“Vajrayogini is inarguably the supreme deity of the Tantric pantheon, No male Buddha, including her divine consort, Heruka Chakrasamvara approaches her in metaphysical or practical import” -Scholar Miranda Shaw, Buddhist Goddesses of India
Buddhist Goddesses of India. USA: Princeton University Press. p. 8
Boldly naked with a blazing red body, her holy feet’s trampling on Ishvara and his consort Ishvari in the midst of wisdom fire is the powerful female Vajrayana Tantric Buddha and Consort to Heruka Chakrasamvara, Vajrayogini, Queen of the Dakini’s and of Supreme Great Bliss, and also who is renowned as a Trauma Goddess who absorbs the trauma’s and painful memories of her practitioners.
Titled the “Dakini With the Essence of all the Buddha’s” (Sarvabuddha Dakini) Vajrayogini derives from the root tantra of Heruka Chakrsamvara originally taught and expounded by Buddha Vajradhara, the tantric emanation of Lord Shakyamuni Buddha 2,500 years ago who manifested in the form of Heruka in order to conquer Ishvara (Shiva) on Mount Kailash. Originally, she first arose as a Yab-Yum Consort (in Chapter 47th and 48th of Heruka’s root tantra) to Heruka Chakrasamvara, the principal deity of the Chakrasamvara tantric cycle of teachings and practices, but overtime, she would eventually arise as a stand-alone solitary hero of her own tantra with her own cycle of teachings, practices and lineages benefiting innumerable sentient beings.
Vajrayogini’s Divine Origins
Vajrayogini, (Adamantine Female Meditator) or Dorje Naljorma (as she’s known in Tibetan) divine origins is similar to her supreme consort, Heruka Chakrasamvara. As already aforementioned, she derived from her consort’s root tantra that Buddha Vajradhara originally expounded 2,500 years ago, but as to how Heruka and his root tantra came to be, we must go to the tale of when they first arose in our world system.
During Lord Shakyamuni Buddha’s time, there lived a all-powerful God belonging to the deva realm who resided predominantly on Mount Kailash by the name of Ishvara with his consort Ishvari and who had enormous power however as he still belonged to samsara (within the deva realm), like other sentient beings within samsara, he still had his attachments which was revelling in sexual copulation and pleasure with this consorts, primarily with Ishvari, his primary consort. In fact, this attachment was so overwhelming that he engaged in it consistently.
When the other deva’s (gods) held and/or attended functions and parties, Ishvara couldn’t go as he was too busy revelling in his sexual copulation with his consort(s) and as a result would instead sent what is now known as a Shiva Lingam over to where the party was going to be held. This Shiva Lingam (which is still commonly worshipped in India) consists of the representation of the male phallic organ wrapped around by the representation of the female secret organ in which the gods would honor and worship with flowers and other offerings such as milk. And whilst this was happening, Ishvara would use psychic powers to see which god is making offerings to the Shiva Lingam and if he see one isn’t, he would get angry and punish them.
In a way, his demand for respect and to be respected by all the gods of the deva realm was his next strongest attachment, second after his desire for sexual pleasure of course.
Ishvara was also a god worshipped by the human’s and although the gods weren’t badly affected by it, he would bestow them boons and fulfil their wishes, due to his strong attachment towards sexual desires, he would fill his worshippers with his lustful and sexual energies, thus this’ll drag them to involving themselves in various strange and corrupt lustful activities such as engaging in various sexual misconducts, drinking blood, eating human flesh among other similar acts that was generating negative karma for them.
Seeing that this needs to be stopped to further prevent Ishvara’s corrupt lustful and sensual energies from polluting sentient beings in the other realms of samsara, the omniscient Lord Buddha in his tantric manifestation as Lord Vajradhara Buddha emanated an enlightened being whose innate nature is of great bliss and emptiness looking exactly like Lord Ishvara with four faces, 12 arms and two legs. Blue-black in color, this emanation that Lord Vajradhara Buddha took on became known as the King of Supreme Great Bliss, Lord Heruka Chakrasamvara with matted hair and the crescent moon on top of it as well as human ash smeared all over his body, thus looking more like Ishvara.
Along with emanating as Heruka Chakrasamvara, Lord Shakyamuni Buddha also emanated four consorts mirroring Ishvara’s four consorts with the principal one being Vajravarahi, the famed blazing red dakini. And from Heruka and Vajrayogini, they emanated 24 pairs of Daka’s (holders of the skull-cups) and Dakini’s (sky-goers) as part of Heruka’s massive entourage.
After having emanated as Heruka and Vajrayogini, the wisdom couple with their enormous 62 deity entourage appeared on Mount Kailash and by using his psychic powers, Ishvara was surprised at his mysterious opponent but soon realized that he was no match for Heruka Chakrasamvara. He was then successfully subdued and conquered by Lord Shakyamuni Buddha in the form of Heruka. After having subdued Ishvara and his consort Ishvari, Heruka and Vajrayogini took over Mount Kailash and their 24 pair of enlightened daka’s and dakini’s then went to take over Ishvara’s 24 power places where his own 24 pairs of gods and goddesses resided and turned them into 24 locations of enlightened energies.
Lord Shakyamuni Buddha as Buddha Heruka Chakrasamvara then taught this root tantra for which Vajrayogini was expounded and mentioned.
From there, many prominent lineages of Vajrayogini arose such as Maitri Kacho (the lineage revealed to the Mahasiddha Maitri by Vajrayogini), Indra Kacho (where Vajrayogini revealed it to Mahasiddha Indrabhoti) and Naro Kacho (the practice and lineage revealed to the Mahasiddha Naropa by Vajrayogini).
Other practices and lineages that arose from Vajrayogini’s precious cycle of teachings includes Ucheyma, the Severed-Headed Goddess (famously known in Hinduism as the Chinnamasta Devi) as well as Chod practices.
Iconography of Vajrayogini
Like every enlightened being within the Buddhist pantheon, their iconography represents a roadmap towards enlightenment and Vajrayogini is without exception. In fact, the colour of the deity represents an enlightened activity that counters a particular delusion with Vajrayogini’s bright coral-hued red skin countering desire.
Blazing with wisdom fire, the supreme Queen of Great Bliss appears as a youthful 16-year-old at the prime of her age with voluptuous breast and one face, two arms and two legs, unlike her blue-black consort who has four faces, twelve arms and two legs. This is important as her appearance represents her practice actually being much more simplified and condensed version of Heruka’s tantric practice which is far more complex and requires a lot more perseverance.
| Vajrayogini’s Face | Vajrayogini having one face represents her realization that all phenomena are all one taste and one nature. Her face has both a blissful and a slightly wrathful face and this is because as she has successfully lifted herself out of samsara, her blissful facial expression demonstrates that she no longer has to suffer samsara’s delusions whilst her slightly wrathful expression shows us that she is absorbing our anger and isn’t happy that we have to suffer the results of our own self-generated negative karma. |
| Her three eyes | She also has three eyes with the third eye being her wisdom eye that demonstrates the opening of her central channel which is an indication of her omniscient clairvoyant qualities and attainments. Her left eye is looking up to the heaven, her paradise (Kechara Paradise/Dakpo Kacho) that represents that by practicing Vajrayogini devotedly and dutifully without their practice being defiled by the eight worldly dharma’s coupled with the Three Principal Paths (Renunciation, Bodhicitta and Emptiness), she’ll take them to Kechara Heaven, her own pure land that she emanated from her enlightened mind (which is an ideal place for her practitioners to continue practicing the Dharma free from worldly and materialistic distractions of samsara as everything has been provided for them to aid them in their practice). |
| Her right eye | Whilst her left eye looks up, her right eye looks down which demonstrates that although having transcended and lifted herself out of samsara, she continues to look down at sentient beings still trapped within the six realms with great compassion, thus representing that she hasn’t forgotten them and manifests her great love and compassion for the sentient beings through her all-powerful sadhana, the 11-yoga’s of her tantric practice as well as through her King of Mantras as well. |
| Vajrayogini’s Hair | Vajrayogini’s hair is orange and is long and flowing (although it’s painted and depicted black on thangka’s for aesthetic purposes) which demonstrates that she is free and completely unfettered from worldly, social and conventional norms of society and of samsara and she’s also not controlled or ruled by negative afflictive emotions such as anger or what others say about her as well as not being ruled by karma as well. Vajrayogini having lifted herself out of samsara and becoming a fully enlightened Buddha has therefore pulled herself out of the laws of karma as well and isn’t affected by it anymore. |
| Vajrayogini’s Skull-Cap | On her head, the Queen of Supreme Great Bliss wears a vajra cap with five skulls that represents the five Dhayani Buddha’s (Vairochana, Akshobya, Amitabha, Ratnasambhava and Amogasiddhi Buddha). |
| Her naked coral-hued red body | Vajrayogini’s body is naked and red and she poses in a way that is known as Naro Kechari or Naro Kacho and that’s because she appeared this way for the first time to the great ancient Indian Mahasiddha Naropa who gained a pure vision of her within six months of entering into a strict meditative retreat on her old form, Vajravarahi (a semi-wrathful form with a sow’s head on the side of her face). Vajrayogini appears in the form to demonstrate to us that she is ever ready to go to battle against our negative karma and delusions since she’s in the pose known as “drawing the bow”. She is red which represents control, the control of one’s delusions as Vajrayogini practitioners who practice her meditational paths sincerely will be able to achieve the state of controlling their negative delusions thus they create far less negative karma for themselves as well as far less suffering for others. |
| Meaning of her naked form | She’s also in this naked form as times degenerate, their lust and desire become stronger and as a result, they go onto performing various negative actions to satisfy and to satiate their lustful and desirous attachments which in turns generates negative karma for them and suffering for others. Therefore, Vajrayogini, out of great compassion manifests in this form to counter this debilitating negative energy and delusion and through accomplishing her sacred meditational path, her practitioners can successfully counter and purify this delusion. |
| Skull Necklace | On her body she wears a necklace of fifty dry skulls and all of her ornaments demonstrate that Vajrayogini can remove our negative afflictive emotions and delusions as well as that she has achieved renunciation (first path out of the Three Principal Paths). |
| Meaning of her two arms & her left hand + the skullcup | She has two arms that represent her realization of the two truths, the ultimate truths and the conventional truths and on her left hand, it is raised and holds a skullcup (kapala) filled with blood. The blood in the kapala represents emptiness (sunyata) whilst the skullcup represents impermanence and with Vajrayogini’s face tilted towards it, she demonstrates that she is forever meditating on emptiness which is the final path out of the Three Principal Paths and also represents Buddha’s highest wisdom. Vajrayogini continuously drinking from the skullcup shows that her practitioners receive nourishment meaning that when they practice her path, they’ll meet a qualified teacher to receive the dharma and as a result, they’ll feel deeply nourished. |
| Her left hand + the ritual chopping knife | Her right hand meanwhile is pointed downwards to hold a ritual chopper with a threatening mudra (all fingers except the last finger and the index finger sticking out) that represents overcoming samsara as well as the cutting of the very roots of our continuing cyclic existence within the six realms which is ignorance, hatred and desire, the three poisons of the mind. The knife she holds also serves as a potent reminder to her practitioners that one day they will die and must pass on onto a new life and so therefore, they mustn’t use their precious life for worldly pursuits that they cannot take onto their next life. |
| Khatvanga Tantric Staff + the Long-life vase, Khata and Damaru | Cradling on her left shoulder is a khatvanga (tantric) staff representing King Heruka Chakrasamvara, the Supreme King of Great Bliss that demonstrates that she is forever inseparable from her consort. Despite being solitary in nature in her tantra, Vajrayogini having the khatvanga symbolises that she is always with him. The khatvanga also symbolises that although both are inseparable in nature, Vajrayogini’s practice and meditational path is far easier and less complex than Heruka’s tantra with less requirements needed for the practitioner as well. The khatvanga on top has a vajra with three heads, a rotten skull as the first head (representing the Buddha of the past), a half-rotten head as the middle head (that represents the current historical Buddha) and a fresh head beneath it (representing the Buddha of the future). There is a vajra and a long-life vase beneath the heads which is wrapped in a khata and a damaru which flows down. |
| Vajrayogini’s Legs meaning | She also has two legs that step on the powerful worldly god, Ishvara and his consort Ishvari. Her left leg is bent whilst her right leg is outstretched. This demonstrates that her tantra belongs to Mother Tantra that focuses on clear light as a method to attaining enlightenment (therefore she hails from the same tantric class as her consort, Heruka Chakrasamvara). |
| Her right leg | Her right leg that is outstretched steps on Ishvara’s consort Ishvari (also known as Kalarati) on her breast that demonstrates that her practitioners can successfully purify and eliminate desire through her sacred tantra. Also, it is important that the beings being stepped upon by Vajrayogini mustn’t have more arms than the Buddha that is stepping on them. |
| Her left leg | Her left leg is not only bent but is stepping on top of the deity Ishvara (also known as Bhairav Mahadeva or Shiva) and more specifically, she’s stepping on his back (where his heart is which is that represents hatred) and on his forehead (where his head is which represents ignorance). This demonstrates that if one diligently practices her tantra, they can successfully purify and eliminate hatred and ignorance. |
| Curled Tongue & Four Fangs | Vajrayogini’s tongue is curled and she has four fangs as well and the four fangs represent the Four Noble Truths that was taught by the Buddha after having gained enlightenment as well as the four classes of spirits to overcome through her practice. Her curled tongue adds up to her overall blissful expression which represents Bodhicitta (second path of the Three Principal Paths). |
Understanding Vajrayogini’s iconography and the meaning & symbology behind every aspect of it (whether it’s her one face representing her realization that all phenomena are all one taste and of one nature or that her skull necklace demonstrating that she wields the ability to remove our negative afflictive emotions as well as having achieved renunciation) is extremely important and is something that His Holiness Kyabje Zong Rinpoche has stressed before as when one engages in her meditations (especially with self-generating and visualizing themselves as Vajrayogini in her mandala), knowing what her holy form represents and it’s aspects, one can then engage in her meditations and rituals correctly which will bring about a tremendous purification of negative karma from this life and from previous lives and to achieve the results from her practice. Understanding before we receive her empowerment is beneficial as well.
