The Great Black Dakini Niguma

(By Tsem Rinpoche and Pastor David Lai)

Dear friends,

I was given a book called ‘Niguma, the Lady of Illusion’ recently. Although I have read bits and pieces about this dakini’s life online in the past, I did not really know much about her. Hence, reading this book was to be my first serious foray into the story of this elusive and mysterious ancient dakini who appears to have emerged directly from the mists of time.

This book does a good job at piecing together the scattered fragments of what is known of her life. It paints a powerful and compelling picture of a female master at a time in ancient India where female teachers were rare. Despite the Tantric protocol for respecting women, the emergence of female teachers throughout the passage of time has been limited. This was probably due to the prevalent social conditions in ancient India. As such, the very existence of Niguma is a testament to her pervasive presence and her powerful lineage that continues to live on today as a sub-sect of the Kagyu tradition. Her teachings are also embodied within the Gelug school as well as the other sects of Tibetan Buddhism.

Therefore, through this article that I present here about the sacred life of Niguma, I hope that in learning more about her, that she may bless you with special insight and affinity to practice the path of Tantra deeply.

Pastor David Lai

Introduction

The 11th Century Great Dakini Niguma

Niguma was a great yogini and female Tantric master who lived during the 11^th Century. She is often depicted as a black dakini who defied social conventions by being one of the few influential female lineage holders of ancient India to have proliferated an important Tantric lineage.

Unfortunately for us, scant information survives about Niguma and the only biographical text about her is half filled with verses of praise to her. In addition, the descriptions of her birthplace seem to have been lifted directly from Naropa’s biography. According to traditional sources, Niguma was closely related to Naropa, being his sister; however most Western scholars interpret this to mean that Niguma was also his wife. This is due to the old Indian tradition of referring to one’s wife or consort as a ‘sister’.

The Mahasiddha Naropa is closely related to Niguma

Whatever the case may be, these two great Indian masters are deeply intertwined. It is commonly believed that Niguma received teachings on the Six Yogas from Naropa. However, there are no known records or evidence to prove that Naropa and Niguma ever exchanged teachings. Having said that, the similarities between the Six Yogas of Naropa and the Six Dharmas of Niguma are apparent. Based on this alone, it suggests that there must indeed have been some form of exchange in teachings. The Six Dharmas of Niguma are discussed later on in this article.

Although not much is known about Niguma’s life, what we do know is that the corpus of her teachings have become the foundation of the Shangpa Kagyu Buddhist tradition. The Shangpa Kagyu is hailed as one of the “Eight Great Chariots of the Practice Lineages” which means that it is one of the most important Buddhist traditions brought over from India to Tibet. The legacy of the great yogini Niguma as a meditator, teacher, mystic, and founder of a lineage endures to this day.

Historical Background

The black dakini, the famous yogini Niguma, was born in the great city of Annupama in Kashmir. ‘Annupama’ literally means ‘Incomparable’ and this name refers to the legend of a powerful illusionist manifesting the city in ancient times.

During the time of the previous Buddha Kashyapa, there was an arhat by the name of Madhyantika, which meant ‘mid-day sun’. Kashmir at that time was completely submerged under water but the arhat wanted to build a monastery at that location, so he requested land from the naga king. The naga king agreed to the request and said that he would release the lands that were within the surface area of the arhat sitting cross-legged in lotus position. And so, the arhat who was endowed with psychic powers was able to manifest a gigantic apparition of himself that covered all of what would be known as Kashmir. As promised by the naga king, the waters parted and the ground arose. It was on this newly emerged ground that a monastery by the name of Amrtabhavana was established.

Niguma was able to receive teachings from the Buddha Vajradhara directly

The local people from the surrounding lands were amazed and they hired an illusionist to conjure a great city that was modelled after the city of the gods, Sudarshana, which was given the name Annupama. Before the illusion could be withdrawn, the illusionist was killed and so the conjured city remained in place. Everyone who visited the city proclaimed it to be ‘Incomparable’ or Annupama. It became a bustling place, home to great masters like Ratnavajra and Naropa.

