Yeshe
Tsogyel : Tibet’s First Enlightened Buddhist
(A
Feminism Model in Ancient Form?)
A Comprehensive Exam
By
Andrea Vecchione ACS PhD.(ABD)
Professor Steven Goodman
Spring 2009/10
Supplication to Yeshe Tsogyel
Mother of all the victorious ones, dharmadhatu samantrabhadri
Very kind, only mother who protects the subjects of Tibet,
Bestower of supreme siddhi, chief among the Dankinis of great bliss,
Yeshe Tsogyel, we supplicate at your feet.
Grant your blessings so that outer, inner and secret obstacles may be
pacified
Grant your blessings so that the lives of the
Gurus may be long
Grant your blessings so that this Kalpa of disease, famine, and war
may be pacified
Grant your blessings so that the casting of curses, spells and sorcery
may be pacified
Grant your blessings so that life, glory and prajna may increase
Grant your blessings so that our wishes may be fulfilled spontaneously
- Khakhyap Dorje Karmapa XV
The Search for Yeshe Tsogyel
In 2008,
I was in Dharamasala working on a documentary film when a friend told me
about Yeshe Tsogyel, the incredible Dakini,
greatly responsible for carrying forth the lineage of the teachings from Padmasambhava, and,
possibly, the first documented "enlightened" Buddhist of Tibet. I was
amazed to hear of her and many questions arose in me: Why had I not heard about
her before? Who was this mysterious enlightened woman? Why was she not as
revered as the Hindu goddesses or outwardly celebrated? Were their special
temples and practices related to her?
A year later, I had the opportunity to
visit the land where her consort Padmasambhava is most well known outside of
Tibet. (Due to my political views, I have accepted the fact that, at least for
now, venturing into Tibet is too risky even if I was able to cross the border).
Sikkim is a sliver of gorgeous land of Himalayan peaks and waterfalls in the
northeast of India with a deep Buddhist history. It has many active Nyingma,
Kagyu and Bon monasteries and is the current seat in exile of the Kagyu Lineage.
There are many stories of Guru Rinpoche
(Padmasambhava) coming through Sikkim, as he left Tibet. He graced many places
and in the process left many Termas
to be discovered for future generations. Yeshe Tsogyel accompanied him with his
other twenty-five disciples. In one of these stories she is said to have helped
erect a "Stupa of the Nomad Women", one of three under the direction
of Guru Rinpoche.[1]
In search of her outer presence, I
thought that through getting closer to Padmasambhava I would get closer to her.
Having pilgrimmaged to many temples throughout India, I thought this would be
an easy task. I believed that as an important figure in Tibetan Buddhist
history and culture, it would not be difficult to find a temple, or monument dedicated
to her form. I felt destined to stumble
upon a great find, a treasure, like the terma
(hidden treasure which Tsogyel left behind for future generations to discover).
At last I thought I had not only found this mythic figure, but another role
model whom I could relate to, aspire toward, and embody.
My excitement grew as we trekked from
monastery to monastery, town to hill and cave. I knew in this land I would
eventually walk into a Temple where there was some ritual being performed for
Yeshe Tsogyel and I would find what I had been searching for in Tibetan
Buddhism. Would this be the land of
Yeshe Tsogyel? If it is, I did not find it in the way I expected. In all
of the monasteries I only found rather small depictions of her seated at the
right side of her guru, Padmasambhava, with Mandarava, his other famed consort
and student, to his left. He was prominently displayed throughout the
monasteries along with many other male practitioners and Buddhas of the
lineages. Thangkas, statues, and
monuments were well placed to remember who inspires the land of the
"rivers". There were many yidams
in powerful female forms, but virtually no females in nirmanakaya form, the form most accessible to a normal human, like
me.
My research and questioning also revealed
little, I am sure in no small part due to my lack of Tibetan language skills.
At the Research Institute of Tibetology
in Gangtok, I was greeted by a lovely Tibetan Sikkimese man with a great
smile. I was amazed to look down on his desk and to see a copy of the
"Life of Yeshe Tsogyel" manuscript written in Tibetan. I told him
about my research, and although his English was good, he explained that none of
the texts in that library were in English. He suggested I go to the library
next door. The librarian there was extremely helpful, copying documents,
recommending places to visit, and people to contact-the vast majority centered
on Guru Rinpoche. There was one high Tantric lama he recommended I visit who
had an English translator but I was unable to make an appointment in the time
our visas lasted. I believe if I spoke Tibetan better I may have uncovered more
opportunities to learn and connect with her presence in the land and hearts of
the people. But regardless, her importance in Tibetan Buddhism felt completely
unreflected in the very few representations I found in the temples. Though I
was disappointed and, admittedly, unfulfilled as I had wished to pilgrimage to
an outer place where I could come into contact with an experience of her, I was
not dissuaded from finding out more about her. On the contrary, my interest
piqued. New questions birthed out of the old, based upon both my curiosity and
frustration. Why did I find her presence so considerably absent? Was her
absence an oversight? Or was her incredible life considered inconsequential?
Where would I go to find more about her? What do other scholars, writers and
practitioners say about her?
This paper is an inquiry into these
questions through the lens of a practitioner /scholar coming into a new
experience of Buddhism. It is an effort to discover who Yeshe Tsogyel was, what
she symbolizes today, and how she impacted Tibetan Culture and impacts the
transmission of Tibetan Buddhism into the West. It is also a personal inquiry
into the importance of role models and examples of female figures in Buddhism,
and how this has also affected me along my spiritual path.
Personal Paths to the Goddess
My own personal history is important to
this story and is a key to this scholarship, (as many scholars have their own
personal or political agenda). I was raised in what I call "the
shadow" of the Roman Catholic Church; an organization that I believe grew
from beautiful teachings, but became corrupted by power, money, and monarchy.
Many other religious groups seem to have a similar story: The oppressed becomes
the oppressor.
When I was very young, I felt a deep
spiritual devotion and put my heart into the faith. By my teens, though, I
began to question how women participated in this religion altogether.
"Why," I wondered, "Could woman only participate in ritual on a
base level?" They seemed to lurk in the background or pray quietly in the
aft, incidental to the powerful ritual magic that happened center stage. The
priests appeared to take all the glory. Although I knew of the good work many
sisters of the clergy had done and were doing around the world, I still felt a
strong disparity and discomfort with it all. Later, I recognized that much of
my discomfort, even revulsion with the church stemmed from a lack of role
models of women, as saints or active members, combined with gender specific
language for a "God" which is identified with a paternal form and name.
Where were the female deities? Where were the women and saints of power? Due to
the lack of role models, the message I received was that women were not allowed
or capable of having a powerful spiritual presence.
When I was old enough to understand that
woman could not be ordained as priests, I became even more disillusioned. I
could not accept it. Since Catholicism was the only spirituality I had known to
that point, abandoning it left me in limbo. I felt no kinship with a faith,
which I believed had no place for me. I had no role model to aspire toward, no
invitation to invoke. (I did later learn about female deities, the usurpation
of those deities and the oppression of women in the Church, but that was well
after this time.)[2]
By the age of seventeen, I had completely
renounced my faith. I went off to college to study environmental science. This
was where I felt strong connection to the divine--through nature and
creativity. Up to this point in my spiritual evolution, I had made no conscious
connection between nature, spirit, and creation. It seemed to come from an
intrinsic part of life that knew there was something deeper, beyond the self. I
had no God realization, nor guide to lead me down this path. But I was blessed
with loving parents who appreciate nature, and we spent our summers and
weekends in our country house hours away from the hustle of the city. I would
play for hours in trees that were my friends, pilgrimage to certain rocks I
climbed, visit the pond down the road and watch the wildlife communing and
interacting with each other. Through observation I realized that everything was
connected to everything else. I had not read any Joanna Macy who makes that
connection of "Deep Ecology" with Buddhism and causal reality. I
simply immersed myself in the natural world, and it showed itself to me.
One day while at college, I read an
interview in a local progressive magazine about a woman who called herself a
witch and worshipped goddesses. Something within me woke up. I felt compelled
to know more. My boyfriend at the time had a roommate named Maggie who I was
getting to know. As if by some cosmic arrangement, I mentioned to her the
article about witchcraft and she said "Would you like to come to one of
our meetings?" I automatically agreed.
Thus began my love affair with the
goddess. I practiced 'Wicca' every full moon, with a group of women that
changed throughout the next ten or so years of divination. We still kept it on
"the down low," fearful of persecution in this country for pagan
goddess worship (so-called "witchcraft") even two hundred years after
the witch hunts. I loved the ritual, the gathering, the “occult” of the
practice, and, of course, the connection with the goddess I had always sought
but had not quite known what it was.
My devotional path deepened in India
through encountering Kali. I found myself overwhelmed with her form from almost
the moment I stepped off the plane. Never in my life had I experienced a
culture so accepting of the female form as deity before. Countless times I was
overwhelmed with tears when entering her temple, and sitting among groups who
were only there to get a glimpse of her eye, and to pay homage to her
brilliance. As I began to practice her sadhana,
looking deeper into my own beliefs, and into the texts, philosophies, and
teachings, I began to appreciate the universality of the form of this Deity. I
undertook a series of pilgrimages over several years to many of her holy
places. I had no sense of looking back from where I'd came, only a strong sense
that this was where I belong. I believe there are many Western women who feel
the same as I do, who have been drawn to the fierceness of this goddess as a
contrast to the male imagery and patriarchy of the Church which do not meet
their needs for validation and reflection of a part of their internal being.
My experience of Buddhism began with
meditation sessions at the Nyingma temple in Berkeley, and ravenously reading whatever
books I could find with a Buddhist bent (starting with Suzuki Roshi, Thich Nhat
Hahn, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, Jack Kornfield, and Pema Chodron). I was
captivated by the wisdom of the teachings embedded in the words, but I
eventually lost interest or connection for much the same reason I had rejected
the Catholic church when I was young. Where was the goddess among the Buddha
and his followers?
The writing on the "list-serv
walls" I read often called Buddhism a "good old boy club",
providing little room for women with an under-represented number of goddesses
who are second-class to their male embodied gods. Based on my limited
experience, I tended to agree with these notions. And, even though I'd many
times packed up my bag for India to study the Hindu goddesses, I had seldom
visited or sought refuge in any Buddhist monasteries, temples, or teachers.
This changed during that that three
months I spent in Dharmasala 2008, working on the documentary about the Tibetan
uprising and what it meant to Tibetan immigrants in India. For several days, I
was fortunate enough to receive a teaching and be in the presence of His
Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. From the moment I heard His Holiness speak, I was
incredibly enthralled. I understood and felt the wisdom he embodies. Tears of
joy and laughter, absolute humility, and genuine love flowed out of this body
toward someone whom I had never personally met. I felt transformed in his
presence and wanted to be a part of this copious wisdom. But what of the
absence of goddesses? What of the patriarchy in the monastic world? Were are the
feminine deities reserved for the secret practices of Tantra and so hidden from
view?
