The Legend of the Great Stupa Jarungkhasor
 
                                A Terma
 
                                   1
                               The First
                             Chapter of the
                           Legend of the Great
                    Stupa Jarungkhasor: Construction
                     and Consecration of the Stupa.
 
    This is the history of Jarungkhasor, the Great Stupa, which is
 the receptacle of the Body of Infinite Simplicity, which is
 identical to the Mind of all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of the
 three times and the ten directions. In the year of the fire-male-
 monkey on the tenth day of the monkey month in the middle chamber
 of the of the Great Monastery Samyeling, which means the
 Inconceivable, unchanging and spontaneously arisen, when the
 Great Religious King Trisondetsen and twenty-five disciples of
 the Guru were assembled to receive initiation into the Most
 Secret Mind of the Lama [blama yang thugs kyi sgrubs], Orgyen
 Rimpoche, the Precious Lotus Born Guru of Orgyen, was asked to
 remain seated on his throne of nine piled cushions. Then King T
 offered his Guru a golden chalice of wine, various delicacies to
 eat gathered from all over the world, twenty-one turquoises drawn
 from the necklace which hung from his neck, five cups of gold,
 seven bowls of gold, eight clothes of fine silk and a vast store
 of other riches.
    Prostrating before his Guru on thousand times, the king
 addressed him, "O Great Guru! I was born in Tibet, this barbarian
 country of red-faced monkeys, and I invited the sage Bodhisattva
 Shantrikashita from the country of Zahor and yourself, the Abbot
 of Orgyen, the Lotus Born Guru, to establish the Dharma in this
 country. I have built the Great Monastery of Samye wherein
 resides the Triple Gem, the receptacle of the accumulated merit
 of all beings, incomparable throughout the southern world of
 Jambudvipa. I have achieved these things. Now, in this barbarian
 country which is like an island of darkness, the Doctrine of the
 Triple Gem is diffusing like the early morning sun of the
 mountain peaks and all people can here the explanation of the
 Holy Religion as they did in the Golden Age when Mahakashyapa
 Buddha taught in the central land of Magadha.
    "When Mahakashyapa Buddha was preaching, the Benefactress
 Jadzima, who begat four sons, built the Jarungkhasor Stupa in the
 district of Maguta, in the Kingdom of Nepal. Great Guru! If you
 could speak to us of the fruit of the aspiration generated by the
 constructors of that first Great Stupa, then we, having built
 this Great Monastery of Samye, knowing how to pray, may become
 full of confidence and faith in the future. So that we may be
 devoted, we entreat you to describe in detail the result of
 building that first Great Stupa of Jarungkhasor."
    Then the Great Guru spoke in reply, "O Great King, listen
 carefully and remember my words! I will relate to you the legend
 of Jarungkhasor. In a bygone age countless kalpas ago, the
 Bodhisattva Mahasattva, the Lord Avalokitesvara, vowed at the
 feet of his Guru, the Buddha Amitabha, to liberate all beings
 from the misery of this world. Then having delivered innumerable
 beings from sorrow he climbed to the top of the Potala Palace
 thinking that all beings without exception had been released. But
 looking over the six realms he saw many beings still languishing
 in the lower worlds like flies on a refuse heap. Thinking that it
 was not possible to deliver all beings from the ocean of misery
 which is this world, he wept, and, wiping two teardrops from his
 eyes with his forefinger, he prayed that even these two tears
 might assist beings of the future to overcome their sorrow. In
 fulfillment of that prayer those two teardrops were transmuted
 and incarnated as two daughters of Kink Indra who resided in the
 Heaven of the Thirty-three Gods. The daughters were named Goddess
 Purna (Complete) and Apurna (Incomplete). Apurna once stole some
 flowers and as a punishment for violating the law of the gods she
 was reborn in the human world, in the country of Nepal in the
 district of Maguta, to a poultryman, Ansu, and his wife, Purna.
 She was named the poultrywoman Shamvara [bdemchog]. When she
 matured she copulated with four different men all of low caste
 and bore a son by each of them: the first son was born of a
 stablehand, the second of a swineherd, the third of a dog keeper
 and the fourth of a poultryman.
    "The poultrywoman Shamvara amassed sufficient wealth from her
 business to rear her sons well and to establish them as educated
 householders. Later she accumulated much wealth from her profits
 and then thought to herself, "My savings from the poultry
 business have permitted me to establish my sons as respectable
 householders. Now I have accumulated a further store of wealth
 and so that all men may benefit from it, I shall build a Great
 Stupa, a receptacle for the Mind of all the Buddhas, my own
 projected divinity. It shall be a plane of adoration for
 innumerable beings and a reliquary for the indestructible remains
 of the Tathagatas. But first I must ask the permission of the
 Maharaja."
    "Then having thought within herself in this manner she
 approached the Maharaja, prostrated herself before him,
 circumambulated him, knelt down before him, placed her palms
 together and appealed to him, "O Great King! I am a poor woman, a
 poultrywoman, and single-handedly I have raised four sons of
 different fathers with the profit of my business and established
 them as householders. I crave your permission to build a Great
 Stupa which will be my projected divinity, which will be a plane
 of adoration for innumerable beings, which will be a receptacle
 of the Mind of all the Buddhas and which will be a reliquary for
 the indestructible remains of the Tathagatas. It will be
 constructed with the wealth that I have accumulated since my sons
 became self-sufficient."
    "A great king never makes hasty decisions. The King composed
 his mind for a moment and pondered within himself, "This
 poultrywoman is a poor woman who has saved sufficient wealth to
 bring up four illegitimate sons and now she wishes to build a
 Great Stupa. This is wonderful and amazing."
    "Then he gave her permission to build the Stupa. The
 poultrywoman Shamvara was filled with contentment and joy and
 again prostrating before the king circumambulated him many times
 and returned home. Then the construction of the Great Stupa was
 begun by the woman, her four sons, an ass and an elephant. Earth
 was brought to the site, foundations were laid and walls were
 built up to the third level. It was at this time that the people
 of Nepal came together, feeling full of resentment towards the
 poultrywoman who had shamed them by her superior achievement, and
 asked each other what sort of construction should be expected of
 the king, the minister, the wealthy and famous if a poor
 poultrywoman could build such a Stupa. Considering themselves
 insulted and injured they went to the king with a petition to
 obstruct the work. They said to him, "O Great King! You have
 blundered. If this poor poultrywoman can construct such a Great
 Stupa what should be expected of you the King, the ministers and
 the wealthy men of the country. If you permit this construction
 every one of us will be humiliated. It would be better if the
 earth and stones were carried back to the quarry. It is not
 proper that she be permitted to build this Stupa."
    "The Great King replied to them, "Listen to me carefully! This
 poor poultrywoman has saved sufficient riches to bring up four
 illegitimate sons and has accumulated sufficient wealth to build
 this Stupa. I consider this a marvelous achievement. I have
 already given her my permission [kha sor] to proceed with the
 work [bya rung]. I, being a king, speak only once."
    "Other men also tried to obstruct the progress of the
 construction, but unsuccessfully. So the Great Stupa became known
 as Jarungkhasor which means that once authority to build has been
 given every obstacle can be overcome. The work of construction
 continued without interruption throughout summer and winter for
 four years until the Stupa was completed up to the neck.
    "But at that time the poor poultrywoman, discovering that she
 was dying, called her four sons and their servant to her and
 said, "Complete this Great Stupa which is my projected divinity
 and which is the plane of adoration for both mundane and
 supramundane beings. Place the indestructible remains of the
 Tathagatas within this Stupa and then consecrate it with great
 honour and reverence. This is my wish and when it is fulfilled
 the grand intentions of all the Buddhas of the past, present and
 future will be realized. And you my sons will also fulfill the
 purpose of this life and the next by obeying my wishes."
    "With these words she passed away. Cymbals sounded and the
 gods sent a rain of flowers; many rainbow lights shone in the sky
 and the poor poultrywoman Shamvara, through her generosity in
 constructing the Great Stupa, attained Buddhahood and was called
 Chamsi Lhamo Pramsha. The four sons remaining faithful to their
 mother's wish, to repay her kindness to them and attain merit,
 agreed to complete the stupa and add the upper portions. So, as
 before, the sons loaded bricks upon the elephant and donkey and
 continued the work. They worked for three more years before the
 construction was completed; seven years in all. The
 indestructible remains of the Tathagata Mahakashyapa (the Buddha
 of the previous age) were sealed in the tree of life within the
 stupa.
    "The after sumptuous offerings had been arranged and
 consecrating flowers strewn everywhere, the Tathagata
 Mahakashyapa surrounded by his attendant Bodhisattvas, appeared
 throughout the fields of the sky in front of the Stupa. All the
 Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of the ten directions with innumerable
 Arhats surrounding them, the five lineages of Tathagatas, the
 Lords of the Three Worlds and the innumerable wrathful and
 peaceful deities beyond conception like blooming buds of sesamum
 appeared there, scattering flowers, honouring the occasion with
 their most auspicious presence. Many cymbals sounded, the gods
 sent a storm of flowers while sweet smelling incense wafted in
 every direction. The earth itself shook three times. The
 boundless light of divine wisdom diffusing from the Bodies of the
 assembled Tathagatas eclipsed the sun and irradiated the night
 for five consecutive days."
 
