His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche’s Puja Teachings – September 11, 2022

At the Glorious Jewel Buddhist Center in Taipei, His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche lit lamps as an offering to the Buddha, and then ascended the Dharma throne. He expounded the teachings and guidance of Master Gampopa, and he also performed the “Amitabha Sitting-Still Practice.”

“This week, I am going to talk a little about the Dharma text expounded by Master Gampopa. I selected a few items in the text that will be easier for you to understand. This is because some areas in the text are very profound and abstruse, and if I explain them, they will be of no use to you.

Master Gampopa expounded ‘A Guru and A Disciple’ as this: ‘Towards a guru who possesses the Dharma eye, has attained enlightenment, and, in the guru’s mind and the body, has already truly given rise to the experiences and realization described in the Dharma, if a disciple can, with a feel of trust and esteem, attend, undertake things from, and rely on, this guru in accordance with the Dharma principles, then, the disciple’s attainment of enlightenment can certainly be expected soon.’

The ‘Dharma eye’ does not mean supernatural powers can see things or help you solve some problems. Rather, it refers to the fact that this guru has already understood clearly the Dharma and all phenomena in the mundane world, and has attained enlightenment. Such a guru can tell you how to amend yourself through the aspects of the Dharma. If a disciple can, with a feel, and thoughts, ‘of trust and esteem, attend, undertake things from, and rely on, this guru in accordance with the Dharma principles’ (like the methods taught by the Buddha), ‘the disciple’s attainment of enlightenment’ can be expected soon.

How many of you are there who have done that? Only a handful of you. It was like a situation of yesterday that I did not allow two disciples making offerings to me again. I feel no hatred towards money because now there is still the need to get lots of money for the monastery construction. However, it is just like what has been mentioned in this section that disciples need to ‘attend, undertake things from,’ ‘rely on,’ ‘esteem’ and ‘trust,’ their guru ‘in accordance with the Dharma principles.’ These two disciples had not done that. Hence, I did not, and will not, let them make offerings to me. What kinds of things had they not done? When I did not promise to do what they had implored me for, they forgot immediately that they needed to make their offerings to me, their guru. Your explanation for their behavior is this: ‘They were very nervous, and were so nervous that they forgot what they needed to do.’ Well, why are you not nervous when you receive your monthly salary? Why do you get very nervous right away when making offerings to your guru? It is because you feel no esteem for him. You thought if you knelt in front of the guru and implored him for help, he needed to comply with you. When he did not, you totally forgot what ritual you should have done – making offerings to your guru with esteem – and then you just got up and left. It was not that the guru is narrow-minded. Rather, it showed that you did not do things in accordance with the Dharma principles, and you did not esteem your guru. By not accepting your offerings made, I simply did not want to owe you anything.

Yesterday, a disciple who has taken refuge in me for 18 years sought an audience with me. His mother quitted her status of refuge as my disciple seven years ago. Since then, this disciple has not been allowed to make offerings to me for seven years as well. During this period, he did not actually implore me for allowing him to make offerings! Only after his mother passed away, did he come to implore me for getting his mother liberated. How would I get her liberated then? She despised the Three Jewels. As mentioned in the Sutra of Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha’s Fundamental Vows, people who despise the Three Jewels will fall into hells. For this disciple, he has no good fortune because he does not make offerings to his guru. I had been around in those seven years, especially when I did not go abroad in the past two years. This means I had been present at this Center every Saturday and Sunday during that time, but he had just not come to implore my permission for letting him make offerings. Only when he needed his guru, did he show up to implore for help. Do not be so practical, okay?

Not to mention the relationship between a guru and a disciple, even in the one between two friends, things will happen in a similar way. These friends do not contact each other when there are no issues occurring to concern them. If one of them makes a phone call suddenly for a certain matter, and asks to borrow NT$500,000 from the other friend, what do you think whether the latter will lend the money or not? No, such a lending will not happen, not even lending NT$5,000 to that friend. How can there be such a practical person? Thus, when reading this quote, I have truly felt discouraged and downhearted. You have not acted entirely in ways that disciples should behave.

