Dear kenneth ugokwe,

Thank you for your question, unfortunately I do not fully understand it. As Buddhists, I have not come across mention that we must pray nine times a day. However, it does say in the scriptures and prayers that Buddhists should take refuge in the Three Jewels – the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, three times during the day and three times during the night.

If your questions pertains to the practices of another religion, may I humbly suggest that you ask someone knowledgeable in that particular religion. I hope the above answer helps.

Thank you

Dear Dongho,

Thank you for your question. Za Rahula and his emanations are oath-bound deities that are unenlightened. However, according to this text they are part of Dorje Shugden’s retinue. This does not have a meaning in the sense of changing the status of either Dorje Shugden as enlightened being or Rahula being an enlightened being. Many Dharma protectors have their main forms, emanations, retinue who are their emanations, but their retinue can also include unenlightened oath-bound protectors such as Rahula. This is because these oath-bound deities try to assist the enlightened beings in whichever way they can. And one way is to accompany the retinue of enlightened Dharma protectors and aid them in their work. If you read the longer prayers of any Dharma protector, they usually mention these types of beings. It is not uncommon to read about them in the practices of enlightened Dharma protectors.

Another quick example is of the 12 Tenma goddesses who were bound by Guru Rinpoche in Tibet but are often considered to be part of the enlightened Palden Lhamo’s retinue as well. In this way they help Palden Lhamo in her work to remove people’s obstacles. So in the case of the source you have mentioned, Za Rahula’s emanat’ons aid Dorje Shugden’s retinue in their work, not because they need help but because they are bound by oath to protect and serve those who are practicing the Buddhist path. I hope this helps.

Thank you.

Dear Mei Hau,
There are many benefits to engaging in 16 arhat puja including averting obstacles, purification of negative karma, accumulation of merits, creating the cause to uphold morality, creating the cause for the sangha community to increase and so forth. However, the principle benefit would be to extend one’s life span and avert untimely death. I hope this helps you very much. Good luck with your practice. Thank you.

Dear Marcel Serra,

Thank you for your question. Yes, when you do the Vajrayogini Tea offering you can use a Serkym Set and Tea pot.

For this offering, you can follow the standard procedure of offering Serkym to the Dharma protectors. Here is a video that explains how to offer Serkym to Dorje Shugden:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6ybkXO4R2k. In the case of the Vajrayogini tea offering, you would pour the tea when it says to recite “I offer”, you pour the tea at the of that line. Then you fill it to the brim or finish pouring. Alternative you fill the tea in the container to the brim at the beginning, and then recite the liturgy. Either way is acceptable.

However, it is not necessary to have a Serkym set for this offering. Any container, such as a glass or bowl may be used. But it should only be used for this purpose on your altar, and not used for anything else. If possible you should get an offering container that is the best you can afford, as it is an offering to Vajrayogini. You can read more about the procedure and how to do it on the post with the tea offering, which is available here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/tea-offering-to-vajrayogini-for-the-1st-time.html.

After you have finished your prayers, or are clearing your offerings at the end of the day, you can dispose of the tea in a respectful manner. If you have a garden you can pour the tea outside in a clear and tidy area of the plants or grass. If you have nowhere to dispose of the tea outside, you can dispose of the tea respectfully in a sink, but definitely not the bathroom sink. I hope this helps.

Thank you.

Dear Curious,
With regards to deities that are enlightened beings, they are said to have the ‘power of emanation’, according to the King of Prayers. This means they can have multiple emanations simultaneously. These emanations are directed by the aspiration of the enlightened beings and can have very different appearance, character and purpose. In the scriptures, they are said to sometimes emanate as inanimate objects, teachers, students and even non-Buddhist teachers to guide and benefit sentient beings according to their mental dispositions. Hence, you will find the Bodhisattva Manjushri emanating as Lama Tsongkhapa and simultaneously as the devoted student, Dulzin Drakpa Gyeltsen as well.

On the other hand, incarnation refers to a particular emanation of the enlightened being that has chosen to reincarnate again and again. The emanation of Manjushri, Dulzin Drakpa Gyeltsen had reincarnated as Panchen Sonam Drakpa. Hence, Panchen Sonam Drakpa is the incarnation of Dulzin Drakpa Gyeltsen. Due to high realizations of some High Lamas, they tend to have many emanations take rebirth simultaneously when they pass away. Hence, students would usually look for the ‘mind emanation’ and enthrone him as the incarnation of the lama.

