Padmasambhava

Padmasambhava, also known as Guru Rinpoche and the Lotus from Oḍḍiyāna, was a tantric Buddhist Vajra master from medieval India who taught Vajrayana in Tibet (circa 8th – 9th centuries). According to some early Tibetan sources like the Testament of Ba, he came to Tibet in the 8th century and helped construct Samye Monastery, the first Buddhist monastery in Tibet. Padmasambhava later came to be viewed as a central figure in the transmission of Buddhism to Tibet.

In modern Tibetan Buddhism, Padmasambhava is considered to be a Buddha that was foretold by Buddha Shakyamuni. The contemporary Nyingma school considers Padmasambhava to be a founding figure.

*image courtesy of Himalayan Art Resources