on the importance of the teacher

I recently spent time considering the importance of my teachers and how fortunate I feel to have received just a portion of the stream of their experience through instruction.  The importance of the teacher, whether we call him or her lama or guru, is central- for where would we be without their guidance, their compassion, and their wisdom?  Through the openness that we allow ourselves to have with our teachers, a connection of transmission occurs through which we can experience our own fullness and Buddha potential, just as they themselves have done.

I’ve found three passages that help illustrate this point:

This first one is entitled Hail to Manjushri, it was written by the third Karmapa Rangjung Dorje (1284-1339).

Hail to Manjushri!

All phenomena are like illusions,

though absent they appear to exist;

wise indeed are those who cognize them

within the ever-present unborn.

If you perceive the glorious guru

as a supremely enlightened being,

indivisible from your own mind,

you will receive blessings and strength.

If you, without ceasing, propel the flow

of channels, wind energies, and vital drops-

the nexus of interdependent factors-

the stains of self-love will be swiftly cleansed.

The manifold states of nonconception-

clarity and bliss- I place on the path

of nonapprehension, like patterns in water,

then the true mode of being will be definitely seen.[i]

This next song is from the larger section of the collected songs of Milarepa (1052-1135).  Milarepa, one of the greatest yogins tha Tibet saw was the heart student of Marpa Lotsawa.  Milarepa’s endurance in his practice, and the joy with which he taught is truly remarkable.  This song is a portion of the larger song-story called The Song of a Yogi’s Joy:

The Guru, the disciple, and the secret teachings;

Endurance, perseverance, and the faith;

Wisdom, compassion, and the human form;

All these are ever guides upon the Path.

Solitude with no commotion and disturbance

Is the guide protecting meditation.

The accomplished Guru, the Jetsun,

Is the guide dispelling ignorance and darkness.

Faith without sorrow and weariness

Is the guide which leads you safely to happiness.

The sensations of the five organs

Are the guides which lead you to freedom from “contact.”

The verbal teachings of the Lineage Gurus

Are the guides which illustrate the Three Bodies of the Buddha.

The protectors, the Three Precious Ones,

Are the guides with no faults or mistakes.

Led by these six guides,

One will reach the happy plane of Yoga-

Abiding in the realm of Non-differentiation

In which all views and sophisms are no more.

Remaining in the realm of self-knowledge and self-liberation

Is indeed happy and joyful;

Abiding in the valley where no men dwell,

With confidence and knowledge, one lives in his own way.

With a thundering voice,

He sings the happy song of Yoga.

Falling in the Ten Directions is the rain of fame;

Brought to blooming are the flowers and leaves of Compassion.

The enterprise of Bodhi encompasses the Universe;

The pure fruit of the Bodhi-Heart thus attains perfection.[ii]

The third passage is from Gampopa (1070-1153), one of the two main students of Milarepa, and the first to combine the ear-whispered teachings of Milarepa with the Kadampa monastic tradition, thus institutionalizing the Kagyu lineage as a generally monastic lineage.  This passage comes from Gampopa’s Precious Garland of the Supreme Path, a wonderful instruction manual of practical advice from this special master.  What follows is his description of the first thing that one should rely on as we tread the path, from the third portion of the text entitled, Ten Things Upon Which To Rely:

The first thing on which we must rely is a holy guru who possesses both realization and compassion.  The lama must possess realization because a teacher who has no realization or actual experience is like a painting of water, which cannot quench our thirst, or a painting of fire, which cannot warm us.  As well, a lama must possess compassion.  If the lama merely has realization but has no compassion, he or she cannot teach and will not help sentient beings develop virtuous qualities and relinquish defects.  Thus the first thing ton which we must rely is a lama who possesses both realization and compassion.[iii]

I hope that these passages contribute to a sense of connection and warmth with our teachers, and I hope that this connection helps foster inspiration.  May this inspiration translate into diligent practice, and through this practice may we fully realize the essence of our teachers’ instructions.  May we develop the same stainless conduct as our teachers!  May we too raise the victory banner in the citadel of enlightenment!

May the activities of his Holiness the 17th Karmapa flourish and may all obstacles naturally dissolve into emptiness.  May his life be long, and may the compassionate wisdom of his example be known to all beings!