Then he opened his eyes and said. The student is ready - the teacher is ready for him
He saw himself at the crossroads. To his right was a short man with a backpack over his shoulder. Then he became aware of himself as an observer of these two people, one of whom was himself. Both were already young, and gray hair silvered not only their whiskey, but their heads. One of them was red-cheeked and moderately well-fed and still full of strength, with lively, cheerful, albeit slightly tired eyes. The other, which he himself was, looked like an ascetic, with intense preoccupied eyes and tightly pressed lips. Behind each of them was a huge backpack. On the backpack of the man who approached on the right, it was written in pink oil paint: ALL YOUR OWN WITHOUT YOURSELF The second backpack was decorated with the words written in black paint, located one under the other:
EVERYTHING
VANITY
VISIT
It seemed that the second backpack was much heavier than the first and probably rubbed its shoulders for a long time, but it was apparently impossible to change anything for him.
Great buddy! - greeted the first of the second. The second nodded silently and was about to continue on his way, but stopped, as the first offered to rest a bit and have a bite.
Yes, perhaps it’s time to take a break, ”said the second tiredly and, freeing his shoulders from the straps of the backpack, he dumped it on the ground as an overwhelming and long-boring burden. Then, wiping sweat droplets on his forehead with his sleeve, wearily sat down on a large stone lying in the grass.
The first one cleverly freed himself from his backpack, carefully laid it next to the same bulky burden of his casual counterpander and straightened his back and shoulders.
Well, now you can eat, because in the morning there was no poppy seed or dewdrop in his mouth, and he began to take out a sausage stick, several sandwiches wrapped in waxed paper, a thermos, apparently with hot, from his bottomless bag tea, and the last one he pulled out an earthen bottle of red wine and laid it all out on a large paper towel spread out on the grass. Then, turning to his unexpected friend, he offered to dine with him.
Thank you, but I have my own food for today and I would not like to break the rules that I have set for myself. The fact is that, seeing the senselessness of our short life, I decided to abandon the attachments to it and everything that tempted my mind and my heart and, of course, my stomach, I left at home. I took only bread and water with me.
Is this a bag of bread and water? - the first traveler asked in surprise, eating sandwiches for both cheeks and washing them down with hot sweet tea.
No, why, in my backpack, more important things than regular products. There I have the principles of a new life. These principles are completely different from those that guide modern mankind - not to live for fleeting joy, because it is a lie; not to be attached to everything that surrounds us and from which we, in this regard, are constantly dependent; Do not be a slave to your habits and conventions of the world; to be above everything that can capture us and narrow our consciousness. To the latter I include sex, passions of any kind, human love and other all kinds of imperfections of the human race. In other words, I want to get rid of all worldly things in order to take the spiritual path. And therefore, my path is the path of a loner, since few can dare to such a feat.
But listen, buddy! Are you sure that your heroic rejection of all human imperfections will lead you on the path to excellence? I can imagine how difficult it is to resist all kinds of temptations in our lives that we encounter at every step.
Everything that you say is true, but you cannot imagine a hundredth part of what a person striving for spirituality has to overcome. To acquire the Divine, you must completely free your soul from worldly desires and attachments, and the efforts that I make to this give rise to pride and hope in me. I constantly remember that only those who are called by God take the spiritual path. Just now you suggested that I share your meal with you. Of course, you did it from a pure heart, because you did not know that this kind of proposal was a temptation for a hungry person, but God is always present in me that will not allow me to be captured by everything that does not correspond to my chosen spiritual path. Remember the words of Christ: Torah to the one through whom the temptation comes. "Therefore, I want to wish you: do not seduce people with anything worldly. Remember the words of Christ.
With these words, an ascetic-looking man took out a small pile of black bread and a flask of cold water from his backpack to satisfy his hunger and thirst.
During a brief rest, the first traveler, arms and legs stretched out, stretched out on his back and silently looked narrowed eyes at the cloudless blue sky, while the second, leaning back against his backpack, closed his eyes and began to repeat something monotonously and inaudible. Some time later, he suddenly resolutely got up, put on his shoulder bag his shoulder bag, busily straightening his straps, and was about to leave, as he was hailed by the first traveler:
Or maybe we will go together, it will be more fun, and the path will be less dangerous. We can always help each other.
