The Vajrayogini Transmission Lineage originating from Naropa and unbroken!

[vajratruth]

A monk friend of mine in Shar Gaden was sharing with me years ago on Vajrayoigini and I thought about this post in this forum.

He said that his guru has mentioned to him that the practice of Dorje Shugden is given by the lamas is to pave the spiritual path of us to obtained the "greatest gift a guru can ever give us", the Vajrayoigini practice.

Vajrayogini is a very very sacred practice. Vajrayoigini is very powerful and relevant for the people of this age. Everything about her is to counter our desire which is so strong in today's world and our desire will get stronger as we progress onto the next generation.

Thank you Shugdenpromoter.

What an incredible and unbroken lineage we have before us today.  Vajrayogini is the highest Yidam in the Yoga Tantra within the practice of Vajrayana, which is no doubt, the fastest path to liberation

Time and time again, we hear that Vajrayogini is the perfect Yidam and the most effective way to receive blessings in this degenerate age, however her practice is only available to those with Yamantaka or Heruka initiation.

And so, I have been thinking about Shugdenpromoter’s statement “the practice of Dorje Shugden is given by the lamas to pave the spiritual path for us to obtain the greatest gift a guru can ever give us, the Vajrayoigini practice”.

Specifically I was thinking about the relationship between Dorje Shugden and Vajrayogini.

Pabongkha Rinpoche himself tells us the following of Dorje Shugden:

“Although you outwardly exhibit the haughty manner of a terrifier to conquer enemies of Lozang the Victor’s teachings, you are, in nature, that very Manjushri Yamantaka; with the supreme, unsurpassed devotion.”

Dorje Shugden in nature is Yamantaka!

And

“Although your aggregates, elements, spheres and limbs appear as the five families of Shugden, principal and entourage, they are actually the thirty-two deities of Guyasamaja’s body mandala.”


It becomes very clear that when our Guru gives us the Dorje Shugden practice, the main purpose is not to glorify the Protector per se, but the Guru’s ultimate objective is for us to attain swift liberation through the practice of Vajrayogini.

All the dots connect. The compassionate Vajrayana Guru wants nothing but for us to attain enlightenment. In practicing Vajrayana, it is crucial that one’s practice is based on the Three Roots i.e. the Guru, the Yidam and the Dharma Protector.

The Guru is root and foundation of all blessings, and the Guru knows that the Yidam forms the root of all our accomplishments and further knows that Vajaryogini is the best yidam for practitioners with strong desires and attachments.  To being us to Vajrayogini, the Guru first gives us the practice of the Uncommon Protector of this time, Dorje Shugden who is the root of all our activities.

[Manjushri]

If not for Mahasiddha Naropa and his visions of Vajrayogini during his retreat in his cave next to his guru's (Tilopa's) cave, many would not know of or about Vajrayogini today. Paying homage to lineage gurus allows one to remember the kindness of the lamas who have upheld their vows perfectly to keep it going until today, and to generate the blessings from them from using their lives to benefit others.

The scared cave that Naropa meditated in is located in Pashupatinath, Nepal. It was in this cave where Naropa engaged in long Vajrayogini retreats and gained visions of Her sacred form most apt for today's society. It was also from here, that the teachings were passed down to disciples, and from there, through the generations, it has gone all over the world (http://castlearch.net/Nepal.php).

Mahasiddha Naropa was already not ordinary to begin with. He searched high and low by feet for 3 years for his guru, Tilopa. Just from hearing the name Tilopa, Naropa gained full faith hence was determinated to find Tilopa no matter what.

Here's a brief biography of Mahasiddha Naropa:

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According to 'The Wand that Opens the Eyes and Dispels the Darkness of Mind' (the abridged collection of biographies of the successive Gyalwang Drukpas), Naropa was born around AD 956 and passed away around AD 1050. However, other sources record him as living between AD1016 and 1100. Naropa was born in the small kingdom of Bengal. His father was a royal chieftain of an area named Shantivarman and his mother was called Srimati. His yearning for spiritual development was so strong that, when he was eight years old, he journeyed to Kashmir (one of the main seats for Buddhist studies in historical times) in order to study with the master Gaganakirti. It was from Gaganakirti that he received his lay ordination.

