A á¸ÂÃÂkinë (; ; ; ; alternatively è¼æ³尼, ; è¼åÂÂå°¼, ; or Ã¥ÂÂæ³尼, ; Japanese: è¼æ³尼 / Ã¥ÂÂæ³尼 / è¼åÂÂå°¼, dakini) is a type of goddess in Hinduism and Buddhism.
The concept of the á¸ÂÃÂkinë somewhat differs depending on the context and the tradition. For example, in earlier Hindu texts and East Asian esoteric Buddhism, the term denotes a race of demonesses who ate the flesh and/or vital essence of humans. In Hindu Tantric literature, á¸ÂÃÂkinë is the name of a goddess often associated with one of the six chakras or the seven fundamental elements (dhÃÂtu) of the human body. In Nepalese and Tibetan Buddhism, meanwhile, 'á¸ÂÃÂkinë' (also wisdom á¸ÂÃÂkinë) can refer to both what can be best described as fierce-looking female embodiments of enlightened energy, and to human women with a certain amount of spiritual development, both of whom can help Tantric initiates in attaining enlightenment.
In Japan, the á¸ÂÃÂkinës â held in the East Asian Buddhist tradition to have been subjugated and converted to Buddhism by the buddha Vairocana under the guise of the god MahÃÂkÃÂla (Daikokuten in Japanese) â were eventually coalesced into a single deity called Dakiniten (è¼æ³尼天, Ã¥ÂÂæ³尼天, or è¼åÂÂ尼天), who, after becoming syncretized with the native agricultural deity Inari, became linked to the fox (kitsune) iconography associated with the latter.
The Sanskrit term ' is related to ', "to fly", as in ' (meaning "flight"). The Tibetan khandroma (), meaning "sky-goer", may have originated from the Sanskrit ' (of the same meaning), a term from the Cakrasaá¹Âvara Tantra. The masculine form of the word is ', which is usually translated into Tibetan as pawo, "hero" ().
In Chinese, ' is transcribed mainly as è¼æ³尼 (), è¼åÂÂå°¼ (), or Ã¥ÂÂæ³尼 (); other less common alternative transcriptions include éÂÂç¥Âå°¼ (tuóqÃÂnÃÂ), Ã¥ÂÂç¥Âå°¼ (zhÃÂqÃÂnÃÂ), Ã¥ÂÂå¹¾ç¾ (zhÃÂjÃÂÃÂr), and æÂÂÃ¥ÂÂå°¼ (nájÃÂnÃÂ). It is also translated as 空è¡Â毠(), a calque of the Tibetan term. In Japanese, these transcriptions are all read as dakini (katakana: ãÂÂãÂÂãÂÂ; also ãÂÂã¼ãÂÂãÂÂã¼, dÃÂkinë).
In certain passages in Hindu PurÃÂá¹Âic literature, á¸ÂÃÂkinës are depicted as flesh-eating demonesses in the train of the goddess KÃÂlë. For instance, in the Shiva PurÃÂá¹Âa (2.2.33), Vërabhadra and MahÃÂkÃÂḷë at Shiva's command march against Prajapati Daksha accompanied by the Nine Durgas and their fearsome attendants, namely "á¸ÂÃÂkinë, à ÂÃÂkinë, Bhà «tas, Pramathas, Guhyakas, Kà «á¹£mÃÂá¹Âá¸Âas, Parpaá¹Âas, Caá¹Âakas, Brahmarakshasa, Bhairavas and Ká¹£etrapÃÂlas." In the BrahmÃÂá¹Âá¸Âa PurÃÂá¹Âa (3.41.30), Paraà ÂurÃÂma sees á¸ÂÃÂkinës among Shiva's retinue (gaá¹Âa) in Mount Kailash.
In the BhÃÂgavata PurÃÂá¹Âa (10.06.27âÂÂ29), after the young Krishna had killed the demoness Pà «tanÃÂ, the cowherd women (gopis) of Vrindavan carry out protective rites to keep him safe from future harm. At the end of the ritual, they declare:
Other texts meanwhile apparently use 'á¸ÂÃÂkinë' as the name of a goddess. In the LalitopÃÂkhyÃÂna ("Narrative of [the goddess] LalitÃÂ") section of the BrahmÃÂá¹Âá¸Âa PurÃÂá¹Âa, á¸ÂÃÂkinë is one of the deities who guards the chariot of the boar-faced goddess Daá¹Âá¸ÂanÃÂthÃÂ, one of LalitÃÂ's generals.
