Tantepa

Truyền thuyết

Tantepa là một người đam mê cờ bạc. Ông đánh bạc cả ngày lẫn đêm và thua hết sạch những gì ông có. Dù vậy, để có tiền chơi trò sát phạt ấy, ông đã vay mượn khắp nơi.

Đến kỳ hạn trả nợ, Tantepa không đủ khả năng chi trả. Các chủ nợ xúm lại đánh ông đến suýt chết. Cuối cùng, ông đành phải ra khu mộ địa để ẩn thân.

Tại nơi này, Tantepa gặp một nhà sư Du-già, Sư hỏi thăm hoàn cảnh của Tantepa.

“Thưa ngài, tôi vốn là một con bạc, bị thua đến sạt nghiệp. Vì không có tiền trả nợ, nên họ đánh đập tôi suýt chết.”

“Vậy sao ngươi không tu tập thiền định?”
“Cờ bạc là nghiệp của tôi. Nếu như có pháp nào tu nhưng không phải từ bỏ cờ bạc thì tôi thực hành ngay.”

“Điều ấy không khó, miễn là ngươi siêng năng tu tập.”

Sư truyền pháp và khai tâm cho Tantepa. Sư dạy: “Ngươi hãy quán ba cõi Dục giới, Sắc giới và Vô Sắc giới đều rỗng không như cái túi không tiền của ngươi vậy. Lại quán bản tâm của ngươi cũng rỗng không như ba cõi ấy, lâu ngày ắt thành tựu.”

Tantepa vâng lời Sư, tu tập 20 năm thì chứng ngộ và đắc thần thông Đại Ấn.

Tantepa was a compulsive gambler. Most of the time he managed to break even, but then he met a fateful losing streak. He continued gambling even then, lost everything he had and even continued on credit. Eventually, he had to run away, but his creditors found him and beat him half to death.

After the beating, at nightfall, he managed to crawl away to a cremation ground to hide. There, he met a yogin who shared his meal with Tantepa. When asked if he was robbed, Tantepa said he have robbed himself for being a compulsive gambler. Having nothing else to lose, the yogin asked if he wanted to try meditation. Tantepa replied if there’s a meditation he could practice without giving up gambling, then he may try. At that, the yogin gave the gambler initiation and empowerment, and gave him instructions to visualize the three realms and see that the nature of the mind as emptiness, like his pocket is now.

Tantepa mediated diligently on his guru’s instruction and as he did, all of this thoughts and beliefs about the nature of the 3 realms dissolved into the true reality of their own empty spaciousness. He became a renowned teacher and the very last song he sang to his disciples was:

Had I not known sorrow and remorse, How could I have entered the path to release? Had I not placed my trust in a teacher, How could I have attained the ultimate power? Than he levitated to the height of seven palm trees and entered the Paradise of the Dakinis.

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