Guide to Maratika by Chatral Sangye Dorje

This seems to be a draft version, but still very precious. I include it until a more final edition can be shared. [Erik Pema Kunsang]

Guide to Maratika

Homage to the guru, yidam and dakinis
To the essence of all appearances the Guru Pema Amitayus.
To the embodiment of emptiness, the great mother, clothed in white and
To the three root long life deities, the mudra of union,
I bow down with devotion and beseech you to bestow the empowerment of immortal life.

North of Bodhgaya which is the center of the universe, within a rocky mountain covered with trees and bushes, is the widely renowned holy place called Halashen, about which I will explain, so relax and listen with joy.
Outwardly it is the blissful play of Wangchuk and Umadevi. Inwardly it is the palace of Chakrasamvara. Secretly it is the celestial mansion of the deities of immortal life and most secret it is the pure land of great bliss, the Akanishtha dharmadhatu.
In the past, when the Vidyadhara Pema Tötreng Tsal with his ravishingly beautiful consort Mandarava, at this place practiced the swift path of the secret activities, the empowerment of immortal life was bestowed on them by Amitayus, Buddha of Boundless life; he thus attained the body which is without birth or death, decrepitude and disintegration and even now dwells in the southwest subduing the rakshas, from which emanation upon emanation arises in whatever way is necessary to continuously benefit beings in worldly cyclic existence.
Following that, from the point between the eyebrows of Songtsen Gampo, who in actually is Avalokiteshvara, emanated Bhikshu Akarma who through his miraculous sight perceived the eleven-headed Avalokiteshvara. While erecting such an image he went in search of inner relics for the statue and through his miraculous power came here and at that he time beheld the faces of many deities.
At that time he it called the Mandala Cave of Glorious Qualities practice cave and this worshipful history has its proven/truthful source.
When the heretic Samaracharya (Sankaracharya) perpetuated much harm to the Buddhist doctrine in India and Nepal, many old sacred places and holy objects were destroyed, scattered and lost. After that all his followers took them over as places of Shiva.
With special offerings of bells, cymbals and tridents (phug gson ?), butter lamps, with a hundred or thousand wicks and incense, flowers, milk and the three white offerings, not one person offers live sacrifice or red offerings. Their pujas with drums, cymbals, white conchs and various kinds of instruments of the blowing and twirling class, the sounds of ur ur chem chem both slow and fast playing and other sounds resounds.
They continuously make offering and praise to Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva and other worldly deities. Adhering to superior and inferior castes from Brahmin to butcher there are those who are allowed and those who are not allowed to enter the cave. Some of the inferior castes can only sit at the entrance as even now they keep to their ancient traditions.
Especially during the waxing and waning of the tenth days of the month and other excellent days, I have seen the Brahmin puja wallahs inside the cave with mandalas of colored sand making huge fire pujas.
However as all individuals have their own phenomena it is not right to harbor wrong views and speak maligning words but one should keep pure vision. So rejoice and give praise thus make good connection. To slander the deities or people is the basis for misfortune.
In order to arouse the interest of people in general with an explanation of the history, I will start off by speaking about the beginning in order to develop confidence/ faith in outsiders, Buddhists and ordinary people and incidentally dispelling arguments about the holy place.
EMA
[*** missing lines?]
By seeing this place uncontrollable wonder arises. By merely hearing about the name, the seed for liberation is planted, by recalling it accidental death is prevented. By making prostrations, circumambulation and offerings great accumulation of merit is accomplished.
The mouth of the cave is shaped like an eight-spoked wheel. On the earth, the ground is shaped like an eight petaled lotus and in the middle are stalagmite arranged like the pistils of a flower. In front a stream gushes forth. The main part of the holy place is a huge self existing assembly hall, high and spacious where one thousand people can fit. There is the single bindu skylight shaped like a round wheel. Outside, out of the scraggy rocks grow various shrubs and trees. Inside the cave abounds with innumerable images of statues, seed syllables and hand implements of the peaceful and wrathful deities. The special characteristic or mark of this holy place is the many stone linga ranging in size from six feet down to six inches in height.
rang byon
During auspicious times nectar collects like moist dew and drips down. There are many crevasse like holes though which one can see/test for ones positive or negative karma, the lower realms and the entrances to the higher realms and path of liberation.
Below the holy place is a cave whose entrance faces to the southwest. It is not so big but once inside opens up very wide and spacious, enough room to fit a hundred people. There are many images of body, speech and mind, hand and foot imprints, a white conch and many other amazing self-existing things. When those of excellent fortunate karma come, dew like nectar seeps out. Straight above unobstructed is a high vaulted skylight, making it renowned as a training place for the transference practice of Khachod.
In the spacious sphere of the main cave are hosts of great meditator bats whose form is unperceived but unceasingly recite resound with the mantra of long life. (One hears the sounds of tsay and bhrum)
It is a very special place to help all those tantric practitioners on the path with their visualization of the wheel of luminosity of the deities and mantras.
This booklet which is only a drop from the ocean of qualities of this holy place made with the thought of benefiting others, like a wishfulfilling gem or the excellent vase however one supplicates the fruit of ones wishes will unerringly ripen.
All of us the followers of Urgyen Rinpoche, brothers and sisters, when coming to this place may obscurations be purified and merit accumulated.
In general one should endeavor in the practice of recitation, offering torma and fire puja and especially the practice of long life.
By the merit of composing this as temporary benefit for all beings as vast as the sky, may untimely death be dispelled and ultimately may they attain the level of the protector Amitayus and thus lead all beings to that state.
By the blessing of the power of the truth of the wondrous compassion of all the fortunate Buddhas and sons all unwanted trouble and misery without exception having been completely subjugated; may all continuously dwell in glory and auspiciousness prevail day and night.

Thus my daughter Sarashvati Devi with offerings of a stainless scarf and writing paper requested me to write a praise of this holy place, so in accordance, this has been written by the old gypsy father Sangye Dorje in the Fire Tiger year on an excellent day of the tenth month, in-between sessions, at the supreme holy place of Maratika which puts an end to death. SHUBHAM.
[Translated by Ani Lodro?]