a brief biography

Yeshe Tsogyal (ye shes mtsho rgyal). The different versions of her biography give varying details about her place of birth, the names of her parents and so forth. In his Ocean of Wondrous Sayings to Delight the Learned Ones, Guru Tashi Tobgyal states that her father's name was Namkha Yeshe of the Kharchen clan and that she was born in Drongmochey of Drak. At first she was one of King Trisong Deutsen's queens but later was given to Padmasambhava to be his spiritual consort. During the empowerment of Assemblage of Sugatas, her initiation flower fell on the mandala of Kilaya. Through this practice she became able to tame evil spirits and revive the dead. She was the chief compiler of all the inconceivable teachings given by the great master Padmasambhava. Having remained in Tibet for two hundred years, she departed for the celestial realm of the Glorious Copper Colored Mountain, without leaving a corpse behind. In The Precious Garland of Lapis Lazuli, Jamgon Kongtrul says, "Yeshe Tsogyal was a direct incarnation of Dhatvishvari Vajra Yogini in the form of a woman. She served Padmasambhava perfectly in that life, engaged in sadhana practice with incredible perseverance and attained a level equal to Padmasambhava himself, the 'continuity adorned with inexhaustible body, speech, mind, qualities, and activities.' Her kindness to the land of Tibet surpasses the imagination and her compassionate activity that is no different from Padmasambhava's continues unceasingly." Yeshe Tsogyal means 'Victorious Ocean of Wisdom.'
-- from the glossary in The Lotus-Born

Yeshe Tsogyal was one of five dakini emanations of Vajra Yogini and, in essence, also a manifestation of Guru Rinpoche himself. She appeared to assist Guru Rinpoche in spreading the Vajrayana, especially the terma teachings, in the Snowy Land of Tibet. Yeshe Tsogyal is also considered an emanation of Arya Tara, Vajra Varahi, Prajnaparamita and Samantabhadri -- all enlightened buddhas.

-- Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche excerpt from Dakini Teachings

Publications:
Lady of the Lotus-Born
Mother of Knowledge
Sky-Dancer