Dharma Wheel

We know how shamatha (calming the mind) or vipassana (developing of insight) practices work but how vajrayana practices work?
All buddhist practices should be about transforming the mind, right?

What exactly we develop through sadhana practices or Protectors practice? Peace of mind? Insight? Its technically the same like with shamatha and vipassana? Or its different?

Is for vajrayana practitioners shamatha and vipassana not sufficient? Is from vajrayana point of view reciting the texts (which we often even dont uderstend) or trying to visualise very complicated and complex images more beneficial, than practising shamatha and vipassana?

upasaka wrote:We know how shamatha (calming the mind) or vipassana (developing of insight) practices work but how vajrayana practices work?
All buddhist practices should be about transforming the mind, right?

What exactly we develop through sadhana practices or Protectors practice? Peace of mind? Insight? Its technically the same like with shamatha and vipassana? Or its different?

Is for vajrayana practitioners shamatha and vipassana not sufficient? Is from vajrayana point of view reciting the texts (which we often even dont uderstend) or trying to visualise very complicated and complex images more beneficial, than practising shamatha and vipassana?

It is no different to shamatha and vipassana, just a different road to get to the same outcome.

upasaka wrote:We know how shamatha (calming the mind) or vipassana (developing of insight) practices work but how vajrayana practices work?
All buddhist practices should be about transforming the mind, right?

What exactly we develop through sadhana practices or Protectors practice? Peace of mind? Insight? Its technically the same like with shamatha and vipassana? Or its different?

Is for vajrayana practitioners shamatha and vipassana not sufficient?

Sadhana practice is shamatha and vipassana. However sadhana practice is an extraordinary method to very swiftly (as in within 32 lifetimes) accumulate merit, purify the aggregates and accumulate wisdom. This is done by taking the result (perfect Buddhahood) as the path. The practitioner conceives of themselves and all beings as possessing the fully developed qualities of a Buddha - perfect body, speech, mind, qualities and activities and conceives of the environment as a perfect Pure Land. This is definitely true for the highest category of tantra but is also the case for the lower 3 categories of tantra although basically only during the meditation session (for the lowest category of tantra however one conceives of oneself as a servant of a Buddha).

So as practice progresses over 1, 3, 7, 16 or 32 lifetimes we actualize the profound qualities of a Buddha: perfect lovingkindness, perfect compassion, perfect purity and perfect spiritual power. The highest spiritual power is full and perfect enlightenment.

Protector practice is for clearing obstacles on the path primarily. This is also basically in the Sravaka path with the protector verses and seems to be mostly vestigial in the common Mahayana.

Kirt

Here you find a good explanation how the Vajrayana works, by the late third Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche

http://www.dharmadownload.net/pages/eng ... h_0044.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

upasaka wrote:We know how shamatha (calming the mind) or vipassana (developing of insight) practices work but how vajrayana practices work?
All buddhist practices should be about transforming the mind, right?

What exactly we develop through sadhana practices or Protectors practice? Peace of mind? Insight? Its technically the same like with shamatha and vipassana? Or its different?

Is for vajrayana practitioners shamatha and vipassana not sufficient? Is from vajrayana point of view reciting the texts (which we often even dont uderstend) or trying to visualise very complicated and complex images more beneficial, than practising shamatha and vipassana?

Yes, shamatha and vipassana are about calming the mind and developing insight. These take a LONG time to perfect. Vajrayana visualization practices are about radically changing our perceptions - which is considered a relatively expedient means to realizing the ultimate nature of the mind (perfect vipassana). I recommend Lama Yeshe's book "Introduction to Tantra." It addresses all this and more, in a very clear and logical way.

Thank you guys for your answers. It was helpful.

Please, can you elaborate more on Protectors practice? Do we literraly ask some wrathful but enlightened beings to help us remove obstacles on our path or its about khyerim and dzogrim too? There is not much material about Protectors so...

Thank you!

upasaka wrote:Thank you guys for your answers. It was helpful.

Please, can you elaborate more on Protectors practice? Do we literraly ask some wrathful but enlightened beings to help us remove obstacles on our path or its about khyerim and dzogrim too? There is not much material about Protectors so...

Thank you!

There's not much material about protectors for a reason, the practices are meant to be kept secret.

gregkavarnos wrote:

upasaka wrote:Thank you guys for your answers. It was helpful.

Please, can you elaborate more on Protectors practice? Do we literraly ask some wrathful but enlightened beings to help us remove obstacles on our path or its about khyerim and dzogrim too? There is not much material about Protectors so...

Thank you!

There's not much material about protectors for a reason, the practices are meant to be kept secret.

I know. I do Protectors practice but even my teacher didnt give me some kind of extensive explanation on this topic and i am always curious what is all about. Maybe its only my namtog - "i want to know it all".

upasaka wrote:

gregkavarnos wrote:

upasaka wrote:Thank you guys for your answers. It was helpful.

Please, can you elaborate more on Protectors practice? Do we literraly ask some wrathful but enlightened beings to help us remove obstacles on our path or its about khyerim and dzogrim too? There is not much material about Protectors so...

Thank you!

There's not much material about protectors for a reason, the practices are meant to be kept secret.

I know. I do Protectors practice but even my teacher didnt give me some kind of extensive explanation on this topic and i am always curious what is all about. Maybe its only my namtog - "i want to know it all".

So do them, and when the time is ripe you will get the explanations as well. Have you started Ngondro practice?

upasaka wrote:I do Protectors practice but even my teacher didnt give me some kind of extensive explanation on this topic and i am always curious what is all about. Maybe its only my namtog - "i want to know it all".

Not at all. The traditional way is to make an offering and request explanations. If it is an important practice for you then the traditional style is to never give up requesting it and requesting it from all Lamas that have the lineage until you resolved all your doubts about the teaching. Not having any questions is a very suspicious attitude that many westerners mistake for devotion.

/magnus

gregkavarnos wrote:So do them, and when the time is ripe you will get the explanations as well. Have you started Ngondro practice?

Yes, i did.