INTRODUCTION
During her visit to South Africa in 1972, the Ven. Sister K. K. Palmo [Fred Bedi] transmitted a Chenrezi (Avalokiteśvara) practice with the Title:
THE MEDITATION AND RECITATION UPON THE SUPREME AND EXHALED CHENREZI. (being a sadhana called . . . )
LIMITLESSLY BENEFITTING BEINGS -
by the Yogi, Thang-tong gyalpo (ཐང་སྟོང་རྒྱལ་པྟོ) (with selected notes from the textual commentary of H. H. Karmapa XV.)
At that time, I had typed out the text with an electric typewriter and made photstat copies. The quality was not very good, and there were a few spelling mistakes. The attached PDF – thongtang_chenrezi.pdf - is the first time a clear copy of the text has been made available.
The Yogi, Thang-tong Gyalpo was an extraordinary being, much revered in present day Bhutan: WIKIPEDIA informs us that:
Thang Tong Gyalpo , Thangtong Gyalpo ཐང་སྟོང་རྒྱལ་པོ་, (thang stong rgyal po) (1385 CE–1464 CE or 1361 CE–1485 CE), also known as Chakzampa and Tsondru Zangpo, was a great Buddhist adept, yogi, physician, blacksmith, architect, and a pioneering civil engineer. He is known for writing an Avalokiteśvara sādhanā entitled For the Benefit of All Beings as Vast as the Skies, which is practiced in dharma centres today. He is well known for founding Ache Lhamo, (Tibetan opera), and is famous for his extensive travels in China, Tibet, and other eastern countries, building numerous temples and metal bridges and founding monasteries in Derge and elsewhere. Several of the 58 iron chain suspension bridges around Tibet and Bhutan that he built to ease travel and pilgrimage though the Himalayas are still in use today. He is often shown in murals with long white hair holding some chain links from his bridges.
Yours Sincerely
Samten de Wet
(Cape Town, New Moon, 5th April 2019)
Because of the wide distribution of For the Benefit of All Beings as Vast as the Skies, you are welcome to source the version you are most comfortable with, or search the Internet for further versions of the translation. For example:
Jason Espada, has curated: A Collection of Prayers by Thang Tong Gyalpo. Gathered from various sources [San Francisco, September 22nd, 2017.] [ONLINE HERE]
An interesting study:
Manfred Gerner, Thangtong Gyalpo: Architect, Philosopher and Iron Chain Bridge Builder, The Centre for Bhutan Studies, 2007. [ONLINE HERE
And:
Avalokiteśvara @ WIKIPEDIA
NOTE: THE TEXT CAN ALSO BE DOWNLOADED HERE:
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