How to become enlightened via Tibetan Buddhism?

[Kris]

Receive instructions and guidance from a master, in a complete path; with an unbroken lineage.

Hello,

How would I go about finding an unbroken lineage?

Supplicate the Triple Gem.
Connect with a Terton or a Vajra master with pure vision.

There are several unbroken lineages out there. (Chetsun Nyingthig, Lam Dre, cycles from Dudjom Tersar, cycles from Chokling Tersar, Naro Khachodma, Guhyagarbha, Shitro etc.)

I only suggested receiving complete teachings of any cycle because receiving fragments of the whole may leave one with doubts, at least in my case it did. So to overcome doubts it's better imo to receive a complete cycle.

[falcon]

As a side note, Im grateful for all the recommended literature but I do not intend on just studying dharma for months while I could be implementing and practicing dharma as I search and vet out teachers.

I found this outline that basically includes everything I was looking for. It outlines the foundations and techniques/meditations to cultivate such foundations so that I can hit the ground running in my practice, since time is of the essence in this precious incarnation...

Pdf: http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/lam_rim_outline.pdf

[Virgo]

There isn't a big FPMT (Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition) presence on DW, but I found Geshe Tashi Tsering's 2-year, Gelug-oriented online course to be a remarkably clear and well organized presentation of the foundational basis of Tibetan Mahayana Buddhism in the graduated method of lam rim.
- Jeff

Yes, I recommend hooking up with the FPMT. Proper study is highly important. One of the problems we are facing today in the West is that there just aren't enough good programs for people to study the Dharma thoroughly. The level of learning of Western Tibetan Buddhists is unimpressive as a result, in my opinion. Like I said, the resources just aren't there. So try to get involved with a proper program for study, whether it be through the FPMT or somewhere else. An online course is especially good in this day and age.

I wish you all the best.

Kevin...

[philji]

For some years I have been following the online Tara Triple Excellence program. It starts at the foundational level, four noble truths, four mind chantings and builds gradually up into the path of Mahayana...sixn paramita s etc and then into Vajrayana.
Although I have been a practicioner for quite some time this program changed everything for me... There are also opportunities to do real time retreats in various places also.
https://dharmasun.org/tte/

[fckw]

Another way you could start is with this meditation program: https://dharmasun.org/tte/. Essentially, this is a complete (!) meditation and study program in Tibetan Buddhism, starting with the very basics and going all the way to the highest practices of Mahamudra and Dzogchen in that school. Special focus is on Green Tara. The main teacher is Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche, so far I have only heard positive reports about him. You can start the program using the online material they provide. They also have an online restricted forum where you can exchange with others. Then, once you have progressed enough, at some point you'll need some initiations etc. for which you'll most probably have to travel a bit. But if you've made it to those stages, then you should already have shown enough determination for this path and it should come rather natural to do so. This is probably one of the best ways to get started in Tibetan Buddhism that I can think of.

Edit: I just see that the previous post suggested the same.

[falcon]

A question about the bodhicitta.

1) Can the vow be done alone?

2) Or does it need to be in a ceremony setting with a group or near a Llama? And if thats the case, why the dogma of the ritual and ceremony. Buddha never did that.

3)Also, how do we know that we haven't taken the vow in a prior lifetime?

[Aryjna]

2) Or does it need to be in a ceremony setting with a group or near a Llama? And if thats the case, why the dogma of the ritual and ceremony. Buddha never did that.

What is the source of your certainty that the buddha never did that?

[PeterC]

Thank you for all the responses, Im surprised it took me until now to look up lamrims. As far as a lamrim that best transitions into dzogchen practice - which lamrim(s) should I study?

Are they all for the most part the same when discussing the three scopes, and just different with views of emptiness?

I would prefer to study a lamrim written under the "ancient" lamas who did not criticize other Tibetan traditions in time of conflict between schools and cultural differences.

Please advise.