A chapter detailing the mode of worship of the goddess Kubjikàcontained in the Agni PurÃÂá¹Âa instructs that the goddesses "á¸ÂÃÂkinë, RÃÂkinë, KÃÂkinë, à ÂÃÂkinë, and Yaká¹£iá¹Âë should be worshipped in the six directions (coming) from the north-west."
In Tantric literature, á¸ÂÃÂkinë the goddess is usually associated with the saptadhÃÂtus (the seven primary constituent elements of the human body) or the six chakras. The KubjikÃÂmata Tantra for instance enumerates seven yoginë goddesses (KusumamÃÂlinë, Yaká¹£iá¹Âë, à Âaá¹ khinë, KÃÂkinë, LÃÂkinë, RÃÂkinë, and á¸ÂÃÂkinë) to whom the ritual practitioner symbolically offers his semen, bones, marrow, fat, flesh, blood and skin, respectively. A nearly identical listing of goddesses can be found in a later text belonging to the same tradition, the à Ârëmatottara Tantra: here, the names listed are DÃÂkinë, RÃÂkinë, LÃÂkinë, KÃÂkinë, à ÂÃÂkinë, HÃÂkinë, YÃÂkinë and KusumÃÂ. Another chapter in the KubjikÃÂmata Tantra lists two sequences of six goddesses, assigned to each of the six chakras: the first denotes the creative "northern course" of the six chakras, from the ÃÂjñàdown to the ÃÂdhÃÂra, while the latter â comprising á¸ÂÃÂkinë, RÃÂkinë, LÃÂkinë, KÃÂkinë, à ÂÃÂkinë and HÃÂkinë â denotes the destructive "southern course", in reverse order.
Later Tantric texts such as the RudrayÃÂmala Tantra identify á¸ÂÃÂkinë, RÃÂkinë, LÃÂkinë, KÃÂkinë, à ÂÃÂkinë and HÃÂkinë with the six chakras, the dhÃÂtus and the five elements plus the mind. This work associates á¸ÂÃÂkinë with the mà «lÃÂdhÃÂra chakra, RÃÂkinë with svÃÂdhiá¹£á¹ÂhÃÂna, LÃÂkinë with maá¹Âipà «ra, KÃÂkinë with anÃÂhata, à ÂÃÂkinë with vià Âuddhi, and HÃÂkinë with ÃÂjñÃÂ. The à Ârëmatottara Tantra places KusumamÃÂla (absent in the RudrayÃÂmala Tantra) at the feet, while other texts place a figure named YÃÂkinë at the level of the sahasrÃÂra.
In a chapter criticizing meat-eating in the Laá¹ kÃÂvatÃÂra Sà «tra, Gautama Buddha refers to dÃÂkas and á¸ÂÃÂkinës â described as "terrible eaters of human flesh" â as the offspring of the carnivorous King Kalmaà Âapada ("Spotted Feet"), who was born after a human king had mated with a lioness.
In East Asian Buddhism, the á¸ÂÃÂkinës are mainly known via the story of their subjugation by the wrathful deity MahÃÂkÃÂla found in a commentary on the MahÃÂvairocana Tantra (also known as the VairocanÃÂbhisaá¹Âbodhi Sà «tra) by the Tang dynasty monk Yi Xing. According to the story, the buddha Vairocana, wishing to stop the á¸ÂÃÂkinës from preying on humans, took the form of MahÃÂkÃÂla, summoned the á¸ÂÃÂkinës before him, and then swallowed them all, declaring that he would release them on the condition that they cease devouring human flesh. When the á¸ÂÃÂkinës complained that this would lead them to starvation, MahÃÂkÃÂla as a concession allowed them to consume the vital essence of deceased humans known as 'human yellow' (人é»Â, pinyin: rénhuáng, Japanese: jin'à  / ninnà Â) â an elusive substance (often described as five, six, seven, or ten grains resembling grains of millet, dewdrops or white jade) believed to be found either inside a person's liver, heart or at the top of the head â instead, teaching them a mantra enabling them to know of a person's impending death six months in advance so that they could obtain it before other demons, who also coveted the substance as it conferred various magical powers to the consumer.
