KURUKULLA

The Passionate Lotus Dakini Kurukulla

One Buddhist Dakini originating from the country of Uddiyana is the
goddess Kurukulla. The name Kurukulla is translated into Tibetan as
Rigyedma !rig"byed"ma#$ %she &ho is the cause kno&ledge.' (he is
associated &ith a king of Uddiyana named )ndrabhuti. But there &ere at least
three )ndrabhutis and this is most likely the second one. *oreo+er$ there
e,ists a sadhana te,t attributed to him for the red Kurukulla in her eight"
armed form. -./ But &hether she had eight arms or four arms$ she is
generally kno&n as the Uddiyana Kurukulla. *ost modern scholars belie+e
this indicates that Kurukulla &as originally a tribal goddess$ much like the
0indu goddess Durga had been in )ndia$ &ho later$ because of her 1o1ularity$
became associated &ith the Buddhist great goddess Tara. 2or this reason$
Kurukulla is often called the Red Tara !sgrol"ma dmar"1o# or Tarodbha+a
Kurukulla$ %the Kurukulla &ho arises from Tara.'
The *agical 2unction of 3nchantment
Kurukulla a11ears to ha+e become 1o1ular originally$ and she remains so
e+en among the Tibetans today$ because of her association &ith the magical
function of enchantment !dbang gi 41hrin"las# or the be&itching of 1eo1le in
order to bring them under one5s 1o&er !dbang du bsdud#. *ore than any
other 6gure in the Buddhist 1antheon$ Kurukulla becomes the Buddhist
goddess of lo+e and se,$ corres1onding to the 7estern gooddesses A1hrodite
and 8enus. (he is de1icted as a +olu1tuous and seducti+e nude si,teen year
old girl. Among the attributes she holds in her four hands$ four arms being
her most common manifestation$ are the 9o&er"ent&ined bo& and arro&$
reminiscent of the 7estern 3ros and :u1id$ although as the goddess of
&itchcraft$ she is more akin to Diana.
Kurukulla " Dakini of *agic and 3nchantment
(imhamukha " 7rathful Lion 0eaded Dakini
)t may a11ear strange and ironic to us that Buddhism$ originally the
religion of celibate monks$ should gi+e birth to this attracti+e and seducti+e
se, goddess. Buddhism as a s1iritual 1ath is ultimately concerned &ith
enlightenment and liberation from (amsara. This ultimate goal is kno&n as
the su1reme attainment or siddhi !mchog gi dngos"grub#. But not all Buddhist
1ractitioners are celibate monks li+ing in semi"1ermanent meditation retreat
isolated from the &orld. Like e+eryone else$ Buddhists must deal &ith the
1ractical circumstances of life and society. (adhana or deity in+ocation is a
meditation and ritual 1ractice &here the 1ractitioner in meditation assumes
the as1ect or form of the deity$ &ho is regarded as a manifestation of the
enlightened a&areness of the Buddha$ and then in+okes the s1iritual 1o&ers
and &isdom and ca1acities of that 1articular deity as an aid to reali;ing
liberation and enlightenment. This Deity <oga$ or assuming in one5s
meditation the archety1al form of the deity$ is considered a 1articularly
1o&erful method to accelerate one5s s1iritual e+olution. The meditation
image of the deity +isuali;ed by the 1ractitioner in sadhana$ being an
archety1e or manifestation of enlightened a&areness$ and this radiant image
o1ens a channel and acts as a rece1tacle for recei+ing the grace or blessings
of the Buddha for a s1eci6c 1ur1ose. The 1rocess of +isuali;ation in
meditation is a method of accessing and focusing s1iritual energy$ like using
the lens of a magnifying glass to focus the rays of the sun in order to kindle a
6re. The image of the deity is something that is concrete and accessible to
human consciousness. )n his o&n nature as the Dharmakaya$ the Buddha is
beyond conce1tion by the 6nite human mind. The meditation deity$ ho&e+er$
makes the unmanifest manifest and therefore accessible to consciousness. )n
the same &ay$ :hristians might ha+e +isions of angels that might make the
grace of =od manifest$ but in Buddhism there are both male and female
meditation deities$ and Kurukulla is certainly an e,am1le of the latter. The
Dakini of *agic and 3nchantments
But also associated &ith many sadhanas are karma"yogas or action
1ractices aimed at achie+ing more &orldly goals. At the 1o1ular le+el$ this
greatly added to the a11eal of Buddhism. The 1sychic 1o&ers de+elo1ed
through sadhana 1ractice are kno&n as ordinary attainments or siddhis !thun"
mong gi dngos"grub#$ although to us 7esterners$ &ith our historical
conditioning$ 1sychic 1o&ers hardly seem +ery ordinary. But in :atholic
countries$ one is >uite familiar &ith such 1ractices as lighting candles &hile
1raying to the 0oly 8irgin or the (aints for hel1 &ith &orldly matters and not
ust the sal+ation of one5s soul after death. =enerally$ these karma"yogas or
action 1ractices are classi6ed into the four magical actions !41hrin"las b;hi#.
