Ok, I know by the title it sounds like I'm trying to be divisive, but that's not what I intend at all. What I want to know is if any of you think that its possible to be a mix of Theravada and Mahayana. I've tried to put myself into each category fully, but I don't totally fit. any thoughts?
Don't try to put yourself in any category, why is it necessary to do this? There are many traditions and sub-traditions in Buddhism, from Tibetan Buddhism (Mahayana) to the Ch'an and Zen traditions of China, Vietnam and Japan (also considered to be Mahayana), and the Therevada traditions of SE Asia. Each i've found to have their positives and negatives and many of the differences between beliefs and practices sometimes boil down to simple cultural differences. More often than not you'll also find that local religious beliefs are spliced into the Buddhist beliefs; Animistic rituals for example. Taoism in Zen Buddhism and Shinto in Japanese Buddhism Anyway my point is that I refuse point blank to follow any one tradition. I like and dislike different aspects of each and use practices from all of them. I find both Vipassana and Zazen meditation (zen Buddhism) very powerful and useful means. I enjoy the dharma teachings writings from the Dalai Lama but also enjoy Thich Nhat Hanh's... I have been on retreats and met and spent time with monks, teachers and students from Tibetan, Zen and Laotian and Thai Therevada traditions. I've found all to be extremely useful methods on my quest to end suffering but i've never felt I could stick to one tradition or method of practice (yet...these are still early days for me) and I strongly believe that the only way i'll ever really make real progress is to realise for myself the core teachings of the Buddha, through my own experiences and suffering, and not through following a single tradition and set of practices my whole life. Don't label yourself or put yourself in any sort of category. This is my opinion.
And let me just add that I don't think the Buddha's teachings shouldve ever resulted in a set of religions being formed based on his teachings. I feel it was (and still is!) a beautiful (the ultimate) philosophy that has over time been adapted by different cultures and turned into various different forms of the broader term which we call 'Buddhism'...Because of this there is no such thing as one 'true form' of Buddhism since all have evolved from the original teachings in various ways based on individual definitions and interpretations and also combining with older 'homegrown' religions such as Animism and Taoism...All these cultures have developed there own take on the core teachings so we in the west should do the same.