The Great Vajrayogini Tantric Progenitor, Mahasiddha Naropa
As aforementioned already, Vajrayogini hails from the Chakrasamvara root tantra (Chapter 47 & Chapter 48) expounded by Buddha Shakyamuni in his tantric form, Lord Vajradhara (or Dorje Chang in Tibetan) after having successfully subdued and conquered Ishvara and his consort.
She was originally introduced as Heruka’s yab-yum consort and was known as Vajravarahi but eventually, she would come to have her own entire cycle of teachings and practices.
The current and most famous lineage is none other than the Naro Kechari lineage and it’s called Naro as this special form was revealed to the legendary 11th century Mahasiddha Naropa in a pure vision and from there, he became the progenitor of the Naro Kechari Vajrayogini lineage which is Vajrayogini standing with her left leg bent and right leg outstretched as already aforementioned.
Naropa who is now renowned for having first started the Naro Kechari Vajrayogini lineage was one of the legendary 84 Mahasiddha’s, who were 84 individuals from ancient India who gained realizations into Buddha’s teachings through the tantric path and as a result went onto benefiting countless upon countless sentient beings. Apart from his success with Vajrayogini, he was also famous for his Guru Devotion towards his guru, Mahasiddha Tilopa as well.
Born as a royal Indian Prince to King Santivarman and Queen Srimati, Naropa was conceived after his parents consulted mystic Yasomati who were looking for ways to conceive a son as they struggled and that all their attempts to bear a son had not worked at all. In order to help them, he told the royal couple that they must take sincere and heartfelt refuge in the Three Jewels combined with a sublime motivation and to make offerings to the Three Jewels, the Buddha-Deities, the Gurus as well as the Dharmapala’s (Dharma Protectors), Daka’s and Dakini’s (“sky-goers”). Upon receiving these instructions, they went ahead and did as the mystic had advised them and soon, Queen Srimati had a dream where her entire kingdom was enveloped in a light of bliss and emptiness. Thus, it’s said that this is how Mahasiddha Naropa was conceived.
Soon in 1016 CE, Naropa was born and his auspicious birth was accompanied by thunder, gentle tremors of the earth as well as a miraculous ray of light. These were signs of an extra-ordinary being who has been born into the world.
Growing up, it became evident that Naropa belonged more to the monastery than courtly life. His parents eventually came to the concern that their son might not carry on their royal lineage and name and to prevent this, they tried to deter him away from following his spiritual calling in a way that’s parallel to how the royal family of Prince Siddartha (who would later become Shakyamuni Buddha) had tried to deter him from the world outside his royal life. However, despite their best efforts, Mahasiddha Naropa learnt it in secret and would end up becoming a terrific scholar.
Soon, Mahasiddha Naropa pleaded and begged his parents to allow him to travel to Kashmir. His mother was very sad to hear this but eventually she relented and allowed him to travel to where he wanted go which was the center of great Buddhist learning and studies. And whilst in Kashmir, he would eventually go onto mastering the complex Kalacahkra Tantra as well as other areas such as medicine, grammar and the Samvarodaya Tantra and treatises on medicine and the four primary Indian languages among other things.
Eventually he would come back with 13 scholars but his parents were not happy as he ventured deep into Dharma learning. Soon, they demanded that Naropa be wedded off to but he refused. However, reluctantly, he agreed to be wedded off but came up with a special list of qualities for his wife in order for him to marry her. But this was in actuality a clever tactic for Naropa as it would be impossible to find a girl with a combination of virtues and in that way, they would give up and Naropa wouldn’t have to marry anyone.
After a year, they finally found the women that had matched the list of qualities given to them by Naropa in a village in Bengal and her name was Vimala. They begged her father to have her wedded off to Naropa but he refused but would eventually relent after they threatened to commit suicide. Despite believing that such a girl does not exist, Naropa followed through on his promise and wedded her but would later on instructed her the Mahayana teachings and she would end up becoming his devoted disciple.
However, Naropa was soon overcome with feelings of renunciation and would eventually come to a strong desire to renounce and to leave samsara. And so, he turned to his wife Vimala and she replied that after having realised that death could come at any time, she would not hamper him in the way his parents have and offered herself a scapegoat by saying that she had many faults (and not in line with the list of special qualities originally given by Naropa) and so that way, their marriage could be successfully anulled.
With this, Naropa approached his parents and told them that his wife has beguiled them and despite their best efforts to prevent them from being separated, however they were no match for Naropa’s determination to annul the marriage that they eventually turned to his wife Vimala. And as she had promised, she cried and admitted that she many faults and as a result had indeed beguiled him. This would soon lead them to being divorced and it’s said that she continued her practice and would become the legendary Lady Niguma, the Lady of Illusion and the Black Dakini who’s famous for her “Six Yoga’s of Niguma” tantric practice (whose lineage continues to survive to this day) as well as having been taught by Buddha Vajradhara himself and thus gaining the rainbow body, or the body of the Buddha.
(Note: Some sources state that Vimala/Niguma was Naropa’s “sister” which means wife in the old Indian language).
After divorcing his wife, Naropa went to Anandarama which was a hermitage and he received his nvoice vows at the age of 25 and that’s where he studied the monastic code of conduct and went onto learning the tantras such as the Guhyasamaja tantra.
Afterwards, Naropa was approached to become the gatekeeper of the legendary Nalanda Monastery, the first monastery built for Buddhadharma studies and for preserving the Buddha’s teachings of sutra and tantra after he passed into great mahapairnirvana 2,500 years ago. Now it lies in ruins but at that time, it was considered the greatest seat of Buddhist learning and studies and from there, 84 scholars became famous.
After a gatekeeper by the name of Jetari suddenly passed away, the monastery had no one to fill in his position as one of the four esteemed gatekeepers (or mahapanditas) but soon they decided that above all, Naropa was the right individual and soon they went to plead with him to take the position and after nine days, he finally accepted it.
After he accepted it, it was through the grand old tradition of the great Nalanda Monastery that when there’s a need to appoint such a scholar to the post, that there must be a grand debate with other scholars from different philosophical systems and so the monastery invited scholars from all over to challenge Naropa.
And when it came to be, a throne was set up in the middle for King Digvarman with Buddhists on one side and Hindus on the other and after two weeks, none of the Buddhist scholars could defeat Naropa in the debate and following them, the Hindus also failed to defeat him as well in the next two weeks and after defeating all of them, the King proclaimed Naropa as the champion and he became the northern gatekeeper of Nalanda monastery. After this grand debate, 100 Hindu scholars converted to Buddhism and 600 more became fully ordained Buddhist monks.
Perhaps the most famous aspect of Mahasiddha Naropa’s story is his intense guru devotion to Mahasiddha Tilopa which included his search for Tilopa as well as the 12 minor and 12 major trials he would endure under his guru which would come to result in him attaining enlightenment within one lifetime. And it all started when he was alone quietly reading a Buddhist text in his room, where a shadow suddenly emerged from the floor and looked at him and upon looking at the shadow, he was surprised to see a disheveled old hag who was very ugly and had a gaping toothless mouth and needed a walking stick to aid her as he walked and hobbled over to Naropa.
“What are you reading?” The disheveled old hag asked Naropa, “I am studying the Buddha’s teachings” he replied to her in which she then asked him whether he understood the words or the teachings, and when he told her that he understood every single world of the teachings he was reading in the Buddhist text, it brought on great ecstatic joy, jubilation and happiness in the old hag to which she then said, ”it is very fortunate for this each that such a scholar as yourself exists!”
Since it brought on such joy to the old hag that he had understood the sutra teaching, Naropa thought it would make her even more ecstatic and joyful if he told her that he understood the essential meaning of the Dharma. But upon doing so, it turned out to be the complete opposite of what he had hoped and instead of being further ecstatic and joyful, the disheveled old hag with a gaping toothless mouth fell to the floor and with sadness, she proclaimed, “to think that such a great scholar could actually utter a lie!” And upon feeling so embarrassed upon his action, Naropa asked her whether she knew anyone who actually did and she simply replied, “Yes, my brother, Tilopa”. And upon hearing his name, pure devotion towards Tilopa arose in his mind and filled with tears, he asked her if she knew where he is to which the old hag replied, “go search for him. If your mind is filled with devotion and confidence, and you yearn to meet him then, the right direction will appear to you.”
She then disappeared like a rainbow after those last words returning back to where she came from and in actuality, that old disheveled hag with a gaping toothless mouth was none other than the Consort to Heruka Chakrasamvara, Vajrayogini herself. However, due to his negative karma and obscurations that needed to be purified, it prevented Naropa from perceiving her true identify.
After this encounter with the old hag, Naropa would undergo the twelve minor trials to find his guru and a further twelve major trials he would perform under Tilopa to eventually lead him to preparing himself for the tantric initiations of Vajrayogini.
The Twelve Minor Trials are as follows:
-First minor trial was when a limbless leper woman blocked his path and Naropa was told to either go around her or to jump over her. And Naropa chose to hold his nose and jumped over her, but then she disappeared into a rainbow halo and the women admonished him for his habit-forming thoughts and limitations.
-Second was along the journey, Naropa came across a dog infested with lice and maggots with an overpowering stench of rotten flesh and just like he did with the limbless leper women, Naropa pinched his nose and jumped over the dog but then it arose in the air and vanished in a rainbow halo before a voice slammed Naropa for not developing compassion for all living/sentient beings in accordance to the Mahayana path.
-Third was when he encountered a man who was going to play tricks on his parents and the man asked for Naropa’s assistance to help him succeed and in return, he will reveal to Naropa where Tilopa was but Naropa refused. The man then disappeared into rainbow lights and a voice once again admonished him for not eliminating his ego.
-The next minor trial was when Naropa encountered a frightening scene of a stranger who was tearing up a corpse for its intestines. The stranger told Naropa that he would reveal to him where Tilopa was should he help him tear up the corpse but Naropa refused as he was too frightened to assist him in this ghastly deed. The man disappeared and vanished into rainbow lights with a voice admonishing him for having not cutting out samsara or cyclic existences.
-Further along the way, Naropa came upon a man with an open stomach wound whilst another man was in the process of cleaning it and will reveal to Naropa where his guru (Tliopa) was should he help him in cleaning the open stomach wound but Naropa refused. The man then disappeared into rainbow light and a voice once again admonished him for not cleaning his mind-stream of samsara and habit-forming thoughts.
-Next, Naropa came upon a great big city and before its King, he asked him if he knew where Tilopa was to which the King agreed but only if Naropa would marry his daughter. Naropa agreed and immediately, they left the room with his daughter and the dowry and realising that he may have just been locked inside by a spell, Naropa was going to use a forceful ritual in accordance to the Heruka Chakrasamvara tantra to free himself when the city disappeared into a rainbow and a voice slammed Naropa for having given into desire and hatred.
-Naropa next then chanced upon a hunter with his hounds, a bow and some arrows and Naropa asked him if he knew where Tilopa was but was asked to kill a deer but he refused and the hunter than sung a verse revealing to Tilopa that he would be fishing at the lake in the next day.
-He then went to the lake and chanced upon an old couple who live at the shore and he asked them if they knew where Tilopa was and they told him that they would if only Naropa brought them some food and when he did, he was horrified when he started cooking meat and that it was against his vows to have meals in the evening. And when they discovered that Naropa hadn’t touch his meal and he flew into a rage before admonishing Naropa for not consuming the fish of habit-forming thoughts and for craving after his attachments instead. Afterwards, he told Naropa that he would be killing his parents next which was a clue to his next manifestation.
-Next, Naropa came upon the horrific scene of a man who had both impaled his father on a stake and had imprisoned his mother in a dungeon. This adversely affected Naropa and he went to ask the man as to where Tilopa is to which the man told him that if he helped him to kill his parents then he would show him where Tilopa is but Naropa hesitated and he refused as he didn’t want to work with a murderer to kill his parents. The man than vanished before a voice admonished Naropa for having not eliminated ignorance, hatred and desire (the three poisons of the mind).
Soon, Naropa chanced upon a hermitage and they recognised him as Abhayakirti and asked if he had come to visit them to which Naropa responded that he was looking for Tilopa and they told Naropa that there was a beggar living on the premises who has that name and soon Naropa found him sitting frying fish over a fire. Soon, when the others discovered what he was doing, and began hitting him. The beggar then asked him ”don’t you like what I am doing” to which they scorned him for doing something so evil. Soon, he snapped his fingers and chanted ”lohivagaja” which means fish go away and the fish miraculously went back into the lake. Naropa folded his hands and requested teachings from the beggar and in response, Tilopa placed lices into his palm and said, ”if you would kill the habit-forming thoughts and ingrained tendencies on this endless path to the ultimate nature of all beings, first, you must kill these.”
However, Naropa hesitated and could not kill it in which Tilopa disappeared and admonished Naropa for not being able to kill the “louse” of habit-forming thoughts before telling Naropa that he will visit a freak show the next day.
