Question asked by jason
I recently read some articles on the Shechen masters who are the masters of dilgo khyentse rinpoche. These high lamas as well as others high lamas of different sects died due to maltreatment in the prison camps. How did the tantra/ protection practices which are supposed to protect then work? Did they actually work? From my reasoning if they had such high attainments and tantric power why can't they just do something? Why must they suffer so badly? If this is the result of protection practice, wrathful mantra and tantra then what is the point. Also on the other hand if one takes the example of Śāntarakṣita who was a totally pure monk that came from india to tibet and who could not be harmed by any physical or supernatural force , does this mean that the monks of modern tibet have lost their purity. I am so confuses … i an new to tibetan buddhism
Dear Jason,
I’m not entirely familiar with the Shechen masters but I will try to answer as best as i can. There are many reasons why many high lamas did not survive treatment in the prison camps.
The best way to explain it in such a short space is that of collective karma. We all know that we as individuals have our own karma, but one thing we forget is that due to our connection over many countless lifetimes we also share karma, which is known as collective karma. For example if you happen to be born in Malaysia and so does someone else, you have the collective karma to be “Malaysian” and fall under the laws, customs and leadership of the land. Similarly if you are living in land where there is a drought, you have the collective karma together with everyone else their to suffer from drought. But if you live on land which is bountiful, you have the collective karma to live on the bountiful land together.
For the teachings to survive and flourish, people must make the effort to overcome their negative karma so that they may be able to benefit from the teachings. As the embodiments of the teachings, this also applies to the highly attained lamas. We must make an effort to make sure they stay healthy, safe and are looked after so that they can benefit ourself and others.
In the case of Santarakshita, the Tibetans had made a good effort, the collective karma was good, they had the merits, and the causes and conditions were right for Santarakshita to go to Tibet and spread the teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha. Conversely highly attained masters did die in the prison camps due to mistreatment, therefore the environment they were in was not conducive for the Dharma, therefore they gave up their physical bodies. We must remember that the masters are in human form therefore are bound by the body.
But you have only read the stories of those masters who died, there are cases in which highly attained beings were not treated as badly as others and therefore survived and were able to pass their teachings on to others. It all depends on our karma to receive the teachings. The modern monks of Tibet have not lost their purity, but the situations depend on our collective karma. Tibet…and the world did not have the collective karma for some of the highly attained masters to survive, but we do have the collective karma to have other highly attained masters with us today.