Difference between revisions of "Dakini" - New World Encyclopedia

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==Origins==
 
==Origins==
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The worship of Dakinis originated in [[India]] between the 10th and 12th century. It evolved from the [[Chakrasamvara]] sadhana, where Vajrayogini appears as his [[yab-yum]] [[consort]], to become a stand-alone practice of [[anuttarayoga tantra]] in its own right.<ref>English (2002)</ref>  Eventually, the belief in Dakinis was transmitted to Tibet along with many Sanskrit Buddhist scriptures that were translated into Tibetan.  According to tradition, it is said that a Dakini gave a black hat to the third [[Karmapa]], [[Rangjung Dorje]] (1284 - 1339), when he was three years old.<ref>[http://www.aaoarts.com/asie/karmapa/indexe.html A portrait of the 3rd Karmapa] Retrieved September 19, 2008.</ref> The Black Crown became the emblem of the oldest reincarnating Tibetan lineage.
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According to tradition, a Dakini gave a black hat to the third [[Karmapa]], [[Rangjung Dorje]] (1284 - 1339), when he was three years old.<ref>[http://www.aaoarts.com/asie/karmapa/indexe.html A portrait of the 3rd Karmapa] Retrieved September 19, 2008.</ref> The Black Crown became the emblem of the oldest reincarnating Tibetan lineage.
 
  
 
==Famous Dakinis==
 
==Famous Dakinis==
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===Vajrayogini===
 
===Vajrayogini===
 
[[Image:Painted 19th century Tibetan mandala of the Naropa tradition, Vajrayogini stands in the center of two crossed red triangles, Rubin Museum of Art.jpg| thumb|right|Painted 19th century [[Tibet|Tibetan]] [[mandala]] of the [[Naropa]] tradition, [[Vajrayogini]] stands in the center of two crossed red triangles, [[Rubin Museum of Art]]]]
 
[[Image:Painted 19th century Tibetan mandala of the Naropa tradition, Vajrayogini stands in the center of two crossed red triangles, Rubin Museum of Art.jpg| thumb|right|Painted 19th century [[Tibet|Tibetan]] [[mandala]] of the [[Naropa]] tradition, [[Vajrayogini]] stands in the center of two crossed red triangles, [[Rubin Museum of Art]]]]
 
[[Image:Chakrasamvara Vajravarahi.jpg|thumb|Chakrasamvara wth Vajravarahi]]
 
[[Image:Chakrasamvara Vajravarahi.jpg|thumb|Chakrasamvara wth Vajravarahi]]
  
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'''Vajrayogini''' or '''Vajravarahi''' ([[Tibetan language|Tibetan]]: '''Dorje Naljorma''', English: the [[Vajra]] [[yogini]]; also Tibetan: '''Dorje Phagmo''', {{bo|w=rdo-rje phag-mo}}, English: the Vajra Sow) is a [[dakini]], a [[vajrayana|tantric]] [[Buddhist]] [[ishta-deva (Buddhism)|ishta-deva]] (Tib. ''yidam''). Her [[sadhana]] (practice) originated in [[India]] between the [[10th century|10th]] and [[12th century]]. It evolved from the [[Chakrasamvara]] sadhana, where Vajrayogini appears as his [[yab-yum]] [[consort]], to become a stand-alone practice of [[anuttarayoga tantra]] in its own right.<ref>English (2002)</ref> 
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''Vajrayogini'' or ''Vajravarahi'' ([[Tibetan language|Tibetan]]: ''Dorje Naljorma'', English: the [[Vajra]] [[yogini]]; also Tibetan: '''Dorje Phagmo''', {{bo|w=rdo-rje phag-mo}}, English: the Vajra Sow) is a dakini a associated with triumph over ignorance as well as with abandonment (one of her hidden aspects is [[Varuni]]{{Fact|date=July 2007}}, [[Hinduism|Hindu]] goddess of alcohol and intoxication). Vajrayogini is key to the advanced sadhana of ''[[Chöd]]''. Vajrayogini is visualized as the [[translucent]], deep red form of a 16 years old female with the [[third eye]] of wisdom set vertically on her forehead. Iconographically, Vajrayogini, like most of the [[Dakini]], is often signified with the [[investiture]] of [[Digambar]]. She is often pictured with a sow and is an important deity for tantric initiation, especially for new initiates—Vajrayogini's practice is said to be well-suited to those with strong desirous attachment, and to those living in the current "degenerate age." Her consort is [[Chakrasamvara]], who is often depicted as a spear on Vajrayogini's shoulder. The seven-headed form of Vajrayogini is similar to the Hindu goddess [[Chinnamasta]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Bernard|first=Elizabeth Anne|title= Chinnamasta: The Aweful Buddhist and Hindu Tantric (Buddhist Tradition) |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass|date=2000|isbn=978-8120817487}}</ref> Vajrayogini is the [[yidam]] that a meditator identifies with when practicing [[Six yogas of Naropa]]
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Vajrayogini is often associated with triumph over ignorance as well as with abandonment (one of her hidden aspects is [[Varuni]]{{Fact|date=July 2007}}, [[Hinduism|Hindu]] goddess of alcohol and intoxication). Vajrayogini is key to the advanced sadhana of ''[[Chöd]]''. Vajrayogini is visualized as the [[translucent]], deep red form of a 16 years old female with the [[third eye]] of wisdom set vertically on her forehead. Iconographically, Vajrayogini, like most of the [[Dakini]], is often signified with the [[investiture]] of [[Digambar]]. She is often pictured with a sow and is an important deity for tantric initiation, especially for new initiates—Vajrayogini's practice is said to be well-suited to those with strong desirous attachment, and to those living in the current "degenerate age." Her consort is [[Chakrasamvara]], who is often depicted as a spear on Vajrayogini's shoulder. The seven-headed form of Vajrayogini is similar to the Hindu goddess [[Chinnamasta]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Bernard|first=Elizabeth Anne|title= Chinnamasta: The Aweful Buddhist and Hindu Tantric (Buddhist Tradition) |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass|date=2000|isbn=978-8120817487}}</ref> Vajrayogini is the [[yidam]] that a meditator identifies with when practicing [[Six yogas of Naropa]]
 
