The Vajra Guru Mantra

This is the Vajra Guru mantra, addressed to Padmasambhava, the eighth-century master whom Tibetan tradition credits with establishing Buddhism in Tibet and reveres under the title Guru Rinpoche, the precious teacher. Widely recited across the Nyingma and other Tibetan traditions, it invokes him by name, Padma, the lotus, from which he is said to have been miraculously born, and calls for the attainment (siddhi) that flows from his blessing. It is used in daily practice, on retreat, and at times of difficulty, counted on the rosary in vast numbers, and is treated as a means of connecting with Padmasambhava's continuing presence and protective power. Within the Nyingma tradition of the treasure-teachings (terma), held to have been concealed by Padmasambhava for later discovery, the mantra carries particular authority. It is among the best known of all Tibetan mantras, second in popular use only to the six-syllable mantra of Avalokiteshvara.