THE IMPORTANCE OF LINEAGE IN TIBETAN BUDDHISM

[jonesboy]

A link to the article.

Let’s begin by discussing lineage and why it’s beneficial to know if a spiritual teacher has one.

In the Buddhist tradition, there are two kinds of teachings or Dharma:

1. The Dharma of Scripture: What most people usually think of first when they hear the word dharma: the texts containing the Buddha’s words and authentic commentaries explaining their meanings.

[jonesboy]

2. The Dharma of Realization: This refers to the realization of the meaning of those teachings in the mindstreams of practitioners.

For example, the texts describe the nature of impermanence in detail and how to meditate on it; then, someone receives teachings from their teacher, meditates on impermanence, and eventually realizes that truth. The teachings themselves are the dharma of scripture, and their realization or experiential understanding is the dharma of realization

[jonesboy]

Ideally, a teacher will have realized the meaning of what they are teaching. This way, they can experientially guide a student to their own realization through the practices and experiences rather than merely transmitting an intellectual understanding. This is one important way that a lineage is transmitted.

[jonesboy]

If our goal is to pursue a traditional Buddhist path, when we look for a spiritual teacher or tradition to learn from, it is essential to examine them carefully and to check if they come from an authentic lineage. A teacher with an authentic lineage can trace the transmissions of the lineages, teachings, and realization in an unbroken line all the way back to the Buddha Shakyamuni, the historical Buddha.

[jonesboy]

Types of Tantric Buddhism Transmissions:

Traditionally, in the case of the tantras, you must receive the empowerment and reading transmission for the given text to be permitted to read that text. In the case of generally applicable tantric commentaries on the stages of development and completion, you should at least receive the reading transmission and an empowerment on the same level of teachings as the text you wish to read

[jonesboy]

3. Instruction (tree) transmissions are explanations of a text that unpack the deeper meaning and significance of texts which are often quite dense, profound, and difficult to understand by merely reading them. Some texts are even intentionally obscure to prevent the uninitiated from accessing their meanings and, therefore, unintelligible to those who have not received instructions from a qualified teacher. If someone were to receive the lineages of empowerment and reading transmission without instructions, they would be missing crucial information about how to practice