Meeting with His Holiness of the 17th Karmapa in India

My Pilgrimage to India.

I am so honorable and very glad indeed for having a private audience with His Holiness of  the 17th Ogyen Trinley Dorje Karmapa at his Maha Bodhi Stupa Temple in December 2008.

The Principle of The Dakinis

The Principle of The Dakinis  [For General Introductions Only]

Dakinis are depicting in a female form and the Sanskrit word is Dakini. In Tibetan its literally means “Khandro”. Khan meaning sky and Dro meaning traveling. Taking it together, Khandro means one that can move or travel through the sky or space. It's very important we think about this literal meaning in trying to understand Dakinis.

The unenlightened Dakinis are termed as worldly dakinis because they are still caught in the cyclic world of Samsara. Worldly dakinis are found in human form as well as in astral (lunar) form and could have a form of a beautiful fairy-like being or a demonic flesh-eating being.

A female practitioner who has attained some capacity to gain an accurate and deep intuitive understanding of things but not yet fully liberated from Samsara is as well considered to be a worldly dakini. 

The worldly dakini, are the five evil Tseringma sisters, the lotus born Guru Rinpochi Padmasambhava has tamed the five evil Tseringma sisters into protectors. Example of a worldly dakini is a celestial messenger falling into the category of a protector Bodhisattva performing beneficial actions. Another example might be a great human practitioner that has accomplished with some insight skilled, but who is not yet released from suffering. 

The following are the enlightened Wisdom Dakinis :-

1] Green Tara

2] White Tara

3] Kurukulle

4] Vajrayogini

5] Singhamukha

6] Machig Labdron

Both the worldly dakinis and enlightened wisdom dakinis can have supernatural powers. You may recall the story of Tilopa where he encountered a number of various dakinis. The worldly dakinis who had control over sight and sound bombarded him with mirages after which he met the dakinis embodying the five activities and finally he met with the enlightened wisdom dakini in the heart of the mandala. 

The Dakinis are born in three manners:

1. Spontaneously enlightened ones arise from Sabogakaya's unfoldment from Dharmakaya.
2. Those born in heavenly realms. Those who are born from within the heavenly realms and those who reach the heavenly realms though their own attainment.
3. Finally, those born by realization of mantra. These are humans who have reached various levels of inner realization.

There are many different and levels of enlightened dakinis. Dakinis in general can be a guiding light along the path removing physical and spiritual hindrances and they can play a great part in an individual's attainment of enlightenment. 

They are the forces that awaken dormant (hidden) qualities of spiritual impulses or desire hidden in the subconscious. It is the dakini's inspirational or motivation influence that can open one and remove obstacles, but it is the Wisdom Dakinis that we should be interested in learning about and who we can rely on to truly release us from Samsara. 

We take refuge in the Guru or Lama as the root of blessings because it is he or she that imparts or convey the knowledge, methods and wisdom that will enable us to obtain liberation. 

We take refuge in the yidam as the root of accomplishment because it will be through our practice of the yidam that we will be able to realize the nature of our mind. We take refuge in the dakas and dakinis as the principle of wisdom as the root of all Buddha activity.

* Footnote

Please consult your Guru or a qualified lineage master for Vajrayana practice! Should a devotee even want to start studying and contemplating the Vajrayana practice, then it is truly necessary to first have completed the preliminaries and to be certain and sure that bodhicitta has arisen and developed in one’s mind.

Vajrayana features countless skillful and powerful methods which, if they are practiced in the proper way, can make the process of accumulation and purification incredibly swift and direct. It is absolutely necessary to have the pure motivation and to know that Vajrayana practice is not carried out to increase one’s own power and profit.
 

Thank you for reading and may you find peace and great bliss. With your support it helps spread the Buddha’s precious teachings and turning the Dharma wheels in the world.

Aspiration For Bodhichitta

May the precious Bodhichitta arise

Where it has not arisen

And where it has arisen may it not decrease

But increase further and further.

Nagarjuna's Dedication of Merit

By this merit may we obtain omniscience then.

Having defeated the enemies wrong-doings.

May we liberate migrators from the ocean of existence.

With its stormy waves of birth, old age, sickness and death.

*Note*

I do not own or infringe any copyright of these pictures.

Pictures courtesy and credit to the rightful owners.