This document provides teachings about the deity Namgyälma from Tibetan Buddhism. It explains that Namgyälma, also known as Ushnisavijaya, is a female deity practiced to remove obstacles to a long life. Her practice belongs to the first section of tantra, known as kriya tantra. The document outlines the four sections of tantra - kriya, charya, yoga, and highest yoga - which were taught by the Buddha to address the mentalities of the four main castes in ancient Indian society. Practitioners can choose a deity according to which section of tantra and mentality is most congruent with their own. Namgyälma specifically helps to prevent premature death

1. Namgyälma
Teachings by Venerable Chöje Lama Phuntsok
Ushnisavijaya en Sanscrito

2. Sūtra
According to the Sūtra a devaputra by the name of Susthita was enjoying the supremely wonderful bliss of heavenly life. But then he suddenly heard a
voice in space saying,
Devaputra Susthita, you have only seven days left to live. After death, you will be reborn in Jambudvipa (Earth) as an animal for seven successive lives.
Then you will fall into the hells to undergo more sufferings. Only after fulfilling your karmic retribution will you be reborn in the human realm, but to a
humble and destitute family; while in the mother’s womb you will be without eyes and be born blind.
On hearing this, Devaputra Susthita was so terrified and rushed over to the Heavenly Palace of Lord Sakra. Bursting into tears, he prostrated himself
and telling what had happened to Lord Sakra. Lord Sakra immediately calmed his mind to enter Samadhi. Instantly, he saw that Susthita would undergo
seven successive evil paths in the forms of a pig, dog, jackal, monkey, python, crow and vulture, all feeding on filth and putrescence. Lord Sakra could
not think of any way to help Susthita. He felt that only the Tathagata, Arhat, Samyaksambuddha could save Susthita from falling into the great sufferings
of evil destinies.
Soon after nightfall, Lord Sakra made preparation and head to the garden of Anathapindada. Upon arrival, Lord Sakra prostrated himself at the
Buddha’s, then circumambulated the Buddha seven times clockwise in worship, before laying out this great Puja (offerings). Kneeling in front of the
Buddha, Lord Sakra described the future destiny of Devaputra Susthita.
Instantly, the usnisa (crown of the head) of the Tathagata radiated multiple rays of light, illuminating the world in all ten directions—the light then
returned. The Buddha smiled and said to Lord Sakra, “Lord of Heaven, there is a Dharani known as the Uṣṇīṣa Vijaya Dhāraṇī. It can purify all evil
paths, completely eliminating all sufferings of beings in the realms of hell, King Yama and animal, destroy all the hells, and transfer sentient beings onto
the virtuous path.” After hearing all the disclosure, Lord of Heaven appealed to the Buddha to discourse of this great Dharani. The Buddha aware of Lord
Sakra’s intention and his eagerness to hear His discourse of this Dharani and so immediately proclaimed the Mantra. Then the Buddha told Lord Sakra,
“The Mantra is known as the ‘Purifying All Evil Path’ Uṣṇīṣa Vijaya Dhāraṇī’. It can eliminate all evil karmic hindrances and eradicate the suffering of all
evil paths.” Again the Buddha told Lord Sakra that this great Dharani is proclaimed together by Buddhas as numerous as eighty-eight kotis (hundred
million) of the grains of sand of the Ganges River. All Buddhas rejoice and uphold this Dharani that is verified by the wisdom seal of the Vairocana
Tathagata.
Again the Buddha reminded Lord Sakra should in turn transmit it to Devaputra Susthita and in addition you yourself should receive and uphold it, recite,
contemplate and treasure it, memorise and preserve it. This Dharani should be widely proclaimed to all beings in the Jambudvipa world and entrust him
for the benefit of all heavenly beings. The Buddha also reminded Lord Sakra should diligently uphold and protect it, never letting it to be forgotten or lost.
After the Lord Sakra received this Dharani practice from the Buddha, he returned to his heavenly palace to convey it to Devaputra Susthita. Having
received this Dharani, Devaputra Susthita kept practices as instructed for six days and six nights, after which all his wishes were completely fulfilled.
When seven days were over, Lord Sakra brought Devaputra Susthita, together with other heavenly beings, respectfully approached the Buddha and
presented their grand offerings. Once they have respectfully circumambulated hundred thousand times, paid homage to the Buddha, then happily took
their seats and listened to the Buddha preach the Dharma.
The World Honoured One then extended his golden arm and touch Devaputra Susthita to bestowe a prediction of Devaputra Susthita attainment to
Bodhi.[1]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uṣṇīṣa_Vijaya_Dhāraṇī_Sūtra#cite_note-ChineseEnglishMalay-1
devaputta ("son of god")

