The living practice tradition of the Buddha's teachings survives to this day because of two types of transmission- transmission of scripture and transmission of realization.
Transmission of scripture is the living transmission of the repository of Dharma from generation to generation. It is teaching, discussing and practicing the root and practice texts. The transmission of scripture should be wide spread and joyfully given to those who seek it out.
The transmission of realization occurs between teacher and student. It is the lighting of a torch. Once lit, it burns just as bright and luminous as its source. The source doesn't lose anything, and the newly lit torch has nothing further to gain.
This transmission of realization is the essence of the practice lineage (sgrub rgyud). It is the transmission of the awakened mind, the direct recognition of our innate buddha heart. In Dzogchen it is the direct realization of our own nature, rigpa as the natural great perfection.
This lighting of the torch is not easy. It takes time, dedication, effort. It depends on a genuine connection, commitment and karma.
The source torch burns bright and without discrimination, but few torches can really be lit because they don't come prepared. They are too loose, unkept, or waver once they get close. Some, being lit, lack the merit to sustain the blaze and burnout.
You should seek out the transmission of scripture widely and with great enthusiasm. But for the transmission of realization, you need to get to work.
Clarify your practice. Let your practice clarify you.
Showing posts with label lineage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lineage. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 28, 2017
Friday, November 4, 2016
Have you read this?
A key aspect to the preservation and transmission of the Buddhas teachings lies in the way that they are passed on from generation to generation. There are certain teachings that anyone can read or practice.
Choose a book, read it, reflect on it, use it to support your practice.
There are other texts that traditionally require a lung (pronounced with long u). Lung is the Tibetan for oral or reading transmission. It is an authorization to study or practice a text, but also more than that. In order to receive the lung for a text, you need to get it from someone who already has the lung. So the lung is a living transmission from teacher to student from generation to generation. The teachings are alive because the lung is intact.
The key aspect of maintaining the living tradition of the Buddha's teachings is the teacher-student connection.
This also goes much deeper. There are hundreds of teachings of the Buddha and other great masters that no longer have a living lineage of transmission. You could find one of these texts, have it translated and read it. It might be an amazing teaching that profoundly impacts your life, but who do you talk to about it? Have you ever read a book that makes a huge impact on your life or perspective? You want to share it with someone, you want to talk about it, discuss challenging sections.
The tradition of passing on the teachings through an oral tradition from teacher to student ensures that the student has someone to come back to with questions. They have a network they can tap into if they need it.
If you could only read books if you received the oral transmission, what do you think you would receive? If you gave out oral transmissions of books that made an impact in your life, which ones would you want to pass on (assuming you had received the lung to begin with!)?
If we only read books due to connections we had with others, would you be advocating for giving as many lungs as possible?
Choose a book, read it, reflect on it, use it to support your practice.
There are other texts that traditionally require a lung (pronounced with long u). Lung is the Tibetan for oral or reading transmission. It is an authorization to study or practice a text, but also more than that. In order to receive the lung for a text, you need to get it from someone who already has the lung. So the lung is a living transmission from teacher to student from generation to generation. The teachings are alive because the lung is intact.
The key aspect of maintaining the living tradition of the Buddha's teachings is the teacher-student connection.
This also goes much deeper. There are hundreds of teachings of the Buddha and other great masters that no longer have a living lineage of transmission. You could find one of these texts, have it translated and read it. It might be an amazing teaching that profoundly impacts your life, but who do you talk to about it? Have you ever read a book that makes a huge impact on your life or perspective? You want to share it with someone, you want to talk about it, discuss challenging sections.
The tradition of passing on the teachings through an oral tradition from teacher to student ensures that the student has someone to come back to with questions. They have a network they can tap into if they need it.
If you could only read books if you received the oral transmission, what do you think you would receive? If you gave out oral transmissions of books that made an impact in your life, which ones would you want to pass on (assuming you had received the lung to begin with!)?
If we only read books due to connections we had with others, would you be advocating for giving as many lungs as possible?
Monday, September 19, 2016
Secret.
གསང་བ་
Tibetan: Sangwa
English: Secret, hidden
Many of the Buddhas' teachings, especially those of the Vajrayana, are described as being secret. Their are many lineages of esoteric teachings that descend from Tibet, many which are dying out as the tradition meets with a global culture and modern civilization.
Many might ask, if the teachings are dying out, what is the point in keeping them secret?
We think of secrecy or hidden teachings in which the practitioners are sworn to silence, vowing not to disclose the practice. That is our ordinary perception and understanding of these teachings, just talk about them and they will stay alive and spread, right?
