Deity worship in Tibetan Buddhism

southsider

Hello,

I am seriously looking into joining a Tibetan Buddhism center and I have a question about how large a part of the practice centers around the praying and worship (maybe not the best word for it) of the past Buddhas spirits and deities.

TB appeals to me very much but I am curious how that plays a role in the practice.

My previous experience was with Zen (that is not included in the practice). I have also read quite a bit but the books eluded to this part of the practice but never got in depth.

zenff

If you feel attracted to TB, I hope you will enjoy it.

In my (limited) experience however, it was very much about study; about the history of intellectual hairsplitting in Buddhism.
A Geshe studies eight years – I’m told - and when he’s done, all he can do is talk abracadabra.

But that’s all just my perception of course.

Sile

It may depend somewhat on your center, but in my experience the weekly teachings are from a text by historical Buddhist authors. A particular text may take months or even years to get through, and consists of the teacher reading passages from the text and then commenting on it, explaining it in detail. These texts are often on ethics, or the Buddhist theories on logic and reality, or wisdom, etc.

The same center will often also offer additional practices, such as Medicine Buddha or Tara; these are guided practices and visualizations, but are not for worshipping any deity. Instead these figures--or more appropriately, the qualities these figures represent--are meant to inspire the student him/herself to a higher ideal.

In general it's good to go to the regularly weekly teachings for some time, or especially to a beginner's night (which many centers offer), because all these ideas will be explained in depth.

There are loads of figures in Tibetan Buddhism, but it's always (at least in my experience) pointed out that it's the characteristics of these figures that are important--reflecting on those characteristics, such as limitless compassion, and using that as a source of inspiration in your practice and daily life. Not so different from a coach telling a kid, "Be like Nadia Comaneci/Brett Favre/Beckham."

This is just my center, but I've heard others say similar things about their centers, too. I've always found long-time students of a center to be great resources for questions like yours. Best of luck, and I hope you find what you're looking for!

SeaOfTranquility

The sangha I have been to is Tibetan in linage and does not center around praying and worship. It centers around meditation and awakening. Emphasis is placed on developing loving kindness and compassion as well as wisdom. Find a center and go check it out. I think you will be surprised how it differs from your concepts.

Best Wishes

Dakini

SeaOfTranquility said:

The sangha I have been to is Tibetan in linage and does not center around praying and worship. It centers around meditation and awakening. Emphasis is placed on developing loving kindness and compassion as well as wisdom. Find a center and go check it out. I think you will be surprised how it differs from your concepts.

My observation is that it differs a lot from one center to another. I've never been to a TB center that practiced meditation. Also, in some centers the deity-related rituals are often lead by a lama who's flown in from India or somewhere specifically for certain rituals, and this is outside the regular "curriculum" of teachings. The same can go for the advanced teachings and "intellectual hairsplitting" zenff was talking about. Other centers have a well-organized curriculum that progresses gradually from the fundamentals all the way up to the highest teachings.

If you have a center in mind, why not contact them and ask what they have to offer, and how their "program" works? Some offer a regular Sunday "service" with prayers and a teaching for the rank-and-file follower, while offering a structured program of textual study on some other weekly schedule.