亲爱的尕藏栋珠，你好。

多杰雄登护法是文殊菩萨的化身，所以他是证悟的出世间护法。这是我们尊敬的格鲁传承上师们，如至尊帕绷喀金刚持、至尊赤江金刚持、至尊宋金刚持等都这么说的。

既然他的体性与文殊菩萨无二，我们当然可以向他顶礼跪拜，因为向他顶礼就等于是向证悟的菩萨顶礼。

多杰雄登在崛起成为护法的最初是由萨迦派所供奉，后来其他传承如竹巴噶举的上师们也供奉他。这足以完全证明修持多杰雄登护法并不需要放弃其他教派的修法。

希望我简短的回答能解除你的疑惑。

克切拉团体不久前刚推出了一系列驳斥针对多杰雄登不实指控的视频，希望能进一步解答你的问题。

https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/dorje-shugden/the-truth-about-dorje-shugden-13-chinese-videos.html

Dear Parth2,

To answer your question, of course we can visualize a statue or a stupa and do the circumambulation and still get the blessings. However by doing this without the actual representation of the Buddha, the blessings can only come from the power of the subject which is our meditation and visualization. Hence it’s very much depends how strong our visualization and meditation is. However, if there’s an actual representation of a Buddha, the blessings can come from both the power of the object and also the subject, it means even someone with no idea of a Buddha or not believing in the Buddha can still get the benefits just by the action of the circumambulation alone. Therefore, even if you don’t have a stupa at your area, if you plan to do a circumambulation, it would be good if you can circumambulate a statue or any holy representation of a Buddha.

Thank you.

Recommended reading (about the power of the object): https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/kechara-13-depts/bigger-and-more-buddha-statues-makes-a-difference.html

Dear Paulo Sérgio，

A Buddha statue is a wood or metal or other material carved or made into the form of a Buddha. The blessings of a Buddha statue come from different aspect. One of them is the iconography of the Buddha which is the symbolism of His enlightened qualities which if we meditate on will guide us on the path of liberation.

The blessings of a Buddha statue can also come from what we put inside the statue. In Tibetan Buddhism, we always insert hand-rolled mantras, relics, holy objects, Buddha images into a statue. Hence, by the power of the object themselves, anyone who sees or make offerings or prostrate to the statue will get the blessings.

The blessings can also come from the power of meditation and prayers. If we are good meditators who can generate strong visualization, we can invite a Buddha to enter any statue and visualize it as the Buddha himself, then we can get the blessings of the Buddha.

Therefore, there’s no right or wrong for you to put a statue of Ganesha on your altar and regard it as Lord Ganapati. You can pray and invite Lord Ganapati to enter the statue by performing the Ganapati sadhana given by H.E. Tsem Rinpoche with a sincere heart and still get the blessings. However in order to get the full benefit of Ganapati practice, of course it would be best if you can have a real Ganapati statue with correct iconography, be it just a printed photo, a thangka or a real statue.

Hope my answer helps.

Recommended reading:

1. Dorje Shugden: My side of the story (especially the bottom part of pt 4 of English transcript) https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/who-is-dorje-shugden-to-me.html

2. The Body of a Buddha: A Road Map to Liberation
https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/the-body-of-a-buddha-a-road-map-to-liberation.html

Dear Ernest，

The five precepts are the five basic Buddhist code of ethics:

1. to refrain from killing or taking life

2. to refrain from stealing or taking what is not given

3. to refrain from sexual miscondut

4. to refrain from lying or false speech

5. to refrain from intoxicants that clouds the mind.

If we break any of the vow, what we can do is we apply the Four opponent powers which is we regret it (Power of Regret), we rely on the Three Jewel (Power of Reliance), we apply the remedy (Power of Remedy) such as recitation of Sutras or Mantras, purification practices like Vajrasattva practice, 35 Confessional Buddhas etc, and we promise not to do it again (Power of Restraint). Then we can retake the Five Precepts again.

Regarding sexual misconduct, the key concept is not to hurt anyone just to satisfy your own sensual pleasure. For example, if you are married yet you have an external affair, it’s considered sexual misconduct. If you are forcing someone to have sex with you, it’s sexual misconduct etc. Sexual relationship between boyfriend and girlfriend or those who love each other is not a sexual misconduct.

