Kalarupa Thangka

Manjushri is represented here as Kalarupa (Tib. Choegyal), and by his side, his consort, Tsamundi, an emanation of the goddess Saraswati. This terrifying form of the Buddha of Wisdom, personifies enlightenment by the conquest of anger.

Yama Dharmaraja, also known as Kalarupa (Tib: gshin rje chos rgyal; = the Lord of Death, King of the Law), is one of the Dharma protectors of the father class of Anuttarayoga Tantra, in particular for the Vajrabhairava tantras.

Although Kalarupa is found in all the Sarma Schools the Gelugpa tradition holds Yama Dharmaraja in special regard as one of the three main Dharma protectors of the Gelugpa - along with the Six-Arm Mahakala;(Shadbhuja); and Vaishravana.

Kalarupa displays himself as the direct spiritual protector force for all “ugliness” arising from the true inner spiritual obstacles of;

fear, hatred, pride and jealousy.

The intense “ugliness” and fierceness of this iconography alone, serves as a teaching to remind us that all the causes and effects of anger arising from ignorance is “ugly”, distorted, even frightening.

We may think that his form is horrible and disgusting on all levels but Kalarupa is actually urging us to consider our appearance to others when we are under the afflictive emotions of fear, pride, jealousy and hatred.

From these poisons Kalarupa displays our appearance to others when we use harsh speech and actions.

However, his entire form sits on a lotus to signify that everything he does, no matter how wrathful its appearance, is done out of a deep compassion to help us out of our suffering.

He is thus also the opponent of all that is ugly and angersome: following his practice can help us to overcome the angers and desires, which cause others and ourselves to suffer.

As an emanation of Manjushri, Kalarupa’s practice ultimately helps us to destroy ignorance and develop wisdom to overcome our anger and suffering. Anyone, from any lineage who is dedicated to cut out their anger can practice Kalarupa.

However, he is often also known as the special protector of Yamantaka practitioners, where he helps to protect against demons and subdue anger that may arise during Yamantaka retreats.

In this way, having Kalarupa in your home is also very good for dispelling bad, harmful spirits and black magic.