Ganesh in Tibetan Buddhism

Forum for discussion of Tibetan Buddhism. Questions specific to one school are best posted in the appropriate sub-forum.
Sherab Rigdrol
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Re: Ganesh in Tibetan Buddhism

Post by Sherab Rigdrol »

Is there a relationship between Shiva and Chenrezig?
Malcolm
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Re: Ganesh in Tibetan Buddhism

Post by Malcolm »

Sherab Rigdrol wrote:Is there a relationship between Shiva and Chenrezig?

Yes, Avalokiteshvara is held to have converted Shiva in the Karandavyuha sutra.
Sherab Rigdrol
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Re: Ganesh in Tibetan Buddhism

Post by Sherab Rigdrol »

Thank you Malcolm. So if one has a connection to Shiva by default they are connected to Chenrezig? I ask because Shiva was the first deity in the Hindu pantheon I felt connected to and took initiation of, and Chenrezig was the first in Buddhism who I connected with before I started to formally practice.
Rakz
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Re: Ganesh in Tibetan Buddhism

Post by Rakz »

Sherab Rigdrol wrote:Is there a relationship between Shiva and Chenrezig?
Some scholars have suggested that Shiva and Chenrezig may be the same figure. Read this on wikipedia some time ago.
Sherab Rigdrol
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Re: Ganesh in Tibetan Buddhism

Post by Sherab Rigdrol »

Nighthawk wrote:
Sherab Rigdrol wrote:Is there a relationship between Shiva and Chenrezig?
Some scholars have suggested that Shiva and Chenrezig may be the same figure. Read this on wikipedia some time ago.
Yeah I read that awhile ago too, but always took it with a grain of salt as there was no solid citation.
Destiny
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Re: Ganesh in Tibetan Buddhism

Post by Destiny »

There must be a slight difference in lineage. I received through the Sakyapa school where it is a major wealth practice.
Sure, I received it through Shangpa lineage.
Anyway, it still doesn't make much sense to me.

Concerning the Ganapati mantra from the Sutra citated above, then, is it used to protect from hindu spirits which could harm you if you do hindu practices as buddhist?
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Palzang Jangchub
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Re: Ganesh in Tibetan Buddhism

Post by Palzang Jangchub »

I've mostly seen Ganapati referred to as an emanation of Avalokita (Chenrezig). Not sure if this has to do with many depictions showing him as red in color and thus being associated with the Padma (Lotus) family or not...

:shrug:
Image

"The Sutras, Tantras, and Philosophical Scriptures are great in number. However life is short, and intelligence is limited, so it's hard to cover them completely. You may know a lot, but if you don't put it into practice, it's like dying of thirst on the shore of a great lake. Likewise, a common corpse is found in the bed of a great scholar." ~ Karma Chagme

དྲིན་ཆེན་རྩ་བའི་བླ་མ་སྐྱབས་རྗེ་མགར་ཆེན་ཁྲི་སྤྲུལ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་ཁྱེད་མཁྱེན་ནོ།།
རྗེ་བཙུན་བླ་མ་མཁས་གྲུབ་ཀརྨ་ཆགས་མེད་མཁྱེན་ནོ། ཀརྨ་པ་མཁྱེན་ནོཿ
Ray Rudha
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Re: Ganesh in Tibetan Buddhism

Post by Ray Rudha »

Ganapati is not a worldly protector. Calling him fully enlightened will probably trip some people, but it doesn't matter. Maharakta Ganapati is a form of Avalokiteshvara, he is the Lord of Gatherings, Vajra of Desire, and he also appears in the Concert of Names of Manjushri as one of the forms of Manjushri.

Maharakta Ganapati is one of the greatest wealth practices, and an amazing way of gathering the accumulations in one lifetime, accomplishing siddhis and enlightenment.

That white form of Ganapati being trampled is Vinayaka, the placer of obstacles. Ganapati manifests as both placer and remover of obstacles.

