The Vajra Parrot Squawks!

Lineage is very important in Buddhism on many different levels.

With so many teachers and wannabe gurus plying anything from Buddhism-lite to Do It Yourself Dharma or the ever popular suggestions from the school of Make It All Up As You Go Along, having some reference point, as a potential punter, is vital. To be able to ask, 'where do your teachings come from?' and 'where did you learn this?' and 'who taught you?', and receive a satisfactory answer, with supporting (unbiased and independent) evidence, is extremely important.

If the answers you receive are vague, or this is just the invention of one person, then proceed with caution. In a nutshell, unless someone can trace the source of their teachings back to a legitimate, recognisable source, then they're out on a limb, a fringe group. And, while many fringe groups are filled with pleasant well-intentioned teachers and people, what they're practicing does not always carry the guarantee of being authentically Buddhist. They are often just wallowing in and propagating delusion. This is the antithesis of Dharma.

People can, and often do, say just what they like and claim that this is somehow Buddhadharma. Often it has certain resonances, it sounds convincing, it sounds Dharmic, and this is where the danger lies. If you're taking these teachings with little or no knowledge of Buddhist history, philosophy or practice, and they sound sort of ok, how will you know any different, lacking the resources to see the small print and read between the lines? You may end up taking pseudo Dharma as your path and just spend your days treading water when you could be swimming forward. Even worse, you could literally become enslaved in a personality-worshipping, money-extorting cult that tries to control every aspect of your life.

Lineage defends one from this. If a teacher's lineage can be traced back to other, realised, respected figures, then this is a good start (and I mean a direct, tangible link, not some tenuous e-relationship or some insight engendered from having read a book). If he or she is endorsed by respected figures, so much the better. If there's no internet controversy, even better still. Do your research.

I'm talking about Vajrayana Buddhism here, as I know little about other traditions, but I expect similar exists all over the Buddhist world.

You owe it to yourself to check things out, to question always. If someone sold you fake designer labels and you were conned into buying an expensive, fake item of clothing, and you later found out, you'd feel pretty let down, wouldn't you? This garment wouldn't be of the same quality. It might fall apart in a couple of months, shrink in the wash ...

... Why would you not want to be 100% certain that the Dharma you're paying for isn't going to do the same? You want it to stand up on its own and bring about a transformation, not fall apart or smother you.

Likewise, would you go to the first doctor you saw advertised on the net or on a library/bookshop wall? Even if you did, would you not feel concerned if you discovered that this person received his or her doctorate from the University of Life, rather than a recognisable and respected academic institution?

There are many Buddhist-sounding groups in the UK and all over the world, some which even have an edge of respectability (propagated by the ignorance of non-Buddhists and even Buddhists of other traditions) which are either pseudo-Buddhist or Buddhist cults. Their aim is to milk the cash cow of human ignorance and apathy: cattle like you and me.

Caveat emptor and happy shopping.