Naropa soon continued his journey of finding Tilopa when he chanced upon an area filled with freaks and asked them if they knew where Tilopa was to which they responded that if they really want to find him, he must do the following:
“Out of confidence, devotion and certainty, become a worthy vessel, a disciple with the courage of conviction. Cling to the spirituality of a teacher in the spiritual fold. Wield the razor of intuitive understanding as the viewpoint. Ride the horse of bliss and radiance as the method of attention. Free yourself from the from the bonds of this and that as a way of conduct. Then shines the sun of self-luster which understands one eyedness as the quality of many. Blindness as seeing without seeing a thing, deafness as hearing without hearing a thing and muteness as saying without saying a thing. Lameness as moving without being hurried and death’s immobility as the breeze of the unoriginated (like air moved by fan).”
Naropa fainted after these words were spoken to him but they weren’t just mere words, they were actually the basic symbols of Mahamudra (or the Great Seal) which is the dual union of great bliss and emptiness (shunyata) which leads to spiritual awakening or better known as enlightenment and are a series of complex teachings and meditations.
After having gone through a series of 12 Minor Trials, Naropa nearly gave up and wanted to commit suicide until a voice boomed from the sky telling him that not far from the village lies the master that he’s been tirelessly seeking. And without a moment of hesitation, Naropa dashed to the end of the village and asked them where Tilopa was. By name, they weren’t entirely sure but they did point to a fisherman who was down by the river. At first, he was surprised that the supposed great master was a fisherman but then realized that Tilopa manifested as a fishermen due to negative perceptions of his mind.
Having realised this, Naropa immediately dashed to the river and found Tilopa and bowed to his feet requesting Tilopa to be his guru but Tilopa closely scrutinised this individual and said “no matter from what angle I look at you, you seem to be of a royal family. You look like royalty and speak like royalty, so why would you come to seek a low-caste fisherman for teachings?”
After having gone through the 12 Minor Trials in finding his guru, Naropa now needed to endure another set of 12 trials and they were now this time, the 12 Major Trials under the tutelage and guidance of Mahasiddha Tilopa before he would eventually gain Mahamudra-Siddhi and complete enlightenment within one lifetime.
After having finally found his guru at last, Naropa followed Tilopa to a multi-storied temple when after having climbed to the very top, Tilopa leaned his back against the wall and said, “well, if I had a devoted student, he would jump from here.” And without hesitation, Naropa took a plunge and landed on the ground with all of his bones broken. And although he was in tremendous pain, Tilopa appeared next to his disciple and said to him, ”what happened to you?” Naropa replied with, “I jumped, because my lama told me to do so. But I am lying here in so much pain with all my bones broken. It is terrible. I feel like I am half dead.” In response, Tilopa told him, ” your body is a result of your actions and disturbing emotions. This is what creates your physical body, in a way that is not important if you have it or not.” Tilopa then ran his hand all over Naropa’s broken body and miraculously healed him and transmitted him the teachings of the Ordinary Wish-Fulfilling Jewel to Naropa.
In the second major trial, Naropa was asked by Tilopa as to why he hasn’t requested for further instructions and so Naropa offered a mandala but Tilopa didn’t immediately offer any instructions to him until they walked to a large empty open field where there was a bonfire going on. Upon reaching the location, Tilopa said “if I had a student who was really devoted, he would jump into the fire”. And without a moment hesitation, Naropa jumped into the fire and suffered incredible plan. Tilopa then asked Naropa, “what happened to you now?” Naropa then responded to his guru by revealing that his body is burning and is suffering. Tilopa then informed him by saying, “it is alright to burn self-clinging and I have the practice and instructions on how to balance the internal elements in order to do this.” Tilopa then touched Naropa’s skin which completely healed him and he was given the teachings of One Valueness.
A year after having willingly jumped into the fire for his guru, Naropa went begging for alms and received some delicious food from a banquet for which he took it back for Tilopa to feast on. And upon eating it, he enjoyed his meal. Pleased to see Tilopa so happy, he decided to tell Tilopa of his intentions to go out and beg for some more food but Tilopa told Naropa that “one can only go to beg for food once and that is the tradition here. If you go again, you’ll get into trouble but you can try. Why not? Take this water, if you have problems you should sprinkle the water. If they are still after you, then take this wooden sword and make circles in the air. Then you should be alright, so go out and get the food.”
Upon returning back to get some more food, Naropa was forced to resort to stealing them as he wasn’t able to go and beg for it a second time. But in an attempt to escape from the area, the townsfolk caught him red-handed but Naropa sprinkled the water he was given by Tilopa which spurned a lake between him and the pursuing angry townsfolk. And as he tried to use the sword, it had unfortunately trapped him in an iron fence. Upon catching him, they set him on fire and upon catching him again, the angered townsfolk beat him up. Returning back to Tilopa, Naropa was bestowed the instruction of Wish-Fulfilling Gem Commitment.
Continuing on, the duo found themselves upon a pond full of leeches. Tilopa sat by the shore to meditate when Naropa offered him a mandala offering once again requested for some more instructions to which Tilopa replied with, “if I had a good student, he would make a bridge so I can cross over the pond.” And without hesitation, Naropa began to construct the bridge but before he could finish, Tilopa decided to cross over the unfinished bridge and whilst doing so, he stepped on Naropa’s back before jumping over to the other side of the pond. Naropa however was unlucky and fell into the pond with the leeches sucking on his blood. And like before, Tilopa simply walked over to Naropa and asked him what had happened to which Naropa responded to his guru by saying, “the leeches are eating me alive and it is very cold. This is awful.” Tilopa then told Naropa that he had a practice to which can warm him up. “This is not a problem, I can give you instructions that will warm you up and you will not feel any pain. I have the instructions on the inner fire based on emptiness.” Tilopa then once again miraculously healed his indomitable disciple and transmitted him the entire teachings on Tummo or inner Heat Practices.
Continuing his practices, Naropa again asked for more instructions from his beloved Mahasiddha-Guru for which after having presented another mandala offering, Tilopa told Naropa to gather ten bamboo sticks, pour melted butter over it and apply heat to harden it before sharpening it. Tilopa then took the sharpened ends of the bamboo sticks and stuck them into his disciple before walking away, He then returned and just like before, asked Naropa what had happened. Naropa replied by telling him that he is being pierced by the bamboo sticks and that its extremely painful and thought that he was going to die. Tilopa then miraculously healed Naropa once again and transmitted him the teachings of the Illusory Body.
A year later, Tilopa asked Naropa as to why he hasn’t further requested for instructions to which Naropa quickly made prostrations and requested for some instructions. However, Tilopa didn’t give him any until they had come across a plain where there was a lone man. Tilopa then said, “If I had a good disciple, then he would immediately go and catch that man, otherwise he is going to harm me.” And despite his best effort, Naropa just could not chase after the man. Finally, out of exhaustion, Naropa collapsed onto the ground. Tilopa asked him what had happened to which Naropa said that although he tried to catch the man, he really couldn’t and collapsed as a result. Tilopa then told him that his failed attempt to catch the man is just like how it is in samsara (or the cyclic existence), that everyone is trying to chase after illusory objects and attaining something that doesn’t exist which is the problem with samsara. He then bestowed upon Naropa the Dream Yoga (that everything is a like a dream) and it’s entire instructions.
Another year passed by and Naropa once again requested for teachings from Tilopa by making a mandala offering but Tilopa didn’t say anything until the duo came across a wedding procession of a minister’s son to which Tilopa said that if he had a good disciple, he will and pull the groom off the horse whilst also pull the hair of the bride and try to get her as well and without a moment hesitation, Naropa did what Tilopa wanted him to do and naturally were angry at Naropa and beat him up for it. He came back covered in wounds to which Tilopa transmitted Naropa the teachings and the instructions on clear light.
His next major trial was (as per Tilopa’s instructions) to pull down a king from his horse from within the royal procession and as a result Naropa nearly died to which Tilopa then told him that the reason why he was in pain is due to the fact that he hasn’t dissolved his ego-clinging and Naropa was then transmitted the instructions on Phowa or mind-transference.
As he practiced the Phowa practice given to him by Tilopa and as he continued to seek further instructions and teachings, followed his guru to a big plain and they chanced upon an Indian prince surrounded by his servants having some leisurely fun to which Tilopa said that since there isn’t that many people, Naropa should go and hit the Prince and snatch his ornaments and return back to him and that if he needs his help, then he should call him. Naropa then followed through on Tilopa’s instructions but as he went ahead and did it, the prince’s servants called for help and soldiers chased after Naropa to which he called out for Tilopa to help him but when he caught up with him, the soldiers had already reached him before he could. Asking the soldiers as to what has happened, they responded by saying that Naropa had hit the prince and stolen his ornaments. Tilopa responded back by saying that he should be beaten up and after they left, Tilopa asked Naropa what had happened to which Naropa responded by saying that he was beaten up and despite having called for his help, he didn’t do anything and that he felt like he was going to die at anytime, but before he could die, Tilopa once again miraculously healed Naropa and transmitted to him, the practice and instructions on Phowa teachings on resurrection at the time of death.
After a year, Naropa then further requested for some more instructions/teachings from Tilopa and this time around, he instructs Naropa to take on a consort and even though initially they were a loving couple, eventually problems arose and Naropa became embroiled in his wife’s problems. Later on, Tilopa came around to see how things were going. Naropa then later told Tilopa that he and his consorts were having problems. Tilopa then told Naropa that these problems arose from his dualistic clinging and that he must sever it along with passion before he could have a tantric consort. He was then given the Karma-mudra practice. Tilopa then told Naropa that he had broken his monastic vow by having sexual intercourse with his consort and that he must purify the negative karma associated with it and immediately, Naropa took a stone and hit his secret organ many times until he passed out in which Tilopa healed him and gave him the teachings on the Six-Fold Sameness of Value.
Another year passed and Naropa asked for further instructions by offering him a mandala and in response, Tilopa requested for his consort to which Naropa willingly agreed to do so. Despite that, Naropa’s consort would still lovingly glance at him despite being offered up to his guru and in response, Tilopa beat her up by saying that she only cared for him (Naropa) and not Tilopa. When asked on how he felt about what just happened, Naropa said that he was happy to offer his consort up to Tilopa and her being in the propriety of Tilopa. This pleased Tilopa and he bestowed the practices of Mahamudra to Naropa.
And finally, in his final major trial, he offered up a mandala and requested for some more instructions to which Tilopa tells Naropa to follow him to a big desert but no matter how fast Naropa tried to catch up to him, he couldn’t do so and collapsed out of sheer exhaustion. He finally begged Tilopa as to whether he had achieved any attainments through his efforts and in response, Tilopa asks him to offer up a mandala but as he had nothing on him, Naropa used the sands of the desert, as he had no water to sprinkle on the mandala, he slit his own wrist and used his blood and unable to find any flowers in the area, Naropa offered up his own head and limbs in lieu and passed out. And when he came to be, Tilopa asked whether he was happy and Naropa told him that he was happy to offer up a mandala of his own blood and flesh. Tilopa then bestowed Naropa the teachings of the Intermediate State.
After having endured so much tremendous suffering for 12 years under the tutelage and guidance of his guru Tilopa, as he’s always done, Naropa once again requested for teachings and profound instructions. Tilopa responded by stating “you are not yet pure enough to be introduced to the nature of the mind!”
And without warning, Tilopa removed his slipper and slapped Naropa across the face so hard that Naropa passed out and when he regained consciousness, he had gained equal realization of that of his guru Tilopa which was Mahamudra-siddhi.
Afterwards, Tilopa became very loving towards Naropa and explained to Naropa as to why for the past several years, he was harsh towards him.
“The fact that I led you deliberately into many trials and tribulations does not mean that I am a cruel person. You see, your negative karma could not be purified by your own effort alone. It was only through experiencing hardship could you purify the negative karma that obstructed you from realising the ultimate nature of Buddhahood. Throughout all the hardship, you did not develop any doubts, hesitation or wrong views, and you diligently obeyed all commands. In this manner, you were finally able to overcome all delusions and gain the highest realisation.”
It was after this that Naropa would finally undergo one last trial before Tilopa would initiate him into the highest yoga tantras. According to Keith Dowman’s “Legends of the Mahasiddhas: Lives of the Tantric Masters”, there was a major wedding going on involving a wealthy man’s daughter and as it was by tradition to offer food to ascetics, Naropa along with some other mendicants were given some of the beautiful curries featured at the wedding. He then returned back to Tilopa and when he showed Tilopa the curry, for the first time, his guru smiled at him and after finishing the food, a delighted Tilopa then turned to Naropa and said to him, “where did you find this my dear son? Please return and fetch me some more!”
Delighted that Tilopa called him “my son”, he went back to the wedding party to fetch his beloved guru some more curries which occurred several times. However, eventually, he became embarrassed to show his face as the wedding party might think he’s greedy or is not really a proper ascetic and is posing as one to get free curry but this then arose within Naropa a great inner struggle as to whether to take some more curry for his beloved guru or not, in the end, moved by great devotion towards his guru, Naropa lowered his pride and ego and stole an entire pot from the wedding party and ran back to Tilopa.
Upon his return, Tilopa became moved by Naropa’s willingness to lower himself to such levels of humiliation and with some more commendation for his years of great perseverance, Tilopa the advanced meditator drew onto the dirt the sindhura mandala of the semi-wrathful Queen of the Dakini’s and Consort to Heruka Chakrasamvara, Vajravarahi and initiated his beloved disciple into her Anuttarayoga Tantra. Afterwards, he instructed Naropa to enter into a close retreat on her meditations at a nearby cave and Naropa followed on his instructions.