The second traveler stopped and, turning half a turn to his chance comer, decisively said: “The Holy Scripture says:“ Blessed is the husband who does not go to the advice of the wicked and does not stand in the way of sinners. ”And it also says there:“. ..the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. "As you can see, you and I have different ways." And, bending under the weight of his principles, he quickly walked away ...
Several years passed, and once already in other lands they suddenly met again. The hairs on their heads were already completely gray, the gait became less light, but, strangely enough, their backpacks became even more voluminous and heavy. They met at a fork in the paths that merged into one wide, well-trodden road.
Well, we met again, - the first traveler smiled kindly. “Apparently, the goal we are heading for is the same for you and me.”
Do not be silly, Our roads cannot have the same goal.
The second traveler stopped, looked irritably at his random acquaintance and turned to the side, on a barely visible path in the grass, leading to the snow-covered mountains.
A few more years passed. The second traveler, on the backpack of which was written: “ALL THE BUNDS OF VISITS”, overcame many mountain passes, crossed many rivers and streams, and even crossed one sea and finally reached the end of his journey. In front of him was a huge gate, on both sides of which a high stone wall went into infinity. A lot of paths and roads led to the gate, along which people approached from all sides. All of them carried a heavy burden behind their back, with which they seemed to have grown together. Their heads were lowered and they seemed to see nothing besides the ground beneath their feet. Soon, a huge silent gray crowd gathered at the gate. They all stood and waited for something, catching their breath after a hard and long journey. And then the second traveler unexpectedly for himself among other people saw his old acquaintance, whom they had already met several times before. “Something I did on my way wrong,” he thought anxiously. “I should have been liberated, but my burden remained as heavy as it was before ..,”
Then a heavy bell struck, and the massive wide gate slowly and silently opened. St. Peter, looking into a huge and thick book, let one pass and remove the others, who, sadly dropping their heads, stepped aside. The turn of the monk came up. Saint Peter looked into his eyes, and the monk realized that his previous assessment of his life was completely wrong, that he was full of selfishness and all kinds of flaws. And he realized that he was not worthy to enter the wide open gate. A smile of compassion appeared on St. Peter's face. He nodded his head, and the monk, dropping his eyes and feeling remorse for having dared to approach the gate leading to paradise, not being ready for this, moved to those whose earthly fate had not yet been completed ...
Then there was a muddy formless haze and a barely conscious state of being. There was a perception that some kind of force carried it higher and higher, and before the muddy gray space became brighter and brighter. Then came the awareness of his personality, but he still did not know who he was. Then awakening came, and he realized who he was, but still did not remember where he was. He lay on his back with his eyes closed and tried to remember himself. He did not feel his body, which was still asleep, but the dim shadows of his memories disturbed and woke him. Unexpectedly for himself, he remembered the events of a dream that had just passed, which to the smallest detail was a reality. This memory was like a flash of light that caused his body to wake up completely. The monk opened his eyes and saw himself in a cave, in the mountains, sitting on a straw mat. It was an early morning outside the cave. There was a sense of expectation inside — he knew that someone should come to him today. After a deep sleep, the memories were viscous and slow, I had to make efforts so that vague images could become clear in the reality of memory. I remembered - a woman from a village located at the foot of the mountain was supposed to come. Once a week, she came to him to receive his blessing and to listen to his instructions. But it will be later. The monk's memories became more mobile and vivid.
Something I'm doing wrong, he thought. “It was not in vain that I dreamed.” Or maybe it is again the devilish temptations with which he wants to convince me of the futility of my efforts on the spiritual path? Yes, this is indeed so, the monk thought, convincing and at the same time reassuring himself. He remembered his childhood when his parents blessed him for monastic service. His zeal for monastic life earned him a special favor with the abbot of the monastery, and by the age of thirty he was already in the rank of hieromonk. Of course, he was pleased with the respectful attitude of simple monks towards him, but he tried not to pay attention to the sprouts of vanity that imperceptibly sprouted in his heart. He tried to be constant in his striving for Divine truth. At thirty-three years old, at the age of Christ, he decided to retire to live only by prayers and taming of his desires and inner temptations, for which he received the blessing of the abbot of the monastery. And since then, for the second year, and in the winter in the cold, and in the summer in the heat, he almost did not leave his gloomy home. They brought food from the monastery to him, but often it remained untouched, because in his deep immersions in prayer he often did not notice that his body needed food ...
