VAJRAPANI

Vajrapani, dark blue in color with one face and two hands, appears in the form of a Raksha (a daemon of classical Indian mythology) with three large staring eyes, a gaping mouth with bared canine teeth, an orange beard and eyebrows, and hair flowing upward like a flame. The body is squat, large, and fleshy. Adorned with a crown of five skulls with red pendants and gold earrings, bone necklace and bracelets, anklets, and a large green snake, he wears a long green scarf and a lower garment of tiger skin tied with a green sash. With the right leg bent and the left extended above a sun disc and multi-colored lotus, Vajrapani stands in the middle of the blazing fire of pristine awareness. Placed in front as an offering, framed by two ivory elephant tusks, an assortment of wishing jewels are arranged on a plain green landscape. The Image above is painted in the style of Eastern Tibet.

Vajrapani is a member, along with Avalokiteshvara and Manjushri, of the trinity of Bodhisattvas known as the Three Family Protectors. The Buddha family of which Vajrapani is the protector is the Vajra (thunderbolt) family, which includes Akshobya (the lord of the Vajra family) and Yamantaka (Terminator of Death). Vajrapani (Holder of the Thunderbolt) represents the energy of the enlightened mind and the energy that breaks through delusion. He dances wildly within a halo of flames, which represents the transformative power of Awakening. He holds a vajra (thunderbolt) in his right hand, which emphasizes the power to cut through the darkness. (http://www.wildmind.org/mantras/figures/vajrapaniusion.)