FUCHIYADO

THE NOBLE WAY OF THE SAMURAI BLOWGUN MARTIAL ART

THE BASIC PRINCIPLES

SHRI KRISHAN PURI

SWITZERLAND, 2012

Content
ACKNOWLEDGMENT............................................................................................................................ 5
CHAPTER I: THE FUCHIYADO MEDITATION, THE SAMURAI MARTIAL ART TECHNIQUE ..................... 6
INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................... 7
THE EMBLEM OF FUCHIYADO ............................................................................................................. 8
THE FOUNDER OF THE FUCHIYADO MARTIAL ART: SHRI KRISHAN PURI ............................................ 9
THE FUCHIYADO EQUIPMENT ........................................................................................................... 10
THE FUCHIYADO CLOTHING .............................................................................................................. 11
THE TERMS OF FUCHIYADO ............................................................................................................... 16
THE FUCHIYADO SAMURAI PRACTICEBY SHRI KRISHAN PURI ........................................................... 17
KUN: THE RULES OF A FUCHIYADO SAMURAI ................................................................................... 19
DOJO KUN: THE TWELWE RULES FOR THE FUCHIYADO SAMURAI IN THE DOJO .............................. 20
THE BASIC STEPS OF FUCHIYADO ...................................................................................................... 21
THE BASIC STEPS OF FUCHIYADO IN DETAIL ..................................................................................... 22
STEP 1 REI / BOW ........................................................................................................................... 23
STEP 2 KAMAERU / STANCE ........................................................................................................... 24
STEP 3 RAISE YOUR FUKIYA ............................................................................................................ 25
STEP 4 EXHALE................................................................................................................................ 26
STEP 5 INHALE ................................................................................................................................ 27
STEP 6 SHOOTING .......................................................................................................................... 28
STEP 7 CALM DOWN ...................................................................................................................... 29
STEP 8 REI / BOW ........................................................................................................................... 30
AFTER SHOOTHING ............................................................................................................................ 31
THE BENEFITS OF FUCHIYADO ........................................................................................................... 32
FUCHIYADO SAMURAI CHARACTERISTICS ......................................................................................... 33
ACTIVATION OF THE CHI POWER ...................................................................................................... 35
CHAPTER II: THE FUCHIYADO DHARMA,ICONOGRAPHY OF THE FUCHIYADO DEITY PROTECTOR KALI
KRISHNA KRODHINI ........................................................................................................................... 38
INTRODUCTION TO THE FUCHIYADO DHARMA ................................................................................ 39
AUM IS THE MOST SACRED SYMBOL IN HINDU AND IN FUCHIYADO DHARMA, IT IS THE SOUND OF
THE INFINITE ...................................................................................................................................... 42
TANTRA AND TANTRISM ................................................................................................................... 45

INDRODUCTION TO TIBETAN ART ..................................................................................................... 47

KALI KRISHNA KRODHINI THE FUCIYADO PROTECTOR DEITY ........................................................... 50
ICONOGRAPHY OF THE TIBETAN TANTRIC ARTACCORDING TO THE FUCHIYADO DEITY PROTECTOR
KALI KRISHNA KRODHINI ................................................................................................................... 51
ROCK FORMATIONS........................................................................................................................... 51
WATER ............................................................................................................................................... 51
FIRE (FLAMES).................................................................................................................................... 52
AUREOLA ........................................................................................................................................... 52
CLOUDS.............................................................................................................................................. 53
LOTUS ................................................................................................................................................ 53
STUPAS .............................................................................................................................................. 54
MUDRAS ............................................................................................................................................ 55
THE TREE JEWELS .............................................................................................................................. 56
THE EIGHT AUSPICIOUS SYMBOLS .................................................................................................... 56
THE FIVE OFFERINGS OF SENSORY ENJOYMENT ............................................................................... 57
THE SHARP WEAPONS ....................................................................................................................... 57
THE VAJRA ......................................................................................................................................... 58
THE CROSSED VAJRA (Skt. Vishvavajra) ............................................................................................. 60
THE BELL (Skt. Ghanta) ...................................................................................................................... 60
THE TANTRIC STUFF KHATVANGA ..................................................................................................... 60
THE HAND DRUM (Skr. Damaru) ....................................................................................................... 64
THE CURVED KNIFE ............................................................................................................................ 65
THE SKULL OR SKULL-CUP ................................................................................................................. 66
THE TRIDENT (Skt. Trishula)............................................................................................................... 69
CORPSE SEAT ..................................................................................................................................... 70
BOAR OR SOW HEAD ......................................................................................................................... 71
THE HINDU KAPALIKAS, PADMASAMBHAVA, AND THE BUDDHIST MAHASIDDHAS ........................ 71
THE EIGHT ATTIRES OFTHE CHARNEL GROUNDS .............................................................................. 74
THE GARLAND OF SEVERED HEADS ................................................................................................... 75
THE SIX BONE ORNAMENTS AND THE FIVE SKULL CROWN .............................................................. 77
THE FIVE SKULL CROWN .................................................................................................................... 77
THE WRATHFUL OFFERING OF THE FIVE SENSES .............................................................................. 78
SKULL CUP OFFERING TO THE FIVE SENSES ...................................................................................... 78
THE GRATEFUL SECRET TANTRIC FUCHIYADO MEDITATION ............................................................ 79
THE ROLE OF THE EGO AND THE MEANING OF ENLIGHTENMENT ................................................... 82

CLOSING WORDS BY SHRI KRISHAN PURI.......................................................................................... 86

DICTIONARY OF HINDU AND BUDDHIST TERMS ............................................................................... 89
BIBLOGRAPHY .................................................................................................................................... 97
LIST OF REPRODUCTIONS .................................................................................................................. 99
CONTACT AND FURTHER INFORMATION ........................................................................................ 101
SPACE FOR YOUR OWN NOTES: ...................................................................................................... 102

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

In Japan Fukiya is a national sport, which is regularly practised by thousands of people of all ages.
It is a sport to measure the best shots and points, with ranks and trophies.
FUCHIYADO includes some of the philosophies of Fukiya, Kyudo, Yoga, Tai-chi,
Qigong and other martial arts in a new form.
All the ethic aspects have the goal to achieve good health and consciousness
of the spiritual nature in generally.
My hope is that this book will inspire many people to start to practice FUCHIYADO in a way of a
meditative martial art.
I express my thankfulness with a deep bow to all who have given their energy in this project,
especially:
Dr. Hironori Higuchi, founder of Japan Sport Fukiya Association;
Dr.Gianni Alampi, recess of the health aspects;
Kerrace Alexander, The role of the ego;
Aaron Hoopes, Activation of the Chi Power;
Beer Robert, The Encyclopedia of Tibetan symbols;
Tim Travell (structuring, text-editing, video- production); Jasmina Kotevska (text-editing);
Stephen Damon and Craig Smith (final check of the English Grammar); Florian Sax (design of the
Emblem).

Yours sincerely,

Shri Krishan Puri

5

CHAPTER I
THE FUCHIYADO MEDITATION
THE SAMURAI MARTIAL ART TECHNIQUE

Watch your thoughts;

They become words.
Watch your words;
They become actions.
Watch your actions;
They become habits.
Watch your habits;
They become your character.
Watch your character;
It becomes your destiny.
Lao Tzu

INTRODUCTION

The FUCHIYADO Samurai Blowgun technique is a union of:

Japanese Martial Art Kyudo
Yoga
Meditation
Tai-Chi
Qigong
Zen-Spirit
The beneficial aspects:
Good health
Better breathing
Stable character
To develop meditation techniques
Concentration
To calm mind
Spiritual consciousness
Self-realization
To bring more awareness and attentiveness into the society
Fuchiyado can be practised and is suitable for women, men and children aged 10 years or older. It is
suitable for older people also. Even physically handicapped, which can hold a blowgun, can do it.
Under certain conditions it can also be exercised with mentally handicapped.
We do not accept any kinds of misuse of the FUCHIYADO Samurai Martial Art. The rules of the use of
the Fukiya (Blowgun) are clearly defined and they should always be respected.
The FUCHIYADO Samurai Blowgun Technique was created by Shri Krishan Puri, who practiced Yoga in
India, Nepal and his home country Switzerland for about 35 years.
For many years he is a Master of Meditation and FUCHIYADO leading his own Ashram named "Der
Baumgarten", in Muttenz a small city near Basel in Switzerland.
Shri Krishan Puri is delighted to welcome you to the world of FUCHIYADO.
7

THE EMBLEM OF FUCHIYADO

Three basic principles are included in the Mon (emblem) of the FUCHIYADO

The outer interlaced lines symbolize the Zen-Spirit of FUCHIYADO;

The centre globe symbolizes the Chi energy of Tai-chi and Qigong;

The centre symbolizes the AUM of the Yoga and meditation traditions.

THE FOUNDER OF THE FUCHIYADO MARTIAL ART:

SHRI KRISHAN PURI

In the 1970s I started to train Judo for six years and successfully I got a license mark from the SIV
(Swiss Judo Association) after that, I went to Jiu-Jitsu and Laido classes for three years.
After the third year training Jiu-Jitsu and Laido, I left the classes and started to train together with
two good friends of mine: one of them was already a fantastic expert and in those days also our
teacher. He was filling up the football stadiums when he was performing in India, Japan etc. He was a
real Master of martial arts. He led special training classes for black belt for Police, Military and high
class Martial Arts professionals.
I had three intensive years training classes under my friends guidance and I received 2nd and 3rd
(Dan) Black belt. Unfortunately my friend died relatively young in 1982 and after his death me and
my other friend went into different directions and we did not continue to exercise professionally.
I decided to go to India and there I practiced Ascetic Yoga and Meditation for 25 years. At the end of
my time in India, I got a certificate from the Indian Government as an expert of meditation
techniques and spiritual practice. This certificate is called Prampater and today I have the status of
a Naga Baba Avadhut Sadhu and I am a member of the inner circle of the oldest spiritual group in
India the so called Gymkhana Dashanami Sampradaya Juna Akhara (Bhairon Akhara)Order.
Nowadays I lead a small Meditation Centre called Der Baumgarten Ashram in Muttenz near Basel,
in Switzerland.
With my knowledge and experience of more than 35 years in Yoga and Meditation, I created a new
form of Mediation called: THE FUCHIYADO MARTIAL ART.
9

THE FUCHIYADO EQUIPMENT

There are different Fukiya (Blowguns) sizes like: 120 cm, 140 cm, 160 cm, 180 cm and 200 cm in
length and usually with 16 mm in diameter, either with mouthpiece or without. Most made from
aluminium steel or carbon.
The arrows (Yas) are made in different sizes from 10 to 25 cm long, made mostly with paper cones or
self-adhesive foil. The pin is normally made out of wire with 1 mm in diameter or from wooden sticks
with a diameter of 2-4 mm. everyone has his own method in arrows production and the most
important is that they should not be too weighty, so that they can fly straight.
The Mato (Target) can be made from many materials: most targets are made from strong foam. The
size is usually 40 by 40 cm and behind is a big board of 100 by 100 cm to protect the surroundings.
The Yas can be very dangerous. It should be clear: Never shoot when someone is in front of the
target.
To get a Fukiya (Blowgun) you have to spend somewhere from 50 to 200 Euros, the arrows and the
targets are easy to make and also it can be fun to produce them by yourself.
The target centre should be 160 cm above the floor. For handicapped in a wheel chair the height is
90 cm. The distances from the shooting point to the target need to be from 8 to 15 meters. I
recommend long blowguns that are from 180 to 200 cm in length and 16 or 17 mm in diameter. Two
piece blowguns should be avoided, because they wear out too fast.
Why we use so long Blowguns? When we regularly do 100 - 200 shootings twice a week with the
FUCHIYADO breathing technique, proper Kata and long blowguns, the lung power can rise up to 50%.
The Zen calligraphy of the ENSO (Japanese circle) embodies emptiness and
perfection and it is often used as a visual symbol for Zen. In the Fuchiyado
blowgun martial art, on the blowgun (Fukiya) a wooden ring is mounted near the
mouthpiece and symbolises the meaning of the Zen calligraphy. The tube
represents the path to the perfection and it is the female principle. The arrow is
the male principle. The union between both principles activity (female) and
silence (male)is manifest on the Mato (the target).
10

THE FUCHIYADO CLOTHING

The clothing of the FUCHIYADO Samurai originates from the Japanese tradition.

The photo above presents the items of the FUCHIYADO Samurai including clothing

The Kimono

11

Obi - the belt

The back side of the Kimono is placed under the Obi, for free movement of the legs

12

The Hakama (consists of two parts: front and backside)

Fixing the front part of the Hakama

13

Fixing the back part of the Hakama

The complete look of the clothing

14

Placing the Yas -the arrows- between the belt

Ready to practice

15

THE TERMS OF FUCHIYADO

FUCHIYADO is based among other things on the Japanese KYUDO:

1
2
3
4
5
6
7

Kata
Fukiya
Ya
Mato
Shagi
Shai
Rai

Ashibumi

Kamaeru

10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18

Uchiokoshi
Yudaoshi
Dozukuri
Fugamae
Hikiwake
Ki or Kai
Hanare
Yudaoshi
Zanshin

19 Rai

The correct form

The blowgun
The arrow
The target
The technique
The position
To take a bow towards the
Mato
the footing
To stand still with your legs
shoulder width apart
Raising the Fukiya
Lowering of the Fukiya
Correcting the position
Readying the Fukiya
Aiming the Fukiya
Completing the shot
The withdrawal
Lowering of Fukiya
Releasing the Fukiya and
reflecting the action
To take a bow towards the
Mato
16

THE FUCHIYADO SAMURAI PRACTICE BY SHRI KRISHAN PURI

I would like to explain, how I developed the FUCHIYADO Meditation - the way of the FUCHIYADO
Samurai:
The meaning of the word FUCHIYADO is:
FU - wind, CHI - activity,YA - arrow, DO - way
First the students have to dress themselves in the Kimono, with the Obi and the Hakama, which is a
traditional Japanese dress based upon Kyudo (Japanese Bow-Archery). The clothing is very important,
because like that the students go out from their daily life. With the dressing they prepare for a
deeper meditative awareness to start the practice. When they enter the Dojo (the place of practice)
the students are no more in a daily mood. They have to follow the Dojo-Kun (the Dojo rules). See
below Dojo Rules.
The FUCHIYADOKA (student of FUCHIYADO) first has to take place on a carpet which is the place
where he always does the Meditation and the FUCHIYADO Kata (the correct form). It is the Shai
(shooting position) and the Asan (the meditation place in Yoga) at the same time. The first step is the
Meditation in order to come to the point of inner silence. This meditation needs to be done for
around 15 minutes.
After that we go to do the second step: the Pranayama. It is a three point yoga breathing
technique, where the Fuchiyadoka exercise all parts of the lungs: the belly, the middle and the breast
part. The duration of the Pranayama is also around 15 minutes. The benefit from the Pranayama is
that lungs can become more free and open, the body is filled with oxygen and the mind is clear and
calm. After these exercises we stand up to the Shai(shooting position) and start for the FUCHIYADO
practice and the Fuchiyado Kata (the correct form).
17

After every shooting round we sit down for some minutes in meditation, to concentrate and calm
every part of the body and the mind. We always concentrate in this time towards the Mato (the
target) with the inner eye.
At the end of the practice time we give respectful bow to the Spirit, to all Masters, to the students
and to all sentient beings.
We do a final short meditation to consolidate the Spirit, to bring the benefit to the point of the
practical use in our daily life, to become more attentive and conscious as well as to bring more
awareness into the society. Without the meditation aspects, there would not be any expansion or
benefits, neither for the training partners nor for the higher self and also neither for the external
situations in our daily life.
In the FUCHIYADO way of practice the benefits can develop properly and the positive effects will
remain permanently.
In the beginning there is no need to wear the official clothing. You need only a Fukiya, Yas and Mato
to start with FUCHIYADO. It needs also interest and continuity.

18

KUN:
THE RULES OF A FUCHIYADO SAMURAI

1. Never kill any living being.

2. Give respect to every life form.
3. Use self-defence only when your life is in danger.
4. Avoid places of trouble.
5. Always respect the nature.
6. Do not act against yourself.
7. Always help your fellow man in your environment.
8. Always be calm and friendly.
9. Act always in proper way.
10. Your action should be always in correspondence with your inner self and the higher truth.
11. Take care of your actions; always give good example in the society.
12. Behave in love, truth and simplicity.
19

DOJO KUN:
THE TWELWE RULES FOR THE FUCHIYADO SAMURAI IN THE DOJO

1. Never shoot if there is someone in front of the target.

2. Always show respect to your Master and to the training partners.
3. Be humble and polite.
4. Train considering your physical strength.
5. Practice earnestly with creativity.
6. Be calm and swift.
7. Take care of your body-health.
8. Always wear the FUCHIYADO clothing in a proper way
9. Do not be too proud or too modest.
10. Continue your training with patience.
11. Do not touch other peoples things and do not do unnecessary talking.
12. Never disturb the peace and quietness.
20

THE BASIC STEPS OF FUCHIYADO

There are several basic steps of the FUCHIYADO Kata for the FUCHIYADO Samurai to follow:

1 Rei/Bow
2 Kamaeru/Stance
3 Raise your FUKIYA
4 Exhale
5 Inhale
6 Shoot
7 Calm-down
8 Rei/Bow

take a bow towards the Mato

stand still with your legs, shoulders
parallel
inhale through your nose,
whereas you raise your FUKIYA
through your mouth,
as you lower your FUKIYA
look the Mato and taking a deep
breath. Target at the Mato
make one short strong shot
calm your breathing while lowering
your pipe
take a bow toward the Mato

Executing these steps correctly with proper FUCHIYADO breathing will elevate the concentration and
bring wonderful effects on your body and mind.

21

THE BASIC STEPS OF FUCHIYADO IN DETAILS

The basic process is the Kata (the correct form), which is the foundation of practicing FUCHIYADO.
The importance of these motions cannot be overemphasized. There lays the very essence of Shingirenma, which means to achieve good health.
Please read this description thoroughly so that you can avoid simple shooting games and master the
FUCHIYADO Breathing Meditation. It may be better to practice these movements without Yas at first.
It is banned to attach anything at any point within 30 cm from the end of the FUKIYA (something like
a visor).
There are many Kata variations to practice; all these variations can be learned in my courses. The
basic postures facing to the left, facing to the right and directly facing the Mato can be practiced
freely without my guidance, these basic postures or exercises are the start point for more advanced
Kata variations.

22

STEP 1 REI / BOW

In traditional Japanese martial arts, bowing must be done at the beginning and end,
which is the same in FUCHIYADO. You will realize the meaning of bowing deeply as you
train your spirit and technique.

Take a bow at the beginning and at the end of each round.

One round is held within 10 up to 15 minutes.

1) Insert your arrows before standing in front of the Mato (Seven arrows for one round).
2) Stand right in front of the Mato (the target).
3) Hold your FUKIYA straight in between the thumb and forefinger with your dominant hand.
4) Hold your arms loose. Do not bend your elbow and do not touch your FUKIYA onto the floor.
5) Bow attentive and quite slow. When you bow, do not swing your FUKIYA backward.
6) Raise your head and look at the Mato.

23

STEP 2 KAMAERU / STANCE

1) After bowing, angle yourself to the line at 45 degrees. Stand with your feet shoulder wide apart.
2) Relax, and straighten your neck and back. This is "the basic posture for stance".
3) Hold your FUKIYA with both hands between your thumb and forefinger and keep it parallel to
the floor.
4) Place one hand five centimetres away from the border. Your hands should be at shoulder width.
5) Take out one arrow from your belt.
6) Keep your FUKIYA parallel to the floor. Insert the arrow with one hand to the point where
you cannot feel it anymore. The cone will stop the arrow falling through FUKIYA.
7) Return to the basic posture for stance (45 degrees back), with your fingers pointing to the floor.
8) Your eyes should look straight ahead of you at any time during the basic posture for stance.

24

STEP 3 RAISE YOUR FUKIYA

From this step, "the FUCHIYADO Breathing" begins.

This whole movement should take up to 15 seconds.

1) Stretch your arms and raise them over your head like drawing a big half circle with your arms.
2) As you raise your arms, you need to inhale through your nose.
3) When your arms reach your ears and are raised as closely to your ears as possible, you should
be at the point when you inhaled completely.
4) Look straight in front of you.

25

STEP 4 EXHALE

This is the stage where you concentrate and focus yourself.

Exhaling should take about eight seconds for beginners, and ten to fifteen seconds for
experienced FUCHIYADOKAS.

When exhaling, try not to exhale loudly.

Do not lean forward.

Exhale all of your breath.

You may close your eyes or keep them half opened to enhance concentration.

1) Stretch your arms, and exhale as you lower them like drawing a big half circle.
2) Exhale as slow and long as you can, while pulling in your belly muscles. It may be easier to do
this with your mouth shaped like you would whistle.

26

STEP 5 INHALE

1) Reposition yourself so that you face the Mato.

2) Aim with the FUKIYA and at the same time inhale through your nose. The air you inhale is the air
you use to shoot the Ya. At the time when aiming is finished, inhaling should be finished.
3) With the hand next to the MATO you aim the FUKIYA. Keep your FUKIYA horizontal and
parallel to the floor at all times.
4) Place the other hand near your mouth to hold the FUKIYA gently.
5) Bend the elbow of this hand slightly and put your FUKIYA on to the palm of this hand.
6) Do not relieve the FUKIYA. Relieving the FUKIYA can hinder your aiming.
7) Put your FUKIYA to your mouth in order to avoid air leaking. Its up to you, how you keep the
shape of your mouth.
8) Your eyes should always be directed at the centre of the Mato.
9) The air actually is in your lungs, but imagine that you are keeping the air in your belly.
Especially around the part that is located beneath your belly button.
Traditionally it is named "Tanden" in Japan.
10) Try not to aim with one eye. Aim with both eyes. Your eyes should always be directed at the
centre of the Mato.

27

STEP 6 SHOOTING

This is the step where you concentrate yourself to the maximum.

Practice so you can feel your lower belly deflate the moment you release air.
Always keep in mind what you want to improve in your performance when you shoot.
You will not improve if you practice without thinking.
You should challenge yourself with each shot.
Every shot will leave a strong impression on you. You will accumulate significant
experience, even if you miss the centre.
The thoracic and abdominal breathing used in Basic steps 3 to 6 is called FUCHIYADO breathing.

1. Aim at the Mato. Beginners may count 1, 2, 3 and shoot.

2. Try not to think of anything.
3. It is important to blow out your air in one fast exhalation.

28

STEP 7 CALM DOWN

1. Even after the shooting the mind should still be directed at the Mato. This state is called "Zanshin"
in Japanese martial arts, which literally means remaining mind and body. It is the state of keeping
alert and holding the FUKIYA after a successful shot.
2. After shooting, keep looking at the Mato and stretch out both arms in front of your chest slowly.
3. Keep both arms at about the level of your eyes.
4. When you finish this, direct your eyes in front of you.
5. Lower your arms slowly as you calm your breathing.
6. Now you are back to the basic posture for stance and ready to insert the next Ya.

29

STEP 8 REI / BOW

1. After shooting the seven arrows, stand straight facing the Mato.
2. Hold your FUKIYA like you did at the beginning and take a bow towards the Mato.
3. Step back approximately one meter after the shooting and wait quietly to the point that all
training partners have finished their shooting.

