Resources on Dharma Protectors

[Thomas Amundsen]

Hi All,

Does anyone have any good resources on Dharma Protectors? I've already used the search function and found several conversations about them on Dharma Wheel. But it'd be great to find a more organized, informed source of information on the topic. Right now, it seems to be a topic that has to be approached like "get whatever information you can get from wherever you can". I've found these three books, but not much else, and I'm not even sure how promising these are. Any pointers here would be greatly appreciated!

The Guardian Deities of Tibet

Ruthless Compassion: Wrathful Deities in Early Indo-Tibetan Esoteric Buddhist Art

Oracles and Demons of Tibet: The Cult and Iconography of the Tibetan Protective Deities

There are also some interesting webpages on Himalayan Art, such as Three Treasure Protectors.

[Fortyeightvows]

Oracle's and demons of Tibet is really great. I have two translations of this and find myself using them pretty regularly.

[tingdzin]

You know, Nebesky_Wojkowitz is supposed to have died prematurely after he write "Oracles and Demons". Maybe there's a reason people don't write a lot on this stuff.

[crazy-man]

Wrathful Guardians of Buddhism - Aesthetics and Mythology
http://www.exoticindiaart.com/article/wrathful/
http://www.khandro.net/deities_wrathful.htm
http://www.buddhist-tourism.com/countri ... ities.html
http://buddhism.about.com/od/tibetandei ... ddhism.htm

Dakini's Warm Breath: The Feminine Principle in Tibetan Buddhism By: Simmer-Brown, Judith
http://www.namsebangdzo.com/Dakini_s_Wa ... Click=1171

Tantric Wrathful Deities: The Psychology and Extraordinary Power of Enlightened Beings in Their Fearsome Form
http://buddhaweekly.com/tantric-wrathfu ... some-form/

"The Sadhana Practice of Wrathful Deities in Tibetan Buddhist Tantra"
http://www.vajranatha.com/excerpts/wrat ... ities.html

The Self Possessed. Deity and Spirit Possession in South Asian Literature and Civilization
https://cup.columbia.edu/book/the-self- ... 0231137485

Gathering the Elements: The Cult of the Wrathful Deity Vajrakila According to the Texts of the Northern Treasures Tradition of Tibet
https://www.amazon.com/Gathering-Elemen ... ul+deities

The Cakrasamvara Tantra (The Discourse of Sri Heruka): A Study and Annotated Translation (Treasury of the Buddhist Sciences)
https://www.amazon.com/Cakrasamvara-Tan ... rds=heruka

[Fortyeightvows]

You know, Nebesky_Wojkowitz is supposed to have died prematurely after he write "Oracles and Demons". Maybe there's a reason people don't write a lot on this stuff.

I've heard this.

[humble.student]

You know, Nebesky_Wojkowitz is supposed to have died prematurely after he write "Oracles and Demons". Maybe there's a reason people don't write a lot on this stuff.

You know, poor old René was supposed to have had a spell cast on him after been found cavorting with the daughter of a local tribal-chief/shaman.

[Fortyeightvows]

You know, poor old René was supposed to have had a spell cast on him after been found cavorting with the daughter of a local tribal-chief/shaman.

Where did you hear this?

[dzogchungpa]

It's kind of interesting that his book had 666 pages.

[humble.student]

You know, poor old René was supposed to have had a spell cast on him after been found cavorting with the daughter of a local tribal-chief/shaman.

Where did you hear this?

This has been mentioned before: http://dharmawheel.net/viewtopic.php?f=40&t=22843

That old bugger Lingwood mentions the frolicking in his memoirs; the curse, I don't recall exactly.

Kalimpong was quite the swinging (pardon the pun!) place in the 50s and 60s though.

[rai]

would that be possible that he just simply died?

[humble.student]

would that be possible that he just simply died?

Where's the fun in that?

[Grigoris]

would that be possible that he just simply died?

In the end, everybody simply dies. They breath out one last time and...

[BrianG]

would that be possible that he just simply died?

In the end, everybody simply dies. They breath out one last time and...

Prince Siddhartha did not die

[Grigoris]

would that be possible that he just simply died?

In the end, everybody simply dies. They breath out one last time and...

Prince Siddhartha did not die

Oh... so I guess they have it all wrong in the Mahaparinibbana Sutta and Mahaparinirvana Sutra.

He was still alive when they cremated him?

[Karinos]

You know, Nebesky_Wojkowitz is supposed to have died prematurely after he write "Oracles and Demons". Maybe there's a reason people don't write a lot on this stuff.

so did Losang Tsering (David Gonsalez) ...

but then seeing this as a punishment from Dharma protectors is silly unless you are engaged in some sort of demon cult (which I cannot name here)

I personally see these cases as examples of accumulating merit enough to liberate themselves from human existence and possibly cycling existence.

[Grigoris]

You know, Nebesky_Wojkowitz is supposed to have died prematurely after he write "Oracles and Demons". Maybe there's a reason people don't write a lot on this stuff.

so did Losang Tsering (David Gonsalez) ...

but then seeing this as a punishment from Dharma protectors is silly unless you are engaged in some sort of demon cult (which I cannot name here)

I personally see these cases as examples of accumulating merit enough to liberate themselves from human existence and possibly cycling existence.

How does dying liberate you from cyclic existence?

[Malcolm]

You know, Nebesky_Wojkowitz is supposed to have died prematurely after he write "Oracles and Demons". Maybe there's a reason people don't write a lot on this stuff.

so did Losang Tsering (David Gonsalez) ...

but then seeing this as a punishment from Dharma protectors is silly unless you are engaged in some sort of demon cult (which I cannot name here)

I personally see these cases as examples of accumulating merit enough to liberate themselves from human existence and possibly cycling existence.

Or unless you break samayas feeling no shame.

[conebeckham]

would that be possible that he just simply died?

In the end, everybody simply dies. They breath out one last time and...

Prince Siddhartha did not die

LOL, Prince Siddhartha most certainly died. Unless you would consider that there was no Prince Siddhartha in the first place. That's (part of) what he realized, after all, isn't it?

[Karinos]

How does dying liberate you from cyclic existence?

there are tantric methods - I'm sure you know

[Grigoris]

How does dying liberate you from cyclic existence?

there are tantric methods - I'm sure you know

You said dying liberates from cyclic existence, not practicing tantric techniques during the bardo of death... Anyway, what are you saying: they chose to die in order to be liberated in the bardo of death?