The Three Key Traditions of Chakrasamvara and Their Connection to the Mahasiddhas
Tantric Buddhism is one of the most profound and complicated spiritual paths within Vajrayana. Its core is a system of esoteric practices designed to transform ordinary experience into enlightened awareness. Among these, Chakrasamvara, also known as Heruka or Khor Lo Dem Chog holds a central place. Often described as “The Wheel of Supreme Bliss,” Chakrasamvara is a meditational deity whose practices and teachings have been preserved and transmitted through distinct lineages over centuries.
Within the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, there are three principal traditions of Chakrasamvara, known collectively as Lu Nag Dril Sum, which means “the three forms of Chakrasamvara of the three Indian Mahasiddhas.” These three great traditions are associated with three Indian Mahasiddhas: Luipa, Krishnacharya (Nagpopa), and Ghantapa (Drilbupa). Each tradition represents a unique spiritual lineage of practice, narrative, and interpretation of the Chakrasamvara Tantra, and together they form the backbone of how this powerful tantric deity continues to be engaged within Tibetan Buddhism today.
Who Is Chakrasamvara?
Before diving into the three traditions themselves, it is important to understand what Chakrasamvara represents in Vajrayana Buddhism. One of the most important Anuttarayoga Tantric deities is Chakrasamvara, a category of practice that is geared towards achieving the state of Buddhahood in one lifetime. One of the most profound teachings of this category is the Chakrasamvara Tantra, which aims at changing the ordinary consciousness through vigorous meditative yogas, which are the meditative techniques that unite the wisdom and compassion into one unified path.
Chakrasamvara is normally depicted in iconography in union (yab-yum) with his consort Vajravarahi as the two aspects of wisdom (female) and method or compassion (male), which, in combination, dissolve the duality and result in enlightenment. The image can have multiple faces and multiple arms depicting Chakrasamvara with tantric instruments, all of which are symbolic representations of enlightened qualities.
Chakrasamvara is depicted in dozens of different ways in Tibetan art and practice, although it is the three traditions linked with particular Mahasiddhas that have been the most popular and maintained practices of this tradition, particularly in Kagyu, Gelug, and Sakya lineages.
Who Are the Mahasiddhas?
To appreciate the traditions of Chakrasamvara, it is essential to understand the Mahasiddhas. These were realized tantric masters in medieval India (approximately 8th –12th century CE), revered for their spiritual accomplishments and often unconventional lives. They did not confine themselves to monasteries; rather, they practiced yogic and tantric disciplines in the world, demonstrating that Enlightenment could be achieved beyond the scholastic monastic environment.
These Mahasiddhas often had dramatic and symbolic life stories full of symbolic allegory, profound insight, and mystical teachings. Their transmissions of tantric knowledge, including Chakrasamvara, came through visionary experiences, direct spiritual insight, and teachings passed from master to disciple in ways that defy ordinary logic. They embodied the Tantra not just as doctrine, but in lived experience.
The three Mahasiddhas central to Chakrasamvara’s spread into Tibet are Luipa, Krishnacharya, and Ghantapa. Each contributed uniquely to the development and interpretation of this tantra, and the lineages associated with them continue to be practiced today.
Luipa: The Fish‑Gut Eater
Luipa (also spelled Luipada), known in some Buddhist traditions as the “fish-gut eater,” is one of the most celebrated of all Mahasiddhas. He was a direct recipient of deep tantric insight and is associated with the Luipa tradition of Chakrasamvara.
According to his story, Luipa once begged in the marketplace and encountered a worldly Dakini who saw through his preconceptions about purity. She fed him putrid food, and when Luipa rejected it, she chastised him for clinging even to spiritual purity. It was a turning point in his path, and the focus was placed on the fact that adherence to external standards, even in the spiritual practice, impedes the realization. This and other experiences transformed Luipa into the tantric concept of looking past the usual lines, taking everything as a source of enlightenment.
Luipa’s approach directly influenced many other revered Mahasiddhas, including Kambala, Ghantapa, Indrabhuti, Jalandhara, Krishnacarya, Tilopa, and Naropa who all initiated into the Chakrasamvara Tantra according to his methods.
The Luipa family is traditionally characterized by a well-developed and elaborate practice structure. In many schools, this tradition includes the 62-deity mandala (representing enlightened qualities in both external and inner forms) and is thought to be one of the most extensive generation stage practices, which involves Chakrasamvara. It is this depth that has given it the importance of being the major tradition of most advanced practitioners, particularly in Gelugpa tantric colleges like Gyume and Gyuto.
It is the tradition of Luipa that is still fundamental in that it is closely related to the earliest codification of the Chakra system and has a very systematic approach to realization, including complex mantra meditation, visualization, mantra recitation, and completion stage yoga.
Krishnacharya: Nagpopa Chopa (Black Conduct One)
Krishnacharya, often referred to in Tibetan as Nagpopa Chopa or simply Nagpo Chopa, is another central Mahasiddha linked to Chakrasamvara. His life story is filled with rich symbolism and vivid imagery. He is often shown surrounded by seven parasols and seven drums suspended above him, a symbol of his achievements, and is occasionally shown riding a moving corpse, one of those reminders that transcendence is more than the life and death duality.
Krishnacharya was a principle tantric scholar whose principal doctrines and practices were focused on Chakrasamvara, Hevajra, and Mahamaya Tantras. His method focuses on strict yogic practice and obedience to the guru, along with extensive practice of guru yoga, merge of ones self perception with that of the spiritual teacher.