Finally, emanations are not children or clones of enlightened beings. This is because they tend to take on different characteristics in each emanation based on the previous lives aspirations and according to the needs and karma of the beings they need to teach and benefit in that lifetime. One very common analogy would be a bucket of water is the deity and the water is poured into various vessels and cups. Each vessel and cup looks completely different but the contents is the same. So each vessel and cup would be the various emanation but the contents remain the same, which is water and that represents the mind. I hope this explanation helps you understand. Thank you.

Dear Eric,

Thank you for your question. What rinpoche was talking about with regards to having continuity is engaging in a Prostration retreat and that means we have set out to engage in an intensive prostration retreat for a set period of time. However, there are days we could be busy, the minimum of 3 prostrations along with the necessary recitations is permitted without breaking the retreat.

On the other hand, Rinpoche could also be referring to prostration practice as a daily sadhana or practice and that would mean engaging in the practice every single day without fail in order to reap the benefits of this purification practice.

With regards to 3 short prostrations, it is good that we do so daily especially before our sadhana – daily prayers and mantra recitations. But if we are serious about engaging in the prostration practice, it is recommended that we engage in the full length prostration and do more than 3 prostrations a day. I hope this helps you very much. Good luck with your practice. Thank you.

Dear Lobsang,

Thank you for your question. I am very happy to read that you practicing Heruka Chakrasamvara. It is an amazing practice which will have a tremendous impact in your life and spiritual journey if you practice sincerely, with effort, keeping your vows and commitments. I have consulted His Eminence the 25th Tsem Rinpoche on this matter, and below is the advice that was given.

In the generation stage of Heruka Chakrasamvara, once must accomplish the generation stage fully in order to accomplish the completion stage. This means that without finishing the generation stage properly, if we engage in the completion stage there will be no results except the collection of merit. During the generation stage, there are certain parts that can create some form of physical ailment in us. If this happens, we engage in the practice, we do not need to focus on this section in our meditations. Instead we can focus on other sections of the generation stage in order to generate more merit. This will lead to us being able to engage in the dissolution and the generation of the four joys in the future properly.

When some people engage in their Heruka sadhanas, they do both the generation stage and the completion stage. The reason they do the completion stage is to become familiar with it, to become good at it, to become learned in it, and to keep up the practice so that they do not forget it. But even though they engage in the completion stage, they will not get many results except the generation of merit and planting imprints in their mindstreams because the generation stage is not completed.

Though the generation of the four joys are extremely important, we do not need to focus on them at the moment if cause physical ailments. We can focus on other parts of the generation stage and in the meantime engage in ngondro, or preliminary practices such as Vajrasattva, Guru Yoga, prostrations, and mandala offerings in order to purify negative karma and generate merit. This is so that when we do the dissolution and also the generation of the four joys, we will not experience that type of obstacles again.

Therefore, the generation of the four joys are definitely important, but if they are creating a physical ailment, we can put it aside for now and just read through the practice text. If we read through it, without meditating, we do not break our commitments. Let me reiterate, if we read through the section, without actually meditating on it, we do not break any of our commitments. I hope this helps you very much. Good luck with your practice. Thank you.

Dear Day,

Thank you for your question. In regards to the Five Precepts, you are correct that there is a vow against taking intoxicants. How this is interpreted and what constitutes intoxicants differs between traditions and individual practitioners. Buddhist practitioners usually follow what their teachers instruct them, as such for us in Kechara, we are encouraged not to smoke as it is an intoxicant. In regards to monks and nuns eating meat, someone who is ordained is supposed to eat whatever food is offered to them, to cut their attachment to like and dislike. Therefore, if someone offers a monk or nun meat, then they need to accept the food according to Buddhist tradition. After they have accepted the food offering, it is up to them to actually eat the meat or not. Some may eat the meat because they want to practice not being attached. In some of these cases, you will notices that these monks and nuns eat everything offered to them without either like or dislike. That being said, as Buddhists we believe in ahimsa or non-violence, and that extends to the killing of animals for food. So knowing that there is bad karma involved, it is actually on the lay people who offer the monastic community food, not to offer them meat. The precepts are the same between both Mahayana and Theravada traditions, but one must understand the intricacies of Buddhist practice before making an assumption if the practitioner is sincere.

