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.

[b]Taking Refuge[/b]
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)

[b]Generating Bodhicitta[/b]
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.

Dear Jason Chau,

I think you are referring to the small Dorje Shugden statue that is a miniature of the statue in Wisdom Hall, Kechara Forest Retreat. Unfortunately, there are no current plans for such a statue of Setrap.

However, there are other statues/representations of the powerful Setrap available to invite on Vajrasecrets.com. I’ve included the links below for your reference:

Setrap Copper Statue, 24 inches
https://www.vajrasecrets.com/setrap-statue-copper-24-inches

Setrap Brass Statue, 16 inches
https://www.vajrasecrets.com/setrap-statue-brass-16-inches

Setrap Pewter Tsa Tsa
https://www.vajrasecrets.com/setrap-pewter-tsatsa

Dear Asha,

Thank you for your question. The best way to invite positive vibes and energy into our homes is actually by setting up an altar to the Buddhas. This is a method that many people don’t know about, but is extremely powerful. Having an altar to the Buddhas in your house means that you don’t even need to worry about where to place other items, how places in your house need more space for the energy to flow better, etc.

This is because when you properly set up an altar to the Buddhas, only good things can happen. It becomes a portal the beneficial, protective, and prosperous energies of the universe to pervade your entire house, without having to change or add anything else to your home for this to happen. The representation you use on the altar can be any enlightened being. As long as the image or statue is of an enlightened being, you are set to see a huge change in your home environment.

Here is a link to an article that explains more about setting up an altar. It includes a old but very useful video:
https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/how-to-set-up-altar-make-offerings-prostrate-to-the-buddha-meditate-etc.html I hope this helps. Thank you.

Dear Eric,

Thank you for your question. I cannot comment on this specific issue because I do not know much about it. However generally speaking, though oracles are consulted in finding and recognizing tulku’s, I have not heard of oracles recognizing other oracles before. And certainly not recognizing a single person as both a tulku and oracle.

Oracles usually undergo strenuous training by high lamas who are qualified to do this, and undergo vigorous testing before they are officially recognized as the oracle of a particular deity. Again it is not the deity in trance that will recognize the oracle, but high lamas, although deities may give additional recognitions.

For the recognition of tulkus, it is along the same lines. They are recognized by high lamas, who perform numerous tests, which can include consulting various deities through their oracles before giving their recognition. Again, the various deities may also give their additional recognition of tulkus through their oracles.

From my limited experience, i have not come across an instance in which an oracle would be the sole person to recognize either a tulku or an oracle. I hope this helps.

Thank you.

Dear Jackson,

Thank you for your question. This section is actually answered by the Kechara Pastors. There are many practices that one can engage in depending on your situation. I am sure that you have seen many of these practices on the articles on this blog.

Apart from the practices of the Bodhisattva Manjushri and Dorje Shugden, one of the other practices that His Eminence Tsem Rinpoche highly recommends is the Guru Yoga of Lama Tsongkhapa. In fact Rinpoche has recommended that we engage in this practice every single day, and there are many people who regularly engage in Lama Tsongkhapa retreat.

As the emanation of three Buddhas – Manjushri, Chenrezig and Vajrapani, – Lama Tsongkhapa’s practice is very beneficial for all aspects of life, and for developing higher spiritual attainments. You can watch Tsem Rinpoche’s commentary here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/me/tsongkapas-daily-practice-video-commentary.html. I hope this helps. Thank you.

Dear Nyingmapa,

The distinction between a Buddha and an enlightened Dharma protector is actually from the side of the practitioner. Whereas the sadhanas and prayers to the Buddhas are meant to bring you to enlightenment, the practice of Dharma protectors are meant to clear obstacles and develop conducive conditions to engage in Dharma practice. This includes the practice of the Buddhas and yidam deities. But in essence both the Buddha forms and their emanations as enlightened Dharma protectors are the same. Below are some points for consideration:

1. Dharma protector practice is important within Tibetan Buddhism. Each of the tantric practices, especially the higher tantras have their associated Dharma protectors, which are to be propitiated if you practice that particular tantra. For example, the Chakrasamvara/Vajrayogini tantras have Cittipati as one of many Dharma protectors that are worshiped. Cittipati is in essence Cakrasamvara/Vajrayogini who emanated in the form of Dharma protectors to aid practitioners to create the conditions needed that they can engage in the advanced mediations of the practice to gain enlightenment. Dharma practitioners are not less important that the yidam forms, because they themselves emanated as Dharma practitioners to help. If Dharma protectors were not of much importance, then why would the Buddhas emanate in such forms? If they emanated arbitrarily then it would mean they do not have wisdom, which would negate enlightenment itself, since enlightenment is the highest and purest form of wisdom beyond samsara.

2. To have the view that one must only follow the ‘master’ or yidam, and not the ‘dog’ or Dharma protector, actually puts the enlightened beings down. Even though their forms may differ, their minds, which is the most important aspect, is still that of an enlightened being. By saying that Dharma protectors are not important in one’s practice is like saying the incarnations of the holy beings that teach us the Dharma are similarly not important. Our teachers also play a role in creating the conditions necessary for our Dharma practice. They share the Dharma they have learnt from Dharma centres. Did they not build these Dharma centres to help others?

3. Just because some people describe Dorje Shugden to be a Buddha does not mean that the various forms of Mahakala and the likes of Palden Lhamo are not Buddhas. On the contrary, Palden Lhamo is definitely a Buddha in exactly the same way that Dorje Shugden is a Buddha. Palden Lhamo is an emanation of Saraswati, who is an enlightened being, and Dorje Shugden is an emanation of Manjushri, who is also an enlightened being. Both are in essence Buddhas. Therefore, they can be relied upon to take refuge in because they are enlightened. As the Buddhist teachings state, you should only take refuge in the enlightened beings, and for centuries the greatest of Tibetan Buddhist masters have taken refuge in Palden Lhamo, even though she is in the form of a Dharma protector. It is just that her practice is not one that brings you directly to enlightenment, but one that helps you to get there.

I hope that these points have explained things better. Please do ask further questions if necessary. Thank you.

Dear abc,

Thank you for your question. Yes within Buddhism there are methods of ‘opening the third eye’. This can either refer to developing clairvoyance or working with the third eye chakra during meditation on the energy within the body.

A form of clairvoyance can develop when you practice single pointed meditation known as ‘shamatha’. This is actually the basic form of meditation common to all Buddhist traditions. While it is not the aim of this meditation to develop clairvoyance, it is one of the side benefits of the technique. You can read more about meditation practice here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/the-accidental-meditator.html

Within tantric practice, at the higher levels of meditation one works with the energies within the body. These energies converge at certain points within the body, which are commonly called chakras. The ‘third eye’ is one of these such chakras, and by manipulating the energies at these points one can also develop various forms of clairvoyance. Again, this is not the primary aim of the meditation, rather they are meant to enable great spiritual attainments on the path towards enlightenment.

In regards to shamatha meditation anyone can engage in these practices. They are safe for everyone, however you may face obstacles arising from your own mind, which a guru or teacher can help you overcome. In regards to tantra, however, one must first have an authentic initiation into the practice bestowed by a qualified teacher. Following that one must engage in the appropriate meditations before beginning to work with the energy chakras in the body. I hope this helps. Thank you.