Naropa remained in Kashmir for three years, learning Buddhist teachings and philosophies from many great masters. By the end of his stay there he was an erudite scholar and, upon returning home, already had a number of students following him as their master.

Three years after his return from Kashmir, Naropa was forced by his parents to marry a lovely Brahmin girl, Vimaladipi (also known by her caste name, Niguma). Although they were happily married, Naropa's ardent wish to live a full spiritual life in a monastic environment became increasingly strong and Niguma also began to take spiritual practice seriously. After eight years of marriage, the couple decided to divorce and take ordination orders. Later, Niguma became one of Naropa's most advanced disciples and a devoted spiritual companion; she served Naropa when he lived in Pullahari, Kashmir.

After the divorce, Naropa went to the hermitage of Anandarama, where he was ordained as a novice by Abbot Buddhasarana and the guru Jnanaprabha, with whom he stayed for three years, mastering various Mahayana and Tantrayana philosophies. He then stayed in Pullahari for six years and wrote several commentaries on Guhyasamajatantra, Abhidharma-uttaratantra, Samvara-udbhava and Hevajratantra and composed many other works based on the Buddha's teachings. Pullahari later became an important pilgrimage site in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, because it was one of the places where Marpa received instructions from Naropa.

After his stay in Pullahari, Naropa went to Nalanda University, where his wisdom, oratory skills and spiritual understanding earned him the chancellorship of the university. He also became the 'Northern Gatekeeper'. Throughout his eight years' residence at Nalanda he was constantly faced with difficult debates with the Tirthikas, but was regularly victorious in these. At this time, he was known as Mahapandita Ahbaya Kirti (Tib. Jigme Dragpa).

Naropa's years at Nalanda were mostly engaged in intellectual activities until an old and ugly woman who was in fact a manifestation of Vajra Yogini appeared before him and made him realize that he was not managing to break through his spiritual misconceptions and misunderstandings. She pointed out that he should look for his destined guru Tilopa if he wished to attain Ultimate Liberation. As a result of this meeting Naropa left Nalanda, searching earnestly for Tilopa a great master who could lead him to realize the ultimate nature of his own mind.

Traveling eastward, Naropa finally met his destined root guru, who instantly put him through difficult tests. Naropa experienced twelve major and twelve lesser hardships in order to purify his karma and emotion-induced obscurations. Through receiving great blessings from Tilopa and accomplishing his own purification, Naropa realized the clarity and harmony of mind truly experiencing the state of Vajradhara. After attaining this magnificent realization, Naropa taught in many places and had numerous disciples, especially in Kashmir and Zanskar where he established many monasteries.

According to His Holiness the Gyalwang Drukpa, Sani is also the place where Naropa flew up into the sky upon attaining enlightenment whilst wearing the renowned Six Bone Ornaments. Naropa meditated in a small hut facing the Kanishka stupa and taught the people of Sani for a number of years. When it was time for Naropa to leave, the local people sincerely begged him to stay.

Naropa took out a golden Vajradhara statue from the hair knot on his crown and said, "There is no difference between Vajradhara and me. Venerate this statue of Vajradhara just as you are venerating me and you will get the same blessing."

Naropa left after handing over the golden statue to the local people; today, this is kept in the heart of a very special Naropa statue, which is unveiled once a year in late July on the eve of the Naro-Nasjal festival. People from all over the Zanskar valley participate in this festival, at which time monks from the Drukpa Bardan Monastery perform mask dances as well as ritual offerings.

