|
Chakrasamvara ('Wheel of Perfect Bliss' or 'Wheel of Union') is a tantric meditational deity (Sanskrit: ishta-deva) of the Highest Yoga (Anuttara) Tantra class of Vajrayana Buddhism. The Chakrasamvara Tantra, also known as Shriherukabhidhana and Laghusamvara was composed in Northern India in the late 8th or early 9th century. Along with the Hevajra Tantra it is the most important Mother Tantra emphasizing female deities, like yoginis and dakinis. Mother Tantra practices focus more on clear light mental activity and blissful awareness of emptiness, as the immediate cause for achieving a Buddha's omniscient awareness or dharmakaya.
Chakrasamvara, also called 'Heruka', is typically depicted standing upright, with a blue-colored body, four faces, and twelve arms, and embracing his consort Vajravarahi in the yab-yum position (=sexual union). It is Buddha Shakyamuni who manifests in the form of Heruka for the benefit of all sentient beings and therefore he is considered the source of this high tantra. There are three main Chakrasamvara (practice) transmissions coming from these Indian mahasiddhas (masters of tantric yoga): Luipa, Krishnacharya (also called: Kanhapa or Nagpopa), and Ghantapa (also called: Drilbupa). Besides those there are over 50 different lineages of the Chakrasamvara practice in Tibet.
The Luipa Chakrasamvara has both, the 62-Deity internal mandala as well as the 62 deities in the external mandala building. This is the main Gelug form of Chakrasamvara that, for example, the two tantric colleges (Gyuto and Gyume) practice. The Ghantapa body mandala practice has just the 62-deity body mandala and no deities other than the main couple in the external mandala building. The Ghantapa 5-deity practice has no body mandala and just the couple & 4 dakinis around them in the external mandala building. The 5-Deity and the body mandala practice of Ghantapa lineage was popularized by Phabongkha Rinpoche and later disseminated in the West to lay practitioners by Trijang Rinpoche and his students.
Starting around 1020 C.E., the Chakrasamvara Tantra (and practice from all three lineages) was brought to Tibet as one of the principal yidams (=meditational deities) by the Sarma (= new translation) schools of Tibetan Buddhism. Chakrasamvara is called Korlo Dompa (Tibetan: khor lo sdom pa = pledge wheel) by the Kagyu and Sakya, or Korlo Demchog (Tibetan: khor lo bde mchog = bliss wheel) by the Kadam/Gelug schools. Chakrasamvara is one of the principal three meditational deities of the Gelug school (Tibetan: gsang bde 'jigs gsum; the others are Vajrabhairava and Guhyasamaja).
Beautiful extensive practice texts are available from Dechen Ling Press (www.dechenlingpress.org).
Reference:
- David B. Gray: The Cakrasamvara Tantra: A Study and Annotated Translation (Treasury of the Buddhist Sciences), New Yrok, 2007
- Rob Preece: The Psychology of Buddhist Tantra,Snow Lion Publications: Ithaca, 2006.
- Sonam Gyatso (bSod-nams rgya-mtsho) et al., The Ngor Mandalas of Tibet, Listings of the Mandala Deities, Center for East Asian Cultural Studies: Tokyo, 1991.
- Martin Willson & Martin Brauen, Deities of Tibetan Buddhism, Wisdom Publications: Somerville, 2000.
|
