Title: Vajrayogini
Created: 17th to 18th century
Composition: Gilded copper alloy with polychrome
Origin: Tibet or China
Gift of: Natacha Rambova
Photos: © 2013 by Gina Marie
Info courtesy of: The Philadelphia Museum of Art
“The extremely profound and secret yogic practice related to Vajrayogini, handed down through the Sakya lineage, produces swift realizations that move a seeker speedily along the path to enlightenment. Here Vajrayogini tramples two figures as she lunges to the left, an act that symbolizes the destruction of negative thoughts and emotions. In her right hand she holds a curved chopper to cut away ignorance. With her other hand she grasps a skull bowl from which she drinks blood, symbolic of the non-dual nature of reality, while her nudity represents reality’s unadorned emptiness. As a whole, this image of Vajrayogini represents the state of enlightenment itself.”
Virtually Gina 
2 responses to “Vajrayogini, The Diamond Female Yogi”
Love this piece – her stance, the ornamentation around her neck and the neckpiece that drapes her entire figure. Perfect sculpture in every way!
Thanks for dropping by, Patricia! Vajrayogini truly is lovely. And with that skull bowl, I dare say she might have been the original goth chick.