Hello Eric,

The method in which the deity aids in divination depends on the actual mechanism of divination. In the case of Dorje Shugden’s dice divination, the deity does not enter the person doing the divination, but guides the dice to land on the right side to give an accurate answer. Some forms of divination require the practitioner to have developed some form of clairvoyant ability and others require faith in the particular deity. The Dorje Shugden divination dice relies on the latter.

There are actually quite a few guidelines to be followed, not just in the training one must undergo to receive the dice, but in the process of making the dice, and the process in which one uses the dice. Over all, it must be done without a selfish mind, but one that seeks benefit for others. The same applies for other forms of divination, such as mala divination.

As for divination methods relying on Namkha Barzin, I have not come across mention of this before. However, the Dorje Shugden divination is much more reliable because Dorje Shugden is an enligtened being and therefore his clairvoyant ability is much more advanced than Namkha Barzin because the latter is not enlightened. In fact Dorje Shugden’s clairvoyance is the highest, as he is a Buddha.

As for mala divination relying on Dorje Shugden, this is also possible because he is an enlightened being, though I have not come across a tradition or system of mala divination based on Dorje Shugden before.

In regards to Rinpoche training people in divination, none of Rinpoche’s students have completed the entire training process necessary, with all the other per-requisites, at this time. I hope this helps.

Dear Eric W,

Thank you for your question. There are two ways to view our bodies, one is from the sutric system which just talks about the physical body and the mind. The second is from the tantric system, which talks about multiple bodies and the mind.

In the tantric system there are two major bodies, the physical or gross body and the energy or subtle body. The physical body is made up of the elements: earth, water, fire and air. The subtle body however is made up of the winds (sanskrit: prana), channels (sanskrit: nadi), and the drops (sanskrit: bindu). The subtle energies move along the channels. There are many different types of energies known as “winds or breaths”. Within the Highest Yoga Tantra (sanskrit: Anuttarayoga) there are meditations which are used to penetrate these energy channels in order to bring about higher states of mind and spiritual realisations. Meditations that work with the subtle body and energies include the Inner Fire, and Six Yogas of Naropa meditations. However, one can only engage in the meditations after receiving empowerment into the Highest Yoga Tantra practices, and having received the commentaries and instructions on how to practice properly.

It is believed that the mind or consciousness rides on these subtle energies. Just like a jockey rides on a horse. In this case, the mind is the jockey and the subtle energies are the horse. Therefore, with meditation we can control where and how these energies move.

At our level, since the mind is what ultimately directs the winds, we should work with our minds in order to make it more stable. In that way we can also develop more compassion, so that when we are confronted with situations that we are not comfortable with, such as when people invade our energy fields, we can deal with it in a better manner. In fact, one way of doing this is by engaging in various forms of meditation such as breathing meditation (https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/the-accidental-meditator.html). You should give it a try. It will end up balancing your own energy field. That is one side-effect of breathing meditation that people are not aware of. I hope this helps. Thank you.

Dear Eric,

Your questions are thought provoking, as always. When Dorje Shugden or his retinue take trance of either the Panglung Oracle, the Gameng Oracle, or any other oracle for that matter, they speak in the language that the oracle speaks. For example, if the oracle himself speaks Tibetan, and as Dorje Shugden temporarily inhabits the body of the oracle, he uses the faculties of the oracle’s body to speak in Tibetan.

Similarly, if Dorje Shugden was to take trance in an oracle that spoke English, he would communicate with practitioners in English. And you are right in saying that neither the Panglung or Gameng Oracles speak in a “Twilight” language. In fact, they both speak in very clear Tibetan when in trance, as both oracles speak and communicate in Tibetan primarily.

Now, for Nechung, he does indeed speak in a “Twilight” language when in trance of his oracle. Therefore, his predictions and what he says requires ‘translation’ into ordinary language. This ‘translation’ is done by the oracle’s assistants who are said to have been trained in understanding this language. The strange thing is that it is not clear who actually teaches these assistants this “Twilight” language. On top of that since the ‘translation’ comes from ordinary monks, instead of through the oracle and therefore directly from Nechung himself, they can be swayed by outside influence. Therefore you are totally correct is deducing that they could indeed be pressured or bribed into ‘translating’ something entirely false. I hope this helps. Thank you.

Dear Eric,

It is really nice to see you here again. As far as I am aware there are no ‘recognised’ oracles that can channel, and the reason for this is that taking full and complete trance is considered a higher ability within Tibetan Buddhism, as it allows the deity complete control over the body and speech of the oracle, in order to communicate with practitioners.

