Dudjom Rinpoche’s Vajrakīlaya Works

A study of the 20th century scholar-lama, Dudjom Jigdral Yeshe Dorje Rinpoch’s writings on the tantric deity, Vajrakilaya, the most popular Nyingma deity, whose tantras and ritual practices stem from the earliest formulations of Tibetan tantric Buddhism, and who is closely connected with the culture heroes and founding fathers of  the Nyingmapa.

It is often assumed that a revelation must be new and innovative, and indeed, that the point of a new sacred text must be to revitalize the heritage. Yet in the Tibetan Nyingma Treasure Revelatory tradition, the ongoing vitality of textual production often has more to do with the fresh blessings, rather than altogether novel content. This book for the first time analyses precise continuities and changes in comparing the new and the old, considering examples of the creation and development of tantric revelations, including further re-workings in subsequent generations. In doing so, the focus enlarges to encompass materials from the broader religious heritage, as well as from specific lineages of related visionary lamas. By identifying such exact linkages and departures, it is possible to answer questions both of how and why developments may occur, not limiting the purview merely to the individual stories of the virtuoso lamas producing the books, but looking also to the tantric communities they are part of. The case studies in the book stem from the prolific writings of the famous 20th century scholar-lama, Dudjom Jigdral Yeshe Dorje Rinpoche, who contributed to numerous revelatory traditions of the past, as well as producing his own revelations. They concern a single tantric deity, Vajrakīlaya, the most popular Nyingma deity, whose tantras and ritual practices stem from the earliest formulations of Tibetan tantric Buddhism, and who is closely connected with the culture heros and founding fathers of the Nyingmapa. This particular focus gives us the opportunity to discover patterns in the creation of new tantric texts which have significance beyond the specific examples.

Introduction 1. gTer ston and Tradent: Innovation and Conservation in Tibetan Treasure Literature Robert Mayer, Oxford University 2. Reincarnation and Identity in the Lives of Tibetan Masters: Linking the Revelation Cycles of Three Lamas of the Dudjom Tradition 3. Dudjom Rinpoche's Work on the Vajrakī
laya who overwhelms Mā
ra's Troops with his splendour (phur bu bdud dpung zil gnon) 4. Dudjom Rinpoche's Work on the Ultra Secret Razor (yang gsang spu gri) Vajrakī
laya 5. The Dudjom Vajrakī
laya Heritage: Dudul Dorje's Vajrakī
laya Revelation 6. The Dudjom Vajrakī
laya Heritage: Dudjom Lingpa's Vajrakī
laya Cycles 7. Introducing Dudjom Rinpoche's Meteoric Iron Razor Vajrakī
laya (phur bu gnam lcags spu gri), and its Ritual Manual 8. Dudjom Rinpoche's Compilation of the Medicinal Accomplishment Text for the Meteoric Iron Razor 9. Further Texts of the Meteoric Iron Razor Vajrakī
laya 10. Dudjom Rinpoche's Revelation of the Razor Disintegration-on-Touch Vajrakī
laya (spu gri reg phung) 11. Dudjom Rinpoche's Re-presentation of Pema Lingpa's Ultra Secret Razor Lifeforce Vajrakī
laya (yang gsang srog gi spu gri) 12. The Vajrakī
laya Sections of the New Edited Collection of Pema Lingpa's Collected Works 13. Dudjom Rinpoche's Work on Zilnon Namkhai Dorje's (zil gnon nam mkha'i rdo rje) Ultra Secret Quintessence Action (yang gsang phrin las bcud dril) Vajrakī
laya 14. Concluding Reflections, Introduction 1. gTer ston and Tradent: Innovation and Conservation in Tibetan Treasure Literature Robert Mayer, Oxford University 2. Reincarnation and Identity in the Lives of Tibetan Masters: Linking the Revelation Cycles of Three Lamas of the Dudjom Tradition 3. Dudjom Rinpoche's Work on the Vajrakī
laya who overwhelms Mā
ra's Troops with his splendour (phur bu bdud dpung zil gnon) 4. Dudjom Rinpoche's Work on the Ultra Secret Razor (yang gsang spu gri) Vajrakī
laya 5. The Dudjom Vajrakī
laya Heritage: Dudul Dorje's Vajrakī
laya Revelation 6. The Dudjom Vajrakī
laya Heritage: Dudjom Lingpa's Vajrakī
laya Cycles 7. Introducing Dudjom Rinpoche's Meteoric Iron Razor Vajrakī
laya (phur bu gnam lcags spu gri), and its Ritual Manual 8. Dudjom Rinpoche's Compilation of the Medicinal Accomplishment Text for the Meteoric Iron Razor 9. Further Texts of the Meteoric Iron Razor Vajrakī
laya 10. Dudjom Rinpoche's Revelation of the Razor Disintegration-on-Touch Vajrakī
laya (spu gri reg phung) 11. Dudjom Rinpoche's Re-presentation of Pema Lingpa's Ultra Secret Razor Lifeforce Vajrakī
laya (yang gsang srog gi spu gri) 12. The Vajrakī
laya Sections of the New Edited Collection of Pema Lingpa's Collected Works 13. Dudjom Rinpoche's Work on Zilnon Namkhai Dorje's (zil gnon nam mkha'i rdo rje) Ultra Secret Quintessence Action (yang gsang phrin las bcud dril) Vajrakī
laya 14. Concluding Reflections

• By (author) Cathy Cantwell

"This is a very detailed and thorough study of Dudjom Rinpoche's works on Vajrakilaya. . . . a model of thoroughness and of clarity of presentation. In sum, the detailed case studies presented in this book provide a wealth of material for a more nuanced understanding of the processes of authorship and revelation within the Tibetan tantric tradition. There is much to be learnt from and to ponder in this book, both for academic scholars of Buddhism, of Tibetology and of Religious Studies, and for those with a more general interest in Buddhism and Tibet." --Eslar, Dylan, Center for Religious Studies (CERES), Ruhr-Universitat Bochum, Revue dEtudes Tibetaines "This is an extremely valuable and well-researched contribution to Tibetan studies. While the work is primarily aimed at readers engaged in Tibetan studies, it should be of interest to Tibetan traditional scholars and monastics of the young generation, as well as Western Buddhists who are not necessarily scholars, but are prepared to make an effort to learn from a work of scholarship." Professor Per KvAerne, Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages, University of Oslo
—

"This is a very detailed and thorough study of Dudjom Rinpoche's works on Vajrakilaya. . . . a model of thoroughness and of clarity of presentation. In sum, the detailed case studies presented in this book provide a wealth of material for a more nuanced understanding of the processes of authorship and revelation within the Tibetan tantric tradition. There is much to be learnt from and to ponder in this book, both for academic scholars of Buddhism, of Tibetology and of Religious Studies, and for those with a more general interest in Buddhism and Tibet." --Eslar, Dylan, Center for Religious Studies (CERES), Ruhr-Universitat Bochum, Revue dEtudes Tibetaines "This is an extremely valuable and well-researched contribution to Tibetan studies. While the work is primarily aimed at readers engaged in Tibetan studies, it should be of interest to Tibetan traditional scholars and monastics of the young generation, as well as Western Buddhists who are not necessarily scholars, but are prepared to make an effort to learn from a work of scholarship." Professor Per KvAerne, Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages, University of Oslo
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