“Is he a lineage holder?”. The question appeared on my social media timeline. Such inquiries, when directed at or about myself, strike me as largely unnecessary and somewhat precious. The Buddha emphasised that the primary requirement for spiritual progress is effort and understanding, not lineage loyalty or formal transmission. He urged students to practice in ways that lead to the cessation of suffering, encouraging them to verify teachings through their own experience rather than accepting them solely because they originated from a particular master or tradition. It is worth recalling what a lineage truly signifies in Buddhism: a specific, unbroken line of transmission tracing back to the Buddha himself. This concept represents a continuous chain of teacher-to-disciple succession, grounded in authentic realization.
That said, the Buddha acknowledged that a wise guide is essential for navigating the path. Yet the authority of such a teacher derives from their realization of truth, not merely their position in a chain of succession. I have recognized, embraced, and deeply respect that I have been in contact with nine teachers in Thailand over seven years (2017–2023), acquiring profound knowledge, receiving blessings, and participating in remarkable rituals, experiences I discuss at length in my book Thai Tattoo Magick. This natural unfolding of relationships stands alongside, not in opposition to, the principle of personal verification. As Stephen Schettini observed in his response to Vishvapani’s excellent article “Don’t Rely on Lineage”:
“Whether one practices traditional or non-religious forms of Buddhism, nothing is more crucial than identifying one’s own wishful illusions and letting them go. Believing in the invincibility of one’s own teachers and lineage is self-serving…and self-deceptive.”
While the Buddha valued guidance, his approach remained fundamentally open, adaptable, and centred on an individual’s direct realization. In retrospect, I answered the social media questioner with what I felt was an honest, personal response drawn from my own experience.
“The subject of lineage transmission is a complex one. Research into Esoteric Buddhist traditions have demonstrated a considerable amount of transmission diversity over the last 2,500 years. Beyond the formal dharma transmission ceremonies, there are a myriad of alternative methods which may or may not include: Esoteric Empowerment: Practiced in Tiantai, Tendai, and tantric schools, Precept Transmission: Authenticating monastic ordination and ethical authority, Textual Commentary Transmission: Binding scholars to particular interpretive lineages, Practice-Based Transmission: Where realized experience carries the dharma (direct experience). My lineage comes from direct experience and the spirits themselves, not from a singular human lineage. I went through a ritual under a full Wolf Moon with one of my teachers in Thailand (as discussed in my book) which bid farewell to my “Guardian Angel” after a lifetime of guidance. I practice independently, guided by the Dharma itself, the teachings of the Buddha and the wisdom of the ancestors. I have been called and tested through my own journey. I walk the universal path of compassion and mindfulness and hopefully with humility. I am both a seeker and a practitioner, and I honour the truth of where I stand. My book answers most questions and I thank you for yours.”
Then came the inevitable follow-up question, a predictable refrain from those who, despite receiving an extensive, clearly written, and comprehensive response, were simply not listening or unwilling to hear;
“Genuine question. Did you use AI to write your response?”
At that moment, the picture became clear to me: the individual on the other end of the message thread, who had changed their name on their account six times over three years, was enacting an open pattern of coercive control, manipulation and trolling. Their behaviour suggested not a genuine desire to learn or understand, but an untoward agenda cloaked in the pretensions of wishing to be a form of gatekeeper of lineage. My very existence itself was being questioned. While it may be a reasonable thing in some people’s eyes to question if someone has used AI to write an article, in my mind the message of what is being said is of utmost importance. Trustpilot (which I no longer write for) once took down a genuine review of mine because they actually thought I was a robot. Don’t kill the messenger. Entire empires are now being written in the pointless AI debate despite my own views on this subject. In fact I will say that the questioning of whether an article has used AI or not is now its own fertile and futile industry. For me it is an unworthy pathway to follow and does not in any way add to one’s daily practice. AI is just another element of emptiness.
In 2023, I participated in a ritual with Ajarn Suthep that lasted well over forty minutes, designed to place me in direct contact with the local spirits of his samnak in Thailand. The experience was profound; I felt as though I was floating upward, detached from my physical form in a near out-of-body state. My lineage, therefore, is rooted in this kind of direct, undeniable experience — one that requires no external verification. Yet, research reveals a more complex reality: Buddhist teachings have historically been preserved, transmitted, and legitimized through multiple channels beyond the rigid master-disciple dyad. The Buddha himself tailored his instruction to the unique capacity and temperament of each student, a principle known as upaya (“skilful means” or “expedient means”). This concept encompasses the diverse methods used to guide individuals toward enlightenment according to their specific needs and circumstances.
