Why I Don’t Teach Meditation

I'm often asked to teach meditation (Mahamudra and Dzogchen) by the organisers of the different centres who invite me when I travel. It has been quite normal for these teachings to be given by travelling lamas who visit the West and Hong Kong, Taiwan, etc. Falling in line with what has become the norm, I, too, have started to talk about these topics.

This is not how things were done in Tibet. Maybe even today, such meditation teachings are not given publicly. In the region where I originate, only the older lamas, with deep and rich meditative experience, give meditation teachings. By this standard, I would still be considered too young; it would be another decade or so before I would teach, even were I qualified to do so, which I am not.

Have I received meditation teachings? Yes, a lot. Have I practised them? Yes, for many years. Am I fit to pass them on to others? No. This is clear.

When Gampopa asked Milarepa when he should start teaching students, Milarepa said, "At some point in the future, you will attain an as of yet unattained level of realisation and faith, by which you will see me, this old father of yours, as an actual buddha. Only then should you start to gather disciples." So, that is the benchmark established very clearly by Milarepa.

I know many of you have received meditation teachings in the dharma centres and other public teachings, but most of those teachings were similar to the education I received at Tongji University (one of the top universities in China). I studied Chinese at this esteemed university, whose name inspires awe in people in the Chinese-speaking world. But I studied in their international students programme, which offers classes in beginner Chinese, similar to what is given to small children who are just learning the alphabet, etc. But when you say the university's name, it sounds like I received the highest of educations.

Although I talk a bit about meditation here and in other places I visit, I don't teach meditation to the Western and Chinese students in the retreat centre. Not long ago, many of them were pushing me to teach them meditation (give mind instructions), but that has simmered down now.

It is not that I don't teach the retreatants; I teach them for four hours every day. But my initial focus is to teach them to become Buddhists and then dharma people, and only then do I expect them to be fit for the meditation teachings.

One of the reasons I don't talk about meditation to them is that I think there is a chance that one day, they might actually be able to receive and understand the meditation teachings authentically. I hold higher hopes for them being able to do this than for most of you (Rinpoche addresses those in attendance on a short retreat), who are busy with your jobs and careers and can only put a little time aside for dharma each year.

The Westerners and Chinese in the retreat centre have dropped their worldly activities to dedicate their lives to the dharma. Many of them have already been in retreat for six, seven, eight years or longer and are committed to spending many years in retreat, some of them to life retreat. With the way of thinking that inspires them to stay in retreat, their minds are more likely heading in the direction that will enable them to understand meditation one day.

Drupon Khen Rinpoche

03.10.2023