Buddhist Emanations in Indian Religions

Forum for discussion of Tibetan Buddhism. Questions specific to one school are best posted in the appropriate sub-forum.
Post Reply
Pero
Posts: 2465
Joined: Tue Aug 31, 2010 8:54 pm

Buddhist Emanations in Indian Religions

Post by Pero »

Split from Death at Tibetan Buddhist meditation retreat in Arizona
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So uhm, is there Kali in the Gelug tradition? Or in any other?
Although many individuals in this age appear to be merely indulging their worldly desires, one does not have the capacity to judge them, so it is best to train in pure vision.
- Shabkar
User avatar
Lhug-Pa
Posts: 1429
Joined: Sat Oct 15, 2011 11:58 pm

Re: Death at Tibetan Buddhist meditation retreat in Arizona

Post by Lhug-Pa »

Pero wrote:So uhm, is there Kali in the Gelug tradition? Or in any other?
http://rywiki.tsadra.org/index.php/rang_byung_rgyal_mo" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

:?:
User avatar
Adamantine
Former staff member
Posts: 4027
Joined: Tue Feb 08, 2011 7:09 am
Location: Space is the Place

Re: Death at Tibetan Buddhist meditation retreat in Arizona

Post by Adamantine »

Pero wrote:So uhm, is there Kali in the Gelug tradition? Or in any other?
Well, first of all, that sangha was/is mixing Hindu practice (pantajali, jivamukti yoga teachers David and Shannon as gurus, kirtans to Hindu gods, etc.) http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1412 ... Yoga_Sutra
along with Christian practice/belief with their own innovated brand of Buddhism http://www.amazon.com/The-Eastern-Path- ... 1596270977.

They went off the Gelug reservation a long time back.

That said, Krodakali, aka Troma, as practiced in the Nyingma lineage, is equivalent to Kali. I don't know if they have this yidam in Gelug, but it is possible.
Contentment is the ultimate wealth;
Detachment is the final happiness. ~Sri Saraha
Malcolm
Posts: 42974
Joined: Thu Nov 11, 2010 2:19 am

Re: Death at Tibetan Buddhist meditation retreat in Arizona

Post by Malcolm »

Adamantine wrote:
That said, Krodakali, aka Troma, as practiced in the Nyingma lineage, is equivalent to Kali.
No it isn't. There is no relationship between the two. Krodhakali is a form of Vajrayogini. Vajrayogini is not Kali.
Pero
Posts: 2465
Joined: Tue Aug 31, 2010 8:54 pm

Re: Death at Tibetan Buddhist meditation retreat in Arizona

Post by Pero »

Haha, you are correct Tara, that was what made me ask. Thanks Adamantine and Namdrol. I thought they must be mixing something (not just from Kali reference, didn't look much like Tibetan Buddhism in general to me) but wasn't sure.
Although many individuals in this age appear to be merely indulging their worldly desires, one does not have the capacity to judge them, so it is best to train in pure vision.
- Shabkar
Knotty Veneer
Posts: 967
Joined: Thu Apr 12, 2012 1:50 pm

Re: Death at Tibetan Buddhist meditation retreat in Arizona

Post by Knotty Veneer »

Tara wrote: I may be speaking out of turn however I believe Pero's reference to Kali was because Christie McNally said the following in the document "A Shift in the Matrix"
OK apologies to Pero for misconstruing your post. Deepbluehum did make a similar supernatural reasonings in an earlier post and perhaps I should have replied to him (and I have seen it used elsewhere by some to explain what's going on).

In response to Namdrol's point that two explanations are not mutually exclusive, as I am not privy to the decisions of the Dharma Protectors I cannot say. However, I think in this case there are plenty of plain old rational explanations for what led to this sorry situation that any intervention by supernatural forces would be superfluous.
Last edited by Knotty Veneer on Fri May 04, 2012 11:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.
This is not the wrong life.
User avatar
Adamantine
Former staff member
Posts: 4027
Joined: Tue Feb 08, 2011 7:09 am
Location: Space is the Place

Re: Death at Tibetan Buddhist meditation retreat in Arizona

Post by Adamantine »