Afterwards, Naropa intensely engaged in her practice and within six months, he gained a direct and pure vision of the Queen of the Dakini’s but in a new form. Unlike the one he was intensely practicing, this newer form of Vajravarahi appeared to him with both of her sacred feet planted on the ground, stepping on Ishvara and Ishvari, her two arms wielding her ritual chopping knife and the skullcup from which she is drinking on. This new form became known as Naro Kechari/Naro Kacho Vajrayogini (Naropa’s Secret Dakini), a more potent and more highly efficacious tantric practice of Vajravarahi that can bring swifter attainments and realizations for the modern practitioners of tantra today. Her mantra, known as the ”King of Mantras” can bring on attainments for her sincere and devoted practitioner if they have pure samaya with their Guru whilst also simultaneously maintaining their vows and commitments as well as having received her initiation from a qualified guru who has her lineage.
This new form of Vajravarahi is now the most highly recommended tantra for modern-day practitioners due to it being a far more simplified meditational practice than Heruka Chakrasamvara, has less complicated commitments and her sadhana practice as well is more condensed than Heruka’s and the meditational steps are concise and easier to follow. All of this is reflected by her iconography (1 face, 2 arms and 2 legs) whilst Heruka has 4 faces, 12 arms and two legs.
After gaining this pure and direct vision of Vajrayogini, he became enlightened and throughout the rest of his life, the great Mahasiddha Naropa passed and taught others the practice of Naro Kacho Vajrayogini, most prominently to the Pamthinga Nepalese brothers who were initiated into her tantra and gained success through her practice and thanks to them, her tantra spread famously in Nepal with several important holy sites now dedicated to Vajrayogini.
After teaching an uncountable number of times, when it was time for Naropa to pass on, he bodily ascended to Kechara Paradise, the heavenly pure land of Vajrayogini and Heruka Chakrasamvara, thus following the footsteps of the other famed Mahasiddha’s who had done the same thing.
Passing away in this manner can be achieved by any of Vajrayogini’s sincere and extremely diligent practitioners who fulfil practicing her sadhana and her mantra well daily, recites the 8-line praise to Vajrayogini and her Consort (permission to enter into her paradise) 3 times a day, has pure samaya with their Vajra Guru (who bestowed them her tantric empowerment and practice), has complete faith in Vajrayogini as well as having maintained their Refuge, Bodhisattva and Tantric vows well and attending the important bi-monthly ganachakra tsok offering ceremonies, they too can bodily ascend to Kechara Paradise to continue their Dharma Practice in the mandala of Vajrayogini.
At the time of his passing the legendary Mahasiddha Naropa became synonymous with Guru Devotion which is an essential attitude for all Tantric practitioners, to have complete devotion to their Guru and seeing that their Guru is indivisible to their Tantric Yidam. Throughout his years with Tilopa, Naropa never was angry or was he doubtful of his guru and had complete devotion and faith in Tilopa, willing to undergo painful and humiliating trials to quickly purify his negative karma which culminated in both his enlightenment and his pure vision of Vajrayogini six months into his practice on her old form, Vajravarahi.
Along with being an unexcelled example of pure Guru Devotion and for leaving behind the powerful legacy of the Naro Kacho Vajrayogini lineage, Naropa also became famed for his Six Yogas of Naropa, which are 6 highly advanced tantric meditational practices he received from Tilopa that he codified which continues to be practiced to this day.
The story of Mahasiddha Naropa undoubtedly is a brilliant tale of a beautiful guru-disciple relationship which continues to be retold to this day to inspire practitioners to find their spiritual master and to develop sincere devotion to their guru’s to achieve the same state of Naropa.
Mahasiddha Naropa is also featured within the incarnation lineage of Dorje Shugden, the World Peace Protector who’s previous live’s are famous for having proliferated the tantric practices and lineages of Vajrayogini, hence Dorje Shugden is closely associated with Vajrayogini practitioners.
Naro’s Kechari was also the tantra whom the great Gelugpa Master of the twentieth century, who’s the essence of Heruka Chakrasamvara, H.H Kyabje Pabongka Rinpoche recommended for modern-day practitioners due to the quick efficacy of her tantra unlike the “Three Kingly Tantras” recommended by Lama Tsongkhapa for the Gelugpa school to practice which are Akshobya-Guhysamaja, Heruka Chakrasamvara and Vajrabhairava/Yamantaka.
The Main Lineages of Vajrayogini
Vajravarahi/Indra Kacho (Diamond Sow)
Vajravarahi (Sanskrit), Dorje Phagmo (Tibetan), Diamond/Adamantine Sow (English)
Considered perhaps the earliest lineage of Vajrayogini, this form is known as Vajravarahi or Dorje Phagmo in Tibetan. Transmitted to Mahasiddha Indrabodhi from his guru, Mahasiddha Lawapa, he practiced this form of Vajrayogini intensely and diligently before gaining enlightenment hence this lineage is named after him.
Standing in a dynamic posture, she has one leg stomping on Maha Ishvara whilst the other is in a dancing position. She wields her ritual chopping knife in her right hand whilst in her left hand is the skullcup at the heart level and her khatvanga (tantric staff) is held by her right arm. Unlike the other forms of Vajrayogini though, Vajravarahi is famous for the sow that protrudes from the crown of her head which represents the transmutation of ignorance into great bliss.
From Mahasiddha Lawapa, he transmitted this esoteric and deeply ancient practice to Mahasiddha Indrabodhi who ruled over the Kingdom of Sambhola in the Dakini land of Oddiyana whilst King Jalendra ruled over the non-Buddhist land of Lankapuri. And one day, a marriage was proposed between the kingdoms between King Indrabodhi‘s daughter, Princess Laksminkara and the son of King Jalendra.
At the age of 16, Princess Laksminkara was sent to her new home however prior to this, she had been diligently practicing her daily sadhana (a collection of prayers and mantra meditations cojoined with visualisations to a meditational deity recited daily by the practitioner) given to her by her guru and having achieved renunciation, she loathed the idea of having to be married to a royal prince and to be bounded to royal duties as well. And when she arrived at her new home, the young Princess recoiled at the materialistic world and locked herself in her room, tore her clothes up seemed to have gone completely mad. Eventually, she was able to escape the palace and went to a mountain to meditate and to do her sadhana practice before she gained enlightenment or Mahamudra-siddhi.
However, due to her behaviour, it brought much shame and embarrassment to her new family so much so that her father-in-law, King Jalendra asked King Indrabodhi to speak with his seemingly mad sister. However, King Indrabodhi would soon realize what Princess Laksminkara had achieved, having gained high attainments especially the realization of the true nature of existence whilst he himself surrounded himself with ease, luxury and comfort without having achieved what his sister had accomplished. After seeing this, King Indrabodhi resolved to end up like his sister and after he patiently waited for his son to be crowned King, Indrabodhi retired to a small palace to diligently practice his sadhana for twelve years before having successfully accomplish it and gaining full enlightenment.
Some years later, his son and those who missed their old King went to see him but soon heard a booming voice and found him floating in the air and it’s believed that he stayed in the air for seven days giving a teaching on the ”Inconceivable Profundity and Immensity” and on the eighth day, together with over 700 disciples ascended to the Paradise of the Dakini’s, also known as Kechara Paradise where Heruka and Vajrayogini abide giving teachings.
Uddhapada Vajrayogini/Matiri Kacho (One-Leg-Up)
The second lineage diffused within Tibetan Buddhism is known as Maitri Kacho or Uddhapada Vajrayogini extended back to Mahasiddha Maitripa and is also known as the ”One-Leg-Up Vajrayogini”.
Unlike Vajravarahi, Uddhapada Vajrayogini’s body is in a yogic posture with her left leg raised up high to her breast held up by the left arm carrying a skullcup whilst the right leg is bent backward and her right arm wielding the ritual chopper knife. Her khatvanga/tantric staff rests on her left shoulder and the bent right left stomps on Maha Ishvara.
This special lineage was a vision beheld by Mahasiddha Maitripa who studied in both the Nalanda and Vikramashila monasteries. In Nalanda, he studied under the great Mahasiddha Naropa and in the Vikramashila monastery, he was under the great Abbott Dipamkra Atisha but he was unfortunately expelled from the monastery due to his controversial behaviour contravening monastic rules and he ended up living life as a wandering ascetic.
Upon his expelling from Vikramashila, Maitripa eventually met the Mahasiddha Shavaripa and from Shavaripa, received special instruction on Mahamudra before ending up as a great adept of Buddhist tantra and from there, he passed these special instructions onto the great Tibetan translator, Marpa who would go onto become the legendary guru of the Tibetan yogi, Milarepa.
Vidyahari/Bidjeswori Vajrayogini (Flying Vajrayogini)
Flying mid-air with the legs pulled apart, this unique form of Vajrayogini is known as Vidyahari Vajrayogini or the (Knowledge-Holder) and in the Nepalese language it’s known as Bidjeswori. And it’s this name that the Vajrayogini temple located on the banks of Bisnamuti River shares the same name.
With her right arm stretched behind her wielding the ritual chopping knife, Vidyahari Vajrayogini carries the skullcup in her left arm whilst her legs are pulled apart and, in some form, her left leg is placed on her left arm or shoulder. She carries the khatvanga on the crook of her left shoulder.
Sukhasiddhi/White Kechari
With her legs stretched apart in a birth position and white in colour, Sukhasiddhi Dakini or White Vajrayogini/White Kechari is a unique lineage of the Vajrayogini tantra that arose from the 11th century yogini of ancient India, Sukhasiddhi. This special and rare practice was disseminated and incorporated into the Shangpa Kagyu lineage by Khyungpo Neljor.
Appearing as a beautiful and youthful looking white dakini with an expression combining the sentiments of passion and wrath, she has three piercing eyes and her mouth is opened slightly revealing to us her white teeth and a twisting red tongue and four fangs. Her sacred holy body is beautifully adorned with bone ornaments and a necklace of 50 freshly severed human heads. She is sitting in a position of giving birth thus exposing to us her secret organ with her legs stretched apart and her arms carrying the usual implements of the ritual chopping knife/curved cemetery knife and the skullcup.
Before she gained enlightenment, Sukhasiddhi was a struggling but kind mother of six and one day, she mistakenly gave away her last bag of rice to a wandering beggar thinking that her family would return with more food but when that didn’t happen, her family chased her away in anger. She ended up wandering until she found herself in Oddiyana where she lived selling rice wine beers to sustain herself. She then gained an allegiance of a female disciple of Mahasiddha Virupa to whom she anonymously gave away free rice wine beers. And when Virupa learnt of her kindness, he summoned her to his forest hermitage and when she went there, she presented to him offerings of beer and pork and when he saw this, was in joy of her kindness and decided to bestow upon her his most profound instruction and she ended up gaining full realization on that night before taking on the appearance of a beautiful and youthful 16-year-old girl.
Naro Kacho/Naropa’s Dakini
And finally, the fifth and last lineage to be diffused within Tibetan Buddhism is the famous Naro Kechari lineage that was a pure vision beheld by Mahasiddha Naropa.
Standing with her two legs stepping on Maha-Ishvara and Ishvari, she wield the curved cemetery knife in her right arm pointing downwards whilst the skullcup is held up by her left arm and her holy face titled to the side to drink on blood within the skullcup that represents emptiness whilst the skullcup represents great bliss and impermanence, Thus, demonstrating that Vajrayogini is always meditating on emptiness. Her ornaments are all made of bone and she cradles the khatvanga tantric staff on her left shoulder and attached to the staff is a damaru and a long-life vase tied by a khata. She has three normal human eyes and on her head is a five-skull crown topped off with a vajra and the five-skulls represent the Five Dhayani/Buddha Families.
This specific lineage is now perhaps the most widely recognisable form to derive from the Vajrayogini tantra and is also the form that’s highly recommended by the great lineage masters for modern-day practitioners due to it being a condensed and simplified practice than Heruka Chakrasamvara as well as having less commitments than Heruka’s practice as well. Therefore, her sadhana, meditations and visualisations are easier and simplified than that of her consort but without losing its efficaciousness and supremacy.
Ucheyma/Cinnamasta (Severed-Headed Vajrayogini)
Along with the aforementioned lineages, there’s another lineage within the Vajrayogini tantra which is both unique and rare. Known as Ucheyma or Chinnamasta, she is the severed-headed Vajrayogini Buddha. Although the same deity, the only difference is that her head has been severed by the ritual chopping knife she carries. The reason why she looks terrifying is to demonstrate (according to His Eminence Tsem Tulku Rinpoche) that when a living person’s head is decapitated, they cannot live and they’ll go lifeless, similarly when our ego is cut, samsara goes lifeless which is represented by Buddha Vajrayogini without her head and she is able to do this due to her perception of egolessness and emptiness.
According to the Rinchen Lhantab collection of sadhanas put together by H.H the 7TH Panchen Lama Tenpari Nyima (1782-1853), Ucheyma is described in her sadhana to be orange-hued in color and is referred to as a Buddha Dakini whilst her right leg is straight stepping on Kalarati andher left leg is bent trampling on Bhairava (Kalarati’s consort).
Accompanying Buddha Ucheyma are her two attendants flanking on her left and right side whose name is Vajra Varnani (who is green in color) standing on Ucheyma’s left with her left leg extended, she wields a ritual chopping knife in her right hand and the skullcup in her left hand. And there is also Vajra Vairocani (who is yellow in color). They flank her sides as after having severed her head and have it placed in her skullcup, the severed blood vessels at the trunk of Ucheyma’s neck comes three jets of blood which is drank by her severed head and the two attendants. All three deities’ heads are adorned with a crown of five dry skulls (representing the Five Dhayani Buddha’s) and a garland of fifty fresh heads around their neck and they’re standing in the middle of a blazing wisdom fire.
