Question asked by Dawa
How does one appease local deities and spirits of the area? The dharmapala practices seemed to be way off and I want to get along with the spirits, not force them out of their habitat.
What can I do without an empowerment nor dharmapala practice? Are there specific offerings and mantras or what exactly? I live in a prairie and forest environment with a few natural rock formations and some streams, ponds, and a lake. What spirits would be in this and how can I appease them? Also, is there by any chance a divination or some way to know how they feel?
Dear Dawa,
Thank you for your interesting question. There are many practices that can aid in calming the environment and those unseen beings who live there. Dharmapala practice is not something that would force them out of their habitat or is in any way harmful to them if they are positive beings. The wrathful imagery used within Dharmapala practice is for protection as well as reminders to the practitioner that they should get rid of their own spirits, metaphors for negative emotional state and harmful habits. In fact when we engage in Dharmapala practice, if there are any local spirits who reside in the area, they actually receive the blessings of the Dharmapala as we do. In that sense they actually benefit from the practice. Dharmapala practice would be a great way to appease and calm the local deities and spirits in any area.
However, I can understand that such practices may not resonate with some people. In that case, you can recite the mantras of any of the Buddhas and dedicate the merits to the local deities and spirits to keep them appeased. One such mantra is that of the Medicine Buddha. One of the special benefits of the Medicine Buddha is to calm energies in the environment and to bless the various beings there. In fact, within Buddhism, that is one of the main reasons that large statues are built outdoors. They bless all those who see them or are near them, and this applies to local deities and spirits as well as humans and animals.
There are pujas and prayers that can be done to keep them appeased, but they usually require empowerment. If you have the means, you can invite qualified sangha members to your land to perform a puja to bless the land, and appease the local deities and spirits in that manner.
However, if you cannot, the best thing to do would be to place a Medicine Buddha statue on your land to bless the beings and keep them appeased. You can also recite the manta of Medicine Buddha while you are outside, so when the local beings hear the mantra they are blessed. As they are blessed they are automatically appeased.
In regards to how the local deities and spirits feel, you can request divination from a qualified divination master and they should be able to give you more information.
From your description of the land, as it has natural bodies of water, there may be nagas present in the environment. There is practice that you can engage in if you wish to appease the nagas and keep them happy, which you can find here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/apology-to-the-naga-realm.html I hope this helps.
Thank you