Dangerous Friend: What should be most striking to the authentic Vajrayana student is that, out of all the teachers of all times, it is this particular teacher who has manifested in the student's life right now. This is the teacher whom the student has had the karmic fortune to meet. This is the ground for the vajra commitment.
O - There are opportunities that come -- it is up to the Sadhaka to Understand and to Cherish and keep Sacred this bond --- as this opportunity is not to be found but rarely....
O - There are opportunities that come -- it is up to the Sadhaka to Understand and to Cherish and keep Sacred this bond --- as this opportunity is not to be found but rarely....
The Teacher-Student Relationship
in Vajrayana Buddhism
Dangerous Friend: "Without the vajra master, there is no Vajrayana."
O - This is true --- without the Vajra Master there are just words in the wind...
Dangerous Friend: Vajra relationship is regarded as making enlightenment, at some point, in some lifetime, inevitable. That is why vajra realtionship becomes the foundation of a commitment that is more than lifelong.
O - The Guru makes a commitment to getting you to Realization no matter how many lifetimes it takes...
Dangerous Friend: The relationship between vajra master and vajra student should be the most important relationship in one's life as a spiritual aspirant. This is the only relationship we can have which ultimately leads to enlightenment. For a Vajrayana student, it is more important than this one life.
O - This is true and why there are so many cautions about chasing after relationships that are going to be jealous of the path and determined to pull you away...
Dangerous Friend: Vajra masters challenge their students to be conscious of their tendency to prioritize or take refuge in passing mind-moments, the ever-changing contents of mind, as contrasted with the unchanging nature of Mind.
O - Yes the Guru keeps throwing you back into the practices that will Still the mind... The drama is to take a back seat....
Dangerous Friend: Unifying with the mind of the vajra master is the fruit of the practice of guru yoga, which is the essential practice of Vajrayana. The coming together of teacher and student at this level is called vajra relationship or vajra commitment.
O - Eventually the student is dissolved into the Master hence Realization.
Dangerous Friend: The preparation for vajra commitment would have a great deal to do with gaining an understanding of its principle and function and taking responsibility for oneself as a person who is able to make promises and keep them.
O - Yes -- to take Diksha and then to walk away is a grave error. The path requires Dedication, Integrity and Honesty ... When you enter into a commitment then one Should by All means follow through...
Dangerous Friend: What should be most striking to the authentic Vajrayana student is that, out of all the teachers of all times, it is this particular teacher who has manifested in the student's life right now. This is the teacher whom the student has had the karmic fortune to meet. This is the ground for the vajra commitment.
O - There are opportunities that come -- it is up to the Sadhaka to Understand and to Cherish and keep Sacred this bond --- as this opportunity is not to be found but rarely....
Dangerous Friend: Our commitment closes off doors to the past; it calls into question every kind of non-Buddhist refuge and serves to sever one's commitment to other conceptual allegiances, whether religious, philosophical, psychological or politicaL. The point is, that in taking refuge, we are saying that from now on this will be our context, this will be the overarching paradigm, the pattern that contains all patterns. The heart of the vajra commitment is simply being prepared to do anything.
O - The Primary life focus should be the path in order to enter Realization.. The primary goal of Tantric practice is to experience the relationship between form and emptiness as non-duality. The idea of form gets swallowed up and simply the Consciousness of Ground of Being remains...
Dangerous Friend: Devotion to the teacher is the core of all our practices. Without devotion there can be no vajra relationship, because vajra commitment requires letting go of one's rationale and entering into a relationship of complete reliance on the enlightened nature of the vajra master. What makes devotion possible is trusting oneself to keep one's vows, which in turn makes one a dependable focus for others. Authentic devotion is empowering because it frees us from confusion and doubt. Devotion arises from trust...trust at a very deep level. Trust in the lineage of the guru, trust in the commitment, dedication and realization of the guru. Trust in the guru's desire for the disciple's realization.
