Recipe for Enlightenment (Part four)

The Tibetan tradition is quite powerful and has trained countless practitioners how to become respectful enough to receive the extraordinary blessings that are features of the Vajrayana path to enlightenment. It is reported often that even those in training to become teachers and come from long and famous reincarnation lineages experience some anxiety when in the presence of their own teacher. I also in my before had this experience, when I was in my study time, with my knees shaking, and my heart pounding in the presence of my guru. Others have also said this, sometimes they cannot even speak. Sometimes, we felt like we wanted to run away but we did not! This actually is what happens when the lama is showing them reality from the inside and their inner mind is receiving guidance.

This is not baby Buddhism, we are not talking about baby food nutrition in this recipe for enlightenment! I have talked occasionally to students who have experienced something strong coming from inside themselves, and they have interpreted it as being something that is to be afraid of. Even the Great Ones, very often felt the strain of the difference between their state of mind and the correct state of mind being modeled by their lama without a word being spoken! It is so interesting. As I said in a previous column, this inappropriate fear is not a tool or any accurate guide to understand what is happening. It is not a protection device and we endured the inner touch of our guru by developing a special mental support of our faith and reliance.

We should feel that we are learning something important about the next stage of evolutionary development. However, that is not going to come on top of everything that you are and everything that you believe, all of your education, possessions, and all of your ideas. It will not be something added to that. There will be something that needs to be removed in order for you to move to the next stage of evolutionary development.

Like that, there are processes and energetic dynamics that you are holding now that you do not need anymore. When we feel a vibration inside, it should not become a cause for a cascade of emotions. In the yogic process and in the work that we need to do, we train ourselves to hold steady while inner meditation is going on. I hope you are not confused by thinking that meditation is the time when you just let everything go, and flow like a reed or seaweed with the underwater current, no. You are holding steady, maintaining an energetic integrity, which will support the inner meditation.

In that way, you will train your mind to be able to tolerate the touch of your own inner mind as that matures in meditation. Right now, most meditators do not know what it feels like to know themselves. Perhaps you cannot tolerate the touch of your own inner mind, which is why there are barriers, veils, and often a poor relationship between you and yourself.

Since it is likely that you do not know yourself yet, it might seem as if something unusual is happening in occasional meditations, however, you are probably okay! Especially if you have a close relationship with your lama who is guiding your progress. Please remember we are talking about inappropriate fear as described earlier. The unusual things that happen are the very things that are part of the changes on your way to enlightenment. There are very special, unusual, and extraordinary experiences that will happen! To be continued…