Other texts meanwhile assign the taming of the á¸ÂÃÂkinës to other figures such as VajrapÃÂá¹Âi or the Wisdom King Acala (Fudà  Myà Âà  in Japanese). Indeed, in Japanese esoteric Buddhism Acala is believed to have the power to extend the lifespan of his devotees and was thus invoked in certain life-prolonging rituals against soul-stealing demons such as á¸ÂÃÂkinës. Like MahÃÂkÃÂla, Acala is interpreted in the Japanese tradition as a wrathful avatar of Vairocana, with some texts even identifying MahÃÂkÃÂla as Acala's "trace" (suijaku) or manifestation.
A dictionary compiled by the Tang dynasty monk Huilin (æ §ç³) titled The Sound and Meaning of All Sà «tras (, pinyin: Yëqièjëng yënyì) defines á¸ÂÃÂkinës (è¼æ§尼) as demonesses who bewitch people and have sexual relationships with them.
The á¸ÂÃÂkinë imagery arrived in Japan via Kà «kai's introduction of Tangmi (East Asian esoteric Buddhism) to the country in the beginning of the 9th century (early Heian period) in the form of the Shingon school. The Womb Realm (Garbhakoá¹£adhÃÂtu) Mandala, one of the two main mandalas of Shingon Buddhism, depicts three á¸ÂÃÂkinës in the southern (right-hand side) part of the mandala's Outer Vajra section (å¤ÂéÂÂÃ¥ÂÂé¨é¢, gekongà Âbu-in) in the court of Yama (Enmaten in Japanese), next to the SaptamÃÂtá¹ÂkÃÂs and other similar deities. The figures are half-naked and seated on circular mats next to a human corpse. One of the á¸ÂÃÂkinës is shown devouring a human arm and a leg; the other two hold skulls (kapÃÂla) in their right hands, and one holds a chopper in her left hand. All in all, the á¸ÂÃÂkinës represented in this mandala are more akin to the demonesses of Hindu and early Buddhist texts and iconography than the female personifications of enlightenment found in Tibetan Buddhism.
The á¸ÂÃÂkinës were, as per their placement in the Womb Realm Mandala, originally revered as part of Yama's (Enmaten's) retinue, mainly figuring in rituals centered around the deity. A á¸ÂÃÂkinë (not yet the medieval Dakiniten), depicted as a long-haired woman holding a bag, also appears in the Enmaten mandalas of the late Heian period as one of the god's attendants. It was after the Insei period of the late 11th to mid-12th century, during which Japan was effectively under the rule of retired ("cloistered") emperors, that a cult centered around the deified á¸ÂÃÂkinë as a single goddess named 'Dakiniten' emerged independent of the Enmaten ritual. As the cult of Dakiniten flourished, its rite became famous for being particularly effective for obtaining worldly benefits and was thus especially attractive to the politically ambitious; at the same time, however, the ritual was viewed with suspicion within some circles as a dangerous, "heterodox" (å¤Âæ³Â, gehà Â) practice due to its supposed subversive, black magical aspects.
It is difficult to trace the exact origins of the Japanese Dakiniten cult. While a number of medieval texts claim the ritual's lineage started with eminent esoteric masters such as Amoghavajra or Vajrabodhi, the lineage may more plausibly be traced back to 10th century Shingon monks such as the Jingo-ji priest Kengyà  (éÂÂæÂÂ) or the Tà Â-ji abbot Kanshuku (観宿, ). Although one legend claims that Saichà Â, the founder of the Tendai school, brought with him Dakiniten ritual texts from China which he then buried at Mount Hiei, there is actually no historical proof that he or any of the other monks who went to China to study esoteric Buddhism â Kà «kai, , , Ennin, , Enchin and â brought home any such texts with them, suggesting that the Dakiniten rite developed in Japan well after their time.