Naropa spent twelve years serving his guru Tilopa until the latter's death. Naropa himself was said to live until AD1050 or 1100 (according to the different sources) and then resurrected into light, leaving no physical remains. Tilopa and Naropa are both recognized as two of the eighty-four great mahasiddhas in the history of Buddhism.

Amongst Naropa's accomplished disciples was Marpa, the translator, who succeeded Naropa in the lineage and brought the teachings and transmissions in their entirety to Tibet.

(source: http://www.drukpacouncil.org/fr/ressources/naropa/78-naropa)

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[Big Uncle]

The Gelug tradition before the advent of Kyabje Pabongka Rinpoche, it was Guhyasamaja, Heruka Chakrasamvara and Yamantaka that were emphasized and practised widely. However, Kyabje Pabongka Rinpoche realized (perhaps through visions while in mystical communion with Vajrayogini) that things was about to change drastically in Tibet.

He probably foresaw the invasion of the Chinese, the mass exodus of the Lamas, monastic and lay Tibetans to India and the rest of the world. And he probably also must have foreseen the many lay practitioners of the future. Hence, he began to teach about the importance of Vajrayogini practice and advocated it above all other higher Tantric practices. Due to the karmic conditions of the time and its practitioners, the lower requirements of Vajrayogini practice makes it ideal for our time. This was unconventional and out of the norm for a Gelug Lama.

But then again, Kyabje Pabongka Rinpoche was not the normal Gelug Lama. He became the most esteemed and broke with tradition again when he realized the speed, effectiveness and strength of Dorje Shugden. He must have armed his esteemed students like Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche with the best practices in preparation for the students of the future. The future is now and the best practices for our time is Vajrayogini and Dorje Shugden. That, we know for certain.

[dsiluvu]

Let us not also forget that Vajrayogini is also Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen's Yidam

Yes Vajratruth the dots sure does connect! And I am sure all this was already premeditated by Je Pabongkha who is Heruka( = Vajrayogini) ... so that we will be benefitted ultimately during this a Kaliyuga (degenerated time) as she is the only Yidam you here that gets stronger and stronger as we get times degenerate more and more.

Heruka Pabongkha Rinpoche, with perfect clairvoyance, foresight and compassion, recommended to make Vajrayogini our main Yidam, whose practice is shorter, easier to do yet as profound and increasing in power as afflictive emotions and degeneration increase in the time period we find ourselves now. 

So yes when our Guru gives us the Dorje Shugden practice, it is actually indirectly preparing us to recieve Vajrayogini.

[Ensapa]

Another aspect to remember is that Dorje Shugden also resides in Kechara, Vajrayogini's mandala so by doing his practice we are also 1 step closer to Vajrayogini. In some thangkas, he is painted as one of the protectors of Vajrayogini's mandala alongside with citipati and mahakala. This shows how close he is to Vajrayogini and all of us who aspire to do her practice should be loyal to Dorje Shugden.

I dont believe that going against the word of Pabongkha Rinpoche would bring us any nearer to enlightenment. I also dont believe that we will get attainments if we go against the Lineage Gurus who have been practicing Dorje Shugden and we abandon them and we dump them aside just because the Dalai Lama said so. Guru devotion is after all more important than anything else.

In tantra, especially in Vajrayogini's tantra, it is very important to just stick with one teacher as that will create the cause to receive her practice AND have results from the practice, namely, mind transformation and signs that are stipulated within the tantra itself. If the lineage is broken, where does the blessings come from? If we cut off our old DS lama just to appear to be more politically correct, then where do we get the lineage blessings?

In some websites out there, they claim that Pabongkha Rinpoche broke the refuge and lineage vows by practicing Dorje Shugden but sadly for them, the proof is in the pudding: his Dharma works grew exponentially and his reincarnation came back, ultimate proof that his samaya and attainments are still intact. Needless to say, individuals who claim this do not happen to be Gelugpa either.

