1339：Appreciation to the Guru’s Compassionate (maitrī and karuṇā) Rescue and Attraction (Puja Teachings Index 22)
Prostrations to His Eminence Vajra Guru Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche, His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang, the Lineage gurus, Dharma Protector Achi, and the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Greetings, fellow believers and Dharma brothers. I am Zhuo Fang Ru from Group One, and my Dharma name is Hui Hai Drolma. I took refuge in His Eminence Vajra Guru Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche on November 2, 2008.
I am grateful to the guru for compassionately (maitrī and karuṇā) bestowing me the opportunity to hereby praise the guru’s merits, share with you the fate origin of my refuge as well as the experiences of my family members and me receiving the guru’s rescue and blessings, and to repent here for the evil karma I have committed from accumulated past lifetimes.
From childhood to adulthood, I had never imagined that I would come into contact with Buddha Dharma. Although there are many Buddhist organizations in Taiwan and I often saw publicity encouraging people to practice virtue, I always felt that ‘learning Buddhism’ was something for the elderly or certain people, and had nothing to do with me. It was not until May 2007, when a series of misfortunes occurred, that I came to thoroughly realize the impermanence of life.
In April that year, my grandmother first caught a cold, which later developed into a condition that resulted in her admission to the intensive care unit. On every visit, I saw my grandmother relying on intubation and countless medical devices to sustain her life, suffering greatly from her illness. As her younger family members, we were powerless to help, and my heart was pained to see her suffer and filled with sorrow. At the same time, the chairman of the company, who was always respected by others, suddenly passed away from a heart attack while hiking on a holiday; although the group he was hiking with had an AED for emergency treatment and he was accompanied by a friend with a medical background at that time, despite immediate resuscitation efforts, he eventually could not receive medical attention in time, and unexpectedly passed away within a short time. This had a tremendous shock on me. Even a person with wealth and status, despite having access to medical resources, can still face death occurring in the blink of an eye, with no room for negotiation, and ultimately cannot be saved. Besides, my marriage was also in trouble at the time, and we were separated.
These successive blows, one after another, left me filled with countless doubts and fears about the future of my life: What is the ultimate purpose of being alive for a person? Why do the people we love have to endure such great suffering? And what course should I follow? At that time, I was deeply downcast. My former colleague, Dharma brother Xu, who had already taken refuge in His Eminence Vajra Guru Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche, learned of my situation and mentioned that Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche could help my grandmother, asking if I would like to seek an audience. I, being helpless, agreed without giving it much thought. Thus, I came to the Glorious Jewel for the first time, seeking an audience with His Eminence Vajra Guru Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche.
When I first came to the Glorious Jewel to seek an audience with Rinpoche, I knelt before Rinpoche with an uneasy heart. Rinpoche compassionately (maitrī and karuṇā) and gently asked me, ‘What is it?’I then reported to Rinpoche that my grandmother was in the intensive care unit with a tube inserted, and implored Rinpoche to help my grandmother. Rinpoche then asked me, ‘Why did your father not come?’I answered that my father had already passed away. Rinpoche compassionately (maitrī and karuṇā) asked for my grandmother’s zodiac sign and name, and instructed me, ‘Your grandmother is still conscious. Do not think that she has no feelings. Pay more attention to the reactions of her hands and eyeballs.’
Then, Rinpoche compassionately (maitrī and karuṇā) expounded, ‘If I bless your grandmother, she may pass away within a short time. Can you make the decision?’ At that time, I was ignorant and did not understand the deep meaning of the words, yet a force within my heart made me firmly believe that Rinpoche would surely be able to help my grandmother. Just as I was somewhat worried about my mother’s opinion, before I had time to react, the guru immediately saw through my thoughts at a glance and told me, ‘Don’t worry about your mother, as she would not object. Rather, your uncle would probably be unable to accept it.’ At that time, I was utterly astonished that Rinpoche had effortlessly pointed out my uncle’s stubborn personality and the concerns in my heart; I immediately felt Rinpoche’s great supernatural power and great abilities. Rinpoche, out of compassion (maitrī and karuṇā), could not bear to see sentient beings suffer and agreed to let me attend the Chod Puja so that I could accumulate good fortune for my grandmother and my deceased father.
