Dakini
The word dakiniis a sanskrit word that translates as ‘sky-goer’. The dakini’s are beings that entered the Buddhist tradition during the third great movement in its history, the Vajrayana, but who have become crucial figures in the Tibetan strand of the tradition. There are many myths about them. They can appear as beautiful or loathesome, but either way are awesome and terrifying. Many are said to inhabit places that in themselves inspire fear and horror, like the cremation grounds in ancient India where tantric practicioners would go to meditate.
I like to think of them as the thing we say we most desire — freedom, Enlightnement — but are actually the thing we are most afraid of. You can passionately desire a dakini, follow her everywhere, but never actually possess her. She may be your muse if you show signs of promise, but desert you if you show the slightest sign of unworthiness. She will lead you into places only a fool madly in love would go and then destroy you (or your ego, at least).
I first read about them in Vessantara‘s book Meeting the Buddhas (Windhorse Publications). I wanted to represent her in a distinctly western style rather than faithfully render a Tibetan thangka (a style of icon painting), and to somehow convey the capacity for the beauty and free-moving energy that is sometimes lost in the formalism of thangkas and rupas (formal sculptures). The distortion of the limbs was deliberate — they’re not human after all — and I wanted to represent her form extending fluidly, in transition from one state to another.
Enlightened figures are usually depicted on a lotus throne, a blossom with either a sun mat, moon mat or both laid on the tips of the petals. The static nature of a side elevation lotus design seemed incongruous to the obvious movement right to left, so I showed a top view and paired it with the flame aura. Since ultimate reality isn’t in one-point perspective, I felt quite content to use artistic licence and dispense with the convention!
There’s an an obvious Art Nouveau influence, but at about this time I was particularly interested in medieval Dutch altar painting; Rogier Van Der Weyden’s Descent From The Cross, now in the Prado, Madrid, still adorns my wall.
Gouache on paper.
More
For more about dakini’s in general, start with Vessantara, Chapter 5: The Dakini: Freedom and Inspiration, Female Deities in Buddhism (Windhorse Publications, 2003); the book is a re-presentation and expansion of some of the same material in his Meeting the Buddhas (Windhorse Publications, 1993) which I would in any case recommend for it’s broader value as an introduction to Buddhist mythical figures.
A more in-depth overview can be found in Judith Simmer-Brown, Dakini’s Warm Breath: The Feminine Principle in Tibetan Buddhism (Shambhala Publications Inc., 2003).
For the dakini Vajrayogini in particular see Elizabeth English, Vajrayogini: Her Visualisations, Rituals and Forms (Wisdom Publications, 2005) and Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, Guide to Dakini Land: The Highest Yoga Tantra Practice of Buddha Vajrayogini (Tharpa Publications, 1996). Jayarava offers an introduction to the Vajrayogini mantra on his Visible Mantra website.