“Teachings tell us there are marks and signs to know when we’ve found a Dākinī and I ponder … just as I see Vajrayogini in the face of all sentient beings, what if I also choose to see the marks and signs of dākinī within them? When I do that, I sense which dākinī is hurting and so goes the train of thought, “What part of my dākinī can help them?”
Is it my Karma Dākinī of action that is in the flash of smile alongside the skillful speech of Vajrayogini? Could it be the soft echo of wisdom and ash-covered footprints as my fierce Padma Dākinī calls to theirs from the charnel ground? How can I radiate the light of Vajra Dākinī to allow a feeling of bliss within their day? And the anxiety I see in their eyes my Ratna Dākinī calls out to embrace within Vajrayogini’s loving body, allowing inner child nurturing. How would I show them my own Buddha Dākinī in such a way that they need to help ease their mind?
I admit I don’t know the list of the marks and signs of what to look for in a Dākinī, and I challenge myself to find them in my own way through a Bodhisattva’s eyes. In my past I’ve become lost in the contemplation of my own empathy and highly sensitive nature, but what if those heightened awarenesses are the Bodhisattva’s eyes that help a sentient being where no other could? That structure alone allows the self-grasping and the self-cherishing to be utterly cut at the root, offered up in the skullcup, again, to help those where no other could.
May my dākinī always dance to help others.”
— Personal Tsok Day Meditative Thoughts
Such beauty to ponder, your words, Kate. Thank you.