3. Venerable Chöje Lama Phuntsok

4. Presented at Karma Theksum Tashi Chöling, Hamburg, in October 2011.
This article of teachings that Venerable Chöje Lama Phuntsok generously imparted
is dedicated in memory of His Eminence the Third Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche,
Karma Lodrö Chökyi Senge (1954-1992),
to the long life of His Eminence Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche, Lodrö Chökyi Nyima,
His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje,
all prestigious Khenpos and Lamas of the Karma Kagyü Lineage, and
to the preservation of the pure Lineage of Jamgon Kongtrul Lodrö Thaye.
* * *

5. Namgyälma is a yidam deity. She is never separate from and is always together with Tsepame and White Tara.
Namgyälma’s full name is gTsug-tor-rnam-par-rnam-gyäl-ma in Tibetan, Ushnisavijaya in Sanskrit. Tsepame is
spelled Tshe-dpag-med in Tibetan and is Amitayus in Sanskrit. White Tara is sGrol-ma-lha-mo in Tibetan. All three
yidams are deities for long life (tshe-ring in Tibetan).
Nobody has power over their life-span. Some people have a long life, and others have a short life. What is a life?
When the body and the mind are together. What does it mean to have a long or a short life? When ones body and
mind are strong, one has a long life. When they are weak, one has a short life. That is how we generally see it. But it
does happen that a strong person has obstacles, in which case his or her energy force (tshe-dbang) is influenced
and thus diminishes. When it is lost due to an obstacle, a person has a premature death. It is necessary to dispel
obstacles when they arise, and it would be very beneficial to do so.
There are people who seldom get sick because they are healthy and therefore they can engage in daily activities
with ease. But there are strong and healthy people who encounter an obstacle through an accident and die in a car
crash, for example. There are also people who get sick very often but live a long life. Most people who don’t get sick
think that they will live long. Only few people who never get sick are fully aware of the fact that they will die. People
who aren’t aware of this fact also die. People usually think, “I am healthy. I’m not sick. So why should I die?” The
thought that they will die never occurs to them.
Even if one is young and healthy, one will die one day or obstacles might arise that cause an earlier death. Older
people are more apt to be aware of the fact that they will die soon and many of them get scared. Since every one
who was born dies, being frightened of death is useless. In short, every one has a specific life force that enables that
individual to have a certain life-span. Come what may, it is our responsibility to eliminate obstacles that impede us
from living a long life.

6. Through the skilful means that are enlightened activities of great compassion, an awakened Buddha, like Buddha
Shakyamuni, can help us live up to our responsibility to remove obstacles and live a long life. An awakened being
who can help us is called “a deity.” Medicine Buddha, for example, is an enlightened specialist who can best help
beings become free of sicknesses and suffering. Likewise, Namgyälma is an enlightened specialist who can best
help beings become free of obstacles that cause a premature death. Depending upon the needs, disciples meditate
a specific enlightened specialist who is called “yidam.” A yidam (spelled yi-dam inTibetan) is a tutelary deity that
forms the main object of ones meditation.
Buddha Amitayus, Tsepame in Tibetan, is the main yidam deity that enables practitioners to live a long life. In order
to fulfil the varying needs of disciples, Tsepame has two helpers who can be meditated on for more specific
purposes. As mentioned, these two helpers are Namgyälma and White Tara.
Tsepame appears as a male deity, and Namgyälma and White Tara appear as female deities. In Buddhism,
specifically in Vajrayana Buddhism, it doesn’t matter if a deity is male or female. Why? Because there is no
difference at this level. Deities simply are in a male or female form. Male appearances of a yidam represent skilful
means, thabs. Female appearances of a yidam represent wisdom, shes-rab. We need to integrate the practices of
both skilful means and wisdom to accomplish the final result, which is perfect enlightenment. If we do not do this,
we will not be able to surmount limitations and restrictions that everyone encounters and has.
In Vajrayana, there are deities in yab-yum, i.e., male deities in union with their female consorts. This has nothing to
do with worldly ways, rather, it is the unity of skilful means and wisdom. One can have strange thoughts if one sees
pictures or statues of these Vajrayana deities and doesn’t know what they mean. So, it is good to know. Looking at
Namgyälma, she is the emanation of wisdom, shes-rab. Since she is never separate from Tsepame, her essence is
skilful means, thabs.

