NAMO GURU SRI JNANASAGARAYE
OM VAJRAKILI KILAYA. . . .

Homage to the Guru, the glorious Wisdom Ocean, Queen of Siddhas. Om Diamond Dagger. . . .

Here the discussion turns somewhat from Dark Goddess to Dark God. Very well. I will provide a unifying context which introduces both as a single topic and a single practice. This will be done through providing a short introduction to Yeshe Tsogyel, a human goddess,
and Vajrakilaya, a primary tutelary deity and primary protector deity of the Buddhist tantra.

Om SVASTI

From a tantric Buddhist standpoint, an ultimate dark goddess is Troma Nagmo, the Black Wrathful Mother.
Corresponds to Kali, in fact, the name Kali is in the mantra for Troma.

I did a million recitations of this, and have a stack of initiations for Troma. Turns out there are several different kinds.
There is no corresponding male deity for this transcendent Riot Grrl dakini ( goddess ). Her tantra is one of the seventeen principal
tantras of the Great Perfection / Ati yoga / Dzogchen, however you want to say it.

A basic form of Troma Severance, a decent practice text, is authorized for those who have "world wide transmission" from the
Tibetan teacher Namkhai Norbu. Not that this is actually the Longchen Nyingtik lineage text as some people seem to think.
Anyway, this teacher and his transmissions offer one of the main ways people can hook up with a really dark Riot Grrl.
( Or several. There's also the Lion Headed Goddess Simhamukha in this practice cycle and teachings of Chogyal Namkhai Norbu. )

It's off subject here , but I will answer your request for information. One of the principal Wrathful Lords in Buddhatantra is Vajrakilaya, who is essentially always transmitted as Vajrakilaya and Consort, the consort being Diptacakra, the Circle of Blissful Satisfaction.
Having first opened with a mention of Troma Nagmo, the path is open to mention the Protector Vajrakilaya. This is basically the
Buddhist counterpoint to the Hindu Lord Shiva Mahadev.

The main purpose of Vajrakilaya is to destroy the inner three poisons of Ignorance, Grasping, and Anger. The secondary purpose of Vajrakilaya is to ward off psychic harm, remove karmic obstacles, and crush negative forces. This is the ultimate wrathful aspect of
Vajrasattva. ( See my "k t " tribe photo entry on Hundred Syllable mantra for details. ) I am a dagger priest, and am committed to this
practice.

Vajrakilaya was a primary practice for the primary founder of Buddhist teaching in Tibet, the guru renowned as Padmasambhava,
and also for one of his principal students, Yeshe Tsogyel. ( Her name means Wisdom Ocean. In Sanskrit, that is Jnana Sagara, hence
the invocation which opens this letter. )

Vajrakilaya / Diptacakra is a primacy practice ( or one of the primary practices ) for many of the greatest Buddhist gurus, including
HH the Fourteenth Dalai Lama. The fact is that I have Vajrakilaya empowerment from major teachers of all Four primary schools of
TibetanBuddhism, including HH Khentin Tai Situpa ( Kagyu ), HH Dagchen Rinbochay and HH Sakya Trizin ( Sakya ), HH the Dalai
Lama, andnumerous primary gurus of the Nyingma school, the school that primarily focuses on the teachings and yogas of Guru
Padmasambhava.

Vajrakilaya, or the Dagger Deity, is one of the principal protector practices, not only for the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism but also for the Sakya School, from ancient times. The reason it is relevant here is that it is in fact possible to receive a full Vajrakilaya / Dipatacakra
empowerment through a specific form of Yeshe Tsogyel / Wisdom Ocean empowerment, and Teshe Tsogyel was a human goddess
who focused on the practice of Vajrakilaya.

So, the name of this specific lineage is the Tagsham Yeshe Tsogyel. where Tagsham refers to a mystic who revealed
( "rediscovered" ) the sacred treasure of the empowerment / practice of Tagsham Yeshe Tsogyel. This practice is not to be confused
with the other major variants of Goddess Yeshe Tsogyel practice, these being Dechen Gyalmo Yeshe Tsogyel, and Dudjom Tersar
Yeshe Tsogyel.

I know about these because I have the texts and full transmissions for all three kinds of Yeshe Tsogyel practice, fourteen of fifteen
empowerments total, including several from HH Dilgo Khyentse. Three of these fourteen or fifteen are for Tagsham Yeshe Tsogyel,
and I count these three Tagsham transmissions as full authorizations for my Vajrakilaya practice. I did a million Vajrakilaya recitations,
and have at last count thirty one full authorizations for this key practice. That means you can get this in the West, subject to the requirements of tantric commitments.