Honestly I don't think it matters very much. I think it matters much more that whichever one you read, you read it from start to finish. Everyone will recommend the one that their tradition favors, but they are all good. It might be preferable to study one that has a flavor of the school in which you intend to practice long-term, but you really don't know what that might be at this point, and studying one doesn't preclude you from practising in another school. You might not find many Tsongkhapa fans in this forum - actually, only really one - but there's absolutely nothing wrong with studying Tsongkhapa's lamrim and subsequently practising Dzogchen. Alan Wallace did that, for instance.

[Lobsang Chojor]

Thank you for all the responses, Im surprised it took me until now to look up lamrims. As far as a lamrim that best transitions into dzogchen practice - which lamrim(s) should I study?

Are they all for the most part the same when discussing the three scopes, and just different with views of emptiness?

I would prefer to study a lamrim written under the "ancient" lamas who did not criticize other Tibetan traditions in time of conflict between schools and cultural differences.

Please advise.

If you're interested in dzogchen you'd probably be most interested in a Nyingma text like Words of my Perfect Teacher.

I'm personally a fan of Tsongkhapa so I like his lam rim texts (all lam rim texts cover the same topics), some of the short ones like the Three Principal Aspects of the Path by Tsongkhapa are very useful imo.

[Natan]

My lama explained I should look at powerful shortcuts. I don’t know why. Maybe he thought I talked too much. He thought people are busy and need good short cuts.

You can take the bodhisattva vow alone. It is an aspiration.

HHDL recommends: “We have to be 21st century Buddhists with real understanding of the Dharma. Once you have such understanding, you’ll also be in a position to correct others. It’s important to go through the process of learning, reflecting and developing conviction and then thoroughly familiarising your mind with what you’ve understood. As far as the awakening mind is concerned, there is no better text than Shantideva’s ‘Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life’ and it’s good to start with chapters 8 and 6. Similarly, chapter 26 of Nagarjuna’s ‘Fundamental Wisdom’ explains how you go through rebirth because of ignorance, while chapter 18 shows how an understanding of dependent arising counters that ignorance."

This is the short-cut lam rim.

You can also read Atisha’s “Lamp on the Stages of the Path.”

Another excellent short text is, “Eight Verses...” http://www.lotsawahouse.org/tibetan-mas ... ining-mind

Short sutras like the Heart Sutra and the PrajnaParamita of a Single Letter.

There are tantras you can read openly these days and get a complete and clear picture what is being taught. I recommend downloading Gyurme Dorje’s translation of Longchenpa’s commentary on Guhyagarbha.

You can receive very pithy and swift empowerments and instructions on the essence of tantras online by actual masters like Chogyal Namkhai Norbu. You do not have to travel.

Based on these small factors you can be enlightened in this life.

[florin]

Receive instructions and guidance from a master, in a complete path; with an unbroken lineage.

Hello,

How would I go about finding an unbroken lineage?

When searching for a teacher and when the question of lineage arises it is useful to be aware of a couple of things.The fact that someone has lineage does not guarantee that they have wisdom knowledge related to original mind. Unlike some teachers of today who insist that a teacher should have a lineage, there is also the view that no lineage doesn't always mean no wisdom lineage.

[Schrödinger’s Yidam]

...there is also the view that no lineage doesn't always mean no wisdom lineage.

In that case, how does one establish credibility?

The fact that someone has lineage does not guarantee that they have wisdom knowledge related to original mind.

Of course not.

However if they do not add their own interpretation or alter the teachings in any way, you can have confidence in that what you are being taught does indeed come from enlightenment and has been tested over and over again for generations. If the lineage is authentic and unbroken, this will include people that have used these classical teachings to achieve the result and thus reaffirm their credibility.

Just sayin’

[dharmafootsteps]

Another way you could start is with this meditation program: https://dharmasun.org/tte/. Essentially, this is a complete (!) meditation and study program in Tibetan Buddhism, starting with the very basics and going all the way to the highest practices of Mahamudra and Dzogchen in that school. Special focus is on Green Tara. The main teacher is Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche, so far I have only heard positive reports about him. You can start the program using the online material they provide. They also have an online restricted forum where you can exchange with others. Then, once you have progressed enough, at some point you'll need some initiations etc. for which you'll most probably have to travel a bit. But if you've made it to those stages, then you should already have shown enough determination for this path and it should come rather natural to do so. This is probably one of the best ways to get started in Tibetan Buddhism that I can think of.

