Yang Nying Pudri

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Yang Nying Pudri thangka commissioned by Sogyal Rinpoche

Yang Nying Pudri (Tib. yang snying spu gri), the Razor of the Innermost Essence, a cycle of Vajrakilaya practices revealed as a terma by Tertön Sogyal. It is the main yidam practice of the Rigpa sangha.

Khenpo Jikphun said that the three main Vajrakilaya termas of Tertön Sogyal are Yang Sang Tröpa, which is very long, Yang Nying Pudri, which is of medium length, and Yang Zab Nyingpo, which is quite short.

History

The Revelation

Tertön Sogyal’s biography, which was written by Tulku Tsullo, describes how the terma was revealed. In the autumn of 1895, Tertön Sogyal went with Jamgön Kongtrul to Tsadra Rinchen Drak, a sacred site closely linked with both Jamgön Kongtrul and Chokgyur Dechen Lingpa, and one of the twenty-five holy places of east Tibet, representing ‘the wisdom mind of enlightened qualities’. There, high up on the hillside, Tertön Sogyal approached ‘The Cave that Delights the Awesome Heruka’, where, his biography recounts:

“The outline of the terma door stood out clearly in the rock face, and when he saw this, he became as if excited and flung a stone at it. At once the earth shook with a great crashing sound, as though a whole mountain was subsiding. An aperture in the rock gaped open, and an exquisite fragrance flooded out to fill the air. Tertön Sogyal plunged his hand into the opening and withdrew a kutsab—a representation of Guru Rinpoche—in a striding posture and gripping vajra and phurba, and along with it, the casket containing the terma of Yang Nying Pudri. Wrapping them carefully in silk so that no one might see, he placed them in the terma chest held by his consort. The terma trove in the rock was also full of amrita, but he said that it was not his to take and he would not remove it. However, his consort pleaded with him insistently, and to avoid disappointing her, he took some of this amrita, which liberates when tasted, and left the remaining treasure just as he had found it. He offered a substitute for the terma, and closed the door and sealed it well. Then Jamgön Kongtrul Rinpoche approached the site, and together, in joyful gratitude, they all celebrated a tsok feast, offered tormas to please the terma guardians, and made prayers of dedication and auspiciousness on a grand scale, aspiring to benefit the Dharma and all living beings.”

The Empowerment of Yang Nying Pudri

The empowerment has been given to the Rigpa Sangha on several occasions, including:

  • His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Lerab Ling, September 19th 2000
  • Kyabje Trulshik Rinpoche, Lerab Ling, Saturday June 28th 2003
  • Kyabje Trulshik Rinpoche, Lerab Ling, Thursday December 8th 2005