Mahasiddha Kumaripa receives the "nectar of secret instruction" from a dakini - an embodiment of the Feminine Principle believed to guide Tantric adepts on their path to enlightenment. The Siddha, or realized one, collects spiritual ambrosia in an upturned skull-cup, symbolizing the selflessness and immortality of enlightened mind. As His Holiness stated: "The awakening mind is like a magical elixir...it is a mind from which every virtue can be drawn forth.... Every effort should be made to generate, protect and increase it."
text © Ian Baker
photos © Thomas Laird