Introduction to Yangdak Heruka

Yangdak Heruka (yang dag he ru ka), often translated as “Utterly Pure Heruka” or “Perfect Heruka,” is a wrathful form of Vajrasattva who embodies the awakened activity (phrin las) of all the buddhas. In the Nyingma (rnying ma) school of Tibetan Buddhism, he is a central deity within the Mahāyoga class of tantric practice. While his name has been variously rendered in Sanskrit as Viśuddha Heruka or Śrī Heruka, the exact Indic equivalent remains uncertain.[1] The Tibetan term yang dag connotes meanings such as “completely,” “authentically,” or “perfectly,” reflecting the deity’s role as a supreme embodiment of enlightened purity and wrathful compassion.

Iconographically, Yangdak Heruka is typically depicted with three faces—blue in the centre, white to the right, and red to the left—and six arms. His central face displays a wrathful expression with bared fangs and three glaring eyes, his hair rising upward in fiery strands. His body is dark blue, surrounded by a mass of blazing fire. He stands in a dynamic posture, with his right leg bent and the left extended, trampling upon figures that represent obstructing forces. His six hands hold a variety of ritual implements: a vajra and trident in the right hands, and a bell, skull cup, and lasso in the left. He is adorned with adorned with the heruka and charnel-ground accoutrements.[2] Yangdak Heruka is often depicted in union with his consort Krodheśvarī, who has one face and two arms, holding a vajra and a skull cup. She embraces the central deity with her right leg wrapped around his waist. Together, they appear within a maṇḍala surrounded by various retinue deities.[3]

According to the 15th-century historian Gö Lotsawa Zhönnu Pal (’gos lo tsā ba gzhon nu dpal, 1392–1481),[4] the practice of Yangdak Heruka originates from the Sarvabuddhasamāyoga Tantra (Toh. 366, sangs rgyas thams cad dang mnyam par sbyor ba) and its associated texts. This tantra marks a pivotal transition between yogatantra and yoginītantra, introducing seminal elements such as feast offerings (gaṇacakra), transgressive rituals, and cremation-ground symbolism—features that became defining hallmarks of later tantric Buddhism.[5]

Beyond its origins in scriptural tantra, the Nyingma tradition holds that their formal revelation in the human world occurred through Guru Padmasambhava, in conjunction with Hūṃkāra—one of the eight vidyādharas (rig ’dzin)—as part of the Kagyé cycle (bka’ brgyad, “Eight Sādhana Teachings”).[6]

Hūṃkāra, likely of Newar origin,[7] is credited with composing five ritual manuals (Toh. 1674–1678) for the Sarvabuddhasamāyoga cycle, and is said to have attained the level of mahāmudrā vidyādhara—the third of the four vidyādhara stages in the Nyingma system[8]—through his practice of Yangdak Heruka. His oral and revealed transmissions were passed to Guru Padmasambhava and his disciple Namkhé Nyingpo (nam mkha’i snying po), who became the main lineage-holders and early promoters of the practice in Tibet. Tibetan hagiographies state that Hūṃkāra later traveled to Tibet and served as spiritual chaplain to King Senalek (sad na legs), further embedding the deity into the fabric of Tibetan tantric Buddhism.[9]

Guru Padmasambhava, according to traditional biographies, aspiring to realize the mahāmudrā vidyādhara through the practice of Yangdak Heruka, journeyed to Nepal and entered retreat in the sacred caves of Yangleshö (yang le shod) and Asura with his consort Belmo Śākyadevī (bal mo śākyadevī). Their practice, however, was disrupted by powerful demonic forces. It was through the complementary practice of Vajrakīlaya that Padmasambhava and Śākyadevī were able to subdue these obstacles, thereby attaining the realization they had been seeking.[10] Thus, Jamgön Kongtrül Lodrö Thayé (’jam mgon kong sprul blo gros mtha’ yas, 1813–1899) famously described the relationship between the two deities as follows:

“Yangdak Heruka is like a merchant engaged in trade; the reward can be great, but so can the obstacles. Vajrakīlaya is like the armed escort needed to guard the merchant and ensure success.”[11]

Namkhé Nyingpo played a crucial role in preserving and disseminating the Yangdak Heruka teachings. As a close disciple of both Hūṃkāra and Guru Padmasambhava, and as a spiritual advisor and healer to Dharma King Tri Songdetsen (khri srong lde btsan, 742–c.800), he transmitted the Yangdak Heruka teachings at the royal court. Following political exile instigated by jealous ministers, Namkhé Nyingpo settled at Lhodrak Kharchu (lho brag khar chu), a site associated with Guru Padmasambhava’s awakened mind.[12] There, he entered intensive retreat and attained the realization of mahāmudrā vidyādhara through the practice of Yangdak Heruka. Tibetan accounts portray him flying through the sky on rays of sunlight—an iconic image that underscores his siddhi and enduring place in Nyingma iconography. In this way, Namkhé Nyingpo is seen as the Tibetan counterpart to the Indian/Newar siddha Hūṃkāra, both having reached the same pinnacle of realization through Yangdak Heruka.[13]

Guru Padmasambhava alongside Namkhé Nyingpo and other disciples is said to have concealed the Yangdak Heruka teachings as treasures (gter ma) to be later revealed by treasure revealers (gter ston) such as Nyangrel Nyima Özer (nyang ral nyi ma ’od zer, 1124/1136–1192/1204). Guru Padmasambhava also transmitted the teachings on Yangdak Heruka along with Vajrakīlaya to Khön Lü’i Wangpo (’khon klu’i dbang po) and others, from whom it passed through successive generations until reaching Khön Könchok Gyalpo (khon dkon mchog rgyal po, 1034–1102), the founder of the Sakya school (sa skya). Thus, both deities became part of the Sakya lineage’s oral (bka’ ma) transmission.[14]

Today, the legacy of Yangdak Heruka remains vibrant. The deity’s practice was instrumental in introducing the gaṇacakra feast offering—now a foundational element of Vajrayāna ritual life—into the broader tantric tradition. In this way, Yangdak Heruka has come to represent not only enlightened wrath but also a central influence in shaping the ritual culture of Vajrayāna Buddhism.

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Introduction to Yangdak Heruka

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