Namkhai Nyingpo - Mother of Knowledge - The Enlightenment of Yeshe Tsogyal [ebook - 1 PDF] (Buddhism )

A tribute to the most revered woman of the Nyingma lineage, this spirirual biography recounts Yeshe Tsogyal's dramatic life, her rigorous spiritual training, and her enlightened attainments as Tibet's foremost female teacher. Mother of Knowledge was written in the eighth century by her contemporary, Namkhai Nying-po , a co-disciple of Padmasambhava, to document the devotion, courage, and perseverance that empowers spiritual practice and illustrates the blessings of enlightenment. Detailing obstacles and trials encountered in the course of spiritual transformation, Mother of Knowledge provides a model of the attitude and actions that make it possible for students today to benefit from a teacher's guidance.

Miraculous events heralded the birth of the great yogini. By the time Yeshe Tsogyal was twelve years old, she was so beautiful that suitors from all parts of Tibet had come to demand her hand in marriage. Her parents, afraid to provoke the wrath of one of the powerful lords, decided to send the girl away.

The girl awoke to the realities of being a woman in an unenlightened land, but when King Khri-srong lde'u-btsan took her as one of his queens, her suffering ended. Noting her wish for a religious life, the King allowed her to become Guru Padmsambhava's cohort and disciple. Thus at the age of sixteen, Yeshe Tsogyal became the disciple of the Great Guru Padmasambhava, revered as the greatest tantric master of all time. Under his guidance, she mastered the teachings of the Sutras and the sastras. As her understanding increased, she became able to receive the full teachings: What the master knew, she knew: nothing was held back.

Yeshe Tsogyal exemplifies the special wisdom, compassion, and energizing power of the female energy so highly respected in Padmasambhava's lineage. As the Great Guru said: "Male or female - there is no great difference. But if she develops the mind bent on enlightenment, to be a woman is better.

Excerpt from Preface:

Rendering the life of Ye-shes mTsho-rgyal into English has been a difficult undertaking. The Tibetan is in the old style, and contains a mixture of prose and poetry which is rich in images and examples that have no parallel in Western culture. There are many esoteric terms and descriptions for which there are no meaningful English equivalents. Most important, even the simple narrative contains multilevel meanings, and it is impossible for the translation to present them all.

Ye-shes mTsho-rgyal's life story is a revelation of spiritual transformation, and the original Tibetan reveals the depth of her experience, the inner meaning of her initiations, and her visionary understanding. Tibetans have spent hundreds of years finding ways to express the power and richness of such experience within the constraints of language, and, at the time this book was written, possessed a terminology developed for precisely this purpose.

Until the English language develops similar resources, we felt that the inner beauty and wonder of Ye-shes mTsho-rgyal's life story would shine forth most clearly through a direct and straightforward presentation.

However, readers of the life of Ye-shes mTsho-rgyal should also bear in mind that the experiences and the practices undertaken by Ye-shes mTsho-rgyal on her path toward realization can only be successfully carried out by those with proper preparation. Even then, the guidance of an established and qualified spiritual teacher, one who is a complete master of the tradition, is essential. The risk for anyone attempting to pursue such practices on their own, or without full preparation, is simply too great.

This publication contains many wonderful images of Guru Padmasambhava and Yeshe Tsogyal.
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