Lama Ole has written many profound books relevant for different stages of the buddhist path. On the other hand there is also lots of other literature only claiming to be buddhist. Your center should have a library in which you can find books that correctly show you the view of the Diamondway. Suitable books have also been written by the Karmapas or other lineage-holders and should also be in your center, though not necessarily with completely free access. Reasons for this are explained below.
Literature from other sources usually contains views conflicting with the buddhist views of the Diamondway. Reading those books will most certainly cause severe confusion and may even prevent you from receiving the transmissions or give you wrong ideas about the realization of Lama Ole, on the methods that will eventually help you attain realization yourself, about the people in your center who want to help you clearly see the way things are or on aspects of the Diamondway-organisation, the benefit of giving donations and other contributions and so on.
Dharma may be discussed out of the correct order. You may even read on subjects that are normally kept secret until you are advanced enough on your path or that may require personal explanation by someone in your center with more experience or by a travelling teacher or even Lama Ole himself.
There have been wild accusations agains the Diamondway claiming that these strict recommendations qualify the Diamondway as a cult. In reality it is necessary to voluntarily limit your reading to appropriate sources. Otherwise you may become aware of concepts that are confusing and have even caused people to turn away from Lama Ole and follow teachings that oppose Lama Ole and block their path to realization.
Some people even get the idea that somehow the mind has some kind of ability to reach realization on its own without proper teachings. This error may happen if you never were in contact with Lama Ole. But once you are in the presence of the teacher most people will experience for themselves that the teacher is absolutely necessary.
Unfortunately some people are very new on the path and are still open to obstructing influences. For that reason all disciples of Lama Ole, especially the ones in positions with responsibility must be able to recognize when people become confused and act appropriately.
Proper explanation and support by those still on the path can help as long as the affected person is in principle still fully devoted to Lama Ole and simply got wrong ideas from somewhere else. But in more severe cases it may be necessary to temporarily exclude individuals from coming to the center, to quickly remove them from any responsibility or to recommend psycho-therapy before coming back.
There are some exceptions concerning the suitability of literature from sources outside of the Diamondway. There is even one book by the author Chögyam Trungpa who is the founder of a lineage that has been in conflict with Lama Ole for several decades. Trungpa has forbidden Lama Ole from teaching in his centers. Also he teaches meditation with the wrong methods and out of order. Basically his lineage starts by teaching sitting meditation without the correct visualizations even before the basic practices (see section on meditation). This will dull your mind and prevent you from reaching clarity.
But even this Chögyam Trungpa has written one book (Cutting through spiritual materialism) that some Diamondway-practitioners have actually read. Obviously still a thorough understanding of the diamondway-teachings is required but then it should be possible to read this book even at relatively early stage. It can still cause confusion but now you should be able to find older disciples of Lama Ole who can help clear things up for you.
The books written by the Karmapas give the correct Diamondway-views. They should not be read at the beginning of the path because they are mostly very profound and always require personal explanation by someone who has been with Lama Ole for at least five years and has already grasped the Mahamudra-teachings that Lama Ole regularly gives.
Correct literature helps by supporting the personal teachings of Lama Ole and the travelling teachers as long as some basic precautions are observed.
Sonntag, 30. August 2009
Practice
There are many ways of practice. Unfortunately most of these practices are not suitable for correctly transmitting buddhist teachings.
For that reason Lama Ole teaches different well-designed methods. The basic meditation is that on the 16th Karmapa. It contains symbols, visualisations and short textual teachings giving you access to all the basic buddhist teachings. You are shown how to clear your confusion, how to have your speech be the expression of the true nature of the mind, how to remove sickness from your body and why we are on the buddhist path. This meditation is practiced regularly and from the beginning of your path. Other more advanced meditations follow as you are ready to receive them.
The whole buddhist path is based on the practice of meditation. As you progress in your practice you begin to aquire the necessary basic qualities. You open yourself to the devotion to the teacher and carefully listen to what he tells you. You develop generosity and understand that contributions to the lineage serve to advance you toward the final goal of realization.
