Sixteen Drops

Sixteen Drops (T. thig le bcu drug ཐིག་ལེ་བཅུ་དྲུག་). Secret oral teachings transmitted from Atiśa to Ngok Lekpai Sherab.

According to Ulrike Roesler:

The Kadam tradition of Tibetan Buddhism is known for its reservations towards tantric practices of the higher tantra classes, in particular those involving consort practices. However, this does not mean that the school was averse to tantric practices in general and it even created its very own brand of an esoteric practice, known as the “sixteen drops” or “sixteen spheres” of the Kadam (bka’ gdams thig le bcu drug). [The practice consists of a] particular blend of deity yoga and guru yoga that skilfully merges Indian and Tibetan elements.

From The Crystal Mirror of Philosophical Systems:

The Sixteen Drops (thig le bcu drug) are associated with the Kadam lineage’s central Tantric practice, wherein the meditation’s focus gets progressively smaller, moving from: the entire universe, to your world in particular, to the realm of Tibet, to your own dwelling. Within your heart, there lie in sequence—one inside the heart of the other—the deity Prajñāpāramitā, the Buddha, Avalokiteśvara, Wisdom Tārā, Wrathful Tārā, the protector Acala, Atiśa, and Dromtönpa, Inside of whose heart are the drops of the three lineages—extensive conduct, profound view, and inspirational practice—Finally culminating in the drop of great awakening.

Further reading

Print publications:

• The Crystal Mirror of Philosophical Systems, by Thuken Losang Chökyi Nyima (1737–1802), translated by Geshe Lhundub Sopa and Roger Jackson, Wisdom publications, 2009. Publisher's page. Tsadra Buddha Nature page

Web publications:

• Sixteen Drops, Wisdom Library
• Sixteen Drops of Kadam Empowerment - Day One