The ability of channeling would necessarily be a part of an oracles training. As it takes time for the oracle’s mind to leave their body completely so that the deity can enter. As you probably already know, when an oracle takes trance their consciousness leaves the body completely, allowing the energies of the deity to enter. Channeling is different in that the consciousness of oracle does not leave completely, therefore there can be some degree of mental awareness on the part of the oracle during the process. I hope this helps. Please do post again if there is anything more specific you would like to know. Thank you.

Dear Jean,

Thank you for posting another question. I’m glad that you have read the Dorje Shugden post. According to Buddhist philosophy there is no way that anyway can steal your merits or good fortune. Merits are your own, and good fortune is based on karma, which is again your own. These cannot be stolen by anyone, because it belongs to us and everyone has their own karma and merits.

Now, when we are cursed with black magic and it seems that our good fortune goes down, what is actually happening. At this point, due to the effects of the black magic, our karma to experience good fortune takes a back seat, while our karma to experience suffering ripens and we feel its effects. But why does this happen?

To experience karma, either good or bad, the causes and conditions for it to arise must be there. For example, you have the karma to eat apples. If you live in a land where apples grow, or can be imported from other countries, then you are able to eat apples. But if you live in a country where apples do not grow, and there is no way to get apples from other countries, even though you have the karma to eat apples, you will not be able to eat them.

Similarly, when we are cursed by black magic, the conditions are there for us to experience the negative effects of our karma. Therefore it seems that our good fortune has declined, or that someone has stolen it. This isn’t the case, but it’s that the conditions are there for our negative karma to manifest.

That is why in Buddhism an emphasis is placed on purifying negative karma, and in not creating further negative karma by leading a good life. When we do that, in the future we will not suffer.

However, before then, if we are afflicted by black magic, the compassionate enlightened beings have appeared in forms that can help us alleviate the effects of our karma. These practices work by purifying the karma that causes us suffering and at the same time generating vast amounts of merit, which overshadow the effects of our negative karma, so that our situation improves. One such practice is the practice of Trakze Dorje Shugden, which you can find here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/trakze-to-dispel-black-magic-spirits.html

I hope the above explanation helps. Do post again if you have further questions. Thank you.

Dear Eric,

Thank you for your very interesting question. Karma and reality according to Buddhist philosophy is a very deep subject, and one that requires some amount of study to understand. Therefore, I would just like to being by saying that whatever I write here will not do it justice because the space is very limited. If I may, I would like to suggest that you read the sections on Karma in Pabongka Rinpoche’s text called Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand. Pabongka Rinpoche’s explanation is much more comprehensive, and later on in the same book, the subject of emptiness is dealt with. That text will provide you with a much better understanding of this. There is also an excellent teaching on karma given by His Eminence the 25th Tsem Rinpoche available here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/discovering-yourself-a-teaching-on-karma-mindstream.html. It describes how we actually can live by the law of karma in our daily lives to better ourselves.

To start off, in the case of murder, the one who is murdered themselves created the karma to be murdered in previously lives. Perhaps they killed someone themselves. But this karma needed a trigger to be opened, and that is the situation that arose that led them to be murdered. If the situation was different, then obviously they would not have been murdered. Now the murderer, him or herself created the karmic propensity to murder people, so perhaps in many previously lifetimes they killed people again and again. This left what is known as a negative imprint in the mindstream, which is to murder someone. So you see karma is not so straightforward as most people believe. If there are two people involved, then it is actually the karma and imprints of both of these people that leads to the outcome.

In the case of someone randomly hitting you. You have the karma to be randomly hit, which comes from previous lives, but the person who hit you also has the karma and karmic imprints of violence within their mindstream so that they are violent enough to hit a complete stranger.

In regards to reality, there is what is known as conventional reality, which is what we live through due to our karma and delusions, but there is also an ultimate reality. Pabongka Rinpoche’s explanation of this in the text I mentioned before will provide a better understanding of this for you.

So you see, karma is multifaceted and not simply a 1-for-1 rule. In any situation, it depends on all the people/beings involved, as well as the situation, and the karma and imprints from previous lives. I do apologise if this explanation does not make too much sense, but it is hard to explain all of this in such a short space. The text Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand will provide you a much better understanding. You can find this book at bookshops that have a large section on Buddhism or you can also order it online here: https://www.vajrasecrets.com/lamrim-liberation-in-the-palm-of-your-hand.

I hope this helps you. Thank you.

