A:There are only three:

(1) the commitment/pledge or symbolic being (Skt: samayasattva, Tib: dam tshig sems dpa') which is the deity visualized by/as oneself;

(2) the wisdom being (Skt: jnanasattva; Tib: ye shes sems dpa') which is the real deity abiding in dharmadhatu;

(3) the concentration being (Skt: samadhisattva; Tib: ting 'dzin sems dpa') which is what is within the heart of the deity, usually in the form of a seed syllable in one's heart.

The commitment being is analogous to the coarse body. The wisdom being is analogous to the subtle (primordial) body (phra-ba gzhug-ma’i lus). The concentration being is analogous to the most subtle mind.

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and for explanation

The Vajrabhaira practice (as a particular form of the Yamantaka practice) is very important because it deals with the two main obstacles to attaining enlightenment: (1) the external obstacle of the Lord of Death and (2) the internal obstacle of ignorance. Yamantaka is most powerful for destroying the external obstacles; Manjushri for eliminating the internal ones. Yamantaka, as the wrathful aspect of Manjushri, has two aspects, the interpretable and the definitive one. The actual definitive aspect is the deep awareness of the great union of bliss and emptiness of all the Buddhas. The interpretable aspect is manifest as a deity having thirty-four arms and sixteen feet in order to destroy the three types of the Lord of Death.

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Sumbharaja (Tib: gnod mdzes) is one of the divine forms we transform ourselves into during the main session of the (long) Single- or 13-Deity Yamantaka sadhanas. The forms we go through during the self-generation process are (in sequence):  (1) Sahaja Vajrabhairava (1 Face, 2 Arms); (2) Sumbharaja ; (3) Vajrasattva (3 Faces, 6 Arms); (4) Vairochana  (3 Faces, 6 Arms); (5) Manjushri (1 Face, 2 Arms); and finally (6) Vajrabhairava (9 Faces, 34 Arms). We appear as Sumbharaja right after we have generated the mandala of the four elements and the protection wheel, transforming from the HUM syllable in the center of that wheel. This light blue HUM, which is in the nature of our own mind, dissolves into light from which we arise as Sumbharaja.

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Death, intermediate state, and rebirth are central to the teachings and the practice of Tibetan Buddhism. Contemplation and meditation on death and impermanence are considered very important for two reasons : (1) only when we understand how precious and how short life is we make an effort to make it meaningful and to live it as fully as possible;  and (2)  once we understand and familiarize ourselves with the death process, we will be able to face death without fear and ensure a good  rebirth.

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A: Not quite. Apart from the color both figures can be distinguished by how they hold vajra and bell. Vajradhara holds them with his hands crossed and turned inwards, whereas Vajrasattva shows the vajra. It is best seen in direct comparison.

General Preliminaries

• Refuge and Generating Bodhichitta
• Guru Yoga
• Review  of the Graduated Path
• Supplication to the Lineage Gurus

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 Offering Practices

Dharma protector practices include elaborate "fulfill and restore" rituals, called "Kangso" (Tib: bskang-gso), in which we, as (self-generated) Buddha-figures, remind the protectors to fulfill the oaths that they promised and restore our close bonds with them by making special offerings. Another common ritual is the golden libation, the Serkyem Offering (Tib: gser skyems), in which we offer alcohol or black tea to the protectors, but without tasting it ourselves. We may also simply invite the protectors into our mandalas to make offerings, especially of tormas, and to make requests (Tib: gsol 'debs). Often these rituals call for an extensive invocation of the main protector's retinue. In the West, people informally call all these practices "protector pujas". There are two Mahakala and one Palden Lhamo Kangsos available for registered users in the Download section.

Another example of a protector practice is the Cha-sum (The Ritual of the Three Parts) puja (Tib: cha gsum) (available for download from the Gyuto Center website). This ritual is said to be very powerful to eliminate obstacles which occur in one’s life and spiritual practice. Rather than using wrathful means to harm the interfering spirits, one offers them tormas, praises, and various offerings such as water, flowers, incense, lights, perfume, food, and music.

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El comentario acerca de "Yamantaka, el Héroe Solitario" esta  disponible (429 kB) para ser descargado por los miembros registrados (429Kb).

Muy pronto todas las sadanas y rituales estarán disponibles en español.

Sección español.

These 10 day retreats were organized after many years of study and retreat by myself in the Tibetan Buddhist system.  I also attended 2 ten day Vipassana retreats during those years, one lead by Goenka himself in the early ’70’s and another in Canada by one of his students in 2000.  I was always impressed by the direct nature of experience that the Goenka retreats generated.  Keep in mind at the time of the second vipassana retreat I had done more than 7 years of solitary retreat and some of those retreats in excellent conditions of complete isolation.  I fully appreciated the experiences I generated but on a basic level I found the vipassana more helpful for beginners.  I generally found the Tibetan system intellectual and that when those students moved to tantra they tended to again be out of touch with their bodies, thus causing much lung (anxiety) and other imbalances.  In doing the vipassana retreats I discovered a great improvement in my meditations in tantra and although the Vajrasattva meditations should have accomplished this, they often again became more a visualization and mental observation than actually getting in touch with the body and its energies and feelings.   Therefore out of frustration as a westerner to deepen my practice I decided to mix these two worlds and so produced this above process.  It completely relies on the teachings of our great Guru Lord Buddha and his 2nd emanation Je Tsong Khapa but incorporates the two systems in a manner more suitable for western practitioners in my humble opinion.

To elaborate I have included a progression I utilize in Mexico called Shamata I, II and III.

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Sadhanas are usually composed by authoritative teachers and vary quite a bit in length (and scope). There are long or extensive, medium-length, and short or abbreviated ones. As rule of thumb, most Nyingma and Kagyu sadhanas tend to be shorter than their Sakya and Gelug counterparts, mainly because the latter employ a gradual, very detailed (self-) generation of the deity, whereas in the former employ very often an "instantaneous arising" of the deity, foregoing a detailed account of the looks and implements. There are also differences depending on the purpose of the sadhana. A daily practice for a particular deity may be just two pages long whereas the retreat and/or self-initiation sadhana of the same may span over some fifty or more pages. When taking on a new practice it is usually recommended to start with the long sadhana, and only when you have familiarized yourself with it sufficiently switch to a shorter one.

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