Oddiyana

Oddiyana (Skt. Oḍḍiyāna; Tib. ཨུ་རྒྱན་, Orgyen; Wyl. u rgyan) — often described as ‘the land of the Dakinis’, once a historical place has transformed over time into a mythical pure land in which the tantric teachings blossom and thrive. Based on its profound religious significance and mythological associations, the accounts of Uddiyana often involve a captivating combination of myth and history. Almost every great Indian Buddhist master who had any significant influence on the development of tantra is associated with Uddiyana. In many cases Uddiyana is said to have been visited physically by these masters, however throughout history Buddhist masters also recounted to have visited Uddiyana in pure visions and dreams. Uddiyana thus had a deep impact on the tantric traditions of both Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike.

Name

Uḍḍiyāna in Sanskrit is referred to by various names. Besides U/Oḍḍiyāna we also find the mentions of U/Oḍḍiyāna, U/Oḍḍayana, U/Oḍiyāna, U/Oḍyāna, and Ōṭiyana. To Tibetans it is known as O/Urgyen Yul (Tib. o/u rgyan yul) Urgyen (Tib. u rgyan), Odiyana (Tib. o ddi ya na) and sometimes also Oyen (Tib. o yan). The Tibetan words are an attempt to render the Sanskrit in Tibetan. Thus they convey no meaning, except for Urgyen Yul. According to Gendün Chöpel (Tib. dge 'dun chos 'phel, 1903-1951) Urgyen Yul could be translated as ‘the land or country adorned with Udumbara lotuses.’ Though these words look similar, the differences in spelling convey a different meaning. Thus, U/Oḍḍiyāna and U/Oḍḍayana are derived from the Sanskrit root ḍī and are translated as flying or soaring. U/Oḍḍiyāna in South Indian languages and in the yoga tradition refers to a belt worn by a woman either as jewelry or as a support for meditation. In Hata Yoga Uḍḍīyana is a term employed referring to the abdominal area. U/Oḍyāna translates as garden or royal garden. Ōṭiyana, Gendün Chöpel explains, could refer to the inhabitants known as the ‘Ōṭi tribe’. Due to the many variations it is quite likely that the different names are the result of an adoption and adaption of the original name from either a dialect or another language spoken in the area.

Significance

Within the Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism Uddiyana plays a vital role in the transmission of the scriptures of the three Inner Tantras of Maha-, Anu- and Atiyoga. Dudjom Rinpochementions that the Mahayoga Tantras were transmitted to King Ja (or Kuñjara) of Uddiyana and/or Zahor. Thus although Mahayoga Tantras may not have originate in Uddiyana, most of its Indian forefathers such as Kukkuraja, Lilavajra, Buddhajnanapada taught the Mahayoga Tantras in Uddiyana. Likewise, the eight great Vidyadharas and/or their disciples, the revealers of the Eight Great Sadhana Teachings (Tib. bka' brgyad), in several accounts resided and taught in Uddiyana. The Atiyoga, the highest teachings of the Nyingma tradition, claim Uddiyana as their place of origin. It is said that Garab Dorje (Tib. dga’ rab rdo rje), their originator, while practicing in Uddiyana received the Atiyoga teachings directly from Vajrasattva in a vision. Particularly in the Nyingma school Uddiyana is widely celebrated as the birthplace of founder of the Nyingma school, Padmasambhava. According to most life-stories, Padmasambhava miraculously took birth in a lotus in the lake of Dhanakosha in Uddiyana. Indrabhuti, the king of Uddiyana, found and adopted Padmasambhava. After firmly establishing Buddhism in Tibet, he sets out to prevent the danger of an invasion of the human realm by Raksasas demons. He then travels to the mystical land of the Raksasas. Upon his arrival he subjugates the Raksasa king ‘Powerful Skull Garland’ (Tib. rak sha thod phreng) and transforms the country into his pure-realm. In several accounts Uddiyana is equated with Padmasambhava’s final destination. Thus it states in Yeshe Tsogyal’s biography of Padmasambhava: “King Mutig Tsenpo of Tibet and the close disciples went home, suppressed by the anguish that Mast Padma had departed to the land of Uddiyana.” Uddiyana is thus regarded as Padmasambhava’s pure-realm known as Zangdokpalri (Tib. zangs mdog dpal ri, Eng. Copper-Colored Mountain of Glory).