After leaving the Glorious Jewel, I called my mother in Hsinchu and explained the situation to her. Indeed, she did not object. Thus, I began attending the Chod Puja held monthly as a believer.
One month after I sought an audience with Rinpoche, my grandmother passed away peacefully. As the guru had expounded, if the deceased’s consciousness is transferred, the family members will not fall into excessive grief, but will only be left with memories of the relative. When my grandmother passed away, there was none of the panic or sorrow that our family had experienced when relatives passed away in the past; my relatives all said that my grandmother’s face was exceptionally peaceful and serene when she passed away, just like she was asleep. I am grateful to the guru for compassionately (maitrī and karuṇā) helping my grandmother and my deceased father when I was still only a believer, and for rescuing me, who was lost in suffering.
Although I continued to attend the monthly Chod Pujas and listen to the Buddha Dharma, my mind was still filled with greed, hatred, ignorance, arrogance, and doubt, and I did not have sufficiently true, pure faith in the guru. When the guru expounded and taught at the pujas that one should be a vegetarian, cultivate compassion, and not harm sentient beings, I always made excuses with ignorance, thinking that being a vegetarian was extremely troublesome and would affect my life and work. Thus, selfishly, I only cared about my own feelings and had a vegetarian diet only during the week before and after each puja.
In September 2008, I attended the ‘Great Indiscriminate Amitabha Puja for Transferring Consciousness.’During the puja, I once again deeply felt Rinpoche’s immense power of attraction (Puja Teachings Index 22) and compassion (maitrī and karuṇā), which opened the pure nature of sentient beings and made me shed tears unceasingly throughout the puja. I thought of so many wrong things I had done in the past and that I intentionally or unintentionally harmed countless sentient beings, yet the guru and the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas still compassionately (maitrī and karuṇā) gave me the opportunity to listen to the right Dharma. However, I was unaware of being grateful; my thoughts continued to drift with the tide, and I lived each day in a daze, continuing to create karma. At that moment, recalling Rinpoche’s expounding during that period, I finally gave rise to a firm thought of wanting to take refuge in His Eminence Vajra Guru Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche and follow the guru to learn Buddhism. I knew that only through the guru’s compassionate (maitrī and karuṇā) attraction (Puja Teachings Index 22) and blessings had I, being dull-witted, the opportunity to change my thought.
The Saturday after the puja, I went to the Glorious Jewel to seek an audience with the guru, imploring for refuge. Rinpoche asked, ‘Have you been a vegetarian?’ I reported with deep shame, ‘I was wrong in the past. I used to have a vegetarian diet only before and after the pujas, but I have now firmly resolved to be a vegetarian for life.’ I am grateful to the guru for not abandoning me for this, but instead bestowing me the opportunity by asking me to first attend the weekly general pujas to accumulate the virtuous fate for hearing the Buddha Dharma. I am grateful for the guru’s blessings. After the audience, the ‘obstacles’ that had troubled me in the past—social obligations or gatherings with colleagues that had easily shaken my resolve to be on a vegetarian diet—were unexpectedly resolved smoothly. People around me not only did not make things difficult for me, but instead highly respected my decision to be a vegetarian. This made me realize that all afflictions arise from one’s own greed and attachment.
During the over one month I attended the general pujas, the guru’s expounding always precisely pointed out my various problems, allowing me to have the opportunity to examine my every thought. Listening to countless Dharma brothers share their personal experiences of receiving the guru’s rescue, I could not help but sincerely marvel: How incredibly difficult it is to encounter such a meritorious guru in this world!
The guru always tirelessly liberates sentient beings when they are in their greatest suffering and helplessness, and cares for his disciples like a stern father and loving mother. The guru has never abandoned us because the disciples had a thought of ignorance or were lost, but instead teaches each disciple according to their individual needs, ceaselessly giving the disciples a helping hand; even the guru’s stern admonishments are all filled with the guru’s painstaking care and compassion (maitrī and karuṇā). This strengthened my determination to take refuge and made me deeply realize that, ‘It is difficult to attain the human form, to listen to the Dharma and to encounter a guru.’ How fortunate I am to have encountered such a meritorious guru who has attained realization through actual practice; if I miss this opportunity, I will have no such opportunity again in this life.
