Center For Mediatation!

New to Buddhism?

Where do I start?

The first step in your exploration of Tibetan Buddhism is to see if you can find an authentic teacher with whom you feel you connect. Sometimes you can make a connection by looking at a photograph, by reading a book, or listening to a tape. Usually, though, you connect to your teacher by meeting him or her in person. This doesn't mean you have to sit down with the teacher, have a heart-to-heart conversation, etc. Attend the teacher's programs, listen to the teachings, and then see how you feel. Traditionally both teacher and student "examine" one another for a while after they first meet. You can read about this process in a book called Words of My Perfect Teacher by Patrul Rinpoche if you would like to know more about the traditional style of examination and about the qualities you should seek in a teacher. His Holiness Penor Rinpoche has taught on this subject many times as well and you can click here to read one instance of advice he has given. (After reading, click the "back" button on your browser to return here.)

What are all these traditions and lineages?

The Tibetan tradition emphasizes the personal heart-to-heart connection between teacher and student. We know this from our own life experience; there are certain conversations we don't like to have over the phone, don't like to put in e-mail, don't like to write in a letter, etc. In the same way, Tibetan Buddhist study can take place in books, over the phone, in e-mail, but the real heart of the teachings comes from that non-verbal level of being in the same room at the same time as your teacher. That is why Tibetan Buddhism emphasizes lineage. "Lineage," put simply, means that the heart-to-heart connection has been passed down through the ages from teacher to teacher to teacher. "Lineage" is one way of knowing if a teacher is "authentic" or has had the training necessary to be a true vessel for the Buddha's teachings. To find out about His Holiness' Penor Rinpoche's teachers and lineage, click here. You will need to use the "back" button on your browser to return.

Where can I find authentic teachers?

Finding a teacher, any teacher at all, may not be so easy. You may have to travel a great distance. However, it is not at all impossible! There are several resources on the web that give teaching schedules and that have local directories. You can find links here. Some of these are empowerments ("wangs"), programs which may seem impenetrable or "advanced". However, attending an empowerment or "wang", even if you find you have no idea what is going on, is one way to develop the connection to the teacher. Best is if you can find a "public talk" in which the teacher will give more general teachings.

Yes, but how will I know who is the teacher for me?

You may not know at first and you may not know for some time. It may just take your deciding to make a commitment and to leave it at that. As His Holiness Penor Rinpoche mentions in his teaching on this site, if you see "excellent" and "noble" qualities in the teacher and if the teacher is part of an unbroken lineage, then those are qualities of the teacher you would want to select. Sometimes when you meet a teacher you may just have the sense that this is the kindest person you ever met. Other times you may have a feeling that this is someone you met before. And sometimes you won't have any feelings about it at all but can see that what the teacher is saying is true. It is said: "Not the teacher but the teachings." When you have met an authentic teacher, that teacher will reflect either what you profoundly know to be true or what you can scientifically examine and find to be true. In fact, the Buddha himself told his students not to just take everything he said as the truth but to test the truth of his teachings for themselves. So you must simply decide for yourself with whom you wish to study.

Importance of the Oral Transmission
Regardless of the particular level of teaching or practice that we are discussing in the Buddhist tradition, whether it be Hinayana, Mahayana or Vajrayana, the process of spiritual development is one of the student relying upon a teacher. We may call that teacher a lama, a guru, or whatever, but the essential point is that there is an oral transmission that takes place in which a teacher teaches the student: the student listens to the teachings, absorbs their meaning and puts them into practice.

There is a reason for this emphasis on an oral transmission. From the time of the Buddha up to the present day, the buddha dharma has always been transmitted and meant to be transmitted orally, ensuring that there is a living tradition that is still embued with the blessing and power of the original teachings. It also guards against the possibility of so-called teachers simply coming up with their own ideas. Instead, the teacher passes on a proven tradition of teachings.

This makes the buddha dharma different from other kinds of learning where it may be possible for people to innovate. In such realms of learning it may be appropriate to come up with new systems of thought or to introduce new ideas. But when we are talking about the buddha dharma, every teaching must connect with the original teachings of the Buddha in order for a teaching to be valid. The teachings cannot be something that someone is simply coming up with on their own. The teachings are something that the teacher passes on.

Similarly, in other types of human knowledge it may be permissible to present information in a manner as entertaining and pleasing as possible. But although it is important for dharma teachings to be presented in a manner which is pleasant to hear, it is most important that the transmitted teachings have the power to bless and influence those who hear them in a positive way - not only in this lifetime, but in future lifetimes as well. So even though the teaching of the dharma should be elegant and well-presented, what is most important is the blessing of the essential message.

Qualities of the Lama
The teachings we know of as Buddhism were first taught by the Buddha Sakyamuni. These teachings have been maintained by a lineage of living transmission up to the present day by those who have been inspired to follow the example of the Buddha and to study that path and transmit it to others. In any of the various Buddhist traditions we find that there are countless numbers of people who through their study and contemplation have become extremely learned and gifted with spiritual power and realization. But the reason why they teach and the reason why these individuals undertake to become learned in the dharma should not be to indulge in self-aggrandizement. One does not become learned in dharma in order to think of oneself as learned and to gain some special status. One does not teach others from a sense of personal pride, either. Dharma is maintained because it brings benefit to those who hear the teachings. That is the motivation behind teaching.

