Kritik am Buch „The Shadow Of The Dalai Lama ... - Neues von Shi De

lecherous beings, it was just that in her case these were no “daughters of Mara” but rather handsome
young devils. She recognized their lures as the work of Satan and resolutely rejected them. But out of
compassion she subsequently slept with all manner of men and gave „her sexual parts to the
lustful” (quoted by Stevens, 1990, p. 71). Her devotion in love is so convincing that she could convert
seven highwaymen who raped her to Buddhism.
Padmasambhava is supposed to have said to her: „The basis for realizing enlightenment is a human
body. Male or female, there is no great difference. But if she develops the mind bent on enlightenment
the woman’s body is better” (quoted by Stevens, 1990, p. 71). This statement is admittedly
revolutionary, but nevertheless we can hardly accept that Yeshe Tshogyal traveled an essentially
different path to the countless anonymous yoginis who were “sacrificed” on the altar of Tantrism. [4]
Through constantly visions she was repeatedly urged to offer herself up completely to her master —
to sacrifice her own flesh, her blood, her eyes, nose, tongue, ears, heart, entrails, muscles, bones,
marrow, and her life energy. One may also begin to seriously doubt her privileged position within
Tibetan Buddhism, when one hears her impressive and resigning lament at her woman’s lot:
I am a woman
I have little power to resist danger.
Because of my inferior [!] birth, everyone attacks me.
If I go as a beggar, dogs attack me.
If I have wealth and food, bandits attack me.
If I do a great deal, the locals attack me.
If I do nothing, gossips attack me.
If anything goes wrong, they all attack me.
Whatever I do, I have no chance for happiness.
Because I am a woman it is hard to follow the Dharma.
It is hard even to stay alive.
(quoted by Gross, 1993, p. 99)
Many centuries after her earthly death, Yeshe Tshogyal became for the Fifth Dalai Lama a constant
companion in his visions and advised him in his political decisions. During a meeting, “Tshogyal
appears in the form of a white lady adorned with bone ornaments. She enters into union with him. The
white and the red bodhicitta [seed] flow to and fro” (Karmay, 1988, p. 54). Such scenes of union with
her are mentioned several times in the Secret Visions of the “Great Fifth”. Some of these are described
so concretely that they probably concern real human mudras who assumed the role of Yeshe
Tshogyal. Once His Holiness saw in her heart “the mandala of the Phurba [ritual dagger]
deity” (Karmay, 1988, p. 67). Perhaps she wanted to remind him with this vision of the agonizing fate
of Srinmo, the Mother of Tibet, in whose heart a ritual dagger is also stuck. In another vision she
appeared together with the goddess Candali and three further dakinis. They danced and sang the
words “Phurba is the essence of all tutelary deities.” (Karmay, 1988, p. 67). [5]
Even if, as is claimed by many contemporary tantra masters and feminists, Yeshe Tshogyal is
supposed to be the most prominent historical representative of an “emancipated” Vajrayana female
Buddhist, her unhappy fate shows just how degradingly and contemptuously the countless unknown
and unmentioned karma mudras of Tibetan history must have been treated. The example she provides
should be more a deterrent than a positive one, then she was more or less an instrument of