Years passed, the monk felt that his constant prayers, fasts and penances, which he imposed on himself, did not lead to anything. Moreover, he realized that the more he strives for purification and spiritual transformation, the more often he is seduced by temptations. His mind seemed to be divided into two parts. One of them persistently strove to fulfill everything necessary for life in God, and the other part, completely beyond his control, created in his imagination all kinds of temptations of worldly life that he left behind. The devil whispered to him that no effort would be enough to achieve holiness, that all past years had been lost to him in vain. And then he, hardened by his mortal nature, imposed himself even more cruel penance, but his every effort to change something led to the fact that the devilish temptations were more persistent. And recently, an obsessive thought began to visit him that spiritual work was not at all his destiny and would be better if he abandoned his monasticism and went into the world. And at the same time, he felt that he could not do this.
But one day he felt satisfaction from his perseverance in the pursuit of a holy life. He realized that in reality there was no other way for him, and all his doubts and sufferings were nothing more than the temptation of the devil. And realizing this, he devoted himself to fasting and prayer with even greater zeal. So that his aspiration would not be hindered, he asked that food be brought to him only twice a week, and to be further from worldly temptations, he began to dig a cave in this mountain, much higher than before. He understood that it would now be more difficult for his brothers, monks, and laity to rise up to him, who, having heard of his holy life, sometimes came to him to hear a holy word from him and receive a blessing ...
A few more years of deep loneliness, fasting and prayer, a few more years of enduring and unremitting temptation passed, and one day he heard a voice inside him that ordered him, to further pacify the flesh and immerse himself in the service of God, to create a dwelling in himself in grief, in a place that was almost inaccessible to people. So that from this place he could see all the mortality of human nature and perceive the Divine voice, not obscured by worldly passions and unbelief. Now every day he went up the narrow, barely noticeable path to the rock, which heaved completely impregnable from the green of the mountain forests, and cut down the steps in it, so that later, at the end of his ascent, cut down a new dwelling for himself in the rock. He already knew that it would be at the pine cliff that had clung to the ledge. And the higher the monk rose, cutting into the rock, the greater was his zeal for work. The palms of his hands became coarse and bleeding in some places, his legs were abrasions and bruises, but his eyes burned feverishly. He knew that his work was destined for him by God himself and when he was finished, he would achieve what he had been striving for all his life. It was especially hard for him in the winter, when the frosty wind burned his bare hands and feet. His face was weathered and his eyes, flushed with night vigils and prayers, were watery. And once during prayer, when the whole world was sleeping, and after hard work, covered with an old woolen blanket, sitting on his mat, worn from prolonged use, he heard soft steps that were approaching the entrance to his cave. Then these steps calmed down and a tall human figure appeared in a dull gray opening of the entrance, around which a light orange light streamed. At first, the monk was frightened and began to intensively repeat the Jesus prayer, but then calmed down when he saw that neither the holy cross that he placed on the stranger nor the prayer had any effect on him, and instead he heard a soft and gentle voice that reassured him , saying that he is the messenger of God and brought him good news from the Almighty. The monk prostrated himself on the stone floor of the cave, repeating thanksgiving to God. And when the stranger picked it up and pressed it to his chest, tears rolled down the monk's cheeks in an irresistible stream.
God sees your zeal and hears your prayers. He sent me to you to give me the other side of the truth that you neglected in your zeal. How can you reject what you don’t know? And, rejecting the outside world with all its temptations, will you tear all its temptations out of yourself? You must understand that the words you read or hear do not yet carry knowledge, because you can get true knowledge only through experience. But you have no experience, because your childhood has been devoted to serving in a monastery, how can you reject what you really don’t know? Your inner temptations, which still continue to bother you, are only shadows of real temptations. What can you do with shadows when they always remain elusive? With your fasts and prayers, you will constantly turn to face God, but your imperfections, which are perceived as shadows, despite your desire to overcome them, always remain with you. In order to earn holiness before God, you need to free yourself from your imperfections.
My lord, I have no money-grubbing, no desire for power, I am not attached to material wealth. From childhood I don’t know what anger, vindictiveness, despondency is, I don’t know what jealousy and envy are. All that remains in me is the relentless pursuit of Divine love and unity with Him ...
With a quiet gesture of his hand, the stranger, shining with a golden-orange light, stopped the monk's speech, which suddenly poured out of his mouth in an uncontrollable stream.