As I delved into the life of Yeshe
Tsogyel I learned that there are many Western women who come to the study and
practice of Tibetan Buddhism through Kali's gate, in particular with the
practice of Vajrayogini.[3] Enlightened quasi-mythical figures like
Tsogyel not only provide inspiration for Western women, but perhaps for both
female and male spiritual seekers everywhere.
Tibet: Pre-Yeshe Tsogyel: Context
Buddhism
was first introduced to Tibet during the reign of emperor
tSong-tsen-Gampo,
(roughly 600-649 c.) At the time, Tibet "was not a sleepy land of simple
yak herders. As strange as it may seem to us now, Tibet was then a rogue state
and a dangerous superpower. (Zangpo 70) En route to being remembered as the
first Tibetan Buddhist King and pacifist, tSong-tsen
Gampo sacked China, Nepal, and India. These conquests exposed him to the
Buddha's teachings and converted him
from warring ways to temple building. He sent emissaries to learn Sanskrit,
sponsored the creation of a written
Tibetan language, built one hundred and eight temples and made Lhasa the
capitol. To unify and bring peace to the lands under his domain, he also
married two princesses, one Chinese, and one Nepalese who were given by their
respective kings.
Not
all Tibetans were thrilled with the King's shift in focus and religious
conversions. Rather than seeing his actions as that of an enlightened ruler,
they feared Tibet's loss of power and the influence of a foreign religion. This
tension considered long after the King's death and the subsequent reigns of
many others. It was the work of many beings over many centuries that eventually
turned Tibet into a region where the Buddhist teachings were thoroughly
embraced.
Underneath this
Tibetan renaissance, there we ongoing schisms between the BonPo ministers, the indigenous religious factions of Tibet and the
Buddhist monarchy. This is the context under which King Thi-Shron-De-tsan, (c. 743-48), asked Padmasambhava to come to Tibet. The king De-tsan, like his grandfather, wanted
Buddhism to secure its place in the culture, yet obstacles persisted that
prevented this from happening. The
Buddhist king even resorted to tricking his Bonpo
head minister into spending the night in a grave, which was subsequently
covered with a boulder. He was replaced with a Buddhist minister. Others,
however, who still subscribed to the Bonpo
arranged other ways to haunt Tibet through “evil omens” that drove even
Shanirakshita, the great Buddhist pandit from India, out from Tibet to Nepal.
When asked to come back and clear the land of these demons, Shantarakshita
answered, “The sprits of Tibet are evil and will not allow the Buddhist way of
life. In order to tame them invite the greatest sorcerer in Jambudvipa, master
Padmasambhava.” (Hoffman 47).
Considered
a heretical figure by some and a “crazy
Indian ascetic” by others, Padmasambhava's “magical powers” were needed for the
task of liberating the demons from being able to build a monastery. Padmasambhava agreed to come and subsequently
subjugated every evil spirit he came into contact with. There are many stories
about his various exploits. In the end, he cleared the way for the monastery of
Samye, the first teaching monastery to be built in Tibet.
Padmasambhava
became a cornerstone of Tibetan religious tradition that has continued on to
this present day. Without going into great detail about his life (an entire
magnum opus unto itself), I will discuss the significance of his importance to
Tibetan history, and the magnitude of his legend.
Padmasambhava is said to be an incarnation of
Amitabha. (“Buddha Amitabha sent from his heart center a golden vajra marked
with the letter HRIH into the bud of this lotus flower, which miraculously
turned into a small child of eight years of age…” [Tsogyel xviii]). He is quoted to be “the father of Lamaism” (Hoffman, 51). Many Tibetans consider him to be the
"Second Buddha."
The “Lotus Born”
eight year old baby was adopted by kind Indrabhuti of what was called “Udyana”
somewhere in the Swat valley (although I was told, by a professor from
Amritsar, that there is a plaque dedicated to his origin there) and was given
the kingdom to rule when the tantric king left his post to a life of
asceticism. Just like Gautama Buddha, Padmasambhava ended up leaving his
kingdom to become a monk, to study all the teachings of the Hinayana, and then to master the
Tantras.[4]
He became an adept by all initiations of the Dakinis’ and was given the
spiritual name. He defeated being burned at the stake by the former king
Indrabhuti, turning the fire into a lake, from which he and his Shakti,
Mandarava, were saved inside of a lotus bud. During his travels in India he
defeated many Brahmins in contests, and won the Mahamudra over demonic forces who tried to defeat him.
In coming to Tibet
at the king’s invitation he met the resistance of the Tibetan nobles. He not
only subjugated the demons, he demanded
that they come serve the Dharma, subduing them for his own purposes. There is
even a story of the Bon god Yar-lah Sham-po who turned into a white yak,
shaking the beast with “holy iron shackles” (Tsogyel, 55). After this, he rid the area around Samye of
other demons of the native religion. Although he committed such deeds, he
aroused disapproval from the nobles and the Bon ministers. He greatly
exacerbated this disapproval when he was granted Yeshe Tsogyel in exchange for
empowerments given to king De-tsen.
Why was there
superstition and objection to Guru Rinpoche’s involvement in Tibetan affairs
from the Tibetan nobility? One obvious reason is, as Robert Thurman points out,
the nobles feared that with the adoption of Buddhism, Tibet may fall into pacifism, and loose its
stronghold as an empire.[5]
At the time Tibet ruled over Central Asia, including Padmasambhava’s home of
Udayana. This fear was to come true. De
-tsen and his heirs became more and
more distracted by Buddhism, and Tibet’s battles became internal rather than on
the battleground. The subsequent kings died tragic deaths one after another,
and Tibet’s power over the subcontinent waned. Meanwhile, monasteries were
being built and the armies of young warriors were becoming armies of monks.
"Guru
Rinpoche was responsible for transforming Tibet from an imperial power to a
pacifist, de-centralized state…” (Zangpo 72).
Thus his coming to Tibet was regarded as a venerable and auspicious
blessing for some, but the beginning of the end of Tibet as an imperial power
to nationalists.
The Introduction of the Lady of the Lotus Born
After
he was finished with the temple bSam-yas, Padmasambhava “vowed to make the
teachings of the Dharma rise and shine like the sun” (Tulku, 12). He then
“reflected”… “Now is the time for the goddess Saraswati to manifest and spread
the Mantrayana teachings”
(Ibid).
“Great
bliss of the Yab-Yum [then] penetrated everywhere, into all the realms of the
world, and great tremors and earthquakes shook the universe.” (Tulku, 13). It
was the vibration in the form of the color red, and the sound “AA”, and
spiraling from that all the sounds of the vowels in a white garland. Finally,
the consonant “vam” appeared, and spiraled a chain of red consonants, which then
struck the ground like a shooting star hitting Tibet.[6]
Padmasambhava
then summoned her to him and she responded;
Ho!
Heruka,
Buddha Hero, Heruka, Pleasure God!
When you the
great dancer, dance the nine dances of life,
The pure
pleasure of the sacred lotus is everywhere discovered,
And in the
vastness of the bhaga there is no
anxiety;
It is time
to project an emanation into the savage.
‘Samaya Ho!’ exclaimed the Guru. ‘The
bond is formed.’
‘Samayastvam!’ I replied. ‘You are the
bond.’
‘Samaya Hri!’ exclaimed the Guru. The
bond is strong!’,
‘Samaya Tishta,’ I replied. ‘The bond is
strong.’
‘Raho Ham!’exclaimed the Guru. ‘Let the
fire burn.’
‘Ragayami.’I concluded. ‘We are burning
together.” (Dowman 8-9)
And so Yeshe
Tsogyel is introduced as an incarnation of Saraswati, (the goddess, of Hindu
origins, who is most devoted to mantra, and to dedication sadhana or religious practice). As a practitioner, one is often
encouraged by a teacher or guru to pray to her first before beginning one’s
practice. In the life of Yeshe Tsogyel, and those who practice her sadhana, she embodies all of this
goddess’s characteristics. From “Hindu” Puranic
lore, Saraswati is the “patroness of
learning, giver of intelligence to the newborn, source of the Sanskrit
alphabet, bestower of poetic skill, and granter of knowledge and wisdom.”
(Shaw, 235). Tsogyel clearly embodies Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge
because of her adept nature of learning and mastering the teachings. Tsogyel
“woos” her captives many times and again with her beautiful singing voice,
another quality of Saraswati. In
Buddhism, Saraswati is often
associated with Prajnaparamita the
goddess of perfect wisdom.
Meditation and ritual practices centering on Prajnaparamita
are current in both Tibetan and Newar Buddhism, in accordance with the enduring
importance of Perfection of Wisdom thought in those settings. In Tibet she is
known by the Tibetan translation of her name or simply Sherchinma, ‘Wisdom
Mother,’ or Yum Chenmo, ‘Great Mother.’ Many visualization practices and
associated initiation rites are maintained by the Sarma sects. In the Nyingma
order her practice is largly replaced by that of the Yeshe Tsogyel, whose name
means ‘Victorious Ocean of Primordial Wisdom.’ (Shaw, 182)
The first Buddhist
text in which Saraswati appears is the Golden
Radiance Scripture (4th-5th c. CE). There she is
praised as the “great goddess” (Mahadevi)
and from there becomes a fixture in the Buddhist pantheon. By the time Yeshe Tsogyel was born, Saraswati been widely adopted in
Buddhist iconography and practice throughout India, including Oddiyana, the
land of Padmasambhava.
The story of Yeshe
Tsogyel is nothing short of an epic heroine’s journey. Embedded within the
text, as seen in the incantation and description above, are Tantric teachings
only the learned practitioner can decode. In addition, the story is told on two
levels, as Gross writes:
…on a
‘mythic’ level narrating the life of a great human religious teacher and on the
level of ‘sacred history’ narrating how enlightenment manifested in the form of
Tsogyel. These two forms of the story can seem far apart and the ‘sacred
history’ is often based on esoteric concepts. (Gross 1995, 12)
Tsogyel’s life is filled with
incredible feats. How much of this story is true? And how much is hyperbolic
folklore? As Dowman writes, “Again it should be emphasized that attempting to
derive history from legend is to treat an orange as if it were an apple.” (338)
Yet each part of the story is deliberate, and in each the reader is guided from
teaching to teaching, from pre-conception to Buddhahood. The translation of her
biography is broken into eight parts of her life, with many stories along the
way.
Her
birth was in a similar vein to Padmasambhava’s. Before she was born, both
parents had visions. Her father dreamed of a golden bee who was singing sweet
melodies, and of his wife at the age of eight, holding a lute and singing the
vowels of the Sanskrit alphabet, disappearing before an earthquake, and light
shone around him. Her mother had a dream about an inexhaustible white-red
ambrosia, which an “inestimable crowd of people came and drank to satiety…”
(Dowman, 11).
Auspicious signs
followed. During Tsogyel’s birth the queen was showered by flowers, which
dropped from the sky. When the princess was born, she recited the alphabet, and
chanted, “ ‘Orgyen Chempo Khyeno!’- Homage to the great sage of Orgyen!"
