Mandarava | |
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 Shrine to Mandarava in cave aboveLake Rewalsar,Himachal Pradesh, India |
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Mandāravā (IPA:[mɐndˈaːrɐʋaː],Skt.,mandāravā 'Indian coral tree',[1]Tibetan:མནྡཱ་ར་བཱ་མེ་ཏོག,Wylie:man da ra ba me tog)[2] (also known asPāṇḍaravāsinī)[3] was, along withYeshe Tsogyal, one of the two principalconsorts of great 8th-century IndianVajrayana teacherPadmasambhava (Guru Rinpoche), a founder-figure ofTibetan Buddhism. Mandarava is considered to be a femaleguru-deity in Tantric Buddhism orVajrayana.
According to her biographerSamten Lingpa, she was born aprincess in Zahor in northernIndia.[4] She renounced her royal birthright at an early age in order to practice theDharma. Mandarava is known as being highly educated at a very young age,[5] a rare accomplishment for a woman at that time. She was the primary student of Yeshe Tsogyal.[citation needed] Mandarava's devotion led her to bring at least 800 women, including her entire personal retinue, to the path of the Dharma, all before meeting her teacher,Padmasambhava.[6]
Mandarava is said to have attained full enlightenment in the company of Padmasambhava in theMaratika Cave in Nepal.[7] She is considered to have been a fully realized spiritual adept,yogini, and spiritual teacher.
There is one published English translation of Mandarava's complete spiritual biography which includes several chapters detailing each of her previous incarnations.[8] Portions of Mandarava's biography can be found in several other English language sources.[9]
According to one tradition, Mandarava was born to Vihardhara, the King of Zahor, and his wife the Queen Mohauki (also known as Wangmo Ogema).[10] Her birth was said to be accompanied by miraculous signs[11][2] and her renunciation and spiritual inclination were apparent at an early age.[12][2]
Like many other accomplishedyoginis, Mandarava was pressured to accept an arranged marriage instead of practicing the dharma. This theme is common to the lives ofYeshe Tsogyal andAyu Khandro, among others. However Padmasambhava recognised her immediately as being ready for the dharma in the secret Dzogchen. As Mandarava was very beautiful and of high birth, news of her eligibility spread throughoutIndia andChina. As a result, many kings from these areas vied to marry her. Mandarava preferred to pursue her spiritual calling rather than marry.[13] Her father would not hear of this and had Mandarava imprisoned in the palace dungeon.[14]
It was during this time, in two different episodes, that Mandarava led at least 800 women, including her entire personal retinue, to the path of the Dharma. In the first incident, Mandarava gave teachings to a group of 300 noble women. Based on these teachings, this group of women all took theBodhisattva vows, began serious meditation practice, and together built a temple where they could practice.[15] On another occasion, Mandarava interceded to end a war and then offered teachings to a group of 500 women who would have been affected by the war. They too took up serious spiritual practice as a result of Mandarava's dharma teachings.[16]
At this point, recognizing her seriousness, Mandarava's father sends all suitors away and Mandarava takes bothordination vows andbodhisattva vows. In order to protect his daughter, Mandarava's father then ordered all 500 women in her retinue to also undertake ordination. A new palace was built for Mandarava and her ordained retinue, not far from the palace of her parents.[17]
It was during a spiritual retreat with many of the women she converted toBuddhism, that Mandarava and her retinue metPadmasambhava.[18]
Mandarava's father was fearful of the contamination of the royal bloodline and what he perceived as Mandarava'sapostasy. Thus, her father endeavoured to have both Mandarava and Padmasambhava purified byimmolation through the flames of apyre. Instead of finding their corpses incensed and charred, Vihardhara finds that thefire of the pyre has been transformed intoLake Rewalsar nearMandi (Zahor) inHimachal Pradesh, India, out of which arises a bloominglotus supporting the unharmed Mandarava and Padmasambhava. In this process, they achieve their secret names ofVajravarahi andHayagriva, respectively. It is then that Mandarava's father blesses their relationship.[19][2]
Mandarava realized her calling to spread theDharma with Padmasambhava, thereby fulfilling the prediction of her birth that she was adakini. Thus, at 16 years of age, Mandarava became the first of Padmasambhava's five historical spiritual consorts and together they practiced atMaratika (known as Haleshi in the local dialect), the Cave of Bringing Death to an End.Maratika Cave, and laterMaratika Monastery, is located inKhotang District ofNepal.[20] Both Mandarava and Padmasambhava achieved theunified vajra body on thevidyadhara level of mastery and realised some of the practices of long life orlongevity that were concealed in the Maratika Cave asterma by 'Dakini Sangwa' (Wylie: mKha' 'gro gSang ba), the terma constituted the teachings ofBuddhaAmitabha and they were elementally encoded as terma at the behest ofBodhisattvaAvalokiteśvara. Later, while Padmasambhava continued to spread the teachings throughout theHimalayan region, Mandarava remained inIndia.
