Amitabha (Boundless/Infinite Light) is an important figure found in the Mahayana and Vajrayana schools of Buddhism, with his function varying differently between the two.
In the Mahayana schools, especially the Pure Land school, Amitabha is venerated as a fully enlightened Buddha and his realm Sukhavati (a place ideal to practice the Dharma) is aspired after death. This isn’t a permanent heaven, but rather a flawless realm for one to continue practice and achieve enlightenment in.
In Vajrayana, Amitabha is a Dhyani (meditation/wisdom) Buddha and is the head of the Lotus (Padma) family, associated with the direction of the West, the same direction of his heavenly realm Sukhavati. He is responsible for the transformation of desire and attachment into discerning wisdom. He is also invoked in the practice of Phowa meaning “transfer of consciousness.” However, when practiced in accordance with long-life rituals, he appears as Amitayus (Buddha of Infinite Life), a sambhogakaya (enjoyment body) form of Amitabha.
Amitabha usually appears as a red Buddha in meditation posture, adorned with Dharma robes and holding a begging bowl with both hands. The meditator is to visualize oneself as a bodhisattva, white in color, with Amitabha, the Bhagavat, in front. Through his sadhana, one eventually dissolves the barrier between Amitabha and oneself, becoming the very essence of “lucidity and emptiness.”
Kali is a wrathful emanation of the great Mother Durga and the consort of Lord Shiva.
Kali is destruction and time. She is representative of the cycles of samsara, specifically birth, death, and rebirth. Despite this association, she is also a symbol of moksha (liberation), as she encourages effort (shakti) and action in one’s life to overcome obstacles and suffering.
Kali is nature and matter, everything that changes in existence. She is that which primordial, unchanging consciousness (Shiva) is thrust into. This duality is the core of what we see in the famous image of Kali dancing on Shiva, as she is the play (dance) of nature and he rests motionless beneath her as the foundation of reality (consciousness/space).
Although Kali seems fearsome, this aspect of the goddess has immense motherly love for her devotees. She gladly removes tribulations and gives boons to her followers as long as they remain strong and diligent. Negative thoughts and emotions are offered to Kali who purifies them instantly. The mantra “Om Krim Kalikaye Namah” is an invocation and homage of the glorious goddess Kali Ma, who chooses carefully her disciples according to their endurance and diligence.
“The powerful black Hindu goddess Kali effortlessly slays an eight-armed spotted green demon with an impossibly long trident. His chariot horses and two minions lie incapacitated below. Kali’s tongue lolls out, indicating her ability to catch blood before it touches the ground: one of her demonic enemies has blood that generates another demon every time one drop comes in contact with the earth. The demon is a metaphor for wicked thoughts that give rise to more evil thoughts; Kali aids her followers in eradicating them all.”
Padmasambhava, also known as Guru Rinpoche, was a legendary tantric Yogi and the founder of Vajrayana Buddhism in Tibet, bringing the religion from India around the 8th century and establishing the first Tibetan sect now known as the Nyingma (Old School). He is considered by many to be the second Buddha, foretold by Shakyamuni (Gautama Buddha) to reveal the tantric/esoteric (Vajrayana) teachings and to propel and protect Buddhism in the degenerate age (Kali Yuga).
Jigme Khyentse writes in the book “White Lotus,”
“Before he [Shakyamuni] passed into mahaparinirvana, the Buddha prophesized that his activities would be prolonged and his teachings propagated and protected by Padmasambhava, whom Tibetan Buddhists frequently refer to as Guru Rinpoche, the Precious Master.”
Vajrayana is an outgrowth of Mahayana Buddhism and involves a wide collection of practices aimed at providing liberation (nirvana) in a single lifetime, hence its name meaning “Thunderbolt Vehicle.” This differs from the Mahayana (Great Vehicle) path where it can take an untold number of lives (incarnations) to accomplish complete liberation. Because of this difference in philosophy, the indigenous Tibetan and Himalayan peoples could only be persuaded by the infinite power of the Vajrayana and were quite reluctant to adopt Buddhism prior to Padmasambhava’s arrival.
Through various trials and tribulations, Padmasambhava was able to subdue the powerful gods and beings who inhabited the region of Tibet. In doing so, he gained their favor and service in return, incorporating them into the Buddhist religion as protectors and stewards of the Dharma. This is why we see numerous gods from other pantheons mentioned in the rituals and myths of tantric Buddhism, as Vajrayana practitioners of all nationalities seem to include their own ancestral deities into their practice. This is easily observed in the Tibetan, Japanese, Chinese, and Mongolian variants of Vajrayana, where each culture has created a syncretic and unique flavor of religious practice, not completely removed from its source but rather philosophically reformed and reworked.
The mantra of Padmasambhava OM AH HUM VAJRA GURU PADMA SIDDHI HUM is one of the most popular and powerful mantras used in Tibetan Buddhism, recited often to instantly evoke the Guru, gain enlightenment, and achieve siddhi (occult power). It can be translated in many ways and has various levels of meaning, but a general interpretation of the syllables would be:
OM AH HUM – Purifies body, speech, and mind.
VAJRA GURU – Perfect Teacher.
PADMA – Lotus, synonymous with nature of mind.
SIDDHI – Occult power, success in practice, accomplishment.
HUM – The syllable of enlightenment, the unshakable nature of ultimate truth.
Padmasambhava permeates everything and exists everywhere, nestled into the very fabric of space and time. At the time of his death (parinirvana), he achieved “Rainbow Body,” dissolving into light and leaving behind nothing but hair, nails, and clothing. He is known also as Padmakara (Lotus-Born), meaning he is born in our minds, existing eternally in the unstained regions of our consciousness, quickly summoned by this sacred formula. This mantra should be recited as often as needed, whether for guidance, protection, clarity, wisdom, or any other purpose.
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