Recommended reading: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/students-friends/vows-the-roots-of-all-attainments.html

Dear Shoon Mak,

If you are interested in finding out numbers that are related to you, you can refer to this page, you may be able to find out your life path number, expression number, personality number and many more:

https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/numerology/numerology-calculator.html?gclid=Cj0KCQjww47nBRDlARIsAEJ34bldJgmFWI_v7ubplwyef8ww4PM1eLA91WdQMDehO6c63u-0su1BqpMaAuBmEALw_wcB

Dear John,

Dear
I am not sure about the practice you mentioned. However I did read about a negative karma cleansing mantra “OM HANU PAHASHA BHARA HE YE SOHA”. It is said that just by seeing the mantra in Tibetan, one can purify 100,000 eons of negative karma.

Here is the Tibetan mantra:
༄༄།།ཨོཾཧནུཔཧཤབྷརཧེཡེསྭཱཧཱ།།

Dear Dewa Zangpo,

For laymen, sexual misconduct or “wrong sensual indulgence” is karmically harmful behavior which also means engaging in sexual activities that might be harmful to others or ourselves. Therefore, to abstain from sexual misconduct means to not have sex with a non-consenting individual (as in rape, coercion, or fraud) or consensual sex with anyone under protection. This means any dependent supported by parents, guardians, the community, state, or a spouse or fiancee.

“Sexual misconduct” is actually a broad term, and it’s subject to culture and customs, therefore I shall say the basis is not to cause harm, hurtful feelings to anyone when engaging in the said activities.

Recommended reading: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/external-article/what-is-sexual-misconduct

Dear Kamal,

Thank you for your questions. Unfortunately, I do not have the clairvoyant ability to see the true nature of your situation. However, everything that we experience in this life is due to our actions in previous lives. Therefore the experiences you are facing will have its causes in previous lives.

When situations like these occur during our spiritual journey, we are told not to place too much emphasis on them. Instead we are told to concentrate on our own spiritual evolution and self-transformation. This is because no matter what our aims and goals are with these sorts of experiences, they will not ultimately bear fruit. We should strive to become spiritual attained. When we are spiritual attained our actions will bear results that are really beneficial.

I hope this helps.

Dear Parth,

Thanks for the question. In order to engage in any tantric practice, we must first receive initiation from our guru as the permission to start the practice. Our guru will decide if we are eligible to receive the tantric initiation based on his observation on us because the success of a tantric practice is not so much depending on a guru but more on the correct mental attitude of a student.

Just like what Lama Yeshe explained in one of his book: ““Initiation does not mean that a guru gives you some incredible power. You already have the qualities of profound wisdom and great bliss within you; initiation simply activates them.” Our guru will decide if we are ready for the activation to take place. Therefore if we engage in any tantric activity without the permission of a guru, we are doing it prematurely. Not only will it not bring us any benefit, but it will create obstacle for us in the future too. Of course, the magnitude of the karma is also affected by our motivation ie if we did it unknowingly or intentionally.

To purify the karma, we can engage in the powerful Vajrasattva practice. It is said by Vajrasattva practice and it’s meditation together with four opponent powers, we can purify even root downfalls of the tantric vows, which is very difficult to purify. If we can purify the root downfalls of the tantric vows, definitely the lower vows such as the ten non-virtuous acts that we should avoid, will be purified too.

You can read more about Vajrasattva practice here:

An important purification practice
https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/prayers-and-sadhanas/an-important-purification-practice.html

Dear Jordano,

Thank you for visiting tsemrinpoche.com. I hope you enjoy reading the articles on this blog and benefited from the teachings here. Ask A Pastor section is a platform for us to discuss and share Dharma knowledge, you are welcome to post dharma related questions here, and our pastors will try their best to give you an answer, however we apologize that we don’t provide any translation service here. Perhaps you can get the relevant service from other Tibetan language websites. Thank you.

Dear Javinder Singh,

Thank you for being not sectarian, this is a correct and beautiful attitude that everyone should embrace especially those who claim to be spiritual. Our planet earth would be a more peaceful place to live in if there are no inter-religious conflicts. I agree with you that Buddhism is direct and offer explanations, that’s also the main reason I end up becoming a Buddhist after years of being sceptical about religions. Regarding brahmacharya, if I understand correctly, it’s to refrain ourselves from indulging in sexual activities. I believe it’s not easy to be accepted by the majority however I think the key is we ourselves practice the real dharma and set a good example, then our words will bear more weight in the future if our ultimate aim is to benefit others.

I believe you will like this article: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/inspiration-worthy-words/dharma-is-for-everyone.html

Dear Justin Lim,

White Umbrella Goddess or Dukkar’ practice is not restricted to only a certain group of people. You don’t have to be a Tibetan Buddhist to engage in her practice. You can chant her mantra without empowerment but do not self-generate as the deity.