30

AFTER SHOOTHING

The Yanukistick is a wooden cone for pulling the arrows out of the Mato after shooting. Hold the
leading end of the Ya and slowly pull it out by using the other hand. If you do not have a Yanuki stick,
you can pull the Yas out with your hands. Put your Yas back in your belt. Pull all your Yas out of the
Mato, but never do this before everyone has finished his shooting. For beginners, just hitting the
Mato is a great achievement.
Cleaning your Fukiya:
After shooting several Yas, the inside of your FUKIYA gets wet from the condensed moisture of your
breath. In that case, Yas may stick to the inside of your FUKIYA and may not fly properly. To avoid
this, use a FUKIYA cleaner. Wipe the inside of your FUKIYA with a FUKIYA cleaner after every round.
Exchange cloth or tissue regularly for sanitation.
Condition of the Yas:
Make a habit of checking the condition of your Yas concerning deformation or deterioration after
cleaning your FUKIYA. Yas in poor conditions will not fly properly. You may be able to repair them
using glue. Deformed Yas may be fixed by inserting a Yanuki stick into the dart. It is a wooden cone.
Checking Size of the Yas:
It is important that the internal diameter of your FUKIYA matches the diameter of the dart. To make
sure the size is right, hold the FUKIYA vertically and drop a dart into it. If the Ya falls into the FUKIYA
with a small friction sound, the size is appropriate. To modify the diameter of a Ya, you may trim the
fletchings with good scissors.

31

THE BENEFITS OF FUCHIYADO

After 35 years practice of Yoga and Meditation I found out that the FUCHIYADO breathing technique
is very similar to some Yoga, Qigong and Tai-chi breathing techniques. I also have found out that
when we use a long Fukiya (16 or 17 mm diameter / 180 - 200 cm long) instead of a small blowgun it
is better for our health. The lung power can increase up to 50% because we need more power and
concentration to shoot.
The practice of Yoga and FUCHIYADO breathing techniques can help people with lung problems from
smoking. Some of my students were even having problems with lung cancer (in the beginning stages)
and with the help of the FUCHIYADO breathing techniques they got considerably better.
But we need to take in consideration that there is not always healing chances for such difficult lung
diseases, because it depends how far advanced the illness is, but surely there are many health
benefits from the FUCHIYADO practice.
The meditation has a special healing effect on the body and mind. The positive effects are: better
concentration and more inner silence. In daily life people are more centred in their personality, if
children practice FUCHIYADO they will become more balanced, less hectic and in school they can
achieve better results.
The all aspects of the FUCHIYADO like, Zen spirit, Yoga and Meditation are helpful for the body, mind
and the consciousness, as well as for the peace and happiness in the society.
FUCHIYADO is not only a Sport; it is a way of life. The great Aikido Master Morihei Ueshiba was one
of the originators of Martial Arts. I included the philosophy of Morihei Ueshiba into the practice of a
FUCHIYADO Samurai, because he highlighted the benefits very clearly in his philosophy, life and
practice.
In all Yoga systems the techniques are similar and they have been used for more than 2000 years.
Many philosophies and techniques have been written down since then. So, the positive effects of the
above explained healing aspects are proved.
32

THE FUCHIYADO SAMURAI CHARACTERISTICS

The FUCHIYADO Samurai character of good health is integrated with philosophical and ethic ideas.
Someone who lives by the rules of a FUCHIYADO Samurai follows the nonviolent path.
According to the tradition of Yoga, Zen, Tai-chi, Qigong and Kyudo, the FUCHIYADO Samurai needs to
be pure vegetarian. Because becoming vegetarian we stand against any kind of violence.
Fuchiyado Samurai also need to take care of nature, because all living beings are brothers and sisters
to him. For good living, there is no other way to be really healthy.
Today on the market we have chance to choose different kinds of vegetarian food. There are enough
varieties from which we can cook different meals every day. If we plan our meals well, it will never
get boring. The important is that we always have to keep an eye on a balanced nutrition. In that way,
we take good care of our health.
There are also other important points to become a vegetarian:
The meditation works is easier and the joints will be less stiff. This is because of the chemical
substances in the non-vegetarian food.
Also vegetarian food is better for the digestive system because the digestive process is easier and
quick, so at the end there is less tension and the whole body system is calmer.

33

The chemical ingredients of the non-vegetarian food are barriers of the Chi (energy) and Prana (the
life power).We need to avoid non vegetarian food with the purpose to have a good energy flow and a
really good result for the meditation, Tai-Chi, Qigong and Zen practice. But that does not mean that a
non-vegetarian is not able to have also good results.
There are also ethical aspects in Yoga, Kyudo, Meditation, Zen, Tai-Chi and Qigong and all these
traditions were always based on vegetarianism.
Everyone can choose his way of living. When we practice meditation the brain waves are on a better
level and through the meditation the control and the balance of the brain waves is much easier.
I follow the tradition of Yoga, Tai-Chi, Qigong, and Zen for about 35 years and I have very good
results. I am rarely sick and in good health and I advise everyone to become vegetarian.
The FUCHIYADO Samurai should practice Meditation every day in the morning and evening to receive
its benefits. His goals are self-realization and nonviolence.

34

ACTIVATION OF THE CHI POWER

By Aaron Hoopes

FUCHIYADO is practiced with a deep breathing technique which activates the Chi power, the life
power, also known as Prana in yoga and meditation.
Most martial arts practitioners have some idea about the concept of Chi energy. Chi refers to the
natural energy of the Universe, which permeates everything. All matter, from the smallest atoms and
molecules to the largest planets and stars, is made up of this energy. It is the vital force of life. It is
the source of every existing thing. Chi has many manifestations.
To the Kung Fu and Tai-chi practitioners of China it is known as "Chi", but different philosophies and
cultures call it by different names. Japanese martial arts call it "Ki". Metaphysical science calls it "vital
force". Friedrich Mesmer called it "animal magnetism. The Indian and Hindu yogis call it "Prana".
Western science defines it as "biorhythm", and New Age thinkers simply call it "cosmic energy".
Naturally, in each manifestation the Chi is viewed and defined differently, but basically it is the same
thing. It is the power which enables us to think, move, breathe, and live the power that makes
gravity act like gravity. It is what makes electricity electric. It is the link between our perception of
the inner and outer worlds.
It is our connection to the very flow of the universe and the prime moving force within the human
body. Chi is not breath; it is the power that makes it possible for us to breathe.

35

Chi is not simply "energy, it is what gives energy the power to be energy. Chi is the power behind
movement and thoughtand it is everywhere. It is in the oxygen we breathe and the blood that
flows through us.
It is difficult to define Chi concretely. It cannot be seen or measured; it cannot be touched or
captured. It is everywhere, yet we have no way to touch it, make it tangible, or even prove its
existence. Therefore Chi is a difficult concept to accept.
The Western mind likes the tangible, the concrete and the specific. It likes a scientific explanation
which defines, dissects, and categorizes. Chi transcends this kind of explanation. It doesn't fit easily
into a strict biomedical framework. It is simply indefinable in those terms.
Chi within the body is like power in a rechargeable battery. Occasionally it needs to be replenished.
The Chi of the universe is inexhaustible, yet the body needs fresh Chi to maintain its vitality. When
you are exchanging the Chi within you with the Chi of the universe, you feel healthy and vigorous. By
energizing the body with Chi it is revitalized naturally, enabling it to fight off illness and maintain
good health. The true secret to replenishing Chi resides in our breathing.
Breathing in and out through the nose is the only method that enables the body to process Chi
energy effectively. Most people understand the importance of breathing in through the nose. When
we breathe in through the nose, there are a series of defence mechanisms that prevent impurities
and extremely cold air from entering the body.
First, a screen of nose hairs traps dust and other particles that could injure the lungs if we breathe
through the mouth. Next, there is a long passage lined with mucus membranes, where excessively
cool air is warmed and very fine dust particles that escaped the hair screen are caught.
Finally, in the inner nose are glands which fight off bacteria that may have slipped through the other
defences. The inner nose also contains the olfactory organ that gives us our sense of smell, which can
detect poisonous fumes that could damage our health if we were to breathe them.
Breathing out through the nose requires a deeper understanding of the nature of Chi energy.
Practitioners of martial arts, especially karate, need to absorb and process the Chi that they are
breathing in order to generate the power and force for the techniques they practice. They also need
to be able to retain the Chi within the body until the moment it is needed. Basically, when we inhale,
we are bringing fresh oxygen and Chi into our body. When we exhale through the mouth, we are
expelling carbon dioxide, which contains all the toxins and poisons that have built up within the
lungs.
We are also expelling Chi from the body. But if we are continuously expelling the Chi, we never give it
a chance build up into the rich source of energy needed to complete our techniques to their
maximum effectiveness. By exhaling through the mouth, we simply allow the Chi energy to dissipate
back into the world.
Breathing out through the nose, however, completes a closed circuit. By exhaling through the nose,
rather than allowing the Chi energy to be expelled with the carbon dioxide, we transfer it to the
dantien or hara, located about three finger widths below the umbilicus.

36

With each breath we take in, more Chi enters the body and circles down to the dantien, growing
stronger and stronger.
During this breathing process, the tongue is up, touching the top palate of the mouth just behind the
front teeth and the air is expelled from the nose with a slightly audible hiss. There is also a feeling of
the abdominal walls contracting down with the exhalation.
Once sufficient Chi has been generated this way, the practitioner is able to direct the Chi with
tremendous force. Remember that Chi is a subtle, invisible force that requires much patience and
long years of practice to understand.
The ability to relax and breathe effectively will benefit your training in building Chi. When your mind
and body are working together in a relaxed manner and you are breathing properly, a tremendous
amount of energy is able to flow through your being.
The key is not to force it, just slow down, relax and breathe through your nose.

37

CHAPTER II
THE FUCHIYADO DHARMA
ICONOGRAPHY OF THE FUCHIYADO PROTECTOR DEITY
KALI KRISHNA KRODHINI/TROMA NAGMO

38

INTRODUCTION TO THE FUCHIYADO DHARMA

After 25 years spent in various places in India and Nepal in search for the deeper understanding of
life, walking the path of a Naga Baba Avadhuta Sannyasin Shri Krishan Puri come back to his native
home in Switzerland, where he founded the Fuchiyado Meditation the Samurai Blowgun Martial art
and the Fuchiyado Dharma.
His fascination towards the martial arts appeared early in his childhood, as a young adult he
practiced Laido, Aikido Jiu-Jitsu and Judo professionally in Switzerland, after he left Switzerland and
he traveled the world, his road took him to India where he has meet his Gurus and where he started
his life as a renunciant, finally in 2001 at Kumbha Mela he got his final initiation and he became a
Naga Sadhu Avadhuta, joining the oldest spiritual group the Gymkhana Dashanami Sampradaya Juna
Akhara (Bhairon Akhara) Order.
His long experience with Yoga and Meditation and also his knowledge of Martial Arts, has inspired
Shri Krishan Puri to combine the Martial Arts and the meditation techniques in one, founding the
Fuchiyado Dharma at 2011.
According to the tradition of the Martial Art every path of practice has its own protector Deity and its
own Shrine (Temple). Following this ancient Martial Art tradition Shri Krishan Puri choose Kali Krishna
Krodhini as a protector Deity of the Fuchiyado Dharma, which is a symbiosis of the traditional roots
of the Tantrism and Martial Arts.
The choice of the Kali Krishna Krodhini is not accidental; she is the relentless power of wisdom. The
Juna Akhara also has its own female trinity Goddess and protector the Deity Maya Devi (Shakti) the
source of all existence. She stands behind Guru Dattatreya.
39

Dattatreya is a Hindu deity and Adi Guru encompassing the

female trinity Shakti (the active powers)of Brahma, Vishnu and
Shiva collectively known as Trimurti, the Fuchiyado Dharma
take the root form of Shakti known as Bhairavi the female
consort of Bhairava which is the fierce manifestation of Lord
Shiva. Bhairavi is indistinguishable from Kali the Hindu Goddess
associated with empowerment, Shakti.
Kali is the first Mahavidya, which is the energy of Time. Maha
Vidya literary it means the great knowledge. The Mahavidyas
are ten insights, covered by ten mysteries about 10 essential
energies that are also 10 Goddesses, each Vidya is an
illustration of the female primordial energy as Adi Prakrithi or
Adi Parashakthi. The ten Mahavidyas are not ten different
Goddesses but they are ten manifestations of Kali.
Guru Dattatreya
Kali is our spiritual mother' through whom we are reborn into the inner world of eternity and
infinity. It is believed that she goes into the darkness with us, and for us, to swallow our sins, worries
and concerns. She can help and show us how to transform our lives by embracing our own darkness,
without fear from that which haunts us. She can spiritually take away the handcuffs that keep us
shackled to the hungry ghosts of the past.
Kali is the powerful Hindu Goddess who is in charge of
darkness, death and regeneration. Many people are afraid of
her because of her fearful look, but apart from her fearful look
we must love and adore her as a great Goddess and see her as
a manifestation of power that is fierce and potent. She is
Shakti, the female energy and the manifestation of the
primordial power.
She brings life and death, she is regeneration and rebirth. In
many ways she is the representation of the classical power of
the Divine Female, the power to give birth, to bring death to
the old and to regenerate. Her haunts are the cremation
grounds, where she takes life, and then recycles it into new
life.
Goddess Kali
Her symbol for cutting away the evil and darkness is to behead humans, but in reality this image
represents and symbolizes the cutting of the human ego and all the problems which the ego causes.
She eats the pain, swallows our despair, and the secret shadows of our lives.
Kali is a Goddess who acts in violent and fearsome ways, but apart from her fearsome ways she is
not evil. Even as a representation of the negative forces in the universe, she is a manifestation form
of the Godhead, a part of the divine whole. In other aspect she is the mother of all.
40

Kali is the full picture of the Universal Power. She is the mother, the source of all creation, she is the
beginning and she is the end itself. She creates and nourishes and she kills and destroys. By her magic
we see good and bad, but in reality there is neither good nor bad. The whole world and all we see is
just the play of Maya, the veiling power of the Divine Mother. God is neither good nor bad, nor both.
God is beyond the pair of opposites that constitute this relative existence. One shouldn't jump to the
conclusion that Kali represents only the destructive aspect of God's power. When the time is
transcended, the eternal night of limitless peace and joy come and that peace and joy is also called
Kali (Maharatri). It is Kali the one who prods Shiva Mahadeva into the next cycle of creation. In short,
she is the power of God in all His aspects.
The worship of Shakti is the main path in Tantra Yoga. The Devi, in the Tantra represents the
consciousness functioning at different levels of the universe - inward and outward. She is the source
of diverse principles, energies and faculties which make the manifest and the un-manifest universe.
The name Kali comes from Kla, which means black, time, death, lord of death, Shiva. Kali means
"the black one". Since Shiva is called Kla the eternal time Kl, his consort, also means "Time" or
"Death". Hence, Kli is considered the Goddess of time and change. Although sometimes presented
as dark and violent, her earliest incarnation as a figure of annihilation still has some influence.
Various Shakta Hindu cosmologies, as well as Shkta Tantric beliefs, worship her as the ultimate
reality or Brahman. She is also revered as Bhavatrini (literally "redeemer of the universe").
Comparatively recent devotional movements largely conceive Kli as a benevolent mother Goddess.
Kali or Bhairavi is the embodiment of the three Aspects or Sattavs, Rajas and Tamas in one; she is the
embodiment of the creation, preservation and destruction, the past, the present and the future. She
is the three, but also beyond the three, she is the Universal Mother.
Fuchiyado Dharma takes its roots from the old Non Dual tradition known as Advaita Vedanta
Philosophy, a system of thought of identification of the Self (Atman) and the Whole (Brahman) in
one. Through the practice of the Fuchiyado Dharma, using the Fuchiyado meditation techniques we
come to the non-dual state of consciousness and the goal will be, to become a Jivanmukta.
As a main protector Deity and representation of the Fuchiyado Dharma (The Samurai Blowgun
Martial Art) Shri Krishan Puri selected Kali Krishna Krodhini, which comes from the Tantric Doctrine of
Enlightenment. Kali Krishna Krodhini apart the many symbolic items she wear, in her left hand she
holds the ritual staff Khatvanga, the mystical weapon which in the Fuchiyado Dharma practice that
role has the Blowgun (Fukiya).
The ritual stuff the Fukiya is the representation of the union of the two dual parts, the female active
and male the passive principle. Through the ritual staff Fukiya, we exhale the active female principle
the breath and we activate and move the passive male principle the arrow towards the target which
represents the center of our existence, the state of perfection and totality and cosmic oneness. This
is the state of non-dualism and self-realization, the state of emptiness which comes afterwards.

41

AUM IS THE MOST SACRED SYMBOL IN HINDU AND IN

FUCHIYADO DHARMA, IT IS THE SOUND OF THE INFINITE

It is said that AUM is the essence of all the mantras, the highest of all mantras or the divine word
(Shabda), Brahman (ultimate reality) itself. It is said that AUM is the essence of the Vedas.
By sound and form, AUM symbolizes the infinite Brahman (ultimate reality) and the entire universe.
The goal, which all Vedas declare, which all austerities aim at, and which humans desire when they
live a life of continence, I will tell you briefly it is AUM. The syllable AUM is indeed Brahman. This
syllable AUM is the highest. Whoever knows this symbol obtains all that he desires. This is the best
support; this is the highest support. Whosoever knows this support is adored in the world of
Brahman. - Katha Upanishad I, ii, 15-17

A - Stands for earth or for the creation of Brahma. It envelops the whole universe including minutest
particles and corresponds with our waking state.

U - Stands for preservation and atmosphere. It represents the cosmic hemisphere inhabiting all
Deities, Gandharvas, Rakshas and Pichasas it is beyond our mind and thought and is creation of
Vishnu. In other words, it is our dreaming state of mind.

M - Stands for dissolution and cessation of all worldly thoughts because we are into complete
unconsciousness or deep sleep and that is the creation of Shiva. Though we are not conscious but
still remember in the morning that we went to sleep. The Mandukya Upanishad says that in a state of
a deep sleep, the atman (soul) is awake and observes the inactive body, the atman is the one, which
brings back the memory. It is the atman (soul) that is above the three stages and this fourth stage
refers to the Silence.

42

Gaudapada in his commentary on this Upanishad said that if we identify the three stages with the
Silence on and if we continue the meditation, then we would realize the inner self and there would
be no return for a man to the sphere of empirical life, as we enter in true peace, the mind release the
tyranny of the non-illuminated ego, renouncing the worldly thoughts, objects, motions and so on. In
the Vedas, AUM is the sound of the Sun, the sound of Light. It is the sound of assent (affirmation) and
ascent (it has an upwards movement and uplifts the soul, as the sound of the divine eagle or falcon.
In the Advaita philosophy it is frequently used to represent three subsumed into one, a common
theme in Hinduism. It implies that our current existence is Mithya, or 'skewed reality,' that in order
to know the full truth we must comprehend beyond the body and intellect and intuit the true nature
of infinity, of a Divine Ground that is imminent but also transcends all duality, being and non-being,
that cannot be described in words.
Within this metaphysical symbolism of the Aum, the three are represented by the lower curve, upper
curve and tail of the subsumed into the ultimate One, represented by the little crescent moon-shape
and dot, known as Chandrabindu. Essentially, upon Moksha, Mukti, Samadhi, Nirvana, liberation, etc.
one is able not only to see or know existence for what it is, but also to become it. In attaining truth
one simply realizes fundamental unity; it is not the joining together of a prior manifold splitting.
When one gains true knowledge, there is no split between knower and known: one becomes
knowledge/consciousness itself. In essence, OM/AUM is the signifier of the ultimate truth that all is
one.
The mantra AUM represents the Hindu trinity or the three principles of existence:
A represents Brahma, U represents Vishnu, and M represents Shiva. The silence felt after chanting
AUM signifies the ultimate reality that is present at every moment. This reality is beyond creation
(Brahma), sustenance (Vishnu) and destruction (Shiva).
According to Indian scriptures this entire world, along with the human body and mind is made up of
three Gunas (qualities):
A: represents the Tamas Guna (ignorance, darkness);
U: represents the Rajas Guna (passion and dynamism);
M: represents the Sattva Guna (harmony, clarity);
The silence experienced after chanting AUM transcends the three Gunas, and represents the pure
consciousness. Each letter of AUM is connected to a specific area in the body. When chanting AUM
the vibration of A can be felt in the abdomen (navel area), U in the throat and the resonance of M
can be experienced in the head. The silence experienced after the chanting of AUM represents the
supreme consciousness that is beyond our thinking and comprehension. These three syllables also
represent the three states or bodies that constitute the human system. A represents the waking
state (Jagrat Avastha) U represent the dream state (Swapna Avastha), while M represent the
dreamless state (Susupta Avastha). The fourth state is beyond the three levels of consciousness and
is known as transcendental state (Turiya Avastha).

43

This state is not represented by any letter and occurs when one has finished chanting AUM. In this
state of silence only consciousness is present and nothing else exists. This consciousness is the
Brahman, or atman that exists within us.

Meaning of the symbol AUM

AUM as a sound vibration and also as a visual symbol represents the four levels of consciousness.

The lower curve represents the Gross, the Conscious, and the Waking state level, called
Vaishvanara. (A of AUM Mantra).
The center curve represents the Subtle, the Unconscious, and the Dreaming level, called
Taijasa. (U of AUM Mantra).
The upper curve represents the Causal, the Subconscious, and the Deep Sleep level, called
Prajna. (M of AUM Mantra).
The dot, point, or Bindu represents the fourth state, the absolute consciousness, which
encompasses, permeates all other three and is called Turiya. (Silence after A, U, and M of
AUM Mantra)
The arc below the dot symbolizes the separateness of this fourth state, standing above,
though ever remaining part of the other three. Piercing the Bindu finally allows one to attain
the highest experience, and this comes after following the process of Kundalini Awakening.

There are four main levels of consciousness outlined in the OM Mantra, along with three transition
levels, which is a total of seven levels. Each of these levels is experienced through the inner journey
of meditation and contemplation.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

A - Walking/Conscious/Gross Level
Transition
U - Dreaming/Unconscious/Subtle Level
Transition
M - Deep Sleep/Subconscious/Causal Level
Samadhi
Turiya/Consciousness/Absolute/Silence after AUM

The syllable AUM symbolizes the both spheres: the phenomenal, visible sphere of the 'Jagat',
wherein the manifestations of time and space appear and perish and the transcendent, timeless
sphere of the Imperishable Being, which is beyond and yet one with it.
Thus, A the 'waking state', U, the 'dream', M, the 'deep sleep', and the silence, 'Turiya', all four
together comprise the totality of the manifestation of the Atman Brahman as a syllable. Just as the
sound M manifests itself, grows, becomes transformed in its vocal quality and finally subsides into
the silence that follows, so too the four 'states' or components of being ultimately merge into the
homogeneous silence of the 'fourth' (Turiya). The other three states are transformations of the one
experience, which taken together constitute the totality of its modes, whether regarded from the
microcosmic or from the macrocosmic point of view.

