Advice on Guru Devotion

Student's Letter

Dear Rinpoche,
With respect to our precious teacher Geshe-la’s health, our kind lama is manifesting the aspect of sickness, and I do not feel quite sure how to think about it.

It is easier with ordinary beings. But since our teacher is a fully realized, holy being, we cannot treat him like a suffering sentient being, and whatever symptoms of illness there are, I cannot really believe them. I feel almost as if I don’t have respect when I ask my teacher how he feels, and I also cannot really tell him what would be good for him to do because I am embarrassed to do so. I think that he knows far better what is good for him.

On the other hand, it makes me sad to think that his eyes and heart could be affected, and that he could be burdened, and it makes me totally sad to think that these eyes full of love would some day not look at us any more, and this treasure of wisdom and compassion could leave us. Geshe-la certainly does not worry at all for himself, but he cares for us, and his looking after his health may totally depend on the intensity of our needs and wishes.

If a Buddha manifests as a human body, does he depend for his well-being, his energy, and his long life on this body and does he depend on medicine at all? Or does his manifestation of a long life depend on our karma, efforts, and prayer? What we see, is it his sickness or our obscurations? What is proper to think and do? Can ordinary medicine and ordinary beings help the illness of realized beings? Can we as his students influence Geshe-la’s health by some special practice?

Rinpoche's response

Dear Jangchub,
Regarding the guru having sicknesses, and whether to have treatment or not, this answer is not for every single guru, but a general answer.

The disciple should pray for the long life and health of the guru, because disciples’ prayers have power. Why? Because there is a Dharma connection.

You can’t leave this out, saying, “This is Buddha, who does not need anything,” and then do nothing. Because the guru is showing an ordinary aspect, such as having suffering and sickness, you should offer service, get medicine, and so forth. The need for your service is also part of the manifestation, and it is for us sentient beings to collect merit and purify. Those sentient beings who offer service need their negative karma to be purified. These are the reasons for the guru’s sickness, because it makes possible very powerful purification for sentient beings, for them to achieve enlightenment quicker.

It is good to recognize this. When Lama Atisha showed the aspect of diarrhea and loss of control of his bowels, Drontompa cleaned it with his hands, without any thought of its being dirty, and from this he achieved clairvoyance. Because his mind was clarified from these actions, he was able to read the minds of sentient beings, even ants, even the minds of people as far away as an eagle can fly in 18 days.

Thank you very much for your concern and for your guru devotion. That is your jewel, the root that eliminates all defilements and obstacles, and achieves all realizations and enlightenment, and enlightenment for all sentient beings.

With love and prayers...

Student: Rinpoche, Geshe-la helped me a lot. He gave me very good advice on guru devotion.

Rinpoche: Really, what was it?

Student: He told me, “Even you are not physically near your guru all the time, if you feel close and have devotion, you will constantly receive his blessings. To feel close, you must constantly remember his kindness.”

Rinpoche: I think that’s from his own experience. I don’t think that came from a text.

Student: Also, I told him that I only wanted to practice guru devotion. I didn’t want to meditate on anything else, and I asked if that was all right. He said, “If you put guru devotion on one side of a scale and all the other topics of the lamrim on the other side, guru devotion will always weigh more.”

Rinpoche: Really? He said that? One time a student asked His Holiness Trijang Rinpoche about this. I think she was feeling sad because of not being close to Lama Yeshe. Then His Holiness gave this analogy: If you plant a flower, as long as it’s not covered by stones and there are no obstructions, then even though the sun is very far away, the flower will receive everything it needs to grow.

Student: Yes, Rinpoche. It makes sense.

Rinpoche: I think what Geshe-la told you is expressing his own experience. If your mind is good, you always feel close to the guru. If you make a mistake and do something wrong, then even though you are physically close, you feel kind of distant. It is like that.

My very dear Karen,
I want to mention something else in addition to what we discussed last night. Rinpoche is the Buddha, and he knows everything. Since you have confirmation of and faith in this in your heart, that makes everything possible for you. It will accomplish every single wish you have for success, for happiness in this life, for your time of death, intermediate state, in the pure land where you wish to be born, for ultimate liberation from samsara, and for all the realizations up to enlightenment. Then, you will be able to guide sentient beings, and give deeper and deeper benefit to others, more and more, bringing sentient beings from happiness to happiness all the way to enlightenment.

That makes you the luckiest person, the most fortunate being. All good things will come toward you, like the waves of the ocean, like rain, or snow, (that is, if you like snow, then countless snowfalls!)

