Sky Dancer

Keith Dowman’s masterful biography of Yeshé Tsogyel is three books in one – and it is the second section to which we primarily direct the reader’s attention. The second section of the book, titled ‘Commentary’, is particularly recommended to more experienced Aro students. It consists of Keith Dowman’s essays concerning the path of inner Tantra, the dakini principle, the history of the Nyingma lineages, and the historical context in which the biography is set. This section is amplified by excellent notes which are crucial to anyone wishing to understand Vajrayana as it has developed. This commentary provides a valuable background to understanding Ngak’chang Rinpoche’s teachings on the Mahasiddha tradition and the history of the gö kar chang lo’i dé.

The first section is a translation of Yeshé Tsogyel’s Tibetan biography by Taksham Nuden Dorje. This is itself a multifaceted work comprising a namthar—or sacred biography of its subject—interwoven with Anuttarayoga practice instructions and the history of the reign of King Trisong Detsen, during which she lived. The accompanying notes to the text contain a wealth of amplification of Tibetan Dharma terms and additional historical context.

The third section is a reference work crucial to understanding this book, and an excellent resource in itself: indices of Tibetan words, Sanskrit words, texts cited, place names, and the names of ‘men, Buddhas, gods and demons’ mentioned in the book. Although this work is demanding on many levels—the translated text is an eighteenth-century traditional-style namthar, and the practices described are Anuttarayoga and Dzogchen practices—persistent study is sure to be rewarded. Not only are Yeshé Tsogyel’s songs of realisation and exhortations to practice compelling and inspiring, but even on the level of an adventure story, the adventure being described is heroic and illuminating in ways difficult to define, but available to experience.

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