In this age of degeneration, we are being tormented by sufferings due to lack of proper guidance by a proper leader. If we want to be liberated from this ocean of suffering, we need a proper ship’s captain. According to the Buddhist texts, a spiritual master is the only guide that can help us to go through this. Most of the Buddhist scholars’ successes have been possible due to relying upon a proper guide, that is, a spiritual master. Hence, in Buddhism, the spiritual master’s or guru’s role is vital in order to achieve any kind of goal—mundane or supramundane. In this context, here are some excerpts on how to follow a spiritual master from the eighth chapter of Longchenpa’s text called The Wish-fulfilling Treasury. Longchenpa starts the chapter with the following lines:
Then, in order to cross samsara, the ocean of suffering,
Follow a glorious guru [spiritual master] who is like a ship’s captain.
He further gives commentary on these lines: “It is impossible to estimate the beginning and end of cyclic existence, for it is vast; it goes down and down ad infinitum, for it is very deep; the karma follows everywhere, for it is very powerful within it; and the whirlpool of waves has been stirred up, for it is unbearable. Upwardly, the highest realm of the world is at the top of the samsaric ocean; downwardly, the Incessant Hell is at the bottom of the ocean; in the middle, the god, human and the three lower realms are the whirlings of the ocean. Therefore, it is extremely difficult to cross by any means, for there will be various types of sufferings like venomous water monsters in the ocean. Hence, on the ship of unsurpassable Dharma, with an experienced captain—a spiritual master—one should diligently try to traverse the ocean while having obtained the physical form of human being in this lifetime. If one doesn’t endeavour in this way, one will get trapped in the sphere of the lower realms and remain stranded.
“In such a way, having the thought of liberation, like a person who aspires to cross an ocean supplicates the ship’s captain first, those wishing to take the ship of Dharma to cross the ocean of samsara should rely upon the captain of a spiritual master and perform actions to please the master. And that master also should be fully qualified because even if we are only to traverse a small body of water, we would choose a wise and experienced boatman. Similarly, relying upon the profound Dharma and a master who possesses the qualities of one who is learned and accomplished is the most essential instruction to those aspiring to gain liberation from the infinitely deep river of cyclic existence. Though there are many definitions of a sublime master, here are seven points.”
Then Longchenpa points out the seven qualities of a spiritual master with their examples:
- A master should be flawless and should possess all the good qualities like Jinamitra in India and Vairochana in Tibet.
- A master should be inherently endowed with all knowledge like Arya Asanga in India and Jetsun Dragpa in Tibet.
- A master should have attained supreme liberation like Acharya Shantideva in India and Dromtonpa in Tibet.
- A master should have vast wisdom like Nagarjuna in India and Rongzom in Tibet.
- A master should have the blessings of the lineage like Naropa in India and Milarepa in Tibet.
- A master should lead his disciples through compassion like Tilopa in India and Marpa in Tibet.
- A master should show the ultimate essential meaning like Shri Singha in India and Chetsun Senge Wangchug in Tibet.
Longchenpa further makes a statement that, if all the abovementioned qualities are present in a master, free from doubt we should consider him or her as a real buddha and follow them. However, it is difficult to gather all these seven qualities together in one person in this era of degeneration; even if six or fewer qualities are found, then that person is still a qualified spiritual master and we should follow their footsteps.
Fulfilling all the aforementioned qualities is far more difficult to find than the “king of the flowers”, the udumvara.1 However, even those possessing most of these qualities are similar to the Buddha and even those endowed with one of them should be treated as sublime and followed. Among them all, those learned on the paths to enlightenment should be chosen. In this regard, the Gunaratna Sanchayagatha Sutra states
Always rely on learned masters,
Because the qualities of a scholar come from them.
Longchenpa then supports these points with six reasons on choosing such masters:
- One should rely on a spiritual master because there is no one other than him whom one can ask about the ultimate happiness of enlightenment. This is because only a sublime master can show the path that brings happiness and liberation in this lifetime, and harmony and omniscience in future lifetimes. He is the one who can show us the perfect goal of benefitting self and others. Even kings, ministers, leaders, fathers and mothers—who are said to be the best decision makers in this world—cannot offer such advice.
- A spiritual master is reliable because no one other than him can show what to take up and what to abandon. A spiritual master can show the way of accumulating virtue, abandoning non-virtue, eliminating suffering and ignorance, enhancing diligence, cultivating the wisdom of enlightenment and opening the eyes in ways that even one’s parents cannot do.
- A spiritual master is reliable because the sources of practicing bodhichitta are the two accumulations and such merit should be accumulated by relying upon none other than a spiritual master. Circumambulating the master with one’s body, reciting praises of offering and paying respect through one’s speech, and admiring and visualizing a master who possesses the aforementioned qualities are the most important ways to increase one’s merit.
- A spiritual master is reliable because he is the unsurpassable source of refuge as well as a saviour. Beings engage in the activities that cause them to keep taking births in the lower realms and even if they take birth in higher realms, they end up indulging in non-virtuous activities due to ignorance. In this way, they keep taking rebirths in samsara again and again. In this case, only a spiritual master can save them from these sufferings.
- A spiritual master is reliable because he enhances the wealth of knowledge. Those who don’t know even the slightest thing about adoption and rejection can come to possess a special wealth of knowledge by relying upon a spiritual master. Hence, beginners who search for a perfect path to get liberated; those who have gained the middle of the path and aspire to get rid of the obstacles on the path of learning and to obtain the higher qualities; and finally, those wishing to achieve enlightenment, that is, the ones striving for the fruition of liberation, should all rely upon a spiritual master.
- A spiritual master is reliable because the highest supreme leader is none other than one’s spiritual master. Earlier, the Buddha would appear in front of fortunate ones and benefit them. However, in this extremely degenerate era where age, wealth, and Dharma are degraded, no buddha is there to benefit us other than a spiritual master. Earlier, the buddhas used to benefit beings by showing up themselves to their disciples; they compiled the teachings and composed commentaries by manifesting as arhats and panditas. Nowadays, they are showing us the path to liberation by spreading the Dharma in the form of spiritual masters.
After presenting all the reasons why should we follow a spiritual master, Longchenpa then explains the actual way to follow a spiritual master. He states, “Go to the sublime masters who are endowed with the qualities mentioned above and please them through devotion, respect, and providing your services, right after meeting them. Don’t even try examining them by thinking, ‘what he is like?’, arguing with them, disrespecting them, or neglecting them, because sublime beings are always correct, and when they see our behaviour, they might find it inappropriate and that might cause them to have an unfavourable impression of us.” Reinforcing this point, he says, “In this regard, seeking a spiritual master is the method to pursue a bodhisattva’s conduct. Hence, asking people the whereabouts of a master, one should also go to the different directions and investigate, and not give up, no matter what challenges come ahead [to find such a master]. This will [help to] accumulate an ocean of merit and wisdom, and protect from evil actions.”
Here, Longchenpa makes a request to follow the example of the stories of Arya Sadaprarudita and Manibhadra from the Prajnaparamita in Eight Thousand Verses and the Gandavyuha Sutra respectively, in terms of the hardships they faced to find a master. He also tells us to reflect upon the story from the Damomurkha Sutra where a king offers one thousand butterlamps on his body for the sake of the Dharma.
Longchenpa also says that if the qualities required as per the texts are fulfilled, then we should follow such a master even if there are some worldly defects.
Therefore, it is very important to rely on a spiritual master, because in order to become completely liberated from samsara and attain Buddhahood, we should depend on a path that is shown by a spiritual master.
By Ngawang Lhundrub
Final Year, NNI
