Question asked by Gyoyo
Dear Pastors,
Few questions
1) I have practiced a non buddhist meditation (mantra meditation) for 8 years. Having seen no visible progress, I moved to Zen. I have been practicing Zen for past 7 years. All this 15 years, I saw twice daily without fail (except for rare situations). During zen practice I even went to few retreats (3 day, 5 day). I started practice when I am 25 and now I am 43. I had lot of hopes when I started spiritual practice and now I realize my progress is slow and it may not even work for me. I am used to sitting daily so I am not going to quit practice. Please let me know if you have any insights into my situation and why I'm not making progress
2) Who are the best vajrayana teachers in california? Especially near San Jose, CA area. Also you can give me the list of best teachers in USA.
3) Does Tsem rinpoche have any teachers in the USA that we can study with?
Deep Bows,
Gyoyo
Dear Gyoyo,
Thank you for your questions.
In regards to your first question, unfortunately we are not able to help you much with this. The practice of Zen as it exists today follows the ‘Sudden Enlightenment’ path, where as Tibetan Buddhism follows the ‘Gradual Enlightenment’ path. Hence, the practices are quite different. Within our tradition, we start from the very basics and then build on that foundation in our meditation over time. Hence, we train in very specific topics of contemplation in our meditation gradually and over time. In that manner, we actually have a very steady and tangible transformation over time. The is best taught in the Lamrim teachings.
At the moment, Kechara does not have any branches or centres in the USA, however here are some very qualified teachers in the USA at the moment:
> His Holiness Kyabje Trijang Chocktrul Rinpoche
> His Eminence Kyabje Yongyal Rinpoche
> His Eminence Achok Rinpoche
> Zasep Tulku Rinpoche
These are just to name a few. You can search online for contact details of their centres. I hope this helps.