One
year and three months ago I had the luck to meet my present teacher. That time
I knew so little about the importance of having a guru in a spiritual path and
even less of how is working this kind of relationship.
When
i met my teacher for first time, I think he was the one who find me first. That
time I was just freshly arrived in Nepal, and living in a Tibetan Buddhist
monastery were everything was such a strange, new reality for me. Looking back
at that first meeting, I had such a criticized mind and of course I was lacking
of wisdom and knowledge of how things working in a karmic level inside
conventionality. He was the first monk who talked to me and then I didn’t see
him again, until I was ready for him.
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| With my Guru, on a pilgrimage at Pharping , Nepal. |
In
this time between my first and second meeting, I was really into a fusion of
studies and experiences from the world that was presented to me through Tibetan Buddhism. My faith was
increasing and when everything was placed to where it should be, the right conditions
appeared and had my second meeting with my teacher.
That
day I came out from the monastery to have a walk and then I saw him from afar.
It was an experience beyond words. As much as I was getting closer to him a
feeling of joyfulness was increasing.
A river of unconditional love was running from my heart to my Teachers
heart and vice versa! A feeling that I never had experienced before. So clean
and so strong.
In
Tibetan Buddhism you can have many spiritual teachers, that can teach you the
Dharma but you can have only one Root Guru. The difference is that the Root
Guru is much more than a teacher is the embodiment of the Buddhadharma itself! Is the one that goes beyond and can transmit
realizations through his actions and teachings, if the student is ready and
open to them.
The
3 kinds of a Guru.
The Guru assume an ordinary form. He appears to has the same delusions as we have, such as anger, desire, hatred and so forth. But because of this ordinary form we have a chance to accumulate merit and wisdom. If the Lama remains in the dharmakaya state then we wouldn't have any opportunity to listen to the teachings of the Buddha, practice and reach the omniscient state.
The Guru assume a Nirmakaya manifestation, which is the physical aspect of an enlightened
being. Awakening beings who have reached one of the 10 grounds ( Bhumis ) so their wisdom and love are beyond ordinary level, therefore have excellent qualities to guide the disciples.
The Guru assume a Sambhogakaya form, which is a non-material form, the body of enjoyment. Is the unity of compassion and wisdom. The form of Sambhogakaya cannot be perceived by ordinary beings,
for one needs to have a purified mind both to perceive
it and to communicate it.
Each disciple finds his teacher according to his level of realization. His Holiness the Dalai Lama often says, that someone needs to check a Lama for 12 years before commit himself to a guru-disciple bond but there are occasions that there is such a karmic connection with a teacher, that is inevitably this bond.
Like in the history of the great yogi Milarepa , who attain enlightenment by all the transmissions and instructions he had from his guru, Marpa , the translator. When Milarepa heard for first time the name of Marpa, tears of joy filed up his eyes and love into his heart. Before he even see him in real he knew that it will be his teacher, and his perseverance until he can be accepted from Marpa is such an incredible inspiration for all of us here that we feel dissatisfy because we cannot see often our teacher or attend his teachings. We think that only being close to him, we can have a good practice or realizations. Of course to be with your own guru is such a blessing but also we are often holding a wrong view about the essence of our guru.
The true essence of our guru's mind, is compassion and wisdom, this state of clarity is ultimate the essence of our own mind, therefore, the supreme guru is never separate from us. He is never gone is always present !
These days , the travels are very easy to be done, the Dharma is available in the West world, and teachers very often visiting centers around the world. So basically we are very fortune. Some hundreds years ago, in order to receive just 4 lines of a Dharma teaching the disciple would cross borders of lands and mountains by their own feet. Or like the Noble Lama Atisha, would travel by ship for 13 months in order to receive instructions on the Bodhicitta training from the Sublime master from Sumatra, Dharmakirti. Maybe nowdays things are a little bit more easy but in terms of purification i think back then, was more intense.
Simple points of checking the teacher.
A teacher is someone who is compassionate, proficient in the three trainings of ethics, meditation and wisdom and he is well versed in Buddhadharma. Is someone who can answer our questions directly and clarify our doubts, and whose outward appearance and behavior indicates an inner realization. But this doesn't mean that behave or speak strangely to show that is an awakening mind. In same way like his Holiness even he is a living Buddha, he always call himself a simple monk!
A karmic connection that never ends.
When the teacher passes away doesn't mean that the guru-disciple bond is vanished. The root guru stays forever and the karmic connection is so strong that will find a way this imprint to ripen in next lives. The most important we can do as disciples for our teacher is to offer them our practices and relaizations. It is said that if a student can become a Bodhisattva following the instructions of his teacher, the merit that is gathered for our Teacher is infinite! Isn't such a great way, to give such a present to our kind teacher, and offer the fruition of our practices ?
We need to see that our teacher is the one who constantly aspire us to put Dharma practice in action and the one who every time gets us on the right track when we lost. He is teaching us what we need to adopt and what to abandon and make possible our progress on the Path and ultimately he make possible the way to the Buddhahood.
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| Milarepa the Great Yogi of Tibet, image taken from here |
The true essence of our guru's mind, is compassion and wisdom, this state of clarity is ultimate the essence of our own mind, therefore, the supreme guru is never separate from us. He is never gone is always present !
These days , the travels are very easy to be done, the Dharma is available in the West world, and teachers very often visiting centers around the world. So basically we are very fortune. Some hundreds years ago, in order to receive just 4 lines of a Dharma teaching the disciple would cross borders of lands and mountains by their own feet. Or like the Noble Lama Atisha, would travel by ship for 13 months in order to receive instructions on the Bodhicitta training from the Sublime master from Sumatra, Dharmakirti. Maybe nowdays things are a little bit more easy but in terms of purification i think back then, was more intense.
Simple points of checking the teacher.
A teacher is someone who is compassionate, proficient in the three trainings of ethics, meditation and wisdom and he is well versed in Buddhadharma. Is someone who can answer our questions directly and clarify our doubts, and whose outward appearance and behavior indicates an inner realization. But this doesn't mean that behave or speak strangely to show that is an awakening mind. In same way like his Holiness even he is a living Buddha, he always call himself a simple monk!
A karmic connection that never ends.
When the teacher passes away doesn't mean that the guru-disciple bond is vanished. The root guru stays forever and the karmic connection is so strong that will find a way this imprint to ripen in next lives. The most important we can do as disciples for our teacher is to offer them our practices and relaizations. It is said that if a student can become a Bodhisattva following the instructions of his teacher, the merit that is gathered for our Teacher is infinite! Isn't such a great way, to give such a present to our kind teacher, and offer the fruition of our practices ?
We need to see that our teacher is the one who constantly aspire us to put Dharma practice in action and the one who every time gets us on the right track when we lost. He is teaching us what we need to adopt and what to abandon and make possible our progress on the Path and ultimately he make possible the way to the Buddhahood.
