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When Things Go Wrong

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Discovering Buddhism 4 – The Spiritual Teacher

Reading 5: When Things Go Wrong


This lesson reminds us of what we are actually relying on when we practice guru devotion; namely, the absolute guru. This can be a useful thing to remember when things start going wrong with our relationship with the relative guru. We will learn here how to limit the damage and get back on track when we get upset about things that the guru is doing, or that the guru is telling us to do. And we will learn to be kind to others who are having an upsetting experience with their guru.

The readings here are drawn from:

" "The Real Meaning of Guru" in The Heart of the Path: Seeing the Guru as Buddha by Lama Zopa Rinpoche, edited by Ailsa Cameron, Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive, 2009. " Sessions Five and Six of DBaH course 4: "The Spiritual Teacher" by Ven.

Constance Miller " “Practicing Guru Devotion with the Nine Attitudes,” Appendix 8, The Heart of the Path Meditation:

" “The Real Meaning of Guru

Excerpt from:

The Real Meaning of Guru

by Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche


In Chapter 19 of The Heart of the Path: Seeing the Guru as Buddha by Lama Zopa Rinpoche, edited by Ailsa Cameron, Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive, 2009.

When we think about what guru really means, we have to think about the absolute guru. We have to go beyond the conventional guru to the absolute guru, the real meaning of guru. And what is the absolute guru? In tantric terms, it is the dharmakaya, the transcendental wisdom of

nondual bliss and voidness. It is eternal, with no beginning and no end. (This absolute guru is a little similar to the eternal God of Christianity but Christianity has no explanation of how God is eternal.) This dharmakaya pervades all existence; there’s no place that the dharmakaya, the holy mind of the buddhas, does not cover.

In Ornament of Mahayana Sutras, Maitreya Buddha explains, Just as the innumerable beams of the sun mix to constantly perform the one Discovering Buddhism 4 – The Spiritual Teacher, Reading 5 1activity of illuminating the world, in the uncontaminated sphere of dharmakaya the innumerable buddhas mix to perform the one activity of illuminating with transcendental wisdom.

Just as an inconceivable number of sunbeams always focus on the one action of illuminating the world, in the dharmakaya the countless buddhas mix to perform the one action of guiding sentient beings, of making the transcendental wisdom of omniscient mind appear in the minds of sentient beings. The dharmakaya, the

absolute guru, is the completely pure holy mind, the transcendental wisdom of great bliss always in equipoise meditation directly seeing the emptiness of all existence. Like having poured water into

water, the transcendental wisdom of great bliss is inseparable from emptiness forever. The transcendental wisdom of all the buddhas is of one taste in the dharmakaya. The phrase uncontaminated sphere of dharmakaya means that the dharmakaya is a state free from delusions.

All the beams of sunlight mix together to dispel all the darkness in the world but this is just outer darkness. Here, all the numberless buddhas mix together to become one in the dharmakaya to carry out the one action of dispelling the inner darkness of the two obscurations, the disturbing-thought obscurations and the

subtle obscurations to knowing. In other words, through various means the buddhas perform the highest action of revealing the teachings, illuminating with transcendental wisdom, and thus dispelling the inner darkness of the obscurations. When sunlight dispels external darkness, we see objects clearly. When the

buddhas dispel our inner darkness, our minds are completely illuminated and become omniscient, the transcendental wisdom of the dharmakaya. It is helpful to remember this quotation from Maitreya Buddha when we begin each session of guru yoga practice and in our daily life when we meditate on Six-Session Guru Yoga.

Referring again to Ornament of Mahayana Sutras, Pabongka Dechen Nyingpo gives the example of rivers entering the ocean and mixing together. When we then take one tiny drop of water from the ocean, it embodies every single river that has

gone into it; that one drop from the ocean is a mixture of all the waters that came into it from various places. Before entering the ocean, all the various rivers appear different, but after entering the ocean, they all become one. Like this, all the buddhas are of one taste in the dharmakaya.

The dharmakaya, the absolute guru, the holy mind of all the buddhas, is like the ocean.

Just as all the rivers are mixed in the ocean, all the buddhas are mixed in this dharmakaya, this absolute guru. Like drops from the ocean, all the many different aspects of buddha—the One Thousand Buddhas, the Thirty-five Buddhas, the eight Medicine Buddhas—are manifestations of the absolute guru. Each of the millions of different manifestations that guide sentient beings, whether in the form of an animal, a human being or a deity, is a

manifestation of all the buddhas. All the different deities we visualize are actually just one being. No matter how many different forms we see, one buddha is all the buddhas. As in the example of the ocean, all buddhas are of one taste in the dharmakaya.

Discovering Buddhism 4 – The Spiritual Teacher, Reading 5 Each of the buddhas is the embodiment of all the buddhas and each of the buddhas is the embodiment of the guru. If the guru is the embodiment of one buddha, he has to be the embodiment of all the buddhas. There is no buddha who is not an embodiment of the

guru; there is no guru who is not an embodiment of buddha. There are different aspects but just one being, the absolute guru, the dharmakaya, the transcendental wisdom of nondual bliss and voidness. And when we become enlightened, we become one with all the buddhas.

No matter how many buddhas we visualize or whether we visualize them all as one, they are all the guru. Whether we visualize one into many or many into one, it is the guru, as Pabongka Dechen Nyingpo mentions in Calling the Lama from Afar.1 The guru is the transformation of the transcendental wisdom of all the buddhas; the guru

is the embodiment of all the countless buddhas who abide in the ten directions. A transformation of Guru Shakyamuni Buddha or Vajradhara has to be a transformation of all the buddhas. Although they manifest in different aspects and have different names, all the buddhas are one in essence. The absolute guru manifests in Vajradhara, the Five Dhyani Buddhas, Lama Tsongkhapa, and the rest, as well as in the ordinary aspects that we can see. We should be aware of this.

