Meditations of a Yogi

Arising from the experience of the primary, Ricoeur’s secondary level of a symbol is found in myth and ritual—the narrative or poetic expressions or in ritual practice, one step removed from nonconceptual experience but often imbued with the power to evoke this primary experience. Records of mythic encounters appear in hagiographies or namthar like Shabkar’s, above, where she is depicted in a personified manner as an unpredictable semiwrathful dancing spirit-woman. Often her appearance is accompanied by the bestowal of realization, prophecy, or admonition, experienced somatically by the practitioner as nonconceptual bliss and insight. Her demeanor changes in various contexts: she may be playful, nurturing, or sharp and wrathful, especially when cutting through spiritual arrogance or protecting the integrity of tantric transmission. She is also a fierce protector who guards the most private details of the practice, so that only those with the purest motivation are able to penetrate their essence (Simmer-Brown 2001, 116–121).
Visionary ḍākinīs also are important meditational deities or yidams (iṣṭadevatā) in tantric rituals or sādhanas or drup-thap (sgrub thabs) that manifest the secondary level of the ḍākinī symbol, where they are deities in their own right, or they appear as consorts and members of the retinue of male yidams. The most famous of ḍākinī yidams is Vajrayoginī, also known as Vajravārāhī, who appeared to Shabkar in the dream above. While the ḍākinī counterparts, the wrathful male consort heruka “blood drinkers” or trak-thung (khrag ‘thung) sometimes remain unnamed, all represent the wisdom dimension of enlightenment joined with masculine compassion and skillful means. Subtle body yoga practices in sādhana practice may include visualizations in deity yoga creation stage practice (utpattikrama, kye-rim, bskyed rim), movement of energy through the channels of the body in completion stage practice (sampannakrama, dzog-rim, rdzogs rim), and the practice of sexual yoga (karmamudrā, lekyi chag-gya, las kyi phyag rgya) (Simmer-Brown 2001, 216–221). Tibetan Buddhism safeguards these aspects of advanced meditation, holding them private in the oral transmissions from the personal guru; the true meaning cannot be accessed nonconceptually without guidance from the guru. When ḍākinīs are invoked as deities in ritual practice, they represent the direct realization of the innate wisdom mind, the authenticity of the guru lineages that transmit them, the methods of practice—whether ritual, yogic, or direct—by which the wisdom mind is uncovered.
Tertiary forms of the symbol take the form of theology, philosophical expression, or societal usages where they are influenced by conventional notions of gender imposed by culture. Appellations of ḍākinī status to human women fall into this category of the symbol. As contemporary Nyingma lama Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche (b. 1964) cautioned, attributing ḍākinī status to human women is “not really dharma, more like folklore” influenced by many factors of culture.5 In traditional Tibet, these women were often considered jetsünmas (rje btsun ma), an honorific title signifying powerful practice, great realization, and exemplary teaching. Whether as the mother, sister, or consort of a renowned guru or as a teacher in their own right, these jetsünmas populate the history of the major yogic lineages of Tibet, demonstrating that the essence of the ḍākinī can be found in the lives of actual women. Generally restrained by patriarchal custom from the full monastic education, public teaching roles, or the recognition of being an incarnate tülku, these human ḍākinīs have nevertheless been revered and treasured in Tibetan Vajrayāna for the unique ways they have propagated the dharma.
Taken together, honoring the feminine and women are considered foundational in traditional Vajrayāna tantric commitments (samaya, damtsik, dam tshig).

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Arising from the experience of the primary, Ricoeur’s secondary level of a symbol is found in myth and ritual—the narrative or poetic expressions or in ritual practice, one step removed from nonconceptual experience but often imbued with the power to evoke this primary experience. Records of mythic encounters appear in hagiographies or namthar like Shabkar’s, above, where she is depicted in a personified manner as an unpredictable semiwrathful dancing spirit-woman. Often her appearance is accompanied by the bestowal of realization, prophecy, or admonition, experienced somatically by the practitioner as nonconceptual bliss and insight. Her demeanor changes in various contexts: she may be playful, nurturing, or sharp and wrathful, especially when cutting through spiritual arrogance or protecting the integrity of tantric transmission. She is also a fierce protector who guards the most private details of the practice, so that only those with the purest motivation are able to penetrate their essence (Simmer-Brown 2001, 116–121).
Visionary ḍākinīs also are important meditational deities or yidams (iṣṭadevatā) in tantric rituals or sādhanas or drup-thap (sgrub thabs) that manifest the secondary level of the ḍākinī symbol, where they are deities in their own right, or they appear as consorts and members of the retinue of male yidams. The most famous of ḍākinī yidams is Vajrayoginī, also known as Vajravārāhī, who appeared to Shabkar in the dream above. While the ḍākinī counterparts, the wrathful male consort heruka “blood drinkers” or trak-thung (khrag ‘thung) sometimes remain unnamed, all represent the wisdom dimension of enlightenment joined with masculine compassion and skillful means. Subtle body yoga practices in sādhana practice may include visualizations in deity yoga creation stage practice (utpattikrama, kye-rim, bskyed rim), movement of energy through the channels of the body in completion stage practice (sampannakrama, dzog-rim, rdzogs rim), and the practice of sexual yoga (karmamudrā, lekyi chag-gya, las kyi phyag rgya) (Simmer-Brown 2001, 216–221). Tibetan Buddhism safeguards these aspects of advanced meditation, holding them private in the oral transmissions from the personal guru; the true meaning cannot be accessed nonconceptually without guidance from the guru. When ḍākinīs are invoked as deities in ritual practice, they represent the direct realization of the innate wisdom mind, the authenticity of the guru lineages that transmit them, the methods of practice—whether ritual, yogic, or direct—by which the wisdom mind is uncovered.
Tertiary forms of the symbol take the form of theology, philosophical expression, or societal usages where they are influenced by conventional notions of gender imposed by culture. Appellations of ḍākinī status to human women fall into this category of the symbol. As contemporary Nyingma lama Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche (b. 1964) cautioned, attributing ḍākinī status to human women is “not really dharma, more like folklore” influenced by many factors of culture.5 In traditional Tibet, these women were often considered jetsünmas (rje btsun ma), an honorific title signifying powerful practice, great realization, and exemplary teaching. Whether as the mother, sister, or consort of a renowned guru or as a teacher in their own right, these jetsünmas populate the history of the major yogic lineages of Tibet, demonstrating that the essence of the ḍākinī can be found in the lives of actual women. Generally restrained by patriarchal custom from the full monastic education, public teaching roles, or the recognition of being an incarnate tülku, these human ḍākinīs have nevertheless been revered and treasured in Tibetan Vajrayāna for the unique ways they have propagated the dharma.
Taken together, honoring the feminine and women are considered foundational in traditional Vajrayāna tantric commitments (samaya, damtsik, dam tshig).

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