Bhutadamara Mudra
the demon-dispelling mudra
Nuden Dorje Dro’phang Lingpa Tröllö-tsal holds his phurba in the Bhutadamara mudra to display his capacity to dispel whatever needs to be dispelled. Khandro Déchen comments:
In this thangka the tail of the tiger is curled behind the hand which wields the phurba. This confluence of gestures portrays the indivisibility of wisdom and method. The
tigress is wisdom and the phurba is method. The same type of symbolism is seen when
Yeshé Tsogyel holds her khatvangha
– with the tines touching the moon and the vajra terminal touching her
sang-né (secret place). The tigress swishes her tail
– as Ngak’chang Rinpoche would say
– with ‘grand insolence’ and ‘savage aplomb’. She is the non-dual glamour which enhances the effectiveness of the
three bladed weapon of enlightenment.
