Derge Kangyur/Tengyur e-text, Esukhia/Barom edition — public domain (mechanical reproduction)
This fragmentary text, titled The Heat Yoga of the Heretics (Tīthikacaṇḍālīkā-nāma), introduces a system of internal heat yoga associated with the figure of the Bodhisattva Bhasmasmṛti. The text frames its practice through the metaphor of the fierce woman (caṇḍālī), identifying the crown of the head as the primary locus or abode of this energy. By situating the practice within the lineage of the fierce woman, the text commits the reader to a process of spiritual combustion intended to consume the three realms of existence. The fragment suggests a methodology centered on the generation and movement of heat to achieve a transformative or destructive effect on the practitioner's perceived reality, aligning it with the broader tradition of heat yoga (tummo) while explicitly referencing non-Buddhist or heterodox origins in its title.
Provenance
About this text
A treatise on the internal heat yoga of the heretics, the Tīrthikacaṇḍālikā (Tibetan: mu stegs kyi gtum mo) emerges from the tradition of the General Unexcelled Yoga Tantra Works. The work is attributed to the Indian author Acinta. Preserved in the Tengyur (vol. ཟི), the text exists in the classical Tibetan period as a brief work of two pages. It enacts a system of spiritual combustion centered on the figure of the Bodhisattva Bhasmasmṛti, framing the practice through the metaphor of the fierce woman. By identifying the crown of the head as the abode of this energy, the work describes a process where tongues of flame pervade the sky and consume the three realms of existence. A scholar or serious reader consults this fragment today to examine the methodology of heat yoga and the specific imagery of the fierce woman, as well as the text's explicit reference to heterodox origins within a Buddhist canonical framework.
Cite thisAnuvāda, “The Heat Yoga of the Heretics” (Toh 2393), machine draft, 2026.https://naxiai.com/tibetan/works/toh2393
Summary & commentary
Significance
The work is significant for its explicit reference to the 'heretics' (tīthika), suggesting an intersection or appropriation of non-Buddhist yogic practices within a Buddhist framework. It provides a glimpse into the specific iconography and somatic mapping used in early heat yoga traditions.
Structure
Passages
Section
Description
1
Introduction
Provides the Indian and Tibetan titles, an invocation to Bhasmasmṛti, and the initial identification of the energy's location and nature.
Themes
Heat Yoga (Tummo) (1)
Somatic Mapping (1)
Heterodox Influence (1)
Summary, significance and provenance note generated by gemma4:31b from the translation and the catalogue record.
In the language of India: Tīthikacaṇḍālīkā-nāma. In the language of Tibet: Mu stegs kyi gtum mo zhes bya ba (The Fierce Woman of the Heretics). Homage to the Bodhisattva Bhasmasmṛti.
The woman’s abode is the crown, Ma; her lineage is that of the fierce woman. She burns even the three realms of existence; her tongues of flame pervade the sky. The glorious Aciṇa dances. In the sky she beats a small drum; on the ground she beats a small drum. With the vajra-fire she dries up the ocean; she causes even the sun and moon to take refuge. The glorious Aciṇa, dancing and wearing a skull-cup, beats a small drum in the sky and beats a small drum on the ground. Gods, asuras, and humans, as well as Īśvara, Umā, and the rest—all are burned by the fire of wisdom. The glorious Aciṇa, dancing and wearing a skull-cup, beats a small drum in the sky and beats a small drum on the ground. Having led the yoginī, she causes her to enter the abode of the Protector. Thus the maṇḍala is sung. The glorious Aciṇa, dancing and wearing a skull-cup, beats a small drum in the sky and beats a small drum on the ground.
This concludes "The Fierce Woman of the Heretics," composed by the master Aciṇa.
Translation status: Not among 84000's published translations, and not in progress there. Translations published elsewhere have not been searched for, so one may exist. (source: 84000 catalogue + registry; checked 2026-11-10).
Set in Newsreader and EB Garamond; Tibetan in Noto Serif Tibetan; Chinese in Noto Serif SC.