THE PROBLEM WITH LEARNING DHARMA
By Michael Erlewine
[This article pertains to learning the more advanced forms of meditation which are called ‘Non-Meditation.”
Dharma practice is not like practicing a musical instrument, such as a guitar. With practicing playing a guitar, we of course have to learn the frets, tuning, notes, and so forth. However, we also can put on any guitar player’s music we admire on the audio system and actually listen to what we are trying to learn.
With dharma practice and learning it, we have nothing similar to playing a CD or DVD that will acquaint us with what enlightenment or any kind of realization sounds or looks like. We have no experience and barely an idea until we actually have the realization or enlightenment for ourselves.
And so, as mentioned, although we find ourselves practicing dharma, we have yet no actual experience or idea what it is that we are trying to achieve with our dharma practice. I find this problem handicapping and particularly difficult to solve.
Having myself increasingly become more practiced and skilled in the dharma, starting back in the late 1950s, I came to respect what I detailed above about having no idea what our goal looks like or what actual experience, much less realization, would be like. How do we solve this?
The traditional answer to this seems to be unpopular with Americans because, so it seems, we like to believe we can do anything we want to all by ourselves. Umm, yeah. Wishful thinking, IMO. I tried that.
I know from my own struggles to match my dharma expectations and anticipations to reality, that actual practice brought with it very mixed results. Certainty and confirmation of dharma progress can be very hard to get.
I was often so wrong as to my expectations, that it’s almost like I had to figure this out all by myself because the teachings seldom matched up to my experiences, and as for ‘realization’, good luck. And it’s true that with the dharma, we each have to turn the wheel of the dharma by ourselves, because no one can turn it for us, not even the Buddha. That’s the whole point. Dharma is do it yourself only.
However, there is a traditional solution to all this, although as mentioned above, this is not a solution most Americans cater to, and that is: find an authentic dharma teacher or guide to help us find our way. They do exist, but we would have to look.
This is not just an alternative option, but rather this is ‘THE” required option passed down through the ages: secure an authentic guide or dharma teacher and work closely with them. The pith teachings go so far as to say this is the ONLY possibility and that without it, we are going, well, practically nowhere with our dharma. Read that again, please.
And I speak from bitter experience. Early on, I was convinced that this dharma stuff, whatever it is (I had little idea) has to be able to be figured out and that I could do it. And of course, I tried. And I tried and I tried and I tried.
And I even got some of it figured out. I did, but by and large I did not and could not do so without guidance. And that’s what I discovered after years of effort.
Perhaps we are too proud to ask an authentic dharma teacher for help, or are we too shy to ask, or just too lazy to go through the steps of finding an authentic guide. Ask yourself?
Or perhaps we are content with just casting our bread upon the waters of life and letting what comes. Or our attitude is that fate will be a case of “Que Sera Sera” (whatever will be will be). Perhaps we just don’t care to put that kind of effort into the dharma.
Again: you can ask yourself.
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In my own case, I eventually figured out that in fact I needed help, and set about finding a dharma teacher that I felt was authentic. And I went through a string of dharma teachers, including meeting the 14th Dalai Lama face to face, the 16th Karmapa (Rangjung Rigpe Dorje), Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, the 17th Karmapa (Ogyen Trinley Dorje), and a great many others, all very authentic dharma teachers. I met them all.
Of course, I learned from each of the above mentioned dharma teachers, all different and all authentic. For example, just because the Dalai Lama is the Dalai Lama does not mean our vibes synchronize. I loved meeting him, but did something click? No.
Instead, I first meshed perfectly with the Ven. Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche, the abbot of KTD (Karma Triyana Dharmachakra) monastery. Who can explain it. I just instinctively knew I could learn from this dharma teacher, and I did, for 36 years. I was a devoted student.
And so, you get my point. We have to actually reach out, search for, and find a dharma teacher we ‘vibe’ with and who will accept us as a student. If we can’t do that, well, then we can’t and must continue on just as we are. It is up to us.
[Midjourney graphic prompted by me.]
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“As Bodhicitta is so precious,
May those without it now create it,
May those who have it not destroy it,
And may it ever grow and flourish.”
