Timeless Rapture: Inspired Verse from the Shangpa Masters

The Shangpa Masters and Their Lineage 247
And foretold that you would go to the celestial realms in this lifetime;
to you I pray.
While you performed fasting practice for five days
Before the self-manifest [image of] Tara, your parents bound you in
chains.
Vajra Yogini freed you, blessed you,
And gave you a prophecy; to you I pray.
Like a lion, you received in a tantric temple
The complete basic training of Shakyamuni’s [order].
From many scholars and accomplished masters,
You received the entire corpus of discourses and tantras; to you I pray.
When you meditated on the profound tantras’ meaning,
Your spiritual master encouraged you to engage in avadhuti conduct,
But your pride in your learning made you delay.
Later, you practiced single-mindedly
But couldn’t reach accomplishment.
You then followed the advice of [the master] Guna-akara
And cut your tongue and limbs with a razor.
At that moment, you saw the four deities,
Who healed you; to you I pray.
Powerful All-Seeing One, Vajra Yogini,
Noble Tara, and Swift Awakened Protector
Taught you whenever you wished
And granted their blessing and accomplishment; to you I pray.
You followed the advice of Jnana Sagara
And submerged yourself in water for seven days.
Leeches sucked your blood and you nearly died,
Completely exhausting your karmic obscurations; to you I pray.
Encouraged by the advice of accomplished meditators,
You traveled to the Himalayan region by means of your
miraculous powers.