We sometimes, somewhat pretentiously, declare ourselves to
be Mahayana practitioners, because we feel that the Dharma we practice is
Mahayana. But it is not enough that the Dharma is practice be Mahayana – the
person practicing it must be Mahayana.
The question of what vehicle we are practicing is a
question of how much responsibility, how much of a burden the person is willing
to and can actually carry. Unfortunately, we tend to ignore that fact, and look
only to the name of the tradition we espouse. This is a mistake.
His Holiness, 17th Gyalwang Karmapa
Ogyen Trinley Dorje
