Imagery http://yamantaka.org/ Sun, 26 May 2013 01:06:41 GMT FeedCreator 1.8.0-dev (info@mypapit.net) Manjushri http://yamantaka.org/imagery/vajrabhairava-yamantaka-manjushri/55-manjushri.html Manjushri (Tib: 'jam dpal dbyangs; The Glorious One with a Melodious Voice), along with Avalokiteshvara (Chenrezig) and Tara (Drolma), is one of the most popular bodhisattvas and meditational deity figures in Tantric Buddhism. Practiced in all schools, there are dozens of lineages, forms and variations of practice. In the Vajrabhairava tantra, the yellow (or Arapachana) youthful form of Manjushri represents the peaceful form of Yamantaka. He has one face and two hands holding aloft a sword of wisdom and a book upon a lotus blossom. For the Vajrabhairava practice the visualization of oneself as Yamantaka with yellow Manjushri in one's heart, and at Manjushri's heart the dark-blue syllable HUM is known as the "triple stack being".

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]]> info@rigzin.com (Administrator) Thu, 27 May 2010 00:45:04 GMT http://yamantaka.org/imagery/vajrabhairava-yamantaka-manjushri/55-manjushri.html Vaishravana http://yamantaka.org/imagery/dharma-protectors/54-vaishravana.html Vaishravana (Tib: rnam thos sras) is one of the three principal Dharma protectors (dharmapalas) of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism - the others are Yama Dharmaraja (Kalarupa) and Six-Arm (Shadbuja) Mahakala. He is also known (1) as the King or Guardian of the North and (2) as a god of wealth.

He is usually portrayed with a stern look and two large staring eyes, one face and two hands. In his right hand he holds a victory banner of variously coloured fluttering silks - a gift of the gods, and with his left he holds a black mongoose spitting a flood of colored jewels collecting on the moon disc below. Adorned with a gold and jewel crown, earrings, body armour of gold, garments of various colours, pants and boots, he sits in a relaxed posture with the right leg extended atop a snow lion.

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]]> info@rigzin.com (Administrator) Wed, 26 May 2010 23:57:09 GMT http://yamantaka.org/imagery/dharma-protectors/54-vaishravana.html Kalarupa / Dharmaraja / Yamaraja http://yamantaka.org/imagery/dharma-protectors/53-kalarupa-dharmaraja-yamaraja.html Yama Dharmaraja, also known as Kalarupa (Tib: gshin rje chos rgyal; = the Lord of Death, King of the Law), is one of the Dharma protectors of the father class of Anuttarayoga Tantra, in particular for the Vajrabhairava tantras. Although Kalarupa is found in all the Sarma Schools the Gelugpa tradition holds Yama Dharmaraja in special regard as one of the three main Dharma protectors of the School - along with the Six-Arm (Shadbhuja) Mahakala and Vaishravana. These three were the special protectors of Lama Tsongkapa.

With one face and two hands, dark blue in color, the head is that of a buffalo, three round eyes, sharp horns entwined with flame, fierce and angry. Held upraised in the right hand is a bone stick composed of a fused spine and skull. In the left hand is a coiled lasso. Adorned with a crown of skulls and bone ornaments, he wears a necklace of fifty freshly severed heads. Appearing extremely animate he stands with his right leg bent and the left extended on the back of a buffalo above a human body and lotus seat. He is usually accompanied by his female consort Chamundi who is blue in color, with one face and two hands. A trident is held aloft in the right hand and a skullcup in the left. Both are adorned with wrathful attire, bone ornaments and various skins, completely surrounded by the swirling orange flames of pristine awareness.

There are three forms of Yama  Dharmaraja: Outer, Inner, and Secret. Inner and Outer Yamaraja are blue/black, the Secret Yamaraja is red in color.See the gallery for the differences.

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]]> info@rigzin.com (Administrator) Wed, 26 May 2010 14:40:09 GMT http://yamantaka.org/imagery/dharma-protectors/53-kalarupa-dharmaraja-yamaraja.html Palden Lhamo http://yamantaka.org/imagery/dharma-protectors/52-palden-lhamo.html The wrathful deity Palden Lhamo (Tib: dpal ldan lha mo, or dMag zor ma rGyal mo; Skt: Shri Devi or Remati) is one of the main Dharma protectors in the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism and considered to be the the tutelary deity of Tibet and its government", and as "celebrated all over Tibet and Mongolia, and the potent protector of the Dalai and Panchen Lamas and Lhasa."

The detailed iconography of Palden Lhamo is complicated, and this is not the place to discuss it. Jeff Watt wrote an excellent article on the Himalayan Art site about it. In the context of the Gelugpa school of Tibtean Buddhism we deal specifically with the form of Magzor Gyalmo (Tib: dMag zor ma rGyal mo) meaning "Glorious Goddess, the Queen who Repels Armies", or "the Queen who has the power to turn back armies". She has a blue-black body and and a fiercly wrathful expression, has one face and two hands, holding aloft with the right hand a vajra-tipped staff and in the left a skullcup held to her heart. She rides on a side-saddle atop a mule. Above her head is a large peacock feather parasol.

