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Vajradhara

Vajradhara

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Namaste all,

as is the case with internet forums, our membership here continues to grow and change as the months go along. as such, i thought that it may be of some interest for us Buddhist types to sort of explain which of the various Vehicles and schools that we are practicing.

i'll leave it to you if you'd like to include the reasons and whyfores and all of that sort of thing. mainly, i'm interested to know how many different views that are being represented on the forum. i have the feeling that we don't have many Theravedans here...

so... i'll start :)

i practice the Vajrayana Vehicle, the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism.

i found the Varjayana after having left the Theraveda practice to take up my Taoist Alchemical praxis. to my great delight and utter amazement, i discovered the key, the secret, as it were, to unlocking the texts and found that, with slight exceptions, the Taoist Alchemical praxis was the same as the Varjayana Buddhist praxis and thus, i found myself within the Sangha once more :)
 
My core practice is zen but I adopt any potentially useful upaya. So, also work with vipassana and lojong including tonglen. Read quite a bit of the vajrayana literature, particularly in the Nyingma school, (primarily its contemporary interpretors for the most part), and find so much of it very inspirational-but I'm just not that much into visualizations & even if I were into guru-yoga, aren't any to be found in the middle of Kansas.:p Of course, not only an i not a "purist" when it comes to sticking with only 1 Buddhist tradition, obviously, I'm not a purist in general. take care, Earl
 
I am a mahayana buddhist. Although I think that the vajrayana is probably a better vehicle I feel that it would take over my life too completely if I practiced it. I will happily admit that my knowledge of the hinyana is very limited but as I understand it, the hinyana involves seeking enlightenment to end ones own suffering rather than the suffering of all sentient beings which is why I prefer the mahayana.

I practice the kadampa school for the simple reason that, as I have said before, the New Kadampa Tradition was the only tradition in which I could initially find any spiritual guidance when I needed it and although there are some issues on which I disagree with the NKT, I have largely found it to be a sound spiritual process.

I am very new to Buddhism, having discovered it only a year ago and I am still working my way through a large volume of literature, but I find to my surprise that most of the teachings of mahayana buddhism are my own beliefs anyway.
 
Hello everyone,

As I am fairly new to Buddhism, I haven't yet completely settled in one particular school. I have though, found that I am particularly interested in the different schools that originated in Tibet.

Right now I am studying the teachings of the Buddha and practicing meditation at the Shambhala Centre that is near me (Shambhala is derived from the Tibetan practice lineages of Kagyü and Nyingma and focuses a lot on meditation).

I am open to other schools and I hope to find my niche soon. Does anyone have any book sugestions to someone who is trying to find a particular school?

Also, Vajradhara, are you part of the Sangha?
 
I'm not sure if I consider myself a Buddhist or much of anything at this point in my life, although I certainly find myself interested in Buddhism right now. After about a year of not practicing any sort of meditation, I find myself getting into a routine of sitting; I'd call it zazen--very simple and effortless. I'm also reading several books on Zen and a collection of Mahayana Sutras, which I find particularly stimulating for my imagination. So, that's fun. I guess that about sums up my "Buddhist practice." :)
 
Padipa said:
Hello everyone,

As I am fairly new to Buddhism, I haven't yet completely settled in one particular school. I have though, found that I am particularly interested in the different schools that originated in Tibet.

Right now I am studying the teachings of the Buddha and practicing meditation at the Shambhala Centre that is near me (Shambhala is derived from the Tibetan practice lineages of Kagyü and Nyingma and focuses a lot on meditation).

I am open to other schools and I hope to find my niche soon. Does anyone have any book sugestions to someone who is trying to find a particular school?

Also, Vajradhara, are you part of the Sangha?
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Hello Padipa,

I have studied under the Venerable Tenzin Kacho here in Colorado, she is a nun in the Gelugpa tradition, and I enjoy her Dharma talks very much.

