PART VIV: Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo and the Great Bliss Queen, Yumkha Dechen Gyalmo

On this full moon day, the Day of Miracles in the Tibetan Buddhist calendar, here is my final instalment about the final day of the Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo transmissions, Siliguri, January 2020, which ended with a ritual feast offering and sadhana for the Great Bliss Queen (Yumkha Dechen Gyalmo). Photos can be seen here.

Longchen Nyingtig by Jigme Lingpa

Yumka Dechen Gyalmo (ཡུམ་ཀ་བདེ་ཆེན་རྒྱལ་མོ་, yum ka bde chen rgyal mo) — the peaceful dakini practice from the Longchen Nyingtik, the terma revelation of Jigme Lingpa.  I was fortunate to get this empowerment and transmission at Shechen Monastery, Nepal from HH Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche when he gave the Longchen Nyingtig transmissions in April 2019.  It is one of the three roots practice of the Longchen Nyingtik together with Lama Rigdzin Düpa and Yidam Palchen Düpa. Although as a sadhana it is a Tantric practice, it is pervaded by the Dzogchen perspective.

In 1773 the omniscient Jigme Lingpa visited the Tsogyal Lake. There, amid wondrous signs, he beheld the face of the Wisdom Dakini. He also received the symbolic scripts which he deciphered in order to produce the practice text.

Embodiment of the three kayas

As a deity form, Dechen Gyalmo, is visualized red in color, standing alone, naked apart from jewelry made of flowers, pearls, and bone. Through this practice one understands the dakini Yeshe Tsogyal to be the embodiment of the three kayas.

• Ultimately she is Samantabhadri in the vast sphere of dharmakaya.

• Internally she is Vajravarahi in the pure land of the sambhogakaya.

• Externally she is Yeshe Tsogyal in the world of the nirmanakaya.

Additionally, in this practice, the one hundred peaceful and wrathful deities said to appear  in the bardo state after death are visualized at specific points within Dechen Gyalmo’s body.

Texts and translations

There is a great online resource here of the texts and English translations of the main sadhanas, commentaries and further reading. In particular, a short daily sadhana practice is available in Tibetan and English for free download at Lotsawa House website (see below):

1. Words of the Vajra Queen: An Essential Daily Practice of the Female Awareness Holder, by Third Dodrupchen Jigme Tenpe Nyima (rig ‘dzin yum ka’i rgyun khyer snying por dril ba rdo rje btsun mo’i zhal lung)

• English translation: Words of the Vajra Queen: An Essential Daily Practice of the Vidyādharas’ Female Practice, translated by Han Kop and edited by Jeremy Tattersall, 2019.

The sadhana practised on the final day of the Siliguri empowerments was a longer one, also available in Tibetan and English:

2) A Glorious Garland of Great Bliss—the Fundamental, Female Practice of Tsogyal, the Queen of Great Bliss, from the Heart Essence of the Vast Expanse, by Jigme Lingpa (yum ka mtsho rgyal bde chen rgyal mo’i rtsa ba’i sgrub pa bde chen dpal phreng)

• English translation: A Glorious Garland of Great Bliss—the Fundamental, Female Practice of Tsogyal, the Queen of Great Bliss, from the Heart Essence of the Vast Expanse, translated by Han Kop and edited by Jeremy Tattersall, 2019.

Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo texts

The texts composed by Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo in connection with this goddess do not appear to have yet been translated into English, such as:

• Shower of Great Bliss: A Lineage Prayer of the Female Awareness Holder, by Dorjé Tukchok Tsal (Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo) (snying thig yum bka’i brgyud ‘debs – rig ‘dzin yum bka’i brgyud ‘debs bde chen char ‘bebs)
• A Glorious Garland of the Two Accomplishments: An Abridged Feast Offering for the Female Practice of the Ḍākinī, by Pema Gyepé Dé (Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo) (snying thig yum bka’ tshogs mchod – yum bka mkha’ ‘gro’i tshogs kyi mchod pa nye bar bsdus pa grub gnyis dpal phreng)
• Innate Great Bliss Queen: The Heart Nectar of the Extremely Concise Practice (yum bka’ lhan cig skyes ma’i nyams len shin tu bsdus pa bdud rtsi’i snying po/)

I am now in the process of translating these texts and will update the website with a combined .pdf download when they are complete.

Video teachings

In 2018, HE Garchen Rinpoche gave several teachings on the Bliss Queen which can be watched on Youtube: