Dorje Shugden's Role In the New Millennium

[Big Uncle]

As the turn of the new millenium, we, as Buddhists must notice the signs of degeneration as technology and life becomes easier and distractions becomes more and more, real spiritual practice becomes more and more difficult. The farther we get from Buddha's time, the more difficult it is to gain real attainments. The Buddha predicted that his teachings and its meaning will survive for 5000 years. We are halfway now and according to Buddha's prophesy, there will be one final renaissance of Buddhism before Buddha's teaching begins a gradual and complete decline.

The catalyst for this revival of Buddhist teachings is the Dalai Lama but that will not be enough. People today need proof and they need instant results that the Buddhas exist and that practicing Dharma does have results. There can be none other deity or practice that is more supreme than Dorje Shugden. Hence, Dorje Shugden plays a very important role at this time and the bigger he gets, the more people will enter the Dharma. Therefore, Dorje Shugden will lead many people towards liberation or at least the planting of seeds to see Maitreya when his time comes.

[triesa]

I totally agree with Big Uncle that spiritual practice at this time is extremely difficult, where materialism, pleasure, lust, desire and attachements strongly prevails. Ordinary folks like many of us would be so easily distracted to persue the
"Samsaric" pleasures versus " Spiritual" attainements which are quite hard to quantify.

People in general wants a "Quick Fix", or "Instand Results" without realising that it is their own karma that they need to deal with and it is themselves that need to be changed in order "NOT" to create more of the negative karma which they will have to face later.

It seems that everthing, including spirituality, has to be as easy as the touch of a button.

Therefore, Dorje Shugden is a pivotal link in bringing many to the holy Dharma at this time as his practice is effective and quick. 

Not just a Dharma protector, Dorje Shugden can be perpetuated as a Yidam as well.

Triesa

[pgdharma]

Well said Big Uncle. It is very difficult to pursue spiritual practice in this degenerating time as most people chase after samsaric pleasures. Therefore, to achieve spiritual attainments, Dorje Shugden practice is so crucial as his practice is quick and efficacious. Dorje Shugden is definitely the dharma protector of this time, day and age!

[DharmaDefender]

As the turn of the new millenium, we, as Buddhists must notice the signs of degeneration as technology and life becomes easier and distractions becomes more and more, real spiritual practice becomes more and more difficult. The farther we get from Buddha's time, the most difficult it is to gain real attainments. The Buddha predicted that his teachings and its meaning will survive for 5000 years. We are halfway now and according to Buddha's prophesy, there will be one final renaissance of Buddhism before Buddha's teaching begins a gradual and complete decline.

I'm going to use an example I quote often...that nowadays, it has become relatively easier for us to receive practices whereas in the past, it was much more difficult (like Naropa, for example, and his hardships). The sad thing is that it is easy for us to see such degeneration now - because we can do things like go back and listen to recordings of teachings, how many of us actually listen during teachings themselves and internalise the information then? Imagine if students had been the way we are now when Pabongka Rinpoche was giving his discourse on the lamrim!

The catalyst for this revival of Buddhist teachings is the Dalai Lama but that will not be enough. People today need proof and they need instant results that the Buddhas exist and that practicing Dharma does have results. There can be none other deity or practice that is more supreme than Dorje Shugden. Hence, Dorje Shugden plays a very important role at this time and the bigger he gets, the more people will enter the Dharma. Therefore, Dorje Shugden will lead many people towards liberation or at least the planting of seeds to see Maitreya when his time comes.

Yet another sad point - people need proof that the Buddhas exist. The thing is, just because you or me can't see the Buddhas exist, doesn't mean that they don't...it's kind of like gravity - before I knew the laws of gravity, gravity still existed independent on my lack of knowledge. Besides, isn't karma proof enough? It makes sense that if you do something non-virtuous, you accrue negative karma; if you do something virtuous, you accrue positive karma. The next logical question then would be, what happens when you have no karma? If mind's existence is continuous and without break, then surely a state of being beyond karma exists...and therefore that's what makes them Buddhas.

And by the way, as much as I hold Dorje Shugden supreme for myself, on behalf of those who do not, I humbly beg to differ regarding the sentence that there can be none other deity or practice more supreme than Dorje Shugden's. Looking at the King's body itself, every point on Dorje Shugden's holy body is a teaching from the lamrim. He himself tells you with his body, speech and mind that if you uphold Lama Tsongkhapa's lineage flawlessly, that is all you need.

[Big Uncle]

And by the way, as much as I hold Dorje Shugden supreme for myself, on behalf of those who do not, I humbly beg to differ regarding the sentence that there can be none other deity or practice more supreme than Dorje Shugden's. Looking at the King's body itself, every point on Dorje Shugden's holy body is a teaching from the lamrim. He himself tells you with his body, speech and mind that if you uphold Lama Tsongkhapa's lineage flawlessly, that is all you need.

Dear DharmaDefender,

Oh no worries! Well actually I mean that there is not Dharma Protector more supreme than Dorje Shugden at this time. There is no such thing as Buddha is higher than another Buddha. A Buddha is equal with all else but his karmic affinity and ability to assist us are different. Hence, clearly on many factors that Dorje Shugden is supreme. Lama Tsongkhapa's teachings is supreme because it brings us to enlightenment faster than other teachings and his practice currently exists as a Yidam. Anyway, Lama Tsongkhapa AND Dorje Shugden are one in nature. They are both emanations of Manjushri. So, Dorje Shugden/Lama Tsongkhapa is really supreme.

[beggar]

People today need proof and they need instant results that the Buddhas exist and that practicing Dharma does have results.

Yes the world sure is moving fast these days - people want enlightenment tomorrow, or they think they can just buy it on a supermarket shelf! There is a lot of impatience, even to get enlightened, and people want results fast. (we SHOULD want results fast, but not in this way where we give up easily if the results don't come immediately).

Dorje Shugden represents much more than a quick fix - he is the Lamrim in its totality, but out of all the people in the world, who is really looking for lamrim at the moment!? People want money! sex! relationships! family! careers! And the "proof" that the buddha exists for them is if these things are fulfilled first and foremost. The miracle thing may be overstated and seem a little ridiculous to many people who are very logical, but the fact of the matter is that many, many, many, many people in the world relate and react to this - they may not admit it but they DO want a miracle! They want a quick fix, and quick results will prove to them that something is working.

Dorje Shugden's practice - although it is not limited to that - can provide many very swift results and clear our obstacles faster than we can say "delusion!" So if we do want people to eventually practice dharma and lamrim, show them something they want, in their language first - a quick fix, as it were. It would be far more effective, I believe, AT THIS STAGE, than telling them about lamrim or dharma or tsongkhapa etc. those methods, though very powerful, would take "too long" for this new age instant generation.

[Big Uncle]

Yup! Dorje Shugden is having massive appeal and even more so because he is fast and efficacious. Not only that, many Lamas these days are advocating Dharma Protector practice on massive level. Why? Well people will always have problems but people don't necessary have faith in the 3 Jewels. Therefore, the Protectors alleviate or solve the temporary issues that people have and naturally many will take heartfelt refuge. Then higher thoughts and practices can come in like Lamrim, Lama Tsongkhapa, Vajrayogini, etc. Hence, Dorje Shugden will be instrumental towards a final renaissance of Buddha's teachings and connect millions to Maitreya in this manner.

 

[DSFriend]

The catalyst for this revival of Buddhist teachings is the Dalai Lama but that will not be enough. People today need proof and they need instant results that the Buddhas exist and that practicing Dharma does have results. There can be none other deity or practice that is more supreme than Dorje Shugden. Hence, Dorje Shugden plays a very important role at this time and the bigger he gets, the more people will enter the Dharma. Therefore, Dorje Shugden will lead many people towards liberation or at least the planting of seeds to see Maitreya when his time comes.

I find so much peace just recollecting in my mind, the blessings of Dorje Shugden. It will take countless lifetimes to purify all the negativities I have committed and to break out of the habituation of creating more negativities. Dorje Shugden helping to plant the seeds for us to be connected with Maitreya is incredible. I do wish that by the time Maitreya comes, I have accumulated enough merits to be a close student to receive teachings and to serve Maitreya.

[honeydakini]

I still don't really understand why some seem to think it is so bad for people to want a quick fix or a solution to some supposedly mundane, worldly problem. That's the very nature of our whole existence isn't it - samsara! Suffering! all the kinda s**t we get ourselves into and which we then try to get out of. It is totally unrealistic to expect that everyone coming into Dharma or even surfing onto this website is some high level, unattached, unworldly, sincere practitioner who wants to study the lamrim and gain great attainments. For some people, they can't even grasp what attainments mean - they are just trying to get through the day, feed their family, mend a broken heart, etc

I don't think we should belittle these people who are looking for help, no matter how "trivial" their problems may seem to be. The truth of the matter is that all our problems are just as big or just as trivial as each other (depending on how you look at it). So it is really quite ridiculous (and quite arrogant) of us to say, "oh, let's not focus on those who are just looking for quick fix solutions to family/money/relationship/career etc Suffering is suffering and a true dharma practitioner wouldn't discriminate between the levels of suffering. Dorje Shugden helps us all, so why is it that DS practitioners say, "oh we shouldn't cheapen the practice to just one of a quick fixes but we should only focus on the lamrim".

You can't begin to talk about the lamrim, the three poisons, purification, samsara, mind transformation etc etc yet until you help people get to a place where they are comfortable and open to learn. Their minds are so preoccupied now with whatever problems they are going through so no matter how much you bang on about the lamrim to them, it won't help them. It may even turn them away because after the lecture, they feel you are still not helping them with their problems. So help them with whatever they need first and then show them a different way. Feed the hungry man first, and when he's full and well, teach him how to fish. He's not gonna want to learn how fish when he's keeling over in hunger and starving to death!

[Big Uncle]

I still don't really understand why some seem to think it is so bad for people to want a quick fix or a solution to some supposedly mundane, worldly problem. That's the very nature of our whole existence isn't it - samsara! Suffering! all the kinda s**t we get ourselves into and which we then try to get out of. It is totally unrealistic to expect that everyone coming into Dharma or even surfing onto this website is some high level, unattached, unworldly, sincere practitioner who wants to study the lamrim and gain great attainments. For some people, they can't even grasp what attainments mean - they are just trying to get through the day, feed their family, mend a broken heart, etc

I don't think we should belittle these people who are looking for help, no matter how "trivial" their problems may seem to be. The truth of the matter is that all our problems are just as big or just as trivial as each other (depending on how you look at it). So it is really quite ridiculous (and quite arrogant) of us to say, "oh, let's not focus on those who are just looking for quick fix solutions to family/money/relationship/career etc Suffering is suffering and a true dharma practitioner wouldn't discriminate between the levels of suffering. Dorje Shugden helps us all, so why is it that DS practitioners say, "oh we shouldn't cheapen the practice to just one of a quick fixes but we should only focus on the lamrim".

You can't begin to talk about the lamrim, the three poisons, purification, samsara, mind transformation etc etc yet until you help people get to a place where they are comfortable and open to learn. Their minds are so preoccupied now with whatever problems they are going through so no matter how much you bang on about the lamrim to them, it won't help them. It may even turn them away because after the lecture, they feel you are still not helping them with their problems. So help them with whatever they need first and then show them a different way. Feed the hungry man first, and when he's full and well, teach him how to fish. He's not gonna want to learn how fish when he's keeling over in hunger and starving to death!