It was in this city that Niguma was born within a Brahmin family. Her father’s name was Shantivarma and her mother was known as Shrimati. Her brother became famous in his own right and was known as Naropa. In the text, it mentions that Niguma had been a great practitioner in many of her previous lifetimes and therefore, in this lifetime, she became attained simply from listening to a few instructions given by several qualified masters, such as master Lavapa of the East, whom she studied under. She meditated for seven days with the master and achieved the rainbow body. It was at this point that she achieved the level of an eighth ground Bodhisattva. This level is called ‘The Immovable’.

As such, it is said that she was able to receive teachings from the Buddha Vajradhara directly. Vajradhara is the Tantric form of Buddha Shakyamuni, and considered to be the highest form of the Buddha from a Tantric perspective. From Vajradhara, she received the four empowerments in the emanated mandalas of the great Secret Tantra. Upon receiving the empowerments, she gained realisation of all the Sutras, Tantras and so forth. At this point, it is said that she had attained the realisation of a tenth ground Bodhisattva. This level is called the ‘Cloud of Dharma’. From then on, she benefited beings by teaching and bestowing various empowerments.

Encounter with Khyungpo Naljor

Khyungpo Naljor (1050-1140 or 990-1139 CE) was the founder of the Shangpa Kagyu tradition. He was born into a family that practiced Bön, the indigenous shamanistic religion of Tibet. He was ordained by the Kadampa master Geshe Langri Tangpa and travelled seven times to India in order to receive teachings from the likes of Sukhasiddhi, Rahulaguptavajra, Maitripa, Vajrasana or Abhaya, and Niguma.

Old portrait of Khyungpo Naljor

Later, he established his monastic seat in Shang, located in the Tsang region of Tibet and as such, he became known as Lama Shangpa or the Lama from Shang. He is said to have established one hundred monasteries in Tibet, taught tirelessly and manifested many miracles. He is also said to have lived for 150 years.

While he was in India, he heard of the reputation of the dakini Niguma. Learning that she had received teachings directly from Buddha Vajradhara, he engaged in an exhaustive search for her and discovered that she had been seen in the charnel ground of Sosadvipa.

After making his way to the charnel ground and after much searching, he discovered a naked yogini with an extremely dark complexion floating high in the sky. She had a terrifying expression and held a trident and skull cup, while her body was adorned with various bone ornaments. She changed her appearance — sometimes appearing as many different dakinis and sometimes as just one.

Upon sight, Khyungpo Naljor knew that he was in the presence of the famous Niguma. He prostrated while requesting for teachings, but this seemed to irk the dark dakini. She thundered,

“I am a flesh-eating dakini!
As soon as my retinue of dakinis return.
You will be eaten!”

Flesh-eating dakinis, originally denizens of Indian lore, are thought to populate charnel grounds and other terrifying places. Dakinis occupy the unique space of being feared for their gruesome reputation and, at the same time, revered as the enticers and nurturers of great yogis. In this case, the dakini terrorised the yogi in order to test his determination but Khyungpo Naljor was not in the least bit perturbed. The dakini demanded,

“In order to request secret mantra Mahayana teachings, you need to offer gold. If there is gold, you will get your teaching!”

Khyungpo Naljor produced 500 gold coins and handed it over to the dakini. Upon receiving the bag of gold, the dakini tossed it into the forest behind her without so much as a glance in the direction of where the bag of gold landed.

The dakini Niguma, one of Khyungpo Naljor’s teachers

At this point, Khyungpo Naljor realised that she may not be a flesh-eating dakini after all. She then glared into the sky in order to summon her retinue. Not long after, her retinue descended and some brought with them the necessary offerings and materials needed to confer an initiation. Other dakinis appeared to construct a mandala of the yidam (meditational deity) in midair.

When the preparations were complete, Niguma bestowed the initiation of the illusory body and dream yoga. Subsequently, she was transported to a place 25 miles away, where the dakinis performed a Ganachakra or tsog ritual feast on top of a mountain and danced in bliss. The mountain had a golden river flowing down each of its four sides.

Niguma blessed and instructed her student to recall his dreams. Khyungpo Naljor then recalled travelling to the land of the gods and demigods, a dream in which he experienced being swallowed by a giant demigod, and another dream during which he received the entire Six Dharmas from Niguma. Niguma remarked that she had never heard of anyone receiving the entire Six Dharmas during a single instance of sleep. However, since he was awake, he was given the teachings again three times along with other instructions.

