Tapihritsa or Tapahritsa (c 7th ~ 8th century) was a Bon practitioner who achieved the Dzogchen mastery of the rainbow body and consequently, as a fully realised trikaya Buddha, is invoked as an iṣṭadevatā (Classical Tibetan: yi dam) by Dzogchen practitioners in both Bon[1] and Tibetan Buddhism.[2] He is known for his achievement of the rainbow body.[3][4]
The historical Tapihritsa was born in Zhangzhung to a family of nomads. Tapihritsa's principal teacher was Dawa Gyaltsen.[4]
Tapihritsa was contemporaneous with Ligmincha, King of Zhangzhung, and Trisong Detsen, Emperor of Tibet.[4]
Tapihritsa is often visualized as representing the realization of all the masters of the Zhangzhung Whispered Transmission (Wylie: zhang zhung snyan brgyud) lineage, one of the three Bon Dzogchen lineages.[citation needed]
- ^ Namdak (1991).
- ^ Jurkovic (2011), p. 6.
- ^ Karmay & Watt (2007), p. 27.
- ^ a b c Wangyal (2005).