Question asked by Tommy
Dear Pastors, I have a question. I once asked my Guru what practices he recommended for me. He said two. Among them the practice of Medicine Buddha. However, sometimes I have little faith in this practice because it gives me the feeling that the Medicine Buddha is a very peaceful Buddha and sometimes I think that he is not effective in protecting because he does not have angry energy. For example, even in the practice of Green Tara, in the prayer to the 21 Taras, some of them are black, others are red, demonstrating that some of them are wrathful or semi-wrathful. Please advise me on this. Thanks.
Dear Tommy,
Sometimes when a guru assigns us a practice, it may be hard for us to develop faith in that particular deity, because we may not feel that affinity for whatever reason. However, if we stick to the practice and engage in it diligently, that faith will grow because we will see the effectiveness of the practice. Usually when assigned a practice, we see the benefits more easily than other practices because we actually do have an affinity with that deity, it’s just that for us at our level we may not feel it yet.
In regards to Medicine Buddha’s practice, even though his form is not semi-wrathful, or fully wrathful, his practice include immense energies of protection. This are all listed out in the full Medicine Puja – protection from spirits, negative energy, from physical danger, from accidents, from environmental disasters, from negative delusions, from lower rebirth, protection from poverty. The list goes on and on. He is actually a supreme protector. Usually we only equate his practice with healing and health, but his practice is one of the most profound practices in Buddhism. In fact, Tsem Rinpoche used to assign Medicine Buddha to people with spirit disturbances or in difficult situations to cure their obstacles and his practice really worked. I hope this helps.