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In [[Tibet]] the abbess of [[Samding]] monastery, on the shores of the Yamdrok Tso Lake near [[Gyantse]], was traditionally a [[tulku]] of Dorje Phagmo.<ref>Tashi Tsering, ''A Preliminary Reconstruction of the Successive Reincarnations of Samding Dorje Phagmo; The Foremost Woman Incarnation of Tibet'' , Youmtsho - Journal of Tibetan Women's Studies, no. 1, pp.20-53.</ref> The current incarnation resides in [[Lhasa]].<ref>Pamela Logan, [http://www.asiaquarterly.com/content/view/143/  ''Tulkus in Tibet''], Harvard Asia Quarterly, Vol. VIII, No. 1. Winter 2004.</ref>
 
  
 
===Narodakini===
 
===Narodakini===

Revision as of 18:43, 20 September 2008

File:Varjayogini.JPG
Tibetan Board Carving of Vajrayogini Dakini

A dakini (Sanskrit: ḍākinī; Tibetan:khandroma meaning "Sky dancer/walker") is a tantric deity that might best be described as a female embodiment of enlightened energy. Although dakini figures appear in Hinduism and in the Bön tradition, dakinis are particularly prevalent in Vajrayana Buddhism and have been particularly conceived in Tibetan Buddhism where the dakini, generally of volatile or wrathful temperament, act somewhat as a muse (or inspirational thoughtform) for spiritual practice. Dakinis are energetic beings in female form, evocative of the movement of energy in space. In this context, the sky or space indicates shunyata, the insubstantiality of all phenomena, which is, at the same time, the pure potentiality for all possible manifestations.

Dakinis, being associated with energy in all its functions, are linked with the revelation of the Anuttara Yoga Tantras or Higher Tantras, which represent the path of transformation. Here, the energy of negative emotions or kleshas, called poisons, are transformed into the luminous energy of enlightened awareness or gnosis (jnana) yielding rigpa (non-dual awareness).

Classes of Dakini

Judith Simmer-Brown, based on teachings she received from Tibetan lamas[1], identifies four main classes of dakini, which follow the Twilight Language tradition of esotericism in referrring to secret, inner, outer and outer-outer classes of dakinis. The secret class of dakini is Prajnaparamita (Tibetan yum chenmo) or voidness, the empty nature of reality according to Mahayana doctrine. The inner class of dakini is the dakini of the mandala, a meditational deity (Tibetan:yidam) and fully-enlightened Buddha who helps the practitioner recognise their own Buddhahood. The outer dakini is the physical form of the dakini, attained through Completion Stage Tantra practices such as the Six Yogas of Naropa that work with the subtle winds of the subtle body so that the practitioner's body is compatible with an enlightened mind. The outer-outer dakini is a dakini in human form. She is a yogini, or Tantric practitioner in her own right but may also be a karmamudra, or consort, of a yogi or mahasiddha.

