I am the Vajra Bhairava, the leader of the Bhairava armies
I am a warrior, and I struggle against the forces of illusion and ignorance
I also command dakinis and herukas when necessary
I emanate clouds of bhairavas for the wars of the Buddhas.
While the ultimate goals of Buddhism are peace, freedom, and awareness
In the intermediate realms, we do not have emptiness
Beings suffer tragedy, or they attack others
Out of hatred, and greed, and lust, and delusion.
Though such beings are deluded,
they may still cause great harm
This is why we have defenders of the Vajra worlds
And protectors of those on the path.
There are many categories of threatening beings
There are angry ghosts, and spirits of the dark emotions
There are demons who personify pain and horror
And repeat tragedies in the victim's mind endlessly,
until the person goes insane
There are spirits of temptation, who at first appear beautiful
But beneath the surface, they squirm, and grasp, and strangle
The high Creation Buddhas are themselves dangerous to the weak and
uncertain
For their emanations are so powerful that a person may be overwhelmed
And be unable to stand against them.
There are many dangers on the spiritual path
Some come by accident, but most result from dark karma
Which is often unknown to the seeker
This is why it is important to have a protector
And also why the protector is a wrathful deity
And one who is able to chase away the powers of ignorance and desire.
This is why lineages are important
They can assign protectors
But if a person is worthy,
he or she will be protected regardless
A spiritual person shines with an inner light
Which is invisible to the physical world,
but is visible in the other worlds.
I may be visualized as a shining moon behind thunder clouds
As a sun whose rays are shooting vajra knives and spears
As a white lion in the mountains,
leaping and flying among the rocky peaks
As a guardian statue at the entrance of a temple.
Deities do not exist, yet I defend and command them
Souls do not exist, yet I protect them
Buddhas do not exist, yet I serve them
The Void does not exist, yet all of the worlds depend upon it.
I am an armed black warrior on a winged horse, slaying ignorance
I am a naked ascetic in a cave, slaying lust
I am a bodhisattva of light, slaying hatred and illusion.
Sincere seekers may call upon me for help
But those who seek to manipulate and gain power
Will be destroyed along with their desires.