Vairochana was born in Central Tibet in the Nyemo district in Jekhar. He was sent to India to bring back the Dzogchen texts and transmission by King Trisong Detsen at the behest of Nub Namkhai Nyingpo.

After great hardship he arrived in Oddiyana and near the Dhanakosha Lake, in a sandalwood forest, he found Shri Singha living in a nine storied pagoda. After passing a protective yogini to whom he demonstrated his powers, Vairochana attained audience with Shri Singha who heard his plea for the effortless Dzogchen teaching and asked for time to think about it.

The next morning Vairochana returned and Shri Singha promised him the Atiyoga doctrines. Due to the hostility of the Oddiyana king to the Dzogchen teaching, he insisted that in the day time Vairochana should join the panditas learning the causal vehicle, and only at night time would he receive the Atiyoga teaching.

So during the night, the master Shri Singha wrote the eighteen tantras of the Mind Series in goat milk on white silk, which would become visible when exposed to heat. Vairochana was dissatisfied with the Mind Series instruction and asked for more. Shri Singha gave him the initiation and empowerment into the tantras and also all the teaching on the Space Series in the black, white and variegated modes.

Still Vairochana was not satisfied but Shri Singha would give him no more. The first of the transmission texts of the Mind Series is called "The Cuckoo: Total Presence" (Rikpai Kuchuk) otherwise known as "The Six Vajra Verses".

Then Vairochana found the Acharya Garab Dorje in the cremation ground Place of Smoke, Dhumasthira, and he received the entire sixty-four hundred thousand Dzogchen verses. Simultaneously with this transmission, he attained liberation and nirvana, also the highest siddhi. Finally, he returned to Tibet by speed-walking.

In Tibet, Vairochana taught the King in the same manner as Shri Singha had taught him - by day the causal approach and at night the fruition approach - Dzogchen. But political intrigue at court cut short the king's study with Vairochana.

The Indian King had got wind of the transmission of the secret doctrines to Vairochana and assisted by one of the King's queens, Tsepong Za, who had her own political agenda, Vairochana was slandered and then banished. He was expelled to the far east, to Tsawa Rong in the country of Gyelmo Rong. In Gyelmo Rong, he taught Dzogchen to Yudra Nyingpo, Sangton Yeshe Lama and the old beggar Sangye Gompo.

In central Tibet, he taught Nyak Jnanakumara, and the Khotanese Queen Liza Sherab Dronma. Later he was invited to Khotan.

  1 Garab Dorje .. 2 Manjushrimitra .. 3 Shri Singha .. 4 Jnanasutra .. 5 Vimalamitra