To our 7estern consciousness$ such actions a11ear miraculous$ e+en
su1ernatural$ but in the Buddhist +ie&$ 1sychic manifestations are 1art of the
natural order. There is nothing su1ernatural about them. )t is ust that our
modern +ie& as to &hat constitutes the nature of reality is too limited.
(adhana te,ts s1eak of the four magical actions or magics?
@. 7hite magic or (hantika"karma !;hi"ba5i 41hrin"las# has the function of
calming and 1acifying conditions and healing. 7hite Tara is an e,am1le of a
deity that s1eci6cally has this &hite function.
A. <ello& *agic or Paushtika"karma !rgyas"1a5i 1hrin"las# has the function
of increasing &ealth$ 1ros1erity$ abundance$ merit$ kno&ledge$ and so on.
8asundahara and Bambhala are e,am1les of deities &ith these functions.
0ence they are yello& in color.
C. Red *agic or 8ashya"karma !dbang gi 1hrin"las# has the function of
bringing 1eo1le under one5s 1o&er$ of enchanting$ be&itching$ attracting$
subugating$ magneti;ing them. This is the 1rimary function of Kurukulla and
hence her red color.
D. Black *agic or Raudra"karma !drag"1o5i 1hrin"las# has the function of
destroying e+il and obstructions to the s1iritual 1ath. This is the s1eci6c
function of many &rathful manifestations such as the Dakini (imhamukha
&ho is dark blue in color.
These four functions are allotted to the four gates of the mandala 1alace$
namely$ the &hite or 1acifying function in the east$ the yello& or increasing
function in the south$ the red or enchanting function in the &est$ and the
black or destroying function in the north. 7ith each of these four magical
functions there e,ists an elaborate system of corres1ondences. But generally$
in the 7est$ there is a 1reudice against magic$ es1ecially in Protestant
:hristian cultures$ &hich makes it diEcult for 1eo1le to understand the
ancient )ndian and the Tibetan a11roach to these matters. This is
com1ounded as &ell by our four hundred years of the scienti6c &orld"+ie&$
&hich admits mechanistic causality as the only 1ossible natural cause of
e+ents. *agic 1rinci1ally relates to our dimension of energy$ and this energy$
according to the traditional &ay of thinking$ is intermediate bet&een the
mental and the 1hysical$ ust as the soul is intermediate bet&een the s1irit
and the 9esh. Ritual is sim1ly one &ay to access and direct energy. Although
mind or s1irit is 1rimary$ the other dimensions of energy or soul and body are
im1ortant.
7estern tradition s1eaks only of t&o kinds of magic? &hite and black. The
former comes from =od and his angels and the latter from the De+il and his
minions. But the Buddhist distinction bet&een &hite and black is according to
function and not intentionF the intention of the Buddhist 1ractitioner in
1racticing magic is al&ays com1assionate and aims at 1re+enting e+il acts$ to
hel1 others and alle+iate suGering$ &hereas the 7estern understanding of
black magic in+ol+es the deliberated attem1t to harm and inure. Therefore$
in Buddhist terms$ the moti+ation in these four magical actions is al&ays
&hite. 7ithout the 1resence of the Bodhichitta$ the thought of com1assion$
no action or ritual is considered to be genuinely Buddhist.
