Mitchell,
I´m a member of the NKT since 8 years ago. Of course, I think, you have many much years than me in the NKT. I have not the fortune and the blessings of having known HH Zong and Trijang Rinpoches.
You said that:
"If our NKT students are discovered propitiating Guru Rinpoche or were found to have attended The Dalai Lama’s teachings, what happens? We throw them out before you can say “Jack Flash”. That’s the NKT’s right, because it’s our organisation..."
I will quote some words of Geshe Kelsang Gyatso to this respect:
Can I Practice Buddhist and Non-Buddhist Teachings?
I find it [Christianity] a very nice religion, you know. A very nice religion. Relatively, sometimes it’s very similar to Buddhist ideas: encouraging people, we should love each other, help, be a good person, don’t do bad things... In the beginning, people can learn both, try to understand both (religions). But finally it’s very necessary to choose one. Otherwise there’ll be fighting inside, conflict. So therefore, finally they need to choose one. (Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, The Guide: Following the Buddhist Path, © 1996, 2000, 2007)
Can I Practice Different Buddhist Traditions at Once?
In the chapter on effort in Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life Shantideva advises us that before we commit ourself to engaging in a practice we should investigate it carefully to see whether it is suitable and whether we can sustain it; but once we have committed ourself to it we should never turn back but continue until we attain the final result. Switching from one practice to another unrelated practice not only prevents us from fulfilling our wishes in this life, but also makes it difficult for us to accomplish our goals in future lives. Moreover, it is often the cause of breaking our commitments and severing precious relationships, such as those that exist between Guru and disciple, and between spiritual friends.
We must be careful not to misunderstand the effort of non-satisfaction. Practicing this effort does not mean that we should become dissatisfied with our tradition or with our main practice, and try to follow many different traditions or mix together many different practices. Every Teacher and every tradition has a slightly different approach and employs different methods. The practices taught by one Teacher will differ from those taught by another, and if we try to combine them we shall become confused, develop doubts, and lose direction. If we try to create a synthesis of different traditions we shall destroy the special power of each and be left only with a mishmash of our own making that will be a source of confusion and doubt. Having chosen our tradition and our daily practices we should rely upon them single-pointedly, never allowing dissatisfaction to arise. At the same time as cherishing our own tradition we should respect all other traditions and the right of each individual to follow the tradition of their choosing. This approach leads to harmony and tolerance. It is mixing different religious traditions that causes sectarianism. This is why it is said that studying non-religious subjects is less of an obstacle to our spiritual progress than studying religions of different traditions.
Once we have decided which tradition to follow and which practices to do, we should engage in them wholeheartedly with a joyful mind. This is the power of joy. Whether we are listening to Dharma teachings, reading Dharma books, reciting prayers, contemplating, or meditating, we should do so with a light and happy mind, like a child at play. If we enjoy a practice we shall naturally have enthusiasm for it. (Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, Understanding the Mind: an Explanation of the Nature and Functions of the Mind, pp. 161-162, © 1993, 1997, 2002)
Is there a Rule that NKT Students Can Read Only NKT Books?
The NKT people have complete choice to read whatever books they choose, to follow other Teachers and to practise in whatever way they want. There are no rules limiting people’s freedom. However, I have understood according to experience that many Westerners find themselves in conflicting situations because of following many Teachers who give them opposite advice. Therefore they find serious obstacles in their spritual path. But still individuals have choice to practise in the way they choose. (Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, alt.religion.buddhism.tibetan, 16 November 1997)
[From Gen-la Kelsang Khyenrab, Deputy Spiritual Director of the NKT:]
The books at Manjushri Centre’s library, as Dharma texts, were treated with respect; they were given to Centres and libraries which studied the particular traditions explained within them. What is wrong with this?
New Kadampa disciples study the teachings of Buddha passed down through Je Tsongkhapa’s tradition to the modern Masters Je Phabongkhapa, Trijang Dorjechang and Ven. Geshe Kelsang. Other Centres study Buddha’s teachings according to their own lineage gurus. What is wrong with different spiritual families having their own special texts? Why is this so often misconstrued as sectarian? Why, because we are content to study and practise the path to enlightenment given to us by our root Guru, are we accused of sectarianism? This is plain nonsense.
