Three Convictions of Tantric Practitioners

(Artwork by Soyolmaa Davaakhuub)

"In tantra, the most important thing is

to have three convictions or trusts - 

in tantric teachings,

in those who deliver the teachings,

and in the capacity in yourself."

- Khandro-la

INTRODUCTION

In my supportive role to DW, I am fortunate to sometimes be the first to receive spontaneous wisdom teachings from our teacher as she answers other students’ questions. One of the more common issues, I would say, that comes up from students is this thoughtful pondering of our practice commitments balanced with our everyday life circumstances. In other words, “Am I taking on too much if I get this transmission or this empowerment? What am I committing to? Can I manage this in my life right now with what seems like so many other demands?” A recent response from Khandro-la from this type of concern, really caused me to pause and consider my own sort of attitude or view. She said something like this, ‘in tantra, the most important thing is to have three convictions or trusts - in tantric teachings, in those who deliver the teachings, and in the capacity in yourself.’ The Three Convictions of Tantric Practitioners is the topic of this May Journal and soundly worthy of our deep contemplation and honest self-examination. What does it mean to have this trusting commitment to the teachings, the teacher, and our own Buddha-nature? When do our doubts creep in?

May Khandro-la’s teachings, personal sharings of fellow students, and an ancient inspiring story challenge your own mind, as a practitioner, to explore these three convictions in your life on and off the cushion!

- Ellen G. (Yeshe Wangmo)

DW Team

“See if you can embody these three convictions.

Bring your head to the heart and you can live those convictions.

Then there’s no question like, “is this practice good for me?”

The only question we might have is, 

“do I have these convictions?”

Nobody else can give you the answer in a sense,

once you get into the river."   

- Khandro-la

KHANDRO-LA'S CORNER

Three Convictions of Tantric Practitioners, A Bit About Vajrayana,

5/7/21, YouTube

One of my favorite books by Lama Tsongkhapa is called, YICHE SUM-DEN. YICHE means “belief” or “convictions” or "conceptions.” SUM means “three.” So, “Three Beliefs” or “Three Convictions,” is the title of the book, which is basically the commentary on the Six Yogas of Naropa. Lama Tsongkhapa implies these three convictions that students of the Tantric path need to have. It’s very meaningful to get inspired by the great masters’ sayings or literature. We are dipping our toes into the Tantric practice and the Tantric journey. So, we can check or examine ourselves for these qualities.

First is this spontaneous inclination toward the beauty of Tantric teachings. Maybe when you hear something about Tantra, you get goosebumps. When I was small, Tantra was “high up,” but it rang a bell in me, something about the possibilities beyond this ordinary conventional way of thinking and living life…like there’s more to life than just these ordinary ups and downs. Tantric students have this conviction in the Tantric teachings.

Secondly, who holds the key to opening the door to the other world, the Tantric world? That is the lama, teacher, or guru, who can guide us and lead us to that other world that we long for. We have trust in the lama, the one who holds the key. 

Thirdly, this is actually the most important and the most missed, is belief in our own capacity, Buddha-nature. As we practice more, our confidence builds up, and of course, the willingness is already there. It’s a matter of building our capacity and following the teacher’s guidance, having faith in oneself and faith in the teachings, no matter what. Then, once we get into that current of the river, the river will carry us to the ocean of this Tantric world, Tantric enlightenment, in this body, in this lifetime. Just have conviction, then practice. The more you practice, the path becomes simpler and more powerful.

DAKINI CORNER BLOG

ASK KHANDRO-LA

No Tantric Future?

[Student:] In recent teaching you mentioned that in the future, there will be no need to practice tantra because everyone is not living in degenerate times. I've continued to land on the same question rumbling around in my mind since that teaching, which is: If there is no tantric practice then that means we [tantric practitioners, bodhisattvas] have essentially succeeded at beings being awakened and in a liberated state where there is no need for tantric practice. 

