I found this interesting article about the various Buddhist Traditions and Teachings.
Ironically, the author Lopon Tenzin Namdak, is a teacher from the Bon school which is Tibet's original religion before Buddhism's arrival.
The teacher is a Dzogchen teacher of the Bon Tradition. What is really interesting is that Bon Dzogchen and Buddhist Dzogchen is almost identical, however the originator of the teaching are different. For Bon, the teaching originated from a Buddha who pre-dates our historical Buddha. His name is Tonpa Shenrab who probably existed thousands of years before our historical Shakyamuni Buddha.
Anyway, here's the article:
Interesting; Dzogchen.
here's Longchenpa's Advice:-
http://www.khandro.net/TibBud_Longchenpa1.htm
Longchenpa, who founded many Dzogchen lineages, says:
You would like to stay with family and loved ones
Forever, but you are certain to leave them.
You would like to keep your beautiful home
Forever, but you are certain to leave it behind.
You would like to enjoy happiness, wealth and comfort
Forever, but you are certain to lose them.
You would like to keep this excellent human life with its freedoms & advantages
Forever, but you are certain to die.
You would like study Dharma with your wonderful teacher
Forever, but you are certain to part.
You would like to be with good spiritual friends
Forever, but you are certain to separate.
O my friends who feel deep disillusionment with samsara,
I, the Dharma-less beggar, exhort you:
From today put on the armor of effort, for the time has come
To cross to the Land of Great Bliss whence there is no separation.~via Khenpo Chokey Gyaltsen of Pullahari (Jamgon Kontrul Monastery, Nepal)
/\
i don't think tibet buddha is older than the india buddha
This evening I have been asked to speak about the Bon tradition and its relation to Buddhism. When His {H.} the {D.} Lama speaks of the Tibetan traditions, he often refers to the five traditions of Tibet: the Nyingma, Kagyu, Sakya, Gelug and Bon. From His {H.}' point of view, Bon has an equal place with the four Tibetan Buddhist lineages. His {H.} is very broadminded. Not everybody has agreed with such a stance. There have been and still are a lot of very strange ideas about Bon amongst Buddhist teachers. From the Western psychological point of view, when people are trying very hard to emphasize positive things in their personalities before they have really resolved things on a deep level, then the shadow side gets projected onto an enemy. "We are the good guys on a proper pure path and they are the devil." Unfortunately, the Bonpos have been the traditional objects of this projection in Tibetan history. We will look at the historical reasons for this. It definitely needs to be understood within the context of Tibetan political history.
It is just a fact that Bon has received a lot of negative publicity and a bad image within Tibet itself. Westerners are often attracted to controversy, as if something that receives a bad image is more interesting. The other traditions are boring and straight. An equally strange idea is that Bon is more exotic than Tibetan Buddhism. Some Westerners look at it as a place where they can find magic, Lobsang Rampa type of stuff like drilling a hole in people's foreheads to open their third eyes. Neither view is accurate. We need to try to get a more balanced perspective and look at Bon with respect, as His {H.} does. It is important to understand Tibetan history to see how a negative view of Bon has developed and to see how its approach to spiritual development relates to Tibetan Buddhism.
According to the Bon tradition itself, it was founded by Shenrab Miwo, who lived thirty thousand years ago. That would place him somewhere in the Stone Age. I don't think this means he was a caveman. A common way to show great respect to a lineage is to say it is ancient. The actual dates of his lifespan are not possible to prove in any case. Shenrab Miwo lived in Omolungring. The description of this place seems to be a mixture of ideas about Shambhala, Mt. Meru, and Mt. Kailash. It is the description of an ideal spiritual land. It was said to be within a larger area called Tazig. The word "Tazig" can be found both in Persian and Arabic to refer to either Persia or Arabia. In other contexts, it refers to a nomadic tribe. In the Bon tradition, Tazig is described as being to the west of the kingdom of Zhang-zhung, which was in Western Tibet.
This suggests that Bon came from Central Asia, and probably an Iranian cultural area. It is possible that Shenrab Miwo lived in an ancient Iranian culture and then came to Zhang-zhung. Some versions say he came sometime between the eleventh and seventh centuries B.C.E. That is also a very long time ago and, again, there is no way of proving one or the other position. What is clear is that by the time of the founding of the Yarlung Dynasty in Central Tibet (127 B.C.E.) there was already something of a native tradition. We do not even know what it was called at that time.
Originally posted by longchen:I found this interesting article about the various Buddhist Traditions and Teachings.
Ironically, the author Lopon Tenzin Namdak, is a teacher from the Bon school which is Tibet's original religion before Buddhism's arrival.
The teacher is a Dzogchen teacher of the Bon Tradition. What is really interesting is that Bon Dzogchen and Buddhist Dzogchen is almost identical, however the originator of the teaching are different. For Bon, the teaching originated from a Buddha who pre-dates our historical Buddha. His name is Tonpa Shenrab who probably existed thousands of years before our historical Shakyamuni Buddha.
Anyway, here's the article:
Thanks for sharing :)
Originally posted by maggot:Regarding tibetan buddhism…
Have you guys wonder why death and destruction surrounds it unlike other schools?
