The Way to Rely on a Guru - Khorchak Tulku Rinpoche
Here, we present a short excerpt from our newly released publication, Meditation in the Himalayan Buddhist Tradition, written by Khorchak Tulku Rinpoche. For copies of the book, please visit our online bookshop.
It is the perspective of both the sūtras and tantras that the results of Dharma practice—the arising of meditative experiences and realization—depend on how we rely on the guru. Furthermore, in the Mahāyāna Sūtra of the Samādhi of the Actually Present Buddha, the Buddha taught,
If one does not perceive the master who teaches the Dharma as a spiritual teacher and a buddha, the meditative experiences and realizations of the three vehicles will not arise. Therefore, one should perceive the master who teaches the Dharma as a spiritual teacher and a buddha. One should not disobey his words, and instead one should maintain stable affection for the guru. Thus, abandoning unstable relationships, one should follow the master in this way without looking for his faults.
Once when the Buddha was in Śrāvastī, King Prasenajit along with his queen and retinue received Dharma teachings from their female servant. However, they did not have any meditative experiences or realizations. When the retinue consulted the Buddha, he said that if one does not respect the Dharma teacher, no meditative experiences or realizations will arise.
In the approach of the secret mantra, it is said that the main source of spiritual attainments is the guru, as stated in the Two-Part Tantra,
Being inexpressible by another,
Innate wisdom cannot be found anywhere at all.
Know that it arises in dependence on the guru’s
Empowerment, skillful means, and one’s merits.
It teaches that the innate wisdom of great bliss arises in dependence on the guru. The Saṃpuṭa Tantra also states,
The very nature of the mind
Will be found from the guru.
Those with inferior mindsets will not obtain
Mantric powers and spiritual attainments from the guru.
It teaches that one needs to be introduced to the innate wisdom through reliance on the guru, and that if one belittles the guru, tantric attainments will not be achieved. Teaching that the guru is the personification of the Three Jewels, the Glorious Cakrasaṃvara Tantra states,
The guru is the Buddha, the guru is the Dharma,
And the guru is also the Saṅgha.
Teaching that the guru is equal to a buddha, the Vajra Dome Tantra states, “The guru is equal to all the buddhas.” In his Five Stages, Master Nāgārjuna advises that one should give up all other offerings and make offerings to the guru,
After giving up all other forms of offerings and
Making offerings to the guru with sincere efforts,
The supreme wisdom of omniscience
Will be attained when the guru is pleased.
The Fifty Verses on Guru Devotion states,
With the understanding that
Spiritual accomplishments follow the master,
One should please the guru with everything.
There are numerous other scriptural citations on this topic.
This being the case, how should one rely on the guru? This is something that has to be understood. The Dharma Lord Sakya Paṇḍita, who is Mañjuśrī in person, said,
If we develop perception of the guru as a buddha, we will receive the blessings of a buddha. Similarly, if we perceive him as a bodhisattva, pratyekabuddha, śrāvaka, or ordinary person, then we will receive the corresponding blessings. In general, although the blessings of buddhas and bodhisattvas are inconceivable, it is difficult for them to enter our minds. If their blessings were gathered into the guru, we would swiftly receive them if we were to make supplications. For example, no matter how hot the rays of the sun are, they will not light tinder. If we catch sunrays with a mirror and concentrate them on tinder, it will catch fire quickly. In this regard, just as dry and refined tinder is needed, blessings will enter a disciple who is without discursive thoughts or doubts and whose mind is refined.
Whether the guru’s blessing will enter one’s mind or not also depends on one’s faith and devotion. If one has faith like that of the old lady in the story of the dog’s tooth that radiated light, one will easily receive the guru’s blessings. If one has no faith, it will be like the story of Devadatta, who went to hell even after spending time in the presence of the Buddha. One might wonder, “If the samaya of the guru who granted us empowerment and teachings were to decline, and he ended up in the lower realms, how should we practice?” Regarding this, the Pith Instructions of the Great Guru Drogmi states, “Even if the guru were in the Hell of Unceasing Torment, but we perceive him as a buddha and supplicate him, the buddha’s blessings will enter our minds. This is ‘the dependent relation of the indivisibility of both their natures,’ and it will definitely happen.”
The lamdré scriptures state that regardless of whether the guru has the power or not, is living in the human realm or not, or has passed away or not, if you are able to supplicate him with faith and devotion, your perception will take the form of the guru, will come to you in the bardo and grant you instructions, and you will be liberated. One might wonder, “What if the guru behaves badly in this life?” Guru Jamgön, the Dharma Lord Sakya Paṇḍita, said,
Do not cling to the faults of the guru’s body, speech, mind, qualities, and activities. We might see the guru killing, stealing and lustfully committing adultery; or hear him lying, creating discord, or speaking harshly; or encounter signs of covetousness, hostility, and wrong views in his mind. As for his qualities, he might not be a scholar, he might not be learned, and his knowledge might be incomplete. His activities might be perverse, not in accordance with the Dharma, and his various actions might conflict with worldly conventions. Despite this, we should think, “His body, speech, mind, qualities, and activities of a buddha are without any error. I only perceive these errors due to the obscurations of my bad karma. His methods definitely create favorable conditions for the benefit of myself and other sentient beings.”
In the past, Sudhana the merchant’s son had many gurus. Of these, some lived as kings and executed people. Some lived the lives of ascetics and committed suicide, while some appeared as prostitutes and so forth. Despite these various perverse acts, he did not give up his faith, and this became the favorable condition for his realization of the limitless and profound reality of the āryas.
Moreover, the pith instructions on mind training taught by senior scholar-adepts of the past, such as the great Kadampa Geshe Langri Tangpa, state that no matter who the sentient beings in question might be, one should accept their faults as the faults of one’s own mind and meditate that all of one’s good qualities are the good qualities of others. It seems that if one can practice this instruction in this life, it will be very beneficial in the bardo. Similarly, it would be very beneficial if one were to give up distrust in the guru and offer him whatever one can.
In the Guhyasamāja Tantra, the Buddha Vajradhāra taught, “Compared to serving and worshiping buddhas and bodhisattvas as numerous as the grains of sand in the Ganges River for as many eons as there are grains of sand in the Ganges River, the merit of one who anoints a single skin pore of the vajra-master is superior.” Therefore, the Dharma Lord Sakya Paṇḍita said, “Since we value wealth, we should offer whatever we can, and at the very least we should not meet the guru empty-handed. This is the instruction.” The Omniscient Longchenpa said, “In general, it is very beneficial to please the guru. This is especially the case when receiving teachings on the holy Dharma. Even if we had nothing except a piece of brown sugar to offer, offering it then would be more beneficial than offering gold on normal occasions.”
One might wonder, “What if the guru does something that does not accord with the Dharma and also makes the disciples do things that do not accord with the Dharma?” A commentary on the Fifty Verses of Guru Devotion states that under such circumstances, one should rest the mind in a neutral state.
Therefore, if we please the guru from whom we received empowerment, oral transmission, and instructions, and are able to practice guru yoga with a consistent mental state of devotion, then according to the scriptures we will not be far from attaining the state of buddhahood in this life. On the other hand, if we have not been keeping our samayas according to the explanations in the scriptures, the so-called “Vajra Hell” is probably not far away. Thus, it seems to be important to properly learn how to rely on the guru and strive in one’s practices. These are the thoughts of my deluded mind!
No matter how the guru’s activities are displayed,
May my admiration and inspiration increase.
May I always perceive them to be beneficial
And not have other concepts about them.
