Question asked by Jason
Hi,
I have a few questions regarding setrap?
On page 71 of the medium shartse's jewel it says the hundred-syllable mantra arises from their three places … transgressions of the great dharmapala's body , speech, and mind, whatever has been defiled is cleansed and becomes pure. If Setrap is enlighted and a buddha or a budda's emanation why does he need to be cleansed or purified? do buddhas need to be cleasned, aren't they already free from transgressions?
Second Question
On page 93 of the medium shartse's jewel it says in the future you will become a non Buddhist opponent of the teachings … buddhas and bodhisattvas will be called to subdue you! How can an enlighted ( buddha) protector who is also an emanation of amitabha be born as an evil non Buddhist. How can he be subdued if he is a buddha?
Question three
Besides setrap and dorje shugden, what other enlighted protector takes trance in an Oracle.?
Dear Jason,
You have asked some very interesting questions. The answers are complex, so I’ll try to explain them as best as I can.
1. You are right that all enlightened beings are free from transgressions and so do not need to be purified. This visualisation is only done by those with tantric initiation or those who have instruction or permission to so. However, I will explain two ways in which this aspect is necessary for Dharma protector practice:
> Dharma Protector practice follows a standard format. This part of practice occurs in all Dharma Protector practices, therefore when you practice those Protectors who are not enlightened, this step is essential. However, since Setrap is enlightened, even though it is not theoretically necessary, since he is a Dharma Protectors, his prayers follow the standard format of practice.
> From the side of an enlightened being, they do not need purification, because they have already purified everything. However, from our side this is necessary. Our prayers and even our visualisations all have a meaning. When we visualize the deities, since we are not enlightened, these visualisations themselves are tainted. Therefore, we purify these visualisations in stages during sadhanas or pujas until they are pure as possible. There are many stages in a puja or sadhanas to accomplish this. When our visualisations are as pure as possible, then the energies of the Buddhas enter and abide in our visualisations stronger, which means more benefit for us. Therefore this is an example of that. We are not purifying the actual deity, we are purifying our visualisation of the deity.
2. The Buddhas can take on the form of any being or object in order to benefit beings. This can include enlightened forms, unenlightened forms, even inanimate objects, like bridges or buildings. Setrap for example is an emanation of Amitabha but his form is wordly, meaning in a form common to existence (in this case, of a Yaksha being). Similarly, he could take the form of an unenlightened being, appearing to contradict the Buddhist teachings, in order to create the circumstances for the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas to take new forms to “counter” him. In doing so, since they appear in new forms, they will have new practices, and these practices may be more efficacious for those in that particular time to practice in order to overcome the suffering and problems of that particular era. If you say that an enlightened being cannot appear in form a or form b, then you are actually limiting their abilities, which is not actually the case as Buddhas can emanate any form they like.
3. Other Enlightened Dharma protectors include Kache Marpo, Yumar Gyalchen, etc. Basically it is possible for any enlightened Dharma Protector appearing in worldly form to take trace in an oracle. That being said it is not outside the realm of possibility for an oracle to also take trance of an enlightened Dharma protector who appears in enlightened form.
I hope these answers help.