Vajrakilaya (Tibetan Dorje Phurba) is a wrathful meditation deity of Tibetan Buddhism, the embodiment of the enlightened activity that removes obstacles. He is especially important in the Nyingma tradition, and also in the Sakya school.
How he is shown
- Dark blue, with three faces (white, blue and red), six arms and four legs, standing in a blaze of wisdom fire.
- Wings spread behind his shoulders, like those of the garuda.
- His two central hands roll a phurba between his palms: a three-sided ritual dagger whose point "pins down" obstacles and destructive emotions.
- His other hands hold vajras, a flaming mass of fire and a trident.
- His consort, Khorlo Gyedebma, embraces him: the union of method and wisdom.
- A crown of skulls, bone ornaments and flayed skins: the standard dress of wrathful deities, whose fierceness is aimed at ignorance, not at beings.
Vajrakilaya and Nepal
According to Tibetan tradition, Padmasambhava practised Vajrakilaya in the caves at Yangleshö, in Pharping, just south of Kathmandu, to overcome the obstacles he met there, before going on to Tibet. The caves are still visited by pilgrims today.
The phurba
The ritual dagger is a deity in its own right in this tradition. Its handle often carries the three faces of Vajrakilaya, and its blade rises from the mouth of a sea monster (makara). Phurbas are used in rituals, never as weapons.
In a painting
Look for crisp detail in the many arms and attributes, lively flames, and expressive but controlled wrathful faces. A Vajrakilaya thangka belongs in a shrine or practice space rather than as decoration.
