A single sadhana or practice

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FiveSkandhas
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A single sadhana or practice

Post by FiveSkandhas »

Hello.
Many of you have received multiple sadhana and practice empowerments; it seems some of you have received many indeed.

I am just curious: if you were to restrict yourself to a single sadhana or practice, which would you choose and why?
"One should cultivate contemplation in one’s foibles. The foibles are like fish, and contemplation is like fishing hooks. If there are no fish, then the fishing hooks have no use. The bigger the fish is, the better the result we will get. As long as the fishing hooks keep at it, all foibles will eventually be contained and controlled at will." -Zhiyi

"Just be kind." -Atisha
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PadmaVonSamba
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Re: A single sadhana or practice

Post by PadmaVonSamba »

Chenrezig
EMPTIFUL.
An inward outlook produces outward insight.
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Re: A single sadhana or practice

Post by Johnny Dangerous »

FiveSkandhas wrote: Sun Jan 10, 2021 12:51 am Hello.
Many of you have received multiple sadhana and practice empowerments; it seems some of you have received many indeed.

I am just curious: if you were to restrict yourself to a single sadhana or practice, which would you choose and why?
Chenrezig. Part of that is that I like the particular practice I received, I have received other more 'advanced' tantric practices that didn't resonate the same way. A big part of the significance was events and personal experiences surrounding the initiation. Those experiences convinced me it was something I should definitely commit to, and was a profound practice. I don't wanna give more detail here because it's a pretty personal story, but there you go.

Beyond that, i have just benefited enough from it over time that I also know it "works as advertised" in a relative sense too.
Meditate upon Bodhicitta when afflicted by disease

Meditate upon Bodhicitta when sad

Meditate upon Bodhicitta when suffering occurs

Meditate upon Bodhicitta when you are scared

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Re: A single sadhana or practice

Post by Norwegian »

FiveSkandhas wrote: Sun Jan 10, 2021 12:51 am Hello.
Many of you have received multiple sadhana and practice empowerments; it seems some of you have received many indeed.

I am just curious: if you were to restrict yourself to a single sadhana or practice, which would you choose and why?
Guru Yoga.
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Re: A single sadhana or practice

Post by Schrödinger’s Yidam »

Chenrezig. Definitely. As the previous Kalu R. pointed out, with Chenrezig any tendency one may have to go off track is self corrected by the practice itself.

But then again Garab Dorje received Dzogchen from Vajrasattva.

Just sayin’...
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Re: A single sadhana or practice

Post by PeterC »

This question is dangerously close to asking people what their personal practice is
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FiveSkandhas
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Re: A single sadhana or practice

Post by FiveSkandhas »

PeterC wrote: Sun Jan 10, 2021 8:37 am This question is dangerously close to asking people what their personal practice is
Is that forbidden on Dharma Web? If so I apologise.
"One should cultivate contemplation in one’s foibles. The foibles are like fish, and contemplation is like fishing hooks. If there are no fish, then the fishing hooks have no use. The bigger the fish is, the better the result we will get. As long as the fishing hooks keep at it, all foibles will eventually be contained and controlled at will." -Zhiyi

"Just be kind." -Atisha
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Re: A single sadhana or practice

Post by PeterC »

FiveSkandhas wrote: Sun Jan 10, 2021 8:59 am
PeterC wrote: Sun Jan 10, 2021 8:37 am This question is dangerously close to asking people what their personal practice is
Is that forbidden on Dharma Web? If so I apologise.
Not forbidden, but no serious practitioner will tell you specifically what they’re doing, so it’s not great etiquette to ask. Your practice is private.
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Re: A single sadhana or practice

Post by Lingpupa »

That's a more intimate question than I care to answer. It's like asking which of the girlfriends I ever had was best in bed. :tongue:
All best wishes

"The profundity of your devotion to your lama is not measured by your ability to turn a blind eye."
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FiveSkandhas
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Re: A single sadhana or practice

Post by FiveSkandhas »

PeterC wrote: Sun Jan 10, 2021 9:11 am
FiveSkandhas wrote: Sun Jan 10, 2021 8:59 am
PeterC wrote: Sun Jan 10, 2021 8:37 am This question is dangerously close to asking people what their personal practice is
Is that forbidden on Dharma Web? If so I apologise.
Not forbidden, but no serious practitioner will tell you specifically what they’re doing, so it’s not great etiquette to ask. Your practice is private.
Well I apologise again and obviously nobody has to answer. Excuse my naiveite. While I know it's always wrong to brag about accomplishments, I've never before gotten the message that one can't mention, for example, their sectarian Mahayana affiliation. Our Nichiren friends here, for example, are certainly not shy about revealing their path. And many a mantrayana member has mentioned or made known in various threads that they hold this or that empowerment, no?

