Padmasambhava- The Great Indian Pandit

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Padmasambhava is a Sanskrit word that literally translates as 'One Born from a Lotus'.

An eighth-century Indian Buddhist master, Padmasambhava is widely venerated as a 'second Buddha' across Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan and the Himalayan states of India. It is because of him that Tibet gave up her imperialistic attitude and embraced the teachings of the Buddha. The heritage of the Vajrayana Buddhists all over the world can be traced to this one man from India. Due to his immense compassion and kindness towards sentient beings of this age, he is affectionately referred to as Guru Rinpoche-the 'Precious Teacher'.

This simple yet deeply illuminating book, written by a master himself and adorned with beautiful and rare illustrations, is a great example of India's timeless Buddhist heritage.

Born in Bhutan, Neten Chokling was brought down to India at the age of four at his predecessor’s monastery in Himachal Pradesh. He was recognized by the sixteenth Karmapa as well as Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche as being the reincarnation of Neten Chokling Pema Gyurme. The Sixteen Karmapa named him Gyurme Dorje.

Neten Chokling and Tsikey Chokling Rinpoche are the reincarnations of the nineteenth-century master Chokgyur Lingpa. This lineage traces back to Trisong Detsen, the Tibetan king who invited Padmasambhava to Tibet.

He acted in Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche’s films 'The Cup' (1999) and Travelers and Magicians (2003). In 2006, he directed his own first film, Milarepa - Magician, Murderer, Saint. The film portrays the early life of Thopaga, the young Milarepa, before he encounters the spiritual path. Neten Chokling also made Brilliant Moon, a documentary on the life of his teacher, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. He is currently in the midst of a production on Padmasambhava.

This book on Padmasambhava is a compilation of many hagiographies of the master. They are numerous in number and none of them contradict each other. There are hagiographies spoken by Padmasambhava and written down by his close student and confidante Yeshe Tsogyal and there are also those, which were written down by his other immediate disciples.

India is a land rich in Buddhist heritage. From Jammu and Kashmir to the southern state of Tamil Nadu, there are Buddhist indications of India's past. My aspiration is that this book on Padmasambhava will enrich the readers about their extraordinary lineage and make them feel proud of their past. It is also my aspiration that the Buddhist heritage of India is kept alive by the future generations.

As a Buddhist, I am very grateful to Aruna Vasudev for coming up with the idea for a series of books on Buddhist masters of Indian heritage. This will be of tremendous benefit for now and for the future. My appreciation also goes to Shobit Arya and Wisdom Tree for publishing this series of books.

**Contents and Sample Pages**