There's method in jyotish for determining your ishta devata. You cannot make yourself your own devata.
Also, MMY said that the Buddha is a reincarnation of Vishnu or Krishna. As such, the Buddha is not a mere human being with unusual powers. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "emptybill" <emptybill@...> wrote: > > > Can we take our own future enlightenment as our ishta-devataa > (meditation deity) in this lifetime? > > > > One of the definitions of final enlightenment (samyak.sam.bodhi) is > omniscience (sarva-jñana) and supremacy over all states of existence. > > > > Patanjali Yoga Sutra 3.49 says: > > Only one discerning (khaati) the difference (anyataa) between purusha > and sattva gains supremacy (adhi.staat.rtva) over all states (bhaava) > and all-knowingness (sarvajñaat.rtva). > > > > The Buddha is said to be omniscient, but only in the limited sense that > although he can see whatever he chooses, he does not perceive everything > simultaneously, but must turn his mind to whatever it is he wants to > perceive. Thus in the Theravada tradition, the Buddha denies that anyone > can see everything in a single act of cognition (ekachaitanyam). > However, one of the signal events of a Buddha's enlightenment is > direct perception of his own past lives. This means he is not bound by > the conventional ideas of separation between the past, the present and > future. > > > > Thus the obvious question: > > > > In the future, in your fully enlightened state, are you looking at > yourself right at this very "moment"? > > > > Considering this ultimate universal-supremacy and omniscience, can you > take yourself as your own ishta-devatta, as that one who transforms you > into Tad-Ekam or "That One"? Not some airy-fairy "higher > self" but in the immediacy and directness of this present awareness? > .. >
