Yeshe Tsogyal (yeshe shogyel)

Yeshe Tsygyal is the real-life consort of Guru Rinpoche Padmasambhava. She is considered the
embodiment of all the dakinis, of which there are three levels:
1. Dharmakaya (Samantabhadra);
2. Sambhogakaya (Vajravarahi, Vajrayogini, White Tara, Green Tara, Mamaki, etc);
3. and Nirmanakaya (Yeshe Tsogyal).

The first Tibetan ever to attain complete enlightenment was in all probability the woman Yeshe Tsogyal,

closest disciple of Padmasambhava, the master who introduced the Buddhist teachings to Tibet in the

eighth century. Yeshe Tsogyal follows the complete Buddhist path, including the Dzogchen teachings,

and herself becomes a Guru of great power and wisdom. Yeshe Tsogyal is one of the two principal

consorts of Guru Padmasambhava. She was Vajravarahi in human form and also an emanation of

Tara. She was born as a princess in the clan of Kharchen and became the consort of King Trisong

Detsen before being offered to Guru Rinpoche as a mandala offering during an empowerment. She

specialized in the practice of Vajrakilaya and experienced visions of the deity and gained

accomplishment. In Nepal, she paid a ransom for Acharya Salé (shale) and took him as her spiritual

help and along with him ,through the power of her unfailing memory, she collected all the teachings

given by Guru Rinpoche in Tibet and concealed them as “terma”. At the end of her life, it is said, she

flew through the air and went directly to heaven. The wisdom queen, Yeshe Tsogyal, embodies

enlightened feminine principle. Yeshe Tsogyal lived during the eighth century as a Tibetan queen. As a

primary companion to Padmasambhava, She is renowned for Her realization and extensive enlightened

activity bringing benefit to all beings.

A Biography Of Yeshe Tsogyal

All the teachings of Tibetan Buddhism are contained in the life story of Yeshe
Tsogyal.Shakyamuni taught Buddhism in India and prophesied in future there would be a great
teacher in Danakosha, which is located in Afghanistan. This teacher was Guru Padmasambhava.
In the prophecy Buddha said he will teach more than me and will be based on the tantric tradition.
Before Guru Padmasambhava taught Tantra it was only practiced by a few. After Guru
Padmasambhava, it was widely spread all over the world. A saying says that Buddha Shakyamuni
taught mostly on sutra and Padmasambhava mostly on Tantra. Since then both teachings have
been spread widely in the world. According to Buddhism there are four ways of taking birth, from a
womb, from an egg, from warmth, and miraculously. Padmasambhava was born miraculously in
the middle of a lotus flower. At that time there was a king named Indrabodhi who was without a
son. He made many offering to the needy in order to gain the merit to have a son. He was blind
and a prophecy had said when his son came he would be able to see again. When he heard that
Guru Padmasambhava was born in middle of lotus he was happy and went with his retinue and
invited him to palace to be his adopted son. When he did this, his blindness went away.
Padmasambhava took the throne of Indrabodhi and served the people for 108 years. Then the
Tibetan King Trisong Deutsen invited him to Tibet and he went to teach. Trisong Deutsen was an
emanation of Manjushri and came to establish Buddhism in Tibet.

Yeshe Tsogyal is an incarnation of Goddess Tara and was born to help establish Buddhism in
Tibet. She was born in Taiyespa. Because Yeshe Tsogyal was a bodhisattva she could be in any
form or place that she chose. In order to assist Trisong Deutsen Yeshe Tsogyal she took birth in
Tibet. There were many auspicious signs at her birth. She nursed at a sandalwood tree with a
breast. She grew much faster than other children. She grew in one month as other children grew
in a year. When she played with other children she would leave her foot and handprints on rock.
She knew how to read without being taught. Her father asked her how and she replied I am
Yogini.She realized the need to escape from samsara and had the mind of bodhicitta. She was
compassionate and made offerings to the needy. She had a sharp mind and understood
everything and had a peaceful nature. She was devoted to the three jewels and practiced
meditation. Through her meditation she saw the true nature of existence.

