What a buddhist tradition did you choose and why?

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Mirror
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What a buddhist tradition did you choose and why?

Post by Mirror »

Hello, I'm looking for the right buddhist tradition for me and I can't decide, so pleas help me by answering to my question. Thank you for everything!
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Könchok Thrinley
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Re: What a buddhist tradition did you choose and why?

Post by Könchok Thrinley »

Mirror wrote: Tue Oct 16, 2018 3:01 pm Hello, I'm looking for the right buddhist tradition for me and I can't decide, so pleas help me by answering to my question. Thank you for everything!
There was a nice discussion topic that we should not choose tradition but a teacher. So yeah. After few years studying under ChNN I realized it does not connect to me so easy and was still searching for sth until I found Garchen Rinpoche and later on my lama and I realized that Drikung Kagyu kinda clicked with me. But it is important to find a good teacher, so search for a teacher, maybe study a little different traditions and you will think "oh gelug approach seems very interesting, or sakya approach is good too" but in the end it is about finding a teacher you can trust. So if you find some tradition interesting lookg for a teacher you could trust in that tradition. Teacher is like a parent and tradition is a family tree. You cannot belong to a family if you do not have a parent who brings you into it (bad metaphor but you get me right?). So find a qualified teacher!
“Observing samaya involves to remain inseparable from the union of wisdom and compassion at all times, to sustain mindfulness, and to put into practice the guru’s instructions”. Garchen Rinpoche

For those who do virtuous actions,
goodness is what comes to pass.
For those who do non-virtuous actions,
that becomes suffering indeed.

- Arya Sanghata Sutra
Knotty Veneer
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Re: What a buddhist tradition did you choose and why?

Post by Knotty Veneer »

Mirror wrote: Tue Oct 16, 2018 3:01 pm Hello, I'm looking for the right buddhist tradition for me and I can't decide, so pleas help me by answering to my question. Thank you for everything!
I think the important thing is join a legittimate tradition. Most important though is finding a good Sangha, a supportive group of good people who can help you advance your practice. Lastly, you need a group ideally that is convenient to where you live if at all possible. I think for most people if they find a good center of a proper tradition (i.e. not a cult) that one can attend regularly, the exact tradition is not so important first off.
This is not the wrong life.
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Re: What a buddhist tradition did you choose and why?

Post by dude »

I would recommend asking questions to anyone you can find with some knowledge of Buddhism, while studying on your own and putting what you read/hear into practice. The right tradition/teacher will appear in your environment.
This forum is a very good place to ask more questions. :namaste:
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Karma_Yeshe
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Re: What a buddhist tradition did you choose and why?

Post by Karma_Yeshe »

First, I practiced in the Karma-Kagyü-Tradition. After 2 and half years I switched to the Nyingma-Tradition. Why I did this is not a story for the internet, but it was not because there is something wrong with the Kagyü-Tradition.

Best
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lobsangrinchen
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Re: What a buddhist tradition did you choose and why?

Post by lobsangrinchen »

the tradition chose me, I suppose. After years of study in Buddhism, Taoism, various occult traditions, as well as an exhaustive survey of all the world's spiritual traditions, my Buddhist professor at college happened to be a Gelug who is a writer/translator contemporary with Jeffrey Hopkins and that crowd. So that set me upon my path until I found my spiritual teacher, who is a Gelug as well and I did my refuge ceremony with him.

I think it's valuable to be non-sectarian at first and be open to all the traditions. Where I currently live, there is only a Nyingma group, and I am a part of that sangha. I get quite a lot from the teachings of that tradition as well, being the "old school" tradition of Tibet.

tl;dr.……..study, contemplate, meditate. your teacher will eventually appear and help you make that choice.
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Thomas Amundsen
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Re: What a buddhist tradition did you choose and why?

Post by Thomas Amundsen »

After about seven years practicing in the Soto Zen tradition, I decided to go with Nyingma, because the Nyingmapa lamas and khenpos were best able to answer all of my questions about Dharma and Dzogchen was the most profound teaching I had ever come across.
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Re: What a buddhist tradition did you choose and why?

Post by Admin_PC »

Finding the tradition that fits right can be difficult. While it may not be a unique issue faced by modern day converts, there really do seem to be more options than ever before.

Finding an authentic teacher and sticking with the practice, consistently is probably the best advice - especially if there are local options. Sometimes we may want to switch because the practice is uncomfortable, but there will always be difficult situations in practice. Other times we may have an intuition about practice based on our circumstances and those thoughts can be hard to ignore. I think people who only had one local temple may have had it the easiest.

When you have no local options and are shopping for a practice to study remotely, the first step is taking an honest look at your own capacities and trying to find the best fit. Next is to take a serious look at the teacher and what they teach, evaluating them like one would examine a piece of gold (or a piece of fruit at the grocer). Find the best one for you, not necessarily the most charismatic.

