Question asked by Bruce
Dear Tsem Rinpoche, is it such a bad thing to be a "going to church on Sundays" Buddhist? Not everybody can be a monk or nun, and it seems wrong to expect laypeople to live like monks or nuns, committing themselves 100 %, otherwise their activity will not be sustainable into the future. Shouldn't Kechara embrace various degrees of involvement? Also, you have mentioned the possibility of moving to California. I understand that you are disappointed with your students and wish to go into retreat. If you do ultimately leave Kechara, perhaps your teachers in Ganden Shartze could send a new teacher to replace you. In fact that might be the best for all concerned. With folded hands.
Dear Bruce,
Not everyone can live like sangha. But we should do our best to live a life of virtue and improve yearly. Saying we cannot live like sangha can be an excuse to our subconscious mind we don’t want to put in more effort perhaps? Life is short, grasp the essence which is deep dharma practice.
As to a new teacher and I can retire, nothing would make me more happy than that. TR