Guru Devotion: Dorje Phagmo

[Helena]

Dear all,

I found something interesting to share with everyone here.

It has given me much food for thought.

It read and sound like the most simplest of all teachings, what we might call, Vajrayana 101...however, it is probably the core of all practice.

Hence, the deep and great respect we must give to all Gurus.

They are the ones working hard to liberate others and especially, their students.

They are ones who are putting themselves on the line for their students.




Guru Devotion

Dorje Phagmo Dorje Phagmo.jpg

From The Spiritual Path:  A Compilation of Teachings by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo

Is it just a coincidence that the one path that can bring about realization in a single lifetime is the one path that focuses upon the Guru as the ultimate object of refuge? No, for it is the astonishing potency of the Guru’s appearance in the world that makes this possible. Devotional yoga becomes everything: the milk, the nectar. There is no other practice. All else is but a part of that.

In Vajrayana, the Guru is the central figure, the supreme object of refuge. We rely on the Guru to ripen our minds, to bring our minds to fruition. But this is difficult for Westerners to accept. We Westerners are taught to be strong, independent individuals. This is all we have ever known. We are brought up to reach for things that are outside us, to collect them—and to be constantly self-concerned. Our generation is the first to swallow pop-psychology unquestioningly, even unconsciously. There are so many new-age ideas and so much misinformation mixed in with what passes for Dharma teaching and spirituality. This is made up by people who have not achieved enlightenment.

True enlightenment cannot be described. It is totally different from new age “aha!” insights. People go from teacher to teacher until they have collected a pocketful of something that they can paste on themselves. They fail to realize how materialistic and “collecting” they have been brought up to be. If you have always been on a merry-go-round, you will not know that you are going around in circles. You will fail to recognize the cultural-intellectual baggage that keeps you from deepening in your practice of Guru Yoga.

At first, this difficulty may appear to be an inherent lack of capacity in students. But when I look more closely, I see that the capacity is there. So, how do we break through? How can we turn our minds so that we form new habitual tendencies? Anything that arises from samsara, like our old habits, results in samsara. We can see this in our entire lives. We are not yet sitting on a lotus in the middle of a lake. How then are we supposed to practice Guru Yoga? What is our relationship with the actual Root Guru? How does this relationship take shape? Human beings, it seems, learn through suffering and through observation. Just as children need to mimic “grown-up-ness,” we need to see what Guru Yoga looks like in someone’s life. I shall try to describe this.

First, if you have the good fortune to meet your Root Guru, and if you make a commitment in your mind, heart, and prayers or to the face of this Guru, you must never—even at the cost of your life—break that commitment. At first, make only commitments that you can work toward and keep. In the context of your Guru Yoga, a perfect preliminary level of commitment to your Teacher would be: “I will do more than I have ever done before, and I will continually deepen my devotion and practice.” Then as you grow on the path, you keep increasing your commitment. Some of my students have made flowery, dramatic commitments to me and then broken them as if they were merely hot air. Without exception, those are students who have become stagnant in their practice.

This is from my heart to your heart. When you make a commitment to your Root Guru, you must understand what you are doing: You are making a commitment to the condensed essence of all the objects of refuge, to all the Lamas, not just the one Lama, to all the Buddhas, to all the Bodhisattvas, to all the meditational Deities, to all the Dakinis, to all the Dharma Protectors. Moreover, you are making that commitment to the very door of liberation itself. Consider once again what the Teacher actually is for you. Remember that sentient beings are wandering helplessly in samsara—afraid, alone, and without hope. It is like being in a burning room with no way out. Nothing in samsara can help you to escape. Only the objects of refuge—all contained in the vessel that is the Root Guru—can provide an exit. The heat keeps increasing, and your body is fragile. The Lama is the way out, the door to liberation. Picture yourself in a burning room. Would you have difficulty concentrating on the door? I doubt it.