But &here &e 6nd sadhana or theurgy$ that is$ high magic$ &e also 6nd lo&
magic or goetia$ that is$ common &itchcraft. )n the Tibetan +ie&$ these
1ractices are not necessarily black$ no more sinister than 6nding lucky
numbers for betting on the horses$ or making lo+e 1otions or amulets for
1rotection$ and so on. 2or these common 1ractices of folk magic$ it is not
e+en necessary to enter into meditation and transform oneself into the deity.
He+ertheless$ Kurukulla is also the 1atron of such acti+ities. (he is 1re"
eminently the Buddhist =oddess of 7itchcraft and 3nchantment. )n a real
sense$ she re1resents the em1o&erment of the feminine in a 1atriarchal
milieu. Again$ one might in+oke Kurukulla to &in o+er the heart of one5s boss
for a raise$ or a client for a ne& sales contract$ or con+ince the 1ersonnel
re1resentati+e to hire one for a ob. )n general$ Tibetans take a +ery clear"
eyed and 1ractical +ie& of life$ &ithout sentimentali;ing s1irituality as &e
tend to do in the 7est. They do not rigidly se1arate this &orld$ &ith its
1ractical concerns$ from the &orld of the s1irit.
Bust as Tara in her usual green form may be called u1on by Buddhists to
1rotect them from +arious dangers and threats$ in 1articular the eight great
terrors and the si,teen fears$ so in her red form as Kurukulla$ she may be
called u1on to e,ercise her 1o&ers of enchantment and be&itchment to bring
under her 1o&er !dbang du bsdud# those e+il s1irits$ demons$ and humans
&ho &ork against the &elfare of humanity and its s1iritual e+olution.
0o&e+er$ in terms of 1ractical magic$ she can bring under the 1ractitioner5s
1o&er a 1ersonal enemy$ a boss$ a 1olitician$ a 1oliceman$ or a recalcitrant
lo+er$ male or female. )n Tibet$ Kurukulla &as also called u1on &hen
commencing the building of a ne& monastery$ &hen undertaking a ne&
business or enter1rise$ &hen going into court in order to &in a la& case$ and
other such acti+ities$ because she can subdue and subugate the demonic
and the human forces that stand in one5s &ay. (he$ together &ith *anushri
and (aras+ati$ might e+en be called u1on &hen a student faces a diEcult
e,amination in school.
A te,t like the Arya Tara Kurukulla Kal1a contains many ritual 1ractices of
lo&er magic to accom1lish s1eci6c goals$ for e,am1le?
@. amulets for enchanting and bringing others under one5s 1o&er$
A. s1ells to frighten a&ay 1oisonous snakes$
C. methods for a dissatis6ed &ife to subugate her husband$
D. amulets for 1rotection from e+il s1irits and bad luck$
I. s1ells for ac>uiring &ealth and gaining 1o&er$
J. the use of co&rie shells in di+ination and ritual$
.. di+inations to 6nd a treasure$
K. methods for &alking on &ater$
L. methods to a+oid getting gray hair$
@M. cures for frigidity and im1otence.
)n one Kurukulla (adhana found in the (adhanamala!Ho. .A#$ there occurs
a list of eight great siddhis or magical 1o&ers ac>uired through her 1ractice?
@. Khadga"siddhi !ral"gri#$ the 1o&er to be in+incible in battle &ith a s&ord
!khadga#F
A. Anana"siddhi !mig"rtsi#$ the 1o&er to remo+e ordinary lack of sight by
using a magical ointment that enables the user to see De+as$ Hagas$ and
other s1iritsF
C. Padale1a"siddhi !rkang"1a5i byug"1a#$ the 1o&er to be s&ift of foot by
using a magical ointment that$ &hen a11lied to the feet$ allo&s the user to
run &ith incredible s&iftnessF
D. Antardhana"siddhi !mi snang"bar 4gyur"ba#$ the 1o&er to become
in+isibleF
I. Rasayana"siddhi !bcud"len#$ the 1o&er of reu+enation and long life
through obtaining the eli,ir of life by &ay of an alchemical 1rocessF
J. Khechara"siddhi !mkha5"s1yod#$ the 1o&er to le+itate or to 9y through
the skyF
.. Bhuchara"siddhi !;hing"s1yod#$ the 1o&er to mo+e freely through the
earth$ mountains$ and solid &allsF and
K. Patala"siddhi !sa"4og#$ the 1o&er to ha+e command o+er the s1irits of
the under&orld !1atala#.
