Dorje Shugden

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Statue of Dorje Shugden
Tibetan name
Tibetan script :
རྒྱལ་ ཆེན་ རྡོ་ རྗེ་ ཤུགས་ ལྡན་ རྩལ །
Wylie transliteration :
rgyal chen rdo rje shugs ldan rtsal
Official transcription of the PRCh :
Gyaiqên Dorjê Xugdain Zai
THDL transcription :
Gyelchen Dorjé Shukden Tsel
Other spellings:
Gyalchen Dorje Shugden Tsal
Chinese name
Traditional :
多 傑 雄 登 、 俱 力 護法 神
Simplified :
多 杰 雄 登 、 俱 力 护法 神
Pinyin :
Duōjié Xióngdēng, Jùlì Hùfǎwáng Shén
This article or the following section is not adequately provided with supporting documents ( e.g. individual evidence ). Information without sufficient evidence could be removed soon. Please help Wikipedia by researching the information and including good evidence.

Dorje Shugden [ cɛːtɕʰẽ toːtɕe ɕuktɛ̃ tsɛː ] ( Tibetan 'mighty thunderbolt '), also called Dhogyal , Dholgyal or Dolgyal , is a supernatural being in the belief system of Tibetan Buddhism that has been venerated as a protective deity ( Dharma protector ) since the 17th century . Since the 1970s, the 14th Dalai Lama Tendzin Gyatsho has spoken out  publicly against the worship of Dorje Shugden, which has led to a split within the Gelug school .

Lore

The story of Dorje Shugden, according to the lineage of his practice, can be explained through a verse by the Tibetan master Tagpo Kelsang Khädrub Rinpoche:

"With deep trust I bow to you, Vajradhara Dorje Shugden. // Although you have already attained the Buddha-level // And do the twenty-seven deeds of a Buddha, // You appear in various forms to do Buddhadharma and sentient beings // You have manifested yourself in various aspects, // As an Indian and Tibetan master, // Such as Manjushri, Mahasiddha Biwawa, Sakya Pandita, // Butön Rinchen Drub, Duldzin Dragpa Gyaltsän, Panchen Sönam Dragpa and many others. "

- Translation from Tibetan by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso

Dorje Shugden practitioners believe that the Wisdom Buddha Manjushri manifested himself again many times to help the Dharma. All of the above masters are therefore regarded by them as Manjushri themselves. They believe that the Tulku Ngatrul Dragpa Gyaltsän (1619–1656) was the reincarnation of Panchen Sönam Dragpa. Tulku Dragpa Gyaltsän lived in Drepung Monastery at the same time as the fifth Dalai Lama . Ngatrul Dragpa Gyaltsän prophesied that he would appear as Dorje Shugden.

After Tulku Dragpa Gyaltsän's death, many signs appeared, which some masters understood as indications that he had manifested himself as Dorje Shugden. Other teachers were unsure and even tried to destroy a supposed evil spirit. The 5th Dalai Lama Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso (1617–1682) wrote the first known prayer to Dorje Shugden named Lhundrub Döma . In the 17th century, the Trode Khangsar Temple in Lhasa Dorje Shugden was consecrated, and there are a number of murals inside . One of them is the story of Dorje Shugden ( Skt. Jataka , Tib. Khrung rabs ) as it is listed in Tagpo Kelsang Khädrup Rinpoche's verse. From then on, the Shugden practice began to spread. There is an unbroken line of this practice down to the Masters of our day.

More recently known Buddhist masters who practice and have practiced Dorje Shugden include:

Dorje Shugden in practice

Dorje Shugden was and is often revered by his followers today as an enlightened protector and, in this case, usually viewed as a manifestation of the Wisdom Buddha Manjushri . However, various English-language research shows that until the beginning of the Tibetan exile, Dorje Shugden was also viewed by various followers as an unenlightened, secular protector. The head of the Sakya School, Sakya Trizin , emphasizes that although Shugden was partially practiced in the Sakya School, it belonged to the lowest class of Dharma Protectors and the practice was never part of the Sakya Institution.

