Usually when people speak of the “Guide” they refer to the person (Cheri) who guides our practice on a day-to-day basis. The Guide is not a particular person, however, or even a role. It is that within each of us that embodies practice.
I’ve been thinking of the Guide as Center—that within that is here, in the present moment—in relationship to outside things. The most striking aspect of the Guide in that relationship is that it attends to the needs of who and what is here, rather than the demands of conditioned mind. The Guide pays attention rather than being distracted by the voices, and the attention extends down to the tiniest detail. “How may I truly care for what is in front of me?” the Guide asks. “How may I be and act in the way that is most compassionate for all?” The Guide works from a place of true kindness, interacting with people and things in a way that supports awakening rather than confusion and suffering.
Who we all are at center, it seems to me, is the Guide. We practice in order to allow the wisdom, compassion, and clarity of the Guide to manifest through our body, mouth, and mind. The reason Cheri inspires hearts and intimidates egos is that she has done this work and can see the difference between the karmic prejudices that we all inherited and the Guide as it exists within her. Each of us may do the same. We practice in order to have access to true Guidance, and in this way gradually come to experience the Guide as ourselves.
Gasshō,
Justin