Anyway, the great trick here is to see that is he is mentioned as a form of Avalokiteshvara, can be found in a profound tantric Manjushri text, and is usually associated with Vajrapani in sadhanas.... he is what? A special tantric union of the three meant to quickly remove obstacles, bestow attainments, and reach union of great bliss and emptiness, power, compassion and wisdom.


In the Indian language:
Kamesvara Stotra
In the Tibetan language:
'Dod pa'i dbAng phyug gi bsTod pa
[In the English language:
The Praise of the Lord of Desire]

Hri!
Protector Ganapati, born from Speech,
Has the countenance of the newly risen sun.
He has an elephant's head
And is bejeweled with the wealth of the gods.
His three eyes are beautiful like the anthers of a blue lotus.
Looking far and wide he protects the poor among living beings.
His white tusks have the luster of precious jewels.
His right hands, in the wealth-bestowing mudra,
Hold a rosary and a bowl of many foods and pastry.
His left hold a red axe, remover of every difficulty,
And the food of evil spirits, a radish.
He has jewelry and costume finer than the gods'.
His spiraling crown of plaited hair emanates forth like an angry cloud.
The roar of his voice screaming out "Hri"
Brings the three realms under control.
It fulfills one's heart's desire.
Blue-black robes beautifully cover his body's lower part.
On his throne, a white lotus and the light of the moon.
He sits upon a vessel of pleasing things
That is blue, the color of lapis,
And grants the fruition of one's desires.
I praise you, O Great God Lord of Desire (S. Kamesvara,T. 'Dod pa'i dbAng phyug)!
I praise you, O Protector of the Victorious One's Doctrine!
I praise you, O Controller of the Heterodox!
I praise you, O Inexhaustible Sky-Treasury of Pleasing Things!
Keep your promise and grant me every attainment!

The great guru Cantapa's praise is completed.
Ray Rudha
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Re: Ganesh in Tibetan Buddhism

Post by Ray Rudha »

In the Indian language:
Aryaganapati Stuti
In the Tibetan language:
'Phags pa Tshogs kyi bDag po la bsTod pa
[In the English language:
The Praise of the Noble Ganapati]

Homage to all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas!
Homage and praise to Ganapati,
The Protector of the World, Creator of Appearance,
Maker of Glory, and Enactor of Benefits,
The Unequaled and Unparalleled!
Homage and praise to Ganapati,
Master of Secret Mantra,King of Vidya Mantra,
Matrix of Enjoyments, Supreme Treasure,
Shower of the Result of True Realization!
Homage to the chief of elephant-trunked ones,
Great Hero, Victorious over Demons (S. mara,T. bdud),
Great Power, Defeater of Obstacles
Who defeats the battalions of emotional defilements (S. klesa,T. nyon mongs),
Pacifier of Suffering!
Homage to You, O Possessor of an Elephant's Trunk,
King of Jewels,
You whose jewel body brings forth the jewel of great jewels,
Protector of the Jewel Doctrine!
Homage to the chief of elephant-trunked ones,
Ganapati, Great Miracle,
The One who takes the breath of the white armies of gods,
The One who turns back the battalions of black demigods (S. asura)!
Homage to the chief of elephant-trunked ones,
Whose body is the jewel of good qualities,
Whose speech is the true essence of good qualities,
Whose mind has the identity of good qualities!

The Praise of Ganapati composed by the master Nag po Zhabs is finished.
Ray Rudha
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Re: Ganesh in Tibetan Buddhism

Post by Ray Rudha »

In the Indian language:
Ganapati Stotra
In the Tibetan language:
Tshogs kyi bDag po la bsTod pa
[In the English language:
Praise of Ganapati]

