The words of enlightened masters
Jeroen
Luminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlands Veteran
Yesterday I was revisiting the quotes of U. G. Krishnamurti that I had saved in the “no Buddhist quotes” thread, and I came across this one…
“Courage is to brush aside everything that man has experienced and felt before you. You are the only one, greater than all those things. Everything is finished, the whole tradition is finished, however sacred and holy it may be -- then only can you be yourself -- that is individuality. For the first time you become an individual. As long as you depend upon somebody, some authority, you are not an individual.”
— U. G. Krishnamurti
And it occurred to me that over the last ten years, from roughly the time when I started my current spiritual adventure until now, I have been conditioning myself with the words of enlightened beings in the hope of making progress on the path. Now I have arrived at the point where I ask myself, does it actually make sense to do that?
The other day I asked on another forum, “what is the purpose of studying sutras?” The answer I got was, “it supports one’s right view”. But it also turns you into not much more than a parrot, someone who has adopted a thin veneer of someone else’s opinions.
At some point you have to stop, you have to digest these words of others and throw away the dead remains, and come back to yourself. It took U. G. forty-nine years to come to the end of his search and to rediscover his natural state.
Comments
Intellectual study of scriptures or enlightened masters can be very useful, though it can cause some problems as in making someone think that they actually obtained some understanding. In reality, it is very superficial...
Direct experience is something which goes beyond this. Enlightened masters are humans like us after all.. though in some aspects they have pointed out the path in a manner which can be useful if aprehended carefully.
For example, Chogyam Trungpa's work and early study helped me to begin my path but, I knew when to drop him and avoid falling into devotion / parrot mentality. Like a kid learning geography without actually experiencing it or engaging with the subject, simply assuming the memorization and following the teacher's authority is enough.
Recognising a good teacher is hard. But it does help a lot when you find one
Just like a good friendship!
I'm reminded of ....
“Bhikkhus, the teaching is merely a vehicle to describe the truth. Don’t mistake it for the truth itself. A finger pointing at the moon is not the moon.
The finger is needed to know where to look for the moon, but if you mistake the finger for the moon itself, you will never know the real moon.
The teaching is like a raft that carries you to the other shore."
~Thich Nhat Hanh~
Or as Bruce Lee would say.....
Knowing when to digest another’s teachings, absorb what you can and to drop the chewed-up remains…
On waking up in the morning I feel a gentleness, a loving presence that is more than just U.G.’s individuality. To be loved, to be cherished by another, is a wonderful and under appreciated thing. In so many areas of life we get carried away by wanting, while in fact we are beloved of existence and we should just stand still and be grateful for that.