Tags
6 armed mahakala, dalai lama on dharma protectors, dharma protectors, dzambhala, gelug, great scope dharma protector, kalarupa, lamrim, medium scope dharma protector, mundane dharma protector, small scope, small scope dharma protector, supramundane protector, vaishravana, vajrapani
Lama Tsongkhapa
When I first began to practice, I didn’t get much exposure to Dharma protectors. As my practice continued, specifically within the Tibetan tradition, I started to see them everywhere.
Within texts like Mind Training: The Great Collection (Library of Tibetan Classics)
Origins of Dharma Protectors
There are generally two types of dharma protectors, mundane and supramundane. As is cited often in tradition, when Tibet was first receiving transmissions of the Dharma, there was much resistance. There was a lot of shamanism, animal sacrifice and spirit worship before Buddhism began to enter.
When Buddhism started to come, there was great resistance from the spirits because Buddhism’s appearance meant that the worldly spirits would have to leave or people would have to stop worshiping them. As a result, a type of spiritual war ensued between the great yogi Padmasambhava or also known as Guru Rinpoche, who was to subdue these spirits so the Dharma could spread.
I remember a funny video with Tsem Tulku Rinpoche, where he states that the spirits fighting back against Padmasambhava was like an old lady fighting Mike Tyson. Through his compassion, Padmasambhava or Guru Rinpoche subdued the spirits and then bound them to oath to protect the Dharma.
Categories of Dharma Protectors
Many of the mundane Dharma protectors are these spirits that were subdued and sworn to protect the Dharma, its doctrine and practitioners. People can make offerings to them, requesting help or assistance, in the same way that you could pay an attorney or someone else for help, but one doesn’t take refuge in them because they’re not enlightened. Personally I don’t petition mundane protectors because I really don’t want to confuse my practice.
Supramundane protectors are emanations of bodhisattvas or are actually enlightened beings. The point of petitioning them is to protect oneself in practice until bodhichitta is generated. If someone needs things like resources, health, and other influence while practicing the path to enlightenment, then those things can be made available through protectors.
The main thing is that someone has to have pure samaya or a pure relationship with their teacher and to actually practice pure morality. Without practicing pure morality and having a clean relationship with one’s teacher, petitioning a supramundane protector is more or less pointless because nothing will happen. Some people slavishly petition protectors day and night without having kept pure vows and precepts, and nothing happens. I think it would be better time spent to practice actual Dharma instead.
How Does it All Work?
There’s one explanation that Tsem Tulku once gave that has stuck in my head and that I really like. He says that when one is petitioning a protector, one is actually doing the 7 Limb Prayer and generating bodhichitta. Based on that merit generated, obstacles are removed. If you’re on a busy street, it’s like someone pulling you safely back onto the sidewalk. However, just because you’re safe today doesn’t mean you’re safe tomorrow.
Is Dharma Protector Practice Cultural?
Many people think Dharma protectors are a Tibetan cultural thing, but that actually isn’t true. Dharma protector practice originated in India. And some Dharma protectors, they were pledged to the Dharma during the time of Buddha Kassapa, the 3rd buddha of the fortunate eon. Buddha Kassapa is also the Buddha previous to Shakyamuni Buddha, who is historically known for most people as “The Buddha.” I’ve also been to a Vietnamese monastery and seen Dharma protectors. So I mention this, to dispel ideas that only the “crazy Tibetans” do Dharma protector practice.
Why Are Dharma Protectors Always so Angry?
As most people notice, Dharma protectors usually look angry or wrathful. The explanation that I liked for this, is because they’re angry at our afflictive emotions like anger, attachment, jealousy, ignorance etc that causes so much harm to ourselves and others.
When peaceful methods no longer subdue the mindstream, sometimes a wrathful appearance is used. An example is if you have a kid and he keeps wildly misbehaving, you might start to worry that he might grow up to be a criminal if he doesn’t change. As a method, you might be very stern with him to get the message across. On the outside you can look fierce, but on the inside the motivation is compassion.
