"He has heard much, has retained what he has heard, has stored what he has heard. Whatever teachings are admirable in the beginning, admirable in the middle, admirable in the end, that — in their meaning & expression — proclaim the holy life entirely perfect & pure: those he has listened to often, retained, discussed, accumulated, examined with his mind, and well-penetrated in terms of his views.”
MN 108 Gopaka Moggallana Sutta Moggallana the Guardsman
The path the Buddha taught has no pope, no head to decide this is or is not correct, it has the Dhamma & Vinaya and if things correspond to these then they are worthy of a contemplative, but the rules for the monks and nuns are different from the precepts the lay community has, so how can we as laity know what is correct?
There are allot of teachers who’s followers love them because they are “just like them” what the teachers say and do isn't always up to the standards they set, some are just people who went to a course or two, and now have a string of self help books about being a better person, and how to be that better person.
A true master is someone who shut up and done the practice, didn't complain because they didn't like it, because it was too hard, or because they felt tired that day, they got up and done the practice.
The practice is the practice, it doesn't need defending, or to say others are deficient in any way, it is what it is.
Unless the practice is one which does not reap the rewards it claims it does, its followers don’t have to claim things about others, or defend it in any way, neither need to be viewed as right, as the saying goes “virtue is its own reward” in this case truth is its own defence.
There are allot of teachers who’s followers love them because they are “just like them” what the teachers say and do isn't always up to the standards they set, some are just people who went to a course or two, and now have a string of self help books about being a better person, and how to be that better person.
A true master is someone who shut up and done the practice, didn't complain because they didn't like it, because it was too hard, or because they felt tired that day, they got up and done the practice.
The practice is the practice, it doesn't need defending, or to say others are deficient in any way, it is what it is.
Unless the practice is one which does not reap the rewards it claims it does, its followers don’t have to claim things about others, or defend it in any way, neither need to be viewed as right, as the saying goes “virtue is its own reward” in this case truth is its own defence.
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