The abo+e &ere not the usual concerns of monks. And these reci1ies are
+ery reminiscent to folk magic 1ractices$ for e,am1le$ in Afro"American
traditions like 8oodoo$ 0oudou$ and (anteria. Bust as a 1ractitioner of (anteria
&ould 6rst in+oke Allegua or 3shu before engaging in a magical rite$ here the
Tibetan 1ractitioner &ould in+oke Kurukulla. 0o&e+er$ the Buddhist =oddess
of 7itchcraft$ is not our familiar stereoty1e of the &itch as an old crone in a
1ointed hat and a &art on her hooked nose$ but she is a beautiful naked
si,teen year old girl.
The (ymbolic )nter1retation of 0er )conogra1hy
According to the te,ts$ Kurukulla is si,teen years old because si,teen is the
ideal number that signi6es 1erfection$ four times four. 0er face is beautiful
and her body +olu1tuous and alluring$ as &ell as being red in color$ because
of her magical function of enchantment and magnetism. (he has a single
face because she embodies non"dual &isdom beyond con+entional
distinctions of good and e+il. (he is naked because she is unconditioned by
discursi+e thoughts. (he has four arms because of the four immeasurable
states of mind$ namely$ lo+e$ com1assion$ oy$ and e>uanimity. (he holds the
bo& and arro& ent&ined &ith 9o&ers because she can gi+e rise to thoughts
of desire in the minds of others. )n her other t&o hands she holds the hook
that attracts and summons them into her 1resence and the noose by &hich
she binds them to her &ill. The ornaments of human bone she &ears signify
the 6+e 1erfections$ &hereas she herself embodies the si,th 1erfection$ that
of &isdom. (he &ears a necklace of 6fty freshly se+ered human heads
dri11ing blood because she +an>uishes the 6fty negati+e emotions. (he is
dancing because she is acti+e and energetic$ her com1assionate acti+ity
manifesting in both (amsara and Hir+ana. (he dances$ treading u1on a male
human cor1se because she enchants and subugates the demon of ego. (he
stands u1on a red sun disc because her nature is hot and en9amed &ith
1assion and u1on a red lotus blossom because she is a 1ure +ision of
enlightened a&areness. )n the 1ractitioner5s meditation$ such is the
recollection of the 1urity !dag dran# of the +ision of the goddess.
Kurukulla in the Hyingma1a Tradition
The 1ractice of Kurukulla is found in all four Buddhist schools$ es1ecially in
rituals associated &ith the enchanting or subugating magical function.
)ndeed$ in the Tangyur there are found a number of sadhana te,ts for
Kurukulla besides that com1osed by king )ndrabhuti. )n them her name is
usually not translated into Tibetan$ but gi+en in the +ariant form Ku"ru"ku"lle.
0o&e+er$ the chief canonical source for the goddess$ found in the Tantra
section !rgyud# of the Kangyur$ is the Arya Tara Kurukulla Kal1a !4Phags"ma
sgrol"ma ku"ru"ku"lle5i rtog"1a#$ %The *agical Rituals for the Hoble Tara
Kurukulla.' This te,t &as translated into Tibetan by Tsultrim =ye&a$ a Tibetan
disci1le of the great )ndian master Atisha !LKA"@MID#. The latter &as largely
res1onsible for introducing the cult of the goddess Tara into Tibet in the @@th
century.
)n the Hyingma1a Terma tradition$ she occurs in her t&o or four"armed
form. )n the Terma cycle of :hogyur Ling1a !@KAL"@K.M#$ she a11ears in her
con+entional four"armed form. )n the Terma of A1ong Tulku$ one of the sons of
the famous @Lth century Terton Dudom Ling1a$ she occurs in a t&o"armed
form$ sitting at ease$ a11earing much like the more usual form of =reen Tara.
