An Encouragement to Avert the Hindrances of Dark Times in the Year of the Iron Dog

An Encouragement to Avert the Hindrances of Dark Times in the Year of the Iron Dog is a text written by the 8th-century Buddhist master Padmasambhava, also known as Guru Rinpoche.

The text predicts the difficulties and obstacles that would arise in a specific astrological year, known as the Year of the Iron Dog. Guru Rinpoche wrote the text to provide encouragement and guidance for individuals facing these difficulties, with the goal of helping them to overcome the hindrances and challenges that would arise during this time.

The teaching is considered an important work in Tibetan Buddhism and is widely studied and practiced, particularly within the Nyingma and Kagyu schools. It provides guidance for navigating difficult times and to offer inspiration and hope to those who are facing challenges and obstacles.

  • Importance of Compassion, Wisdom, and Liberation for all beings.

    Guru Rinpoche predicted that there would be a disturbance in the very biorhythms of our consciousness and that we would experience a significant downswing caused by selfishness and ego-clinging. His prediction stresses the importance of developing compassion and wisdom, as these qualities are believed to be essential for overcoming the challenges of dark times.

  • The Need for Collective Action

    Guru Rinpoche's prediction encourages collective action and the importance of working together to overcome challenges and create a better world.

  • The Power of Spiritual Practice

    Guru Rinpoche's prediction highlights the role of spiritual practice in creating positive change, and the need for individuals to engage in spiritual practices and rituals aimed at promoting peace and stability.

Guru Rinpoche is revered as the second Buddha and is known for his teachings and spiritual powers.

Guru Rinpoche is revered as the second Buddha and is known for his teachings and spiritual powers.

Guru Rinpoche, also known as Padmasambhava, made several prophecies about the future of Buddhism and world events. Some of these include predictions about the spread of Buddhism, the degeneration of the dharma, and the arrival of Maitreya, the future Buddha. He is also said to have hidden treasures (terma) that future generations would discover to aid in preserving and spreading the dharma. These prophecies are considered important in Tibetan Buddhism and are studied and discussed by practitioners.

Some of his more well-known predictions include:

  • The decline of Buddhism

    Guru Rinpoche predicted that Buddhism would decline in India and that the teachings would eventually spread to other parts of the world.

  • The arrival of tertöns

    Guru Rinpoche predicted the arrival of tertöns or spiritual practitioners with special abilities to reveal hidden treasures, who would play an essential role in preserving and spreading Buddhist teachings.

  • The spread of Buddhism to Tibet

    Guru Rinpoche also predicted that Buddhism would spread to Tibet and play a key role in the spiritual development of the Tibetan people.

  • The emergence of false teachings

    Guru Rinpoche warned of the emergence of false teachings and negative influences that would arise in the future and encouraged individuals to rely on the teachings of the Buddha and the guidance of spiritual teachers.

He also predicted that negative forces, such as warfare and famine, would arise but that we could overcome these forces through spiritual practice.

Guru Rinpoche's prediction, known as  "An Encouragement to Avert the Hindrances of Dark Times," is believed to be a warning about the challenges that would arise in the future and guidance for how to overcome them. This prophecy is important for both individuals and society. This text can be studied and averting actions applied in the form of spiritual practices and rituals aimed at creating positive change and promoting peace and stability. 

The importance of this prediction lies in its ability to provide guidance and encouragement during difficult times and inspire individuals to work towards a better world.

The important role of termas and treasure revealers (tertöns) in preserving the prophecy.

Guru Rinpoche's prophecies were first passed down orally through generations of his disciples and were later written down in texts called "terma". The termas, or hidden treasures, that contained Guru Rinpoche's teachings and prophecies were said to have been discovered by tertöns, or treasure revealers, in subsequent generations. These tertöns were individuals who had a spiritual connection to Guru Rinpoche and were believed to have been specially chosen to find the hidden treasures.

The efforts of many lamas provided the opportunity to understand this prophecy

These specific predictions were uncovered by Tertöns like Orgyen Sherab, Sangye Lingpa, Taksham Nuden Dorje, Trakthung Dudjom Lingpa, and others. Having the pieces of the prophecy shared amongst several Lamas made it challenging to understand the full scope until recently.

For the past two decades, several Lamas in and outside Tibet have met regularly with the mission to organize and collect these prophecies. Thanks to their efforts, the predictions have now been preserved into two volumes which include the prevention measures.

The Window of Opportunity to Avoid Disaster is Now.

It will take all of us working together to turn the tide.

After learning more about the prophecy and understanding the timeline to act, teachers from the Namchak lineage began organizing outreach efforts to support the preventative actions. These measures fall under three main categories. Many of the high lamas have been taking action in their capacity for more than two decades. It’s time the rest of us join in.