With that same logic, you thought Rinpoche asked you to take on these responsibilities in order to benefit you. That is exactly the best way to think. I think it would be excellent for you to think in a similar way that Rinpoche is taking the aspect of sickness and so on, like an ordinary being, for the same reason. In exactly the same way, you can think that every single aspect that is like an ordinary person—having sickness, delusion, mistaken actions, needing treatments, being unable to remember things, having fear, and so on—all of this is to benefit you, because the actual Buddha does not have suffering, old age, sickness, or death.

So, I say that you are the luckiest woman in the world.
With skies of love and prayers...

Guru devotion is the quickest way to collect the most extensive merit, the means to achieve enlightenment. Of course, the main thing is having the right motivation, bodhicitta, but having a pure mind of guru devotion, with no negative mind arising toward the guru—which is very heavy negative karma—is also very important.

A negative attitude, such as a thought of giving up respect, even just thinking, “What is the use of this teaching?” creates negative karma; one breaks the samaya vows. A kind of pollution comes, and whatever you offer becomes negative and can invite sickness or obstacles. So, I think, the most important thing is keeping samaya, not doing any wrong thing, not letting heresy arise, having negative thoughts, or losing faith. Lost faith is very heavy. Also, it is important not to break the root Pratimoksha vows.

So much emphasis is placed on guru devotion because, with very strong guru devotion, there is no hardship in following the guru’s advice; it becomes so easy to follow any advice given.

If one sees Buddha, one feels incredible happiness, joy, and pleasure in this life. We were trying the other day to find an example of happiness. I said “going to the beach” or “drinking nectar”; you said “having sex,” remember? We were looking for an example of something that is most exciting and joyful for ordinary beings.

Here, Dharma practice offers the most exciting, highest happiness there is: following advice, finding no hardship at all in whatever advice the guru gives, even things that generally seem hard in the view of other people, even impossible. That itself is guru devotion. Then, seeing your guru as Buddha, without any question, is incredible, the peak, the highest enjoyment. Then, nothing is difficult to accept. But if the devotion is not strong, if it is wishy-washy, if there’s no real devotion, only a little, and it's artificial, from the lips, but not in the heart, or it's very weak like when a fire has been burning a long time and there are only one or two sparks left, it can disappear very easily. That is what happens to devotion—one or two sparks are left and then the fire is gone. Then it's very difficult to follow advice, even if the advice is simple, and not a great sacrifice. Even very small things become hard. The mind doesn’t want to do it.

With that attitude one cannot obtain advice. There is no thought that it is precious and that "this is a task for me," that this is a dependent arising, that this advice is purification of negative karma accumulated from beginningless rebirths up to now and is collecting the most extensive merit. We don’t see it as a path to achieve enlightenment, that the advice brings you to enlightenment. One doesn’t see that every single piece of advice that is given, and whatever service one does, is the most powerful, best method to fulfill all your wishes.

From among all your wishes, the highest, most important wish is to achieve enlightenment for sentient beings, and this is the best, most powerful cause to be able to enlighten so many sentient beings and do perfect work for them.

The proof of the power of guru devotion is found in many stories. The root of guru devotion, seeing the guru as Buddha, grows into a stable realization, through advice obtained from correctly devoting oneself to the virtuous friend in thought and action.

Many people can understand, have admired the life story, or have heard how Milarepa achieved enlightenment in one brief lifetime in this degenerated time. That’s because he was given advice by his teacher, Marpa, before receiving teachings or initiations, not only to build a tower alone, without any help, but then to tear it down and put the stones back from where he brought them, again rebuild it, and again put the stones back. It is amazing that Milarepa did all this without losing faith or devotion. Sometimes Milarepa came with other students to receive teachings from Marpa, but the minute Marpa saw Milarepa among the people, he scolded him and asked him to leave. Yet there never arose a single heresy from Milarepa’s side. His devotion was always very firm, he never lost any faith. Because of that, correctly devoting with thought, then with actions, following every single word that Marpa said, he achieved enlightenment in that very lifetime.

It was the same with Gyalwa Ensapa, Chokye Dorje, and so many other beings, such as Naropa and Lama Tsongkhapa. It is said that Lama Tsongkhapa could have achieved enlightenment in one brief life in this degenerated time by practicing wisdom mother practice, with a consort, but in order to preserve the Vinaya teachings and be an example to others, he achieved enlightenment in the intermediate state.

