Tashi delek. Today is the fifth day of our prayers for the pandemic to subside. Today we will recite two well-known prayers to Guru Rinpoche.
Guru Rinpoche or Padmasambhava was a scholar and siddha from the land of Uddiyana, who came to Tibet at the end of the eighth century.
While in Tibet, he dispelled all the obstacles that prevented the dharma from flourishing. He’s one of the main figures in the early establishment of the dharma in Tibet and this is why he is like a second Buddha to Tibetan people. People admire and respect him because he is like a superhero: he has incredible powers and great majesty. No obstacle can stop him; no adversity can set him back.
Since I was a child, I have had great faith in Guru Rinpoche. Until I was eight years old, the only prayer I knew was the Seven-Line Prayer to Guru Rinpoche. Whenever my family members or neighbours asked me to recite prayers, I used to recite the Seven-Line Prayer for them.
Now, during this pandemic, many people have great fear and anxiety. It’s natural to feel anxious in a situation like this, which we have never experienced in our lives before, when it’s hard to know what’s going to happen next.
But when big disasters happen, it is even more important for us to calm our minds, so that we can think clearly and make the right decisions, because in a great crisis such as this one, many of the decisions we make can be a matter of life or death.
A pandemic is different than a war. In war, we have the choice to surrender to the enemy but in a pandemic you don’t have that choice, because we must win.
And in order to achieve victory over the pandemic, we must have strong resolve, conviction and faith. We should be like Guru Rinpoche; we shouldn’t try to wiggle our way out of obstacles. We have to face up to them; we mustn’t be afraid.
The teachings on mind training tell us that sickness and adversity are spiritual teachers. We must dare to face hardship and overcome obstacles. If we understand that all our problems and suffering can teach us something, then obstacles can become our friends.
Right now we don’t have sufficient power ourselves so that’s why we need to pray to Guru Rinpoche because in this time of degeneration, Guru Rinpoche’s blessings and his power to clear obstacles are beyond compare.
Now we will recite the prayers to Guru Rinpoche. Thank you.
