The Serpent, the Black Sun, HPB & St. Germain

[shaberon]

Eighteen Arm Padmajala and Khandaroha

These are the Lotus deities we would have to call special to Nepal. The first comes from a wave of various Lokeshvaras, and the other is a highly important retinue member for Guhyajnana, and this same retinue applies to Padmajala, and the two deities unite.

They use cycles of exercises beginning from the most basic. If Heart Sutra is a wide-spread "opener" in all (or many) Buddhist schools, it is Prajnaparamita's heart mantra, involving Avalokiteshvara. This name is, so to speak, the "first goddess", who is intended to change, since we do not rest at the simple fact of voidness, but blend it with meditative forms. It is only this combination which can reach the adepts' yoga or Nisprapancha. And so primarily, if not only, in Nepal, we find this portrayed as the direct assimilation of the older Brihadaranyaka and Hindu deities into Avalokiteshvara's grasp. If a Hindu yogi were to nitpick how Buddha's Enlightenment is different from Liberation, about all we can say is, he listened to the Tathagatas and performed Abhisambodhi with Tilottama, in order to become Complete Manifest Buddha. This is neither a withdrawal to "voidness only", nor is it a method of remaining in form saying "this is all", but again a middle way that employs both.

It starts this way because Amitabha is the Dhyani Buddha for the whole planet, at least until such a time it may be populated by Bodhisattvas. Amitabha does little but exist, while employing a Celestial Bodhisattva, Avalokiteshvara, to affect manifestation. In a person, the Lotus Family is somewhat inoperative without the practice of mantra, and attainment is along the lines of Vidyadharas, or, "special throat knowledge" that is not inherently part of a human. That is why they are an addition to the "Hundred Bardo deities", whose goddess is no longer Prajnaparamita, but Guhyajnana. The first is "perfection of wisdom", which can be started any time at any level, and the second is "secret or self-secret gnosis", which can only be revealed by the former.

Under a barrage of quite a large number of Lokeshvara types, it is easier for me, at least, to comprehend them when they can be shown as growth and relationships, because the deities are a stronger explanation of the same thing if it were just philosophies or descriptions of yoga techniques.

Avalokiteshvara can be found to place each Family into the Desire realm, or the West, in a regular order where Accomplishment means Union:


Lakshmi Eleven Face Lokeshvara: Vairocana is in the West.

Amoghapasha: Ekajata (Vajra)

Two Arm Red Nartesvara 30: Bhurini (Jewel). It is a nine deity mandala with a seated couple, where Pandara appears in Yaksa form:







When they embrace, she is called Pandara, even if this seems inaccurate in terms of "levels" as does Vajrapani with Mamaki. I think there is a reason for this.

A Two Arm Red solo Padmapani is called Rato Macchendranath, i. e. refers to Matsendrya Nath, and can be found with Guhyajnana.

Red Cintamani Lokeshvara has an all Lotus Retinue; Four Arm Guhyajnana and Jinasagara individually; we cannot be sure if this is Siddharajni version or if those have union. In this sense, they repeat Lotus in the West (Lotus Ekajata or a Lotus Guru or Khandaroha).

Union:

Sabara's Nartesvara and Vilasini: Ram Amoghasiddhi is in the West. He has the normal fire syllable associated with males and the blood symbol of red females. He is still Accomplishment Wisdom even if that is not the final note in the rite.

That union is completely explained. So in this case, it is easy to make a scale that shows Lotus Family placing each other family into their western abode or Sukhavati. Highest tantras are based in union, and here there are really only a few specific examples:

Two Arm White Lokeshvara--Red Guhyajnana in RG 50 or TD 132 Mitra secret accomplishment version (Karma Kagyu)

RG 154 Six Arm White Sukhavati Lokeshvara and Padma Tara (Pandita Purna Vajra)

Sukhavati is not found outside Nepal, but he is abundant there. Padma Tara is perhaps Two Armed with him:








The form does not match sadhana 154, but may be from Dharmakoṣasaṅgraha (Dharmakośasaṃgraha) of Amṛtānanda. Here, they are wearing garlands, which possibly is Sragdhara. Although Sukhavati is a little bigger, Padma Tara is still basic like the sadhana version. Here is an entire book of Sukhavati Traditions in Nepal.

Four Arm Red Lokeshvara, not in union, but accompanied by Tara and Bhrkuti is found in Kva Vahal at Pattan, is rare elsewhere and loses his specialness and is just Four Arm Lokeshvara. But we are able to find many similar ones in union.

Karma Kagyu lineage of Nirmanakaya Padmasambhava, Siddharajni, and Rechung is a Four Arm Red Jinasagara with Benargchen, Hayagriva, Padmasambhava, and Guhyajnana. One of the oldest relics is a 1500s Karma Kagyu Vajradhara, with this Jinasagara in the upper right:










Kagyu records Jamgon Kongtrul with that same configuration.

These are also considered symbolic, Jinasagara = (any) Ista Devata or Yidam, Bernagchen = Protector, Hayagriva = Wrathful, Padmasambhava = Lineage Guru, Guhyajnana = Dakini. And so in this version, Padmasambhava is replaced with Siddharajni:







Although appearing in the painting as a vertical hierarchy the five deity figures are understood to be present on a horizontal flat plane with only the Machig [Siddharajni] figure placed in the sky directly above the head of Jinasagara. This is very abstract because Marpa is at the top, and he does not have the oldest Siddharajni lineage, so the painting expresses putting the two together. I believe it is accurate to say Rechung is the "funnel" in that sense.

The main source of Red Jinasagara in Union appears to be Mindroling, but this is an even older 1400s Karma Kagyu where he has a consort (oldest known representation):






It is smudgy, but, the main quarters deities are all Red, the whole thing is mostly yellow and red and has some yellow dakinis with red heads. The solo Five Deity configuration is in the upper right.

The Mindroling or Minling de kun is terma which apparently uses a Four Arm White Guhyajnana Dakini:







Its stand-alone deities are just Hayagriva and the normal Red Guhyajnana. In the sense it was popularized in the 17th century, after that, we can find examples of this couple in all of the schools. We can find a modern outline where they have Four Dakinis we would expect. In the Sarma version of it, he is standing and she is flying on him. And there is also a similar or Sarma nine deity mandala (Mahakaruna Jinasagara). In Mitra's version, they are standing. So the older or Siddharajni versions sit, newer or Mitra versions stand.

What is odd is that I cannot suss out a single sadhana which places them in union other than Mitra's White and Red. Almost all the art shows Four Arm Red on Red and we can easily find they are supposed to be close, but we cannot find "them". If I remember rightly, Vilasini is not an independent meditation, it is mainly a projection onto a real consort. Then at other times perhaps you could use the related meditation, but I am not sure you would use it unless you were engaging that process. Vilasini is supposed to have famous artwork that is explicit about penetration. None of the three Padmanartesvara sadhanas have any union, and neither does any Jinasagara.

In a Rime'-era Nyingma view, there are two Amitabhas. Beside the top one is Siddharajni, and she is above Padmasambhava. On his tier are two alternate Jinasagaras: in the first one, the consort has a drum, and in the second, they have two arms. The bottom is Lha Chenpo or Protector of Lotus tantra. They have also politely called the other couples Herukas, which is accurate because they have Two Arms and they are not really wrathful or drinking blood:








This Rime'-era Karma Kagyu has the nine deity configuration. It is mostly standard; the corner goddesses are not Dakinis, but Taras or Prajnas. Their items are mostly appropriate, until we look at the Pink Lotus Tara, who holds a Vase:









RG 152 is Eleven Face Thirty-two Arm White Amoghapasha, made of Hindu deities, who splits into Vishvesvara and Pandaravasini. His heart mantra refers to Pashupati and Padma Kula Samaya. Pandara is "similar in aspect", so White. She says:

Om Padme Pandaravasini Kunda Kunda Svaha

Kunda is a synonym for Padma, Kamala, Nilotpala, particularly with respect to Kashmir. It could also be jasmine, or a fire pit, but most likely is simply lotus here.

Padma Tara, white with a reddish luster, is with the next Eleven Face Lokeshvara 153. Eight Fears Lokeshvara151 uses Mani Tara, these are all from Pandita Purna Vajra, preceded by his version of Bodhisattvas, followed by the same of White Six Arm Sukhavati Lokeshvara and Red Two Arm Sukhavati Lokeshvara. So in that group, you find one Om Mani Tare Hum, followed by a set of Om Padme Tare Hum. Because Purna Vajra contributed Bodhisattvas and Sukhavati Lokeshvara, he must be a main reference for the special Avalokiteshvara of Nepal.

Besides Bhrkuti, in Sadhanamala, the only basic Tara that mentions Amitabha is Sragdhara 109, which means "wearing a garland". This originally was thirty-seven verses in Sragdhara meter, and is still used for Tara's grace before Vajrakilaya or Mahakala, for instance. It comes from Kashmir, ca. 8th century. The parts are backwards in romanized Sanskrit here by one of the only people who works on this stuff. As a song, it seems to say nothing to her form. Aside from possibly her, in Sadhanamala, there are no Amitabha Green Taras, his female emanations are only Kurukulla, Bhrkuti, and Sitavati (who turns green when she moves)..

What it does say is that Eight Arm Padmanartesvara is doing tandava, which is something I have been inducted into, by Hindus, of the sort who are oriented towards bliss. Charchika also does it, Varahi 226 (Armor Deities including Charchika) and 227 (Vairocaniye). They told me it was forbidden for girls to do it. This one's breaking out of hell so we don't disturb her. When she does, as we see on Seven Syllable deity, she is Lasya.

If we go back before Three Families of Kriya, Amitabha is the first Dhyani. In Nepal, his Red Lokeshvara form emanates Hindu Deities, and Pashupati. He uses Tandava to attract Hindu deities. One difference is Guhyajnana; you may meet her and go through the process, or, get so far in the process and be forced to meet Guhyajnana or it quits working. This is how we get to tantric Lakshmi who was Buddha's consort.

At Machhandar (Matsyendranath) Vahal, Kathmandu, are 108 forms of Lokeshvara, including Eight Arm Mahavajrasattva. You can get a newly-made gold plated one for $1,100, but he is also mentioned for instance in Pratima Kosha, who also gives us this mention of possibly the rarest Tara we found in a Calcutta manuscript:

Mahamaya Vijayavahini

The goddess of victory in war in Mahayana
pantheon. She is regarded as the expansive ver¬
sion of Tara, with a thousand heads
and hands; she is described as
the beloved (priya) of Padma-pani Avalokitesvara.

She is Peaceful Green Day and Wrathful White Night Taras in universal form (1,000 Arms).

In the case of her Heruka form in RG 60 and seen in the Mongolian prints, Two Arm White Lokeshvara spawns both Taras in his heart, and so in this case, Green Tara is crowned by Amitabha. She arises from Tam, but this Wrathful White Tara arises from Hum. White says "Hara twice", but this green one has the ordinary Tara mantra. So precisely here is the same simple Green Tara who is an Amoghasiddhi goddess in any other sadhana that can be found. The white one is perhaps similar to Parasol who also has 1,000 Arm form. This white Tara "looks like she should be" an Akshobya deity holding a vajra and wearing a green snake necklace. Tibetan Deities adds that Green Tara gets the Twenty-one Tara praise, and White Tara is a separate meditation done at night. There is no lineage given for this, although it comes between Sakya Pandita and Saraha, in the overall basket of Arya Tara from all schools. In Tibetan, Nyin Zhi (Day Peace) Mtshan Khro (Night Wrath). Although this Tara would normally look Tibetan and unsourced, the Calcutta manuscript is a Sanskrit original.

The 108 Lokeshvaras were given in Indian Buddhist Iconography, who describes Mahavajrasattva as sitting in the Vajraparyanka attitude on a lotus. His four right hands exhibit the sword, the rosary, the Cakra and the Abhaya pose, while his four left hold the noose, the Tridandi, the conch and the bowl of gems on his lap. The 108 include Sristhikantha and most of the Bodhisattvas, so this is a very close map of all the old Hindu understandings being mostly valid at their basis, using Buddhist method as the Path.

Not every deity has a "Maha" name; there is for example, Maha Vajragandhari, and all of the Pancha Raksha can do it. As much as Karuna is the "male half" of Vajrasattva, an expanded or Maha Vajrasattva is non-different from Avalokiteshvara. Victory Tara, an expanded or universal form of Green-White Day-Night Tara, is Padmapani's consort. Even in Pratima Kosha, the "only" Maha Lakshmi is Kolhapur, all others are "just" Lakshmi, and this one is the same explanation as in Lakshmi Tantra. She has a serpent, lingam, and yoni on her head. Kolhapur is the general area of the very arcane Dnyaneshwari. In Buddhism, Mahalakshmi is green.

Victory Tara is also Mahamaya, Lakshmi's name as Tamas of Tamas, or again Nidra or Deep Sleep, the blackest of the black, the subtlest veil which Yoga aims to penetrate. Mahamaya also becomes male to unite with Sarva Buddha Dakini. Despite her colors and attributes, Mahamaya Vijayavahini is in Lotus Family. It is entirely possible that the 1,000 Arm form is a presence resulting from success in Mahamaya tantra.

Although the names are often used interchangeably, white lotus or pundarika is an attribute of Buddha Sikhin, yellow is padma, red or pink is kamala, blue is utpala night lotus. Lotus generally is garbha, womb, or female. So the complement of Karuna Garbha mandala is Vajradhatu mandala; c. f. Indian Buddhism: A Survey with Bibliographical Notes, since vajra is male.

This is why I think it is meaningful for Nartesvara--Padmapani and Vajrapani to have Prajnas, Padma Tara or Pandara, and Mamaki, for consorts. Union is vajra in lotus. A male bodhisattva eventually just means the mind of the meditator and the female is his experience, so, much as Guhyasamaja seems to have an opening "knock" on Purified Earth, these branch to other elements. Khandaroha can hardly be seen as non-Pandara, but she is called Mamaki. In essence this goddess requires Karuna Garbha and Vajradhatu; she is both preliminary and central to it, and the sole trigger of Completion.

Karuna Garbha starts in Vairocana Abhisambodhi. We are not yet experts but we have considered its use for:

Tri-samadhi: One's own or any deity. Currently, it is what one can make from Om Ah Hum in terms of Body, Speech, and Mind, where Om--Body (Maha Karuna Garbhodbava or MKG in Vairocana Abhisambodhi, or Buddha in Sarvadurgati) becomes Nirmana Chakra. The chakra becomes earth plane emanation of whatever sort, and in this sense, is governed by Ratnasambhava. Milarepa says, the center of Chakrasamvara.

Fire Chakra is throat, so if we go towards Speech Mandala and Bliss, this is bringing solar plexus prana to the throat and inner heat from the body to the solar plexus. That is Yoga and beyond that there are just union practices or advanced ones. Kurukulla hardly if ever has union, but has the most detailed practices, which depend on or derive from a steady infusion of all these preliminaries achieving results. All want her, few will find her.

Sunyata karuna garbham, or, void is the womb of compassion.

This is among the best-preserved and most mysterious Taras in the world:





She is under Amitabha with Vajrapani and Padmapani, and flanked by White Tara (Karuna) and Bhrkuti (Prajna) who has a stupa in her hair. The males are also Mahavairocana's attendants in MKG--Abhisambodhi, and in Nepal, are with Sukhavati Amitabha; the females are Lokeshvara's attendants in his quarter in the Oriental MKG. Buddhism uses slesha or double meaning, and so Amitabha can be seen as being explained by Mahavairocana of Abhisambodhi and Sarvadurgati. Tara is a female hypostasis of Avalokiteshvara due to sharing attendants, Sita and Bhrkuti.

The problem is Tara holds an atripya or custard apple, which is a foreign object in all Buddhist iconography, and her gesture is unique. Or, the curators think it is, but look at the grainy black and white Padma Tara at the top of the post.

The fruit is not a medicine, it is a dessert. So this is not any known Tara (attributed to Kumaradeva). Circle of Bliss wants to call her Shyama, or green, without saying why. It seems unlikely to be green, who is usually designated as sixteen and trim, while White Tara is adult with voluptuous breasts.

Sarvadurgati uses a similar process to Red Lokeshvara, emanating Hindu deities.

Because Avalokiteshvara is Sutra-based, these stories do not describe forms, like Twenty-one Taras and many others, there is rarely more than a name.

Bhrkuti becomes green only when moving to the center of Amoghapasha mandala.

It is not clear if Khasarpana's deities including Green Tara are Lotus deities; in one sadhana, she has the perhaps unique color kanakaśyāmavarṇā, or gold-green. Khasarpana 15 also specifically refers to Vairocana Abhisambodhi Tantra. At the end of its Offering goddesses, it also mentions Vajra Hare. It also uses Pratisara's protection mantra. In 16, Tara is replaced with Arya Vasudhara.

In 24, he hooks Marici in some way:

aṅkuśākārair marīcivisarair

In 26, he is an Amitabha deity, and would seem to have replaced Akshobya in the center, except Amitabha is in the west.

The seeds in a typical Khasarpana retinue are Tam, Sum, Bhrim, Hum. Tam for Tara, Su is Bliss syllable, Bhrim is Jupiterian and likely older or more fundamental with Bhrkuti than with Cintamani Tara, and then Hum Hayagriva. Combining Bhrim and Hum makes Usnisa syllable, Bhrum. I am not sure if Sudhana Kumara should represent Mars, who is Kumara generally.

Lotus deities change colors mainly between red and white, and have an interface to the more white Vairocana deities. Abhisambodhi and Sarvadurgati appear to be fundamental in order to attempt much use of Lotus energy. In themselves, they are not quite final or complete. The addition of Speech and Bliss is to obtain Guhya Jnana, who then is a force or reality that occupies the entire Path.

[shaberon]

Prasanna, Cunda, Mahamaya Vijayavahini, and Vajrasarasvati, Hidden Lotus Deities

Pandita Purna Vajra is the source for the known Sukhavati Lokeshvara. He is also a contributor of numerous practices carried through Tibet to this day. Bhattacharya got a photograph of Sukhavati cast in stone in Nepal, which does not match this, but is from Nepal's Dharmakośasaṃgraha of Amṛtānanda. This happens to be what Brian Hodgson copied ca. 1840 when it must have been quite new. This type of book is not an "origin", but rather an attempt to record and classify what was being done.

It is mostly a numerological expansion from one to nine, which may be uncomfortably close to the Nava Durga of Hinduism. However it is silent on Seven Families, or even the much more common eightfold pattern in Buddhism. Just Six, then Nine, which matches a particular formula of the winds. It uses the term Amnaya for family, and Sangha for Bodhisattva. It is partially but not purely tantric. It has nothing to say about Chakrasamvara and most others of that kind.

Family of One is Adi Buddha Mahavairocana and Prajnaparamita.

It does not mention Manjushri or Manjuvajra as Adi-Guru, although that is the case in Nepal, or explain that Prajnaparamita is Guhyeshvari in the highest levels, but this is also the case in Nepal. Manjushri specifically melds Vajrasattva to Mahavairocana, this is the Namasangiti meaning of Vajradhatu.

It does however use a Guhyasamaja style of tantric deities. In the first iteration of Pancha Jina, the female Vairocana is Vajradhatvishvari, and the rest are standard. As Six Families, it makes Vajrasattva's consort Vajrasattvatmika, which has added a form of "atmako" which is something like "self is", in phrases like svabhavatmako 'ham. Elsewhere she is also called Vajra Gharvi or Vajra Ego. In additional iterations, Ugra Tara seems to be understood as Ekajata.

Hodgson believed Avalokiteshvara was Matsendrya Nath and that Manjughosha was a historical person who introduced Shaktism to Buddhism.

It mentions Vajravidarini, a female Vajravidarana, who has been found to be Ten Arm Red Vasudhara. Here is a more recent catalog where Vidarini is mentioned once, and one may find Sragdhara/Cragdhara. This is a pile of Nepali literature, with this Lotus Garland Tara stacked in fairly deep, virtually identified as Arya Tara Bhattarika.

As Bodhisattvas centered on Vairocana Family, it gives:

Samantabhadra and Sita Tara
Ugra Tara and Vajrapani
Ratna Tara and Ratnapani
Bhrkuti Tara and Padmapani
Viswa Tara and Viswapani

The Nine Dharma Families compared to regular families use Vajradhatvishvari--Vairocana, Locana--Vajra, Mamaki--Ratna, Pandara--Lotus, Tara--Amoghasiddhi, Vajrasattvatmika--Vajrasattva.

The Dharmas it adds to the Six Family version are Vasudhara, Pratyangira, Guhyeshvari. The Buddhas of these families are Vajraraja, Vajradharma, and Vajrakarma. That naming convention is used in Thirty-seven deity Sarvavid Vairochana in Sarvadurgati, and Vajra Karma is a multi-colored deity in Sarvadurgati and in Vajradhatu mandala. Vira Vajradharma is Red Vajradhara with a drum, as the Buddha of Mother tantra, whereas plain Vajradharma is Two Arm Red Avalokiteshvara who normally has bell and dorje like Blue Vajradhara.

Tibetan Art describes Sarvavid as:

"The central vajra-dais of the mandala is divided into nine chambers, with Vairocana occupying the white central chamber. In the blue eastern chamber (bottom) appears the pinkish-white Buddha Vishodhanaraja, the 'Purifying King', who sits on an elephant-throne and makes the dhyana-mudra of meditation, with his white consort Locana occupying the southeast chamber next to him. In the yellow southern chamber (left) appears the blue Buddha Jinavararatna, the 'Victorious Jewel', who sits on a horse-throne and makes the earth-touching bhumisparsa-mudra, with his blue consort Mamaki occupying the adjacent southwest chamber. In the red western chamber (top) is the red Buddha Shakyakulendra, the 'Heroic Shakya', who sits on a peacock-throne and makes the dharmachakra-mudra of teaching, with his red consort Pandara occupying the adjacent northwest chamber. And in the green northern chamber (right) is the green Buddha Kamalakumita, the 'Blossoming Lotus', who sits on a garuda-throne and makes the abhaya-mudra of protection, with his green consort Tara occupying the northeast corner chamber. All of these directional Buddhas and their consorts have one face and two arms, and wear the silk garments and jewel ornaments of sambhogakaya deities.

Surrounding the central dais is a lotus-circle of sixteen blue petals, in each of which one of the lotus-seats of the sixteen 'vajra-deities' reside. These sixteen deities all have the prefix 'Vajra' before their named attribute or quality, and they appear in the forms of peaceful bodhisattvas seated upon moon discs and lotuses. They each have one face and two arms, a particular colour, wear silk garments and jeweled ornaments, and hold specific attributes. In a clockwise sequence from the northeast (bottom right) corner they are: Vajrasattva, Vajraraja, Vajraraga, Vajrasadhu, Vajraratna, Vajratejas, Vajraketu, Vajrahasa, Vajradharma, Vajratikshna, Vajrahetu, Vajrabhasha, Vajrakarma, Vajraraksha, Vajrayaksha and Vajrasandhi."

The inner retinue of five may change between mandalas, however, any five with those sixteen Vajras, plus Vajrinis of four families, Eight Offering Goddesses, and Four Activities, it makes the same Thirty-seven Samadhi deities of STTS, Vajrasekhara, Sarvavid, and Vajradhatu mandalas. Then for instance in Namasangiti, Maha Vairocana at the center of Vajradhatu gets replaced with Bodhicittavajra (Ah-arising Vajrasattva). These are the main Yoga Tantras. Mostly the deities are seated in silk and jewels and are peaceful, like the Tara Bodhisattvas.

The Sukhavati report is mostly exoteric and tells us little but clarifies that Lotus Sutra is really Saddharma Pundarika Sutra, and that is, nominally, White Lotus. Also, in chapter 23 of one old Sanskrit version, Sukhavati is in the East, and an old Nepali caitya has Amitabha on the East:

"...an inscription dated 610 CE from Patan that is one of the earliest epigraphic references to Amitabha in South Asia ...

I praise Amitabha, the best, dispeller of illusion by the light of great prajna ;

The light, victor who lives in Sukhavati with LokeSvara,

The destroyer of the fear arising in the world, bearer of the lotus, and

Mahasthamaprapta, the affectionate-hearted one."

The Sutra is said to focus on upaya or seventh paramita, and present Buddha as a permanent entity that chooses to incarnate.

In chapter 24 of the common Kern translation, from a 1039 original, Amitabha is in the west. The different Sutra is found in Hurvitz, Leon 1976. The Lotus Blossom of the True Law. New York: Columbia University Press. It is attributed to Kumārajīva, d. 412? Kumarajiva is known for two things, causing Buddhism to gain traction in China by making profound teachings comprehensible, and by working from older Indian sources than other Chinese translators.

In the sutra generally, Buddha's attention mostly goes to the east, to a land of Vairocana. If Sukhavati was "also" in the east, then the direction was apparently shared. The western Sukhavati in Lotus Sutra is devoid of women and intercourse is unknown. Elsewhere, it advises a woman to be reborn as a man. As a whole, it is celibate male-oriented, aimed at monks and discipline.

Diamond Sutra is likewise a poor translation of Vajracchedika; the second part is "need to be cut", so this is much closer to Kartri or Vajra Chopper, primarily used by females, in a manner closely akin to its meaning in the Sutra. Taking this sutra and compressing it to a Varahi hand item is the idea behind moving from Sutra to Tantra.

Similarly, if White Lotus is a more accurate name, this is very close to White Om, universal beginning, and Vairocana, and we see that Amitabha, whether in the same direction or not, fairly strongly maintains a white aspect, but, like the syllable Ah, moves to something else and to red. Again, there is simply "much more" to reality than universal beginning and/or the Brahma Jyotir or diffusion of universal light. In tantra, it is still the starting point, but if it remained, this would dwell in void only and would lead to permanently-still nirvana. Instead, it is the Womb of Karuna.

Bhattarika Taras include Vajra Tara, Maha Cina, 115 that splits into Kurukulla, the heart of White Ekajata, and is referred to by Marici a few times.

108 is a Mani Tara who invokes Avalokiteshvara and is described as labdhā(ma)mitābhagarbhatantre. That looks like an attempt to correct a scribal redundancy in Labdha (has received) Amitabha Garbha Tantra. Then there is Sragdhara 109 before the massive Vajra Tara 110. Sragdhara's garland is really muktāphalamālyacārukucayugmām; muktaphala is fruit of the lavali plant, Phyllanthus Acidus, a gooseberry. I am not sure if this can replace the "globular fruit" on the mystery Tara in the previous post:






Because the custard apple really looks like the thing she is holding--but if you like the shape, you might find that berries work better in a malya or garland. She also has:

amitābhabuddhamadhyāṃ jaṭikāṃ dadhatīṃ manoharām evam

Amitabha in the middle of Jhatika (Plums) arranged beautifully. She refers to śrī sarvajñamitranāmā, apparently a pandit of Kashmir, and, seemingly, to Arjuna and Ramana. She refers to brahmacaryena, celibacy, generally for the study of Veda, or tapas. She mentions maya bija (Hrim). Eventually she also has navanutikusumamālayā: Nine Nuti (praise or reverence) Kusuma (flower) malya. Offhandedly, it sounds very close to the flower offerings in the Bharati rite, since that is not a "kind" of flower. The only other place this can be found is in the 1965 Tokyo Catalog which mentions Sragdhara a few times. One piece is an author-less sri-sragdhara-tika samaptam; the Sadhanamala version is sragdharāyāḥ stutividhiḥ samāptā. The catalog article is short and relates her to Sukhavati Arya Avalokiteshvara, who has a swastika.

The second article is attributed to Jinaraksita. He calls her Srimad Arya Tarya, i. e. Sri-mad, increase or elevation resulting from prosperity or sri. Her song is attributed to srl sarvajnamitra, and all of these thirty-seven verses are explained by commentary. Almost at the end of Sadhanamala version, she mentions avicchi, and tattvabījaśaktibījamāyābījāni, or reality seed -- power seed -- illusion seed. The catalog also has Mrtyu-vancanopadesa (by Vagisvarakirti, which is almost certainly Sadhanamala 112) and Prasanna-pada (by Candrakirti).

In modern times, Sragdhara-Stotram by Bhiksu Sarvajna Mitra of Kasmira (ca. 9th century), with the Sanskrit Commentary of Jina Raksita, together with two Tibetan versions, was printed in Calcutta, 1988. So this is reflected in the recent translation.

So Taras 108 & 109 lack "specific" family information like a syllable or crown, they simply are Arya Tara with no other context than Lotus Family. Brahmacharya is only also mentioned by Mahakarunika Dharani 41 and Vajra Sarasvati 164-165. Although the latter continues her "prajna vardhani" mantra, she is a red deity with a lotus as her primary item.

