The Great Merit of Offering to the Root Guru, Constantly Keeping the Root Guru in Mind, and Supplicating Buddha to Stay in the World
On Oct. 27, 2018, there will be a Finding 1000-year Root Bodhicitta-in-Action event at Borobudur Temple Compounds. A Supplicating-Buddha-to-Stay-in-the-World White Padmakumara Homa Ceremony will be held in conjunction with this dharma activity. Master Lianhe, Director of the True Buddha Foundation Education Department, will preside over the ceremony. The White Padmakumara Homa is both an offering to the Root Guru and keeping the Root Guru in mind. What great merit does one obtain by offering to the Root Guru and constantly keeping the Root Guru in mind? One can read about this in the article:
◎What Merits the Greatest Field of Blessings? in Living Buddha Lian-sheng Sheng-yen Lu Book 240, Gateway to Infinite Dharma Treasure.
◎Magnificent Merit of Offering to the Root Guru and Keeping Root Guru in Mind
The following is advice from Padmasambhava to Trisong Deutsen: ''One should know that for a practitioner, the guru is even more important than the thousand buddhas of this kalpa! Why? Because the thousand buddhas of the present kalpa only appear by following the guru. Prior to the guru, the name 'buddha' did not exist.''
Further advice from Padmasambhava to Trisong Deutsen: ''The guru is the buddha, the guru is the dharma, and the guru is the sangha as well. Hence, the guru is the root of the Three Jewels. It is therefore unnecessary to venerate anything else. Just put your whole heart into attending the guru. By bringing joy to one's guru, all the accomplishments one wishes for will be fulfilled.''
It is stated in the Avatamsaka Sutra: ''By keeping the guru constantly in mind, one's wishes will be fulfilled.''
A Tantra states: ''Cultivation of 100,000 principal deities for 100,000 kalpas is not as magnificent as thinking of the root guru for a single moment.''
The doctrine of vows states: ''Visualization of the resplendent appearance and solemn body for 100,000 kalpas is not as magnificent as just thinking of the root guru.''
The Bright Lamp Tantra states: ''Because of keeping one's root guru in mind, one attains Buddhahood in this very body.''
The Request for Virtuous Warriors states: ''One who keeps one's guru in mind at the time of death will achieve deliverance in the bardo and attain Buddhahood.''