Question asked by Max
Hello Pastor
I have a question about Dorje Shugden's dhamapala named Shangmo Dorje Putri.
I read the wonderful article about her and how she entered Dorje Shugden's retinue.
My confusion is that there seems to be two different Shangmo Dorje Putri's.
In the Sakya tradition she is feared by them but in the Dorje Shugden tradition she is presented as a kind gentle woman.
She appeared to H.E. Domo Geshe Rinpoche and politely asked to join him as a Dharmapala.. H.E. Domo Geshe kindly accepted her and placed her into Dorje Shugden's retinue. Why the two differentl versions of her?
Can I accept her as the kind, gentle Dorje Shugden Dhamapala and not the Sakya version?
Dear Max,
Thank you for your questions. It may not be clear in the way that the article was written, but Shangmo Dorje Putri is an extremely fierce Protectress. Even within the Gelug traditional she is considered very fierce and is feared. The reason she was polite to Domo Geshe Rinpoche was because that even though she is fierce, she is also very respectful towards lamas and high-level Dharma practitioners.
For example there are stories in how she is very caring for the heads of the two Sakya Houses, because they are all either emanations of the enlightened beings or high-level practitioners. However, she can be very wrathful towards those household staff or relatives who are not practising properly or who are doing negative things.
In general, for most practitioners she is not a a gentle Dharma Protector, but she is very fierce, only towards very high-level practioners she is gentle. I hope this helps. Thank you.