Be a lamp unto yourself...

As the Buddha was dying, 

Ananda asked 

who would be their teacher after death. 

He replied to his disciple - 

"Be lamps unto yourselves. 

Be refuges unto yourselves. 

Take yourself no external refuge. 

Hold fast to the truth as a lamp. 

Hold fast to the truth as a refuge. 

Look not for a refuge in anyone besides yourselves. 

And those, Ananda, who either now or after I am dead, 

Shall be a lamp unto themselves, 

Shall betake themselves as no external refuge, 

But holding fast to the truth as their lamp, 

Holding fast to the truth as their refuge, 

Shall not look for refuge to anyone else besides themselves, 

It is they who shall reach to the very topmost height; 

But they must be anxious to learn."

I think this beautiful story is a great reminder not to cling to other teachers, or books, or fellowships and put our "salvation" (for lack of a better word) in their hands. Ultimately, we are our best guide (a conscious, whole "we"). Furthermore, it seems like a fact to me that no other person better understands OUR INDIVIDUAL experience than we do. So then how could they be better guides than ourselves? To reference the dialogue in Conversations with God, our truth, and everything we ultimately need to know, is within us (within who?... not the idea we have about ourselves or an ego-identification, but the conscious witness/spirit/etc.). "Truth is not discovered... it is created." And all of reality is subjective (Einstein called it a persistent illusion), so you cannot possibly know my truth, my reality... unless we meet at the level of the spirit, at a higher consciousness... Namaste: "I honor that place in you where the whole Universe resides. And when I am in that place in me and you are in that place in you, there is only one of us."). Ultimately, all great teachers seem to do this. They get through to that consciousness in their student, and in the end... the greatest teacher is the one who has made himself unnecessary. The student is "a lamp" unto herself.

I'd like to balance this, however, with what Charlotte Joko Beck writes about in Everyday Zen. This message doesn't give "me" the permission to take on a defiant, closed-minded attitude ("I'm my own teacher... don't tell me what to do," "No, Universe, you've got it all wrong," etc...). The ego-centered, flesh-encapsulated entity I appear to be does not make for a great authority either. And again, from Conversations with God: "I cannot tell you my truth until you stop telling me yours." As soon as we "know" god/or whatever our conceptions of a higher reality might be (Tao, Universe, etc.), we have frozen whatever it is and packed it up tightly and conveniently in a little box that will sit on the shelf and gather dust. Then, it's over: the line of communication is cut off, the ongoing feedback is blocked, and we are missing whatever Ultimate Reality there may be because we're holding on to a concept of it. To conceptualize and to "know" God/the Universe/the Tao/etc. etc. etc. is a contradiction, and an unfortunate fallacy. What's coming down the pipeline (as feedback, or experience, or understanding), is always, always evolving. Everything is in a state of flux and change, so why wouldn't god (and its interaction with, or messages for, us) be as well (this is more easily understood by Eastern philosophies with their concept of the Tao). Receptivity, openness. Today's God, is not tomorrow's God. I have fallen into the cycle of "knowing" or thinking I "know" God and what's really happening here... but when I have done that, I end up knowing jack shit. What is the difference between understanding, and knowing? [really... I'd like to know your thoughts]

"Knowing God means being God, it is not relative knowledge." -Ramana Maharshi

So Beck poses the question: "If you're not the authority, and I'm not the authority, then what?" Ultimately, she suggests that life itself is the only viable teacher/authority. Every experience and circumstance which we are able to consciously and mindfully connect with, become one with (italics to emphasize my point that it takes a different view, or M.O. than is customary of us in order to be receptive and open), is our "Master" and will teach us more than anyone else can. And, my take is that the conscious, mindful "us," spirit is life itself. And so I find that among the facets of our being, we are both the student and the teacher (the "created creator" -again from CwG).

"Even the least among you can do all that I have done, and greater things." -Jesus

Expressed with the utmost love, and with a sincere desire that your path always be clear... and that each step illuminates and reveals the truth of who you are,

Jason Magnon