HH Jigme Phuntsok Rinpoche
It’s difficult to memorize all the teachings we hear from the Guru, and if we keep asking questions repeatedly, the Guru may become annoyed. However, if we record these teachings and turn them into written texts, this becomes what we call the “angerless Guru.” Even if you read it a thousand times, it will never get angry. Therefore, we should respect dharma texts properly, otherwise it could lead to a decline in wisdom, and our meditation experiences and realizations would regress.
When reading scriptures, we should treat them with respect and never place them directly on the floor or in inappropriate places. Of course, most Buddhists follow this practice, but in places like America, some people sit on scriptures or step over them.
When I went to America before, someone asked me, “You Tibetans are very particular about the distinction between head and bottom, considering there’s a big difference in purity between the head and buttocks, believing it’s good to place scriptures on the head but bad to sit on them. We Americans don’t see such a distinction between head and bottom in terms of purity. So, is it really inappropriate if we don’t show the same respect for scriptures as you do?”
I jokingly replied, “Think about it. If you were to put shoes or feet on President Clinton’s head, do you think he’d be happy? In the same way, placing your feet on scriptures is disrespectful behavior. Everyone should be careful to treat scriptures with respect.
