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Mahakala is the most powerful protector deity widely revered by all four schools of Tibetan Buddhism. He manifests in two-armed, four-armed, and six-armed forms. The four-armed Mahakala is the wisdom protector who has achieved the realization of the tenth-level Bodhisattva and is the wrathful manifestation of Chakrasamvara, serving as the principal figure among all Mahakalas.
When Buddha Shakyamuni was meditating under the Bodhi tree, many demons came to disturb him. The Buddha requested Mahakala's protection, and the four-armed Mahakala immediately appeared to eliminate all demonic obstacles, enabling the Buddha to attain enlightenment. Similarly, when Guru Padmasambhava entered Samye Monastery in Tibet, many demons attempted to obstruct him. Guru Padmasambhava also sought four-armed Mahakala's assistance to remove these obstacles, allowing Samye Monastery to be successfully completed.
Mahakala is the most important wisdom protector in Tibetan Buddhism. For practitioners and devotees who sincerely make offerings and perform daily rituals to the great protector, he will provide constant protection, swiftly removing obstacles in both dharma practice and worldly affairs. He eliminates poverty, breaks evil spells and curses, protects against demons and enemies, and removes inner, outer, and secret obstacles. He accomplishes the four activities of pacifying, increasing, controlling, and wrathful activities, enhances wisdom, longevity, and authority, increases wealth and reputation, brings harmony and prosperity to families, and fulfills all beneficial wishes.
The great protector Mahakala made profound vows to Buddha, promising to powerfully protect the dharma, eliminate those who harm and obstruct the dharma, and compassionately benefit suffering beings and practitioners.
Mahakala as a Manifestation of Avalokiteshvara
Mahakala is a manifestation of the Three Roots in Buddhism. He appears in wrathful form to subdue stubborn beings. Besides protecting the dharma, the main deity and his retinue manifest in various forms including two-armed, four-armed, six-armed, black, and white aspects, revered by all Tibetan Buddhist schools as a wisdom protector. The two-armed Mahakala is the wrathful manifestation of Samantabhadra and Vajradhara Buddha. The four-armed Mahakala manifests from Chakrasamvara, embodying all buddhas' body, speech, mind, qualities, and activities, serving as the protector deity for practitioners of Chakrasamvara. The six-armed Mahakala is a manifestation of the thousand-armed, thousand-eyed, eleven-faced Avalokiteshvara. Observing beings' difficulties in being liberated due to demonic interference, he manifested as Mahakala with profound inner compassion and unparalleled outer wrathfulness. Those who practice Chakrasamvara should make daily offerings of bamboo incense to Mahakala to remove obstacles in their practice.
Additional Information About Mahakala
The Sanskrit name Mahakala is translated as "Great Black One" or "Great Time." In Japanese Esoteric Buddhism, he is traditionally considered a wrathful yaksha form manifested by Mahavairocana Buddha to subdue demons. In Tibetan Buddhism, he is viewed as a great protector manifested by Avalokiteshvara. He is an important practice deity in both Japanese and Tibetan esoteric traditions. Mahakala possesses four characteristics: war deity, kitchen deity, cemetery deity, and prosperity deity. He has countless spirit retinue and excels in invisible movement. He can protect those who pray to him during war, ensure abundant food, is worshipped in cemeteries, and along with his retinue of seven mother goddesses, can bestow great fortune upon the poor.
His images generally fall into two categories. The wrathful form, according to the Garbhadhatu Mandala, shows him in black, seated on a round throne, with flaming upright hair and three faces with six arms. His first right hand holds a crescent knife, the second holds a bone rosary, and the third holds a small drum. His first left hand holds a skull cup, the second holds a trident, and the third holds a vajra rope. The upper pair of hands holds an open elephant skin. The ordinary form shows him wearing a round hat, carrying a bag on his back, holding a small hammer, and stepping on rice bags. In practice, the wrathful form is used for subjugating demons, while the ordinary form is used for seeking fortune.
Various Appearances of Mahakala
His samaya form is a sword, and his seed syllable is "yam." According to the Mahakala Sadhana, his mantra is "Om Michi Michi, Vajra Shabari Tarakiti Svaha."
In Tibetan Buddhism, known as Mahakala, he is the principal protector deity with many forms and different qualities:
- The Sakya tradition's two-armed Mahakala, also known as the Lord of Punishment Mahakala, was introduced to the imperial court during the Yuan Dynasty. He has one face and two arms, wears a crown of five skulls, has upward-flowing reddish hair and beard, dark blue-black body, holds a vajra chopper in his right hand and a skull cup in his left hand, and carries a staff-knife containing countless divine warriors. He mainly protects Hevajra practitioners.
- The four-armed Mahakala, manifested from Chakrasamvara, has a blue-black body, holds a vajra, sword, trident, and kapala, and sometimes appears in union form. He mainly protects Mahamudra practitioners.
- The six-armed Mahakala comes in black and white forms. The black form is the main protector of the Shangpa Kagyu, Jonang, and Gelug traditions, holding a chopper, damaru drum, human bone mala, skull cup, trident, and vajra rope.
- The white six-armed Mahakala is a wealth deity, holding a wish-fulfilling jewel, chopper, damaru drum, trident, and skull cup, possessing great power.
The Six-Armed Mahakala
The six-armed Mahakala was originally a demon deity in Hinduism (some say he is Mahakala). After Avalokiteshvara entered his consciousness, he became a Buddhist protector and a manifestation of Avalokiteshvara. He usually accompanies Avalokiteshvara and performs the four activities of pacifying, increasing, controlling, and wrathful activities.
This deity has one face and six arms, with three round red eyes glaring wrathfully, a dark blue-black body emanating fierce flames, appearing extremely terrifying. He wears a white elephant skin with the elephant's head pointing downward, its four legs draped over his shoulders and legs. His uppermost right hand grasps the elephant's leg upward, the left holds a trident. The middle pair of hands holds a skull drum in the right and a noose in the left, while the main pair holds a skull cup and crescent knife. Besides the elephant skin, he wears a necklace of blue snakes and skull beads, with white snakes wrapped around his ankles and wrists, symbolizing his subjugation of naga kings and yakshas. He wears a tiger skin skirt surrounded by human heads.
Though he has six arms, he has only two legs, with the right bent and left extended, striding on a reclining white elephant. The white elephant holds a skull cup in its left hand and a large radish in its right. It is said this elephant king was also a wealth deity, extremely fierce, but was later subdued by Mahakala.
According to Avalokiteshvara's profound vows, practicing six-armed Mahakala can subdue and liberate increasingly degenerate beings in the end times, protect beings from the sufferings of the bardo state, eliminate beings' hardships and poverty, and fulfill all virtuous wishes. Mahakala is the most important wisdom protector in the dharma and should be worshipped and practiced secretly, as his blessings come swiftly and continuously.
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