1330：Only by Acting in Accordance with the Guru’s Incomparably Wondrous Teachings Can One Be Liberated from the Suffering of Reincarnation
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 Chen Yuan Ming from Group Seven, and my Dharma name is Gong Chu Ding Qi. I am grateful to Rinpoche for granting me the opportunity to publicly praise the guru, share with you the guru’s teachings, blessings, and protection on my path of learning Buddhism, and to repent the evil karma I have committed from accumulated past lifetimes.
I took refuge in His Eminence Vajra Guru Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche on September 11, 2011. My introducer was Dharma Brother Li from Group Seven. I am grateful to Rinpoche for allowing me to encounter Dharma Brother Li and thereby giving me the fate to attend the Great Indiscriminate Amitabha Puja for Transferring Consciousness presided over by Rinpoche. At a time when I was hesitating and feeling lost at a crossroads in my career development, I sought an audience with Rinpoche, this utmost precious treasure of the human world, and subsequently took refuge to become a disciple of Rinpoche, thus embarking on the path of learning Buddhism. Otherwise, this life would have been lived in vain, and I would never have had the opportunity to be liberated from the suffering caused by the Six Realms of reincarnation. For the fate origin and process of my taking refuge, please refer to Article No. 945 in the Traces of Liberating Beings section on the website of the Glorious Jewel Buddhist Center.
After taking refuge, my habits of self-righteousness, arrogance, and selfishness were able to be corrected under the subjugation of Rinpoche’s incomparably wondrous teachings. Had I not encountered the guru in this lifetime and received the guru’s compassionate (maitrī and karuṇā) rescue, I would certainly have sunk into an ocean of extravagance and indulgence, lost myself, lost my health and family, and continued in the Six Realms of reincarnation through lifetime after lifetime with no hope of liberation. I am grateful to His Eminence Vajra Guru Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche for compassionately (maitrī and karuṇā) transmitting to and teaching the disciples the Thirty-Seven Practices of Bodhisattvas, which is the incomparably wondrous Buddha Dharma and a Dharma method for practicing, and for enabling the disciples to ceaselessly examine our mind, speech, actions and to see whether our daily body, speech, and mind violate the Thirty-Seven Practices of Bodhisattvas. Rinpoche once expounded, ‘The Thirty-Seven Practices of Bodhisattvas are what the disciples of the Buddha should absolutely and truthfully carry out. Every Practice should definitely be applied in daily life. This is terribly difficult, but it must be practiced. No matter how difficult it is or how hard it is to do, we should still do it. Each Practice represents a Dharma method. Those who practice the Bodhisattva Path must practice the Thirty-Seven Practices; not even a single Practice can be left out.’
I deeply repent that every day I violate the Thirty-Seven Practices of Bodhisattvas, creating vices and karma. Rinpoche compassionately (maitrī and karuṇā) transmits and teaches the disciples the first Practice of the Thirty-Seven Practices of Bodhisattvas, and it is: ‘At the time when the difficult-to-gain ship of leisure and fortune has been obtained, ceaselessly hearing, ponding and meditating day and night in order to liberate others and oneself from the ocean of reincarnation is the bodhisattvas’ practice.’ Examining myself, I repent that I did not deeply believe in impermanence. In this lifetime, I have already obtained the human body, which is difficult to attain. The body is equivalent to a Dharma vessel, and I should firmly resolve to make use of this Dharma vessel in this lifetime and to correct my body, speech, and mind through being permeated by the Buddha Dharma that Rinpoche incomparably wondrously teaches, letting myself, under the guru’s blessings, have the fate and good fortune at the time of death to leave suffering and obtain happiness, and furthermore help my relatives through lifetime after lifetime.
