Question asked by WLY
1: If the Buddha is already present in the statue, why should we do an invocation prayer?
2: For my Sadhana, I do 2 practices in one. Yidam and protector practice. DO i have to do 2 dedications for the 2 practices, or do I only need to do one dedication that over-arches BOTH practices
3: The NKT organization has insulted HH The 14th Dalai Lama saying that he is a fraud and dictator for banning Dorje Shugden. Is this right, what should one do?
Dear WLY,
The invocation is to draw upon more of the Buddha’s energies in order to effect transformation. We need to constantly call upon the Buddhas to provide their blessings and assistance. You are right that a properly consecrated statue will already have the energies of the Buddha present in it, however that doesn’t mean the energies of the Buddha are present in our lives physically helping us. The purpose of Buddhism is about self-transformation, but this is a process which doesn’t happen overnight. Similarly, prayer in Buddhism is not about asking for this from the divine, rather it is about transformation. So when you can on the Buddha again and again daily during the invocation section of the prayers, you are inviting those enlightened energies again and again to aid you in your self-transformation.
If you are doing two particular practices, for example a yidam practice and a protector practice, you only need to do one dedication to cover both. That is if you are doing both practices in one sitting. If you are doing the practices at different times of the day, then you need to do a dedication at the end of each.
In regards to the views of other Buddhist organisations, here at Kechara, following the views, advice and teachings of His Eminence Tsem Rinpoche, our views are different. We do not believe that the Dalai Lama is a fraud, that would contradict what Tsem Rinpoche taught. The issue is a very complex one and Tsem Rinpoche wrote many articles that try to explain his view. You can find these in the Dorje Shugden section of our blog here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/category/dorje-shugden
There are many articles on this site, but if you take a read of them of slowly, you will come to understand our view on the Dalai Lama. I hope all of these answers help you. Thank you.