It is like what happened in this event. Recently, His Holiness went to Europe. Before the trip, he kept on saying that he could travel by himself, but I was constantly worried about it. Then, I said to him, ‘The Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang, I must appoint a disciple of mine to accompany you to Europe. After you have arrived in Europe, my disciple will then come back.’ It was a good thing that a disciple was assigned to go with him. His Holiness put his bag in the airport VIP lounge, and got up from a seat to walk around. He forgot that his bag was on the seat and his attendant was not at his side. The disciple I appointed could not get in the VIP lounge. When His Holiness entered the lounge, he turned around and went to the disciple, telling him that the bag was gone. The disciple immediately asked the police to continuously patrol the airport looking for the bag. Then they saw someone carrying it. That person even said that the bag had been picked up in the restroom. At that time His Holiness did not use the restroom at all. The bag was stolen obviously.

This is exactly what a disciple behaves! What about you? All of you think that I am the Invincible Iron King, and you only say this to me: ‘May you, Rinpoche, be healthy and safe.’ If you do not curse me, that will be quite good for me already. I can only rely on myself. So, except for a handful of disciples, you really do not appear as what disciples should look like. His Holiness called me the other day and said, ‘Next year, you are to select some of your disciples to accompany you to Germany for transmitting the Dharma.’ It was a big headache for me once I heard it. How will I make the selection?

What Master Gampopa expounded is the accomplishment that you have not achieved. The contents of his teachings also mentioned that there are differentiations of practices, called ‘Paths of Three Types of Practitioners.’ The term refers to three types of practitioners and at what level their practices are at: upper-level, middle-level or lower-level. In this part of the text, there are these two lines: ‘On the auspicious meanings of the fundamentals in the Dharma, one should attain enlightenment with faith.’

Therefore, if you do not have the feel of esteem for your guru, you will naturally have no faith in the guru. If you do not have such faith, then, ‘on the auspicious meanings of the fundamentals in the Dharma,’ you cannot attain enlightenment. This is because you yourself have been blocking, and been isolated from, the blessings between your guru and you in that there are no blessings you will receive from the guru. There are reasons certainly that your guru rejects your supplications. Do not think continuously the occasions of ‘granting whatever is requested’ will surely occur to you. The phrase ‘granting whatever is requested’ refers to Avalokiteshvara’s mind of liberating sentient beings. If you want to get liberated from birth and death and have determined that you do, then what you implore Avalokiteshvara for will assuredly be attuned to the Bodhisattva. If you have not decided to get liberated from birth and death, your supplications will certainly not be attuned to Avalokiteshvara.

I often say that as there are so many people who implore Avalokiteshvara for help every day, it is reasonable to say that there should not have been accidental deaths or bad things happening on Earth. Why are there still so many problems occurring every day, even with events that countless people are killed like hemps being cut down? In Taiwan, there are many religious organizations, and there are even more temples than 7-Eleven stores as well. Why is this still the situation? Because there being no esteem shown by disciples towards their gurus. People think if they make prostrations to the Buddha or deities, they will receive blessings or get their wishes fulfilled. They also consider that by imploring their gurus a bit for help, their supplications will be accepted. Now, you treat your guru as a god or a deity. You think if you kneel in front of a statue or a portrait of a god or a deity, burn a piece of incense, and implore the things you want, the god or the deity will surely give them to you. Hence, on the faith mentioned here, if you have this kind of thought, you will not give rise to such faith in your guru.

Master Gampopa expounded this: ‘On the contrary, if that so-called guru has not attained true enlightenment, and even if a disciple has shown towards the guru a feel of trust and esteem from the deep inside of the disciple’s mind, then, it is to be afraid that such trust and esteem will not produce some kinds of effectiveness.’

How do you know if your guru has attained enlightenment or has his Dharma eye opened? It is to know it neither by your observing him or finding faults with him, nor is it by looking for some things from sutras or Buddhist terms to test him. Rather, it is like what has been stated in the Dharma text: the guru’s lineage has not been broken off in an Order, and is very pure; what the guru has learned from the Dharma have all been passed down from the lineage. What he does every day are about the Dharma – there are nothing else.

What is true enlightenment? It does not mean a guru has attained it if the guru is now a Buddha or a Bodhisattva. Instead, it means the guru has clearly understood about life and death, impermanence, and all things, and has constantly taught his disciples to accept this concept, letting them know distinctly that it is impossible to change their karma by just imploring the guru for the change. Disciples can only transform their karma in that such a transformation must be through merits of their practices.

