How to Gain the Most from a Spiritual Teaching
Life speeds along. After a time, I feel frazzled and stressed.
Luckily, I have a special remedy for this distress. I listen to spiritual teachings. They pull me out of the vortex, quickly return me to calm, and remind me of what’s truly important in life.
But it only works if I bring the right attitude to listening.
Early on in my years-long study of Buddhism, I learned how to avoid the “Three Defects of The Pot.” This classic Buddhist teaching explains how to listen to a spiritual teaching so you gain the most benefit. It can be applied to any inspirational teaching whether it’s from an ancient tradition or a hip modern teacher.
What are the three defects of the pot? What’s the best way to listen to spiritual teachings? Why do you even need this teaching?
Let’s see.
Why You Likely Need This Teaching
This age-old teaching on how to listen may seem old fashioned in our amazing digital times. Indeed, we have the ability to tune in to and out of almost any kind of spiritual teaching in a flash — thanks to the internet and a plethora of devices.
Even many in-person spiritual weekends and longer retreats have turned into online events, where they can be viewed by hundreds more people.
But is this a good thing?
It’s not like the old days in Tibet, for example. A student typically followed one teacher, unless they were instructed to receive teachings from another. And if they were, they might have to drudge through snow for days or even weeks to meet that master.
Even if they followed a single teacher, they had to go through hoops to move from one level to the next and ultimately receive the most advanced teachings.
That made the teachings seem incredibly precious.
These days:
You can press “off” the moment you get a tiny bit bored and never return to that particular teaching again.
You can scroll through a gigantic playlist of spiritual possibilities and choose a little of this and a little of that.
You can multi-task and listen to a teaching while cooking dinner, running with ear buds in place, or responding to emails. But how much will actually go in?
I’m not suggesting the old way was the right way. Its authoritarian nature can have serious drawbacks, especially when applied in modern times.
But the old way seemed to instill discipline, commitment, and a reverence for the teachings. You might be hard-pressed to find those qualities in a spiritual seeker today. The old system also encouraged you to go deeper with whatever you were studying, beyond the hurdle of momentary boredom.
Learning about the three defects of the pot can help you embrace the teachings with a more disciplined attitude. It can also help you develop more reverence for the teachings, inspiring you to open your mind to their deeper wisdom.
We also need to face the fact our attention spans are on the decline. A 2015 article in Time Magazine titled “You Now Have a Shorter Attention Span than a Goldfish” says:
“The average attention span for the notoriously ill-focused goldfish is nine seconds, but according to a new study from Microsoft Corp., people now generally lose concentration after eight seconds, highlighting the affects of an increasingly digitalized lifestyle on the brain.”
We need to be reminded how to listen precisely because we’re more distracted now.
So, what are the three defects of the pot?
The Three Defects of the Pot
Patrül Rinpoche, a renowned 19th century Tibetan Buddhist master, shared the oral instructions of his own master in The Words of My Perfect Teacher.
His compilation, entwined with his own experience based on years of spiritual practice, was not an abstract treatise meant for scholars. Rather, it contained down-to-earth advice for anyone wishing to engage in genuine spiritual practice.
In one section of the guidebook, he points out that not everyone has the freedom to listen to or even encounter spiritual teachings.
You could be caught in the throes of war, working two or three jobs to make ends meet, or so caught up in negative emotions like greed or jealousy that your mind is closed to the positive.
To even encounter spiritual teachings is a privilege. If we have that rare opportunity, Patrül Rinpoche says to listen carefully and avoid the three defects of the pot.
1. The pot turned upside down
You can’t pour anything into an upside down pot, right?
In the same manner, you must be present and attentive when listening to spiritual teachings. If you’re constantly distracted by this thought or that person, you’re like an upside down pot. You won’t receive much of anything at all.
2. The pot with a hole in it
If you pour liquid into a pot with a hole, nothing remains, right?
If you don’t remember the spiritual teachings you hear, you’re like a pot with a hole.
You might feel incredibly inspired in the moment. You might be nodding your head to this and to that. You might wonder how you could be so fortunate to hear this extraordinary teaching.
But if you don’t make an effort to remember, whatever you hear just dissolves like skywriting. The teachings won’t help you in daily life simply because you don’t remember them.
3. The pot containing poison
If you pour liquid into a pot with poison, it becomes a harmful substance.
In the same way, if you mix spiritual teachings, which are meant to be beneficial, with selfish or negative attitudes like the desire to become famous, they can become destructive too. They won’t transform your mind into a compassionate force for good when they’re infiltrated by poison.
“When listening to the teachings, you should be like a deer so entranced by the sound of the vina that it does not notice the hidden hunter shooting his poisoned arrow. Put your hands together palm to palm and listen, every pore on your body tingling and your eyes wet with tears, never letting any other thought get in the way.”—Patrül Rinpoche
Closing Thoughts
All spiritual teachings are meant to ease suffering and help us find a more genuine and lasting sense of happiness.
But how can we gain the most from spiritual teachings if we’re in a constant state of distraction and thus are unable to receive them fully?
The classic Buddhist instruction on “The Three Defects of the Pot” warns us to avoid these three behaviors when listening to spiritual teachings:
Distraction
Allowing what you hear to go in one ear and immediately out the other (not remembering)
Mixing beneficial teachings with negative emotions
This teaching offers a much needed reminder in the age of distraction, intense emotions, and the reality of forgetfulness.
Not to mention, spiritual teachings merit as much attention as a Taylor Swift concert, don’t they?
Thank you for your presence, I know your time is precious! Don’t forget to sign up for Wild Arisings, my twice monthly letters from the heart filled with insights, inspiration, and ideas to help you connect with and live from your truest self.
You might also like to check out my Self-Care Shop. May you be happy, well, and safe – always. With love, Sandra