"Sitting in half-lotus posture with my knees planted on the floor I opened
my eyes wide and raised my pupils in adoration.” ( Dowman, 12). Not only did she speak immediately after her
birth, she was born with hair that fell down to her waist, and a full set of
teeth. Like the Buddha, it was declared that “…either Tsogyel ( Dakini of the
ocean) will become a mahasiddha of
the Bonpo or Buddhists, or she will become a queen of the Emperor.” ( Dowman,
14).
Because of her
extreme difference, she was kept hidden from view for ten years until she was
ready for marriage. When the time came for her betrothal, two princes wanted
her hand. Tsogyel knew she wanted no part in this worldly life. “ ‘I would go
with neither of them…If I was to go I would be guilty of incarcerating myself
within the dungeon of worldly existence. Freedom is so very hard to obtain. I
beg you, my parents, to consider this.’” (Dowman 15). But her parents would not relent, and Tsogyel
was given to the first suitor who could hunt her down.
Though caught and
beaten to a bloody pulp, Tsogyel managed to escape her captor and return to
live in the forest alone. When the other suitor-prince, Kharchupa, learned of
this, he was ready to go to war over Tsogyel. In order to end this potential
conflict, Tsogyel’s father, Pelgyi Wongchuk, then sent a letter to the Emperor
Det-sen begging him to take his daughter as his bride. The Emperor accepted.
She was given elaborate feasts, appointed custodian of the Dharma, and educated
in languages, arts and sciences, secular and religious arts. It was in
De-tsen’s palace that Tsogyel encountered Guru Rinpoche, Padmasambhava.
The emperor had
already called and brought Rinpoche to his palace to quell the demons and
finish Sam-ye. He had begged Guru Rinpoche to initiate him in the art of
Tantra, to teach him the shortest path to enlightenment in one lifetime, yet
Rinpoche would not grant him this wish. He was finally persuaded when as
payment for his initiation, the king offered Tsogyel and his empire to
Rimpoche.[7]
The Bon ministers were, “provoked to the
point of open rebellion by the kings gift of Tsogyel to the Guru.”(Dowman, 315). Soon after the exchange, Tsogyel was
given initiation, empowerments by Rinpoche and became his consort.
Tsogyel studied
and lived with her Guru for the next part of her life. During this time, she
mastered many of the Guru’s teachings. The text also explains the different
practices which were taught to her, as Rinpoche’s consort, until time had come
for her, upon Rimpoche’s instruction, to take a consort herself. At this point
she sets out to the valley of Nepal alone. On the way, she encountered seven
thieves, who became her first students after she sang them a song and opened
their heart to the Dharma.
She goes on to find her consort Atsala Sale, who was a slave at the
time, and liberates him from bondage. He then stayed by her side till the end
of her life.
Tsogyel went on to
practice many austerities, almost to her death several times. On her own she
mastered the knowledge overcoming the body in meditation. She describes one
account of all the demons, wild animals, humans, all trying to take her out of
her samadhi. With skills of great
concentration she was able to overcome these obstacles that demons and gods put
before her. No humans were able to touch her, so she was named “Invulnerable
Tibetan” and they stopped trying to harm her. During this time a girl who
brought honey and milk wanted to come with Tsogyel to be come a disciple. This
girl turned out to be the daughter of King Hamras of Bhutan, and came with
Tsogyel to Paro Taktsang.
Once Tsogyal had
gained all the siddhis (mastery of a skill) which are laid out sequentially
in the text (and may be spelled out as a litany in the form of teaching tool
for the order of teachings one should follow), Tsogyel returns with her Guru,
and the other disciples to Tibet. There, they to face off with the Bonpo
ministers in the Samye debate and are victorious in exiling the Bon extremists,
and establishing the Dharma of Buddhism as victorious. (See next section, “Significance of Historical Figure of Yeshe Tsogyel”).
This event opened the floodgates of Buddhism in Tibet. Thousands of monks
entered the academy in Samye, and many other thousands in total entered other
meditation centers and academies throughout Tibet. King Det-sen passed into
light, knowing that his kingdom had been transformed from a warring, barbaric
society, to that being guided by the Dharma.
Eventually, Guru
Rinpoche gives Tsogyel her leave. Rimpoche gave her custodianship of his hidden
teachings (termas) for the future of
humankind. Tsogyel dedicated herself completely to the practice of absolute
compassion, literally giving parts of her body to cannibals, acting as a wife
of a leper, and many other truly selfless acts. At the end of her life, Tsogyel
gives clear instruction as to what to do with the teachings, where to put these
treasures, and gives a full prophecy to what is to become of the teachings in
Tibet.
The Multiple Messages of ‘The Life of Yeshe Tsogyel’
Yeshe
Tsogyel tells her story clearly, with a youthful approach. She does not ask for
either pity or admiration for her works though she recounts tales of dire
circumstances and extraordinary accomplishment. Many messages are embedded in
the story. Some, as mentioned earlier, seem meant to be decoded by the
initiated. Others come across through her speech, her story, and her teachings.
In particular, she seems to emphasize her femininity, her commitment, the way
that relationships served her path and, in her teachings, the ultimate non-dual
nature of reality.
Throughout
the text, Tsogyel seems to be reminding the reader at every chance that
“She”, “The Lady Tsogyel” is capable of
such austerities and accomplishments. Is she boasting about her abilities? Is
she speaking to the point and demonstrating that despite her “low birth” women
can obtain enlightenment? Tsogyel herself is perfectly aware of the prejudice
that is imbedded within the culture. She refers back to her womanhood
especially in moments of empowerments, teachings, accomplishments, her
difficult journey to Nepal, and throughout her commitments to the Tantras. “I
the woman, Yeshe Tsogyel” becomes a mantra for the reader as well. I cannot
help but think this emphasis deliberate for her followers to note, while the
entire time, coming back to the teachings by modeling pure emptiness, seeing
each hardship as an opportunity to gain further wisdom and transformation. In this way, she is also riding a line beyond
male-female role models. As many commentators are quick to point out, it is a
also a story of her ability to go beyond gender, to reach an utterly
transcendent Buddhahood. According to Dowman,
she died at the age of approximately 60 (although in the text she says
she lived to be the age of 211) she had obtained the highest spiritual
achievement than anyone previously recorded to that moment in Tibet, and was
the first woman to obtain Buddhahood in Tibet.
In her telling of her own story, Yeshe Tsogyel
also sets herself as a clear example of one who is completely devoted to the
teachings and continually works without fail. It is her determination, her
clear will and intent that drives her further into service. She is inspiringly
committed to her journey. This both drives her transformation and is what makes
her life extraordinary. Throughout her difficult life, her unwavering fire of
determination prevails. From the age of twelve, she knew she wanted to spend
her life dedicated to her spiritual path, defying her parent’s wishes to be
married. Through episodes of extreme austerities of fasting, extreme temperatures,
and involved difficult practice, she perseveres. After being confronted and
raped by seven robbers, she uses her speech to convert her aggressors to the dharma.
In the final stage of her practice, for twelve years (that magic
number), she gave herself to service as a sadhana,
taking the form of anyone in need. She selflessly gave her body to take on the
extreme suffering of others. She gave her body to carnivores, clothed and gave
medicines, gave all of her wealth, and sex to those who sought. She even lived
as a wife for a leper who asked for companionship. ( I relate this practice is
very similar to the bhakti or devotional practice through service that
existed in many Hindu traditions).
Tsogyel used her
relationships to aid in her spiritual development (Gross 1987, 13), be it
villains who wished to harm her, her consort Sale, many women, several of whom
were with her at the end of her life (two of whom became realized emanations of
Vajravarahi, as well as two queens Liza
Jangchub Dronma, and Shelkar Dorje Tsomo and countless others). Throughout her practice she is able to use
her relationships to dissolve issues of clinging, or confusion in her mind,
therefore not only ridding herself of the ego-driven fixations, but gains
enlightenment and enlightened relations. She had no need to cloister herself
away from men or women. On the contrary she moves toward those situations and
gains liberation by working through them. Is her story setting an example for
women to discover liberating through relationships, a path that was perhaps not
accessible or shown to women in that culture before? What is implicit in the
text is a model for enlightenment that includes relational means. Was this
story an effort for her to demonstrate to the world that enlightenment is
possible by being in the world, and using our interactions with others as a
means to progress? Her twelve years of complete service to others is a bhakti path. Through this service she
finds the last piece to ultimate liberation. Through her experiences with
thieves, robbers, rapists, and demons she converts to the Dharma, she gains
merit, and when whole villages, animals, and demons, even her body, turns on
her she remains committed to her path. Furthermore, it is mostly through her
relationships that her story is told. In the context of a 20th
century Western woman reading this text, I can understand that it is a within
my relationships where I find the greatest advancement. I feel as though this
is true for other women as well. Is she laying a blueprint particularly for
women to emulate? At the same time Tsogyel does emphasize not to be lost in the
body, ego, or emotions within it. She uses her body and relationships to
understand “emptiness”, using the form to get to the formless.
Perhaps the
greatest spoken message Tsogyel comes at the end of her life. She leaves her followers some of her greatest
teaching about the essence of what is important, and how to proceed. When they ask, “What can we tell Tibet? What
can we do?” Tsogyel answers,
“For Pity listen to me, O faithful
Tibetans!
Tell the people I am absorbed in
inner space, the omnipresent ground,
And the aches and pains of
corporeality have ceased.
Tell them that the mortal Tsogyel
has finally attained an immaculate state,
And that the agony and ecstasy of
embodiment is over.
Tell them that the illusory body of
flesh and blood has been transfigured,
And the need for diagnosis,
prescription, moksa, bleeding and hot needles, has gone.
Tell them that when the truth of
impermanence is finally made plain
The seemingly concrete and
permanent must vanish.
Tell them that the end of the way
is a body of light,
And this black corpse, this bag of
water and mucus must pass.
Tell them that Ama Tsogyel has
melted into the primordial A,
And cries of anguish have ceased.
Tell them the outside and inside,
mother and son, have united.
And the material superfluity,
flesh, and blood, as vanished.
Tell them that the Lama’s
compassion never fails;
His apparitional hosts of welcome
encompass the universe.
Tell them that this incorrigible
women, this wonton uninhibited woman,
This woman has achieved the
impossible nine times over.
Tell them that the daughter of
Tibet, this unlovable spinster,
Now is Queen of Kunzang’s absolute,
empty being.
Tell them this woman, over extended
in vanity and deceit,
Successful in her final deceit, has
gone to the Southwest.
Tell them this passionate woman,
repeatedly fallen in her maze of intrigue,
Through intrigue has vanished into
the sphere of inner space.
Tell them that this widow of Tibet,
rejected by Tibetan males,
Has captured the state of
Buddhahood…”(Dowman 179)
And with that, she tells them, “She
will never leave them, not to despair”, and to “go home and pray!” (180).
Certainly this is the standard message of most of the masters, when they are
leaving their nirmakaya form to their
disciples, however, this is the first teaching of its kind to these who have
not studied Buddhism. Her followers were probably not chanting the Heart Sutra,
defining themselves by what they are not.
