Question asked by Ian
Hi, I am doing a report so far on religion in the Soviet Union and as I know Mongolia still has Shugdenpa lamas, are there any known lamas or great Mongolian/Buryat/Siberian masters who were Shugdenpas that either survived the entire Soviet persecution of Buddhism or suffered through it? I would like to know if there are any lamas that have gone through that entire process.
What is the Buddhist view of Communism/Marxism, Socialism, Conservatism, Liberalism, left & right, etc.? Is there a reason to why the Dalai Lama stated that he could've become a Socialist?
What is the point of using different deities exactly? I heard for example that to purify oneself, one should stick with Vajrasattva. Why not the deity one is focused on like Shugden, Manjushri, Chenrezig, etc.? Aren't all deities technically the same essence with all the same function? What difference would a Kalarupa puja be to a Shugden puja for Gen Nyima for example? Or what difference would it be for a Tara puja and a Manjushri puja?
Dear Ian,
Thank you for your questions. As for Mongolian Lamas that practice Dorje Shugden, Guru Deva Rinpoche was one great example. In fact, he was even considered the emanation of Gyenze, one of the forms of Dorje Shugden associated with the energies of increase. One of the most famous lamas at the moment is Zava Damdin Rinpoche, who is extremely outspoken in his practice and preservation of Dorje Shugden practice among the many other Buddhist practices prevalent in Mongolia. He is one of the lamas there leading a revival in Buddhist practices.
As for the Dalai Lama saying he could have been a socialist, this is most likely due to the Buddhist principle of equality. As per socialist ideas, all people are supposed to be equal. This notion is also within Buddhism, but extends further than just the human realm. Within Buddhism we believe there are Six Realms of existence, the God Realm, the Demi-God Realm, the Human Realm, the Animal Realm, the Hungry Ghost Realm and the Hell Realm. Every single sentient being has been reborn in these realms countless times and will be reborn in these realms again due to the force of the karma they create. All of these realms are marked by suffering in one form or another. The key goal of a Buddhist practitioner is to transcend these realms altogether so that one no longer suffers and then work for the benefit of other sentient beings to bring them to the same state. This state is known as enlightenment. In this case, I believe the Dalai Lama stated he would be a socialist, because that is the closest political system he believes to be closest to this Buddhist ideal that all sentient beings are equal in that they can all achieve the state of enlightenment.
You are correct in your thinking about all the deities. In essence they are all the same, enlightened beings. Therefore praying to any Buddha has the effect of purification. However, due to our varied karma created from many past lives, each of us is individual. In their compassion, the Buddhas emanate in countless forms to suit this karma. It is due to this that when we pray to different deities we will gain different results. Vajrasattva emanated specifically to purify our negative karma, which causes less suffering and clears obscurations in our minds, something that can lead us to enlightenment. Manjushri increases our wisdom, so that we see the nature of reality and in that way leads us to enlightenment. Chenrezig increases our compassion, so we work for the benefit of all beings and realise that the only way to be of most benefit is to become a Buddha ourselves. In that manner Chenrezig leads us to enlightenment.
The differences in the pujas are again due to one’s karma. One may have a stronger affinity to a particular Buddha compared to another due to one’s karma and the benefits one needs to progress on the spiritual path. For example, even though Kalarupa and Dorje Shugden are both in the form of Dharma protectors that grant the same blessings, different people will have a different affinity to each. Actually, both of these deities are actually emanations of Manjushri, the Buddha of Wisdom. Therefore, we can clearly see that the Buddha’s emanate again and again to help sentient beings. I hope this helps.