Dakini Art
We have been working with Buddhist art, creating kites and banners of sacred feminine deities.
Mahamayurividyarajni or Kujaku Myoo (Japanese)

The peacock goddess of wisdom. She is the main goddess of the five protectors. She is represented as the North, the queen of magic knowledge of the peacock, the mother of the Buddhas and the non-wrathful manifestation of Sakyamuni Buddha. She is the protectress against poisons, snake bites, calamities such as earthquakes, and a bringer of rain. She represents the productive virtue of all the Buddhas. In her hands, she holds a lotus flower, a peacock feather, a fruit that looks like a lemon, called a bija-puraka, and a pomegranate-like fruit. Each of these objects has some kind of spiritual significance. The lotus flower in one of the left hands represents the deity's benevolence and kindness. The other left hand holds a pomegranate-like fruit thought to drive off evil spirits. The bija-puraka in her right hand is a special fruit that cures the sickness of anyone who eats it. The other right hand holds a peacock feather, with the power to prevent disasters. We chose to make a traditional 2.5 meter Japanese Sode (kimono) kite to fly her.
We constructed two traditional Japanese style Edo kites approximately two meters tall. Each kite is bridled with 17 lines that are 100 feet long.

Machig Lapdron

Green Tara Dakini over
Elephant Mountain

Five Buddha Families

While we were in Hawaii for the winter of 2000 we created a series of banners which are 2 feet wide by 6 feet tall. The series represents the 5 Buddha families as Dakini's. Each piece of art was transferred sewed onto a background of graduated blue hand dyed fabric for the border and mounted on banner poles for display.

Buddha Family

Element = Space

Karma Family

Element = Air

Padma Family

Element = Fire

Ratna Family

Element = Earth

Vajra Family

Element = Water
We have now completed the project and sewn the shiburi dyed fabric border on the banners. Below is a photo showing one in finished form: