WHAT IS A SPIRITUAL TEACHER?
nottwo
Explorer
"Rely on the teachings to evaluate a guru:Do not have blind faith, but also no blind criticism."
His Holiness the Dalai Lama
"To find a Buddha, all you have to do is see your nature. Your nature is the Buddha. And the Buddha is the person who's free: free of plans, free of cares. If you don't see your nature and run around all day looking somewhere else, you'll never find a Buddha. The truth is, there's nothing to find. But to reach such an understanding you need a teacher and you need to struggle to make yourself understand..."
Bodidharma
Do you think this advice is that of a good teacher ?
NEVER,NEVER criticize ofther teachers
NEVER,NEVER criticize, infer, create gossip or slander other centers’ teachers, practice, lineage or activities. It is said in the holy Lam Rim, composed by the King of Dharma ManjunathaTsongkhapa, that if we criticize any form of Dharma, the negative karma accumulated is equivalent to killing 1,000 Buddhas. Just think of the karma of killing just an insect, which we as Buddhist try to be aware of and not commit; imagine the karma of killing a Buddha! Of course, the action of killing a Buddha is not possible but it is a hypothetical example of the gravity of that kind of action.
LOVE
In Metta Sutta, the Buddha has expounded the nature of love in Buddhism. 'Just as a mother would protect her only child even at the risk of her own life, even so, let him cultivate a boundless heart towards all beings. Let his thoughts of boundless love pervade the whole world, above, below and across without any obstruction, without any hatred, without any enmity.'
i leave you with this parting thought
“The past is already gone, the future is not yet here. There's only one moment for you to live, and that is the present moment”
― Gautama Buddha
Comments
Blind criticism is ignorance BUT Right Speech may on occasion be crazy, 'unkind' or critical.
Oh how pleased we are when praised as insightful, devoted, serious practitioners ...
The genuine teacher is aware of our sensibilities and provides what we can digest and make use of. In time quite wrathful or direct speaking may be bearable by our crumbling certainties.
First we have to undermine false foundations and build good practices ... this is where good company, support, interaction and inspiration comes in to learn from ...
The question about 'Good Teachers' is based on us becoming capable students who learn from good and bad ...
If a person teaches the way in order to transcend the tyranny of material things and to teach how to transcend feelings, perceptions, impulses, and consciousness--teaching nonattachment with regard to these--then that person can be called a speaker of the way. If he is himself trying to transcend the pull of the material world and to feel nonattachment toward it, then it is fitting to say he is living in accordance with the way. If he is liberated by this transcendence and nonattachment, then you can say he has found nirvana here and now.
Buddha
Samyutta Nikaya
@nottwo are you asking us a question (re: thread title) or advising us (re: your post)...?
More appropriate, perhaps? WHAT IS NOT A SPIRITUAL TEACHER?
federica i,m trying to keep it as simple as possible so you will understand it and not delete this post,,obviously lobster understands, his comment are filled with understanding,,is that okay?,,is it a question permitted in this forum?
if you look closely you will see its the words of the Buddha not mine thats advising you,,is that also okay?
genkaku hi What does the word spiritual mean to you ?
I asked you whether you're asking us a question, or telling us something.
There's nothing in my post asking you to clarify. I understand the words you've written. So please don't resort to sarcasm. That's another quick way of getting things closed down. JFYI.
Yes; however, all items quoted MUST be accompanied by verifiable links to the original source of quotes used.
is this okay
Do not speak harshly to any one; those who are spoken to will answer thee in the same way. Angry speech is painful: blows for blows will touch thee.
Buddha
Wisdom of the Buddha: The Unabridged Dhammapada.
http://www.allgreatquotes.com/buddha_quotes4.shtml
@nottwo -- You employed the word first ... I'm just along for the ride. So, what does the word "spiritual" mean to you?
or like these, maybe...?
and
I guess it's ok if you like that sort of thing. But it's best to not rely on a quotes page, covered in dieting ads and other superficial promotions, because invariably, there are usually several versions of one teaching, hence the possibility of it all being a bit of a mish-mash. These quotes are neither reliable nor scholarly.
We have had several occasions where members (with the very best intentions in the world!) have cited something as coming from the Buddha, when in fact, further investigation has proven that to be far from the case.
..... It's best to go to a reliable source, such as AccesstoInsight, Buddhanet or Suttacentral.
Thanks.
i dont have a meaning for it, hence the original question
enjoy the ride
So if you don't have a meaning for it (in other words, you just used it as an add-on) should I remove it from the title?
genuinely, I'm asking.
would you like to explaim your question,,in term of forum or your rules as to the nature of a permitted question, genuinely, I'm asking.
What don't you understand?
have you ever read the book"the games people play" federica its amazing,,and the answer to your request is "no thanks",,
now perhapswe can get back to the subjest topic "WHAT IS A SPIRITUAL TEACHER?"
So what's your definition of 'spiritual'...?
One of the people who I considered to be a spiritual teacher was the father of my best friend.
That man taught me how to work, and how to be honest. How a man should act.
He was not a man that a youngster told anything to. You listened to him. He had no patience for any bs.
Some might say that what I learned from him was stuff a father should teach his son, which is true, but most sons bristle at his type of sternness and tune it out.
In my mind at the time he was much more than that. As a young fellow, I believed I was on a spiritual quest, and this man was presented to prepare me for life in the world. A world that my own father knew nothing about.
How could I seek enlightenment if I couldn't function in the environment that I found myself in? Which was one where men worked with their hands and with machinery and resources.
In my view the spiritual teacher is who I decide it is at the time. I decide if what I have learned is valuble to me. I don't need to be told that a teacher is good or bad, or their teaching is valid or not. I decide what "spiritual" means to me.
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an05/an05.159.than.html
Just my personal preference, but I have a hard time following a "discussion" that is nothing but a string of quotes. I can't tell if it's all supposed to be related or not. I like quotes just fine. But what I like more is seeing what you actually think about them. I guess when someone posts stuff purporting to advise me without adding their own input it's a bit...off-putting to me. A couple of times now almost everything you'd had to offer has been a long string of quotes. Maybe just me, but I'd rather hear what you think about a various quote than just to see you answer with another quote.
Spiritual teachings and teachers are available in every single moment of our day. But I feel comfortable using that here because most people here also understand that. Maybe even all of them. But out in every day life, not every one does, so when I speak of spiritual teachers to others, my meaning is different than when I use it here.
The Kalama Sutra goes into what to how to discern skillful teachings/information. And it specifically mentions not to blindly believe something just because a teacher or a doctrine says so.
To be able to criticize anyone or anything with skillful means is a bit of an art. Most people simply use criticism as a reason to be rude.
What is a spiritual teacher?
Receptiveness to facing myself.
I vote with @Karasti. I trust it all more when someone says something about themselves or offers a conclusion that is their own. A bloodless insight or dazzling quote or other upsacale bit of camouflage ... well, I'm old enough to be tired of TED talks.
I am more faithful to teachings than to teachers.
I pick up wisdom wherever I go but don't spouse a teacher as sole source of wisdom.
We must always remain open and inquisitive, and never follow a teacher blindly without questioning his method.
Ideally, a teacher's moral standing should match his words, but this is not often the case.
I admire Chögyam Trungpa's wisdom despite the fact that in his life he failed to live up to his teaching.
I like this quote: In my view the spiritual teacher is who I decide it is at the time. by @robot
I have the Buddha and Dhamma as my teacher, I have made an Island onto myself.
Yes, but don't be so remote.....
That's interesting. For me I like bursts of information. I get a lot from your posts but often I am daunted because they are not just bursts you have to read each word of the paragraphs. Interesting.
for me spirituality is the same thing as the dharma. so a teacher helps you learn the dharma.
Indeed! We are all quite different in how we prefer to receive and process information. I don't mind the quotes. I have many favorites myself. I just wish the OP would expound on his opinions and thoughts on the quotes he posts instead of only asking us what we think of them.
karasti "so are you saying,,the quotes from the Buddha are to complex for your understanding"
Insulting, too! Thank you for clarifying that in the future I can just ignore the threads you start
And no, they are not too complex. But I can read them when I want, I don't need you to spoon feed them to me. I'm here to discuss Dharma with like-minded folk and our paths along the way. Not to have you attempt to advise me without stepping up to offer your own thoughts and opinions.
genkaku so what is it you don't "trust" the Buddhas words or people that post them ?
@SpinyNorman link was terrific. Bookmarked. 5 rules of thumb in trying to help someone.
ps karasti what i find amusing is your inability to allow people to be themselves,,some people love to post quotes from wise people,get over it
its not as though i,m telling you, your concepts of your imagined original thought are delusional ,i just accept you for who you are,,do you think thats fair?
Nah. You just like a little conflict. Me too.
pps
karasti don't be to concerned your definitely not alone in your thought process here,, i would add a quote but
@nottwo
Everyone can find endless quotes from teachers like what is cut and pasted on other Buddhist forums.
What this site excels at however is offering folks a place to explore and share their own trials and experiences of their practice with other fellow path walkers.
It is not so much of a memory recital of the Dharma and is more about being
an organic living room conversation about our experiences with all things Buddhist.
Conflict is one thing.
Insulting members and name-calling is unacceptable.