The instructions on the Highest Yoga Tantra practice of Venerable Vajrayogini were taught by Buddha Vajradhara in the forty-seventh and forty-eighth chapters of the Condensed Root Tantra of Heruka. This particular lineage of instructions, the Narokhacho lineage, was passed directly from Vajrayogini to Naropa, and from him through an unbroken lineage of realized practitioners to the present-day Teachers.
after Buddha Vajradharma had taught the practice he left the mandalas of Heruka and Vajrayogini intact in twenty-four auspicious places in this world. Thus even to this day there are countless manifestations of Vajrayogini in this world who help sincere practitioners to gain realizations by blessing their mental continuum.
In many respects the practice of Vajrayogini is ideally suited to the present day. By relying upon this practice sincerely, with a good heart and a mind of faith, it is definitely possible to attain full enlightenment; but to accomplish such results we must practise the extensive sadhana regularly.
This particular sadhana, Quick Path to Great Bliss, was composed by the great Lama Phabongkha Rinpoche. Compared to other sadhanas it is not very long, but it contains all the essential practices of Secret Mantra. To practise the sadhana successfully 335
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we should first receive the empowerment of Vajrayogini, and then study authentic instructions on the practice such as those found in the commentary Guide to Dakini Land. This sadhana is suitable both for our regular daily practice and for retreat; and we can practise it alone or in a group.
Geshe Kelsang Gyatso
1985
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Quick Path to Great Bliss
THE YOGa OF IMMEaSURaBLES
Going for refuge
In the space before me appear Guru Chakrasambara Father and Mother, surrounded by the assembly of root and lineage Gurus, Yidams, Three Jewels, attendants and Protectors.
Imagining yourself and all sentient beings going for refuge, recite three times:
I and all sentient beings, the migrators as extensive as space, from this time forth until we reach the essence of enlightenment,
Go for refuge to the glorious, sacred Gurus, Go for refuge to the complete Buddhas, the Blessed Ones, Go for refuge to the sacred Dharmas,
Go for refuge to the superior Sanghas.
(3x)
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Generating bodhichitta
Generate bodhichitta and the four immeasurables while reciting three times:
Once I have attained the state of a complete Buddha, I shall free all sentient beings from the ocean of samsara’s suffering and lead them to the bliss of full enlightenment. For this purpose I shall practise the stages of Vajrayogini’s path. (3x) Receiving blessings
Now with your palms pressed together, recite: I prostrate and go for refuge to the Gurus and Three Precious Jewels. Please bless my mental continuum.
Due to reciting this:
The objects of refuge before me melt into the form of white, red and dark blue rays of light. These dissolve into me and I receive their blessings of body, speech and mind.
Instantaneous self-generation
In an instant I become Venerable Vajrayogini.
Blessing the inner offering
Purify the inner offering either with the mantra emanating from the four mouths or with the following: OM kHaNDaROHI HUM HUM PHaT
OM SÖBHaWa SHUDDHa SaRWa DHaRMa SÖBHaWa SHUDDHO HaM
Everything becomes emptiness.
From the state of emptiness, from YaM comes wind, from RaM comes fire, from aH a grate of three human heads.
Upon this from aH appears a broad and expansive skullcup.
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Inside from OM, kHaM, aM, TRaM, HUM come the five nectars; from LaM, MaM, PaM, TaM, BaM come the five meats, each marked by these letters. The wind blows, the fire blazes, and the substances inside the skullcup melt.
above them from HUM there arises a white, upside-down khatanga, which falls into the skullcup and melts whereby the substances take on the colour of mercury. above them three rows of vowels and consonants, standing one above the other, transform into OM aH HUM. From these, light rays draw the nectar of exalted wisdom from the hearts of all the Tathagatas, Heroes and Yoginis of the ten directions.
When this is added the contents increase and become vast.
OM aH HUM (3x)
Blessing the outer offerings
Now bless the two waters, flowers, incense, lights, perfume, food and music.
