How to Feel “I Need You” in Guru Devotion?
- November 2, 2015
How to meet with our qualified Spiritual Master? It can happen through the power of prayer. At the end of the guru devotion section, on the part of relying on the spiritual master on deeds, there is one point stated that we have to always pray to the guru to bless our mind.
We come to this world according to our own karma. Please bear in mind, that we come here in this world according to our karma. I have a younger sister, I have an older sister, I have my parents, I have a house, I have a chair, I have a mobile phone, all those kinds of things come according to our karma. Similarly, the quality of our spiritual master depends on your karma. If we do not have the good karma to see him as a great master, then you will never be able to see. No matter how much knowledge you have swallowed, the knowledge that you have learned, if we do not do the reflection—and of course we need the merit, our minds need to be blessed—then you will never be able to see how the Spiritual Master has been so very kind to us. So, the sentence is clear. The maturity of our mind determines the ability to see how very kind our Spiritual Master is.
Therefore, at all times, the mind can develop. The mind is not a dead matter. The problem is whether we want to develop it or not. Hence, the verse states that we should always pray, always request for the guru’s realization to enter us. What I mean is as follows. We learn one point, we understand one point, we make supplication in order for our mind to be blessed by guru’s realization in order for us to truly achieve that certain point. This seems like a trivial unimportant things, however this is truly a very important point.
The point that I would like to share to all of you, wherever you are, it is very important to pray as well as you can, with the power of great faith and deep devotion. “Oh my Master, I wish you to be in my life, I wish you to never leave me, and I wish you to have a long life and good health.” I repeat once again. Based on the understanding of that point, make a strong prayer, as deep as you can, with all your faith and devotion, and then supplicate the guru to always “be in my life, always healthy, and always have a long life.”
This point can come alive, can have a meaning, can have a power, if and only if we reflect the kindness of the spiritual guru. We can look for this point in the “Foundation of All Excellence”, the first verse, also the additional verses taken from the Gandavyuha Sutra. We can find the additional points related to the kindness of the guru.
With an open heart that can sense something, feel that the Spiritual Guru is very important and tremendously kind. Feel it deeply until our heart is touched and then we pray upon this point and practice the power of praying. So, this is what it means by the power of prayer so oftenly mentioned by people. With this very power, Rinpoche can heal and be here with all of us.
That we now live in the samsara, yes. We live in a very uncertain condition, yes. Everything has no certainty whatsover. Tomorrow can very well change. It may be raining tomorrow, or it may be not, nobody knows. Everything depends on each other, interdependently. The presence of a guru requires the presence of a disciple. Similarly, the presence of a disciple requires the presence of a guru. We cannot just out of the blue make a prayer “Rinpoche, please have a long life.” “Oh Guru I need you” and then the guru appears. It does not happen like that, especially concerning a relatively large community. That means that this cannot depend solely on myself alone, neither this depends solely on you yourself. We all depend on how many the quantity of this community. If it is 300 then we depend on this 300. If it is 1000, then we depend on this 1000, how so ever large the mandala of this Guru.
With this being stated, I would like to extend a message to all of you, wherever you are. Actually we have started this a few days ago, that we should practice vegetarian, and then practice collecting merit. I would also like to say that we should pray for Rinpoche’s long life, as much as possible. What does long life mean? Why there is such a thing as a long life?
In the past, when Rinpoche came to teach, during the early moments of my encounter with him, I asked a question. “Rinpoche, when we recite the Long Life Prayer for you, you yourself also recite. Do you pray for yourself to have a long life? Why you also recite because I think this is the prayer that we recite for you? Shouldn’t you be silent, no need to recite?” For this question of mine, Rinpoche answered, “That prayer was written by my guru. When I recite it, I consider it to be a blessing coming from my guru to me. Therefore, I receive the guru’s blessing and have a long life.”
Such an important issue is the guru’s blessing. Nah, this point cannot be understood by the Y Generation, all these youngsters here. Here we have students of year 2014 studying the guru devotion topic, but nothing! So, this topic of guru devotion is not an easy one, not as simple as we think. This topic exceeds beyond our logics of understanding things. We can only understand it through the sense that we feel. When I speak like this to some of the javanese, they will directly understand, “Oh, like this.” It is because this is something daily for them: berkah, prayer, blessing.
I would also like to tell story about the many past spiritual masters that have passed away. This is a fact, this is a reality. Some people say that this is a bad omen, a taboo thing to be spoken. I think that all of us who have studied the lamrim should not have that kind of taboo way of thinking anymore. It is taboo if we close our eyes, close our mind from that very reality. Nah, that is taboo! But what is happening now is a warning for all of us, the fact that your guru depends on your relationship, you with him. How deep is your relationship with your Spiritual Guru, your connection with your guru, that is how long you can meet him.
