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[This version: 18 March 1994]
----------------------------------------------------------------------- (C) by Stephen Echard-Musgrave -----------------------------------------------------------------------From: gary.ray@tigerteam.org (GARY RAY)Subject: Practice PrerequisiteTo: zendo@lysator.liu.seDate: Wed, 16 Mar 1994 22:39:00 GMTOrganization: Tiger Team Information Network (510) 268-0102PREREQUISITES TO SPIRITUAL PRACTICEBy: Stephen Echard-Musgrave RoshiFROM: Magical Blend, Jan-Apr 1990Re-printed with permission ==================================================================Stephen ECHARD- MUSGRAVE Roshi is a Zen master in the Soto traditionof Japan, and has also received teaching sanction from the Korean,Vietnamese, and Chinese traditions of Zen Buddhism. Echard Roshiteaches at the Zen Institute of San Diego (619) 582-9888.- G.Ray================================================================== Every teacher has problem students. There is not a Zencenter, ashram, church or temple that does not have a few memberswho have an unusually hard time adapting to their practice and tofellow students. The problem seems to be that most of these people are not properly prepared to begin spiritual discipline. Theyexpect the discipline to provide them with on-the-job training inemotional maturity. Unfortunately, no matter how compassionate the teacher may be,he or she cannot devote the extraordinary amount of time and energyneeded to parent a student to maturity. And, if it is a problemfor the teacher to find the right student, it is equally difficultfor the student to find the right teacher and tradition. There ismuch in this society that leads one away from the path of wisdomand into inappropriate ways of living,and some of these diversionscan be mistaken for the path itself. Confronted with all this, itis easy to become confused. Sometimes the journey appears to be anendless labyrinth composed of countless potential paths. While I cannot lay out a simple road map for the spiritualsearch, there are certain guidelines and tools which might helpsomeone in beginning a spiritual journey. First, spiritual seekersmust develop a working knowledge of their own personality. Theymust understand their own spiritual history and how it affectstheir actions both consciously and unconsciously. To do this, onehas to be honest, capable of self-analysis, and willing to take theperilous journey of psychic discovery. Because the power of the unconscious is formidable, a guide ishighly recommended, but should one feel confident enough toundertake this journey without professional support, a trustedfriend may be chosen as a guide. It is important, however, that this friend should not have a natural agenda towards the student,such as a parent, lover or spouse does. Also helpful are suchtechniques as dream analysis, journal therapy, or some other formof self-analysis because spiritual exercises, like physicalexercises, is best preceded by a short period of preparation orwarm-up to achieve maximum benefits. In circumstances where thespiritual practice to be engaged in is particularly rigorous, suchas ritual magic, Zen or Tibetan Buddhism, it is better to use aprofessional who is well-versed in the discipline of psychologicalanalysis. In undergoing the process of self-analysis, it is importantthat we try to remove ourselves from excessive attachment toemotion and emotive states. The goal of the process is not to getourselves in touch with feelings, but to free ourselves from thosefeelings. Personal feelings are different from emotions. Emotions arenatural responses to primary situations. Personal feelings aresecondary responses attached to both conceptual and emotional frameworks that interfere with our self-understanding, darkeningthe path of self- understanding instead of illuminating it. Whereasemotion involves an organic, instantaneous, natural response tostimuli, personal feeling is a complex of emotional memory thatdoes not allow for intermediate response to the moment without referencing its own complete matrix. Freeing oneself of personalfeelings allows a simpler, more direct emotional relationship tolife. When emotion is no longer interrupted in the present bypatterns of the past, we are free to experience our life in anorganic way instead of through the bondage of pathologicalconditioning. This does not mean that we cripple our memory; weare still capable of recapturing past emotions. It is simply thatthese past emotions are no longer able to disrupt our life throughcreating negative patterns of conditioning. The only way one can accomplish this liberation is through thesystematic unearthing of these emotive patterns. This must be donein a controlled environment that helps to separate emotions fromthe conceptual framework in which they reside. And since what weare doing is defusing our memory; we should take the same care asif we were on a bomb squad, because if we try this without theproper preparation and diligence it will have the same explosiveresult. Only after one has gained a reasonable level of maturity is ittime to take up the challenge of the deeper spiritual paths. This does not mean we cannot begin the preliminary spiritual practicesinvolving correct moral action, devotion, mindfulness, etc. It issimply that we proceed cautiously into those disciplines whosepractice involves direct confrontation with our view of self whenthat self is still fragile for us. How can we know if we have reached a sufficient level of egodevelopment to attempt a path of self-transcendence? There arecertain key questions that one can ask oneself, the answers towhich are indicative of maturity level. The questions ofimportance are: 1. Are you easily offended? Do situations or people that you disagree with make you feel threatened or angry? 2. Are you easily bored? Do you have trouble simply being without the presence of an underlying level of discontent? 3. Do you lack discipline? Do you find it impossible to set realistic goals and achieve them? 4. Do you lack direction? Do you have problems figuring out what it is that you should be doing in your life? 5. Do you love potential and disregard actuality? Do you live in a world of daydreams and fantasy, and ponder deep metaphysical subjects at the expense of everyday "taking care of business?" 