In the case of Arhat Sivali, as far as I am aware, he was a student of Shariputra, who was one of Buddha Shakyamuni’s main disciples. After practicing the path Sivali became and Arhat and is therefore worthy of veneration as a very high level being on the way to becoming a fully enlightened being. Such beings do have the power and ability to help grant wealth in all if forms, which is more than just materials. You are right that there are many deities who are said to confer wealth upon practitioners. Some of these deities are not actually emanations of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, but beings who either naturally help people or have been oath-bound to help people. Others are fully enlightened beings such as Dzambala and Gyenze, and can help with more than wealth, such as helping us on the spiritual path towards enlightenment. I hope this helps. Thank you.

Dear Al,

Thank you for your question. Buddhists do not believe in a creator God, we do not believe in an omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent God as other religions do. This is because Buddhists consider all beings that are within existence to be bound by the law of karma, and as such full of emotions and delusions. Existence is cyclic, with no beginning or end, where as other religions believe that God created the universe, therefore it has a beginning. As such, Buddhists do not believe that such a God created the Buddhas, etc. The Buddha arose from his own realisation of the nature of existence, as can we all arise in that state. When we reach that state, known as enlightenment, we transcend existence itself. That is the reason why Tsem Rinpoche does not talk about God, because Buddhists do not believe in such a God, but rather the transformation of our own minds to reach enlightenment. I hope this helps. Thank you.

Dear Wanderer,

Thank you for your very interesting question. It is probably the first time that this question has been raised here. The four major lineages of Tibetan Buddhism (Nyingma, Kagyu, Sakya and Gelug) all emerged after various waves of dissemination of the Buddhist teachings from India into Tibet, or due to new ways of interpreting the teachings and how they apply in practice. By this I mean that different masters placed emphasis on different teachings, scriptures, prayers, and mediation techniques but all with the same ultimate goal – to gain realisations along the spiritual journey and to reach enlightenment.

Despite their differences, all four schools stress the need for a complete and structured presentation of the Buddhist path of practice, from the foundations in the Theravada traditions, the bodhisattva practices of the Mahayana traditions, and the intricate and powerful meditations of the Vajrayana traditions. Similarly all four schools are based on the Madhyamaka School of thought arising from India, though again each school will present this thought in a slightly different manner.

The major differences between each tradition, although based on the same Madhyamaka philosophy, are each school’s presentation of and emphasis on tantra. For example, the Nyingma tradition favours the Great Perfection or Dzogchen view and earlier examples of tantric practice, together with terma or revealed teachings; the Kagyu tradition emphasises the Mahamudra system of meditation stemming from the Indian Mahasiddha Tilopa and the tantric systems of the Guhyasamaja and Heruka Chakrasamvara tantras; the Sakya tradition focuses on the practice of the Hevajra tantra and its associated Lamdre (path and fruit) system of practice; while the Gelug tradition emphasises the Lam Rim (graduated stages of the path) and the Guhyasamaja, Chakrasamvara, and Yamantaka tantras. I have listed out some other distinguishing features of each school below.

Nyingma
Traces its origins back to Guru Rinpoche, also known as Padmasambhava, and the Abbot of Nalanda Monastery in India, Santarakshita who both arrived in Tibet upon the invitation of King Trisong Detsen. Unlike the other three traditions which classify tantra into four categories, the Nyingma tradition classifies tantra into nine categories. They also have two methods of lineage transmissions, the ‘long’ lineage, stemming from teacher to student in an unbroken tradition tracing back to various masters in India; and the ‘short’ lineage of receiving transmission from termas, or revealed teachings.

Kagyu
Traces its origins back to Marpa, whose teachers were the Indian Mahasiddhas Tilopa and Naropa. Marpa’s student Milarepa taught Gampopa who is credited with founding the tradition. The tradition emphasises the achievement of Mahamudra or the Great Seal through four progressive stages of meditation: (1) development of single pointed concentration, (2) transcending notions of conceptual reality, (3) cultivation of the perspective that all phenomena are of a ‘single taste’, and (4) the fruition of the path, which is beyond all contrived acts of meditation.

Sakya
Tracing its origins back to the Indian Mahasiddha Virupa, the tradition has five founding fathers: Sachen Kunga Nyingpo, Sonam Tsemo, Drakpa Gyaltsen, Sakya Pandita, and Chogyal Pakpa. Two major practices of the tradition include the Hevajra tantra and the Naro Kachoma form of Vajrayogini as stemming from Naropa. They have a distinctive presentation of the teachings, one which is based on sutra for the general public and the other based on tantra which is only taught privately.