While Luipa’s lineage is often viewed as highly comprehensive with its large mandala system, the Krishnacharya tradition is known for its distinctive modes of meditation and yogic engagement. Historical sources note that there are multiple biographies of Krishnacharya, one of the most extensive authored by the Jonangpa master Taranata, who considered himself the reincarnation of this great Mahasiddha.
The Krishnacharya lineage continues to have a living presence within Tibetan Vajrayana. Chakrasamvara empowerments have been done by highly respected teachers, such as historically His Holiness the Dalai Lama, in the Krishnacharya tradition, and it has been an active practice in many tantric schools.
Ghantapa: Bearer of the Bell
(Photo From Himalayan Art Resources)
The third important tradition is the lineage of Ghantapa, which is connected with the Mahasiddha Ghantapa (Drilbupa or Vajraghanta). His biography is a tragic change and a strong symbol. A monk who once refused the king’s invitations due to perceived impurity, he later became deeply immersed in tantric practice, even engaging in activities that defied conventional expectations. One tale tells of him casting his son and a jug of liquor to the ground during a confrontation, which miraculously transformed into a thunderbolt and a bell, symbols of spiritual power and then ascending with his consort into the sky.
Such narratives may seem fantastical, yet they are typical of Mahasiddha stories, which often convey profound inner transformation through symbolic acts. Ghantapa’s tradition is known for its five‑deity mandala, which focuses the practitioner on a more condensed set of visualizations and esoteric techniques than the 62‑deity structure of the Luipa and Krishnacharya traditions.
In the art tradition, Chakrasamvara in the Ghantapa tradition can have much in common with the Luipa form; however, the stress of the practice, the arrangement of the mandala, and the themes are different. This ancestry offers an alternative course to those who have a spiritual orientation that follows its methods and insights.
What Connects These Traditions?
(Photo From Tsem Rinpoche)
Even though the teachings and visual emphases of the three traditions vary, they share a deep foundation in core tantric principles of transformation: wisdom and method united, the dissolution of ego, and the realization of the non‑dual nature of reality. At the symbolic level, Chakrasamvara’s image, often blue in color and depicted in union with Vajravarahi represents this very integration of wisdom and compassion into a unified experience.
All three traditions place central importance on the mandala a sacred cosmic diagram that serves as both a meditation guide and a symbolic representation of the enlightened mind. Whether through 62 deities or five, the mandala becomes a living tool in advanced tantric practice, helping the practitioner transform ordinary perception into a realization of the enlightened state.
Their shared objective is clear: to use the chakra practice as a path toward spiritual awakening, blurring the dualities of samsara and nirvana, desire and renunciation, form and emptiness. As Vajrayana teachings articulate, this transformational process allows practitioners not only to visualize the deity but to realize the innate qualities the deity represents within their own mindstream.
Transmission and Historical Roots
The traditional narratives describe the Chakrasamvara Tantra as having originated from enlightened sources, transmitted first in India through visionary experiences of Mahasiddhas, and then passed along through teacher‑disciple lines into Tibet. According to tantric belief, the historical and mythic origins of the Chakrasamvara Tantra involve the Buddha manifesting as Chakrasamvara himself on sacred Mount Kailash symbolizing his method of transmitting these esoteric teachings to qualified advanced practitioners.
From India, these teachings spread into Tibet through key figures and exchanges, including texts, oral instructions, ritual empowerments, and the migrations of tantric masters. Once established in Tibet, these traditions became thoroughly woven into the fabric of Vajrayana practice.
The Practices and Their Significance Today
In practice, the traditions of Chakrasamvara are considered advanced tantric paths requiring proper initiation (wang) from a qualified guru and strict adherence to vows and meditation procedures. They involve detailed sadhanas (practice liturgies), visualization of the deity and mandala, mantra recitation, and completion‑stage yogas that work with subtle energies to transform perception into enlightened awareness.
The Luipa tradition typically employs a 62‑deity mandala, emphasizing extensive generation stage practices that map both the external cosmology and internal psychic energies. The Krishnacharya lineage often engages similar detailed mandala structures but with its own interpretive focus, and the Ghantapa tradition offers a more concise five‑deity mandala approach, ideal for practitioners working within that lineage’s yogic methods.
Across Tibetan Buddhist schools from Kagyu to Gelug to Sakya the essence of Chakrasamvara practice remains a powerful vehicle for realizing the nature of mind and cultivating the qualities of bliss, clarity, and compassion that lead to Buddhahood.
Conclusion
The three traditions of Chakrasamvara Luipa, Krishnacharya, and Ghantapa represent not only distinct historical lineages but also diverse spiritual paths within the greater scope of Vajrayana Tantra. Rooted in the lives and transmissions of the great Indian Mahasiddhas, these traditions continue to be practiced, taught, and revered within Tibetan Buddhism. Each offers unique methods and insights into the elaborate vision of tantric realization, yet all share the same ultimate aim: transforming ordinary experience into the realization of non‑dual awareness, where bliss and emptiness converge.
Through these traditions, practitioners encounter not just a doctrine, but a lived path one that integrates mind, energy, and devotion into a seamless practice leading toward complete enlightenment. Chakrasamvara, in all three traditions, remains a profound testament to the power of tantric Buddhism and its capacity to illuminate the depths of human consciousness.