Mandarava is said to have manifested hersambhogakaya form at the great Dharma Wheel ofTramdruk where she engaged in a dialogue ofmantra andmudra with Padmasambhava. Extensive details of this are rendered in thePadma Kathang.
In addition, there is evidence that alongside Padmasambhava, Mandarava practiced theHayagriva Mecharsadhana cycle which now comprises part of theGreat Play of the Quintessential Lotus and the Treasury of One Thousand Essential Instructions of Tantra on the Union of Hayagriva and Vajravarahi. Later, during a meeting between Mandarava andYeshe Tsogyal, Mandarava taught Yeshe Tsogyal the "thirteen pith instructions on Hayagriva".[21]
Through practice and diligence, Mandarava realised a degree of spiritual mastery equal to that of Padmasambhava, evidenced in her honorific nameMachig Drupa Gyalmo (ma gcig grub pa'i rgyal mo), "Singular Queen Mother of Attainment".
Additional biographical information about Mandarava can be found in the following sources.
Jamgon Kongtrul relates the story of Mandarava withinIn The Precious Garland of Lapis Lazuli.
Another story of Mandarava is found in the 14th centuryPadma Thang Yig Sheldrang Materma ofOrgyen Lingpa.
Samten Lingpa (also known as Tagsham Nu Den Dorje), aterton from the second half of the 17th century, consecrated six folios to Mandarava and Padmasambhava and their meditation practices inMaratika Cave.
A summary of Mandarava's life, based onThe Lives and Liberation of Princess Mandarava,[8] can be found on The Treasury of Lives website.[9]
There is a description of the meeting ofYeshe Tsogyal with Mandarava to exchange spiritual teachings inSky Dancer: The Secret Life and Songs of the Lady Yeshe Tsogyel.[22]
As Mandarava attained thevajrarainbow body (jalus), she is held to be present in the world now spreading and inspiring theDharma through various incarnations in both the east and the west.
Theiconography of Mandarava in hersambhogakaya form often depicts her with white skin with a tinge of red and wearing regalbodhisattva ornamentation. In this form, in her right hand she often holds thedadar (orarrow) a teachingtool andritual implement which is a powerfulpolyvalentsymbol ofDzogchen, disciplic succession,lineage and transmission.
Mandarava is also often depicted adorned with banners and amelong (ormirror) which is another ritual implement, teaching tool and polyvalent symbol ofDzogchen representing the clear, reflective andvoid (or empty and ethereal) nature of mind. Mandarava's left hand often holds abumpa or long-life vase or wisdom urn of theashtamangala.
Mandarava is usually depicted in a standing pose, yet there are some depictions of her seated (in meditative postures), and occasional depictions of Mandarava in an energetic dance, with her right leg raised, denoting her enlightened activity and dakini nature.
When depicted with Padmasambhava, Mandarava is often iconographically represented on his right side while Yeshe Tsogyal will be on his left.[26][27]
Teachings and spiritual practices arising from Mandarava are being practiced today by a variety of lineages andBuddhist organizations. Many of these focus either on long life practices or the consecration of sacred spiritual medicines.
For example, the female terton Dechen Chökyi Wangmo (Wylie:bDe chen Chos kyi dBang mo; 1868–1927) revealed aterma that includes Mandarava.[28]
bDe chen Chos kyi dBang mo (Dechen Chökyi Wangmo) was a student of the famous Bon teacher Shar rdza bKra shis rGyal mtshan (1859–1934). When she was 51 years old (Earth-Horse Year/1918), near the hermitage of Nor bu phug, at dMu-rdo in rGyal mo rGya'i rong, she revealed a textual treasure (dBang mo'i rnam thar). This gter ma contains sixteen hagiographies of female saints, including those of Maṇḍarava and Ye shes mTsho rgyal, and seems to be one of the few Bonpo treasure texts revealed by a woman in recent times.[28]
The tertonChögyal Namkhai Norbu has realized and transmitted aterma of spiritual practices of Mandarava along with oral instructions specifying the iconography of Mandarava and how she is to be depicted inthangka.[29]
Other sources for Mandarava practices includeDilgo Khyentse Rinpoche'sterma as offered byGochen Tulku Sang-ngag Rinpoche.[30]
TheChime Soktik, aterma received by Mandarava and Padmasambhava directly from Buddha Amitayus, has become the central long life practice of theDudjom Tersar lineage.[citation needed]
The city ofMandi inHimachal Pradesh, India, is said to be named after Mandarava,[31] and many shrines and important pilgrimage sites to Mandarava can be found there today.
There may be a relationship between Mandarava and the tree with the same colloquial name and the scientific name ofErythrina (also called the 'coral tree').[2] Chapter 16 of theLotus Sutra mentions, "Mandarava blossoms rain down, scattering over theBuddha and the great assembly. This has been verified by numerous sources".[32]
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