What is Sangha?

Tom Carr: I think the ideas of a perfect home, paradise lost, golden age of the past, gathering of perfect humans and so on all come from very early childhood memories of times when we were helpless and all our needs were met by adults. It is possible these feelings even go back to memories of being in the womb were we were perfectly supported and nurtured, although I have never been too sure of that.

from J. Weltman: Nick - dude - here are some answers: I have found a Nyingma center in SF. The Lama ( a Dzog Chen master) was in town to give a lecture. mY girlfriend attended and got a leaflet, but it has no phone #. So I am writing a postcard. When I hear from them, I shall let you know, and perhaps you would like to check it out w/ me? Nyingma is one of the 3 "red hat" schools of Tibetan practice. They emphasize heavy tantra over scholasticism, I'm told, but it seems to me that the path in the Vaj. really depends on the guru. Everyone has a different style. The Karme Kagyu Sect (Trungpa's sect) has an active cross-fertilization with the Nyingma Lamas. Some Lamas hold empowerments in both lineages. As for Dzog Chen, I'm not *entirely* sure what it is - but from what I can gather - it is a practice close to shikan taza - a formless path that emphasizes clarity and shunyata.

more from J. Weltman: I feel the same way about the Vajrayana. I get frustrate with the Zen emphasis on "teaching without teaching," or "not teaching". Period. I feel ill-eqipped to enter in the formless path at the highest level with so sober a crew, so *serious* a bunch. Every lama I ever saw had a smile eons wide. I rarely see a zen master smile. Why? I believe that I should neither be too attached to joy nor to negative emotions, but i sense a lack of "spiritual" joy in Zen. A real "samurai" thing. I feel an intense joy when, say, I am hinking, or just have a little free time to reflect on the magnificence of the universe. Zen art and poetry express this so well - but the sense of "overflow" and plenty that one often sees in Western mysticism doesn't seem to touch Zen at all. There is an abundant quality to the Vajrayana that I like - a willingness to be engaged with form - a way to choose a mentor and to be devoted to a point of focus that you can believe in, and there seems to be a lot of help and teaching *outside* of books. I too feel that zazen is an irrepalceable practice. I would ot stop doing mediation this way. But I believe to that broadening your palette, so to speak, with other meditative exercises would be helpful in developing the powerful one-pointed shamatha/ samadhi necessary for much deeper shikan taza. There seems to be a plethora of creativity in the Vaj., and a willingness not to reject scholarly work. Because I am a lifelong scholar and an unapologetic academic, I become tired of the continuing Zen berating of my life-work nad the anti-erudition attitude of Soto, though i nderstand where it comes from. I have read more than one account of scholars becoming Vaj. practitioners because there was room for them there. I work in the trades, so I know what it's like to work with my hands, etc. I often get a feeling of self-righteousness masquerading as "Zen seriosness" when it comes to this issue. Finally, I, too, have some strong wierdnesses about some Vaj. far-out yogas. The belief in tulkus (endless Zenster sangha debates on that one), the Finally, I, too, have some strong wierdnesses about some Vaj. far-out yogas. The belief in tulkus (endless Zenster sangha debates on that one), the belief in "subtle bodies" and chakra technology - all the stuff you'll find in Indian tantric yoga. On one hand, I understand it. After all, these are ancient explanations for phenomena that might be explained very differently today. On the other hand - why do they make everything so unecessarily *complicated*? Still, I believe one can give it a try. And I love the prostration thing too. Don't you sometimes just get that devotional urge to *keep bowing* to nothing in particular and feel like you'll look like a total jerk?