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Tibetan Buddhism

NirvanaNoobNirvanaNoob
edited March 2010 in Buddhism Basics
What are the purpose of the wrathiful deities? Also, are they metaphors are do Tibetan buddhists auctually believe them to be real deities?

Comments

  • PalzangPalzang Veteran
    edited October 2005
    What do you mean by "real"?

    Have you ever seen a mother scold her child so that the child wouldn't do something in the future, like put its hand on a hot stove? What is the intention of the mother? Same for the wrathful deities.

    First understand that the deities in Tibetan Buddhism represent different aspects of enlightened mind, whether wrathful, peaceful, loving, whatever.

    And yes, they are real.

    Palzang

    :wtf:
  • wisdombeingwisdombeing
    edited February 2010
    Yes ... just to add to what Palzang said, the wrath of deities represent speed. So the wrathful deities usually represent a faster path than others. Like Palzang's analogy to a mother, wrathful deities are emanations of peaceful ones, eg Dorje Shugden is an emanation of Manjushri, Setrap is an emanation of Amitabha Buddha, Mahakala is an emanation of Chenrezig etc.
  • jinzangjinzang Veteran
    edited February 2010
    Most deities in Tibetan Buddhism have both a peaceful and wrathful form. The wrathful form symbolizes power to overcome obstacles. Tibetan Buddhists don't believe anything is real in the sense that most people mean it. When asked if Tara was real, a lama replied, "Tara knows she is not real."
  • jinzangjinzang Veteran
    edited February 2010
    The wrathful form of Manjushri is Yamantaka. The wrathful form of Avalokiteshvara is Heyagriva.
  • BrotherBobBrotherBob
    edited March 2010
    i wanna be like one! can i huh?, huh can i!?!
  • PalzangPalzang Veteran
    edited March 2010
    Nope, sorry. :p

    Palzang
  • BrotherBobBrotherBob
    edited March 2010
    Darn! :(
  • skydancerskydancer Veteran
    edited March 2010
    They are meditational deities, not gods.
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