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The subject that we're going to discuss at this point on the sadhana itself is a
basically vajrayana-oriented kind of topic.
And it has a lot of implications at the same time,
connected with basic practice of hinayana and mahayana Buddhism as well.
And generally the first point I would like to get across tonight is some sense of,
or the notion of, devotion, in some sense; which the sadhana is based on.
That any kind of practice of this nature cannot be properly understood
without having some sense of, if you like, hierarchy,
or some kind of teacher and student, guru - chela level of some kind.
And it’s the principle behind it as well, which is the most important one of all.
So we can’t have those thing unless that you have some understanding of guru principle.
[laughs] So ah [laughs]
I would like to explain the journeys that we're taking
in the Buddhist style of practice of meditation, spiritual discipline on the whole;
that we believe it is necessary to have some kind of baby sitter to begin with.
As we all do, that we would like to have our baby sitter if we are...
or some kind of parents also acting as a baby sitter.
We would like to have some kind of baby sitter;
so that somebody can change our diapers; someone can give us a bath;
someone can give us a shower, change our clothes; put us in pajamas;
and tell us how to eat, whether to use a spoon or a fork
or how to relate with cups and plates and where to sit;
and also you are provided with some kind of seat --called a baby seat.
So that’s the beginning point. I’m not particularly coming, at this point,
coming from... on a higher and some kind of arrogant level particularly.
But if we actually wanted to function life properly, as we begin to grow up,
so we have to have some kind of starting point to begin with.
As a child, we must have experienced ourselves that which was the case,
happening to us... happened to us already and the process of happening that way too.
So this analogy of three yana principle is actually based on bringing up an infant
and relating with a teenager and finally relating with the grown-ups.
Those are the three examples that we could use at this point, quite simply,
not further complicating the issue.
So starting with the first point, which is the hinayana relationship to hierarchy,
if you like to call it or parental figure.
Which is the beginning point... beginners' point of the journey
that this particular sadhana is presenting, in a very elementary level, somewhat.
So that sense of individuality, that sense of personal search for spirituality
and sense of the growing-up process, whatever it may be, based on purely our dreams.
The reason why I have said that is because we have to face that fact;
that we think we’re going to become a Ph.D. candidate
still not knowing how to write and read and speak and toilet-trained.
That’s the kind of ambition that we usually have:
is we don’t want to be hassled by little embarrassments here and there.
"Of course I can push them aside, and I can just grow up, and soon as I am acknowledged
into the mainstream of the respectable, high-powered world.
That we can do our best and I'm sure I could do it."
That’s the usual tempt that everybody believes, that professionalism means
self-confident, amateurish approach to reality; which is not quite true actually.
In this case we’re not talking about "professional" Buddhists necessarily;
but in order to become adult, that we have to grow up as adults
rather than kid is being made into adult particularly at this point.
So we actually have to actually grow up, and we have to actually have to face
the possibilities of problems that exist in our life.
That we actually have to learn to grow up,
learn to be discriminating, learn to develop discriminating mind;
and we also have to learn to develop a sense of subtleties,
and a sense of understanding about our reactions to the phenomenal world,
which is our reactions to ourselves at the same time.
So the question begins that in order to do those things,
we do need some kind of parental figure to begin with.
In the hinayana tradition, it's... they call it sthavira, or the Pali term we call it thera,
which means "older", "elder" person.
Which means that somebody who has already gone through
the baby sitting level of experience,
and they themselves become baby sitters already, is very much necessary;
because we have to know if we put our fingers on the burner what happens.
We have to be warned against it or if we decide to step on a pile of ***
or if we decide to eat it up, and what’s going to happen to us.
All those little details seemingly unimportant and trivial, basically;
but it does provide very important background.
We have to learn the facts and figures and the little details that exist in our life:
what is good, what is bad, what should be done, what shouldn’t be done.
Some kind of discrimination is important, not to the point necessarily
to bring everything to punishment and promises and as such,
or even related to original sin of that Christian concept, per se.
But some kind of basic understanding of how things are done
in connection with the natural force.
If you walk out into the snow without any clothes, you will catch cold
--obviously that’s a natural fact.
If you had eaten poison, we will be dead.
Those simple little facts and figures are important ones.
And spiritually also there are such things like that as well,
that basically our view.... We might regard ourselves, by the way,
changing the subject a little bit, we might regard ourselves as grown-ups.
You could say, "Well, I don’t need a babysitter. I can take care of my business.
I’m fine—no thanks". But in terms of spiritual discipline,
even that reaction itself is very infant like reaction. Absolutely.
That you are closing off large avenues of learning possibilities completely.
If you begin to reject those situations, then you have nothing to work with.
And we have no idea even how to begin with the ABC level of basic spirituality at all.
