Mahasiddhas are great accomplished masters who embody Tantric Buddhist practices, which offer many unconventional paths to awakening. Usually of ordinary occupations, such as wandering monk, weaver, or farmer, they are often depicted in yogic positions and engaged in a wide range of unconventional behaviors.
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Symbols and Meanings
Buddha
Buddha
The Buddha, meaning awakened person, referred first to Shakyamuni, whose teachings became the foundation of Buddhism.
Bodhisattvas
Bodhisattvas
Bodhisattvas aspire to become awakened like the Buddha and are dedicated to helping others achieve enlightenment.
Tantric Deities
Tantric Deities
Tantric deities are the focus of esoteric religious practices (tantras) that aim to swiftly and radically transform a practitioner’s conventional understanding of reality.
Female Deities
Female Deities
Female tantric deities symbolize the wisdom aspect of the enlightened mind and and they can be peaceful or wrathful in appearance.
Wrathful Deities
Wrathful Deities
There are two kinds of deities that appear as wrathful, with flaming hair, bulging eyes, open mouths showing fangs, and garlands of severed heads.
Relationship of Buddhist and Hindu Deities
Relationship of Buddhist and Hindu Deities
Buddhist and Hindu traditions spread side by side in the same communities in India and Nepal, and some of the deities in the two religions are associated with similar myths.
Hindu Gods and Goddesses
Hindu Gods and Goddesses
Various religious practices now collectively called Hinduism worship a diverse group of gods (deva) and goddesses (devi).
