Every Guru Rinpoche day for the last 12 years or so, Phakchok Rinpoche has been sending out letters to remind his students to be mindful, and to bring them back on the path.
Rinpoche already has begun to cover the visionary journeys of great practitioners to Copper-Colored Mountain (check out News for past stories), and Nekhor continues to share these Guru Rinpoche day messages. This, the eighth of the year’s series, recounts Jikmé Tenpé Nyima’s journey to Copper-Colored Mountain:
Dear friends near and far,
As always, I hope this message finds you well, healthy and happy, at this end of summer. On this Guru Rinpoché day, I would like to share with you the description of Zangdok Palri made by Jikmé Tenpé Nyima (1865-1926), the third Dodrupchen Rinpoché.
Dodrupchen Jikmé Tenpé Nyima was born in the Golok province of Tibet as one of the eight famous sons of Düdjom Lingpa. An outstanding scholar and Dzokchen practitioner, he was the teacher of many great masters, such as Jamyang Khyentsé Chökyi Lodrö.
Though Dodrupchen Rinpoché’s brief description of Zangdok Palri was composed as a scholarly writing, the text greatly resembles a pure vision. Please take the time to contemplate the profound beauty of his descriptions and let it inspire your practice:
“In the ocean are eight great islands of rākṣasas, at once frightening and yet beautiful like pure lands. In the middle of them is a vast body of deep blue ocean, which looks like the sky had fallen on the earth. In the center of that is the magnificent Glorious Copper-Colored Mountain.
The slopes of the mountain are filled with rākṣasa towns, beautiful mansions, charnel grounds, and pleasure groves where ḍākas and ḍākinīs revel in celebration. The mountain top is an immeasurable field adorned with wishfulfilling trees, amrita lakes, jewel rocks, and flower meadows. Flocks of birds and swarms of bees sing Dharma songs and dance ḍākinī dances.
Here, whatever you wish for—food, drink, clothing, jewels—appears instantly. The entire space is filled with awareness-holders and ḍākinīs as numerous as the floating particles visible in sunbeams. The sky is filled with myriad light patterns, and the whole land resounds with tantric recitations and vajra songs. The vibration of vajra dances transforms all appearances into great bliss.
In the center of it all is the Palace of Lotus Light, adorned with boundless gems of all colors that radiantly shine. Its roof is golden and bedecked with bells that ring the Dharma teachings. Many other structures surround the Palace, such as the Peaceful, Increasing, Magnetizing, and Wrathful Mansions to the East, South, West, and North.
All beings here have taken miraculous rebirth in a lotus, unstained by the womb.”
May Jikmé Tenpé Nyima’s pure visions inspire you to develop pure perception.
Sarva Mangalam,
Kyabgön Phakchok Rinpoche