Is Vajrayana the best Buddhist sect for modern westerners?

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Luke
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Is Vajrayana the best Buddhist sect for modern westerners?

Post by Luke »

As I think about the characteristics of different Buddhist sects, it does seem to me that Tibetan Buddhism has a special appeal for modern westerners these days.

1) Tibetan Buddhism usually doesn't require a lot of renunciation from the modern practitioner.
"So, prospective Buddhist, which form of Buddhism would you like to practice? The sex, meat, and beer version or another type of Buddhism which will involve viewing these things much more negatively?"
"Umm... Let me give the sex, meat, and beer version a try." hehe

2) Tibetan Buddhism is extremely rich visually and modern people who use computers all the time and who play video games are very used to thinking visually. In some ways, performing a Green Tara sadhana could be thought of as "loading the Green Tara app" in one's "mental computer." To some people, more simple forms of meditation, such as shamatha might seem more like a "screen saver" or "sleep mode" than something which fully engages their attention.

3) Tibetan Buddhism is marketed extremely well and has many products to sell. In our capitalist societies, everything becomes a product to be sold and few people know about something unless it is advertised well. Other forms of Buddhism (such as many forms of East Asian Buddhism) may have many riches to share, but they don't seem to have been marketed as effectively in the west yet. I could imagine somebody creating a website which is a visual encylopedia of Tendai Buddhism in English and perhaps other western languages, which could amaze people with its depth and beauty, but I don't think this has been done yet. Similarly, something like a virtual Pure Land could be created online with explanations of its features and practices, which could also impress people. But I don't think anyone has done this yet.

So what are your thoughts? Is Tibetan Buddhism the most suitable form of Buddhism for modern westerners?
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Astus
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Re: Is Vajrayana the best Buddhist sect for modern westerner

Post by Astus »

Unlike other Buddhist cultures, Tibetans were practically forced to come out from their homeland, and as an exiled people what they have to offer (in exchange for material support) is sharing their religious and cultural heritage. Theravada and Japanese Zen have been modernised during the 19th century and they are more straightforward without all the "cultural baggage". Vajrayana is just catching up with Dzogchen being removed from preliminaries and other rituals to turn into another form of mindfulness practice.

It is a misrepresentation to say that Vajrayana is the party bus of Buddhism. Also, religious art exists everywhere in Buddhism, so again its nothing extraordinary in Tibetan Buddhism. As for products, just search for "zen" in any web shop.
1 Myriad dharmas are only mind.
Mind is unobtainable.
What is there to seek?

2 If the Buddha-Nature is seen,
there will be no seeing of a nature in any thing.

3 Neither cultivation nor seated meditation —
this is the pure Chan of Tathagata.

4 With sudden enlightenment to Tathagata Chan,
the six paramitas and myriad means
are complete within that essence.


1 Huangbo, T2012Ap381c1 2 Nirvana Sutra, T374p521b3; tr. Yamamoto 3 Mazu, X1321p3b23; tr. J. Jia 4 Yongjia, T2014p395c14; tr. from "The Sword of Wisdom"
Sherlock
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Re: Is Vajrayana the best Buddhist sect for modern westerner

Post by Sherlock »

Dzogchen is not just another mindfulness practice.

Actually in Nubchen's time he already criticized teachers who teach some kind of Madhyamaka meditation and claim it is Dzogchen. This is completely wrong. ChNN even if he does not require Vajrayana-style ngondro before you receive teachings from him, does not teach Dzogchen as a form of mindfulness. If you thought he was teaching this you are very mistaken.

Back to the topic, Vajrayana and Dzogchen both don't require renouncing sense pleasures and with this modern world flooding with them, they are probably more relevant to laypeople's lives than renunciation, whether hinayana or mahayana. Malcolm has quoted HHST saying the path of renunciation is not very effective in this age anymore IIRC. This is still not a license to indulge mindlessly on pleasures, but Vajrayana and Dzogchen give us many more techniques to deal with them than sutrayana, where really the way to deal with them is just to avoid them until you have a certain level of realization.
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Astus
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Re: Is Vajrayana the best Buddhist sect for modern westerner

Post by Astus »

Every Buddhist tradition has a larger lay community. If any, then Japanese Buddhism consists almost exclusively of family people, and of the Japanese schools the Pure Land traditions are particularly for householders.

On Chan and lay life, see this from Ven. Jinghui:

"In reality it is the mind that decides whether the spiritual centre is continuously present, and which draws a distinction between worldly affairs and Buddhist practice in temples. In this deluded state the mind prefers the temple life and disdains the ordinary life. People are continuously worrying about what practice method they should use, or how much time per day should be spent practicing. ... It seems realistic that having children prevents the Dharma from being practiced. You need to gain good experience. If you believe that Buddhism can not be practiced in everyday life, then it will seem that the Dharma can not be applied in ordinary situations. This is incorrect. It is important to expertly cultivate Unified Practice Samadhi when walking, standing, sitting and lying down, and then the mind will be unified in purity. Then all situations become the Bodhimandala without exception, this is the true meaning and practice of Unified Practice Samadhi."

That is in line with the Platform Sutra, chapter 4:

The master said, “Good friends, if you wish to cultivate this practice, you may do so either as a householder or in a monastery. Householders who are able to practice this are like those persons of the East whose minds [harbor] good. Those in the monastery who do not cultivate it are like those people of the West whose minds [harbor] evil. It is only that the mind should be pure—then it is the Western [Paradise] of the self-nature!”

Theravada also has a substantial lay community, and lay people are not excluded from achieving enlightenment. Just consider the many Vipassana communities.
1 Myriad dharmas are only mind.
Mind is unobtainable.
What is there to seek?

2 If the Buddha-Nature is seen,
there will be no seeing of a nature in any thing.

3 Neither cultivation nor seated meditation —
this is the pure Chan of Tathagata.

4 With sudden enlightenment to Tathagata Chan,
the six paramitas and myriad means
are complete within that essence.


1 Huangbo, T2012Ap381c1 2 Nirvana Sutra, T374p521b3; tr. Yamamoto 3 Mazu, X1321p3b23; tr. J. Jia 4 Yongjia, T2014p395c14; tr. from "The Sword of Wisdom"
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Dan74
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Re: Is Vajrayana the best Buddhist sect for modern westerner

Post by Dan74 »

The last thing anyone needs is some sort of a tug-o-war between traditions. Which is best? 84000 Dharma doors for 84000 karmic dispositions. Don't waste time on frivolous pursuits and focus on your practice wholeheartedly, say the teachers. And I guess they must be right.

_/|\_
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