OM kHaNDaROHI HUM HUM PHaT
OM SÖBHaWa SHUDDHa SaRWa DHaRMa SÖBHaWa SHUDDHO HaM
Everything becomes emptiness.
From the state of emptiness, from kaM come skullcup vessels inside which from HUM come offering substances.
By nature emptiness, they have the aspect of the individual offering substances, and function as objects of enjoyment of the six senses to bestow special, uncontaminated bliss.
OM aHRGHaM aH HUM
OM PaDÄM aH HUM
OM VaJRa PUPE aH HUM
OM VaJRa DHUPE aH HUM
OM VaJRa DIWE aH HUM
OM VaJRa GÄNDHE aH HUM
OM VaJRa NEWIDE aH HUM
OM VaJRa SHaPTa aH HUM
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Meditation and recitation of Vajrasattva On my crown, on a lotus and moon seat, sit Vajrasattva Father and Mother embracing each other. They have white-coloured bodies, one face and two hands, and hold vajra and bell and curved knife and skullcup. The Father is adorned with six mudras, the Mother with five. They sit in the vajra and lotus postures. On a moon in his heart is a HUM encircled by the mantra rosary. From this a stream of white nectar descends, cleansing all sickness, spirits, negativities and obstructions.
OM VaJRa HERUka SaMaYa, MaNU PaLaYa, HERUka TENO PaTITa, DRIDHO ME BHaWa, SUTO kaYO ME BHaWa, SUPO kaYO ME BHaWa, aNURakTO ME BHaWa, SaRWa SIDDHI ME PRaYaTZa, SaRWa kaRMa SUTZa ME, TZITaM
SHRIYaM kURU HUM, Ha Ha Ha Ha HO BHaGaWÄN, VaJRa HERUka Ma ME MUNTSa, HERUka BHaWa, MaHa SaMaYa SaTTÖ aH HUM PHaT
Recite the mantra twenty-one times and then contemplate: Vajrasattva Father and Mother dissolve into me and my three doors become inseparable from the body, speech and mind of Vajrasattva.
THE YOGa OF THE GURU
Visualization
In the space before me arising from the appearance of the exalted wisdom of non-dual purity and clarity is a celestial mansion which is square with four doorways, ornaments and archways, and complete with all the essential features.
In the centre on a jewelled throne supported by eight great lions, on a seat of a lotus of various colours, a sun and a moon, sits my kind root Guru in the aspect of Buddha Vajradharma. He has a red-coloured body, one face, and 340
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two hands which are crossed at his heart and hold a vajra and bell. His hair is tied up in a topknot and he sits with his legs crossed in the vajra posture. He assumes the form of a sixteen-year-old in the prime of his youth, adorned with silks and all the bone and jewelled ornaments.
Beginning in front of him and circling counter-clockwise are all the lineage Gurus from Buddha Vajradhara to my root Guru. They are in the aspect of Hero Vajradharma with red-coloured bodies, one face and two hands. Their right hands play damarus which reverberate with the sound of bliss and emptiness. Their left hands hold at their hearts skullcups filled with nectar, and their left elbows hold khatangas. They sit with their legs crossed in the vajra posture. In the prime of their youth, they are adorned with six bone ornaments.
The Principal and all of his retinue have at their foreheads OM, at their throats aH, and at their hearts HUM. From the HUM at their hearts light rays radiate and invite from their natural abodes the Gurus, Yidams, hosts of mandala Deities, and the assembly of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Heroes, Dakinis, Dharmapalas and Protectors.
OM VaJRa SaMaDZa DZa HUM BaM HO
Each becomes a nature which is the synthesis of all objects of refuge.
Prostration
With your palms pressed together, recite: Vajra Holder, my jewel-like Guru,
Through whose kindness I can accomplish The state of great bliss in an instant, at your lotus feet humbly I bow.
