Author Topic: Dorje Shugden's twins - Dorje Ta'og and Dorje Legpa  (Read 9984 times)

WisdomBeing

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Dorje Shugden's twins - Dorje Ta'og and Dorje Legpa
« on: December 24, 2011, 07:34:58 PM »
I came across this picture in gold which was described as Dorje Shugden (http://exoticindiaart.com/product/paintings/dorje-shugden-TT26/) but he is actually Dorje Ta'og, the Protector of Sera Mey Monastery. Apparently there are three Protectors who look very similar - Dorje Shugden, Dorje Ta'og and Dorje Legpa.

All three wear round hats, are reddish in colour with a wrathful expression, wear flowing robes and ride snowlions (though they are also known to ride horses). However, Dorje Legpa and Dorje Ta'og both carry a vajra instead of a sword, which Dorje Shugden carries. They also don't have a mongoose.

Just thought it was interesting..
Kate Walker - a wannabe wisdom Being

hope rainbow

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Re: Dorje Shugden's twins - Dorje Ta'og and Dorje Legpa
« Reply #1 on: December 25, 2011, 04:29:42 AM »
Thank you WB, I did not know of Dorje Ta'og and Dorje Legpa.
This will avoid a confusion if I see images of these protectors in the future.
I have also found this image that shows the 3 protectors next to each other with the differences.
(note that in this image they forgot to mention that only Dorje Shugden has a mongoose)
found on http://www.himalayanart.org/
specific page = http://www.himalayanart.org/pages/shugdencomparison/index.html



Losang_Tenpa

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Re: Dorje Shugden's twins - Dorje Ta'og and Dorje Legpa
« Reply #2 on: December 25, 2011, 05:36:56 AM »
There is a nice new mural of Taok on the wall of the new prayer hall of Serpom, as well as one of Dorje Shugden.


Mana

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Re: Dorje Shugden's twins - Dorje Ta'og and Dorje Legpa
« Reply #3 on: December 25, 2011, 07:02:53 AM »
Thank you WB, I did not know of Dorje Ta'og and Dorje Legpa.
This will avoid a confusion if I see images of these protectors in the future.
I have also found this image that shows the 3 protectors next to each other with the differences.
(note that in this image they forgot to mention that only Dorje Shugden has a mongoose)
found on http://www.himalayanart.org/
specific page = http://www.himalayanart.org/pages/shugdencomparison/index.html


Please remember, other definining features are Dorje Shugden wears monk robes so his left arm is bare. The other two protectors are wearing clothes of a minister or prince. Their arms are covered. Both protectors also have long hair streaming down their shoulders. Dorje Shugden being a monk is bald. There are many differences.

Mana
« Last Edit: December 25, 2011, 07:05:31 AM by Mana »

Big Uncle

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Re: Dorje Shugden's twins - Dorje Ta'og and Dorje Legpa
« Reply #4 on: December 26, 2011, 06:03:48 PM »
Dorje Legpa was subdued by Guru Rinpoche. However, no fire puja by Nyingma High Lamas could ever subdue Dorje Shugden. Countless fire pujas are constantly being performed until today but none could contain Dorje Shugden's power. That alone truly separates Dorje Shugden and Dorje Legpa.

However, I am unable to find much info regarding Dorje Ta'og on the Internet except the fact that he is propitiated by Sera monastery and the fact that he is also unenlightened. Perhaps, someone on the net can shed light on this obscure deity.

History of Dorje Legpa.