The Tagsham Yeshe Tsogyel, in full form, is extraordinarily valuable. It fully authorizes Simhamukha / Lion Headed Goddess, Great Perfection Breakthrough practice ( dzogchen trekcho ) and so forth. My point here is that one can in fact take a Goddess empowerment
( Tagsham Yeshe Tsogyel ) and thereby fully receive an ultimate wrathful Diamond Dagger / Vajrakilaya transmission.

Because Vajrakilaya includes so many of the main peaceful and wrathful deities of the Bardo cycle, this is a primary deity for many
tantric Buddhists throughout the world. Yeshe Tsogyel herself, the woman guru and goddess, said to her students:

" If you don't make Vajrakilaya your primary deity, then at least make Vajrakilaya your secondary deity!"

In Buddhist tantra, the only way to fully and effectively practice deity yoga is on the basis of guru yoga. So here is a case where, through
the one empowerment of a human goddess, one can practice a primary tutelary deity ( istadevata ) and primary protector ( dharmapala ).
Thus there is no fundamental difference between guru yoga and deity yoga, no fundamental difference between male deity and female
deity, no fundamental difference between tantric deity yoga and the primordial purity of dharmakaya, the pure dynamic space of primordial being.

To learn about Yeshe Tsogyel, get the book "Sky Dancer, The Life and Songs", by Keith Dowman.

A short introductory teaching on Vajrakilaya is "The Practice of Vajrakilaya", by Khenpo Namdrol. You can get this from Snow Lion.
I do not have this book, I have fat stack of Vajrakilaya practice texts and the Martin Boord books, plus the Andreas Doctor book which has
excellent primary material on Vajrakilaya practice, and indeed a full practice text with detailed commentary. ( See below. )

Sarva mangalam! Siddhi rastu!

K T, dagger priest and inner medical tantrika

THE TIBETAN TREASURE LITERATURE: Revelation, Tradition, and Accomplishment in Visionary Buddhism
by Andreas Doctor

The Treasure tradition of the Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism is richly permeated with wonder and controversy. This unique, mysterious tradition embraces revelation as the primary path to spiritual awakening. Over the course of Tibetan history, revelations-known as Treasures-have been discovered hidden in nature or have emerged directly from the great minds of the Nyingma School, creating a profound and lasting effect on Tibetan religious society and culture.

This book discusses central themes in the history and practice of Treasure revelation and presents translations of seminal texts of the tradition. It includes a discussion by the renowned master Ju Mipham (1846-1912) of the criteria by which to evaluate the authenticity of those who claim to have discovered such Buddhist scriptures. In addition, it introduces for the first time in the West the tradition and revelations of a major Treasure revealer of the nineteenth century.

"Andreas Doctor's Tibetan Treasure Literature is a treasure trove of fresh insights into the fascinating forces at work in the continuing development of Tibetan Buddhism. By giving extensive new access to centuries of Tibet's remarkable visionary literature, he uncovers a multitude of Tibetan strategies to establish religious authenticity and unity amidst tremendous historico-cultural change and multiplicity. Fresh perspectives emerge on the crucial role of religious communities in the construction and authentication of revelation. This book is a must for those interested not only in Buddhism's past, but also in its present and future ways of negotiating these fundamental issues."-- John Makransky, Professor of Buddhism and Comparative Theology, Boston College

"This innovative book is a valuable, well-argued and insightful contribution to the growing literature on gter ma. It lays bare the narrative and argumentative strategies behind the treasure polemics and broadens our knowledge of the fascinating literature not only by summarizing the results of the latest research but also by providing us with new significant materials."-- Per K. Sorensen, Professor, Institute for Indology and Central Asian Studies, University of Leipzig

"The continuing Tibetan tradition of terma, hidden treasures, is an important case for study. This book informs us about significant questions asked within the terma tradition, including the all-important one, how are we to know if a revealed book contains authentic Buddha Word?"-- Dan Martin, author of Unearthing Bon Treasures

"This book offers a most lucid exposition."--Georg Feuerstein, Ph.D., is the author of over 40 books on yoga and health, including Yoga Morality: Ancient Teachings at a Time of Global Crisis, The Deeper Dimension of Yoga, Holy Madness: Spirituality, Crazy-Wise Teachers, and Enlightenment, and Shambhala Encyclopedia of Yoga

Andreas Doctor holds a Ph.D. in Buddhist Studies from the University of Calgary. He lives in Nepal where is Director of Studies at Kathmandu University - Centre for Buddhist Studies.