Gathering the Elements: The Cult of the Wrathful Deity Vajrakila According to the Texts of the Northern Treasures Tradition of Tibet by Rig-dzin rdo-rje (Martin J Boord)

Vajrakila texts of the Northern Treasures Tradition #1

by Martin J. Boord

Twenty years after its first, highly acclaimed, appearance—Wandel Verlag is pleased to announce the welcome return of The Cult of the Deity Vajrakīla by Martin Boord (Rig-’dzin rdo-rje). Now in a newly revised, extended and updated edition incorporating much new material, this much sought for classic study is now available once more under a new Gathering the Elements, volume 1 in the series Vajrakīla Texts of the Northern Treasures Tradition.The first volume in this series presents a comprehensive overview of the origin, growth and establishment of the Northern Treasures (Byang-gter) school of Tibetan Buddhism, together with a detailed study of the esoteric wrathful deity Vajrakila (rDo-rje phur-pa) and his cult as represented by the literature and living tradition of this school.From the roots of kila mythology, deeply embedded within the pre-Buddhist religion of ancient India, the text follows the path of a humble wooden stake towards its magnificent apotheosis as a terrifying god of awesome power by whom all demons are vanquished. Devotees of the Kīla deity, merging body, speech and mind within the sacred maṇḍala of this glorious vision, experience a spiritual ecstasy equated with the higher siddhi, a profound knowledge utterly free of propositional content, and become imbued with a confident sense of well-being as an indication of having banished the evil hordes of Mara beyond the confines of the world.The currently available collections of Byang-gter phur-pa texts at the heart of the present study together comprise a total of over 250 separate titles, including root tantra, rites of initiation and empowerment, profound meditations on the nature of enlightenment, rules for the invocation of the system protectors, wrathful ritual activities against enemies and longevity rites for the benefit of the yogin and his sponsors. All of these topics, and more, are put into context within the pages of this book so that the reader is presented with a comprehensive gathering of the essential elements of the cult of the deity Vajrakīla in the illustrious tradition of the Northern Treasures.

Genres: Buddhism, Spirituality

Hardcover

First published October 31, 1993

About the author

Ven. Dr. Martin Boord (ceremonially named Rig-'dzin rdo-rje) studied early in his life with Lama Khamtrul Yeshe Dorje, Chhimed Rigdzin Rinpoche and Dudjom Rinpoche. In 1993 he received a doctorate for his thesis The Cult of the Deity Vajrakila from the University of London.

He taught for some years at the University of Oxford and currently lives with his wife in quiet seclusion in England, devoting himself to the study of the Northern Treasures (Byang-gter}.

Reviews

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

The 5 volume set this is part of on Vajrakila by Martin Boord is apparently the definitive English treatise on the subject. I say “apparently” because I’m just now reading this 1st volume (which is a revised and expanded version of his PhD dissertation which was originally published as ‘The Cult of the Deity Vajrakila’ in 1993), and if the other 4 volumes are anything like it, they’re all worth getting!

This volume covers a broad range of subjects from a history of the Northern Treasures School, to the ancient history of the Kila traditions (in archeology, anthropology, mythology), to the iconography, tantras, termas and rituals associated with Vajrakila practice. Boord, as a yogin/scholar who has spent his career focused on this deity and tradition, gives us a brilliant and thorough (fascinating and readable!) authoritative account (throughout he relies on primary source material he’s translated from the Tibetan and Sanskrit, as well as comparative studies of published works in English by other scholars - all documented in copious footnotes - which itself makes for a fascinating list for further reading).

“This image of Vajrakila incorporates traits of both god and demon. As an expression of the human psyche, then, it squarely addresses the problem of what Jung has called the ’shadow’ side of the personality, consisting of those unpleasant aspects that elsewhere may receive only reluctant acknowledgement. The portrait is horrible in an extreme and yet is said to be alluring, magnetic, compulsively attractive. Vajrakila is the embodiment of the absolute truth of the human condition, the unbiased, unflinching presenter of the best and worst in a single icon accessible to the yogin through his meditative training. The demonic is here fully accepted as an aspect of the divine.” (p.157)