Guru, Yidam, Dakini

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Nilasarasvati
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Location: Trāyastriṃśa. Just kidding. What a cool sanksrit word, huh?

Guru, Yidam, Dakini

Post by Nilasarasvati »

Asking for some general information about Yidam practice. Especially among Nyingma Lamas and Longchen Nyingthig practitioners.

I was under the impression that perhaps you'd have one or two Yidams. And if you took Senge Dongma as your Yidam for example, she would be both your Yidam and your Dakini and, ultimately, your Guru's manifestation. Maybe you would also practice Medicine Buddha or something...and that was it. Until enlightenment SHE was your generation phase.

Now I'm confused because maybe the three roots are more like three seperate sadhanas for each practitioner? Like you accomplish a Guru sadhana like Rigzin Dupa, then also a yidam (which categorically seems to mean wrathful deity--unless it's Vajrasattva) and also a Dakini like Dechen Gyalmo. I've read that the Sakya and Gelug schools also must practice all their deities every day whereas the Nyingma and Kagyu are more all-in-one.

I can't help but think of Atisha's quote "Indians practice 1 deity and accomplish 100 siddhis; Tibetans practise 100 deities and get destroyed by them."
michaelb
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Joined: Thu Nov 03, 2011 3:04 pm

Re: Guru, Yidam, Dakini

Post by michaelb »

There has been discussion on this elsewhere. I think in LN, lama practice is emphasized with outer, inner, secret and most secret versions. Generally, as far as I know, Palchen Dupa is the common LN yidam, or any associated practice (Hayagriva, Vajrakilaya, Shinje or Yangdak.) Dakini practice (Dechen Gyalmo) is only undertaken as a main practice after completing the yidam, just as yidam practice is undertaken after finishing inner lama (Rigdzin Dupa.)

Also, and this was what was mainly discussed elsewhere, the secret lama Chenrezig practice is often given in place of Palchen Dupa when giving three roots empowerment. Why? I'm not sure. Easier to give perhaps?

I don't think there is the commitment to do three separate three roots practices daily, as maybe in other terma traditions, but I could be wrong on that.

I'm not sure if Medicine Buddha or things like that fit into any LN schema unless you want to do them, of course.

There are general guidelines and a tradition of doing things in a certain way, but essentially, as ever, if your lama tells you to do something else, you do that.
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