Best Source of Merits
My Guru, His Holiness Kyabje Zong Rinpoche. Click to enlarge.
Why Pleasing Our Guru Creates Merits
Earlier today Tsem Rinpoche gave a teaching to those who were in Dukkar Apartments in Kechara Forest Retreat. A monk friend sent Abby a video of monks debating with each other in Tibet and asked her to show the video to Rinpoche as it would please Rinpoche very much. So, Abby asked Rinpoche a question – why does pleasing our Guru create merit?
Rinpoche said he would explain why merit is created in this situation in three ways, (i) from the side of the object, (ii) from the side of the subject, and (iii) from the side of both the object and subject together. In this case, the object is our Guru and we are the subject.
Object
When we make offerings to the Buddha we generate merit. This is because the Buddha practised the path to enlightenment for three countless aeons. He practised generosity, compassion, kindness, wisdom and other good qualities for so many lifetimes, and at the end of that journey gained enlightenment. This state is free from karma, suffering, rebirth and anything that you or I are not free from. Making offerings to such beings, whether knowingly or unknowingly, creates merits because they have achieved enlightenment. That is why even animals who circumambulate around statues and stupas also generate merit, the same way that we do. So, if our teacher is an emanation of an enlightened being, making offerings to him creates merits. This is from the side of the object.
Subject
Even if our Guru is not enlightened, we can still create merits when we make offerings. This is because when we think of the Buddha he is there in an instant. For example, is a Buddha statue inherently the same as the Buddha? The answer is no. A statue is just a piece of metal. What makes a statue special is that we impute or think that the statue is the Buddha, so it instantly becomes the Buddha. In regards to our Guru, even if he is not an enlightened being, he works for the sake of his students and other sentient beings. From the side of the student, when he or she thinks of the teacher as an enlightened being and makes offerings, they generate merit. This is from the side of the subject.
Object and Subject Together
If our Guru (object) is an emanation of a Buddha, and we as students (subject) consider him to be an enlightened being, then we create merits when we make offerings to him. This merit is created from the side of both the object and the subject together.
Negative Karma
If making offerings to an enlightened being creates merits then disparaging him creates negative karma. Another example would be destroying a Buddha statue. If a statue was to exist for another 100 years, then people would make offerings to the statue and gain merits. But if it was destroyed, the negative karma created would be equal to the amount of good that would have come about if that statue existed for that 100 years. This is from the side of the object again.
If however, you unknowingly destroyed a Buddha statue, you would not create negative karma. If it was completely dark and there was a bear outside that was going to attack everyone, you picked up a small Buddha statue thinking it was a rock and threw it at the bear to scare it away, even though you damaged the Buddha statue, it was done unknowingly. Therefore, there would be no negative karma created. This is from the side of the subject.
Pleasing Enlightened Beings
When the monk said Rinpoche would be pleased when he saw the video of the monks debating in China, he thought of Rinpoche as an enlightened being. Therefore in asking Abby to show Rinpoche the video of monks practising the Dharma, he generated merit.
50 Verses of Guru Devotion
Rinpoche also spoke about the 50 Verses of Guru Devotion. In the verses it talks about how to behave in front of your Guru, to sit properly, etc. By following this advice you develop discipline which enables you to progress further on your spiritual path. Without discipline you cannot receive the higher teachings or practise what you have already learned. For example you will not do your sadhana every day or complete a retreat without having discipline.
What is explained above is just a short summary of the teaching, Rinpoche explained it to us in a lot more detail. Those that were in Kechara Forest Retreat were really lucky to have attended the teaching to learn more about the reasons why pleasing our Guru creates merits and how the act of discipline leads to higher teaching and practice.
(Shared by Pastor Jean Ai)
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“For a sentient being with afflictions, impure appearance occurs.
For a yogin with meditative concentration, experiential appearance occurs.
For a sugata with the ornamental wheel of inexhaustible enlightened body, speech, and mind, pure appearance occurs.”
– Mahaāsiddha Virūpas opening lines related to the sūtra part
of Lamdré (The Path and the Result) called the ‘Vajra Lines’
A beautiful explanation how to gain merits through devotion. In its purest form, religion can inspire people to serve the welfare of others. An inspiring article how to learn to transform a better living by our action and deeds.
Thank you for your wonderful thoughts of sharing these powerful teaching on how to find the hidden truth of the golden path of life to be more meaningful with sincere faith.
Merits in Buddhism is a concept considered fundamental to Buddhist ethics. One such example is giving and pleasing our Guru is a way of making merits is important in Buddhist practice. As merit brings good and agreeable results and will determines the quality of the next life and contributes to a person’s growth towards enlightenment. The most meritorious act is that of giving, and making offerings to the Buddha. Hence when we regards our Guru to be an enlightened being … a Buddha, we can still create merits. A good and clear explanation by Rinpoche shared. How and why pleasing our Guru creates merits and the act of discipline leads to higher teaching and practice.
Thank you Rinpoche this profound teachings and Pastor Jean Ai for sharing.
Btw, hope we can have this article in Chinese version so that more people can read and understand. Thank you.
This article really explains clearly how to gain merits. It also said we must practice 50 verses Guru Devotion in order to gain merits and this will create conducive conditions in our spiritual path and lead to attainmetns. A profound and clear explanation teachings for us to understand. Pleasing our Guru is the fundamental way of making merits as well as the act of discipline leads to higher teaching and practice. By our actions, one accumulates infinite, inconceivable merit that immediately becomes a cause of enlightenment. Thank you Rinpoche and blog team for sharing this meaningful article about creating merits with Guru Devotion. ???????
With deep devotion to the guru, higher meditational insights will arise. Because of not having higher meditational insights, one will not realize the need to have devotion to the guru in order to gain higher insights. They are interdependent.~Tsem Rinpoche
With deep devotion to the guru, higher meditational insights will arise. If one does not have deep devotion to the guru, it is a clear sign one does not have higher meditational insights.~Tsem Rinpoche
This article really illustrated clearly how to gain merits. It also said we must practice 50 verses Guru Devotion in order to gain merits and this will create conducive conditions in our spiritual path and lead to attainmetns.
Besides this, Rinpoche touche on Sadhana aspect also. No matters how busy we are, we shouldn’t stop our daily sadhana. If really busy , we can do short sadhana ( sincerity is most important ).Discipline in doing our sadhana is vital to eliminate our laziness.
Thanks Guru to remind me.
Jason
From what I can summarise here is, try our best to view our Guru as Buddha. By viewing Guru as Buddha or as the main enlightened being in the merit field, we will then generate the merits effortlessly and continue to collect merits that propels us to be near Guru and Dharma, to be able to learn, comprehend and realise the Dharma. Whatever is done in accordance with this state of mind will only bring benefits and not otherwise.
If there’s any negative karma generated, it can only comes from the side of the subject, knowingly or unknowingly. Thank you Rinpoche and Pastor Jean Ai.
This is such a good recap of Rinpoche teaching on generating merits as well as the essence of Guru Devotion.
Thank you, Pastor Jean Ai.
Very wonderful and wise exlpinations to a simple question. Logically I would think we create merit as well when we follow instructions, advice, or tasks requested by the guru’s close disciples as well as they can be seen as being the pores of the guru. s
A profound and clear explanation teachings for us to understand . At least now I could know and learn more about the reasons why pleasing our Guru is important. Giving, pleasing our Guru is the fundamental way of making merits as well as the act of discipline leads to higher teaching and practice. By our actions ,one accumulates infinite, inconceivable merit that immediately becomes a cause of enlightenment.
Thank you Rinpoche and Pastor Jean Ai for this sharing.