The message to her followers is to not be attached to this form, that
the form has karma and weight. She continues that now she is, “Buddha in the
lotus light of dynamic space” (Dowman, 181) was incredibly radical for the
context of early Tibet. As Dowman writes
in his “Commentary” on “Women and the Dakini,”
Finally,
in the non-duel reality of Buddhahood all phenomenal appearances are space and
Emptiness on one hand and magical illusion, fairyland, and the reflection of
the moon in water on the other hand. Understanding this, following Tsogyel, a
yogini-practitioner will know that her body-mind is empty of a substantial,
discrete ego ant that her individual personality is an integral part of a
dynamic field of relativity encompassing all living beings embodied and
disembodied, in all time and space. (257)
The
Significance of the Historical Inference of Figure: Yeshe Tsogyel
The historical
account of Yeshe Tsogyel comes from the Termas, (selected religious texts hidden
away for hundreds of years) and is verified by historical chronicles of the
Chinese pilgrim Tun Huang, (the Red
Annals) which confirms pieces of early Tibetan history that can be put
together to create a fuller picture. As
Dowman writes;
...the story which forms a temporal
background to Tsogyel’s timeless sadhana in The
Life, the political drama enacted throughout her lifetime in Tibet, can be
sifted for new historical data and for evidence to support existing hypothesis;
it can also be enjoyed simply as historical legend. Although the temporal theme
is of secondary importance to the principle purpose of The Life, which is to instruct and inspire in the Tantra, in so far
as a religion and a yoga is a function of the needs of a human community at a
specific time and place, knowledge of social institutions, the politics and
economics of that time and place provide insight into the purpose of religious
modes and their evolution. (Dowman 307).
One question about
the significance of Yeshe Tsogyel as a
historical figure relates to her political relationship to Tibet and her
people. “Was part of the purpose of her story devised to convert the people of
Tibet away from the Bon by creating such an impact?” As mentioned before, Yeshe
Tsogyel came into being when Tibet was at the height of its military conquest
of Central Asia. While Buddhism filled the hearts of some Tibetan nobility, it angered the priests
of the pre-Buddhist Bon religion, clan leaders, and created a “power play”
between the Buddhists and the Bonpos ministers. Many of the temples that
emperor Songsten had built were destroyed after his death. When Trisong Detson
came to power, the dharma was
struggling to remain alive. It is suggested that historically, there was at
least a twenty year gap between sending away the first Buddhist Shantaraksita,
the first monk invited by the king Songsten, and the consecration of Samye by
Padmasambhava.[8]
This is theorized because of the opposition that the Bon ministers placed as an
obstacle to it being built. The act of giving the bride of the king to
Padmasambhava, a wondering Indian Tantric, in payment for king Det-san’s
Tantric Buddhist initiation infuriated the Bon ministers even further.
Is
it possible that the story of Yeshe Tsogyel, both the real and epic heroine,
was designed in a manner that was then used to convert and impress the people
into the Buddhist religion and away from the old Bon religion? Was she a tool
or a skillful means to propagate and spread the Dharma? This line of inquiry
brings a different perspective to the challenge between Buddhist scholars and
adepts, and the Bonpo. In the text The
Life of Yeshe Tsogyel, King Det-sen declares,
I have tried to establish Buddhism
and Bon in equality like my ancestor Songsten Gampo, but Buddhism and Bon are
inimical, and mutual recrimination has credited doubt and suspicion in the
minds of the King and his ministers. Now we will compare and appraise their
metaphysics and whichever system gains our trust will be adopted as a whole.
Whoever refuses to embrace the winners’ doctrine will be forgotten in this
land. (Dowman 108).
Although the Bon were able to
prevail with ‘riddles’ the Buddhist defeated the Bon with magic, debate, and
other incredible feats. Yeshe Tsogyel is called up to defeat the yogini Bon
Tso.
Levitating in lotus posture, etc.,
I demonstrated my full control over elemental forces. Spinning fire wheels of
five colors on the tips of the fingers of my right hand, I terrified the Bon,
and then ejecting streams of five-colored water from the lips of the fingers of
my left hand, the streams swirled away into a lake. Taking a Chimphu boulder,
breaking it like butter, I moulded it into various images. Then I projected
twenty-five apparitional forms similar to myself, each displaying some proof of
siddhi. (Dowman, 113).
After Tsogyel caused the Bon to lose face in the public eye,
there is a burst from the crowd, “These Bon
cannot even defeat a woman.” Highlighting her unique nature again. Even though
there were Bon females who learned the craft, such as the yogini Tso, the idea of empowered female adept was still a new and
wild concept for the people of Tibet.
The story could
have read very differently, Padmasambhava could have taken on the Sam-ye Debate
all by himself. Yet, introducing such a powerful figure as Tsogyel appears to
have been an excellent political move. To have the dharma represented by someone with such skill and ability, and that
person to be in the form of a woman, meant that this knowledge is accessible to
all. I am not discounting that Tsogyel was an extraordinary person by any
means. However, the fact that she is a woman, and reminds the reader about this
point throughout the story, at the most emphasizes the greatness of the
Buddhist teachings, at the least, creates a heroine, who one may sympathize
with. Eventually, the “Bon-shaman” (read: “fanatical
extremists”) were defeated, and banished to the boarder countries.[9] The “Reformed Bon” were allowed to stay since they
were in alignment with the Buddhist doctrines. After this, the King ordered the shamanistic books to be
separated and burned, and the Reformed Bon’s books were hidden for “future
revelation”. The “Reformed Bon” were
themselves sent back to Zhang-zhung
and the provinces, while the Bon-Shamans
were sent to Mongolia.[10]
If
the “Samye Debate” did occur as recorded according to “The Life ...”, then it was probably one of the most important
events in Tsogyel’s life. She prevailed in such an undertaking only fifteen
years after she was a student to Guru Rinpoche and initiated into the Tantric
arts. One could assert that a Tibetan born female would have the fortitude to
not only stand up to the Bonpo ministers and priests, but be better accepted in
the minds of the people of Tibet, over
an Indian ascetic such as Padmasambhava.
Because of the
defeat of the Bon at Samye, Tsogyel had many enemies. Tsogyel is poisoned by the Bonmo Tso who was under
orders by the queen of Mutri Tsempo. After she transformed this poison into
nectar and foiled the plan, Tsogyel was then banished again from Lhasa.
However, by this time Tsogyel herself had many followers, and this banishment
brought more her devotees throughout the country. By the end of the story she
ordained and taught over three hundred monks, many with similar capacities of sided to hers. She also established a
nunnery, trained one thousand nuns, where five hundred attained siddhi, and seven became her equal.
The Legacy of Yeshe Tsogyel
As an historic and
spiritual figure Yeshe Tsogyel bridged several theological worlds. Even if she
never actually existed in body,[11]
her presence was absolutely important for the socio-political entry of Buddhism
to Tibet. The story and triumph of the great Samye debate illustrates her
importance for Buddhism to flourish over the indigenous Bon faith.
Historically, one could hypothesize that her incarnation as a female adept may
have been in and of itself a factor in sending the Bon packing after the last
debate and altering the fabric of a warrior culture forever.
Questions around the role of women
in the Buddhist sangha date back to
its origins. The Buddha himself was reluctant to include nuns to his sangha, and did so in his last three
years of life, to the dismay of many of his closest allies. Even to this day
the nuns have to abide by a stricter code than the monks due to their
“unfortunate” karmic births, to which much has been written about. In the
article “When Buddha Was Woman” author, Karen Derris validates the medieval
story where Buddha was reborn as a nun as Princess
Jaataka;
Merely casting the Bodhisattva as a woman in this story was
radical in the
face
of Theravada tradition, but for what ends? Does this addition of a female
lifetime to the Buddha’s biography reflect a positive evaluation of women? Did
the Bodhisatta’s female identity offer valuable resources for Theravada women
in shaping their lives in Buddhist societies? These kinds of questions must be
posed if we are to assess if this story valorizes women and supports women’s
potential to make progress along the stereological path to Buddhahood. Buddhist
perspectives on identity are formulated over lifetimes rather than within the
frame of a single life. Thus the representation of the Bodhisatta in her
lifetime as the princess is shaped by her past and future lives. Karma (actions
and the results of actions)
determines, in large part, the form and quality of a person’s
next
birth, but determining karmic formulations requires complex calculations that
are rarely exact or singular. (Derris,
40).
However, she later explains that in order for
Princess Jaataka to “fulfill her aspiration” she must agree to eight
conditions, one of which is to be reborn as a male, so that her lineage ends
with her feminine rebirth. There is a thread that being born a women is a “low
birth” which permeates throughout Buddhism. According to Campbell, “In Tibetan
there are considerably more words for ‘woman’ than for ‘man’.” (32) She goes on
to quote from the Tibetan-English dictionary,
“The two most common words are kyemen…which
means ‘inferior birth’, and pumo…which
means ‘female man’. Other synonyms
for ‘women’ include tsamdenma…’ she
who has limitations; chingchema..’she
who has shackles’; dodenma…she who
has lust’…” (Campbell 32).
The existence of a woman
such as Yeshe Tsogyel, the story of her achievements and her inseparability
from Guru Rinpoche would seem to be powerful antidotes to this view that women
are somehow "inferior" or "she who has limitations." In the Story of Yeshe Tsogyel, Guru Rinpoche
even says to Tsogyel that “… if a woman has strong aspiration, she has a higher
potential ( for enlightenment).” (Dowman 86). It appears that although her
teachings have survived, the legend of the “enlightened female figure” as a
role model for others to obtain Buddhahood in this lifetime did not greatly
shape the Buddhist institutions that followed. Was her presence deliberately
minimized over the years? Some scholars point to the Tulku system as a source of disempowerment for women as it narrows
the breadth of recognition of re-born masters to male from far more often than
female incarnates. When the Tulku
system came into place in Buddhist doctrine, the ability for future women to be
realized as incarnate beings as in Tsogyel’s case evaporated due to the ongoing
belief that to be born in a woman’s body is “less fortunate” (Havnevik 1990,
134-135).
For some, legends like Tsogyel can provide that source for
female empowerment. Orgyan Chokyi (1675-1729) is an example of an acknowledged
enlightened incarnate nun. Chokyi, suffered greatly at the hands of their
family who did not understand her. In her autobiography, in the last days
Orgyan Chokyi was living, she wrote that she was now a “Dakini”, yet she was born a “low-born girl.” But because of Chokyi’s knowledge of female
role models, (Tara, Dorje Phagmo, Nangsa OBum, and Gelongma Pelmo) she was able
to use this knowledge and with it,
“explicitly take courage” against the forces which were oppressing her.
(Gyatso 2005, 22).
In considering the questions of the self-conscious
agency of Tibetan women, we find ourselves looking for the ideals that would
inspire it, and female gender norms-ideas about special female virtues, special
female connections, even special female handicaps- are the first things that
come to mind. There can be no questing that historical Tibetan women have taken
lessons from such ideals. (Gyatso, 2005, 21).
