One of the most enchanting aspects of my consultations with clients is seeing ancient stories clothing themselves with modern motifs and geography and moving vibrantly through all of us. The story of journeying to the teacher is as old as time and told in all the traditions, and is happening right now.
Once upon a time a villager burns with longing in his heart and meets, seemingly by chance, a passer-by from a neighbouring village who suggests he joins the area’s meditation group. Nowadays more often than not, we explore and find our group, sangha or community on Google or Facebook, or at a film exhibition or market.
Attending to a daily practice and group diligently the light grows in the villager’s heart and soon an impulse arises to journey to the teacher’s home, ashram, temple or retreat centre to formally request to become a student. In the stories a deputy of the teacher always visits the villages and chooses who will be allowed to make the journey. In our time this qualifying process is often the lottery system of registering for a retreat with limited places or an online labyrinth of questionnaires and essays that you are asked to complete, in the process laying bare your heart’s desire.
The villager prepares for the journey which will be long and hazardous, forging wide rivers filled with large crocodiles, and wild terrain prowled by gruesome tigers. We too have to overcome our crocodile, coach potato tendencies of inertia and act to earn the money, book the flights for the journey, and jump through the modern hurdles of visas, airport security and transport systems in strange countries. We also must conquer our inner tiger, that fierce feminine energy that is convinced that no-one can look after our job, our children, our husband, our wife, or even the dog quite like us, so perhaps we should just stay at home after all. The tiger is also our ego that is frightened of all that the teacher represents and so will create all sorts of stories as to why life is perfect just the way it is and no journey is required after all.
Finally the villager arrives at the outer gate of the ashram and is asked by the hierophant or deputy to build his hut and plant his seeds which he has brought with him. Only once that is done will the next step be taken. We too must pay for our keep upfront, by means of admission fees, accommodation and food fees whilst at the retreat, hence grounding the journey and recognising the bodily realm. The building and planting also symbolically mirrors the reality of the length of time any true inner journey to the truth will take, our villager after all, is not yet in the monastery, has not yet met the teacher or been given any practices.
to be continued ……….
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