But again, if you are a “collecting” materialist, if you keep the greater portion of everything for yourself, for your own happiness, if you remain as the center of the mandala of your life, you cannot walk through that door. The Lama must be at the center of your mandala. Is that schizophrenic? Is it psychotic? Will you go mad? How can someone else be at the center of your spiritual focus?

When you practice Guru Yoga correctly, you are practicing view. You gradually come to understand that upon recognizing the Lama, upon becoming non-dual with the Lama, you recognize your own true nature, your own true face, that which is beyond accepting and rejecting. If the Lama is in the center of the mandala of your practice, you are training yourself to awaken, to exit samsara, to achieve realization for the sake of sentient beings. But if you break the connection with your Root Guru, you cannot accomplish Dharma. No matter what happens, once you have made the offering of body, speech and mind to the spiritual friend who has hooked and established you on the path, to the Root Guru, you must never abandon that commitment. If you do, you are cutting off the very root and source of your accomplishment. After that there is no real accomplishment on the path, no matter what you do. You must always keep your view pure, and therefore the Guru Yoga will be your blessing and your true spiritual wealth. So even if you are on the other side of the planet, the Root Guru should rest upon your heart or above the crown of your head when you say your prayers. Never break that connection, even for a moment.

You should guard your commitment, thinking of yourself as Dorje Phagmo with fangs, as though you had fangs or weapons. Anything that prevents you from relying completely on your Root Guru should be cut away from your heart, cut out of your life. It’s as if you have fangs coming out, and that curved vajra blade in your hand, and you’re swinging at anything that comes near this connection. You’re guarding your own personal treasure, not allowing a single bit of impurity to be near it. Those fangs should always be out.

© Jetsunma Ahkön Lhamo

Source: http://www.tibetanbuddhistaltar.org/2010/02/guru-devotion-2/

[WisdomBeing]

Thanks for sharing that, Helena!

I also came across this today, which i thought was thought provoking:

The most important thing is not to get trapped in what I see everywhere in the West, a “shopping mentality”: shopping around from master to master, teaching to teaching, without any continuity or real, sustained dedication to any one discipline. Nearly all the great spiritual masters of all traditions agree that the essential thing is to master one way, one path to the truth, by following one tradition with all your heart and mind to the end of the spiritual journey, while, of course, remaining open and respectful toward the insights of all others. In Tibet we used to say: “knowing one, you accomplish all.” The modem faddish idea that we can always keep all our options open and so never need commit ourselves to anything is one of the greatest and most dangerous delusions of our culture, and one of ego’s most effective ways of sabotaging our spiritual search.

Sogyal Rinpoche

[beggar]

In Vajrayana, the Guru is the central figure, the supreme object of refuge. We rely on the Guru to ripen our minds, to bring our minds to fruition. But this is difficult for Westerners to accept. We Westerners are taught to be strong, independent individuals. This is all we have ever known. We are brought up to reach for things that are outside us, to collect them—and to be constantly self-concerned. Our generation is the first to swallow pop-psychology unquestioningly, even unconsciously. There are so many new-age ideas and so much misinformation mixed in with what passes for Dharma teaching and spirituality. This is made up by people who have not achieved enlightenment.

Isn’t it funny that so often we do not listen to the advice of our teachers because we want to be “independent” but actually, we don’t realise that all our excuses just show us how dependent and attached we really are.

No, we sure aren’t independent at all! We are totally, 100% dependent on our attachments – all of them!

We are totally 100% dependent on our fears which stop us from doing more.

We are totally 100% dependent on the things we think we love which also gets in the way of us doing more than we are comfortable with.

Anyway, why would we think we are NOT independent by following a teacher. Just look at all the other people we follow throughout our whole lives.

Some of us have more devotion to our husbands and wives than to our own teacher. We jump up and down the minute they call our cell phones!

Or what about the bosses at work? We grovel at their feet and we do anything for them. But we call it independence because we get a nice fat pay cheque and maybe some praise. In between all that there is no independence.