Tson Khapa will show us how Vajra Sarasvati works. So here is an ostensibly Vairocana deity, Om, that appears to migrate to Lotus Family, Ah. The central figure in the following Rime' thangka is Sakya Sri Bhadra and Sakya Pandita tradition. The upper left one is from the Manjushri cycle and can almost be mistaken for Varahi. Vajra Sarasvati and others are under her. On the right is an Orange one like Arapacana, and it descends to another Vajra Sarasvati of Krishna Yamari Tantra:







This is a Bhutanese detail of her from the big Ekajata:






The Nyingma seem to believe she has union with Namasangiti, where it seems to be a bird-headed neck of a lute she is holding:






One would guess that is a terma. Scripturally, we find an apparently Vairocana deity taking on Lotus energy or entering that family, and going from celibacy into a wrathful union which makes her Vetali or Vajrabhairavi or a corpse, an attendant to Marici. She has several sadhanas.

Akshobya's Abhirati Eastern Pure Land is from sutras as old as Lotus Sutra, in Akshobya Vyuha (translated into Chinese shortly before year 200) and Prajnaparamita Sutra. It means Delight, and it has women but no Mara. In a comparative study, Jan Nattier concludes that Sukhavati is derived from Abhirati. The Akshobya Sutra itself is mediumishly-long, but has been recently translated into English by, of course, the Vietnamese.

In Avatamsaka Sutra, Vairocana is from Padma Garbha Loka Dhatu or world born from lotus. His name generally refers to shining or solar, is considered the oldest or first Dhyani in Nepal, with Manjushri as Adi Guru and Vajradhatvishvari as Adi Prajna. However, Guhyeshvari or Mamaki may also be referred to that way, or, as the highest Prajnaparamita. This is alongside or in spite of the fact they have a very old, and one of the only, Amitabhas in the east. In Kriya, Vairocana, or Tathagata Family, allows practice of both the others, and, in Tantra, Vairocaniye is who emerges from Guhya Jnana and "scales up" as Buddha Dakini and melds with other goddesses.

The reason I don't really find any disagreement here is because, where is east? If I go east on the surface of the earth, I will just go in circles, and if I think I am making a line somewhere out in space, it will keep changing directions. It's not on the Mutable Cross. It is on the Fixed Cross, which means it is in front of us. Occultly, it means first step, or, rather, that which is already known or accomplished. The three main eastern deities are Vairocana, Akshobya, or even Amitabha in some limited way, the three of Kriya. In terms of initiation, one could have any of the three first. The three main sins are Ignorance--Delusion, which is the root of the other two more emotional, Rage--Aversion, or Lust--Attachment. Those could also be seen as three gunas. So if one feels any success at being wise, calm, or moderate, then for basic purposes, something is already accomplished.

It could reasonably be asserted that cosmically, Vairocana is primordial, and, in our particular world, Amitabha is current or is primordial on a planetary scale. Akshobya is more like the source of the esoteric hypostasis of Bodhi or Vajrasattva.

Since Sutras generally do not explain forms, and we found Tara 14 to be somewhat erroneously depicted as Bhrkuti who, in India, was never even shown as semi-wrathful, we changed it to something that matches. The verse says she strikes the ground, and, there is exactly one Tara who acts like this.

Day-Night Tara sadhana in a slightly larger sadhana is pretty much the same as Taranatha's, and informs us the lineage is from Tilo and Naro. Whether this should really be attached to Mahamaya Vijayavahini is my personal idea, since we see there are a limited number of Amitabha Taras, Day-Night emerges from Padmapani's heart, and Mahamaya is Padmapani Priya, his love or consort. She is considered a War goddess, perhaps a bit violent like Wrathful Night Tara. Bhrkuti can be ascertained as Padmapani Priya at a Peaceful Bodhisattva level. From there we look to Padma Tara or Pandara as Prajna or Mother. Manipadme begins to look like the fact that Avalokiteshvara invokes Mani Tara followed by a strand of Padma Tara. In Sadhanamala, after Dhanada, Bhagavati Arya Tara is Om Mani Tare, followed by Sragdhara, which most likely is a commentary of the song. Elsewhere, Om Padma Tare has multiple uses, such as Pandara.

Narayana-pariprccha-arya-mahamaya-vijaya-vahini-dharani is found in some of the sources for Tson khapa Lamrim, but not in all sources. In the 1965 Tokyo catalog, after Mantranusadharin (who seems major), there is a quick section on Mahamaya Smasana, then Mahamaya Dharani, Mahamaya Vajravarahi Dharani, and Mahamaya Vijayavahini Dharani, followed by Mayuri. That is the only use of Mahamaya, except for a Hindu Shiva-Shakti version. In 1008 Names of Mahalakshmi, there is Kanya Maya Vijayavahini, in a phrase where she is vajrachihna, or seems to show vajra as her emblem. The next name refers to Malini and Vishveshvari Ganavati. Name 43 is Mahamaya Mohini. There is also Mahamaya Mahakali, and Mahamaya Yogamaya Mahayogeshvari. If Mahamaya is a "class" of the most subtle and powerful Lakshmis, then, there are only a few specific examples of it.

There is a known Mahamaya (Vajra male in Dakini energy) along with Vairocana Mahamaya Varahi (221 Jvalamukhi, 222 with Mayuri Plume, 223), and Lotus Mahamaya Vijayavahini. The male has no independent existence but only with Varahi as Buddhadakini. This makes sense if Vijayavahini could only be placed with Padmapani. Day-Night Tara is the heart of Padmapani just as Guhyajnana is the heart of Jinasagara Lokeshvara. The spontaneously arising Guhyajnana can therefor be shown as Lotus, she directly produces Vairocana Varahi, and ultimately is Guhyeshvari Mamaki, Vajra and possibly Jewel or both.

Vajradhatvishvari only makes sense starting from Centering--Dhruvam--Dhanada and unfolding through the preceeding process towards Vajra Kaya or Amara Vajra, i. e. deathlessness. I am positive Kalachakra does this in its peculiar way, as much as the same seems to be true of Ekajata and Marici Vajradhatvishvari, since they directly use the rest of these explanations that are based in Nepal, which more or less explain Kalachakra or Pure Land or Nyingma or Shingon or anything, because it is the most intact version of the core.

Sarasvati 162: oṃ hrīḥ mahāmāyāṅge mahāsarasvatyai

The Mahamaya Vijayavahini version we have is from Sakti Cult and Tara, actually a paper by Bhattacharya, who found it in a Nepalese Dharani Samgraha in its Tarabhattarika-namastotraiata section:

Sahasramukhi sahasrasire sahasrabhuje jvali-
tanetre sarvatathagatahrdayagarbhe asidhanuparasupasupasat oma-
lakanayasaktimusaramudgalacakraliaste ehyelii bhagavati sarvatatha-
gatasatyena devarsisatyena Mahamayavijayavahini smara smara
sarvatathagatajhdnarupendgaccha gaccha sarvavaranaksayamkari
parasainyavidrdpani mohaya sarvadustan. Vajradharavandite
pujite svaha / Padmapanipriye svaha / sarvadevanamaskrte svaha /
matrganavandite pujite svaha /

They say the only other description is almost identical in Narayanapari-prccha and this is the only 1,000 Arm Tara, or, according to the text, also has a thousand heads. She perhaps is mentioned in Aryatarastotta-raJatanama, an unpublished Nepalese Buddhist work. Here again, Buddhists have kept a small piece related to Vishnu Narayan. She, at least, should be part of Bhattarika (Vajra Tara, Maha Cina, 115 that splits into Kurukulla, the heart of White Ekajata, referred to by Marici a few times, Sragdhara by classification). Nepal also has unpublished Thousand Arm Arya Tara, and in Dharani Samgraha, Thousand Arm Tara Bhattarika. This may be a re-iteration of the first two sentences. It is accurate to say that Nepal has a major, unpublished, not found in the schools, Bhattarika Tara.

She if anything is related to Prasanna (also called Sarvavaranavinasim, cf. vinazana, ruin, annihilation), and to Candi Devi of Devi Mahatmya in Markandeya Purana. Like the three aspects in Devi Mahatmya, Ugratara or Mahacinakramatara corresponds to the Makakali aspect, Vasudhara to the MahalaksmI aspect, and Prajnaparamita to the Mahasarasvati aspect. Mahalakshmi is of course "the one" before reflecting into "the three".

Mahamaya Vijayavahini is given the epithet Sarvavarana-ksayamkari; Sarvavarana comes from Usnisa Vijaya Dharani. Ksayamkari appears to mean "eliminating" and comes from Sword or Khadga Strotam: Sarva Dvandva Ksayamkari (Eliminating all Dualities). Varana is "obstructions or hindrances", which are the dualities. Sarvavarana is used in Usnisa Dharani, and Parasol also has 1,000 heads, and may be accompanied by Usnisa.

Devi Mahatmya states the goddess should be worshipped in Eighteen Arm form, even though she really has 1,000. This resembles outer practices developing to a certain point, and universal or 1,000 Arm forms are more like a vision or revelation. So that guides us to two Eighteen Arm deities, Red Khandaroha or White Cunda, who is little known in Tibet, but in Japan is considered a female Avalokiteshvara. She mainly comes from Ganavyuha Sutra, same as Avalokiteshvara, where she has an important Dharani, and she carries this in her simple form into the Dharanis of Dharmadhatu Vagisvara mandala.

Ellora cave shows Sarvavarana (?) Tara. Ellora's Tara is with Mayuri. At Ellora, there is primarily Tara, Khadiravani-tara, Chunda, Vajradhatvishvari, Maha-mayuri, Janguli, Sujata, Pandara and Bhrikuti. Tara and Jambhala are door guardians, but it is at Ratnagiri that Jambhala unites with Hariti. In cave twelve of Ellora, a stout female figure is depicted wearing a waistband and headgear of a cobra. Khadrivani-tara also holds a cobra in one of her hands in the same cave. In any case, most of the old architecture shows a system that can only be explained by the untranslated remnants in Sadhanamala and unpublished manuscripts in Nepal.

Vajravina Sarasvati says:

prasannā vicaret tasya hṛdi devī sarasvatī

Which is along the lines of her heart is opened by Prasanna, which, generally, is a term implying most of the flavors of Yellow or Prosperity.

Kurukulla 174 has for her all-red retinue, pūrvvadale prasannatārāṃ dakṣiṇadale niṣpannatārāṃ paścimadale jayatārāṃ uttaradale karṇatārāṃ aiśānadale cundāṃ āgneyadale aparājitāṃ nairṛtyadale pradīpatārāṃ vāyavyadale gaurītārāṃ. Prasanna 114 is right before Arya Tara Bhattarika which releases Kurukulla, who requires Prasanna as "first or already accomplished". Prasanna is Amrita Locana or Nectar Eye, she is a view of reality clearly perceived by stabilized nectar or bodhicitta. This would seem to be a pretty deep relationship with Varahi, ready to emit Kurukulla, who in this affair, begins her practice with Nectar Eye and runs through Gauri, who would seem to mean "the first Gauri" and not Generation Stage.

Also, Prasanna Pada is Chandrakirti's commentary (Clear Words) on Nagarjuna's Mulamadhyamikakarika, and so is Bhaviveka's Prajna Pradipa (candle or lamp). This again is precise, and would be understood by Mahayana Sutra students generally, well before Kurukulla's tantric retinue that uses both names. Lamp Offering is usually just Dipa.

Prasanna has an upwards smoky face, similar to Dhvajagrakeyura, here in a 1400s Ngor view:








Her Blue faces are specifically Gagana Syamam, or Dark Sky. Her primary item is Sword. Her secondary item is Noose, and she also has Brahma's head. In Tibet, she loses her old name and usually is called All-Accomplishing and is an Amitabha deity:









She is recorded as 61 in Drub Tab Gyatso which is a translation from Sanskrit and also used by Drukpa Kagyu in Bhutan. In actuality she seems to be a powerful Lotus deity having no natural existence, being only a product of success, itself an ingredient for Kurukulla and Mahamaya Vijayavahini.

So by careful inspection, we find it is completely untrue that Amitabha has limited or only three goddesses, there are several, they have a structure, and procedures with other families. This is without paying any attention to the common Long Life practice. That is because it is Vajra Deathlessness.

In terms of mixing and changing, we see what Vajra Sarasvati does, we can hardly distinguish Vairocana or Sun from Lotus "in the beginning", and there is someone else who has eluded most Tibetan Vajrayana.

Cunda (skul byed ma) is a Vairocana deity with Twenty-six Arms in Guhyasamaja Manjuvajra mandala, a Pancha Jina deity in Kurukulla 174, and a Vajrasattva deity in Sadhanamala 130. In Kalachakra, she is with Takkiraja who resembles Ratnasambhava. She has Sixteen arms in an image from Prajnaparamita Sutra. Her Eigtheen Arm form is in metalwork at Nalanda, and a stone image from Bodh Gaya. In China, she is considered mother of Lotus deities. There are multitudes of her at Ratnagiri. Her most common feature is an Amitabha bowl, or hands in that pose without it. Since she has little practice in Tibet, it makes the big Ekajata rather exciting, since she has Vajra Sarasvati and scads of Maricis who appear to be the most eloquent or elegant Completion Stage not found in most tantra explanations, yet finds a need to insert a single Janguli and Cunda, who have much to do with tantric generation, without much reputation for it.

A fairly small Eighteen Arm Cunda from Nepal or Maha form:






A larger and clearer similar one:






Her seed syllable is Cum. Like Prasanna, her primary item is Sword. She carries no Parasol, but does have Banner. Here again, we have found the Parasol item goes missing and returns at a more powerful level, from Parasol herself. This perhaps resembles the idea of making one's own Naga Hood by developing Paramitas. The preliminary one is sort of revoked and you replace it. Banner is almost meaningless at first until what we would call the Crescent is working. The more the heat blows it, the more you seek a parasol or cooling element based from the moon/head/white bodhicitta and Cool Grove or Sitabani who moves from Lotus to Amoghasiddhi.

She could perhaps be spelled Chundi, or as if rhyming with hook, Choondi. Lapis Lauzuli explains her in a very complimentary way, i. e. she is non-initiatory, openly available, and works according to Awakening Mind, and is actually common across Asia although this is basically unknown to the West. And so in some cases, China is a Dharma storehouse where Tibet is not.

In the Sutra, she is able to summon Aparajita and Hariti.

She is referred to as "Extreme Purity", whereas the word is not very different from chandala. Her origins lie with a yakshini cult in Bengal and Orissa and her name in Sanskrit "connotes a prostitute or other woman of low caste but specifically denotes a prominent local ogress". Her cult spread with the Pala Empire, eventually becoming important in Tibetan Buddhism and Tangmi. Similarly, it could mean hot, violent, or passionate. So this would be insane unless being aware of most Gauris portrayed as low caste if not ugly women and what Purity really means applied to them. In the context of Mamos:

Ma mo: As it says in the ‘(Inanimate) Matter of Existence’ (a text, Srid pa’I bems), “The inconceivable myriads of ma mo are gathered together into two (groups), ‘action’ or karmic ma mo and wisdom ma mo,” Palden Lhamo is described as the great essence of wisdom of all of the gathered retinues of liberating (enemy-destroying) sorcery-linked ma mo. Ma mo derived from karma or action are included within the class of flesh-eating ‘byung po.

In Devi Mahatmya, Chandi, Chandika, Ambika and Durga have been used synonymously (or Mahamaya). Chandi would generally mean a passionate woman if not outright evil. It comes from chand, "tear apart (thought)". As Chandika, it could perhaps be willful or zealous. Kandara "Cave" and Mangala are added in Yoga Vasishtha, i. e. the method of Valmiki, author of Ramayana, in part of Utpatti Khanda which means the same thing as Khandaroha (Generation Stage, Utpatti). Hindu Tara is connected to Durga, who is often called Durga-Tara, as a protective and fiery form of the Goddess. Chandika in Buddhism can be the Sixth Armor Goddess, or Prachanda Chandika is Cinnamasta. As a Nagarjuna Armor Goddess, it is said that first or "Sutra" Nagarjuna was a devotee of Chandika and Tara and put them together, according to "Tribal Roots of Hinduism". So in the Armor, Chandika is understood as Wrathful Amoghasiddhi Green Tara.

Candi's seed syllable is Ca so, she is a slightly different pronunciation from Cundi, though both are C or Ch and mean almost the same thing. The syllable Hum is said to be the Dhenu bija, the ‘seed sound of the Mother cow’, calling its calf back to it. Phat is the bija of the great fire at the end of time (Pralayagnirmahajvala, or Vidyujjvha, like Ekajata). Svaha, otherwise known as Thah Thah, is Vahnijaya, representing the fire sacrifice, although Tham Tham Thah Thah is for Chandika. Well here is a large amount of unusual Hindu seeds.

In the Nepali basket, one of the major texts is Golden Light Sutra, where Chapter Nine has Sri speaking on its behalf. Shri resides in the palace Adaka-vati in the glorious park Punya-kusuma-prabha in the sublime abode called Suvarna-dhvaja made of seven jewels. Sri acts in conjunction with Sarasvati and Drdha (Earth Goddess), so again this is like a Buddhist continuity from Apri hymns. It is a very close companion to Mayuri.


Hodgson recorded 144 major works, the last of which is Dharani Samgraha, which he describes as containing hundreds of things. In this library, things like Kalachakra and Sadhanamala are individual entities. It begins with Prajnaparamita and the main Dharmas such as Lankavatara and Suvarna Prabha, which he calls Puranas or Exoteric. It includes Swayambhu Purana and Sragdhara Kavya. The second seventy-four are Tantras or Esoteric. These have all five colors of Yamari. It has Dakini Jala, Yogini Jala, and Maya Jala. Vasanta Tilaka has one. There is something simply called Nagarjuna Tantra. Then he goes on to explain that there are Digambara or naked Buddhist statues, since people believed those were all Jain.

Within the past few years, India translated Dharani Samgraha for the first time.

Then, since we are adjusted to Romanized Sanskrit, Nagarjuna Institute has provided the entire Sragdhara song in thirty-seven parts. They also have the entire Dharani Samgraha which is around 535.

That project (Digital Sanskrit Buddhist Canon) has very many similar documents, but its search/index is a bulky list requiring multiple links, some of which lead to nothing. It would be useful to arrange some of what it has with direct links, instead of having to shuffle seventeen pages that are probably going to be less in order each time they update it.

So we can grab the salient features and categorize it to get a much easier look at things that are all about what we have been following.

Fundamental texts:

Ratna Gotra Vibhaga

Swayambhu Purana


Mostly known or outer deities:

Candika as Ugra Chandika--Durga

Dharmadhatu short article which associates Lakshmi Svabhava with Ratnasambhava.

Maha Pratisara who uncharacteristically refers to other goddesses such as Mamaki and Bhrkuti

Manjuvajra of Swayambhu Purana

Pratisara related to Yasodhara Garbha

Sitatapatra (Parasol) Dharani

Brief Sakya Simha Sragdhara

Vasudhara Dharani

Vasudhara Nama Dharani that points to Kamadhatvishvari

Brief Vasudhara

Sri Maha Devi



Rare critical deities:


Guhyeshvari related to Swayambhu Purana Manjunatha

Narayan Mahamayavijayavahini



Yoga Tantra:

Manjushri Mula Kalpa

Sarva Tathagata Tattva Samgraha

Sarvadurgati Parishodana

Dharmadhatu Vagisvara Mandala, which names most of its entities, so it has all the Paramitas, and then Mahalakshmi stands out before the group of Dharanis

Nagarjuna's Maya Jala



Karmamudra:

Sabara's Vilasini

Vibhuti's Vilasini Vajrayogini

Brief Vilasini




Yoganiruttara Tantra:

Brief Vasanta Tilaka

Dakini Jala Vajrayogini

Guhyavali Vajrayogini

Candamaharoshana

Buddhakapala chapters 9-14

Mahamaya

Mahamaya Sadhana

Dakarnava

[shaberon]

Dark Lotus

This has been fairly wretched, but, after all the death, results are in from the episode earlier when I used Baghalamukhi--Stop Speech with a mace, or, perhaps, Mugdala (Hammer) which was dangerous and could have gotten me demolished. Again, this was really an attack against a suicide demon which interposed itself between me and my Sarasvati icon.

I have done nothing else along those lines and have not preached a single thing.

My hammered target has changed from Moha, Ignorance or Willful Nescience to a brand new condition where they, unknowingly, revere Sarasvati, intriguing things and skillful knowledge and so forth. Personality shift.

The subsequent attempt to "fix me" with some form of Prosperity magic has also led to the understanding about the order and cleanliness required by Lakshmi. I was given an anecdote about someone else's Prosperity operation which was halted by the presence of two house flies. So this is independently and voluntarily agreed to.

Independently and on their own, it means that someone has in a basic way accepted and decided to work with Sarasvati and Lakshmi, in terms of inner meaning.

That's called having your heart in the right place. All that remains for me to do is clarification and various accelerants. I cannot provide anyone's devotion. If it is going the wrong way, there is nothing I can really do besides waste several years, but when it is a real and Atma Vidya or self-realized decision, there becomes a gate and path to an inexhaustible treasure box. After a ton of research which concludes that even from a Buddhist perspective, one is really still relying on these two deities, and wondering how I can change my environment to support this, it self-arises as its own Dharma and now I have to participate and prove that I am serious.

In other words, after more than a Jupiter transit of having been knocked off the earth plane or Nirmana chakra by the demon, the nirmana re-manifests, not just for me individually, but in a larger way that benefits others.

Almost any Hindu would understand this and I still think we are doing the same thing with "minor philosophical differences". I don't think of those schools as adversaries or imitators that we would sweep away, unlike most of the western-isms which always have to "make a version or opinion" of fragments into something misleading.

Instead I am trying to pursue Indian and Nepali fragments, unknown to scholars almost completely, and not necessarily fully known by practitioners themselves, in a way that "sticks to the original", especially in terms of inner meaning, as closely as possible. In order to continue, I would be forced to admit that if I used a kind of psychic weapon, ultimately, it must have been loaned from the following goddess, who simultaneously will invoke Vaisnava, Mars, and the nature of red and white. The chief question in here is really about Arhat sin or doubt.

Then we can do something arcane with Amoghasiddhi and reasonably re-install the majority of Dharanis to Dharmadhatu Vagisvara mandala.


Mahamaya Vijayavahini has been mostly translated by someone with an interest about Vishnu in Buddhism. It links to the same copy from DSBC.

In this sense, Hindu Vishnu is an emanation of Red Avalokiteshvara. Buddha himself is more like a verb or quality of "vishnu", a fully-fledged Agni Vaisvanara, called Sangyas in Tibetan, Vibuddha in Sanskrit, which is like a combination with "vibhu", expanded or all-pervasive, basically the same meaning as the name Vishnu. The same flow as progress in Tantra or Abhisambodhi from "previously awakened--not expanded" to "previously awakened--fully expanded".

This Dharani is extremely similar to Indra requesting Dhvajagrakeyura Dharani. That is more like invulnerability or armor, and this one is more weapon-like. Vishnu Narayan suffers a defeat and petitions Buddha for his magic. So this translation explains most of the text while remaining oblivious to the part about the goddess herself:

The Dharani requested by Narayana

There is an interesting Dharani Sutra with the title “nārāyaṇaparipṛcchā āryamahāmāyāvijayavāhinī nāma dhāraṇī” – The āryamahāmāyāvijayavāhinī named Dharani requested by Narayana”. As explicitly indicated by the title, in this Dharani sutra Narayana is seen as requesting a Dharani from the Buddha.

The Buddha is residing at the city of Kubera [*Vaisravana in the text], expounding the Dharma named “Dharma-Aloka-Mukha” [The Bright Faced Dharma]. There Narayana appears, after being defeated by the Asuras. He then circumambulates the Buddha and pays homage to him by placing his head at the Bhagavan’s feet and then requests the Dharani that grants victory in war.

tadevaṁ deśayatu bhagavān sarvajñaḥ sarvadarśī sarvasattvānukampakastaṁ dharmaparyāyaṁ yamete devanāgayakṣarākṣasādayo manuṣyā vā dhārayamāṇāḥ saṁgrāme mahāśūlapātebhyo vā sarvopadravebhyo vā sarvavitarkavicārebhyo vā vijayino bhaviṣyanti

Therefore instruct, Oh Bhagavan Knower-of-all, Observer-of-all and Sympathizer-of-all beings – that dharma-paryaya (Dharma teaching) by which the Devas, Nagas, Yakshas, Rakshas or Men on hearing will become victorious at war from the attack of great-tridents, all calamities and all-doubtful-thoughts.

On the request from Narayana, the Lord Buddha expounds the Dharani.

[The Dharani verses commence with “tadyathā namo’stvadhvānugatapratiṣṭhitebhyaḥ” and conclude with “phaṭ phaṭ svāhā“]

[*section 7 of text]


After hearing the Bhagavan’s Dharmopadesha (Dharma-Instruction) –


bodhisattvasaṁvarīyo nārāyanaḥ aho āścaryamiti kṛtvā śaṅkhacakragadāpuṣpamālyayuktaḥ utthāyāsanāt bhagavantaṁ triḥpradakṣiṇīkṛtya praṇamya prahasitavadano bhūtvā bhagavantaṁ gāthayā stauti sma|

aho hyasuradevānāṁ lokānāṁ jyeṣṭhaṁ śreṣṭho hyanuttarīkaḥ|

śivaḥ śānto’thāgrāhya lokātīto namo’stu te||

abhāvaḥ sarvadharmāṇāṁ bhūtadharmaprakāśakaḥ|

dharmādharmavimuktaustau dharma satya namo’stu te||


Surrounded by the Bodhisattvas, Narayana after saying “Oh! Amazing”, having risen up from the seat with the Conch-Discus-Mace-Flower Garland, then having circumambulated the Lord three times, and having bowed down [then] having a smiled-face praised the Lord through a verse (gātha) .

Behold ! The foremost, best [and the] unsurpassed of the Asuras and Devas of the Worlds

The Auspicious, Peaceful, un-conceived and the one beyond the world, homage to Him

The Illuminator of the past Dharma of the non-existant All-Dharmas

[The] Dharma [and] Satya [which are] liberated [from] Dharma and Adharma, homage to Him

The Narayana proceeds to bow to the Buddha and utters “tvaṁ mama vibhuḥ bhagavan” (Oh Bhagavan, You are my Lord !) and then disappears. Alternatively, Vibhu also means All-Pervading (Vishnu also means All-Pervading). Again, it seems like vishnu implying, “[They call me the All-pervading one (Vishnu), but really] you are my all-pervading one”.


If we are interested in the Dharani and goddess, some of it is still customary or expected, but we shall look for identifiers.

Like Mahalakshmi, her form appears to start when Narayan takes you. Both 7 and 8 begin with a variety of grha tvam. In 8 there is Evam or "thus" before her name. "Having taken you" "thus" she is fully recited (pathitva). 7 seems to be present tense, 8 is past. The grammar could mean "she takes you, Narayan", but we should understand him and know that this is more or less the "inquiry of man" or one's self to the entire Great Illusion.

The very beginning of her form in the Dharani itself is:

mahāmāyājālasahasramukhi

Maha Maya Jala Thousand Faces

sarvatathāgatahṛdayagarbhe

All Tathagathas in her Heart Womb

The Jain work Kuvalayamala of Udyotanasuri (eighth century) describes a matha at Vijaya, where students from different parts of India...received instruction in...use of the sword and the bow ( asi dhanu pravesa )...in Rajasthan...

Dhanurveda-saṃhitā or art of war defines Asi as a sword measuring forty anguli. So although she is not called Khadga Dakini, she is:

asidhanuparaśupāśatomarakanayaśaktinṛmuṇḍihaste

Having in her hand Sword, Bow, Axe, Noose, Tomara (javelin or lance), Kanaya (short spear of twenty anguli) śaktinṛmuṇḍi, which seems to be Power of a female Nirmunda, which is something like a eunuch, who has no (nir) head (munda) to his member. Otherwise it would be saying she holds Headless Shakti or Cinnamasta--Cinnamunda. After that, she has a Hammer and Chakra. It sounds close to a Pashupati, Shingon, etc., generally celibate warriors.

sarvatathāgatajñānarūpeṇa

All Buddhas' Wisdom is her form.

