Question asked by Tyler
i have recently undertook a initiation of high tantric deity and the giver of the initiation is from the drikung kagyu lineageand he isnt my guru. However i want to be a Gelugpa and my friend told me it contradicts Dorje shugden as he prevents the teachings from being mixed. I was wondering if after receiving the initiation and practicing it, will it disturb my practice once i find a Gelug Guru?
Dear Tyler,
Having taken initation from a lama, necessary means that the lama is now one of your Gurus. During initiation there is a bond created between the master bestowing the initiation and the student recieving it. During such a Highest Yoga Tantra initiation, you would have also received various vows and commitments, which you should keep as strongly as possible. If you don’t know what these are, please contact the centre where the initiation was conferred to learn more.
That being said, since you want to practice the Gelug lineage, you should get this lama’s permission because in terms of practice they are already one of your gurus. Simply explain to the guru that you have more affinity with the Gelug lineage and ask them what to do about the commitments you received during initiation. The master may ask you to continue your practice or may release you from the commiments. According to the practices of guru devotion, only the guru that bestowed the initiation has the ability to tell you what to do about that particular practice.
Depending on what the master says, you can then begin searching for a guru within the Gelugpa lineage. Yes, Dorje Shugden is said to protect the mixing of teachings, but that does not mean that you cannot practice the yidam you have the initiation of and Dorje Shugden as well. Dorje Shugden was practised in the Sakya tradition a long time before he was practiced in the Gelug tradition. When he protects the teachings, it doesn’t mean that only Gelugpa’s can practice Dorje Shugden, but talking about the teachings of each lineage and how they should be explained and taught, because there are slight philosophical differences and methods of practicing the teachings, which should not be mixed.
The following articles may be helpful for your learning. Please do let us know if you have any further questions.
The Sakya Lineage & Dorje Shugden
https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/the-sakya-lineage-dorje-shugden.html
The 4th Zhabdrung Rinpoche of Bhutan and Dorje Shugden
https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/the-4th-zhabdrung-rinpoche-of-bhutan-and-dorje-shugden.html