But the teachings are actually secret because they they are beyond mere words. They can be shown, witnessed or revealed, but they cannot be explained.
The teachings remain secret unless we commit ourselves to them, unless we become the working basis for the practice to unfold. The act of working through the practice reveals that which is beyond description.
The life of the teachings then does not depend on simply sharing the teachings, it depends on people committing their lives to their practice. Once we have received the blessings of the lineage, it is up to us to engage in the practice and develop it to its maturation.
The practice tradition is the holder of the secret teachings and it is this tradition that we must strive to keep alive.
Tibetan: Sangwa
English: Secret, hidden
Many of the Buddhas' teachings, especially those of the Vajrayana, are described as being secret. Their are many lineages of esoteric teachings that descend from Tibet, many which are dying out as the tradition meets with a global culture and modern civilization.
Many might ask, if the teachings are dying out, what is the point in keeping them secret?
We think of secrecy or hidden teachings in which the practitioners are sworn to silence, vowing not to disclose the practice. That is our ordinary perception and understanding of these teachings, just talk about them and they will stay alive and spread, right?
But the teachings are actually secret because they they are beyond mere words. They can be shown, witnessed or revealed, but they cannot be explained.
The teachings remain secret unless we commit ourselves to them, unless we become the working basis for the practice to unfold. The act of working through the practice reveals that which is beyond description.
The life of the teachings then does not depend on simply sharing the teachings, it depends on people committing their lives to their practice. Once we have received the blessings of the lineage, it is up to us to engage in the practice and develop it to its maturation.
The practice tradition is the holder of the secret teachings and it is this tradition that we must strive to keep alive.
Wednesday, February 24, 2016
Householder tradition.
A vital aspect to the living Buddhist tradition that we experience today is the presence of the householder tradition in Tibet.
During the 9th century the Dharma faced numerous attacks from the Tibetan king and it was the householder tradition that allowed the Dharma to be continuously transmitted and realized.
Someone who belongs to this householder tradition is called a Ngakpa, or Ngakma for women. A Ngakpa is someone who has taken a non-monastic vow. They are men and women who practice within the Vajrayana tradition and do so within the context of their normal, daily life.
The householder tradition is often called the White Sangha, because they often wore white robes or had the traditional red and white striped robe. They were artists, doctors, architects, writers and farmers. They were professionals dedicated to their practice. They were highly educated and held important roles in their communities. They often had families and worldly responsibilities, but they also devoted significant time to retreat and practice.
The ngakpas practice is one of immersion. They were the working basis through which the teachings expressed themselves. Their practice isn't purely philosophical; it is felt, lived. Samaya is the root of the ngakpa vow. This samaya or heartfelt connection is what the ngakpa or ngakpa upholds.
There are family lineages of ngakpas, where a particular practice or lineage of teachings is passed from one generation to the next. A ngakpa may also be any individual who upholds that heartfelt connection and is immersed and engaged with the teachings under a qualified lineage holder.
The ngakpas organized themselves into Houses, often naming a House after a particular region, like the Rebkhong House to which Shabkar belonged. The ngakpas organized themselves and their lives around their practice. No one really knew who the really great practitioners were. They weren't spiritual materialists who were caught up in wearing the right costume. They were dedicated to their practice and concerned with upholding that heartfelt connection and then sharing it with others. The genuine ones gained accomplishment as siddhas and the lineage flourished as a result of their practice and determination.
This householder tradition continues to this day. It is in contrast to the monastic tradition, but it is no less important. It remains a vital life line for the Dharma.
During the 9th century the Dharma faced numerous attacks from the Tibetan king and it was the householder tradition that allowed the Dharma to be continuously transmitted and realized.
Someone who belongs to this householder tradition is called a Ngakpa, or Ngakma for women. A Ngakpa is someone who has taken a non-monastic vow. They are men and women who practice within the Vajrayana tradition and do so within the context of their normal, daily life.
The householder tradition is often called the White Sangha, because they often wore white robes or had the traditional red and white striped robe. They were artists, doctors, architects, writers and farmers. They were professionals dedicated to their practice. They were highly educated and held important roles in their communities. They often had families and worldly responsibilities, but they also devoted significant time to retreat and practice.
The ngakpas practice is one of immersion. They were the working basis through which the teachings expressed themselves. Their practice isn't purely philosophical; it is felt, lived. Samaya is the root of the ngakpa vow. This samaya or heartfelt connection is what the ngakpa or ngakpa upholds.
There are family lineages of ngakpas, where a particular practice or lineage of teachings is passed from one generation to the next. A ngakpa may also be any individual who upholds that heartfelt connection and is immersed and engaged with the teachings under a qualified lineage holder.
