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Joined: Dec 2008
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Chipmunk
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BellaOnline Editor
Chipmunk
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This week I decided to write on the five buddha families, a teaching from Tibetan and Shingon Buddhism that provides a very interesting framework for working with the energies in our awareness that cause us suffering:

Five Buddha Families

This teaching classifies our awareness energies into 5 groupings, each of which may be expressed through us in an unenlightened or an enlightened form. The practices related to this teaching are designed to help us recognize the unenlightened forms in our awareness and transform them into the enlightened forms. So the emphasis is not as much on ridding ourselves of certain traits, but on transforming them. Like all Buddhist practices, it takes a high level of self-awareness and mindful practice to do this in the moment.

Although we all experience all of these aspects, most of us primarily relate to 1 or 2, so it's interesting to look at them and consider which you might be. At a high level:

Buddha Family
Enlightened Aspect: Open, keen and spacious
Unenlightened Aspect: Dull, lazy or ignorant

Vajra (Diamond) Family
Enlightened Aspect: Clear, wise, insightful
Unenlightened Aspect: Fearful, controlling, and overly conceptual

Ratna (Jewel) Family
Enlightened Aspect: Expansive and inclusive
Unenlightened Aspect: Prideful, greedy, and materialistic

Padma (Lotus) Family
Enlightened Aspect: Understanding and creative
Unenlightened Aspect: Grasping and trapped in desire

Karma (Action) Family
Enlightened Aspect: Compassionate and service-oriented
Unenlightened Aspect: Frantic, impulsive, or jealous

Please read the full article for details. I'd love to hear which you think you are your primary tendencies.


Lisa Erickson, Buddhism Editor
Buddhism Site
Teaching and Private Session Website: Enlightened Energetics
Blog: Mommy Mystic
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Koala
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Koala
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Dear Lisa,

Am at the restaurant now.The article sounds great.When I'll get home ,I will download the whole text and make another reference book out of it.

Talking about books you had recommended me a book.It came in this morning
600 pages.I never read a 600 page book.Old path white clouds.

I have quite a reading session in front of me.

This book plus Tibetan book of living and dying. About 400
Pages.

These 2 books should keep me in the Buddhism section as recommended by JILLY

With respect

Loong

Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 1,207
BellaOnline Editor
Chipmunk
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BellaOnline Editor
Chipmunk
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 1,207
Oh wow, you got both of them! I do like them both a lot. Old Path, White Clouds is of course TNH's version of the Buddha's life story, and it is quite lovely, really told as a novel. The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying is a great book for introducing Tibetan teachings on dying and rebirth. You will like both I think.


Lisa Erickson, Buddhism Editor
Buddhism Site
Teaching and Private Session Website: Enlightened Energetics
Blog: Mommy Mystic
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 2,200
Koala
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Koala
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 2,200
To Lisa,

Being some kind of Pratyekabuddha, my basic learnings were of the Theravada
Lineage.pretty dry and pragmatic teaching.When I met you ,Iwas on a search for ,
sorry fo the expression,looser,way of understanding the Dharma.

What I disliked about mahayana is the enormous schools of thought,ways of
Seeing or viewing the Dharma.Now Vajhrana.

Loved the reading of the 5 families.Is this teaching in the original Dharma,or is it,
Vhajrana teaching only.

You speak of Chakra techniques,which I have never read in any of the many
Readings,I have gone through,in Buddhism.Iam a proponent of the Mind,no mind no chakras ,am I wrong..?

Lots of questions,lots of searching.What Imiss is a pure Mahayana lineage.

When you go on Wiki,they seem not to appreciate,Questions on Mahayana subjects
Having too many unconfirmed,data.

I await your comments.
With great respect

Loongdragon

Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 2,200
Koala
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Koala
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 2,200
To Lisa,

Being some kind of Pratyekabuddha, my basic learnings were of the Theravada
Lineage.pretty dry and pragmatic teaching.When I met you ,Iwas on a search for ,
sorry fo the expression,looser,way of understanding the Dharma.

What I disliked about mahayana is the enormous schools of thought,ways of
Seeing or viewing the Dharma.Now Vajhrana.

Loved the reading of the 5 families.Is this teaching in the original Dharma,or is it,
Vhajrana teaching only.

You speak of Chakra techniques,which I have never read in any of the many
Readings,I have gone through,in Buddhism.Iam a proponent of the Mind,no mind no chakras ,am I wrong..?

Lots of questions,lots of searching.What Imiss is a pure Mahayana lineage.

When you go on Wiki,they seem not to appreciate,Questions on Mahayana subjects
Having too many unconfirmed,data.

I await your comments.
With great respect

Loongdragon

Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 1,207
BellaOnline Editor
Chipmunk
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BellaOnline Editor
Chipmunk
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 1,207
Vajrayana is really a branch of Mahayana, more focused on tools. The chakras, and our subtle body overall, is another tool we can work with on our pathway to enlightenment. Both chakra teachings and this Five Buddha teaching here are mostly found in Tibetan teachings, although there are also versions of them in Japanese teachings.

As you know, here at BellaOnline, I am writing general resource articles, so I provide overviews of a lot of different Buddhist teachings and branches. They are not all for everyone - different tools resonate with different people. Because I sensed and saw energies at a very young age, that was my proclivity, and this when I was introduced to the dharma, I connected mostly with Vajrayana teachings that took this energetic approach. I also work with Theravada teachings, because of course those are the foundation of all Buddhism, but I personally relate to the energetic and psychological teachings of Vajrayana, because of my own nature.

