Hardcover, 420 pages, illustrated, Berlin 2013, new
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.