Question asked by Jordan
Hi pastors, i want to ask you about blessings. So Tsem Rinpoche talks about blessings like a trigger. The blessing will go in to us and open up similar types of good karma we have done in the past. So it seems like blessings do not cost the lama much. But i also saw a video by Sadhguru on blessings and curses. Sadhguru says either blessings or curses requires one to give away something that one has earned that is positive for one's life. And blessings are not a one-off thing. If the person who is blessed works for it, the blessing costs less for the lama or the saint. If the person is a blundering idiot and works against spiritual wellbeing (perhaps due to 8 worldly concerns) then the blessing will continue to drain the saint on a daily basis. So Sadhguru brings in the perspective of how much it costs the lama or saint to give the blessing. But Tsem Rinpoche does not. So is it because Tsem Rinpoche and Sadhguru's blessings work differently? Or is Tsem Rinpoche choosing to avoid this aspect of the cost to the lama so as not to make people afraid of getting blessings? The actions i take for spiritual wellbeing is sometimes socially crazy (taking off from work for 3 days without any reason. Spending money on massage that arise due to discomfort and pain due meditation. [As opposed to giving up on meditation.]) Personally, if i know that blessings would cost the lama then i would be more motivated to carry on my path towards spiritual wellbeing even if my friends find it strange. So whats your take on this?
Dear Jordan,
Thanks for your question. The two explanations are going to be different, they will never match. The simple reason for this is both explanations come from two different traditions, which have their own cosmology, philosophies, methods, etc. As such they will never match. Sadguru’s system is based on Hinduism, whereas the explanation given by Tsem Rinpoche is from the Buddhist tradition.
I cannot comment on what Sadguru said, because his system/beliefs/practice are different from ours, I can only try to explain a slightly different manner what Tsem Rinpoche said about blessings. For non-attained masters, the way they give blessings is by invoking upon the energies of the Buddhas through prayers and mantras. It is this energy that is used to bless another person. For highly-attained masters, as they already have that energy and it is not depleted. Hence in this regard, what Sadhguru explained does not apply within the Buddhist context. I hope that clarifies things.