Your words say only one thing, that you are not free from the greatest pride that has settled in your heart. Each person contains all the good and all evil of the world. All your virtues that you just listed are just a screen behind which your flaws are hidden. You do not know the tricks of the human mind, which knows how to hide the lie, exposing it as truth. If you strive for truth, then your mind will find many facts confirming the success of your aspirations. The mind is that part of ourselves that constantly adapts to our desires, justifying them. In reality, the mind strives only for its own satisfaction. You there, in a monastery, having left the world mired in sins, strive for your own salvation. Is it not selfishness? You, who are praying, asking God to forgive mankind for his sins and guide him on the true path, are thereby mediating between the world and God. But are you pure enough for God to entrust this work to you? Don't you, monks, think you are like the blind who lead the blind? How can you instruct the laity who come to you when you yourself are as imperfect as those who seek protection from you. But they are more truthful, because they do not hide their sins, while you, putting a mask of holiness on your faces, instruct them in righteousness. Do not you think that, in addition to all other sins, the sin of hypocrisy has flourished in you with a magnificent color? I came to you to open your eyes to yourself and help me go on the path of truth. You still have time.
You must go to the world in order to gain experience, bringing knowledge. And all the temptations that will strive to enter into yourself from all sides, you must survive, understand and present to God as part of your imperfection. You must remember that God is not pleased with those who seek to devote their lives to fasting and prayer, but those who work hard in His field.
And suddenly the monk felt that he was falling into the abyss of darkness, filled with wild laughter. In the next instant, he realized that, being gently pressed to his chest, he was carried by a bright creature in the sky, and tears of joy and love irrigated his face. Then again fall into the abyss of suffering and darkness. He seemed to split, because he was simultaneously falling into the abyss and ascending into heaven. And to his horror, he realized that both the darkness of hell and the light of paradise became equally attractive to him, that they were simultaneous and inseparable. He was torn, not finding support anywhere. Everything that he knew before, now had no meaning. He realized that he was pursuing a false path towards his goal, but he could not realize where the roots of this lie were.
Spiritual work is not to suppress the temptations of the world. No human life and human will is enough to resist the lower nature. She is immeasurably more powerful than him. All the temptations of this world are given to man so that he can realize their response within himself. In each person, that part of his being that belongs to the outside world responds to external temptations. You must perceive these parts with a calm mind. And your calm vision of them will be that force that transforms in you that which belongs to the lower nature. Your passionate desire to save your soul from the suffering of hell is like frantic floundering in the deep waters of the sea, into which you plunge deeper and deeper. Everything that happens on earth is done for the evolution of consciousness, and try so that your consciousness is not captured and remains detached from the internal harmonies of the temptations of the material world. These harmonies will be more and more subtle, but your vigilance and receptivity should increase as your work inside you deepens. You must be not only a witness to internal states, but also at the same time with a soft effort of will push them away. The position of a witness will help you to be detached and not captured by the painful temptations of human nature. When you need to take the next step in your inner work, I will come to you again ... And now open your eyes, because a person comes to you who needs your help.
“When the student is ready, the teacher comes.” Each person in his life has many teachers and each of them comes to a person when he is ready to meet with him. The internal state of a person attracts everything in himself in the external world that, according to the level of vibration, corresponds to this state. Therefore, under certain conditions, a person could attract to himself the circumstances that are necessary for him, controlling his internal states.
If in the outside world for the realization of his desires, a person shows a certain physical activity, then in spiritual practice directed efforts do not lead to anything. In order to achieve something it is necessary to become internally in tune with this. In fact, the efforts that a person makes to realize something, for example, some desire of his own, are always accompanied by certain internal states, but the person does not consider them to be determining, but secondary, a consequence of his activity, or external circumstances. Therefore, the inner states of the layman are almost always the opposite of his goals, which greatly hinders the achievement of the goal.
Any harmonious interactions of people are a consequence of the harmony of those who interact. A person makes discoveries, penetrates the depths of matter, only because one day he becomes consonant with what is revealed to him. The harmony can be illustrated by the following parable. The teacher, all the people who came to him with the aim of gaining knowledge, sent to the cave monastery, cut down in the rocks many centuries ago. Currently, this monastery was empty and was used as a museum, which was visited by all kinds of visiting tourists. The museum keeper never showed tourists the round hall of this monastery, although rumors spread the most controversial rumors about him and, therefore, some of the people suffering from excessive curiosity persistently asked the museum keeper to show them this mysterious round hall.
