Dear Tendin,

You are right to say that some Dharma protectors are said to reflect or deflect black magic cast against practitioners. Black magic is usually cast using the aid of spirits. Since the spirit was invoked to create harm but could not as the Dharma protector blocked the spirit, it can no longer fulfill its purpose. The spirit then goes back to the magician to fulfill its aim of harming, as it has nowhere else to go. The spirit then affects the magician or those close to the magician.

If the magic was cast using elemental energies, these energies have to be dispersed somehow. As they cannot affect the intended practitioner, they are dispersed back against the magician. Therefore there is no bad karma involved from the side of the one protected by the Dharma protector. The negative karma is actually created from the side of the magician, who cast the magic with a bad intention.

Dear Losang,

Thank you for your question. Unfortunately His Eminence 25th Tsem Rinpoche has not shared this particular practice with any of the current pastors as of yet. Therefore I am unable to give you any information or the mantra for the great Dharma protector Kakamukha Mahakala. Perhaps you can request your lama if he knows other teachers who may be able to give you the information you require.

Dear Jadon,

To gain any attainments from the practice of Green Tara, or any other deity in fact, you need to have full faith and conviction in the deity and that the deity is in fact one with your meditational teacher. Together with this you follow the prayers to Green Tara, or the sadhana of Green Tara if you have received it from your guru. The easiest way to attain siddhis is to concentrate on the mantra, as the focus of meditation. You concentrate on the sound of the mantra single-pointedly. This in itself is a very powerful meditation, which can lead to attainments arising.

Dear Xx,

All the situations we find ourselves in is due to karma created from previous lives or this life. Therefore one of the major karmas that affects us in this life is the family we were born into, the cause of this would have been created in previous lives. A karma would have opened at the time of death, which would propel us to take rebirth where we are now. Part and parcel of this would be being born into a family that practices a certain religion. For example, there are some Buddhist prayers that mention wanting to be born again in a Buddhist family or in an area where there is Buddhism so that you can continue with your current practices in your future life. I hope this helps.

Dear Shawn,

As for the 1st part of your question, everything that happens to us is the result of karma from previous lives, from where we are born and the situation we are put in. Everyone has both good karma and bad karma, it depends on the causes and conditions for different karma to open and manifest. However, the point of Buddhist practice is to break through this karma, changing our life situations through our own effort and spiritual practice.

For the 2nd part, yes there are many ways to cut or destroy negative karma. These include what are called purification practices, which basically purify negative karma and cut them off in a controlled manner. Most Buddhist practice, both deity practices and transformational practices such as Lojong or mind training, necessarily involve the purification of negative karma and the accumulation of merit, necessary for our spiritual journey towards enlightenment.

As for the 3rd and most important part of your question, you seem to know the answer already. The desire for a partner is exactly that, a desire. From a Buddhist perspective desire is based on the ego. If we want to benefit all sentient beings, then we have to lessen the ego as it stops us from equalising all beings so that we can benefit them. But please remember that we have to start off slowly to benefit others, it is a very gradual process and we need to train ourselves steadily but surely that takes time. It is something we work on slowly, it cannot be achieved instantly.

I am very sorry to hear that this has affected you in your life so much, may I suggest that you engage strongly in the practice of the Guru Yoga of Lama Tsongkhapa. This practice is very well known for calming the mind troubled by very heavy emotional turmoil. This will help you tremendously. Please do not hesitate to ask more questions if you need more information.

Dear Lime aller,

Astrological conditions can be changed. They are not fixed. There are many practices that can help you in this situation.

The first is practice of Black Manjushri. Commonly known as a strong practice against negative forces and for healing. This practice is also very effective at removing the effects of negative astrological conditions. You can engage in this practice if you are worried about negative astrological conditions. The practice is available here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/prayers-and-sadhanas/black-manjushri.html

The second practice is that of Dorje Shugden. This practice removes obstacles and any problems you may face in life. The third practice is of Green Tara. Tara is fantastic for creating harmony between people. You can engage in these practices yourself, otherwise you can order prayers to be performed here for Green Tara: http://www.vajrasecrets.com/tara-puja-fund-for-swift-assistance and here for Dorje Shugden: http://www.vajrasecrets.com/dorje-shugden-wishfulfilling-puja-fund

You can also wear a Tara chakra, available here: http://www.vajrasecrets.com/green-tara-chakra. Though it doesn’t necessarily combat the “bad” astrological conditions, it can increase the energies of harmony around you.

Dear Blee,

Yes there is a difference. When we engage in virtuous activity we generate merit. When this merit is dedicated it will never run out. For example when we do something good, we collect good karma. This karma can open up in the future and is used up. Merit however is something collected from the good motivation to benefit others and most importantly, dedicated towards enlightenment. Once dedicated merit can never be used up, and we keep benefiting from it again and again all the way until we reach enlightenment. When we chant mantras, this is a very virtuous activity as mantras are the energy of the Buddhas in the form of sound. Therefore chanting mantras generates a lot of merit that we should always seal with dedication. Thereby we will always benefit from them, now and in future rebirths.

