【修持轨理 The Meditation Session】亲近胜利者 The benefits of relying on the teacher P11

【亲近胜利者】

【《不可思议秘密经》中亦云：「若善男子，或善女人，应极恭敬，依止亲近承事尊重。若如是者，闻善法故成善意乐。。。】
那么现在这一种具足条件的善男子、善女人，真正修学佛法了，第一个就要亲近善知识。那么亲近善知识，他应该绝端地恭敬这个善知识，以这样的心情去依止他、去承事他。你只要能够这样做到的话，那下面好处就跟着来了，什么呀？「闻善法故，成善意乐」，善知识之所以成为善知识的原因，必定能够如法地把这个三宝当中的正法，能够传递到我们身心上头，这个是善法，这个是善法。因为你听到了这个善法，于是你的概念就跟他相应了，所以「成善意乐」，这是第一个重要的概念。

来源 SOURCE：

日常师父法语 20B 23’42”手抄稿第三册 P140L8

20B 23’42” Vol 3 of Master Jih-Chang’s Discourse P140L8
English Lamrim Vol 1, P88

【The benefits of relying on the teacher】

【And also the Sutra of Showering the Tathagata’s Inconceivable Secret (Tathagatacintyaguhya-nirdesa-sutra) says: 

Sons and daughters of good lineage, rely upon, become emotionally closer to, serve, and venerate the guru with great respect. If you do so, your thought will be virtuous through hearing virtuous teachings, 】

So now, for those who fulfilled the prerequisites and are truly sons and daughters of good lineage, when they actually train in Buddhism, the first thing they need to do is to get close to an excellent teacher.  When one relies on an excellent teacher, he should venerate the excellent teacher with great respect, and rely upon him and serve him with this attitude.  If you can do this, then all the following benefits will come to you.  What are they?  "Your thought will be virtuous through hearing virtuous teachings."  The reason an excellent teacher is an excellent teacher because he can absolutely transmit the sublime teaching of the Three Jewels to our body and mind accordingly.  This is the virtuous teaching.  This is the virtuous teaching.  It is because you have heard this virtuous teaching that your thoughts accord with him.  Therefore, you have "virtuous thoughts."  This is the first important concept.