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More questions... chanting, choosing traditions, teachers, etc...
On another forum I post in something came up about chanting and I mentioned that I chanted two different mantras, one Nichiren and the other Tibetan. It was then said to me that I need to not mix two traditions when chanting, meditating, etc because it would cause confusion in my learning. It was also said that choosing one tradition to follow, my mind and practice would be alot clearer to the dharma teachings. I do understand all this, and it makes perfect sense in a way, but does anyone care to clear this up a bit for me?
And I know this has been asked, but once a person chooses a traditional path to follow, should they then try to find a teacher of that tradition? I can see how important it is, just wanted some more input on these questoins. Thank you all in advance. Hope you are all having a great weekend!
And I know this has been asked, but once a person chooses a traditional path to follow, should they then try to find a teacher of that tradition? I can see how important it is, just wanted some more input on these questoins. Thank you all in advance. Hope you are all having a great weekend!
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Comments
First off, let me say hello and welcome!
As for your question, I am not sure but what I can share is that I am a Nichiren Buddhist, so I chant as well. I will be checking this thread to see if someone can answer your question as well. Once again, welcome to the site!
Adiana :usflag:
I suppose that everyone will have his or her own opinions concerning this topic, and my advice would be to ask yourself whether you want to develop a skill that will lead you all the way to the end of suffering. If the answer is yes, then I would suggest that you seriously think about picking one tradition to follow so that you are able to devote your full attention and effort into practicing. It is also good to keep in mind that some traditions have a very different approach to practicing the Dhamma than others, and combining them might not be the most skillful thing to do.
If you find a tradition that feels right for you, it would probably be a good idea to find a teacher who can guide you along the way. Not all teachers are going to be good teachers, but there are certainly many who can help to inspire confidence, answer difficult questions, and really give your practice a boost when you run into unforeseen difficulties. Although you can receive good advice from people on the internet like us, it is preferable to have someone you really know and trust—someone who has dedicated their life to understanding, living, and teaching Dhamma.
Jason
Thanks alot Jason, your answer really helped me out here. I've asked myself the question and now know the necessary step to move on. I appreciate it.
By the way, how have you been? Hope all is well!!!
You're welcome, and I'm doing well. Thanks for asking.
Jason
I don't know how long you have been on the Path but in my 16 years I have had not had a teacher - contrary to what everyone seems to say - including teachers. There are a number of reasons for this and I can expand if you wish - the point I wish to make is that until you have some experience of renunciation and a substancial motivation to follow the Path (notice I said 'Path' and not 'Tradition') you will probably not appreciate the idea of finding a teacher.
However, this does not mean you cannot make a decision to follow a particular tradition - for the moment - remember, everything changes including our own thinking compounded by our experience. In the West we are constrained in a number of ways - as yet Buddhism is not mainstream so we are playing catchup a fair bit - we do not have the facilities, including the teachers, that we can access as others do, particulalr in the East and Sub-continent. We have cultural impearatives which are nothing short of physical obstructions to seeking a teacher - like distance and costs. On the other hand most of us in the West have access to the Web and the many publication now in English is expanding rapidly.
Two things further - sorry about the length - don't unnecessarily put pressure on yourself to do something and you can achieve this by making yourself familiar with the teachings which necessarily means that following one tradition will increase the likelihood of the familiarity being achieved.
May you find your answer.
Check them out, LFA. They are wondrous.
But -
How many Catholic-Protestants do you know?
It would seem that mixing up many religions would cause confusion. But, we have a certain pilgrim on this site that has mixed up so many things and still seems to have a sense of clarity that is very interesting...
-bf
Thank you!
This is LamRim.com, one of my favourites at the moment.
This is AudioDharma.org
This is BuddhaNet.net audio.
This is Dharmastream.org
This is Dharmatalks.org
This is MettaForest.org
This is Tathagata.org
There are many more. Just use Google and enjoy!!
.. Even though sogypal ripoche says opposite.. that we should dedicate ourselves to 1 religion solely. I don't think you can realise things and put your mind at rest, i think that is but another form of indentifying yourself.
.i refuse to class myself as any buddhist or religion.. simply because i am me and thats not any name.
I think Sogyal Rinpoche was talking of those who have done all the investigative research they need to do and wish to finally devote themselves to one particular path. Some people are ready for that and some are not. You're still young and as you get older your feelings and opinions will change, along with everything else. Nothing is set in stone. Remember to cultivate a flexible mind. It's far more important to remain flexible than it is to cling to one's opinions.
Palzang
Am I to suppose that I am the pilgrim to whom you refer, BF?
Yes, certainly, I use a mix of 'traditions'. In Christian terms, I suppose I am a Catholic-Protestant (a Roaming Catholic, I used to say), believing in 'justification' but also revering the saints and the long history of monasticism.