Dakinis can also be classified according to the Trikaya: In this system, one can distinguish the dharmakaya dakini, which is Samantabhadri, representing the dharmadhatu where all phenomena appear; the sambhogakaya dakinis, which are the figures used for practice; the nirmanakaya dakinis, which are the women born with special potentialities, these are realized women, the consorts of the gurus, or even all women in general as they may be classified into the five Buddha-families.[2]

When considered as a stage on the Vajrayana Path, the dakini is the last of the stages: the first is the guru, which corresponds to the initial realization of the true condition of reality, as this is introduced by the guru in the empowerment, if the disciple obtains what the Inner Tantras call peyi yeshe (dpe yi ye shes); the second is the devata, which corresponds to the Contemplation insofar as the devata is the method we use for developing the state discovered in the initial realization of the true condition of reality; the third and last is the dakini insofar as the dakini is the source of the activities of realization.[3]

Origins

The worship of Dakinis originated in India between the 10th and 12th century. It evolved from the Chakrasamvara sadhana, where Vajrayogini appears as his yab-yum consort, to become a stand-alone practice of anuttarayoga tantra in its own right.[4] Eventually, the belief in Dakinis was transmitted to Tibet along with many Sanskrit Buddhist scriptures that were translated into Tibetan. According to tradition, it is said that a Dakini gave a black hat to the third Karmapa, Rangjung Dorje (1284 - 1339), when he was three years old.[5] The Black Crown became the emblem of the oldest reincarnating Tibetan lineage.

Famous Dakinis

Vajrayogini

Painted 19th century Tibetan mandala of the Naropa tradition, Vajrayogini stands in the center of two crossed red triangles, Rubin Museum of Art
File:Chakrasamvara Vajravarahi.jpg
Chakrasamvara wth Vajravarahi

Vajrayogini or Vajravarahi (Tibetan: Dorje Naljorma, English: the Vajra yogini; also Tibetan: Dorje Phagmo, Wylie: rdo-rje phag-mo, English: the Vajra Sow) is a dakini a associated with triumph over ignorance as well as with abandonment (one of her hidden aspects is Varuni[citation needed], Hindu goddess of alcohol and intoxication). Vajrayogini is key to the advanced sadhana of Chöd. Vajrayogini is visualized as the translucent, deep red form of a 16 years old female with the third eye of wisdom set vertically on her forehead. Iconographically, Vajrayogini, like most of the Dakini, is often signified with the investiture of Digambar. She is often pictured with a sow and is an important deity for tantric initiation, especially for new initiates—Vajrayogini's practice is said to be well-suited to those with strong desirous attachment, and to those living in the current "degenerate age." Her consort is Chakrasamvara, who is often depicted as a spear on Vajrayogini's shoulder. The seven-headed form of Vajrayogini is similar to the Hindu goddess Chinnamasta.[6] Vajrayogini is the yidam that a meditator identifies with when practicing Six yogas of Naropa

Narodakini

File:Narodakini150.jpg
Nãrodãkinĩ (Patan,Nepal[7]), last decade of 20th century, Paubhã, detail. Pigment and gold on cloth. 16.4x13.25in.(19.4x33.65cm). Miranda Shaw private collection. Nãrodãkinĩ's red body and rippling hair are illumined by her aureole of yogic fire and adorned with gleaming bone ornaments. Nãrodãkinĩ' raises her brimming skull bowl, ever imbibing the promordial bliss that pulses at the heart of reality[8].

Nãrodãkinĩ is Tibetan deity[9] similar to Vajrayogini[10][11] (red, striding, bearing a vajra), which no longer appears in the active Tantric pantheon, despite its importance in late Indian Buddhism. Nãrodãkinĩ, or Naro Khachöma[12], is readily recognizable by her lunging posture and raised skull bowl (kapala). Her head is uptilted, poised to imbibe the blood that overflows her skull bowl, and her right hand brandishes a curved knife (kartika). Nãrodãkinĩ's physical attributes are interpreted with reference to long-standing Buddhist principles as well as distinctively Tantric concepts. For example, her freely flowing hair is in the lndic setting a mark of a yogic practitioner, especially one who cultivates psychic heat[13], whereas Buddhist exegetes imerpret the unbound tresses as a sign that her mind, free from grasping, is a flowing stream of nonconceptuality[14][15][16][17]. Her crown of five skulls represents her transformation of the five aspects of selfhood into the five transcendental insights of a Buddha. Her garland of fifty severed heads symbolizes her purification of the fifty primary units of language and thought. Her bone ornaments represent five of the six perfections of a bodhisattva. Her body itself represents the sixth perfection, transcendent wisdom (prajna), which all female deities implicitly personify. Nãrodãkinĩ carries a mystical Staff (khatvãnga[18][19]), supported by her left arm or balanced across her left shoulder. The staff indicates that she is not celibate and has imegrated[20] eroticism into her spiritual path, mastering the art of transmuting pleasure into transcendent bliss.[21]

