Heruka and Vajrayogini are central figures in Highest Yoga Tantra, representing aspects of enlightenment that practitioners strive to realize. Think of them as enlightened Deities, not in the sense of separate gods, but as manifestations of the ultimate potential inherent within ourselves and all living beings. Let's start with **Heruka**. The sources tell us that Heruka, also known as Chakrasambara, is an enlightened Deity of Highest Yoga Tantra who is the manifestation of the compassion of all Buddhas. This is a beautiful thought, isn't it? The boundless compassion of countless awakened beings taking a form! The name Heruka itself carries deep meaning. It has three parts: 'He', 'ru', and 'ka'. 'He' refers to the emptiness of all phenomena, 'ru' refers to great bliss, and 'ka' refers to the union of great bliss and emptiness. This suggests that simply by relying upon Heruka with faith, practitioners can attain the realization of the union of great bliss and emptiness, which is described as the actual quick path to enlightenment. Heruka is often depicted with a blue-coloured body, four faces, and twelve arms, embracing his consort Vajravarahi. Every part of his body is said to be the nature of wisdom light. There are different ways Heruka is understood or appears: 'Enjoyment Body Heruka' is imputed upon Buddha's Enjoyment Body, and 'Emanation Body Heruka' is imputed upon Buddha's Emanation Body; these are together called 'interpretative Heruka'. Ordinary beings with a special pure mind can see Emanation Body Heruka, for example, by training to believe spontaneously that their Spiritual Guide is an emanation of Heruka. Then there is 'definitive Heruka', imputed upon Buddha's Truth Body, or Dharmakaya. Definitive Heruka always lacks form, shape, and colour and can only be seen by Buddhas. It is also called 'wisdom being Buddha Heruka'. Intriguingly, definitive Heruka is said to pervade the entire universe, being absent nowhere. Now, let's turn our attention to **Vajrayogini**. She is described as a female enlightened Deity of Highest Yoga Tantra and is the manifestation of the wisdom of all Buddhas. So, if Heruka embodies compassion, Vajrayogini embodies wisdom! Her primary function is to guide living beings to the Pure Land of Keajra, also known as Pure Dakini Land. The Pure Land of Keajra is considered unequalled among Buddha's Pure Lands, offering a special opportunity for practitioners to attain enlightenment quickly, even within a single life, because the beings there have bodies possessing channels, drops, and inner fire that function like those of humans, allowing them to practice completion stage Tantra. This is a fascinating point – even high Bodhisattvas in other Pure Lands are said to pray to be reborn in the human world or Keajra to access these swift paths. Vajrayogini is the consort of Heruka. In the practice of Heruka body mandala, which we'll touch on in a moment, practitioners visualize themselves as Heruka embracing Vajravarahi. This union of Heruka (compassion) and Vajrayogini (wisdom) is symbolic of the union of great bliss and emptiness, the very essence of the quick path to enlightenment. The sources highlight various practices associated with Heruka and Vajrayogini, particularly within the framework of Highest Yoga Tantra. These practices aim to transform our ordinary appearances and conceptions, which are seen as the root of samsara's suffering. Ordinary appearance is our perception of things like our self and body, which is considered subtle mistaken appearance because these things don't exist as they appear, and ordinary conception is the mind that believes these appearances are true. Tantra offers methods to prevent these and accomplish four complete purities. Highest Yoga Tantra practice is typically divided into two stages: **generation stage** and **completion stage**. **Generation Stage** involves using imagination and wisdom to generate oneself as an enlightened Deity, like Heruka or Vajrayogini, along with their environment, body, enjoyments, and activities. The object of meditation is this imagined pure world. The main functions of generation stage are to purify ordinary death, intermediate state, and rebirth, and to accomplish a Buddha's Truth Body, Enjoyment Body, and Emanation Body. Key practices in generation stage include training in divine pride and clear appearance. Divine pride is developing the thought 'I am Buddha Heruka' (or Vajrayogini) by changing the basis of imputation for the self from a contaminated body