American Buddhist Net

There are two sorts of protectors, enlightened protectors and oath bound protectors, who are in their retinue. Ritual offerings are usually made to protectors around sunset asking for the removal of obstacles to practice.

In general, there are both mundane and supra?mundane Dharma protectors who dispel practitioners' inner and outer hindrances. Each of those is also divided into father?lineage and mother?lineage types.

Recently there has been a huge interest due to a ban of a protector called DORJE SHUGDEN that's causing a lot of confusion.

I'd like to share some information re protector practice in Tibetan Buddhism.

In regard to mundane protectors, some are actually transcendent wisdom supra?mundane protectors just exhibiting the form of a worldly deity, while others are actually mundane deities, in fact. Supra?mundane or transcendent wisdom Protectors would include Six Armed Swift Wisdom Mahakala who is of a nature of Arya Avalokiteswara; the five Yab?Yum Four Faced Mahakalas who are of a nature of Shri Chakrasamvara and the four Mothers; Tent Mahakala who is of a nature of Hevajra; Palden Mag Zor Ma, who is the goddess Saraswati revealing a wrathful aspect, and so forth.

A protector who exhibits a worldly aspect yet is in fact indivisible from Manjusri Yamantaka is this very Dharma Protector, Mighty Gyalchen Dorje Shugden.

Then there is the protector of Sukhavati who is Buddha Amitabha in nature, the great Dharma Protector Setrab Chen; Gyalpo Ku Nga, the Five Kings, who show a worldly aspect although they are, in fact, the Buddhas of the five families; The Protector Dorje Legpa, who exhibits worldly aspect although he is Vairochana in nature, and so on.

From: MUSIC DELIGHTING THE OCEAN OF PROTECTORS, written by Kyabje Trijang Dorje Chang, the tutor of His Holiness the Dalai Lama