Title

Vajrayogini as Naro Dakini, 18th century. Creator: Unknown.

Caption

Vajrayogini as Naro Dakini, 18th century. The goddess and Buddha Vajrayogini lunges powerfully as she tramples two figures that symbolize the three mental poisons: delusion, hatred, and desire. In this form, known as Naro Dakini, she is associated with the 11th-century tantric master Naropa, to whom she is believed to have revealed spiritual teachings. Holding a curved knife to sever the ignorance that is inherent to mundane perception, she lifts her skull-cup (symbolizing emptiness, the nature of true reality) to drink the blood it contains, which transmutes into the nectar of supreme, enlightened bliss. The double-triangle diagram that frames her has many layers of meaning and represents the origin of everything that truly exists. In meditation, one visualizes oneself as Vajrayogini arising from such a diagram, surrounded by attending figures, and destroying obstacles to enlightenment.

Credit line

Photo12/Heritage Images/Heritage Art

Reference

HRM23B16_321

Model release

NA

Property release

NA

License type

Rights managed

Available size

55,2Mb (2,8Mb) / 13,0in x 16,5in / 3891 x 4960 (300dpi)

Keywords

female women woman people group red Asian Asia religious arts painting religion Buddhism shape desire art green continent museum color golden gold deity God location century diagram enlightenment delusion triangle Tibet Tibetan concept triangular hate ignorance hatred triangles Colour severed 18th century Eighteenth Century Tibetan Buddhism delusional dakini tempera TGN trampling Vajrayana Buddhism portrait Unknown green colour Walters Art Museum Vajrayogini Heritage Art trampled tempera and gold on cloth tempera on cloth Narodakini