A KORA OF KORAS

Relieved of their fear, they decided to behead the bull in front of the monk and
since they wanted no witnesses, told him they would then behead him as well. The
monk begged to be allowed to live through the night, pleading to be spared for
but a few more hours so he could attain his long sought-for enlightenment after 50
years of practice.
But ignoring his pleas, they cut off the head of the bull with a knife and then
dragged the monk from his wooden meditation box and cut off his head as well.
In his nearly-enlightened fury, the now beheaded monk did not die but flew into a
deadly rage. He took the bull's head, placed it on his shoulders and then killed the
two thieves, drinking their blood from cups made of their skulls. Infuriated by the
ignorant, stupid and pitiless state of human beings, the monk had transformed
into Yama, the god of Death, and he decided to kill absolutely everyone.
This bull-headed demon of death then left the cave and began to roam about the
Tibetan countryside killing everyone he met. The people feared for their lives and
prayed to the Buddha-bodhisattva Manjushri, who took up their cause. Manjushri
is the Buddha of wisdom and to deal with Yama or death, Manjushri transformed
himself into Yamantaka, the ‘killer of death;’ a being similar in appearance to
Yama but ten times more deadly and powerful and went to war with death
himself.