I always emphasize that Tibetan Buddhism is very much Buddhism and there is not so much difference. However, it has its own unique qualities. Today, I would like to emphasize one of these: morality.
Many people may think or even say that this is vajrayana, or the mahasiddha path, and you may not need to emphasize the morality aspects so much. They say that when you reach a certain level, you have gone beyond the discipline. We remember very well in the West, that “Crazy Wisdom” has been misunderstood or rather, has been misused. Many difficulties have occurred. The misunderstanding is, that when you reach higher levels, morality is not an issue. Perhaps that is one of the biggest misunderstandings. Without morality, there is no fundamental basis of individual practitioners.
Buddha emphasizes so much three things: morality, concentration and wisdom. These are known as the Three Higher Trainings. Whether it is Buddhism that went to the South and South-East of India, or the Buddhism that travelled to the North and North-West parts of India. For all Buddhists these three points are so important that without them, the practitioner cannot make it.
~ Gelek Rimpoche, Jewel Heart Netherlands, January 29, 2012
