I cannot praise Shamar Rinpoche enough, or the noble sangha of the Karma Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism and Bodhi Path. Initially receiving the name from Rinpoche of Karma Semten Chophel, the bodhisattva vows and renunciation is a path taken and compatible with practices existing. I first met Rinpoche at the invitation by friends at Aikido Shobukan Dojo. I was invited to a weekend seminar that crammed information to as he called us, ”most intelligent”. He sped through teachings, as most practitioners were avid scholars, could apply teachings rapidly, and also armed these practices with meditation. At first acquantance, he seemed the right fit, and I continued to attend teachings and meditation, until leaving D.C. to Texas a few years later.
It was Rinpoche that helped me depart the dojo, after walking 26 miles to see him. Serendipitously, he poked a head out the window when I was far down the driveway and said, “come in, I’m waiting for you,” in his heavy Tibetan accent, het articulate English. On arrival, I remember carrot soup with the resident lama at the time, and then went to have an audience with Rinpoche. It was then, that I just dove into the question after some obligatory silence and meditative equipose—sharing that space was remarkable.
”Rinpoche, I don’t think martial arts is the best way for me to benefit the world,” or something very similar to that. These days, I know memory is reconstructive, so it’s close enough.
Without pause—”of course not.” A massive weight lifted and we then proceeded to lay out practices and scholarly studies. After we ended the session, he walked with me to the libary, and pointed out the entire shelves of books, and prioritized the most important ones, and it was a HUGE list. Thankfully these have been continuously studied, still today, as the biggest hindrance had been doubt.
I can only share one thing: practice. Practice in scholarly activity, and practice in application, this is Shugyō, and this word goes all the way to mountain ascetics just like the yogi of Karma Kagyu, and its lineage with other schools, all the way back even beyond Gotama Buddha, to the teachers that taught him jhana meditation. Go for it!