Actually, the real practice of Guru devotion is to make us even more independent so we can eventually guide ourselves. The real practice makes us free of our attachments so we don’t become dependent, reliant and controlled by them. Isn’t that the real independence we all want. That is ultimate independence that will last forever.

[triesa]

Thanks for sharing that, Helena!

I also came across this today, which i thought was thought provoking:

The most important thing is not to get trapped in what I see everywhere in the West, a “shopping mentality”: shopping around from master to master, teaching to teaching, without any continuity or real, sustained dedication to any one discipline. Nearly all the great spiritual masters of all traditions agree that the essential thing is to master one way, one path to the truth, by following one tradition with all your heart and mind to the end of the spiritual journey, while, of course, remaining open and respectful toward the insights of all others. In Tibet we used to say: “knowing one, you accomplish all.” The modem faddish idea that we can always keep all our options open and so never need commit ourselves to anything is one of the greatest and most dangerous delusions of our culture, and one of ego’s most effective ways of sabotaging our spiritual search.

Sogyal Rinpoche

Thank you WB and Helena.

Guru Devotion is the essence of Vajrayana Buddhism. But nowadays, like what is said by Sogyal Rinpoche above  that  the culture to keep our options open is actually the biggest and most dangerous delusions to sabotage our spiritual path. We ended up hopping here and there and getting no real results.

Being selective is also one dangerous way to sabotage our spiritual growth. If we like what we hear from our Guru, then we follow, if we don't like what we hear, then we don't follow.

Infact, Guru devotion is following the instruction and advice from your Guru from A to Z, whether you like it or not. If you happen not to like the instructions from your Guru, and still follow the instructions through and complete the task, you will definitely find yourself having either overcome your fear, your attachment to comfort or  your laziness whatever it may be. Isn't that what spiritual path is all about? Getting rid of our negatives?

If you have found your Guru, then practise 100% pure Guru Devotion and reap the results fast!  

Good luck!

[hope rainbow]

Thank you Helena for this post.

Lamrim is very clear: THE ROOT OF THE PATH IS OUR DEVOTION TO OUR GURU.
The lamrim also gives us important clues to help us assess the guru before we engage in a practice with him.

ONLY WITH FAITH IN OUR GURU CAN WE DEVELOP FAITH IN OUR POTENTIALITY FOR BUDDHAHOOD.
Check it out! Pure logic!

Guru hoping IS contradictory to devotion to a guru.
Logic, logic, logic... again.

Now listen to this: how can there grow anything without the ROOT?

[WisdomBeing]

Hope Rainbow,

I like your logic. That's what i love about buddhism - it just makes sense.

As DS practitioners, we are also Tsongkhapa practitioners and we should base our life according to the Lamrim. I love reading Liberation in the palm of your hand over and over again. We are so fortunate to have lineage masters like HH Pabongka Rinpoche and HH Trijang Rinpoche who gave us these teachings.

[hope rainbow]

HD,
DS = LAMRIM

Some people get side-tracked about Dharma Protectors, they are not "warrior-lords" like in some countries to which we submit for refuge, that give us protection and even jobs and stuff so that we are part of their "clans" an against the "other clan".
That is an ignorant and primitive behavior; and there is not a single lama that has realized the lamrim who has any doubt about this.
And if we (ignorant schmucks) have any doubt about that, like Dorje Phagmo example, we should show our fangs, get set to vanquish our self-cherising ego which always wants to be right, and uses delusions as valid thinking ground. Brrrrrr...

DS helps, always, he can't do anything else, but then, what are we doing with that help....hehehe.... because, we might not always be able to enjoy his help in the way we do today, right?
If one has realized that DS is helping, my next bet would be: get you lamrim, learn it, and act.
Lamrim is like the user's manual for our human life.
Then DS will be with us even more, and more and more....
Sounds nice?

[shugdenprotect]

Thanks for starting this thread, it is a truly precious sharing of information!

