40 Buddhist Ethics The search for a master comprises three preliminary steps: the first [is reflecting upon the uniqueness of the Buddha’s teaching] as described in Interwoven Praises2: [Your doctrine is] the sole path, easy to enter; It grants supremacy and has no flaw Propitious in the beginning, middle, and end: No one has taught a doctrine like yours! The teaching of the Buddha provides the sole path to liberation Easily entered, it grants none other than supreme attainment [The Buddha’s doctrine] is flawless [in being the antidote] to attachment and other [emotions] It is propitious because all stages [of its practice]—first listening, then reflection, and finally making it a living experience—become the seed for the attainment of higher levels of existence and liberation For these reasons, the Buddha’s doctrine represents, in every respect, the source of all happiness and well-being These features are not found in the doctrines of other teachers, such as that of the seer Kapila,3 but are exclusive to the teachings of the Buddha Accordingly, the bodhisattva Shantideva composed this prayer 4: May the doctrine, the only cure for suffering And the source of all happiness, Be supported and honored And endure for long! The second [step is valuing the precious human life.] The Reunion of Father and Son Scripture states5: Having shunned all of the eight fetters of life And found the marvelous endowments so rare to obtain Wise ones who have come to have faith in the doctrine of the Joyful One Engage in the right spiritual practice Only by having faith in and following the Buddha’s teaching can we take full advantage of our human lives that are replete with leisure and endowments The third step [is considering the need for a spiritual guide] The Transcendent Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines states7: A bodhisattva, great being, who wishes to attain ultimate, authentic, and perfect awakening, should first approach, work with, and honor spiritual guides The Spiritual Teacher and Student 41 What kind of spiritual guide should one look for? The Collection of Spontaneous Utterances states8: Since by relying on an inferior, one regresses, On an equal, one stagnates, And on a superior, one excels, Keep in touch with a spiritual guide superior to yourself We will not develop any wholesome qualities by working with a spiritual guide who is inferior to ourselves in the areas of ethical, scholarly, and meditative abilities, etc [On the contrary, the relationship] will prove detrimental in many ways, and we will regress When the spiritual guide is an equal, of similar abilities to ours, we will stagnate, neither progressing nor regressing When the spiritual guide has qualities superior to ours, we can excel and attain the desired supreme goal Therefore, we should always remain close to an individual superior to ourselves, a spiritually advanced master The same scripture states9: If you study with a master Far superior to yourself in ethics, Contemplative tranquility, and wisdom, You can even excel him THE NECESSITY OF WORKING WITH A SPIRITUAL GUIDE [II] The need for a guide can be determined from scripture, logic, and similes The necessity of working with a spiritual guide can be determined from (1) scriptures, (2) logic, and (3) similes Scriptures [A] There are countless scriptural references to the need for working with a spiritual guide The Condensed Transcendent Wisdom Scripture states10: Worthy students who respect spiritual teachers Should always remain close to learned masters Because from them the virtues of the wise spring The Flower Array Scripture states11: O child of the universal family, all your virtuous qualities issue from your spiritual guide You can encounter and receive instructions from one only if you have cultivated merit and wisdom for 42 Buddhist Ethics oceans of eons Otherwise, to meet a spiritual guide may prove more difficult than coming upon the most rare of gems Therefore, never tire of honoring your spiritual guide Logic [B] Given that a student wishes to attain the state of an omniscient buddha, the basic premise is that it is necessary for him or her to work with a spiritual guide The reason is that the individual does not know how to cultivate merit and wisdom or to clear away obscurations Examples consistent with this proof are the enlightened ones of the three times The converse can be illustrated by solitary sages12 and other examples Similes [C] Many similes illustrate [the need for a spiritual guide] For example, the Biography of Shri Sambhava states13: Spiritual teachers are like guides because they set us on the path of the perfections The Biography of the Lay Practitioner Achala states14: Spiritual guides are like escorts because they escort us to the state of omniscience The Flower Array states15: Spiritual guides are like ferrymen because they carry us across the river of cyclic