This short tantra, The Fearsome Vajra of Destruction, presents a dialogue between the bodhisattva Vajragarbha and the Blessed One, in which the latter gives detailed explanations of the meanings of the terms that constitute the tantra’s title. The majority of the tantra deals with elucidations of the various aspects of the word vajra, which center on a vajra’s quality of indestructibility and its ability to crush and destroy dualistic concepts.
This publication was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
The text was translated, edited, and introduced by the 84000 translation team. Bruno Galasek-Hul produced the translation and wrote the introduction. Ryan Damron edited the translation and the introduction, and Dawn Collins copyedited the text. Martina Cotter was in charge of the digital publication process.
In The Fearsome Vajra of Destruction, the bodhisattva Vajragarbha asks the Blessed One1 to explain the meaning of the key words from the tantra’s title.2 When the Blessed One finishes his initial short exposition of these terms, Vajragarbha, requests a more detailed explanation. The Blessed One assents by further elaborating on the terms, with most of his exposition focused on the term vajra. He explains vajra using the threefold framework of the “true vajra” (don gyi rdo rje), the “symbolic vajra” (rtags kyi rdo rje), and the “material vajra” (rdzas kyi rdo rje). Each of these categories is then elaborated on based on how they crush and destroy the dualistic concepts of subject and object. The Blessed One’s explanation seems to center on the quality of hardness and indestructibility ascribed to a vajra, a term that can also be translated as “diamond.”
The Fearsome Vajra of Destruction is classified as an Unexcelled Yoga class (rnal ’byor bla na med pa’i rgyud), the highest of the four classes of tantra according to the new traditions (gsar ma) of the period of the later transmission (phyi dar) of Buddhism in Tibet.3 Within this class, the tantra belongs to the so-called Rali tantras (ra li’i rgyud),4 a group of tantras that form a subset of thirty-two shorter explanatory tantras from the Śaṃvara corpus in the Yoginītantra section (rnal ’byor ma’i rgyud) of the Degé Kangyur.5 Except for the title that seems to coincidentally contain the term vajrabhairava, which is also the name of the fierce buffalo-headed deity Vajrabhairava, The Fearsome Vajra of Destruction does not appear to have any explicit connection to the corpus associated with Vajrabhairava in the Kangyur.6 Because of their disputed status as authentic documents of Indian tantric Buddhism, the Rali tantras were excluded from the Kangyurs of Narthang and Lhasa (the latter being mainly based on Narthang).7
According to the translator’s colophon, The Fearsome Vajra of Destruction was translated by the Indian paṇḍita Gayādhara and the Tibetan translator Drokmi Lotsāwa Śākya Yeshe (’brog mi lo tsā ba śākya ye shes), who also translated the other thirty-one Rali tantras in this group.8 This information suggests that the text was translated in the first half of the eleventh century
This English translation was prepared on the basis of the Tibetan translation preserved in the Degé Kangyur, in consultation with the Stok Palace Kangyur and the comparative notes in the Comparative Edition (dpe bsdur ma) of the Degé Kangyur.
[F.247.a]Homage to the glorious Heruka.
Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was staying on top of Mount Meru together with an inestimable assembly, when the bodhisattva Vajragarbha circled the Blessed One three times, folded his hands, and asked:
The Blessed One replied:
Vajragarbha spoke again:
“This does not provide specifics for the individual terms, so please explain them in detail.”[F.247.b]
The Blessed One replied:
The Blessed One finished speaking, and the countless bodhisattvas in the assembly felt joy and devotion, and then rejoiced. After circling the Blessed One to the right three times, they disappeared by using their individual, miraculous powers.
“The Destruction of The Glorious Vajrabhairava, A King of Tantras,” is complete.[F.248.a]
This was translated by the paṇḍita Gayādhara and the translator-monk Śākya Yeshé.
This short tantra, The Fearsome Vajra of Destruction, presents a dialogue between the bodhisattva Vajragarbha and the Blessed One, in which the latter gives detailed explanations of the meanings of the terms that constitute the tantra’s title. The majority of the tantra deals with elucidations of the various aspects of the word vajra, which center on a vajra’s quality of indestructibility and its ability to crush and destroy dualistic concepts.
This publication was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
The text was translated, edited, and introduced by the 84000 translation team. Bruno Galasek-Hul produced the translation and wrote the introduction. Ryan Damron edited the translation and the introduction, and Dawn Collins copyedited the text. Martina Cotter was in charge of the digital publication process.
In The Fearsome Vajra of Destruction, the bodhisattva Vajragarbha asks the Blessed One1 to explain the meaning of the key words from the tantra’s title.2 When the Blessed One finishes his initial short exposition of these terms, Vajragarbha, requests a more detailed explanation. The Blessed One assents by further elaborating on the terms, with most of his exposition focused on the term vajra. He explains vajra using the threefold framework of the “true vajra” (don gyi rdo rje), the “symbolic vajra” (rtags kyi rdo rje), and the “material vajra” (rdzas kyi rdo rje). Each of these categories is then elaborated on based on how they crush and destroy the dualistic concepts of subject and object. The Blessed One’s explanation seems to center on the quality of hardness and indestructibility ascribed to a vajra, a term that can also be translated as “diamond.”
