Chimphu - Padmasambhava's Cave

Padmasambhava's Cave @ Drak Yerpa, Tibet

the approach to drak yerpa

the approach to drak yerpa II

"the glimpse" ~ from guru rinpoche's cave, drak yerpa

"approaching the view" ~ the cave's vivid caretaker monk

unspeakable the blessings of this cave

images by michael ash @ www.oddiyansgate.com

Oddiyan's Gate ༃ ~ Michael Ash 2011
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Jinka cave complex: photos

Photos of Jinka cave complex, Central Tibet.




More photos here.
All pictures by Anatoly Sokolov.

Short history behind the Maratika Cave

Loden Chogsey (Padmasambhava) then contemplated, “By Secret Mantra, I will now accomplish the vidyadhara level of longevity beyond birth and death. I must cause all the people of Uddiyana and India to enter the Buddhadharma.”

In order to practice the Secret Mantra, one must have a genuine spiritual consort, so he went to the country of Zahor. Here Vihardhara, the king of Zahor, had a daughter called Mandarava Flower, a sixteen-year-old maiden endowed with the qualifying marks. Master Padma magnetized her and took her along as his mudra, a spiritual consort and support in practice.
South of Mount Potala, the palace of noble Avalokiteshvara, lies the cave known as Maratika. It faces south and a rain of flowers constantly falls. Enveloped in a dome of rainbows, the scent of incense permeates the air. It has a grove of sandalwood trees and is blessed by the Lords of the Three Families. The master and his consort went to this place and, disclosing the mandalas of Buddha Amitayus, they performed the practice of vidyadhara longevity.

After three months, they had the vision of Amitayus. He placed the nectar-filled vase of immortal life upon the heads of Master Padma and his consort, and by pouring the nectar into their mouths, their bodies became vajra-bodies beyond birth and death. He blessed Master Padma to be the daka Hayagriva and the consort to be Vajra Varahi. Thus, they reached the attainment of vidyadhara life.

From the introduction to The Lotus-Born: The Sanglingma Life Story of Padmasambhava.

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The five principal caves of Guru Rinpoche

     The principal meditation caves of Guru Rinpoche are known as The Five Power Places of the Guru. Together with three additional power places they are Eight Solitary Places of Realization, located in Central Tibet, Lhodrak and Bhutan.
     All these cave-hermitages are all places where Guru Rinpoche concealed important terma treasure troves). They all have prophecies associated with treasure that predict the coming of tertons (treasure-finders) who would meditate there and discover the treasures that the Guru concealed. Also, they are power-places that induce dream and vision, and to that extent they are places where Guru Rimpoche had prophecies revealed to him and where he asserted that yogins would attain realization. 

      The Guru's consort , Yeshe Tsogyal, stayed for some time in all of these caves and concealed treasure-texts therein. Some of the Guru's Twenty Five Disciples meditated in these caves after their final initiation, and attained siddhi there. Since the 8th century these caves have been the residence of many important Dzogchen practitioners. 

The Five Guru Rinpoche Power Places:

1. Drak Yongdzong, Power-place of the Guru's Body
2. Samye Chimpu, Power-place of the Guru's Speech
3. Lhodrak Karchu, Power-place of the Guru's Mind
4. Yarlung Shetak , Power-place of the Guru's Qualities
5. Monka Nering Senge Dzong, Power-place of the Guru's Action 

The Eight Solitary Places of Realization:

• above five power-places

     6.  Drakmar Yamalung 
     7.  Monka Sridzong 
     8.  Paro Taktsang Puk

(Based on "The Power-places of Central Tibet" by Keith Dowman)