Mahasiddha

Mahasiddha (Tibetan: grub thob chen po or tul shug; Sanskrit: mahasiddha, maha meaning 'great' and siddha meaning adept) is a term for someone who embodies and cultivates siddhi. They are a type of eccentric yogi in both Hinduism and Vajrayana Buddhism. Mahasiddhas were tantric practitioners, or 'tantrikas' who had sufficient attainments to act as a guru ot tantric master. A Siddha or adept is an individual who, through the practice of sadhana attains the realization of siddhis or psychic and spiritual abilities and powers. Their historical influence throughout the Indic and Himalayan region was vast and they reached mythic porportions which is codified in their songs of realization and hagiographies, or namthar, many of which have been preserved in the Tibetan Buddhist canon. The Mahasiddha are acknowledged as the founders of many Indian and Buddhist traditions and lineages.

Robert Thurman, contrasts the Tantric Buddhist communities within which the Mahasidda practiced and taught with the Buddhist universities such as Nalanda which flourished at the same time:

The Tantric communities of India in the latter half of the first Common Era millennium (and perhaps even earlier) were something like “Institutes of Advanced Studies” in relation to the great Buddhist monastic “Universities.” They were research centers for highly cultivated, successfully graduated experts in various branches of Inner Science (adhyatmavidya), some of whom were still monastics and could move back and forth from university (vidyalaya) to “site” (pitha), and many of whom had resigned vows of poverty, celibacy, and so forth, and were living in the classical Indian saiñnyãsin or sãdhu style. I call them the "psychonauts" of the tradition, in parallel with our “astronauts,” the materialist scientist-adventurers whom we admire for their courageous explorations of the “outer space” which we consider the matrix of material reality. Inverse astronauts, the psychonauts voyaged deep into “inner space,” encountering and conquering angels and demons in the depths of their subconscious minds.

It was the Mahasiddhas who instituted the practices that birthed the Inner Tantras of Dzogchen practiced by the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism. The other schools of Tibetan Buddhism and other Vajrayana Buddhists such as Shingon Buddhism practice Mahamudra meditation, also a practice initiated by the original Buddhist Mahasiddha.

Genealogy and historical dates

The exact genealogy and historical dates of the Mahasiddhas are contentious. Dowman (1986) holds that they all lived between 750 CE - 1150 CE.

Mahasiddha tradition

Mahasiddhas represent the mystical and unconventional which, in tantric thinking, is often associated with the most rarefied and sublime levels or states of spiritual enlightenment and realisation. They are typically contrasted with arhats, austere saints, though this description is also suitable for many of the Mahasiddhas.

Abhayadatta Sri is an Indian scholar of the 12th century who is attributed with recording the hagiographies of the eighty-four siddha in a text known as 'The History of the Eighty-four Mahasiddha' (Sanskrit: Caturasitisiddha pravrtti; Wylie: grub thob brgyad bcu tsa bzhi'i lo rgyus.)

Dowman holds that the eighty-four Mahasiddha are spiritual "archetypes":

The number eighty-four is a "whole" or "perfect" number. Thus the eighty-four siddhas can be seen as archetypes representing the thousands of exemplars and adepts of the tantric way. The siddhas were remarkable for the diversity of their family backgrounds and the dissimilarity of their social roles. They were found in every reach of the social structure: kings and ministers, priests and yogins, poets and musicians, craftsmen and farmers, housewives and whores.

The non-monastic Mahasiddha Dharma comprises: artists, business people, healers, family people, politicians, nobility, prostitutes and outcasts; the Mahasiddhas were a diverse group of people who were practical, committed, creative and engaged with their world. As a collective, their spirituality may be viewed as key and essential to their lives; simple, in concert and accord with all aspects of their lived experience. The basic elements of the lives of the Mahasiddas included their diet, physical posture, career, relationships; indeed 'ordinary' life and lived experience were held as the principal foundation and fodder for realization. As Siddhas, their main emphasis in spirituality and spiritual discipline was direct experience of the sacred and spiritual pragmatism.[3]

Reynolds (2007) states that the Mahasiddha Tradition:

"...evolved in North India in the early Medieval Period (3-13 cen. CE). Philosophically this movement was based on the insights revealed in the Mahayana Sutras and as systematized in the Madhyamaka and Chittamatrin schools of philosophy, but the methods of meditation and practice were radically different than anything seen in the monasteries."

