HHDL: Questioning the Advice of the Guru

The Path to Enlightenment Book Excerpt
by H.H. the Dalai Lama, translated and edited by Glenn H. Mullin

You should do everything your guru tells you to do, even if it seems
strange, right? Wrong. According to HH the Dalai Lama every student is
responsible for checking the guru's instructions against reason and
dharma. The rationalizations that many students tell themselves in the
face of odd guru behaviors "It must be a teaching" or "It's crazy
wisdom that you can't question" or "It's a test" serve only to damage
students who don't understand that even powerful teachers have
personalities that sometimes have blind spots and make mistakes. H.H.
the Dalai Lama speaks strongly on this topic in this excerpt adapted
from The Path to Enlightenment.

____________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _

The offering of practice means always to live by the teachings of
one's guru. But what happens when the guru gives us advice that we do
not wish to follow or that contradicts Dharma and reason? The
yardstick must always be logical reasoning and Dharma reason. Any
advice that contradicts these is to be rejected. This was said by
Buddha himself. If one doubts the validity of what is being said, one
should gently push the point and clear all doubts. This task becomes
somewhat more sensitive in Highest Tantra, where total surrender to
the guru is a prerequisite; but even here this surrender must be made
only in a particular sense. If the guru points to the east and tells
you to go west, there is little alternative for the student but to
make a complaint. This should be done with respect and humility,
however, for to show any negativity towards a teacher is not a noble
way of repaying his or her kindness.

Perception of faults in the guru should not cause us to feel
disrespect, for by demonstrating faults to us the guru is actually
showing us what we should abandon. At least, this is the most useful
attitude for us to take. An important point here is that the disciple
must have a spirit of sincere inquiry and must have clear, rather than
blind, devotion.

It is frequently said that the essence of the training in guru yoga is
to cultivate the art of seeing everything the guru does as perfect.
Personally I myself do not like this to be taken too far. Often we see
written in the scriptures, "Every action seen as perfect." However,
this phrase must be seen in the light of Buddha Shakyamuni's own
words: "Accept my teachings only after examining them as an analyst
buys gold. Accept nothing out of mere faith in me." The problem with
the practice of seeing everything the guru does as perfect is that it
very easily turns to poison for both the guru and the disciple.
Therefore, whenever I teach this practice, I always advocate that the
tradition of "every action seen as perfect" not be stressed. Should
the guru manifest unDharmic qualities or give teachings contradicting
Dharma, the instruction on seeing the spiritual master as perfect must
give way to reason and Dharma wisdom.

Take myself, for example. Because many of the previous Dalai Lamas
were great sages and I am said to be their reincarnation, and also
because in this lifetime I give frequent religious discourses, many
people place much faith in me, and in their guru yoga practice they
visualize me as being a buddha. I am also regarded by these people as
their secular leader. Therefore, this teaching of "every action seen
as perfect" can easily become poison for me in my relationship with my
people and in my effective administration. I could think to myself,
"They all see me as a buddha, and therefore will accept anything I
tell them." Too much faith and imputed purity of perception can quite
easily turn things rotten. I always recommend that the teaching on
seeing the guru's actions as perfect should not be stressed in the
lives of ordinary practitioners. It would be an unfortunate affair if
the Buddhadharma, which is established by profound reasoning, were to
have to take second place to it.

Perhaps you will think: "The Dalai Lama has not read the Lam Rim
scriptures. He does not know that there is no practice of Dharma
without the guru." I am not being disrespectful of the Lam Rim
teachings. A student of the spiritual path should rely upon a teacher
and should meditate on that teacher's kindness and good qualities; but
the teaching on seeing his or her actions as perfect can only be
applied within the context of the Dharma as a whole and the rational
approach to knowledge that it advocates. As the teachings on seeing
the guru's actions as perfect is borrowed from Highest Tantra and
appears in the Lam Rim mainly to prepare the trainee for tantric
practice, beginners must treat it with caution. As for spiritual
teachers, if they misrepresent this precept of guru yoga in order to
take advantage of naive disciples, their actions are like pouring the
liquid fires of hell directly into their stomachs.

The disciple must always keep reason and knowledge of Dharma as
principal guidelines. Without this approach it is difficult to digest
one's Dharma experiences. Make a thorough examination before accepting
someone as a guru, and even then follow that teacher within the
conventions of reason as presented by Buddha. The teachings on seeing
the guru's actions as perfect should largely be left for the practice
of Highest Tantra, wherein they take on a new meaning. One of the
principal yogas in the tantric vehicle is to see the world as a
mandala of great bliss and to see oneself and all others as Buddhas.
Under these circumstances it becomes absurd to think that you and
everyone else are Buddhas, but your guru is not!

Actually, the more respect one is given the more humble one should
become, but sometimes this principle becomes reversed. A spiritual
teacher must guard himself or herself carefully and should remember
the words of Lama Drom Tonpa, "Use respect shown to you as a cause for
humility." This is the teacher's responsibility. The student has the
responsibility of using wisdom in his or her demonstration of faith
and respect.

A problem is that we usually only observe those teachings that feed
our delusions and ignore those that would overcome them. This leniency
can easily lead to one's downfall. This is why I say that the teaching
on seeing all the guru's actions as perfect can be a poison. Many
sectarian problems in Tibet were born and nourished by it.

The First Dalai Lama wrote, "The true spiritual master looks upon all
living beings with thoughts of love and shows respect to teachers of
all traditions alike. Such a one only harms delusion, the enemy
within." The different traditions have arisen principally as branches
of skillful methods for trainees of varying capacities. If we take an
aspect of their teachings, such as the precept of "all actions seen as
perfect," and use it for sectarian purposes, how have we repaid the
past masters for their kindness in giving and transmitting Dharma?
Have we not disgraced them? If we misunderstand and mispractice their
teachings, it will hardly please them. Similarly, it is meritorious
for a lama to perform rituals or give initations to benefit people,
but if his or her motivation is only material benefit, that person
would be better off going into business instead. Using the mask of
Dharma to exploit people is a great harm.

We erect elaborate altars and make extensive pilgrimages, but better
than these is to remember Buddha's teachings: "Never create any
negative action; always create goodness; aim all practices at
cultivating the mind." When our practice increases delusion,
negativity and disturbed states of mind, we know that something is
wrong.

It is sometimes said that a major cause of the decline of Buddhism in
India eight hundred years ago was the practice of Vajrayana by
unqualified people, and sectarianism caused by corruption within the
Sangha. Anyone teaching Tibetan Buddhism should keep this in mind when
they refer to the precept, "every action of the guru is to be seen as
perfect." This is an extremely dangerous teaching, particularly for
beginners.