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There are different approaches to yidams, and some emphasize wisdom while others focus on devotion or contemplation. To get a better understanding of a form of deity yoga that emphasizes focusing on the yidam with devotion, here is an example which describes the person's relationship to the yidam in greater detail. The yidam becomes an object of continuous meditation in this form of sadhana.

The Vajra Dakini says,

For the Buddhist who has a yidam or Ishta-Buddha (personal form of the Buddha), all life is to revolve around the yidam. In the morning, the initiate offers incense and water, and asks for the day's blessings. Food and work are dedicated to this form of the Buddha. Other people are seen as manifestations of the Buddha, and the world is his or her paradise in disguise. There is no necessity of tantric mantras, or forcing the initiate's way through the Sambhogakaya or intermediate worlds beyond the physical. Recognizing the earth as the Buddha's world, and remembering what the paradise worlds are like if you have been there is sufficient.

With the chosen yidam, the initiate dances through past and future. Time and space flow by. What is most important is the role of the devotee in the inner Buddha world. Both self and world become translucent, and then transparent. The initiate becomes an inhabitant of the Buddha's paradise.

All life focuses on the Buddha or yidam. Each movement honors him or her. The yidam is in the initiate's heart, through the passions and sorrows of life. These are outer illusions which will fade away. The Buddha will remain.

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Introduction | Methodology - Participant/Observer | The Bodhi Tree Sadhanas | Vajra Dakini Discussion | Vajra Dakini Commentary | Vajra Dakini Sadhanas | Vajra Yogini Commentary | Maitreya Sadhanas | Green Tara Commentaries and Sadhanas | Vajradhara Speaks About Yidams | Lost Sadhanas Conclusion