7. To know what meditating Namgyälma means, we need to understand the four sections of tantra (rgyüd, ‘continuity’).
The practice of Namgyälma belongs to the first section, which is kriya tantra (spyöd-rgyüd). The other three
sections are charya tantra (bya-rgyüd), yoga tantra (rnäl-‘byor-rgyüd), and annuttara yoga tantra (bla-med-‘byor-
rgyüd). The four sections of tantra are quite a vast field. The practice of Tsepame and White Tara belong to
annuttara yoga tantra, which is also called “maha yoga.” Since different skilful methods are needed for the many
different types of disciples who want to tame their mind, there are these four sections of tantra (rgyüd-sde-bzhi). It
would be good to know about them, so let me explain.
During the times of Buddha Shakyamuni, 2500 years ago, there were four different groups of people in India. They
were divided into castes. The highest group in society were the priests, the brahmans (bram-ze in Tibetan). Directly
below the brahmans were the second highest group in society, the ksatryia (rgyäl-rigs). They were members of the
royal family and were rich and stately. The third group was the vaisya (rig’u-rigs). They were the merchants and
tradesmen. The fourth group of people were the working folks and they were looked upon as belonging to the
lowest sudra caste (dmangs-rigs).
Hinduism was the only religion in India at the time of Buddha Shakyamuni. There was no other group of Hindus who
were higher than the brahmans. This caused them to be very proud of themselves and they thought, “We are the
best and the cleanest in the whole land.” To remedy their pride, Lord Buddha taught the skilful methods of kriya
tantra. To tame the minds of individuals belonging to the ksatriya and vaisya castes, Lord Buddha taught the charya
and yoga tantras. Most citizens belonged to the sudra caste. They were people who had different jobs, lived
different lives, and were, of course, very poor. To help them tame their mind, the Buddha taught the fourth and
highest section of tantra, the annuttara tantra, which is also called “mahayoga.” The yab-yum deities belong to this
highest section of tantra.

8. Everybody can reflect and think about which class in society they belong to. Maybe we think, “My way of thinking is
more like that of the brahmans.” Or, “I am of the rich, powerful, and beautiful class of individuals in my society who
are very influential. I belong to the royal class.” Or, “I am a worker and am common.” Is there anybody here who
thinks they belong to the priestly caste? It would be very good for you to engage in practices of kriya tantra. Is there
anybody here who thinks they belong to the royal and influential group of citizens in their society? If you want to
deal with your negative states of mind and tame your mind, it would be good to engage in practices of the second
kind, charya tantra. Is there anybody here who thinks they belong to the merchant caste? You should resort to the
practices of yoga tantra. Is there anybody here who thinks they belong to the lowest class in society? You should
engage in the practices of highest yoga tantra.
Looking at the mentality of those persons who thought they belonged to the brahman caste, they thought, “I am the
greatest. Only the cleanest and the best are good enough for me. I don’t waste my time doing things that ordinary
folks do.” They were very concerned about cleanliness and rejected anything that they thought was dirty. Therefore
they didn’t drink alcohol and didn’t eat meat, garlic, and onions that poor people relied upon for their meals.
Brahmans only ate food or drank liquids that they thought were clean and pure, like milk, especially cow milk. This
is one reason the cow was seen as pure. It was declared to be holy, which is why it was thought that eating beef
meant consuming the body of a divinity. That was the way brahmans thought, which is still the case for brahmans
living in Nepal. There are still many people in modern societies who think that common people are impure, refuse to
associate or have anything to do with them, and don’t even allow them to enter their kitchen. Should anyone they
consider impure visit them, they have to eat outside; even the dishes they ate from are washed outside. Westerners
do not think like this, or? Has the cow been declared holy in your country because of its milk? Westerners don’t
have a second thought about eating beef. In any case, this is how it was in India during the times of Buddha
Shakyamuni and it is the reason he taught the practices of the first section of tantra. The Buddha taught highest
tantra for the benefit of common people who ate meat and drank alcohol. The deities of highest tantra also appear
in yab-yum, in union with their consort. When seeing images of these deities, it is important to know that they
belong to highest yoga tantra.

9. Now that you understand which mentality is addressed in the different sections of tantra, you can better choose
which practice would be best for you. For example, Japanese and Korean Mahayana Buddhists mainly engage in
the practices of the first two tantras. Mahayana Buddhists from Mainland China practice the first tantra. Mahayoga
tantra was and is the main practice of Tibetans. Buddhists living in Thailand, Sri Lanka, Burma, etc. practice neither
mahayana nor vajrayana, but engage in the practices as taught in the theravada tradition of hinayana. To find out
which practice is best, it is important to know that Buddhism is not just one set of practices and to know how
Buddhists living in other parts of the world think and act. Many doubts and questions arise if one isn’t informed about
the differences. In short, it is best to practice a yidam that accords with ones wishes and needs and with whom one
has a close connection. If one meditates on a yidam that doesn’t harmonize with ones character, then the benefit is
minimal.
Namgyälma is a female deity of kriya yoga. She belongs to the group of deities that are practiced to have a long life.
Her specific attribute is to remove obstacles that shorten ones life-span. Nyungne (smyung-gnäs) is also a practice
of kriya yoga. It is the practice of fasting while focused on the Buddha of Compassion in his eleven-faced and
thousand-armed form.
Student: “Is Green Tara practice also kriya yoga tantra?”
Chöje Lama: There are Green Tara practices on all four levels of tantra.
Next question: “Is Medicine Buddha, kriya yoga or mahayoga?”
Chöje Lama: There are also practices of Medicine Buddha on all four levels of tantra. There are also practices of
Buddha Amitabha on all four levels.
Next question: “Does it make sense for me to meditate Namgyälma if I’m meditating Medicine Buddha?”
Chöje Lama: One accumulates merit by meditating on Medicine Buddha. One experiences to which level one has
progressed and realizes when one has perfected the practice.
Another student: “The yidam is the same. The tantric level depends upon ones attitude.”
Translator: “This means one can practice on the highest level.”
Student: “If you haven’t advanced as far and are still practicing dualistically ...”
Translator: “In the teachings on Medicine Buddha that are being taught this weekend, we heard that he belongs to
the highest tantric level. If one practices on the kriya tantra level, then it is a kriya tantra practice. If one is like a
brahman who rejects anything that is dirty, then, although one is practicing a yidam of highest yoga, one is actually
on the first tantric level.”