At the age of seven and eight she prayed for the happiness of all sentient beings. She prayed to
gain knowledge and wisdom so that she could help others effectively. She had an extraordinary
compassionate mind and whenever anyone saw her they were peaceful and happy. At the age of
thirteen many noblemen requested that she be her bride. But because of her parents concern for
her, they did not give her to any of them. She always said she wanted to learn more and
understand how to help others effectively. She wanted to gain the wisdom that the Buddha had.
Her popularity and the signs at her birth and her great compassion became known throughout
Tibet and eventually came to Trisong Deutsen. He sent a minister to her home and asked them to
send their daughter to the king. When she heard of this request, she ran away from home to a
remote place where she took off all her jewelry, crushed them to dust and threw them in the ten
directions. She prayed to the Buddhas and bodhisattvas to remove the obstacles to
enlightenment.
When she prayed a sixteen year old boy appeared with a mala on his right hand. He said it
doesn't help to cry and destroy your ornaments. You need to have determination and pray to all
the Buddhas and bodhisattvas continuously. Your prayers will be heard and you will realize all
your wishes. The boy said come with me and I will show you the path to enlightenment. He took
her hand and they instantly came to a remote spot in Tsang.
It was a beautiful, verdant place. The boy was a manifestation of Guru Padmasambhava. The boy
taught Yeshe Tsogyal a teaching on life and samsara. He told her to remain in that place. Yeshe
Tsogyal asked him how she should practice when he was gone. He gave her the pointing out
instructions on the nature of mind and told her how to practice. She thanked him for his teaching
and asked him who he was and where he came from. He said I came from the dharmakaya and
whatever I said to you should practice. She asked to stay with him forever so that she could
receive teachings. She asked why can't you stay with me. The boy said to her the time will come
that I can be with you, but I cannot remain now for a long time, because I am an apparition. Then
the boy disappeared.

Yeshe Tsogyal felt a mixture of happiness and sadness. She wondered if all this was real or just a
dream. Then she thought it can't be a dream because she was awake. She was happy to be in
such a beautiful place. But she thought she didn't have food or clothing to stay there. Then she
saw wild animals in the area and thought she could live there if they could. So she lived eating
wild plants and drinking water. She continued to practice and as time passed she realized she
had developed some understanding. So she practiced in that way. When it rained she would stay
in a cave and at other times she would meditate outside.

At that time both her parents were constantly worried and berated the minister who had come to
take her to the king. The parents said you are the one responsible for her disappearance and is
your responsibility to track her down. The minister said I don't know anything of her
disappearance and returned to the king and told him what he had heard. The king sent out people
all over Tibet to look for Yeshe Tsogyal and bring her back. The king said whoever brings her to
me will be properly rewarded. The minister sent out many people to search for her.

At that time Yeshe Tsogyal was meditating at that remote place. Some pilgrims who came to visit
the area and saw Yeshe Tsogyal. They were amazed to see a young beautiful girl in that wild
place. They asked her where she came from and what she was doing there. She thought that if
she told them the truth they wouldn't understand and people would come to take her. So she
didn't tell them the truth. She told them she did not know who she was and where she came from.
She asked them where they were going and why they were passing through here. They answered
since you say you don't know, you are lying and we won't tell you where we are going either. They
said maybe you ran away from some place or you may be a nun who came to practice in this
secluded place. Maybe you ran away from the monastery so that you wouldn't have to practice
according to their rules. And anyway what do you eat in this place. She said I am eating wild
plants and drinking water and am self sufficient. If you strive for food and wordily goods it causes
sinful acts. By dwelling here I am free of this and am happy. She taught about the suffering of
samsara and how afflictive emotions arise from ignorance. She explained that these are like
poisonous food so she avoided them. The pilgrims were astonished and offered her food and tea.
They said please take this so we can accumulate merit. So the pilgrims left. After eating the food
and tea she felt healthier and took a nap. Eating wild plants make you feel lighter with less need
to sleep. The pilgrims spread the news about the nun meditating in the secluded place when they
returned to the village.