44

TANTRA AND TANTRISM

TANTRA - The word "Tantra" is derived from the combination of two words "Tattva" and "Mantra".
"Tattva" means the science of cosmic principles, while "mantra" refers to the science of mystic sound
and vibrations. Tantra therefore is the application of cosmic sciences with a view to attain spiritual
ascendancy. In another sense, Tantra also means the scripture by which the light of knowledge is
spread: Tanyate vistaryate jnanam anemna iti tantram.
TANTRISM -isa doctrine of enlightenment as the realization of the oneness of one's self and the
visible world; combines elements of Hinduism and paganism including magical and mystical elements
like Mantras and Mudras and erotic rites; especially influential in Tibet.
The history of Tantric traditions and their interrelationship is complex. Although the roots of
Tantrism may be ancient, the texts can only be dated with any degree of certainty to the 9th or 10th
centuries CE, although they probably date back to about the 7th century CE. The Tantras are regarded
as an independent revelation which superseded the orthodox Hindu revelation of the Veda.
Among the earliest Tantras are Shaiva Tantras (focused on Shiva), there are also Vaishnava Tantras
(focused on Vishnu); Shakta Tantras (focused on the Goddess or Shakti); Saura Tantras (focused on
the Sun) today this Tantra collection is lost. Jain Tantras which do not contain the practices of the
more extreme Shaiva cults and the Buddhist Tantras which are early and become incorporated into
the complex traditions of Tibetan Buddhism.
Within Hinduism the Tantric revelation can be divided into the Shaiva Siddhanta which accepts the
dualist Tantras as supreme and Shaiva and Shakta Tantras which claim to be monistic. The Shaiva
Siddhanta became aligned to high caste orthopraxy, whereas other groups, such as the Kapalikas,
remained heterodox. The Shri Vidya is a Tantric tradition containing both left and right handed
doctrines which became associated with the brahmanical orthodoxy in south India. Kerala has a
thriving Tantric tradition and Kerala tantrics are respected Brahmans who install images in temples to
the present day.
Tantrism is found in both Hinduism and Buddhism. Although Buddhist and Hindu Tantrism are
distinct, they nevertheless share some common features. These include: a search for liberation
during the present lifetime; a view that the body is divine and contains the bipolar universe within it;
the use of visualization and Yoga, particularly Kundalini Yoga in Hindu Tantrism; and a concern with
the construction of sacred diagrams (Yantra, Mandala), ritual gestures (Mudra) and the repetition of
sound formulas (Mantras) in order to gain liberation and achieve magical power (Siddhi).
Many of the esoteric Buddhist Tantras are modeled on the Hindu Shaiva Tantras, though Buddhist
doctrines are superimposed on the Shaiva material. Some of the early Shaiva Tantras composed
within a culture of cremation ground asceticism advocate the worship of ferocious, often female,
deities, offering them alcohol, meat and erotic substances. These later become codified into the '5
ms', the ritual substances of wine, meat, fish, parched grain and sexual intercourse (all five begin
with the letter 'm' in Sanskrit).

45

What became known as 'left handed' Tantrism took the use of these ritual ingredients literally; 'right
handed' Tantrism understood them as a symbol of pure ritual substances. Some Tantric traditions,
such as Kashmir Shaivism, are monistic maintaining that the self is identical with the absolute, others,
such as the Shaiva Siddhanta is dualistic. Buddhist Tantras speak of the purification of body, speech
and mind in order to realize the emptiness of all phenomena.
Tantrism is very rich in symbols which are used in meditation and rituals. Indeed, the body itself is a
symbol of the cosmos and male and female bodies symbolize Shiva and Shakti for Hindus, or Prajna
(Wisdom) and Upaya (Means) for Buddhists. Sexual union therefore becomes a symbol of liberation
understood as the union of Shiva and Shakti or of Prajna and Upaya.
In Hindu Tantrism, Shakti is active female energy and Shiva is passive male consciousness, whereas in
Buddhist Tantrism, Prajna is the passive female element and Upaya the active male element. Other
Tantric symbols are sound formulas (Mantras); sacred diagrams (Yantra, Mandala); and ritual hand
gestures (Mudra).The Tantras also contain a symbolic language which associates the body with the
male-female polarity in the cosmos.

Shiva - Shakti

46

INDRODUCTION TO TIBETAN ART

The seventh century A. D. is considered as a landmark in the history of Buddhism in Tibet. Through
the introduction of Buddhism into the land it witnessed a social and cultural advance. From the
seventh century onwards while extensive literary activity in terms of translation from Sanskrit to
Tibetan and composition of Tibetan literature was in progress, a corresponding development in art
also took place. Many beautiful monasteries and temples decorated with frescos and paintings, cast
images and ritual objects were set up.
Tibet in those days was open to foreign influences. It had continuous contact with India, Nepal, China
and the countries of Central Asia, and hence was well disposed to receive all forms of art and culture.
Hence, there can be no doubt that the first artists, who painted frescos and modeled the figures of
gods and goddesses of the Tibetan Buddhist pantheon, were not Tibetan, but Indians, Nepalese and
Chinese.The scientific fact is that all the ideas of Buddhism are based on Vedic knowledge.
The primary symbols which are to be found in Tibetan Buddhist Tantric iconography range from
those of universal and archetypal character to those which may be referred to a limited cultural
context. Among the former we may count such symbols as the union of male and female so
prevalent in Tantric iconography and the image of the tree of enlightenment. These symbols are
clearly not restricted to any particular culture and have appeared many times in a variety of religious
and literary contexts.
In addition, there are numerous symbols which are drawn from the Indian mythological heritage and
which are adopted and modified to express Tantric concepts. Among these, perhaps the most
notable are the Vajra and the Padma.
The Vajra, initially well known as the scepter of Indra, expressed his mastery over the world. It came
to assume tremendous importance in Tantric philosophy and symbolism. While the original symbolic
significance remained relevant, because the Vajra wielded by Buddhist Tantric deities may be taken
as expressing their mastery over the world of existence, the Vajra came to symbolize a great deal
more in Buddhist iconography. It seems the primary significance of the Vajra in Buddhist Tantric
thought is as a symbol of the indestructible nature of the ultimate truth. In this sense, the term Vajra
is often explained as synonymous with emptiness (Sunyata) which is indestructible.
The Vajra is said to be superior to all things, while it is capable of destroying anything with which it
comes into contact, it is like a diamond, remaining unaffected. It may well be that this explanation of
the significance of the term Vajra led to the employment of the term Vajrayana as designation of
Tantric Buddhism in general. The connection may become clearer if it is recalled that through Tantric
methodology situations and emotions normally injurious to spiritual progress can be appropriated
and turned to a religious purpose without affecting the Tantric practitioner. Again, in other contexts
when Vajra is found in association with the Vajraghanta as in the case of Vajra sattva, the Vajra
represents skillful means, the active component of the ultimate attainment of Buddha hood, while
the Vajra Ghanta or bell represents wisdom.

47

While the significance of the Vajra underwent extensive development and modification within the
Buddhist Tantric tradition, the significance of the Padma or lotus seems to have remained largely
unaltered. The symbol of the Padma commonly found in Indian spiritual iconography as representing
the transformation from an impure condition to a pure one which is the goal of spiritual discipline,
retained by and large the same significance in Buddhist Tantric iconography.
The Padma which is born in the mud nonetheless rises above it and unfolds the flower of spiritual
excellence. The fact that nearly all Buddhist Tantric deities are pictured seated upon lotus thrones
indicates the purified condition of their being. Another symbol which is often met with in both
Mahayana and Tantric iconography is that of the sword or Vajra knife.
The sword is a symbol of the wisdom of discrimination which cuts through the net of erroneous
views and ignorance, while the text of the Perfection of Wisdom represents the purified knowledge
which replaces the mistaken notions of the ego and the like which are responsible for the presence
of suffering.
The Vajra knife which is characteristic of Tantric iconography possesses essentially the same
significance as the sword. Such curved knives are found wielded by large numbers of Tantric deities,
both major and minor. Vajrayogini holds such a knife as does Mahakala in some representations.
Moreover, the many ornaments which adorn the figures of the Tantric deities have a wide range of
significance, both general and specific. The bone ornaments which are very striking features of
Tantric iconography as well as the garments of animal skins can find parallel to the costumes of
demons of Indian mythology.
While skull cups and ornaments of bone obviously express the consciousness of impermanence
which is so fundamental to Buddhist thought, they have more specific references as well. For
instance, the crowns of five skulls which adorn the heads of a large number of Tantric deities are
explained in commentaries as representing the five transcendent wisdoms associated with the five
Dhyani Buddhas.
Again, the six ornaments of bone, i.e. the skull tiara, the armlets, the bracelets, the anklets, the bone
bead apron and waistband combined with the double line of bone beads extending over the
shoulders onto the breast which adorn important Tantric deities are explained as representations of
the six perfections: generosity, morality, patience, energy, concentration, and wisdom.
In addition, we find that many of the Tantric deities are black in color. The black color symbolizes
immutability, or in other words the quality of remaining unaffected and impervious to any external
influences. Thus black symbolizes the unconquerable and secure nature of the accomplished state.
The mounts or Asanas upon which the Tantric deities are pictured also have important philosophical
significance. Thus it is that the corpse upon which Mahakala stands in some representations is said to
symbolize the ego and the triumph of the deity over it.
Yamantaka, the wrathful emanation of Manjusri tramples upon the head of Yama which expresses
his triumph over death. Again, Vajrakila is depicted trampling upon Siva and Uma who in this case
symbolizes his triumph over the extremes of Eternalism and Nihilism.

48

The objects which the various Tantric Goddesses hold in their hands also have specific significance.
Vajrayogini, for instance, holds in her right hand a Vajra knife which symbolizes the cutting off of
naive ignorance and in her left hand, she holds a skull cup filled with blood from which she drinks.
This symbolizes her consumption of the defilements which give rise to suffering.
Thus the detailed description of the Tantric deities including color, ornaments, hand objects and
mount found in the appropriate texts and represented in paintings and images is capable of
individual and specific interpretation of all its elements.
Therefore, it is evident that the intricate symbolism of Buddhist Tantric iconography includes a wide
variety of symbols drawn from a number of sources. The interpretation of the significance of Tantric
symbolism is all the more difficult, because the symbols may be interpreted on a variety of levels
which makes it impossible to fix upon any one interpretation as exclusively correct.
Nonetheless, far from being a haphazard conglomeration of horrific forms and macabre
paraphernalia, Tantric iconography is a carefully constructed system of psychological symbolism
calculated to express succinctly and pictorially the whole of Buddhist religion and Tantric philosophy.
It functions as skillful means by which the Tantric adept is assisted in his appropriation and
realization of the divine vision. Thus, Tantric iconography is an integral part of the process of
liberation and enlightenment.

Guru Padmasambhava

Vajrayogini

49

KALI KRISHNA KRODHINI THE FUCIYADO PROTECTOR DEITY

KALI KRISHNA KRODHINI is still known as Troma Nagmo in Tibetan and in English as the Fierce Black
One. Kali Krishna Krodhini is represented in blue black color; her main wrathful central face
symbolize the pure relative truth and on the top of the crown the small pig head looking to the right
symbolize the ultimate truth gazing upward.
Wrathful in appearance she is represented with three round glaring eyes, a gaping red mouth and
yellow hair flowing upward like flames. In her upraised right hand she holds a curved knife and in her
left hand held near to the heart she is holding a skullcap filled with blood; and against her shoulder a
Khatvanga staff is represented. She is adorned with a tiara of five skulls, bone earrings, ornaments
and a necklace of freshly severed heads, draped across the shoulders she wears a frightful human
and elephant skin and tiger skin as a lower garment. Standing on the left leg in a posture of dance
atop of a human corpse, sun disc and lotus blossom, she is completely surrounded by flames of
pristine awareness.
At the lower left and right are presented as an offering two skull cups mounted upon a tripod of
three small skulls containing nectar and blood, in the center between the two is represented a
wrathful offering of the five senses, containing human heart, nose, tongue, eyes, ears and a silken
arrow, representing the sixth sense, left and right from the wrathful offering of the five senses we
can see representation of the three jewels surrounded by fire flames.
The central figure of the Deity is standing upon the Mt. Meru and rock formations, surrounded with
waterfalls from the two sides; in the right lower part of the painting of the Kali Krishna Krodhini we
can see maybe not so clearly a representation of a Stupa and Female and Male Deities in an ecstatic
dance surrounded by blazing fire. In the upper part of the painting in the right and left angles we can
see representations of a clouds (right) and sun (left).
The texts below try to give a detail explanation of the elements of the painting.
50

ICONOGRAPHY OF THE TIBETAN TANTRIC ARTACCORDING TO THE

FUCHIYADO PROTECTOR DEITY KALI KRISHNA KRODHINI

The five great elements: earth, water, fire, air, and space are always represented in the landscape of
the Tibetan art. The element earth is depicted by rock formations, caves, meadows, mountains, and
simulacra in landscape; water by lakes, rivers, and waterfalls; fire by flame motifs and aureole flames;
air by cloud formations; space by sky, aura lines, and rainbows. Anatomically earth represents the
skeletal body of nature, water its life veins, fire its warmth and complexion, air its breath, and space
its consciousness.

ROCK FORMATIONS
'Vajra rock' formations are the rocky islands or promontories on
which rest deities and their lotus seats. Wrathful deities in
particular are usually depicted on Vajra rock islands or cliffs. The
visualization practice (Sadhana) of Vajrakilaya describes the Vajra
rock as the seat of all wrathful deities, composed of all kinds of
precious substances.
In the Sadhanas of wrathful deities such as Vajrakilaya, Mahakala, and Ekajati, the triangular Vajra
rock shaped like the wrathful element of fire arises as the 'reality source' (Skt. Dharmodaya) from the
syllable E, which arises out of emptiness. In our iconography of our Fuchiyado Deity we have the
representation of Mt. Meru, the axis-mundi of the universe. Below on either side are protruding cliff
buttresses. The complex Vajra rock at the bottom has many orifices with springs from which water
pours. Water often surrounds these Vajra rock formations, creating an island.

WATER
Pure water is said to possess eight qualities: it is clear, cool, healing,
soothing, odorless, delicious, light, and soft. Rivers, streams, waterfalls,
and lakes invariably occur within a landscape composition. The water in
Hinduism has a special place because it is believed to have spiritually
cleansing powers. To Hindus all water is sacred, especially rivers, and
there are seven sacred rivers, namely the Ganges, Yamuna, Godavari,
Sarasvati, Narmada, Sindhu and Kaveri. Although Hinduism encompasses
so many different beliefs among those that most Hindus do share is the
importance of striving to attain purity and avoiding pollution. This
relates to both physical cleanliness and spiritual well-being. The offering
of water at Buddhist shrines symbolizes the aspiration to cultivate the
virtues of calmness, clarity and purity with our body, speech and mind. It reminds us to diligently
cleanse ourselves of our spiritual defilements of attachment, aversion and delusion through the
generating of generosity, compassion and wisdom.
51

FIRE (FLAMES)
The billowing mass of flames that surrounds wrathful deities is described as a
'blaze of awareness fire'. The wisdom energy of wrathful forms blazes like the
sun's inexhaustible fire. The sun, as a symbol of pure wisdom, is consumed with
fire, yet is not itself consumed. Its eternal fire is inexhaustible.
Like the sun, wrathful forms abide in the ultimate emptiness as the immovable
sphere of Dharmadhatu (Skt. Chos dbyings), the expanse of absolute reality of
the enlightened mind. The wrath of these deities is not ordinary anger, but wisdom anger
manifesting in its most indestructible or Vajra nature, with the capacity of terrifying all evil spirits
such as Maras and Rakshas.
The twisting and blazing fiery aureole of wrathful forms is also described as Kalagni, meaning 'the fire
of time'; Kalagni is literally the 'fire at the end of time', the ultimate conflagration of the universe at
the end of this aeon.

AUREOLA
Aureola is the radiance of luminous cloud which, in paintings of sacred
personages, surrounds the whole figure. The Aureola, when enveloping
the whole body, generally appears oval or elliptical in form, but
occasionally depicted as circular, vesica piscis, or quatrefoil.
When it appears merely as a luminous disk round the head, it is called
specifically a halo or nimbus is a ring of light that surrounds a person in
art sacred persons may be depicted with a halo in the form of a circular
glow, or in Asian art flames, around the head, or around the whole body.
Halos may be shown as almost any color, but as they represent light are
most often depicted as golden, yellow, white, or red when flames are
depicted. The ring of fire and light, which circumscribes the entire image,
identifies the field of the dance with the entire universe.
Aureole flames can be drawn with much grace and expression of
movement, the flames curling to one side and leaping out at the other.
This transverse movement of the flames usually enhances the dynamic
body posture of the wrathful deity at its center.
The flames may also emanate from the deitys heart, with the tongues of fire reaching out towards
the ten directions. Inverted horseshoe shaped auras of flames can also encircle wrathful forms, gold
lines, enhances their luminosity and fiery quality.

52

Aura lines applied over the deity's inner aura, which is usually
colored dark blue or occasionally dark red. These fine gold lines
alternate between straight and waving, they represent the natural
radiance of wisdom and compassion from the deity's body. Just as
the sun, glimpsed through a gap in a tree's foliage, casts a radiating network of rays into a
shimmering moire pattern, so are the deity's wisdom and compassion rays made manifest. On some
early Thangkas the extremities of the aura lines terminate in a curved over hook on the straight rays,
and a small round lotus on the waved rays. The hook represents the 'binding of awareness' or
wisdom; and the lotus, compassion or method. If all of the rays terminate in small hooks it represents
the deity's ability to hook and draw all sentient beings to its heart. The fine gold lines which radiate
from the heart of the deity represent the 72,000 purifying the psychic nerves (Skt. Nadi) of the deity's
subtle or Vajra body.

CLOUDS
As a symbol of the air are very often represented in various
forms in the Tibetan art, as it is the cause in the iconography of
our Fuchiyado Deity, in the upper right corner we can see the
symbolism of the air through the representation of the clouds.

LOTUS
The Lotus (Skt. Padma) is the symbol of absolute purity; it
grows from the dark watery mire but is untainted or
unstained by it. As the seed of the lotus grows from the water
and not from the earth's soil, it is a symbol of divine or spontaneous generation. The lotus seat or
throne on which most deities sit or stand symbolizes their innate purity; they manifest into cyclic
existence, yet they are completely free from its defilements, emotional hindrances, and
obscurations. Brahma, the Vedic God of creation, was born from a golden lotus which grew from the
navel of Vishnu lotus born from an umbilical womb. Padmasambhava, the 'Lotus Born' Tantric Master
who introduced Vajrayana Buddhism into Tibet, was likewise divinely born from a lotus which
miraculously blossomed from Dhanakosha Lake in the western Indian land of Uddiyana.
Birth from a lotus implies Immaculate Conception and that the being born is innately divine and
uncontaminated by karmic faults. Thus the lotus, as divine womb, becomes a potent sexual
metaphor. Padma or Kamala, meaning lotus in Sanskrit, is a synonym for the female vagina it is soft
and open. Vajra is a synonym for the male penis it is hard and penetrative. The union of the Vajra and
lotus is a sexual metaphor for the union of form and emptiness, compassion and wisdom, blissfully
uniting in divine embrace. Viewed from above, the lotus base forms a circular mandala of petals;
within this the pericarp or lotus heart rests as a slightly domed green disc. Above this are placed discs
of the sun and moon. Seen from the front the lotus seat appears as a slightly curved frieze, with the
sun and moon discs forming a cigar shape due to foreshortening.

53

The lotus symbolizes purity and renunciation, the sun disc, ultimate Bodhichitta and the moon disc,
relative or conventional Bodhichitta. The Sanskrit term Bodhichitta means 'the mind of
enlightenment', which is the foundation of the Mahayana path. Conventional Bodhichitta refers to
the altruistic resolve to attain enlightenment for the benefit of all beings, and ultimate Bodhichitta
refers to the enlightened wisdom which directly realizes emptiness through the perfection of this
altruistic aspiration. Within the Tantras Bodhichitta also refers to a subtle physiological essence
which permeates the body as white male and red female 'drops' of seminal fluids.
The number of petals on a lotus seat mirrors the number of petals which arise on the internal
'lotuses' of the chakras: four, eight, sixteen, twenty-four, thirty-two, sixty-four, and one-thousand.
Although descriptions allude to the deity's seat as the eight petalled lotus of the heart chakra, lotus
seats are most commonly illustrated with sixteen petals. On seated figures usually five full petals are
shown at the front, with two or four turning petals on each end. With standing figures, where often
the legs are spread and consequently the sun and moon discs elongated, seven or nine full petals are
usually depicted, with again two or four turning petals at the edges.
There are many variations of lotus representation like a monochromatic and colored, ornamented or
simple, pointing upwards or downwards. Our standing deity Kali Krishna Krodini is depicted on
downwards pointing multi colored lotus, ornamented on with a golden leafs. The lotus pedestal on
which the image rests locates this universe in the heart or consciousness of each person. On the right
upper corner on the painting it is represented a sun as a golden disc, with gold radiating rays and
halo.

STUPAS
Burial mounds are common to most Neolithic, Bronze and Iron Age cultures and
Vedic India was no exception to this almost universal practice. Domed tombs or
Samadhis erected over the buried bodies of Indian Saints or kings function as free
standing sacred sites which the devotees can circumambulate, absorbing the
blessings or Darshan of the great spiritual 'presence' entombed within. Great Indian
Saints are traditionally buried cremation is not deemed necessary as they have
already passed through the fire of spiritual purification. Early Indian Buddhism, with
its immediate reliance on the doctrines of the Buddha, developed the Stupa form at its inception;
giving rise to a popular cult of relics and pilgrimage centers with circumambulatory sites. As the
receptacle of Buddha's enlightened mind the Stupa encapsulates a multitude of symbolic meanings
that reveal his enlightened qualities. Firstly, although it is not actually described in any Tibetan text
on Stupa symbolism, the Stupa has 'assumed' the representation of the five purified elements. The
square base or lion throne represents the four cardinal sides and four inter cardinal comers of the
element earth. The hemispherical dome or vase (lib. bum pa) represents the circle or drop of the
element water. The conical spire of thirteen umbrellas represents the element of fire. The upper
lotus parasol and crescent moon represent the element of air; and the sun and dissolving point, the
element of space. The three parts of the Stupa throne base, dome, and the Harmika spire also
symbolize the body, speech, and mind of the Buddha. Taken as a single unit the Stupa itself
represents the Dharmakaya as the ultimate nature of the fully enlightened mind.

54

MUDRAS
In classical Indian dance and the martial art traditions of India and
the Far East, the various mudras also evolved into highly
sophisticated gestural languages. In Buddhist Tantra, the right hand
symbolizes the male aspect of compassion or skillful means, and the
left hand represents the female aspect of wisdom or emptiness.
The ritual hand held attributes such as the Vajra and bell, Vajra and
lotus, Damaru and bell, Damaru and Khatvanga, arrow and bow,
curved knife and skull cup, sword and shield, hook and rope snare,
etc., placed in the right and left hands, symbolize the union of the active male aspect of skillful
means with the contemplative female aspect of wisdom.
In Hindu Tantra a similar distinction is made between the 'male' right
hand and the 'female' left hand, where the Tantras of the God
Ishvara (Shiva) are known as the 'right hand path' (Dakshina Marg),
and those of the Goddess Devi (Shakti), as the 'left hand path' (Varna
Marg).
The clockwise right hand path is considered auspicious, and in Indian
society men and their male attributes are always positioned on the
right. The anticlockwise female left hand path is considered inauspicious, and is taken to its extreme
in the left hand rituals of Shakti worship, as rituals for the dead, black magic, and the necromantic
rites performed in cremation grounds on the dark nights of the moon.
In both Hinduism and Buddhism the Goddess is always placed on the left side of the male deity,
where she sits on his left thigh, while her lord places his left arm over her left shoulder and dallies
with her left breast. The widespread taboo and deprecation accorded to the left hand as dark,
female, inferior, and 'not right', makes a fascinating study. In Latin the right hand is known as
'Dexter', suggesting dexterity, skill, adroitness and ability.
The left hand is known as 'Sinistral', meaning sinister, malignant, or of evil omen. In Vajrayana
Buddhism the right hand path represents the father Tantra aspect emphasizing skillful means, and
the left hand path represents the 'mother Tantra' aspect emphasizing wisdom. Kali Krishna Krodhini
hands, holds the blood filled skull cup in the left hand and the curved flaying knife or Kartri in the
right.
The right hand holding the Vajra topped Kartri is in threatening forefinger of Tarjani gesture this
Kartri is also called a Kartika and symbolizes the severance of worldly material restrictions. This
Mudra is also known as Karana Mudra. The word Kartika comes from the name Kartikay which is the
name of Lord Shiva's Son, whilst the left hand holding the skull cup displays the Dhyana Mudra
gesture.

