Two Stories

by Dorjé Lopön Hun Lye 

Two stories that I heard from Khenpo Choephel of Drigungtil Monastery in the context of commenting on verse 3 of chapter 6 of The Single Intention (Tib. Gongchik): “All phenomena are manifestations of momentary thoughts.”

Dampa Yarpo Overcomes Spirit Possession
There was once a man called Dampa Yarpo who lived during the time of Jikten Sumgön who was temporarily possessed by a spirit being. As he was afflicted and unable to travel, he sent a messenger to Jikten Sumgön to seek a cure. At that time, Jikten Sumgön was in retreat but through his attendant he advised Dampa Yarpo to meditate on Avalokiteśvara in the aspect of the Lord of Great Compassion (Avalokiteśvara in the eleven-headed, thousand-eyed and thousand-armed form).

Dampa Yarpo did as advised. That night, he had a vivid dream where the wrathful Yamarājā (Lord of Death) came to him and instructed him to meditate on him instead of the Lord of Great Compassion – implying that it would be more efficient to meditate on a wrathful deity in facing a spirit problem. Luckily for Dampa Yarpo, his devotion to Jikten Sumgön was unwavering and so he ignored the dream. In fact, if he had listened to the advice he received in his dream, the afflicting spirit would have continued to harm him as Dampa Yarpo’s mind would have abided in anger and wrath towards the spirit even if he was meditating on Yamarājā.

But because his mind was generating itself as the Lord of Compassion, the spirit could not continue to harm Dampa Yarpo. Thus on the third night, he had another dream in which he saw the spirit leaving his body in a weakened state and went towards the river in front and below of Drigungtil Monastery and left the area. He woke up completely freed of the affliction.

A Leper Cheats Death
A leper once came to Phakmo Drupa to seek a cure and was told my Phakmo Drupa to meditate on Phakmo Drupa himself. The leper did as told and in that very evening the spirit that was causing the leprosy appeared and wondered aloud, “This guy that I have caused to have leprosy is always here when I come looking for him, where is he this evening?” Instead of seeing the leper, all the spirit could see was Phakmo Drupa himself and not the leper. Since the spirit’s karmic connection to cause harm was only in relation to the leper and not to Phakmo Drupa, he had no choice but to leave when the leper apparently “disappeared” and could not be found. In his place was Phakmo Drupa!