One of the first things I was introduced to when I came to Kechara all those years back was the Lamrim, specifically Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand by the great Buddhist saint, Kyabje Pabongka Rinpoche. In the Lamrim, the Dharma is described as the medicine, the Guru as the skillful doctor, and we the students as the patients. That was a revelation to me because true to the characteristic of one who is poisoned by ignorance, I did not particularly feel infirmed at the time. I also found the centrality of the Guru a bit odd and everywhere I looked, there were as many checklists on how one should assess a real guru, as there were warnings about counterfeit lamas and cult figures masquerading as Buddhist masters. The ongoing Dorje Shugden conflict did not help and it was difficult for anyone new to Tibetan Buddhism to separate facts from the Tibetan leadership’s virulent anti-Shugden propaganda. But another lesson I learned from the Buddha’s teachings is that there are three things we cannot hide – the Sun, the Moon and the Truth. The simple truth is that you cannot hide the pure brilliance of an enlightened Master no matter […]