“The teachings say that the Buddha indirectly appointed Kashyapa to be his regent when he gave his own robes to Kashyapa and said, “I will give you my whole teaching. Keep, maintain, preserve, and spread my teaching, then give it to Ananda.”

The word ‘keep’ here means to make certain the teachings are not lost. ‘Maintain’ means to connect with, practice, and live the teachings. ‘Preserve’ means not to corrupt or alter the meaning of the teachings. ‘Spread’ means to disseminate the teachings.

This is how the teachings of the Buddha have continued uninterrupted as a living lineage, like a stainless chain of golden mountains.”

Free Download of the 2015 PBC Pema Mandala Magazine:
https://www.padmasambhava.org/pema_mandala/PemaMandala_2015_lowrez.pdf

“Chain of Golden Mountains” Excerpted from an upcoming book by the Venerable Khenpo Rinpoches on The Life and Teachings of the Buddha.