<p>The dung beetle sutta contemplation below can help you with your desire.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>&quot;Monks, gains, offerings, &amp; fame are a cruel thing, a harsh, bitter
obstacle to the attainment of the unexcelled rest from bondage.
Suppose there were a beetle, a dung-eater, full of dung, gorged with
dung, with a huge pile of dung in front of him. He, because of that,
would look down on other beetles: 'Yes, sirree! I am a dung-eater,
full of dung, gorged with dung, with a huge pile of dung in front of
me!' In the same way, there is the case where a certain monk —
conquered by gains, offerings, &amp; fame, his mind consumed — puts on his
robes and, carrying his bowl &amp; outer robe, goes into a village or town
for alms. Having eaten there as much as he likes — full of almsfood &amp;
invited again for the next day — he goes to the monastery and, in the
midst of a group of monks, boasts, 'I have eaten as much as I like, I
am full of almsfood &amp; have been invited again for tomorrow. I am a
recipient of robes, almsfood, lodgings, &amp; medicinal requisites for
curing illness. These other monks, though, have next to no merit, next
to no influence. They aren't recipients of robes, almsfood, lodgings,
&amp; medicinal requisites for curing illness.' Conquered by gains,
offerings, &amp; fame, his mind consumed, he looks down on other
well-behaved monks. That will be for this worthless man's long-term
suffering &amp; harm. That's how cruel gains, offerings, &amp; fame are: a
harsh, bitter obstacle to the attainment of the unexcelled rest from
bondage.</p>
<p>&quot;Thus you should train yourselves: 'We will put aside any gains,
offerings, &amp; fame that have arisen; and we will not let any gains,
offerings, &amp; fame that have arisen keep our minds consumed.' That's
how you should train yourselves.&quot;<br />
<a href="https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn17/sn17.005.than.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">SN 17.5</a></p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-12-01T02:40:44.513Z
2022-12-01T02:40:44.513Z
ruben2020
<p>If this is a recurring theme, you could also question your dream in terms of true purpose. Often, we differentiate between mind and heart, ego and true path. Also, we can get distracted in vain and infinite dimensions, which can bind us to suffering, which others mentioned here already. Any path can lead in ever branching mirrors of suffering.</p>
<p>Yet, if you have a recurring desire, you can investigate deliberately, either through meditation practice - maybe trying a different lineage of school, open ing up to the desire, or you can not investigate, and cut it off and maybe you get beaten to that path after all after some time trying to get astray.
Either way - paths of life to be walked.</p>
<p>So you might as well give it a go, if you feel a certain calling. Becoming or being a teacher may not as glorious on the actual path as it may seem posthumously.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-12-15T00:31:29.410Z
2022-12-15T00:31:29.410Z
other
<p>My mind creates this desire or a dream that I will get enlightened and become some sort of Guru who teaches Buddhism to many, I will become someone like Bodhidharma or Milarepa etc.</p>
<p>I want some practical solution to counter this fantasy of my mind which has become a hindrance to the meditative absorption state. How should I counter this mental fantasy by making the mind look at the facts, whatever that may be.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-12-01T05:32:46.480Z
When I was young I had the idea to "run away from home", as some children do, and maybe live in the countryside somewhere or to become a train driver, instead of going to school that day. My younger brother came with me: and we were gone for several hours before the police found us. What bothers me is, it was a pretty stupid or immature idea though an attractive fantasy or dream, well I was only young, but I mis-led my younger brother. I feel some shame about that, and don't want to mislead him or other people again.
ChrisW
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-12-09T17:36:25.457Z
Charnel ground meditation is an effective intervention to cure us of Māra's temptations. Unwholesome aims keep the entire human race trapped in the cycle of aging, sickness and death.  For the welfare of all beings, choose a more wholesome aim.
Alex Ryan
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-12-15T06:00:13.140Z
Why is it a fantasy? They have courses in teaching, don't they? You could be the next Buddha for all anyone knows.
Lowbrow
<personal-practice><meditation>
How to get away from the desire to become a Buddhist Teacher or some influencer followed by many?
# How to get away from the desire to become a Buddhist Teacher or some influencer followed by many?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2022-11-30)

My mind creates this desire or a dream that I will get enlightened and become some sort of Guru who teaches Buddhism to many, I will become someone like Bodhidharma or Milarepa etc.

