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Post by Pathfinder on Aug 26, 2022 13:34:04 GMT
Hri Dharma Padma Vajra Ah Mantra of Lady Yeshe Tsogyal ao Lotusborn
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Post by Pathfinder on Aug 26, 2022 14:10:09 GMT
Kyema!
In the land of Oddiyana you were born,
And reigned supreme in India among the sages.
In Tibet the regent of the Conqueror,
0 Buddha in human form whom I revere!
Though young, I have experienced much.
1 was a girl of twelve when sorrows burst upon me.
My parents paid no heed and gave me as a bride:
Such are the customs of this human world.
My heart was not inclined to worldly ways;
I fled for safety to the gorge of Onphu Taktsang.
A suitor's lustful yearning sought me out
And, chained and helpless, I was dragged away to grief.
Lord and Guru, great is your compassion!
The great religious king was my deliverance:
I came to Samye chosen as his queen.
To you he offered me, his bride of sixteen years,
As basis for the third initiation.
I see the secret, now, of karmic cause and fruit,
Bestow on me, I pray, the lofty teaching
That transcends this law.
"Hi s face radiant with smiles, Guru Rinpoche answered me
with this melodious song:
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Well said, Mistress, Maid of Kharchen!
You are a girl of only sixteen years
And yet have seen the long-drawn sufferings
Of a woman of fourscore!
It was your karma, know this well.
What remains of it has now been purified,
And henceforth only happiness will be your lot:
Rebirth in evil karmic forms is now impossible.
You see the secret of the law of cause and fruit,
And earnestly desire the supreme doctrine of the
Mahayana.
That is excellent indeed.
"With these words of the Master, I crossed the threshold of
the teachings of the Secret Mantra, assuming the root and
branch samayas. And the Master said:
Kyema!
Listen, mistress, maid of Kharchen,
Queen Samantabhadri, heed me well!
The root of Mahayana, Secret Mantra, is samaya.
Should you let it rot,
The earth beneath will crumble to our ruin!
So be faithful to your vow.
"I first received the four sections of the samaya. These are
the root samayas of Body, Speech, and Mind, and their twenty
five branches. The fundamental samaya, however, is that of
bodhichitta, wherein the relative is sealed by the absolute.
From the very beginning, the body is the deity, speech is the
spontaneous sound of mantra, and the mind is nothing but
suchncss, the Dharmata.
"The samaya of the Body has three aspects: that of the master, that of the disciples, and that of the methods of keeping
the samaya. The category of teacher has in turn six aspects: the
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teacher in general, the teacher as guide, the teacher as giver of
samaya, the teacher as repairer of samaya, the teacher as liberator of one's mind-stream, and the teacher transmitting the essential instructions. Likewise, there are four categories of
spiritual kinship: general, distant, close, and that of sharing the
same mandala.
"The means to preserve the samaya of Body is as follows.
Outwardly, the teacher and our spiritual brothers and sisters
should be for us like our lord, our father and mother and close
family. Inwardly, we treat them like our eyes, our heart, our
life itself. Secretly, we behave towards them in thought, word,
and deed without deceit or guile, as if they were our yidam
deities. In short, with our body we make prostrations both to
the teacher and to our spiritual sisters and brothers, and we
circumambulate them. We prepare their seats, and honor them
as though we were their man- or maidservants. We offer them
everything that pleases them: our food, wealth, body, and enjoyments. Most especially, the same respect we have for the
teacher we show to his wife, sons, daughters, brothers, his
father and mother, his sisters and so on, even his servants. This
is how the sacred samaya is preserved. In the same way, we
give up any sense of disdain towards the disciples, monks, and
benefactors, who obey the teacher's instructions and are his
servants. In short, just as we respect the teacher, we honor all
who are dear to him, as well as his servants, horse, and watchdog. Indeed, without the permission of our teacher or our spiritual brothers and sisters, we would not use, or even covet, a
single sesame seed of their provisions, wealth, or belongings. It
is said in the scriptures that to step over, tread, or sit on the
teacher's hat, clothes, shoes, cushion, bed, seat, even his
shadow, is the same as destroying a stupa or statue of the Buddha. What need is there to say that we should refrain, in the
presence of the teacher, from striking or killing, theft or robbery? The scriptures say that we should not even joke about
such things. And it is quite certain that to repeat to others any
faults that the teacher may have, to ascribe to him faults that
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he does not have, and to respond insolently to his rebukes will
cause us to be reborn in the hell of Torment Unsurpassed.