Patience helps when you encounter difficulties with yourself and other practitioners who are not yet fully realized. Diligence is the energy you put into the development of your center. You aquire the wisdom needed to tell the difference between the Diamondway-teachings and other false dharma that is meant to prevent your realization and lead you on a false path in the interest of some hierarchical organization where the leader and the persons high up in the hierarchy wish to exploit your true needs and teach you accordingly.
Also you get a deep understanding of the view of Diamondway. The view is the correct way to see the world and to behave in accordance with the dharma. The teachings on the view will guide you in all your decisions on how and where to contribute to the lineage, how to raise and educate your children, on who you should listen to and how to recognize who is truly living the teachings of Lama Ole and who is still very confused. They will give you a deep understanding of you own development and of the hindrances caused by your ego.
There are many different meditations which must be done in the correct order und constant supervision by your teacher Lama Ole. This may take some time but it is absolutely essential because otherwise it is not possible to reach realization.
The preliminary practice is called ngöndro. It is done in 4 consecutive stages and can be completed in no more than 5 years. It can be done much faster in just a few months but only if you can devote the whole day to practicing. Normally practicioners need to work for their living or go to school and possibly take care of their family. Under these normal conditions the ngöndro takes several years if practiced for a few hours daily.
The first stage is called prostrations. This involves actually bowing to and throwing yourself on the ground before a picture of the kagyu-refuge-tree which shows all the buddhas and protectors and personalities that made our lineage what it is today. You prostrate 111.111 times, thereby expressing humbleness before the whole lineage that has for many centuries helped people reach full realization.
The second stage is called diamond mind. It is a meditation and a 100-syllable matra that is recited 111.111 times. This completely cleanses old karma that would otherwise prevent you from progressing further on the path. You may then be thankful to Lama Ole for helping you release all obstacles before your further practice.
The third stage are the mandala-offerings where you learn give away things of value by offering rice and perfume. This opens you to the paramita generosity, which you can always show towards the lineage.
The fourth stage of the ngöndro is guru-yoga. Here you open your mind and develop full devotion to your teacher, which of course is Lama Ole. You firmly connect your mind to the teachings , thereby recognizing from your own experience that completely following the words of Lama Ole will lead you to full realization in just one lifetime.
The following years on the path you spend in meditation on either a guru of the lineage or on a yidam representing certain aspects of the buddha and of your mind. Lama Ole will give you instructions on your main practice and will also advise you if and when it is time to take up another practice.
At first this may seem like a big task but once you begin to see that you are doing all this for the Lama you will not any longer question it so much.
For that reason Lama Ole teaches different well-designed methods. The basic meditation is that on the 16th Karmapa. It contains symbols, visualisations and short textual teachings giving you access to all the basic buddhist teachings. You are shown how to clear your confusion, how to have your speech be the expression of the true nature of the mind, how to remove sickness from your body and why we are on the buddhist path. This meditation is practiced regularly and from the beginning of your path. Other more advanced meditations follow as you are ready to receive them.
The whole buddhist path is based on the practice of meditation. As you progress in your practice you begin to aquire the necessary basic qualities. You open yourself to the devotion to the teacher and carefully listen to what he tells you. You develop generosity and understand that contributions to the lineage serve to advance you toward the final goal of realization.
Patience helps when you encounter difficulties with yourself and other practitioners who are not yet fully realized. Diligence is the energy you put into the development of your center. You aquire the wisdom needed to tell the difference between the Diamondway-teachings and other false dharma that is meant to prevent your realization and lead you on a false path in the interest of some hierarchical organization where the leader and the persons high up in the hierarchy wish to exploit your true needs and teach you accordingly.
Also you get a deep understanding of the view of Diamondway. The view is the correct way to see the world and to behave in accordance with the dharma. The teachings on the view will guide you in all your decisions on how and where to contribute to the lineage, how to raise and educate your children, on who you should listen to and how to recognize who is truly living the teachings of Lama Ole and who is still very confused. They will give you a deep understanding of you own development and of the hindrances caused by your ego.
