100 Deities of Bardo State - Fifty-Eight Wrathful Deities (Part 6)

Bardo, The Intermediate State:

Bardo is the Tibetan word for between, or an in-between, state. In a religious context the term is most referenced in regard to the state of existence that occurs between death and rebirth. Under the subject of bardo some of the topics of interest that are related to art are the sights and visions that a being is believed to experience during that time. In the West this subject is most commonly referred to as 'The Tibetan Book of The Dead.

Bardo is an abstract concept. There are no actual images of the bardo. Deity figures and mandala-like shapes are used to convey the ideas of the state between death and rebirth.

The 'Terton' Karma Lingpa (1326–1386), in the 14th century, is credited with the discovery of the 'treasure text' known as the Liberation Through Hearing in the Bardo (Tibetan Book of the Dead).

A text intended to be read to the deceased and to influence positively the subsequent rebirth. (There is evidence to suggest that the famous 'Treasure Finder' of the Bon Religion - Shenchen Luga (996-1035) - had discovered similar texts in the 11th century).

The assembly mandala of Bardo deities depicts a perfected state of beings and the central deities within, symbolizes the perfected states of the meditators' own awareness, psycho-physical aggregates, elemental properties and sensory and mental process.

The peaceful deities symbolize the natural purity of these fundamental components of beings while the wrathful deities are the transformative aspects of the energies. The outer deities of these mandalas are the mode of activities of an enlightened being.

100 Deities of Bardo (Intermediate State)

Bardo, The Intermediate State: The assembly of 100 deities: 1) The 42 peaceful deities 2) The 58 wrathful deities

The fifty-eight wrathful deities are:

The Assembly of 58 Wrathful Bardo Deities :In this mandala of deities are the wrathful emanations of Samantabhadra, the five Buddhas and his consorts, gatekeepers, offering goddess and many more. 

The five wrathful Herukas and their five consorts—the wrathful aspect of the Buddhas of the five families and of the five female Buddhas are:

1. Buddhaheruka and his consort Buddhakrodhishvari

2. Vajraheruka and his consort Vajrarodhishvari

    3. Ratnaheruka and his consort Ratnarodhishvari

       4. Padmaheruka and his consort Padmakrodhishvari

                                    

                                   5. Karmaheruka and his consort Karmakrodhishvari

For (Donations for our Buddhist research and development) 
Do you earnestly cherish our devoted work? Assuming this is the case, we are delighted that you are finding our blog useful and valuable. Would you consider making a donation for our Buddhist research and development?  


We need your help to secure the future of scholarly interaction with Buddhism. Since our very first publication of Dharma works and activities in the year 2008, we had been effortlessly providing free distribution of Dharma posts and articles throughout the previous 13 years.  We have exceptionally constrained supports and do not receive subsidized or funding from people in general. 


Please help us and to develop our Dharma activities that will not only benefit you, but to all Dharma readers on the planet. Please consider showing your support. Your generosity will certainly help us to enhance our work and to accomplish for a better and brighter prospect to come. 


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


Aspiration For Bodhichitta
For those in whom the precious Bodhichitta has not arisen
May it arise and not decrease
But increase further and further.


Dedication of Merit
By this merit may we obtain omniscience then.
Having defeated the enemies wrong-doings.
May we liberate migratory 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 the picture(s).
Picture(s) courtesy and credit to the rightful distributors and or studios.
Picture(s) is/are intended for editorial use only.

100 Deities of Bardo State - The Four Male And Female Gate Keepers (Part 4)

Bardo, The Intermediate State:

Bardo is the Tibetan word for between, or an in-between, state. In a religious context the term is most referenced in regard to the state of existence that occurs between death and rebirth. Under the subject of bardo some of the topics of interest that are related to art are the sights and visions that a being is believed to experience during that time. In the West this subject is most commonly referred to as 'The Tibetan Book of The Dead.

Bardo is an abstract concept. There are no actual images of the bardo. Deity figures and mandala-like shapes are used to convey the ideas of the state between death and rebirth.

The 'Terton' Karma Lingpa (1326–1386), in the 14th century, is credited with the discovery of the 'treasure text' known as the Liberation Through Hearing in the Bardo (Tibetan Book of the Dead).

