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Ask a Lama: Celebrating all the traditions
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Mandala is pleased to revive a feature from its past: the popular "Ask a Lama" series. We spoke with an old school friend of Lama Zopa Rinpoche's: the Rimé master Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche, at his center - Rangjung Yeshe Gomde U.S.A., in Leggett, California. He was assisted in the interview by his translator, Erik Pema Kunsang. Question: Many people value the spirit of non-sectarianism, such as in the Rimé movement. Should we practice in and study multiple lineages? Answer: There is a traditional analogy for the Buddhist teachings. When you have a big bowl of molasses; whichever side you taste from, it is all sweet. In the same way, the different 84,000 teachings that the Buddha gave all share one particular quality, which is that each of them is an antidote toward negative emotions, and whichever we apply is an individual matter. In the past there have been many practitioners who not only studied in an unbiased way from many different traditions, but also practiced them at the same time. Recent times have brought forth two great masters - Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, and Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye - both of whom sought out all the possible lineages that they could find, received those teachings, and they practiced all of them to the best of their ability. But there is one master that I have met personally, Khunu Lama Tenzin Gyaltsen, and nobody ever knew, even when he passed away, exactly what lineage to which he belonged. Kagyu masters received Kagyu teachings from him and they thought he was a Kagyu teacher; Gelug followers thought he was a Gelugpa; Sakyas thought he was a Sakyapa; and Nyingma's thought he was a Nyingmapa. I personally received many instructions from him, but he never let out which was his preference. He touched my heart deeply; he opened my heart to being non-sectarian. I really, really respect all the lineages and teachings. I've received teachings from all the lineages. Each has a specialty. On the one hand, each is the same; on the other hand, each has a specialty. So when we know that each has a specialty, the lineages become, like a variety of good food, very tasty, very meaningful, and very rich. Whoever has the time and energy could study all the lineages and practice that way. Whatever lineage you are, practice. It is very important to respect all the lineages, purely, from the bottom of your heart. That's very, very important. Is there a risk of getting confused by different approaches? Confusion is always there if one has not studied the teachings, if one doesn't understand what the positions are. If one has not studied widely, well, of course, one will misunderstand. But it has nothing to do with being non-sectarian or not. When one hasn't studied one's own particular lineage, one can also misunderstand that! [laughter] I would like to join my palms and request of the readers one particular point: we are always at risk of being sectarian, before we even adopt a correct understanding of our own lineage. We should try to be the opposite of that. Study and learn well, and at the same time, be open-minded and respectful to others.  Erik Pema Kunsang was formerly Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche's translator. Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche's memoir, Blazing Splendor, is among Erik's many publications. To submit a question for the "Ask a Lama" series, write to Associate Editor Sara Blumenthal at: sara@fpmt.org
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