Subject: Protectors - Wrathful Deities that are not Protectors

☰

MENU

Protector Deities Main Page | Protector Deities Traditions Outline Page

It is a common misconception in the West and amongst many Western scholars that all wrathful deities in Tibetan Buddhism are protectors, or that a defining characteristic for a protector deity is wrathful appearance. This is clearly inaccurate and not the meaning or the purpose of the various moods in Tantric visualization and subsequent visual depictions.

Examples of Wrathful Deities that are not Protectors: Krodha Vajrapani, Vajrabhairava, Hayagriva, Manju Nagaraksha, Krodha Achala, Hevajra and many others.

Jeff Watt 5-2008