I don't see it in terms of co-opting good to fight the baddies, but rather to get them both moving harmoniously towards liberation beyond hope and fear.padma norbu wrote:Yes, well, that's basically what it's all about. When the baddies got ya down, who can you turn to? That's right: the goody that scares the bajeezus out of the baddy. The extreme fierceness of these bali Garuda statues really helps to convey the sheer power in a way that seems most appropriate (to me, anyway). Compare to this and see if you get the same feeling...
I mean that the wrathful deities and guardians are pretty scary and should remain so, rather then them being "on your side", it is you who moves to a view where harm to one's self is no longer a consideration - in effect, to "tame" them one must tame one's reaction to what scares the bajeezus out of you!