Welcome all viewers with an interest in Buddhism.
This Blog is the start of building a resource that will make it easier for you to get to understand Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhist teachings and the activities that take place around those teachings.
In my six or so years of gradually easing into becoming a Buddhist and extending my practices from there, I experienced many confusing and almost incomprehensible concepts and teachings. Within our small group in Sydney, Australia I have found myself spending more and more time answering the questions of people new to Buddhism. I have also seen many who attended teachings a few times and then gave up because they couldn't follow what was happening.
I have had the benefit of having a Tibetan Rinpoche resident with our group in Sydney. He is my spiritual guide (or Guru). Much of what I have learnt has been from him and his teachers, all from the Sakya tradition.
It is my intention to post a short article at least once a fortnight. Initially those articles will be sequenced in a structure similar to the general approach to teaching Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism.
These articles will not be about the teachings themselves - there are thousands of sources available to explore those and I will be referencing some of those.
To give a flavour of what is to come, in this post I have mentioned Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism. What are they and what is the difference? They are both traditional aspects of Buddhism as taught by Buddha Shakyamuni 2,500 years ago, and represent what is known as the Middle Way. Both are based on the premise that all practice should be for the benefit of every sentient being ahead of our individual desires. Sentient beings are every life form that has a brain, including animals, fish and insects. The two approaches utilise meditation as the vehicle to contemplate the teachings. The main difference between them is that Vajrayana Buddhism uses esoteric or tantric practices as part of its practices, with emphasis on visualisations and mantras. This is considered to offer a faster path to enlightenment.
So next time, I guess I had better explain what is meant by "Teachings" and "Practices". It may sound simple, but I have been surprised at how many times I have been asked what these terms encompass.
Thank you for joining me in this adventure. I am learning and your responses and questions will help greatly to guide me as to where I take this.
I am facilitating ads on this blog in order to support my ability to spread the Dharma and assist people to assess what Buddhism has to offer them and how they might approach their exploration of it. I dedicate this post for the benefit of all sentient beings.
This Blog is the start of building a resource that will make it easier for you to get to understand Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhist teachings and the activities that take place around those teachings.
In my six or so years of gradually easing into becoming a Buddhist and extending my practices from there, I experienced many confusing and almost incomprehensible concepts and teachings. Within our small group in Sydney, Australia I have found myself spending more and more time answering the questions of people new to Buddhism. I have also seen many who attended teachings a few times and then gave up because they couldn't follow what was happening.
I have had the benefit of having a Tibetan Rinpoche resident with our group in Sydney. He is my spiritual guide (or Guru). Much of what I have learnt has been from him and his teachers, all from the Sakya tradition.
It is my intention to post a short article at least once a fortnight. Initially those articles will be sequenced in a structure similar to the general approach to teaching Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism.
These articles will not be about the teachings themselves - there are thousands of sources available to explore those and I will be referencing some of those.
To give a flavour of what is to come, in this post I have mentioned Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism. What are they and what is the difference? They are both traditional aspects of Buddhism as taught by Buddha Shakyamuni 2,500 years ago, and represent what is known as the Middle Way. Both are based on the premise that all practice should be for the benefit of every sentient being ahead of our individual desires. Sentient beings are every life form that has a brain, including animals, fish and insects. The two approaches utilise meditation as the vehicle to contemplate the teachings. The main difference between them is that Vajrayana Buddhism uses esoteric or tantric practices as part of its practices, with emphasis on visualisations and mantras. This is considered to offer a faster path to enlightenment.
So next time, I guess I had better explain what is meant by "Teachings" and "Practices". It may sound simple, but I have been surprised at how many times I have been asked what these terms encompass.
Thank you for joining me in this adventure. I am learning and your responses and questions will help greatly to guide me as to where I take this.
I am facilitating ads on this blog in order to support my ability to spread the Dharma and assist people to assess what Buddhism has to offer them and how they might approach their exploration of it. I dedicate this post for the benefit of all sentient beings.
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