Tsogyel also faced many
obstacles as a women, although she was
not supported in her enlightenment quest by the heavily monastic society which
Chokyi was a part of. In Tsogyel’s life, although women of royalty of
that time had some influence and stature in Tibet at that time, this greatly
depended upon fulfilling one's expected roles. Through what seems to have been
sheer force of will and devotion to her own enlightenment, Tsogyel carved
another path. This is powerfully evidenced by her opening act of defiance of
her parents wishes, as she successfully escapes her husband to be, only to be
caught again away as payment for a teaching by her King-husband. She prays to
Padmasambhava to be rescued, and not given away in marriage as chattel.[12]
Her will
towards autonomy and aspiration toward enlightenment is further evidenced in
her role as consort to the great master. By virtue of
her ability to choose her consorts, suggests she chose Padmasambhava as much as
he chose her. The tone of the language of their union which Dowman calls,
“Twilight language” is riddled with double-entendre’s and metaphors, both
celebrating and cloaking its significance and symbology. She also takes another consort,
enlightening many others in the process and being recognized as a Dakini. Because Tsogyel was able to liberate her consorts, she was
established in a distinguished position of “Guru” that afforded her choice. She
was “sexually liberated” in terms of not having any ego attachments, and hence
free from sexual ownership of any kind.
In searching for
what I considered Tsogyel to be, I believe I fell into what I now consider to
be the same trap as other Feminist writers of our time. I have routinely judged
the role as consort to be one dimensional, to only serve her Guru for his
advancement and pleasure. Although Tsogyel takes on the consort role, as a “Sky
dancer”, she flies above and beyond any limitation by using this position to
her own means. In fact, Padmasambhava himself was also dependent on her for his
own advancement.
She was
essential to his full manifestation as a Vajrayana teacher, to his Buddha
activity, to his creation of the collection of Termas or hidden treasure
teachings, and to his effective subjugation of obstacles to dharma practice. As
practitioners, we would do well to take Tibetan sensibilities as a model for
ourselves. Even if Yeshe Tsogyel’s life were not established historically, we
still must tell her story because Guru Rinpoche’s life and activity would be
incomplete without her (Gyatso 2006, 9).
The role of consort also
seems to continue to be shrouded in mystery with many, many women, who served
recognized lamas, never receiving recognition or having their personal stories
of transformation told and celebrated. These ‘private’ roles as consort or songyum continues today to be held
currently with the utmost clandestine nature. [13]
Times do, however, seem to be
changing. In 1967 in Sikkim a baby girl was born, who was immediately
recognized as an incarnation of Khandro Ugyen Tsolmo, a consort of the
Fifteenth Karmapa, Khakhyab Dorje
(1871-1922). After she was recognized she immediately began her training,
taking up her line as a recognized Rinpoche.
Rita Gross writes about how different her experience was when she
encountered Khandro Rinpoche in 1995.
…Kandro
Rinpoche, is the first female guru and lineage holder we have encountered.
And, obviously, she is not merely doing
and saying only the same things male teachers say, though she presents the gender-neutral
teachings of Buddhism in ways that both men and women appreciate. But, in
addition, she holds audiences for women at which, unlike male teachers, she
owns up to the fact that in the relative world and in the patriarchal system,
women do have a more difficult time than men. (Gross 1998, 222)
More
women are being recognized as masters and are giving teachings that are
inclusive of the faults of a system caught up in long-term beliefs of
patriarchy. Under a system such as this, women will experience a more difficult
time, unless they are taught differently, with role models that they can relate
to.
Rita Gross in a roundtable
discussion given at a conference, speaks about
her interpretation of the Western appropriation of Yeshe Tsogyel;
I am working on the project of ensuring that
Buddhist heroines face no more obstacles than do their male counterparts, thus
ensuring that they are not tokens because of their rarity. My use of history,
like that of every other contemporary person, is political, and I know what I
want to do with history. Within the limit of not making up heroines who did not
exist, I want to use historical examples to empower contemporary women and men
to imagine what Buddhism after patriarchy might be.” (Gross 2006, 73)
In conclusion,
based on the historical record and the male-dominated Tibetan Buddhist culture
we see today, on the surface it appears that women took a "back seat"
to men in Tibetan Buddhism. Although this “heroinic” figure, Yeshe Tsogyel, may
have continued to inspire women to overcome the obstacles they faced, she did
not greatly impact the landscape for women or women practitioners in Tibetan
society. However, what is needed is to revisit historical texts and cultural
accounts to get a better view and to deeply access the history and current
times. From this, a clearer picture of the roles and spiritual practices of
women will surface. In particular, I believe this scholarship must come from
voices of Tibetan women and practitioners.
Conclusion
The first strategy used by historians
in rethinking women’s history in the
history of Christianity is inclusion. Recent interest in women’s
experience has
prompted the publication of women’s writings that were, until
recently, unknown.
Together with many scholarly monographs that explore and
interpret
women’s social experiences, these writings are an invaluable
resource, providing
some—albeit limited—access to women’s interests, beliefs, and
thoughts.
Mainstream Christianity can now be redefined by the inclusion of
women’s history. It need no longer be conceptualized as what Elisabeth
Schüssler Fiorenza
calls the “malestream.” Both the voices of women and the
prohibitions that
limited and often failed to preserve their expressions can be
recognized.
(Miles 2006, 50)
Although my search for Yeshe Tsogyel was
incomplete in a land where I thought she
would be easily found, and a place of her belonging, her absence created more
questions within me. The feminist within me, although privileged to arrive
there, was outraged. She was certain that the reason for her absence was rooted
in sexist denial. Tsogyel, I felt, was not given the proper respect and
adoration that I felt fitting for a person of her stature. Yet, I was blind to
see, unable to ask the right questions in the right language, and had a limited
understanding of the culture. My anger was rooted in a place that was neglected
within me as a young spiritual aspirant in my formative years. If I had only
known about Tsogyel at sixteen, I wonder how different my life would be. Was I
was projecting this sadness on to my young Tibetan sisters, believing they have
a yearning for a similar spiritual identity? Was this projection necessary?
Perhaps not. Perhaps Yeshe Tsogyel lives in the hearts of Buddhist monk, nun, and laypersons, and is an intrinsic part of
their practice. Perhaps they don’t see her as separate as I do. Maybe it is
through this Western lens that I am looking for identity in the form of this
fierce and capable figure.
According to Tibetan Buddhists' versions of
their own history, in Tibet Padmasambhava met his most important student (who
also became his consort), Yeshe Tsogyel. According to Tibetan sources, her role
in establishing Buddhism in Tibet is so great that the two are usually invoked
together as cofounders of Tibetan Buddhism. Yet Western accounts of the origins
of Buddhism in Tibet, claiming to be more empirical by weeding out layers of
legend, almost never mention Yeshe Tsogyel. In the eyes of Western scholars,
she is part of the legendary overlay that must be excised to obtain accurate
history. For Tibetan Buddhists, however, it would be impossible to think of
their origins without thinking of Yeshe Tsogyel. These differing assessments of
Yeshe Tsogyel show, one more time, something I have often discovered in
studying non-Western materials: the accounts of these societies that we receive
from Western scholars are much more andocentric than the indigenous accounts.
If that is the case, with what accuracy could Western (feminist) scholars then
evaluate other cultural situations as sexist? Where is the sexism: is it in the
materials themselves or in the glasses through which these scholars are looking
at other religions and cultures? (Gross 2006, 72)
If Tsogyel is inseparable from Guru Padmasambhava (the
Queen of the Lotus Born), I was unable to see her and unable to find peace
within her grace because of my own obscurations. Perhaps I was carrying
resentment from my encounter with Buddhism in a Western context with me to
Sikkim, along with expectations of failure, and lacked the faith which believed
that the voice that would be more honoring is the voice that is closer to
source, more authentic. It was the response to my Western education which was
the seed of my discomfort. Is it only too true that we as Feminist scholars
seek those who we most relate to in their (s)heroic forms? Did I succumb to such a similar demise? [14]
Unlocking some of my questions may happen only when Tibetan
women begin to write for English speaking audiences. For those women who are
Buddhist, layperson or those whom have taken the cloth, can candidly refute or
confirm what these feminist scholars have been writing about the meaning of
Yeshe Tsogyel in the Tibetan context. Until this time, those of us, no matter
how well the knowledge of language, or how long our practice, will write from
our personal situation regarding the value of the figure of Tsogyel, the
significance of her meaning, presence, and form.
When I was
sixteen, I was forced to go through the ritual of Confirmation. Although my
faith in the Church had already waned, I went through the motions. I chose the
saint Anastasia. I took her Confirmation name because the idea was we were to
choose someone whom we wanted to emulate. She was the only saint that I
discovered though a great deal of investigation, who defied her parents who
wanted her wed, and instead ran away and joined a nunnery. Tsogyel reminds me of that saint, whose story
is as old and repetitive as women who have been sold off into marriage, or a
life cloistered behind stonewalls. Yet Tsogyel was different. She not only
defied her culture by pursuing her spiritual life above all else, she achieved
Buddhahood. In this respect she is an ally for all people aspiring toward a
spiritual goal.
I can only
speculate how different my life would have been if I had learned about Tsogyel
at the age of sixteen. If I could speak to myself at that age now, I would say,
“Don’t be discouraged. There is a world of women out there for you to discover,
many of whom have never been written about, and the greatest wisdom does live
inside of you. You will find out about them. Either way, be brave, and never
give up your aspirations seeking a higher spiritual self. She is there, waiting
to embrace you.”
Did
I find Yeshe Tsogyel? I can’t honestly say, but I did find the part of me
looking for her.
Literary Review
Gyatso, Janet, and Havnevik,
Hanna. Women in Tibet. New York, NY :
Columbia University Press, 2005.
In this
book the authors predominantly focus their attention on a collection of essays
about the women of Tibetan society who have not been given prior attention to
in western scholarship. These women highlighted through essays by various
contributors in their book are; women from politics, spiritual practitioners,
oracles, nuns, artists, and practice Tibetan medicine. They are from 8th
century Tibet, to current day, including Tibetan Diaspora. Although they offer
no feminist discourse in the text, implicitly, the authors have brought to
light an important feminist portrayal of real life Tibetan women in their own
roles giving a voice to the voiceless. I found this book to be incredibly
helpful to learn about historical and current Tibetan women, and their function
in Tibetan society. The book includes translations of primary source
autobiographical information which aids in research what was going on for women
at various times. What I also felt helpful was the realistic portrayal of the
biographies of the women in Tibet. “All the articles
of this anthology consist of genuine historical or ethnographic research, not
theoretical or speculative comments on ‘the feminine’ in Tibetan Buddhism. As a
result, the portrayals we are given are considerably less romantic than some
speculations about Tibetan women’s lives based on Vajrayana Buddhist texts and
art, with their strong and positive feminine imagery.” (Gross, 2007, 353) Although the authors
are not explicitly choosing to write about feminist issues they do address that
“Tibetan women live in a context
of pervasive androcentrism and misogyny, indicated especially by the most
common Tibetan term for woman, which literally means one with a ‘low birth’”
(Gyatso , and Havnevik, 9). Most of all
Schaffer’s essay demonstrates the difficulties of the Medieval Tibetan
Hermitess: Orgyan Chokyi, who clearly suffered in her autobiography due to
internalizing her experience of being female. These essays provide material
about Tibetan women and their experiences outside of the popular realms of
Yeshe Tsogyel, and Machig Labdron. This chapter, and three others that
concentrate on Tibetan Buddhism, all reflect the prejudice against women again
“as lowly” as nuns, or in marginalized
religious roles.