 SAMAYA GYA GYA GYA                        SEAL THE THREEFOLD BOND
 
 
                                    2
                               The Second
                             Chapter of the
                           Legend of the Great
                    Stupa Jarungkhasor: Fulfillment of
               Prayer According to the Bodhisattva's Vision.
 
    Again King Trisondetsen spoke to the Lotus Born Guru, "O Great
 Guru! I entreat you to describe the prayers that were offered and
 the aspiration that was formed before this most marvelous Stupa
 called Jarungkhasor, and relate to us the story of the
 fulfillment of those prayers."
    The Great Guru replied, "Listen to me O Great King! When
 flowers were scattered at the consecration of the Stupa and when
 fantastic miracles were performed and wonderful sights were seen,
 the vast assembly of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas addressed the
 benefactors with one voice and said, "Listen O you most fortunate
 and well born! Through the pure mind which created the wish to
 construct this Great Stupa, the supreme receptacle of the Body of
 Infinite Simplicity which is inseparable from the Mind of all the
 Victorious Ones of the past, present and future, through this
 benefaction, whatever prayer you offer will be granted in
 perfection."
    "Then the sons of the deceased poultrywoman said to each
 other, "It was the enlightened vow of our old mother that led to
 the construction of this Stupa, but following her deathbed wishes
 we completed the edifice and consecrated it and were privileged
 to see the countenance of all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Now,
 through that accumulated merit we may ask for the fulfillment of
 any prayer; it would be unwise to pray for any petty thing."
    "The eldest son, the son of a stablehand, considered what
 universal prayer he could offer, "In the icebound and barbarous
 kingdom to the north the mountains are snow covered and the
 valleys are flooded; it is the haunt of waterbirds in summer and
 it is one vast icefield in winter. It has been prophesied that
 the floods will subside and that after the Bodhisattva, Lord of
 the Universe, Avalokitesvara has come to train the inhabitants in
 the Lore of the Tathagata Sakyamuni, the Doctrine of the Buddhas
 will be diffused throughout the land.  It is my prayer that I may
 establish the Doctrine of the Buddhas in Tibet."
    "So he prayed accordingly, "Through the merit that I have won
 in completing this Stupa with pure heart and aspiration may I be
 born as a great king and protector of religion in the icebound
 border country of savages to the north. When the power of the
 five poisons - hatred, lust, sloth, jealousy and pride -
 increases in the Kaliyuga, the time of destruction and
 corruption, spreading the Lore of the Tathagata Sakyamuni, may I
 establish the Doctrine of the Buddhas there for all time."
    "The second son, the son of the swineherd, then offered his
 prayer, "Through the merit that I have won in completing the
 Great Stupa, when my brother has been reborn as a King and
 protector in the icebound land of savages and when the Precious
 Doctrine of the Buddha is being established and the necessity
 arises to introduce the community of the Sangha, the foundation
 of the Doctrine, into that country, may I be reborn as a Bhikshu
 who will become a great Arhat to ordain converts as members of
 the Sangha."
    "Then the third son, the son of the dog keeper, offered this
 prayer, "Through the merit that I have won in completing this
 Stupa, when my two brothers have established the Doctrine of the
 Buddhas in the icebound land of savages and when the people
 follow the Doctrine of the Buddhas, may I be born not from a
 woman's womb but miraculously from the pollen bed of a lotus.
 Destroying the succession of life and death, may I live as long
 as the sun and moon. Subduing and training gods, demons and men
 alike and subjecting all the poisonous cannibal natives of that
 barbarous country, may I be reborn as a Tantric Yogin, a Mantra
 Dhara, to guard the Buddhas' Doctrine which my brothers will
 establish."
    Then the youngest son, the son of the poultryman. offered this
 prayer, "Through the merit that I have won in completing this
 Stupa, when you three have been reborn in the icebound land of
 savages, one to establish the Doctrine, one to keep it steadfast
 and one to guard it, may I be born as the minister who will
 coordinate your activities."
    "After the four sons had offered their prayers, all the
 Buddhas and Bodhisattvas spoke to them with one voice,"O worthy
 sons! Most fortunate beings! You have offered truly exalted and
 unselfish prayers. All the Buddhas are rejoicing with you. The
 mountain of merit that you have produced by this prayer is
 incomparable - even the Buddhas of the three times are unable to
 match it."
    "Then all the Buddhas of the ten directions and all the
 Bodhisattvas dissolved in a single flash of light which vanished
 into the Great Stupa. Thereafter the Stupa became known
 throughout the world as the "Unity of Buddhas."
    "Just then a bloodsucking insect settled on the stablehand's
 son's neck and stung him causing intolerable pain. This led him
 to brush off the insect with his hand, killing it. But with
 boundless compassion he prayed in this way, "When I am born as a
 religious king in the icebound land of the savages may this
 insect be reborn as a Prince practicing Dharma."
    "The ass that had carried building material to the stupa
 overheard these prayers and thought that he too should offer a
 prayer, but lacking the capacity, nothing whatever arose as a
 prayer in his mind. Then he became angry and with his wrath arose
 bad thoughts, "When this stablehand's son is reborn as a
 religious king establishing the Dharma in the icebound land of
 the savages let me be reborn as a minister with a malicious
 tongue that will render whatever actions the king takes
 ineffective."
    "The servant of the four sons, understanding the ass's
 thoughts, offered this prayer, "When this ass is reborn as a
 wicked minister who will obstruct the spread of the Dharma, let
 me be reborn as a wise and religious minister so that I may
 overcome and repulse his deceitful machinations."
    "The elephant also wished to pray but found himself unable. He
 became angry, "I have carried heavy loads of stone and earth for
 the construction of the stupa but I receive no reward. When these
 sons are reborn and have established the Doctrine in the icebound
 land of savages let me be reborn as that king's great grandson to
 suppress and to destroy the Doctrine."
    "A crow perched nearby, revolted by such a wish, created a
 perfect thought. It offered this prayer, "When this elephant is
 reborn as a persecutor of religion and when that king tries to
 suppress the Buddhas' Doctrine let me be reborn as a Great
 Bodhisattva who will assassinate that evil king."
    "Two Brahmin youths wearing the yellow sacred thread,
 attendant upon the Stupa, offered this prayer, "When the Precious
 Doctrine is established in the icebound land of savages let us
 both be reborn as translators who will translate all of the Holy
 Scriptures."
    "Also attending the ceremony of consecration were two
 intelligent girls of a royal family who prayed in this manner,
 "When the Buddhas' Doctrine will be established in the icebound
 country of the savages, let us both be born with the superior
 learning that will enable us to write down and copy the Sacred
 Texts of the Buddhas' Speech and the commentaries upon it."
    "In this way at this time innumerable prayers were offered to
 benefit all beings and all these boundless prayers were granted.
 The eldest son, the stablehand's son who prayed for rebirth as a
 king, has been reborn as yourself, King and Protector of
 Religion, Trisondetsen!The swineherd's son who prayed for rebirth
 as an Abbot has been reborn as the Abbot and Bodhisattva
 Shantirakshita. The dog keeper's son who prayed to be reborn as a
 Tantric Yogin has become myself, the Abbot of Orgyen, the Lotus
 Born Guru. The poultryman's son who prayed for rebirth as a
 religious minister is the present king of Yarlung. The bee for
 whom rebirth as a prince had been supplicated is the present
 princess Padma Salso. The misguided ass which wished for rebirth
 as the iniquitous minister has been reborn as the evil Mashang
 Tromba [ma shang khrom pa]. The servant who prayed for rebirth as
 a religious minister to subdue the heretical faction has been
 reborn as Pema Khungtsen [padma khung btsan]. The deluded
 elephant which had wished for rebirth as an irreligious king who
 would suppress the Doctrine will be reborn as your great grandson
 and his name will be The Ox-headed One [glang dar ma]. The crow
 that prayed with compassion to be reborn as the assassin of that
 wicked king has been reborn as the Prince Muruktsempo; in the
 future when the elephant's reincarnation will suppress the
 Buddhas' Doctrine, he will be reborn as the Bodhisattva Lhalung
 Palgyidorje and he will kill the king. The two Brahmin youths who
 prayed to be reborn as translators have been reborn as Kaba
 Paltsek [ka pa dpal rtsegs] and Chokro Luigyaltsan [lchog ro klui
 rgyal mtsan]. The two princesses who prayed to be reborn as
 scribes have been reborn as Denma Tsemang [ldan ma rtse mang] and
 Legchin Nyima [legs byin nyi ma]."
   The Lotus Born Guru ceased speaking. The King Trisondetsen and
 the whole assembly were amazed and credulous. They prostrated
 themselves again and again before offering powerful prayers for
 the Doctrine and for all sentient beings.
 
 SAMAYA GYA GYA GYA                       SEAL THE THREEFOLD BOND
 
 
                                    3
                                 The Third
                               Chapter of the
                            Legend of the Great
                    Stupa Jarungkhasor: The Consequences
                   of Offering Circumambulation and Prayer.
 
