[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

late in the practice do you become your connection to others,
the practice of
the deity, does that mean that all whether it is a positive or a nega-
one deity. Then
the various purifications of womb tive one, is a part of your interac-
birth and prior bardos and prior tion with the world in general,
it is perfectly
death occur at the time of the your interactions are all purified
possible
visualization of the external by the homage, offering, and
under those
Chenrezig? praise sections of the sadhana,
whatever it is.
circumstances to
Thrangu Rinpoche: Basically, it
pursue that one
is not very specific in that prac- Question: Could one person
tice. Through the power of your settle on one deity and try to do
practice until
faith directed to the Chenrezig this completely, or do you try to
through it
visualized above you, at a certain practice with as many deities as
point in the practice you and all possible?
you attain the
beings take the form Chenrezig.
final result
In that case the visualization of Thrangu Rinpoche: It does not
yourself is in the form of the deity matter. It is a question of indi-
complete in an instant of recollection. So there is vidual taste and interest. Some people naturally
no specific correlation here with the point at find themselves utterly devoted to the practice
which the practice is purified, what event or of one deity. Then it is perfectly possible under
moment, and so on. But basically you could say those circumstances to pursue that one practice
that when you become the deity that is purifying until through it you attain the final result. Other
this birth. people find that they are naturally attracted to
combining the practices of different deities.
Question: Rinpoche, at what level does suppli- They might practice two or three or even more
cation work? When we talk about supplicating than that. There is nothing wrong with that
gurus, teachers of the lineage that have died, either. By combining the practice of these differ-
and dharmapalas, how is that working? ent deities, they will achieve the same result as
SHENPEN ÖSEL 31
the other person does with one. stration of their wisdom or manifestation in
external form of their wisdom, they are in a
Question: Could I ask a follow up question, position to actively assist us. So if you ask for
Rinpoche? It occurred to me in what you said their assistance, for their help in the removal of
about purifying relationships with others by impediments to your practice and in similar
paying homage and making offerings that that areas, then they can actually provide some help
has to do with sacred outlook, the way one looks or assistance. However, for this process to occur
at other beings. It is something I find personally there has to be some kind of a connection made
difficult to do when seeing the between you and the
suffering that we inflict upon each dharmapalas. Principally this
other sometimes in this life. It is connection is made by your in-
Other people find
hard to maintain a sacred outlook volvement with dharma itself.
that they are
towards others in that way. Is Through practicing dharma you
there a key to that in some sense? naturally become in some sense their re-
sponsibility and then they will be
attracted to
Thrangu Rinpoche: Sacred responsive to your requests for
combining the
outlook is something you cultivate assistance.
in order to remove your own
practices of
confusion. It is not really a Question: Are they what we call
different
method for helping others di- devas?
rectly. In any case, whatever
dieties. . . . They
arises in your ordinary deluded Thrangu Rinpoche: The terms
will achieve the
perception is equally deluded deva and devi are just the San-
perception. Negative situations skrit for male deity and female
same result as
are not more difficult to purify deity, or god and goddess. They
the other person
than others are. Normally, what- are used to refer to two types of
ever you experience is a deluded does with one things. The one type of thing is a
projection, and has to be acknowl- being, a mundane being called a
edged as such and transcended or deva or devi. They can be gods of
transformed with the application of sacred the desire realm, gods of the form realm, or gods
outlook. This is no more or less true of any one of the formless realm. They are mundane,
type of deluded perception than any other. samsaric beings. The other type of being that is
referred to as  lha or deva or devi or deity is
Question: I haven t had much exposure to supermundane, beyond the world. These are
dharmapalas, and I would like to understand beings who have such wisdom and especially
more. You said that basically they help us with such stable bodhicitta commitment to the
our activities and that is very intriguing, but it welfare of others and to the benefiting of the
wasn t enough to really give me a clear sense. teachings that they are entirely unlike a mun-
Could you say more or refer me to another text dane being. Dharmapalas can be thought of as
in which I could find out more about this? beings who are completely and utterly commit-
ted to the welfare of others and, therefore, are
Thrangu Rinpoche: Dharmapalas are what we very active in accomplishing their welfare.
would call great beings who sometimes manifest You could say that dharmapalas are included
as humans and sometimes, especially when we within the class of phenomena that we could call
refer to them as dharmapalas or dharma protec- devas or devis, just as some awakened people
tors, manifest as nonhuman. In their manifesta- are included within the class of what we could
tion as nonhuman, which is a kind of a demon- call humans. But not all humans are awakened
32 SHENPEN ÖSEL
and not all devas or devis are dharmapalas. what is considered to be the emergence of in-
There are all different sorts of people. Some sects from trees, in which an insect, before it is
people are wonderful, some people are horrific, an insect, starts out as part of a tree and actually
and there is everything in between. It is the becomes an insect. I am not sure what he is
same way with devas and devis. There are won- referring to. It is like a branch of the tree that
derful devas and devis, horrific devas and devis, breaks off, gets up, and walks away.
and everything in between. Dharmapalas are a
kind of wonderful deva or devi. Question: When the buddha is visualized and
reappears from the drop, is the
Question: I keep thinking buddha an adult or a child or an
There are all differ-
about science and DNA and infant?
ent sorts of people.
how we are working with and
altering things, such as clon- Thrangu Rinpoche: In the
Some people are
ing. In a clone, would the generation stage, even though it
wonderful, some
clone be the same being since corresponds to the different
the clone has the same DNA? stages of life, you do not visualize
people are horrific,
the deity first as a little baby
and there is every-
Thrangu Rinpoche: In the deity and then as a child deity, an
case of cloning, the clone adolescent deity, and finally a
thing in between. It
would be a different being. mature deity. You only take it so
is the same way
The clone would not be the far. You do not take it that far.
same sentient being. You do with devas and You re trying to purify all of those
not have to go as far as clon- appearances. In order to do that,
devis
ing. It is really the same there has to be some degree of
process of what happens correspondence, but not to that
when someone is conceived as a human being. degree.
The substances come from their parents but the
child is a different being from the parents. In the Question: Now they are capable of fertilizing [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]