Why?

KungaTashi

Haven't posted here in a while... hope you are all doing well

A question was posed to me, and I am now going to ask you all the same question...

As you've walked this path, I'm sure many of you have dabbled with this tradition and that one, but what drew you to the one you practice right now? Are you a Zennist, a Tibetan Buddhist, Theravadan, etc? Why?

Engyo

I practice Nichiren Buddhism, with the Nichiren Shu school. I began practicing Buddhism with Nichiren practice; I gravitated towards Nichiren Shu because of their views on Nichiren's teachings and their overall attitude, especially including the role of women within the school.

Javelin

I began in Theravada (mostly), finding it extremely useful as far as the Pali Canon. I've always been a good 'book learner', and so it was my flavor. I practiced insight meditation along with study and my view has changed somewhat, that now I find the truth outside of words. I began studying Zen recently and have found that indeed words are more a barrier to understanding than anything.

The different traditions are each in a way Non-Self, preserving themselves as if fearing death (like an individual human). This is needed for transmission of the Dharma, but the divisions in the Dharma are not because one is right and the others wrong. The divisions are born of our selfishness as well as our selflessness (these are our views, not necessarily the Buddha's). There is only one Dharma, and that Dharma can only be pointed toward with words, or as in Zen without them (in most cases).

So strange this path, and so strange are we. Yet....understandably so, if we take ourselves out of the limelight and consider from a selfless angle.

Right now, I'm somewhat 'outside' of tradition, or perhaps a student of all traditions. It's hard to say, but I go now with what I can see over words that try to describe a unique taste to one's mind. Only the mind can find, can see. Roll with it.

Namaste

FoibleFull

I practice Tibetan Buddhism as per the Gelugpa tradition.

Why? Over 10 years ago, a dying tulku rinpoche seems to have blessed me at the moment of his death. The experience of emptiness and stillness lasted for months, fading only gradually.

I say "seems" because the experience happened at the same moment that I looked at the clock, which was also the same moment as this tulku's death.
And because my sister (who was talking lessons in Buddhism from him) had asked him to bless me a few months prior and he had said he would.
And because I felt this happen at the same time as my sister claims to have seen a flash of light go into my aura (her words).
And because his death was unexpected.
And perhaps it was all nothing more than a bizarre coincidence, and perhaps the lingering effect was nothing more than a testimony to the power of mental suggestion. What matters is that the end result was good. And that end result was ...

I decided it might be a good idea to go to the local Gelugpa Tibetan Buddhism centre in my town (this was the school the tulku had belonged to) and start taking lessons in Buddhism. Oh, and it WAS a good idea!

truthseeker

Theravada, because I am surrounded by it.

After 15 years of being surrounded by Theravada, however, I do like to go beyond it on occasion and open up my mind for something else. For this reason I enjoy studying Mahayana. I find Tibetan Buddhism fascinating, but I am a bit put off by the emphasis on ritual. I am also drawn to Zen, because of the emphasis on practice and because of its Japanese "minimalism". Philosophically, I found Yogacara quite impressive.

Cheers, Thomas