Kambala – Kẻ lắm lời – VIET RIGPA LOTSAWA

Truyền thuyết

Quốc vương xứ Kankarama hạ sinh được hai hoàng tử. Khi quốc vương băng hà, triều đình đưa hoàng tử cả lên ngôi.

Vị Hoàng tử này vốn là một con người đức hạnh và thao lược, nên kể từ khi ngài lên ngôi, đất nước luôn sống trong cảnh thái bình, và dân chúng trở nên giàu có sung túc. Họ giàu đến nỗi chỉ dùng toàn chén vàng đĩa bạc trong các bữa ăn.

Tuy nhiên trong suốt năm trị vì đầu tiên, vua không gặp được hoàng thái hậu, vì bà trong thời gian chịu tang. Đến năm sau, hoàng thái hậu mới vào triều, gặp mặt nhà vua.

Nhà vua trẻ thấy mẫu thân khóc lóc có vẻ không vui, bèn hỏi: “Cớ sao mẫu hậu lại khóc?”

“Ta khóc vì thấy con ở trên ngai vàng lúc nào cũng bận bịu việc triều chính.” “Tâu mẫu hậu! Con hiểu. Con sẽ thoái vị, nhường ngôi lại cho em con và con sẽ xuất gia theo Phật.”
Theo lời hứa, nhà vua trẻ để lại ngai vàng cho em, rồi cùng 300 tùy tùng đến tu tập ở một tu viện.
Nhưng chẳng bao lâu mẹ ngài lại xuất hiện trước mặt, bà lại khóc lóc. Ngài chào hoàng thái hậu và hỏi duyên cớ.

Bà nói: “Ta khóc vì hiện nay con đã là một nhà sư mà vẫn còn kẻ hầu người hạ như một ông vua. Hãy từ bỏ tu viện này và một mình đi ẩn cư nơi rừng sâu để tu tập.”

Vua nghe lời đi vào rừng già tu tập, nhưng do phước báo đời trước dân làng thường đến cúng dường ngài vô số vật thực.

Mẹ ngài lại xuất hiện khóc lóc, và nói: “Một bậc thánh tăng thì cần gì những thứ ấy?”

Nghe mẹ mắng, nhà vua cởi bỏ những trang phục tốt, bình bát bằng bạc và những thứ quí giá khác để chọn lối tu khổ hạnh.

Ngài lang thang đây đó, từ thành phố này sang thành phố khác.

Một hôm ngài thấy mẹ xuất hiện giữa bầu trời, trong thân tướng của một Dakini và dạy ngài phương pháp thiền định.

Sau 12 năm tu tập, một hôm ngài hốt nhiên chứng đắc thần thông, bay lên hư không, và bất ngờ đối mặt với mẹ. Bà quở trách: “Sao con không lo phổ độ chúng sinh mà hý lộng thần thông để tiêu dao?”

Đức vua lúc này đã trở thành một thánh tăng, vâng lời mẹ đáp xuống đất, đi lần về thành phố Mangalapur, một thành phố có đông cư dân, khoảng chừng hai trăm năm chục ngàn hộ.

Cách đô thị không xa, ngài phát hiện có một hang động vắng vẻ gọi là động Ba Cây Cọ, phù hợp để thiền định.

Đám nữ phù thủy ở chốn ấy nghe tin đại sư đến trú tại xứ sở của chúng liền báo cho mụ phù thủy cầm đầu là Padmadevi. Cả bọn tìm cách quấy phá việc tu tập của sư.

Một ngày nọ, khi ngài đi vào thành, trên mình quấn một chiếc mền bằng len màu đen, thì bọn nữ phù thủy bám theo sau ngài nài nỉ: “Thưa thầy, mong thầy hoan hỷ đến nhà chúng tôi để dùng một bữa cơm.”

