Question asked by Demian
I have a Buddhist friend who has been bullied by other kids in his neighborhood. His parents couldn't do anything to help as the parents of the other kids simply called Buddhists "demonic" and so on. What could they do according to the teachings?
Wait, if we aren't supposed to worship unenlightened beings like Dorje Legpa, Za Rahula, Dorje Drakden, Pehar Gyalpo, Gemu, and Tashi Tseringma, then how come this website gives an article of worshiping nagas when they are also unenlightened?
If Tashi Tseringma is a worldly protector who was forced to be bound by Padmasambhava and Milarepa, then how come the Tenma oracle has gave the wrong prophecies? Does that mean that both the Gadhong oracle and Tenma oracle were really demons and not the real deities?
I've read that the dakini goddess, Kurukulle is also a goddess of magic. But is that true?
How does one perform mo divination or even Palden Lhamo scrying?
Is it okay to practice the Kuji-in mudras and mantras?
When one is being harassed eithe physically or mentally or both, how should one react according to the dharma? Does one fight back, avoid, or what?
What are the views of the syllable mantras like "A Yam Ram Mam Kham" and "Ra Ma Da Sa Sa Sey So Hung"?
How does one know if a teacher is lying or simply performing illusions?
Dear Demian,
Thank you for your questions. I’m sorry to hear about your friend who is being bullied by the other kids in the neighbourhood. According to Buddhist philosophy, the causes for this to occur is negative karma from previous lives. Therefore I would advise your friend and friend’s family to engage in purification practices to purify this karma. Perhaps your friend could also try to interact in a more beneficial way with other kids in the neighbourhood. While this may seem very difficult to do, it is a physically action that will help the situation, which coupled with prayers may help to alleviate the situation.
In regards to worshiping unenlightened beings and the Apology to the Naga Realm, there is a difference between worshiping an enlightened being. We take safe refuge in enlightened beings, whereas the Apology to the Naga Realm is to be recited as apologetic verses. It is not that we are taking refuge in the Nagas, we are simply saying sorry if we have offended them in any way, as a means to maintain harmony. You can read more about taking refuge correctly here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/taking-refuge-by-pabongka-rinpoche.html. There is a whole section of the teachings in Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand (Day 12) which is devoted to the taking proper refuge. You can learn more about taking refuge that book.
In regards to the oracles giving false prophecy, this has nothing to do with the deity in question. This is because the deity has been oath bound by an enlightened being, there is no way the deity in question would provide false prophecies. They are very powerful beings who work tirelessly for the sake of protecting the Dharma and sincere practitioners. Rather, in the case of false prophecy, this has to do with the oracles themselves. In the case of false prophecy, it could be either of two scenarios: the first is that the oracles took trance of malevolent spirits or, secondly, they might not have been taking trance at all. I do not have any form of clairvoyance, so I could not possibly say what actually happened. I am simply presenting what could have happened from a logical point of view.
As for Kurukulle being the goddess of magic, this is due to a misunderstanding of Kurukulle’s main function. Her practice is used for purposes of magnetizing, or influencing others. This is not something that is negative, on the contrary, the benefits of her sadhana can only be used for positive purposes – such as influencing people away from non-virtues, to engaging in virtuous activities. This is the one of the benefits of her practice that has often been misunderstood.
In order to engage in the mo divination techniques of Palden Lhamo, this follows the same sort of procedure that I have mentioned before in previous answers to you. First one must have the permission of one’s Lama, completed any retreat commitments, learnt how to do it from one’s Lama, received the appropriate dice and divination text and also engage in the Palden Lhamo practice every day. Only then can one engage in the practice of mo divination with any success. This is the same for all forms of divination within Tibetan Buddhism.
I cannot comment on the Kuji-in mudras and mantras as they belong the Japanese form of Vajrayana practice. The practices that are preserved in that tradition are somewhat different from those of Tibetan Buddhism. If they practices can be traced back to an authentic source, for example Buddha Shakyamuni and the practices still have benefit, then they would be ok to practice. However, one should remember not to mix traditions. There is a saying in Tibet, that in Tibet people practice many yidams (or many meditational paths) and do not achieve even one. But in India, they practiced only one yidam (or meditational practice) and achieved them all. This basically means that it is advisable to choose one path, and then stick with it all the way to enlightenment. This is not to say that all other paths are wrong, just that we will get confused and not progress on the spiritual path if we are practicing different systems at the same time. They however lead to the same goal – enlightenment.
If one is being harassed then one should follow the Eight Verses of Thought Transformation. There is a verse that says: “When others out of jealousy, mistreat me with abuse, slander and so on, I will practise accepting defeat and offering the victory to them.” This means that we should offer them the victory and not fight back. Obviously in some situations we need to protect ourselves physically and this is ok. But we should not provoke them but simply protect ourselves. This is because within the Buddhist path, we first realise that what we are experiencing is due to karma. If we react negatively to any situation, then we are generating more negative karma. We should forgive and let go, then the karma is purified. We also need to develop compassion for these people because they are also suffering from their delusions and karma.
As for the two mantras you have described, the first is commonly used by the Bon tradition and the other is a mantra from a Kundalini yoga tradition. These are both not Buddhist traditions so I cannot comment on their validity from their respective traditions. However, from a Buddhist point of view, they do not invoke upon the enlightened beings, therefore cannot help to transcend samsara and achieve nirvana. Therefore Buddhists would not engage in these mantras, as the goal of a Buddhist is to transcend samsara. This is not to say anything about these mantras simply that they do not align to the goals of a Buddhist practitioner.
In regards to a teacher lying or simply performing an illusion, most people cannot tell. Either because they are not currently aware of the truth of the situation or do not have clairvoyance. Rather than asking this, the question should be how do we tell if a teachers is genuine or not. This is rather self-evident, you see how they behave ethically. Are they keeping their vows if they have any, are they doing good for the world? Are they benefiting people on many levels? And are their current students showing the same signs of benefiting others? This applies to all religions. All true religious leaders and teachers will not work for themselves, but will focus out and help others. I hope this helps.
Thank you.