The Tradition
Secret Oral Instructions
In the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, and especially in oral lineages like the Kagyu, some of the most important teachings aren't found in books. They are called secret oral instructions: pith teachings passed directly from teacher to student. They are the practical, distilled heart of practice, often just a few words offered to a particular person at a particular moment.
The word "secret" can sound mysterious or exclusive, but in this tradition it means something quite different.
Some teachings are given only when we're ready.
A teaching offered too early can be misunderstood or can even cause harm. So a teacher waits until a student has the ground to receive it.
The deepest teachings keep their own secret.
Teachings about the nature of mind can't be fully captured in words. Even spoken aloud, they stay "secret" until we recognize their truth in our own experience. Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche often emphasized this meaning: what is secret is simply what we haven't yet seen for ourselves.
Each teaching fits the person.
A teacher pays close attention to a student and offers what will meet their particular confusion. The tradition describes this lineage as an unbroken chain of warm breath, passed from mouth to ear.
How this shapes my work
I'm not a Tibetan teacher or lama, and I don't claim mastery of these teachings. I am a longtime student. I completed graduate training at Naropa University, founded by Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, where his teachings form the ground of the contemplative approach. Many of the readings I return to most come from Pema Chödrön, one of his senior students, whose gift is translating these profound teachings into plain, practical guidance for everyday life.
As I reflected on the meaning of secret oral instructions, I came to appreciate that the way I work with my clients is similar to the way a Tibetan teacher or lama might share them. I listen for where each person is. Over time, I offer readings and practices that seem to speak to their particular situation, as they become ready for them. I don't share the same teachings with everyone, and I don't share them all at once. Something that's meaningless at one point in our lives can open a door at another.
This reflects what I trust most about the oral tradition. Wisdom isn't simply handed over. It's recognized, when the moment is right, as something that was already ours.
Wisdom isn't simply handed over. It's recognized, when the moment is right, as something that was already ours.