One of the three principal protectors of the Nyingma school of Buddhism
Ekajati, also known as Blue Tara or Ugra Tara, is one of the fierce goddesses in the Vajrayana Buddhist tradition.[1]
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Ekajaṭī or Ekajaṭā (Sanskrit: "One Plait Woman"; Wylie: ral gcig ma: one who has one knot of hair),[1] also known as Māhacīnatārā,[2] is one of the 21 Taras. Ekajati is one of the most powerful and fierce protectors of Vajrayana Buddhist mythology.[1][3] According to Tibetan legends[citation needed], her right eye was pierced by the tantric master Padmasambhava so that she could much more effectively help him subjugate Tibetan demons.
Ekajati is also known as "Blue Tārā", "Black Tārā", "Vajra Tārā" or "Ugra Tārā".[1][3] She is generally considered one of the three principal protectors of the Nyingma school along with Rāhula and Vajrasādhu (Wylie: rdo rje legs pa).
Often Ekajati appears as liberator in the mandala of the Green Tara. Along with that, her ascribed powers are removing the fear of enemies, spreading joy, and removing personal hindrances on the path to enlightenment.
Ekajati is the protector of secret mantras and "as the mother of all" represents the ultimate unity. As such, her own mantra is also secret. She is the most important protector of the Vajrayana teachings, especially the Inner Tantras and termas. As the protector of mantra, she supports the practitioner in deciphering symbolic dakini codes and properly determines appropriate times and circumstances for revealing tantric teachings. Because she completely realizes the texts and mantras under her care, she reminds the practitioner of their preciousness and secrecy.[4] Düsum Khyenpa, 1st Karmapa Lama meditated upon her in early childhood.
According to Namkhai Norbu, Ekajati is the principal guardian of the Dzogchen teachings and is "a personification of the essentially non-dual nature of primordial energy."[5]
Dzogchen is the most closely guarded teaching in Tibetan Buddhism, of which Ekajati is a main guardian as mentioned above. It is said that Sri Singha (Sanskrit: Śrī Siṃha) himself entrusted the "Heart Essence" (Wylie: snying thig) teachings to her care. To the great master Longchenpa, who initiated the dissemination of certain Dzogchen teachings, Ekajati offered uncharacteristically personal guidance. In his thirty-second year, Ekajati appeared to Longchenpa, supervising every ritual detail of the Heart Essence of the Dakinis empowerment, insisting on the use of a peacock feather and removing unnecessary basin. When Longchenpa performed the ritual, she nodded her head in approval but corrected his pronunciation. When he recited the mantra, Ekajati admonished him, saying, "Imitate me," and sang it in a strange, harmonious melody in the dakini's language. Later she appeared at the gathering and joyously danced, proclaiming the approval of Padmasambhava and the dakinis.[6]
^ abcdAlice Getty (1998). The Gods of Northern Buddhism: Their History and Iconography. Courier. pp. 125–126. ISBN 978-0-486-25575-0.
^The Alchemical Body: Siddha Traditions in Medieval India By David Gordon White. pg 65
^ abMichael York (2005). Pagan Theology: Paganism as a World Religion. New York University Press. pp. 121–123. ISBN 978-0-8147-9708-2.
^Dakini's Warm Breath: The Feminine Principle in Tibetan Buddhism By Judith Simmer-Brown. pg 276
^Namkhai Norbu (1986). The Crystal and the Way of Light. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul. ISBN 1-55939-135-9.
^Dakini's Warm Breath: The Feminine Principle in Tibetan Buddhism By Judith Simmer-Brown. pg 278
Ekajaṭī or Ekajaṭā (Sanskrit: "One Plait Woman"; Wylie: ral gcig ma: one who has one knot of hair), also known as Māhacīnatārā, is one of the 21 Taras...
Obstacle-Removing Mahakala, either as an independent figure or associated to Ekajati, and has been described as "the tutelary deity of Tibet and its government"...