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Offering goddesses emanate from my heart and perform the offerings.
Outer offerings
OM aHRGHaM PaRTITZa SÖHa
OM PaDÄM PaRTITZa SÖHa
OM VaJRa PUPE aH HUM SÖHa
OM VaJRa DHUPE aH HUM SÖHa
OM VaJRa DIWE aH HUM SÖHa
OM VaJRa GÄNDHE aH HUM SÖHa
OM VaJRa NEWIDE aH HUM SÖHa
OM VaJRa SHaPTa aH HUM SÖHa
OM aH VaJRa aDaRSHE HUM
OM aH VaJRa WINI HUM
OM aH VaJRa GÄNDHE HUM
OM aH VaJRa RaSE HUM
OM aH VaJRa PaRSHE HUM
OM aH VaJRa DHaRME HUM
Inner offering
OM GURU VaJRa DHaRMa SaPaRIWaRa OM aH HUM
Secret offering
Contemplate that innumerable knowledge goddesses such as Pemachen emanate from your heart and assume the form of Vajrayogini. Guru Father and Mother embrace and experience uncontaminated bliss.
and I offer most attractive illusory mudras, a host of messengers born from places, born from mantra and spontaneously born,
With slender bodies, skilled in the sixty-four arts of love, and possessing the splendour of youthful beauty.
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Thatness offering
Remember that the three circles of the offering are indivisible bliss and emptiness.
I offer you the supreme, ultimate bodhichitta, a great, exalted wisdom of spontaneous bliss free from obstructions,
Inseparable from the nature of all phenomena, the sphere of freedom from elaboration,
Effortless, and beyond words, thoughts and expressions.
Offering our spiritual practice
I go for refuge to the Three Jewels
and confess individually all negative actions.
I rejoice in the virtues of all beings
and promise to accomplish a Buddha’s enlightenment.
I go for refuge until I am enlightened
To Buddha, Dharma and the Supreme assembly, and to accomplish the aims of myself and others I shall generate the mind of enlightenment.
Having generated the mind of supreme enlightenment, I shall invite all sentient beings to be my guests and engage in the pleasing, supreme practices of enlightenment.
May I attain Buddhahood to benefit migrators.
Kusali tsog offering
My own mind, the powerful Lady of Dakini Land, the size of only a thumb, leaves through the crown of my head and comes face to face with my root Guru. Once again I return and, slicing the skull from my old body, place it upon a grate of three human heads which has arisen instantaneously. I chop up the rest of my flesh, blood and bones, and heap it 343
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inside. By staring with wide open eyes I purify, transform and increase it into an ocean of nectar.
OM aH HUM Ha HO HRIH (3x)
Innumerable offering goddesses holding skullcups emanate from my heart. With the skullcups they scoop up nectar and offer it to the guests, who partake by drawing it through their tongues which are straws of vajra-light.
I offer this nectar of commitment substance To my root Guru, the nature of the four [Buddha] bodies; May you be pleased.
OM aH HUM (7x)
I offer this nectar of commitment substance To the lineage Gurus, the source of attainments; May you be pleased.
OM aH HUM
I offer this nectar of commitment substance To the assembly of Gurus, Yidams, Three Jewels and Protectors;
May you be pleased.
OM aH HUM
I offer this nectar of commitment substance To the guardians who reside in the local places and in the regions;
May you assist me.
OM aH HUM
I offer this nectar of commitment substance To all sentient beings in the six realms and the intermediate state;
May you be freed.
OM aH HUM
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Through this offering all the guests are satiated with an uncontaminated bliss
and the sentient beings attain the Truth Body free from obstructions.
The three circles of the offering are the nature of non-dual bliss and emptiness,
Beyond words, thoughts and expressions.
Offering the mandala
OM VaJRa BHUMI aH HUM
Great and powerful golden ground,
OM VaJRa REkHE aH HUM
at the edge the iron fence stands around the outer circle.