Gelug
Traces its origins back to Lama Tsongkhapa, a great Tibetan master that combined the essential teachings from the Kadam lineage, together with Sakya and Kagyu doctrines including a presentation of the Lam Rim or Graduated Stages of the Path to Enlightenment, first espoused by Lama Atisha. These teachings are taken as the basis of practising Highest Yoga Tantra, which emphasises the union of bliss and emptiness. The Kechara Buddhist organisation belongs to this school.

This a very brief overview of the differences between the lineages. You can join any of these lineages. Most people have an affinity with one more than the other, and you should join the one that you are comfortable with, but make sure that you stick with it, and do not keep jumping between traditions. This is because they all present the path to enlightenment in different ways, and your practice can get confused if you switch. Though they all present the path in different ways, they all end up at the very same exact goal, enlightenment. Once you choose which tradition to follow, you should stick with it all the way. I hope this helps. Thank you.

Dear Wanderer,

In regards to finding your root guru, students are advised to see how the guru behaves, if it is in accordance with Buddhist principles or not, if they are wise and compassionate and know how to guide their students to advance their spiritual journey. The qualities of such gurus are described in many text such as Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand by Pabongka Rinpoche and the 50 Verses of Guru Devotion by Ashvagosha. Using these as guidelines, you can check the actions of a guru and if they are in line with Buddhist principles. If they are, then the guru is someone who has put the Buddhist path into practice and transformed their minds to be beneficial as teachers. Similarly the teacher will also check the actions of the student to see if the student is sincere and motivated to transform their own mind according to the teachings of the holy Lord Buddha. Therefore, contrary to what some people believe, the student-teacher relationship is something that goes both ways.

In regards to the second part of your question, there is no overarching “Shugden” view of these Rinpoches and teachers. One would have to analyse the actions and teachers individually to see if they are in line with the Buddhist teachings or not. I do not have personal experience or knowledge about these teachers and their activities to comment on them, apart from Gangchen Rinpoche.

Gangchen Rinpoche is actually one of His Eminence the 25th Tsem Rinpoche’s own teachers, therefore we at Kechara regard him as one of our lineage lamas. In fact two of the important practices at Kechara, that of Black Manjushri and Loma Gyonma are due to the kindness of Gangchen Rinpoche bestowing them on Tsem Rinpoche, who has in turn preserved the practices and passed them on to some of his own students. Therefore, from our lineage and practice, Gangchen Rinpoche is an excellent guru, teacher and guide. I hope this helps. Thank you.

Dear Manjushri Devotee,

Each of the four categories of tantric practice classify deities into different groups, often termed families. In the first of these two categories known as Kriya and Charya tantra, there are three Buddha families: the Tathagata family, the Lotus family, and the Vajra family.

Manjushri belongs to the Tathagata family, as does deities such as Buddha Shakyamuni. The Lotus family includes deities such as Amitabha, Avalokiteshvara, and Tara. While the Vajra family includes deities such as Vajrapani and Akshobhya.

The practices associated to the Tathagata family of deities primarily seek to transform ignorance and generate wisdom; practices associated with the Lotus family seek to transform desire and generate compassion; while practices associated with the Vajra family seek to transform anger and hatred and generate strong spiritual power. I hope this short explanation helps. Thank you.

Dear Drolma,

Thank you for asking such an interesting question. The current relic pills are either made from relics that have been kept preserved, or from using previous relic pills. Eventually over time these will as you rightly say run out. However the preciousness and efficacy of a relic pills comes through the blessings of the pill itself, the prayers and recitations done during their creation, as well as the small amounts of relics contained in them. Even so you are right, these holy pills are quite rare indeed.

There are some pills that there are millions of, these are made from previous pills, or usually when the pills are made, all the relics are not used. Someone very large pills are made at the beginning and then each of these larger pills are mixed with more ingredients, to create the thousands of smaller relic pills. Therefore, usually the monasteries have a store of these larger pills that they use to create more pills from.

There are holy Dorje Shugden pills, which are available here: https://www.vajrasecrets.com/dorje-shugden-holy-rilbu

These actually contain: Relics of Lama Tsongkhapa, founder of the Gelugpa school of Tibetan Buddhism; Hair and clothes of H.H. the 10th Panchen Lama, who is considered to be an emanation of Amitabha Buddha; Relics of H.H. Kyabje Pabongka Rinpoche, who is considered to be an emanation of Heruka Chakrasamvara; Relics of H.H. Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche, who is considered to be an emanation of Vajrayogini; Relics of H.E. Domo Geshe Rinpoche, who is considered to be an emanation of Lama Tsongkhapa; Hair and clothes of H.E. Denma Gonsa Rinpoche; Relics of the great master Trehor Chopon Rinpoche; Tantric water blessed by H.H. Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche during his retreat; Ritual tormas from an extensive Dorje Shugden retreat; Water from holy places in India, Tibet and China; and many other holy and blessed items from lineage masters. Not only were these pilled highly blessed during the time of their creation, but they were again blessed with a Soongdrup ritual conducted at Kechara Forest Retreat by senior members of the Sangha as well. I hope this helps answer your question. Thank you.

