Apech Posted January 18, 2023 17 minutes ago, Wilhelm said: Sorry to bombard you with questions, sir. You were kind enough to answer and I'm afraid I'm taking advantage of that. No problem. Everything I say is just based on what I have experienced and how I have been taught. 17 minutes ago, Wilhelm said: Is it common, or acceptable, for lay practitioners to complete the foundations you mentioned through self-study - or will those teachers of energy work/the six yogas require your affiliation with a qualified center (who can supposedly confirm your completion of the foundations)? Yes. I am a lay practitioner as is my lama. What is needed is the 'lung' transmission of the ngondro text and the instructions on how to practice. It doesn't matter how long you take to complete by the way ... and it does not mean that you cannot do other practices or meditation in parallel. They are called preliminary but this does not mean necessarily 'before' but more it is about learning how to prepare the ground. Some pupils do skip them entirely but it is the exception. 17 minutes ago, Wilhelm said: That makes sense in the context of how you described several lineages that fit under the name Vajrayana - nobody could be expected to know or teach all that. Do you share the video subjects' view on the importance of empowerment and pilgrimages (namely that they're important to the Vajrayana path). Also just realized I've been spelling it wrong until now 😬 sorry. Empowerments and 'lung' readings are essential. Otherwise you have not got the transmission. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
awaken Posted January 19, 2023 (edited) There are many masters in Taiwan who teach without charge. These masters are not poor, on the contrary, they own a lot of real estate. Some groups even have so much money that they buy land to store it. When you are greedy for small money like students' tuition fees, do you think students can't see your greed? 在台灣有許多大師的教學沒有收費，這些大師並沒有一貧如洗，相反的，他們擁有很大的房地產。 某些團體的錢甚至多到要買土地存放這些錢。 當你貪著學生的學費這種小錢，你以為學生看不出來你的貪婪嗎？ Nan Huaijin is a recognized master, and he is also a layman. 南懷瑾是公認的大師，他也是一個居士。 Lao Tzu, Wei Boyang, Zhang Ziyang, and Lu Zu are all laymen. 老子，魏伯陽，張紫陽，呂祖都是居士。 Lao Tzu, Zhang Ziyang, and Lu Zu have all been officials and have jobs. 老子，張紫陽，呂祖都當過官，都有工作。 Whether there is a fee or not, whether to rely on the student's tuition to survive, is not the main reason. Therefore, it is very easy to be deceived by using money as the method of distinguishing the true from the false. It is a trivial matter that you are cheated of money, but it is a major matter that you are misled. What matters is whether you can see your heart? Does the teacher you are looking for see oneself as well as you? 有沒有收費，有沒有依靠學生的學費而生存，都不是主要原因。 因此以金錢來作為區分法的真假，是非常容易受騙上當的。 你被騙了錢是小事，你被誤導才是大事。 重要的是你是否看得見你的內心？ 你要找的老師是否也跟你一樣看得見自己？ Edited January 19, 2023 by awaken 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
freeform Posted January 19, 2023 7 hours ago, awaken said: There are many masters in Taiwan who teach without charge. These masters are not poor, on the contrary, they own a lot of real estate. Some groups even have so much money that they buy land to store it. When you are greedy for small money like students' tuition fees, do you think students can't see your greed? Yeah I’m more concerned for people coming from monastic life and owning nothing - no assets, no career, no professional expertise to earn a living - and then relying on donation based teaching. I’ve had friends doing this exact thing… and even though people do make donations, they often underestimate the costs of running a retreat - hiring halls, accommodation, insurance, food, the teacher’s and assistant’s transport costs etc… I’ve had monastic friends ending a retreat in serious debt… not to mention being left with no money for their own food and housing… 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
