TROMA NAGMO .

Skt
(KRODIKALI .Tib)
In Vajrayana, women are held to be the essence of wisdom and numerous
female manifestations of different energies are known as dakinis. These da-
kinis played a key role in the life of many of the great masters of the
past."The body is the basis of the accomplishment of wisdom. And the
gross bodies of men and women are equally suited. But if a woman has
strong aspiration, she has higher potential." (page 86, Dowman, K., Sky
Dancer; The secret life and songs of the Lady Yeshe Tsogyal, Routledge &
Kegan Paul,1984) This verse is quoted by Guru Padmasambhava. Namkhai
Norbu Rinpoche explains that women have a natural affinity for working
with energy and visional and Garab Dorje, the founder of the Dzogchen
teachings, went so far as to say that the body of light or rainbow body
would be women.
Recognizing the body as the root of one's attachment to self, Krodikali formu-
lated 'The Quintessential Accomplishment in Accordance with the Lineage of
the Vajra Essence' to be a practice that would destroy this fundamental at-
tachment and simultaneously develop compassion for all beings. On the sur-
face, Krodikali seems to be an offering of only the body. Nevertheless, during
the visualization the body has been identified with the universe, and conse-
quently the offering means the offering of all things desirable. Thus, it is not
just aiming at reduction of attachment to body but also of all attachment.
Krodikali practice could be characterized as a practice which frees one;

outwardly from attachments to the body

inwardly to sensual objects
secretly to all desires and enjoyments
and most secretly to self-centeredness

In the practice of 'The Quintessential Accomplishment in Accordance with the

Lineage of the Vajra Essence', from pure vision, there is the laughter of Troma
which overcomes and suppresses through splendor. The natural display of
primordial wisdom, as the magical manifestation of boundless dakinis, shat-
ters the gods and demons of duality within the uncontrived fundamental na-
ture of the nonexistent self.

The Buddha dakini, the mother of the central direction, through the fearless
conduct of the primordial wisdom of the space of phenomena, gathers and
overcomes the gods and demons of delusion. Having been overcome, they are
suppressed by splendor.

The Vajra dakini, the mother of the east, through the fearless conduct of mir-
ror-like primordial wisdom, overcomes the gods and demons of aggression.
Having been overcome, they are suppressed by splendor.

The Ratna dakini, the mother of the south, through the fearless conduct of the
primordial wisdom of the nature of equality, overcomes the gods and demons
of pride. Having been overcome, they are suppressed by splendor.

The Padma dakini, the mother of the west, through the fearless conduct of
discerning primordial wisdom, overcomes the gods and demons of desire.
Having been overcome, they are suppressed by splendor.

The Karma dakini, the mother of the north, through the fearless conduct of
the primordial wisdom of accomplished activity, overcomes the gods and de-
mons of jealousy. Having been overcome, they are suppressed by splendor.

By the truth of refuge in the Triple Gems, the compassionate love of the daki-
nis of the three enlightened embodiments and the blessing of the five great
mothers, the ruling male demonic forces are overcome, the demoness female
forces are overcome, the earth lords and subterranean demonic forces are
overcome and the demonic forces of the place and body are overcome. All are
completely suppressed by splendor.

[2]
The central practice of this Trogma Nagmo is to cut away the false concept of
ego by offering one's own body to the divine and the demons. This practice
can help one to reduce one's karmic debt, thus eliminating innumerable ob-
stacles in worldly life. It would also improve one's state of mind by generat-
ing the understanding of emptiness, thus developing that profound wisdom.

OM BENZAR KRODHI KALI BAM HA RI

NI SA HUNG PHET

[3]
THE BLACK QUEEN

A "cutting" practice of a different lineage is described in Chod: Cutting

Through the Ego by Yangthang Rinpoche who said, at the Vajrayana Founda-
tion Hawaii in 1991:
In chod, the principal meditational deity is Yeshay Tsogyal or Troma Nak-
mo, the Black Dakini as the female wisdom energy is involved in this prac-
tice. In some texts, the dakini is red or black, or at first red and then black;
sometimes she holds the curved blade in her right hand; sometimes the dama-
ru in her right hand and a thigh bone in her left; sometimes she is holding a
curved blade in her right hand and a skull in her left.
As a dakini, she is the expression of divine wisdom; when she appears in red
she is more peaceful and [when] she appears in black, more wrathful.
However the wrathfulness is the intensity of her compassion and isn't anger.
She is the mother or source of all buddhas called Prajnaparamita, or Tran-
scendental Wisdom.

