Why are the appearances of some of the Tibetan Buddhist deities so hideous?
Reply: This is a valid question as many of the deities that are either painted, depicted in statues, or visualized in the mind by Buddhist meditators (practitioners) are extremely violent and sadistic. In order to understand this dilemma the Christian has to understand that the traditional Tibetan Buddhist “worldview” is very different from that which is presented in the Bible. Judeo/Christian outlook and values have permeated Western culture for a long time and have remained virtually unchallenged until the 20th century. The worship of Buddhist deities, (which include the wrathful manifestations of compassionate deities,) was introduced to Tibet by Indian Tantric “missionaries” in the 8th century. Within a relatively short time Buddhism displaced the existing (non Buddhist) Bon religion by forcibly repressing it both physically and spiritually. Bon practices and beliefs were viewed as being inferior, and even to this day it is generally viewed as a second-class Tibetan religion. Altho
