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Many of the spiritual beings mentioned at this site such as for example bhairavas, yoginis, and dakinis are emanations of Vajradhara, the Adi-buddha or originator of the Buddhist spiritual paths of emptiness. Here Vajradhara speaks of his role in the Buddhist tradition.

I am Vajradhara who grasps the balance of the worlds
I am the principle of judgment,
of order, of organization in the universe
My music is the rising and setting of the sun,
the music of the spheres,
the sound of the judge's gavel and the executioner's sword
I maintain things as they should be
I am the essence of the Law.

I am the primordial Buddha for those
Who value the celestial order
Who follow the institutions and the pathways trod by the founders
Who obey the teachings as they have been handed down
I am the origin of the universe for monks and nuns
And those who walk the sure and slow pathways to the heavens
I ease their way, and treat them fairly
I protect them from the forces of chaos and disorder.

For those on the fast path,
I am the gatekeeper to the Void
I hold the keys which open the bright mandalas
The labyrinths of minds,
both personal and universal
Through my bhairavas,
I work with karma, and concentration, and insight
Through my bhairavis,
I work with emanation, and manifestation, and creativity
I direct the traffic on the roads of spirit.

I am the appeals court judge of Karma
When guilt and innocence are clouded,
I enter
I hold high the vajra,
and the lightning of truth shoots forth
All confusion is clarified in the brilliance of divine lightning
My emanations guide the souls to their appropriate fates.

In initiations, I guide the novices to the right paths
For their personalities, desires, and past deeds
I keep them from harm,
until they are ready to fight
The fight of their lives,
against their own darker emotions.

Then I give an ally,
who looks at first like the enemy
A bhairava in wrathful form,
who looks like an attacker
But is really a defender
The novice will learn the narrow path of the spirit
And how to tell reality from illusion.
His earthly guru will teach morality,
philosophy, and concentration
His bhairava will lead him inwards,
walking with him
On the road to the Great Emptiness.

Earthly teachers give exercises,
which demonstrate the illusory nature of all things
Bhairavas teach directly,
by dissolving name and form
Traditions and lineages teach their favorite deities and mantras
My emanations strip off personalities
Like peeling a fruit.

I am the Buddha of beginnings and endings
I greet the novice,
and set him on his path
And I bid him farewell as he steps into Emptiness
The great vajra balances the worlds
and the weight of Justice is upon my shoulders.

Our next discussion is a commentary by Ratnapani, the bodhisattva of the Dhyani or Celestial Buddha Ratnasambhava.

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