Padmasambhava "The One Born of the Lotus" or "Guru Rinpoche", the precious master as the Tibetans call him, is the great saint who brought the teachings of the Buddha to Tibet in the 8th century. He subdued the local demons and spirits and integrated them into the Tibetan pantheon as protective deities. With Padmasambhava's help, the first monastery (Samye) was built in Tibet in the 8th century. The Padmasambhava depicted here is seated in meditation on a lotus throne. He is dressed in priestly garb, holding a vajra in his right hand, a skull bowl in his left hand and a katvanga in his arm. Padmasambhava is said to have appeared in many countries, each in different manifestations, where he subdued the demons and national deities hostile to Buddhism and made them subservient to the teachings. By transforming these forces into dharmapalas (protective deities) rather than destroying them, he practised one of the essential elements of the tantric path to salvation: transforming negative powers rather than destroying them. Padmasambhava has eight manifestations. His typical attributes are: a special hat with turned-up corners, a magical staff (khatvanga), a thunderbolt in his right hand and a skull bowl in his left hand. SM8HF