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]]> info@rigzin.com (Administrator) Wed, 26 May 2010 14:38:59 GMT http://yamantaka.org/imagery/dharma-protectors/52-palden-lhamo.html 6-Arm Mahakala http://yamantaka.org/imagery/dharma-protectors/51-6-arm-mahakala.html This dark-blue/black form of the six-armed (Skt: Shadbuja) Mahakala (also called "Nagpo Chenpo", Tib: gnag po chen po; or by the Tibetans just "lord", Tib: mGon po) was originally brought to Tibet by Khyungpo Naljor, the founder of the Shangpa Kagyu School. It became popular in the Sakya and Kagyu traditions and was later adopted into the Gelugpa School, becoming the principal protector. There is also a White Six-Armed Mahakala (Skt: Shad-bhuja Sita Mahakala; Tib: mGon po yid bzhin nor bu) popular among Mongolian Gelugpas and the Shangpa Kagyu School.

"The Lord of Pristine Awareness has six hands and a body dark blue in colour. The first two hold a curved knife and skullcup, the middle two a human skull mala and trident, the lowest two a damaru drum and lasso. Adorned with a tiger skin, garland of heads, bones and snakes, and small bells on the hands and feet. Standing in a manner with the two legs together pressing down on Ganapati. With three eyes, bared fangs, eyebrows, beard and hair flowing upward with Akshobhya as a crown. Anointed with a sindhura drop on the forehead. Supported behind by a sandalwood tree, dwelling in the middle of a blazing mass of fire." (Jonang Taranatha, 1575-1634).

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]]> info@rigzin.com (Administrator) Wed, 26 May 2010 14:32:47 GMT http://yamantaka.org/imagery/dharma-protectors/51-6-arm-mahakala.html Vajrabhairava Mandalas http://yamantaka.org/imagery/vajrabhairava-yamantaka-manjushri/50-vajrabhairava-mandala-images.html The Tibetan word for "mandala" (dkyil-'khor) literally means "that which encircles a center." A "center" here signifies a meaning, and "that which encircles it" - a mandala - is a round symbol that represents the meaning. For a more extensive explanation of the mandala in context of Tibtean Buddhist Vajrayana see the excellent article The Meaning and Use of a Mandala at Berzin Archives.

There are many types of mandalas, used for various purposes in both the sutra and tantra practices of Buddhism. Here we are only dealing with the cloth mandala (ras-bris-kyi dkyil-'khor), which is a two-dimensional depiction of the palace and environment, somewhat like an architectural blueprint, painted on a piece of cloth or paper, and usually placed inside an ornately painted square wooden frame with open sides and a roof.

When it comes to the residents of the mandala, they are sometimes representend as (1) figures or (2) iconic symbols (drawn from the attributes of the deities); or a combination of both.

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]]> info@rigzin.com (Administrator) Wed, 26 May 2010 14:26:42 GMT http://yamantaka.org/imagery/vajrabhairava-yamantaka-manjushri/50-vajrabhairava-mandala-images.html Single-Deity Vajrabhairava http://yamantaka.org/imagery/vajrabhairava-yamantaka-manjushri/48-ekavira-vajrabhairava-images.html The Solitary Hero ("Ekavira", i.e. without a female consort) Vajrabhairava is the wrathful form of Manjushri. He is dark blue in color, has 9 faces, 34 hands and 16 legs. The main face is that of a buffalo, with a red face above and the slightly angry yellow face of Manjushri placed on top. Flames shoot from the tips of the horns. The three right faces are yellow, blue and red and the three left are black, white and smoky. Each face has three large round eyes, bared fangs and frightful expressions; brown hair flows upward like flames. The first pair of hands hold a curved knife and skullcup to the heart. The remaining hands hold a multitude of weapons with the second and last set holding in addition the fresh outstretched hide of an elephant. He is adorned with bracelets, necklaces and a girdle all formed of interlaced bone ornaments, a necklace of snakes and a long necklace of fifty heads. The right legs are bent pressing down on a man, animals and various gods. The left legs are extended straight and press upon eight birds and various gods; standing above a sun disc and multi-colored lotus completely surrounded by the orange flames of pristine awareness.

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]]> info@rigzin.com (Administrator) Wed, 26 May 2010 04:43:13 GMT http://yamantaka.org/imagery/vajrabhairava-yamantaka-manjushri/48-ekavira-vajrabhairava-images.html 13-Deity Vajrabhairava http://yamantaka.org/imagery/vajrabhairava-yamantaka-manjushri/47-13-deity-images.html The (13-Deity) Vajrabhairava with the consort Vajravetali (Dorje Rolangma; Tib: rDor-rje ro-lang-ma) is terrifying and wrathful, dark blue in color with 9 faces, 34 hands and 16 legs. His main face is that of a buffalo, with a red face above and the slightly angry yellow face of Manjushri placed on top. The three right faces are yellow, dark blue and red and the three left are black, white and smoky. Each face has three large round eyes, bared white fangs and frightful expressions; dark yellow hair flows upward; adorned with bone ornaments and a necklace of fifty heads. The first pair of hands hold a curved knife and skullcup embracing the consort. The remaining hands hold a variety of objects. Vajravetali has one face and two hands, blue in color with orange hair pressed against the back; holding a skullcup in the left hand. The right legs of Bhairava are bent pressing down on various animals and gods. The left legs are extended straight and press upon various birds and gods; standing above an orange sun disc and multi-colored lotus completely surrounded by the orange flames of pristine awareness.

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]]> info@rigzin.com (Administrator) Wed, 26 May 2010 04:37:37 GMT http://yamantaka.org/imagery/vajrabhairava-yamantaka-manjushri/47-13-deity-images.html