It was in this room that the teacher sent everyone who came to him to get knowledge from him. The keeper was a friend of the teacher and knew why he was sending people to him. The keeper thirsted for knowledge in a darkened room, lit by several candles fixed in candlesticks near the walls of this room. Together they stood in the center of the hall, and the keeper pointed the man at the many doors leading to no one knew where. The door that the keeper showed first was wide and massive. Each next was ever narrower. And the latter was so narrow that only one person could squeeze into it with difficulty. The peculiarity of these doors was that they did not have door handles, and there were no keyholes in them, although all the doors were tightly and securely closed and not a single person using physical force could open them.
“There are fifty doors in this room, except the one through which we entered here,” the museum curator explained to the messengers from the teacher. The key to one of the doors is inside a person who would like to penetrate the world that is behind the door. There are fifty doors leading to fifty worlds, and a door will open before a person only when the world behind it and the person are in tune with each other. Therefore, the inner essence of man is the key to any of the doors.
“But, consonance is always an attraction, an attraction that can turn out to be insurmountable for a person,” said the museum curator, and in order to prevent the irreparable from happening, a grille is installed on each doorway. Before there were cases when a person went through an open door and never returned. In fact, people are consonant with all the worlds that are behind these doors, but the door will open only when this consonance reaches its maximum. Therefore, only one door can open before a person in this room. The teacher sends the afflicted here only so that they can see what they are ready for and what they can claim. For the seeker, even a respected teacher will not be sufficiently authoritative in assessing the student’s readiness for the work that is ahead of him. In the same room, the student is practically convinced of what he is like and what path he has to go.
The spiritual practice of any student 
no matter what level of consciousness it is at, it consists in raising the level of its internal sound. And only for that the last closest door will open, leading to the highest levels of the light of consciousness, which will surpass all the attractions of this manifested material world. And since a person’s meeting with the reality of this world takes place inside himself, on the way to his spiritual perfection, a person must surpass himself.
“When the student is ready, Master will come”
Timeless truth.
And, nevertheless, the wish to the Teacher: “A disciple to you!” Is unlikely to ever cease to be relevant. If you take a closer look, you understand that it’s sometimes easier for Teacher to find a real student than for a potential student — the Teacher. Although, purely mathematically, this should not be - how many are the first and how many second in this world?
There are thousands and thousands of people who want to find a Master. I note - this is the desire. Not “become a student”, but “find a Teacher”. The desire to get yourself something new and useful. Which will bring to another level. Which will make me a little more “special”. In short, more often than not, the appearance of the Teacher in life, if you look with the “armed eye”, seems to be the acquisition of another fashionable gadget that we are all rich in now. In addition to the smartphone, I will still have such a cool - Spiritual Teacher. He will "teach" me in every possible way, I will be "in the tradition" - and this, of course, will be great. I myself will be a student. And what does that mean, by the way? Yes, God knows him, to be honest. What is the difference - I will and I will. Most importantly, I will have a Teacher ...
Who is a “student”? Where did we get the information about how it, in principle, can be?
First of all, we were all students - at school. What does this word mean in the context of secondary education? Yes, practically nothing. We were brought - and we are learning. Some children have a responsibility for the process - but almost always before their parents, not before themselves. With all due respect, this is not the age to deeply live full personal responsibility for one’s own life. Remembering Dovlatov: “Henry Frantsevich, with regard to the pictures ... Remember, newborns are so-so. Month 4 will have to wait. Previously, he is unlikely to be like a person. And to whom 50 is not enough ... ". And many others - there is nothing similar, but much more manifestation of gouging - "teach me, if you need it so." And I, perhaps, will run away from a couple of lessons, I am chasing football. This is the “apprenticeship” at school. In general, a passive, dependent on other people, a process in which real human responsibility for their own choices cannot yet be manifested. Even 11th graders, sorry.
Secondly, at least many have heard about the most popular and published Book in the world. About the Bible, i.e. And especially - about the New Testament, about the Gospel. For there, as it is believed, the basis of our "Orthodox culture". There is such a character there - Jesus Christ. We accept it as “true God from true God” or not - not so important now. But everyone understands that Christ is a Teacher. And he has students. And He teaches them. And they learn from him.