For Buddha Ucheyma, her right hand is extended downwards wielding a ritual chopper (that she used to sever her head) whilst her left hands holds a loft the skull-cup filled with blood and this is the same skull-cup that she has her severed head sitting on top of it and on her left shoulder there’s the khatvanga (tantric) staff that represents that she is one with her consort, Heruka Chakrasamvara.
According to his Eminence Tsem Rinpoche, the three (also known as Trikaya Vajrayogini) represent the three root delusions and through the practice of Buddha Ucheyma, we can purify the psychic delusions/poisons of ignorance, hatred and desire and that when they’re purified, it leads to the attainments of the three Buddha bodies (Dharmakaya-Truth Body, Sambhogakaya-Enjoyment Body and Nirmanakaya-Emanation Body) which means that when we practice Ucheyma and sever our ego through her practice, it’ll sever and cut out the delusions which will ultimately lead us to achieving Buddhahood.
The practice of Ucheyma is focused on completely removing and severing of one’s ego which can be achieved through her practice. Also known as a Sadhana, which is a collection of invocating the deity through invocating prayers, coupled with making offerings & chanting offerings prayers, recitation of liturgies, mantra recitations, visualizations, meditations as well as verses of praises that the practitioner strictly engages in daily in order to identify ourselves with Buddha Ucheyma.
Buried deep inside us is the primoridal clear light however through innumerable lifetimes of committing negative karma and obsucrations, it’s been covered and can be uncovered if we engage in the sadhana practice of Ucheyma through replacing our ordinary mundane perspective with the divine form of Ucheyma.
With regards to Ucheyma’s lineage, it stems all the way back to the legendary Mahasiddha, the Mad Princess Laksminkara whose sadhana is included in the Rinchen Lhantab by the 7th Panchen Lama (Tenpai Nyima).
“Pages 1175 to 1176 of the Rinjung Gyatsa by Taranatha includes a description of the Severed Head Goddess’s lineage. This lineage begins with Vajravarahi who transmitted to Cham Lakisminkara and from the latter it was passed to Virupa, the Younger, Avadhutipa, Dongdarpa, Sonyompa Gyalwa Jin, Sonyompa Sanggye Jin, Balpo Pandita Deva Akarachandra, Hungdu Karpo, Dragpa Varandraruchi, Chel Lo Kunga Dorje, kyi Konchog Bar, Je Gyaltsa Rinpoche, Tropu Lotsawa, Lhachen Sowang, Tropu Sonam Sengge, Yangtsewa, Buton Rinchen Drub (also known as Buton Chenpo) and so forth”
Ucheyma: The Severed Head Goddess Vajra Yogini
Although the Mad Princess Laksminkara has alredady been mentioned when we discussed about Vajravarahi (earliest form of Vajrayogini), below will be more information about this great Yogini who, after creating so much havoc from the palace (after marrying the prince), she managed to escape her way to a charnel ground where she intensely engaged in her practice for the next seven years and it was during this time that the king’s latrine sweeper became her faithful and devoted disciple and after gaining realizations, she initiated the sweeper into her tantric practices and just like her, after practicing diligently, he successfully gained realizations without anybody in the palace noticing.
One day, after getting lost in the fields near the palace, King Jalendra was wandering aimlessly until he caught Laksminkara seated on a jewelled throne with her body radiantly glowing and soon faith arose in the King’s mind and he remained there completely transfixed all night watching the spectacle unfolding in the cave.
Eventually after returning back to the palace, he couldn’t stop thinking about what he was transfixed for a whole night and after mustering up enough courage, he finally returned back to the cave where Laksminkara was and prostrated himself before Princess Lakimskara and although doubtful of his true intentions, she was eventually taken in by his persistence. He then begged for instructions and after much pondering, the highly realized yogini then pondered and after a while, she then informed the King that she could not be his spiritual guru and that it would be one of his palace sweepers instead and before he left, Laksminkara instructed him to watch and to observe his sweepers closely.
Upon returning back to the palace, the King remembered the instructions and closely observed his sweepers and eventually found his true guru, he then invited his sweeper-guru to his throne and had him placed on the throne, prostrated to him and requested instructions. Pleased with his humility that he had displayed, the sweeper then initiated and bestowed onto the King on the generation and completion stages of the Buddha Vajravarahi which unites wisdom and compassion, the two wings of enlightenment. And after performing innumerable miracles and deeds benefiting sentient beings, when their time came to be, Laksminkara and her sweeper-yogin disciple both bodily ascended to the Paradise of Dakini’s (Dakpo Kacho-also known as the Pure Land/Heaven of Vajrayogini) and the main surviving lineage of Ucheyma in Tibet is attributed to the Mahasiddha Laksminkara.
There was another lineage of Ucheyma attributed to the famous sister-mahasiddhas who are also known as the Headless Yoginis (Mekhala and Kanakhala) however unfortunately, their lineage didn’t survive to this day.
Although this deity can also be found within the Hindu pantheon as part of the 10 Mahavidya’s, or the 10 Wisdom Goddess emanations of the Goddess Durga, according to Indian scholar and specialist in the fields of history, theory and the practice of Buddhist tantra, Benoytosh Bhattacharyya (1897-1964) examined the Buddhist (Sadhnamala) and Hindu (Chinnamastakalpa) texts and concluded that they were of the same. However though, there are some minor differences with Chinnamasta in Hinduism wearing a snake around her neck whilst she steps on the copulating couple, Rati and Kama. Bhattacharyya also compared the mantras of the deity from both traditions to find that there was Buddhist precedence as within the Buddhist Sadhnamala, Ucheyma is referred to as Sarvabuddhadakini (Dakini who’s the essence of all the Buddha’s) whilst her attendants were called Vajravairocani and Vajravarnani whilst in Hinduism, the title ”Buddha” was omitted for Vajra instead most likely due to them having originated from Buddhist tantra, and so therefore her attendants became known as Vairocani and Varnani and Ucheyma was called Saravsiddhi instead.
And after having thoroughly examined the mantras of both the traditions, the iconography of the deity as well as the dates, Bhattacharyya then concluded that the deity was of the Buddhist origin.
There however exists temples in India dedicated to Goddess Chinnamasta but although her terrifying form of a self-decapitating Goddess has inspired practitioners for thousands of years since her tantric practice arose in ancient India, her lineage isn’t as practiced much as Maitri Kacho and Naro Kacho.
Vajrayogini Spreads to Nepal + Tibet.
Bidjeswori Vajrayogini Temple
After gaining enlightenment (Mahamudra-siddhi), Mahasiddha Naropa then taught and transmitted the extremely potent Naro Kechari Vajrayogini tantra and turned the wheel of dharma uncountable number of times and amongst his multitude of disciples, the Nepalese Phamthingpa brothers who were mendicants were initiated into the Naro Kechari tantra and received the full oral transmissions and commentary from Naropa. And after intense practice in their meditational cave in Pharping, Nepal, Vagisvarakirti gained a pure vision of Vajrayogini and her temple in Pharping has a heart image of the Vajrayogini that Vagisvarakirti beheld due to his great attainments.
From the Panthingpa brothers, they followed in the footsteps of Naropa their guru and transmitted the teachings and initiations of Naro Kechari Vajrayogini to many qualified disciples in Nepal especially for Melgyo Lotsawa Lodro Drakpa (otherwise known as Marpa) who ended up becoming the guru for Jetsun Milarepa, the legendary Tibetan yogi. Marpa, after receiving the entire transmissions took the precious teachings from the accomplished Nepalese brothers and brought them back to Tibet and from thereon, Naro Kechari was integrated into the precious Sakya school as one of their main tantric practices before she was then included into the Gelug lineage of Lama Tsongkhapa in the 18th century.
And from the 18th century, her status within Gelug was elevated significantly when His Holiness Kyabje Pabongka Rinpoche (famed for his legendary Lamrim teachings) raised her tantra in the 20th century as the most suitable and most highly recommended tantra for modern day practitioners due to its quick efficacy and expediency in gaining spiritual attainments and ultimately enlightenment within one lifetime.
Although the Gelug School for 600 years have followed the recommendations of their founder, the embodiment of Manjushri, Lama Tsongkhapa to practice Guhyasmaja, Heruka Chakrasamvara and Yamantaka, Vajrayogini’s tantra was strongly recommended and proliferated by Kyabje Pabongka Rinpoche as she is the simplest higher yoga tantra as well as the fact that the ones recommended by Lama Tsongkhapa require enormous amount of perseverance and their commitments are a lot higher than the ones for Vajrayogini. Another reason is also that Vajrayogini’s practice is a condensed meditational practice of Heruka with a shorter sadhana without losing out the full benefits a Heruka practitioner would receive by doing his sadhana and meditations.
Thanks to the Phamtingpa brothers, Vajrayogini became widespread and well-practiced in Nepal with several important sites in the country with her temples in Pharping, Patan, Bidjeswori and Guyheshwari dedicated to the great consort of Heruka Chakrasamvara that are spiritually charged power places perfect for those who seek to make a connection with Vajrayogini and also aspire to practice her tantra should visit in a spiritual pilgrimage.
Visiting these four temples (the last one Guyheshwari doesn’t accept foreign visitors and is only strictly reserved for Tibetans only) with the right motivation to make aspirational prayers, present offerings and to do one’s sadhana and mantras to Vajrayogini creates a powerful connection to this incredible adamantine spring Queen.
The first one is the Bidjeswori temple, which is located on the banks of the Bisnamuti river. This beautiful temple was built at the entrance of an ancient cremation ground that according to the Vajravarahi tantra, is filled with vultures by day and terrifying howling jackals at night and is also where the high-levelled Dharma Protector of the Vajrayogini tantra, Citipati (also known as Lord and Lady of the Charnel Ground and are emanations of Heruka and Vajrayogini) reside and when her practitioners propitiate them at the end of their daily sadhana, Citipati is invoked from such places.
Dedicated to Vajrayogini it includes Bidjeswori Vajrayogini, the central image, and this particular form has her flying mid-air with her legs pulled apart. She wields the ritual chopping knife straight behind her in her right hand whilst her right hand holding onto her skullcup in her left that also cradles her tantric staff on the crook of her left arm. This depicts her flying over to Mahamudra Emptiness.
Next to her is the Indra Kacho lineage which is Vajravarahi and in this form, she has one leg stomping on the god of samsara, Maha Ishvara whilst the other one is in a dancing position. Her right hand wields her famous ritual chopping knife to the side whilst her left hands holds the skullcup close to her heart. She is adorned with a necklace of 50 human heads and cradles the khatvanga (tantric staff) on her left arm and to the side of her head is a sow’s head, which represents her having transmuted ignorance into great bliss. This form of Vajrayogini was transmitted and taught to and practiced by the great Mahasiddha, Indrabodhi and is known as perhaps the earliest lineage to derive from Vajrayogini.
Also next to Bidjeswori Vajrayogini Is the Uddhapada Vajrayogini, similar to Bidjeswori but instead she has one leg stomping on Maha Ishvara whilst the other one is raised high above her breast. Still carrying the same implements as the other two forms of Vajrayogini, but this Uddhapada (or one-leg-up Vajrayogini) has her left arm (that holds the skullcup) holding up her left leg whilst the right arm (wielding the ritual knife) is flung out behind her.
To the right side of the temple stands the famous Naro Kechari Vajrayogini, who is one face, two arms and two legs with her left leg bent and her right leg straight, thus demonstrating that her tantra represents mother tantra which focuses on development of clear light which is the development of the Buddha mind. The temple’s ceiling is carved with the double-tetrahedral mandala of Vajrayogini, a representation of her celestial abode where she resides giving teachings with her consort, Heruka.
Outside the temple’s courtyard contains multiple stupa’s and above the shrine there is a Newari-style pagoda roof constructed as an offering to the tantric goddess. The whole temple itself is constructed in an ancient Newari-style Buddhist manner.
Pharping Vajrayogini Temple
Next is the Vajrayogini temple in Pharping known as Pharping Bhajra Jogini in Nepalese or Pharping Dorje Naljorma in Tibetan and this particular image has manifested the miracle of speaking to individuals in the past. The deity that resides in this temple is known as Uddhapada Vajrayogini where her right leg is planted on Maha Ishvara whilst the left one is raised up.
This particular form of Vajrayogini is unique as it arose in a pure vision to Vagisvarakirti, the elder of the two Phaminthgpa brothers who was a heart disciple of Mahasiddha Naropa who with his brother, Duskhorba.
Enshrined also in this temple is another image of Vajrayogini located in another chamber off to the side who has a yellow face which is believed to belong to Marpa who stopped at Pharping to worship Vajrayogini.
The Pharping temple containing the Vajrayogini images is located on top of the building whilst downstairs contains a red standing Lokeshvara statue with Yellow Tara and Buddha Shakyamuni with his two disciples flanking him in the same area as well.
Patan Vajrayogini Temple
Another sacred site associated with Vajrayogini is located in Patan Mahaboudha Temple which is located in Oku Bahal is a Indian style stupa constructed in the middle of the courtyard with it being above the shrine to Lord Shakyamuni Buddha below.
Abhayaraja from the Sakya caste constructed the famed Mahaboudha temple in 1601 and was constructed for the local devotees who lacked the financial means to be able to travel to India in order to pay homage to the Buddha. Brought to Mahaboudha is a blessed stone image of the Buddha from Vajrasana, which is the seat of his enlightenment that is Bodghaya.
The Vajra Yogini temple of Patan is located on the first floor directly opposite the stupa and is in the aspect of the Flying Vajrayogini also known as Akash Vajrayogini.