So in the hinayana tradition, the notion of acharya, which means "master", "teacher",
"elder", somewhat father figure, and occasionally babysitter,
parent figure of some kind, is always necessary.
Not necessarily to teach us what’s good and what’s bad,
how to hate the bad and how to work towards the good,
but how to develop a general sense of composure.
That point is... becomes very important in the first step;
which is the beginning of devotion, in some sense. At that point, in the hinayana level,
the devotion is not necessarily devotion in terms of necessarily faith in ethereal
or visionary level as such, particularly.
But devotion and vision purely from the sense of practicality:
what needs to be done, what is a necessary thing to do
and what is a necessary thing to avoid. That’s just a very basic, simple thing.
So in the hinayana level that the teachings tells us
that to begin with our view to the world is also infantile view.
That we think we’re going to get ice cream every day, every minute.
Each time when we decide to cry and throw our temper tantrums,
that your daddy or mommy or your babysitter are going to
come along with colorful ice cream cones and begin to feed you it.
It turns out to be that's not the case, and it's not so at all.
So basically what we are saying here is that life is based on pain, suffering, misery;
and the closer, more accurate translation for duhkha,
which is the sanskrit word for "suffering", turns out to be "anxiety", "anxiousness".
There’s always a kind of anxiousness,
but you have to be told by somebody that life is a gigantic world of anxiety,
to begin with.
So let’s relate with that first thing, which is actually called 'truth".
It is truth because if you begin to believe it’s a possibility
that you can actually win the war of combating with a given pain,
that you think you might be able to get so-called happiness;
and that's not possible at all. It doesn’t happen.
So the elder, parent, or thera, sthavira tells us these facts and figures;
that the world is not made out of honeycombs and big ocean of maple syrup.
That the world has its own unpleasant and touchy points exist.
And when you’ve been told this truth, you begin to appreciate more.
You begin to respect that truth actually does go a very long way
--rest of your life. And you begin to get some kind of paternal attitude
towards the teacher, sthavira or the elder.
And as far as the sthavira or the elder is concerned;
that such truth is just old hat for them: because they know it already.
They have gone through it themselves;
but nevertheless, they don’t make the righteous messages out of those things.
Just simply look, it’s not as good as what you think;
and it is going to be somewhat painful to you --getting into this world.
And you can’t help it; you’re already in it, at the same time.
So we’d better work with it and accept this truth.
That is precisely, historically Lord Buddha first proclaimed his buddha dharma,
it was the truth of suffering.
And we don’t have to go through the rest of the four noble truths particularly.
I think most of you might have some understanding of it already.
The second stage level of developing further relationship with the teacher,
is a sense of understood the first section of the truth already.
That the father figure has already been understood and the father figure person
did not become, or does not become a hassle or overwhelming, unpleasant,
in terms of claustrophobia for one’s own development and understanding.
And then we begin to evolve into a different kind of area;
which is called the kalyanamitra, which is a Sanskrit word
literally meaning "spiritual friend" or "friend in the virtue".
The kalyanamitra is less heavy-handed in some sense as the elder or parent level;
but on the other hand, it is much more heavy-handed.
It is like rich uncle, in some sense, who provides money for the rest of the family,
including the parents.
And it becomes much more significant to us,
because rich uncle doesn’t want to have his relatives just lounging around
and appreciating and living off his money and just kicking around, hanging out.
But would like to be more constructive;
he would like to have very industrious relatives,
so that rich uncle can promote his own capital, whatever, promote the whole thing.
Although the bodhisattva's approach, and the mahayanist approach of that kind
is not based so much on self-aggrandizement
and self-centered technique/approach as such necessarily.
But there is still a sense of much more closer in some sense;
a friend, a spiritual friend is friend.
When advice was given to us by relatives, that we have a different kind of attitude;
we are just being told the relative truth.
[laughter]
It has its conditions behind it, as well at the same time. It has its applications behind it,
but it is still relative truth.
But when friends gives us advice, it becomes much more closer than relative-like truth.
It becomes more immediate, personal.
For instance if we're criticized by our parents, we think that it’s their trip,
or there’s something has gone wrong between us and them;
so we take it very lightly, in some sense.
Sometimes we’re very resentful, which helps us to push to the side;
but if we be criticized by our friends, we begin to get startled.
We begin to think maybe there’s some element of truth in this.
So the bodhistatva’s approach to the relationship in terms of teacher
is at this point in terms of spiritual friend
is much more demanding than the purely relative level.
It makes us much more watchful, some sense of conscientious.
At that point, the relative truth becomes already somewhat old hat;
we know the world is pain, and we know the origin of pain, and the cessation
and finally the path and everything already.
But now what’s next? At this point, the spiritual friend begins to tell us,
"Don’t just purely work on yourself. Share it with others.
Do something about the others. Relate with your projections rather than projector.
Do something about the world outside
and try to develop some sense of sympathy and warmth in yourself".
