Bhutan - Lindsay Brown [56]
Chenresig
Bodhisattvas
CHENRESIG (AVALOKITESHVARA)
The bodhisattva of compassion is probably the best-known deity in Bhutanese Buddhism, outside Bhutan. Chenresig appears in a variety of forms. He is the ‘glorious gentle one’ – one of the four great bodhisattvas and the special guardian of Bhutanese religion – pictured sitting in a lotus position, with the lower two (of four) arms in a gesture of prayer. He also appears with 11 heads and 1000 arms arranged in a circle.
Jampelyang
JAMPELYANG (MANJUSHRI)
The ‘princely lord of wisdom’ – the embodiment of wisdom and knowledge – carries a sword in his right hand to destroy the darkness of ignorance. He is the patron of learning and the arts.
CHANA DORJE (VAJRAPANI)
‘Thunderbolt in hand’ – the god of power and victory – whose thunderbolt represents power and is a fundamental symbol of Tantric faith; it is called a dorji in Tibetan and vajra in Sanskrit. He is pictured in a wrathful form with an angry face and one leg outstretched.
Chana Dorje
DROLMA (TARA)
There are many different emanations of Drolma, and a popular prayer recited daily mentions 21 different activities that she performs to protect people and to enable them to gain enlightenment. The two most common representations are as Drolma, a green, female bodhisattva seated on a lotus flower with her right leg extended, ready to leap down to assist. Green Tara is said to have been born from Chenresig’s tears of compassion and from her determination to achieve enlightenment in the body of a woman. She is a dynamic bodhisattva. Popularly seen as a saviour, she represents the miraculous activities of all the buddhas. The other form, known as Drolkar (White Tara), is seated in the full lotus posture and with seven eyes, including one in her forehead and two on her palms and soles of her feet.
Drolkar
Protective Deities
CHOKYONG (LOKAPALAS)
Nagpo Chenpo (Mahakala)
Mahakala appears in a variety of forms in Bhutan and is one of the fiercest protective deities. Most Bhutanese monasteries and temples have a shrine dedicated to him (goenkhang; not open to women). Mahakala may be invoked to help remove obstacles to a new undertaking, or in times of danger. His worship in Bhutan was popularised by the Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, whose personal protective deity he was. According to legend, Mahakala appeared to the Zhabdrung in his raven form (Gompo Jarodanden) and advised him to go to Bhutan. The Raven Headed Mahakala is the basis for the Raven Crown worn by the Bhutanese monarchs.
Mahakala is black with reddish hair which rises upwards. He has three eyes and is surrounded by fire and smoke. He wears various bone ornaments and a skull garland. He carries a curved vajra knife in his right hand and a skull cup in his left. Depending on the form depicted he may have two, four, six or more arms.
Green Tara
Palden Lhamo (Mahakali)
The Glorious Goddess is a fierce protective deity and is closely associated with Yeshe Gompo. She is an important protector of the Kagyu order and is equally important to the other sects of Nyingma, Sakya and Gelugpa (in Tibet). Palden Lhamo is invoked in times of difficulty and special pujas are performed to avert misfortune, like natural disasters and wars. She has a ferocious appearance and is quite distinctive. Her body is dark blue, while the palms of her hands and the soles of her feet are red. She wears a crown of five skulls and her long hair rises upwards. She carries a skull cup in her left hand and brandishes a club in her right. She rides on a wild ass and her saddle cloth is a flayed human skin.
Guru Rinpoche
Historical Figures
GURU RINPOCHE (PADMASAMBHAVA)
‘The Lotus Born’, is an Indian Buddhist Great