Female Deities In Vajrayana

Buddhism

The primordial cosmic energy that pervades the universe is

symbolised in feminine form as Shakti in Hinduism. Worshipping
Shakti is integral to Hinduism. Shakti manifests herself in myriad
forms. Though Buddhism emerged as breaking away from the
tenets of Hinduism as practised then, one can see the influence of
Hindu traditions in the forms that evolved later. This essay attempts
to review all the female deities worshipped in Vajrayana Buddhism.

In the earliest form of Buddhism, the Hinayana, Buddha’s teachings

explained the path to liberation of the individual self. In the later
form, the Mahayana, Buddha’s teachings explained how to attain
complete enlightenment, or the Buddhahood for the sake of others.
The Mahayana incorporated novel and complex systems and
practices under the influence of Hinduism. Both these traditions
flourished in India and later spread to other countries in Asia,
including Tibet. Vajrayana evolved from Mahayana Buddhism and
was prevalent in India. Popularised by the 84 Mahasiddhas who
travelled around India Vajrayana flourished between the 9th and
12th centuries. Belonging neither to any specific monastic
traditions of Buddhism nor philosophical traditions of Hinduism,
they played in a significant role in the popularity of Vajrayana. Once
Buddhism started declining in India, it thrived in Tibet and other
Asian countries. Buddhism in Tibet has adopted the practices of
Vajrayana so much that Vajrayana and Tibetan Buddhism have
become synonymous.
Vajrayana Buddhism aims to attain enlightenment through quicker
means rather than through the long process of rebirths by
employing certain Tantras – esoteric practices and traditional
spiritual techniques. It involves the use of symbolism, rituals and
yogic sadhana to trigger experiences that will ultimately lead to
enlightenment.
The most common practice of tantra is deity identification or
realizing oneself as a deity. One major technique involves
meditating upon a single personal deity. The deity is generally
chosen by the guru to match the disciple’s personality considering
the possible barriers he might have in the path he seeks.

There are three forms of transcendent, feminine deities: the yidam,

dakini, and dharmapala. Yidam refers to the manifestation of the
Buddha. In order to help different types of people and situations, the
Buddha takes different forms. Some yidams are in wrathful form,
some are in peaceful form, and some yidams are female deities,
like Tara. Yidams are different forms of the Buddha.

While in the ultimate state of Nirvana, all gender considerations

such as female and male disappear, for people who are yet to reach
such levels of enlightenment and cannot escape consciousness of
the male and female, it may be of help to concentrate on female
deities and for some others, to concentrate on the wrathful forms.

There are many different stages of dakinis. Usually, a dakini is one

who has transcendental knowledge and who helps sentient beings.
In Tibetan Buddhism, dakinis are translated as “messengers” who
are manifestations of the major deities. The consorts also use the
name dakini, so it’s both the feminine who are helping sentient
beings as well as the counterparts of the male deities.

There are two different types of dharmapalas: worldly and non-

worldly. Non-worldly dharmapalas are deities. The one that is most
popular in Tibetan Buddhism is called Palden Lhamo or Mahakali.
Non-worldly dharmapalas are very much the same as deities. One
can use them in practising and visualize them like the yidams.
Mostly, when a seeker practises with a dharmapala, he does not
become that deity. He just invokes the deity in front of him and then
makes offerings. He requests the deity to protect the dharma and to
protect him, to have great success on his spiritual path.

Lama Thubten Yeshe says, “Tantric meditational deities should not

be confused with what different mythologies and religions might
mean when they speak of gods and goddesses. Here, the deity we
choose to identify with represents the essential qualities of the fully
awakened experience latent within us. To use the language of
psychology, such a deity is an archetype of our own deepest nature,
our most profound level of consciousness. In tantra we focus our
attention on such an archetypal image and identify with it in order
to arouse the deepest, most profound aspects of our being and
bring them into our present reality.” [Introduction to Tantra: A Vision
of Totality (1987), p. 42]
Sakya Trizin says: “Generally, peaceful deities and wrathful deities
are meant for different types of people. The wrathful are meant for
people who have in themselves a great defilement of anger. For the
people who have much anger, it is more reliable to have more
wrathful deities. I think this is not something that is only about you
yourself, but in a way, all outside obstacles such as enemies are
actually your own anger. To destroy this, you have to imagine and
worship angry deities.”

