June 10.6.2010
Being Lamps for simisms was a phrase spoken by Mr. Gautama in his last public address in Vaisali India and refers to having his own lighting.
To be lamps for oneself is a very important part of the Dharma Universal, since it is to have one's own lights and it is not to have a passport for the greatest cruelty that can be committed in the spirituality that is to go in against the spiritual preceptor and depart from it, which creates one of the worst karmas a student can have and that is paid with the banishment of the path.
I feel responsible for having published this phrase of Lord Gautama, since being unknown to almost everyone I included it in the Service “The Vows of the Enlightened One” and I have taken many of my students to Viasali on several occasions where the Gautama said this and in this way this maxim was popularized. Before this, this phrase nobody knew her in Metaphysics. I swear to everyone that I did it with the greatest purity, with the best intentions, and never to be a seed of betrayals as seen there, that everyone who wants to argue to move away, betray, go against their facilitator and Spiritual group uses this phrase as justification. When I see those things I bitterly regret having put this phrase in the mouth of ignorant people, people with lack of discernment who use misrepresentation so great assertion. And this interpretation is so false, that since it was said 2500 years ago until now, the one who used it for such purposes, has not been blessed in his attitude but has sunk into the scaffold of his own spiritual genocide, losing his Light, power of convocation and connection with that which illuminated it, making it brilliant. Only students who begin to lean down the path of shadows use this phrase to separate. No child of the Light has used this phrase for separation, because he knows that the fall is in the separation. I have already seen these falls with my own eyes several times in the long spiritual walk that I have been allowed in this incarnation and they have not been precisely beautiful experiences.
It is not easy to find this last talk of Lord Gautama with this phrase. The truth is that it gave me a lot of work to get it; finally, in a very old book I could find it, I adapted it, cleaned it and arranged it so that it could be put on the book "Teachings of Lord Gautama".
Lord Gautama himself explains how he is a lamp to himself and is practicing Dharma, recognizing the Four Noble Truths, acting according to the Noble Eightfold Path, which are: Positive Thinking, Positive Speaking, Positive Acting, Positive Work, Positive Observation, Positive Meditation, Positive Understanding and Positive Effort, which if practiced eliminate the eight causes of suffering; and the Three Shelters, which are The Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha, which is the same as Lord Gautama, the Teaching and the Spiritual Group. And why does Lord Gautama put the Buddha among the shelters? Because without a teacher, there is no enlightenment, no one becomes a lamp for himself. The proof of this is that those who use the phrase "Be Lamps Yourself" did not discover it alone, being your own light, they were given by a teacher, and not precisely so that they were against him, nor did the Lord pronounce it. Gautama to go against him or leave him, he was not going to put a knife for his own throat.
See the face, eyes, attitude and tenor of the writings of those who use this phrase of Lord Gautama "Be Lamps for Yourself" to justify betrayals and divisions that what you see is not light, love, harmony, harmony. but hate. It is not the first time that a phrase of a Master's Light is used by sinister energies to create unease.
To be Lamps for himself is to have his own ideas, originalities, insights, lights. It is like the student of music, architecture, medicine or any discipline that, in addition to receiving the instruction of a teacher, has its own discernment of things, but only a stupid one occurs to abandon his teacher for this, when it is all otherwise. Having a teacher is to have more light, to be more lamp and that is why all the intelligent ones have kept it to death as the most precious treasure. Of course, this does not mean that someone goes against the facilitator, attacks him or ignores him, every spiritual student has his facilitator, he wants it, and he loves it because, although he is not the Sun, it is the finger that points and says where is it.
Without spiritual preceptors we would be lost. I have loved Conny and I have written wonders about her, as nobody in the world, I have adored Katiuska, Professor Rugeles has idolized her, all of them to the grave, but I have never been asking them: “Do I do this, I do not Do I do this or another? ”, or asking permission for anything. One thing is love, respect and recognition to the facilitator, guru or teacher, and another is submission, blind obedience; one must love, but must not be submissive to anyone.
"Be lamps for yourselves" means that it is our own conscience that guides us in the Teaching. Lord Gautama had his Master who was Dipankara and all Gautama's followers had Him and this is still valid. There is not a single Master of the Spiritual Hierarchy who does not have his preceptor or Master and does not put this phrase into practice. "Politeness, does not remove the brave". "To be lamps for oneself" is not to go against the Teacher or the facilitator, it is not to depend on him.
This phrase is partly addressed to a few students who, for example, are going to eat somewhere, they are going to interview someone, they are going to read a book and for everything they ask the facilitator for permission and they don't have to. Of course, for the foundation of a new group, publishing a book, a decision that belongs to everyone is not necessary to ask permission, but by ethics, they can communicate it; things that have to do strictly with very important steps within the Teaching, can be discussed with your facilitator, but it is not precisely asking for a permit or an opinion.
There are people who come to ask: "Pray for me, do me a treatment, do me the other". Do not! That is not the line of action. The way is that you save yourself, that you treat yourself, that you resolve. When you have exhausted all the resources and your studies and reasoning do not give you more, there is no choice but to go to the facilitator or Teacher to tell you. Who else could you go to? Anyway, for that the Seven Rays, the Seven Laws, the Scientific Prayer are communicated.
That person who saw a light and says to you: "What would it be ?, or affirms that he saw an Ascended Master and asks:" Who would it be? ". These people are depending on one, and they do not realize themselves, it is not a lamp for themselves.
Our Teaching is that people realize everything that happens to them by their own means. If people do not realize themselves, who will realize it for them? In any case, the facilitator's resource is the last option available to those who do not have their own lights. Therefore, the Buddha is the First Refuge. When the word "Buddha" is said, it refers to Gautama himself when he was alive; but He himself clarifies that for each one, his instructor is the Buddha.
Source: Ruben Cedeño
Dharma of the Own Light by Rubén Cedeño
