Happy to announce a new page on the website is for original research and translations on the Five sets of Five-deity practices from the 1st Karmapa, Dusum Khyenpa. Each of the main deities has a retinue of four making five in total. The five main deities of the five sets of five-deities are:
–Noble Tārā (Jetsun Drolma)
–Vajravārāhī (Dorje Phagmo)
–Cakrasaṁvara (Dem-chog)
–Hayagriva (Tamdin)
–Hevajra (Kye Dorje)
The 17th Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje has been teaching on the five sets of five-deities of the 1st Karmapa for several years now, and recently published a newly composed historical and instruction commentary and sadhana practice on the five-deity Noble Tārā. For my English translation of the first sections of that text, see here.
See visual aid thangka here (although the deities and implements are more specific in some of the practices):
I hope this new page is a valuable resource for those interested in this unique and important lineage tradition of the 1st Karmapa, Dusum Khyenpa, handed down from Indian Mahasiddhas like Nagarjuna, Naropa, and Je Atisha, and that it supports the activities and legacy of the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa and the Karma Kagyu lineage.
See new page here: https://dakinitranslations.com/five-deities-1st-karmapa/
Written and compiled by Adele Tomlin, April 14th 2025.