Tibetan Buddhism is a very comprehensive form of Buddhism that includes a subtle and advanced philosophy, detailed instructions on how to meditate, devotional exercises, physical meditations that work like Tai Chi, and much more.
Steps
Step 1. Read as many books by the Dalai Lama as possible
The main ones are “The way of liberation. Essential teachings of Tibetan Buddhism "," The way of Tibetan Buddhism "," The enlightened mind "," The art of happiness "and" The way of love ". The Dalai Lama is one of the most cultured and humble practicing Buddhists in the world, at least among those known.
Step 2. Be patient
The philosophical teachings of Tibetan Buddhism, especially those that change thought patterns, are very subtle and difficult to understand and it may take months, or even years of study and contemplation before they begin to make sense and can be applied to your own. personal experience in a concrete way. Do not stop. Continue to study, to reflect on what you have read and memorized (memorizing important quotes from the Buddhist scriptures that the Dalai Lama quotes in his books is an important step to understand and make your own the philosophical ideas of Tibetan Buddhism), continue to meditate.
Step 3. Meditate
It doesn't matter what meditation you practice. What matters is that you do it every day; the longer you do it each day, the better it will be, but it is important to understand that if you overdo it one day the next you should meditate less (according to the Yin - Yang principle). So it's best to meditate for the same amount of time every day, and gradually increase it if that's what you want to do.
Step 4. Remember that the more advanced teachings are useless if you can't even put into practice the basic ones, such as ethics (avoid the ten non-virtuous actions)
So start with ethics and do your best to make your own and perfect the simpler teachings, or at least build a good foundation with them, before moving on to the more advanced teachings.
Step 5. Think of Tibetan Buddhism as if it were a pyramid
We start from the foundations of Hinayana as a solid foundation, then on the Hinayana we build with the altruistic motivations of the Mahayana and the practice of the Six Paramitas. Above these we continue with the vajrayana which is the pinnacle of Tibetan Buddhism and the main part of the serious practitioner's daily routine. The concept behind it is similar to that of Hinayana Buddhism, in which the understanding of transience, suffering and detachment from the self (wisdom) depends on the attainment of concentration which in turn depends on the practice of morality (following the precepts).
Step 6. Know that Tibetan Buddhism contains teachings for individuals with different dispositions, from philosophical teachings for those with intellectual inclinations to mystical meditative experiences for those with a more Zen orientation and also includes energy practices (in the Vajrayana) for purification (prana, chi, ki), for mental health and clarity and spiritual enlightenment as in Tai Chi and Hindu yoga (for those who want to practice Buddhism focusing on the health of the physical body)
Tibetan Buddhism also includes the practice of controlling and absorbing the Drops and prana in the practice of Vajrayana. This makes it similar to Hindu yoga in some respects as the control and absorption of drops (Bindu) is also present in this discipline. No matter what kind of person you are, you will almost certainly be able to find teachings in Tibetan Buddhism that suit your personality type or mental / emotional / physical / spiritual orientation. Furthermore, the different deities (Buddha and Bodhisattva) are suitable for people with different types of spiritual inclinations or different personalities. For the more intellectual, Manjushri's teachings are very appropriate; for those who are not very intellectual but are kind and compassionate, the practice of Avalokiteshvara will be fine; for women, the practice of the deity Tara (a female deity) might be fine; and for those interested in power, Vajrapani (representing the power of the Buddha) might be the proper deity.
Step 7. Study Lamrim and put the basics into practice first
Step 8. Make an ongoing effort to learn and generate Bodhicitta in your mind and heart, as it is one of the most important aspects of Tibetan Buddhism (but not peculiar, as all Mahayana Buddhists can attain it)
Tibetan Buddhism has a more precise definition of Bodhicitta than other forms of Mahayana, and also has more defined and evolved techniques for developing it.
Step 9. Practice Toglen every day to develop compassion and create positive karma
Step 10. Find a Tibetan Lama or Rinpoche who can teach you a little more, especially if you desire special powers
You should take the teachings from the Karmapa or the Dalai Lama.
Advice
- When you meditate, you won't always be able to see the progress you are making. "Knowledge is like dust," said a martial arts master: you can't see it accumulating because it does so slowly that only after a while you can see it. So it is important not to stop meditating even if you think you are not making any progress because in reality it is not, and it strictly depends on how much practice you will do, not on the method you use. So don't get lost in an endless search for the best meditation method. One method is as good as the other, because the result depends on how much effort you put into using one.
- Do not try to understand everything and assimilate it perfectly, remember that no philosophical system or religion has a complete logical sense. Logic always leads to contradictions. Take what works for you in Tibetan Buddhism (the principles) and put it into practice every day. The more you study and meditate, the more the concepts will begin to blend and merge with your mind, and you have to let them settle for a long time. The more advanced or difficult the teaching, the more it must praise.
Warnings
- You get what you invest. Just because you have an intellectual knowledge of the world's most advanced philosophical concepts doesn't make you a better person than others. What matters is how ethical, sharp, and emotionally compassionate you are. To make the teachings of Tibetan Buddhism change your life you need to put a lot of time and effort into them and remember to apply them in your daily life.
- Tibetan Buddhism is a very broad religion. There are so many scriptures, gods, principles, practices, meditations, teachers and history. It can be overwhelming. It will take a long time just to read the main scriptures once, let alone multiple times in order to fully understand them. It is best to read and memorize short, essential scriptures to work on daily.
- Again, be patient. Even just to learn and practice Hinayana (Theravada) Buddhism it takes a lot of time. Tibetan Buddhism encompasses many Hinayana practices in addition to Mahayana and also includes and emphasizes Vajrayana (also known as Tantra, Mantrayana or Tantrayana).
