Dharma is not a Tibetan View

One big difficulty we face is that as the Buddhadharma spread, it gradually became so interwoven with the traditions and customs of the countries it spread to that it’s difficult for us to identify which is which. People have become so used to seeing them as inseparable that they often take what is merely a custom to be dharma. And so when you start trying to peel back the cultural traditions from the dharma it stirs up big problems; people get very upset and even accuse you of destroying the dharma.

While it’s true that we find Tibetan influences in Buddhism, such as the shapes of the tormas, the style of the paintings, the ritual music, and so on; nothing of the content or inner meaning of what we do in the dharma is Tibetan. Taking the three vows as an example – the vows of personal liberation, the bodhisattva vows and the secret mantra vows –there is nothing Tibetan in any of them. They are the teachings of the Buddha. And it’s the same in regard to texts such as Entering the Middle Way and so on; these are not Tibetan, they are the teachings of the Buddha and other Indian masters.

The basic view of Tibetans is the same as any other worldly view, in that it is centered in the belief in the existence of a ‘self’ and true identity. While the view of Buddhism is the very opposite of that, it is the view of ‘no self.’ So the best way is to focus on presenting the true meaning and view of the dharma, and not emphasise the cultural aspects. You shouldn’t feel just because you are receiving teachings from a Tibetan lama, that they are presenting a Tibetan tradition or view. Dharma is not a Tibetan view.