There are many different meditations which must be done in the correct order und constant supervision by your teacher Lama Ole. This may take some time but it is absolutely essential because otherwise it is not possible to reach realization.
The preliminary practice is called ngöndro. It is done in 4 consecutive stages and can be completed in no more than 5 years. It can be done much faster in just a few months but only if you can devote the whole day to practicing. Normally practicioners need to work for their living or go to school and possibly take care of their family. Under these normal conditions the ngöndro takes several years if practiced for a few hours daily.
The first stage is called prostrations. This involves actually bowing to and throwing yourself on the ground before a picture of the kagyu-refuge-tree which shows all the buddhas and protectors and personalities that made our lineage what it is today. You prostrate 111.111 times, thereby expressing humbleness before the whole lineage that has for many centuries helped people reach full realization.
The second stage is called diamond mind. It is a meditation and a 100-syllable matra that is recited 111.111 times. This completely cleanses old karma that would otherwise prevent you from progressing further on the path. You may then be thankful to Lama Ole for helping you release all obstacles before your further practice.
The third stage are the mandala-offerings where you learn give away things of value by offering rice and perfume. This opens you to the paramita generosity, which you can always show towards the lineage.
The fourth stage of the ngöndro is guru-yoga. Here you open your mind and develop full devotion to your teacher, which of course is Lama Ole. You firmly connect your mind to the teachings , thereby recognizing from your own experience that completely following the words of Lama Ole will lead you to full realization in just one lifetime.
The following years on the path you spend in meditation on either a guru of the lineage or on a yidam representing certain aspects of the buddha and of your mind. Lama Ole will give you instructions on your main practice and will also advise you if and when it is time to take up another practice.
At first this may seem like a big task but once you begin to see that you are doing all this for the Lama you will not any longer question it so much.
Sonntag, 21. Juni 2009
Concepts and Reality
Many of the difficulties and confusion that people have about the diamondway-teachings result from attachment to concepts.
Basically a critic must hold his criticism to be "true" and "real" before he/she can even express it.
Here an obvious error made by the critics becomes apparent.
The buddhist teachings cover concepts and "reality" quite well. Let us consider not something complex like a critic's view from outside on profound teachings such as those of Lama Ole. Instead look at something simple, like for example the table you are probably sitting at right now. Does it exist? How would you know that it exists?
You could just ask someone else: "do you see a table here". But even if the person you asked would answer with "yes", what would that mean? The other person can not see that same table you are seeing for the simple reason that he/she is looking from somewhere else, even if it is only a slightly different angle. You can never talk about exactly the same table, because you never perceive exactly the same table.
So you see that it does not really exist. It is only a construct of your mind.
Also if you look at the "reality" of the substance of the table (or of anything else for that matter) and look as deeply as modern science can, then at the atomic level the table consists mostly of empty space and at the subatomic level even the particles that make up the atoms are nothing but energy. There is not really any matter, just energy floating in space. The table, just like your mind, is in space. It is the same as your mind. Calling it a "table" artificially separates you from the table (or, again, from anything else) and is simply a complicated and completely unnecessary construct created by your mind.
Criticising the table (you usually do not do that) or the teachings of Lama Ole (that happens quite often) also creates an artificial separation which does not really exist. So, obviously any criticism is self-defeating and only results in further confusion of the critic. How much better to listen to Lama Ole and practice meditation that leads to clarity and overcomes the confusion.
Basically a critic must hold his criticism to be "true" and "real" before he/she can even express it.
Here an obvious error made by the critics becomes apparent.
The buddhist teachings cover concepts and "reality" quite well. Let us consider not something complex like a critic's view from outside on profound teachings such as those of Lama Ole. Instead look at something simple, like for example the table you are probably sitting at right now. Does it exist? How would you know that it exists?