Dorje Legpa (Skt: Vajrasadhu) whose name means "Excellent or Accomplished Vajra" is held to be one of the highest ranking "oath-bound" guardian deities (Skt: Dharmapala) by the Nyingma "old" sect of Tibetan Buddhism (De Nebesky-Wojokowitz, 154). His chief officer and emanation Garba Nagpo, "The Black-Hued Blacksmith," is an equally important protective deity who appears in a number of paintings in the Rezk collection. By coincidence, the largest and smallest thangkas included in the present exhibition represent respectively, Dorje Legpa and Garba Nagpo. The varying sizes of these works is not indicative of their relative status but rather of differing functions within the ritual and devotional activities of Tibetan Buddhism. Despite its size when compared to other paintings in the exhibition, the painting of Dorje Legpa is actually not that unusual for images of protective deities. Large hanging tankas such as this are often displayed inside a special room of a monastery called the mGon khang "hall of the protectors" or are used to line the inner walls of prayer halls. In contrast, the smaller painting of Garba Nagpo was probably created as an item of personal devotion carried by hand or placed in a private shrine. Compared to the rather folkish style of the large painting, the smaller painting with its finely detailed miniature surface is perhaps the most elegantly painted image in the present exhibition.

Dorje Legpa is one of the native deities subdued by Padmasambhava and bound by oath to serve the Buddhist cause. Like other protective deities he has a variety of forms and is sometimes indistinguishable from his chief officer Garba Nagpo. According to the Nyingma tradition, he is one of four treasure guardians and resides in the South where he guards over the yellow treasure of gold (De Nebesky-Wojokowitz, 154) and appears at times as a guide to help others find hidden dharma teachings (T: gter ma). His abode is described in a manner similar to that depicted in this large thangka with a storm brewing behind a circle of desolate black mountains where a number of wild horses, yaks, and goats wandering about the desolate setting. Dorje Legpa is accompanied by seven fierce looking blue figures who are shown wildly flaying their limbs and dismembering corpses. These gruesome little figures probably represent nine brothers (T: Ma sangs spun dgu) who are part of Dorje Legpa's large retinue which also includes three hundred and sixty of his own brothers. Dorje Legpa's mount is a billy-goat with crossed horns that stares out directly at the viewer. This is an actual kind of goat native to Tibet called a Dam Chen Ra "Oath-bound Goat" which is sometimes stuffed and placed at the entrance to the halls of protectors (Lipton, 194). The vajra (T: rDo rJe) he holds above his head in his right hand is said to be made of meteoric iron and in his left hand he holds a string of prayer beads (Skt: mala, T: 'phreng wa) made of miniature skulls. Directly above Dorje Legpa is a small seated image of Padmasambhava. To Padmasambhava's sides are four unidentified monks in yellow hats.

Vajraprotector

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Re: Dorje Shugden's twins - Dorje Ta'og and Dorje Legpa
« Reply #5 on: January 15, 2012, 12:59:01 AM »
In Tibetan ritual By José Ignacio Cabezón, it was mentioned that Tawog (Tha 'og), originally a "resident" of the area around Samye Monastery, he is said to have left his orginal home to become the protector of Sera Monastery Me College.

It's not only us that are confused. If you read in the speech given by Ven. Helmut Gassner on Dalai Lama Dorje Shugden, (http://www.dorjeshugden.com/articles/HelmutGassner01.pdf), that in an embarrassing incident at Sera Mey Monastery, His Holiness got quiet angry at the sight of an image of the protector Thaog, whom he erroneously mistook for Dorje Shugden  ;D

Also, I heard before that female are not allowed to enter the chapel  of Dorje Ta'og in Sera, and that the words came originally from "thub" meaning Buddha, and "og" meaning beneath, that means a protector under the Buddha.

Dondrup Shugden

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Re: Dorje Shugden's twins - Dorje Ta'og and Dorje Legpa
« Reply #6 on: February 24, 2015, 09:13:56 AM »
As I have learnt many Dharma protectors were subdued by Guru Rinpoche to protect the Dharma when Guru Rinpoche first set foot in Tibet where the Bon tradition was practised.

It is interesting to learn of 2 other protectors, Dorje Ta'og and Dorje Legpa while remembering distinctly that Dorje Shugden is enlightened before He took the oath to protect the Doctrine of Je Tsongkapa.