Dharma Protectors of the Lamrim
Within the Lamrim tradition, there are three scopes of practice. The initial scope practitioner is someone who practices for a better future life. A middle scope practitioner practices for individual liberation. A great scope practitioner practices to attain enlightenment in order to lead other beings to liberation and happiness.
The great scope is not independent of the small and medium scope, the small scope sets the foundation for the medium scope, and the small and medium scope set the foundation for the great scope. So everything is interconnected and interdependent, a great scope practitioner must practice everything and not skip the previous scopes.
There are specific Dharma protectors whose role it is to protect the doctrine of the Lamrim or the different scopes. Here’s an article from His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the role of Dharma protectors within the Gelug tradition. According to His Holiness, the protectors of the lamrim are the only protectors one needs, if one practices them at all.
The Dharma protectors of the lamrim or stages of the path tradition are supramundane protectors.
Kalarupa
Kalarupa, Dhamra Protector of the Small Scope of the Lamrim
Kalarupa, the Dharma protector of the small scope of the Lamrim. He’s also an emanation of Manjushri, Buddha of wisdom.
Vaishravana
Vaishravana, Dharma Protector of the Medium Scope of the Lamrim
Vaishravana is also known as Dzambhala, a wealth deity. While most people associate wealth with material wealth, wealth refers more to spiritual wealth. He is the Dharma protector of the middle scope of the Lamrim, and is associated with ethics.
Six-Armed Mahakala
6 Armed Mahakala, Dharma Protector of the Great Scope of the Lamrim
6 Armed Mahakala is an emanation of Avolakitashvara, Buddha of compassion. He’s the Dharma protector of the large scope of the Lamrim. Since 6 Armed Mahakala is an emanation of Chenrezig, there’s a special emphasis with compassion, helping to generate the great compassion needed for the great scope.
Vajrapani
Vajrapani, protector of the secret tantras
Vajrapani represents the pure power and energy of enlightened mind, and is an emanation of Akshobya. He is also known as the “Lord of Secrets,” and he protects the secret Tantra. He is also known to be the last of the 1000 Buddhas who will manifest in this fortunate eon. Buddha Shakyamuni, the historical Buddha, was the 4th.
Dharma Protectors and My Own Practice
For my own personal practice, I find that relying on Dharma protectors has helped me with my meditations on the stages of the path or lamrim, working alongside with the practice of ngondro to help accumulate merit and purify karma to support my meditations. These help me with general intereferences that often happen when practicing and keep me consistent.
The thing about Dharma Protector practice, is that they constantly reinforce guru yoga and the view of emptiness. Without these things, as well as some understanding of bodhichitta, protector practice doesn’t make much sense.
All tantric deities are symbolism for the union of wisdom and compassion, and protectors are just one manifestation of enlightenment. I’m finding that in my own practice, protectors manifest very fierce and quick activity.
One way to look at it, is that many people are unaware of their actions. They appear very scary and fierce to other people, similar to a protector. Since they’re unaware, they just keep doing it and scaring people. A protector more or less mirrors back our anger and other dillusions back at us. So instead of sending out our anger to others, it gets sent back to us and we have to deal with it. Fierce tantric dieties, I believe, are very useful for creating awareness.
I’ll do a post in the future about my thoughts about Dharma protector practice and my thoughts on its relevancy for western practitioners.
One can find the praise to the dharma protectors of the lamrim here as well as other practices.