Dear Li,

Thank you for your question. White Mahakala or more correctly 6-Armed White Mahakala is an emanation of Chenrezig, the Buddha of compassion. As such you cannot go wrong when practicing White Mahakala. Though it is safe to practice White Mahakala without initiation, some prayer may require you to have some form on initiation or the actually initiation into the White Mahakala practice itself. It would be best to check with your Guru if you have one, as he or she will best know which of the prayers that you should recite. However, you can recite the mantra of White Mahakala without worry, in fact it is a very beneficial mantra. The mantra is: OM GURU MAHAKALA HARI NI SA SIDDHI DZA.

As you may already know, since you are asking about White Mahakala, the mantra and practice is extremely effective for gaining material and spiritual wealth, purifying the karma for experiencing poverty, and removing obstacles that block the flow of prosperity. The practice and manta also bestows powerful protection, increases positive energies, and help you to overcome life’s many challenges. I hope this helps. Thank you.

Dear Tara,

Thank you for your very interesting question. There is a difference between these two deities. Varahi is the Hindu goddess who is part of the seven Matrikas mother goddess. She is considered the Shakti or consort of the Varaha or boar headed avatar of the god Vishnu. Therefore she is an emanation of Vishnu’s consort called Lakshmi, commonly referred to as the goddess of wealth and good fortune. More commonly, she is depicted holding the implements associated with either Vishnu or Lakshmi such as the discus, trident, sword, lotus, etc. She has the head of a sow.

Vajravarahi on the other hand is a form of Vajrayogini, and the consort of Heruka Chakrasamvara. Both are actually emanations of Buddha Shakyamuni. You can read more about the story of how they arose here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/twenty-four-holy-places-eight-great-charnel-grounds.html Rather than have a sow’s head, Vajravarahi has a human head, with a sow’s head coming out from the side of her head.

Although both Varahi and Vajravarahi may look similar, they are indeed very different. From a Buddhist perspective, one is a goddess (Varahi) and the other an enlightened being (Vajravarahi). They arose independently for different purposes, and the benefits of worshiping them are different as well. I hope this helps.

Thank you.

Dear Dongho,

As an emanation of Saraswati, Palden Lhamo is completed enlightened, therefore she knows what we are doing and thinking. Since you have received the Chod empowerment and practice, part of which is to make offerings to beings of the six realms including local deities, she will not ward them off or terrify them into running away. Even though Palden Lhamo ordinarily will grant practitioners protection from such beings if they are negative and intend harm, she will let them through during the Chod practice, and even make sure that they cannot harm you during the process. There is no reason to give up either of the practice, they do not conflict with each other in any way whatsoever, in fact they are very much complimentary to each other. I hope this helps.

Thank you.

Dear Jeffrey Morrison,

I am very sorry to read that you have been diagnosed with lung cancer. Yes, there are many healing practices with Tibetan Buddhism that may be able to help. There are many cases where people have been healed on their various physical illness due to the practice of Dorje Shugden, and it has extended their lives. Within Buddhism, everything that happens to us is based on our own karma whether positive or negative, therefore Buddhist practices overcome this by purifying the negative karma cause our ailments or by generating immense amounts of merits. The energy of this merit is able to hold back the force of negative karma from ripening completely until we can purify the negative karma in a more controlled manner through further practice. All Buddhist practice necessary involves these two aspects, the purification of negative karma and the accumulation of merit.

One of the five forms of Dorje Shugden is Shize, and is considered the emanation of the Dorje Shugden’s peaceful activity. This form of Dorje Shugden is well known as a healing deity and one that can extend your life. You can find a very informative post about the deity here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/dorje-shugden/shize-a-practice-for-healing-and-long-life.html The post also includes information on how to practise Shize Dorje Shugden and the prayers and visualisations to engage in. I have heard many people who have engaged in the practice have had good results.

