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Dorje Shugden

Dorje Shugden (Standard Tibetan: རྡོ་རྗེ་ཤུགས་ལྡན་, Wylie: rdo rje shugs ldan, Tibetan pronunciation: [toːtɕe ɕuktɛ̃]), also known as Dolgyal and Gyalchen Shugden, is an entity associated with the Gelug school, the newest of the schools of Tibetan Buddhism.[1] Dorje Shugden is variously looked upon as a destroyed gyalpo, a minor mundane protector, a major mundane protector, an enlightened major protector whose outward appearance is that of a gyalpo, or as an enlightened major protector whose outward appearance is enlightened.

Statue of Dorje Shugden

In Tibetan Buddhism, Dorje Shugden is considered to be the protector of Je Tsongkhapa's pure dharma, traditionally regarded as the founder of the Gelug school.[2] The Dorje Shugden controversy arose in the 1930s within all schools of Tibetan Buddhism, including the Gelug school itself, regarding Dorje Shugden's nature, status of enlightenment, differences from traditional Gelug teachings, replacement of traditional Gelug protectors, sectarian functions, and actions by western adherents of the New Kadampa Tradition.[3]

Origins Edit

Minor protector Edit

Dorje Shugden, also known as Dolgyal, was a "gyalpo" "angry and vengeful spirit" of South Tibet, which was subsequently adopted as a "minor protector" of the Gelug school, the newest of the schools of Tibetan Buddhism,[4] headed by the Dalai Lamas (although nominally the Ganden Tripas).[5][6] Georges Dreyfus says "Shuk-den was nothing but a minor Ge-luk protector before the 1930s when Pa-bong-ka started to promote him aggressively as the main Ge-luk protector."[6] Dreyfus states "the propitiation of Shukden as a Geluk protector is not an ancestral tradition, but a relatively recent invention of tradition associated with the revival movement within the Geluk spearheaded by Pabongkha."[7]

Pabongka's transformation Edit

Pabongka transformed Dorje Shugden's "marginal practice into a central element of the Ge-luk tradition," thus "replacing the protectors appointed by Dzong-ka-ba himself" and "replacing the traditional supra-mundane protectors of the Ge-luk tradition."[5] This change is reflected in artwork, since there is "lack of Dorje Shugden art in the Gelug school prior to the end of the 19th century."[8]

Pabongka fashioned Shugden as a violent protector of the Gelug school, who is employed against other traditions.[9][10] Shugden was a key element in Phabongkha's persecution of the Rimé movement.[11] Within the Gelug school itself, Pabongka constructed Shugden as replacing the traditional Gelug protectors Pehar, Nechung, Palden Lhamo, Mahakala, Vaisravana and Kalarupa, who was appointed by Tsongkhapa.[12][13][14]

Restrictions on the practice of Shugden were implemented by the 13th Dalai Lama.[6] Pabongka apologized and promised not to practice Shuk-den any more.[5][15]

Kelsang Gyatso Edit

David Kay notes that Kelsang Gyatso departs from Phabongkha and Trijang Rinpoche by stating that Dorje Shugden's appearance is enlightened, rather than worldly.[16] Kay states:

Geshe Kelsang takes the elevation of Dorje Shugden’s ontological status another step further, emphasising that the deity is enlightened in both essence and appearance.[16]

Kay quotes Kelsang Gyatso's interpretation of Shugden's appearance:

Some people believe that Dorje Shugdan is an emanation of Manjushri who shows the aspect of a worldly being, but this is incorrect. Even Dorje Shugdan’s form reveals the complete stages of the path of Sutra and Tantra, and such qualities are not possessed by the forms of worldly beings.[16]

Dreyfus describes the view that Shugden is enlightened as that of "most extreme followers of Shukden" and adds:

Kelsang Gyatso’s Western New Kadampa Tradition seems to be unique among Shukden followers in going as far as to claim that this deity is fully enlightened and hence must be considered a proper object of refuge and worshiped as such.[17]

Kay states that "Shugden as an enlightened being is both a marginal viewpoint and one of recent provenance."[18]

Characteristics Edit

Name Edit

Pabongka referred to Shugden as "Dol-gyel":

The wooden implements (i.e., crate) having been thrown in the water, the pond of Dol became whitish. After abiding there, he became known for a while as (Dol-gyel).[5]

Iconography and symbolism Edit

The entry for Dorje Shugden in Frederick Bunce's encyclopedia of Buddhist entities describes Dorje Shugden's appearance as follows:

Face: one, fearsome, bared fangs, three bloodshot eyes, orange flame sprouts from eyebrows and facial hair, yellow brown hair stands on end, from his nostrils issue rain clouds with violent lightning; arms/hands: two, right hand holds flaming sword (khadga, ral-gri), left hand holds skull-cup (kapala, thod-pa) filled with the organs of the five senses, hearts, brains, and blood, in the crook of his left arm rests a mongoose (ichneumon or nakula, nehu-li) and golden goad/hook (ankusha, lcags-kyu); body: bejeweled, elephant skin upper garment, loin cloth of tiger skin; legs: two; ornaments: five-skull crown, wristlets, anklets, necklace, garland of fifty freshly severed heads, tiger or elephant skin as a body covering and apron of carved human bones; color: dark red; vahana: carpet of human skins on one hundred thousand thunderbolts (vajra, rdo-rje) on the back of a garuda-like bird (khyung); companion: include Zhi-ba'i-rgyal-chen, rGyas-pa'i-rgyal-chen, dBang-'dus-rgyal-chen, Drag-po'i-rgyal-chen.[19]

Meanwhile, von Brück describes Dorje Shugden's appearance as follows:

His character is fierce and violent and he destroys all enemies. Animals are sacrificed to him symbolically. His abode is full of skeletons and human skulls, weapons surround him and the blood of men and horses form a lake. His body has a dark-red colour and his facial expressions are similar to the well-known descriptions of rakshasas. However, all these attributes are not unique, they are more or less stereotypes for dharma-protectors in general.[20]

A characteristic of the iconography of Dorje Shugden is the central figure surrounded by four cardinal emanations. According to Nebresky-Wojkowitz:

