1309：Appreciation to the Vajra Guru who is Compassionate like a Father

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, Dharma brothers and fellow believers, I am Hsu Shu Yin from Group Four, and my Dharma name is Hui Tong Drolma. My father is Hsu Fu Yu from Group Three. I am grateful to His Eminence Vajra Guru Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche for bestowing me the opportunity to praise the guru, and repent the evil karma I have committed. 

Since childhood, I had come to the Buddhist Center with my father and attended the pujas as a believer. Hearing the precious Dharma teachings from the guru and the Dharma brothers’ accounts of the incomparably wondrous traces of how they were rescued by the guru, I came to know that His Eminence Vajra Guru Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche is a great practitioner who possesses vast maitri and grand karuna, cannot bear to see sentient beings suffer, abides rigorously by the precepts, and exemplify through his own actions. Although I had not yet taken refuge at that time, I believed that Rinpoche had been ceaselessly blessing me throughout my growth. I am grateful to Rinpoche.
 
The fate origin of taking refuge was that during a puja, when Rinpoche expounded: Those who still do not take refuge should not come in the future. Thus, my father encouraged me to take this opportunity to implore to take refuge, and without much hesitation, I decided to register for imploring it. However, because my mother felt at that time that I was only ten years old and still young, she questioned how a child could make such an important decision on her own. I myself did not properly explain to her why I wanted to take refuge. The first time I implored to take refuge, Rinpoche asked, ‘Does your mother agree for you to be a vegetarian? Go back to ask her, and then come again.’ The second time I sought an audience with Rinpoche, he asked, ‘Did your mother give her consent by herself? Go back and ask again.’ At that time, I was puzzled in my mind. I had already asked my mother, and she had agreed; why did I have to ask again? Later, I came to realize that the guru knew my mother had not fully agreed to my taking refuge in her mind, so the guru asked me to properly explain to her when I was back. The guru even knew my mother’s innermost thoughts, although she did not come to seek an audience. Rinpoche is truly omniscient. I am grateful to Rinpoche for compassionately accepting me as a disciple, and I took refuge in His Eminence Vajra Guru Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche in 2010.
 
Rinpoche once expounded that if one encounters obstacles on the path of learning Buddhism, it is certainly that one had obstructed others in past lifetimes. In 2014, my mother developed depression. At that time, my father could not care for her every day, so, from then on, I took Sundays off from the pujas to stay home with her and did not attend the pujas. Yet ignorant as I was, I made no active effort to change; thinking that I was still young, I did not regard learning Buddhism as a significant matter; I indulged my playful mind, even arose evil thoughts, blaming others for not letting me attend the pujas, and did not repent in my mind. Looking back now, I am filled with regret.
 
By 2019, one day the board told my father that if I still did not attend the pujas, they might have to consider revoking my vest. I am grateful to the blessings of Rinpoche and Buddha Mother Achi that my mother later agreed to let me attend the monthly Chod pujas, and I am grateful to Rinpoche for allowing me to stay and continue to be Rinpoche’s disciple. I remember that when I stepped into the Buddhist Center which I had not entered for many years, the moment I saw Rinpoche ascend the Dharma throne, my eyes instantly filled with tears, as if seeing the family I haven’t met in a long time. I also felt deeply certain that learning Buddhism under His Eminence Vajra Guru Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche is solely my ultimate belonging.

Not long after I entered university, I encountered difficulties both in my interpersonal relationships and in my studies. At that time, I felt distressed. Whenever I returned home, I always wore a worried expression, which caused my parents’  great concern. At that time, my father told my mother, ‘Let her find her own way to face her problems. If attending the pujas will help her, then let her go.’ My mother hesitated for a long time, fearing that if I attended the pujas every week, her depression might relapse. I am grateful to Rinpoche. Although I encountered setbacks, I was able to truly express my wish to attend the pujas. I also assured my mother that we would not abandon her, and that even though I usually studied in another city, I would return home every week to keep her company, telling her not to worry. Eventually, my mother agreed. I am deeply thankful to the blessings of Rinpoche and Buddha Mother Achi. I was finally able to return to the Buddhist Center to attend the weekly general pujas and listen to the guru’s precious Dharma teachings. Initially prone to emotions, I gradually became more stable, with prominent improvements in both my studies and interpersonal relationships. I am grateful to Rinpoche’s teachings and protection.