Master Gampopa also taught this: ‘If disciples do not possess the necessary trust and esteem, then, even though teachers have given profound, wonderful, and inexpressible teachings, it is to be afraid that such teachings will not produce some kinds of benefits. For example, this is like a situation that although a cow possesses abundant and edible milk, the calf does not want to open its mouth to take the milk.’

It is like you. You are told this is a very delicious food but contrarily, you just do not want to eat it.

‘If, in a guru’s own body and mind, there has already been the Sacred Dharma arisen, this guru is capable to lead and guide a disciple who possesses faith and esteem towards the guru. Thus, at the beginning of our practices, in the first place, we will need a guru to teach us.’

‘Because of this, Venerable Atisha often taught and admonished this to all his disciples: “Towards a qualified guru, believe firmly in him and have no doubts about him. These are extremely important!’

‘If disciples do not possess faith towards their gurus, then, there will be no blessings produced from the gurus to the disciples.’

This quote has disclosed about the fact of disciples’ not believing in their guru. It is just like the disciples mentioned earlier. They did not make offerings to the guru because what they had implored for had been rejected. That was exactly the fact that they did not have faith in their guru. They thought that ‘Why did you not give me what I had implore for? I am your disciple!’ There is no such a saying that ‘once one implores for something, one’s request needs to be granted.’ Even when Shakyamuni Buddha’s disciples implored Him for things, the Buddha often ignored them.

‘For a disciple who possesses faith towards the Dharma, this disciple does not need too many teachings, and only needs to rely on each teacher’s teachings, which are with methods of being direct and pointing to issues needing corrections. With such teachings, the disciple is to conduct, realistically and steadily, in effective actual-practices.’

This is why you are often scolded; it is exactly about the phrase ‘being direct and pointing to issues needing corrections.’ I have, contrarily, done things you dislike the most to show you what they are; on things that you think you are right, I will find faults in them and reject your ideas until you are totally in such a mess. So, if you do not have the feel of esteem for your guru, and if you use the guru as a tool for your practices and learning of the Dharma, then, not to mention your being unable to be enlightened in this life, what you have implored for will certainly not be attuned to the guru either. It is quite reasonable to say that what a guru does every day are to benefit sentient beings. It is like what is mentioned in the Dharma text about bodhicitta. A guru’s deeds are done without a slightest self-benefit, and are given out entirely. If one is without bodhicitta, one is not a guru. Are such deeds to be acted assuredly every day so that you can see their occurrences, and only then can there be bodhicitta? No, it is not so. The views in the Dharma are not those in non-Buddhist religions, which deem an act exists, in that it must have been done with evidence or proof.

This is to be explained from the perspective of science. In the universe, the changes of many things are types of transformations of energy, such as changes in light and in sound or re-arrangements of atoms and molecules. All these transformations cannot be seen with the human eye. The Dharma is like this kind of concept. Through the Dharma, your so-called negative force of capability has constantly changed to positive one. When there is a very strong force of capability, all the things that are not good will gradually be reduced. However, everyone does not believe in this.

When last typhoon occurred here, it remained in the ocean area off Taiwan for a day without changing its course. I suddenly thought that there might be many sentient beings in this typhoon; I then blessed them. At that time, there was lack of water originally in Taiwan. A typhoon can bring rainwater. It just happened that it rained in water-storage areas, making reservoirs filled with water. There were no problems happening from this typhoon in Taiwan at all. When it got to other countries, it did cause typhoon damages there. However, I had prayed that the harm would be reduced a little because this was a very powerful typhoon. Nevertheless, there were no evidences about such reduced damages. Why were there no proofs? It was because there were no scientific instruments that could have proved that those damages were less serious because of my prayer and blessings. Yet, a guru’s bodhicitta is shown in this way. Whether it is effective or not, to me, is in fact not important. What is important is whether my bodhicitta will ’come out.’ And you? You only think of yourselves. What have you been learning? I do not understand it.

Here, there are a few kinds of citta (essence of the Dharma) that had simply been expounded by Master Gampopa for us to know.

‘If one can introspect on one’s own mind, such introspection is “insight.”’ What is ‘introspect on one’s own mind’? It is being able to ‘see’ the essence of the mind. You cannot manage the functions of the mind, but you can at least ‘see’ what your mind is thinking about, right? Have you seen if your mind is dirty or clean? Or, is it filled with many doubts, or thoughts of greed? Have you introspected on your own mind? If there are mistakes or errors you make, you then think that all of them are due to other people’s faults. Then, that is exactly because you have not done self-examination on your mind. Therefore, your ‘insight,’ or views, will be false forever. Even when you recite the Buddha’s name, make prostrations to the Buddha, or implore Him for help, all these acts are from your false views because you have not introspected on your own mind.