Even though there are different appearances—Tara, Manjushri, Vajrapani, Guru Shakyamuni Buddha and so forth—in reality each buddha is all the buddhas. One buddha’s action of guiding us is all the buddhasaction of guiding us. Therefore, even if we practice only the one deity, such as Chenrezig, when we become enlightened in the essence of Chenrezig, at that time we achieve the enlightenment of all the buddhas.

When we achieve Chenrezig’s enlightenment, there is no such thing as our not having achieved the enlightenment of Manjushri, Vajrapani, Yamantaka or any other buddha. It is not that in order to achieve Yamantaka’s

enlightenment we have to start all over again from the beginning of the path. When we achieve Chenrezig’s enlightenment we achieve all the buddhasenlightenment. That is the reality.

As mentioned in Guru Puja in relation to the virtuous friend, You are my guru, you are my deity, You are the dakini and Dharma protector….2 The virtuous friend is all the various deities. When we say “Shakyamuni Buddha,” it is the virtuous friend; there is no separate Shakyamuni Buddha. When we say “Manjushri,” again it is the [[virtuous

friend]]. No matter what name we use— Chakrasamvara, Yamantaka, Guhyasamaja, Maitreya, Tara, Vajrapani—it is the name of one being, the virtuous friend. The dakas and dakinis and all the different Dharma protectors are also one being, the virtuous friend. This is the reality and this is the way to practice guru yoga.

Whether there is one aspect, such as Shakyamuni Buddha, Chenrezig or Tara, or many, 1 The hundred, five and three families, however many elaborated, are the lama. The pervasive master himself in whom they are all included is also the lama. I beseech you, Lama, as master of all families, please look after me always without separation, in this life, future lives and the bardo. (V. 8.) 2 V. 53.

Discovering Buddhism 4 – The Spiritual Teacher, Reading 5 3it is the guru; it is one in essence. When we think of the guru, we can think of the conventional guru, the ordinary human form of the guru that we see, but that being is the absolute guru, the dharmakaya, the holy mind of all the

buddhas, the transcendental wisdom of nondual bliss and voidness. Because it is bound by infinite compassion, it manifests in (or through) these ordinary human forms to guide us to enlightenment. With this understanding of guru yoga we know that all the buddhas are communicating with us. Shakyamuni Buddha, Tara, Manjushri and all the rest of the numberless buddhas are guiding us through this ordinary human form; they are giving us initiations, vows, oral transmissions and commentaries.

In guru yoga, the essential point to understand is that all the buddhas are of one taste in the dharmakaya. The dharmakaya is the absolute guru, and this is all the buddhas. This is the very heart of guru yoga practice. Without understanding this there’s no way to practice guru yoga comfortably. Even if we do the visualizations it won’t be completely satisfactory because we’ll be unclear as to how buddha is the embodiment of the guru and the guru is the embodiment of buddha. However, it will be extremely clear if we understand the very heart of guru yoga, that the guru is buddha and buddha is the guru. We can integrate this understanding into our guru yoga practice by thinking in the following way. When we become

enlightened, if there is one sentient being who can be guided by a manifestation of Tara, we will manifest in the aspect of Tara to guide that sentient being. Now, that Tara is the manifestation of all the Taras and all the other buddhas. It is not that there is a separate Tara with a separate mind who guides that particular sentient being and there are billions of other Taras who guide other sentient beings but not that particular one.

When a sentient being is ready to be guided by an aspect of a buddha and be taught Dharma, the buddha who reveals the Dharma to them has to be all the other buddhas.

Otherwise that sentient being would not be guided by all the buddhas but by some buddhas and not others. This way of thinking creates problems in the mind. When Manjushri or any other buddha guides us, that guidance is the guidance of all the buddhas and that manifestation is the manifestation of all the buddhas.

In reality, even though there are numberless different aspects of buddhas, the holy mind of all the buddhas is one but appears in different aspects to guide us sentient beings, just as all the rivers that go into the ocean become one.

The dharmakaya is like the ocean in which many waters are mixed and our various gurus are like drops from the ocean. All our gurus are manifestations of the dharmakaya, the absolute guru, the holy mind of all the

buddhas; the absolute guru manifests in an ordinary form in accordance with the level of our karma. This ordinary form is the conventional guru, the essence of which is the absolute guru.

When we actually see or visualize a deity or see statues or paintings of deities we should recognize that they are all the guru. There is no deity other than the guru.

The guru in guru yoga means our present gurus, who guide us to enlightenment by teaching us the alphabet, giving us commentaries, oral transmissions, tantric initiations, vows and personal advice; they are the

embodiments of the dharmakaya, the absolute guru, the transcendental wisdom of nondual bliss and voidness. When we do Guru Puja, Discovering Buddhism 4 – The Spiritual Teacher, Reading 5 4Six-Session Guru Yoga or any other guru yoga practice we shouldn’t think that the central figure has nothing to do with our guru. When we are doing Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga or Guru Puja we have to remember that there is no Tsongkhapa who is not our guru.

When we visualize Lama Tsongkhapa, the aspect we visualize is Tsongkhapa but our main focus should be on Lama, the guru. When we say “Lama Tsongkhapa” we know that we are talking about the dharmakaya of all the buddhas and that Tsongkhapa is the particular embodiment of this dharmakaya that is of one taste with the holy

mind of all the buddhas. This will bring some change in our mind because we will quickly receive blessings. The mind that was previously dry and uninspired will develop great respect, devotion and inspiration to practice. Through effort in our practice, realizations of the lam-rim path will then come. This is how it is possible for us to achieve enlightenment.