All gospel events take place against this backdrop. Men sit, catch fish - He comes and says, they say, come with me, I will teach you. Those are: "Well, why not go, let's go, what's the difference (will there be free booze?)." And these simple men become His disciples. We read - and from the text their apprenticeship is shown quite clearly. What are they doing? They go everywhere with him. Where the housework will help. Where the oars will work. They listen to his parables all the time. They look at His miracles. They discuss with each other who “There” will sit closer to the Teacher, they even argue about it, and they turn to Him for the solution of these disputes. In short. They lead a normal human life, except that " Like a rolling stone"Constantly go from place to place, and together with the unusual Man. Here, perhaps, is the whole “discipleship” in the Gospels, if you look superficially. They were taken - and dragged. They went. Were not against it.
And our mind absorbs all this. And when the time comes in our lives to understand the need for some kind of spiritual development - it is these patterns, these Samskaras, that come to the surface in the first place. That apprenticeship is a rather passive process. Most importantly, in general, “not skipping” is unnecessary. To be close to those (or Those) who tell various useful things. That it’s good because there will be like-minded friends, whether they are classmates, apostles, or gurubhai, all together are more fun ...
And from nowhere, practically from nowhere, it’s easy and natural to take up and gain a foothold in the head of the most important truth about discipleship. What the student should do is what the teacher says. The student must live as the teacher teaches. Just being with Him is not enough. It is necessary to do what He teaches. And not from time to time.
If we think that, let's say, in India everything is different, then ... let's, for example, open the biography of Swami Rama. “In India, people listened to him because he was their Swamiji, was a holy man, a sage from the Himalayas and a former Shankaracharya. The fact that he sometimes demonstrated his particular yogic abilities also added weight to his words. But these demonstrations did not motivate students to practice what he taught them. Their original idea for Swamiji was that this is a holy person to follow and can be, and they were happy just because they called themselves his disciples. ”
This is no less pronounced in Christian civilization. As soon as Christianity came out of the caves, where there truly were “two in My Name - and I am among them” and became part of the state and political process ... what remains of the teachings of Christ? Who fulfills His teaching in life, what He taught? For whom is the New Testament not a part of “cultural affiliation”, but a handbook for use in everyday life?
So, “East” or “West”, “North” or “South” - a person remains a person. All in all, a lazy creature. Which is very nice and comfortable associating with something more. But who especially does not want to strain to become so big - himself.
Moreover, the “search for the Teacher" in the outside world, in fact, is no different from the search for anything else. And it is a particular manifestation of global human error - the idea that the source of happiness is in the outside world. For some, this is a bottle of wine. For some, a Spiritual Teacher. The principle underlying this search does not change. My happiness is in the outside world and I need to find it. And when I find him, when i am I get what I want - I will feel good. It will relax me from a glass of red. Or I’ll write on my resume page “practice mega yoga in the tradition of Sri Swami Ananda”. There is no difference, in fact - there is no difference.
We find a Teacher - and we are satisfied. Now He will give me a deep spiritual experience. He will lead me unscathed through the minefield of samsara. He will give me liberation, enlightenment, lead to Samadhi and open the door to Nirvana.
Listen to the teachings of the Optina elders? “The Spiritual Father is like a pillar, only indicates the way, and you have to go yourself. If the Spiritual Father will indicate, and his disciple himself will not move, he will not go anywhere, but will rot around this pillar. ”
So, the Teacher in our life is not the pleasure of owning a new toy and the inner calmness of belonging to something bigger than myself. This is, first and foremost, ultimate responsibility. In front of. In front of him. Before God It is a vow to do. Do what He teaches. Everyone. Of God. Day. There can be no exceptions. If Master teaches meditation, it means that even if you got up at 6 a.m. and returned home at 1 a.m., tired as a wolf, it has no power over you. You sit down and practice what Master has given you. If someone is not ready for this ... Teacher will not come. It can appear purely externally in our lives. We can even receive “initiation” from Him. But the phrase "Teacher found" does not mean that. And it means that I accepted Him in my heart, I trusted completely and began daily to do what He taught me. If this is not the case, then perhaps, outwardly, I have a Teacher - but this is only my own illusion. He is with me - but He is not in me. I have His picture at home and I regularly attend meetings of His disciples. But if He is not in my heart and I do not practice daily, I do not have this Teacher. No.