Thank you.

Recommended Reading:
https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/one-minute-story/dukkar-a-powerful-deity-that-dispels-evil-spirits

Dear CY Wong,
Buddhas always manifest in different forms to help sentient beings with different needs. Dorje Shugden is the wrathful emanation of Buddha Manjushri. As an enlightened protector, Dorje Shugden too exhibits the same qualities as buddhas. There are five families of Dorje Shugden, which includes the principle deity, Shize (pacification), Gyenze (increase), Wangze (control) and Trakze (wrathful), each represents different activities of Dorje Shugden.

Wangze is the control form of Dorje Shugden. When we propitiate Wangze, we invoke Dorje Shugden’s activity of control. However, that does not mean that this manifestation of Dorje Shugden is limited to only control activity and cannot assist in other ways. Any form of Dorje Shugden is complete in itself.

Therefore, either you pray to the principle deity of Dorje Shugden or Wangze, you are actually praying to Dorje Shugden, but praying to Wangze will invoke Dorje Shugden’s special activity of control.

It’s up to you to choose whichever practice you want to do. However, if your main focus is to deal with difficult people who create obstacles in your workplace, Wangze is an excellent choice.

To answer your second question, if you take Wangze as your practice, then, of course, it’s natural for you to wear Wangze image and vice versa. However, there’s nothing wrong to wear any one of them, as both are Dorje Shugden.

This is the link to Wangze practice:
https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/dorje-shugden-wangze-for-power-and-influence.html

Dear Steven,

The benefit of circumambulating a stupa is one can purify a lot of negative karma and also collect a tremendous amount of merits. The benefit comes from the power of the object and the subject. If we circumambulate a stupa without putting in any effort on our speech and mind, the purification can still take place due to the power of the object (the stupa). However if we circumambulate a stupa with our body, speech and mind by applying the Four Opponent Powers, it would be even more beneficial because, on top of the power of the object, the purification also takes place due to the power of the subject.

Since the purification and the amount of merits rely on the power of the object, and it’s said in the scripture that the amount of merits accrued from making Buddha images will be equal to the number of atoms used to form that image, hence with the same principle we can conclude that it would be more beneficial if we circumambulate a large stupa that is filled with a lot of holy objects than circumambulating a small stupa.

Therefore, to answer your question, even though a correct line drawing of a stupa can still be an object to generate merits, but it would be more beneficial if the stupa is larger and filled with more holy items. Lama Zopa’s method is a great substitute for an actual traditional stupa.

Recommended reading: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/kechara-13-depts/bigger-and-more-buddha-statues-makes-a-difference.html

Dear Javinder Singh,

Thanks for your question and comment. I am glad that you are interested in Buddha Dharma, this is an ancient wisdom originated from your home country which has now benefited the whole world. Thanks to the past and present gurus who have been working tirelessly and skillfully in bringing dharma to the world.

From your comment, I can see that you are serious about dharma, and doesn’t want anything seems not related to Dharma to appear on a Buddhist website. However, you might be surprised that many people are actually attracted to Buddha Dharma because of some paranormal activities they encountered. They couldn’t solve the problem, nor find the explanation, so end up searching answers in Buddhism. Spirits and ghosts are nothing new or special in Buddhism as we all know that they are just sentient beings of the six realms. Therefore, perhaps you can see it this way, a paranormal section in a Buddhist website is actually a skillful gateway for many to have their first encounter to Buddhism?

Another thing I would like to highlight is this “Buddhist website” is actually H.E. Tsem Rinpoche’s personal blog. If you examine carefully, on the right upper corner of the homepage of tsemrinpoche.com, Rinpoche actually mentioned that he has been blogging since March 2010, and this website is the platform for him to share a wide spectrum of personal interests in hope that someone may gain some benefits from reading these. Paranormal topic is one of Rinpoche’s favorites, hence he is free to share his personal interests on his own blog without prior permission from anyone. I hope you understand.