Next, I will share the trace of how Rinpoche has blessed me. During a meeting between Rinpoche and the Information Group, Rinpoche gazed with a compassionate look in his eyes and blessed each disciple. When he looked at me, Rinpoche said, ‘Your spine is crooked.’ Rinpoche instructed me to step forward for him to examine my lumbar spine, and said that my lumbar spine and pelvis were misaligned. At that moment, I was exceedingly astonished. Since entering university, my lower back would often ache after sitting for long periods, and at night I would toss and turn from the pain and sleep poorly. Yet I had told no one, thinking it was only a minor issue. Rinpoche compassionately asked whether I had long maintained poor posture, and whether I often had difficulty eating or sleeping. Rinpoche then compassionately expounded that a crooked spine would affect the digestive system and, in turn, the entire physical condition. He instructed me to have the chiropractor adjust my spine, and continued to show concern about whether my condition has improved after seeing the doctor. I am truly grateful to Rinpoche. I genuinely felt how deeply the guru cares for his disciples, and I dare not imagine what serious consequences might have arisen if I continued to leave my crooked spine unattended. I also feel profoundly ashamed for not properly paying attention to my body condition and for troubling the guru.
 
In June this year, I participated in the Consecration Anniversary Puja at the Kyoto Buddhist Center in Japan and received Rinpoche’s incomparably wondrous blessings. Two days before the puja, I strained the tendon in my right shoulder and neck while doing the grand prostrations, a condition commonly known as a ‘stiff neck.’ Any movement that involved raising my arm even slightly would cause severe pain, and my whole body felt stiff. I initially thought I would have the chiropractor adjust it after returning to Taiwan. On the day of the puja, when Rinpoche began performing the Dharma, as the guru chanted mantras and bestowed the empowerment, I felt a distinct current of heat flow through my body, descending from my head along my spine. Miraculously, after the puja ended, I found that I could move freely without any pain! Whether lifting my arm or turning my head, everything was smooth, and the contrast before and after the puja was extremely striking. The Dharma brothers, upon seeing my condition, were also astonished at how swiftly it had recovered, and praised the incomparably wondrous blessings of His Eminence Vajra Guru Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche. Rinpoche is truly incredible. I am grateful to Rinpoche!
 
However, despite receiving such care from the guru, I failed to properly practice in compliance with the teachings, and did not wholeheartedly carry out what the guru had instructed. When working in the Information Group, I only focused on doing my own tasks well and paid no attention to others. Even though I knew the project was delayed, I thought it was someone else’s responsibility, and I actually avoided and shirked my duties. I am grateful to Rinpoche for timely stopping me from doing the evil, reproaching my foolish self, and bestowing this teaching: ‘Those who bully others with their power would fall for Hell.’  Only then, was I startled to realize that I had committed a grave mistake and sown the seeds of evil karma. I am truly grateful to the guru for promptly pulling me back from the very gates of the Three Evil Realms. I feel deeply remorseful toward the guru; I did not seize the virtuous opportunities the guru granted, failed to diligently apply the Dharma taught by the guru to mind my body, speech, and mind, and bothered the guru to teach me when problems arose. Rinpoche has been so kind to me, yet I lacked a mind of gratitude and repayment. I treated the tasks assigned by the guru as mere volunteer work, without the resolution to fully surrender to the guru or the mind of complete faith in the guru, and I betrayed the guru’s painstaking  effort. I deeply repent.

I am deeply grateful for Rinpoche’s sharp admonition. It was only then that I truly began to examine and confront the evil habits and evil thoughts I had harbored ever since. When handling tasks, I usually tend to procrastinate, easily become lazy, unwilling to take responsibility, often hide behind others and shift the duty onto them, and I always view people and matters from my own thoughts and perspective, rather than first examining myself through the Buddha Dharma. I have long been accustomed to doing things based on my own feelings, without putting myself in others’ positions to carefully consider their feelings. I would always act first and think later, thinking it would be fine to correct mistakes after doing wrong, yet in truth, at the moment I erred, I had already caused harm to many people. I also repent for my habitual pride and arrogance, and for not earnestly correcting myself, assuming that doing many volunteer tasks and prayers means that I am practicing. Only upon careful reflection did I realize that all my thoughts arising were evil, and I was even unaware of the evil I had done. I repent for not acting like a Buddha disciple, and for not practicing by following the teachings to repay the guru’s benevolence. I repent that I always thought Rinpoche would surely bless me, learning Buddhism with a mind of seeking protection, without truly resolving to correct myself. If it were not for Rinpoche’s timely rescue, I do not know how much more evil karma I would have committed.

However, even though I was so stubborn, difficult to subdue and tame, my evil habits hard to correct, and I kept making mistakes, Rinpoche never gave up on any sentient being, and still tirelessly taught me, bestowing me the incomparably wondrous teachings again and again. I am truly grateful, and even more remorseful towards the guru. I frequently ponder how fortunate I am to have taken refuge in such a compassionate great practitioner. Whenever I think of the guru’s eyes, filled with immense compassion like the great ocean while teaching and saving sentient beings, my mind is overwhelmed with indescribable feelings of being moved and gratitude. When I encounter setbacks and difficulties, inwardly implore for the guru’s blessings and visualize Rinpoche, I feel embraced by the guru’s compassionate light, which settles my mind. It is as if I had already been forlorn, adrift and helpless in the darkness for an exceedingly long time and now, eventually, there is a light I can rely on, guiding me out of the darkness. The guru is like a father and like the Buddha, and all that he has bestowed me is beyond repayment even across countless lifetimes. I will definitely practice even more diligently, not betraying the guru’s benevolence.
 