    When again the King Trisondetsen approached the Lotus Born
 Guru, "O Great Guru, tell us of the benefit and favor granted by
 prostrating before the Stupa, of circumambulation, of adoration
 and offering and service to the concentrated form of all the
 Buddhas of the past, present and future."
    The Great Guru replied, "Listen and give me your full
 attention O Great King! After the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of the
 past, present and future were absorbed in their reality into the
 receptacle of Pure Mind forever, this Great Stupa could grant any
 supplication and fulfill every aspiration immediately and
 effortlessly for it became as the Wish Fulfilling Gem, the Yeshey
 Norbu. The benefits and favours received by any living creature
 who with a pure heart prostrates himself before the Great Stupa,
 circumambulates it and adores it are inconceivable and
 incalculable beyond the expression of the Buddhas of the past,
 present and future, for these stones were laid in order to bring
 inconceivable joy to humanity. As this Great Stupa is the
 receptacle of the Mind of the Buddhas of the past, present and
 future, so it is the plane of adoration of both mundane and
 supramundane beings; to both men and gods, whatever supplication
 is made and whatever prayer is offered, all wishes will be
 granted and even supreme realization and spiritual power may be
 obtained.
    "This Great Stupa, Jarungkhasor, the Precious Wish Fulfilling
 Gem, grants all manner of happiness. Whoever visits the Great
 Stupa and gazes upon it has the three doors of the lower realms
 of hungry ghosts, animals and hellish spirits closed against him
 when his spirit wanders in the Bardo after death; whoever hears
 the vibration of the Great Stupa with his ears has the seed of
 supreme illumination planted within him; whoever visualizes the
 nature of the Great Stupa is freed from paranoia, megalomania and
 lethargy and is reborn into the stream of concentration; whoever
 folds his hands in reverence follows the Path of Reality.
    "Any self-seeking leader who makes a sacrifice to the Great
 Stupa becomes a Monarch of the Universe. Whoever circumambulates
 the Great Stupa attains the seven qualities of divine happiness:
 noble birth, fine form, great pleasure, virtue and understanding,
 power and prosperity, freedom from disease and extreme longevity.
 Whoever offers prayer finds immediate fulfillment of his wishes
 for both himself and others. Whoever offers gifts to the Priests
 of the Stupa is reborn free from thirst and sickness. Whoever
 offers flowers to the Great Stupa obtains ease and contentment,
 prosperity and health; whoever offers incense achieves pure
 action; whoever offers lamps has the darkness of unknowing
 illuminated; whoever offers perfume is freed from anxiety and
 suffering; whoever offers sacrificial food lives a life of
 concentration free from hunger[.]
    "Whoever offers music to the Great Stupa spreads the Vibration
 of Dharma throughout the ten directions; whoever offers the sound
 of cymbals obtains deep and strong understanding and prosperity;
 whoever offers the sound of tinkling bells obtains a gentle and
 sweet voice - the sacred tones of Brahma.
    "Whoever offers a Mandala to the Great Stupa attains perfect
 virtue and understanding as fruit of social interaction and
 meditation practice. Whoever offers a Mandala of the five
 precious stones - gold, silver, turquoise, coral and pearl - is
 freed from poverty and misfortune and becomes master of the
 inexhaustible ethereal treasury; whoever offers a Mandala of the
 seven precious things enjoys the riches of the kingdom in his
 temporal existence and acquires the Divine Body with the seven
 limbs of adoration in the realm of sublimity; whoever offers a
 Mandala of the seven spices of life is freed from diseases of
 body, emotion, impulse and consciousness, from fatal diseases and
 all sickness; whoever offers a Mandala of the five essentials of
 existence is released from the suffering of pride, envy, hatred,
 lust and lethargy and attains the Buddha Body of the Five
 Transmuted Lineages of Amitabha, Amoghasiddhi, Vajrasattva,
 Ratnasambhava and Vairochana; whoever offers a Mandala of the
 five grains reaps a rich harvest from the seeds sown.
    "Whoever offers the five kinds of incense to the Great Stupa
 becomes attractive and loved by all; whoever offers the five
 kinds of perfume obtains a clean house untroubled by unpleasant
 odours; whoever offers the five divine gifts accumulates merit,
 and his power, glory, pleasure and worldly goods increase;
 whoever offers the Celestial Parasol and Victory Banner has the
 tension of passion alleviated and becomes worthy of honour and
 reverence; whoever offers embroidered hangings [hphran pa] or a
 Divine Ensign [ba dan] obtains happiness, wealth and abundance,
 and is freed from fear of fire, water, lions, elephants,
 retribution, snakes, temptresses and thugs; whoever offers a
 rosary or crown attains the ecstasy of men and gods and is
 bejeweled with the seven precious things; whoever offers mustard
 oil is freed from the veil of lethargy; whoever offers a butter
 lamp irradiates the ten directions with the light of Dharma.
    "Whoever offers the Precious Wheel to the Great Stupa turns
 the Wheel of Dharma; whoever offers the Precious Jewel receives
 his heart's desires falling like rain; whoever offers the
 Precious Queen is reborn in the stream of understanding; whoever
 offers the Precious Minister becomes a spiritual leader, skilled
 in method and manipulation; whoever offers the Precious Elephant
 has understanding of the highest meaning of the Mahayana; whoever
 offers the Precious Horse acquires confidence, energy,
 imagination, and discernment of the Four Feet of Magical
 Transformation - confidence, energy, intelligence and