Related Posts:
Tantric Symbolism and Confusion
Keeping Tantric Commitments After an Initiation
More Buddhist Prayers and Practices…
I am relatively new to the study & practice of Buddhism. While drawn to Tibetan teachings, I find religiosity surrounding the primacy of a guru and “teacher devotion” rather problematic. The doctrine of ‘guru devotion’ seems to suggest that a person who lives in a personal situation or geographic location that renders such a relationship impractical or impossible would be incapable of making much spiritual progress. This strikes me as redolent of the doctrine of “predestination” associated with Calvinism, and persisting in many American strains of Christianity: if you don’t have an opportunity to meet and form a relationship with an ordained Buddhist teacher, then what? I’m not a pragmatist who discounts the role of the mystical in the stream of life, but in your article, the statement is: “The main thing is that someone has to have pure samaya or a pure relationship with their teacher and to actually practice pure morality. Without practicing pure morality and having a clean relationship with one’s teacher, petitioning a supramundane protector is more or less pointless because nothing will happen.” Are you really suggesting that spirits, sworn to protect the dharma, are indifferent to the entreaties of members of the Sangha who aren’t card-carrying devotees of a particular teacher, or who haven’t participated in particular human symbolic rites? This construction of ‘teacher devotion’ suggests an order of subjugation of all consciousness-bearing entities to some sort of deity-ordained priesthood; and seems antithetical to many of the core teachings of the Buddha, even as enunciated by many followers of Tibetan Buddhists whose audio teachings and contemporary writings I have studied. I’m not trying to start a debate or anything, but I would certainly appreciate your further thoughts on the implications of the Tibetan Buddhist insistence on devotion to a particular, incarnate guru, vs. devotion to the universal Buddha, to enlightened beings/Bodhisattvas, however manifest in the lives of practitioners who may not be fortunate enough to have access to a relationship with a particular teacher. Even if it’s to say “if you have such doubts, maybe you should be studying another form of Buddhism.”
Hi Julie
I’ll try to answer the best I can, but I’m not a scholar or a realized yogi, I think I’m in trouble now =D
“Guru Devotion” is actually a bad translation, even though that’s the term often used. Thubten Chodron says “relying on a spiritual teacher” is actually a better term.
I think the difficult part about this subject, is that so many texts say that someone has to see the guru as “Buddha,” which is true only in certain contexts. There are many levels of teachers, some teachers teach foundational practices like ethics and karma, and give refuge precepts. In this relationship, a person is supposed to see the teacher more as a spiritual friend we rely on. The next level is a teacher that gives bodhisattva vows and teaches the bodhisattva path. Once we progress to that level, we can see this person as an emanation that teaches us the Dharma.
Once we get involved in advanced tantric practice, this is where the whole “guru yoga” comes into play. In this role, a teacher gives tantric initiation and gives tantric vows. Tantra is a practice that changes our perception and removes the mundane view of life that drags us down. We see the world we live in as a pure realm, and other beings around us as deities. If we see everyone else as deities, it would be strange not to see our teacher as a Buddha while everyone else has received a heightened status. So naturally, of course the teacher gets viewed as a Buddha as well. I think this is where the translation “guru devotion” comes from, it’s because now we change our perception and feel that we’re studying with a Buddha, and increase the blessings we get. The problem with this is “guru devotion” sounds like someone turns into a slobbering mess and completely submits. I think people are supposed to retain their wisdom, but if anything, subdues their ego.
From the view of tantra, that’s where the whole “guru yoga” thing moves into full gear. Until that stage is reached, I don’t think its necessary to look for a guru disciple/student relationship. It’s just that a protector practice, by nature, is a tantric practice.
I think the confusing part about “guru devotion” is that it’s thrown around a lot, especially very early. If you read the lamrim, it’s in the first chapter. This is because the lamrim is meant to be preparation for entering the tantric vehicle.
The other thing, is because “guru devotion” is thrown around so often, people think that they have to find a teacher or else they can’t practice, and that’s not true. A lot of the texts say that before someone even enters a student/teacher relationship from a tantric context, they’re supposed to the study the teacher for 12 years before deciding they’re qualified.
I think the important thing is that the “real guru” is our inner guru. It just happens that we don’t know how to connect with that, so we rely on an “external guru” to help us find the “inner guru.” In my opinion, the external guru is a device until we come to understand the nature of our own mind.
There are two levels of protectors, supramundane and mundane protectors. Mundane are the spirits that were subdued to protect the dharma. They’re basically like us, practitioners trying to practice dharma, but they’ve been around longer and live in different circumstances. In theory they’re like us, they’re supposed to practice for the benefit of others. From my point of view, a mundane dharma protector is like a naughty spirit that turned things around and seemingly took bodhisattva vows.
