50 verses of Guru Devotion -by Joy
Dear friends, I have spoken on this subject many times and I think it is time students talk, contemplate and share with others. Here we have Joy who has been with me for around 11 years sharing this text with Shin and Andrew. Shin has been with me around 8 years and Andrew joined around 3 years ago. Listen to their explanations from their understanding..I really encourage students and everyone to teach and share…it helps the teacher and friends… It might help you review this text…. They are using the text 50 VERSES OF GURU DEVOTION by Ashvagosha.
Tsem Rinpoche
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Ah, just found out about this article! How I wish the video will be available for all. I hope admin will consider to restore it as this might help others like me to understand the 50 verses Guru Devotion better, from the perspective of layman’s and through discussions among members.
Joy, Shin and Andrew thank you so much for sharing this with us. They have been working very closely with Rinpoche for many years. Nice to hear from them to talk about 50 verses of guru devotion. I believe for those who are fortunate enough to work under our guru’s Mandala, who has direct contact with Rinpoche will share this teaching better through experience. Many people who came to Kechara have read about 50 verses of guru devotion one way or another. After watching this video, It increased my knowledge and understand better and easier to put into practice.
Doing this talk on Guru devotion really helps remind me of how important it is to follow the stanzas to prepare ones mind for the Tantra. We should not wait as what Rinpoche says many times for when you receive an initiation but rather do it now, practice now so it will become 2nd nature when you get initiated and then… everything is easy and smooth. Thank you Rinpoche for reminding us the importance of 50 Stanzas… it also helped us check within ourselves which areas we have not been doing well and to do it well! x
Shin, Andrew and Joy are now working really hard within the KP outlets and making good sales to get dharma items for people to posses. What a nice way to share the dharma through learning, talking and sharing it with others.
Thank you Joy, Shin and Andrew . This is a good video and Joy has a very good voice, I like it very much, rejoice ^^
I first read the 50 stanzas of Guru Devotion is in setrap retreat. The first time I read, I have a strange feelings…The continuos few times i read, slowly i understand, expecially one time i remember well, i was in the liason’s meeting and we read the 50 stanzas together, a contractor was sitting beside me, we share a booklet and we read together .He is getting slower and slower, softer and softer. I understand how first timer feel when read it, and i explain to him by giving example , elaborating a Kung Fu Master, a teacher will guide you to the right way, if we follow exactly, we will find the way to succeed. The meaning is simple and make sense when think deeper.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this video and it is good explanation by Shin, Andrew and Joy, that make me understand well about Guru Devotion. Really appreciates this teaching.
Joy has a very nice voice when she talk, and she speaks clear and well.
Guru Devotion is talking about how much devotion we should have to our guru, spiritual path is not a something we can do it alone, we need guidance, we need guru, so if we don’t follow what our guru told us, how we can continue this journey?
Joy had another session with outlet managers few days back, it is nice that we have discussion session like this, because through discussion and debate, we can learn more and understand better.
Watch this video of Rinpoche’s 3 students discuss their understanding of the 50 Verses.
Presented in a booklet, the 50 Verses outline the “do’s and don’ts” on our spiritual path. Some verses may sound outdated, but they are still applicable.
A group of from Kechara Paradise got the chance to hear the explanations direct from Joy when we were in Haven recently.
It’s much clearer to have someone read out and explain to you the meaning of the verses in the book. Those verses are profound and quite easy to understand once you have someone explain. I have also learned that Rinpoche is guiding and teaching us based on the teachings in the 50 Verses to train our mind and actions to receive higher teachings.
Thank you Shin, Joy and Andrew.
Thank you Kwok Wai and Bonita for sharing. Both of you did a good presentation. I prefer Kok Wai talks that he shared his experience in KSK. I understand better and he shows how Rinpoche teaching has benefit him and others. Hope that both of you can prepare more and improve next time.
I was there when they are recording this video and teaching. Study the text is very important, practice it is even more important. Many people understand what it means, but when they were putting in a test or training, they can’t stand it or even get angry with the Guru who is so kind to point out the fault and negative habitual action of us which will lead us to a ugly place.
Thank you Joy, Shin and Andrew for sharing this. The discussion and explanation help a lot for me to understand better. I will view this again so I will be able to understand more in this 50 verses of Guru devotion.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this.
We are so fortunate to have a Guru with us here for us to put what we learned on the 50 Stanzas of Guru Devotion into practice. Shin,Joy and Andrew presented the teachings in a casual, easy to understand way.
Guru Devotion is not being a slave to our Guru. In fact, it is a method to help cut away our self-cherishing and arrogant mind, for us to have humility and respect for others. For our spiritual practice to grow, we should contemplate and apply the verses daily and follow our Guru’s advice wholeheartedly.
To working in Dharma, i always have a l lot of questions, why things happened like this and like that.. After watching the video, i found all the answers from the video. Thank You Rinpoche, Andrew, Shin and Joy. 🙂
Best Regards : Erickksiow
To be honest, I was really afraid during the first time that I read the 50 Stanzas of Guru Devotion. The part where it says that we will burn in Avici (Hell of uninterrupted pain) if we were to be so foolish as to despise our guru or disturb our guru’s mind.
Having little knowledge of Guru Devotion of course this scared me and made me think twice about taking Refuge.
