Guru Padmasambhava is an enigma. Born from a lotus flower in the northwestern land of Uddiyana, he is praised as the tantric master who quite literally laid the foundations for Buddhism to spread throughout Tibet. And yet beyond his identity as a historical figure, this Lotus-born Guru is treasured as the very personification and embodiment of the Vajrayana, the vehicle of tantric Buddhism.
One place to begin the journey of discovering Guru Padmasambhava is in his life stories, where we learn of his wide-ranging activities through India, Nepal, and Tibet. As we look deeper into these tales, we begin to find that the extraordinary life and accomplishments of Guru Padmasambhava are very much accessible today, if we only take the time to follow the trails left in the words of the Tibetan masters.
Beginning in 2014, under the guidance of Neten Chokling Rinpoche and Phakchok Rinpoche, a team developed to research the sacred sites of Guru Padmasambhava, and the fruits of this research – the Nekhor project – have now been published in two volumes of a three-part series. As companions to this book series, a website – Nekhor.org – and mobile app are now available to aid contemporary pilgrims in their exploration of Guru Padmasambhava’s sacred sites, and beyond, to the sites of Shakyamuni Buddha and other great Buddhist masters.
The process of discovering the Guru Padmasambhava is continuous, and the wealth of literary resources on the lives of the Mahaguru and his many disciples are vast. Pilgrimage allows us to connect their world with the present realm we all inhabit. This is but one way to follow in their footsteps, and so take their blessings onto our path.
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Stefan Mang: a student of Tibetan Buddhism since 2004, has been studying Buddhist philosophy and literary Tibetan since 2010. In 2010 and 2011 he studied at the Rigpa Shedra East in Nepal, and from 2011 until 2018 he completed his BA and MA degrees at the Rangjung Yeshe Institute in Kathmandu. Stefan works with Lhasey Lotsawa Translations and Publications, their Nekhor project, and 84000.
Peter Woods: completed a BA in Philosophy at University of Virginia in 2009, and an MA in Religion from Yale in 2015. He went on to study in Rangjung Yeshe Institute’s Translator Training Program and MA in Buddhist Studies program as a Tsadra Scholar, living in Nepal from 2015 to 2019. Peter works with Lhasey Lotsawa Translations and Publications, their Nekhor project, and serves as program director at Rangjung Yeshe Gomde California.
One place to begin the journey of discovering Guru Padmasambhava is in his life stories, where we learn of his wide-ranging activities through India, Nepal, and Tibet. As we look deeper into these tales, we begin to find that the extraordinary life and accomplishments of Guru Padmasambhava are very much accessible today, if we only take the time to follow the trails left in the words of the Tibetan masters.
Beginning in 2014, under the guidance of Neten Chokling Rinpoche and Phakchok Rinpoche, a team developed to research the sacred sites of Guru Padmasambhava, and the fruits of this research – the Nekhor project – have now been published in two volumes of a three-part series. As companions to this book series, a website – Nekhor.org – and mobile app are now available to aid contemporary pilgrims in their exploration of Guru Padmasambhava’s sacred sites, and beyond, to the sites of Shakyamuni Buddha and other great Buddhist masters.
The process of discovering the Guru Padmasambhava is continuous, and the wealth of literary resources on the lives of the Mahaguru and his many disciples are vast. Pilgrimage allows us to connect their world with the present realm we all inhabit. This is but one way to follow in their footsteps, and so take their blessings onto our path.
_____________
Stefan Mang: a student of Tibetan Buddhism since 2004, has been studying Buddhist philosophy and literary Tibetan since 2010. In 2010 and 2011 he studied at the Rigpa Shedra East in Nepal, and from 2011 until 2018 he completed his BA and MA degrees at the Rangjung Yeshe Institute in Kathmandu. Stefan works with Lhasey Lotsawa Translations and Publications, their Nekhor project, and 84000.
Peter Woods: completed a BA in Philosophy at University of Virginia in 2009, and an MA in Religion from Yale in 2015. He went on to study in Rangjung Yeshe Institute’s Translator Training Program and MA in Buddhist Studies program as a Tsadra Scholar, living in Nepal from 2015 to 2019. Peter works with Lhasey Lotsawa Translations and Publications, their Nekhor project, and serves as program director at Rangjung Yeshe Gomde California.
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