To Follow a Master

 Golok, 14.08.2018

I already said something I want to say before Moon-lam. And I will say a few things, the same thing I already said three days ago.
First of all, our monastery, the monks, nuns, workers, everyone are happy for you to be here. I personally very much appreciate everyone’s efforts, time, energy, and the most important part is your motivation, your kindness.
Somehow I think everyone here we are lucky because we have this human body. Secondly, we meet Buddha’s teaching, and Masters, Buddhist Masters like Lama Sang. What makes us special? Not this human body, not only that, but Buddha’s Dharma is what makes people wonderful. Human life is special. But without understanding, believing in Buddha, Dharma, Three Jewels [then it is] not so much [special]. Because Buddha and Dharma teach us how to be a good person, how to be a kind person, how to be a smart person.
Because for human beings the most important thing is kindness. Of course, all people have some kindness but this kindness is too little. Only you have kindness for your family, or for someone who you have [relations] like parents, husband and wife. But the kindness for other realms, for other beings – they do not have that kind of kindness. Parents are very kind to their kids. But Buddha’s Dharma teaches us a genuine kindness, Great Compassion, to not only who are your special people, but kindness to all sentient beings. That is why Buddha’s Dharma makes us wonderful.
Therefore, the purpose of life is to benefit everyone not to benefit only oneself, or those who have karmic connection to oneself but to everyone, to all sentient beings. Try, try to think of all beings. That is something very special and beautiful. Due to our ignorance, attachment, bad habitual tendencies it is not easy for everyone to be kind to others. But we need to do, we need to try, and try. Do not forget to try to be a kind person to all sentient beings, to everyone. It is not easy for us, the beginners, beginners of Dharma. For practitioners of Dharma it is easy to forget about compassion, kindness, wisdom, open heart.
It is easy to forget because of our habitual tendencies. People are sometimes very aggressive, very negative, very narrow-minded to people around you therefore we make a lot of mistakes; and we hurt others, we hurt ourselves. Therefore, Buddha teaches us to be mindful. I say [about] this anywhere any time. I always mention the importance of mindfulness. Even during Moonlam I mentioned to the people, I mentioned to so called masters, scholars here. I always say to the people if you do not do that you will make mistakes and you destroy your positive things by not being enough mindful. So understanding the quality, positive part of mindfulness is something important.
The essence of Dharma practitioner is not to make mistakes. To remember not to make mistakes. What is the cause for making mistakes? The ignorance. What controls negative emotions is mindfulness. Mindfulness is something that gives you wisdom, it protects you from making bad things therefore, be mindful.
Even though sometimes people try very hard to create good actions, but because not enough mindfulness we often make mistakes. That reduces the goodness [in thier action]. Therefore, even if we try very hard to practice but very slow improvement. Why? Because we make lots of mistakes. So, remember [to keep mindfulness] then you will be able to pass. If we make fewer mistakes then we can have big improvement. But because we make mistakes more than often, therefore our improvement is very slow.
So hopefully people understand this very important part and very useful things and then try and apply. Sometimes we try to do many things but not very meaningful, therefore the result we get is very little. We mix together Dharma and worldly Dharma. And sometimes we make up something that is not Dharma but we make up that is Dharma. Sometimes, we do something we think we doing Dharma or good action, but actually the opposite [is true].
Dharma is always something to do with the mind, with your motivation, the pure part of your motivation in the mind. If the motivation is not pure, your mind is distractive, everything becomes non-Dharma. When for example, when you are angry, sad with your negative emotions even though you are reciting mantras, your reciting is worldly part but not Dharma. But when your mind is pure and peaceful even though you are sitting there doing nothing but due to the purity of your mind, the sitting there is a good action.
Dharma is person’s mind. Mind is good Dharma is real Dharma. Mind is bad, then Dharma is poisoned, poisoned Dharma. Atisha said if you do not follow correctly the path of Dharma, instructions of Dharma, then Dharma will cause you go down, will bring you to the lower place. Even though You think you do good things but every [your] action is not Dharma.
Request is to be mindful, to be kind, to be peaceful, to be not angry, to be not selfish. But we do the opposite all the time. We are powerless to control negative emotions. Now, what to do? Now we know we are powerless to really control our negative emotions, we often make mistakes, we often get angry, unhappy, say bad words to Dharma brothers and sisters and make lots of mistakes. When we make mistakes then we should know that is something bad, “I shouldn’t do that”. Now we should think sincerely: “Oh, that is no good, and should make some change.” And we meet the people, say sorry to him. We do not expect people to say sorry but we should say so. If you do not [do so] I think you loose some of your goodness. If you do not do that then you continually make more mistakes, and be selfish, angry person, unhappy person.
I’m sorry I said too much. I should say sorry (laughing). Sorry for keeping you for too long. It is very important, very good teaching Buddha teaches us. If you are able to apply, to do that you will be a perfect practitioner.