Buddha and consort in sexual union. Yamantaka, also known as Vajrabhairava. Ekajati, also known as Blue Tara or Ugra Tara. Chakrasamvara, a semi-wrathful deity...
born), the middle class of dwijāti (twice born), and the lower class of ekajāti (once born), much similar to the traditional Indian BKVS social stratification...
triwangsa (three classes) or the nobility, dwijati (twice-born) in contrast to ekajati (once born) the common folks. Four statuses were identified in these sociological...
bodhisattvas or Buddhas. These include popular dharma protectors like: Ekajaṭī, Mahākāla, Palden Lhamo, and Hayagrīva. In Chinese Buddhism, there is a...
was founded by humanists Ajip Rosidi, Erry Riyana Harjapamekas, Edi S. Ekajati, and some other figures. In the beginning (1989 to 1993), the only literary...
she is also conflated with Ugra Tara, a form of the Buddhist dharmapala Ekajati. However, the temple is sacred to both Buddhists and Hindus. The Bajrayogini...
Asri/Dewi Sri". My.opera.com. 2008-03-01. Retrieved 2012-08-26. Edi Suhardi Ekajati; Undang A. Darsa; Oman Fathurahman (1999). Jawa Barat, koleksi lima lembaga...
although the primary protector of the Dzogchen (Skt: Mahasandhi) teachings is Ekajati. Mahakala, 12th century, Rubin Museum of Art Exhibit in the Asian collection...
Sundanese words for the maker of metal bracelets or armlets). Dr. Edi S. Ekajati, Sundanese historian, conjectured that the location of the capital city...
Volume 2. Indonesia: Adeng Chaedar Alwasilah, Ajip Rosidi, Edi Suhardi Ekajati, Yayasan Kebudyaan Rancage. p. 488. Indonesia portal Wikimedia Commons...
Archived from the original on 2006-10-06. Retrieved 2006-09-06. Edi Suhardi Ekajati; Undang A. Darsa; Oman Fathurahman. Jawa Barat, koleksi lima lembaga. Yayasan...
Culture of a Southern Country. Troubador Publishing Ltd. ISBN 9781784628857. Ekajati, Edi Suhardi (2005). Kebudayaan Sunda: Zaman Pajajaran (in Indonesian)...
The three principle protectors of the Nyingma lineage are said to be Ekajaṭī (Wylie: e ka dza ti), Rāhula (Wylie: gza' ra hu la) and Dorje Legpa (Wylie:...
Republik Indonesia (in Indonesian). Djambatan. 1990. ISBN 978-979-428-151-2. Ekajati, Edi Suhardi (1999). Jawa Barat, koleksi lima lembaga (in Indonesian)....
reference to his relationship to lapis lazuli. Another name for the goddess Ekajaṭī is "Blue Tara." Among the colours of the Buddhist flag, blue represents...
page 201-219, 1915) Kebudayaan Sunda Zaman Pajajaran, Jilid 2, Edi S. Ekajati, Pustaka Jaya, 2005 The Sunda Kingdom of West Java From Tarumanagara to...
"Ngagsung Tromay Tantra" otherwise known as the "Ekajaṭĭ Khros Ma'i rGyud" focuses on rites of the protector, Ekajati. The "Seventeen tantras of the esoteric instruction...
the Black Wrathful Shri Ekajati (dpal e ka dza ti nag mo khros ma'i rgyud) which deals with the protective rites of Ekajati, is appended to the seventeen...
Indonesia portal United Kingdom of Sunda and Galuh List of monarchs of Java Ekajati, Edi S. (2005). Kebudayaan Sunda Jaman Pajajaran. Yayasan Cipta Loka Caraka...
(link) Noorduyn, J. (2006). Three Old Sundanese poems. KITLV Press. p. 438. Ekajati, Edi S. (2005). Kebudayaan Sunda Jaman Pajajaran. Yayasan Cipta Loka Caraka...
constitutes the very life essence of all things, both samsaric and nirvanic. Ekajati declares: Since the fundamental nature of awareness, buddha nature, is...