6 Vajra Yogas
The completion stage practice of Kalachakra's Profound Path of Vajra Yoga6 Vajra Yogas – The Kalachakra Completion Stage
The Six Vajra Yogas of Kalachakra form the most complete and direct path to Buddhahood within a single lifetime, as stated by the Jonang master Jetsun Tāranātha. These six yogas constitute the completion stage practices of the Kalachakra Tantra, the ultimate pinnacle of all tantric and sutric vehicles. Tāranātha states unequivocally that this system is the final and supreme method for attaining the unchanging bliss of great compassion united with the profound wisdom of empty forms endowed with all supreme qualities. He affirms that despite the diversity of paths within Buddhism, only the Six Vajra Yogas contain the fully revealed and clear essence of the Vajrayana’s final goal—the union of wisdom and compassion. Like all the water of all streams will eventually meet the ocean, all paths eventually end in the 6 vajra yogas whether or not the process is clear and direct or natural and hidden.
This unique path was not only transmitted from the Buddha in the form of Kālacakra to King Suchandra of Shambhala but was carefully preserved and expanded in Tibet through the efforts of the Jonang lineage. In particular, the 13th-century Jonang master Kunpang Tukje Tsondru received, practiced, and integrated seventeen distinct and complete transmission lineages of the Six Yogas from India and Tibet, ranging from translators like Lotsāwa and Atisha to Indian mahasiddhas. By unifying these transmissions, he composed the first extensive manuals on the Kalachakra Six Yogas in Tibet, establishing an unbroken lineage that has flourished through the Jonang tradition and continues today through the dedicated efforts of authentic lineage holders such as Shar Khentrul Rinpoche Jamphel Lodrö.
Through the profound clarity of the Kalachakra Tantra and its unsurpassed six vajra yogas, this lineage offers a swift, complete, and clear path to awakening, uniquely suited to those endowed with a human body capable of realizing the supreme accomplishment in one life. It is, as Tāranātha declares, the crown jewel of all Buddhist paths and is now available for the first time in 1000 years in modern languages to monastic and non-monastic disciples.
Jetsun Taranatha Asserts the Superiority of the 6 Vajra Yogas
- Extracts the essence of all the Buddha’s teachings in the sutras and tantras, revealing their deepest meaning
- Stands as the highest point among all vehicles of Buddhist practice
- Is the source of all worldly and supreme siddhis
- Is the one supreme path of ultimate liberation followed by all Buddhas of the past, present, and future
- Opens the gateway to all genuine yogic powers and abilities.
- Provides the swiftest route to full enlightenment in one lifetime with one body
- Teaches the profound path openly and clearly, unlike other tantras that conceal key meanings in symbolic language
Practicing the 6 Vajra Yogas
This is not like the yoga you do at a modern yoga studio. These are whole life sadhanas, whole life commitments to unveil your true nature. This is something you should do when you are ready and serious. You need to be sure that spiritual realization is your number one life priority through this path.
DZOKDEN KALAPA
Vajra Yoga Completion Stage Program
Advance on the Kalachakra Path with Authentic Completion Stage Practice
Khentrul Rinpoche is offering a rare opportunity for qualified practitioners to engage in the Kalachakra Completion Stage practices—profound yogic methods traditionally preserved by the Jonang lineage. While millions worldwide have received the Kalachakra empowerment from His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the actual completion stage practices have remained largely inaccessible outside of Jonang monasteries in modern-day China.
Now, for the first time, serious monastic and non-monastic practitioners around the world can receive these teachings directly from a Jonang Kalachakra master. This is not modern yoga—it is a secret tantric path requiring deep faith, devotion, and unwavering confidence in yourself, your teacher, and the practice.
If you feel called to fully commit to the path of Kalachakra, explore the program and see if you’re ready for the next stage.
Overview of the 6 Vajra Yogas
1. The Vajra Yoga of Withdrawal
Skt. Pratyāhara, Tib. sordut
This First Vajra Yoga includes a night-time practice, carried out in a dark room with eyes wide open, and a day-time practice which involves focusing one’s vision on the clear blue sky. Through these practices, the conceptual movement of your mind is cut, as the ten inner winds which circulate in the subtle body are absorbed into the central channel. The ten signs and clear-light mind are experienced, which then become stronger, clearer, and more stable. Four of these signs are objects of the night-time practice while the remaining six are objects of the day-time practice. On the basis of these ten signs, an “inner world” that is quite independent of the outside world is unveiled. At this stage, however, these signs are still perceived as being separate from the subjective awareness of the mind.
