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| Kalachakra Mandala |
He invited the great tantric wizard, Padmasambhava to his court. Padmasambhava traveled to Tibet from his native region, the Swat Valley in northeast Pakistan, by way of Kashmir and Ladakh. He also brought his teachings to Bhutan where he is still much venerated today. The fact that Padmasambhava was a great theoretician and philosopher, and extremely adept at exorcism and the magic arts were reasons enough to invite him. Padmasambhava succeeded in expelling the demons of the Bon religion, curbing thim - and this reveals his skill as a politician - by incorporating them into Vajrayana Buddhism as dharmapalas, guardians of Buddhism. The old tactic if you can't beat the enemy, then let him join you by offering him a function in the new system - worked here. Thus Padmasambhava put into practice one of the essential elements of Tantrism, namely that negative powers and attributes should not be destroyed, but remodeled by adaptation into salutary powers.
Padmasambhava is considered to have been at the basis of the Nyingmapa, the "Order of Elders." The suffix, "-pa" indicated the monks in the order. Tibetan monastic life began taking root in the 11th century as a result of the successful Second Coming of Buddhism. After centuries of having existed with relatively little structure, the Nyingma Order was established in 1062 (Meulenbeld, 48)...
The conceptualization regarding Padmasambhava is obscured by legends about his magical feats of heroism. The saint probably did exist, although he became a literary figure in whom several persons merged.
His student, Yeshe Tsogyal, wrote his biography, the Pemakathang. Just like many of her works, including the Tibetan Book of the Dead (Bardo Thodol), this hagiography was hidden away. Padmasambhava and his followers hid terma, supposed treasures, so that they would be found in later times by terton, treasure hunters, people with the proper devotion and understanding. These treasures formed the connecting link between the great guru and modern times. From the 11th to the 14th century, numerous finds were made...
The honorific title by which he is generally known is Guru Rinpoche, "Precious Teacher" (48).
Padmasambhava is considered by some as equal to the Buddha. He is called the Second Buddha by the Nyingma Order. The Buddha had many exceptional characteristics. The same was ascribed to Padmasambhava. The Buddha's conception and birth were immaculate events. The same occurred with Padmasambhava, as is revealed by his name which means He Who Was Born from a Lotus (49).
Regarding siddhi...
...A siddha is a person who possesses siddhi, which is another word for nirvana, but also relates to supernatural powers and qualities that are magically acquired in tantric rites. Anybody - monks, nuns, laypersons - can become a siddha. It was also already acknowledged in Theraveda Buddhism that through utmost concentration, people could develop paranormal abilities, but the knowledge acquired was considered dangerou and was not allowed to be utilized as a method to help others. In Tantric Buddhism there was plenty of room for magic, spells, and exorcism.
Siddhas possess extraordinary, transcendental qualities. Some are able to fly or walk on water; others levitate, are able to become invisible, and transport themselves in a flash over great distances. They are not bothered by heat or cold, are able to go almost entirely without food, and are capable of extending their lives. A siddha builds up knowledge step-by-step, often under the guidance of a guru. One who has a lot of siddhi is called a great siddha, a mahasiddha or a Great Perfect One...
The mahasiddhas were historical individuals who lived in India between the seventh and eleventh centuries. These included scholars and poets, but also great minds with no schooling at all. Some were of extremely modest origin, but others were from Brahman and noble families. Some were striking because of their bizarre and unconventional behavior. Of some it might be said that they exhibited outright antisocial behavior, and then there were those who in common parlance were called "crazy."
All had freed themselves of their caste and social background, and were examples of people who did not walk either the path of the ascetic or of the monk. In their own way, answering to neither god nor man, nor taboos nor social norms, not celibate, and radicalizing, they devoted themselves to seeking their own form of perfection. Through their confrontational and libertine behavior they gained popularity among certain sects of the population. Some developed into great scholars who put their philosophies into books, and gathered droves of students around them...Only a few visited the Himalayan countries. A number of Tibetan sects trace their origins to one of these mystics (57).
from Buddhist Symbolism in Tibetan Thangkas, Ben Meulenbeld, Binkey Kok Publications, 2001.
Regarding mandalas...
First and foremost a mandala delineates a consecrated superficies and protects it from invasion by disintegrating forces symbolized in demoniacal cycles. But a mandala is much more that just a consecrated area that must be kept pure for ritual and liturgical means. It is, above all, a map of the cosmos. It is the whole universe in its essential plan, in its process of emanation and of reabsorption.
When the magician or mystic is in the center he identifies himself with the forces that govern the universe and connects their thaumaturgical power within himself.
-G. Tucci, from The Theory and Practice of the Mandala, London 1971.
Regarding types of Magical Powers...
According to Eastern traditions there are 5 ways by which mystic or magical powers can be realized. The types of powers according to mode of acquisition are: (i) janmaja, coexistent with birth, acquired through past karmas and the influence of the heavens, stars, and planets; (ii) ausadhija, due to the influence of a drug; (iii) mantraja, acquired through the recitation of magic syllables and mantras; (iv) tapoja, through extreme austerities; (v) samadija, through living in a state of intense meditation and accumulating samadhi.
There are eight powers (siddhi) in the Buddhist tradition: (i) khadga, the magic all-conquering mantra-sword; (ii) anjana, the magic eye-ointment for seeing visions and finding buried treasure; (iii) padalepa, the magic leg-ointment, which enables a person to go anywhere quickly and without being seen ("seven-league boots"); (iv) antardhana, the power of invisibility; (v) rasa-rasayana, for transmuting metals into gold and the ordinary psyche into a godly one, and for immunity from death ("alchemy"); (vi) khechara, the power to move through space; (vii) bhucara, the power to visit all worlds of the material realms; and (viii) patala, the power to go to "nether" regions of great subtlety (xxviii, from Tibetan Tantric Charms and Amulets, Nik Douglas, 1978).
image from:
http://michel8170.deviantart.com/art/Kalachakra-Mandala-79844211
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