Thus, I implored for refuge once again. During the audience, the guru smiled and asked me, ‘I am very fierce. Why do you want to take refuge?’ I reported to the guru, ‘I feel that being human is too painful. People are filled with distrust toward one another, constantly suspicious of each other and causing each other harm; for one’s own interests, one harms sentient beings, often creating evil karma without knowing it, and one even does not know what the purpose of life is. I hope to follow the guru to hear the right Dharma, be liberated from birth and death, and learn not to harm sentient beings anymore.’ I am grateful to the guru for compassionately (maitrī and karuṇā) granting my imploration and allowing me to fortunately become a disciple!
Before taking refuge, my husband, who had been my boyfriend for eight years, and I separated less than a year after our wedding. My husband refused to communicate and avoided seeing me, and this situation lasted for over two years. At that time, my emotions fluctuated greatly; I often shed tears without realizing it, suffered from insomnia, and frequently made mistakes at work because I could not concentrate; I fell into deep self-doubt. I was attached to finding out the reason, but could not seek it, which even caused my mother to be worried about me.
After taking refuge, I heard the guru expound that there are only four reasons for being born into this world—repaying kindness, seeking revenge, collecting debts, and repaying debts. All things arise and cease according to fate; when fate ends, they part, and there are not that many whys in this world. Only then did I realize that the answer I had been seeking was merely causing myself needless affliction; even if I knew the other person’s reason, what could I do about it? Understanding karma, I gradually let go of my attachment and was no longer depressed. At the end of 2009, my husband took the initiative to ask for a divorce, bringing this marriage, the fate of which had ended, to a peaceful close. Had the guru not compassionately (maitrī and karuṇā) accepted me as a disciple and given me the opportunity to listen to the Buddha Dharma, I believe I would never have been able to let go, and would have spent the rest of my life harboring resentment, perhaps even carrying that resentment into my next lifetime.
In addition, in terms of my health, the guru also gave me tremendous help. Before taking refuge, every menstrual period was so painful that I needed to take painkillers or go to the hospital for an injection. After a medical examination, I was diagnosed with ‘ovarian endometriosis’ (i.e., chocolate cysts). Medically, chocolate cysts do not disappear naturally and can only be suppressed by medication or treated through surgery, and they are highly prone to recurrence. Unfortunately, I was allergic to the medication used for treatment (progesterone), and could only rely on painkillers to relieve the discomfort during my menstrual periods.
However, several years after taking refuge, during a family gathering, I suddenly realized that I had not been in pain for a long time during my menstrual periods, and no longer needed to take painkillers at all. Six years ago, during the company’s health examination, the report further showed that the cyst had completely disappeared! I deeply know that without the guru’s protection and blessings, such a miracle could not possibly have happened to me.
I am thankful to my grandmother. Because of her illness, I had this incomparably wondrous fate to encounter His Eminence Vajra Guru Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche. Although on the surface it was my grandmother who needed help, the greatest beneficiary of this process was actually myself.
However, I didn’t properly listen and diligently learn Buddhism, still committing much evil karma.
In February 2013, I attended the Amitayus Puja at the Qiang Jiu Lin in Dehradun, India. During the trip, the guru compassionately (maitrī and karuṇā) invited the disciples to enjoy dinner together and thoughtfully presented each female disciple with a silk scarf and each male disciple with a tie. During the dinner, the guru specifically expounded: ‘Since you come to attend the puja group, participate in it wholeheartedly and don’t go shopping anymore!’
The guru had given such compassionate (maitrī and karuṇā) instructions, yet on the last day of the puja trip, I put the guru’s teachings out of my mind. On my first thought at that time, I knew in my heart that I should not sign the consent form. But after several hours on the tour bus, my mind began to waver. I self-righteously thought: ‘Although I am not going shopping, I can go to the restroom while I am there,’ and assumed that it was only a small thing and would not matter! I did not take the guru’s instructions to heart, nor did I have firm faith or surrender one hundred percent. Thus, I followed evil and signed the name.
