Yesterday Khandro-la introduced the idea of "spiritual independence." I say she introduced it because I don't recall this idea registering in my brain before from any of her teachings. I must say, it has struck a chord in me and I am pondering what it may mean in my own Journey towards awakening for the sake of all beings. What does it mean to you?
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I like the example of your dog. We all are like that dog...
I once had a dog who would look at my finger when I tried to point him to something. So when I say that we can misinterpret our own experiences, the point is more that we fail to recognize the reality of our experiences. I think accomplishing sadhana practice and meditation are about training to recognize. That's my opinion, anyway.
Thank you, Betty and Peter, for your wisdom.
I contemplated what "spiritual independence" means to me, but then I asked Betty about it, because I think I must have nodded out when Khandro-la was speaking on this! Betty tells me she was really struck that it meant making your own practice experience authentic and not dependent upon something conceptual, outside yourself. She says it means really experiencing yourself being Vajrayogini, for example, and seeing everything as a Pure Land. As Khandro-la has told us, the Dharma is not a set of books or prayers so much as what we embody in our own lives.
My thoughts on "spiritual independence" were similar, I suppose. I do think it's important to study and listen to teachers (and try not to nod off), but then, as the Buddha taught, we need to test it in our own experience. That way, it becomes something real, beyond any explanation. Experiences are funny, though. Although viscerally true, we do not always interpret them correctly. I think that's why we are so fortunate to receive authentic teachings from the lineage of Tsongkhapa and other Masters. Any experiences we have occur in the manner which they do, but we can be guided in contemplating and then understanding them in our own experience.