Thanks David. I very much appreciate your thoughtful and gentle words on the
topic of guru-student relations and the space you have created for
contemplating what is in our hearts and minds. Joan Sent from my T-Mobile 4G
LTE Device
-------- Original message --------From: David Beers <dbeers@xxxxxxxxx> Date:
2/7/21 4:27 PM (GMT-07:00) To: pp_vajra_vidya@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject:
[pp_vajra_vidya] Recording of 2/6 discussion on "karma" and "transmission" Hi
all,Here's the recording of the discussion part of our session Saturday
morning:
https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/tOTDEK4D1lCZnSQkZ8Nty3MLSQWhHXqVIjnPZ3fKApuhAXj_vrr0Mx_fEhmjMV1k.k5JUMhYS9NfkSUws
Passcode: 93^c44AuWe dug into some important material that we agreed will take
longer for us to process than the session allowed.One was the topic of "merit",
often likened with wisdom to the wings of a bird for our progress on the path.
The meaning we usually attribute to the English term—a sense of "entitlement"
or "justice"—has nothing to do with the dharmic sense of the word. One way to
deal with that problem is to drop our normal connotation entirely and simply
recall what the practices connected with merit are and why they are recommended
to us: patiencegenerosityethical disciplineenthusiasm/diligencemeditationWhen
we practice these and turn our minds toward the four immeasurables, wishing all
beings happiness and and end to suffering, joy and equanimity, and we wear away
the exaggerated importance we place on our illusory self, that's all that is
meant when we hear the term "accumulation of merit." It's simply the skillful
means of Buddhism and it's only deserving of the term if by it we are cutting
our self-concern and, ideally, dedicating our effort to the welfare of all
beings without exception. On the other "wing," it is by the development of our
innate wisdom that we are really able to cut decisively through our ignorance,
clinging and aversion, and from the standpoint of wisdom, merit is a dependent
arising: empty of any real essence. This is not a contradiction, it's just the
paradox of how the Buddhist path works.The other topic that came up was the
importance of the guru for transmission of the dharma and how we are to square
this teaching with the string of sensational reports of students who have been
abused by "crazy wisdom" gurus and suffered terrible trauma. This is such an
important topic and I didn't feel that my reply during our time was remotely
adequate. It's true as I said that devotion to the guru (rightly understood) is
particularly emphasized in the Vajrayana teachings and plays a much less
central role in other vehicles. So one way to resolve the cognitive dissonance
is to simply ignore a part of the teachings and stick with what we have
confidence in. There is something to be said for this. On the other hand, there
are also a lot of mistaken concepts around gurus that are probably worth
dispelling together with some cultural attitudes that are not skillful when
uncritically adopted today. Some of these aren't foreign attitudes but ones
pervasive in our own society, coming up in many areas of life, both religious
and secular. Finally, consider that many people have found that it was
difficult to see—still less transform—their kleshas without the help of a
trusted, wise and compassionate guide who could see those kleshas clearly and
transmit to the student how they can be transformed or cut. Since this
particular kind of relationship with a teacher is based on shared innate buddha
nature, the recognition of that nature can be greatly enhanced if the
relationship is met properly by both student and teacher. Or greatly impaired
if not.So given all that, perhaps we would do well to shine some sunlight on
the student-teacher relationship, so we can make a realistic assessment and
resolve whatever doubts can be resolved. If we can do this through the three
prajñas—listening, contemplating and meditating—it's sure to be beneficial. If
you think of some Buddhist teachings you've received that we can bring to bear
on this topic please bring them next time, and I will do the same. I suggest we
stick with Chapter 3 for another week and devote a session to this.All the
best,David
