The teacher, or guru (Tib: lama), occupies a central position within all the schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The Buddha said, “Without a guru there would be no Buddhas and not even a concept of Enlightenment would exist.” All spiritual methods starting from the initial steps of taking refuge to the Bodhisattva vows come from the guru. In scriptures, the guru is described as equal to the Buddha and the disciples should offer as much respect to him or her as they do to the Buddha. The guru is the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, and the guru embodies the three bodies of the Buddha—Dharmakaya (ultimate body), Sambhogakaya (complete enjoyment body) and Nirmanakaya (emanation body). If our obscurations are purified, we see him or her as a Supreme Nirmanakaya.
At present, everyone is suffering due to ignorance—not knowing the cause of suffering, like an infant touching fire without knowing that it burns. We are similar to this infant in the way of spirituality. In this world, there is no possibility to live without suffering unless one relies upon a guru because they show us the true way to overcome suffering. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche has been quoted as saying, “There is only one way of attaining liberation and obtaining the omniscience of Enlightenment. [The guru] is the guide who will help you to cross the ocean of samsara.”
These days there are many gurus who claim to be the supreme one and tell others to pay respect to them, but we need to ascertain their qualities carefully before relying upon them because such people cannot help us to escape from the materialistic world nor can they illuminate our darkness with the light of spiritual knowledge. A spiritual teacher must fulfil two requirements: first, he or she must have listened to, contemplated and understood the teachings, and, second, he or she must have meditated upon them and gained the realization of their essential meaning.
It is risky to make a hasty commitment to a master, but once a master has been examined and found to have the necessary qualities, we must follow his or her teachings diligently and purposefully. In this way, we can gain the knowledge of what they themselves have accomplished. The negativity of our body, speech and mind will then decrease and love and compassion will increase. The guru is like a mold that shapes the disciple’s mind. A student cannot develop good qualities from a poor teacher but will benefit infallibly by following a good teacher’s instructions. There is a saying: “The mediocre teacher tells, the good teacher explains, the superior teacher demonstrates and the great teacher inspires.”
We need to have faith and devotion in order to connect with the compassionate power of the Buddhas. If we do not possess these qualities, we cannot open ourselves to this connection. It is like facing a mirror to the sun—instantaneously the sunrays reflect on it. It is same with the Buddhas: the moment we think of them, they gaze upon us and the rays of their compassion contact us. The very moment we open up in devotion, we receive the blessings of the Buddhas. As it is, the Buddhas of the past were perfectly enlightened but we never met them in person nor heard their teachings. But our spiritual teacher has come to this world when we were in search of a master and we received the instructions which lead to enlightenment. We must regard them as an enlightened one even if they act like an ordinary being and we also have to keep showing our devotion even if we get enlightened before them. For instance, Maitreya—prophesied to be the fifth among the 1,002 Buddhas of this eon, now presiding in Tushita heaven—got enlightened before his guru Shakyamuni Buddha and thus he has a stupa on his forehead. Likewise Avalokiteshvara, the compassionate incarnation of the all the Buddhas, is crowned in his eleven-headed aspect with the head of his guru Amitabha Buddha. In this way, one has to show respect to the guru. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche said:
The ultimate teacher, the absolute, is never separate from us, yet immature beings, not recognizing this, look outside and seek him far away.
Sole father, with your immense love you have shown me my own wealth.
I, who was a pauper, constantly feel your presence in the depth of my heart.
Wisdom teacher pervading all the world and beings, samsara and nirvana,
You show how all phenomena can arise as teachings, convincing me that everything is the absolute teacher.
I long for ultimate realization, and feel your presence in the depth of my heart.
By Nyima Wangdi
Final Year NNI
