All Buddhists Share The Exact Same Values....but....

there are differences between individuals. All Buddhists know that Shakymuni was a Prince, a mortal, a human being who became enlightened and never claimed deity status. He was not and is not a savior in the same terms as Jesus is a savior but rather confined his teachings to the realm of "enlightenment" rather than "religion." Some Buddhists say that he was agnostic although I don't believe he was. Some Buddhists say it is a non-virtuous act to eat the meat of animals and yet the leader of our religion does, as do many Tibetans. Buddhists do not believe in sin per se but rather virtuous and non-virtuous acts. We confess our wrong doings as many Christians and Jews or Muslims do. We repent and work to not repeat our deficits. We have some division in teaching but all teaching flows from the very same human just as all water flows from the top of the snow-capped mountain down the sides in creeks that drain into streams that drain into rivers, bays, seas and ultimately the ocean. It is within that great ocean we find our enlightenment. My personal practice is via the Dharmakirti College aka Awam Tibetan Institute. I follow the Nyingma teachings and my belief in in the area of Dzogchen. Here is some information copied from their page which can be found at This is being blogged without their permission but has not been altered and is 100% their material.

Lineage: Re-Me Ri or chok-ri in Tibetan mean "one-sided", "partisan" or "sectarian," Me means "no'. So, Ri-me mean "not taking sides," "nonpartisan," or "nonsectarian." It does not mean "nonconformist" or noncommittal," nor does it mean forming a new school or system that is different from the existing ones. Followers of the Ri-me approach almost always follow one lineage for their main practices. Although they respect and learn from other traditions, they would not dissociate from the school in which they were raised. One can take, for example, the founders of the Ri-me movement, Jamgon Kongtrul and Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo. Kongrtrul was educated in the Nyingma and Kagyu traditions and Khyentse was raised in the Nyingma and Sakya traditions. Although these two scholars and meditation masters received, collected, practiced and transmitted the teachings of all eights practice lineages, they never failed to acknowledge their affiliation to their own schools. One of the unique features of Buddhism is the acceptance that different paths are appropriate for different types of people. Just as one medicine cannot cure all diseases, so one set of teachings cannot help all beings--this is a basic principle of Buddhism. Once chooses the most appropriate sutras and/or tantras from the Buddhist canon and makes them the basis for one's practice. This is how different schools of Buddhism begin. There are no "sects" in buddhism because there are no groups that break away from the main school. Different lineages have come into being even among those who practice the same teachings. In Tibet, like other places, the different schools practiced and studied in rather isolated environments, without much contact with other schools and lineages. A lack of communication breeds misunderstanding. Even where there was no misunderstanding or disrespect to other schools some practitioners, in their enthusiasm to keep their own lineages pure and undiluted went so far as to refuse teaching from the masters of other lineages and would not study the texts of other schools. Ignorance is the most fertile ground for growing doubts and misconceptions. The Ri-Me Philosophy of Jamgon Kongtrul the Great A Study of the Buddhist Lineages of Tibet By Ringu Tulku

Check out their webpage if you have an interest. Join us on Sundays from 11:15 to 12:15 for our weekly Practice Hour. We have chanting, song, meditation, a lesson, more chanting, more song and a closing. It is very much like a traditional church service. Buddhism in the West is relatively new. It is not something to be afraid of and can be practiced as a philosophy playing well with other religions (i.e. Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Islam) or it can be practiced as a religion as I do. I'll try to answer more questions about Buddhism here. My personal journey toward this wonderful faith began in 1999 while visiting Australia with some dear friends (who I can never thank enough for such a trip). I have done most of my studying alone prior to finding Lama Surya Das and then the Sangha in Tuscon, Arizona. I hope you'll join us if you have questions, interest or just want to know what it's all about. Emaho!