 application; whoever offers the Precious General conquers all
 adversaries; whoever offers the Seven Precious Regal Gifts
 attains mastery of the Great Kingdom of Dharma; whoever offers
 these Eight Magical Symbols is well omened and enjoys the
 pleasure and wealth of gods and men.
    "Whoever offers robes for the Image of Priest of the Great
 Stupa enjoys fine sensuous clothes; whoever gives a coat of
 whitewash to the Stupa acquires a fair and lustrous complexion,
 happiness, prosperity and health, attaining predominance over
 men, gods and demons. Whoever offers curd, milk and butter will
 possess the Ever Provident Cow and a herd of cattle; whoever
 offers molasses, honey and sugar receives celestial food; whoever
 offers fruit juice enjoys many delectable delicacies; whoever
 offers food for the sacrament obtains supreme realization and
 spiritual powers, and all potential arising in the mind will
 become actual; whoever offers water perfumed with the five scents
 has his darkness illuminated and is reborn with nobility and
 attractive purity.
    "Whoever offers the Supreme Lotus Seat is miraculously reborn,
 gentle and beautiful on the pollen bed of a lotus flower, to
 obtain the Lion Throne of Fearlessness; whoever performs priestly
 duties is saved from the suffering of Hell, the realm of tortured
 spirits and the animal kingdom, and obtains health, wealth and
 virtue; whoever performs ordered ritual adoring all the Buddhas
 attains the power of Buddha Action; whoever cleans dust and dirt
 from the Great Stupa attains a beautiful body and fine
 complexion; whoever repairs of restores the Great Stupa has the
 seed and root of unknowing eradicated. Whoever seeks unity with
 Buddha Mind, dissolving his ego in the Emptiness of the Great
 Stupa, attains awareness of the Great Symbol - Mahamudra - with
 the Vidhyadharas; whoever becomes a Lama or Exemplar enters the
 arena of creative spontaneity; whoever makes offerings to the
 Great Stupa is reborn to power.
    "Whoever restores the Great Stupa accomplishes the four forms
 of Buddha Activity, attains every aim conceived and receives the
 highest understanding; whoever makes bricks becomes Monarch of
 the Universe, Lord of every speck of dust; whoever carries earth
 and stones has the dangers to life eliminated and obstacles in
 living removed - receiving lifelong health and beauty; whoever
 strives to purify body, speech and mind, the three doors of
 illumination, is blessed by all the Buddhas' Trikaya; whoever
 makes virtuous friends follows the Dharma Path of the ten
 virtues, and never being without kindly exemplars, he receives
 whatever power is required in every situation; whoever supervises
 the work of restoration is reborn a leader of the Bodhisattvas of
 the ten directions performing only Buddha Service; whoever
 perseveres at his craft will master medicine, dialectics, music
 and metaphysics in all future existences; whoever makes the seven
 ritual paces toward the Great Stupa when unable to make a
 pilgrimage attains the pure human vessel after seven reawakenings
 and recalls his past lives; whoever gives profitable advice
 acquires the talents of knowledge; whoever gives instruction has
 every word he utters in this and future existences heard and
 understood by all living beings; whoever fills a hole or seals a
 crack in the fabric of the Great Stupa is reborn as a man or god
 able to realize the sacred vision.
    Whoever lives by the Great Stupa in prayer masters the secrets
 of immortality and discovers the source of life; whoever remains
 permanently by the Stupa reciting the scriptures never suffers
 from the privations of famine or invasion and if a king remains
 there his kingdom will be peaceful and his subjects content;
 whoever utters Mantra in others' hearing and demonstrates the
 Bodhisattvas' qualities attains all the virtues of Buddhas and
 Bodhisattvas; whoever listens and then explains the meaning of
 the Dharma acts as the Buddhas of the past, present and future;
 whoever creates a line drawing or model of this Great Stupa may
 travel to the Pure Land of any Buddha and remain until becoming
 indissoluble with Pure Mind; whoever writes the legend of this
 Great Stupa or writes the biography of a Bodhisattva receives the
 same reward as the writers of the entire Buddhist Canon; whoever
 rejoices in the ecstasy of existence is reborn at the source of
 Buddha Quality; whoever asks the wave of bliss from the Great
 Stupa receives empowerment from all the Buddhas of the ten
 directions; if any being, by chance, visualizes this Great Stupa
 he is miraculously reborn in the essence of a lotus flower in the
 Western Buddhafield of Sukhavati, the Pure Land of Bliss.
    "Any human being who maliciously damages this Great Stupa
 suffers in countless ways in this existence and successive lives;
 he shall suffer the excruciating agony of the Avici Hell, without
 possibility of escape of means of expiation.
    "This Great Stupa is like a Precious Wish Fulfilling Gem:
 whatever supplication is made by any living being for the supreme
 power of understanding or any relative understanding or authority
 will be granted - every prayer will be fulfilled. This miraculous
 Stupa is called Montam Tamched Drupa - the Fulfiller of All
 Prayers."
    After the Lotus Born Guru had spoken, King Trisondetsen and
 his attendants were struck with wonder and, inspired to a
 pinnacle of faith, wept in joy. Throwing their bodies on the
 ground and prostrating before the Guru a thousand times, they
 offered this prayer, "EH MA HO!! The miraculous nature of this
 Stupa cannot be described by Buddha, it is inconceivable! It is
 ineffable! Hereafter through every existence let us be reborn
 favoured by the Great Stupa, offering everything under the sky
 and the sky itself."
 
