Dharma protectors or Dharmapalas are wrathful deities sworn to defend the Dharma and its practitioners. As guardians of the Dharma, they are often portrayed in frightening forms with wrathful expressions, protruding fangs and commonly depicted with blue, black or red skin. Despite their fearsome appearance, their sole purpose is to benefit sentient beings and create conducive conditions for Dharma practice.
The power of enlightened Dharma protectors comes from their enlightened nature, which is compassionate and wisdom-filled. On the deepest level, they represent our blissful awareness of emptiness in strong energetic forms – the best protection against obstacles. The Dharma protectors protect sincere spiritual practitioners who seek their higher selves, see the downfalls of materialism and other problems created by the human mind.
Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in wrathful forms are like our compassionate parents, ever ready to protect and assist their children against the damage caused by their egocentricity as well as healing the wounds that come about from past karma. They guide those who stray from their spiritual path back to their original intention of bettering themselves. Their role as wrathful emanations can be likened to parents angry at their wayward children. This wrathful anger is actually motivated by love, compassion and concern for their children’s well-being.
The role and function of Dharma protectors is to eliminate problems and difficulties that prevent spiritual progress. Dharma protectors help to remove inner obstacles to our spiritual practice such as depression, laziness, doubts, anger, jealousy, lack of perseverance and other emotional issues that can easily lead us away from our spiritual journey.
Two Types of Dharma Protectors
The Dharma Protector Mahakala
There are two types of Dharma protectors – enlightened protectors and oath-bound protectors. Every monastery in Tibet has its own Dharma protector. However, the tradition did not begin in Tibet. In fact the Mahayana practitioners of ancient India also relied upon Dharma protectors to eliminate hindrances and assist them to fulfill their spiritual aspirations.
In general, there are mundane and supra-mundane Dharma protectors who dispel inner and outer hindrances. Mundane protectors are worldly deities who have been bound by oath by the great masters of the past or enlightened beings to aid pracitioners. In some cases the enlightened beings will emanate in the form of these mundane, worldly deities so that they can have a closer connection to practitioners who have yet to become enlightened. This is because the merits required for a mundane protector to connect with a practitioner, versus the merits required for a practitioner to connect with a supra-mundane protector is much less.
Supra-mundane protectors, also known as transcendent wisdom protectors, are the emanations of enlightened beings in enlightened form. Examples of supra-mundane protectors include Six-Armed Mahakala who is an emanation of Arya Avalokiteshvara; the five Four-Faced Mahakalas are emanations of Shri Chakrasamvara and the four mothers; Tent Mahakala who is an emanation of Hevajra and Palden Mag Zor Ma who is an emanation of the goddess Saraswati in wrathful form.
The Dharma Protector Citipati
The mighty Gyalchen Dorje Shugden is an enlightened protector who exhibits a worldly aspect. He is in fact inseparable in nature from Manjushri and the Highest Yoga Tantric deity Yamantaka. Other protectors of similar nature to Dorje Shugden include Setrap Chen, a protector of Sukhavati Pureland and an emanation of the Buddha Amitabha. There are many other examples of Dharma protectors who are emanations of supra-mundane beings. As it says in the enlightenment chapter of the Uttara Tantra, under the section that deals with the classification of types of refuge:
Just as the jewel shines With various colors not its own, Likewise, due to varying conditions of beings, Buddhas appear in forms other than that of actual Vajradhara.
Just like a jewel does not have many colours, but shines with many colours, the Buddhas even though appearing in different forms are of the same enlightened mind as embodied in Vajradhara.
Mundane or unenlightened Dharma protectors, such as Pehar (who is also interchangeably known as Nechung), are spirits that were oath-bound by lamas to stop causing harm and to serve and protect the Dharma instead. It is very important to distinguish between the two types of Dharma protectors. Whereas unenlightened Dharma protectors can help to alleviate our obstacles and create conducive conditions, enlightened Dharma protectors are a source of refuge and can assist us to achieve high attainments as well as enlightenment itself.
Why Do Most Dharma Protectors Look Angry and Scary?
The Dharma Protector Yamantaka
The savage and violent imagery of a Dharma protector’s form and their liturgy are not to be taken literally but are in fact full of meaning for our spiritual path. For example, bodies crushed underfoot represent egotistic delusions trampled down by the power of wisdom; the violent imagery is an integral part of their function to defeat the inner demons within our own minds that refuse to be tamed by peaceful means. If this force is terrifying enough, victory may even be gained without a fight.
