is a teacher necessary?

i was listening to a podcast yesterday, it was a talk about buddhism, and the man speaking said the chances of reaching enlightenment without a teacher were one in a million. do you think this is the case? if i did want to find a teacher, how on earth would i go about doing so? is it common to have one, in places other than buddhist monasteries and such? do any of you have teachers and if so what exactly do the teachings consist of? one on one meetings or group meetings? many questions.

 

The whole idea of a master is to be a tour guide. Someone who has been "there", and came back.

As such, this guide is aware of the many pitfalls that plague a spiritual type of path and offers advice on correcting it.

Is a teacher needed?

Same equation. While it is possible to work on one's self alone, the path is longer in most cases. A good teacher can point out that hidden path through the jungle of the mind and help you make better time.

There are meditation classes all over the place now. Ask around. Read the phonebook. I'd read up at the library first. Give yourself a little better view of what you're looking for. Read up on world religions.

Some of the new age stuff is way out there, but to each their own.



x

 

Buddhism is a system. Systems must be abandoned to reach the so called enlightenment. Teachers are not necessary.

 

I think its different for the individual, some people can listen to thier inner voice more easily than others and can follow the 'path' with few bumps and dont need external 'help' from a teacher,

I've been battling with this same question myself lately and i've hit a brick wall, no, matter how much I read up or how much I meditate I feel like I'm not progressing or that I'm missing something

Another persons experience or perspective, irrelevant of being a teacher, I think would be helpful in my personal case,

but thats just me

 

A teacher is needed for anything. Without a teacher you would not even be able to speak or read. In spiritual matters, which are far subtler, a Guru is essential.

How do you find a Guru?

You dont.
The Guru finds you.
My master Swami Chinmayananda explained that when a true spiritual seeker is like flower and the Guru is like a bee. When the flower starts to open, the bee will come to it automatically. Flowers never need to search for bees. Their fragrance will draw the bee.

Someone put up video clips of his explanation of the Guru-disciple relationship:

http://www.hipforums.com/modules.php?name=Videos&file=viewlinkinfo&lid=1203&gid=0

 

With yoga you always need a teacher. There are things you can do wrong and those might have a negative impact on your health, for instance.

 

Yes, but the universe itself is the ultimate guru.

 

I agree with everything said. A teacher is only neccessary if the path gets too bumpy to handle yourself. But a good teacher is hard to find.

 

What do they say? If you want to know where you're going you ask someone who knows the way. That's from the Vedas. So you know it's old. There is no path without a teacher of a path.

 

"How do you find a Guru?

You dont.
The Guru finds you."

that sounds great, but it doesn't sound applicable to my current life situation. is a guru going to come into quizno's when i'm working and show me the way? really, where does one go about finding a teacher? do i look in the phone book under "buddhist master"? i honestly have no idea.

 

LightPeace, namaste.

Remember that what you are expecting to learn from the Guru isn't a type of thought-construct or lofty knowledge.
Guru is a Sanskrit word roughly translated as 'destroyer of darkness'. What you are seeking is within you,
it is the blissful inner Divine Consciousness of all beings, all Reality.
It would be wise to find someone who is not only a living testament of that Divine Consciousness,
but will also show you the practices through which that Consciousness is revealed from within.

If you are sincerely seeking Truth, you will be led by that.
If you are looking for something and you don't know where it is, ask someone who might.

om namah sivaya

 

Mind your own business. A flower's job is to start blossoming, not to worry about whether there are bees in the area or why all the bees in the country are disappearing mysteriously. That's God's problem.

Masters come into people's lives in the strangest ways. You may have met several already but don't know it. You must be open to it, to trust in the universe to give you what you need. Because, blessed lightpeace, the universe always gives you exactly what you need to grow.

Masters eat toasty hot subs, too.

 

Only to those who can see it that way. To start off, at least, a physical individual guide is needed.

 

this made me smile. so there is really nothing that i can actively do to find a teacher? i do understand what you're saying, it just seems that there must be a way to find a teacher other than waiting for one to come to me.

 

The point, my friend, is that your effort must not be directed at finding a teacher. Your effort must be directed at your own unfoldment. As you blossom the teacher will come, must come.
Dont put off spirituality in wait of the Master. Masters are found not on the paths of world, but on the path of the spirit. Start walking the spiritual path and you will meet the Master on the way.

 

I quote J. Krishnamurti when he said,

"Meditation is one of the greatest arts in life-perhaps the greatest, and one cannot possibly learn it from anybody, that is the beauty of it. It has no technique and therefore no authority. When you learn about yourself, watch yourself, watch the way you walk, how you eat, what you say, the gossip, the hate, the jealousy-if you are aware of all that in yourself, without any choice, that is part of meditation".

 

If therer is no authority, who is J. Krishnamurti to say this about it? And if you have to turn to Krishnamurti to know that there is no teacher needed, he is the teacher who taught you that. Therefore, you needed a teacher.

And anyway, Krishnamurti spoke from a different standpoint than most teachers. What he stressed, and indeed I do also, is to avoid dependence on anyone outside you. But that doesn't mean you go without guidance, and I am sure that was not his meaning. What he is speaking of is the final experience, the culmination of meditation, which has to come from within, but a Guru is needed to guide you to that point.

Anyway, my own ideas don't matter. Almost every great master has stressed the importance of a teacher. JK himself played that role, why else would he write books and give lectures?

 

I'm beginning to understand this 'finding teacher issue'..

A teacher doesnt necessarily have to be the image of a buddhist monk, kitted out in flowing orange robe and staff (though if yours is, all the more better I guess)

A 'teacher' can be any every-day person who you may meet randomly or already know, this person will impart knowledge you search for or spread light on things you are confused about, they not aware of this, and you may not be initially aware yourself...

which means we need to be constantly meditating on what we think we 'need' and this energy will attract the bees, the bees are probally all around but our petals/eyes/minds are closed

 

but then maybe all good in theory but in reality, I'll keep you updated

 

You nailed it. The trick is to remain receptive and learn. The native Americans are masters of the art.