 SAMAYA GYA GYA GYA                        SEAL THE THREEFOLD BOND
 
                                     4
                                 The Fourth
                               Chapter of the
                            Legend of the Great
                          Stupa Jarungkhasor: The
                     Portents of the Ruin of the Great
                    Stupa in the Middle of the Kaliyuga.
 
 Again King Trisondetsen spoke to the Lotus Born Guru, "O Great
 Guru, in the Kaliyuga, the age of decadence and corruption, when
 the Voice of Buddha is a mere echo, will this Great Stupa, this
 Wish Fulfilling Gem, be destroyed or damaged? Will it decay? And
 if it is neglected or damaged what will be the portent of its
 ruin? What vice will corrupt this area of the transitory world?
 When the signs and omens are seen, what must be done?"
    Guru Rimpoche replied, "Listen O Great King! The real
 perfection of this Great Stupa is indestructible, inviolate and
 incorruptible: it is inseparable from the Body of Infinite
 Simplicity of all the Buddhas. But the phenomenal structure of
 the Great Stupa is perishable, a transitory form in a changing
 world and it may be partially damaged by the four elements. The
 damage will be repaired by the incarnations of the Lords of the
 Three Families - Manjusri, Avalokitesvara, and Vajrapani _ and
 the Wrathful Bhrikutis and Tara Devi.
    "As the Kaliyuga progresses towards the final conflagration,
 life expectancy of man decreases and the weight of darkness
 becomes more intense, but there remain restraints on the downward
 path when the Voice of Buddha is heard and the Path of Dharma
 followed. Towards the end of the era, when the duration of man's
 lifespan has been reduced from sixty to fifty years and there has
 been no respite in man's increasing egoism, these conditions will
 prevail, portending ruin to the Great Stupa: householders fill
 the monasteries and there is fighting before the alter; the
 temples are used as slaughterhouses; the ascetics of the caves
 return to the cultivated valleys and the Yogins become traders;
 thieves own the wealth and cattle; monks become householders
 while priests and spiritual leaders turn to robbery, brigandage,
 and thievery. Disorder becomes chaos, turning to panic which
 rages like wildfire. Corrupt and selfish men become leaders while
 abbots turned army officers lead their monks as soldiers; nuns
 but their own bastards to death. Sons see their estates and
 inheritances stolen from them. Mean and vulgar demagogues become
 local leaders while young girls instruct the young in schools.
 The belch of the Bon Magician resounds in the Yogin's hermitage
 and the wealth of the sanctuaries is looted; the scriptures of
 the Tathagatas, the images of the Buddhas, the sacred icons, the
 scroll paintings and the stupas will be desecrated, stolen and
 bartered at the market price - their true worth forgotten; the
 temples become cowsheds and stables covered with dung.
    "When religious duties are forgotten, spirits of darkness,
 which had been controlled by ritual power, become unloosed and
 frenzied and govern the mind of whatever being they possess.
 Spirits of vindicative power possess monks; spirits of egoistic
 wickedness possess the Mantradhara or magician; spirits of
 disease possess the Bon Priest; enchanting spirits causing
 disease possess men; grasping, quarreling spirits possess women;
 spirits of wantonness possess maidens; spirits of depravity
 possess nuns; spirits of rebellion and malice possess children;
 every man, woman and child in the country becomes possessed by
 uncontrollable forces of darkness. The signs of these times are
 new and fantastical modes of dressing - traditional styles are
 forgotten; the monks wear fancy robes and the nuns dress up
 before a mirror. Every man must carry a sword to protect himself
 and each man guard his food from poison. The Abbot and Master
 poison their pupil's minds and hearts; the executive and
 legislature disagree; men become lewd and licentious; women
 become unchaste; monks ignore their discipline and moral code;
 the Mantradharas break their covenant.
    "As the frenzy of malicious, selfish, vindictive and ruthless
 spirits grows, paranoid rumor increases and ornament and clothing
 fashions change more frequently.
    "Drunkards preach the Path to Salvation; the advice of
 sycophants is followed; fraudulent teachers give false
 initiations; guileful impostors claim psychic powers; loquacity
 and eloquence pass as wisdom. The arrogant elevate profanity; the
 proletariat rules the kingdom; kings become paupers; the butcher
 and murderer become leaders of men; unscrupulous self-seekers
 rise to high position. The Masters of the High Tantras stray like
 dogs in the streets and their faithless errant students roam like
 lions in the jungle. Embodiments of malice and selfishness become
 revered teachers, while the achievements of Tantric Adepts become
 reviled, the guidance of the Secret Guru execrated, the precepts
 of the Buddha ignored and the advice of Yogis and Sages unsought.
