A Very Famous Lama (Oct. 15)
Wangdue and I arrived in the village’s center district where the boy from the next village was speaking about the Naga illness. From what we were able to make out, the villagers had agreed to send some doctors and ritualists to the boy’s village to assist with the outbreak. I thought to myself that this would bring some good fortune to this village after the terrible aftermath of the hailstorm. With that matter settled, Wangdue and I made our way back to the shop. After a few hours work, both of us decided to call it a day and go home.
A few days later while working in my shop, I came to find out that the villagers had gathered enough funds to repair the bridge that had been washed away in the storm. This was good news for me as I needed the bridge operational to allow for the flow of supplies for my shop. But tragically, the village had suffered some deaths according to the rookie doctor Kedao[1] and the crafts person Sarah Andrews[2].
I decided to take a break from work and took a walk into the market to get something to eat. I spotted Chodak near a roadside food stall. He spotted me instantly as well and ran over to me. “Tenzin!”, he exclaimed, “it seems that good fortune is surely to shine on our village this week”. “What do you mean?” I said. “Didn’t you hear?”, he said, “A very famous lama is staying at the village where the Naga illness outbreak happened, according to the healer Ghazal S[3]. If the lama was to visit us it would bring an immense amount of merit to the village”. “Tell me Chodak”, I said, “what is so important or great about having a spiritual teacher?”.
“Well”, he said, “the spiritual teacher has never violated the three (3) types of vows: the first, the external vows (Pratimoksa); the second, the inner vows of the Bodhisattva; finally, the secret vows of the secret Mantrayana[4]. In addition to this, the teacher is a veteran of spiritual practices, showing infinite compassion to the people, and has extensive knowledge of the tantras, sutras, and sastras[5]”. “This teacher sounds like a reincarnation of the Buddha himself”, I said. “Exactly”, Chodak added, “you must respect the teacher as the real Buddha and take the vows given to you seriously[6]”.
http://www.srilankaguardian.org/2013/02/laymans-quandary-over-rebirth-and.html
“Tell me Chodak”, I said, “I’ve heard that spiritual teachers often get their students to carry their messages and sweep their room[7]. Does this cultivate merit you think? “Of course it does”, he said, “It all falls under the three (3) phases of following a teacher[8]”. “Another three step approach”, I said. “Yes”, he added. “Enlighten me Chodak”, I said, “what are the three phases of following a teacher?”. “I’ll tell you”, he said, “first, you must examine the teacher; second, you must follow his way; and finally, you must emulate his realization and actions[9]”.
After some time of questioning the boy I came to realize that he had a higher opinion of spiritual teachers than I did. I had never met such an individual that Chodak was so eagerly defending and extolling. Instead, I was reminded of the words of the Buddha in the Dhammapada: “One would not abandon one’s own purpose because of another, even though great, having well understood one’s own purpose, one would be intent on the true purpose[10]”. But with that in mind, I also understood that in Buddhist communities, all communities really, the young members need guidance on the rules of the community and as such the role of the teacher is important in that sense. Sweeping rooms and carrying messages to accumulate merit don’t seem part of that though.
Once our conversation was exhausted I said: “Chodak, what can I do to help this teacher come to the village? This seems like a job for scholars who would write letters requesting the teacher to visit no?”. “Yes”, he said, “but you can help by donating some gold for food and the extravagant ceremony that precedes his arrival[11]”. “I will”, I said, “but just to see what exactly this teacher has to teach that eludes us all”.
I told Chodak to take care and departed to get some food thinking to myself of the intention behind donating gold and whether it would accumulate negative or positive karma.
[1] Kedao on Medium.com: https://medium.com/@KedaoT.
[2] Sarah Andrews on Medium.com: https://medium.com/@Salllypandrews.
[3] Ghazal S on Medium.com: https://medium.com/@sondhg.
[4] Patrul Rinpoche, trans. Padmakara Translation Group, The Words of Patrul Rinpoche My Perfect Teacher (Boston: Shambhala, 1998), pg. 138.
[5] Patrul Rinpoche, trans. Padmakara Translation Group, The Words of Patrul Rinpoche My Perfect Teacher (Boston: Shambhala, 1998), pg. 138.
[6] Patrul Rinpoche, trans. Padmakara Translation Group, The Words of Patrul Rinpoche My Perfect Teacher (Boston: Shambhala, 1998), pg. 144.
[7] Patrul Rinpoche, trans. Padmakara Translation Group, The Words of Patrul Rinpoche My Perfect Teacher (Boston: Shambhala, 1998), pg. 150.
[8] Patrul Rinpoche, trans. Padmakara Translation Group, The Words of Patrul Rinpoche My Perfect Teacher (Boston: Shambhala, 1998), pg. 137.
[9] Patrul Rinpoche, trans. Padmakara Translation Group, The Words of Patrul Rinpoche My Perfect Teacher (Boston: Shambhala, 1998), pg. 137.
[10] Trans. John Ross Carter and Mahinda Palihawadana, The Dhammapada: The Sayings of the Buddha (New York: Oxford University Press, 2008), pg. 31 (line 166).
[11] Youtube. 2014 Rinpoche arrives at Begen Monastery. URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIc5a0NkotE&list=PLNrN2vS1H5OKmpTtiMX0U-Z-wZbRQW3DG&index=3.
Bibliography
- ) Image URL: http://www.srilankaguardian.org/2013/02/laymans-quandary-over-rebirth-and.html
- ) Medium.com Writers: Kedao (https://medium.com/@KedaoT), Sarah Andrews (https://medium.com/@Salllypandrews), and Ghazal S (https://medium.com/@sondhg).
- ) Patrul Rinpoche, trans. Padmakara Translation Group, The Words of Patrul Rinpoche My Perfect Teacher, Boston: Shambhala, 1998.
- ) Trans. John Ross Carter and Mahinda Palihawadana, The Dhammapada: The Sayings of the Buddha, New York: Oxford University Press, 2008.
- ) Youtube Video of “2014 Rinpoche arrives at Begen Monastery” at URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIc5a0NkotE&list=PLNrN2vS1H5OKmpTtiMX0U-Z-wZbRQW3DG&index=3
