Question asked by Lhamo
Whenever I’m chanting or meditating, I often have this goosebumps feeling as though something is rising out of me and there is a presence. Is this normal?
I found a website on Vajrakilaya, and his mantras. Are these correct? Here’s the link:
https://blausternschlonge.wordpress.com/2014/06/06/the-tibetan-bon-terma-of-the-phurbademon-dagger-and-grimoire-of-vajra-kila/
When visualizing our consciousness rising out of our body, do we have to visualize Amitayus or can we visualize other Buddhas like Guru Rinpoche?
When there is a mantra to reveal past, present, and future, is it to be recited while scrying or through dreams?
I’ve noticed that certain Hindu deities like Varuna, Saraswati, Yama, and Kubera ended up becoming Buddhas like Varuna as one of the 35 confessional Buddhas, Saraswati as the consort of Manjushri, Kubera as Yellow Dzambhala and Vaishravana, Lakshmi as Vasudhare, Brahma as Tshangs Dkarpo, Shiva as one of the 75 Mahakalas, Vishnu as Hayagriva, Ganesha as Ganapti, Yama as one of the 8 main dharmapalas, wrathful Hindu Tara to peaceful Tara, and so on. Does this mean that nearly all the deities like Dhumavati, Kali, Brahma, Vishnu, and so on are Buddhas? Is Siddhartha Gautama(aka. Shakyamuni Buddha) an incarnation of Vishnu?
Is Kali really the mother of the universe? There are videos which debunk Abrahamic religions and claim that Kali is the mother.
Is Vajrayogini the goddess Chinnamasta? In one of the articles here, it showed Vajrayogini to be an identical figure to the Hindu goddess Chinnamasta.
Why would a person sacrifice their own flesh to deities and demons in Chod practice?
Dear Lhamo,
You have a lot of questions and it will be answered one-by-one.
Whenever I’m chanting or meditating, I often have this goosebumps feeling as though something is rising out of me and there is a presence. Is this normal?
– When we engage in our chanting and meditations, ethereal beings like spirits would sometimes be attracted to the energy and this is normal as they are everywhere. As long as we hold our vows and commitments as Buddhist, the spirits would not be able to harm us. In fact, we can even bless them by the recitation of our mantras especially if we generate compassion for them. Just getting goosebumps does not necessarily mean there is presence but there is a high chance it might be one. Whatever it is, it is not necessary to focus on this
I found a website on Vajrakilaya, and his mantras. Are these correct?
– We belong to the Gelug tradition and we are unfamiliar with the mantras and practices of the Nyingma tradition. You could write in to the site to ask for the source of their prayers and mantras. If it is from a lama or tulku that is reputable in the Nyingma lineage, then it should be alright.
When visualizing our consciousness rising out of our body, do we have to visualize Amitayus or can we visualize other Buddhas like Guru Rinpoche?
– It is not clear what practice or meditation you are referring to with this question. Generally, visualizing the yidam and our lama as one is one of the most effective method to tap into the blessings of the yidam.
When there is a mantra to reveal past, present, and future, is it to be recited while scrying or through dreams?
– If you are talking about developing clairvoyance, Kyabje Gangchen Rinpoche who is one of Tsem Rinpoche’s teachers said that one can develop it with any forms of Manjushri. That means we have to engage in its retreat of 100,000 at the very least and it would be preferable to receive the initiation prior to engaging in deep retreats of the yidam.
Does this mean that nearly all the deities like Dhumavati, Kali, Brahma, Vishnu, and so on are Buddhas? Is Siddhartha Gautama(aka. Shakyamuni Buddha) an incarnation of Vishnu? – No, the yidams are enlightened beings that take on the form that is similar to worldly deities but their nature is vastly different. If we rely on enlightened beings, they can lead us directly and indirectly to enlightenment while worldly beings can benefit us but they are unable to bring us to enlightenment because they are not enlightened themselves.
As for the Buddha Shakyamuni, Buddhists do not believed him to be an incarnation of a God. He is merely a man who have discovered the truth and became the awakened one. In fact, the Buddha was asked if he was a god and he said no. He is merely awakened.
Is Kali really the mother of the universe? According to this video, it debunks Abrahamic religions and claims that Kali is the mother – In Buddhism, we do not believe in a creator being who created the universe. We believe it is our karma the result of our previous actions that creating our current existence and experience.
Is Vajrayogini the goddess Chinnamasta? In one of the articles here, it showed Vajrayogini to be an identical figure to the Hindu goddess Chinnamasta.
– Yes, one form of Vajrayogini is the headless Vajrayogini or Chinnamasta. Somehow, her form was incorporated into the Hindu pantheon just like how Buddha Shakyamuni was incorporated into the Hindu pantheon as well.
Why would a person sacrifice their own flesh to deities and demons in Chod practice?
– This is tantric visualization and it is purely symbolic in nature. We sacrifice our body because it symbolize our greatest attachment and self-grasping, which is the self-cherishing ‘I’ and it is the source of all our delusions and sufferings. Chod practice directly counters this deep seated self-cherishing ‘I’ by offering our body up as an offering to nourish deities and demons. This offering is done by visualization to purify karma and accumulate tremendous amounts of merits. There is more to this and you need to receive the initiation and read the commentary to know the full meaning but what is explained here is just the general meaning. Hope these answers helped you. Thank you.