The ngakpas organized themselves into Houses, often naming a House after a particular region, like the Rebkhong House to which Shabkar belonged. The ngakpas organized themselves and their lives around their practice. No one really knew who the really great practitioners were. They weren't spiritual materialists who were caught up in wearing the right costume. They were dedicated to their practice and concerned with upholding that heartfelt connection and then sharing it with others. The genuine ones gained accomplishment as siddhas and the lineage flourished as a result of their practice and determination.
This householder tradition continues to this day. It is in contrast to the monastic tradition, but it is no less important. It remains a vital life line for the Dharma.
Wednesday, February 10, 2016
Space to fail.
My teacher, Younge Khachab Rinpoche, has been extremely generous with me.
He trusts me a lot, and I work hard because of that trust.
He told me back in 2006 to start a local Sangha in Seattle. I wasn't ready. Sure I knew the teachings, I knew the meditation techniques, I knew the uniqueness of the lineage and the impact these teachings have. I knew the mechanics, but I wasn't ready to lead. I was just settling into my own practice, how was I to lead and help others?
In 2007 we had a small, intimate group of Dharma practitioners. A close-knit Sangha that was committed to practice. Rinpoche told me to start a public meditation group. I wasn't ready. I was more comfortable leading a group. I was more comfortable setting a course and leading discussions, answering questions. But I wasn't ready to put myself out there.
In 2008 we started a public meditation group at Embrace the Moon. Kim Ivy was generous to open up her community, to provide us a space to do work that we were passionate about. That was a tremendous learning curve for me, to have to teach a wide variety of students with a diverse range of meditation experience. That experience is invaluable. That experience deepened my practice because I still had a lot of work to do.
Rinpoche, more than any other person I know, gave me the space to fail. He pushed me, tore down my boundaries. He never let me get comfortable. He always exposed me, made me vulnerable.
Trusting someone enough to give them the space to fail, what more of a guide could we hope for?
How do we be that person for those that come after us?
He trusts me a lot, and I work hard because of that trust.
He told me back in 2006 to start a local Sangha in Seattle. I wasn't ready. Sure I knew the teachings, I knew the meditation techniques, I knew the uniqueness of the lineage and the impact these teachings have. I knew the mechanics, but I wasn't ready to lead. I was just settling into my own practice, how was I to lead and help others?
In 2007 we had a small, intimate group of Dharma practitioners. A close-knit Sangha that was committed to practice. Rinpoche told me to start a public meditation group. I wasn't ready. I was more comfortable leading a group. I was more comfortable setting a course and leading discussions, answering questions. But I wasn't ready to put myself out there.
In 2008 we started a public meditation group at Embrace the Moon. Kim Ivy was generous to open up her community, to provide us a space to do work that we were passionate about. That was a tremendous learning curve for me, to have to teach a wide variety of students with a diverse range of meditation experience. That experience is invaluable. That experience deepened my practice because I still had a lot of work to do.
Rinpoche, more than any other person I know, gave me the space to fail. He pushed me, tore down my boundaries. He never let me get comfortable. He always exposed me, made me vulnerable.
Trusting someone enough to give them the space to fail, what more of a guide could we hope for?
How do we be that person for those that come after us?
Friday, April 3, 2015
Those before you.
Lineage is important. It is important in many things and it often gets brushed over, but lineage plays a special significance in the transmission of the Buddha's teachings.
Lineage ensures a living transmission. It ensures communication on a personal level, heart to heart, mind to mind.
Lineage is most often traced through one's root teacher. We all have many teachers in life, but one's root teacher is the one that introduces us to our own nature of mind. This direct introduction to our own buddhanature is what forms the basis of our path. We walk the path infused with their blessings.
My own root teacher is Younge Khachab Rinpoche. Rinpoche trained with many teachers in the monastic tradition as a child, but it wasn't until he met and trained under the Dzogchen yogi Dingri Khenchen that he experienced the subtlety and profundity of the nature of the mind.
Dingri Khenchen was a great scholar and teacher at Dzogchen Monastery in his youth and spent the great part of his life in secret retreat. He was affectionately called grandfather by everyone but he was a realized practitioner and scholar.
Dingri Khenchen was a student and disciple of the great Khenpo Kunzang Palden (Khenpo Kunpal). Khenpo Kunpal was one of the foremost holders of the Longchen Nyingtig lineage and was renowned for being a great practitioner and scholar.
Khenpo Kunpal was the disciple of Patrul Rinpoche, the wandering yogi and preeminent Dzogchen master. Patrul Rinpoche's root teacher was Jigme Gyalwe Nyugu, who was the main disciple of Jigme Lingpa.
