The Importance of a Genuine and Living Transmission
In my search for the truth, I have learnt from many masters from different traditions. I have met the highest masters of some religions.
During my search, I have come across the concept of “transmission” or “blessings”. Most students would have just accepted these words for what they grammatically mean. I am not that easily satisfied.
What does “transmission” or “transmission of blessings” actually mean? Does giving somebody a teaching constitute a genuine transmission? Has the master really transmitted just by reading a text to the student (as in a “Lung” in Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism)? If so, we should be able to see the result very soon because transmission means transmission of the master’s knowledge, understanding, familiarity and power of that teaching and yoga. If the student can not exhibit the same understanding as the teacher within, say, 3 weeks, then there is only a conferal of permission to practice that text or yoga, but there is no genuine transmission of the master’s knowledge, understanding, familiarity and power of that teaching and yoga. I know many of my Vajrayana Buddhist friends will ostracise me for my views, but let them do as they like. they should investigate the truth themselves and not let their false loyalties of that terrible “Guru Yoga” blind their search for the truth.
Similarly, does attending a Geylang or Wangkur (Tibetan empowerment or initiation) constitute a genuine transmission? Or rather, the correct question should be:- “Is genuine transmission given at a Wangkur?” Again, I would answer this politically sensitive question by investigating the results of the Wangkur after, say 3 weeks, or even 3 days, or to be more strict, 3 hours only. If there is a genuine transmission, then the master would have transmitted his knowledge, understanding, familiarity and power of that teaching and yoga. If the master could levitate by practising that yoga, then the student would be able to levitate. If the master can walk on water, so can the student. Otherwise, there is no genuine transmission. There was only a conferral of permission to practise a yoga that, amongst other fruits, will enable the practitioner to walk on water.
In such conferrals of the permission to enter into the circle to practise, it is up to the student to practise very hard in order to obtain the fruits of the path. It takes much time, dedication, and effort. It is difficult to attain the fruit, yet, it is easy to be discouraged due to not obtaining the results quickly.
The above is what observe from personal experiences in the past 28 years. That is the general case. However, there may be some truly realised and accomplished masters who have either received the genuine transmission from a line of masters who had all received that transmission, or had been fortunate to have received the transmission from a deity, or have practised so hard that they have realised the fruit of the path. Such masters are rare, and are really rare precious gems who can give genuine transmissions. One would be fortunate to receive any Wangkur from them.
Thus, for some belief systems, the initiation is a conferral of permission to enter into the practice. It is not a genuine transmission of the power. This needs to be understood.
Chan Buddhism is called “Transmission of the Mind outside of the scriptures”. It is a genuine transmission of the understanding of the Mind, and is not a transmission of the study of the scriptures. The old Chan/Zen masters rarely ever give transmissions. That is why there were so many Chan practitioners who practised Chan lineage meditation, but not all received the transmissions. For those who have received, we have written records of some. It is a hard path. The authentic master is always ready to transmit, but the student is not ready to receive yet, and the master has to wait for suitable circumstances to transmit, or skilfully create extremely ingenious circumstances to transmit.
Spiritual Power or the fuit of the path can only be easily obtained if the teacher already received his “aji” or “agi” from his/her teacher, who also had received it from his/her teacher, …….. and so forth. This is called a genuine and living transmission. There are many spiritual teachers in the world who are exceedingly learned and sincere, but they do not have a genuine “aji-ajian”, hence, obtaining powers and the fruits of practice under their training is a long and ardous task.
Occasionally, the transmission is directly from a deity or a past master or from a very hard and painful experience that may involve grave sickness or near-death experiences. For example, a person may suddenly get ill from a very serious life-threatening illness, and suffer high fevers and hallucinations, and may lapse into a coma, and may be given up for dead. However, internally, the “dead” person may undergo a spiritual journey of dramatic proportion, acquiring great courage and determination in his/her fights in the perilous “underworld”, emerging safe and victorious. Then on miraculously emerging from the coma, the person also seem to have miraculously recovered, and start displaying inexplicable powers. The person has become a shaman - empowered by the deities or relatives or past masters who have appeared in the person’s “dreams” during the coma.
Another example of a direct empowerment by a deity or a past master are visitations in dreams or in actuality from a deity or past master who confers an empowerment and teaching. This example is found in the histories of the saints of many religions.
Written by John Chow
5 November 2004
To be updated later to expand it.