Her noted epithets were honored by Vajradhara, by all devas, by Matrikas, Jaya, Vijaya and Aparajita, but she is also:

mahāmaṇḍalādhiṣṭhite

Maha Mandala of Dhi (Prajnaparamita or Buddhi) is protected; or, stitha dhi would be steady-minded, calm, unmoved. Without further clarification, Maha Mandala would be understood as Vajradhatu Maha Mandala. In other words, she has steady, calm Buddhi towards Vajradhatu. This is really her first "epithet" after her "name", Mahamaya Dhariniye, before Vajradhara gets excited.

mahākālavanditapūjitāya

Honored by Mahakala

kāmarūpiṇīye

Takes any form desired as in Devi Mahatmya, Durga, etc., or, she has a desirable form.

māyārākṣasīye

Maya Raksasi


After the Dharani:


nārāyaṇa atha tasmin

Narayan now in that

samparāye senayorubhayormadhye

(War or calamity or future state or next world) in the middle of an army in (fear or danger?)

pañcasu sthāneṣu etaddhāraṇīcakraṃ rathapratikṛtau yuñjyāt

In five places (or at the time of death) (this) dharani cakra chariot (image or copy) (should be placed, practiced, contemplated).

nārāyaṇa ubhayormadhye parasenāgre

Narayan in the middle of (both or two) front guards of armies

tasmin rathamadhye

meanwhile in a chariot (i. e., with the mantra wheel)

is the goddess. Her appearance is referred to and her color is:

lohitakṛṣṇavarṇāṃ

Lohita is red, or, more specifically, blood, and in any case, it is krsna or dark, so a burgundy or alizarin type of color.

She is now called:

guhyamantrapadāni

vidyārājñīṃ

with four rows of faces like lamps and:

parasenāṃ bhakṣayantīmiva

(over the) army, bhaksa (eating food or gluttonous) antima (ultimately or finally) miva (growing fat). This last perhaps similar to Annapurna. She does not explicitly say this, but she has Upeksa with respect to Six Families as per Maha Mandala, and her Victory resembles Annapurna. So this in essence includes or stems from the entire esoteric training in successful application, inwardly and outwardly, since Annapurna also indicates Maha Sukha chakra or the voids and Great Void. Or esoterically Prathyahara "control of food" to Nisprapanca or "unelaborated" or the winds have entered the central and risen.


Next, the dharani is likhitvā (written) with kunkumena: transcendental kunkuma powder. In Srimad Bhagavatam, Tenth Canto, 21.17, Krishna walks around Vrindaban leaving a reddish powder on the grass (saffron or turmeric). Krishna got it from the breasts of his gopis, i. e. they held his feet to their breasts which were powdered red. The Pulidyah, or Sabaris, saw it in the grass, and rubbed it on their breasts, and lost adhim or sexual anxiety and became satisfied. It seems to be saying whoever writes it this way will be victorious over poverty and the like, and equal to a general. So the sentence ending "cintayet" (contemplate like this) is the end of the goddess, The next sentence speaks about writing, and then Narayan comes back as the subject. Kunkuma is used in Sadhanamala at least twenty times. This is perhaps similar to males smearing with ash.

As "mental pain", the dictionary suggests adhi, or adhih, which appears to be a negation of dhi or Buddhi. Mahamaya is defined as dhi stithe or steadily has dhi.

Her attributes are similar to Queen of the Weapon Army Magzor Gyalmo and her color is akin to Remati. Like Maitri's Doha, this distinctly uses Vaisnava terminology. Her actions or parasainya or crushing are related to Pramardani and final samadhi. Vahini is another term for an entire army, it may all be her, since after vidyarajni, it is many thousands of rupa, i. e. forms or bodies.

With almost blatant Vaisnava imagery, this is like an altered scene of Krishna and Arjuna, using his powder to make Amazons. If we follow the meaning, the main use of the goddess is Dharani, and she would really be "worshipped in Eighteen Arm form", i. e. Khandaroha. That means Generation Stage as a whole. The universal or Blood Red 1,000 Arm form would be a transcendental experience of her. It evolves from tapas including sexual retention if not outright celibacy. Possibly Karmamudra. Hard to say. At the very least, mental and physical tranquility towards it. Her violence is against any attachment, which Pandara is full of.


Here is an exquisite Dharani Samgraha at Cambridge, it has been there since 1875, about as long as it was in Malla Nepal. It has basic goddesses inside the covers, but page four has Yellow Prajnaparamita beside, evidently, Ngor Sita, or one extremely close since the rosary is wrong. Sita does Dharmachakra but Cunda holds a Bowl, so it is not Cunda with no one else really to be. The larger Vajra goddess is close to Pramardani, but the Red Face and some attributes are wrong, so it is most likely someone else. This book was obtained by the Resident after Hodgson, when the English started borrowing things without returning them, although some were purchased.


I was mistaken, Mahalakshmi is not "in between" groups in the DDV song, she must be included in the Dharanis which are different in NSP. The Sanskrit version says:

vasumatīṃ mahālakṣmīṃ ratnajvālāṃ name name || 17 ||


uṣṇīṣavijayāṃ devīṃ mārīcīṃ parṇaśābarīm |

jāṅguliṃ dhāraṇīṃ vande anantamukhadhāraṇīm || 18 ||


cundāṃ prajñāṃ ca padmāṃ ca sarvāvaraṇaśodhanīm |

akṣayajñānakāraṇḍaṃ dharmakāyavatīṃ name || 19 ||



In NSP, the first two are Sumati and Ratnolka (Jewel Meteor), here, it is Vasumati Mahalakshmi and Ratnajvala. Sumati would be a male Bodhisattva. The Rāmāyaṇa tells us that Rajgriha was known by the name of Vasumati. Ratnolka would be Dhvajagrakeyura, while it is also true that Viravajra, the other name of Prajnendraruci, from whom Drokmi received the exegetical method of the Lamdre, is reputed to have composed a very important Hevajra sadhana called the Blaze of the Jewel (Ratnajvalasadhana), which became a central item in the Sakyapa repertoire.

Marici is Mari in NSP. Prajna is Prajnavardhani in NSP. Each text has a more completely explained name useful as a Dharani.

Here we have Sarva Varana Sodhanim instead of Sarva Karma Varana Vishodani. We have just found a Sarva Varana Dharani goddess, Mahamaya Vijayavahini. "Removed" equates to "Purified" which means non-dualized. If you remove it violently, you cut out that part of myself which is dualizing. That is why Sarva Varana [Removed or Purified] names seem to be the same.

Dharmakaya Vati instead of Sarva Buddha Dharmakosa Vati. The first is more like the meaning of the second which indicates the teachings or scriptures.

Dharani (also dharini), in Hinduism as mentioned in epic and Puranic texts, are goddesses, consorts of Parasurama, and avatars of goddess Laksmi. Vasumati also simply means possessing treasure, and is found in 1008 Lakshmis:

parA vasumatI devI

and:

arundhatI vasumatI bhArgavI vAstudevatA |
mAyUrI vajravetAlI vajrahastA varAnanA || 93||

Bhargavi is a very rare name, "Radiant, Beautiful and Charming".


Dharanis as in Pancha Raksha are sort of an entity on their own merit, they definitely make a basic Pancha Jina format and then do something drastic. Vasudhara is similar.

Dharanis in DDV are Amoghasiddhi goddesses, in Hinduism they are Lakshmis and consorts of Parasurama, the Immortal, who will be Maitreya's guru in the final cycle when Amoghasiddhi replaces Amitabha.

If we elucidate them and can we find a Dharani or something similar like a song:

Vasumati Mahalakshmi -- yes
Ratnolka -- Dhvajagrakeyura Dharani
Usnisavijaya -- yes
Marici -- yes
Parnasabari -- yes
Janguli -- yes
Anantamukhi -- Manasa Devi
Cunda -- yes
Prajnavardhani -- yes
Sarva Varana Vishodani -- Mahamaya Vijayavahini Dharani

Aksaya Jnana Karanda [Imperishable Wisdom Casket or possibly Sword]

Dharma Kaya Vati or Dharma Kosa Vati. Dharma Kosha is Amritananda's work in Nepal (Dharma Treasury about the Viharas or abodes of Vajracharyas). Amritananda was a descendent of Maha Pandit Jayamuni Shakyabhikshu. Amritananda compiled these works at Hodgson's request. He was a Nepal native also trained in Ceylon.

We would like a reason to include Parasol, and will not be able to identify a few of these. There is not really a known Snake Face, but Manasa is very close.

In Devi Bhagavatam, two chapters explain the Gunas or modes of prakriti as Sasti, Chandi, and Manasa. In this book, Narada is Mahamaya and changes into a woman and back. It speaks of Mahalakshmi song, and seems to be based around Kashi (Benares).

Khemananda is named as the author of a hymn called Manasā-mangala, which is still recited at the festivals in honour of the goddess Manasā, in the western provinces of Bengal. Mangala Chandika known for the constant worship by Mangala ( Planet of Mars), the son of Bhu Devi, is also a high devotee of women all over the Universe (Sarva Mangalam).

The following mantra is derived from Manasa's chapter in Devi Bhagavatam, and her dharani could be considered a recitation of her twelve names:

Om Hrim Srim Klim Aim Manasa Dhevyai Svaha

Namah siddhisvarupayai varadayai namo namah
Namah kasyapakanyayai sankarayai namo namah

Balanam raksanakartryai nagadevyai namo namah
Nama Astikamatre te jaratkarvyai namo namah

Tapasvinyai cha yogin'yai nagasvasre namo namah
Sadhvyai tapasyarupayai sambusisye cha te namo namah

Manasa is thought of as a rebirth of Asoka Sundari (Bala Sundari). She aids in Rahu-Ketu astrological conflicts, and cures snakebite, is the sister of Vasuki, is not much different from a northern Janguli. In a Bengal Literature study, Manasa simply is Janguli and Padmavati. 1962 paper on her history.

Manasa ca. 1100:








Mandala Offering shows different styles; Buddhaguhya's Yoga level just uses Meru, Four Continents, Eight Sub-continents. That is Nirmanakaya (which may also include Four Kings, Heaven of Thirty-three, Seven Jewels of Enlightenment, and the Horse, Harvest, etc.). To the basic Yoga Thirteen points, Jetari adds Sun, Moon, Parasol, Banner. Those four are Dharmakaya symbols. They are true but ineffective without Sambhogakaya or Eight Offering Goddesses.

There are a variety that could perhaps be called a Dharma Kaya Vati goddess, but, it needs to be one useful as a Dharani. Here, since Parasol is a missing element and a Dharmakaya item, she works. If we note Jetari's addition as Sun Parasol and Moon Banner, then you are more or less seeing raw heat being cooled, something armor-like and invulnerable, Sita's resistance to fires of doubt, then victory banner of what we might call self-arisen moonlight over transient illusory waxing and waning light.

Karanda makes most sense as part of Karanda Vyuha (Basket's Display) or origin of Avalokiteshvara emanating sun and moon from his eyes (Surya--Chandra) and the other Hindu deities. If there is another Dharani somehow pertaining to Red Avalokiteshvara, then Sragdhara might be one.

Amritananda wrote several kinds of Dharmakosha. In Dharmakosha Samgraha, he refers to an unknown planet Janmagraha, wearing a garland of heads, riding a camel. He has one head, blue fearsome face, ten arms. Virupaksha is assigned a camel mount in Vishnu Purana, but has no images in India but two in China. Camel Goddess has warlike origins in Rajasthan and is found obscurely across India. Ustra is camel, Mayuri Dharani has Yaksha Ustrapada, Vikrita Gauri uses camel. There is also Vikata, and Gauri on an iguana that appear related. Overall, it is from a Pashupati sect who are also Shaktas.

In Buddhism, Ustra Vahni or Camel Rider apopears with Uddhata Vajra Paksha, Waxing Moon Fortnight Lakshmi:












Paksha is a slight adjustment to Rabtenma, who comparatively has White Sri and Red Vajrasarasvati:














Remati with the sun in her belly and tiara of peacock plumes is said to thereby be the same as Maha Sri or Four Arm goddess (Palden).

With Wrathful Maroon Padmasambhava, the subjugator of demons in Tibet, Remati, female, red, with one face and two hands holding a sword and skullcup, standing, surrounded by flames. At the left is Shaza Khamoche, a protector, female and red, holding a hook and eating a heart, riding on a large green snake surrounded by smoke. At the right is the wealth deity Green Jambhala, with one face and two hands, holding a wishing jewel and a brown mongoose, embraced by the consort Vasudhara, blue, holding a gold vase:






So if there is a non-sexual track of Red Lakshmi, here we find potentially violent forms who have a sun in her belly. As a word, ramati or ramate can easily still be lover, or Kamadeva, or to have intercourse with and enjoy carnally, although it has other possibilities, which mostly correspond to paradise and remaining in one place.

Female, red, solar, belly is stacked up here as sexual bliss, para-sexual bliss, and the ultimate subjugation weapon, which can be found with a Makara Dakini as well as Camel Rider, who esoterically is a planet hidden in the waxing fortnight. Janma is birth and/or the conditions of that lifetime, or, birth as the progress of a developed Generation Stage, which requires bliss evolved from the foregoing elements.

With the addition of Mayuri Plumage she is considered the same as a Four Arm version so i. e., Guhyajnana and perhaps some Vilasinis. These are the contituents of what the overall Yidam or worshippable Wisdom Deity is, as Eighteen Arm Khandaroha, which is what can possibly display ("vyuha") the cosmic, universal host of Thousand Arm Chariot goddess. One would guess Camel planet is missing because it is the Ascendant.

Here perhaps we see Koothoomi's notion of "the outer mayavic object", blood red, with the "light of life shining through it", yellow, the sun in her belly. The red void itself is not plain red, but more of an orange red, like sunrise or sunset, or blood transmitting sunlight. That is why I still think the real occult yellow mostly lies buried behind red or Lotus deities.

Narayan was defeated by A-suras, those without Sura or Brandy or Varuni. Using the standards of Devi Mahatmya, the universal form or 1,000 Arm Red goddess is a Dharani, whose mode of practice would be in an Eighteen Arm form, Khandaroha. The Dharani could be used in a sadhana, or at other times, but to get to the inner meaning of Victory will use Khandaroha-related samadhi.

As a Chariot goddess, normally, Marici would come to mind. However, the Chariot Ritual is a special birthday celebration. It is practiced by both Hindus and Buddhists and celebrated when an elder of Kathmandu Valley reaches the age of 77 years, 7 months, 7 days, 7 hours and 7 minutes.

Also, the person's stupa is supposed to be built. And so Nepalese Chariot is a standard art form based on Usnisa in a stupa. These are generally the same with minor variances. Many of these have a red goddess at bottom center who has eight or possibly ten arms.








Himalayan Art also states on its Usnisa page that the normal three long-life deities are not associated in India, they are from Tibet. Similarly, the Amitayus Sutra the Chinese have is not Indian, it is Chinese. So we may use Usnisa Dharani and see it as related to Khandaroha and Mahamaya Vijayavahini.

The five hunredish secions of Dharani Samgraha have the contents near the end. The whole thing is perhaps one massive song, but it seems to be clear the invocations follow a purposeful order. It begins with something that resembles Paramadya, conjures Buddha Families and Namasangiti:

Vajrasattva Kaya: Four kinds of Prajnaparamita
Sapta or Seven Buddhas, i. e. Historical Buddhas
Vajrasattva Kayodbhava, born from the body of Vajrasattva: Vairocana, Musa Mantra Vidya, Maya Jala, Akshobya, Ratna, Amitabha, Amoghasiddhi
Namasangiti followed by many Manjushris and Lokeshvaras

Sarvadurgati and Sutras

It then becomes almost a "who's who" of Sadhanamala with Pancha Raksa and so forth, and does contain certain rare things showing they are pretty closely related:

Dhvajagrakeyura
Guhyeshvari
Janguli
Sragdhara
Swayambhu Purana
Vasudhara and Vajravidarini
Vijayavahini

Seeming to end with:

Vajra Tara and Paramitas, Mahakala.

It appears to reflect the beginning of Yoga up to Vajra Tara and Canopy, much the same way the sadhanas appear to organize themselves from what we have found in the Indian version already.

Using Manasa for Anantamukhi would be a compromise since she has not been found in Buddhism. Although we do not really know what goddess it should be, there is such a dharani. According to Stephen Hodge about Chinese sutras with tantric elements, Ananta Mukha is the very first one, ca. 230, along with Matanga (Sardula Karnavadana), and it was done at least nine times and made it to Japan. According to Max Muller, it opens infinite doors of spiritual power, and has a corresponding text for purification of these doors. Tson khapa knew it as "Formula that Accomplishes Limitless Methods" (Nirhara, boundless gate). He mentions it to begin Dana Paramita or Generosity. You should give away everything. View the body as unclean, life like a rushing waterfall, devoid of an independent self since both are under control of karma, and both false like a dream or illusion. If you do not give up attachment, you will become dominated by it.

As to living beings who dispute with others,
It is tightfistedness that is the root cause.
So renounce that which you crave.
After you give up craving, the formula will work.

Arya ananta mukha sadhaka nama dharani

Tadhyata ane akhe ma-khe mukhe samanta-mukhe su me satya rame saudhi yukti nir-ukte nir-ukti. Prabhe hire hiri kalpe kalpasi sale. Saravati hire hire hire hire hire hire hiri hirile maha-hi hire cande javane cara carani acale ma-cale anante ananta-gati arani nir-mani nir-vapani nir-vartane nir-dante. Dharma-dhare nir-hare nir-hare vimale sila vi-sodhane prakrti-dipane bhava vi-bhavane a-sange a-sanga vihare dame. Vimale vimala-prabhe sam-karsani. Dhire dhi dhire maha-dhi dhire yase yasovati. Cale a-cale ma-cale sama-cale drdha sam-dhi su-sthire. A-sange a-sanga vihare a-sanga nir-hare. Nihara vimale nihara sodhane drdhasu me. Sthira sthame sthamavati. Maha-prabhe samanta-prabhe vipula-prabhe vipula-rasmi samanta-mukhe sarvatranugati anacchedye. Dharani dharma ni-dhana gotre samanta-prabhe. Sarva tathagata adhisthanadhistithe svaha.

Here it is in Three Scripts and the Sutra, Anatnamukha Nirhara Dharani Sutra, is of course larger, and has a Muni centered mandala.

[shaberon]

Mahakarunika and Simhanada and the Riddle of Sosaling

Mahakarunika is the overall cycle of Lotus Family practices, having Maha Sri for its Messenger. In Kriya, it employs three forms of Avalokiteshvara:

Amoghapasha, Padmajala, and Simhanada

In China and Vietnam, there is also a meditation which appears to focus on Sri Malini, inside of which, Simhanada and Pandara mantras are used together. Simhanada also appears in the forefront of a Vidarana retinue. Then we found the female equivalent is Red Ten Arm Vajra Vidarini, an aspect of Vasudhara.

Avalokiteshvara solidly interlaces everything about Lotus Family, but, is this actually related to preliminaries of Akshobya and Amoghasiddhi that seem to call for Janguli and her hydra?

Simhanada under Nagaraja and Nagarjuna, with Eight Naga Kings:








On our left around Buddha is a descending row of two Simhanadas, White Padmanartesvara and "consort", a pratyeka, and Eighteen Arm "Padmanartesvara or Padmajala":








The lower left is Hayagriva beside Charchika, who is almost Guhyajnana, she has chopper, sword, bowl, and lotus, wears a tiger-skin skirt and an elephant hide. The bottom center is Green Vidarana. Bhrkuti is second on the lower right. The top center is again Buddha in a more formal appearance. Most of the figures are the Sixteen Arhats and various kinds of Lokeshvara, although it includes Blue and White Acala. Nothing is said about Six Arm White Lokeshvara with a small consort.

Ananata Mukha may not necessarily mean "Snake Face" as I thought, even though Ananta is Vishnu's snake and "mukhi" is used to describe a face. But it can also mean "mouth", as when Buddha smiles with his whole body and rays emerge from his mouth. Also, the Buddhist system has two gates (mukha): i) the gate of absolute meaning (parāmārtha); ii) the gate of conventional meaning. So in this more technical sense, instead of a proper name, ananta can mean endless and mukha is gate. Nirhara would mean a removal or extraction, as in Yoga Vashistha, the intellect envelops the world by integration and segregation (sanhara and nirhara); or the acts of accretion and secretion.

So Ananta Mukha has a text for devotees (sadhaka) and also a large Sutra which is an extraction (nirhara). According to Tson kha pa, the dharani does not really work without the first Paramita, Dana, or generosity.

Here is a Tibetan record of Vidarani Dharani. Again, with sutras and sutra-based dharanis, this is not something that calls for formal initiation.

In Saptavara Dharani, there are seven shaktis, Vasudhara, Vidarani, Ganapati Hrdaya, Usnisa, Marici, Parnasabari, and Grahamatrika. Two members were originally male who became female according to Gudrun Buhneman.

Nepal keeps, in the same bundle with Sukhavati or Saptavara, a Tara Satnama, hundred names of Tara from the Hindu Mundamala-tantra, garland of skulls, the primary item of Sukhasiddhi's lower goddess:








Sukhasiddhi has an extremely sexualized red or white form, a white teacher form, and has command of an Ugra or Mahacina Tara. Sankhu in Nepal clandestinely houses such a Tara. Here is normal Buddhist 108 Names compared to Hindu 108 Names of Tara and they are very different. And so the Hindu one is a Mahavidya which means it refers to Ugra Tara. Then this type of Hindu tantra is really drawn from Buddhist tantra where Ugra Tara is the Tibetan or Kamboja practice of Mahacina Tara.

So here, there is a Hindu tantra explained to us as early as Woodroffe, which is all about mantra transmission, Mahavidyas, tantric symbolism of the subtle body, and tells us about Tara who loves to be smeared with blood. Mundamala itself has a detailed publication in Hindi. It ascribes itself to Dakshina Amnaya (southern yoga lineage), and almost identical information is given for Kankalamalini or skeleton garland. In this amnaya, Kamesvari resides on Malini Mountain.

We have recently found a Blood goddess, and have reached the point of culminating all the preliminary material into the proper channel for Guhyajnana called Ziro Bhusana or Skull Lady. This is far from the only channel, but what we are tying to do is revamp the general condition that there are Vajrayogini Completion rites more or less held out for public consumption, and, in accordance with at least some of the Vajracharyas, this does not seem to be a good idea. Instead, we are trying to build the engine that actually runs it. And so we should remain mindful of the fact that traditionally, mantra or sadhana is ineffective without the transmission of it, particularly for the higher deities, versus the fact that Sutra and Dharani is allowed to anyone, there are a few outer deities one can turn to and they work if used properly, and if one follows the teachings closely, it is possible to accomplish a good beginning and maybe even do Yoga to the point where there is a real Guhyajnana Dakini, who has no need for transmissions. If we are serious, the Candalis will do what we are serious about, which means if we follow the teachings, they will melt the Tathagatas.

Ziro Bhusana initiation was given directly by her to Nyan. It is also not a "g" in her mantra, it is:

Om dum skye nama

She arises from Om and is supported by five goddesses. She is a Four Arm Lion Face with a hanging mane whose main item is Kartri or chopper (also sword, bowl, and trident, same as Guhyajnana). She does ardha paryanka similar to Naro Dakini.

Is it Simhamukha?

Well, there is a Red Two Arm Simhamukha, and a Five Families Simhamukha:

"Within the Nyingma tradition the 'Lion-faced Dakini' Simhamukha (Tib. seng ge dong ma) is an important yidam or meditation deity of the wisdom or 'mother class' of tantras, and recognized as a wrathful manifestation of Guhyajnana Dakini, the 'Secret wisdom dakini', who was the main female teacher of Guru Rinpoche. In this respect she is regarded as the 'Queen of Dakinis' in the terma or 'revealed treasure' traditions, and also as the secret aspect that Guru Rinpoche assumed while receiving empowerments from Guhyajnana Dakini in Vajrasana or Bodh Gaya. In Sanskrit she may also be known as Simhavaktra or Simhamukhi, and her various sadhana practices are essentially designed to prolong life and eliminate obstacles to spiritual development.

Practices of Simhamukha also exist within the Sarma or 'new translation' schools of the Sakya, Kagyu and Gelug traditions. However, these transmissions arise from the Chakrasamvara cycle of Highest Yoga Tantras, which are quite distinct from the terma cycles of the Nyingma or 'old translation' schools of Tibetan Buddhism."

So the Nyingma say Simhamukha is Guhyajnana, and that Sarma Simhamukha is distinctly unrelated, which would be wonderful if we could not show Lion Face right before Guhyajnana in a Sakya basket. It is correct that is not her name and she is doing something different. The known Simhamukha is the center of a Pancha Jina. Our distinctly different one is supported by the whole Pancha Jina. Her sadhana says she is Vajrayogini, and she may be called Lady or Dakini with skull ornaments, Jetsunma or Drolma or Khandro.

We have studied Simhamukha and this is not her, it is not Vajradakini (different items), it is untraceable in art or any of the schools, although it is quite similar in background, i. e. "Simhamukha is secret Vajrayogini", except this isn't called any of those names, she is named for the skull. She is like a female Buddhakapala: sangs rgyas thod pa as he is called (and so accordingly should be Vibuddha Kapala). She is drinking the skullcup like Sarva Buddha Dakini. The sadhanas call her clothing "bone ornaments", but her name means these bones are skulls, Ziro or Shiro is head, thod pa is kapala or skull, bhusana is ornament. It is common for most Vajrayoginis to have five or six bone ornaments, or skeletal jewelry that is a wrathful equivalent of bracelets and earrings and so forth. The sadhana text suggests she has these same things, it is her name that says plural skull ornaments, without saying garland and it not being mentioned. Guhyajnana has head garlands or a skull crown and bone ornaments; she is Khandro or Dakini and Yeshes or Enlightenement, whereas Skull Lady is Jetsunma or Revered Teacher, similar to Rinpoche. Therefor Guhyajnana is more like "the thing contacted" or "the power itself", and Jestunma will place it under observation and show us how to use it for beneficial Activities.

So as far as I can tell, in her mantra, Skull Lady is identical to Guhyajnana, as well as by her items, the change being her head and she is drinking. This is essentially the same increase from Naro or Buddha Dakini to Sarva Buddha Dakini or Indra Dakini.

Only in this way can she legitimately be explained as a development to Guhyajnana that makes the entire Generation Stage with the triangle and three skulls. Her misspelled conflicting mantras are trying to say dum skyes. This of course also causes an ostensibly Amaitabha deity to appear related to Vairocana. Neither version gives family details or identifies the retinue. But now we know the attendants are "classes".

She does not come from any scripture, but is a direct revelation, or, a stable Abhisambodhi.

She contains every kind of related symbolism, identified more as the whole than as an aspect, and can stand on the three skulls of the triangle while purifying life in all three realms, opening the three voids.

Om dum skyes nama

Om Ha Ri Ni Sa

Ah Ri Ni Sa Ha

Hum Ni Ha Sa Ri

She subjugates humans and non-humans, overpowers maras, and gathers clouds of dakinis (Guhyajnana is not said to gather them).

She rotates and shifts the Four Dakinis, and so could be described as having Lotus Khandaroha in her pocket while being, so to speak, Vairocana Khandaroha. It is the same retinue as of Guhyajnana, and so she perhaps could also be described as Vairocana Guhyajnana. Or, she may even be a fusion, Guhyajnana or Gnosis into Khandaroha or entire Generation Stage. It does sound like a Red Om is implied, since Om from the heart emits hook rays, which return and blend with the sound of the mantra to emanate Red Vajrayogini. She is on a Lotus, Sun, Moon, Dakini retinue supports a jewel seat, with corpse or corpses on which she stands. Taranatha omits separate jewel seat and the dakinis just support the lotus.

Her heart mantra wheel is clockwise.

Ziro Bhusana is a Lion Face Guhyajnana over normal Guhyajnana who is more or less Muttering the Four Dakinis. In Chakrasamvara, this constitutes Maha Sukha or Bliss Wheel inside Body, Speech, and Mind. However, we are looking at it as Speech and trying to conceive and possibly discover what Sukha may be. The more one pursues what the Four Dakinis are, in a way, they are seen as classes to begin with. This is seen throughout Varahi's uses of them in multiple sadhanas. Neither Ziro Bhusana nor Guhyajnana gives the Dakinis a specific form. Guhyajnana does the same type of subjugation, and the difference is, Ziro Bhusana also attracts clouds of Dakinis. They generally represent normal elements and families by color and insignia, even though they are considered Jewel deities. Khandaroha will really reinforce the old name of Lotus Family which is Dharma.

Because we are not given the form, and instead we know they are classes, it can work with all of them. The first apparent difference between them and Guhyajnana is that they do not have a Sword.

