I've been reading about teachers. About the recent hisory of Buddhism in the West. About Europeans and Americans who travelled to Japan and India to find a practice and a teacher. About the challenges ethnic Buddhist teachers have when their pupils are from the West, especially when they themselves move to the West. And about the challenges Western teachers have introducing Dharma to their own cultures.
One thing is very striking: all these stories I have read about those who are searching for a practice illustrate individuals who have expectations. Expectations to themselves and the practice, certainly --- but most especially: expectations regarding their teachers. I've seen it here at the monastery, too. An expectation that the teacher is "perfect" or somehow, that because he/she has woken up to Buddha's way and is "enlightened," that no mistakes can be made, that everything is totally clear. And, after all, "perfect" is based on our own judgements and ideas --- there is no perfect!
After a particular bit of drama, my own teacher, very affected by this singular chain of events, cried, "I am just a man on the Way! I, too, have my karma." Some of his students wouldn't listen, expecting some kind of omniscience, I suppose. Seeing this man work, eat, and rest every day, I have complete faith in him and the Way we are walking.
I have also read descriptions of how some teachers seem to propogate idealization by, among other things, letting senior monks and nuns "do the dirty work" or simply by not allowing close access. This is also part of a system of training in some traditions, so I suppose there is a real purpose here, too.
I am just very grateful that there are people, dedicated to the Dharma in such a way that they can't do anything but help us!
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I think it has to do with the Cinderella complex - all want to 'live happily ever after', and if the teacher appears not to 'live happily ever after', then he / she is clearly not leading the way ;)
In my experience, the two things people just don't want to hear about Buddhism is (1) that it is not a way of 'happily ever after' as we usually know 'happy', and (2) that you actually have to do the work yourself - not just once and for all, but every single moment.
I think what I read about was more a kind of double morality. Kind of like, "I can mess up, but a teacher? Never!"
It was especially 2 stories that got to me. One was about the dilemna that a student meets when his teacher dies and the student then continues to study with the "next generation", who their teacher has approved as having gotten IT. And when this new teacher doesn't quite seem the same, as capable or as mature, the student can't understand it, thinking that this teacher MUST be "as good" as my original teacher.
And then there's the case of the teacher who doesn't quite seem to be as "pure" as the student's picture of an enlightened man...
Judgements, judgements...
And yes, you are so right about having to do the work yourself - not just once and for all, but every single moment. Boy, does that get people going!
And today I realized that often a student doesn't give his life to this and, instead of trusting the teacher, argues with him/her. As though the teacher doesn't really have more of a clue than onesself...
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