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Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana or tantric Buddhism)

Source: archive.org: The Indian Buddhist Iconography

Ulūkāsyā (उलूकास्या) (“owl-faced”) refers to one of the eight “Animal-faced Goddess”, as commonly depicted in Buddhist Iconography, and mentioned in the 11th-century Niṣpannayogāvalī of Mahāpaṇḍita Abhayākara.—There is a set of four deities described in the Niṣpannayogāvalī; they all have animal faces and have several forms. They are given each a different direction in the maṇḍala. [...] To this number, in the kālacakra-maṇḍala, four more deities [viz., Ulūkāsyā] with birds faces are added for the intermediate corners.

Source: Wisdomlib Libary: Vajrayogini

Ulūkāsyā (उलूकास्या, “owl-faced”) is the presiding deity of the northern outern gate of the vārāhyabhyudaya-maṇḍala, according to the Vārāhyabhyudayatantra (largerly extracted from the 10th century Abhidhānottaratantra). It is composed of the Sanskrit words ulūka (owl) and āsya (face). The central deity of the vārāhyabhyudaya-maṇḍala is the twelve-armed Vajravarāhī, which is modeled upon the twelve-armed Cakrasaṃvara, thus inhibiting many similar iconographical features.

Ulūkāsyā is associated with the colors green and red. She is to be visualised as dwarfish in shape and squint-eyed. They wield in their left hands a skull bowl and the head of Brahmā, and in their right hands a chopper and ḍamaru.

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

Ulūkāsyā (उलूकास्या) refers to the Ḍākinī of the northern gate in the Guṇacakra, according to the 10th century Ḍākārṇava chapter 15. Accordingly, the guṇacakra 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 four gate Ḍākinīs [viz., Ulūkāsyā] each has the same physical feature as the four Ḍākinīs starting with Lāmā.

Source: OSU Press: Cakrasamvara Samadhi

Ulūkāśyā (उलूकाश्या) is the Northern Ḍākinī representing one of the four “guardians of the gates” of the Cakrasaṃvara-maṇḍala or Saṃvaramaṇḍala of Abhayākaragupta’s Niṣpannayogāvalī, p. 45 and n. 145; (Cf. Cakrasaṃvaratantra, Gray, David B., 2007).—The Cakrasaṃvara mandala has a total of sixty-two deities. [...] Eight outer Ḍākinīs who make up the guardians of the directional gates and quarters of the cardinal directions.

Ulūkāśyā is associated with the color “green” and the Bodhipakṣa (wings of enlightenment) is samyagājīva (right livelihood).

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.

See also (Relevant definitions)

Partial matches: Uluka, Asya.

Full-text: Pita, Vajrabandha, Krishna, Purvadi, Rakta, Shyama, Vajrodbava.

Relevant text

Search found 1 books and stories containing Ulukasya, Uluka-asya, Ulūka-asyā, Ulūka-asya, Ulūkāsyā, Ulūkāsya; (plurals include: Ulukasyas, asyas, asyās, Ulūkāsyās, Ulūkāsyas). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:

The Indian Buddhist Iconography (by Benoytosh Bhattachacharyya)

Figure 215-216 - Four Animal-Faced Goddesses: Siṃhāsyā

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