Expert: Justin Choo - 5/5/2011

Question
QUESTION: I am novice in Buddhism, but I love to harmonize it with everything I encounter as religious or philosophical matters.

Here is the matter I am interested in:

In Mongolia shamanism has been our tradition for a long time. And I saw that spirit very old person (perhaps who had been living around 500 years ago) enters body of chosen one (who is called "Ulaach" or receiver of spirit). After that, he is speaking the family matters with very old Mongolian accent. Also he shows some supernatural powers, and healing ability.

I suspect that the spirit was Deva who had been living as a human long ago. And out of compassion to his descendant in world, he comes from the deva-loka to give advise and suggestion to right life-hood for his/her kinsman.

Is there any possibility that Deva can enter the body of another person?

Is there any relationship between of Shamanism and Buddhism? and can I find any such example from Palli Canons?

Thank you,
Unur

ANSWER: Hi Unur,

First, I would like to emphasize that Buddhism is about how to live a contented and peaceful life.  The way to go about this is to reduce greed, hatred and delusion of existence. Shamanism in whatever form is not Buddhist practice.  

By the way I am happy to note that you are the first visitor from your country, after my so many years in Allexperts.  Welcome!

There are beings in existence in other realms.  It is believed that certain people have the ability to communicate with them.  Likewise these people may also have the ability to allow themselves to "be taken over" temporarily by these beings, to communicate with worldlings.  These beings may come from anywhere.  That's why we have "black magic" where the person can make use of these beings to perform evil missions.  On the brighter side, there are good beings, like devas who may also help humans.

Hope this short comment clarifies your question.

Take care.

Justin Choo   



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Dear Justin Choo,

But I find that in Vajrayana Tradition, there exists the shamanism elements. Any comment?

And besides shamanism is not voodoo or black magic. Little different things, I think.

Unur

Answer
Hi Unur,

If you look into the pristine teachings of the Buddha, his message was on cultivating the mind so that one could live in peace and contentment, reducing greed, hatred and delusion in existence.  The occult practices belong to the different nationalities who also choose to follow Buddhism.  Buddhism being a very tolerant "religion" was able to accommodate the indigenous occult practices as well as other indigenous traditional beliefs.  This goes with Vajrayana, and for that matter, other traditions as well.  That's why we have so many traditions; Chinese, Japanese,and even Western Buddhism.  However, this does not mean that these practices are part of Buddhism.  They are definitely not so.

These occult practices usually make use of an agent to perform certain action. You may call this "agent", spirit or whatever.  

Regards,
Justin Choo