Is a Person’s Accomplishments Entirely Determined by Their Master?

2017-6-28

 

 

Growth is a personal matter, but growth cannot rely solely on oneself.

There are such people in this world who, though not your parents, yet seem to understand you better than your parents; though not your lover, but seem more reliable than a lover; though not your friend, but seem more dependable than a friend.

This kind of person is—your “master.”

 

They understand all the suffering of ordinary people, yet possess the wisdom to transcend the mundane, using minimal effort to achieve great results…

A good master is rare. Once found, a disciple is eager to entrust everything to them.

As the Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch says, “When one is deluded, the master leads them; when one is enlightened, they guide themselves.”

Before our initial awakening, what should be our focus in cultivation?

When we are not yet enlightened, the focus of cultivation is to find a teacher who is already awakened.

A renowned Dharma master once taught, “The bit of wisdom I possess today is inseparable from my master. Everything I have achieved today is because my master’s energy has already merged into my blood.”

In the Buddhist scriptures, there is a recorded conversation between the Buddha and his attendant, Ananda—

Ananda said to the Buddha, “Buddha, I have realized a truth: A person’s accomplishments in life are 50% due to their master.”

This one statement from Ananda is enough to awaken us. In the past, we always relied solely on ourselves.

But the Buddha responded, “A person’s accomplishments are entirely determined by their master!”

This statement shocked me even more and made me change my view of the master from that moment forward, and I began to truly value the master.

As long as one lives in this world, no matter what role we play, if we want to grow quickly, we must have a master to guide us along life’s path, helping us make continual progress.

Therefore, we must respect our masters and never forget them. Forgetting the master is equivalent to losing a part of our own life.

 

When the Sixth Patriarch Huineng sought discipleship, he was ridiculed by the Fifth Patriarch in public. Later, he was assigned to the woodshed to do hard labor, and for eight months, the master ignored him.

On the night Huineng wrote, “Originally there is not a single thing, so where could there be any dust?” the master and disciple had their only true exchange in life.

After that, they parted ways at the riverbank, going their separate directions. Huineng never again had the opportunity to serve at his master’s side like other disciples, nor be taught by his master.

However, after 15 years of exile, he—

“unleashed the lion’s roar, resounded with a thunderous voice, widely spread the banner of the Dharma, invigorated Buddhism, and became the founder of the Five Houses of Chan Buddhism—the most important lineage in the history of Chinese Buddhist development!”

 

The master’s benevolence must be repaid, repaid through a deep connection of the hearts;
The master’s benevolence must be repaid, repaid by passing on wisdom;
The master’s benevolence must be repaid, repaid by honestly and sincerely benefiting countless beings…

 

(Source of the article: Buddhism Website)