Namdrol wrote:
Adamantine wrote:
That said, Krodakali, aka Troma, as practiced in the Nyingma lineage, is equivalent to Kali.
No it isn't. There is no relationship between the two. Krodhakali is a form of Vajrayogini. Vajrayogini is not Kali.
According to you. But not according to lineage masters I have conferred with. I have been told they are the same.
Contentment is the ultimate wealth;
Detachment is the final happiness. ~Sri Saraha
Malcolm
Posts: 42974
Joined: Thu Nov 11, 2010 2:19 am

Re: Death at Tibetan Buddhist meditation retreat in Arizona

Post by Malcolm »

Adamantine wrote:
Namdrol wrote:
Adamantine wrote:
That said, Krodakali, aka Troma, as practiced in the Nyingma lineage, is equivalent to Kali.
No it isn't. There is no relationship between the two. Krodhakali is a form of Vajrayogini. Vajrayogini is not Kali.
According to you. But not according to lineage masters I have conferred with. I have been told they are the same.
Well, it ain't so.

Krodhakāli originally entered Tibet with Padampa Sangye, hence the long association with Chö. This transmission is from a sadhana Virupa received in Oḍḍiyāna from a dakini there.

Kālarātri aka Kālī along with Bhairāva serve as the seat of Cakrasamvara and Vajrayogini. So it is really quite impossible that Kālī can be Vajrayogini. In reality, Cakrasamvara and Vajrayogini emanated from Akaniṣṭha to counteract Bhairava and Kālī.
User avatar
gad rgyangs
Posts: 1142
Joined: Sat Nov 05, 2011 4:53 pm

Re: Death at Tibetan Buddhist meditation retreat in Arizona

Post by gad rgyangs »

Namdrol wrote: Well, it ain't so.

Krodhakāli originally entered Tibet with Padampa Sangye, hence the long association with Chö. This transmission is from a sadhana Virupa received in Oḍḍiyāna from a dakini there.

Kālarātri aka Kālī along with Bhairāva serve as the seat of Cakrasamvara and Vajrayogini. So it is really quite impossible that Kālī can be Vajrayogini. In reality, Cakrasamvara and Vajrayogini emanated from Akaniṣṭha to counteract Bhairava and Kālī.
Chinamasta/Chinnamunda, who is a form of Vajrayogini (her attendants are named "Vajravarnaniye" and "Vajravairochaniye" after all), is sort of a cousin of Kali, so maybe thats where the confusion comes from.
Thoroughly tame your own mind.
This is (possibly) the teaching of Buddha.

"I must finally conclude that this proposition, I am, I exist, is necessarily true whenever it is put forward by me or conceived in my mind."
- Descartes, 2nd Meditation 25
User avatar
Adamantine
Former staff member
Posts: 4027
Joined: Tue Feb 08, 2011 7:09 am
Location: Space is the Place

Re: Death at Tibetan Buddhist meditation retreat in Arizona

Post by Adamantine »

Namdrol wrote:
Adamantine wrote:
Namdrol wrote:
No it isn't. There is no relationship between the two. Krodhakali is a form of Vajrayogini. Vajrayogini is not Kali.
According to you. But not according to lineage masters I have conferred with. I have been told they are the same.
Well, it ain't so.

Krodhakāli originally entered Tibet with Padampa Sangye, hence the long association with Chö. This transmission is from a sadhana Virupa received in Oḍḍiyāna from a dakini there.
This is veering way off topic, but I don't know if one can answer this question through literalist histories of supramundane entities that don't conform to conceptual or historical human limitations.
Kālarātri aka Kālī along with Bhairāva serve as the seat of Cakrasamvara and Vajrayogini. So it is really quite impossible that Kālī can be Vajrayogini. In reality, Cakrasamvara and Vajrayogini emanated from Akaniṣṭha to counteract Bhairava and Kālī.


I don't see your logic here, what makes it impossible? You are talking about symbolic representations now, not the actual energies at play anymore.
Contentment is the ultimate wealth;
Detachment is the final happiness. ~Sri Saraha
Malcolm
Posts: 42974
Joined: Thu Nov 11, 2010 2:19 am

Re: Death at Tibetan Buddhist meditation retreat in Arizona

Post by Malcolm »

Adamantine wrote: I don't see your logic here, what makes it impossible? You are talking about symbolic representations now, not the actual energies at play anymore.