Nhưng Sư khiêm tốn chối từ: “Ta không thể dùng cơm ở tư gia.”
Thấy không thể mời sư, bọn chúng nài nỉ giữ hộ chiếc mền cho sư trong khi sư còn ở trong thành. Không tiện từ chối lần nữa, Sư đành phải giao chiếc mền cho chúng rồi ở trần đi vào thành.
Sư đi rồi, bọn phù thủy tụ họp lại và kháo với nhau rằng: “Vật gì sở hữu của một nhà sư đắc đạo đều có thần lực. Chúng ta phải ăn cái mền này.” Thế là bọn chúng chia nhau ăn mỗi người một mảnh, phần còn lại được ném vào bếp. Khi sư quay lại, bọn phù thủy đưa ngài một cái mền khác mới hơn, nhưng sư vẫn một mực đòi lại chiếc mền cũ của mình. Nài nỉ mãi không được, bọn phù thủy bèn lấy vàng cúng dường nhưng sư không nhận.

Ngài tức giận đi thẳng đến triều đình, tâu với vua: “Ngài là bậc minh quân, cớ sao lại không thể bảo vệ thần dân của mình tránh khỏi bọn phù thủy trộm cắp kia?”

Sau khi nghe sư giải thích sự việc, nhà vua cho gọi bọn phù thủy đến và ra lệnh cho họ phải hoàn lại chiếc mền cũ. Nhưng bọn chúng thú thật rằng chiếc mền ấy không còn nữa. Sư đành ở trần quay lại hang động để thiền định.

Sau đó bọn phù thủy dùng phép làm tắt dòng nước nơi hang động của ngài. Sư làm phép Hộ ma (Homa) triệu thỉnh Bổn Tôn Heruka khiến cho dòng nước chảy trở lại.

Nhân một dịp, bọn nữ phù thủy từ các nơi về tụ hội tại Oddiyana, sư dùng thần thông biến tất cả bọn chúng thành một bầy cừu đoạn xén lông đầu của chúng, khiến Padmadevi nữ chúa phù thủy phải quy phục, cầu sư giải thoát cho chúng.

Và khi được sư cho trở lại hình người, đầu của các phù thủy đều trọc nên chúng khóc lóc thảm thiết.

Chẳng bao lâu, tại động Ba Cây Cọ, các nữ thần nhục cảm cố ám hại sư bằng cách lăn một tảng đá núi khổng lồ xuống đầu ngài, nhưng thất bại.

Cuối cùng đức vua xứ ấy phải can thiệp: “Không ai trong các người có thể hại được nhà sư ấy. Vậy tốt hơn các ngươi nên quay về với chánh pháp.”

Mặc dù nhà vua khuyên lơn, nhưng bọn nữ phù thủy vẫn không thèm để tâm đến. Thấy vậy, Sư bảo: “Kể từ đây ta kiểm soát các ngươi, nếu các ngươi không cải tà qui chánh, ta sẽ bắt giao các ngươi cho Diêm chúa, và nếu các ngươi tái phạm, ta sẽ biến các ngươi thành ngựa.”

Bọn phù thủy kinh hãi, bèn cầu xin sư thu nhận làm đệ tử và tu tập pháp thiền định của ngài.

Sau khi được sư làm phép tịnh hóa nghiệp, bọn phù thủy ói ra tấm mền mà chúng đã nuốt trước đó. Sư gom các mẩu vụn lại thành chiếc mền nhưng nhỏ hơn trước đó. Sư được gọi là Kambala, tức “sư mền”.

THE MAHASIDDHA KAMBALA – THE BLACK-BLANKET-CLAD YOGIN

There was once a king of Kankarama with two sons. When he died the people elected the eldest son, who was of virtuous disposition, to succeed his father. The prince was crowned, and his virtue brought great prosperity to the eighty-four thousand households of his kingdom. They became so wealthy that they ate from golden dishes. However, during the first year of his reign the young king did not see his mother. His courtiers told him that she was in mourning. Another year passed before his mother finally arrived at court, weeping. The king was distressed and asked her the cause of her sadness.

“I am weeping to see you on the throne engaged in the wretched business of government,” she told him.

“I will abdicate in favor of my brother and take orders,” the king declared at once.

He was as good as his word. He took up residence in a monastery with a retinue of three hundred monks. But after some time his mother again appeared before him, weeping. He prostrated before her and again asked her the cause of her distress.

“I am weeping to see you still living like a king, surrounded by a court, even though you are a monk,” she told him. And in reply to his request for advice she continued, “Leave this monastery and your sumptuous Jiving and go alone to the jungle.”

