Dorje Shugden’s 2023 Losar Advice
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The Tibetan community all over the world recently celebrated Losar or Tibetan New Year. The celebrations typically last for 15 days with the first three days being the most important. On the first day of the new year, the Panglung Oracle usually takes trance of the Dharma Protector Dorje Shugden to give a general pronouncement for the year ahead.
The line of Panglung Oracles has been taking trance of Dorje Shugden for generations. The illustrious oracular tradition has been passed down from father to son and is renowned throughout Tibet. The Panglung Oracles are known for giving incredibly accurate pronouncements which have often saved lives. In fact, one of the best-known examples is when the 6th Panglung Oracle saved the life of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. The oracle, in trance of Dorje Shugden, advised His Holiness to leave Tibet immediately, even providing the specific route to use to travel to India, thereby saving his life.
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The Panglung Oracles are known to take trance of many Dharma Protectors. However, they are most famous for taking trance of Dorje Shugden. Amongst the pantheon of Dharma Protectors that enter the oracles, Dorje Shugden is unique in his ability to remain in an oracle for an extended period of time when he is in his peaceful form known as Duldzin. Selected oracles such as the Choyang Duldzin Oracle and Gameng Oracle can take trance of Duldzin.
In the case of the Panglung Oracle, it is peaceful Kache Marpo, known as Yumar Gyalchen, who delivers the teaching on behalf of Dorje Shugden. Yumar Gyalchen does this in his capacity as the attendant and main minister to the Wisdom Buddha Dorje Shugden.
During such trances, which can sometimes last hours, Dorje Shugden (or Yumar Gyalchen) gives teachings, predictions, advice, guidance and blessings. No other Dharma Protector is known to have used an oracle’s body to give teachings. This is a reflection of Dorje Shugden’s ultimate nature as the Buddha of Wisdom, Manjushri. It is also a testament to Dorje Shugden’s previous lives, such as Panchen Sonam Drakpa, Duldzin Drakpa Gyaltsen and many others, who were the most brilliant scholars, great masters, thinkers and teachers of their time.
This Year’s Pronouncement
Similar to the advice given during Losar in 2022, Dorje Shugden’s 2023 pronouncement is shorter and more concise than those made during previous years. After extending his usual greetings, the Protector reminds practitioners that this is the blessed Month of Miracles. It is traditionally celebrated with the Great Prayer Festival (Monlam Chenmo), as established by Lama Tsongkhapa, and is a time to make offerings and generate merit as this is the manner in which practitioners should celebrate such events.
The Protector then speaks about the Losar celebrations coinciding with the ‘Festival of Miracles’ or Chotrul Duchen in Tibetan. This festival commemorates the special occasion during which Buddha Shakyamuni revealed his miraculous powers in order to subdue six spiritual teachers who had challenged him. It is also one of the four major Buddhist celebrations based on Buddha’s life and deeds. The other three are Saga Dawa Duchen (Wesak or the celebration of Buddha’s birth, enlightenment and parinirvana), Chokhor Duchen (Buddha’s Turning the Wheel of the Dharma) and Lhabab Duchen (Buddha’s Descent from the Heaven of the Thirty-Three after teaching the Dharma). During these four holy days, the effects of virtuous actions are multiplied 10 million times.
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The Protector urges practitioners to collect merit during this period as a means to make this life meaningful since such actions benefit us into our future lives. In Buddhism, we recognise that much of what we do on a daily basis benefits us only in this life and does not really help us at the time of our death. Therefore, the Protector urges us to strive to make this life meaningful because we recognise the rarity of our current human rebirth and how it can end very easily. That is why we should engage in Dharma practice, to create many more virtuous causes for our future lives.
The Protector continues by urging us to be mindful of our body, speech and mind by refraining from committing the Ten Non-Virtuous Actions. The ten unwholesome or non-virtuous actions are:
- Taking life
- Taking what is not given
- Sexual misconduct
- Lying
- Sowing discord
- Harsh speech
- Idle gossip (or worthless chatter)
- Covetousness
- Ill will (or wishing harm on others)
- Wrong views
The Protector then speaks about karma, which means the results of our actions. Karma is summarised as: good actions lead to one’s happiness while bad actions lead to one’s suffering. The karma that we accumulate does not disappear on its own accord; it either comes to fruition or is purified by spiritual practice.