6. Are you unable to accept the dark side of life? Do death, disease and violence completely "throw you for a loop?" Do you assiduously avoid any contact with them? If you find that you have problems in several of these areassevere enough to interfere with the quality of your life, then youshould reconsider whether you are ready to undergo a seriousspiritual discipline. Perhaps it would be wiser to start with apsychological discipline such as Jungian analysis or journaltherapy, to get the requisite support necessary to master the smallself while pursuing the larger self in spiritual practice. The next step in development is choosing the path that onewill follow. The knowledge gained in self-introspection and/ortherapy should be used as a guide in choosing the spiritualdiscipline. Of course, one should not want to enter a disciplinewith which one did not have a heartfelt rapport, but one should becertain that this attraction is not just an aesthetic preference,but a decision grounded in understanding. One should not, forinstance, enter a tradition that requires strict and strenuousself-discipline from the onset if one's self-analysis has shown alack of discipline. It is not the role of spiritual training tocure character flaws; that is the role of counseling. If a personshould attempt this discipline before they are ready, they wouldsurely fail. In doing so, they would cause a good deal ofdisruption in their spiritual community as well. It would bebetter to find a spiritual tradition which is demanding but allowsa steady progression of the individual through the discipline. While it is often necessary to place questions on hold whiletaking instruction, we still must be able to use common sense. Inmy experience, any discipline which requires you to violate commonsense consistently is a discipline to avoid. While it is true thatsome traditions do use non-rational techniques such as Zen Koans intraining, these traditions do not advocate abandoning the use ofreason in daily life. One should also determine which aspects of spiritual practiceare essential to spiritual growth and which are peripheral. Thoseaspects of practice which are of peripheral importance should be treated as such. Many forms and manners of spiritual traditionsare merely remnants of cultural tradition instead of essentialelements of spiritual practice. It is not unusual for people to value the trappings of aspiritual tradition more than its content. In this bland andamorphic culture we live in, the experience of ancient forms ofworship, which are often rich in ritual, and full of brocade,incense, and antiquity, can be quite intoxicating. While there isnothing wrong with drinking in the sensuality of life, we do notwant to get so drunk that we lose perspective. Another thing toconsider is that it is much easier to put on a colored robe andshave your head than it is to change what is inside you. Self-transformation is not always self-evident, and it carries norequisite external reward sufficient to hold the attention ofweaker students. I always try to remind my students that they should becomepractitioners, not "true believers." True Believers tend to getlost in doctrine at the expense of practice. If one spends all dayreading the maps, one will not have time to take the trip. And ifone gets caught up in the infinite realms of potential, one canspend an extraordinary amount of time dealing with fantasy andarcane esoteric doctrines that would take all three Buddhas and a rabbi a millennia to sort out. If I might offer some further advice for students planning toengage in spiritual discipline, it would be in the choice of a teacher. It is better to look for a teacher who is extraordinarynot in personality, but in conduct. Look for a person who iscentered! A gentle person, humble, open and compassionate withfirm self-discipline. This person also should not have an extensiveattachment to money. Spiritual instruction should never be expensive. It is also true that a spiritual tradition that has atemple or church needs the support of its members. Therefore, youshould invest your finances with the same intelligence as youinvest your time and energy in your practice. To put it simply,don't be cheap, and don't be stupid, either. The qualities of enlightenment are not the magical powers orpsychic sideshow of the fakir. The magical is a window between thenuminous realm and our practice. A good definition of magic is thepenetration of the phenomenal realm by the numinous that revealsthe significance of life. Such experiences have great potentialfor giving personal spiritual illumination, but if one attachesoneself to *external magic* (the phantasmagoria itself) one willbecome lost in it. Spiritual practitioners, after all, will berequired to live their own lives in this world, and in this timeand place. The value of practice is in the here an now, no inancient Egypt, Tibet, China or Atlantis. Without question, theperson we look to for guidance in the spiritual realm should beable to live in this same modern world with us, in freedom andpower, without rejecting any of it. Among the teachings of Tibet's great sage Milarepa, there isa listing of ten signs of the Superior Person. I do not think onecan find a better guide for choosing a spiritual preceptor thanthese: 1. To have little pride and envy is the sign of the superior person. 2. To have few desires and satisfaction with simple things is the sign of the superior person. 3. To be lacking in hypocrisy and deceit is the sign of the superior person. 4. To regulate one's conduct in accordance with the law of cause and effect as carefully as one would guard the pupils of one's eyes is the sign of the superior person. 5. To be faithful in one's engagement and obligations is the sign of the superior person. 6. To be able to keep alive friendships while regarding all beings with impartiality is the sign of the superior person. 7. To look with pity and without anger upon those who live evilly is the sign of the superior person. 8. To allow others the victory, taking on the defeat, is the sign of the superior person. 9. To differ from the multitudes in every thought and deed is the sign of the superior person. 10. To observe faithfully and without pride one's spiritual vows is the sign of the superior person. If you can find a teacher with these qualities, then you will have certainly found a rare gem. Polish it brightly be completingyour Work. Then the coal of your own ego will transform it to thediamond of truth, and you and your teacher will become one. LikeZen Master Zenrin Kokushu you will be able to say: Sitting QuietlyDoing NothingSpring Comesand the grass grows by itself -----------------------------------------------------------------------end of file