Buddhist Teachings

Buddhist Study and Practice

The teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha are sustained by a stream of teacher-student relationships. Here is a good link to a biography of the Buddha written by Sherab Chodzin, a student of Trungpa Rinpoche: The Awakened One: A Life of the Buddha - 9781570625510 (shambhala.com)

Teachings have been transmitted "from mouth to ear" for over 2500 years, in the form of words, understanding, meditation, everyday-life practice, social forms, and realization. Following the lead of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche (1939-1987), the Buddhist teachings studied by Dharma Study Group Kalamazoo are primarily based on the over 2000 English-language talks he gave during his lifetime to students in North America and Europe. We also study teachings and teachers recommended by Trungpa Rinpoche, primarily but not exclusively within the Kagyu and Nyingma lineages of Tibetan Buddhism. We especially also attend to the teachings of his principle student, The Vajra Regent Osel Tendzin, who was also the co-founder of the Shambhala Training program.

Initially, Buddhist teachings found their way to Tibet through the efforts and teachings of Padmasambhava (8th or 9th century) and his students, and later through the teachings of the great translator and realized being Marpa (1012-1097), who was among the Tibetan teachers of that time who traveled to India to receive teachings from great masters. Such teachers received, practiced, accomplished, and eventually transmitted authentic teachings within Tibet. The Tibetan traditions translated nearly all of the Indian and Pali Buddhist cannons -- the sutras and tantras, shastras, and commentaries -- firmly planting authentic Buddhist practice and study in Tibet, which produced many generations of realized masters in that country.

In the Buddhist teachings that we follow, both by Trungpa Rinpoche and those recommended by him, there is a strong emphasis on mindfulness-awareness meditation, which is encouraged in the form of daily practice sessions, along with occasional group and individual retreat practice. We host and support such situations as much as we can. When Trungpa Rinpoche first came to North America, he became good friends with the Zen master Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, appreciating the strong practice ethic of his students and the manner in which he encouraged that. The approach to intensive group meditation practice taught by Trungpa Rinpoche and practiced by his students -- day-long nyinthuns and month-long dathuns -- was largely adapted by Trungpa Rinpoche from the seshins and practice intensives hosted by Zen master Shunryu Suzuki Roshi and his students. There are teachings on meditation by Trungpa Rinoche and his dharma heir, Osel Tendzin at this link on this website: Meditation Practice - Dharma Study Group Kazoo (dsgroupkazoo.com)

Trungpa Rinpoche also encouraged the teaching careers of a number of English-speaking Theravadin lineage teachers, as well as some Zen teachers, and was interested in making connections with authentic Christian teachers, American Indian teachers, and teachers from other traditions, joining together with them in prayer and meditation. The Christian-Buddhist conferences hosted by The Naropa Institute in the 1980s are an example of such interfaith connections furthered by Trungpa Rinpoche and his students. In these encounters, the emphasis was more on meditation practice, prayer, and experience than philosophy. This book details some of those encounters and teachings: Speaking of Silence: Christians and Buddhists on the Contemplative Way: Walker, Susan: 9780809128808: Amazon.com: Books

Three yanas or vehicles of Buddhist practice: a developmental approach
Within the vajrayana Buddhist traditions, as presented by Indian, Tibetan, and other sources, the teachings are sometimes divided into three "vehicles," or yanas, different levels of teachings that may be presented to particular students depending on their ripeness to hear and practice them. Each of these is important to the students of Trungpa Rinpoche and this Dharma Study group, who present these various levels of teachings in a developmental fashion.

For beginners (which includes most of us, at least in part), there is the vehicle of individual liberation, the "hinayana," (literally "narrow path" or less literally, "immediate path") emphasizing taming the mind and not causing harm to oneself and others. The hinayana teachings speak the language of anyone off the street. The sitting practice of mindfulness-awareness meditation begins here, at the beginning, along with basic doctrines such as the four truths of the noble ones (four noble truths), cause and effect of actions (karma), working with emotions in a very heedful way. These understandings may evolve as one goes further with the teachings, but basically extend through the whole path, whatever forms it takes, through all the yanas. In the hinayana, the teacher is regarded as a respected elder, someone to emulate, who gives teachings and some rules, but may not mind one's business as personally as with the subsequent yanas.

For those who have the aspiration to be of benefit to this world, putting others before oneself, and have achieved some level of hinayana discipline and training, there is the vehicle of the bodhisatva path, the "mahayana" or great vehicle. Mahayana teachings emphasize the primordial goodness, the buddha nature, of all beings, and serving those beings. The doctrine and realization of two-fold egolessness, egolessness of self and other, is also an important aspect to mahayana teachings. The teacher in the mahayana is regarded as "spiritual friend" (Sanskrit: kalyanamitra). As in social work, people who take on the responsibility to work with others need mentorship that is more intimate than someone who is just working on oneself. When working with others, one's mentor might mind your business a bit more, in a friendly way. Some of the more demanding mahayana practices are not introduced until students first have some training and seasoning in the basic hinayana approach.

With firm ground in hinayana and mahayana discipline, practice and study, and for those who are so inclined, there are the vajrayana teachings, the teachings and practices of the "indestructible" or "adamantine" vehicle, the vehicle of skillful means. Such advanced skillful means and understandings serve the purpose of fulfilling mahayana intentions, but in an even more demanding way. In the vajrayana, the teacher is regarded as "guru", and the vows and bond between teacher, student, and enlightened mind which is their very nature can bring challenges, so are not to be taken lightly. Within Trungpa Rinpoche's teachings, the vajrayana perspective influences the presentation of all three levels of teaching, while maintaining the necessary secrecy related to the details of vajrayana practice.

