Curious about this white mahakala yab yum

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PeterC
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Re: Curious about this white mahakala yab yum

Post by PeterC »

lelopa wrote: Thu May 10, 2018 6:58 am very special here f.e.:
the Yum has the kapala in the right hand.......
Ganesh is on top.......
I was thinking the same. It could be a very obscure Gelugpa lineage but the combination of those figures and others (e.g. a two-armed Kurukulle, one of the four heavenly kings, a green Tara, etc.) seems odd and doesn't fit with my recollection of that particular Mahakala.

It could of course just be a thangka for personal practice that someone has commissioned with a lot of their personal practices on it. I know a few lamas who have such thangkas and indeed I've commissioned one like that for myself before.

Is there a source/age for the image in question? That would help a lot
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Palzang Jangchub
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Re: Curious about this white mahakala yab yum

Post by Palzang Jangchub »

PeterC wrote: Thu May 10, 2018 7:17 am Is there a source/age for the image in question? That would help a lot
Just to restate, since it was at the bottom of my previous post and may have been missed due to the merging of the threads...
Palzang Jangchub wrote: Wed May 09, 2018 1:54 pm Clicking on "Search Google for this image" yields only one result, revealing that it was a 19th-20th century thangka auctioned by Christies. It's the exact same image. See: https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auct ... 8900f506d1
Image

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Fortyeightvows
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Re: Curious about this white mahakala yab yum

Post by Fortyeightvows »

isn’t the name ‘white mahakala’ odd?

It is definitely a wealth deity. From what I understand the mongoose is held by the wealth deitys because the animal is able to resists snakes (the guards of wealth)
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AmidaB
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Re: Curious about this white mahakala yab yum

Post by AmidaB »

Hi,
On the mongoose symbolism, from here: http://list.indology.info/pipermail/in ... 21136.html
Art historians, depending upon folk interpretation, often explain
that the mongoose became the main attribute of Jambhala because the
serpents are the protectors of subterranean wealth and a mongoose controls
them.
Buddhist Sanskrit texts, however, refer to a different reason for the
mongoose’s association with wealth. The authors of the divyAvadAna 124.2,
128.29; 133.23, and mUlasarvAstivAdavinayavastu 1.241.8, describe that
wealthy people in ancient India carried a purse made of Mongoose’s hide.
The authors also relate that when they gambled they often shook the purse.
Then the mongoose regurgitated gold coins and other precious things from
its mouth.

Best,
AB
Fortyeightvows
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Re: Curious about this white mahakala yab yum

Post by Fortyeightvows »

wealthy people in ancient India carried a purse made of Mongoose’s hide
Very cool. Thanks
I had only heard of the first explanation before
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Mantrik
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Re: Curious about this white mahakala yab yum

Post by Mantrik »

Fortyeightvows wrote: Sat Aug 17, 2019 8:56 pm isn’t the name ‘white mahakala’ odd?
Not if 'kala' is 'time' as opposed to 'kali' which is 'black'.

Although 'Big White TIme' sounds more like a Trump slogan than a deity. lol :)
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mingweicello
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Re: Curious about this white mahakala yab yum

Post by mingweicello »

this is a special pure vision from khedrup Je. he included it in his mahakala benbum. the six panchen lama wrote an quite long sadhana for it. I have the tibetan version.
Danny
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Re: Curious about this white mahakala yab yum

Post by Danny »

Ok, then it’s particular to that then, but it’s no Gonkar that I know.
Danny
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Re: Curious about this white mahakala yab yum

Post by Danny »

Question though is why these old threads keep getting regurgitated?
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