Campbell, June. Traveler in Space, Gender, Identity, and
Tibetan Buddhism. Revised Edition, London England: Continuum. 2002 (1996)
June
Campbell, a practicing Buddhist since 1967 when she took refuge, and became a
student and interpreter of Kalu
Rimpoche. It was being a part of his monastic community, and that she began to
“study the symbolic structures of Tibetan Buddhism in more depth.” (Campbell 2)
Part of her interest came from the dualistic lifestyle of her teacher, Kalu
Rimpoche, a celibate monk, who “secretly had sexual partners.” (2) Campbell
offers a unique perspective from the inside out, merging western psychology and
Tibetan Buddhism, the dynamic between the two cultures, and the issues of
gender difference that involves teaching related to sexuality. “In this book I have tried to link the
personal experiences of key individuals, both women and men, to the complex
belief systems of which they were a part, in an attempt both to recognize the
humanity in all of us, and as a way of understanding something of the
historical concept of gender identity and how it has expressed itself through religion
in particular…” (Campbell 23). From this
perspective she begins with the cross pollination between the west and Buddhism
and introduces psychological constructs I found to be interesting yet unrelated
to my work.
What
I found most intriguing and related to my work is the investigation Campbell
explores as she dives into what happens in Tibetan Buddhism subsequent to
emerging power structures, “Campbell argues that such symbolism
has evolved and become redefined within a patriarchal Buddhist tradition, and
the emergent power structures in Tibet have further eroded the potency of
female symbolism.” (Cheetham 371). She
identifies Buddhism as the beginning of patriarchy over the animistic
pre-Buddhist indigenous spiritual traditions, and the subsequent merging of
these into a monastic structure as in Tibet. From there she expands her theory
to the Tulku system which continues to function in Tibetan Buddhism to this day
at the exclusion of women, although this appears to be changing.
Campbell
tends to stay away from the non-gendered neutrality of Gross, and Klein when
writing about Yeshe Tsogyel, particularly her aspirations toward Buddhahood
terms of being a woman practitioner, and dwells on the differences therein. “In
the context of the enlightened state, this kind of disregard for the importance
of gender or sexed categories, seems much more in the spirit of the Buddhist
teaching than the disenabling emphasis which is placed on gender in other areas
of Tibetan Buddhist thought. But the problems of representation still pertain,
because, for women, the issue is not about gender and its limitations, but
about the ways in which the ‘truth’ is written on the female body.” (Campbell
134) And continues “In the context of this examination of issues of gender and
identity, the question of ‘basic human nature’ presupposes that there is,
beyond the unique and individual experience as men and women, a unitary
experience of humanity, which does not take into account sexual difference.
This notion fits very well into Gross’s Androgynous Vision of Buddhism…It is my
view an idealistic conception of androgyny which did not acknowledge difference
and separateness as fundamental, would ultimately be detrimental for women,
because…this kind of merging would reinscribe the loss of both male and female
bodies to ‘the phallic economy’ (161-162).
With her insight, and experience as a practitioner, I found this text to
be very helpful to my study.
I
believe that fifteen years ago, when Tibetan Buddhism was taking a strong hold
on the culture of the West, the points Klein makes in this book are
appropriate. However, with all of the teaching that we are exposed to in
various mediums, the danger she writes about is of less concern, and not
completely relevant to this study.
Shaw, Miranda. Buddhist Goddesses of India. Princeton,
NJ: Princeton University Press. 2006
Miranda
Shaw in her epic collection and synthesis endeavors on highlighting twenty-two
goddesses and Buddhas within the Buddhist/Hindu pantheon. She endeavors to
right misconceptions and “errors regarding the identification, iconographic
manifestations, and attributes of a given deity.” (Shaw, 4). For those
goddesses who are taken from Hinduism, Shaw is able to ride the line between
the origins of these deities rooted in Hinduism, yet not dwell here, diving
predominately into their focus in Buddhist adaptation and appropriation. The main purpose of the text is to be used as
a reference for both scholars and educators, for research and instruction.
“…readers expect to find attention to the origins, iconography, and religious
roles of each goddess and discussion of her place in Buddhist history and
practice.”(4)
In
the manner in which Shaw proceeds into this work, is to give greater depth and
dimension to the breath of Buddhist goddesses, not often found in western
scholarship. Other than the introduction, Shaw does not venture into the debate
around why or why haven’t goddesses been a topic of research or scholarship in
the western literature unto this time. “She
notes that, while mention of Goddesses is widespread and long-term in works on
Buddhist art and history, Buddhist studies in general has not paid much
attention to goddesses, and the same basic information has been repeated over
and over, with few advances in interpreting and understanding these figures.”
(Gross 2008, 176). Although Shaw’s intent in this compendium is to be
informative, her perspective is to promote the scholarship of these goddess,
and to bring forward the “..field of goddess studies, which is emerging as a
serious branch of academic inquiry.” (Shaw, 12).
Shaw’s
relevance to my study from the text, is mostly from the information which she
has graciously provided about Yeshe Tsogyel’s embodiment of Prajnaparamita, and
of Saraswati. However her implicit reasons for writing this book, as well as
her introduction have validated my own theories about the role of goddess in
western Buddhist scholarship. Shaw draws
attention to the feminine divine in an effort to legitimize this area of study,
and is successful in her attempt, bringing the term “goddess” along with her to
this place.
Shaw, Miranda. Alf, “Is the Vajrayogini a Feminist?” Is the
Goddess A Feminist? The Politics of South Asian Goddesses. Erndl M.
Kathleen, Hiltebeitel eds, 166-180. New York, New York: Oxford University
Press, 2002, (2000)
In
this essay, Shaw takes on the similar question as in Passionate Enlightenment, about whether or not the Tantrika, in
this case Vajrayogini, can be
considered feminist as opposed simply a consort, slave, or a marginalized
female character. Shaw uses the same revisionist approach as she did in Enlightenment, researching female voices and ultimately elevating what she calls
“Tantric feminism”, which is “not previously recognized in andocentric
scholarship because the evidence was rendered invisible by the absence of an
interpretive framework in which to locate it.” (Shaw 173). This scholarship is
a bid outside of the box of this study, yet could be included in an expanded
view.
Simmer-Brown, Judith. Dakini’s Warm Breath, the Feminine Principle
in Tibetan Buddhism. Boston Massachusetts: Shambala Publications, 2001
Reading Judith Simmer-Brown’s extensive study into the
Dakini reminds me of the expression: “All newts are salamanders, but not all
salamanders are newts”, in the sense that “All women are dakinis' , but not all
dakinis’ are women.” Brown dives extensively into the throngs of what is and
isn’t, what makes and does not make the definition of the Dakini for the
western mind. The point she makes is neither feminist, nor psychological,
(using Jung’s shadow as her preferred psychoanalytical model). She rides the
metaphor that she cannot be defined, and thus uses stories and accounts of
dakinis’ throughout history to illustrate her thesis.
What I felt most helpful were the
stories of various dakinis’ following
the term from India to Tibet, giving examples along the way. She uses examples
from Yeshe Tsogyel, Khandro Rimpoche, Sukkhasiddi, Mandarava, Macig Lapdron,
Milirepa, and many others that punctuate her Decalogue. Her insight into
Prajnaparamita also furthered my understanding of the “maternal” role in
Tibetan Buddhism.
Klein, Anne Carolyn. Meeting the Great Bliss Queen. Boston,
Massachusetts:Beacon Press. 1995
I
found Anne Klein’s book bridging the gap between Feminist theory and Buddhism.
Her middle way approach, Klein meets feminist perspective with one foot in the
bathtub, while reaching for the towel of Dharma. “I continue to negotiate all
the divides and fissures within the Buddhist and feminist conversation, as well
as the uncharted spaces between them… Am I more a sculptor or a gardener? Can I
be both?” (Klein 18). One hand she feels
more “connectedness” upon visiting her first female teacher, Ani Mu Tso, yet on
the other hand she refuses to acknowledge that Tsogyel may serve as a role
model for women like her. She is mostly concerned with appropriation of Tsogyel
as a ‘”matriarch” or “role model” (22), than she is about asking why this may
be of importance. “It is a testimony to the intellectual power
of Klein's writing that rather than seeming ridiculous, these pairings are
quite compelling, suggesting new angles of vision on the Buddhists, the
feminists, and the questions of personhood. Klein also invokes at the beginning
of the book-and then returns to throughout as a kind of touchstone-the semi-mythical
figure of Yeshe Tsogyel, consort of Padmasambhava and great yogini who
symbolizes the enlightened state or Buddhahood in the form of a woman. The
"great Bliss Queen" of the title is seen by Klein as neither a
goddess nor female role model but as a symbol of enlightened selfhood: meeting
her is meeting oneself in a ritual evocation of the always already enlightened
qualities intrinsic to awareness itself.” (Kerafin 230)
I
agree with Klein that one must begin with the “self” as a self, and of a
particular culture. However, if searching “meeting the Great Bliss Queen is
meeting oneself” (22) then what is the danger of seeing Tsogyel as a “role
model” for those first becoming interested Buddhism? Yes, culturally there are
significant differences between a Western woman in the 20th century,
and Tsogyel, however, to the novice
there appears to be significant differences between themselves and the Buddha
as well.
Paul, Diana. Women in Buddhism, Images of the Feminine in Mahayana Tradition. London,
England: University of California Press, 1985
In
her groundbreaking 1979 work, Diana Paul takes on the issues of Women in
Buddhism throughout various primary texts. What I found most interesting in the
second edition, Paul opens the “preface” which reads, “Since the first edition
of Women in Buddhism was published in 1979, there still has been virtually no
research by scholars on this very important subject matter within the field of Buddhist
Studies.”(Paul ix). If there were any doubt, the bulk of this literature began
after 1985, and she opened the door for this discourse.
Paul
guides the reader through an appreciation of the wide varieties of ways in
which the feminine has been understood within the Buddhist tradition, from
“Temptress, daughter of evil”, to “mother”, to “the nun”, “Bodhisattvas both
with and without sexual transformation”, and onto the “Female Buddha?”. Paul
clearly states that she is interested only in “gender definition” and in so
casts light on all realms of “Women in Buddhism” where little is unaccounted
for, including Buddha’s mother herself.
Gross, Rita. Buddhism After
Patriarchy. A Feminist History, Analysis,
and Reconstruction of Buddhism. New York: State University of New York.
