The Eighteen Steps of Vajrabhairava

The Eighteen Steps of Vajrabhairava is an important collection of texts for the practice of solitary-hero and thirteen-deity Yamantaka, composed by the Fifth Ling Rinpoché, Losang Lungtok Tenzin Trinlé (1856-1902). This volume, containing unique instructions that were orally transmitted, was composed by Ling Rinpoché during a three-year retreat on Yamantaka, the wrathful form of Mañjusri also known as Vajrabhairava. After completing his retreat, the Fifth Ling Rinpoché became a tutor to His Holiness the Thirteenth Dalai Lama, Thupten Gyatso. While certain sections of the text, such as the sadhanas and the fire pujas for the solitary-hero and the thirteen-deity Vajrabhairava, were available to qualified practitioners, the entire collection of these practices in a single volume was under a seal of secrecy, requiring specific permission to read it. However, in a significant development, His Holiness the Dalai Lama has recently permitted the translation and publication of this text into English, making these profound teachings accessible to English-speaking practitioners for the first time.