Twenty-Four Holy Places &

Eight Great Charnel Grounds

Pastor Niral Patel

Heruka Chakrasamvara and Vajrayogini are emanations of Buddha

Shakyamuni and linked to both the Twenty-Four Holy Places and the Eight
Great Charnel Grounds.

(By Tsem Rinpoche and Pastor Niral)

Dear Friends,

Recently on the ‘Ask a Pastor’ section of this blog an online friend asked a
question about the Twenty-Four Holy Places and the Eight Great Charnel
Grounds. The Pastors were asked if these were actual places found in
relation to our world, e.g. actual geographic locations. Upon seeing the
reply, His Eminence 25th Tsem Rinpoche advised that it would be good to
write a longer explanation, as these places are often mentioned within
many liturgies to the holy beings such as the Dharma protectors Setrap and
Dorje Shugden. In such liturgies, the holy enlightened beings are invoked
to come forth from these places.

Tsem Rinpoche and Pastor Niral

Twenty-Four Holy Places

The Twenty-Four Holy Places are associated with the origin story of
Heruka Chakrasamvara. His Eminence had previously narrated this story
as told to him by His Holiness Kyabje Zong Rinpoche when he was in Los
Angeles in 1984.

A long ago there was a great god who

lived in the highest of the god realms by
the name of Mahadeva. He was the
overlord of all the gods and demi-gods
within samsara. Mahadeva was a very
powerful being with a lot of psychic
powers, however he was not enlightened.
As with any being within the Six Realms
The god Mahadeva and his consort
of existence, he had his attachments and Kalratri
his primary attachment was to the act of
copulation.

He was a very handsome and good-looking god who ruled a vast empire of
gods and goddesses, together with his four primary consorts. He was so
desirous that he would be in constant copulation with one of these four
goddesses. He would switch consorts at the juncture between the four
times of the day. He would have his consorts embrace him in full
copulation during all his activities, such as sitting, walking, sleeping and
even eating. This would not be possible for human beings, however he was
a god with immense powers.

When the other gods would meet together, Mahadeva would not attend as
he was so engrossed in his copulation, however he would use his psychic
powers to see what was happening. Instead of going himself, he would
send a symbol of his private organ to these meetings. This would float,
accompanied with attendants, canopies and music to the place where the
gods met. Due to his position as the overlord of the gods, this symbol was
given the best seat and worshipped with milk, flower garlands, food, lights
and incense. They did this to pay their respects to him. In this regard
Mahadeva was encouraging the worship of copulation. On the other hand,
if he was not honoured in such a manner, he would punish those who
would not comply and show his anger severely. This is because his need for
respect was second only to his desire. Since he was the most powerful of
the gods, this desire began to permeate into other realms due to his
widespread worship. He was powerful enough to grant boons to those who
worshipped him, and to bestow his godly assistance to others. However,
due to his primary attachment those who worshipped him became infused
and overwhelmed with a sense of sexual desire that overrode all the other
qualities that the worshipper may have, even to the point of ruining their
lives. The gods were not affected as much but the humans who worshipped
him were.

It was during this time that the historical

Buddha Shakyamuni saw that it was time
to subdue this being, in order to curb this
energy of sexual desire that was
permeating the various realms. So he
emanated in the exact form of Mahadeva,
but of course being an enlightened being
he was infinitely more powerful. He had
four faces, two legs and twelve arms, and
each hand held a different weapon. This
Buddha Shakyamuni arose in the form
is who we now call Heruka
of Heruka Chakrasamvara and
Vajrayogini to benefit sentient beings Chakrasamvara. Shakyamuni had also
emanated into four main consorts, the
primary of which we know as Vajravarahi or Vajrayogini.

Buddha Shakyamuni then appeared to Mahadeva and his consort Kalratri

in the form of Heruka and Vajrayogini in union. Upon seeing the divine
form of Heruka and Vajrayogini, amidst the blaze of wisdom fire, with
more psychic abilities, wisdom and compassion, both Mahadeva and
Kalratri were immediately subdued. They offered themselves under the
feet of Heruka and Vajrayogini as a sign that they recognised their wisdom
and power. This is the reason why Mahadeva and Kalratri are depicted
under both Heruka and Vajrayogini’s feet.

The god Mahadeva controlled 24 powerful places on earth. Each of these

places were controlled by a powerful guardian god and goddess, who were
originally sent there by Mahadeva. In order to subdue these powerful gods
and goddesses, Heruka emanated his entire mandala, together with a daka
and dakini in each of these places to counter the energies of these gods and
provide a blessed environment to practice towards enlightenment. Usually
the tantric deities dissolve their mandalas into themselves after performing
certain functions, such as giving teachings or other enlightened activities.
In the case of Heruka, he did not dissolve the mandalas in these 24 places
back into himself.

