THE HISTORY OF

THE GREAT THUNDER SWORD VAJRA KILAYA

ACCOMPLISHMENT PUJA

Dorje Phurba is an important protector. He is the deity of the older Tibetan tradition and is of wrathful emanation of the water element. According to legend, a powerful demon-king with three heads and six arms once appeared from the grave and created havoc for sentient beings. The enlightened dieties -- Vajrasattva and Heruka took up the task of destroying the demon. To accomplish that, they had to manifest in the form of the demon itself - which is the Vajra Kilaya's form as wwe see him now. With his powerful dagger (phurba or kila) in his hand, he bans all magical hindrances of demons and evil spirits (i.e : angry nagas or pretas) to protect the practitioners on their way to enlightenment. Normally, he is surrounded by a huge mandala of accompanying deities.

Another version relates to Guru Padmakara (Tib : Guru Rinpoche). It was said that when the great Vajrayana master was engaged in spiritual practice in a cave on the border of Nepal and India, demons appeared and caused problems such as droughts and epidemics which lasted for three years. Guru Padmakara then sent two disciples to India to obtain the spiritual practice which was the Kilaya practice for subduing the demons. When they returned with the practice, the demons were so terrified of it that they fled immediately, taking all the problems that had created with them.

When Guru Padmakara was in Tibet, he transmitted that powerful practice to the fortunate king and the people of Tibet. Among them, Yeshe Tsogyal attained great accomplishments and received special blessings from practising the practice. Dorje Phurba was the heart practice of Yeshe Tsogyal, given to her by Guru Rinpoche to remove obstacles on her path to enlightenment. Through the practice of Dorje Phurba (the wrathful aspect of Vajrasattva), all delusions, outer and inner obstacles to realisation can be dispelled and thus opening the doors to limitless compasssion.

The Nyingmapa Dudjom New Treasure lineage is uniquely connected with the Vajra Kilaya practice. The supreme head of the lineage, the late H.H Dudjom Rinpoche received Kilaya (Tib: Phurba) dagger with blessings and initiations of the practice directly from Yeshe Tsogyal during a retreat in a cave. Subsequently, H.H Dudjom Rinpoche manifested as Vajra Kilaya, and numerous essence teachings naturally arose in his mind. H.H Dudjom Rinpoche could then clearly recalled his past incarnation as a disciple of Guru Padmakara.

As Dungse Garab Dorje Rinpoche practice developed, and is regarded as the lineage holder of the Dudjom New Treasure, Rinpoche received empowerments, oral transmissions and innumerable other teachings from H.H Dudjom Rinpoche which he had discovered in this life and in his previous life as Dudjom Lingpa. The practice that Rinpoche received from H.H Dudjom Rinpoche of course included the teachings of the Dorje Phurba. Rinpoche became accomplished in the Dorje Phurba practice and has the aspirations to bring the transmissions and practices to all others through empowerments, oral transmissions and teachings.