The Meditation Dakinis

The great problem with all Dakini practices is to separate the wheat from the chaff. There is in most texts clear mundane and superstitious nonsense, legend which is just fancful embroidery upon a handkerchief, symbolic representation of natural fundamental forces and elements of clear Buddha dharma practice. The problem is that this poupourri of concepts is seldom explained and the result is a tragic waste of human energy invested in folly. There is a simple law which it is necessary to apply to all practices and that is that it must accomplish in a direct and efficient way precisely what it is supposed to do without causing attachment and further impediments to the Dharma path. That means that the practitioner must be alert and use free critical enquiry and not fall into the traps of blind faith, no matter how much he or she is induced to do so.

In Chinese the Dakina is called “ kong-hang nuban” (空行女) This can be translated as an “angry disputing empty female companion”. That is a pretty good description of a Dakini. She is indeed female and accompanies each person as a part of the expression of the feminine aspects of the Life force. She, being part of the Life force which promotes natural balance and harmony is constantly disputing the debilitating Identity activity which is Duality based. As such her aspect is angry, although her base is compassion and benevolent affect. The important part of the Chinese label is that she is empty, like air. Thus she is deemed flying, but inherent in that description is the fact that she has no real existence for that emptiness points to the potential for Awakening of Sunyata inherent in sentient existence.

She is a psychological tool that represents internal positive attributes and forces and because she is mind generated can be used in any way or form that a practitioner or master chooses. There lies the trap, for if a practitioner is not fully informed or the Master is without a direct experience of the primordial state or the life Force, then error can occur and damage can be done. It is especially true today when Modern Buddha Dharma has become a political weapon, a means of power, and an economic tool which at best is only a patch. True Dharma is never a patch. Please remember that.

There are two old phrases which are wise to remember:

“Fools rush in where angels fear to tread” and “a fool and his mind are soon parted”.

One of the most critical errors is to misunderstand completely that the function of the Dakinis is to assist in one or other form of liberation and that only when one understands fully all the subtle levels from the attributes which they have to their visual form and articles in their possession will they be effective. This text is dedicated to the practice of Vajrayoguini or Vajra Dakini one of the highest practices and there is much mis-direction with respect to that practice in both temples and the guru market. It is an attempt here to remedy whatever misunderstandings there are and put the practice on an honest twenty-first century base without loosing the essence of the practice and making sure that the practice is in conformity with Buddha dharma and the brilliant style and works of the masters up to and including both Atisha and Milarepa. On texts written after those presented by those great masters we will remain discretely silent.

Dakinis legitimately have one mundane function:

1. To act as Dharma protectors within the everyday functioning of Buddha dharma followers of this gradual path within Samsara, in the dangerous minefields of relationships, work, educational and social interactions.

But they are highly effective in meditation practices.

2. To act in order to dissolve, in this lifetime, by means of their use in meditation, the visceral, emotional, mental, ideal and observer Identities so that they do not interfere with natural and healthy living within Samsara and permit the elimination of the three poisons of confusion, craving and aversion and all their subtle ramifications. These are Transcendental and called Meditation Dakinis.

3. To act in the important Death Bardo, allowing an ultimate opportunity to eliminate Identity suffering and perhaps the attainment of the Sunyata state before the last consciousness finally dissolves after legal brain death. These are also Meditation Dakinis

But it is evident that the Dakinis can have a much more important legitimate function in this gradual path of liberation. It is within the Bardo that lies between Birth and Death in the task of discovering the truth about human apparent existence. Indeed that is the case, for there their use may be essential for some of those upon the gradual path who are unable to follow either the Chan or Tao direct paths, the gradual “cold turkey” Path of Vipassana or the Gradual Path of Shantideva.

4. So they can play a part in dissolving completely by contemplation in this lifetime, the rule of the Dual mind and by destroying completely the delusory Identity existence within Samsara. This is the path towards the full melding of Samsara and Sunyata. This is the Path of Mantrayana which includes the Mandala Practices. The Dakinis used in this psychological conditioning practices are called Yidams and the Dakini then is a Yidam Dakini and the male counterpart is a Yidam Daka.

WHAT IS THIS IDENTITY EXISTENCE

Within Buddha Dharma we recognise various temperaments (actually there are six) which are derived from the early Aryan masters. But there are additional factors which affect the capacity of a person to advance. They are the genetically received attributes of the possession of a quick, flexible and open mind on one hand and the great fortune to have received what is called a favourable birth which allowed a childhood with full and complete parental support, correct upbringing with natural virtue, cultural understanding and a basically sound and liberal education. Those that possess both the birth attributes and a favourable birth have generally the capacity to use practices which we call direct and enter the path of the dissolution of the dual mind. The most well known of those practices are known as Chan Dharma and Mahamudra.