Sankhu Vajrayogini Temple
And the fourth and final Vajrayogini temple is located on top of a hill known as the Sankhu Vajrayogini Temple where the central deity worshipped is a self-arising image of Vajrayogini Urga-Tara. This unique icon of Vajrayogini is enshrined in the lower-temple in a Newari-style building topped off with a golden gilded roof.
Vajrayogini Urga Tara is said to be a self-arising image with one face, four arms and two legs. Close to her heart she wields her famous skull-cups and curved knife whilst she wields a utpala lotus and a sword on either side of her body. Hence, she is also known in Nepal as Khadga Jogini with Khadga being the Nepalese word for “sword”.
According to Tibetan sources, there was once a powerful and highly attained female lama who gained enlightenmnet by sorely relying on Vajrayogini and when she passed away after benefiting countless sentient beings, there were many auspicious signs that appeared during her funeral, thus revealing her sublime nature. After her death and cremation, her remains was interred into the statue of Vajrayogini Urga Tara.
There’s also another similar image of this same deity cased in a metal bell is enshrined in the main upper part of the temple in which the lay (vajracharya) priests bring out for the annual procession (jatra) through the town of Sankhu. Both Vajrayogini Urga Tara images are flanked by Baghini and Singhini, the tiger and lion headed yoginis.
There’s also a self-arising stone Swayambhu statue near the Vajrayogini Urga Tara images as well as a solid bronze Lokeshvara and a solid bronze Buddha statue.
Twenty-Four Places
Within the Heruka and Vajrayogini tantras lies the 24-power places which are geographical locations that exist in our world system.
Relaying back to the lore of their divine origins as it’s stated in the Heruka tantra, after having subdued Maha Ishvara and conquered Mount Kailash (his abode), twenty-four pairs of daka’s and dakini’s (who are one with Heruka and Vajrayogini) were sent to the twenty-four places controlled by the gods and goddesses in Maha Ishvara’s retinue. And after subduing them and overtaking these locations, the twenty-four pairs of daka’s and dakinis blessed the twenty-four power places with their enlightened energies. This was done to counter the energies of the gods and goddesses who were residing there beforehand and provide a conducive place for tantric practitioners to achieve results faster through their sadhana practices.
These twenty-four places are deeply unique as they belong to the mandala of Heruka Chakrasamvara and normally, once a tantric deity has finished performing enlightened activities such as giving teachings, they dissolve their mandala’s back into them. But for Heruka, he didn’t and as a result, the mandala of Heruka Chakrasamvara has since become embedded into the physical landscapes of these twenty-four power places. Therefore, the enlightened daka’s and dakini’s (who are one in nature with Heruka and Vajrayogini) reside and abide in these twenty-four places, turning and transforming these locations into powerful energy centers and should any practitioner on the tantric path practice at any of these twenty-four holy sites, the daka’s and dakinis that are invoked in various liturgies will come forth quickly to bless the practitioner. And they can come forth quickly due to the fact that Heruka’s holy mandala exists on our earth.
When engaging in their daily Vajrayogini sadhana, her practitioners invoke the dakinis to come forth from the twenty-four power places to abide in the twenty-four power places on their body, to dissolve in order to bless their subtle energy channels and drops that are used in the practice therefore paving the way for attainments and realisations to arise as well as the ultimate goal, the enlightened state to that of Vajrayogini.
These twenty-four power places are also sites where Dharma Protectors are also invoked from such as in Dorje Shugden’s (wrathful emanation of Manjushri) monthly long kangsol, he’s invoked from Oddiyana (known as the Land of Dakini’s and also where the legendary Guru Padmasambhava was famously and spontaneously born from a lotus) among other holy sites to come forth to the practitioner’s abode.
The Twenty-Four Power Places of Ancient India are as follows:
-Puliramalaya
-Jalandhara
-Oddyiana
-Arbuta
-Godavari
-Rameshvari
-Devikota
-Malava
-Kamarupa
-Otri
-Trishakune
-Kosala
-Kalingkara
-Lampaka
-Kanchi
-Himalaya
-Pretapuri
-Grihadeva
-Shaurashtra
-Suvarnadvipa
-Naga
-Sindhu
-Maruta
-Kuluta
Eight-Great Charnel Grounds
Along with the Twenty-Four Power Places are the Eight Great Charnel Grounds that are also part of the Heruka Chakrasamvara and Vajrayogini mandala.
Once there was a god who was part of Mahadeva’s retinue named Rudra, who, with his consorts were very oppressive and fierce beings, advocating and promoting dangerously violent and deeply unethical behaviour and due to that, Lord Heruka Charkasamvara arose once again and in a great dance of compassionate wrath, liberated Rudra and his consort’s minds from their physical body and sending it to a pure land. And when his mind became separated from his physical body, the areas where his body fell became known as charnel grounds (also known as crematorium/cemetery grounds).
His four energy centres (the head, heart, navel and private organ of Rudra) fell in the four cardinal directions whilst his limbs fell in the intermediate directions and from these body parts arose the eight great trees and from these eight great trees grew the charnel grounds.
In English they’re known as Charnel Grounds but in Sanskrit they’re known as Ashta Maha Smashana and they’re as follows:
-Sitavana Cool Grove (East)
-Perfected in Body (South)
-Lotus Mound (West)
-Lanka Mound (North)
-Spontaneously Accomplished Mound (South-East)
-Display of Great Secret (South-West)
-Pervasive Great Joy (North-West)
-World Mound (North-East)
Unlike their neatly manicured western counterparts, the charnel grounds are terrifyingly haunted places scattered and littered with dead bodies in various stages of decomposition, skeletons, wrathful beings, wild animals and wandering spirits and ghosts roaming the area. To further add to the overall negative energy of the place, the loved ones of the deceased buried there have come to mourn their passing.
Charnel Grounds although are deeply terrifying areas to be are where many of the great yogi’s, yoginis, sadhu’s and Buddhist/Tantric masters have come to meditate and to do their practices more deeply especially on meditating on death and impermanence without any distraction to take them away from their spiritual practice, and by doing so have gained high realizations and attainments through their ardent and intensive practices.
In the tantric practices, these charnel grounds are deeply important as surrounding the mandala’s of the wrathful meditational yidam’s (otherwise known as meditational deities) are the 8 quadrants visualised as the Eight Great Charnel Grounds and in these visualizations include corpses in various states of decompositions accompanied by zombies, wandering ghosts, wrathful animals, daka’s, dakini’s, stupa’s, fires and wrathful yogi’s and yoginis.
Each of those beings and things viusalized by the tantric practitioner hold deeply important tantric elements with the great trees in the centre representing the central energy channel of the practitioner whilst the ground representing the entre path of the practice of sutra and tantra teachings. There are also the four types of corpses with the new corpse representing birthing, aging and sickness whilst the decaying, impaled, hanged or dismembered corpses representing death of the ego, the skeletons representing the realization of emptiness or Shunyata whilst the reanimated and mindless zombies represent selflessness.
The wrathful animals represent the realizations of the generation stages of the highest yoga tantric practice which is the first stage as they devour the ’corpses” of ordinary perception as when one engages in this practice, they’re self-generating and visualising themselves as their higher yoga tantric yidam’s thus transforming their ordinary mundane perception into the exalted enlightened perception of the enlightened tantric Buddha they’re practicing.
There are also the various lakes which represent Bodhicitta, or the enlightened mind that wishes to attain enlightenment for the benefit for all sentient beings whilst the clouds in the sky represent the drops of Bodhicitta at the crown of one’s head.
Whilst there are the various lakes, there are also the various fires which represent tummo or inner heat. And the various dikpalas or direction protectors symbolise the “downward-voiding wind“ located below the navel whilst the various lokapals (or realm protectors) represent the “life-supporting wind” located at the heart.
The mountains visualized symbolise the immovability of one’s meditative stability alongside the inseparability of great bliss and the awareness of emptiness. There is also the various stupa’s visualized that represent the three bodies of a Buddha (Dharmakaya-Wisdom body, Sambhogakaya-Enjoyment body and Nirmanaka-Emanation body) whilst the Nagas represent the cultivation of the Six Paramitas, the wrathful yogin’s and yoginis represent the practitioners who hold their samaya (or the bond of the student and their Tantryana/Vajrayana Guru/Lama/Master) well and isn’t broken (Guru Devotion).
Whilst the wrathful animals represent the realization of the generation stage of the higher yoga tantric practices, the Wisdom-Holders (or Vidhyadharas in Sanskrit) represent those who have realized the generation stage of tantric practice.
Last but not least, there are the Mahasiddhas are those who have realized the completion stage of the Maha-Anuttarayoga/Higher Yoga Tantric Practices which is the second and finals tage of their tantric practices.
Cittipati, Lord and Lady of the Charnel Grounds (Dharma Protectors of Vajrayogini’s Tantra)
Kinkara (Tibetan)
Shri Shmashana Adhipati (Sanskrit)
In the charnel grounds, there are also various wrathful deities invoked through various different liturgies with one being closely connected to the Naro Kechari Vajrayogini tantric practices, that being Cittipati or the Skeleton Couple (also known as Lord and Laddy of the Cemetery/Charnel Grounds). A pair of dancing skeletons, Cittipati is the important Dharma Protector of the Vajrayogini practices whose role is two-fold, one propitiated by Vajrayoginis’ practitioners to assist in clearing the large obstaces that arise from engaging in Vajrayogini’s meditations and to create the conducive conditions for their practices as well as to hold-back their negative karma until it’s purified, their other role is to protect the practice from being lost or abused.
Originally arising from the Secret Essence Wheel Tantra that is closely connected and related to the Heruka Chakrasamvara tantra, Cittipati is propitiated more as a wealth-bestowing deity and to protect Heruka practitioners from robbers and thieves as well as to create the conducive conditions for their practice.
Cittipati is in fact emanations of Heruka Chakrasamvara and Vajrayogini and are said to abide at the charnel grounds where the famous Bidjeswori Vajrayogini temple stands in Nepal.
Arising as a pair of white dancing skeletons, Cittipati have big bulging eyes with their mouths opened showing a curled tongue. In the right hand, Cittipati hold in their right hand a club made of human bones held over their heads and in their left hand, each hold a skull-cup filled with blood.
Cittipati’s crowns are adorned with five dry skulls and both wear lower garments made of silk whilst they dance in the wisdom fire emanating from their body and sometimes, the father (emanation of Heruka Chakrasamvara) can be seen embracing the waist of the mother (emanation of Vajrayogini) and both are dancing with one leg standing on top of a cowrie shell.
In other depictions, the father can be seen wearing tiger silk whilst the mother holds a stalk of grain instead of a bone club and instead of a skull-cup, she holds a treasure vase instead. This symbolizes Cittipati’s ability to be able to bestow onto it’s practitioners spiritual attainments (symbolized by the father) and conducive conditions for the practice of the Dharma (symbolized by the mother).
Since they’re emanations of Buddha Heruka Chakrasamvara and Vajrayogini, Cittipati is an enlightened wisdom Dharma Protector whose practice is restricted to those who have received the appropriate empowerment or permissions from their guru since they are associated with the Heruka and Vajrayogini tantric practices.
Why Vajrayogini is the Most Supreme for our Time? (The King of all Yidam’s)
“Look, this is the synthesis of all the Buddhas. This one counters all the negative attachments arising from the desire we have during the Kaliyuga age”.
-His Holiness Kyabje Pabongka Rinpoche on Buddha Vajrayogini from Tsemrinpoche.com’s “Vajrayogini-The Powerful Divine Red Lady“
2,500 years ago, after the Historical Buddha, Lord Buddha Shakyamuni gained supreme enlightenment and became the fourth Buddha of this fortunate aeon, he turned the Wheel of Dharma and not only taught the holy sutra’s but also the tantras as well. Vajrayana or Tantryana means “Adamantine Vehicle” and contains the Buddha’s highest teachings. Amongst the tantras he taught to his most advanced disciples, Lord Buddha taught the Maha-Anuttarayoga tantras which are the highest class of tantric practices restricted only to the most well-prepared of practitioners and within the Maha-Anuttarayoga tantric class, the Buddha compassionately taught various practices that he prescibed for the coming spiritually degenerate age known as the Kali-Yuga period (which is our current time).
The Maha-Anuttarayoga practices he taught consists of Yamantaka/Vajrabhairava, Akshobya-Guhyasamaja, Kalachakra, Heruka Chakrasamvara, Hevajra, Vajrayogini, Chenrezig Gyalwa Gyatso among many other practices, however these ones are the most suitable for the Kali-Yuga period as when engaged correctly and sincerely can bestow onto their practitioner’s high attainments and ultimately full enlightenment within one lifetime.
Maha-Anuttarayoga in fact can be further broken down to two types of classes which are Father Tantra (consisting of Yamantaka, Guhyasamaja and Gyalwa Gyatso) and Mother Tantra (consisting of Hevajra, Vajrayogini, Cittamani Tara and Kalachakra). These classes are not defined if the deities themselves are of the male or female gender but rather the specific method utilized by these two classes to achieve full enlightenment. Mother Tantra (or Wisdom) focuses on developing the clear light or the enlightened Buddha mind whilst the father Tantra (or Method/Compassion) focuses on developing the rainbow illusory body or the body of an enlightened Buddha.
Amongst the tantras mentioned, one most efficacious and highly suitable for the spiritually degenerate Kali-Yuga period belongs to the mother tantra which is the tantric practices of Vajrayogini.
And the reason being is that us humans live in the realm known as the desire realm as when Lord Buddha taught, he proclaimed that there are three realms of existences (form, formless and desire realms) and we belong to the desire realm as it’s the most potent form of delusion withn the realm that we live in.
