Teachings of the Mentor
Author: Fafu
Translator : Lotus
Never despise the Dharma yourself or let others do it
That means you should never despise the Dharma yourself and also not let others despise it. What it means is not to belittle the Dharma. All of the teachings that all the Buddhas expounded are the most excellent, without one the utmost and the other the second or the third. Therefore, it is disparaging the Dharma to consider one Dharma good and another bad. If you have time, you can learn theByang Chub Lam Rim Che Mo by Bodhicaryvat rain which what you are asked to do first is not to disparage the Dharma before you take refuge with the Triple Jewel.
What kind of people is called those disparaging the Dharma? In Byang Chub Lam Rim Che Mo by Bodhicaryvatra, it tells us that those who consider one Dharma good and another bad or hinder others from learning several pieces of the Dharma are called disparaging the Dharma. How serious is the bad consequence of disparaging the Dharma? Even if you destroyed all the stupas and the temples in the world, the bad results of it would be less serious than these of your disparaging the Dharma. The bad consequence of disparaging the Dharma is too serious! Even if you killed all the arhats in this world, the bad retribution would be less serious than that of your disparaging the Dharma! Not a single Buddha can save those who disparage the Dharma. In The Mahayana Sutra of the Great Assembly of Ti-tsang’s Ten Wheels it is also revealed that disparaging the Dharma means disparaging the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sanghas and then you are bound to fall into the hell.
We must make it a habit that no matter how highly we cultivate, we don’t dare to belittle the Dharma and also don’t dare to let others do this. If you contempt a kind of Dharma casually, which others find, he will also belittle it. For this very reason, you have already despised the Dharma. Very quickly, all the stages and merits and virtues which you have cultivated will destroy you completely, directly letting you go to the hell. What you did would also cause others to enter it. All of these are extremely important and the keys to the Dharma! Never despise any Dharma. Never let the negligence of a single thought destroy your future.
I make a vow that all sentient beings will, like their true nature, regard our mentor as the Buddha, never despise and disparage the Dharma themselves and never let others do it, protecting the Dharma like their lives.
Praise the Mentor
I praise you endlessly, our mentor, because you have beautiful heart, with your clean and pure eyes gazing at the beings kindly.
I praise you endlessly, our mentor, because you are sincere, without any deception and never tell a lie to us, open and honest.
I praise you endlessly, our mentor, because, not relying on any anger, you have the power and dignity which makes others be in awe of you and never dare to be willful and loose.
I praise you endlessly, our mentor, because you have never denied anybody, anything or any object easily, always planting the causes of recognizing and respecting others.
I praise you endlessly, our mentor, because you, like Shakyamuni Buddha, are willing to accept and company us who are stubborn and delusive, and whom no one else wants and leads.
I praise you endlessly, our mentor, because you have taught us the key to success in the world, the importance of the effect of causes and conditions: “You can perfect everything if you master the effect of causes and conditions completely, or you can achieve nothing if you can’t master it.”
I praise you endlessly, our mentor, because you are versed in enlightening us, never inculcating us toughly, never pulling up seedlings to help them grow. However, you let us reflect ourselves so that we can make progress quietly.
I praise you endlessly, our mentor, because although you expect us earnestly, you never control and force us, your dharma of respecting and following others reaching a high degree of excellence.
I praise you endlessly, our mentor, because you have never shot the buds, encouraged us at the right time and given us the confidence and hope.
I praise you endlessly, our mentor, because you have expounded the Dharma ceaselessly, dried your mouth and tongue and not had a rest.
I praise you endlessly, our mentor, because you have been endowed in various dharmas and taken the beings who had the causes and conditions to enter the single vehicle of the buddhas.
I praise you endlessly, our mentor, because of all your merits and virtues which you revealed, are revealing and will reveal.
I am making a vow that all sentient beings will adorn themselves with blessings and wisdom and perfect them the same as our mentor and the Buddha.