‘If enlightenment on phenomena has been attained as the mind, such accomplishment is called “attaining enlightenment.”’ What does this sentence mean? It means all phenomena we know of are pure originally. It also means all phenomena that have happened, which you have felt their occurrences, arise from causes and conditions, and will cease to exist when they end. They do not exist eternally, and they are not eliminated forever either. On the occurrence of a phenomenon, and its being good or negative, there are many causes and conditions in the process of its formation. However, the essence of a phenomenon is neither good nor negative, and is just a karmic retribution produced from causes and conditions that have existed before. The thought of goodness and negativeness of such a retribution that has been generated is just defined by us. Hence, there will be no enlightenment attained on phenomena. Once one has attained enlightenment on them, one knows that they are the same as the mind, and understands that it is pure originally. Now, you have so many afflictions, thoughts, and unaccountable behaviors because your mind has received external influences, and has then produced false views. You will never be able to attain enlightenment.

‘On the meanings and principles of what have been attained in enlightenment, the process of forming them into habits through practices and learning is called “practicing.”’ This is exactly what I have said frequently that only applying the Dharma in daily life is practicing. Do not make prostrations to the Buddha only when you have problems; do not make less of such prostrations when you have no issues either. Also, do not do this: coming to listen to the Dharma expounded when you have problems, or disappear by not showing up here when you have no issues troubling you. All these show that you have not done your practices.

‘If the existence and the essence of the mind have been realized and experienced, such acts are called “realizing and experiencing things.”’ The mind is not to be found; also, it cannot be obtained. On the contrary, it exists. What are the mind’s existence and essence after all? In sutras, there are many Buddhist terms or methods to explain the mind’s existence and essence. Nevertheless, from my practicing experiences, it is not important that Buddhist terms – no matter how many there are – can explain about the mind. The important thing is whether you have realized and experienced the existence and the essence of the mind. Such acts include whether you have ‘seen’ clearly how the mind moves, how it is motionless, how it is with thoughts or how it is without thoughts. After all, do you know the functions of the mind? If you do, you will know the existence and the essence of the mind. What do they mean? They mean you will not fall into reincarnation again.

‘In the states of realization and experiencing, if such states exist continuously, they mean “actions.”’ On realizing and experiencing the existence and the essence of the mind, in Zen School, it is called ‘understanding one’s mind and seeing one’s nature.’ After this state appears in a person, it does not represent that such a state will continue to remain unless the person is in actions unceasingly. If you amend all your behaviors constantly, and know very certainly the functions of your mind – like how to start using the mind or how to stop its functioning – and when you understand your mind entirely, then it is ‘actions’ described in the quote. Before, His Holiness once said – so did I – that whether you chant mantras or not, whether you make prostrations, or pay obeisance, to the Buddha or not, or if you recite sutras, all these activities are just assisting conditions, and are not counted as practicing yet. Do not think that reciting many times the Buddha’s name or sutras every day or doing sitting in meditation is practicing. Such an activity is an assisting condition, which is an affinity created to help you practice.

‘Truly achieving attainment in the existence and the essence of the mind is called “fruition.”’ What does this sentence mean? On the mind, you understand its power, its existence or non-existence, and its states, and if you can use all of them, you will have the fruition of practices.

‘Proclaiming this fruition to people and expounding the methods of attaining such a fruition are called “activities.”’ The ‘activities’ are the so-called Buddhist activities. Thus, do not think that asking for donations, reciting sutras, or making prostrations to the Buddha are Buddhist activities. You need to teach others to know how ‘fruition’ is attained. Simply speaking, as an example, when I perform the Phowa, and if I cannot realize and experience ‘the existence and the essence of the mind’ or if the states of realization and experiencing cannot exist continuously, then I cannot have ‘actions’ done on rituals in the Phowa. If there are no such actions done, how can I truly achieve ‘attainment in the existence and the essence of the mind’ – the so-called Emptiness? If one does not perform the Phowa in Emptiness, how can this practitioner help sentient beings in performing it? This is because if performances are not done in Emptiness, but with a mind of attachment, such performances cannot help sentient beings. The existence and the essence of the mind can be understood, and its functions can also be grasped; whether it can be utilized or not is known clearly. All these achievements are shown as fruition of practices. If, occasionally, there are one or two sentences that you have spoken of or a few things that have happened to you, you think you have done your practices well – have done your ‘actions.’ Then it is a wrong thought because this is still in the ‘insight’ stage. You have seen that your mind has some little functions arising, but this does not represent that you have mastered your practices. This is a very simple principle but doing it right, on the contrary, is not simple.