He did not prescribe a single “lineage” path for all. Instead, he adapted his teachings: some students were guided through mindfulness of breathing, others through the cultivation of loving-kindness (mettā), while still others were taught contemplation of the body’s impurities or engaged in philosophical analysis. The path was never one-size-fits-all; it was a dynamic response to the individual. Paramparā, the Sanskrit term for “uninterrupted succession” or “lineage”, occupies a central position in Buddhist institutional authority. The canonical model emphasizes direct oral transmission from master to disciple, particularly in Vajrayāna traditions, where “the concept of ‘transmission’ by means of an ‘authentic’ and ‘unbroken lineage’ plays a pivotal role” (Awakening Vajra International). Yet this dominant narrative obscures the myriad of mechanisms through which Buddhist teachings have historically circulated and maintained legitimacy. Buddhism encompasses a wide spectrum of practices from highly structured monastic lineages to solitary meditation retreats. In many Buddhist traditions, the teacher is not just an instructor but a vital guide who has already traversed parts of the path. Can one walk the path alone? Yes, but with significant caveats regarding difficulty. For certain advanced esoteric practices it is non-negotiable. The historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, famously told his disciple Ananda, as found in the Maha-parinibbana Sutta: Last Days of the Buddha, translated from the Pali by Sister Vajira & Francis Story;
“33. “Therefore, Ananda, be islands unto yourselves, refuges unto yourselves, seeking no external refuge; with the Dhamma as your island, the Dhamma as your refuge, seeking no other refuge.”
Buddha stated to his disciples that they must rely on themselves and the Dhamma rather than on him as a physical presence. This suggests that ultimately, the truth must be realized personally, not just believed through a teacher. “Lineage” (paramparā) and “transmission” are concepts that have evolved roughly over 2,500 years, and still continue to evolve. But what was the initial point of transmission for myself? It was seemingly mundane, naturalistic, and rooted in everyday occurrences: a 1970s television show about a fighting monk, a book, a Japanese woodcut that has strangely accompanied me since childhood, and a statue of Buddha crafted by my mother in the 1980s who casually brought it into our family home from her sculpture class. She did not realize the power, importance, and gravity this singular act would hold for me as a child. These experiences were absorbed into the psyche, forming a lineage not of formal succession, but quiet, cumulative revelations. It’s these gentle acts of transmission that demand our attention, for they are as powerful and enduring as any formal ordination or initiation. In How Buddhism Began: The Conditioned Genesis of the Early Teachings, Richard F. Gombrich argues that the early Buddhist community was essentially a “fraternity” of equals united by the Dhamma. He posits that the later emphasis on rigid lineage and sectarianism was a deviation, driven primarily by the needs of social organization and political legitimacy. Gombrich underscores that the original “authority of the teacher” rested on their realization of truth, not merely their position in a chain of succession. The Buddha’s methodology was inherently open and pragmatic, requiring students to validate the path through their own experience rather than submitting blindly to a lineage.
This spirit of independent inquiry finds its most famous articulation in the Aṅguttara Nikāya — The Numerical Discourses, 3: The Book of the Threes, VII. The Great Chapter — AN 3.65: With the Kālāmas of Kesamutta as translated by from the Pali by Bhante Sujato frequently analysed by scholars such as Bhikkhu Bodhi as the Buddha’s “charter of free inquiry,” as this text clearly and unequivocally states:
“41. “So, Kālāmas, when I said: ‘Please, don’t go by oral transmission, don’t go by lineage, don’t go by testament, don’t go by canonical authority, don’t rely on logic, don’t rely on inference, don’t go by reasoned contemplation, don’t go by the acceptance of a view after consideration, don’t go by the appearance of competence, and don’t think “The ascetic is our respected teacher.” But when you know for yourselves: “These things are skillful, blameless, praised by sensible people, and when you undertake them, they lead to welfare and happiness”, then you should acquire them and keep them.’ That’s what I said, and this is why I said it.”
So, when the question arises, “Is he a lineage holder?” please do recognize how profoundly it diverges from the heart of Buddhist teaching, from lived experience, and most critically, from the Buddha’s own vision of how the path, his path, is to be walked. While questioning is natural, it is equally vital to refuse the tethers of dogma or the idolatry of “canonical authority.” By anchoring our daily practice in the observable fruits of our actions (skilfulness, mindfulness, blamelessness), and the arising of happiness, we realign with the original spirit of the Dhamma. Here, the only lineage that holds true weight is the unbroken continuity of mindful awareness within our own hearts. Ultimately, the primary task of the seeker is to know, through direct and unflinching inquiry, whether the path we tread each day truly leads to liberation. Let the proof itself be in our mindful walking on our daily pathways, not the title, not the lineage and most certainly not any form of formal transmission or “Buddha didn’t teach this” attitude or tethering to an official institution which might obscure our way forward. You are the way!
My book Thai Tattoo Magick is published by Inner Traditions ॐ
Sheer Zed ~ Author • Buddhist Shaman • Musician 