The Kathok Lineage

Teachings

The Kathok Lineage

A Tale of a Reincarnated Lama and a Hundred Thousand Rays of Light

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The Sacred Child: A Reincarnated Lama Holding a Scripture

In the year 1122, a baby’s cry pierced through the night in a nomadic tent in the Kham region of Tibet. The midwife gasped, “Look at his hand!”—the newborn was clutching a glowing palm-leaf manuscript inscribed with ancient characters no one could recognize.

He was no ordinary child:

Memories of a Past Life: The tribal shamans declared that he was the reincarnation of Manjushri, the Bodhisattva of Wisdom. In his past lives, he had been a great Indian monk, a Tibetan queen, and even a translator who assisted Guru Padmasambhava.
A Born Prodigy: At five, he used charcoal to draw Buddha images on stone; at six, he sculpted clay statues so lifelike that they seemed to breathe, as if he had practiced for lifetimes.
A Little Vegetarian Lama: The mere smell of meat made him nauseous. He only ate barley bread and spent nights chanting under the moon—despite never being taught how.

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A Boy’s Miraculous Encounters: The Past-Life Skills in the Monastery

At the age of nine, his father sent him to take monastic vows at his elder brother’s monastery, the Auspicious Dharma Wheel Monastery.

His First Secret Empowerment Ceremony:
During the ritual, his brother bestowed an initiation upon him, and suddenly—

His whole body burned as if engulfed in flames, yet he saw deities glowing in the sky.
When he recited the mantra of Palden Lhamo (the protector goddess), she galloped down from the clouds on her mule. Terrified, the little monk hid under the offering table.

His Teacher Was Astonished:
When teaching him “Chöd” (a practice of visualizing offering one’s own body to overcome fear), his master stared in disbelief:

“This practice takes most people ten years to master, yet you’ve perfected it in three days… You must have been a Chöd master in a past life!”

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A Life-Changing Choice: Abandoning Immortality to Guide Others

At 29, his teacher presented him with two paths:

“You can retreat to a mountain cave for meditation. After death, you will dissolve into a rainbow body. Or, you can build a monastery at Katok Mountain and guide thousands to enlightenment, though it will be a lifetime of hardship.”

He chose the second path:

Seeking the Dharma: He traversed snowy mountains, meditated in ice caves, and sought wisdom from great masters. At his most difficult moment, he meditated on a cliff, surviving on melted snow for four months. Upon emerging, he recited mantras that turned the snow into rainbows.
Meeting the Karmapa: Along the journey, he encountered the Karmapa, who recognized him at first sight: “You are Manjushri, sent to guide sentient beings!”

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A Thousand Disciples, A Miraculous Construction

At 36, he led his disciples to Kathok Mountain.

A Divine Sign for the Monastery Site:
He plunged a vajra into the ground. Instantly, a spring gushed forth, and a voice echoed in the air: “This land was chosen by Guru Rinpoche!”

Days of Labor, Nights of Teachings:
Over a thousand disciples carried stones by day and listened to his teachings by night. Miraculously—

The eyes of the Buddha statues carved by artisans glowed on their own.
At midnight, some saw the shadows of ancient translators and Indian monks flickering behind him, proving he was a reincarnated master.

Two years later, in 1159, the grand Katok Monastery stood tall in eastern Tibet:

Sacred Treasures: Guru Rinpoche’s handwritten scriptures, a relic of Shakyamuni, and 1,300 volumes of sacred texts inscribed with gold and silver ink.
A Mysterious Garden: On full moon nights, flower petals arranged themselves into sacred scriptures—a sign, the old monks said, of the Buddha’s presence.

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The Final Rainbow Body: A Lama’s Last Words

At 71, he gathered his disciples for his parting wisdom:

“Do not boast about knowledge.” – “Reciting endless scriptures means nothing if you cannot tame your own temper.”
“Never forget your purpose.” – “If you abandon helping others, your practice is meaningless.”
“A simple secret to enlightenment.” – “See yourself as the slowest student, and train your mind every day.”

Then, he walked into the monastery’s garden and sat in meditation. Before his disciples’ eyes, his body grew lighter and more transparent until it transformed into a rainbow and ascended into the sky—only his robes and prayer beads remained.

A voice echoed in the sky:
“I am Manjushri’s emanation, returning to help all beings! If you hold onto kindness, anyone can attain Buddhahood.”

Kathok Monastery Today

If you visit Garze, Sichuan today, you can still see this thousand-year-old monastery:

The Violet Glow at Dusk: As the sun sets, a faint purple radiance lingers over the monastery’s rooftops. The locals say it’s “the afterglow of a hundred thousand rays of light.”
The Carved Stone Message: In a retreat cave, an inscription remains—etched by his very own fingers:

“Spiritual practice isn’t about becoming a superhuman.
It’s about discovering the light that was within you all along.”

A Single Sentence to Remember Him By

A reincarnation of Manjushri, once a queen and a high monk, who abandoned the easy path of rainbow-body realization to build a monastery—so that ordinary people could find the light within themselves.