Story of Three Totally Different "Masters"

[Still_Waters]

I must introduce this story by saying that I got the story from Dwai, a poster on another site. It triggered a lengthy discussion on what exactly is a "true master" and what type of a student is best suited for each type of Master. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did (and still do).

STORY OF THE THREE MASTERS:


Once a sincere student goes to an old master reputed to the best, who has only 3-4 students sitting around him in silence. Not a word is spoken. The student sits for a few days but gets frustrated and leaves to go the master who is reputed to be second best, who has 10-15 students sitting around him and they all are doing some yogic practices with minimal words being uttered. The student spends a few more days here and finally, sufficiently frustrated in his ability to get the answers he was seeking, he goes to the third best master. Upon reaching there he sees hundreds of students and the master is preaching the truths, expounding on the sutras for hours on end. Student finds himself being very happy. After a few days he approaches the master and says “master, it looks like you are not getting the credit you deserve. When I was asking for references to great masters, I was told you are only third best in the land, the other two masters A & B are considered best and second best respectively! How unfair...I visited them both before coming to you, and i found your teachings to be most meaningful. Please master, tell me how I can help you remedy this gross injustice!”

To that the master C replied .. “what did you see when you went to master A?”

student replied “he wasn’t teaching anything, just sitting quietly and smiling!”



master C asked “what about master B?”



student replied “he was just teaching some meditation and yogic techniques and using very few words!”



To that master C replied “ my dear student, how I wish I was able to teach like masters A and B. They are both at a higher level than me, and so, master B is able to teach what I can convey with hours of lectures with his presence along with just simple statements and meditative techniques, while master A doesn’t even need to say anything, his mere presence is all it takes for the teachings to be transmitted! You my dear student were not prepared for masters A or B, and that’s why you couldn’t benefit from their teachings.”



student retorted “ so why where there only a handful of students with each of these masters, while you have hundreds?”



master C replied “that’s because most of the students are not qualified for the other masters’ teachings yet. They have to attain a degree of purification of the mind to comprehend what they teach. So they come to me, as I give them material in a way that will help their minds grasp. It is a longer path.”

[peteyzen]

love this, thanks for sharing

[sky]

Originally Posted by Still_Waters

I must introduce this story by saying that I got the story from Dwai, a poster on another site. It triggered a lengthy discussion on what exactly is a "true master" and what type of a student is best suited for each type of Master. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did (and still do).

STORY OF THE THREE MASTERS:


Once a sincere student goes to an old master reputed to the best, who has only 3-4 students sitting around him in silence. Not a word is spoken. The student sits for a few days but gets frustrated and leaves to go the master who is reputed to be second best, who has 10-15 students sitting around him and they all are doing some yogic practices with minimal words being uttered. The student spends a few more days here and finally, sufficiently frustrated in his ability to get the answers he was seeking, he goes to the third best master. Upon reaching there he sees hundreds of students and the master is preaching the truths, expounding on the sutras for hours on end. Student finds himself being very happy. After a few days he approaches the master and says “master, it looks like you are not getting the credit you deserve. When I was asking for references to great masters, I was told you are only third best in the land, the other two masters A & B are considered best and second best respectively! How unfair...I visited them both before coming to you, and i found your teachings to be most meaningful. Please master, tell me how I can help you remedy this gross injustice!”

To that the master C replied .. “what did you see when you went to master A?”

student replied “he wasn’t teaching anything, just sitting quietly and smiling!”



master C asked “what about master B?”



student replied “he was just teaching some meditation and yogic techniques and using very few words!”



To that master C replied “ my dear student, how I wish I was able to teach like masters A and B. They are both at a higher level than me, and so, master B is able to teach what I can convey with hours of lectures with his presence along with just simple statements and meditative techniques, while master A doesn’t even need to say anything, his mere presence is all it takes for the teachings to be transmitted! You my dear student were not prepared for masters A or B, and that’s why you couldn’t benefit from their teachings.”



student retorted “ so why where there only a handful of students with each of these masters, while you have hundreds?”



master C replied “that’s because most of the students are not qualified for the other masters’ teachings yet. They have to attain a degree of purification of the mind to comprehend what they teach. So they come to me, as I give them material in a way that will help their minds grasp. It is a longer path.”

