Starting On Vajra Yogini NOW!
15 Jun
The best anyone can do if not enlightenment for now, is to gain mastery over taking rebirth coupled with developing Three Principle Paths. Where you want to take rebirth can be determined by yourself if you practice the sacred Vajra Yogini Tantra thoroughly.
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Start now before you are awarded the Vajra Yogini empowerment by:
Holding vows and commitments.
Be honourable and have integrity.
Whatever work or practices you've been assigned, do it diligently and happily.
Develop contemplations on the good qualities of one's lama again and again.
Never give up.
Practice the 8 Verses of Thought Transformation.
Make it a point to get along with everyone or as much as possible & be forgiving.
Study Lam Rim, Wheel of Sharp Weapons, Bodhisattvacha-avatara by Shantideva, Lojong, 50 Verses of Guru Devotion by Ashvagosha.
Commit to one practice that is light and easy yet profound such as Tsongkapa Guru Yoga daily without fail.
Follow your Teacher loyally and all the way.
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Then next step:
Engage in the preliminary practices slowly but surely and finish.
Guru Yoga
Vajrasattva
Mandala
Prostrations
Water offerings
35 Confessional Buddhas
Don't start practice only when you get Vajra Yogini's empowerment, because you can start now! Prepare for the empowerment immediately by engaging everything I mentioned above. You have Vajra Yogini now. She is everywhere and She is ready for you. If you wish or if your teacher says start, start in this way that I've written. Start now. Don't wait. Nothing happens when we wait. It gets harder the longer we wait.
Obtain a sacred image of Vajra Yogini on your shrine and do all the practices I mentioned 'directed' or focussed towards Her. All the practices, readings, contemplations use Her as your Universal Buddha. The Buddha that encompasses all Enlightened Beings as your focus. Hence you create powerful affinity with Her this way. So you should be starting now. If you do as I have mentioned, then when you finally recieve the Empowerment of Vajra Yogini, you will be READY to practice Her sacred Tantra and reap the results much quicker!! Reap the results quicker because you have prepared for it well and thoroughly. Don't recieve a sacred empowerment of Vajra Yogini without doing the preparatory practices now when you have the chance.
Good Luck!
Don't waste time and procrastinate due to excuses that arise from empty reasonings.
Tsem Tulku
(Just a short & quick advice)
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I just thought to elaborate a little more on the importance of Rinpoche's post on Vajrayogini.
I remember he told me once that like many Lamas under Pabongka Rinpoche's and Trijang Rinpoche's lineage, they place great emphasis on Vajrayogini especially for our modern times because of our particular lifestyle and level of attachment.
People these days have so much more attachment than those during Pabongka Rinpoche's time. There is so many excuses not to practice or have little time to do any practice. My favourite one I heard in a teaching is that we have 'to SURVIVE'! We have to make another $45 billion and then we will do Dharma or we want to give up halfway after practicing because it is JUST SO HARD! Another favourite excuse is that we have to take care of our children, our spouse, our careers, our hobbies, our laziness and our pets all at the same time. I know! I just love the divine sarcasm.
Vajrayogini is a powerful, in fact, the most powerful for our mental disposition to ensure that when we overcome these petty excuses, we will be assured of a steady flow of attainments and an assured rebirth if we are a lazy to average practitioner. Guess what? Just reciting her mantra will derive tremendous benefits and her practice is the shortest and the one with least commitments. However, if we are a diligent and outstanding practitioner – we will either ascend to Kechara Paradise upon our death or better still – Enlightenment in this very lifetime. That is what we should aim for, of course.
Best of all, Vajrayogini will guarantee to meet us from lifetime to lifetime until ascension to Kechara Paradise. No other Buddha promises that, not even Amitabha Buddha will promise that. So it is fantastic that a Lama gives us a 1-2-3 step guide to achieving Vajrayogini. Anyone can achieve this! Thank you Rinpoche!
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On top of that, we begin Lama Tsongkhapa's practice now but in actuality, Lama Tsongkhapa is Vajrayogini. Lama Tsongkhapa's complete awakened omniscience or complete simultaneous perception of the past, present and future manifests physically as the third eye of Vajrayogini. Then, Lama Tsongkhapa's realisation of the four noble truths and the utter defeat of the four Maras materialise as the four sensual and beautiful fangs of Vajrayogini. She bares them to tear up the illusory nature of our Samsaric existence. Vajrayogini's beautiful face looks upwards towards Kechara Paradise, symbolising Lama Tsongkhapa's power and blessings to lift us up towards higher states of spiritual attainments.
Lama Tsongkhapa's attainment of renunciation over all desirous attachments transforms his white skin (tinged with red) into the ruby-red hue of Vajrayogini's skin. Then, Lama Tsongkhapa's realisation of conventional and ultimate Bodhichitta appears as the voluptuous breasts of Vajrayogini – Tantric symbolism of how a Buddha's compassion nurtures and nourishes our own realisations of Bodhichitta like how a baby suckles upon the mother's breasts for nourishment.
The correct view of Lama Tsongkhapa is transformed into the blood contained within the skull cup of Vajrayogini held aloft in her left hand. The blood within the skull cup is said to flow mystically and constantly into her divine mouth denoting her mind is in constant meditation upon Bodhichitta. Then, the power of Lama Tsongkhapa to overcome all demons of adversity and negative karma materialises when Lama Tsongkhapa lowers his right hand and transforms it into the hand of Vajrayogini that thrusts downwards – the ritual chopper.
Lama Tsongkhapa's golden yellow hat symbolises full Enlightenment transforms into the unfettered hair of Vajrayogini. Vajrayogini's hair is long, loose and untied – another symbolism of full awakening. The love of all the Buddhas of the ten directions manifests as the khatvanga resting upon Vajrayogini's shoulder. Hence, relying upon Vajrayogini will gain the complete support and blessings of all these Buddhas.
The khatvanga of Vajrayogini's also represent the male aspect or Heruka Chakramsamvara, representing her practice is one with Chakramsamvara's – one of the most advanced and efficacious higher Tantric systems that Lord Buddha had ever expounded. Lama Tsongkhapa's great compassion for all beings manifests as Vajrayogini's secret organ. It is through birth that all sentient beings is born into Samsara and it is through Vajrayogini's secret organ that practitioners will manifest as a fully enlightened Buddha.
Then, Lama Tsongkhapa's complete subjugation of anger materialises into the deity Bhairava and he rests underneath Vajrayogini's left leg. Then Lama Tsongkhapa's utter control of desire appears as the female deity Kalarati and she rests underneath Vajrayogini's right leg. Finally, Lama Tsongkhapa's boundless love and compassion for all beings manifests as the fiery flames streaming forth from Vajrayogini's every pore, forming an aureole of divine flames around her body.
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