  • "In the East resides the 'body emanation' (sku'i sprul pa) Zhi ba'i rgyal chen, white with a mild expression" (Vairochana Shugden)
  • "In the South dwells 'emanation of excellence' (yon tan gyi sprul pa) rGyas pa'i chen." (Ratna Shugden)
  • "In the West dwells 'emanation of speech' (gsung gi sprul pa) dBang 'dus rgyal chen, of white colour, having a slightly wild expression." (Pema Shugden)
  • "In the North resides the 'emanation of karma' ('phrin gyi sprul pa) Drag po'i rgyal chen. His body is of a green colour, and he is in a ferocious mood." (Karma Shugden) [21]

Dreyfus describes the iconography of Dorje Shugden:

Shukden is … depicted as a fearsome deity, holding in his right hand a sword dripping with blood and in his left hand the heart torn out from the chest of its enemies.[22]

Control under Vajrabhairava Edit

In Phabongkhapa's text, Shugden is to be controlled by Vajrabhairava. As von Brück explains:

The yidam and Shugden are kept apart, and the dharmapāla is to be controlled. The master transfers the power to control Shugden to the disciple, and this is common practice.[23]

von Brück provides a translation of Phabongkhapa's text which states:

....the disciples visualize themselves as the yidam Vajrabhairava and as such invoke and control Shugden. The dharmapāla Shugden is presented to the disciples as the one who abides by their commands.[23]

Destruction by Fifth Dalai Lama Edit

According to the early histories, the 5th Dalai Lama destroyed Shugden through black magic and tantric rituals. As Bultrini explains (with quoted phrases from the 5th Dalai Lama):

a great number of signs, among them a strong smell of burning flesh, demonstrated that the exorcisms were fully successful and that “many lives were saved,” while these “infernal creatures” were being guided “toward a peaceful state of being” and saved from the danger of “having to experience the intolerable suffering of bad states of rebirth due to their increasingly negative actions.”[24]

Terdak Lingpa confirmed:

I saw that at this point of the rite the untameable elemental spirit, wandering in the night, being seized, tied around the waist, killed, and eaten. All the participants heard screams and smelled a burnt odor. After these and other positive signs, the Dalai Lama completely recovered.[24]

Later adherents of Shugden revised history to state that the 5th Dalai Lama was unsuccessful.[24]

Oracle Edit

As with other spirits in Tibet, there is an oracle of Dorje Shugden.[25]

Kay notes the presence of an oracle of Shugden conflicts with Kelsang Gyatso's portrayal of Shugden as a Buddha, since Buddhas do not have oracles. Kay states:

the oracle may have been marginalised by Geshe Kelsang because his presence raised a doctrinal ambiguity for the NKT. According to traditional Tibetan teachings, none of the high-ranking supramundane protective deities ‘would condescend to interfere with more or less mundane affairs by speaking through the mouth of a medium’ (Nebesky-Wojkowitz 1956: 409). The notion of oracular divination may thus have been problematised for Geshe Kelsang in light of his portrayal of Dorje Shugden as a fully enlightened being.[26]

According to Nebesky-Wojkowitz, "The best-known of the prophetic seers who act as the mouthpiece of Dorje Shugden lives at a shrine in Lhasa called sPro bde khang gsar Trode Khangsar (rgyal khang) or sPro khang bde chen lcog. This is one of the few Tibetan oracle-priests who is not allowed to marry. In a house close to this shrine stays also one of the most renowned mediums of Kha che dmar po."[27]

According to Joseph Rock, there were two main Dorje Shugden oracles: Panglung Choje and Trode Khangsar Choje. Rock witnessed and documented a public invocation of the Panglung Oracle in Kham (Eastern Tibet) in 1928. At that time, the oracle took a sword of Mongolian steel and twisted it into many loops.[28] Choyang Duldzin Kuten Lama was the Dorje Shugden oracle for many years.[29]

