Tibetan Buddhists hold teachers in very high regard. They believe that one cannot reach enlightenment without following the guidance of another. In the Western world, we have less respect for teachers. We like to think that we can reach our highest potential on our own two feet, and don’t like to be told that we need someone else to do anything. I have been working on defining the role of a teacher for years. Through my 9 years of teaching and my 2 years of master’s studies, the true definition was still not clear to me. Who is qualified to teach others? What should the student teacher relationship look like? Are teachers really that important? I sent this question out into the universe and this morning I was given the most comprehensive answer that I have ever received.
Upon arriving at Tara Mandala, I was shocked at the feedback that students were giving on the head Lama. They were disillusioned and disappointed by the one that they called teacher. They had come to the center with expectations of what kind of teachings they should receive and felt that these expectations were not being met. There was a lack of respect in both directions. Students felt disrespected and undervalued by the Lama and the Lama felt betrayed and disrespected by her students. This situation put me right back into my classes in Switzerland when I was standing in front of my professor asking for help and was told that the only help she gives is what is presented in class and that if I can’t succeed with that, I shouldn’t be in the program. She told me that she was a language professional and based on her judgements I was incapable of proceeding in the program and should give up. This moment changed the direction of my life. I now wanted to redefine the role of a teacher and teach teachers how to fill their role respectfully.
Jampala is a Tibetan man in his 60’s who has been studying Buddhism his whole life. He is now teaching Tibetan language classes at Tara Mandala. After class, I stayed to ask Jampala what he thought the role of a teacher is. He said that it is to open the students’ eyes to teachings that he or she would be unable to see otherwise. When I asked him what the student teacher relationship looked like he explained that at the beginning, it is the student’s job to evaluate the teacher. He must watch closely and study everything that the teacher does and says. He must decide if the teacher is worthy or not. Once the student decides to take on a teacher, he must ask permission and it is then the teacher’s job to evaluate the student. If the teacher accepts the student, then they are forever linked. At this moment, the student must stop questioning the teacher and trust in him completely. This unconditional full-hearted trust is something that I have never felt for anyone.
I then began to wonder if this ancient system of hierarchy was really valid today. Are there really any beings capable of filling these enormous shoes? Can we get all of the teachings that we need from one person? When I was reading the book Siddharta by Herman Hesse, I found a different definition of a teacher. He writes the words of Siddharta saying, “Knowledge can be communicated, but not wisdom. One can find it, live it, be fortified by it, do wonders through it, but one cannot communicate and teach it. The potential hidden Buddha must be recognized in everything. The Buddha exists in the robber and dice player; the robber exists in the Brahmin. Everything is perfect, everything is the Brahmin. Every wind, every cloud, every bird, every beetle is equally divine and knows and can teach just as well as an esteemed teacher.” When the Buddha denounced the teachings of all religious teachers, he was not saying that he did not need a teacher. He was seeing the greater truth and finding teachers in all things.
This lesson was confirmed for me this morning. During a reading meditation in which the first 45 minutes were spent in silent meditation followed by a group reading. The page that was read happened to be a Tibetan description of a teacher. In the 45 minutes that followed every member of the community shared their thoughts and ideas on what it means to be and have a teacher. In that moment every member of the community transformed into my teacher. I listened to each of their beautiful and insightful comments soaking in the wisdom that they were giving me. Each one had a different perspective on the role a teacher plays on a spiritual journey and each one contained just as much truth as all the others. The truth is that if we are open to receiving teachings, everything and everyone becomes our teacher. Looked at through the right lenses even the harshest and seemingly incompetent teachers can show us the way to enlightenment.