The rapid rise of certain notable figures to prominence, as well as their decline, have been popularly attributed to Dakiniten. A certain anecdote regarding the military leader Taira no Kiyomori found in the Genpei Jà Âsuiki (one of a number of variants of the Heike Monogatari) claims that Kiyomori once shot an arrow at a fox during a hunt. The fox then transformed into a woman who promised to grant Kiyomori whatever he wanted in exchange for her life. Kiyomori, realizing this woman is none other than the goddess Kiko Tennà  (è²´çÂÂ天çÂÂ, lit. "Venerable Fox Deva-King", i.e. Dakiniten), spared her life. He subsequently became a devotee of the goddess, despite his awareness that the benefits obtained through the Dakiniten rite (Ã¥ÂÂ天ã®æ³Â, Daten no hà Â) would not be passed on to his progeny. The story thus attributes both Kiyomori's rise in power and the subsequent fall of his clan to his performance of the Dakiniten ritual.
According to the Kamakura period work Kokon Chomonjà «, the late Heian period nobleman Fujiwara no Tadazane commissioned the performance of the Dakiniten rite for seven days as he was about to be sent into exile. At the end of that period, a fox came to eat his offering, a rice cake. He then later had a dream in which he was visited by a beautiful young woman. When she was getting ready to leave, he grasped her hair to hold her back, at which he woke up finding himself holding a fox's tail in his hands. The next day, instead of being exiled, he was promoted to a high rank. Attributing this turn of events to Dakiniten, Tadazane in thanksgiving worshiped the fox tail as a symbol of the deity.
Other people claimed to have attained positions of authority due to their devotion to Dakiniten include the monk (951âÂÂ1046), the founder of the Ono branch (å°ÂéÂÂæµÂ, Ono-ryà «) of Shingon, and the Shingon Risshà « monk (1278âÂÂ1357), a close aide of Emperor Go-Daigo whose name became linked to the infamous Tachikawa branch (Tachikawa-ryà «). Monkan's enemies in particular painted him in a negative light by emphasizing the dubious nature of the rites he performed; one notable rival, , accused him of "making offerings to the á¸ÂÃÂkinës and conjuring dragons while he is reporting to the throne." The Tendai monk Kà Âshà « (1276âÂÂ1350), in his work Keiran Shà «yà Âshà « (æ¸ÂåµÂæ¾èÂÂéÂÂ, "Collected Leaves from Hazy Valleys"), wavers in his judgment of the Dakiniten rite: on the one hand, he comments that "he who worships animals is worthy of being a master. He who worships a fox is worthy of becoming a king." On the other hand, he warns his readers about the dangers of the Dakiniten cult.
Dakiniten's cult flourished mainly via the network of Inari worship and vice versa; the former, because of her association with the fox (kitsune), became closely linked with the latter, as foxes were seen as the messengers of the Inari deity. Dakiniten came to be identified with the native agricultural kami Ukanomitama, Toyouke, and Ukemochi (all of whom were themselves conflated both with the god of Inari and with each other), with her iconography probably being informed by these goddesses. A late Kamakura period text called the Inari-ki (稲èÂᏬÂ, "Record of Inari") links the five peaks of Mount Inari with various divinities and Buddhist figures: the eastern peak corresponds with Dakiniten, who is associated with the Wisdom King YamÃÂntaka (Daiitoku) and the kami Amaterasu, the central peak to Shinkoà  (è¾°çÂÂçÂÂ, lit. "Dragon-Fox / Astral Fox King"; a name also applied to Dakiniten's vulpine mount who was eventually conflated with the goddess herself) and the buddha Amitabha, the western peak to Benzaiten and RÃÂgarÃÂja (Aizen), the southern peak to Trailokyavijaya (Gà Âzanze), Niu Myà Âjin and HÃÂrëtë (Kariteimo), and the northern peak to Acala (Fudà Â). When reckoned as a separate figure, the Inari deity (Inari Myà Âjin) may even be depicted among Dakiniten's retinue as an old man bearing on his shoulder a pole with sheaves of rice on each end.