I want some practical solution to counter this fantasy of my mind which has become a hindrance to the meditative absorption state. How should I counter this mental fantasy by making the mind look at the facts, whatever that may be.

**Tags:** personal-practice, meditation

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: When I was young I had the idea to "run away from home", as some children do, and maybe live in the countryside somewhere or to become a train driver, instead of going to school that day. My younger brusername_5 came with me: and we were gone for several hours before the police found us. What busername_5s me is, it was a pretty stupid or immature idea though an attractive fantasy or dream, well I was only young, but I mis-led my younger brusername_5. I feel some shame about that, and don't want to mislead him or username_5 people again.  
> **username_2**: Charnel ground meditation is an effective intervention to cure us of Māra's temptations. Unwholesome aims keep the entire human race trapped in the cycle of aging, sickness and death.  For the welfare of all beings, choose a more wholesome aim.  
> **username_3**: Why is it a fantasy? They have courses in teaching, don't they? You could be the next Buddha for all anyone knows.  

---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_4 on 2022-12-01. Score: 1

The dung beetle sutta contemplation below can help you with your desire.

> "Monks, gains, offerings, & fame are a cruel thing, a harsh, bitter
> obstacle to the attainment of the unexcelled rest from bondage.
> Suppose there were a beetle, a dung-eater, full of dung, gorged with
> dung, with a huge pile of dung in front of him. He, because of that,
> would look down on username_5 beetles: 'Yes, sirree! I am a dung-eater,
> full of dung, gorged with dung, with a huge pile of dung in front of
> me!' In the same way, there is the case where a certain monk —
> conquered by gains, offerings, & fame, his mind consumed — puts on his
> robes and, carrying his bowl & outer robe, goes into a village or town
> for alms. Having eaten there as much as he likes — full of almsfood &
> invited again for the next day — he goes to the monastery and, in the
> midst of a group of monks, boasts, 'I have eaten as much as I like, I
> am full of almsfood & have been invited again for tomorrow. I am a
> recipient of robes, almsfood, lodgings, & medicinal requisites for
> curing illness. These username_5 monks, though, have next to no merit, next
> to no influence. They aren't recipients of robes, almsfood, lodgings,
> & medicinal requisites for curing illness.' Conquered by gains,
> offerings, & fame, his mind consumed, he looks down on username_5
> well-behaved monks. That will be for this worthless man's long-term
> suffering & harm. That's how cruel gains, offerings, & fame are: a
> harsh, bitter obstacle to the attainment of the unexcelled rest from
> bondage.
>
> "Thus you should train yourselves: 'We will put aside any gains,
> offerings, & fame that have arisen; and we will not let any gains,
> offerings, & fame that have arisen keep our minds consumed.' That's
> how you should train yourselves."  
> [SN 17.5](https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn17/sn17.005.than.html)


---

### Answer by username_5 on 2022-12-15. Score: 0

If this is a recurring theme, you could also question your dream in terms of true purpose. Often, we differentiate between mind and heart, ego and true path. Also, we can get distracted in vain and infinite dimensions, which can bind us to suffering, which username_5s mentioned here already. Any path can lead in ever branching mirrors of suffering.

Yet, if you have a recurring desire, you can investigate deliberately, either through meditation practice - maybe trying a different lineage of school, open ing up to the desire, or you can not investigate, and cut it off and maybe you get beaten to that path after all after some time trying to get astray.
Either way - paths of life to be walked.

So you might as well give it a go, if you feel a certain calling. Becoming or being a teacher may not as glorious on the actual path as it may seem posthumously.


---