See also Edit

Further reading Edit

Secondary Sources Edit

  • Bell, Christopher Paul. "Tibetan Deity Cults as Political Barometers". UVaCollab. University of Virginia.
  • Bell, Christopher Paul (2009). Dorjé Shukden: The Conflicting Narratives and Constructed Histories of a Tibetan Protector Deity. American Academy of Religion.
  • Dreyfus, Georges (1998). "The Shuk-Den Affair: Origins of a Controversy". Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies. IABS. 21 (2 (1998)): 227–270.
  • Dreyfus, Georges (October 2005). "Are We Prisoners of Shangrila?". Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies (1): 6–10.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  • Dreyfus, Georges (2011). "The Predicament of Evil: The Case of Dorje Shukden". In Eckel, M. David; Herling, Bradley L. (eds.). Deliver Us From Evil. Boston University Studies in Philosophy and Religion. pp. 57–74. ISBN 9780826499677.
  • Richard, Frédéric (2020). "Shugs ldan and the Dalai Lama: A Conflict of Political Legitimation Processes?" (PDF). Revue d'Études Tibétaines (55 (July 2020)): 440–461. ISSN 1768-2959. Retrieved 2021-02-08.
  • Gardner, Alexander (October 2010). "Drakpa Gyeltsen". The Treasury of Lives:A Biographical Encyclopedia of Tibetan Religion. Shelley & Donald Rubin Foundation. Retrieved November 22, 2013.
  • Gardner, Alexander (4 June 2013). "Treasury of Lives: Dorje Shugden". Tricycle. The Tricycle Foundation. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  • Hillman, Ben (1998). "Monastic Politics and the Local State in China: Authority and Autonomy in an Ethnically Tibetan Prefecture". The China Journal. The University of Chicago Press (54 (July, 2005)): 29–51. doi:10.2307/20066065. JSTOR 20066065. S2CID 143677601.
  • Kay, David N. (2004). Tibetan and Zen Buddhism in Britain: Transplantation, development and adaptation (PDF). London: Routledge Curzon. pp. 44–52. ISBN 0-415-29765-6.
  • Kay, David N. (1997). (PDF). Journal of Contemporary Religion. Routledge. 12 (3): 277–293. doi:10.1080/13537909708580806. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 2, 2015.
  • King, Matthew (2020). "Binding Buddhas and Demons to Text: The Mongol Invention of the Dorjé Shukden and Trülku Drakpa Gyeltsen Literary Corpus (1913–1919)" (PDF). Asiatische Studien - Études Asiatiques. 73 (4): 713–750. doi:10.1515/asia-2019-0036. S2CID 215818596.
  • Lopez, Donald (1998). Prisoners of Shangri-La: Tibetan Buddhism and the West. Chicago & London: University of Chicago Press. pp. 188–196. ISBN 978-0-226-49310-7.
  • McCune, Lindsay G. (2007). (PDF) (MA). Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 February 2012. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  • Löhrer, Klaus (December 2009). "Pluralism the Hard Way: Governance Implications of the Dorje Shugden Controversy and the Democracy- and Rights Rhetoric Pertaining to It". Tibetan Buddhism in the West. Michael Jaeckel. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
  • de Nebesky-Wojkowitz, René (1956). Oracles and Demons of Tibet: The cult and Iconography of the Tibetan Protective Deities. London: Oxford University Press. pp. 134–144. OL 16587314M.
  • Thurman, Robert (23 May 2013). "The Dalai Lama And The Cult Of Dolgyal Shugden". Huffington Post. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
  • von Brück, Michael (2001). "Canonicity and Divine Interference: The Tulkus and the Shugden-Controversy". In Dalmia, Vasudha; Malinar, Angelika; Christof, Martin (eds.). Charisma and Canon: the formation of religious identity in South Asia. New Delhi: Oxford University Press. pp. 328–349. ISBN 0195654536.
  • Watt, Jeff (December 29, 2010). "A Controversial Tibetan Buddhist Deity". Himalayan Art Resources. The Rubin Foundation. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  • Watt, Jeff (December 2010). "Buddhist Deity: Dorje Shugden Main Page". Himalayan Art Resources. The Rubin Foundation. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  • Watt, Jeff (23 May 2013). "Himalayan Buddhist Art 101: Controversial Art, Part 1 - Dorje Shugden". Tricycle. The Tricycle Foundation. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  • Zotz, Birgit (2010). Zur europäischen Wahrnehmung von Besessenheitsphänomenen und Orakelwesen in Tibet [The European perception of possession phenomena and oracles in Tibet] (Thesis) (in German). University of Vienna. ISBN 978-3-89574-734-2.[30]

Primary Sources Edit

  • Dalai Lama (October 1997). . Archived from the original on 2015-06-22. Retrieved 2013-12-31.