Is the secrecy attached to personal practice Vajrayana etiquette in particular?
"One should cultivate contemplation in one’s foibles. The foibles are like fish, and contemplation is like fishing hooks. If there are no fish, then the fishing hooks have no use. The bigger the fish is, the better the result we will get. As long as the fishing hooks keep at it, all foibles will eventually be contained and controlled at will." -Zhiyi

"Just be kind." -Atisha
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Re: A single sadhana or practice

Post by Johnny Dangerous »

FiveSkandhas wrote: Sun Jan 10, 2021 9:41 am
PeterC wrote: Sun Jan 10, 2021 9:11 am
FiveSkandhas wrote: Sun Jan 10, 2021 8:59 am

Is that forbidden on Dharma Web? If so I apologise.
Not forbidden, but no serious practitioner will tell you specifically what they’re doing, so it’s not great etiquette to ask. Your practice is private.
Well I apologise again and obviously nobody has to answer. Excuse my naiveite. While I know it's always wrong to brag about accomplishments, I've never before gotten the message that one can't mention, for example, their sectarian Mahayana affiliation. Our Nichiren friends here, for example, are certainly not shy about revealing their path. And many a mantrayana member has mentioned or made known in various threads that they hold this or that empowerment, no?

Is the secrecy attached to personal practice Vajrayana etiquette in particular?
Well, no one is going to tell you about their specific daily practice or list all the Annutara initiations they've had ...but frankly IMO people act a little silly about this. To my mind you were asking what is a good "standard practice", and personally I answered it in that spirit. HHDL has mentioned doing Chenrezig every day publicly, for example.

Once you get to HYT and Dzogchen though, generally it's considered bad mojo to talk a lot about the practice you are doing.

Not every teacher reacts the same way to this, but textually the tradition is pretty clear to keep things on the down low.

And yes, there is a lot of contradiction to these things in the way the rules play out in online communities. I am agnostic on that, but it is a fact.
Meditate upon Bodhicitta when afflicted by disease

Meditate upon Bodhicitta when sad

Meditate upon Bodhicitta when suffering occurs

Meditate upon Bodhicitta when you are scared

-Khunu Lama
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FiveSkandhas
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Re: A single sadhana or practice

Post by FiveSkandhas »

Thanks for the clarification above, J.D.
"One should cultivate contemplation in one’s foibles. The foibles are like fish, and contemplation is like fishing hooks. If there are no fish, then the fishing hooks have no use. The bigger the fish is, the better the result we will get. As long as the fishing hooks keep at it, all foibles will eventually be contained and controlled at will." -Zhiyi

"Just be kind." -Atisha
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Re: A single sadhana or practice

Post by Könchok Thrinley »

Probably white Tara, she is a special lady. :heart:
“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.

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Re: A single sadhana or practice

Post by Natan »

Johnny Dangerous wrote: Sun Jan 10, 2021 9:51 am
FiveSkandhas wrote: Sun Jan 10, 2021 9:41 am
PeterC wrote: Sun Jan 10, 2021 9:11 am

Not forbidden, but no serious practitioner will tell you specifically what they’re doing, so it’s not great etiquette to ask. Your practice is private.
Well I apologise again and obviously nobody has to answer. Excuse my naiveite. While I know it's always wrong to brag about accomplishments, I've never before gotten the message that one can't mention, for example, their sectarian Mahayana affiliation. Our Nichiren friends here, for example, are certainly not shy about revealing their path. And many a mantrayana member has mentioned or made known in various threads that they hold this or that empowerment, no?