Personally, I've always had a strong intuition about which Buddhist practices fit and have had to accept some hard truths about what I'm capable of. Even still, I've periodically had to take a step back and reevaluate. It's been eye-opening when certain teachings & practices that I may have initially disregarded ended up being the ones that stuck; while others that I aspired to left me uninspired. Consistency is key when trying to make progress, so keep that in mind when exploring.
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KathyLauren
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Re: What a buddhist tradition did you choose and why?

Post by KathyLauren »

Admin_PC wrote: Fri Dec 07, 2018 5:17 pm Finding an authentic teacher and sticking with the practice, consistently is probably the best advice - especially if there are local options.
:good: That is basically what I did. I first learned about Buddhism by way of Zen, and even after reading about other traditions, I thought that Zen would be the one for me. But when I was ready to join a group, what was available locall was Tibetan/Gelugpa. The teacher was good, the members were nice, and the practice was traditional, so there was no down side. Most of my practice since then has been Karma Kagyu.

It really doesn't matter which tradition you choose, as long as its roots are genuine, the teacher is qualified, and you stick with it.

Om mani padme hum
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edgar_d
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Re: What a buddhist tradition did you choose and why?

Post by edgar_d »

If I were a man dying of thirst in the desert, and through sheer amazing luck I had stumbled upon an oasis with a bunch of different drink stalls, I would not stop and spend ages comparing and evaluating the merits of freshly squeezed juice over coca-cola, though there may well be a fair few.

First quench your thirst. Practice. Practice hard
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Grigoris
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Re: What a buddhist tradition did you choose and why?

Post by Grigoris »

edgar_d wrote: Fri Dec 07, 2018 11:41 pm If I were a man dying of thirst in the desert, and through sheer amazing luck I had stumbled upon an oasis with a bunch of different drink stalls, I would not stop and spend ages comparing and evaluating the merits of freshly squeezed juice over coca-cola, though there may well be a fair few.

First quench your thirst. Practice. Practice hard
And what if the first stall you stopped at was handing out glasses of poison?
"My religion is not deceiving myself."
Jetsun Milarepa 1052-1135 CE

"Butchers, prostitutes, those guilty of the five most heinous crimes, outcasts, the underprivileged: all are utterly the substance of existence and nothing other than total bliss."
The Supreme Source - The Kunjed Gyalpo
The Fundamental Tantra of Dzogchen Semde
amanitamusc
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Re: What a buddhist tradition did you choose and why?

Post by amanitamusc »

Grigoris wrote: Sat Dec 08, 2018 12:24 am
edgar_d wrote: Fri Dec 07, 2018 11:41 pm If I were a man dying of thirst in the desert, and through sheer amazing luck I had stumbled upon an oasis with a bunch of different drink stalls, I would not stop and spend ages comparing and evaluating the merits of freshly squeezed juice over coca-cola, though there may well be a fair few.

First quench your thirst. Practice. Practice hard
And what if the first stall you stopped at was handing out glasses of poison?
A Sutra person would renounce it.A Tantra person would transform it.A Dzogchen person would self liberate it.
amanitamusc
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Re: What a buddhist tradition did you choose and why?

Post by amanitamusc »

edgar_d wrote: Fri Dec 07, 2018 11:41 pm If I were a man dying of thirst in the desert, and through sheer amazing luck I had stumbled upon an oasis with a bunch of different drink stalls, I would not stop and spend ages comparing and evaluating the merits of freshly squeezed juice over coca-cola, though there may well be a fair few.

First quench your thirst. Practice. Practice hard
I'm glad I was not that thirsty otherwise I could have wound up worshiping some worldly gyalpo.
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edgar_d
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Re: What a buddhist tradition did you choose and why?

Post by edgar_d »

Grigoris wrote: Sat Dec 08, 2018 12:24 am
edgar_d wrote: Fri Dec 07, 2018 11:41 pm If I were a man dying of thirst in the desert, and through sheer amazing luck I had stumbled upon an oasis with a bunch of different drink stalls, I would not stop and spend ages comparing and evaluating the merits of freshly squeezed juice over coca-cola, though there may well be a fair few.

First quench your thirst. Practice. Practice hard
And what if the first stall you stopped at was handing out glasses of poison?
That's pretty rotten luck, but I guess most would have no way of knowing.

Even in a cultish sangha one may well learn some truly precious things. Even in a very respectable mainstream sangha one may become seriously damaged.

Of course I should't push an analogy too far - caveat emptor and all that. But from what I observe, we tend to spend too much time window-shopping and worrying about the best and the quickest and the one that fits the precious little me, yadda yadda..
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Grigoris
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Re: What a buddhist tradition did you choose and why?

