Zhitro
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Zhitro (Tibetan: zhi-khro) is a tantric trance sadhana of the bardo related to the Bardo Thodol.
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[edit] Nomenclature and etymology
Zhitro (alternate orthographies: Shitro, Xitro).
[edit] Exegesis
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The Lion's Roar Tantric Glossary frames and defines Zhitro in relation to mandala, chakra, Three Vajras, nadi, terma, Central Tibet, 108, Padmasambhava and Karma Lingpa as:
Zhi-khro is a practice of Tibetan Buddhism involving visualizing the body as a composite of the 108 peaceful and wrathful deities. In the practice, the deities are first visualized in mandalas of 58 peaceful and 42 wrathful deites centered in the heart, throat and crown chakra, and then in all the channels and nadis of the body. This is part of the group known as Bardo Teachings which were composed in Tibet in the 8th century by Guru Padmasambhava. Yeshe Tsogyal wrote them down and hid them to be discovered later. In the mid-14th century, they were recovered along with other texts in the Gampo hills of central Tibet by the accomplished yogi, Karma Lingpa. The collection of teachings entitled The Self-Emergence of the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities from Enlightened Awareness (zhi khro dgongs pa rang grol) also included the texts of the now famous Great Liberation upon Hearing in the Bardo also known as The Tibetan Book of the Dead.
Shugchang, et al. (2000) define and frame the Zhi-khro teachings in relation to the Inner Tantras, Anuyoga, Atiyoga, Guhyagarbha Tantra, rigpa, shunyata, non-duality, kye-rim, dzog-rim and bardo:
The zhi-khro, which translates as the peaceful and wrathful deities, is considered part of the inner tantra. It is actually a condensed teaching based upon the essential meaning of the Guhyagarbha Tantra combined with the views expressed in the anu and ati yoga teachings. Many great masters have said that the zhi-khro teachings are the inner tantra of the inner tantra. In this case we're not making distinctions among the various inner tantras, nor between the creation and completion stages, but joining them all together. This is the union of rigpa and emptiness, the oneness of birth, death, and life experiences. There is no basis for discriminating because all are aspects of one true nature. Nothing is rejected or exclusively accepted. This teaching is known as the one that unifies everything into a single state.[1]
Gyatso (2006) relates how Zhitro was received by Yeshe Tsogyal through the wang of a Vidyadhara through the Bardo of trance:
After succeeding in a variety of feats, including beheading a tiger, she gains access to an elaborate palace where she receives esoteric initiations from several vidyādharas and buddhas. She returns to Chingpu and after a year is robbed by seven bandits whom she then converts to Buddhist practice. She proceeds with the bandits on a magic carpet to the place Oḍḍiyāna where they all receive peaceful and wrathful deity practice (zhitro) initiations from a vidyādhara, who gives her the secret name Kharchen Za and cavorts in bliss with her.[2]
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
- ^ Shugchang, Padma (editor); Sherab, Khenchen Palden & Dongyal, Khenpo Tse Wang (2000). A Modern Commentary on Karma Lingpa's Zhi-Khro: teachings on the peaceful and wrathful deities. Padma Gochen Ling. Source: [1] (accessed: December 27, 2007)
- ^ Gyatso, Janet (2006). A Partial Genealogy of the Lifestory of Yeshé Tsogyel. Harvard University. JIATS, no. 2 (August 2006), THDL #T2719, 27 pp. Source: [2] (accessed: November 16, 2007)