Is the secrecy attached to personal practice Vajrayana etiquette in particular?
Well, no one is going to tell you about their specific daily practice or list all the Annutara initiations they've had ...but frankly IMO people act a little silly about this. To my mind you were asking what is a good "standard practice", and personally I answered it in that spirit. HHDL has mentioned doing Chenrezig every day publicly, for example.

Once you get to HYT and Dzogchen though, generally it's considered bad mojo to talk a lot about the practice you are doing.

Not every teacher reacts the same way to this, but textually the tradition is pretty clear to keep things on the down low.

And yes, there is a lot of contradiction to these things in the way the rules play out in online communities. I am agnostic on that, but it is a fact.
Also true no one will ever know my secret.
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Re: A single sadhana or practice

Post by Ayu »

FiveSkandhas wrote: Sun Jan 10, 2021 12:51 am Hello.
Many of you have received multiple sadhana and practice empowerments; it seems some of you have received many indeed.

I am just curious: if you were to restrict yourself to a single sadhana or practice, which would you choose and why?
Yes, as the discussion above suggests, I belong to those persons who do not like to talk about their favorite practice. It's not a matter of restriction by the teacher but it's a very intimate topic. As soon as I discuss these topics (who is my teacher, who is my favorite diety) with a not completely benevolent person, it seems to me to get stained somehow. I give random people the opportunity to gossip/slander about my practice. That's why I don't feel comfortable with it, even when everything stays fine.

To your question: I had some confusion at the beginning which practice I should take mainly. When I asked my teacher, he could soothe that stirr by saying: "All Buddhas are the same." Then I could feel, there is no contradiction and no competition between the yidams.
But I practiced every diety for a while, because like this I had the impression to get in contact, to have a glimpse of who they are.

Now there is a good variety of practices I can choose in the different phases of my life. This means, there is one main practice I do always until the rest of my life (hopefully I'm able to perform it still at the end). And in certain times I remember different dieties. Sometimes there is a lack of compassion, sometimes I need to remember emptiness better, sometimes friends need support in sickness or whatever.

So, in my view there is a field full of buddhas who are ready to help individually. They are one and not competing. Some are more close to me than others.
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Re: A single sadhana or practice

Post by Malcolm »

FiveSkandhas wrote: Sun Jan 10, 2021 9:41 am
Is the secrecy attached to personal practice Vajrayana etiquette in particular?
Yes, and people here gossip too much about what they are doing and so on.n
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Re: A single sadhana or practice

Post by fckw »

Keeping one's practice secret helps to avoid fostering misconceptions in other (non-) practitioners. It also helps keeping up the cloak about all sorts of abusive behavior within religious organizations.

I personally tend to find the latter the worse evil than the former, but that's my personal opinion.
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Re: A single sadhana or practice

Post by Dharmaswede »

FiveSkandhas wrote: Sun Jan 10, 2021 12:51 am Hello.
Many of you have received multiple sadhana and practice empowerments; it seems some of you have received many indeed.

I am just curious: if you were to restrict yourself to a single sadhana or practice, which would you choose and why?
The Six Session Guru Yoga is a good candidate, being a rather well rounded practice. In essence, it is a combined Ngöndro but it can also hold-integrate-pack, other practices such as a Yidam.
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Re: A single sadhana or practice

Post by heart »

FiveSkandhas wrote: Sun Jan 10, 2021 12:51 am Hello.
Many of you have received multiple sadhana and practice empowerments; it seems some of you have received many indeed.

I am just curious: if you were to restrict yourself to a single sadhana or practice, which would you choose and why?
You have to restrict yourself to a single practice if you want to accomplish it. So do the one you want to accomplish.

/magnus
"We are all here to help each other go through this thing, whatever it is."
~Kurt Vonnegut

"The principal practice is Guruyoga. But we need to understand that any secondary practice combined with Guruyoga becomes a principal practice." ChNNR (Teachings on Thun and Ganapuja)
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Re: A single sadhana or practice

Post by Jangchup Donden »

FiveSkandhas wrote: Sun Jan 10, 2021 12:51 am Hello.
Many of you have received multiple sadhana and practice empowerments; it seems some of you have received many indeed.

I am just curious: if you were to restrict yourself to a single sadhana or practice, which would you choose and why?
Whichever my guru recommended. I don't have the wisdom to know which practice would have the most benefit to others and myself, but he does.
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