It is simple. Yogini emanated to suppress Kāli, just as Heruka emanated to suppress Bhairava. Hence, there is no way Kali can be Yogini, there is no way this worldly goddess can be one and the same as Buddha Vajrayogini.
User avatar
Adamantine
Former staff member
Posts: 4027
Joined: Tue Feb 08, 2011 7:09 am
Location: Space is the Place

Re: Death at Tibetan Buddhist meditation retreat in Arizona

Post by Adamantine »

Namdrol wrote:
Adamantine wrote: I don't see your logic here, what makes it impossible? You are talking about symbolic representations now, not the actual energies at play anymore.

It is simple. Yogini emanated to suppress Kāli, just as Heruka emanated to suppress Bhairava. Hence, there is no way Kali can be Yogini, there is no way this worldly goddess can be one and the same as Buddha Vajrayogini.
You believe this to be literally true Namdrol?
Contentment is the ultimate wealth;
Detachment is the final happiness. ~Sri Saraha
Malcolm
Posts: 42974
Joined: Thu Nov 11, 2010 2:19 am

Re: Death at Tibetan Buddhist meditation retreat in Arizona

Post by Malcolm »

Adamantine wrote:
Namdrol wrote:
Adamantine wrote: I don't see your logic here, what makes it impossible? You are talking about symbolic representations now, not the actual energies at play anymore.

It is simple. Yogini emanated to suppress Kāli, just as Heruka emanated to suppress Bhairava. Hence, there is no way Kali can be Yogini, there is no way this worldly goddess can be one and the same as Buddha Vajrayogini.
You believe this to be literally true Namdrol?
I believe that this is the traditional account of the origin of all forms of Vajrayogini and hence, it is impossble for Yogini to be Kali.
User avatar
Adamantine
Former staff member
Posts: 4027
Joined: Tue Feb 08, 2011 7:09 am
Location: Space is the Place

Re: Death at Tibetan Buddhist meditation retreat in Arizona

Post by Adamantine »

Namdrol wrote:
Adamantine wrote:
Namdrol wrote:
It is simple. Yogini emanated to suppress Kāli, just as Heruka emanated to suppress Bhairava. Hence, there is no way Kali can be Yogini, there is no way this worldly goddess can be one and the same as Buddha Vajrayogini.
You believe this to be literally true Namdrol?
I believe that this is the traditional account of the origin of all forms of Vajrayogini and hence, it is impossble for Yogini to be Kali.
Unless those traditional accounts had more to do with Buddhist-Hindu competing interpretations at the time of their inception. . . My understanding is that the actual energies of these two are identical, however, it is a misunderstanding of certain qualities and symbolism that have led Hindu devotees to do terrible things like commit blood human and animal sacrifices in her name, etc. Perhaps the symbolism of these early accounts has more to do with purifying the context of devotion from this degeneration, and is framed as suppression in a colorful way to communicate this. Again, I am just offering an alternative way to interpret what you are putting forth as an absolute truth. I am sure there are more.
Contentment is the ultimate wealth;
Detachment is the final happiness. ~Sri Saraha
Malcolm
Posts: 42974
Joined: Thu Nov 11, 2010 2:19 am

Re: Death at Tibetan Buddhist meditation retreat in Arizona

Post by Malcolm »

Adamantine wrote:
Unless those traditional accounts had more to do with Buddhist-Hindu competing interpretations at the time of their inception. . . My understanding is that the actual energies of these two are identical, however, it is a misunderstanding of certain qualities and symbolism that have led Hindu devotees to do terrible things like commit blood human and animal sacrifices in her name, etc. Perhaps the symbolism of these early accounts has more to do with purifying the context of devotion from this degeneration, and is framed as suppression in a colorful way to communicate this. Again, I am just offering an alternative way to interpret what you are putting forth as an absolute truth. I am sure there are more.
This is a modern interpretation. Some Lama may have adopted it. I still think it is bunk.
User avatar
Nemo
Posts: 1792
Joined: Thu Jan 21, 2010 3:23 am
Location: Canada

Re: Death at Tibetan Buddhist meditation retreat in Arizona

Post by Nemo »

