Ideals
Diamond Way describes itself as an adaptation of the Karma Kagyu tradition to Western culture without Tibetan customs and organisational structures.
Ole Nydahl describes Diamond Way as a lay tradition offering methods for people who have jobs, partners, families and responsibilities. He states "...our work is grown on the basis of friendship and trust... since the Diamond Way teachings aim to bring freedom and independence, it is people who already have those qualities who are generally attracted to our centers." He also says he is keen to avoid what were perceived to be the more exotic or ritualistic aspects of Tibetan Buddhism such as pujas sung in Tibetan with Tibetan musical accompaniment. In 1998 Ole Nydahl stated "I simply don’t want gifted and critical people who discover us to step right into the middle of a puja as has happened so often in the past. They then think they have landed with Catholics or some other sect and we won’t get a second chance to benefit them or their like-minded friends." Instead, most meditation texts (except mantras) are translated and used in European languages.
Read more about this topic: Diamond Way Buddhism
Famous quotes containing the word ideals:
“It does not follow, because our difficulties are stupendous, because there are some souls timorous enough to doubt the validity and effectiveness of our ideals and our system, that we must turn to a state controlled or state directed social or economic system in order to cure our troubles.”
—Herbert Hoover (1874–1964)
“We want our children to become warm, decent human beings who reach out generously to those in need. We hope they find values and ideals to give their lives purpose so they contribute to the world and make it a better place because they have lived in it. Intelligence, success, and high achievement are worthy goals, but they mean nothing if our children are not basically kind and loving people.”
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“Our chaotic economic situation has convinced so many of our young people that there is no room for them. They become uncertain and restless and morbid; they grab at false promises, embrace false gods and judge things by treacherous values. Their insecurity makes them believe that tomorrow doesn’t matter and the ineffectualness of their lives makes them deny the ideals which we of an older generation acknowledged.”
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