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Drukpa Kunley - 01 And his methods of enlightenment
Identifier
016309
Type of Spiritual Experience
Background
Drukpa Kunley (1455 - 1529), also known as Kunga Legpai Zangpo, Drukpa Kunleg (Tibetan: འབྲུག་པ་ཀན་ལེགས་, Wylie: 'brug pa kun legs), and Kunga Legpa, the Madman of the Dragon Lineage (Tibetan: འབྲུག་སྨྱོན་ཀུན་དགའ་ལེགས་པ་, Wylie: 'brug smyon kun dga' legs pa), was a great master of Mahamudra in the Buddhist tradition, as well as a famous poet, and is often counted among the Nyönpa. After undergoing training in Ralung Monastery under siddha Pema Lingpa, he introduced Buddhism to Bhutan and established the monastery of Chimi Lhakhang there in 1499.
Drukpa became famous for his methods of enlightening other beings, mostly women, which earned him the title "The Saint of 5,000 Women".
The only methods he used were the sexual ones and he travelled the country trying to teach people that it is possible to be enlightened and impart enlightenment, via sex.
He is credited with introducing the practice of phallus paintings in Bhutan and placing statues of them on rooftops to ‘drive away evil spirits’. Because of this power to awaken unenlightened beings, Kunley's penis is referred to as the "Thunderbolt of Flaming Wisdom" and he himself is known as the "fertility saint".
He became, understandably, both famous and very popular. Women from ‘all around the world’ [sic] visited his monastery to ‘seek his blessing’. It should be pointed out that a true master of the sex based techniques is able to have unlimited sex, but has a withholding power so strong that there is no danger of children. As such even if no enlightenment was not forthcoming, the women could have a very good time.
Visitors can still visit Drukpa Kunley's monastery in Bhutan. The monastery is very modest, only one smallish building, but it contains a wood-and-ivory lingam through which one can obtain blessings from the monk in residence.
The best place to become one with your inner Flaming Thunderbolt is at Kunley's Chimi Lhakhang monastery, about a three-hour drive from the capital of Thimphu. There, Monks use a large wooden phallus, carved by Kunley himself, to hit devotees over the head and bless them with its healing powers.
Only those tourists completely ignorant of Buddhism and sex based systems are hit on the head as a sign of enlightenment. These monks have a sense of humour.
A description of the experience
