Vajrayogini

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Vajrayoginī (Sanskrit: Vajrayoginī वज्रयोगिनी; Tibetan: རྡོ་རྗེ་རྣལ་འབྱོར་མ་, Wylie: rdo rje rnal ’byor ma, Dorjé Naljorma) is an important figure in Buddhism, especially revered in Tibetan Buddhism. In Vajrayana she is considered a female Buddha and a ḍākiṇī. Vajrayoginī is often described with the epithet sarvabuddhaḍākiṇī, meaning "the ḍākiṇī [who is the Essence] of all Buddhas". She is an Anuttarayoga Tantra meditational deity (iṣṭadevatā) and her practice includes methods for preventing ordinary death, intermediate state (bardo) and rebirth (samsara) by transforming them into paths to enlightenment, and for transforming all mundane daily experiences into higher spiritual paths.^[1]

The origins of Vajrayoginī teachings date from between the 10th and 12th centuries, and draw inspiration from Hindu Shaiva tantras. She appears as the consort of Padma Thotreng Tsal, and of Cakrasaṃvara, while in Vajrayoginī standalone practice, her inseparable consorts are represented by the khatvanga (staff) on her left shoulder. The lineage of Vajrayoginī practice can be traced back to the original teachings of Vajradhara and is divided into three main lineages: Narokhachö, Maitrikhachö, and Indrakhachö.

Vajrayoginī's essence is "great passion" (maharaga), passion that is pure - free of ego’s deceptions and illusions. Because of her purity she is able to work for the well-being of others and for the destruction of all ego clinging. She is seen as being ideally suited for people with strong passions, providing the way to transform those passions into enlightened virtues.^[1] She is visualized in the form of a naked 16-year-old female with red skin, a third eye of wisdom, and numerous other symbolic attributes such as a curved knife and either a skull cup or a damaru. Her fierce yet blissful demeanor conveys numerous spiritual attributes.

Practices associated with her are Chöd and the Six Yogas of Naropa. Her numerous temples in the Kathmandu Valley are revered as power places in both Newar and Tibetan Buddhism. According to scholar Miranda E. Shaw, Vajrayoginī is "inarguably the supreme deity of the Tantric pantheon. No male Buddha, including her divine consort, Heruka Cakrasaṃvara, approaches her in metaphysical or practical import."^[2]

Additionally and in the pantheon of female buddhas, the line of Khenmos (abbesses) of Samding Monastery in Tibet have traditionally been seen as emanations of Vajravārāhī, which continues this specific lineage of female tulkus to the present day.