(2) But if you are talking about attending talks or reading books from masters from other traditions, no I cannot agree. There are several ways of explaining the same thing. For example, although I am a Gelug practitioner and have a high reverence for my Lama - who naturally is a Gelug practitioner. I still read books and attend talks by masters from other tradition. Example, I attended talk by Ajahn Brahm who is a Theravadan, and when he explained about how custom which is man made can be changed and why we should respect and appreciate other religious belief, his explanation sticks in my mind. Another good example is when Master Cheng Yen explained why we should not take hurtful talk seriously, her explanation sticks in my mind because she was using examples that is relevant to my situation. Her humble beginning when doing charity work also relates to me. So is Mother Teresa.
Most people would have read books from HHDL, other spiritual masters, etc. I myself has also attended a talk by Ajahn Brahm once. At some point in life, we will seek for something to improve our lives and hope someone is able to tell us how. So we look and we look. Finally, we come across an esteemed master. We check him out and we take refuge. We take refuge because this teacher made an impact in our lives which no other teacher can or did.
Therefore, we should go all way with one teacher for he has sworn to protect you in all lifetimes. I am not talking about mixing tradition here. This is more to do with sticking with one teacher. However, it does relate because if we stick to one teacher, we will stick to one tradition.
We should stick to one teacher by going to his talks, reading his books and listening to his advice. Why do we need another father if we already have one? Unless you are saying your current teacher not good enough? For me personally, my teacher is highly qualified. With his vast knowledge of information, it is difficult to absorb everything, I cannot imagine having so many other to teachers to learn from! Choosing a teacher is by choice. Once checked and chosen, we should commit to one teacher all the way. It's similar to being married! YES! Do we go around flirting with someone else while our spouse is still alive? Of course not. Going for another teaching when one has already taken refuge shows that you do not think that your teacher is good enough. This is what it reflects.
In terms of mixing tradition, it works the same as our minds are not stable and easily confused. It may cause us to doubt the teachings. Lama Tsongkapa has extract all the best from each from the Sakya, Nyima and Kagyu traditions. This is mixing tradition in a way isn't it? However, Tsongkhapa is qualified to mix it and condense the teachings to us which suits our current time best. Personally, I think I am fortunate to stumble upon the Gelug tradition. I wouldn't want to explore further.