Delving deeper, the Protector explains how we are all bound in samsara, the cycle of suffering due to our karma and delusions. We have all experienced many types of sufferings over and over again. We have taken countless rebirths as the highest gods and have also had countless rebirths as denizens in the lowest depths of the hells. As long as we are in samsara, we will continue to experience overt suffering, known as the ‘suffering of suffering’ in scripture. We will also experience pleasure that is subject to impermanence, known as the ‘suffering of change’. These two are part of the three general sufferings of samsara, the last being known as ‘pervasive suffering’.
At this point, the Protector ends his pronouncement by urging us to petition the Lama, Yidam and Protector as one, thus allowing us to tap into their combined blessings. He then requests that practitioners learn and contemplate on the Dharma, especially the teachings on karma. Finally, he advises that we should put effort into practising the Three Principal Aspects of the Path – Renunciation, Bodhicitta and the Correct View of Emptiness.
Original Audio Recording
(Tibetan)
Click the PLAY button to listen to the audio.
The Great Protector Dorje Shugden’s
2023 Losar Message
(Transmitted via the Venerable 7th Panglung Oracle on Feb 21, 2023)
We are gathered here to celebrate the Tibetan New Year. Today is the first day. It is an auspicious beginning.
According to Tibetan custom, the Month of Miracles falls during the first month of the Tibetan calendar. In the past, Buddha Shakyamuni performed miraculous feats at this time. In order to commemorate these events, his followers celebrate these great deeds. That is why we have the custom of celebrating Chotrul Dawa (Month of Miracles).
Hundreds of years ago, The King of Dharma, Manjunatha Je Tsongkhapa established the Monlam Chenmo, also known as The Great Prayer Festival, by leading the three great monasteries — Sera, Drepung, Gaden, and other monasteries to make extensive prostrations and offerings. Both the sangha and lay community pay great attention to this festival.
If we manage to do virtuous deeds during holy and auspicious days, the benefits are incalculable. If one is to collect merits, there is no other better time than now. All of you should be diligent in performing virtuous deeds within this period of time, because by doing so, the remaining part of your life will be meaningful. And you should never only think about this life. If you manage to do something that is beneficial for your next life, then you are not wasting your current precious human life.
You should diligently refrain from engaging in non-virtuous deeds such as killing, lying, divisive speech, malicious speech, and the rest. Especially within this holy month, even the slightest non-virtuous action can turn into a major one. You should pay attention to the little virtuous deeds as well, as they could be beneficial for you if you do them diligently. Whatever karma, good or bad, that you have created will not disappear. As the saying goes ‘The accumulated karmas of even one hundred aeons are never lost.’ Virtuous deeds bear the fruits of happiness, non-virtuous deeds bear the fruits of suffering. Each type of karma will bear its own fruits, they will never get mixed up.
From the past until now, we are bound in samsara. Fundamentally, this is due to our karma and delusions, and ignorance as the cause. Within samsara, we have above us the Peak of Existence, and below us the Hell Without Respite. We have to liberate ourselves out of samsara. For as long as we remain in samsara, there will only be suffering. At times we may experience happiness, but that is not real happiness, because that is not lasting happiness. They will change, just like as explained in ‘the suffering of change’ and ‘the suffering of suffering’.
I don’t have anything further to say.
Every day diligently think that the Lama, Yidam and Protector are one, fervently pray to the unmistaken refuge — The Three Jewels. Pay attention to karma. The profoundness of Dharma is the profoundness of karma. Put in all effort to practise Renunciation, Bodhicitta and Right View of Emptiness.
Tashi delek.
