Expert: Laurie McLauglin - 9/11/2009

Question
Hi, I'm new to Buddhism and looking to begin practice.
I was wondering what the best place would be to look for information as to which of the three branches of teaching would best suit me, or if it makes a difference.

I would also like to know what formalities I would have to go through to become a formal Buddhist, and where I would go to learn about doing so, or to do so.

I'm having a great deal of trouble finding any information on the temples near me, and am hoping you might be of some assistance.

Thank you for your time,
Brendon.

Answer
Thank you for letting me answer your question.

I am glad you are looking into Buddhism. It is certainly useful whether you adopt it as a religion or just use it to make your life better and keep your current religion. His Holiness the Dalai Lama suggests not to forsake your old religion to become Buddhist unless your old religion simply is not working for you.

By the three branches of teachings I assume you mean Theravadan, Mahayana and Vajrayana. I suppose first it might be helpful to know the basic differences.  In a nutshell, the Therevadan tradition believes in reaching Nirvana or individual liberation; the Mahayana tradition believes in reaching Enlightenment and becoming a Buddha for the purpose of liberating all sentient beings; and from what I know so far, Vajrayana is a subset of Mahayana.  It uses the tantric or quick path to reach Enlightenment also in order to benefit of all sentient beings. But it is not recommended for beginners. It is a more advanced practice.

As far as the best place to look for information on which practice to choose, that’s a tough question.  One can speak with practitioners of each group. I practice Tibetan Mahayana Buddhism and would be happy to talk about it with you. I found a website that was pretty cool for discussing Buddhism.  It is called http://www.lioncity.net/buddhism That may help you talk with practitioners of other traditions. Then of course there are books to read that might help you make a decision.

Here are some that work for me. The Mahayana teachers I suggest you read which for me were pretty easy to understand are any books by the great Zen teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh, Tibetan teachers such as, His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama, "The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living" , Lama Thubten Yeshe, "The Essence of Tibetan Buddhism" and Robert Thurman, "Inner Revolution: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Real Happiness."  or Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo's "Stabilizing the Mind". Although she has not written a book, Venerable Robina Courtin has many of her teachings on tape online and is also wonderful. You may want to visit their websites in order to see if any of these seem to feel right to you.

For Theravaden or Vipassana teachers, I suggest you check out Jack Kornfield, "A Path With Heart", Sylvia Boorstein, "It's Easier Than You Think: The Buddhist Way to Happiness" or any talks online by Ajahn Amaro. These teachers for me were easy to understand and insightful.
I can only explain how to become a “formal Buddhist” in the Tibetan Mahayana Buddhist tradition I follow.  But I believe it is similar in all traditions. When you are ready, you take the Refuge Vows. By taking these vows, you are stating that you are going to turn for refuge to The Three Jewels: the Lord Buddha, himself; Dharma: The teachings of Buddha and Sangha: Some say that Sangha is just the Buddhist spiritual community, but more accurately, Sangha means those in robes; the ordained and/or those who have had a direct realization of emptiness.

Taking refuge means that we depend on these three jewels to help guide us along our spiritual path and to provide refuge or shelter for us from any negativities we encounter while on the path. One can take refuge with a monk or nun but it is suggested you take refuge with no one lower than a geshe.  A geshe is someone who has earned the equivalent of a doctorate in Buddhist studies.

In most of our Mahayana practices (rituals) , we begin the practice by reaffirming our refuge vows.  The verbiage of the vows is always a variation on this: “ I go for refuge until I am enlightened to the Buddha, The Dharma and The Sangha (sometimes also called The Supreme Assembly). By virtue of my giving and other perfections, may I become a Buddha in order to benefit all sentient beings.”

It is recommended that one does not take refuge vows until one is certain that that is the path one wants to follow.  So, after you have found a group to practice with and you know in your heart, you wish to become Buddhist, then you would ask the main teacher of that group to give you refuge vows.  Often they are given in a group but can also be done on a one to one basis as well.

As far as where to practice, you are in luck. There is a wonderful website that lists a great many Buddhist centers in Canada of all different traditions. The website is: http://www.buddhismcanada.com

If you have any further questions about what I wrote or if after looking over the information on the websites, you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.

Namaste, Brendon