About the Book
The book focuses on the spiritual practice of Vajrayogini, a female Buddha associated with wisdom and transformation in Tibetan Buddhism. It explains advanced Buddhist meditation and tantra practices, especially those connected with Highest Yoga Tantra.
The book includes:
It is mainly intended for serious Buddhist practitioners interested in Vajrayogini practice and tantric Buddhism.
About the Author
Kelsang Gyatso was a Tibetan Buddhist monk, meditation teacher, and spiritual author. He played a major role in spreading Kadampa Buddhism around the world.
PREFACE
Sentient beings have many different capacities for spiritual understanding and practice. For this reason, out of his com-passion, Buddha Shakyamuni gave teachings at 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 alone, Buddha gave teachings on the faults of samsara; 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 the development of great compassion and bodhichitta; and he taught the six perfections the perfections of giving, moral discipline, patience, effort, mental stabilization, 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'.
In the Tantric teachings Buddha revealed four classes of Tantra. The practices explained in this book, 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 many of the problems we experience in our daily life and swiftly attain the ultimate happiness of full enlightenment.
The source of all the essential meanings contained in Guide to Dakini Land is Illuminating All Hidden Meanings (Tib. Be dön kun säl), which is a precious commentary to the practice of Heruka and Vajrayogini Tantra by Je Tsongkhapa. Through the kindness of my root Guru, Kyabje Trijang Dorjechang, I have had the opportunity to study and practise the instructions of Heruka and Vajra yogini. Now I have written this book as a special offering, mainly for western practitioners.
To practise the instructions explained in this book we require special inner conditions. First, we should train in the common spiritual paths and then receive the empowerments of Heruka and Vajrayogini. Having received these empowerments, we should strive to maintain our vows and commitments purely.
This book should not be read as if it were a magazine, nor should it be read by those harbouring disrespectful or negative thoughts towards Vajrayogini practice, or by those who have no faith in the instructions or no intention of putting them into practice. However, if we have a pure motivation and read the entire book carefully, concentrating deeply on its meaning without rushing to finish it, we can gain profound realizations of Buddhadharma.
Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Tharpaland
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