Psychologist
on Guru Yoga
Q: Guru yoga is actually also a practice of developing devotion especially when practiced with a Tibetan buddhist teacher, is that right?
A:
Yes, well, I have to say that is where I always went a bit against
the grain. My devotion flows easier towards an icon such as
Padmasambhava than to a living teacher because I could also see that
this was just a human being with his habits. To see him as perfect
you could say that I failed in this but I think I couldn't do it and
didn't want to. I think if you do guru yoga well then everything the
guru does, feels and says if perfect but also everything you do, feel
and say yourself is perfect. It means your ability to be critical is
also buddha. Now we are talking, that's something you can work with.
But if your abilities are seen as confusion and everything the guru
does as perfect I think that's a distortion if you'll allow me. It's
a misconception of what guru yoga is.
Answered
by Hans Knibbe, psychologist and dzogchen-teacher.