Homage to the Noble Avalokitesvara!
The chief of the gods, Ganapati,
Lives in the divine land of the Thirty-Three Gods, Tusita.
Born the son of Mahadeva by amassing the accumulations
[Of merit and wisdom],
And by the strength of his aspiration,
He became master of the four continents by the blessing of Great Compassion (S. mahkaruna).
I praise you, O Emanation of the Most Noble Avalokitesvara!
Your four arms, the four modes of action, enact the purposes of living beings.
Youthful, you sit with half-crossed legs.
Bedecked with jewelry made from wish-granting gems,
You send down every desire as rain.
With great wrath, might, and discipline you drive back the battalions of demons.
I praise you who are arrogantly wrathful and greatest of the proud!
You hold the sun, the moon, a radish, a rosary, an axe, and a bowl.
You adorn your body with the divine clothing pañcalika.
There is no other supreme god like you in the world.
I salute and praise your glowing image,
Most Noble One of perfect qualities!
Your body is without the darkness of the three poisons, [bright] like a conch.
Bedecked with beautiful ornaments,
Goddesses gather upon merely a glance.
Standing amidst the divine troops your whistle strikes down the trilocosm.
The light rays emanated from your hideous screams
Defeat the Obstacles.
Your furious roar singes the nagas of the sea.
Homage and praise to you, Mighty One Without Rival!
You manifest in a monkey's body to generate coarse awareness (S. sthulavijñana).
Your monkey-face, with its upturned eyes,
Is somewhat terrifying.
Your red body is lustily powerful like a rat.
Two of your hands' palms are joined.
The smell of your infatuating incense gathers the gods.
With the Grandfather at your right,
You take control of the race of women.
With Ranu's symbol at your left, you take in men as workers.
Sending forth rays of light from your heart, you enslave the three realms.
You wander freely throughout the sky
Like the cold north wind.
Your body's hooked-shaped light rays gather into one
All the wealth in the world,
And a rain of wealth falls upon me as well!
Desires, needs, and all the objects of delight melt into ambrosia.
Descending from the paths of the channels (T. rtsa),
It is gathered from the secret vajra.
The stream is churned, andfrom the penetration of the karavatiis thrown down.
I take refuge in the liberating stream of ambrosia!
Before the Great of Hosts, the Glorious of Hosts,
The Mighty of Hosts, the Lord of Hosts,
The queen Hari bows and offers homage,
As do I to your image, O Great God!
Will you please bring about all the things that I desire?
The pandita Amoghavajra who was attained in the glorious Yamantaka's attainments praised Ganapati [with
these words] after having a vision of him in the cemetery Kamkaru sPungs (S. skandha).
Ray Rudha
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Re: Ganesh in Tibetan Buddhism

Post by Ray Rudha »

In the Indian language:
Arya Ganapati Ragavajra Samaya Stotra
In the Tibetan language:
'Phags pa Tshogs kyi bDag po Chags pa rDo rje'i Dam tshig gi bsTod pa
[In the English language:
The Praise of Commitment of the Noble Ganapati Vajra of Desire]

Homage to the venerable Avalokitesvara!
Homage, O glorious Ganapati, the delightful!
Homage, O glorious generator of peace!
Homage, O glorious great wrathful one!
You grant any attainment desired in this very life!
You grant the power of the king of gods to the practitioner!
The Great Compassionate Ganapati,
Being a most compassionate individual,
Protects the poor with great compassion!
I bow down to you and praise you,
Great God of Wealth, with reverence.
The glorious great Ganapati is
Three headed, six eyed, and four armed.
His faces are an elephant's, a rat's, and a monkey's.
He holds a radish, a sword, a jewel,
A vessel of beer, a pastry, and an axe.
He stands with bent legs, one in, one out,
Above the consort.
A rain of jewels falls from her mouth,
Removing the practitioner's poverty.
His fat belly is ornamented with jewelry of every kind.
Homage to glorious Ganapati!
Eat this bali of butter, pastry,
Radish, and boiled porridge!
Increase my life and my pleasures!
Pacify sickness and demons!
May all men, demons, yaksas,and maras become my slaves!
May the good things I desire
From amongst the gods' many pleasant things
Come to me.
O Great God Ganapati, with the power to grant attainments,
Whose body emanates from the strength of discipline,
Protect this world and be a helpful friend
For my attainment of enlightenment!
You should make your requests while reciting this praise, and offer a bali when the moon rises.
The Praise of Commitment of the Noble Ganapati Vajra of Desire,composed by the pandita Dipamkarasrijñana,
is finished.
It was translated by that great pandita himself and the translator Tshul khrims rGyal ba.
Ray Rudha
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Re: Ganesh in Tibetan Buddhism