Mahasiddhas are a form of bodhisattva, meaning they not only have the spiritual abilities to enter nirvana whenever they please, but they are so compassionate they resolve to remain in samsara instead to help others. Mahasiddhas are often associated with historic persons, but nonetheless typically have magical powers or siddhi which they achieve by the efficacy of their spiritual practice.

Reynolds (2007) proffers that the Mahasiddha Tradition:

"...broke with the conventions of Buddhist monastic life of the time, and abandoning the monastery they practiced in the caves, the forests, and the country villages of Northern India. In complete contrast to the settled monastic establishment of their day, which concentrated the Buddhist intelligenzia [sic.] in a limited number of large monastic universities, they adopted the life-style of itinerant mendicants, much the wandering Sadhus of modern India."

The Mahasiddha Tradition may be conceived and considered as a cohesive body due to their spiritual style which was distinctively non-sectarian, non-elitist, non-dual, non-elaborate, non-sexist, non-institutional, unconventional, unorthodox and non-renunciate. The Mahasiddha Tradition arose in dialogue with the dominant religious practices and institutions of the time which often foregrounded practices and disciplines that were over-ritualized, politicized, exoticized, excluded women and whose lived meaning and application were largely inaccessible and opaque to non-monastic peoples.[4]

84 Mahasiddha

By convention there are 84 Mahasiddhas in both Hindu and Tibetan Buddhist traditions, with some overlap between the two lists. The number is congruent with the number of siddhi or occult powers held in the Dharmic Religions. In Tibetan Buddhist art they are often depicted together as a matched set in works such as thangka paintings where they may be used collectively as border decorations around a central figure.

Each Mahasiddha has come to be known for certain characteristics and teachings, which facilitates their pedagogical use. One of the most beloved Mahasiddhas is Virupa, who may be taken as the patron saint of the Sakyapa sect and instituted the Lam Dre (Tibetan: lam 'bras) teachings. Virupa (alternate orthographies: Birwapa/Birupa) lived in 9th century India and was known for his great attainments.

Some of the methods and practices of the Mahasiddha were codified in Buddhist scriptures known as Tantras. Traditionally the ultimate source of these methods and practices is held to be the historical Buddha Shakyamuni, but often it is a transhistorical aspect of the Buddha or deity Vajradhara or Samantabhadra who reveals the Tantra in question directly to the Mahasiddha in a vision or whilst they dream or are in a trance. This form of the deity is known as a sambhogakaya manifestation. The sadhana of Dream Yoga as practiced in Dzogchen traditions such as the Kham, entered the Himalayan tantric tradition from the Mahasiddha, Ngagpa and Bonpo. Dream Yoga or "Milam" (T:rmi-lam; S:svapnadarśana), is one of the Six Yogas of Naropa.

Four of the 84 Mahasiddhas are women. They are Kanakhala, the younger of the two Headless (Severed-Headed) Sisters, Lakshmincara The Mad Princess, Manibhadra, the Model Wife (the Happy Housewife) and Mekhala (c. 900) the elder of the two Headless (Severed-Headed) Sisters. . Von Schroeder (2006) states:

Some of the most important Tibetan Buddhist monuments to have survived the Cultural Revolution between 1966 and 1976 are located at Gyantse (rGyal rtse) in Tsang province of Central Tibet. For the study of Tibetan art, the temples of dPal ’khor chos sde, namely the dPal ’khor gTsug lag khang and dPal ’khor mchod rten, are for various reasons of great importance. The detailed information gained from the inscriptions with regard to the sculptors and painters summoned for the work testifies to the regional distribution of workshops in 15th-century Tsang. The sculptures and murals also document the extent to which a general consensus among the various traditions or schools had been achieved by the middle of that century. Of particular interest is the painted cycle of eighty-four mahåsiddhas, each with a name inscribed in Tibetan script. These paintings of mahasiddhas, or “great perfected ones endowed with supernatural faculties” (Tib. Grub chen), are located in the Lamdre chapel (Lam ’bras lha khang) on the second floor of the dPal ’khor gTsug lag khang. Bearing in mind that these murals are the most splendid extant painted Tibetan representations of mahasiddhas, one wonders why they have never been published as a whole cycle. Several scholars have at times intended to study these paintings, but it seems that difficulties of identification were the primary obstacle to publication. Although the life-stories of many of the eighty-four mahasiddhas still remain unidentified, the quality of the works nevertheless warrants a publication of these great murals.