‘Rely on “insight” to give rise to “attaining enlightenment;” lean on “practicing” to protect and support “realizing and experiencing things;” then through “fruition,” achieve accomplishment in “activities” of benefiting people!’

When ‘insight’ has arisen, we are to rely on it, and only then can we give rise to ‘attaining enlightenment.’ Only when we lean on ‘practicing,’ can we protect and support ‘ realizing and experiencing things.’ Then, through ‘fruition,’ we are to achieve accomplishment in ‘activities’ of benefiting people. So, without ‘insight,’ ‘practicing,’ and ‘fruition,’ how can we benefit sentient beings? Only when we attain fruition, can we benefit them. What is the definition of ‘fruition’? It is not that you have attained a very good fruition level today. Rather, through nurturing and teachings of the Dharma, after your ‘insight’ is quite clear, your karmic retributions can surely let you benefit sentient beings. There will be such deeds for you to do without pursuing them. You do not need to implore for getting situations every day to let you help sentient beings. The situations to help them will appear naturally so there is no need for seeking them. These have been simply explained here. I hope that you can realize a little the misunderstanding you have had about the Dharma, and what your wrong thoughts are.

Master Gampopa explained kindness, compassion, and bodhicitta very simply.

‘All together, there are three methods for giving rise to kindness, compassion and bodhicitta: Towards sentient beings, affinities give rise to “affinities with sentient beings;” on the sacred Dharma, affinities give rise to “Dharma affinity.” Affinities of nonexistence give rise to “without affinity.”’

‘“Towards sentient beings, through affinities, give rise to kindness, compassion and bodhicitta” means with the help of affinities, to those sentient beings who, because they have not attained enlightenment in “True Suchness” yet, causing them having been full of suffering from the two attachments of “capability” and “mental factors,” we are to make vows that we hope if all those sentient beings, who are like our mothers, can eliminate suffering and obtain happiness, they will then attain the perfect fruition of a Buddha with great enlightenment.’

These are the ways that one is to practice kindness and compassion.

‘After such vows have been made, then, on anything we do, we do not mix all those things up with our selfish and self-serving behaviors. Rather, with our heart and soul, we just want to benefit and rejoice the venerable sentient beings. This is because that we need to rely on venerable sentient beings to truly attain, and get the appearance of, the perfect fruition of a Buddha with great enlightenment. Therefore, it is extremely important that towards sentient beings, affinities are to give rise to kindness, compassion and bodhicitta.’

I have said that if there are no sentient beings, there will be no Buddhas. That is why we need to respect sentient beings. The reason is explained here.

‘If sentient beings have been forsaken in the mind….’ This phrase refers to the so-called a person who practices for oneself; the person just practices for himself or herself. Then, we cannot achieve accomplishment perfectly to get liberated.

‘“On the sacred Dharma, through affinities, we give rise to bodhicitta” means because all phenomena are dreams and illusions, no matter what acts we do, for all these things, we should change our visions of them to dreams and illusions. About this stage of principles, there are also these mentions of verses in sutras and sastras: On phenomena that are illusory, if one has already done practices that are like in illusions, what one obtains will also be illusory feelings.’

In the Six Yogas of Naropa, there is a Dharma method called Dream Yoga. This Yoga is not to be practiced in a dream though. Rather, it is a method through the practicing ways of Dream Yoga to let us know assuredly that all things are like dreams and illusions. In this mundane world, nothing is real. People who have done their practices through Dream Yoga will certainly achieve attainment in this life. Many people start to be envious about this. Can they practice this Yoga in their dreams? No, they cannot. This is because those who want to practice Dream Yoga need to start practicing Tantra. They are to learn, through the guru’s teachings and guidance, how to practice the ‘solar plexus and bindus’ system in our body, how to visualize, et cetera, and only then can these people practice Dream Yoga.

