In the study of the Dharma, the figure of the teacher is a key figure. It is impossible to

learn spiritual Dharma without the guidance of a teacher. In order to understand the depth and essence of the Buddhist Dharma and not remain at the level of words, one must understand that Buddha was first a student, and only then became a teacher. There is an understanding in the Buddhist Dharma that even when a person receives heavenly knowledge and sees heavenly gods, this knowledge will not be perfect if he does not study with true teachers who teach the person to adapt heavenly truths to life in the world of humans. This understanding is important because when a person experiences spiritual elevation, and he can see heavenly gods, as Buddha, other yogis, and prophets saw, he may be blinded by the heavenly light and be carried away by a sense of his own greatness. Only a spiritual teacher can internalize this light and give it the softness of inner light, heartfelt light, the light of an open, humane heart full of compassion for all beings. When this internalization does not take place, the heavenly light takes on a crude form, and it may harm the feelings of compassion and goodwill found in his heart. A prophet whose heavenly feeling has not been internalized becomes a prophet of wrath, since humans do not find kindness in his eyes.

Therefore, a relationship with a teacher is not only for learning certain techniques and receiving instructions from mouth to ear, which are important goals in themselves, but they are still secondary. The most important goal in the relationship between a teacher and a student is to transform the strong light of heaven into the soft and compassionate light of the world of humans. It is important to understand that whether the Buddha was a prophet who received knowledge from heaven, or created knowledge as the fruit of his practice, his light was rough. He undoubtedly received heavenly knowledge, but he also received the culture of internalizing the strong, blinding light, and this internalization turned him into a compassionate and merciful teacher, capable of listening to the hearts of people. This ability can only appear in a person who has experienced contact with teachers who listened to his heart and gave it a good form.

When talking about the Buddha's teachers, two teachers are mentioned under whom he studied for long periods. One teacher is Alara Kalama, a yogi teacher who taught the Buddha and his disciples techniques for controlling the breath called pranayama. The sutras indicate that the Buddha used these techniques, some of which could be dangerous. The Buddha internalized this teaching and even taught it to his disciples. He also learned from Alara Kalama to calm and silence the mind to a state where it could remain in emptiness. After studying for a long time with Alara Kalama, the Buddha realized that although these techniques were effective in calming the mind, they still did not lead to complete liberation, nor did they remove ignorance.

He sought another teacher and began studying with Uddaka Ramaputta. The translation of his name is the son of Rama. Rama is the mythological ruling god of India. Uddaka Ramaputta taught the Buddha contemplation and concentration at the level of the idea, and at the meditative level, when he visualizes light and emptiness together. The way he taught him was to study the contemplation of the four realms. The first realm is the realm of infinite space. Uddaka Ramaputta taught him to identify with infinite space. In this way, a person stops feeling himself and feels that he is infinite space. This practice is carried out when the person observes the clear sky during the day and identifies with it, which gives the image of infinite space. If a person does not have the opportunity to observe the sky, he finds infinite space in his memory.

The second realm is the realm of contemplation and identification with infinite light, when light fills infinite space. The person feels himself as an ocean of light and ceases to feel any kind of suffering: sensory suffering and emotional suffering. If in the first realm the person ceases to feel his being a body, and to feel the limitations of the body, then in the stage of identification with infinite light, the person ceases to feel emotional suffering.

In the third stage, the person learns to identify with the realm of complete emptiness. This is a stage in which no object has reality. All that the person sees in his environment is its impermanence. The person does not identify with objects, phenomena, or forms. The person identifies only with infinite space which does not change, even though all the things that exist in it change.

In the fourth stage, the person learns the state of mind in a deep dream, a state in which the consciousness is detached from physical sensation. This feeling is called the feeling of an inner witness. In this state, we feel that the mind can detach itself from its actions, just as a person performs various actions in his house, sets them aside, and sits down to rest. In the fourth stage, we learn that the mind can detach itself from everything it is occupied with throughout life and feel its presence separately from every action and every occupation. When the Buddha learned these states of mind, he discovered the enormous power of identification that exists in the mind. He understood that with this knowledge he was very close to complete liberation, to the wisdom that can fully adapt the mind and free it from all flaws. The Buddha felt that after studying with Udaka Ramaputta, he was like a musician who received a fine musical instrument with which he could produce the best of his art.

With this treasure, the Buddha decided to contemplate solitude. Five ascetics accompanied him and treated him as their older brother. During this period of asceticism, the Buddha performed practices that were dangerous to his health. Later, he realized that this was not the optimal path and returned to the path of Udaka Ramaputta and Alara Kalama. In his contemplation, he reached full enlightenment. On the night he reached full enlightenment, he discovered to his amazement that even when he lived in the palace with his parents, he experienced joy and peace that he had ignored. When he sharpened his mind with the two yogic teachers, he remembered that this experience, despite its simplicity, was the direct path to liberation. The Buddha's third teacher, who was actually his first teacher, was his aunt, Mahaprajapati Gautami. The Buddha's mother died seven days after his birth and his aunt, who was also married to his father and had a son by him, became his mother. She created an atmosphere of compassion and love for the Buddha even when he was a prince. In one of the sutras, the Buddha tells us that when he left the palace, his parents cried. He saw his aunt as his mother. Although the Buddha's aunt had a son from his father, she saw the Buddha as the crown prince, respected him, and even taught her son to respect him. She acted contrary to the human tendency to prefer her biological son to the Buddha, but she created all the conditions that would allow the Buddha to receive all the respect and glory that he deserved. His aunt gave the Buddha an example of how to overcome greed and animalistic emotions and pursue justice and truth. She was the only person who was able to change his decisions. When the Buddha founded his Sangha, he did not allow women to be part of it, since he thought that women would not be able to cope with the difficulties involved in the life of a nun. His aunt informed him that if he did not allow women to join the Sangha, she would establish a separate Sangha for women without his permission. The Buddha granted her request. The Buddha's aunt became the head of a Sangha for both women and men, after attaining enlightenment and receiving the right to teach men as well. This fact was unbelievable that two thousand five hundred years ago women were allowed to study Dharma, and women were allowed to teach men Dharma. With the help of his aunt, the Buddha internalized the Teaching of the Infinite Feelings, which became the foundation of the Buddhist Dharma. He learned the Infinite Feelings from his aunt as a child. This Teaching is the Teaching of the Four Infinite Feelings, which are: Compassion, Goodwill, Dispassion, and Joy. The Buddha internalized the Teaching of the Four Infinite Feelings with the help of his aunt, in her behavior, and in her inner strength, which enabled her as an adult woman to help the Buddha teach students, women and men, and to attain complete liberation.

The three teachings that the Buddha received from his teachers are: From Alara Kalama he received teachings on observing the breath.

From Uddaka Ramputa he received the teaching of the four realms of right view and identification. From Mahaprajapati he received the teaching of the four infinite feelings. This teaching gave success to the Buddha's practice and continued to give success to all Buddhist practice, thanks to his aunt's attitude towards him. In fact, his aunt was his root teacher, giving his heart the right form.