55

THE TREE JEWELS

In the lower central part of the painting under the lotus are represented
symmetrically two pairs of the "three jewels" in Buddhism, symbolizing the
Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha, which represent the body, speech and
mind of all the Buddhas. Conceptually the Buddhist trinity of body, speech and
mind refer to the purified conduct, speech and thought of enlightened beings.

"Buddha" refers both to the actual person known as the Buddha

and also to the essential Buddha Nature in each being.
Dharma refers to the Hindu and the Buddhas teaching and also to
the teaching of all things in every moment.
Sangha refers both to the community of Hindu and Buddhist
practitioners (both monastic and lay) and also to all who seek
enlightenment.
In the preliminary tantric initiations, refuge is also taken in the
'three roots' of the Guru, Yidam Deity, and Dakini. In ascetic Hindu
dharma the refuge is taken to the Adi Guru and the five roots Gurus.
Gautama Buddha

THE EIGHT AUSPICIOUS SYMBOLS

The eight auspicious Buddhist symbols consist of: a parasol, a pair of
golden fishes, a treasure vase, a lotus, a white right spiraling conch shell,
an endless knot, a banner of victory, and a golden wheel. Originally
these formed a grouping of early Indian symbols of royalty which were
presented at such ceremonies as the investiture or coronation of a king.
The earliest Indian grouping of these eight precious objects probably
comprised: a throne, a Swastika, a handprint, a hooked knot or hair curl,
a vase of jewels, a water libation flask, a pair of fishes, and a lidded
bowl. A south Indian listing includes: a fly whisk, a pair of fishes, an
elephant goad, a mirror, a drum, a banner, a water vase, and a lamp.
The Jains also adopted a list of eight auspicious symbols, which included
a treasure vase, a water flask, two golden fishes, a Swastika, an endless knot, a hair curl, a mirror,
and a throne. In Nepal the Newar Buddhist form of the Ashtamangala replaces the golden wheel with
a pair of fly whisks (Skt. Chamara), and most commonly the eight symbols form a composite vase
shaped arrangement. In Buddhism these eight symbols of good fortune represent the offerings made
by the Gods to Shakyamuni Buddha immediately after he attained enlightenment.

56

The golden treasure vase or also called the 'vase of inexhaustible treasures'
is modeled on the traditional Indian clay water pot or Kumbha with a flat
base, round body, narrow neck and fluted upper rim. The typical Tibetan
treasure vase is usually represented as a highly ornate golden vase with
lotus petal motifs radiating around its various sections, and a single flaming
jewel or group of jewels protruding from its upper opening. As the divine
vase of inexhaustible treasures it possesses the quality of spontaneous
manifestation: however much is removed from it the vase remains perpetually full. As an auspicious
symbol the emblem of a triple pennant, mounted above a treasure vase, is commonly placed above
the outer wall in the geometric Mandala. The triple pennant represents the trinities of the three
jewels; the three Yanas; the three aspects of body, speech and mind; and victory over the three
realms. Triple pennants are commonly represented on ritual implements such as the Damaru,
Khatvanga, trident and triple banderole.

THE FIVE OFFERINGS OF SENSORY ENJOYMENT

The five offerings of sensory enjoyment represent the most beautiful objects which attract the five
senses: sight or form (Skt. Rupa); sound (Skt. Shabda); smell (Skt. Gandha); taste (Skt. Rasa); and
touch (Skt. Sparsha). These offerings invariably take the form of: a mirror for sight; cymbals, gongs or
a lute for sound; an incense laden conch shell for smell; fruit for taste; and a silk cloth for touch.
Silk fabrics are invariably depicted in flowing graceful movements, as if the cloth or scarf is floating
on a divine breeze. The gossamer thread of divine silk is described as being so fine that a square
which could cover Mt. Meru can be drawn beneath a fingernail. Traditionally a white silk scarf is
presented as an auspicious offering to a lama or teacher, symbolizing the offering of a pure mind,
heart and motivation. Artistically there are no specific rules for the depiction of silk offerings,
although they are usually painted in white, yellow or red as heavenly silk ribbons. White, yellow and
red cloth symbolizes the three activities or karmas of pacifying, enriching and magnetizing. Black, as
the fourth karma of destructive activity, is never represented as a cloth offering to peaceful deities,
as it symbolizes and draws malignant spirits or energies. In the wrathful offering of the five senses, a
small black silk banner is fastened to an arrow which pierces a human heart, representing touch. In
certain traditions silk garments colored white, blue and red represent the Vajrayana, Mahayana and
Hinayana paths.

THE SHARP WEAPONS

Many of these sharp weapons and implements have their origins in the arena of the battlefield and
the funereal realm of the charnel grounds. As primal images of destruction, slaughter, sacrifice, and
necromancy these weapons were wrested from the hands of the evil and turned as symbols against
the ultimate root of evil, the self-cherishing conceptual identity that gives rise to the five poisons of
ignorance, desire, hatred, pride, and jealousy. In the hands of Siddhas, Dakinis, wrathful and semi
wrathful Yidam deities, protective deities or Dharmapalas these implements became pure symbols,
weapons of transformation, and an expression of the deitys wrathful compassion which mercilessly
destroys the manifold illusions of the inflated human ego.
57

THE VAJRA
The Vajra or in Tibetan language called Dorje is the essential symbol of the
'diamond vehicle' or Vajrayana Buddhist path, becoming both its namesake and
the appellation or prefix of a host of Vajra named divinities, attributes, and
qualities.
The Sanskrit term Vajra means 'the hard or mighty one', and its Tibetan
equivalent Dorje means 'the lord of stones', implying an indestructible hardness
and brilliance like the diamond, the adamantine stone which cannot be cut or
broken. The Vajra essentially symbolizes the impenetrable, immovable,
immutable, indivisible, and indestructible state of enlightenment or Buddha hood as Vajra mind. As
the adamantine scepter of peaceful divinities and the indestructible weapon of wrathful deities, the
Vajra symbolizes the male principle of method or skillful means.
It is held in the right or also known as a male hand. When coupled with the Ghanta or bell - which
symbolizes wisdom and is held in the left or female hand, their pairing represents the perfect union
of method and wisdom, or skillful means and discriminating awareness. As a sexual symbol the Vajra
is coupled with the lotus as a metaphor for the penis and vagina. The historical Vajra was probably
both a weapon and a scepter. As a weapon it could be flung or hurled, or, as interpreted by martial
arts enthusiasts, it could be used in the closed fist as a 'tantric knuckle duster'.
As a scepter or symbol of royalty, its arched cluster of four prongs converging on a central axis
parallels the prototype for the coronation crowns of European kings, and many other royal insignia,
becoming the 'crowning glory' on heraldic standards, emblems and devices. In ancient India the
Vajra, as a thunderbolt, became the chief weapon of the Vedic sky God Indra whose Vajra controlled
the forces of thunder and lightning, breaking the monsoon storm clouds that bring the welcome rains
to the parched plains of an Indian summer.
Meteoric iron or 'sky iron' is the supreme substance for forging the physical representation of the
Vajra or other iron weapons, since it has already been tempered by the celestial Gods in its passage
across the heavens. The indivisibility of form and emptiness is a perfect metaphor for the image of a
meteorite or 'stone fallen from the sky', manifesting out of the voidness of space as a shooting star
or fireball, and depositing a chunk of fused 'sky iron' on the earth below.
Many of the Vajras held by deities as weapons are described as being forged from meteorite iron,
and Tibet, with its high altitude, thin atmosphere and desolate landscape, received an abundance of
meteorite fragments. Tibetan Vajras were often cast from meteorite iron, and as an act of
sympathetic magic a piece of the meteoric iron was often returned to its original site.
In early Indian and Central Asian art the Vajra is often depicted in the form of a bar or club, with a
cluster of three or five prongs at either end. The standard form of the Tibetan Vajra is believed to
have been modeled on a large golden Vajra installed at Sera Monastery near Lhasa, which was
formerly carried in an annual procession through the streets of Lhasa and was believed to have
miraculously flown over the Himalayas from India. This legend reveals the Indian origin of the
ornately stylized Tibetan Vajra.

58

The Tibetan words for diamond (Tib. pha lam) and sky iron (Tib. gnam /cags) or thunderbolt, are
distinct from the term Dorje, meaning 'lord of stones'. Although diamond, adamantine and
thunderbolt are three terms synonymous with the Vajra, its metaphysical substance exists more in
the realm of alchemical transformation than in any material or chemical creation. The Vajra, as 'lord
of stones', may in this respect be viewed as the alchemical 'philosopher's stone'.
The Vajra may be represented with one, two, three, four, five, six, or nine prongs at either end, five
and nine pointed Vajras being the most common in the Indo Tibetan Vajrayana tradition. A single
pointed Vajra represents both the central channel as Mt. Meru's central axis, and the union of all
duality symbols conceived of as non-dual. These include wisdom and compassion, emptiness and
bliss, absolute and relative truths. A three pointed Vajra symbolizes the trinities of the three times
(past, present and future); the three main psychic channels or Nadi; the three realms; destruction of
the three root delusions (ignorance, desire, and aversion); the three kayas or 'bodies' of the Buddha;
the 'three gates' of body, speech and mind.
The five pointed Vajra arises as the crowning symbol on many ritual implements and weapons. As the
prime symbol of enlightenment it represents the indistinguishable perfection of the Five Buddha
wisdoms, and the attainment of the five Kayas of the Anuttarayoga Tantras, as the Vajra body of
spontaneous great bliss. The nine pointed Vajra mainly symbolizes the Five Buddhasof the five
directions (Vairochana - east or center; Akshobhya center or east; Ratnasambhava - south;
Amitabha- west; and Amoghasiddhi- north), with the four intercardinal prongs symbolizing the 'four
mothers' or consorts of the four directional Buddhas (with Lochana in the south-east; Mamaki in the
south-west; Pandara in the northwest; and Tara in the northeast). The nine pointed Vajra also
symbolizes the nine 'vehicles' or Yanas; the center and eight directions; and all other groups of eight
surrounding a central principle; such as the eight great charnel grounds, or the Buddha and his Noble
Eightfold Path.
Painted representations of both the five and nine pointed Vajras have only three prongs depicted at
each end. A visual distinction is made between the five pointed Vajra which has closed or uniting
prongs and the nine pointed Vajra which has open prongs that form the shape of a trident and do not
unite with the central prong. Gold is the most common color for depicting both five and nine pointed
Vajras. Alternatively the dark blue color of iron is used, where iron or meteoric iron is specified for
many wrathful forms symbolizing the Vajra wrath that cuts through conventional anger.
Extremely wrathful deities may sometimes be depicted with lightning bolts or flames emanating from
the tip of their Vajra, symbolizing its indestructible power. Other colors, such as the white of rock
crystal, may also be specified for certain individual deitys.
In visualization practices where the form of the deity is 'generated' from a seed syllable (Bija) which
transforms into a lotus, sun and moon disc, and Vajra. The Vajra is often specifically colored to accord
with the form of the deity.

59

THE CROSSED VAJRA (Skt. Vishvavajra)

The Vishvavajra, as the crossed or 'universal' Vajra, which underlays the
foundation of Mt. Meru's universe, represents the principle of absolute
stability, characterized by the solidity of the element earth. Vishvavajra in a half
section is generally depicted on the tantric staff or Khatvanga in the paintings.

Half Vishvavajra depicted on the tantric stuff or Khatvanga in the paintings.

THE BELL (Skt. Ghanta)

The ritual hand bell or Vajra Ghanta represents the feminine principle as the
'perfection of wisdom' (Skt. Prajnaparamita) which directly realizes emptiness
(Shunyata). The Vajra and bell are the two main ritual implements that symbolize
the perfections of method or skillful means (Vajra), and wisdom or emptiness
(Ghanta).The bell is described as 'proclaiming the sound of emptiness', which arises
from the voidness of its form, radiates in all directions, and dissolves back into
silence or emptiness. Its hollow or 'mouth' is emptiness; its clapper or 'tongue' is
form.
As a sexual symbol the hollow 'lotus' of the bell represents emptiness as the vagina, and the prongs
of the Vajra symbolizing the four Nadi which emanate from the 'jewel wheel chakra' at the tip of the
male sexual organ represent form or appearance. Their union is the coincidence of great bliss and
compassion as pure emptiness and form.
There are many types of bell design; this second picture show type of bell which is
represented on the tantric staff or Khatvanga.

THE TANTRIC STUFF KHATVANGA

Etymologically the root of the Sanskrit term Khatvanga, meaning a tantric staff
or club, derives from the term Khatva (or Charpai) meaning an Indian cot bed
and Anga meaning the leg. It consists of a trident, skull, vase (round knob),
Vishvavajra (square section), upper shaft (bulbs), and lower shaft (tapering
leg).
In Shaivism the Khatvanga is an emblem or weapon of Shiva, and is variously
described as a skull topped club, a skull mounted trident, or a trident staff on
which three skulls are impaled.
60

Iconographical, Shiva's trident with or without a mounted skull invariably shows his double sided
Damaru, which hangs by a cloth strip of red or white cemetery shroud from the prongs of his trident.
In the hands of Tibetan artists the vast majority of Indian weapons took on a much more refined and
aesthetic quality and these weapons then became ritual objects depicted in the hands of deities.
The Shaivite Kapalika emblem of the Khatvanga was first introduced into Tibet by Padmasambhava,
the great Tantric Master of the charnel grounds, whose 'hidden elephant' retreat cave below Nyenri
Gompa in the western valley of Mt.Kailash looks straight onto the snowcapped dome of the heavenly
abode of both Shiva and Chakrasamvara. Mt.Kailash is the supreme abode of Shiva for Hindus and of
Chakrasamvara for Buddhists. Both share the same twenty four sacred sites: the Hindu
Shaktipithasthanas of Shiva's dismembered consort, Sati, and the Buddhist body, speech and mind
Mandalas of Chakrasamvara.
The form of the Buddhist Khatvanga derived from the emblematic staff of the early Indian Shaivite
Yogis, known as Kapalikas or 'skull bearers'. The Kapalikas were originally miscreants who had been
sentenced to a twelve year term of penance for the crime of inadvertently killing a Brahmin. The
penitent was prescribed to dwell in a forest hut, at a desolate crossroads, in a charnel ground, or
under a tree; to live by begging; to practice austerities; and to wear a loin cloth of hemp, dog, or
donkey skin. They also had to carry the emblems of a human skull as an alms bowl, and the skull of
the Brahmin they had slain mounted upon a wooden staff as a banner.
These Hindu Kapalika ascetics soon evolved into an extreme outcaste sect of the 'left hand' Tantric
path (Skt. Vamamarg) of Shakti or Goddess worship. The early Buddhist tantric Yogis and Yoginis
adopted the same Goddess or Dakini attributes of the Kapalikas. These attributes consisted of; bone
ornaments, an animal skin loincloth, marks of human ash, a skull cup, damaru, flaying knife,
thighbone trumpet, and the skull topped tantric staff or khatvanga.
In Vajrayana Buddhism the Khatvanga essentially represents the union of Heruka Chakrasamvara
with his consort Vajravarahi, or the inseparable union of great bliss and emptiness, as 'ultimate
Bodhichitta'. The iconographic parallels between Chakrasamvara and Shiva who is also known by the
names Samvara, Sambara or Shambu reveal their mutual interdependence and common origin.
Chakrasamvara himself' arises' from the prostrate forms of Shiva as Bhairava, and Parvati (Uma) as
Kalarati. For the practitioner of Chakrasamvara, any site dedicated to Shiva or Shakti is a sacred site,
as the feet of his Yidam deity also rest and arise from there.
The handheld emblems of the Khatvanga, skull cup, Damaru, trident, and four faced head of Brahma
are common to both deitys, as are their body emblems of a crescent moon, cemetery adornments,
bone ornaments, skull crown, skull and head garlands, blue skin, matted and coiled hair, their 'nine
modes of expression', and their adornments of flayed elephant, tiger, and human skin. Other
Anuttarayoga Tantra deities also bear the attributes of the wrathful form of Shiva. One such deity is
Yamantaka as Vajrabhairava who even bears the name of the wrathful form of Shiva (Bhairava).

61

Iconography of the Khatvanga

The Khatvanga symbolizes ultimate Bodhichitta as the union of great bliss and emptiness. It is
iconographically described as having an equal length to the God or Goddess who holds it.
As a symbol of the consort, the Khatvanga is always held in the crook of the left arm. When it is held
by male deities it symbolizes the female consort as wisdom; when held by female deities it
represents the male consort as method. Seated Gurus, lineage Masters, Siddhas, Dakinis,Yogis, and
Yoginis always hold the Khatvanga in the crook of the left arm. However, as a hand held attribute of
multiple armed Yidam deities, it may appear either in the left or right hands.
The shaft of the Khatvanga is often described as being fashioned of white sandalwood, or
occasionally 'white sandalwood tinged with red' symbolizing the white and red merging of the
Bodhichitta drops. The shaft is shaped in an octagonal section with eight faces. At its base is either a
five pronged half Vajra, or a single pronged half Vajra, colored either in gold or blue, depending upon
the deity description. An ornamental handle, fashioned like the shaft of a Phurba with two enclosing
knots or lotus bulbs, may sometimes be positioned near the top of the long shaft; often the shaft is
unadorned or terminates in a single lotus bulb.
A lotus handle or bulb is commonly fashioned on sculptural forms of the Khatvanga, but on painted
representations the thin white shaft either ascends behind the lower prongs of its crowning
Vishvavajra, or is covered by the folds of the hanging white silk ribbon which descends from above.
The top of the long lower shaft is crowned by a golden five pronged Vishvavajra, which may be
painted in the four directional colors of the mandala. On sculptural forms the Vishvavajra is fully
modeled in the round, but on painted forms it is usually depicted in a half section, with a full five
pronged Vajra pointing downwards to the front and the cross sections of half Vajras on either side.
Above the Vishvavajra is a small golden vase or flask containing Amrita. On painted images this
usually appears as a simple golden vase with lotus petal designs, but on sculptural forms or
meticulously painted Thangkas it often appears as a long life vase with four descending leaf shaped
pendants. Above the vase are two impaled heads and a skull. The lower head is a freshly severed
head, the second head is a decaying head, and the skull above is dry and white. Two color sequences
for the two heads are given in different deity descriptions. The freshly severed head may be red, with
a green or blue decaying head above; or the freshly severed head may be green, blue or black, and
the decaying head above red.
The reasons given for these variations is firstly that a freshly severed head is full of red blood when
cut, and then turns green or blue black when the blood coagulates, and secondly that a freshly cut
head is green or blue black from the trauma of decapitation, and then turns red on decaying.
These three qualities (fresh, decaying, and dry) and their colors (red, green, and white) also occur in
the three 'cemetery unguents' of fresh blood, human fat, and human ashes, which adorn the cheeks
and nose (red blood), chin and neck (green fat), and the forehead (white ash), of wrathful deities.

62

Certain deities also hold a Khatvanga fashioned from human bone, all the components of which are
painted white. This form of Khatvanga has three impaled skulls, which are described as: 'dripping',
indicating that the skull has been freshly skinned; 'wet', indicating that the skull bone is soft and still
drying; and 'dry', meaning that the skull is hard and old. The white bone Khatvanga represents the
full descent of the white Bodhichitta drops, which flood the Yogi's body with great bliss; the same
symbolism applies to the Yogic practice of smearing the whole body with human ashes, which is also
believed to be an antidote to the arising of sexual passion.

The Khatvanga: Outer Symbolism

As a representation of the physical universe the Vishvavajra of the Khatvanga symbolizes the earth
base of the Mt. Meru mandala. Its twelve visible prongs represent the four main continents and eight
subcontinents surrounding Mt. Meru. The eight sided shaft with its top (zenith) and bottom (Nadir)
represents Mt. Meru's central axis and the ten directions. The vase represents Mt. Meru, and its four
leaf shaped pendants, the four faces of Mt. Meru. The vase's top represents Indra's palace above Mt.
Meru, with the visualized wish fulfilling tree at its center. The fresh red head above the vase
represents the six heavens of the desire God realms (Kamaloka), as red is the color of desire.
Blue or green symbolizes the decay or death of desire, and the decaying green or blue head
represents the eighteen heavens of the pure form realms (Rupaloka) of the desire less Gods.
The fleshless dry white skull represents the four highest formless realms (Arupaloka). The crowning
Vajra at the top symbolizes the paradise realms of the Buddhas. If a trident crowns the Khatvanga's
top it represents the' Three Jewels, and the Buddhas of the three times past, present and future. The
hanging Damaru and bell symbolize the union of method and wisdom. The hanging pendants of sun
and moon represent these planets circling Mt. Meru. The triple valance pendant represents the
victory banner placed at Mt Meru's summit; and the hanging white scarf which is tied around the
vase symbolizes Mt. Meru's encircling mountains and the great salt ocean.

The Khatvanga: Inner Symbolism

The crossed Vajra symbolizes the purified four elements of earth, water, fire, and air; the four
activities (Karmas); and the four doors of liberation (emptiness, signlessness, wishlessness, and lack
of composition). The vase represents the non-conceptual awareness of mind as the perfection of
wisdom's "nectar of attainment". The freshly severed head symbolizes the Nirmnakya or created
body which manifests in time and space and the emptiness of cause. The decaying head symbolizes
the Sambhogakya or body of mutual enjoyment which is a body of bliss or clear light manifestation
and the emptiness of effect. The completely exposed skull symbolizes the Dharmakya or Truth body
which embodies the very principle of enlightenment and knows no limits or boundaries, and the
emptiness of phenomena. The trident represents the three channels, with the flames around the
central tine symbolizing the ascent of the inner fire or Kundalini.

63

The meaning of the hanging Damaru and bell remain unchanged representing the teachings of
method and wisdom, while the three colored valance indicates the three vehicles of Hinayana
(yellow) one working towards self-realization, Mahayana (red) one who intensely wishes to work for
the sake of all beings, and Vajrayana (blue) one who sees through the dream like delusion and
realizes non-duality. The hanging white scarf symbolizes the teachings of all the nine Yanas
(Delightful sensations, Joy, Contentment, Utter peacefulness, Infinity of space, Infinity of
consciousness, Nothingness, Neither perception nor non perception, Cessation) which are
described as a meditation experiences of great bliss and joy, state of absorption and trance.
The small golden vase of Amrita symbolizes the no conceptual awareness that mind is identified with
the perfection of wisdom as the 'nectar of attainment'. The white silk ribbon that billows in the wind
represents the various teachings of the different Buddhist vehicles or Yanas, which may be received
according to the capacities of different practitioners. The hanging three colored silk valance
represents the union of the Hinayana (yellow), the Mahayana (red), and the Vajrayana (blue). The
hanging Damaru and bell represent the teachings of method and wisdom; and the union of sun and
moon signifies the realization of method and wisdom.

THE HAND DRUM (Skr. Damaru)

The double sided hand drum or Damaru is first recorded amongst the artifacts and
clay seals unearthed from the ancient Harrapan civilization of the Indus valley,
where it first appears as an early Shaivite emblem. Shiva is invariably depicted with
his Damaru, which usually hangs silently from his trident revealing the passive
nature of the Hindu male principle in contrast to the dynamic female energy of his
Shakti or consort. In his form as Nataraja, or 'King of the Dance', Shiva vibrantly
sounds his Damaru in one of his right hands, creating the male rhythm (Skt. Tala),
which underlies the female melody (Skt. Raga) as the fabric of the universe. The
hourglass shape of Shiva's Damaru represents Shiva and Shakti in union, as the interpenetration of
the male (Lingam) and female (Yoni) genital or polarity triangles.
The Buddhist Damaru or 'little drum' has a similar form to its early Shaivite prototype, but it is more
compressed in shape, and its double skins are glued to the drumheads rather than being tied with a
latticed tension string. Its double hemispherical body is commonly turned from wood into a perfectly
round section, or hand carved into a slightly oval or trapezoid shape. This shape is modeled on the
oval form of the Kapalika Damaru, which was fashioned from the sawn off cranial sections of two
human skulls.
The Kapalika or 'Tantric Damaru', as held by wrathful and semi wrathful Buddhist deities, is described
as being fashioned from the joined skulls of a fifteen or sixteen year old boy and girl, or a sixteen year
old boy and a twelve year old girl. On deity depictions the left side of the double skull Damaru is
often drawn smaller to represent the pubescent girl's skull. The magical qualities possessed by these
skulls symbolize the virginal ripening to fullness of the male and female Bodhichitta essences.