Perhaps, once you become clear on where it is you wish to go, choosing the route to get there will be easier.

This idea seems anithetical in Buddhist terms, because you are already "There" and there is no place to "get to" But I speak of conventional experience, not inherent reality.

It would seem that you are already doing what it is you need to at the moment, and if you continue, no doubt you just might see that you are exactly where you need to be.

Just my 2cents :)

Peace
 
Namaste Padipa,

thank you for the post.

Padipa said:
I am open to other schools and I hope to find my niche soon. Does anyone have any book sugestions to someone who is trying to find a particular school?
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well... there are some encylopedia type books that are quite educational, however, i'm not sure that they would be all that applicable to your situtation.

Meeting the Buddhas, by Vessantara is a very good book. it does tend to approach things from the Varjayana point of view, though.

Also, Vajradhara, are you part of the Sangha?
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yep :) there are, in my view, two Sanghas that we can rightly speak of... the overall community of Buddhists, in all their various permutations and the community of particular lineages and schools.

i would consider myself to be a member of the latter Sangha, not the former, though i may be mistaken on both counts :)
 
Greetings.

I started in Theravadin, which is a wonderful school. I now practice in the Karma Kagyu school, however, because I felt the Sangha part of Theravadin was very difficult to come by in my area. I appreciate and feel I need a more structured and organized school to study with. (A being of a different capacity, am I. :)).

My initial reason for practicing was because I had one of those "Is this it?" epiphanies and it kept bothering me. My reason for continuing is that this path just seems like the right thing to do ... :D

Nice to meet everyone!

Metta,
Jacqui
 
At heart I am a Pure Land Buddhist, specifically Jodo Shin Shu............the path of the Nembutsu..........."Other" Power.

Perhaps the story of how I arrived here would begin in "beginningless time" ! Even to trace the history of my life.................well, as Voltaire said...."All ancient histories are nothing but convenient fictions"..........!

Speaking from "now" - rather than tracing the past and interpreting it in the light of the present - what has true resonance with my own heart is the word "grace".................and amplifications of the word.........All is "given"......what we have to be is what we are............There seems a deep paradox in all striving to "attain"..........

To "beg for a share of that which everyone has received".............

My own heart finds peace in the word "mercy"...................(no matter how "dual" the word)............."mercy" rather than the "strivings" of the mind, or in "practice", techniques designed to "obtain"............."Go and learn what this means, I will have mercy and not sacrifice" (The words of Jesus as recorded in St Matthew's gospel)

Well, perhaps I am Christian!
 
Tariki said:
At heart I am a Pure Land Buddhist, specifically Jodo Shin Shu............the path of the Nembutsu..........."Other" Power.

Perhaps the story of how I arrived here would begin in "beginningless time" ! Even to trace the history of my life.................well, as Voltaire said...."All ancient histories are nothing but convenient fictions"..........!

Speaking from "now" - rather than tracing the past and interpreting it in the light of the present - what has true resonance with my own heart is the word "grace".................and amplifications of the word.........All is "given"......what we have to be is what we are............There seems a deep paradox in all striving to "attain"..........

To "beg for a share of that which everyone has received".............

My own heart finds peace in the word "mercy"...................(no matter how "dual" the word)............."mercy" rather than the "strivings" of the mind, or in "practice", techniques designed to "obtain"............."Go and learn what this means, I will have mercy and not sacrifice" (The words of Jesus as recorded in St Matthew's gospel)

Well, perhaps I am Christian!
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Tariki, those are beautiful sentiments. I see so many parallels between Pure Land, particularly versions incorporating zen/chan perspectives, such as obaku zen, and mystical Christianity. My version of the latter is so "Pure Land," perhaps I'm a "Pure Lander," as opposed to "Christian.":) But, since I try to keep "don't know" mind, I don't sweat the labels. Love to hear more from you re Pure Land. Take care, Earl
 
Earl,

Well, I've certainly stopped "sweating the labels".........(well, perhaps just a tiny bit of perspiration at moments of crisis!).........Anyway, just to let you know, it is "dookie" here...............but once again, let's not "sweat the labels"!