Yet, in the past, apart from doing my morning and evening prayers and attending the pujas every Sunday, I did not truthfully reread Rinpoche’s puja teachings, nor did I truly reflect on whether I had put them into practice in my daily life. I repent and admonish myself that I should actually reread Rinpoche’s puja teachings every week and apply Rinpoche’s teachings into my life. Thereafter, because I continuously and reverently read and listened to Rinpoche’s puja teachings and Dharma CDs, in my daily work and life, whenever I was about to create karma that would lead to reincarnation through my thoughts or actions, I would immediately receive the blessings from Rinpoche’s great compassionate (maitrī and karuṇā) power, Rinpoche’s teachings would flash through my mind, and I would immediately stop creating the evil. I am deeply grateful to Rinpoche for unceasingly blessing and rescuing me, this disciple with deep and heavy vices and karma, preventing me from falling into the burning house of reincarnation.
In addition, I am grateful for Rinpoche’s incomparably wondrous teachings. Before taking refuge, the dreams I had at night were mostly filled with greed, hatred, ignorance, arrogance, and doubt. Now I rarely dream. If I do, most of my dreams are related to work. After examining myself according to Rinpoche’s teachings, I realize that I still have greed and attachment to self, and don’t deeply believe in karma. By carefully and repeatedly reflecting on the situations in my dreams, I discovered that I just hope to perform better than others and receive praise from my supervisors and colleagues. My attachment to self manifests that I insist that matters handled by me must have good results. Little do I know that everything is karma, and it is sufficient to do my utmost; as for whether the outcome is good or bad, I should simply face it with an ordinary mind. Without Rinpoche’s strict teachings and unceasing blessings, I certainly would not remember these dreams, nor would I examine myself and thereby discover that deep within my mind there remain the Five Poisons, including greed and attachment to self. Rinpoche is truly working far too hard. I repent here that even while sleeping, I am still troubling Rinpoche. I vow to constantly uphold the teachings of right thought and right understanding taught by Rinpoche. All thoughts should be for the sake of others, and only by this can I eliminate attachment to self, further eradicate the greed within my mind, and deeply believe in karma. I am grateful to Rinpoche.
Looking back now on my previous overseas work, I realize that I violated the Thirty-Seven Practices of Bodhisattvas in all of my work, although I was unable to realize it at that time. When I was working in Nanjing, I was the supervisor of a factory site; my work went very smoothly, and the factory’s performance was excellent. I had already taken refuge at that time and was learning Buddhism. Believing that I was acting for the benefit of the organization and the employees, I held highly strict standards in all matters and spoke in an extremely stern manner. Although I was not using abusive language toward others, I had already violated Practice Thirty-Four of the Thirty-Seven Practices of Bodhisattvas: ‘Because harsh words disturb others’ minds and cause the Bodhisattva’s conduct to deteriorate, abandoning harsh speech that is unpleasant to others is the Bodhisattvas’practice.’
At that time, many employees harbored unhappy thoughts, but because of the organizational ethics, most of them dared to be angry but did not dare to speak out. I occasionally found that some employees were dissatisfied with the management style. As a result, I regarded such employees as bad employees and ignored their thoughts. Upon examining myself, I realized that this also violated Practice Twenty-Two of the Thirty-Seven Practices of Bodhisattvas: ‘Appearances are one’s mind. From the beginning, mind’s nature is free from the extremes of elaboration. Knowing this, not to engage the mind in subject-object duality is the Bodhisattvas’ practice.’ Employees are neither inherently good nor bad. It was I who divided them into good employees and bad employees, and I failed to uphold the altruistic mindset that a disciple of the Buddha should possess.
The performance results at that time were excellent, and I helped the team obtain many awards and received praise from many people. Yet I did not realize that arrogance had already arisen in my mind and that I had been swayed by the Eight Winds, thereby violating Practice Twenty of the Thirty-Seven Practices of Bodhisattvas: ‘Though one may be famous and revered by many people or gain wealth like that of Vaishravana, having realized that worldly fortune is without essence, to be unconceited is the bodhisattvas’ practice.’Under the circumstances at that time, I was self-righteous and rationalized my mind. In the past, I would never have been aware of the above details. There is no other reason; it is simply that I lacked good fortune. Because I lacked good fortune, I was unaware even of where I was wrong and what evil karma I had created. Why did I lack good fortune? Because I failed to listen to Rinpoche’s words, to truly apply Rinpoche’s teachings in my daily life, to constantly keep the guru in mind, to draw close to the guru more frequently, and to engage, at the first moment, in the virtuous activities granted by the guru; I repent here.