This isn't true for everyone. I don't feel that picking a path is about finding the 'true' one, or the one that most directly matches what Buddha taught when he was alive. I feel it is a matter of finding a path that has the true dharma integrated into it, but in which the tools and practices taught really speak to you as an individual. And as you may know, even in Theravada teachings, there are commentaries that talk about different personality types, and the many different types of meditation available, and which may resonate the most for each personality type.

So I think there is a need to separate tools from dharma. Of course many Theravada Buddhists do not feel this way - they feel that Mahayana has become too diverse and elaborate, with too many practices and rituals, and therefore does not reflect what the Buddha taught. And many Mahayana feel the Theravadists are too rigid in their interpretation. I don't really care about this debates anymore, as you know!

The standard view on Mahayana teachings overall, including Vajrayana, is that they developed long after the Buddha's passing. However, many Mahayana lineages teach that they were actually the esoteric teachings that the Buddha taught privately to only a select few, and that they did not spread widely until the world was ready many hundreds of years later. We may never know the truth. From historians' perspective, they would say Buddhism mixed with other spiritual teachings as it spread throughout the East, and incorporated meditations and tools from each to form different Mahayana lineages. So the chakras for example, were common in Indian yogic systems, and became incorporated in some Tibetan Buddhist lineages. There are many other examples.

If you are interested in incorporating chakra work into your practice, I can suggest some books, but really, you shouldn't feel you need to. And I know you already have several books you are reading, so that is probably enough for now! If you go through some of the books in my review list on the main BellaOnline Buddhism site, you will find several that involve Tibetan chakra and/or Vajrayana work. Also if you go through other articles there. But there is no need to overwhelm yourself! Sometimes simple is best. Often the only reason to explore a new practice is if you feel stuck.

I do think this particular idea, of the five Buddha teachings, can be helpful to almost anyone on a high level, because it helps you understand yourself in a new way.


Lisa Erickson, Buddhism Editor
Buddhism Site
Teaching and Private Session Website: Enlightened Energetics
Blog: Mommy Mystic
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 2,200
Koala
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Koala
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 2,200
Dear Lisa,

Was with a fiend 5 minutes. Ago .She is in japanese chakras.angels and a few other things.Asked her to introduce me to chakras.The first few words, she spoke,
Really killed the atmosphere.She spoke of Soul.

Now I see why I never read about chakras in thera or some mahanaya there is no soul.

Ihave asked you this question many times.IS THERE A PURE MAHAYANA
LINEAGE.or does every schools and subschools choose,the way they see the dharma


Making you work for your money:-)

_-/\_
Loong

Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 1,207
BellaOnline Editor
Chipmunk
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BellaOnline Editor
Chipmunk
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 1,207
Hi loong, I never answer your question because every Mahayana lineage believes it is pure, as does every Theravada:-) How could I possibly set myself up as the judge of each of these lineages? I certainly have my opinions though. But here at Bellaonline I feel it's my role to offer information on all of them, so I don't pass judgement in this context. But maybe I could answer your question better if you defined exactly what you mean by 'pure'? That word can mean a lot of things:-)

As you know, I am personally most drawn to the Tibetan lineages, particularly the Nyingma school. In my interpretation, they do not posit a soul, nor does chakra teachings of any lineage (Tibetan or otherwise.) The chakras are in our subtle body, or energy body, which is tied to our physical body. This is why they are used in energy healing traditions - they are really an extension of the mind-body connection. Think of it as a mind-body-energy connection.

However, the chakras are multi-facted, and they do store karmas on the inner layer - they are where the 'momentums' or samskaras are stored - the part that carries from life to life. But this isn't a 'soul' in the Hindu or Christian sense, as you already know. I think some people that have studied just a little Buddhism often think it is the same thing, but it's not. I am not sure if that is the case with your friend or not.

Of course there are many other healing and spiritual traditions, particularly Hindu-based ones, that teach the chakras, and they do put forth the concept of soul, so she may have been coming from one of those perspectives.

Soul, no soul, these are just ideas we can debate. I don't think we have to decide one way or the other what we believe in order to practice. Our practice will eventually lead us towards one or the other.


Lisa Erickson, Buddhism Editor
Buddhism Site
Teaching and Private Session Website: Enlightened Energetics
Blog: Mommy Mystic
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 2,200
Koala
Offline
Koala
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 2,200
Dear Lisa,

It happened again,I had written a very well taught post,on my
tablet.and it disappeared.

You were asking me about the Purity .I spoke about.

Bhuddha , spoke for 45 years,without any computers recorders etc.
Everything was repeated by word of mouth .That we agree upon.
So let us say that his first Dharma was about pure.

The first writings of Mahanaya were found in the last century BC
You yourself mention that at one point, some monks ,bhikkhus.
found the text too regid and decided too [modify] sorry for the word so that their Dhamma would be less restraining,less rigid.
That was around 6th century(just read it).
When that decision was taken,A mahayana text must have been written,by those who chose to change it.This is what I call Pure
Mahayana.The main difference I see is the bodhisattva,as far as major difference at the highest level of the Dharma.

Then I beleive Mahayana went all ways .I read more than 120 schools sub schools etc.I hope you understand better when I speak of a Pure Mahayana.The first text ,before it was cut in pieces.

With respect
loong


Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 2,200
Koala
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Koala
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 2,200
Dear Lisa,

After rereading my post ,i realised that if the major changes
in the Dharma was made around the 6th century ,how come in a text i read that the first Mahayana text was found 100 years before Jesus.C'han may he be the initiator of the changes with the japanese Taoist monk ,when they met around 600 ?Zen,Chan Buddhism?

I Wonder.

Respectfully yours
loong

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