In the centre Mount Meru the king of mountains, around which are four continents:
In the east, Purvavideha, in the south, Jambudipa, In the west, aparagodaniya, in the north, Uttarakuru.
Each has two sub-continents:
Deha and Videha, Tsamara and abatsamara, Satha and Uttaramantrina, kurava and kaurava.
The mountain of jewels, the wish-granting tree, The wish-granting cow, and the harvest unsown.
The precious wheel, the precious jewel, The precious queen, the precious minister, The precious elephant, the precious supreme horse, The precious general, and the great treasure vase.
The goddess of beauty, the goddess of garlands, The goddess of music, the goddess of dance, The goddess of flowers, the goddess of incense, The goddess of light, and the goddess of scent.
The sun and the moon, the precious umbrella, The banner of victory in every direction.
In the centre all treasures of both gods and men, an excellent collection with nothing left out.
I offer this to you my kind root Guru and lineage Gurus, 345
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To all of you sacred and glorious Gurus; Please accept with compassion for migrating beings, and having accepted please grant us your blessings.
O Treasure of Compassion, my Refuge and Protector, I offer you the mountain, continents, precious objects, treasure vase, sun and moon,
Which have arisen from my aggregates, sources and elements
as aspects of the exalted wisdom of spontaneous bliss and emptiness.
I offer without any sense of loss
The objects that give rise to my attachment, hatred and confusion,
My friends, enemies and strangers, our bodies and enjoyments;
Please accept these and bless me to be released directly from the three poisons.
IDaM GURU RaTNa MaNDaLakaM NIRYaTaYaMI
Requesting the lineage Gurus
Vajradharma, Lord of the family of the ocean of Conquerors,
Vajrayogini, supreme Mother of the Conquerors, Naropa, powerful Son of the Conquerors, I request you, please bestow the spontaneously born exalted wisdom.
Pamtingpa, holder of the explanations of the great secrets for disciples,
Sherab Tseg, you are a treasure of all the precious secrets, Malgyur Lotsawa, lord of the ocean of Secret Mantra, I request you, please bestow the spontaneously born exalted wisdom.
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Great Sakya Lama, you are powerful Vajradhara, Venerable Sonam Tsemo, supreme vajra son, Dragpa Gyaltsen, crown ornament of the vajra holders, I request you, please bestow the spontaneously born exalted wisdom.
Great Sakya Pandita, master scholar of the Land of the Snows,
Drogon Chogyal Pagpa, crown ornament of all beings of the three grounds,
Shangton Choje, holder of the Sakya doctrine, I request you, please bestow the spontaneously born exalted wisdom.
Nasa Dragpugpa, powerful accomplished one, Sonam Gyaltsen, navigator of scholars and supremely accomplished ones,
Yarlungpa, lord of the whispered lineage of the family of accomplished ones,
I request you, please bestow the spontaneously born exalted wisdom.
Gyalwa Chog, refuge and protector of all migrators, both myself and others,
Jamyang Namka, you are a great being,
Lodro Gyaltsen, great being and lord of the Dharma, I request you, please bestow the spontaneously born exalted wisdom.
Jetsun Doringpa, you are unequalled in kindness, Tenzin Losel, you have practised in accordance with the [Guru’s]
words,
kyentse, the expounder of the great, secret lineage of words,
I request you, please bestow the spontaneously born exalted wisdom.
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Labsum Gyaltsen, holder of the mantra families, Glorious Wangchug Rabten, all-pervading lord of the hundred families,
Jetsun kangyurpa, principal of the families, I request you, please bestow the spontaneously born exalted wisdom.
Shaluwa, all-pervading lord of the ocean of mandalas, kyenrabje, principal of all the mandalas, Morchenpa, lord of the circle of mandalas, I request you, please bestow the spontaneously born exalted wisdom.