There will be no reprieve even though we worship the Buddhas
of a thousand million universes. Speaking for myself, I did not
transgress even for an instant, or in the tiniest degree, the samaya of Body with regard to my teacher or my spiritual kindred. I did not deceive them, I harbored no grudge against
them, I never humiliated them, I had no wrong views about
them, I never wished them harm or slighted them.
"The samayas of Speech, related to the yidam deity, have
two aspects: the manner in which they are classified, and the
means whereby they are kept. As regards classification, there
are three types of mantra and four types of mudra. In the case
of the mantras, there is the root mantra of unerring cause, the
circumstantial mantra of the generation stage, and the action
mantra of the recitation. As for the mudras, there is the
samayamudra related to the mind, the karmamudra related to
the primordial wisdom, the Dharmamudra, and the Mahamudra.
"In order to preserve the Speech samaya, body, speech, and
mind must be at one with the mandalas of the guru, deity and
dakini, and this is done according to three modes of practice,
'excellent,' 'moderate,' and 'basic.' In these three ways, I myself
practiced the seven hundred thousand mandalas of the unsurpassable Secret Mantras introduced to me by the Teacher. In
the manner of one possessed of superior faculties, I never relinquished the samadhi of Great Bliss, free from thoughts—the
excellent level. I forsook neither the samadhi that views phenomenal existence as male and female deities (the moderate
level) nor the samadhi that is uninterrupted like a flowing river
(the basic level). At the excellent level of a superior, I practiced
the mandalas of Hayagriva and Vajravarahi continually, like a
running stream. At the moderate level of a superior, I observed
the samaya of practicing Vajrakila in six sessions uninterruptedly, three by day and three by night. On the basic level of a
superior, I celebrated once a day the entire cycle of sadhanas of
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the Eight Great Herukas, complete with recitation of the appropriate mantras, ganachakra feast offerings and so forth. I practiced without counting the cost. In the same way, with regard
to the other deities, I never neglected any of the mandalas to
which I had been introduced, never thinking for an instant that
the mere introduction was sufficient. As for those performed
on the excellent level, I undertook their approach and accomplishment stages regularly every month, as well as offerings
on auspicious days. Regarding the practices carried out on the
moderate level, I performed their rituals once every new and
full moon, on the eighth and tenth days of the month and so
on. As for what was practiced on the basic level, I never failed
to perform the rituals once a month. And even on the fundamental level of practice, I performed the rituals once a year.
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"The samaya of the Mind concerns the View, Meditation and
Action. Again it may be considered from the point of view
of classification. This means that when the profound view is
experienced in meditation, the outer, inner, and secret practices
of union and liberation are implemented. Similarly, as the
means to preserve the samaya, there are four classes of secret:
four 'general' secrets, four 'intermediary' secrets, 'appropriate'
secrets, and 'entrusted' secrets. The four general secrets arc the
name of the yidam deity, the mantra, the mantra of activity,
and the signs of accomplishment. The four intermediary secrets
are the places and times of practice, the assistants in the practice, and the ritual substances. The "appropriate" secrets are
the offering materials, such as the inner and secret oblations:
amrita, torma and so on, as well as implements such as kapala,
phurba, khatanga, vajra, bell, mala, and all the elements and
supports for the practice of the unsurpassable Secret Mantra.