O - This is why you cannot come in clinging to a past Guru in devotion while not fully Surrendering here and expect that the practices are going to allow Grace to manifest.... When you come in and say i don't trust you but am willing to see what I'm going to get from the practices then the mego is effectively closing the door to receive anything... You cannot keep allegiance elsewhere in devotion and then want to come and Test this Guru with your mego to see if it's going to get something or not.. When there is not Faith and Trust in Surrender then YOU and You alone have closed the door fully on Grace... You can't Cheat Guru's Grace.
Dangerous Friend: Devotion to the guru and the lineage is the high-octane fuel in the engine of practice
O - This is True..
Dangerous Friend: The end of the path is reached solely through devotion.
O - This and Surrender --- Devotion to the Practices .. Devotion to the Path --- Devotion to Vajra Master
Dangerous Friend: The student must maintain 'pure vision' - viewing the vajra master as continuously acting for the benefit of beings, and regarding all of his or her behavior as manifestations of unceasing enlightened activity.
O - Indeed --- this is needed...
Dangerous Friend: In Vajrayana, the emphasis is on an inner commitment, not an outer one: one uses one's awareness of the teacher from moment to moment. Seeing the teacher continuously as a buddha. Seeing everyone, including oneself as a buddha
O - Eyes must remain on Truth ...
Dangerous Friend: Vajrayana practice is the Middle Way. It refuses both the spiritual suicide of "rational control" on one hand or "mindless surrender" on the other. The Vajrayana practitioner must stand on shifting ground - we have ceased to be the person we once were, but we have not yet become the person we aspire to be.
O - One Surrenders into the Practices --- the Sadhaka remains on shifting ground as every time the ego get's comfy Guru is there to pull out the rug... Ego that gets comfortable isn't being swept away it's rather being supported...
Dangerous Friend: Once we perceive the small space of our habitual mind, we begin to long for the open vastness we have glimpsed in the eyes of the teacher. We begin to understand that in giving up the dubious freedom of following our dualistic rationale, we are in fact losing nothing and gaining the possibility of everything.
O - This is True...
Dangerous Friend: As for the vajra master, there is nothing more significant that one human being can do for another.
O - Guru gives what may be given... to aide humanity to come out of suffering and to climb down from the karmic wheel....
in Vajrayana Buddhism
Dangerous Friend: "Without the vajra master, there is no Vajrayana."
O - This is true --- without the Vajra Master there are just words in the wind...
Dangerous Friend: Vajra relationship is regarded as making enlightenment, at some point, in some lifetime, inevitable. That is why vajra realtionship becomes the foundation of a commitment that is more than lifelong.
O - The Guru makes a commitment to getting you to Realization no matter how many lifetimes it takes...
Dangerous Friend: The relationship between vajra master and vajra student should be the most important relationship in one's life as a spiritual aspirant. This is the only relationship we can have which ultimately leads to enlightenment. For a Vajrayana student, it is more important than this one life.
O - This is true and why there are so many cautions about chasing after relationships that are going to be jealous of the path and determined to pull you away...
Dangerous Friend: Vajra masters challenge their students to be conscious of their tendency to prioritize or take refuge in passing mind-moments, the ever-changing contents of mind, as contrasted with the unchanging nature of Mind.
O - Yes the Guru keeps throwing you back into the practices that will Still the mind... The drama is to take a back seat....
Dangerous Friend: Unifying with the mind of the vajra master is the fruit of the practice of guru yoga, which is the essential practice of Vajrayana. The coming together of teacher and student at this level is called vajra relationship or vajra commitment.
O - Eventually the student is dissolved into the Master hence Realization.
Dangerous Friend: The preparation for vajra commitment would have a great deal to do with gaining an understanding of its principle and function and taking responsibility for oneself as a person who is able to make promises and keep them.
O - Yes -- to take Diksha and then to walk away is a grave error. The path requires Dedication, Integrity and Honesty ... When you enter into a commitment then one Should by All means follow through...
