| We must remember that the whole purpose of the | | | | us a Buddha, not to have companions around him. You |
| practice is to destroy arrogance. When we submit to | | | | may think you were working with your Guru last year, |
| the Guru, it is not to lose our freedom; it is to gain full | | | | doing this and that with him, and question why you are |
| freedom. Through the practice of Dharma and | | | | not this year. You think, "Poor me, poor me. I did so |
| Enlightenment, we gain full freedom. It is not just about | | | | much for you but you don't let me do anything |
| getting money, long life or protection from obstacles. | | | | anymore this year. It's so unfair. It's so bad." This |
| We gain full freedom - we gain control of where we | | | | shows that the student does not know the purpose of |
| go, what we do, our rebirth and how we benefit. We | | | | a Guru-disciple relationship. |
| gain full benefit. | | | | Do you think the Guru has to be clingy with you? Do |
| If, in our next rebirth, we want to have money, we will | | | | you think that the Guru does not like you or that he |
| be born into money. We will be born where we want | | | | has rejected you when he switches your job or |
| to be born. We gain full control. This is why we submit | | | | responsibilities around? Perhaps the initial methods |
| to the Guru. It is just like submitting to school, to training, | | | | were not working, so he does something else to help |
| to our teachers, to our parents, to our counsellors, to | | | | you. Perhaps you have already done and mastered a |
| our psychiatrists and doctors. | | | | task so he may give you something else to help you |
| We all submit, we are already always submitting! We | | | | develop your mind. Sometimes a Guru will let you be |
| submit to our doctors to invade our bodies. We only | | | | clingy, sometimes the Guru will make you not be clingy |
| have one body - if he messes up, we're finished! We | | | | - it is your level that the Guru is looking at. |
| submit to our beautician. One wrong jab and some of | | | | People do not understand Guru devotion. They think it |
| the muscles in our face will never move again! We | | | | is slavery. They think it is indoctrination or a loss of |
| submit to our teachers, we submit to our wives and | | | | freedom but it is absolutely the opposite. When I |
| husbands, we submit to our children. Some of us even | | | | hooked up with my teachers, I gained freedom. Look |
| submit to our dogs and cats; our lives are controlled by | | | | what I am doing now. Guru devotion was and is my |
| them! We cannot go anywhere nor do anything | | | | main practice. When I had obstacles and problems, |
| because we are completely controlled by our pets. | | | | because I had so much faith in my Guru, my Dharma |
| We put ourselves into those situations, whether we do | | | | Protector in Gaden told me in an audience with him, |
| it deliberately or not. We are always submitting to | | | | "Don't recite any mantras, recite your Guru's mantra |
| others. It is nothing new to submit. Only now, it is to a | | | | and you will be fine." So I did; I recited my Guru's |
| person who helps us on the ultimate, highest level. | | | | mantra 100,000 times and my sickness healed. I did not |
| Devotion to and submission to our Guru is the | | | | need to do any pujas. |
| beginning of us becoming independent - of our ego, of | | | | If you think this is slavery or induction, or the forcing of |
| samsara and of our inflictive emotions. It may look like | | | | another culture, you are absolutely wrong. I will not be |
| we have imprisoned ourselves, but if he is a real Guru, | | | | diplomatic about it. I will be diplomatic with everything |
| the minute we submit to him, believe, trust, let go and | | | | else and give concessions because I know we are all |
| do as he says, it is the first step towards total | | | | trying, but not in the case of Guru devotion. There are |
| freedom. The Guru will push us, give us assignments | | | | no concessions. That is the pith of the path. Without an |
| and design work for us that will help us achieve the six | | | | instructor, without a teacher, without someone to guide |
| paramitas, Bodhicitta and compassion, which are the | | | | you, and without your cooperation with this person, |
| necessary prerequisites of higher practices that give | | | | what benefit can you derive? |
| us total freedom. | | | | If you are studying under a music teacher but you are |
| When you sacrifice, submit and do things for the Guru | | | | always late, you forget your music scores, you do not |
| that you ordinarily would not do, you collect merit. | | | | do your homework, you do not practice, you break |
| Psychologically, you open up because this person will | | | | your guitar, you do not restring it, you forget your |
| challenge you to become better. If we look at people | | | | appointment, you are rude to your teacher, you pick |
| who are close to the Guru, we will see that no matter | | | | your nose in front of him, you do not listen to |
| how bad they are, they become better or they get | | | | instructions, how is he going to teach you how to play |
| some benefit - physical, monetary or emotional - most | | | | the guitar? And that is just for playing a guitar! Imagine |
| of the time. We will also see people who are forthright, | | | | how much more alert we must be if we want to learn |
| improving and becoming better and better, year after | | | | how to attain Enlightenment. |
| year when they are around the Guru. | | | | Even with normal teachers who teach us writing and |
| The minute you submit to your Guru, you immediately | | | | arithmetic, we have to be respectful because |
| win your first day of independence. The day you meet | | | | arithmetic and writing will benefit us. But we want |
| a real Guru is the day he starts to separate you from | | | | benefit that will help us in many lifetimes. If we have an |
| him, to make you independent of him. | | | | instructor for that - our Guru - and cannot be |
| Real Gurus do not become clingy with us. They make | | | | respectful or submissive, or even trust or try, then how |
| us more and more independent. Their goal is to make | | | | will we gain that benefit? |