64

In the Tantric rituals the properties of human bone and other substances are often explicitly
prescribed, to endow the ritual implement or 'power object' with the peaceful or wrathful affinities
of the deitys being propitiated. The drum is typically made of wood, but also can be made entirely
out of human skulls. The resonator is made of brass. The height of the Damaru is 6 inches and weight
varies from 250-330 gm. Its height ranges from a few inches to a little over one foot. It is played
single handedly. The strikers are typically beads fastened to the ends of leather cords around the
waist of the Damaru. Knots in the leather can also be used as strikers. As the player waves the drum
using a twisting wrist motion, the strikers beat on the drumhead.
On painted representations of the Damarus held by deities the handle usually consists of a jewel
chain, terminating in a 'cloud scroll' pendant with a triple valance tail. When it is not in use, the long
tassel tail is coiled around the waist and the Damaru is stored in a drum shaped padded doth bag,
which is cross and rib stitched into a geometric or lotus design and decorated at its circular centers
with three colored 'wheels of joy'. The Damaru is held and played in the 'male' right, or 'method',
hand by Yogis and Yoginis, Siddhas and Deities, and its function is to summon or invoke all of the
Buddhas, inspiring them with supreme joy. Just as the (female) bell held in the left or 'wisdom' hand
proclaims the 'sound of emptiness', the male Damaru proclaims the 'sound of great bliss'.
As internal or 'unstruck sounds' (Skt. Anahata Nada), these correspond to the 'ringing' of the nervous
system and the 'drumming' of the blood circulation, which are heard when the Yogi sits in complete
silence. When the Damaru and bell are paired, they symbolize the union of method and wisdom as
the simultaneous sound of great bliss and emptiness. The two faces of the Damaru, as adolescent
male and female skulls 'sounding together' in sexual union symbolize the union of relative and
absolute Bodhichitta.
The Damaru is known as a power drum, and when played, it is believed that generates spiritual
energy and usually is associated with the Hindu deity Shiva. It is believed that Sanskrit language was
recognized by the drumbeats of the Damaru, and His performance of the cosmic dance of Tandava.
The Damaru is used by itinerant musicians of all stripes, due to its small portable size.
The triangular upward representation of the Damaru symbolizes male procreativity (the Lingam), and
the downward representation symbolizes the female procreativity (the Yoni). Symbolically, the
creation of the world begins when the Lingam and Yoni meet at the midpoint of the Damaru, and the
destruction takes place when they separate from each other.

THE CURVED KNIFE

The Vajra topped curved knife or flaying knife is also known as the knife of the
Dakinis the Dakinis whose name means sky goers or space travelers are the
enlightened Yoginis or female counterparts to the male deitys. The tree main
hand held attributes of the Dakinis in general are the skull cup, the curved knife
or the Damaru, and the Khatvanga.

65

The skull cup of blood which is held in the left hand of important Dakinis, such as Vajrayogini,
Vajravarahi and Nairatma, symbolizes the method as the cultivation of the great bliss; the curved
knife held in the right hand symbolizes wisdom as the severing of all conceptualizations; and the
Khatvanga symbolizes the inseparable union of bliss and emptiness, as the consort (method) held in
the Dakinis (wisdom) perpetual embrace (union), by the crook of her left art. The curved flaying
knife of the Dakini which is either held aloft or extended in her right hand, or held above the skull at
the level of her heart is modeled on the Indian flaying knife or the knife of the butchers, used for
skinning animal hides.
The blade crescent is used for cutting through flesh and scraping it clean, separating the outer and
inner as appearance and emptiness. Iconographically the sharp blade is depicted in the dark blue
color of iron; its upper edges are embellished with a thin leaf shaped golden mount that emanates
from the wide open mouth of a golden Makara. A central hub or shafted handle rises above the
Makaras head, which is crowned by a golden half Vajra.
The Dakinis perform the activity of circling the curved knife towards the ten directions, which
symbolizes their destruction of all negative forces, as the wisdom consciousness that terrifies all
Maras or emotional defilements and serves all conceptualizations. The blades sharp edge, which
divides into two everything it cuts, symbolizes the cutting through of the two veils or obscurations
(Skt. Avarana): the veil of emotional defilements (Skt. Kleshavarana), which arises as the obscuration
to liberation; and the veil of the ignorance or conventional knowledge (Skt. Jneyavarana) which arises
as the obscuration to the knowledge of emptiness.
The veil of emotivity arises both as the gross delusions of the five poisons of ignorance, desire,
hatred, pride and jealousy and as the more subtle psychological delusions which form karmic seeds
for their future continuity. The veil of ignorance arises as the dualistic appearance of the self and
other, as the individuals inner consciousness (self) and the outer phenomenal world (other). As the
knifes blade severs all tangible and abstract conceptualizations, it also cuts through the six
hindrances to meditative contemplation: pride, lack of belief, lack of devotion, distraction,
inattention and boredom. The female pairing of the skull cup and curved knife as polarity symbols
of the Yogini or Dakinis method (skull cup) and wisdom (curved knife), held in her right and left
hands respectively is reversed in the case of male deitys, where the skull cup symbolizes the wisdom
and the curved knife symbolizes the method.

THE SKULL OR SKULL-CUP

The skull cup (Skt. Kapala) fashioned from the oval upper section of a human
cranium serves as a libation vessel for a vast number of Vajrayana deities,
particularly wrathful and protective deities, Yidam, Dakinis, Siddhas and
Tantric lineage holders. In the hands of these deitys and human emanations
the symbolic meanings placed upon the skull cup are both complex and
multifaceted.

66

Just as the qualities inherent in certain kinds of bone of the thighbone trumpet are said to vary, so
too do the qualities of skulls. The skull of a murder or execution victim is believed to possess the
greatest tantric or spirit power; the skull of one who has died from a violent or accidental death, or
from a virulent illness, possesses a medium magical power; the skull of a person who died peacefully
in old age has virtually no occult power. The skull of a child who died during the onset of puberty also
has great potency, as do the skulls of a misscegenated or misbegotten child of unknown paternity,
born from the forbidden union of castes, out of wedlock, from sexual misdemeanor, or particularly
from incest. The 'misbegotten skull' of a seven or eight year old child born from an incestuous union
is considered to possess the greatest power in certain tantric rituals. Here the vital force or potential
of the skull's 'previous owner' is embodied within the bone as a spirit, rendering it as an effective
power object for the performance of left hand tantric rituals.
The three Kapalika attributes of the Khatvanga, Damaru,and Kapala are commonly held by both male
Siddhas and Yogis, and female Dakinis and Yoginis. These three attributes represent the body, speech
and mind of the deity, although alternative identifications are placed upon these implements in
relation to their body, speech and mind aspects in different Tantric traditions. Certain traditions also
maintain that the Kapala held by male deities is an old or' dry' skull, whilst the Kapala held by
Goddesses is a fresh or 'wet' skull.
These qualities may also be accorded to an Anuttarayoga tantra deity as belonging either to the
'Father Tantras' which emphasize the cultivation of method and the realization of the 'illusory body',
or to the 'Mother Tantras' which emphasize the development of wisdom and the realization of the
'clear light'.
However, in deity descriptions or Sadhanas, the distinction between a male and female skull, and a
dry or wet skull, are not usually applied to the Kapala. Here the skullcap is simply referred to as a
skull cup, and the only distinction between dry and wet skulls occasionally occurs within the
symbolism of the rosary of fifty or fifty one skulls worn by both male and female deities.
The five skull crowns, worn by both male and female wrathful deities, are commonly described as
being fashioned of dry skulls which on an exoteric level symbolize the 'drying up' of the five
aggregates and poisons and their transmutation into the five wisdom awarenesss, and on an
esoteric level, the arising of the illusory body from the state of clear light.
The white skull cup full of red blood is almost invariably held in the left hands of both male and
female deities, often at the level of the deity's heart, symbolizing the importance placed upon the
left handed performance of activities in the mother Tantras. In the tantric view of conception, the
father's semen creates the solid white organs of bone, brain, marrow, and spinal cord; the fertile
blood of the mother gives rise to the soft red organs of viscera, muscle tissue, and blood.
The skull or 'crown' is the seat of the white male Bodhichitta, symbolized by the moon, and created
by the semen of the father. The navel is the seat of the red female Bodhichitta, symbolized by the
sun as the vital heat, and created by the fecund uterine blood of the mother. Their placement at the
level of the heart represents the union of the white and red Bodhichitta as the mind of the deity, or
as the indestructible drop at the heart center.

67

As polarity symbols the white and red Bodhichitta drops are commonly depicted in two separate
skull cups, placed as offerings in front and to the left and right of a Yidam or protective deity. In the
case of a deity of the Father Tantra class, a skull cup of white or pale blue Amrita representing
method as white Bodhichitta, or the 'nectar medicine of male semen (Skt. Kunda) may be depicted
on the lower left side of the Thangka; and a skull cup full of red blood (Skt. Rakta) representing
wisdom as red Bodhichitta, or fertile uterine blood may be depicted on the lower right side of the
Thangka.
In the case of a Mother Tantra deity, these polarity symbols may be reversed, as may the positions of
the moon and sun at the top of the Thangka. At the lower center of the Thangka and between these
two skull cups, is also commonly depicted a third skull cup containing the wrathful offering of the five
senses. Collectively these three skull cups symbolize the three primary causes for conception and the
formation of the indestructible drop, with the white and red 'nectars' representing the fertile semen
and uterine blood of the parents; and the five sense organs representing the consciousness of the
being seeking rebirth.
As a procreative image this symbolizes the arising of the enlightened mind from the sexual union of
the deities in Yab Yum. In the case of wrathful protective deities, the male skull cup may be full of
blue black poison and the female skull cup full of sacrificial or heart blood. Here the image symbolizes
annihilation rather than procreation, as the death of the ego and the transmutation of the five
poisons into nectar.
The skull cup of blood is usually depicted as a 'swirling offering', with the blood forming waves and
crests like turbulent water or boiling liquid. This symbolizes the 'blazing and dripping' of the red
Bodhichitta as 'inner heat', since a liquid offering of blood or nectar is said to boil in the presence of a
wrathful Deity, Yidam or Goddess. The blood or Amrita of a swirling offering spirals in an
anticlockwise motion in Mother Tantra practices, and in a clockwise direction in the Father Tantras.
In the iconography of wrathful protective deities the skull cup, held at the level of the heart, may also
be paired with the curved knife or chopper which may be held above the Kapala. Here the chopper is
the weapon that severs the life veins and vital organs of demonic enemies, and the cup is the
oblation vessel in which the blood and organs are collected as the deity's sustenance. Descriptions of
the contents of a wrathful deity's Kapala include warm human blood, blood and brains, blood and
intestines, human flesh and fat, the heart or the heart and lungs of an enemy, the heart of Mara, the
blood of the four Maras, the blood of Rudra, or magical 'charm blood'.
The cranial fissures depicted on skull cups usually form the pattern of a Y-shaped crack at the centre
and two semicircular cracks on the skull's sides. These fissures which are depicted in angular red
zigzag lines divide the Kapala into five sections, representing the Five Buddha wisdoms, or the five
Goddesses. On the 'inner offering' skull cup, only a single vertical fissure is depicted, symbolizing the
indivisibility of great bliss and emptiness.
The skull cup is sometimes metaphorically described as a 'conch ocean' (Skt. shankha samudra). Its
contents represent an 'ocean of blood' on an outer level; the 'truth of no-birth' on an inner level; and
the 'fertile drops of the mother' on a secret level.

68

The three skulls and their triangular metal stand serve as a tripod to hold the Kapala upright, with the
triangular stand representing the wrathful element of fire as a blazing fire mandala, and the three
skulls forming the cornerstones of its hearth. The three skulls represent annihilation of the three
poisons, victory over the three realms and times, and the unity of the three Kayas as the purified
body, speech, and mind of the Deity.

THE TRIDENT (Skt. Trishula)

In Western mythology the trident was the attribute of the Greek God
Poseidon, the God of the seas, storms and earthquakes, who later became the
Roman maritime God, Neptune. In astrology the watery planet Neptune is
represented by the trident, which as a fish spear formed the most versatile
implement for spearing fish. In early Christian art the trident is a symbol for the
trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, but later the trident become identified
with Satan or Lucifer, and his trident became the pitchfork of the denizens of
hell.
The symbol of the trident meaning 'three teeth first appeared on Mesopotamian clay seals, and on
early Shaivite seals unearthed from the ancient Harappan civilization of the Indus valley. In the Vedic
mythology the three points of the Trident meaning 'three iron spikes or stakes' are identified with
the three prongs of Indra's vajra or 'thunderbolt', and early representations of Indra's Vajra often
depict it as a double ended trident. The three points symbolize the Hindu trinity of Brahma, Vishnu
and Shiva, and the three vibrational sounds A U M of the sacred syllable AUM.
As the main emblem of Shiva, the Trishula's three points represent his transcendence over the three
Gunas or qualities of nature: Rajas the dynamic or passionate quality of Brahma as creator; Sattva
the wisdom or pure quality of Vishnu as preserver; and Tamas the inert or dark quality of Shiva as
destroyer. Shivas trident also symbolizes his control over the three realms of heaven, earth, and
underworld; his triumph over the three times of past, present, and future; and his form as the 'Lord
of the Three Rivers' or 'triple braid' (Skt. Triveni).
Triveni refers to the sacred site of Prayaga (today Allahabad), where the two rivers of the Ganges and
Yamuna unite with the hidden underground river of Sarasvati. Esoterically this symbolizes the 'third
eye' point between the eyebrows, where the lunar and solar channels unite with the central channel.
The shaft of the Trishula represents the central channel of Sushumna, by which the Goddess
Kundalini ascends to unite with her lord, Shiva, in the 'thousand petalled lotus' (Sahasrara chakra
Padma). As the median nerve, or as the axis of Mt. Meru, which rises from the earth into the
heavens, the shaft serves as a conduit between the devotees of Shiva and their lord. The iron Trishula
is found in every Shaivite shrine scattered throughout India, and is often adorned with the bangles of
female devotees as a supplication for fertility, the birth of a son, or as a symbol of betrothal to Lord
Shiva.In early Indian Buddhism the trident formed one of the first an iconic representations of the
Buddha image, occurring as the emblem of the 'crown of Brahma' on Buddha's footprints, and as a
finial surmounting the crowning Dharmachakra on the gateways of the great Stupa of Sanchi.

69

In early Indian Buddhism the trident formed one of the first aniconic representations of the Buddha
image, occurring as the emblem of the 'crown of Brahma' on Buddha's footprints, and as a finial
surmounting the crowning Dharmachakra on the gateways of the great Stupa of Sanchi.
Here the symbolism essentially represents the Three Jewels (Triratna) of Buddha, Dharma, and
Sangha; or the 'three baskets' (Tripitaka) containing the Buddha's collective discourses on ethics,
meditation, and wisdom.
In Vajrayana Buddhism the Shaivite and Kapalika trident was adopted as a weapon, particularly in the
hands of semi wrathful Yidam deities and wrathful protective deitys with an affinity to Shiva. Such
deitys include Chakrasamvara, Vajrabhairava, and Mahakala. The dry skull of the Khatvanga, and the
Yaktail pendant and flag of the spear are both commonly incorporated into the form of the Buddhist
trident to identify it as a Khatvanga trident, trident spear, or trident staff.
As a weapon the trident symbolizes the destruction of the three poisons of ignorance, desire and
aggression within the three realms; omniscience over the three realms and the three times; the
union of the three 'divine bodies' (Kayas), and the unified emptiness of body, speech, and mind; the
teachings of the Buddhas of the three times; and the Three Jewels of Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha.
The Tibetan term for the trident means 'three points', and is linked to the term meaning 'three roots
or veins'. Here the three roots refer to the Mahayana trinity of Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, and
tothe Vajrayana trinity of Guru, Yidam, and Dakini. Esoterically the shaft represents the central
channel; the flaming central prong represents enlightenment as the unified energies of the two
subsidiary channels dissolving into the fire of the central channel; the dry white skull represents the
full increase of the white Bodhichitta; the red Yaktail pendant the ascent of the red Bodhichitta; and
the flowing silk ribbon the union of relative and absolute Bodhichitta.
The Vajra flame crowning the central prong symbolizes the wisdom fire which completely immolates
ignorance as the primordial poison. The hanging links which may descend from the two side prongs
of the trident symbolize the breaking of the twelve links of dependent origination or karmic
causation. The two side prongs uniting in the flaming central prong also symbolize the unity of
method and wisdom; the abandonment of the two extremes of Samsara and Nirvana; and the
ultimate union of absolute and relative truth.

CORPSE SEAT
Corpse seat (Skt. Shavasana) on which many semi wrathful and
wrathful deities sit or stand. The corpse seat symbolizes the
emptiness of inherent self-essence from which the Deity arises as
pure light. The form and posture of this corpse is often specified
within the deity description. Vajravarahi, for example, stands upon
a corpse that lies upon its chest, whilst the Goddess Nairatma tramples upon a corpse lying on its
back.

70

BOAR OR SOW HEAD

In the Hindu pantheon the boar manifestation or Varaha Avatara (boar
incarnation) is the third of the ten incarnations of Vishnu. In Shaivism the
boar's face was assigned as the southern face of Shiva, which looked towards
his right. In Buddhism the female sow's face is an attribute of the goddess
Vajravarahi, where the sow's head appears as a small protuberance above
the right ear of the Goddess. The symbolism of Vajravarahi's human and sow
face represents the union of absolute and relative truth.

THE HINDU KAPALIKAS, PADMASAMBHAVA, AND THE BUDDHIST MAHASIDDHAS

The social rigidity of the ancient Hindu caste system dictated that one's status in life was
predetermined by one's birth. A seemingly inflexible doctrine of spiritual evolution based upon
Karma and transmigration and coupled with an unquestioning devotion to a fixed religious belief
system maintained both social and religious law. Yet, as Buddhism was to prove by its major impact
on the Brahmin hierarchy, in any fixed system based upon and bound by destiny there is always an
escape clause based upon free will. For the crime of inadvertently killing a Brahmin the penalty was
social ostracism.
The penitents were prescribed to dwell in a forest hut, at a desolate crossroads, in a charnel ground,
or under a tree; to obtain their food by begging; to practice austerities; to wear a loincloth of hemp,
dog or donkey skin; to sleep upon a bed of grass; and to carry the emblems of a human skull as an
alms bowl, and the skull of the Brahmin they had slain mounted upon a wooden staff as a banner.
The miscreant's sentence of social exile was imposed for a period of twelve years.
The Sanskrit name given to these Ascetics, who soon evolved into a sect of Yogis, was Kapalika or
'skull bearers'. Dwelling as an outcaste in the charnel grounds, consuming the food offerings
presented to the dead and wearing their shrouds as clothing, the penitent was projected into an
imagined reality which blurred the distinction between the world of men and the realm of ethereal
beings. Besmeared with human ashes, wearing bone ornaments, intoxicated with divine madness,
bhang (marijuana paste), or alcohol, eating from a human skull cup, brandishing a skull topped club
(Khatvanga), and warning away human beings with the rattle of his double skull drum (Damaru), the
outcast automatically assumed the traditional guise of the Yogi. With only the company of Chandalis
(disposers of corpses}, jackals, cemetery dogs, vultures and carrion crows, the Yogi entered the
twilight world of the dead, and crossing over the borderlands inhabited by disembodied spirits and
ghosts, he gained the allegiance of the great spiritual denizens of the charnel grounds, the wrathful
Dakas and Dakinis.
From the Sambhogakaya level of this transcendental reality, the Yogi received through direct mind
transmission the revelations or instructions enabling him to penetrate into the very heart of darkness
to go beyond the conceptual cage of self-identification where human beings are imprisoned by their
limitations, inhibitions and fears and to emerge into the dazzling light of great immaculate
nakedness, beyond hope, beyond fear, beyond conceptualization, beyond doubt and certainty.

71

Some of the practices that were performed in the charnel grounds penetrate deeply into the 'black
arts' of necromancy. Many necromantic archetypes which surge as the most potent fears of the
collective unconscious ghouls, vampires, spirits of the undead, zombies, succubi and incubi,
changelings and werewolves originated in the most extreme recesses of the 'left hand path' of
ancient Indian witchcraft.
The 'corpse ritual' (Skt. Shavasadhana), for example, was employed to invoke a powerful spirit into a
human corpse in order to gain the Siddhi or psychic power of that spirit. The corpse chosen for a
specific Shavasadhana ritual had to be of a certain kind, such as a 'twice born Brahmin', a virgin
teenager, or a pregnant woman. On a dark night of the moon the practitioner prepared the corpse in
a prescribed way and turned its tongue backwards into the throat. He then filled its opened mouth
with specific ingredients, such as iron and copper filings, oil and a wick, or a piece of camphor. Sitting
on the chest of the corpse he would light the wick or camphor in the corpse's mouth and commence
his ritual with invocations, Mudras, and Mantras. When the spirit took possession of the cadaver or
'corpse seat', the corpse would reanimate with a ferocious power. It was the Yogis task to physically
subdue the zombie (Skt. Vetala) and capture its 'life essence' by biting off its protruding tongue with
his own teeth, thereby gaining the Siddhi of that spirit.
The construction of the great Indian Buddhist monastery of Odantapuri in ancient Magadha (todays
Bihar) was believed to have been funded by a Shavasadhana ritual. When the Buddhist Bhikshu who
had been coerced into performing this ritual by a tantric Yogi named Narada succeeded in biting off
the tongue of the zombie, the tongue transformed into a magical sword, whilst the corpse itself
became solid gold. Using the magical 'Siddhi of the sword' to fly through the heavens, the Bhikshu
flew over Mt. Meru and observed its formation. Upon this vision he based his design of Odantapuri
monastery, whilst using the self-replenishing supply of gold from the corpse to fund its construction.
The name Odantapuri means 'the city that is flown over'.
Although spirit subduing rituals, such as Shavasadhana, Vetala Siddhi, Munda Siddhi and Pishacha
Siddhi, are believed to have died out with the decline of the Tantric era in India, secret lineages of
transmission still continue to the present day. But such topics should not be discussed here; it is
enough that they are alluded to in passing, as they concern the acquisition of mundane or worldly
Siddhis, which pale to insignificance in the light of Mahamudra Siddhi or the Buddha's
enlightenment.
These topics are extremely esoteric, and open to the most deviating of misinterpretations when
taken out of their cultural context. The charnel grounds (Skt. Smashana) have always been a
traditional site for the most potent development of renunciation, where the vivid realities of
impermanence, suffering, grieving, disease, death, decay, and emptiness confront the mendicant in a
blatant and ceaseless cycle.
At Manikamika burning ghat in Benares, the perpetual flame used to light the funeral pyres dates
back to the founding of the city. Manikamika is the site of the longest burning flame in mankind's
history. Manikarnika meaning 'jewel earrings' is according to legend one of the twenty four sacred
sites where the dismembered body parts of Sati, the first wife of Shiva, were scattered across India
by Vishnu.

