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The Mahayana Sutra, Maitreya’s Abhisamayalamkara, describes these ten qualities that a Mahayana teacher should possess.

1 A mind subdued: through the higher training of morality

2 A mind pacified: through the higher training of concentration

3 A mind thoroughly pacified: through the higher training of wisdom

4 More qualities than the disciple

5 Perseverance: in working for others

6 A wealth of scriptural knowledge: oral transmission and study

7 A realization of emptiness according to the view of the Prasangika school

8 Skill in teaching: according to the different levels of the disciples

9 Love: for all beings in general and the disciples in particular

10 No sense of weariness in teaching even the most difficult of disciples.

Westerners sometimes think monks and nuns are holy. We’re not holy; we’re just trying.

LAMA YESHE

When I met my guru, Lama Kyabje Zopa Rinpoche, I was particularly taken by his abject humility, which is such an integral part of his whole being. And there is a special kind of joyousness in the way he speaks – laughter is never far from the corners of his eyes and mouth. I was quite bowled over, and I also felt rather humbled.

I had brought to our meeting all the negative baggage of a lifetime’s worth of posturing and self-cherishing. There was a skepticism within me borne of the conviction that “I had seen it all …” – the kind of arrogance you find in anyone who has tasted success, power, and wealth. I really was rather full of myself! And I smoked like a chimney.

Lama Kyabje Zopa Rinpoche.

In Bodhgaya I was politely requested not to smoke in the presence of the high lama, and I recall slinking to the back of the building to light a cigarette every few hours. But here is the miracle. Soon after I returned from India I never touched another cigarette, and I have not smoked since. It was several months later that I realized that quitting smoking had something to do with meeting Lama Kyabje Zopa Rinpoche. Yet when I attempted to thank him, he did not even acknowledge that he had anything to do with it – that is the extent of his humility. Later there were many instances of Rinpoche’s clairvoyance and his seemingly effortless ability to read my mind and know what I was about to say, before I gave voice to my thoughts. Yet each time I make reference to his “powerful magic,” he will roar with laughter.

Since then I have come to realize that this is the way of high lamas. They are so incredibly humble that they never acknowledge their yogic powers. They create all kinds of phenomena, offer wise advice, demonstrate incredible clairvoyance, create cures, and heal many hearts by advising on spiritual practices, prayers, and mantras – yet they never take credit for the miraculous results that ensue. Lam Kyabje Zopa Rinpoche is always happy, no matter what time of the day or night and what problems have been placed before him. His mind is never troubled. And I have never seen him refuse to help anyone.

At first I developed a genuine respect for Rinpoche’s awesome knowledge of the Dharma and his obvious goodness, but over time I came to see him as something much more than just a teacher. Each time he speaks to me, it is as if the Buddha is speaking directly to me:

The guru is the root of the path

He is the source of all my good.

Finding a lama and taking yourself to him in the correct way is the first step on the spiritual journey to enlightenment. It is like building a house: when the foundations are strong, the house is solid and lasts a long time. Or like a tree: when the roots are planted firmly in the ground, the tree grows steadily and strong, producing healthy fruit and flowers. Think seriously about this.

Perhaps one of the most wonderful lamas of our contemporary age is His Holiness the Dalai Lama, whom Lama Kyabje Zopa Rinpoche reveres as an emanation of the Compassion Buddha, Chenrezig (see Chapter 5). Speak to anyone who has ever been in the presence of His Holiness and they will describe the aura of purity and goodness that emanates from him. He appears so humble and ordinary, so approachable and full of happiness, and yet the world knows the sufferings he has had to endure on behalf of his people. Yet he is unswerving in his conviction that violence and animosity are not the way to deal with problems. The Dalai Lama truly exhibits all the qualities of the Compassion Buddha.

A modern thangka painting showing Lama Tsongkhapa (left), Shakyamuni Buddha (center), and His Holiness the Dalai Lama (right).

Let me share with you a story that I heard about the Dalai Lama. Once, when he was teaching in America, one of the questions posed to him was “You must be a most highly realized person. Some say you are the Buddha Chenrezig – can you confirm this?” And His Holiness replied, “I am but a humble monk.” Hearing this, the questioner replied sadly, “If that is all you are, then what hope is there for the rest of us? How can we ever reach the state of high realization – let alone enlightenment – if you, such a high being, are still only a humble monk?”

Seeing the genuine dejection in the eyes of the student, His Holiness seemed to reflect for a moment before saying, “Well, sometimes when I contemplate, it seems that I remember the time I drove the chariot that took Buddha on the tour of the city … the time he met up with old age, sickness, and death …”

That was as much as His Holiness said on the subject, and those of us who heard this story have often wondered how many other high lamas once lived with the Buddha in Bodhgaya and were among those who attained enlightenment under his teaching.

* enemies of the mind.