True Account of An Accomplished Practitioner of the

Vajra Guru Mantra in Recent Times

Orated by Jamyang Dorje Rinpoche of the Taipei Padmakara Buddhist Society

Recorded by Pema Tsering on 22 Aug 2007 with due respect
Translated from Chinese into English and editted by Jigme Sherab with due respect

Homage to Padmasambhava and Pema Norbu Rinpoche

May 2006 – In the holy land of Padmasambhava, Bhutan, a blind accomplished master knew his
time of his death in advance and sat in crossed vajra posture while passing into parinirvana.
As the author was afraid of gradually forgetting the details of this master’s liberation story over the
passage of time, the sublime details of it were committed to paper with one’s own inadequate
literary skills. It is hoped that all those who see, hear or are acquainted with the facts of this history
will be filled with deep faith and devotion to Padmasambhava, thereby receiving blessings and
accomplishments.

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This accomplished adept is a Bhutanese. When he was alive, people mostly addressed him as
“Drubtop” which means someone who has attained realisation. Moreover, due to the fact that he
attained realisation and liberation through the recitation of the Vajra Guru mantra, he was also
called, “Benza Guru Drubtop”, meaning “The Vajra Guru Siddha”
This accomplished master “Benza Guru Drubtop”, whose external appearance was dirty and
unkempt but who, internally, was extraordinarily free and liberated, was previously a visually
handicapped beggar who lived in the peripheral slums of Bhutan.
Later, due to the help of Urgyen Lama (of Sangngak Thegchog Osel Ling Monastery) and
Jamyang Dorje Rinpoche, this accomplished master who had went through a difficult life (but with
equanimity) was invited to the monastery where they looked after him as a offering to a most
unsurpassed field of merit. This was the reason that the last 10 years of his life was relatively
peaceful and safe.
“Benza Guru Druptop” was not born blind. It is said that his visual impairment was the result of
curses wrought by mantras which his enemies had inflicted upon him. Before he went blind, he was
just a common farmer who belonged to the Bon religion. At that time, the farmer did not
understand the vast qualities of Padmasambhava and had even entertained sacrilegious views
towards Guru Rinpoche and slandered him with negative speech.
To recover his sight, the farmer had approached many doctors who were unable to help. With no
other resort, he asked several spiritual friends and masters for advice on what spiritual practice to do
in order to recover his sight.
Finally, he listened to some masters’ advice and decided to start reciting the Vajra Guru mantra
(OM AH HUNG BENZA GURU PADMA SIDDHI HUNG), relying on it as his sole practice, and
eventually he went on to achieve an astounding level of realisation.
When “Drubtop” started to recite the Vajra Guru mantra, his faith in Padmasambhava began to
ripen and increase. Due to his blindness, day or night was not much difference to him and he began
to recite the mantra diligently day and night without distinction.
When he completed a hundred million recitations, “Drubtop”’s prayer-wheel, which he rotated as he
recited the mantra, began to drip inconceivable nectar. It is well known that prayer-wheels contain
dry paper rolls and it is impossible for water to drip from it out of thin air, yet his prayer-wheel
began to manifest such a strange phenomenon. This demonstrated the authencity of the results of
“Benza Guru Drubtop”’s practice and also showed how wonderful Padmasambhava’s blessings
were. After that, he did not slow down, but instead continued to recite the mantra diligently,
praying to Guru Rinpoche with great faith.
When “Benza Guru Drubtop” had completed the mantra 300 million times, in a dream-like state, he
personally met the Lotus-Born Guru and received a prophecy, thereby attaining an inconceivable
level of realisation.
Padmasambhava told “Benza Guru Drubtop”, “If you live on for 7 more years, your eyesight will be
recovered. The reason for you having lost sight in both eyes is that you previously believed in the
Bon religion and especially, you had disparaged and despised (noble beings), causing confused
inter-dependent phenomenon to arise. Now although you have seen me, due to that karmic
obscuration, you will not be able to immediately regain your eyesight.”
Thus “Benza Guru Drubtop” was not able to recover his eyesight even though he had seen the Guru
Rinpoche.
In the mysterious state, Guru Rinpoche also asked “Benza Guru Drubtop” to make a special dharma
hat as a auspicious interdependent-arising, which the blind “Benza Guru Drubtop” made himself

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from bronze pieces without anyone’s help.
In spite of “Benza Guru Drubtop”’s inner realisation and his extraordinary clairvoyance due to Guru
Rinpoche’s blessings, due to his external visual handicap, no-one was willing to look after him
properly. Thus he wandered around in the region of “Chim” in Bhutan. The locals called him
“Benza Guru Drubtop”.
“Benza Guru Drubtop” knew of a secret method to reverse obstacles which the Lotus-Born Guru
had personally transmitted to him. It could swiftly remove all heavy illnesses or urgent calamities
befalling a person. This method is special but inelegant. It required that “Benza Guru Drubtop”
make a special kind of torma and recite a short ritual, the specifics of it is only known to himself,
and then he must strip naked and while totally nude take the torma to a nearby triple-intersect
junction. This method is quite powerful, all the people for whom the “Drubtop” had performed this
ritual, recovered from their problems without exception.

