#yidam

As a Himalayan Buddhist Yidam

Doctrinal Compatibility

The Yidam Framework

A Yidam is a meditational deity — an enlightened form the practitioner identifies with during Vajrayana practice. The deity isn't worshipped as an external god but is understood as a manifestation of one's own Buddha-nature, arising from emptiness (śūnyatā). Importantly, Tibetan Buddhism already absorbed many non-Buddhist deities (Hindu, Bön, local spirits) by reframing them within this framework, so this re-interpretation is not unprecedented.

Māni's Symbolic Resonance

The moon in Tibetan Buddhism is already rich with meaning: it represents bodhicitta (the awakened mind), the cooling of afflictive emotions, and the relative truth (as opposed to the sun's absolute truth). Māni would arrive with this symbolism pre-loaded.

His Norse role as measurer of time aligns with Kālachakra ("Wheel of Time") traditions, where cosmic cycles are central to liberation.

His gentle, passive quality in Norse myth (he drives rather than blazes) fits the peaceful deity class (zhi-ba) rather than wrathful forms.

If you aren’t Buddhist, working with Buddhist deities (including buddhas) may be very dangerous for you...

There are different types of Buddhist deities, but in this post I will only be referring to yidams, buddhas, and bodhisattvas. From certain cultural and religious perspectives, it can be considered appropriation to work with Buddhist deities if one is not Buddhist. However, many non-Buddhist people still pray to buddha statues or put them on their altars or shrines. Perhaps this is because within Buddhism it is clear that buddhas and bodhisattvas want to help all sentient beings regardless of whether they identify as “Buddhist” or not. In this article, I’m not going to address whether or not working with Buddhist deities is appropriation or not, but explain why it’s generally a very bad and potentially dangerous idea to do so if you’re not Buddhist.

Anatta: “No Self” in Buddhism

One of the biggest differences between Buddhism and Hinduism is the idea of having a permanent self or “soul,” which is called Atman in Hinduism. Shakyamuni Buddha directly addressed the concept of Atman and stated that it is not real. Since reincarnation is also an aspect of Buddhism, one might wonder if there is no soul then what gets reincarnated? This is why the idea of the mindstream replaces that of a soul in Buddhism. Of course, the spirit, mind, and body of that which you call “me, I” are all real, but Buddhism’s perspective on them is quite different.

Buddhism teaches that people have mindstreams and that this is not the same as a “soul” because the mind is seen as a complex compound of fleeting mental states. You are not the same “you” that you were five years ago, six months ago, last week, or a minute ago before reading this post. Every single moment you have new thoughts and feelings and memories which create a “new you.” Although we tend to create a permanent notion of “self,” which is independent and free willed separate from the rest of the universe, Buddhism challenges this notion and teaches that there is anatta, the lack of an independently existing, permanent self. Instead, we have a mindstream constantly evolving and changing over time that is connected to everything it perceives and beyond. During reincarnation, the mindstream is carried over to another life like a flame being passed on from one candle to the next. 

So why don’t all Buddhists stop saying “I” and “me”? Buddhism treats the concept of “self” that we hold as an identity as not being a fundamental truth or reality, but still a social construct that may be useful for practical purposes in conversation and regular society. There is a difference in Buddhism between “ultimate” reality and “conventional” reality - what truly exists as opposed to how we construct our own realities for practical purposes.

Enlightenment, Ego, and Attachment

Not only does Buddhism teach that the self isn’t real, but also that being too involved with ego can cause suffering. Believing there is a “self” that is permanent and independently existing can cause people to cling to or be attached to various things. Buddhism explains the relationship between attachment and suffering in the Four Noble Truths, the most basic foundation of Shakyamuni Buddha’s teachings. This teaches that the way to end suffering or craving is to let go of one’s attachments and stop forming new attachments. This doesn’t mean that one is supposed to sell all of his or her belongings and stop wanting or doing anything. It’s the idea that the dharma or the ultimate true reality of the universe is such that as one begins to truly understand it, then you would naturally not want to have attachments as much. 

Enlightenment is a natural process over time of one’s ego and attachments and ordinary desires slowly dissolving away and being replaced with a completely different kind of happiness and contentment, which is unconditional and not dependent on anything. For example, someone might think about how much they love summertime and get upset every time summer ends and winter comes along. Forcing oneself to let go of an attachment to having summer and not having winter isn’t going to make you more enlightened - in fact, it simply won’t work by force. Buddhism teaches that if one truly knows deep in their bones that the seasons are impermanent and winter will come no matter what, then there can be a natural acceptance from that knowledge which leads to a lack of attachment and contentment or peacefulness. This is why meditation is such a fundamental religious practice within Buddhism. One cannot simply force oneself to believe the dharma and reach enlightenment that way. Buddhist meditation’s purpose is to act as a tool for directly realizing the dharma for oneself and naturally, gradually over time become more and more enlightened. In this process, attachments and ego naturally fade away more and more over time.

Buddhist Deities Destroy Ego and Attachments

Enlightenment is related to a deep knowledge that “self,” “soul,” “ego,” and “attachment” are ignorant misunderstandings of the universe and cause suffering. In Buddhism, enlightenment is the only way to be free from suffering and stop the cycle of rebirth into the world. All buddhas and bodhisattvas are unconditionally loving, compassionate, caring beings who want to help all sentient beings reach enlightenment and end all their suffering forever. This is great if you happen to be a Buddhist because working with Buddhist deities will allow you to learn so much about the dharma, follow the ways of Buddhism, and get closer to enlightenment with the help of these deities. If you are Buddhist, you most likely believe that your sense of ego and self, as well as your attachments, aren’t helpful, and so you are perfectly happy to learn how to let go of them. Buddhist deities are happy to help with this, and most have wrathful forms that possess tools such as daggers, swords, knives, and special powers to help metaphysically cut away one’s ego and attachments.

If you aren’t Buddhist, you may not believe that letting go of your ego or attachments is such a great idea and may not be so thrilled by the idea of a Buddhist deity metaphysically cutting them off you. Walking the road to Buddhist enlightenment and working with Buddhist deities has the potential to fundamentally change how you perceive yourself and the world around you in ways that may be extremely incompatible with your spiritual goals and life goals. From a Buddhist perspective, taking away your sense of self and attachments is the most beneficial thing for you and will help relieve you of unnecessary suffering. But you may not be thrilled if you pray to Shakyamuni Buddha’s statue on your meditation altar for prosperity and money flow, and end up with a cash shortage as a lesson about attachment to wealth. Buddhas and bodhisattvas want to help you from the perspective of an enlightened being and believe they know what’s best for you. If you are Buddhist, you may agree with them, but if you are not you may be asking for things that are not at all aligned with your interests or goals.

~ Mod Fire

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