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A tribute to the most revered woman of the Nyingma lineage, this spiritual biography recounts Yeshe Tsogyal's dramatic life, her rigorous spiritual training, and her enlightened attainments as Tibet's foremost contemporary, Nam-mkha'i sNying-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 attitudes 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 Ide'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 Padmasambhava'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. Uner 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 difference. But if she develops the mind bent on enlightenment, to be a woman is better."
Mother of Knowledge: The Enlightenment of Yeshe Tsogyal, Namkhai Nyingpo, Dharma Publishing, Paperback, 244 pages, $22.00
| Publisher's Preface
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xxvii
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| Publisher's Introduction |
xxi |
| Prologue |
5
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| Chapter 1: Ye-shes mTsho-rgyal Sees That the Time Has Come for Her to Teach and Appear in the World |
11 |
| Chapter 2: The Arrival and Manifestation of Ye-shes mTsho-rgyal in the Land of Tibet |
15 |
| Chapter 3: Ye-shes mTsho-rgyal Recognizes the Impermanence of All Things and Relies Upon a Teacher |
21 |
| Chapter 4: Ye-shes mTsho-rgyal Asks Her Teacher for Instruction in the Dharma |
33 |
| Chapter 5: The Manner in Which Ye-shes mTsho-rgyal Did Her Practices |
79 |
| Chapter 6: A Summary of the Auspicious Signs Which Occurred as Ye-shes mTsho-rgyal Practiced and the Siddhis She Manifested After Achieving Realization |
111 |
| Chapter 7: The Manner in Which Ye-shes mTsho-rgyal Acted to Benefit Sentient Beings |
117 |
| Chapter 8: How Ye-shes mTsho-rgyal Reached Her Goal, Achieved Buddhahood, and Entered the Expanse of All That Is |
167 |
| Glossary |
221 |
| Index |
237 |
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