Twenty-four great sacred places

From Rigpa Wiki
Revision as of 15:00, 7 August 2009 by Adam (talk | contribs)
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Twenty-four great sacred places (Wyl. gnas chen nyer bzhi)

According to the Hevajra Tantra[1] these are:

  1. Jalandhara
  2. Oddiyana
  3. Paurnagiri
  4. Kamarupa
  5. Malaya
  6. Sindhu
  7. Nagara
  8. Munmuni
  9. Karunyapataka
  10. Kulata
  11. Arbuta
  12. Godavari
  13. Himadri
  14. Harikela
  15. Lampaka
  16. Kani
  17. Saurasta
  18. Kalinga
  19. Kokana
  20. Caritra
  21. Kosala, and
  22. Vindhyakaumarapaurika

Other Traditions

Other sources, such as the sadhana of Yumka Dechen Gyalmo from the Longchen Nyingtik, give a different enumeration of these twenty-four sacred places. They abide on the vajra-body inherent in every sentient being, which is symbolized here by the body of Vajrayogini. These twenty-four are divided in three groups:

a) Eight celestial abodes (Skt. - khagacharya, Wyl. mkha' spyod): 1) The crown of the head is Jalandhara, 2) in between the eyebrows is Pulliramalaya, 3) the nape is Arbuta, 4) the urna (the hair at the center of the forehead) is Rameshvara, 5) the right ear is Oddiyana, 6) the left ear is Godavari, 7) the eyes are Devikota, and 8) the shoulders are Malava.

b) Eight earthly abodes (Skt. gocharya, Wyl. sa spyod: 9) the throat is Lampaka, 10) the underarms and kidneys are Kamarupa, 11) the two breasts are Odra, 12) the navel is Trishanku, 13) the nose-tip is Koshala, 14) the palate is Kalinga, 15) the heart is both Kanchika and 16) Himalaya (Himavat).

c) Eight undergound abodes (Skt. bhugarbha, Wyl. sa 'og gi gnas brgyad): 17) the genitals are Pretapuri, 18) the anus is Grihadeva, 19) the thumbs and the big toes are Maru, 20) the thighs are Saurashtra, 21) the calves are Suvarnadvipa, 22) the sixteen other fingers and toes are Nagara, 23) the knees are Kulata, and 24) the ankles are Sindhu.

Notes

  1. see Snellgrove 1959, 1:70. Quoted in Matthieu Ricard, The Life of Shabkar, p. 605. Check: There are only 22!