多杰雄登大护法新春开示 2023
今天是西藏新年初一，在此慶祝新年，大眾共同匯聚吉祥的緣起。
西藏的習俗中，神變月是藏曆正月，過去佛陀在此月示現神變，佛弟子追隨緬懷，(而形成神變節的傳統)。以往妙音怙主法王宗喀巴大師，帶領三大寺色拉、哲蚌、甘丹等， 啟建大願法會，廣行禮拜、供養，不論僧俗都十分重視，如果在重大節日盡力行善，利益非常廣大，各自累積福德，沒有較此更好的時機緣分。各位在這段時期，應盡所能努力行善，如此則能令餘生具有意義。非僅為了此生，如果能做利益來生之事，就能使有暇之身不致空過。
不善之事如殺生、妄語、離間、惡語等十不善業，要盡己所能去防範。特別是這樣的日子，就算是輕微的不善，也會形成重大罪惡。即使是微小的善事，也不要不以為意，盡所能努力行善，都會有利益。累積的業不論好壞，都不會失壞，所謂「縱經百劫業不失」。由行善而生樂果，由行不善而生苦果，隨業各別生果，不會互相混雜。
從過去到現在，以業與煩惱為根本，由無明故，在輪迴中輪轉。所為輪迴，上從有頂天，下至無間地獄，我們必須由此輪迴解脫。只要未能從輪迴解脫，唯有苦性。偶爾會有快樂，也不是真實的快樂。因為不是永久的安樂，所以會轉變，轉變為苦苦、壞苦。
不必多說，平時應盡力將上師、本尊、護法視為無二無別，向毫無欺誤的皈依處—最勝三寶，好好祈禱。要重視業果，法的甚深，就是業因果甚深。盡力修學出離心、菩提心、正見。吉祥如意！
For more interesting information:
- Dorje Shugden’s 2020 Losar Advice
- Dorje Shugden’s 2021 Losar Advice
- Dorje Shugden’s 2022 Losar Advice
- The Farm of Your Mind | 你的“心田
- Beginner’s Introduction to Dorje Shugden
- Why I share Dorje Shugden with others
- Various prayers to Dorje Shugden composed by His Holiness the Omniscient 10th Panchen Lama (PDF)
- Never Seen Before Footage of Dorje Shugden Oracles
- The 14th Dalai Lama’s prayer to Dorje Shugden
- Dorje Shugden Taking Trance in Peaceful Form | 多杰雄登护法寂静尊降神
- H.E. the 25th Tsem Tulku Rinpoche’s Biography
- What He Can Do For Us?
- Dorje Shugden: My Side of the Story
- Dorje Shugden Gyenze to Increase Life, Merits and Wealth
- Shize: A Practice for Healing and Long Life
- Dorje Shugden Trakze to Dispel Black Magic & Spirits
- Dorje Shugden Wangze for Power and Influence
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Thank you so much for sharing this, all so clear and comprehensive. Really really enjoying all the videos from H E Tsem Rinpoche, and my heart aches I did not “find” him until after he left us.
Can someone please tell me the place/venue/monastery where the Panglung Oracle took trance of Dorje Shugden 2023? Thank you in advance.
The great oracle of Panglung took trance at a Dharma center in Taiwan. It is an annual practice that the oracle would take trance on Tibetan Losar day and the Great Protector Dorje Shugden would give advice/teachings and answer questions from various monasteries and/or Lamas.
Be blessed with the video and reading the explanation and advice by the Panglung Oracle taking trance of the Dharma Protector Dorje Shugden for year 2023. Panglung Oracle of Dorje Shugden was one of the most famous and well known oracle throughout Tibet for generations. For many centuries, the Panglung Oracle has been taking trance of Dorje Shugden, Kache Marpo, Setrap and several other Protector deities. The Panglung Oracle has given extremely accurate and prophetic answers. It was the renowned oracle who had advised H H the 14th Dalai Lama to leave Tibet during the tumultuous year of Chinese invasion. Through his clear trances of Dorje Shugden, the Panglung Oracle has brought tremendous benefit to many thousands. Dorje Shugden’s ultimate nature when in trance will gives teachings, predictions, advice, guidance and blessings. For this year the advices are more concise, we practitioner should engage in Dharma practice seriously, be mindful of our body, speech and mind and a good reminder of karma. We are to create more virtuous causes for our future lives.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing these invaluable advice for the year.
Thank you very much Rinpoche and blog team for sharing Dorje Shugden’s 2023 Losar Advice to everyone to collect merits. It is indeed very precious and blessed to hear from Dorje Shugden through Panglung Oracle to send yearly advice to everyone to practice Dharma. 🙏😘