There are many different prayers to Dorje Shugden composed by actualized Buddhist masters over the past few centuries, all of which follow the same scheme. All of these sadhanas (Tib. Drub tab , German method of attaining ) begin with taking refuge in Buddha, Dharma and Sangha and generating the spirit of enlightenment bodhichitta . Dorje Shugden is then invited and, with the understanding that he is a manifestation of Buddha, offerings are made to him and supplications are made for the removal of obstacles in spiritual practice, the creation of helpful conditions, and the flourishing of Buddhist teachings.

Dorje Shugden's symbolism

This article or the following section is not adequately provided with supporting documents ( e.g. individual evidence ). Information without sufficient evidence could be removed soon. Please help Wikipedia by researching the information and including good evidence.
Traditional thangkha painting of the mandala by Dorje Shugden

According to those who see Shugden as enlightened, there are a total of 32 deities in Dorje Shugden's mandala . Each of these deities has a special function. They are in a prayer of things Kunlo, one of the great Sakya - Lamas explained. The function of Dorje Shugden - the main deity of the mandala - is to guide trusting followers on correct spiritual paths by imparting great wisdom.

Dorje Shugden's form reveals the full stages of the path of sutra and tantra . He appears as a fully ordained monk to show that the practice of pure moral discipline is essential for those who wish to attain enlightenment. He holds a heart in his left hand. It symbolizes great compassion and spontaneous great bliss, the essence of all stages of the broad path of sutra and tantra. His round, yellow hat stands for Nagarjuna's point of view , and the wisdom sword in his right hand means to cut through ignorance, the root of samsara , with the sharp blade of Nagarjuna's point of view. This is the essence of all the stages of the profound path of sutra and tantra.

Dorje Shugden rides a snow lion , the symbol of the four fearlessnesses of a Buddha. A jewel-spitting mongoose sits on his left arm. It symbolizes Dorje Shugden's power to grant wealth to all those who trust him. The single eye in the middle of his forehead symbolizes his omniscient wisdom, which perceives all past, present and future phenomena simultaneously and directly. His wrathful expression indicates that he is destroying ignorance, the real enemy of all living beings, by blessing them with great wisdom , and that he is destroying the obstacles of pure Dharma practitioners.

Shugden Worship Controversy

Dorje Shugden's exact nature - whether a manifestation of the Wisdom Buddha Manjushri , an enlightened or secular dharma protector , or a malevolent spirit - is controversial among adherents of Tibetan Buddhism.

The introduction of Dorje Shugden as the most important patron deity of the Gelug School goes back to Phabongkha Dechen Nyingpo . Controversy arose in the late 1970s. In 1975 a book by Dzeme Rinpoche (1927-1996) called The Yellow Book was published , in which the power of Shugden was demonstrated by "enumerating 23 government employees and high lamas who were killed by the power of the deity (Shugden)." The 14th Dalai Lama , who had practiced Shugden himself but came to the conclusion after analysis that it was harmful and therefore gave it up, reacted violently. Not only did he feel personally threatened, he also said (like the 13th Dalai Lama) that the practice violated the Buddhist principle of refuge and ultimately called into question the very institution of the Dalai Lama. He began to speak out publicly against the worship of Dorje Shugden. According to his statements, there is in Shugden worship on the one hand the danger that "Tibetan Buddhism will degenerate into a spirit worship", on the other hand it is an obstacle to the unity of faith and finally it is "inadequate for the prosperity of Tibetan society". The Dalai Lama emphasizes that it is his own doctrine, obtained through "long and careful investigation," that he himself grew up in the dolgyal practice.