From Niguma, Khyungpo Naljor received many more sadhanas, Tantras and personal instructions. Even then, Khyungpo Naljor continued his unquenchable desire to receive more teachings by offering pounds of gold to many other teachers. Seeking out teachers who had beheld the Buddha in person, he was led to another dakini teacher named Sukhasiddhi. Over the course of his life, Khyungpo Naljor eventually acquired 28 Nepali and Indian teachers of whom seven were female masters like Niguma.

Khyungpo Naljor was reputed to have had 18,000 disciples but in adherence to Niguma’s restrictions, her teachings were kept secret for seven generations. This period of seven generations is known as the one-to-one lineage and is as follows:

1. Buddha Vajradhara
2. Niguma (10-11^th Century CE)
3. Khyungpo Naljor (1050-1127 CE)
4. Mokchokpa Rinchen Tsondru (1110-1170 CE)
5. Wonton Kyergangpa or Chokyi Senge (1143-1216 CE)
6. Sangye Nyenton or Rigongpa (1175-1247/1255 CE)
7. Drogon Sangye Tonpa (1207-1278 CE)

From that time on, Niguma’s lineage of teachings flourished and was absorbed into several other major lineages such as the Jonang, Jakchen, Samding and others.

Marpa and Tangtong Gyalpo

Marpa the Translator with his teachers above him including Naropa and Niguma on the right.

According to the writings of the great Tibetan translator Marpa, he received teachings from Niguma on two occasions. While he was in India under the tutelage of Naropa, he travelled to meet Niguma. Traditional sources recount how he sought out Niguma on the advice of Naropa and this story is repeated in his biography, ‘The Life of Marpa’. Naropa instructed Marpa,

“On the other shores of the poison lake in the South lies the charnel ground of Sosadvipa, the home of the wisdom dakini, Adorned with Bone Ornaments (Niguma). Whomsoever encounters her countenance would be liberated. Go before her and request the Catuhpitha. You can also request of the kusulus there whatever teachings you desire.”

The famous Tibetan Mahasiddha Thangtong Gyalpo

After arriving at the charnel grounds of Sosadvipa, Marpa encountered the yogini, who was living in a woven grass dome. He made a mandala offering of gold and he supplicated her. She joyfully initiated him and bestowed upon him the oral instructions on Catuhpitha. According to another source, the subsequent visit was the great Shantibhadra’s idea. On this second visit, Marpa received a prophecy about meeting Naropa again, even though Naropa had entered clear light and had left his physical body.

The famous Tibetan mahasiddha and yogi Thangtong Gyalpo (1385–1464 CE) was also one of Niguma’s students. Strangely, Niguma instructed this mahasiddha in a vision centuries after she lived. Thangtong Gyalpo is widely known to be the reincarnation of Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen, also known as the Buddha from Dolpo. He is historically renowned for being a great Buddhist yogi, famous blacksmith, architect, physician and a reputed civil engineer. He founded the Iron Chain lineage of the Shangpa Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism, which was originally derived from Niguma’s teachings.

Niguma’s Sacred Lineage

Niguma’s lineage of teachings were eventually incorporated into the Shangpa Kagyu tradition. However, the teachings specifically derived from Niguma are likened to a living tree and they are called the Five Golden Dharmas.

The roots are the Six Dharmas
The trunk is Mahamudra
The branches are the three integrations on the path
The flowers are the white and red Kechari
The fruit is immortal and infallible

The Roots are the Six Dharmas

Niguma’s original Vajra Lines are said to have been the direct teachings of Buddha Vajradhara. The Vajra Lines of the Six Dharmas are verse instructions that prepare the practitioner to receive Tantric empowerment. The main empowerments required for this tradition come from any of the Five Tantric Deities of Hevajra, Cakrasamvara, Guhyasamaja, Mahamaya or Vajrabhairava.

Mahamaya, one of the Five Tantric practices of Niguma’s lineage

The preliminary practice for receiving the Six Dharmas is a teaching by Niguma called ‘The Purifier, Hollow Interior of AH’. This practice involves visualising and reciting the syllable ‘AH’ as it moves through the central channel and throughout the whole body as a purifying elixir that is inseparable in nature from the guru. Later traditions developed a five-fold preliminary practice similar to Ngöndro of the other major traditions. The only variation is that the hollow interior practice replaces that of Vajrasattva.

