ABS 080
Code: ABS 080
Country: Tibet
Style: Late Pala Style
Date: 1200 - 1300
Dimensions in cm WxHxD: 10.2 x 15.8 x 5.4
Materials: Brass
Sarvabuddhadakini
Vajrayogini stands naked in a bold posture, clad only with the bone ornaments of the charnel grounds. Her left hand raises the skull bowl to drink blood from it, while her right hand holds the curved blade downwards. Beneath her feet lie the male and female worldly deities whom she subdues. In the crook of her left arm rests the tantric staff khatvanga, the symbol of her mystic consort in its hidden form. The staff has unfortunately been lost. As a manifestation of the dakini revealed by mahasiddha Naropa, she plays a prominent role in the Sakya and Geluk schools.
Tantric Buddhism’s emblematic feminine character, the dakini, is a complex being. Her name – khandroma in Tibetan – literally meaning “she who moves through space”, encompasses a wide variety of characters ranging from powerful, savage, and disturbing entities to celestial messengers accompanying yogins and yoginis in their spiritual progression. As ambiguous characters, some ‘ordinary’ dakinis are fierce protectors while wisdom dakinis can represent the highest realization, as do Vajrayogini and Vajravarahi. Some advanced female practitioners or the wives of great masters can also be considered human dakinis.
Vajrayogini stands naked in a bold posture, clad only with the bone ornaments of the charnel grounds. Her left hand raises the skull bowl to drink blood from it, while her right hand holds the curved blade downwards. Beneath her feet lie the male and female worldly deities whom she subdues. In the crook of her left arm rests the tantric staff khatvanga, the symbol of her mystic consort in its hidden form. The staff has unfortunately been lost. As a manifestation of the dakini revealed by mahasiddha Naropa, she plays a prominent role in the Sakya and Geluk schools.
Tantric Buddhism’s emblematic feminine character, the dakini, is a complex being. Her name – khandroma in Tibetan – literally meaning “she who moves through space”, encompasses a wide variety of characters ranging from powerful, savage, and disturbing entities to celestial messengers accompanying yogins and yoginis in their spiritual progression. As ambiguous characters, some ‘ordinary’ dakinis are fierce protectors while wisdom dakinis can represent the highest realization, as do Vajrayogini and Vajravarahi. Some advanced female practitioners or the wives of great masters can also be considered human dakinis.