You could just ask someone else: "do you see a table here". But even if the person you asked would answer with "yes", what would that mean? The other person can not see that same table you are seeing for the simple reason that he/she is looking from somewhere else, even if it is only a slightly different angle. You can never talk about exactly the same table, because you never perceive exactly the same table.
So you see that it does not really exist. It is only a construct of your mind.
Also if you look at the "reality" of the substance of the table (or of anything else for that matter) and look as deeply as modern science can, then at the atomic level the table consists mostly of empty space and at the subatomic level even the particles that make up the atoms are nothing but energy. There is not really any matter, just energy floating in space. The table, just like your mind, is in space. It is the same as your mind. Calling it a "table" artificially separates you from the table (or, again, from anything else) and is simply a complicated and completely unnecessary construct created by your mind.
Criticising the table (you usually do not do that) or the teachings of Lama Ole (that happens quite often) also creates an artificial separation which does not really exist. So, obviously any criticism is self-defeating and only results in further confusion of the critic. How much better to listen to Lama Ole and practice meditation that leads to clarity and overcomes the confusion.
Donnerstag, 28. Mai 2009
Diamondway = Cult ?
Recently I found blogs where people claim that Lama Ole Nydahl's 
Diamondway is a Cult.
For example here:
DIAMOND WAY CULT - EXPOSING OLE NYDAHL'S DIAMOND WAY CULT
Or here: Diamond Way Truths - Dedicated to exposing the truth about Ole Nydahl & Diamond Way
In my opinion this is complete nonsense.
On the contrary. The Group of Ole Nydahl is very liberal.
It is fully tolerated that any new member can take up to two years before being in full comprehension of the views of the Diamondway.
After that time you will know from your own genuine understanding that whatever Lama Ole says is true. You will know when to speak out and what to say.
The experienced members of your local center will always be happy to share any information you need for your development. They will let you know what Ole said and what you should do to act accordingly. They will never in any way introduce their own egos nor will they use quotes from Lama Ole to get you to do what they want.
The meditations practiced in the Diamondway-centers will help you cleanse your mind from the obscurations and limitations caused by your ego. After a while you will have at least begun to develop the state of flawless devotion to the Lama that is absolutely necessary in order to quickly reach full realization.
The technique of the 16th-Karmapa-meditation is not meant to induce any kind of hypnotic trance. It uses colorful images and mantras to open your mind to the depth of Lama Ole's teachings and the deep wisdom that this lineage has transmitted for centuries.
With increasing comprehension of the teachings you will also know that reading books from other sources only confuses you. You will be able to pass this on to others in your center who may still unknowingly consider reading any such literature and help them to only select literature that has at the very least been approved by a travelling teacher.
The same applies for any contact with non-Diamondway-groups that practice false meditation.
It will then be obvious that devoting all your time, money and other resources to your Diamondway center is genuine dharma practice and an expression of the paramita of generosity. If you have children you will raise them according to the ideals of the Diamondway-teachings and teach them to recognize Lama Ole Nydahl as the genuine teacher. You may even name them after Lama Ole.
As long as your are not experienced enough you should carefully listen to the older members who are living expressions of the true buddhist transmissions. They will let you know what exactly you should say in order to correctly express the truths taught by Ole.
Of course you should not quite yet take on responsibilities other than the worldly ones like working for your Diamondway-center, educate your attitudes by regularly cleaning your center, and become a paying member as soon as possible.
You should visit as many courses and talks of Diamondway-teachers as possible, because these are your best opportunities for fully absorbing the teachings and for learning all the answers that you can give to deluded critics of the Diamondway and to the newer members who must also be given the chance to quickly understand.
At the beginning the devotion to the Lama is merely a matter of personal trust. Later you will be taught intense meditation-practices that will firmly and deeply open your mind to the personal experience of devotion to Lama Ole. You will then understand how it was possible that many tibetans reached full enlightenment within one lifetime, such as it was transmitted in the stories of their lives.