Caturdakiniyogapatala gives them Three Face Eight Arm forms prefixed by "vajra". It is a Samvara union mandala, however, the commentary draws attention to their close relationship with Vajravarahi by describing the mandala as an essentialized form of the complete retinue, with Vajravarahi (and not Cakrasamvara) as the chief deity.

Twelve Arm Varahi (Abhidanottara) uses a wrathful variety of the retinue, Dakini (on the eastern petal) has a lion's face, Lama (north) the face of a hog, Khandaroha (west), that of an elephant, and RupinI (south), that of a horse. These goddesses are protean (visvarupini-) kapalika deities, with three eyes and loose hair, and are seen naked, dancing in the ardhaparyanka pose, with Bhairava and Kalaratri beneath their feet. They hold skull and staff in two of their four arms, and the head [of Brahma] and a chopper in the other pair. For some reason, the four cardinal points are often given counter-clockwise, east to north, west, south, in Yoganiruttara. Maitri Varahi 217 does it this way, as does Varahi Sarvabuddhadakini Varnani 225.

They have semi-wrathful Four Arm forms having in [their] left [hands] a skull staff and skull, in their right they have a damaru and chopper. In Umapatideva's version, the fourfold group [of goddesses] starting with Dakini are to be understood as sealed (mudrita-) by Ratnasambhava [on their crowns]. There, Varahi is Kameshvari and the retinue may be invoked as om dakiniye hum hum phat. om lame hum hum phat. om khandarohe hum hum phat. om rupiniye hum hum phat.

kayanusmrtyupasthanam dakini, vedananusmrtyupasthanam lama, dharmanusmrtyupasthanam khandaroha, cittanusmrtyupasthanam rupini.

[The four bringers of awareness (anusmrtyupasthdnas)]

[The first] of these are the bringers of awareness (anusmrtyu- pasthanas) because they oppose the four inverted views (viparyasas) , [namely: that what is not pure, pleasurable, permanent, or possessing a self really is] pure, pleasurable, permanent, [and possessing] a self. They are four [in number and are embodied in the mandala] as follows: (i) bringing awareness of the body, as Dakinl, (ii) bringing awareness of feelings, Lama, (iii) bringing awareness of reality, Khandaroha, and (iv) bringing awareness of mind, Rupini... [In compound], the bringers of awareness of body, [feeling, reality, and mind] indicate a genitive relationship, [namely] the bringing (upasthapaka) of that [awareness], i.e., recollection (anusmaranam) that (-tvena) those [four "qualities of oneself," body, etc.] are [all] like an illusion.

It has its own classification of Seven Jewels where Khandaroha is Prasrabdhi (serenity). Varahi 218 also has this.

The four goddesses Dakinl, [Lama, Khandaroha, and Rupini] are in place (samsthitah) at the heart. Complete in this way, the supreme body mandala is to be visualized at all times.

Guhyajnana is with Jinasagara, is in in an Amogapasha retinue, and the Four Dakinis are with White Padmajala at Swayambhu Chaitya. If we deal with the fact we can basically only see them pictorially as a Varahi retinue, in Kagyu, they also have simple Two Arm form with Naro Dakini items, chopper, bowl, and staff, and make a common Varahi Pancha Jina.

It is the same with Sahaja Heruka Chakrasamvara--Varahi, an aspect of Seven Syllable Deity:







Of course, the mantric and other identity of Khandaroha--Guhyajnana--Ziro Bhusana is working in the same way that Seven Syllable is a core of male deities.

This much older Sakya and Kagyu version has them in Four Arm form with their drums. Sahaja Chakrasamvara is at the top, and overall this has twenty-four dakinis for the sacred sites:






So although Varahi has the same retinue, and is nothing but an increase or expansion of Guhyajnana, the main reason I would hesitate to use her is not just out of respect for initiatory lineages, but that her definition is as a hell fettered being. Guhyajnana, not having any Pig, but, instead, Lion head, is an emanation of Avalokiteshvara, and the Lion aspect refers to him, to Buddha, to Manjushri, Mahalakshmi, and peaceful Durga. So I think we are better off taking refuge in Buddha and aligning ourselves with Avalokiteshvara's intent to liberate beings from hell and close the door, before we presume to step in those shoes by handling Varahi.

There is neither a Red Four Arm Simhamukha with the right items, or a Lion Face Guhyajnana Dakini, that would be the same as Ziro Bhusana, anywhere. As for the normal Guhyajnana, is she really a huge secret, no. She is found at the very top of Tibet's National Hero, King Gesar, in the form which became popular through the Revealed Treasures (terma) of Lelung Zhepa'i Dorje (1697-1740), the regular Red Four Arm kind. She is also portrayed over the shoulder of Trisong Detsen, who was king of Tibet when Padmasambhava came in. So the goddess who is mainly stamped on pure Tibetan nationalism is not Varahi or Tara, it is Guhyajnana.

However, there is another figure to whom Dalai Lamas have attempted to tie themselves. This goes back to India. There is a major series of paintings, in the same style, of Konchog Bang, the Tibetan name for an Indian king that is believed to have lived during the 1st millennium. All that we know of this king is what is recorded in the Kadam Legbam (Atisha). The Dalais attach themselves to Dromton, an incarnation of Padmapani. So Atisha was attempting to link Dromton to Konchog, and the Dalais picked up on this later. Aside from the possibility or degree of tulku in this line, we find a fairly standard major description of King Konchog Bang.

As we see this, recall Guhyajnana in her own sadhana is "fixed", but in Ziro Bhusana, she is only implied, and she may be a class, which so far we are uninformed of.

The monk in the upper left is the teacher Vajradhara, wearing monastic attire and a pandita hat, holding a vajra scepter and a bell. The female figure at the upper right is Guhya Jnana Dakini, white in colour, holding a drum and skullcup. In Tibetan language she is also referred to as Daki Wangdu. Or, in another way, at the top left is Vimala Guru as a monastic figure wearing robes, a pandita hat, and holding a vajra scepter and bell. At the top right is a figure of a woman, Guhya Jnana, white in colour, in the appearance of a peaceful deity, holding a double-sided drum (damaru) upraised in the right hand and a skullcup in the left. She cradles a katvanga staff in the bend of the elbow. Atop a moon disc and pink flower blossom, she sits with the proper left leg pendant. In some literature she is referred to as Daki Wangmo, or Daki Wangdu.







There is not much mystery to such paintings, being inscribed with references:

Om ye dharma hetu prabhava hetum tesham tathagato hyavadat tesham cha yo nirodha evam vadi maha shramana svaha.

Translation: "All phenomena arise from causes; Those causes have been taught by the Tathagata, And their cessation too has been proclaimed by the Great Shramana." (Rigpa Shedra translation)

"By the compassionate moon rays of Vimala Guru and Guhya Jnana,
Nurturing the lily garden,
Ripening the beings of the land of Uddiyana;
To the One Lord Konchog Bang I pray!"

Each of the figures on the front have on the reverse of the painting the three syllables representing body, speech and mind, om, ah, hum, written at the locations of the forehead, throat and heart. Evidently, Muttering Vajradhara and Guhyajnana would be a fairly significant correspondence to something associated with all Tibet and any link to India.

Guhyajnana seems to have an Akshobya version:






Seated with Sword:







And here, very humbled, with the king, in an Atisha representation:






She is no secret and may be worshiped right off the picture by anyone. However she is self-secret and it seems inappropriate to do so without anchoring the real thing. I am not really aware of a Varahi or Vajrayogini that says go ahead and use it, but this one does. Ziro Bhusana does suggest permission or inspiration. However she is basically directly identical to Guhyajnana in the way that finishes the explanation of Generation Stage.

Guhyajnana is not by name in Sadhanamala, but Vajrayogini is.

Saraha's Oddiyana Krama Lokeshvara 35 uses an Amitabha Sattvavajrayogini and winds up invoking Hariti. Manjushri 48 is similar. The big Ekajata 123 somehow finishes with a Red Two Arm Vajrayogini with a chopper and skull who is not the normal naked, digambara, but is nagnam, which is more like a naked sl ut. Nagnam is rarely used, Kurukulla 188, Varahi 224 and 225 (with the Four Dakinis). Vajrayogini is also in Nagarujuna's Ekajata 127. The Four Dakinis can be found with Varahi as Vairocaniye or Varnani.

Here is the older Guhyajnana to Padmasambhava as Karmeshvari. Miranda Shaw reminds us a Four Arm form is general and preliminary, and a Two Arm is more secret; she explains a bit about Siddharajni's text, which is substantial with multiple levels and includes union. Circle of Bliss states that the "most esoteric" is Eight Arm Khadga Yogini at Sankhu. They are not quite sure but think the Sword may be special in some way, which to us, seems not much different from Khadga Strotram or what we found of Malini, to help map our way to the central. Sankhu Eight Arm Yogini displays what we would call the Seven Buddha Families, and the thing inside is a Red Blue Tara if that makes sense, Ugra Tara but red in complexion, semi-wrathful. It is still Tara who loves to be smeared with blood.

Comparatively, Yellow Prajnaparamita and Six Syllable Avalokiteshvara are their most basic and exoteric forms, having four arms. Therfor if we start working with a Four Arm Dakini instead of Two Arm Vajrayogini or Simhamukha, we are following the same pattern, except it is purely esoteric and goes into the Kagye' or subtle body.

Here is a large Two Arm Guhyajnana practice that puts Ekajata in a "special class" and explains much about Dakinis as the Activity aspect--why she is called Karmeshvari, and a major Vajrakilaya mandala is called Guhya Jnana Chakra. It is a major retreat sadhana, with many good explanations, but repeats the invocation Dhuma Ghaye without explaining it. We think it is an attempt to Sanskritize dum skyes phonetically. That practice is indeed much more demanding than the one from Nyan, who is also known for contributing Black Vajrayogini.

The older Guhyajnana is apparently recorded in such a way no one would know it came from a woman.

Siddharajni (Mandarava reincarnation, i. e. Pandara) contributed two Amitayus sadhanas that are considered nearly identical:

Tshe dang ye shes dpag tu med pa zhes bya ba'i sgrub thabs

Tshe dang ye shes dpag tu med pa'i grub thabs


Specifically to Jnanadakini Siddharajni are attributed a Hayagriva sadhana (part of the Great Play of the Quintessential Lotus and the Treasury of One Thousand Essential Instructions of Tantra on the Union of Hayagriva and Vajravarahi), as well as Aparimitayur jnana nama sadhana, Aparimitayur homa vidhi sadhana, Aparimitayur jnana sadhana, Bhagavad Aparimitayur jnana mandala vidhi nama. These are systems of Drubpai Gyalmo passed to Jamgon Kongtrul. Chime Soktik is also her tradition. Kagyu uses Amitayus - empowerment of the single deity and single vase, from the tradition of the Queen of Siddhas (Siddharajni). She gave Rechung a dakini skull from Oddiyana. Tiphupa calls her Varahi and Pandara and specifically says she is white with a red luster. The White Guhyajnana with King Konchog Bang is called Siddharajni by Christie's.

Miranda Shaw says Siddharajni pioneered the Sarma Padmanartesvara, more commonly known as Jinasagara. This is Guhyajnana union, four or two arms, with Pancha Jina in union, going on to other deities.

I am not sure of the school, but her Amitayus is even recently spreading in the U. S.:

Thangtong Gyalpo Amitayus Empowerment Thangtong Gyalpo

Thangtong Gyalpo, also known as Lungtong Nyönpa (lung stong smyon pa), Drubthob Chaksampa (lcags zam pa) and Tsöndrü Sangpo (brtson ’grus bzang po), was a great buddhist adept, physician, blacksmith, architect, and a pioneering civil engineer. He proclaimed himself, and was considered, the incarnation of the illustrous Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen, a leading Jonangpa master and formulator of the Shentong view of emptiness. He is said to have built 58 iron chain suspension bridges around Tibet and Bhutan, several of which are still in use today. He also designed and built several large stupas of unusual design including the great Kumbum Chörten at Chung Riwoche, Tibet; established the monastery of Derge Gönchen in Eastern Tibet; and is considered to be the father of Tibetan opera. He is associated with the Shangpa Kagyü, Nyingma and Sakya traditions of Tibetan Buddhism.

Thangtong Gyalpo is said to have “passed away bodily, in the way of a sky-farer” in his 125th year at Riwoche.

Limitless Life Buddha Amitayus Empowerment

"Limitless Life Buddha" or Amitayus is the symbol of the Deathless state, the perfection of wisdom and compassion. This special tantric empowerment comes from an unbroken, pure lineage of great beings that originated with the female Indian tantric-adept, Siddharajni (ca. 10th century, "Queen of Tantric Adepts").

The Siddharajni transmission should say Drubpai Gyalmo as we noted for Jamgon Kongtrul, but in its common or abbreviated nickname, "mo" is dropped, which is feminine, so people wouldn't know it came from her. She should be seated Tara style, semi-wrathful, with an Amitayus vase and one hand near her heart, or, a dancing dakini with chopper and skullcup. She is said to have experienced Amitayus directly.

Rechung (1083-1161) is very complicated; he was a Milarepa disciple, and of Tiphupa, and Siddharajni, although she is never mentioned in the intricate tales which explain Tiphupa as the reincarnation of Marpa's son who died young, for whom Milarepa built the Nine Story Tower. Rechung went to India three times to obtain material that Marpa did not have. His lineage explains it is the only complete Mahamudra. Miranda is correct they say nothing about Siddharajni, which is that in India, Rechung's death was prophesized, he was about forty-four, and he regretted to Tiphupa that he would not be able to complete Milarepa's request, particularly for Formless Dakini teachings. Because this was sincere, he was sent to Siddharajni and she was so powerful his hair stood on end and he trembled and wept and fell on the ground at her feet, and then he was cured and his lifespan was doubled. All we really know is she lived in the 1100s and was extremely highly regarded and is known at least for a potent Amitayus and a spectrum of Guhyajnana that appears to run from preliminaries to Completion.

Siddharajni "is" Mandarava, i. e. First Transmission or Nyingma, and as herself, is the major part of Sarma, Guhyajnana and all the tummo, etc., Six Dharmas, who in Nepal is also Khadga Yogini, and therefor attaches to Khandaroha--Varuni--Guhyeshvari.

They were close contemporaries, but different people, Sukhasiddhi (from Kashmir) met Virupa, a mahasiddha who became her guru. Very quickly Sukhasiddhi became completely realized and together with Niguma (from Kashmir, also considered Jnanadakini and Mandarava reincarnation), as well as Rāhula, Maitripada and Vajrasapana, was the root teacher of the Tibetan yogi Khyungpo Nenjor, who founded the Shangpa Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism. Marpa (1012-1097) visited Niguma twice at Sosa ling (or Sosadvipa) charnel ground in east India, ca. 1040. However Dzogchen says it is in Uddiyana in northwest India. Naropa said it was to his south, and he was in Bihar or Bengal. Another Dzogchen source of Manjusrimitra says, "He meditated for many more years at Sosadvipa, a charnel ground west of Bodhgaya, and transmitted the Dzogchen teachings to Shri Singha." Bodh Gaya is in south Bihar, which has Nepal to its north.

Since Rechung was barely born in Marpa's lifetime, Niguma would seem to be fifty or seventy years prior to Siddharajni. According to Tibetan Art, Tiphupa entered a body in Cool Grove charnel ground, so Siddharajni was still probably located there or close by.

Closely-situated ones are the Laughing charnel ground at Bodhgaya and the Cool Grove charnel ground close by (northeast of Bodh Gaya), along with the Frightening charnel ground in the Black Hills of Bihar. "Sosa" would generally be salty or dry. Bihar is really flood-prone. "Sosaling Forest" is also referred to. "Ling" is standard for "dvipa", i. e. Jambuling is Tibetan for Jambudvipa. Tilo's barmaid disciple resided ar Sosaling; and it was large enough to have a king, who had an enemy magician named Rakya Dewa. The magician attacked the king with an illusory army; Tilo defeated it with an illusory army and arrested the magician. The magician converted to Dharma, became Luchye Denma, and resided at "Haha Cemetary", which is perhaps one way to say Laughing.

South of Nalanda is Rajgriha, and over that hill is Gaya. There are no lakes in Gaya or possibly Bihar. "Mucalinda Lake" is an artificially-constructed pond, whose original site is nothing any more. Possibly due to the lack of lakes is why it is thought Padmasambhava was from as far west as Swat.

Naro also sent Marpa to learn Mahamaya from Dog Guru Kukurija, who lived on an island in poison lake. In that account, he later goes to the far side of "a" poison lake to receive Chaturpitha from Jnanadakini. He later returns to Kukuripa, who is with Rupai Gyenchenma, Yogini Adorned with Bones. Bihar actually is marshy, and, in another account, Marpa reaches the island by being in water up to the knees for two days, and gets to an island of mountains. There is a vast amount of wetlands and some areas are called lakes and they are about knee-deep. However these are almost all in north Bihar.

Kukuripa was from Kapilavastu, Nepal, and picked up his famous dog near Lumbini. Dogs were considered unclean and you did not co-habitate with them. After realization, he lived the rest of his life as a great teacher and was revered by the people of Lumbini and Kapilavastu until he entered the Dakini's paradise. There is no information that locates Kukuripa in the south, except that Lumbini is at the southern edge of Nepal, near the northwestern tip of Bihar but actually bordering Uttar Pradesh, the general area called Mithila. In Gesar's chronicles, it seems to be accpeted that he stayed at Lumbini for some time and must have moved south. Masters of Mahamudra states that while living at the lake, at night he did ganachakra in the cemetery.

So we could say there is Laughing Cemetery by a Poison Lake south of Nalanda, west of Bodh Gaya, whose Sanskrit name, "dry", doesn't make much sense, until we review contemporary Saivism:

"Śoṣa (शोष, “drying”) or Śoṣaṇa refers to one of the “seven means” (saptopāya) to be performed when a mantra does not manifest its effect, as explained in the 10th-century Kakṣapuṭatantra verse 1.104-105. Śoṣa, which aims to dry up the mantra, should be performed. The practitioner attaches the bījas of Vāyu, the god of Wind, to it, and keeps the written mantra around his neck. The last resort is the dahanīya, which aims to burn the mantra at the stake.

Accordingly, “if the nourished [mantra] does not have an effect, one should perform the śoṣaṇa (drying up). One should [attach] the mantra to double bījas [of Vāyu (i.e. yaṃ)], in the vidarbhaṇa manner. The vidyā written with the ashes of the vaṭa (banyan) should be kept around his neck. If the dried [mantra] does not have an effect, one should perform the dahanīya (burning) with Agni’s bīja (i.e., raṃ)”."

So really, Sosa is just attaching Vayu bija [Yam] to an ineffective mantra. Esoterically, of course, we are trying to mix wind and mantra in the central, this is the real Muttering that we would do in progress towards a more fiery Guhyajnana, who is definitely understood as Niguma who lives at Sosa. Naropa calls her Jnanadakini Adorned with Bone Ornaments; sometimes she is "The Sister", which may just be a name that doesn't specifically mean she was his sister.

In a more specific version of the trip to Dog Guru, fromLife of Marpa, Naro first summons three yogins from Sosa:

One of the yogins said, "I can protect him from the danger of poisonous snakes."

Another said, "I will protect him from the danger of ferocious animals."

The last said, "I will protect him from the danger of spirits."

Then Naropa said, "From here to the island in the poison lake is half a month's journey. The poisonous water at first is ankle deep; then by stages it reaches the knees, then the thighs, and finally you have to swim. Swim from tree trunk to tree trunk. If there are two together, pass between them.

In 500 BCE, Dharanikota in Amaravati was known as Dhanyakatakam. Lord buddha in 16th year after enlightenment visited dhanayakatakam and preached his ten Dharanis. That's why it is called Dharanikota. A.W. Barber believes that Sri Simha resided there (Buddhism in the Krishna River Valley of Andhra. 2008. pp. 159). He was Chinese who gained the power to go to Sosa "very quickly" to meet Manjushrimitra. He later transmitted Atiyoga to Padmasambhava, Vimalamitra, and Vairocana. Amaravati Stupa is where Buddha projected Kalachakra and Dharmadhatu Vaisvara mandalas. This is about 1100km south from Bodh Gaya. Orissa borders to the northeast, and north of that is Jatarkhand, a modern split from Gaya. If someone could go about fifty miles a day, it would take about two weeks. Or the lake may have been partway across Orissa and he simply continued. Or it may not be that far but you go slow in the water.

Manjushrimitra is even more difficult. He got Dzogchen from Garab Dorje, a teacher who is thought to have lived BCE, and has no original Sanskrit name. Manjushrimitra was also very influential wth Namasangiti. He was "from the west of Bodhgaya", possibly Dvikrama, attended Nalanda, was sent by Manjushri to Cool Grove to meet Garab Dorje for 75 years, and then spent 109 years in Sosa, until Shri Simha found him. He was rather adamant that sutra or philosophy alone was inadequate, and recommended "direct yogic experience". Dvikrama is "two steps" in Jnanapada's school, Enlightened family which naturally abides, and Enlightened family of inner growth. Jnanapada was on his way to Wu Tai Shan where he met Manjushrimitra who appeared old.

Padmasambhava arose at Lake Dhanakosha in Indrabodhi's Kingdom of Uddiyana, west of Bodh Gaya, and spent time in Cool Grove, Joyful Forest, and Sosaling cemeteries, blessed by Tamer of Maras and Sustainer of Bliss Dakinis. He was later empowered by Kungamo (Ananda, Ḍākinī Karmendrāṇī, or Khandroma Lékyi Wangmo) or Guhyajnana in the form of a nun in Zahor where Mandarava is from, and they met not much later.

Some say he was reborn as Dampa Senge (d. 1117) who was dark-skinned from south India, believed to be from Andhra Pradesh, near Amaravati. At Charicha charnel ground, Remati gave him the ability of speed walking. He was directly initiated by Samvara-Varahi and then gained Nairatma as his consort. Tara called him Virupa when he was two hundred and ninety. He has recently been explained in relation to Alphabet Goddess, and so i. e. Abhisambodhi. So he was approximately a contemporary of Marpa, moving from south India to Tibet.

In other words you see how the First Transmission was set up and how even after Marpa the same thing was pursued until completed by Shangpa and Rechung. I still cannot tell where Sosa is, other than in Dense Thicket at the edge of what is called a lake, but sounds a lot more like a marsh with trees growing in it. As much as Cool Grove relates to Sita and Sitabani and is found to be the major source of "peaceful cemeteries", Sosa is that way but more esoteric or Kagye', from an initial distribution that reached China, and remained the source of "more", until Shangpa and Rechung.

What of this obscure south Indian branch, and Nepal being between there and Tibet?

Manjushri Mulakalpa (ca. 300) was heavily relied on by Buston and Taranatha. It is the only source of south Indian history which the Brahmins usually ignored, and other Buddhist texts end with Ashoka. It is even seen in a similar light where Iran does not have parts of its own history. That page also refers to Kamboja which, in tantra, means Tibet (Bod, Bhotia) contrasted to Khotan (Mahacina). It is considered one of the earliest tantras of any kind, classified as Kriya although it has sex and violence. The Sanskrit is significantly larger than Tibetan and Chinese translations. The Mañjuśrīmūlakalpa, which later was classified under Kriyatantra, states that mantras taught in the Shaiva, Garuda and Vaishnava tantras will be effective if applied by Buddhists since they were all taught originally by Manjushri. The attribution to Mañjuśrī is an attempt by its author(s) to counter the objection that the teachings in this text are of non-Buddhist origin. It is the earliest reference to Tara and Vajrabhairava and other deities.

There is a manuscript from Mulaghosha Vihara hundreds of years old that looks like the ink just hit the page. It was published in 1920 by authority of the Maharajah of Travancore, which is neither especially ancient or still in existence. It was found at Manalikkara Mathom near Padmanabhapuram, which is pretty much the southern tip of India. This version records "what was available" and is in Hindi script. Manalikkara is the oldest building in the area, a Vaishnava monastery. The scribe was Pandita Ravichandra "who went out from Madhyadesa", the middle country to be conquered by Kalki; a kingdom of Ikṣvāku; under Divākara its capital was Ayodhyā. It is possible he left after the Gupta dynasty, although the estimate is the document is only 200-400 years old. So that is "middle India", reaching to the conflux of three rivers, Ganges, Yamuna, and "Sarasvati", near Allahabad, which is southeastern Uttar Pradesh, and could perhaps be called west of Bodh Gaya. The "middle region" would mostly go northwest or to the upper reaches of Clear Ganges--Green Yamuna in Uttarakhand. Kashi--Benares is right between Allahabad and Bodh Gaya. It of course still has an intense charnel ground.

Ghosha mainly just means mantra, or the consonants. However it has a Vedic source, a tapasvinī famed in Ṛgveda. She was the grand-daughter of Dṛgata maharṣi and daughter of sage Kakṣīvān. As she contracted leprosy in her very childhood nobody came forward to marry her. Ultimately she composed a mantra in praise of Aśvinīdevas. They cured Ghoṣā of leprosy and she got married. "Manju" is gentle, and so he is "Gentle Voice" as Manjughosha. So what we have is Manjushri Mula Kalpa from Mula Ghosha monastery, there may be other editions, but it is one of the only histories of south India with some of the first elaborate tantra.

Mayajala Tantra as a category contains Namasangiti Tantra, the explanation of Dharmadhatu Vagisvara mandala. An existing Namasangiti Tantra is not known and so the version of Swayambhu Purana is used. It is the basis for Kalachakra, and is the public face of Chakrasamvara. It is mainly known by commentaries which interpret it as a Highest Tantra, particularly because in Nepal, it uses Tri-samadhi with reference to Chakrasamvara. Nepal is the only record of all five Yamaris, and has a special Twelve Arm Namasangiti who is easily recognizable. The six pairs of arms represent the Six Families, and his Vajrasattva hands are clasped overhead in Vajrachakra Mudra, symbolizing Mt. Meru. It is this form that is the segue' to Chakrasamvara. Manjushri himself learned Samvara--Varahi directly from Guhyeshvari. So just as Sword Dakini is an upscaling flow, Manjushri, usually also having a Sword, works the same way. Anyone may meditate a basic Manjuvajra at will.

Manjushrimitra is of course a manushi or human Manjushri, who is primary to both the first dispensation that became Nyingma, as well as to Manjushri tradition overall, which in Nepal is outer Chakrasamvara, and to Jnanapada lineage of Vairocana Abhisambodhi and Namasangiti, which encourages us to pursue mantra and yoga in terms of inner meaning. He mainly dwelt at Sosa, a place referred to like you are saying "Asia" but cannot be pinned down, although here again, its useful interpretation is in terms of mantra. There is not a "dry" place between a forest and lake or marsh, although there could be a "salt" place if it happened to be the coastal area.

Treasury of Knowledge, Book Six, Part Four, p. 463, Khandaroha is dum skyes ma. Illustrated History of the Mandala . 497 iterates Chakrasamvara retinue, same way, the four dakinis are Mkha' gro ma, La ma, Dum skyes ma, Gzugs can ma. At wheel of the body 23, Khandaroha appears as the consort of Ratnavajra (Rinchen Dorje).

[Ernie Nemeth]

Shaberon. truly impressive compilation!

And in your own words too. Fantastic.

I wanted to peruse the thread but the information is too comprehensive for me. Had to look up too many abbreviations and got side-tracked - and that was just the op. HPB - jeeze, is she really famous enough to abbreviate her name?

Anyway, thought you deserved a shout out. Not likely to continue because there is too much information left out that I would need to catch up on before this thread. Amazing work. Wish I'd been around from the start.

The reason I finally arrived at this thread is that I watched a bunch of videos yesterday that Bill posted (don't ask which one...I watched about six hours of vids in a stretch.) They mentioned Saint Germaine, no, they mentioned something else and Saint Germaine popped into my head as the answer (it was the black sun, I now remember). Don't know much about him so I remembered the title of this thread.

[shaberon]

Posted by Ernie Nemeth (here)
Had to look up too many abbreviations and got side-tracked - and that was just the op. HPB - jeeze, is she really famous enough to abbreviate her name?

...They mentioned Saint Germaine, no, they mentioned something else and Saint Germaine popped into my head as the answer (it was the black sun, I now remember). Don't know much about him so I remembered the title of this thread.

Hi, yes, HPB really more or less forgot or discarded her full name. So this is not like the modern world where "everything" becomes abbreviated, there are so many kinds of articles these days that are just strands of abbreviations, it is impenetrable. HPB was definitely one of the most famous, controversial people until about fifty years after her passing. She was really the "knock on the door" that started changing the west, everyone who has something mystically alternative to say is more or less repeating what she already said.

