"You're supposed to observe a teacher for 10 years before becoming a
vowed disciple."
This is not possible, even if the Dalai Lama has said it. Here is why.
Spending all that time observing a teacher means you will, without
any awareness, let your guard down and lose your objectivity.
You'll tell yourself you've kept your critical thinking alive and well,
but that's just an alibi. Underneath, you'll bond to the teacher and group
while seemingly being objective.
Anthropologists know all about this. It is called "going native"
[www.google.com]
If you spend 10 years (or even 2 years) "observing a teacher" this means
you must do the following:
* Assume the teacher is living truthfully and not an expert at hiding
a life of greed and abuse behind closed doors and with a group of
senior students who make sure you, the newbies are kept well away
and shown only the good stuff.
* If you spend years in a sangha observing the teacher, you are spending lots
of time in the social environment that venerates the teacher, bows to the teacher, chants with the teacher. talks about the teacher, tells miracle stories about the teacher.
Staying in this situation long enough to observe the teacher means you will
lose your own objectivity and, while convinced you're still independent minded
will become emotionally and psychologically invested in venerating the public persona of that teacher.
The actions of travelling to the sangha and empowerment teachings, paying for parking space, arriving on time so you get a seat, becoming friends with
sangha members, bowing, prostrating, chanting -- all of this will
bond you to the teacher and sangha.
Why?
We are social mammals, that is why. Spend lots of time
in the same environment and you feel at home
after awhile.
Once you feel as though a place and a group is homey and familiar --
you don't want to imagine that anything or anyone unsafe could
be there.
vowed disciple."
This is not possible, even if the Dalai Lama has said it. Here is why.
Spending all that time observing a teacher means you will, without
any awareness, let your guard down and lose your objectivity.
You'll tell yourself you've kept your critical thinking alive and well,
but that's just an alibi. Underneath, you'll bond to the teacher and group
while seemingly being objective.
Anthropologists know all about this. It is called "going native"
[www.google.com]
If you spend 10 years (or even 2 years) "observing a teacher" this means
you must do the following:
* Assume the teacher is living truthfully and not an expert at hiding
a life of greed and abuse behind closed doors and with a group of
senior students who make sure you, the newbies are kept well away
and shown only the good stuff.
* If you spend years in a sangha observing the teacher, you are spending lots
of time in the social environment that venerates the teacher, bows to the teacher, chants with the teacher. talks about the teacher, tells miracle stories about the teacher.
Staying in this situation long enough to observe the teacher means you will
lose your own objectivity and, while convinced you're still independent minded
will become emotionally and psychologically invested in venerating the public persona of that teacher.
The actions of travelling to the sangha and empowerment teachings, paying for parking space, arriving on time so you get a seat, becoming friends with
sangha members, bowing, prostrating, chanting -- all of this will
bond you to the teacher and sangha.
Why?
We are social mammals, that is why. Spend lots of time
in the same environment and you feel at home
after awhile.
Once you feel as though a place and a group is homey and familiar --
you don't want to imagine that anything or anyone unsafe could
be there.