But later on, after attending classes and talking to senior members of Kechara, I get to understand Guru Devotion better.
Rinpoche mentioned once that whatever Praises/Prayers that we do, although we do not understand it now, we are still planting the seed in our mindstream and just like a child learning, we might not fully grasp whatever we read now but in due time as our Dharma knowledge expands, we will understand it later on. I have so much more to learn! Trying to be like a sponge and absorb everything as much as I can with clear understanding.
In all lives may I never be separated from the Dharma and my Perfect Guru.
Thank you Rinpoche!
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this video, its a good sharing by Shin, Andrew and Joy.
It’s important for us to understand about Guru Devotion and practice it. I always read it while having my meal when on duty in KP1U outlet as it pasted on the store room back door.
Thank you Joy, Shin and Andrew for a lovely reminder of a much loved book in my collection of must reads and re-read book list from time to time. What better way than to just open and read a verse and contemplate daily or as frequently as you like.
I also found it beneficial to read the Wheel of Sharp Weapons with 50
verses of Guru Devotion. Rinpoche has recommended these books as must reads for higher practices in the future.
So what better time to start? then NOW. I would also recommend the book “Devotion” by Sherry Marshall…a nice easy book to introduce people to Vajrayana.
I found this book was helpful to increase the acceptance and understanding of this important aspect of our practice for outsiders looking in.
xo
The explanation by Joy on the 50 verses of Guru Devotion is clear and apt for all to understand the essence of it, for training of our mind. Upon complete reliance on our Guru’s guidance and instructions who acts out of pure compassion, we would gain much collection of merits and blessings to become a better person for others when we put them into practise. Prior to entering into tantra practices much emphasis is placed on Guru Devotion.
It is good to hear the discussion and explanation about 50 verses of Guru devotion.
Thank you Joy, Shin and Andrew.
Outlet team with joy also went through another round of the 50 Verses of Guru Devotion discussion. Joy talk well and understand all this verses about. Through out the whole section of discussion, we notice whatever rinpoche has teach us all base from this 50 verses. Rinpoche walk to talk and his is living example practicing Guru Devotion. Please read and listen carefully from Joy sharing video. T Hope your understand well about Guru Devotion.
It is wonderful to hear the discussion and explanation by these senior students of Tsem Rinpoche. It is good to hear because it reinforces what they already know and also share with others, their own thoughts and realisation on their own personal relationships with Rinpoche.
Hence, their views is a practical explanation on the 50 Stanzas as they work under the same roof as their own Guru so a lot of the training of Guru devotion is a daily affair. How fortunate to be so close to a Lama who has all the means to train our minds.
First of all, thank you Joy, Shin and Andrew for making this video for the convenience of all of us. Of course, not forgetting Rinpoche for the creative ideas 🙂
I first come to learn about 50 stanzas (or verses) of Guru Devotion about one year ago. The first time I read it, I do feel like it is slavery to guru 😛 . However, after explanation from Paris, I understand what it is meant for. So, big thank to Paris too 🙂 And today’s watching of this video reinforce the understanding.
I felt all 3 should have the mic when talking, because there are parts where I can’t really hear what Shin and Andrew were talking.
I like the debate element in the video, where some post questions and other answer. If we have some FAQ, that would be even better.
Also, I didn’t know Joy has such a clear and nice voice! 🙂
Following The 50 verses is like having a GPS. Following it will speed one’s journey along the spiritual path with confidence.Presently our mind is contaminated and whatever we do will leave stains which prevents us from getting results from our practice. If we follow our Guru’s instructions with complete faith and reliance we will collect true merits since our Guru’s mind is pure.
The verses are antidotes to our self grasping and self cherishing mind.From this ,arises all our delusions , causing us to accumulate much negative karma which act as obstacles to our spiritual growth.
This teaching is very important and detailed. I will need to view it again and again to be able to understand it fully and will requires deep contemplation to grasp and practice the 50 stanzas.
Thank you Rinpoche for this video. Thank you Joy, Shin, Andrew and the team for sharing. The presentation format is more ‘casual’ as they discussed, asked questions to each other and even ‘debated’ at some points. Like this we got to learn from different angles and perspective. Joy has a clear and pleasant voice, very suitable for Dharma sharing.
This teaching is to help us counter our arrogant minds. We will develop the virtues of awareness, humility and respecting others as Joy rightly said; the virtues that I needed most: reminding myself now that my actions can really affect others…
Most of our life, we never control our mind, hence we not put the practice into actions. We always think that mind is beyond us and body is belong to us, hence we attached to our body and create more delusion from that.
In 50 verses of Guru devotion is clearly state what we should and should not do in order to make the spiritual path grown. The meaning is just beyond words which contemplating will help into that.
The most important is to it in daily practice as just understand is does not help in anything.
Having intellectual knowledge of the dharma is very different from putting what you know into practice.
Just mouthing the empty words will not bring benefits whatsoever if we don’t take the teachings to heart.
Most of us DO NOT link what is in our head to our heart. As long as there is this separation, we will not live ,eat and sleep dharma.
Guru Devotion is a powerful method to overcome this inner obstacle. If one can sincerely puts this into practice, logistically our path will be smoother because the Guru is the embodiment of all that is precious spiritually – the 3 jewels. Following the Guru’s instructions wholeheartedly will naturally propel us along the path.