Which is usually very hard to do for us, ordinarily.
We feel really pissed off that the world is painful and resentful with our world already;
and we are already a bundle of muscles; we’re very uptight, tight.
And it’s very hard to relax, to let go of that; but it can be done;
that’s not an impossibility at all.
It has been done in the past; is done in the present, and it will be done in the future.
So the question is, "How about giving an inch? Just letting go a little bit?
Open a little bit? Be generous, but at the same time be disciplined".
And therefore we should be patient at the same time,
and work hard at your excretion at the same time;
at the same time be aware of everything that is happening,
and be clear about the whole thing at the same time.
Which is what’s called six paramitas; which is a tall order in some sense.
How can we already do all six of them simultaneously?
It looks like we have to be either a fantastic actor,
who doesn’t mean anything what he's doing, just purely performing;
or else he just has to become an idiot who just purely follows the regulations,
the rules, and give away things, and be disciplined and patient
and working hard and so forth.
But there is also other possibilities that you can do that.
That actually puts us into a spotlight, so to speak.
That there is a general sense of wanting to open
for the very reason that you have nothing to lose.
Your life is already a bundle of misery and chaos;
And since that is the case you have nothing to lose;
you might gain something in fact by just giving, opening.
That seems to be the trick,
which the transition between the elder and spiritual friend takes place.
Or the rich uncle who throws you into the street,
not giving you pocket money. He might give you a few pencils;
and say try to sell them and go out and sell it; do it.
We might say, "I’m sorry, I need some warm coat. I can’t go out like this".
He’ll say, "I am sorry you have to first sell your pencils. Then you get a coat.
You’ve got to buy a coat for yourself;
rather than I’m going to provide you with a coat. You have to make your own profit".
Whatever. That’s a very rough example; don’t misunderstand that;
but that seems to be the general trend and pattern of these altogether.
And now the next thing is we're getting into the very complicated
and very tricky point which is the next level of hierarchy in terms of devotion,
trust and understanding of the teacher,
is what’s known as the vajra master in the vajrayana level,
which has a different kind of slant.
But in some sense it is a combination of the first and second one
put together in some sense.
It is the same kind of process, the same kind of line of thinking, somewhat;
but at the same time it has its own twist.
The vajra master is not elder, parental figure, not friend or spiritual friend
or rich uncle, per se.
Vajra master is born warrior; who accepts a few students.
And if the students are sloppy and unresponsive
and unnecessarily receptive... unreceptive;
then Vajra master wouldn’t accept such person.
Then Vajra master, vajra is a Sanskrit word which means "indestructible",
indestructible like adamantine. Vajra is Indian mythology, that the scepter of Indra,
the king of the gods in Indian mythology which is made out of....
His scepter is such a powerful weapon that it destroys everything;
having destroyed everything it returns back to his hand.
At the same time it has greater strength to not only destroy one situation,
but every situation;
and it is indestructible because it doesn’t have any cracks in this weapon
and impossible bent, impossible way of destroying that particular weapon.
So the idea of vajra master,
the idea of vajra is completely well put-together,
understanding the vision which does not have any cracks anywhere,
or possible potentialities to criticize.
That is to say, to insert further confusion into it;
because it is a completely well guarded situation.
Not well guarded in the sense of paranoia,
but well guarded in the sense of its own existence;
self-guarded, so to speak.
And therefore the closest analogy we could use is the samurai-type mentality.
That such teacher is ferocious; at the same time it has the qualities of a father,
in some sense, elder in some sense, and also it has the qualities of friend nevertheless,
at the same time too.
It could be very passionate person, warm and powerful, sympathetic;
but nevertheless it doesn’t buy any ***, so to speak;
if we could speak Americanization at this point.
Studying with such a person is very dangerous;
but at the same time a very advanced thing to do.
You might actually progress on the path much faster.
But if you started with that attitude of you might go faster;
then you might go slower, on the other hand.
The notion of vajra master’s approach of teaching is concerned
and to create successive situations in your life.
Having already gone through the hinayana already, mahayana already,
then you got finally to vajrayana already, finally,
at that point that you are already well trained and well disciplined already.
And the vajrayana level, the vajra master begins to demand complete trust,
unconditional, without explanations, complete trust, complete openness
without any logic behind it, maybe.
Maybe some kind of little logic, but the rest of it just a simple straightforward:
"Would you like to come along with me to take part in this historic battle?
Come along; here’s your sword".
Of course, there’s room to chicken out. But once you have chickened out
you could go through a lot of problems, unspeakable problems.
The more you are a coward,
that much that you'll be terrified deliberately by the vajra master.
Although I don’t want to particularly paint a black picture of the vajra master,
at this point; but that is the simple truth.
The more you try to escape, you'll be chased, you'll be put in the corner.