A text intended to be read to the deceased and to influence positively the subsequent rebirth. (There is evidence to suggest that the famous 'Treasure Finder' of the Bon Religion - Shenchen Luga (996-1035) - had discovered similar texts in the 11th century).

The assembly mandala of Bardo deities depicts a perfected state of beings and the central deities within, symbolizes the perfected states of the meditators' own awareness, psycho-physical aggregates, elemental properties and sensory and mental process.

The peaceful deities symbolize the natural purity of these fundamental components of beings while the wrathful deities are the transformative aspects of the energies. The outer deities of these mandalas are the mode of activities of an enlightened being.

100 Deities of Bardo (Intermediate State)

Bardo, The Intermediate State: The assembly of 100 deities: 1) The 42 peaceful deities 2) The 58 wrathful deities

The Four Male Gatekeepers

Who are counted among the forty-two peaceful deities, are:

1. Achala, guarding the East Gate (Vijaya or Mahabala)
2. Yamantaka, guarding the South Gate
3. Hayagriva, guarding the West Gate
4. Amritakundali, guarding the North Gate

1. Achala, guarding the East Gate (or Vijaya, or Mahabala) is one of the ten wrathful kings that are present in many Yoga Tantra and Anuttarayoga Tantra mandalas, and one of the four main meditational deities of the Kadampa school.

2. Yamantaka, guarding the South Gate. Yamantaka literally The Destroyer or Slayer of Yama, the Lord of Death, is a wrathful form of Manjushri.

3. Hayagriva, guarding the West Gate. Hayagriva is the wrathful manifestation of Avalokiteshvara who symbolizes enlightened speech, usually depicted as red in colour and with a horse's head protruding from his crown.

4. Amritakundali, guarding the North Gate. In Buddhist thought, Amritakundalin is seen as the dispenser of Amrita, the celestial nectar of immortality. Amritakundali (Buddhist Deity) one of the main and earliest Buddhist Yoginītantras.

He has three faces and six arms, is fierce and appears black like the newly split antimony; he is surrounded by a garland of flames, he is cruel, and he is endowed with reddish-brown eyes; He is crushing the Great Obstacle(s) under his feet; his fist is raised, holding a hatchet; with his left hands he holds a club, a Vajra and a noose. His forefinger is threatening all evil beings.

The practitioner should visualize a sword in his hand; afterwards, he should visualize the eight Wisdoms along with the door-guardians; eventually he should project the eight Wisdoms into the petals.

The Four Female Gate Keepers

Who are counted among the forty-two peaceful deities, are:

1. Ankusha also called 'Horse Face' or 'Iron Hook', guarding the east gate and in union with Vijaya or Achala.

2. Pasha also called 'Sow Face' or 'the Noose', guarding the south gate and in union with Yamantaka.

3. Shrinkhala also called 'Lion Face' or 'Iron Chain', guarding the west gate and in union with Hayagriva.

4. Ghanta also called 'Wolf Face' or 'the Bell', guarding the north gate and in union with Amritakundali.

For (Donations for our Buddhist research and development) 
Do you earnestly cherish our devoted work? Assuming this is the case, we are delighted that you are finding our blog useful and valuable. Would you consider making a donation for our Buddhist research and development?  


We need your help to secure the future of scholarly interaction with Buddhism. Since our very first publication of Dharma works and activities in the year 2008, we had been effortlessly providing free distribution of Dharma posts and articles throughout the previous 13 years.  We have exceptionally constrained supports and do not receive subsidized or funding from people in general. 


Please help us and to develop our Dharma activities that will not only benefit you, but to all Dharma readers on the planet. Please consider showing your support. Your generosity will certainly help us to enhance our work and to accomplish for a better and brighter prospect to come. 


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


Aspiration For Bodhichitta
For those in whom the precious Bodhichitta has not arisen
May it arise and not decrease
But increase further and further.


Dedication of Merit
By this merit may we obtain omniscience then.
Having defeated the enemies wrong-doings.
May we liberate migratory 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 the picture(s).
Picture(s) courtesy and credit to the rightful distributors and or studios.
Picture(s) is/are intended for editorial use only.