Let us now look at some of the popular feminine deities and learn
more about their appearances and characteristics.

Yakshini (Hariti)
Yaksha and Yakshini were popular deities in India before Buddha.
Their worship were never prohibited by The Gautama Buddha or
other scholars of the time, though there appears to be some
evidence in Buddhist literature of an attempt to suppress them by
the Buddha. They are depicted in many early Buddhist art.

The Yakshini had different names such as Hariti, Kunti, Nata, Bhatta,
Revati, Tamasuri, Alika, Magha and Benda. Initially Buddhist religion and
literature gave prominence to Hariti in the cult worship of Yakshi.
The disciples were instructed to offer worship and also make
offerings to her. She was considered to be the deity for protection
of children and the monastery which was otherwise known as
Sangha. Hariti is a female divinity belonging to Rajgriha and married
to Yaksha Panchaka of Gandhara. The term Haritimeans ‘a thief’. As
per Buddhist literature she was initially considered to be “an
abductor and devourer of children. However after being blessed by
the teachings of Buddha, she turned to be a guardian of children
and monastery. Hariti’s statue adorned the entrance of every
monastery. There are evidences from the accounts of Chinese
traveller I-tsing that porches and dining halls of Buddha Viharas had
statues of Yakshi Hariti . There are many female statues found in
the Buddhist stupas in Sanchi and Bharahut among which are found
Yakshi Hariti. It is believed that she symbolizes the resourcefulness
and affluence of the Sangha.
Tara

The most popular feminine deity in both Hindu tantric tradition and
Buddhist traditions is Tara since ancient times. She is glorified as
the mother Goddess in the Buddhist tradition, somewhat equivalent
to goddess Durga in Hinduism, in terms of status and divinity.
Tibetan Buddhist literature abounds in celebratory references to
her. Worship of Tara is prevalent in many places across India, Tibet
and South East Asian countries. An inscription found in Java Island
eulogises her splendour in these verses, “whose smile made the
sun to shine and frown made darkness to envelope the earthly
sphere”. As the Bodhisattva in female form, she spreads her
benevolence to all living beings.
Known in Tibetan as ‘Jetsun Drolma’, goddess Tara is known by
many different names, but always as Tara. The origin of Tara has
remained a bone of contention between scholars. Some scholars
aver that she originally belongs to the Hindu Tantric tradition and
has later been embraced by Vajrayana and Tibetan Buddhism.
While Tara is considered to be one of the ten Mahavidyas of
goddess Kali according to Sakta tradition, she is considered as
Mahamaya according to Saivism. Her greatness and grandeur were
glorified by both Saivite and Sakta Tantric texts. Hindu Tantric texts
like Tararahasya, Taratantra, Tantrasara and Mantramahodadhi have
focused on the study of Tara. While Tara as a goddess has been
worshipped extensively by both Buddhist and Hindu traditions, she
is perceived very differently by these. While the Hindu goddess
assumes a ferocious form similar to Kali, riding a corpse in the
Smashana, her Buddhist avatar through various manifestations is a
personification of kindness, radiance and spiritedness, offering
protection to her devotees.
As per Tibetan mythology, Tara originated from the water or sea.
According the Svatantra –tantra, she came from the Cholana lake.
It is on the western slope of Mount Meru which is part of the Indo-
Tibetan borderland which has many lakes and monasteries around
it. Common belief is that the Tara played the role of a protector and
helped people not only cross the lakes but also from drowning.
Though the word Tara simply means a star, the etymology of this
form indicates, it could be from the Sanskrit root ‘tri’ which denotes
‘to cross’ or ‘to traverse’ or ‘to swim across ‘ or ‘to escape. It is in
this sense of the term that people in Tibet and other Asian countries
perceive her. The literal meaning of the word Tara in Tibetan is ‘she
who saves’. The Javanese, among whom she is highly popular,
believe that she can protect them from the dangers of stormy seas.
In Buddhism, the perception of Tara is more metaphorical. She is
the one who facilitated her devotees to cross the ocean of life
or Bhavasagara.
According to an important Buddist Tantric text Aryamanjushri
Mulakalapa, Tara is portrayed as a young maiden with four faces,
eight arms and the complexion of a conch shell. Each of the faces
has a different colour- white, dark blue, yellow and red. The four
right hands carry a vajra, an arrow, a lance, a varada mudra ( hand
gesture granting boons) while the left hands carry an utpala flower,
a bow, a Vajra hook and a noose with a threatening forefinger. She
adopts a vajra-paryanka seated posture and has the bearing of
a Dharmakaya. The ritual practices associated with her are simple. A
simple call of her name or even a simple thought is enough to
invoke her. Her mantra is :
namo ratna-trayāya! nama aryajñāna-
sāgarāya akṣobhya-vyuha-rājāya
tathāgatāya arhate samyak -sambuddhāya!
nama āryāvalokiteśvarāya bodhisattvāya
mahāsattvāya mahā-karuṇ ikāya!
tadyathā:
om tāre ture tuttāre svāha”
Being a multi-faceted goddess, she manifests herself in varied
forms to suit the need of her devotees. She appears in numerous
avatars represented by different colours. Tara has 21 primary forms
which perform different functions.

