How and When to choose the right school..

teatime

I am relatively new (been practicing and learning for a little over a year now) to Buddhism.. I am having a difficult time on choosing a school of thought. I was curious how everyone made that decision and what important factors swayed them one way or another.

Any suggestions or information is greatly appreciated.

ALSO, what does one see as the most important step to begin a starting point once decided.

Thank you, and I look forward to hearing from everyone.

federica

If it's any comfort, I took 20 years to decide which school to follow.
And even now, I incorporate some practises from another school.
It little matters which school you follow.
Follow your own practice diligently, and follow a path of Wisdom, thought and intention which comes from what you learn, absorb, understand and accept.
There are no 'Musts' or 'Must nots' in Buddhism. And clinging to one specific tradition is not a pre-requisite or necessity.
Take your time.
Enjoy the walk.
Things will unfold as they unfold.
Until they do..... keep strolling.

Dazzle

Hi teatime,

I have been a Tibetan Buddhist practitioner for most of my life and now I'm investigating Theravada. My first choice was because I was drawn towards Tibetan Buddhism when I was a teenager and I didn't know anything about the other traditions.
I think its important to investigate carefully and visit different centres offline before making any decisions. Find out all you can about each centre and its tradition first on the internet, so that you have some kind of background information and then see how you get on there. Maybe you could go to a meditation class that's on offer.
It isn't always necessary to have a centre just around the corner. When I first started out, my centre of choice was nearly a whole day's journey from where I lived.

Good luck, and as Federica already said, take your time.

Kind wishes,


Dazzle

specialkayme

I can tell you I've been reading books for about six years now. I read all different kinds of books, of all different backgrounds. When I read a book, I don't care what type of practice the writer does, as long as it's helpful to me. After reading about 20 or so books, I was able to classify them into sections, such as ones that I found particularly enjoyable, ones that I totally agreed with, ones that didn't seem to make sense logically to me, and others that just seemed odd.

When I went back and found out what tradition each writer practices (I did it more out of curiosity than necessity) I found that most of the books that I enjoyed the most and the ones that I found logically inline with my own thought patterns were from the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism.

But I can't say that is the BEST way to do it, at least it's an option. Most don't have the patience to blindly read books for years on end to find out if they agree with them or not. In that case, I would recommend attending several different types of centers, or getting involved with different groups.

teatime

I suppose after analyzing the books which I have read and the practices I favor.. Tibetan Buddhism is also the path I seem to be learning towards. I personally feel that to achieve discipline I should focus and dedicate myself to one spiritual path.... with an open mind and respect to others insights, of course.

Thanks to all (:

With that being said... What were the most intriguing and eye opening books you have read [Dazzle and specialkayme] ?

uzeb

Sometimes you have to go with what's around. If you live in a large urban area, there will no doubt be more selection choices.

Best to try a few of them out, if possible. See what feels good to you. I went from tibetan to zen because I was more interested in meditation.

specialkayme

Well, I can tell you that I personally did not like any of the books that I have read by Thich Nhat Hanhor Osho. Of the two books that I read by HH, I loved both of them. Awakening the Buddha Within was also excellent (although the other books by Lama Das didn't match up), Tsering's series was also great.

I hope that helps some.

Jeffrey

I really enjoyed Thich Nhat Hanh.. Also Shunryu Suzuki... And Pema Chodron.. Trungpa Rinpoche...

Stephen

It all depends on how much extra effort to learn the Dhamma you want to go through. All schools of Buddhism recognize the authenticity of the Pali Canon, which contains (I think) the entirety of the Buddha's teachings. Although all sects of Buddhism do contain these teachings, they have also incorporated cultural traditions and religion into their particular form of Buddhism.

Wheresoever Buddhism traveled, it changed like everything else. Whether it was done intentionally to make it more palatable to different cultures, or if those cultures themselves did the modifying to better suit them, it doesn't much matter.

The truth ultimately is generated from within, by your own insight on the teachings, and whatever school you choose is almost entirely a matter of preference. Just keep in mind that the Pali Canon is about 11 times the size of the Christian bible, so anything that has been added just makes it that much more information to get through.

Stephen

Forgot to mention that Theravada Buddhism is considered the closest to the original form of Buddhism that was practiced during Siddhattha Gotama's life. They follow the Pali Canon exclusively, and although there are many schools of Mahayana Buddhism (Zen, Chan, Pure Land, etc.), there is only the one school of Theravada because of their insistence on not wavering from the Canon.

I'm not saying anything bad about the Mahayana sects. Where would Buddhism be if it was not able to adapt? It's a mark of how powerful the message of Buddhism is that it has been able to find a home in many cultures and nations in this world, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Choose a path, and follow. It's all good.

RichardH

Aldrisang wrote: »

there is only the one school of Theravada because of their insistence on not wavering from the Canon.

Theravada is not a monolith, there is much variation. There are study oriented styles where doctrinal knowledge is strong but practice is weak. There are practice oriented styles where practice is powerful and doctrinal rigidity almost non-existent. Theravada is evolving too.

There are Theravadin monastics whos practice consists of little more than blessing the laity's new car to keep money flowing into the Vihara. There are Theravadin monastics who are awakened saints by any measure. You find real differences is emphasis and openess. Talking to a student of Ajahn Cha is a very different experience than talking to a student of Mahasi Sayadaw' style. Look at the difference between some Srilankan monastics views and a that of a Thai forest monastic. Look at the difference between the ways of a brown robe and an orange robe. Vietnamese style Theravada blends with Zen in some cases....

There are Theravadin teacher who leave Sutta behind and teach from experience, with creativity and flexability, adapting to the needs of the sangha.

Stephen

I'm not surprised there is variation in the way that Theravada is taught based on many factors. I was only pointing out that as far as it is defined in comparison to the Mahayana schools, Theravada uses the Pali Canon almost (if not entirely) exclusively, which had been transmitted orally since not long after the Buddha's parinibbana and then written down in the Pali language much later.

Not having any religious affiliation of my own to begin with, if I were to choose to actually become a bhikkhu, I would consider the simplistic and direct method employed by the Theravada school. I would expect one to choose the form that is most prevalent in their culture as a matter of conditioning itself, but being from America I've had to look at all forms to determine their conditions for difference.

That being said, I do not consider myself a Buddhist in the traditional sense, or perhaps at all. I am awakened because of the Buddha's teachings, but what I do now is not for my own release but for the good of others.

The point is ultimately moot; it does not matter which school of Buddhism you follow, as long as you actually follow Siddhattha Gotama's teachings. They are, after all, the foundation upon which the vast body of knowledge we have about Buddhism have been based. Practice with diligence, and attain the goal.