Otherwise, if we concentrate just on the aspect of Tsongkhapa and not on the meaning of Lama when we practice Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga or Guru Puja, we leave out the guru yoga practice. Of course we can still accumulate merit by making offerings and so forth simply with the thought that Tsongkhapa is a buddha; after all, we

accumulate merit by making offerings to bodhisattvas, Sangha, and even our parents, even though they are not buddhas. But for us to generate all the realizations from perfect human rebirth up to enlightenment, the blessings of the guru have to enter our heart.

It is similar when we meditate on Guru Vajradhara in the practice of Six-Session Guru Yoga. Vajradhara is the particular aspect we visualize, but it is more effective to focus on the absolute guru. It makes sense to relate to

the absolute guru every time we hear or say “guru” or “lama.” It would be strange to simply think of the relative guru, the guru who appears to us in ordinary aspect and gives us teachings and not think of the absolute

guru; it would be strange to think of the aspect and not the essence. If when we meditated on Guru Shakyamuni Buddha we saw him in essence as an ordinary person, a sentient being, we wouldn’t see any purpose in doing the meditation. If we meditate in this way, we haven’t understood guru yoga practice. We have to meditate on the absolute guru.

Otherwise, if we have no feeling of devotion in our heart and see the guru as an ordinary being, we won’t see any purpose in making requests to him; we’ll feel that we’re trying to get milk from a cow’s horn. We’ll think, “What is

the point of making requests to an ordinary person, somebody who has been born from a mother’s womb and has the same flesh-and-blood body as I have? What am I doing praying to somebody who is a human being the same as I am?” Even if we say the prayers, we’ll have no feeling for them. Our heart will feel empty, as if there’s a hole in it.

Whenever we do guru yoga meditations or think of or physically see our guru we should immediately think, “This is buddha.” The instant we see the particular form of our mother, for example, even in a large crowd of people, we are instantly aware that it is our mother. There is the immediate recognition, “This is my mother.” It is similar

with guru yoga practice. We should immediately be aware that our guru is in essence the absolute guru. At the moment we have to apply effort to think this but later a definite understanding that the guru is buddha

will spontaneously arise in our heart, without need for logical reasoning or quotations, just as when we see our mother’s form we don’t have to exert any effort to think it’s our mother. This is the way to develop stable Discovering Buddhism 4 – The Spiritual Teacher, Reading 5 5realization of guru devotion.

When we serve our guru with this awareness of the absolute guru, the holy mind of all the buddhas, even if we are offering only a cup of tea, we are spontaneously aware that we are offering the tea to all the buddhas. If we are sitting next to our guru we are aware that we are sitting next to all the [[buddhas of the ten

directions]]. When our guru gives us advice, teachings or an initiation we are aware that all the buddhas are giving us the advice, teachings or initiation. Even if we don’t have realization of this, it is effective to attempt to listen to teachings with this awareness. We will then feel much more connection; we will feel much closer to all the buddhas.

Geshe Senge mentioned one high lama in Tibet who used “Guru” in front of the name of every buddha; he would say “Guru Arya Tara,” “Guru Yamantaka” and so on. Many lamas relate to deities in the same way because the guru is the source of all the buddhas and the Triple Gem. From where do all the buddhas come? From the guru. From where do Buddha, Dharma and Sangha come? From the guru. And what is that guru? It is the

absolute guru, the dharmakaya, the transcendental wisdom of nondual bliss and voidness. The real meaning that we should constantly remember when we use the word guru and also when we see the guru is

primordial unified savior, the extremely subtle primordial mind of dharmakaya, the absolute guru. When we think of the guru as the primordial unified savior, the dharmakaya, we see that because this dharmakaya is bound by infinite compassion to us sentient beings, it has to manifest in various forms to guide us.

As we don’t have the karma to directly see aspects of buddha, it has manifested in the ordinary aspects of the gurus that we visualize. If we miss the real meaning of guru we will think that a guru is simply someone from whom we have received teachings and won’t be able to figure out how all the deities are manifestations of him. As the great yogi Buddhajñana said, Before what is called “guru” there is not even the namebuddha.” All the buddhas are manifestations of the guru.

If we don’t relate this quotation to the absolute guru it doesn’t make sense, and neither will many of the prayers in Guru Puja. In other words, buddha doesn’t exist before the guru. All the buddhas, as well as the Dharma and the Sangha, come from the guru.

The essence of all our gurus, even though they appear in ordinary aspects, is one, the absolute guru. Their aspect is called kun dzob kyi lama in Tibetan; the translation with which you are familiar is probably “relative guru

or “conventional guru.” In guru yoga practice, the relative guru, whose essence is the absolute guru, is visualized in the aspect of Shakyamuni Buddha, Manjushri, Tara, Vajradhara, Lama Tsongkhapa or another enlightened being.

Because we have impure karma, the absolute guru manifests to us in a form with faults.

With our present capacity we don’t have the pure karma to see the guru in pure form; we can only see the guru in a form with faults. We don’t have the pure karma to see the buddhas in the pure aspect of buddha; we have only the impure karma to see buddhas in impure aspects. A buddha’s power and sentient beings

karma are equal. Therefore the Discovering Buddhism 4 – The Spiritual Teacher, Reading 5 6buddhas manifest to us in ordinary forms with faults, which accord with our own karma, our own level of mind, then guide us through various means that also accord with the level of our minds to the happiness of future lives, liberation and enlightenment.

