Comments on “Consensus Buddhism”

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Confused about the term "Consensus Buddhism", my way to Buddhism & Theravāda is more than Vipassanā.

dreieck 2021-12-29

I find it quite interesting that you use so much the term “Consesus Buddhism”. I have never heard about it, and I also cannot find a definition of it, but you use it in a way that seems that readers should be familiar with it.

Btw., my first encounter with Buddhism was the Theravāda as brought to the “West” by Ajahn Chah (I was looking for some meditation retreat, of course I first came upon the Goenka retreats, but then I found aspects in it which seemed like aspects of a sect (an internal meditation progress system, and if you even once practice another technique, you restart at the beginning level) and made in my the feeling of thightness. So I was trying to look for something different and came to something that seemed more buddhist than just using a single buddhist practice out of context). It was more than “just Vipassanā”. It was also embracing and welcoming other traditions (there was active information about Tibetan and about Zen monks visiting or retreats the time I was in such an Ajahn-Chah-lineage monastery). Learning a lot about buddhists concepts I did then also by listening to theravadin dhamma talks, for a big stretch also such for monks, mainly from the monasteries of Ajahn Brahm in western Australia (who did again split off from the tradition by not giving a deal for the facts that women can not become fully ordained, and fully ordaining nuns).

This was easily available to me in the “West”, and I have not the feeling that it has all the problems you mention with Buddhism that is easily available in the “West”.

Anyway, a “breatkthrough” for me was in reading at your site that Vajrayāna just as well could need a modernisation in the form of clearly seperating it’s Buddhism from which “only-tradition” parts being intervoven in it. Thai forest Theravāda was appealing to me because it appeared to me very clear in that respect. Vajrayāna also already had my interest, but I could not find a point yet to grab it. Reading your site gives hope to me in that aspect :-), and I am courious if e.g. Aro gTér does meet what wouls suit me.

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