You know Ev, I expected more from you in regards to being respectful and in understanding the Guru-student relationship.
I wouldn't trust most people on this Earth the way I would my own teacher. I have been foolish and tried to do to trust others, and yes, those people let me down. No big surprise.
Good deal for the guru. Not so great for the disciple.
Fuck that noise.
It is a very difficult relationship to understand, but the pure teacher/guru is not concerned for themself. If you are more concerned about things rather than your liberation, this will seem like a bum deal. However Ev, you are looking at it from a worldly perspective.
If you knew someone that could guide to your liberation, cut through your suffering, confusion and fears, and clinging to self-cherishing ways; someone who revealed your true nature and inexhaustible potential to you...you might feel as well, that giving the world to that someone couldn't come close to expressing your gratitude. Besides, what would that mean anyway to give? You are simply giving to yourself, really.
I feel very lucky to have a pure teacher, or else, yeah, I might feel the way you do, Ev. As it is, I cannot repay my Guru for His kindness even if I had two worlds to give Him.
Also, it is very important to learn what to look for in a guru. They should be humble and extremely knowledgeable in all the sutras and tantras. To be fair, these are the qualities to look for:
In general a Mahayana Guru should have the following ten qualities: (1) discipline as a result of his mastery of the training in the higher discipline of moral self-control, (2) mental quiescence from his training in higher concentration, (3) pacification of all delusions and obstacles form his training in higher wisdom, (4) more knowledge than his disciple in the subject to be taught, (5) enthusiastic perseverance and joy in teaching, (6) a treasure of scriptural knowledge, (7) insight into and an understanding of Voidness, (8) skill in presenting the teachings, (9) great compassion and (10) no reluctance to teach and work for his disciples regardless of their level of intelligence.
A Tantric Master must have even more good qualities, as listed in the text. Most important is that he be an extremely stable person, with his body, speech and mind totally under control.
There are two set of ten fields in which the Guru must be a complete master. The ten inner ones are essential for teaching the yoga and anuttarayoga classes of tantra, which stress the importance of purifying mainly internal mental activities. These are expertise in (1) visualizing wheels of protection and eliminating obstacles, (2) preparing and consecrating protection knots and amulets to be worn around the neck, (3) conferring the vase and secret empowerments, planting the seeds for attaining a Buddha’s Form Bodies, (4) conferring the wisdom and word empowerments, planting the seeds for attaining a Buddha’s Wisdom Bodies, (5) separating
the enemies for Dharma from their own protectors, (6) making offerings, such as sculptured tormas, (7) reciting mantras, both verbally and mentally, that is visualizing them revolving around his heart, (8) performing wrathful ritual procedures for forcefully catching the attention of the meditational deities and protectors, (9) consecrating images and statues and (10) making mandala offerings, performing the meditational practices (sadhana) and taking self-initiations.
The ten external qualities are required for teaching the kriya and carya classes of tantra, which stress the importance of purifying mainly external activities in connection with internal mental processes. These are expertise in (1) drawing, constructing and visualizing the mandala abodes of the meditational deities, (2) maintaining the different states of single-minded concentration (samadhi), (3) executing the hand gestures (mudras), (4) performing the ritual dances, (5) sitting in the full meditational position, (6) reciting what is appropriate to these two classes of tantra, (7) making fire offerings, (8) making the various other offerings, (9) performing the rituals of (a) pacification of disputes, famine and disease, (b) increase of life span, knowledge and wealth, (c) power to influence others and (d) wrathful elimination of demonic forces and interferences, and (10) invoking meditational deities and dissolving them back into their appropriate places.
It is not sufficient for a Tantric Master merely to know how to perform the superficial actions of these above rituals. He must actually be able to do them. For instance, when consecrating an image of a meditational deity, he must be able to invoke the actual deity and place it in the image, not merely recite the words of the accompanying text. If you take as your Guru a Master with all these qualifications and powers, and he accepts you as his disciple, you must devote yourself fully to him. Although it is possible that out of delusion you might disagree with your Guru, never show him disrespect or despise him from the depth of your heart.
And remember, the respect you show a your guru is for your own benefit. Taking a worldly POV will only increase your attachments to worldliness rather than spiritual aims.
(16)
(If from a lack of awareness you have shown disrespect) to your Guru, reverently present an offering to him and seek his forgiveness. Then in the future such harm as plagues will not befall you.
As a Buddha, a Guru will never hold a grudge, showing him disrespect cannot possibly offend or hurt him. The only one you harm is yourself. Therefore if you repent and beg his forgiveness, he will accept what you offer with great compassion. Then by the force of your faith, respect and devotion, you need not experience great misfortune.
The beneficial effects of Guru-devotion and the dire consequences of a breach of it are not rewards and punishments from a godly Guru. They follow directly from cause and effect. Your Guru is the focal point for your practices leading to Enlightenment. The more devoted you are towards the state of perfection he represents, the closer you come toward this goal. Despising him can only tale you further away into darkness and ignorance.
To add to this even more, if one is afraid of becoming poor and not having enough, it is generally said in magick that this is what you will thus generate. So, giving to the guru can only generate wealth, rather than the grasping misconcpetion that it would deplete it. |