Her five major forms are:

Sita Tara (White Tara)

This primary form of Tara represents Prajnanaparmita or Perfection
of Wisdom. She is considered as the prajna or wisdom feature
of Amoghasiddhi, one of the Bodhisattvas. She is portrayed as having
the youth of 16 years. She generally has two arms but occasionally
four with the Varada mudra (gesture of giving) and vaitarka
mudra(gesture of discussion and transmission). She also carries
stems of lotuses and a visvavajra. She is the Queen of action and in
the Mandalas, appears with her consort Amoghasiddhi.
In Tantric texts, she appears fair complexioned, has two arms,
wears a white garment, carries white serpents and even her
jewellery – necklaces, earrings, armlets – is white. She plays the
veena like the Hindu goddess Saraswathi. The white rays of the
moon form a white garland around her neck. The third eye
symbolises knowledge. Also known as Chandrakanti Tara, she has
three faces representing the three bodies of the Buddha. She is
considered the mother of all Buddhas and is a personification of
compassion. Her white radiance indicates purity and selflessness.

Shyama Tara (Green Tara)

Because of her colour, Shyama Tara is also considered the goddess
of the forests and is specifically associated with the earth, flora and
the wind. She sits on a lotus throne held by two lions. She is usually
portrayed as sitting to the right of Avalokitesvara.Though she
appears in eight different forms, Ekajata,
Marichi , Janguli and Mahamayuriare her major manifestations.
As Janguli and Mahamayuri, she becomes the bestower of prosperity.
As per some tantric texts, she is picturised with one hand in varada
mudra offering great joy for the beings and the other carrying a
white lotus like the White Tara. She also has three eyes. The smiling
face radiates benevolence and her raised hands proclaim the
Dharma.
Bhrikuti Tara (Yellow Tara)
This Tara is the most popular wealth deity in Tibetan Buddhism and
an equivalent of goddess Lakshmi in the Hindu pantheon. It is
possible that she is portrayed as yellow in colour, the colour of gold
which is symbolic of wealth. She is an embodiment of abundance
and removes poverty and provides resources to help fellow beings.
With Amoghasiddhi in her crown, she is portrayed with two hands.
Eternally youthful and adorned with jewels, she holds the varada
mudra in her right hand and holds a blue utpala in the left. Although
considered to have many avatars, the Kadiravarni and Vajra Tara are
the most significant. She too has three eyes. She is propitiated by
devotees to obtain prosperity, wealth and financial stability.
Ekajata Tara (Blue Tara)
Also known as Ugra Tara and Mahacinatara, she is the most
ferocious avatar of Tara with her irrepressible and explosive energy.
She is the equivalent of Kali. Her two right hands carry sword and
scissors and the left hands hold a skull and a blue lotus. According
to Buddhist tantric texts, she is short statured, stands in the posture
of an archer, has three eyes, a bulging belly, a protruding tongue
and a fierce expression on her face with her red round eyes. Her
neck is adorned with a blue lotus and a necklace of human skulls
and she wears a tiger skin around her waist. Decorated with eight
snakes, she rides a corpse.
While she is the most fearsome in her appearance, she is also
considered to be a personification of love according to a Tantra
text. She is worshipped as per the Vamachara Tantric traditions.