Dangerous Friend: What should be most striking to the authentic Vajrayana student is that, out of all the teachers of all times, it is this particular teacher who has manifested in the student's life right now. This is the teacher whom the student has had the karmic fortune to meet. This is the ground for the vajra commitment.
O - There are opportunities that come -- it is up to the Sadhaka to Understand and to Cherish and keep Sacred this bond --- as this opportunity is not to be found but rarely....
Dangerous Friend: Our commitment closes off doors to the past; it calls into question every kind of non-Buddhist refuge and serves to sever one's commitment to other conceptual allegiances, whether religious, philosophical, psychological or politicaL. The point is, that in taking refuge, we are saying that from now on this will be our context, this will be the overarching paradigm, the pattern that contains all patterns. The heart of the vajra commitment is simply being prepared to do anything.
O - The Primary life focus should be the path in order to enter Realization.. The primary goal of Tantric practice is to experience the relationship between form and emptiness as non-duality. The idea of form gets swallowed up and simply the Consciousness of Ground of Being remains...
Dangerous Friend: Devotion to the teacher is the core of all our practices. Without devotion there can be no vajra relationship, because vajra commitment requires letting go of one's rationale and entering into a relationship of complete reliance on the enlightened nature of the vajra master. What makes devotion possible is trusting oneself to keep one's vows, which in turn makes one a dependable focus for others. Authentic devotion is empowering because it frees us from confusion and doubt. Devotion arises from trust...trust at a very deep level. Trust in the lineage of the guru, trust in the commitment, dedication and realization of the guru. Trust in the guru's desire for the disciple's realization.
O - This is why you cannot come in clinging to a past Guru in devotion while not fully Surrendering here and expect that the practices are going to allow Grace to manifest.... When you come in and say i don't trust you but am willing to see what I'm going to get from the practices then the mego is effectively closing the door to receive anything... You cannot keep allegiance elsewhere in devotion and then want to come and Test this Guru with your mego to see if it's going to get something or not.. When there is not Faith and Trust in Surrender then YOU and You alone have closed the door fully on Grace... You can't Cheat Guru's Grace.
Dangerous Friend: Devotion to the guru and the lineage is the high-octane fuel in the engine of practice
O - This is True..
Dangerous Friend: The end of the path is reached solely through devotion.
O - This and Surrender --- Devotion to the Practices .. Devotion to the Path --- Devotion to Vajra Master
Dangerous Friend: The student must maintain 'pure vision' - viewing the vajra master as continuously acting for the benefit of beings, and regarding all of his or her behavior as manifestations of unceasing enlightened activity.
O - Indeed --- this is needed...
Dangerous Friend: In Vajrayana, the emphasis is on an inner commitment, not an outer one: one uses one's awareness of the teacher from moment to moment. Seeing the teacher continuously as a buddha. Seeing everyone, including oneself as a buddha
O - Eyes must remain on Truth ...
Dangerous Friend: Vajrayana practice is the Middle Way. It refuses both the spiritual suicide of "rational control" on one hand or "mindless surrender" on the other. The Vajrayana practitioner must stand on shifting ground - we have ceased to be the person we once were, but we have not yet become the person we aspire to be.
O - One Surrenders into the Practices --- the Sadhaka remains on shifting ground as every time the ego get's comfy Guru is there to pull out the rug... Ego that gets comfortable isn't being swept away it's rather being supported...
Dangerous Friend: Once we perceive the small space of our habitual mind, we begin to long for the open vastness we have glimpsed in the eyes of the teacher. We begin to understand that in giving up the dubious freedom of following our dualistic rationale, we are in fact losing nothing and gaining the possibility of everything.
O - This is True...
Dangerous Friend: As for the vajra master, there is nothing more significant that one human being can do for another.
O - Guru gives what may be given... to aide humanity to come out of suffering and to climb down from the karmic wheel....