Guru's Gurus

Yutang Lin

Guru's Gurus
And yet not the patriarchs
Who could they be
Disciples, sponsors and relatives of Guru
Often wanted Guru to listen to them and follow accordingly
And had many ideas and views
Guru should be like that to be correct
Guru doing thus is unfair

They had forgotten that
Whenever there was need for prayers or Powa
All depended on Guru
They even though incapable of providing such help
And yet on matters on hand regarded themselves
As superior to Guru and more knowledgeable about Dharma
That they were capable of criticizing and guiding Guru

Facing arrivals with diverse propensities and varying degrees of faith and dedication
Having experienced all sorts of evolution of people coming and going
Guru's ways of guiding diverse disciples are of course different
How could those be all the same as imagined by people lacking understanding of depths
Unequal instructions were indeed based on the completely equal Bodhicitta
Superficial dissimilarity can only be blamed on diversity in people's propensities

Knowing only a bit of Dharma teachings, and then used that to evaluate Guru
How could they comprehend that a veteran having thoroughly internalized the teachings
Was indeed incessantly practicing and realizing Dharma in all experiences
Should not be judged superficially as indulgence or deviation from the Dharma path
Even more so not as using Dharma practice as pretence for personal gratification

Encountering Guru's Gurus such as these
Still try to guide them through words and speeches
If such attempts in providing verbal guidance failed
A Guru who had genuinely attained selflessness
Would no longer grasp to the nominal distinction of Guru and Disciple
But instead attempt conversion through setting personal example of no grasping
Obediently acting as a disciple
To these Guru's Gurus
Always follow their intentions
Accommodating to their likes and dislikes
In an atmosphere of complete harmony
Carrying out selfless compassionate inducing through engaging in same activities

Hope that the revelation above
Could sooner catalyze reflection and comprehension of such sentient beings
And render them to concentrate on their own Bodhi practices and pursuits
Lest they insist on paying attention to current trivial matters
And busy themselves with guiding Guru in all details
So that Guru may have more leisure
To pay attention to the flow of incessantly pouring in
Requests from all sides for blessing, Powa or guidance

Written in Chinese and translated on November 21, 2008
El Cerrito, California

Teachings in words are often ineffectual but instead adding misunderstandings, so originally I did not intend to write this topic out. Upon the urge from disciple Ji Hu, I wrote it.

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