Achi Chokyi Drolma – The Special Protectress of Drikung Kagyu
Achi Chokyi Drolma (Main figure)
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(Top to bottom): Achi Chokyi Drolma, Vajradhara, Vajravarahi and Dorje Shugden.
Deity: Achi Chokyi Drolma (Tibetan)
Achi Chokyi Drolma is the special protectress who arose to protect the Drikung Kagyu order. The Drikung Kagyu was founded by the great lama Jigten Sumgon and Achi Chokyi Drolma is considered to be the reincarnation of his great-grandmother, who was an emanation of Vajravarahi. It is also stated that her arising as a protector was prophesied in the Heruka Chakrasamvara Tantra. Though Achi Chokyi Drolma first arose in the Drikung Kagyu order, she has since come to be relied on by practitioners from other traditions as well, such as those belonging to the Gelug tradition. She is also relied on in the Karma Kagyu order in which she is known as Achi Chodron and also appears in the life story of Terton Tsasum Lingpa of the Nyingma lineage as both a protector and a dakini.
Achi Chokyi Drolma was born to a childless couple who had travelled to Swayambhunath Stupa in Nepal for pilgrimage. At the age of three she began reciting the mantra of Tara and taught it to others. Later in life, she gave birth to four sons and two generations later, Jigten Sumgon was born into her family.
When the time came for Achi Chokyi Drolma’s life to end, after teaching the precious Buddha’s teachings to countless beings, she took shelter in a cave. Together with her students she partook of a great tsok (Sanskrit: ganachakra) offering. At this time her students gained both ordinary and supreme spiritual attainments. It was here that Achi Chokyi Drolma composed a sadhana or daily prayer manual with herself as the central deity and promised to look after the teachings of the Buddha, especially those that her great-grandson Jigten Sumgon would propagate. She then flew to Kechara Paradise (the pureland of Heruka Chakrasamvara and Vajravarahi) on a blue horse without leaving her physical body, reminiscent of 75 of the famous 84 great Mahasiddhas of ancient India.
In this depiction she is portrayed in her protector aspect, but she can also be portrayed in the aspect of a guru, a long-life dakini and a wealth-bestowing dakini.
Deity: Vajradhara (Sanskrit)
Alternative name: Dorje Chang (Tibetan)
Buddha Vajradhara is none other than Buddha Shakyamuni, who took this form in order to teach the tantras, which are known to expedite ones spiritual practice to achieve enlightenment. It is said that while following the sutra methods of practice takes practitioners three great aeons to achieve enlightenment, through the practice of tantra on the other hand, enlightenment can be achieved in this very lifetime. It is from Buddha Vajradhara that tantric systems such as Guhyasamaja and Heruka Chakrasamvara arise, among countless others. In fact, within these systems, one’s guru is visualised as Vajradhara during certain meditations, indicative of the guru’s importance within tantric practice.
In English, Vajradhara’s name means ‘Holder of the Vajra’. He is dark blue in colour with one face and two arms, which are crossed at the level of his heart. His right hand holds a vajra symbolising the compassionate activities of the enlightened beings, while he holds a bell in his left symbolising the non-duality of ultimate reality.
Deity: Vajravarahi (Sanskrit)
Alternative names: Dorje Phagmo (Tibetan); Indra Kacho (Sanskrit)
Vajravarahi is a female tantric Buddha who appears in many different forms throughout the various lineages of Tibetan Buddhism. She embodies the fully enlightened female aspect of a Buddha and her path of practice is considered a Mother Tantra, meaning her practitioners concentrate on the wisdom aspect leading to Buddhahood. She is also a principal dakini, a compassionate female guide and nurturer of tantric meditation who leads practitioners to enlightenment. Her practice arose from a pure vision beheld by the Mahasiddha Indrabodhi, which is why she is sometimes called Indra Kacho, meaning Indra’s Dakini. ‘Indra’ here refers to Indrabodhi and ‘kacho’ is a Tibetan word referring to the dakini from Kechara. Kechara is Vajravarahi’s pureland where she resides.
Deity: Dorje Shugden (Tibetan)
Alternative name: Vajra Rudra (Sanskrit)
Dorje Shugden is the emanation of Manjushri, the Buddha of Wisdom and he has taken the form of a Dharma Protector in order to safeguard Buddha’s teachings, especially the special teachings on the Middle Way view. Reminiscent of Manjushri’s form, Dorje Shugden carries a meandering sword and rides a snowlion that represents the fearlessness of a fully enlightened Buddha. Thus, he has great strength to overcome obstacles of the body, speech and mind and to create suitable conditions for our spiritual practice to flourish.
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Achi Chokyi Drolma is the Dharma Protectress of the Drikung Kagyu. She was one special Dharma Protector and at time of birth there were numerous auspicious signs appeared and her body was of purest white and radiating rays of light. Amazing at the age of 3 she could already reciting the mantra of Tara and teaching it to others. In her later years, she even composed a text containing a sadhana of herself and promised to look after the teachings of the Buddha in general. Her teachings has benefited countless of beings before her passing.
A beautiful art painting paints a thousands words and well explained.
Thank you Rinpoche for this sharing.