 Robes become worn by fools and villains while monks wear foreign
 dress; even murderers wear the sacred robe. Men resort to
 maledictory enchantment learning Mantra for selfish ends; monks
 prepare poisonous potions for blackmail, extortion and profit.
 False doctrines are devised from the Buddhas' Word and the
 teachers' interpretations become self-vindications. Many
 treacherous paths, previously uncharted, are followed; many
 iniquitous practices spread; behavior becomes tolerated which was
 previously anathema; ideals are established contrary to
 tradition; and all good customs and habits are rejected and many
 despicable innovations corrupt. The wealth of the monasteries is
 plundered and spent upon gluttony by those under vow; following
 errant paths, men become trapped by their own mean actions; the
 avaricious and spurious protectors of the pure teaching no longer
 fulfill their functions.
    "The celestial order, disrupted, loosens plague, famine and
 war to terrorize terrestrial life. The planets run wild, and the
 stars fall out of their constellations; great burning stars arise
 bringing unprecedented disaster. No rain falls in season, but out
 of season; the valleys are flooded. Famine, frost and hail govern
 many unproductive years. The rapacious female demons [ma mo] and
 the twelve guardian protectresses of the Dharma, unpropitiated
 and enraged release diseases, horrible epidemics and plagues
 which spread like wildfire, striking men and cattle. Earthquakes
 bring sudden floods while fire, storms and tornadoes destroy
 temples, stupas and cities in an instant. At this time the Great
 Stupa itself falls in ruins. During this pall of darkness the
 Wheel of Dharma at Vajrasana [Bodh Gaya] does not function; India
 is stricken with famine; the Kathmandu Valley is inflicted with
 plague; earthquakes decimate the people of Upper Ngari in Western
 Tibet; plague destroys the people of Central Tibet; the Kyi
 Valley District of Lhasa subsides; the peaks of the High
 Himalayas in the borderland on Mon fall into the valleys. Three
 strong forts are built on the Five Peaked Mountain; Yogis
 assemble in the Valley of the Bear's Lair on Mon; two suns rise
 in Kham to the east; the Chinese Emperor dies suddenly; four
 armies descend on Central Tibet from the borders; the Muslim
 Turks conquer India; the Garlok army suppresses the Dharma in
 Kashmir; the Mongols conquer Tibet; the Jang army enters Kham;
 the Protectors' Temple, Rasa Trulnang [Ra sa hphrul snang] in
 Lhasa is threatened; the famous temple of Samye is desecrated;
 the stupas of Bhutan tilt and the Wheel of Dharma malfunctions.
    "The great monasteries of the of the country become deserted
 and the Belch of the Bon Priest resounds in the quiet hermitages;
 the wise and simple leaders of the monasteries have been poisoned
 so that the lineal explanations and practices are fragmented or
 lost; the holders of the lineal traditions meet sudden death.
 Impostors and frauds cheat the people and black spectres haunt
 the land. The knot in the silken thread binding demonic forces in
 divine bondage is untied and the cord of faith keeping the human
 mind harmonious is severed. The kings law is broken and the
 strength of communal unity lost; the peoples' traditions are
 rejected and the sea of contentment dries up; personal morality
 is forgotten and the cloak of modesty thrown away. Virtue is
 powerless and humiliated and led away by coarse, immodest and
 fearful rulers. Abbots, teachers and professors become army
 officers while the ignorant guide religious aspirants, explain
 the doctrine and give initiation. Aspirants speak with self-
 defensive abuse while butchers and wild elephants lead men. The
 passes, valleys and narrow paths are terrorized by shameless
 brigands; fearful, lawless and leaderless, the people fight
 amongst themselves, each man working selfishly. Tibet becomes
 corrupt and defiled. These are the conditions prevailing during
 the middle of the Kaliyuga when the duration of man's life is
 fifty years: these are the portents of the destruction of the
 Great Stupa.
    "These signs and sufferings will awaken the mind of a man, and
 disgusted with the human condition, favoured in his actions and
 governed by sympathy and compassion towards the sufferers, he
 will dedicate himself to the restoration of the Great Stupa. He
 will aspire to the highest human achievement and fulfill his wish
 to rebuild perfection."
    After Guru Rimpoche had spoken, Trisondetsen and his
 attendants were stunned and disheartened. Then recovering his
 senses, Pema Khungtsen, the spiritual leader of Gos, arose and
 prostrated himself one hundred times before Guru Rimpoche and
 then addressed him, "O Great Guru! Let me be reborn to restore
 the Great Stupa when it is in ruins during the decadence and
 corruption of the Kaliyuga, when man's life is short!"
    Guru Rimpoche granted this prayer. King Trisondetsen asked to
 be reborn as an assistant to restore the Great Stupa and his
 attendants prayed that they too should be born to assist in the
 restoration.
 
