career Buddhists

Apprentice I think something strange happens to people when they become involved with religions. I have this feeling because I think it is happening to me and I don’t want it happen to me. It seems that people start out with an idea of being a kinder person and wanting to understand the way things work at some sort of universal level – and then gradually they forget about altruism and wanting to be a better human being and start turning into some kind of professional religionist who no longer cares about anything but their religious hobby. It seems that there are all kinds of good reasons and convincing arguments for why it is all right to practice for the realization of all being – but actually to have sympathy and empathy for no one. I do not see this in you—or actually in most apprentices—but I see it all around me and I wonder why it happens. It’s not that I want to criticise anyone – because I see this in myself and I want to be able to cut the root of it – which is I suppose why I am writing to you about it. What do you suggest?

Lamas You are right. This occurs when people become career Buddhists or advanced hobby Buddhists. To a certain degree this can happen by accident and by circumstance. If the environment you enter is one in which you fail to see the qualities of kindness it may take a while to realise that you are losing those qualities in yourself. It is important to remember that we are open to conditioning until we gain realisation. The circumstances of the sangha are important to the development of view and if the sangha is not an association of people who attempt to be kinder, more tolerant people, then that will create a gravitational pull. If the emphasis is on the accumulation of sequestered information, secret teachings, special empowerments, and ultimate confidences – then that could easily become the prime orientation. That could easily obfuscate our initial motivations. Most people start off with simple motivation that becomes corrupted by complexities of religious structure and we can lose sight of our humanity. We have seen sad instances of this in the world of Vajrayana in particular. Vajrayana is a prime draw for people with personality disorders who can often obscure their neuroses in religious imperatives – giving the impression that their unfriendly manner is somehow hierarchically sanctioned. The thing to remember above all is that we appreciate kindness above knowledge; above ritual expertise, above linguistic prowess, above marvelous spiritual experiences, and above glib speech. We appreciate kindness above all else.