[Big Uncle]

Another aspect to remember is that Dorje Shugden also resides in Kechara, Vajrayogini's mandala so by doing his practice we are also 1 step closer to Vajrayogini. In some thangkas, he is painted as one of the protectors of Vajrayogini's mandala alongside with citipati and mahakala. This shows how close he is to Vajrayogini and all of us who aspire to do her practice should be loyal to Dorje Shugden.

I dont believe that going against the word of Pabongkha Rinpoche would bring us any nearer to enlightenment. I also dont believe that we will get attainments if we go against the Lineage Gurus who have been practicing Dorje Shugden and we abandon them and we dump them aside just because the Dalai Lama said so. Guru devotion is after all more important than anything else.

In tantra, especially in Vajrayogini's tantra, it is very important to just stick with one teacher as that will create the cause to receive her practice AND have results from the practice, namely, mind transformation and signs that are stipulated within the tantra itself. If the lineage is broken, where does the blessings come from? If we cut off our old DS lama just to appear to be more politically correct, then where do we get the lineage blessings?

In some websites out there, they claim that Pabongkha Rinpoche broke the refuge and lineage vows by practicing Dorje Shugden but sadly for them, the proof is in the pudding: his Dharma works grew exponentially and his reincarnation came back, ultimate proof that his samaya and attainments are still intact. Needless to say, individuals who claim this do not happen to be Gelugpa either.

Vajrayogini Tantra contains 11 yogas and one of them is the the yoga of the Guru. That meditational practice of propitiating and visualisation of our root Guru as the red Vajradharma Buddha and the lineage Lamas combined into the Hero Vajradharma. The meditations are more complexed than that and the purpose is to plant blessings directly into our mind stream. Hence, this shows that Guru devotion is one of the main practices of Vajrayogini's practice.

There are many any other yogas and some of the more interesting ones is the yoga of sleeping and waking up. It is incredible that one can collect immeasurable amounts of merits via Vajrayogini's sleeping meditation and arising as the Buddha Vajrayogini herself. The other one is the yoga of daily activities and this meditation can be done while we are going about doing our mundane activities. In this way, we can collect merit even when we doing our daily chores and stuff. Hence, the Tantra offers a lot of effective methods that are suitable for people of our time, who are lazy and don't have time or merit to engage in deeper meditational practices.   

[Ensapa]

Vajrayogini Tantra contains 11 yogas and one of them is the the yoga of the Guru. That meditational practice of propitiating and visualisation of our root Guru as the red Vajradharma Buddha and the lineage Lamas combined into the Hero Vajradharma. The meditations are more complexed than that and the purpose is to plant blessings directly into our mind stream. Hence, this shows that Guru devotion is one of the main practices of Vajrayogini's practice.

There are many any other yogas and some of the more interesting ones is the yoga of sleeping and waking up. It is incredible that one can collect immeasurable amounts of merits via Vajrayogini's sleeping meditation and arising as the Buddha Vajrayogini herself. The other one is the yoga of daily activities and this meditation can be done while we are going about doing our mundane activities. In this way, we can collect merit even when we doing our daily chores and stuff. Hence, the Tantra offers a lot of effective methods that are suitable for people of our time, who are lazy and don't have time or merit to engage in deeper meditational practices.

Thanks for the explanation, Big Uncle. there is without a doubt that Vajrayogini is the most effective practice for our time in more ways than one and that we can all achieve so much with her practice. For advanced practitioners, she is said to take them to Kechara herself with their human form intact at the time of death, middling practitioners will hear her dakinis playing Damarus and she wil embrace them while lover practitioners will have a minimal of 14 lifetimes before she brings them there.

Vajrayogini also utilizes the energy of lust and transmute that energy into the energy of enlightenment which is also why she would be very useful now as everything we currently have these days are all based on lust -- from music, to movies, to TV commercials, they are all exemplifying lust and giving us the idea that lust is good, lust is something special for us to go for.

