Samantabadhra in union with his consort Samantabadhri is possibly one of the most familiar images of Tibetan Tantric Buddhist art in the Western world. He is unmistakably deep blue in color, symbolizing the sky and emptiness of mind; she is white in color, symbolizing clarity of mind. Totally nude and without ornaments, they are free from all thought constructs and have the ability to perceive the empty nature of the mind directly. Another emanation of Adi Buddha, they represent the ever-present potential for Buddhahood that has always been and always will be.
"In the Beginning" depicts the simultaneous emergence in sacred union of divine masculine (compassionate method) and feminine (wisdom) principles from the void or nothingness. It is only in our manifest world of duality that we experience a separation. Our life's quest then becomes returning to that original state of oneness. The world's troubles would cease if each one of us could take responsibility for balancing our own inner masculine and feminine energies. It has nothing to do with sex or gender, and is why I am so devoted to telling about the symbolism of "yab yum".
A pair of dragonflies accompanies the deities on their emergence from the void. They symbolize going past self-created illusions that limit our growing and changing. Inhabitants of both water and air, they are fantastic fliers that can dart like light, change directions and even go backwards as the need arises. Dragonflies are powerful reminders that we are light and can reflect light in powerful ways if we choose to do so. "Let there be light" is the divine prompting to allow your own light to shine in a new vision.
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