Dear Eric,

It is really nice to see you here again. You’re right about the fact that the 31st Sakya Trizin, among many other Sakya masters recognised Dorje Shugden as a Dharma protector.

Technically speaking, the person who official recognised Dorje Shugden as a Dharma protector within the Gelug tradition is actually His Holiness the 5th Dalai Lama, who offered the site of Trode Khangsar, in Lhasa to Dorje Shugden. This was one of the Dalai Lama’s ‘picnic’ sites, which he offered to Dorje Shugden for a shrine to be built there. It lies off the side of the larger circumambulation path of the Potala Palace in Lhasa. His Holiness the 5th Dalai Lama even composed a prayer to Dorje Shugden in the form of a Dharma protector, which you find here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/dorje-shugden/the-14th-dalai-lamas-prayer-to-dorje-shugden.html

Trode Khangsar was later entrusted to Riwo Choling Monastery, and had 11 monks and an oracle stationed there at all times for the purposes of propitiating Dorje Shugden. So even though Dorje Shugden became an important protector practice within the Sakya tradition, it had already been established within the Gelug tradition. Many great masters of the Gelug tradition composed prayers to the protector, but it really wasn’t until Pabongka Rinpoche and his gurus did the practice really take hold throughout the entire tradition. I hope this explanation helps.

Thank you.

Dear Jean,

Thank you for your question. Yes, actually the images of the Buddha in the Bhumisparsha Mudra and Shakyamuni Buddha are one and the same. There is no difference between the both of them.

The Bhumisparsha Mudra (meaning “earth-touching” mudra) is representative of very moment of Buddha Shakyamuni’s enlightenment. It is said that at the moment of enlightenment, he touched the earth and called upon her to witness his enlightenment. Therefore, this image of the Buddha is very common.

Either Shakyamuni Buddha in meditative posture, or in the Bhumisparsha Mudra is perfect for one’s shrine at home. Which representation you choose is up to you personal preference, because both are the same, just represented in a different manner. I hope this helps. Thank you.

Dear Valdakir,

Thank you for your question. It is interesting that your Karmic Debt number was not found according the Numerology calculator. Actually when your number if ‘0’. This is what it means when you have no Karmic Debt number. In the system of numerology, this means that in this life, you do not have an over-riding karmic influence that you need to overcome.

For example, those with the Karmic Debt number 16, in previously lives they were extremely irresponsible and so hurt many people. In this life, they need to overcome this Karmic Debt by developing humility. For those with a Karmic Debt of “0”this basically means that they have no major over-riding karma that they need to overcome in this lifetime. This is not to say that they have no karma, it is just that in this life it has not manifested in a big way. However, those with a Karmic Debt of “0” just need to deal with situations however they arise.

All of the above is from a Numerology point of view. From the point of view of Buddhism and therefore Tibetan Astrology, we all have huge amounts of karma from previous lives. And the only way to truly be free of this karma is by gaining enlightenment. I hope this helps.

Thank you.

Dear Eric,

Thank you for your question. There are no current oracles that take trance of yidam deities, as far as I am aware. Though yidams taking trance of oracles is not outside the realm of possibility. However, this would be extremely difficult to accomplish due to the pure strength of their energy.

Whereas protectors that take trance in oracles are in worldly formly, eg. within the realm of samsara, yidam deities exist outside of samsara as they are enlightened beings. However, they do have Sambhogakaya forms (enjoyment body forms), which we commonly visualise in our meditations and depict in images. Though this has a form, technically speaking it is not of samsara, therefore for this form to enter an oracle can be extremely difficult.

This difficulty comes not only from their particular energies being too much for a normal corporeal form to handle, but also the karma of practitioners to be able to communicate with them. I hope this helps!

Dear Eric,

Yes, you are right to say that both Shinjachen and Tsangpa Karpo are silent in that they have not chosen their respective oracles to take trance of. There could be a number of reasons for this:

1. The protectors are still waiting for a suitable candidate to be born with the family lineage of oracles. Even though historically oracular ability has been passed down from father to son, there is no reason to believe that it must be this way. It may and can skip a generation or two until the protector thinks that there is someone suitable to become and oracle.

2. The community is lacking the karma to be able to communicate with the protectors hence they have not manifested their next oracle.

3. The protectors are not pleased with the behaviour in general within the community or what is happening within the government (as they are primarily entreated to give advice to the government). Therefore they remain silent.

These are just three examples of why the two protectors remain silent, but there can be many causes. I hope this helps. Thank you.