That's right Honeydakini, I think many people here don't realise that it is these very people who are in need of help that the future of Buddhism will arise. The only way Buddhism can survive and thrive is that more and more people practices it and it doesn't matter how they develop faith in the 3 jewels as long as it doesn't mean force conversion and blind faith. Hence, Dorje Shugden plays a tremendous role in bringing faith to millions out there if he gets big and well known enough. That's my whole point of this thread. We need to make him big so he can bring tremendous relief to millions who have all manner of problems. That's the role that I believe Dorje Shugden will play in the near future.
 

[beggar]

That's right Honeydakini, I think many people here don't realise that it is these very people who are in need of help that the future of Buddhism will arise. The only way Buddhism can survive and thrive is that more and more people practices it and it doesn't matter how they develop faith in the 3 jewels as long as it doesn't mean force conversion and blind faith. Hence, Dorje Shugden plays a tremendous role in bringing faith to millions out there if he gets big and well known enough. That's my whole point of this thread. We need to make him big so he can bring tremendous relief to millions who have all manner of problems. That's the role that I believe Dorje Shugden will play in the near future.
 

Bravo HoneyDakini and Big Uncle - what you say is absolutely correct. Our help to others should not be discriminating and more than anything, should change over time to accommodate different types of thinking.

We just cannot compare the level of practice and study to that of even one hundred years ago. Situations, time, people distractions, etc are very different now. It is said that the merit of holding ordination vows for even one day now is equivalent to holding ordination vows for a whole lifetime in Shakyamuni's time. So maybe people don't read and study the whole lamrim, but their practice may manifest in another way - maybe something as simple as making offerings to Dorje Shugden... for a start! Then it moves on to more. Today, we need a great amount of merit to even have the chance to connect to or see a Buddha image, let alone engage in deep practice.

So we should try to get dharma to everyone in whatever way possible - it may not fit a conventional way of practice as we expect or as it was done in Shakyamuni's time but the bottom line is that it still connects people to THE DHARMA and in this day and age, that connection alone counts for a lot.

[shugdenprotect]

Dorje Shugden’s kindness to grant us material wishes is a reflection of His compassion: coming down to our level to fulfill our worldly prayers so that WE get a chance to develop faith in the Dharma. Reaching out to our minds through such means is the skillful adaptation by the kind Buddhas to “communicate” with the narrow and strong focus of our mind on samsaric goals during this degenerate time.

This need of swift proof to develop faith in the Dharma is the result of the conditioning our minds go through in today’s secular “mind training” (i.e. education) system. Therefore, as Dharma brothers and sisters, our work is to be kind and support as many sentient beings as possible to re-habituate their mind. This off course begins with the re-habituation of our own mind! It does not serve anybody or the Dharma by enforcing what we perceive to be the “right” Dharma approach and/or attitude upon anyone. Additionally, in this effort, we get the opportunity to grow and develop spiritually.

In summary, if a swift Protector practice can be the immediate antidote by granting wishes to fulfill secular requests, let that be the method for now. Aligned to the statement by Honeydakini, why be righteous and loose the opportunity to actually help a sentient being…which is the very core purpose for the existence of Lord Buddha’s teachings.

Dharmadefender, I agree with you: the fact that we do not see Buddhas does not mean that they do not exist. In fact, it is the lack of our own positive karma that prevents us from seeing Buddhas. Additionally, I learn from a Dharma teaching that it is also our negative karma that causes us to see “faults” in our Guru and take them as well as the precious teachings they impart upon us for granted. Very sad and that is why we need to engage actively in purification activities to “clean up” our negative karma AND collect merits to continue progressively on our Dharma journey to open up and gain positive karma.

It is also important that we do not just surrender to our karma and say: “Oh, that is just my karma” and do nothing about it.  This will cause (in my opinion) the most dangerous form of consequence: reinforcing negative karma. Example: if we are lazy and say, oh that is just the way I am, we will reinforce our laziness through the action of our body, speech and mind causing the final result: we will get lazier and lazier to a point of no return.