List of the 84 Mahasiddhas

In Buddhism there are 84 Mahasiddhas (the asterisk * denotes a female):

1. Acinta or Acintapa, the 'Avaricious Hermit';
2. Ajogi or Ayogipa, the 'Rejected Wastrel';
3. Anangapa, Ananga, or Anangavajra;
4. Aryadeva (or Karnaripa), the 'Lotus-Born' or the 'One-Eyed';
5. Babhaha, the 'Free Lover';
6. Bhadrapa, the 'Snob' or the 'Exclusive Brahmin';
7. Bhandepa, the 'Envious God';
8. Bhiksanapa, 'Siddha Two-Teeth';
9. Bhusuku, Bhusukupada or Shantideva, the 'Lazy Monk' or the 'Idle Monk';
10. Camaripa, the 'Divine Cobbler';
11. Campaka or Campakapada, the 'Flower King';
12. Carbaripa or Carpati, 'Who Turned People to Stone' or 'the Petrifyer';
13. Catrapa, the 'Lucky Beggar';
14. Caurangipa, the 'Limbless One' or 'the Dismembered Stepson';
15. Celukapa, the 'Revitalized Drone';
16. Darikapa, the 'Slave-King of the Temple Whore';
17. Dengipa, the 'Courtesan's Brahmin Slave';
18. Dhahulipa, the 'Blistered Rope-Maker';
19. Dharmapa, the 'Eternal Student' (c.900 CE);
20. Dhilipa, the 'Epicurean Merchant';
21. Dhobipa, the 'Wise Washerman';
22. Dhokaripa, the 'Bowl-Bearer';
23. Dombipa, the 'Tiger Rider';
24. Dukhandi, the 'Scavenger';
25. Ghantapa, the 'Celibate Monk' or the 'Celibate Bell-Ringer';
26. Gharbari or Gharbaripa, the Contrite Scholar (Skt., pandita);
27. Godhuripa, the 'Bird Catcher';
28. Goraksa, Gorakhnath or Goraksha, the 'Immortal Cowherd';
29. Indrabhuti, (teachings disseminated to Tilopa);
30. Jalandhara, the 'Dakini's Chosen One';
31. Jayananda, the 'Crow Master';
32. Jogipa, the 'Siddha-Pilgrim';
33. Kalapa, the 'Handsome Madman';
34. Kamparipa, the 'Blacksmith';
35. Kambala, the 'Yogin of the Black Blanket' (or the 'Black-Blanket-Clad Yogin');
36. Kanakhala*, the younger of the two Headless Sisters or Severed-Headed Sisters;
37. Kanhapa (or Krsnacarya), the 'Dark-Skinned One' (or the 'Dark Siddha');
38. Kankana, the 'Siddha-King';
39. Kankaripa, the 'Lovelorn Widower';
40. Kantalipa, the 'Rag Picker' (or the 'Ragman-Tailor');
41. Kapalapa, the 'Skull Bearer';
42. Khadgapa, the 'Master Thief' (or the 'Fearless Thief');
43. Kilakilapa, the 'Exiled Loud-Mouth';
44. Kirapalapa (or Kilapa), the 'Repentant Conqueror';
45. Kokilipa, the 'Complacent Aesthete';
46. Kotalipa (or Tog tse pa, the 'Peasant Guru';
47. Kucipa, the 'Goitre-Necked Yogin';
48. Kukkuripa, (late 9th/10th Century), the 'Dog Lover';
49. Kumbharipa, 'the Potter';
50. Laksminkara*, 'The Mad Princess';
51. Lilapa, the 'Royal Hedonist';
52. Lucikapa, the 'Escapist';
53. Luipa, teachings disseminated to Tilopa;
54. Mahipa, the 'Greatest';
55. Manibhadra*, the 'Model Wife' or the 'Happy Housewife';
56. Medhini, the 'Tired Farmer';
57. Mekhala*, the elder of the two Headless Sisters or Severed-Headed Sisters;
58. Mekopa, the 'Wild-Eyed Guru' (or the 'Guru Dread-Stare');
59. Minapa, the 'Fisherman';
60. Nagabodhi, the 'Red-Horned Thief';
61. Nagarjuna, "Philosopher and Alchemist",
62. Nalinapa, the 'Self-Reliant Prince';
63. Nirgunapa, the 'Enlightened Moron';
64. Pacaripa, the 'Pastrycook';
65. Pankajapa, the 'Lotus-Born Brahmin';
66. Putalipa, the 'Mendicant Icon-Bearer';
67. Rahula, the 'Rejuvenated Dotard';
68. Saraha, the "Great Brahmin"
69. Sakara or Saroruha;
70. Samudra, the 'Pearl Diver';
71. Santipa (or Ratnakarasanti), the 'Academic' (the 'Complacent Missionary') was a teacher of Brogmi;
72. Sarvabhaksa, the 'Empty-Bellied Siddha' (or the 'Glutton');
73. Savaripa, the 'Hunter', held to have incarnated in Drukpa Künleg;
74. Syalipa, the 'Jackal Yogin';
75. Tantepa, the 'Gambler';
76. Tantipa or Tanti, the 'Senile Weaver';
77. Thaganapa,
78. Thaganapa, 'Master of the Lie' (or the 'Compulsive Liar');
79. Tilopa, the "Great Renunciate"
80. Udhilipa, the 'Flying Siddha' (the 'Bird-Man');
81. Upanaha, the 'Bootmaker';
82. Vinapa, the 'Music Lover', the 'Musician' (teachings disseminated to Indrabhuti) and Tilopa};
83. Virupa, inspired the Sakya lineage;
84. Vyalipa, the 'Courtesan's Alchemist'.

