Toh 2174A Large Collection of Rituals Related to the Great Lord of Yakṣas, the Blue-Clad Vajrapāṇi

An Explanation of the Scripture on the Ritual Methods of the Great Yakṣa Lord, Blue-Clad Vajrapāṇi

Context

This work belongs to the Tengyur, the commentarial canon of the Northern Transmission, and is a collection of detailed ritual methods (vidhi, vidhyavaraṇa) related to Vajrapāṇi, the wrathful bodhisattva protector who governs the yakṣas. In the Tibetan Mahāyāna tradition, Vajrapāṇi is regarded as a manifestation of steadfastness and the protection of Dharma methods. The name "Nīlāmbāradhara" (blue-clad) refers to a special form of him, emphasizing the ability to subdue obstacles that are without a thread of consciousness.

Yakṣas are folk deities, originally outside Buddhism, but permeated and transformed by the Buddhadharma. Vajrapāṇi's serving as their "great lord" (Mahāyakṣasenāpati) expresses the enlistment of natural forces into the protection of the Buddhadharma. This collection of ritual methods is a practical work (sādhana) of the Tantric tradition, helping practitioners establish a sacred connection with Vajrapāṇi and his protective power.

Main Content

The ritual methods in this work provide detailed instructions for practice related to Vajrapāṇi in the form of Nīlāmbāradhara, with qualities such as decisiveness, conquering power, and protection. The scripture supplies stages of practice from preparing the mind and refining motivation to the principal practices, such as:

Establishing the sovereign, the concentration of mind and setting of the spiritual boundary of the practice space. Visualizing Vajrapāṇi in the form of the Great Lord, with a fierce countenance, holding the vajra mace, symbolizing inviolability. The blue color of his garments symbolizes the coolness of wisdom, the balance between compassion and strength.

Rites of supplication, in which the practitioner asks Vajrapāṇi to protect the Dharma methods from non-Dharmic forces, unwholesome thoughts, and obstacles to practice.