In the early days at Tara Centre, we had several hundred books covering the whole range of Buddhist traditions. Each book was authentic and came from its own special lineage; we had the Pali Canon, Zen texts and many, many others. Many people would read these books and often the Centre would be host to seemingly endless and inconclusive discussions about people’s personal preferences in terms of Teachers, traditions and practices. It was very confusing and agreement about the actual meaning of Buddha’s teachings was very difficult to achieve.
Later I learned that it is accepted in Tibetan monasteries that each college has its own ‘yig cha’ or special understanding and interpretation of the teachings gained by study of a specific set of texts covering the whole Dharma within one tradition. By studying in this way clarity of meaning was far easier to attain due to a standard set of definitions of technical terms throughout each of the texts. (The editors at Tharpa Publications, for example, work constantly with Geshe Kelsang to standardise the terminology throughout his books to aid clarity of understanding for the serious student.)
It was the mid-1980’s and I had already received lots of teachings from many teachers of different traditions—very wonderful in itself but difficult to get a sense of making progress in learning and practising Dharma in any systematic and sequential way. We were students of Ven. Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, a fully accomplished meditation Master who had received fully the lineages of instructions within Je Tsongkhapa’s tradition.
He was in the process of publishing a complete set of texts covering the entire path to enlightenment. Each of these texts are authenticated by reference to the works of Je Tsongkhapa. When the Teacher Training Programme based on these books began at Tara Centre I saw the opportunity to study in a clear and systematic way the entire range of Buddha’s teachings on both Sutra and Tantra.
Therefore I saw nothing wrong with giving away all those texts from the library that were not part of this tradition. To me it made a lot of sense because at last there would be clarity. I remember at the time several people at the Centre, misunderstanding our intention, remarked that giving away the books was wrong, narrow-minded, disrespectful etc.
To me, sending the texts to the other Centres was quite appropriate and an action of generosity to boot! Some of those centres were very happy to receive valuable augmentation of their libraries and wrote to thank us. Useless heated debates about the meaning of Dharma from the point of view of a certain Zen master versus that of a certain Theravadin master became, thankfully, a thing of the past. Those who wished to follow Zen teachings would go to a Zen Centre and those who wished to follow a Theravadin could do the same and those wishing to follow Je Tsongkhapa’s tradition could study at Tara Centre.
I know from my own experience that the action of bringing clarity to our library and study programmes, far from being sectarian, actually reduced sectarian feelings among the Centre members. How wonderful for all traditions to happily enjoy the clarity and precision of Dharma understanding that I feel is now possible to attain in New Kadampa Centres. I have no reason to suppose that other traditions cannot do this and I rejoice in their special characteristics.
At Tara Centre no-one has ever been, or is now, forced to stop reading the books of other teachers; individual people were, and still are completely free to keep and read books by any other Teachers, Buddhist or non-Buddhist—and they do!
However, Tara Centre as an institution follows the ‘yig cha’ according to Ven. Geshe Kelsang Gyatso’s texts and therefore on the study programmes those books are studied and those books only are in the library and shop. There is no need to promote the books of other traditions; if individuals wish they can purchase them through mail-order or visit the local Waterstones, Dillons etc. (Gen-la Kelsang Khyenrab, alt.religions.buddhism.tibetan, 23 January 1998)
7§3. The Resident Teacher’s commitments shall include: ...to teach only subjects that form part of the three NKT Study Programmes; ...to respect other spiritual traditions and try to maintain good relations with them, but the Resident Teacher shall not mix his or her teachings and spiritual practices with those of other spiritual traditions;...
[Please note: Emphasis added to show that these rules apply only to Teachers, and even then only in terms of what is taught on the NKT study programs, not what they may or may not read in private. As was explored in Standing Up for the Middle Way, not all forms of exclusivism are sectarian.]
That is to say, we can read another books of another traditions or religions, there is nothing wrong with that, as we can not mix all that we read. We can read another Buddhist lineages, for example, in order to undestand the history of Budhhism, lineages, systems of beliefs or whatever, but we have to concentrate in our tradition if we have made the choice or the compromise with ourselves to belong to this tradition. Actually, Gueshe Kelsang have said that it would be very useful to read another buddhist texts or treatises of Pabongkha, Shantideva, Trijang,Tsongkapha, Langri Tangpa, Atisha, Nagarjuna, Chandrakirti, Milarepa, Naropa etc...
This is not a complaint, I olny want to clarify certain, not in my words, but in the words of Gueshe Kelsang and Guen-la Kelsang Khyenrab
With sincere love
Vajra