This rejection intensified in the mid-1990s after the Dalai Lama imposed restrictions on the practice in 1996, which largely restricted Shugden worship within the Tibetan exiled community. However, Shugden practitioners in exile have their own monasteries, and the Dalai Lama has repeatedly stressed that anyone is free to practice the practice privately. The restrictions were made at the institutional level. The current abbot of the Kündeling Monastery and - not recognized by the Dalai Lama - 8th Tatsak Rinpoche, Lobsang Yeshe , who lives in South India and one of the main representatives of the Dolgyal practice, filed a lawsuit against the Dalai Lama for religious persecution at the Indian Delhi High Court a. This lawsuit was denied and disallowed by the Delhi Supreme Court because of its "vague allegations" and "the absence of any case of (alleged) assault (against Shugden practitioners)". The Dalai Lama's current statement states that the rejection of the Shugden cult is advice that “should be heeded or not, is an individual matter,” but he “demands that Dogyal followers not turn to his own Participate in instructions that require a teacher-student relationship. ”For Jens-Uwe Hartmann, Professor of Indology at the Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich ,“ a solution to the conflict ... is not foreseeable. ”He comments:“ This will not only be concern the Dalai Lama's sympathizers. It threatens to split the Gelugpa school, and in view of the existing polarization and radicalization of viewpoints, further escalation cannot be ruled out. "

literature

Web links

Various (controversial) reports:

About a Shugden Oracle:

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Geshe Kelsang Gyatso: Heart Jewel. The Essential Practices of Kadampa Buddhism - A Commentary on Je Tsongkhapa and Dorje Shugden . Tharpa Verlag, Zurich 2002, ISBN 978-3-908543-04-6 , p. 81.
  2. ↑ See foreword in: Overview of Buddhist Tantra, General Presentation of the Classes of Tantra, Captivating the Minds of the Fortunate Ones (rgyud sde spyi'i rnam par bzhag pa Skal bzang gi yid 'phrog ces bya ba bzuhgs so), by Panchen Sonam Dragpa, 1478-1554, English translation Martin J. Boord, Losang Norbu Tsonawa, Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, 1996, ISBN 81-85102-99-6
  3. ↑ Geshe Kelsang Gyatso: Heart Jewel. The Essential Practices of Kadampa Buddhism - A Commentary on Je Tsongkhapa and Dorje Shugden . Tharpa Verlag, Zurich 2002, ISBN 978-3-908543-04-6 , p. 95.
  4. ↑ "With the memory of the promise that Tulku had given Dragpa Gyaltsän (about two centuries and several lifetimes before, when he was Je Tsongkhapa's disciple, Duldzin Dragpa Gyaltsän) ..." Bstod-'grel dam.can rgya.mtsho dgyes.pa 'i rol.mo, Kathmandu, 1997, pp. 137-38.
  5. ^ Lit. Trijang Rinpoche: Music Delighting the Ocean of Protectors , pp. 7–8
  6. ^ Lit. Trijang Rinpoche: Music Delighting the Ocean of Protectors , p. 105; Prayer of the 5th Dalai Lama in German ( Memento of the original from January 6, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.westernshugdensociety.org
  7. ↑ 'Jam.mgön rgyal.wa'i bsten.srung rdo.rje shugs.lden kyi' phrin.bchol bhjoks.bsdus, published by Sera Mey, p. 14
  8. ↑ Trode Khangsar Dorje Shugden's Ornament in Lhasa's Mandala By Trinley Kalsang, comcast.net (PDF) in English
  9. ↑ Trode Khangsar, Dorje Shugden's Ornament in Lhasa's Mandala, By Trinley Kalsang, page 9 comcast.net (PDF)
  10. ↑ Photo of the mural with Dorje Shugden's earlier incarnations in the main hall of the Trode Khangsar Temple
  11. ↑ Glen Mullin The Fourteen Dalai Lamas: A Sacred Legacy of Reincarnation, p.208
  12. ↑ Buddhist masters who worship Dorje Shugden ( Memento of the original from July 10, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.dorjeshugden.com
  13. ↑ There is evidence that Dorje Shugden was seen by the early Sakya throne holders as Avalokiteshvara in the later extensive protector rituals ( kangso ) of the Gelug tradition, e.g. B. by Namkha Tenkyong, (around 1800) the abbot of Sera monastery ( The Magical, Instant Messenger Summoning the Four Activities: a Brief Method of Fulfillment and Activities for the Great Dharma Protector Shugden Dorje Barwa Tsel ( shugs ldan 'bar ba rtsal gyi bskang 'phrin ) TBRC Work RID: W1GS135531  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. and Serkong Dorjechang (1856–1918) ( See bskang chog rgyas pa , Trode Khangsar Temple, Lhasa)) he was seen as Vajrapani, and the most widespread form of worship today sees him as Wisdom Buddha Manjushri (see Dagpo Kelsang Khedrub, Lobsang Tamdin, Je Pabongkhapa, Trijang Delightingpoche, Ocean of Protectors, 1967)@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.tbrc.org  
  14. ↑ Ngulchu Dharmabhadra (1772-1851) confirms in his collected works that Tulku Dragpa Gyaltsen is Dorje Shugden, who appears as a wrathful Manjushri (a wisdom Buddha).
  15. ↑ Shugden Society “This belief might be based on a prediction the first Panchen Lama Lobsang Chokyi Gyaltsen made to his young disciple, Tulku Dragpa Gyaltsen, that in future he would be born in the land of Manjushri….” Quoted in 'jam.mgon bstan.sung rgyal.chen rdo.rje shugs.ldan rtsal kyi be.bum bzhugs.so, Vol. 1, Guru Deva Losang Tenzin, Delhi, 1983, p. 17th
  16. ^ "Scholarly discussions of the various legends behind the emergence of the Dorje Shugden cult can be found in Nebesky-Wojkowitz (1956), Chime Radha Rinpoche (1981), and Mumford (1989). All of these accounts narrate the latter of the two positions, in which the deity is defined as a worldly protector. The fact that these scholars reveal no awareness of an alternative view suggests that the position which defines Dorje Shugden as an enlightened being is both a marginal viewpoint and one of recent provenance. "In Kay, David N. (2004). Tibetan and Zen Buddhism in Britain: Transplantation, Development and Adaptation - The New Kadampa Tradition (NKT), and the Order of Buddhist Contemplatives (OBC), London and New York, ISBN 0-415-29765-6 , page 230
  17. ^ "It is unclear when belief in rDo rje shugs Idan as an enlightened being first developed; the likelihood is that it emerged gradually as the Dharma protector grew in prominence. This belief seems to have been in place by the time the young Fourteenth Dalai Lama was introduced to the practice by Trijang Rinpoche prior to the exile of the Tibetan Buddhist community in 1959. “in The New Kadampa Tradition and the Continuity of Tibetan Buddhism in Transition (1997) by David Kay, Journal of Contemporary Religion 12: 3 (October 1997), 277-293, p 281
  18. ↑ Letter to the Assembly of Tibetan Peoples Deputies, Sakya Trizin, June 15 1996, Archives of ATPD in von Brück; Michael: Religion and Politics in Tibetan Buddhism. Kösel Verlag, Munich 1999, ISBN 3-466-20445-3 , p. 184