Here, however we are interested in opening one of the doors of the gradual path which all human creatures can enter, allowing the dissolving of the Identity, with the possibility of later entry upon the final path of contemplation.

But before we reach into the mysteries of Vajra-Dakini let us look at the use of meditation practice which is directed at lesser objectives. What should be avoided is the idea that the Dakinis are saviors, protectors or angels in that context. For the meditator she is a mental representation of a personal realization of the feminine principle of the Life Force. Her generation by the mind used in specific practices forms a bridge so that the mind/body stains can be removed providing later access to a visionary realm of practice which balances upon the emptiness of emptiness itself before the encounter with Sunyata. What she is not is a symbol of woman’s liberation nor does she represent the nature of the mind symbolized as a female image, but only the female aspect of the life force.

There is indeed male counterpart called a Daka which is invoked in rituals when they are really profoundly understood to purify negative tendencies which inhibit the external execution of the life force in the form of gladness, compassion, benevolent affect, curiosity, creativity, humour, playfulness and more. The Vajra-dakini then is the Wisdom of true Life force understanding and the Vajra-daka the elaboration and execution of that force. Since he is an active component he is often in practices called a “hero”.

Since Dakinis historically have been developed as a psychological bridge from the early Indian emanations of Kali from Durga, it will be useful here as a preliminary exercise in understanding to examine the Wrathful Wisdom lion -headed Dakini Simhamukha who is one of the eight Phramenma Dakinis, the group of fierce, animal-headed and flesh-eating dakinis, counterparts of the Bodhisattva Dakinis.

She for meditational practice is sometimes elevated to the position of being a “yidam”, (a chosen advanced transformation-absorption dakini) which is a meditation deity. Now beware the error of considering her or any Dakini in a religious sense. It must be understood none of these Yidams are real. They merely represents any mind generated emanation or personification representing the apparent control of some aspect of the life force or psychological activity. Indeed they may appear supernatural, but that too is but an illusion of the mind.

But why are they presented in such gruesome forms? Look at this Hindu devotional hymn to Durga, one name given to Shiva’s wife..

"O Mother mine, Daughter of the Mountain!

Why are you clad like this?

You have put your feet on the body of a god,

and you have no trace of shame,

you have placed your feet on Shiva,

you are naked and wear no covering,

your tongue is lolling out and flicking,

your long hair is flowing loose.

But, O terrible wife of Shiva, you are chewing the flesh

in your hand for the sake of saving this world..."

For us the important phrase is the last, “you are chewing the flesh in your hand for the sake of saving this world”,. Which exemplifies the Bodhisattva state of self sacrifice. The Meditation Dakinis no matter what their form are there for the sake of saving this world and everyone in it.

Fierce transcendental deities of meditation are then archetypes which may be then classified into three types, each having a connection with poisons lying upon human pure consciousness:

1. Those which transform Grasping

2. Those which transform Aversion.

3. This classification is also available, but seldom used which transforms the severe Fixed Mindedness that does not fall into the other three categories.

4. Those which transform Confusion

Four of these Dakinis called Wisdom Dakinis are allocated to a specific geographical direction, for symbolic reasons which will eventually be clear. The rest are used in less important meditations.

That Dakini which transforms Grasping is allocated the Eastern frontier, Aversion the North, Fixation the South and Confusion the West. We then have the following associations with the Buddhas of the four directions, called Dhyani Busshas, and their attributes

Akshobhya is in the East representing the Indestructability of Natural Dharma.

Amoghasiddhi is in the North representing Perfection of the Pure Mind

Ratnasambhava is in the South representing the wish fulfilling jewel of Spiritual Enrichment

Amataya is in the West representing the BOUNDLESS LIGHT of Awakening. This boundless light is Compassion.

Now let us look at the Four Wisdoms which enter into practices so often. They are all part of the Buddha Nature which is the life force.

The cultivation of the following four wisdoms can lead to attaining Acquired Buddha Nature(成佛性): Wisdom of Fulfillment of Deeds.(成所作智) Subtle Observing Wisdom(妙觀察智), Wisdom of the Equality in Nature(平等性智) and Great Reflecting Wisdom(大圓境智). These four wisdoms come from the transformation of eight consciousnesses(八識): eye(眼), the external ear(耳), nose(鼻), tongue(舌), body(身), mind(意), manas (conscious thought) consciousness(末那識) which may be stained or wise, and storage (alaya-vijana) consciousness(阿賴耶識) which is the base upon which all the other consciousnesses are laid. If we examine the platform sutra we find a good explanation of the wisdoms.

