Sonar
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Guru Rinpoche, the Buddha of Vajrayana The Vajrayana Wheel of Buddhist Dharma that Guru Rinpoche brought to Tibet was more than simply another lineage of Buddhist philosophy. Vajrayana teachings, and especially Guru Rinpoche’s teachings and manifestations, framed a view of reality, of the Universe, more akin to Quantum Physics than religion. Guru Rinpoche, the Lotus-Born, is honored as the second living Buddha of our age, who turned the final wheel of Dharma, Vajrayana, and brought Buddha Dharma to Tibet. He also embraced the miraculous and wonderous.
Historically, Guru Rinpoche turned the final wheel of Dharma, popularizing the powerful methods of Buddhist Tantra. Traditionally, he is “Lotus Born” in Oddiyana. In the traditional, miraculous accounts he “consciously incarnated as an eight-year-old child appearing in a lotus blossom floating in Lake Dhanakosha, in the kingdom of Oddiyana.” He is the Lotus Born — born fully Enlightened.
“Scholars agree that Padmasambhava was a real person, that he came from Uddiyana, a kingdom possibly located around present-day Swat in Pakistan, and that he arrived in Tibet some time around the year 760.”
Miraculous and Scientific?
Is it confusing to label Padmasambhava as both the Quantum philosopher and the mystical, magical wizard of Enlightenment and simultaneously as a fully Enlightened Buddha? Although on one hand he is lauded as the miraculous Lotus Born, he is also embraced by many scientists for his sound Quantum vision. Are they contradictory? Padmasambhava’s life was a living embodiment of the miraculous. Nothing is impossible to the fully Enlightened and marvelous Guru Rinpoche — and everything about his amazing life is a wonder.
Just as Shakyamuni Buddha, the first Buddha of our age, demonstrated extraordinary phenomena, Padmasambhava personified them. Why does an Enlightened Buddha display magical feats? As “Upaya” or skillful means, or upaya-kaushalya meaning “skill in means.” In simplest terms, upaya is any activity that helps others realize enlightenment. At the same time as he demonstrated the miraculous, especially helpful in presenting the Dharma to Tibet, Padmasambhava taught the science of the mind. Guru Rinpoche’s Science of the Mind Tulku Pasang Rinpoche explains his popularity in modern times: “Padmasambhava’s teaching is the science of the mind.” Professor of Quantum Physics Dana Zou, clarified Guru Rinpoche’s science of the mind this way: “Padmasambhava was in touch with Quantum reality, He lived the Quantum reality. He manifested the Quantum reality.”