..續本文上一頁or she needs to know that it is possible to remove negative kleshas and to manifest values of worth. A student needs confidence that practicing the teachings Lord Buddha imparted will lead to the beneficial results of purification and attainment, qualities a Buddha manifests freely and openly. A Changchubsempa, a Bodhisattva, sincerely and diligently works with and realizes these three values that beautify him or her: courage, purification, and realization, and he or she never gives up.

　　In the past, texts that dealt with topics from the Abhidharma or higher knowledge began with homage to the Bodhisattva Manjushri, who embodies wisdom. The sword he carries symbolizes that he cuts the basic klesha of ignorance.

　　“I bow to the youthful, gentle and brilliant Manjushri.”

　　Texts written by Asanga in reliance upon instructions from Buddha Maitreya pay homage to the coming Buddha with the line,

　　“To the Guardian Maitreya we bow in supplication.”

　　The homage that the Third Karmapa, Rangjung Dorje, wrote in The Mahamudra Monlam Prayer begins with the Sanskrit words Namo Guru because the teachings of the Buddha and the commentaries written by scholars and Siddhas were translated from Sanskrit into Tibetan, so it is to show that these teachings were not invented in Tibet but originated in India, the home of Lord Buddha and the great Siddhas.

　　“Namo Guru,

　　Lamas, Yidams and deities of the mandala.

　　Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in the ten directions and of the three times,

　　Please look upon me with compassion and bestow your blessings

　　So that my aspiration be fulfilled with your guidance.”

　　Namo Guru means “homage to the Guru,” “homage to the teacher.” This is written because when one practices the Dharma, in particular meditation, one needs to rely upon a teacher for instructions. If one meditates without a guide, the meditation may be faulty. In the same way as one needs a guide to show the way to a place one wishes to visit, one can end up where one didn”t want to go without one. With a guide, it is easier taking the right road and it is more likely that one will arrive at the destination one set out to reach. It is the same with the practice of meditation. One needs a teacher because one has no experience. One needs someone who can instruct, “If you meditate in this way, then you will have that kind of experience, and when you have that kind of experience, this is what you should do.” Trying to meditate without a guide may be all right but may go wrong. Even if everything goes well, there are different ways of practicing meditation. There might be a long way, there might be a short way, so one needs to have a teacher who has experience in meditation and who can guide one in one”s practice. This is important for the practice of meditation in general but especially for Mahamudra and Dzogchen. That is why The Mahamudra Prayer begins with homage to the teacher.

　　Furthermore, the homage to all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas is a request for their blessings, which must always be made. Some people think that they don”t need a blessing and that whatever they achieve is their own making. But it isn”t like that. Others may think that a blessing gives them power and imparts an immediate transformation. But it is not like that either. One receives the blessings from the Guru in terms of positive karma, so that one will be able to gradually abandon ill will and increase the good, or that the one will be able to diminish the kleshas in one”s mind and enhance one”s good motivation as well as one”s love and compassion for others as one has for kin. One only gains wisdom through one”s own efforts as well as through the blessings one receives, so there is a natural dependence. In The Mahamudra Prayer, Rangjung Dorje also supplicated the Lamas and Yidams of the T…

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