The Fearsome Vajra of Destruction is classified as an Unexcelled Yoga class (rnal ’byor bla na med pa’i rgyud), the highest of the four classes of tantra according to the new traditions (gsar ma) of the period of the later transmission (phyi dar) of Buddhism in Tibet.3 Within this class, the tantra belongs to the so-called Rali tantras (ra li’i rgyud),4 a group of tantras that form a subset of thirty-two shorter explanatory tantras from the Śaṃvara corpus in the Yoginītantra section (rnal ’byor ma’i rgyud) of the Degé Kangyur.5 Except for the title that seems to coincidentally contain the term vajrabhairava, which is also the name of the fierce buffalo-headed deity Vajrabhairava, The Fearsome Vajra of Destruction does not appear to have any explicit connection to the corpus associated with Vajrabhairava in the Kangyur.6 Because of their disputed status as authentic documents of Indian tantric Buddhism, the Rali tantras were excluded from the Kangyurs of Narthang and Lhasa (the latter being mainly based on Narthang).7
According to the translator’s colophon, The Fearsome Vajra of Destruction was translated by the Indian paṇḍita Gayādhara and the Tibetan translator Drokmi Lotsāwa Śākya Yeshe (’brog mi lo tsā ba śākya ye shes), who also translated the other thirty-one Rali tantras in this group.8 This information suggests that the text was translated in the first half of the eleventh century
This English translation was prepared on the basis of the Tibetan translation preserved in the Degé Kangyur, in consultation with the Stok Palace Kangyur and the comparative notes in the Comparative Edition (dpe bsdur ma) of the Degé Kangyur.
[F.247.a]Homage to the glorious Heruka.
Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was staying on top of Mount Meru together with an inestimable assembly, when the bodhisattva Vajragarbha circled the Blessed One three times, folded his hands, and asked:
The Blessed One replied:
Vajragarbha spoke again:
“This does not provide specifics for the individual terms, so please explain them in detail.”[F.247.b]
The Blessed One replied:
The Blessed One finished speaking, and the countless bodhisattvas in the assembly felt joy and devotion, and then rejoiced. After circling the Blessed One to the right three times, they disappeared by using their individual, miraculous powers.
“The Destruction of The Glorious Vajrabhairava, A King of Tantras,” is complete.[F.248.a]
This was translated by the paṇḍita Gayādhara and the translator-monk Śākya Yeshé.
It is not clear from the text if the term “Blessed One” (bhagavtat; bcom ldan ’das) refers to the Buddha Śākyamuni or another figure. The tantra begins with an homage to Heruka, but such opening homages are often added by the Tibetan translators and were not part of the original text.
Unfortunately, we neither possess many biographical details nor exact dates for these two important figures. Drokmi’s dates are tentatively given as 992/93–1043 or 1072. On Drokmi Lotsāwa, see The Treasury of Lives, and Dharmachakra Translation Committee 2012, i.8. See also Davidson 2005, pp. 161–209.
This is perhaps a reference to the “four māras,” the devaputramāra (lha’i bu’i bdud), the divine māra, which is the distraction of pleasures; mṛtyumāra (’chi bdag gi bdud), the māra of death; skandhamāra (phung po’i bdud), the māra of the aggregates, which is the body; and kleśamāra (nyon mongs pa’i bdud), the māra of the afflictive emotions.
This translation follows C, J, K, and Y, in reading don gyi rdo rje. D and S read rdzas kyi rdo rje, “material vajra.”
The essentially pure nature of mind is obscured and afflicted by various psychological defilements, which destroy the mind’s peace and composure and lead to unwholesome deeds of body, speech, and mind, acting as causes for continued existence in saṃsāra. Included among them are the primary afflictions of desire (rāga), anger (dveṣa), and ignorance (avidyā). It is said that there are eighty-four thousand of these negative mental qualities, for which the eighty-four thousand categories of the Buddha’s teachings serve as the antidote.
Kleśa is also commonly translated as “negative emotions,” “disturbing emotions,” and so on. The Pāli kilesa, Middle Indic kileśa, and Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit kleśa all primarily mean “stain” or “defilement.” The translation “affliction” is a secondary development that derives from the more general (non-Buddhist) classical understanding of √kliś (“to harm,“ “to afflict”). Both meanings are noted by Buddhist commentators.
In this text the Blessed One is Heruka.
In Buddhist literature, this is an epithet applied to buddhas, most often to Śākyamuni. The Sanskrit term generally means “possessing fortune,” but in specifically Buddhist contexts it implies that a buddha is in possession of six auspicious qualities (bhaga) associated with complete awakening. The Tibetan term—where bcom is said to refer to “subduing” the four māras, ldan to “possessing” the great qualities of buddhahood, and ’das to “going beyond” saṃsāra and nirvāṇa—possibly reflects the commentarial tradition where the Sanskrit bhagavat is interpreted, in addition, as “one who destroys the four māras.” This is achieved either by reading bhagavat as bhagnavat (“one who broke”), or by tracing the word bhaga to the root √bhañj (“to break”).
