Mahaguru Padmashambhava was born in a place called Oddiyana, which many people believe to be current-day Afghanistan. It is said that he was born not many years after Buddha’s passing.
He was not an ordinary person. He was born in a lotus as an eight-year-old boy. This is technically called an upapāduka birth.
He learned from many Buddhist masters and siddhas throughout the Indian subcontinent. He attained immortality in the famous Halesi cave of Khotang, Nepal, where the Buddha of longevity, Amitayus, bestowed millions of Tantric empowerments on him.
Later, at the invitation of the eight-century Tibetan King Trisong Detsen, he went to Tibet and brought under control many spirits and local gods who were preventing the King from spreading Dharma teachings. He lived in Tibet for many years and made sure that the Dharma had a solid foundation. After this, he hopped on sunrays and departed in an instant for Ngayang Ling. He is still accessible to people with devotion and pure perception.