Who are the Tibetan yogis?
They are also known the Ngakpas and Naljorpas of Tibet. These are Tibetan Buddhist Yogis of Vajrayana. Yogis are often associated with Tantra, magic and the ancient religion of Tibet - Bon.
Vajrayana Buddhism is sometime called “the fastest way to enlightenment’.
There were Buddhist Yogis in all the major schools of Tibetan Buddhism (Nyingma, Sakya, Kagyu, Gelug).
Buddhist yogis of Tibetan Buddhism are non-celibate and do not renounce the material world. The most visible aspect of the Ngakpa tradition is the red and white shawl. The monastic practitioners were maroon shawls whereas those in the ngakpa traditions where red and white shawls.
Like Tibetan Buddhism monastics, Ngakpas carry life long vows and underwent Tantric ordination, representing a tradition of Buddhist clergy based on Buddhist Tantra and great perfection, “Dzogchen” teachings and lifestyle.
Dzogchen is the great perfection teachings know as “philosophical Buddhism. Buddhism’s most treasured path to awakening intrinsic wisdom and the practice of Chod, a contemplative method for compassionate transformation.
There are a lot of yogis among famous figures of Tibetan Buddhism and most influential and respected masters. For example, the founder of Tibetan Medicine, Yutok Yonten Gampo was a ngakpa, as was one of the greatest Dzogchen masters of all time, Longchenpa and the influential 18th century teacher, Jigme Lingpa was also a ngakpa.
There is a long process of becoming a Tibetan Yogi. In Vajrayana, the teacher, the guru, is very important. Particularly in Vajrayana Buddhism, your teacher directly communicates the teachings to you, brings you to the teachings, and invokes your primordial natural state. You have to have an experience teacher in order to become Vajrayana practitioner. Do not try to do it on your own!!!
To practice Tibetan yoga, it is considered necessary to receive a tantric initiation or empowerment from a qualified tantric master (Vajracarya).
Secrecy is often a cornerstone of Tibetan Yogis. It traditionally forbidden to reveal any knowledge of tantric symbols and practice to the uninitiated, which can easily lead to misunderstanding and dismissal by those who have not been initiated.
Learn more about Six Yogas of Niguma - click here
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