The Root of the Six Dharmas has yogic practices that are similar to the Six Yogas of Naropa. They were transmitted from Niguma to Khyungpo Naljor several times, of which the first was in a dream from within the belly of a demigod. They are presented here in verse form:

The path of methods [inner heat] – naturally blazing bliss-wrath
Illusory body – naturally liberated desire and anger
Dream – naturally pure sleep-delusion
Lucid clarity – naturally clarified stupidity
Transference – Buddhahood without meditation
Intermediate state – Sambhogayaka of the Victors

The Trunk is Mahamudra

Khyungpo Naljor coined the name Amulet Mahamudra for this Shangpa Mahamudra tradition because he treasured it so much that he wore the teachings within a sandalwood amulet box around his neck. These instructions in essence mean mental ‘non-engagement’ or yid la mi byed pa. This Mahamudra system is called ‘Three naturally settled states after the initial practice’ by Niguma on settling the body, speech and mind in calm abiding and special insight meditation.

The Branches are the Three Integrations

This practice combines all sights, sounds and thoughts within the nature of the guru, yidam and illusion. Niguma gave specific instructions to integrate the practice into one’s life so that within a matter of months or years, the three kayas (bodies) naturally arise as clarity, emptiness and great bliss.

The Flowers are the White and Red Kechari

White Kechari ~ Sukhasiddhi Vajrayogini

This consists of the White and Red Vajrayogini practices and Niguma herself originally transmitted them to Khyungpo Naljor. The Vajra Lines (instructions) for the White Kechari are attributed to Dipamkara Srijnana Atisha while the source text for the Red Kechari, which also includes teachings on the transference of the consciousness to the Kechara pure realm at the time of death and other instructions, is attributed to Lama Rahula.

The Red Kechari is the form of Vajrayogini with her left leg raised skywards, while the White Kechari is the form of Vajrayogini in the position of giving birth with both legs raised and her secret organ openly displayed, also known as Sukhasiddhi.

Red Kechari – Vajrayogini with left leg pointed skywards

The Fruit is Immortal and Infallible

Painting of Niguma by Sanje Elliott

The teachings from Niguma called Mind and Body, Immortal and Infallible are specific instructions combined with the precepts of the deathlessness of the mind. Although transmitted by Niguma to Khyungpo Naljor, they originally stem from the Mahasiddha Virupa.

The aim of these teachings is to realise the fact that the mind is immortal because it is essentially unborn, whereas the body is simply matter. This renders death and other bodily processes irrelevant. This is achieved through 32 yogic practices taught in Niguma’s lineage which aim to develop this realisation.

Conclusion

The black dakini Niguma’s story provides rare insight into the unusual role of women in the development of Buddhist history. Her story is set in a time when females were not readily accepted as spiritual masters. However, the Tantric path in Buddhist practice brought about the breakdown of rigid social norms and boundaries, allowing this powerful female figure to emerge. Perhaps the scant information about her has allowed more practitioners to readily embrace her lineage, especially in the face of the rigid social classes and gender bias of medieval India and Tibet.

Niguma’s legacy is undoubtedly one of the most important ancient Tantric lineages to have been transmitted from India to Tibet. She emerges from the mists of time to empower both female and male practitioners to break boundaries and practise the Dharma without bias or self-imposed labels.

 
For more interesting information:

• 6 Yogas of Naropa by H.H. Kyabje Zong Rinpoche
• Tea Offering to Vajrayogini (For the 1st Time!)
• Twenty-Four Holy Places & Eight Great Charnel Grounds
• Sakya Lopon Sonam Tsemo – The One Who Ascended to Kechara Paradise
• Homage To The Headless Divine Lady
• Tsarchen Losal Gyatso: Lineage Holder of Vajrayogini’s Tantra
• Puja at Naropa’s Cave, Kathmandu, Nepal
• 84 Mahasiddhas
• H.H. Kyabje Zong Rinpoche’s biography
• Choose your guru always
• Kyabje Zong Rinpoche Cuts My Hair
• The Vajrayogini category on my blog
• Download FREE high resolution Buddha images
• Don’t miss this: Offering onto Vajra Yogini
• TRANSCRIPT: How Lama Tsongkhapa transforms to Vajrayogini

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