Do not be diverted from your path if you meet someone within the Diamondway who appears to not yet be on the path to final liberation or maybe even seem a bit neurotic. There may be carmic obstacles resulting from ego-controlled deeds in previous lifetimes that prevent the full realization in this lifetime. If that should be the case for you simply continue practicing generosity and devotion and carefully absorb any teachings that are offered to you. Even if you do not reach full realization in this lifetime Lama Ole Nydahl will teach you how to go to the blissful pure lands instead of being reborn in this realm of sorrow.
Anyone who has been with the Diamondway long enough can verify the truth of what is said here.
Please comment.
oli
Diamondway is a Cult.
For example here:
DIAMOND WAY CULT - EXPOSING OLE NYDAHL'S DIAMOND WAY CULT
Or here: Diamond Way Truths - Dedicated to exposing the truth about Ole Nydahl & Diamond Way
In my opinion this is complete nonsense.
On the contrary. The Group of Ole Nydahl is very liberal.
It is fully tolerated that any new member can take up to two years before being in full comprehension of the views of the Diamondway.
After that time you will know from your own genuine understanding that whatever Lama Ole says is true. You will know when to speak out and what to say.
The experienced members of your local center will always be happy to share any information you need for your development. They will let you know what Ole said and what you should do to act accordingly. They will never in any way introduce their own egos nor will they use quotes from Lama Ole to get you to do what they want.
The meditations practiced in the Diamondway-centers will help you cleanse your mind from the obscurations and limitations caused by your ego. After a while you will have at least begun to develop the state of flawless devotion to the Lama that is absolutely necessary in order to quickly reach full realization.
The technique of the 16th-Karmapa-meditation is not meant to induce any kind of hypnotic trance. It uses colorful images and mantras to open your mind to the depth of Lama Ole's teachings and the deep wisdom that this lineage has transmitted for centuries.
With increasing comprehension of the teachings you will also know that reading books from other sources only confuses you. You will be able to pass this on to others in your center who may still unknowingly consider reading any such literature and help them to only select literature that has at the very least been approved by a travelling teacher.
The same applies for any contact with non-Diamondway-groups that practice false meditation.
It will then be obvious that devoting all your time, money and other resources to your Diamondway center is genuine dharma practice and an expression of the paramita of generosity. If you have children you will raise them according to the ideals of the Diamondway-teachings and teach them to recognize Lama Ole Nydahl as the genuine teacher. You may even name them after Lama Ole.
As long as your are not experienced enough you should carefully listen to the older members who are living expressions of the true buddhist transmissions. They will let you know what exactly you should say in order to correctly express the truths taught by Ole.
Of course you should not quite yet take on responsibilities other than the worldly ones like working for your Diamondway-center, educate your attitudes by regularly cleaning your center, and become a paying member as soon as possible.
You should visit as many courses and talks of Diamondway-teachers as possible, because these are your best opportunities for fully absorbing the teachings and for learning all the answers that you can give to deluded critics of the Diamondway and to the newer members who must also be given the chance to quickly understand.
At the beginning the devotion to the Lama is merely a matter of personal trust. Later you will be taught intense meditation-practices that will firmly and deeply open your mind to the personal experience of devotion to Lama Ole. You will then understand how it was possible that many tibetans reached full enlightenment within one lifetime, such as it was transmitted in the stories of their lives.
Do not be diverted from your path if you meet someone within the Diamondway who appears to not yet be on the path to final liberation or maybe even seem a bit neurotic. There may be carmic obstacles resulting from ego-controlled deeds in previous lifetimes that prevent the full realization in this lifetime. If that should be the case for you simply continue practicing generosity and devotion and carefully absorb any teachings that are offered to you. Even if you do not reach full realization in this lifetime Lama Ole Nydahl will teach you how to go to the blissful pure lands instead of being reborn in this realm of sorrow.
Anyone who has been with the Diamondway long enough can verify the truth of what is said here.
Please comment.
oli
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