Toh 463The Secret Revelation of Vajrapāṇi

An Exposition of the Sūtra of Vajrapāṇi’s Secret Revelation

Background

The Sūtra of Vajrapāṇi’s Secret Revelation (Guhyavajrapāṇyabhideśa) is an important scripture in the Northern Mahāyāna Tibetan tradition, recorded in the Kangyur, the collection of the Buddha’s teachings translated into Tibetan. This sūtra focuses on Vajrapāṇi, one of the greatest bodhisattvas in the Khmer Vehicle system.

Vajrapāṇi (the Vajra Holder, or “He Who Holds the Vajra”) represents the power, fierceness, and wisdom that shatter every obstacle to the Buddhadharma. In Northern Mahāyāna Buddhism, he is one of the three bodhisattvas who protect the Buddhadharma and is often depicted holding a vajra—the symbol of the indestructibility of awakening. The word “Guhya” (“secret”) in the title suggests that this sūtra reveals profound esoteric mysteries connected with Northern Tibetan practice, also known as the Secret Method (Mantrayāna or Vajrayāna).

The appearance of this sūtra in the Northern Tibetan tradition reflects the need among Tibetan monastics for a deeper understanding of the role of the bodhisattvas who protect the Dharma and of the practices concerning the union of the form body with wisdom.

Main Content

Although the specific contents of this sūtra have not yet been fully translated, according to the Northern Tibetan tradition, it reveals teachings concerning the manifestations and mysteries of Vajrapāṇi. Its contents may include instructions on how to understand clearly Vajrapāṇi’s protective role toward practitioners, as well as practices related to his supreme body (dharmakāya) and manifested form bodies (nirmāṇakāya).

This sūtra may also contain teachings on how to invoke Vajrapāṇi’s protection and on skillful means (upāya) for overcoming greed, hatred, and delusion, the principal obstacles on the path of practice. The “secret” nature