Panel 08 of 10

The Building of Samye

The Four Great Kings assisted, supervising their work;
And as the walls went up with joyful, clamorous song,
Gods and demons raised them even higher at night than humans by day!
— The Wish-Fulfilling Tree
The construction and consecration of Samye, Tibet's first monastery
The construction and consecration of Samye, Tibet's first monastery

The Four Guardian Kings of the cardinal directions, namely Dhṛtarāshtra (East), Virūḍhaka (South), Virūpākṣa (West) and Vaiśravaṇa (North) and the Nagas came to assist the construction of Samye monastery.

The humans and the non-humans work side by side. What the non-humans build during the night exceeds what the humans build during the day. When there is a shortage of material for the construction, the Nagas come forth with their bountiful treasure and provided Trisong Deutsen with an endless supply of wealth and material. In this way, the construction of the monastery proceeds at rapid speed.

All the temples were consecrated, flower petals strewn,
And wisdom deities descended into every statue, for all to see.
Rays of light blazed forth and the sound of music was heard.
The gods all showered down a rain of flowers
And the nāgas came to offer gifts of precious gems;
Thus the world was filled with auspiciousness of every kind.
— The Wish-Fulfilling Tree

On the day of the consecration, under the shade of peacock-feathered parasols, the priest Padmasambhava, the abbot Shantarakshita and the king Trisong Deutsen circumambulate the temple. The Dakini Yeshe Tsogyal follows them from behind. Suddenly, a shower of the arura fruit falls from the skies, indicating auspiciousness. Two more times, arura showers over those gathered at Samye monastery. All gathered are overjoyed. Tibet has been blessed. The Dharma will take firm root in the land.