Originally posted by An Eternal Now:
Huh? why not?[/b]
if u say so. 
Finding the "right teacher"
by Lim Kooi Fong, The Buddhist News Network, Jan 14, 2004
Ven. Thubten Chodron, on the Malaysian leg of her Asian tour, talks
about an age old problem faced by practitioners: How does one find
a teacher that is "suitable"? What does being suitable mean? And
suitable for who? Lim Kooi Fong finds out in his hour long
interview with the learned Venerable.
Petaling Jaya, Malaysia -- Funny how enlightened moments announce
their arrival. A sprinkling of morning dew hanging at the edge of a
fresh, young sapling. A ray of gold bursting forth from behind grey
weather. And a little kitten snuggling in the comfort of her
mother's embrace.
Voices of enlightened masters teaches us that such moments arrive
because our minds were ready to receive them. Images such as the
above come and go day by day. And yet, many of us don't even pay an
ounce of attention to them. But when the mind is ready, and the
situation is there, the condition is then said to have arrived for
a ripening of insight, or "spiritual uplift". But how and when do
we know that we are ready? Who can we rely on to tell us so?
"Reliance on a teacher," says Ven. Thubten Chodron, "can be a kind
of paradox."
"While a teacher's responsibility is to teach, more important as
well is their responsibility to help students respond to them," she
advises. "A student's obligation is to think about what has been
taught, to assess and to analyze the worthiness of the teachings.
They also need to show a genuine interest in the Dharma, and to be
open minded, that is, not to hold onto preconceived ideas and
concepts that impedes spiritual enquiry."
But how do we know if a teacher has actually "realized" the
spiritual insight he or she claims to have?
To this, the venerable explains, "Some teachers may be able to
dispense with deep teachings. We need not however, be overly
concerned with whether the person has realized the teachings he or
she is giving or not. If the explanation of the teachings is
unsatisfactory, we need not expose the deficiency of the teacher
because of the possibility of a misinterpretation. As long as the
teachings does not contradict ethics, we should continue to have
faith in his or her spiritual ability."
Ven. Chodron cautions however, that it is not right for students to
speculate on the attainment of their teachers. "It's a like a cook,
you know. A good cook would never say that he or she is a good
cook. The judgment sits on the onus of those who eats the food."
She further elaborated the metaphor by emphasizing that "in Tibetan
Buddhism, it is forbidden to talk about one's attainment."
"However," the venerable continues, "if what the teacher says
clearly cannot match the deed with words, then we have to be
cautious. For instance, if a teachers talks about compassion, but
gets angry ever so often, then we have to be aware of the manner
which is contrary to the teaching."
"The spiritually health of a teacher-student's relationship is only
useful when the mutual dependence of one another succeeds in
positive mental engagement. What this means is that when students
sincerely listens to the teachings and puts them into practice,
some will find their life become more meaningful. As a result,
their respect for the teacher increases," she explains.
Does that give rise to a possibility of the student being attached
to the teacher, I enquired. And what if the teacher possesses
charismatic tendencies? Won't that too affects the ability of the
student to establish spiritually healthy and useful relationships
with their mentors?
Ven. Chodron uses the term "idolatry attachment" to describe the
danger when students get too close to their teacher. "The ability
of a skilled spiritual master to unlock the "bodhicitta" in their
students is no doubt something that is truly treasured," she
emphasized. "You can say that most people expects this to be the
end result of a master-apprentice affiliation. But this can only
happen if the students can relate to the teachings in an uplifting
way."
"The danger is," she warns, "when the students becomes so much
attached to the teacher that instead of fermenting spiritual ties,
the relationship degenerates into jealousy, with each student
studiously looking out at who is getting more attention from the
teacher."
"I spoke earlier of the need for students to have the ability to
assess and to analyze situations," she reminded me. "Teachers too
need such qualities to avoid falling into the charismatic trap.
Newcomers to Buddhism, especially in the west, are often people who
needs emotional support more than spiritual guidance. Some hope to
fill this void by trying to look deeply within themselves,
depending on someone to help them along the way. Others however,
tries to fulfill their 'spiritual emptiness' by looking for someone
or something to worship. They carry their idolatry tendencies, that
is worshipping movie stars, politicians and sports celebrity into
the religious realms," the venerable laments.
"By all means, students must remember that all the training they
receive only has one ultimate aim, and that is to become an evolved
individual which has the ability to help sentient beings. If their
end goal is to be dedicated only to the teacher, and only to caring
and helping the teacher, they inevitably fall into the 'guru
devotion' dilemma. This is by all account," she warns, "a spiritual
misnomer because the final destiny of a teacher-student
relationship is the mutual spiritual enrichment of both
parties."
Simply put, "both become better people."
The conversation thus far have put paid to the idea that all it
needs to be enlightened is to have the "right touch" from a "right
guru". To have expected half as much of such romanticized idea from
this respected venerable would be like looking out for a flight of
fancy. The bottom line remains that a useful, healthy,
teacher-student relationship is very much a symbiosis. A skilful
teacher is a learner most of the time, and a teacher only some of
the time.
The pull and push factors in the emotional rollercoaster that
plague most teacher-student relationship is only a phase where both
side try to discover one another. During such a social and
spiritual ride, the interesting thing they learn is, - ultimately,
all that they discover are their true selves.
And while the morning dew drops need a sapling to cling on, and the
ray of sunlight needs a pall of grey clouds to breakthrough, the
magic is established only when the elements starts to leave one
another. The enlightening glory arrives when the dew actually
drops, and the ray of gold leaving behind the clouds and turns to
basking the landscape with its light, awakening all its glorious
colors.
As Ven. Thubten Chodron deftly describes it, "When a teacher
reprimands a student, and the student returns with a serene look,
you know that the spiritual bond is strong, and the practice is
firm. The ego does not run away. But when the two do part, the
world is better for it because now, there is one more to save
sentient beings."
The dew has dropped, the sun is shining, and the student is
transformed to be a teacher. And the enlightening cycle of life
rolls on. BNN
/\
