Yeshe Tsogyal and Dzogchen Protectors :
[…]This thangka, from the Khandro Thugthik or ‘Dakini Heart Essence’ cycle of the Dudjom Tersar lineage, depicts the dakini Yeshe Tsogyal with three peaceful deities above, and the three principle protectors of the Dzogchen and ‘Revealed Treasure’ or terma tradition of the Nyingma School below. The Khando Thugtik practice arose spontaneously as a ‘mind treasure’ to Dudjom Rinpoche when he was just twenty-five years of age. The main practice relates to the dakini Yeshe Tsogyal in her outer, inner, secret, and innermost secret forms, where the outer form is Yeshe Tsogyal, the inner form is red Kurukulla, the secret form is red Simhamukha (Tib.Senge Dongma), and the innermost secret form is black Troma Nagmo. These four dakini goddesses traditionally appear in the Khando Thugthik assembly, with Dudjom Lingpa, Vajradharma, and Dudjom Rinpoche in the sky above. However, in this composition the lower assembly consists of the three Dzogchen and terma protectors, Ekajati, Rahula and Dorje Legpa, who are concisely known in Tibetan as the ‘mother, planet and oath-bound trinity’ (ma gza’ dam gsum).[…]
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http://www.tibetanart.com/Product.asp?PID=328&MATCH=1
[…]Dakini is a Sanskrit term, Khandro is its Tibetan equivalent, it means „Sky-Goer“. Dakinis are portrayed in female form and their male counterparts are known as Dakas. There are two types of dakinis – the Wisdom Dakini and the worldly dakini. Worldly dakinis are the ones still trapped in the cyclic existence and are found in the human and well as the celestial realms. They can take a beautiful or a demonic form. For example, the originally evil five Tseringma sisters were tamed by Guru Padmasambhava into Dharma protectors. A female practitioner who has attained some insights but not yet fully liberated from samsara is also considered to be a worldly dakini.
Wisdom Dakinis are the enlightened ones, such as Vajra Yogini, Tara and Samantabhadri. They are also portrayed as female consorts of the male Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.[…]
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http://www.drukpa-nuns.org/index.php/the-heroines/the-dakini-principle
Dakinis in Tibetan Buddhism, In Japanese Buddhism and Hinduism:
[…]More interesting trivia (in point form)[/b[/color]]
1. Generic Sanskrit name for a type/group of female deities the number of which is said to be 100.000 myriad’s. They appear in both Hindu and Buddhist myths, iconography and scriptures; usually sky-clad – i.e. bare.
2. In popular Indian folklore, a dakini are regarded as semi-divine beings and is often seen as a malignant spirit, demoness or witch-like hag.
3. In Buddhist Ladakh, dakinis enjoy a much better reputation than in India. Here, for example, 500.000 of them are invited to a celebration of marriage in order to bestow their blessings and good fortune on the young couple; a custom still alive today.
4. In some cases, Dakini is the personal name of an individual goddess, as in the case of an attendant of Chinnamasta, as well as in case of the goddess ruling the Muladhara Chakra.
5. In Vajrayana, it is a designation for the wrathful and semi-wrathful female deities among the yidam. Although most of the translated literature uses the Sanskrit term – even in Tibetan texts – the Tibetan khadroma (khandro) is much more woman-positive; indicating these deities/women as females who move on the highest level of reality. Their nudity is said to symbolize the diamond-like clarity of the truth they unveil. In the Bardo Thödol, a dakini is defined as the feminine energy principle, associated with knowledge and intelligence, which may be either destructive or creative.
6. In yet other instances, dakini is used as an honorary title for an enlightened woman, a living incarnation of a goddess; and for female initiates practicing ritual sexuality. These „Female Buddhas“, as research has shown, have been very instrumental in defining and spreading the Vajrayana teachings, although the credit for this has often gone to male practitioners and/or masters.
7. In Tibet, Dakini is also a personal name.
We must certainly not be misled by those authors who simply call a dakini an ‚emanation‘ or ‚consort‘ of Buddha So-and-so. Although Buddhist Tantra ascribes a less energetic dynamism to the female pole than does Indian Tantra, the dakinis are certainly equal – if not superior – to the male deities. In the context of the Tantric teaching that enlightenment, wisdom and liberation are achieved through a fusion of method and goal, it is the goal that is seen as the female aspect (the dakini) and the method/path as the male (see Inner Tantras).[…]
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