Padmasambhava or “Guru Rinpoche” The precious master as he is affectionately known by the Tibetan people is the great master and saint who brought the teaching of Buddha to Tibet in the eight century.

Guru Rinpoche established the first Buddhist monastery in Tibet at Samye, and infused his blessing into the whole landscape of Tibet and the Himalayas. He is considered by Tibetans to be the second Buddha.

It is his compassion, his blessing and his all encompassing vision to which Tibetan Buddhism owes its dynamism, vitality and success. For the people of Tibet, the teaching of Buddha pervades the very fabric of their existence, every facet of their everyday life and culture, almost like the very air they breathe. Therein lies the strength of the Buddhist tradition of Tibet and also the reason why Tibet has so long held a place in popular imagination as the spiritual “Heart land” of the planet.