Heruka

[Ngawang Drolma]

Though I'm personally familiar with the meaning of the word Heruka, perhaps our new Global Moderator Heruka would like to tell us about the significance of the word. It would be a nice addition in our Tibetan section.

[thornbush]

Like this one?

[Ngawang Drolma]

Like this one?

Yes Daka Thorny. However, as I understand it, Heruka refers to a particular kind of enlightened being rather than the union itself

[Heruka]

Heruka Khorlo Demchok (chakrasamvara) first appears in the Samayoga tantra in his now recognizable form, that of a fierce charnel ground deity, the manifestation assumed by the Buddha Vajradhara in his effort to subdue evil doers. This is taken from a text that presents a myth of the origin of shri Heruka’s appearance after a period of chaos and evil in the world.

at that time all beings were extremely violent and perverse due to extremely vicious violence, beings fell down wailing. Dying, those beings were reborn as extremely perverse ones due to their habitual tendencies. Their minds blessed by Mara, they were extremely perverse ones, such as spirits who cause fever, poison, and disease and Dakinis, Yaksas, astral spirits (graha) and obstacle demons. They devastated the triple world, devouring even spiritual practitioners. Even gods, and so forth were killed. The teachings were also destroyed. Then the gods, together with Indra, came before Brahma. And Brahma and the gods with Indra proceeded to take refuge in Visnu. And Brahma, Visnu and the gods came before Mahadeva. Then Brahma, Visnu and Mahadeva took refuge in Vagrin............


It then goes on to present the Heruka's arising, given birth through process of generation of yogic heat, which I wont detail here. Then:

That very blessed lord emerges as a yogin an adamantine fierce one. Greatly glorious Vajraheruka is very terrifying, blazing with ash, his visage blazes blue for beings and his mandala of light blazes red. He is as fierce as the end time of great destruction.

So we have a the ancient "blood drinkers" Heruka of the burial grounds, similar to a demon, and a later manifestation of Heruka that we recognize as kalachakra, Chakrasamvara, Hevajra etc. We also have Herukas of the Buddha families, Ratna, Vajra, Padma etc. These can be seen in Bardo Thodol images (Tibetan Book Of The Dead) which is taken from the earlier mahayoga ( inner) class, Guhyagarbha tantra ( Secret Essence of Magical Net ) transmitted by Vajrasattava Sattvavajra.
Herukas appear as wrathful manifestations, often in yab yum as the union of wisdom and method and perfection of the four great activities. They look wrathful, but they also represent joy and peace as well.

[Ngawang Drolma]

Wow, many thanks _/\_

[thornbush]

Vajradhara...if I m not mistaken, in Vajrayana, is the tantric form assumed by Sakyamuni Buddha right?
And in the Sarma Traditions (Gelug, Kagyu and Sakya), He is the Dharmakaya & Tantric form of Sakyamuni Buddha, who is the Adi/Primordial One, the essence of Sakyamuni's perfect enlightenment (Samyak Sambodhi), the combined of the Tenfold Directions' Buddhas and Three periods of Time...so I read...
In Nyingma Tradition, He is Samantabhadra, who again is the Primordial Buddha, representing the complete realization....

Not sure if wiki is correct...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heruka
Heruka (Tib.khrag 'thung) or "blood drinker", is the name of a category of wrathful deities, enlightened beings in Vajrayana Buddhism that adopt a fierce countenance to benefit sentient beings. Herukas represent the embodiment of indivisible bliss and emptiness. They appear as yidam or meditational deities in tantric sadhana, usually placed in a mandala and often accompanied by a yab-yum consort.

The name "Heruka" is made up of the prefix "he-" meaning "hey!" and "ruka", a rich term implying many levels of subtle meaning - richness, royalty, etc are implied by "ruka". It is linked to the Sanskrit word "Rc" which is where the name "Rgveda" comes from. The famous bodhisattva of the second chapter of the Mahayanasutra "Sovereign King of Golden Splendour" (suvarnabhasottamendraraja) is called "Ruciraketu" - "He Who Flys the Banner of Riches (ruchira)" - is a lay emanation of a Heruka

Eight Herukas of the Nyingma Mahayoga

The eight Herukas (Wylie: sgrub pa bka’ brgyad) of the Nyingma mahayoga tradition (and their corresponding sadhanas) are said to have been received by Padmakara from the Eight Vidyadharas (Tib. Rigdzin), or Eight Great Acharyas: Manjushrimitra, Nagarjuna, Vajrahumkara, Vimalamitra, Prabhahasti, Dhanasamskrita, Shintamgarbha and Guhyachandra.[1] They were proficient in the practices of, respectively,

1) Yamantaka (Tib. Jampal Shinje, ’jam dpal sku) the wrathful Manjushri, the deity of body
2) Hayagriva (Tib. Pema Sung, padma gsung) the wrathful Avalokiteshvara, the deity of speech
3) Vishuddha/Sri Samyak (Tib. Yangdak Thuk, Wylie: yang dag thugs) the wrathful Vajrapani deity of mind
4) Vajramrita (Tib. Dudtsi Yonten, bdud rtsi yon tan) the wrathful Samantabhadra, the deity of enlightened qualities
5) Vajrakilaya/Vajrakumara (Tib. Dorje Phurba, phur ba ‘phrin las), the wrathful Nivaranavishkambin, the deity of action
6) Matarah (Tib. Mamo Botong, ma mo rbod gtong) the wrathful Akasagarbha, the deity of calling and dispatching
7) Lokastotrapuja-natha (Tib. Jigten Chotod, ’jig rten mchod bstod) the wrathful Ksitigarbha, the deity of worldly offering and praise
8) Vajramantrabhiru (Tib. Mopa Dragnak, mod pa drag sngags) the wrathful Maitreya, the deity of wrathful mantras

[Heruka]

Vajradhara...if I m not mistaken, in Vajrayana, is the tantric form assumed by Sakyamuni Buddha right?
And in the Sarma Traditions (Gelug, Kagyu and Sakya), He is the Dharmakaya & Tantric form of Sakyamuni Buddha, who is the Adi/Primordial One, the essence of Sakyamuni's perfect enlightenment (Samyak Sambodhi), the combined of the Tenfold Directions' Buddhas and Three periods of Time...so I read...
In Nyingma Tradition, He is Samantabhadra, who again is the Primordial Buddha, representing the complete realization....

Hello Thornbush

Yes we have ancient Samantabhadra, and also "newer" Vajradhara. Shakyamuni Buddha is a nirmanakaya (relative) manifestation, his real condition is the dharmakaya, his tantric form is the sambhogakaya (kalachakra, Chakrasamvara, etc) his material form is nirmanakya.

I think the linear time thinking of this is old, and that is new, is not correct IMHO.

[Heruka]

"Eight Herukas of the Nyingma Mahayoga

The eight Herukas (Wylie: sgrub pa bka’ brgyad) of the Nyingma mahayoga tradition (and their corresponding sadhanas) are said to have been received by Padmakara from the Eight Vidyadharas (Tib. Rigdzin), or Eight Great Acharyas: Manjushrimitra, Nagarjuna, Vajrahumkara, Vimalamitra, Prabhahasti, Dhanasamskrita, Shintamgarbha and Guhyachandra.[1] They were proficient in the practices of, respectively"


Again Vidyadharas (awareness holders) are in communication with the joyous sambhogakaya (rigdzins).