A Chat About Yamantaka

By Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche at Boulder Creek, CA USA 1997 (Archive # 1092, Last Updated Sep 28, 2008)

A Chat About Yamantaka

Materials for Initiates Only
An initiation is a part of the practice of tantra, which Lama Yeshe describes in the free book Essence of Tibetan Buddhism. In an initiation, a qualified Vajrayana teacher empowers a student to undertake certain practices. In order to read books describing such practices, one needs to have received initiation into the particular tantric deity concerned. For more detailed information, see Lama Yeshe's book Introduction to Tantra, Wisdom Publications, 1987.

In the case of Lama Zopa Rinpoche's Chat about Yamantaka, Rinpoche has requested that only those who have received full initiation into the Highest Yoga Tantra practice of Yamantaka (Dorje Jigje) read this book.

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Editor's Introduction

In the spring of 1997, I was doing retreat in one of Vajrapani Institute’s lovely cabins when I heard that Zopa Rinpoche was arriving to attend an FPMT board meeting. That spring, His Holiness the Dalai Lama had given Yamantaka initiation and commentary, and I had several questions regarding the protection wheel practice. Almost miraculously, Rinpoche had the time to see me (you know how difficult it is to get an interview with him) and I posed my questions. He responded briefly, and concluded by saying that others would want to learn about this too, so he would teach it to the practitioners in the area. I marveled at the good fortune of being able to hear the more extensive teachings that a group setting would provide.

In Rinpoche’s typical style, before he taught the protection wheel section of the sadhana, he covered the preceding meditations and thus gave in-depth teachings on the four immeasurables, emptiness, and taking death as the path to dharmakaya. I later transcribed and edited those teachings to create this book.

Rinpoche has asked that only those who have received full initiation into the Highest Yoga Tantra practice of Yamantaka (Dorje Jigje) read this book. Please respect his wishes. The sections of the sadhana quoted here have been italicized for easy reference.

I would like to thank the residents of Vajrapani Institute for making these teachings possible, Nick Ribush for publishing this book, and Dharma Friendship Foundation in Seattle for supporting me while I worked on it. My deepest gratitude goes to Zopa Rinpoche for his kindness in giving these teachings and for having the confidence in us that we are capable of practicing them. All errors in this book are my own.

Bhikshuni Thubten Chödron
Seattle, Washington, USA
30 May 1999