[bredkumanfirst]

Hi everyone,
I'm new to the forum so hello to you all and thanks in advance for anyone who can give me some advice on my dilemma.
I've been interested in Buddhism for around 10 years or so now. The past few I've been practicing Zen on a regular basis whilst never reaslly being part of a group due to where I was living.
I've become a bit frustrated with Zen and have started looking at Tibetan practices.

I am struggling to decide which teacher/ group to try and practice with. I really like what I've read of Shambhala so far but the nearest Centre for them is London. I could make it there for retreats or other events but not on a weekly basis. They do offer online courses though.
There is a Rigpa group where I live, along with a New Kadampa group and the usual FWBO centre.

My concern is that my preference would be to study with the Shambhala practice but I also want to be able to practice weekly with a group and be able to have local Buddhists to share experiences with. I am not entirely comfortable with the local groups though given. I don't want to create any arguments and get into political things between groups, but given the accusations and arguments about Sogyal Rinpoche and the NKT I'm not feeling like I can really commit myself to either group.

I want to go to a deeper level with my practice and really make a commitment to whichever teacher and group I start out with so I feel like I've got to make a good decision.

I have thought that maybe I could treat Shambhala as my main practice and go to their retreats and practice however I can, whilst also attending the local Rigpa group as an additional thing.

I'd be interested in the thoughts of anyone more experienced.

Many thanks

[*Playergirl*]

Welcome to BWB, Godzilla !


I'm assuming that you have used the Buddhanet Worldwide Search facility (mentioned at the beginning of the topic list for this Beginners forum) when looking for groups in your region.

As far as the Shambhala organisation is concerned, it has at its head the ''King and Queen'' of a mythical kingdom in Tibet !

http://www.iwk.nshealth.ca/index.cfm...D9CD4CD4C9ABE3

I'm probably not the best person to comment on Tibetan Buddhist organisations because after a long offline involvement I decided to leave all the superstitions, intrigues, squabbles and the cultural add-ons in favour of a western branch of the Theravada Thai Forest Tradition and reading the Pali Suttas which are the earliest record of Buddha's teachings.

with kind wishes

Aloka

[exchpaypalgold]

welcome Godzilla

in my experience, depending on ourselves & our approach to Buddhism, finding a group that suits us, individually, can sometimes be difficult

thus, if we wish to attend groups, often we must do more to accommodate them, rather than hope the group will accommodate us

myself, i did most of my Buddhism in Asia and, at least in a big city like Sydney Australia, i never found a group that really fit, but i attended groups to learn about other traditions & even offered service to them

most if not all buddhist groups are certainly very welcoming thus we can take & practise the common elements when we attend them

kind regards

element

[kneexyFreedly]

Thanks for the thoughtful replies.

Element I think you have summed up the idea of joining groups very well.

Aloka I think you have hit on another concern I have in relation to the power of teachers/gurus and how they are treated very much like royalty if not Gods in themselves. I wonder though is this is consequence of the historical transmission of practices by word of mouth? Or is there something deeper to this?

I feel Western Buddhism needs to find its own way of being and maybe this will bring more elements of democracy into groups.

Mayeb I need to look more at Theravada

[TNOULbr2]

Aloka I think you have hit on another concern I have in relation to the power of teachers/gurus and how they are treated very much like royalty if not Gods in themselves.I wonder though is this is consequence of the historical transmission of practices by word of mouth.

In Tibetan Buddhism one does "Guru Yoga" practice and often all the gurus of a particular lineage are prayed to regularly as well as one's own Guru ...and yes, the gurus are treated rather like gods or rock stars surrounded with adoring fans.

Many westerners are happy with that though.

These days I find it very refreshing attending a Theravada Thai Forest Tradition monastery in the UK.(where practices can also be received by word of mouth)

'Different strokes for different folks' as the saying goes.

It's always best to investigate carefully for oneself.

with kind wishes

Aloka


.

[pissmanvd]

Aloka I think you have hit on another concern I have in relation to the power of teachers/gurus and how they are treated very much like royalty if not Gods in themselves. I wonder though is this is consequence of the historical transmission of practices by word of mouth? Or is there something deeper to this?

The teacher/gurus are not impressed by their students trying to elevate them to some status which only exists in the minds of the students.

The whole aspect of the guru/teacher is similar to the respect we should all pay to those who know more than we do. In this there is an aspect of 'transference' but that is for the student's benefit and has no effect on the teacher.

Concentrate on your responsibilities as a student one of which is to check out the credentials of your teacher.