There is an old Buddhist proverb that says “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear”.
For a long time now, I have believed that this was the case when I finally met Bhante Sujatha a few years ago at the Blue Lotus Temple.
But during this mornings meditation, I had another epiphany about this.
And I see now that the first teachers who came to me were actually my Mom and my Dad. I was a new human being in this World, and they were my teachers at exactly the right time.
Then, through the encouragement of my Mom, Jesus became my Teacher. Through the Bible, I learned about compassion, loving one another, selflessness, forgiveness and so many other wonderful lessons.
Then, about thirteen years ago, I became a student of the Buddha. Prior to this, I do not think I was ready for this teacher. But he came to me at exactly the right time.
Today I see that I have had so many teachers in my life, and all have come exactly when they were supposed to. My Mom, my Dad, Jesus, Bhante, Buddha, all have revealed themselves at the appropriate time for me to learn so many lessons.
But even more illuminating is how many teachers I have present right now in my life.
My Wife and children are such wonderful loving teachers every day. All the Monastics from Blue Lotus and from many other parts of the World are such loving, wise and compassionate teachers.
The Sangha members from Blue Lotus Temple continue to be such amazingly kind and generous teachers.
And last, but in no way least, each of you are my teachers. Those of you who share comments, share your loving thoughts and wisdom so selflessly. And those of you who say nothing, demonstrating your compassion, acceptance, and connectedness with me.
So who are your teachers today? Who have they been in the past?
Being present and mindful, we can often see that our greatest teacher may be standing right in front of us. Perhaps that person is the Buddha!
May you be well, happy and peaceful.
