Oddiyana

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Oddiyana (Skt. Oḍḍiyāna ; Tib. Orgyen ; Wyl. U rgyan ) is one of twenty-four holy places according to the Hevajra Tantra (Wyl. Gnas chen nyer bzhi ). Oddiyana plays an important role in Buddhism , especially from the perspective of Tibetan Buddhism . It is believed, based on traditions, that Oddiyana is the birthplace of Vajrayana and Dzogchen , and it is also said that it is the land in which Garab Dorje , Vairotsana , Padmasambhava , Tilopa and many others received the traditions of Dzogchen. Buddhist scriptures describe Oddiyana as a beautiful green and fertile kingdom inhabited by kind people who wear white clothes and have great appreciation and respect for wisdom and study. It is surrounded by high mountains and in the wide valleys were white stupas and golden temple roofs . It seemed like paradise on earth and was called "the royal garden" (Skt. Udyana ). Oddiyana was also known as the "Paradise of the Dakinis " as well as for the sisterhood and priestesses who gave themselves to wisdom and spiritual realization. These priestesses were not nuns and lived in sanctuaries or forest chapels.

history

According to the traditions of the Vajrayana teachings, it was King Dza, from the Kingdom of Zahor, who is said to have mysteriously received the tantras first by landing on the roof of his palace. King Dza is believed to be another name for King Indrabhuti of Oddiyana. If this is the case, then the Oddiyana tantras have spread. The first human Dzogchen master was Garab Dorje , born near Lake Kutra in Oddiyana. His disciple, Manjushrimitra , was Indian and received the teachings in Bodh Gaya and became the subsequent lineage holder, Shri Singha , came from the Central Asian Kingdom of Khotan, but it was in Oddiyana, near Dhanakosha Lake, when he passed the lineage on to Vairotsana . Padmasambhava , who introduced Vajrayana and Dzogchen to Tibet, was mysteriously born in Dhanakosha Lake and raised by the King of Oddiyana. Many of the Dzogchen texts that were translated into the Tibetan language during the early period of tradition ( Nyingma story ) were translated from the language of Oddiyanas.

place

Most Tibetan texts explain that Oddiyana was a kingdom that was west or northwest of India. Many Western scholars have identified it as the Swat Valley in what is now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan . Patrul Rinpoche , in his work The Words of My Perfect Teacher (Tib. Kunzang Lamé Shyalung ), gave a more precise indication of where Oddiyana was when he describes that Garab Dorje's birthplace is near Lake Kutra in the Dhanakosha region. Dhanakosha means 'treasure of wealth'. This corresponds to a region between Chitral, Gilgit and Swat. John Reynolds suggests that "perhaps Uddiyana is actually a name of a much wider geographical area than the Swat Valley alone, one embracing parts of Pakistan, Afghanistan, and even Western Tibet (Zhang Zhung)." Professor Lokesh Chandra has argued that Oddiyana was in South India.

literature

  • Jamgon Mipham: White Lotus. translated by the Padmakara Translation Group. Shambhala, Boston / London 2007, ISBN 978-1-59030-511-9 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. Patrul Rinpoche: The Words of My Perfect Teacher. Shambhala, Boston 1998, p. 339.
  2. John M. Reynolds: The Golden Letters. Snow Lion, Ithaca, New York 1996, pp. 211-212.
  3. Oddiyana: A New Interpretation. In: M. Aris, Aung San Suu Kyi: Tibetan Studies in Honor of Hugh Richardson. Warminster, 1980, pp. 73-78.