Hello!
I am an author of this website. My publisher’s name is Red Zambala and now it’s the name of my website.
As some of you might guess, it is not a real name of an European-born man. But I have been using it for years on the internet. When I just started I had few considerations: I realized that my native, Latvian, name would be a hard task to pronounce, remember and grammatically correctly to use for most English speaking audience. On the other hand I was always trying to represent the religious tradition I owe so much.
Red Zambala is an important name in Buddhism. If you guessed it right, you must be clever. If not, you have to subscribe to my blog or feed and follow my next posts where I will explain what does mean Red Zambala in Buddhism and how it can help you in your life.
Yes, I consider myself a Buddhist. And this will be my Buddhist’s blog on Buddhism, Religions, philosophies, spiritual practices and may be a thing or two about our life on internet – websites, blogging, socializing etc.
But before I start, I feel I have to strongly warn my readers upfront – this is my personal website and views expressed here will be all my own – they are not done on behalf of any religion or spiritual tradition and are not exact representation of any religious or Buddhist tradition in particular.
Even though I am initiated as a Buddhist and practicing it many years, 15 to be exact, I have been also studying and practicing many other spiritual traditions and practices along the way and in different periods of my life. I had a degree in philosophy. And my own understanding and views I always had with me.
Since a young age I was deeply touched by people’s sufferings, sorrows and negativities. And I was looking for a solution. The primary solution in those times was not a church, but it could easily be a very motivating and idealistic society of the Soviet country. Which, apart from the economic theories, was a very idealistic society which was promising we are moving towards a communism, when there will be no suffering, no poor and rich, everyone will be happy and smiling and good. This story didn’t happen to come true for this or other reasons, but many believed. But my spiritual story started, when I was in a 5th grade and in the city’s library discovered a book about auto training and self-suggestion. I started to practice methods described there and learned how to work with a mind, how to get a very quiet and relaxed state of mind and body, overcome some diseases and sicknesses. Later on I have been searching for more and more methods to work with a mind, how to heal and help to peoples. I was learning occultism and esoteric, energy healings and Reiki, Christianity starting from Roman Catholics and Russian Orthodox to Moonies and Mormons. I was studying in philosophical faculty. Important turning point towards Indian spirituality in my research and practice came when I learned about mantras and their qualities. And a little later another, when my course mate was talking something about Buddhism… and in a short while after it came to me: “Bingo! That’s it. That’s what I’m all about!”
According to Buddha and me, everything is based on the 4 Noble Truths:
- There is a suffering.
- The suffering has causes, reasons.
- There is a cessation of suffering.
- There is a way to cessation of suffering.
And a philosophy of Jiddu Krishnamurti has been a great surplus to it.
So I was looking for a Buddhist centre. But what I found first was a Zen-Buddhism centre. There were also a few Tibetan Buddhist centres, but they were not really welcoming to accept me, explaining to me that in order to practice with them I should first to receive a refuge and initiations from a Buddhist Lama, who is visiting the city once or twice per year, but is not currently there. I started to practice mantra meditations with a small Zen group. The practice was good, but seemed quite one-sided. I was still interested in different sorts of religious practice, and an older men from the Buddhist Sangha once told me there is very neat Hinduism centre a floor above in the same building with a very strong practice, fire rituals and so on. I went there, started to sing mantras, most of which I already knew from books, and bhajans with others, and fell in deep love with a Hindu gods. I was practicing very devotedly every day for about a year…And then a Buddhist Lama arrived to the city; I could receive my Buddhist refuge and practices. I had to switch to Buddhist practice. But it never was easy to me – so often I was missing my Hindu gods – Shiva and Kali Maa again and turning again hinduist for a longer periods and then again Buddhist….
So, in terms or practice it never has been an easy question – who am I. Also I have been initiated in both ways, have met many great spiritual teachers on both sides. But my main philosophical views have always remained a Buddhist.