References Edit

  1. ^ Matthews, Carol S. (2005). "New Kadampa Tradition". New Religions. Religions of the World. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers. pp. 128–143. ISBN 9780791080962. LCCN 2004024514.
  2. ^ Sparham, Gareth (13 July 2020) [28 October 2011]. "Tsongkhapa". www.oxfordbibliographies.com. Oxford: Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/obo/9780195393521-0169. ISBN 978-0-19-539352-1. from the original on 17 January 2021. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  3. ^ Kay, David N. (2004). "The New Kadampa Tradition: The Identity of the NKT". Tibetan and Zen Buddhism in Britain: Transplantation, Development, and Adaptation. Routledge Critical Studies in Buddhism. London and New York: Routledge. pp. 100–113. ISBN 9780415753975. OCLC 51315294.
  4. ^ Schaik, Sam van. Tibet: A History. Yale University Press 2011, page 129.
  5. ^ a b c d Georges Dreyfus. . Archived from the original on 2013-11-03.
  6. ^ a b c Georges Dreyfus. . Archived from the original on 2016-12-11.
  7. ^ Are We Prisoners of Shangrila? Orientalism, Nationalism, and the Study of Tibet by Georges Dreyfus, JIATS, no. 1 (October 2005), THL #T1218, 21, section 3: The Shukden Affair and Buddhist Modernism, retrieved 2014-05-09.
  8. ^ Himalayan Buddhist Art 101: Controversial Art, Part 1 - Dorje Shugden by Jeff Watt, retrieved Feb. 16, 2014.
  9. ^ Kay, David (2004). Tibetan and Zen Buddhism in Britain: Transplantation, Development and Adaptation. London: RoutledgeCurzon. p. 43. "A key element of Phabongkha Rinpoche’s outlook was the cult of the protective deity Dorje Shugden, which he married to the idea of Gelug exclusivism and employed against other traditions as well as against those within the Gelug who had eclectic tendencies."
  10. ^ Georges Dreyfus. . Archived from the original on 2013-11-03. For Pa-bong-ka, particularly at the end of his life, one of the main functions of Gyel-chen Dor-je Shuk-den as Ge-luk protector is the use of violent means (the adamantine force) to protect the Ge-luk tradition...This passage clearly presents the goal of the propitiation of Shuk-den as the protection of the Ge-luk tradition through violent means, even including the killing of its enemies...Pa-bong-ka takes the references to eliminating the enemies of the Ge-luk tradition as more than stylistic conventions or usual ritual incantations. It may concern the elimination of actual people by the protector.
  11. ^ Kay, D. N. (2004). Tibetan and Zen Buddhism in Britain: Transplantation, development and adaptation. RoutledgeCurzon critical studies in Buddhism. London: RoutledgeCurzon. p.43."As the Gelug agent of the Tibetan government in Kham (Khams) (Eastern Tibet), and in response to the Rimed movement that had originated and was flowering in that region, Phabongkha Rinpoche and his disciples employed repressive measures against non-Gelug sects. Religious artefacts associated with Padmasambhava – who is revered as a ‘second Buddha’ by Nyingma practitioners – were destroyed, and non-Gelug, and particularly Nyingma, monasteries were forcibly converted to the Gelug position. A key element of Phabongkha Rinpoche’s outlook was the cult of the protective deity Dorje Shugden, which he married to the idea of Gelug exclusivism and employed against other traditions as well as against those within the Gelug who had eclectic tendencies." p.47. "His teaching tour of Kham in 1938 was a seminal phase, leading to a hardening of his exclusivism and the adoption of a militantly sectarian stance. In reaction to the flourishing Rimed movement and the perceived decline of Gelug monasteries in that region, Phabongkha and his disciples spearheaded a revival movement, promoting the supremacy of the Gelug as the only pure tradition. He now regarded the inclusivism of Gelug monks who practised according to the teachings of other schools as a threat to the integrity of the Gelug tradition, and he aggressively opposed the influence of other traditions, particularly the Nyingma, whose teachings were deemed mistaken and deceptive. A key element of Phabongkha’s revival movement was the practice of relying upon Dorje Shugden, the main function of the deity now being presented as ‘the protection of the Ge-luk tradition through violent means, even including the killing of its enemies’."
  12. ^ Kay, David (2004). Tibetan and Zen Buddhism in Britain: Transplantation, Development and Adaptation. London: RoutledgeCurzon. p. 48. "It seems that during the 1940s, supporters of Phabongkha began to proclaim the fulfilment of this tradition and to maintain that the Tibetan government should turn its allegiance away from Pehar, the state protector, to Dorje Shugden."
  13. ^ Kay, David (2004). Tibetan and Zen Buddhism in Britain: Transplantation, Development and Adaptation. London: RoutledgeCurzon. p. 48. "Phabongkha’s claim that Dorje Shugden had now replaced the traditional supramundane protectors of the Gelug tradition such as Mahakala, Vaisravana and, most specifically, Kalarupa (‘the Dharma-King’), the main protector of the Gelug who, it is believed, was bound to an oath by Tsong Khapa himself."
  14. ^ Georges Dreyfus. . Archived from the original on 2013-11-03. These descriptions have been controversial. Traditionally, the Ge-luk tradition has been protected by the Dharma-king (dam can chos rgyal), the supra-mundane deity bound to an oath given to Dzong-ka-ba, the founder of the tradition. The tradition also speaks of three main protectors adapted to the three scopes of practice described in the Stages of the Path (skyes bu gsum gyi srung ma): Mahakala for the person of great scope, Vaibravala for the person of middling scope, and the Dharma-king for the person of small scope. By describing Shuk-den as "the protector of the tradition of the victorious lord Manjushri," Pa-bong-ka suggests that he is the protector of the Ge-luk tradition, replacing the protectors appointed by Dzong-ka-ba himself. This impression is confirmed by one of the stories that Shuk-den's partisans use to justify their claim. According to this story, the Dharma-king has left this world to retire in the pure land of Tushita having entrusted the protection of the Ge-luk tradition to Shuk-den. Thus, Shuk-den has become the main Ge-luk protector replacing the traditional supra-mundane protectors of the Ge-luk tradition, indeed a spectacular promotion in the pantheon of the tradition.
  15. ^ Bultrini, Raimondo. The Dalai Lama and the King Demon. Tibet House 2013. Phabongka said "I shall perform purification and promise with all my heart that in the future I will avoid propitiating, praying to, and making daily offerings to Shugden. I admit to all the errors I have made, disturbing Nechung and contradicting the principle of the refuge, and I beg you, in your great heartfelt compassion, to forgive me and purify my actions."
  16. ^ a b c Kay, David (2004). Tibetan and Zen Buddhism in Britain: Transplantation, Development and Adaptation. London: RoutledgeCurzon. p. 101-2.
  17. ^ Dreyfus, Georges (2011). “The Predicament of Evil: The Case of Dorje Shukden” by Georges Dreyfus in Deliver Us From Evil, p. 74, Editor(s): M. David Eckel, Bradley L. Herling, Boston University Studies in Philosophy and Religion.
  18. ^ Kay, David (2004). Tibetan and Zen Buddhism in Britain: Transplantation, Development and Adaptation. London: RoutledgeCurzon. p. 230.
  19. ^ Bunce, Frederick. An Encyclodpaedia of Buddhist Deities, Demigods, Godlings, Saints and Demons. p. 441
  20. ^ von Brück, Michael (2001). "Canonicity and Divine Interference" in Dalmia, V., Malinar, A., & Christof, M. (2001). Charisma and Canon: Essays on the Religious History of the Indian Subcontinent. New Delhi: Oxford University Press. p. 337.
  21. ^ Nebesky-Wojkowitz (1998:138-139)
  22. ^ Dreyfus, Georges (2011). “The Predicament of Evil: The Case of Dorje Shukden” in Deliver Us From Evil, p. 60, Editor(s): M. David Eckel, Bradley L. Herling, Boston University Studies in Philosophy and Religion.
  23. ^ a b von Brück, Michael (2001). "Canonicity and Divine Interference" in Dalmia, V., Malinar, A., & Christof, M. (2001). Charisma and Canon: Essays on the Religious History of the Indian Subcontinent. New Delhi: Oxford University Press. p. 340-341.
  24. ^ a b c Bultrini, Raimondo. The Dalai Lama and the King Demon. Tibet House 2013.
  25. ^ von Brück, Michael (2001). "Canonicity and Divine Interference" in Dalmia, V., Malinar, A., & Christof, M. (2001). Charisma and canon: Essays on the religious history of the Indian subcontinent. New Delhi: Oxford University Press. p. 337
  26. ^ Kay, David (2004). Tibetan and Zen Buddhism in Britain: Transplantation, Development and Adaptation. London: RoutledgeCurzon. pg. 102.
  27. ^ Nebesky-Wojkowitz (1998:144)
  28. ^ Rock, Joseph F. Sungmas, the Living Oracles of the Tibetan Church, National Geographic, (1935) 68:475-486.
  29. ^ Autobiography of His Eminence Choyang Duldzin Kuten Lama (1989). p. 1. retrieved 2008-12-07
  30. ^ Birgit, Zotz (18 April 2018). "Zur europäischen Wahrnehmung von Besessenheitsphänomenen und Orakelwesen in Tibet". othes.uivie.ac.at. Retrieved 18 April 2018.