The transformation of consciousness into wisdom has been described in the Sutras. The teaching says, "The first five consciousnesses turned become the Wisdom of Fulfillment of Deeds; the sixth consciousness turned becomes the Subtle Observing Wisdom; the seventh consciousness turned becomes the Wisdom of the Equality in Nature, the eighth consciousness turned becomes the wisdom of the great perfect mirror, the Great Reflecting Wisdom."

Only when the eight consciousnesses are transformed into the four wisdoms, does a person realize Acquired Buddha Nature (Sk: dharmadhatusvabhava-jnana), the "wisdom of the essence of the Dharma-realm"; which is the necessary condition to enter Buddhahood. Therefore, we say that the eight consciousnesses or the four wisdoms are seeds to become a Buddha. The four wisdoms together represent a development of the four wisdoms posited by the Yogacara school of Mahayana Buddhism , with a fifth (that attributed to the central Buddha having evolved within the doctines of Esoteric Buddhism to embrace the other four.

The five Dhyani Buddhas (including the central) are associated with the five wisdoms, the central being the All embracing Wisdom of the life Force. So now let us place the four wisdoms together with the appropriate Buddha:

Amoghasiddhi (perfection of the pure mind) of the north with the "wisdom of accomplishing That Which is to be Done" krtyanusthana-jnana, also called the Fulfillment of Deeds, which is the ultimate Wisdom for those of Action, the Aversive temperament.

Amataya (Boundless Light of Compassionate Awakening) of the West with the " wondrous Subtle Observing Wisdom ", pratyaveksana-jnana; which is the ultimate Wisdom for those of Confusion who with this wisdom develop the perfection of Sensitve observing.

Ratnasambhava (jewel of Spiritual Enrichment) of the South with the "wisdom of equality", samata-jnana, which is the ultimate Wisdom for those of Fixed Mind who eventually gain the Wisdom that all things are indeed equal and all events can be treated with equanimity. This too is the Wisdom of Insight.

Akshobhya (the Indestructability of Natural Dharma) of the East with the "great perfect mirror wisdom”, adarsa-jnana which is the ultimate Wisdom for those of Grasping Temperament.

The Fifth Buddha of the center, Vairocana is within the more advanced practices replaced by the Yiddam of the practice. Since he represents the universal truth, the central figure always represents the aspect of meditation within the practice relevant to that Universal truth, the Buddha Nature which is the Truth of the life Force.

So we have the Mundane Dakinis for daily aid, Meditation Dakinis for Meditations to help in the elimination of Grasping, Aversion, Fixation and Confusion and four very special Dakinis to help in the advanced task in the Wisdom meditations.

These four Wisdom Dakinis (which are the most important for the Vajra Dakini practice) are then obviously connected with both the four wisdoms and the four Dhyani Buddhas.

Amoghasiddi with Karma-Dakini, sometimes called Vishvapani Dakini

Amatabha with Padma Dakini

Ratnasambhava with Ratna Dakini

Akshobhya with Vajra Dakini (not our Vajra Dakini)

But before anyone, rubbing hands together in glee rushes off to find out how to use the meditation Dakinis let it be clear that every practice requires certain preliminaries performed correctly with a high level of both understanding and penetration. Ther are for example the three refuges performed in accord with the concepts that the Buddha is the life force itself, the Dharma the application of the sublime states among other attributes and the Sangha the universal and common nature of the Life force in all human creatures.

There is normally also additional refuge in the triple root of Master, Yidam and Dakini, but never can this refuge be in conflict with the Kalama sutra, so it must be clearly explained that the Master is at best a guide who cannot really be recognized as such until after an adepts full Dharma Freedom.. The Yiddam and Yoga too must be seen only as representational aspects of the Dharma. Avoid at all costs being seduced by the legends surrounding the dakini which involve her mystical origin, and magical rites connected with them, the history of the revelation of the practices or indeed any form of adulation or Christian like devotion. All craving and clinging is detrimental to progress. Look deeper at the symbolism and find the dharma meanings that are not in contradiction with Buddha’s advice.

There is belief presented that the practices are processes of transformation in which the negative emotions are not denied, but their energy is accepted and transformed into awareness in the form of the meditation deity. This is a great oversimplification which can lead to the mistaken idea that the negative energy is transformed into the positive energy, which is not the case. There is no negative energy, nor is there positive energy. Any ego concept of allowing the negative aspects to be liberated with Identity attachment is fatal.

The correct attitude is to refrain, but not fight, the apparently negative aspect of the force applying itself in the mind and allow it to be “seen” as vacuity. This permits the natural and subtle energy to be freed from impediment. The Dakini is then permitted to arise from the pre conditioned sub-conscience and can become attached to that subtle energy. The combination of that subtle energy, now connected with the Dakini concepts is then through meditation internalized and becomes a part of memory, replacing stained elements. Thus there is a gradual purification of the system.