Za Rahula
A wisdom chökyong (dharma protector) and one of the most important protectors of the Nyingma and Dzogchen teachings, Za Rahula appears as a terrifying planetary mara, with nine heads, an upper body covered with eyes, and the lower part like that of a snake.
He commands eight emanated planets, four lion-faced goddesses, twenty-eight constellations, and legions of armies. Tsédrub Lama Tharchin said, “Za Rahula has his own history. His father was Mara, that is why his body is black, with eyes all over. Especially, he has a wrathful face in his belly. His mother was a naga. He is the child of a mara and of a Naga. That’s why his bottom part is that of a snake. The special activity of Za Rahula is that all relative phenomena are his retinues: the gods and demons, the eight stars constellations, the twenty-eight days of the month, etc. The special natural element he is related to is the fire. That is why Za Rahula has a strong and specific smell, like that of a burnt horn odor through a fire of wisdom.”
Since the early 8th century, Tibetans and Himalayan people have treasured "Namtars" as written or spoken narratives that demonstrate the realization of the Buddhist path by exceptional practitioners. These namtars, or spiritual biographies, serve as inspirational guides on the path to enlightenment.
Today, Namtars Foundation aims to record, preserve, and freely offer the world a written and electronic treasury of the oral wisdom of Tibetan and Himalayan Buddhism.
