True Follower

Venerable Sariputra declared, not boastfully, but for the instruction of other monks, that upon examining himself, he found that there could be no event which would move him to sorrow, despair or grief. 

"But", he was asked,"Would not even the change in the Teacher cause you sorrow, despair or grief?"

"Not even the change in the Teacher would do that", the Venerable Sariputra replied. "I wish that the Teacher would remain with us for the benefit of the many, for the welfare of the many, out of compassion for the world. But his passing would not cause me sorrow or despair." And the Buddha approved of his answer.

Conclusion: Many of the conflicts have been raised among the disciples due to the attachment towards the teachers. Liberation, not the attachment to the teachers, should be the goal of the followers. 

 

Devotion to the Buddha

Bhikkhu Vakkali was devoted to the Buddha. His adoration was patent for all to see. Whether the Buddha was preaching, walking, or meditating, the eyes of Bhikkhu Vakkali were fixed upon him raptly. Just as the eyes of a lover devour the form of the beloved, so the gaze of Bhikkhu was fixed to the majestic features of the enlightened one.

The Buddha called Vakkali amidst the assembly and said,"Why do you constantly gaze at my body, which is transitory, subject to suffering and without essence? Why do your eyes constantly dwell on this corporeal form, which is nothing but a sack of impurities? It would be better for you to seek out a forest retreat and there strive earnestly to gain that liberation which brings all formations to an end."

Giving him the subject of meditation, he dismissed the monk. The Bhikkhu thereupon retired to the forest, strove earnestly for insight, and after some time duly attained Arahantship. 

Moral: Attachment to the Guru can also be hindrance for liberation.

Prescription

We can compare the practice to a bottle of medicine a doctor leaves for his patient. On the bottle are written detailed instructions on how to take the medicine. No matter how many times the patient may read the directions, he is bound to die if that is all he does. He will gain no benefit from the medicine. And before he dies, he may complain bitterly that the doctor wasn’t any good, that the medicine didn’t cure him. He will think that the doctor was a fake or that the medicine was worthless, yet he had only spent his time examining the bottle and reading the instructions. He hadn’t followed the advice of the doctor and taken the medicine. However, if the patient had actually followed the doctor’s advice and taken the medicine regularly as prescribed, he would have recovered. The teachings of the Buddha are prescribed to cure diseases of the mind and to bring it back to its natural healthy state. So the Buddha can be considered as a doctor who prescribes cures for the illnesses of the mind which are found in each one of us without exception.

-Based on "A Tree in the Forest" by Ajahn Chah