10. Next question: “Would Rinpoche explain when it is correct to practice a yab-yum deity and the difference to
practicing Medicine Buddha of highest yoga tantra that is not yab-yum?”
Chöje Lama: As you said, Medicine Buddha of highest tantra does not appear in yab-yum. The difference is that the
outer appearance symbolizes the unity of wisdom and skilful means.
Same student: “My question is whether the practice of a yab-yum deity is the same or is different?”
Chöje Lama: You should do whatever is best for you. If you think a yab-yum deity is best for you, choose one to
meditate on. For example, if one wishes to meditate the Six Yogas of Naropa, then it would be important to meditate
Vajrayogini. One isn’t inclined to meditate the Six Yogas of Naropa when one meditates Medicine Buddha.
Vajrayogini is not in yab-yum but only appears as a female deity. The staff (khatvanga) that she carries represents
her male consort. Guru Rinpoche is also depicted with a khatvanga, which represents his female consort. Since the
consort is present in another form in some practices, it isn’t always necessary to choose a yidam that appears in
yab-yum.
Next question: “Can one practice Green Tara and Medicine Buddha or does one have to choose between the two?”
Chöje Lama: You can do both. When one is hungry, one can eat more than just bread. This means, there is no
reason not to eat rice just because one has bread.
Next question: “I have a question about Namgyälma. Is she connected with Buddha Amitabha?”
Chöje Lama: He is the papa -- that was just a joke. Buddha Amitabha (‘Öd-dpag-med-pa, ‘Measureless Light’) is the
dharmakaya aspect of Tsepame, who is his sambhogakaya emanation. Dharmakaya (chös-sku, ‘truth body’) is the
first of the three perfect bodies of a buddha. Sambhogakaya (long-spyöd-rdzog-pa’i-sku, ‘the body of perfect
enjoyment’) is the aspect of a buddha that appears to advanced practitioners. Namgyälma is a female nirmanakaya
(sprul-pa’i-sku), which is the aspect of a buddha that appears to ordinary beings. The essence of Tsepame and
Namgyälma is the same as the essence of Buddha Amitabha. That is why I joked that he is the papa.
Next question: “Is Tseringma also a female goddess?”
Chöje Lama: Tseringma is a name that means ‘long life.’ Are you mentioning her because of her name?
Same student: “Is Tseringma a yidam deity?”
Chöje Lama: Tseringma you are referring to is not a yidam meditation deity. She is a protector.
Next question: “Will you explain Namgyälma’s attributes later?”
Chöje Lama: We can do it now.

11. Namgyälma has eight arms and holds different implements in each hand. Her hands and the implements symbolize
her enlightened activities that benefit others. The four arms on each side show that she accomplishes four activities
in helping others. The four activities (läs-bzhi) are: pacifying, increasing, magnetizing, and subjugating. Namgyälma
holds a double-vajra in her upper right hand and a lasso in her upper left hand; both are held to her chest. She has
her second right hand in the mudra of generosity and holds a vase in her second left hand, which is in the meditation
position. She holds an arrow in her third right hand and a bow in her third left hand. She holds an image of Buddha
Öpame in her fourth right hand. Her fourth left hand is placed in the mudra of protection.
Looking at the meaning of the implements and the gesture of the right hands, the double vajra is the very symbol of
enlightened activities. We saw that Buddha Öpame is the dharmakaya aspect of a perfect buddha, Tsepame is the
sambhogakaya aspect of a perfect buddha, and Namgyälma is the nirmanakaya aspect of a fully accomplished
buddha. This is shown by the image of Öpame. The arrow symbolizes shes-rab, ‘wisdom.’ The gesture of generosity
shows that Namgyälma gives everyone what they need. Looking at the left hands, the lasso symbolizes snying-rje,
‘compassion.’ The gesture of protection symbolizes thabs, ‘skillful means.’ The bow symbolizes being a protective
refuge for all living beings. The nectar that is in the vase symbolizes medicine that dispels the suffering and pain of
all living beings.
Namgyälma has three faces. Her middle face is white in color, her right face is red, and her left face is blue. Her
white face expresses that she is neither peaceful nor wrathful but is fully balanced. The expression on her white face
means that she removes all obstacles that endanger the life-span of sentient beings. Her red face that faces to her
right side symbolizes her pacifying activities. Her blue face that faces to her left side symbolizes her subjugating
activities. Namgyälma has three faces because she deals with a great variety of sentient beings. Some of them are
in need of wrathful methods to relinquish obstacles and thus to tame their mind. Others need peaceful methods to
help them tame their mind. Others do not need the one or the other but a state between the two, which is why
Namgyälma has a smile on her middle face.
Question: “Why learn about Namgyälma if one has another practice?”
Chöje Lama: She is in the entourage of many deities, so it is good to know about her.

