Toh 2169A Sādhana of the Great Lord of Yakṣas, the Blue-Clad Vajrapāṇi

Exposition of the Sādhana of Blue and Blue-Clad Vajrapāṇi, Great Lord of the Yakṣas

Context

This text is a sādhana (method of practice) belonging to the Northern Tibetan Buddhist tradition (Vajrayana), preserved in the Tengyur, the collection of treatises, expositions, and methods of practice of Tibetan Buddhism. A sādhana is a detailed guide to visualizing and experiencing a Buddhist deity through meditation and ritual, in order to develop transcendent qualities in the practitioner’s mind.

Vajrapāṇi (the Vajra-Hand of the Universe) is an eminent bodhisattva in the Mahayana tradition, a symbol of the destructive power of wisdom and of spiritual might. His "Blue and Blue-Clad" form (Nīlāmbara) represents powerful intervention in worldly matters. The title "Great Lord of the Yakṣas" (Mahāyakṣasenāpati) indicates that he is the supreme commander of the yakṣas, protective spirits of the Buddha Dharma who support practitioners. In the mind of Tibetan Buddhism, yakṣas are not evil spirits but protectors of natural law, tamed by bodhisattvas and Buddhas.

Main Content

This sādhana guides the practitioner in manifesting Vajrapāṇi in the Blue and Blue-Clad form, usually through three stages of training: the generation stage (utpatti-krama), that is, visualizing oneself or him from the essence of emptiness; then the completion stage (sampanna-krama), which stabilizes the image and its spiritual meaning; and finally union (yoga), uniting consciousness with the absolute nature of the Buddha.

The Blue and Blue-Clad form of Vajrapāṇi differs from his other forms in that the color expresses a special energy: blue is a color associated with activity and flexible transformation, while the deep blue garment symbolizes the wearing of the robe of Dharma, both as protection and as commitment to sentient beings.