Padmasambhava, also known as Guru Rinpoche and the Lotus from Oḍḍiyāna, was a tantric Buddhist Vajra master from medieval India who taught Vajrayana in Tibet. According to some early Tibetan sources like the Testament of Ba, he came to Tibet in the 8th century and helped construct Samye Monastery, the first Buddhist monastery in Tibet. However, little more is known about the actual historical figure other than his ties to Vajrayana and Indian Buddhism.
Padmasambhava statue at Ghyoilisang peace park, Boudhanath
Colossus of Padmasambhava, 123 ft. (37.5 m), high in mist overlooking Rewalsar Lake, Himachal Pradesh, India
Fragment of the Testament of Ba at the British Library, with six incomplete lines of Tibetan writing (Or.8210/S.9498A)
Nyangrel Nyima Özer, one of "The Five Tertön Kings"
A vajrācārya is a Vajrayana Buddhist master, guru or priest. It is a general term for a tantric master in Vajrayana Buddhist traditions, including Tibetan Buddhism, Shingon, Bhutanese Buddhism, Newar Buddhism.
Padmasambhava, the archetypal vajra master in Tibetan Buddhism, holding a vajra and a skullcup, both important tantric ritual implements.
Bajracharyas in ceremonial dress