This reminds me of ' When the student is ready, the teacher will appear '.
I enjoyed this story and hadn't heard it before, thanks

[Ordnael]

I liked it

[Shivani Devi]

Such an awesome story and thanks for sharing it.

"Master A" reminds me about Dakshinamurthy who taught in total silence...or basically, he did not seek students....He just sits there in Samadhi, all blissed out and not caring either way...he'll just sit like that for months...for years..and the very few who can understand what state he is in, will just sit at his feet and get Shaktipat osmosis...Just like the seven Rishis and the Sanat Kumaras did. Silence is the best teacher because it forces one to directly confront their monkey-mind and try to stop the internal noise.

I like this story. It reminds me of when I was a child. My father and I would sit on the swing under the maple tree in the back yard. We would sit in silence for hours. We did this on a regular basis as I grew up. One day he asked me a philosophical question. It was the only time we spoke.

[Still_Waters]

Originally Posted by Shivani Devi

Such an awesome story and thanks for sharing it.

"Master A" reminds me about Dakshinamurthy who taught in total silence...or basically, he did not seek students....He just sits there in Samadhi, all blissed out and not caring either way...he'll just sit like that for months...for years..and the very few who can understand what state he is in, will just sit at his feet and get Shaktipat osmosis...Just like the seven Rishis and the Sanat Kumaras did. Silence is the best teacher because it forces one to directly confront their monkey-mind and try to stop the internal noise.

You're absolutely right on target when you mention Dakshinamurti who did indeed teach in total silence. As you duly noted, he did not seek students and, according to the story I had read, he had just four disciples.

Silence is indeed the best teacher.

I've been fortunate to have connected with several "Master A" and "Master B" types as well as the pervasive "Master C" types. Nisargadatta Maharaj has stated that "there are numerous primary teachers to teach the alphabet" and I equate that with the "Master C" types and those who are even more primary than that.

Thanks for sharing.

Om Namah Shivay !

[Shivani Devi]

You are correct.

Dakshinamurthy (one who faces South) is recognised as an avatar of Lord Shiva as Adi Guru (the first Guru) who taught a few...in silence and not in silence, at different times, so it is easy to get confused, and because there is also no definitive answer and it's not something one can simply "look up for reference", people have reached their own conclusions and none of it can be proven either way:

https://www.quora.com/Is-the-story-o...-Sadhguru-true

In some pictures, Dakshinamurthy is seen with four disciples, in some, five...in some seven:
https://goo.gl/images/RTFSRA

I know that Sadguru has it a bit skewed though, even down to the translation of Shiva's name..

However, since this all happened at the start of this current ante deluvian manvantara, some 25,000 years ago, the details are all a bit sketchy..

OR...As my Higher Self just pointed out while I just typed the above...Maybe Dakshinamurthy appears at the start of each manvantara and has different disciples? One time, it was the four Kumaras, another time it was the Seven Sages...

I just go by Tamil legend...However, the Nath tradition says another thing, Sadguru another thing...and nobody knows.

The only thing that is agreed upon is that Dakshinamurthy is the Guru within one's heart, and teaches the student until an Earthly Guru is found.

Aum Namah Shivaya

[wstein]

Fourth Type: future master teaches self, no need to go to another to look within

[Shivani Devi]

Pretty much!

I am from the "Saraswati" lineage. The Gurus from this lineage didn't speak much, but wrote a hell of a LOT of books, and because the leader of the Math was Swami Sivananda Saraswati, and his reputation was very well known, the Divine Life Society attracted millions and still does to this day, even though the Gurus are pretty much silent and leave everything up to their administration.

I have fallen totally out of touch with the DLS and it's been like that for many years...mostly due to the fact that I felt it was time to move on and "teach myself" as it were...fully realising that I am not "teaching myself" either.

So, my "inner Guru" is Dakshinamurthy, Lord Shiva..who does not NEED words, but occasionally will speak in the language only I can hear and understand (the language of heart) so He may as WELL be "silent" for everyone else.

Aum Namah Shivaya