These are, for example, material mandalas, the eight garments
of the charnel ground, bone ornaments and the rest, especially
the skull drum, the skull cup, and the thighbone trumpet. The
four entrusted secrets include the private activities of our spiritual brothers and sisters, such as their secret practice, as well as
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Post by Pathfinder on Aug 26, 2022 15:16:48 GMT
e Buddhists also consented, and so all the ministers gathered in the presence of the king and deliberated carefully. After
some time, the king promised that, provided the Teacher was
not harmed, he would be given gold and sent back to India,
while the Lady Tsogyal would be banished to Lhodrak. All
agreed to this. And so, for the sake of the ministers, Guru
Rinpoche and Yeshe Tsogyal appeared to comply with the decision. In reality, however, they went to the crag of Zhoto Tidro,
to the Great Trysting Place of the Dakinis, the abode of the
Green Lady of the Deadly Bell, a place invulnerable to every
kind of obstacle. And there they engaged in secret practice.
This was the manner of their departure. The king made an
offering to the Guru and his Consort, including three measures
of gold powder and seven golden ingots, and requested blessCopyright
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ings and prophecies. Thereupon, the Guru and his Consort descended from Yamalung, and in the neck of a raven-shaped
rock they concealed a Dharma Treasure, uttering predictions
concerning its future discovery. All of a sudden, the twelve
Tenma goddesses appeared, bearing a palanquin of white light
encircled by a halo of sparkling radiance. The Guru and his
Consort stepped into it. The palanquin rose into the air and
they departed. The king and ministers of Tibet, and all those
in attendance, were filled with faith. And from that time, the
place has been known simply as Okar, "Whit e Light," or Okardrak, "The Cliff of White Light."
Instantly the Guru and his Consort arrived at their destination.
"At first," the Lady recalled, "we stayed at Tidro, in the
Great Trysting Place of the Dakinis, where I, the woman Tsogyal, prepared the customary outer mandala, and with nine
prostrations made the following request:
Kyema!
Holy Lord of Orgyen!
Yours is a Vajra Body:
You do not dread the Demon Lord of Death;39
Yours an Illusory Body:
You vanquish the Demon Child of Gods;
Yours a Vajra Rainbow Body:
You crush the Demon of the Aggregates.
Yours is a Body displayed through concentration:
The Demon of Afflictions is transformed into
your friend.
Immortal Guru, Lotus-Born!
Now in the very center of my heart
I who am called Tsogyal have conceived
Unchanging faith.
My wish, in Yamalung,
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For Secret Mantra unsurpassed
Was hindered by the wicked ministers.
But through your mercy, Holy Lord,
We came here riding through the sky!
Look upon me now with knowledge and compassion,
Unfold, I pray, the mandala that
Liberates and ripens.
And till enlightenment should come to me,
I pray you, in your kindness, banish hindrances.
'Th e Great Master replied to me:
Lovely maiden, girl of Kharchen,
Like the Udumbara is the mandala
Of Secret Mantra unsurpassed.
Rarely does it spring;
It does not linger long.
Except for beings highly favored,
It is hard to find.
Be glad therefore and offer me
The secret mandala.
"And I, without shame or hesitation, nor in the profane way
of the world, but with joy and deep respect, displayed and
offered the secret mandala.
"From the radiance of the Master's compassionate smile,
shimmering rays of rainbow light broke forth and, pervading a
thousand million universes, returned and were reabsorbed into
his face. Summoned by the syllables Dza and Hung, they passed
through his body, causing the secret vajra to rise in fury, entering the perfect quiet of the lotus.
" By the movements of the dance of bliss, the mandalas of
the sun and moon within the eight root chakras of the Guru
and his Consort were gradually set ablaze with light, and to
the deities residing in each of the eight chakras, the offering
was made of the Four Joys . And in that fiery experience of the
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accomplishment of the bliss of perfect luminosity, difficult to
bear, the mandala of the Heart Essence of the Dakinis, the Khandro Nyingtik, was opened. Within the mandala of the Guru's
Body, the ten male and female Buddhas of the five Families,
together with the great Vajradhara, became visible and bestowed the empowerment of the Guru's Body. The five aggregates, which are pure in their intrinsic nature, clearly became
the five Buddhas. The five elements, also intrinsically pure,
clearly became the five Consorts. It was thus that the empowerments and sadhanas of the five Buddha Families of the Guru
were bestowed on me.