Dear Dan,

Thank you for your question. Both titles can be used to refer to our root guru or high lamas. The word Kyabgon is actually more respectful than the word Kyabje, though they both have the same meaning. Within the Tibetan language there are varying levels of honorific titles. Though they have the same meaning, some words from a linguistic perspective show more respect.

Both Kyabje and Kyabgon both refer to someone that helps us, that can guide us and liberate us from cyclic existence (samsara) and ultimately achieve complete enlightenment. I hope this helps.

Thank you.

Dear Shuchi,

Sorry, but I do not have a clairvoyance to be able to answer this question for you. However, you may find the following links interesting:

https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/tibetan-astrology/tibetan-astrology.html

https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/horoscopes/the-chinese-zodiac.html

https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/numerology/numerology-calculator.html

I hope this helps. Thank you

Dear Kiran Saharan,

Thank you for your question. The best way to teach our children the right way to live and to be a better person starts with ourselves. How we behave, our own views, what we think and how we react in situations is the best example to show our children. When we ourselves think and act in a good manner, then when we explain things to our children, they will listen because we have transformed ourselves to become better people.

His Eminence the 25th Tsem Rinpoche has a good teaching to read and understand, you can find it by clicking here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/me/we-are-our-parents.html. Another interesting video you might want to watch is this one: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/me/in-forest-with-kids.html.

Show children the right path begins with ourselves. We need to show them the right path by pracitising what we are telling them. Only then will they truly have confidence in living a good life and being of benefit to others. I hope this helps.

Thank you.

Dear Eric,
Thank you for the follow up questions. They are indeed very interesting! Yes, you are right about the ‘family’ lineages of certain oracles such as the Gadong and Panglung Oracles. As for if an oracle reincarnates in his/her next life as an oracle, I have not come across mention of this anywhere before.

Say if the 7th Panglung Oracles reincarnates and then is recognised as the genuine reincarnation, then he would become a tulku, rather than an oracle. Though it is not outside the realm of possibility that he could retain his ability as an oracle, if he would was ‘recognised’ as a reincarnation, then he would be classed as a tulku with oracular abilities, and not as an oracle. But this is just a hypothesis, because I have not come across this anywhere before. I hope this helps. Thank you.

Dear Asha,

Thank you for your question. Buddhism explains that there are many types of clairvoyant abilities that people are either born with naturally or can develop through certain techniques. Therefore people can and do have these abilities, which can manifest in different forms and variations between people. So, it is very possible that some of these people do not need to meet you or see you face to face in order to be able to tell things about you.

However, in Buddhism we also believe that these abilities can actually be from spirits or other non-physical beings. In this case, the person may believe that they are seeing things for themselves. But in actual fact, they are being sent this information by spirits or other non-physical beings. This can be for good or bad purposes. However, when people use spirits for their clairvoyant ability, even though these spirits can be powerful, they cannot be relied upon. This is because their clairvoyant ability exists within samsara, or cyclic existence. The only beings that have true clairvoyance are the enlightened beings, also known as Buddhas, who have transcended samsara completely. I hope this helps. Thank you.

Dear Eric,

Thank you for your question. According to Buddhism, everything that we go through in life is due to karma, which is caused by actions we have taken earlier on in this life on in previous lifetimes. These actions lead to our experiencing certain things, which in your case includes hearing beings talk to you telepathically. This phenomena can be explained many different ways from the Buddhist perspective.

1. Karma can manifest any number of ways. One of the most common is physical or physiological problems. If i may suggest, you can visit a qualified medical professional to rule this out as being symptomatic of something more serious. If the talking is due to something like this, you can engage in the practice of Shize, to help with the healing process. There is a post on Shize available here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/dorje-shugden/shize-a-practice-for-healing-and-long-life.html

2. The speaking telepathically can also be due to spirits. In this case, you would have created the karma in the past to be afflicted. This is something that is actually quite common, but can be remedied. You can engage in the practice of Trakze, which is available here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/trakze-to-dispel-black-magic-spirits.html

3. Aliens are telepathically speaking to you. In this case, you can also engage in the practice of Trakze to help block your mind off from unwanted interference. Though to most people, this may sound far-fetched, Buddhism includes the belief in many states of being, including in different forms.

In order to determine which of the above three it is. You should spend some time reading the Trakze article, link given above, and also seek medical advice just in case. You are not alone in this, it happens to many people. But you should try and figure out the cause of the problem from many different angles, as Buddhism teaches before coming to a conclusion and making a plan to be rid of this. I hope this helps.

