The Blessings of Gurus
We need to always show our gratitude to the people around us. For dharma practitioners especially, the blessings of their gurus are very hard to express in common words; therefore they often seem unbelievable to those who rarely practice or have not accepted Buddhism. However, once the Dharma teaching merges with one’s mind, one accepts this naturally.
I often think about how much gratitude I owe to my parents and teachers. My parents gave me a healthy body, and my teachers taught me knowledge of the world. Nevertheless, I owe even more to the gurus who offered me the Dharma teachings. Once again, to prioritize to whom I owe the most in my life, I would say everyone else is second to my guru. He is the one that has made the most impact in my life, because I feel nothing in my life is comparable to the Dharma, in terms of its value.
I have traveled all over the world, have been exposed to many luxuries and riches, and have received the respect of many people, but I don’t see that as being of much essence or value. What, then, is the most essential thing to me? I truly believe, whether for this life or the afterlife, that the genuine Dharma is the only thing that makes my life meaningful. Therefore, I hold incredible gratitude and respect for my guru.
Speaking of my personal experience, my father has passed away, and my mother is still alive. I did feel sad for my father’s death but never shed tears or felt sorrow. However, since the time my root guru, His Holiness Khenpo Jigme Phuntsok Rinpoche, entered parinirvana ten years ago, even today I can’t stop recalling him, and I may even cry over my loss, when I’m alone.
Similarly, when I came to the U.S. for the first time, Trungpa Rinpoche had already entered parinirvana. His students could not keep from weeping whenever they heard his name. Most of his American disciples have this kind of devotion to him, and their devotion is very consistent and sincere. This is primarily due to the power of the Dharma as well as the benevolence of their guru.
In our secular lives we have had so many teachers during the study of our Bachelor, Master and Doctoral degrees, yet it’s unusual for us to burst into tears whenever we think of their names. The power of the Dharma and the blessings of gurus are very hard to be expressed in common words; they therefore seem unbelievable to those who rarely practice or do not accept Buddhism. However, when the Dharma merges with one’s mind, one accepts this naturally.
I believe that in the future, everyone here will be grateful for what your teachers taught you, whether it is Dharmic or secular knowledge. You are quite young now, but in time, you will understand that without the blessings of teachers we can hardly achieve anything in our life. I believe you will develop such a conviction in the future.
