Free Fearless in Tibet: The Life of the Mystic Terton Sogyal by Matteo Pistono Page B

qualities of the Queen of Bliss, Yeshe Tsogyal, the spiritual consort of Padmasambhava.”
    When Khyentse and others advised Tertön Sogyal on dakinis, sometimes they referred to feminine deities, other times to semi-divine female beings that could guide Tertön Sogyal on the spiritual path. Dakinis sometimes manifested to Tertön Sogyal as women possessing special qualities or meditative realizations. Tertön Sogyal would always check the dynamic physical and psychological traits of the dakinis with the descriptions in the tantras and Padmasambhava’s prophecies to be certain that they were the proper individuals to assist him and with whom to practice ceremonies.
    “When the time is right, venture to Gonjo with this letter,” Khyentse said, handing Tertön Sogyal a note with his crimson seal affixed. “Ask the patriarch for the hand of his daughter, Pumo. Should she become your spiritual consort, the door to your storehouse of treasures will be flung wide open.”

    Khyentse’s prophecy about Pumo in Gonjo highlighted one of the most significant factors contributing to a treasure revealer’s achievements—connecting with a dakini as a spiritual consort. Tertön Sogyal understood the great significance of finding Pumo, for wisdom consorts are ideal yogic companions for giving rise to the great bliss conducive to spiritual realization. Such consorts ensure that no obstacles arise in revealing maps to the treasures, and safeguard that the meanings of the teaching are decoded perfectly and completely. Similar to a muse who inspires the wellspring of creativity for an artist or the fire of genius for a writer , a treasure revealer’s consort rouses the power and energy required for the discovery and decoding of treasures. While the guru is the source of blessings for the yogi, and the deity is the root of meditative accomplishment, the dakini consort brings the auspicious circumstances that ensure that all the interdependent factors coalesce at the right time in the right place. It is especially through this auspicious link and yogic practice with a consort that the treasures inside the mind of the tertön are unlocked.
    Tibetan yogis of Tertön Sogyal’s caliber use a specific understanding of the subtlest aspect of their bodies as the basis for their yogic practice with consorts. The human body has an intricate matrix of psychic-physical channels or conduits that feed into and run out of energy centers known as chakras; these chakras are located at the regions of the crown, throat, heart, navel, and genitals. Vertically connecting the chakras are meridians through which the body’s vital energies flow. Tertön Sogyal practiced yoga to gain control over the flow of the energies, and especially the vital essence within the subtle channels, so as to attain meditative realization and stability. He mastered yogic practices in solitary retreat, including complicated breathing exercises, specific physical postures, and manipulation of energies, for example, by locking the internal energy channels. Outward signs of yogic accomplishment manifested, such as holding his breath for more than ten minutes, or remaining suspended in air while his legs were crossed in a full lotus. Nomads sometimes saw Tertön Sogyal sitting in the frozen landscape of winter in only a cotton shawl, melting snow around him in a ten-foot diameter because of the radiance from his inner-heat practice. Inner signs were evident in that Tertön Sogyal could gather all the energies and prana of his body into his central meridian and arrest all thoughts, leaving his unbound awareness to mingle with space. But his ability to abide effortlessly in the direct recognition of nonconceptual wakefulness, whether during the day or during a sleep state, was supreme among his attainments. Never separating from the recognition of his pure nature, Tertön Sogyal mastered his yogic training and attained complete control of his winds, energies, and vital essence.
    Signs in