Guide to Vairotsana Site

A Guide to the Vairotsana Practice Place in Dzamnang

by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö

Oṃ svasti!
Blessed by the vajra dance
Of the vajra guru Padma,
This realm of vajra mountains,
Includes countless sacred places, major and minor,
Sources of the vajra vehicle.
Foremost among all these places of renown,
Is the crown jewel of places for accomplishment,
The Lotus Crystal Cave
In the valley of Dzam.

Before it, in the manner of a maṇḍala,
Is the ground on which the Dharma sovereign and his heirs
Presented Samantabhadra’s clouds of offerings
To Orgyen and consort, principal and retinue.

There, in the great cave, the practice place
Of lord Vairotsana, who possessed eyes of wisdom
And had fully perfected realization’s great potential,
The deities of the Three Roots dwell in actuality.
Countless vital treasures and dharma riches
Are hidden there as sources of the teachings.
In future they will be revealed by a vidyādhara,
An illusory emanation and tamer of beings.

There are symbolic drawings on the rocks
And the hand- and footprints of Orgyen and disciples.
Images of the buddhas, bodhisattvas and so on
Appear clearly in symbolic forms.
And there are beautiful trees and plants
That sprang forth at the touch of Vairotsana’s staff.
This whole scene, so especially exalted,
Is directly perceptible, as a nectar for the eyes.

To perform prostrations, circumambulation, maṇḍala offering, feast offering, fulfilment rituals,
Fire ceremonies related to the four activities and such like
Here with intense, one-pointed faith and devotion
Will pacify temporary circumstances, such as illness and harmful spirits,
Create merit that is as lofty as Mount Sumeru,
And cause the clear maṇḍalas of sun- and moonlike wisdom
To spread their radiant light universally,
So that the lotus garden of benefit and happiness may thrive.

Thus, having been requested several times by the resident lama of Dzamnang and more recently by the Khyentse tulku Jamyang Chökyi Wangpo,[1] the vidyādhara practitioner Pema Yeshe Dorje spoke these words in the upper practice cave of Tsogyal, lady of great bliss, and they were transcribed by the one who made the request. May this become a cause of infinite benefit for the teachings and beings. A single circumambulation here is certainly equal to a hundred thousand recitations of the six-syllable mantra, and the recommended number[2] of circuits is 11,110.

'a a ha sha sa ma. Sarva maṅgalam. Let it be virtuous!

(This was reconstructed by gathering and copying engraved stones that had been broken and dispersed.)

| Translated by Adam Pearcey with the kind assistance of Ringu Tulku Rinpoche and the generous support of the Khyentse Foundation and Tertön Sogyal Trust, 2023.

Bibliography

Tibetan Edition

Karma rgyal mtshan (ed.). mdo khams gnas yig phyogs bsgrigs dad bskul rnga dbang lha sgra. Beijing, mi rigs dpe skrun khang, 2005, pp. 117–118

Secondary Sources

Gardner, Alexander. "Jamyang Chokyi Wangpo," Treasury of Lives, accessed November 28, 2023, http://treasuryoflives.org/biographies/view/Jamyang-Khyentse-Chokyi-Wangpo/13653.

Namkhai Norbu. The Lamp that Enlightens Narrow Minds: The Life and Times of a Realized Tibetan Master, Khyentse Chokyi Wangchug. Berkeley: North Atlantic Books, 2012..

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