Toh 842Tantra of the Flaming Ḍākinī

An Exposition of the Tantra of the Blazing Fire Ḍākinī

Context

The Tantra of the Blazing Fire Ḍākinī (Ḍākinyagnijihvājvālātantra) is a supreme scripture in the Kangyur, belonging to the class of Highest Yoga Tantra in Vajrayana Buddhism. This Tantra has been transmitted in the Tibetan tradition and is especially revered in monasteries of the Ancient School—the Nyingma—and the Reformed Schools.

Ḍākinīs (Wylie: mkha' 'gro ma, meaning “those who move through space”) are female deities who embody the wisdom and supreme power of tantric Buddhism. They symbolize the transformation of primordial mental energy, fierce as fire, into lucid wisdom. The image of “blazing fire” (agni-jihvā—tongue of flame) signifies the power to burn away ignorance and obstacles, while also manifesting steadfastness and fervor in practice.

This Tantra was composed to provide advanced instructions for practice, especially for monastics who have completed the stages of study in the lower tantras.

Main Content

In the Vajrayana tantric tradition, the Tantra of the Blazing Fire Ḍākinī presents practices by which practitioners transform themselves into a Ḍākinī, or practice in order to seek the protection of supreme Ḍākinīs. The Tantra instructs on:

First, the stages of inner accomplishment (sādhana), in which practitioners cultivate the Generation Stage (utpatti-krama) and the Completion Stage (nishpanna-krama). The Generation Stage involves imagining the sacred world and wholly transforming consciousness into light; from this there arises the form of the blazing fire Ḍākinī—a majestic figure with a radiant body, whose hands hold blazing implements that express wisdom.

Second, methods for subduing subtle energies (prāṇa-caryā) through breathing practices and visualization, in order to guide the vital energies through the chakras (cakra) along the central channel and activate latent wisdom.