Q: Could you please tell us more about the samaya vow, thank you very much dear Rinpoche la?
A: Samaya vow. I think one thing you have to understand is that samaya can be manipulated quite easily, because when you are trying to control people instead of wisdom, instead of offering the possibility but yet if you want to give discipline in very shortsighted, I don’t think that is a samaya by any means. It is a samaya only when the discipline is seeing with kindness, respect and also not a shortsighted view, not in a self-interested way.
So, of course there are many samaya. There’s samaya that we should never think of a negative way to our Guru, we should never speak negative, or think negative of our guru. That is a concept, that is a belief that we have. But at the end, it comes down to how you bring a balance with your practice, because if you don’t bring any balance, regardless of different methods of books or the teachings that you may have received, it cannot access to your mind.
So, before telling yourself that the samaya is important, or that practice is important, spending a little bit of time with your teacher is necessary, I guess. Because if you don’t spend any time, if you want to be a copycat, copy everything and doing what other people are doing, and saying that ‘Oh, I want to liberate myself with the dharma practice’. I don’t think it can really benefit anybody.
Because for me, what I am trying to say is, if you are trying to be perfect in the beginning, in everything, in appearance, ways, and then I think regardless of what you may follow, it can lead you a negative way.
But if you have a pure heart and surrendering yourself to the authentic master, and I think you will be protected regardless of many different precepts and samayas, it can help, of course. But if you’re trying to follow every step of samaya from the beginning and trying to be perfect from the beginning, I don’t think it will benefit.
Because what is going on with our Buddhism surrounding is that we have many different teachers who holds different hierarchies and of course, there are different attendants around, different kinds of people around. So, it almost brings a little bit like a business, which is not really nice.
Teachers are supposed to spend much of their time with the student, but student also has a responsibility that is precious devotion and respect towards that direction. That is also needed. It is not like teacher has to do it. Teacher and students have to bond together and in that relation. The transparency and honesty between each other, it is very necessary. Because many people assume, they think that ‘Oh! You just have to find a perfect teacher, and nothing really matter other than that’. That is not true. You have a responsibility, teacher has a responsibility.
And making sure that what you are receiving comes directly from the lord Buddha’s teaching, and finding that authentic lineage, not some kind of manmade, few hundreds of years. So, I think finding an authentic and genuine lineage is important. I am not saying that my lineage is important, and their lineage is not really important. As Long as there is a history that goes all the way back to the Buddha’s teachings. It’s enough important.
With love and respect from Kalu Rinpoche
3rd, Sep. 2018 Facebook Live
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