I try not to abbreviate too much, but it is standard in most research to abbreviate the long names. So a major crux of the special Nepali teachings is Dharmadhatu Vagisvara mandala, frequently called by others DDV. And so one of its main unique features is that the outer gatekeepers are not the esoteric ones, they are Pratisamvits, forms of analysis, such as logic and context. In other words, very basic. A lot of what seems quite esoteric, to me, at least, is really just the basics of the Sanskrit language, and that is not much different Buddhist or Hindu. It's grade school stuff and just seems complicated since other alphabets lost their magical use and it is a bit challenging to learn. But if the unrelated Japanese and Vietnamese can do it, I can do it, since it is the root of European languages, and not far from Greek.

St. Germain is an incredibly controversial figure and I believe it is best to stick with the little that can be verified. He did, indeed, leave the "future map" of Europe in HPB's grandfather's library, which was already probably one of the most complete ones in terms of European magic with Paracelsus and so forth. He also can be shown to have participated in a scheme that deflated an outbreak of war between Russia and Germany and propped up Schleswig-Holstein and so if anything, there may be further information in the Hamburg masonic lodge.

In 1884, HPB's chief, or Mahachohan, already denounced western civilization as a failure, primarily due to those institutions which increase the "struggle for life". Westerners were banned from Tibet and China almost as soon as they showed up. The idea there might be a problem and that there could be a resistance may occur to us during our lifetimes, in which case we are centuries late to the party.

The way to see through all the masonic embroilment is like this: for a long time, there has been clash between the more religiously fanatic (Roman) and athesitically dehumanizing (Venetian) parties. This commands almost all of Europe's knowledge and history. HPB's Theosophy declares itself as the "middle way" that intends to eliminate religious dogmatism and materialistic atheistic science. It says it is the "sequel" to animal magnetism as used by Franz Mesmer.

The dogmatists--Synarchy--in their own words state they denied the validity of Mesmer and the "eastern mysticism" of HPB until around the 1920s when they decided to use it for hegemony. That gang is thoroughly woven with the Golden Dawn, which, when it appeared, was also dismissed by Theosophy. The two have always been different. Having deconstructed the Masonic and Golden Dawn source material, it is, at most, their own collection of fragments with their own opinions indelibly stamped into it.

The "middle way" is not European in origin, it was attempted to be put in place by the Byzantine Empire and its remnants. The first uncomfortable fact is the Johannites (Rosicrucian, Hospitaller, Templar) presenting an alternative to the church. That did not go so well, and then for a time, it was centered on Malta and inspired the Medici renaissance starting around Tuscany and largely took hold of Prague. Through time, this shifted to Vienna, and finally Berlin, until being pretty much wiped out and all the records going to the library in St. Petersburg. Finally, the Carbonari and Egyptian masonry, especially around Greece and the Balkans, was an attempt to resist the encroaching English system. Garibaldi and Marquis de Lafayette being exemplary there.

St. Germain definitely had a hand in what I might call "spirit of 1776", at which time, there was at least some common understanding between Marie Antoinette, Maria Teresa (Austria), and Catherine the Great (Russia), in tandem with American leaders, which was aware of and totally opposed to the English banking system that was about to strangle the world. With respect to this, the Bavarian Illuminati are almost a non-entity. The person that governments were terrified of was Thomas Paine, and the last thing that would be allowed in Europe was an "American-style" revolution.

Further, the most well-known "Prince of Peace" was Franz Josef of Austria-Hungary, who ruled ten ethnicities that did not like each other, but held Europe's longest peaceful reign, about forty years.

So as much as there apparently are Masons who believe in a Black Sun that assists them with deception and power grabs, this is clearly not what we mean by it. Our language and symbols have been stolen and misused time and time again.

India and Tibet as a whole have their share of deceivers and power heads, but, realistically, the esoteric lineages have never been eliminated as happened in Europe. Theosophy, as a knowledge pool, is groundwork for Raja Yoga. That is the purpose, to de-construct the western deceptions, and promote the unbroken and more genuine tradition.

That is why I am working on an encyclopedic volume of information, because eventually the internet can give it a really good presentation, and so I manually extract from 1979 typewritten documents that can't be copied or linked, etc. So for example, Himalayan Art has something like 200,000 images and some good explanations, and newer books like Circle of Bliss are outstanding, and all this could eventually be computerized into a cohesive, flowing whole. There is only a little more to be added, and then I have to really look at the streamlining, especially because on this site, if I keyword search, all I get is the whole thread. Eventually I want to wrap it in internal links so if you see something obscure like Dhvajagrakeyura, all the good information comes up with a click, and right now it is probably scattered in six posts.

I am trying to do this with zero claims about knowing St. Germain or any masters, which is one of the most major problems, in the view of Theosophy. I am just a poor disciple who recognized that Indian Buddhism is welded to the overall Sanskrit culture and makes a few "finishing touches" to it. As one can see, this tremendous volume of material which has been finalized since around our year 1200, pretty much overwhelms what one can get from religion, philosophy, or even Gnosticism, which was dead until HPB's student G. R. S. Mead revived it around 1900. And yes, this volume is really more than enough for one lifetime.

[Ernie Nemeth]

Shaberon, why do I keep thinking the black sun has to do with Saturn? Do I have that mixed up? But if so, then what has HPB have to do with that? Did she also talk about Saturn in terms of the black sun.

Or should I delete this faulty link from memory?

[shaberon]

Mundamala

This is a bizarre standout from a Mongolian series similar to Rinjung Lhantab which tries to portray all the deities in their standard forms. It is just called Vajrayogini, but, this has mainly one meaning when holding a sword. Also, since we found Vajrakilaya bundled with Mahakarunika, it is even weirder that she also has a Kila; there are almost no deities that carry this. Further, when one carries a staff like an extra item, it is simply held by the crook of her arm. But this one also holds a hammer and trident in her hands at the same time:






Vajra Kilaya is Karma Family, or Activity, much as dakinis are supposed to lead to Activity. Varahi's outer retinue, Kakasya, Ulukasya, Svanasya, and Sukarasya, Yamadadhi, Yamaduti, Yamadamstrini, and Yamamathani, below the navel, they assume the shape of a ritual stake or dagger (kilah), while in their two arms they hold a vajra hammer and a stake bearing their own form (atmarupakila). So she uses a whole set of Kilas while amidst cemeteries including "Sound of kila kila". So to really do it, we have to make one good one first, instead of whipping up eight toys. So this single weird Vajrayogini is relevant since she appears to be an adaptation of Guhyajnana.

She has a Mundamala or skull garland that almost reaches the floor.

We have found a, largely unknown to the western world, "Jala" class of tantras which seem to be explanatory of, and the basis for, the more commonly-known systems. Jala or Net refers to Varuna, and so the shakti or associated power must be Varuni. And again, the outer approach to Jala is given by Manjushri.

Mayajala Manjushri may have Six Arms, or, particularly in Nepal, six pairs of arms. This larger version can however be found outside the country. Twelve Arm Manjushri is in the special Manjushri temple at Sakya Town. Here, he notably is holding Amitabha:







That temple, restricted in the second floor over a Tara temple, shows all of his forms, with this one perhaps as supreme.

This Chinese white Mayajala only has a bowl:






Under Vajrahdara, he is personally red and may be holding Ratnasambhava:







The smoky figure in the upper right has managed to mount a Harpy.

From that same small set is an incredibly synthetic Simhanada Jnanadakini, which is not described, but we can do it:







At the top is a unique Cinnamasta who has severed a pig head. On the left, Four Arm Simhamukha is over normal Guhyajnana, over a Green Vasudhara picking and offering fruit. This Simhamukha has Sword, Bowl, Staff, and Chopper, and so if she was red, she would be Ziro Bhusana. Towards the bottom are a Red Kurmapadi beside what looks like Bharati. On the right are an Orange Mirror Goddess and a White Six Arm Sword Yogini and a Blue Four Arm Fat Sword Goddess. The lower left one is most likely Charchika, her items are still changed, but she does have six arms, and that type of reversed stance may be her very own.

Those are specific changes to known forms, and, so far, is likely the first appearance of Bharati to suggest she is not limited to the Sakya Three Reds, but is useful to the general Completion Stage wherein Jnanadakini is the first adventure, so to speak, of Varahi. Kurmapadi is Vairocani, indicating this is the tantra before Buddhadakini and Varnani (Mahamaya).

As a Highest Tantra deity, Manjushri usually just gets his Yamantaka and Guhyasamaja Manjuvajra forms. This aberration is Bhutanese Drukpa, Shri Heruka Vajramanjugosha, a semi-wrathful, red manifestation of Manjushri embracing Nairatmya:






He is an Akshobya emanation with mostly other Manjushris. However the Sitas in the upper corners have red and white lotuses. Green Tara under her has open and closed blue lotuses. The one on the left is "left handed", apparently with Marici and Ekajata. At the top are Parsol and Banner attendants. This is from the same set as the big Ekajata which summarizes Sadhanamala. How he has acquired Nairatma is uncertain. That puts together one of the oldest deities with, perhaps, the newest or last-discovered one. If he is a Sri Heruka, it almost has to be an application of Seven Syllable deity. Here, Heruka is neither two armed nor drinking blood.

The known Vajra Manjushri is Ananga, which is Kamadeva, especially when burnt to ashes by Shiva, and "body-less", the bodiless one; so called from his having been reduced to ashes by Siva with the fire of his third eye, when he tried to seduce the God's mind towards Pārvatī for the birth of a deliverer of the Gods from Tāraka. By extentsion, it is incoporeal, the mind. This is his Bhattaraka 59, followed by vajrānaṅganām āryamañjughoṣaṃ. This is in Sadhanamala and still made in China in the 1700s of almost pure gold, and may be switched around, Anangavajra Manjughosha. It is not as well-known, but, just like Avalokiteshvara, Manjushri assumes the role of Kamadeva in this form and does vasikarana or magnetizing. Bhattaraka is Six Arm Yellow Vam-arising. The second is similar but seems to come from Ham and be crowned by Akshobya, although both use Hrih in their mantras and he also has Akarsaya and Jah. This is not exactly the Namasangiti with Vajra Sarasvati, which is probably terma, but it is Manjushri wielding the power but not in a visibly Red Hook Manohara way.

The set has Six Syllable Avalokiteshvara:






This reflects a Tibetan scribal error since the lower emanation, Hari Hari Hari Vahan, should be on Vishnu, not Rahula. The more intriguing part is the presence of Eighteen Arm White Padmanartesvara, surrounded by Hayagriva, Yellow Prajnaparamita, and several basic Taras. Beside Amitabha is an unusual Yellow character with snakes and a bowl of gems.

They continue with Green Tara under Seven Kurukullas:





The bottom has two white and one Red Six Arm Vajra Sarasvati. Yellow Bhrkuti is there, but should not be scowling; an eighth Kurukulla is opposite her. This, at least, gives some sense that Kurukulla is mainly Tarodbhava Kurukulla, i. e. she is produced by Tara, and that Vajra Sarasvati may be an additional input.

So although the Drukpa arrange vast tracts of Sadhanamala in a meaningful way, it must be a Tibetan version, reflecting linguistic errors with Bhrkuti and Rahula.

The set also has an Akshobya-emanated Mahabala who is crowned with Amitabha, surrounded by Ten Wrathful Ones, but Nairatma is among them.

Around Buddha in the thangka higher on the page, Charchika is almost Guhyajnana, she has chopper, sword, bowl, and lotus, wears a tiger-skin skirt and an elephant hide. She does tandava and can enter Armor Deities as Wrathful Green Tara, she is an Orissan form of Chamunda. This is a very weird Gelug Charchika detail off Chakrasamvara:






In Sadhanamala, she is a Red Six Arm Akshobya goddess. The main difference between her and Vajrayogini like at the top is she has Nara Siro Mala, what is called a garland of fresh or wet heads, not skulls, although it literally says human head. However, she is supposed to be holding a kapala, a skull, not a head. The sadhana one has Vajra, Sword, Chakra, and then Skull, Jewel, and Kamala Lotus. This one above is weird because it is like she has had arms removed: her bow and arrow are in the same hand, and she has a bowl but no chopper.

Either skulls or heads is a Munda Mala. Five skulls are generally the five wisdoms, and the skull garland is the fruitional Vajradhara thereof, or Time and all the letters of the alphabet.

Krishnacharya (Tib. Nagpopa,) the 8th-century Mahasiddha, received the instruction and details of this 6-fold [bone] costume directly from a Dakini. One of the earliest works to mention the use of human skulls and the bone costume is the biography of Marpa the Translator. Each of the items represents one of the Six Paramitas or 6 Perfections. The tiara stands for Generosity (Skt. dana.) The armlets represent Morality (shila.) The bracelets are for Patience (kshanti.) The anklets, for energy of action (virya.) The apron, for meditation (dhyana) and the chest piece stands for wisdom (prajna). When the Paramitas are counted as ten in number, then there is a pair of earrings and a set of three separate necklaces that complete the set. The necklaces include a choker and a waist-length one, with a medium-length one in between.

The Am-arising girl Citapati, who frequently has Vasudhara items and is symbolized by a Cowrie (which Dakini mantra is written on, in that practice), wears skull garland, while brother Citapati usually has fresh heads. Comparatively, Kali wears heads, and Shiva wears skulls. Nepal's Kumari uses a Silver Mundamala because she is Varahi.

Garlands of Heads are trophies of slain enemies: they signify conquered passions and obstructive mentalities: lust, pretense, aggression, spite, hypocrisy, etc. Wisdom turns these severed negative attitudes into ornaments. Skull or bone is Emptiness.

Three Heads or Skulls displayed on the tip of the Khatvanga or Adept's Staff: These are in varied stages of decay, one freshly severed head, one shrunken head, and one skull. They symbolize the conquest of the three poisons of desire, hate and ignorance, respectively, according to Brown's Common Symbols. So severed heads are not a binary switch and decay is more like a process which takes more and more "redndering to bone" to fulfill all the Paramitas. The deity has no problem doing it; we are trying to become that by way of imitation and association.

According to Robert Beer, when a long garland (Tib. do-shal) of fifty-one severed heads or skulls are described as being worn by a wrathful deity, it symbolizes the purification of the fifty-one mental factors or thought processes. These fifty-one mental factors or 'events' are listed and classified in the early Buddhist abhidharma texts, especially those of the Chittramatra or 'mind only' philosophical school. Only forty-six of the abhidharma's 'defiled thought processes' are listed in the Vaibhashika philosophical school.

That is a bit more exoteric or rote-oriented, but of course they also work in practice:

The long garlands of fifty freshly severed heads or white skulls worn by wrathful deities symbolize purification of speech as the sixteen vowels and thirty-four consonants of the Sanskrit alphabet or their Tibetan equivalents. In many tantric visualization practices the vowels (ali) and consonants (kali) are generated in circling 'rosaries of speech', with the sixteen 'male' or white vowels circling in a clockwise direction and the thirty-four 'female' or red consonants circling in an anticlockwise direction. These 'mantra rosaries' often correspond to the melting and movement of the white and red bodhichitta drops through the channels or nadi of the subtle body. In certain sadhanas the number of vowels may be increased to forty and the mantra rosaries doubled - with the two circles of white vowels numbering thirty-two, and the two circles of red consonants numbering eighty. These numbers correspond to the thirty-two major and eighty minor marks of an enlightened being.

The sixteen vowels are: A, AA, I, II, U, UU, RI, RII, LI, LII, E, AI, O, AU, AM, AH

The thirty-four consonants are divided into seven phonetic groups: KA, KHA, GA, GHA, NGA; CHA, CHHA, JA, JHA, NYA; DA, THA, TA, DHA, NA; DRA, THRA, TRA, DHRA, NA; BA, PHA, PA, BHA, MA; YA, RA, LA, WA; SHA, KA, SA, HA, KYA.

So the Head Garlands are really no different from Aksa Sutra, other than fresh heads are placed with attackers, and skull is more of the fruition, emptiness, or prajna from disposing of hindrances in any way.

Charchika does not have Brahma's head, just a human one, fresh or skull. Her Garland is different from Vajrayogini's and her lore certainly derives from attacking things. The sword weapon is against inner enemies, whereas a kila is turned against external interferers and is non-lethal. If the sword no longer needs to hit enemies, it points to the central.

The reverse of a Garab Dorje card says: the one who (hears or see?) the purity of the god of personal meditation, (this is) the teacher dGa' rab rdo rje, his esoteric name is rDo rje ro lang de ba rtsal (Vajra strength of joy who wakens the dead). We beseech you to come here. May those with good fortune obtain transmission of the best initiation, (by the mantra) Om a hum Vajra gu ru hu hum la nhi shin rtsal la:

in printed letters the name dGa' rab rdo rje (his name means Vajra of perfect happiness).

This is Vetala Siddhi, Conjuring the Gold Zombie. He was also called Vetalsukha and Rolang Thaldok (Blissful Zombie and Ash-colored Zombie), as he had been recovered from the ashes where he had been buried as an infant in the attempt to dispose of him. In that Garab Dorje story, the important meetings took place at Sitabani charnel ground, not another.

Hungkara, one of the Eight Vidyadharas, refers to Rolang Sukhasiddhi. This article is taken from Yeshe Tsogyal.

They may be called zombies in a metaphorical ash-smearing way, but the card, and Tson kha pa and others refer to the zombie rite. Tson kha pa is saying a zombie or garland do not pertain to Generation Stage.

"Joy that wakens the dead" could be metaphorical, as could Sukhasiddhi's epithet. There is not enough to go on to say they raised corpses or were corpses. According to Nalanda, Vetali is Black Palden Lhamo. This is difficult since Vetali is also commonly said to be Wrathful Sarasvati, and in the Book of the Dead is a Gauri who conveys liberation into unchanging reality. She is also found with Sakra. An unsourced statement from India says, "the vetali, reanimated corpses who were often used for karmamudra, sexual practices for enlightenment, due to the cultural taboo against the use of such practices. As sentient beings, they too were capable of enlightenment, and the best known vetali, Vajra Vetali, achieved Buddhahood as the consort of Mahakala, and became a protector of Practice."

If you make a zombie, it is understood as no longer being the person or not having a soul, could hardly be sentient.

Vetali could also be a "class" that includes Sri, Sarasvati, and a Gauri. It could be argued that a monk would not violate vinaya by making a vetali. It is fairly certain that zombie is an ancient practice still going on in Tibet, although they no longer have the type of "transference" that Tiphupa used to enter a body.

I think it is closer to "viewing one's own body as dead and undesirable" and that the corpse-consort is an upswing of the body-less consort. I am not sure that Vajrabhairava tantra means everyone should do necrophilia. It does mean if you experience necrophilia that you cannot be mentally disturbed by it. So I think it is at least a way to force "disgusting" imagery until sex is like everything else in the cemetery.

Jamgon Kongtrul describes her by:

"This means meditation on the seed of the result, present in and connected to the cause.
Symbols of that would be [yoginis] Chandali and Vetali, the purity of [the
aggregate of] recognitions, essence of Amitabha, who represents attach¬
ment (the cause [of avarice]), sealed by Ratnasambhava, the purity of ava¬
rice (avarice being the result of attachment)."

Buddha did not use Vetali, he used Tilottama, "the finest". This is something beyond ordinary desire sex, and whatever is going on with the zombie. She is within the Maha Sukha or the state that almost all these other practices aim to stabilize. The "enlightened Vetalis" were Raksasis, or a dark, scary type of being which would still be part of the mind and subtle body.

Manjushri barely represents what we might call normal union because he screams Wrathful Union with Vetali. I do not think it has been published, but has been cataloged that Nepal has a full set or Pancha Jina of Yamari, which would mean that rather than a literal zombie that Manjushri has five raksasi shaktis. Fundamentally, this is due to Mahakala, and the Manjushri is a forwards way of preparing us for that.

Rakta Yamari recently sold for 45 million in what is considered one of the most important works of Asian art. This is excellent detail on a masterpiece that explains Mundamala the same way.

A description of Lapchi and sacred geography mentions that Vajrapani's consort was Vetali. Golden Rosary states that Marpa obtained Dharma Protectoress Vetali in Nepal from a person called Chither, shortly before entering a poison lake in the west of India near Lakshetra. In the Snow Lion version, there he gained union and the deities dawned.

Tilo took the vows of a monk at the temple on the grounds of the Blazing Cemetery of Lakshetra in the Ashoka garden, near the Salanadi river, because the abbot was his uncle and the acharya was his mother. Lakshetra is not a place that can be discerned, but the Salanadi is in Orissa. That is what they mean by "west India". The river is the main tributary of the Baitrani, which itself originates in north Orissa. The Salanadi is a major tributary of the Baitarani. It originates from the Meghasani Hills of the Similipal Mountain range in Mayurbhanj district. It is 144 km long with a catchment areas of 1793 km2. Mayurbhanj is about as northeast Orissa as you can get. The Salanadi occupies less than a hundred miles of it. The place borders Bengal and what used to be Bihar. There is a temple of Bhadrak, where Jaipur has her temple on the banks of the Salanadi, itself being named for Bhadrakali or Good Kali.

Jaipur has a temple of Trilocana and a Chamunda statue, but does not seem to be a deity name. Trilocana would seem to be Durga as Viraja, whose temple may be called Viraja Kshetra for the purification of pilgrims. This is Sati's navel, at Oddiyana pitha, and the article states Oddiyana is an ornament a woman wears around her navel. Jaipur and Bhadrak are two small districts just south of Mayurbhani, whose progenitors emanated from the eyes of a peacock. Tilo's temple was not necessarily one of those two, it may have been a specifically Buddhist place, nevertheless, the term "west" is an obfuscation for Orissa, in fact a small part of it just outside Bihar. Due to the absence of poison lakes, they may be a metaphor for normal ones, or something else. All "strange facts" in these biographies are generally some type of veil. A river we can still identify is much more precise. If it was a different temple, we might look at Similipal as a very beautiful and still current tiger and elephant preserve, or the fact that Buddhism was not destroyed in a few Orissan enclaves, but even if it cannot be definitely identified, it was somewhere in a relatively small area where Buddhism is intertwined with Vaisnava and Sakta traditions and Jagganath, or, the main Sandhabhasya or Twilight Language that is the basis of tantra and esoterism in all these schools.

Although there are different versions of Pithas, at least in some Sakta traditions (Pithanirnaya tanra), Shakti Vimla, Body part--Navel is located in Jajpur, near Bhubaneswar. This Peeth is also known as Nabi Gaya as the Nabhi (Navel) of Goddess Sati fell here. Sati is worshipped here as Devi Vimla. Hevajra tantra agrees with this. To make it more, or less, confusing, another Oddiyana of Orissa from Kalika Purana states that Vimala is Katyayani and her consort is Jagganath, and that these are also the deities at Viraj Kshetra. However, a "scraps" recension locates it at Jagganath temple.

Katyayani and Jagganath are Bhairavi and Bhairava in their temples. We have already accepted Katyayani as Vimala, Viraj is close by and may well be the same, and Jagganath is not far away, slightly south at Puri, with Bhubaneshwar being between it and Vimala--Viraj temples. Katyayani also presides the "spine pitha", Kanya Kumari, at the south end of India near where the Manjushri Mula Kalpa was found. These are mostly Vaisnava sites, and we have found at least two examples where exclusively Vaisnava language is used in Buddhist tantra or doha, and here we are talking about navel, woman's navel ornament, important goddesses of the navel area, Vimala as an epithet of Lotus family, Vam syllable would apply, many Oddiyana kramas of Marici and others, and that even the expression "west" means Orissa where Tilo and Marpa went, a lot comes together there. Katyayani is associated with red, is normally a peaceful Simhanada form, but can emerge in multi-armed warrior form.

The Mal tradition of Vajrabhairava shows him with Eight Vetalis, similar to Black Vajrayoginis. Therefor it must be a class similar to Gauris. When he is subordinate to other deities, Bhairava represents the various negative emotions to be conquered through meditation. When he protects himself as Yama Dharmaraja, his consort is Chamunda, As the main deity, the consort may have three forms, Vetali, the female consort in wrathful aspect embracing Vajrabhairava; Sarasvati, the peaceful aspect of the consort; Oden Barma (Blazing with Light) the protector aspect of the consort, which is Black Sarasvati frequently mistaken for Palden.

[shaberon]

Posted by Ernie Nemeth (here)
Shaberon, why do I keep thinking the black sun has to do with Saturn? Do I have that mixed up? But if so, then what has HPB have to do with that? Did she also talk about Saturn in terms of the black sun.

Or should I delete this faulty link from memory?

You are on the right track.

Saturn is what, in the western system, was "changed" to conceal what we might call reality, and cover it with man's artificial power scheme. In scripture, this is the Demiurge obscuring the Elohim.

In the west, the original Saturn was an actual person who fled the Trojan war and began Latin culture, which enjoyed a Golden Age, peaceful relations with their neighbors, the Etruscans, for two or three centuries. After that was the beginning of Rome and its dominant forces. Mythologically, Saturn is the Father of the Gods. So the real or true one is a father nature of everything.

Demiurge refers to material creator and animal soul; and Saturn's malefic aspect has been exaggerated to appear as the only thing to him. This is Yahweh, a nationalistic tribal deity, which has basically banished the Elohim and that type of golden Saturn that Virgil hoped for.

The people who follow this, by "Black Sun", probably mean the thing at the galaxy's core. In occultism, by "black", we mean "invisible", and is something like a non-material star which is the source of all energy and consciousness. From our perspective, it is located near the thigh of Hercules. Strictly speaking, that was stated by Koothoomi to HPB's Esoteric Group.

If we break down the Greek and go to the original Sanskrit lore of Hercules, it is about the incarnations of Vishnu, very esoteric and spiritual. That is the real Black Sun, Hercules and Vishnu, and then Buddhism itself is a continuation of Agni Vaisvanara, which, roughly, is Agni, or fires of the visible and invisible suns plus Vishnu Human, implying the human practice of becoming Vishnu. This is distinctly recorded in Nepal in the "Inquiry of Narayan (Vishnu)" to Buddha, resulting in the response of Mahamaya Vijjayavahini dharani, posted a few posts earlier. It would be accurate to say this has only been seen in the west in the past two years. This is our War Legion Victory goddess, and the placement of man not really as sub-Vishnu, but as able to gain his complete identity. The recent translation also agrees with what our old, obscure research found--in Tibet, Buddha is called Sangyas, and this comes from Sanskrit Vibuddha, which basically means Vishnu Buddha, and Buddhism always means knowing and becoming the thing for yourself.

HPB had all of the western magical knowledge as a teenager, she left home and became a Druze, which no one else has, thereby knowing about the Byzantine humanist trend, then learned all the Hindu lore and became the first western convert to Buddhism in Ceylon and trained at convents in Tibet and Sikkhim. This is much more reliable than those who yank what they can of Egyptian and Babylonian fragments with no actual training other than what they came up with, i. e. ritual magic.

Of course dark, destructive forces exist, nobody would deny that, we simply seek to tame them, rather than deceive and oppress others. Same thing used differently. Most of our practices lead to a backwards, reversed, inside-out, or x arrangement that evaporates Demiurge. The more I stabilize myself on this Path, the more the echoing nightmares and psychological terror spawned from the "current system" are no longer present. I could never escape it "from within", that is, by giving it any credence. It must be replaced.

[Peter UK]

Posted by shaberon (here)
Many European Renaissance and Enlightenment era occult lodges were no doubt breeding grounds for tyrants and their violent plots. Most of them are chaff, from which I separate the wheat of HPB and St. Germain. These two were part of the Himalayan, or Tibetan, Lodge. This Lodge was not originally Tibetan, but they use Tibet as a hangout; also, the Andes.

What was the original lodge?

Why is tibet and the andes used and what are the specific locations within these areas?

[shaberon]

Orissa, once the cradle of Buddhism

There are about 200 archaelogical sites, and a surviving community, but so far I cannot identify any ancient Buddhist temple or monastery that has operated continuously. Hindus know the famous temples of Odisha that are still standing are Jagannath Temple, Lingaraj Temple, Rajarani Temple, Ananta Vasudeva Temple, Mukteshwar Temple. Jagannath was attacked twice, the first was defeated militarily, the second by a bribe. Nearby Sri Kurma temple was concealed by burying it in sand.

It is apparently a bit inaccessible to most of India, and the Mughals tried late and not very hard at it. Even now it is only about two per cent Muslim.

Viraj is simply an older name for Jaipur.