Every time we say the wordguru” or hear it or think about it, we should remember that it actually means the absolute guru. The absolute guru manifests in various ordinary forms according to our karma. All the buddhas are embodiments of the guru, the absolute guru, and all the gurus are embodiments of the buddhas. Though different

names, like “buddha” and “guru,” are used, they are talking about one object: the dharmakaya, the absolute guru, just as one object has different names in different languages. We have to transform our mind into a devotional state that is constantly aware that the guru is a

buddha. Using logic and quotations we should transform the mind that doesn’t see the gurus as buddhas or, in other words, as the absolute guru, the holy mind of all the buddhas, the transcendental wisdom of nondual bliss and voidness. We have to change the mind that sees our gurus in ordinary aspect as separate from the buddhas.

Even though the buddhas manifest in the ordinary forms of these gurus and guide us by revealing teachings and other means, we don’t see the gurus in this way but believe them to be separate from the buddhas. We have to transform this

state of mind into the devotion that sees the gurus from whom we have received teachings directly as inseparable from the buddhas. We have to see them as manifestations of the absolute guru, the dharmakaya, the holy mind of all the buddhas.

When you spontaneously, constantly, see the guru as a buddha, you have the realization of guru devotion. When you see a buddha, you think it is an embodiment of your guru; when you see, hear or remember your guru, you spontaneously understand in your mind that this is a buddha. Even though the aspect is ordinary, in your heart you

understand that this is buddha. It’s similar to visualizing yourself as a deity. While you have the appearance of yourself as a deity, at the same time you understand that it is empty of existing from its own side; there is a unification of appearance and emptiness. Like this, whenever you see, hear or remember the guru, you think that this is buddha, without any need to remember the reasons.

At times when you are doing strong guru yoga practice and the guru is also pleased with you, you suddenly feel in your heart, “If this is not Vajrayogini, who else can be Vajrayogini?” or “If this is not Chenrezig, who else can be Chenrezig?” Before when you said “the guru is buddha” you were just repeating the words during meditation, just

imitating what the teachings said, but you now feel in your heart the meaning of the quotations and lines of reasoning that you used to think about. Suddenly it all becomes real to you. At the same time you also appreciate the unbelievable kindness of the guru.

You can’t control the feelings that come.

With this realization, you have the same devotion to your guru as you do to Shakyamuni Buddha, Tara or any other deity. With this devotion, you have complete faith in your guru and follow him. In this way you don’t create any obstacles to achieving the path to enlightenment and only create the causes to achieve realizations, and enlightenment.

Unless we understand the importance of the sutra and tantra teachings on guru devotion, unless we have done the analytical meditations on those points, simply Discovering Buddhism 4 – The Spiritual Teacher, Reading 5 7thinking that the guru is inseparable from the deity and making requests becomes just words. Guru yoga becomes just words;

there’s no feeling in our heart. We don’t feel that the guru is buddha, that the guru is inseparable from the deity. Unless we know those teachings and do the analytical meditations using the quotations and reasoning, we won’t feel that the guru is buddha.

If we don’t do any of the meditations on guru devotion as taught in the sutra and tantra teachings but simply recite some short guru yoga prayer or even Guru Puja thinking that the guru is inseparable from the deity, results will never come in our mind. Such practice is merely given the nameguru yoga” and will have little benefit. It won’t bring quick development. It won’t bring the result of having meditated on guru yoga, which is

that we feel incredibly joyful to devote ourselves to the virtuous friend with thought and with action. Feeling unbelievably happy to carry out whatever advice or work the guru gives us and finding no difficulty in doing it are the results of having done meditation on guru yoga. Wanting to confess from our heart as quickly as possible any mistakes we have made in the past is also the result of having done effective guru yoga meditation.

The wish not to make the same mistakes again also naturally and effortlessly comes.

With devotion, the thought of finding faults doesn’t arise. When there is constant devotion, seeing every action the guru does as pure, respect will naturally and effortlessly arise by remembering the kindness of the guru from the depths of our heart.

This also means that the guru yoga meditation we have done has been effective.

Excerpt from:

Session Five 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.

What to do if things seem to go wrong

Let’s talk about what to do if things seem to go wrong. It is important that we discuss this before we complete our study of this module.

Create a wholesome and safe space for healing


If things seem to be going awry between you and your teacher, if you start to feel that you are having problems with this person or feel that your teacher’s perceived shortcomings are so problematic that they have become a problem for you, it is very important that you start by taking a few steps back in order to get some space in your mind about the situation. If you feel that you have, in some way, been hurt by your teacher, that he or she has done something

that you feel has hurt you or shaken your faithin some way, then the first step is to get some space from that situation. If you are psychologically feeling very vulnerable, it is essential to take some time in order to reach a state where you can feel less emotional and more secure within yourself so that you Discovering Buddhism 4 – The Spiritual Teacher, Reading 5 8can look again at that situation – as much as possible without bias and without blinking.

Get to a place where you feel that you can go through it and deal with it.

What does it mean to create space? This is not only achieved by creating a bit of distance from the problem. We need to create a safe and protected space within our minds to address this spiritual wound. The way to do this is through taking

strong refuge in our heart, practicing the seven limbs in front of the buddhas and bodhisattvas that we visualize surrounding us, and remembering the qualities of a disciple that we need to have and to develop. This constitutes creating a safe and protected space within our minds.


Creating a safe space of refuge


So first we take refuge from our hearts. When we take refuge, we reaffirm our dedication to the path that Buddha has shown us, the path to freedom from our faults and delusions. We remind ourselves of the great compassion of all the buddhas, of their caring nature, that their only wish is to help and protect us, to lead us out of suffering.

We also reaffirm our practice as “inner beings” and the willingness that implies to work on ourselves to overcome our suffering and difficulties, to heal ourselves as the method to benefit others. We reaffirm our spiritual path as our anchor in life. We reaffirm our refuge in the Three Jewels.

Then we contemplate the extraordinary enlightened qualities of the buddhas and bodhisattvas (and by extrapolation of our gurus), and we demonstrate our devotion and confidence in them by offering the practice of the seven limbs. This reaffirms our sense of values that we aspire to and have respect for.