Dear Jason,

Sengdongma, the lion-faced dakini is said to be the manifestation of Vajrayogini because she is actually part of Vajrayogini/Heruka’s entourage. She is also Green Tara. It is not uncommon for Buddhas to manifest as part of the entourage of another Buddha in a different form that will benefit practitioners. For example, in this case Green Tara has emanated as Sengdongma.

Dear Lunezia,

I can only answer this question from a Buddhist viewpoint, as I do not know how this would be viewed from a Christian standpoint. From a Buddhist perspective, everyone can practice Dorje Shugden, because Dorje Shugden is a fully enlightened being. As such Dorje Shugden does everything out of compassion. Dorje Shugden will never want to harm or even have the capacity to harm because he is enlightened. This is the same for all Buddhas. Therefore, regardless of our belief systems, if we sincerely practice Dorje Shugden, then there will only be benefit and nothing else. From a Buddhist viewpoint there is nothing wrong with this, and it is certainly not a mad idea.

Dear Xavier,

From what you have described, I suggest you engage in the practice of Dorje Shugden after you complete your daily sadhana of White Manjushri. As a Dharma protector, Dorje Shugden has the ability to remove obstacles created by our karma. In fact Dorje Shugden is an emanation of Manjushri, so in essence you will be propitiating the same being, only in a different form, for a different reason.

However you have mentioned that you do not have enough time engaging in the full sadhana every day. In this case you can simply recite the mantra of Dorje Shugden or even have a Dorje Shugden puja sponsored for yourself to clear any obstacles. You can have a puja sponsored via http://www.vajrasecrets.com/dorje-shugden-puja , if you so wish. If this feeling continues then I would suggest that you yourself continue the practice of Dorje Shugden.

I believe that you should continue with the practice of White Manjushri, as the Buddhas can only help us, they cannot harm us. This practice will be very good for you since you seem to have an affinity with it. Of course, you can recite the mantra with just the visualisation if you cannot do the entire sadhana. There is no issue with this as long as you have not been told to engage in the entire practice, or received the White Manjushri initiation, in which case there would be a mandatory practice. Any prayers you do will only be beneficial for you, even if you can only do the visualisation and the mantra. However, when you do have the time, you should try to engage in the entire sadhana as it will be more complete and beneficial. I hope this helps, may you receive White Manjushri’s blessings.

Dear Leah,

I’m not sure what you are trying to ask. Please post again with more information. Thank you.

Dear Dolker,

As fully enlightened beings, Buddhas do not have the wish or even the ability to create any harm for sentient beings. They act from pure compassion to benefit others. Therefore to have their various images on the same altar will never create an issue along the same lines you have mentioned.

Traditionally, however images of gods or other deities are not kept on the same altar as the Buddhas. Those who have them, keep them on a separate altar if they have enough space. That beings said, if they are the higher Hindu gods, there shouldn’t be a problem keeping them on the same altar if you want. It is entirely up to you. There will not be an issue of shaktis mixing.

Dear Lee,

In regards to your first question, some people have emotional feelings or physical reactions, such a crying or feeling happy when they are around holy objects. Relics are very powerful objects as they are from the body of the Buddhas or other holy beings. The Buddhas and holy beings leave behind relics as a source of blessings for their students and others. Since the Buddha and holy beings practiced deeply during their lifetime, their bodies became holy themselves. So relics do have very powerful energies, which effects people in only beneficial ways. Crying at the sight of relics is a physical reaction to the energies of the relics but you shouldn’t think too much about it. Simply be mindful that you are having an experience and then let it go. Viewing and making offerings to the relics is much more important as they remind us to practice the Dharma more strongly.

As for the second question, it is along the same lines. You shouldn’t get too caught up in physical feelings. Instead you should concentrate on the food offerings you are making to the Sangha, concentrate on the fact that you are sustain those who practice the Dharma, that you are generating strong merits, and make very strong dedications after doing so.

Dear Jason,

From what you have written, no you are not going crazy or being possessed. When you progress in regular meditation many feelings both emotional and physical arise to help you deal with them. In this case when you mediated, these physical feelings arose. There are many ways to counter these feelings while meditating and you shouldn’t get caught up in these feelings or fixate on them. Instead you should bring your attention back to the focus of your meditation, in this case it should be the visualisation of the merit field.

In order to deepen your practice, you should learn up from the meditation section of Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand by Pabongka Rinpoche. If you wish to learn even further then you can learn from the Calm Abiding section from Lama Tsongkhapa’s Lam Rim Chenmo. Both presentations are indispensable in guiding students in meditation practice. If you have a spiritual teacher (guru) I would strongly encourage you to seek more advice from this person. There is nothing more valuable than the experiential knowledge of a guru to guide you in this. Even though it may seem that the texts are the only guide you need as they are so complete and all-encompassing, a guru will be able to guide you more aptly.

