Question asked by Yue
1: What is the demi-god realm? I kind of know what it is, but there isn't much information regarding this realm
2: Do inages NEED to be blessed? I don't have the time to do the ritual EVEN the condensed one, but I wish to pray to them immediately.
3: What defines something as Mahayana practice or Dharma practice?
4: Though I pray for no anger and such, anger comes back, does this mean that I contradict myself? I feel terrible right after I do become angry and just feel chaotic inside
Thank you for reading through and answering my questions
Hi Yue,
1. In regards to the Demi-god realm, many texts talk about this realm in detail. You can find out more about this realm in the Lamrim texts. Here is a link to the text we use here in Kechara: https://www.vajrasecrets.com/lamrim-liberation-in-the-palm-of-your-hand
2. It is not necessary for your Buddha images to be blessed in order to put them on your altar, however it is highly advised that they are consecrated properly. Even if you cannot do the full consecration ritual, you can bless them daily as you engage in your Sadhana. If you practising the Diamond Path Sadhana, at the Enthronement section, visualise the Buddhas dissolving into your images. Alternatively, if you are doing any other sadhanas, you visualise the actually Buddhas dissolving in your images before reciting the dedication prayers. If you do this, then you are blessing your images yourself daily.
3. Mahayana practices is Dharma practice. Dharma practice is any sort of Buddhist practice. Mahayana practice is any Dharma practice that has the Bodhicitta motivation as it’s basis. This is actually the definition of the Mahayana, the Bochicitta motivation, developed through very specific contemplations and meditation. Again the Lamrim, explains all of this in detail, as well as giving us the contemplations and meditation necessary to develop it.
4. Praying to the Buddhas to have less or no anger, is just a wish. It acts as a motivation for your practice to reduce anger, and generates merit for you to achieve a state of mind with less or no anger. However this highly charged potential will stay dormant until you actually do something to activate it. This is done through contemplations and meditation to first deal with the issues that you are going through – to understand where you anger is coming from and disadvantages of having it. Then it comes from apply the antidotes to anger in a very specific way, these antidotes are developing patience and compassion. So, if you pray for less anger, but still finding yourself getting angry, then you are not contradicting yourself, it’s that you haven’t actually start practising the method to overcoming it. Prayers, generation of merit, etc, do not cure us of our negative emotions and karma immediately and by themselves, they work in tandem with the contemplations and methods to overcome them.
On of our recently published book covers the topic of anger, and many other types of negative emotions and how to deal with them properly through contemplation. You can find the book here: https://www.vajrasecrets.com/insightful-meditation
Hope this helps. Thanks.