Relying on Teachers

It is now late autumn. In the morning, a layer of snow-white frost blankets Larung Valley. Yellow leaves, though gorgeous during the first chilly days, now flutter down in the frigid wind, leaving piles of golden remains on the ground. It’s time for the mountain to take off its flashy outfit and change into a plain gray one. A sense of gloomy despair crept into my heart, dampening the vigor of my bygone days.

After going over the story of “Elephant Helper” in the Sutra of the Wise and the Foolish, our beloved Rinpoche explained further: “Nowadays, it is even more urgent to rely on a spiritual friend who is learned in the Buddhadarma. Sadly, such an individual, either as a teacher or student, is as rare as seeing stars during daylight. Worldly folks are attracted to quacks who display clairvoyance, who are skilled in healing diseases by means of a charmed stick or knife, or who in a puja can make others lose their balance and fall by chanting the Phowa mantra. Moreover, charlatans who are not concerned with past or futures lives or who smoke, drink, or engage in forbidden yogi conducts are held up as masters by some fools.

To be sure, in order to tame sentient beings, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas employ numerous skillful ways that are beyond the discernment of ordinary minds. The best guidance on how to rely on a spiritual teacher can be found in Patrul Rinpoche’s The Words of My Perfect Teacher or The Omniscient Longchenpa’s The Great Chariot: A Treatise on Finding Comfort and Ease in the Nature of Mind in the Great Perfection. That is, one should first examine the teacher, then follow him; and finally, through faith and devotion, receive oral transmissions on staged practices of the blessed mind lineage.

Jetsun Mila says: ‘Having a supernatural power is but a superficial display. The real qualities of an authentic teacher are his pure observance of vows, his vast learning, and his great compassion. Using these as guidelines for finding a teacher to rely on, you will never regret your choice. Otherwise, you may hasten to request an initiation from someone whose supernatural power enthralled you. Later, when you fail to attain clairvoyance, you’ll regret or even deride the teacher. Therefore, do not hastily apprentice yourself to just any person.”

Our master’s words loosened my moody sentiment like a spring breeze, immediately enlightened others and myself in the same room. Worldly folks take mystic power as a measure of spiritual teachers, and never bother to check if they possess authentic qualities. Our beloved Guru has pointed out clearly the right direction, and it is up to us to choose: Shall we continue to follow the herd mindlessly, or shall we sharpen our vigilance and reflect carefully?

8th of September, Year of RenWu
October 13, 2002