13. A Few Teachings during the Empowerment
Now I will impart the empowerment of Namgyälma. The first thing we do is to offer a gtor-ma. Torma is called
“baling” in Sanskrit and means ‘food offering.’
Making a torma that has a specific form is a Tibetan tradition. Since there wasn’t a large variety of food in Tibet, they
used flour mixed with butter to make tormas. If it isn’t possible to make a torma, one can offer cookies or something
edible, which is just like a torma and serves the same purpose. Because we know that it is necessary to remove
obstacles to our practice of Dharma, we offer a torma or food. To whom do we offer a torma? We offer it to obstacle-
makers, which can be evil spirits or malevolent demons. We imagine that after having accepted our torma, they
leave.
By making an offering of the visualized universe, called “mandala offering,” disciples request the Lama, who is
inseparable with Namgyälma, to allow them to receive the empowerment.
The empowerment consists of five parts. They are the empowerments of body, speech, mind, qualities, and
enlightened activities. The purpose of the first part, the body empowerment, is to be purified of all negative physical
activities that one carried out with ones body and to receive Namgyälma’s blessing to become inseparable with her
body. Her body is represented by the vase during the ritual. The purpose of the second part, the mantra
empowerment, is to be purified of all negative speech that one spoke and to receive Namgyälma’s blessing to
become inseparable with her speech. Her speech is represented by the mala during the ritual. The purpose of the
third part, the mind empowerment, is to be purified of all negativities of the mind and to receive Namgyälma’s
blessing to become inseparable with her mind. Her mind is represented by her picture. The fourth part, the
empowerment of her qualities, is carried out to receive Namgyälma’s blessing to have the same qualities that she
has. Her qualities are symbolized by the implements that she holds in her hands.

14. The purpose of the fifth empowerment is to receive Namgyälma’s blessing so that one can carry out the same
enlightened activities that she does. Her enlightened activities are represented by five colors. They are seen by
visualizing white light streaming from her forehead and dissolving into ones forehead; red light streaming from her
throat and dissolving into ones throat; blue light streaming from her heart center and dissolving into ones heart
center; yellow light streaming from her navel and dissolving into ones navel; and green light streaming from her
secret center and dissolving into ones secret center.
By having dissolved into a disciple, each color removed a specific obstacle. The white light is merit that has
enabled all sicknesses to be overcome and cured. The yellow light is merit that has enabled obstacles to ones
life-span to be removed. The red light is merit that has enabled the energy force of ones life to be condensed. The
green light is merit that has enabled all obstacle-makers, i.e., demons and evil spirits, to be removed. The blue
light is merit that enables one to have all enlightened activities that Namgyälma has.
While touching the implements of the empowerment with folded hands, the disciples pray to His Holiness Gyalwa
Karmapa by repeating “Karmapa khyenno.” Having received the five empowerments, disciples trust that they
received Namgyälma’s blessings of body, speech, mind, qualities, and enlightened activities.

15. PART Powers of
Empower and
Purify negative
activities carried
out with
Represented in the
ritual by
1 Body The body The vase
2 Speaks
The speech (the
mantra)
The mala
3 Mind The mind Namgyälma's image
4 Qualities Qualities
The implements he
holds in his hands
5
Illuminated
Activities
Illuminated activities The five colors
Empowerment in five parts
Body Light Cure
Front
White
light
All diseases
Throat
Red
light
It condenses the
energy force of
life
Center of
your heart
Blue
light
Get the
illuminated
activities of
Namgyälma
Belly
button
Yellow
light Obstacles to life
Secret
center
Green
light
Eliminate all
obstacle creators

