![]() Once upon a time, I asked my teacher Venerable Geshe Kelsang: “There are a ton of male lineage Gurus and Buddhas, but there are really no role models for women in this tradition, apart from Tara and Vajrayogini - who are even supposedly one person. So where are the female Buddhas I’m supposed to be becoming?” This is not the way to think about Dakinis, especially if you are a woman, or maybe even more so if you are a man! A life-changing conversation with my Spiritual Guide People don’t always feel a strong personal relationship with the Dakinis. I don’t know, I’ve just heard people talking like this. Even someone said the other day that Dakinis were just the invention of men with too much time on their hands, to help male practitioners! And that view is not uncommon. Geshe-la then spoke to me for an hour on this subject. He explained about misogyny in ancient India and Tibet, explaining that there were many enlightened females, but due to the structure of society they were either not able to teach or else they were only able to teach a few disciples. Therefore, they didn’t become famous, or known as lineage holders even if they were.īut actually, he continued, you have many role models, because every female Dakini in Heruka’s mandala was a female practitioner just like you. This conversation changed everything for me. Not “real” in the sense of inherently existent, but you know what I mean - they really existed. They were actual people. They had histories, even if those were lost to the mists of time. ![]() They were role models. They were powerful. We still have their names. And the more over the years as I’ve gotten to know them, as I’ve felt more and more guided by them, the more enjoyment I have gotten from my Tantric practice. Geshe-la also went on to explain and demonstrate all the good qualities of female practitioners, including their relative humility and fearlessness compared with men. He talked about the vital need for female teachers, both ordained and lay, in the modern world. But I won’t rub it in!, there are men reading this, lol □ Dakini natureĭakinis are extraordinarily free, blissful, transcendent beings. ![]() Every one of us, male or female, has not just Buddha nature but Dakini nature. The terms “Hero and Heroine” and “Daka and Dakini” are interchangeable.
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