The assimilation of Dakiniten and Inari (or rather, Ukanomitama) can also be observed in the origin story of the Dakiniten Hall at Shinnyo-dà  in Kyoto. The story relates that a monk who was a worshiper of Dakiniten had just finished reciting the 600-fascicle MahÃÂprajñÃÂpÃÂramitàSà «tra when a white fox holding a jewel (cintÃÂmaá¹Âi) in its mouth appeared on the altar. The fox then transformed into a youth, who declared that he was the deity Ukanomitama and that his jewel grants all wishes.
In popular religion, Dakiniten was also identified with a fox goddess worshiped at Mount Inari known variously as Akomachi (é¿å°Âçº), Tà Âme (å°Â女), or Myà Âbu (å½婦). This deity (commonly regarded as an attendant of the god of Inari) was revered as a patron of love and matchmaking; a short liturgical text to Akomachi preserved at Kà Âzan-ji is titled Dakini no saimon (è¼æ³尼ç¥ÂæÂÂ). In its section on the Inari deity, the Nanboku-chà  period anthology Shintà Âshà « recounts a tradition found in "a certain person's diary" which identifies the deity of the Upper Shrine (ä¸Â社, kami no yashiro) of Inari as the "Dragon / Astral Fox" (è¾°çÂÂ, Shinko) Myà Âbu, who is said to be a manifestation of the bodhisattva Mañjuà Ârë. The work then further identifies this Shinko(à Â) Bosatsu (è¾°çÂÂ(çÂÂ)è©è©, "Dragon / Astral Fox (King) Bodhisattva", i.e. Dakiniten) as the incarnation of Vairocana, Mañjuà Ârë, Vaià Âravaá¹Âa and CintÃÂmaá¹Âicakra (Nyoirin Kannon).
The cult of Dakiniten and that of Inari became inextricably fused that the name 'Inari' was even applied to places of Dakiniten worship, such as Toyokawa Inari (Myà Âgon-ji), a Sà Âtà  Zen temple in Toyokawa, Aichi Prefecture, where the goddess known as Toyokawa Dakini Shinten (è±Âå·ÂÃ¥ÂÂæ³尼çÂÂ天) is venerated as the guardian deity (chinju) of the temple. Legend claims that the Dakiniten of Toyokawa originally appeared to Kangan Giin (1217âÂÂ1300), a disciple of Dà Âgen (the founder of the Japanese Sà Âtà  school), during his return from China in 1267. In the vision, he was given a mantra by Dakiniten, who vowed to become his protector. An image based on this apparition attributed to Giin, showing the goddess on a white fox and carrying rice sheaves on a pole on her right shoulder while holding a cintÃÂmaá¹Âi in her left hand, was eventually transmitted to Giin's sixth generation disciple, Tà Âkai Gieki (1412âÂÂ1497), who enshrined it at the temple he founded.
Another notable 'Inari' sanctuary is the Nichiren-shà « temple Myà Âkyà Â-ji â popularly known as Saijà  Inari () â in Okayama, Okayama Prefecture, notable for its goddess Saijà Âikyà Âà  Daibosatsu (æÂÂä¸Âä½ÂçµÂçÂÂ大è©è©, lit. "Great Bodhisattva of the Supreme King of Sà «tras" â a reference to the Lotus Sà «tra), who is portrayed as riding a white fox while bearing a pole laden with rice sheaves on her left shoulder and wielding a scythe on her right hand. This image reflects the two currents constituting the Inari tradition: the agricultural deity of Mount Inari and the esoteric Buddhist deity Dakiniten.