Why do people give rise easily to hatred and affliction in their minds? Because they do not know all phenomena are like dreams and illusions. After they know this, the hatred and affliction in their minds will be reduced, and will be unraveled and understood naturally as well.

‘For these types of things, inferences can be derived according to reason. If we have already understood that all greed, hatred, and affliction are like dreams and illusions, then at such time, our minds will not be in the flow of the mood of greed and hatred again. Whether we are in walking, standing, sitting, or lying, if, on all the events we have experienced, we can realize them and do our actual practices with visualization that the events are dreams and illusions, then at such occasions, on our attachment to the elimination of phenomena, there will naturally be no difficulties at all. Through such implementations in doing our actual practices, our obtainment in achieving auspicious attainment in our life and in this lifetime will be simple and effortless – as easy as falling off a log. On the sacred Dharma, this type of affinity is called bodhicitta.’

There are two categories on bodhicitta, and they are worldly bodhicitta and ultimate bodhicitta. What had been spoken of by Master Gampopa here was ultimate bodhicitta. If one does not understand that ‘all phenomena are in Emptiness’ or ‘all phenomena arise from causes and conditions, and will cease to exist when they end,’ one cannot master the practices of ultimate bodhicitta. In that case, the bodhicitta that one has will always be worldly bodhicitta. What is worldly bodhicitta? It is that you do your acts deliberately from your thinking; it means when you do a thing, there is not a natural force arising spontaneously in you to make you do such an act. If you want to attain achievement in having ultimate bodhicitta, it is not that you can get that by just sitting there cross-legged every day. Your practices absolutely need to be progressing through your guru’s continuous teachings, guidance, and lead. You will gradually realize the meaning of Emptiness, and only then can you enter the state of ultimate bodhicitta. Ultimate bodhicitta can make one gain a fruition level. Then this practitioner will be able to liberate all sentient beings. So long as sentient beings are in the reincarnation’s sea of suffering and have affinities with this practitioner, the practitioner will liberate them.

The phrase ‘Bodhicitta that is arising without affinities emerging’ refers to ultimate bodhicitta. Then the phrase ‘getting far away from all forms of conditioned and meaningless arguments (‘prapanca’)’ is the practice of Simplicity Yoga, the second stage of the Dharma method of Mahamudra. (Translator’s note: In Chinese, the term ‘Simplicity Yoga’ means ‘Yoga of getting away from games.’) Here, the word ‘games’ does not mean games played on by humans. The word’s definition is that all various things in the mundane world are in fact just games – some types of games; that is all. When you play on games, you get much delight; when the games have been finished, they are over and are not there anymore. Then, you will pursue another game again, seeking anew, once more, a bunch of causes and conditions to form as a game to play on. A human life has continuously been in a game since the moment this life enters a fetus. The so-called getting-away-from-games is that your mind will not be in any tiny bit of binds of the mundane affairs. Even if these affairs are happening, to you, they are just games. You watch them having been performed, observe their processes, and see that they disappear. However, your mind for practicing and for attaining a Dharma path has not changed, and has not been influenced by those ‘games.’ You still practice unceasingly with a consistent purpose.

In a few decades we live in this world, we have many good and negative causes and conditions that are mixed in our lives more or less; much of affliction is mixed up as well. In our practices, if we just rely on chanting mantras, doing meditation, or making prostrations to the Buddha, such practicing force is not enough. Hence, we need to introspect on our own minds, examining where actually our affliction comes from, why it arises, and why it is eliminated. If you can grasp these matters, then you can understand what in fact your problems are.

People cannot see clearly what their errors are. I often tell you this metaphor: If you do not have a mirror in your home, and when you get up in the morning, you will surely not see how you look at that time. After a night’s sleep, what will you become after all in your look the next morning? You cannot see it, absolutely, unless you have a mirror. From the perspective of the Dharma, the Dharma is a mirror, reflecting your image to show you your look. If you know that you look very ugly in the morning after sleeping a night, then this indicates that you must have a crazy, fun time the night before, and you had not enough of sleep.

