During the time that the Buddha Tonpa Shenrap Miwoche was teaching his many disciples the Four Doors of Bon and the Fifth which is the Treasury, the King of Ho Mo Yul along with his entourage came to invite the Teacher to his country. Not having finished the teaching, the Buddha was unable to accept the king’s invitation. However, he sent one of his three main disciples as an emissary. The disciple, Yikyi Khyechung, returned to Ho Mo Yul with the king. Arriving, both humans and non-humans came to pay their respect and to receive teachings. Then, Yikyi Khyechung took up the life of an ascetic and retreated to a cave to meditate. After a time, the queen of Ho Mo Yul was struck with a violent illness. A diviner was consulted and she informed the king and queen that only the Buddha Tonpa Shenrap could cure the illness. The king returned to the Buddha in person and requested his help. Having finished his current teachings, the Buddha went to the country of Ho Mo Yul and cured the queen of her illness. The grateful queen offered her daughter, Hoza Gyalme ma, as a bride for Tonpa Shenrap. Previously, the god Indra had implored the Buddha to take a wife so that he might have children to continue his lineage. At that time, the Wise, Loving Mother of all of the buddhas, Sherap Chamma, emanated ten different manifestations of herself as princesses in royal households so that Buddha Tonpa Shenrap could accept them as wives. In this way, Hoza Gyalme ma was the first of these ten manifestations of Yum Chen Sherap Chamma.
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Buddha Tonpa Shenrap’s Fifth Deed: The Deed of Marriage
Buddha Tonpa Shenrap’s Fourth Deed: The Deed of Guiding
As the Buddha Tönpa Shenrap Miwoché was teaching his disciples, a messenger came to him with a request for help from the deity Sangpo Bumtri. In the land of Öma Jamkya there was an evil minded prince, named Tobu Dödé, that was slaughtering many living beings including humans. The deity Sangpo Bumtri respectfully requested the Buddha’s help to tame the mind of this evil minded prince.
As Buddha Tönpa Shenrap accompanied by some of his disciples arrived to help, Tobu Dödé incited his army to rise up and kill all of them. Remaining in his golden chariot, the Buddha emanated rays of light into the four main directions which manifested as flaming, wrathful deities. Each of these deities was dark blue having nine heads, four legs, and eighteen arms each holding a different weapon. Upon seeing these deities, many fainted and Tobu Dödé feared for his life. Falling upon his knees before Buddha Tönpa Shenrap, he begged for mercy and vowed to stop killing and to practice virtue. However, even though the evil minded prince had made a vow and had received teachings from the Buddha, his mind remained filled with hatred and anger.
Sometime later, Tobu Dödé fell seriously ill and began to have visions of hell. He cried out for the Buddha to help him and then died. Due to his previous actions, he was reborn into the realm of hell and was tortured. His cries of pain were heard by the Buddha and, due to His great compassion, He descended into hell. Calling out with the mantra “A KAR A ME DU TRI SU NAKPO ZHI ZHI MAL MAL!” both the Lord of death and Tobu Dödé recognized him. The Buddha told him that although the realm of hell was only a manifestation of his own mind, it had now taken form due to his previous karma. The Buddha instructed him regarding the nature of karma and the essence of meditation. When Tobu Dödé’s understanding had changed and his mind developed, even though he continued to be in the realm of hell, the heat and cold no longer harmed him.
Meanwhile, the family and companions of Tobu Dödé, fearing for the consequences of their own negative karma after their death, approached the Buddha and asked for his help. In order to teach beings, He invoked the deities and made offerings on behalf of Tobu Dödé. After seven days, he was freed from the realm of hell. However, because his negative karma continued to ripen, he was successively born into each of the realms of cyclic existence. At the same time, Buddha Tönpa Shenrap Miwoche continued to supplicate the deities and make offerings. Being released from the hell realm, Tobu Dödé was reborn into the realm of the hungry ghosts. After seven days, he was released and was reborn into the realm of animals. After seven days, he was released and reborn into the realm of human beings among barbarians. After seven days, he was released and reborn into the realm of the demi-gods. After seven days, he was released and reborn into the realm of the gods. Although the realm of the gods is filled with leisure and happiness, it remains within cyclic existence and is impermanent. However, due to the continued offerings and supplications of the Buddha, Tobu Dödé was reborn as a human being in the purest land of Olmo Lungring. In this way, Buddha Tönpa Shenrap Miwoche showed a method for releasing the suffering of negative karma.
Buddha Tonpa Shenrap’s Third Deed: The Deed of Taming
Buddha Tönpa Shenrap Miwo Emanating Buddhas into each of the six realms of cyclic existence
In order to guide sentient beings out of their suffering and to realization and liberation, Buddha Tönpa Shenrap emanated countless manifestations of himself throughout all the realms of existence. Although these emanations appeared in different forms according to sentient being’s understanding, his mind remained unchanged.
In the Yungdrung Bön tradition, it is believed that until a being reaches that state of buddhahood, they are bound to be reborn again and again throughout the six realms of cyclic existence. These six realms of cyclic existence, or six destinies, are from the lowest to the highest: the hell realm, the hungry ghost realm, the animal realm, the human realm, the demi-god realm and the god realm. (Here, god refers to beings that can have great power and meditative realization but who are still bound by karma.) Because of this, the Buddha emanated six enlightened beings from his mind into each of these realms. These six enlightened beings are of one essence but due to the specific suffering and obstacles of the beings within each realm, they each emphasize a particular quality for the predominant suffering related to that realm.
Because the predominant suffering related to the hell realm arises from hatred, this Buddha emphasizes teachings of love. Because the predominant suffering related to the hungry ghost realm arises from greed, this Buddha emphasizes teachings of generosity. Because the predominant suffering related to the animal realm arises from ignorance, this Buddha emphasizes teachings of wisdom and awareness. Because the predominant suffering related to the human realm arises from jealousy, this Buddha emphasizes teachings related to openness. Because the predominant suffering related to the demi-god realm arises from pride and envy, this Buddha emphasizes teachings of peacefulness. Because the predominant suffering related to the god realm arises from contentment and laziness, this Buddha emphasizes teachings of diligence.