What is a Good Practitioner?

As we begin Buddhist practice, we have questions about what makes a good practitioner.  How do we know we are following the teachings correctly? What are the signs? How can I check my meditation practice? From time to time all of us may experience doubts about our practice.

Even after we’ve been practicing for months or years, we may wonder if our meditation is going well.

Good Practitioner: Quality Over Quantity

Here Tulku Migmar Tsering explains that it is easy to recognize a good practitioner. And the number of hours one meditates may not be the most important factor. As in many other realms of life, quality matters most. And qualities may be measured by what we don’t observe.  A good practitioner sees fewer strong negative emotions. If you see that your anger and your attachment is reduced, that is a good sign! But, if you don’t see fewer defilements, then your practice is not really helping.

Tulku explains that we need to know a little about meditation. We need to hear teachings and get some guidance. Then it is very important to integrate that into our day-to-day life. We should see gradual improvement. Meditation practice should help us deal with little obstacles we encounter. As our obstacles decrease, we have much more time and desire to practice. And our practice is for the path of enlightenment!