Guru Devotion has been reiterated time and again to be the most basic but “guaranteed” way to liberation. In biographies of great masters like Pabongka Rinpoche and Trijang Rinpoche (available in dorjeshugden(dot)com), they set the examples of pure Guru Devotion. Even Guan Yin has her “Root Guru” in her hair.

From these examples, I believe that these great beings got where they are because of Guru Devotion. Additionally, if such enlightened beings put such great emphasis on Guru Devotion, what more low level minded beings like us!?

The habit of Guru shopping is also a spill over from our habit of irresponsibility, non-commitment, selfishness etc. If we look at the bigger picture and the general result we create in our lives, we are continuously engaged in “spouse shopping”, “job shopping”, “friend shopping” and the list just keeping going. I remember my mother tell me this: rolling stones gather no moss. This is the type of lives we are living during these degenerate times and, from the results each generation is creating, the degeneration is intensifying.

I hope that after reading this extract and all the comments by our Dharma friends on this forum, we will make a conscious choice to get committed to our Root Guru and our practice so that we will work effectively toward attainments and liberation!

[Helena]

Thank you everyone for adding your perspectives and thoughts to this thread and all other threads in the Forum.

It is in sharing your ideas, thoughts and learnings that we all can grow together in this space. Our minds begin to breathe and expand. Hopefully one day it will become as vast as space itself and we can see everything and understand everything as it is, without the duality.

I especially liked what WB and HR wrote.

Shopping for Gurus or Guru Hopping will not lead one to any attainments because one has not devoted real time to learning from one Guru.

There is no real benefit from "accumulating" as many initiations as possible from as many Gurus as possible. I have heard from some people that they boast about getting many initiations from this Guru or that Guru, and they run to many centers. Getting the initiations does not "magically transform" anyone. Transformation comes from real hard work within.

One can get initiations from high Lamas, but a true reflection of your practice is the level of your mind. How has it changed from where you were to where you are now?

Yes, I do believe the practice of Dorje Shugden is the path to Lam Rim.

Dorje Shugden's main role to destroy all our self-cherishing mind. Lam Rim is the path to liberating us from our self-cherishing mind. Hence, our freedom lies in the end of our selfishness.

Once we get less selfish, we would naturally become closer to the Three Jewels. In this way, the Protector would be closer to us because we are practising what the Protector Dorje Shugden has emanated to protect in the very first place!

[Helena]

Here is the original pic that was left out from my original thread.

[triesa]

Dear everyone,

Thank you for sharing. I would just like to share my thoughts on why many students may like to do Guru hopping. It is because they don't like to face themselves. A lot of them, including many of us, only like to hear praises from our Guru, and when being criticized, they immediately put up a defensive mode and reject the criticism and let anger arises which stop them from advancing.

One MUST understand that it is the duty of a Guru to guide us to overcome our bad habituations, be they thoughts or actions. So as students, we MUST be open to criticism and accept them and CONTINUE to improve and work to a higher level.

So when one is ready to engage into a Guru-student relationship, one

1) Must be loyal  and stay on the path and listen to the guru's instructions without any deviations.
2) Must stay on the path without being influenced by others
3) Must shoulder all assignments given to us by the Guru
4) Must endure any hardships and difficulties when carrying out the assignments
5) Must obey and hold no grudges against the Guru
6) Must renounce self pride and regards ourselves as inferior to the Guru, in other words, be humble.
7) Must hold onto our assignments like a rope, accomplish the tasks irrespective of its heaviness and difficulties
Must never respond with anger even when the guru ridicules, ignores or irritates you
9) Must carry out the assignments without any unhappiness, no matter how mundane the assignments may seem

If one can keep these in heart, then we are really putting ourselves in our Guru's mandala.

Cheers!