The evil minister heard the news and went to Yeshe Tsogyal's place. When the minister saw her
he said you have caused us a lot of problem and we have been looking for you all over. The
minister asked her why she was living such a miserable life in that place. It will be better if you
come along with me I am here to take you to the king. This king is not an ordinary person, he is
like a god. His name is Trisong Deutsen and I am here to take you to be his queen. You should be
happy about that. She told the minister to leave her there. To be a que of worldly life and I will
only accumulate suffering. It is better to stay here and practice dharma. So please leave. The evil
minister was furious. He said I came with the approval of your parents. Thinking this would be a
great benefit to you, I came here. If you don't agree to come peacefully I will use other
alternatives. I will have to force you to go to the king. He picked her up and carried her to the king,
ignoring her cries. In that way she was brought to the king. At that time she was thirteen years
old.

King Trisong Deutsen invited Shantarakshita and Guru Padmasambhava and many other great
pandits from India to come to Tibet. The king sent some intelligent boys to India to learn
Buddhism and later preach it in Tibet. And the king constructed the monastery of Samye Ling. He
had the Buddhist scriptures, and their commentaries translated into Tibetan. And gradually the
institutes where the teaching was learned and retreat centers where the teaching was practiced
were established throughout Tibet. The king received teachings from Guru Padmasambhava
including the Tantric teachings. When he received these teachings the king offered all his
possessions and his queen to Padmasambhava. Guru Padmasambhava established eight retreat
centers and taught nine fortunate students.

They were called fortunate because even though he taught everyone, but these nine had the
capacity to understand the teachings. In the Tibetan tradition there is a form of divination which a
student tosses a flower on a mandala and wherever the flower falls, the student gets that
teaching.

She then put her hands together and said three times:
"Guru Rinpoche, know me, think of me."(Means “O Dear Guru I pray at your feet mujhe jano mujhe
socho”)
Guru Rinpoche later made her his consort and gave her all the outer, inner, and secret empowerments.

Yeshe Tsogyal got the divination for the teaching of Vajrakilaya. Guru Padmasambhava told her
to practice, gave her the secret name Dechen Gyalmo and asked her to meditate and practice in
retreat. He prophesied that she would realize the extraordinary siddhi.
By practicing she saw herself as no different than Vajrakilaya. Although she had attained
realization already, she practiced in thousands of other retreats to bless them so that in the future
practitioners would not face obstacles in their meditations. She also attained the siddhi of
remembering whatever Guru Padmasambhava taught without writing it down. She also attained
the adamantine body which is unchangeable.
After attaining enlightenment, she acted for the benefit of others. The first service she did for
other was to free the evil minister who had been reborn in hell. She went down to hell and freed
not only the minister but many other beings in hell. Guru Padmasambhava sent her to Nepal to
free an acharya. It was a very difficult trip at that time. While she was travelling she encountered
seven robbers. They planned to steal her goods. When they approached her she visualized them
as deities and saw herself as giving her jewelry to them as offerings and with this attitude she did
so.
That caused the robbers to follow the path of virtue. When you receive empowerment you are
given nectar. It doesn't mean you attain liberation immediately, but it sets you on the path to
liberation. Similarly when you meet a great master you are set on the path to liberation.
When Yeshe Tsogyal was wandering in Nepal she met a young boy who asked if she was looking
for him. Yeshe Tsogyal thought this was acharya she was sent to free. To check this she
accompanied the boy to meet his parents. She asked them to stay in their house. The parents
allowed her to stay in a tent outside their house. When the parents heard her sweet voice and saw
her helpful nature, devotion to her arose in the parents. They asked her if she was human or
divine. she said you must let him come with me to Tibet to receive teachings from Guru
Padmasambhava. The parents would not accept this condition saying,
"We are not willing to have him go to Tibet. We would worry. Stay here in this house and you will
be happy."Yeshe Tsogyal said,"The boy should come with me to Tibet. That is my lama's
command and I must obey. You may keep all my belongings. Guru Rinpoche never told me to
stay here, so I cannot stay. If your boy goes he will gain enlightenment and you will also be freed
from your suffering."

