The Woman Who Became Wisdom
Yeshé Tsogyal was the youngest of the seven daughters of King Vajra Recall and Queen Accomplisher of Inner Luminosity. She was known as Princess Lady Lotus. Easygoing, disciplined, and noble in her demeanor, her speech was melodious. She was a pleasing sight, her radiant body shining with beauty. She spoke sweetly, and her mind was always filled with compassion.
Her body displayed all the marks and signs of physical perfection, embodying every positive quality. Outwardly, she resembled an excellent dakini, a manifest embodiment of enlightenment. Inwardly, she was Dakini Vajra Sow, and secretly, she was the dakini display of Buddha Ever-Excellent. Yeshé Tsogyal possessed every characteristic of the three dimensions of enlightenment, fully present in her essence. Although her wisdom mind rested in the expanse of the nature of reality, she assumed the two form dimensions of enlightenment to assist others.
Encouraged by the Buddha’s nondual compassion and fueled by her aspirations, the princess entered her mother’s blissful womb. In the first month of spring during the Earth Rat Year, she was born on the morning of the tenth day. Those around her noticed clear evidence of her past deeds and qualities. Without a doubt, they were confident she possessed every characteristic of an exceptional individual, and her remarkable acts brought them great joy.
A month after conceiving, the queen's dreams and daily experiences were filled with dakinis: multitudes of white women bathed her; blue women scattered flowers; yellow women offered her nectar; red women adorned her with jewelry; and green women circumambulated her. Many sixteen-year-old girls, in the prime of youth, surrounded the queen. Late at night, she often heard the sounds of supplications.
A month after the princess’s birth, light surrounded the infant’s body at an arm’s length; her speech naturally echoed spiritual teachings, and her mind remained in a state of evenness within clear light. By the age of eight months, she would enter a canopy of rainbows and light every morning. At night, she played with a group of young dakinis.
When she turned one year old, many young girls and boys gathered around her, and she bestowed empowerments upon them, including one called “Unsurpassable Array Pure Land.” She lived in a constant state of great bliss. At the age of eight, the princess began to show signs of clairvoyance and performed miraculous acts that revealed the nature of all things. By the age of eleven, she extensively taught the doctrines of the tantras. Her great intelligence, conduct, and joyful demeanor attracted many of her subjects.
