Vajrayogini: Her Visualization, Rituals, and Forms. A study of the cult of Vajrayoginī in India

Vajrayogini is a tantric goddess from the highest class of Buddhist tantras who manifests the ultimate development of wisdom and compassion. Her practice is prevalent today among practitioners of Tibetan Buddhism. This ground-breaking book delves into the origins of Vajrayogini, charting her evolution in India and examining her roots in the Cakrasamvara tantra and in Indian tradition relating to siva. The focus of this work is the Guhyasamayasadhanamala , a collection of forty-six sadhanas , or practice texts. Written on palm leaves in Sanskrit and preserved since the twelfth century, this diverse collection, composed by various authors, reveals a multitude of forms of the goddess, each of which is described and illustrated here. One of the sadhanas, the Vajravarahi Sadhana by Umapatideva, depicts Vajrayogini at the center of a mandala of thirty-seven different goddesses, and is here presented in full translation alongside a Sanskrit edition. Elizabeth English provides extensive explanation and annotation of this representative text. Sixteen pages of stunning color plates not only enhance the study but bring the goddess to life. Contents List of Illustrations Color Plates xi Line Drawings xv Abbreviations xvii Preface xix Chapter 1: VajrayoginI and the Buddhist Tantras i The Buddhist Tantric Systems i The Guhyasamayasadhanamala and Its Authors 9 Sadhana Collections 18 Tantric Sadhana 24 Chapter 2: The Cult of VajrayoginI in India 35 The Influence of Nondual Saivism 37 Transgressive Discipline (vamacdrah) 41 The Emergence of VajrayoginI 43 The Emergence of Vajravarahi 47 Dancing-Pose (ardhaparyanka) Vajravarahi 50 Twelve-Armed Vajravarahi in Dancing Pose 54 Six-Armed Vajravarahi with Consort 60 Six-Armed VajradakinI Vajravarahi in Warrior Stance 62 Red Vajraghona Vajravarahi 66 White Vajraghona Vajravarahi 68 White Vajravarahi 69 Two-Armed VajrayoginI in Warrior Stance 71 Four-Armed VajrayoginI in Warrior Stance 73 Red Vajravarahi with Foot Raised 74 White VajrayoginI with Foot Raised 75 VajrayoginI in the Falling-Turtle Pose 77 Vidyadhari VajrayoginI 79 Flying Vidyadhari VajrayoginI 82 VajravilasinI Vajravarahi 84 Guhyavaj ravilâsinl 86 Trikâyavaj rayoginï (Chinnamastâ) 94 Conclusions 102 Chapter 3: Study of the Vajravàràhï Sàdhana 109 Outline of the Sàdhana 109 MEDITATION STAGE 1 113 Benediction 113 Preliminaries 114 Bodhisattva Preparations 119 Worship 120 Brahmavihàra Meditations 123 Development of Wisdom 125 Creating the Circle of Protection 131 The Cremation Grounds 136 The Cosmos and Temple Palace 144 Self-Generation through the Awakenings 149 Self-Visualization As Vajravàràhï 154 Armoring 163 Pledge and Knowledge Beings 166 Consecration 169 Inner Yogic Practices 171 The Mantra 178 Dwelling As Vajravàràhï 181 MEDITATION STAGE 2 182 Fivefold Mandala 182 MEDITATION STAGE 3 186 Thirteenfold Mandala 186 Terms for Aspects of the Mandala 187 MEDITATION STAGE 4 188 Thirty-seven-fold Mandala 188 Circles of Mind, Speech, and Body 188 The Mandala As Wisdom 190 The Mandala As Doctrine 192 The Mandala As Cosmos 194 The Sacred Sites (pïthas) 195 The Ten Places (desas) 196 Body Mandala 197 Mantras for the Complete Deity Mandala 203 RITUAL PRAXIS 205 Tantrie Ritual 205 The Bali Ritual 206 Tasting Nectar (amrtasvadanam) 208 Bali Offering with Mantras 211 Rite of Completion 215 External Worship 216 Worship on the Hand (hastapuja) 218 Alternative External Worship 220 Internal Oblation 221 Concluding Verses 223 Vajravdrahi Sadhana by Umapatideva 225 Meditation Stage i 227 Meditation Stage 2 249 Meditation Stage 3 255 Meditation Stage 4 257 Ritual Practices 287 Cremation Grounds 311 Conventions, Abbreviations, and Symbols 315 Conventions in the Translation 315 Abbreviations and Symbols in the Sanskrit Text 316 Abbreviations and Symbols in the Apparatus 317 Other Editors 319 Silent Editorial Standardizations 319 Manuscript Sources 321 The Manuscripts of the Guhyasamayasadhanamald (GSS) 321 Textual Transmission 326 Editorial Policy 328 Textual Notes 329 Insignificant Variants 349 Appendix: Summary of Sadhanas in the Guhyasamayasadhanamald 355 Notes 383 Bibliography Index About the Author

Vajrayogini is a tantric goddess who manifests the ultimate development of wisdom and compassion. Her practice is prevalent today among practitioners of Tibetan Buddhism. This ground-breaking book delves into the origins of Vajrayogini, charting her evolution in India and examining her roots in the Cakrasamvara tantra and in Indian tradition relating to Shiva. The focus of this work is the Guhyasamayasadhanamala, a collection of forty-six sadhanas, or practice texts. (One of the sadhanas, the Vajravarahi Sadhana by Umapatideva, depicts Vajrayogini at the center of a mandala of thirty-seven different goddesses, and is here presented in full translation alongside a Sanskrit edition.) Elizabeth English provides extensive explanation and annotation of this representative text. Sixteen pages of stunning color plates not only enhance the study but bring the goddess to life.

"This book delves into the origins of Vajrayogini, charting her evolution in India and examining her roots in the Cakrasamvara tantra and in the Indian tradition relating to Siva. The focus of this work is the Guhyasamayasadhanamala, a collection of forty-six sadhanas, or practice texts. Written on palm leaves in Sanskrit and preserved since the twelfth century, this diverse collection, composed by numerous authors, reveals a multitude of forms of the goddess, each of which is described and illustrated here. One of the texts, the Vajravarahi Sadhana by Umapatideva, depicts Vajrayogini at the center of a mandala of thirty-seven different goddesses, and is here presented in full translation alongside a Sanskrit edition. Sixteen pages of stunning color plates not only enhance the study but bring the goddess Vajrayogini to life."--BOOK JACKET