Discovering Buddhism 4 – The Spiritual Teacher Reading 2: Who is my Guru? This lesson covers the various functions that Buddhist teachers can perform, such as lecturer, preceptor, guru, etc., and we will learn how the teacher-student connection is formed in various situations. We will see what the qualifications are for certain types of teachers and how to decide whether to take someone as a guru. The readings here are drawn from: • Session One of DBaH course 4: "The Spiritual Teacher" by Ven. Constance Miller • Wise Teacher, Wise Student: Tibetan Approaches to a Healthy Relationship by Alexander Berzin • The Heart of the Path, Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche • Online Advice Book, Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche • Biographies of FPMT lamas, www.fpmt.org Meditation: • “Why We Need a Spiritual Guide” Excerpts from: Session One of DBaH course 4: "The Spiritual Teacher" by Ven. Constance Miller Discovering BUDDHISM at Home: Awakening the limitless potential of your mind, achieving all peace and happiness; SUBJECT AREA 4, The Spiritual Teacher. The meaning of “guru” Before we move on to other topics, it might be instructive to explore the meaning of the term guru. Guru is from the Sanskrit; it means “heavy, weighty.” A guru is someone who is weighty in the sense of having a substantial presence, having charisma. There are several ways to analyze the term guru etymologically.1 First, gu comes from the Sanskrit guna, which means “good qualities” and ru comes 1 What follows here is a not a true etymology, but rather a teaching tool. This is a common occurance in Buddhist commentaries where a word is broken down in a certain way to give more instruction on the topic. The actual Sanskrit root of guru is gr, which does mean 'heavy' as already explained. Discovering Buddhism 4 – The Spiritual Teacher, Reading 2 1 from ruchi, which means “collection” so a guru is someone who is heavy with good qualities. Alternatively, gu comes from guhya, which means “hidden, secret,” and ru comes from rupa, which means “body, form”; this indicates someone whose qualities are hidden and far exceed our expectations. In the Tibetan language, guru is translated as lama. Etymologically, la means “unsurpassable” and “sublime,” which indicate the method side of the Dharma, or bodhichitta; ma means “mother,” in this case the “mother of all spiritual attainments,” which is the wisdom side of the Dharma. Thus, a lama is “one who has given birth internally to what is unsurpassable and sublime,” and therefore exhibits the unified realization of both the method and the wisdom aspects of the Dharma. A lama, or guru, has the power to tame wild emotions and therefore to become as stable and substantial as a mountain in their mind and in their realizations on the path. This power or life-force finds expression as bodhichitta, the culmination of both love and compassion. Because of his (or her) bodhichitta, a guru is able to tame wild disciples so that they can live their lives meaningfully. Whether the guru, who is the active expression of the buddhas’ infinite kindness, manifests to us as a teacher of the Dharma or in the form of ordinary beings, situations, even inanimate objects in our life, whatever the outer form, the guru always serves to reveal to us our minds, our best and worst inner natures, so that we can grow in wisdom and compassion, so that we too can surpass our limitations on the path to awakening. It is simply up to us to open our minds to these manifestations of the guru in our lives. Choosing a spiritual guide When you go hiking in totally unknown territory and you hire a guide, you are entrusting yourself into the hands of that person – your body, your safety. In the same way, when you enter into a serious teacher-disciple relationship, you are entrusting yourself into the hands of that person. Along the spiritual path, whatever you encounter, you are entrusting your progress to the hands of that person and that person’s advice. It’s a very serious relationship and it’s a very serious decision when you decide to enter into such a relationship. So how do you choose a qualified spiritual guide? When you discover a prospective spiritual teacher who interests you, it is extremely important to check, check, check. Examine that person … thoroughly. Take time; take as much time as it takes. The Dalai Lama says you should observe and “spy” on a potential teacher for twelve years before you choose him or her as your guru. Twelve years? This may be a general guideline rather than a hard-and-fast rule. But in any case, you should be very thorough and very sure of your decision before you commit to such a relationship and the commitments that it entails. What do we look for as we observe and examine and check a prospective guru? Over time, you absorb impressions and feelings about this person. You check out how the teacher relates to his or her students; you talk to the students themselves about their own experiences. Does that person exhibit patience, compassion, and energy? What kind of example are they to the world? How do they ground their teachings, that is, do they practice what they preach? Again, over time, on the basis of your observations and experiences, an impression about that person will begin to form in an organic kind of Discovering Buddhism 4 – The Spiritual Teacher, Reading 2 2 way. Once you establish a relationship with a teacher, you will start to emulate that person. By following your teacher’s example, you’re eventually going to turn out like that person. We become like our teachers in so many ways. Remember this as you check out prospective teachers: Do you want to become like that person or not? Does that person have qualities that you would like to develop in yourself? A very important point to understand here is how extremely damaging it is to break this relationship once you have entered in. Our teacher-disciple relationship is at the core of our spiritual path. It is the foundation of our connection with the Dharma, which is the vehicle to achieve freedom from suffering and every temporal and ultimate happiness. To damage or break this relationship can bring deep spiritual despair. It is often said in the Christian tradition that hell is simply the state of being separated from God. I would say that this is quite similar. If we damage or destroy our relationship with our spiritual teacher, we can easily fall into the lower realms in our future rebirths, but we can also find ourselves in a kind of human hell realm in this very life, having poisoned our connection with the source of happiness, the enlightened beings and the Dharma they have given us. We open ourselves up to many negative influences, illnesses, psychological depression, and other maladies and difficulties. We can even find ourselves falling into a nihilistic view of the world in which we cease to care for either ourselves or others. This is not to scare us away from pursuing and entering into a teacher-disciple relationship – not at all! It is just very important that we understand the gravity of such a relationship so that we can choose a spiritual teacher very, very carefully. This can ensure that our experience of this relationship can be rewarding and joyful and bring great benefits to our lives. The qualities of a spiritual teacher Let’s consider more specifically the qualities that we should be looking for when we assess whether or not a person is suitable to be our spiritual guide. In Pabongkha Rinpoche’s Lam-rim teaching, Liberation In the Palm of Your Hand, [in Day Eight], Rinpoche teaches about the ten qualities of a Mahayana teacher. There’s a very succinct little verse, from the text the Ornament of the Mahayana Sutras, that reads: Rely on a spiritual guide who is Subdued, pacified, most pacified, Who has more qualities than you, Perseverance, a wealth of scripture, Realization into suchness, Who is a skilled teacher, has love, And has given up disappointment [In the disciple’s performance]. These are the ten general qualities of a Mahayana guru. So what do these mean? (1) Subdued: “Subdued” means that this person’s mind has been subdued with the practice of ethics. He or she is an ethical person, one who embodies the practice of Discovering Buddhism 4 – The Spiritual Teacher, Reading 2 3 morality in his or her actions and choices. This means that one’s ethics are more than mere words. (2) “Pacified” means that the mind is also pacified with single-pointed concentration. This means having some control and ability to focus and concentrate the mind. (3) “Most pacified” refers to having a mind pacified by an understanding of wisdom, most specifically the wisdom of emptiness. Then, (4) “having more qualities than you.” This seems rather obvious, but there is one very nice example in the text, in Liberation. If you put sandalwood together with other types of wood, then those other types of wood take on the scent of the sandalwood. In the same way, when you enter into a teacher-disciple relationship, you spend time with your teacher. You receive their advice, you take their teachings. By relying on your teacher, following his or her example, you eventually take on your teacher’s attributes, just as the wood takes on the scent of the sandalwood. This once again points to the importance of choosing your teachers carefully because in so many ways you’re going to become just like them.