The mandala of Heruka has become

imbedded into the physical landscape of
these places. Since that time these dakas
and dakinis who are actually one in
nature with Heruka and Vajrayogini have
resided there as well. These sites are now
known as the Twenty-Four Holy Places
that are mentioned in various liturgies.
These places are very powerful energy
centres, in fact if we engage in practices
at any of these 24 places, the various
beings who aid tantric practice such as
The holy form of Heruka
various dakas, dakinis and Dharma Chakrasamvara and Vajrayogini
protectors will come forth to bless
practitioners. Therefore it is mentioned in many prayers, that we invoke
the enlightened beings to come from these places, to wherever we are to
aid us in our practice. This is a very powerful invocation, as the mandalas
of Heruka exist on our earth, in our very plane of existence. When the holy
beings are invoked from these places, they are able to come to our aid
quickly.

These Twenty-Four Holy Places are of particular importance to those who

practice the Vajrayogini tantras. The dakinis that reside in the Twenty-
Four Holy Places are considered a 24 dakini entourage of Vajrayogini.
During tantric practice these 24 dakinis are invoked by the practitioners
and come to reside in one’s body, blessing their subtle energy channels and
drops that are utilised in the practice to achieve their same enlightened
state, which is of course the same as Vajrayogini – a fully enlightened
Buddha.

These Twenty-Four Holy Places from ancient India are:

1. Puliramalaya
2. Jalandhara
3. Oddiyana
4. Arbuta
5. Godavari
6. Rameshvari
7. Devikota
8. Malava
9. Kamarupa
10. Otri
11. Trishakune
12. Kosala
13. Kalingkara
14. Lampaka
15. Kanchi
16. Himalaya
17. Pretapuri
18. Grihadeva
19. Shaurashtra
20. Suvarnadvipa
21. Nagara
22. Sindhu
23. Maruta
24. Kuluta

Eight Great Charnel Grounds

Another set of holy places are the Eight
Great Charnel Grounds. At one time
there was a god by the name of Rudra
who was originally part of Mahadeva’s
retinue. He was a very fierce being who
also had many of his own consorts.
Together with his consorts he began to
oppress sentient beings, and promoted
violence and unethical behaviour. At that
Dancing amid blazing wisdom fire time, Heruka once again arose, and in a
Heruka liberated Rudra's mind dance of great compassionate wrath,
liberated Rudra and his consorts from their physical bodies, sending their
minds to pure lands. The places where Rudra’s body parts fell became
charnel grounds. Rudra’s four energy centres (his head, heart, navel and
private organ) fell in the four cardinal directions, and his limbs fell in the
intermediate directions. It was from these body parts that eight great trees
arose, and from here the charnel grounds developed around these trees.

They are known as the Ashta Maha Smashana in Sanskrit, and were the
most important charnel grounds in Ancient India. They are known as:

1. The Sitavana Cool Grove (in the East)

2. Perfected in Body (in the South)
3. Lotus Mound (in the West)
4. Lanka Mound (in the North)
5. Spontaneously Accomplished Mound (in the South-East)
6. Display of Great Secret (in the South-West)
 7. Pervasive Great Joy (in the North-West)
8. World Mound (in the North-East)

Charnel grounds are terrifying places, full of decomposing bodies, wild

animals, wandering ghosts and other terrifying beings. The grounds are
scattered with bodies, skeletons and other remains. In the various liturgies,
it is also described as places with rivers and lakes formed from the bodies
of the dead. However they are also peaceful places, because they are
commonly described as groves, with pleasant flora and bird song amidst
vast and open skies.

Meditation on death and impermenance is integral on the path towards

enlightenment

From a spiritual perspective the charnel ground represents the death of the
ego, and therefore our suffering, as well as the methods of how to
accomplish this. Through (a) meditation concentrating on the various
states of decomposition of the bodies, (b) meditation on the frightening
environment, and (c) meditation on death itself, one is able to come to four
very pivotal realisations in one’s spiritual path. These are that (i) one has to
overcome attachment to the body and life, (ii) craving for a body in the
future, (iii) the fear of death itself and (iv) aversion to the decay that is a
part of impermanence.