Some people may have the opportunity to see the Spiritual Guru on a daily basis, but perhaps they cannot see that the guru is an extremely kind person, so they cannot receive any blessings. On the other hand, there are people who may not have the opportunity to meet with the guru every day, but they understand perfectly on this point, so they can do the reflection well. Of course ideally we can be close to the Guru on a daily basis, also have a good understanding on this point, and everyday understand “where I should put myself in”.
So the point of focusing within ourselves is “how I see everything.” It’s true that everything in our lives depend on karma. So, our view, our angle of seeing so many people, depends on karma. There are certain people I like, this is karma. Some people I dislike, this is also my karma. Why you dont like that person, it is your karma. We all have these karmic connection that create all these sorts of relationships.
Karma itself is not certain, it changes. Meaning, karma can be changed, it can develop, it can die, because our mind is alive. We are static matters, we are dynamic living entities. Therefore, we can make the very best use of our mind to make supplication, to make creation, and to make strong hearfelt prayers. In fact, some of Rinpoche’s senior students, who have known Rinpoche quite well, certainly feel sad reflecting, “Why my guru is sick.” Nah, he is a human. “My guru is sick and no need to bring him to hospital because he is a Buddha.” Well, he is a Buddha alright, but he is Buddha born with a human physical body. A human physical body has the nature of a human body like this, when it fell sick it needs to be cured, when it suffers diarrhea it needs Go-thak-sua*. After eating, it excretes. When the weather is hot, it sweats. The Buddha does not sweat, the gods do not sweat, but human body sweats. This is the nature of human physical body, when it gets tired it needs sleep.
Everything runs basically on that way, it all depends on our own karma. How are we going to use this karma, how are we going to collect karma together? There is a saying on how a mother’s prayer is very effective, very powerful. Why? Because a mother prays with all her heart. When there is a mass quantity of people do a prayer, for example, all the people of Indonesia doa prayer to request for rain, then there is a good chance that it can rain.
Tonight I truly invite all of us here that we should really think well on our very own existence. How deep we need our Spiritual Guru? Some people may not have a deep feeling on this, they could be indifferent due to a number of reasons. But it is a reality that Rinpoche has worked for Indonesia for the 27th year. With his age of 83, he still need to take a long tiring flight. Even your grandfather does not last to this age. Your grandmother may not be as healthy as this. This situation can be considered a slap for us all, to wake us up to the fact that, “Oh yah, I still do not do enough.” All the things that I have done all this time is still not enough.
Rinpoche teaches us for years and years, is there any significant change in our lives? So, tonight I dont need to speak any further and I cannot speak too long due to the capacity of this video recording. It should not be too long. I encourage all of us to think and do something! The power of praying, the prayers recited with a sincere supplication and devotion, this is really what can turn back this very situation. This is also the very reason why buddhists, the great gurus have written down the Long Life Prayers, in order for the Spiritual Masters to have a long life. Ya, it depends on the karma, but karma is something we can create, we can create the supporting causes of karma so it can run again.
Hence, supplicating the Spiritual Guru to have a long life depends on how deep we understand the kindness of the Guru. How deep have we understood the kindness of the Guru in turn depends on how much have we understood our own lives, how much have we changed and how much is our need.
Another point I would to say is that Rinpoche always teaches one point, which is focusing on developing our own spiritual mind. During all the years he teaches, he does not say “let’s make an organization, let’s make a good event.” He even doesn’t suggest people to gather and do puja. What he suggests is more to do retreat and study.
Retreat and study are meant to answer the questions regarding, “what is my life for, what is my purpose, what is the goal in my life.” Of course we follow the lamrim, the stages of the path to enlightenment, within our lives. The greatest search within ourselves is the search for the great enlightenment for our mind. It is definitely crystal clear that the focus of our lives is spiritual.
Some say that when people have studied the lamrim, they will no longer have ambition. Yeah, perhaps not the worldly ambition, what’s the point of piling wealth? Does ambition always correlate with worldly matters? Not necessarily. We can make use of ambition and correlate it with spiritual development. Up til today I still have the ambition to read, to study, to do retreat, all those sort of things. Why you dont see on that side?
So, spiritual is the core fundamental thing. When we have gained a certain understanding, “O yah, my life is much better compared to the past, my heart is more open, my mind is more open, my insight is more open.” Who create all this? It is my spiritual guru that touches my heart. Therefore, how so very kind he is. I wish this guru of mine not to die, I wish him to be healthy and present in front of me.
