TROMA NAGMO .Skt (KRODIKALI .Tib)

In Vajrayana, women are held to be the essence of wisdom and numerous female manifestations of different energies are known as dakinis. These dakinis played a key role in the life of many of the great masters of the past."The body is the basis of the accomplishment of wisdom. And the gross bodies of men

and women are equally suited. But if a woman has strong aspiration, she has higher potential." (page 86, Dowman, K., Sky Dancer; The secret life and songs of the Lady Yeshe Tsogyal, Routledge & Kegan Paul,1984) This verse is quoted by Guru Padmasambhava. Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche explains that women have a natural affinity for working with energy and visional and Garab Dorje, the founder of the Dzogchen teachings, went so far as to say that the body of light or rainbow body would be women.

Recognizing the body as the root of one's attachment to self, Krodikali formulated 'The Quintessential Accomplishment in Accordance with the Lineage of the Vajra Essence' to be a practice that would destroy this fundamental attachment and simultaneously develop compassion for all beings. On the surface,

Krodikali seems to be an offering of only the body. Nevertheless, during the visualization the body has been identified with the universe, and consequently the offering means the offering of all things desirable. Thus, it is not just aiming at reduction of attachment to body but also of all attachment. Krodikali practice could be characterized as a practice which frees one;

outwardly from attachments to the body inwardly to sensual objects secretly to all desires and enjoyments and most secretly to self-centeredness In the practice of 'The Quintessential Accomplishment in Accordance with the Lineage of the Vajra Essence', from pure vision, there is the laughter of

Troma which overcomes and suppresses through splendor. The natural display of primordial wisdom, as the magical manifestation of boundless dakinis, shatters the gods and demons of duality within the uncontrived fundamental nature of the nonexistent self.

The Buddha dakini, the mother of the central direction, through the fearless conduct of the primordial wisdom of the space of phenomena, gathers and overcomes the gods and demons of delusion. Having been overcome, they are suppressed by splendor.

The Vajra dakini, the mother of the east, through the fearless conduct of mirror-like primordial wisdom, overcomes the gods and demons of aggression. Having been overcome, they are suppressed by splendor.

The Ratna dakini, the mother of the south, through the fearless conduct of the primordial wisdom of the nature of equality, overcomes the gods and demons of pride. Having been overcome, they are suppressed by splendor.

The Padma dakini, the mother of the west, through the fearless conduct of discerning primordial wisdom, overcomes the gods and demons of desire. Having been overcome, they are suppressed by splendor.

The Karma dakini, the mother of the north, through the fearless conduct of the primordial wisdom of accomplished activity, overcomes the gods and demons of jealousy. Having been overcome, they are suppressed by splendor.

By the truth of refuge in the Triple Gems, the compassionate love of the dakinis of the three enlightened embodiments and the blessing of the five great mothers, the ruling male demonic forces are overcome, the demoness female forces are overcome, the earth lords and subterranean demonic forces are overcome and the demonic forces of the place and body are overcome. All are completely suppressed by splendor.

The central practice of this Trogma Nagmo is to cut away the false concept of ego by offering one's own body to the divine and the demons. This practice can help one to reduce one's karmic debt, thus eliminating innumerable obstacles in worldly life. It would also improve one's state of mind by generating the understanding of emptiness, thus developing that profound wisdom.

THE BLACK QUEEN

A "cutting" practice of a different lineage is described in Chod: Cutting Through the Ego by Yangthang Rinpoche who said, at the Vajrayana Foundation Hawaii in 1991: In chod, the principal meditational deity is Yeshay Tsogyal or Troma Nakmo, the Black Dakini as the female wisdom energy is involved in

this practice. In some texts, the dakini is red or black, or at first red and then black; sometimes she holds the curved blade in her right hand; sometimes the damaru in her right hand and a thigh bone in her left; sometimes she is holding a curved blade in her right hand and a skull in her left. As a dakini, she is the expression of divine wisdom; when she appears in red she is more peaceful and [when] she appears in black, more wrathful. However the wrathfulness is the intensity of her compassion and isn't anger. She is the mother or source of all buddhas called Prajnaparamita, or Transcendental Wisdom.

Black Dakini The Dark Face of the Void

I am the black dakini, goddess of the Void I am the night sky empty of stars the lake without reflections When I take on human form, I am wrathful in appearance With skin and hair that is blue-black And jewelry that is of jet and ebony

In a sky of deep sapphire blue I sit on a lotus with petals of gold, and a center of black velvet When I have two hands, I hold the vajra and bell When I have four hands, I also hold the noose and the goad In my six armed form, I add the axe and the mala.

My true form is in the depths of space, The vast reaches of silence But with the sound of HUM I emerge, in the form of a spinning black vajra edged in gold Around me are HUMS like beads on a string Spinning, exploding, shooting blue pearls of light in every direction.

I am called by many names. As Nairatmya, I am the dark face of the Void the waves upon the lightless ocean I am the crow-headed goddess, flying high my feathers in black, green, blue, and purple I am the black goddess of death holding the world in my arms as I return to the deep waters I am the mother who brings forth children from dark nothingness who watches their lives and their deaths.

I am a wrathful emanation of Vajra Dakini, she of rainbow crystal Yet I am also her origin out of the dark void. I dance with my bhairava to the drumbeats of the heart of the universe And from our dance come millions of whirling comets Who form the guardians of the vajra worlds When the dance is stopped, the comets return And the universe is re-absorbed into our footsteps.