External links Edit

  • Richard, Frédéric (2020). "Shugs ldan and the Dalai Lama: A Conflict of Political Legitimation Processes?" (PDF). Revue d'Études Tibétaines (55): 440–461. Retrieved 2021-02-08.
  • Dreyfus, Georges (Fall 1998). . Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies. 21 (2): 227–270. Archived from the original on January 16, 2013. Retrieved December 4, 2013.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  • von Brück, Michael (2001). "Canonicity and Divine Interference: The Tulkus and the Shugden-Controversy". Info Buddhism. Oxford University Press. Retrieved December 4, 2013.
  • Watt, Jeff (December 2010). "Buddhist Deity: Dorje Shugden Main Page". Himalayan Art. Himalayan Art Resources. Retrieved November 22, 2013.
  • "Dorje Shugden: Outline page". Himalayan Art. Himalayan Art Resources. n.d. Retrieved 22 November 2013.

dorje, shugden, standard, tibetan, གས, wylie, shugs, ldan, tibetan, pronunciation, toːtɕe, ɕuktɛ, also, known, dolgyal, gyalchen, shugden, entity, associated, with, gelug, school, newest, schools, tibetan, buddhism, variously, looked, upon, destroyed, gyalpo, . Dorje Shugden Standard Tibetan ར ར ཤ གས ལ ན Wylie rdo rje shugs ldan Tibetan pronunciation toːtɕe ɕuktɛ also known as Dolgyal and Gyalchen Shugden is an entity associated with the Gelug school the newest of the schools of Tibetan Buddhism 1 Dorje Shugden is variously looked upon as a destroyed gyalpo a minor mundane protector a major mundane protector an enlightened major protector whose outward appearance is that of a gyalpo or as an enlightened major protector whose outward appearance is enlightened Statue of Dorje ShugdenIn Tibetan Buddhism Dorje Shugden is considered to be the protector of Je Tsongkhapa s pure dharma traditionally regarded as the founder of the Gelug school 2 The Dorje Shugden controversy arose in the 1930s within all schools of Tibetan Buddhism including the Gelug school itself regarding Dorje Shugden s nature status of enlightenment differences from traditional Gelug teachings replacement of traditional Gelug protectors sectarian functions and actions by western adherents of the New Kadampa Tradition 3 Contents 1 Origins 1 1 Minor protector 1 2 Pabongka s transformation 1 3 Kelsang Gyatso 2 Characteristics 2 1 Name 2 2 Iconography and symbolism 2 3 Control under Vajrabhairava 3 Destruction by Fifth Dalai Lama 4 Oracle 5 See also 6 Further reading 6 1 Secondary Sources 6 2 Primary Sources 7 References 8 External linksOrigins EditMinor protector Edit Dorje Shugden also known as Dolgyal was a gyalpo angry and vengeful spirit of South Tibet which was subsequently adopted as a minor protector of the Gelug school the newest of the schools of Tibetan Buddhism 4 headed by the Dalai Lamas although nominally the Ganden Tripas 5 6 Georges Dreyfus says Shuk den was nothing but a minor Ge luk protector before the 1930s when Pa bong ka started to promote him aggressively as the main Ge luk protector 6 Dreyfus states the propitiation of Shukden as a Geluk protector is not an ancestral tradition but a relatively recent invention of tradition associated with the revival movement within the Geluk spearheaded by Pabongkha 7 Pabongka s transformation Edit Pabongka transformed Dorje Shugden s marginal practice into a central element of the Ge luk tradition thus replacing the protectors appointed by Dzong ka ba himself and replacing the traditional supra mundane protectors of the Ge luk tradition 5 This change is reflected in artwork since there is lack of Dorje Shugden art in the Gelug school prior to the end of the 19th century 8 Pabongka fashioned Shugden as a violent protector of the Gelug school who is employed against other traditions 9 10 Shugden was a key element in Phabongkha s persecution of the Rime movement 11 Within the Gelug school itself Pabongka constructed Shugden as replacing the traditional Gelug protectors Pehar Nechung Palden Lhamo Mahakala Vaisravana and Kalarupa who was appointed by Tsongkhapa 12 13 14 Restrictions on the practice of Shugden were implemented by the 13th Dalai Lama 6 Pabongka apologized and promised not to practice Shuk den any more 5 15 Kelsang Gyatso Edit David Kay notes that Kelsang Gyatso departs from Phabongkha and Trijang Rinpoche by stating that Dorje Shugden s appearance is enlightened rather than worldly 16 Kay states Geshe Kelsang takes the elevation of Dorje Shugden s ontological status another step further emphasising that the deity is enlightened in both essence and appearance 16 Kay quotes Kelsang Gyatso s interpretation of Shugden s appearance Some people believe that Dorje Shugdan is an emanation of Manjushri who shows the aspect of a worldly being but this is incorrect Even Dorje Shugdan s form reveals the complete stages of the path of Sutra and Tantra and such qualities are not possessed by the forms of worldly beings 16 Dreyfus describes the view that Shugden is enlightened as that of most extreme followers of Shukden and adds Kelsang Gyatso s Western New Kadampa Tradition seems to be unique among Shukden followers in going as far as to claim that this deity is fully enlightened and hence must be considered a proper object of refuge and worshiped as such 17 Kay states that Shugden as an enlightened being is both a marginal viewpoint and one of recent provenance 18 Characteristics EditName Edit Pabongka referred to Shugden as Dol gyel The wooden implements i e crate having been thrown in the water the pond of Dol became whitish After abiding there he became known for a while as Dol gyel 5 Iconography and symbolism Edit The entry for Dorje Shugden in Frederick Bunce s encyclopedia of Buddhist entities describes Dorje Shugden s appearance as follows Face one fearsome bared fangs three bloodshot eyes orange flame sprouts from eyebrows and facial hair yellow brown hair stands on end from his nostrils issue rain clouds with violent lightning arms hands two right hand holds flaming sword khadga ral gri left hand holds skull cup kapala thod pa filled with the organs of the five senses hearts brains and blood in the crook of his left arm rests a mongoose ichneumon or nakula nehu li and golden goad hook ankusha lcags kyu body bejeweled elephant skin upper garment loin cloth of tiger skin legs two ornaments five skull crown wristlets anklets necklace garland of fifty freshly severed heads tiger or elephant skin as a body covering