What to say. Do you hope I remember what to say. Or let you go and have dinner. (Someone suggests Rinpoche talks about Lama Sang). If Lama Sang were here, Lama sang could make you cry very easily.
Since you have connection with Tibetan Buddhism, Tibetan people, Tibetan lamas, everywhere … you know there are 10.000 lamas, masters. You have to see, you have to follow 10.000 masters, right? Otherwise you do not feel satisfied. That is your nature. I see that. You say: “Oh this lama is better than the other, right?” “Oh, that lama is better than the other because he said “Hi” to me.” “He is very kind because he shows me smiling face.” “Oh, he is very kind, he accepts my offering.” (Someone says: “You sometimes do not accept our offerings”). Oh, I would [accept] 100%, or 200%.
That is how you see quality of a teacher. Therefore, your wisdom is still not good to judge, to see qualities of a teacher. I’m sorry. I’m not a judge. But really to understand it, [this seeing] is too ugly.
I see people sometimes really do not understand about Dharma, Dharma Teachers. I sincerely recommend you that we should slow down a little bit. If you follow too much you will loose everything. You will loose your life at the end. If you really want to get something, to get some result, some power, from Lama, from your Teacher, you should slow down and be more stable, more reliable. Otherwise, I said earlier, you will loose everything. Because there are many folly Tibetan masters. And I believe in China, Vietnam there are folly ones. But there are a lot in Tibet such lamas. Right now you do not have the power to see through which is good Dharma teacher, and which is not really [good Dharma teacher]. That is why I said to you earlier, “Oh he is so good, he gives me a big kakta.” “Oh a beautiful mala, he is so great!” I can give you this, would you think I’m a good Teacher? (Rinpoche shows a beautiful vase, laughing. Everyone laugh.)
Something like that.
You only see the surface, only see the external things. You don’t see deep inside at all. Some of these lamas, they have families in the Tibet, Nepal, Vietnam etc. and everywhere they say: “You are my only family!” (Rinpoche laughs and eveyone laugh.)
There is a very common way, very common method to get more offerings. It is to say: “Oh, you are a high reincarnation.” Or to say: “Oh, you are great dakini.”
• “I think you are a dakini.”
• “Oh, really? Really?”
That is how to be successful to get more offerings. Do you think you become a dakini just because someone says you are a dakini? Or [you are] a high reincarnation because someone says so? I don’t think so. That is why I highly recommend you to recognize yourself. One must be clear about oneself so you shouldn’t get too excited when someone says you are a great dakini or a great reincarnation, or Guru Rinpoche, or Dakini Yeshe Sogyal or something, you are Green Tara, you are White Tara etc.
I think Tibetan way to make [good] connection with people is to say: “Oh, you are a great reincarnation.” And Vietnamese or Chinese way to get good connection or attention from people is to say: “Oh, I was someone important to you is the past. Maybe your teacher in the past.” Both ways is to make people accept [them] and to get more [good] attention. Do you agree? (Audience: “Yes.”)
So you should be more clear, or more steady, reliable. Rely on one’s wisdom. Rely on the real teaching of Buddha. Not follow too much and don’t believe too much what others say.
As I said at the beginning, we are lucky as we have met Buddha’s Dharma, and we have Lama Sang’s tradition. And those who have met Lama Sang and directly got teaching from Lama Sang, you are a little luckier. We can learn from many things. Lama Sang was a genuine Master, was a Mahasiddha. I’m not trying to praise Lama Sang because He is my Father. I’m saying this because of many good reasons. Therefore, I feel we are really lucky because [we have] great teaching, great treasures of Lama Sang. Treasures from Guru Rinpoche originally, through Lama Sang, now we can practice.
There was a great master, scholar, Agong Khenpo, one of the most famous scholar in the history of Golok. He was disciple of Lama Sang and also He was Root Teacher of Lama Sang. The first treasure Lama Sang discovered, the sadhana of Vajrapani, combined with Hiyagriva and Garuda, three together. That sadhana, treasure was given to Agong Khenpo, to investigate that was a real treasure or not. And Agong Khenpo accepted and took a long retreat. And He had great visions and great dreams, great sounds, and some of His diseases disappeared during His retreat. So He wrote a commentary on Lama Sang teaching: “This is one of the most blissful, powerful, and pure treasure.” One part of commentary says: “In the future people who are lucky enough to receive and practice this treasure from Lama Sang, you should see that treasure [and you] like a beggar who finds a wish-fulfilling jewel in his home without any efforts. Because Lama sang appeared, discovered the teaching, the treasure and had given it to you. You do not have to make efforts to find it. The only thing you have to do is to practice it.”
I have introduced something about Lama Sang to you. Many things we can talk about Lama Sang, and we can talk for ever; but that is not the most important part. The most important part is that we need to know the essence of Lama Sang life and His treasure. And that I have just introduced to you.
We have a few days to practice Vajrakilaya together. This program is for three weeks and we have to accomplish 100 million Vajrakilaya mantras. And there are 800 monks, nuns, yogis, not including you. And at the end we make 100 million Vajrakilaya mantras. And because you sincerely, faithfully participate in this Vajrakilaya practice, so after you go home we will keep you in our prayers, practice and at the end we will make dedication together.

The end of 14.8.2018 teaching

Transcribed by Lotsawa (Hieu Thien), from MP3 of Hungkar Dorje Rinpoche’s teaching on 14.8.2019, Golok.