Post by Ray Rudha »

The Vinayaka graha nirmocana describes how the practitioner can escape the sorrows caused by the evil demon
Vinayaka. No iconographical description of the demon is present in the text, and it is not possible to be completely certain that the demon in question is truly Ganesa; yet the name he shares with Ganesa is of sufficient value to warrant inclusion of the text in this article. If it is Ganesa that is being referred to here, the detailed description of the harm he causes is highly interesting for an insight into Ganesa's role as a demonic lord.

In the Indian language:
Vinayaka graha nirmocana
In the Tibetan language:
Log 'dren gyi gDon las Nges par Thar pa
[In the English language:
Freedom from Vinayaka]

Homage to the glorious Vajrapani!
One who desires freedom from the Vinayaka demon (T. gdon)of the world must, to begin with, know the signs.
If smells come out of a body of common family, when one is wearing bad clothing, when one has for food the
leftovers of others, when one is a woman or a child, when one is excreting or urinating, when one is abiding
nakedly, or on the fifth and fourteenth days of the waning moon or on the new moon it starts. The signs of it
starting are groaning, smoke, one's wealth being squandered, one is not attractive to others, if one is a man one
does not find a woman, if one is a woman one does not find a man, if one does business one fails, one is not
born in a good land, or even if one finds a woman her mind changes, so one is devoured by the Vinayaka
demon.
The practice of the means to reach freedom from these things is to offer to the west a bali made of four demonvessels
(T. gdon ma'i bum pa), parched grains, cooked meat, raw meat, dandelion, perfume, a garland of white
flowers, porridge, and various kinds of incense.
Then illuminate and throw in the fire medicinal incense (T. gu gul),white mustard, melted 'gi wang,horn, and
horse hooves. Put in sandalwood, black aloewood, and saffron in equal parts with cow urine and goat urine.
Then do as [was mentioned] before by covering [the fire] with butter, etc. Do such things as anointing and
rubbing [the bali].
You will certainly be freed from the Vinayaka demon.
This composition of the Master Jñanavajra (T. Ye shes rDo rje) is finished.
Ray Rudha
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Re: Ganesh in Tibetan Buddhism

Post by Ray Rudha »

The Dharani of Ganapati’s Monkey Emanation
And thus, if you recite this dharani of Ganapati’s Monkey Emanation many times, you will not lack
for food and resources.

OM NAMO GANAPATI JAYABARANE JIVANTIYE SVAHA

If you recite this heart-essence all the time, at those very times, you will find a great treasury of
wealth. You will become equal in fortune to a world-turning universal monarch.


Ganapati’s Exalted Heart-Dhārani

HOMAGE TO ALL THE BUDDHAS AND BODHISATTVAS!

Thus have I heard: at one time, the Transcendent and Accomplished Conqueror was in Rajagriha, on
Vulture’s Peak Mountain, abiding together in one company with an enormous Sangha of fully-
ordained monks.
Then, the Blessed One said to the Venerable Ananda:
“Retain this, the Heart of Ganapati! Those people who read this will accomplish all of their
endeavors. All the aspirations they hold in their minds will be accomplished, as well. They will
accomplish all of the secret mantras, too. All of their wealth and resources will become abundant.
Without asking or searching, whatever food and riches they want will be found. For this, one must
recite this mantra!”