In order to become an authentic teacher of the tradition, it is not sufficient to simply read enough books to become very clever at the teachings and then set oneself up as a teacher. Rather, it is the case that one's own teacher, a particularly realized individual, must give one permission to teach. It may also be the case that one will be graced with a vision of one's chosen deity during which experience the deity will confer upon one the blessing and authority to teach.

So it isn't simply a question of ordinary people developing enough cleverness to be able to talk well about the dharma. The true benefit of the teachings doesn't come about through an ordinary approach, because that more ordinary approach tends only to feed one's own pride and conflicting emotions. No benefit that can come out of that. It is only when the teaching is a selfless gesture to benefit others based upon an authentic transmission that we really have the benefit that is necessary for the dharma to be maintained.

If we take into account all of the teachings of the Buddha, including all of the commentaries on those teachings by the great mahasiddhas - the learned pundits of the Indian, Tibetan and other traditions of Buddhism - it would be impossible for a single individual to try and put all of that into practice. This does not mean that there is any aspect of those teachings that are useless and have no function. The Buddha Sakyamuni turned the wheel of the dharma in three successive transmissions during his time in the world. In vajrayana when we consider the thousands of volumes that collectively known as the buddha dharma, including the 84,000 collections of the Buddha's teachings and the 6,400,000 texts of tantra, it is obvious that no single person could absorb and practice all of that.

Examining the Teacher
So this brings us to the topic of guru yoga. Let us look at the etymology of the word 'lama' in Tibetan. The first syllable 'la' means 'that which is unsurpassable.' The second word 'ma' literally means mother. This means that the attitude of the teacher is like that of a mother towards her children. There is the implication that the relationship with the lama carries with it a great deal of weight. There is also tremendous potential for the student to benefit from that relationship.

This is why in the secret mantra path of the vajrayana teachings, it is emphasized that from the outset it is important for the teacher and student to examine one another. There must be a critical process whereby each one chooses the other. For example, it is said in the tantras, if a lama is acquisitive, ambitious, subject to conflicting emotions, full of pride, jealousy or competitiveness, then it is not appropriate for a student to rely on such a teacher regardless of who that lama may be. The lama must have the right kinds of qualifications, including the quality of compassion. If the teacher does not have these basic qualities, then it will be very difficult for such a lama to grant blessing to the student in the way that is necessary for the lama/student relationship to be effective.

In examining a lama's qualities it may be difficult for an ordinary person to appreciate the qualities of that lama's mind stream, especially at first meeting that teacher. But one crucial factor to be considered is the lineage that the lama holds and whether that lineage has been maintained with pure samaya.

One cannot determine simply from a teacher's degree of learning whether they have the kind of spiritual power that can transmit true blessing. If the teacher's mind stream is not moved by an altruistic and compassionate quality - the quality of Bodhicitta - but rather is one of pride and afflictive emotions, then there is not going to be a beneficial relationship even if that teacher is very learned. This is because the motivation of the teacher is not a proper one.

So initially it is important for the student to examine a prospective teacher. Once the student has come to the decision to rely upon a given teacher, there is no more discussion. The decision has been made. At that point it is important for the student to rely wholeheartedly on the teacher. If one has gone through the examination process of checking the teacher's qualities and determining that this teacher is appropriate for oneself, then one will be able to maintain a respect and a trust in the teacher.

Provided that the student then maintains an attitude of faith and devotion towards a lama chosen in this way, there is no student that will not receive the blessings of the Buddha directly in this living lineage. This is quite infallible.

I've met a teacher, but don't know what to do next!

If you have met a teacher you like, but have not yet been given any practices to do, you might try just sitting every morning on a cushion for 1/2 hour. You don't have to do anything out of the ordinary, just sit and let your mind be calm. Try and make a special spot to do this; you can put a flower on a table in your room and sit gazing at it. Calm your mind by gently focusing on the flower, your breath or by saying the mantra of compassion, "Om Mani Peme Hung," over and over again to yourself. Try not to focus too much on your breath or the mantra or the flower; don't forget the room. Sit up straight, keep your eyes half open, your lips barely parted and breathe through your mouth rather than through your nose. Don't worry if your mind is full of activity; just let your thoughts be without following them if you can. There are many books which describe meditation practice in detail, you might try using some of the techniques that are available in published form. At the end of your session, remember how you felt when you were in the presence of your teacher and then dedicate any goodness that comes out of your practice to all who are suffering in the world.

Is Tibetan Buddhism for me?

This is something only you can decide, of course. Tibetan Buddhism is just one of the many skillful means given to us by the historical Buddha and which are available to all of us to help us learn how to live our lives better. There are many Buddhist paths just as there are many in Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and so on. His Holiness the Dalai Lama himself has encouraged people to try their own traditions first and then, if they are still interested, to try the Tibetan path. In the same spirit, we would like to encourage you to read, attend teachings, and to see which path leads you most directly to your authentic Good Heart. If you find that path, then in the Tibetan Buddhist view, you are a practitioner anyway!