The Sino Travel Service Company has always prioritized service quality and safety. Whether for regular tour groups or puja groups, there are absolutely no shopping itineraries. Yet because I tried to be a ‘people pleaser,’ I caused trouble for the Travel Service Company and also raised safety concerns for the group. The guru had clearly reminded us beforehand, yet I failed to uphold the guru’s expounding to the very end. The guru had expounded that being a ‘pushover’ can also lead one to Hell. Afterwards, I implored the guru to permit me to repent. I am grateful to the guru for instructing me to obtain the consent of all the Dharma brothers in the group. Only under the blessings of the guru’s strict yet incomparably wondrous teachings was I able to have the opportunity to deeply reflect on the many wrongs I had committed due to my evil habits of going along with the flow.
Here, I sincerely repent to His Eminence Vajra Guru Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche and the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas:
1. My ancestors were farmers and operated a rice mill, and my father also once ran a supermarket. In raising her children, my mother, intentionally or unintentionally, harmed countless sentient beings. I sincerely repent on behalf of my parents from accumulated past lifetimes to the sentient beings we have harmed. At the same time, I repent for, out of my craving for food, having eaten the meat of countless sentient beings, causing them to suffer.
2. I repent for my arrogance, harsh words, divisive speech, false speech, and frivolous talk, causing afflictions in sentient beings; I repent for handling personal matters during work hours and taking stationery home for use, committing theft by taking what was not given.
3. I repent that when the guru announced the construction of the Glorious Jewel Buddhist Monastery of Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche, I procrastinated and failed to donate to it at the first moment. Everything the guru does is for benefiting sentient beings. When the guru bestowed the virtuous deeds, I, as a disciple, should have responded immediately, yet I was unaware of being grateful.
4. I repent that I slacked off in learning Buddhism, and failed to practice according to the teachings; in my ignorance, although I heard the guru’s precious teachings, I didn’t earnestly listen, contemplate, and change, nor did I deeply believe in karma or contemplate the impermanence of death. I was desultory in my daily prayers, indulged my scattered mind, and forgot my original aspiration when I implored for refuge: ‘I deeply felt that life has more suffering than happiness, and did not want to reincarnate anymore.’After taking refuge, I failed to faithfully and diligently practice the Five Precepts and Ten Meritorious Acts. Instead, I was self-righteous, proud, and concerned about saving face, lazy, and often argued with my mother. Because I didn’t change my habitual tendencies, I would give up praising the guru after only a few words, resulting in my mother still being unable to be a vegetarian to this day, and no other family members having taken refuge to learn Buddhism.
I am grateful to the guru for thoughtfully operating Japanese food shops, the vegetarian cuisine, cafe shops, and the Chinese Medicine Clinic, organizing domestic and overseas tours, and holding music concerts; through these skillful and expedient means, my family members who have not yet had the fate to take refuge can also forge good fate with the guru. This disciple has no way to repay such Buddha’s benevolence.
Throughout accumulated past kalpas and lifetimes, I have cared only about my own suffering and happiness, and the various evil deeds I have committed through my body, speech, and mind are too numerous to recount. I am willing to accept all karmic retributions and vow never to commit them again. Once again, I am grateful to His Eminence Vajra Guru Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche for compassionately (maitrī and karuṇā) attracting (Puja Teachings Index 22) me as a disciple. I vow to carefully cherish this incomparably wondrous fate of following the guru to learn Buddha Dharma, examine my body, speech, and mind every day according to the Thirty-Seven Practices of Bodhisattvas, diligently change the evil habits that keep me in reincarnation, and to act by following the teachings until I am liberated from reincarnation.
I pray that all sentient beings possess sufficient fate and good fortune to receive the right Dharma teachings of Vajra Guru Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche, and be free from suffering and attain happiness.
Lastly, I pray for His Eminence Vajra Guru Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche’s good health, longevity, and auspiciousness; his Dharma wheel turns unceasingly; his Buddha Dharma activities flourish; Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche’s Dharma lineage spreads eternally; the Glorious Jewel Buddhist Monastery of Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche is constructed smoothly and perfectly, benefiting all vast and boundless sentient beings.
I thank all Dharma brothers and fellow believers for listening patiently.
Reverently written by disciple Zhuo Fang Ru, Group One,
on August 9, 2026
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Updated on August 12, 2026