Chogyam Trungpa Rinopche taught these three vehicles in a systematic way, encouraging students to "begin at the beginning," then developing a progressive path based in meditation, discipline, awareness practice in everyday life, and study. We believe that this approach to practice and study may provide a strong foundation for any life, whether one is interested in making a commitment to Buddhism as a religion or not. Many practitioners of other traditions, or who do not have a particular religious connection, have benefited and may benefit from Buddhist practice and study, as well as Trungpa Rinpoche's presentation of his Dharma Art teachings, Shambhala teachings, and teaching on other subjects, such as the arts and business.

Buddhism as a religion: the refuge vow
Buddhadharma, the teachings of the Buddha, definitely can be taken on as both a life discipline and a religion. It is a religion based on vows. As taught by Trungpa Rinpoche, drawing on the teachings of Gampopa, the basic Buddhist vow for lay people is the refuge vow, the threefold refuge in Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, refuge in the sense of "that which one relies upon." In some traditions, these are enhanced by further precepts, commitments, for both lay and monastic contexts, such as vows not to take life, not to take what is not offered, not to lie, and so on. In monastic traditions, there may be 100s of such vows, which provide a way of life and heedful awareness practice for everyday life.

In general, vows provide boundaries of awareness, guidelines which may wake us up and potentiate our path. Vows should not be taken lightly. Fulfilling a promise makes that action more powerful in one's life, more than if one just simply "does good." Going back on one's word cuts into one's being, more than if one commits a negative action haphazardly. Intention potentiates karma.

First, refuge in the Buddha is relying on the life example of Buddha as a human being as a reference point for one's own life. An excellent biography of the Buddha by a student of Trungpa Rinpoche, Sherap Chodzin, may be found here. The Awakened One: A Life of the Buddha - 9781570625510 (shambhala.com)

Second, refuge in the Dharma, the teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha, are guidelines for one's practice, study, and life-path altogether. Some highlights related to the dharma shared by all Buddhists would include teachings on cause and effect / karma, the doctrine of egolessness and the four marks of view. Beyond that, as described above, refuge in the Dharma could emphasize hinayana, mahayana, or vajrayana dharma.

Third, refuge in the Sangha may refer to refuge in the realized students of the Buddha, bodhisatvas and arhats. Refuge in the Sangha may also refer to the community of Buddhist practitioners who practice Buddhist teachings, students' of one's own teachers or other Buddhist students in general. Because the teachings of the Buddha are vast, and particular teachers and communities may emphasize one aspect of the Buddha's teaching rather than another, there could be differences among the approaches of different lineages towards such vows.

The Shambhala Teachings
For Buddhist students of Trungpa Rinpoche and other mahayana Buddhists, Trungpa Rinpoche's body of teachings called the Shambhala teachings, related to teachings of primordial goodness and creating enlightened society, can certainly provide an excellent vehicle for fulfilling one's bodhisatva vow, the mahayana vow to put others before oneself and to benefit others. Some description of this body of teachings can be found on this website at this link [Shambhala Teachings - Dharma Study Group Kazoo (dsgroupkazoo.com) ]. Having said that, the Shambhala Training Program and related teachings were presented by Trungpa Rinpoche and his Vajra Regent Osel Tendzin not as some kind of watered-down Buddhism, or something to be practiced only by some Buddhist in-group, but as a gift to the world. They are, among other things, an antidote to nihilistic and idealistic philosophies which lead to self-denigration, lack of individual responsibility, blaming one's ancestors, and misunderstandings of cause and effect which have pervaded so many spiritual and political approaches in this modern world. His Buddhist teachings also fulfill this function, but the Shambhala teachings are particularly pointed in this way, and do not require vows to study and practice in depth.

The Shambhala teachings are central to the approach of our group, Dharma Study Group Kalamazoo. Our current course related to the Shambhala teachings meets on Saturdays, and is currently open to graduates of Shambhala Training Level V and similar curricula.  Contact us if you'd like to join in (ngejungzoo@gmail.com)

Dharma Study Group Courses and Themes addressed over the years:

--Mindfulness meditation and working with obstacles

--The qualities of a dharmic person

--The Shambhala Teachings and logics of the Shambhala Training program

--Awareness practice and art in everyday life

--The four truths of the noble ones (the four noble truths)

--Karma and klesha: understanding cause and effect and working with emotions

--Ascertainment of the View (Progressive stages of meditation on emptiness)

--The seven points of mind training (lojong teachings)

--Compassion practice: exchanging oneself for others

--The six paramitas (generosity, discipline, patience, exertion, meditation, wisdom)

--The vajrayana path

--The Great Liberation teachings (Tibetan Book of the Dead)
--Working with death and dying situations
--The refuge and bodhisatva vows

--Vipashyana Awareness
--Journey Without Goal (the vajrayana path, unrestricted teachings)

--the book Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism with audio support

--the sourcebook Complete Teachings of Mahayana with audio support
and others

 

Lama Tony Duff, teacher and translator

A number of students of Dharma Study Group, along with myself (Robert Walker), have studied with Lama Tony Duff and accessed his translations (Padma Karpo Translation Committee, Padma Karpo Translation Committee - Padma Karpo Translation Committee (pktc.org)). Lama Tony is a student of Trungpa Rinpoche, along with a number of other great Kagyu and Nyingma lineage masters. His recent translation of the classic by Arya Shantideva, the Bodhisatvacharyavatara (Entering the Bodhisatva's Conduct), enhanced by a commentary by Drukpa Kagyu master Padma Karpo, was a good class for a number of people in our group.  A link to this classic text can be found here. Books and Translations Page 2: Detailed Overviews - Padma Karpo Translation Committee (pktc.org) This text is suitable for both recitation and deep study of the text. All students of Trungpa Rinpoche were strongly encouraged to study this text, and this translation makes that much more possible.