Dear Megha,

I’m sorry to read that you have had to go through so much in life. There are many methods in Tibetan Buddhism to overcome black magic. One of the most effective is the practice of Trakze, which is available here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/trakze-to-dispel-black-magic-spirits.html. If you click on this link it will take you to a post that explains more about the practice, its benefits, how it overcomes the effects of black magic and spirit harm, and also how to engage in the practice.

According to Buddhism, we are be susceptible to black magic because we have the karma to be effected it. The practice of Trakze calls upon protective energies and at the same time purifies the negative karma that allows us to be effected. In fact, it we did not have such karma, no matter how much black magic is targeted towards us, we would not be effected. In most cases this karma has been created and accumulated in previous lives. But the Buddhas have manifested in many forms and with many practices to help us throughout all of our problems in life, including being afflicted by magic and spirits.

Trakze may look very scary but he has manifested in this way for a reason, and that is so that he can battle with the black magic and negative energies, and win. Therefore he manifests in this form out of his compassion and love for us. His form and practice are perfectly suited to help us in these types of situations.

Many people have benefited from this practice, especially those who suffer from very serious black magic and negative energy. The key to this practice is consistency. It’s just like when we meet a person for the first time, the more we spend time with them, the more we talk to them, the closer we get. In the end we become very good friends, and we know that they will always be there for us when we need their help. Similarly, our daily practice is also like this. The more we connect with Trakze, the more he will be able to help solve our problems. Please do read the above post, and if you have any further questions, then you are always more than welcome to ask here. You should concentrate on the protective visualisation that is outlined in the “Mantra Recitation” section of the article.

I know how frightening this can feel, because I too have been afflicted by black magic in the past, but with the help regular and consistent practice, my affliction has stopped. I have also met people who have been afflicted and cured of black magic and spirit harm through the practice of Trakze. It is extremely effective. I hope this helps, and you are soon free of your problems. Thank you.

Dear Toruma Kalig,

Thank you for your questions. I am glad that you have found the YouTube teachings helpful on the topic. There are actually a lot of articles here that describe the ban on the practice of Dorje Shugden from many different aspects. There is a Dorje Shugden category, which you can access here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/category/dorje-shugden. As well as articles on the controversy there are also articles about the practice itself.

Many great teachers have practised Dorje Shugden, you can find out more about their lives and works here: http://www.dorjeshugden.org/great-teachers. In regards to Dorje Shugden practice in Mongolia, yes Dorje Shugden is practiced there for sure. Below are some links which may be of interest to you:

https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/dorje-shugden/10000-mongolians-receive-dorje-shugden.html

http://www.dorjeshugden.org/temples/amarbayasgalant-monastery

http://www.dorjeshugden.org/media/amarbayasgalant-monastery-in-mongolia

http://www.dorjeshugden.org/lamas/sokpu-rinpoche

http://www.dorjeshugden.org/lamas/jetsun-dampa

http://www.dorjeshugden.org/lamas/zava-damdin-rinpoche

http://www.dorjeshugden.org/temples/tugs-bayasgalant-nunnery

I hope this helps. Thank you.

Dear Sonam Wangdu,

Thank you for your question. This section is actually answered by the Kechara Pastors. I will share with you what Rinpoche has said in the past.

Upon waking up, the best thing for you to do is to take refuge in the Three Jewels – the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. You follow this by the verses of generating Bodhicitta.

Taking Refuge
NAMO GURU BEH
NAMO BUDDHA YA
NAMO DHARMA YA
NAMO SANGHA YA (3x)

I take refuge in the Guru
I take refuge in the Buddha
I take refuge in the Dharma
I take refuge in the Sangha (3x)

Generating Bodhicitta
SANG GYE CHO DANG TSOG KYI CHOG NAM LA
JANG CHUB BAR DU DAG NI KYAB SU CHI
DAG GI JIN SOK GYI PAY SO NAM KYI
DRO LA PAN CHIR SANG GYE DRUB PAR SHOG (3x)

I take refuge until I am enlightened in the Buddhas, the Dharma and the Sangha. By the positive potential I create by practising generosity and the other far-reaching attitudes, may I attain Buddhahood in order to benefit all sentient beings. (3x)

While taking refuge you can think about your guru and develop the wish to put into practice what your guru has taught – to be of benefit to others and develop wisdom and compassion. This starts your day very positively.

You can also make three prostrations to your altar at the beginning of the day. This will be very good.

Alternative, if you have the time in the morning, you can recite the Praise to Manjushri known as Ganglongma with a round of Manjushri’s mantra. The prayer can be found here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/prayers-and-sadhanas/sadhana-prayers.html#22

I hope this helps. Thank you.