Edit: I just see that the previous post suggested the same.

Here's yet another vote for TTE and connecting with Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche.

[Karma Dondrup Tashi]

https://dharmasun.org/tte/

^^^

https://dharmasun.org/tte/

^^^

[florin]

...there is also the view that no lineage doesn't always mean no wisdom lineage.

In that case, how does one establish credibility?

The fact that someone has lineage does not guarantee that they have wisdom knowledge related to original mind.

Of course not. However if they do not add their own interpretation or alter the teachings in any way, you can have confidence in that what you are being taught does indeed come from enlightenment and has been tested over and over again for generations.

What you are being taught can be just pure word knowledge without the slightest proof of wisdom .
True credibility can be established on the basis of wisdom knowledge that goes straight to the real condition of the universe and qualities that arise as a result of that knowledge. Moreover the person who gives teachings should live in that knowledge and transmit from that knowledge.
These days, lots of times, credibility is established trough mundane means like your affiliation to a known family, monastery or having had a famous teacher, politics, being the head of a large center having hundreds and thousand of disciples, saying controversial things, appearing to be courageous and fearless, dressing apart, having inherited titles. These are only a few of the things, which quite often, form the basis of credibility.

[Jeff H]

As a side note, Im grateful for all the recommended literature but I do not intend on just studying dharma for months while I could be implementing and practicing dharma as I search and vet out teachers.

I found this outline that basically includes everything I was looking for. It outlines the foundations and techniques/meditations to cultivate such foundations so that I can hit the ground running in my practice, since time is of the essence in this precious incarnation...

Pdf: http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/lam_rim_outline.pdf

The urgency of this precious life does not imply the need to act hastily or to rush. It means to get started and then maintain steady, diligent activity in Dharma. I'd also caution you against thinking study and practice are somehow mutually exclusive; you need to learn about what you are practicing and practice what you are learning. They are necessarily complimentary.

You've received an avalanche of advice. How are you going to sort it out for yourself and get started? None of us can tell you that. My personal recommendation (for no better reason than it's how I'm doing it and it works for me) is to get a good structural explanation of all the basic elements of Dharma from one source to begin with. Then you will have a basis for categorizing and applying the kind of diverse input you're getting here.

I found it in the FPMT Foundations of Buddhist Thought course. My friend Betsy tells me they are continuing to launch the FBT course three times a year. It is a two year course. You can read the course description here: https://fpmt.org/education/programs/fou ... t-thought/
and the application for a course starting in September is here: http://www.buddhistthought.org/apply-2/
The next course will begin in January.

[haha]

I have been practicing Therevadin Vipassana for some years, but could never find any clear descriptions on the path beyond stream entry. Yes, there are four levels, but no clear description how to navigate from one to the next. If anyone finds such, I’d be very interested.

You can check those four stages with 10 samyojanas (fetters).

I remembered; according to bhikkhu Bodhi, there is no reference of lay people attaining Arhathood.

[Virgo]

I remembered; according to bhikkhu Bodhi, there is no reference of lay people attaining Arhathood.

There are in fact thousands of examples in the Suttas. What there are no instances of, however, is a layperson attaining Arhatship and remaining as a lay person for more than 7 days after that fact.



Kevin...

[haha]

I remembered; according to bhikkhu Bodhi, there is no reference of lay people attaining Arhathood.

There are in fact thousands of examples in the Suttas. What there are no instances of, however, is a layperson attaining Arhatship and remaining as a lay person for more than 7 days after that fact.



Kevin...

Can you provide the reference? It would be good to know.

If I remembered correctly, they immediately became bhikkhu. As they don’t have any lay person’s fetters, they cannot live as a householder.

[Virgo]

Can you provide the reference? It would be good to know.

Yasa is one case.

Kevin...