This article was originally written for the Jamyang Buddhist Center in London
Nepal is very rich in holy sites—the sheer density of Buddhist and Hindu places of pilgrimage and worship in the Kathmandu valley easily rivals the density of holy sites in Jerusalem. In fact, while walking across the city, one might easily embark on several pilgrimages in a row, visiting the holy places of Vajrayogini, the holy sites of the bodhisattvas, the places of practice associated with Milarepa and Atīśa, and so forth. As one leaves Kathmandu, the holy sites become somewhat more sparse, but that does not affect their importance, since such places as Lumbini (the birthplace of the Buddha) draw numerous pilgrims on an annual basis.
One of the most important pilgrimage sites, located about a day's drive away from the capital, is Maratika—a large cave temple strongly connected to the lifestories of Padmasambhava and his Indian consort princess Mandarava. It was while practicing here that Padmasambhava, in the words of Lama Zopa Rinpoche, "achieved immortal realization, the state of Buddha Amitayus." However, what is that realization, and what did the princess and the guru practice? Is it available to everyone, and what, beyond a trip to Maratika, would it take to tap into that state?
The princess meets the Guru
Mandarava is one of one of the greatest adepts of Indian Buddhism. Although not included in the list of the 84 female and male mahasiddhas (or the greatly accomplished tantricas) of her time, she is believed to have attained some of the most incredible states of realization, including a transcendent state beyond physical death. The beginning of her story, however, is quite typical: much like Atisha, Yeshe Tsogyal, and the Buddha himself, she came from a royal family and developed an acute interest in spirituality at an early age.
By the age of 13 she grew to be so beautiful that many princes were vying for her attention. Refusing to choose a husband, she pleaded with her father, king Vihardhara, to be allowed to practice the Dharma, and eventually was allowed to receive vows of ordination from the great abbot Shantarakshita (the very same one who also brought monastic ordination, Madhyamaka philosophy, and the practices of lower tantras to Tibet).
Practicing with her fellow nuns (as her attendants), Mandarava spent a few years in a state of peace and serenity. However, in order to progress towards actual realization, she still needed a skilful guru. Due to a karmic connection to Padmasambhava, who by then was already very firmly established on the path of Vajrayāna practice, the great adept miraculously appeared in her chambers. Taking him as a teacher, the princess and her attendants received the necessary empowerments and oral instructions, practicing under the direct guidance of Guru Rinpoche. Due to Mandarava's high level of yogic mastery, she eventually also became Padmasambhava's practice partner—but when the yogi was accidentally seen in her chambers by a passer by, a scandal ensued. On the orders of the kingly father, Padmasambhava was soon arrested and brought to a stake to be burnt. Using his powers, he, instead of burning, transformed the whole scene into a cool lake, now known as Tso Pema—another important place of pilgrimage these days, not too far from Dharamsala. Having thus convinced the king of the authenticity of their practice and realization, Guru Rinpoche and Mandarava left the kingdom and went to the territory of modern Nepal to meditate there.
While abiding in retreat in Maratika, the Guru and the princess performed advanced Vajrayana practices and eventually received a direct vision of Buddha Āmitāyus, whose name (Āmitāyus in Sanskrit, Tsepame in Tibetan) literally means "Infinite Life". Through this, the indwelling qualities of boundless longevity were awakened, and the two gained perfect mastery over their lifespan and bodily energy. It is this accomplishment that accounts both for Guru Rinpoche's legendary lifespan (his activities in Indian and Tibet reportedly span multiple centuries) and for his teachings on life-extending and life-protecting practices, including those of Buddha Āmitāyus himself.
Today, most lineages that have a connection to Guru Rinpoche's Nyingma tradition have one or several practices for Amitayus, often used to stabilise once's longevity and improve one's health in order to be able to practice the Dharma and benefit sentient beings. The same practices are often also used to pray for the long life of one's spiritual teachers and, in some cases, also benefactors. The aspiration is always twofold: provisionally, to attain a long and stable life to practice virtue; ultimately, to realise the fully enlightened state of Āmitāyus, knowing that the actual immortal life is enlightenment itself.
Amitayus comes to the new translation schools
How did the practices of Āmitāyus come into the new translation schools (of Sakya, Kagyu, and Gelug), then? This is where princess Mandarava, who is believed by Buddhists to still be very much alive in India, comes back to the scene. When the great yogi Milarepa sent his student Rechungpa to India, the latter first sought out some advanced tantric practices associated with dakinis. However, while he was receiving those, a wild-looking traveling yogi predicted that Rechungpa would soon die unless he receives a powerful life-extending practice from a realized master. Rechungpa was led to the great female adept, known by then as "Machig Drubpei Gyalmo" —literally "the single mother Realized Queen". This adept, whose Sanskrit name could be rendered as Siddharajni, is, once again, believed by some to be Mandarava herself (indeed, who would have a greater understanding of Amitayus practices?) Upon Rechungpa's request, she taught him the advanced yogas of Amitayus, and he, having applied those, was able to ward off untimely death. Rechungpa was eventually also able to offer the practice to his own teacher Milarepa, and it was through Milarepa that these methods eventually came to the new translation traditions, including Gelug.