"Then Guru Rinpoche said: Th e outer vase empowerment
has been conferred, together with the means to accomplish the
five families of peaceful deities. This presents the external world
as a celestial palace and the beings who dwell within it as dei
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Post by Pathfinder on Aug 27, 2022 5:42:54 GMT
me:
Kyema! Maiden, Dakini!
Your form is young and ripened to perfection.
Maid of sixteen years, it is graced
With sixfold quality and freedom—
Diligent, compassionate,
Lady Sarasvati, great and wise!
Accomplished in the Secret Mantra,
Lady, you are Varahi.
Your mind and body now are all prepared.
The door of the maturing Secret Mantra
Now stands open.
Now, great-hearted being,
Take a valiant partner!
"Offering to the Precious Guru a ganachakra feast, with my
body and all my possessions, I the woman Yeshe Tsogyal requested thus:
Holy Lord of Orgyen, Thodrengtsel,
Stem of the Secret Mantra, Holder of the Vajra.
Vast, beyond repayment, is your loving kindness.
Whatever is your pleasure, I will do without regard
For life or limb, though I may die.
Yet still I beg you to bestow on me,
The word initiation of the Great Perfection.
O Teacher, grant the fourth empowerment today!
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Post by Pathfinder on Aug 27, 2022 7:50:06 GMT
amo Guru Padma Siddhi Hri! Samantabhadra, glorious, vastness of the sky— Within that space the sun of Great Perfection has arisen. Our mothers wandering in the six realms of samsara Are no more to languish in the realms of gloom. Is not Padmasambhava your father? The adamantine field, unchanging space— There the Great Compassionate Copyrighted material Four 3 5 Is Buddha, free from birth and death, Knowing neither good nor evil karma. Is not Padmasambhava your father? Akanishta is my perfect home, the crag of Tidro— And I a dakini called forth by the compassion of the Guru. This bliss-bestowing boy and I are linked together. Am I not your mother Yeshe Tsogyal? To Nepal, A mistress of the Dharma, I have come. This boy is fortunate, I judge, And here he should not stay, For am I not his guardian Yeshe Tsogyal? Though the people could notamo Guru Padma Siddhi Hri! Samantabhadra, glorious, vastness of the sky— Within that space the sun of Great Perfection has arisen. Our mothers wandering in the six realms of samsara Are no more to languish in the realms of gloom. Is not Padmasambhava your father? The adamantine field, unchanging space— There the Great Compassionate Copyrighted material Four 3 5 Is Buddha, free from birth and death, Knowing neither good nor evil karma. Is not Padmasambhava your father? Akanishta is my perfect home, the crag of Tidro— And I a dakini called forth by the compassion of the Guru. This bliss-bestowing boy and I are linked together. Am I not your mother Yeshe Tsogyal? To Nepal, A mistress of the Dharma, I have come. This boy is fortunate, I judge, And here he should not stay, For am I not his guardian Yeshe Tsogyal? Though the people could not
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Post by Pathfinder on Aug 27, 2022 10:10:28 GMT
yema Ho!
Noble Lady, sister in the Secret Mantra,
I pray you, listen to Tibetan Yeshe Tsogyal.
The Mind, unfailing satisfaction
Of every need and want,
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Impartially bestows whatever could be wished:
This is Tsogyal's generosity—
Tibetan Yeshe Tsogyal.
The Mind is stainless,
Free from false samaya.
It dwells in discipline, observant:
This is Tsogyal's discipline—
Tibetan Yeshe Tsogyal.
The Mind is not enslaved by joy or misery,
Nor caught in apathy. But patient,
It withstands both good and ill:
This is Tsogyal's patience—
Tibetan Yeshe Tsogyal.
The Mind, a seamless, flowing stream,
Engenders inexhaustibly
Both nondual bliss and emptiness:
This is Tsogyal's diligence—
Tibetan Yeshe Tsogyal.
The Mind, no matter what arises,
Is Creation and Perfection unified—
And stable resting in the state of Mahamudra:
This is Tsogyal's concentration—
Tibetan Yeshe Tsogyal.