Thanks Big Uncle and everyone participating for this thread and your generous sharing of thoughts!

[beggar]

It is also important that we do not just surrender to our karma and say: “Oh, that is just my karma” and do nothing about it.  This will cause (in my opinion) the most dangerous form of consequence: reinforcing negative karma. Example: if we are lazy and say, oh that is just the way I am, we will reinforce our laziness through the action of our body, speech and mind causing the final result: we will get lazier and lazier to a point of no return.

That's a good point. I think that's the easiest kind of trap to fall into, when we think trick ourselves to believe that we cannot improve because "that's just the way I am".

There is also this common problem, when people say, "Well, I'm a good person, I'm not harming anyone, I'm not doing anything bad." Well, my answer to these people is: you're not really doing anything good either! This is also a form of laziness because we don't want to do something more or better or push ourselves to go beyond what we are used to or comfortable with. This also reinforces our negative karma, where we are just acting out of a selfishness instead of wanting to do something beneficial and positive for others.

So actually, our "not harming anyone" could be harmful in the long term because we are allowing ourselves to continue bad habits and at the same time - maybe not in such an obvious way to us, although it is definitely there - we are allowing so many others in the world to continue suffering.

yours, Beggar

[Helena]

It is also important that we do not just surrender to our karma and say: “Oh, that is just my karma” and do nothing about it.  This will cause (in my opinion) the most dangerous form of consequence: reinforcing negative karma. Example: if we are lazy and say, oh that is just the way I am, we will reinforce our laziness through the action of our body, speech and mind causing the final result: we will get lazier and lazier to a point of no return.

That's a good point. I think that's the easiest kind of trap to fall into, when we think trick ourselves to believe that we cannot improve because "that's just the way I am".

There is also this common problem, when people say, "Well, I'm a good person, I'm not harming anyone, I'm not doing anything bad." Well, my answer to these people is: you're not really doing anything good either! This is also a form of laziness because we don't want to do something more or better or push ourselves to go beyond what we are used to or comfortable with. This also reinforces our negative karma, where we are just acting out of a selfishness instead of wanting to do something beneficial and positive for others.

yours, Beggar

I liked what you wrote, Beggar.

It is so true - many, and I do mean, many people like to think that they do not do anything wrong and have not harmed anyone so they are fine and they do not need to do anything at all. In fact, they see there is no reason for them to start any practice at all. They shun it like a plague.

It is a disease of today's modern world, I am afraid that we have arrived onto a place whereby no one is interested in pushing themselves to do more, or becoming better. They already believe they are better!

This is why Dorje Shugden is skillful in giving what these people yearn and are seeking - which is mostly, quick fixes and instant solutions - with that, their belief and faith will arise. Dorje Shugden will know how best to guide them into the Dharma and bring them to a higher place than they were before. Perhaps, even without them realising that they are moving higher or forward.

There is nothing wrong with people wanting quick fixes - at least, they do want something. Then Dorje Shugden can enter their lives by helping them with that. It is the people who do not even wish for anything, and their minds are completely closed that it does not allow even a shred of light to penetrate through.

How do we even help those who believe that they have everything and everything is great? That is where I am stumped.

Perhaps someone can shed some advice here. I would truly appreciate it.

Thanking everyone in advance.

[James Bond]

Dear Big Uncle,

I was looking through some old posts and i had a glimpse of this very interesting post. I was always told that Dorje Shugden was a very important Dharma protector for our time, but i never really knew why. Now i do. And thank you for increasing my understanding. Originally i was told that Dorje Shugden is simply a 'modern' protector. This meaning he is able to deal with the problems and many issues of todays population. The world is changing fast, we need a new and capable protector who can cope with this evolution. Dorje Shugden fills this gap perfectly.