A few years back, some readers asked Rinpoche some questions about ghosts and Rinpoche has kindly given his answers. Here I share it with you, hope you will enjoy reading it.

https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/science-mysteries/questions-on-ghosts.html

Dear Ye,
Buddhism believes in six realms of karmic rebirth, every samsaric being will be taking rebirth again and again within these six realms of cyclic existence until we attain ultimate liberation. Therefore, It’s possible for us to take rebirth in any realm, as any animal or even spirits. However, if our aim is to practice the Dharma to achieve the ultimate liberation, knowing what exactly our past lives were will not help much. They key is to listen, contemplate and practice the Dharma which is in accordance with the law of karma. The only thing that we need to look out for in this life is ourselves and our worldly habituations and projections arise from our greed, anger and ignorance. Would be good if you can find a real guru who can guide you through the path if you can’t find one at the moment, and you are serious about your dharma practice, you can still start doing your daily Guru Yoga practice together with short daily protector practice. The Guru Yoga practice will lead you to your guru whereas the protector practice will help to clear obstacles throughout your spiritual journey.

Meanwhile, I would recommend you to visit tsemrinpoche.com or visit https://www.youtube.com/user/tsemtulku for more video teachings.

Below are the two practices I mentioned:

Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=623&v=JBotJqfhxUA

Dorje Shugden protector practice: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/new-simplified-daily-prayer-to-dorje-shugden.html

Dear Joao,
Thanks for writing in. Our education, cultural, religious and family background all contribute to our current belief system. On top of that, our own merits and karma will decide if we can recognize what is right and what’s not. Some people may not believe in spirituality their whole life, not even wanting to listen or talk about that thinking that it’s pure superstitions.
Therefore, even though you said you are very materialistic and don’t believe in spirituality, the fact that you think mantra helps to improve your mood and you are willing to do it, this itself is already a good sign that you must have some dharmic imprint and merit.

I am sorry I am not able to recommend you to any practice that can guarantee to show you, without doubt, there is a spiritual world. Neither could I recommend you any special mantra to give you such confirmation. However I can recommend you one practice that can help to clear your obstacles for your spiritual journey, once the obstacles and obscuration are cleared, you will be more convinced about the existence of the six realms and our cyclic existence, not necessarily through seeing ghosts or spirits but through the increased of wisdom.

Below is the Dorje Shugden daily practice which will be very beneficial to you.

https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/new-simplified-daily-prayer-to-dorje-shugden.html

Dear Matt,
Both anxiety and panic attacks actually arise from a self-centered mind. The self-centered mind is the mind that believes this solid me needs happiness and deserves happiness more than anyone else in the world. Therefore, we can say that the causes of anxiety and panic attack are actually based on our strong grasping of the non-inherently existence “I”. Hope it helps.

Dear Jason Chau,

There are mundane and supra-mundane Dharma protectors. Mundane Dharma protectors can be further divided into actual mundane Dharma protectors and supra-mundane protectors in worldly form.

Dorje Shugden, Setrap, Dorje Legpa are examples of supra-mundane Dharma protectors appear in worldly form.

“Due to varying conditions of beings, Buddhas appear in forms other than that of actual Vajradhara.” (~ Uttaratantra) Therefore, Setrap as a supra-mundane Dharma protector who manifests in worldly form will appear as if he has not abandoned all faults, hence he too needs to be cleansed.

Your second question: How can an enlighted ( buddha) protector who is also an emanation of Amitabha be born as an evil non-Buddhist. How can he be subdued if he is a Buddha?

Buddha can manifest in different forms just to benefit sentient beings. Supra-mundane protector in worldly form is one such example. Hence it’s no surprise if a Buddha manifests as a non-Buddhist that can be subdued.

According to Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche in “Music Delighting the Ocean of Protectors”, these are all projections of nothing but our own mind:

“Even those who appear to be enemies who are harming oneself, for someone who is meditating on the spiritual path, at the common
stage of great scope, appear as one’s own extremely cherished dear child, and at the uncommon first stage, they appear through the force of meditation as gods and goddesses. When the special bliss of completion stage is generated in the mind, they appear in mandalas throughout space in wisdom forms and pure lands. Gradually, when one attains the supreme great bliss, they appear in no form other than that of the great Sambogakaya of Akanishta Pure Land because their appearance as enemies and the conception of them as enemies has been severed. For example, just as enemies we don’t even want to see or hear about can later become friends with whom we are inseparable, all are projections of nothing but our own mind. ”

Your third question: Besides Setrap and Dorje Shugden, what other enlighted protector takes trance in an Oracle?

In Gelug tradition, another common enlightened protector who takes trance in an oracle is Kacha Marpo who is the emanation of Hayagriva.

Recommended reading:
https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/dorje-shugden/music-delighting-the-ocean-of-protectors-a-definitive-guide-to-dorje-shugden-by-trijang-rinpoche.html