72

Even in the time of Buddha the practice of frequenting cemeteries was one of the 'twelve
observances' of a Bhikshu. Yet an early Buddhist text, the Lalitavistara (circa second century AD),
reveals the enormous spiritual schism between the orthodox 'right hand' Buddhist Sangha, and the
unorthodox 'left hand' Tantrics of the charnel grounds.
It describes the Kapalikas as, ... fools who seek purification by smearing their bodies with ashes,
wearing red garments, shaving their heads, and carrying a trident staff, a pot, a skull, and a
Khatvanga". Yet it is from this grass root level of Indian culture and the Kapalika traditions in
particular, that the Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist Tantras simultaneously emerged. The instigators of the
Tantras were the Mahasiddhas of India, many of whom practiced their Sadhanas for twelve symbolic
years in the 'eight great charnel grounds', where they often received transmissions directly from the
Dakinis.
Iconographically they are often represented with the Kapalika adornments of an animal skin, matted
hair, and bone ornaments; they are smeared with ashes, and bear the two main Kapalika attributes
of a skull cup and Khatvanga.
In the hagiographies of the early Buddhist Mahasiddhas and their numerous lineages of transmission,
the importance of the eight great charnel grounds as places of spiritual attainment is explicitly
revealed. The legends of many of these charismatic Siddhas portray them as divine madmen or
powerful sorcerers who recklessly displayed their psychic powers. Yet paradoxically their written
works often reveal the most subtle nuances of spiritual understanding and philosophical thought.
Padmasambhava was the most famous of these Buddhist Mahasiddhas, and almost single handedly
is credited not only with establishing Buddhism in Tibet, but with displaying countless miraculous
activities, such as concealing thousands of 'hidden treasure teachings' which continue to be revealed
into the present day. Yet his early activity in India clearly links him to the Kapalika tradition.
His iconographic attributes of a trident topped Khatvanga, and a skull cup containing a vase, clearly
refer to the trident, Khatvanga, skull cup, and pot carried by the Kapalikas. The only attribute borne
by Padmasambhava which distinguishes him from a Kapalika is his Vajra, which symbolically identifies
him as a practitioner of Vajrayana Buddhism.
Many of the Buddhist Siddhas and Dakinis carry the Kapalika attributes of the trident topped
Khatvanga, skull cup (Kapala), and Damaru. Episodes in the life of Padmasambhava bear a striking
similarity to many of the legends of the eighty four Buddhist Mahasiddhas. In his biography
Padmasambhava karmically causes the death of a minister's wife and two infants and is sent into
exile, where he takes up residence in the 'Cool Sandalwood Grove' charnel ground near Bodh Gaya.
For five years he lives the life of a Kapalika, using corpses for his meditation seat, consuming human
flesh, giving and receiving teachings from the Dakinis, and subduing countless ethereal beings. From
the Cool Sandalwood Grove, Padmasambhava then practices in each of the other seven great charnel
grounds. These events are explicitly described in his biography, and along with his other
accomplishments of a more worldly nature reveal the spiritual practices from which his legendary
powers arose.

73

THE EIGHT ATTIRES OFTHE CHARNEL GROUNDS

Wrathful deities, and many of the semi wrathful Yidam deities, wear as ornaments the 'eight attires
of the charnel grounds'. These consist of three facial ornaments marks of cremation ash, blood, and
human fat, applied to the 'bulges' of the face like war paint; three body ornaments the flayed male
skins of an elephant, human, and tiger; and two 'head' and 'snake' ornaments a crown of five dry
skulls and a garland of skulls or severed heads, and the 'revolting ornaments' of coiling snakes.
These eight attires are said to have been tom from the slain body of the destructive Vedic God,
Rudra, and worn as the 'spoils of war' by the wrathful and victorious Buddhist deities. Two further
adornments are sometimes added to this list to create the 'ten magnificent attires' of the most
wrathful Heruka (Heruka Sanskrit, is the name of a category of wrathful deities, enlightened beings in
Vajrayana Buddhism that adopt a fierce countenance to benefit sentient beings) deities,
corresponding to the Herukas of the ten directions who dwell within the Yogis inner body mandala.
These two adornments are a blazing mass of Kalagni wisdom fire, and the Vajra wings of Garuda.
The first facial ornament is a mark of human bone ash applied as a dot to the forehead. It symbolizes
the ultimate conflagration of all changeable emotional defilements reduced to the same
unchangeable ashes.
On a more esoteric level it represents the 'seat' of the white Bodhichitta in the Crown Chakra.
Sometimes human ashes are described as being smeared all over the deity's body, symbolizing the
blissful spreading of white Bodhichitta drops throughout all the channels of the subtle body.
The second facial ornament consists of drops of fresh blood applied to the 'three bulges' of the nose
and cheeks, symbolizing the overcoming of desire, the transmutation of self-centered passion into
boundless compassion, the cultivation of great bliss as the essence of the red Bodhichitta drops, and
the realization of the stage of 'clear light'.
The third facial ornament consists of smears of human fat applied to the bulge of the chin or neck,
symbolizing the emptiness of phenomena, the empowerment of the absolute truth of no self, and
the realization of the 'illusory body'.
Collectively the war paint of human fat, blood, and cemetery ash also symbolize the destruction of
the three poisons of aggression, desire, and ignorance; the deity's power over the three times of
past, present, and future; and control over the three realms of Kama/Aka (blood; the desire realms),
Rupaloka (fat; the form realms), and Arupaloka (ash; the formless realms). The three bodily attires
consist of the freshly flayed and bloody skin of an elephant stretched behind the deity's back, a
freshly flayed human skin worn as a shawl, and a lower loincloth or dhoti made from a tiger skin.
The stretched elephant skin represents the deity's 'expanse of reality' as the
Dharmadhatu, and the overcoming of ignorance, which is described as the deity's
'having torn the elephant of ignorance asunder'. The bloody interior of this
elephant skin is frequently held by its two flayed right feet in the outstretched
upper arms of the wrathful deity, with its head and front left foot appearing at the
deitys right side, and its tail and rear left foot at the deity's left.

74

The flayed male human skin of an enemy of

the Dharma, symbolizes the removal of the
'veil' of the five aggregates or Skandhas, the
deity's power to eliminate the darkness of
delusion, and the overcoming of desire.
This human skin is frequently draped around the shoulders of the deity with its right arm and leg
knotted at the breast, its head and left arm appearing to the deity's right, and its left foot hanging to
the left.
The tiger skin loincloth or dhoti provokes terror in all enemies of the Dharma and
symbolizes the overcoming of anger or hatred. This loincloth is usually bound
about the waist of the wrathful deity, with its tail towards the front, its paws to
either side, and occasionally with its head depicted over the right or left thigh.
The Deities in Yab Yum have loosened their tiger skin loincloths for sexual
intercourse, and this loosening symbolizes the casting aside of the dualistic belief
in phenomena as outer object, and conceptual thought as the inner subject. The loosened tiger skin
represents the deity's courage in having overcome the four Maras, and his rejection or 'casting aside'
of the conceptual notion of subject and object.
Essentially the skins of the elephant, human, and tiger, symbolize the destruction
of the three root poisons of ignorance, desire and hatred. Wrathful male deities
wear a male' tiger skin, which symbolizes by its phallic stripes the male emanation
of Vajra wrath. The female consorts of these wrathful Heruka or protective deities
wear loincloths of' female' leopard skin, symbolizing by its womb shaped ovals or
spots the female aspect of Vajra wrath and pride.
However, many Goddesses or Dakinis, such as Vajravarahi, Nairatma, Kurukulla, and Simhamukha,
also wear the tiger skin loincloth, though the consorts of wrathful Heruka forms such as Vajrakilaya,
Yamantaka, Chemchog Heruka, Hayagriva, and Mahakala, wear the leopard skin loincloth. The
seventh attire of the charnel grounds comprises the 'revolting snake ornaments', and the eighth
comprises the five skull crown and the long necklace of fifty or fifty one severed heads.

THE GARLAND OF SEVERED HEADS

The necklace or garland of severed heads (Skt. Chinnamunda
Mala) essentially represents the masculine principle of form; and
the necklace of skulls (Skt. Munda Mala), the feminine principle
of emptiness. Although there is no definitive rule governing
whether these attributes should be worn by Gods and
Goddesses respectively, the garland of severed heads is
predominantly assigned to male deities, and the garland of skulls
to female deities.

75

The description given in particular deities Sadhana always specifies which of these garlands are worn.
Certain deities are also described as wearing both the severed head garland and the garland of skulls.
The garland of skulls may be described as dry, moist, or dripping, although no visual distinction is
made between these three categories in their artistic representation. The grinning or 'haughty' skulls
are painted white. The eye dots within the skulls' sockets may gaze penetratingly forwards, or glance
towards the five directions up, down, left, right, and center. The skull's four canine teeth may also be
sharply bared, symbolizing the biting through of the four Maras.
The garland's severed heads are described as freshly severed and dripping with blood. The heads are
male, as are all sacrificial victims, and may be individually characterized with beards, stubble,
moustaches, wrinkles, long hair, short hair, shaved hair, or a balding head. Their startled eyes are
wide open, and may occasionally be pulled from their sockets.
In certain traditions the heads may be sequentially colored pale red, green, and yellow, paralleling
the symbolism of the Khatvanga's severed heads. Although the heads are described as dripping with
blood, this blood is rarely depicted in Tibetan art. It is however explicitly illustrated in Hindu tantric
art, especially in the forms of the wrathful Mahavidya and Matri Goddesses, such as Kali, Tara,
Chinnamasta, Chamunda, and Durga.
Here a garland of eight, blood dripping, and severed heads is commonly depicted, representing the
eight mundane obsessions or 'worldly Dharmas' of praise and blame, pleasure and pain, loss and
gain, infamy and fame. The garlands of severed heads are strung upon a thread made from twisting
human intestines, which symbolize the illusory nature of all phenomena, with the heads representing
phenomena as form. The main symbolism of the garland of fifty severed heads or skulls is the
purification of speech, since the garland hangs from the neck or throat chakra.
The garland of fifty skulls or severed heads representing purification of speech is derived from the
combination of the sixteen vowels and thirty-four consonants of the Sanskrit alphabet. As a complete
rosary or Mantra Mala encompassing the whole spectrum of phonetic sound, the severed heads and
skulls have a double meaning. They may represent the vowel and consonant sounds as utterances
made by each individual head, which are then decapitated or 'sacrificially purified'; or in the case of
skulls, purified from the 'flesh' of conventional sound. Alternatively they hang, as 'characters', from
their unifying thread in the same manner that the Sanskrit characters 'hang' from a horizontal upper
stave.
When a long necklace of fifty-one severed heads or skulls are described, they symbolize the
purification of the fifty-one mental factors or thought processes. These mental factors (Skt.
Chaitasika), or mental events, are listed and described in the early Buddhist Abhidharma texts, and
occur as the fifty one ways in which awareness as 'primary mind' (Skt. Chitta) relates to perceived
objects.
Thus a necklace of fifty or 'half a hundred' freshly severed heads or dry skulls symbolizes purification
of speech as the sixteen vowels and thirty-four consonants of the Sanskrit alphabet; and a necklace
of fifty one heads or skulls symbolizes purification of mind as the severance of the fifty one defiled
thought processes.

76

THE SIX BONE ORNAMENTS AND THE FIVE SKULL CROWN

Wrathful male deities and semi wrathful Yidam deities, wear six different bone ornaments,
representing the essence of the six transcendental perfections or Paramitas. The deity's bone
earrings represent the perfection of patience or fortitude; the bone necklaces represent the
perfection of generosity or charity; the bone bracelets, armlets, and anklets represent the perfection
of discipline or morality; the bone belt represents the perfection of effort or energy; the bone wheel,
worn upon the crown of the deity's head, represents the perfection of meditation; and cemetery or
bone ash, either smeared over the body, or marking the forehead, represents the perfection of
wisdom.
The first five perfections are classified into the male 'accumulation of method', and the sixth
perfection is classified alone as the female 'accumulation of wisdom'. The perfection of wisdom is
represented by cemetery ash, as undifferentiated ash is the one substance that remains when the
whole of phenomenal reality has been conflagrated in the fire of wisdom. Female wrathful deities or
Dakinis only wear the first five of these bone ornaments, as their bodily form itself represents the
perfection of wisdom. In the highly symbolic iconography of the major Yidam deities of the
Anuttarayoga Tantras, such as Chakrasamvara, Hevajra, Guhyasamaja, Kalachakra, a profound
numerological interpretation is applied to the six bone ornaments in relationship to the channel
wheels and Nadis.
The six perfections are also symbolized in the jewel ornaments worn by peaceful deities or
Bodhisattvas. Collectively these jewel ornaments are known as the 'eight precious ornaments', and
with the 'five divine silk garments' create the 'thirteen Sambhogakaya ornaments' of peaceful deities
symbolically corresponding to the thirteen umbrella emblems of the Chakravartin.
The eight jewel ornaments are the Tiara, earrings, short necklace around the neck, medium necklace
hanging to the level of the heart, long necklace hanging four finger widths below the navel, bracelets,
anklets, and jeweled belt. The five divine silks are an upper white silk bodice embroidered with gold,
a multicolored silk dhoti or loincloth, a yellow scarf worn as a sash, a multicolored ribbon under the
Tiara, and a long blue or green scarf draped over the shoulders.

THE FIVE SKULL CROWN

The five-skull crown of wrathful and Yidam deities, represents the
undifferentiated union of the Five Buddha wisdoms. Each of the five
skulls is commonly surmounted by a black iron Vajra, or a precious
gold encased jewel. These five jewel finials are often colored to
correspond to the Five Buddhas; the central jewel represents the
Lord of the Buddha Family to which the deity belongs. In the case of
a deity belonging to Akshobhya's Vajra Family, for example, a blue
jewel is depicted above the central skull of Akshobhya, with the
yellow and white jewels of Ratnasambhava and Vairochana to the left, and the red and green jewels
of Amitabha and Amoghasiddhi to the right.

77

THE WRATHFUL OFFERING OF THE FIVE SENSES

The 'wrathful offering of the five senses' is also known as the 'garland of the
five senses', or the 'flower of the senses'. The base of the wrathful sense
offering consists of a skull or skull cup which may be mounted upon a tripod of
three small skulls or severed heads containing the five sense organs. These are
the heart or body, representing touch; the eyes, representing sight; the ears,
representing sound; the nose, representing smell; and the tongue, representing
taste.
As an outer offering Torma the wrathful offering of the five senses is commonly
depicted on Thangka's of wrathful deities, and is usually positioned in front of the center of the
deity's lotus throne, or it may be placed to one side of the deity's throne with a blood filled skull cup
on the other side. Symbolically the presentation of this offering of the five sense organs represents
the most subtle level of consciousness. When the wrathful offering of the five senses is pictorially
depicted on a Thangka, the five sense organs of the heart, eyes, ears, nose, and tongue are
represented as having been tom or ripped from the body, and assembled as a 'flower offering'.
The sixth sense faculty of consciousness is represented by a silken arrow penetrating the heart. This
silk arrow symbolizes the body, speech, and mind of the deity as empowering the organs of the five
senses. The arrow's shaft represents the central channel or body of the deity; the arrow's flight and
silk banner, the Mantra or speech of the deity; and the arrow's tip penetrating into the heart
represents the mind of the deity, manifesting as the most subtle consciousness of the 'indestructible
drop' at the heart center (in ritual use the arrow is removed from the Torma before it is cast away).
The silken arrow that penetrates the center of the heart is usually adorned with a red or black silk
canopy, banner or ribbon, symbolizing the subjugating or destructive activity of the wrathful deity.
Fresh red blood usually fills the edges and center of the skull cup, and flames may emanate from
around the skull.

SKULL CUP OFFERING TO THE FIVE SENSES

From the left and the right side of the wrathful Deity are
represented two skull cups full of blood and alcohol, representing
the menstrual blood and semen of the mother and father as red
and white Bodhichitta. This trinity of skull cup offerings symbolizes
the three primary causes for human conception as the conjunction
of the fertile drops of the mother and father merging with the five
sense faculties of the being seeking rebirth.
The tripod of three severed heads supporting the blood filled skull cup represents the three Vajras of
body, speech, and mind as the bases to be purified, and the arising of the 'clear light' of the mother.
The tripod of three dry skulls supporting the amrita or alcohol filled skull represents the purification
of body, speech and mind, and the arising of the 'illusory body' of the father.

78

THE GRATEFUL SECRET TANTRIC FUCHIYADO MEDITATION

The Fuchiyado Meditation is a union of Visualization, Mantra, Pranayama and Yoga compound with
Shamanistic, Tantric Hindu and Buddhist aspects and techniques.
First the yogi/yogini has to sit in the Asana posture with cross legs, hands are in the center of the
stomach near the navel, the left hand is under the right hand, and the sitting position is straight. The
Air goes through the nose in and out in normal rhythm .The concentration goes only towards the top
of the nose, where the air goes in and out. With that breathing
technique the yogi/yogini make the mind to calm down and the
inner silence will appear and all the disturbing thoughts go away.
After becoming total in the state of inner silence, the yogi/yogini
starts to visualize him/hers the mother deity KALI KRISHNA
KRODHINI. The yogi/yogini starts to visualize first that he is on
the cemeteries, surrounded by dead bodies with all the
frightening aspects of it, the yogi/yogini should stay untouched
and undisturbed from it, accepting those frightening aspects as
beautiful and friendly, these frightening appearances need to
make him/her aware of the impermanent nature of all existing
manifestations.
Further on the yogi/yogini visualize the rock formations, on the
rock formations there is a lotus with sun and moon discs on it. On the discs the yogi/yogini imagines
the corpse seat, from the corpse seat out comes the seed vibration of MA which is the vibration of
the mother Deity KALI KRISHNA KRODHINI and through this vibration, the yogi/yogini becomes the
mother Deity itself with all ornaments, signs, colors and attributes.
The yogi/yogini stands on one leg with the Khatvanga staff leaning on his/hers left shoulder, in the
right hand the yogi/yogini holds the curved knife and in the left hand the skull cup full of amrita, the
aureola flames burning powerful around the yogi/yogini protects him/her from any disturbing
factors. The spine cannel is strait and in the hearth center (body) appear a small lotus with the
vibration A on it, in the throat lotus center (speech) appear the vibration U and in the crown lotus
center (mind) appear the vibration M, then the yogi/yogini starts to sing the three vibration circular
through the three lotus places, becoming aware of the vibrating places, the hole visualization and the
power of all the attributes, the yogi/yogini become one with it.
After a while Shiva will appear on top of the head of the yogi/yogini in the pure form of Rudra-Kaala
Krodha-Bhairava, he touches the yogi/yogini with one of his lotus feets on the head and from there
light starts flowing into the three lotus centers together with the correct sound of the three
vibrations. First the blue color appears in the hearth (body) lotus which is the vibration A, second the
red color appears in throat (speech) lotus which is the vibration U, and third the white color appears
in the head lotus which is the vibration M, that is the activation of the illuminating healing powers to
the three lotus centers and it cleans all the disturbing factors away from body, speech and mind.
79

In meantime the yogi/yoginis in the flow of the three

vibrations A-U-M, circular from the bottom to the top
and opposite. The breath is always going lightly in and
out, it cleans all the disturbing factors of the whole
system. After that the yogi/yogi imagine that a drop of
the color light touches Shivas feet and Shiva flows
through the crown into the heart lotus center and take
place on the lotus seat which the yogi/yogini have to
imagine it before in his/hers hearth lotus center.
There the union between Kali Krishna Krodhini and Shiva
Rudra - Kaala Krodha Bhairava happen at the merge
place on the lotus seat, the sexual union the yogi/yogini
has to imagine it, that the light of the act of the union in
form of amrita flow through the yogi/yogini manifested
as Kali Krishna Krodhini and all the three vibrations
become one (pure energy).
Pema heruka guhya jnana dakini (Yab-Yum)
The whole visualization becomes very powerful; the yogi/yogini has to become aware of the supreme
power of that union (Shiva/Shakti), it is the state of the complete illuminated fearless non-dual
consciousness where every idea or conception has no form anymore, in that state the yogi/yogini
stays as an absorber where he/she gets all the illuminating healing powers from it and becomes
fearless.
After this visualization part of the mother Kali Krishna Krodhini, the yogi/yogini become more aware
and get more tuned into her perfect form, the whole visualization becomes brighter and clear with
all the attributes and manifestations in it, the yogi/yogini repeats the Mantra (AUM MA KALI
KRISHNA KRODHINI NAMAHA) 108 times and remains like that for a while. In this time the
yogi/yogini sends all the illuminated healing powers of Shiva/Shakti in form of millions of Khatvanga
staffs to all sentient beings, to bring them the knowledge of the illuminated fearless on-dual
consciousness of enlightenment after touching them all, they will all return to the yogi/yogini again
after the well done work of giving the knowledge of the illuminated awaking to all the sentient
beings.
After that part the yogi/yogini turns his/hers imagination towards the resolution of the visualization,
all the colors, ornaments and attributes flows slow into the union lotus in the hearth where the
union happens between the polarities. After that also the union visualization will flow slow out
through the crown lotus and only the three vibrations the A-U-M will stay at the hearth lotus place.
On the top of the head the union builds a light ball and that light ball flows into
the body back through the crown lotus in form of amrita rainbow light and will
be absorbed with the whole energy system that is the illuminated inspiration
and the blessing of it. In this time A go back to the lotus seat of body, the U go
back to the lotus seat of speech and M go back to the lotus seat of mind, where
they work naturally powered and positive filled up from all the good illuminated
energy full of light and love.
80

Those three vibrationsnever dissolve because they are our natural Gunas (Tamas, Rajas, Sattva), they
stay always in the yogi/yogini and works always upwards to the state of personal enlightenment,
were AUM is AUM in the pure form of the manifested fearless non-dual consciousness.
After that the yogi/yogini becomes aware of the sound around him/her and becomes again aware of
the real physical body, slowly he/she comes back into the world where the yogi/yogini has two arms,
two legs, a normal body healed from all disturbing factors. The benefit out of it is clear, the
yogi/yogini will have a clear body, a clear mind and a clear speech and a deeper understanding of the
state of the fearless non-dual illuminated consciousness.

Note 1: In the beginning the breathing technique has the goal to concentrate only on one point the
Bindu, so long you are on that point where the air goes in and out of the nose you are in meditation,
if the yogi/yogini do it properly no thoughts will arise, if thoughts arise and they go around the yogi
/yogini is not in proper meditation. The technique has to be practiced frequently to get it just right.

Purple is the union light ball

Blue is the vibration A
Red is the vibration U
White is the vibration M

Note 2: In the beginning maybe the yogi/yogini will not see colors in the visualizations, but that does
not matter at all. The yogi/yogini has to feel it first. After repeating the visualization technique many
times, the color also will be more visible for him/her and the technique will be well settled.
Note 3: The sound and the vibration of the A-U-M and the mantra AUM MA KALI KRISHNA KRODHINI
NAMAHA: The yogi/yogini will feel improvement from the very start. As long as the meditation is
done right you will always benefit from it.
Note 4: The yogi/yogini do not use any force in the whole practice of the Grateful Secret Shamanic
Tantric Fuchiyado Meditation, it is Maha Siddha - Guru Yoga so everything work for the yogi/yogini
on energy base and it is very strongly effective for him/her and for all sentient beings if it is properly
practiced and will bring him/her to the state of the fearless non-dual illuminated consciousness.

