Dorje Phagmo (Sanskrit: Vajravarahi; literally, Thunderbolt or Diamond Sow) is the wrathful form of Vajrayogini (Diamond Female Yogi), known as the foremost, supreme queen of all dakinis and a divine consort of Chakrasamvara (Tibetan: Khorlo Demchok; literally, Wheel of Bliss). She is the Samantabhadri (“All Good” Primordial Female Buddha) of wisdom, activities, and accomplishments, and therefore known throughout as the “Mother to all Buddhas”—the Ultimate Refuge for all deities, practitioners, and meditators of the Buddhadharma. She is known as the Queen of Ultimate Bliss.
A line from a prayer recited by Shakyamuni Buddha goes:
The precious and sacred womb of Vajravārāhī,
Present in it are the maṇḍala of all victorious buddhas,
Beyond union and separation upon the experience of single taste.
The five principal spiritual consorts of Padmasambhava (aka Guru Rinpoche in Tibetan) were emanations of Dorje Phagmo: Mandarava from Zahor; Yeshe Tsogyal from Tibet; Sakya Devi from Nepal; Kalasiddhi from India; and Tashi Chyidron (aka Monmo) from Bhutan.
Yeshe Tsogyal is considered to be the mother of Tibetan Buddhism. She is said to be the first person, not just woman, to become enlightened in Tibet. Enjoy this short prayer to her.
Monmo Tashi Chyidron (བཀྲ་ཤིས་ཁྱི་འདྲེན་ transliterated as Chyidron, Khyidren or Kyidren) was also Padmasambhava’s consort, and is considered to be the first person, not just woman, to become enlightened in Bhutan, and Bhutan’s first Vajrayana teacher. It is Tashi Chyidron (literally meaning “Auspicious Guide or Leader”) that shape-shifted into a tigress and brought Padmasambhava to Tiger’s Nest, becoming the namesake of one of the most sacred places on the planet.
And the legacy hasn’t stopped there… on this journey we will meet two current incarnations of Dorje Phagmo in Bhutan.
To explore more, see this BuddhistDoor article.