The Bardo Thodol was first committed to writing in the eighth century A.D. in the time of Padma Sambhava; was subsequently hidden away, and then when the time came for it to be given to the world, was brought to light by Rigzin Karma Ling-pa..
Karma Ling-pa means the name of a place in Tibet called The Land Of Karma. Bardo Thodol is one of the Tibetan Lost Books recovered by Rigzin of Karma Ling-pa, who is held to be an emanation or incarnation of Padma Sambhava, the founder of Lamaism.
It was in the eighth century A. D. that Lamaism, which may be defined as as Tantric Buddhism, took firm root in Tibet.
Buddhism itself entered Tibet a century earlier during the reign of King Srong-Tsan-Gempo who died in A.D. 650. Buddhism entered Tibet from two sources , from Nepal, the land of Buddha's ancestors, through the Tibetan King's marriage with a daughter of the royal family of Nepal; and from China, through his marriage -in theyear 641- with a princess of Chinese imperial family. The king had been nurtured in the old Bon faith of Tibet, which, with its primitive doctrine of rebirth, was quite capable of serving as an approach to Buddhism; and under the influence of his two wives he accepted Buddhism, making it the state religion; but it made little headway in Tibet until a century later when his powerful successor, Thi-Srong-Detsan held the thronefrom A>D. 740 to786.
It was Thi-Srong who invited Padma Sambhava (Tib. Pedma Jungne, i.e. 'The Lotus Born"
'), better known to the Tibetans as Guru Rin-po-Che, 'The Precious Guru', to come to Tibet. The famous Guru was at that time a Professor of Yoga in the great Buddhist University of Nalanda, India, and far-famed for expert knowledge of the Occult Sciences. He was a native of Udyana or Swat, in what is now a part of Afghanistan.
The Great Guru saw the wonderful opportunity which the King's invitation offered, and promptly accepted the call, passing through Nepal and arriving at Samye, Tibet, in the year 747. It was there that the king had invited him, in order to have exorcized the demons of the locality, for as soon as the walls of a monastery which the king was having erected there were raised they were overthrown by local earthquakes, which the demons opposing Buddhism were believed to have caused. When the Great Guru had driven out the demons, all the local earthquakes ceased, much to the wonder of the people; and he himself supervised the completion of the royal monastery, and established therein the first community of Tibetan Buddhist lamas, in the year 749.
Karma Ling-pa means the name of a place in Tibet called The Land Of Karma. Bardo Thodol is one of the Tibetan Lost Books recovered by Rigzin of Karma Ling-pa, who is held to be an emanation or incarnation of Padma Sambhava, the founder of Lamaism.
It was in the eighth century A. D. that Lamaism, which may be defined as as Tantric Buddhism, took firm root in Tibet.
Buddhism itself entered Tibet a century earlier during the reign of King Srong-Tsan-Gempo who died in A.D. 650. Buddhism entered Tibet from two sources , from Nepal, the land of Buddha's ancestors, through the Tibetan King's marriage with a daughter of the royal family of Nepal; and from China, through his marriage -in theyear 641- with a princess of Chinese imperial family. The king had been nurtured in the old Bon faith of Tibet, which, with its primitive doctrine of rebirth, was quite capable of serving as an approach to Buddhism; and under the influence of his two wives he accepted Buddhism, making it the state religion; but it made little headway in Tibet until a century later when his powerful successor, Thi-Srong-Detsan held the thronefrom A>D. 740 to786.
It was Thi-Srong who invited Padma Sambhava (Tib. Pedma Jungne, i.e. 'The Lotus Born"
'), better known to the Tibetans as Guru Rin-po-Che, 'The Precious Guru', to come to Tibet. The famous Guru was at that time a Professor of Yoga in the great Buddhist University of Nalanda, India, and far-famed for expert knowledge of the Occult Sciences. He was a native of Udyana or Swat, in what is now a part of Afghanistan.
The Great Guru saw the wonderful opportunity which the King's invitation offered, and promptly accepted the call, passing through Nepal and arriving at Samye, Tibet, in the year 747. It was there that the king had invited him, in order to have exorcized the demons of the locality, for as soon as the walls of a monastery which the king was having erected there were raised they were overthrown by local earthquakes, which the demons opposing Buddhism were believed to have caused. When the Great Guru had driven out the demons, all the local earthquakes ceased, much to the wonder of the people; and he himself supervised the completion of the royal monastery, and established therein the first community of Tibetan Buddhist lamas, in the year 749.
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