(he holds in her right hand a +ase 6lled &ith amrita nectar and in her left
hand before her heart the stem of a lotus and on the blossom itself by her ear
is a miniature bo& and arro&. )n this guise she is s1eci6cally called Red Tara
!sgrol"ma dmar"mo#. )n the Terma cycle of Dudom Ling1a !@KCI"@LMD#$
Kurukulla re1resents the inner as1ect of Dechen =yalmo$ the yogini form of
<eshe Tsgyal$ the consort of =uru Padmasambha+a. *oreo+er$ it is interesting
that in many Hyingma1a Terma te,ts$ including :hogyur Ling1a and Dudom
Ling1a$ the 0indu god *ahade+a !or (hi+a# and his consort Uma are closely
associated &ith Kurukulla as guardian deities !srung"ma# &ith the magical
function of enchantment. *ahade+a and Uma are oGered a red torma cake
and charged to ful6ll the task of bringing others under one5s 1o&er.
Kurukulla in the (akya1a Tradition
But Kurukulla is also +ery 1o1ular among the He&er Tantric schools. )n
1articular$ she is counted as one among %the Three Red Ones' !dmar"1o skor
gsum# of the (akya1a school and she is included among the Thirteen =olden
Dharmas$ &hich the (akya1as had recei+ed from )ndia and He1al. These
teachings are called =olden Dharmas !gser chos#$ not only because they
re1resent +ery 1recious teachings$ but because in those days !@@th century#
Tibetan students had to 1ay a lot of gold for the teachings obtained from
)ndian masters. Tibet &as famous for its rich gold de1osits. *oreo+er$ in the
large (akya1a collection of sadhanas kno&n as the s=rub"thabs kun"btus are
found 6+e sadhanas for Kurukulla in the (akya1a tradition. But for the
(akya1as$ the source 1ar e,cellence for the 1ractice of Kurukulla is in the (hri
0e+ara *ahatantraraa$ according to the tradition of Lalita+ara$ and coming
to them from the *ahasiddha 8iru1a and the Tibetan translator Drogmi
!4Brog"mi ye"shes$ LLC"@MIM#. (he is kno&n as 0e+ara"krama Kurukulla and
a11ears in the usual four"armed form.
As it says in this Tantra !Part )$ cha1ter @@$ ++. @A"@I#? %Ho& ) shall e,1lain
the sadhana for Kurukulla by means of &hich all beings may be brought into
subugation. Pre+iously$ this had been e,1lained e,tensi+ely in the t&el+e
1arts !of the larger +ersion of the Tantra#$ but here it is condensed in brief.
The =oddess originates from the syllable 0R)0. (he is red in color and has
four arms. 0er hands hold the bo& and arro&$ as &ell as the ut1ala 9o&er
!&hose stem is a noose# and the iron hook. By merely meditating u1on her$
one brings the three &orlds under one5s 1o&er. 7ith one hundred thousand
recitations of her mantra$ one brings kings !under one5s 1o&er#$ &ith ten
thousand recitations the masses of ordinary 1eo1le of the &orld$ &ith ten
million recitations cattle and the <akshas !earth s1irits#$ &ith se+en hundred
thousand recitations the Asuras$ &ith t&o hundred thousand recitations the
De+as$ and &ith one hundred recitations other *antra 1ractitioners.'
(he is mentioned in t&o other 1laces in the second cha1ter of Part ) !+. @L
and +. AJ# and here her mantra is gi+en$ together &ith the action mantras
that may be a11ended to it for s1eci6c magical 1ur1oses.