IMO,
Death and destruction has been playing out in our world everywhere. It is part of samsaric existence... not just happening to Tibetan Buddhism.
Animals kill each other for survival and territories. Human beings also kill and fight. Compassion becomes more developed in higher life forms. The lower lifeforms and less-aware cannot understand the suffering that is being experienced by other Beings. That is why for them there is no abstainance from killing. For these Beings, the sinking of the teeth into the flesh of another Being holds no understanding of the pain that is being simultaneously felt by the victim. The slicing of the head hold no understanding of the incredible pain that is being felt by the victim.
As a human being, there is the opportunity to be aware of the suffering incurred. This provide a kind of abstainance from doing things that indiscriminately causes pain.
I say the opportunity is there, but that doesn't meant all human beings have developed the kind of understanding that will make them abstain from causing pain and harm. This can include people who are very smart in other ways and be successful in the conventional sense, but when it comes to understanding the pain that can be incurred, the mind simply has no awareness of that aspect.
Originally posted by longchen:IMO,
Death and destruction has been playing out in our world everywhere. It is part of samsaric existence... not just happening to Tibetan Buddhism.
Animals kill each other for survival and territories. Human beings also kill and fight. Compassion becomes more developed in higher life forms. The lower lifeforms and less-aware cannot understand the suffering that is being experienced by other Beings. That is why for them there is no abstainance from killing. For these Beings, the sinking of the teeth into the flesh of another Being holds no understanding of the pain that is being simultaneously felt by the victim. The slicing of the head hold no understanding of the incredible pain that is being felt by the victim.
As a human being, there is the opportunity to be aware of the suffering incurred. This provide a kind of abstainance from doing things that indiscriminately causes pain.
I say the opportunity is there, but that doesn't meant all human beings have developed the kind of understanding that will make them abstain from causing pain and harm. This can include people who are very smart in other ways and be successful in the conventional sense, but when it comes to understanding the pain that can be incurred, the mind simply has no awareness of that aspect.
animal kill each other ,human kill everything ,human want to conquer the nature, he never know he is part of nature.
Lopon Tenzin Namdak's teacher Shardza Tashi became famous after he attained the rainbow body upon his death in 1934.
According to a book that I have read, the days before he passed away, he was seen walking with his feet a few inches above the floor. Also he did not cast any shadow.
http://www.contenent.net/om/thema/-=NEW_VAR=-/Shradza-Gyaltsen_partisanship_and_literary_representation.pdf
Originally posted by longchen:Lopon Tenzin Namdak's teacher Shardza Tashi became famous after he attained the rainbow body upon his death in 1934.
According to a book that I have read, the days before he passed away, he was seen walking with his feet a few inches above the floor. Also he did not cast any shadow.
http://www.contenent.net/om/thema/-=NEW_VAR=-/Shradza-Gyaltsen_partisanship_and_literary_representation.pdf
Wow.. btw what book you read?
Originally posted by An Eternal Now:Wow.. btw what book you read?
The book is call "Heart Drops of the Dharmakaya".
http://www.amazon.com/Heart-Drops-Dharmakaya-Dzogchen-Tradition/dp/1559391723
i have this question, namo amitoufou, literally means south no buddha? why south? sorry if i missed any source that might explain this verse..
Originally posted by longchen:The book is call "Heart Drops of the Dharmakaya".
http://www.amazon.com/Heart-Drops-Dharmakaya-Dzogchen-Tradition/dp/1559391723
I see.. thats an interesting book.
BTW, theres this book 'The Cycle of Day and Night' by Chogyal Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche. I like it very much, its about non-duality, self-liberation and integrating Presence with daily life, or the 'cycle of day and night'. (even integrate Presence in sleep!)
"Continuing with this mindful awareness without distraction in the four moments (of eating, sitting, walking, and sleeping) is the root of the practice."
"The accomplished practitioner of Dzogchen finds himself in the state of the real condition of existence and remains there without moving from it both day and night. "Unmoving" means stability in this state of presence. Thus, Buddhahood may be realized even in the instant between two breaths."
I think this is one of the best and more practical books by Chogyal Namkhai Norbu...
BTW if you want to find any books you can go to http://www.evergreenbuddhist.com/AboutUs.htm, they have a large collection of books and sells at cheaper price than places like Kinokuniya.
Originally posted by jacqn:i have this question, namo amitoufou, literally means south no buddha? why south? sorry if i missed any source that might explain this verse..
lol.. Namo actually means 'I take refuge' or 'homage'... Its a direct phonetical translation from the Indian language of Sanskrit/Pali...
its not 'nan2 wu2 (south no) amituofuo'... thats a big mistake... will make people laugh
Namo Amituofuo means 'I take refuge in Amitabha Buddha'
hi thanks for explaining, dont laugh at me.. i also paisey.. cos chinese words is Wu, so i have this question, i didnt really study indepth, and i dare not ask my mum, cos afraid she scold me.. haha.
Originally posted by jacqn:hi thanks for explaining, dont laugh at me.. i also paisey.. cos chinese words is Wu, so i have this question, i didnt really study indepth, and i dare not ask my mum, cos afraid she scold me.. haha.
lol.. i think many people will make the same mistake because they think 'namo' is a chinese word... actually its sanskrit/pali