“As it says in the old Tibetan proverb: A guru is like a fire. If you get too close you get burned; if you stay too far away, you don’t get enough heat.

The meeting of the two minds really takes place very naturally. Both the instructor and the student meet in a state of complete openness in which they both realize that openness is the most insignificant thing in the whole world. It is completely insignificant, truly ordinary, absolutely nothing. When we are able to see ourselves and the world in this way, then transmission is directly taking place. In the Tibet Tradition this way of seeing things is called “ordinary mind,”  thamal gyi shepa. It is the most insignificant thing of all, complete openness, the absence of any kind of collection or evaluation. We could say that such insignificance is very significant, that ordinariness is truly extraordinary. But this would just be further seduction by the daughters of Mara (Mara represents the neurotic tendency of mind, the unbalanced state of being, and he send s his daughters to seduce us). Eventually we must give up trying to be something special.” ~from Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism by Chogyam Trungpa

—

Elephant Meditation is now on twitter… Click here to follow us!

Elephant 365 is an example of Elephant Journal’s commitment to the Mindful Life. Everyday we will offer a new reading regarding meditation practice and the spiritual path, all infused with a fresh perspective on traditional spirituality. If you would like to follow Elephant 365 on FaceBook click hereand become a fan of Elephant Meditation by clicking the “Like” tab at the top of the page.