Receptacle of the Sacred by Kim Jinah

Author:Kim, Jinah
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780520273863
Publisher: University of California Press

Images in MotionLet us imagine using this manuscript. When we reach the end of chapter 11 of the text and turn the page to folio 141v, we encounter a set of six images on folios 141v and 142r (see web 5–7). The most striking feature is that the deities on folio 142r are placed upside down to the text. Here it is important to remember that in the context of a book, the two facing pages are always revealed together. The center panel of folio 142r has Vajravārāhī, represented in her two-armed form, dancing ecstatically while holding a skull cup (kapāla), a staff (khaṭvāṇga), and a vajra (?). Her three eyes are wide open and bloodshot, and with eyebrows raised and fangs revealed, her menacing appearance exudes yogic power (fig. 5–11). Vajravārāhī faces Sambara on folio 141v, whose awesome twelve-armed manifestation is articulated in detail, including the elephant skin that he holds in his raised uppermost hands (see web 5–8). His appearance is equally menacing, and they form a perfect couple, not only visually, but also physically. They will come together in perfect union when we flip the folio 142r to the next page: the two will unite, joining head to head and toe to toe, thanks to the innovative design of placing the images on folio 142r in the reverse direction of the text. The act of flipping the folio reenacts the ritual union between the male and the female, and once the action is complete, they stay in the state of bliss until the next time the book is opened. In other words, this iconographic strategy realizes the full potential of a book as an object with movable parts. The same action could apply to the next couple in the group, the frightening sixteen-armed, four-legged form of Hevajra on folio 141v (fig. 5–12) and the angry and voluptuous Nairātmyā on folio 142r. Hevajra and Nairātmyā would also come to embrace each other face to face when the pages are closed. In Ms D9, the powerful Phase Three Esoteric deities paired with their respective consorts made their way into the center of the manuscript for the first time. Ms D10’s makers took the concept of coupling one step further to realize the secret embrace between the male and the female deities in a proper, respectful manner.

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