I do not understand what you actually want to highlight ... except possibly chaos. We know some practitioners may do anything and organize a melting pot composed of what they think fit for themself, they even may give any name to this personnal practice ... but that is not subject to discussion nor understanding, and it does not lead to much progress. They are wanderers. If it's about understanding and actual informations to be shared, it is better when it follows shared rules. If it exists classification with path of accumulation, renunciation, transformation or self-liberation, it is because it is so, not to pretend to belong to any label. Therefore, if someone is following a master and practices of Mahayana tradition, he is on the path of renunciation. If someone is following a master and practices of Vajrayana tradition, he is on the path of transformation. And so on.
What you are describing is freewheeler ... not practitioner of a lineage. And we know how important is a lineage.
As for behing mongrels ... analyzing oneself, how can someone have the knowledge to generalize it to all? but perhaps it is just a stylistic device.
Sönam
gregkavarnos wrote:
You see people may belong to the Mahayana tradition and yet their application (based on aspects of the Mahayana teachings) is Vajrayana.
Others may belong to the Theravada tradition and yet have a well developed sense of bodhicitta (which is also supported in parts of their Canon)
Others may belong to the Vajrayana, yet place an emphasis on ethical conduct (again, not the key element of their tradition, but there nonetheless).
Others may belong to any of these traditions and yet not act like Buddhists at all.
And, finally, others may not belong to any tradition at all ,yet act in a manner which is completely in line with any one of the three yana.
I doubt you always play it by the book so I cannot see why you would expect others to do so? I mean, when it comes down to it, [insert term]yana is just a label/descriptor and like any label/descriptor it is bound to fail to convey the full sense of the practical aspect of the theory.
What do you expect? Perfection? Purity? We are all mongrels here in samsara.