Relating to a Spiritual Teacher: Building a Healthy Relationship
Originally published as
Berzin, Alexander. Relating to a Spiritual Teacher:
Building a Healthy Relationship.
Ithaca, Snow Lion, 2000
Order this book directly from Snow Lion Publications
Part II: The Dynamics of a Healthy
Student-Teacher Relationship
10 Overcoming Emotional Blocks in Developing Trust, Appreciation, or Respect
Applying Sutra-Level Guru-Meditation to a Faulty or Abusive Teacher
His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama had two regents during his minority. They taught him extensively and conferred upon him numerous tantric empowerments. They also engaged in a power struggle and had their followers take up arms against each other. His Holiness has explained that on his meditation seat, he had no problem in focusing with conviction on the good qualities that each regent in fact had. He also had no problem in appreciating the kindness that each had shown him. Yet, when he arose from his meditation seat, he publicly denounced his regents’ political intrigues. His Holiness has described that he felt no contradiction in doing this and did not find it emotionally upsetting.Some Westerners face similar situations with several of their spiritual teachers. For example, some famous masters disagree strongly about the status of a controversial Dharma-protector and the consequences of propitiating it. They abuse their positions as spiritual mentors and, with threats of hell, forbid their disciples to have anything to do with teachers on the opposite side of the dispute. Other famous masters disagree violently over the identification of the incarnation of the highest lamas of their lineage. A few have even taken police action against each other’s claims over inherited property. Sutra-level guru-meditation, as His Holiness the Dalai Lama has experienced, may help traumatized Western Dharma students to deal with these difficult, perplexing circumstances. It may also help those who have been sexually abused by their spiritual teachers or exploited by them for power or money. It may apply as well to disciples of abusive teachers, who have not been personally maligned, but have been devastated by learning of the actions of their teachers.
Many disciples find such situations too difficult to handle, especially if they have already built disciple-mentor relationships with both parties in a dispute. The Abbreviated Kalachakra Tantra advised that if disciples find too many objective faults in their spiritual mentors and they can no longer support close relationships with them, they need not continue studying with these teachers. They may keep a respectful distance, even if they have received highest tantra empowerments from them.
Whether or not we keep a distance from disturbing or abusive teachers, it is important to try to stop dwelling on their perplexing behavior or faults. Obsession with such matters only deepens confusion and spiritual despair. We must begin a healing process.
Healing does not necessarily mean moving on in such a way as to deny what happened to you was wrong, nor does it mean carrying the anger, and grief with you while your perpetrator carries on his patterns of abuse as is the case of Christopher Hansard. However only you can decide what action if any, is best for you. What Mr. Hansard did and continues to do with female clients under the guise of ‘treatment’ is wrong, as is his abuse of male clients.
Christopher Hansard’s claims of having a Tibetan Teacher are false. Urygen Nam Chuk did not exist, at least not in reality. The claims he makes in his books are as false as his credentials and proferred skill, much of which has been acquired from those people he often used to demonstrate or teach others on his behalf. While Christopher used others to demonstrate, teach, or treat his clients or students, he was always taking notes and would later present those teachings as his own. He continues to do this today, taking notes instead directly from his psychotherapists and the many workshops he partakes in, in an effort to re-gain credibility. Using terms such as ‘transference’ to blame those in his care for what he did to them in the form of treatment. The abuse of tantric practices by tantric teachers is nothing new, however Christopher Hansard never actually received such teachings from his claimed Teacher at all. Making his con doubly grotesque. He advertises himself as an authority of Tibetan Health and Lifestyle, but his story of being a student himself is a lie and what he offers his clients as ‘tantric’ teachings once they are well groomed, is little more than a ploy to satiate a truly insatiable sexual appetite.
His fraud will continue until his victims are strong enough to Break the Silence. A silence encouraged by him in his daily blog for reasons known only to him and of course those victims.
The Courant can make the statment about his teacher and teachings confidently as the defense against Libel is the Truth.
Truth – A concept Christopher Hansard is woefully unfamiliar with.