Without that sense of values, we tend to see only faults in others, including our teachers.

Then we remind ourselves of that little list of basic qualities that a disciple should have: open-mindedness without prejudice; intelligence and common sense; and sincere interest in the Dharma. This helps us to reconnect with those qualities in ourselves – those qualities that we have already developed and those that we need to work on further.

Analyze the situation with clarity and openness

The next step, having done this, is to bring the actual situation to mind in order to examine and work through it. It is important to be able to look honestly and dispassionately at the situation, within this protected space, and see if you can work through it. You may find that this is a little like lancing a boil. The situation may be painful to look at. But just as in order to get rid of a boil you need to lance it and clean it out so that it can close and heal properly, the same is true for a situation like this. If we bury and repress the difficult feelings that we are having, then they become like a boil within ourselves, within our

mindstreams. This means that we are not dealing with what is going on with us, and this isn’t healthy from any standpoint. So the first important step is to get to the place where you can simply sit – either by yourself or with the aid of a friend that you trust – sit and look at the situation, and analyze it thoroughly. You need to analyze the situation honestly, starting with how much of what’s happening is coming from your side and how much is coming from the side of your teacher.

Discovering Buddhism 4 – The Spiritual Teacher, Reading There are a number of questions that you can ask yourself that may help you in this process: Is the difficulty in the situation due, perhaps, to unrealistic projections on your part? Even though we would like to have a relationship with a spiritual teacher that’s very close, where we get a lot of attention and where there’s a real friendship happening, because of the times that we live in and other factors, that’s not always going to be the case. Many

spiritual teachers have many, many disciples; they give their time and energy and perform their functions properly as spiritual teachers by exclusively giving teachings to benefit their students rather than through the medium of personal relationships with their disciples. If we have expectations of something different than what we are receiving, then we are not operating on the same plane, and because of our expectations, we can feel hurt. So we need to assess whether the difficulty is because of our expectations, or because of something else that is happening with our teacher?

Also, we need to assess if what we are perceiving as a problem is necessarily important to our spiritual development. We may be focusing on things that annoy us, that are seemingly a problem to us, that, in fact, have nothing to do with our spiritual relationship with our teacher. There may be something that is irritating the heck out of us, but it really doesn’t have anything to do with the primary purpose of our relationship with this person: our spiritual practice. So is that object of our irritation really important or not? Is it actually relevant to what the core of our relationship should be, needs to be?

Is the perceived problem so huge and overwhelming that it eclipses all the positive experiences and teachings we have received from our teacher in the past? Is the problem that big and unresolvable?

As we analyze our perceptions of the difficulties and problems that we are experiencing between ourselves and our teacher, it’s always important to remember that appearances can be deceiving. Appearances aren’t always what they seem. Is the situation we are perceiving simply arising from our own karmic appearances? Is our teacher inherently flawed or is this just our view, our projection? Whatever we are perceiving, it doesn’t exist out there. It is the product of our

minds and it is part of our view of the world. We may develop a concrete concept of something that happened, of a series of events, something within our relationship with our teacher. But that is a view. And as the wisdom teachings of our tradition tell us, it’s important to pull back and own our perceptions as a view, to know that these things do not exist out there, independent of our minds. Our view comes from within, from our minds; it comes from our take on the world, from the ripening of our past karma.

If we can’t completely resolve the issue

However, even as we recognize the part that our karmic view plays in our perceptions, if we still come to the conclusion that the difficulties we are experiencing have become too much for us such that we feel that we have to create distance between ourselves and our teacher, then it’s important to do so with that little touch of doubt that maybe we still aren’t understanding the situation clearly, that the problem may be all from our side, from our view.

If we think that the difficulties are so heavy for our minds that we are unable to get beyond them, then it is permissible to create some distance between us and our teacher.

Discovering Buddhism 4 – The Spiritual Teacher, Reading This comes directly from the scriptures. In the Kalachakra Tantra it says that if a disciple finds too many objective faults in his teacher and can no longer handle a close relationship with that teacher, it is permitted to discontinue studying with that person.

While maintaining and attitude of respect, one can also stay at a distance, even if thatperson is one’s tantric master. So as you can see, even in the context of our tantric guru-disciple relationships, this is permitted. However, as it states in the tantra, what is important is that this decision be unquestionably rooted in respect and devotion. We may not be able to maintain closeness with that teacher, but it is essential that we maintain our respect and devotion toward that teacher and continue to see that teacher appropriately according to our level of relationship with him or her. We still continue to maintain our respect for our

teacher, for her good qualities, for what we have gained from him up to this point, and for what we might possibly gain from her in the future when this obstacle that we are experiencing can be overcome. So, without hostility, we work through our anger. We reach the point where we can be sufficiently open to see that we can maintain respect and still acknowledge difficulties and know

that they may pass. In fact, we hope that they may pass quickly so that we can once again have a close and fruitful relationship with this teacher. In any case, even at a distance, we can still have a fruitful relationship with that person as long as we maintain our respect and devotion in our mind, our respect for their good qualities and our understanding of how we should regard them.

How to keep the problem from getting worse

Last, it is very important for us to train our minds in order to stop dwelling on what we perceive as the faults or confusing behavior of our teachers. Dwelling on these things only increases our own confusion and encourages spiritual depression. By meditating on the kindness of the spiritual guide, on his or her admirable

qualities, we develop a psychologically healthy way of relating with our spiritual teachers, however controversial or problematic they may appear to be, and we benefit greatly from those good qualities and from their kindness. It’s a practice. It’s not always easy, but it’s very very worthwhile. n Excerpt from:


Session Six : "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.