When Buddha manifested as the sacred wisdom couple (Heruka Chakrasamvara and Vajrayogini) in the Himalayas to subdue Maha Ishvara and his consorts to stop their desirous energy further pervading samsara, he taught the Heruka tantras in which the practice principally utilises and transforms desire as a means to purify the three psychic poisons (hatred, ignorance and attachment) that keeps us chained to samsara (or cyclic existence). And it’s been described to when we do Heruka’s practice, we’re currently in the room of samsara and we strive to enter through the room of liberation/nirvana, as such we must open a door and we open the door of desire and so although we’ve used desire to be transformed and to purify the other forms of delusions, once we’ve become enlightened, desire will no longer exist.
(Note: Delusions in this sense does not mean psychological delusions, but rather the negative afflictive emotions instead).
Although Heruka is supreme in terms of helping to purify desire, due to how much it requires from practitioners in terms of perseverance and dedication as it’s sadhana itself is long and complex (this can be evidently seen with Heruka having four faces and twelve arms), Vajrayogini has arisen with her own cycle of teachings and sadhana’s and with her being a far more condensed and more simplified practice of Heruka (without losing the benefits attached to practicing Heruka) and with a mantra titled the “King of Mantras”, coupled with Vajrayogini’s meditations and practices having less commitments than the other tantric systems, she has become the most suitable Yidam (tutelary meditational deity) for our time (the Kali-Yuga period).
King of Mantras
According to Lama Yeshe, Vajrayogini’s mantras is hailed as the “King of Mantras” No other mantras within the ocean of tantras carry such title, as by simply reciting her sacred mantra without the accompanying meditations and visualization whilst having clean samaya (bond)/guru devotion with one’s Vajra (tantric) Guru and holding onto their commitments they received at the time of initiation, one can gain attainments if they recite it without break. It’s even stated in the Heruka tantra (the scriptural source where Vajrayogini’s practice came from) that even if one practices her consort, in order to gain siddhi’s (attainments), we still need to recite the mantra of Vajrayogini-this has been stated by many high lama’s especially His Eminence the 25th Kyabje Tsem Tulku Rinpoche.
Vajrayogini’s mantra and practice can also protect her practitioners from falling into the three lower realms (the hells, hungry ghost/spirits and animals) as well as protection from black magic, bad weather, spirits and demons and other negative forces that can harm them as well. And by relying on Vajrayogini as our yidam and by doing her practice and meditations well can also can control over animals, spirits, demons and weather.
The Perfect Yidam
If one does her meditations and practices correctly, through her extremely potent tantra, one can successfully gain mastery of their death and rebirth and be able to control their death when it comes and choose where they seek to go (most of the time it’ll be her paradise or her heaven Kechara) without having to experience the fear of death. As in her tantra, it transforms ordinary stages of life (death, bardo and rebirth) into paths of enlightenment as even if her practitioners fail to successfully dissolve their psychic winds into the central channel and perform the clear light meditation and falls into bardo, Vajrayogini will meet with them in bardo and take them to her heaven.
According to His Eminence the 25th Tsem Tulku Rinpoche, there are three levels of Vajrayogini practitioners with the lowest scope/level (scope here refers to merit) will meet with her practice again and ascend to her pure land within 14 lifetimes. Meeting Vajrayogini beyond this lifetime is possible as she is classified as a karmic deity meaning that she meets with her practitioners in every lifetime. As through her meditational practices, one can purify a tremendous amount of negative karma and accumulate a tremendous amount of merit to be reborn in beautiful places, places where there is a qualified Vajrayogini master that holds an authentic and unbroken Vajrayogini lineage and can receive the initiation from them.
Then there’s the middiling practitioner, who if they’re of the middiling level, when they pass away and enter into bardo, instead of experiencing fear, they’ll immediately hear the sounds of the damaru and the bell being accompanied by male and female chanting before Vajrayogini will arrive to meet them and carry them to her paradise.
For the highest level, one who has held their commitments strongly and does her meditations, sadhana and mantra successfully, when they die, they won’t leave their body but rather their body’s subtle cells will shrink and they’ll float up and ascend to her paradise with their body intact to receive the Dharma from Vajrayogini and Heruka Chakrasamvara. This has been witnessed and performed by many great Vajrayogini practitioners and masters in the past.
With regards to ascension to her paradise, His Eminence Kyabje Tsem Tulku Rinpoche has expressed and reminded his students and disciples that in a sacred vision, the sacred Sarva-Buddha-Dakini (Dakini who is the essence of all the Buddha’s) appeared to His Holiness Kyabje Pabongka Rinpoche promising him that those who practice her in his lineage can ascend to her paradise within 7 lifetimes, cutting the amount of lifetimes usually required to ascend to her paradise in half.
Another reason why Vajrayogini is such a perfect yidam for our time is that according to His Eminence, Tsem Tulku Rinpoche, she is the “perfect combination of simplicity and potency.” As unlike the other tantric Buddha’s such as Heruka and Yamantaka, Vajrayogini is far easier to visualise and to understand and that by simply reciting her sacred mantra it can convey us to her paradise and what’s more is that it was His Holiness Kyabje Zong Rinpoche who strongly emphasized the deep importance of meditating on her sacred enlightened form correctly, knowing and fully understanding what every part of her body means, what she is wielding, what it means and it’s significance during their practices. So for those who find it difficult to do this for the other (more advanced) tantric systems such as 34-armed, 16-legs and 9-faces Yamantaka, 12-Armed and 4-face Heruka, 6-Armed and 4-Face Guhasyamaja or the complex Kalachakra deity, whose practices requires the practitioners to fully understand and to know what their entire iconography represents coupled with the correct meditation, mantra recitation and visualisations may find it a daunting task can instead rely on the far easier 1 face and two arms and two legs Vajrayogini thanks to the potent power of her mantra.
As Vajrayogini is a tantric practice, her meditational practices have the ability to purify a tremendous amount of negative karma which gives her practitioners a peace of mind. And since it also purifies the psychic delusions, a Vajrayogini practitioner’s initial self-cherishing mind will be shifted towards benefiting others and coupled with the tremendous karmic purification, can easily handle life’s challenges and better react to negative situations, thus their perspectives will change and widen. As during her practice, they go through self-generating and self-visualising themselves as Vajrayogini in which over time, they will eventually adopt her enlightened traits and qualities and live a life creating less negative karma and to benefit other sentient beings on a much more powerful level.
But if we go further and study, learn up and practice her meditations, her sadhana (preferably the long sadhana) coupled with the correct visualisations and mantra recitations as well as holding our commitments and three sets of vows successfully, we can achieve high attainments such as the realization of Bodhicitta and Emptiness/Sunyata and ascend to her paradise within one lifetime.
Ultimately, we can even achieve the supreme goal which is supreme enlightenment just by relying on Vajrayogini and given how potent, simplified but efficacious her practice is, we won’t have to go for so many initiations but stick with Vajrayogini and go all the way and even if we don’t successfully achieve the dissolution of our psychic winds at the time of birth and physically ascend to Kechara paradise at the time of our death, Vajrayogini will still come to lovingly collect us when we fall into bardo.
Hence why her tantra is considered supreme and has been recommended strongly by the great lineage masters of the Gelug school especially by His Holiness Kyabje Pabongka Rinpoche who, in the twentieth century ushered in a new era of Vajrayogini’s practice and since then, subsequent lineage masters from His Holiness Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche, His Holiness Kyabje Zong Rinpoche, Lama Yeshe and His Eminence Kyabje Tsem Tulku Rinpoche have all carried forth this incredible lineage.
Examples of Vajrayogini’s Rituals
Her tantra also carries powerful rituals as well with one being the Ruchok ritual that consecrates the teeth, hair or even the nails of either deceased or alive individuals and bless them to purify their negative karma. For those who are deceased, it purifies their negative karma and helps them to achieve a good rebirth and to meet the Dharma in future lifetimes whilst for those alive, it’ll also purify their negative karma and give protection as well as to bless them to have the ability to understand and engage in Dharma practices and to also create the causes to receive her practice as well.
Another ritual is known as Daju or the Vajrayogini self-initation ritual in which for those initiated they undergo from time to time to repair any broken vows and commitments which may prevent them from achieving attainments from her practice and for the unitiated they can attend to create the causes to receive her practice and to connect with Vajrayogini as well.
Making a Connection to Buddha Vajrayogini Without Initiation.
Source: “Vajrayogini-The Powerful Divine Lady”
So, by seeing and having her image, conscientiously making offerings to her and connecting with her now (even if we don’t have her initiation) will help to create the meritorious causes to receive and to practice her highly sacred yet immensely potent and holy tantric practice one that is the most suitable for our time due to it being a perfect combination of simplicity and potency.
In fact, by connecting with Buddha Vajrayogini right now and dedicating our Dharma practice to Vajrayogini as well as learning more about her is excellent prior to getting her initiation so that we are prepared and understand as to what we will be getting ourselves into. Coupled with accomplishing the preliminaries and stabilizing ourselves on the Three Principal Paths (Renunciation, Bodhicitta and Emptiness) will allow us to stay firm on the Vajrayogini tantric path. Although more simplified than Heruka’s complex practice, with the correct stable foundation, high attainments, realizations and ultimately enlightenment can be achieved faster. All of this is recommended by the great lineage masters such as His Eminence Kyabje Tsem Tulku Rinpoche and His Holiness Kyabje Zong Rinpoche in order to purify a tremendous amount of negative karma and to accumulate a tremendous amount of merit so that results can be achieved through Vajrayogini’s practice swifter and quicker.
The Preliminaries can be found in this article by His Eminence the 25th Kyabje Tsem Tulku Rinpoche titled ”Starting on Vajra Yogini NOW!”
As times further spiritually degenerate, for many of the current tantras, the longer the line of lineage gurus presented in the tantras, the longer It’ll take for the deities blessings to come forth but for Heruka and especially for Vajrayogini, their tantras are unique because as we further degenerate, their blessings become more powerful and more charged especially since their tantras specifically utilizes, targets and transforms desire and sexual energy to purify and to transform the other delusions that keeps us trapped in samsara.
In order to help everyone to connect with the Glorious Sarva-Buddha-Dakini and Queen of the Dakini’s below will be prayers to Vajrayogini non-initiates can recite, those who aspire to receive her practice are recommended to invite an image of her and to set up a beautiful altar dedicated to Vajrayogini complete with offerings. By inviting the image of Vajrayogini to one’s abode, one shouldn’t treat it as any other images but rather the image of a deeply sacred enlightened Buddha and to make offerings onto her body (as in her statues) to achieve the Six Paramitas (which are the 6 Perfections of Generosity, Morality/Ethics, Patience/Tolerance, Joyful Effort, Meditative Concentration and Wisdom embodied in all enlightened Buddha’s). At the center of the altar should be an image of Buddha Vajrayogini (representing the Buddha body) whilst a Dharma text (such as the Lamrim text) placed on the left (representing the Buddha’s speech) and a stupa on the right of Buddha Vajrayogini (to represent the Buddha mind), that is the basics of a Buddhist altar, however in order to help purify negative karma and to generate merits, the altar should be cleaned and maintained well with plenty of offerings the practitioner desires.
Note: The offerings should be made conscientiously, respectfully and from the heart of the practitioner and not through wrong motivation and the offerings not obtained through wrong livelihoods (such as killing, cheating, stealing etc). Offerings of food and drinks should also be vegetarian and not meat.
Such offerings can include the 8 Water Offerings which are 8 bowls of water offered up to Buddha Vajrayogini, flowers, candles, incense as well as anything else the practitioner likes and desires in order to help create the causes towards gaining Vajrayogini’s sacred empowerments.
As already mentioned, there are prayers to Buddha Vajrayogini which can be done daily with the motivation to wanting to gain her sacred empowerment from a qualified master of her lineage inclusive of the oral transmissions and commentary.
Prayers to Vajrayogini
Vajrayogini Tea Offering (For Those With High Aspirations)
This prayer was composed by the 18th century Tibetan author, Ngulchu Dharmavhdra and can be done by anyone with or without her initiation.
(To learn on how to go about doing this prayer properly, follow this link titled ”Tea Offering to Vajrayogini (For the 1st time!)
“OM AH HUM (to consecrate the offering)
As I visualise myself as the deity at the center of the dharmachakra,
extremely red within a double tetrahdeal reality source,
on a stainless moon mandala seat
resides the all-encompassing refuge assembly of guru-deities
(Rang Ihar sal chho ky khor loi u
Dob rab mar chho jung nyi tseg nang
Dan dri dral da wai kyil khor teng
Kyab kun du la ma Iha tshog zhug
Gyu Iha dza rin chhen la drub ching
Yib rab dze yol go tam pal chu)
In a beautifully shaped container filled with the essences
of ingredients made from precious celestial substances,
this vast drink, delicious in taste,
reddish yellow in color, with the scent of camphor,
I offer to the assembly of father, root and lineage gurus.
Please bless my three doors.
(Dang mar ser ga bur dri dang chän
Ro zang dän gya jäi tung wa di
Pha tsa gyü la mäi tshog la bül
Dag go sum jin gyi lab tu söl)
I offer to the assembly of powerful mother yoginis.
Please lead me to the field of Khachö pure land.(Ma näl jor wang möi tshog la bül
Nä kha chö zhing du thri du söl)I offer to the assembly of peaceful and wrathful mind-sealed deities.
Please bestow all the supreme and general attainments.(Lha yi dam zhi thröi tshog la bül
Chhog thün mong ngö drub tsäl du söl)I offer to the objects of refuge, the Three Rare Sublime Ones.
