My Father’s gift of Vajra Yogini
When I visited my father many years back, we were sitting around just talking. Suddenly he asked me do I like Vajra Yogini out of the blue. We have never talked about Her before. I said yes I do. He said wait.
He came back and said that this statue is originally from Panchen Rinpoche’s Tashilunpo Monastery. It was gifted to my father’s guru. My father’s guru in turn gave it to my father. And now my dad wants TO GIVE IT TO ME!!!
I was like wow! How lucky and meritorious I am. It is an old statue, blessed by high lamas and being given to me by my father.
I sincerely thanked my dad profusely and was very moved.
I did prayers to Her that night for my dad. She has been with me ever since.
All the ornaments can be fully removed and She is around 12 inches in height. Her whole body has been offered gold, otherwise She is dark in color as She is made from copper.
Her flame aureole behind Her can be removed also. See below.
back view
I have many other Vajra Yoginis. For some good strange reasons, I am always given gifts of statues/thangkas of Her always year after year. I am not complaining but surprised and rejoice.
Tsem Tulku
OMG, I want another new, modern, unique, beuatiful VY’s statue put in my dharma house, sound like a bit selfish and greedy. But she is too beautiful……
I think it’s moving that there was this connection between you and your father via Vajra Yogini. With the statue coming from Panchen Rinpoche’s Tashilunpo Monastery, gifted to your father’s guru –> who then gave it to your father –> and now your father gives it to you, is akin to chinese families passing down their family heirloom (usually jewelry) minus the spiritual factor.
I feel that there is some kind of significance that even though both father and son has never spoken about Vajra Yogini before that the one (I’m not sure about this though) statue he passed over to you is Her statue.
This statue seems perfect for traveling with the way you can take Her apart.
I find Vajra Yogini absolutely fabulous. The photo from this post http://blog.tsemtulku.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/2010/03/my-beautiful-vajra-yogini-statue.html, where it shows a close-up of her face with her hair swept back is something that I’m really attracted to. I love her high cheek bones, the untarnished flat-colour of gold, the luscious hair swept back, the pinky-red painted lips, the strong and defined eyebrows, the high-bridge nose …. if she was a living sentient being SHE’D BE DROP-DEAD GORGEOUS!
If my motivation wasn’t of being kind…benefit all sentient beings….may it be to look like her!!
It means alot to Rinpoche to be connected to his father..and on top of that to receive this gift and for Rinpoche to say prayers to dedicate to his father. Rinpoche never knew his family, never knew who he was until so much later in life! Yet, Rinpoche did not lose himself but is such a selfless person, holding no grudges.
Rinpoche’s teaching on Vajrayogini is amazing. When Rinpoche talks about Vajrayogini, it’s as though she comes alive and is dancing infront of your mind’s eye, so vivid, so assuring, draws you in as if the whole world has dissolved and nothing else matters. She is what I am preparing myself for,..and there’s alot to rid of myself to be ready for her…else, what’s the point of receiving her if i am not able to attain her essence. Controlling rebirths is a give benefit for us to do ther practice..however, we will NOT be able to control our deaths and rebirths if we do not stop our negative actions.
Rinpoche, thank you for planting seeds and giving instructions to us so we can be ready to receive her.
Below are the three part teachings on Vajrayogini, previously given by Rinpoche. MUST WATCH and LEARN
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTTxBbJpje0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYEs0ihnpC8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNqvT7QKi_4
I think your connection to vajrayogini must be very strong because despite little to no connection with your father, he still gifted you with a vajrayogini statue. From the little I know about your family’s history, it seems there was very minimal contact with your blood family.
Therefore I would imagine that your father might have already put some thought into giving you the statue, and perhaps even brought the statue along with the intention of giving it to you…
He must have thought very highly of you to give you a statue with such a distinguished lineage, one that belonged to the Panchen Lama himself.
As a parent, when they want to give something valuable and precious to their children, they would try to give their best to them. In this case, Tsem Rinpoche’s father had given to him his most precious gift of love, that is an old but blessed Vajra Yogini statue from Panchen Rinpoche.
Throughout Tsem Rinpoche’s life, he may not have been closed to his blood father but the love from a parent for their child cannot be broken that easily. His father wish is for Tsem Rinpoche to be able to control his rebirth in many lives in the future and continue to receive the dharma. It is the most treasured gift a father can give to his son to ensure his son happiness.
I think Vajrayogini must be Rinpoche’s main Yidam or one os his main Yidam. Since Rinpoche is very humble, he would never reveal it to anybody. We will probably will never know like Lama Tsongkhapa who kept it a secret until he passed into clear light. Amongst Lama Tsongkhapa’s few belongings, they discovered items associated with Vajrayogini’s practice.
