The Buddhist deity Chakrasamvara

Chakrasamvara is a symbolic Himalayan deity visualized in meditation; when depicted in sexual union (yab-yum) with his female counterpart Vajravarahi, the couple represents the state of non-dual awareness where subject and object mutually constitute one another. The name Chakrasamvara itself means “binder of the bliss wheels.” This designation refers to Buddhism’s system of subtle physiology that centers on a system of wheels (chakras) located along the spine.

Fierce meditation deities (yidam) like Chakrasamvara, with their violent and sexual aspects, raise dangerous subconscious forces into conscious awareness, according to Buddhist beliefs. For this reason, precise instructions for visualizing the deity are only given by a lama, or spiritual guide, to practitioners deemed qualified. Far from sanctioning violent or sexual activity, these figures are regarded as antidotes to the mental states that produce such activity—in the words of the tradition, they are “equal to what must be tamed.”

By visualizing these figures while consciously recalling the symbolism of each aspect, however, practitioners can achieve enlightenment “in this very life.”