16. The Mantra and Practice
The commitment of the empowerment is to repeat the mantra 7 times a day. If one is meditating another yidam, it
suffices to repeat the first three syllables of the mantra, which are OM DRUM SVAHA. If Namgyälma is ones main
practice, one repeats the entire mantra. As said, like Tsepame, Namgyälma is a long-life yidam deity. If one meditates
Namgyälma to remove obstacles that diminish ones energy force, then one should repeat the entire mantra. The mantra
is:
/ Om Drum Svaha / Om Amrita Ayur Dade Svaha //
DRUM is Namgyälma’s seed syllable and represents her mind. It is white. AMRITA means ‘nectar,’ AYUR means
‘life,’ so AMRITA AYUR means “long-life nectar.” If we want to live long, we have to take long-life nectar. Therefore
the translation of the mantra is, “Namgyälma, please give me long-life nectar.” One calls her by speaking the short
mantra, OM DRUM SVAHA. If one calls her and she appears, one has to tell her what one wants. Therefore one
says, AMRITA AYUR. It’s like calling a waiter when in a restaurant and telling him what one wants to eat. So, OM
DRUM SVAHA, “Namgyälma, please come.” OM AMRITA AYUR DADE SVAHA, “Please bring me long-life nectar.” It
doesn’t really make sense to just call Namgyälma again and again by saying, OM DRUM SVAHA – OM DRUM
SVAHA – OM DRUM SVAHA. So, one says the second part of the mantra, OM AMRITA AYUR DADE, when one
speaks the first part of the mantra.
Student: “Does DADE mean life?”
Chöje Lama: You can think of it like that. Repeating the mantra is very beneficial, especially to remove obstacles that
shorten ones life-span.

17. You have received the empowerment that permits you to meditate Namgyälma. Whether she becomes your main
yidam practice or not, in any case, you should recite the mantra at least 7 times a day. Having received the
empowerment, you promise to do what she says. You need a long life and don’t need obstacles, so you say, OM
DRUM SVAHA, “Hello Namgyälma!” OM AMRITA AYUR DADE SVAHA, “Please give me long-life nectar.”
To thank Namgyälma for having received her empowerment, you offer her a mandala. Then you dedicate the merit
of having received the empowerment for the well-being of everyone else and recite wishing prayers for them.
Let us repeat “Karmapa khyenno” to help eliminate any hindrances that obstruct His Holiness Gyalwa Karmapa
from coming to Europe.

18. Dedication Prayers
Through this goodness, may omniscience be attained
and thereby may every enemy (mental defilement) be overcome.
May beings be liberated from the ocean of samsara
that is troubled by waves of birth, old age, sickness, and death.
By this virtue may I quickly attain the state of Guru Buddha, and then
lead every being without exception to that very state!
May precious and supreme bodhicitta that has not been generated now be so,
and may precious bodhicitta that has already been never decline but continuously increase!
May the life of the Glorious Lama remain steadfast and firm.
May peace and happiness fully arise for beings as limitless in number as space is vast in its extent.
Having accumulated merit and purified negativities, may I and all living beings, without exceptions,
swiftly establish the levels and grounds of buddhahood.

19. Closing Words
Organizer: “Speaking the famous last words, I would like to thank Venerable Chöje Lama Phuntsok for having
offered very profound, strong, and loving teachings. Many participants told me that they benefitted immensely. I am
also very happy to give you a donation for the water pump at Karma Lekshey Ling in Nepal. We want to thank
Gyalpur for his untiring help, too, and Hannelore Wenderoth for her fabulous translation.”
Chöje Lama: Next to Kamalashila, the Dharma Center in Hamburg is one of the best in Germany, and I am very
happy to have returned this year and to have seen how it has developed positively. You have everything you need
-- a stupa in the garden, a resident Lama, and you practice together. This makes me very happy. Thank you very
much, especially for being concerned about the water pump at Lekshey Ling. There are so many problems at the
monastery -- the water problem, the electricity problem, the bad street, etc. Nothing functions without water, so the
water problem is really a big problem. It is embarrassing for me to always have to ask for help for my monastery,
but what should I do? It is my karmic duty. I fear that when I visit the next time, you might say, “Oh, here comes
Lama Phuntsok with all his problems.” If I’m not careful, I will get the bad reputation of being a problem Lama. We
really appreciate your help. Europe is a rich nation, and your donations have an immense effect in Nepal. The
water pump has helped us greatly, so I want to thank you very much for your donation.
To help remove obstacles that impede His Holiness Gyalwa Karmapa from coming to Europe, let us repeat
“Karmapa khyenno” together.