It's almost like this answer is so simple, but I just cannot land on it. I cannot imagine a plane of existence without meeting Vajrayogini and being a tantric practitioner. Does that then mean I've only existed in degenerate times? 

[Khandro-la:] The tradition states that we live in the era where Shakyamuni Buddha appeared and taught both sutra and tantra. It is the age of strife, discord and challenges that includes moral chaos, unrest, famine, war and natural disasters proliferating, and a time when people are no longer capable of following the teachings. This is the so-called “Degenerate Age” where we currently exist, and we are increasingly experiencing the escalation of these symptoms. 

At the same time, it is the age of fortune where we can meet powerful teachings like tantra. The more difficult the situation is and the more delusions we have, the greater the potential is for awakening even in this lifetime. However, this fortune won’t last long. The tradition prophesies that this teaching of Shakyamuni will be completely forgotten and disappear in the future. 

At that time, Maitreya, the future Buddha, presently residing in the Tushita Heaven, will descend to earth and teach new dharma but not tantra. He will also emerge as a benevolent ruler over humanity, ushering in an era of peace and prosperity. Existing accounts suggest that the era of the "Future Buddha" would be characterized by the end of death, warfare, famine, and disease, "the fulfillment of Buddha's dharma," and "the establishment of universal peace and concord." In this future era of Maitreya, everyone will be loving towards one another, and there will not even be the word “Tantra” heard. There will not be any Tantric teachings - no Heruka or Vajrayogini teachings. 

However, our consciousness or mind-stream is timeless and will continue. Even if we are awakened, we exist everywhere and nowhere as formless Dharmakaya. So, the answer to your question of “Does that then mean I've only existed in degenerate times?” is YES and NO. I think that it would be more beneficial to acknowledge our current fortune and give our best to utilize this precious human life in this lifetime than to think about what’s going to happen in the future. In Tibetan tradition, there is a saying – If you want to know about yourself in the past, look at yourself in the present. And, if you want to know the future, look at your actions in the present. It’s because what we do in this lifetime (karmic cause) will determine what we will experience in the future (effect). 

Just in case you feel sad about this story, I'd say that you'll never lose Vajrayogini if you have made connections and practiced her!!! She is beyond time and space. She will be eternally in you. 

"A true yogi does not wish to become famous in the world. 

That would be to mix up Dharma practice with worldly concerns. 

The great yogis, therefore, would keep their innermost realizations

and meditative accomplishments secret."

- by Geshe Lobsang Jampa.

STUDENTS' REFLECTION

ON THE THREE CONVICTIONS ON THEIR SPIRITUAL JOURNEYS

Surrendering to the Teachings, the Guru, My Own Buddha Nature

The sense of needing to surrender to something had been growing in my life for a long time. My desire for a teacher was so strong that it had me looking endlessly. Yet the path of the teacher had to be steeped in the authenticity of old lines. I had been searching for the Bon tradition for about 6 years. So when a dream showed me that I needed to be looking for a Cho teacher and that she would be female. I trusted that. I found DW online later that day. There was no question that I had to make a connection. That this was what I was needing to move forward with. 

So these three convictions that a tantric practitioner needs - what do they mean to me? Everything and I did not know they were a specific thing. Yet they brought me to DW and my beautiful, kind, authentic Guru. I trust in this authentic lineage. I trust and love my precious Lama. I know my Buddha nature, which is becoming more revealed as I listen to my teacher and practice. In this lifetime I will awaken for the benefit of all beings. Love to all life and these precious times we live. Journey well, my precious sangha family. May we all awaken in this very moment, for the benefit of all sentient beings, seen and unseen.

- Dan H.

With Commitments, A Lightning Path to Enlightenment

The tantric path is an extraordinary miraculous path. But it also makes extraordinary requirements of us as practitioners. Do you trust your tantric guru with your life? Do you trust yourself to select a fully qualified teacher and properly act on their instructions? Do you trust the teachings to be authentic and capable of delivering the promised results? 