Thus, the concept of the Dharma is introspection, and is not finding troubles for others by using the Dharma. Of course, a guru can do that. This is because your guru has already done self-examination, and known where your issues have been. The guru does not get you into troubles but is to let you understand assuredly what your own problems are. People cannot see their own features. Through the Dharma and the teachings and guidance of our guru, we can only then know what our own features are. All of them are about greed, hatred, ignorance, arrogance, and doubt. We, as humans, live our lives with these five features in us. Yet, we still think that they are right, and nothings are wrong about them. If others say something that you do not agree or accept, you will argue or debate with them hysterically, even pushing the responsibility, held by you originally, to someone else. Such people with these kinds of behaviors are not Buddhist practitioners. They learn Buddhism only to get themselves living a good life.

Any occurrence is just a game. In this game, perhaps you are a good person whereas the other person is a bad one; or, in some game, maybe you are a protagonist and the other person is in a supporting role. Every game is different. If you are influenced by this person in every game, the affliction in your mind will continuously increase and grow; it will not be reduced. Nevertheless, if you are much aware of the mentions that ‘all things happening in life are of the law of causes and conditions’ and ‘all phenomena arise from conditions and are in Emptiness in nature,’ you will know that every occurrence is a game. Then your mind will naturally be motionless. The ‘mind being motionless’ does not mean the mind is completely not in motion. Rather, your mindset as well as your viewpoint on matters involved, which might make you produce wrong methods, will not be affected by the emotions of delight, anger, sorrow, and happiness that are felt in this game.

We humans, in our lives, will do some wrong things, and yet, we do not know that they are wrong. This is exactly because we do not understand the act of introspection. Why do you need to recite the Thirty-Seven Practices of Bodhisattvas? These 37 verses are to let you do a self-review of your mind every day. On the surface, they seem very coarse and simple, unlike the extremely profound Dharma that you want to learn. However, these 37 verses, contrarily, uncover the coarsest side of your mind to show you what it is. Only after this side is uncovered and you have seen it, can you know how you have lived your life in this life. After knowing this clearly, if you still have not determined to take refuge as a Buddhist to learn the Dharma, your life will end in a snap of fingers. After your life ends, you will then be in reincarnation by going along with your karma.

Many people like to make bets. They bet on this: ‘I will bet with Rinpoche. He will get me liberated, absolutely, when I pass away.’ If I have died at that time, how do I help you get liberated? Not to mention about my death, if I suddenly conduct a retreat, ignoring everything else, who will the person be in helping you get liberated? So, do not bet on this. Life is impermanent and it will change at any time. The so-called impermanence does not necessarily mean death; rather, the word refers to the fact that things change constantly. The speed of karma being changed is very fast, and cannot be grasped and understood by us.

The Buddha mentioned before that there are three things that He cannot do and they are these: He cannot liberate those sentient beings who have no affinities with Him; He cannot do the eradication of liberating sentient beings; He cannot alter sentient beings’ karma and karmic retribution. As things are in these ways, what do we learn Buddhism for? We still need to learn it. What do we take refuge as Buddhists for? We still need to take refuge as Buddhists. Why are we to do these? It is because after we have learned Buddhism and taken refuge as Buddhists, the Dharma that we have been listening to can only then be the reliance for us. After taking the refuge, the learning of the Dharma – even for just chanting a verse of a mantra – can be relied on. If you do not believe in this, you will think it is useful by just coming here to participate in pujas. Yes, it is certainly useful in doing that because you will surely obtain good fortune. Yet, as you do not believe in the importance of taking- refuge spoken of by the Buddha, it indicates that you do not believe in cause and effect, meaning ‘ignorance’ which is included in the phrase of ‘greed, hatred, and ignorance.’ After ignorance is produced in your mind, it will be very difficult to amend this mindset.

Many people have a mindset of ‘wait until I am clear about things.’ I have been practicing to this day that I am now 75 years old; I am still not clear about the Dharma because I have not attained Buddhahood yet. Who do you think you are that you can be clear about things? Your thinking is in this way, ‘If I do the thing right, I will not be scolded by Rinpoche.’ To date, I am still scolded by His Holiness; what do you think who you are that you will not be scolded by me? Many people think that ‘I have done many things in society and they have not been wrong.’ These are about mundane affairs and are irrelevant to the Dharma. Comparing with the Dharma, your smartness and awesomeness that you show in this mundane world are not amazing at all. Why is that? If you have the capability, show me that you can get a hole to appear in a deceased’s crown chakra, keeping the deceased’s consciousness intact. If you can do that, it indicates that your level of accomplishment is about the same as mine. If you cannot get such a hole appearing, it means you are at many levels below mine. Do you still want me to wait until you are clear about things? When you are clear about them, it would be either you are not in living or I am not. After you have waited and will not do things wrong, you will not be scolded by me anymore. Then, perhaps both you and I are no longer in this world. For those who do not want to be scolded by me, do not come to attend the pujas either.

