Zangdok Palri
In accordance with Chokling Rinpoche’s own prophetical dream and the heart advice of his root guru, His Holiness Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, Chokling Rinpoche is now building an outer representation of Zangdok Palri in Vajravarahi, outside Kathmandu, Nepal.
As Zangdok Palri is the focal point of Guru Rinpoche’s realisation, it would be of great benefit for the peace and happiness of the world, for the long lives and activities of all the great Tibetan Buddhist masters and the flourishing of the precious teachings of the Buddha.
It is a supreme place of liberation through seeing, and accumulation of merit through offerings. In the future,we plan that it will be a tantric school dedicated to upholding the sacred teachings of the Secret Mantrayana.
“For the benefit of preserving and propagating the precious Buddhadharma, liberating each and every sentient being in this age of degenerations, and ensuring the good health, long lives and bountiful activities of all the venerated Masters, I hope that all of you will strive to create a powerful link with this undertaking.”
- 4th Tsikey Chokling Rinpoche
Zangdok Palri, the Glorious Copper Coloured Mountain, is the pure land of Guru Rinpoche, the second Buddha and the great tantric master who brought Buddhism to Tibet.
The outer Zangdok Palri is a majestic place of wisdom, power and blessings, where one can be reborn with favourable qualities to progress swiftly on the path to enlightenment.
The palace in Zangdok Palri, is based on an eight-sided jewel and a thousand-petaled lotus, with four gates, four arches and eight pillars.
In the four directions are walls made of precious substances – crystal in the east, lapis lazuli in the south, ruby in the west and sapphire in the north.
It has three levels. The Dharmakaya (top) level is Buddha Amitayus, the Sambhogakaya (middle) level is four-armed Avalokiteshvara, and the Nirmanakaya (bottom) level is Guru Rinpoche.
I am never far from those with faith,
Or even from those without it,
Though they do not see me.
My children will always, always,
Be protected by my compassion.
- Guru Rinpoche’s parting words to Yeshe Tsogyal
Before leaving Tibet, Guru Rinpoche hid many teachings that were to be revealed to benefit sentient beings in the future by 108 great tertöns (or treasure revealers).
Chokgyur Lingpa was the last of Guru Rinpoche’s prophesized Great Treasure Revealers, embodying all the blessings and enlightened activities of the preceding 107 Great Treasure Revealers.
During his lifetime, Chokgur Lingpa visited the Copper-Colored Mountain, Guru Rinpoche’s pure realm, three times, where he received teachings, transmissions and blessings directly from Amitayus, Avalokiteshvara, Guru Rinpoche and Yeshe Tsogyal.
In one of his visits, the dakinis said to him,
“Son of noble family, without forgetting a single detail, keep these displays of the pure realm in your heart.
In the future, whoever sees, hears, thinks of this, or makes supplication, will take birth in the pure realm of Lotus Light on the Glorious Mountain [[[Zangdok Palri]]] to the southwest, or be benefited in other ways.
It will definitely benefit whoever connects with it.”
- The Life of Chokgyur Lingpa
“Mandala is the intricate, art aspect of Tibetan culture, based on specific lineages of teachings passed from master to student over generations.
If a lineage is lost or broken, then the art form would be nothing more than an ordinary person’s creation, without much essence.
That is why building Zangdok Palri is central to the realization of our mission.
The very process of building a Mandala is itself an act of teaching, or passing down, tools for peace and lasting happiness.
Building Mandala teaches the qualities of patience, diligence etc.
It is also an opportunity for learning about the ancient art form itself, its symbolism and meaning.”
(full quote)
—Lama Chödak Gyatso Nubpa
Zangdok Palri is a highly symbolic and intricately detailed Mandala representing the enlightened qualities of Guru Padmasambhava, the master who brought Buddhism to Tibet in the ninth century.
For those who see, touch, enter or remember this sacred structure, it is said that a connection is made to quicken one’s spiritual development and to realize one’s innate compassion.
The initial stages for constructing this Mandala, as a centuries-lasting, four-story monument dedicated to global peace and harmony has already begun, under the direction of the Lama Chödak Gyatso.
Lama Chödak Gyatso Nubpa: “There are many ways to cultivate an understanding of the Mandala of Zangdok Palri, the Copper-Colored Mountain, the Celestial Mansion of Guru Rinpoche, who is the quintessence of enlightened activities of all the Buddhas and Mahabodhisattvas benefiting sentient beings of the degenerate time.
Visually, when we see the Mandala of Zangdok Palri either as a painting, sand Mandala or a three- dimensional Mandala we see this as a sacred space, complex yet rich in ancient symbolism.
Others may appreciate Zangdok Palri as a historic monument, by means of the extraordinary undertaking of creating such an authentic sacred Tibetan spiritual art in an effort to preserve this universal heritage which is at the brink of extinction in the West.
Yet, the most complete and simple way in which one can identify the Mandala of Zangdok Palri is that it is none other than a detailed representation, in its totality, of sentient beings’ ultimate potential; the awakened state of one’s own mind.”
The Benefits of Building Such a Structure:
Lama Chödak Gyatso Nubpa: “When we reflect on history and examine through reasoning, in the snowy land of Tibet there has been no-one whose kindness surpasses the great kindness of Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava).
Not only that, the Mandala of this very Buddha who is the embodiment of tremendous compassion for all sentient beings, the Copper-Colored Mountain of Glory (Zangdok Palri),
this great immeasurable mansion of Lotus Light, just as all of its measurements and defining characteristics have been revealed many thousands of years ago by this very Buddha himself,
as he gave rise to the supreme motivation focused solely for the benefit and happiness of all boundless mother-sentient beings,
the building of this immeasurable Mandala constructed with virtue in the beginning, middle, and end. We begin with the formal earth-taming and land-requesting ceremony, and then proceed through all of the stages of building.
Upon completion of the building, we have to perform consecration ceremonies, where we invite the wisdom-beings, cause them to dissolve into the Mandala like pouring water into water, and then stabilize their presence.
As it is consecrated in this way again and again by Lamas who are the regents of Guru Rinpoche, and by Lamas who are like the messengers of the Guru’s enlightened activity—glorious intrinsic awareness-holding masters, such an immeasurable celestial Mandala will become a sublime and supreme object of sentient beings’ propitious good fortune.
In particular, all who see it will have some degree of blessing of liberation upon sight.
In the same way, there is liberation through hearing, liberation through tasting, liberation through touching, and liberation through thinking of it, for it is imbued with the qualities of these four modes of blessings.
This is an infallible truth. For someone like myself, who is utterly devoid of either of the two qualities of innate knowledge or knowledge born from study, such a nature is beyond the capacity of an ordinary state.
However, I do not feel that I am mistaken, as my words are based on even just a single drop of the nectar of the infallible enlightened speech (vajra speech) of the awakened ones.