and apron of carved human bones color dark red vahana carpet of human skins on one hundred thousand thunderbolts vajra rdo rje on the back of a garuda like bird khyung companion include Zhi ba i rgyal chen rGyas pa i rgyal chen dBang dus rgyal chen Drag po i rgyal chen 19 Meanwhile von Bruck describes Dorje Shugden s appearance as follows His character is fierce and violent and he destroys all enemies Animals are sacrificed to him symbolically His abode is full of skeletons and human skulls weapons surround him and the blood of men and horses form a lake His body has a dark red colour and his facial expressions are similar to the well known descriptions of rakshasas However all these attributes are not unique they are more or less stereotypes for dharma protectors in general 20 A characteristic of the iconography of Dorje Shugden is the central figure surrounded by four cardinal emanations According to Nebresky Wojkowitz In the East resides the body emanation sku i sprul pa Zhi ba i rgyal chen white with a mild expression Vairochana Shugden In the South dwells emanation of excellence yon tan gyi sprul pa rGyas pa i chen Ratna Shugden In the West dwells emanation of speech gsung gi sprul pa dBang dus rgyal chen of white colour having a slightly wild expression Pema Shugden In the North resides the emanation of karma phrin gyi sprul pa Drag po i rgyal chen His body is of a green colour and he is in a ferocious mood Karma Shugden 21 Dreyfus describes the iconography of Dorje Shugden Shukden is depicted as a fearsome deity holding in his right hand a sword dripping with blood and in his left hand the heart torn out from the chest of its enemies 22 Control under Vajrabhairava Edit In Phabongkhapa s text Shugden is to be controlled by Vajrabhairava As von Bruck explains The yidam and Shugden are kept apart and the dharmapala is to be controlled The master transfers the power to control Shugden to the disciple and this is common practice 23 von Bruck provides a translation of Phabongkhapa s text which states the disciples visualize themselves as the yidam Vajrabhairava and as such invoke and control Shugden The dharmapala Shugden is presented to the disciples as the one who abides by their commands 23 Destruction by Fifth Dalai Lama EditAccording to the early histories the 5th Dalai Lama destroyed Shugden through black magic and tantric rituals As Bultrini explains with quoted phrases from the 5th Dalai Lama a great number of signs among them a strong smell of burning flesh demonstrated that the exorcisms were fully successful and that many lives were saved while these infernal creatures were being guided toward a peaceful state of being and saved from the danger of having to experience the intolerable suffering of bad states of rebirth due to their increasingly negative actions 24 Terdak Lingpa confirmed I saw that at this point of the rite the untameable elemental spirit wandering in the night being seized tied around the waist killed and eaten All the participants heard screams and smelled a burnt odor After these and other positive signs the Dalai Lama completely recovered 24 Later adherents of Shugden revised history to state that the 5th Dalai Lama was unsuccessful 24 Oracle EditAs with other spirits in Tibet there is an oracle of Dorje Shugden 25 Kay notes the presence of an oracle of Shugden conflicts with Kelsang Gyatso s portrayal of Shugden as a Buddha since Buddhas do not have oracles Kay states the oracle may have been marginalised by Geshe Kelsang because his presence raised a doctrinal ambiguity for the NKT According to traditional Tibetan teachings none of the high ranking supramundane protective deities would condescend to interfere with more or less mundane affairs by speaking through the mouth of a medium Nebesky Wojkowitz 1956 409 The notion of oracular divination may thus have been problematised for Geshe Kelsang in light of his portrayal of Dorje Shugden as a fully enlightened being 26 According to Nebesky Wojkowitz The best known of the prophetic seers who act as the mouthpiece of Dorje Shugden lives at a shrine in Lhasa called sPro bde khang gsar Trode Khangsar rgyal khang or sPro khang bde chen lcog This is one of the few Tibetan oracle priests who is not allowed to marry In a house close to this shrine stays also one of the most renowned mediums of Kha che dmar po 27 According to Joseph Rock there were two main Dorje Shugden oracles Panglung Choje and Trode Khangsar Choje Rock witnessed and documented a public invocation of the Panglung Oracle in Kham Eastern Tibet in 1928 At that time the oracle took a sword of Mongolian steel and twisted it into many loops 28 Choyang Duldzin Kuten Lama was the Dorje Shugden oracle for many years 29 See also EditDorje Shugden controversy GyalpoFurther reading EditSecondary Sources Edit Bell Christopher Paul Tibetan Deity Cults as Political Barometers UVaCollab University of Virginia Bell Christopher Paul 2009 Dorje Shukden The Conflicting Narratives and Constructed Histories of a Tibetan Protector Deity American Academy of Religion Bultrini Raimondo 2013 The Dalai Lama and the King Demon Tracking a Triple Murder Mystery Through the Mists of Time New York Tibet House Hay House Incorporated ISBN 978 0 9670115 23 Dreyfus Georges 1998 The Shuk Den Affair Origins of a Controversy Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies IABS 21 2 1998 227 270 Dreyfus Georges October 2005 Are We Prisoners of Shangrila Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies 1 6 10 a href Template Cite journal html title Template Cite journal cite journal a CS1 maint date and year link Dreyfus Georges 2011 The Predicament of Evil The Case of Dorje Shukden In Eckel M David Herling Bradley L eds Deliver Us From Evil Boston University Studies in Philosophy and Religion pp 57 74 ISBN 9780826499677 Richard Frederic 2020 Shugs ldan and the Dalai Lama A Conflict of Political Legitimation Processes PDF Revue d Etudes Tibetaines 55 July 2020 440 461 ISSN 1768 2959 Retrieved 2021 02 08 Gardner Alexander October 2010 Drakpa Gyeltsen The Treasury of Lives A Biographical Encyclopedia of Tibetan Religion Shelley amp Donald Rubin Foundation Retrieved November 22 2013 Gardner Alexander 4 June 2013 Treasury of Lives Dorje Shugden Tricycle The Tricycle Foundation Retrieved 27 April 2014 Hillman Ben 1998 Monastic Politics and the Local State in China