In reality, we entrust our tantric teachers with much more than just our lives in this lifetime. We entrust them with our fate in countless future lives, and we bear a similar responsibility towards them as well.  The tantric path is not for the faint of heart. But when the commitments are authentic and properly maintained it truly is a lightning path to enlightenment for the extremely fortunate.

- John W.   

Trust in the Lama

The Second Conviction, having trust in the Lama, I feel closest to. As tantric practitioners, we should be aware of the importance of the lama, or guru, as a reflection of our own nature. To me, it is also just so nice to have someone you look up to and feel “I want to have qualities like them or be like them”. We do this effortlessly as people; however, it is not always for good qualities- many times we have a “keeping up with the Joneses” mentality and the like. We have the energy, but it needs to be focused on a principle to help us become enlightened- the Lama. They are, to me at least, the path embodied into a being.

Tantra is at the very top of the Buddha’s teachings because it gets through outer and impure appearance and gets directly to the mind. It can be both difficult and dangerous. There is a saying that Tantra is like a hollow bamboo shoot and we are a snake within it- at the top is enlightenment and the bottom is Vajra Hell… there are no other options. I do not think this is meant to scare us, but to show the power of Tantra to quickly bring us to Buddhahood, but also note it is a complex path that one needs a guide to properly follow. I struggled with finding someone who I could confidently take as a root lama. Not because there is not a plethora of masters, but someone who I could connect to on a spiritual level and have unwavering confidence in. Over time I found what one teacher described as “the one.” My root lama, Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche, is so precious to me and because of him, I can truly practice as a tantrika. Guru devotion is foundational to any aspect of Tantra and without the Lama there is no fruit and enlightenment would be impossible within the Vajrayana vehicle.

- Cameron G.

Discovering the Three Convictions

The labyrinth of my life is the framework for my tantric practice, and the back-and-forth of the path is the mortar. I look back at my life and see the rut that has taken shape over all these years, like breadcrumbs I continually find. At this point, I'm no longer surprised when I find myself heading towards the next one while aligning in the same footsteps I've taken since the last pass-through. I've also come to realize that all the years I carried doubt within myself about this life, it wasn't really doubt - it was my subtle body and true nature surfacing to echo back to me a different way to live. Until I found Vajrayogini on the tantric path, the labyrinth felt like a hamster wheel littered with hurdles still red from where I snagged myself the last time I tried to overcome them alone. And it was before I even knew what the Lamrim was that I saw Her face and at that moment, I was able to find an endless answer to my innumerable questions. Everything made sense because it all brought me to the spontaneous inclination that Vajrayogini was who and what I'd been searching for this whole time. Can one even describe one's own inclinations? .. I sure can't, but I was satisfied with finally having a face to visualize during my prayers and I practiced the tantric path with what I could find without empowerment. 

Soon, it was like pacing back and forth over and over when I had found all I could without a teacher and so, I started looking for one who was female and who was also on Vajrayogini's path. Ever the wandering yogini that I believe I am, I sadly realized I might have to continue to walk in my labyrinth alone without the guidance and companionship I so longed for. I didn't care about a lineage or school - I just wanted a teacher, and the divine trust I carried around with me became the beacon that grew louder when I found the breadcrumb called Dakini's Whisper. Here, the search was over and for the first time, I allowed myself to stand still at the feet of a female teacher who loved Vajrayogini as deeply as I do. I had guarded myself fiercely when other teachers requested me to take them as my guru just to receive empowerment, and I chose the few empowerments I received before finding Khandro-la very carefully. Before her, I came to the acceptance that I would never find a teacher or a Vajrayogini empowerment that felt intrinsically right, but there she was - and then there was the beginning of my lineage. Without hesitation, I ran full force into the river of whatever Khandro-la was offering. 