We have this small kid thought, ‘Don’t you die on me. Please stay in front of me.” This is not the way it happens. The correct sentence is, “I supplicate you to always be here with me.” That means, we have the need. Nah, if we have the need, it means the point lie on us. How deep, how much, how wholeheartedly we generate this supplication. “I Need You.”
So here it goes, we kind of think, “You please dont die.” Like the way we think towards our lovers, “Please don’t go, I love you.” This kind of thought means that we focus on something outside of us, on an external object. But, let’s us see from within ourselves, that “I need you.” Why? “I realize the kindness of your heart.” Why? “I receive many lessons and attain many realizations because of you. Finally, I realize how so important you are to me.” With this kind of thinking, the point of view has changed, even though the sentences are the same. The point has also changed, i.e. I need you so my mind can develop, please, with the kindness of your heart, please stay and be with me.” This is where the supplication really lie. This is the key point of our supplication, which is related to the Spiritual Guru to constantly stay with us, which is by understanding and realizing his great kindness.
This short message I deliver to you with a high sense of seriousness, also with great sincerity. I beg you all to do heartfelt supplication everyday. You can recite Rinpoche’s Long Life Prayer, Long Life Prayer for all Masters, or just Rinpoche’s Long Life, or just about anything. The most important thing is the need, the understanding and realization that comes from how deep is the need. If there is much need, if the need is there, if there be so very much need, let us together do something with this very much significant meaning.
Therefore, one of our projects is to produce stupa, so we can supplicate through the power of blessings that can come from stupa. If we manage to produce 100,000 stupas, these means we have lots lots of merit, lots lots of good karma, lots of positive energy. With that point, I think I have made myself clear enough with this very message of mine saying that whoever has a feeling of connection or karma, whoever has the heart connection with our Spiritual Guru, let us do this! We have some time, we have around 2 months, December and also November to do something. Do it everyday. Do it with how so every much need within our hearts. Through times, we can see for ourselves, the Buddha from the sky above can also see, “Oh there is a bunch of people who have felt the kindness of their Spiritual Guru.” Meaning, it is very natural, we naturally need the Spiritual Guru dan with this way we can move the power of the nature, the power of karma to turn over all the bad condition to become a good advantage condition for Rinpoche to be healty and have a long life.
So, if a guru fall sick, it is the karma of the disciples, right? When a guru is not healthy, it is the karma of the disciples. Is it clear for you all? So, how we see this? It is definitely an introspection for ourselves that we need more more more huge good karma to have a great Spiritual Guru. Cause and effect is very simple, there is nothing to be confused about. The very simple fact that the next is the most important one, i.e. how we do that, how are we going to do this, how are we going to make it come true. It’s very simple, that all of this is due to karma. We dont have the good karma, we dont have enough karma, we dont have enough blessing. Yes, we need to call the Buddha. He will certainly listen to our prayers, especially when there are a lot of people praying with an authentic sincere heart, no pretense what so ever, absolutely no lie, a prayer that comes from a needing heart due to realizing the kindness of the Spiritual Guru.
Then, the power of the positive energy can turn away the bad condition. If the disciples have a bad karma, it will effect on their guru, I hope you can understand and absorb my sentences. If the disciples have a good karma, and we are talking about a huge collective good karma, group karma—personal karma is different issue, but the main point is that we have the same understanding. For instance, if you meet a fierce guru, then you have to see the reason why, it is because of karma that I meet with such a guru. I have a bad karma that needs to be treated with fierce attitude. If I dont have the bad karma to be scolded, then I wont get the scolding. It is as simple as that.
You have to have the bad karma to be poor, if not you will not experience situation such as missing stuffs, being stolen, being robbed, it’s like that, isn’t it? It’s very easy, very simple.
Therefore, tonight, starting tomorrow, we will do something meaningful for our lives and also for everybody else’s lives, also for Rinpoche. Reflect thoroughly the kindness of the guru, the utter kindness of his heart, his tremendous kind heart. From there, we can reflect, “Oh, it’s like this, it’s like that.” We do this everyday then make supplication by requesting with two hands folded, “Oh my Guru, I realize how kind you are, this and this and this is your kindness to me. I beg you to be here with me, like this, this, and this.” I think you can all understand what I am trying to say here, no need further elaboration.
This is what I have to say for tonight. I invite all of us to come together in a action Pray for Rinpoche in December, to replace the retreat schedule. Thank you.