Nairatmya is a Vajrayana goddess who embodies the supreme Buddhahood. Her main role is as a wife of the Tantric meditational deity (Tib. yidam) Hevajra, but she also has an independent significance as a supreme dakini. Her Sanskrit name, as well as its Tibetan version, Dagmema, translates as “the one who realized the absence of […]
vajrayana buddhism
The Practice of Simhamukha
Featured image: Simkamukha fragment. From thangka-art.com Simhamukha is a supreme dakini in Tibetan Buddhism, who combines anthropomorphic and zoomorphic features. She is an wrathful emanation of Guhya Jnana Dakini (Tib. Sangwa Yeshe Khandroma) and is revered in the Nyingma school as one of Padmasambhava’s main teachers. In Hevajra Tantra, she appears as one of the […]
Simhamukha, the Lion-faced Dakini
Simhamukha is a wrathful goddess in Vajrayana Buddhism, whose name means “lion-faced.” Her Tibetan name Senge Dongma has the same meaning. She is considered a dakini who has attained the perfect state of Buddha. Although Simhamukha has the potential to manifest all enlightened activities, she is associated primarily with destructive or wrathful forces. The lion-faced […]
Visuals of Compassion: Artist Rima Fujita on her new exhibit, “Karuna”
Rima Fujita is a long-time painter of Buddhist art with a distinctive style that focuses on vivid colours and fairytale-like landscapes and figures. A keen devotee of Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of compassion, she is holding a solo exhibition titled “Karuna” at Isetan Art Gallery in Shinjuku, Tokyo. We caught up with Rima to learn more […]
Yumka Dechen Gyalmo
Dechen Gyalmo (“The Queen of Great Bliss”) is a dakini and an emanation of the supreme Vajrayana goddess Vajrayogini (Tib. Dorje Naljorma). She is called Yumka (“Mother”) because of her role as a mother of all Buddhas and an incarnation of the Mahayana goddess Prajnaparamita. Yumka Dechen Gyalmo originated from the Longchen Nyingthig Cycle, discovered by […]
Narodakini
Narodakini, fragment. From exoticindiaart.com Narodakini is a Tantric goddess and a manifestation of Vajrayogini, originated from the tradition of the Indian Buddhist Mahasiddha Naropa (956-1040). She manifested before him and transmitted exoteric teachings and practices. It is also believed that she is his spiritual partner. Another name for the goddess is Narokhechari (Tib. Narokhachoma, “the […]
The Teacher Who Dispels the Darkness of Ignorance and Brings the Light of Wisdom
28 October marks one year since the passing of my beloved teacher, Professor Alexander Fedotoff (1956– 2018). He was an outstanding erudite, a polyglot, and professor of Korean, Mongolian, and Tibetan literature. He was born in Novosibirsk, Russia and graduated from the Department of Mongolian Studies and Tibetology in the Faculty of Asian and African […]
Janguli: Goddess Protector from Snakes and Poisons
Yellow Janguli. From Facebook Janguli is a Buddhist goddess who protects from snakes and poisons, worshiped in the ancient past by the shamanic tribes in Northern India. Her Sanskrit name means “subjugator of snakes.” In Tibet she is known as Dugselma – “remover of poison.” The goddess masters all poisons and uses them not to […]
Kumarajiva Project: A 60-year Tibetan-Chinese Translation Initiative from Khyentse Foundation
Statue of Kumarajiva outside the Kizil Caves. From China Discovery There are two “buzzwords” in the Buddhist world today. One is obviously mindfulness and has dominated contemporary discourse for decades. The other is translation, and despite being overshadowed by mindfulness to some extent actually remains one of the most important activities of the global Buddhist […]
Press Release: “Wake Up with Dharma Retreat” with Khenpo Kalsang Nyima Rinpoche
In this digital age occupied by emails and social media, we spend so much time focusing on sadness about the past and worries towards the future. Our minds keep jumping from thought to thought. Have you ever tried to live in the present? Do you long for a tranquil retreat, a getaway in the green […]