The more you try to work with it then you’ll be invited to the fantastic feast
and celebration to share together in this dance that's taking place together.
The basic notion is somewhat celebration or feast type mentality.
Which is not so much of indulgency, in the parties or things like that necessarily,
that particular approach, or lots of eating kind of thing necessarily;
but feast in the sense of real sharing rich experiences of all kinds together.
And that sense the vajrayana teachings becomes alive, becomes very appropriate.
But if you are not in a position to see the real rich experiences properly;
then you are not ready for that;
such vajra master might send you back to your spiritual friend
or if necessary to your elder, to your rabbi.
The level of your commitment that you have with the samurai vajra master
is not so much that, that person is actually external person as such alone;
it has its own internal possibilities as well.
I heard a report the other day that Professor doctor Herbert Guenther
talked about that, towards the end of the kalyanamitra
the spiritual friendship has taken place; then you already discover your inner guru.
I must contradict that particular statement;
unless he has become secretly love and lighty. [laughter]
In spite of being such a great professor, that that’s not the case.
To become spiritual friend, to work with a spiritual friend,
is that particular level where you don’t see inner guru level particularly at all;
it is just a friend level.
Then there's something beyond there,
takes place when you begin to meet the vajra master.
Then you begin to go greater level of sense of heroism, sense of fearlessness,
sense of powerfulness taking place all the time.
So at that point we begin to develop some sense of possibilities
that you could be your own resources at the same time.
Such trip takes place longer, journey takes place longer;
much, much longer than you expected.
Because that would be the last thing that the teacher
or the vajra master would like to give you any kind of trip
that you might have chanced to reject
your irritating and overwhelming vajra master;
so you could purely internalize by saying,
"I don’t have to go and face that person anymore.
I can just do it on my own… everything. Thanks for everything".
That seems to be the interesting point there's that vajra master level;
is that there's some sense of magic,
some sense of power and also some sense of immense devotion.
Which is quite a different devotion that usually we talk about
in the theistic traditions, the faith and devotion towards Christ or Krishna
or whatever you might have.
But in this case, faith and devotion is very much based on the sense that
not giving up completely, but taking on more things,
examples and insight and power and everything onto yourself.
That you can be actually initiated
-- that's precisely the word: abhisheka, abhishek-ed,
In the theistic tradition of faith and devotion from that point of view
is a very remote one.
That we have somebody out there all the time, not only a person alone; that’s fine;
there’s some other teacher, some other elder, parents; that’s fine;
but beyond that there is also other, greater other, which will feed you,
which will secure you and everything becomes somewhat in the level of,
as they precisely call it, ethereal level of the otherness becomes very transparent.
That particular thing is going to save you, or that particular thing.
Maybe you do not believe it as old man with a beard, necessarily so,
but that particular thing is somewhere, playing a trick on us.
That the reason why all the lizards are being produced,
and all the snakes are coiling themselves;
all the rivers run down, and all the trees are growing up
--all this mysteriousness must be done by "them" or "it";
which takes away from understanding of real magic.
And how can understand them, how can actually do it in our own way;
rather than just it must be their one.
It gives some kind of sense that the whole world is run by a gigantic corporation,
including the weather.
But in this case we run our own corporation,
according to the nontheistic tradition of Buddhism.
That we have access to it and the reason why we have...
we can run our own corporation, is we have to have manuals, systems, techniques,
and directions that we might get from the vajra master.
Who might actually put us into a very difficult situation.
If you are dumb, if we are not exuberant, if you are not enough...
if you don’t have enough exertions and so forth.
That’s it.
from the Q and A
Q: If you maintain this cynicism up to the last point,
then it seems you could realize that this person
who you were putting all this trust in;
that actually this could be another one of those self-deceptions.
And... then you might only do it out of a sense of
"Well even if it was it wouldn’t matter anyway".
Is that ahh... I can’t see you through the camera.
CTR: Well I think the question is it works both ways, actually in some sense.
That your critical input and surrendering at the same time works together.
They’re not working against each other.
The more you get input and the more you get further development taking place
even those things are questionable at the same time.
So there is some kind of dance taking place between the teacher and yourself, equally.
So you are not particularly just trying to switch off one area
and switch on another area, particularly.
It’s you know synchronized together.
That should be possible and it shouldn’t be just purely a kill-or-cure situation.
Either you become a very naive
or just simply become terribly cynical about the whole thing.
You know just about to drop the whole thing;
but that somehow doesn’t have any kind of balance.
There has to be, you know, working together.
Q: Sort of flickering from one state to the other?
CTR: Well there is a general sense of cynical attitude to begin with,
and also a general sense of openness at the same time,
another layer that’s happening, and they work together --simultaneously.
So at the same time that you are what you have got,
what you have received is viewed as a great gift, appreciated,
but at the same time how it is received is being questioned, at the same time.