Spirit Grooves

The whole subject of dharma protectors, what are called the Dharmapalas, is a confusing issue for many westerners. I know it has been for me. In Tibetan Buddhism, there are many qualities or deities, some of them are peaceful and others wrathful. Westerners have no trouble identifying with the peaceful deities (unless perhaps they have too many arms), but we tend to be put off by the wrathful ones, which are often represented by fierce wrathful beings with gnashing teeth and holding human skull caps filled with blood, etc. In our western traditions, fierce devil-like beings dripping blood always represent evil with a capital "E." In any case, while dharmapalas might look like they belong in a Stephen King horror story, the dharma protectors are just another way of representing the richness and variety of qualities within our own mind. They are not alien creatures out there in the woods waiting for us. So what are dharma protectors?

Direct download: PDF-2210-WHAT_ARE_DHARMA_PROTECTORS.pdf
Category:general -- posted at: 12:54pm EDT