We can be physically close to Him - or be very far from Him. But even if we live next to Him, in an ashram or monastery, our main work as disciples is to practice. To meditate. Pray. Who got what, who is close, for whom what works. Far or near physically - it does not matter. If we practice, everything begins to change. Let’s remember the Mahabharata and the story of Ekalavu? “Ekalavya is the hero of the ancient Indian epic Mahabharata, the son of Hiranyadhanus, the king of nishadhas, a young prince who wanted to become a disciple of Drona. Since the nishadhi were a non-Aryan, barbarian tribe, Drona did not accept him as a student. Ekalavya, head down from Drona's footsteps, retired to the forest. In the forest, without the knowledge or consent of Drona, Ekalavia molded his teacher's murti from clay and turning to him for advice, began to train in archery, while observing strict discipline. Soon, the purposeful Ekalavia gained incredible speed in handling bow and arrows and turned into a skilled warrior, equal to Arjuna in skill and valor. ” (further you can read)
It is impossible to wait for the Teacher to come, when the Spiritual Mentor will appear. Even if He appears and shows us the way, how will we go if we have not tried to take a step before? One must practice something, but every day. Asanas, pranayama. Pray. Meditate - as we understand, the way it turns out. Read texts, read Yoga Sutras, Bhagavad Gita, Gospel. Do not look outside. And build yourself from the inside out. Build a foundation. And this is a draft work, ungrateful - and when a beautiful house is built on it, everyone forgets the foundation. Does this mean that you can build a house right on the sand? And hope that he can stand?
And then, then Master will appear. If not in this life - then in the next. And what's the difference, when? Will appear. 😉
Not criticism, but our flower of hello, could we bring each other
Other hearts, like the Temples of Light, learn to understand and love.
To assure us that in every heart we meet, the Truth sends us a lesson:
Not a friend, not an enemy, but only the Eternal Teacher, anyone who comes in, even for a short time.
(M. Ozolina, Riga)
“In all your labors, look to the root and deepen the good” John of Kronstad
Every thought of Good and Beauty is already an arrow of the Clear Light ... Therefore, we will learn to think together about Good. Agree ???
- What is the relationship between teacher and student?
The most diverse. A single model does not exist here.
True, if we distract from a specific Teacher and a specific student (which, in general, is correct, because each Teacher has his own Teacher, that one has his own, and so on to infinity) and focus on the generalized image of the Teacher with a capital letter, then which some basic principles you can still try to highlight.
Pupils, obviously, can be divided into two groups.
The first is those that act alongside the Teacher. Following the instructions of the Master, whom they see and hear directly, they work out the karma of obedience.
The second - those that act away from the Teacher, not seeing and not hearing him directly. They work out the karma of initiative.
It is clear that the second karma is preferable, because it is believed that the student helps the Teacher to the greatest extent not when, when he lives and acts near Him, but when he has matured to complete self-control and can be sent alone to the thick of people, in the thickness of their passions and sorrows.
And in this case, a person is not only accustomed to independence. It is believed that with proper spiritual orientation in it, inner vision and inner hearing are sharpened. Far from the Teacher, starting any business, preparing himself for a working condition, the student should focus his thoughts on the Teacher, and also collect all his attention and all the fullness of feelings and thoughts only on what he is going to do. As you can see, this is not mysticism at all, but concentration and utmost concentration of attention.
Some student rules exist.
They sound like this:
- Here are three testaments of life and work:
1. Do not repeat, but repeat.
2. Go forward, but remember others.
3. Do not doubt that Teacher is nearby.
Doubt about betrayal is equal.
Some people take the word “apprenticeship” too literally, drawing in their imagination a school (certainly in a quiet, secluded place), almost student desks, a good mentor. Closeness to the Teacher is portrayed by him as a kind of holiday vacation. And she, this closeness, is kept only by constant, intense everyday work, which, under the impulse of the Teacher, becomes only more intense.
They tirelessly say the same thing: that in the discipleship they do not stand still. If you made someone a living example for yourself, if you chose someone as your Teacher, then be kind enough to keep up with Him. To lag behind the Teacher means to enslave oneself in superstitions and prejudices. To prevent this from happening, again full and disinterested dedication to the work shared with the Master is required.