Another excellent practice to engage in is the practice of Medicine Buddha if you feel an affinity with this practice. This is another excellent practice for healing and wellbeing. You can find the practice here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/prayers-and-sadhanas/medicine-buddha-practice.html

If you would like, you can also sponsor the Medicine Buddha puja here: https://www.vajrasecrets.com/medicine-buddha-puja-fund which can be dedicated towards your good health.

If you engage in the Shize practice sincere and with effort, you will begin to see things working out for your health, and even things like medical treatment becoming easier and obstacle free, depending on your karma. The enlightened energies of the Buddhas will definitely benefit you in many different ways, but is dependent on your karma. Therefore, as well as engaging in the practice, you should also strive to transform your mind to become a more compassionate person, and learn more of the Dharma. When you do this, the deity practices you engage in will be much more beneficial. I hope this helps, and I wish you luck in your medical treatment.

Dear Thorim,

Thank you for your question. Although I do not have a literally translation for the six-syllable White Manjushri mantra, it is one that is known to be extremely efficacious. Its six syllables are said to release you from rebirth in the six unfortunate realms or samsara, so in essence, can lead you to enlightenment. As it is a mantra of Manjushri, it helps to clear our delusions, ignorance, and helps us to gain the seven types of wisdom, which lead us out of suffering. Once we develop wisdom, it allows us to see how things really are, and how we create our own sufferings. When we are able to see and understand this, we are able better understand and have the drive to overcome the creation of this suffering, which is to follow the paths of wisdom and compassion taught by the enlightened beings. The mantra is also known to keep away demons, provide protection, and accomplish spiritual realisations. The mantra is associated with White Manjushri, who is also known as the Lord of Speech. I hope this helps. Thank you.

Dear Tanja,

Thank you your question. As far as I am aware Jesus Christ is not mentioned in any of the classical Buddhist texts. That being said, if looking at the life and works of Jesus Christ, spreading the message of love, compassion, and acceptance, from a Buddhist point of view, he was a great being. I hope this helps.

Here are some links to articles on this blog that you may find interesting to read and watch:

https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/jesus-christ-and-gautama-buddha-similarities-and-differences.html

https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/animals-vegetarianism/a-vegetarian-jesus.html

https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/jesus-was-a-buddhist-monk-bbc-documentary.html

Thank you.

Dear Gary King,

Thank you for your question, and thank you for educating the next generation who will influence the world. The text book you have cited is somewhat in correct, and actually deals with one of the significant differences between the two world religions. While Hindu’s believe that the highest spiritual achievement is to re-unite with what the textbook calls “Great World Soul” or Brahman. This is basically the concept that the individual soul or “atman” is part of a greater whole and the goal of Hindu spiritual life is to re-unite with this greater whole. Therefore Hindu’s believe in an eternity of the soul or self. Buddhists, however, do not have this concept of the eternity of the soul. Rather Buddhists believe in transcending existence altogether, which is known as complete enlightenment.

Hindus also worship gods and goddesses who are believed to be the embodiments of the concept of this “Great World Soul”. On the other hand, even though the Buddha did not explicitly deny the existence of such gods and goddesses, the Buddha preached that it is futile to search for or seek something which an individual is not even aware of.

Experiencing the world after having been extremely sheltered for the majority of his life by his father, the king, Prince Siddhartha became disillusioned and sought the truth. After undergoing many austerities and meditation, the prince discovered the truth and became enlightened. Thereafter he was forever known as the Buddha or awakened one. The Buddha went on to preach that life is full of many types of sorrows and the only way that one can overcome these is to attain the state of nirvana or enlightenment which transcends existence itself. This is in contrast to the belief that in Hinduism that one unites with Brahman.

Though both religions believe in karma, or the theory that good actions with good motivations lead to positive states of being, while bad actions with bad motivation lead to negative states of being, there have differences. In Buddhism karma can only truly be negated once you have attained enlightenment, whereas in Hinduism it is attained through unification with Brahman.

The Hindu path is marked by various forms of yoga and meditation aimed at a union with a particular god, and demand fulfilling the duties of your position in the human world and culture, prayer, devotion and knowledge. The Buddhist path is marked by the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Noble Path, and the Six Paramitas, the understanding that existences is permeated with suffering, that these sufferings are due to desires, that the search for eternity only worsens human suffering and that in order to attain nirvana once must overcome the mistake desires.

In essence Hindu’s believe in the concept of an eternal soul and the “Great World Soul” as the text book you mention labels it, whereas Buddhism denies the existence of an eternal soul. I hope this helps. Thank you.