Lama Zopa Rinpoche

holy actions were able to bring so much benefit to Tibet. Many people believed it was
because he practiced Dolgyal that he became so famous and was able to extensively benefit
Tibet. Because many high lamas and geshes have so much devotion to Pabongka, without
analysis it is very easy to think this.
There are many others who question this. For example, Kyabje Ling Rinpoche, His Holiness
the Dalai Lama’s elder guru, was a heart disciple of Kyabje Pabongka but did not practice
Dolgyal. There are many other high lamas as well who have questions about it and do not
practice, feeling uneasy about it. They reject the practice and advise us not to practice it.
There are also others who are very devoted to Pabongka and who do practice Dolgyal, the
basic reason being that they have not checked the guru’s activities.
As I said before, the guru has no faults but he shows the aspect of having faults according to
our karma.
When we check we can see that in reality all the gurus are one—His Holiness the Dalai
Lama, Pabongka Rinpoche, Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche, Kyabje Zong Rinpoche—all the gurus
are one. We can see they are all one, all Buddha Vajradhara. In the prayer Namo Gurubhya,
Namo Buddhaya, Namo Dharmaya, Namo Sanghaya, the guru comes first before the Buddha, the
Dharma and the Sangha because the guru is kinder than all the buddhas. That is why we take
refuge in the guru first, then in the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha.
The main reason the guru comes first is not the kindness, however, but because in reality the
guru is that guru, Buddha Vajradhara. We find no contradiction there. Otherwise, saying
Pabongka Rinpoche is mistaken is saying the Guru Vajradhara is mistaken. That means he is
not a buddha but an ordinary being. That changes everything.
I mentioned Trehor Kyörpon Rinpoche. Think about what he did and you will understand.
This is similar to Kyabje Pabongka Rinpoche. He had many followers, many learned lamas in
Tibet who were his heart disciples and did not practice Dolgyal, but there were others who
did not check but practiced it because they had so much devotion to him.
This is not just about practicing Dolgyal. There are many examples of the guru showing
mistakes. He might lead an unhealthy lifestyle such as eating harmful food or not exercising
and we, as his disciples, need to explain to him what might happen if he keeps doing that.
He might get sick or have to go to the hospital and so forth. There are so many mundane
things we need to explain to our guru. Although the guru does not have ignorance, he shows
that aspect because of our impure karma.
Those great Indian pandits were enlightened. They had actualized the path; they knew
everything the Buddha taught—the entire Kangyur and Tengyur—and were not only experts
in the meaning, they had also actualized it. However, when they reincarnated, they showed
an ordinary aspect, like any small child, crying, making pipi and kaka, playing and so forth.
They needed to be looked after.
When His Holiness the Dalai Lama, who is Chenrezig, was growing up he had to study in
the monastery just as normal monks do. He had two main tutors, Kyabje Ling Rinpoche and
Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche, and seven tsenshabs, who were not gurus but expert, learned monks
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