The five principal caves of Guru Rinpoche

The five principal caves of Guru Rinpoche: " The principal meditation caves of Guru Rinpoche are known as The Five Power Places of the Guru. Together with three additional power places they are Eight Solitary Places of Realization, located in Central Tibet, Lhodrak and Bhutan.
All these cave-hermitages are all places where Guru Rinpoche concealed important terma treasure troves). They all have prophecies associated with treasure that predict the coming of tertons (treasure-finders) who would meditate there and discover the treasures that the Guru concealed. Also, they are power-places that induce dream and vision, and to that extent they are places where Guru Rimpoche had prophecies revealed to him and where he asserted that yogins would attain realization.

The Guru's consort , Yeshe Tsogyal, stayed for some time in all of these caves and concealed treasure-texts therein. Some of the Guru's Twenty Five Disciples meditated in these caves after their final initiation, and attained siddhi there. Since the 8th century these caves have been the residence of many important Dzogchen practitioners.

The Five Guru Rinpoche Power Places:

1. Drak Yongdzong, Power-place of the Guru's Body
2. Samye Chimpu, Power-place of the Guru's Speech
3. Lhodrak Karchu, Power-place of the Guru's Mind
4. Yarlung Shetak , Power-place of the Guru's Qualities
5. Monka Nering Senge Dzong, Power-place of the Guru's Action

The Eight Solitary Places of Realization:

• above five power-places

6. Drakmar Yamalung
7. Monka Sridzong
8. Paro Taktsang Puk

(Based on 'The Power-places of Central Tibet' by Keith Dowman)

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