The new translation schools still maintain a transmission of these yogas, and many beautiful ways to transmit and maintain these practices have gradually evolved. For instance, in the Drikung Kagyu tradition, an empowerment of Amitayus is often transmitted during the so-called "Monkey Year Teachings" which happen every 12 years. While receiving the long-life practices of Amitayus, people are also introduced to his other aspect—Amitabha, the Buddha of Infinite Life who presides over the pure land of Sukhavati, or the Land of Great Bliss. In learning these two sets of practices, practitioners receive a wonderful combination of methods: some to extend one's life and some to ensure a wonderful liberating rebirth in a pure dimension perfectly suitable for progressing towards enlightenment. Since these teachings are traditionally combined with a majestic ceremony for receiving (or strengthening) one's bodhisattva precepts, a firm Mahayana foundation for practice is thus established, and the more technical methods are to be used in order to quickly become a Buddha for the benefit of all who live.
Amitabha and Amitayus
The relationship between Amitayus (the Buddha of Infinite Life) and Amitabha (the Buddha of Infinite Light) is quite fascinating, from a Dharmic and from an academic point of view. In most of the more recent texts of the Tibetan tradition these buddhas are largely equated to each other (as two forms of the same buddha), or are at least described as two facets of the same enlightened principle, or buddha-family; as such, they are both strongly associated with the pure dimension Sukhāvatī. There are, however, earlier sources, in which they appear to be fairly separate—manifesting in different dimensions and for somewhat different purposes.
For instance, one of the main Indian texts associated with Amitayus is the Sutra of Infinite Life and Wisdom, commonly referred to as Tsedo ("Longevity Sutra"). This text, which the Kangyur actually lists as a tantra (despite having the word "sutra" in the name) is often printed in huge quantities to create auspiciousness for someone's long life; in many cases it is also used for recitation practices open to everyone. In the sutra, the historical Buddha describes the qualities of a glorious buddha by the name of Aparimitāyus (Infinite Life and Wisdom), teaching his dharani (the sutric equivavelnt of a mantra) and extolling the benefits of reciting it along with the benefits of preserving the sutra itself. This buddha, whose name was also translated into Tibetan as Tsepame, is said to have his own pure land and his own set of beautiful qualities, accessible through veneration, meditation, and the recitation of his dharani. Another Tsepame—the one associated with Sukhāvatī and Amitābha—is described in another sūtra.
Over time, the Āmitāyus of Sukhāvatī and the Aparimitāyus of the Sūtra of Infinite Life and Wisdom fully merged—something not unheard of in the Buddhist tradition, where multiple expressions of enlightenment sometimes merge into one, and one expression of enlightenment suddenly projects itself into numerous forms. By the 16th century, if not earlier, the dividing lines fully disappeared, and the dharani from Tsedo became firmly associated with the unified Tsepame that grants both longevity and a connection to the pure land of Sukhāvatī. This, in turn, led to a very firm bond between the unified Āmitāyus and Buddha Amitābha. In some systems of practice, they even transform into each other over the course of a specific meditation, and it is common for both of them together to be described as the lord of the lotus family of buddhas, to which Tara, Avalokiteśvara, and Guru Rinpoche also belong. As such, Āmitāyus-Amitābha represents the specific qualities of this family (such as enlightened speech, discriminating wisdom, the purified element of fire, and so on), while also standing for the totality of enlightenment itself—and, of course, for the eponymous qualities of infinite life and infinite light.
Calling on these buddhas with a pure motivation and seeing them as windows into our own true potential is seen as a powerful way of cultivating virtue. Of course, the specific form of practice one performs depends on the transmissions and teachings one has received, along with one’s personal inclinations—reading the root sūtra with a motivation of bodhicitta is a good beginning, and a profusion of more advanced yogic methods associated with Āmitāyus and/or Amitābha can later be mastered under the guidance of a skilful teacher. These the practices are believed to be a full package for progressing towards enlightenment, both in this very life and beyond. If long life comes as byproduct of our meditations, we can then use it for more cultivation and to be of greater benefit to others—following in the footsteps of Princess Māndārava, still believed to be patiently sharing her realisation and the blessings of Āmitāyus somewhere in the plains, valleys, and hills of India.
Additional links
Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s advice on visualisations to do while reciting the mantra of Āmitāyus
An alternative translation of Tsedo
Āmitāyus image from Himalayan Art Resources (HAR 367)