is this a wrong way to go

coz

i seem to be drawn to Tebetin Buddhism but i also find inspiration from the other Buddhist schools
of thought should i get more focus and follow only the one, it feels like a crossroad but im not sure,
if i sound confused its because i am lol,
help am i mixing myself up or is it cool to want to learn it all
thank you in advance
namaste
Coz

karasti

I think it's fine to learn as much about any one thing as you desire. You will probably find over time that one "speaks" to you more than the other, but there's nothing wrong with learning from all areas. the only thing to be careful of is research/knowledge burnout. I know with me, sometimes if I go back and forth between different things too much, I don't really grasp much of any of it, and then I just end up dropping it for a while in frustration over tryin to compare and understand 2 different types of thought.

The main thing to remember is what Buddha actually taught. If you can keep the 4 Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path in mind at all times, you'll be doing better than most, regardless of which school you technically study.

coz

awsome thank you very much Karasti that helped a great deal

Jeffrey

The sects (and rangtong/shentong) often define words all down the line differently. There is obvious wisdom in all of them, but because of ^ it is confusing. My teacher said to stick to one tradition and even one teacher. She said when you understood one deeply you would be able to see what the others are saying, because you had actually experienced a thorough deep understanding rather than confusion of mixing.

federica

@coz, I practised Buddhism for around 15 years before I opted for one specific tradition; even then (and now) I incorporate details from other schools, as seems fit.

ThailandTom

federica said:

@coz, I practised Buddhism for around 15 years before I opted for one specific tradition; even then (and now) I incorporate details from other schools, as seems fit.

I myself have been practicing for maybe 4 years now and I still soak up whatever material comes my way if I can. I do not conform to a certain tradition or teacher, after reading and or listening to certain teachers I can take bits from each which relate to me and which I believe can help me in the right direction. Why should one conform to one sect of Buddhism? Have you asked yourself this properly?

I refer back to a disciple of the Buddha who was listening to a talk given by the Buddha to many other followers at the time, he asked this disciple if he believed this teaching and he replied that no he did not. The buddha praised him and said this is a man full of wisdom as he questions, reflects and takes what is said to him properly, he does not blindly believe. This man will make a good teacher. So I think it is good to browse around and pick what you like or don't like. I personally have taken less from the zen tradition, but I still have used it to my advantages.

coz

awsome answers all thank you very much i feel so much more focused now
namaste
Coz

caz

Find one and practice it to completion.

ThailandTom

coz said:

awsome answers all thank you very much i feel so much more focused now
namaste
Coz

Take things slowly and expect nothing. Simply do some research and studying, then take that into everyday life and reflect upon it. The path is one that carries on an on Buddhist or non Buddhist, the Dhamma is there if you see it or not, believe it or not. So I would suggest (and I am not teacher, far from it), that you start to meditate on how your mind intereacts with the sensory doors, i.r the eye, ear nose etc. What is this that is observing and knowing? Ask yourself the unquestionstable whilst meditating. I hope this helps.

Cinorjer

Yes, there is no "wrong way" to go. If eventually you decide one particular school of Buddhism isn't for you, then it's not like you've wasted a single moment of time. This isn't college where credits don't transfer over to another university so you have to start back at the beginning. Take what you learned and apply it to your life and move on.

driedleaf

Since everything that we are looking for comes from within, it doesn't really matter what we wear on the outside. We will have to discard our raft eventually once we reach the shore.

ThailandTom

driedleaf said:

Since everything that we are looking for comes from within, it doesn't really matter what we wear on the outside. We will have to discard our raft eventually once we reach the shore.

Very coincodental that the book I am reading now has a chapter named 'The Raft.' I am not going to type out the entire chapter but the final parangraph reads like this.
'The way of mindfulness is, however, always appropriate to the time and the place, to the way things are in their good and bad aspects. Then suffering isn't dependent on the world being good or bad, but on how willing we are to use wisdom in this present moment. The way out of suffering is now, in being able to see things as they are.'

It also says that the shore you left from is an illusion and the shore you reach is an illusion, the raft itself is another illusion but not to be disgarded, the wise mind should know how to build a raft from what is around them at that current moment in time.

driedleaf

You got me there.
Correction: We will have to leave the raft along the shore instead of carrying it with us.

ThailandTom

I don't my friend lol, I am only writing from what I have read, I am still taking it in by re-reading certain passages such as this. Ajahn Sumedho is western who learnt under Ajahn Chah and I have taken a liking to his way of teaching. If you carry anything with you though, you carry a burden. I guess it depends on how extreme you take this religion, if you have made a family that is something you will need to carry by morals. He and Ajahn Chah speak about how they have seen the limitations of having a family thus being in robes for so long, although this is not for everyone. But yea, a raft can be created from whatever is around you, that is the way it is so use it, deal with it as you cannot take control of it. When it is used discard it rather than cling to any feelings of pleasure or displeasure, even indifference.

coz

thank you for that i feel so much better than i did yesterday
as i meditate today there will be a new freedom in my heart
i realize my life is the raft and my elightenment is the water and i never need to go to shore

coz

it seems so clear to me now its not what we take in its what we give out
peace and joy
Coz

kilesa

Hi Coz,

delighted to see a friend on the path;
there are many good answers here.

During the lifetime of the Buddha, there's no different traditions.
There's only one.
Over the years, with Buddhism having more and more followers.
Different teachers uses different methods to teach their students,
which in turns use variants of those methods to train themselves which
in turns also teaches their students. Thus evolves the different traditions.

Be mindful now, Buddhism is about just about knowing "you" and "you" only.
Buddhism is about investigating and understands the inner being of yourself,

The crossroad is there because the "ego" the "self" is being confused,
it is not because of the different traditions.

You will find that all path is just one narrowed path like what @karasati have stated.

May mindfulness and wisdom be with all,

kilesa

coz

i agree it is definately a amazing time of letting go
i wear a small metal ring on my pointer finger to remind me that my ego will never
serve me well
i feel this site and all who belong to it is making a wonderful change in my life
thank you

federica

"Remember when you are pointing a finger at someone, three other fingers are pointing back at you".

coz

that is awsome never thought about it that way