Simhamukha

File:Senge-dongma.jpg
Senge dongma

Simhamukha or Senge Dongma (Sanskrit:Siṃhamukhā; Tibetan:sen-ge’i gdong ma or senge-dong-chen) can be translated into English as Lion-Faced Dakini. This dakini and female tantric Buddha is regarded as one of the principal fierce manifestations of Padmasambhava, the 8th Century mahasiddha who was a founder of the Nyingma or 'Ancient School' of Tibetan Buddhism. As such, she is connected with many ceremonies of the Dzogchen tradition. A fierce dakini, she is also one of the Phramenma, a group of female deities from the Bardo Thödol, or 'Tibetan Book of the Dead'. When fully appreciating the benefits of this wrathful wisdom deity (according to the Nyingma tradition), she is the principal Dakini teacher of Padmasambhava. The female lama Jetsun Lochen (1865- 1951) founded a Simhamukha practice lineage.[22]

Simhamukha is iconographically represented as a wrathful deity who is usually depicted as a dark blue, or maroon, coloured lion-faced female and is associated with the direction East. As Simhavaktra, an alternate form of Simhamukha, she is also an attendant of the Dharmapala Palden Lhamo, in which case she is depicted as carrying both a kapala, or skullcap, and a kartika, or ritual knife.

Every Hindu temple has the face of lion at the apex entrance carved artistically. This lion-face appears at the top of the door, niche, and windows as well. The countenances of man and lion are fused and it is also know as Simhamuka or Simhalalata. It is supposed to lead worshippers to Supreme Reality.

Simhamukha usually indicates Rahu (eclipse). One of the nine planets, Rahu stands for a devourer. There is a Puranic story. During the fight between gods and demons for nectar or Amrita, Rahu, the demon, tried to get a sip of drink of immortality, stealthily. But he was caught in the nick of time by the Surya (the Sun God) and Chandra (the Moon God) and Lord Vishnu was informed instantly. He cut off Rahu's head. But the head became immortal, having tasted a drop of nectar. Rahu now tried to swallow Sun and Moon when they passed near him. During eclipses (grahana), this scene is repeated according to believers.

Rahu is son of Simhika or the lioness. She symbolizes destruction. Incarnation of Narasimha has this concept behind it.The earliest carving of Kirtimuka or Simhamukha is noticed in the stupa at Amaravati (2nd century C.E.) Dancers of Cambodia use Kirtimuka as headdress. Artifacts and any worship-worthy idols or mandaps carry this symbol.

Within the Nyingma School, of the two divisions of Kama (Oral Teachings) and Terma (Revealed Treasures), Simhamukha belongs to the Terma. From the three general divisions of Terma: Root, Branch and Essence, Simhamukha belongs to the Dakini Cycle within the Root Terma class. Generally she is regarded as the secret form of Guru Rinpoche Padmasambhava. In the Sarma Tradition the deity Simhamukha is found in the Chakrasamvara Cycle of Tantras and although similar in name and appearance is unrelated.

The dakini Simhamukha is a tutelary deity arising out of the Chakrasamvara cycle of Tantras and belongs to the Anuttarayoga 'wisdom' classification. The Sarma tradition Simhamukha is unrelated to the deity of the same name and appearance in the Nyingma 'terma' (treasure) traditions. In that tradition, of the many forms of Padmasambhava, Simhamukha is a secret form of Guru Rinpoche.

Gelugpa lineage: Vajradhara, Dakini Simhamukha, Vajrasana, Bari Lotsawa Rinchen Drag, Sachen Kunga Nyingpo (1092-1158) and the five Holy Superiors of Sakya, Rongpa Dorje Gyaltsen, Sanggye Yeshe, Yak De Panchen, Gyalwa Tsongkapa (1357-1419), etc.