After returning to Taiwan, I participated more in the virtuous activities granted by Rinpoche, such as the sharing sessions at Dazhi area, serving as a volunteer on Saturdays and Sundays, and doing morning and evening prayers; I am grateful to Rinpoche for compassionately (maitrī and karuṇā) accepting my meager offerings; because of these, I was able to accumulate a small amount of virtuous karma and supportive fate under the blessing of Rinpoche’s great compassionate (maitrī and karuṇā) vows. Through the repentance practices and the Dharma method of the Thirty-Seven Practices of Bodhisattvas bestowed by Rinpoche, I could recognize my evil actions and evil karma, correct them, and no longer create evil karma.
After leaving Nanjing, I went to work in Vietnam. Because I had been very successful in Nanjing, I went to Vietnam with full confidence. Little did I realize that I had already been entangled by the Five Poisons, arrogance and other vices and karma. I even thought that I could replicate my successful experience from Nanjing in Vietnam, and that everything would surely go without any problem. As the Five Poisons continued to increase day by day, I eventually suffered a severe setback and fell seriously ill, which lasted for up to three years; I nearly lost my life. It was medically diagnosed as Dysautonomia. Rinpoche once expounded that, ‘Doctors nowadays have created a diagnosis called Dysautonomia or Endocrine disorder. How does it arise? It comes from constantly thinking, having unfulfilled desires, and having excessive craving. One also wants that after obtaining this; when it cannot be obtained, one keeps thinking of ways to hope to obtain it by oneself. Naturally, one has such an illness.’
Only through Rinpoche’s compassionate (maitrī and karuṇā) expounding could I realize that the source of this illness was my own lack of accordance with the Dharma, my failure to act by following the teachings, and my violation of Practice Twenty-One of the Thirty-Seven Practices of Bodhisattvas: ‘however much sense pleasures are enjoyed, as [when drinking] salt water, craving still increases. Immediately abandoning whatever things give rise to clinging and attachment is the bodhisattvas’ practice.’ I repent here that in times of smooth circumstances, I lacked good fortune, did not listen, and failed to carefully remember Rinpoche’s teachings to immediately abandon greedy thoughts. During the period of illness, I truly experienced what it means for life to be worse than death for the first time in my life; it is because I suffered from severe insomnia and was unable to sleep every day. At that time, I felt suffering and even had thoughts of suicide. It was Rinpoche who saved my life. In that condition of illness, neither my parents, relatives, nor Western medical doctors were able to help me. I deeply believe that in this world, only the guru can save me. Every day, during morning and evening prayers or whenever I needed help, I would kneel before the mandala and implore the guru for blessings and assistance. I also followed the repentance Dharma method compassionately (maitrī and karuṇā) bestowed by Rinpoche, and repented the evil karma created in my accumulated past lifetimes and this lifetime. Each time, I would uncontrollably burst into tears. Fortunately, under the blessing of Rinpoche’s great compassion (maitrī and karuṇā) and great vows, my body, speech, and mind were gradually adjusted through daily repentance and self-examination, and I was able to abandon evil and practice virtuousness. With recuperation at the Glorious Jewel Chinese Medicine Clinic, I was eventually restored to health. Otherwise, I would not have the opportunity today to stand here and repent my evil actions and evil misconduct. I am grateful for Rinpoche’s life-saving benevolence, and I vow to diligently learn Buddhism through lifetime after lifetime so as to repay the guru’s benevolence.