Vimala is close by, and now we see with King Konchog Bang, there is a unique form of Vajradhara as a Pandita addressed as Vimala Guru, and he comes with a teacher aspect of Guhyajnana also called Siddharajni. This is a nice detail of her:






She is still not much secret, this is from a block print that was used to produce many, and it is an integral part of Dalai Lama Incarnation Lineage. The Akshobya version is also Gelug, and, perhaps, has her in her monk robe, it seems unusual for them to place a female in that type of lineage arrangement. Vimala Guru is perhaps also Vimalamitra.

Orissa is the area where the warlord Ashoka stopped, converted to Dharma, and spread Buddhism from Ceylon to Greece and many distant places.

The ruins at Lalitgiri, while not being as extensive as those at Ratnagiri and Udayagiri, are notably from the oldest Buddhist settlement in Odisha. Major excavations carried out from 1985 to 1992 unearthed evidence of it being continuously occupied from the 2nd century BC to the 13th century AD.

The great "Madhyamika" philosopher 'Nagarjuna' is supposed to have lived on the "Harisankar-Nrusinghanath" in Balangir district.

There is a modern Padmasambhava Vihara coupled with the notion he was born in the area. Some try to say that Buddha was born here.

There is a Srabak or Saraka community which is closed, in terms of marriage, and believes that Buddha continues as Jagganath. P.L. Narasu referred to one incidence in his history of caste that Bhima Boi led an agitation to claim that the Jagganath Temple was actually the Buddhist temple. Lord Jagganath is, in reality, the Lord Buddha. The police opened fire in this agitation leading to violence.

One might hope they had something to say about their own intact ancient temple, instead of a riot, but it is not a school of Buddhism, it is an ethnicity which is mainly Hindu that reaches into Assam. The Ripa school that has recently opened there, which maintains Padmasambhava was a native, states that King Indrabodhi begins one of his texts by addressing Jagganatha as Buddha, that Padmasambhava was his son, and that in Saddharmapundarika which is Lotus Sutra, Shariputra is prophecized to be reborn and enlightened at Viraja, the place Padmasambhava is "heavily connected to". A great number of the Mahasiddhas lived around here.

If the "lakes" are not literal and he is from Dhanakosha, this appears to be Dana or first Paramita, Generosity, Kosha which is "Treasury" as in the various "Kosha" lists Brian Hodgson was able to receive, but is also a standard Hindu or Buddhist term for "sheaths" of the mind.

If maybe one was literal, there is the second-largest brackwater lagoon in the world, surrounded by mud flats, which is famed for hosting migratory birds from as far across Asia as the Caspian Sea. That answer was given by a native who posted several photos of the lagoon and wildlife diversity, pretty amazing.

Concerning Ashoka and the Maurya dynasty, according to the Buddhist tradition, the ancestors of the Maurya kings had settled in a region where peacocks (mora in Pali) were abundant. Therefore, they came to be known as "Moriyas", literally, "belonging to the place of peacocks". It doesn't literally say "Mayurbhanj", but it does bear a certain resemblance. Chandragupta Maurya was India's answer to Alexander the Great, and grew a state from next to nothing, to the largest political unit the sub-continent ever had:






Which at that point stops, and converts to Buddhism in Orissa. It did not last long as none of the successors were that great and there was a coup ca. 180 B. C. E., resulting already in persecution of Buddhists. This went on to the extent that relics were taken and used in Hindu rites, but Buddhism returned as a state and royal practice in the eighth century with the capital at Jaipur, and Luipa initiated kings. Eventually it was crowded out by Hinduism and largely removed by Adi Shankara's followers. It came back like a boomerang, until eventually, Jagganath defrayed it. So it wasn't utterly Mughal-devastated like the other Indian Buddhist communities, it just lost popular momentum.

Considering all the carnage, there are not many traditions that have anything to compare with the catharsis of Ashoka.

Kubjika tantra says Viraj is the Uddiyana goddess; there is an Uddiyana tantra which gives this name to the Jaipur area; Viraj is the Bhairavi of Jagganath.There is a Mount Mahendra in the south; Viraj is Prajnaparamita.

In Hindu terms, with respect to Brahma, HPB said that the Viraj explanation was "the correct one, all others being blinds".

She means non-dual Brahma Viraj and Vach Viraj.

According to Vaisnava, between the two creations-the material creation and the spiritual creation-is a river known as Virajā as well as a place known as Brahmaloka. Virajā-nadī and Brahmaloka are shelters for living entities disgusted with material life and inclined to impersonal existence by way of denying material variegatedness.

In Buddhism, Brahma is Shanpa or entrance to nirvana. Viraj comes up as an invocation once in Sadhanamala, almost right after Vimala, and this is in Pancha Raksa. A common description is "virajita", which is shining with splendor.

Evidence suggests that Vaisnava intricacies were derived from Buddhism, such as Krishna referring to himself as Sunyata in Bhagavad Gita. It winds up being almost the same thing, for "those who are satisfied by Bhakti of Sadguna Brahman". Laksminkara and Sahaja are Buddhist and Krishna--Radha stems from this in the 1600s. So now there is only a fraction of a per cent of Buddhism.

According to a temple goer, "The deity is called as Biraja / Viraja / Girija and one of the 18 Shakti Peethas, Sati’s Navel part being fallen here. A worship of the Devi here washes ‘RAJO’ guna-hence Vi-raja/Bi-raja. The Temple is that of 13th century. The deity has a trishul in one hand and Mahishasura’s tail in another hand; one feet on Lion and another on Mahishasura’s chest. Hence Mahishasura Mardhani. Crown features Ganesha, a crescent Moon and Linga. Devi is worshipped as Trishakti-Maha Kali, Lakshmi and Saraswati." Her Nabhi Gaya is a well. She is accompanied by Bagala, which is rare anywhere.








On her birthday, she is dressed as Savitri and worshipped with the Gayatri, which is about as close as they can get to Buddhist Marici.

Puri, Bhubaneswar, Konark, Maha Vinayaka and Viraja are regarded as the Pithas of the Vaisnava, Saiva, Saura, Ganapatya and Sakta cult respectively. Sakta was established first, ca. 4th century, and held sway over the whole state by the 6th. Mohini , Kapalini (Vaital), Gouri at Khiching, Durga Viraja at Jajpur, Mangal at Kakatpur, Charchika at banki, Sarala at Jhankada, Bhadrakali at Bhadrak, Samalesvari at Sambalpur, which are mainly Sakta temples and dedicated solely to the worship of Sakti in their various forms . Besides, the yogini and Sapta Matraka worship in orissa was also popular during 6th /7th century A.D.

This type of Saktism is well post-Ashoka, though contemporaneous with most of the Buddhist literature.

Vimala is the second Bhumi. Dhanakosha related to Viraj at least has the name of the first Bhumi, and here is the second, with a not necessarily different goddess with a name that means almost exactly the same thing, she is also a Jagganath consort, accompanied by seven Matrikas. However this Vimala name is the main Shankara stamp. And so perhaps it is kind of a big deal to say our philosophies are not much different or are identical if we say Shentong. There seems to have been a misunderstanding. Buddha as a Bodhisattva trained the first nine Bhumis with Vimala Buddha.

Near Jagganath, by Saktas and Tantrikas, the "consort" has the more important temple, in a similar way to how Varahi is a bit "more" than Chakrasamvara. Vimala is installed on a lion throne simhasana adorned with the figures of Vimala’s female attendants Chhaya and Maya on the sides. Mother Vimala holds a rosary in the upper right hand. Her lower right hand is held in a boon-giving mudra. Her lower left holds a pitcher symbolically filled with the celestial elixir of life, the amrita. The attributes in the upper left hand is heavily disputed. Descriptions include a human figurine, a nagini, a mermaid, a naga-pasha or serpent-noose. Vaisnavas are generally not allowed to see the meat and fish rites, etc., used during Durga Puja there.

There are recent efforts to establish a Ratnagiri-Puspagiri International University as a revival of the Ratnagiri and Puspagiri Mahaviharas along the lines of the recently revived Nalanda International University.

As to King Konchog Bang, there seems to be no attempt to connect him to an Indian historical personality like Dza or Indrabodhi. It may not be possible to connect legend with historical personalities until we get to Manjushrimitra or Luipa. The fifth Shamarpa was also named Konchog Bang, around the time of "second" Dalai Lama.

These six are grouped together, Vajra Varahi, Wrathful Tara, Guhyajnana, Mandarava, Yeshe Tsogyal, and Ekajati.

If we look at this in terms of outer Yoga, the main symbolic difference between Nyan's Ziro Bhusana and the more famous Simhamukha is in using a Four Arm form. Lion Face is the same as the rest, she has Five Families and so technically any one could be the center. If we look at Simhanada Avolikiteshvara, Lotus Family, as the mind of the meditator, in that case, Red Simhamukha would be the experience.

Simhamukha is described as the "personal practice" of Guhyajnana, her Wrafhful form, a Mamo, Wrathful Dakini, of whom she is chief. Her Sambhogakaya is Varahi, Dharmakaya is Samantabhadri. Generally, white or peaceful transforms confusion, blue transmutes anger, red transmutes desire.

In Drwa-ba'i sdom-p'ai rgyud, she is connected with the Gauris and Tramenma, the consciousnesses and their objects, like in Guhyagarbha. That is an inscrutable source, which appears connected to Rwa, a controversial person who slew about thirteen lamas, or claimed to, such as Go or Ga Lotsawa, Marpa's son, and the translator of Samvarodaya. In the end, Rwa and Nyan slew each other. This is why Rwa's practice is not much used in Kagyu. The group that went to Kashmir to study language and improve translations included Ngok, Rwa, and Nyan.

Rwa was aware of the fact that most tantras do not contain their own explanations:

Ralo replied, “That is truly wonderful, but here is the reason why my teachings are superior to all those. Guhysamaja has the instructions on illusory body and luminosity, but does not have the essential profound teaching of chandali’s blazing and dripping. The mother tantra’s Chakrasamvara does not have the enhancement of the vast methods of the father tantra. Hevajra does not the the precious six Dharmas or the necessary four Dharmas. Mahāmaya does not have the obstacle-eliminating yantra. Chaturpitha does not have the three adoptions onto the path. All of them do not have the practice of the peaceful and wrathful deities. They do not have the activity practices of the faces, insignias, and so on. As this teaching of mine has them all, it is superior. Moreover, the tantra states:

The wrathful deities drop their weapons
When they see glorious Vajrabhairava.

And therefore teaches that Vajrabhairava’s power overwhelms all other wrathful deities. There is an activity practice for each of his faces and insignias, which is not to be found in any other tantra. The guardian of this teaching is the ruler over the lives of all beings in the three realms, who knows what is good and bad, can distinguish between truth and lies, therefore what greater guardian could one need?”

Kungamo's maidservant cut open her chest with a vajra chopper to reveal peaceful deities in the upper portion, and wrathfuls in her abdomen. But this was just a show for Padmasambhava who at first thought the servant was Kungamo. In other words, the pith of peaceful and wrathful deities was not necessarily just from Guhyajnana, but was in India even in practitioners who would not be seen as important, this one was outside, not even part of the ganachakra.

Bari transmitted the White Tara of Vagishvarakirti at Vikramashila; he felt that emphasis on ritual was overwhelming Indian Buddhism in other places. Nyan is not remembered in the Rime' Simhamukha narrative. They are using the Blue one to ward off spells and diseases; it repels worldly or action dakinis. Instead, the Red one attracts wisdom dakinis. She is chief of them or of the Tramen class. If we look at how the Indian sources of Simhamukha were comfortably arranged in Dharma centers, they probably wouldn't have needed the Blue repeller very much. Bari attributed Marici and Pancha Raksa with bestowing fearlessness; Ayodhya in Orissa is named for the northern one, and enshrined Marici and Tara as main deities. Jamgon Kongtrul attributes one Red Simhamukha practice to Mahapandita Vanaratna. Said to be a teacher of Sabari, a later 1400s medieval Indian who was the last to visit Tibet, and recorded the sadhana of Vajravarahi named Vajravilasini. This Vanaratna gave a parallel Sabari transmission to Vibhutichandra, an important one about Six Limb or Sadanga Yoga. Again this either means Sabari lived many centuries, or it was a namesake or lineage of him.

Miranda Shaw says Simhamukha is strongly associated with Sosaling, and that the Red one is cheerful and happy. In another tale, when Amitabha was a human Buddha, Simhamukha was eye-emanated just like, and for basically the same reason as, Durga.

Bodong apparently uses this invocation for her:

Namo gurvyai ḍākinī-siṃhamukhyai sarva śatrūn vighnān māraya phaṭ

In Nyingma, Simhamukha is mostly a terma tradition since the 11th century. Tertons are hidden scriptures, whereas the revelation of Nyan is just like Padmasambhava, direct from the dakini. Padmasambhava received it in his "Lion's Roar" guise. So, the Simhanada meditations are a precursor to Lion Head. In Sakya, Bari also received her power, the blue one that redirects magical attacks to their source. Nyan brought in the practice of Protector Chaturmukha (Mahakala), and is generally less famous than Ra Lotsawa and others, but has an almost unknown but important Red Lion Face.

Chakrasamvara or Sarma Lion Face may physically be a separate lineage from Nyingma, but it can hardly be much different in terms of meaning. Kagyu accepts the Sarma and terma traditions; Lion Face mainly seems to be Orissan in source.

Kyentse Rinpoche tiered Simhamukha into Blue Vajra--Outer practice, normal mode, Red Padma with Yellow Face--inner, increasing wealth and enchantment, Black--Nairatmya and Chod. He has combined the old and new Two Arm forms.

So we have a type of Four Arm preliminary form, but, her trick is that she is drinking. In her case, not just the bowl, but it is generally seen that the act of drinking is a type of energetic progress dakinis do, since the preliminary meditations are all about what this bowl is and how to use it. Their first forms just hold bowls and this is pretty obvious in the art. Jetsunma as a title for Ziro Bhusana is somewhat exalted; for instance it is given to White Tara and Niguma, but not to every teacher. And so if we question what she may be a Jetsunma or precious teacher of, then her immediate difference to normal Simhamukha is that she is drinking. This however may be generally the difference between Sarma and the older version. As a teacher, we understand her to to be the teacher of an established Guhyajnana, if we do not have this, it will not happen.

This is not using Varahi at all, although it is Vajrayogini. She has Varahi's retinue, and Mutters them, and so we are symbolically exploring the meaning of the consciousnesses, cemeteries, etc., all the occult force we can muster while moving towards Bliss, Throat Center, and the mixture of mantra and wind in the central channel. This particular Lion Face has no additional colors. She is allowed to be a pretty red like hibiscus. Because Generation Stage is khanda roha, which is dum skyes, which seems to be the correct phrase for her mantra, and only leaves skyes rim or Generation Stage Fruit or Gauri, it seems appropriate to tell her Om Khandarohi Nama. It is incorrect, since she spoke to a Tibetan she most likely would have used his language, but when we really look at her meaning, it appears correct. We are trying to use Varuni to manifest the Triangle of her Inverted Stupa. If we cannot make a Crescent, this will not happen.

The reasoning behind this is two versions of Nyan's sadhanas. The detailed one I believe is from Lokesh Chandra's translation of multiple Gyatsos, and the Taranatha one is notes from the oral tradition which is briefer, but they tell us it is Nyan, which is Tibetan for hearing. Otherwise it is absent from art and barely recognized anywhere, much like Mahamaya Vijayavahini. These two highly explanatory red deities are almost unknown to traditional practitioners. Vilasini is almost the same way and just a different aspect.

Also, even with most of the important historical Gurus such as Padmasambhava, Saraha, Sabari, and so on, they are all initiated by the dakini. Buddha himself was initiated by dakini. In metaphysics, she does the Activities, she does the initiatory process, she heals and adjusts the subtle body. We can only go so far with, historically, who said what, where, and when, since the teaching is in the practice and consists of experience or gnosis of itself.

The Rays from Ziro Bhusana's heart mantra wheel hook the life channels from all beings in the Three Realms and insert them into her mouth. As she drinks their heart blood:

Obscurations are Purified

Birth and Death are Cut from the Root

Since this is not talking about Transference, which is Completion Stage that handles the Moment of Death, it must refer to the Death Bardo in Kamaloka, and the Bardo of Seeking Rebirth. By "Purified", it must mean non-dual wisdom in place of each klesha, skandha, or vijnana. So it takes the intent of Sarvadurgati or Pure Land in "improving conditions of rebirth" but instead of an outer purification, it will consciously expose tanha or grasping in the surreality of those modes of consciousness which are not of this world.

If a Red Four Arm drinking one ever shows up, we will use it. It may be unidentified in the Mongolian Rinjung Lhantab. Instead, we can only compare it to multitudes of the secret initiatory Two Arm form.

This is Bari lineage (Sakya) where her companions are Tiger and Bear and she seems to be drinking. Vajradhara emanates her and Parnasabari, who is also a Pisachi or somehow chief of Tramen, is present:








The reverse-stanced one is perhaps Charchika; Red Ekajata may also appear as a protector of this practice, with one hair, one tooth, etc. Bari is the next closest thing to Nyan, and so if we have already found reason to rely on Vajradhara and Parnasabari, that can only help.

This unknown one is similar, with Naro and Maitri dakini who are wildly drinking:







This is a Padmasambhava Red version:









He encountered Guhyajnana as a nun, Kungamo, at Sandal Grove charnel ground, who was seated on a throne. Flanked by dakas she wore bone ornaments and held a skull cup and a wooden drum in her hands. Surrounded by thirty three maidens, she was performing a feast offering.

The Golden Garland Chronicles (p. 179) describes this place as: ‘The eminent celestial sacred place of the vidyadharas, the wild jungle which is a crossroad on the secret path of great bliss.’ It is also counted among the traditional Eight Charnel Grounds.

They have not yet admiited it means Khadira Vani, or that Kashi--Benares is a prime source of sandalwood. It also does not tell us what cemetery tradition, so far it does not mean much except Dakarnava gives Bhadira or Khadira as the tree in the southwest cemetery, and that is a mandala, not a place.

Gelug mandala version of a blue dakini under Amitabha:








In the Rinjung Lhantab from Zurich, it seems to have mostly the same things as Tibetan Deities and Taranatha, in about the same order. The site identifies a block of them as Vajrayogini and then identifies nothing and these come up again in Subjugation deities by our knowledge. So they are right after Red Bharati. And so this frame puts Ziro Bhusana--who is a Vajrayogini-- in the center with Guhyajnana at the end. It does not feature her drinking, and it does not have her full throne, but you get the idea she is on a corpse or corpses in an above average way:






Her hair is supposed to be flowing and her items are correct, although the sword should be secondary, unfornately this one lacks any bone or skull ornaments and was given narashiro or fresh head garland. Here, we can fairly easily ascertain that she is like a wrathful Guhyajnana but not so much the black magic anti-cursing wrath, more of the happy wrath that starts a party of wisdom dakinis.

[shaberon]

Posted by Peter UK (here)

Posted by shaberon (here)
Many European Renaissance and Enlightenment era occult lodges were no doubt breeding grounds for tyrants and their violent plots. Most of them are chaff, from which I separate the wheat of HPB and St. Germain. These two were part of the Himalayan, or Tibetan, Lodge. This Lodge was not originally Tibetan, but they use Tibet as a hangout; also, the Andes.

What was the original lodge?

Why is tibet and the andes used and what are the specific locations within these areas?

Here, I think we would be talking originally about Central Asia, which was a paradise during the last Ice Age; the last vestige being Khotan. There was said to be a set of islands, each with its unique zodiacal temple. Precisely where, I am not sure; all I can say is the legend seems to agree with geology in what is now only wasteland around the Gobi and western China. This likely also included Lake Baikal and other areas still fertile. But the main temple town was something like a world pilgrimage site.

Cold, snowy mountainous environments are purifying and inducive to meditation.

Tibet was definitely a haven for Buddhists escaping Hindu nationalism and the Mughal devastation of India. The origins of Buddhism have more to do with Wu Tai Shan in China.

Andes or South America was given as an example of how, what we might call International Buddhists, have an alliance that includes South Indian Yogis, Sikhs, Druze, and Copts. I do not really know anything about the Andes and so I am just repeating that.

Compared to what we can learn of Yoga and Buddhism, Tibet, for whatever reason, remains important. The European Adept Hilarion Smerdis traveled through Bombay to be trained there; the Indian Damodar went permanently. Facilities used appear to be the same as the normal ones. I forget the names, it's in here somewhere, but HPB was noted for staying at a certain convent in Sikkhim, and also gave a description of one of the major temples at Lhasa or Shigatse where she was forbidden to go to the inner sanctum. For the most part, the eastern Adepts are believed to have participated at the private retreat of the Panchen Lama. They also met once a year near Bhadrinath, India. Koothoomi mentioned a group of them discussing A. P. Sinnett's "Esoteric Buddhism" at a temple at one of the famous lakes; I'm not good enough with Tibetan to remember which. He mostly lived in caves.

From what I can tell, by "serving the Chohans", he may have well meant Nechung and the other state oracles. This, of course, appears to be what we would call necromancy. The difference--according to general research, and, by a statement of someone who has done it in Mongolia--is oath binding. The difference between Buddhism and necromancy is that it causes beings to surrender themselves to Dharma. If there is an angry ghost or other vile being, it will be submitted and forced to change. This is the basis behind all Buddhist Kila practice which, at high levels, uses meterorite iron.

Overall, they said their system "was closest to that of Nepal", and so in review, the information obtained by the first British Resident in Nepal, Brian Hodgson, has been very telling, whereas the Masters and Theosophical doctrines seem quite embittered against someone like Emil Schlagentweit, who had got more information out of Tibet, but was writing in that condescending attitude like it was a heap of superstitious rubbish--"anthropology for Christians". Hodgson was not personally interested in Buddhism, he just wanted good information in a scientific way like studying birds or something. I feel that the Adepts knew that as transportation improved, there would be millions of versions of Asian legends and magic coming out, and they went to great length to try to arrange it in a certain way where it would be shown as a fairly specific white magic path. Even as Buddhists with a high reverence for Tibet, their teachings would look mainly Hindu, there are hardly any Buddhist technical terms, let alone Tibetan. In Nepal, it is clearly united to Hinduism. The more I look, it really is Hinduism with a slight modification. That is why the Sanskrit--or now, Nepali--version has a much bigger foundation. It's a lot harder to see if you start from Tibetan.

[Peter UK]

Posted by shaberon (here)

Posted by Peter UK (here)

Posted by shaberon (here)
Many European Renaissance and Enlightenment era occult lodges were no doubt breeding grounds for tyrants and their violent plots. Most of them are chaff, from which I separate the wheat of HPB and St. Germain. These two were part of the Himalayan, or Tibetan, Lodge. This Lodge was not originally Tibetan, but they use Tibet as a hangout; also, the Andes.

What was the original lodge?

Why is tibet and the andes used and what are the specific locations within these areas?

Here, I think we would be talking originally about Central Asia, which was a paradise during the last Ice Age; the last vestige being Khotan. There was said to be a set of islands, each with its unique zodiacal temple. Precisely where, I am not sure; all I can say is the legend seems to agree with geology in what is now only wasteland around the Gobi and western China. This likely also included Lake Baikal and other areas still fertile. But the main temple town was something like a world pilgrimage site.

That's very interesting!

Posted by shaberon (here)
Cold, snowy mountainous environments are purifying and inducive to meditation.

Would you say climate is more important than isolation?

Posted by shaberon (here)
Tibet was definitely a haven for Buddhists escaping Hindu nationalism and the Mughal devastation of India. The origins of Buddhism have more to do with Wu Tai Shan in China.

Was Buddha's influence here greater or different than in India?

What was the predominant country or region that influenced buddhism in Tibet?

[shaberon]

Posted by Peter UK (here)

Posted by shaberon (here)
Cold, snowy mountainous environments are purifying and inducive to meditation.

Would you say climate is more important than isolation?

Posted by shaberon (here)
Tibet was definitely a haven for Buddhists escaping Hindu nationalism and the Mughal devastation of India. The origins of Buddhism have more to do with Wu Tai Shan in China.

Was Buddha's influence here greater or different than in India?

What was the predominant country or region that influenced buddhism in Tibet?

In terms of cold, here is how the presence of the Chelas or disicples of the Adepts are distinguished from black magicians:

The latter have a chilling presence which is a clammy feeling, unpleasant to most beings.

The former leave a cold aura that is clear like a vacuum, crisp, and may convey the scent of trees or incense.

I would think that cold is cleansing. Couple of years ago in the southern U. S. we got an unusual blast from Greenland that sat in place for over two weeks; this is one of the rare times it remained sub-freezing here for more than a few days. It seemed to be beneficial.

Tibet is so high you have to get used to it, a quick trip up the mountains can make people very ill or even be fatal. So, on a personal level, I suppose it is a matter of degree. I'm very sensitive to cold. St. Germain was also sensitive to cold. Meditation is based on body and mind "as they are", so to practice, whatever is suitable for us is best. Buddha refutes any need for extreme asceticism as important to spiritual growth. If we are up for a challenge, if we want to push it, that is up to us, but we are under no compulsion to dip in the ice water, even if it may be normal in Russia.

Buddha was from Nepal and mainly preached in the neighboring Indian state of Bihar. It gained followers, but really spread like wildfire when the warlord Asoka renounced violence and converted to Buddhism in Orissa. From there, he spread it from Ceylon to Greece, at the very least.

For centuries, there was a major system of universities around Orissa, Bihar, Kashi--Benares, and Taxila--Kashmir. You could say it waxed and waned as various Hindu leaders took power, but for the most part, it was solid until being destroyed by the Mughals.

Prior to the known Buddha Shakyamuni, there was not any big system like this, but there were what is called Heroic or Historical Buddhas, which are revered in Nepal. Kathmandu Valley was at one time just a lake. Manjushri, who lived at Wu Tai Shan, is said to have been able to see lights or seeds the Historical Buddhas placed in Nepal. He went there and cracked open a piece of the mountain with his sword, so the lake drained and the valley became inhabitable. In geological terms, I think this is considered to have happened about 30,000 years ago.

So the world is considered to have been inhabited by Buddhas, by Manjushri, by Shakyamuni in previous incarnations, forever.

Compared to what may have been in ancient Central Asia, roughly, back then, Zoroastrianism and Hinduism were the same thing. The Aryan Hindu system became the eastern branch, which has mostly remained intact, to which we are simply adding Buddha as the most advanced Adept. What we call Zoroastrianism is the western side, which was intact in Persia for untold ages, until degrading and being reinterpreted via Manicheanism into the common western religions and magical systems. Quite similar to what happened in Egypt; i. e., becoming a place where people focused on rituals and lost the real mysteries.

Buddhists call them "Tirtha", or "bathers", believing for instance that bathing in the Ganges is salvation. Any type of blind belief, automated ritual behavior, taking things too literally with no insight, which is like the commercialized aspect of Durga these days. People celebrate that she killed demons; the point is not that she has this ability, but whether we are able to use it inside ourselves. None of our deities are about the deity, they don't need any help. We do, and the deity is that power of mind and inner strength to do it.

Tibet and Nepal are built almost exclusively on Indian Buddhism. Tibet, however, mixes in a lot of native entities, and uses new practices for example by Atisha. Nepal is unique for using its history of Swayambhu Caitya, which is the Manjushri legends just referred to, plus the building of the chaitya over a self-existent eternal flame. This is equivalent to a Hindu Purana, like an authoritative tradition in a given area. And so it also could be said that Tibet drew practices from Nepal.

HPB referred to the Adepts mainly as belonging to a Trans-Himalayan lodge, meaning the non-Tibetan mountains from Bhutan up to Ladakh. This region has never quite been demolished because it is like being on the moon. But just like Nepal, all that mainly exists is Vajrayana Buddhism side-by-side with the equally tantric Shakti cult. Orissa was once the same way. In terms of a main brewing ground and distribution center, I think it would have to be Orissa. In terms of something smaller that may have a much more primordial and ancient connection to Buddhism, that would be Nepal. In Orissa, Ashoka more or less stopped and surrendered to a single monk. But Buddhism got pushed out around the 16th century.

The thing that really catches my eye is that HPB says the Trans-Himalayan lodge is a Yogacara school. Within Buddhism, she is able to trace this through Madhyamika Yogacara to Shentong, without using that exact word. However, it is based in the Hindu Yogacara of Yajnawwalkya. He and his close successors were the immediate Nepali precursors to Buddha, and so this must be the system that Buddha trained in, exemplified by Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. Well, this is almost the same thing as Manjushri Namasangiti. It is so close it's almost cheating. Yajnawalkya is believed to have spent much time in "the great north country", Uttara Kuru, where there are no disputes over tattva or elements of reality. This is thought to be around Lake Baikal.