The Mind is Primal Wisdom's blissful dance.
Through skillful means
Is wisdom now perfected:
This is Tsogyal's wisdom—
Tibetan Yeshe Tsogyal.
O you of noble race, bestow
Your teachings on your sister,
Keeping no distinctions.
5 6 Lady of the Lot us-Born
With great joy Shakyadema sang this reply:
Emahol
0 welcome, sister, consort of our only Teacher!
The doctrines that I hold are few.
But through compassion of the holy Orgyen Sambha,48
1 have teachings needed at the time of birth and death:
The union of the phases of Creation and Perfection;
The Great Seal, Mahamudra;
Instruction on the Clear Light and the Body of Illusion.
These, whereby the "bardo-womb" is emptied,
Are the teachings of Nepali Shakyadema.
The teachings needed for the transference of
consciousness:
The cultivation of the Avadhuti,
Supported by the subtle veins and energies;
A-she's49
inward heat, the blazing up and melting.
These that drive away death's terror and the fears of birth,
Are teachings of Nepali Shakyadema.
My teachings tell of how to bring emotions to the path:
Of how to train in emptiness and bliss,
Relying on the essence of both means and wisdom;
Of how to bring forth Wisdom of the Fourfold Joy,
Through which I am protected from the host of enemy
emotions.
These are teachings of Nepali Shakyadema.
Directions needed for the ignorant and murky state of
sleep:
On how, according to the teachings of the Great
Perfection,
To purify one's dreams and enter Luminosity.
Thus, even in the darkness at the end of time,
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I shall not be afraid.
These are teachings of Nepali Shakyadema.
I have teachings needed for the realization of the ultimate:
On how to train in Luminosity,
Relying on the sixfold light,
Perfecting thus the fourfold confidence.
Thus I am dauntless, though the very Buddha should
assail me.
These are teachings of Nepali Shakyadema.
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Post by Kriyaban on Sept 10, 2022 16:51:16 GMT
The strong ambrosia of blessings
Of the Secret Mantra, Diamond Vehicle,
Is granted by a true authentic Teacher,
And Vajrasattva, Primal Wisdom,
Brings the Four Joys skipping in my heart.
White Robe has arisen in her proper place;
She offers now her blissful warmth to me.
How great is now my joy.
Yet still I beg your kindness!
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Post by Pathfinder on Sept 14, 2022 13:06:45 GMT
Tsogyal then went off to Paro Taktsang, where she per 131 Lady of the Lotus-Born
formed a final austerity on her own account, the practice on
the essence-drop, the union of bliss and voidness. Nourishing
her three companions, Atsara Sale, Monpu Sale, and Atsara
Pelyang, on the essences of medicinal plants, she trained unstintingly, day and night, for seven months. At first the whole
of her body was disturbed and lost its strength, and her mind
was dull and agitated by turns. The lymph fell sharply from
the upper to the lower part of her body. She was oppressed by
disease, fever, pains, and shivering, and once again came near
to death. But then all the lymph transformed into the essencedrop, and the whole of her body was filled with bliss. This was
at first a kind of bliss mingled with emotions, followed by a
bliss of immense Primordial Wisdom and finally a stable, flowing bliss of Wisdom. Then, little by little, the white and red
essences blended so that the duality of subject and object disappeared. Her body became the mandala of the Victorious Ones.
And through the offering of bliss, she attained the state of Great
Bliss within a body of Great Bliss. The whiteness of her body
became suffused with a rosy glow, and she assumed the form
of a heruka-heroine, ever-youthful, endowed with the charm of
a girl of sixteen years. It was then that she had a vision of the
mandala of Amitayus and obtained the immutable diamond
body untouched by death and aging, becoming thus a vidyadhara with power over life. It was prophesied that she would
remain in this world for two hundred and twenty-five years.59
Glorious Hayagriva and Vajravarahi banished hindrances. The
five dakas and five dakinis accomplished her enlightened activities, following her like her shadow. Bodhisattvas sang their
prayers of good augury. As a life-dominating vidyadhara, she
received the name Mistress of Eternal Life, Blue Light Blazing.
