The Guru Principle by Shenpen Hookham

Author:Shenpen Hookham [Hookham, Shenpen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Shambhala
Published: 2021-08-17T00:00:00+00:00

Authorization to Teach Doctrine

Although academic institutions try to maintain a certain level of objectivity when authorizing the teaching of Buddhist doctrine, they are always making certain assumptions, some of which might later turn out to be wrong. Many points of controversy have been argued over since the time of the Buddha. Some of these are quite far-reaching in their implications. Since so much has been disputed over 2,500 years of Buddhist history, we might reasonably wonder whose authority to accept when it comes to authorizing teachers of Buddhism. We are right to be wary. Which version of Buddhism are we to assume to be the right one? Which translations and commentaries are the most reliable from an impartial point of view? There are standards by which one can judge whether what a teacher is saying is coming from a respected source or not. Still, even among those following the same sources, traditional interpretations can be radically different. It is for the student to use their critical faculties and stay alert, just as in every subject in the Western academic curriculum.

In academic institutions, there has to be a hierarchy of teachers and a mechanism for appointing them to teach at different levels and in different areas. The same applies in monastic and nonmonastic sanghas. Knowledge of doctrinal matters and textual sources can be examined and assessed in a relatively straightforward way. When teaching in the role of a Western academic, one has to be careful about adhering to Western academic standards and discipline, which might mean making sure one’s teaching role doesn’t stray into any kind of proselytizing or spiritual guidance.

Nevertheless, unless they are pure academics, most Buddhist teachers try to combine theory and practice in their teachings, whether at live events or in online courses. Where students have no closer access to these teachers personally than they do to the authors of books, the question of what the teacher-student relationship means in these situations doesn’t really arise. Nonetheless, students can develop strong feelings of love and gratitude to teachers and writers whose words have affected them deeply. We cannot deny that this is also the guru principle and the mandala of awakening at work in the world.

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