Hayagriva

Hayagriva from the thangka of Tendrel Nyesel

Hayagriva (Skt. Hayagrīva; Tib. རྟ་མགྲིན་, Tamdrin, Wyl. rta mgrin) — the wrathful manifestation of Avalokiteshvara who symbolizes enlightened speech, usually depicted as red in colour and with a horse's head protruding from his crown.

Forms

Hayagriva is one of the eight principal deities of Kagyé where he is referred to as Lotus-like Speech (Tib. པདྨ་གསུང་, pad+ma gsung). The instructions related to this form of Hayagriva are based on the so-called "three neighs of the horse".

In the Longchen Nyingtik, the Hayagriva practice related to Palchen Düpa is called "The Play of the Three Realms" (Tib. རྟ་མགྲིན་ཁམས་གསུམ་རོལ་པ་, rta mgrin khams gsum rol pa).

Sera Monastery has a Nyingma tradition of Hayagriva called Hayagriva Very Secret (Tamdrin Yang Sang) that is actively practised.

Further Reading

• Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Tayé, The Treasury of Knowledge: Systems of Buddhist Tantra (Ithaca: Snow Lion, 2005)

Empowerments Given to the Rigpa Sangha

• Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche, Lerab Ling, France, 17 September 2025: Longchen Nyingtik empowerment, the specific empowerments for the Four Families of Herukas of Palchen Düpa; using Chapter 7 of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche’s A Feast that Delights the Fortunate Ones and Reveals the Nectar of the Profound and Secret, A Garland of Liturgies for Bestowing the General and Specific Empowerments of the Three Roots of the Great Perfection’s Heart-Essence of the Vast Expanse

External Links

• Hayagriva Outline page at Himalayan Art