Nesarpa, navigator of the ocean of whispered lineages, Losel Phuntsog, lord of the whispered lineages, Tenzin Trinlay, scholar who furthered the whispered lineages,
I request you, please bestow the spontaneously born exalted wisdom.
kangyurpa, all-pervading lord upholding the Ganden doctrine,
Ganden Dargyay, friend of migrators in degenerate times,
Dharmabhadra, holder of the Ganden tradition, I request you, please bestow the spontaneously born exalted wisdom.
Losang Chopel, lord of the Sutras and Tantras, You have completed the essence of the paths of all the Sutras and Tantras.
Jigme Wangpo, scholar who furthered the Sutras and Tantras,
I request you, please bestow the spontaneously born exalted wisdom.
Dechen Nyingpo, you have the blessings of Naropa To explain perfectly in accordance with Naropa 348
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The essence of the excellent ripening and liberating paths of the Naro Dakini,
I request you, please bestow the spontaneously born exalted wisdom.
Losang Yeshe, Vajradhara,
You are a treasury of instructions on the ripening and liberating [paths] of the Vajra Queen,
The supreme, quick path for attaining the vajra state, I request you, please bestow the spontaneously born exalted wisdom.
kelsang Gyatso, you have completed all the profound and essential exalted states,
You are the compassionate Refuge and Protector of mother sentient beings,
You reveal the unmistaken path,
I request you, please bestow the spontaneously born exalted wisdom.
My kind root Guru, Vajradharma,
You are the embodiment of all the Conquerors, Who grant the blessings of all Buddhas’ speech, I request you, please bestow the spontaneously born exalted wisdom.
Please bless me so that through the force of meditation On the Dakini yoga of the profound generation stage, and the central channel yoga of completion stage, I may generate the exalted wisdom of spontaneous great bliss and attain the enlightened Dakini state.
Receiving the blessings of the four empowerments I request you O Guru incorporating all objects of refuge, Please grant me your blessings,
Please grant me the four empowerments completely, and bestow on me, please, the state of the four bodies. (3x) 349
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Contemplate that as a result of your requests: White light rays and nectars radiate from the OM at the forehead of my Guru.
They dissolve into my forehead, purifying the negativities and obstructions of my body.
I receive the vase empowerment, and the blessings of my Guru’s body enter my body.
Red light rays and nectars radiate from the aH at the throat of my Guru.
They dissolve into my throat, purifying the negativities and obstructions of my speech.
I receive the secret empowerment, and the blessings of my Guru’s speech enter my speech.
Blue light rays and nectars radiate from the HUM at the heart of my Guru.
They dissolve into my heart, purifying the negativities and obstructions of my mind.
I receive the wisdom-mudra empowerment, and the blessings of my Guru’s mind enter my mind.
White, red and blue light rays and nectars radiate from the letters at my Guru’s three places.
They dissolve into my three places, purifying the negativities and obstructions of my body, speech and mind.
I receive the fourth empowerment, the precious word empowerment, and the blessings of my Guru’s body, speech and mind enter my body, speech and mind.
Brief request
I request you my precious Guru, the essence of all Buddhas of the three times, please bless my mental continuum.
(3x)
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Absorbing the Gurus
Requested in this way, the encircling lineage Gurus dissolve into my root Guru in the centre. My root Guru too, out of affection for me, melts into the form of red light and, entering through the crown of my head, mixes inseparably with my mind in the aspect of a red letter BaM at my heart.
THE YOGa OF SELF-GENERaTION
Bringing death into the path of the Truth Body This very letter BaM expands and spreads to the ends of space whereby all worlds and their beings become the nature of bliss and emptiness. Once again, contracting gradually from the edges, it becomes an extremely minute letter BaM which dissolves in stages from the bottom up into the nada. Then even the nada disappears and becomes the Truth Body of inseparable bliss and emptiness.
