The Story of the First Masters: Vimalamitra

Series: The Lineage

Vimalamitra

Vimalamitra was born in the early eighth century in a village called Hastisthala, located in the Elephant Forest in western India. His father was named Wheel of Bliss and his mother Clarity of Being.

Little is known about his childhood, but we next encounter him at a monastery in Bodhgaya, where he studied Buddhism and took monastic vows. He demonstrated exceptional learning abilities and a profound understanding of the Buddhist canon. He joined the ranks of the 500 great panditas, including Jnanasutra.

Together with Jnanasutra, Vimalamitra had a vision of Vajrasattva urging them to travel to China and find a Dzogchen master so they could realize the nature of their minds instead of spending a 500th lifetime with only intellectual understanding.

Vimalamitra did not hesitate for a moment. Carrying only his alms bowl, he set off for China, where he met Shri Simha. Shri Simha was an accomplished yogi of the Great Perfection tradition and passed on the first three cycles of its Heart Essence to Vimalamitra.

Satisfied with what he had received, Vimalamitra returned to India, where he encountered his friend Jnanasutra. Jnanasutra had disregarded the advice from their vision, but upon hearing Vimalamitra’s story, he immediately set out to find Shri Simha.

Meanwhile, Vimalamitra went to the Tashung charnel ground to put the teachings into practice. He stayed there until a vision directed him to the Bashing charnel ground.

There, he was reunited with Jnanasutra. He developed unshakable faith in his old friend and received all the Dzogchen teachings that Shri Simha had not given him. When Jnanasutra dissolved his body into light, Vimalamitra cried out in grief, believing his master was abandoning him and all beings. Suddenly, a small casket descended into his hands. Inside was Jnanasutra’s last testament.

Vimalamitra became a yogi of the Great Perfection, entirely free in his conduct. His fame spread across borders, and he became a teacher to King Haribhadra and many other Indian and Kashmiri kings, including Dharmapala and Indrabhuti. According to tradition, he taught in several places at once.

Preferring the company of charnel-ground beings to that of townsfolk, he continued practising the Nyingthik and attained the body of light.

Meanwhile, in Tibet, a minister of Emperor Trisong Detsen had a prophetic vision: the emperor was to invite a certain Indian pandita named Vimalamitra to spread the esoteric teachings of Buddhism in the Land of Snows. The emperor dispatched three Sanskrit translators to deliver his invitation. They found Vimalamitra at the court of King Indrabhuti, where he was serving as a preceptor. They asked the king for permission to invite Vimalamitra. The king and Vimalamitra agreed, and a great feast was held on the eve of departure.

The next day, however, King Indrabhuti and his entire retinue had deeply ominous dreams. Vimalamitra’s departure would mean the downfall of the Nyingthik teachings in their land.

By morning, the entire court was in an uproar. The pandita had to be stopped from reaching his destination. Messengers were sent to every crossroads along the way to Lhasa with orders to post notices that an Indian sorcerer was traveling with three translators and would ruin Tibet!

The ruse failed, and Vimalamitra reached Tibet safely. Still, he was met with suspicion, and even the emperor felt uneasy in his presence. He was taken to Samye, the first monastery the monarch had built. When he prostrated himself before a statue of Buddha Vairocana, the statue crumbled to dust, much to the dismay of the assembly. He was a sorcerer after all!

But with a single gesture, the pandita-yogi blessed the heap of dust, which instantly reassembled into the statue, more magnificent than ever (though looking a little more Indian).

He then began teaching Mahayana, Buddhism Great Vehicle, but not the Dzogchen teachings, for the Tibetans were not yet ready… until one of them, Yudra Nyingpo, revealed to him that he also practised the Great Perfection. At that point, he began translating texts of the Mind Series (Semde) and the Space Series (Longde) of Dzogchen with the help of several translators. Meanwhile, by night, he secretly transmitted the Nyingthik teachings to the emperor.

After thirteen years of teaching, Vimalamitra still had not found a disciple for the innermost, secret cycle of Dzogchen. As his work on the Roof of the World was coming to an end, he hid the four volumes of texts from this cycle at Samye. Then, he left the Land of Snows for the sacred peaks of Wutai Shan in China.

However, Vimalamitra’s aspirations were powerful, and his compassion was boundless. Before leaving, he made an aspiration to return to Tibet once a century to spread Buddhism and Dzogchen. And so it came to pass. In the centuries that followed, great masters (such as Longchenpa, Jigme Lingpa and Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo) would manifest Vimalamitra’s activity. That is still the case today.

It is also said that those whose karma and intention are pure can even meet him in person where he dwells, on Wutai Shan.

Just like that.

In fact, there are many stories of such encounters…