What made you start Dorje Shugden practice?

[Ganden_follower]

Hi everyone,

The nice thing about this website is that it attracts so many people from many different backgrounds. Even though we all come from different countries and have different teachers, we are all united as one family of Dharma brothers and sisters, and specifically fellow practitioners of Dharmapala Dorje Shugden. I am curious to know how you all found out about DS and what made you begin doing the practice in the first place. One misconception that some people try to spread is that people only NKT followers or people paid by Chinese govt. practice DS, which we know is incorrect. So feel free to participate and if you want to elaborate feel free

I searched for a similar poll and so far I haven't found one, so hopefully this isn't a duplicate topic, if so my apologies.

[Ganden_follower]

I first started practicing Buddhadharma around 2008/2009 (so right when the controversy really started to erupt), but at that time I wasn't really interested in Tibetan Buddhism at all so I didn't pay much attention. However, after several years of practicing with no real results I decided to go for another approach and try studying Lamrim. I decided on "Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand" by Je Pabongkhapa, and I remember as soon as I opened the book and saw his picture I was just completely in awe. Of course that respect only increased the more I read.

So I read more about his biography and his students, and learned about the Dorje Shugden controversy from that. Even after reading the Dalai Lama's reasoning for the ban I wasn't satisfied, I just couldn't think that Pabongkha Rinpoche and Trijang Rinpoche were wrong in doing this practice. I found this website and read up on the history and then I decided from there to do the practice. Ever since then I have found that my obstacles melt away like butter and I am more consistent in my dharma practice. And now I have taken teachings from several kind gurus, all of whom just happened to be DS practitioners too 

[WisdomBeing]

Hi Ganden Follower,

Nice to see you here! May i ask which country you are from? I started learning about Buddhism about 2005, from another buddhist friend talking to me about it and then reading books a friend of mine had.

Being based in the UK, i find that the only centres who practice Dorje Shugden here are NKT. I don't have anything against them, but they don't resonate with me (perhaps i am being too selective.. hmmm) so i do my own practice most of the time, or doing prayers with a few friends. I would love to meet one of these Dorje Shugden lamas and take one as my Guru, but until then, I will continue on my own.

[whitelion]

I started to practice Dorje Shugden about 4 years ago, it was started because I visited on of my friend's Buddhist centre where I met this wonderful statue of Dorje Shugden on the main altar. Back then, I have no idea who Dorje Shugden is, all I know is just Buddha Shakyamuni, but I just got so attracted by Dorje Shugden statue, which on the same day I requested my friend to teach me his mantra. 

I still remember my grandma was very sick and she was suffered with lung cancer that time, she need to go through tremedous pain and short of breath every single day and I pray to Dorje Shugden and requested him to help my grandma in whatever way he can, just to reduce her suffering, and I started to chat DS mantra every single day. About a week or 10 days later my grandma pass away still but when the last 2-3 days of her life, she was totally better, her pain reduce and she feel better and she passed away in not much suffering.

Do I have proof Dorje Shugden really help my grandma ? I don't but I do believe because of DS's blessing my grandma doesn't need to go through horrible death. Since then, I reciting Dorje Shugden's mantra everyday and later started to do his daily prayer.

Well, this is a short story how I started my Dorje Shugden practice

This is the prayer that I found on here, which very similar to what I have been doing, hope it will help people who are in difficulty too.

 http://www.dorjeshugden.com/prayers/daily-prayers/short-sadhana-of-dorje-shugden/

[Zach]

Hi everyone,

The nice thing about this website is that it attracts so many people from many different backgrounds. Even though we all come from different countries and have different teachers, we are all united as one family of Dharma brothers and sisters, and specifically fellow practitioners of Dharmapala Dorje Shugden. I am curious to know how you all found out about DS and what made you begin doing the practice in the first place. One misconception that some people try to spread is that people only NKT followers or people paid by Chinese govt. practice DS, which we know is incorrect. So feel free to participate and if you want to elaborate feel free

I searched for a similar poll and so far I haven't found one, so hopefully this isn't a duplicate topic, if so my apologies.

Hey There Gaden_Follower nice to see you've made it

[Ensapa]

What made me start my practice was really because that my Guru recommended us the practice. I have no qualms at all doing any Dharma practice my Guru tells me to do irregardless of whatever people say. My Guru is attained, which is why I go for him for refuge and if he is attained whatever he says or teaches would have results and it is best that I follow. It is as simple as that. If my Guru says he is right then I will do it. But as for me personally, I did gain some results and some help from Dorje Shugden which reaffirmed my faith in him which is why now basically I am more serious into his practice. He helped me repair my samaya with my Guru by giving me chances and opportunities to do so and creating the conditions for me to be able to repair it.

[Ganden_follower]

Interesting replies all, thank you for sharing 

WisdomBeing, I am from the west coast of the United States. There are at least a few teachers in this particular area who do the practice still, but secretly. Recently my guru (who is a few states away from me sadly) recommended I focus more on studying lamrim and the only center in my city which has a really good lamrim program is NKT, so with his blessing I am starting to go there now since I have the karma to be so close to it. I too was apprehensive at first because of all of the negative websites out there, but I am kinda stubborn and refuse to believe something just because someone told me it (in fact I usually try to prove them wrong  ) so I decided to visit for myself and have found it to be beneficial for me. I do get tripped up a bit sometimes since I am used to the "Tibetan" terminology while NKT has its own terms and ways of describing things.