Vajrayogini is the ultimate Yidam for all of us and the reason why she did not exist in the earlier Kagyu and Nyigma schools is because Naropa gave them to the Pamtingpa Brothers instead of Marpa because he prostrated to the vision of Chakrasamvara instead of his Guru, therefore less importance is placed in Vajrayogini for them since they did not really get the transmission but for Sakya and Gelug who did, it is their central practice.

Even at modern times, there are stories of Vajrayogini making an appearance. One that I heard was that while a Lama was giving a talk (name was not given), a mad lady ran into the crowd and took his kapala and vomitted into it. the people pulled her away and she was gone. However, the Lama noticed that what she vommited was actually clear light and he used it to produce mani pills. Can anyone confirm this story?

[dsiluvu]

Love this post as there is so much to learn. Yes Ensapa, I too do not think those who condemn Pabongkha Rinpoche or any Lamas for this matter will be able to gain any kind of blessing from any kind of Buddha...certainly not from Vajrayogini. How could you condemn the very Gurus who gives are lineage holders of Her precious sacred teachings? Illogical. Hence we should always be mindful of what we say about any Lamas.

The practice of Vajrayogin? quickly brings blessings, especially during this spiritually degenerate age. It is said that as the general level of spirituality decreases, it becomes increasingly difficult for practitioners to receive the blessings of other Deities, but the opposite is the case with Heruka and Vajrayogin? – the more times degenerate, the more easily practitioners can receive their blessings. This is the speciality of their practice... amazing!

It is said that the female tulku who was the abbess of Samding monastery, Dorje Pagmo is an emanation of Vajrayogini.  The current incarnation, the 12th of this line, resides in Lhasa where she is known as Female Living Buddha Dorje Palma by the Chinese. Does anyone know more?

[Ensapa]

Love this post as there is so much to learn. Yes Ensapa, I too do not think those who condemn Pabongkha Rinpoche or any Lamas for this matter will be able to gain any kind of blessing from any kind of Buddha...certainly not from Vajrayogini. How could you condemn the very Gurus who gives are lineage holders of Her precious sacred teachings? Illogical. Hence we should always be mindful of what we say about any Lamas.

There are still people out there up to today who claim that they are Gelug and have received the Gelug transmission but is also openly anti Dorje Shugden. I find that funny because how can you have a complete lineage blessing if you skip out the 3 most important lamas of our time: Pabongkha Rinpoche, Trijang Rinpoche and Zong Rinpoche? Then in that case how would the practice bear any fruit? or will it just be an empty practice of rituals?

[psylotripitaka]

There are many commentaries on Vajrayogini Tantra. I heard that Drubchen Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche is releasing an updated version of his Guide to Dakini Land at the end of this month. Some of you may also be interested to know that the great yogi Lotsawa David Gonsalez has manifested an excellent translation of Heruka Je Pabonkhapa Rinpoche's commentary on this subject entitled The Extremely Secret Dakini of Naropa available from Dechen Ling Press:

http://www.dechenlingpress.org/index.php?start=5

He has also translated commentaries on the subjects of Yamantaka (by Ngulchu Dharmabhadra & the 5th Ling Rinpoche), Heruka 5 deity (by Ngulchu Dharmabhadra & Panchen Chokyi Gyaltsen), and Heruka body mandala (from the last extremely extensive oral commentary by Trijang Dorjechang). For those of you who practice Lama Chopa, he will also be releasing Kachen Yeshe Gyaltsen's extensive commentary on Lama Chopa.

There are various Masters as well as some of their disciples granting the HYT wangs and the Vajrayogini jenang throughout the world. It is not too difficult to find them. When we receive such initiations we are taking that person as one of our Lamas, and it is still important to this day to check the qualifications of the person giving the initiation, and check our connection with them. If you have not received Highest Yoga Tantra initiations and wish to, like Naropa you should proactively seek out a Lama/s granting such initiations, not just sit around waiting and praying to one day have the opportunity. Time is of the essence, and this opportunity will soon be lost. Only a few of the 1000 Buddhas of the fortunate aeon will teach tantra, and besides, you'll be dead quite soon. Though we may not yet be qualified through extensive training in the common path, that we have the karma to receive such secret initiations and commentaries so frequently and easily says a great deal about our karma, that we have practiced this before, and that we have a chance to realize the teachings quite fast.