2. The Vajra Yoga of Stabilisation
Skt. Dhyāna, Tib. samten
Through this Second Vajra Yoga, the perception of the empty-forms attained in the previous practice is unified indivisibly with the awareness of an inner perceiver, and therefore one’s speech, inner wind, and awareness become unwavering. While the First Vajra Yoga allows one to perceive the empty-forms of the ten signs as the objects of the mind, the Second Vajra Yoga enables the practitioner to “mix” these signs with the mind and experience the joy and bliss of analysis (special insight). Prior to this stage, you practice with the eye sense consciousness and visual forms. Here, you practice with each of the sense consciousnesses and their objects individually—including sound, smell, taste, and touch. At this stage, special conditions such as a dark room are not necessarily needed.
3. The Vajra Yoga of Life-Force Control
Skt. Prāṇāyāma, Tib. sogtsol
Previously, the empty-forms were mixed with the perceiving awareness itself. These two are now combined with the inner winds so that there is no separation between the three entities. The ten winds of the left and right channels are unified as they are drawn into the central channel, thereby causing the circulation of the inner winds in the left and right channels to cease. This is achieved by focusing on the navel center, where the blazing fire of authentic tummo is directly experienced. As the energy in the central channel intensifies, it generates an increasingly intense experience of bliss.
4. The Vajra Yoga of Retention
Skt. Dharāṇā, Tib. zinpa
During the previous stage, the practitioner was able to retain the essential bodily fluids and thereby unify empty-forms, awareness, and subtle winds. Through this Fourth Vajra Yoga, these three elements are then integrated with the indestructible subtle fluid essences located in the six subtle chakra centers. Beginning with the white essences that are retained and stabilized at the forehead chakra, the practitioner learns to direct the essences down the central channel, moving from chakra to chakra. As one does this, aspects of great bliss are experienced. This bliss increases as the subtle essences continue to melt, giving rise to what are known as the sixteen aspects of joy.
5. The Vajra Yoga of Recollection
Skt. Anusmṛiti, Tib. jeeten
The fifth of the Six Vajra Yogas is known as Recollection. At this stage, the practitioner has gained complete control of the movement of the subtle essences which allows them to completely fill the six chakras with the pure essence of great bliss. To achieve the most powerful form of concentration, all of the gross and subtle essences must be gathered at the lower opening of the central channel. This is achieved by working with three types of consort: a physical consort, a generated (visualized) consort, and the great consort of empty-form. Through the first two, it becomes possible to manifest the third, which is the only consort capable of supporting the immutable bliss that abides without movement in the definitive meaning.
6. The Vajra Yoga of Absorption
Skt. Samādhi, Tib. ting nge dzin
The final stage of the Six Vajra Yogas is Meditative Absorption. Having developed a stable absorption in the state of supreme immutable bliss, one progresses along the twelve bodhisattva stages of absorption. At the beginning of this process, the Path of Insight is achieved, during which time the unshakeable non-dualistic mind of sublime emptiness is experienced directly for the first time with perfect single-pointed concentration. At this point, one attains an approximate Kālachakra form, similar to the actual form of the enlightened deity. By remaining in this state of absorption, each of the six chakras is filled from the bottom up with the white essence of immutable great bliss. As the process develops, one progresses along the Path of Habituation. In total, one experiences 21,600 moments of immutable great bliss, which purify 21,600 defilements, gradually dissolving the inner winds and exhausting the elements of the material body. When all afflictive and cognitive obscurations are thereby eliminated, buddhahood is achieved in the form of the co-emergent fully-actualised Kālachakra deity.
༄༅། །རིམ་གཉིས་ཀྱི་སྨོན་ལམ། །
Aspiration for the Two Stages of the Profound Path
By Kunkhyen Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen
A collection of unrestricted prayers are available in the Dzokden Learning Center.
PROJECT: Advanced Practitioner Support
Support the Path of Deep Retreat and Realization
In today’s world, it’s incredibly challenging for non-monastic practitioners to fully dedicate themselves to spiritual practice. Even those willing to give up everything often lack the support needed—basic necessities like food, clothing, and a place to practice in retreat for the years required to realize the profound teachings.
To change this, Khentrul Rinpoche is working to create the right conditions: meditation kutis, sustenance, and spiritual guidance from realized yogis. This vision supports both serious practitioners on the path of the Six Vajra Yogas and dedicated students contributing their skills to the organization.
Even if you’re not yet qualified to undertake these advanced practices, you can still participate meaningfully. Make merit by helping sustain those who are deeply committed to this rare and powerful path of awakening.
Restricted Books For Vajra Yoga Disciples
Khentrul Rinpoche prepared further pith instructions from a collection of lineage text that are bestowed on each qualified practitioner who receives the yoga. They are private and not to be shared or shown to anyone.