And you know, I never wondered if I was ordinary or not - I just was me doing the best I could in this world with a bodhisattva's heart on my sleeve, but after listening to Khandro-la I humbly realize that I am extraordinary because of my tantric framework and because Vajrayogini claims me as Her own. But the moment I realized I wasn't ordinary, was when Khandro-la named me when I took refuge with her. She didn't ask anything of me except a piece of my hair, and I cried uncontrollably in the relief of finding the third conviction of the Six Yogas. I admit that finding that breadcrumb was startling, but being able to stand still within that realization was part of the endless answer given to me so long ago. Since then, the Six Yogas have become an increasingly important part of my studies and practice because it is the motivation for walking the path within my life's labyrinth - it's like I've zeroed in on the motivation I didn't know existed all along .. all thanks to my guru and heart teacher, Khandro-la.

- Kate T.

"These three convictions come from intense practice.

They kind of put fuel into the fire of your practice.

Then you can sustain the practice, steady."

- Khandro-la

ANCIENT SAGE, ANCIENT WISDOM

Ayu Khandro 

THE TRAVELING YOGINI OF KHAM (1839 - 1953)

(Artwork by Kay Konrad)

The incredibly long-lived Ayu Khandro (Long Life Dakini), was born on Dakini Day 1839 in Kham, Eastern Tibet and lived 115 years. She was the youngest in a family of three sons and four daughters and grew up to become a great practitioner, yogini, and terton of Tibetan Buddhism, leading the life of a hidden yogini, spending a significant amount of her life in retreat or as a wandering chopa. She was recognized as an emanation of Vajrayogini and was also known as Dorje Paldrön.

Following a pattern of many yoginis, she was betrothed and married against her will at 18. At 21 yrs old she became very ill and only recovered when her husband agreed to alter their relationship so that she could return to meditation. She recovered slowly with the help of her aunt and spiritual companion, Dronkyi, and at 23, dedicated herself to extended, serious meditation. Three years later at 26, her teachers, Togden Rangrig and Dronkyi, died three days apart, and Ayu Khandro entered a strict three year retreat in Dronkyi's cave.

At 32,  Ayu Khandro received from Nyakla Pema Dudul the instructions for the Yangti Nakpo dark retreat, and she was also given important practice advice from Nying Lung  "Go to practice in cemeteries and sacred places. Follow the method of Machig Labdron and overcome hope and fear. If you do this you will attain stable realization.” He gave her the name Dorje Paldron (Glorious Indestructible Vajra).

For the next decade, Ayu Khandro traveled through  Kham, U-tsang, Nepal and Ngari (Mt Kailash) practicing Chod, visiting holy sites and receiving numerous instructions and initiations. Throughout her pilgrimages the theme of sacred power sites of Chakrasambhava and Vagrayogini are prominent. Then at 43, she decided to go home to Usang in Tibet where her husband had built a hut for her. There she entered into a seven-year retreat, focusing on the practice of dark retreat.

By the end of her life Anu Khandro had spent more than fifty years in dark retreat, whilst still making time to give teachings to numerous students. Renowned for her accomplishments in Dzogchen and her extensive pilgrimages throughout Tibet, she met and was taught by, many great masters of her day, Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, Jamgon Kongtrul the First, Chokgyur Lingpa, Nyala Pema Dündul, Adzom Drukpa, Togden Rangrig and the ninth Tai Situpa, Pema Nyingche Wangpo.

After her death, it is said she remained in meditation for two weeks and her body shrunk to a fraction of its original size – a sign of her Dzogchen practice.

Chogyal Namkhai Norbu wrote her spiritual biography where this information comes from.

(Provided by Shona Wilson from the following resources)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayu_Khandro

https://treasuryoflives.org/biographies/view/Ayu-Khandro-Dorje-Peldron/13139

WHAT'S NEW?

THE FUNDRAISER CAMPAIGN CONTINUES!!!

SUPPORT THE PUBLICATION OF KHANDRO-LA’S NEW BOOK!

BRINGING DAKINI ENERGY INTO THE WORLD!

With excitement and gratitude, we share that Dakini's Whisper made the original fundraising goal of $5,000, towards the editing and publishing costs of Khandro-la's new DAKINI book. We raised $6452!

