Guru as Buddha

Yutang Lin


Regarding Guru as no different from Buddha,
In original oneness all distinctions fade away.
Mind without grasping accepts things as such,
Spreading Dharma to help all without waning.

Comment:

In Tantric Buddhism it is taught that one should regard one's Guru as no different from Buddha. Without proper understanding of the reasons behind such teachings it would be both very difficult to have faith in it and easy to raise the suspicion that it is a pretentious make-believe only. According to Buddhist teachings all are originally in oneness. Once original purity is attained, there is not even any distinction between Buddhas and sentient beings, not to mention any differentiation of Buddhas and Gurus. Gurus with real attainment are free from grasping and attachment, and thereby merge into the Dharmakaya of Tathagata. Their propagation of the Dharma to benefit sentient beings is an extension and continuation of the boundless wondrous display of the functions of Buddha's Dharmakaya. Thus, as longs as we are not under the mistaken impression that Buddha could be defined or limited, it would be easy for us to comprehend the teaching to recognize Gurus as Buddhas as a wondrous way to transcend worldly views and appreciate the virtues and grace of Gurus.


Written in Chinese and translated on March 2, 2003
El Cerrito, California


[Home][Back to list][Back to Chinese versions]