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 Black Dakini
The Dark Face of the Void

I am the black dakini, goddess of the Void

I am the night sky empty of stars
the lake without reflections
When I take on human form, I am wrathful in appearance
With skin and hair that is blue-black
And jewelry that is of jet and ebony

In a sky of deep sapphire blue

I sit on a lotus with petals of gold,
and a center of black velvet
When I have two hands, I hold the vajra and bell
When I have four hands, I also hold the noose and the goad
In my six armed form, I add the axe and the mala.

My true form is in the depths of space,

The vast reaches of silence
But with the sound of HUM I emerge,
in the form of a spinning black vajra edged in gold
Around me are HUMS like beads on a string
Spinning, exploding, shooting blue pearls of light
in every direction.

I am called by many names.

As Nairatmya, I am the dark face of the Void
the waves upon the lightless ocean
I am the crow-headed goddess, flying high
my feathers in black, green, blue, and purple
I am the black goddess of death
holding the world in my arms
as I return to the deep waters
I am the mother who brings forth children from dark nothingness
who watches their lives and their deaths.

I am a wrathful emanation of Vajra Dakini,

she of rainbow crystal
Yet I am also her origin out of the dark void.
I dance with my bhairava
to the drumbeats of the heart of the universe
And from our dance come millions of whirling comets
Who form the guardians of the vajra worlds
When the dance is stopped, the comets return
And the universe is re-absorbed into our footsteps.

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I create from the void and call things back to return
I tear apart form and attachment
My nails tear bonds to ribbons
which dance in the winds of prana
Those are my prayer-flags, and the banners of my warriors
They scatter the shreds of karma
before the winds of the Void
To create the dances of the worlds

I may be of help to the aspirant, but I am dangerous

For I will take away all he possesses
If he gives them up gladly,
we will dance together in their ashes
But if he clings to them
He will lose his mind and his heart.

I seek only beings ready for full liberation

Leave all behind and we will find beauty
In the emptiness that remains.

[6]
 More About the Troma Chod

D. L. in an effort to clarify the distinction between Tara and Troma, post-

ed the following from notes (March 1987) on a teaching by Ven. Yeshe
Dorje Rinpoche, in preparation for the empowerment for Troma Ngondro
by H. H. Dudjom Lingpa:
Troma is inseparable from the lama as Dharmakaya: Kuntuzang-
mo (Prajnaparamita), Samboghakaya: Dorje Palmo (Vajravarahi), Nirmana-
kaya: Troma (Vajra Khrodikali). The essence of Troma Nagmo is Yeshe
Tsogyal. Troma Nagmo means black wrathful lady, she shows the powerful
nature of Yeshe Tsogyal and Khandro Tuk Tik, the heart essence of the dakini.
Here's a description printed in a flyer from Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche's sangha
given out freely as an excerpt from a talk on Troma and Chod given by him in
Los Angeles April 9, 1986, so I feel comfortable sharing it openly, since it was
originally given out openly:
"Troma, the Black Vajra Mother is the true heart essence of Guru Padma-
sambhava. It is also the method of many of the great siddhas from the forefa-
thers Sarahaba until it was revealed by the very noble siddha and terton, Dud-
jom Lingpa, who is the previous incarnation of H.H. Dudjom Ronpoche.

Chod by definition is "to cut through". The essence of chod is the prajnaparami-
ta: the pervasive permanent unalterable absolute nature of emptiness. Empti-
ness is not nothingness, it is the full resplendent quality of subtle appearance
and is called unstoppable clarity: the inner capacity of the nature of emptiness.
It arises as the display of the five Dhayana Buddhas' consorts. Emptiness is in-
separable from its resplendent capacity for manifesting beneficial appearances,
the Five Wrathful mothers, Troma, also known as Vajra Khrodikali.