There are many other inspiring stories, such as that of the bodhisattva Sadaprarudita, “Always Crying One.” I think Sadaprarudita must have reached the great path, the third level, of the bodhisattva’s path of merit because when you achieve that level, wherever you are, you see hundreds of buddhas in their nirmanakaya aspect. Sadaprarudita was able to see and could have received teachings from many other buddhas but he was not satisfied. He wanted to see the buddha, the guru, with whom he had a karmic connection.

He went to see the bodhisattva Dharmodgata, the one he had the past karmic connection with, but bodhisattva Dharmodgata was in retreat. “Always Crying One” stayed in that temple for seven years, cleaning outside it. The day Dharmodgata came out to give teachings, he set up the throne and cleaned the place. When he was cleaning, he wanted to prevent dust from rising up, but maras had created obstacles and there was no water near this place. So, he drew some blood from his body and sprinkled it on the ground.

Generally, without practicing tantra, only following sutra, the paramitayana, one has to collect merit for three countless great eons, but “Always Crying One” finished collecting the merits of one countless great eon within those seven years. Why so fast? Because he had incredibly strong devotion to his guru, cherishing bodhisattva Dharmodgata more than his own life. This means you can achieve enlightenment more quickly.

Another story is about the Kadampa Geshe Chayulwa. Normally, the teachings mention him as an incomparable example, one that we should pray to be like. Also, there is Bodhisattva Shönu Norsang and Chayulwa. These beings were incomparable in giving their life to their gurus, cherishing the guru more than their own lives.

With that kind of strong guru devotion, cherishing the guru more than his life, every day Kadampa Chayulwa offered service to his guru, Chengawa, cleaning Chengawa’s house and offering many other services. It is said that even if he was offering a mandala, when Kadampa Geshe Chayulwa heard his guru calling, he would stop in the middle of the mandala and run to offer service. This shows how he had such strong devotion, cherishing the guru and actualizing the guru's advice.

Through cleaning and dusting, he achieved purification of the defilements and negative karma in his mind, each sweep collecting extensive merit. One day, after cleaning Chengawa’s room, while going down the stairs, when he reached the third step, the karma that blocked seeing Buddha was purified and he saw numberless buddhas in their nirmanakaya aspect, right there, while he was going down to throw out the garbage. Of course, it can be whatever service you are doing, like cooking or serving, especially following whatever advice is given. Every second one moves closer to liberation, becomes more distant from samsara, closer to enlightenment. Each time we come closer to realizations of the path to liberation and enlightenment.

Another example is Sakya Pandita. When Sakya Pandita’s guru, Dragpa Gyaltsen, took on the aspect of having a very heavy sickness, Sakya Pandita offered service so selflessly that he had no time himself to eat or sleep. He offered one-pointed service day and night, bearing hardships in order to offer service to his guru. Dragpa Gyaltsen was extremely pleased and said he would teach him Manjushri Guru Yoga practice. After he received this practice, Sakya Pandita realized and was able to see that his guru was Manjushri. All the negative karmas and impurities in his mind that had blocked him from seeing Manjushri before were purified by offering service, day and night, without even sleeping. Then Sakya Pandita became extremely learned. He became world-famous as the most expert logician, expert in the five sciences: crafts, logic, grammar, medicine, and philosophy, or inner knowledge. He was able to offer the most extensive, incredible benefit by seeing Manjushri. This came by serving his guru. Knowledge blossomed by having purified the defilements and blockages through service.

One time, Lama Atisha took the aspect of being sick with uncontrollable diarrhea. His disciple, Dromtonpa, cleaned and took care of Lama Atisha with his own hands, like a mother, cherishing him more than his own life. As he was offering service like this, one day he was able to read the minds of insects, ants, and worms, even from the distance it takes an eagle eighteen days to fly. After taking care of Atisha like that, he actualized one of the six types of clairvoyance, the ability to read anyone’s mind, very clearly. The potential is there in everyone to attain those qualities but is blocked by karma and defilements. Dromtonpa, by having one-pointed guru devotion to Lama Atisha and offering service, purified his mind and those qualities arose within him by the blessing of the Lama, having received the Lama’s blessing through devotion and service.

Another story is how one day Lama Atisha, with his clairvoyance, saw that Kadampa Geshe Gönbawa was thinking, “I must have greater realizations than the translator Dromtonpa. Why? Because he doesn’t have time to meditate, he's always so busy translating. I have so much time to meditate so maybe I have greater realizations than him and the cook, Amé Jangchub, who is always busy cooking.” So, Lama Atisha invited all three of them to line up in front of him and checked who had higher realizations. Dromtonpa’s realization was much higher than Gönbawa's – there was no comparison. Even Amé Jangchub's realization was higher than Gönbawa’s, even though he didn’t have time to meditate like Gönbawa. This story clarifies one point. Generally, people think that retreat and meditation are good and offering service is not really the best practice to develop the mind, that what really develops the mind and can bring realizations is only meditation. But in reality it is not necessarily like that. One has to analyze which practice collects the most merit, which involves the most purification, which is more powerful. Amé Jangchub, the cook, and the translator were so busy offering service, and I think that is why their realization was higher.

