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Lineage Blessing
chrisd234
New
Hello,
I've been attending a Tibetan Buddhist center for several months on Sundays and recently due to work I've been temporarily relocated. There's a Buddhist center here as well so tonight I attended and within about twenty minutes the individual conducting service said that he was extremely intrigued and thought I had a lineage blessing from the medicine buddha. This was after some conversation on colors, lifestyle, habits, etc
He gave me a book to review with some meditation practices. A self study book and warned I may have scary dreams at first.
Can anyone give me more insight as to what a lineage blessing means to me? Where should I go from here? I'm supposed to call him later in the week to discuss more.
I've been attending a Tibetan Buddhist center for several months on Sundays and recently due to work I've been temporarily relocated. There's a Buddhist center here as well so tonight I attended and within about twenty minutes the individual conducting service said that he was extremely intrigued and thought I had a lineage blessing from the medicine buddha. This was after some conversation on colors, lifestyle, habits, etc
He gave me a book to review with some meditation practices. A self study book and warned I may have scary dreams at first.
Can anyone give me more insight as to what a lineage blessing means to me? Where should I go from here? I'm supposed to call him later in the week to discuss more.
0
Comments
Notice the person started out with flattery, to make you feel special. "Oh, you must have been blessed!" The old appeal-to-the-ego trick.
Like Dakini pointed out; you’re told there could be something special about you and now you’re curious.
You’ll go back there, wont you?
If you do; keep your feet on the ground. Don’t buy the phantasic stories.
You’re special enough as you are, without the mysterious lineage blessing.
Was/is he fluent in English? Just wondering if he may have chosen an awkward or misleading way of expressing his thoughts -- anyway, looking at the link, it sounds like it may be a custom in certain lineages of Tibetan Buddhism, certain prayers etc ... and maybe he's asking you to be part of that lineage, saying you've been blessed -- as undoubtedly others have been as well :-)
I attended service again today. He's a born American. He's actually the Army's first buddhist chaplain. The questions he asked weren't personally identifiable, just conversation he made and about life stuff.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/military/2009-09-08-buddhist-chaplain_N.htm
The stuff we spoke about just started as casual conversation. I have been attending a different dharma center for several months but had no guidance on where to "begin". Just what I had read online and heard from the monk giving "service" or teachings. Nothing specific, so I asked him where to begin and explained where I had attended and he had some questions and we somehow got on to the medicine buddha.
Today I had some more questions when I attended and asked for explanation and the long and the short of it boils down to, the best I can explain is I've probably followed the medicine buddha path before and its probably where I am supposed to follow it. His enthusiasm come from the sangha around and how surprised he is to continuously find others following a path.
So, I misunderstood a bit, or miscommunicated it here.
I'm still a bit confused. For ease of simplicity I'll just explain it very vaguely.. I'm the new guy, and I show up and decide I want to take it further...what do I do? Ask for guidance? I've been attending some form of buddhist service, almost entirely in the Tibetan tradition about once a month or more for almost a year. Where I normally live its an hour drive one way to attend so i dont make it as often.
Its definitely not like showing up at a protestant church where you walk in and are attacked with 500 people showing the way.
What I've taken away so far is I need to find a teacher. Is this a good start?
How should a beginner begin? Do you have any books? You could start with a beginner book (Pema Chodron is often suggested). We usually recommend studying the 4 Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path, the precepts, mindfulness and meditation, to start with. The Path and the precepts can be your guides as you mindfully watch your behavior throughout each day, pay attention to the choices you make, your motives for those choices etc., and check that against the precepts. At some point you may want to take a vow or two (or 5), making a commitment to the precepts. Or not. But I think those basics will give you plenty to work on.
Learning to still the mind in meditation is challenging for most people. Ask the teacher to show you the breathing technique for meditation, and start with 5 minutes, trying to stay focussed on the breath, in and out, for 5 minutes. Gradually work your way up to 10 minutes. And on, to 20 or 30 minutes. That alone could take you all year.
This is the one.