Namdrol wrote:
Adamantine wrote:
Unless those traditional accounts had more to do with Buddhist-Hindu competing interpretations at the time of their inception. . . My understanding is that the actual energies of these two are identical, however, it is a misunderstanding of certain qualities and symbolism that have led Hindu devotees to do terrible things like commit blood human and animal sacrifices in her name, etc. Perhaps the symbolism of these early accounts has more to do with purifying the context of devotion from this degeneration, and is framed as suppression in a colorful way to communicate this. Again, I am just offering an alternative way to interpret what you are putting forth as an absolute truth. I am sure there are more.
This is a modern interpretation. Some Lama may have adopted it. I still think it is bunk.
I think the only person qualified to answer that would be a high Lama who knows both parties personally. Many of these once mundane Gods have been practitioners and students of the Buddhas for aeons. If I kept my Samayas for a thousand years and used the powers of a God to accumulate merit progress on the path would be swift. To think of Gods as static and unchanging sounds like eternalism. Even very negative beings become miraculous protectors full of love when they accept guidance of the Aryas.
User avatar
Adamantine
Former staff member
Posts: 4027
Joined: Tue Feb 08, 2011 7:09 am
Location: Space is the Place

Re: Death at Tibetan Buddhist meditation retreat in Arizona

Post by Adamantine »

Nemo wrote:
Namdrol wrote:
Adamantine wrote:
Unless those traditional accounts had more to do with Buddhist-Hindu competing interpretations at the time of their inception. . . My understanding is that the actual energies of these two are identical, however, it is a misunderstanding of certain qualities and symbolism that have led Hindu devotees to do terrible things like commit blood human and animal sacrifices in her name, etc. Perhaps the symbolism of these early accounts has more to do with purifying the context of devotion from this degeneration, and is framed as suppression in a colorful way to communicate this. Again, I am just offering an alternative way to interpret what you are putting forth as an absolute truth. I am sure there are more.
This is a modern interpretation. Some Lama may have adopted it. I still think it is bunk.
I think the only person qualified to answer that would be a high Lama who knows both parties personally. Many of these once mundane Gods have been practitioners and students of the Buddhas for aeons. If I kept my Samayas for a thousand years and used the powers of a God to accumulate merit progress on the path would be swift. To think of Gods as static and unchanging sounds like eternalism. Even very negative beings become miraculous protectors full of love when they accept guidance of the Aryas.
This was answered by a high Lama, fyi.
Contentment is the ultimate wealth;
Detachment is the final happiness. ~Sri Saraha
Malcolm
Posts: 42974
Joined: Thu Nov 11, 2010 2:19 am

Re: Death at Tibetan Buddhist meditation retreat in Arizona

Post by Malcolm »

Nemo wrote:
I think the only person qualified to answer that would be a high Lama who knows both parties personally. Many of these once mundane Gods have been practitioners and students of the Buddhas for aeons. If I kept my Samayas for a thousand years and used the powers of a God to accumulate merit progress on the path would be swift. To think of Gods as static and unchanging sounds like eternalism. Even very negative beings become miraculous protectors full of love when they accept guidance of the Aryas.
Umm, this is not the issue. Kali does not become Vajrayogini by mere fiat.
Malcolm
Posts: 42974
Joined: Thu Nov 11, 2010 2:19 am

Re: Death at Tibetan Buddhist meditation retreat in Arizona

Post by Malcolm »

Adamantine wrote:
This was answered by a high Lama, fyi.
So called "High" Lamas also assert Meru Cosmology is true. I don't put much value in the assertions of "high" lamas when they contradict common sense.

N
User avatar
Adamantine
Former staff member
Posts: 4027
Joined: Tue Feb 08, 2011 7:09 am
Location: Space is the Place

Re: Death at Tibetan Buddhist meditation retreat in Arizona

Post by Adamantine »

Namdrol wrote:
Adamantine wrote:
This was answered by a high Lama, fyi.
So called "High" Lamas also assert Meru Cosmology is true. I don't put much value in the assertions of "high" lamas when they contradict common sense.

N
Please check your PM box
Contentment is the ultimate wealth;
Detachment is the final happiness. ~Sri Saraha
Post Reply

Return to “Tibetan Buddhism”