Tangtepa;  Tibetan: ཏངྟེ་པ;  Sanskrit: Taṅtepa;  Chinese: 丹諜巴;

Tangtepa, the “Gambler”, was one of the 84 Indian Vajrayana Mahasiddhas….

丹諜巴，”嗜玩骰子的人”，是古印度金剛乘八十四大成就者之一….

丹諜巴是考桑比地方的低種姓階級。因嗜玩骰子而散盡積蓄，淪落到野外的一處墓地，巧遇一瑜珈士，授予他不必放棄骰子的佛法，於是丹諜巴依法修行，證得大手印，即身前往空行淨土。(維基百科)

Tantepa was a compulsive gambler. Most of the time he managed to break even, but then he met a fateful losing streak. He continued gambling even then, lost everything he had and even continued on credit. Eventually, he had to run away, but his creditors found him and beat him half to death.

After the beating, at nightfall, he managed to crawl away to a cremation ground to hide. There, he met a yogin who shared his meal with Tantepa. When asked if he was robbed, Tantepa said he have robbed himself for being a compulsive gambler. Having nothing else to lose, the yogin asked if he wanted to try meditation. Tantepa replied if there’s a meditation he could practice without giving up gambling, then he may try. At that, the yogin gave the gambler initiation and empowerment. He gave Tantepa instructions to visualize the three realms and see that the nature of the mind as emptiness, like his pocket is now.

Tantepa meditated diligently on his guru’s instruction. As he did, all of this thoughts and beliefs about the nature of the three realms dissolved into the true reality of their own empty spaciousness. He became a renowned teacher. The very last song he sang to his disciples was:

Had I not known sorrow and remorse,
How could I have entered the path to release?
Had I not placed my trust in a teacher,
How could I have attained the ultimate power?

Then he levitated to the height of seven palm trees and entered the Paradise of the Dakinis.

Mahasiddha Taganapa ||
大成就者 塔噶納巴


84 Mahasiddhas ||
84 大成就者


Mahasiddha Tantipa ||
大成就者 甘達利