[beggar]

So when one is ready to engage into a Guru-student relationship, one

1) Must be loyal  and stay on the path and listen to the guru's instructions without any deviations.
2) Must stay on the path without being influenced by others
3) Must shoulder all assignments given to us by the Guru
4) Must endure any hardships and difficulties when carrying out the assignments
5) Must obey and hold no grudges against the Guru
6) Must renounce self pride and regards ourselves as inferior to the Guru, in other words, be humble.
7) Must hold onto our assignments like a rope, accomplish the tasks irrespective of its heaviness and difficulties
Must never respond with anger even when the guru ridicules, ignores or irritates you
9) Must carry out the assignments without any unhappiness, no matter how mundane the assignments may seem

If one can keep these in heart, then we are really putting ourselves in our Guru's mandala.

Cheers!

Ah… the nine attitudes of devotion to the Guru. THANK YOU TRIESA for a BEAUTIFUL REMINDER

I remember reading these for the first time a few years ago and thinking that it must be a fantastic experience to live spontaneously with these attitudes in mind all the time.

People mistake Guru devotion (and the texts like the 9 attitudes of the 50 verses of guru devotion) as some kind of cult thing. Totally wrong! The whole practice is about happiness, isn’t it!

First, you start to focus outward, care about, serve and respect one person, just one: your guru. Then it spreads outwards to his assistants. And then to his students. And then to distant members in your dharma centre or monastery or whatever. Then eventually to everybody you meet. Imagine if you could have this focus, awareness and spontaneous, passionate care all the time for everyone. Then imagine how much goodness you would receive back from the world also. Then, HAPPINESS.

Everything starts first with this single-pointed “meditation”, focus and awareness on the Guru, who reflects everything good and bad about us so we can do something about it and become even happier people.

I think we all just want to be happy!

[DSFriend]

Thank you WB and Helena.

Guru Devotion is the essence of Vajrayana Buddhism. But nowadays, like what is said by Sogyal Rinpoche above  that  the culture to keep our options open is actually the biggest and most dangerous delusions to sabotage our spiritual path. We ended up hopping here and there and getting no real results.

Being selective is also one dangerous way to sabotage our spiritual growth. If we like what we hear from our Guru, then we follow, if we don't like what we hear, then we don't follow.

Infact, Guru devotion is following the instruction and advice from your Guru from A to Z, whether you like it or not.If you happen not to like the instructions from your Guru, and still follow the instructions through and complete the task, you will definitely find yourself having either overcome your fear, your attachment to comfort or  your laziness whatever it may be. Isn't that what spiritual path is all about? Getting rid of our negatives?

If you have found your Guru, then practise 100% pure Guru Devotion and reap the results fast!  

Good luck!

Dear Triesa
What you say resonates with me and you puts it so well! The Guru is so skillful and compassionate to always give "customised" instructions which will challenge the students. An easy instruction may be the most difficult for another student to carry out due to our own maras at work. Yes, 100% guru devotion is what I will put my mind towards achieving as the reward is guaranteed!

[Helena]

Dear all,

Thank you for all your sharing in this thread. It has given me a lot to reflect upon over the last few days. Although I have been really busy, I did take the time to read and contemplate.

It is true that everyone wants to be happy. However their definition for happiness differs from one person to another, as well as the conditions for happiness.

This is why many Gurus had to customized their teachings according to each student, like what DSFriend wrote.

What we don't realise that is the fact that the more a Guru has to adapt and modify for the students, the less the students will lear, change and transform. The one who is constantly changing and transforming is the Guru and HE is not the person who needs to change - it is our minds.

It is both frightening and sad to realise that our perception can destroy all our chances to better ourselves in one split second or open up our chances to lift ourselves to the next level. Because we perceive as things to be like this or like that, we are limiting our own path to Enlightenment. Hence, for some, the path seems so narrow and slow.

For those who will brave through their own perceived fears and issues, they will see the path open up before them clearly and it is wide and spacious. Above all, they are transforming at lightning speed while the rest is still struggling at snail's pace, flipping back and forth.

It took me a while to understand, but I finally got it recently - anything can change from time to time. Bad to good and good to pits of hell within a span of minutes.

And our fear will completely halt our growth and make us even more inert. The intense lack of courage at crucial situations is the determining factor of one's progression or regression.