It is also important to understand the vows and commitments of Mother tantra before taking these. In particular, there is a 6 session Guru Yoga commitment. Geshe Kelsang Gyatso presents Ngulchu Dharmabhadra's short 4-line prayer as an option for maintaining the 6 session commitment, which is very skillful for this era of modern life. Ngulchu Dharmabhadra wrote the 4-line prayer for practitioners who were unable to memorize or perform the longer 6 session yoga, and they were required to memorize this short prayer before leaving the initiation to ensure that they would keep clean samaya afterwards. So, whoever you receive the initiation from, it is important to begin the 6 session Guru yoga (condensed, middling, or extensive) immediately. If you wait until several days afterwards, know that you have broken the samaya and will need to renew this either through receiving the initiation again, or by qualifying for and performing self-initiation.

It is good also to know that there is a difference between a Jenang (blessing empowerment) and a Wang (initiation into the mandala of a Yidam). It is necessary to enter the mandala of a Yidam before receiving the Jenang of Vajrayogini in her sindhura mandala, which is why in the Gelug tradition we typically receive either the Yamantaka or Heruka wang before receiving the Vajrayogini jenang.

[psylotripitaka]

By the way, HH Heruka Kyabje Zong Rinpoche is not in every prayer to the lineage Gurus as there are different lineages within the Gelug. And yes, many of us were disciples of this Mahasiddha in our previous life. That is why many of us have such an affectionate connection when we see images of him or hear his Jewel-like name. Our opportunity to continue our training again is no random accident!

[dsiluvu]

It is said that in petitions and prayers to the lama, the disciple requests blessings. This is an important practice as the power of the lama's blessings on the disciple's continuum does not depend on the lama, but on the disciple. If his or her faith and respect in the lama are very strong, the disciple will be receptive to the lama's blessing. If feelings towards the lama are clouded with doubt and uncertainty, his positive influence on the disciple will remain limited, however realised the lama may be.

   When the sun shines over a snow mountain, the snow melts and water flows into the valley below. If clouds obscure the sun the snow will not melt and the rivers dry up. Similarly, the disciple with faith in his or her lama will be receptive to his blessing, and their spiritual advancement will be affected, while the disciple in doubt will not reap such benefit. So yeah... do we like skip the names of Pabongka and Trijang Rinpoche when reciting the prayers of our lineage masters?

Hence, when His Holiness the Dalai Lama rejects his own Guru Trijang Rinpoche claiming Trijang Rinpoche and all the lineage masters is henceforth wrong... in other words, HHDL reaps no benefit from all his practices, no? SO why take any initiations or attend any of His Holiness teachings because all will have no benefit???

Because progress in spiritual practice depends so much on the lama, the disciple must carefully consider a potential teacher before engaging in a master-disciple relationship. The disciple may try to observe if the teacher acts according to the teachings he propounds, whether he is compassionate, whether he is more preoccupied by spiritual concerns that worldly ones; whether he is of stable character and does not give rise to doubt, whether he knows more than the disciple, and belongs to an unbroken lineage. Ideally a teacher should never tire of teaching a worthy disciple and accomplishing the welfare of others.

   Since it can be difficult to judge for oneself the extent of a teacher's knowledge, a prospective disciple can seek the opinions of others. However, once the relationship with a lama has been established, it must be protected at all costs.


So how can HHDL suddenly say His Guru is wrong??? Basically contradicts everything that has been taught about a Guru Disciple relationship. 