Authority and Autonomy in an Ethnically Tibetan Prefecture The China Journal The University of Chicago Press 54 July 2005 29 51 doi 10 2307 20066065 JSTOR 20066065 S2CID 143677601 Kay David N 2004 Tibetan and Zen Buddhism in Britain Transplantation development and adaptation PDF London Routledge Curzon pp 44 52 ISBN 0 415 29765 6 Kay David N 1997 The New Kadampa Tradition and the Continuity of Tibetan Buddhism in Transition PDF Journal of Contemporary Religion Routledge 12 3 277 293 doi 10 1080 13537909708580806 Archived from the original PDF on July 2 2015 King Matthew 2020 Binding Buddhas and Demons to Text The Mongol Invention of the Dorje Shukden and Trulku Drakpa Gyeltsen Literary Corpus 1913 1919 PDF Asiatische Studien Etudes Asiatiques 73 4 713 750 doi 10 1515 asia 2019 0036 S2CID 215818596 Lopez Donald 1998 Prisoners of Shangri La Tibetan Buddhism and the West Chicago amp London University of Chicago Press pp 188 196 ISBN 978 0 226 49310 7 McCune Lindsay G 2007 Tales of Intrigue from Tibet s Holy City The historical underpinnings of a modern Buddhist crisis PDF MA Florida State University College of Arts and Sciences Archived from the original PDF on 14 February 2012 Retrieved 27 April 2014 Lohrer Klaus December 2009 Pluralism the Hard Way Governance Implications of the Dorje Shugden Controversy and the Democracy and Rights Rhetoric Pertaining to It Tibetan Buddhism in the West Michael Jaeckel Retrieved 28 April 2014 de Nebesky Wojkowitz Rene 1956 Oracles and Demons of Tibet The cult and Iconography of the Tibetan Protective Deities London Oxford University Press pp 134 144 OL 16587314M Thurman Robert 23 May 2013 The Dalai Lama And The Cult Of Dolgyal Shugden Huffington Post Retrieved 28 April 2014 von Bruck Michael 2001 Canonicity and Divine Interference The Tulkus and the Shugden Controversy In Dalmia Vasudha Malinar Angelika Christof Martin eds Charisma and Canon the formation of religious identity in South Asia New Delhi Oxford University Press pp 328 349 ISBN 0195654536 Watt Jeff December 29 2010 A Controversial Tibetan Buddhist Deity Himalayan Art Resources The Rubin Foundation Retrieved 27 April 2014 Watt Jeff December 2010 Buddhist Deity Dorje Shugden Main Page Himalayan Art Resources The Rubin Foundation Retrieved 27 April 2014 Watt Jeff 23 May 2013 Himalayan Buddhist Art 101 Controversial Art Part 1 Dorje Shugden Tricycle The Tricycle Foundation Retrieved 27 April 2014 Zotz Birgit 2010 Zur europaischen Wahrnehmung von Besessenheitsphanomenen und Orakelwesen in Tibet The European perception of possession phenomena and oracles in Tibet Thesis in German University of Vienna ISBN 978 3 89574 734 2 30 Primary Sources Edit Rinpoche Chogyal Namkhai Norbu 2005 Provocations of the Gyalpo Merigar Dzogchen Community Italy Retrieved 2012 11 21 Dalai Lama October 1997 Concerning Dolgyal with Reference to the Views of Past Masters and other Related Matters Archived from the original on 2015 06 22 Retrieved 2013 12 31 References Edit Matthews Carol S 2005 New Kadampa Tradition New Religions Religions of the World Philadelphia Chelsea House Publishers pp 128 143 ISBN 9780791080962 LCCN 2004024514 Sparham Gareth 13 July 2020 28 October 2011 Tsongkhapa www oxfordbibliographies com Oxford Oxford University Press doi 10 1093 obo 9780195393521 0169 ISBN 978 0 19 539352 1 Archived from the original on 17 January 2021 Retrieved 28 September 2021 Kay David N 2004 The New Kadampa Tradition The Identity of the NKT Tibetan and Zen Buddhism in Britain Transplantation Development and Adaptation Routledge Critical Studies in Buddhism London and New York Routledge pp 100 113 ISBN 9780415753975 OCLC 51315294 Schaik Sam van Tibet A History Yale University Press 2011 page 129 a b c d Georges Dreyfus The Shugden affair Origins of a Controversy Part I Archived from the original on 2013 11 03 a b c Georges Dreyfus The Shugden affair Origins of a Controversy Part II Archived from the original on 2016 12 11 Are We Prisoners of Shangrila Orientalism Nationalism and the Study of Tibet by Georges Dreyfus JIATS no 1 October 2005 THL T1218 21 section 3 The Shukden Affair and Buddhist Modernism retrieved 2014 05 09 Himalayan Buddhist Art 101 Controversial Art Part 1 Dorje Shugden by Jeff Watt retrieved Feb 16 2014 Kay David 2004 Tibetan and Zen Buddhism in Britain Transplantation Development and Adaptation London RoutledgeCurzon p 43 A key element of Phabongkha Rinpoche s outlook was the cult of the protective deity Dorje Shugden which he married to the idea of Gelug exclusivism and employed against other traditions as well as against those within the Gelug who had eclectic tendencies Georges Dreyfus The Shugden affair Origins of a Controversy Part I Archived from the original on 2013 11 03 For Pa bong ka particularly at the end of his life one of the main functions of Gyel chen Dor je Shuk den as Ge luk protector is the use of violent means the adamantine force to protect the Ge luk tradition This passage clearly presents the goal of the propitiation of Shuk den as the protection of the Ge luk tradition through violent means even including the killing of its enemies Pa bong ka takes the references to eliminating the enemies of the Ge luk tradition as more than stylistic conventions or usual ritual incantations It may concern the elimination of actual people by the protector Kay D N 2004 Tibetan and Zen Buddhism in Britain Transplantation development and adaptation RoutledgeCurzon critical studies in Buddhism London RoutledgeCurzon p 43 As the Gelug agent of the Tibetan government in Kham Khams Eastern Tibet and in response to the Rimed movement that had originated and was flowering in that region Phabongkha Rinpoche and his disciples employed repressive measures against non Gelug sects Religious artefacts associated with Padmasambhava who is revered as a second Buddha by Nyingma practitioners were destroyed and non Gelug and particularly Nyingma monasteries were forcibly converted to the Gelug position A key element of Phabongkha Rinpoche s outlook was the cult of the protective deity Dorje Shugden which he married to the idea of Gelug exclusivism and employed against other traditions as well as against those within the Gelug who had eclectic tendencies p 47 His teaching tour of Kham in 1938 was a seminal phase leading to a hardening of his exclusivism and the adoption of a militantly sectarian stance In reaction