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Post by Pathfinder on Sept 14, 2022 14:01:55 GMT
ater, Tsogyal made her way, with five disciples, to Onphu
Taktsang, where the Precious Teacher was then residing. The
Lady went ahead to meet him and made prostrations.
"Is this a valiant heruka that comes to see me?" he said.
"How are you? How was your journey?" Then he continued:
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Kyema Ho!
Yogini seasoned in the Secret Mantra!
The ground of Liberation
Is this human frame, this common human form—
And here distinctions, male or female,
Have no consequence.
And yet if bodhichitta graces it,
A woman's form indeed will be supreme!
From unoriginated time, the double
Stores of wisdom and of merit you have filled!
Now freed from faults, endowed with qualities,
Highest of all women, Mother of Enlightenment,
Are you not my happy, blissful Lady?
Your own good now you have attained.
Strive for others, benefit all beings!
Could another woman wondrous as you
Exist here in this human world?
None in the past, indeed, nor any now,
And neither will there be in future time.
Ah Yeshe Tsogyal, Victorious Sea of Wisdom!
From now until the end of time to come,
Five emanations you will body forth,
Prolonging Buddha's teachings thirty years.
Especially in the land of Dak, you will appear—
A woman with the name of Drolma.60
You will take the essence of the teachings
Of the Prajnaparamita,
Teaching the profundity of Cho, a doctrine
That will be the highest benefit of beings.
At that time, this Indian Sale here
Will be a bhikshu with the name of Thopa.
My Lady, he will be your consort
Opening the secret door.
Trashi Chidren, here, this girl of Mon,
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Will be your only daughter,
And Monpu Sale, then your son, a crazy yogi.
Atsara Pelyang will appear as Trapa Ngoshe.
My Lady, he will be your secret consort:
Supreme profit for yourselves and others!
And I, who at this time am Padmasambhava,
Bearing then the name of Indian Dampa,61
Will begin from Lato to disseminate and spread
The pacifying discipline of Shi-che.
Lady, when we two have met once more,
The links auspicious for the Secret Mantra will be forged.
The pacifying doctrine, Shi-che, deep and skillful,
Will bring into the world a little joy.
It will not linger long.
But in the lofty realm of Lotus Light,
You and I will once more join inseparably
And in Sambhogakaya form will work the benefit of
beings.
With this and other predictions, the Precious Teacher
cheered and inspired Yeshe Tsogyal. And she, to thank him for
his kindness, sang this song:
Emaho!
Stem of the Secret Mantra, Holder of the Vajra,
Deathless, unconditioned, Boundless Life,
Heruka, Lord of strength and power,
All are none but you, O Padmasambhava!
And nowhere shall I find your like again.
Through your kindness, highest guide and mentor,
Now I have attainment in the Secret Mantras.
I have gained the powers of the eight great siddhis
And am mistress of the sutras and the tantras—
Even with the lowly body of a woman.
Thus is my good fortune excellent!
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My form has now become the deity:
Ordinary perception now has vanished totally,
Mirage-like absorption now has dawned.
The elements are subject to my power.
My speech to mantra has been turned;
The babbling of useless talk has faded
And the vajra-like absorption has arisen.
Of all the Dharmas of the sutra and the mantra
I have now the mastery.
My mind becoming Buddha,
Common thoughts have vanished into space;
"Heroic fearlessness" has dawned upon me.
My mind is now identical with Vajradhara.
My Lord and Teacher, great is your compassion!
From now and in all future time and place,
Throughout the whole succession of my lives,
And even if your lotus feet were ever to abandon me,
Another teacher I will never seek.
Therefore look upon me kindly, never leaving me.
Great is your compassion, far beyond repayment!
All transgressions of samaya relating to your Body,
Speech, Mind, Qualities, and Action
Were the fruit of ignorance.
I confess them now and promise
To avoid henceforth the slightest faults!
The kindness of the Guru I implore:
Now for every being's sake,
Please turn the Dharma wheel of Secret Mantra!
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