In addition, during the process of imploring the Dharma of the Four Extraordinary Foundations of Vajrayana Ngondro, when interviewed by the monastics, I was pointed out that I had been practicing Buddhism only on the surface; I believed that attending the pujas, being a vegetarian, giving donations, making offerings, and serving as a volunteer just meant I was learning Buddhism and practicing. However, I did not realize that these were only the supportive fate. Without genuine inward visualization, self-reflection, and truly thorough correction of my body, speech, and mind that weren’t in accordance with the Dharma, this just means I did not believe in the Buddha Dharma, and merely sought protection. Regarding the Dharma imploration, I did not bring forth the most fervent aspiration nor an offering mind to implore for the Dharma. Rinpoche once expounded that, ‘When imploring for the Four Extraordinary Foundations of Vajrayana Ngondro and Vajrayana, if one has the ability, one must make offerings. If one is unwilling to make offerings, it is impossible to obtain the Dharma.’ Upon examination, I also violated Practice Twenty-Eight of The Thirty-Seven Practices of Bodhisattvas: ‘Even hearers and solitary realizers, who accomplish only their own welfare, strive as if putting out a fire on their heads. Seeing this, taking up diligent effort – the source of good qualities – for the sake of all beings is the bodhisattvas’ practice.’ I repent that I did not use a mind as though my hair were on fire and urgently needing to be extinguished to correct my inner minds of greed, hatred, ignorance, arrogance, doubt, and all non-Dharmic behaviors. I also deeply repent for holding a tentative mindset to implore for the Dharma. I should have implored for the Dharma with the most fervent aspiration and the most complete offering mind. Dharma brothers, please take this as an example.
In the last two years, I was again assigned to long-term business trips in Mainland China, returning to the situation of attending the pujas via video conferencing. Attending the pujas via video and being physically present at the Buddhist Center every Sunday, as well as participating monthly at the Glorious Jewel Buddhist Monastery of Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche, are completely different experiences. It is because when attending the pujas at the Buddhist Center and at the Buddhist Monastery, one can feel Rinpoche’s great attraction (Puja Teachings Index 22) power and immense blessing power, and one’s mind can instantly become calm, as if one were in a pure land, listening to the Buddha Dharma teachings of His Eminence Vajra Guru Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche, who is indistinguishable from the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. This is something that cannot be experienced through video-conference pujas.
During this long-term business trip, I thought that it was perhaps another test of my determination to learn Buddhism and an opportunity to examine whether I had thoroughly corrected my body, speech, and mind. Through Rinpoche’s incomparably wondrous teachings and compassionate (maitrī and karuṇā) blessings, I unceasingly used the guru’s teachings to examine myself during this business trip: whether my thoughts were always centered on my colleagues for every matter, acting for the benefit of others. I shouldn’t have the discriminating mind of good and bad, and should treat every colleague I encountered with equanimity, and do my utmost to provide assistance to all those around me whenever I was able to do so; when communicating with others in my management, I approached everything from the perspective of care and assistance. I am grateful for Rinpoche’s protection and blessings. The assignment was all accomplished smoothly and perfectly, and I was even remarked upon by my colleagues that they had never seen a supervisor who was so willing to help employees. Through this, I also shared with my colleagues in Mainland China the incomparably wondrous teachings and the Traces of Liberating Beings of His Eminence Vajra Guru Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche. My colleagues all expressed their praise without exception. Beginning in June this year, I no longer need to travel to Mainland China on business. I am able to attend the pujas at the Buddhist Center every Sunday, participate in the pujas at the Glorious Jewel Buddhist Monastery of Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche every month, draw close to the guru more frequently, participate in the virtuous activities granted by the guru, make my meager offerings as a disciple, strive to correct my body, speech, and mind, and act in accordance with the guru’s teachings; these are the most important matters of this lifetime. I am grateful to Rinpoche.
Here, I sincerely and openly repent to the sentient beings I have harmed from accumulated past lifetimes.