The wrathful and martial-like appearance of some Dharma protectors symbolise that they engage in the battle with our negative karma in order to benefit us. Many Dharma protectors are equipped with armour and carry various weapons to represent their superhuman qualities of perseverance and tenacity in fending off our delusions, negativities and karma.
The wrathful imagery also possesses the element of speed. For example, when we are angry, we tend to move and react much quicker than usual. Therefore the terrifying physical demeanour of a Dharma protector can denote this element of swiftness when coming to our assistance.
It is important to remember that the speed with which a Dharma protector can assist us depends heavily on certain factors such as the spiritual relationship we have with our teacher, the affinity we have forged with the Dharma protector over time and how well we keep our spiritual vows and commitments. Broken samaya (teacher-disciple relationship) or commitments to our teacher will hamper the ability of the Dharma protector to come to our aid. In the scriptures, it is said that broken samaya is like blindfolding and handcuffing the Dharma protectors, therefore rendering them incapable of assisting us when we need them the most.
Some commentators view the institution of wrathful Dharma protectors as the result of cultural mixing between various peoples and not something that is relevant to ‘pure’ Buddhism. This view however is mistaken as the Mahayana masters have propitiated Dharma protectors since Buddhism was practised in India. For example Setrap Chen’s practice was actually brought over from India to Tibet. He originally resided in Bodhgaya, the seat of Buddha Shakyamuni’s enlightenment. Thus, the main purpose of Protector practice is to help practitioners to purify negative karma and accumulate merits to overcome inner and outer obstacles, while creating favourable conditions for our spiritual practice to flourish. At the same time it fosters an innate compassion for those suffering in samsara, something that we all can develop. This leads us to comprehend and operate from the understanding that negative emotions such as anger or desire generate negative karma and keeps us bound to suffering again and again. Developing compassion, and its counterpart, wisdom, directly counters these negative emotions, which is the very meaning behind the swords, knives and other weapons that the Dharma protectors wield. A Dharma protector’s divine assistance is therefore very much needed by practitioners, especially in this day and age when there are so many more distractions through which our negative karma and obstacles can manifest. This karma manifests in the form of illnesses, accidents, career problems, failing businesses, ailing relationships and so forth. Since these are problems that have the potential to derail our spiritual practice, a Dharma protector can assist us in clearing them, to aid us on our spiritual path towards enlightenment.
The Pure Intentions of Dharma Protectors
The negative karma people have generated over the course of their previous and current lives can only be purified by the individual themselves. Not even a Buddha can purify the karma of another being. However taking the Buddhas as a basis, we can purify this negative karma ourselves by emulating their practice of compassion and wisdom to achieve the same enlightened state. Since they are emanations of Buddhas, enlightened protectors are worthy objects of refuge for Buddhist pracitioners. Therefore through their practice we can purify our negative karma and generate merits.
One point to remember here is the difference between good karma and merit. Good karma is created through ordinary beneficial actions, which leads to beneficial circumstances in the future. Merit, on the other hand, is generated through beneficial actions carried out with a virtuous motivation and dedicated towards attaining enlightenment so that one can benefit sentient beings by alleviating their suffering. While good karma can be exhausted after fruition, merit can only increase and never be depleted.
The practice of an enlightened Dharma protector generates merits and creates a strong affinity with them. These two benefits become the very cause for the Dharma protector to come to our aid when we need their help. Actually from the side of the Dharma protector the sole motivation for them to help us is their enlightened compassion. Without the accumulation of merit on our part however, the Dharma protectors are not able to help us due to the immense force of our negative karma.
We can accumulate merit through relying on and making offerings to the Dharma protector, and by visualising and reciting the protector’s mantra and prayers. Once we have generated enough merit, the Dharma protector is able to utilise our merits to hold back heavy negative karma from ripening. The Dharma protector does not eliminate our negative karma but temporarily stops us from experiencing its negative consequences because it is dangerous, because it might overwhelm us or put our spiritual practice at risk. Thus it allows us the opportunity to purify the karma ourselves until it is lessened or eliminated completely.
