What is a Dakini?

In Tibetan Buddhism, the term "Dakini” in Sanskrit and "Khandro" or "Khandroma" in Tibetan refers to a highly revered representation of the feminine principle. These words translate to "sky dweller" or "sky dancer," symbolizing both the human and divine aspects of the feminine. In essence, she is the female embodiment of enlightenment.

They appear in several Buddhist, Tantric, Hindu, and other myths. 

Often, the Dakini appears to guide a practitioner during transitions, whether transforming an individual from intellect to observation or through the transitions from life to death. She manifests in several ways; as necessary, she may appear fierce and intense or playful and compassionate. She may take the form of a human being, as a goddess, or become a play of energy flowing through this world. 

They guide the most sacred secrets of spiritual practice, ensuring only those with pure motivations can succeed. It is said that without the blessings of these beings, the fruition of Vajrayana Buddhism is impossible.

What is a Dakini dance?

Dance serves as a form of spreading religion within Buddhism; several art forms within Buddhism depict dancing, whether it be thangka paintings, sculptures, murals, or illustrated manuscripts. Cham dances are performed within the context of Vajrayana ritual ceremonies; this dancing reflects particular stories from the life of Guru Padmasambhava.

Dakini dance, like all cham, serve as embodiments of divine activity and Buddhist teachings. They are often done as part of a larger ceremony while a visualization of a Buddha-field, or field of spiritual support, is made. This field would include buddhas, bodhisattvas, lineage ancestors, teachers, meditation deities, Dakinis, Dakas, and dharma protectors. 

How Is the Dance Performed? 

The dances involve performing in vibrant brocade dresses embellished with intricate bone decorations, including belts, aprons, and Tibetan jewelries like necklaces, bracelets, and earrings, and crowned with a golden crown with five prongs. Wearing these ornaments stimulates the six perfections, or paramitas. Wearing the necklace encourages charity. The head decorations evoke joyous effort, the belt and apron inspire concentration, the bracelets and armlets foster ethics, the earrings inculcate patience, and the female practitioner's body represents knowledge. To symbolize compassion, the dancers use their right hand to vibrate a double-headed damaru drum, and to symbolize emptiness, they use their left hand to ring a drilbu or bell. As a demonstration of these two qualities of enlightened consciousness, they play these instruments with every dancing step. 

The Dance of the Five Dakinis/Khandro Denga, sometimes called Khandro Tenzhung or Long-Life Prayer to the Dakinis, is usually performed as a part of longevity rituals. These rituals are said to erase all obstacles to the long lives of all beings. 

The dance starts with five dancers jumping, turning, and skipping briskly as they join the dance floor to the sounds of long horns. Following the formation of a circle, they proceed with the movements, which finally spread out into a broad row (typically facing the lama or beneficiary of the prayer). The five Buddha families’ wisdom dakinis—Buddha (spacious), Ratna (enriching), Vajra (indestructible), Padma (magnetizing), and Karma (accomplishing)—as well as the associated facets of an enlightened mind, are represented by the dancers. By the five natural elements—white, gold, red, green, and blue—each dakini is distinguished by her ritual characteristics and outfit.

Presenting a torma (a butter cake offering) and ceremonial khata (a "scarf") to the celestial dakini being invoked in the prayer, one moves forward and dances from the line of dakinis. As presents to ensure the lama's long life, she holds them in her spread hands. The other dancers behind her mimic her actions. The featured dancer makes her offering, dances away, and kneels before the evoked dakini, the lama, and the assembly—both imagined and actualized—before leaving amid prayers asking for the removal of barriers to a long life. The next dancer then starts her offering dance. After the final dancer leaves and the prayers are concluded, the dance is over.

Origins of Dakini Dance in Nepal and India

Although cham dances are traditionally attributed to being performed primarily by male practitioners, the Dakini dance has served as a way for female practitioners to reclaim their participation in all rituals of the Buddhist tradition. In 2003, the nuns of Drunk Amitabha Mountain nunnery in Kathmandu, Nepal, were empowered to dance cham by the head of their lineage; since then, the practice of the dance has grown and flourished ever since. 

Another account suggests that these beings frequently visited Tabu Rinpoche, a renowned teacher, during the time of the 13th Dalai Lama. Their voices and movements were so beautiful he later on went to teach the songs and dances of the Dakinis to the students of Namgyal Monastery, located in Mcleod Ganj, Dharamsala, India.

Symbolism of Dakini Dance

Dancers aim to become Dakini by the end of the dance, not just invoke them. Invoking the Dakini heals one's mind and body. Dancers are instructed to offer everything, not just physical offerings but the emotions of the dancer's body itself. Through this dance, one can feel the ever-changing flow of energy represented by Dakini herself. 

In Tibetan Buddhism, the Dakini and the related dance represent a significant nexus of spirituality, gender, and cultural expression. They demonstrate the dynamic and transforming nature of spiritual practice by acting as both mentors and enlightened beings. In addition to honoring these divine feminine forces, the Dakini dance, which is full of symbolism and ritual importance, gives female practitioners a platform to regain their voices in Buddhist ceremonies. The dance reminds us of the spiritual path that transcends gender and binds practitioners in the quest for enlightenment through its complex motions and colorful decorations, which transform it into a living manifestation of compassion, knowledge, and the connectivity of all beings.