Buddhist Traditions

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Traditie

This accounts for the colorful aspects of the Tibetan tradition—where music, dance, costumes, and food are used within the context of meditation practices—that seem so outlandish when contrasted with the simplicity of the Theravada. The Uttaratantra (Highest Continuum) is a widely known third-turning text. For the Multitude of Sentient Beings, a Variety of Skillful Means Are Shown

Looking at Shakyamuni Buddha's teaching career through the perspective of the three turnings of the wheel of dharma is one way of making sense of the different lineages that have arisen since his passing. The different schools described above each have their own sets of scriptures, or Tripitaka, which they regard as complete and authentic. The Tripitakain turn is divided into three sections: the Vinaya (the rules of behavior for monks and nuns), the Sutra (meditation advice), and the Abhidharma (how an enlightened person experiences the world). The Tibetan tradition also includes another class of literature, theTantras, considered a fourth pitaka. Each of these schools includes sub-schools and particular lineages within those. This is most clearly the case in Tibet, where the four best-known present-day schools (Nyingma,Kagyu, Sakya, and Geluk) quickly branch out into numerous sub-schools and lineages. But even within the Theravada lineage, it is not the case that every teacher communicates the dharma in the same way, and particular lineages of meditation certainly have their own styles and emphases.

Why Should Lineage Matter?

Shakyamuni Buddha said clearly that his attainment, though from one point of view an extraordinary achievement, was possible for all human beings regardless of wealth, position, sex, or caste. Nevertheless, the path of meditation can be a subtle one, and it is difficult to judge one's progress for oneself. Therefore since the time of Shakyamuni himself, Buddhists have placed great value on lineage: that one fully realized master (a lineage holder) instructs students who then attain the same understanding, which the master is in a position to verify. Thus, the experience of the dharma always remains up-to-date but complete from one generation of practitioners to the next. All the schools described here trace their lineages back to the Buddha. Traditionally one does not set oneself up as a teacher, but begins teaching only after being told to by one's own master. Such authorization by a lineage holder becomes a guarantee of sorts for students: as long as new teachers work within the limits of their understanding and the authorization given by their teachers, the unbroken lineage has been maintained and new students can trust the quality of their instruction.