81

THE ROLE OF THE EGO AND THE MEANING OF

ENLIGHTENMENT
In most spiritual traditions, the role of the ego-personality in the process of reaching Enlightenment
is, to a great extent underestimated and misunderstood. Unless we see clearly that the ego in itself is
something absolutely positive and, as such, the only tool for arriving at higher levels of awareness,
we have no way to understand the process of awakening.
Many seekers are confused and not able to comprehend the apparent paradox of transcending the
ego without actually annihilating it. In Buddhist psychology, there is a concept that ego is not real, for
it is only a play of so called five Skandhas. This concept is missing the elemental understanding that
our body-mind operates as an alive and coherent organism of intelligence in a purposeful and
meaningful way. The ego cannot be found anywhere as such, for the one looking for it - is the ego. It
is too close to be found, but certainly it is always there.
It is difficult to define what the ego is, for it is not anything substantial. We would define ego as a
self-conscious function of individualized consciousness capable of relating to its surroundings and
itself in a centralized and intelligent manner. The ego is not an entity, but rather a unified field of
identity - it is not fixated on a point, but operates within a spatial consciousness. It has many layers
and many aspects.
In Buddhist tradition there's a concept of "no-mind," and so we tend to think that our being is simply
divided into the mind and the no-mind. This is far too simplistic. Even when we go beyond the gross
level of thinking, the mind is still functioning and the ability for self-relating is retained.
This thing called ego is constantly accompanying the process of meditation and, allows us to create
clarity and understanding. The art of resting within the stillness of our being and the self-conscious
movement of our intelligence are not separated from one another. Without the gentle checking of
our state during meditation and cultivation in general, we would be unable to make any progress in
the practice. This is the function of the ego.
Now, before going deeper into the issue of how the ego and enlightened state relate to one another,
we need to understand what Enlightenment is. True Enlightenment has nothing to do with any
modification or transformation of the ego-personality in terms of eliminating desires, negative
emotions or developing positive qualities. Neither does it involve seeing into the "non-existence" or
"emptiness" of the ego. Any "seeing" or conceptual understanding is confined only to the relative
functions of our intelligence. The state of Enlightenment is truly a new dimension of being, beyond
the realm of personality.
Most traditions refer to Enlightenment as an awakening and permanent abiding in the state of
"thoughtless awareness," also called "Rigpa," "witnessing consciousness" or "presence." Complete
Enlightenment however goes deeper into the nature of reality. Even the state of Presence, which
represents consciousness in its purest form, belongs to the realm of experience, that is, to the realm
of time. The final Enlightenment takes us to the place of Pure Rest in the non-abiding ground of all
existence, which is beyond awareness and its modifications.
82

This is what the Unborn is. The ego-personality not only participates and promotes the shift of our
being into the deeper dimensions of reality, from the state of Presence to resting in the Absolute, but
it also allows us to comprehend our post-enlightenment situation. Enlightenment is not the end of
our growth. The understanding of the enlightened state and its relation to the ego as well as to the
manifested reality is constantly evolving. The ego and enlightened state co-exist in a very interesting
way they relate to each other.
In the case of the non-awakened person, there is total identification with the functioning of the
mind. One is living in a semi-conscious, dreamlike state. This is called the darkness of ignorance. After
awakening, the thought process is no longer in the center of our being; one abides in the
unconditioned stillness of the original state.
But we should not forget that at the same time, the self-conscious intelligence can and does relate
back to that stillness. For example, how the ego relates to the Essence results in various stages of
absorption. Even after realization, the ego and our Essence are in a very rich and dynamic
relationship they are simultaneously present.
Those masters, who claim that they have no ego, prove to have a certain psychological ignorance; or
they're using the term in an improper way. They are most likely victims of certain idealistic, linear
and simplistic spiritual logic. The transcendental logic embracing, the apparent paradox (the coexistence of the ego and the egoless state), goes beyond this simple logic in the apperception of the
truth which is not conceptual but alive.
The goal and purpose of Enlightenment is not to eliminate the ego, but to enlighten it. How could we
possibly enlighten it if we deny its very existence? To enlighten the ego is to create within the
personal intelligence a clear understanding that our personality, with all its limitations, and our
timeless essence, is an indivisible, dynamic whole. It is here that the humility, intelligence and the
highest spiritual realization meet. Ego, the operative center of our personality, even after melting
with the Source, must face this never-ending challenge of fulfilling the dynamic balance between its
participation in the manifested reality and of resting in the Absolute. The absolute dimension and
human perspective are truly one. But although they are one, they give birth to one another in the
continuous process of arriving at wholeness.
Shiva and Shakti get the union together through fusion of their dual aspects according to the Shiva
Purana, where it is summarized and explained the natural way of life of both of them which in fact
is the true real way of life. The base is for sure compassion and love always in continuity without
any compromises.
In the Tantric cosmology, the whole universe is perceived as being created, penetrated and
sustained by two fundamental forces which are permanently in a perfect, indestructible union. These
forces or universal aspects are called Shiva and Shakti. The tradition has associated to these
principles a form, respectively that of a masculine deity and that of a feminine one. Accordingly,
Shiva represents the constitutive elements of the universe, while Shakti is the dynamic potency,
which makes these elements come to life and act. From this point of view, Shakti represents the
immanent aspect of the Divine, which is the act of active participation in the act of creation.

83

Maybe exactly this Tantric view of the Feminine in creation contributed to the orientation of the
human being towards the active principles of the universe, rather than towards those of pure
transcendence. From a metaphysical point of view, the divine couple Shiva-Shakti corresponds to
two essential aspects of the One: the masculine principle, which represents the abiding aspect of
God, and the feminine principle, which represents its energy, the Force which acts in the manifested
world, life itself considered at a cosmic level.
Shiva and Shakti have a real spiritual love connection. In the beginning they had only a platonic
connection and they serve each other only by deep imaginative love, after they go deeper in and it
became a tantric fusion and a real realization between them. Shiva revealed to Parvati the 102
tantric forms and after that time they come together and they have a fantastic time in spiritual and
worldly way.
That was a real tantric story with sexual and spiritual ideas that we cannot imagine, they do it in all
forms and they continue it so long that they went together into a real fusion, from that union they
never go out again they become one in it, a combination of spiritual love and natural sexuality. From
that time Ganesh come out, and the wisdom was born, it was their spiritually intellectual result of
their actions and reactions (karma), they remain living in spiritual harmony and in union of their
spiritual and worldly fusion.
The yogi/yogini has to visually imagine the both
aspects, the female and male in the body of the
painting which are Shiva and Shakti, the cosmic
manifestation in same time. There are three bodies
which represent the three times: past, present and
future and the three activities: action, way and
reaction, which are passive and active from inside and
outside. The hands represent the all-encompassing
activity and the eyes represent the all-seeing cosmic
knowledge. The naked body represents the Nature of
Nature and the vulva represents the active and
passive fertility. The breast represents the Nectar
source and the belly represents the source of all life,
the feet represent the cosmic way to Unity -Dharma.
Red Vajrayogini
The two frames represent the inner and the outer world, which is also active and passive in same
time. The circles of the hands represent the all-encompassing active powers of Shiva and Shakti, the
hand circles represents the Yoni the female principle and in the center of the circle behind the united
Shiva Shakti representation, it is represented the Lingam the cosmic male principle. The main
symbolism of the whole picture represents the fusion of the inner and the outer duality, which
includes everything. The beauty of the painting represents the beauty of the sexual and spiritual
unity and fusion from inner and as well from the outer side; in other words it is the beauty of the
creation. The movement represented through the dance symbolizes the active act of the sexual and
spiritual fusion between the female and male parts, which leads to the unity of all aspects and it
includes all activities between the non-dual and dual bodies of the inner and outer world. This dance
union of the active and passive principles is called, Shiva - Shakti Principe.
84

The Shiva-Shakti principle always includes everything, it includes the inner and also the outer world
in active realization between the dual parts, it never exclude any spiritual and sexual activity because
those activities makes it more rich in experience in all directions which in same time leads to the
realization of our true existence with all aspects and manifestations and higher goals. Only a small
percentage of Yogis and Yoginis had excluded the sexual aspect because of their natural habits and
beliefs, generally this excluding aspect of the sexuality it is not good for everyone and not everyone
should follow it, because it is against our human nature and on other hand also can create separation
between us and the nature and that is not good at all for a real natural way of life, like the natural life
of Shiva and Shakti, which should be the true example for our human life. The Shiva- Shakti principle
always includes the sexuality in a nice natural way to reach the union of the duality (male /female). In
all old original scripts like the Puranas which belong to one of oldest texts we have today, this natural
way of life with sexual fusion it is clearly declared, so on this statements from the Puranas we can
hold and follow, because they are pure and natural in essences and knowledge.
Over the centuries the old texts and concepts were unfortunately so many times changed in a way
that today Yogis and Saints believe that sexuality is not good, so all that dogmatic ideas of losing
energy etc. coming out of that misunderstood belief. This belief started to go around and intoxicate
the mind of the Yogis, Yoginis, Saints and the normal people up to the present days. Today the result
out of that separation is the female and the male field in the spiritual yogic world. But the fact is that
in the ancient times this sexual aspect was always included and practiced among the normal people
and also among the Yogis, Yoginis and the Saints in a correct natural way because it is a natural
action of the union of the female and the male which indeed it is very true and correct. Most of the
today Yogi, Yoginis and Saints believe that the statements for the natural sexuality in the ancient
texts are wrong, and in fact that is not true because nature is nature and according to the ShivaShakti principle this natural way of union through sexuality was always working through the fusion of
the inner and outer body and it is the most beautiful way towards enlightenment, the fact is that
only through the natural movement of the dual parts a union can be really manifested on both sides,
that include the external and the internal aspects of the human being.
The many hand representations in the Vajrayogini painting are symbolizing the activities and
possibilities as a base for compassion and love to all possibilities in life. We should never exclude any
experience because through those experiences we can grow and become more profound in our
character, constitution and in our natural essence. Excluding is the most wrong thing we can do,
when we exclude something we become dry and stagnated, because we separate ourselves from the
true nature of man what indeed we are and for forever will be. Spiritual richness is like a peach full of
juice and sweet taste which leads us to unity in the outer and in the inner world with our both bodies
the physical and the non-physical one, that is a real fact and that is what Shiva- Shakti Principe always
represents. The only thing which will be left after this process of fusion of the dual parts is the
illuminated good ego which is equal to Brahma the creator of all appearances and that is the real
Bindu, the central experience from the fusion of the cosmic union with the inner and outer aspects of
our being and after that experience the only thing which remain is to make a good and happy life
with everything which surrounds us with love and light, this is the enlightened state we can ever
reach in our existence as a human beings, without bondage's and dogmas. Nothing can adhere
anymore there, that is a state of fearless and total freedom. That is the most precious state we can
ever reach in our personal development to become a Jivanmukta the really free soul.

85

CLOSING WORDS BY SHRI KRISHAN PURI

Fuchiyado Dharma is based on (Sanatana-Dharma),the goal is to develop the self-realisation in a way

of compounding the essential ideas of Hinduism and Buddhism in a useful practical way, it is in
essence free from any religion and any dogmas, and does not requires someone to become a Hindu
or a Buddhist. In Fuchiyado Dharma as in the pure Sanatana-Dharma there is no separation between
woman and man and also there is no negative focus towards sexuality, like the ideas of losing power
or becoming bad, dirty or any other karmic unnatural ideas of some outdated yoga systems like it is
represented in many modern yoga systems. The fact is they divides instead to unites.
This different yoga systems should give a natural input how to deal with the sexual aspects in a good
natural way and how to grow and develop ourselves in a good combination, they should not stand
against the sexual aspects because of some outdate philosophies in which no one can believe
anymore, the real way of an enlightened person is to give good advice, and to develop and support
the natural life combination of the dual aspects and that would be the real way.
The Fuchiyado Dharma is strictly against such unnatural philosophies because they do not fit
anymore to the time in which we live today, these outdate philosophies are only creating a
irresponsible separation between human beings, especially in these modern days this separation is
no more logical and acceptable. Instead of separation these philosophies need to create unity based
on love, truth and simplicity. Fuchiyado Dharma is based on the cosmic order, which gives the entire
universe and that include the laws of nature and the wisdom of the most important "Holy Scriptures
the Akashic records. Not only humans are subject to the Fuchiyado Dharma, even animals and plants,
and even the entire universe. The goal of Fuchiyado Dharma is always universal in any aspects and
always valid.

86

In the Fuchiyado Dharma everything is included in a united and balanced way and has the focus on a
good social behaviour based on love, light, truth and simplicity towards all sentient beings without
any destructive ideas of separation. Purity comes out from the inner higher self of every soul
(atman). Atman is pure born and never can become un-pure, gender, sexuality or any philosophies or
religious politics, classes and races cannot affect the Atman. We are all born as a white piece of
paper, so pure and so innocent and later in our lives we start to see and imitate the surrounding
outside, some people will continue to imitate these outdated philosophies maybe all their lives, some
others maybe will realize the real point and liberate themselves from all these wrong directions, by
understanding the real precious values in life.
Fuchiyado Dharma is a real possibility to make a step towards the self-realisation with all the good
benefits for every individual. The main focus of Fuchiyado Dharma is the united fearless
illuminated non-dual state of mind.
There are some ethic points in Fuchiyado Dharma like:
First: Fuchiyado Dharma is an absolutely non-violent way, although in the Fuchiyado practice we use
sharp weapons (the blowgun and the arrows), we do never use them for any violent action; the
arrows are only for the target and never for any killing purposes. Their abuse leads to an irrevocable
exclusion of the Fuchiyado Dharma Sanga (community) without any exception.
Second: Fuchiyado Dharma stands for vegetarianism because of the health benefits and because of
the non-violet way of life; we do not eat our friends. In the Fuchiyado Dharma we do not make a
separation between non-vegetarians and vegetarians, but we advise the non-vegetarians to open
their mind towards the higher understanding of life and towards the logical health reasons without
any pragmatic focus on it.
Third: Fanatic Orthodox and Dogmatic philosophies have no place in the Fuchiyado Dharma because
Fuchiyado has a liberated view towards life, we do not create any separation because of some
outdate views. The Fuchiyado Dharma will never give a chance to the Orthodox and Dogmatic
philosophies to settle down, everyone has the chance to develop himself in a natural and good way
without any dogmatic ideas which have logically the ultimate goal to separate and destroy the
natural character of the human, which lead to total disaster in life instead to bring a healthy balanced
unity. For that reason we are the fearless insurmountable and incorruptible Fuchiyado warriors of
Kali Krishna Krodhini which is our protective power (Shakti) standing behind us and towards the good
of all sentient beings.
Fourth: The meditation techniques which are used in Fuchiyado Dharma have the goal to develop a
well concentration power and to develop the capacity of the visualisation power and to focus to one
point which is the source of all life, the nature of nature. The different meditative motion techniques
(the Katas) of Fuchiyado have the goal to bring the yogi/yogini into deeper silence, they come from
the Zen archery tradition but they are different in their characteristics, the breathing technique
(Pranayama) has the goal to develop the lungpower, the sensibility and the awareness of all the body
functions and to awake the powerful flow of the Chi-power canals (Nadis). These techniques come
out from Yoga, Tai-chi, Chi-Gong, Zen and Kyudo and they have a great effect for the Fuchiyado
yogi/yogini which is one of the main aspects in the Fuchiyado practice.

87

Do means a road, path, way, art.

Each school of philosophy has its Do.
Do means 'the way the universe works'.
The way in which life should be ordered: its method, doctrine, principle.
The Way of life is obvious:
When autumn comes every leaf has to die, even when it was beautiful.
Also flowers with their inviting fragrances, have to go.
After the winter break, they start to grow and bloom again in his beauty.
Take care always about love, truth and simplicity.
The Way of a FUCHIYADOKA means, among other things, to be a straight person.
Someone who does not walk straight is far from the Way of Man.
The Meditation and the clear mind together with the Chi is the way to be
a FUCHIYADO Samurai, which is the art of self-control.
The follower of the philosophy of FUCHIYADO is called FUCHIYADO SAMURAI.
THE way of FUCHIYADO creates a precious personality and leads to self-realization.

LOVE AND LIGHT

Shri Krishan Puri

88

DICTIONARY OF HINDU AND BUDDHIST TERMS

Fuchiyado - Blowgun meditation technique founded by Shri Krishan Puri

Kali Krishna Krodhini - Fuchiyado protector Deity: wrathful form of Vajrayogini Tibetan form of the
Female Hindu Deity Kali.
Kali - is the Hindu Goddess associated with empowerment, Shakti. The name Kali comes from Kla,
which means black, time, death, lord of death, Shiva. Kali means "the black one". Since Shiva is called
Kla - the eternal time - Kl, his consort, also means "Time" or "Death".
Tantra Sanskrit meaning doctrine, system, principle comes from the verbal root tan "stretch,
extend, expand", and the suffix Tra "instrument".
Tattva - is a Sanskrit word meaning 'thatness', 'principle', 'reality' or 'truth'. According to various
Indian schools of philosophy, a Tattva is an element or aspect of reality conceived as an aspect of
deity. Although the number of Tattvas varies depending on the philosophical school, together they
are thought to form the basis of all our experience. The Samkhya philosophy uses a system of 25
Tattvas, while Shaivism recognizes 36 Tattvas.
Mantra - is a sound, syllable, word, or group of words that is considered capable of "creating
transformation" (spiritual transformation). Its use and type varies according to the school and
philosophy associated with the Mantra.
Tantrism -the doctrine of enlightenment, as the realization of the oneness of one's self and the
visible world.
Tantras - refers to numerous and varied scriptures pertaining to any of several esoteric traditions
rooted in Hindu and Buddhist philosophy.
r Vidy - is the name of a Hindu religious system devoted to the Goddess Lalit Tripurasundar,
Bhuvaneshvari or simply ('Beautiful Goddess of the Three Cities').
Kundalini - is the feminine creative and fertile energy of our natural physical beingness - the life
energy or 'Life Force' of each cell of the Physical Body.
Yoga -practical, methodical, and systematic discipline or set of techniques that have the lofty goal of
helping human beings to become aware of their deepest nature.
Yantra - is the geometric path to oneness or unity by the understanding of spiritual geometry
(sacred geometry).
Mandala - is a Sanskrit word meaning "circle." In the Buddhist and Hindu religious traditions their
sacred art often takes a Mandala form. The basic form of most Hindu and Buddhist Mandalas is a
square with four gates containing a circle with a center point. It represents wholeness, and can be
seen as a model for the organizational structure of life itself a cosmic diagram that reminds us of our
relation to the infinite, the world that extends both beyond and within our bodies and minds.
89

Describing material and non-material realities, the mandala appears in all aspects of life: the celestial
circles we call earth, sun, and moon, as well as conceptual circles of friends, family, and community.
Mudra - is a symbolic or ritual gesture in Hinduism and Buddhism. While some Mudrs involve the
entire body, most are performed with the hands and fingers. A Mudr is a spiritual gesture and an
energetic seal of authenticity employed in the iconography and spiritual practice of Indian religions
and traditions of Dharma and Taoism in Tantric tradition rituals one hundred and eight are used.
Siddhi supernatural powers.
Indra - is the King of the gods or Devas and Lord of Heaven or Svargaloka in Hindu mythology. He is
also the God of War, Storms, and Rainfall and is associated with Vajrapani the Chief Dharmapala or
Defender and Protector of the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha who embodies the power of all
primordial or Dhyani Buddhas.
Vajrayna Buddhism - is also known as Tantric Buddhism, Tantrayna, Mantrayna, Secret Mantra,
Esoteric Buddhism and the Diamond Vehicle. Vajrayana is a complex and multifaceted system of
Buddhist thought and practice which evolved over several centuries. According to Vajrayana
scriptures Vajrayana refers to one of three vehicles or routes to enlightenment, the other two being
the Hinayana and Mahayana.
Mahyna - "Great Vehicle" is one of the two main existing branches of Buddhism and a term for
classification of Buddhist philosophies and practice. Mahyna Buddhism originated in India and is
associated with the oldest historical sect of Buddhism, the Mahsghika.
Vajrayogin - literally meaning 'the diamond female yogi'. She is a Highest Yoga Tantra Yidam (Skt.
Ihadeva (t)), and her practice includes methods for preventing ordinary death, intermediate state
(Bardo) and rebirth (by transforming them into paths to enlightenment), and for transforming all
mundane daily experiences into higher spiritual paths.
Vajrayogini is a generic female Yidam and although she is sometimes visualized as simply Vajrayogini,
in a collection of her Sadhanas she is visualized in an alternate form in over two thirds of the
practices.
Her other forms include Vajravrh (Tibetan: Dorje Pakmo, Wylie: rdo-rje phag-mo; English: the
Vajra Sow) and Krodikali (alt. Krodhakali, Klik, Krodhevar, Krishna Krodhini, Sanskrit;
Tibetan:Troma Nagmo; Wylie: khros ma nag mo; English: 'the Wrathful Lady' or 'the Fierce Black
One'). Vajrayogin is a Dki and a Vajrayna Buddhist meditation deity. As such she is considered to
be a female Buddha.
Ishta-devata (Sanskrit) / Yidam (Tibetan) - In Vajrayana Buddhism, an Ishta deva or Ishta devata is a
fully enlightened being who is the focus of personal meditation, during a retreat or for life. The term
is often translated into English as tutelary deity, meditation deity, or meditational deity. The
Ishtadeva appears in the 'Inner' refuge formula of the Three Roots and is also the key element of
Deity Yoga since the 'deity' in the Yoga is the Ishtadeva.

90

Sdhan - The term "Sdhan" means spiritual exertion towards an intended goal. A person
undertaking such a practice is known as a Sdhu or as an Sdhaka. The goal of Sdhan is to attain
some level of spiritual realization, which can be enlightenment, pure love of God (Prema), liberation
(Moksha) from the cycle of birth and death (Samsara), or a particular goal such as the blessings of a
deity as in the Bhakti traditions.
Literally "a means of accomplishing something" is ego transcending spiritual practice. It includes a
variety of disciplines in Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist and Muslim traditions that are followed in order to
achieve various spiritual or ritual objectives.
Sdhan can involve meditation, chanting of Mantra (sometimes with the help of a Japa Mala), Puja
to a deity, Yajna, and in very rare cases mortification of the flesh or tantric practices such as
performing one's particular Sdhan within a cremation ground.
Japa - or Mala meaning garland is a set of beads commonly used by Hindus and Buddhists, usually
made from 108 beads, though other numbers, usually divisible by 9, are also used. Malas are used for
keeping count while reciting, chanting, or mentally repeating a mantra or the name or names of a
deity. This practice is known in Sanskrit as Japa.
Pj - or alternative transliteration Pooja, (Sanskrit: reverence, honor, adoration, or worship) is a
religious ritual performed by Hindus as an offering to various deities, distinguished persons, or
special guests. It is done on a variety of occasions and settings, from daily puja done in the home, to
temple ceremonies and large festivals, or to begin a new venture.
Yajna - is a ritual of sacrifice, "worship, prayer, praise; offering, oblation, sacrifice" derived from the
practice of Vedic times. It is performed to please the gods or to attain certain wishes. An essential
element is the sacrificial fire - the divine Agni - into which oblations are poured, as everything that is
offered into the fire is believed to reach the Gods.
Meditation - Meditation is any form of a family of practices in which practitioners train their minds
or self-induce a mode of consciousness to realize some benefit. Meditation is generally an inwardly
oriented, personal practice, which individuals do by themselves.
Mahkla - (Sanskrit) is a Dharmapala ("protector of Dharma") in Vajrayana Buddhism, and a deity in
Chinese and Japanese Buddhism, particularly in the Vajrayana School.
Dhyani Buddhas - In Vajrayana Buddhism, the Five Dhyani Buddhas are representations of the five
qualities of the Buddha.
Asana - (Sanskrit: 'sitting down', 'to sit down') is a body position, typically associated with the
practice of Yoga, originally identified as a mastery of sitting still, with the spine as a conduit of
biodynamic union.
In the context of Yoga practice, Asana refers to two things: the place where a practitioner (or Yogi, in
general usage), Yogi (male), or Yogini (female) sits and the manner (posture) in which he/she sits. In
the Yoga sutras, Patanjali suggests that Asana is "to be seated in a position that is firm, but relaxed"
for extended, or timeless periods.

