Obstacles to Guru Devotion
During a phone call from his house in California, Rinpoche gave the following words of encouragement to a student who was striving to develop her guru devotion, but encountering some obstacles.
You have to understand that what causes all the realizations of the path and all the limitless qualities of the Buddha, whether you get enlightened or not, is guru devotion. Whether you get enlightened, and whether you are able to free countless sentient beings who are experiencing the intense sufferings of the lower realms and cause them to achieve the peerless happiness of liberation and enlightenment: all this depends on guru devotion. Therefore, when you are practicing, obstacles will arise from outside and within. Evil beings try to harm you because they don’t want you to get enlightened. They create obstacles for you, so you must be aware of this and constantly be on guard, never letting up even for a moment.
You must always be watching the mind, without a second’s break, because these interferers try to prevent you from gaining realizations. When obstacles do arise, whether from outside or inside, it is very important to make an effort, and never give up.
You must put effort into it, and inspire yourself. Encourage yourself, thinking: “I have Buddha nature, so therefore I can do this. No matter how much my mind goes down, I can bring it up again, because I have Buddha nature. Countless buddhas and bodhisattvas were once just like me, with delusions and obstacles, but they put effort into it and were able to gradually overcome them. Therefore, I must do the same. No matter how difficult, I must try and try.”
No matter what happens, no matter how much the mind goes down, no matter how many obstacles arise, you must make an effort, and try and try to overcome them.