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Good Teacher Good Student
by Venerable Thubten Chodron, Venerable Chonyi, and Venerable Tarpa©
Sravasti Abbey, Washington, USA
23-25 May, 2009
First Session, 23 May 2009: Venerable Chodron
Audio [81 minutes] : Download mp3 file
In this first of 3 sessions, Venerable Chodron talks about why we need a spiritual mentor, and describes the qualities to look for. She also discusses how to check for those qualities and the different kinds and levels of teachers as well as when and how to seek out someone to guide us on our spiritual journey.
- QUESTIONS:
- How do you check qualities that you can’t see in a spiritual guide?
- When a highly realized Lama passes away, does the incarnation automatically become your teacher; should you want to become that person’s student?
- When you’ve formed a relationship with one teacher is it wise to also at some point go to their teachers and assume that their teachers will also be your teachers?
- Do you have to have somebody with the title “Lama” as one of your teachers?
- Should you just stay within one tradition or is it okay to have teachers from other traditions?
Second Session, 23 May 2009: Venerable Chodron
Audio [68 minutes] : Download mp3 file
In this 2nd session, Venerable explains the qualities to look for in a Paramitayana teacher as well as the qualities of a Tantric teacher. She goes on to describe how we benefit from our teachers, why they are a great field of merit for us and encourages us to reflect on their kindness and presents different ways of making offerings to our teachers whether we live close to the them or not. Venerable wraps up the session by describing the qualities of a good student and encourages us to try to develop those qualities because that will help the teachings to really and make a strong impact in our minds and in our lives.
- QUESTIONS
- What happens if you took an initiation and you didn’t have a clue as to what was going on?
- Can you explain the hells?
- So what about when you really care about the Dharma and the Dharma being spread and practiced in a very pure way?
- For those of us who haven’t had Tantric vows initiations, are we supposed to be reading about the Tantric vows and practices?
- I have that when students don’t keep their commitments it actually hurts the Tantric master; is that true or just folklore?
- What is the idea of the root-guru in terms of Tantra?
- If you take an initiation from someone is that person your root guru for the rest of your life?
- Will you be talking about the qualities of the Root Guru?
- Does your root guru need to be somebody who is known to be a realized being?
- How do we make offerings to our teachers if we live far away form them?
- When we talk about the teacher being a field of merit, in what way do we accumulate merit in relationship to the teacher?
Third Session, 24 May 2009: Venerable Chodron
Audio [81 minutes] : Download mp3 file
In session 3, Venerable Chodron continues with the qualities of a good disciple, citing commentaries by, among others, Aryadeva and Je Rinpoche, she also shares stories of the great masters' perseverance and ensuing accomplishments. She goes over again the necessity of having a spiritual teacher and the benefits and ways of serving them.
Fourth Session, 24 May 2009: Venerable Tarpa
Audio [78 minutes] : Download mp3 file
Venerable Tarpa leads session 4.
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