Teaching on Group Practice
共修開示

Kyabje Gosok Rinpoche

Teaching on Group Practice

Our Guru began by commending everyone for attending the group practice every Sunday. This is truly praiseworthy. Whether practicing any Dharma path or engaging in virtuous actions, perseverance will lead to the accumulation of great merit.

Reflecting on Motivation and Intentions

The essence of practice lies in our thoughts and intentions. Therefore, during the process of cultivation, we must constantly observe our thoughts and examine our motivations. To ensure pure intentions, one must firmly believe in the principle of karma: “Good actions lead to good results; harmful actions lead to negative consequences.” This understanding forms the foundation of Buddhist practice.

If we delve deeper into the principle of karma, we find that it is undeniable. Through taking refuge in and paying respect to the Three Jewels—Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha—we generate wholesome qualities such as renunciation, Bodhicitta (the mind of enlightenment), and wisdom realizing emptiness. These positive causes will inevitably yield favorable results in the future. Every Sunday, when we gather at the temple to recite scriptures, practice Dharma, and make prostrations, we create immense merit.

The object of our reliance, the Buddha, is supremely noble. The field of merit we cultivate is exceedingly precious. If we engage in these practices with pure motivation: renunciation, Bodhicitta, and wisdom realizing emptiness, and refrain from committing harmful actions, the blessings we accumulate are immeasurable. Just as planting a medicinal seed will grow into a plant bearing healing fruits, the wholesome thoughts and intentions we generate today will surely bring us the fruits of peace and happiness in the future.

The Rarity and Preciousness of Practicing the Dharma

This life, in which we have obtained a human body and can take refuge in and practice the Dharma, is not something easily attained. Throughout countless lifetimes in samsara, obtaining a human birth is rare; encountering the Buddha’s teachings is even rarer; meeting a qualified teacher who imparts the Dharma is the third rarity; and having a teacher who accurately and correctly expounds the Dharma is the fourth rarity. Thus, the opportunity we have now to practice the Dharma is extraordinarily precious. Only those with great merit can encounter such an opportunity, and we should recognize this.

Cherish This Precious Human Life

If we allow ourselves to be driven by greed, anger, and ignorance, and commit harmful actions, we will inevitably fall into the three lower realms—hell, hungry ghosts, or animals—and suffer immensely, finding it difficult to escape. This is certain. Therefore, having gained a human life through the accumulation of great merit over countless lifetimes, and having encountered the Dharma, we should seize this rare opportunity to create wholesome causes and achieve favorable results. This is the correct direction for life.

If we fail to cherish this precious human life and diligently practice the Dharma, but instead engage in harmful actions that lead us away from the path of liberation, it would be deeply regrettable and lamentable. It is like possessing valuable treasures but failing to use them wisely, leaving them aside or even discarding them as trash, continuing to live in poverty and suffering unnecessarily.

The Supremacy of Vajrayana

The Dharma we have encountered is not merely the Hinayana teachings but the supreme Mahayana path, including the Paramitayana (Perfection Vehicle) and the Vajrayana (Diamond Vehicle). The opportunity to hear and practice the Vajrayana teachings is exceptionally rare and precious. Therefore, we should seize this invaluable chance, practice diligently, and strive to attain the ultimate state of Buddhahood. We should no longer waste this precious human life chasing worldly pleasures and material wealth, as we have done in countless past lifetimes.

Each of us should cultivate a strong resolve in our hearts: “I will seize this rare human life and diligently practice the unified teachings of Sutra and Tantra in the Vajrayana tradition, aspiring to attain the supreme enlightenment of Buddhahood.” Only then can we say that we have not wasted this life or this journey.

The above is a translation from our Chinese webpage, based on original Tibetan teachings.