Expert: Bodhicitta - 3/28/2008

Question
Hello and thank you for reading my question and making yourself available in this format. I have been practicing my meditation by chanting in the Japanese Nichiren Shoshu technique in front of my japanese alter, it focuses my attention and promotes beneficial effects both materially and spiritually. However I find the literature and teachers are too self promoting in their "propogation" too full on for me, so I practice alone, but have always found Tibetan Buddhism literture the most uplifting and the people calm and loving accepting of many opinions and encouraging a 'Questioning Mind' and the interesting little challenges that this encouages. How do you feel I should progress my practice with this in mind? Also I always wonder how to reconcile re-incarnation with the ever increasing number of people on the planet.. where do their life energies come from and how does a fixed number now on the planet increase in number in the future ?? Sorry for my long questions I haven't been in touch with anyone to ask the level of question . Thank you

Answer
Hi Rohan
It is good to continually question and explore different aspects of Buddhism. I think as Westerners we can not be confined by one narrow
school of Buddhism, but we should seek to educate ourselves and expand our horizons. So it would be good to explore the different aspects of
Tibetan Buddhism if that is drawing your heart.

Practising alone is a start but finding dharma friends, and a teacher at some point could be an aspiration. But do not be too quick too accept
either. Be critical and really take a few years over these choices. Too many people take on a particular Buddhist tradition too quickly. I always say to people - take five years as a trial period. Then remember
it is your experience which is the touch stone.

Renincarnation and the increasing number of people on the planet is one of those old chestnuts. According to the Mahayana sutras the Universe is
vast beyond all comprehension. Each atom is full of a billion worlds, each containing billions of beings, and billions of Buddhas. Each of the atoms in those worlds itself has a billion worlds etc. There are many realms too - it is possible to be reborn in an infinite number of forms.
So if we look at our planet and the human beings on it - this is  like looking at the point of a pin compared to the number of beings that exist. We can not therefore conclude anything. The world could be destroyed tomorrow and it would make no difference at all as it
is completely irrelevant in the Universe of what is.

Bodhicitta