I repent that from the time I was in the womb, I caused my parents to commit the karma of killing in order to receive nourishment. As I grew up, because of my own desire for food and taste, I even harmed countless sentient beings, such as poultry, livestock, snakes, frogs, scorpions on land, as well as fish, shrimp, crabs, and shellfish in the sea, and other sentient beings. I repent for hosting a banquet with meat dishes at my marriage. Not only did I extensively create killing karma myself, I also caused relatives and friends who came to offer congratulations to be involved and jointly take responsibility in the collective karma of killing. I repent that in the past I caused my girlfriend to undergo abortion, committing serious killing karma. I repent that, in the past, I either intentionally or unintentionally killed countless sentient beings such as ants, spiders, cockroaches, and other insects. I repent that during my student years, I bullied and beat classmates, and sold smuggled cigarettes on campus, harming many sentient beings. I repent that when I was a child, I stole money from my mother to buy candy; during my school years, I stole money from my mother to buy cigarettes and gamble; I cheated in examinations, forged certificates to obtain scholarships; and during school morning meeting, I sneaked into other classrooms to steal classmates’ bus tickets and meal tickets.
I repent for using company time to handle personal matters and for embezzling office stationery; I repent that I used pirated software, watched pirated movies, and used counterfeit goods, committing numerous acts of theft. I repent that in the past I read inappropriate books and often gave rise to lustful thoughts in my mind. I repent that I lied to my parents and teachers since childhood. After growing up, I failed to fulfill many of my promises; I spoke ill of others, was self-righteous, arrogant, and conceited, and often used harsh or inappropriate speech to hurt sentient beings, causing them to give rise to hatred. I repent that after taking refuge and learning Buddhism, I was hypocritical and slacked off, did not truly put the teachings into practice, and failed to strictly examine my body, speech, and mind on a daily basis. I repent that, I was self-righteous, and while my own evil habits had not yet been corrected, I used my personal views and words to persuade my relatives to learn Buddhism, which instead caused my relatives to be irreverent toward the Three Jewels and create verbal karma. For this, I deeply feel remorseful and repentant. I repent that I am two-faced in nature: outwardly I appear reverent, obedient, and diligent in learning Buddhism, while inwardly I am actually filled with the Five Poisons of ‘greed, hatred, ignorance, arrogance, and doubt.’ To this day, I still retain deeply rooted evil habits such as disbelief in impermanence and karma, fear of trouble, and ‘procrastination, delay, and lack of urgency.’ To all sentient beings whom I have killed or harmed from accumulated past lifetimes, I sincerely repent one by one, and I willingly accept all karmic retributions.
I am endlessly grateful to His Eminence Vajra Guru Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche for his great compassion (maitrī and karuṇā) and great vows; unable to bear sentient beings suffering from the afflictions of reincarnation, Rinpoche is still willing to attract (Puja Teachings Index 22) me, a person burdened with deep and heavy evil karma, as a disciple, and to bestow me various incomparably wondrous teachings, allowing me, who is ignorant, have the chance to repay the debts owed to sentient beings from accumulated past lifetimes, and to be liberated from the suffering caused by the reincarnation of Six Realms. Facing such vast and immeasurable benevolence of the guru, I can only keep my refuge vows cautiously in mind, and strive to be a disciple who listens and truly acts according to the teachings, so as not to fall short of the benevolence of the guru, sentient beings, and my parents.
I am grateful for the Glorious Jewel Group operated by His Eminence Vajra Guru Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche. The Glorious Jewel Japanese Food managed by Rinpoche allows me to purchase non-toxic and nutritious food, ensuring dietary health. The Glorious Jewel Trading Company and Antique Furniture Shop provide disciples with items needed for learning Buddhism, as well as pure, natural, and handmade high-quality incense and tea for making offerings to the Three Jewels. The Glorious Jewel Vegetarian Cuisine, as well as the cafe shops both on Dongfeng Street and in the Dazhi area, provide excellent places for group meals and fellowship gatherings. The Glorious Jewel Chinese Medicine Clinic allows us to receive treatment with precious and top-grade Chinese medicinal materials when we fall ill. I am grateful to all staff members from Rinpoche’s business units for always providing me with service that makes me feel at home.
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; all at the Glorious Jewel Buddhist Monastery of Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche are smooth and perfectly completed, benefiting all sentient beings. I thank all Dharma brothers and fellow believers for listening patiently.
Reverently written by disciple Chen Yuan Ming, Group Seven,
on May 31, 2026
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Updated on June 5, 2026