The-Tibetan-Book-of-Living-and-Dying

THE SPIRITUAL PATH 139
what gives your master the extraordinary power to illumine
your mind and heart. He or she is nothing less than the
human face of the absolute, the telephone, if you like, through
which all the buddhas and all the enlightened beings can call
you. He or she is the crystallization of the wisdom of all the
buddhas, and the embodiment of their compassion directed
always toward you: the rays of their universal sunlight aimed
directly at your heart and mind in order to liberate you.
In my tradition we revere the master for being even kinder
than the buddhas themselves. Although the compassion and
power of the buddhas are always present, our obscurations
prevent us from meeting the buddhas face to face. But we can
meet the master; he or she is here, living, breathing, speaking,
acting, before us to show us, in all the ways possible, the path
of the buddhas: the way to liberation. For me, my masters
have been the embodiment of living truth, undeniable signs
that enlightenment is possible in a body, in this life, in this
world, even here and even now, the supreme inspirations in
my practice, in my work, in my life, and in my journey
toward liberation. My masters are for me the embodiments of
my sacred commitment to keep enlightenment foremost in my
mind until I actually achieve it. I know enough to know that
only when I reach enlightenment will I have a complete
understanding of who they really are and of their infinite generosity,
love, and wisdom.
I would like to share with you this beautiful prayer, the
words of Jikmé Lingpa, a prayer we say in Tibet to invoke the
presence of the master in our heart:
From the blossoming lotus of devotion, at the center of my heart,
Rise up, O compassionate master, my only refuge!
I am plagued by past actions and turbulent emotions:
To protect me in my misfortune
Remain as the jewel-ornament on the crown of my head, the
chakra of great bliss,
Arousing all my mindfulness and awareness, I pray!
THE ALCHEMY OF DEVOTION
Just as Buddha said that of all the buddhas who attained
enlightenment, not one accomplished this without relying on
the master, he also said: "It is only through devotion, and
devotion alone, that you will realize the absolute truth." The
absolute truth cannot be realized within the domain of the