Review


We began this module by talking about why we need a spiritual guide, how to find a spiritual guide, and the ten qualities of a Mahayana spiritual teacher. Those ten qualities are listed in Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand. There are ten general qualities, you could say, of a Mahayana spiritual teacher.

We looked at the various meanings of the Discovering Buddhism 4 – The Spiritual Teacher, Reading 11term guru. We contemplated the possibility that the buddhas and bodhisattvas may be appearing to us every day as the people we meet and the situations of our lives, appearing to us in these guises as teachers in every moment.

In terms of how to find a spiritual guide, we talked specifically about checking, observing, spying, and checking some more! And checking even more after that. The importance of thoroughly checking a teacher before one actually takes the step of taking on that person as one’s spiritual teacher, whatever level that may be, cannot be emphasized enough … because of the

seriousness of the relationship and because of the depth of both the benefit and the damage that can happen. If things go very well, there is great benefit. If we enter into a relationship hastily or thoughtlessly and things don’t go well, serious damage can ensue. We risk finding ourselves in great difficulty because we did not check thoroughly. That’s why the seriousness of the checking process, before one ever enters such a relationship, is so strongly emphasized.

From there, we entered into talking about different levels of spiritual teachers. We discussed how to relate to our spiritual teacher in thought in order to get the most benefit out of the relationship. How do we do that? We start by focusing on the good qualities of our teacher. We don’t deny the possibility that our teacher may also have shortcomings. But if we concentrate on our teacher’s shortcomings rather than on his or her good qualities, then we end up cutting ourselves off at the knees in terms of

being able to get the most benefit from our relationship. So, although we may acknowledge shortcomings that may be there, we don’t focus on them. We concentrate on the good qualities in order to cultivate our appreciation of our mentor and to generate a strong aspiration, the wish to generate those good qualities within ourselves. If our teacher, who has

the same basic buddha-nature that we do, has been able to overcome his or her faults and actualize those extraordinary qualities, then the same is true for us. We can definitely do the same. So we develop a deep appreciation of our teacher’s good qualities in order to become inspired to achieve them ourselves in our own mindstreams.

Appreciating and admiring the qualities of our teachers is also the way that we get in touch with our own inner guru, our inner potentials and our inner wisdom. As Lama Yeshe said, “The primary reason for cultivating a relationship with a spiritual mentor is in fact to awaken our own internal wisdom. The outer guru is simply a way to awaken and activate our inner guru.” We explored the various types of spiritual teachers, from

university professors to teachers at the level of individual liberation all the way up through tantric teachers and root gurus. We also explored the benefits of having teachers at these various levels and the qualities that we can gain from them. We discussed how to properly regard teachers at the various levels according to the three vehicles: the Individual Vehicle, the Universal Vehicle (Mahayana), and the Tantra Vehicle.

In the simplest terms, we regard our teachers of the Individual Vehicle as representatives of the Buddha. We are not required to regard these teachers in the same way as we regard our tantric teachers, but we should regard them with respect, again focusing on their good qualities, learning as much as we can from them and regarding them as representatives of the Buddha and the Buddha’s teachings.

We regard our Mahayana teachers – which include those from whom we receive Discovering Buddhism – The Spiritual Teacher, Reading bodhisattva vows, for example, and other Mahayana teachings – as facsimiles of the Buddha himself, conduits for the teachings, understanding them as expressions of the dharmakaya. The dharmakaya is

the truth body of the Buddha, which means the completely purified mind of the Buddha. Our Mahayana teacher is like a conduit for the expression of the dharmakaya, the mind of the Buddha, which can actually appear to us in many different forms, according to what would be truly beneficial for our growth.

Then, we recalled what we learned in the first DB module of Mind and Its Potential, that we all have buddha-nature. The same is true of our teacher, who also has buddha-nature. Our teacher, however, has developed many of the potential qualities that derive from our pure buddha-nature, whereas we still have those potentials to develop. At the tantric level of practice, on the basis of our teacher’s buddha-nature we validly impute “enlightened being.” We impute “Buddha” and we see our teacher as Buddha, one with Buddha, no different from Buddha.

These are three different ways that we see the three different types of teachers in accordance with the three vehicles of practice.

More recently, we began to explore the advantages of practicing the highest way of regarding our teachersseeing the guru as Buddha – and applying that view to all our teachers. By seeing all our teachers, of whatever level, as fully enlightened buddhas, we can receive immense benefits in our practice. But even if we aren’t yet capable of this level of practice, we can still aspire

to achieve it in the future. We shouldn’t feel pressured or inadequate if we aren’t there yet; and we shouldn’t feel discouraged!

We should be clear and aware about where we are in our practice and engage in those practices that are, in fact, appropriate for us and that work for us right now. But we should do so with the knowledge and understanding that we can strive toward higher and more beneficial teachings as our minds develop and evolve. So it’s good to understand the immense benefits that we can gain from being able to see all of our teachers as Buddha. But if we’re not there yet in our practice, that’s also okay. If, however, we aren’t

there yet, if we are not yet capable of that level of practice, then it would also be unrealistic for us to enter into a tantric relationship with a teacher, to take tantric empowerments, as we aren’t yet up to the responsibilities that come with that kind of relationship. We have to be very careful. We have to be practical and aware of what will work for us and what we are capable and up to being able to do.

We went on to talk some more about the qualities and kindness of our spiritual teachers – how to see our gurus as even kinder than all the buddhas. This step moves us into the practice of relying on our spiritual mentor in thought, which is strengthened and deepened through the meditation in seven limbs: prostrating, offering, confessing, rejoicing, requesting, beseeching, and dedicating. Through this practice, we connect with the enlightened energy of the buddhas and

bodhisattvas throughout the universe, requesting their blessings to help us find our spiritual teacher, if we have not yet done so, and to follow our guru’s teachings and advice impeccably and with strong devotion once we have. We contemplated the eight advantages of proper reliance on a spiritual teacher and the eight disadvantages of transgressing or not relying properly on a spiritual teacher.

