Vajrakilaya

Vajrakilaya courtesy of Terton Sogyal Trust

Vajrakilaya [Skt.] (Tib. dorje phurba; rdo rje phur pa) - The wrathful heruka Vajrakilaya, is the yidam deity who embodies the enlightened activity of all the buddhas and whose practice is famous for being the most powerful for removing obstacles, destroying the forces hostile to compassion and purifying the spiritual pollution so prevelant in this age. Vajrakilaya is one of the eight deities of Kagyé.

The Vajrakilaya Practices of the Rigpa Sangha

The Rigpa Sangha practises several Vajrakilaya sadhanas, including:

• Yang Nying Pudri, The Razor of the Innermost Essence, a terma of Tertön Sogyal. This is the main yidam practice of the Rigpa sangha.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama:

"Yang Nying Pudri, The Razor of the Innermost Essence, was revealed by Lerab Lingpa, who was a great tertön, a discoverer of hidden treasures, during the time of the Thirteenth Dalai Lama. In fact, there was a very strong connection between Lerab Lingpa and the Thirteenth Dalai Lama. When this terma was revealed by Lerab Lingpa, it was prophesied to him that the Thirteenth Dalai Lama was to be the chödak, the custodian of these teachings. The task of the chödak was to receive the teachings from the tertön, and propagate them. This explains why the Thirteenth Dalai Lama composed the manual of liturgies that is used to perform the drupchen associated with the Yang Nying Pudri cycle. So there was a very strong and powerful connection between the Thirteenth Dalai Lama and the tertön Lerab Lingpa."

On a daily basis, we can practise:

• The Essential Daily Practice of Vajrakilaya by Kyabjé Dudjom Rinpoche

This was written by Dudjom Rinpoche as a short daily practice related to the terma cycle of Pudri Rekpung, The Razor That Destroys at a Touch.

• The Wisdom Mind Practice of ‘One Phurba’, a terma of Tertön Sogyal

The “Wisdom Mind Practice of ‘One Phurba’” is a terma discovered and deciphered by Tertön Sogyal in the monastery of Kathok Dorjé Den. It was written in the hand of the great Dzogchen master Vairotsana.

• The Ultimate Practice of Vajrakilaya, a terma of Dudjom Lingpa; and

• Short Meditation Practice of Vajrakilaya by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö.

This short sadhana was composed by Jamyang Khyentse, at Sogyal Rinpoche’s request, while travelling on horseback from Kham (East Tibet) to Lhasa.

Further Reading

• Khenpo Namdrol, Vajrakilaya, Dharmakosha, 1997

Internal Links

• Khön Family Lineage of Vajrakilaya