Legend of the Great Stupa is a translation of two texts related by the Great Guru. The first text is a deeply symbolic allegory of the power of devotion that enabled an impoverished poultry woman to build a great stupa to the previous Buddha, Kasyapa. Although constructed in Nepal, this Stupa is closely linked to Tibet, for the sons of the poultry woman took vows to establish the Dharma in the Land of Snow. In lives to come, they would be reborn as the great Guru Padmasambhava, King Trisong Detsen, and Abbot Shantirakshita, who worked together to found Samye, the first Buddhist monastery in Tibet.

The "life story" that follows relates the principal events in the life of Padmasambhava, describing the founding of Samye, the teachings given to the twenty-five disciples, the concealment of the treasure texts, and the predictions for their later recovery. It was published to generate faith in the power of devotion and awaken appreciation for the blessings of the Great Guru, the "Second Buddha" who dispels negativity and upholds the Dharma even in the darkest times of the kaliyuga.