Vajrapani doesn’t, to many newcomers to Buddhism, look very Buddhist at all. He is a Bodhisattva who represents the energy of the enlightened mind, and his mantra also symbolizes that quality.
Vajrapani is pictured dancing wildly within a halo of flames, which represent transformation.
He holds a vajra (thunderbolt) in his right hand, which emphasizes the power to cut through the darkness of delusion. Vajrapani looks wrathful, but as a representation of the enlightened mind, he’s completely free from hatred.
Vajrapani’s mantra is simply his name, which means “wielder of the thunderbolt”, framed between the mystical syllables Om and Hūṃ. This mantra helps us to gain access to the irrepressible energy that Vajrapani symbolizes. A familiarity with Vajrapani does, of course, help here, although the sound of the mantra is itself rather energetic.
Click below to listen to an audio recording of the Vajrapani mantra, chanted by Bodhipaksa:
Vajrapani is a member, along with Avalokiteshvara and Manjushri, of the trinity of Bodhisattvas known as the Three Family Protectors. The Buddha family of which Vajrapani is the protector is the Vajra (thunderbolt) family, which includes Akshobya (the lord of the Vajra family) and Yamantaka.
Vajrapani (Holder of the Thunderbolt) represents the energy of the enlightened mind, and energy that breaks through delusion. He dances wildly within a halo of flames, which represent the transformative power of Awakening. He holds a vajra (thunderbolt) in his right hand, which emphasizes the power to cut through the darkness of delusion.
Non-Buddhists (and Theravadin Buddhists) seeing Vajrapani for the first time may wonder how such a wrathful-looking figure could possibly fit with the peaceful associations they have with the Buddhist tradition, although such figures are actually very common in the Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions.
Of course it’s not really possible adequately to represent the qualities of Enlightenment in any image, and so even the peaceful forms of Buddhas and bodhisattvas are to some extent misleading.
Enlightened beings do not, in reality, sit around all day on lotuses smiling serenely. The Buddha himself was fearlessly active in engaging with the other religious figures and philosophers of his day. His fearless approach to life is perhaps characterized mostly clearly by his encounter with Angulimala, who was an infamous bandit who killed his victims and added a finger from each to the garland he wore around his neck (his name means “Garland of Fingers”). Although warned to stay away from this dangerous figure, the Buddha insisted on going into the forest to confront Angulimala, who converted to Buddhism, became a monk, and eventually became Enlightened.
Therefore, it’s just as appropriate to represent an Enlightened being as dancing wildly, naked and fearless.
Another way of looking at the apparent fierceness of Vajrapani and other “wrathful” figures is to consider what a Buddha looks like from the point of view of that part of ourselves that doesn’t want to change. We may, at some level, want to meditate, to live ethically, and so on, but other parts of us are profoundly threatened by the possibility of change.
Our habits can form a kind of “sub-personality” that can try to hijack our lives. After all, habits of denial, craving, and aversion face extinction if we continue to practice the path of mindfulness and compassion, so it’s not surprising that they sometimes put up a protest. From the point of view of those powerful and yet primitive parts of ourselves, Enlightenment, rather than looking attractive, seems to be threatening and demonic.
Because of this dual nature, Vajrapani has his peaceful forms as well, and early depictions of him, while muscular and athletic, are nothing like the wild figure depicted above.
Vajrapani has his origins in the Pali canon, as a Yaksha, or nature spirit. In this story, in the Digha Nikaya, a Brahmin (priestly) youth named Ambattha, is first of all rude to the Buddha, believing him to be of a lower social caste, and then refuses to answer a question the Buddha — who is unfailingly polite in the encounter — puts to him about his ancestry.
After Ambattha refuses to answer the question twice, the Buddha reminds him that there is a traditional belief that if you refuse to answer the question of an enlightened one three times, your head will split in seven pieces. Of course this never happens, but “Vajirapani” (the Pali form of his name) appears, ready to make good on the ancient prophecy. Ambattha is of course terrified and promptly answers the Buddha’s question.
Vajrapani also has his mythic roots in Indra, the Indian thunder god. He’s thus connected to Zeus and Jupiter, who, along with Indra, are all variants of the same thunderbolt-wielding sky-deity. (“Dyaus” is Sanskrit for “sky,” and Indra is also known as “Indra Dyaus.” “Zeus” is the Greek form of Dyaus. Jupiter is “Dyaus-piter” or “sky father.”)
The earliest depictions of Vajrapani, as we noted above, are not particularly wrathful. In this image, from the second century, both the Buddha (seated) and Vajrapani (standing) are sculpted in classic Greek style. Vajrapani here is shown as a powerful muscular figure protecting the Buddha, and his iconography is essentially that of Herakles (Hercules). The characteristics he shares with the later form are the vajra (thunderbolt), his powerful frame, and his semi-nakedness, which is typical of a Greek athlete.
In later forms, as Vajrapani becomes more other-worldly, he is shown as being dark blue in color. He perhaps borrows this color from Akshobhya, the head of the Vajra Family. But this is also the color of a thunder cloud.
