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Question to Chögyal Namkhai

Posted: Thu Jun 27, 2013 12:32 pm
by Snovid
I asked this question ChNN
but do not get a response
I will be happy getting to know your opinion

"Every nation and the land area
have their old gods and spirits.
They are the sacred energy of your Earth.
With them, you should seek the agreement
and from them should
expected to help. "-Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche

"One should profess religion of his country"-Dalai Lama

"Some people are worried that in Buddhism there is no God.
In fact, in Buddhism there are many gods, but none of them is considered to be one God."
http://www.melong.com/pl/teachings/5-gu ... onlam.html


I wonder
When I practicing a variety of teaching related to specific deities
for example, Arya Tara, Garuda etc.

Does this mean that I refer to the local deities of Tibet

(thus bypassing what Dalai Lama and Tenzin Wangyal they said)

or I refer to the gods, which in Tibet is called Garuda or Tara
but are the same gods that in other cultures they have different names?

For example hindu Surya = slavic Swarog
God of Sun

We have different races,cultures and languages
but one Sun shines above us :) right?

Re: Question to Chögyal Namkhai

Posted: Thu Jun 27, 2013 12:56 pm
by florin
If you ask Rinpoche questions about practice he will very kindly answer them.
Preferably they will have to be short and to the point.

Re: Question to Chögyal Namkhai

Posted: Thu Jun 27, 2013 1:28 pm
by Simon E.
I think Alpha is right Snowid. We should not try to preempt Rinpoche's reply.
If I were you I would try again...

Re: Question to Chögyal Namkhai

Posted: Thu Jun 27, 2013 2:37 pm
by Adamantine
Snowid, these deities are not the same as gods.

Some local gods are propitiated when doing the dharmapala or protector practices.

The deity practices, like Arya Tara, are related to enlightened mind streams, beyond cyclic
existence and not bound by any location. Gods are still bound within cyclic existence and are categorized within
the 6 realms of samsaric existence. Buddhas are beyond this. This is Buddhisn's view, and what the quotes you've
provided relate to is an understanding of the 6 realms and the 8 classes of beings.

Re: Question to Chögyal Namkhai

Posted: Thu Jun 27, 2013 5:40 pm
by M.G.
Adamantine wrote:Snowid, these deities are not the same as gods.

Some local gods are propitiated when doing the dharmapala or protector practices.

The deity practices, like Arya Tara, are related to enlightened mind streams, beyond cyclic
existence and not bound by any location. Gods are still bound within cyclic existence and are categorized within
the 6 realms of samsaric existence. Buddhas are beyond this. This is Buddhisn's view, and what the quotes you've
provided relate to is an understanding of the 6 realms and the 8 classes of beings.

Although not a matter of huge importance, isn't it fair to say that, in practice, there's a blurring between 'gods' and 'deities?' By which I mean not that there aren't distinctions between enlightenment manifestations and worldly spirits (there are, and they're important ones) but aren't some beings worshipped by some cultures as gods at least possibly considered deities or Buddhas from a Buddhist perspective? Saraswati, for instance, is a Hindu goddess but I think there is also a Saraswati yidam practice in Buddhism. (To be clear, I'm not familiar with the details of Saraswati practice in Hinduism or Buddhism, so my understanding could be wrong.)

Re: Question to Chögyal Namkhai

Posted: Thu Jun 27, 2013 5:44 pm
by flavio81
Adamantine wrote:Snowid, these deities are not the same as gods.

Some local gods are propitiated when doing the dharmapala or protector practices.

The deity practices, like Arya Tara, are related to enlightened mind streams, beyond cyclic
existence and not bound by any location.
Gods are still bound within cyclic existence and are categorized within
the 6 realms of samsaric existence. Buddhas are beyond this. This is Buddhisn's view, and what the quotes you've
provided relate to is an understanding of the 6 realms and the 8 classes of beings.
:thumbsup: Exactly.

One thing is to do offerings to local gods, which -on the Dzogchen Community practices- are intended to be the gods localized at the actual place the practice is being done. Or that's how i understood.

For the other, see the text in bold.

As for your email to Rimpoche, as far as i know he tries to answer ALL of them, so eventually he might reply.