and mind to the uncontaminated aggregates of the Deity. This belief, arising from the wisdom realizing that the inherently existent 'I' and 'mine' do not exist, is considered non-deceptive and prevents self-grasping ignorance. Clear appearance is learning to perceive one's body and mind as the Deity's body and mind, one's world as the Deity's Pure Land, and others as enlightened beings. A specific and profound generation stage practice mentioned is the **Heruka Body Mandala**. Here, 'body' refers to our subtle body – our channels and drops – and 'mandala' means an assembly of enlightened Deities. The practice involves visualizing oneself as Heruka embracing Vajravarahi (who is the same as Vajrayogini), representing the nature of our purified indestructible white and red drops, surrounded by a retinue of Heroes and Heroines, representing the nature of our purified channels and drops, all within the imagined Pure Land of Keajra. The purpose is to receive the blessings of Heruka and his retinue within our channels and drops, which helps free obstacles and makes meditation on the central channel, indestructible drop, and indestructible wind and mind successful. This meditation can help practitioners attain the Pure Land of Keajra in this life or the next. **Completion Stage** Tantra is described as an inner realization developed in dependence upon the inner winds entering, abiding, and dissolving within the central channel through meditation. The objects of these meditations are the central channel, the indestructible drop, and the indestructible wind and mind. The sources explain the location and nature of the central channel, the different types of drops (white and red) and the crucial indestructible drop at the heart, and the indestructible wind and mind which are the very subtle aspects of our being that continue from life to life. Controlling the winds and drops is key to accomplishing the union of spontaneous great bliss and emptiness. This bliss is a special great bliss that arises from the melting of drops inside the central channel and functions to prevent subtle mistaken appearance. This is different from ordinary sexual bliss which arises from melting drops in the left channel. Completion stage leads to the realization of **Mahamudra Tantra**, which is defined as a mind of fully qualified clear light that experiences great bliss and realizes emptiness directly. 'Maha' refers to great bliss, and 'mudra' here refers to non-deceptive emptiness. This union of bliss and emptiness is considered the essence of Buddha's teachings. Mahamudra Tantra is the swift path to Buddhahood, transforming our continuously residing body and mind into a Buddha's Form Body and Truth Body. Without this bliss, attaining liberation or enlightenment in this life is said to be impossible. It is the realization of the union of great bliss and emptiness that eliminates delusions and allows practitioners to attain liberation and the pure illusory body. The sources also detail the practice of **Vajrayogini Tantra**, which is a Mother Tantra, principally revealing the training in clear light. This training is the main cause to attain Buddha's holy mind. Vajrayogini practice includes eleven yogas. Some of these are: - **The Yoga of Sleeping**: Training to recognize clear light, which naturally manifests during sleep, with the aim of realizing one's very subtle mind directly and mixing it with emptiness. This helps subtle mistaken appearance to quickly and permanently cease. - **The Yoga of Rising**: Practicing self-generation as Vajrayogini in the space of emptiness throughout the day. The cycle of sleeping and rising yogas helps ordinary appearances and conceptions cease. - **The Yoga of Experiencing Nectar**: Transforming daily experiences of eating, drinking, seeing, hearing, smelling, and touching into a spiritual path by recognizing objects of desire as supreme nectar and offering the pleasure to oneself as the self-generated Vajrayogini. - **The Yoga of Immeasurables**: Incorporating preliminary practices like going for refuge, generating bodhichitta, and Vajrasattva purification practice. - **The Yoga of the Guru**: A Guru yoga practice where the root Guru is visualized as Buddha Vajradharma, the manifestation of the blessings of all Buddhas' speech. - **The Yoga of Self-Generation**: Visualizing oneself as Vajrayogini within a mandala, bringing death, intermediate state, and rebirth into the paths of the Truth Body, Enjoyment Body, and Emanation Body. - **The Yoga of