1993
In
this book, Gross takes the moniker of a “feminist Buddhist Theologian…I also
work both as an insider and an outsider” (Gross 5). She aspires to a simple primary task of
writing a “feminist revalorization of Buddhism.” (3) In her fearless endeavor,
Gross takes on many aspects of gender and Buddhism. The work reflects a career combining scholarship,
critical engagement, advocacy, and feminist concerns.
Gross
makes the case that other women Buddhist scholars, and male scholars alike
oppose, that the neutrality in the form of emptiness is in reality can carry a
danger of latent androcentrism. “Despite the ways in which insight into
emptiness cuts clinging and fixation, people unsympathetic to prophetic
criticism of the status quo, attempt on the basis of the idea of emptiness, to
defuse feminist objections to the conventional ways of proceeding and to
undermine feminist objections to the conventional ways of proceeding and to
undermine feminist visions to transformation.”(179). I agree with Gross on
this topic, that often neutrality lends
itself to at best neglect, at worst exclusion.
Shaw, Miranda. Passionate Enlightenment, Women in Tantric
Buddhism. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1994
Shaw
presents women as shapers of history and interpreters of their own experience
by revisiting texts and from this perspective exposes many assumptions that
have marginalized women in Buddhism, and reclaims the exploitive stories
created by men. In return the reader is given an engaged picture of Tantrisim
formed and shaped equally by women practitioners engaged in sacred sexuality.
“In
accordance with my hypothesis that women contributed to the development of
Tantric Buddhist practices, theory, and iconography..”(Shaw 131). Greater study
here could include more of this research to expand and grow and inform my area
of study.
Gross, Rita M. “Enlightenment
Consort, Great Teacher, Female Role Model.” Feminine
Ground, Essays on Women and Tibet. Ed, Janice Willis, 11-32. New York: Snow
Lion Publications, 1995, (1987).
This
article speaks directly to my topic of inquiry. Gross highlights Tsogyel’s
ability to transform and become enlightened through her skillful means of
relationships. “Her biography demonstrates a proper balance or prioritization
of relationship and spiritual practice. She seeks enlightenment and gains both
enlightenment and enlightened relationships.” I in turn have suggested that
this is path that Western women whom I believe are more relational in their lives
can be inspired and guided by Tsogyel’s experience and skill, therefore gaining
in their own practice.
Another
question Gross interjects is the question of Tsogyel as a role model, and why
there are so few like her? This is a theme that runs throughout my study.
Especially because “…there were a lot of women like her! Four of her eleven
root disciples were women and the text constantly narrates her interactions
with female students, both laywomen and nuns.” (Gross 31). She continues, “Models are much more our
inspiration than they are something that once existed separate from us.”
(ibid). I do not agree with her statement that “..Buddhist critique requires
different categories of explanation than does feminist Christian critique”(31),
because if one is searching for inspiration in a nirmakaya form, whether it be a Dakini, yogini, or saint, one is using a
dualistic path to achieve a desired outcome.
Miles, Margaret. “Roundtable Discussion: Feminist Religious History: Mapping Feminist
Histories of Religious Traditions.” Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion, Vol. 22, No. 1 (April 2006):
45–52.
In this “roundtable discussion” Miles sites
three strategies of methodology in researching a more complete history of
women’s involvement in the Catholic tradition (1) inclusion of
undiscovered/under-discovered primary source monographs, (2) reconstructed
women’s social experience (3) notice the absence of women from theological
texts. This is applicable to the method of
inquiry that I have engaged upon. “For
ultimately, if feminist scholars have learned anything from our labors, it is
that it takes the perspectives and contributions of many people to change the
way a body of thought is conceptualized and communicated.” (52)
Gross, Rita. “Roundtable Discussion: Feminist Religious
History, Response.” Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion, Vol. 22, No. 1 (Apr 2006):
67–74.
Gross’s
response to Miles and this discourse is of crucial importance to my own
work. Gross explains, “Religious practitioners, however, know that, in the
present, a religion constitutes itself, at least in part, on the basis of the
past it remembers. If women are represented as having fared badly in the
tradition’s past, there is less warrant for improving their situation in the
present. Consequently, practitioners are interested in finding a usable past, a
past that includes women with whom contemporary feminists can identify and women
whom they find inspiring.” (Gross 68). She calls upon the validity history and
accuracy important in examining feminist history. Her claim that “Western
androcentrism” is the most devastating and “constitute the fundamental obstacle
of doing feminist history.” (70).
Gross
also alludes to the problem of Western scholars omitting important stories like
the one of Yeshe Tsogyel, due to the andocentric views, as opposed to looking
deeper into Tibetan Buddhist version which incorporates Tsogyel as a part and
as significant as Padmasambhava. “Yet Western accounts of the origins of
Buddhism in Tibet, claiming to be more empirical by weeding out layers of
legend, almost never mention Yeshe Tsogyel. In the eyes of Western scholars,
she is part of the legendary overlay that must be excised to obtain accurate
history. For Tibetan Buddhists, however, it would be impossible to think of
their origins without thinking of Yeshe Tsogyel.” (72). (Although here she
makes the point that accounts of Tibetan sources are inherently less
andocentric, and more research needs to be done in this area). She concludes
with that her motives are political, and wants her examples to empower
contemporary women, (like me).
Gross, Rita. Soaring
and Settling : Buddhist perspectives on Contemporary Social and Religious Issues. New York: Continuum.1998
In
this book Gross has grown changed her perspective, alluding to healing and being drawn into new
understandings, maybe even beyond feminism. In this, she is perhaps saying that
being beyond feminism is neither being fixated with nor fixated by
what being a woman means in a patriarchal world. Being beyond feminism but
still feminist means being liberated to work with the conditions of one’s
being, perhaps where female expresses validity through articulation of its
different conditions of expression. Cautioning against a reductionism that
seeks feminine solely in women and masculine solely in men, she remarks that
her work with Vajrayogini “is like remembering or meeting again one’s true
self.” (Gross 197)
Allione, Tsultrim. Women of Wisdom. London, England:
Routlege and Kegan Paul, 1984
One
of the first books published by a woman on the topic of gender in Buddhism,
from the vantage of a practicing Buddhist, Allione tells the biographies of six
important Tibetan women; Nangsa Obum, Machig Labdron, Jomo Memo, Machig Ongjo,
Drenchen Rema, and A-Yu Khandro. Although I ultimately did not source any of
these stories, I found her the perspectives of her introduction helpful, and
her personal story in the preface inspiring to me to include my own story in
the introduction of my paper.
*****
Dowman, Keith. Sky
Dancer. The Secret Life and Songs of the Lady Yeshe Tsogyel. Ithaca, New York: Snow Lion Publications.
1996 (1984)
Keith
Dowman takes liberty in his translation, “took poetic license to use the first
person throughout.” (Dowman xvii). Thus
his emphasis in his translation was to “convey the precise meaning and
feeling-tone of the original in fluent English, rather than to reproduce the
peculiarities of the Tibetan style and diction.” (ibid). Perhaps this is what I
found makes his translation most exciting and alive for the reader. Of these
three translated published works, I felt closest to this text.
Doman’s research is extremely
detailed, and dedicates the second half
of this book to the “Commentary” section, which I have found extremely
informative to my research. Within the
“commentary”, he explores issues of historical importance, (both political and
that of the Nyingma lineage), as well as the issue of “women and the Dakini”.
He also includes a lengthy chapter on “The Path of Inner Tantra” a difficult
topic to decode for the uninitiated western audience. (Although I think his
translation was designed for the lay, and scholar, and practitioner alike).
Other
than the translation of the text itself and the historical information, the commentary on “Women and the Dakini”,
Dowman takes the position of the
woman, Tsogyel and stresses the kind of woman she may have
been given her circumstance and her accomplishments. I agree with Dowman’s
assertions about her character and skill throughout this part of the
commentary. “The Dakini sees all men as Guru; it is the sexual metaphor
describing her lack of discrimination and her willingness to unite with all men
that gives her a reputation for promiscuity. Lastly, confronting every situation
on the path, both adversity and good fortune, with equanimity that permits a
spontaneous response free from fear and emotively, seeing every movement
through the ‘third eye’, the eye of non-duel awareness, the Bodhisattva Vow
automatically motivates the Dakini’s word and action.
What is lacking of Dowman’s work is
an effort to understand to a greater extent where she he names as “..the
greatest female Mystic”, how a woman of
such stature fits into the Buddhist pantheon after seeking Buddhahood. He
skirts around this topic, by remaining in the past without regard of her
prominence and future implications.
Tulku,
Tarthang. Mother of Knowledge, The
Enlightenment of Yeshe Tsogyel. Berkeley: Dharma Publishing. 1983
Tarthang
Tulku orally translation the text which was than edited by Jane Wilhelms. I
found this translation to be much different than the other two in the respect
that there was a richer quality in the tone of being told a story by a learned
teacher such as Tarthang Tulku. The transliterations peppered throughout were
challenging and also somewhat more poetic. Tarthang Tulku dictated this to
spread the message of Tsogyel as “clearly and simply as possible.”(xviii). The
translator admits his faults in over simplifying the text and hopes that Western
students of Tibet logy and the Dharma will publish more in-depth translations.
I agree with his assessment, yet it was good to read this through eyes of a
Tibetan Tulku. This book is a labor of love, and of devotion, and it is from
this perspective that the translation was written.
Tulku does not explicitly go into the debate around
women in Buddhism, his implicit understanding that her form in that of a women
is clear. “It is good to remember that is through a woman that these teachings
have come down to us; and that the great Buddhist teachers have always
emphasized the importance of the wisdom nature of women.” (xxvi).
Nyingpo, Namkahi & Changchub, Gyalwa. Lady of the Lotus Born. The Life and
Enlightenment of Yeshe Tsogyal. Translated by the Padmakara Translation
Group. Boston, MA: Shambala Publications. 1999
In the
“Forward” of this translation, Jigme Khentse Rinpoche acknowledges the other
two translations which came before it, and write, “…that in these early days of
Buddhism in the West, to produce another translation, as a way to further
acquainting ourselves with the life of Yeshe Tsogyel, may be of some benefit.”(
Jigme Rinpoche viii). I can only interpret this statement to mean that this
translation be a more accessible one to the Western reader(?). He continues to write, “..It is clear that
Yeshe Tsogyel consciously decided to tell her story as a help to us in our own
lives.” (ibid). I believe the perspective of this version to be as an
inspirational story for the average practitioner, or Buddhist enthusiast.
In the
“Translator’s Introduction” he Jigme Rinpoche brings in the issue of gender.
“Nevertheless, although the book is naturally of particular significance for
women, in that it vividly refers to many of the difficulties and frustrations
that have beset religious women down through the centuries, it is important to
realize that it is of wider import and embodies a universal message her far
beyond considerations of gender. It is not our intention to get involved in
controversy arising from the complex and sensitive issues raised by the current
feminist debate. And yet within the context of Buddhism as a whole, it is
impossible to overlook the fact that Lady of the Lotus Born is unusually
outspoken.” (xxviii). He goes on to
state that there have been issues of “parity of status and opportunity to
women” (ibid). Yet is quick to point
out that “It would be a mistake and an
impoverishment to read Lady of the Lotus-Born as if it were merely a feminist
tract.” (ibid). Yet if it were so, why is her gender stressed repeatedly? From
an engendered place this would not have been necessary.
