This is old, but good news, I thought, when I first saw this post,
Bill Clinton Turns To The Art Of Buddhist Meditation
on Buddhism dot net. But on closer examination, I found the site "theBuddhism.net" pretty suspect. It has nothing to do with any of the Buddhist schools or reliable organizations I'm aware of.
This leads to a VERY important point for beginners. For meditation, there's not much trouble you can get into experimenting with various styles and methods, but when it comes to the Dharma and Buddhist lineages, that's another matter. It's a very complicated subject... one that has taken me years to sort through. I'm going to ponder what I can say about this and I'll post more tomorrow (I promise.) I'm actually leaving now for a session at my dharma center where I'll discuss this matter.
I deleted this link from my Facebook page, but left it here in this blog post, while I contemplate this subject -- the importance of authentic dharma lineage.
If any of my Buddhist friends have thoughts, please post a comment.
2 comments:
That website does look hinky. But Buddhist meditation in Zen lineages, and most beginning forms of awareness and emptiness meditation are fairly safe for people to experiment with- they don't require empowerment or authentic lineage because they rely on universal truth to work- they aren't really the application of energy to transform so much as the training of mind. Any meditation that is the application of energy to affect transformation requires authentic lineage and empowerment- otherwise you basically end up just using mandala and deity images as your own energies see fit to animate them, which rather than purification results in disaster. I sincerely doubt Clinton is using tantric meditation- I rather suspect he is training in something more like a Zen tradition. ~Adam
Thank you Adam. yes, it's the site that seems "hinky" or weird to me, not the concept of Clinton meditating. More power to him or anyone who would use meditation to lower blood pressure and/or improve any other health concern -- physical or mental.
And to answer the Facebook Q, certainly anyone can meditate. Buddhists have no "lock" on that, just as anyone can pray. The point I am pondering came up because of that odd web site. You, more than anyone I know, knows what I mean when I start thinking about lineage again. It might be a wild ride, but I'm ready to get back on that roller coaster again!!
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