The Merit of Working for the Guru

The Merit of Working for the Guru

Date Posted:
November 2013

Rinpoche gave the following advice to a student at Lawudo Retreat Centre about the merit of working for the guru.

My very dear Dolma,
I am very happy that you are still at Lawudo serving my sister Ngawang Samden, the animals, the gompa and me. Since you have received initiation and teachings from me and regard me as guru, we have a Dharma connection, so you can do all the work there at Lawudo and whatever you do is done for me. Then you collect merit and it becomes the most skillful, powerful Dharma practice; it becomes very powerful purification, purifying unimaginable eons of negative karma and collecting the highest, most extensive merit. Whatever you do will always bring you to enlightenment. This makes your life the most meaningful, most, most fortunate life. So please keep this in your heart every day.

I want to thank you a billion, zillion times. Even though you are very busy every day, you are very happy to help—you are very happy to work and offer service to everyone besides Ngawang Samden. Also, the money you get is used to take care of your mother (I guess) and to look after her, so this collects unbelievable merit. Even small respect and service to your mother and father of this life becomes an unbelievable way to purify and collect good karma, so the result is unbelievable happiness and success, even in this life.

By taking care of your mother, later you will be taken care of by many people. People will serve you in your life when you become 100 years old or 1,000 years old. Not only that, the result in this life will be happiness and success, and you will experience that for hundreds and thousands of lifetimes. Even just one act of service to your mother [brings this result] and in the same way, one small harm that is done to your mother (or father), creates the cause for suffering, to experience very heavy negative karma. There is a very heavy suffering result that you will experience in this life and future lives.

Karma is definite, so what you create—good karma or bad karma—you will definitely experience the result of that. Whether it’s happiness or suffering, you will experience the result. Then also karma is expandable, so for a small good karma the result is happiness in thousands of lifetimes. So it is extremely good that you are helping your mother by working at Lawudo.

We will see how the future goes. Last time I advised you to come to Kopan Nunnery to study Dharma, but then Ngawang Samden and Lawudo wouldn't have support. It is fantastic that you are there. However, keep in mind to learn Dharma—this doesn't only mean to read, but also to learn the path to cease the oceans of samsaric sufferings and their causes, and to learn the Mahayana path to enlightenment. So, learn and put into practice the essence. Of course, if you become a nun, then there is more opportunity to study and practice on the basis of living in Buddha's teachings and the vows. If you keep this plan in mind, it is very good.

With much love and prayers...