What have you consciously sacrificed along the way?

The path of a householder upholding a practice tradition is precarious. We are immersed in the world, while also immersed in our practice. We are working, raising a family, building relationships, taking care of our parents, while we are also committed to resolving our own hesitation, resistance and struggle.

Along this precarious path, we will need to rely on teachers and companions, insight and patience, as we slowly make our way. As we deepen our practice, we will need to make conscious sacrifices, or else risk things in our life being unnecessarily sacrificed.

One of the common struggles of a householder is carrying the practice into the workplace. There is a common error to perceive the work environment as not suitable for practice, that you must seek out a better job, or a more suitable career that supports your practice. You may switch jobs, switch industries, switch titles. I can assure you all this effort is hopeless. You will not find the perfect career or company for your practice. Undoubtedly, your practice would most benefit from you overcoming your own resistance and fear so that you could be more present, generous and kind at your current job. Right livelihood is to be found by contributing in meaningful ways, not by finding the perfect workplace.

What you might have to sacrifice or give up is the idea that your title is a marker of your work. You might have to give up acting like everyone else, or engaging in the culture of power and status. You might have to consciously decide to not play that game, but you don't have to. You just need to identify what it is that you are sacrificing along your journey. What are you consciously or unconsciously sacrificing?

Another challenge is often how to carry the practice while raising a family or taking care of elderly parents. You could choose to dedicate every evening to an hour of meditation and forego some family time, or you could miss an hour of sleep and meditate in the morning before everyone gets up. Or you could sleep in and enjoy a nice evening with your family, and not meditate at all.

The key point is that something is always going to be sacrificed. We can either choose to make conscious sacrifices based on our values and commitments, or we can make unconscious sacrifices and risk missing out on opportunities and fleeting moments that are often important.

The basis of the Ngakpa vow.

There are countless vows that the Ngakpa promises to uphold, but the root of all of them is the samaya they have with their root teacher.

The teacher is the source of all blessings.  We receive those blessings when our minds are transformed.  That transformation can take many forms, such as feeling more compassionate, more open minded.  It can take the form of finding one's purpose or finding meaning in one's life.  Ultimately that transformation is our ordinary samsaric mind transforming into the awakened mind of complete enlightenment, our inherent buddhanature.

Transformation can take many forms, but it is always personal.  It impacts your mind and your life.

The confirmation that we have received the blessings of the teacher is that our mind and life are transformed by their kindness.  We have been impacted, changed. 

That transformation engenders a deep gratitude and respect.  It is something to honor and to uphold.  That heartfelt connection that has been forged is called samaya.  It is the basis for all the other commitments that one makes. 

Blessings, transformation and samaya.  They are all linked between the student and the teacher.  The come together as a seed and they ripen as the path, bearing fruit as complete awakening. 

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.