@SamsaricWarrior: I am looking to take formal vows. Is this something you can help with or point me to someone who can?
Lama Surya Das: Michael, what kind of vows are we talking about? Vows are usually taken with one’s own spiritual teacher, in the context of a lineage or community and tradition— at least if we’re discussing Buddhist vows and such.
I took my series of different levels of Buddhist vows, from neophyte to lay practitioner, to acolyte, to disciple, to monastic, to lama vows, with my own Tibetan lama masters in their monasteries in the Himalayas, when I studied and apprenticed under their guidance over a period of years decades back.
Vows and commitments are something to think seriously about, consider conscientiously, and prepare for over a period of time. You might want to discuss this with other people who have done the same, in whichever tradition you are looking into. No one can do it alone. Good luck!
Submitted by Michael Glatt via Twitter August 23, 2010.
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