Apprenticeship

I became an apprentice after I had met Lama Rig'dzin Dorje for the first time, in a seminar centre where I happened to be while he was holding his summer course in Austria. You could say I “bumped into” my teacher and lineage without meaning to, and without any background of Buddhist practice or even particular interest in Buddhism. Still, I got hooked and felt that I wanted to take a closer look. In my wildest dreams I wouldn't have imagined what came out of that decision. My whole life turned around. Apprenticeship has been challenging – I learned everything from scratch: what is Buddhist practice all about, what is Aro, why do I need all these musical instruments and ritual implements, how can I integrate in the sangha, and most important of all: who is the Lama to me? Another crucial point was to work out if Buddhist practice really works for me. I was lucky – it did, so I moved on, and developed confidence in the teacher, lineage and practice. Moreover, I found a partner who became an apprentice as well, so that my husband and I can practice together in the same lineage and have become disciples of the same Lamas.