I often find that Buddhist suttras/suttas amplify simple Gospel verses............just recently, reading Sutta 2 of the Majjhima Nikaya, it seemed to have much to say on the gospel verse "he that would save his life will lose it". Perhaps I am reading one thing into another and hearing nothing, yet we are each our own "dharma gate" and often - so it seems to me - we hear what we need to hear.............."as the road to joy is mysteriously revealed to us without our exactly realising it" (the words of Thomas Merton, in a letter to a young child who had drawn him a picture of a house.......a beautiful house full of the simplicity of childhood........yet, as Merton pointed out, with no road to it! Some time later, Merton received a second drawing, this time with the house showing a road towards it..............) Anyway, perhaps another chance to quote the words of St John of the Cross............"If we wish to be sure of the road we tread on, we should close our eyes and walk in the dark"

I do think that "don't know mind" can cover a multitude of sins..............yet all paths have their pitfalls, traps and blind alleys..............

Anyway, enough for now.
Derek
 
Tariki said:
Earl,

Well, I've certainly stopped "sweating the labels".........(well, perhaps just a tiny bit of perspiration at moments of crisis!).........Anyway, just to let you know, it is "dookie" here...............but once again, let's not "sweat the labels"!

I often find that Buddhist suttras/suttas amplify simple Gospel verses............just recently, reading Sutta 2 of the Majjhima Nikaya, it seemed to have much to say on the gospel verse "he that would save his life will lose it". Perhaps I am reading one thing into another and hearing nothing, yet we are each our own "dharma gate" and often - so it seems to me - we hear what we need to hear.............."as the road to joy is mysteriously revealed to us without our exactly realising it" (the words of Thomas Merton, in a letter to a young child who had drawn him a picture of a house.......a beautiful house full of the simplicity of childhood........yet, as Merton pointed out, with no road to it! Some time later, Merton received a second drawing, this time with the house showing a road towards it..............) Anyway, perhaps another chance to quote the words of St John of the Cross............"If we wish to be sure of the road we tread on, we should close our eyes and walk in the dark"

I do think that "don't know mind" can cover a multitude of sins..............yet all paths have their pitfalls, traps and blind alleys..............

Anyway, enough for now.
Derek
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Wow, glad to see ya-as you know, love your eclectic spirit and writing! I still hang out @ the "other place," but recently stumbled on this forum accidentally. Fell in love with its diversity as Walt
Whitman said, "I contain multitudes," myself. You're quite right as re "don't know" mind: to "not know" correctly, we have to "not know" re what we "don't know," i.e., the big existential stuff, while being careful to really know what we're doing in each exquisite moment of existence. That's why re to
christianity, am a big fan & only a fan of the apophatic approaches. Gonna keep following you around just to read your ideas!:D Take care, Earl
 
Earl,

.............I'll be peeping over my shoulders............

I think we share an appreciation of the Christian apophatic tradition........knowing by unknowing..........

Just as a little gift, a verse from St John of the Cross.....

"I had no guide, no light,
save that which burned within my heart.
And yet this light did guide my way
more surely than the noonday sun
unto a place where waited One
who knew me well.
A place where none appeared."
 
Thank you so much for the quote, Tariki. Hope to hear more from you here.
When I think of the functioning of "Don't Know" mind, I think of one of Padmasambhava's quotes, which I may not be remembering correctly re maintaining a mind or view as wide open as the sky, while functioning with the fine-pointed awareness of the tip of a needle, including, of course, a very fine awareness of sila/ethics.

"My father is wisdom and my mother is voidness.
My country is the country of Dharma.
I am of no caste and no creed.
I am sustained by perplexity..." Padmasambhava

Have a good one, Earl
 
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