Hanuman in Vajrayana

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Grigoris
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Hanuman in Vajrayana

Post by Grigoris »

Okay, so we have Ganesh as a worldly protector, Shiva as the Lord of the Dance, Sarasvati as Manjushris "better half", Vajrabhairava, Tara, etc... but nowhere have I seen Hanumans role (if any) in Vajrayana.

A friend of mine (and Muay Thai teacher) brought me back from Thailand an amulet of 8-armed Hanuman blessed by a (now deceased) Buddhist monk (whose corpse refuses to rot) since Hanuman is considered the protector of Muay Thai fighters. In Thailand statues of Rama and Hanuman (and scenes from the Ramayana) are to be found all over Theravadra shrines and monastaries.

So it strikes me as strange that I have found no references to Hanuman in Vajrayana literature.

Anybody know of anything?
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:namaste:
"My religion is not deceiving myself."
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"Butchers, prostitutes, those guilty of the five most heinous crimes, outcasts, the underprivileged: all are utterly the substance of existence and nothing other than total bliss."
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Stewart
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Re: Hanuman in Vajrayana

Post by Stewart »

Hi Greg,

When I was staying at Sherab Ling (Tai Situ Rinpoche's Monastery) in India a few years back, the daily protector prayers included a supplication and Torma offering to Hanuman, Situ Rinpoche composed this. Hanuman is considered the main local deity in Himachal Pradesh.
s.
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Grigoris
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Re: Hanuman in Vajrayana

Post by Grigoris »

samdrup wrote:Hi Greg,

When I was staying at Sherab Ling (Tai Situ Rinpoche's Monastery) in India a few years back, the daily protector prayers included a supplication and Torma offering to Hanuman, Situ Rinpoche composed this. Hanuman is considered the main local deity in Himachal Pradesh.
okay, I can dig that. At the Dhagpo Kündröl Ling in France they have added a couple of local protectors to the main protector practice. Did Tai Situpa compose a whole sadhana for Hanuman or was Hanuman just added into the mandala of the main protector practice? Is it possible to find/get a copy of the supplication?

Thanks
:namaste:
"My religion is not deceiving myself."
Jetsun Milarepa 1052-1135 CE

"Butchers, prostitutes, those guilty of the five most heinous crimes, outcasts, the underprivileged: all are utterly the substance of existence and nothing other than total bliss."
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Stewart
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Re: Hanuman in Vajrayana

Post by Stewart »

It's like a 4 line supplication, making a torma offering....that's it really....all part of Kayigma additional prayers etc.

All I remember is his seed syllable was 'Ha' (un-surprisingly! :) and there was a little praise etc

My friend was a monk at Sherab Ling for 4 years, lives in London now...he probably has a copy somewhere.
s.
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Re: Hanuman in Vajrayana

Post by Nemo »

There is a long activity mantra for Hanuman worshipers that is identical to a Mantra given during the Kalacakra initiation. :stirthepot:

Om Shr Hanumana Kyi,
Jai!
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Re: Hanuman in Vajrayana

Post by heart »

I met some Hanuman yogis in India, strange fellows, they made an impression.

/magnus
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Re: Hanuman in Vajrayana

Post by Grigoris »

As for the Kalachakra reference:
According to Mongolian tradition, the last incarnation of Javzandamba will be reborn as General Hanuman, head of the armies of Raudra Chakra, the 25th Kalki King of Shambhala, who will initiate the final battle against the enemies of Buddhism. Whether this struggle will take place on the earthly plane or in some other realm is at this time unclear.
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The Javzandamba incarnations are the spiritual heads of the Gelug lineage of Tibetan Buddhism in Mongolia. They also held the title of Bogd Gegeen, making them the top-ranked lamas in Mongolia. Currently the 24th Javzandamba incarnation is Jampal Namdrol Chokye Gyaltsen who was born in Tibet, recognised by the 14th Dalai Lama and currently lives in India.
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"My religion is not deceiving myself."
Jetsun Milarepa 1052-1135 CE