Iconography

According to Campbell, "Iconographic representations tend to show the dakini as a young, naked figure in a dancing posture, often holding a skullcup (kapala) filled with menstrual blood or the elixir of life in one hand, and a curved knife (kartika) in the other. She may wear a garland of human skulls, with a trident staff leaning against her shoulder. Her hair is usually wild and hanging down her back, and her face often wrathful in expression, as she dances on top of a corpse, which represents her complete mastery over ego and ignorance."[23]

Notes

  1. ↑ Simmer-Brown, Judith (2002). Dakini's Warm Breath:The Feminine Principle in Tibetan Buddhism. Boston and London: Shambhala Publications Inc., pp.69-79. ISBN 1-57062-920-X. 
  2. ↑ Cf. Capriles, Elías (2003/2007). Buddhism and Dzogchen, and Capriles, Elías (2006/2007). Beyond Being, Beyond Mind, Beyond History, vol. I, Beyond Being
  3. ↑ Cf. Capriles, Elías (2003/2007). Buddhism and Dzogchen, and Capriles, Elías (2006/2007). Beyond Being, Beyond Mind, Beyond History, vol. I, Beyond Being
  4. ↑ English (2002)
  5. ↑ A portrait of the 3rd Karmapa Retrieved September 19, 2008.
  6. ↑ Bernard, Elizabeth Anne (2000). Chinnamasta: The Aweful Buddhist and Hindu Tantric (Buddhist Tradition). Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN 978-8120817487. 
  7. ↑ Vajrayogini Temple, Lonely Planet Nepal by Bradley Mayhew, Joe Bindloss, and Stan Armington (2006) p.214
  8. ↑ Buddhist Goddesses of India by Miranda Shaw (2006)
  9. ↑ The World of Tibetan Buddhism: An Overview of Its Philosophy and Practice by Dalai Lama (1995) p.113
  10. ↑ Vajrayogini: Her Visualizations, Rituals, and Forms (Studies in Indian and Tibetan Buddhism) by Elizabeth English (2002)
  11. ↑ Guide to Dakini Land: The Highest Yoga Tantra Practice of Buddha Vajrayogini by Kelsang Gyatso (1996)
  12. ↑ A Saint in Seattle: The Life of the Tibetan Mystic Dezhung Rinpoche by David P. Jackson (2004)
  13. ↑ The Encyclopedia of Tibetan Symbols and Motifs by Robert Beer (1999) p.23
  14. ↑ Buddhist Wisdom: The Diamond Sutra and The Heart Sutra by Edward Conze, John F. Thornton, Susan Varenne, and Judith Simmer-Brown (2001)
  15. ↑ Mahamudra: The Moonlight—Quintessence of Mind and Meditation by Dakpo Tashi Namgyal, The Dalai Lama, and Lobsang P. Lhalungpa (2006) p.88
  16. ↑ Mind at Ease: Self-Liberation through Mahamudra Meditation by Traleg Kyabgon (2004) p.18
  17. ↑ Essence of Buddhism (Shambhala Dragon Editions) by Traleg Kyabgon (2001) p.146
  18. ↑ The Encyclopedia of Tibetan Symbols and Motifs by Robert Beer (1999) p.110
  19. ↑ The Tibetan Book of the Dead (Mystical Classics of the World) by Robert Thurman and Huston Smith (1993) p.163
  20. ↑ Dancing in the Flames by Marion Woodman (1997) p.43
  21. ↑ Introduction to Tantra : The Transformation of Desire by Lama Yeshe, Jonathan Landaw, and Philip Glass (2001)
  22. ↑ Shaw, Miranda (1994). Passionate Enlightenment::Women in Tantric Buddhism. New Jersey: Princeton University Press, p.227. ISBN 0-691-01090-0. 
  23. ↑ *Campbell, June. (1996). "Traveller in Space: In Search of the Female Identity in Tibetan Buddhism." George Braziller. ISBN 0-8076-1406-8 p. 138

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Beyer, Stephen (1973). The Cult of Tara: Magic and Ritual in Tibet. University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-02192-4
  • Campbell, June. (1996). "Traveller in Space: In Search of the Female Identity in Tibetan Buddhism." George Braziller. ISBN 0-8076-1406-8
  • English, Elizabeth (2002). Vajrayogini: Her Visualizations, Rituals, and Forms. Wisdom Publications. ISBN 0-86171-329-X
  • Gyatso, Geshe Kelsang (1991). Guide to Dakini Land: The Highest Yoga Tantra Practice Buddha Vajrayogini. Tharpa Publications. ISBN 0-948006-18-8
  • Norbu, Thinley (1981). Magic Dance: The Display of the Self Nature of the Five Wisdom Dakinis. Jewel Publishing House, 2nd edition. ISBN 0-9607000-0-5
  • Padmasambhava, translated by Erik Pema Kunsang (1999) Dakini Teachings. Rangjung Yeshe Publications, 2nd edition. ISBN 962-7341-36-3
  • Simmer-Brown, Judith (2001). Dakini's Warm Breath: The Feminine Principle in Tibetan Buddhism. Shambhala Publications. ISBN 1-57062-720-7
  • Yeshe, Lama (2001). Introduction to Tantra : The Transformation of Desire. Wisdom Publications, revised edition. ISBN 0-86171-162-9

External links

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