Rasavajra, Rasavajrā, Rasa-vajra: 3 definitions

Introduction:

Rasavajra means something in Buddhism, Pali. If you want to know the exact meaning, history, etymology or English translation of this term then check out the descriptions on this page. Add your comment or reference to a book if you want to contribute to this summary article.

In Buddhism

Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana or tantric Buddhism)

Source: Google Books: An Illustrated History of the Mandala

Rasavajra (रसवज्र) is the deity associated with Rasa (“taste”): one of the Seventeen Viśuddhipadas (“stations of purity”), according to the Prajñāpāramitānayasūtra: an ancient Buddhist Tantric text recited daily in the Japanese Shingon sect which is closely related to the Sarvatathāgatatattvasaṃgraha.—The seventeen-deity maṇḍala, representing the deification of the seventeen viśuddhipadas, corresponds to the great maṇḍala described in the Mahāsamayatattvavajra, which explains seventeen viśuddhipadas (twenty in the Chinese translation). [...] Iconographically, these four Bodhisattvas arranged in the four gates of the outer maṇḍala correspond to the four gatekeepers of the Vajradhātumaṇḍala—i.e., Rasavajra corresponds to Vajrāveśa.

Source: academia.edu: The Structure and Meanings of the Heruka Maṇḍala

Rasavajrā (रसवज्रा) or Rasavajrī is the name of a Ḍākinī who, together with the Vīra (hero) named Rasavajra forms one of the 36 pairs situated in the Hṛdayacakra, according to the 10th century Ḍākārṇava chapter 15. Accordingly, the hṛdayacakra refers to one of the four divisions of the sahaja-puṭa (‘innate layer’), situated within the padma (lotus) in the middle of the Herukamaṇḍala. The 36 pairs of Ḍākinīs [viz., Rasavajrā] and Vīras are reddish yellow in color; they each have one face and four arms; they hold a skull bowl, a skull staff, a small drum, and a knife.

Source: OSU Press: Cakrasamvara Samadhi

Rasavajra (रसवज्र) refers to the “vajra-taste” [i.e., oṃ rasavajre trāṃ], according to the Guru Mandala Worship (maṇḍalārcana) ritual often performed in combination with the Cakrasaṃvara Samādhi, which refers to the primary pūjā and sādhanā practice of Newah Mahāyāna-Vajrayāna Buddhists in Nepal.

Tibetan Buddhism book cover
context information

Tibetan Buddhism includes schools such as Nyingma, Kadampa, Kagyu and Gelug. Their primary canon of literature is divided in two broad categories: The Kangyur, which consists of Buddha’s words, and the Tengyur, which includes commentaries from various sources. Esotericism and tantra techniques (vajrayāna) are collected indepently.

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