I create from the void and call things back to return I tear apart form and attachment My nails tear bonds to ribbons which dance in the winds of prana Those are my prayer-flags, and the banners of my warriors They scatter the shreds of karma before the winds of the Void To create the dances of the worlds

I may be of help to the aspirant, but I am dangerous For I will take away all he possesses If he gives them up gladly, we will dance together in their ashes But if he clings to them He will lose his mind and his heart.

I seek only beings ready for full liberation Leave all behind and we will find beauty In the emptiness that remains.

More About the Troma Chod

D. L. in an effort to clarify the distinction between Tara and Troma, posted the following from notes (March 1987) on a teaching by Ven. Yeshe Dorje Rinpoche, in preparation for the empowerment for Troma Ngondro by H. H. Dudjom Lingpa: Troma is inseparable from the lama as Dharmakaya: Kuntuzangmo

(Prajnaparamita), Samboghakaya: Dorje Palmo (Vajravarahi), Nirmanakaya: Troma (Vajra Khrodikali). The essence of Troma Nagmo is Yeshe Tsogyal. Troma Nagmo means black wrathful lady, she shows the powerful nature of Yeshe Tsogyal and Khandro Tuk Tik, the heart essence of the dakini. Here's a description

printed in a flyer from Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche's sangha given out freely as an excerpt from a talk on Troma and Chod given by him in Los Angeles April 9,

1986, so I feel comfortable sharing it openly, since it was originally given out openly: "Troma, the Black Vajra Mother is the true heart essence of Guru Padmasambhava. It is also the method of many of the great siddhas from the forefathers Sarahaba until it was revealed by the very noble siddha and terton, Dudjom Lingpa, who is the previous incarnation of H.H. Dudjom Ronpoche.

Chod by definition is "to cut through". The essence of chod is the prajnaparamita: the pervasive permanent unalterable absolute nature of emptiness.

Emptiness is not nothingness, it is the full resplendent quality of subtle appearance and is called unstoppable clarity: the inner capacity of the nature of emptiness. It arises as the display of the five Dhayana Buddhas' consorts. Emptiness is inseparable from its resplendent capacity for manifesting beneficial appearances, the Five Wrathful mothers, Troma, also known as Vajra Khrodikali.

What must be understood about the cutting Chod, is what is to be cut and how it is that we cut it. The answer to what must be cut is the root of samsara. Samsara is the cycles of endless suffering of forever becoming: we must look at what causes that and that cause must be cut. For us, non-realization of

our absolute nature is not because we once realized our nature and then forgot it. It isn't that we had it and then lost it. The essential primary nature of absolute purity is innate in our being. Non-actualized purity is ignorance and so ignorance must be cut. It must be destroyed. It must be liberated. Next to ignorance of Nature, the poison of desire must be cut. We have basic self-centered recognitions which function as our "I" or "me" or any manner of

self-perceptions. Beyond this comes the recognition of everything which isn't "me", generally named "other". Through this process of "I" and everything else that is not "I" a dualistic mode begins to function between the two. From this dualism arises the judgment of "it's so pretty" and the subtle attachment of "yes, I like it" which gives way to the gross attachment of "I need it" which is where suffering begins. If we need it and we can't get it, then we suffer: if we need it and we get it and we find out that we didn't want it, then we also suffer. If we need it and we get it and it fades away and

dissolves into nothingness as all temporary things will, we suffer... Desire is also a stepping stone to hatred which is aversion or the other side of desire. Because I want something, then I have some vested interest in that particular phenomena happening: something comes along such as rain, for example,

and blocks the fulfillment and "I don't like that." It's because I had some invested interest in what I wanted that aversion developed. Whatever prevents me from getting what I want results in this same aversion and so we find that at the forefront of aversion is desire. From the poisons of ignorance,

desire, and aversion the mind further complicates its delusion with a very beguiling pride of its own confusion and from this arises jealousy. These

complete the full array of the poisons of the mind. In Chod, there is always what are called the four demons or the four maras which are the four obstructing influences. The first obstruction is the personal defilements of mind: the defilements are the five poisons: ignorance, desire, aversion,

pride and jealousy. The second demonic influence is the obstruction of false contentment which is somewhat like pride. One takes for granted good situations thinking that they will go on forever: this is a very big obstacle because it wastes opportunities. The third demonic influence that obstructs

the realization of enlightenment is based on self-holding and other-holding. The mind zig zags back and forth from "I like this" and "I don't like that" "this is pretty, that is not" "I need this" "I don't need that". Our mind enticed by the appearance of objects goes to the object and becomes dynamically

involved there, totally seduced by samsaric appearances. The fourth obstruction is the root of the other three obstructions, the self-centeredness of one's "I". The method to cut through these demonic influences is called Chod. One's pure motivation is the blade that cuts though the faults of self-centeredness. Chod is the practice of generosity with one's most valuable possession, the body. There is nothing we value more, so this is what we use as

our gift. Our mind is deathless, our body is not, so we transfer our mind out of our body and pure mind stands complete in space. The body, like a shell, is an empty remain.[sic] Through mantra and visualization, the practitioner transforms the body into a vast and wholesome offering of whatever would be

satisfying. The offering is not just substance, but it is also wisdom nectar which fills the vastness of space. This is then offered to all of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, to any and all wisdom beings beyond the limit of our understanding. Further it is offered to every sentient being whoever they are,

wherever they are. Whatever their particular need is completely is met by this offering and they're completely satisfied and fulfilled immediately and ultimately. This trains the mind to cut through attachment. By this practice, one accomplishes both the accumulation of merit through generosity and the

accumulation of wisdom through understanding the basis of non-reality of our physical form. One understands the nature of emptiness that pervades all beings and this accumulates wisdom. Enlightenment is produced by the two accumulations of merit and wisdom, so this is a path capable of rendering full realization of enlightenment."