Kurukulla

she who magnetises delusion

Kurukulla (ku ru ku le) or Ri Jèdma (rig byed ma} is a red ‘joyous manifestation’ of Drölma (sGrol ma – Tara) also known as Wang-gi Lhamo (dBang gi lha mo). Kuru or Dra-mi-nyen (sGra mi sNyan) means ‘harsh sound’ – and Kulla means ‘family’, so Kurukulla means ‘of the family of harsh sound’.

Khandro Déchen comments:
The sense of ‘harsh sound’ here relates to her non-dual lasciviousness – the non-dual impropriety of her total appreciation. Her ‘harsh sound’ is merely harsh in the ears of those who are timid and afraid of their own existence.

She is said, according to common folk custom, to be of assistance to unhappy lovers – but her activity as a yidam concerns the transformation of obsessive craving. Kurukulla transforms dualistic desire into non-dual desire through her unbridled vajra lust.

Here she wears the five-skull crown which is usually associated with the wrathful awareness beings – but contrasts this with wearing flower ornaments rather than human bone cemetery ornaments.

Ngak’chang Rinpoche comments:
Her bow (broken away in this old statue) and arrow are also made of flowers. This shows that although the image of the bow’s tension is there; although the image of the arrow’s menace is there – they simply relax into the spontaneous delight of self-accomplished non-dual pleasure.

This statue is kept in Ngak’chang Rinpoche and Khandro Déchen’s own shrine room, and was given to them by Khamtrül Yeshé Dorje Rinpoche.