Guru Padmasambhava
What is the News?
- Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik unveiled a 19-foot-high statue of Guru Padmasambhava, the founder of Tibetan Buddhism.
- This 29 tonne stone statue is placed in the middle of ‘Padma Sarovar’, a large tank near Padmasambhava Mahavihara, the largest Buddhist monastery in eastern India.
About Guru Padmasambhava
- Padmasambhava(“Lotus-Born”), also known as Guru Rinpoche(“precious master”), was an 8th-century Buddhist master from the Indian subcontinent.
- Historians claim that Guru Padmasambhava, also known as second Buddha, was born and brought up in Odisha before he left for Tibet.
- He is known as the Second Buddha because he played a seminal role in spreading Buddhism and Buddhist teachings across the Himalayan region including Northeast India, Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet.
- He undertook many travels across India, Bhutan, Tibet and Nepal.
- Thangka paintings, sculptures and photographs portray the life and teachings of the Guru.
Buddha of the Vajrayana
- The Buddha only gave Vajrayana teachings privately to select groups of disciples.
- Because the essence and even the form of these higher teachings are beyond common conception, they are known as “secret teachings.”
- After the Buddha entered mahaparinirvana, these secret teachings were preserved by many wisdom dakinis.
- When Guru Rinpoche appeared as the reincarnation of Buddha Shakyamuni, he revealed the Vajrayana teachings in their entirety; this is why Guru Rinpoche is known as the Buddha of the Vajrayana.