TADYATHĀ/ NAMO TUDDHE/ GANAPATI/ KATA KATA/ KITI KITI/ KUTA KUTA/ MATRA
MATRA/ DARA DARA/ DHAHA DHAHA/ GHRINA GHRINA/ DABĀ DABĀ/ JAMBHA
JAMBHA/ SAMAYA MANUSMARANA TUDDE TUDTRA/ BACHANAYE SVĀHĀ/ ABUTE
BHIDUKSHABANCHA TANA/ BASAMA GARACHHA/ THAMAHABHAYA/ MAHĀBAYĀ/
MAHETETA KSHINIYA/ PRAKOMPAYASI/ TADYATHĀ/ OM KURU KURU/ MURU MURU/
CHURU CHURU/ NAMA NAMA SVĀHĀ

“Ananda! If any son or daughter of noble spiritual lineage, fully-ordained monk, fully-ordained nun,
layman, laywoman, or anyone else intones this Heart-Essence of the Lord of Gatherings every day,
then that person will be endowed with bliss and happiness in this life. They will be endowed with
riches and resources. The sufferings of poverty and destitution will not occur. They will be pleasing
and delightful to all people. They will accomplish all of their endeavors, no matter what they are,
and their aspirations as well. Both in this life and their next life too, they will not lack wealth and
resources.”
“Waking up daily early in the morning in one’s home, if this dhārani is chanted three or seven times,
then one will retain what has been heard. All malevolent gods, harmful spirits, demons, and dakinis
will not snatch away one’s radiance and luster. That person will be guarded and protected.”
The Transcendent and Accomplished Conqueror spoke thus, and the entire retinue, the whole
universe with its gods, humans, demi-gods, and gandharvas rejoiced, and deeply praised what had
been spoken by the Bhagavan, the Transcendent and Accomplished Conqueror.

THE EXALTED DHĀRANI OF GANAPATI, THE LORD OF GATHERINGS, IS COMPLETE.


The Essence of Ganapati, the Lord of Gatherings
TADYATHĀ/ NAMAH STUTE MAHĀGANAPATAYE SVĀHĀ/ OM GAH GAH GAH GAH
GAH GAH GAH GAH OM GANAPATAYE SVĀHĀ/ OM GANĀDHIPATAYE SVĀHĀ/ OM
GANESHVĀRAYA SVĀHĀ/ OM GANAPATI PŪJITĀYA SVĀHĀ/ OM KATA KATA MATA
MATA DARA DARA VIDARA VIDARA HANA HANA GRIHNA GRIHNA DHĀVA DHĀVA
BHAÑJA BHAÑJA STAMBHA STAMBHA JAMBHA JAMBHA MOHA MOHA DEHA DEHA
DADĀPAYA DADĀPAYA DHĀNA DHĀNYA SIDDHI ME PRAYACCHA SAMAYA
MANUSMARANA NAMAH STUTE MAHĀRUDRA BACHANĀYA SVĀHĀ/ OM KURU
KURU SVĀHĀ/ OM TURU TURU SVĀHĀ/ OM MURU MURU SVĀHĀ/ PĀPA SHĀNTI
BASU PUSHTIM KURU SVĀHĀ/ OM ANG BHUTA BIDUKSHU BHITA CHITTA
MAHĀBIDĀRAH SAMA GACCHATE MAHĀBHAYA MAHĀBALA MAHĀBAKRA
MAHĀHASTI MAHĀRAKSHINIYA PRACHITAYĀMI SVĀHĀ/ OM KURU KURU CHURU
CHURU MURU MURU/ OM GAH GAH GAH GAH GAH GAH GAH GAH OM NAMO
NAMAH SVĀHĀ
Kaung
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Re: Ganesh in Tibetan Buddhism

Post by Kaung »

Ganapati is in essence Chenrezig, who manifested in this aspect to relieve the poverty of sentient beings. - See more at: http://www.lamayeshe.com/index.php?sect ... uAGbh.dpuf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
This getting most confusing :rolleye:
Kaung
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Re: Ganesh in Tibetan Buddhism

Post by Kaung »

He's a worldly deity Isn't he?
Ray Rudha
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Re: Ganesh in Tibetan Buddhism

Post by Ray Rudha »

He is not a worldly deity.