Purifying Migrators**: As self-generated Vajrayogini, imagining giving blessings to liberate all beings from suffering and negativities, transforming them into the state of Vajrayogini. This is a special taking and giving practice that ripens the potential to benefit others. - **The Yoga of Being Blessed by Heroes and Heroines**: Meditating on the Vajrayogini body mandala to receive blessings within the channels and drops, which helps cause the inner winds to enter the central channel. Both Heruka and Vajrayogini practices are grounded in foundational Buddhist principles. For instance, the practices of Heruka body mandala list preliminary trainings which include going for refuge, renunciation, bodhichitta, and Guru yoga. **Going for Refuge** means sincerely seeking refuge in Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha throughout one's life to attain permanent liberation from suffering. This is the gateway into Buddhism. **Renunciation** is developing the strong determination to liberate oneself permanently from the unbearable sufferings of countless future lives, understanding the dangers of lower rebirth and the temporary nature of worldly happiness. It's the door to liberation and the basis for higher realizations. **Bodhichitta** is the supreme good heart, the spontaneous wish to attain enlightenment for the benefit of each and every living being. It's the gateway to the Bodhisattva's path and enlightenment. The training involves developing affectionate love, cherishing love, wishing love, and universal compassion. **Guru Yoga** is a special training in relying upon one's Spiritual Guide, recognizing them as an emanation of Buddha and Je Tsongkhapa. It's the gateway through which the blessings of all Buddhas enter the mind and is essential for ripening the seed of Highest Yoga Tantra realizations. These preliminary practices, along with others like the seven limbs (prostration, offerings, purification, rejoicing, requesting the turning of the Wheel of Dharma, beseeching Gurus to remain, and dedication), are crucial for making the Heruka and Vajrayogini Tantric practices effective. The lineages of these practices are also mentioned, emphasizing their authenticity and blessing. The Kadampa tradition, founded by Atisha, relies on Buddha Shakyamuni, Avalokiteshvara, the Wisdom Dharma Protector, and Arya Tara as the 'Four Kadampa Guru Deities'. Atisha himself had visions of Arya Tara from a young age and was advised by her to study and practice Dharma. He also received a prediction from Arya Tara that if he were to go to Tibet, he would benefit countless living beings. The Heruka and Vajrayogini practices were passed down through specific lineages, such as the instructions received by Naropa directly from Vajrayogini, passed to Pamtingpa, and eventually reaching Je Phabongkhapa and Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche in an unbroken lineage. Je Phabongkhapa is particularly noted for writing commentaries and sadhanas for these practices and is said to have had direct visions of Heruka. Exploring Heruka and Vajrayogini opens up discussions on fascinating concepts like the subtle body (channels, drops, and winds), the nature of mind (conventional vs. ultimate, gross vs. subtle), and the extraordinary potential for rapid spiritual progress offered by Highest Yoga Tantra. Here are a few ideas and questions for further exploration based on this information: - How does the concept of the "indestructible drop" and "indestructible wind and mind" relate to the idea of Buddha nature? - What does it mean for ordinary appearances to be considered "subtle mistaken appearances"? How can something we experience so strongly not actually exist as it appears? - The sources mention that the bliss experienced in completion stage Tantra prevents subtle mistaken appearance. How does experiencing bliss lead to realizing emptiness and overcoming mistaken perception? - How does visualizing oneself as a Deity in generation stage Tantra help purify ordinary death, intermediate state, and rebirth? - The Guru yoga practice involves recognizing one's Spiritual Guide as an emanation of Je Tsongkhapa, Buddha Shakyamuni, and Heruka. What is the significance of this recognition for the practitioner? Heruka and Vajrayogini embody the ultimate goals of compassion and wisdom, and the practices associated with them offer profound methods for transforming our ordinary existence into the enlightened state. It's a vast and inspiring subject with many layers to uncover!