For many who are not familiar with Tibetan Buddhism, a common question they have relates to the practice of Dharmapalas or Dharma protectors. Dharma protectors are beings who support our spiritual practice through a number of methods. Primarily, they are propitiated in order to remove obstacles and difficulties that block spiritual progress. As human beings, we encounter numerous problems on a daily basis and most of the time, these problems consume a lot of our time and effort, limiting the amount of time we can spend on spiritual development. We cannot solve these problems quickly and effectively without some form of help, hence Dharma protectors assist us by removing such obstacles.
Dharma protectors often arise in wrathful forms with wrathful sounding liturgies. This wrath is testament to their quality of extreme compassion, which motivates them to act urgently to bless and protect, whether as emanations of enlightened beings (such as Dorje Shugden in the Gelug or Sakya traditions, or Achi Chokyi Drolma in the Drikung Kagyu tradition) or worldly oath-bound beings (such as Shangmo Dorje Putri in the Sakya tradition).
The analogy most often used is that of a mother angry at her child for doing something that can cause harm. This wrathful nature also includes an element of speed in helping us. This can be observed within our own worldly behaviour. For example, when we are angry, we naturally move and react much quicker than usual, therefore, wrathful demeanour represents the element of speed in which the protectors can come to our aid.
Dharma protector practice is prevalent throughout all traditions of Tibetan Buddhism and is, in fact, integral within tantra. In this video, H. E. Tsem Rinpoche gives a clear and powerful explanation on Dharma Protectors, their types and functions, and why we need Dharma Protectors.
Please enjoy.
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TRANSCRIPT
Buddhas cannot liberate you, they can’t take away your suffering, they can’t give you their happiness, they cannot take away your karma, they cannot give you good karma. So, what do Buddhas do?
Buddhas can teach you how to achieve that. Just like anything in life, if you have a lovely mother who’s giving you so much wisdom, she can’t take anything from you or give you anything she has, she could only teach you. And the kindness of teaching you is teaching you how to make bread as opposed to getting it for free. Because one day somebody will stop giving you some bread, but if you know how to make it, isn’t your mother very kind?
So we revere the Buddha in that manner. When we knock our heads on the floor and worship to Buddha, when we offer incense, when we offer water and flowers to the Buddha and we pray and chant, we are praying in that respective and not in the Christian sense. I want you to get that straight. Can you see the analogy? You’ll get better, like that.
When we revere the Buddha, when we worship the Buddha, for lack of a better word, when we trust the Buddha, we create an open affinity for a Buddha to assist us, whether in our dreams, through manifesting or manipulating things in a positive way that we can go towards the teachings more.
When we go to the teachings more, we’re able to learn more and then in the end, the very help the Buddha gave us, we won’t need a Buddha anymore. And the Buddha is fine with that we won’t need him in the future because the name of the game is to be a Buddha.
Your mother teaches you to become independent of her over time so that you can grow up to be a fabulous adult on your own. She doesn’t make you dependent on her unless she’s sick, off, or abnormal and do evil-like Bates Motel thingy. Buddhas make you independent.
Buddhas also realise that we have different types of karma. Some of us can learn, some of us can meditate, some of us cannot. For example, someone who’s mentally handicapped, cannot meditate, cannot learn. So, are they going to be bereft of spiritual refuge? No, they’re also included. Therefore, we as humans due to the karma that we have created and the manifestation of karma in our lives make us restricted or not restricted. The karma is not static but it’s there.
For example, your karma to be an intelligent, independent woman opens. You can’t be a man, you can’t be a dog, you can’t be a kangaroo. You have to be an intelligent woman. If you want to be anything else, it is not possible. That’s karma opening. Your future life of what you’re going to be - an intelligent woman, a man or whatever - has not open yet and what you are doing now would determine that.
In between, because of the many levels of intricate karma that we have created, sometimes we won’t get food, be abused, get sick, have accidents, get robbed, go to a wrong place, meet the wrong person,...
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