Through additional, sound resources and information, we now have the estimate of professional editing and self-publishing costs. With gratitude for the generosity of the many who have given so far, we have decided to keep the fundraiser open in order to meet the new estimated costs and will now strive to raise an additional $5550! We humbly ask you to continue to support Khandro-la in this most excellent endeavor of sharing the dharma with the world through the voice of these ancient Dakinis by sharing this wonderful news on social media, and to consider helping us reach our new goal!

Thank you!

(Artwork above by Lasha Mutual)

Subtle Body Training, DAKINI SERIES V

DAKINIS’ AWAKENED RESPONSES TO THE WORLD OF SUFFERING

The Four Awakened Activities of Dakinis

Saturdays, May 28, June 11, 18 & 25, 1 - 2:30 pm

OPEN TO ALL - Drop-in is also welcome!

This Subtle Body Training, DAKINI SERIES V will delve into a deep exploration of the awakened activities of Dakinis. At this time in history, our hearts are yearning for this expression of awakening based on compassion and wisdom in ourselves. By connecting to and embodying the dakinis, we will discover ways of bringing their awakened qualities into action. We will also look at those yoginis and dakinis who played a significant role in history and tantric practice by fully engaging in the world. They are the source of our inspiration and guides for our liberation and awakening with this human body, right here, right now. This exploration will be experiential, intimate and direct, connecting our subtle, feeling, and energetic body in the form of stillness, movements, singing and exercises. For more information and to register, please visit our website. 

VAJRAYOGINI TEA OFFERING

Transmission and Practice

Sunday, June 26, 12 noon - 1 pm, Pacific Time

OPEN TO THOSE WHO HAVE VAJRAYOGINI EMPOWERMENT

Text will be provided for those who has registered.

Khandro-la will offer the transmission to and guide us in the practice of the Tea Offering to Vajrayogini composed by the Ear-Whispered Lineage master, Ngulchu Dharmabhadra. You as a practitioner of Vajrayogini can bring this short yet quintessential practice of Vajrayogini tea offering ritual to your daily practice. We’ll also learn a beautiful blessed melody to sing this ritual. Registration is required through this form with donations by June 25.

NEW Monthly Book Discussion Group

DAKINI BOOK DISCUSSION

Dakini's Warm Breath by Judith Simmer-Brown

Starting Sunday, June 5, 11 am - 12 noon

First Sunday of every month

OPEN TO ALL!

Join us in our new exciting Monthly Book Discussion Group, starting June 5, 11 am-12 noon, Pacific Time, for lively and enlightening dialogue about Judith Simmer-Brown’s, Dakini’s Warm Breath. In this dynamic book, Judith integrates stories, commentaries and historical research to provide the reader with considerable traditional background information along with a compelling spiritual exploration of the Dakini in our own lives! All are welcome! The Zoom link will be https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83228307087

DAKINI DAY TSOK

Celebrating the Conclusion of Retreat

Thursday, June 23, 3 pm - 6 pm

OPEN TO ALL!

Please join us to celebrate DAKINI DAY on this most special of occasions! We'll hold Vajrayogini Chö Tsok on June 23, 3-6 pm, to celebrate the closure of our Personal Retreat. The Zoom link will be https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88538519556, Please bring fresh foods, i.e. fruits and cookies, to offer as well as offerings of songs and dance. All our welcome and it will especially be a joyful and meaningful time for yogi and yogini retreatants to share personal retreat experiences, celebrate and dedicate!

NEW DW Media Publications

VAJRAYOGINI SADHANA - TEXT AND TUNES

is now available on DW Media Store.

Detailed information about all upcoming offerings can be found on the webpage (upcoming online teaching and practice opportunities). You can access the DW calendar from the website as well or DW members can check their personal version of the DW Google calendar. Please note that all times listed here are Pacific Time.

If you have further questions, please contact Ellen (dakiniswhisperteam@gmail.com).