A channel in the subtle body conducting prāṇa.
A drop (as of liquids); a “drop” of concentrated energy in the channels of the subtle body.
The five wisdoms that constitute a Buddha’s awakened state of mind. The five wisdoms are the transformations of the five afflictive emotions. The wisdoms are as follows: mirror-like wisdom, wisdom of discrimination, wisdom of equality, all-accomplishing wisdom, and the wisdom of the dharmadhātu.
Literally “sprinkling,” Skt. abhiṣeka is a ritual initiation that often functions as a deity initiation. Tantric initiation in Buddhism qualifies the initiand for the meditative practice of tutelary deities and their maṇḍalas. Historically, different systems of initiation have developed, and the particulars of any initiation ritual depend on the specific tantric system, the individual transmission, and the class of tantra. The four initiations of the highest yoga-tantra class are the so-called vase initiation, secret initiation, insight-wisdom or wisdom-consort initiation, and the fourth initiation.
Gayādhara, c. 994–1043; Indian (possibly Bengali) paṇḍita who visited Tibet three times; teacher of Drokmi Śākya Yeshé; a complex personality and a key figure in the transmission to Tibet of the Hevajra materials later incorporated in the Lamdré (lam ’bras) tradition.
Generally, a type of wrathful deity associated with charnel grounds. In the higher classes of Buddhist tantra, the central deity of many maṇḍalas takes the form of an heruka.
The fourth of the four joys experienced during the initiatory process and subsequent tantric practice. It is equated with the realization of nondual bliss.
The third of the four initiations in the higher tantras.
According to ancient Buddhist cosmology, this is the great mountain forming the axis of the universe. At its summit is Sudarśana, home of Śakra and his thirty-two gods, and on its flanks live the asuras. The mount has four sides facing the cardinal directions, each of which is made of a different precious stone. Surrounding it are several mountain ranges and the great ocean where the four principal island continents lie: in the south, Jambudvīpa (our world); in the west, Godānīya; in the north, Uttarakuru; and in the east, Pūrvavideha. Above it are the abodes of the desire realm gods. It is variously referred to as Meru, Mount Meru, Sumeru, and Mount Sumeru.
Śākya Yeshé, commonly known as Drokmi Lotsāwa (’brog mi lo tsā ba), was a Tibetan translator from Lhatsé in Western Tsang and an important figure in the Lamdré (Tib. lam ’bras) lineage. Drokmi’s dates are uncertain, but Tibetan literature offers a range of possible dates, beginning in 990 ᴄᴇ and ending in 1074 ᴄᴇ. One of his principal teachers was the Indian paṇḍita Gayādhara.
The second of the four initiations in the higher tantras.
The three realms that contain all the various kinds of existence in saṃsāra: the desire realm, the form realm, and the formless realm.
This term generally indicates indestructibility and stability. In the sūtras, vajra most often refers to the hardest possible physical substance, said to have divine origins. In some scriptures, it is also the name of the all-powerful weapon of Indra, which in turn is crafted from vajra material. In the tantras, the vajra is sometimes a scepter-like ritual implement, but the term can also take on other esoteric meanings.
Name of a tantric bodhisattva. He is the interlocutor of the Blessed One in many tantras of the Unexcelled yoga class, most prominently in the Hevajra Tantra. He is also the bodhisattva who teaches The Ten Bhūmis.
The first of the four initiations in the higher tantras.
Subtle “energy” that moves in the channels of the tantric subtle body.
dpal rdo rje ’jigs byed rnam par ’joms pa’i rgyud kyi rgyal po (Śrīvajrabhairavavidāraṇatantrarāja). Toh 409, Degé Kangyur vol. 79 (rgyud, ga), folios 247.a–248.a.
dpal rdo rje ’jigs byed rnam par ’joms pa’i rgyud kyi rgyal po. bka’ ’gyur (dpe bsdur ma) [Comparative Edition of the Kangyur], krung go’i bod rig pa zhib ’jug ste gnas kyi bka’ bstan dpe sdur khang (The Tibetan Tripitaka Collation Bureau of the China Tibetology Research Center). 108 volumes. Beijing: krung go’i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang (China Tibetology Publishing House), 2006–9, vol. 79, pp. 741–43.
dpal rdo rje ’jigs byed rnam par ’joms pa’i rgyud kyi rgyal po, Stok Palace Kangyur vol. 94 (rgyud, ga), folios 40.b–41.b.
84000. The Tantra That Resolves All Secrets (Guhyasarvacchindatantra, dpal gsang ba thams cad gcod pa’i rgyud kyi rgyal po, Toh 384). Translated by Dharmachakra Translation Committee. Online Publication. 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2012.
Davidson, Ronald. Tibetan Renaissance: Tantric Buddhism in the Rebirth of Tibetan Culture. New York: Columbia University Press, 2004.
Siklós, Bulcsu. The Vajrabhairava Tantras. Tibetan and Mongolian Texts with Introduction, Translation and Notes. Ph.D. thesis, University of London, 1990.
C Choné
D Degé
J Lithang
K Peking 1737 (Qianlong)
S Stok Palace MS
Y Yongle