Kurukulla Tara (Red Tara)

Red in colour, this form of Tara is portrayed as seated on a red lotus
and wearing a red costume. The term Kurukulla means “she who is
the cause of knowledge”. Her four hands carry the abhaya mudra
(gesture of removing fear), two arrows and jewels. As a remover of
obstacles that can appear on the path of a seeker, she is also a
protector of all beings and bestows the power of positive attraction
on devotees. She personifies the wisdom aspect of enlightenment
or Sunya.
Being venerated in all schools of Vajrayana Buddhism, Hinduism
and other traditions, Tara is among the most popular deities around
the world. At the highest level, she is the Perfection of wisdom.
Vajrayogini
Wielding a Vajra, she is named Vajrayogini. She is also a Dakini or
Vajra dakini and is regarded as the queen of all Dakinis. She has a
fiery red complexion, wears ornaments of bones and skulls. She
holds a knife and a skull cup filled with Mahasukha (ultimate bliss).
The curved knife usually represents the fact that she cuts all
defilements. She is very similar to Kali in appearance and hence
also called as Krodha Kali in some texts.
She has the exalted status of a Buddha and is an embodiment of
Buddhahood in feminine form. Also termed as Sarvabuddhadakini, the
spirit of all Buddhas. Her consort is Heruka or Chakrasamvara. She is
worshipped as the ultimate inspiration for enlightenment.
Although, visualising Vajrayogini’s form and meditating upon her is
simple, the rituals associated with her worship are among the most
esoteric. The practitioner must possess considerable spiritual
knowledge, commitment and strength. It also involves devotion to
guru, rigorous daily sadhana, pious offerings and uninterrupted
chanting. Once a devotee fulfils these requirements, the fruits of
this devotional labour are immense, leading the seeker to Khecara
paradise and other high attainments.

Chinnamasta
Considered a Vajrayogini in Vajrayana, Chinnamasta is a famous
goddess both in Hinduism and Buddhism. In Hindu Tantra, she is
one of the ten Mahavidyas. In Vajrayana, she is also worshipped
as Chinnamunda and Prachanda Chandika and is widely written about
in many texts. According to one story, two Mahasiddha sisters
Mekhala and Kankhala cut their heads and offered them to their
guru and performed a dance. Vajrayogini is said to have appeared
in this form and danced along with them. In another story, Princess
Lakmiṣṅ kara devi, who was supposed to be an avatar of
Padmasambhava cuts off her head as a punishment from the king
and roamed around the city with it even as the people adored her as
Chinnamasta or Vajravarahi. The common theme appears to be her
self -sacrifice for the welfare of the world.
She personifies the Kundalini energy in the form of a fearsome
goddess. The streams of her blood are symbolic of the surging
cosmic energy. She is at once the symbol of life giving and life-
taking energy. The Chinnamasta image reveals to us the eternal
truth about the inseparable connection between life and death as
“life feeds on death, is nourished by death, necessitates death, and
that the ultimate destiny of sex is to perpetuate more life, which in
turn will decay and die in order to feed more life.”

All these deities are part of the four different classes of Tantra.
Tara appears in all the four classes whereas Vajrayogini is found
only in Anuttara Yoga Tantra which is considered the highest class
of Tantra. But both symbolise Prajnaparamita or the ultimate wisdom
that transcends everything, though they appear in different forms.
The primary emphasis of Vajrayogini is only achieving
enlightenment for the benefit of others.
End Note
Female deities in Vajrayana Buddhism adopt different forms from
the benign to the most ferocious and symbolise strength and
energy. They embody the power that is at the very fountainhead of
creation, they perform the functions of protection bestowing divine
benevolence; they represent the source of ultimate wisdom and
finally, they are also the destructive force. In a sense the feminine
deities represent the completeness or the wholesomeness that
encompasses and embraces all.

(This essay is based on studies carried by the author and her learning from
attending the Sakti Workshop sponsored by Indic Academy.)