That is why if we say Namasangiti, it immediately references Nepal having antecedents in Central Asia, at Wu Tai Shan, and itself being a highly-potent mandala more or less at the heart of current Buddhism. It keeps the original Sanskrit and definitely is an important revelatory center both for Padmasambhava, the first transmitter to Tibet, as well as many Mahasiddhas such as Naropa who did the second transmission, although in their time, they also went to Orissa. Vikramashila tantric college were the ones who asked Nepal for its Namasangiti teaching; when Manjushri fixed the lake, Guhyeshvari rewarded him by teaching Chakrasamvara tantra.

According to Buddha's words, and current Nepali practice, one could say in some ways the highest deity remains Agni; the authors of the Vedas were trance-possessed by Agni; we use him as the definition for Two Fires, Two Souls, or Two Suns. Hayagriva is famous in Buddhism, but is also a little-known Vishnu incarnation, who really has everything to do with Agni practice and the path to immortality. If we learn these non-Buddhist origins, then the Buddhist practice has a lot more meaning.

Bodh Gaya or where Buddha reached full enlightenment and began teaching is in Bihar, having Nepal to the north and Orissa to the south. Kashmir has played a role, but it looks like a significant majority of influence was from a slice of eastern India and Nepal.

[shaberon]

Mahacina and Sudhana Kumara, more secrets simplified in Nepal


I am not sure if this is formally published, but there is at least a Chinese opinion on Mahacina Krama or the Tara practice in Mahacina (western China). They believe it is a Hindu Shiva tantra which appeared there around 6,000 years ago, and tantra in Chinese was called Dao De, and so it is the backbone of Chinese culture. That is why there is a "Chinese sadhana", returned to India, then to Tibet, Mahacina Tara.

There are three similar forms of Blue Tara, which is how they are in the Hindu Lakshmi tantra as well:

Mahakali -- Ugra Tara (Mahacina)

Mahalakshmi -- Ekajata

Mahasarasvati -- Blue Sarasvati

In a general tantric view, Eka Jata, provides Kaivalya or unity with the Absolute; Ugra Tara, one who provides relief from unforeseen severe miseries, and Nila Saraswati, imparting Jnana or knowledge.

In this view, from Devi Mahatmya, explained at Pragyata, Mahakali is the Nidra or Deep Sleep (Tamas), and Mahalakshmi is the fierce, destructive warrior (Rajas), and is Mulaprakriti, i. e. still is reality even without expanding the three. Vashista spent 1,000 years at Kamakhya, frustrated by meditation, until leaving to find a Historical Buddha with these three goddesses in Mahacina.

This seems to be the only accurate way to understand these three, since a great deal of authors will just equalize them, but they are the three Gunas unmanifest, on a plane beyond illusion and the "known" Kali, Lakshmi, and Sarasvati, in such a way that Mahalakshmi remains the source of all. Again, Amba Bai or Kolhapur Mahalakshmi and Lakshmi Tantra seems to be one of the best non-Buddhist sources that explains Buddhism in an Indian way.

In Buddhism, "Maha" usually means that these are perceived from Sambhogakaya, they are not preliminary or outer forms. In Lakshmi tantra, they are pre-cosmic, they exist prior to "spinning" the Gunas out into manifestation where we know them in lesser, illusory forms. Ekajata was known in India prior to Buddhist Vajrayana; Nagarjuna did not invent or start these forms, but re-invigorated and popularized them. So, for who knows how many thousands of years, Ekajata may have been a Kamboja Tara, i. e. practiced in Bhotia, Tibet, by the Bon Tradition, and Maha Cina was greater or Western China, these do not seem to be of local origin, but may well be dispersed Vedic rites that were found there and re-installed to India by Nagarjuna.

In Sadhanamala, Mahacina is described as extending her tongue, which is like Kali. Very strangely, at least two 16th century Hindu Ugra Tara tantras carry the phrase "crowned by Akshobya", they have almost literally copied Sadhanamala along with the relevant Dhyani Buddha. Hindu deities never even have such a crown. Conversely, Mahacina is the only mention of Ugra Tara in Sadhanamala, although is is a complicated phrase where Blue Poison, also Jadya--Cold or Stupidity (Tamas), or lack of taste in the tongue, and three deities Trijagatam, do a form of striking or destroying, Hanta, to Ugra Tara, then there is honor or praise to three Bhava, moods or meditations or forms of Tara, seemingly based on Om, Ah, Tam. Or, Tara carries one across the three worlds.

Gudrun Buhneman translates it as, Ugra Tara destroys the stupidity of the three worlds, which she places in the skull. The White Tam makes a skull. I guess that is how the grammar works, Ugra Tara is the subject, not the object, of Hanta. My scratching does not compete with her full translations of both sadhanas.

In an old Sakti Pitha geography, Visala Nila is Visala Badari, which is Bhadrinath near the source of the Ganges. It does not look like a place name in Sadhanamala, I am not sure what it says, if not Ugra Tara being affected by Halahala like Shiva. There is also some thought Shiva would not have recovered without the assistance of Shakti, or Tara, suckling him.

We can just use the new translations, but the point of them is that Mahacina is barely remembered or shown at all in Buddhism. She more or less is Kali, and only seems to have two small sadhanas, which have her Varuni-like emerging from a cup. She may be neglected and mixed up in the schools, but she has a definite existence. The common perhaps re-interpretation of her is Krodha Kali or Black Varahi.

This Mahacina or Ugra is the hidden Tara at Sankhu (Two Arm with sword and lotus), and so here, Tara and Vajrayogini become the same, with Khadga or Guhyajnana Dakini. Buddhist practice makes no actual use of the left-hand techniques used in Hinduism. It is Hindus who actually commit the blood sacrifices here.

She is mantrically similar to Ekajata; Mahacina uses Hrim Hum, Ekajata has Hrim Trim Hum. Mahacina has an unusual spawn sequence, from Red Ah (lotus), White Tam (skull), and Blue Hum (chopper/herself). She is a fat dwarf.

Part of the significance is that it emphasizes Mental Worship and also Nava Kanya or low-caste women can participate. This is perhaps shocking to the orthodox, or to upper-caste male Brahmans who tended to excessively hide spiritual knowledge and rely on ritual too much. Mental worship means we have moved from spoken mantra into "vajra recitation", which has basically turned off the body, allowing the yogic motion of prana.

Himalayan Art does not know if this topmost deity--unusually arising from a skullcup--is Mahacina or Ekajata. We find that Mahacina arises from a skull. They make the mistake of claiming them to be mantrically identical. The guru is Chokyi Nyingje, considered a previous incarnation of Taranatha:







They do however identify--apparently by a mantra inscription--the lower deity as Hara Siddhi. Unknown in Buddhism, she is the Elbow Pitha Goddess. It is in Ujjain, where Annapurna, Harsiddhi and Kali are placed one above the other. Or, in the top Parvati devi, in the centre Hara Sidhi Mata, in the bottom Maha Kali statues. Hara siddhi is described as Vaishnavi shakti, or the Shakti of Kapilambara. A Sri yantra is carved in the temple. It is the one shakti pitha here, surrounded by at least eighty-four Shiva temples. She is Mangala Chandi, orange in color. This temple was built by King Vikramaditya. Hara Siddhi means Shiva's Power, which is Chandi, who in Buddhism is Green Tara, Amoghasiddhi's consort, and he is Shiva. Annapurna is higher still.

Tantric Visions mentions Mahacina in the same sentence as Vijayavahini, whom they also call "Blue She-Wolf". They reference Bhattacharya, who is silent on it, and Stephen Beyer, who actually said that She-Wolf is Bhima Devi, a protector of Tara tantras. That seems to be a glaring mistake. Get Vijayavahini wrong, and the wolves will eat you. Those were just randomly mentioned as "fierce forms of Tara".

Mahacina and her explanation are physically tied to Guhyajnana and her explanation in Nepal at Sankhu.

That is a strong dose of dakini language near a strong dose of male seed.

What is now called Swayambhu Purana was originally just the explanation of Swayambhu Chaitya. In it, Manu descends from Viraj. In Nepal, there is not really such a thing as a normal or philosophical or exoteric Buddhism, it all uses Adi Buddha, Pancha Jina, and refuge in the Sangha is understood as to eight tulkus or reincarnating bodhisattvas with Avalokiteshvara as supreme. Teachers at Vikramashila were the ones who asked Nepal for their explanation of Namasangiti.

Swayambhu Purana heavily focuses on Namasangiti and on Uposadha Vrata, which is an Amoghapasha rite.

The written text is rather modern, although its stories of Manjushri and Historical Buddhas go back to the Iron Age and pre-history. We find Amoghapasha art in India at least as early as 800s, which is about as old as anything can be found.

Amoghapasha in his heritage describes Sudhana Kumara as winning the Kinnara maiden Manohara twice.

This retinue character links Amoghapasha with Padmanartesvara and Padmajala.

Eighteen Arm Padmanartesvara 32 in Sadhanamala stands between tārā--sudhana--bhṛkuṭī--hayagrīvaṃ (same as Sakya Pandita's Amoghapasha retinue). The difference, I suppose, is Jala, or Varuna Net of Dakinis and Prajnas, instead of this retinue, he gets the Four Dakinis of Guhya Jnana to really be Padmajala in Nepal.

Sudhana mainly appears with Khasarpana, then with Manjushri and Vadiraj Manjushri in Sadhanamala. Amoghapasha may be in the unavailable second half. He is a Nirmanakaya aspect.

They have at least 360 Lokeshvara forms, or even one for each day of the year, so we are somewhat trying to focus on the goddess, in what appears to be his main Mahakarunika pattern:

Simhanada: similar to Manjushri's sequence whereby he gains Lion and meets Blue Sarasvati.

Amoghapasha: shares a retinue with Padmanartesvara who meets Vilasini

Padmajala: is mostly the same as Padmanartesvara in full form with Guhya Jnana's retinue.


On her behalf, Guhyajnana automatically has Jinasagara Lokeshvara, and supports Red Lion Face.

In the formal Newari practice, Amoghapasha is an example of where a priest would do Guru Yoga and then "you" would participate in an interactive Amoghapasha ritual. So therefor in a Yoga-based parallel this again just fits in the place of Deity Yoga.

This makes sense if we are not already doing Avalokiteshvara Guru Yoga, which I could not get to work, since the Heart Sutra says, the Bodhisattva Mahasattva. That is precisely how he is practiced in Nepal, and what refuge in Sangha means.

Simhanada is believed effective against leprosy and naga ailments. He is a Bodhisattva Padmapani form, generally non-tantric, who is not usually holding, but has near him, a skullcup and a trident wrapped by a white cobra. Curing leprosy is said to have gotten him started in Mongolia. Aside from that, it does not seem to be a very developed practice; Bhattacharya seems to think it is intended to parallel Manjushri. From what we can find, it is involved with the Vidarana level of Vajrasattva, is a Dharani, and also a normal mantra that interacts with Pandara in a Sri Malini exercise. Malini could be any garland, whether fire, or flowers, or skulls. Simha Nada or Lion Sound could be Lion's Roar, or even generalized to War Cry. Any sound arises from and goes back to silence, Nada, or Crescent on Om or other letters.

In Amoghapasha's story, Sudhana Kumara is a deceptive name, it is not a Kumara like pure planetary spirits, it is a human family name. His apparent behavior with Manohara is full of pleasure: Kinnara or shang-shung are said to spend all their time united in pleasure without producing offspring. However, he succeeds in pursuing her to her divine realm, and this gets her to return to earth. His birth was a product of Uposadha Vrata and is an incarnation of Amoghapasha or of Buddha as told in Jataka tales. The story begins with the gift of Noose from a beneficial naga. So this story is the main meaning of Amoghapasha, which carries forward into the retinue of Padmanartesvara, in Eighteen Arm form, which only has this and a basic mantra and could then be considered exoteric.

Padmanartesvara in Two Arm form is with Pandara, surrounded by Taras or Dakinis. Here is a Sanskrit Manjushri Mulakalpa. There, Om Vilokini Svaha procures mastery of treasures; Om Bhuri Svaha removes fever. The only other use of Vilokini is in Pancha Raksa. That explains Vilokini and Bhurini who suddenly appear with Padmanartesvara and have little to no other use. The word bhuri itself could mean earth, ashes, wisdom, or abundance, nothing much to do with disease. Vilokini is a form of seeing or sight; Buddha made four vilokana or observations from Tu****a before choosing where to be born. So here, Two Arm appears to be more advanced.

The Sudhana retinue is used much more with Khasarpana. Sudhana however appears to have bypassed Kha, "sky-goer" or dakini realm, past Yaksha or secret treasure realm, into Kinnara, Garuda or Gandharva realm. Bari's Khasarpana replaces Sudhana with Manidharin. In Sadhanamala terms, this would masculinize Pratisara (Manidhari). And she is invoked this way in her protective mantra in Khasarpana 15. Whereas 13 has Sudhana, 14 does, 15 does with the seeds tāṃ suṃ bhṛṃ haṃ, 16 changes Tara to Vasudhara and retains Sudhana, 24 has Sudhana, and 26 does, and that is all of them. There is no masculine Pratisara like that anywhere. Mitra just makes Amoghapasha and Khasarpana identical. Both are usually a relaxed Two Arm White form with one lotus and one boon-granting gesture. The only Amoghapasha that even has a noose is the red retinue member in Bari's sadhana.

Sadhana Samucchaya states that Khasarpana is extracted from Sarvadurgati. The Tropu Lotsawa tradition depicts Khasarpani in the same appearance as Lokeshvara 'Resting in the Nature of Mind', which is a form given by Taranatha, White Khasarpani just by himself.

Sakya Pandita's sadhana has an Eight Arm Amoghapasha, but it is not a mandala, just an assembly, i. e. standing between. It has Sudhana, a dwarf Hayagriva, Green Tara is manually opening the lotus, and Bhrkuti is Red-Yellow with a rosary, a greeting, a vase, and a trident. The retinue uses their seed syllables, Sum, Tam, Ham, Bhrim. Bhrkuti holds a water-pot, i. e. initiation. Sudhana carries a book; that would be the way to distinguish him from Red Amoghapasha.

This is a Nepali specimen of the Eight Arm kind. The kneeling male on the left has a text stashed under his arm; Green Tara is over him; Hayagriva kneels on the right, and Bhrkuti is over him:









Circle of Bliss gives this Eight Arm version as one that would be used interactively between a Vajracharya and lay practitioners. In Narthang Gyatsa, you can more easily make out Sudhana's text and see Tara fiddling with the lotus:







In Bari sadhana, Amoghapasha is a White Amitabha Lokeshvara (Padmapani), with Red Amoghapasha, Hayagriva, Ekajata, and Green Bhrkuti. However, according to Taranatha, the last is a White Amoghasiddhi Bhrkuti Dancer, wearing a white lower garment, with a staff, white lotus, rosary, and vase. In her mantra, she is Pandarani (White Robed Queen or at least White Queen). This is a Nepali example:







Bhrkuti is not necessarily Green (mostly if centered). With Khasarpana, Bhrkuti is dressed in Red, with Bari Amoghapasha it is White, and in another Lokeshvara sadhana, she herself is Red. She perhaps is the veil or display of what it means for Pandara to be white washed with red. Pandara and Amitabha themselves do almost nothing, and Bhrkuti should be understood as the first preacher on the slopes of Potalaka, like a hostess.

It is tricky to delineate a difference between Sudhana and him being replaced by Red Amoghapasha; the one is essentially an incarnation of the other. It loses Tara and adds Ekajata. The Eight Arm form arguably has all Lotus Family deities; Ekajata normally is not, but here she enters the west, and perhaps is, but White Bhrkuti Pandarani has Amoghasiddhi for sire. Sakya Pandita uses a Yellow central figure with Bari's retinue, which is present at temples in Lhasa.

Sakya Pandita says:

If one who has correctly attained an awakening of the will to enlightenment
is imbued with the true spirit of that resolve, he may perform certain Action
Tantra practices-Vijaya, Amoghapasa, and the like-without having first
become maturated through initiation.

And that Amoghapasha is not intended for Completion Stage. But the Amoghapashakalparaja mentions a ritual
that one can take from oneself, like the rite of conceiving the will to enlightenment. This would seem to be exactly what Candradhvaja says. He was "Avalokiteshvara of Pundravardhana", which in Kubjika is the Pitha of Chamunda, and geographically is Middle Country: Puṇḍravardhana was the headquarters of the country known as Puṇḍvardhana-bhukti ca. 500, part of the Gupta Empire, Dinajpur (Li-khar-sin-phel, Malda), Bogra and Rajshahi. Magadhabhukti included the districts of Gayā and Pāṭaliputra. Possibly, Pundarvardhana included Santal Parganas, Birbhum and northern portion of Hazaribagh. Puṇḍravardhana, according to the Divyāvadāna, was the eastern boundary of the Majjhimadesa or Middle Country--same as Allahabad. Bhukti (from √bhuj) literally means “enjoyment” or possession, a small Gupta administrative unit. Pundra may also connote White Lotus, similar to Pundarika, Lotus Sutra. Candradhvaja's will to enlightenment is mentioned three times in Blue Annals, most directly with Lakshmi fasting rite. However,

From the Susiddhikara [tantra} onward, however,
unless the respective initiation has been obtained,
all Mantra practice is forbidden,
even if the will to enlightenment
has been conceived.

It is a Kriya tantra related to Mahavairocana Sutra; but in Lamp of the Three Methods, it is considered Highest Yoga. He is, of course, promoting Vinaya or monastic community. The difficulty is that Completion, in a general sense, is simply a physiological process that can be forced by Hatha Yoga. Even without force, the body will eventually do it anyway. So we need some kind of a haven, some kind of a guide so we do not do a weak, random thing. It is still a terrible idea to pick up a Completion rite and start doing it, but, if one builds the Yoga in sequence, step by step, the deities are right there in the body and the Amrita and Heat will cause profound changes. If our only Sangha is esoteric, i. e. it is Avalokiteshvara plus anyone else we might become familiar with, especially Manjushri and Vajrapani, or goddess Bodhisattvas such as Marici and Pratisara, we can turn to them, that is what refuge means. We won't self-generate, or visualize union, and I am probably not going to add much about ultimately anchoring the Wisdom Beings, and so if we are not a monk, there should still be many opportunities for outer generation and praise. This may be using some mantras for less-publicized deities like Bharati. And something like that is only going to happen due to Hook power. This can be thought of as Pacifying Ignorance, like Sita, or Actively Attracting, like Manohara, being ultimately both. Because I understand it, I aimed it at Janguli, or Jah, the normal Hook syllable. She is not even a Hindu deity, and we are told if we use Hindu mantra in a Buddhist way, it still works. If someone had a flair for Kubjika and hooked Matangi, I can't imagine what would happen, drunk elephant in the room--but this is not much different from Khandaroha.

Good Housewife Manibhadra was very elegant, but, at the same time, negligible in terms of Bodhisattva. Realization caused her to levitate for twenty-one days, and then she just left the world in illusory body. But she must have come from a shallow, monotonous background, then she met one guru one time and that was all it took. In terms of sheer transcendence, that is more powerful than Buddha himself. But he, and most of us, have multi-faceted experiences without the sanctuary of a monk, and our processes will appear to have more input and output than Manibhadra.

So if I look at Avalokiteshvara even superficially as Six Syllable deity, he instantly explains 6/7 of the system, and if I was concerned about what goes on in Dharma or Lotus Family, there is some roaming area. If I get the metaphysics, and contribute Jnana Dakini, there isn't much left out besides Kurukulla:

Lotus Family has a relatively exoteric set of formulas for its main members, such as Mahasri Sutra, Hayagriva Dharani, Twenty-one Taras, Simhanada Dharani. Then Amoghapasha is Nirmanakaya and a relatively common public practice and thereby would unfailingly-noose everyone. Padmanartesvara is still not that distant as the focus of Mani Rimdu festival. Padmajala is almost purely esoteric and dances in the complete assembly of Guhyajnana, but even this is commonly-seen in Nepal. The one we don't see, Mahamaya Vijayavahini, is a Dharani.

There are a lot more details, lots of uses of Hayagriva, different ways to do Twenty-one Taras, but this framework puts at least a little substance to everything. By definition, it cannot include Kurukulla, since she is only a Fruit or only exists in Completion.

In Vajra Rosary, Padmajala is one of the last names of the winds in Six Families experienced nine ways (perhaps the Nine Moods).

At the Samvara temple in Nepal, Bodhisattva Candradhvaja, Ziro Bhusana-like, gathered a cloud of dakinis, and transmitted the Padmajala lineage to Nying phug pa [chos kyi grags pa, Chokyi Drakpa; b. 1094, present at the building of Bodong]. Candradhvaja was attended by sachen (kun dga' sning po; Sakya) and also taught Pamo Dru (Drikung, Drukpa) and la gyag pa.

The absent tantra is Padmajala Mulatantraraja, although even this is supposed to have a dharani. Padmajala of the great compassion was pronounced by Buddha on the summit of Mt. Potala and has twelve chapters which explain the 27 basic mandalas. Whether this means everything in Mahakarunika or the whole Family, or only refers to Padmajala, cannot be determined. The first Chokyi Drakpa had a completely Sarma bias, so evidently it could be done that way. The older Mahayoga runs from Sarvabuddha Samayoga to Guhyagarbha, which is Vajrasattva Jala. The intermediate "nets" are Vairocana, Manjushri which is thought to be Namasangiti, Padma, Dakini (Samayoga, Hevajra), and Maya or magic. There is also a Yogini Jala in Nepal. Dakini Jala Samvara, or "coming together of the net of dakinis", is in Chakrasamvara and Heruka mantras. The common Heruka mantra is from Abhidanottara, and does not use it; Chakrasamvara Heruka adds it in.

Yogini Jala tantra in Nepal appears to have no other Buddhist use but is Shiva's 64 yoginis:






It looks difficult, but, it carries a sense about what has been called Seven Rays, i. e. none is monochromatic, but includes others. In Buddhism, Rays seems to refer to Armor Deities, which are not inherent, but mentally installed. Nevertheless, there must be sun rays and whatever is inherent to the subtle body. Original page with larger image.

According to the Generation Phase explanation, the Four Dakinis who are the activities of Buddha Nature abide as the mandala around Vajrayogini, and also abide within the up and down vertical column of her body, and also all four abide within her baga. In this way you practice these four karmas. Each of the four of them are enacting one of the karmas. So by understanding that, you can understand that practicing Generation phase accomplishes the Bodhisattva vow. When practiced correctly, with correct understanding, it accomplishes the whole of Mahayana. Dungse Rinpoche in one of his commentaries says: The Deity is the vow
of compassion enacted perfectly.

The same Four Dakinis are with Padmajala and Guhyajnana. Summoning or Pacifying, Increasing or Requesting to Remain, Magnetizing or Subjugating, Fruitional Wisdom or Destroying. So this is a specific ring of Four Activities which themselves may be represented several different ways by many deities, but then they are "summarized" in this retinue, which does Dakini Activity. Although this ring continues to be used in the same way by Varahi, it is only, as far as I can tell, Ziro Bhusana who has the ability to Mutter them and shift the order around. To even understand her requires all the knowledge of Generation Stage and will unavoidably attract parallel knowledge of Guhyajnana, Vajrayogini, Varahi, and Simhamukha. She has all this stuffed in her meaning and just does one unique, simple thing.

If she is sucking heart blood from every being in the three realms, that must include one's self, and, just as Padmasambhava was swallowed by Kungamo--Guhyajnana, then, we would not be far off from a similar experience. I suppose that is about as blood-loving as you can get. All I can be sure of is that she is the Guru of the Guhyajnana who herself flows straight from the definitions of metaphysics and the Buddha Families that does not use formal initiations. She really is the same deity in Wrathful Tramen aspect; and so the wrathful would have the ability to tell the Activities what to do.

By definition, there is no avoidance or alternative to Guhya Jnana and Avalokiteshvara. It is something like a massive surge that comes within the basic Prajna-Upaya. They are also mates, so one would not really doubt that if you had strong independent practices on them, the initiatory form in union would go boom. Because initiations are usually planned well in advance, and with careful study, it can be narrowed down to a few that would be most relevant, it would be feasible to hunt for such an opportunity. We are simply trying to do as much outer preparation as possible since, in most of the world, these opportunities are very limited. But I am sure if you train preliminaries towards Vajrabhairava, Jinasagara, etc., it will work better than if you just show up for something you are basically unaware of.

Amoghapasha may be White or Yellow, and in his Bari mandala, anyone may take the center. This is faded, but has Ekajata in the center. Green Bhrkuti is there, who may also be White or Yellow, but they refuse to identify her as they seem to have forgotten they call her green in other places:








Avalokiteshvara was practiced at Kamarupa, Assam, and imported by King Narendradeva (r. 643-679) according to Swayambhu Purana, as Red Bungadhya at Patan, and White Janmadyah at Kathmandu. Those are just colloquial names, not the real ones. His origin is at least as old as Lotus Sutra ca. 150. Avalokiteshvara was not important in Nyingma until Mani Kumbum terma in the 1100s.

H. H. D. L. gave an Avalokiteshvara initiation to the Vietnamese in 2004. He says the 1,000 Arm form is from Bhikshuni Lakshmi, and the beginning of his transmission lineage is:

Excellent Bhikshuni Lakshmi, gone to the stage of supreme liberation,
Chandra Kumara, who favored the five sciences, [Candradhvaja]
Jnanabhadra, strong in patience, effort and faith, [Candradhvaja disciple]
I supplicate you three friends of sentient beings.

3. Penyawa of Nepal, best of scholars, [Penaba]
Excellent Dawa Gyaltsän, emanation of Supreme Arya,
Nyiphug Chökyidra, lord of practice, [Nying phug pa chokyi drakpa]
I supplicate you three great beings.

From there it is a list of a lot of Tibetans that are hard to learn. One can use those, but it is also acceptable to use a "short lineage" of the originators and famous practitioners. But we can see Nepal as a haven for Assamese Avalokiteshvara relatively early, adding Kashmir--Lakshmi and Middle Country--Candradhvaja as soon as they came forward.

The sevenfold classification is the basis for the sevenfold series of correspondences as given, for example, by Padmavajra in his Sri-Dakarnava mahayoginitantra rajavidhikatika-nama (Toh. 1419), Dza, 99b-3, ff. In this listing, the traditional five personality aggregates ( skandha ) are increased to seven by the addition of jnana-skandha and dharmadhatu-skandha and identified with the seven mountains, the Himavat, etc. So Dakarnava explains why Padmavajra uses skandhas which Koothoomi says "we would call seven". The main technical thing in Buddhism that would agree with one of his claims that might not have made sense, is Dakarnava, and not a random thought of Padmavajra's slung out hypothetically.

[shaberon]

Lotus and Vairocana

There are two important ways to say "necklace" of some kind, and they sort of bleed together when thought of as synonyms, but there are two distinct entities in the Buddhist canon.

Rosary, Vajra Mala, is perhaps one of the most important explanatory tantras for Guhyasamaja, which is the Highest Yoga companion of STTS. Vajramala is also the basis for Gelug or Panchen Guru Yoga. Kagyu uses Vajramala traditions from Sakya Sri and Vanaratna. The Four Activities in STTS are intended to shear the limbs off Catuskoti, or defeat tendencies in the practitioner to lean off-balance.

Garland, Vajra Vali, accompanies the Mahakarunika cycle. Bhattarika, or Sragdhara Tara, uses a Garland, and is part of Mahakarunika. Avalokiteshvara is the major part of Mahakarunika. Bhikshuni Sri is known for transmitting the Eleven Face Eight Arm form, however, this is really the same as his Thousand Arm form, from the tradition of Bhikshuni Shri, following the line of Tashi Lhunpo Monastery, Shigatse, Tibet, the home of the Panchen Lamas. However, this lineage says it goes from Sri to Dawa Shonnu, Pandita Jnanabhadra, and then eventually Nyi Phugpa Chokyi Dragpa. In Deities of Tibet, the related sadhana was translated from Drup Tab Rinjung of Panchen Tanpai Nyima (1782-1853), the Fourth Panchen Lama.


Vajramālā is a name of Mañjuśrī (the embodiment of non-dual knowledge) and, together with other names, forms the core essence of the Mañjuśrīnāmasaṃgīti. The Nāmamantrārthāvalokinī provides the practitioner a sādhana (‘meditative practice’) to turn these names into mantras. These mantras are chanted for the benefit of all beings, and then placed and contemplated in the Vajradhātu-mahāmaṇḍala, which is an extended version of the Vajradhātu-maṇḍala.

