I’m Not Looking For a Perfect Student

Personally, I am not so interested in how good a student is at the moment, since I know they are not a buddha or bodhisattva yet. If they were perfect already there would be no point for them to rely on me as a lama. The quality I look for in a student is the earnestness to see their own faults and a willingness to change. When I see that, I feel there is hope for them. It also makes me feel that they must have some degree of faith in me, since they will be open to what I say when I try to point out the faults that they are blind to. This gives me the confidence I need to guide them along the path (although, whether I myself have the intelligence to be able to do that is a different matter). Anyway, with that type of student, I feel that if I tell them what to do or not to do, they will follow it, which is the only way I will be able to benefit them.

In general, this is so important when you are relying on someone as a mentor. They have to trust that you are open and receptive to what they say in order for them to be able to tell you what they really think. This is especially important in the dharma.

Nowadays, many lamas don’t even dare to teach the true dharma to you, since they know that many of those who are seated in the audience do not to want to hear it. They only want to have their own ideas confirmed. And that is a great loss to you.

November 2022, Thrangu Sekhar Retreat Centre, Nepal