Besides this, everytime someone requested the “Benza Guru Drubtop” for any help, his way of
divination was also different from others. He did not need the use of any divination apparatus, nor
did he require the person to say much, but would be able to know the intentions of the person and
be able to speak out the intimate details of the supplicants’ residence, environment and all other
kinds of details, including those personal secrets that the person requesting did not want revealed.
Evidently, the “Benza Guru Drubtop” had attained great clairvoyance of knowing others’ minds due
to the blessings of Guru Rinpoche. He was also widely acknowledged as “Drubtop” due to this.
“Benza Guru Drubtop”’s inner secret realisation did not cause him to try to improve his own living
conditions but instead he regarded poverty and suffering as not being any obstacle or problem
impeding him.
What did not change was that he continued supplicating Guru Rinpoche day and night, reciting the
Guru Rinpoche mantra respectfully and so when he passed into parinirvana, a conservative estimate
of the number of Guru Rinpoche mantras he had recited in his life amounts to more than 600
million.
Unlike others, he was not interested in promoting his own diligent efforts at practice or his

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miraculous responses , instead “Benza Guru Drubtop” benefitted beings in a spontaneous and
extemporaneous way. Thus, most of the people who knew him did not know how profound his
inner realisation was.
Most people only regarded his external style and occasional obstacle-averting rituals as a sign that
he was merely a practitioner with some achievements. Most of his secret conduct and responses, he
would only tell to Urgyen Lama and a few close friends who had faith.
Although he was a siddha, he did not alter his clothes or appearance, but remained like a beggar,
allowing others to make offerings and making-shift of whatever they offered to wear. Although he
was invited to stay at Sangngak Thegchog Osel Ling Monastery, and could have chosen to have
better living premises and conditions, he only preferred to live in a dilapidated corner of the
monastery and sleep in his own old covers, using yellowed and hole-ridden blankets and pillow.
“Benza Guru Drubtop” would only accept others’ clothing and food. If someone offered his cash
notes or coins, he will recite mantras and blow on them as a blessing, before returning them to the
offerer, telling him not to use the money but to keep it on the body as a blessed artifact for
protection. When one offered him a khata, it was the same case. This showed that “Benza Guru
Drubtop” has already viewed all wealth as nothing, with no desire or wish for anything.
The author once requested one of the abbots of the monastery, Jamyang Dorje Rinpoche, to make
some money offerings, but was instead met with laughter from Rinpoche who said, ‘“Benza Guru
Drubtop” does not want money, how to make offerings to him? If you want to give him clothings or
other things, he may not accept, or he may just bless them and return them to you. if you want to
offer food, he is now provided food by the monastery, so he may not enjoy what you offer him.
Apart from his meals, he doesn’t really accept any other food.’ Hearing this, the author felt deeply
that this siddha master was truly without needs or wants and was worthy of respect and veneration.
Seven days before he demonstrated impermanence, the “Benza Guru Drubtop” informed the abbot
Urgyen Lama,”I am going to leave this world to go and see Padmasambhava.” At that time, the
abbot felt that Drubtop was still healthy and thought that he was merely joking. He did not pay
much attention to this remark. “Benza Guru Drubtop” then confidently told several monk friends
that, “Urgyen Lama does not have freedom over birth and death, but I do. He will not understand
my meaning… the dharmakaya is beyond death, because I have realised the dharmakaya, there is
really no death to speak of for me!” Totally unschooled and who had not studied any dharma
teachings, sutras or commentaries, yet, “Benza Guru Drubtop” was able to make many such
statements that utilised the expressions of the Dzogpa Chenpo realisations.
With nothing special happening, apart from those monk-friends who knew about it being worried
that “Benza Guru Drubtop” would manifest death, others did not feel that the Drubtop would really
be able to predict his own time of death, and be able to leave this world with such ease and
freedom. Seven days later, in the clear gentle light of dawn, “Benza Guru Drubtop” sat in crossed-
vajra posture and impertubably released his intent into the dharmadhatu. At that moment, a gentle
tremor in the earth could be felt.
After his parinirvana, the usually-deserted monastery was thronged by more than 3000 people
trying to pay their respects. After he passed away, everyday at dawn, there were three birds flying
in to circumambulate his body three rounds before flying off. These were said to be dakinis paying
their respect.
“Benza Guru Drubtop” passed away exactly 7 years from when he received the vision from
Padmasambhava, thus fulfilling the prophecy that he would “recover his sight”. Because now, he
would have no body to obstruct him from going to the Sangdok Palri Pureland to see Guru
Rinpoche.

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The author wishes that this extraordinary account of a recent Guru Rinpoche siddha would
encourage all sentient beings to give rise to faith and supplicate Guru Rinpoche, ultimately attaining
the same state as him.
Some explanations:
Guru Rinpoche = Padmasambhava = Pema Jungne = Lotus Born Guru.
He has many names, these are just a few of them... if you read article not knowing this, may have some confusion.