Please protect me from the fearful enemies of samsara and nirvana’s peace.(Kyab kön chog rin chhen sum la bül
Dra si zhii jig lä dräl du söl)I offer to the assembly of supporters, dakinis, and Dharma protectors.
Please actualize all activities, whatever is wished for.(Drog khan dro chhö kyong tshog la bül
Yi chi dö thrin lä drub tu söl)I offer to the assembly of siblings, the six types of transmigratory beings.
Please pacify the suffering of my mind’s hallucinated appearances.(Nyen rig drug dro wäi tshog la bül
Sem thrül nang dug ngäl zhi gyur chig)Clarifying myself as the mind-sealed deity, which appears while empty,
and enjoying the food, with the taste of nectar,
my mind enters into the sphere of great bliss and emptiness.(Rang nang tong yi dam lhar säl wä
Ze dü tsii ro la long chä pä
Lo de chhen tong päi ying su zhug)EH MA HO!
How eminently fortunate I am!(E MA HO!
Mä jung käl pa zang)Colophon: This tea offering to Vajrayogini was composed by Ngülchu Dharmabhadra. You may recite the above in either Tibetan phonetics or just in English. Either way is fine.”
Aspirational Prayer to Behold the Beautiful Face of Khechari
By Tsarchen Losal Gyatso (Lineage master of Vajrayogini’s tantra/Naro Kacho-1494-1567)Kyabje Pabongka Rinpoche said that of all the lineage lamas on the Vajrayogini lineage, the writings of Tsarchen Losal Gyatso hold particularly potent blessings. Therefore, one can recite the following prayer to receive blessings to receive Vajrayogini’s initiation and gain attainments through her practice.
“Namo Vajra Chandaliye!
Namo Vajra Varahye!
From the dance of bliss-emptiness of limitless conquerors,
Appearing as so many visual illusions of samsara-nirvana;
Henceforth, now, glorious Khechari, Attractive One,
With my heartfelt recollection, protect with a joyful loving embrace.In Akanishta is the innate Mother of the conquerors,
At the twenty-four places – the realm born dakinis,
Pervasive wealth-holders – karmamudras;
Holy One, be the Refuge Lord of me the yogi.You are the manifestation of my own mind of emptiness,
The actual VAM in the E space of the vajra city;
As a frightful rakshasi of the island of illusion and
A bright smiling youth – clearly revealed.I, not having found anything determined to be
Truly established, although searching, however much;
The mind of that person wearied by elaborations,
Takes rest in the forest shelter free of expression.Ema! Now Dakini, arise from space; from the Shri Heruka,
King of Tantras, protect by the truth of the saying;
“Accomplishment is through reciting the excellent
Near-essence mantra of the Vajra Queen.”In a secluded forest of Oddiyana,
After protecting the lord of siddhas, Vajra Ghantapa;
With the bliss of an embrace and kiss,
[You] led to the realm of Khechara; likewise also protect me.From an island in the Ganga, the holy Kushali
Was actually led to the expanse of space,
And after, glorious Naropa was taken; likewise,
Lead me also to Khechara, the city of Joyful Ones.Through the compassion of the root and lineage [gurus] and the
Superior swift path of the profound, ultimate secret, great Tantra;
With the power of a pure unusual attitude, may I the yogi,
Quickly see the smiling face of the Joyful One, Khechari.
(Written spontaneously by Tsarchen Vajradhara).”[An Aspirational Prayer to Behold the Beautiful Face of Khechari by Tsarchen Losal Gyatso (1502-1566). Translated by Jeff Watt. Vancouver, B.C, Canada. February 27th 1998. Rev: Mar.26/98]
Praise to Vajrayogini
Although Vajrayogini’s practice requires initiation, a fervent Seeker of Dharma, Pablo Alder, who was entranced by Her mysteries, found this beautiful prayer on the Internet. One can recite this prayer to create a connection with Sacred Vajrayogini now, without initiation.“I am the diamond maiden, the player of games
The yogini is one of my forms
Showing that I am beyond earthly attachment
I am the shining revelation to the ascetic.The women in silk and roses
I am the harlot in black net and leather,
Who gives enjoyable punishment
I am the glass bead master, creating universes of form
And a spark of me is in each hand, for I dwell in karma.I am the Trauma Goddess, the Lady of Pain
In return for devotion I pull thorns from the heart
In return for obedience
I untie the knots in the belly and the head (chakras)
I hold the vajra, which gives and receives
I reshape family karma.The Trauma Goddess is called for people in painful situations
Where anger and hatred block the path of the soul
I evaluate the benefits of revenge
And give better suggestions for spiritual growth.I am not suited to polite society
To social striving, upward mobility, and making good impressions
I am radically honest, sensitive, brilliant, and blunt
I hold up a mirror to the best and worst facets of human life.The Lady of Trauma is the mirror of pain
I reflect the disastrous ways that human beings interact
Then the reflections are stretched and distorted
With irony, and humour, and sadness
Loosening their grip on the heart
So that the person who seeks freedom
Can get a taste of being free.(We fold our hands and entreat Her…)
“Lady of Trauma, Lady that absorbs pain
Ascetic and bhairavi and sannyasini and mistress
Pull me from the disaster that I have made of my life
Save me from the evil machinations of others.”This is their prayer and I hear it in their hearts
As they chant my mantra.“Saviour, Lady, Mother Goddess, Bodhisattva,
Love me as I love you
I am desperate and bound
Free me by your grace.”I will give freedom, but not without realisation
Those who have been bound, bind others
Those who have suffered, cause suffering
I let them know how they have been affected
But also how they have affected others.I do not wear bones because of death
I wear them because they represent what is beneath the surface
The blood that I drink is evil karma of those that I save
And the karma is then halted and does not pass to others.I appear wrathful as I take on anger, hatred, fury, and the desire to destroy
Which are destroyed within me.
I am a dancer upon the pain of all mankind
I destroy the dark and corrupt.My compassionate side is hidden
But for those whom I love
Who have taken on my dark grace
I open a path of shining light
With pain and sorrow left behind.”(Source: J. Denosky)
Kandarohi is one of the four Heroines of the Cardinal Direction of Vajrayogini’s Mandala known as the “Goddess of Action”
Good luck and I wish you all the best in forging a powerful connection with Lady Buddha Vajrayogini whose extremely potent practice is best suited for our modern times and is the most perfect Yidam for all of us. I write this article up on Vajrayogini out of wanting others to connect with her and to be inspired to pursue the goal of wanting to achieve her sacred empowerments to practice her teachings.
To even be able to hear her sacred name, see her sacred images as well as to be able to forge a connection with her or even to be properly initiated into her practice requires a vast amount of spiritual merits.
Before I sign off, I do want to sincerely and humbly thank my root (spiritual guru), His Eminence the 25th Kyabje Tsem Tulku Rinpoche who throughout his enlightened life worked tirelessly to introduce Buddha Vajrayogini and her sacred practice to Malaysia and through his online channels (Tsemrinpoche.com and on his Youtube channel-Tsem Rinpoche). Without His Eminence compassionately spreading Vajrayogini, I wouldn’t have known about this powerful yet compassionately loving enlightened Dakini and her sacred tantra. For many lifetimes, he’s been the lineage holders and progenitors of her tantra and from the bottom of my heart, I put my hands to His Eminence for proliferating and promoting Vajrayogini allowing those who are not initiated into her practice but are fortunately, meritorious enough to be able to hear her sacred name, see her powerful images and to forge a lasting connection with her to create the causes to receive her practice in the future. And although I’m definitely not like His Eminence, I wish to help spread Vajrayogini to other people by writing up about her. I thank His Eminence for the treasure trove and information on this sacred Buddha-deity that he’s provided which I will link below that contains far more than what I’ve talked about in this article.
May His Eminence swiftly return back to Kechara Forest Retreat to continue turning the incomparable Wheel of Dharma and to return to continue proliferating Lama Tsongkhapa’s virtuous lineage.
Puja’s & Rituals to Sponsor of Vajrayogini
- Vajrayogini at Vajrasecrets (Rituals items & images from Vajrasecrets to connect with Vajrayogini)
- Vajrayogini Puja Set (Long Sadhana, Self-Initiation & Tsok)
- Vajrayogini Fire Puja
- Heruka Chakrasamvara Puja Set (Long Sadhana, Self Initation & Tsok)
- Heruka Chakrasamvara Fire Puja
- Four-Armed Mahakala Puja (Dharma Protector of Heruka’s Tantra)
- Dorje Shugden Wishfulfilling Puja (Dharma Protector with a special regard for Vajrayogini who in his past incarnations worked to proliferate her tantra & to also be progenitors of her practice-past incarnations who were evident of this include Mahasiddha Naropa)
- Sengdongma Puja (Dakini from Vajrayogini’s Mandala)
References & Links to Vajrayogini
- Tsemrinpoche.com Vajrayogini Category of articles
- 62-Deity Heruka Chakrasamvara Sadhana of the Luipa Tradition
- The Supreme Guru of the Vajrayogini Tantra-Vajradharma (Guru Yoga)
- Ucheyma: The Severed Headed Vajrayogini (Unique & rare practice of the Vajrayogini tantras)
- Four Sacred Sites of Vajra Yogini in Nepal (Vajrayogini’s Four Majestic Nepalese Temples)
- The Power of Ruchok (Powerful ritual of the Vajrayogini tantra)
- Twenty-Four Holy Places & Eight Great Charnel Grounds (Refers to Vajrayogini’s Mandala)
- Tsarchen Loysal Gyatso: lineage Holder of Vajrayogini’s Tantra
- Mahasiddha Naropa: The Indomitable Disciple (Progenitor of Naro Kechari practice)
- The Dakini with the Essence of all Buddhas, Vajrayogini
- Vajrayogini-The Powerful Divine Red Lady (Introduction to Vajrayogini)
- Making Offerings to Vajrayogini in Kechara Forest Retreat (Connecting with Vajrayogini)
- Facebook Answered: Vajrayogini’s Sacred Initiation
- Kechara’s Vajrayogini Prayer Wheels
- Starting on Vajra Yogini NOW!
- TRANSCRIPT: How Lama Tsongkhapa transforms to Vajrayogini
- Dharma Protectors of Tibetan Buddhism
- Cittipati: The Lord and Lady of the Charnel Grounds
- Tea Offering to Vajrayogini (For the 1st Time!)
- Dr. Drolma (Famous Vajrayogini practitioner)
- Getting Closer to Vajrayogini
Videos of Vajrayogini
Be inspired onto the holy path of Buddha Vajrayogini from these insightful, brilliant and comprehensive teachings of the Adamantine Tantric Sarvabuddhadakini by H.E Tsem Tulku Rinpoche who spent much of his enlightened life (in his 25th incarnation) promoting Vajrayogini and her practice. Whilst teachings of her actual tantric practice and meditations (as in the commentary to the practice) are meant to be only given to those initiated from a qualified Vajrayogjni master (with an unbroken lineage) due to its tantric nature, His Eminence’s teachings to non-initiates of Vajrayogini allows an understanding of this potent Buddha and her practice without breaching tantric codes.
Please enjoy the following Youtube teachings on Buddha Vajrayogini by His Eminence.
-H.E Tsem Tulku Rinpoche on Vajrayogini:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrT4TwoZG1Y
-The Supreme Vajrayogini and her Tremendous Benefits: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOg5YTexzW4
-Heruka, Vajra Yogini, Dakas and Dakinis:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiHoVyY1GUI
-Controlling our Death & Vajrayogini Chapel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YctdW9vGAUY
-Three Levels of Vajrayogini Practitioners:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2wpODmaAWY
-BAM-Vajra Yogini’s Subtle Mind:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HO_LLVqWkPA
-For Elizabeth regarding VajraYogini’s Mandala:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHv9akFU9w8
-Why is Vajrayogini Female and Naked?:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FemP84yELfU
-Starting on Vajra Yogini NOW!-Advice by Tsem Tulku Rinpoche
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkxuXQX-eWc
-Lama Tsongkhapa & Vajrayogini:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gn8AxI8p_K4&list=PLFPtxrD7Q2LwKT8V9KckPziMediuL-pNf&index=1
-Please also enjoy this special and deeply sacred mystical dance of the Adamantine Indestructible Yogini as well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86EyP1fLngg
-Tsem Tulku Rinpoche explains VAJRAYOGINI (Part 1 of 3): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTTxBbJpje0
-Tsem Tulku Rinpoche explains VAJRAYOGINI (Part 2 of 3):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYEs0ihnpC8
-Tsem Tulku Rinpoche explains VAJRAYOGINI (Part 3 of 3):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNqvT7QKi_4
-Forms of Vajrayogini (Himalayan Art Resources):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TynOQGX021o
-Krodha Kali: Black Vajrayogini (Wrathful Vajravarahi/Vajrayogini):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSL5tYJxIk0
-The Origin of Heruka & Vajrayogini:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJdt3JvAS3o
-Sakhu’s vajrayogini temple (Temple Vlog/Tour):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATP8FMQ1cJg
-Vajrayogini: the dance of Vajravarahi, “The Diamond Sow”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwK20FYF95E
-“Dear Rinpoche” series (4): Why is Vajrayogini Very Suitable for Our Time?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pr6TnyIuW4w
-Easy Dharma for Difficult Times: Vajrayogini for Today’s Practitioners
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbioKYhBrZo
-Very first Vajrayogini stupa in Malaysia:
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/EOtd3Rn0fuc
-Tsem Rinpoche Incarnation Stories: Naropa
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvF7krzB4q8
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