Next, I will share how my mother has received Rinpoche’s blessings. In May this year, my mother fell while traveling in Japan, landing heavily on her arm. When I saw the photo she sent me, her entire arm was bruised. I felt deeply concerned and did not know whether any bones were injured. That day, in front of the mandala, I implored the guru through Rinpoche’s Dharma portrait to bless my mother to return safely to Taiwan. I am grateful to Rinpoche that my mother’s injuries did not worsen, and after returning to Taiwan, hospital examinations revealed that no bones were injured. I applied Baoyuan Gao to my mother’s arm every day, and soon the entire area of bruising healed. I am deeply grateful to Rinpoche! I took this chance to tell my mother that it was all due to Rinpoche’s blessings, and she nodded after hearing it. In the past, when I mentioned The Glorious Jewel or traces of Rinpoche liberating sentient beings to my mother, she would feel somewhat resistant, and there was no fate for her to attend the Great Indiscriminate Amitabha Puja for Transferring Consciousness. But now, my mother happily shares The Glorious Jewel cakes and bentos from The Glorious Jewel Vegetarian Cuisine with us. I am grateful to Rinpoche’s business units for letting my mother have the fate to come into contact with The Glorious Jewel. Now my mother is willing to listen to me sharing how I have received tremendous care from Rinpoche, and Rinpoche is blessing our family. Recently, she has even been willing to attend the pujas at the Glorious Jewel Buddhist Monastery of Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche, and at home she lights incense before the mandala to make offerings to the Buddha. It is truly incredible! This is something I never could have imagined before. I am profoundly grateful to Rinpoche for employing all approaches to help sentient beings accumulate fate and good fortune so that they can come into contact and learn the Buddha Dharma. I marvel at Rinpoche’s compassion and great attractive (Puja Teachings Index 22) power.

Finally, I repent hereby for all the evil karma I have committed through accumulated past lifetimes. I have eaten the meat of countless sentient beings in this lifetime and past lifetimes. After taking refuge, I did not earnestly abide by the precepts, did not practice the Thirty-Seven Practices of Bodhisattvas, and did not apply the Buddha Dharma in daily life, indulging my body, speech, and mind in committing evil. I repent that I have been self-righteous since childhood, often found fault with others, talked back to my parents, was unfilial, and failed to appreciate my parents’ benevolence in raising me. I kept judging my dad based on my own ideas, thinking why my father does not understand me, but failed to realize that everything he did for me was out of care, arranging everything for me and hoping that I would live well and diligently follow Rinpoche to learn Buddhism. I am grateful to my father for always tirelessly teaching and reminding me how to conduct myself and handle affairs, and for frequently reminding me of the proper attitude in learning Buddhism. Only by these reminders can I strengthen my resolve to learn Buddhism. I am truly grateful for everything my parents have done for me. I also repent for being indolent, slacking off, often arriving late, thereby losing the opportunity to do the morning and evening prayers; I repent for taking others’ belongings without informing them, often seeking small gains and unwilling to accept loss, thereby breaking away from the precept of stealing; I repent for being attached to and craving romantic desires, and thus breaking away from the precept of sexual misconduct; I repent for often speaking harsh words in the past, causing others distress and harm. I also once attempted to create discord among friends and enjoyed hearing gossip, thereby breaking away from the precepts of harsh speech and divisive speech; I repent for being irreverent to the Three Jewels, not practicing in compliance with the teachings, still living by my own ideas, rarely reflecting on the impermanence of death, and for indulging myself. Because I did not abide by the precepts in the past and failed to practice the Five Precepts and Ten Meritorious Acts, I have intentionally or unintentionally caused suffering to numerous sentient beings. Here, I repent to all the sentient beings I have harmed.

Being able to take refuge under His Eminence Vajra Guru Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche and learn Buddhism in this life is the result of fate and good fortune from accumulated past lifetimes. I will diligently make use of this lifetime, earnestly correct myself according to the Thirty-Seven Practices of Bodhisattvas, sever the evil deeds and practice virtuousness, and learn the Buddha Dharma as well as the Five Precepts and Ten Meritorious Acts. I vow to transcend from reincarnation after this life ends and implore to rebirth in the Pure Land to continue my practice, so as to repay the benevolence from the guru, the Buddha, the parents, and sentient beings.

I pray for His Eminence Vajra Guru Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche’s good health, longevity, and auspiciousness; the Dharma wheel turns unceasingly; his Dharma activities flourish; the Glorious Jewel Buddhist Monastery of Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche is smoothly constructed, benefiting all sentient beings；and Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche’s Dharma lineage spreads eternally. I thank all fellow believers and Dharma brothers for listening patiently. 

 

Respectfully written by disciple Hsu Shu Yin, Group Four, 

 on November 30, 2025

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Updated on December 3, 2025