Post by Grigoris »

edgar_d wrote: Sat Dec 08, 2018 3:37 pmThat's pretty rotten luck, but I guess most would have no way of knowing.
It really does not have anything to do with luck, it is basically all about karma.
Even in a cultish sangha one may well learn some truly precious things.
Indeed, but one always has to weigh up the profit to loss ratio.
Even in a very respectable mainstream sangha one may become seriously damaged.
Really? Can you give me an example of this? I mean, outside of the normal situation of happening across the lowest element in an otherwise flawless whole.
"My religion is not deceiving myself."
Jetsun Milarepa 1052-1135 CE

"Butchers, prostitutes, those guilty of the five most heinous crimes, outcasts, the underprivileged: all are utterly the substance of existence and nothing other than total bliss."
The Supreme Source - The Kunjed Gyalpo
The Fundamental Tantra of Dzogchen Semde
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edgar_d
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Re: What a buddhist tradition did you choose and why?

Post by edgar_d »

Grigoris wrote: Sat Dec 08, 2018 7:11 pm
edgar_d wrote: Sat Dec 08, 2018 3:37 pmThat's pretty rotten luck, but I guess most would have no way of knowing.
It really does not have anything to do with luck, it is basically all about karma.
Sure. Like those gassed millions. But OK, I guess you can make karma mean pretty much anything you want. So I won't take the bait (any further).
Grigoris wrote: Sat Dec 08, 2018 7:11 pm
Even in a cultish sangha one may well learn some truly precious things.
Indeed, but one always has to weigh up the profit to loss ratio.
One tries, but one only get so far..
Grigoris wrote: Sat Dec 08, 2018 7:11 pm
Even in a very respectable mainstream sangha one may become seriously damaged.
Really? Can you give me an example of this? I mean, outside of the normal situation of happening across the lowest element in an otherwise flawless whole.
Really? With all the scandals, you need to ask this?
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Grigoris
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Re: What a buddhist tradition did you choose and why?

Post by Grigoris »

edgar_d wrote: Sat Dec 08, 2018 7:52 pmSure. Like those gassed millions. But OK, I guess you can make karma mean pretty much anything you want. So I won't take the bait (any further).
If it is not about karma then what is it about? Luck? God? Fate? Chance?
Really? With all the scandals, you need to ask this?
Yes. There is a difference between an apparently respectable Sangha and an actually respectable Sangha. Which one are you referring to? One rarely runs into serious (systematic) problems in an actually respectable Sangha, though one can fall prey to a less than savory individual within a respectable Sangha.
"My religion is not deceiving myself."
Jetsun Milarepa 1052-1135 CE

"Butchers, prostitutes, those guilty of the five most heinous crimes, outcasts, the underprivileged: all are utterly the substance of existence and nothing other than total bliss."
The Supreme Source - The Kunjed Gyalpo
The Fundamental Tantra of Dzogchen Semde
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edgar_d
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Re: What a buddhist tradition did you choose and why?

Post by edgar_d »

Grigoris wrote: Sat Dec 08, 2018 8:01 pm
edgar_d wrote: Sat Dec 08, 2018 7:52 pmReally? With all the scandals, you need to ask this?
Yes. There is a difference between an apparently respectable Sangha and an actually respectable Sangha. Which one are you referring to? One rarely runs into serious (systematic) problems in an actually respectable Sangha, though one can fall prey to a less than savory individual within a respectable Sangha.
If we step a few posts back and look at the context of someone new coming to a Sangha, then unless one has siddhis, 'apparent' is what one has to go one, while 'actual' is what may only become apparent later.
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edgar_d
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Re: What a buddhist tradition did you choose and why?

Post by edgar_d »

Grigoris wrote: Sat Dec 08, 2018 8:01 pm
edgar_d wrote: Sat Dec 08, 2018 7:52 pmSure. Like those gassed millions. But OK, I guess you can make karma mean pretty much anything you want. So I won't take the bait (any further).
If it is not about karma then what is it about? Luck? God? Fate? Chance?
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Re: What a buddhist tradition did you choose and why?

Post by Tiago Simões »

edgar_d wrote: Sat Dec 08, 2018 8:44 pm
Grigoris wrote: Sat Dec 08, 2018 8:01 pm
edgar_d wrote: Sat Dec 08, 2018 7:52 pmSure. Like those gassed millions. But OK, I guess you can make karma mean pretty much anything you want. So I won't take the bait (any further).
If it is not about karma then what is it about? Luck? God? Fate? Chance?
Śāriputra said, “Then, have you been in this house for quite some time?”

The goddess said, “Has the elder been in liberation for quite some time?”

At that, the elder Śāriputra fell silent.

6.­19
The goddess continued, “Elder, you are ‘foremost of the wise!’ Why do you not speak? Now, when it is your turn, you do not answer the question.”

Śāriputra: Since liberation is inexpressible, goddess, I do not know what to say.

6.­20
Goddess: All the syllables pronounced by the elder have the nature of liberation. Why? Liberation is neither internal nor external, nor can it be apprehended apart from them. Likewise, syllables are neither internal nor external, nor can they be apprehended anywhere else. Therefore, reverend Śāriputra, do not point to liberation by abandoning speech! Why? The holy liberation is the equality of all things!

-Vimala­kīrti­nirdeśa, Chapter 6
The Goddess
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