From the Middle Ages up until the Meiji period, the enthronement ceremony of the Japanese emperor featured Buddhist elements. One such ritual performed during the emperor's accession was the sokui kanjà  (å³ä½ÂçÂÂé Â, "Abhiá¹£eka of Enthronement"), in which various mudras and mantras were ritually transmitted to and performed by the new emperor. The central deity (honzon) in this rite was Dakiniten, who is considered to be both the incarnation of the buddha Vairocana (Dainichi Nyorai) and the 'origin' (honji) of the sun goddess Amaterasu, the mythical ancestor of the imperial line; indeed, the emperor, upon ascending the throne, was said to have formed the 'wisdom fist' mudra associated with Vairocana in the Diamond Realm while reciting Dakiniten's mantra. A text from 1324, the Bikisho (鼻帰æ¸, "Record of Returning to Origins"), also reports that when the ritual was performed in the imperial palace, two fox figurines â one gold and one silver â were placed to the left and right of the altar, and the new ruler was consecrated through an aspersion with water from "the four oceans". A medieval text stresses the rite's importance thus: "If he does not receive this ritual, the ruler's power is light and it cannot hold the four oceans. This is why this ritual is not limited to the king; monks of the various temples and profanes, too, when they perform it, can obtain a high rank and be perfectly free."
The origins of sokui kanjà  are shrouded in mystery; one tradition claims that a disciple of Ningai, Seison (æÂÂå°Â, 1012âÂÂ1074), first conducted it during the accession of Emperor Go-Sanjà  in 1068. Performance of the rite, however, eventually became the prerogative of Fujiwara regents, who transmitted the mantras to the new emperor during the ceremony. Indeed, a medieval legend justifies this custom by claiming that it started with the founding ancestor of the Fujiwara clan, Nakatomi (Fujiwara) no Kamatari, who was abducted in his youth by a she-fox (an avatar of Amaterasu). The fox taught Kamatari the enthronement rites and gave him a sickle (kama) with which he defeated his enemy Soga no Iruka. One text even identifies Kamatari and Daten (Dakiniten) as manifestations of Amaterasu.
The connection between the fox, Dakiniten, and Amaterasu can also be seen in the Keiran Shà «yà Âshà «, which features the following retelling of the myth of Amaterasu's hiding:
Commenting on the sokui kanjà Â, Bernard Faure writes:<blockquote>under the name "Fox King," Dakiniten became a manifestation of the sun goddess Amaterasu, with whom the new emperor united during the enthronement ritual. [...] The Buddhist ritual allowed the ruler to symbolically cross over the limits separating the human and animal realms to harness the wild and properly superhuman energy of the "infrahuman" world, so as to gain full control of the human sphere.</blockquote>Another type of secret enthronement ritual centered on Dakiniten took place on the Outer Shrine of Ise (Gekà «) and was performed every morning and evening by the shrine's young female attendants or kora (Ã¥ÂÂè¯ or çÂÂè¯ â ç being the character for 'fox') when they presented their daily offerings to the deity. There are two traditions related to its origins, one claiming that it goes back to Amaterasu herself through her priestess Yamatohime, the other that it originated with Kà «kai. In this way, the kora, and through them Amaterasu, came to be identified with Dakiniten. According to the Bikisho: "Based on this [ancient practice of worshiping animals with special powers] at these [Ise] shrines, the shrine maidens (kora) perform the Ritual of the Astral Fox after presenting divine food. Its meaning is to show that the promise made in ancient times has not been forgotten. Therefore, the emperors, who are the descendants of the great deity [of Ise], are initiated in this method as part of their enthronement."
Although Dakini-ten was said to be a powerful Buddhist deity, the images and stories surrounding it in Japan in both medieval and modern times are drawn from local kitsune mythology. The modern folk belief, often printed in Japanese books about religion, is that the fox image was a substitute for the Indian jackal, but the black jackal and other black animals are associated with Kali.
In the early modern period, the á¸ÂÃÂkinë rite devolved into various spells called Dakini-ten, Atago Gongen. Those who felt wronged in their village could go to a corrupt yamabushi who practiced black magic, and get him to trap a kitsune and cause it to possess a third party. Reports of possession became especially common in the Edo and Meiji periods. For details, see kitsunetsuki.
The MahÃÂvairocana Tantra assigns the following mantra to the á¸ÂÃÂkinës:
The following mantra meanwhile is associated with Toyokawa Inari and is said to have been revealed by Dakiniten to Kangan Giin:
This mantra is traditionally interpreted as meaning: "When this spell is chanted, the faith in me reaches everywhere, and by the true power of the Buddhist precepts, evil and misfortune will be abolished and luck and wisdom attained; suffering removed and comfort achieved, and pain transformed into delight."