Dorje Shugden’s Nature
Dorje Shugden
Dorje Shugden is a Dharma protector whose form and nature makes his practice very beneficial in our modern era. He exists to guide sentient beings on their spiritual path to reach enlightenment. The beings of this present time have a stronger karmic affinity with Dorje Shugden than with the other Dharma protectors. This was the reason that Morchen Dorjechang Kunga Lhundrup, a very highly realised master of the Sakya tradition, once told his disciple, “Now is the time to rely upon Dorje Shugden.”
Benefits of Praying to Dorje Shugden
There are many benefits to praying to Dorje Shugden, which include:
Opening our minds to universal wisdom so we can develop clarity of mind, understanding and penetrative insight.
Easing the suffering we endure within our minds and helping us to acquire the necessary resources to achieve our full spiritual potential. Dorje Shugden has the ability to provide both physical and spiritual wealth on those who put their trust in him.
Increasing lifespan, material resources, merit and spiritual realisations.
Neutralising the effects of negative speech and its energies.
Safeguarding our physical and mental wellbeing and helping us to achieve our goals.
Neutralising the effects of black magic.
Providing us with spiritual support so that we can develop stability and determination to alleviate negative mental states that hold us back from achieving our full potential.
The highly realised master Tagpo Kelsang Khaedrub Rinpoche composed the following two verses concerning Dorje Shugden:
With deep faith I prostrate to you, Vajradhara Dorje Shugden. Although you have already attained the Buddha ground And engage in the twenty-seven deeds of a Buddha, You appear in various forms to help the Buddhadharma and sentient beings.
You have manifested in different aspects As Indian and Tibetan Masters, Such as Manjushri, Mahasiddha Biwawa, Sakya Pandita, Buton Rinchen Drub, Duldzin Dragpa Gyaltsen, Panchen Sonam Dragpa, and many others.
The 27 deeds refered to in the first verse are enumerated in the Ornament of Clear Realisation and are the activities performed by an enlightened being. These deeds including bringing sentient beings to the Dharma, helping sentient beings to practise the Dharma and ultimately helping them to achieve enlightenment.
Dorje Shugden’s ability to manifest in different aspects such as wrathful, peaceful, and many more, is very important as it allows him to connect with more people on different levels, to help them with their differing problems. In the Meeting of Father and Son Sutra Buddha Shakyamuni says:
Buddhas manifest in many different aspects such as Brahma, Indra and sometimes even as a mara or in the aspect of an evil person – but worldly people do not recognize these emanations.
Dorje Shugden’s Origin
We all live and suffer according to our own karma. The sufferings we experience often create hindrances and distractions for us to advance in our spiritual practice. Praying and believing in Dorje Shugden will help us to create conducive conditions for a robust life and spiritual practice. As a Dharma protector, Dorje Shugden will remove our obstacles, and protect us and our loved ones. Dorje Shugden will help us as swiftly as lightning and is said to have the power of tens of millions Dharma protectors.
Dorje Shugden comes from a great lineage of fully enlightened beings whose work has had a great impact on the growth of Dharma in the world. Dorje Shugden’s lineage of incarnations includes great Mahasiddhas (highly attained practitioners), renowned Buddhist scholars, monastics of high moral discipline and outstanding Dharma teachers. Each previous life never ceased to protect the Dharma and they include the likes of Mahasiddha Virupa, Sakya Pandita, Buton Rinchen Drub, Dulzin Drakpa Gyaltsen, Panchen Sonam Drakpa, Sonam Yeshe Wangpo, Sonam Geleg Pelsang and Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen. In each of their lifetimes, they strove to protect the Dharma teachings. Eventually, upon the passing of Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen, he manifested as Dorje Shugden.
Source:
http://www.khenpo.eu/protect.pdf
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Divination (‘mo’) Text by Dorje Shugden
This is an important divination (‘mo’) text composed by Dorje Shugden himself. Dorje Shugden took trance of the Choyang Dulzin oracle lama, the senior oracleof Gaden Shartse Monastery, and instantly on the spot composed this text within two hours.
The divination text contains information on how to use dice to do divination for the future and is known to be highly accurate. When practitioners use this text, they will be in direct contact with Dorje Shugden to get answers to questions about the future. It is for those who have good samaya with Dorje Shugden and are free of the eight worldly dharmas to be of benefit to others in divining the future.