Without in any way discounting the hard and concentrated work of those who can devote themselves 100% to a single explanation and practice, I find this does not 'fit' for me. The Mystery is just so large, so multi-faceted that I rejoice in the variety of views from so many centuries and so many inspired teachers.
The phrase that I use is that each of the 'spiritualities' is no more than a disguise that the Mystery puts on but that none can completely encompass the whole. As an example, I take the mountain that we call Everest: seen from Nepal it has one shape, from China another, but it is always the same mountain.
I am aware that this is similar to the New Age crap that we are fed by self-styled gurus. The difference, I hope, is that I do not assert that this or that 'explanation' is an absolute truth, nor would I persecute or exile anyone with a different view. The basis of all that I do, with those who work with me on their spiritual journey, is to arrive at the best and most complete expression of this individual's life, within its context and action.
For me, the aim is not about someThing or 'Person' Out There but the true flowering of the person In Here. This is completely different from ego-reinforcement, although that may be a starting point: it is, ultimately, the passing away of exactly that which we hang onto.
If, in order to come to that realisation (i.e. making real), a person finds aids in mantras or the Dikr or the Rosary, so much the better.
Perhaps the key to all this is that I cannot take any of the gospels, dharmas, vaticans etc. very seriously. They are all so funny!! One of my friends is a jazz fanatic, having more or less rejected his original folk music roots. I cannot agree that this or that musical form is 'better' than another, any more than I can say that this or that colour is better: they make sense or not according to the person receiving them.
I'm not sure if this makes sense. It arises from a conviction that each and every spiritual path has something to teach, is a different finger pointing at the same Moon. Thus I respect and revere each one to some degree and, above all, the individuals who have found solace and personal development therein.
BTW, I use a whole slew of 'mantras' drawn from many traditions, including (as I notice others here do, too) from music and the arts.
Don't take me wrong, I wasn't making a negative reference to you. I find that you have a certain clarity regarding how all things can inter-relate. In a, somewhat, Joseph Campbell way.
-bf
And still the wonder grew,
That one small head
could carry all it knew."
(Oliver Goldsmith, 'The Deserted Village.')
EDIT NOTE: VERY OFF-TOPIC.
(The poem is beautiful, but very long, and laments the death of country life caused by the Industrial Revolution in England, that caused so many countryside hamlets and villages to die, as the inhabitants migrated to the big citiesto work, often ending up in abject poverty. It's worth persevering and reading, if only to note that employment problems seem to have always existed, in whatever age.....You'll find it in full, here.....
For Simon and anyone else interested in comparative religion/philosophy, have you ever read the book Navajo and Tibetan Sacred Wisdom: The Circle of the Spirit, by Peter Gold? Fascinating book.
Palzang
Palzang
school" of Buddhism I was most suited to/most comfortable with. I think you must read a lot about ALL the schools and see what first seems to make the most sense to you. If you are fortunate enough to have a variety of Buddhist centers/temples in your area you can try them all out for a fit. If you are like ,ost of us....kinda of on our own, it's not so simple. I first had to decide between the major choices of Mahayana vs Theravadan. That was easy enough but then it got more complicated. In the end I decided that philosophically speaking Soto Zen was the most comfortable choice for me. Now...where to practice or learn more....this wasn't easy to do in Southwestern Missouri...Ozarks country. Chats with local asian store proprietors to locate an elusive temple or center revealed simply that despite our large asian population...Springfield has NO temple or centers. For meditation training I decided to attend a 10 day Vipassana Retreat at Dhamma Pakasa in Illinois. This gave me some basic understandng of that aspect of Buddhist practice but now I need more. I have registered and been accepted to spend 2 weeks in February 2007 at MABA which is a large Chinese Buddhist Temple in Augusta, Mo. I am hoping that this will give me the lessons and training in practice, rituals, sutras, chants, etc that Ii feel my current practice is missing. Good Luck!
Palzang
Love should lift us up where we belong, Brigid
teehee
Brigid, take a deep breath, sit down, take a few more deep breaths...
Whenever I find myself in a similar state, not knowing which way to turn, I've found the best thing to do is just drop it. Erase it from your mind. Turn it over. Shut off the brain engine. However you want to describe it. When you truly let it go, the answer will come. Always has for me anyway.
Palzang
Xray,
You're a freak.
Thich Naht Hanh seemed to not have a problem with syncretism. Everyone else tells me it is wrong and confusing. But I feel a great satisfaction and appreciation when I can incorporate the teachings from people throughout all places and time in my daily life. I have no intention of finding a teacher because there is no better teacher than myself when it concerns my own life.
And as for that mountain, I don't plan on racing anyone to the top. The journey is short enough as it is.