Although á¸ÂÃÂkinë figures appear in Hinduism and Bon, á¸ÂÃÂkinës occur most notably in Vajrayana Buddhism and especially Tibetan Buddhism. The khandroma, generally of volatile or wrathful temperament, acts somewhat as spiritual muse for spiritual practice. Dakinis are energetic beings in female form, evocative of the movement of energy in space. In this context, the sky or space indicates à Âà «nyatÃÂ, the insubstantiality of all phenomena, which is, at the same time, the pure potentiality for all possible manifestations.
The á¸ÂÃÂkinë appears in a Vajrayana formulation of the Buddhist refuge formula known as the Three Roots. Sometimes she appears as the dharmapala, alongside a guru and yidam.
An archetypal á¸ÂÃÂkinë in Tibetan Buddhism is Yeshe Tsogyal, consort of Padmasambhava.
Judith Simmer-Brown, based on teachings she received from Tibetan lamas, identifies four main classes of á¸ÂÃÂkinë. These follow the twilight language tradition of esoteric Buddhism in referring to secret, inner, outer and outer-outer classes of á¸ÂÃÂkinës.
Dakinis can also be classified according to the Trikaya, or three bodies of buddhahood.
In some instances, the terms á¸ÂÃÂka and á¸ÂÃÂkinë have been used for practitioners of tantric yoga themselves. In other instances, just á¸ÂÃÂkinë was used for female practitioners, while male practitioners were just known as yogi. Padmasambhava was known as a yogi and Yeshe Tsogyal, a Tibetan princess, yogini and consort of Padmasambhava, as a á¸ÂÃÂkinë.
The scholar Miranda Shaw stated that "In Sanskrit there is only one word, Dakini. There are only female Dakinis... there is no male Dakini. It is an impossibility and a contradiction in terms." On the other hand, Pratapaditya Pal stated, "both dakas and dakinis occur frequently in Tibetan literature, though the latter predominate."
Whereas Jan Willis in the chapter á¸ÂÃÂkinë; Some Comments on Its Nature and Meaning points out that she' is not 'female'. Though the á¸ÂÃÂkinë assuredly most often appears in female form... this is but one of the myriad of ways Absolute Insight chooses to make manifest its facticity."
Tibetan Lamas trained in the Gelug school, such as Sermey Khensur Lobsang Tharchin, and those of the Karma Kagyu school such as Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche, write freely of "dakas and dakinis". Thubten Yeshe clarifies their meaning: "what are dakas and dakinis? Simply speaking they are males and females who possess advanced experiences of tantric transformation and control and are therefore able to increase the blissful wisdom of a highly qualified practitioner."
Being associated with energy in all its functions, á¸ÂÃÂkinës are linked with the revelation of the Anuttarayoga Tantras, which represent the path of transformation, whereby the energy of negative emotions or kleshas, called poisons, is transformed into the luminous energy of enlightened awareness yielding the most profound experience of clear light. Thubten Yeshe explains:
When considered as a stage on the Vajrayana Path, the á¸ÂÃÂkinë is the final stages: the first is the guru, which corresponds to the initial realization of the true condition of reality, as this is introduced by the guru in the empowerment, if the disciple obtains what the Inner Tantras call peyi yeshe () or the clarity of shunyata. The second is the devata, which corresponds to the meditation insofar as the devata is the method used for developing the state discovered in the initial realization of the true condition of reality. The third stage is the á¸ÂÃÂkinë insofar as the á¸ÂÃÂkinë is the source of the activities based on the realization of the guru and the meditation of the devata.
In Dzogchen these three correspond to tawa (lta ba), gompa (sgom pa) and chöpa (spyod pa): the first is the direct vision of the true nature of reality rather than an intellectual view of reality, as is the case with the term in other vehicles; the second is the continuity of this vision in sessions of meditation; and the third is the continuity of this vision in everyday activities. As a tantric practice, imperfections are used to make the vision uninterrupted. As the Base, the á¸ÂÃÂkinës are the energies of life; as the Path, they are the activities of advanced practitioners; as the Fruit, they are the actionless activities of realized Masters.