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What must be understood about the cutting Chod, is what is to be cut and how
it is that we cut it. The answer to what must be cut is the root of samsara. Sam-
sara is the cycles of endless suffering of forever becoming: we must look at what
causes that and that cause must be cut.
For us, non-realization of our absolute nature is not because we once realized
our nature and then forgot it. It isn't that we had it and then lost it. The essen-
tial primary nature of absolute purity is innate in our being. Non-actualized
purity is ignorance and so ignorance must be cut. It must be destroyed. It
must be liberated.
Next to ignorance of Nature, the poison of desire must be cut. We have basic
self-centered recognitions which function as our "I" or "me" or any manner of
self-perceptions. Beyond this comes the recognition of everything which isn't
"me", generally named "other". Through this process of "I" and everything else
that is not "I" a dualistic mode begins to function between the two. From this
dualism arises the judgment of "it's so pretty" and the subtle attachment of
"yes, I like it" which gives way to the gross attachment of "I need it" which
is where suffering begins. If we need it and we can't get it, then we suffer: if we
need it and we get it and we find out that we didn't want it, then we also suffer.
If we need it and we get it and it fades away and dissolves into nothingness as
all temporary things will, we suffer...
Desire is also a stepping stone to hatred which is aversion or the other side of
desire. Because I want something, then I have some vested interest in that
particular phenomena happening: something comes along such as rain, for
example, and blocks the fulfillment and "I don't like that." It's because I had
some invested interest in what I wanted that aversion developed. Whatever
prevents me from getting what I want results in this same aversion and so we
find that at the forefront of aversion is desire.
From the poisons of ignorance, desire, and aversion the mind further compli-
cates its delusion with a very beguiling pride of its own confusion and from
this arises jealousy. These complete the full array of the poisons of the mind.
In Chod, there is always what are called the four demons or the four maras
which are the four obstructing influences.
The first obstruction is the personal defilements of mind: the defilements are
the five poisons: ignorance, desire, aversion, pride and jealousy. The second
demonic influence is the obstruction of false contentment which is somewhat
like pride. One takes for granted good situations thinking that they will go on
forever: this is a very big obstacle because it wastes opportunities. The third
demonic influence that obstructs the realization of enlightenment is based on
self-holding and other-holding. The mind zig zags back and forth from "I like
this" and "I don't like that" "this is pretty, that is not" "I need this" "I don't
need that". Our mind enticed by the appearance of objects goes to the object
and becomes dynamically involved there, totally seduced by samsaric appear-
ances. The fourth obstruction is the root of the other three obstructions, the
self-centeredness of one's "I".
The method to cut through these demonic influences is called Chod. One's
pure motivation is the blade that cuts though the faults of self-centeredness.
Chod is the practice of generosity with one's most valuable possession, the
body. There is nothing we value more, so this is what we use as our gift. Our

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mind is deathless, our body is not, so we transfer our mind out of our body and
pure mind stands complete in space. The body, like a shell, is an empty re-
main.[sic] Through mantra and visualization, the practitioner transforms the
body into a vast and wholesome offering of whatever would be satisfying. The
offering is not just substance, but it is also wisdom nectar which fills the vast-
ness of space. This is then offered to all of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, to any
and all wisdom beings beyond the limit of our understanding. Further it is of-
fered to every sentient being whoever they are, wherever they are. Whatever
their particular need is completely is met by this offering and they're completely
satisfied and fulfilled immediately and ultimately.
This trains the mind to cut through attachment. By this practice, one accom-
plishes both the accumulation of merit through generosity and
the accumulation of wisdom through understanding the basis of non-reality of
our physical form. One understands the nature of emptiness that pervades all
beings and this accumulates wisdom. Enlightenment is produced by the two
accumulations of merit and wisdom, so this is a path capable of rendering full
realization of enlightenment."

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