Teacher's or Student's Issues Impeding Spiritual Progress? ~ Shinzen Young

Shinzen responds to a question regarding if it's a teacher's or student's issue that's impeding spiritual progress. Shinzen shares that in either case the name of the game is not to develop a dependancy on the teacher and that what's important is "happiness independent of conditions". Shinzen talks about what a competent spiritual teacher wants - colleagues - not students. He then shares how internalizing the freedom of the roshi takes place in Rinzai zen. "When it works right... your spiritual path is not a path of dependency on the teacher." Filmed in Nov. 2009 at Mt. Carmel Spiritual Centre in Niagara Falls.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Shinzen Young
• enlightenment
• meditation
• mindfulness
• vipassana
• awakening
• spiritual
• zen
• rinzai
• shakti pad
• roshi

[greenrate]

What Shinzen says already assumes a certain context.

"Not depending on a teacher", for example, assumes a certain kind of spiritual path . . . that is not the only kind of spiritual path there is.

A path of Love, for example, would be odd without a different kind of relationship to the teacher than Shinzen is talking about here.

Assuming that humans are equally divided between Head, Heart, and Body people . . . it may be that Shinzen's teaching is only relevant for 1/3 of people.

[bamboosa]

The real world? Holy shit!

[bettinakitty]

o.m.g. he is so precise and complete in his understanding therefore his explanations. stunned again by new realization and clarity.

[stonepitts]

And having said that, Shinzen, I have to say, I miss sitting with you! Time & space requirements mean that I sit with another set of Vipassana teachers, but your voice in my head is the one I keep listening to: "Recyle the reaction!" Thanks for your discernment and no-nonsense style and the depth of your studies in this field. And for making your insight accessible through this medium.