Taranatha !b. @I.I#$ in his collection$ the Rin"byung brgya"rtsa$ gi+es a
sam1le Kurukulla sadhana from the (akya1a tradition? %2rom out of the state
of em1tiness arise the eight cremation grounds. )n their midst$ from the
syllable PA* a11ears a red lotus blossom. At its center$ from the syllable
RA*$ a11ears a solar disc$ on &hich arises the red syllable 0R)*$ &ith a long
+o&el mark and +isarga. 2rom this syllable emanate rays of light like hooks
and nooses$ &hich make oGerings to all the 3,alted Ones$ thereby
establishing all sentient beings in the state of Our 0oly Lady. Thereafter they
return and are dissol+ed into the syllable 0R)*$ &hereu1on ) transform into
(hri Kurukulla. (he is red in color$ &ith a single face and four arms. One 1air
dra& a bo& ent&ined &ith 9o&ers and an ut1ala"ti11ed arro& at her ear. 0er
other right hand holds an iron hook that summons and her other left hand
holds the stem of an ut1ala 9o&er that forms a noose. (he dis1lays her fangsF
she has three eyes and round breasts$ being like a maiden si,teen years of
age. 0er ta&ny hair streams u1&ard. (he is adorned &ith 6+e dried skulls !as
her tiara#$ she has a long necklace of 6fty freshly se+ered heads. (he is
adorned &ith ornaments of human bone and has a tiger skin across her
thighs. (he stands in ardha1aryanka dance 1osition$ &ith her left leg
e,tended$ u1on a human cor1se &hose face sho&s to her left$ amidst red
rays of light and bla;ing masses of 6re. At her cro&n is the syllable O*$ at her
throat is the syllable A0$ and at her heart is the syllable 0U*. )n the center of
her heart$ u1on a red ut1ala blossom and a solar disc$ is the red syllable
0R)*.'
Other 2orms of Kurukulla
As &e ha+e said$ this form of red Kurukulla &ith four arms is also kno&n as
Uddiyana Kurukulla or Uddiyanodbha+a$ the Kurukulla &ho comes from
Uddiyana. And again$ she is kno&n as Tarodbha+a Kurukulla$ she &ho arises
from Tara. But there e,ist also t&o"armed and eight"armed forms of Kurukulla.
The Ashtabhua Kurukulla &ith eight arms a11ears in a sadhana attributed to
king )ndrabhuti in the Tangyur and in a sadhana in the (adhanamala
collection !Ho. @.D#. 0er 6rst t&o hands make the gesture of Trailokya+iaya"
mudra or %+ictory o+er the three &orlds'$ &hile her other right hands hold the
iron hook$ an arro&$ and make the gesture of su1reme generosity$ +arada"
mudra. 0er other left hands hold the noose$ the bo&$ and the red lotus. 0er
t&o legs are in +arasana 1osition. *oreo+er$ she is surrounded by a retinue
of eight goddesses resembling herself$ but &ith four arms? in the east
Prassana Tara$ in the south Hish1anna Tara$ in the &est Baya Tara$ in the north
Karna Tara$ in the southeast A1araita$ in the south&est Pradi1a Tara$ in the
north&est =auri Tara$ and in the northeast :hunda.
There is also a t&o"armed &hite form of Kurukulla kno&n as (hukla
Kurukulla in the (adhanamala !Ho.@KI#. (he has a single face that is calm
and beautiful and the Buddha Amitabha adorns her cro&n. 0er t&o hands
hold a mala or rosary and a bo&l full of lotus 9o&ers. 0er t&o legs are in
+arasana 1osition. (he adorns her body &ith ser1ents &ho are the great
Haga kings? Ananta is her hair ribbon$ 8asuki is her necklace$ Takshaka is her
ear rings$ Karkotaka is her sacred thread$ Padma is her girdle$ *aha1adma is
her anklet$ and so on.
Kurukulla &ill also a11ear at times in the retinues of other deities. T&o
e,am1les are gi+en by Hebesky"7oko&it;? )n the mandala of the &ealth god$
the red Bambhala$ she a11ears in her usual four"armed form and in the
mandala of the four"armed *ahakala !<e"shes mgon"1o 1hyag"b;hi"1a#
according to the system of (hantigu1ta$ she a11ears in the south&est in a
red t&o"armed form.
(he &as also taken into 0induism for her name is found among the one
thousand e1ithets of *ahade+i in the Lalita"sahasra"namah. (he is
re1resented as a dancing beautiful maiden or kumari.