There's an old story about an enthusiastic young monk from Tibet in the early days of Buddhism in that land who made the journey down to India, because he wanted to receive a proper mantra and mudra (sacred gesture) from one of the great teachers there. He didn't know a word of the local language, so when he got to a big Buddhist monastery in India late one evening he simply made his way to the place where the abbot was sitting, prostrated himself repeatedly, and hoped that the abbot would have the spiritual insight to know what he needed. Sure enough, the abbot regarded him for a moment, then said a couple of words and made a gesture. Delighted, the young monk prostrated himself again and then walked all the way back to Tibet.
There he found a cave in the mountains and began to practice, reciting the mantra and making the mudra thousands of times a day, practicing austerities and throwing all his effort into the quest for enlightenment. The local herdsmen, recognizing him as a holy man, kept him supplied with barley and yak milk. Years passed, and the young monk became enlightened; his prayers sent demons fleeing; his touch cured illnesses; he attracted students who became enlightened in turn.
Finally, having reached middle age, it occurred to him that he should go back to India and offer his heartfelt thanks to the guru who had given him such valuable instructions. He made his way back down to India; of course by this time, since he was a famous holy man, he had a bunch of students with him and the people he'd helped donated the money to hire him an interpreter. So he got to the monastery, and reverently asked for an audience with the abbot, who was by this time a very old man.
Upon hearing the story, the abbot was astonished. "My son," he said, "when you came here all those years ago, I had just become the abbot here, and I had not yet mastered the vices of impatience and irritation. That evening I had just finished dealing with dozens of people, all of whom wanted something from me; I was irritated and tired, and when you showed up all I wanted was a little peace and quiet. So what I said to you was, "Oh, go away," and the gesture I made was meant to communicate the same thing!"
That is to say, keep practicing the ritual as you originally learned it, and make changes in it only when you feel ready to do so.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2019-12-09 04:35 pm (UTC)There he found a cave in the mountains and began to practice, reciting the mantra and making the mudra thousands of times a day, practicing austerities and throwing all his effort into the quest for enlightenment. The local herdsmen, recognizing him as a holy man, kept him supplied with barley and yak milk. Years passed, and the young monk became enlightened; his prayers sent demons fleeing; his touch cured illnesses; he attracted students who became enlightened in turn.
Finally, having reached middle age, it occurred to him that he should go back to India and offer his heartfelt thanks to the guru who had given him such valuable instructions. He made his way back down to India; of course by this time, since he was a famous holy man, he had a bunch of students with him and the people he'd helped donated the money to hire him an interpreter. So he got to the monastery, and reverently asked for an audience with the abbot, who was by this time a very old man.
Upon hearing the story, the abbot was astonished. "My son," he said, "when you came here all those years ago, I had just become the abbot here, and I had not yet mastered the vices of impatience and irritation. That evening I had just finished dealing with dozens of people, all of whom wanted something from me; I was irritated and tired, and when you showed up all I wanted was a little peace and quiet. So what I said to you was, "Oh, go away," and the gesture I made was meant to communicate the same thing!"
That is to say, keep practicing the ritual as you originally learned it, and make changes in it only when you feel ready to do so.