He represents the power, energy, and fearlessness of the Buddhas. He stands in (or rather is caught in) the warrior pose that will be familiar to those who practice Hatha Yoga. In his outstretched right hand he wields a vajra, and his left hand holds a lasso with which to bind demons.
Vajrapani wears a loin-cloth around his hips. The cloth is made from the skin of a tiger. He is adorned with the five-pointed Bodhisattva crown, but the crown bears five skulls. He has a necklace hanging to his belly, but he also has a snake around his neck. Snakes and dragons are associated with clouds and rain, fitting in with Vajrapani’s origins as a god of thunder.
Vajrapani has a bulging third eye in the center of his forehead. Just as Ambattha’s hairs stood on end when he encountered Vajirapani, so the bodhisattva’s hair flies wildly in the air.
Although Vajrapani and other similar figures are often described as “wrathful” it’s important to realize that they do not represent ordinary anger, but simply the power and fearlessness of the awakened mind. There is no place in Buddhist practice for “righteous anger,” and despite his appearance Vajrapani is a profoundly compassionate figure.
View Comments
To B. F. Connell...where was Vajrapani then??? Destiny. It was time for all of those expatiate Lamas to take 'it' to the rest of the world. Prior to 'the invasion' Tibet was a closely guarded secret and little Tibetan Buddhism got to the outside world. The Dalai Lama was only the Dalai Lama of Tibet. Now he is the Dalai Lama of the entire world. By attempting to stamp out a religion, Mao instead sent it to the entire world. How would I have ever met Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche at Tail of The Tiger Buddhist Community in E. Barnet, Vt. if he'd not left Tibet when he did? How would there be a Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado if Mao hadn't driven all those lamas from Tibet? History is hard to understand. The killings, the burning down of Monasteries. This was not the first time. Probabaly won't be the last. When Islam burned down Nalanda and killed off most of the buddhists in India, it was just after the Prajnaparamita got taken to China. If it and other sutras hadn't been hidden in a cave in a remote area when China went through a similar killing and burning srpee, where would we find these Sutras now? Somehow, [buddha's might] the dharma goes on despite the insane actions of political leaders. Strangely enough Mao's decision to eradicate Tibetan Buddhism in Tibet only sent it to even more masses all over the world. Who made him do that? Perhaps Vajrapani works in mysterious ways...dancing in a fire holding a vajra, an emptiness lightening bolt in his hand. Even the Cultural Revolution while seeming bizarre at first has managed to give China a great sense of preserving its ancient culture now...kind of a reaction to a strange action. For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Stillness is best.
I have to say that I don't think of Vajrapani or other "deities" as being objectively existent entities that will do anything like protect a country from invasion. I think of them as personifications of deeper aspects of ourselves, and ultimately as personifications of the Enlightened mind. I think we can have a relationship with them almost as if they were objectively existent entities; after all we have conversations with "other people" entirely within our own thoughts all the time, so this is nothing unusual. But I think that we have to bear in mind all the time that the deity and ourselves are not separate.
Vajrapani acts as a protector when we embody "his" energy and fearlessness. Of course it's really "our" energy and fearlessness -- the energy and fearlessness that arise when we let go of the narrow, fear-based attitudes that come from clinging.
So where was Vajrapani when the Chinese invaded? I think he was absent. I don't think that Tibetan culture was embodying fearlessness or energy. For a long time they'd lived, cozily cut-off from the outside world -- perhaps with a fear of "contamination" or with a sense of arrogance, or perhaps just complacency. A confident Tibetan culture would have been engaged with the world, sending out missions to teach their religion and culture, and forming alliances and friendships with other nations.
I think the Chinese invasion did in fact put the Tibetans in touch with Vajrapani. No longer having a safe, cozy, isolated homeland and their rather static culture to cling to, they were forced into engagement with the world. I'm not arguing that the Chinese invasion was a good thing -- it was a great evil -- but just that there were some consequences that were beneficial in the short-term at least.
I agree wholeheartedly about the personification features plus the clinging obscurations. You're one heavy dude Bodhipaksa. I guess I'm sort of liking your use of "...forced into engagement with the world." point. Forces are kind of an emanation of 'emptiness'. Hard to hold a 'force' in one's hands, hence unreal...empty. Magnetism, gravity, all forces invisible...like the sky. The Maoist force, clashing with as you well put it, the tibetans clinging to a static culture, made for a somewhat rapid explosion of Tibetan Buddhist information into the rest of the world. I doubt if anyone ever thought that was going to happen way back there in the late '50's.
Impermanence has its fascinationg changes doesn't it? The historical scene goes through its changes and our own inner changes in awarenesses has its own impermanences too. Thank you for your great responses.
i've read The Bodhisattva and Spiritual Emanation of Aksobhya from a website and within the first paragraph it speaks of "The musicality of being is the clear tone of a bell". i practice zazen and use the koan "who is it that hears" while using a singingbowl and am wondering if theirs further refrences to this meditation technique within the teachings of Vajrayana. I realise this might be a obscure refrence and nothing more but i thought i would atlest try.
