The Wish-Fulfilling Tree: The Life Story of the Master of Uddiyana as found in Padmasambhava’s Sevenfold Cycle of Profundity

At the age of twenty-eight, on Saga Dawa Düchen (the Festival of Vaishakha) in the Fire Dragon Year (May 19, 1856), at the sacred site of Akanishta Karma in Tibet, Terchen Chokgyur Dechen Zhikpo Lingpa revealed an earth treasure (sater) known as the Wish-Fulfilling Tree (Paksam Jönshing), part of the Sevenfold Cycle of Profundity (Zapa Kordün). The verses of the Wish-Fulfilling Tree were spoken by the Mahaguru himself, providing his personal perspective on an extraordinary life, unlike biographies written by others who can only have partial knowledge of the subject. Although it consists of only ten short chapters, the Wish-Fulfilling Tree covers the full span of his life story, from his birth to his departure for the Glorious Copper-Colored Mountain. Each chapter focuses on a significant aspect of his enlightened activity, making it easy to follow the unfolding of his journey in our world. This autobiography is thus truly rare and precious, sure to bring blessings to the devoted heart.