I started Studying Tibetan Buddhism in 1980 in Ashland, Oregon above where the Green Leaf Restaurant likely still is with an initiation by Gyaltrul Rinpoche from Tibet. When I walked into the room where over 100 or more people were gathered for this Tibetan Buddhist initiation I was amazed what I was experiencing because it was unlike anything I had ever experienced anywhere before this. This led eventually to going to India and Nepal and many Tibetan Buddhist initiations in Santa Cruz, Berkeley, Mt. Shasta and in Oregon I met Chakdud Tulku who was a Tibetan Doctor. These experiences were mostly between 1980 and the early 1990s but all these things greatly influenced my life to the point where I see myself as a Mystical Christian Tibetan Buddhist. Since Christians generally see Buddhism as a philosophy rather than a religion simply because God isn't emphasized.
However, in studying more about Buddha it wasn't that he didn't believe in God it was more that he thought arguing about whether God exists or not is a complete waste of time and one should help people and get enlightened to help even more people get enlightened instead.
He emphasized becoming like a King, A Buddha so you can help everyone to Enlightenment. This makes sense because he was the Prince of Lumbini which is on the border now of India and Nepal and likely maybe called something else now. So, he was raised to become a King of Lumbini 2500 years ago approximately.
begin quotes:
- Symbolic Union: In yab-yum (father-mother) imagery, their embrace symbolizes the union of wisdom (feminine) and compassion/method (masculine).
- Enlightened Beings: They represent fully realized beings, acting as guardians and providers of spiritual energy, crucial in Vajrayana practice.
- Human Practitioners: The terms can describe advanced male and female practitioners who have attained deep tantric realization.
- Elemental/Mythological: In some traditions, they are considered powerful elemental spirits or even flesh-eating entities, akin to figures in Hindu myth serving goddesses like Kali, though this contrasts with their enlightened Buddhist forms.
- "Sky-Goers": The Tibetan Khandro (Dakini) means "sky-goer," highlighting their ability to move freely in space and consciousness, a concept linked to the Sanskrit Khecara.
- Meaning: "Hero" (pawo in Tibetan).
- Role: Embodies the masculine principle, often representing skillful means or compassion.
- Meaning: "Sky-Goer" or "Sky-Dancer" (khandro).
- Role: Embodies the feminine principle, representing wisdom and the empty nature of reality (Prajnaparamita).
- Beyond Gender: While the terms are gendered, they signify qualities, not just biological sex; an enlightened Dakini isn't just a female Buddha, but an expression of wisdom itself.
- Spectrum of Forms: They can manifest as deities, yoginis, or powerful energies, ranging from nurturing to wrathful.
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