The Fifth Ling Rinpoché and Voula Zarpani : THE EIGHTEEN STEPS OF VAJRABHAIRAVA

The Eighteen Steps of Vajrabhairava is an important collection of texts for the practice of solitary-hero and thirteen-deity Yamāntaka, composed by the Fifth Ling Rinpoché, Losang Lungtok Tenzin Trinlé (1856–1902). This volume, containing unique instructions that were orally transmitted, was composed by Ling Rinpoché during a three-year retreat on Yamāntaka, the wrathful form of Mañjuśrī also known as Vajrabhairava. After completing his retreat, the Fifth Ling Rinpoché became a tutor to His Holiness the Thirteenth Dalai Lama, Thupten Gyatso. 

The eighteen steps provide remarkable clarity and detail on how to perform the preliminary and main practices of the approximation retreat of solitary-hero Yamāntaka as well as thirteen-deity Yamāntaka, including self-initiations, fire pūjas, tsok offerings, guru yoga, and more. It is essential reading for the highest-yoga-tantra practitioner.

While certain sections of the text, such as the sādhanas and the fire pūjas for the solitary-hero and the thirteen-deity Vajrabhairava, were available to qualified practitioners, the entire collection of these practices in a single volume was under a seal of secrecy, requiring specific permission to be read. However, in a significant development, His Holiness the Dalai Lama has recently permitted the translation and publication of this text into English, making these profound teachings accessible to English-speaking practitioners for the first time.

As a restricted text, this book is only available through Wisdom or Tsongkang

• Hardcover
• 640 pages, 6 x 9 inches
• ISBN 9781614299905