The parents said if she could give gold equal to the boy's body, only then would they give their
son to her. She agreed to this requirement and told the parents they must keep their promise.She
went out looking for the gold and met a family whose son had just died were taking his body to be
cremated. She was overwhelmed with compassion for these parents because of their suffering.
She thought about what she should do. She went to the parents house and asked the parents if I
can restore your son to life, what would you give to me. The father was overjoyed He said if you
give my son life I will give you anything you ask for. Yeshe Tsogyal said you give me gold in
weight of your son’s body after I bring him to life.The father was overjoyed and threw himself at
her feet and implored her to restore their son to life. I will give you even more than you asked for.
Yeshe Tsogyal meditated and practiced and prayed to her guru Padmasambhava for some time.
Yeshe Tsogyal medit back into the dead body. Then slowly the dead body began to come back to
life. Sweat came fromof the body, the body warmed and the eyes opened and the son could say
mama. Yeshe Tsogyessed the boy and slowly he regained his health. The parents who were
stricken with grief, were completely owewhelmed with joy and news spread through Nepal. Then
the parents said they would give all their wealth to Yeshe Tsogyal. But she accepted only the
boy's body weight in gold and left for the other son.

Yeshe Tsogyal told the parents you should take this gold and give me your son in return. Her
renown in restoring the other son made the parents refuse the gold and they offered tir son to her
and they were completely devoted to her. They said,"It was not greed for gold but love for our son
that prompted us. Keep the gold and take our son with you."In reply Yeshe Tsogyal said that to be
reborn as a human is more precious than gold, so she wouldn't keep the gold. She said goodbye
to the parents and took Acharya Tsale with her. She went to Samye Ling and approached Guru
Rinpoche, who said it was very good that you were able to bring him here. They received all the
Tantric instructions from Guru Padmasambhava. They practiced and were able to attain
enlightenment.
Then their renown became so great that even Brahma was astonished. He heard that a second
Buddha had been born and he and his consort were teaching. He wanted to see if he was
teaching out of compassion or not. Brahma wanted to test Yeshe Tsogyal's compassionate mind.
So he came to Earth and disguised himself as a leper near to where she was meditating in a
cave. She heard his cries she was filled with compassion. She wished to help him. She said,
"Looking at your wounds, I can see you are in pain. If you keep on crying, this will not relieve your
pain. It is more important to find the cause of your pain, which is your negative actions. That will
be more helpful than crying. The three poisons are the cause of your suffering and you must avoid
them. You should confess your past misdeeds and I will try to find how to overcome your
sufferings."
Brahma said,
"I have met many people who promised to help me and were unable to. I do not think you will be
able to help me either. Many other people talked of helping me but didn't. So it is better for you to
leave me."
Yeshe Tsogyal said,
"I am trying to help you and not trying to cause you pain, so why should I leave you."
Brahma said,
"The reason why I want you to leave is my wife looked like you and she died a year ago. Looking
at you causes me suffering. So your presence causes me physical and mental pain. Many people
talk of helping me but don't. My pain can only be overcome by giving me a kneecap. But no one
will sacrifice this, so there is no use for you to be in my presence."
She felt so much compassion for the leper. She said,
"You should realize samsara is suffering and liberate yourself from it. If you realize your sufferings
are a result of your past actions and regret them, all your negative karma will be washed away. If
giving away my kneecap will help you I will do it."
The leper said,
"I am overjoyed that you are willing to give your kneecap."
The leper started weeping and said,
"Giving your kneecap relieves my physical pain, but how can you remove the mental pain of my
lost wife?"
Yeshe Tsogyal said,
"Once a person is dead they are gone, so it is better that you forget your wife."
The leper said,
"Since you resemble my wife, if you care for me like my wife , that will remove my mental pain.
But since you will not do this, it is better that you leave me."
Yeshe Tsogyal had so much compassion that she agreed to be take care of him. The leper was
overjoyed and very happy. He asked Yeshe Tsogyal to first give him her kneecap. When she did
so, she fainted. We she came to she saw the leper in the form of Brahma. She asked Brahma
where the leper was. Brahma was so much overjoyed he asked her forgiveness and told her he
was just testing her intentions. He fell at her feet and said he regretted his actions and would do
whatever she asked to help beings. He asked her to clear the path to enlightenment for the sake
of all beings.
. She had two primary students, Kala Siddhi and Tashi Chodron), who when Yeshe Tsogyal died
dissolved into her two breasts. She tend dissolved into a rainbow body 

Yeshe Tsogyal hid the treasures hidden by Padmasambhava and showed beings the path to
enlightenment. She lived for two hundred years. Then she transformed into the rainbow body and
directly went to Guru Rinpoche's Pure Land.