Feast of Great Bliss

Vajrayogini self-initiation sadhana

Once we have completed a close retreat of actions and a fire puja, we are qualified to perform self-initiation. With this practice, we can renew and strengthen our Tantric vows and commitments and purify negativities, including Tantric downfalls.

It is important to practise self-initiation regularly because maintaining our vows and commitments is the foundation of all Tantric attainments and, if we break our vows and commitments and do not restore them through an appropriate method, this will be a great obstacle to our attaining Tantric realizations.

There are many benefits from performing self-initiation regularly. These include:

1. We open the door to successful practice of generation stage and completion stage
2. We cause the seeds of the four Buddha bodies in our mental continuum to ripen quickly
3. We come under the care of Heruka and Vajrayogini in all our lives
4. We receive the blessings of all the Heroes and Heroines so that we shall attain outer and inner Pure Dakini Land swiftly
5. We purify the heavy negative karma we have accumulated since beginningless time, and we increase our lifespan and merit
6. We fully restore our Bodhisattva and Tantric vows
7. We pacify outer, inner, and secret obstacles
8. In this way we easily reach the final attainment of No More Learning

We can perform self-initiation whenever we like. In particu- lar, as explained in Guide to Dakini Land, the two tenth days of each month are sacred to the Dakinis. If we make offerings and prayers on these days, it is especially powerful, and it is easier to receive the blessings of the Dakas and Dakinis. For these reasons, sincere practitioners of Heruka and Vajrayogini should not forget to make offerings on the two tenth days.

In addition, every year there is one month that is a very important time for practitioners of Heruka and Vajrayogini. This month, which lasts from the sixteenth day of the eleventh month of the lunar calendar to the fifteenth day of the twelfth month, is a powerful time for practitioners of Heruka and Vajrayogini to make offerings and do retreat.

The two tenth days within this month are particularly special. The first, which is the twenty-fifth day of the eleventh month, is a special day of Vajrayogini, and the second, which is the tenth day of the twelfth month, is a special day of Heruka. It is particularly important to make special offerings on these two days.