Sacred Sites of Padmasambhava

Maha Guru Padmasambhava stands alone as by far the most influential figure in Himalayan Buddhism. Guru Rinpoche as he his know to Tibetans meditated at numerous sites in Nepal, India, Bhutan, Tibet and beyond. Considered the Second Buddha, he is deeply revered and often serves as a primary source of refuge and object of devotion for most Himalayan Buddhists.

Padmasambhava was invited to Tibet to help establish Vajrayana Buddhism there, however before this, he visited Nepal at Many times and key events in his hagiography played out here.

At Pharping, just South West of Kathmandu, he entered a meditation retreat focussed on the Tantric Buddha, Vajrakilaya (Tib. རྡོ་རྗེ་ཕུར་པ།). An important result of this retreat was a meditation manual on this practice which became the foundation of the majority of Vajrakilaya lore and theory in Tibetan Buddhism. Vajrakilaya, in various forms, is practiced by all schools of Tibetan Buddhism and is associated with the removal of inner, outer and secret obstacles.

Later at the upper cave, known as the Asura cave, he attained Mahamudra attainment of Vidhyadhara or knowledge holder. As such this site has the same significance to Vajrayana Buddhists as Bodhgaya.

There are many other sites associated with Padmasambhava in Nepal, one of the most dramatic is the cave complex known as Maratika or Haleshi in Khotnag district. Padmasambhava is said to have flown there from Lake Rewalsar, in Himachal Pradesh, India, with his consort Princess Mandarava. At Maratika they practiced the sadhana (ritual meditation) of the Buddha Amithayus, Buddha of infinite life, and attained immortality whilst receiving teachings from Amithayus in person.

On this trip, we will take you to the sacred sites where Padmasamhava traveled, meditated and attained accomplishment. As with other sites in Nepal, these are also the sites of natural beauty, great biodiversity and rich cultural heritage. Our guides and instructors will lead you to the site, along with sessions and interactions with the resident Lamas. There will also be meditation sessions that will help us receive a glance into the wisdom of Padmasambhava and his legacy.