"Butchers, prostitutes, those guilty of the five most heinous crimes, outcasts, the underprivileged: all are utterly the substance of existence and nothing other than total bliss."
The Supreme Source - The Kunjed Gyalpo
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Re: Hanuman in Vajrayana

Post by Grigoris »

Does anybody here know if basic "Hindu" mantra and chalisa require lung and transmissions like in Vajrayana?
"My religion is not deceiving myself."
Jetsun Milarepa 1052-1135 CE

"Butchers, prostitutes, those guilty of the five most heinous crimes, outcasts, the underprivileged: all are utterly the substance of existence and nothing other than total bliss."
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Re: Hanuman in Vajrayana

Post by Destiny »

As far I know, there are a few secret mantras practiced in tantric sadhanas, but the common hindu mantras don't require any transmission.
It is very, very different from Vajrayana.
Actually, it is also possibile to perform homa (fire puja) to hindu gods without any initiations. You can even find instructions to do that online :lol:
I don't know anyway if this kind of practices are recommended from a buddhist point of view. Probably, if the specific god is recognized as a buddhist protector it would be fine.
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Re: Hanuman in Vajrayana

Post by Jainarayan »

Destiny wrote:...the common hindu mantras don't require any transmission.
Correct. Initiation (transmission) is required from a guru only for beej (bija) mantras (not that I can think of any off the top of my head). Nama mantras such as om sri hanumate namaha, om sri ganeshaya nahama, om sri ganapataye namaha, om sri saraswatyai namaha, and others can be recited by anyone, as can the many slokas, stotrams and stutis (hymns, in plain English). Btw, in some quarters, Hanuman is believed to be an emanation of Shiva (Shaivas don't like the word 'avatar' :roll: ) due to Rama having prayed to Shiva for help at the outset of the latter's quest to rescue Sita.
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Re: Hanuman in Vajrayana

Post by philji »

Due to comments made here. I.e. tai Situ Rinpoche including Hanuman in local deity prayers due to him being propitiated in that area of India. I am wondering if any teachers have composed prayers with names of local deities in the west, perhaps in celtic culture or let's say Native American culture????? Seems like it could be needed.
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Re: Hanuman in Vajrayana

Post by Malcolm »

Destiny wrote:As far I know, there are a few secret mantras practiced in tantric sadhanas, but the common hindu mantras don't require any transmission.
It is very, very different from Vajrayana.
Actually, it is also possibile to perform homa (fire puja) to hindu gods without any initiations. You can even find instructions to do that online :lol:
I don't know anyway if this kind of practices are recommended from a buddhist point of view. Probably, if the specific god is recognized as a buddhist protector it would be fine.
There are, according to my yoga teacher Srivatsa Ramaswami, three kinds of "Hindu" mantras; vedic mantras, bija mantras (tantric) and loka mantras (puranic). The last do not require any sort of transmission, the first two do.
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Re: Hanuman in Vajrayana

Post by Destiny »

Probably there are different views. According to the information I have, vedic mantras does not require any transmission. Actually, I don't even think that the concept of transmission or initiation is contemplated from a vedic point of view. It is a tantric, or esoteric idea. Instead, there are vedic mantras or sadhana that should be performed only by brahmins.... but the caste system is very much disputed and then there are different interpretations.
Just yesterday for example i found this website where there are instructions on how to perform vedic homa, and it is clarified that also non-brahmins can do that: http://www.vedicastrologer.org/homam/index.htm
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Re: Hanuman in Vajrayana

Post by Grigoris »

philji wrote:Due to comments made here. I.e. tai Situ Rinpoche including Hanuman in local deity prayers due to him being propitiated in that area of India. I am wondering if any teachers have composed prayers with names of local deities in the west, perhaps in celtic culture or let's say Native American culture????? Seems like it could be needed.
I know that at Dhagpo Kundrol Ling, in France, they have included praises for a number of local protectors into their daily Dharmapala Sadhana.
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"My religion is not deceiving myself."
Jetsun Milarepa 1052-1135 CE