He did as she advised, and finding a suitable tree in the forest took up residence beneath it. Due to the. reverberations of his past generosity his needs were supplied by the local villagers. But again his mother came to him and wept, and again he bowed to her and asked the cause of her sadness.

“What need has a holy man for all these trappings,” she moaned.

He discarded his fine robes, his silver hand basin and all his possessions, and taking the path of a yogin he set out to wander from land to land. Before he had gone far his mother appeared in the sky before him, and he recognized her as a Dakini for the first time. She gave him the Saijlvara initiation and taught him how to meditate. Then she vanished, and he continued on his way. He wandered for twelve years from town to town, sleeping in cremation grounds and practicing his sadhana. When he eventually gained mahiimudrii he levitated into the sky, and suddenly he was faced with his mother and her retinue of Dakinis.

“Why are you indulging your power in this way,” she chided. “It would be better if you worked for the benefit of people below.”

The master came down to earth, and intent upon selfless service he traveled west to the land of 0QQiyaJ;la, to Mailgalapur, a city of two hundred and fifty thousand households. In the area of Karabir he found the isolated Panaba Cliff in which was a cave called Talatse, or Palm Tree Top Cave, and there he decided to stay. When the local kind witches heard of the master’s arrival in their territory they plotted with their leader, Padmadevi, to obstruct his meditation. One day on his way to town wearing his black woolen blanket, a crowd of young ¢akzni-witches accosted him.

“Please come to our house for a meal,” they implored him.

“I do not take my food from any single household,” he told them politely, refusing their offer. But when they begged to be. entrusted with his blanket-cum-robe while he was in town, importunately pressing for this favor, he could not refuse. He gave the blanket to Padmadevi and went on naked.

The cakzni-witches held council. “A siddha’s possessions all have power,” they declared. “We must eat this blanket.” They divided it up and swallowed the pieces, throwing a remaining fragment into the fire, and when the master returned they told him that they had decided to offer him a new blanket. He insisted that they return his Lwawapa (Kambala) realized the own, so they offered him gold, but to no avail. He was angry. He preferred to approach the king to protest.

“You are king,” he charged the monarch. “Why can’t you protect your subjects from thieving witches?” After he had explained his case the king summoned the <fakzni-witches and ordered them to return the blanket. They pleaded that it was no longer in their possession.

The master returned to his cave naked and continued his meditation. He offered a sacrificial cake (torma) to Heruka’sl)akini consort, and when one of the witches caused the spring in his cave to dry up he commanded the earth goddess to send water, and she complied immediately, the spring flowing forth again.

An opportunity to curb the witches arose when their sisters came from Mt. Meru and the Four Continents for an assembly. It was a vast convocation of mean-spirited. The master turned them all into sheep, and when the queen, Padmadevi, prayed that he return them to their original shape he sheared the fleeces of the entire flock, so that when they found themselves again in human form their heads were shaved, and they wept.

Cutting their hair had little effect, for it was then at Palm Tree Top Cave that the goddesses of sensuality attempted to murder him by rolling a huge boulder down upon his head. He raised his hand in a gesture of threat, and the rock’s descent was checked. It remains there perched precariously until this day.

Finally the king decided to intervene. “There is not one amongst you,” he told the witch-girls,” that has not harmed some man at some time. You must beg forgiveness and vow to follow the path of virtue.”

Unrepentant, they refused to heed the king, until the master add- ed his threat. “You must be controlled. If you refuse to follow my instruction and refuse to vow to protect the.Truth, I will send you to Dharmaraja, Lord of Death; and if you break your vow to refrain from evil doing, I will turn you into horses.”

They feared the master’s power, so they took refuge in the Bud- dha and swore to protect his Word. Then purified, they vomited up the blanket that they had swallowed previously, and the master selected the pieces and sewed them together again. But the blanket was slightly smaller.

This great yogin became known as Kambala or Lwa ba pa, Master of the Blanket, and also as Sri Prabhata, Glorious Light.

Tác giả: Keith Dowman

Nguồn: Các vị Chân sư Đại Thủ Ấn

Nguyên tác: Masters of mahamudra of the 84 buddhist siddhas

Việt dịch: Nguyên Thạnh Lê Trung Hưng

Hiệu đính: Nguyễn Minh Tiến