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▲ 18 r/Mahayana+1 crossposts

I'm not a Buddhist But I Have Questions on Mahayana

I'm exploring Mahayana Buddhism and would like to ask for some advice.

To help give context I'm almost a 50 year old empty nester who has been pulled towards Buddhism since I was a child but never lived it fully. I figured out how to meditate as a child without any training and have no idea why I place so much value on enlightenment but it has been a subconscious goal for decades. Anyway, I didn't grow up Buddhist, but still get pulled back to meditation and almost subconsciously have had Buddhism in the back of my mind for as long as I can remember.

Right now, several people who are close to me would find it challenging if I became a Buddhist so I need guidance before I commit.

I have a few questions that would really help me as someone considering Mahayana Buddhism.

  1. The sutras I've read seem hard to believe, the Boddhisattvas seem to be from other dimensions and have their own worlds/lands which is a challenge to believe.

In Mahayana there seems to be countless dimensions with Buddhas in them. It's all very mind blowing and it is a challenge to believe. Other than the Buddha, there is no record of these beings existing.

They are also not mentioned in the Pali canon which makes me doubt.

That being said Mahayana feels right. I would love to hear about how you have encountered this concept and came to believe it.

  1. I would also love to hear about any encounters or stories you have about encounters with Boddhisattvas to help feel faith and belief.

If there are any recommended books or articles in English on this topic please let me know.

[Update] Thank you to those who have posted already I'm learning so much and feel a sense of love and compassion reading these comments, thank you.

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u/GreatTheoryPractice — 11 days ago
▲ 8 r/Mahayana

Eight Vajrapani Generals

I'm pretty used to seeing, in some Vietnamese monasteries, eight Vajrapani statues surrounding the main hall, where most other temples would have the Four Heavenly Kings. I've recently discovered that this is something of a unique Vietnamese teaching. The Eight Vajrapani are referenced in Chinese liturgies, but don't seem to take on much importance.

In Vietnam, the Eight Vajrapani are popular enough that they show up in folk tales and popular culture as protector spirits often enough, most notably in the origin story for one of the Four Immortals, Mother Lieu Hanh. The origin we know is that Quan Am created the Eight Vajrapani through magical means, throwing two pouches with four lotus pods a piece into a pond, from which the vajra-wielding spirits were birthed.

Does anyone else know anything more about these figures and their origins? I always kinda figured they were a conflation of Vajrapani as a dharma protector, with the 8 Yaksha Generals ... But this doesn't seem too likely to me anymore, since their names don't really have any correspondence to one another and the Eight Yaksha Generals don't have powers associated with thunder and lightning, while all of the Eight Vajrapani do.

u/SentientLight — 12 days ago