"Butchers, prostitutes, those guilty of the five most heinous crimes, outcasts, the underprivileged: all are utterly the substance of existence and nothing other than total bliss."
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Re: Hanuman in Vajrayana

Post by Destiny »

Who are those local protectors? I'm very interested (I appreciated very much the activity of Dhagpo Kundreul Ling)
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Re: Hanuman in Vajrayana

Post by Grigoris »

They are a couple of local protectors living in the mountains surrounding the monastery. I do believe that Toutatis is one of them.
"My religion is not deceiving myself."
Jetsun Milarepa 1052-1135 CE

"Butchers, prostitutes, those guilty of the five most heinous crimes, outcasts, the underprivileged: all are utterly the substance of existence and nothing other than total bliss."
The Supreme Source - The Kunjed Gyalpo
The Fundamental Tantra of Dzogchen Semde
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Re: Hanuman in Vajrayana

Post by Jainarayan »

Malcolm wrote:
Destiny wrote:As far I know, there are a few secret mantras practiced in tantric sadhanas, but the common hindu mantras don't require any transmission.
It is very, very different from Vajrayana.
Actually, it is also possibile to perform homa (fire puja) to hindu gods without any initiations. You can even find instructions to do that online :lol:
I don't know anyway if this kind of practices are recommended from a buddhist point of view. Probably, if the specific god is recognized as a buddhist protector it would be fine.
There are, according to my yoga teacher Srivatsa Ramaswami, three kinds of "Hindu" mantras; vedic mantras, bija mantras (tantric) and loka mantras (puranic). The last do not require any sort of transmission, the first two do.
I believe you are correct. The only two Rig Vedic mantras that are open, which people are even encouraged to recite are the Mahamrityunjaya Mantra (great death-conquering mantra of Shiva) and the Gayatri Mantra.
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Re: Hanuman in Vajrayana

Post by tidathep »

Sherab Dorje wrote:Okay, so we have Ganesh as a worldly protector, Shiva as the Lord of the Dance, Sarasvati as Manjushris "better half", Vajrabhairava, Tara, etc... but nowhere have I seen Hanumans role (if any) in Vajrayana.

:namaste:
---------------------
Sawaddee Ka,

Thai people love Hanuman dearly...he was the great helper to Phra Ram...in Thai Ramayana...there are so many pictures of HANUMAN in many many Thai temples-murals!!

Image

Image

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Re: Hanuman in Vajrayana

Post by Grigoris »

Dear Tidathep, I am a Muay Thai Kru so I am very familiar with the Ramayana (Ramakien) and Hanumans role.

Sawasdee!!! :smile:
"My religion is not deceiving myself."
Jetsun Milarepa 1052-1135 CE

"Butchers, prostitutes, those guilty of the five most heinous crimes, outcasts, the underprivileged: all are utterly the substance of existence and nothing other than total bliss."
The Supreme Source - The Kunjed Gyalpo
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Re: Hanuman in Vajrayana

Post by pemachophel »

Philji,

Yes, various Tibetan Lamas have identified various local Protectors here in the U.S. Lama Dawa has identified the Goddess of the Mississippi and composed an offering ceremony to Her. Kusum Lingpa identified at least one Protector of Rigdzin Ling/Chagdud Gompa in northern CA and they do a Protectors prayer to that Deity written by Kusum Lingpa. And Tulku Sang-ngag has identified the/a Deity associated with Mt. Shasta. These are the ones I can think of right off the top of my head.

Many years ago, I was traveling with a family of Lamas in Maine. One night we camped in the woods below Mt. Katadin and did chod. The next day I was explaining that the local indigenous people believed their God(s) lived on top of that mountain. One of the Lamas said that they already knew that since those Deities had attended the previous evening's chod.

Recently, Lama Dawa was visiting northern Colorado. He was pointed out the Indian Peaks west of Boulder. He said that, if these were in Nepal, they'd be called the Five Sisters (i.e., Tsheringma and Her four Sisters). Personally, I took that to mean that we could/should (?) consider the Indian Peaks to be supports for Tshering Ched-nga.

Sorry if I'm rambling.

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