The New Guide to Dakini Land. Geshe Kelsang Gyatso

Tharpa Offices Worldwide

Illustrations

       Venerable Vajrayogini

      Commentary

       Mandala of Vajrayogini

       Buddha Vajradharma

       Venerable Vajrayogini

       Naropa

       Pamtingpa

       Palden Lama Tenpa Sonam Gyaltsen

       Je Phabongkhapa

       Dorjechang Trijang Rinpoche

       Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche

      (included at the request of faithful disciples)

      The Blissful Path

       Guru Vajradharma

       Venerable Vajrayogini

      Dakini Yoga

       Guru Vajradharma

       Dorjechang Trijang Rinpoche

       Venerable Vajrayogini

      Quick Path to Great Bliss

       Guru Vajradharma

       Hero Vajradharma

       Venerable Vajrayogini

       Kinkara

       Dorje Shugden

      The Uncommon Yoga of Inconceivability

       Guru Sumati Buddha Heruka

       Venerable Vajrayogini

      Feast of Great Bliss

       Guru Vajradharma

       Hero Vajradharma

       Venerable Vajrayogini

       Kinkara

       Dorje Shugden

      Vajrayogini Retreat Preliminaries

       Venerable Vajrayogini

       Khandarohi

      Preliminary Jewel

       Venerable Vajrayogini

      Vajrayogini Burning Offering

       Fire Deity

       Venerable Vajrayogini

      Vajradaka Burning Offering

       Vajradaka

      Samayavajra Sadhana

       Samayavajra

      The Root Tantra of Heruka and Vajrayogini

       Buddha Shakyamuni

       Twelve-armed Heruka

      Diagrams and Illustrations

       Hand Gestures

       Seed-letters and Ritual Objects

       Letter BAM

       Letter BAM and mantra rosary

       Seed-letters

       Tormas

       Practitioner’s table

       Fire puja mandala

       Ritual objects for fire puja

Introduction

      I have prepared this book, The New Guide to Dakini Land, to clarify many profound meanings, and to make it easy to understand and practise this precious holy Dharma. Please enjoy!

      We should know that living beings have many different capacities for spiritual understanding and practice. For this reason, out of his compassion, Buddha the Blessed One gave teachings on many levels, just as a skilful doctor administers a variety of remedies to treat different types of sick people.

      For those who wish merely to attain human happiness Buddha gave teachings revealing actions and their effects, or karma; and he taught moral discipline as their main practice. For those who wish to experience the permanent inner peace of liberation, or nirvana, for themselves, Buddha gave teachings on the disadvantages of samsara, the cycle of contaminated rebirth; and he taught the three higher trainings – training in higher moral discipline, training in higher concentration and training in higher wisdom – as their main practice. For those who wish to attain the ultimate goal of full enlightenment Buddha gave teachings on learning to cherish others, great compassion and the supreme good heart, bodhichitta; and he taught the six perfections – the perfections of giving, moral discipline, patience, effort, concentration and wisdom – as their main practice. All these teachings are open to anyone who wishes to study and practise them. The experiences that are gained from practising them are called the ‘common spiritual paths’.

      Besides these teachings, Buddha also gave teachings on Tantra. These may be practised only by those who have received Tantric empowerments. The experiences gained by practising these teachings are called the ‘uncommon spiritual paths’.

Venerable Vajrayogini

      In the Tantric teachings Buddha revealed four classes of Tantra. The practices explained in this book, The New Guide to Dakini Land, are included within the highest of these, Highest Yoga Tantra. These are the very essence of Buddha’s teachings. They include special methods for preventing ordinary appearance and ordinary conception, special methods for preventing ordinary death, intermediate state and rebirth, and uncommon methods for transforming all daily experiences into higher spiritual paths. By transforming ordinary experience in this way we can prevent all the problems we experience in our daily life and swiftly attain the ultimate happiness of full enlightenment. In this context, ‘Dakini’ refers to Vajrayogini, and her Pure Land of Keajra is called ‘Dakini Land’ or ‘Keajra Heaven’.