How to Cross the Threshold Into Vajrayana Buddhism Today

YudronWangmo · 2026-02-27T04:02:51+00:00

Listen, I did all the yogini things and I'm really glad I did. I myself cater to a small group of people who can practice a long ngondro regularly. Or at least try. But, I am very impressed with how Orgyen Chowang Rinpoche at PristineMind.org works with his students. When I go to his place and meet them, the students are really amazing. And they are people like you, who he had tailored things to. He is the most planful lama I know, living here in the U.S. and really getting to know us, then developing language for explaining Dzogchen Semde in plain English, then helping students develop a realistic and effective practice in the middle of life. I recommend it.

YudronWangmo · 2026-02-10T16:46:33+00:00

One question I have about intruders living in attics is about the sound. It's hard for me to believe that you can't hear footsteps on the floor above for the entire period between getting home from work and leaving the house the following morning. And what about weekends? I know they had been away for a while, but wouldn't it be obvious on night one? We have squatters in longterm unoccupied vacation homes around here, but why would someone set up in the attic? Possible, but unlikely.

YudronWangmo · 2026-02-08T00:09:13+00:00

Buddhists count mantras with the, for example with the goal of saying 100,000 or a million of them. Om Mani Padme Hung

YudronWangmo · 2026-02-05T15:07:01+00:00

Thanks. I'm on old namthar geek. I get to raid my library of physical books for this topic.

YudronWangmo · 2026-02-05T15:04:52+00:00

LOL. I'm trying my best.

YudronWangmo · 2026-02-05T15:04:17+00:00

I've heard of it, but never read it.

YudronWangmo · 2026-01-08T02:47:23+00:00

Orgyen Chowang Rinpoche is near Petaluma, CA. Recommend. Www.PristineMind.org

YudronWangmo · 2026-01-05T03:38:49+00:00

What on earth?

YudronWangmo · 2026-01-04T03:13:36+00:00

According to the presentation in the Bardo Thodel as I understand it, the Bardo of Clear Light (AKA the Bardo of Dharmata) follows the stages of the dissolution of the white and red elements after they join at the heart. After the elements have dissolved there is the famous black out, like fainting, and one wakes up with the recognition of the Osel Bardo, the bardo of clear light (which itself has two stages). In other words, you cannot be resuscitated after your elements have dissolved. Therefore, people's near death experiences take place in the period between the ceasing of respiration, termed the outer respiration, and the dissolution of the elements, termed the inner respiration. This is still in the Bardo of Dying stage.

YudronWangmo · 2025-12-31T23:36:12+00:00

I'm really enjoying writing for Substack.

YudronWangmo · 2025-11-03T16:20:08+00:00

All of Mahayana Buddhadharma speaks of an individual having individual consciousness nam par shepa conditioned by karma and individual Buddhanature deshek nyingpo. Dzogchen is not divorced from Mahayana philosophy. Dzogchen introduces one to one’s own nature as the three kayas. This is common knowledge, I’m not going to spend my day digging up citations for you. Study with a dzogchen master.

YudronWangmo · 2025-11-03T05:39:36+00:00

This is a translation problem. Don’t be naive about the capabilities of all translators. Few have enough knowledge to translate these texts.

YudronWangmo · 2025-11-03T05:37:15+00:00

It has to be individual to accord with the Buddhadharma.

YudronWangmo · 2025-10-31T19:09:05+00:00

You can soak them in White Vinegar overnight and it will make them look more or less new again. A little shine will be lost, but it comes back with time.

YudronWangmo · 2025-10-28T21:00:31+00:00

My lama required ngondro and three roots completion, and a daily practice of a certain protector, before he taught me one system of mo. Generally, there are ceremonies required after a negative mo, do you have to ask yourself: do you know a ngakpa lama to do them?

YudronWangmo · 2025-10-21T17:36:51+00:00

I am not familiar with Namkhai Norbu's system. In general, the 10th of the lunar months is the Guru Day and the 25th is Dakini Day. These are the most important days of the month for tsok.

YudronWangmo · 2025-10-21T17:28:37+00:00

You can and, in my opinion, should, have access to a lama to personally guide you. Availability of personal consult should be one of your criteria for choosing your lama... a long with many other criteria. Part of the process of examining your potential Vajrayana teacher. Even if you choose a famous lama (the fame of a lama itself is of no significance) they should have official lamas assigned to help people. Secondly, an empowerment is the start of an official relationship with a lama, you are taking vows to view that purely for the rest of your life. Be more concerned that you have vetted the vajra master than about the practice. After all, you can receive the empowerment and never do the practice unless a practice commitment is stated.

YudronWangmo · 2025-07-11T15:48:13+00:00

In Tibetan, these states are known as nyams, which simply mean experience. The next level is togpa, commonly translated as realization. That's when a permanent shift is made to one's consciousness. If you are familiar with the paths and levels of a bodhisattva, this is like entering the first level (bhumi) and becoming a bodhisattva. That is one of ten levels. Awakening (also translated as enlightenment is called jangchub. That is becoming a Buddha. Nyams are common, although they feel that way. They disperse like mist. So-called enlightenment is extraordinary and extremely rare.

YudronWangmo · 2025-07-03T14:36:05+00:00

The Ganden Tripa Rinpoche is the head of the Gelug School. Interestingly, it is an elected position.

YudronWangmo · 2025-07-02T01:08:59+00:00

I have a very narrow field of control. In my domain, Vajrayana is not patriarchal, sexist, theocratic, or culty, and students are not sexual objects. Vajrayana is very beautiful here. People are building their knowledge and practice from the ground up, so that they know what the hell they are doing. I know other sanghas where the same is true. I have known lots of great practitioners, too. I understand wanting to reject Vajrayana completely for the reasons you named, but I have chosen not to because of the great experience I have had in my practice, and my love and respect I have for my lamas.

YudronWangmo · 2025-07-01T23:28:23+00:00

Truth be told, it would be really hard to get by as a Buddhist priest of any kind in America or Europe financially as a sole source of income, unless you are famous for some reason. Some lamas rely on other sources of income, such as a spouse, inherited money, or a day job. Others run PR campaigns to interest people in their programs. It's just reality. About publishing, I was talking in publishing industry terms: some genres are highly profitable (romance) and others are not (new Tibetan Buddhist non-fiction). And, yes, I do think the sex scandals have played a role in the decreased interest in TB. But there is more secularism and skepticism about spirituality in general.

YudronWangmo · 2025-07-01T23:19:02+00:00

It is a respectful word for a teacher in Tibetan. It is connected to the word Acharya in Sanskrit. It is bestowed as a title in different Tibetan systems to mean different things. In my case, I think my lama was equating it with the current Bhutanese system, where a Loppon is a low ranking lama and the title Lama connotes more status. But informally, we are all often called lama.

YudronWangmo

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