That is the close lineage, close in the sense that you can still feel their warmth. The extensive lineage can be traced all the way back to the Buddha through the succession of teacher and student.
One heartfelt connection at a time, for thousands of years.
Lineage ensures a living transmission. It ensures communication on a personal level, heart to heart, mind to mind.
Lineage is most often traced through one's root teacher. We all have many teachers in life, but one's root teacher is the one that introduces us to our own nature of mind. This direct introduction to our own buddhanature is what forms the basis of our path. We walk the path infused with their blessings.
My own root teacher is Younge Khachab Rinpoche. Rinpoche trained with many teachers in the monastic tradition as a child, but it wasn't until he met and trained under the Dzogchen yogi Dingri Khenchen that he experienced the subtlety and profundity of the nature of the mind.
Dingri Khenchen was a great scholar and teacher at Dzogchen Monastery in his youth and spent the great part of his life in secret retreat. He was affectionately called grandfather by everyone but he was a realized practitioner and scholar.
Dingri Khenchen was a student and disciple of the great Khenpo Kunzang Palden (Khenpo Kunpal). Khenpo Kunpal was one of the foremost holders of the Longchen Nyingtig lineage and was renowned for being a great practitioner and scholar.
Khenpo Kunpal was the disciple of Patrul Rinpoche, the wandering yogi and preeminent Dzogchen master. Patrul Rinpoche's root teacher was Jigme Gyalwe Nyugu, who was the main disciple of Jigme Lingpa.
That is the close lineage, close in the sense that you can still feel their warmth. The extensive lineage can be traced all the way back to the Buddha through the succession of teacher and student.
One heartfelt connection at a time, for thousands of years.
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
Sangha.
དགེ་འདུན་
Tibetan: Gedun
English: Sangha or community
The Tibetan dge means virtue, good, wholesome, merit.
'dun means aspiration, longing, intention.
The Sangha is a community that aspires to virtue. The sangha is a community of men and women that purposefully connect out of a shared interest in supporting each other's practice. They connect out of support, not power. Connect with respect, not control. Connect with kindness, not deceit.
The Sangha supports the transmission of teachings and keeps the practice lineage alive. It is a culture of learning and teaching. It brings together a range of experience and insight, fosters examination and critical thinking, opens perspectives and eliminates bias. The Sangha gives you feedback exactly when you need it.
The Sangha is a culture of compassion and and kindness. They show us what to care about. They show us what is possible, even when it doesn't seem to be. They show us what people like us do.
Tibetan: Gedun
English: Sangha or community
The Tibetan dge means virtue, good, wholesome, merit.
'dun means aspiration, longing, intention.
The Sangha is a community that aspires to virtue. The sangha is a community of men and women that purposefully connect out of a shared interest in supporting each other's practice. They connect out of support, not power. Connect with respect, not control. Connect with kindness, not deceit.
The Sangha supports the transmission of teachings and keeps the practice lineage alive. It is a culture of learning and teaching. It brings together a range of experience and insight, fosters examination and critical thinking, opens perspectives and eliminates bias. The Sangha gives you feedback exactly when you need it.
The Sangha is a culture of compassion and and kindness. They show us what to care about. They show us what is possible, even when it doesn't seem to be. They show us what people like us do.
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
Lineage.
Lineage is a legacy available to you,
one that you can contribute to.
Your practice is your opportunity, it is the doorway. By entering it you contribute to your legacy and the legacy of the lineage.
You're not the first, and hopefully you are not the last.
one that you can contribute to.
Your practice is your opportunity, it is the doorway. By entering it you contribute to your legacy and the legacy of the lineage.
You're not the first, and hopefully you are not the last.
Friday, April 18, 2014
A prism.
When a single ray of white light enters a prism it is refracted and dispersed creating a rainbow-like effect.
Is the source light different than the dispersed light? No.
Is the source light the same as the dispersed light? No.
They differ in frequency, function, appearance and activity. The degree to which the light is refracted depends upon the prism. The prism doesn't create colors, it is a lens through which the qualities of the original light can be fully understood.
If your practice is the prism, what is the source light? What is the refractive index? What colors and qualities are refracted upon the world?
Are they the same as the source? Are they different?
Is the source light different than the dispersed light? No.
Is the source light the same as the dispersed light? No.
They differ in frequency, function, appearance and activity. The degree to which the light is refracted depends upon the prism. The prism doesn't create colors, it is a lens through which the qualities of the original light can be fully understood.
If your practice is the prism, what is the source light? What is the refractive index? What colors and qualities are refracted upon the world?
Are they the same as the source? Are they different?
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