Yeshe Tsogyal

Yeshe Tsogyal , Yeshe Sogyal or Ye shes mtsho rgyal , of ye shes , “paramount wisdom”, mtsho , “lake” and rgyal , “winner” or “sovereign”, sometimes translated like Victorious ocean of wisdom , east regards as a Dakini Tibet or a Bouddha of the Bouddhisme Tibetan, important in particular in the tradition Nyingmapa. It is also called Dame of Kharchen (mkhar chen bza' lha lcam) or Queen of the Lake Karchen (mkhar chen bza' mtsho rgyal).

According to the tradition, it would have been a princess of Karchen (777-837 or 757-817), wife of the king of the Tibet, Trisong Detsen (740 - 797), become Parèdre of Padmasambhava and agent of its teaching, thanks to its gift of absolute memory. It belongs to its 25 large disciples, distinguished in the whole for its capacity from ressusciter deaths. Yeshe Tsogyal was the wife, the disciple, and the spiritual heiress of Padmasambhava. She is sometimes regarded as a reincarnation of the mother of the Buddha and comparable with other deities like Vajravarahi, Sarasvati, Tara, Vajrayogini, Prajnaparamita or Samantabhadri, parèdre of Samantabhadra. Its name also evokes that of the Lady of Water (Chu chal gyal Mo) of the popular religion, of origin pre-Buddhist. Although its most known biography (XVIIe century) describes it victorious discusses it against partisans of the Bön, it is with the number of the great female figures of the tantrism of the work of the Master bonpo Dechen Bangmo (1918).

In the tradition Nyingmapa, it reveals in dream or vision with the Tertön S the hidden lesson of Padmasambhava, whose Sphère of the heart ( Longchen Nyingthig ), bases Dzogchen, revealed with Jigme Lingpa (1729-1798), and is in the center of meditations Sadhana. The yoginis famous Tibetans are often regarded as its emanation. Its character in the religious literature offers a model of identification to practicing and incarnates the introduction of Buddhism to the Tibet.

Biography

Sources

Its biography, like that of Padmasambhava, presents a strong legendary coloring. Its name and that of its clan, Karchen Za (mkhar chen bza'), are absent from epigraphy and it is the object only short mentions in the historical texts; it seems a royal wife there not exerting political power but devoting themselves to the meditation, initiated with Buddhism at the same time as the king by Padmasambhava. One considered that its character is entirely fictitious, but the constancy of certain details of source to source makes its existence historical probable.

The first mention relating to it is in a work of the Tertön Nyangrel Nyima Özer (1136 - 1204) on the life of Padmasambhava. Follows a biography of Drimed Kunga Nyingpo (XIVe century), ignored a long time and redécouverte in 1996, which does not allot to him any relation with the king Trisong Detsen, contrary to its biography of reference, written by Tagsham Nuden Dorje (Samten Lingpa, 1655-?). Another source is made up of the texts of the Vajrakīla tradition of the nyingmapa, of which it is one of the chiefs of line. The writings of Guru Chosbang (XIIIe century) seem also to have included/understood a biography of Yeshe Sogyal, now disappeared.

According to Janet Gyatso, its character had to take more and more importance and of autonomy to the wire of time, until the biography of Samten Lingpa which presents a clearly female prospect. In addition, in this version which follows the tradition according to which it would have been a royal wife, it symbolizes the appropriation Tibetan of Buddhism, as her victory over the bön through debates that Yeshe Tsogyal gains against the partisans of the local religion. In its biography “revealed” in 1918, the Tertön Bonpo Dechen Bangmo presents on the contrary through its life the reconciliation of the two traditions.

Broad outlines of its life according to the tradition

Its course is a typical example of Buddhist Hagiographie, with miraculous birth, tests, visits of places out of the world and demonstration of extraordinary capacities, culminating in its accession with the state of Buddha after that of dakini. A version gives him like parents Namkha Yeshe and Ge-wa Bum and gives birth to it in Drongmoche; the Sanglingma , biography of Guru Rinpoche, claims that his/her father was Palgyi Wangchuk, another disciple of Padmasambhava presented sometimes also like his/her brother. All the sources in any case agree to give birth to it one year from the bird in the district of Sgrags, central Tibet. During its birth (without pain), a Mantra Sanskrit resounded and a lake appeared magiquement in the vicinity (according to others, an already existing lake saw its surface doubling). In spite of its princely origin, it would have had difficult beginnings, maltreated by its first applicants, his father or the ministers of this last, to prefer the meditation with the marriage. It was saved by the king Trisong Detsen who took it as marries (or concubine, or even maidservant, according to some) before yielding it to Padmasambhava. Thus it became its parèdre and the agent of his tantric lesson , which it laid down in writing of dakini then dissimulated (only or in its company according to the versions) while waiting for times more favourable with their reception. Thus, she wrote the Bardo Thodol, the Book of Dead the Tibetan composed by Padmasambhava. When Padmasambhava left the Tibet, it continued to transmit its practices. In 795, according to Samten Lingpa, it would have gone to the Nepal where it took in its turn a parèdre in the person of Atsara Sahle, beautiful poor man. They continued a life of hermits in caves of mountain, Yeshe Tsogyal being often only the winter because his/her companion, originating in the valley of Katmandou, did not have the resistance of the Tibetans. After having faced its last tests, whose attack of visions comparable with those which saw Gautama under the Arbre of the bodhi, it became itself Buddha. With its death, it disappeared without leaving body behind it (phenomenon of the body of rainbow).

Two revealed texts to him are allotted, one allegedly dictated to Namkhai Nyingpo, one of the 25 disciples, Bod kyi OJ Mo Ye-she Mtsho-rygal , and a biography of Padmasambhava ( Padma bka than ).

Emanations

Machik Labdrön (1055-1149), founder of the practice of Chöd, is regarded as an emanation of Yeshe Tsogyal
Urgyen Tsomo, which was born in a family living close to Tsourphou was discovered at the sixteen years age. She is regarded as an emanation of Yeshe Tsogyal. The 15th Karmapa, Khakyab Dorje (1871-1922) visualized it in its dreams and was thus informed that to prolong its life, it was to take it for wife. Equipped with spontaneous realization, it made the practice of purification of Dorje Namdjoma for the Karmapa, which was at this time very seriously sick. It been able to prolong the life of the 15th Karmapa during nine years. The 15th Karmapa was the first of the line of the Karmapa S which Maria. It have with Urgyen Tsomo three wire, of which 2nd Jamgön Kongtrul and 12th Shamarpa, Jamyang Rinpoché.
Khandro Rinpoché, Khandro Tsering Paldron, was recognized by the 16th Karmapa like the reincarnation of Large Dakini de Tsourphou, Urgyen Tsomo, wife of the 15th Karmapa.

See too

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