Once we have some inner experience of relying on our teacher in thought, that devoted Discovering Buddhism 4 – The Spiritual Teacher, Reading attitude just naturally seeks to express itself in action. So we moved on to exploring how to practice guru devotion in action. We do this in three ways: material offerings, offering service, and offering practice. Among these, the offering of practice is considered to be the best.

The last topic that we discussed together was what to do when your teacher-disciple relationship starts to go wrong, when you encounter difficulties there. When things get difficult, then our minds tend to go into a negative spin. Because of our

previous karmic tendencies to see the world in a judgmental and negative way, it’s not difficult to fall back into those mental habits and to start to see faults in our guru. So we talked about what to do if this should start to happen. This is a very important subject to think about.

It is better to prepare ourselves for such a contingency and to try to prevent it ahead of time rather than being unprepared if it should happen to us. We looked specifically at a number of steps to follow in order to heal the difficulty.

Briefly, one starts by creating a safe and positive inner space where one can address this kind of spiritual crisis. One does this first by retreating from the situation. Then (1) we take strong refuge, reaffirming our commitment to our Dharma practice, (2) we contemplate the enlightened qualities of the buddhas and request their blessings through the

practice of the seven limbs, and (3) we bring to mind the basic qualities we need to have ourselves as good disciples: open-mindedness free of prejudice, intelligence and common sense; respect and appreciation for the Dharma and Dharma teachers; a good character and a kind heart.

Once one has cultivated a safe and peaceful inner space, then one should clearly and unemotionally bring the problem to mind in order to examine and analyze it. We discussed a number of different ways to analyze and assess how accurate or reliable our negative thoughts and perceptions about our guru may or may not be. By going through this process, we hope to overcome our negative views and reestablish our positive inner relationship with our spiritual teacher. Lama Zopa

Rinpoche’s meditation on guru devotion can be especially helpful to our minds in reestablishing a positive attitude of respect and devotion in our hearts toward our guru, helping us to see our guru truly as Buddha. If, however, we are unable to do this, we talked about what to do at that point in order to protect our minds and our practice and to avoid the destructive negative karma that can arise from actually breaking our guru disciple relationship.


Conclusion


The point of this module is for us to begin to recognize both our need for spiritual teachers and the value of them in our lives. These teachings are in no way meant to be discouraging – and I hope you haven’t found them to be! – but rather meant to encourage and inspire. The Buddha’s teachings tell us that enlightened beings are not limited to one body.

They can manifest in countless forms to benefit Discovering and bring happiness to each sentient being perfectly in the specific way that each person needs.

Actually, whether we are sincere practitioners or not, the buddhas are definitely at work in our lives; they are here around us all the time, trying to help us. But due to our karmic veils, we cannot see them; we aren’t aware of the help they are offering. Of course, by becoming sincere Dharma practitioners, then not only are the buddhas at work in our lives, but we start to connect with

their assistance and presence and their Discovering Buddhism 4 – The Spiritual Teacher, Reading 5 14enlightened energy. We open ourselves up to be able to receive their help, their inspiration, and their blessings in our minds and our lives.

Personally, I sincerely hope that by coming in contact with these teachings – even from someone who is as much a beginner as I – and learning something of the wisdom of our tradition about how to have the most beneficial and

inspiring relationship with your spiritual teacher, that the blessings of all the buddhas and bodhisattvas in the universe will come pouring into you, transforming your life, illuminating your own inner wisdom energy, and bringing you infinite happiness and peace.

Practicing Guru Devotion with the Nine Attitudes

Appendix 8, The Heart of the Path. This prayer was written by the highly attained lama, Shabkar Tsokdrug Rangdrol, translated by Lama Zopa Rinpoche at Kachoe Dechen Ling, Aptos, California, in February 1999, written down by Lillian Too and Ven Thubten Dekyong (Tsenla) and edited by Nick Ribush and Ven. Connie Miller.

In The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment Lama Tsongkhapa explains nine attitudes in relation to practicing correct devotion to the virtuous friend; he condenses the real practice of guru yoga into nine points. There is no elaborate, detailed explanation of guru devotion, but the nine points are very clear and to the point. It is very effective to read and remember them.

When you have some problem with your guru, something that you find difficult or confusing (of course, the difficulty is created by your own concept), remembering these nine attitudes immediately solves the difficulty. The difficulty or confusion suddenly disappears after you read this prayer. It’s like an atomic bomb in destroying negative thoughts toward your guru. It makes everything very simple.

I am requesting the kind lord root guru, Who is more extraordinary than all the buddhas: Please bless me to be able to devote myself to the qualified lord guru with great respect in all my future lifetimes.

By realizing that correctly devoting myself to the kind lord guru—who is the foundation of all good qualities—is the root of happiness and goodness, I shall devote myself to him with great respect, not forsaking him even at the cost of my life. Thinking of the importance of the qualified guru, May I allow myself to enter under his control. May I be like an obedient son3,

3 It has been suggested to change “son” to “child,” however, according to Lama Zopa Rinpoche, “The term ‘son’ is not used in dependence upon the characteristics of the body but of the mind. The term is used because it is normally the son who becomes king. The daughter becomes the queen but not the king. Because this example is applied here, the disciple is called ‘the son of the vajra master,’ but it has nothing to do with the body.”

Discovering Buddhism 4 – The Spiritual Teacher, Reading Acting exactly in accordance with the guru’s advice. Even when maras, evil friends and the like Try to split me from the guru, May I be like a vajra, inseparable forever. When the guru gives me work, whatever the burden, May I be like the earth, carrying all.