Did you read the texts I posted?
Ray Rudha
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Re: Ganesh in Tibetan Buddhism

Post by Ray Rudha »

From "A Concert of Names of Manjushri", which is highest yoga tantra.

Not the two, preaching there is not two;
situated in the ultimate limit, having the
lion's roar ofnonselfthat frightens the deer
of bad heretics.

Goes everywhere, going without fail,
speeding like the mind of the Tathagata;
Jina and Vijayi who has conquered the
enemy, wheel-turner of great power.

Instructor of the troop and head of the
troop; lord of the troop and master of the
troop, magically subduing; highly
resourceful, carrying the burden; whose
way is great, not needing another way.


the last paragraph in Sanskrit:

ganamukhyo ganacaryo ganeso ganapatir vasi/
mahanubhavo dhaureyo 'nanyaneyo
mahanayah//

now, alternate translation for the last paragraph, from Berzin site:

(49) He’s the teacher of hosts, the head of hosts,
The (Ganesha) lord of hosts, the master of hosts, the powerful one;
He’s the one with great strength, the one that’s keen (to carry the load),
The one that has the great mode of travel,
with no need for travel by another mode.

You can compare this description with the texts I posted earlier, which describe Ganapati as being a powerful one born of voice and will skills and leader ot he troop and so on.

So, now to comment a bit. This part of the Concert of Names of Manjushri tantra that the Ganapati paragraph is from describes the Dharamadhatu Wisdom, which is Samantabhadra. Of the 8 Herukas, the Heruka that is Samanatabhadra is Amrta-Kundali.

Now, in the Kundali dharani, guess who is mentioned. Maha-Ganapati.
haha
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Re: Ganesh in Tibetan Buddhism

Post by haha »

Ganapati (Ganesh) means Elephant Headed One who is renowned as the “Remover of Obstacles”.

In the Sakya tradition, the Twelve Arm Ganapati is actually an emanation of Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of great compassion.

Being a brilliant red deity, the Twelve Armed Ganapati not only dispels obstacles but at the same time harmonizes relationships, activities and overall the environment. It has great magnetizing influence, creating strong positive conditions that will arise warm social and interpersonal engagement and leads to good and meaningful living.

Being at one time subdued by the Lord Buddha, Ganapati made the commitment to help all beings by specifically dispelling their obstacles when called upon and uphold the 3 trainings of moral behavior, meditation, wisdom and, in particular, to provide the necessary materials and provisions for practitioners.

He protects one from obstacles at the beginning of any enterprise and also helps to increase wealth and power for the benefit of the Dharma.

These are the benefits for one who have full faith and devotion to the puja and receive his blessings.

Source: Ganapati
pemachophel
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Re: Ganesh in Tibetan Buddhism

Post by pemachophel »

In Ray Rudra's post above (The stream is churned, and from the penetration of the karavatiis thrown down), who or what are the karavatiis?

:namaste:
Pema Chophel པདྨ་ཆོས་འཕེལ
WeiHan
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Re: Ganesh in Tibetan Buddhism

Post by WeiHan »

I am also rather confused with regards to Ganapati practice.

Although it is regarded as enlightened and it is one of the 13 golden Dharmas in Sakya, I know that it is not an encouraged practice in Sakya. HH Sakya Trizin has said that it can bring alot of obstacles if it is not practiced correctly. It is also said to be a difficult practice as one needs to bury a Yaksha before embarking on the practice. If the Lama is telling you this and that which is almost impossible to be fulfilled, it just means that it is not encouraged. Even when there is a long sadhana, A shorter sadhana with basically only mantras recitation is written- which probably means that long dedicated practice is discouraged but a simple mantra recitation will be alright.
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