Aug 03

Kalu Rinpoche | Niguma’s “Amulet Mahamudra” (Afternoon session – final Q&A 5)

Q: It is a common for monks to practice lineages outside of the school they’re ordained?

A: I think you have to understand, the individuals who receive a monk vow they are in the category of a sutra practice.

We call it “སྡོམ་གསུམ་” “dom sum” the three vows. The external vow is like the celibacy vow and lay vow, all these are in one category. The second vow, second category of vow is the Bodhicitta vow. And the third vow, is the Tantrayāna vow, like the samaya we call it. Right? So that’s that.

So they can ordain anywhere and then they can also practice any lineage. It doesn’t contradict or create any sort of a problem whatsoever.

Like an example, Je Tsongkhapa, Je Tsongkhapa received his ordained vow, or the bodhicitta vow from the 3rd Karmapa Rangjung Dorje. The Karmapa was Karma Kagyu lineage. And then the Tsongkhapa is a Kadampa practitioner, is not known yet as a Gelupa at that moment, I believe. I think he was already a great scholar, a great meditator, great practitioner but he received his, one of the vow from the 3rd Karmapa, Karmapa Rangjung Dorje. And then still he is the lineage holder of the Gelupa school at the end.

So that’s that.

 

Niguma’s “Amulet Mahamudra” by Kalu Rinpoche (2nd afternoon session – 2h 18′ 38”)
Kagyu Sukha Chöling – Friday March 11, 2022

To be continued …