The Sarma schools assert Uddiyana to be the birthplace of the Guhyasamaya Tantra. Dudjom Rinpoche writes: “… the Teacher himself taught the tantras to Indrabhuti, the king of Uddiyana. It is also held that Vajrapani entrusted them to him.” As a result of the spread of these tantric teachings all the inhabitants are said to have reached the level of the Vidyadharas and their children became dakas and dakinis. Thus the country became known as ‘the land of the Dakinis’. Great Indian tantric masters of the Sarma tradition are connected to Uddiyana, such as Tilopa, Naropa, Virupa, Niguma, Sukasiddhi and Kambala. Moreover, within the Chakrasamvara and Hevajra Tantras, twenty-four sacred sites are enumerated as the Nirmanakaya manifestations of Vajrayogini. These sites constitute the external mandala of Vajrayogini and are extremely important for tantric practice. Among them Uddiyana is considered to be particularly sacred. However, these sacred sites do not only refer to external locations, but also to our own body as well as to the stages and attainments on the Bodhisattva path.

In the Shakti Shaiva (Skt. Śakti Śaiva) tradition of Hinduism Uddiyana is regarded as one of the four great sacred places (Skt. caturmahapīṭhas). Jnanestra (Skt. Jñānanetra), a great Shakti Shaiva saint is said to have traveled in the mid 9^th century to the charnel ground of Uddiyana. There he met Mangaladevi (Skt. Maṅgalādevī, aka Kālī) in a vision, who bestowed on him a special lineage of teachings on non-dualistic tantra, which later became known as the ‘Krama’. One of their commentaries, the Kalikulakramasadbhava (Skt. Kālīkulakramasadbhāva recounts: “In the external world it is Oḍyāna, the great pīṭha, the best of all pīṭhas, the resort of siddhas and yoginīs, located in the northern region, in which this great sequence of the circles that I am relating as it truly is was directly experienced by the Nātha of the Inner Eye [Jñānanetra]’.”

In comparison, both Buddhist and non-Buddhist traditions, association Uddiyana strongly with female divinities. Though non-Buddhists tantras speak of yoginis, Buddhist tantras use the terms yogini and dakini interchangeably. Thus yogini and dakini refer to the same class of female divinities. Both Buddhists and non-Buddhists regard Uddiyana as part of an external mandala of Vajrayogini or Shakti. Jnananetra, founder of the Krama, traveled to Uddiyana around the time Padmasambhava was possibly residing there. He received teachings as a result of having practiced on the charnel ground of Uddiyana. Therefore, both Buddhists and non-Buddhists regard Uddiyana’s charnel ground to be a key element in the revelation of their tantric lineages. Furthermore, Alexis Sanderson compares the teachings of the Krama with the Atiyoga teachings of the Nyingma tradition. He observes that both approaches present themselves as highest approaches to reality transcending all others. However, rather than disregarding the lower approaches they integrate them. Sanderson argues that both Krama and Atiyoga teach realization to be gained through recognition and subsequently remaining in a non-conceptual state of awareness.

Location

Most Tibetan texts simply explain that Oddiyana was a kingdom that lay to the west or northwest of India, and many Western scholars have identified it with the valley of Swat, in present-day northwestern Kashmir, in Pakistan.

However, Patrul Rinpoche gives a more precise indication of where Oddiyana was in The Words of My Perfect Teacher (Tib. Kunzang Lamé Shyalung) when he describes the birthplace of Garab Dorje as being close to Lake Kutra in the region of Dhanakosha. Dhanakosha means ‘treasury of wealth’. This corresponds to a region between Chitral, Gilgit and Swat. John Reynolds suggests that “perhaps Uddiyana is actually a name of a much wider geographical area than the Swat Valley alone, one embracing parts of Pakistan, Afghanistan, and even Western Tibet (Zhang Zhung)."

Professor Lokesh Chandra has also argued that Oddiyana was located in South India.

Further Reading

• Jamgön Mipham, White Lotus, translated by the Padmakara Translation Group (Boston and London: Shambhala, 2007)—five levels of meaning of 'Orgyen'.

External Links

• 'Swat's Good Feng-shui'—blog entry at Tibeto-Logic