Supramundane dharma protectors are emanations of bodhisattvas or Buddhas. I believe they’re pretty much non discriminate towards all beings, they work for the benefit of others all the time wether they’re aware of it or not. I’m sure this is a point that not all forms of Buddhism would acknowledge, but it’s something pretty particular to the Mahayana practice.
People propitiate protectors because they need an extra kick in their practice, but a lot of this works at a deep psychological level. It works with symbolism and less on gross conceptual elaboration. On the exterior it looks like someone is petitioning an external thing, but actually someone is actually working with the inner workings of their own mind.
In the praise to Palden Lhamo, a protector, there is a phrase that says “The four actions, in their variety, are mind itself. They do not exist from the mind, yet mind does not exist.” The four actions are the four activities of a protector, that of pacifying, increase, control and wrath. But these four actions, are mind itself, but mind itself does not exist. So you can kind of see, it’s extremely esoteric but its actually an internal process occurring.
I’m not sure if that answered everything or if I was just all over the place, but I’ll stop here until this turns into a full blown essay that will incriminate me further =D
Lee
Sorry, clarification on the Palden Lhamo Praise. It’s actually
“The four actions, in their variety, are mind itself. They do not exist APART from the mind, yet mind does not exist.”
=D
In case you’re interested, here is a audio recording that helps explain the role of the spiritual teacher, in more or less clearer terms, and by someone more qualified ;D . It’s a recording of a teaching of Ven Thubten Chodron, as you probably know, is the abbes of Sravasti Abbey near Spokane.
http://www.archive.org/details/Tse_Chen_Ling_Thubten_Chodron_Taming_the_Mind_20050416
Thank you so much, Lee, for composing such a thoughtful & careful reply to my comment; and for the suggestions for further study. I’ll be printing your reply out and adding it to my ‘homework’ this weekend. I am familiar with Ven. Thubten Chodron, and have begun delving into her book & audio encompassing the Lamrim meditations.
There is much in your reply that echoes what I seem to have discerned in my studies to date. In particular, conceptualizing the ‘theology’ of Tibetan Buddhism as an elaborate symbolism for the workings of the inner teacher; the mind itself. While the Tibetan visualization is obviously full of wisdom and very useful in making progress along the path, it seems to me that that one’s mind- which as you note, is always changing, and ultimately is nothingness – can access reality perhaps more easily via the imagery and symbolism it is more immediately familiar with due to a particular cultural and experiential context of this particular human life, at this particular point in the evolution towards enlightenment.
Concretizing any aspect of Tibetan Buddhist thought- or that of any other school of Buddhism- can become an impediment, especially to willful Westerners like me! It’s easy to catch one mind on a snag and lose track of the fundamentals- impermanence, emptiness, and generation of compassion. On the other hand, it would be foolish to discard practices and traditions that have served to advance so many towards enlightenment simply because their appearance seems unfamiliar or difficult to grasp.
One of the things that is stunning to me about this study is the resonance I have experienced while listening to/reading certain teachers- almost a ‘deja vu’ effect and a recognition of a known truth- rather than a more conventional/familiar ‘learning’ of new ideas. In listening to Robert Thurman’s lectures, and reading the collected works of Chogyam Trungpa- the latter of which one is frequently warned off from as too “advanced”- I feel at times like I’m reviewing things I already knew; as though someone is just illuminating things I’d put in the wrong place, and am now privileged to re-locate, and consider further.
The function of a teacher is perhaps to open the mind to glimpses of eternal reality we’ve all along been immersed in, but are easily led off track from here in samsara?
Again, Lee, thank you so much for all the time and effort you put into your reply. I think I see that you yourself are a “teacher” in this context, and I greatly appreciate your thoughts and ideas. I look forward to seeing the e-mail notices of new posting to ‘Clear & Empy Mind,’ and I’m sure we’ll ‘meet’ here again!