Ultimately,
I found this version oversimplified, and ambivalent of its perspective.
Zangpo, Ngawang. Guru Rinpoche, His Life and Times.
Ithaca, NY: Snow Lion Publications. 2002
Contains
both the Bon and the Indian account for the life of Guru Rinpoche. Useful
information from the perspectives of a scholarly, and as a long time
practitioner under Kalu Rinpoche. I found this information useful to inform the
background of Guru Rinpoche, some historical and anecdotal information.
Overall, this was a good source for the life of Guru Rinpoche, as well as the
supplication and visualizations for Yeshe Tsogyel. Zangpo mentions Tsogyel in
the introduction to the supplication chapter, (210) but other than that there
is little reference to her.
*****
Das, Sarat Chandra. Contributions on the Religion and History of
Tibet. New Delhi, India: Manjuâsri Pub. House. 1970.
This lovely old Indian text by Sarat
Chandra Das, (1849-1917), was said to be the “leading authority on the Tibetan
language, religion and history” of his time. I was able to glean some valuable
historical information, although I cannot speak to the scholarship of his work.
I assume that it has withstood the test of time, and was affirmed by other
sources.
Hoffman, Helmut. The Religions of Tibet. Translated by
Edward Fitzgerald. London, England: George Allen & Unwin LTD. 1961
An
interesting account of the Bon and pre-Buddhism in Tibet mingled with the
historical accounts. Hoffman reaches into the heart of Tibetan debate and goes
for the sometimes brutal takeover by Buddhist ruling monarchy. His opinion of
women, dakinis’ and other gendered related topics is non-existent. He likens dankinis
to a “Witches Sabbath” (54) and lumps
Padmasambhava’s “wives” altogether (55) in a clutch, (a gesture both
inaccurate, and undeserving for each one is very different). Nevertheless I
found his pictures, and his musings about the historical debates and accounts
both interesting and detailed. I cannot speak to the accuracy of his facts
however.
Tsogyel, Yeshe. Dakini
Teachings, Padmasambhava’s Oral Instructions to Lady Tsogyel. Translated
according to the oral teachings of Kyabje Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche by Erik Pema
Kunsang. New Delhi, India: Rupa & Co. 2007 (1999)
It was
good to understand the teachings to Tsogyel from this translation. This text
was not completely relevant to my study as much as it was informative about the
teachings, dialogue, and the teachings which later were hidden as treasures.
Allione, Tsultrim. “The Feminine
Principle in Tibetan Buddhism.” Buddhist
Women On the Edge. Contemporary Perspectives from the Western Frontier. Ed., Marianne Dresser, 105-116. Berkeley,
California: North Atlantic Books, 1996.
This
article is adapted from her book Women of
Wisdom, yet Allione adds a preface which brings her perspective twenty
years after her first book. She makes a point about the current problems which
continue to face women practitioners; non-inclusive language, exploitation by
male teachers, nuns treated with inequality, and “those who feel that bringing
these problems up is “dualistic” ( Allione 107). This article is encouraging in the respect
that women Western have only begun to translate and be recognized as
practitioners relatively recently.
Derris, Karen. “When the Buddha Was Woman. Reimagining Tradition in the Theravada.” Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion 24.2 (2008)
29-44
Although mostly
referring to the early Theravada medieval story where Buddha was reborn as a
nun (Jataka) this article brings to life the possibility of female boddhisattas
striving for Buddhahood. In her article she quotes Karma Lekshe Tsomo, a
contemporary American Buddhist scholar-nun reclaiming Buddhist textural
traditions; “To repudiate the canonical texts altogether
is problematic for Buddhists. Not only is it an affront to the sensibilities of
orthodox adherents, but it also calls into question the validity of the texts
as a whole. Even a revisionist view ruffles feathers among the orthodox, yet a
reevaluation of the texts is essential if women in Buddhism are to meaningfully
apply and actualize the teachings the texts contain.” (38)
This
article informed me of the workability of those nuns and practitioners that are
actively engaging by redefining roles of women in Buddhist societies. Yet it
also informed my research in many ways. “Merely
casting the Bodhisatta as a woman in this story was radical in the face of
Theravada tradition, but for what ends? Does this addition of a female lifetime
to the Buddha’s biography reflect a positive evaluation of women? Did the
Bodhisatta’s female identity offer valuable resources for Theravada women in
shaping their lives in Buddhist societies? These kinds of questions must be
posed if we are to assess if this
story valorizes women and supports women’s potential
to make progress along the
stereological path to Buddhahood. Buddhist perspectives on identity are
formulated over lifetimes rather than within the frame of a single life.” (40).
Although her questions are warranted, yet the author concludes that women and
men can reclaim their stories that will enable them to live full lives as
Buddhists, such as creating their own path as Bodhisattas.
Gyatso,
Janet. “A
Partial Genealogy of the Lifestory of Ye shes mtsho rgyal”. Journal of International Association of Tibetan Studies, 2 (August 2006), 1-27
This article is of particular importance
to my inquiry due to its current and relevant material. The author explores the
perspectives of historical, and the significance of Yeshe Tsogyel in regard to
significance of the female image in Tibetan Buddhist practice by surveying
multiple sources (some which are newly discovered). Also, she follows the text
through the hundreds of years where it appears and reappears in slightly
different versions, sighting the version by Taksham Nuden Dorje to be
“strikingly pro-woman” as opposed to the Drime Kunga’s version which she claims
“is tailored for a male audience.” Further study in this area is open for
investigation.
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[1]
Boord, Martin J. "A Pilgrims Guide to the Hidden Land of Sikkim,
Proclaimed by as a treasure by Rig'zin
Dro God Kyi Ldem Phru Can." Bulletin of Tibetology, p. 43, 2003
[2] Miles, Margaret. “Roundtable Discussion: Feminist Religious History:
Mapping Feminist Histories of Religious Traditions.” Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion,
Vol. 22, No. 1 (April 2006): 45–52. Noticing women's roles
in the history of Christianity also calls into question traditional
periodization, as exemplified in the late Joan Kelly's article "Did Women
Have a Renaissance?" in which Kelly demonstrates that, in fact, women lost
ground in public and private roles during the so-called Renaissance. (46)
[3] Rita Gross, Soaring
and Settling : Buddhist perspectives on Contemporary Social and Religious
Issues. (New
York: Continuum. 1998), 199. The prolific Feminist writer, turned
Buddhist practitioner/scholar is one such person. She claims that she came to Vajrayogini through her love for Kali,
“her favorite Hindu goddess then and now.”
[4]Tsogyal, Yeshe. Dakini Teachings, Padmasambhava’s Oral
Instructions to Lady Tsogyal. Translated according to the oral teachings of
Kyabje Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche by Erik Pema Kunsang. New Delhi, India: Rupa &
Co. 2007 (1999) Jamgon Kuntrol in his version of this story notes that
Padmakera killed a son of one of the ministers and was cast out to the charnol
grounds for punishment, p. xvii
[5]Thurman,
Robert. On
Tibet (1999), Epic Films. Thurman says this during an aside in his
lecture series
[6]Dowman, Keith. Sky Dancer. The Secret Life and Songs of the
Lady Yeshe Tsogyal. Ithaca, New
York: Snow Lion Publications. 1996 (1984),
“Thus ends the first chapter which describes how Tsogyel, having
recognized the propitious time for the conversion of all beings, projected an
apparitional form.” (9)
[7]Dowman, Keith. Sky Dancer. The Secret Life and Songs of the
Lady Yeshe Tsogyal. Ithaca, New
York: Snow Lion Publications. 1996 (1984) “The empire that Trisong De-tsen offered his
Guru included China, Jang (south of Lithang), Kham, Jar, Kongpo, Bhutan,
Purang, Mengyul, Guge, Hor, Mongolia, and the Northern Plains
(Jang-thang).” (314)
[8]Dowman, Keith. Sky Dancer. The Secret Life and Songs of the
Lady Yeshe Tsogyal. Ithaca, New
York: Snow Lion Publications. 1996 (1984) The above passage summarizes the
entire twenty-year period between the King’s Buddhist awakening and the great
convocation and the consecration of Samye. ( 312)
[9] One could make the argument
that the Bon were closer to “nature loving” and more embracing of the feminine
aspect than Buddhism at this time, and in so even suggest that Buddhism was a
patriarchal takeover of the animistic, indigenous Bon rites. In this way,
Tsogyel although female, is easily accepted to the people as an embodiment of
the new thought, yet in female form.
[10]Dowman, describes the various places the Bon retreated to, yet there
invariably were those practicing the Bon rituals, which later influenced and
shaped the traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. (114)
[11]Gyatso, Janet. “A Partial Genealogy of the Lifestory of Ye shes mtsho rgyal”. Journal
of International Association of Tibetan
Studies, 2 (August 2006). p. 3 Regarding
first the most basic matter – is Yeshé Tsogyel a historical figure? – we are
still not in a position to assert without doubt that there was an early Tibetan
female master of tantric yoga called Yeshé Tsogyel or even Kharchen Za. I can
say at least that there is consistency throughout the sources discussed below
in locating her birth date in a bird year and her birthplace in the district of
Drak, but there are discrepancies in these same sources concerning the names of
her parents and suitors. There is a brief mention of Kharchen Za Tsogyel in
some versions of the Chronicle of Ba (Bazhé). Interestingly, this work seems
itself to be responding to the historical question of why there are no
inscriptions about her by saying that she was one of the wives of Tri Songdé
Tsen who was engaged in meditative practice and therefore left no legacy
(chakri). However,
this statement is not to be found in the apparently earlier version of the
Chronicle of Ba recently published.
[12]Gyatso “A Partial Genealogy of the Lifestory of Ye shes mtsho rgyal”. Journal
of International Association of Tibetan
Studies, 2 (August 2006). The writer makes a
distinction that she is in control of her own faculty by her prayers being
answered, and having the faith or merit to ask to be liberated from her current
circumstance. (9)
[13]Cambell, June. Traveller in Space, Gender, Identity, and
Tibetan Buddhism. (Revised Edition, London England: Continuum. 2002). “In my own
experience, as the songyum of
a tulku-lama of the monastic Kagyu order, Kalu Rinpoche, only one
other person had knowledge of the relationship, which lasted for several years,
and which took place within the strictest bounds of secrecy.” (99)
[14] See Miles, “Feminist
historians tend to seek historical women who resisted victimization and found
ways to achieve distinctive subjectivities and authorization for their
work—individualists, in the context of their societies. In other words, we seek
historical women characterized by those qualities that we—rightly or wrongly—believe
ourselves to possess. Yet feminist historians, like other women, are heavily
inscribed by a society in which media culture replaces and strengthens
earlier societies’ face-to-face socialization.
And socialization informs not only behavior but also subjectivity.” (52)