And beautiful story whitelion, really I have no doubt that Dorje Shugden helped your grandma have a peaceful death... in the end that is what all of our practice boils down to... either enlightenment in this life for the few fortunate ones, or a peaceful calm death so that we can become enlightened in the bardo. May she continually come under Manjushri's care in life after life!

[DharmaDefender]

TBH I didnt really get an outward instruction, it was kind of like a natural progression / accident. I was visiting a friend in Nepal and happened to walk in to an impromptu DS puja one day. Yes, rude but my intention to be in Nepal wasnt exactly spiritual so respect didnt feature high on my list of things to do. I guess I looked confused because right after puja, a Dharma brother came to me to teach me the mantra. I just continued once I got back.

Im with Wisdom Being on this. I like Geshe-las books and find nothing wrong with them, and it would be nice to have a centre but it just doesnt work for me. Ive read peoples experiences about how when they meet their lama, they know he is the one - their overwhelmed with emotion or seeing their lamas face strikes a chord deep in them. Like I said, I like Geshe-la and think hes perfectly valid, but Ive not had that experience with him. So Im content for now to practise on my own but it would be good to find someone later because theres a reason why my knowledge is so patchy! The website has been helpful but I know higher practices require a lama for guidance.

Welcome by the way

[Positive Change]

My answer is simple... My Guru kindly gave me the practice. But before I even began, I was asked to read up a lot about the controversy and try to understand the stance each camp was taking and the reason behind the ban. It was with this understanding that my practice is unwavering and with conviction as I have the basis as well as the foundations PLUS the blessings of my compassionate Guru.

How blessed and fortunate we are to be able to practice and to help spread Dorje Shugden to the world. This degenerate times needs Our King, the Protector of our Time!

[Big Uncle]

You know what was funny, my lama never told me to practice but he had this beautiful altar in his home that I always wondered who it was. This was many years ago when I hardly knew anything about Buddhism. He told me about all other deities except this one. However, I didn't want to be rude and so I never asked him. However, my curiosity got the better of me and when I did ask, he gave me a whole stack of articles to read. You know, this was the days before dorjeshugden.com. He gave me news articles regarding the controversy and also printed material regarding the previous lives of Dorje Shugden. Thus began my involvement in this protector practice and it has been my daily practice since those days.

[Q]

I think I have some kind of affinity to DS practice coz the very first Dharma center I ended up to is an NKT center. But after that I moved to another country and happened to meet my holy Guru, it was when I met my Guru that I started practicing DS.

I'm not Tibetan, and I'm not usually familiar with what's happening around the Buddhist scenes coz I only wanted to concentrate on my Dharma practice... but when I found out that DS was actually banned, I went like "WHAT? WHY?". It just didn't made sense to me and I had to do something about it because my Guru always shed tears whenever we talk about the ban, and that made me very sad.

So... that's how I ended up on this forum, coz I was searching for information regarding the ban. Truth to be told, I still don't understand WHY DS was banned... because DS is a spirit? DS is Manjushri! That's like saying Tsongkhapa is a spirit... bad way to say it, but I don't know how else to give an example.

[TheRedGaruda]

My family has been practicing Dorje Shugden for over 10 years now, and it was given to us from our Guru. When I first chanted His mantra, I was 16 years old. I found the wrathful emanation of Dorje Shugden to be the most attractive, Trakze.

Karma Shugden
“O you whose purified aggregate of compositional factors, in the dance of the terrifier, is a body like a dark red intolerable tumultuous storm of fire, riding an agile garuda, holding razor-edged sword and enemy heart, the reducer of enemies and obstructors to ashes, to you I praise.”

The ban didn't affect us that much as we were always moving around the world, and we don't get involved in politics - even within the religious sphere. I must say though that the impermanence of my residence has been a blessing! 

I would like to ask others, what made them continue the Dorje Shugden practice after the ban?

[kris]

I would like to ask others, what made them continue the Dorje Shugden practice after the ban?

@TheRedGaruda, from what I understand, many people continue to practice Dorje Shugden even after there is a ban is because of the practice is given by their Guru, and they continue because of Guru devotion. Many practitioners have to endure much suffering and yet never give up the practice. This is definitely something a good example for all of us practitioners.

[dslucky]

This thread is interesting..reminds me a lot when I first started practising Dorje Shugden. How did I start?...hmmm it guess it was purely because of my Guru that I have the fortune to practice Dorje Shugden today. Actually, all my practices today although not much are due to the supreme kindness of my beloved Guru.

It was He who introduced me to this Supreme Being. It was He who gave me knowledge of this Supreme Being as well. Although there is this so called ban right now, I still practice Dorje Shugden because the practice was given to me by my Guru. I can't possibly chuck out simply the practice given to me by my Guru can I?

If the monks in Shar Gaden and Serpom Monastery and other practitioners can endure all the suffering to practice Dorje Shugden...why can't I when I have the comfort of doing with no one forcing me swear or whatsoever evil things that people are doing to the holy monks in India?

In fact, we who can practice Dorje Shugden comfortably should do more to help these poor sangha members who were taken off their basic rights!

[Aurore]

The admin and founder of this website, blog and facebook would be very happy to know I started my practice through stumbling across their materials on the world wide web from His Holiness Dalai Lama's website. The whole ban got me interested to know what this deity is all about. I was hardly a Buddhist then but more of a curious spiritual seeker.

Anyways, that was how my cyber relationship with Dorje Shugden started. I thank HHDL for this! After reading and getting to know more about this practice, I started doing the mantras and prayers. I see its effects as I started seeking out a physical dharma centre and started volunteering my services there. Even though this centre does not practice Dorje Shugden, DS has brought me to the path of spirituality.