If you are still worried about going crazy, being possessed or even general obstacles in your practice, you should make prayers to a Dharma Protector on a regular basis to dispel obstacles and great conducive practice for you practice. This will be of tremendous benefit. If you have a guru you should request your guru for prayers to propitiate a Dharma Protector.

If you do not have a guru, I may suggest, the daily practices of Lama Tsongkhapa’s Guru Yoga and Dorje Shugden’s prayers can be invited from any of the Kechara Paradise outlets in Malaysia or online via Vajra Secrets, here is the link: http://www.vajrasecrets.com/diamond-path. This should help you meditations. I pray that your meditations are successful.

Dear Lee,

Yes, Vajrasecrets offers blessed pendants. These pendants have been blessed by the Dharma Protector Dorje Shugden in trance of the Panglung Oracle. You can search the Vajrasecrets website to find the pendants that have the word “blessed” in the title.

There is no difference between the pendants being blessed and consecrated. They mean thing the same but are just two separate words in English. As used in Buddhism, it means that both contain the enlightened energies of the Buddhas.

If you would like any other pendant from vajrasecrets that you would like blessed, please write a note to the administrators during the order to have the pastors bless it for you.

Dear Alex C,

Yes, an altar setup with any Buddha image can help to protect the house and those living there. This is because the form of a Buddha, as representative of enlightenment, has the power to keep away negative forces. That said, you should get your statues consecrated so that the energies of the Buddhas are called into the statues through ritual. This can be arranged at Kechara House, you can call Front Desk on + 603 7803 3908 if you are in Malaysia.

From the experience you have mentioned, you shouldn’t try to react with such force such as twisting its finger. But reciting the mantras is very good. From what you have described, if this happens again you can engage in the practice of Dukkar. Dukkar’s practice is very effective when dealing with this sort of experience. It can be found here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/prayers-and-sadhanas/sadhana-prayers.html#dukkar. The prayer is entitled “A Sitatapatra Sadhana (White Umbrella)”. You should engage in the practice every day. If the situation does not improve, we can give further advice, you can either leave another message here or call Kechara House and ask to speak with a Pastor. I hope this helps.

Dear Kelly,

The mantra for Wangze Dorje Shugden’s practice is OM BENZA WIKI BITANA WANGSHA GURU OM. Please use this mantra when engaging in Wangze’s practice.

Dear Alan,

When prayers and virtuous activities are performed for someone who has passed away within the 49 day period, the main aim is to assist them take a fortunate rebirth. However even if a person has already taken rebirth, it is very good to dedicated prayers and virtuous actions for them. This will help to alleviate their suffering and problems in whatever form they have taken rebirth. This can also create a positive force, so that when they take rebirth again it will be in a fortunate form and environment. Ultimately, you should dedicate the prayers to them that they can have a rebirth in which they can continue their spiritual journey, which will lead them out of suffering completely.

Dear James,

From a Buddhist viewpoint in regards to seeing the Buddhas themselves, the main factor here is karma. For example Buddha Shakyamuni was in human form, therefore we could have met him and received teachings from him directly, which would have greatly furthered our own spiritual practice. However most of us did not have the karma to be born as a human during his time or even in the land he lived. Similarly, many of us do not have enough merit to see the subtle Sambhogakaya forms of the Buddhas due to our negative karma. This can be achieved on the spiritual practice when one has purified enough negative karma and accumulated enough merit. At this point one can communicate directly with the Buddhas. Within Buddhism, Buddha Shakyamuni is not a god but a being who achieved the highest possibility and now transcends existence. This is a potential that each one of has, therefore we can achieve that same state if through spiritual practice.

Through their compassion the Buddhas also manifest in Nirmanakaya form, which means that they take human form. These beings can be recognised, such as the ‘tulku’ tradition in Tibetan Buddhism, so that they can teach the Dharma. In other cases these emanations are not recognised formally as embodiments of the Buddhas. Therefore we can meet Buddhas and they do appear in our world, just not necessarily how we would “want” them to appear.

Dear Eli Levine,

I would like to suggest that you engage in your daily practices strongly. You should engage in the practice of Lama Tsongkhapa’s Guru Yoga strongly. This will be very helpful to steel your mind to persevere in the face of obstacles. You are right, these obstacles or the situations we are placed in are created by our karma. If we do not have the strength to improve our conditions and battle through the difficulties, we allow this negative karma to win. If we let it, then we usually end up accumulating more negative karma.

You should couple this with the practice of Dorje Shugden, which will help alleviate any obstacles and create conducive conditions. The main point here is to engage in these practices every day and you will definitely see improvements in your mind.

If possible and you have time, perhaps you can also engage in a Dorje Shugden retreat. The instructions and retreat prayers can be found here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/dorje-shugden-retreat-a-powerful-practice-to-fulfill-wishes.html

If you have the time you should also ready and study the Lamrim text Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand. Understanding the text will go a long way to gain control over your life situation.