to the flourishing Rimed movement and the perceived decline of Gelug monasteries in that region Phabongkha and his disciples spearheaded a revival movement promoting the supremacy of the Gelug as the only pure tradition He now regarded the inclusivism of Gelug monks who practised according to the teachings of other schools as a threat to the integrity of the Gelug tradition and he aggressively opposed the influence of other traditions particularly the Nyingma whose teachings were deemed mistaken and deceptive A key element of Phabongkha s revival movement was the practice of relying upon Dorje Shugden the main function of the deity now being presented as the protection of the Ge luk tradition through violent means even including the killing of its enemies Kay David 2004 Tibetan and Zen Buddhism in Britain Transplantation Development and Adaptation London RoutledgeCurzon p 48 It seems that during the 1940s supporters of Phabongkha began to proclaim the fulfilment of this tradition and to maintain that the Tibetan government should turn its allegiance away from Pehar the state protector to Dorje Shugden Kay David 2004 Tibetan and Zen Buddhism in Britain Transplantation Development and Adaptation London RoutledgeCurzon p 48 Phabongkha s claim that Dorje Shugden had now replaced the traditional supramundane protectors of the Gelug tradition such as Mahakala Vaisravana and most specifically Kalarupa the Dharma King the main protector of the Gelug who it is believed was bound to an oath by Tsong Khapa himself Georges Dreyfus The Shugden affair Origins of a Controversy Part I Archived from the original on 2013 11 03 These descriptions have been controversial Traditionally the Ge luk tradition has been protected by the Dharma king dam can chos rgyal the supra mundane deity bound to an oath given to Dzong ka ba the founder of the tradition The tradition also speaks of three main protectors adapted to the three scopes of practice described in the Stages of the Path skyes bu gsum gyi srung ma Mahakala for the person of great scope Vaibravala for the person of middling scope and the Dharma king for the person of small scope By describing Shuk den as the protector of the tradition of the victorious lord Manjushri Pa bong ka suggests that he is the protector of the Ge luk tradition replacing the protectors appointed by Dzong ka ba himself This impression is confirmed by one of the stories that Shuk den s partisans use to justify their claim According to this story the Dharma king has left this world to retire in the pure land of Tushita having entrusted the protection of the Ge luk tradition to Shuk den Thus Shuk den has become the main Ge luk protector replacing the traditional supra mundane protectors of the Ge luk tradition indeed a spectacular promotion in the pantheon of the tradition Bultrini Raimondo The Dalai Lama and the King Demon Tibet House 2013 Phabongka said I shall perform purification and promise with all my heart that in the future I will avoid propitiating praying to and making daily offerings to Shugden I admit to all the errors I have made disturbing Nechung and contradicting the principle of the refuge and I beg you in your great heartfelt compassion to forgive me and purify my actions a b c Kay David 2004 Tibetan and Zen Buddhism in Britain Transplantation Development and Adaptation London RoutledgeCurzon p 101 2 Dreyfus Georges 2011 The Predicament of Evil The Case of Dorje Shukden by Georges Dreyfus in Deliver Us From Evil p 74 Editor s M David Eckel Bradley L Herling Boston University Studies in Philosophy and Religion Kay David 2004 Tibetan and Zen Buddhism in Britain Transplantation Development and Adaptation London RoutledgeCurzon p 230 Bunce Frederick An Encyclodpaedia of Buddhist Deities Demigods Godlings Saints and Demons p 441 von Bruck Michael 2001 Canonicity and Divine Interference in Dalmia V Malinar A amp Christof M 2001 Charisma and Canon Essays on the Religious History of the Indian Subcontinent New Delhi Oxford University Press p 337 Nebesky Wojkowitz 1998 138 139 Dreyfus Georges 2011 The Predicament of Evil The Case of Dorje Shukden in Deliver Us From Evil p 60 Editor s M David Eckel Bradley L Herling Boston University Studies in Philosophy and Religion a b von Bruck Michael 2001 Canonicity and Divine Interference in Dalmia V Malinar A amp Christof M 2001 Charisma and Canon Essays on the Religious History of the Indian Subcontinent New Delhi Oxford University Press p 340 341 a b c Bultrini Raimondo The Dalai Lama and the King Demon Tibet House 2013 von Bruck Michael 2001 Canonicity and Divine Interference in Dalmia V Malinar A amp Christof M 2001 Charisma and canon Essays on the religious history of the Indian subcontinent New Delhi Oxford University Press p 337 Kay David 2004 Tibetan and Zen Buddhism in Britain Transplantation Development and Adaptation London RoutledgeCurzon pg 102 Nebesky Wojkowitz 1998 144 Rock Joseph F Sungmas the Living Oracles of the Tibetan Church National Geographic 1935 68 475 486 Autobiography of His Eminence Choyang Duldzin Kuten Lama 1989 p 1 retrieved 2008 12 07 Birgit Zotz 18 April 2018 Zur europaischen Wahrnehmung von Besessenheitsphanomenen und Orakelwesen in Tibet othes uivie ac at Retrieved 18 April 2018 External links Edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dorje Shugden Richard Frederic 2020 Shugs ldan and the Dalai Lama A Conflict of Political Legitimation Processes PDF Revue d Etudes Tibetaines 55 440 461 Retrieved 2021 02 08 Dreyfus Georges Fall 1998 The Shuk Den Affair Origins of a Controversy Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies 21 2 227 270 Archived from the original on January 16 2013 Retrieved December 4 2013 a href Template Cite journal html title Template Cite journal cite journal a CS1 maint date and year link von Bruck Michael 2001 Canonicity and Divine Interference The Tulkus and the Shugden Controversy Info Buddhism Oxford University Press Retrieved December 4 2013 Watt Jeff December 2010 Buddhist Deity Dorje Shugden Main Page Himalayan Art Himalayan Art Resources Retrieved November 22 2013 Dorje Shugden Outline page Himalayan Art Himalayan Art Resources n d Retrieved 22 November 2013 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Dorje Shugden amp oldid 1098405098, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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