Gyelwai Lodro
Gyelwai Lodro was one of the twenty-five disciples of Padmasambhava. Originally a government minister, he ordained in India and received the Yangdak teachings from Humkara, one of the eighty-four Mahasiddhas.
Born to the Dre ('bre) clan, Gyelwai Lodro (rgyal ba'i blo gros) was an administrator in the government of King Trisong Detsen (khri srong lde’u btsan) before taking ordination in India. His name prior to ordination was Gonpo (mgon po). There he received the teaching of Yangdak Heruka from Humkara, one of the eighty-four Mahasiddhas. He was able to rescue the dead from the realm of the Yamaraja, the lord of death.
Gyelwai Lodro later served as a translator and is counted among Padmasambhava’s twenty-five disciples. Mastering the teachings Padmasambhava gave him, he was reputed to have had the unusual ability to transform zombies into gold, which he then stored in caves and statues for later discovery.
Gyelwai Lodro was said to have achieved longevity through his practice of Yangdak Heruka and to have lived for more than three hundred years, practicing and transmitting the teachings.
Sources
Tarthang Tulku. 1975. Bringing the Teachings Alive. Cazadero, CA: Dharma Publishing.
’Jam mgon kong sprul blo gros mtha’ yas. 2007. Rin chen gter mdzod chen mo. New Delhi: Shechen (v.1 p. 407).
Gu ru bkra shis. 1990. Gu bkra’i chos ’byung. Beijing: Krung go’i bod kyi shes rig dpe skrun khang, p. 174.
Arthur Mandelbaum August 2007
