Dear all,
Actually the content of samaya should be teached just after receiving the initiation, this is why we will not find much about it if we do not make our own efforts. And also the ones who have received the samayas and openly talk about its detailed content, break their samayas automatically.
Even for samaya explanations one needs transmission from a teacher. Next to that one can study books on that topic. Getting transmission is the best way, then one avoids so many misunderstandings which will just lead to needless "Samaya Paranoja". You only have to fear it if you do not inform yourself properly.
Did you know for example that 6 factors have to be present in order to break certain samaya? :
For example for the 1st root samaya these 6 factors must be complete in order to be a complete downfall:
1. The master being an authentic one
2. Knowing that the offense will displease him or her
3. Offending the master directly with actions or words
4. Done not for others`sake or similar purposes
5. Done for selfish motives
6. Having no interest in purifying the offense
To be a downfall 7 factor must be present.
1. It must be inspired from an afflictive emotion.
2. You have to be aware that you are acting from an afflicted emotion.
3. The third factor is to be careless in your actions and speech.
4. The fourth factor is to actually cause hurt or harm.
5. The fifth is to have no remorse,
6. The sixth is to rejoice in the action.
7. The seventh is to not be drunk or crazy when you do the action and to be in full possession of your faculties.
If you have all seven of these factors for any of the fourteen commitments, it is a root downfall. If you do not amend the downfall within a fixed period of time, the Tantric vow is completely broken. If you let it go for one year without confessing it to the lama who has given you the empowerment, teaching, and instruction. If the lama has only done two of these three, you have two years to confess. If they have only done one of these three, you have three years to confess.
( from The Treasury of Knowledge, Jamgön Kongtrul, Buddhist ethics)
The samaya is considered to be of a small, an average or of a great extent depending on the strength of the relationship of the student to the vajra-master. From among the three aspects of the Vajrayana relationship (empowerment, explanations and essential instructions) if only empowerment is received, the samaya will be of a small degree. If a combination of two of these three aspects is received, the samaya will be of an average degree and if all three aspects are involved, the samaya is of the greatest degree. Accordingly a broken samaya is graded into small, average and great.
For the Nyingma Lineage you can read from Dudjom Rinpoche "Perfect Conduct" for example.
One general advice: if you do at least 21 times the long Vajrasattva mantra or 1 mall long the short Vajrasattva mantra you will prevent the bad karma accumulating coming from a break, offense, root downfall,.
In the books different are mentioned how to repair broken samayas.
I hope this general information will give some more clarity
Please you all try to get personal teachings and transmission on the samayas who received some. And please DO NOT read the samayas in the book, for the case you plan to order them, if you did NOT received them and better get the transmission to the samayas meaning directly from a teacher, either by going to a dharma center where a lama is or by going to India and ask some Khenpo there.
If you are not sure what you have received, ask the Lama from whom you have received the initiation.
Concerning initiations: You only do not receive samayas when you do not follow the visualization in an initiation, that is the true blessing initiation. But if you follow a initiation with visualization, even the lama will not talk about samayas, usually you have the samayas connected to the particular tantra class you are taking the initiation. At least the teacher will say what kind of specific samayas you will get. Also even you do not take initiations from a master, but if you seriously think of him/her your master and receive teachings of the vajra from him, you are bound by certain samayas too.... so choose wisely with whom you want to establish a student-guru relationship.
And also please read this:
INITIATIONS TO PUBLIC AND SAMAYAS
In this information age, a lot of Vajrayana teachings have been translated, with contents partially extracted and communicated to the public. Sometimes out of compassion and kindness, Vajrayana masters give Anuttarayoga Tantra teachings and initiations even to beginners for them to have a connection with the Vajrayana path. Such teachings often come with samaya vows. However it does not mean that the students receiving them who lack the qualifications to practise and the realisation are bound by these vows.
The students must have some realisation after practising, and having received the samaya from the Annutarayoga Tantra, there should be some genuine effect after practising. If there is no intention of practising nor receiving the samaya vows, and samaya vows were received without any intention or understanding, then the students would not have received the samaya vows at all. Basically, both the guru and the student must be qualified in order to effect the samaya vows.
Samaya is not a joking matter or something to be abused. It cannot be passed on like a piece of mundane contract, it is a very serious matter. The one giving you must have the pure samaya, and the one receiving it must be ready and must have the quality to receive it.
by H.H. Gyalwang Drugpa Rinpoche
http://www.drukpa.org/index.php/en/news ... -of-samaya" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
JUST A INITIATION WITHOUT ANY SAMAYAS ?
Through initiation a teacher introduces you how to transform. Some people say, oh you can receive the initiation, it is just kind of a blessing, there is no commitment. This is not true.This is not serious!
If you want to receive just a blessing, then it is much better you go for example to the teacher and request him, " please teacher give me a very rich blessing". Because within initiation there are many things to put on your head, to eat or to drink. Then you are more sattitisfied, thinking " Now I have received a rich blessing" ,even you do not understand anything. But than after that there is commitment. There is the commitment of doing this practice! If there is no commitment, then why teacher introduce you this path? So through initiation the teacher is giving you a introduction, is empowering you, so for if you are doing this practice, you can have then that realization.
But when you are receiving an initiation and you are not applying, then it is negative, because you have that kind of commitment but to which you are not paying respect! So in this case it is much better you go before receiving an initiation to the teacher asking him to give you a more rich blessing. Then maybe teacher understands and he puts then some more things on your head, more things to eat and drink etc. and then you are sattisfied. Then you have no any commitment. This is the serious!
But also you must not worry for receiving initiations.because if you have knowledge, then you can receiving initiations without any problem: If you are following a teaching practice, you are doing only one kind of practice, and with that you can unify all teachings and receive transmissions etc. into that. If you have this knowledge than you can also keep commitments etc. Then you don't have this problem. But then most people they have not this kind of knowledge.
So when you have not this kind of knowledge and you are receiving inistiation, and you are not doing any practice, then it is becoming negative.
By Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche
Much love