Jamyang Rinpoche
Many practitioners seek blessings all the time. They say this master has great blessings, that master has great blessings. They rely on the blessings of others forever, this is an endless pursuit.
Every practice, Deity and Guru possesses inconceivable qualities. But to receive these inconceivable blessings depends on one being a qualified vessel. Are you a qualified vessel?
We often talk about a qualified or an unqualified vessel. The qualified vessel for Dzogchen teachings, in particular, is faith. When your faith is stable, you are a qualified vessel. When your faith is weak, you are a poorly qualified vessel. If you have no faith at all, you are not a vessel at all. The qualification for Buddhism is (primarily) faith.
If there is a past-life connection, you will develop pure faith and longing faith when you encounter the Buddhadharma. Without that connection, faith won't arise. For example, the Great Buddha on Lantau Island in Hong Kong doesn't inspire people of other faiths. When they see the majestic Buddha, they don't feel a natural inspiration that makes them join their palms in prayer.
There are countless tourists who visit the statue every day, but their hearts aren't moved by it. They don't have a profound or blissful feeling. At most, they think, "Wow, this is made of clay and so huge! How incredible!" They appreciate it as an artistic monument without any faith. The reason is that no seeds of practicing the Dharma were planted in a previous life.
We, on the other hand, feel inspired and joyful — this means that the seed of Buddhism is already in our mind. Whether it is pure faith or longing faith, a good connection with Buddhism already exists and it is a causal-condition for us to start on the Buddhist path.
However, are pure faith and longing faith the most important types of faith in Buddhism? No, they guide us into the Buddhist path, but they are not the true ultimate faith we should be aiming for.
For example, some people feel distressed and anxious due to family, school, or work issues. When they can't solve their problems, they go to a temple. Upon hearing the sounds of chanting in the hall, their hearts feel at ease. This is a sign that you have a connection with Buddhism.
You feel a sense of joy and longing for Buddhism. Longing faith arises and you feel moved. Or you see a master with a dignified appearance giving a Dharma talk with people paying them respect, your heart is touched and tears flow. You feel an indescribable sensation and you can’t seem to control your reactions.
This kind of faith isn't the ultimate faith, but it's the initial faith we have when we enter the Buddhist path. Once you have longing faith, the vessel for Buddhism is ready.What do you do once the vessel is ready? For example, if you have a bowl, what do you use it for? You use it to get food from the kitchen and eat.
Find a teacher who truly wishes to benefit you
When we find a teacher, they will compassionately accept us and give us the teachings. The teacher’s wisdom leads you to a bright path and he helps you to untie whatever mental knots that is troubling you.
First, we give rise to faith; once faith is present, we seek out and rely on a good teacher. If you haven’t found such a teacher, even if you are a suitable vessel for receiving the Dharma now and then, such a condition of being a suitable vessel can be lost. Your mind will degenerate. The condition of being a suitable vessel for the Dharma is temporary, not permanent.
For instance, today you might have some sufferings mentally, you feel joy and appreciation towards the Dharma. You can’t stop yourself from learning the Dharma, you can’t hold back your tears from being moved and so on. A few days later, you might strike a fortune, your conditions improve and you forget the earlier suffering. Then you lose interest in Dharma and faith no longer arises.
Why does this happen? A few days ago, you were suffering and feeling very stressed, when you saw the pure Dharma, you felt joy. But later when your mind is at ease— perhaps you gained some money or other benefits, then you completely forget the Dharma.
What’s more, when you were suffering and wishing for the Dharma, if you happened to meet a teacher who is ordinary, who lacks deep wisdom and compassion, who is selfish and only acts when it benefits himself, he will not help you unless it benefits him too.
Some teachers are like this. Today I make a treasure vase, if you give me money, I can sell you a treasure vase; if you don’t pay, I won’t give you one. This is selling treasure vases for personal gain. Or today I’ll perform a fire puja, I charge a certain amount for each puja, if you pay you can attend, if not, you cannot come in. Or I will perform a deliverance for the deceased only if you give money; if you don’t, I won’t do it.
Such a teacher is a businessman, not a genuine teacher — they engage in exchange of benefits. If there is benefit, they help sentient beings; if there is no benefit, they do not.
A real teacher who truly benefits sentient beings watches each practitioner’s Dharma progress like a mother watching her children. He checks what they are doing and what is their present state. As the disciples progress, the teacher checks on their emotions, conduct and character. Is their character becoming worse? Is their anger getting stronger, are they stealing, are they being deceived by others?
A mother continually monitors her child’s character and health in every respect; she watches the child’s every movement. A teacher who benefits beings will likewise observe sentient beings. He does not observe their food, possessions or residence, but instead observes whether sentient beings are on the path that will bring liberation in the next life and ultimate Buddhahood.
The teacher checks whether their desire, anger, and ignorance have changed or not. He checks how their practice is going; whether their temper is improving; whether their kindness and compassion has increased; whether their discriminating thoughts are still strong; how far they have progressed in listening-contemplation, etc.
The teacher watches the disciple all the time, like a mother watching her children. He is most concerned about the disciple’s path to Buddhahood. If you find such a good teacher, you can be sure of growing your initial faith into the result of ultimate realization.
However, if you unfortunately meet a selfish teacher who is interested in fame and benefits, that little bit of faith you had will slowly decline. Why will it decline? Such a teacher and disciple engage in exchange of benefits. The Dharma is treated like a commodity. There is non-stop exchange of benefits.
Over time, when the disciple gets good business or if their career gradually improves, he will forget his teacher and forget the Dharma. Since the disciple is no longer suffering or feeling any pressure, everything is fine. The teacher then loses contact with the disciple and the disciple himself loses interest in Dharma or gaining liberation.
This whole result comes about because we did not build a solid foundation for our practice. Why is the foundation not solid? Because, in the first place, you did not find a good teacher and your teacher is not genuinely benefiting you.
If you find a genuine teacher who benefits you, then you can truly gain accomplishment. It doesn’t matter how famous your teacher is — whether he is a Holiness, a Tulku, or a great Khenpo; it does not matter if they are obscure and unheard of.
A teacher who can truly benefit you is a true teacher. He is certainly a Bodhisattva. Even if the teacher is a widely renowned Holiness or a reincarnate lama of many lives, if he only cares for his own benefit, in the end you will gain nothing from him.
No amount of fame or position can solve the problem of birth and death. Can the most famous person in the world use fame to cure their illness? When they grow old and weak, can fame turn back time?
In this world, great kings, emperors, presidents, and prime ministers cannot control aging, illness, death, or even counteract simple mental afflictions. Whatever your stature, when mental afflictions come, we must still face them and endure the torment.
Only the Dharma can address the root of the sufferings of birth, old age, sickness and death. One cannot change one’s life-span, but the sufferings experienced in life can be resolved. We can solve the suffering from aging and death, as well as resolve the suffering that arise from change in circumstances when happiness turns into suffering.
The method to solve these problems is to learn Dharma step by step.