My guess is that what matters, the main point, is whatever is most pleasing to the guru. I would say that is the quickest path to enlightenment. That is, of course, based on the mind being one-pointedly devoted, with no negative thoughts arising, and not breaking samaya with the guru. This is based on correct devotion to the virtuous friend, as is mentioned in the eight disadvantages of making mistakes and eight advantages of correctly devoting to the virtuous friend in the section on guru devotion in the lamrim.

Doing something that one would like but which is not following what the guru said—breaking the advice, or giving rise to negative thoughts of anger or heresy—can make you lose any qualities you may have, such as some experience of compassion or renunciation, even the actual realization of bodhicitta, maybe even an experience or realization of emptiness.

It is explained that even if one has achieved actual realization of bodhicitta, there is the possibility of losing it, so it may be similar with the realization of emptiness. Whatever experience one has one loses and no new experience can occur. It’s very difficult—the mind gets stuck, thick-skulled, and like a stone that has been in the ocean for thousands of years. No water goes into it, it is so hard. Or like being in the hot desert, which doesn't get one drop of liquid. The mind becomes like that. Nothing grows. Whatever thoughts arise are negative, it is so easy for negative thoughts to arise, and the mind becomes covered by them, like being covered by mud. It becomes very difficult for positive thoughts to arise, such as thinking of the qualities of the guru. Even if the guru is an enlightened being, one cannot see him or her even as a bodhisattva, only as selfish, or only seeing mistakes in body and mind.

Not only realizations, but even the Dharma understanding one had before becomes meaningless, degenerates, one can't remember it. It becomes difficult to learn new things even when one listens to teachings. Before, one could concentrate and it was easy to understand, now it is difficult, one can’t keep up or follow. That is the result of actualizing mistakes in guru devotion: a negative thought arising and then giving up on the object of respect.

By correctly devoting to the virtuous friend in thought and actions, even if one doesn’t have intellectual knowledge, understanding and realizations come. There was an attendant of Pabongka Dechen Nyingpo, author of Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand, whose name was Jamyang. He had never studied the Tibetan alphabet and could not read Tibetan. Before Pabongka Dechen Nyingpo passed away, he told this attendant that eventually he would be able to read the entire Guru Puja by himself, without being taught. And that’s exactly what happened. After going into exile from Tibet, Jamyang lived at the refugee camp at Buxa, where I lived for eight years. The abbot and main teacher at Kopan Monastery, Lama Lhundrub, used to live in the same building as Pabongka Dechen Nyingpo’s incarnation, where the attendant Jamyang also lived. When Jamyang first arrived at Buxa, he couldn’t read a thing, but suddenly one day he was able to read the entire Guru Puja. He told Lama Lhundrub that Pabongka Dechen Nyingpo had predicted that this would happen.

[Rinpoche said this teaching is still to be finished.] Transcribed by Vens. Gyaelten Yarphel and Thubten Labdron and lightly edited by the latter.

The most important thing that determines how quickly you reach enlightenment is how strongly you need, rely upon and devote yourself to your guru—the stronger, the quicker.

It is your guru’s kindness that prevents you from falling into the lower realms, where you will suffer for an inconceivable amount of time, and allows you to gain a higher rebirth.

The better you understand suffering, the more you need to rely upon your guru; the better you understand how all of samsara—including the deva realm—is suffering in nature, the more you need, rely upon and devote yourself to your guru.

The more you suffer, the more you need to rely upon and devote yourself to your guru.

The more you learn, the more you respectfully need your guru’s help and rely upon and devote yourself to your guru.

The greater you feel the need to attain enlightenment, the more you see the need to rely upon and devote yourself completely to your guru.

The further you progress along the path, the more you need to rely upon and devote yourself completely to your guru.

The greater you feel the extremely unbelievable suffering of sentient beings, the more you feel how urgent it is to rely upon and devote yourself completely to your guru.

The more you practice tantra, the more you need to rely upon and devote yourself completely to your guru.

The essence of your life is practicing pure guru devotion, realizing the incomparable kindness of your guru, who is kinder than anybody else.