When I devote myself to the guru, Whatever suffering occurs (hardships or problems)4, May I be like a mountain, immovable. (The mind should not be upset or discouraged.) Even if I have to perform all the unpleasant tasks, May I be like a servant of the king, With a mind undisturbed.

May I abandon pride.

Holding myself lower than the guru, May I be like a sweeper.

May I be like a rope, Joyfully holding the guru’s work, No matter how difficult or heavy a burden. Even when the guru criticizes, provokes or ignores me, May I be like a dog without anger; Never responding with anger.

May I be like a (ferry) boat, Never upset at any time to come and go for the guru.

O glorious and precious root guru, Please bless me to be able to practice in this way. From now on, in all my future lifetimes, May I be able to devote myself to the guru in this way. By reciting these words aloud and reflecting on their meaning in your mind, you will have the good fortune to be able to devote yourself correctly to the precious guru, from life to life in all your future lifetimes.

If you offer service and respect and make offerings to the precious guru with these nine attitudes, even if you do not practice intentionally, you will develop many good qualities, collect extensive merit and quickly achieve full enlightenment. 4 The words in parentheses are added to clarify the text and should be kept in mind but not recited.

Discovering Buddhism – The Spiritual Teacher, Reading Meditation on “The Real Meaning of Guru” Compiled by Gelongma Losang Drimay based on the teachings of Lama Zopa Rinpoche in The Heart of the Path, in Chapter 19.


Introduction:


Lama Zopa Rinpoche says, “When we think about what guru really means, we have to think about the absolute guru. We have to go beyond the conventional guru to the absolute guru, the real meaning of guru. And what is the absolute guru? In tantric terms, it is the dharmakaya, the transcendental wisdom of nondual bliss and voidness.”

Preparation:

Check your posture to make sure that your spine is straight. Take a few deep breaths allowing your body and mind to arrive to this place. Spend some time breathing naturally, watching the inhalation and exhalation of the breath. If it helps to focus your mind, count the inhalations from one to ten.

Motivation:

Even though I want happiness and to be free from suffering, I still find myself creating so many problems. Although I want to be a source of happiness for others, I find that most of the time I am only thinking of myself. Even though I want to attain enlightenment, I am so easily fooled by my ignorance and self-cherishing. I am confused about what practices to engage in and what to give up in order to attain realizations on the path. If I were to devote myself to a qualified teacher wholeheartedly, I could overcome these obstacles.

In order to train in seeing the outer guru as a manifestation of the absolute guru, I will do this meditation on the real meaning of guru.

The Body of the Meditation:

the meaning of dharmakaya:

“The dharmakaya, the absolute guru, is the completely pure holy mind, the transcendental wisdom of great bliss always in equipoise meditation directly seeing the emptiness of all existence. Like having poured water into water, the transcendental wisdom of great bliss is inseparable from emptiness forever. The

transcendental wisdom of all the buddhas is of one taste in the dharmakaya. The phrase uncontaminated sphere of dharmakaya means that the dharmakaya is a state free from delusions.” (pause and reflect) the metaphor of the sunbeams:

“Just as an inconceivable number of sunbeams always focus on the one action of illuminating the world, in the dharmakaya the countless buddhas mix to perform the Discovering Buddhism 4 – The Spiritual Teacher, Reading 5 17one action of guiding sentient beings, of making the transcendental wisdom of omniscient mind appear in the minds of sentient beings.” (pause and reflect) the metaphor of the rivers entering the ocean and mixing together:

“When we then take one tiny drop of water from the ocean, it embodies every single river that has gone into it... Before entering the ocean, all the various rivers appear different, but after entering the ocean, they all become one. Like this, all the buddhas are of one taste in the dharmakaya. The dharmakaya, the absolute guru, the holy mind of all the buddhas, is like the ocean.” (pause and reflect)

the nature of all buddhas as one – one in the guru:

“Each of the buddhas is the embodiment of all the buddhas and each of the buddhas is the embodiment of the guru. If the guru is the embodiment of one buddha, he has to be the embodiment of all the buddhas. There is no buddha who is not an embodiment of the guru; there is no guru who is not an embodiment of buddha. There

are different aspects but just one being, the absolute guru, the dharmakaya, the transcendental wisdom of nondual bliss and voidness… No matter how many buddhas we visualize or whether we visualize them all as one, they are all the guru.” (pause and reflect)

Which came first – the guru or the buddha?

“As the great yogi Buddhajñana said, 'Before what is called “guru” there is not even the namebuddha.” All the buddhas are manifestations of the guru.' If we don’t relate this quotation to the absolute guru it doesn’t make sense, and neither will many of the prayers in Guru Puja. In other words, buddha doesn’t exist before the guru. All the buddhas, as well as the Dharma and the Sangha, come from the guru.” (pause and reflect)


Conclusion:


“Every time we say the word guru or hear it or think about it, we should remember that it actually means the absolute guru. The absolute guru manifests in various ordinary forms according to our karma. All the buddhas are embodiments of the guru, the absolute guru, and all the gurus are embodiments of the buddhas.”

Discovering Buddhism 4 – The Spiritual Teacher, Reading Dedication:

Due to the three times’ merits accumulated by myself, all the buddhas and bodhisattvas, and all sentient beings, my I, all my family members, all students and benefactors of this organization, and all sentient beings be able to meet with perfectly qualified Mahayana gurus in all our future lives. From our side, may we always see them as enlightened. May our actions of body, speech, and mind always please the virtuous friend, and may we be able to fulfill their holy wishes immediately.

May I not arise heresy for even one second in the actions of the glorious guru. May I see whatever actions are done as pure. In this way, may I receive the blessings of my guru in my heart.


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