Other mahasiddhas

Tibetan masters of various lineages are often referred to as mahasiddhas. Among them are Marpa, the Tibetan translator who brought Buddhist texts to Tibet, and Milarepa. In Buddhist iconography, Milarepa is often represented with his right hand cupped against his ear, to listen to the needs of all beings. Another interpretation of the imagery is that the teacher is engaged in a secret yogic exercise (e.g. see Lukhang). (Note: Marpa and Milarepa are not mahasiddhas in the historical sense, meaning they are not 2 of the 84 traditional mahasiddhas. However, this says nothing about their realization.) Lawapa the progenitor of Dream Yoga sadhana was a mahasiddha.

See also

• Songs of realization
• Charyapada
• Matsyendranath
• Shantideva
• The Twilight Language
• Gorakshanath
• Indrabhuti
• Kukkuripa
• Luipa
• Nagarjuna
• Saraha
• Tilopa

References

• Dowman, Keith (1984). The Eighty-four Mahasiddhas and the Path of Tantra. From the introduction to "Masters of Mahamudra", SUNY. Source: [5] (accessed: Monday, November 5, 2007)
• Dowman, Keith (1986). Masters of Mahamudra: Songs and Histories of the Eighty-four Buddhist Siddhas. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press. ISBN 0-88706-160-5
• Reynolds, John Myrdhin (2007). The Mahasiddha Tradition In Tibet. Source: [6] (accessed: Wednesday, June 20, 2007)
• von Schroeder, Ulrich (2006). Empowered Masters: Tibetan Wall Paintings of Mahasiddhas at Gyantse. Chicago: Serindia Publications & Visual Dharma Publications Ltd.
• White, David Gordon (1998). The Alchemical Body: Siddha Traditions in Medieval India. University Of Chicago Press.

External links

• Mahasiddha: Buddhist Tantric Teachers of India
• Names of the 84 Mahasiddha (with brief explanation of their meaning).
• The Mahasiddha Linedrawings of H.R.Downs (in Dowman (1986)).
• Lamdre: Dawn of Enlightenment by Lama Choedak Yuthok Teachings of Mahasiddha Virupa
• The Caraypadas: the Yoga Songs and Poetry of the Maha Siddhas
• Writing at Twilight: "O' Shariputra, the sandhaa-bhashya of the Tathaagatas is very difficult." by Layne Little
• The 84 Indian Adepts of Abhayadatta System