Ok VibeVoid, the first 'sound' is the bell sound at the 1,000 petal lotus which as you go beyond there mellows into the gong sound. Next comes the sound of the conch(sp?), then something like a guitar, or sitar, and flinally a flute. But none of these 'sounds' are quite like what we are presently aware of instrumentally in 'this world'. They are more 'ephemeral'. In Sant Mat they are spoken of as the 'names' of the dieties of 'the regions' with the 'flute sound' being the realm of Sat Purusha. Characteristically Sat Purusha is the Being where in His presence you 'hear' the TRUTH [Dharma]. There are two 'regions' above Sat Nam, Sat Purusha's realm/pure land: Anama and Agama Purushas. Anama goes beyond 'names' and Agama: beyond the beyond. In Sant Mat going in, up and into these beyond realms is the path[mat] of The Sound Current[Dhara].
In the Surangama Sutra it is following the path of Hearing which both Avalokitesvara and Manjusri take reaching 'Enlightenment'. You're doing great. "Who is it that hears?" is a great introspection. Just keep following it. In Nyingma one is asked to find your mind. This helps in understanding Emptiness. Easily overlooked is the awareness or clarity of this 'looking for'. Seeing 'Nothing' is to some a nihilistic result. That is an overlooking of the presence of the senses; in this case seeing. The senses are and hearing is. I'd say,"misicality of Being" as in Heideger's Being and Time especially the Joan Stambaugh translation. But following hearing is perfect. "Who is it that hears?" is not a koan. It is a mondo...a question/answer. The answer's key is in spontanaeity. Which is to say, "There will come a 'moment' and the lightebning bolt[vajra] will arrive.
Hi, Vibevoid.
The bell is a common symbol in Vajrayana Buddhism, usually paired with the vajra (thunderbolt). There's a nice summary of the relationship between the two here: https://www.himalayanmart.com/VajraGhanta.php
I suppose I take the idea of the sound of reality to be a metaphor. Reality (impermanence, insubstantiality, unsatisfactoriness) is present at all times, but it's like a sound that we rarely pay attention to, as if we were ADD students "zoning out" in class -- they're "tuned in" to distraction and "tune out" the teachings that are coming their way. The kind of koan you're doing is a way of paying attention to the insubstantiality of the self, and so you're trying to "tune in" to that particular sound (speaking metaphorically, of course).
I started with Buddhism in the beginning of 2010, I have found the results and the broadening of my mental scope so amazing! I perceive things in a much wider and wisdom filled way, much better than before. I also mentioned in a post on the Tara Mantra that I have OCD and when I started with Buddhism the image of Vajrapani made me a bit uncomfortable and started giving me doubts about Him, that He may be a demon etc. Interestingly everytime I'd go to the Buddhist Meditation Centre where I am a member, the large statue of Vajrapani would draw my attention but having OCD I would try and sit in a position where I would not see Him but His image kept calling my attention and now finally after chanting the Mantra of Manjushri and reading and studying more I understand the reason why Vajrapani was drawing my attention. I now regard Him as a central part of my spiritual practice and the more I learn the more I incorporate His Mantra into my life. I now see Vajrapani in a totally different light, a true guardian, protector and action deity. So much compassion emanates from Him as well, like a big grizzly bear protecting his cubs. Buddhism is really doing a lot for me, so much good! I just have a question, do you need an empowerment to do Vajrapani Mantra regularly? Or can I simply continue to chant the Mantra and Meditate?
Hi, Clint.
I'm not familiar with all the ins and outs of Tibetan Buddhism, although from what I understand an "empowerment" is simply someone teaching you the practice. In my own tradition there are no empowerments, and anyone can chant the mantra. So I'd say, feel free!
Perfect! Thank you very much! PS: What is your tradition? :-))
I'm a member of the Triratna Buddhist Order, which is an ecumenical tradition, founded in the 1960s by an English bhikkhu.
Try reading Tsele Natsok Rangdrol's EMPOWERMENT, translated by Erik Pema Kunzang to get the deeper aspects of empowerment. Personally it seems to me that the 'Master' giving you the empowerment is the key. The Master is the gateway or door to the perfection of wisdom, and how you 'see' your Master will determine how you receive your reward(s); empowerment(s). By starting with the Manjusri mantra is great. Being 'drawn' to Vajrapani is as if you got an empowerment to proceed further. Vajrapani, Vajradhara, and Vajrasattva are the beings who open you to Samantabhadra and Samantabhadri: Emptiness and intrinsic reflective awareness. Sounds to me you are doing just fine. More to come.
The first commitment in Tantra, and that applies to anyone involved in Vajrayana methods...is receive the empowerment o "Wang". In order to recite the mantra of any tantric practice, the second commitment is to receive the transmition or "lung", and finally the third commitment is receive the K'hrid (Tri) or explanation of the practice from any authorized Lama or Teacher. So, In order to practice and recite any mantra is required to have at least the transmition and explanation.... Some mantras do not strongly required the "lung", I.E. chenrezig mantra, but definitely is more auspicious to have it. Same thing with empowerment. If you have empowerment but not the transmition, you are allowed to do the entire practice related to that empowerment. The lung is applied to the context of a particular tantric practice or saddhana, portions of it or even the mantra only.
Hope this clarifiesa lil' bit.
best regards,
Rinchen.