20. Sincere gratitude to Julia Feichter from Hamburg for having made the recording of the teachings available to
us. Photo of Chöje Lama Phuntsok taken by Bema Örser. Photo of Roses of Sharon taken by a friend and
offered here. In reliance on the fabulous simultaneous translation from Tibetan into German that Hannelore
Wenderoth kindly offered, the teachings were translated into English and the manuscript was arranged by
Gaby Hollmann from Munich, who is responsible for any mistakes. Copyright Chöje Lama Phuntsok, Karma
Lekshey Ling Institute, Nepal, and Karma Theksum Tashi Chöling, Hamburg, 2011.
May the precious Buddhadharma spread throughout the world and help everybody remove any obstacles that
impede them from realizing the true nature of their mind!
Notes and Glossary
Source of the original file at:
http://www.dharmadownload.net/pages/english/Natsok/0014_Leksheyling_teaching/
leksheyling_teachings_0024.htm
Versión en español en:
https://www.slideshare.net/DharmavsKarma/namgyalma-226996736
All errors in translation, interpretation and preparation of this presentation are by Karma Wangchuk
Sengue. May the merit of presentation be for the benefit of all beings, so that they are freed from
suffering and the causes of suffering.
Khatvanga. khaṭvāṅga of Sanskrit खट्वाङ् ग (khatuaanga) is a long staff originally conceived as a
weapon and sometimes finished in a trident. (https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khatvanga)

21. Graphic Teaching
Support

22. Buddha Amitabha
Öd-dpag-med-pa (Öpame), ‘Measureless Light’
The Dharmakaya aspect, chös-sku, "truth body"
Buddha Amitayus
Tsepame
Tshe-dpag-med
sambhogakaya emanation (long-spyöd-
rdzog-pa’i-sku, ‘the body of perfect
enjoyment’) is the aspect of a buddha
that appears to advanced practitioners.
White Tara
sGrol-ma-lha-mo
Namgyälma
Ushnisavijaya
gTsug-tor-rnam-par-rnam-gyäl-ma
is a female nirmanakaya (sprul-pa’i-sku), which is
the aspect of a buddha that appears to ordinary
beings.
The three yidams deities for a long life
(tshe-ring en tibetano)

23. Imagen: Usnisavijaya, Chhatrapati Shivaji
Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Usnisavijaya
Namgyälma has eight arms and has different implements in each hand.
His hands and implements symbolize his enlightened activities that benefit others.
The four arms on each side show that she performs four activities to help beings. The four activities (läs-bzhi) are: pacifying, increasing, magnetizing, and
subjugating
double vajra in his
upper right hand
a loop in your upper
left hand
his second right
hand in the mudra
of generosity
holds a vase in his
second left hand,
which is in the
meditation position
holds an arrow in his
third right hand an arch in his third
left hand
holds an image of
Öpame Buddha in his
fourth right hand.
His fourth left hand is
placed in the mudra of
protection.

24. Looking at the meaning of the implements and the gesture of the right hands
Right hands Left hands
1
The double vajra is the symbol of
enlightened activities
The loop symbolizes snying-rje,
"compassion."
2
Öpame Buddha is the dharmakaya
aspect of a perfect Buddha,
Tsepame is the sambhogakaya
aspect of a perfect buddha and
Namgyälma is the nirmanakaya
aspect of a fully realized Buddha.
This is shown in the image of
Öpame.
The gesture of protection
symbolizes thabs, "skillful means."
3
The arrow symbolizes shes-rab,
"wisdom"
The arch symbolizes being a
protective refuge for all living
beings.
4
The gesture of generosity shows
that Namgyälma gives everyone
what they need.
The nectar in the vase symbolizes
the medicine that dissipates the
suffering and pain of all living
beings.
Image source:
https://drukpachoegon.org/
dechenchoekhorgrandpuja/
specialnamgyaltongchod-fjacm

25. Namgyälma has three faces.
Her middle face is white in color, her right face is red, and her left face is blue. Her white face expresses that
she is neither peaceful nor wrathful but is fully balanced. The expression on her white face means that she
removes all obstacles that endanger the life-span of sentient beings. Her red face that faces to her right side
symbolizes her pacifying activities. Her blue face that faces to her left side symbolizes her subjugating
activities. Namgyälma has three faces because she deals with a great variety of sentient beings. Some of
them are in need of wrathful methods to relinquish obstacles and thus to tame their mind. Others need
peaceful methods to help them tame their mind. Others do not need the one or the other but a state between
the two, which is why Namgyälma has a smile on her middle face.

