Yamantaka（4）

Yamantaka（4）

Concerning Yamantaka, the 1^st generation Jia-mu-yang Living Buddha gave a systematic description in the book Blessing Vajra Yamantaka Teaching Origin Three Kingdom Honorable Superior Achievement Treasury. He believed that there were 15 characteristics of Yamantaka:

1. Self-arising: one-faced two-armed Yamantaka can show corresponding images according to the different subjects to be subdued in order to reach the goal of subduing them.

 2. Following and living peacefully: the subdued can follow the will of the person they were subdued by, peacefully abiding and behaving themselves, no longer doing bad deeds or creating obstruction and invading and attacking living beings;

3. Yamantaka can subdue all living beings between the 8 great kings of heaven and Yama.

4. The hair stands up, a formidable image, putting people in awe on sight.

5. Colossal mouth, able to swallow the three kingdoms;

6. There are angry veins in the eyebrow, appearing yellow, extremely like raging flames

7. The two feet have great power and can trample the world.

8. The two hands form the Qike print, to display threat, able to issue commands and cause all in and beyond the world to fear and follow.

9. The right leg bends and the left leg extends, able to adjust and subdue the male & female eight heavens as well as the male & female Yama. The eight heavens have been described above. Here we only introduce the male and female eight Yama. These are also protecting gods. The 8 male Yama: Black Yama, White Yawadi, Brown Mizheng, Brown Hoof, Nine-strand Blue Hair, Black White Axe, Blue Cow Head and Brown Fire Shinning. The 8 female Yama: Messenger Girl, Sabre-tooth Girl, Baton Girl, Time Phase Girl, Time Net Girl, Ring Cover Girl, Back Fall Girl and Iron Hook Girl.

Some say that there are meaningful and unclearly-meaningful Yama. Unclearly-meaningful Yama are in the samsara of the six realms, specifically in charge of hell. Their shape is angry, giving reward to the good and punishing the evil. If someone has heavily accumulated the three poisons and made evil karma, when their 中阴 body falls down to hell, the Yama King will sentence him. Meaningful Yama are karma, causing us to loose control and remain in samsara. It is divided into the crude part and the fine part. The crude part is frustration, karma, greed, anger and foolishness, and the fine part is delusion. Also, some think that the Yama king symbolizes the god of death, meditating Yamantaka can grant transcendence over life and death.

10. Able to use 8 kinds of powerful bursting laughter throughout the sky to subdue Brahma etc.

11. All mouths manifested from the original face can send out powerful mantra sounds such as “Pai” and “Cha”;

12. Its brutal heart can be the nature of the two Vajra, body and language, Bodhi-chitta, having no difference between empty nature and great merciful heart, is Vajra Yamantaka.

13. Able to enslave evil ghosts and Yama king in the Great Cold Wood mandala.

14. As the principally offered chief yidam in the Great Freedom mandala, can use all kinds of god abilities to teach a hundred thousand sutra and tantra;

15. Grand career.