Yama and Yamantaka

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Pringle
Posts: 46
Joined: Tue Mar 18, 2014 2:48 pm
Location: Birmingham, UK

Yama and Yamantaka

Post by Pringle »

'A holy man was told that if he meditated for the next 50 years, he would achieve enlightenment. The holy man meditated in a cave for 49 years, 11 months, and 29 days, until he was interrupted by two thieves who broke in with a stolen bull. After beheading the bull in front of the hermit, they ignored his requests to be spared for but a few minutes and beheaded him as well. In his near-enlightened fury, this holy man became Yama, the god of Death, took the bull's head for his own, and killed the two thieves, drinking their blood from cups made of their skulls. Still enraged, Yama decided to kill everyone in Tibet. The people of Tibet, fearing for their lives, prayed to the bodhisattva Manjushri, who took up their cause. He transformed himself into Yamantaka, similar to Yama but ten times more powerful and horrific. In their battle, everywhere Yama turned, he found infinite versions of himself. Manjushri as Yamantaka defeated Yama and turned him into a protector of Buddhism....'

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yama_(Budd ... mythology)

I am just wondering if anyone knows where this story comes from, and if it's from a Sutra could anyone poaint me in the direction of the sutra, just have an interest to read it is all.

Thanks
udawa
Posts: 151
Joined: Thu Dec 16, 2010 1:10 pm

Re: Yama and Yamantaka

Post by udawa »

The version of the story you reference is taken from Alex Berzin's website.

It's part of a much longer article by Berzin, "Introduction to the Vajrabhairava System of Anuttarayoga Tantra'

http://www.berzinarchives.com/web/en/ar ... irava.html

It's part of a tantra, rather than a sutra.

D
Edwards: You are a philosopher. Dr Johnson: I have tried too in my time to be a philosopher; but, I don't know how, cheerfulness was always breaking in.
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