life SPIRITUAL GUIDES AND THEIR QUALIFICATIONS [III] This section has two parts: (1) an overview, and (2) an explanation The first of these has two parts: (1) types of spiritual guides, and (2) their qualifications Overview [A] Types [1] A spiritual guide may be an ordinary human being, a bodhisattva, a buddha in manifest or enjoyment dimension Suited to the four phases of the disciple’s growth There are four types of spiritual guide: ordinary human beings, bodhisattvas, the manifest dimension of a buddha, and the enjoyment The Spiritual Teacher and Student 43 dimension of a buddha These four are suited to the four phases [of our spiritual growth] At the beginning of our quest, it is impossible for us to come in touch with buddhas or bodhisattvas who have reached the higher stages of awakening Therefore, we have to work with ordinary human beings as our spiritual guides When the obscurations caused by our previous deeds have cleared, we can meet bodhisattvas on higher stages of awakening.16 As we reach the highest level of the path of accumulation,17 we can encounter the manifest dimension of a buddha Then, as we attain the higher stages of awakening, we can come in contact with the enjoyment dimension of a buddha as our spiritual guide At the beginning of our quest, when we are still trapped in the dungeon of our emotions and previous deeds, we cannot consider working with higher spiritual guides because we will not see as much as their faces! We first must seek a spiritual guide who is an ordinary human being When our path has been illuminated by the light of his or her speech, we will come to meet higher spiritual guides Therefore, the kindest of all is the spiritual guide who is an ordinary person.18 Qualifications [2] Eight, four, or two qualities characterize the teacher who is an ordinary person Since the [latter] three types of spiritual guide not directly benefit the beginner, it is not necessary to describe their characteristics here The spiritual guide who is an ordinary person must possess eight, four, or two specific qualities The eight are listed in the following verse, which summarizes the treatment of this subject in the Stages of the Bodhisattva: He or she is ethical and learned, Spiritually accomplished, full of compassion and love, Fearless, patient, dauntless, And eloquent.19 The four [qualities] are referred to in the Scripture Ornament 20: being a great teacher by virtue of prodigious learning; having the capacity to clear away doubts by virtue of higher wisdom; speaking words worthy of taking to heart because this teacher’s deeds are those of a virtuous person; having the ability to point out the exact nature of both thoroughly polluted and fully pure phenomena.21 44 Buddhist Ethics The two [qualities of a spiritual guide] are erudition and the commitment [to awaken for the benefit of others] [Shantideva’s] Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life states22: Even at the cost of my life, I will never forsake my spiritual friend Who is knowledgeable in the meaning of the Universal Way And who is a supreme follower of the bodhisattva’s way of life.23 Explanation [B] This section has two parts: (1) the particular types of teacher, and (2) their respective qualifications Particular Types [1] The teacher may be a monastic preceptor, a bodhisattva’s instructor, or a tantric master [A disciple] may have three types of teacher—a monastic preceptor, a bodhisattva’s instructor, or a tantric master—depending on which of the three sets of commitments he or she has assumed in the teacher’s presence The qualifications of each are explained below Individual Qualifications [2] This three-part section describes the qualifications of (1) the monastic preceptor, (2) the bodhisattva’s instructor, and (3) the tantric master The Monastic Preceptor [a] The ordaining preceptor, ceremonial master, interviewer, tutor or instructor, and instructor of novices act as the five monastic teachers There are four types of monastic preceptors: the preceptor who presides over the novice and monk’s ordination, the ceremonial master, the interviewer who inquires [whether the candidate has] the requisites [for taking monastic vows], and the [monk’s] tutor and instructor Five types [can be counted] if the instructor of male and female novices is added ... higher stages of awakening.16 As we reach the highest level of the path of accumulation,17 we can encounter the manifest dimension of a buddha Then, as we attain the higher stages of awakening,... because they escort us to the state of omniscience The Flower Array states 15: Spiritual guides are like ferrymen because they carry us across the river of cyclic life SPIRITUAL GUIDES AND THEIR... Suited to the four phases of the disciple’s growth There are four types of spiritual guide: ordinary human beings, bodhisattvas, the manifest dimension of a buddha, and the enjoyment The Spiritual