In ancient times it was here that great

masters attained many ‘siddhis’ or
attainments. Many of the great tantric
adepts of the past practiced in charnel
grounds. Unfettered from adhering to
cultural norms relating to life and death,
and with no distractions to seduce them,
they were able to meditate on death more
clearly. On an ultimate level this is useful
to realise the impermanence of the self as
a means to realise the true nature of
existence. This is achieved through
meditation and investigation of the
Yogins have meditated in charnel
Dvadasanga-Pratityasamputpada or the
grounds and gained the highest of
Twelve Links of Dependent Origination. attainments

On a more gross level it can be used to overcome fear, due to the culturally
ingrained fear people have of such places. The wrathful beings and deities
are said to reside in these Eight Great Charnel Grounds, therefore in some
prayers, we invoke the wrathful deities from these places.

Within tantric practice the Eight Great Charnel Grounds have a deeper
significance. In the practices of the wrathful yidams (meditational deities),
surrounding the mandala of the deity are eight quadrants which are
visualised as the Eight Great Charnel Grounds. These visualisations are
particularly wrathful and include corpses in various states of
decomposition and in different positions such as lying down, sitting up,
those who have been hanged, those who have been impaled, those who are
headless, rotting, etc. There are also zombies, various other wrathful
beings, and wrathful animals such as jackels, vultures, crows, etc. They
also include various dakas, dakinis, stupas, fires and wrathful yogins and
yoginis.

Each of the aspects within the visualised charnel grounds symbolise tantric
elements. There include:

The great central trees in each charnel ground represent the central
energy channel of the practitioner, known as Tsa-Uma (Tibetan) or
Sushumna (Sanskrit).
The ground itself represents the path of practice (the entire sutra and
tantra teachings).
The four types of corpses: (i) New corpses represent birth, aging,
sickness and death or cyclic existence; (ii) Decaying corpses, or those
impaled, hanging or dismembered represent the death of the
mistaken idea of the self or ego; (iii) Skeletons represent the
realisation of Shunyata or emptiness; and (iv) Reanimated and
mindless zombies represent the realisation of selflessness.
The wrathful animals represent the realisations of the generation
stage of Highest Tantra Yoga practices, as they devour the ‘corpses’ of
ordinary perception.
The various lakes represent aspiring Bodhicitta or the aspiring
thought to attain enlightenment for the benefit all of sentient beings.
The clouds in the sky represent the drops of Bodhicitta at the crown of
one’s head.
The various fires represent Tummo or Inner Heat (Sanskrit: Candali).
The various Dikpalas or direction protectors symbolise the
‘downward-voiding wind’ which is located below the navel.
The various Lokapalas or realm protectors represent the ‘life-
supporting wind’ which is located at the heart.
The mountains symbolise the immovability of meditative stability
with the inseparability of bliss and emptiness as its focus.
The various stupas represent the three bodies of a Buddha.
The Nagas represent the cultivation of the Six Paramitas.
The Yogins and Yoginis represent practitioners who hold their tantric
samaya well.
The Wisdom-Holders (Sanskrit: Vidhyadharas) represent those who
have realised the generation stage of tantric practice.
The Mahasiddhas represent those practitioners who have realised the
completion stage of tantric practice.
Conclusion
As we can see, both the Twenty-Four Holy Places and the Eight Great
Charnel Grounds have tremendous significance within Buddhism, on both
the sutra and tantra levels of practice. Therefore they are often mentioned
within various liturgies and prayers as places where we invoke the
enlightened beings from, especially those that have manifested wrathfully
out of their compassion to aid sentient beings. I hope this post has been
informative and has given some understanding as to the significance of
both these sets of powerful and holy places.

P.S. Thanks to Phng Li Kheng, Vinnie Tan and Joy Kam for assisting in this
post.
Two-Armed Heruka. Click on image to enlarge or click here for more
beautiful thangkas.

Pujas you can sponsor:

Setrap Puja
 Dorje Shugden Puja
Gyenze Dorje Shugden Puja
Trakze Dorje Shugden Puja
Heruka Chakrasamvara Puja Set (Sadhana, Self-Initiation and Tsok)
Heruka Chakrasamvara Fire Puja
Vajrayogini Puja Set (Sadhana, Self-Initiation and Tsok
Vajrayogini Fire Puja

For more interesting information:

Articles on Dorje Shugden

Articles on Vajrayogini
Mount Kailash and more
Inviting Lord Setrap to One’s Abode
Heruka’s Eye
The Extremely Secret Song of Realisation
Nepal Pilgrimage Full Videos
Puja at Naropa’s Cave, Kathmandu Nepal
Six Yogas of Naropa by His Holiness Kyabje Zong Rinpoche
Teaching on the Twelve Links on Dependent Origination
I Spoke about Death Meditation in More Detail

Tags: buddhas, Buddhism, dharma, vajrayogini

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