I have feared too long and most un-necessarily. That is why my transformation is so slow. And if we continue to sit in the vicinity of our comfort zones, with nothing ever rocking our world, we will never experience the opportunity to transform and practice true Dharma.

In the worst times, I appreciate my Guru even more, because I see Guru Devotion magnify before me. I can see myself, deciding what to do and those decisions will reflect whether I have Guru Devotion or selfishness.

Whether we like it or not, whether we know it or not - the only way out is Guru Devotion.

Without Guru Devotion, there can be no Dharma practice.

[Ensapa]

Dear all,

Thank you for all your sharing in this thread. It has given me a lot to reflect upon over the last few days. Although I have been really busy, I did take the time to read and contemplate.

It is true that everyone wants to be happy. However their definition for happiness differs from one person to another, as well as the conditions for happiness.

This is why many Gurus had to customized their teachings according to each student, like what DSFriend wrote.

What we don't realise that is the fact that the more a Guru has to adapt and modify for the students, the less the students will lear, change and transform. The one who is constantly changing and transforming is the Guru and HE is not the person who needs to change - it is our minds.
The teacher has to constantly adapt to the students' perception because this is after all, the nature of samsara. They are here to teach people in samsara, so they have to use samsaric methods to reach out to us. I wouldnt see this as a problem -- but we can also see from here the kindness of the Guru to adopt to our disposition in order to benefit us.

It is both frightening and sad to realise that our perception can destroy all our chances to better ourselves in one split second or open up our chances to lift ourselves to the next level. Because we perceive as things to be like this or like that, we are limiting our own path to Enlightenment. Hence, for some, the path seems so narrow and slow.
If the Buddha himself advocated having a more open mind and also reminds us constantly that the more closed our mind is, the further away we are from enlightenment and his teachings, why would we still want to keep a closed mind? The very need for a teacher is that the teacher is needed to break our mental limitations and become one step closer to the Buddha and his teachings. refusing to do so would be to declare our love for samsara.

For those who will brave through their own perceived fears and issues, they will see the path open up before them clearly and it is wide and spacious. Above all, they are transforming at lightning speed while the rest is still struggling at snail's pace, flipping back and forth.
It is about solving them and not allowing them to affect other people around us, not really about the issue itself. The more we work on and solve our issues, the less people suffers because if we have issues, we inadvertently affect others with our issues and when that happens, we hurt other people. Focusing to correct our issue is an extension of bodhicitta as we are working hard to stop ourselves in harming others.

It took me a while to understand, but I finally got it recently - anything can change from time to time. Bad to good and good to pits of hell within a span of minutes.

And our fear will completely halt our growth and make us even more inert. The intense lack of courage at crucial situations is the determining factor of one's progression or regression.

I have feared too long and most un-necessarily. That is why my transformation is so slow. And if we continue to sit in the vicinity of our comfort zones, with nothing ever rocking our world, we will never experience the opportunity to transform and practice true Dharma.
Sometimes, we just have to get over our fear and just do what the Guru tells us to do even though it may seem very scary, but it will lead us to something good at the end of the day and that is what is more important than giving in to our fears.

In the worst times, I appreciate my Guru even more, because I see Guru Devotion magnify before me. I can see myself, deciding what to do and those decisions will reflect whether I have Guru Devotion or selfishness.

Whether we like it or not, whether we know it or not - the only way out is Guru Devotion.

Without Guru Devotion, there can be no Dharma practice.
Without Guru devotion, we can never get anywhere in our Dharma practice. Why? because we will never improve and we will never want to break our comfort zone and in the process, we allow ourselves to err and fall into the trap of wrong views and do not want to climb out of it as it can be painful to learn that we are wrong. There is no Dharma without the Guru.

I really do agree with what you have written here, Helena, as it makes a lot of sense. How can there be any Dharma without the Guru here to guide us and break us free of our own mental prisons? Even something that we see as freedom in samsara is actuality a prison and we cannot identify: we need a Guru's help, and that is what is most important of all in our spiritual practice.