The path to the Master seems to be wide open. And meetings with them are rare. It is believed that, among other things, another lively prejudice interferes with us - it is developed among beginners, but not only among them - the desire to see the Teacher in some kind of fabulous guise. A wise saying is completely forgotten: "It is necessary that the ant be a messenger."
So it turns out that some people all the time dream of the Teacher, the path with him and life near him. And when, in one way or another, they approach the path on which they can meet the Teacher, they begin to deny this path, criticize it, something in it does not suit them. And it turns out that it was not the message that came to them that was important to them, but the ant that brought it. Their attention is concentrated on the ant and on their own spiritual cleverness, which is nothing more than spiritual squalor.
Himalayan Teachers believe that no one can be raised to a higher level. You can only provide everyone with every opportunity to rise higher, serving as a living example.
The spirit of man is ready, he matured, and a new form of labor and activity is ready for him. Everything rests on the eternal law:
READY STUDENT - READY TO HIM AND TEACHER.
I will be glad to receive all your feedback and feedback ... Write!
Recently, I talked on the phone with my old friend, whose connection with the phone broke for almost ten years.
She is going through a difficult period in her life, which includes selling a house and engaging in an unloved affair. The most interesting thing is that I was going through a similar period when we last talked to her. Thus, the sudden re-establishment of contact with her over the phone seemed no coincidence. I shared with her what they once told me when I was in crisis. These words changed my life in due time. They caused her the same reaction that I once had.
The power of the word heard at the right time
This made me think about how strongly the words heard at the right time can change my thinking in an instant.
“When the student is ready, the teacher will appear on his own.” - Lao Tzu
I shared my experience with her. In 2008, I, like many others, lost my job and for almost two years interrupted casual work. I tried to save my house. At that time, my support and support was Lisa Gould, my friend and financial adviser. We often discussed various alternatives, but I literally clung to my home.
I clung to a familiar life. I loved that house, it became a part of me. He gave my life a meaning that was determined by habits, upbringing, stories about the American dream and the belief that home ownership is an integral part of the life of a successful adult. I felt like a failure who was unable to keep my own home.
Question
When I discussed this with Lisa, she said: “Why don't you tune in to success instead of defending yourself against failure?”
“Wait what? Please repeat, ”I said in perplexity.
“Why don't you tune in to success instead of defending yourself against failure?”
I still remember where I was when I heard these words. Something happened in my body. I felt the blood rush to my face. I was shocked, as if I had a lot of opportunities. A shift has occurred in my thinking.
The reason it had such a strong effect on me at that moment was because I was ready to hear and accept these words. It is then that a shift in thinking occurs. Until she told me this, I didn’t notice what I was actually doing, namely: trying, like crazy, to protect myself from failure.
Failure protection
This is similar to trying to stop the bleeding with a band-aid that does not hold. You are constantly in a state of shame and fear. “What will other people say?” - you think and continue to wait for the trick. This is a painful vicious circle leading to death. You feel like a failure.
Since what you are focusing on can expand, attempts to defend yourself against failure focus your attention on the approach of failure.
The spirit of success
It involves evaluating the present, anticipating the future, reducing losses and further advancement; there should be no shackles holding you back. It is the realization that your circumstances do not determine you. The steps you take to deal with them are important. The mood for success revolves around intention. When you intend to succeed, he will not keep you waiting.
Gary Sukav in his book “The Abode of the Soul” writes: “ You create reality with your own intentions.". So, if your intention is to protect yourself from failure, then you will remain in this state. If your intention is to always make choices that lead to self-realization and success, then you will live in this state.
Then it radically changed everything in my life. Literally at that moment, my house turned into supports, bricks and mortar. These words saved me from the emotions to which I became so attached. Emotions are what linked shame and fear of failure. In thinking to succeed, this has become what has set me free.
Was it hard? How to say. I had to survive the sale of a house. As soon as this happened, I felt like I was getting rid of the chains that held me back in many ways. When your thinking changes, the same thing happens with your life.
I AM I often remind myself of Lisa’s words and share them with those who need help. They benefit my life. I fully realized and accepted them. They became my mantra - in work, in relationships, in everything.
The following is a complete quote from Lao Tzu: “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear on his own. When the student is truly ready, the teacher will disappear. ”. published.
If you have any questions about this topic, ask them to specialists and readers of our project. .