91

Dharmadhatu - (Sanskrit) may be defined as the 'dimension', 'realm' or 'sphere' (Dhatu) of Dharma
and denotes the collective 'one-taste' (Sanskrit: Ekarasa) dimension of Dharmata. In Mahayana
Buddhism Dharmadhtu means "realm of phenomena" "realm of Truth" and of the noumenon in this
realm, Tathata (Reality "as-it-is"), emptiness, dependent co-arising and the unconditioned,
uncreated, perfect and eternal Buddha are one. It is "not only the extent or expanse of Infinity but
also its deepest nature, or essence".
Mara - (Sanskrit) in Buddhism, is the demon that tempted Gautama Buddha by trying to seduce him
with the vision of beautiful women who, in various legends, are often said to be Mara's daughters.
In Buddhist cosmology, Mara personifies unwholesome impulses, unskillfulness the "death" of the
spiritual life. He is a tempter, distracting humans from practicing the spiritual life by making the
mundane alluring or the negative seem positive.
Rudras - are forms and followers of the God Rudra-Shiva and make eleven of the thirty three Gods in
the Hindu pantheon. They are at times identified with the Maruts - sons of Rudra; while at other
times, considered distinct from them. In Vedic mythology, Rudras are described as loyal companions
of Rudra, who later was identified with Shiva. They are considered as friends, messengers and
aspects of Rudra. They are fearful in nature. The Satapatha Brahmana mentions that Rudra is the
prince, while Rudras are his subjects. They are considered as attendants of Shiva in later mythology.
The Rig Veda makes the Rudras the Gods of the middle world, situated between earth and sky. As
wind Gods, the Rudras represent the life breath. In the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, the Rudras are
associated with the ten vital energies (Rudra Prana) in the body and the eleventh being the tman
(the soul).
The Chandogya Upanishad prescribes that the Rudras be propitiated in case of sickness in this period
and further says that they on departing the body become the cause of tears, the meaning of the
name Rudra being the "ones who make cry".
The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad explicitly states the fact that since the Rudras leaving the body
causing death makes people cry, they are Rudras. The Mahabharata describes the Rudras as
companions of Indra, servants of Shiva and his son Skanda and companions of Yama, who is
surrounded by them. They have immense power, wear golden necklaces and are "like lighting
illuminated clouds". The Bhagavata Purana prescribes the worship of the Rudras to gain virile power.
Thangka -also known as "Tangka", "Thanka" or "Tanka is a Tibetan silk painting with embroidery,
usually depicting a Buddhist deity, scene, or mandala of some sort. The Thankga is not a flat creation
like an oil painting or acrylic painting but consists of a picture panel which is painted or embroidered
over which a textile is mounted and then over which is laid a cover, usually silk. Generally, Thankgas
last a very long time and retain much of their lustre, but because of their delicate nature, they have
to be kept in dry places where moisture won't affect the quality of the silk. It is sometimes called a
scroll painting.
Padmasambhava - The Lotus Born, also known as: "The Lion Roaring Guru" is the most important
figure in the history of Tibetan Buddhism, credited with the successful introduction of Tantric
Buddhism into Tibet (Circa 750 CE).

92

Samadhi - in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and Yogic schools is a higher level of
concentrated meditation, or Dhyna. In the Yoga tradition, it is the eighth and final limb identified in
the Yoga Stras of Patajali. It has been described as a non-dualistic state of consciousness in which
the consciousness of the experiencing subject becomes one with the experienced object, and in
which the mind becomes still, one pointed or concentrated while the person remains conscious.
In Buddhism, it can also refer to an abiding in which mind becomes very still but does not merge with
the object of attention, and is thus able to observe and gain insight into the changing flow of
experience. In Hinduism, Samdhi can also refer to Videha Mukti or the complete absorption of the
individual consciousness in the self at the time of death usually referred to as Mahasamdhi.
Samdhi Mandir is also the Hindi name for a temple commemorating the dead (similar to a
mausoleum), which may or may not contain the body of the deceased. Samdhi sites are often built
in this way to honor people regarded as Saints or Gurus in Hindu religious traditions, wherein such
souls are said to have passed into Mahsamdhi, (or were already in) Samdhi at the time of death.
Dakini - is a Tantric deity described as a female embodiment of enlightened energy. In the Tibetan
language, Dakini is rendered Khandroma which means 'she who traverses the sky' or 'she who moves
in space'. Sometimes the term is translated poetically as 'sky dancer' or 'sky walker'.
The Dakini, in all her varied forms, is an important figure in Tibetan Buddhism. She is so central to the
requirements for a practitioner to attain full enlightenment as a Buddha that she appears in a Tantric
formulation of the Buddhist Three Jewels refuge formula known as the Three Roots. The Dakini in her
various guises serve as each of the Three Roots. She may be a human Guru, a Vajra Master who
transmits the Vajrayana teachings to her disciples and joins them in Samaya commitments.
The wisdom Dakini may be a Yidam, a meditational deity; female deity Yogas such as Vajrayogini are
common in Tibetan Buddhism. Or she may be a protector; the wisdom Dakinis has special power and
responsibility to protect the integrity of oral transmissions. Although Dakini figures appear in
Hinduism and in the Bn tradition, Dakinis are particularly prevalent in Vajrayana Buddhism and have
been particularly conceived in Tibetan Buddhism where the Dakini, generally of volatile or wrathful
temperament, act somewhat as a muse (or inspirational thought form) for spiritual practice. Dakinis
are energetic beings in female form, evocative of the movement of energy in space. In this context,
the sky or space indicates Shunyata, the insubstantiality of all phenomena, which is, at the same
time, the pure potentiality for all possible manifestations.
Ashtamangala - are a sacred suite of Eight Auspicious Signs endemic to a number of Dharmic
Traditions such as Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism. The symbols or "symbolic attributes" are Yidam
and teaching tools. Not only do these attributes, these energetic signatures, point to qualities of
enlightened mind stream, but they are the investiture that ornaments these enlightened "qualities".
Many cultural enumerations and variations of the Ashtamangala are extant. Groupings of eight
auspicious symbols were originally used in India at ceremonies such as an investiture or coronation
of a king. An early grouping of symbols included: throne, Swastika, handprint, hooked knot, vase of
jewels, water libation flask, pair of fishes and lidded bowl. In Buddhism, these eight symbols of good
fortune represent the offerings made by the Gods to Shakyamuni Buddha immediately after he
gained enlightenment.

93

Shakyamuni Buddha - is the Buddha of our time. He was born on a full moon day in May of 623 BCE,
into the Shakya clan in Lumbini in what is now Nepal. His parents were King Suddhodana and Queen
Maya. He is the historical founder of what came to be known as Buddhism. King Suddhodana invited
a Brahmin who was conversant with the three Vedas to name the child. He named the child
Siddhartha (meaning one whose aim is accomplished). Siddhartha Gautama was the worldly name
of the Buddha. Gautama was his family name. Shakyamuni, his name after he became a Buddha,
means "Sage of the Shakyas.
Mount Meru (Mount Kailash) - also called Sumeru i.e. the "Excellent Meru" and Mahameru i.e.
"Great Meru", is a sacred mountain in Hindu and Buddhist cosmology as well as in Jain cosmology,
and is considered to be the center of all the physical, metaphysical and spiritual universes. It is also
the abode of Lord Shiva and his wife Parvati. The mountain is said to be 84,000 Yojanas high (which is
around 1,082,000 km (672,000 mi), or 85 times the Earths diameter). Many famous Hindu and Jain
temples have been built as symbolic representations of this mountain.
Dharmapalas - in Vajrayana Buddhism, a Dharmapla is a type of wrathful deity. The name means
"Dharma defender" in Sanskrit, and the Dharmaplas are also known as the Defenders of the Law
(Dharma), or the Protectors of the Law, in English. In Vajrayana iconography and Thangka depictions,
Dharmaplas are fearsome beings, often with many heads, many hands, or many feet.
Dharmaplas often have blue, black or red skin, and a fierce expression with protruding fangs.
Though Dharmaplas have a terrifying appearance and countenance, they are all Bodhisattvas or
Buddhas, meaning that they are embodiments of compassion that act in a wrathful way for the
benefit of sentient beings.
Chakrasamvara - ('Wheel of Perfect Bliss' or 'Wheel of Union') is a Tantric meditational deity
(Sanskrit: Ishtadeva) of the Highest Yoga (Anuttara) Tantra class of Vajrayana Buddhism.
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.
Shaktipithasthanas - seat of Shakti, are places of worship consecrated to the Goddess Shakti or
Parvati or Sati or Durga, the female principal of Hinduism and the main deity of the Shakta sect. They
are sprinkled throughout the Indian subcontinent. This Goddess Shakti, the Goddess of power is the
complete incarnation of Adi Parashakti, has three chief manifestations, as Durga, Goddess of
strength and valor, as Mahakali, Goddess of destruction of evil and as Goddess Gowri, the Goddess of
benevolence.
Bodhicitta - In Buddhism is the intention to achieve omniscient Buddhahood (Trikaya) as fast as
possible, so that one may benefit infinite sentient beings. One who has Bodhicitta as the primary
motivation for all of his or her activities is called a Bodhisattva Bodhicitta also means the aim to, on
the one hand, bring happiness to all sentient beings, and on the other, to relieve them of suffering;
this definition is consistent with the definition of seeking enlightenment, as enlightenment is the
freedom from Sasra.

94

Etymologically, the word is a combination of the Sanskrit words Bodhi and Citta. Bodhi means
"awakening" or "enlightenment". Citta is derived from the Sanskrit root Cit, and denotes "that which
is conscious" mind or consciousness. Bodhicitta may be translated as "awakening mind" or "mind of
enlightenment".
Akshobhya - is one of the Five Wisdom Buddhas, a product of the Adibuddha, who represents
consciousness as an aspect of reality. By convention he is located in the east of the Diamond Realm
and is the lord of the Eastern Pure Land Abhirati ('The Joyous'), although the Pure Land of
Akshobhya's western counterpart Amitbha is far better known. His consort is Lochan and he is
normally accompanied by two elephants. His color is blue and his attributes include the bell, three
robes, and staff, along with a jewel, lotus, prayer wheel, and sword.
Ratnasambhava - is one of the Five Dhyani Buddhas (or "Five Meditation Buddhas") of Vajrayana or
Tantric Buddhism. Ratnasambhava's Mandalas and Mantras focus on developing equanimity and
equality and, in Vajrayana Buddhist thought is associated with the attempt to destroy greed and
pride. His consort is Mamaki and his mount is a horse or a pair of lions. His wrathful manifestation is
Gundari. Often included in his retinue is the worldly Dharmapla Jambhala. Ratnasambhava is
associated with the Skandha of feeling or sensation and its relationship with consciousness.
His activity in promoting Buddhism is enriching and increasing knowledge of Dharma.
Ratnasambhava is associated with the jewel symbol, which corresponds with his family, Ratna or
jewel. In artwork he is shown in the mudra of giving. He is usually colored yellow or gold. He is
associated with the element earth, the heavenly quarter of the south and the season of autumn. His
cardinal direction is the south.
Vairocana - (also Vairochana or Mahvairocana) is a celestial Buddha who is often (e.g. in the Flower
Garland Sutra) interpreted as the Bliss Body of the historical Gautama Buddha. In Sino Japanese
Buddhism, Vairocana is also seen as the embodiment of the Buddhist concept of Shunyata or
emptiness. In the conception of the Five Wisdom Buddhas of Vajrayana Buddhism, Vairocana is at
the center. His consort in Tibetan Buddhism is White Tara (for every Dhyani Buddha there is an
affiliated female Buddha in the Tibetan Tradition).
Amitbha - is considered one of the Five Dhyni Buddhas (together with Akobhya, Amoghasiddhi,
Ratnasambhava, and Vairocana), who is associated with the western direction and the Skandha of
Saj, the aggregate of distinguishing (recognition) and the deep awareness of individualities. His
consort is Paravsin. Amitbha is a celestial Buddha described in the scriptures of the Mahyna
school of Buddhism.
Amitbha is the principal Buddha in the Pure Land sect, a branch of Buddhism practiced mainly in
East Asia, while in Vajrayana Amitbha is known for his longevity attribute and the aggregate of
distinguishing (recognition) and the deep awareness of individualities. According to these scriptures,
Amitbha possesses infinite merits resulting from good deeds over countless past lives as a
Bodhisattva named Dharmakra. "Amitbha" is translatable as "Infinite Light," hence Amitbha is
often called "The Buddha of Infinite Light."

95

Amoghasiddhi - is one of the Five Wisdom Buddhas of the Vajrayana tradition of Buddhism. He is
associated with the accomplishment of the Buddhist path and of the destruction of the poison of
envy. His name means He Whose Accomplishment Is Not In Vain. His Shakti/consort is Tara, meaning
Noble Deliverer or Noble Star and his mounts are Garudas. He belongs to the family of Karma whose
family symbol is the Double Vajra/thunderbolt.
Amoghasiddhi is associated with the conceptual Skandha or the conceptual mind (as opposed to the
non-conceptual or sensational mind). His action towards the promotion of Buddhist paths is the
pacification of evils. This is symbolized by Amoghasiddhi's symbol, the moon. He gestures in the
Mudra of fearlessness, symbolizing his and his devotees' fearlessness towards the poisons or
delusions. He is usually colored green in artwork and is associated with the air or wind element. His
season is summer and his heavenly quarter, the north.
Skandha - (Five Aggregates), In Buddhist phenomenology and soteriology, the Skandhas (Sanskrit) or
Khandhas (Pli, aggregates in English) are any of five types of phenomena that serve as objects of
clinging and bases for a sense of self.
Garuda - is a large mythical eagle or bird like creature that appears in both Hindu and Buddhist
mythology simple it is the messenger of the Gods.
Akashic Records-Holy Scriptures. The akashic records are described as containing all knowledge of
human experience and the history of the cosmos.

96

BIBLOGRAPHY
1. http://www.fukiya.net/en/index2.php
2. Hoopes, A. (n.d.). Generating ki energy. Retrieved from http://ezinearticles.com/?Generating-KiEnergy&id=4536844
3. Marchand, P. (n.d.). Das mahavidya - the ten mahavidyas. Retrieved from
http://www.sanatansociety.org/hindu_gods_and_goddesses/mahavidya_ten_mahavidyas.htm
4. Guin, M. (n.d.). Kali the goddess 2. Retrieved from
http://www.devotionaltantra.com/catalog/item/8226066/8929777.htm
5. Dasha( ten ) mahavidya - part one - introduction (1 of 4) . (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://creative.sulekha.com/dasha-ten-mahavidya-part-one-introduction-1-of-4_546260_blog
6. Gods and goddesses of ancient india. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.crystalinks.com/indiadieties.html
7. http://www.hindunet.org/aum/index.htm
8. Anand, R. (n.d.). Meaning of om!. Retrieved from http://shirdisaidham.com/om.htm
9.Aum. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.haryana-online.com/culture/aum.htm
10. Bharati , J. (n.d.). Om mantra and 7 levels of consciousness. Retrieved from
http://www.swamij.com/om.htm
11. http://www.vishvarupa.com/print-information-about-om-aum.html
12. ShriAghorinath Ji. (n.d.).What is tantra? . Retrieved from
http://hinduism.about.com/od/tantra/a/what_is_tantra.htm
13. Tantrism. (n.d.).In The Free Dictionary. Retrieved from
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Tantrism
14. Tantrism. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.philtar.ac.uk/encyclopedia/hindu/devot/tant.html
15. Della Santina, P. (n.d.).The Development and Symbolism of Tibetan Buddhist Art and Iconography.
Retrieved from
http://www.himalayanart.org/pages/peter_della_santina/development_pdsantina.html
16. Vajrayogini (buddhist deity) - krodha kali (wrathful black varahi). (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.himalayanart.org/image.cfm/490.html
97

17. Beer, R. (1999). The encyclopedia of tibetan symbols and motifs . (1st ed.). Boston: Shambala.
18. Abrams, P. (n.d.). Water in religion. Retrieved from http://www.africanwater.org/religion.htm
19. Shen, S. (2011, February 8). Significance of water in Buddhism. Retrieved from
http://moonpointer.com/new/2011/02/significance-of-water-in-buddhism/
20. Four headed mahakala .(n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.exoticindiaart.com/product/paintings/four-headed-mahakala-TH98/
21. Aureola. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aureola
22. Halo. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halo_(religious_iconography)
23. Kumar, N. (2001, January). Shiva as nataraja - dance and destruction in Indian art . Retrieved
from http://www.exoticindiaart.com/article/nataraja/
24. Kumar, N. (2002, January). Every woman a goddess - the ideals of Indian art . Retrieved from
http://www.exoticindiaart.com/article/goddess/2/
25. Kumar, N. (2003, October). The eight auspicious symbols of Buddhism - a study in spiritual
evolution .Retrieved from http://www.exoticindiaart.com/article/symbols/
26. Kumar, N. (2001, June). Ritual implements in Tibetan Buddhism: A symbolic appraisal. Retrieved
from http://www.exoticindiaart.com/ritual.htm
27. Damaru. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damaru
28. The trident (skt. trishula) .(n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.exoticindiaart.com/product/paintings/trident-skt-trishula-BE26/
29. http://www.baronet4tibet.com/descript_altarsmall/altsmal0310-30.html
30.Om. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.hellosiam.com/html/om.htm
31. Aum. (n.d.).Retrieved from http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/AUM
32. Kerrace, A. (2009, December). Why is Eliminating the Ego not the Goal of Enlightenment?[Web
log message]. Retrieved from http://thecosmicheart.blogspot.ch/2009/12/why-is-eliminating-egonot-goal-of.html
33. The divine couple Shiva - Shakti. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://sivasakti.com/articles/tantra/shivashakti-art37.html

98

LIST OF REPRODUCTIONS
1. Verma, R. R. (Artist). (1910). Guru Dattatreya.[Lithograph]. Retrieved from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ravi_Varma-Dattatreya.jpg
2. Rodriguez, W. R. (2007). Aum calligraphy.aum (om) hindu symbol. [Print Photo]. Retrieved from
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aum_calligraphy_Red.svg
3. Barta, B. (Artist). (2011). Troma Nagmo. [Painting]. Retrieved from
http://www.jogegarts.com/thangkas/troma-nagmo
4. Heussenstamm, P. (Artist). (n.d.). Red Vajrayogini. [Painting]. Retrieved from
http://www.mandalas.com/store2/
5. Gurupadmasambhava .[Painting].(n.d.). Retrieved from http://neydo.com/?act=product-india
6. Noskov, S. (Photographer). (n.d.).Pema heruka guhya jnana dakini.[Painting]. Retrieved from
http://fineartamerica.com/featured/pema-heruka-guhya-jnana-dakini-sergey-noskov.html
7.Sax, F. (Designer). (n.d.).Aum (The Fuchiyado Emblem).[Design].
8. Travel, T. (Photographer). (2011). Fuchiyado photos.[Photo].
9. Iridescence soap bubble,.[Web Photo].(n.d.). Retrieved from
http://pinterest.com/youngblood93/iridescence/
10. Gautama Buddha. [Web Photo].(n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.google.de/imgres?um=1&hl=en&biw=1440&bih=797&tbm=isch&tbnid=3vCLtLJSGMj3M:&imgrefurl=http://www.chopra.com/vishnu&docid=0PHmqS84HwSpM&imgurl=http://www.chopra.com/files/images/richtext_937.jpg&w=350&h=480&ei
=sGBdUfa8IaaL7AbQkYCIAw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=903&vpy=421&dur=1883&hovh=263&hovw=19
2&tx=93&ty=152&page=2&tbnh=131&tbnw=95&start=39&ndsp=48&ved=1t:429,r:74,s:0,i:346
11. The eight auspicious symbols of Buddhism. [Web Photo].(n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.google.de/imgres?hl=en&biw=1440&bih=797&tbm=isch&tbnid=ed4j1P9T0Yd13M:&img
refurl=http://www.buddhistelibrary.org/library/view.php?adpath=410&docid=j9N4BVAALeSLMM&i
mgurl=http://www.buddhistelibrary.org/library/asst/img/8_symbols.jpg&w=302&h=465&ei=pmFdU
ZfZNvKg7AbkuIG4DQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=1226&vpy=12&dur=483&hovh=148&hovw=96&tx=137
&ty=36&page=1&tbnh=148&tbnw=96&start=0&ndsp=36&ved=1t:429,r:8,s:0,i:103

99

12. Vajrayogini. [Web Photo].(n.d.). Retrieved from

http://www.google.de/imgres?hl=en&biw=1440&bih=797&tbm=isch&tbnid=TrvNMBHTb9z8hM:&im
grefurl=http://www.metahistory.org/tantra/lunarshaktis/Vajrayogini.php&docid=S011NhHP97jZDM
&imgurl=http://www.metahistory.org/images/Vajravarahi1.jpg&w=385&h=519&ei=ImRdUcbVFqvB7
Abp7IGICg&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=1206&vpy=91&dur=1033&hovh=261&hovw=193&tx=126&ty=14
0&page=1&tbnh=134&tbnw=102&start=0&ndsp=45&ved=1t:429,r:9,s:0,i:106
13. Goddess Kali. [Web Photo].(n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.google.de/imgres?hl=en&sa=X&biw=1440&bih=797&tbm=isch&tbnid=dfI6tGCPhVSrnM:
&imgrefurl=http://www.empowermentkeysforwomen.com/?p=829&docid=xkkg7DOHSDmcGM&im
gurl=http://www.empowermentkeysforwomen.com/wpcontent/uploads/2010/10/kali.jpg&w=256&h=325&ei=PGpdUYTlOcSp7AapYHQAw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=290&vpy=94&dur=1187&hovh=253&hovw=199&tx=105&ty=153&p
age=3&tbnh=147&tbnw=118&start=96&ndsp=49&ved=1t:429,r:98,s:0,i:461
14. Voekler, T. (Photographer). (2008). Sacred lotus nelumbo nucifera.[Print Photo]. Retrieved from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sacred_lotus_Nelumbo_nucifera.jpg
15. Buddha. [Web Photo].(n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/buddha tattoo
16.Shiva-Shakti. [Web Photo].(n.d.). Unknown source.
17.Kumavat, G. (Artist). (n.d.).The oceanic dance of Shiva and Shakti .[Painting]. Retrieved from
http://www.exoticindia.com/product/paintings/oceanic-dance-of-shiva-and-shakti-HC28/

100

CONTACT AND FURTHER INFORMATION

You are invited to contact me for further information about the FUCHIYADO Meditation!
Shri Krishan Puri
Der Baumgarten Ashram
c/o Christoph Dellitsch
Baumgartenweg 10
CH - 4132 Muttenz (near Basel), Switzerland
Telephone: +41 (0)79 79 18 202
E-mail: Krishan@Puri.ch
Website:
http://www.krishan.puri.ch/
http://www.fuchiyado.ch/
FACEBOOK:
Please type FUCHIYADO in Facebook to find our community page. Here we collected a lot of
information, photos and videos about the FUCHIYADO Meditation.
You can also find
Shri Krishan Puri
at Facebook.
Shri Krishan Puri nowadays leads a proper Fuchiyado Dojo in his Ashram in Switzerland which is
called the Baumgarten - Ashram. Intensive classes and courses can be taken there in a very private
home atmosphere with maximum 4 people at one time, always at weekends, including food and
accommodation.
101

SPACE FOR YOUR OWN NOTES:

102

FUCHIYADO
SHRI KRISHAN PURI IS DELIGHTED TO WELCOME YOU TO THE WORLD OF FUCHIYADO

The FUCHIYADO Samurai Blowgun Technique was created by Shri Krishan Puri, who practiced Yoga
in India, Nepal and his home country Switzerland for about 35 years. For many years he is Master of
Meditation and Fuchiyado leading his own Ashram, named "Der Baumgarten", in Muttenz, near
Basel, Switzerland.

Copyright 2012 by Shri Krishan Puri