I said before that if I had opened the ‘gate of casualness’ (not the ‘gate of convenience’ yet) today, I believe I would have so many disciples. Nevertheless, this is not the real features of propagating the Dharma. As I want to teach the true Dharma, the work I have done is very toilsome; I have needed to give up many things.

Today, I have briefly explained a little on what had been expounded by Master Gampopa. It will take a very long time for me to speak of his teachings in details to you. I am kind of unenergetic to do that because you will not listen to those details.”

(Rinpoche started to perform the “Amitabha Sitting-Still Practice.”)

Rinpoche continued the teachings. “I will briefly explain a little on what had been spoken of by Master Gampopa about the ‘appearance of a meritorious mentor.’

A meritorious mentor is not someone who is good to us, and is not a person who knows many positive common senses either. The definition of a meritorious mentor is a great practitioner or an accomplished practitioner, and it can also mean a root-guru.

Master Gampopa expounded this: ‘For meritorious mentors we rely on, they not only need to be able to get themselves liberated already from reincarnation, but also, at the same time, should have capabilities to protect, and accompany, us from the suffering and miseries of reincarnation to the opposite shore of nirvana with the suffering ceased. Besides the gurus who have possessed the qualifications mentioned above, do not mistake easily those “wild fox and furry monkeys” as “gurus,” absolutely!’

1. Towards the Three Jewels – the Buddha, the Dharma, and Sangha – he has already obtained the assurance of true faith.
2. Towards sentient beings, he has already obtained the assurance that he can treat them with compassion. This sentence means to treat all sentient beings with a mind of indiscrimination. Whether you are rich, poor, or in what position in the society, his compassion in treating you is in an equal state.
3. On the most profound and abstruse Dharma principles, he has already obtained the assurance of accurate enlightenment.
4. He is not a practitioner who only expounds the Dharma to people because he wants to seize their wealth and belongings.

There are also several appearances that are to be possessed by the practitioner, and they are these: His lineage is connected with the lineage of the Order; his lineage is connected with the Dharma voice; his Dharma voice is connected with the Dharma voice of continuous transmissions in the lineage; such continuous transmissions are connected to his blessings.

1. The quote, ‘his lineage is connected with the lineage of the Order,’ means the guru we rely on needs to be one who is a possessor of the lineage, and, during the period ‘since the beginning of the appearance of the right-equality perfection of a Buddha with great enlightenment up to the time of the setting up of the bridge of lineage by the lineage gurus of past lifetimes who had achieved attainment,’ he has never broken way from the lineage. This guru needs to be one who is a possessor of the lineage, ‘having never weakened or damaged his vows and having never destroyed what he has learned.’

2. The quote, ‘his lineage is connected with the Dharma voice,’ means the guru we rely on needs to be one who is a possessor of the lineage, ‘possessing the capabilities of giving pith instructions and aural transmissions, and of being attuned to others in a heart-to-heart state.’ This guru needs to be one who is a possessor of the lineage, ‘having never immersed in the writing of “words on the rotten sheets of paper.”’ (This refers to pith instructions.)

3. The quote, ‘his Dharma voice is connected with the Dharma voice of continuous transmissions in the lineage,’ means the guru we rely on needs to be one who understands accurately about, and has attained enlightenment from, the meanings of the sutras expounded by the lineage gurus.

4. The quote, ‘such continuous transmissions are connected to his blessings,’ means the guru we rely on needs to be in a state of never having been interrupted for certain special reasons on his Dharma lineage. At the same time, this meritorious mentor himself should also possess blessings which can get the minds of others to give rise to merits.

What had been expounded above was a simple introduction by Master Gampopa about a meritorious mentor. So, if a practitioner does not possess these conditions mentioned, no matter he is a person at a ‘high level,’ at a ‘low level,’ being a ‘high-level guru,’ or being a ‘low-level guru,’ he is not a meritorious mentor.”

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Updated on July 8, 2024