   This may be difficult, for the lama is also a human being and a disciple will inevitably detect faults in his character. In cases where the disciple did not observe the lama enough beforehand and begins to perceive faults too outrageous to cope with, still he or she should avoid outright rejection, criticism or confrontation and remain as neutral as possible. In the case of ordinary foibles, the disciple should reflect on the faults in his or her own character and focus on the lama's positive aspects and the spiritual benefit to be gained from the relationship. The disciple should make up his or her mind that his positive aspects greatly outweigh whatever minor faults the lama may have. In the ordinary way if you regard someone with great respect and affection, their positive side greatly outweighs the negative. It is all a question of perspective.

Or is this all just an illusory play? Which perspective do we see really?

[thor]

Look carefully at the gelug lineage of Vajrayogini. Our lineage masters include Zong rinpoche, Trijang rinpoche and Pabongka rinpoche. These are the names which we recite during our daily tantric prayers. These are the names we visualize to be one with the Buddhas, and a pure vessel to transmit the lineage. These are the names we beseech for their blessings so that we can actualize and realize the Vajrayogini teaching. Most importantly, these are the names we visualize to be fully enlightened masters, faultless and perfect.

So, if we hold the Vajrayogini lineage so dearly, why do we say that Pabongka rinpoche is wrong? Why do we criticize Trijang rinpoche? Why would we be prepared to withdraw our support of Zong Rinpoche were he to practice Shugden? Why is Pabongka rinpoche correct about everything excepted Shugden? Why is Trijang rinpoche not qualified to pass on the practice he alone is permitted to perform to others? Do we not trust these mastera for their judgement? 

Should the above be true, w

[Barzin]

The lineage is unbroken, thanks to all the lamas and gurus who hold their practices so scaredly and dearly so that the lineage remains unbroken and make available to us today.  I was told Vajrayogini's practice is the highest of high in tantra, her practice is powerful and swift... I read about her iconography which is amazing, what she represented is so relevant today...  As the world is absorb in a world of desire and material gain.  I am hearing more and more about Vajrayogini,  she was rarely seen previously.  I remember reading somewhere, her image is to be covered and not to be revealed.  We are so bless to even just to hear her name.

[psylotripitaka]

One of the Gross Downfalls of the Secret Mantra vows is 'showing secret substances to an unsuitable person'. This means without good reason we show our tantric commitment objects to those without empowerment or those who received empowerment but have no faith. Our commitment objects include inner offering, vajra and bell, damaru, mandala, scriptures, male, image of our Yidam, implements of the Deity and so forth. This is the purpose of the fabric that hangs down to cover a thangka.

The popularity and relative openness of such objects in the past 20yrs does not mean we are excused from this vow of secrecy in our personal practice. These objects will be sold, so they are displayed openly. These objects are also displayed openly in various Dharma Centres but this downfall is not incurred because the intention is to encourage people to develop faith in Secret Mantra (Vajrayana). Our personal shrine should should be enclosed or set up in such a way that people who do no have empowerment, have it but no faith, or people not likely to become Buddhist or enter the Vajrayana path do not see these things.

We may think this is overkill, or what's the big deal, or that it isn't that important, or it isn't relevant anymore and all of these are typical of humans...needlessly complicating things. Vajradhara declared the vow and explained that secrecy is a cause of swift attainments, so, just follow the advice and reap the rewards. Obstacles arise from a lack of secrecy, some of the reasons are obvious but others are more subtle. One of the great benefits of secrecy is that you will not have the opportunity to increase your deluded pride by showing off exotic things and acting like you're special because of having these things. It is far more beneficial to maintain secrecy and develop the inner qualities of actual realization than to increase baseless reputation and praise.

As a path that uses attachment to the objects of desire and the pleasurable feelings arising from that interaction, it is important we do not think that the Vajrayana path is an excuse to enjoy worldly pleasures. When you practice correctly, 'ordinary worldly pleasures' no longer exist, but have become the pure enjoyments of a Buddha. Such transformation is only effective and functions to destroy samsara only if done correctly, and secrecy is a means of practicing correctly.