21st Lunar: Hayagriva Day: Padma Heruka, Wrathful Avalokiteshvara: King of all Protections


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This event is running from 19 January 2025 until 19 December 2027. It is next occurring on March 21, 2025

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The 21st Lunar Day is the second day of the month dedicated to practices of the Padma Family, and especially Avalokiteshvara and all his / her forms. Hayagriva is the fully Enlightened Buddha Heruka (heroic) form of Avalokiteshvara — where Compassion takes a fierce face to help us eliminate our obstacles in Samsara. Each Buddha Family has at least one major Heruka (hero). The hero of the Padma family (Lotus family of Amitabha) is Hayagriva.

From the Wangdu Praise:

“Heruka Hayagriva, subjugator of all that appears and exists.”

Buddha Weekly Hayagriva Feature Image Web Buddhism
Hayagriva Sandrup closeup with three green horse heads and three faces red centre, green right and white left with six arms, supreme Heruka of the Amitabha Family.

He is known as Horse-headed Guanyin or Kannon in Chan or Zen, and as a Wisdom King in esoteric Japanese Buddhism. The other major days for Hayagriva are the 15th of the month (the full moon) sacred to the Padma Family, and the 8th of the Lunar Month, which is Daka Heruka Tsog. (If your Heruka yidam is Hayagriva, you would do his main practice and Tsog this day — with Empowerment only.)

“Whoever, including even the insects, has heard the name and mantra of Hayagriva only one time will never again fall into the lower paths.” — Sutra of Forming Hayagriva

Many Buddhist teachers recommend Hayagriva as the practice most needed in modern times of rampant Egoism and Attachment. Hayagriva — Amtitabha’s most wrathful form — is the Heruka (Hero) of the Lotus Padma Buddha Family, the “Incredible Hulk” manifestation of the Compassionate Buddha. His irresistible “active” Discernment Wisdom is what many modern people need.

Documentary about Hayagriva:

 

Great teachers in modern times continue to request their students accumulate Hayagriva Heruka’s mantra — known to be particularly efficacious in these troubled times:

“In today’s age, it is a degenerate time where the five poisons and negative emotions are very strong. So we need a deity like Hayagriva to empower ourselves. Also negative influences today are so strong as well…” — Lama Jigme Rinpoche 

You may chant the mantra of Hayagriva with Bodhichitta intention — the intention to benefit all sentient beings — without permission or empowerment as long as you frontally generate (visualize in front of you. Without empowerment you may NOT self-generate).

In other words, praising, refuge, offerings, prostrations and pujas are good ways to generate merit with Hayagriva, and will plant the seeds for future empowerment or practices of the great wrathful lord of compassion.

Mantra of Hayagriva chanted by Buddha Weekly (available for streaming on most music services) in Video:

 

So important is Padma Heruka — the Lotus Hayagriva — that he was one of the main Enlightened deities the great Lotus-Born Padmasambhava practiced: “Glorious Hayagriva and Vajravarahi banished hindrances.” He was also the main practice of the great Shabkar and other great yogis. [4]

Guru Rinpoche “arose in the form of Padma Heruka, ferocious and strong, the heruka of the secret sign” — Lady Yeshe Tsogyal

Another recommended practice is the Great Cloud of Blessings, the Wangdu, which honors the 9 deities of the Padma family including Amitabha, Avalokiteshvara, and Hayagriva. About Wangdu:

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