What’s fantastic is that Vajrayogini is the Yidam recommended by Pabongka Rinpoche and Trijang Rinpoche for our degenerate age. On top of that, there numerous cases of those practicing Vajrayogini gained Siddhis although having lived their life in vice. Chatreng a man from Tibet who recently cross over from Tibet regretted his past actions in public teaching by Trijang Rinpoche. After a Vajrayogini initiation, he decided to devote the rest of his life to a Vajrayogini retreat.
He died many years later in the middle of meditation. During his funeral, numerous rainbows appeared to cover all over the funeral pyre. Many high Lamas revealed that the rainbows were a auspicious portent and that Chatreng had ascended to Kechara Paradise.
Vajrayogini is the practice that His Eminence Tsem Rinpoche has identified this practice as the best tantric practice for all his lay students to have. Vajrayogini according to Rinpoche is very effective in this day and age when our desires are unbridled and there are many things that can fulfill and entice us in the world. Things that distract us from occupations that can bestow upon real and lasting happiness. Most of us look for instant happiness wherever we go, we have many gadgets and tools at our disposal but we are constantly distracted and preoccupied by such things.
This article by Rinpoche touches on how you can create the causes to receive Vajrayogini from now on
http://blog.tsemtulku.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/2010/06/starting-on-vajra-yogini-now.html
We need to start preparing now, and not when KWPC comes up. We must rely on karma the principle that if we create the causes similar to the effects, only the effects we have created manifest.
Another stunningly beautiful statue from Rinpoche’s collection! I too am truly blessed to be able to chance upon such incredible works of art. And this is due to Rinpoche’s constant attention and generosity in sharing with us all.
I have never come across anyone that blogs for others. In most blogs its always about THE person, THE organization, THE group, etc. But slowly in discovering Rinpoche’s blog more intensively the past week, I find this very remarkable in that EVERY single posting has a altruistic meaning. So much wealth of information. So much time and effort gone into this. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to Rinpoche and your dedicated and talented team for making this available to us!
“His omnicient wisdom mind encompasses all that is existent;
His voice is profound teaching, which ornaments the ear of the fortunate pupil;
His body’s beautiful radiance evokes wondrous admiration;
To Lama Tsongkhapa whom merely viewing, or contemplating, earns one great merit. I make prostration. – Gaden Lhagyama (http://tsemtulku.com/resources/prayers/prayers-deity-prayer/je-tsongkhapas-guru-yoga-gaden-lhagyama-2/)
It is so true in applying the above prayer to Mother Vajrayogini. We are all so blessed to be able to see the picture of Mother Vajrayogini, whose statue has been blessed by Rinpoche.
Thank you Rinpoche. Thank you so much.
Note: Earlier on Rinpoche has given dharma teaching on on how Lord Tsongkhapa transform into Mother Vajrayogini. The video of the teaching can be found in the following doclink:-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elBCVeGDncQ&feature=related
The above teaching can also be found in the comments section by David Lai and Paris in the blog “Starting On Vajra Yogini Now” http://blog.tsemtulku.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/2010/06/starting-on-vajra-yogini-now.html
From what I know Tsem Rinpoche has been very attracted to Vajra yogini from the day I met him in 1992 when he was in Malaysia. And when I was in Ganden with Rinpoche. I see a lot of images of Vajrayogini in his room. I never thought it was the significant of his father’s gift from his father’s Guru that the Vajrayoggini that his father gave him can lead to the start of Kechara House. Kechara House belongs to Vajrayogini. Nows I know Vajrayogini is specially given to him to bring down the line of Vajra yogini Practice from his father’s Guru.
Dearest Tsem Tulku,
In November me and my indonesian girlfriend want to marry in Indonesia. She would then even come with me to see you in malaysia. My holiday starts at November 8 (for three weeks) and I have no idea how to make this financially possible. I am just asking for you please pray for me so Vadjra Yoghini gives her blessings onto this very project which would make me SO happy.
Love, Knut
shelly Tai on Dec 1, 2010 at9:00am
Dear Rinpoche,
what a nice statute,it really amaze me to look at this statute.I really want to know more about her and wish one day I can have the merit to practice her teaching and benefit more and more others sentient being.
I love all Rinpoche’s Vajrayoigini Statues. They all look alive and that is because of Rinpoche and his vows which he has hold intact. Rinpoche has come out with all sort of ways to make us connect with VY. It can be via the internet, making the statues more modern, making us do offerings to VY and etc.