Celtic Buddhism
Encyclopedia
Celtic Buddhism is new lineage of Buddhism
created by John Riley Perks, who for seven years served as a manservant and acolyte to the well-known Tibetan lama
Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. The creation of such a movement was reportedly suggested to Perks by Rinpoche "in casual conversation," as Perks has written.
In their attempts to probe what they call the "Celtic Buddhist mandala," members of the group meditate daily. They also practice shamatha, Tibetan-style ngöndro and chöd, and tonglen, among other approaches.
The group officially became a non-profit organization in 1989. Most of its retreats take place in Maine
and Vermont
, but they occasionally repair to Ireland
or Scotland
.
Perks is also the author of The Mahasiddha and His Idiot Servant.
The group reflects a longer history within Irish culture of reflections on the relationship between Buddhism and Celtic culture.
One scholar expressed skepticism regarding Perks' claims:
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
created by John Riley Perks, who for seven years served as a manservant and acolyte to the well-known Tibetan lama
Lama
Lama is a title for a Tibetan teacher of the Dharma. The name is similar to the Sanskrit term guru .Historically, the term was used for venerated spiritual masters or heads of monasteries...
Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. The creation of such a movement was reportedly suggested to Perks by Rinpoche "in casual conversation," as Perks has written.
In their attempts to probe what they call the "Celtic Buddhist mandala," members of the group meditate daily. They also practice shamatha, Tibetan-style ngöndro and chöd, and tonglen, among other approaches.
The group officially became a non-profit organization in 1989. Most of its retreats take place in Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
and Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
, but they occasionally repair to Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
or Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
Perks is also the author of The Mahasiddha and His Idiot Servant.
The group reflects a longer history within Irish culture of reflections on the relationship between Buddhism and Celtic culture.
One scholar expressed skepticism regarding Perks' claims:
The legitimacy of Perks' claim, Tibetologist Burkhard Scherer (2010) avers, may be in doubt. "There is no indication that Trungpa or any Tibetan master with traditional claim to realisation has recognised Perks as liberated or enlightened; Perks' claim of spiritual authority stems solely from himself. In the Indo-Tibetan tradition, realisation and lineage holdership are always (and most of the time in multifold form) endorsed by other senior Tibetan masters." Scherer discerns how Perks' "transmission story is vague," lacking evidence of Trungpa's formal "empowerment." Given the narrative Perks provides, Scherer reasons that Trungpa did not teach "such New Age creolisation" as a formal teaching upon which a lineage could be claimed as a "realisation."