This is a supplication to Vidyadhara the Venerable Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, written by His Holiness Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche at the request of Lady Könchok. It was not composed specifically as a rebirth supplication, but as a supplication to the guru whose wisdom, compassion, and power exist beyond the norms of birth and death.

In supreme unchanging great bliss, vajradhatu,
Forefather who emanates and gathers all kayas and buddha fields,
Glorious heruka, lord of oceans of mandalas,
We supplicate the guru, the primordial buddha, Samantabhadra.

In the first stanza, we supplicate the ultimate nature of the guru. In essence, the guru is Samantabhadra, the dharmakaya buddha who abides in vajradhatu (San. “indestructible realm”), which is the most primordial aspect of space. As the Vidyadhara explained at the 1974 Vajradhatu Seminary, “the basic characteristic of that space is that it is immovable—immovable because of its spaciousness, because of its all-pervasiveness.” From that space, Samantabhadra emanates all the particular kayas, or bodies, and realms of sambhogakaya buddhas.

From the wisdom play of all-pervasive compassion,
You continually appeared as the learned and accomplished charioteers
of the teachings
Of India and Tibet and especially of the Kagyü and Nyingma.
We supplicate you.

In the second stanza, we supplicate the nirmanakaya guru, who out of compassion has manifested various incarnations as the “charioteers,” or great teachers, of the Kagyü and Nyingma lineages. According to “Ocean Waves of Devotion,” a supplication to the Trungpa lineage, the Vidyadhara was an incarnation of the Indian siddhas Dombi Heruka and Shri Simha, and of the Tibetan masters Palkyi Dorje, Truku Repa, Lhopa Gomchung, and Tingma Sanggye Trak.

In particular, as the magical emanation of sacred wisdom,
Lord, your marvelous virtues of hearing, contemplating, and meditating
Manifested for our sake as buddha activity.
Chökyi Gyatso, we supplicate at your feet.

In the third stanza, we supplicate one particular nirmanakaya manifestation, the eleventh Trungpa Chökyi Gyatso, who manifested enlightened activity for the benefit of his students. “Hearing, contemplating, and meditating” are three aspects of developing prajña, the insight that enables us to access the most profound meaning of the teachings.

Actualizing the wisdom of ultimate dharmata,
Confusion exhausted at its base, your spontaneous wisdom came forth.
Apparent existence perfect as the one mandala of dharmakaya,
We supplicate space, Chökyi Gyatso.

In the fourth stanza, we supplicate the guru who has attained the ultimate wisdom of dharmata, or things as they are, and who is at one with space and the phenomenal world. Though no longer living, the guru is always with us. All appearances are the smiling face of the guru, all sounds are the guru’s kind speech, and all thoughts are the guru’s compassionate wisdom.

By the power of birth and death being naturally pure in enlightenment,
With the vision of compassion beyond decrease or increase,
Looking after us disciples who are left behind,
Please ripen and free our beings.

For an enlightened master, birth and death are naturally pure. In other words, the concepts of being born and dying do not apply to him. Therefore, even after his parinirvana, the guru is still present and his blessings are real. We request him to look after his students, to bless and guide us on the path with the compassion that is beyond waxing and waning. “Ripen and free” are two aspects of furthering students on the vajrayana path. Abhishekas “ripen,” or mature, the understanding of the student. The teacher’s oral instructions “free,” or liberate, the student when they are put into practice.

Perfecting the excellent path of the effortless yana,
Glorious guru, may our minds mix with yours.
Thoroughly liberated in the youthful vase body endowed with the six qualities,
May we perfect the two benefits.

In the final stanza, we aspire to become one with the guru’s mind, to gain enlightenment, and to accomplish benefit for ourselves and others. “Effortless yana” is a common name for the path of ati, which is based on relaxing ever more deeply into our true nature. We ask that, through practicing this path, our minds and the wisdom mind of the guru may mix inseparably. As a result, we aspire to  attain liberation in the youthful vase body in order to accomplish the two benefits—both for oneself and for all sentient beings.

According to the Tibetan-Chinese Dictionary, the “youthful vase body” is a special term of the ati tradition. It refers to the enlightened mind of Samantabhadra, who embodies the five kayas and the five wisdoms. It has six qualities:

once awareness of outer luminosity is drawn within, inner luminosity—the primordially present ground, the great expanse—appearing as one’s own nature
being elevated above the ground
being differentiated
being liberated right within differentiation
not arising from something else
naturally abiding.

According to Gyatrul Rinpoche, this awakened state of awareness is compared to a vase because, while transcending the three times, it is a container for all of samsara and nirvana. It is called “youthful” because it never ages; it is always fresh. It is called “body” because it embodies the body, speech, mind, quality, and action of all the tathagatas.

In the colophon, Könchok Paldrön, the “secret friend” or consort of the Vidyadhara, is the mother of Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche. Mangala Shri Bhuti (“Auspicious Glorious Being”) is Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche’s Sanskrit name.