  19. ↑ Probably the oldest detailed ritual for the worship of Dorje Shugden rdo rje shugs ldan rtsal gyi gsol kha 'phrin las' dod' jo , or request to Dorje Shugden Tsel: granting all desired actions was in two parts by Drubwang Dre'u Lhas (around 1700) and the Sakya master Morchen Kunga Lhundrub (1654–1728). Almost all of the later Gelug rituals are based on the structure, terminology and iconographic description of this ritual. Source: Guru Deva Rinpoche, ed. (1984). 'Jam mgon Bstan srung rgyal chen Rdo rje s'ugs ldan rtsal gyi be bum: the collected rituals for performing all tasks through the propitiation of the great protective deity of Tsong-kha-pa, Manjusri reembodied, Rdo-rje-sugs-ldan . New Delhi. pp. 231-243 (on these pages you can find Drubwang Dre'u Lha's part of the ritual) pp. 237-243 (Morchen Kunga Lhundrubs part of the ritual.) Numerous other rituals were penned by later masters, see www.dorjeshugdenhistory.org
  20. ↑ Sonorous drum, The detailed fulfillment and restoration ritual of the Dharma protector, the great King Dorje Shugdän, in connection with Mahakala, Kalarupa, Kalindewi and other Dharma protectors, Tharpa Verlag, 112 pages
  21. ↑ Geshe Kelsang Gyatso: Heart Jewel. The Essential Practices of Kadampa Buddhism - A Commentary on Je Tsongkhapa and Dorje Shugden . Tharpa Verlag, Zurich 2002, ISBN 978-3-908543-04-6 , pp. 97-103.
  22. ↑ Lit. Music Delighting the Ocean of Protectors , 1967, page 5, eighth
  23. ↑ "fierce spirit". Quotation from the statement His Holiness the Dalai Lama's Advice Concerning Dolgyal (Shugden) ( Memento of the original from July 1, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / dalailama.com archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , dalailama.com, accessed June 4, 2014; The New Kadampa Tradition . BBC, July 13, 2005, accessed December 6, 2008
  24. ↑ a b c Lit. Dreyfus: The Shuk-Den Affair , 1998
  25. ↑ David Kay: The New Kadampa Tradition and the Continuity of Tibetan Buddhism in Transition (1997) from in Journal of Contemporary Religion , October 1997, p. 281 (full article, pp. 277-293).
  26. ↑ David N. Kay: Tibetan and Zen Buddhism in Britain: Transplantation, Development and Adaptation - The New Kadampa Tradition (NKT), and the Order of Buddhist Contemplatives (OBC). London / New York 2004, ISBN 0-415-29765-6 , p. 230.
  27. ↑ a b c Lit. Mills, Martin (2003), This Turbulent Priest: Contesting Religious Rights and the State in the Tibetan Shugden Controversy , in Richard Wilson, Jon P. Mitchell (eds. 2003) Human Rights in Global Perspective: Anthropological Studies of Rights, Claims and Entitlements, Routledge, pp. 54-70.
  28. ↑ Quotations of the statement: "The danger of Tibetan Buddhism degenerating into a form of spirit worship / Obstacles to the emergence of genuine non-sectarianism / Especially inappropriate in relation to the well-being of Tibetan society" Points 1–3 from His Holiness the Dalai Lama's Advice Concerning Dolgyal (Shugden) ( Memento of the original from July 1, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / dalailama.com archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , dalailama.com, accessed June 4, 2014 (translation Wikipedia; the term sectarianism denotes intra-denominational, violent schisms , genuine non-sectarianism is difficult to translate).
  29. ↑ Thurman Robert (2014), The Dalai Lama And The Cult Of Dolgyal Shugden Quotes from the statement: “ The worship of their chosen deity was not“ banned ”by the Dalai Lama, since he has no authority to“ ban ”what Tibetan Buddhists practice . "Banning" and "excommunicating" are not Tibetan Buddhist procedures. ”Dalai Lama, quoted in Mayank Chhaya: Dalai Lama: Man, Monk, Mystic . Doubleday, New York 2007, p. 189.
  30. ↑ Helen Waterhouse: Representing western Buddhism: a United Kingdom focus , 2001; quoted in G. Beckerlegge: From sacred text to internet. Religion today , v. 1., Aldershot, Hants, Ashgate 2001, p. 137.
  31. ^ CH Partridge: New religions: A guide: New Religious Movements, Sects, and Alternative spiritualities . Oxford University Press, New York 2004, p. 206.
  32. ^ Richard Wilson, Jon Mitchell: Human Rights in Global Perspective: Anthropological Studies of Rights, Claims and Entitlements . Routledge, London 2003, p. 10.
  33. ^ Statement by the CTA: "Statement on the Dolgyal Protestors List"
  34. ↑ Weblink Al Jazeera: People & Power
  35. ↑ Literally: “ 'vague averments',' absence of any specific instances of any such attacks' ” Delhi High Court 2010: Press Release CTA, Delhi High Court Dismisses Dorjee Shugden Devotees' Charges
  36. ↑ "Whether or not his advice is heeded, His Holiness has made clear, is a matter for the individual. However, since he personally feels strongly about how negative this practice is, he has requested those who continue to propitiate Dolgyal not to attend his formal religious teachings, which traditionally require the establishment of a teacher-disciple relationship. "Quoted from His Holiness the Dalai Lama's Advice Concerning Dolgyal (Shugden) ( Memento of the original from July 1, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / dalailama.com archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , dalailama.com, accessed June 4, 2014 (translation Wikipedia).
  37. ↑ Jens-Uwe Hartmann: The Dalai Lama and the Shugden cult - what is this conflict about? (PDF) Tibet and Buddhism No. 3/2014, pp. 40–44.