Vajramālā (वज्रमाला) is one of the eight offering goddesses appearing in the Vajradhātu-mahāmaṇḍala, according to the Nāmamantrārthāvalokinī v5.36-37.

Chapter 4 of the Nāmamantrārthāvalokinī describes how the yogin visualizes himself as Mahāvairocana enthroned at the center of the Vajradhātumahāmaṇḍala, surrounded by the empty moon seats envisioned for other divinities. However, these moon seats only later become populated by means of the recitation of the Name-mantras presented in Chapter 5, within which Bodhicittavajra apparently replaces Mahāvairocana as the principal divinity.

Vilāsavajra clearly describes Bodhicittavajra as occupying the central seat of the Vajradhātumahāmaṇḍala: ‘One should visualise Bodhicittavajra, transformed out of the syllable A, white in colour, possessing the Erotic Sentiment, crowned with the five Buddhas, seated in a state of Diamond-pride, adorned with every ornament, holding a vajra and bell, placed as before, at the centre of the maṇḍala’.

Bodhicittavajra is none other than Vajrasattva, and a Bodhicitta vow is almost certainly the personal vow for enlightenment referred to in Mahakarunika.



thugs rje chen po rgyal ba rgya mtsho is the Mahakarunika lineage which seems to appear historically with Pamo up to Tiphupa and Rechungpa.

The other main branch is from Lakshmi to Pandita ye shes bzang po. Who is this? Possibly Khenpo Yeshe Zangpo who ordained Rinchen Zangpo in 971, probably in a part of the Guge kingdom called Nyungwam Ratna (snyung wam ratna), or, alternately Khyungwang (khyung wang). There are many similar names, such as pan chen blo bzang ye shes dpal bzang po, the 2nd Panchen Lama, which gets back to Lozang, or Lama Chopa, i. e. Panchen Guru Yoga.

From Yeshe Zangpo to Penaba (Nepal), to Candradhvaja. Penaba was told by Manjushri to go to India to get the Thousand Arm Avalokiteshvara practice from Yeshe Zangpo. He and Dawa Shonnu were both gurus to Penaba. Next, Candradhvaja is called a Tibetan and named Dawa Gyeltsen, which means the same thing, Victory Banner Moon. When he visited Nepal, the dakinis surrounding him said Pundravardhana was the home of Thousand Arm and Six Syllable Lokeshvara.

Lakshmi actually does have her story in "Buddhist Fasting Practice". She too was told by Manjushri to go to Pundravardhana, which, continuing the mass confusion, is called "East India". She attained ten bhumis and along the way, Seven Red Lotus Dakinis offered to become her retinue. Dawa Shonnu was Indian (Pandita Candra Kumara), and Yeshe Zangpo is actually Jnanabhadra. Lama Yeshe thinks Lakshmi is Nepalese, and is also giving similar stories to the Fasting book on these same characters. Everyone else seems to say Kashmir, but he has his reasons.

According to "Indian Pandits Engaged in Tibetan Translation", Jnana Bhadra was Kashmiri and lived ca. 1050. If Lakshmi was his preceptor, she must have been around 1000-1050, possibly slightly earlier.

They keep giving Tibetan names to Indians, and then when the first Tibetan enters the line, he gets an Indian name. But this is the India where Allahabad is in the east and Orissa is in the west. So the Rinpoche who has published this translation has given us many patches about Lotus lineage. Lakshmi is supposed to have been a princess of Uddiyana, and this is still presented as Afghanistan, perhaps due to the topsy-turvy directions. Whether this equates her to Lakshminkara, I am not sure; she is said to have cut off her head temporarily. One brief reference says she met Sri Simha in Khasarpani jungle; in another version, she had a dream of King Indrabodhi. But almost all of Bhikshuni Lakshmi's guidance was by esoteric means, rather than having a main guru or twenty.

With respect to Vilasini, “An eighth century poem is preserved in the consort practice section of this sadhana, attributed to the Indian mahasiddha (great accomplished one) Lakshminkara. My study examines this poem in terms of Indian aesthetic theory, rasa theory (lit. taste theory). I argue that antinomian siddha poets, such as Lakshminkara, both employed and transcended the poetic method of rasa theory, initially creating an erotic mood (shrngara rasa) in their poems, but ultimately transcending this rasa, to create a specific nondual Buddhist mood, samarasa (lit. one taste), a state of nondualism which is the goal of tantric Buddhism.”

That would place her at a much earlier period than seems to work. Sabari pa, another Vilasini contributor, is also around the eighth century but pops up again much later.

Lasminkara in one version was versed in tantra by Lawapa, which is around the 9th or 10th century, Blanket guru in a way that distinguishes the Worldly from Wisdom Dakinis/Mamos. He was also a guru of Tilo (988-1069). The Vajrayana of Indrabhuti and the Sahaja-yana of Laksminkara Mahopasaka flourished and prospered in the Sambalpur region until about the 13th century, long after Buddhism had vanished from many parts of India. If Tilo and Lakshminkara were both disciples of Lawapa, they must have been contemporaneous, ca. 1000-1050. At this time, the historical personalities become more concrete, and otherwise, they may mean multiple persons or a lineage, or else we would be insisting someone lived for centuries. Sambalpur is in northwest Orissa, domain of the Sabaras and other tribes, and refers to the same debate about location of Uddiyana. They are mainly based on Samaleswari, again an ancient type of Shaktism.

We cannot really attach her to Indrabhuti/King Ja since this was two or three people; she was supposedly his sister, as Lakshmi is the daughter of "the king of Uddiyana". Just because Lakshmi and Lakshminkara have almost the same name and lived at close to the same time, and both cut off their own heads, does not mean they are the same person.

Most of the sadhanas come directly from a deity, and since it is not yet possible to say in all cases, who and what historical human obtained it, it is important to remember their stories are mostly allegorical, and perhaps the emphasis is on reincarnating Bodhisattvas (Sangha) and Nirmanakaya, which is like a field of these with a refuge tree for all levels of practitioners, and this is an esoteric presence we can only say so much about in a literal or objective manner.

Vajramala is Manjushri, who told Lakshmi to get Mahakarunika. Due to the power of the loving kindness and compassion in her holy mind, she was able to gather the eight great nagas, the ten guardians and all the maras under her control, and they all promised to become Dharma protectors. The eight great nagas made a particular commitment to be protectors of the lineage of the nyung nä (fasting) practice. So it does not matter if Vajrapani or Padmasambhava already subdued them; she repeated the process on her own. She was a devotee of Lakshmi, she had Manjushri samaya, and the cumulative total drove her to an extremely profound experience when she was rather young.

Concerning the form of Avalokiteshvara, the original Sanskrit source literature is the Arya Avalokiteshvara Ekadashamukha Nama Dharani. In this text there is only a mention of the eleven faces with no mention of colour or arrangement of the faces. There is also no mention about arms, or number of arms. With the form of Lokeshvara having one thousand arms the source literature is the Maha Karunika Dharani Sutra where the one thousand arms are clearly stipulated. In that text there is no mention of faces, even one face or any number of faces. Both of the texts have a dharani for Lokeshvara and that dharani appears to be the same for both and approximately one hundred syllables in length.

Eleven Face Heart Dharani is described on Wiki as not having an English translation, but is massive in China. It does include the actual Sanskrit Dharani. They do not believe it directly related to Great Compassion or Mahakarunika Dharani, which they also call Nilakantha. In that one, he acquires Harihara, Hayagriva, Cundi, non-Buddhist deities. It followed suit by acquiring his own Thousand Arm form. This one is like a snowball picking up everything and having many different versions. It is clear from the ages that both existed well before Bhikshuni Sri, as they are part of the old Chinese dispensation.

She wasn't getting anything new, but she is responsible for moving it.

Lakshmi saw Amoghapasha with all the Kriya deities on the eighth bhumi. On the tenth, she saw Thousand Arm Avalokiteshvara with all four classes of tantric deities inside him. There is a fairly close representation of this, with an unknown uppermost figure, Namnang Ganchen Tso. As HPB said Vairocana was the most important Tibetan translator, if we look at a sadhana pertaining to him, we find:

chönyi ngönsum namnang gangchen tso

The direct realization of dharmatā is Vairocana of the Vast Glacial Ocean,

And the same name is repeated later, i. e. Vairocana of the Vast Glacial Ocean, namnang gangchen tso.

This is Tigle Chu Drug of an unknown source text. So he must be talking about tigles or bindus, i. e. mantrically-created energy points which flourish and assist the user after death. The White Lokeshvaras in the upper corners are called Jinasagara, and the lower emanation is Dharmakaya:







It was made in the 19th century. Two parallel deities are Green Tara and Krodha Tara. Dharmakaya is called Zungjug (Yughannada) Jangchub (Bodhi) Sempa (Sattva). Yughannada or "pair united" is also defined as the final stage of completion stage of Highest Yoga Tantra, where the practitioner is able to unite the clear light mind called the meaning clear light (which is a direct realization of emptiness) with the pure illusory body, the experience of the winds entering the indestructible drop at the central channel.

In Kagyu, 1,000 Arm is usually accompanied by Amrita Kundalin and Hayagriva since at least the 1100s.

Lakshmi tradition places him with Four Tathagatas, or Five Dakinis. With Tathagatas, the Gelug version says:

On the four petals surrounding the central figure are the four Buddhas, blue Akshobhya (east), yellow Ratnsambhava (south), white Vairochana (west) and green Amoghasiddhi (north). At the top center is Shakyamuni Buddha. At the left side is Tsongkapa Lobzang Dragpa. On the right side is a seated monastic figure wearing a yeloow pandita hat. He is likely to be the 3rd Panchen Lama, Palden Yeshe (1738-1780). At the bottom left side is the Buddhist nun, Bhikshuni Shri, of Kashmir:








Jamgon Kongtrul attributes Lakshmi with four Eleven Face Avalokiteshvara practices: the deity, the fast, Pancha Jina or Five Families, and Five Dakinis. For Marpa Kagyu, he gives the goddess Lakshmi in Protector aspect the names Shridevi Dhumavati and Kamadhatvishvari Parvati.

Nagarjuna, however, places Avalokiteshvara in a Thirty-seven deity mandala in a lineage that must be older than Lakshmi and makes no mention of her. It goes through Atisha, who was noted for not being given Mahamudra or certain union teachings, whereas the Lakshmi version is Mahamudra, and there is a Sakya one as well. Thirty-seven point is the main Yoga method, these are almost all on solo (or un-coupled) deities, and almost always an iteration of the same formula.

Since it is the faces, not really the arms, that are specified, the most unusual one is Twenty-two Arm, and it is also the oldest, ca. 1000s, at Alchi in Ladakh:






That is about as close to Kashmir in Bhikshuni Lakshmi's time as we can get.

Avalokiteshvara in Pundravardhana was not said to be anyone; i. e., Candradhvaja was his manifestation eventually. She meditated in front of a self-manifested statue. There are at least four more of these, made of sandalwood, still in existence. She was twenty-seven and arose as Vajradhara or fully entered all bhumis. Did her hands really rot off and grow back? The similar lady is Lakshmi Kara, or, hand of Lakshmi, which of course figuratively usually means a maker or doer of. So "Fortune Maker" is what that is usually interpreted as.

This is probably the most famous 1,000 Arm deity, to which there is a similar female, Sitatapatra. It is not that several other deities do not do this, but, complimentarily to this white set, only in Nepal will we find 1,000 Arm Red Shristikantha Avalokiteshvara and 1,000 Arm Red Mahamaya Vijayavahini, even if she has no pictures. Why does she need a picture? These are not supposed to be sadhana versions of the deity; if we follow Lakshmi's saga, it is a spontaneous revelation on the tenth bhumi. That is why I think they are an extension of Red and White Khecari. This one is an extension of Eight Arm Avalokiteshvara, where Alchi will have to speak for itself about its intermediate form. They also have their own Twenty-one Taras that have only so much in common with any Tibetan version.

I do not yet see anything about five dakinis with Avalokiteshvara. This however is a current Nepali production of traditional art which gives him wrathful dakini protectors of his mantra and message and they are Tramen:








I cannot say for sure if that represents both forms of Lakshmi's sadhanas. However, Yogi Chen gives Red and White Avalokiteshvara simultaneously, the red one doing union with Pink Guhya Jnana. He writes Chinese Tibetan Sanskrit or his mantra pronunciation is literally three languages at once. Like he has Bom, which is Bam, which is Vam.

Here is a very general Dakini meditation where a teacher is reviewing it with western students. He has picked Earth for this first experience, which is well presented, but it shouldn't really be Dakini. This is Ila or Gopali, Vasudhara's Samaya being. To look at dakini is in section one; he says when you want something, dakini is in control. And the exercises are to switch that around. When you try to get anything from the outside world, that is a Karma Dakini or Worldly Mamo, which are purely destructive intelligences. Therefore the Jnana Dakini or Enlightened Mamo is the complete reverse.

However in the example, we are not meditating dakini, it is earth lady standing there. If the audience is having a hard time talking themselves into attempting to get the meaning, they certainly are not Bhikshuni Sri or Candradhvaja with dakinis bursting out of the environment. But if they pay attention, the guy is doing a pretty decent job of tying together the mental and emotional aspects to the deity. And this is why it is not a tattva exercise on earth element, it is an interactive being, much more powerful.

So we see Manjushri has been established in China and Nepal for a long time; Amitayus and Avalokiteshvara are also ancient in Nepal. We may use Hindu mantras, since those came from Manjushri. He gets the virgin Sarasvati and experiences her. He has the first explanations of tantra, including, somewhat secretly, as Vajramala which explains Guhyasamaja. He merges Vajrasattva into Mahavairocana. Then he did some serious traffic control to cause the practice of Avalokiteshvara to be salvaged from India and installed to Tibet. They are different beings because Manjushri--Sarasvati is mainly the Sherab or "wisdom giving" that enhances the knowledge and mental faculty, whereas the Lotus Deities are Karuna or Compassionate Means. At some point, that has to lead to Activity, which is capitalized because that is what Wisdom Dakinis are for. It is a bit redundant, since there is a Karma Dakini, which means Amoghasiddhi Family, and then just the class of karma dakinis or worldly mamos or action. Again, it is mainly a question of Desire, whether Divine or of the skandhas, Kamadhatvishvari. Essentially the same thing, but done differently. So this is why the male is Bodhisattva Mahasattva.

The Sanskrit Buddhist Canon site does not seem to have Lokeshvara Heart Sutra either, but it does have a song to Seven Syllable deity. Here, he is called:

lokanāthāya matsyendrāya viṣṇave

Or, Matsyendra and Vishnu. It is short, about eight couplets, having Vetala followed by Amitabha on the next line. Both the Red and White Nath temples of Nepal are based on Matsyendra; he lived around the tenth century, and is like Luipa by meaning "Lord of Fish". Although he is basically considered a Shiva follower, here, he is renamed as Avalokiteshvara and Vishnu.



Eleven Face Avalokiteshvara Heart Dharani runs:

namo ratnatrayāya ǀ

namaḥ āryajñānasāgara vairocanavyūha rājāya tathāgatāya arhate samyaksambuddhāya ǀ

namaḥ sarvatathāgatebhyaḥ arhatebhyaḥ samyaksaṃbuddhebhyaḥ ǀ

namaḥ āryāvalokiteśvarāya bodhisattvāya mahāsattvāya mahākāruṇikāya tadyathā ǀ

oṃ dhara dhara dhiri dhiri dhuru dhuru itte vatte cale cale pracale pracale kusume kusume vare ili mili citijvālam āpanāye svāhā ǁ


Current translation--even if you know the language, some dharani words remain as just play:

Namo Ratna Trayāya, (homage to the triple gem)


Namah Aryā Jñāna Sāgara, (homage to the ocean of noble wisdom)


Vairocana, (the illuminator)

Vyuharajāya (to the king of the host [also the name of a bodhisattva])


Tathagatāya, (to the tathagata)


Arhate, (to the arhat)


Samyak sambuddhāya, (to the perfectly awakened one)


Nama Sarva TathagatebhyaH (homage to all tathagatas)


ArhatebhyaH, (to the arhats)


Samyak SambuddhebhyaH, (to the fully and perfectly awakened ones)


Nama Aryā Avalokiteshvarāya (homage to noble Avalokitesvara)


Bodhisattvāya, (to the bodhisattva)


Maha Sattvāya, (to the great being)


Maha Karunikāya, (to the greatly compassionate one)


Tadyatha (thus):


Om Dhāra Dhāra, (bearing)


Dhīri Dhīri, (firm)


Dhuru Dhuru (bearing a burden)


Itte Vatte, (??)


Cale Cale, (moving, trembling, shaking)


Pracale Pracale, (moving, trembling, shaking)


Kusume (in flower)


Kusume 
Vare, (in the circumference)


Hili Mili (??)


Citi Jvālam, (blazing understanding)


Apanaye Svāhā. (leading away) hail!


It looks a little different since in the first, Vairocanavyuha is one word, and the translator seems to have shifted it. But in Gandahyuha Sutra, Vairocana vyuha alamkara garbo Mahakutagara is The Great Many-peaked Palace that Contains the Adornments of Vairocana's Magical Array. Sudhana does not actually see Vairocana here, because this is a Pure Land or Sambhogakaya, and Vairocana is really Dharmakaya. It may be considered the Dharmadhatu Treasure Tower, as this is taught as arising a a concept, in womb form, and growing ever-more real. Its inexhaustible jeweled treasures are the limitless wealth of Dharma over the economic maladies of samsara. In the Sutra, the Tower is conjured by Maitreya, or, by extension, any Bodhisattva. So Avalokiteshvara appears to be governing it with this dharani.

Namasangiti is the method of replacing Vairocana in the Vajradhatu mandala. He is replaced by Vajrasattva to create Vajradhatu Maha Mandala. Vajrasattva is one's own gnosis being. Our practice is irrelevant to the fact that Vairocana is Dharmakaya, or is full enlightenment, we cannot improve him. We can use the developmental stages of Vajrasattva to make an infinitely-expanding bond and change our own psyche. This is perhaps reflected in some religions as "priestly intercession", which is external, and not what we are getting at, since this one is purely internal. The use of Vajrasattva as Bodhi Mind, which itself is the vehicle to Yeshe or primordial wisdom and full enlightenment, remains the main aspect that makes Buddhist practice much different from any other.

Vajrapani is more difficult. But one can see how Rosary and Garland, or Manjushri and Avalokiteshvara, are threads inside the oldest practices and run through almost every transmission, starting with exoteric and available methods.

[Peter UK]

Posted by shaberon (here)
The difference between Buddhism and necromancy is that it causes beings to surrender themselves to Dharma. If there is an angry ghost or other vile being, it will be submitted and forced to change. This is the basis behind all Buddhist Kila practice which, at high levels, uses meterorite iron.

In what way is meteorite iron actually used?

[shaberon]

Posted by Peter UK (here)

In what way is meteorite iron actually used?

If the handle has a crown, it is always Hayagriva's. Three horses stick out of his head. Hayagriva's kila or phurba is brought out for ceremony once a year from Sera Monastery.











It's not really a knife, because it has three edges which are not sharpened. It is a spike. In Sanskrit, it is called Kila, which the Tibetans call Phurba.

Kila, called Phurba in Tibet, is a "dagger", preferrably made of meteorite iron, used against the three root poisons liking/disliking/indifference (ignorance). In practice, Vajrakila deity is also known as Vajrakumara. Enlightened Activity of All Buddhas.

It is not exactly a dagger, because it is a peg. The method is that if there is an "evil spirit", goblin, etc., what you do is stake them down in one place with invincible force until they repent and convert to Dharma. So it is not killing anything.

The deity force is considered Extremely Wrathful, in the scale of what Vajrasattva does:

Purification (as himself, white in color)
Fire Offering of Bad Karmic Seeds (Vajradaka)
Obstacle Clearing (Vajravidarana)
Wrathful (Heruka)
Extremely Wrathful (Vajrakilaya)

The first two are exoteric or general and basic in nature; Vidarana is semi-esoteric, more like Raja Yoga, acting against obstacles in one's own mind; and the last two are more profoundly esoteric or are done from inner states through experience in Yoga.

Vajrakilaya is considered Activity, which is Karma or Amoghasiddhi Family, which corresponds to the question of Dakini Activity in some of the recent posts. The male, or, what we are calling Vajrasattva here, being the mind of the practitioner, whereas the female is the experience/power/process in the aura or subtle body.

Besides a real meteoric one, or any physical kind, the Kila is also just part of the visualized meditation ritual itself. So even if a practitioner does not have an "actual" one, at some point, one creates the magical kind.

I am as confident this information is inert, in the sense that we can never make any use of a pretend one by imagining it, as I am that learning and following the scale would produce one that does what it says it does.

If the most prized versions of the artifact are surmounted by Hayagriva, this employs an obscure incarnation of the Hindu deity Vishnu, which is in conjunction with the Path to Immortality. I am not really even familiar with how Hayagriva is practiced in Buddhism, but he does carry forward from the older Asian Horse Head rite, and fuses himself into the practices of other deities we have studied.

His manifestation is accompanied by a loud, shrieking "Hrih!"

I get the sense he is naturally an energy ball of that nature that eventually calms down a little bit after other deities ensure him that their domains are protected. Because he is in Lotus Family, then he is something like a Wrathful Avalokiteshvara. This pairing is usually called a "wrathful reflex". The term Wrathful mostly refers to the brain, whereas the real mind, or Bodhi Mind, is in the heart. So when there are no obstacles, interferences, etc., the Wrathfuls just kind of sit there like a shield. If there is a disturbance, a demon, then they appear as a terrible demon or warrior to remove it. So a Wrathful deity would be glad to give the boot to a Spirit of Anger. The word wrathful really just pertains to their appearance.

[Peter UK]

Posted by shaberon (here)
Tibet was definitely a haven for Buddhists escaping Hindu nationalism and the Mughal devastation of India. The origins of Buddhism have more to do with Wu Tai Shan in China.

Does this make it likely that Tibet was originally influenced by Buddhism to some degree from this area prior to it being more substantially influenced by Indian buddhism?

[shaberon]

Not that we know of. The First Transmission to Tibet was done by Padmasambhava and a few others, which founded Samye' Monastery, ca. 800. The king/kingdom converted at that time, but it only lasted a generation or so. It may be vaguely reported that the fame of Wu Tai Shan spread into Tibet before that, but whether it encountered Buddhists or whose attention it may have attracted prior to Padmasambhava, cannot really be determined.

It is in Shanxi which is nowhere near Tibet:






The most objective we can be about it, is that China, by sea, absorbed Buddhist scriptures from the second to fourth centuries, and the mountain is naturally a magical power place, and this blended into Manjushri, at least in the public perception. The addition of Manjushri into Avatamsaka Sutra is a Chinese idea not found in the original.

How, exactly, he may have created Kathmandu Valley, which is a geological fact, of an age inexpressible in terms of any normal written comprehension, cannot be compared to anything. Many Pacific islanders remember that traditionally, they came from some type of Lemurian land mass, unfortunately they do not seem to have gained a Bodhisattva from it.

He should be thought of as a close disciple of Buddha that continues to manifest. His real Abode is in the Pure Land called Vimala, which, we have found, is a tantric goddess in Orissa, seemingly identical to Viraj. If his first recorded mention is in the earliest Mahayana sutras, this is several centuries after Buddhism co-existing with the Shakti goddess cult in Orissa. He also has an Arapacana form; this is a missing or extinct language that he may be the only representation of.

Manjushri lives in Vimala, is able to manifest appearances at Wu Tai Shan, and had a human birth at the time of Shakyamuni Buddha. In the literature, he seems to be "first" to be described and taught, but these Bodhisattvas are the Eight Consciousnesses of a human being. They are inseparably one with the mind, just as dakinis are inseparable from the senses.

Buddha teaches the Bodhisattvas, who in turn teach us. The Tathagatas and Dhyani Buddhas are purely celestial, that is, they lack any form that could do anything. All they can do is mentally impress a Bodhisattva, which, in its turn, can do either magical or physical things. Although the Bodhisattva Path as a whole has ten or eleven stages, to us, we are on the "reversible" part of only six or seven stages. A real Bodhisattva is at the eighth and above, which is considered "irreversible". So the main thing we are teaching and training is how to become a Bodhisattva.

Yes, it simultaneously means several things at once, and is not bound by linear time.

The only way to get Buddha's teaching is in Mahamudra or Great Bliss, beyond words and concepts. So our words and concepts are those which have been found useful to place us in this condition safely. None of the Mahayana has an objective connection to Buddha that was recorded during his lifetime. It is all a type of cumulative tradition, wherein we say that he and his close disciples have a spoken/heard esoteric lineage, which has only slowly and progressively been revealed to people "once they became able to understand it". So there are plenty of Buddhists who would dismiss it as make-believe, or unnecessary. All we are saying is it is more direct and powerful. This is reflected by schisms in the oldest Buddhist councils, dissent between "literalists" and "transcendentalists", if you will.

By the time Tibetan Buddhism arose, the Indonesian (Borobodur) was already in decline. By sea, the main part of China, and by land, the rugged western part (Dunhuang, Moggao, Khotan), were much more heavily invested from a significantly earlier period. The Native Tibetan tradition, Bon, is somewhat similar to Buddhism, but I do not know enough about it to describe the difference. The Bon Zhangzhung Empire had long since conquered Hindu holy lands such as Mt. Kailasa and Lake Manasarowar.

In Hinduism, the Vedas have cycled twenty-eight times, meaning something like they were written and taught to some civilization that went extinct. The cycle we are in now contains the oldest literature known to man. Places in Orissa can be shown to have been inhabited for 100,000 years. The oldest types of non-pastoral civilization--i. e. enough surplus agriculture to make beer and wine--appears to be Yellow River China, around 12,000 years of age. The oldest oral tradition is Dattatreya which Indian historians ascribe to 8 or 9,000 years old. Dattatreya is Nath, and here again, we find several Nath lineage holders who were also Buddhists, such as Jalandhara, or what we see of Mastyendra in Nepal. Kashi--Benares itself is around 12,000 years old. If I was looking for historical continuity, it would be there. I started doing that when I realized the motto of the Theosophical Society is a direct copy of the motto of the Maharaja of Benares at the time. From there, we were able to get a picture of the "spiritual brother" of the "spiritual failure" Dayanand Sarasvati, who was supposed to be HPB's Indian authority, but then he started the violent Arya Samaj movement and was stopped by the Mahatmas. The nice one was Kashi Naresh, which means an advisor to the Maharaja of Kashi. I believe Alexandra David-Neel and Mark Twain both encountered him.

Just like in Nepal, the Buddhist Theosophical Mahatmas have no boundaries against devout Hindus, only against the rabid "literal" kind. Morya said the Mamos were any of the "gods of bigotry", whether Muhammad or Shiva. This does not mean those faiths do not have any peaceful, pious followers, but they definitely have crusaders. That is literally the same as the reason for the beginning of the Sikh tradition, and, if he was not born a Sikh, Morya was Rajput, same area.

Related to Kila, or Activity, combined with Dakini Activity, here is an interesting addition. Typically, the Kagye', or what we might call a map of the aura, is a Hundred Deity mandala for the normal person. However, it will add Vidyadharas, or extra sage-type deities, by the use of mantra, related to the throat chakra. Then if we take Vajrasattva as a scale, with Extremely Wrathful at the high end of the spectrum:

In the "Book of the Dead" tradition of Nyingma and Drukpa of Tibet, Bhutan, and Ladakh, Dark Blue Vajrakumara (Kila) is the deity of the lowest chakra or "secret place", sukhapala or muladhara, with his Light Blue consort, watching over the "place of desire". When he is active--i. e., is Activity--then in the Manipura (belly or solar plexus) or Nirmana chakra, Ratnasambhava is pre-empted by Varahi, or Guhyajnana, and the Four Dakinis of Activity. So this produces a "secret" group of an additional seven deities that are not inherently found in a person, just as the Vidyadhara or secret mantra throat deities also do. Therefor, the "Hundred Deity" mandala potentially exceeds that number. These deities being "added", so to speak, corresponds to stages in the Bodhisattva Path.

Buddhism is almost dead silent on Muladhara chakra or doing anything to it; Nirmana is the first one used. So we can say we are doing "something" to the solar plexus, until its normal "owner" is replaced by the Wisdom Dakinis, while the "owner" of the root chakra is replaced by Kila (Vajrakumara). So essentially we are doing nothing with the base of the spine until equipping it with this weapon that "nails" all three poisons, attachment, aversion, and ignorance.