 SAMYA GYA GYA GAY                         SEAL THE THREEFOLD BOND
 
 
                                     5
                                 The Fifth
                               Chapter of the
                            Legend of the Great
                          Stupa Jarungkhasor: The
                      Restorers and Their Attainments.
 
 
 Again King Trisondetsen spoke to the Lotus Born Guru, "O Great
 Guru! When life is short during the destruction and corruption of
 the Kaliyuga and the damaged Stupa must be restored - as you have
 foretold - where will the reincarnate Pema Khungtsen, the
 Rimpoche of Gos, be born? What will be his name? How will we know
 him? And how many friends and desciples will be around him? What
 contentment and ability will the restoration of the Great Stupa
 bring to that circle?
    The Great Guru replied, "Listen well O Great King! Your
 questions are most pertinent. At the end of the era of
 degeneration, when the duration of man's life has shrunk to fifty
 years, there will be one hundred and one inauspicious omens. At
 the height of this darkness Pema Khungtsen, the Rimpoche of Gos,
 will be reincarnated due to the power of his resolution to attain
 Buddhahood. He will be born in the year of the Hog in the
 highlands of the Province of Tsang to a family of Tantrikas adept
 in the arts of magical transformation, and he will be called
 Pellan Zangpo. He possess strong mental powers and a clear vision
 of the course his life must take. As a result of discretion and
 clarity of perception in the lives since his resolution was
 formed, he is born with confidence  that the Triple Gem signifies
 Eternal Bliss, with respect for the function of the temple, and
 with devotion towards the inner sanctity of form, sound and
 thought. Belonging to the Mahayana Family, he possesses
 compassion for human beings and living creatures and his
 generosity in giving, speaking and thinking is unlimited. With
 the blissful knowledge of the Emptiness of the profound nature of
 all things, he masters violent Buddha Action and the ferocious
 expression of the wrathful protectors. He completes the practices
 of visualization and recitation, when his union with his own
 source of power is consummate and the Guardian Protectors of the
 Inner Sanctum are obedient and bound in service. He is born as a
 child, with concentrated devotion to Orgyen Rimpoche himself.
    "If the vow of this Great Being remains unbroken and
 unimpaired, then, in his twenty-fifth year, the Stupa is
 restored. If the work is postponed but begun before his thirty-
 third year, then it is completed. But if the work is delayed
 beyond this, war will burst like a hurricane over Tibet and China
 and the inhumanity of that calamity will triple the weight of
 darkness, and famine and disease will usher all living beings
 into an abominable hell. From the northeast highland border of
 China an army whose number will equal five measures of white
 mustard seed will invade Tibet and the clamour of terror will
 resound like thunder for many years. Through the southern
 lowlands an army whose number will equals nine measures of white
 mustard seed will invade Tibet and the voice of fear will resound
 like a flying dragon. The armies will dart from valley to valley
 like incinerating lightening and then invade and conquer Western
 Tibet. The highland forces will invade China, plundering to
 victory. One-half of the Tibetan people will be slain while the
 temples are devastated, the images desecrated, the sacred
 scriptures trampled in the dust and the monks and the priests
 murdered. The ruined villages will become desolate, for the
 survivors of this holocaust will escape to Sikkim, Bhutan, Nepal
 and India as refugees and to the Secret Valleys of the Himalayas.
 Those who remain, tied by avarice to land and wealth, will be
 massacred with their cattle by the barbarian iconoclasts.
    "Desiring release from this suffering, the Great Being with
 the power of my bliss, with compassionate sympathy to all living
 beings, free from self-interest in his own body, life and
 satisfaction, restores vigour through divine anger, giving the
 people of the border countries and the refugees the guidance and
 strength they require. When the voice of virtue of the exiles has
 been united, the friends of the Great Being begin their combined
 endeavour to restore the Great Stupa. But the morbid powers of
 darkness have inveigled all men into vice and there are few men
 to put confidence and devotion in the Great Being - as few men as
 there are stars in the daytime. Nevertheless the Great Being is
 attended by one hundred and thirty-thousand devotees of virtuous
 action, one thousand and six masters of deep prayer, eighty-eight
 Yogins adept in maintaining the discipline demanded by the inner
 voice of integrity, eighty liberal and unstinting Patrons,
 twenty-three Seers, eight incarnate Instructors in the secrets of
 the eight Bodhisattvas, twenty-five devoted Spiritual Sons, five
 incarnations of the Dakinis, seven blessed by the Dakinis and
 twenty-five maidens of high birth and good family. Communing with
 them, he removes the defiling veils from their minds and clears
 all obstacles from their paths. Then encountering my Spiritual
 Son, an incarnation of my boundless understanding, an incarnation
 of the Abbot Shantirakshita, Master od Discipline, and an
 incarnation of yourself Trisondetsen, Dharmaraja, Minister to all
 corporeal needs, he receives their empowering touch of bliss, and
 fully restores the Great Stupa.
    "If the Great Stupa is restored according to this prophecy,
 content and prosperous men of the entire southern continent of
 Jambudvipa will reap abundant harvests for twenty-five years.
 Contented and prosperous men in India, Nepal and Sikkim will reap
 abundant harvests for thirty-three years. The Land of the Snows
 will be free from invading barbarian hordes for sixty years and
 harvests will be fruitful and men happy and prosperous for forty
 years. The thoughts of the Path Followers will be actualized. The
 Wheels of Dharma at the temples and monasteries of India and
 Tibet, at Vajrasana and Samyeling, will be untouched by the
 vagaries of the elements and the barriers obstructing the
 transmission of explanation and instruction will be removed and
 the Dharma will spread. Great Beings, Masters of the Lineal
 Traditions, will strengthen their lineages and spread the example
 of Buddha Service. The indications of revealed perfection of the
 completion of the practices of visualization of the Deity and
 recitation of Mantra by Mantradharas, will appear without
 hindrance. The subservient gods and demons of Tibet, the King
 Trisondetsen, his family and heirs and the leaders of the country
 will adhere to both spiritual and temporal obligations, giving
 power to many and satisfaction and virtue to all. The spirits of
 malice and vindictiveness, instruments of the ruination of Tibet,
 and the black beasts corrupted by egoistic intent will be
 vanquished, eradicated.
    "And all living creatures engaged in the restoration of the
 Great Stupa, after three reawakenings, are reborn with the body
 of a man or god, a pure vessel for the nectar of Dharma, and
 finally attain Buddhahood in the Western Buddhafield of
 Sukhavati, the Pure Land of Bliss. Whoever has put trust in the
 Great Stupa, whoever has found joy in the nature of the Great
 Stupa, whoever has shown devotion to the Great Stupa and whoever
 rejoices with the Bodhisattvas when the Restoration of the Great
 Stupa has been completed, after seven rebirths, sits at the head
 of the Vidhyadharas in the Infinite Palace of Lotus Light in the
 Glorious Copper Coloured Mountain of Ngayab in the southwest. Any
 living creature who envisions the Great Restoration with his eye,
 or hears its vibration with his ear, or imagines it in his mind
 or feels it with his body has all traces of unknowing action, the
 stains of sixty-thousand great aeons of ignorance, removed from
 his mind. All men engaged with the Great Being in the Restoration
 of the Great Stupa either with or without understanding, trust or
 devotion receive a part of his supreme realization and spiritual
 power, and arriving at the end of human experience, they live in
 the Reality of the Vidhyadharas at the feet of Orgyen Rimpoche
 himself.
    "Finally, there are three levels of attainment in this Great
 Stupa: First, the rewards of offering and prayer disclosed in the
 third chapter; second, the rewards of perfection in virtue which
 inspire the exhaustless voice of intuition, the instructions of
 the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of the past, present and future
 through hundreds of thousands of aeons; and third, the Qualities
 of the Body of Infinite Simplicity which utterly transcend the
 realm of expression."
    When Guru Rimpoche, the Abbot of Orgyem, the Lotus Born Guru,
 had spoken, the devotees, lost in wonder, received the wave of
 bliss and power to sustain them during the Kaliyuga. Then
 thanking the Guru for his vision, they praised him.
 