26. No one has power over the duration of his life.
Some people have a
long life
Other people have a
short life.
What is a life? When body and mind are together.
When the body and
mind are strong
When the body and
mind are weak
What does it mean to have a long or short life?
Obstacles
Diseases
There are people who seldom get sick because they are healthy and therefore they can engage in daily activities with ease. But there are
strong and healthy people who encounter an obstacle through an accident and die in a car crash, for example. There are also people who get
sick very often but live a long life. Most people who don’t get sick think that they will live long. Only few people who never get sick are fully
aware of the fact that they will die. People who aren’t aware of this fact also die. People usually think, “I am healthy. I’m not sick. So why
should I die?” The thought that they will die never occurs to them.
Even if one is young and healthy, one will die one day or obstacles might arise that cause an earlier death. Older people are more apt to be
aware of the fact that they will die soon and many of them get scared. Since every one who was born dies, being frightened of death is
useless. In short, every one has a specific life force that enables that individual to have a certain life-span. Come what may, it is our
responsibility to eliminate obstacles that impede us from living a long life.
But it does happen that a strong person has obstacles, in which case his or her energy force (tshe-dbang) is influenced and thus diminishes.
When it is lost due to an obstacle, a person has a premature death. It is necessary to dispel obstacles when they arise, and it would be very
beneficial to do so.

27. The four sections of tantra (rgyüd, "continuity") (or the four types of tantra)
(rgyüd-sde-bzhi)
In Sanskrit In Tibetan Prácticas Caste
1 kriya tantra (spyöd-rgyüd)
The practice of
Namgyälma
The highest group in society
were the priests, the
Brahmins (bram-ze in
Tibetan)
2 charya tantra (bya-rgyüd)
The second highest group in
society, the ksatryia (rgyäl-
rigs). They were members of
the royal family and were
rich and majestic.
3 yoga tantra (rnäl-‘byor-rgyüd)
The third group was the
vaisya (rig’u-rigs). They were
traders and merchants.
4 annuttara yoga tantra (bla-med-‘byor-rgyüd)
The practice of Tsepame
and White Tara belong to
annuttara yoga tantra,
which is also called "maha
yoga"
The fourth group of people
were the workers and were
considered as belonging to
the lower sudra caste
(dmangs-rigs).

28. / Om Drum Svaha / Om Amrita Ayur Dade Svaha //
The Mantra of Namgyälma
༄༅།།ཨ%་'ཾ་)*།ཨ%་ཨ་+ི་ཏ་.་/0་ཏཻ་)*།།
Let us repeat "Karmapa Khyenno" to help eliminate any obstacle that obstructs His Holiness Gyalwa Karmapa
ཀ3་པ་མ6ེན་ནོ།

29. "NAMO BHAGAVATE TRAILOKYA PRATIVISISTAYA BUDDHAYA BHAGAVATE. TADYATHA,
OM, VISUDDHAYA-VISUDDHAYA, ASAMA-SAMA SAMANTAVABHASA- SPHARANA GATI
GAHANA SVABHAVA VISUDDHE, ABHINSINCATU MAM. SUGATA VARA VACANA AMRTA
ABHISEKAI MAHA MANTRA-PADAI. AHARA-AHARA AYUH SAM-DHARANI. SODHAYA-
SODHAYA, GAGANA VISUDDHE. USNISA VIJAYA VISUDDHE. SAHASRA-RASMI,
SAMCODITE, SARVA TATHAGATA AVALOKANI, SAT-PARAMITA, PARIPURANI, SARVA
TATHAGATA MATI DASA-BHUMI, PRATI-STHITE, SARVA TATHAGATA HRDAYA
ADHISTHANADHISTHITA MAHA-MUDRE. VAJRA KAYA, SAM-HATANA VISUDDHE.
SARVAVARANA APAYA DURGATI, PARI-VISUDDHE, PRATI-NIVARTAYA AYUH SUDDHE.
SAMAYA ADHISTHITE. MANI-MANI MAHA MANI. TATHATA BHUTAKOTI PARISUDDHE.
VISPHUTA BUDDHI SUDDHE.
JAYA-JAYA, VIJAYA-VIJAYA, SMARA-SMARA. SARVA BUDDHA ADHISTHITA SUDDHE. VAJRI
VAJRAGARBHE, VAJRAM BHAVATU MAMA SARIRAM. SARVA SATTVANAM CA KAYA PARI
VISUDDHE. SARVA GATI PARISUDDHE. SARVA TATHAGATA SINCA ME SAMASVASAYANTU.
SARVA TATHAGATA SAMASVASA ADHISTHITE, BUDDHYA-BUDDHYA, VIBUDDHYA-
VIBUDDHYA, BODHAYA-BODHAYA, VIBODHAYA-VIBODHAYA. SAMANTA PARISUDDHE.
SARVA TATHAGATA HRDAYA ADHISTHANADHISTHITA MAHA-MUDRE SVAHA."
The Long Mantra of Namgyälma
Find a pronunciation of the mantra and a transmission by Jetsun Choekyi Gonpo in:
https://drukpachoegon.org/dechenchoekhorgrandpuja/specialnamgyaltongchod-fjacm

30. The Long Mantra of Namgyälma
(Usnisa Vijaya Dharani Sutra)
sung by Imee Ooi
You find it in:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgoCnLGcS3k

31. May all beings be well, at peace and happy