OM SHUNYaTa GYaNa VaJRa SÖBHaWa ÄMakO HaM
Bringing the intermediate state into the path of the Enjoyment Body
From the state of emptiness where all appearance has gathered like this there appears a red letter BaM standing upright in space, in essence an aspect of my own mind, the exalted wisdom of non-dual bliss and emptiness.
Bringing rebirth into the path of the Emanation Body From the state of emptiness, from EH EH comes a red phenomena source, a double tetrahedron. Inside from aH
comes a moon mandala, white with a shade of red. Upon this standing in a circle counter-clockwise rests the mantra OM OM OM SaRWa BUDDHa DakINIYE VaJRa WaRNaNIYE
VaJRa BEROTZaNIYE HUM HUM HUM PHaT PHaT PHaT SÖHa.
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I, the letter BaM in space, see the moon and, motivated to take rebirth in its centre, enter the centre of the moon.
Light rays radiate from the moon, letter BaM, and mantra rosary making all worlds and beings of samsara and nirvana into the nature of Venerable Vajrayogini. These gather back and dissolve into the letter BaM and mantra rosary which change completely into the supported and supporting mandala, fully and all at once.
Checking meditation on the mandala and the beings within it
Furthermore, there is the vajra ground, fence, tent and canopy, outside of which a mass of five-coloured fires blaze, swirling counter-clockwise. Inside these is the circle of the eight great charnel grounds, the Ferocious One and so forth. In the centre of these is a red phenomena source, a double tetrahedron, with its broad neck facing upwards and its fine tip pointing downwards. Except for the front and back, each of the other four corners is marked by a pink joy swirl whirling counter-clockwise.
Inside the phenomena source, in the centre of an eight-petalled lotus of various colours, is a sun mandala. Upon this I arise in the form of Venerable Vajrayogini. My outstretched right leg treads on the breast of red kalarati.
My bent left leg treads on the head of black Bhairawa, which is bent backwards. I have a red-coloured body which shines with a brilliance like that of the fire of the aeon. I have one face, two hands and three eyes looking towards the Pure Land of the Dakinis. My right hand, outstretched and pointing downwards, holds a curved knife marked with a vajra. My left holds up a skullcup filled with blood which I partake of with my upturned mouth. My left shoulder holds a khatanga marked with a vajra from which hang a damaru, bell and triple banner. My black 352
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hair hanging straight covers my back down to my waist.
In the prime of my youth, my desirous breasts are full and I show the manner of generating bliss. My head is adorned with five human skulls and I wear a necklace of fifty human skulls. Naked, I am adorned with five mudras and stand in the centre of a blazing fire of exalted wisdom.
THE YOGa OF PURIFYING MIGRaTORS
at my heart inside a red phenomena source, a double tetrahedron, is a moon mandala. In the centre of this is a letter BaM encircled by a mantra rosary. From these light rays radiate, leaving through the pores of my skin.
Touching all sentient beings of the six realms, they purify their negativities and obstructions together with their imprints and transform them all into the form of Vajrayogini.
THE YOGa OF BEING BLESSED BY
HEROES aND HEROINES
Meditation on the body mandala
at my heart, in the centre of a phenomena source and moon seat, is a letter BaM which is the nature of the four elements.
By splitting it changes into the four letters Ya, Ra, La, Wa which are the seeds of the four elements. They are the nature of the heart channel petals of the four directions such as the Desirous One. These transform starting from the left into Lama, khandarohi, Rupini and Dakini. In the centre, the crescent moon, drop, and nada of the letter BaM, whose nature is the union of my very subtle red and white drops, transform into Venerable Vajrayogini.
Outside these in sequence are the channels such as the Unchanging One of the twenty-four places of the body, such as the hairline and crown, and the twenty-four 353
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elements from which come the nails, teeth, and so forth.
These channels and elements, which are by nature inseparable, become the nature of the twenty-four letters of the mantra, OM OM and so forth, standing in a circle counter-clockwise from the east. These transform into the eight Heroines of the heart family: Par