 SAMAYA GYA GYA GYA                        SEAL THE THREEFOLD BOND
 
 
 Postscript 
 
 The Dakini Yeshe Tsogyal wrote down these words in the Sacred
 Script of the Dakinis as Guru Rimpoche, the Lotus Born Guru, was
 speaking. As the initiation into the Most Secret Heart of the
 Lama [Lama yang sang thugs] was given, this Terma was hidden in
 the monastery of dpal bsam yas mi hgyur lhun gyis grub pa in the
 Great Temple's upper chamber behind the image of Mahavairocana.
 Prayer was offered that it might be discovered by a worthy
 recipient at the auspicious time.
 
 Here ends the Legend of the Great Stupa Jarungkhasor which
 releases the disciple from the bonds od Samsara.
 
 First Discoverer's Postscript
 
 I, the Terton Lha btsun sngon mo, known as lha 'dbang rgya mksor
 blo gros, withdrew, with due reverence, this Terma from its place
 of concealment behind the image of Mahavairocana. The Legend of
 the Great Stupa Jarungkhasor, related by the Precious Guru of
 Orgyen, was in the form of mystic formula. I received revelations
 at the time of discovery which directed me to rewrite it in the
 ancient script on yellow parchment and to reconceal it on the
 Southwest side of the Lion Throne of the Red Stupa. May it be
 discovered by a worthy recipient with ability at the auspicious
 time!
 
 SAMYA GYA GYA GYA                         SEAL THE THREEFOLD BOND
 
 Second Discoverer's Postscript
 
 I, Ngakchang Sakya Zangpo, blessed with the compassion of the
 Precious Guru of Orgyen, received in a dream revelations
 disclosing the location of this Terma. I discovered it on the
 eighteenth day of the month of the sheep in the water, male-
 monkey year. May it benefit all lineages of sentient beings!
 
 Translator's Postscript
 
 Translated into English by the layman Kunzang Tenzin, based on a
 translation by Nima Norbu, with the permission of His Holiness
 Dunjom Rimpoche after correction of the Tibetan text by Jattur
 Rimpoche and finished at Agia Pelagia on the Island of Kethyra in
 Greece on the twenty-sixth day of the fifth moon of the iron dog
 year or the twenty-second of June, 1971. May it serve to
 illuminate this dark time!
 
 In the Tibetan language the Legend of the Great Stupa is called
 the muchod. chhen. po. bya. rung. kha. sor. gyi. lo. rgyus. thos.
 pas. grol. ba. bshugs. so.
 
 [End of transcription]
 
 Transcriber's Note:
 
 The above is a digital transcription of The Legend of the Great
 Stupa as published in the book The Legend of the Great Stupa and
 The Life Story of the Lotus Born Guru (Berkeley: The Tibetan
 Nyingma Meditation Center & Dharma Publishing, 1973), pp.21-65.
 Dharma Publishing, who gave their kind permission for this
 transcription, would like it known that the book can be ordered
 from them by calling 1-800-873-4276. Further, they point out that
 this text in English translation is copyrighted material. It has
 been made available by Dharma Publishing for electronic access
 solely for sincere Dharma practitioners for their own personal
 use. This text may not be used for any commercial purposes, nor
 may further copies be made or distributed for any purpose
 whatsoever without express written permission of Dharma
 Publishing.
    This transcription was made subsequent to the following
 events: In 1994 this transcriber was blessed by being able to
 visit the Great Stupa. One beautiful evening, just after sunset,
 he took a photograph of the Stupa, with no particular expectation
 of any remarkable results. However, the result is indeed
 remarkable, a photograph which has drawn comments from almost
 everyone who sees it, whether they know what it is or not. Among
 the comments was one made by H.H. Tai Situpa, who suggested that
 the photograph should be made into a poster.  In the spirit of
 that suggestion, and pending such publication, the image has been
 widely distributed, free of cost, to anyone who requests it, in
 digital format; it is to accompany that digital image that this
 digital transcription has been made. May both be of benefit to
 all sentient beings.
 
 Oliver Seeler, transcriber