Jamgon Kongtrul - The Teacher-Student Relationship

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THE TEACHER-STUDENT RELATIONSHIP

A Translation of

The Explanation of the Master and Student Relationship, How to Follow the Master, and How to Teach and Listen to the Dharma

Jamgn Kongtrul Lodr Thay

Foreword by Lama Tharchin Rinpoche

Introduction by Gyatrul Rinpoche

Translated and Introduced by Ron Garry

Snow Lion

Boulder

Snow Lion

An imprint of Shambhala Publications, Inc.

4720 Walnut Street

Boulder, Colorado 80301

www.shambhala.com

1999 by Ron Garry

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Cover design: Jesse Townsley/Sidney Piburn

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Ko-sprul Blo-gros-mtha-yas, 1813-1899.

[es bya kun khyab. English]

The teacher-student relationship: a translation of the explanation of the master and student relationship, how to follow the master, and how to teach and listen to the dharma / Jamgn Kongtrul Lodr Thay; foreword by Lama Tharchin Rinpoche; introduction by Gyatrul Rinpoche; translated and introduced by Ron Garry.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references.

eISBN 9780834841253

ISBN 9781559390965 (alk. paper)

1. Teacher-student relationshipsReligious aspectsBuddhism. 2. Spiritual lifeBuddhism. 3. BuddhismChinaTibetDoctrines. I. Garry, Ron, 1955-. II. Title.

BQ7756.K6513 1997

294.361dc21

98-35834

CIP

All the siddhis of the profound secret mantra arise from following the lama, and not from anywhere else.

H.H. Dudjom Rinpoche

There is no mention in any of the sutras, tantras, or commentaries of anyone accomplishing buddhahood without following a lama. It can be seen that no one has attained the noble qualities of the levels and paths by their own creation and conjecture. Similarly, all sentient beings, including ourselves, are very good at following the wrong path.

Patrul Rinpoche

Homage to Guru Padmasambhava

Lama Padmasambhava-la chag tsal lo

by Lama Tharchin Rinpoche

I am very pleased with this work of Yeshe Nyima (Ron Garry) because it fulfills a need of Western students for a comprehensive manual explaining all aspects of the relationship between the wisdom teacher and the student. During these degenerate times, and especially in the West, we do not even have the concept of how to develop our buddha-nature because due to our point of view we focus all of our energy and abilities upon material things. The end result of this approach is that our precious buddha-nature never gets touched, resulting in suffering, especially mental suffering, that never seems to end.

I highly recommend this book because it shows us in a clear and concise way how to create and nurture this relationshipincluding the necessity of having a wisdom teacher, the qualities needed by both the wisdom teacher and the student, and how we can relate properly and effectively with our wisdom teacher. The wisdom teacher and student relationship is the only method that aids us in awakening our own buddha-nature, which is the main point of all spiritual practice. Without this relationship there is no way to attain buddhahood. So for people like us who have not as yet realized buddhahood, attempting to do so without a wisdom teacher who has fully developed wisdom and a compassionate mind is entirely futile and will leave us utterly lost.

My lama has said that in ancient times all people concentrated on practicing the dharma and in conversations spoke often of the life stories of sublime beings. But now the signs of degenerating times abound. People no longer speak of their wisdom teacher in their conversations, but instead all they talk about is my horse, my dog, my cat, etc. This is a clear sign that the methods for developing wisdom mind are in decline.

We are very fortunate that due to the efforts of Yeshe Nyima a detailed elucidation of the relationship between the wisdom teacher and the student is now available. This current translation of Kongtrul Rinpoches work, along with the commentary drawn from some of the great masters of the Vajrayana tradition, is a manual on the wisdom teacher and student relationship for the dharma practitioner; and because this relationship is the foundation for all Vajrayana practice, I wish that its timely release will be of great benefit to all practitioners in the West.

Offered by the tenth lineage holder of the Kyang Lung Worn Tsang, in Repkong, eastern Tibet, who has taken the form of the ngagpa yogi, at Verna Osel Ling, Santa Cruz Mountains, California

by Gyatrul Rinpoche

Tibetan Buddhism has taken root in Western countries due to the contributions of Western spiritual seekers as well as their Tibetan teachers. Twenty-five to thirty years ago, the seeds were sown when many Western college graduates and others journeyed to the East, in search of lifes inner meaning. Arriving in India, Nepal, China, and other bordering countries, these Western pilgrims made contact with some of the greatest teachers of the East, many of whom are no longer with us in the flesh. These spiritual quests coincided with the arrival of Tibetan refugees on Indian and Nepalese soil, so that the opportunity to spend time with masters as great as H.H. the Dalai Lama, Konjur Rinpoche, the Karmapa, Kunnu Lama, and so many others was at hand. As the Western students met with these great masters of all four lineages (Nyingma, Kagyu, Sakya, and Gelug), they posed many questions, received answers, and began to develop the three wisdoms of hearing, contemplating, and meditating.

During these important transitional years the wealth of the Buddhist canon as preserved in Tibet was reprinted in New Delhi and distributed to important libraries and institutions worldwide. In this way, the complete collected works of the kama (bka-ma), terma igter-ma), and other important lineages became available in university libraries around the United States. Many Western scholars had the opportunity to invite prominent Tibetan scholars and meditation masters to the West, providing the opportunity to study and learn the contents of these invaluable manuscripts. All of this was possible because of those original pioneers of the dharma and the opportunity provided by the educational systems in the West. Soon after, several important teachers came to the West to live, foremost of whom were Chogyam Trungpa and Tarthang Tulku. This paved the way for their teachers, H. H. the Karmapa and H.H. Dudjom Rinpoche, to come to America. Many great and highly realized teachers followed, including H.H. the Dalai Lama.

The students who extended invitations to these teachers did not do so out of worldly concern. Their interests, although varied, were in all cases to learn from the vast knowledge preserved within the Tibetan civilization. From 1972 until now, hundreds and thousands of volumes of literature containing the wisdom of Tibet, including Buddhism, have been translated into Western languages by these students who took the time to develop the three levels of wisdom.